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Ryan's vow lives on repeat in my head long after those stolen hours we spent in his room holding each other are over. I'm starting to believe him. That I'll have a future. I always counted on not making it back, and as long as I took out the implants beforehand, it never mattered to me. Just the thought of a life after this is all over had been a foreign concept weeks ago, but he is so sure of himself and of me that it's hard not to believe.

In training, Marcus hasn't gotten over the dressing down Rick gave us. Sweat slips off my nose as I struggle to maintain a plank while he glares at us. Oliver hasn't talked to me again since my injury, but I'm not surprised. Every now and again when he grunts at Nuri, his angry eyes will flit to me as if daring me to question his methods. I don't have that particular kind of death wish, so it's easy to keep my mouth shut. Besides, I'm mostly pacified now that I know he actually cares about my friend.

The minute Marcus gives us the signal, I drop onto the hard floor. There was a time when I would have cared about looking weak in front of my team but that was before I knew anything about them. Tara has been surprisingly rigid about keeping to our little sharing circle of hate every day. Knowing so much about what bothers the others has definitely killed the mystique, and after holding a plank so long that my arms feel like noodles, I could care less what anyone thinks of me.

I look around when I manage to pull myself into a recovered position only to find that all my fellow mission teammates are equally as exhausted. Nuri doesn't even make a snarky remark when she sees Archer lying face up like a beached whale, breathing erratically and she always has something to say. More so than usual after his performance in the simulation. I've thought about asking her about it, but the timing always seems off. I'm not really sure what she wants from my brother anymore.

Since our simulation showing, the Elders have doubled our training as a team in addition to doubling up on training with our skill set mentors. Seeing Ryan more often would be a silver lining if he wasn't kicking my ass as much as Marcus has been these last weeks. I'm glad he believes in me enough to not go easy on me, and I'm as determined as he is to master my speed, but the girlfriend title really should come with some nepotism every now and again.

Rick stomps into the room, making Marcus bark at us to get into formation. Begrudgingly, my body obeys his command. Too bad regeneration only works for injuries and not ailments as common as muscle fatigue. Whoever makes the serum seriously missed an opportunity there.

"Afternoon training has been cancelled. You lot are scheduled for the implant scar procedure tomorrow morning." Rick waves a hand at Nuri, Michael, and me. His eyes linger on me when he adds, "This is your last chance to change your mind about it. The procedure can't be undone. Think it over."

Then his eyes move from mine as he tells us where to report in the morning and leaves as abruptly as he entered. The atmosphere in the room is charged, though it shouldn't be. We all know the scar is part of the process, and Rick's right. Once we get it, there's no going back. The three of us draw in close when Marcus dismisses the team. Marcus, Ben, Tara, Oliver, and Archer make their own loose circle and speak in hushed whispers. Typical.

As they talk, I look each of them over, focusing on their faces. I've never known any of them without the scar. Well, Archer didn't always have it, but he got it when I was so young that it's as much a piece of him as anything else. I try to picture each of them without it. My mind can't quite get there. That makes the nerves that have sprung up in my gut even out somewhat. The scar is a piece of them, and it will soon be a piece of me.

Of the marks I'll get, the thin ones behind my ears are less than nothing. The others though...they will be prominent and visible for the rest of my life. I'll soon have the same concentric circles as my brother on my temples. Archer let it slip once when he first got them that they also glow with a faint blue hue in the field to mimic real implant use. Soon I'll be able to see it for myself under my own skin.

I catch Nuri touching her temple next to me before shaking herself and dropping her hand. Michael looks pale. We can't get hung up on this. I say as much to the pair of them, but all I get is a tight nod from each of them in return. It's one thing to know what will happen and another for it to actually be happening. Tara claps her hands together, getting our attention and making us jump slightly. "We are going out tonight."

"Out?" I ask confused, "Out where?"

Tara's smile is wide and just a little intimidating, "You'll see." She's scarier than I give her credit for.

Out, it seems, is just that...out. Marcus has led us all to the edge of the compound and is talking to one of the guards animatedly. He looks friendly. Everything about that word being applied to him as an adjective feels wrong. The guards must agree to whatever he has bribed them with because within minutes Marcus guides our whole team down a long tunnel.

"Come on Isaac," he mutters, looking at the red orb above the large door. When it turns green, he smiles back at us, positively giddy, "Let's get out of here."

On the other side of the door, I feel the barrier dissipate. "We're really leaving?" I ask softly, keeping my feet glued to the ground. Lifting the barrier in the training room feels nothing like this. Pure power races through my body.

"Just stepping outside for a bit." Marcus calls out, already moving down the tunnel that still stretches endlessly ahead of us.

Archer comes over to me with his eyebrows furrowed, "You have enough control to walk? I can carry you."

I would rather go back inside than have my brother carry me. Rolling my shoulders, I call up every bit of Ryan's training and take a step forward. Archer is about five steps behind me when I look over my shoulder at him. I'll take it. He grins as he lumbers over to me, "Ready to see the sky?"

Nothing will ever compare to this feeling. The sky is an endless tapestry with countless stars shining down on us. I sit on the grass while the breeze plays in my hair and try to take it all in, but it just overwhelms me. Some of the denizens inside might never know this feeling, and it makes my chest ache for them all.

Archer left me after I sat down to marvel at it all. I know he went to find Nuri, and I hope he doesn't ruin this for her. I lost track of everyone else from the moment I hit the ground, but it'll be fine. Marcus wouldn't have let us wander around if it wasn't safe. Well, as safe as any of us are in this world.

"I can see clearly out here. Inside, it's like looking through fog." Tara's soft voice reaches me before she joins me. Living with her skill set must play havoc with her mind. Precognition is not something to be trifled with.

Her hands sink into the grass as she lowers herself to the ground. I tuck a windblown strand of hair behind my ear, and I marvel at the simple joy in that movement alone. "What do you see?"

She shakes her head at me and lets out a breath, "Enough to know that there are some things I'll always have to hold back, or they won't happen the way they are supposed to happen." Something close to bitterness sours her face before fading away.

Before I can say anything else to her, Marcus corrals everyone to where Tara and I are sitting. As they join us and settle in, Marcus opens his mouth to speak, "If they are going ahead with the scarring procedures, we'll be going on a real mission soon. Michael, Nuri, Sam," he nods at each of us as he says our names, "you are the best recruits we could have hoped for out of the trials."

"Was that a pep talk?" Oliver asks gruffly, "Because it wasn't a good one."

Laughter runs wild around our circle while Marcus stares daggers at Oliver. "Do better then." Marcus challenges.

Oliver shrugs, "Not my job."

We laugh more at that until Marcus throws up his hands in exasperation. Michael leans over and pats him on the shoulder. I think Marcus might yell at him, but he doesn't. This night is full of surprises.