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Zoey

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that all hell broke loose right then. The crowd immediately dispersed in every direction, some lying against the wall while others stood far away in shock. The slaves, Emile and Derek, stayed close to the wall as well, Emile cupping his mouth in shock but I could also see a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. Derek seemed to have the same look.

They both looked at me and mouthed a "Thank you" which I quickly responded with a "You're welcome." Hopefully they didn't think that they were indebted to me or something because if we got through this alive and had Jack Breaks arrested, we could free them and send them on their way and call the debt paid in full, if there was even a debt to it. I had pretty much done them a favor by sticking it to their master in front of the entire crowd without a care in the world. He had already pissed me off by using people as cheap toys to use for his own personal gain, but he just had to make it all look like a poor excuse of an act right in front of me and try to help me egg-on his campaign. That was never going to happen on my watch ever again.

Jack Breaks was crumpled on his hands and knees only a few feet away from me, clutching his stomach as he groaned out in pain. The crowd stayed right where they were and watched the new show that was about to go down, just waiting in anticipation. Breaks hissed and groaned out in pure pain while he tried to regain his thoughts and get back on his feet. That must've been pretty hard though since I hit pretty hard despite being a girl. Arthur learned that lesson the very painful way and now has a sore jaw because of it I think.

The cheetah coughed up blood and spit it onto the ground. He looked over right at us and gave us his dark, angered, menacing eyes. I had a strange feeling that he wasn't too happy about my little rejection.

"You...fucking whore!" the cheetah coughed, groaning out in pain. "I'm going to make sure you suffer because...of this!"

Instead of punching him square in the gut, which had to hurt a lot, I should've kicked him as hard as I could in the nuts. I'll bet anything that he would've had the voice of a twelve year-old girl. The thought of that was pretty hilarious and I admit that I actually giggled a little just thinking about it. I really didn't care about the fact that he called me a whore. The words of a Task Master, it didn't matter what the class was, honestly didn't mean much to me. When they were insulting someone else however, I was always ready to put them in a world of hurt.

Arthur stood right next to me as two guards started to run up to us. My guess was that they were Breaks' guards and they were about to go against us. Arthur bolted forward and slid right from under them. Once he was behind them, he chopped the sides of their necks and sent them falling to the ground as well, groaning out in pain as the nerves in their bodies tingled and tried to make sense of what was going on. There were only two guards though so I knew he had everything under control for the most part.

While he dealt with the guards, I walked over to the crippled Jack Breaks and pulled on his messy hair, bringing him up to eye level with me. He glared at me with a pained look and tried to go for my face but I quickly grabbed his wrist with my free hand and twisted it, forcing him to howl out in pain once more.

I looked him right in the eyes and growled. "Don't you dare try to test my patience. You're lucky I didn't kick you in your damn nuts. It would be pretty hard to get a girl without a set of family jewels, huh?"

He spat blood on the ground. "How about you let me go right now and I promise to make your death quick and painless...sound like a good proposition?"

Growling, I slammed his face into the ground and brought it back to my eye level. He hissed and grunted while blood began to drip down his nose and lips from coughing. He was also pretty lucky that I wasn't going to kill him, even though he was a Task Master, because I had a gun and I wasn't afraid to use it. Don't get me wrong though, I wanted to use it so bad but I fought back the urge because there were people around us and I would be labeled a murderer. Though I was a soldier, I wasn't a murderer like many people in this world.

"Such a tempting offer," I retorted. "but no deal."

"You're such a fool," he grunted, trying to pry my hand from his hair.

I snorted. "No, you're a fool thinking you could get away from enslaving another person. It's cruel, wrong, and infurmane."

"Oh, they're just people," he shot back, struggling against my grip. "It's not like they were missed when they were taken from their homes. Some of the slaves that I own are either orphans who used to live in a shitty orphanage or they were hitchhikers trying to find somewhere to live when no one else would help them. I did them a favor."

"And you think that because you 'saved' them gives you the right to treat them like they're your toys? You're wrong. They're still people and they still have the right to be free people. You and these people watch and cheer as you let two people who barely know one another fight because you say so and possibly get the crap knocked out of them in the process."

"They're just people! No one gives a fuck!"

I snorted again. "You're wrong again. I give a trillion fucks and so does my friend over there. There are still people on this planet who fight for people to be free and equal once more. I promise you this, besides my friend and I, someone else gives at least one fuck about them."

"I couldn't agree more."

A new voice filled the air. It was very smooth and suave with a slight accent but was very warm and inviting that almost made me want to hear it again. Even with those very few words, I wanted to know who it was that broke into our small conversation.

I turned my head and looked for the source of it. There was no way it came from the crowd of people that stood pressed against the broke walls surrounding us, and I knew that it wasn't Arthur either. I knew his voice all too well. It didn't come from Jack Breaks either or I would've seen and heard it.

The voice came from the alleyway where Arthur and I had come from. In the middle of the alley stood three people, two being guards clad in tight uniforms and small plates of armor to protect their bodies. They also wore black helmets and visors that covered their faces from the nose up. They stood like statues and held very powerful rifles that I guessed could take down a three-hundred pound man in only a couple of shots. Those were the soldiers of the Task Masters, that much I knew, which could only mean one thing.

Standing in-between them was someone different. He wore a green fedora with a matching sleeveless vest to cover his chest. Underneath that, he wore a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a tie around his collar. Lastly, the guy wore a set of tight fitting black pants with zippers along the side weirdly until I saw the size of his large feet. Getting those through his pants had to be tough, so I guessed that was the reasoning behind the zippers.

He was a rabbit...I think. No wait, rabbits don't have long ears that hang just a little past the shoulders. He was a bunny...I think. I wanted to think that that was it, though he just looked like he was another type of rabbit. Was there another breed of rabbit though? The jack-rabbit? Nah, that didn't seem right. He looked like a floppy eared bunny to me but something told me that I was completely wrong.

While I tried to figure out what species he was, he signaled his soldiers to hold their position before walking towards me. He looked over at Arthur then towards me, his expressionless face very difficult to decipher what he was thinking or feeling right now.

The lagomorph stopped right where I was holding Breaks and looked down, soon sinking until he sat on his legs and looked me right in the eye. He looked much taller up close and actually looked very handsome. I'll admit, I liked his style but there was something about his face that made me squint my eyes in a very confused manner.

The male looked at me and changed his face from emotionless to a very gentle and warm smile. He then turned to Breaks and frowned, shaking his head side to side, looking very disappointed by the looks of it. I had no idea what he was so disappointed about but apparently Breaks knew because he looked away from the male and grunted, looking very shamed and also disappointed himself. Whatever the connection was to him and the guy, I wondered if it could wait because we were kind of in the middle of something at the moment.

Before I could even get a word from him, he stood back up and turned to his guards, beckoning them over. It only took moments before they were right in front of us and then grabbed Breaks as he struggled against their strong grip.

"I thought you could turn over a new leaf, Jack," the male spoke very calmly towards the growling cheetah. "It seems that I was wrong."

Breaks spat on the ground in front of the guy. "As if I care what you think, you little spineless fucker! You can't do anything to me!"

The rabbit...bunny...guy raised an eyebrow. "I don't need to, Jack." He pointed to both of the guards holding him in place. "They're going to make sure you re-think your life choice. Take him away, please."

The two guards didn't say a word but nodded the male's way. Breaks' tried to fight against them without much hope for getting free since their grip was very strong from what I could tell. The cheetah and the guards soon disappeared down the alleyway, leaving only the crowd, the slaves, Arthur, the guy, and me. I thought it was pretty awkward just standing right in front of the guy, but I felt as though I had met him before. He looked vaguely familiar, as if I saw him more recently.

I held out my hand as a friendly gesture though. "Thank you, sir. He really needed to be taught a lesson."

He bowed his head and shook my hand as Arthur came over. "It was more than a pleasure, my dear. I knew Jack prior to this to be honest and I thought he could change his ways for the better. It seems I was mistaken."

Arthur sighed. "Yeah, that you were. But how did you know where to find us? This place is just so..." He trailed off.

"Well hidden?" the guy asked, chuckling. "I concur, but I know these streets very well, my friends. I had a sort of...feeling that Jack would be here going back to his usual shtick. He showed such great promise when he was away from the slavery business and I actually thought he had changed."

"But you were wrong, weren't you?" I asked, folding my arms across my breasts.

He looked at the two slaves pressed laying against the wall in shock then sighed. "Yes, I was very wrong about that."

Arthur and I looked at each other and then at the two slaves. We thought people could change with time and environment then hopefully do good in the future that would benefit the world in a good way. We had rehabilitation programs back at our fleet, actually all the fleets globally for that matter, where people would go through intense restoration and quit their need for power and greed and fight for a better cause than working with the Overlord.

I wondered what this guy did to try and re-convince Jack to not be a Task Master for the enemy. Whatever it was, it didn't work. The guy stated that before and was now starting to feel down about it, yet I still couldn't shake the feeling as to why he would know about Jack being a Task Master.

"Hey, pardon me for wondering, but we never exactly got your name," I said.

He turned to me and smiled. "Well, my dear, I think you know me already. After all, you were sent to help bargain a treaty that would end up having me work for your Revolution. I do believe that it was your general...Damien Ghost who sent you. Oh but where are my manners? My name, as you might know, is Lucian Thorn Hare."

Arthur

It took only ten minutes to get to Lucian's car and during that time period we swarmed him with dozens of questions.

How did he know we were looking for him? How did he already know about the treaty? How did he know that General Ghost had sent us both to come and find him? We hadn't even mentioned anything like that during the entire trip, so how could he have possibly known about information like that?

Before we got to his car, he took both of the slaves with us. The crowd of people that had been watching the show were quickly sent away or else they would be sent right into the slammer for an entire week. Even though it wasn't technically illegal to do things like this, Lucian was still a Task Master with tons of power and could literally make their lives living hells. I didn't want to get on his bad side either or else that could compromise the entire mission and destroy any chance we had to sway his decision to join our cause. We needed someone like him to change the tide of the war in our favor or else we were pretty much sunk.

The slaves, Emile and Derek, were quickly freed with Lucian's keys and were taken to one of his privately owned shelters for beaten and injured slaves from around the state. Knowing that he, a Task Master, made a place for slaves to go whenever they were in some kind of injury without having to worry about expenses or prejudice was actually a slight glimmer of hope for this planet. Zoey still didn't trust him because of the path he chose but I was beginning to think that he really wasn't all that bad of a guy. He was kind, humble, and honest to us while we helped get the two slaves inside the shelter, which still worked even on Carnavale. The caretakers inside didn't seem to care about the festivities yet aided the slaves living there nonetheless because that was what they liked to do apparently.

If they knew that people were being treated like this, then why weren't they doing something to help stop it? Lucian said that it was because he lacked the resources to sway the people's decision about things even with all the influence he had on their minds. Another reason was because of the Overlord. Since he had absolute power, Lucian couldn't make a move with something that drastic without getting spotlight from the Overlord in the process, and he also had to worry about the other powerful Task Masters as well. From what Damien had told us, if he made one wrong move he could become a test subject for a crazy scientist's experiment, or a slave that would be beaten to the maximum, or he could be killed because of his treason against the Overlord. It happened all the time and the Overlord made it seem like they did it against the people which only influenced his power even more over the world.

Even though he was a very influential writer, I guess that even he had limits that he just couldn't break. Once we had dropped off the two slaves at the shelter he drove us through the city, around the main Carnavale floats and bypassed all the major traffic that was going on, driving around the outermost rim of the city until he began to pass through all the tall skyscrapers and headed out into the suburbs. The darkness of the night enveloped the car he drove but with his headlights on, I was perfectly fine with the drive. It was mostly a silent journey aside from the occasional conversation every now and then that regarded Zoey and I and the lives we lived before the Revolution.

Zoey wasn't too keen on trusting him just yet. She spoke very little about her life, exactly like she had done with me, and tended to just keep her mouth shut for the most of the ride. I on the other hand decided to let Lucian in on a few tidbits on my life, not going in too deep but just summing everything I went through for the past couple of years. I didn't have to look to my side to tell that Zoey was shaking her head from side to side, telling me that I needed to shut up and just not tell him about anything. Eventually, I did stop and told him that I still had to keep a few things secret because we couldn't trust him that much.

"Ah, I understand," he responded, nodding as he drove down the dark road. "Do not worry, my lips are sealed. I give you my word that none of the information that you have told me will be spoken to anyone."

My feline friend rolled her eyes and grunted. I jabbed her in the side only to get jabbed back in my ribs by her elbow. It took all I had not to groan out in pain and clutch it so I just held it in. Lucian continued to drive as if nothing had happened but I knew he had seen us and just cracked a small smile because of it.

The ride returned to being quiet once more. Lucian stayed quiet, Zoey stayed quiet (no surprise), and I stayed quiet as well. All that we could use for sound was the humming of the engine of the expensive car and the spinning of the tires against the hard road. I had no idea where we were going but we had found our target and now he was supposedly taking us where he lived. Of course Zoey was skeptical about that detail and kept her hand on the gun strapped to her thigh but I had a little faith that Lucian wouldn't do anything to us.

He lived pretty far away. It took nearly an hour before we split off from the main road and turned onto a dirt road hidden by a forest and a few bushes here and there. The road reminded me of the road where Scar Face had taken us from our home when I was younger, but from what I could remember this wasn't the same road. I knew that for a fact.

I could feel every bump in the road and it caused the car to jump up and down constantly for the next ten minutes. It had awoken Zoey from her hour long sleep who only seemed to be even more skeptical about Lucian and his motives. I really hoped that this wouldn't be a moment where I would admit that she was right about Lucian being a cruel and horrible person driving us to our doom. If it ended up turning into something like that then I would have to always trust her gut about her feelings, but my neck wasn't itching. That was always the first sign that things were about to get dicey but it didn't itch or do anything. I was perfectly calm and relaxed about the situation, and Zoey was the only one who was on edge.

Another five minutes of driving across dirt and grass pathways led us to another dirt road, this one with a sort of house on the side surrounded by thick and tall trees. Two lamp posts illuminated the road and lit up parts of the...cabin I was guessing. The lights inside the home were on and it looked like there was someone inside.

"Come, come," he beckoned for the two of us as he turned off his car and exited. "This is my home."

Well, at least we had accomplished another one of our objectives. We found Lucian and we found his residence. All we needed to do was now bring over to our side and turn the tide over of the war over to our side. There was still no way we would know if he would join our cause. In case he didn't, Zoey kept her hand close to her gun while she exited the car.

I left the car as well and looked around the outside. This place would be ideal for an ambush if we weren't careful so I kept my wits on high alert in case something was to happen. I took point and followed Lucian up to his home with Zoey right behind me, staying close to her.

The hare opened the door and walked right on inside, beckoning us to follow. At first we were hesitant to enter since we had no idea if we were walking right into a trap or if this was the real deal and he was being honest and pure. Zoey still didn't trust him but shrugged, forcing me to make the final call if we should go inside or stay outside.

In the end, we went inside. No one ambushed us, surprisingly. The home was actually pretty cozy even for July. A little to the right of the entrance was a set of stairs that led to the next floor of the home while the large den stayed on the left. A warm fireplace stayed lit up against the wall and made the entire home feel perfect and right even with the slight humidity outside. I didn't see any air conditioners inside the home, which I immediately found odd since it was already kind of warm outside so I wondered why it wasn't warmer inside. Strangely though, this place almost reminded me of the house on my farm what with it being pretty cozy even with the humidity and the back-in-the-day style that it had. Bookshelves filled with thick and thin books lined the living room walls while a large rub was thrown over the wooden floor. There was one long couch that looked as though it was made for two people but with further inspection I noticed it was recliner-shaped for a person to lie down on after a long day. One thing that I found odd was the fact that there were no TV's, electronics, or anything else that pertained to our modern day stuff.

Lucian bowed to us and showed us to one of his two people couches. Zoey and I sat down only to be greeted with a soft and comforting cushion that nearly made me melt in the seat. We both seemed to relax surprisingly since Zoey was still on edge.

The hare took a seat in the recliner-shaped seat then turned his head towards the kitchen portion of the house. From what we could here, it sounded like someone was in there cleaning dishes or something. I wasn't sure if it was just me but I could hear some distinct humming from the kitchen, it was a very cheerful hum that felt warm and inviting despite sounding very effeminate. Apparently Lucian wasn't the only one living here.

Hare then leaned back in his seat and cupped his hands. "Now, I know you must have a few dozen questions, so please go ahead and ask away."

Zoey was the first to speak. "Okay, why all the secrecy? For a man who can influence the minds of thousands of people, you sure do like to keep things a big secret, like this place."

I saw him smile. "My dear, if I were to tell the entire world who I really was, I would lose my power and my fan base. The Task Masters would have no further use for me, and you know what they do with those they deem 'unfit'."

We both exchanged looks with one another. He was right though. If people really found out who he really was--a Task Master helping slavery stay in the world--then he would lose everything he worked so hard to obtain. The people would boycott him and his work then he would go to being just another statistic like the common people. The Overlord was not a merciful guy and did away with those who could no longer do their work correctly, and he did it in the most gruesome manner as well.

Zoey nudged my arm, helping me remember my questions. "Alright then, I have a few as well."

He nodded. "Go ahead, but would you like some tea perhaps? My friend Ryan makes the most wonderful brew."

"I would like some." I said, nudging Zoey's arm this time. She shot daggers my way in which I shot back and finally got her to crack. She asked for a cup as well and made Lucian smile warmly.

"Oh, Ryan dear, would you please make three cups of your wonderful tea?" Hare asked very gently and calmly. "We have guests."

I think it might have been me, but the voice that came back from the kitchen sounded more effeminate than it did masculine for a guy. "Of course, sir! It'll be a few minutes!"

Lucian called back. "Alright then, thank you!" He then turned back to us. "What were your questions then?"

I shook my head trying to get things back in order. "Um...how did you know we were sent to find you? How did you know that Damien sent us? How did you know we were in that alley?"

He chuckled a little and let out a long sigh. "As I said prior to this, I knew Jack better than most. While you two were walking through the crowd, I managed to catch a slight glimpse of Jack taking you to one of his slave tournaments. You must've not noticed me, though I'm sure it was because I was wearing a mask at the time so I cannot blame you."

Hare beckoned to the wall to our left, showing us half a dozen crafted masks. Each one was very different from the one it was closest to but they all had the same crazy style and design that made each of them distinct from one another. They were also very beautiful and well-crafted, and I'll bet anything that Hare was the one that had made then.

"As for the other two," he went on. "your military have been trying to find me for the past couple of months actually. Truth be told, you two are the second to actually find me personally and have a calm chat with me without the need for weapons."

"And what about our general?" Zoey asked, raising her eyebrow in curiosity. "How did you know he sent us?"

He chuckled. "I went on a hunch, so to speak. I had to ask myself who would send you before I could decide why. You should tell your general to pack a skateboard and a purse next time you try to go incognito. It would've made your look that much more convincing."

I rubbed my eyes while Zoey let out a stressful sigh. Okay, maybe this guy did know a little bit more about our military than we should know. But how he knew about Damien was still to be questioned.

The sound of giggling then hit our ears, forcing us to turn our heads towards the center of the sound. Standing in the doorframe of the kitchen was the deer who I was guessing was Ryan. He wore a silky green robe that went halfway down his legs but looked very smooth and pretty with golden intricate designs along the sides and chest. He had long, silky cream colored hair that went past his shoulders and the same color eyes as Lucian.

In his hands he carried a tray with three white cups. Steam rushed from the cups, telling Zoey and I that the tea was freshly brewed and still very hot to taste. Now, I had no clue if Zoey was going to drink the stuff or not and now I was feeling pretty skeptical myself. A part of me wanted to just take a sip and get the after effects over with and the other side of me just wanted to get out of here while we were still on good terms with the hare. There was still no telling if Hare was still a good person or not, depending if Damien's intel was believable or not.

He smiled and walked over to Lucian, handing him a cup of the brew before walking over to us, placing both cups on the coffee table in front of us. The deer then bowed his head and walked away with the silver tray. Hare took the cup and sipped from it, showing no signs of being tired or exhausted by the looks of it. Zoey didn't even reach for her cup and I didn't reach for mine either, fearful that it might've been poisoned or tainted or something. I didn't want to act the same like Zoey but I wasn't like I could be the hero and take one for the team or something like that during a time like this. We had zero back-up, our fleet was hundreds of miles away from us, and I had a feeling our communicators were completely out of range for any sort of assisting.

Lucian raised an eyebrow at the both of us and sighed, setting his cup on the small table in front of his chair. "You do not trust me, do you?"

Zoey responded before I could butt in. "It's nothing personal, Hare."

I rolled my eyes. "And you say I'm a terrible liar."

She glared at me then turned back to him. "Alright, it might be a little personal but for good reason. You're a very powerful person, not to mention the fact that you're a Task Master, and it's just very hard to trust someone who works for the side that is against us."

Hare nodded and cupped his palms. "I understand completely." He then sighed. "Only fans of my work seem to trust me these days, besides Ryan of course. Your military fears me because of my influence and power which is completely understandable, and I am not one to push someone into trusting me. However, I can assure you this, though I am a Task Master, I have no quarrel with you or your military. If you give me the chance, I can prove that you can trust me."

"How?" I asked just as Zoey was about to shoot back.

He gestured to the two cups. "Hand me those. Will a single sip from the cup prove that I am not going to distrust you? Or will you prove yourselves wrong and drink instead?"

I stopped Zoey before she reached for her cup to hand it to Hare. She was way too anxious to prove Hare's theory wrong, but I wasn't in the mood to make an enemy of him. It would be foolish of the both of us to judge him because of his status and power but Zoey was doing that already. If we were going to have to get on good terms, we were going to have to put our trust in him and at least give him a chance to prove himself to be trustworthy. I didn't like my plan but it was better than starting on a bad note and ending on one.

I finally made up my mind and reach for the cup. My eyes traveled to the steamy, dark brown liquid inside that smelled like forest mint to me. Though the brew was dark, I could clearly see the bottom of the cup and the steam that arose from the top of it.

"Cheers, sir Hare," I said, taking my first sip of the brew.

Zoey stared at me like I had just committed some sort of bank robbery, or worse. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was thinking I was the craziest person on the planet but then again, I was pretty crazy already. No doubt she was going to eat me out later for taking a chance on a Task Master's words without judging their character first.

I couldn't deny that the tea tasted amazing though. It was very warm but not too warm that it might burn my tongue. The taste wasn't bitter like most drinks I had tried before. It was actually kind of sweet and the warmth of the liquid running down my throat in a very snug and comforting feeling. I could taste the slight minty taste to it which made my mouth instantly start to cool off and grow cold, almost like I had chewed minty flavored gum. Everything felt like I was in some snowy place, maybe in northern Sweden and in some warm forest like the one we were in right now. My sinuses slowly cleared up and I could feel my body relax to the point where my shoulders were no longer tense and the slight pain I still had in my jaw was beginning to subside.

Whatever was in the tea, I wanted more. So I drank until everything was gone. My head was finally cleared and I could finally think clearly for the first time in a long time. My muscles no longer felt sore and I could feel the relaxation start to kick in even though I still have plenty of energy to be ready for anything. Once I finally set my cup down, I looked at Zoey then at Lucian with such a clearer picture in my eyes. Everything felt crisp and sharp to the point where I almost felt like I had twenty-twenty vision and everything was in HD.

Hare chuckled and sipped from his cup again before setting it down. "I take it that you enjoyed your drink perhaps?"

I nodded and blinked a few times. "Y-Yeah, everything feels so..."

"Clear?" he finished for me, chuckling very lightly.

I nodded once more. "Yeah...clear. What was...in that drink?"

He smiled and leaned back in his seat, intertwining his fingers as he looked up at the ceiling. "A very, very old recipe from my family. It's been modified every hundred years or so and can be traced to Japan, China, India, Thailand, Brazil, France, and Great Britain. I don't want to say its a thousand years old but the ingredients and origin can be traced back to well over nine-hundred years ago."

I looked at Zoey and smiled, whispering in her ear. "You need to try this! This is probably the best thing I've ever tasted!"

"Are you crazy?" she whispered back harshly. "Do you realize you could probably die from drinking that?"

I gulped and nodded. "Yeah, but nothing's happened yet."

"What the effects are slow and it ends up killing you later?" she shot back.

"Don't you think that he'd rather kill us now rather than get back home and then kill us?" I responded, leaving her at a loss for words. "Listen, I know it's a little hard to trust someone like him but I did and I'm fine. I might regret it later but at least I took a risk to trust someone I had no clue about."

"You both do realize that I drank the tea myself and I can hear every word you're saying, correct?" Lucian broke in.

I stopped right where I was about to keep talking. He had drank the tea and I bet anything that he was feeling exactly how I was. He sounded as though he was relaxed and free of any tension within his body. Actually, come to think of it, he acted completely relaxed from the moment when we met him and he never acted anything less like it. His deer friend Ryan also acted pretty mellow despite looking and acting very happy and excited.

"Yeah, I might've forgotten about that," I said in reply, turning to face him.

Hare chuckled. "Do not worry. I understand. You, dear Arthur, drank the tea and took a chance with me on a journey of trust. That is all I needed to know for you have proven my instincts wrong for the first time in quite some time."

"What?" both Zoey and I gasped.

"You see, the tea was a test in its own form," he went on. "I don't just say things without having some sort of special goal in store. Not only was the teat to test both of you and see which one would take the chance and trust or deny me, but it was also to see if you had the courage to put your faith in my words."

I leaned forward. "So the tea..."

He nodded. "It was a test, and you passed."

We were both about to ask even more questions, but a vibration ran up my spine and made me shake. I quickly rummaged through my bag and searched for the silver disk that the general handed us two days ago. I had completely forgotten that we were supposed to contact him when negotiations were underway! Well, we weren't really negotiating really. We were still trying to get past our fears to drink a simple cup of tea and try to trust him.

Once I found it I stood up and set it up on the ground. A circle of a dozen small lights flickered on and off until the center of the disk flashed blue and generated a blue hologram of the general. He stood with his arms folded behind his back and wore the same exact suit he wore before we departed for our mission.

He turned to the both of us. "You two really need to remember directions 'cause I've been waiting for the past couple of hours."

We looked down into our laps and nervously nodded, knowing what he was talking about. Our mission was the find Lucian, gain and audience, find his residence, contact General Ghost, and discuss negotiations. If he didn't accept to our terms then we had orders to take him down. No doubt, Damien was going to chew us out later for not following directions to the letter. I had seen him on a bad day and I could only hope that he didn't take out all of his pent out anger on us when we returned to the fleet.

Lucian bowed his head to the general. "Damien Ghost, it is a pleasure to meet you. Shame though it cannot be in person."

Damien bowed his head back. "Sorry, Lucian, but there is a great danger to go out in public as general of a Revolutionary fleet. I hope that this doesn't harm any chances that might be given during negotiations."

Hare stood up and smiled. "Ah, do not worry, general. You're two soldiers have proven to be some of the nicest and kindest people I have met in quite some time. They trust me and that's all I need to know for negotiations."

"What do you mean?" Damien asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Lucian chuckled lightly and gestured to the both of us. "They have already done the negotiations, and I happily accept the terms to joining your fight for the freedom of the slaves across the globe."

"Wait...you're accepting? They convinced you to help us?" he questioned, looking at the two of us before turning back to the hare.

He nodded and walked around the room. "Yes. You and your Revolution are not the only people on the planet that loathe seeing the lives of innocent people become pets for the Task Masters and Overlord." He stopped and looked right into the eyes of the hologram of Damien. "I have seen enough to last a thousand lifetimes, general."

His voice right then and there sounded cold and bitter. The tone he set told us that he was dead on serious about seeing an end to this war with our side on top. He had already proven that he hated people being treated like slaves and helped slaves try to recover. I wasn't sure I could trust him fully just yet, though Zoey didn't even trust him, but I guess with a little time I could finally place my faith in him. I did take a chance on tea that might've been poisoned but I wasn't dead yet and something told me that nothing was going to happen at all. I didn't even rub the back of my neck or anything.

"Alright, I think," Damien said, shaking his head while clearing his mind. "It's an honor to have you join our cause, sir Hare."

Lucian returned to his smile and pacing. "Think nothing of it, general. I want the end of this war as soon as possible and I have a good feeling that you and your Revolution can pull it off and end it--the right way."

"Thank you, Lucian Hare," Damien bowed his body.

Hare held up a finger and looked at one of the paintings mounted on the wall and sighed. "As I said, think nothing of it. However, before I am to completely join your cause, I have a small favor to ask of you."

"What might that be?" I stood up and asked.

He turned to look at me then turned back to the painting. It looked like there were two people in the painting, one being Lucian and another one who looked like a younger version of Lucian. Someone else also appeared in the picture and it looked like that deer, Ryan. They all looked happy with smiles across their faces.

"Seven years ago my nephew...David was taken from this very home," Lucian coldly spoke. "I vowed that day that I would search the ends of the Earth until I found him and by God I am going to find him. If you find him and bring him home, then you have my full support."

We all looked at Damien, who was looking at Lucian the entire time. His face hadn't changed but he sighed almost like he knew that that was what Lucian was going to demand.

"I had a feeling you were going to ask for that," Damien replied. "We already have a friend of theirs rescuing David as we speak."

That was when a ping went off in the back of my mind. The back of my neck itched like crazy but it didn't feel like it was meant for me though, it felt like it belonged to someone else entirely.

Falk.