Michael looked across at Diana as she ate the chicken sandwich he had made for her. The blue haired girl devoured it quickly, savouring the freshly baked bread and recently grilled chicken. [She properly hasn't eaten anything this fresh for days], thought Michael while he waited for Diana to finish. The pair were inside one of the many makeshift canteens in the 110th's compound - sitting at a folding table that wobbled slightly whenever bumped.
"Oh my god that was so good!" exclaimed Diana as she finished the sandwich, wiping her mouth with a fabric napkin. "Best food I've had since the apocalypse started. How are you such a good cook?"
Michael smiled, "Thank you Diana. My wife works off and on in remote locations, so I learnt to cook decently so we could share a nice meal when she's home."
"That's very sweet of you," replied Diana, "is that why you want to come with Nathaniel and I? Because she's currently overseas?"
Michael's smile faltered, "That's the main reason. I know it's selfish to abandon my post during the end of the world. But she is my world, she is my everything. There is no way I am not going to try and find her - even if it is hopeless."
Diana's expression softened, "It's not hopeless, I'm sure we can find her. Nathaniel actually has a plan on how to leave the UK and already said you can come with us. I know it sounds insane but just trust him. He's… different. He's a good person. A real genuinely good person and wants to save everyone. I don't know if it's him being in the FBI or just a strong moral compass or something else entirely. He's a good man. On the first day of the apocalypse he risked his life to save me even though I'm paralysed and would ultimately be a burden on him. Nathaniel pushed me all the way from Manchester. He's a real hero."
"I agree with you, he is different. He could've killed me but he chose not too. Nathaniel and you aren't the issue," sighed Michael as his failing smile finally became a frown, "my wife is an engineer on the International Space Station. Or well, was on it at the start of the apocalypse. I have no idea if the ISS has power or not. She could be trapped up there, waiting to die. And if she's managed to escape the ISS, god knows where she is. The escape pods could have landed virtually anywhere on Earth, including the middle of the ocean or a desert. There's no way to know."
Diana nodded slowly and the pair sat in silence for several seconds. Turning his head, Michael looked out a nearby window at the starry night sky above. Since all electrical devices had stopped working on Earth, light pollution had ceased to exist on a global scale. Now every night trillions of stars burned brightly throughout the sky - visible to all of the human race. [Humanity has always looked up towards the stars even as they faded], thought Michael, [and now we can see them all].
"You'll never know if you never try." replied Diana, "I, a fifteen year old paralysed girl, defeated two Angels on my own. Which is impossible, but I did it. Yes, your wife could be anywhere or even nowhere. But would she want you to feel hopeless and give up before you even try? You're a soldier and what do soldiers do? They soldier on and give their best shot no matter the situation. So what are you going to do, Sergeant Ward?"
Sergeant Michael Ward spoke, "Claire would want me to try even if it is impossible. She'd tell me to just focus on solving problems one at a time until I reach my goal, until I reach her. And the first problem to solve is getting Nathaniel out of here."
"That's the spirit!" exclaimed Diana with a grin, "I suppose you have a plan then?"
Michael grinned back and praised, "Don't let anyone tell you that you're a burden Diana. You're a hardened young lady who's wise beyond her years - don't forget that. And yes, I do have a plan. The 100th Compound has extremely tight security. So the best way, realistically the only way, we can free Nathaniel is by creating a diversion to first weaken security. Then using your powers to unlock doors and Nathaniel's FBI experience, you two can sneak out the back. You'll have to stay hidden, if either of you two are caught then we're all screwed."
"Nathaniel is quite a good fighter though, despite his recent defeat." protested Diana, "he literally knocked you out in three seconds flat, remember? Handling a few guards should be no problem."
Michael shook his head, "Yes I remember - how could I forget? The problem is there are just way too many soldiers. Also the guards that patrol always travel in groups, take out one and you've already alerted the others. I admit, he'd probably win in a one on one with most of the soldiers but there's well over twelve thousand total in the 110th Division. Not all of them are here on base of course, however there's stoll way too many for Nathaniel to deal with."
Diana nodded her head, agreeing "Actually yeah, you're right. So what's your plan for a distraction then? How are you going to distract the entire 110th?"
"Well, that's the fun part," smiled Michael, "I'm going to stage an attack on the base. I'll draw out as much of the 110th as possible and lead them on a wild goose chase.."
"How are you going to do that?" Diana asked as she tilted her head to one side, "Nathaniel might just be one man but so are you Michael."
"You're not the only one with powers, Diana" explained Michael with a smirk, "I made a deal with the God of Sound. I only have a handful of abilities so far however they do include being able to create any sound and even have it emit from anywhere in my line of sight. Not super useful in combat however perfect for staging a fake attack. Plus, I plan to raid the armoury for explosives. I'll set them up underneath cars or in random locations."
Diana blinked for a second before replying, "that's brilliant but how can you possibly do all that on your own?"
Chuckling Michael himself replied, "I'm not doing it alone. There's others in the 110th who aren't happy with the current leadership and think we're harming more than we are helping. In fact, one of my brothers-in-arms has healing abilities and I've already sent him to patch Nathaniel up. All you need to do is go bust him out, I'll hand the rest."
"But how? Nathaniel's chained to his bed - I need the key." said Diana.
Michael shook his head one final time before standing up and answering, "No, you don't need the key. Think outside the box Diana. Your ability allows you to open and close any lock you can see, his handcuffs have locks in them. So all you need to do is open them."
"Actually yea. There's nothing that defines what a lock is within my powers, so I suppose any sort of closing or blocking mechanism counts." replied Diana, turning her head to look at Michael as he walked to the room's exit, "where are you going?"
"To go cause a distraction," exclaimed Michael, "you go get Nathaniel in an hour or when all the soldiers start running and you hear explosions - whichever comes first. Afterwards I'll regroup with you guys where we first met."
"Sounds like a plan," said Diana with a smirk.
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[Basic Appraisal]
Name: Michael Ward
Title/s: None, (One Hidden Title)
Essence: 15
Favour: 9
Reserve: 2
Power Level: 26
[End Appraisal]
=========================