Tragedy of the Commons

[Shiola]

((Henry Sparks continued from Entanglement))

Travelling to the yacht had become untenable, so long as the risk remained of running into Wyatt or whoever else had been trading bullets back there. The oncoming storm seemed to put a stopper in his plans there otherwise, regardless. So Henry had taken shelter in one of the houses, where he'd managed to improvise a secure place to sleep. While there had still been light out, he occupied his time in reading the proof markings on his gun, or in trying to identify various plants or animals he’d seen. Wondering if he’d seen anything that might’ve clued him in to where they actually were.

When it got too dark, all he had to focus on were his thoughts. Plans, contingencies. What he’d say to a camera if things seemed completely hopeless. Thought for a while on what he’d told Camilla. Thought about the value in always trying to be truthful with people. The truth he’d told seemed to just sap any flicker of hope from her and her companions.

"...Now what?"

He cried himself to sleep that night.

In the morning he’d felt some improvement. Better might’ve been an overstatement. He could function well enough to listen closely to the announcements, and break down in tears again. Fifteen dead. Eight who had killed for the first time. Three who had done so before. One who Henry had made sure to tell others wasn’t a murderer. It was heartbreaking to hear, which he supposed was the intent. Demoralize some, and motivate others to violence.

Invariably it would work. Everyone was going to lose friends. Everyone would end up feeling betrayed in one way or another. He knew he did.

It took a little while, but he managed to pull himself back to his feet. It helped to remind himself who the prime movers were, here. The Arthro Taskforce. Terrorists, for there was nothing better to call them. Any other desires would have to take a backseat to opposing them in whatever way he could manage.

Especially the petty ones.

The broken houses of the eastern village turned out to be poor shelter from the rainstorm, and Henry quickly left in the early hours of the morning. He had no intention of being caught somewhere low-lying if the downpour got any worse. Flooding could make escape from the village difficult, and the area was already primed to become a quagmire of violence given the easily available and limited options for shelter. He'd sooner face the challenge of building some kind of rudimentary shelter like Camilla's group had done; it seemed marginally preferable, at least, to potentially having to quell conflict over who got to have a roof over their heads.

Besides, some of the stranger places on the island might've left a clue as to where it actually was. The Shoe Tree and Art Exhibition seemed like reasonable places to start. The Overlook could also provide a good lay of the land, at least visually. The map was, perhaps intentionally, lacking in a number of key details that would've made his travels much easier. Beyond that, the so-called "Inner Circle" might provide additional insights if he could find a safe way there that didn't get entirely rained out.

It wasn’t a short trek north, but thankfully, Henry had packed a raincoat on the trip. High-end military surplus, it had kept him dry on many a rainy day, and folded into a knapsack pretty easily. Between that and his boots, he’d managed to keep as dry as it was possible to be in such a place. Nevertheless, he was eager to find somewhere to switch into a pair of fresh socks.

"Huh. They weren't kidding. Almost looks like they're growing out of it." Henry said, to no one in particular.

He stepped into the relative shelter provided by the tree, pausing for a moment to examine a pair of faded pastel-blue sneakers.

[Cactus]

The rain hadn't made travelling easier, and by the time the shoe tree had gotten into view, they were all soaked. The muggy conditions obviously made shelter come at a premium, and when all three of them had agreed that it was time to find somewhere to hunker down for at least a few minutes, the big shoe tree seemed natural, if they were in the spot they assumed themselves to be.

Once here, it looked great. There was only minor problem for Aurelien, Jackson, and Ariana, and said problem was holding a really major-looking gun. But the individual standing at the tree of shoes wasn't Blaise, so instead of bullets, he'd receive words.

((Ariana Moretti continued from The Sky is a Neighbourhood))

The trio hadn't done a whole lot in the way of talking as they'd moved about the island. Aurelien was still reeling from the death of his boyfriend, and while they'd managed to talk him off the ledge at the beach, he was still obviously quite shaken. She'd exchanged idle chatter with Jackson, whom she mainly knew through Ross, but even then, the words still felt meaningless. It was evident that all of them were trying to forget the idea that she'd posited at the beach, the pure submergence into vigilantism which truly went against everything that she'd stood for.

So much for law enforcement, now.

Yet it felt right. Blaise had taken someone wonderful out of the world, and in doing so had hurt an innumerable number of people. The announcements were like verbal gunfire, inflicting pain upon the class in ways that they couldn't even fathom until the words found their target. Knowing that so many of her classmates had perished already was painful for Ariana. Not that she'd felt herself particularly close to many of them, but over four years — more in some cases — there were always small memories that she was reminded of when she heard a name. Victims and killers alike, these were her friends, the people that she'd spent more time with than her family over the last four years. Their descent into homicidal mayhem or the dark clutches of death hurt, no matter whose name was being spoken aloud.

Hunting Blaise in Dante's name — in Aurelien's, too — was an excuse, a way to be proactive. Dante likely would have hated that they were doing it, but it gave them a mission, a goal. A way to try and forget about the fact that they'd all likely be dead in a week's time.

As the figure in front of the tree came into view, Ariana recognized him, though his name didn't immediately spring to mind. Keeping her pistol at her side for the time being, she glanced back at her companions, the tree still about fifty meters away.

"It's, uh, that rocket kid. Who blasted the rocket off in the park, remember? Ro— space boy? Hank? Henry. Henry! It's Henry."

Another friend of her boyfriend's, though not one she'd ever met. Ross had known many of the class on a better level than she did; her own social struggles over the years hadn't afforded her the level of closeness that he'd have had. Had he been here, he'd — Ariana pushed the thought from her mind. He wasn't here. Thank God, he wasn't.

As the trio closed the distance, she decided to announce their arrival. His weapon looked enormous, but also like sort of a shotgun, so if Henry was far gone like some of their classmates, he likely wouldn't be able to hit them from here.

She hoped.

"Hey, Henry! Mind some company?"

Her voice boomed, clearly audible over the rain.

[Tonyksin]

[Jackson Sullivan Continued From The Sky Is A Neighbourhood]


The group of three trudged ever onward after they left the bay the day before. As the night came and then the next morning after, Jackson felt himself becoming more and more uncomfortable with his decision to follow Ariana and Aurelien. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t grateful for the company, but the reason they were traveling alongside one another was weighing heavy on his mind. Aurelien had been relatively silent as they moved, and Jackson could hardly blame him. It almost felt wrong to talk among themselves as if this was all normal. As if what they were doing was okay. Ariana kept some small talk going, and Jackson replied in turn, but it felt wrong spilling from his lips.

He wondered what people watching were thinking. He wondered how his parents would feel about him participating in… this. He couldn’t even say the words. They simply caught in his throat and his mind would reel if he even thought about it for too long. He was sure the others were having similar crises. What they were planning on doing was awful and wrong. At least it would be in the normal world. In this nightmare, he wasn’t sure what the right decision was. If they left Blaise alone, and they ended up killing even more of their friends and loved ones, would he be okay with that? Would it be partially their fault for not tracking them down and ending their warpath?

Dante didn’t deserve to die by Blaise’s hand. But did Blaise deserve to die by theirs?

Jackson didn’t know the answer.

Soon, the trio arrived at their desired location. They’d decided to seek shelter from the rain for a while. Not that it mattered much at this point, as all three were thoroughly soaked from head to toe. Ariana was in the lead, with Jackson close behind and Aurelien bringing up the rear. The shoe tree was before them, its mass of spiraling branches and shoes of all shapes, sizes and colors decorating its bark was a sight to behold. If they were here in any other situation, Jackson would have marveled at its immensity and majesty for hours. But under the circumstances, it simply made him cower under its might. This island once had people here who were able to create such a feat. Where had they gone?

The legacy of the people who once inhabited this place now transformed into a bloody arena.

Ariana spoke up, and Jackson spotted the lone figure at the tree. Henry Sparks, aka Spaceboy. Jackson knew of him, but he didn’t know him well. Ariana seemed willing to approach him peacefully. That, at least, was something agreeable. He wasn’t ready for any more violence. Not just yet. Ariana called out to him as they approached, and Jackson hoped with all his heart the boy wouldn’t turn around and shoot all of them dead in response.

“We come in peace, promise.” He added to Ariana’s greeting, making a small smile spread across his face as well.

[Pippi]

((Aurelien Valter continued from The Sky is a Neighbourhood))

The walk from the beach helped. Not a huge amount, just a little. But a little was better than before.

He didn’t speak much as he trudged just behind the other two, constantly readjusting his grip on the mace as the handle grew slick from the rain, taking an extra half-second to judge each step on sodden, uneven ground. Anything Jackson and Ariana asked him, he responded to with short, one or two word answers, but they never seemed bothered by his terseness, and would always go right back to their own conversation afterwards.

He appreciated it, that they didn’t make any attempts to rope him into their discussions, or try and ‘perk him out of a slump,’ or something like that. They were smart enough to know that this wasn’t a despair he could be pulled out of easily, it was something that would need time, more than anything else.

Besides, he wasn’t wallowing in his sorrow right now. The most he was beating himself up about was the fact that he’d pushed away a perfectly good alliance with Ned because his adrenaline and confusion and fear had convinced him to do so. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. A lot of things did.

But instead of moping, or letting his rage or hopelessness consume him from the inside out, he let the rain soak into him, and thought of Dante, of all the moments they’d shared together. It hurt his heart to do so, especially when he thought of his smile, but he withstood the pain. He didn’t want to even chance the possibility of forgetting him.

Their arrival upon the Shoe Tree was enough to shift his focus. It was such a bizarre presence upon the landscape, the ‘whys’ and ‘whos’ lost to the current inhabitants of the island, and just left for them to find, sandals and trainers and boots and sneakers stuck to the trunk and hanging from the branches. It was equal parts charming and creepy and wholly unexpected.

A nice change of pace from everything around it, really.

There was someone standing underneath the boughs of the tree, someone holding what looked like an absolutely colossal shotgun. Someone who, if Aurelien had run into him alone, might have been given reason or fear enough to fire it. Another reason why partnering up with Ariana and Jackson was already paying dividends. There was only one Henry that Aurelien could think of from their year, even before Ariana reminded him that he was a space case. He was a similar deal to Ned; unlikely to have any desires to hurt a fly, even with the devastating looking weapon in his hands.

Aurelien didn’t say anything to the other boy, but simply nodded, lowering the mace and letting the head swing down to rest in the mud, grateful to rest his arms for a while.

[Shiola]

Henry looked behind him to see three others approaching, and took a moment to collect himself. As much as he didn't want to have to assume the worst, the announcements had given him more than enough reason to be cautious. It was hard to imagine those who took the side of the terrorists acting in groups, but hearing about Max's actions had inured him to that idea.

Hand resting idly on the hammer of the punt gun, he slowly turned to face the group. It took him a few moments to recognize them all. Ariana was the easiest to pick out. Ross' girlfriend, and a pretty intense girl from what he'd heard. Didn't shy away from offering her opinion, which was an endearing enough quality to Henry. He wished they'd met under better circumstances. Jackson also had a reputation as something of a firebrand, though Henry couldn't say he'd ever personally experienced it. At the very least they both seemed to be keeping it together.

The third? Henry couldn't be sure, but he suspected it was someone named Aurelien. It was a unique enough name that it was hard to forget. Aurelien seemed a bit less present than the other two, for reasons Henry could only begin to guess. They were all losing people, and seeing things they never should've had to see. No doubt something had hit him harder than the other two.

With great care, Henry lowered the hammer on the punt gun and waved them over. Ariana had a gun, and if she'd meant to use it she would have done so already.

"Sure thing, come on over. I was just trying to find somewhere..."

Elevated? Dry? Safe?

"...relatively dry and safe. No luck so far."

[Cactus]

"Mmm," Ariana acknowledged the futility of Henry's plight with a nod, taking charge and closing the distance between her motley crew and the well-armed but genial boy. Aurelien really hadn't said much since they'd left the beach, and leaving him or Jackson to hold their own in a conversation with someone that she doubted either of them had much to do with back home didn't seem like a smart call. At the very least, they had the mutual connection, and perhaps that allowed for a degree of trust. A degree of safety; for now. She kept her own pistol at her side. There was no reason to escalate anything.

Getting closer, it seemed like Henry was no less the worse for wear. Somewhat fortunately unlike the rest of them, he was clad in a raincoat. He could very well have been caught in the rain on a camping trip, were it not for the enormous shotgun that he held in his hands. It never stopped being a strange and foreign thing to her; seeing people her age holding weaponry. She supposed they were probably an intimidating bunch as it was, her with a pistol and Aurelien with that enormous axe.

"I don't think you'll find much in the way of shelter out here." She paused, mustering a smile for him. "But it's probably safer than any of the buildings."

Glancing back at the other two, Ariana's shoulders fell a little. Henry had probably been through the ringer, much as they had.

"How — have you been okay?"

There was a lot unsaid, but she supposed that the other two could fill in any blanks for her. Henry probably understood, anyway.

[Tonyksin]

“Unfortunately this looks like it’s as good a shelter as we’re gonna get.”

Jackson was glad that Henry turned out to be a friendly face. You never quite knew anymore. Hell, he was still surprised that in the end Aurelien hadn't made mincemeat of his face with that mace of his back at the bay. Somehow, Jackson was still alive, and he even had people by his side who he could fight alongside. Even if that fight was ultimately futile and not his to fight. The announcements this morning had hit him hard. Mikki and Bree… they were both dead now. He let them go, and they were dead.

If he’d followed them, could he have saved them?

Or would he just be dead too?

He wasn’t sure, but knowing that he might have been able to do something was a burden he now had to carry. At the very least, being with other people helped to get his mind off of it for the most part, but every time a bit of quiet rolled in, his mind turned back to those whose lives he’d failed to protect.

Then again, how in the hell was he going to protect anyone without a weapon. He was a useless addition to his group, and worthless as a man because he let two girls run off to their deaths when he was beside them. He looked up at Henry and Ariana. He looked back at Aurelien. At least these people. At least this time. He had to try and protect them. It was the only way he’d ever feel any better about those who were already lost.

“Are you alone? You should stick with us. ‘S Safer.”

[Pippi]

Yeah, Henry wasn’t a threat. Aurelien couldn’t remember the boy being an actor in any way back at school, so unless he was currently flexing his thespian chops after hiding them away for years, he was currently displaying exactly why they didn’t have to worry about him. He was being open and friendly, if understandably cautious.

And if this fact, this guarantee that Henry wasn’t going to hurt them did, somehow, turn out to be a false promise, then at least his weapon was bulky and obvious enough that Aurelien could run over and stop him before he did anything.

He nodded at Henry again as he walked closer to the base of the tree, and tried not to think about the worst case scenario. He was prepared for it; you had to be prepared for the worst out here, as far as he saw it, but he didn’t want to know what sort of person he’d be on the other side of it. He’d stopped trying to go it solo, realised that sticking with people would help him more than it’d harm him. So what would it do to him, for the first person he met after that realisation to betray him?

Aurelien hated things being outside of his control, but this was one situation where all he could do was hope for the best and wait.

He leaned the mace against the trunk of the tree as the others spoke, the noise washing past him like the rain, the two sounds merging together into white noise. He didn’t have anything to say here, really, nor did he need to. Henry was friendly but he wasn’t a friend. The other two had already supplied the pleasantries and asked the standard questions.

He wanted to say something, though, if only to make sure his voice still worked, and that he wasn’t just the silent, creepy dude with the giant fuck-off mace.

“I think… finding somewhere safe is a tall order at this point,” Aurelien said, voice low. He reached out, slowly turning one of the dangling shoes with his hand.

“If you’re looking for, uh, a place in the hopes it’s safe, no doubt other people have that same idea, and no doubt some of those people don’t have your best intentions in mind. Better, I think, to find someone or, uh, someones, that are safe instead.”

He turned to look at Henry, smiling sadly at the smaller boy.

“From what I know, you’re good people, so… I can be one of those safe someones. You can trust me on that.”

[Shiola]

A sad smile spread across Henry's face as he listened to their kind words. They didn't really know him but wanted to know if he was okay, and tried to make the case that they could be trusted. At least they were trying, though after hearing the announcements and reckoning with the nature of their situation, Henry wasn't sure he could even trust himself to make the right decisions. Not when the options were so limited and the stakes so high.

But wallowing in paranoia and hopelessness wouldn't solve any of the problems in front of them. Henry tried his best to gather what he could from his increasingly dwindling reserves of optimism and offered a response, first to Ariana.

"As okay as a person could be in all of this. That is to say, I think I'm holding it together. I've had the misfortune of encountering a few people who've... well, for lack of a better word, snapped."

Henry looked down, tracing a line with his boot in the dirt. He took a moment to think on Jackson and Aurelien's forthcoming nature. Much as he wasn't the most socially adept person, he trusted his instincts well enough to not suspect any kind of duplicity from them. That wasn't the problem.

"And... thank you guys. I've been alone for a while now, it seemed safer. No offense, but..."

Frowning, he looked down and pinched the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes in a vain attempt to will the sleep deprivation away. He sighed, frustration evident in his voice. After a moment, he looked up at the other three.

"Look, I want to help. I'd love to join up with you guys and find some way of... dealing with all of this. It's just that I've spent the last two days trying to find a solution to this problem, trying to think of some way to fight back against the people who put us here. Any angle I can find, even something small like figuring out where the island is, just so I know how much I'd be wasting my time to hope for a rescue. Thing is, every time I think I've got something I just come back to this - "

Henry tapped the collar around his neck with an alarming indifference to all of the explosives that were inside.

" - and I think back to the first group of people I was with on the first day. The moment something went seriously wrong, the group fractured. People fractured. Most of them were decent, I think. But this place was designed to make us kill each other, by people who know how to do it; keeping death on our minds by hanging it around our necks. It's hard to stay optimistic, hard to focus on a meaningful goal, even if it's just something small and significant."

Anything that makes them think they didn't do as good a job at manufacturing terror as they could have.

"So if you're asking me to tag along with you guys - if I'm not presuming too much - then all I'll say is yeah, sure, but only if there's a goal. Only if there's something to bind us together aside from these fucking collars."

[Cactus]

"Blaise d'Aramitz murdered Dante. So we're, ahh," Ariana blurted the words out before her brain could stop her. Henry wanted a cause to associate with aside from the collars? Well, here was a fucking cause.

"We're looking for her."

Looking straight at Henry as she spoke, she was aware of the guilt that washed across her face. If this was their goal, if this was really what they wanted to do — even if it was just a way to band together and look out for each other until the awful that permeated the whole thing came for them, then she needed to be able to say it out loud.

They had to come face-to-face with the understanding that what they had verbally agreed to was immoral and reprehensible in almost any situation conceivable. Vengeance was a bad look for anyone on a normal day, but as Ariana had kept reminding herself — this wasn't a normal day.

"I know how that sounds, and I know what you probably think. People have snapped. We haven't, but..."

She let that sit in the air for a moment, but continued.

"We'd love to have you, Henry. You're sane, you're reasonable, and all of us are so fucking scared that we've decided going after a murderer is a good idea." Ariana looked back at Aurelien, who hadn't said much since they'd left the beach but seemed to have an innate trust of Henry.

That was a good thing.

"We just," Ariana sighed, the mental fatigue of the last few days starting to grate on her, "we don't really know what else to do. It's probably a bad plan, but it's something. Our friends who can't stand up for themselves need someone to do it for them."

She looked down at the ground, her tone strong but the doubt written all over her face.

"That's it, I guess."

[Tonyksin]

Jackson felt the cloud of uncertainty and doubt begin to form over all of their heads once more as Ariana spoke. Jackson kept his eyes glued to the ground as he listened to her explain their current goal. What was keeping them together. What they decided they were going to do. It felt wrong, but what else was there? At least it gave them a reason to put one foot in front of the other, right? At least they could forget for a bit how close all of them were to the end of their lives. Shockingly, the more Ariana spoke, the more convinced Jackson started to become about their half-baked plan.

Sure, it was morally reprehensible and if they ever actually ran into Blaise they’d have to make a very hard decision.

But who was to say they would EVER run into Blaise in the first place? This island was large and confusing. The roads looped back and around, and once you entered the woods and wildernesses you could be lost for hours. It’s not exactly the best place to find one specific person. Shit, maybe Blaise would even get themselves killed before they even got on their trail! Jackson’s mind raced as he started to try and calculate the likelihood that this vengeance-fueled party may never even get a chance to enact said vengeance. It made him feel more calm, even breathing a small bit of energy back into his tired and drained body.

But then, Ariana said something that made him regret his selfish thoughts.

She was right. There were people out there who had no hope of defending themselves from the Blaises and Juliens roaming the island. Friends and classmates being mercilessly cut down by those who snapped and gave in to the hell they’d all been trapped in. Didn’t they deserve to be helped? How could he ever call himself a man again if he hid himself away and didn’t even try to keep these people he’d known most of his life alive for just one more day?

If he was going to die anyway, he may as well make something of what life he had left.

Sorry Mom, Dad… Luca.

I’m probably not gonna make it out of here. Not now. I hope you understand. I really do.

Jackson walked forward and put his hand comfortingly on Ariana’s shoulder. He looked her in the eyes and nodded at her with a smile. He turned his attention to Henry.

“We’ve decided to do this. To protect not only ourselves but the people who don’t stand a chance of fighting back.” He took a deep breath.

“If what we do can keep one more person alive for just a bit longer, then it’s worth it, right?”

[Pippi]

His attention shifted, slowly, to Ariana and Jackson.

To protect those who couldn’t fight back? To stand up for those who couldn’t do so themselves, huh? Those were some pretty noble goals. He supposed that, by killing a murderer, you would naturally be increasing the livelihood of any innocents on the island. One less person, aiming solely to kill, that everyone had to worry about, right? Yes, killing Blaise would certainly achieve those goals.

Neither of them had crossed his mind for a second. Blaise had killed his boyfriend, and they had been rewarded for it. All he wanted was for their blood on his hands. He really didn’t care how; long, slow, he didn’t give a shit. He just wanted them to stop breathing. It was really that simple.

He had no way of knowing what Dante would want anymore. He hoped that it was this.

“I know… that might not be what you want to hear…”

Aurelien went back to spinning the shoe with his finger, addressing Henry without looking at him. He picked his words carefully, speaking slowly. If the other boy split and ran off, lugging his awkward looking shotgun behind him, it would be disappointing for sure, but ultimately understandable. He couldn’t blame anyone, anyone who’d suffered in other ways to him, for not wanting to join up with a lynch mob.

Just so long as they didn’t stand in his way.

“But you’re not going to be able to stop us. Nothing you can do or say will change my mind. So…”

His gaze shifted once more, staring coldly down at Henry.

“Don’t try it.”

[Shiola]

At first he tried his best to listen respectfully, to try and take in what they were saying so he really understood it. Blaise killed Dante, so they wanted to go kill Blaise. They know going after her is a bad idea, but they want to feel like they’re doing something. In killing one deranged former classmate, they’d be standing up for others who couldn’t defend themselves. To keep a few people alive for just a bit longer. Somehow, that would be worth it.

And then what?

That was what Ariana and Jackson had tried to tell him, and to their credit Henry was at least slightly sympathetic. It was genuinely frustrating to have no recourse, at least at this point. They misconstrued his want for a goal as an opening to recruit someone else into their vendetta hike. With his own words still fresh in his mind he could understand that, and he couldn’t blame them for it, or for acting out of instinct in their despair.

That is, he was understanding up until Aurelien opened his mouth to speak, shooting Henry a look that only could’ve been threatening. Taking a step back, Henry failed to suppress his shock and disappointment, despite his best efforts.

“Wow. Just…”

He shook his head, suddenly realizing the tree full of shoes was the least absurd part of this.

“You don’t know what to do, so you’re going to hunt down somebody else who you’ve decided has to die. Someone who as far as I can tell, just beat you to the punch when it came to being press-ganged into murder. You know how it sounds - are you listening to yourselves?! You think it’s worth it to keep one more person alive just a bit longer by killing somebody else? What then?”

This was probably the most any of them had ever even heard him speak, outside of class. Henry couldn’t remember the last time he’d ever spoken to anyone like this.

“What happens after that, hmm? Just wait till Danya tells you who your next target is? You’re playing into their hands! Killing Blaise isn’t going to bring Dante back, and it isn’t going to bring us any closer to surviving this! You’re not fighting back, you’re joining in. Can’t you see that?”

Henry couldn’t help but pace as he spoke, and he stepped back out into the rain for a moment to collect himself. After a moment, he turned back.

“I’m not going to try and stop you, but I don’t want to go down to some proxy of the terrorists either. I’d like to stick with you guys, but don’t expect me to be the one shooting first.”

[Cactus]

They were a unified front on this — the most questionable of decisions in the most untenable of circumstances. Except, Ariana felt as the others spoke up, they weren't. Not really. Her and Jackson were of the same mindset, perhaps. Both of them had lost someone by proxy, someone who wasn't their whole world. Sure, they'd left family behind, friends who would never see them again, but neither of them could fathom the loss that Aurelien was dealing with. So when he stepped up to Henry and made it clear in no uncertain terms that no one was going to deviate him from his errand of vengeance, Ariana's doubt rose up once more. For most of her teenage life, she'd wanted to be a police officer, to respect the law and ensure that justice was served. Who would truly be served by Blaise being hunted down and murdered? Not Dante, and certainly not any of them. Just saying the words out loud had probably damned her in the eyes of anyone watching — the cameras were too prominent for her to forget that they were under constant observation, by their captors and the world.

Henry had a strong reaction and opinions to their plan of action, and much like she expected out of someone who had yet to lose their humanity, he blanched at the concept of hunting someone down.

He wasn't wrong, either.

"You've heard the announcements," she started, carefully choosing her words. "It'd be one thing if it was a one-off, a mercy kill or something like that. You could excuse that. But Blaise is going around murdering people, Henry. At this point, she's just as bad as Quinn, or Tyrell, or Mikki, or anyone else who decided that they didn't need a prompt to start pulling triggers."

Aurelien was going to embark upon his mission whether they helped him or not. His initial appearance on the beach had been proof enough of that. At that point, cooler heads had prevailed, but what about the future? A furious Aurelien was liable to say the wrong thing to the wrong person and end up dead.

Which would still leave them with a Blaise problem.

And a Quinn problem.

A Tyrell problem.

"There need to be consequences for actions. Maybe we aren't the ones who should be deeming ourselves judge, jury and executioner, but if we don't try," Ariana looked down at the ground, her frustration evident, "who else has to lose someone they care about?"

All of us, eventually was the unsaid answer. She knew the logic behind it, but she wasn't about to give in and admit that by all likelihood, she was going to die. If push came to shove, she would do what she had to in order to get home to her father, Ross, hell — even to her incarcerated sociopath of a mother.

At least she'd probably understand.

[Tonyksin]

“It’s the only thing that feels like it makes sense right now.”

Jackson joined Ariana in attempting to make their cause sound worthwhile. Maybe Henry was right. After all, who were they to judge others for doing exactly what they were contemplating doing. However, it was different for them. They weren’t going after innocent people who were just trying to survive. They made a decision to take down the ones already killing. Already ripping people’s loved ones away. It made sense. It was the only worthwhile thing to do in this situation. If they did nothing, weren’t they just as culpable? Wasn’t standing by and letting these murderers get away with what they were doing almost the worse option?

At the very least, Henry didn’t seem to want to stop them, and actually agreed to come along with them. Safety in numbers, even if said numbers were jumping headfirst into the lion’s jaw. Aurelian’s words scared him a bit. He was sure Ariana and Henry must have felt the same. He felt his face fall as he stood. Jackson was no hero, and he didn’t imagine that anything that they did would change much at all, but god dammit he had to do something. Even if all he accomplished was stopping Aurelien from falling even deeper into his rage and sorrow. That would be enough.

“It’ll be good to have you with us, no matter what happens from here on.” He looked at Henry and nodded in reassurance.

It was strange. Days ago Jackson would never have thought he’d be surrounded by the people he currently found himself with. None of them were his friends. If anything, he only knew them in passing. But at this point, he didn’t know who outside there three people he could even trust anymore. He was still scared. Still unsure. But if he stopped moving forward the only thing left was death. He swallowed the dry lump in his throat.

Would he even recognize himself by the end of all this?

“It’s late. We should try and get some rest.” He said slowly as he looked to each of his allies.