Lucian, taking a moment to look around at what was going on, was glad to be out of there. He had been crammed in that car for far longer than he had wanted and was cranky. The air outside the car was a thousand times cooler and he couldnâ€™t wait to get back and possibly take a bath before letting Elias know he was alright. He was more worried about his friend than anything right now. What if they had gotten to him? The idea was silly since Elias was miles away from here, but he couldnâ€™t help but think about it, these people seemed like they knew what they were doing, when he got home the first thing he was going to do was give the man a call. He wonderedâ€¦ had it been Elias who had sent for him to be rescued? As much as he wanted to ask questions he knew it was best to not say anything especially with the looks he was being given.<br/><br/>They had been given the location of the medical base. There was no time to waste. She had to get her sister there beforeâ€¦ No, she dared not think about it. The ungrateful pilot would have to get his talking to later on as well, for now they had to get going, things were pretty bad. She truly believed that God was on their side today despite everything that has happened. Hopefully He would continue to watch over them and make sure that they pulled through. While she took her sister to the base she muttered a silent prayer under her breath. God was on their side. Everything was alright, God has guided them this far and was now keeping her sister alive. He would not allow them to fail, there was no way He would allow them to fail, she just knew that they were going to get through this. Just let them save a few more lives today without any more troubleâ€¦<br/><br/>A few minutes later, they had arrived and she wasted no time getting straight down to business. â€œZachariah, the Cannibal is dead, the pilot is safe, we have returnedâ€¦ but my sisterâ€¦ sheâ€™sâ€¦ sheâ€™s a tough cookie so I doubt sheâ€™llâ€¦â€ she said softly into her earpiece knowing that their leader could use some more good news right about now. As best she could she wanted to keep him and everyone else updated on what has been going on.<br/><br/>------------<br/><br/>Once they were in the base it was all hands on deck trying to tend to those who have been brought in. People were moving about frantically, the area filled with soft chatter, words were only exchanged here and there, but chaos had not quite broken out. Should things become chaotic then they would have already lost. Zachariah had clearly stated he did not want a repeat f five years ago when so many had been lost so everyone was willing to cooperate with one another and do what they could for the wounded. Shizu and Azrai had to be saved, having been poisoned they were the worst off, they were closer to death than Maverick and obviously Ivan was still able to move.<br/><br/>Of course Zachariah would have people from the organization in a place like this as it was a valuable asset to him. Everybody here respected the man and trusted him completely. While they worked they kept him in their prayers knowing that God would hear them and give their leader strength. It was all they could do at this point. They didnâ€™t know if their leader was even alive, but they were never going to give up hope. Zachariah has taught them many things, one of which being that God allows things to happen for a reason. If there was one thing they were not going to let Zachariah down by having Azrai and Shizu die from their poison. No matter how strong the poison was it would be defeated in the end, but that did not mean nobody was worried that they might not pull through. Everyone was as on edge as they had been coming here, especially Ivan who still evidently had a lot of weight on his shoulders right now.<br/><br/>Just as everyone suspected, Azrai was in a state where he was aware of what was going on. There was a fire burning inside of him, moving through his body rapidly, but he had been aware that he was now in a hospital environment. Horrible memories began to flash back to him and he had tried to sit up but was pushed back down lightly. Someone said something to him but the voice sounded muffled and his vision was too blurry to read lips or even determine how many people were speaking to him at once. He felt something prick his wrist and within a few moments he was back asleep. They had been able to sedate him before anything escalated and he injured himself further.<br/><br/>Maverick wished he could do something. Unfortunately in his current condition he was completely fucking useless and it pissed him off to no end. Was good were his medical skills if he couldnâ€™t even patch up his own wounds, bound to a damned hospital bed? He brought his arm up and placed it over his forehead while closing his eyes. The action had caused him to wince, a soft groan touching his lips which thankfully had not been enough to alert the medical staff frantically trying to keep Azrai and Shizu alive. Listening to whatever was going on outside the room he did his best to relax since that was all he could do now. The gesture was small but he was willing to do anything to keep Ivanâ€™s stress to a minimum. He didnâ€™t need the man to worry about him as well especially since his condition, compared to Shizuâ€™s and Azraiâ€™s conditions seemed like just a few scratches.<br/><br/>With a heavy sigh he felt his breath becoming shaky, his hands trembling. It was his turn to cry. He hadnâ€™t wanted to, but he was so filled up with mixed emotions that he had to let it all out somehow.<br/><br/>He was known for being the most emotional, possibly the most outspoken whenever he was upset, unorthodox, always keeping to his namesake whenever things got ugly. At this moment all of that seemed to slip away and he didnâ€™t seem like himself at all.  As he blinked back tears he drew in a deep breath and dared to look at Ivan as he took a seat in the room and kept an eye on those working. Maverickâ€™s mouth opened to say something in hopes of providing some form of comfort but he wasnâ€™t sure what he should say. The look in his eyes was enough to tell the man he was just as concerned about everything at all. He was frustrated, stressed out, anxious to hear that Azrai and Shizu, or one of them, were recovering. He wanted to be positive but that was not working out right now either. It would not be right to ask questions now. In the end God would make the decision, he continued to silently pray that He would give those two a second chance.<br/><br/>Giving up he lowered his arm and closed his eyes, breathing steadily as the medics continued to patch him up. This had been such a long say that it actually felt nice to just lay here, now that he was allowing himself to actually relax. The brief fit of crying had helped, too, more than he wanted to admit, and for a moment he thought about sleep.<br/><br/>A noise had caught his attention suddenly and several people came rushing in.  The disturbance made him groan and he half wished he could roll over and pull his pillow over his head to drown out the nose. A slight headache was beginning to form at the back of his eyes. So much noiseâ€¦ he wanted rest but there was just so much noise and it was starting to bother him. He was exceptionally irritable right now. Curiosity won him over, however, and he looked at the people coming in. There was a man and two women, one of the women looked like she had nearly had her arms ripped off. Her shoulders both hadâ€¦ were those bite wounds? She must have gotten in a fight with a bio-weapon but those bite wounds didnâ€™t seem like anything a human was capable of doing at the extent they were. At first he had not thought much of the people entering, asking if there was any free space for two more, but then he noticed a very familiar face amongst the small group.<br/><br/>â€œLucian!?â€ Maverick practically gasped. The man didnâ€™t seem like he was in terrible shape. Other than a red mark on the back of his hand and, after the wires that had bound his hands behind his back had to be removed by cutting them off, bleeding wrists he was alive and well. He didnâ€™t seem to be in a particular good mood either. There seemed to be a permanent glower plastered to his face, lips looking like they were going to curl in a sneer. He winced, wondering what the hell was going on, wondering what the hell Lucian was doing here. The two had locked eyes for a moment.<br/><br/>Lucian smiled faintly at him, â€œHey.â€ He had spoken half-heartedly, Maverick really wanted to punch the guy, he has never really liked him and knew some people shared the same sentiments. The guy was an arrogant, often ungrateful asshole. If you looked up ungrateful in the dictionary his picture almost deserved to be right there next to the word. Upon noticing Ivan, he had noticed Lucianâ€™s smile had faded, â€œYou.â€ He hissed through gritted teeth, â€œWould you mind explaining to me why the fuck I had been dragged out of bed and almost eaten by some cannibalistic madman? What the hell has been going on?â€ It was obvious he was pretty out of the loop. That was why he was so angry, why he wanted to know what was going on so badly. No, ignorance did not give him a reason to be ungrateful and begin demanding answers but he was so fucking pissed right now. He really could care less about being civil.<br/><br/>On the bed, Maverick winced and felt his body tense. The tone Lucian had taken with Ivan was probably not going to sit well with the Russian since he was already pretty stressed out.<br/><br/>Before anything could escalate much to his relief a woman had entered the room. Ashen faced and trembling she gazed at Ivan with distant eyes and opened her mouth wide as if she was about to scream. She was struggling to find words. For a good long few minutes the room was filled with a new kind of tension and suddenly Maverick felt like he was going to throw up. When she had finally found her voice it was not news they wanted to hear, â€œIvanâ€¦ we hadâ€¦ the cureâ€¦ Azrai isnâ€™t bouncing back like weâ€™d expected him toâ€¦â€<br/><br/>-----------------<br/><br/>Zachariah was not surprised to hear Razielâ€™s little rant about power and frowned slightly. Did he not see the error of his ways even after all of these years? There was something about the look in his friendâ€™s eyes that made him sad, rather than make him compelled to feel complete hatred towards the man. In truth he has never hated Raziel. There was an aching feeling in the pit of his stomach, that was true, but it was not fueled by hatred. It was fueled by disgust, anger, and so many other things. It truly took a lot for Zachariah to hate someone because he was a man of God. God loved all of His children and thus he has somewhat adopted the same attitude towards even the more vile parasites that wander the Earth. Raziel was one of Godâ€™s children, though he knew that the man would never be his equal, not in the way in which he had wanted him to be anyway.<br/><br/>When Raziel had charged him and held him in the air by his neck here was an almost unreadable expression on Zachariahâ€™s face. He could sense that the acid in his body was working harder than ever to take him out, that horrible chemical smell was stronger up close, the inside of his nostrils burned from the powerful odor. Holding his breath he winced when he had been thrown to the ground, narrowly escaping a powerful kick, and then quickly getting to his feet. But Raziel was a lot faster than he was and before he even knew what hit him the man was on top of him. Once again he had narrowly escaped an attack from his old friend, who was no obviously beyond pissed, but the victory had not lasted long. Hands came around his throat, squeezing harder than they had before, and he winced as he tried to draw in air through his gritted teeth, Raziel shook him and he cringed. The look on Zachariahâ€™s face, however, has remained neutral.<br/><br/>His eyes were narrowed but somehow he was managing to maintain a sense of calm about him. It was a miracle considering he wanted to struggle the more air was cut off from reaching his lungs. Slowly, he slipped his fingers in-between his grasp right as the man had raised his fist at him.<br/><br/>Zachariah flinched and grunted in pain as the fist connected with his face the first time. The liquid in his system really had worked a lot better than he had expected since he had been able to endure such a hit. Perhaps he had allowed him to get in that strike because he wanted the man to take out his anger. The motive behind it was unclear even to him, honestly. Before the fist connected a second time Zachariah swiftly grabbed Razielâ€™s wrist and stared deep into his eyes. â€œIf you harbor so much hatred towards me then why do you not choke the life out of me? Why do you not pummel me beyond recognition? What is it that holds you back, my brother?â€ There was a brief pause and suddenly his voice, though still a bit hoarse from being choked, had softened subtly, â€œI donâ€™t know how or why you have chosen this path, my brother, I have always had high hopes for you. You were different, you didnâ€™t think the same way my other followers have, and I thought that together we would change the Holy Land for the better.â€<br/><br/>There was another pause. â€œDo you even love the Holy Land like you use to, Raziel?â€ He stared at the man for a long time, keeping a firm grip on his wrist almost like he was going to rip the manâ€™s arm off. If only he had possessed the strength.<br/><br/>What he said had been true, and perhaps his high hopes for Raziel was partly what caused him to tread down this dark path. They have always had different ideals, but it had only truly occurred to him just how different they were five years ago despite knowing the man for so long. For the first time, he admitted that he had been blind, but if he had been completely blind, however, he would not have created that gun. He knew this day would come, as it had been Godâ€™s will all along, so he had been preparing that gun for a long time. The thought that it would inevitably kill Raziel, that the acid would east his body slowly until he was nothing but a pile of ash, did make him sad but he would not allow his feelings to get in the way. He had to do this. It was like Cain and Abel but at the same time it was a very different situation. History really does repeat itself.<br/><br/>â€œDo you truly believe that God will favor somebody who does not love the Holy Land? You are a man who destroys lives, who turns people, including yourself, into monsters and for what? Personal gain? Please.â€ He spoke slowly, shaking his head while he adjusted his position underneath Razielâ€™s weight. Having the man on top of him was becoming extremely uncomfortable but he dared not show it any more than he had. â€œRaziel, I had loved you just as much as God had loved you, but I must end this. Look around you. Is this what you want? This chaos, nothing but the scent of war lingering in the air, do you enjoy this? Is this the Holy Land you wish to create? You are nothing but a selfish, power-hungry foolâ€¦â€ He spat bitterly. â€œThere is no compassion left in you. How could God love somebody like that?â€ While he did not need to say that, it wouldnâ€™t do any good, he felt the need to say it. Perhaps he simply wanted to see how the man would react.<br/><br/>It was as if everything was coming out at once and he didnâ€™t have any control over what he was saying. Zachariah was not someone who lost his temper, but this was starting to get to him. He was becoming exhausted, tired, his own strength beginning to fail him. It wouldnâ€™t be long before his strength failed him; holding Raziel back was not an easy task. He knew that even with the acid he could overpower him if he lowered his guard for even one second.