Chapter 23: To trust or to not.

The two overlapping blue circles that glowed from Jake's hand scared Aksel and almost immediately pushing back and away from the crowd, garnering their attention, he started, "You…"

Words couldn't come out of his mouth at once as he looked around at the flying drones and it all started making sense to him. He understood now why they weren't being attacked and caught by these drones. It was because these people that called themselves Rues were a part of the system.

"What happened?" Mort asked looking at his friend with a confused expression that garnered him a look of hate and betrayal. He was muddled by this and moving his gaze to Yve he found her standing beside Aksel with a similar expression.

Mort then proceeded to share a look with the other members, only to find them equally clueless. Trying to understand his friend who was starting to get strange expressions from the rest of the crowd he said, "Aksel could you please just stop-"

Mort had only taken a step towards him when moving back a few paces more Aksel shouted, "Stay away! You cheated us!"

Aksel could see worry etched on all of their faces and he wondered if the brand had collected this group of people and controlled them to act like friends to the unbranded only to bring them back to their base.

But why didn't they kill him when they clearly had a chance.

"What's wrong with you two?" Renee joined the conversation, although usually uncaring she found herself wanting to snoop on their business.

Aksel determined that they still hadn't realized that Yve and Aksel had figured their secret out he felt his nerves quieten a little and glancing at Yve he asked, "On three?"

She nodded not moving her eyes away from the Rueses as she got her stance ready to run. She wondered if they could really outrun them when these skilled people had weapons on but they had to try or who knows what might happen to them as soon as they entered that building.

"One," Aksel counted softly just enough for Yve to hear as they noted the path from where they had arrived.

"Two," Yve said picking up a manageable stick that was slightly close to the thickness of her staff.

"Three," he said about to run when he noted Renee angle her body sideways, her eyes sharp as they glared at him, and grabbing her dagger she threw it at him, aiming directly for his head.

"Duck," Yve shouted, forcing his body down as she threw her newly claimed staff with an increased vigor right at the other woman who was aiming at them again. She dodged it cussing them out as they heard something metallic clang behind them to the ground.

They didn't have time to look at it as they scrambled to their feet ready for a fight again while assessing their enemies.

They had really wished that they had finally found a safe place but luck just wasn't on their side.

When Yve was about to raise her hand in a fighting stance of a martial arts that her body had already been accustomed to, she found Mort charging at her with his sword, and just as she felt her fingers graze something she was pushed to the side by Aksel and Mort slashed through something with his long sword huffing out his anxiousness as he watched the two of them lying on either side of him.

The descry of the drone with the glowing sword pierced through it was a sight to see as the machine whirred for a few seconds. Its mechanical arms stretched out trying to grab onto something as it made a mechanical noise causing the hearts of all the people around to freeze up at what might happen if it didn't give in.

Feeling slightly frustrated at the struggle for life that the useless machine showed Mort moved his hand and using only slight pressure easily cut through the machine in a diagonal line successfully and completely shutting it off.

Was it his intention to kill this device or was it an accident Aksel wondered but he didn't need to think for long, as Mort for the first time glared at him and said, "Are you insane you could have been killed right now!"

His concern pushed him into a further state of confusion as he sat up and still very much on alert he asked, "Why did you save us?"

Mort had thought this guy to be a smart one and to some extent a hero to be able to escape a city den and join another one without being caught. He was therefore thrown off by his weird questions of idiocy.

"What the fuck man? Are you both suicidal did you want to come here to die?" he asked his question in turn with a question of his own. For his, was the more incredulous one in this situation.

Before Aksel could reply again Yve called him out and pointed ta something a little behind them and his line of sight took in another destroyed drone that had a dagger jutting out of it while some circuits inside still sparked with bright electricity.

"I don't understand," he voice out as he stood up and decided to be daring for once as he grabbed onto the tall muscled guy's arm and snagged his sleeve up to look at a similar branding mark as well.

It was sure that if they had the brand on them then they ought to be a part of the system but then why would this system save them?

"What is this?" he asked and adding to his question he elaborated, "Why the fuck do you have the brand but still not get controlled by the system?"

A look of realization crossed Mort's face and relieved sighs could be heard from people around them.

Glancing up at the drones that were still working around Mort sighed and said, his voice taking on a slightly more understanding tone than before, "Can we all move a little over there? I am not really in the mood to kill another of these mechanic insects."

Whether to trust or not to trust was the question that arose here and Aksel found himself taking a risk as he shuffled toward the group.

"To start with, first things first we are not a part of the system. The system does not control us. If it did then I wouldn't have saved you both just now while risking my life like that," he said in a single go without a pause for breath, and then turning his gaze away from him he then pinned it on Renee who he hatefully asked, "Didn't you fill him about the parasitic brand?"

The accusation at her garnered her looks of disapproval and feeling wronged she said, "No one told me! I didn't know that I was the one in charge of letting them know about the ins and outs of this place!"

His hatred towards her was of course biased since Grant and Jace were equally responsible for not letting them know about the brand when they had been returning back yesterday.

"How can we trust you?" Yve asked still eyeing the blue glowing brand that dauntingly seemed to mock her.

Sighing he realized how bad this situation might have seemed to them and rubbing his face to relieve him of some stress he said, "There is nothing except to believe my words. You should know that no matter what, the system would never want to reveal their secret to anybody."

He was certainly right about that part but before Yve could try to understand anything more he turned back to look at the other Rues and glaring at them he said, "Jace, I can understand is still new and will take him some time to get used to this life but what about you, Grant? How could you make such a mistake?"

They should have been briefed about the minor things needed to gain a new Rues's trust on their way back to the base. That was the protocol.

"It's because Sasha had stopped us. She wasn't sure if these two people were going to live with us or not and therefore she had dissuaded us from revealing any personal secrets of our people. We never know if in the outside world they get caught one day and are forced to tell about everything," he said. This made sense to Mort but now that this situation had arisen what were they supposed to do?

His thoughts were interrupted by another man in the group who said, "We cannot stay here wasting time. I think it would be best to take them back to the base and let Krentis deal with them. If he wants to tell them about everything then he can or else they will have to stay in the dark."

Again curiosity flared in Aksel's mind at the mere term 'Parasitic Brand' he could imagine what it might have meant but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions yet.

"That is fine by us," he said on behalf of both Yve and him who looked slightly alarmed at his statement she had still been wondering if trusting would be the best option for them but now that he had already decided she realized that without their belongings they wouldn't be able to survive in the outside world either way.

"You heard them," Grant gruffly grunted looking at Mort and walking inside the door he didn't spare them another glance. The rest followed after them and hesitating or a bit Mort sighed and looked between the two new candidates.

"We were originally going to let you both stay outside since you won't be able to enter inside without a brand so if you two could wait here while we get the stuff I would be very grateful," he said hoping that the two of them wouldn't run away when out of his sight.

For some reason, the guy felt like a parent babysitting two kids, and huffing he shook his head.

"Don't run away. There are more dangers outside than you can imagine," he warned and Yve felt a hint of Daren in his scolding making her feel nostalgic as she said, "We won't," and nodding at her they watched him walk in and disappear inside the building soon.