47 Luke

I couldn't have told what time it was. If I were to make an educated guess, I would've said somewhere around 3 in the morning. Maybe 4. I know my shift started at midnight and ended at 6. Seemed long, but It was only twice a week that I stood guard, what with the A Team always running missions throughout the day and night. I'd been keeping an eye out for them since my shift began. Save the funny business with Trap, it'd been uneventful for the most part. I was still wondering if I would tell anybody I saw a Rat. Trap seemed to have some idea of what he was doing, but then again, that was Trap we were talking about. He wasn't the most "mentally present" of the Hornets. No, that title would probably go to Danev. Definitely the most cool-headed among us, but also somebody you can go to when shit needs doing.

This whole business with the Fire Nation camp, that was some of that same shit, but this was more than what any of us were used to. Maybe things were different before I joined up with the Hornets, but even before then, from what I'd learned at the very least, it was more or less the same. No grand risks or major run ins with the Fire nation. Hell, from what I'd been told, the convoy raid that would end up getting Lannit, Heddik, and Genji killed, was one of the biggest events for the Hornets. And ever since the gang war with the Rats had come to a close, there'd never really been any major conflicts. Save tonight. That changed tonight. We were, without a doubt, getting ourselves into some deep shit. It could go three ways, way I see it: One, we fail, piss the Fire nation off, and get ourselves killed either before or after they kill off the Rats, 2, we succeed, but get caught, leading to the same outcome, and 3, we succeed, get away with it, and use our supplies to reignite the gang war with the Rats. Either way, war is coming. With who, was still up for debate.

Considering I had spent the entirety of my shift trying to stay awake, looking for any sign of the returning victors, I was alert when I saw the shadowy figure walking down the street. I thought it could have been one of us, but it was just that. There was only one. It wasn't our screw. But it was. That much was revealed when he stepped into the torch light of the scones at the Hive entrance.

"Goni?" I asked, surprised to see him. Much more surprised to be seeing just him. "What's going on?"

I realized then that he had been running. He leaned against the wall to the Hive, huffing and puffing, trying to regain his breath while at the same time, trying to get his words out, unable to do one at a time. I stood up to get at a better position to talk to him. "Slow down. Breathe."

By now, with slightly more air in his lungs, he was able to get some, but not many words out: "We got…the camp…but the Fire Nation…Aden and…Don't know where…Supplies…But Danev…"

Danev. "What? What about him?" I asked, admittedly raising my voice in anxiety.

"He said…Back to the wall…hide…supplies there…"

"Riu!" I yelled, probably waking the entire Hive just for one man. "Catch your breath, Goni."

"Danev…There were so many…He said the supplies…We needed it more than…"

Riu was downstairs now, more than pissed about having been awaken at this hour of the morning. "What happened?!" he yelled, questioning the situation.

He had regained his breath, but was still not answering the question on everyone's mind. "I don't know where Aden and Meeko are. There were just so many. I brought the supplies to the wall, but I just don't kno- "

"Goni!" I said, putting my hands on his shoulders, snapping him back to reality. "Where's Danev?"