Imperium: Volume 3

I took us just outside of Lingham. It was snowing out and we teleported to about 2 feet of snow.

"I guess we should have dressed more appropriate." I told Sarah.

"Come on. It's warmer inside." She said.

Well I figured that much. We walked down the snow covered road and Lingham was just in view. I looked around and there was no one stationed outside like we usually did. Perhaps because it was freezing out, however there was something erie about it being winter. It was to silent for my liking, but then again I've been gone for a better part of a year. Finally as we approached the doors, some people came running out with their guns drawn. I stood infront of Sarah.

"Don't fucking move!" A man said. I didn't recognise him.

I set my eyes a glow and put up my field.

"June!?" I looked to see Jay make his way out from behind the men. He walked up to me, almost looking in shock.

"Jay.......your looking old." I said, than I flashed him a smile. Sarah popped out from behind me and his face changed drastically. As if a build up of tension finally released from his face. He walked towards me and embraced me.

He looked to Sarah and pulled her in aswell. "The other's?" He asked.

"Their good Jay." Sarah said.

It didn't take long before Sarah pulled Jay aside to discuss the reasoning for blipping in like this. I looked to the soldier who had the gun drawn on me. He was already regretting the fact that he did so, but he was only doing his job. I couldn't help but fight a smile as the young man beside him was scolding him and slapped him upside the head. They were whispering amongst themselves and I heard my name slip from their mouths.

"Move!......move out of my way." I heard a big burly voice come up from behind and nearly pushed his way to the front. As soon as I saw him a smile from ear to ear fell upon my face.

"Kipsky!" I said. He lunged forward and picked me up and held me tight. If I hadn't known better I think I almost saw a tear fall from his eyes. He called over Johannsen, and Bogie as well as the others from our old liberation team. It was definitely a welcome I hadn't anticipated.

"June." I looked over to Sarah as she called me. "Are you okay while I grab what we need?" She asked.

I nodded. I was suddenly surrounded by all the people I had gotten to known over my stay here. Some from the very beginning and some from before I left. They had all sorts of questions of where I had been and what was happening. From the sounds of it, things had slowed down in terms of missions, but winter here is brutal, so at this point they were just trying to survive the cold. It took an hour before I was able to sit down and catch my breath. Someone brought me a cup of lavendar tea, which I hadn't had since I left. The smell of it took me back to camp Onyx with Joe and Alice. Two people I would never forget. I looked over to Kipsky and watched as he was talking to our old team mates.

I got up and walked up to him. He had the biggest smile on his face. "Kipsky....can I talk to you? In private?" I watched as his expression changed to another demeanor.

He nodded, and led the way. He ended up taking me to his room. He took a seat on his bed and I leaned up against a desk that sat adjacent to him.

"Kipsky...." I said, but he quickly held his hand up to me.

"Was it a quick death?" He asked me. "She didn't............suffer did she?" He asked while the tears he tried so hard to hide started streaming down his face.

I was so wrong to approach him like this. Of course he thought I got my revenge on Anja. "Kipsky, she is alive and well for the most part." I told him.

His head perked up. "I don't understand. I......I thoug-"

I cut him off. "It's been awhile Kipsky, I'll tell you what happened." He wiped away the tears and sat their intently.

"I was hell bent on finding her, there's no lieing about that. However I had an inside man confirm that she was in trouble, and we had to make a choice. She was being hunted my a team of mercanaries, and she happened to run into Sarah and the others in Jaxynville."

"Jaxynville, isn't that where the-"

"Yes." I interrupted again. "She was looking for someone."

"Okay?" He said.

Should I just blurt it out? "She was.....looking for your.....daughter Kipsky." I just stayed silent as this sasquatch of a man blankly stared at me. I walked up to him and sat next to him on the bed.

"She's beautiful Kip". The tears started flowing again. "She has Anja's red hair, and your deep intimidating eyes. She likes cookies, so much to the fact she almost cried when she ate them all. Her name is Ana."

His hands made it up to his face as he broke down into them. I rubbed his back, and watched as he tried to get himself under control but clearing his throat and wiping his tears.

"I have a little girl." He stated. "And she is ...."

I nodded. "She's in perfect health. She's almost 4 now."

He looked at me and couldn't help but cry and laugh at the same time. I felt a couple tears of my own fall down my cheeks.

"I can take you to them if you want." I told him. He nodded and smiled. "Okay. Pack your things, we will be leaving today."

I got up from the bed and, he continued to wipe his tears with the sleeves of his shirt. "Do you think you will be okay, or do I need to get a mop?"

He bursted out laughing and gave me the finger. I laughed and took that as my cue to find Sarah.

•~Where are ya?•~ I asked.

•~Mission control. I could use you here in a bit•~ She said.

•~Be there in a moment, I just have to make a pit stop•~ I advised her.

•~K•~ She replied.

I started heading towards what used to be my room, but now was just Raeve's. I walked into the dark room and turned on the light, to find that everything was exactly how I left it. Not a single thing was out of place. In fact I still had clothes hanging on the rack, and my soaps and shampoos were stored on the shelving by the shower stall. I looked over everything, and nothing had changed. I smiled as my eyes fell upon the hat he gave me a long time ago. He had it hanging from the bed frame along with my old jacket. I grabbed a bag, and I packed some more of his clothes, and some of the soaps that I had missed so much. I put on my hat and old jacket and then made my way to mission control where Sarah was waiting for me.

When I got there I was surprised to see a small crowd of people there. I could hear Sarah talking to them about what was going on, and I managed to squeeze myself in.

"Excuse me.......sorry........pardon me." I whispered as I weasled my way in. Sarah glanced to me and I nodded back. I must have showed up towards the very end, and she wrapped up her talk and half the people left. Only a handful stayed.

"June, these are the people we are taking back with us." She said. I looked at her then to the faces in the room.

There was Bogie, Grayson, Jonah a.k.a brand boy from my first mission the Capital. I remembered he was like a human computer. There was an older woman who I recognised but couldn't put my finger on it, but Sarah told me she worked with Rowen in the infirmary. Aswell as Johanssen, and another I hadn't recognised. His name was Dougall and he looked to be the same age as my dad. He worked intelligence with Jay, and worked along side of Sarah aswell. She had put together a team to help her with whatever she had planned.

"Alright, you guys pack your things. We will meet outside in half an hour." They all nodded and respectfully took their leave.

I waited till it was only Sarah, Jay and myself. "You want to tell me what's going on now?" I asked her with a raised brow.

"We are going to need help. I figured we could get the team back together, as you so put it. They know how to get shit done. I need Jonah for his ability. Something about this Ryerson isn't setteling with me, and like you said. You need an inside man. You and Shay already know the ins and outs. Now the question is, do you guys still have an in?" She asked me.

"Yes." I replied.

"Good, that's what I was hoping for. Dougy is an excellent strategist, and has come in most handy when gathering intel. And Debbie has worked under Rowen since he got here, and could use an extra physician if we require Rowen in the field. We already have Shay, Raeve, Oaken, and Gunner who will also come most handy and Bowdie once she has healed. We all have a part here, and if this works, I should be able to find the answer's that I'm looking for."

"We have one more joining us." I told her.

"Kipsky." She answered. "How about you head out and I'll meet you in a few minutes. I just need a word with Jay."

I nodded and made my way out. I took a final walkthrough of the place and found Harry and Indie on the ground floor by the food court. I walked over and gave Indie a hug and shook Harry's hand. I forgot about the spark that he always gave off to Imperiums, but this time it felt like a small prick as opposed to throwing me back like last time. They both seemed to be doing well, and it looked like Jay was taking a bigger role in keeping the place afloat. I caught up for a few minutes before I saw Kipsky make his way down the aisle with Sarah not to far behind him. I said my final goodbyes and walked outside with them.

I waited till Sarah got to me before I walked out with her. "Everything good?" I asked.

"Yep." She answered.

I looked to see the others waiting just outside the mall. Sarah asked them to join hands and form a circle. They looked a little confused as to what we were doing, but as I set my eyes a glow and let the energy flow around us, I quickly blipped us over back to the castle. I teleported us to the training room as it was a big sized room. Shay was already waiting by the door for us as he sensed us coming back, and he was soon joined by Oaken, and Raeve. Wolfgang was quick to follow our arrival as well.

I looked back to the group and they were trying to figure out where the hell they were. I let Wolfgang handle that part. I looked to Shay.

•~Where's Anja?•~ I asked.

•~In their room•~ He replied.

I turned to Kipsky and I took his hand in mine. You ready to see them? He took a deep breath and nodded.

We made our way down some halls until we could hear Ana and Anja laughing. He stopped in place and held his hand to his chest, taking in deep breathes. I could see the tears already forming in his eyes. Do you want me to go first? I asked. He just looked at me and nodded.

We walked up to the room, and he stood just outside the door from their view. I lightly knocked on the door before poking my head in. "Morning."

"June!" Yelled Ana, before she ran up to me. "Please tell me you have more cookies?" She said.

"What? Cookies for breakfast? I don't know, what does mommy say about that?" I smiled at Anja.

"Ana." She said giggling.

Anja........I grabbed her attention, as Ana ran back to her. "There's someone here to see you." I stepped back and pushed the door slightly open as Kipsky slowly made his way in.

I watched as Ana hid behind her mother and Anja stood back in silence with her hand up to her mouth. Kipsky was an absolute mess, as he walked towards them. Anja met him half way and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. She spoke to him in their mother tongue, and she had done something that looked so genuine it startled me. She cried.

"I'm so sorry." She blurted out. I watched as Ana tugged on her moms shirt.

"Mommy." She said.

Anja took her attention towards Ana and picked her up. Ana held on tight and dug her head in her mother's neck to hide from Kipsky.

"Ana, don't be afraid. This..........is your daddy." She said through tears. That's when I took my leave. The last thing I heard were words coming from Ana's mouth.

"Do you have cookies?" I chuckled and made my way back down the hall where Raeve was walking towards me.

He looked angry and pulled me into another room. "Were you going to plan on telling me that you left?" He said.

"I.....I'm sorry. It was just kind of a spur of the moment." I told him. He backed up and ran his hands through his hair. Something he always did when he was nervous.

"I didn't think anything of it, I'm sorry." I said.

"That's right June, you didn't think at all! You just left without saying a fucking word. I.......I was worried that you wouldn't come back." He said in softer yet saddened tone.

"R....Raeve." I just stood there as the anger that was built up for so long finally released. He just stood there with his hands on his waist as he couldn't look at me, and tears began to seep. I walked up to him and placed my hands on his sides and looked up to him.

"I'm so...so sorry that I left you the way I did. I............I tried to fight back the tears but I couldn't.......I was angry, and couldn't bare to lose someone else that I loved....and I thought that I was doing the right thing, please Raeve I-"

I was cut off as he cupped my face and slammed his lips to mine. He pulled away shortly after. "No, I'm sorry June. I shouldn't have said that. I was just..........lost for awhile." He said with a grin. He wiped the tears from my cheeks and kissed me again. "Just promise me one thing."

"Anything." I said.

"Just dont leave like that again. I don't think I could do without you like that one more time. Promise?" He asked.

I nodded. "I promise."

"Come here." He said as he pulled me into him and held onto me. "I love you June."

"And I love you." We stayed there for a brief moment and he stepped back, while holding on to my jacket. He ran his hands down the lapels and smiled.

"You went to our room." He said.

"I did. I even brought back some of your clothes." I told him.

"Thank god! Because these are itchy as hell! Even the toilet paper is rough." He blurted out.

I couldn't help but laugh. We made our way back to the others and it looked like Wolfgang was taking them on a tour of the place. We walked back to the strategy room where we found Sarah and Shay talking to eachother.

"So, what's happening?" I asked.

Sarah turned to me and fell silent. She looked to Raeve then back to me.

"Your going to want to sit down for this."

........................

Sarah's P.O.V

"Jesus Sarah, this is a dangerous fucking game your playing." Said Jay.

I had just sent June down to the others while I filled Jay in on our plans. He was crucial to this plan aswell. The others that left earlier would be in on this aswell while staying here.

"I'll tell her when we get back to base." I told him.

I didn't mention anything about Elias being taken care of. I couldn't tell him without finding out what I needed to know. My gut was telling me something was off, but what that was I didn't know just yet.

"We will keep an open communication with you. There is another telepath by the name of Shay who will keep in touch." I said.

"Where the hell are you guys based out of?" He asked intrigued.

"U.J.T.D." I replied.

"How the?"

"I'll explain everything in detail another time, just await our call." I told him.

He pulled me in for one last hug.

"Good luck Sarah.....just be careful." He said and I took my leave.

Once we arrived back to the castle I went straight to the strategy room where Shay followed.

"You think June is going to let you do what you have planned?" He asked. Of course he read me.

I looked back to the photo's of Ryerson. "She has no choice."

I looked back to Shay who was looking at me inquisitively.

"She told me this about you." He said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"She told me you have a sixth sense about these things and follow your gut till you get to the bottom of it. That's not even something I pocess. I can sense things and hear thoughts far better than you, which in due time you can do aswell, but what you have is something I don't. Intuition." He said.

I looked at him and pondered those words. My attention fell to the door as June and Raeve walked in.

"So what's happening?" She asked.

I looked to her then to Raeve. I glanced back to her as she had a confused look on her face.

"Your going to want to sit down for this."

Volume 4 is now in process. I wanted to post this so there was something you guys could read while I work on the final installment. I just didn't want to rush it. Next volume will be the last. Thank you!

-Ali

Update: Volume 4 is being uploaded one chapter at a time. It is still in process and only half done.