//------------------------------// // Why do we fight // Story: Fallout: Harmony // by Foreverking0 //------------------------------// John sat on the bed in the guest room he was assigned. It was comfy, probably one of the comfiest things he had ever sat on. Yet, he was in an extremely uncomfortable situation. Now he didn't need to just play along until he could return to earth but also had to keep a naive scholar alive in the process. Before all of this, he had one goal, and he felt so close. Everything was slowly getting worse, and there was nothing he could do about it. There was however something he could do in the meantime to help deal with the mess. John hopped up off the bed and walked over to the door. Opening the door, John stuck his head out and asked the Guard stationed there a question. "Is there anywhere I can go get a stiff drink?" John was quietly led through the palace complex. Out of the sight of the visitors and guests of the castle, there was a whole sector for the staff and guards. While few cared for the intruder's presence, those that did mostly show thinly veiled scorn. Ignoring the hostile atmosphere, John kept following his escort until they reached a large wooden door in a cobblestone wall. When the guard pushed the door open with a hoof, the lights and sounds flooded out of the door. John cautiously entered the establishment to find something alien. The mood was chipper as a pony in the back played an instrument he had once found in a vault. A roaring fire in the fireplace kept the place warm and the wooden floor gave the room a similarly warm feeling. The place was decently occupied by over a dozen occupants as wooden mugs littered tables. meandering over to the bar counter, John took in the cozy feeling of the bar, nothing like the dingy hellholes of the wasteland. As he sat down on a wooden stool, John noticed someone to his right. "So, you found your way here too?" Six asked John, holding a shot glass of whiskey near his mouth. His helmet was nowhere to be seen. John stared at the glass "They have whiskey?" Six lifted the glass to his eye level and looked at it. "Nope, found this stuff in a cave before they found me. The stuff served here seems close to water, but it'll get the job done after enough." Six placed a shot glass on the table, filled it and moved it over to John. Picking it up and downing it, John simply sat and stared into space. Six sat there and likewise stare into the nothingness, and then a question fell out of John. "So why did you sign on?" Six looked over to John and back to nothing. "What do you mean?" "You have a home to return to?" John asked After a moment, Six Responded "No." "Then why say yes?" John asked again. Six took a swig of his whiskey and responded "Same as you" "I Agreed so that they would help me find a way back" John countered, moving himself to face Six. Six put down the glass. "They were going to do that regardless of if you said yes. You said yes for the same reason I did, because right now you have nothing better to do." John didn't respond, he instead downed the shot of whiskey. The Door to the bar made a thud as it was opened, and new arrivals entered behind the two humans. "Well, if it isn't the saviours of Equestria." John and Six spun around as someone approached them. Sergeant Rapid Fire cantered over. "I'm just pulling your legs, folks around here need to lighten up." "Saviours of Equestria?" John commented with dubious overtones. Rapid Fire sat on her haunches on a stool next to John. "Luna seems to think your our winning piece, told us you three would be instrumental in winning this war." Rapid Fire explained. John thought about that for a moment. "And what do you think?" Rapid Fire Shrugged. "I trust the Princess as much as anypony, But you both don't look like much, would probably fall over if the wind picked up." John almost rolled his eyes. " If you stood on two legs I bet you would fall over pretty easily." "HA, careful what you bet on, I happen to be a veteran biped wrestler, and queen of the underground variant." Rapidfire retorted. "underground variant?" Six Inquired. "Yeah, see, Normal Biped Wrestling has rules to make it safe and friendly. Underground is all things fair. As long as your opponent ends up on the ground, doesn't matter." Rapid Fire explained "You do that for fun?" John asked with bafflement. "it's how I learn my talent, my sister may be a fast flyer, but I'm the fastest shot there is. I've knocked creatures out before they get in their first swing." Rapid Fire boasted. Six bumped John with his shoulder "Dare you to go one round." John gave Six a stare of annoyance. "And why would I do that?" The Courier shook the half-empty bottle. John gave an exasperated sigh as he got up. "One Round and you go after." "All right, this is going to be fun!" Rapid Fire announced with a predatory smile. "Hey, You know my rules Rapid Fire, not inside!" The Bartender shouted. "Relax, Chief, we have a place. Come on big guy, this place has a gym." Rapid Fire beckoned as she headed out the door. John and Six followed her out the door, the latter with a pep in his step, the former reluctant. The eyes of ponies once again began to stare at the two humans with hostility. "Hey, eyes off! The Princesses themselves vouch for them." Rapid Fire snapped at one of the ponies, who quickly sauntered off. "Not the most friendly reception from the troops," Six commented. "For the last few months, all they've had is non-stop news about things like you causing havoc and death. Maybe you can change that, maybe not." Rapid Fire said. After travelling through a maze of cobblestone tunnels, The three burst into another large room. The rustic room was filled with weights and a boxing ring in the centre. " Looks like a place in Reno, lost some good money on that fight." Six reminisced. "This place is used by some of the diehards in their spare time, matches run Tuesday and Thursday night." Rapid Fire elaborated. John stepped under the ropes and into the ring. "So, what exactly are the rules to this?" John asked. "We both step into the ring, and get into a grapple, first one to the floor loses. No biting, punching, spitting or headbutting. Unless you like to play that way." Rapid Fire ended on a playful note. "Let's just get this over with," John remarked sourly. With a ring of a bell John couldn't see, Rapid Fire was upon him. She may have been small, but she was strong. after the first few seconds, John's back was killing him. Finally, his knees gave way and he fell. After a daze from his head hitting the floor, John began to slowly get to his feet. Rapidfire was celebrating. 'WOOHOO, another for the books! Good job, you lasted as long as a foal. Still longer than I thought you would." Rapid Fire laughed at her dig as she went to the corner. John dragged himself out of the ring and to a nearby bench, Six sitting there patiently. "Now for your turn" John wheezed, if nothing else, he would get to watch this. John's performance hadn't deterred the Courier, as he jumped up and walked to the ring with confidence in his step. Dipping under the ropes and into the ring, Six took his position. "Another one enters the griffon den, do you also play by the rules?" Rapid Fire challenged. Six gave a subtle shrug "I'm afraid I'm always cheating" Rapid Fire charged at six and met him in the grapple. After a couple of seconds passed, nothing happened. Rapid Fire looked up at Six in bafflement who still had confidence in his eyes. She grunted as she pushed, but Six didn't move. Rapid Fire even tried to get a quick jab at the courier's abdomen. Then six pushed, and pushed, and like a hydraulic press, brought Rapid Fire down. John jumped up and into the ring, just in time for the pony to collapse. Rapid Fire returned to her hooves, wincing in pain as she looked at Six. "But how?" she muttered. "Your not human," John stated. Six slowly turned to John. "Oh, I'm human, mostly. but as I said, I'm always cheating. Cost me a small fortune, but I have enough tech in me to put me in the brotherhood's interest. " "So, what, you're a cyborg?" Rapid Fire asked with vivid interest. "What does a courier need with that level of power for?" John questioned. Six's face went neutral, his eyes went down and his hands rolled back and forth. Turning around and meandering to the ropes, Six dropped his head. With a sigh, His head shot back up. "I fought a war, A big one" Six turned around still looking down. With a shrug, he took a few steps forward. "I entered the Mojave as a man, when I left, I was something else." Lifting his hand, he observed it. "May have changed in more ways than one..." The Courier stayed silent for an uncomfortable amount of time before a smile shot on his face. His Posture became aloof, he gestured to Rapidfire. "Well, I haven't lost an arm wrestle since. Enough about that, so what's your story?" Rapid Fire was taken back by the spotlight, but quickly recover and told her story. "Well, I guess it's pretty normal for ponies around here, Family had history. Dad signed up, Sister signed up, and I Signed up. My sister made the Wonderbolts, I made this, not bad for the two school flops." "So what exactly are we doing tomorrow?" John asked, needing to shift the discussion. "Well, I and the others will be leading the teams to a known Anomaly site. We make a plan with your insight, neutralise the threat, and use the publicity to get the Ministry out in the open. Then, once we have the resources to stop whatever is causing all this, you all go home." Rapid Fire finished with a warm smile. Looking from John to Six, she left the ring and made for the exit. John waited until he was alone with Six to confront him. "Augmentations are not just expensive, they're rare, too rare. I don't know who you are, but I don't trust you. Give me any reason to doubt your intentions, I will put you in the ground." Six chuckled, pat John on the back hard and began to walk out of the ring. "Been there, not a fan, see you tomorrow." John stood alone in the ring, unsure of his predicament, unsure of his next move. Nate's days had been consumed with paperwork and inspections from the last year, and it was a tough habit to break. His new employer had put in a word about his role. When he asked if he could tour the training fields and barracks, the guard stationed at his door had left and returned with a small escort of three other guards. With the Guards was Battle Bowler leading up the centre, upon noticing Nate he spoke. "So, your the soldier boy, report on you was short but decisive. Bit presumptuous to think you can visit our military facilities, init?" "It's what I'm used to, being one of the few things I do to keep myself busy. While there's never a shortage of fires in the wasteland, I'm rarely allowed to deal with them personally." Nate explained. Battle Bowler nodded to Nate's explanation. "I can respect that. Normally, access to those areas is restricted, luckily for you, the Princesses made an exception. Let's keep this clean, stay close and follow my orders. Just because the princesses trust you, doesn't mean I do." Rather than walk in silence, Nate thought it would be better to learn more about who he would be working with. Unsure of a good conversation starter, he went with the name. "So, Battle Bowler, interesting name." Battle Bowler gave Nate a death stare. "You calling my name funny?" Nate instantly regrets his choice of action. "NO, No. I just that I noticed that the names here are different. I just wondered how you got yours." "It's my name, my parents gave it to me, where did you get yours, a biscuit tin?" Battle bowler answered sarcastically. "What about that symbol, on your legs what do those mean," Nate asked. "It's a cutie mark, you get one when you find that special thing you like, What makes you truly fulfilled." Battle Bowler explained. Nate observed it as they walked, slightly too long for Battle bowlers liking from the look he was giving Nate. "It looks like an M1917, A combat helmet from before my time." "What are you on about, it's a gold pan. My father worked at a gold mine, I did my bit with pan in the creek. One day I get into a fight with another foal and hit him with the pan, Curving the inside perfectly. started using it in the mine to keep my head safe, more than once saved my hide from blasting powder shrapnel." Nate raised an eyebrow at such a story. "Do you still have it?" "Of course, it's back at the barracks, always keep it nearby, kind of a good luck charm." Battle Bowler replied. Nate noticed they were out in the open, having left the castle moments ago, they were heading down a side path away from the main entrance to the castle grounds. "Not sure if anyone told you a lot, but one the reasons you're not supposed to go anywhere without one of us is because this place is a bloody maze. Sure, it looks really nice where the tourists and important ponies go, but the bowels of this place are a mess. During the first month here, I got lost looking for the bathroom, got declared missing. They found me a few days later in one of the old archives under the castle, Ration packs go a long way." Battle Bowler told Nate as they made their way to a large military complex. The whole complex was a strange experience for Nate. There were hangers but for blimps made of wood and cloth. Modern training courses for ponies armed with antiquated weapons. The layout and building reminded him of the many outposts and bases he had been stationed at while deployed to Alaska, but the buildings had the same look as the rest of Canterlot. The entourage stopped once they reached what Nate assumed was a barrack. Battle Bowler motioned everyone to halt, before going into the barracks. Nate heard crashing and banging from inside the barrack until Battle Bowler burst out with his namesake on his head. "There we go, started to feel naked without it. Right, Let's get started." Battle Bowler announced as he began diligently walking across the complex. "Since the Changeling incident, the Royal Guard funding tripled and reforms have been made from the top down. The ranks have been expanded to include fewer ceremonial roles and a reserve has been established. The construction of our first Airship fleet has begun with three ships completed. You're supposed to teach us how to kill the bastards, doctrine from up above will be reformed after they have some results to show for it. We have training facilities here that make the best guards in Equestria, griffons come here as instructors and exchanges. Apparently, the princess doesn't think it's enough, so they put together the M.O.A. Guess we'll see how that turns out." Nate observed his surrounding as Battle Bowler talked on, it was not promising. They had the drills and the discipline, but wasteland warfare didn't play by any formal rules. The Equestrian military would be hard-pressed as it stood, he needed to see them in action. "Would it be possible to see a demonstration?" Nate requested. "It's not my place to request something like that, but there may be some training drill and exercise running at the moment. The Arcane hall usually has some demonstrations running, and sparring matches." Battle Bowler Answered. "Sparring matches?" Nate asked. "Come on, I'll show you" Battle Bowler Entering the academy was an interesting sight. Besides the obvious number of books that could be seen on separate shelves and desks, Unicorns and a few other creatures were in sparring chambers or testing halls. Nate heard a spectrum of sound, from explosions to cracking electricity, to things he could not describe. "Each of you take a hall. You're looking for Sergeant Levee, she likes to spar in her downtime. I'll take our friend here to see a match." Battle Bowler ordered the three guards. After the first few steps had been taken, the door next to the group burst open as a unicorn flew through it. The pink unicorn had a trail of smoke rising off her as she weakly raised her head and then dropped unconscious. "Nevermind, I think we found her." Battle Bowler stated as he looked in the room at the unicorn doing a subtle victory dance. "Levee, still humbling the new blood I see." The unicorn whipped her brown mane out of her face as she approached Battle Bowler. "They always think they're the next big thing since they have magic to spare. Too bad magic isn't everything, especially if your opponent plays dirty. You brought our new friend and three old ones along, is something wrong BB?" Levee asked. "hey, what have I told you? On base, It's Battle Bowler. And they're for him." Battle Bowler responded. Levee looked at Battle Bowler with scepticism, "You brought guards to watch him, why?" "It's for his protection, somepony might try to pick a fight or something." Battle Bowler answered. Levee gave Battle Bowler a deadpan stare before addressing the three guards. "You are dismissed, I will see to our guest's safety personally." The three guards looked at each other with unease before marching off. "What do you think you're doing Levee, You can't just countermand my orders. We're the same rank, what gives you the right?!" Battle Bowler flared up. Levee met Battle Bowler's stance and staredown. "Firstly, The orders were that someone only had to accompany them, not march them around like a prisoner." Levee started "That's not-" Battle Bowler started. "Second, considering what the briefings said about the things out there they have to contend with from their home, I doubt anyone here poses such a threat," Levee added. "Ok, but-" Battle Bowler tried to cut in. "Finally, if I needed to, I could tell on you to your sister." Levee finished. Battle Bowler gave levee en masse a death stare. "You wouldn't." Battle bowler growled. "No, I don't have to, I have something much easier that works," Levee claimed with an innocent smile. "Oh yeah, what's that then?" Battle Bowler demanded as he stood eye to eye with Levee. The halls echoed with the sound of a gong as Levee brought her hoof down on Battle Bowler's head with enough force to wedge it into the helmet, completely covering his eyes. After the green pony stopped shaking, he collapsed on the floor, legs spread out. "Ok, fair enough, he's yours... That hurt Levee." Battle Bowler said splayed out. "You've had worse, see you later BB," Levee said as she left with Nate, Battle Bowler grumbled something as they left. "Will he be alright?" Nate asked. "He will be fine, he's got a head like a rock and as stubborn too. He means well, but I think his promotion made his head bigger than that bowl he wears. Sometimes, I need to remind him there was a time when we were still both cadets. We Shared a month of cleaning duty because on the first day, we laughed at our drill sergeant when his potion bag exploded, he had no tail for weeks." Levee reminisced. "So your old friends then?" Nate asked. "There's no better stallion to have at your back. But enough of that, why are you here rather than in your room? looking for a fight?" Levee inquired. "No, I was trying to understand what we're working with, and if I can somehow help," Nate responded. "That is noble of you. Come, my family owns a café in town. we can talk openly about such things without interruption there, and the food is good too." Levee Invited. "Won't someone reprimand you for leaving?" Nate asked. Levee brushed off the question, first with a hoof, then words. "If they want to scold me for aiding an adviser with understanding the situation over sitting around doing nothing, then, by all means, let them. Now, come, my treat." Nate was looking forward to going back into town, it was nice seeing clean streets and full shops again. Twilight had to tell them, what she had started was something she couldn't hide. They would say she was being rash or emotional, and they may be right. But this was too big to ignore, and she was not going to stand aside. Twilight took a deep breath, and let it out. Opening the doors, Twilight saw her friends waiting in the large guest room. Pinkie looked up from her game of snap with Rainbow to see Twilight. "She's back!" Pinkie announced excitedly, bouncing up and over to the door. The others follow close after. "Twilight, Darling, tell us what happened," Rarity asked with anticipation. "The princesses asked the humans to help with fighting the invaders," Twilight answered. "And what did they say?" Applejack prodded. "They agreed to help," Twilight braced herself as she finished her sentence. "And so did I". "Well, that's fantastic, Princess Celestia said she wished you were on the research team." Rarity responded with a pep. "I'll be with the guards." Twilight corrected. "What!?" what the response from all four of her friends in the room. "What were you thinking, how can the smartest mare I know be this stupid!?" Rainbow roared. "How could you be so reckless?" Applejack demanded. "Twilight, this is not the time for gallantry!" Rarity Scolded. Twilight flinched at each response, overwhelmed. Pinkie slid in between the ponies on her back legs. "Waaaaait!" The three ponies paused. "Oh, hey it worked!" Pinkie said with surprise. "Let Twilight give her overly emotional and heartfelt reason behind her actions. It's always a good one." Explained with excitement. In a flash, the lights were off and a lamp was over Twilight's head, creating a cone of light around her. Ignoring Pinkie's antics, Twilight did exactly that. "Seeing Fluttershy before, it woke me up. Rainbow was right, I try so hard to plan for every circumstance. But this, this is more than we faced before. I have, no experience in a situation like this. How am I supposed to help Equestria safe if I can't even keep you all safe? But it's more than that. I'm supposed to be a princess of Equestria, We're the last line of defence. how can I protect others if I can't even protect myself? You have always been there for me, but if I don't do this, how can I say the same? I need to do this, For you, for myself, and Equestria." Twilight bled her emotional heart out. Rainbow verbally let out her frustration as she hovered off. Applejack ignored Rainbow as she calmly talked to Twilight. "Twi, you don't need to do this, Fluttershy wasn't your fault." "Maybe, maybe not. but I still need to do this, I need to learn this." Twilight rebuked. "How can you still not get it!" Rainbow Dash spat as she landed in front of Twilight. "I get that you did what you could, Twilight. I get it, But that's not the problem! The problem is you think you can do it all yourself. You don't need to, You have us. Stop thinking you have to go it alone!" Rainbow finished almost pleading. "I won't be alone, John has agreed to keep me safe and teach me what he knows. It's a unique opportunity I can't miss." Twilight countered. "You barely know anything about the fella, how could you trust him to keep you safe?" Applejack challenged. "I trusted you, all of you. Sometimes it just takes a little faith." Twilight responded. "It's not the same," Rainbow argued. "Maybe not, but I still believe it's worth trying," Twilight said firmly. "Twilight, we're all just concerned for you. This, this is terrifying, look at what you just went through." Rarity pointed out. Rarity's face changed to sympathy as Twilight felt the sting of that memory. "I need to do this, if not for all of you, or Fluttershy, or Equestria, then for myself. And, I'm going to need you, all of you, for the rest of the way." Twilight said. All of their faces had softened by this point. Rainbow was the first to hug Twilight, The lights turning back on. "We'll be there," Rainbow replied. "Through thick and thin" Rarity said before embracing Twilight as well. "Cause that's what friends are for," Applejack added as she join the hug. "And nothing can change that!" Pinkie shouted as she enthusiastically joined in. Twilight shed a tear at her friend's support. With them, she could do this. __________________________________________________________________________________ Nate was walking back from the Cafe Levee had talked about. there was small talk, he asked questions and she answered as best she could. Eventually, Nate thought it was best to head back and look for the other two humans to inform them of what he had found out. Levee had a hunch. "So, why are we heading to the Guards tavern?" Nate asked. "Because that is where everyone ends up eventually. If anyone has seen them, we will find out there." Levee answered. They walked in silence until it was broken by Levee. "You know, you never actually told me anything about you." "Neither did you" Nate responded. "Well then, what would you like to know?" Levee asked. "Well, I assume you volunteered, how did that happen for you?" Nate asked. "Well, for joining the guards, it runs in the family. My mother signed on, and so did her father. Seemed like a good idea at the time, I could help keep the peace and be stationed close to home. I signed up for Princess Luna's pet project to help take the fight back to these monsters." Levee emphasised the last word. When everyone else referred to the wasteland inhabitance, it was with fear or curiosity, Levee's emphasised disgust. "What's your stake in this, you make it sound personal," Nate asked. "It is personal, they took something from me, from all of us. They came here and brought nothing but death and destruction. Hopefully, we can find the cause before there's nothing left to save." Levee stated with conviction. Nate stopped walking, watching Levee keep going oblivious to him falling behind. "Not everything from the wasteland is bad, there are good people trying to do better," Nate retorted. That stopped Levee in her track. She then turned around to face Nate. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Levee sighed with emotional weight. "This is not the life I expected here." "And what did you expect, what was your dream?" Nate asked. "Well, according to my cutie mark, I was supposed to do exactly this. Get ponies mobilised in a hurry, I did wonders for local fires. Ever since I got my cutie mark, I thought I would do something great. I guess I at least get interesting questions about the burning flag on my heinie." Levee said. "You never answered my question, what do you want?" Nate asked again. "I don't know, but after all this is over, I'll go see my son," Levee responded. "Your son?" Nate Asked. Levee nodded. "He's with his father. Since the attack, I haven't been able to see them. It's the reason I signed up, But that is not for now, let's get going." Levee said as she started trotting off again. Nate followed suit, getting tired as he hadn't done this much walking in years. Outer Bull's eye, Outer Bull's eye, Triple twenty. The courier walked forwards and ripped the darts out of the board. The entire tavern was silent, as Six walked back to the mark on the floor and threw the darts again. Inner Bull's Eye, Twenty, Tripple twenty. Once more, he grabbed the dart and walked back. There were murmurs in the crowd, Six took a quick look out to feel the crowd. They were ready. Triple twenty, Triple twenty, Triple twenty. With a perfect score, the entire establishment went wild. Six basked in the cheer for a moment before walking over to the bar. Leaning on the bar with his two arms crossed, Six addressed the bartender. "I believe that's another bottle for me," Six prompted with a smile. The bartender just rolled his eyes and pushed another bottle of scotch over. "I still can't believe how much of this ended up here, I've already won enough to keep me going for a week!" Six exclaimed. John looked at the pile of booze Six had made from swindling the bartender and customers. "A week uh?" "Yeah, since the eggheads figured out it was just alcohol, they let the tavern have it to free up space." Rapid Fire explained. "I'm surprised it didn't go faster, considering how strong it is compared to the local stuff," John commented. "While not illegal, Drinking is kinda frowned upon. While most ponies know a place or supplier, it's not something you talk about in the open," The bartender dropped in. "you seem to do fine for yourself," John noted. The bartender just shrugged and walked off to serve another pony at the counter. "Most ponies just turn a blind eye to it, just don't do anything in public and you'll be fine," Rapid Fire assured the two humans. Her eyes trailed off to the clock above the shelves behind the counter, she pulled out a pouch of bits. "it's getting late, better head back to the barracks. You should both get some shut-eye too, Tomorrow's briefing starts nice and early for the Response team. Don't worry, it's easier getting to the castle from here than arriving." Rapid Fire threw some bits on the table and waved for the bartender before leaving. The Bartender swiped the bits as he counted and grumbled, "Underpaid again". John sat there with a mostly empty mug, unsure what to do, the whole day he had been led from one place to another and now he was left to his own devices in this place. As if answering his unsung prayer, something came to break the monotony. A life of wasteland adventuring had given John a surprising level of situational awareness and in a place full of creatures that walked on four hooves, two boots stood out. Six seemed to have the same perception, as he looked behind him at the same time a john. Nate was walking over towards the counter as he waved goodbye to the unicorn officer They had seen at Luna's quick introduction, leaving his companion to leave through the door they just entered. "Where have you been?" Six asked curiously. "Learning what we're working with, it's not good," Nate answered a troubled look on his face. "How so?" Six asked back. Nate sat down next to Six, John on the opposite side of Six. "They know next to nothing about what's been hitting most sites. They're technologically dated, hard to tell what they do and don't have. Poor lines of communication, even worse weapons. The only real military action they have seen in their lifetime was an invasion of the capital that ended in defeat for the Guard. These folks are completely unprepared for any kind of engagement. Our work will be cut out for us," Nate outlined, sounding fatigued as he went on. "Fuck" John exclaimed, regretting his previous choice of charity. He was prepared to give some tips and pointers, not help single-handedly transform an entire military. "That sound like a nice tall glass of future me's problem," Six responded, taking a swig from one of the many bottles he had. John, sat there, unhappy at the news, grumbling to himself. After spending some time listening to Nate and six's small talk, John Looked at the clock himself, it was indeed late. Leaving Nate and six to their devices, John stood up and slowly made his way to the exit. He was tired, and something was telling him this wasn't going to end well.