Earth Warriors (Undergoing Revision)

Chapter 55 - ...To the Outside

"But, they also put these on us!" Rita exclaims as she points to her heart, referring to the Catcher inside of her. " You mean that with that thing, they can't find me now, right? Right?!"

"Not exactly," Ramon replies as the elevator arrives. "If you keep running like that, they might eventually realize where you were going. But it might take awhile. We've got to get moving."

"Get moving? Where?" Rita asks as Mildred helps her walk forward to the elevator.

"They have a base set up in the middle of the desert, a few miles away from contested UEF territory," Ramon replies, "It's protected all around. We are going to raid their base and take both all the weapons we can find and back up all the prisoners they have from there. We can't let them do this anymore."

"I'll second that," Joseph says as the four of them enter the elevator "We can't let up now. As long as we have blood in our veins and anger in our hearts, we'll never let the Zlocans oppress our people."

"Yeah, you're right. And also find a way to get those things out."

"I'd say Joseph is the lucky one here, he wasn't tested yet, which could make this operation even more confusing for the Zlocans. Yes, they could detect us at any minute, but we'll get through, I promise." With that, the elevator doors close as they push a button to a floor with the number "1".  

As the elevator descends, Rita turns to Ramon once more. She tries to formulate some words to say, but she stutters a bit as her posture remains rigid posture over this man. A man whose moments were only there to fill the bad moments in Julian and her life. And yet he's right there,  a man who could take her to salvation. 

"Relax, I won't hurt you, this is not high-school anymore," he reassures her before she relaxes her movements and sees him directly at the face.

"Say...I hate asking you this but, where's Juan?"

"Ah, that meathead from that time? Honestly, I've lost contact with him ever since the invasion started. He was last heard trying to evacuate San Diego, but he stopped answering any of my calls and messages. He was probably captured after all. Though, you know how he is with his phone..."

"Then...why would you call him? If you're so different from five years ago, why still try to reach him?" Ramon only shrugs in response.

"Guess it's because I still want to give a damn for everyone. Maybe if I just talk to him again, things will change."

Rita can feel tears starting to form in her eyes, but she wipes some away with her left hand before they can descend from her eyes. "What if it doesn't work?" Ramon looks her in the eye before speaking in a calming tone.

"Rita, if it doesn't work then I suppose it's goodbye. For now at least." Rita nods in response. And yet, there's still unease over her ordeal, especially when it comes to seeing Julian in such state like that.

"Also, Julian's here, but I think he's not how he used to be."

"What do you mean?" Ramon asks with a raised brow as the elevator dings. "Oh, there's the floor we're on. We'll talk later."

The elevator opens, but before they can leave, Rita looks at him with puffy yet dark eyes. Her posture is also loose. "Regardless of what happened to him, promise me that  you or anyone rescue him. I want to see him again once this is all over. Please..." Ramon nods before leaning on the elevator door so that it doesn't close.

"No problem, right?" He glances at Mildred before he walks out of the elevator. They step near a rail near a staircase that takes any person downstairs. It's in the form of  large hangar, with enough space to fill anything in every corner of the place. The group also sees the empty corridor. The hallway is full of holes from the grenades that were thrown into it, but the damage is done. There's blood splattered against the wall and ceiling, and the floor is covered with broken glass and shards of metal. A handful of Zlocan Knights are downstairs, calibrating the rifles while staying vigilant with the trucks stationed nearby.