Fandom The Day The World Changed { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

That was not something he really thought about until they were moving. “I guess that would be the best idea. Move out there in the truck which could also get us a quicker getaway if it goes south.” He signed out one of them on their way out, grabbing the keys. “Who’s driving this time? You or me?” He pointed to the rest to fill in everywhere else.

Hayden thought about that and nodded. “We could keep it to just this apartment and then if he gets too bored, we can always jump over to your apartment. I mean, I know it looks exactly the same but that could work.” He looked at the little boy. “He has so much energy. I miss having that much energy. My mom told me I was a handful when I was little.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

Josh walked beside Soren as they moved and nodded. "Yeah, it would make the most sense to take a truck just in case." He said as he watched Soren sign out a truck and grabbed keys. "You can drive." Josh replied as he looked at the others with him. As they got to the truck, Josh slipped into the passenger's seat and nodded to the others to climb into the truck's back.

Jacob nodded as he heard Hayden. "Maybe we can get this little guy in on it too. We can hide together." He said as he looked at Theo. Then his eyes drew to Kai who was still passed out. "He definitely has a lot of energy. You know, Josh was a handful too but he mellowed when he reached his teens and started running on the track team." Jacob commented as he remembered the handful that was Joshua at this age. "He'd run from one side of the house to the other, and it took forever to get rid of his energy."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

Soren grinned and tossed the keys into the air just to catch them. “Great. I do love driving.” He hopped into the driver’s spot and turned the key in the ignition. “Alright, if anyone has any questions or concerns, this is the time to air them. In the field may or may not be a great time. Of course, it could be a great time. I guess we’ll see.” He pulled the truck up to the nearest gate to the downtown area of the city. They really were starting to seriously fortify it. He waved to the people in charge of the gate as they drove out and towards the bombed section.

Hayden laughed. “I am sure you could. He would probably be interested. All babies love to play games, right?” He thought about himself and what he had been told as well as what he was told about Josh. “Maybe that’s what we do with Kai when he’s older. We have him run up and down and all around the apartment building.” That surely would not annoy literally everyone else in there.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh rolled his eyes as he laughed, looking at him. "Then from here on out you can drive." Josh said as they got ready to drive. The men were quiet as they all headed to the gate. His eyes widened as he saw the fortification of the newly formed Quarantine Zone. "It's crazy how much has gotten done in such a little time to create this QZ." Josh said as they headed towards the bombed section. He was nervous as they drew closer, not knowing what he was going to find.

Jacob nodded as he chuckled, hearing that. "I'm sure though us being quiet might not happen though." He said with a laugh as he looked at Hayden. "Maybe this one will join him too. Who knows? We could have our own track team with the kids here in the apartment." Jacob said as he shook his head, thinking about that.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren was okay with this answer. He liked the feeling of moving vehicles. Even before, if they had to drive something, he found a way to do it. Now it was official. He was their driver. “They had to do it fast to keep everyone safe, but man.” He shook his head. “You’re right about it being crazy.” They were not driving long by the time they saw the damage. And it was certainly damage. This was not a city anymore. This was a wreckage. This was the set of one of those war movies only it was real.

“Quiet? I am not sure we know how to be quiet.” Hayden gestured to the outside of the room. “I literally just ran up and down halls with a two-year-old banging on everyone’s doors and yelling at them. They have been warned about what is to come.” He shook his head. “Josh would love that. A whole track team of ours. Do you think with all that they are clearing out and fixing or whatever that they could make a place for sports? That would be so nice to have that back for everyone.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh looked out the area and sighed, nodding. "I know they did but.. it's crazy." He admitted, never thinking something like this would happen in his lifetime. He saw the damage up ahead of them and by the time they parked, Josh knew his fears were true. "Let's start at one side and work our way back to the truck?" He suggested.

"Fair point." Jacob said with a nod as he remembered what had just happened in the halls. "Well, at least they know we're aren't quiet." Jacob commented as he listened to Hayden. "Maybe. I'm sure we could talk to them about finding a place. Maybe a large field or something that they can enjoy sports. I wonder if the stadium could be safe to use for it." Jacob suggested.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

When they parked, Soren looked back at the rest and everyone seemed to agree with that. As everyone started to get out, he put his hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Whatever we find, no matter how bad, I am here for you. And you still made the right decision.” He opened the truck door, and joined the rest of the men with them.

“Oh! The stadium would be perfect!” Hayden had gone to plenty of games there. He always loved seeing all the excitement. “We should mention that to our soldier boys and see if they can suggest that after everything has settled.” He had no idea that FEDRA would in fact use that stadium but not for sports and games.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh went to get out of the truck before he stopped and looked at Soren, feeling that hand on his shoulder. "Thank you." He said, before he turned away. He joined the rest of the men, looking at them before he looked at Soren. "Let's get moving." Josh said with a heavy sigh.

Jacob nodded as he looked at Hayden. "Yes, we should definitely mention to our soldier boys. I'm sure they'll like that idea, especially Josh. He was always into the sports and games." Jacob said as he nodded. It would be a great way to keep the kids around the apartment entertained and use that energy.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren moved with Josh. This may have been their mission, but really it was Josh’s. He knew this was something that Josh needed to do. He also knew that this was going to be rough no matter what they found. If this was how the downtown area looked now, there was no way that they were going to find something nice and welcoming. They were going to find death and destruction. It was terrible, and the dust still burned in the air.

As Hayden and Jacob were talking, Theo began to whine. He woke up, and he didn’t like what was happening. He was feeling trapped by the blankets that were there to keep him safe. He was feeling lonely, because he was not where he was when he fell asleep. And he was feeling confused, because everything seemed foreign and new. His whining lasted approximately three seconds before it became full out crying. Crying was how things went his way, and he wanted that now.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh led the way towards the destruction, and as they drew closer there were bodies along the crumbled debris and ruins of buildings. Infected and people who didn't make it in time. Josh looked at the bodies as he walked. So far none seemed to have survived as they walked through. "Soren.." Josh's breath caught in his throat at the truck up ahead on it's side. Dad's truck. Like many of the vehicles, his truck was burnt and knocked over, and a few feet past it, laid two bodies. Josh moved faster, but as he got to the bodies, he held a hand over his mouth. Skin was burned and the only way he knew who they were was his dad's clothing and his face and the dress that he'd seen on Hayden's mom more than once in his life. Josh dropped to his knees, tears forming in his eyes. No no no. He'd killed his own father. And Hayden's mother.

Jacob heard the whine, and looked at Theo about the same time as he heard him crying. No. "Okay, hey you. Come here." Jacob picked Theo up and sat up. He started rocking him gently. "Hey little buddy, shh. It's okay. Hey now I'm right here." Jacob spoke softly, trying to calm Theo down. Kai was woken up by the crying, grumbling and whining as he tried to turn away from the sounds. "Loud! Too loud!" Kai said in an upset voice.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

No. Oh no. Soren let out a deep breath as he saw what Josh saw. He recognized that truck from just the day before. He stepped around and saw the two bodies. He nodded solemnly before crouching down next to Josh with an arm around his shoulders. “Breathe. You just have to breathe.” He knew that this was not going to make the pain and the sorrow go away, but it was going to help get Josh through this. Soren looked at the other men. “Stick together but keep going. We will find you.” The men nodded and kept on with the mission. Soren had a different mission. He was there for Josh. The rest of this was negligible for him. “I know this is hard, but now we know.”

Theo did not want to stop crying. He wanted attention. Granted, he was getting attention now, so maybe he would consider stopping. Maybe. He still cried, because everything was all confusing and wrong. Everything was wrong. And he was uncomfortable. Being in Jacob’s arms was better, though. Hayden sat up as well, pulling Kai close to him as the crying was causing a problem. “I know, I know it is loud. Babies are loud sometimes.” He put a hand on one of Kai’s ears and lightly pressed the other to Hayden’s chest. “But Jacob is going to make it better. He’s an expert with the babies.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh was breathing.. just too fast and rough. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked at the bodies before him. Tears trailed down his cheeks as he felt the arm around his shoulders. Breathe. How? Breathe. Why? Breathe. Not him. Josh swallowed hard as he tried not to cry, tried not to be so vocal about his sadness. "I.. I should've checked my messages before we sent the bombs out. I could've.." Saved them.. helped them. Now he had to figure out how to tell his partner that his mother was dead. And.. it was all Joshua's fault. No. Don't tell him that part yet.

Jacob kept bouncing and rocking Theo gently. "Shh. It's okay buddy. You're okay. I know.." Jacob whispered as he tried to get the little one to relax and calm down. Kai felt Hayden pull him close and he whined again. "Loud." He said as he felt the hand on one of his ears and the other was pressed against Hayden's chest. That was better, but the crying was still there. Kai didn't like it.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

This kind of circular thinking and self-blame was good for no one. Josh may have been right, and they may have been able to do something if he had checked his phone beforehand, but they also may not have. That was a gamble at best. Soren stayed crouched beside him, arm there for support. “I haven’t checked my phone in days. I don’t even know where it is. I had men telling me that they couldn’t get service with the high volume of usage. You can’t blame yourself when your father probably knew that it was a shot in the dark anyway.” His eyes gleaned over the bodies on the floor. There was so little they could have done. “Maybe if you were Superman, you could have done something, but since you’re still just a person, there is only so much you can do.

Theo was still fussy but clearly calming now that he had Jacob’s attention. He squirmed slightly against him until he apparently decided this was actually fine and settled into being held. Hayden wrapped his other arm around Kai as well, keeping him firmly against himself as Theo’s cries became less and less. “I’m sorry, little man. See? Jacob is already made of magic and making the baby stop. He’s amazing like that, you know. He can bring anyone down.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh was breathing in and out, calming himself down. He was thankful to have Soren beside him as he felt himself breaking. Then he took a deep breath in and out. Putting himself back together. Creating a metal cage in his mind, shoving all these emotions and feelings into it. With each breath, he nailed that cage shut. Nailed the sign 'don't disturb' onto it's front. Okay. Time to move. Finish this patrol. He looked at Soren, wiping his face free of tears. "I know. I.. know. I'm.. fine." He said, because he was fine. He locked up those emotions and he could keep moving. Josh got to his feet and sighed. "Let's keep checking everything out yeah?"

Jacob noticed that Theo finally started settling down. He kept the gentle rocking up though, perhaps to keep him quiet. Kai felt the arm wrap around him and felt himself firmly pressed into Hayden's chest. He heard Theo's crying slowly stop and he squirmed to look at them. "Magic? Jay.. Magic?" Kai asked, not quite getting Jacob's full name out. Jacob flicked his eyes up and chuckled. "No.. just patient. Not magic." Jacob said with a smile on his face​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren was not sure that he liked that Josh just turned all of that emotion and grief off so quickly. He understood having a job to do, but he was afraid of what this could mean if he did not deal with this. “Yeah, okay. But if you need another moment at any time, you let me know. I am here for you.” He stood up, putting a hand down for Josh to join him as well. He scanned the area for signs of the rest of their crew. They could not be far. Josh had not taken long. They could find them quickly.

Hayden released his stronger grip from around Kai as Theo quieted, though he still kept a loose arm around him, “Patience is a form of magic,” he insisted as he smiled at Jacob. He was not sure that he could do that with a baby like that. Of course, he did not have a lot of experiences with a baby. It was not like Kyra ever had any kids. Oh Kyra. He wished that he knew where she was. If she was okay. The same with his mom. He hoped that wherever they were, they were safe together.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh didn’t want to deal with the grief and emotions of this day. And he knew he’d have to be there for Hayden tonight when he told him his mother was gone. He’d have to. Josh won’t tell him that it was his idea. Okay. It’ll be fine. He took Soren’s hand and stood up, looking at him with a nod. “Of course. Thank you.” He said before turning to walk forward, heading to find their crew.

Kai felt Hayden loosen his grip and he wriggled I until he had his back against Hayden’s chest and he was looking at Jacob and Theo. His curiosity was growing as he looked at the baby that was in Jacob’s arms. “Baby quiet?” Kaiden asked, then tilted his head. “Name?” He asked a moment later. “His name is Theo.” Jacob replied, seeing the curious expression on the little boy’s face.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren frowned, because something felt wrong. He did not know Josh that well in the grand scheme of things, so maybe he was simply realizing that he had not seen him in this kind of situation. He nodded anyway and followed him as they moved away from the scene and to the rest of the destruction. They were surrounded by it. Destruction of buildings and life alike. It did not take long to find the rest of the crew.

Theo knew his name. It was one of the few things he really understood every time he heard it. Theo was him. He was Theo. So when Jacob said it, the baby was curious. He moved his hand out, making the same grabbing, tickling finger gestures as before. That was Jacob or what he could make of Jacob. He didn’t know what else he was looking at. Like this other child. Not that he understood Kaiden to be a child. Not yet. He wiggled his fingers towards him. Was he also a Jacob? Hayden smiled at the interaction. “Kai, I think Theo is trying to talk to you. Or possibly wave? Communicate somehow.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh had a stone faced expression as he walked forward. He looked every bit like a man with no emotions at all. His eyes took in the destruction, the destroyed buildings, the bodies lying on the ground. His teeth clenched as he saw just what the bombings did. It was needed, it was necessary and it would be what helped them keep everyone safe. Keep the zone safe. Keep Hayden and Jacob and Logan safe. “Let’s move forward. Anyone find anything alive?” Josh asked, his tone sharp and rough. A change from the softer one he held before. His words. Anything alive not anyone. “No sir. Nothing living yet.” One man said, the same man that Josh had noticed before. “Good, lets keep going.”

Kai tilted his head a little as he looked at Theo. Jacob chuckled softly at the grabbing, tickling fingers of the baby in his arms. He shifted so that he could hold Theo in a similar fashion to how Kai was sitting with Hayden. Back to chest. His arm wrapped around Theo’s stomach to keep him stable. Kai saw Theo wiggle his fingers and he looked up at Hayden. Then he looked back at Theo. “Hi Theo.” Kaiden said, wiggling his fingers back to Theo.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

This effort was commendable. That was what Soren decided as he followed Josh to the group. This ability to become someone else to finish the mission, to become the good leader that these people needed in the wake of something so devastating, was a hard thing to do. He would know. Soren had struggled with that for his entire career. He appreciated that Josh was going to try. They moved as a cohesive unit. When one moved, the rest moved. They swept through the area quickly, noting the danger levels. Nothing alive. No one survived. For Soren, he felt unease at exploring inside any structures. That seemed too dangerous. “This is just the initial recon. We can send teams out to do more thorough sweeps of more concealed areas. Until then, we are not equipped for what might be angry underneath some of these wreckages.” They could send teams after they finished everything else. There was too much to do. “Let’s get back quickly. I don’t want to be caught somewhere and end up out here after dark.”

Suddenly the world was shifting, and instead of seeing from the perspective he had just gotten used to, Theo saw everything askew. Or maybe it was askew before. Or maybe it was a whole new world. He couldn’t tell. His large eyes started to search for Jacob or the other Jacob and finally settled on Kaiden who he was pretty sure was a strange version of himself. He was moving his hands and fingers like him. He was small like him unlike the giant holding him. The giant like his mother. So yes, this conclusion seemed reasonable. He was wiggling at another him. He cooed and laughed. Nothing was as great as another Theo. He held up both hands and clapped. He wiggled both sets of fingers towards the Theo that was Kai. This was officially his favorite other being. Hayden also kept a loose grip around Kai just so that he didn’t do anything that they might regret later. “Look at that, little man. You’ve made a friend. You, sir, are the most personable individual I have ever met.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh refused his emotions to surface. He locked them up and threw away the key. So he moved, he looked around, and he kept things going the right direction. This.. destruction was something that couldn’t be stopped. It was going to happen either by bomb or some natural force. “Right. Let’s head back so that we can make that report for the General.” Josh agreed, turning and started to walk back to the truck. He paused, and gestured for the man from earlier to come up. “What’s your name?” He asked and the man paused. “Justin. Justin Lachlan.” He replied and Josh nodded. “Alright. Nice to meet you.” He said, nodding. Josh was going to keep Justin in his group too.

Kai looked at Theo.. hearing him coo and laugh. That caused Kaiden to giggle and laugh himself. Kaiden clapped his hands and then wiggled them at Theo, copying the baby. He reached out to touch the baby and Jacob watched them. It really was adorable. Kai looked back at Hayden when he talked. Then he looked back at Theo. “Friend?” He asked, confused at the word. He wasn’t quite sure what it meant.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren and the group made their way back to the truck where Soren got it all started up and then didn’t move it quite yet. “Personnel check. Everyone look at yourself. Is anyone hurt? Are we all doing okay? You did good with this trip. That was a hard thing to look at, and I am proud of all of you. If for any reason you feel like you need help handling it, you need to let someone know. We have specialists who are here to help us with that.” He looked out at the world that was so nice just a few days ago. Just a few hours ago really. “Don’t bottle that up. Alright, let’s go back then.”

Theo was the most amused by this other bigger him. He always knew that the world was his. He liked his laugh. That laugh made him laugh. He shoved his hands forward again, trying to reach the other one, but it was being held back. His entire body toppled forward, still safely held by Jacob, as he tried to pull himself to the other one. Why couldn’t he get there? He moved his arms forward and pulled them back like it should do something, but it didn’t. This was how he had crawled before. He looked down at himself like he could figure out what was wrong, but he couldn’t. He turned back to trying to crawl to the other one. When that didn’t work, he just put out his hands, making the same grabbing wiggles. Hayden nodded to Kai when he looked at him. “Friend. That means someone who laughs with you. Someone who makes your day better.” He grinned at Jacob. “Could be a brother. Or a neighbor. Or anyone. Anyone can be friends. Like Theo. Theo can be your friend, Kai. He certainly seems to like you.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh and Justin both made their way to the truck, following the others. He learned that Justin had joined FEDRA like he did. To protect and make the world safe for his wife and young son. Once they got to the truck, Josh listened to Soren but climbed into the passengers seat without a word. Justin too got in without a word, he was only 21 but he was settling into soldier life as well as Josh was. “Let’s head back to the base.” Josh said, looking over at Soren.

Jacob watched as Theo tried to get to Kai. He looked up at Hayden and gently sat Theo down on the bed. He kept himself close but he also knew how important t this could be. These two would be close, he could tell. Kai laughed and giggled at Theo. Brother? Friend? So many words that Kai was slowly learning. All he knew was that he liked Theo as a friend and he squirmed against Hayden’s hold to reach closer for him.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

The ride back was quiet, and Soren didn’t like it. He decided this was because they all just witnessed something unspeakable. In all his years as a military man and then his additional years as part of FEDRA before this, he had never seen anything like this. He had a feeling that these men in this truck with him did not either. The quiet was heavy on his mind as they made their way back to the gate. “How’s it look out there?” asked the officer who checked them in. “It’s rough,” Soren answered. “Really rough.” The gate opened and they pulled it in. Soren let out a heavy sigh. “Okay. One last hard part. We have to know what everyone saw. Every little detail in case something was important. So, when we break from here, I want everyone to write it all down. We have plenty of paper back in those supply rooms. Everything. And then I want you to hand that to me, Josh, or whoever your supervisor is. They’ll get it back to us to compile. And then I want you to do whatever you need to do to safely de-stress from that. That’s an order.”

Hayden had no real experience with babies, so he was not sure what exactly was the most appropriate thing to do was. Jacob seemed to think this was a good idea, and as long as the adults were around to make sure they didn’t fall off the bed or get themselves or each other hurt, this seemed fine. So he too let go of Kai as he squirmed to be free. As soon as Jacob let Theo go, he plopped down on his face as the restraints were no longer there to keep him up. He wiggled, rolling onto his side for a moment as he blinked away the surprise. Was he free? He clumsily moved back up so that he was on his hands and knees. Could he move? He pulled himself forward and giggled. Yes! He could! Slowly, he worked his way forward. He wanted to get to the other him. Sometimes he paused to put a hand out with wiggling fingers.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh sat in the quiet, his mind swirling as he bit back the emotions threatening to get free of this cage he’d made. As they got to the gate, he heard Soren answer the officer. Rough was a word for it. And probably the most accurate one he could think of. When Soren addressed everyone, Josh kept quiet while Justin and the others nodded. He waited until the truck was parked and he got out, making his way inside. He stoped though, a moment later. “Soren. Where should we go? That same room?”

Jacob chuckled softly as he saw Theo plop onto his face. Babies were pretty resilient, or so he’d learned from Josh. When Kai was let go, he looked at Theo who was coming closer. Kai giggled and moved across the bed too, wiggling his fingers. Suddenly he was right in front of the baby and he reached a hand out to touch the others arm curiously. “Theo?”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren paused at the question from Josh. He considered that and then answered, “to be honest, my plan was to go find the General. Or possibly Cap. Not sure. Haven’t seen him in a while.” He smiled as warmly as he could and placed a hand on Josh’s arm. “I will compile the reports so that you don’t have to, okay? Really, you can go home. No one is going to argue with that after what we just saw.” He thought about if they found his family. Maybe not his actual family, or maybe yeah, even them. What would he want? What would he need? “Otherwise, yeah, I think going back to that room is the best place. Inform all of them of what’s going on.”

Theo was pretty fast at crawling, and with the both of them moving, they were suddenly right there by each other. His bright eyes examined every inch of the other person. When Kai touched him, he laughed. He plopped down and wiggled his arms. He reached out with his other hand and placed it on top of Kai’s hand, lightly grabbing with his fingers. Really, even though their appearances were not the same, Theo was certain they were extensions of one another. When Kai said his name, Theo giggled loudly. That was him! He clapped as though to say, ‘Yes! That’s me! I am happy that you noticed.’
​