Sanctuary

Atlas was sat alone in his apartment, with a glass of whiskey, looking out of the window. He sighed, it was around 3am, and the city was quite quiet. He'd managed to finally get Roisin and Syl to safety, it was the first time in four years he could breathe easy, and reflect.

Raindrops began to fall from the dark skies above, as thunder rumbled. Atlas stood up and walked over to the window, how had the world come to this? Four years ago, everything seemed fine...

Well, maybe not fine, the world felt like was at boiling point, and it was only a matter of time until the pot boiled over. Still, he had thought they would have been able to put up a better fight.

Lumina turning on everyone hadn't helped, and had left the fighting each other, giving the Senior Partners an opening to execute their plan. Atlas sighed and took a sip from his glass. Before sitting down and falling to sleep.

When he awoke, he heard the doorbell ringing.

"Oh Gods, what time is it?" Atlas groaned as he looked at the clock, it was midday. He shot awake and made his way over to the door. The doorbell was still ringing by the time he opened the door.

"You're alive then?" Roisin teased.

"Oh, hey kiddo" Atlas smiled slightly.

"You're four hours late, Uncle" Roisin chuckled.

"Yeah, uh, I'll come with you now" Atlas said as he went to step forward.

"Oh no you wont" Roisin said as she stopped him.

"Huh?" Atlas raised his eyebrow.

"Get a shower, you stink" Roisin laughed. "I'll wait out here" She added.

"Oh... right" Atlas said as he smelled his clothes. Roisin sat outside waiting for twenty minutes as Atlas got ready, she was playing a game on her communications device as she waited. Finally, Atlas stepped out of his door.

"Are we good to go?" Atlas asked.

"You tell me" Roisin smirked as she put her communications device away. "We'll get some brunch before we head in, it's a quiet day, so I'm sure Syl can hold the fort a little longer" Roisin explained.

"Sorry about sleeping in, I hope I didn't cause you any trouble" Atlas sighed, as they boarded the elevator.

"Don't worry about it" Roisin smiled. "Not many teams are out today, so we're basically just putting together scout reports" Roisin explained, as she pushed the lobby button on the elevator, and the doors closed.

"Do you miss... being out in the field?" Atlas asked, hesitantly.

"Sometimes" Roisin nodded. "But, I need to recover fully, and I can do more here than out there" She smiled.

"I'd rather you didn't have to be put in harms way ever again..." Atlas sighed.

"I know" Roisin smiled gently at Atlas. "But, I have no choice, I'm the best hope we have of stopping those Stupid Partner things" Roisin sighed. Atlas pressed the stop button and looked Roisin in the eyes.

"Roisin, you always have a choice, do what is right for you and not anybody else, truly consider if you want to continue doing what you have been doing, please don't risk your life on the account of the wishes of others. Contrary to popular belief, sometimes the life of one, outweighs the many" Atlas said.

Roisin sighed, and looked at her reflection in the mirror of the elevator, before taking a deep breath.

"It terrifies me, every time I put my life on the line. I have nightmares about the battles I've fought and the people I have seen die. My arm still aches as if I'd never lost it" Roisin said, as she continued looking at her reflection. "But I need to do this. I can't put myself before others, no matter how much I want to. I will save Crystalla and the lives of those I love, even at the cost of my own" Roisin replied, before looking down.

Atlas frowned and hugged Roisin.

"I won't let that happen to you" Atlas sighed. "I already lost Ruby, I won't lose you too" He added, as a tear dropped from his eye.

"Thank you, Uncle Atlas" Roisin cried.

The city outside bustled with activity, as Roisin and Atlas stepped outside the apartment building, it was a rare day that the sun still shone through the darkness, as if it was the hero standing amongst a horde of monsters, defiantly.

The lands beyond the walls of Sanctuary, however, saw no sunlight, as the fiends prowled in the shadows, out from the front gate, a truck headed on the treacherous road to Aranei, with Amanda as the driver.