Adam walked with a staggered hobble towards the wall. Like before, the ground formed steps to lift him to the top through his use of the Rift Menu. His skin was burned, leg cut, and body struggling. However, unlike the last time he came up, there was a lightness to him. His shoulders were upright, and head raised.

Noise still came from the soldiers of the Sentinel Army as they spoke, laughed, and celebrated. They had been uplifted from his victory and shouts, even if they hadn't fully known why he fought Commander Rexus. To them, relief had settled on Jackson and their stress fled as Adam, the General, had shown up when they were in the direst straits. He had reaffirmed his commitment to them and to this world, as well as his power, even with how wrecked he looked.

[Body and Soul Shaping] had been activated to prevent his soul from tearing itself apart as he approached where Gregor was. Adam could feel his insides churning as he got closer. The movement of his soul energy kept slamming into his borders, trying to break through or to escape from the wounds his soul had suffered from the Red Clan speaker.

As Adam reached the top of the wall and stepped onto the walkway, his waiting friends rushed him. Abbey was quick to cast heals. A pleasurable moan came out due to the fading of the physical pain as the comforting warmth of life energy spread through him.

Before Abbey could finish and hug him, a different set of arms wrapped around his neck, threatening to snap his spine.

"Boss! I knew you'd come through," sobbed a tearful and runny nosed Tom. "I never gave up hope!"

While Adam frowned at him, Alissa, Lucas, and Brittney pried Tom's arms open and dragged him away. All the while Tom struggled to get back, reaching his arms like a toddler wanting comfort. Nick sighed but patted Adam on the back, allowing Abbey and Andrea to take places on either side of him.

Adam smiled at them, putting his arms around them. Everyone else came up and patted him, said a few words of congratulations, or gave him a fist bump.

"You doing ok, Adam?" asked Lamar, staying back from the scrum.

"Not entirely," answered Adam truthfully, "but after what just happened, I think we have some time to work it out. The mind witch won't be an issue. The Scyrric will probably give us some space until they can muster more strength. Finally, the regions around Jackson should be weakened and we'll be able to clear more bases. Hopefully our forces can recover from this battle quickly so we can get to conquering."

"We managed to hold on to the base," said Lucas. "Most of our forces weren't fighting directly, just the ranged, so once we clean up the base and walls, they should be fine. Give them two days or so."

"Based on those giant blue and yellow corpses, it looked like you did a good job defending."

"Except for the berserker Scyrric, I think we could have handled it for quite a bit more time," nodded Lucas.

"Yeah," agreed Adam with a grimace. "I didn't enjoy making his acquaintance. However, he shouldn't be coming back around for some time."

"Surprised you didn't finish him," said Elias.

"I'm feeling a bit…under the weather. I'll try to round back into shape before we face someone of his strength next time. I also have a few more tricks that will make it easier."

"New powers," sighed Lamar.

"New powers," agreed Carlos.

"It'll be interesting to see them," piped in Brandon.

"We did quite a bit after you were taken," said Lucas, moving the conversation on. "There are some developments to show you."

"And I have a lot to tell you guys. But first, I think we have something more immediate to discuss," said Adam as he turned his glare to General Carmichael and then down to the former special forces. "I'm surprised to see them alive."

General Carmichael stood tall, watching Adam warily. He tried to portray himself confidently and stoically. Yet, Adam was able to see through it, to the slight uncertainty that showed through his eyes, and the tenseness to his muscles that spoke more to stress than confidence. The officers that followed Carmichael stood behind him. While a few looked nervous, most were defiant as they backed up the man they respected and followed.

In front of the general were those who had sided with Commander Rexus. They were in a variety of positions wearing differing expressions. Kevin Spence stood with his shoulders slumped and defeat written all over his face. Dalton Coleman stood near him, grabbing his shoulders and a piercing wound that went all the way through. No one had healed the stab wound, though his natural vitality was keeping it from bleeding much. He had also been stripped to his boxers to make sure no hidden weapons could be pulled out.

Fleming was in a different position. He was embedded into the floor, face upward. Only his chest and head were above the obsidian. Little wisps of steam from him trying to burn his way out rose from where his limbs were sunken in. Though, with Adam's intense stare, his expression had become a lot more desperate as his eyes darted around seeking help.

Cody Sloan and Jamari Gillum were both shackled with their hands inside the obsidian to their sides as they sat cross-legged with their shoulders down and heads forward. Tyler Zito was also cross-legged, though not restrained. He was pale and his expression looked strained. Only when Adam arrived did he open his eyes as he otherwise concentrated to circulate healing energy through his body to counter all the life draining that Allisa had done to him. A resigned look had been given to Adam at his approach, but then he shrugged and closed his eyes once more, preparing for what was to come.

To the side of them all was an angry Gregor, trying to stand guard on his former comrades. Since Adam had gotten close, he began gripping his chest and glaring angrily, while also controlling his breathing to keep his tinted skin from becoming even redder. Chad and other U.S. soldiers were around, though faded more in the background as they hadn't been involved in the current issues.

"About that, boss," said Tom as he came back through the group, sniffling while wiping his nose on a towel he had summoned. "We ended up fighting most of them, but really, they were too weak. It didn't feel right to just off them if you were already taking care of their leader."

"I'm fine with a good fight," said Alissa, slamming a fist into her other palm, "but I don't really want to execute them if they aren't actively causing problems."

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"Besides," added Nick, "we know your stance on saving those who matter most to you first. Can you really blame them for doing the same?"

Adam's eyes flared in intensity as he and Nick held a brief staring match. "Yes. I can. They sold out their comrades to the invaders. THE INVADERS! You think I would ever do that?!"

Andrea slipped over and hugged Adam from the side as his breathing became heavier, his own skin threatening to turn red. The physical contact allowed him to look away as he turned to Andrea, his breathing stabilizing.

"Darling, not all of them did that. It was mostly their commander, who they couldn't go against."

Adam thought for a minute before looking up at Carmichael. "What do you think should be done to them, general? They were your men."

Carmichael's eyes opened in surprise. His mouth flapped a few times as he looked between Adam and his former subordinates. Never had he expected the young man to consult with him. It took longer to get over the surprise than to decide on his opinion.

"Traitors should be executed."

At Carmichael's words, all the prisons grew pale. They all looked at Adam, almost pleadingly, except for Fleming who glared murder at him. Adam glared back, his hand reaching where his sword was usually kept. Already pale faces began sweating.

Spence then cleared his throat. Adam's head whipped towards him, causing the man to try and step backwards, but the meaty hand of Gregor on his shoulder stopped the movement.

"If I may, kid," started Gregor before seeing a finger dragged along Tom's throat, causing him to ament his words, "er, general," though another hateful look from Carmichael made him restart again.

"Adam, then. Listen, I didn't fight back when we were caught. I know what was done was deplorable, and had I known what you were building here I never would have gone along with Rex. But I swear, we didn't know his agreement or plans, or that he was working with invaders. We were just going along with him for survival, figuring a smaller group would be less of a target. Please, let me take them and I swear you'll never hear from us again. I'll even swear that we'll never cooperate with those damned aliens."

Adam continued to stare at Spence, though his face looked more contemplative than before. Still, he didn't respond, and after a minute Gregor spoke up.

"I'll take them away from here and make sure they never cause trouble again. I promise that I'll put them down if they do."

"Even him?" asked Adam, pointing to Fleming who was desperately struggling to get out of his stone prison. When Gregor reluctantly nodded, Adam muttered, "I guess every group needs a Tom."

"Hey!" complained Tom before adding, "I knew you wanted more of me around."

"Fine then," Adam said with a conflicted nod. "But I don't trust their word. Tom, hit them with a contract to ensure they keep the agreement. What of you, general? Will you go with them?"

"Do I have a choice?" asked Carmichael gruffly, looking at his shoes almost with disappointment.

"Yes. I didn't start the conflict with you or your people. We're trying to build a human resistance here. To protect the Earth from the invaders. Having capable leaders is a must, but to stay, you'll need to sign a contract with the Sentinel Army as an employee instead of the leader."

"I'll never stop fighting for my country!" insisted Carmichael.

"I don't see how that conflicts with our purpose," responded Adam. "We never said we were trying to conquer the country."

"Yet," whispered Tom with a mischievous grin, getting a glare from Adam.

"You have built something special here. I would be willing to station my forces here and cooperate with you if it doesn't conflict with my own mission."

"As long as you tell me in advance if there will be a conflict, then we can try working together. Tom, hit him with the same contract as the Leputi."

"Ain't no way he is setting up a brothel," said Tom, getting angry looks from all around. "Fiiine. I'll alter the terms slightly."

"Then welcome aboard, Carmichael. I hope you'll use as much effort to work together as you put into harassing us," said Adam.

"I'm not willing to call you a general, though."

"Calling me Adam will be fine."

"Then, Adam, I look forward to getting involved with kicking these damn invaders out of our country!" snapped Carmichael.

Taking a minute to try and think through the situation, Adam took everything in. The damage to the walls would be easy to repair with the Rift Menu once everyone was off of them. The base statistics and searches didn't indicate there were any more threats or unsubdued enemies. According to the base map, Colonel Davian and Mr. Fenton were heading their way. Finally, Tom was talking to Carmichael, much to the general's dismay, regarding the [System] contract for employment.

With all the hostile issues taken care of, it was time for Adam to address the important stuff.

Opening the Rift Menu, Adam moved through a few screens. When he couldn't find what he was looking for, Adam stared death at Randall and Joseph. They both shivered and tried to back up, but for some reason the ground held their feet where they were.

"W-what's up, Adam?" stammered Randall.

Dozens of seconds went by with Adam scowling at him and Randall getting more and more nervous.

"You ate all my Cracker Jack?" accused Adam.

"Of course not! We would never take from your personal stash," defended Randall.

"Yeah, we only swipe from the public warehouses," added Joseph. "And your fridges. And closets. And the food storage for our building. Never from your personal stash."

Randall facepalmed at Joseph's confession. With a non-committal grunt, Adam teleported a jumbo tub of popcorn with powdered cheese. As he ripped it open and shoved a handful into his mouth, he frowned. Why anyone produced popcorn like this eluded Adam. He was pro-caramel all the way, but with supplies scarce beggars couldn't be choosers. Adam hadn't eaten in days. Plus, he had just burned a lot of his power, leaving him feeling starved.

Another stomach growling caused Adam to raise an eyebrow at Gregor.

"Did you need a bucket?" asked Adam hesitantly. "We're running low on popcorn apparently."

"Hell no!" swore Gregor, but Chad stepped forward.

"Do you have any meat for him? Preferably raw?" asked the smaller man.

Adam waved his hand, and a large slab of meat appeared in Gregor's grip. Several people made gagging noises as Gregor couldn't resist bringing the meat to his mouth and biting into it. His eyes rolled in pleasure as he tore into the meat, even though it had been frozen and wasn't bloody. Adam released his own sounds of enjoyment as he finished the popcorn in record time and summoned a waist-high container of fresh milk from the cows kept on the base.

Everyone tried to ignore the two famished berserkers as they continued to eat like barbarians. Gregor finished off three large cuts of meat before stopping, and Adam only refrained from summoning more food to make sure he was able to digest it all.

"Hey, kid…I mean, Adam," said Gregor to get his attention. The food and approachability seemed to have calmed the large man down. "Do you know what is causing the issue between us?"

"Yes, I do."

"What is it?"

"I can't say," said Adam, causing Gregor to get ready to confront him more forcefully. "What I mean is that if it becomes known, then I think you'll be targeting by various invader groups. They keep saying that I'm impossible…what I am and what I do. If they find out you're affected by it then they'll want to study you as well. Just know that once we're away from each other, it won't happen again."

"You are sure we'll be safe? No aftereffects?"

"Not for you. For me, it's what I am. Until I find a solution, it isn't safe for us to be together. It would be nice having a powerhouse like you here, but it just can't be."

"I figured," nodded Gregor.

"Do you know where you'll go?" asked Adam, showing a surprising amount of interest in the man.

"I'll take this bunch towards D.C. We'll try to see if the government fully fell. For General Carmichael. Maybe we can do some good on the way; rescue people and take some of these bases."

Adam nodded. "Don't let the invaders know but the real power for us is in taking control of the bases."

"Is that how your people got so strong?"

"Part of it. And a bit of advice for you. Berserker is a dangerous class line. The more you give in to the power, the more you will lose yourself until there is nothing left of you," explained Adam, remembering the zeros for intelligence and wisdom on older Gregor's status sheet. "Without the guidance of the invader's knowledge, it's almost inevitable. It would be a shame to lose you to a dangerous class rather than in combat."

"Thanks. Not sure where you get all the information from, but I'll take you at your word. I'll try to find a different evolution if I can get to Tier 4."

"Good idea," said Adam. He stood up and held out a fist to Gregor. "Things have been rough between us, and we'll need to stay away from each other, but I wish you good luck. Maybe in the future I can solve this issue, and we could fight together. Until then, kick some invader ass in your travels."

"Of course," said Gregor, almost smiling. Then his oversized fist lightly bumped Adam's, and the two walked away.

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