-Gassy-

Strings of red light decorating the thing clouds create the beautiful sky at this time of day and it's visible the best at this particular spot I mainly occupy. It's windy, which bothers my eyes greatly but for the most part it feels nice to feel nice and cool instead of burning hot like the weather had been for a couple of weeks, very unlike the usual pattern. Taking a deep breath of the cool air I shake my head and kneel down before sitting on the ground and watch as the sun continues on it's journey down. Holding my knee close to my chest I squint past the light and wind and blink just as the moment passes in which the sun has now passed the horizon. This always happens, within a single blink and you could miss the moment you've been waiting for. Glancing over to my left I roll my eyes and shaking my head, making fun of myself in my head for slightly believing there'd be someone sitting beside me for this view. Every once in a while Diction will join me, or Elaine will be wandering the base and join me, but neither of them are the ones I want to see this with, no offense to them. Holding my hand in front of the dim light and stare at my fingers.

Two years. Today marks the two year anniversary of the day that picture was sent and all shit went down, today marks the day the world believes the wanted man has died. Although I always correct everyone by thinking "as the world believes," I also know it, he definitely died that day. I may have been able to make excuses for him all of this time in the past twelve months but I can't anymore, it's been over a year now. It's been over a year and I should be the one in jail and Ze should be the scientist who still works here. Shaking my head bitterly, I lay back on the floor and close my eyes under the warmth the absent sun is creating. It's not right to continue blaming myself after an entire year of hearing from everyone I know that it wasn't my fault and that I should stop beating myself up about it even when I wasn't beating myself up about it at all. Only when they can't see me do I beat myself up about it, because when I'm alone is when I think I could not be alone, as long as I didn't make the fuck ups that I already made and can no longer fix.

"I knew I'd find you up here," I hear Diction's voice from behind me and I twist my head around to see him standing at the doorway, crossing his arms. "And I know it's the anniversary, so I waited until the sun set. I thought it was the damn sun rise anyways, you don't have to go to every damn sun related event you know. Come on, we got a message from Chilled." I groan mainly in the agony of knowing I have actual work to do that isn't just laying around on the roof staying at the sun become darker and darker. Pulling myself up, Diction leads me down the staircase I've grown to walk through for a long time now every morning, and now every dusk.

"Did you ever get back on that proposal I made?" I ask before he leads me to actual work. He hesitates at the mentioning of the proposal and sighs, glancing towards me with the same expression he wears often around me now. There's pity, mixed with sadness and a bit of annoyance. I should move and it's sad that I haven't even given it any thought, that's likely what he's thinking right now, of course as a friend it is comforting to know that he's looking after me and worried about me but sometimes I just want him to get off my back.

"Yeah, yeah it was passed. A petition is being started, lots of people were happy that he made the cure so a lot of people were questioning his guilt anyways." I sigh in relief it's finally being passed and people are doubting his guilt. Diction looks at me seeming very unsatisfied before turning away from me and continuing down the hallway.

"I seriously don't know why you bother, giving innocence to a dead man won't clear your conscience. In the end if you were never a part of the Hidden in the first place he'd still be alive."

"You're saying what I already know, Diction. If anything I wouldn't feel right if Ze was in the history books as a criminal when he was probably the best thing that happened to this base," I explain my own thoughts when it came to dealing with my own thoughts. At least it's what I tell myself, there are many unfinished things that I never quite got to finish up and speak to Ze about and it bugs the hell out of me. If we just had a couple of minutes together where I can just hold him for a couple of minutes I'd definitely be satisfied... and yet I don't feel like I would have bee any different.

"Yeah, yeah, that's what you tell yourself. His work he's done here on base is already being published, other researchers are looking into it. He's already not a criminal in the eyes of science," Diction mutters, although he can't hide the fact he's been a bit upset with the fact the political figures and such people are all seeing Ze as a hopeless criminal. "Well, Alice is working on getting the word out on the petition so you don't have to worry. Ze's corpse will become an innocent man." I roll my eyes at his wording and deep sarcasm, obvious dislike to my obsession with Ze but I understand his own worries. "Anyways, Chilled is here, momentarily. Apparently he was sent on a mission to a nearby base just north of us."

"You're talking about BRIN?" I ask and he nods to confirm, causing me to frown. "They're not suited at all for an attack after the recent attack they had to go through a week ago," I mutter, recalling they were in pretty bad shape and we had to send them some supplies to recover. Maybe they were unsatisfied and planned an attack so soon after the last, but if they did it means they have had to be looking for something in particular. When we open the door to Diction's office I find the familiar blur sitting on Diction's desk, causing Diction to frown in annoyance.

"Oh hey, if it isn't Maximus. How's it been?" Chilled asks sounding the same as always. I always thought that if Ze were to ever die that Chilled would be the most affected, even more than me considering how much they spent time together. They were basically family, but Chilled seems to be taking it all in remarkably well.

"What are you still doing here? Weren't you sent on a mission miles from here?" Chilled's blur moves off of Diction's desk as Diction sits back at his desk while Chilled moves a bit closer to me. No matter how harmless I know he is, I'll never be able to be completely composed around a person who is invisible, especially knowing how many of these invisible creatures have managed to murder over half of the base.

"You're worried about me? I'm fine, I'm fine. They aren't having a check in until midnight where the attack is starting," Chilled explains and both Diction and I feel a bit unsettled with the new found information. Chilled must have noticed our uneasiness and moves slightly more towards the desk. "Not enough time for you guys? Should I sabotage the group or something?"

"No, we need you as a spy, you're our only hope for a spy too," Diction mutters looking through his phone. "The best we can do is warn them but we won't be able to make it in time. I'll send a few guys after the damage is done to help out after whatever's done is done." Slowly, Diction glances up from his phone and towards me with an expecting gaze. "Can you set that group up and head over there?"

"Yeah, I'll get ready," I accept and pull out my phone to pull up a list of decent soldiers. Before any of us can do anything more the door to the office suddenly opens.

"Sweety I heard you were here," Nanners calls out when he enters, his eyes scoping the room for the blur. When he spots the blur he walks towards it and they immediately hug, which seems a bit strange as it looks like Nanners is just hugging the air. My eyes linger on them for a bit longer before I glance back down towards my phone. I guess this is sort of bitter irony, while this couple went through a lot of bullshit in the beginning Ze and I were completely fine and happy. Not this couple is fine and happy and I have no chance with Ze again. Nanners wasn't quite in the clear yet but after Diction and Tom managed to pull a few strings they managed to get Nanners name in the clear. Now Nanners works here like nothing ever happened and Chilled has always been in the clear, working for us as a spy now. It's like the mess made those years ago is finally all becoming cleared up, without anyone knowing the truth in the end. I'm still a bit guilty when everyone looks to me like I've done absolutely nothing wrong when I know well that I am guilty.

"Alright, alright, get your own room," Diction complains and Nanners just giggled before pulling away and looking towards Diction. "Nanners, have you been keeping an eye out for the new researchers?" I immediately hesitate and look away, having been completely avoiding any talk about the researchers and still a bit salty towards Diction for hiring someone else even though we could have been completely fine without any researchers at all. I don't like the thought of someone other than Ze or Chilled in their lab doing things that may just destroy the lab. But I doubt it, because the new researchers have to be a lot safer to keep around than Ze and Chilled ever were. Taking a deep breath I open the door to the room and give them a quick wave before leaving the room. I don't even know their names and they've been working here for over a year, I've just been that salty and bitter, disliking the thought of seeing someone other than Ze in that lab coat up to no good.

For now I should just focus on doing my actual work and getting through this, trying to get BRIN out without any casualties. It's well known anyways that IRIS is probably the best base, despite all of the scandals from years ago we've made it all up through our deeds and plenty successes through our raids. Plus, because of Ze our base has one of the best security systems in the world. Another of his successful works that people applaud him for, it's amazing to me that anybody could think of him as guilty, always working with excitement and looking adorable while doing so. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. It's been a while since I thought about Ze for so long, it's likely because today is the two year anniversary after all but it's really eating at me to be thinking about him for so long. I know why Chilled isn't upset at all, it's because Chilled thinks he's still alive, and in the back of my head I always hope. My thoughts are disrupted as I feel a sudden force at my side and I quickly stop and glance over to the source.

"Shit, sorry, I didn't mean that," a man I'd never seen before says and scrambles to gather the things on the ground into his hands. I kneel down and help him out, picking up the random tools into the box he had been holding when I suddenly notice a white fabric on the group. A lab coat, this is one of the new researchers.

"Thanks man. I've never seen you before, you're a sergeant?" I glance down at my own patch and nod, helping the man up who looks up to me with shining eyes. "Then... you're GassyMexican, right? You're the only one I haven't met. My name is Mark - "

"No code name?" I ask suddenly, causing him to blink and shake his head. Diction said something about them being less of a soldier than Ze and Chilled always acted like. "Right... well, I'll get going," I mutter, seeming awkward, not like I mind. The man just watches me as I leave seeming a bit upset probably because I clearly am not a fan of him at all. Taking a deep breath, I shake my head and continue on. I'm being childish and I know it, not liking them just because I know that they're replacing Ze. I don't like the thought at all that someone is in there and researching when Ze is clearly not able to. I wonder, if he was alive, where would he be? Every base we raided left no clues or traces of him at all, nobody we've spoken to, no cameras we've looked into, there's absolutely no trace he's anywhere with them. After base after base I've raided I guess my hopes have been dying more and more.

After gathering up all of the soldiers who are now packing the truck with guns and supplies they may need as back up, I lean on the truck and look into my phone. Finding the name I was searching for I call them and almost immediately I get an answer.

"Gassy! You were a bit late, so I was wondering if-"

"I'm not gonna be home tonight, most likely again. You can have some of the leftovers or something, right? You'll be alright?" There is silence on the other side and I sigh, knowing well this is the fifth night in a row I won't be home. "I'll try tomorrow, I really will. There's an important mission today, alright?"

"Fine, I get it," she says but it's clear to me there's a pout in her voice. I sigh and look away from the ground and watch as the soldiers are carrying things to the truck. "Today is the day you got that picture, huh?" I stay silent for a while before pushing myself off the truck.

"I need to go, Elaine. I'll try to be home tomorrow. You have school tomorrow, right? You should go to sleep," I order and ignore the groan on the other side as I hang up the phone. After she was left here with no place in particular to stay I took the kid in. She... wanted to stay with me for some reason, maybe because we both knew and cared for Ze but also because we've been through a lot together. While Alice offered her to stay over there with Alice, for some reason Elaine didn't want to stay with Alice no matter what. So, I got an apartment off the base and now I drive here every day early in the morning, although I still have a room and bed here mainly for the nights I pull all nighters. Basically everyone was against it, including myself having never thought about taking care of a kid, but Elaine wanted it and somehow the thought of someone Ze wanted to take care of, I supposed I should just try and we've lasted for two years.

"Hey Gassy, we're all ready," Minx says, walking up to me with a clipboard in her hand. I nod and climb into the driver's seat and wait for the rest of the crew to climb into the seats. Starting up the engine I take a deep breath before heading forward. "Hey, are you alright?" Minx suddenly asks from beside me.

"Yeah, why?"

"The entire base knows you and Ze were a thing, and that Ze was assumed dead this day. And we're all worried about you." I raise an eyebrow and glance over towards her then to the rest of he guys behind me and roll my eyes before looking back to the road. They all look sincerely worried just like she said they were.

"I'm fine guys. You should worry about your own asses," I complain and they all seem a bit more relieved after the normal Gassy comes out. I have been a bit of a downer for the last couple of years, but I suppose most of them have understood why. Staring blankly onto the road I can't help but feel a bit off without knowing there will be a Ze waiting for me when I come back to the base. There isn't really anything fun happening anymore, no random explosions or even worrying constantly about his safety, it's all just plain and safe now, it's surprisingly upsetting. Of course there's Chilled who makes a bit of a ruckus every once in a while but he only comes every once in a while and usually miles away, probably in another state or country depending on where he's stationed by the Hidden. I seem to forget sometimes that they do have bases in other nations entirely, and now that they've been exposed to the public in the US everyone is freaking out and waging war against the Hidden.

Now there are a bunch of bullshit politics going around and now I'm actually a part of IRIS, without any word from the Hidden beyond Chilled. And Nanners and I can't forget that we've been fired so we are also big targets for them to murder before we give any more information, although it's a bit too late for that now. When we arrive at BRIN it is absolute chaos, people everywhere and freaking out and quite a bit of dead bodies. I look around the different bodies everywhere before finding the captain, bleeding and clutching onto her side where the blood is coming from. I sigh and order the people behind me to hurry and help out as I help the woman sit down instead of standing and trying to meet up with me professionally. When she sits and calms down I look around and watch the space all around carefully. There can be Hidden somewhere, still around even after the attack. Slowly stepping into the base I look around very carefully before I quickly notice something move. Hurrying to follow it, I quickly watch as the figure moves around before suddenly jumping towards me at a dangerous speed. I quickly fire a shot but when it misses I duck away as it slashes through the air beside me, but just as fast it slices the air again. This Hidden... is good, he's faster than most.

"Gassy!" Minx calls out and fires towards the Hidden but it hurries to jump away but we can't mistake the splats of blood falling to the ground after him. Before she follows it blindly I stop her.

"It can't attack again like that, but it can still kill us. We need to help everyone else before getting ourselves hurt. Come on," I urge and although she's upset she nods and holsters her gun. I glance over to where the Hidden escaped before turning back to the captain still bleeding in pain. This job really sucks sometimes, death surrounding me and all on me. Shaking my head I also put my gun away and hurry to get the materials she needs.