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Chapter XVI

Back in Action

Ryan:

The action didn't seem to stop, for me that is.

My reawakening was slow with minor pain, other than the slight throb in the back of my head that had me groaning. There was no way I was dead since this pain was really annoying me even moments after waking up. It seemed that that old lady wasn't lying to me, but she could've at least mentioned that the pain in the back of my head was going to hurt more than I thought.

Mustering the strength to summon words seemed to be more difficult than I wanted it to be. My throat felt as dry as sandpaper while my head was still swimming in a mess full of confusion and pain. Even my vision seemed to be suffering, my sight blurry and foggy wherever I seemed to look, and if it wasn't blurry then I was seeing double of whatever I was looking at. Colors were difficult to determine but I could make out white and baby blue, a sign I could still be back in that place but I had also found a few bright lights over me, telling me that I wasn't back in that place.

The hardest thing that seemed to come to me was my movement. My arms and legs felt like lead, heavy and unmoving. Actually, my whole body felt like it had been numbed like my gums at the dentist. Even a finger felt like a strenuous task, my whole body felt like it had gained, like, five-hundred pounds, and I'm sure it wasn't muscle either. Though, I'm sure it wasn't fat either.

Either way, I felt horrible.

I groaned again, hearing my voice husky and hoarse, completely voice of all emotion besides pain and strain. Jeez, how long had I been out? I felt like I hadn't drank any water in ten years, my body was as un-moveable as a rusted car with its wheels locked in place, and I was still trying to regain my vision like I had just gotten back from the eye surgeon. If this was what recovering from near-death, or death itself, was like then I hated it with a burning passion still beating in my heart.

I wanted to get out of this bed, I was guessing, so I could try and move again. Only problem with my plan was, I barley had the strength to move even a finger. Okay, that was a total lie since I was starting to get the feeling back in my fingers, but the rest of my arms and legs seemed to be a no-go. Getting up and figuring out where I was priority number one, yet the only way I was going to figure out where I was if I could get the feeling back through my body. I needed to get the blood flowing quickly again, and I had a good plan as to how.

Using the fingertips on both of my hands, I used my thumb and flicked it against my other fingers. Each time I seemed to get a little "shock" of energy that shot up and down my arm, slowly regaining the feeling of parts of my forearm and bicep. There was only a bit of pain but soon my arms were feelable and moveable. While I had regained the feeling in my arms, my vision was slowly getting better and sharper, finally reverting back to their original state.

Seconds later was I able to finally see where I was, finding myself on a hospital bed inside a sage colored room. Baby blue curtains blocked my view from the left and right but I could see ahead of me, finding a similar bed and drapes right across. Next to my bed was a wooden nightstand with a small lamp that illuminated my end, even though the lights on the ceiling were all I needed. Though my head was still swimming through the pain, I slowly regained focus on my sights and thoughts, even though they all seemed to blend together in a massive mess of whatever.

I gulped, finding my saliva lubricating my throat like regular water. My mouth still felt dry and craggy but the sound finally seemed to return to me, after for, like, ever. Was I still in pain? Yep, couldn't deny the pain in my chest. Was I glad I could move? You bet a million bucks, which I wasn't feeling like. Did I still want to figure out where I was? Duh, no way I'm lying in a bed for another day, or week, or month.

God...if I had been lying here for a month I think I might actually cry. I wasn't this lazy, even if it wasn't my fault.

Summoning my first words upon reawakening, I groaned. "U-ugh, la mina testa." I had said in Italian, not even realizing at first. (Ugh, my head.) "W-what happened?" I finally spoke in English, glad my death hadn't left me with only one language.

The sound of rustling close by made my heart jump, causing me to cough a few times, my coughs sounding like a mix of mud and a sneeze put together. Moments later I saw a person standing in front of my bed. I blinked a few times before I realized just who exactly it was.

"Ryan! You're awake!" Jason exclaimed, giving me his sincere, shocked smile that had my body feeling warm and tingling.

We locked eyes with each other for a few minutes, not even caring how long we were staring. He wore navy blue camouflage pants, a navy blue shirt, and gloves. He looked a little taller, his face was more mature, and he still had that determined look on his face that told me he was still himself. Overall, he looked perfectly fine. No cuts, bruises, or bandages that told me he had been in a fight recently without me.

He finally walked over to my side then gave my arm a nice, firm slap, causing me to hiss out in pain. He chuckled then patted my arm again, making me grunt in the process.

"Yep, that's you alright," he chuckled out, showing me all his white teeth.

If I wasn't in pain (and if my body wasn't so numb), I would seriously give him a nice "firm" slap on the face just to show him how much I "loved" him, if you catch my drift. I was going to make sure and keep a mental note to give him that slap later, once I had full control of my body.

"No dip...Sherlock Holms," I grunted out, trying to find the strength to sit up and pat him. As I made the attempt to sit up, a searing pain shot through my body that had me crying out in pain. It was just below my chest, right under my heart I think. "M-merda!" I cursed, hissing out in pain. (S-shit!)

Jason grabbed me and held me up just until after the pain subsided. "Easy, easy, you're still recovering." He stated, helping me back onto my back.

I shook my head, waving my hand aside. "I can...sit up. What do you mean by...'recovering'?" I asked, already knowing the answer just by the touch on my chest.

He sighed then took a seat on my bed, making sure to steer clear of my legs. "You don't remember? Back on our last mission, remember? We were escaping the base and you were shot by a rare type of bullet."

He dug into his pocket, searching for something apparently. Once he had found what he was looking for, he took it out then placed it on the bed, showing me what it was. It was a bullet, only half an inch long but had me cocking my eye. I picked it up, finding that the bullet had shark-fin-shaped spikes along six points, like a hexagon. Two were faced in the direction where the bullet was going while the middle one was faced opposite, towards the back.

"What the hell is...?" I trailed off, looking it up curiously before turning my gaze back to Jason.

"That..." he said. "...was what shot you." He moved over and took it from my hands, looking it over just like I was. Frankly, he and I were both speechless for quite a while.

That...think had shot me? How was that even possible? I didn't think guns could fire bullets with spikes, let alone hit a target hundreds of feet away and hit a bulls-eye, i.e me. Whoever was the shooter was a very lucky shot to shoot me while I was running through the cold snow.

"Wow..." amazement easily audible in my voice. "Wait, if this is what shot me, then how am I still alive?" I asked him, the pain returning to my head instantly.

_ Tell Jason 'Thank you'._

What exactly did that old lady mean by that? Thank him for what exactly? For being my partner? For being my friend? I thanked him all the time for being there for me when I needed him. What did she want me to thank him for?

"What happened...after I was shot by that...thing?" I said, looking at the bullet with scrutiny. That thing had almost killed me and would've broken a dozen hearts, if not four billion--which was the population in the war right now. Yep, a sixth of the world gone.

He crossed his arms then uncrossed them, looking at the tattoo on his hand. Ours did look similar to one another with slight differences, but they still looked the same for the base. My symbol almost seemed to burn against my skin, making me itch my hand again like a long time ago. It had been a long time since it felt this way, like three months ago, and now it was beginning to act up again.

He sighed before replying. "You were dead on the way here; at least, that was what they told me. This was the bed where you died actually," he paused, just to see my reaction, which wasn't even of shock. I knew I had died, but I had no clue I was lying on my deathbed. "and I was getting ready to say my final goodbyes to you before you were buried. However, something happened that changed everything. This." He tapped the symbol on his hand a few times. "This...mark is what saved your life. I touched your chest one last time before I left, but that was when it happened--when a miracle happened. My hand began to glow this bright white light, and it spread all over your body like some sort of latex suit. Anyway, you were bathed in light, almost to the point where I couldn't even see, and, when I could, you're heart-rate came back. It was faint at first but grew stronger and stronger by the moment. The docs were astounded since your heart had stopped beating but there was no denying you were alive."

I took a few seconds to let that sink into my brain then settle. So, that was what she wanted me to thank Jason for! I did nothing to come back to life; it was Jason's help that saved me! The mark on his hand must've triggered something that made him heal me, or something like that. It reminded me when I first healed Piper when she got that wound, and now I knew Jason could do exactly the same thing I could do without any trouble.

I wondered if anyone else knew about it.

"Did anyone see you do your voodoo stuff on me?" I asked in a jokingly manner. Was it voodoo or actual magic? Old textbooks made references to Digimon who could actually use powers to attack, heal, and create things when they needed them. No one really believed the stories back then, but I was sure that something was up. No way he was just Jesus-incarnate and just healed me.

The Veemon shook his head. "I haven't told anyone, best to keep it safe until I know who I can trust, and I trust you with my life." His words were sincere right to the very point, and I knew for a fact that I could trust him back.

"Better not," I replied, ginning ear to ear. "I already got myself killed. Who's to say that that doesn't happen to you as well?" My question caught him off guard but he soon chuckled.

"You're right, you'll just get me killed too," the Digimon stuck his tongue out at me, smiling just as broadly as I was.

We laughed for a few minutes, not even caring why we were even laughing in the first place. It had been a long time since he and I had a nice time to spend together, and I was enjoying out little chat as well. Sure, we were partners but that didn't mean we talked that much, even with the three months we trained together.

This made me feel better. My whole family was gone, my childhood friends were hundreds of miles away, and I had an entire planet thinking I had been killed in action. At least I still had my partner by my side, ready to fight with me at a moment's notice then give his life and protect me.

Grunting with slight pain, I held out my hand while gripping my chest. "Come on, help me out of this bed. I wanna walk around."

He made a hissing out, looking both ways before looking back at me. "I dunno, the docs told me that if you woke up that you should stay in bed and rest, wait for your bullet wound to heal." I gave him the You-Have-Got-To-Be-Kidding-Me look, which he understood with a sigh. "Alright, no need for the look. Don't complaint to me when you're limping."

"Why of course not," I spoke with sarcasm easily audible in my words, in which he gave me another sting on the arm with his palm.

He took my arm then slowly pulled me out of my trap of a bed. Pain raced across my body as I groaned out in pain, feeling most of it coming from my chest, exactly where I had been shot. Pretty much expected that much anyway, but I had no clue that it was going to be this painful. Every nerve on my body seemed to be on caffeine or something because with every move I made it was like millions needles prickling against my skin, not in the soft way either.

One thing I was glad about though was that Jason was going slow getting me back on my feet. If he had jerked me up...God, I was sure I would be bawling on the ground like a newborn baby, or something like that. My legs dangled over the edge of the bed, just mere inches above the ground. I could almost feet the floor, cold it was for sure, but it was better than these uncomfortable sheets.

My feet touched the cold, tiled floor for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, sending tingles of cold chills rushing through my body like the strike of lightning. The needles I seemed to keep feeling poked sharply at my foot, causing me to hiss from slight pain but that was pretty much it. It was like I had never felt cold before (which I knew for a fact I had) so my feet weren't used to it. I had trudged through some deep snow, so I knew what cold felt like and these floors were anything but cold. Minor cold was all it was, but my feet seemed to think that I was walking on dry ice.

Without any hesitation, I stood up like the idiot I was. It was short and brief few seconds standing before my legs gave away, causing me to fall back to my knees. Thankfully, Jason caught me before I hit the ground, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt, choking me in the process. As I coughed my way back up to my bed, Jason patted my chest in a reassuring way.

"Oh, yeah, forgot," he said, his face turning red from embarrassment. "Your legs have been out for a while so the blood isn't flowing as quickly as it used to. Don't worry, just need something to get the blood flowing quick again and you should be back up and walking, I think."

I cocked my eye at him. "You 'think'?" I replied, sounding a little scared. Mental note: Make sure Jason doesn't become a doctor.

He shrugged, as if telling me he wasn't sure. "I have no clue. The doctors said a little jolt should get the nerves in your legs feeling again."

"I think I have an idea," I replied, placing my feet on the floor again. Letting out a long sigh, I quickly pressed my feet against the floor, sending chills up my spine and through my body again. This time I could feel my legs pulsing (gross) as the blood sprung to life and began to flow again. I finally decided, after a few seconds, to stand up again. If I failed, Jason was there to catch me.

Carefully, I stood up, letting my movements be slow and take as much time as I could before I stood upright. I was finally up, standing, but I waited for a few moments to make sure my legs didn't cave in once more. After they didn't, I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that my plan had worked.

"Huh, you're always full of ideas, aren't you?" Jason asked me, crossing his arms.

I laughed. "If I was full of ideas, I would've figured out a way to save my life."

He grunted back. "Ahem."

That was when my face turned red. I turned to him, rubbing the back of my neck nervously. "Um, thank you, Jason. I can't really thank you enough for what you did to me, and I'm forever grateful. You have no id--"

He held up his hand, smiling towards me. "No thanks needed, Ryan. I did what any partner would've done, and that's save your butt from all the action." He playfully joked with me.

I gave him a nice slap on the shoulder. "Oh, ha-ha, what about when I had to cover for you when you were as scared as a newborn kitten?" I shot back at him, playfully.

His face changed from gold to crimson instantly. "Shut-up." He told me, making me laugh, which also got me a punch to my arm.

There was no way I was letting that go. It was perfect ammunition to use in an argument, like right now. Oh, yes, perfect argument material. Just bring it up with him and I can put an end to any argument, which I had already won with him now. Now, I wasn't a cruel guy, only a playful one when it came to arguments and things I could use in an argument. Besides, Jason knew I was only joking with him, even if his cheeks were the color of red apples.

Jason then spoke up again. "I'd go to Ian and Ron for your gear, which you might need soon. Never know when the Admiral wants to send us out. You've been out for a while, so I'll go ahead and inform the Admiral that you're awakened."

"Thanks," I replied with a sincere smile. "Just asking, how long have I been out?" I decided to as anyway, feeling that I should know.

He crossed his arms. "You sure you wanna know?"

"Come on, how bad can it be?"

He sighed. "Two weeks bad."

I think my heart sunk into the pits of my stomach. Two weeks?! Okay, okay, okay, let's rationalize. Two weeks was better than an entire month, which I was glad that I wasn't out for. Still, two weeks? That was still pretty bad in my opinion. Okay, sure, I really didn't have much of a choice whether to stay out or wake up whenever I wanted to. It felt pretty weird, though, when it felt like only a few hours I had been out when, in reality, it had actually been two weeks. It actually did remind me of sleep, you know, when you go to sleep and find out that it's morning when it felt only like minutes you slept.

Jeez, I wished sometimes this was all a big dream.

I had been working hard for the past three months, but that gave me no reason, nor any right, to be out that long and enjoy it. Seeing my childhood friends that young, way before they could even understand the war, showed me how much I should've cherished my childhood. I was more aware of the war than most other children in the U.S. at that age, mainly because my parents had died in the war, and there was no way in hell that I was going to be able to forget that. Not all the orphans at the orphanage were like I was, so they still didn't have a full grasp on just how "well" the war was going. If the people in the U.S. really knew what was going on, there would be more chaos there than in Russia at the moment.

That was the only reason why some battles were kept secret. What would a Russian living in the U.S. think if he found out his home city had been destroyed? Devastated, of course, but he would also spread it around to others and it would just turn into a chain reaction of mayhem. Seventy-five percent of Russia was already burned down to rubble, which was something many other countries didn't know, so it was best kept a secret from the outside world.

"Ryan? Earth to Ryan! Hello?" Jason exclaimed, waving his hand in front of my face.

I turned my head then looked around at the room. "H-huh? What?" I asked stupididly before looking at him. "Oh, sorry, I think I zoned out."

He laughed. "As always."

I gave him a slap on the shoulder before walking out of the room.

One thing you never expect after waking up from a coma is an explosion that shatters your world in ways you never expect.

My talk with Ian and Ron was very quick and to the point. They were sure surprised to see that I was up after fourteen days but soon got over it and went back to business. Man, I was glad they didn't have a ton of questions for me; else I'm sure I would just be spending the whole day answering questions for different people. No way I was going to get much done if it was just going to end up like that.

After getting my robe back from Ian and Ron, which had been dyed back to plain old white, I decided to take them back to my room. Luckily, none of the other guys from Squad 14 were there, telling me I didn't have to do a lot of explaining to them thankfully. Sure, I was delaying the inevitable, but I wasn't really in an explaining mood at the moment. I was going to tell them later, for sure, since I really didn't have any other choice.

I really wanted to see Piper though but there was no telling where she was or what she was doing. For all I knew, she could be out on a mission or training in the courtyard with someone else. It was sure going to shock her once she found out that I was up and running around without her knowing about it, but what better way to greet her than like this? A slap to my face would surely be my greeting from her or something else of the nature. But I really did want to see her again, like really bad. Whatever was pulling me towards her was only getting stronger and stronger whenever I thought about her.

Which was turning into a daily routine thing now.

I loved being with her but had no clue why. She was a great friend to me and had a kinda heart to boot. Yet, she was drawing me closer and closer without doing anything. Maybe it was her looks, or her attitude, that was pulling me in.

Or, I was falling for her.

Fall for her? I was fifteen! I'm still a little too young to be dating anyone. I'm sure she still has morals and isn't looking anyway, so it was best to steer clear of a relationship for the moment. Though, if someone else got her hand I'm sure jealousy would spark in my mind, telling me that she was the perfect one for me. Still, I was young and I'm sure a relationship at my age would only make things even more difficult for me to take on. It all came down to my age in the end. Piper and I were the same age and we were both young, so I just needed to keep to myself until I got older.

Piper aside, I was also getting sick of being away from home. I missed my friends from my school and at the orphanage. My mornings were once filled with loud chatter on different subjects like girls, sports, and clothes but now they were filled with bullets, tactics, and methods to stay alive. It wasn't the same here, which was clear enough for me to understand, and I needed a peace of home before I did anything else. Thoughts filled with a happy Nicholas, an upbeat Robyn, and a bus full to the max of my school friends filled my mind and wouldn't let me go.

I gave up then made my way for the computer lab.

Only a few minutes passed as I used the elevator and went down a few floors, then I made my way towards the media center. I had been here before during my computer skills training but this was now for a different purpose, one on a more personal level.

As I opened the door, I knew the room would be empty, which it was. There were three rows with six computers along each one. All of them were always updated with the latest tech, making them fast, efficient, and smooth. I had the chance myself to try them out, and, well, they were probably better than a Mac actually, in my opinion.

Taking heed of the extra time I had, I worked my way over to the nearest computer. Honestly, I really didn't care if I looked like crap at the moment. All I cared about was seeing my "family" back home. It had been way too long since we had last talked, and I really needed a familiar voice.

Please...let at least one of them be online...

ROBYN T. is online.

_ _ My face brightened up at an instant. Maybe I wasn't jumping up and down in joy but on the inside, I was sure having a party. Good thing it was Robyn actually, if if were Nicholas, I was sure I wouldn't be able to get any words in

My fingers clicked the 'call' button on Skype. I wanted in anxiety for her to hopefully respond. My legs were bouncing up and down, and I couldn't seem to stop tapping my fingers on the desk. Waiting was exactly my strong suit when it came stuff like this, especially when it came to my closest friends of all time, but I tried to make due best I could and not look like a little kid who had had too much sweets.

Finally, the camera turned on and I was soon looking at the face of Robyn. She looked a little tired, and she was wearing her pink, loose pajamas. My guess: it was either a Saturday or Sunday since it could not be any other day, lest she not be at school right now. All of which aside, it was great to see her face again, even though she looked like she had just woken up from sleep.

Once she had met my screen eyes, hers widened to the side of truck tires. She shrieked, which actually sounded like a strained cough to me. A few coughs over the screen after her shriek told me at an instant that she was sick. Great. Yes, even Digimon could get sick, but only from different types of diseases that humans couldn't get.

Gah, this is one weird planet.

She was the first one to speak. "R...Ryan!" she cleared her throat a few times, sipping some water quickly to get her words back. "You're back! Oh, my, God! How're you? Are you okay? What's been goin--" she was stopped by a sudden cough that made me cringe. Seriously, it sounded like someone was shaking a cereal box from my end.

A very sickening cereal box.

"Easy, easy, Robyn," I tried to get her to slow down a bit. "Please tell me you're not sick." I hoped she wasn't and it was just sore throat or something.

She sighed before clearing her throat again. "Yep. I'm sick. Digido-Renatosis." She explained, which only made me sigh. This disease was only caught by the Renamon species sadly, in which it was basically the equivalent to the flu--except that it was a tad worse. Highly contagious to the same species, leaves the patient sick for a good week and a half, and gives them some massive headaches.

Glad I wasn't a Renamon.

"Dang. I'm sorry, Robyn, I wish I could be there to help," I replied back from my end, giving her my best sympathy, which was all true and sincere. Seeing her sick like this really made me sick to my own stomach.

She shrugged then grabbed a tissue, blowing her nose before replying. "Its...fine. It's been a week already, so I can look forward to this disease leaving soon. Ugh." She grunted, looking slightly pained.

"Still, I'm sorry," I apologized on my end.

"Thanks, Ry, I appreciate--ah--ahh--ahhchoo!" she sneezed out, but still got her message across as far as I could tell. Once she wiped her nose again, she finished her last sentence. "...it. But anyway, how're things going with you right now? You've been silent for almost a month, and Nicholas is getting worried sick...hah, 'sick'." She put in quotes for sick, which had me chuckling.

I was about to tell her about why I hadn't been able to talk to them, but I stopped for some reason. Should I tell them about my death then resurrection by my partner who now had healing powers to an extent? Robyn was already sick, blowing her brains out, and Nicholas was already worrying about me. Should I really add more worry to them, put more pressure on myself, and have them scared to death whether I would come back or not from this war?

No, I told myself. Maybe when they were in better moods, or when one isn't sick and the other wasn't as worried about me. There was no way I would be able to deal with the both of them at the same time, especially not Robyn in state she was in. No, there was no way to tell them now. It hurt my chest, literally, not telling them but what was better, honestly? Having a sick Digimon, who was already worried about me, worry even more about me along with an obsessed Flamedramon who was worried to death about me, or telling them the truth?

Thought so.

I sighed before rubbing the back of my head. "Sorry, Robyn, things have been pretty hectic in the East and I haven't really...been in action in a while." I said, which wasn't a total lie, just a little stretching of the truth.

"Oh, okay, well, as long as I know you're still doing okay is all that matters," she said back, finally smiling at me. I could tell she was in pain while she smiled, but she probably didn't even care. I needed that little smile boost of energy anyway, it felt good to see her, have her smile, and not worry about me now.

Oh, man, I didn't even want to deal with Nicholas...

Before I could go on, she started again. "Hey, Ry, I need to ask you something."

This was something new. Usually she wasn't the one asking for something, more along the lines of helping someone with something. It must be something she wasn't sure of herself in which I would totally go out of my own comfort zone to ask someone for aid myself.

"Sure thing, Robyn," I said in return. "What's wrong?" I asked her.

She looked both ways, like she was about to cross the street or something, before looking back at me. "There's this guy in school...his name's Dylan. He's a Renamon, just like me, and he's suuuper hot."

"Go on, I'm listening," I replied, beckoning her to go on.

Maybe it was the camera on her end or because she was sick, but I swore I saw a blush on her face. "Well...I'm going to be fifteen in two weeks, and you know that, but lately he's been giving me weird over-the-shoulder looks. When he walks by, he brushes his shoulder against mine..."

"And?"

"Not by accident."

"Oh."

She blushed more, which is what I was seeing. "Yeah...and when I look into his eyes, I see a burning fire of passion that pulls my soul closer to his."

"Robyn, you're getting spiritual on me, again," I laughed, getting a curse from her on the other end.

"Ryan, listen! He's so nice, so handsome, sweet, honest, caring, and really smart. All the girls are drooling over him! Hell, even I'm drooling over him! He's a smart hunk!" Before I could go on, she growled, which stopped me in my tracks. "Anyway, lately he's been hanging out with me more and more at lunch and after class. We always talk until the bell rings, and he always smiles at me constantly."

"You don't think...?" I asked, already knowing the answer to my own question.

She nodded. "I think he's hitting on me."

There was silence for a few moments. Neither one of us said anything to each other. It wasn't because I was ashamed of her, or because she felt ashamed by me, but because we'd never dealt with something like this before. She had never been in a relationship and neither had I. (Don't even dare count at Nicholas as my BF.) This was all new to the both of us, neither of us knowing exactly how to deal with relationship stuff.

Well, that was a lie actually. I was having feelings for Piper right now, trying to stave off the time for a relationship as long as I could. Robyn, despite looking totally dead and sleepy, was actually blushing and fidgeting with her thumbs thinking about the "hunk" Dylan as she had described. I had never seen her like this before. She was a problem solver, quick thinker, and hard worker and seeing her unable solve a problem like dealing with feelings for someone else was making me scratch my head. If she couldn't solve this, then she was out of luck 'cause I didn't even have an answer for her either. No way Nicholas could help us, since his forte was "cute boys" and "me" (oy).

"Well, Robyn," I scratched the back of my head, trying to buy myself as much time as I could. "There's not a lot I can help you with. I mean, um, do you like the guy as much as you think he likes you?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh, and Ryan, he really is nice and kind. And I mean really kind. He's a sweetie, too." She paused for a moment to scratch the back of her neck just like I was. "But, Ry, do you really think he likes me?"

I just shrugged. "I dunno, Robyn. You're young, he's young, and it could just be puppy love." I replied back to her. "I think you should...wait and see whether or not if he makes a move. But, don't trust me." I smiled towards her, getting a giggle back out of her (one of the more healthy giggles). "Wait about a month or so, and, in the event that he does make a move, tell him that you just want to take things as slow as possible. If you don't say that, then at least say that you want to wait on having a relationship. But, like I said, don't blame me for the advice."

When I had finished, she giggled a little more. "Okay, I won't give you the credit if he does like me and agrees with the advice then."

"Hey! That's not what I meant!" I shot back, chuckling as I tried to make my words.

"That's what I understood," she giggled loudly, coughing a few times but still laughing because my reaction was probably too good.

"You're gonna get it, you little jokester!" I laughed, waving my finger in front of the camera in a very intimidating way.

"Ooh! I'm soo scared!" she sarcastically said back to me.

"Just you w--" I started but was soon cut off.

This massive blast of smoke and fire soon shot me from my seat, causing me to skid across the tile flooring towards the wall. The loud crashing sound echoed throughout the entire building, rattling the entire place like an earthquake. Smoke filled the room and, just as I thought the worst had passed, I looked out of the windows close to the wall and saw something hovering just outside them.

I followed my instincts and sprang forward, ducking behind the desk just as the sound of gunfire filled the room, bellowing over everything else that was going on. I could hear the popping of light bulbs, the sparks of electricity, and the breaking of glass as the bullets seemed to pierce and destroy everything in the room. It seemed to go on forever, most of the computers as I watched being literally torn to shreds by dozens of tiny bullets that flew throughout the entire room. I coughed and covered my head, feeling some of the bullets impale themselves in the thick desk I was hiding behind, thanking God that they hadn't made it through and killed me.

Finally, the gunfire stopped but the sound of explosions still went on even after. Actually, faint echoes of gunfire met my ears instantly, along with the sound of helicopter propellers flying away from the room I was at. Wind blew into the room in a massive gust that threw pieces of debris, glass, and parts of the computers everywhere, only parts of the computer hitting me a few times.

The onslaught lasted for a few moments before all the items in the room just fell flat on the floor. The mayhem may have ended, but I still stayed exactly where I was, balled up behind this torn up computer desk. My ears rang so loud I couldn't even hear the echoes of gunfire anymore. Minutes passed before I could hear and I decided to finally get up and take a look at the damage.

The room had been torn to pieces. The windows were no longer there, just a big gaping hole in the wall, revealing all of seeable London. There were no computers left in the room, only bits and pieces, small chunks, and large stones that were once a part of the wall. Smoke and dust stilled filled the room, but only to my knees, while bullets littered across the ground everywhere.

"Mio Dio," I gasped, walking until I was only a few feet away from the wall, wanting to see the damage that had been done.

I wished I hadn't...

...because London had just turned into Manchester...three months ago.