Matchsticks

[Nick Ryder]

"When I was being tortured by a man who wore my son's face. I was ready. Kicked me so badly I'm sterile now. Not that it matters, although I did hope I'd give Alice one more kid, course Gale's already turning out to be a fine kid and honestly... he's closer to Bella than he is to me. Which is fine. She took care of him for that long year." Nick looked at his hands. "I've been in Intel since I was in my twenties and pretty much every secret I've had is no longer a secret. The AI I left in the case of my death saw to that, gave my plans and schematics and databases to Angel and Jack and Natalia and Tony. Most of my stashed away money was already used to help rebuild the Capitol Building. I've still got resources and enough to keep me comfortable for the rest of my life, providing I stay out of the way of things. I don't plan on actually dying. And I don't want you to actually die. Just the people we were. Can still be a part of our family's lives, just... not as us. Some alternate reality cousins or whatever. Family but I'm sure most'll keep us at arm's length. Might tell Alice the truth. Vowed that I would never keep big secrets from her."

[Rebecca Talon]

"Alice would come with us won't she?" Rebecca asked surprised with that revelation. "You haven't told her any of this?"

[Nick Ryder]

"Not the full plan yet, but she knows some of it." Nick said as he took a sip of his drink. "Honestly it changes every few weeks. Dominus' forces already killed one of the contacts I was going to use so that changed things. Besides, she's been busy too. Remember, she's a creative and a scientist... we know how it is when someone drops some big bomb like this on us while we're trying to work on something that requires a bit more of our brain power. Like the AliceCore system, I WOULD have had that done about ten years ago if Julie didn't divorce me and fuck some guy in our bed to rub it in." he rolled his eyes. "Kinda broke my concentration on that so I mothballed it and then the whole Imperium thing happened... give me a year of peace and I can make magic happen."

[Rebecca Talon]

"My only concern is Ethan. He loves his father. Thinks to world of Milo." Sighing as the realization hit her. There would be no escape. "I'm sorry I can't go with you."

[Nick Ryder]

"Then we fight the good fight until we can't." Nick said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I wasn't given the power I was given nor where you to just 'retire'." he closed his eyes. "Maybe... we both need faith in the Iljuna that things are working out how they need to. Good or bad."

[Rebecca Talon]

"Don't let me stop you. It was a fine dream. If you can do it by all means. Maybe I can even visit you."

[Nick Ryder]

"Well all I know is, we're going to be in this together. Or some version of you." Nick replied. "Or some version of me. Y'know if there are seemingly infinite numbers of him... don't you think there's more versions of me and you? Maybe a set of us that aren't so burnt out? I'll tell you... I won't admit it to anyone else but you and if I'm asked I'll deny every word I said as the after effects of drinking with Uncle Steve... but... why the flying fuck are any of us still at this? My mom should have retired years ago. Sure she de-aged, hell I de-aged, everyone de-aged on Byron for a hot second there, but we're all combat veterans of more wars than we have fingers and toes. We've got PTSD that we barely acknowledge and yet we just soldier on. I'm tired. Y'know what my favorite days are now? When I can convince my wife to stay in bed with me. When I get absolutely nothing done and people piss and moan over the comms but I ignore them. Haven't we earned at least a decent retirement? Even the longest matchstick burns out."

[Rebecca Talon]

"A sense of duty? An unwillingness to let others determine our fates?" She shrugged, and sat down tiredly. "I do it, because I am cursed with being able to see the future. I always have been. When we were at the Academy I had my famous gut feelings. Now that my connection to the ijulna has strengthened I get actual images. Sights, sounds you name it. I would be in New Aspen right now if not for that. Ignorance is bliss. I don't know what is to happen, but I play a key role in it. Whether it's directly, or indirectly like the butterfly effect. Whatever it is, I am involved in this. By the way. You mentioned Trinity. She's on her way home some new friends of hers, but she's not out of trouble. Not by a long shot."

[Nick Ryder]

"Well I have a few thoughts... " Nick hummed as he reclined slightly. "If we can get some intel out of Kat, that may help me figure out our next moves. Right now I'm going on what Jack got me, but most of his loyalists are pretty damn loyal. They'd rather die than divulge secrets."

[Rebecca Talon]

Rebecca shrugged, "Dominus isn't the secretive type. You might not learn anything new at all."