Proctor

Proctor, also called Andrew Knowles Takes a Leave of Absence to Destroy Everything That Could Get in His Way in the Future, is the sixteenth volume of Attack on To'kustar. It is the third and final volume of Attack on the Knights, the fourth chapter of the series.

Plot
[The camera shows the wall surrounding the city of Teviv. It is twilight, and the sun is just about to set, leaving the sky with a reddish-orange tint; few clouds block the wonderful display of colors. A flock of birds flies southwards over the city, unaware of the dangers that lie south of the city. Within the city, the markets are buzzing with large numbers of vendors and customers, trying to buy and sell different foods and products from each other. The park in the center of the city is busy with children playing and parents talking. Away from the central hub of the city, though, it is pretty quiet, with the sounds of the market acting as white noise for Logan Fitzpatrick and Samuel Wright as they walk down a back street.]

[Logan]: You're sure he lives this way? I thought it was on the other side of town.

[Samuel]: No it's definitely this street.

[They walk in silence the rest of the way. The camera cuts to them arriving at a house. Samuel knocks on the door and then the two men wait for someone inside the house to open it. After a few moments, the door opens; Olivia Faraday stands on the other side, unsure of who the two men in front of her are.]

[Olivia]: Can I help you two?

[Logan]: We're with the police...

[Olivia]: And you want to speak with my husband?

[Logan]: Ye--

[Olivia]: He's not home, sorry.

[She starts to close the door but Logan puts his hand on the door, blocking her.]

[Logan]: You're acting kind of suspicious...

[Olivia]: He's not here, okay! He went into town with one of his friends.

[Logan]: If you've got nothing to hide then why'd you try and get rid of us so quickly?

[Olivia]: If you only wanted to speak with my husband, you'd leave when I told you he wasn't here.

[Logan, hotheaded as always]: Why don't you show us some proof that he isn't here.

[Samuel]: Logan, enough. We can trust her.

[Logan grunts and then curls his right hand into a fist.]

[Logan]: Alright.

[Olivia]: I told you he's in town. I don't know exactly where, I'm sorry. I'll tell him when he gets home to go to the police station if you two aren't able to find him yourself.

[Samuel]: Thanks. I apologize for my partner's... inconvenience.

[Olivia]: No problem.

[She closes the door, leaving Samuel relieved and Logan angry.]

[Logan]: You're too soft.

'[Samuel]: SOFT? What the hell is the matter with you. It's not like she's a Forever Knight!

[Logan]: We don't know that.

[Samuel doesn't respond immediately. Logan starts to walk away from the house and towards the market at the center of the city.]

[Samuel]: What makes you say that?

[Logan]: After what's been going on lately... trust no one.

[The camera cuts back to the market, specifically to one of the buildings surrounding the market. It is a tavern of sorts, and many people are inside the building, talking with their friends and eating food from the restaurant. The camera shows the door to a separate room in the tavern and then cuts inside, where Trevor Faraday, Nathan Loretta, and Hadria Carter are sitting at a table, talking. None of them have ordered food, and only Trevor has a drink of some sort. He takes a sip of it before placing the mug back on the table.]

[Trevor]: So how's training been going?

[Nathan]: Well today we had a little incident... and an argument with some of the others.

[Trevor]: What happened?

[Nathan]: The only thing that resulted is that there seems to be a lack of trust within our team. Moreover, some of the other officers may be looking to speak with you about an incident that happened three years ago in Ateria.

[Trevor]: The night Tuesday's parents died?

[Nathan]: Yes, that night you spoke with my squad?

[Trevor]: So much happened that night that it's hard to remember everything, but yes, I believe I spoke with them.

[Nathan]: Well whatever happens, you can't tell anyone anything that would cause them to distrust me and Tuesday even more.

[Trevor]: Of course.

[He takes another sip from the mug.]

[Hadria]: What about me? I still haven't gotten any answers.

[Nathan]: Let us finish, Hadria.

[Hadria, annoyed]: Why'd you even bring me?

[Trevor puts the mug down.]

[Trevor]: You want to know all about Espers and what they're capable of?

[Hadria]: Yeah; Nathan keeps avoiding telling me himself.

[Trevor]: I understand.

[He closes his eyes and takes another sip from the mug.]

[Nathan, worried]: Hadria, are you sure you want to know?

[Hadria]: I can handle the truth.

[Trevor puts the mug down again, before clearing his throat.]

[Trevor]: Well, you see...

[Before he can actually start telling her anything significant, there is a large explosion from the main part of the tavern. The door to the room is blown open as flames engulf the entire tavern, including the room. The three Espers inside are all knocked down by the debris of the building, as the camera cuts to show the burning building, with many parts of it already collapsed. Many people lay injured inside, as the fire continues to rage. Standing in front of what used to be the tavern is Andrew Knowles. He stands waiting for the immortals inside to emerge, preparing for a fight.]

[Theme Song]

[The camera shows the market/park area in Teviv. Many of the citizens who were walking around the area, minding their own business or talking to others are not staring at the blown up tavern. The fire lights up the sky now that the sun has set and the sky is otherwise dark. The camera shows Logan and Samuel, a ways away from the tavern, staring at the smoke as it rises into the air.]

[Logan]: You head back to the station and get some help.

[Samuel]: Right.

[The two run off in different directions, Samuel away from the fire and Logan towards the fire, as the camera cuts back to the destroyed tavern, specifically the room where Hadria, Nathan, and Trevor were. Nathan is lying on his stomach, underneath the table that was in the room, which somehow remained in tact. He pushes the table off him and rolls onto his back, before sitting up and placing his hand on his head to try and gain his focus. As he slowly starts to stand up, Andrew rushes at him from the left. He decks Nathan, causing him to be knocked back; he trips on some of the ruble and lands on his back.]

[Nathan quickly leans up to look at who knocked him. He jumps up and then spins left just in time to avoid a downwards punch from Andrew. The Knight spins his leg counterclockwise to hit Nathan, but the latter ducks and then sweeps his own leg to take out Andrew. He jumps to avoid and then Nathan jumps back to give himself some distance. He breathes heavily as Andrew stands, watching him.]

[Andrew]: Hello.

[Nathan]: You're insane.

[Andrew]: That's not very nice.

[Logan, off screen]: NATHAN!

[Nathan hears the voice, but doesn't want to take his eyes off of Andrew.]

[Nathan]: In the middle of something...

[The camera shows Logan running towards the tavern.]

[Logan]: I'll get the civilians, you deal with him.

[The camera pans back to Nathan and Andrew standing across from each other.]

[Nathan]: Got it.

[He grunts.]

[Nathan, thinking to himself]: Great, now I can't use my powers.

[Andrew]: Not fair. I wanted you alone.

[Nathan]: Maybe you shouldn't have attacked me when I was with others.

[Andrew]: You didn't have Skywings; I had to make a trade off.

[He grins.]

[Andrew]: I hope it pays off.

[Andrew charges at Nathan as he draws a sword. He slashes at Nathan, but the latter ducks. He jumps to avoid a slash and then gets hit back as Andrew kicks him. Nathan stumbles backwards as Andrew runs at him, but Trevor jumps out from behind Andrew and kicks Andrew in the back, making him drop to a knee. Nathan and Trevor stand on either side of Andrew as he draws a second sword, pointing each at one of the Espers.]

[Nathan]: No powers, Trevor.

[Trevor]: Too many civilians, right.

[Andrew]: I have you two right where I want you.

[Nathan and Trevor look at Andrew confused, but they quickly turn to their lefts as Vance Grace runs at them. Nathan rolls to the side to avoid a downward slash from Vance. He backflips up off the ground and then turns to avoid a stab from Vance. He punches at Vance's face, but then returns to defensive tactics to avoid slash after slash from Vance. Meanwhile, Andrew goes after Trevor. He slashes with his left sword, but Trevor ducks. He lunges at Andrew, but the proctor kicks him in the shoulder to knock him to the ground. As the fight continues, the camera cuts to Logan rescuing the people trapped in the destroyed tavern. He helps an older man get away from the building and then turns back and jogs slowly back towards the tavern. He watches the fight in the distance and then continues looking around for victims. He turns around in circles for a few moments before his eyes gloss over Hadria. He continues to spin and then he snaps back and clearly notices her trapped underneath the ruble.]

[Logan]: HADRIA!

[He runs off towards her as the camera cuts to the police station. Most of the young trainees are sitting in a miscellaneous room of the station that has been being used as the dining hall for the trainees. At one table, Sven Schmidt, Arik Iverson, Michael James, and Teru Hikami sit and eat. Next to them, Noelle Williams, Lily Scott, and Wendy Smith do the same. The four children from Teviv, Nico Valencia, Pryor Hade, Rachel Stone, and Sophia Faraday sit at their own table. Lawrence Carter and Ryan Thames, the two police chiefs, sit alone at a fourth table, but the other adults are not present. The group continues to eat in relative silence, with only a few people talking quietly, as Samuel runs into the room.]

[Samuel]: Lawrence, we've got an emergency. There's a large fire burning near the central market, looks like it was at some sort of tavern; it might have been caused by an explosion of sorts.

[Lawrence]: Nathan said something about going to a tavern... Hadria seems to have followed him too.

[He stands up and starts to walk out of the room.]

[Lawrence]: Ryan, alert Tobias and Squad 1, then head to the market with them. Sam and I will head their in advance.

[As he walks out of the room, he turns to the trainees.]

[Lawrence]: All of you... stay put.

[Ryan walks past Lawrence and Samuel to alert the military members staying at the station. Lawrence and Samuel stand in the room for an extra moment, as if to silently tell the trainees they are not to leave the room. After that moment, they exit the room to head to the burning tavern. The trainees continue to sit in the room. Arik turns to Sven, thinking he probably want to follow.]

[Arik]: You're going to follow them, right?

[Sven]: We haven't really gotten any real action for the last week...

[Michael]: You can't just run around the city as a To'kustar... you'll terrorize the people.

[Teru]: Yeah, and what if you're not able to control yourself and you go on a rampage and destroy the city.

[Michael]: Don't joke around, Teru.

[Noelle, interjecting]: He's right. What if Sven isn't able to control the To'kustar power?

[Sven]: I never said I was going to go To'kustar... I don't think it's necessary for this, nor do I want to if I don't have to.

[Arik]: I'm not exactly sure this is just a fire... Lawrence seemed to be worried, sending a military squad and whatnot.

[Lily]: He's probably just preparing for the worst; you can never be too safe.

[Teru]: So are we going or not?

[Pryor, not looking at the Aterian kids]: Go if you want to get in trouble.

[The Aterians turn to the Tevivites. They two groups seem to not talk to each other much.]

[Michael]: What's that supposed to mean.

[Pryor]: I'm just saying that Lawrence told us to stay here, so we probably should.

[Michael]: Since when has following the rules been a priority?

[Nico]: If you ask me, we should go. If we're able to prove ourselves, maybe they'll give us some recognition.

[The kids sit around quietly for a moment, liking the sound of what Nico just said. The camera cuts back to the tavern, where the fight between the two Espers and the two Knights continues. Nathan have Trevor have switched opponents, with Nathan now locked in combat with Andrew. He ducks to avoid one slash from Andrew, and then grabs onto the other sword handle to block the next slash. Andrew moves his hand to the side as Nathan lets go to avoid being thrown to the ground. Andrew quickly kicks at Nathan, knocking him back as the former slowly walks towards him.]

[Andrew]: It's time for people to talk the Forever Knights seriously. We are a force to be reckoned with.

[Nathan]: You can't claim that when the only thing you've been successful at is failure. Maybe you should try to fail at failing? You'd get much further that way.

[Andrew]: Insolent.

[Nathan]: You're just wasting your time trying to kill two Espers.

[Andrew]: Oh, I'm fighting Espers? I wouldn't have known, as neither of them have shown any display of their powers... When the time is right, I guess.

[Nathan]: You disgust me...

[As they continue to banter, the camera shows Logan, now having freed the still unconscious Hadria. She lies on the ground, with no visible injuries. Logan stands up and turns to his right. He sees Vance and Trevor locked in combat, with Nathan and Andrew facing each other behind them. He turns to his left as Tobias Clay and Penny Blair fly towards the fight on their Skywings. Penny flies past Trevor and Vance, draws her sword, and slashes down at Andrew, who jumps back to avoid. Penny retracts the wings of the apparatus on her back as she draws a second sword and turns to Andrew, now with an armed opponent.]

[Andrew]: I wasn't aware the Knight of Percival was in town.

[Penny]: The Knights only have themselves to blame.

[She charges at Andrew as the two slash their swords against each other. Near them, Vance and Tobias are now locked in sword combat. Nathan and Trevor try to regroup as the camera pans over to Lawrence, Ryan, and Samuel running up to Logan and the unconscious Hadria.]

[Logan]: She's unconscious but alive.

[Lawrence observes the fights taking place near the still burning tavern. He sees Tobias slash at Vance, who ducks and then swings both his swords back at Tobias, making the Explorer Division captain slash back with his other sword. Behind them, Penny and Andrew interchange sword slashes, making no real progress.]

[Lawrence]: Just the two Knights?

[Logan]: I believe so.

[Lawrence]: Then there's no much we can do. It looks like Tobias and Penny have got this under control.

[He looks through the fight and sees Nathan talking to Trevor, not exactly sure of who Trevor is.]

[Lawrence]: Who's Nathan talking to?

[Ryan steps forward to get a better look.]

[Ryan]: That's Trevor Faraday, Sophia's father.

[Logan and Samuel widen their eyes, then look at each other suspiciously, but in silence.]

[Lawrence]: I see.

[Suddenly, the sound of running footsteps can be heard. The four adults watching the fight quickly turn around as the trainees come running towards the tavern.]

[Lawrence, angry]: I thought I told you to stay put.

[Arik]: Blame Sven, it was his idea.

[Sven]: What? No, it was Nico.

[Nico, annoyed]: Oh, so now this is a Ateria vs. Teviv thing?

[Sven]: I never said that. You were the one who said they wanted recognition.

[Lawrence, angry]: Enough you two. I'm sick of you disobeying direct orders.

[Michael, stepping forward]: Nico's right. We deserve some recognition.

[Teru]: If you're sick of us disobeying orders, why not just give us different orders?

[Lawrence, angry]: We don't have time for this discussion right now.

[As Lawrence continues to argue with the trainees, the camera cuts to the fight between Penny and Andrew. The latter glances to the side and sees all of the adults and trainees standing near the building.]

[Andrew]: All according to plan.

[He slashes both of his swords diagonally at Penny, making her block with both of her swords. He slowly starts to spin the two of them around as their swords remained pushed against each other. After about a half way spin, Andrew draws his swords back, as does Penny.]

[Penny]: This is pointless. You're not making any progress.

[Andrew]: Actually, you're not. I'm right where I want to be.

[He quickly turns around, carefully aims his sword, and then stabs it right through Nathan's back. Trevor, standing in front of Nathan, takes a step back.]

[Andrew, whispering to Nathan]: Try not using your powers now.

Military training typically only takes 2 years, with the exception of the Explorer Division, which requires 4 years of training. The extra two years of training for the Explorer Division include an 18-month period in which trainees are sent in groups of 6 to live in the wilderness, in order to prepare for journeys outside the walls.

[The camera shows the burning tavern. Andrew starts to back away from Nathan as he leaves the sword in his's chest. Penny and Tobias stand in shock, even though Penny knows Nathan cannot actually die. Vance kicks Tobias to the ground as he is distracted.]

[Andrew]: Let's go.

[Vance and Andrew activate their Skywings and fly off as the trainees and adults now notice the sword through Nathan's chest as well. Penny prepares to fly after Andrew and Vance, but Tobias places a hand on her shoulder, letting her know not to. Lawrence runs towards Nathan, as the rest of his team follows behind. Nathan turns to Lawrence, knowing he has to use his powers to heal, but also knowing that doing so would cause the team to trust him even less.]

[Lawrence]: NATHAN!

[Penny and Tobias run over to him as well. The former pulls the sword out of Nathan's back and tosses it to the ground. Nathan remains standing; he then looks at Penny angrily, knowing that now the sword is out, his wound will start to heal itself automatically. Penny looks at him confused, but then realizes her mistake.]

[Lawrence]: Don't worry, Nathan, we'll figure something out.

[The trainees stop just behind Lawrence, as do Ryan, Logan, and Samuel.]

[Nathan, sad]: It's not you who has to figure something out...

[The wound can be visibly seen starting to heal.]

[Nathan]: ...It's me.

[The team watches in shock as Nathan's otherwise mortal wound heals. Logan balls both of his hands into a fist.]

[Logan]: I knew something funny was going on here.

[Lawrence]: Explain, now.

[Before Nathan starts to explain, he looks at Trevor, then at Penny, and then at Hadria, who is just starting to regain consciousness. She stands up and looks at Nathan, then notices that everyone is staring at him.]

[Hadria]: Nathan?

[Nathan]: Sorry, everyone.

[He starts to back away slowly, then he speeds up and eventually turns around and runs off without another word. The team stands in silence as Penny starts to run after him. This time, Tobias cannot stop her quickly enough, as she flies off on her Skywings. Trevor slowly starts to follow as well; Samuel and Logan look at each other, but decide not to follow Trevor. The trainees simply stand back, happy that Hadria is alive, but confused as to how Nathan is, too.]

[The camera cuts back to the station. Tuesday Smith lies in her bed in the medical wing. Wendy Smith stands over her, having not followed the rest of the trainees to the tavern. She stands watching over her sister, waiting in agony for her to wake up from her injuries suffered in her previous encounter with the Knights. After a few moments, Tuesday reaches out and grabs Wendy's hand as she opens her eyes.]

[Tuesday]: I'm glad you're here.

[Wendy]: Thank goodness you're safe.

[Tuesday]: Listen, I don't want you worrying about me. It's not good for you, or me, really.

[Wendy]: Just stay out of danger, okay?

[Tuesday nods her head.]

[Tuesday]: I'm done with the Knights. For good this time.

[Wendy smiles at her sister. The camera cuts to the Forever Knights base in town. Pietro Czeswin sits in the main area of the base, with a bunch of empty tables. He sits on the counter as Vance and Andrew walk into the room.]

[Pietro]: You two look happy.

[Vance]: Mission accomplished.

[Pietro, grinning]: Excellent.

[He jumps off the counter and starts to walk out of the room.]

[Pietro]: One of you, follow me.

[Vance and Andrew look at each other, then Vance starts to follow Pietro. They walk out of the area with the chairs as the camera cuts to them arriving at the bottom of a staircase, in the lab of the base.]

[Vance]: Have you got something important to show me?

[Pietro]: It may be the most important thing in this entire base, no, the most important thing in this entire city.

[Vance]: More important than your device?

[Pietro]: Oh yes.

[He walks over to one of the counters of the lab and picks up the small metal cube. He opens it up and takes out the glowing blue crystal, showing it to Vance.]

[Pietro]: This is an artifact of unknown mystic energy, certainly valuable to the Espers... It's something I'd love to hold onto, but the truth is I can't do anything with it. I know someone who would love to have it, and as hostage trade offs have proven ineffective, we're going to trade this.

[Vance]: For the girl?

[Pietro]: For anyone we can get our hands on. The girl, or the soldier, or the electric one, anyone really. I'm sure they'll be willing to give up quite a lot for...

[He fades out at a rumbling can be heard from above, where Andrew was. After a moment, the door at the top of the stairs to the lab is thrown open, as Andrew goes tumbling down the stairs. Penny jumps down the stairs and points two swords at the three Knights in the room. Pietro holds the crystal behind his back to hide it.]

[Vance, drawing a sword]: Confused as to your friend's survival?

[Penny]: Not really, no.

[Vance]: Oh really?

[Penny]: As the Knight of Percival it's my duty to know a lot.

[Pietro]: What do you really mean by that?

[Penny]: I mean I know all about the Espers...

[Pietro]: Then tell me. I promise we'll become best friends if you do.

[Penny]: I didn't come here to fraternize.

[Andrew, standing up]: The military has far overstayed its welcome here.

[He jumps at Penny as the two slash swords. Suddenly, she jumps back.]

[Penny]: I'd recommend not doing that, you're only wasting the little time you have to escape.

[Andrew looks at her with a confused look on her face. The camera cuts to the upstairs area of the base, where Penny has lined the walls with explosives. Suddenly, they go off, blowing up the base and treating the city its second explosion of the night. The camera shows the building from above; it collapses in on itself as Penny floats away from it on her Skywings. She lands on the ground several hundred feet away from the building as her wings retract. She watches the building burn to the ground as Trevor arrives beside her. He places his left hand on her right shoulder as he too watches the burning building.]

[Trevor]: It looks as if total war may be our only option.

[Penny]: As long as its known that the Knights struck first, Mikhail can't be mad.

[Trevor]: Agreed. Damage control will be... difficult to say the least.

[Penny]: Did you see where Nathan ran off to?

[Trevor]: I followed you, actually, but I have a good idea of where he might've gone.

[They turn around and let the former Knights base continue to burn. The camera shows Vance, Andrew, and Pietro, leaning against the side of the building next to the Knights base. Andrew slams his fist against the wall.]

[Andrew, angry]: The military cannot simply send in the Knight of Percival to do their dirty work, or, they can't expect us to simply stand back and not respond when they do. It's disgraceful, and so they will pay.

[Vance]: How do you expect us to do that when we no longer have a base?

[Andrew, turning to Vance]: I'm heading to Plutonon.

[Vance]: You're going their yourself? To destroy the military.

[Andrew]: Yes. It's always been our goal to destroy the police, but tonight, that changes. The military falls, too.

[Pietro, interjecting]: I don't think you two understand. This was not the work of the military. Sure, the girl who came was the Knight of Percival, but it's part of a larger problem.

[Vance]: You think she was an Esper?

[Pietro]: Yes, and that means the Espers may be more organized than I originally thought.

[Andrew looks at him, knowing that the Forever Knights once had a member who was an Esper, Daniel Fermi. He starts to open his mouth as if to say something, but he doesn't. Pietro holds the crystal in his hands.]

[Pietro]: That means this is all the more important to use wisely.

[The three Knights watch as the rest of their former base collapses in front of them.]

[Andrew]: Vance, you're in charge until I return.

[Vance]: Me?

[Andrew]: Questioning orders is unusual for you. What if your father was here?

[Vance]: Right, I'll be in charge until you return.

[Andrew]: Or at least until Max returns; if, he returns, that is.

[Andrew walks off, planning to head to Plutonon to destroy the military at its source. He disappears around the corner as Vance turns to Pietro.]

[Pietro]: Don't even try to order me around.

[Vance]: No, I have a question. Do you remember a member of the Knights by the name of Daniel Fermi?

[Pietro]: Vaguely.

[Vance]: He left the organization a little less than three years ago, shortly after you joined. I wasn't sure how much you remembered him.

[Pietro]: And your point is?

[Vance]: Fermi was an Esper.

[Pietro, widening his eyes]: This changes things.

[Vance]: I suggest you locate him, instead of trying to capture an Esper on the other side.

[Pietro holds the crystal firmly in his hands.]

[Pietro]: Finding him won't be too difficult actually...

[He chuckles.]

[Pietro]: I'll just ask pops.

[Vance grins, knowing that Pietro is referring to his father. The camera cuts to the street where the Faraday's house is. Olivia walks alone, towards her house, as she notices Trevor walking with Penny towards the house from the other direction. She stops in front of the house and waits for her husband and friend to arrive at the house, too.]

[Olivia]: You brought home a friend?

[Trevor]: I think I may have brought home multiple.

[He walks up the short staircase to the door, unlocks it, and opens it. He turns on the light as he walks into the back of the house. He looks around and then heads down the staircase. Penny and Olivia follow him, the former of which only somewhat sure of what he means, and the latter extremely confused. The camera cuts to Trevor in the basement of the house, he turns on the lights, revealing a finished basement with several chairs and couches. At the back of the room, Nathan sits in a chair, staring back at Trevor.]

[Trevor]: Nathan.

[Nathan]: I'm just going to lay low for awhile, okay?

[Trevor]: I think you should be explaining yourself to Lawrence and the others.

[Nathan, angry]: Don't tell me what to do.

[Trevor walks towards Nathan as Penny and Olivia arrive at the bottom of the stairs.]

[Trevor]: You need to protect Hadria from the Knights. They've shown before that they're starting to catch onto us.

[Nathan]: None of this wouldn't have happened if Mikhail wasn't so obsessed with having every Esper join the Order.

[Penny, stepping forward]: He's justified.

[Nathan, angry]: Why!? He never told me.

[Penny]: Espers are stronger together.

[Nathan and Penny stand face to face.]

[Nathan]: You should be the one protecting her, what with your cloaking abilities and all.

[Trevor]: Enough, Nathan.

[Nathan sits down.]

[Nathan]: I'm staying here; don't try to convince me otherwise.

[Trevor sighs and then turns around. He walks back up stairs with his wife, leaving Penny and Nathan in the basement.]

[Penny]: And if the team is in trouble?

[Nathan]: I want no part of it. I never should've stuck around after escorting the team here.

[Penny]: I know it's difficult; they don't trust you, but hiding is only going to make it harder for them to ever trust you.

[Nathan widens his eyes, then his anger overtakes him again. He stands up and lunges at Penny, but she catches him and pushes him to the ground.]

[Penny]: What is wrong with you? Maybe you aren't the right person to explain everything to Hadria.

[Nathan, feeling bad]: It's my fault for being a coward. I should've just explained everything to her the first chance I had, and then I wouldn't have been at the tavern. If I hadn't been running from the possibility of distrust, I'd probably have earned the team's trust by now.

[Penny]: And so in the morning, you'll go back to explain to them, right?

[Nathan]: Wrong.

[He sits back down in the chair.]

[Nathan]: As far as the team is concerned, Nathan Loretta is dead.

[The End]