The engine hums along as Suri and I pass through the middle of the Syrian desert. The high winds rip off the dunes, blasting the poor vehicle with sand from every angle. I glance at Suri, seeing him passed out; neither of us got any good sleep last night. It's taking all I have to stay awake as I watch the sun poke above the horizon.

     Feeling my eye droop, I decide now may be a good time to pull over and get some much-needed rest. Throughout the night, I'd seen a total of maybe two other cars on this lonely highway. The militants must have underestimated us, as there's been no sign of any of their reinforcements. Suri's body stirs as the SUV slows down, pulling off the road and onto a small dirt pathway.

     "Adara?" he mutters, groggily rising from his slumber. The bumpy road shakes the vehicle as I pull up on a ridge. A town comes into view in the distance, beginning to cast a shadow as the sun highlights the rooflines. Suri sits up, squinting as he looks out the window towards the place.

     "Need to rest," I sigh, leaning back in my seat and practically falling into the cushion. I smile as I lean over, looking out the driver's side window.

     "Mm," Suri mutters, barely inaudible as I hear his seat cushions compress in unison.

     Closing my eyes, I think about last night. How could I freeze again? It'd taken a while to get my feet on the ground after my Baghdad incident with Delta Force, but I hadn't frozen like that in years at this point. Am I really doomed to relive that moment forever?

     I did the right thing. I know I did. I don't care what Barr said; it was not my fault. I couldn't-

     My mental interrogation is interrupted when I hear the radio switch on quietly. I turn over, seeing Suri messing with the tuning knob. The dark bags under his eyes don't seem to keep him asleep forever.

     "The second I take a nap," I mumble, frustratedly. Suri looks at me with a miffed side-eye. "Now you wanna listen to the radio?"

     "I just feel awake," he states flatly, zooming between channels.

     "Lemme know if we get attacked," I slur, turning back over and closing my eyes again. I hear Suri let out a chuckle as my head grows heavier and the seatback gets more and more comfortable.

     The two of us didn't talk much last night. It's not like there wasn't plenty to talk about, but I didn't particularly want to. He risked getting killed and blatantly ignored my instructions to him. He risked our lives to prove he could handle himself. I gave him 20% odds against that man; learning to survive alone on the streets is one thing, but military training, even informally, is another beast entirely.

     My attention is again distracted when I catch the words 'Al Kamara' on the radio. Squinting in curiosity, I roll over again to watch Suri increasing the volume. "Couldn't sleep?" He mocks, a flat, unemotive face judging me from the passenger seat.

     I ignore the jab, trying to listen to the radio. I can hear what sounds like a British broadcaster speaking before quickly shushing himself. "Let's turn to the announcement," I hear.

     "What is this?" I ask quietly, and Suri looks back at me in confusion.

     "Great question," he responds simply, turning the volume up.

     "Good morning," I hear, recognizing the voice instantly. It's the voice of Shuma Ali, the King of Al Kamara. My curiosity piques as I suddenly feel much more awake. It's been radio silence from Al Kamara ever since Kali's ritual went wrong. I shake my head a bit, trying to wake myself slightly.

     "As you may have seen, there was an explosion at the palace wall last night," he says, and I see Suri's eyes go wide in surprise. "This heinous act of terrorism will not go unnoticed, and its perpetrator has already met their timely end."

     "Holy shit," I comment, seeing Suri's eyes glued to the radio.

     "Yeah," he stutters, tilting his head slightly. Anxiety is printed on his face.

     "Unfortunately, this senseless violence claimed a life and nearly killed my daughter," he states, and I see Suri go white. My hand seemingly freezes against the steering wheel, unsure of what I'm about to hear. Part of me wants to turn it off, just knowing something would be bad... but I had to hear.

     "Klen Jurgens was a friend of this family for a very long time," he states, and I watch Suri's body lean back into his seat. His breathing freezes as he looks at the radio in total devastation. "There's a lot I want to say, but I will miss him dearly."

     "I need a moment," Suri stammers, quickly reaching for the door handle and practically flinging himself out of the vehicle. I watch as he stumbles across the ridgeline, seemingly trying to flee the news like it's hot on his tail. I debate saying something, but I know it's no use.

     "In these trying times," Shuma says slowly, "We as a people need to unite. We cannot afford to fracture under the weight of the world."

     I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket, grabbing my attention off the radio as I see Raleigh's name pop up. I notice my lack of drowsiness as I hold it up to my ear, accepting the call.

     "We've got news," Raleigh sighs loudly.

     "Terrorist attack at the palace," I state simply, keeping my eye on Suri outside. I watch him sit down, head down, as the dust blows by.

     "Good, you're up to speed," he responds, a bit of anxiety in his voice. "I don't think you have as much time as you previously thought."

     "What, for the mission?" I stammer, trying to focus on too many things at once. I turn down the radio, trying to focus on Raleigh.

     "Yeah," he confirms simply, with an audible sigh of exhaustion. "Adara, it's a matter of time until that powder keg goes off."

     I exhale slowly, trying to process all of this new information. "You mean civil war."

     "Exactly," he responds quickly, with a pause. "We have to prevent civil war, Adara. By any means necessary."

     "Considering last night," I mumble, looking down at the pistol in my holster. "I agree."

     There's silence for a few moments before he speaks again. "I'm glad we're on the same page."

     "Me too," I say, hearing the call hang up as I take my phone away from my ear. I look at Suri, still sitting on the ridgeline, clearly crying. I want to go up to him and do something; maybe I could hug him. Maybe I could talk to him about it... I shouldn't. I lay back in my seat, now unable to fall asleep as I stare at the roof.