"No," he said quietly, standing in her way. "I'll let you go. I won't stop you or make you sit here. But you're going to have to wait long enough for me to get ready." He stepped past her to begin pulling his gear on, armor first, then his belt. He was deliberate and paced himself as he adjusted everything to fit just so. "Sunny's report is days old by now, though," he said, his voice quiet but steady. "By now the council will have gotten word out to all the chapters, or a good number of them. Runners excel at communication, right? So I'm willing to bet that Westgate has already been told to trust us. Maybe on our way out, we'll find them on our doorstep."<br/><br/>He checked the clip on his pistol, then went to his ammo box to dig out two more magazines, which he tucked into his belt. "As for Little Lake, they've been prepared much longer than anyone else. Since they agreed to trust me. If the Vanguard showed up there, they'd evacuate or at least know to lay low and hide themselves. Though with the Huntsmen watching, that might be harder. So maybe we'll find them out on our doorstep, too, with the Westgate chapter."<br/><br/>Carson slung his rifle over his shoulder and tugged the strap tight. "Either way, where you go, I go. If you're going to Westgate then I am too. Letto and Sunny can wipe out the Huntsmen on their own." He stepped in close to her and grabbed her by her harness, gently tugging her closer. "Or... we can trust our friends to take care of themselves. And we can stay with our original plan to relax, rest, and act wisely. But whatever we do, Lia, my love, I am with you. Heart and soul. Okay?"