Lia looked at her former commander wide-eyed in disbelief in what he just told her, she could see her Terran friend but she was also surprised by this. "W-why am I being called back?" she managed to say.
The druid who was being supported my Violet looked at Atlas as he looked at the younger girl who he towered over greatly with a solemn expression.
"Fuck...please don't tell me they're forcing her now?"Violet said as she looked the large imitating Titan.
A soilder in pure white robotic armor with a helmet shielding his identity when up to Atlas to tell him something "Sir, we scanned and searched the area we couldn't find any sign Of Dryad activity" He said with a intercom voice.
"Scan farther the rest can't be that far find them and neutralize them"
The soilder saluted to him"Understand sir, soilders clear out!" he yelled causing all them to follow him. Atlas watched them disappear into vastness of the trees. "Atlas why am I being called back?" Lia raised her voice sternly making him turn his gaze back to her, her face was calm but both her hands at her sides trembled greatly.
"The council has asked you to return including.....Grove..." he said as he trailed his eyes to the druid.
Lia was quite taken back by this while the druid didn't really seem surprised at all for himself. She closed her eyes and tried to keep herself calm. "Did...did they say why?"
"They sounded frustrated, they only told me that you need to come back..and...my wife wants to meet with you" Atlas sounded stressed after mentioning Arkense who became the few humans to be a member of the council.
Lia was surprised by his wife wanting to see her"Arkense?" she said in confusion. Violet raised a brow in confusion"Who's Arkense?.." the lavender haired girl asked.
"Human friend of my step-father's...and also this Titan's wife" Lia explained simply. Lia began to rub her brows in frustration"Why didn't Rion tell me this if this is true?" She asked Atlas.
"Are you really Aurelia Giles?" the druids voice popped up making Lia turn to look at him.
Both her and Violet looked at him dumbfounded "Um yea I am why would I lie about that?" She asked with a raised eyebrow as he really took her appearance in.
It wasn't really out of lust but she could tell he was noticing her looks but he was staring more with deep interest, like it was he was seeing a creature talked about in stories for the first time.
Lia shook it off for now so she focus the matter at hand. "I don't have much of a choice do I?..." she asked Atlas bluntly.
Atlas shook his head "I'm afraid so" he spoke.
---------
Lia stared out the window of the moving cruiser, watching as the greenary quickly pass by and then begin to disappear from her sight as they headed toward the towards the sheltered Prison that was suspose to be her home. The cruiser what you would call a short hover like a hover chrome train, it was how many citizens transported themselves through the Dead-Lands and the Green to other districts that where still left. While their other ways of travel of course cruisers where considered the safest due to the shield that the cruiser had around them to protect passengers from Radicals, Dryads, Hybrids or even mutated animals that tried to attack it.
"I'm sorry Lia" Atlas spoke looking at the horizon.
"It was going to happen soon in two years anyway right...no matter what I said...she told him softly, she took a big sigh and turned to look at the huge Titan" Am I being reprimanded?...am I not doing my job efficient enough?" She asked seriously even though deep inside she new the answer already....the council had already decided on a match for her she just didn't understand why now...why so early.
Atlas huffed deeply and closed his eyes" I'm not allowed to say Aurelia... It's complicated..." He said as he reopened his eyes to look at her" Just...wait to we get back to the city..." He said, she could tell in his voice what she was half true but there was something else as well.
Deciding to worry about it later she then brought her gaze to Grove now wearing what seemed to be a brown tunic and pants who was watching her attently the whole time they had been in the cruiser. "Tell me Grove...why did the council call you in?" she asked him while her hand hold her head as she leaned against the window.
The Druid had not spoken much through out the ride, the young woman had caught glancing at her couple of times through the ride which puzzled her, she had to admit besides appearance he was quiet strange in personality alone which says something due seeing many unique personalities of Titans, Terrans, and even Humans throughout her 21 years. While she did mistake him for Dryad at first at close glance she could see some his physical appearance and personality reminded of a Titan in a way....
" I'm been doing research that the council has become interested in recently...." He sighed deeply" but as you know those who where working with me betrayed me and left me to die by being drained from the tree you found me in..." He then looked out the window.
Atlas eyes became grim this" We hadn't received a report in the last couple weeks we became worried...he knew something was wrong" the general said.
The Druid rubbed his eyes at this" He's going have more things to worry about if my research gets into the wring hands of they are not already
Lia raised a brow at this, He? She wondered. She then turned her gaze back to Grove and frowned at both males with scrutiny....they seemed to be clearly hiding something and she had a strong feeling that this druid was more then what he claimed to be.
Grove finally removed his hand from his face to see Lia stare at him intensely" Everything Alright Ms. Giles?" He asked puzzled.
Lia turned her head away quickly when he caught her staring at him" It's nothing" she mumbled as looked out into the Deadlands. The young woman soon frowned again when she thought she saw something move outside.
Just then the cruiser shook violently bewildering everyone inside, Lia gripped tightly to her seat in response but still fell out her seat slightly, Grove fell to the opposite seat next to him and while Atlas fell into the end of, once the shaking stopped is when everyone regained their composer.
Atlas checked on to see the condition of young woman and Druid once he knew they where alright he got up out his seat and looked alert while scanned the area carefully, he then tapped his ear communication device.
" What Happened?" He asked curtly but calmly as looked around to see any damage.
" S-Someone hacked into the Shield's main system Sir and attacked us! It's completely down and we can't get it back up" a solider said in a panic over the communication.
Atlas quickly moved over to the window not noticing her was tower I h over Lia making her very uncomfortable she was going to protest but soon saw what he was looking at making her eyes widened to see the shield was no longer there.
" How did this happen?..." She said under her breath.
Atlas glared and gritted his teeth" A filthy hacker" The Titan sneered before the cruiser shook again.
" Sir! They have invaded!!" The same soilder shouted loud enough for all in the compartment to hear.
" Hold them off on my way" Atlas said curtly as he moved away from the window and headed for the front, Lia pulled out her laser pistol in her boot and prepared to follow after her former command but was quickly stopped by him.
" You need to stay here" He told her with firm eyes, she just looked at him in disbelief at this.
" But sir there's a threat-
" Which is why your needed here to protect the Druid" he detected to make behind her who was now up standing and straighting himself up, she tried to protest but her caught her off strenly.
"That's a order Lieutenant" he told her before heading up front with his pistol leaving the you g woman and the male alone.
Lia couldn't help to run her hand through hair and let out a growl of fustration at this as she paced back and forth at her former comander behavior...in the past he never made her stay back in enemy attacks, he use to say she one the best he had so why would he do this now...
She was snapped out her thoughts when she heard pounding on the door making her race over to Grove and made squat down against the seat with her hand his back.
She quickly shushed him silently while crouching low to the leather seat as well, getting ready for the Invaders at the door who pounded it more violently it wasn't long before door became dented and opening was created allowing many figures dressed in sandy out of date clothes in different shades of brown covering or wrapped around their whole bodies along with googles...very definition of the radicals she usaully faced at the border.
Lia then made more like shoved the Druid under the seat which he didn't appericate when she noticed they where getting closer to their seat. The young woman still had her pistol to stun setting knowing they would need to question them and aimed her pistol and took a shoot at one the targets making them fall to the ground paralyzed.
It wasn't long before the three she counted so far came charging at her she charged and took a couple of shots at them another fell to the floor with a thump the larger one growled and charged at her wrestling her to the ground but not before disarming her before restaining her hands to the side of her head Lia groan slightly from having the wind knocked out her, with her limbs restrained and the figure on top of her she did the only thing that came her to mind at that moment and head butted the figure making them hiss to the side.
It caused his goggles to break and the cloth around it's mouth to fall off it's face to reveal a male but a normal one... Lia's eyes widen to gaze upon a humanoid face of a black panther.
The hybrid wiped his face to see his nose was bleeding causing him to sneer his sharp teeth at her.
" Your going to pay for that Bitch" the male in a in human voice, not only where different in looks but Lia think what really made them beasts where the tones of the voices...it could truly frighten people.
She was cut out her shock when the panther started to take punches at her which she did best to block in her last attempt she grabbed the back of the hybrids neck wrapped her arm around it so she could slip them over which was difficult for her to do due how heavy the hybrid was and rolled do the panther was laying on top of her with his back against her chest as her leg and arm wrapped tightly against his chest and neck.
The hybrid howled and began to claw at her arm to stop him from choking her, Lia bit her lip trying to hold in the pain of claws digging into her skin. She didn't loosen her grip even when the claws got deeper into her flesh or when he tried lefting both of them up and slam them the ground she didn't let go...she could feel the struggles slowly begin to die and she knew the choke hd was working even though she couldn't see his face but her hopes soon killed off when she a electric pulse go through her body and made go pimp against the ground.
The she could feel the hybrid get off her while her vision got dark the last thing she saw was a feet walking towards her before the darkness consumed her completely.