Faen ducked down and crawled through the brush.  The large goggles on his face made him look like a bug, but the sun was still out, so he had to wear them.  If he didn’t he’d be blinded in a heartbeat.  It had been a long and hot day, and the Kevlar wasn’t designed for keeping him cool.  Despite this, he still couldn’t see how surface dwellers could stand the heat.  If it weren’t for the fact he’d been chased out of the last settlement, he’d have waited for the night to have come.  It had just been because he was Drow as well.  If he’d been human, he’d have been fine.  He stopped crawling, and peeked through the brush, seeing the world in shades of grey.

Not far off, he could see several figures still working in the dying sunlight.  There were other figures there too.  They carried weapons called peacemakers.  Faen had seen these frighteningly efficient weapons in action, and knew that this was an interment camp, owned by The Breed Empire.  He remembered reading several books, back in Boston, on a group of people, who existed and did the same thing.  However, The Breed were not people.  They were human-animal hybrids, and had a genocidal view on the other races.

Faen decided to test the light, and carefully pulled the goggles down a little.  His eyes hurt for a second, but they adjusted, and he no longer needed them.  He reached for a pouch on his vest, and pulled out a pair of binoculars.  He pushed a button on them, and brought them to his ruby eyes.

He saw several heavily armored figures, recognizing them as Breed Legionnaires.  These were probably the most efficient killers he’d ever fought.

“Put your backs into it!” one of them shouted at the workers.  Faen knew he’d have a hard time against them.  The ceramic body armor they wore could absorb and deflect several armor piercing rounds.  He scanned the area some more.  Two of the Legionnaires looked like anthropomorphic bulldogs, only with small horns on the sides of their heads.  They were called ‘Bullhounds,’ and he could swear they were bred for war, and nothing else.  Another looked more like a wolf, and he knew it was something called a Jackalhound.  In an instant, one of them pointed, and shouted.  Faen looked over, and saw a female Drow, running from the legionnaires.  She didn’t look like the females he’d left though.  She was shaved bald, and wore a collar with a dirty tunic of sorts.

“Kill it!” someone shouted.  Faen watched as the female slowed, gripping the collar, trying to pull it off.  He spotted a small red light on the collar, and she fell dead.

Faen zoomed the binoculars.  By the Titans! he thought.  She was a matron!  He lowered the binoculars and closed his eyes…

“Are you sure these reports are correct?” a female asked.  Her deep red eyes looked down on a younger female.

“Quite,” she replied.  “It’s almost as if there was an inside operative…”

“Hadassa, your family is comprised of horrible liars.”

Faen watched from the shadows.  If he wasn’t needed for his mistress, he’d not be there, still breathing.  The older female toyed with a snake, which slithered down her body.

“But these creatures are a major threat,” the one called Hadassa replied.

The older of the two stood up.  She did not look happy.  “They have no way to detect us.  Tell your mother that, because they can’t detect us.  They’re just animals, anyway, like Humans.  Besides, you’ve got bigger problems.  For example, where is your brother?”

Hadassa chuckled.  “Suffering as he should.”

“At least you know how to do a few things.”  She waved a hand.  “Get back to it, and make your mother proud.”

She nodded and left.

“Male,” the remaining female ordered.

He approached her.

“Keep an eye on that one.  Her lies are getting more unbelievable by the hour…”

Unbelievable, huh? Faen thought, loading a sickle-shaped magazine into his G36 assault rifle.  Then how’d they find this colony?  They probably know where every other colony is on the continent!  He pulled the bolt on the weapon back.  It clicked, as a bullet entered the chamber.  He was ready if something was to happen.  Faen watched a pair of Legionnaires drag the body away.  He stowed the binoculars in a vest pocket, and scanned the crowd with the scope on his rifle.  There were both male and female Drow there, now slaving for these animals.  Many of the Drow looked malnourished, and all had their hair very short, or even bald.  He saw one of the Bullhounds grab a female and drag her aside, while the rest of the Drow were herded, like cattle, away from their location.  Unlike the now dead matron, and the vast majority of the others, she had longer hair, but it was still very short in Drow terms.

Faen knew he should’ve stayed put, but curiosity got the better of him.  He pushed a button on a bracer on his right arm.  In a moment’s notice, he vanished from view.  He got to his feet, and followed the creature, dragging the female behind him.

*****
A few minutes passed, before Faen found the two again.  The female was being made to clean a Breed vehicle.  It was a half-track, with two huge gattling guns on a turret in the back.  The legionnaire watched her closely, as she fell to her knees from exhaustion.

“Get up!” the legionnaire shouted.

“I…  I can’t…” she said.

The legionnaire grabbed her and got her to her feet.  In an instant, she fell back down.  

“Please…” she begged.

Faen’s eyes went wide with shock.  Never thought I’d live to see the day! he thought.  The female was showing an emotion he’d heard of many times before.  She feared for her live.

“Pathetic creature,” the legionnaire said, grabbing her again.  He threw her away from the half-track, and readied his peacemaker.

Faen raised his G36, and looked down the scope.  He knew the Bullhound had probably picked up his scent by now, and he didn’t want to take any chances.  The legionnaire leveled the weapon with her head, as she sat up, Faen held his own assault rifle steady.  He had a clean shot, at the legionnaire’s neck.  It was one of the only places on a legionnaire that wasn’t armored.  It was a small patch in-between the Kevlar bodyglove, and the ceramic plating, on the neck.

“No…” the female sobbed.  It was another sight Faen thought he’d never see, but he had to admit, he was living in interesting times.  She was trying to stand, but was far too tired.

Perhaps it was guilt for knowing the Breed were the biggest threat his home had ever faced, or just anticipation.  Faen knew she deserved death, but couldn’t let this legionnaire claim the life of another living thing.  He’d admitted it many times before, that the surface had changed him, in more ways than he even realized.  His index finger slipped onto the trigger, and a spurt of bullets flew out of the barrel.  The firing disrupted his optical camouflage, leaving him partially visible as it compensated.  He could see through his scope though, and had scored a direct hit.  The legionnaire took a step back, and collapsed.

Faen got to his feet and ran toward the female.  He wondered if she was dead.  As he approached her, he aimed the G36 at her face.  She wasn’t moving, but there were no wounds on her, and the collar had a small green light.  At the very least I can find out what happened, he thought, as he grabbed her by the collar, and got her to her feet.  He brought her away from the vehicles, knowing it was only a matter of time before the alarm was sounded.

He slowed as he reached the brush again, still carrying the female with him.  He set her down and leaned her against a tree.  This was one of only a few times he’d gotten the chance to see a female Drow up close, without getting beaten or raped.  She wore a simple pair of day-vision goggles, most likely of Breed make.  He carefully pulled them off, and examined them, before looking up at her, and checked for a pulse.  She was still alive.

She seemed in better shape than the others as well.  Faen wondered if she’d asked to do other things to get more rations, or something to keep her alive.  He understood the will to survive very well, and that desperation knew no bounds.

*****
A few hours passed.  The sun had long gone down, but Faen saw there was still activity near by.  There were floods lights, scanning the area.  If it weren’t for the brush, he’d be exposed.  He watched as another pair of legionnaires walked past the vehicles.  His ears suddenly caught movement from behind him.  Faen sat up, pulling a Beretta out.  His prisoner had come to.

“Uh…” she moaned.  

“Don’t try anything stupid,” Faen said.

She opened her yellow-green eyes.  “Who the hell are you?”

Faen blinked.  He’d only known one female who had eyes that color, and she’d been his former master.  The roles had been reversed though, and he couldn’t be happier.  “Never even bothered to learn my name.  Typical.”

She struggled, but Faen had tied her up.  “Answer my question!”

He shook his head, and put the Beretta to her own.  “You’re in no position to make demands, Ysuwe.”

“You know my name, how nice…”  She struggled again.  “Let me go, or…”

“Or what?  You’ll skin me alive?  You’ll try binding a demon to me?”  Faen shook his head.  “I’m gonna ask you some questions, and you’ll answer them.  What happened after The Breed bombed the tunnels?”

She just glared at him.

“Do you want to live?”

“I don’t care.”

He sighed.  “You’re impossible.  Least Hadassa changed to survive.”

“You lie.”  She scoffed at him.  “She was one of the most devoted I’d…”

“She’s rejected our culture, now, and she’s better for it.”  His thumb pulled the hammer back.  “Now, what happened after we left?”

Again, Ysuwe just glared at him.

Faen shrugged.  “Fine.  Have it your way.”  He smacked her in the head with the butt of the Beretta.  “What do you know?”

“Like I’d tell you…”

He smacked her again, and again.  She whimpered, showing that not even a Drow was immune to pain.  He smacked her a third time, when she actually started to cry.

“Stop!  Please!” she cried.

“Give me answers!”

“Stop!”

He was about to hit her again, but he heard the rumble of armored vehicles.  “Great…”  He grabbed her collar and got her to her feet.  “We’re gone.”  They ran.  Not far behind, a pair of half-tracks rolled into the woods.

“Round ‘em up!” a Breed shouted.

Faen threw Ysuwe aside, and readied his G36.  “Stay quiet!” he ordered.  A few lights cut through the darkness, before there was a spurt of gunfire.

“Idiots…” Ysuwe muttered.

He glanced back at her.  “Huh?”

“We were planning an escape, until you botched it…”

He was going to ask her how he could possibly have screwed up the escape, but didn’t bother.  He closed his eyes and saw into the infrared spectrum.  He saw warm figures, including several that looked normal.  He saw a few Breed as well.  He could tell because their body temperature was slightly higher than what would be considered normal for his kind.  There were bright white flashes here and there as well.  Gunflares, he thought.  Faen raised his G36, and aimed for one of the Breed patterns.

“Wait, don’t!” Ysuwe ordered.

Too late.  The assault rifle burped several bursts.  Faen kept firing, taking one of the legionnaires down.  He quickly turned it on another of the Breed heat patterns, and fired.  Two bullets whizzed past his head, and he hit the dirt.  Faen took aim, and let loose another spurt.  He fired once more, and the legionnaire fell.  He crawled along the ground, and checked his ammo, before reloading it.  “Stay down!” Faen shouted.  A split-second later, a roar of gunfire filled the air.  Bullets crashed into the trees, tearing branches off trunks.  The glow of tracer illuminated the air above them.  Finally, it stopped.

“Round every last one of those inferiors up!” a Breed shouted.  “The Arbiter isn’t gonna be happy!”

Faen crawled along the ground, seeing Ysuwe remaining very still.  “You okay?” he asked.

“Untie me,” she muttered.

“What happened?”

She sighed. “Fine…  You know The Breed found the entrances to the tunnels.  They used bombs, which sent fireballs all the way into the city.  That cleared the tunnels.  After…  After that, we thought they’d stopped, but then they invaded, with these massive mechanical beasts…”

“You mean tanks?”

“I-I guess…”  She sighed.  “Nothing we had could cut through their hides.  They began to drill through the ceiling as well.  After a few weeks of fighting, they left, but… then they sent these machine-things in.  They hade these huge canisters on them.  We were able to puncture them, but whenever we managed to destroy one, a gas was released.  It made those caught in it falls asleep.  We managed to counter it some, but then they returned, and just…”  She shook her head.  “They took the city…  I overheard they wanted it because of some sort of ore in the earth they could use.”

That caught his attention.  “For what?”

She sighed.  “I don’t know.  Now untie me!”

He kept his promise.  She’d told him what he wanted to know.  Faen finished, but kept his weapons ready.  “There.”

“Now this collar.”

He shook his head.  “I’m not stupid.”

“I said, the collar!”

“Your threats mean nothing now, Ysuwe.  You need me if you wanna survive out here.”

“I’m surprised she let you go.”

Faen knew who she was talking about.  “She’s changed too.  She chose life, just like Hadassa.  Now are you gonna chose life, or should I just leave you out here for The Breed to find you?”

Ysuwe’s yellow-green eyes shut.  She heaved, and slowly got to her feet.  “Fine…  At the very least, get this collar off me.”

Faen stood up as well, slinging his rifle over his back.  “Hands where I can see them.”

She rolled her eyes, and put her hands up.  Faen examined the collar, finding a small cover.  He carefully pried it open with a knife, and found a vial of a colorless liquid.  He carefully pulled it out, and threw it away.

“Well?” Ysuwe asked.

“I can’t, unless you wanna die.”

She scoffed.  “So, I’m stuck wearing this thing?”

Faen stopped.  He turned around for a second.  There were legionnaires coming.  “Let’s go,” he said, grabbing her by the wrist.  They ran.

*****
They soon reached a pair of dirt paths, which ran parallel to each other.  The moon was high still in the sky.  There was an odd pounding sound above them.  He recognized it all too well, and grabbed Ysuwe.  He pulled her to the ground.

“What the?” she protested.

“Quiet!” he chastised.  A vehicle flew overhead, which looked like a helicopter, only with two large turbines in place of an actual rotor.  On the nose was a pair of turret-mounted guns.  It flew past them.  Soon as it was out of earshot, Faen got to his feet.  His companion suddenly grabbed him by the throat.  He didn’t hesitate though, and swung his rifle up and over his shoulder.  The stock smacked her in the face, and she let go.  “You’re losing your touch.”

Ysuwe again, just glared at him.

“Do that again, and I’ll put a bullet through your skull.”  He was still wondering if it had been a good idea to bring her along.

“Why are we here?” she asked.  “Those look like the tracks of one of those metal beasts.

Faen shook his head.  “Look, you said you were attempting an escape.  I don’t know how the hell I messed it up, but… I’ll help you get some people out.”

“Really now?”

He finally turned to face her.  She was rubbing her bloodied forehead.  After a moment, she licked what blood she’d collected off her hand.  “You wanna know what Hadassa asked me to do?”

“So you’re hers now?”

His brow twitched.  “No one owns me!”

“Surprised no one’s killed you yet then…”

“Don’t start on slavery…”

“Why?”

“Just don’t!”  He shook his head.  “Hadassa asked me to find out what happened.  She knew that The Breed would probably be killing our people, so she wanted me to try and set up an underground railway.”

The female cocked her head.  “What’s a railway?  And why the hell are you speaking in surface?!”

“It’s English.  I don’t sound like an idiot like this!”  Faen glanced up the path.  “Look, do you want help in your escape attempt or not?”

She shook her head.  “Just let them die…”

Faen groaned.  “No… you’re gonna help me get out as many as possible before they discover just what’s going on, or else…”

The arrogance in her voice was still there, even after almost a year.  “Or else what?”

“You get left out here for The Breed to find you, and knowing them, they’ll probably put you through hell, again.”

She rolled her eyes.  “Fine…”

“Good.  C’mon.  My jeep’s not far from here.”  He started following the path.

Ysuwe blinked, standing there for a moment.  “Hey!  What’s a jeep?”

*****
She got her answer as they reached a fork in the path.  It was just a simple jeep, without a roof, but there was a large machinegun in the back.  He climbed into the driver’s seat and started it.  “Hop in!” he said.

Ysuwe shook her head and climbed into the passenger seat.  “Hey, how about a weapon?” she asked.

“When we get there.”  He looked at her. “I’d rather not give you one until then.”  The jeep started to roll.

“You’re really treating me in a way you shouldn’t.  You like where your head is right now?”

“Ysuwe, I said it earlier, your threats mean nothing.”  He ignored her ranting in their own language.  He’d vowed never to speak it again, and just ignored her, until they neared the edge of the woods.  “Shut-up!” he said.  “You don’t want them to hear us, do you?”

She obeyed, not looking happy at all.  The jeep’s engine died, and Faen hopped out, readying his assault rifle.

“You coming?” he asked.

She shook her head, as she climbed out.  “Might as well…  Now, how about a weapon?”

He reached for a holster on his back, and pulled a Beretta.  Faen twirled it once in his hand, and gave it to her.

“Human weapon, perfect…”  She shook her head.  “Now how do you work this thing?”

Faen groaned.  “Pull the top back to cock it.”  He shook his head, and got his binoculars out again.  There was a camp not far from them now.  He’d seen similar ones in books, and even liberated one with the resistance in Massachusetts.  Of course, that one had no Drow prisoners.  God, I hope you’re right about doing this, Hadassa, he thought.  If we can get more help from them, we might be able to finally end this war.  He walked to the back of the jeep and pulled out another rifle.  “Here.  This’ll be more effective than the pistol.”

She examined it.  The magazine was located behind the trigger.  “What is it?” she asked.

“It’s an assault rifle.  It’s called a Tavor TAR-21.  You want me to continue?”

She groaned, and shook her head.  “Can we hurry up and get them out already?”

“Gladly.”  He motioned to her and they started walking for the barbed-wire fences.  The floodlights in the watch towers scanned the ground.  Swiftly, the two Drow ran past them, avoiding getting caught in the beams, knowing they’d get blinded instantly.  Eventually, they reached the fence.

“Now how do we get in, genius?”

Faen was already checking the pockets on his vest, and pulled out a black canister with holes in it.  “Cover your eyes.”

“What?”

He pulled the pin from the flashbang grenade.  “Just do it!”  Shortly after, he threw it over the fence at an angle.  It landed right by one of the guard towers.  The thing went off with an ear-splitting bang, and a flash that would’ve permanently blinded them.  Faen produced something else, which Ysuwe had never seen before, and began to quickly cut through the wire fence.  It was a metal blade, which glowed with a pale blue light.  He cut through the other side of it, and grabbed one of the parts, before pulling it away.  “C’mon!” he ordered, crawling through the hole he’d made.

Ysuwe followed, still very unsure.  A beam of light went over their heads, aimed where the flashbang had gone off.  The two got to their feet and started for one of the buildings.  Four legionnaires ran down one of the paths in-between the buildings.  Faen and Ysuwe flattened themselves against the wall of one of the buildings.  When they’d passed, they entered the building.

“Hello?” Faen asked.  No one replied, and he walked in.  If it weren’t for his eyesight, he’d have tripped over a chair.  “Ysuwe, you ever been in here before?”

“No,” she replied.  “Hey, what are those?”

Faen turned, seeing where she was pointing.  They were several TV screens, each showing full color images.  On two of them, he could clearly make out several of his own people.  They were crowded into the room, shoving each other.  “Do they usually do that?”

Ysuwe shook her head.  To their right, a light suddenly came on.  They looked, seeing several Drow in the room next to them, through portals on the wall.  The prisoners did not seem aware they were being watched.  The door to the room opened behind them.

“This is always interesting to watch,” a man said.  “It should happen in a minute or so.”

Faen raised the assault rifle.  He was Breed.  The wolf-snout and sharp ears were a dead giveaway.  Instantly, he fired his G36.  The Breed struggled forward, readying his own rifle.  Ysuwe fired the Tavor, and he fell dead.  A Bullhound entered as well, but was quickly dispatched.  “Close that door!”

Ysuwe knew what he was getting at.  She pulled the other body in and closed the door.  She looked back, seeing the others in the chamber.  The light was getting brighter in it.  She squinted.

Faen was watching too now.  The occupants of the room began to panic.  They shouted in fear, something no Drow would do.  He saw a light turn on, by the window, and a gauge there too.  “Oh my God…”  The label above the gauge read ‘Neutron Radiation Level.’  The occupants began to scream, as they were cooked alive.  One of them screamed, before his skin burst off his body, and he was aflame.  When Faen saw another die in a similar manner, he turned away.  He clenched his eyes shut.  Normally, he’d not be concerned about it, but ever since he’d joined the resistance against The Breed, he’d started to value life.  If he had to kill, he’d like to do it quickly, and have it done with.  He glanced back, seeing Ysuwe watching still.  She just stood there though.  He couldn’t tell if she was enjoying watching her people combust, but he wouldn’t be surprised if she was.  He saw a large flap of flesh splatter against one of the windows, and he turned away again.

About another minute passed, before the screams had faded.  Faen slowly looked back, seeing the room was a mess with scorched bodies.  He knew in his heart, there was no way they could save all of them, or even some.  Chances were The Breed had several other buildings on the premise designed for this sole purpose.  Ysuwe was still standing there, watching the small pyres burn.  “Ysuwe,” He started.

She didn’t respond.  She was staring through the windows.  Faen looked closely at her, and saw a trail of tears, running down her face.  Her lips were parted, and her breathing was rapid.

He finally put a hand on her shoulder.  “We have to go now.”

“What?”  Ysuwe looked right at him, before she realized he’d seen her crying.  She raised the Tavor, but Faen grabbed it and pulled it out of her hand.

“Look, come on!  We gotta go!”  He headed for the door, and pushed it open.  They started walking again, and Faen handed her the assault rifle again.  She took it, but said nothing.  She’s changed too… he thought.  All this death, even we can tire of it.

*****
They slipped out as silently as they’d arrived, but as they worked their way back to the hole Faen had made, there were a group of legionnaires there.  Some of them were fixing it, while others stood guard.  One of the Jackalhounds was on his knees, and sniffing the air.

“Great,” Faen said.  “They’ve got our scent.”

“Nice work, idiot,” Ysuwe said.

He was in no mood.  “Shut up.”  Faen readied his assault rifle, and waited for the legionnaire to make a move.  He put a hand to his ear, and seemed to be saying something.  Faen reached for one of his vest pockets, and found another grenade.  “Great.”  He pulled the pin from the canister and rolled it along the ground, towards the legionnaires.

“They’re over there!” one of the legionnaires shouted.  “Kill them!”  In an instant, their guns opened up.

“Idiot!” Ysuwe shouted at Faen.  She raised the assault rifle and opened fire.  A quick spurt flew at the legionnaires.

He grabbed her, while rolling the grenade along the ground, and pulled her behind one of the buildings.  It went off with a bang.  “Lemme think!”  Realizing just what it was, he grabbed two grenades from his pouch.  One was another flashbang.  In an instant, he threw the grenade at the fence.  “Close your eyes.  When you hear the bang, get ready to run.”

She nodded, and raised her rifle.

They went off at the same time.  They were close enough that they heard the ringing in their ears.  Faen was on his feet and ran for the hole in the fence.  He reached it, and kept running.

”Slow down!” Ysuwe shouted.

Faen turned around, seeing the legionnaires chasing her.  One dropped to his knee and opened fire.  She staggered a little, but kept going.  Faen fired the G36 in quick bursts, careful not to hit her.  In a few moments, they were back at the jeep.  Faen started it up, and they rode off

*****
They didn’t stop until the jeep got overheated.  By then, it was almost night again.  Faen pulled his goggles off, and looked back.  Ysuwe had fallen asleep in the passenger seat.  He gently nudged her.

“Hey, wake up,” he said.  “We’re safe now.”

She moved a little, and lifted her goggles a little.  When the light was safe enough, she pulled them off.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t save them.”

“I don’t care,” Ysuwe said.  “I’m alive, that’s all that matters.”

“Thanks to me.”

“Idiot.  You almost got me killed!”

“Killed?  I saved your life that first time!”

“I should…”  She sighed.  “You know, I should’ve…”

He could tell she was different now.  Getting her to admit it though would be very hard.  Admitting it is the first step… he thought.  Hadassa did the same thing early on.  Maybe there’s hope for her.  God… I hope that’s not another mistake on my part…  Everyone knows that our race has made plenty of them.  Faen folded his arms.  “Should’ve what?”

Ysuwe didn’t say anything.  She shook her head.  “Why’d you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Come back?”

“You know about The Breed, right?  How they’ve taken over this entire continent?”

She nodded.

“I was asked if I could come back here, and set up an underground railway, to help slaves escape.”

Her face became incredibly annoyed.  “Help those pathetic things escape?  You’re not even of our kind any more.  You call yourself a Drow?  Even if you’re a pathetic male?”  Ysuwe shook her head.  “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”

“Listen.  The point of the matter is, our city is gone.  Chances are there are hundreds more camps, just like that, and how much do you wanna bet, they have chambers just like that?  Given how long it has been, I wouldn’t be surprised that if me, you, and the three Valtress siblings, are the only surviving members of that city!”  He shook his head.  “I pitied you.  All those times you were in a position of power, you abused it.  You treated everyone around you horribly.  And in the past few months, I have learned that anyone can change.  You could do great things, if you stop thinking about yourself, and think about what’s best for our people.”

“I should kill you.”

“And then what?  You wander these wastelands, which were once a world superpower?  Get hunted down by some rogue group?  You can’t go back to one of the other cities, you’d be killed on sight.  And there’s no obligation by me, so I could just throw you out here.”

Ysuwe hated to admit defeat, but he was right.  Right now, she was alone in this world, and this male was the only one who’d kept her alive.  Self-preservation won out yet again with her, and she bowed her head.  “Fine…  I don’t like you, but I know enough that I don’t stand a chance without your sorry help.”

“Good.”  He sighed.  “But before you do, I want something from you.”

Her entire disposition changed.  “Oh?  Has the surface changed you in that respect too?”

Faen chuckled.  “I want to hear an apology, and a thank you.”

“No.”

He shook his head.  “Well… lots of luck then.  Get out, before I throw you out.”

“Gah!”  Ysuwe clenched her eyes shut and shook her head.  “Fine…  I’m…  I’m sorry…  And thank you for the help.  What now though?”

“You want to survive out here?”

“Yes.”  She sighed.  “Is there a point to all these hoops you’re making me jump through, or are you just enjoying the power you have?”

He smiled.  He had to admit, he liked the role-reversal.  “Yes.  I want you to at least say that you’ve changed since you were dragged to the surface.”

“Easily.  I know for a fact I’ve changed.”

“Even if it’s in a small way?”

“Yeah…”  She sighed.  “One miscalculation in thinking The Breed aren’t interested in our affairs, and we’re fighting a war.  We need all the help we can get.”

Faen shook his head.  “No.  This isn’t a war.  It’s an extermination.”