Aiden huddled quietly in the near-darkness, his ear pressed against the wall of the abandoned subway tunnel. He was deep underground, somewhat cold, and a bit freaked out.<br/><br/>â€œThere, did you hear that?â€ he asked Jake. Jake, Aidenâ€™s old friend and fellow anarchist, had stuck close to Aiden since the first bombing, not knowing where else to turn. The underground movement they once belonged to had disintegrated as soon as the attack began. Now that the country was in the midst of a class revolution, few seemed interested in a moderate agenda. Aiden and Jake stayed out of sight â€“ underground mostly â€“ where they could avoid being drafted into a militia, or shot on sight by those loyal to the Old Order. Now, though, something was happening, and Aiden didnâ€™t like the sound of it.<br/><br/>â€œNo,â€ Jake replied in a concerned tone. â€œI donâ€™t hear anythingâ€¦!â€ he whispered anxiously.<br/><br/>â€œThere,â€ Aiden said again, â€œsomeone is tunneling. It sounds like this wayâ€¦â€ he added before heading off further down the tunnel.<br/><br/>â€œThis is a bad idea, Aiden,â€ the younger, smaller-framed young man said. â€œIt could be police or the armyâ€¦â€<br/><br/>â€œThe police or the army would come through the front door, not dig a hole into a subway tunnel. This has to be someone else. I want to know who,â€ Aiden replied, over his shoulder. Sensing there was no convincing Aiden otherwise, Jake reluctantly followed his friend.<br/><br/>About an hour later the two of them had situated themselves behind a concrete barricade, watching dust fall from a nearby section of tunnel just ahead of them. The subway was a semi-circular tube faced with concrete blocks, one of which was beginning to move. Every few seconds a dull thud could be heard, and the block seemed to jostle a bit. The area was lit with dim, emergency lights that Aiden had recently found the controls to. Regardless of who was coming through the wall, Aiden had decided, he wanted to know who it was.<br/><br/>Eventually the concrete block gave way, fell out of position and landed on the floor in a crumbly crash. All was quiet for a few moments as the tunneler and the hidden observers each remained deathly still.  Eventually the wait became unbearable, and Travion finally stuck his head through the opening for a look. Jake and Aiden had no idea who he was, but they were at least relived to see he wasnâ€™t wearing a uniform.<br/><br/>Within a minute Travion had stepped through, and a young woman impatiently followed him out. Aiden blinked and rubbed his eyes in the half-light.<br/><br/>â€œOhâ€¦ oh my G-â€¦â€ Aiden stammered silently under his breath, â€œit canâ€™t beâ€¦ itâ€™sâ€¦ it is! Carina!â€ he shouted, his voice rising as he jumped to his feet. Aiden unconsciously stepped out from behind the barricade and ran forwards. He felt like he was in a dreamâ€¦ he was sure he would never see her again â€“ and yet here she was! He became overwhelmed with emotion and abandoned any thoughts of caution. Thatâ€™s when everything went wrong.<br/><br/>Travion, on edge and startled by the noise, wheeled around with the Colt revolver he had been holding in his right hand. In a hearbeat he raised the weapon and fired at Aiden in a single motion. The gunshot echoed through the confined space like a cannon.<br/><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">BOOM</span>â€¦ BOOM</span>â€¦ BOOMâ€¦ boom,â€ the shot echoed away into the distance, momentarily blinding everyone with its searing orange flash. The glare prevented Jake from seeing Aiden fall, but once Jake's eyes had adjusted it became clear. Then Jake noticed the blood.<br/><br/>â€œDonâ€™t shoot! Donâ€™t shoot!â€ Jake cried out at the top of his lungs. His mind froze at the sight of his wounded friend. After that, all Jake could do was repeat the word â€œNo! No! No!â€ over and over again. He dropped down to his hands and knees to try and help, but had no idea what to do. â€œNo! No! No!...â€