Analyzing The Situation

Outside, the heavy rain poured with all its might reminding the residents of Misthill what it usually meant to have a rainfall. Misthill experienced a low amount of rainfall annually yet when it poured, it came with fury almost as if to compensate for the lost times.

The weather of Misthill was mostly sunny or misty and on bad days a thunder storm would hit the city. It wasn't really bad at all times but it could sometimes keep people from going about their daily tasks.

Richard wore a dark brown jacket over his military shirt as he waited in the corridor, leaning against the wall. Opposite him was Pauline who, despite the cold air outside due to the rain, was wearing only her loose shirt.

He shook his head. This wasn't really as cold as one of Misthill's cold storm. Sometimes even the cloudy days could be freezing. This was one of the rare moments he wished he was still in Boulderview—with his parents.

He rubbed his palms together and brought it closer to his mouth to blow warm air into it. Pauline smirked at his actions and calmly said, "You still freak out in the cold?"

"Old habits die hard." He simply shook his head.

"I wonder how you survived the cold nights out in the wild during missions."

Richard chuckled. "And I wonder how you survived all those nights in Royal Woodland all alone."

Pauline's eyes seem to darken a bit before she replaced it with a wide smile. "That's why I'm no longer afraid of cold. Back in the forest, I usually never slept a wink. I was afraid that something would jump out on me."

"I guess you were right to be paranoid," Richard rubbed his hands again. "I did jump on you didn't I?"

"You just won't know how badly my heart sped up and it lasted for a week!"

Richard wanted to say something but swallowed his words when he noticed General Gordon approaching them. They stood erect as poles and saluted the General who had an amiable smile on his face though his wrinkles seem to have become more engraved.

It had been a week already since Richard and the remaining recruits were rescued. The scar of the battle was still there as well as the worry it brought not to mention that it left a lot of mess for the military in Baywich to clean up.

The investigations were still on-going but so far nothing had been reported yet. Richard was back to his full capacity and had returned to training alongside his team members. He had planned to pay a visit to the surviving recruits but due to series of events he hadn't had the chance to make the trip.

It was understandable that the General was on edge especially with the pressure from the higher ups and the President himself. Everyone had the same guesses.

Due to the all-out attack on the soldiers, it was hard to keep such an outbreak a secret from the populace. The only silver lining was that the team hadn't been wiped out.

"Come in, please." General Gordon led then into his office. The two sat down after Gordon took his seat. The General shifted in his seat a bit before heaving a sigh.

"Well, so far we have nothing from the investigations. We can only guess the reason behind the attacks." He began.

"And what are your conclusions, sir?" Richard asked with a calm expression.

Gordon ran his eyes past Pauline before letting them rest on Richard. "I believe that the aim of the attack was to wipe out our recruits and leave us with a loss that would be a bit difficult to recover from."

"You think this is the work of Cruderia?"

"Or even Losnia!" Gordon said with slightly tired eyes. "We can't be sure for now. However, it would be the only explanation. If they set back our numbers by destroying the recruits then we'd fall back greatly.

"Consider the effect of the attack just last week. Most of the recruits have dropped out of training because of the trauma of having to watch their friends being brutalised. And while some might say that it is a chicken-hearted courage that's unfit for a soldier but you have to look at it another way.

"If the terrorists can put fear in the spines of our best men then they've won half the battle."

"Then what about the attack on my team eight months ago?"

Gordon sighed and rubbed his temple. "Like I said, they aim for our best men. The Zeros might just be a distraction but with the investigations I'm sure we'll get to the root of it."

Pauline shook her head half-heartedly. "I disagree, sir. The Zeros only popped out of nowhere around a year ago and they already have this much fire power and influence. They are a force to be reckoned with and we need to be careful."

"I agree with her, sir," Richard nodded. "Those guys are a tough nut to crack. They even walk around with explosives in their mouths in case they got captured. This shows how willing they are to die for what they are fighting for."

"I somehow think that this is related to the recent robbery at Base 52." Gordon said.

"I'm not sure, sir," Pauline shook her head. "Those men who attacked the base wore casual uniforms unlike the Zeros."

Gordon raised his eyebrow at her as if asking for further explanation. Richard then said. "Yes. The Zeros are proud and they wear their uniform proudly regardless of whoever they piss off. I don't think they'd pass up an opportunity to attack a military base without their uniform."

Gordon thought for a while before nodding solemnly. "Then what do they want? What are their motives? As you said, they are willing to die for what they fight for."

Richard fell silent. He also wanted to know the answer to that question. The question that had been bugging his mind for months ever since he woke up from coma about six months ago. He wanted to know what they wanted and most importantly he wanted to destroy them.