"Here." Himchan's outstretched hand offered the Matoki a sandwich.

The shivering Exotic stared at the bread and then back at Himchan.

"Eat it. You might not get a chance in the future. You should save your energy now." Himchan beckoned the food to the boy. 

Hesiitantly, the Exotic took the food and bowed his head slightly. He nibbled at the sandwich as Himchan walked towards the fire Youngguk had built. 

"The kid's pretty shaken up. I think you scared him too much." Himchan reported as he sat down. 

Youngguk shrugged and threw another twig into the burning pile.

"We had to make sure he was an Exotic. And wake him up." He defended. 

"By shooting at him?" Himchan laughed back. 

Youngguk managed a weak smile before chucking a larger branch into the fire. Himchan offered another sandwih but he shook his head. His mind was drifting elsewhere and his stomach was knotted. According to Jongup, Youngjae had decided to go on a rescue mission for Daehyun recklessly. That also meant that Daehyun was in some kind of big trouble. This was huge, considering Daehyun's strength in fighting. There were traces of fighting and burn marks all over the forest. The wound in his bunny ears kept throbbing despite Himchan's first aid. The whole crash was fishy. And worst of all he couldn't get into contact with Zelo.

He grimaced at the thought of Zelo roaming around on his own. What if he was injured somewhere? What if he was also caught by the humans? Youngguk regretted Zelo being put into his platoon at such an early age. He wasn't old enough to be exposed to something like a war when he hadn't even graduated yet. But he didn't have much of a choice. Their parents were already gone. Nobody would be able to keep an eye on him on Matoki. Zelo was skilled enough to pass the tests.

It all seemed like the right choice; to keep him close by. But now, it was looking like a huge mistake.

How would he face their parents at this rate? He thought.

Himchan studied Youngguk's expressions and could immediately tell the source of the Captain's stress. Despite his serious and charismatic facade, Youngguk was simply a concerned older brother. 

People who seem strong are usually just people who can act well.

Himchan put an understanding hand on Youngguk's shoulder and sighed. As a commander and captain, they worked closely together and often shared their deepest troubles with each other. Recently, though, this was not the case.

He tried to put on his best comforting smile.

The fire's glow seemed to only accent Youngguk's creases and troubles.

Eager to find a distraction, Himchan turned to the Exotic curled at the tree. 

"Hey. What's your name, kid?" He asked.

Slowly, the boy answered, "Kai, sir."

"There's no need for the sir. I might be 2944 years old but on Earth,we're just a couple years apart." Himchan explained while patting Youngguk, "He is too by the way."

Kai simply nodded and continued to eat his sandwich in small bites. An awkwardness reappeared in the air while Himchan cleared his throat. 

"So...teleportation huh? That's pretty cool." He attempted the conversation.

Kai gave another nod.

"Were you born with it?"

Another nod. 

"How far away?"

"Pretty far. Around 100 km sometimes." Kai quietly answered much to Himchan's delight, "But only to places I've been before."

Himchan nods in understanding.

Youngguk suddenly stood up and walked past the fire into the woods. He was still deep in thought about what to do and what was happening. Himchan watched his disappearing figure and sighed. In a way, he was quite fed up with Youngguk's brotherly side since Zelo was quite capable to taking care of himself. It was overbearing and unsightly for a Captain to get that emotionally attached. But Himchan knew that he would feel the same way if their positions were switched. At the same time, he wanted that attention too.

A gush of air startled Himchan as Kai materialized beside him, sandwich half eaten. He gaped at Kai, looking back and forth between the tree and the spot beside him. He never actually witnessed an Exotic's power so up close before.

"T-That's cool." He stuttered in awe. 

Kai merely shrugged and hugged his shoulders. He leaned in closer to the fire for warmth, giving his dark hair and dark brown eyes a red glow. Despite sitting side by side, Himchan could tell that Kai was cautious of him. 

The two sat in awkward silence. Himchan, surprisingly, couldn't conjure up a topic. 

He's kind of like Jongup, Himchan thought jokingly to himself. He held back a chuckle and twiddled with a leaf. The awkwardness was killing him.

"So...uhm..." He tried to start, "how old are you?"

Hesitantly, Kai answered. 

"19."

"You're the same age as a member of our crew. How old is your Commander?"

"We don't have a Commander." 

Himchan paused in surprise.

"Then who do you take orders from?" His voice escalated when his interest was peaked.

"Nobody. Suho, I guess. We're just a group of friends thrown in the war." Kai sheepishly replied. 

"Your friends must be a powerful combination." Himchan complimented. 

"No, not really. We're just kind of like escorts and messengers." Kai looked at his hands in silence. Then he mustered the courage to ask his own questions.

"Uh, who's that guy who just left?"

Himchan glanced at Youngguk's direction and sighed at the pitiful sight. 

"That's our captain, Youngguk. Maybe you've heard of him. We take our orders mainly from him but he takes them from the government sometimes." He proudly answered in an attempt to regain pride.

Kai furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at Youngguk's back. 

"I think I've heard of him." He grimly stated. 

"He's probably the strongest Matoki alive." Himchan boasted, "He was a part of an underground platoon before so he has more experience than I do. I apologize for his shooting at you before.  You may doubt my words now but he's actually a really great captain."

"Yeah, I bet."

Kai gave thanks to Himhan and vanished into the thin air only to reappear at his original spot. 

Himcan blinked in surprise. For him, this was not something normal. There were lectures about different races and species at the Warrior Academy but he never stayed awake long enough to last through one. He preferred to bask in the presence of his fans.

Youngguk slowly reentered their small camp with a dejected and frustrated look. He was not any closer to an answer. 

Himchan attempted a supportive laugh which sounded more depressing than he had hoped for. He patted the open seat next to him and Youngguk complied.

For a while, they let each other make light of the situation and cracked jokes about themselves. Memories were pouring in from everywhere. When a smile finally flashed across the Captain's face, Himchan couldn't help but smile in triumph. 

Other than their present predicament, their crew was actually in the middle of a mutiny of sorts. It was never spoken, but there were whispers of replacing Youngguk as captain. And who better to replace him than their Commander? Their respective fields of authority was already a bit hazy. For the past few months, it was awkward between the two during meetings and missions. It was like constant pressure was the air out of the mood. None of the other members knew what to do either.

Neither had wanted the discord. Neither could reject it. This was a breath of fresh air.

Himchan could feel his back muscles relaxing and a load slowly lifting from his head.

"Thanks. Really." Youngguk finally spoke in his low voice that was like a deep raspy cave that flowed with a river. It fit him quite well. 

"Whatever. The team has to back each other up right? You just owe me one in the future." Himchan said.

Youngguk lulled his head back and puffed out a breath. It was getting colder near midnight. He hoped their military jackets would be enough defense.

"I'll take first watch. Go sleep." He instructed Himchan with a nudge.

Without protest, Himchan stood up and made his way to his escape pod where they set up near. The reclining chair, tangle of wires and rustic metal would have to do. Himchan positioned himself to be comfortable and closed his eyes. To Matoki's, sleep was never fully sleep. It was kind of a half conscious, half unconscious sleep that was only enough to recharge their strength. They were trained for it in the event of intruders.

Youngguk scanned the forest around them as he heard Himchan's breathing slow. There was no other presence he could feel like before. The feeling that he was being watched also dissipated.

It seems like the humans left to sleep. He deducted. His eyes skirted left to right in search of a returning pair. 

Youngguk reached for his tool belt and pulled out a roll of trip wire. Carefully, he laid out the sensor all around their makeshift camp. Kai's eyes followed his back as he worked. Youngguk caught onto Kai's curiousity and stopped in front of him. 

"It's a trap for protection." He explained briefly. 

"Why?" Kai asked. He was still anxious of Youngguk. The morning's incident didn't do anything to put Matokis in his good graces. 

"Because of the humans. They can attack at any time." Youngguk talked as he continued past the tree. 

"You mean, the Lowers? They aren't a threat." Kai was bewildered at this strong Matoki's judgment.

Humans were never a threat. They were simple and useless. They had no outstanding abilities despite the similarity in appearence to the Exotics.

"Don't underestimate them," Youngguk warned as he unfurled his bunny ears,"They aren't very weak with machines."

Kai stared at the furry black ears shooting up the sky in awe. They were barely visible in the night but the fire glow casted a deep red glow on one side. Near the tip of the right ear, the fur was darkened and crusty.

Without another word, Youngguk walked past Kai and looped the wire around a separate tree. He fastened the end to the pin of a small hand grenade and carefully buried it at the base. He straightened his back and looked straight into the Exotic's face.

"Don't go wandering around." He gravely advised before sitting back down beside the fire place.

Kai shifted uneasily at the stern warning but didn't retort. He knew when to keep his mouth shut. A small flicker of laughter echoed in his mind as he realized the futility of the warning.

He lay on his side to accomodate the protruding tree roots. He placed an arm underneath his head and ignored the smell of dirt and nature wafting up his nose. His eyes didn't leave the center of the flame and neither did Youngguk's. He was definitely tired after the long day but his body refused to shut down. The ground was cold, hard and prickly and there was that nagging feeling that something was crawling up his leg. After a few minutes, he snapped his eyes close and pictured his escape pod forming in his mind.

He had a photographic memory to accomodate his powers, which often proved useful. His mind pieced together the interior of his escape pod. The glass-like windows, the padded back, the triangular symbol embeded at the top, the familiar hum of it connecting with his mind, and the safety of it's life support beckoned to him. An Exotic could survive for weeks inside of it.

Kai's image connected and he felt his body lighten for a quarter of a second.

He reopened his eyes and smiled at his success.

A tingling feeling bubbled in his stomach as his body adjusted to the change. He used to throw up after each teleportation because his stomach couldn't handle it. He had long since grown adjusted to it. Kai could stomach even Baekhyun's food now.

His muscles relaxed and he practically melted into the bedding. His nirvana was short-lived as the smell of burning leather filled the air. He frowned as he saw the holes in the window Bang Youngguk made with his gun. There was a dark black spot right beside his head as well.

His memory travelled back to the moment he had woken up to stare down the barrel of a gun. Instinctively, Kai flinched and shut his eyes. His reflexes automatically triggered an escape route and teleported him a few meters to the right; a basic skill for teleporters.

In that fraction of a second, he felt death. He almost crumbled after teleporting since his legs lost all feeling. Even now, Kai was trembling all over at the thought of a hole in his body.

He compared the idea of his cold merciless shooter with the sagging shoulder Matoki by the fire. It seemed impossible that they were one and the same. Kai began to pity the Matoki race. Always in training. Ready to fight and kill. But then another waft of smoke filled his nostrils and all compassion dissipated.

Youngguk shot at Kai. He wasn't safe.

I could always run, but I require my friends. 

Kai didn't want to admit it, yet the knowledge was stapled to the back of his mind. Matokis were brute strength, dangerous, and ruthless killing machines. He didn't want their protection. He needed it.