Silence Falls

“Bert. Bert! BERT! Hey man, are you listening?" Alexis called out to him before leaning forward to reach out and grasp his wrist to give it a little shake to stir him from his deep thoughts. When his eyes correlated with hers, she murmured gingerly, her brown orbs filled with unease for their situation. Another crucial member of their group had been taken down to Solitary Confinement. Unlike the first one, this person would surely not survive for much longer if left forsaken down there. While Bert had been mentally away looking over his shoulder at the elevator door leading to that floor, the others had been fiercely devising to save Cris. They didn't have a substantial plan yet. At first, they just flung out ideas and tried to see how long they'd hold before being shot down for not being reliable. Bert seemed to be all out of options, and so they nominated to pick up the slack for their leader by devising a plan in his absence. "Were trying to figure out a plan to save Connor and Cris from Solitary Confinement by ourselves over here, but it's already looking like we can't even manage that without the one person who knows where to go down there.”

“I still say this is a fucking stupid idea.” Bam snarled underneath his breath as he dispiritedly ran his hands over his face. He truly meant what he said. This plan, any of the plans they've come up thus far were suicide! There was no way they could proceed anywhere what with the complex technology freshly installed within the subterranean facility. Once upon a time, Bam had to admit Bert was capable of doing so, but things had shifted and now their leader was just as clueless as the rest of them. He claimed it took him years to dupe the guards and technology to not detect him, how many years would it take him now to learn these new ones before they could finally get out?

“No one cares, asshole, nor did anyone ask you.” Otep rebutted, earning a glare from Bam she repaid in full. She couldn't help herself from taunting him when he was always such a jerk! Everything was already crummy down here as it was, they didn't need his help in adding onto it. If he didn't have anything nice to say, he should just learn to keep his mouth shut.

“Fuck you, carpet-muncher!” Bam snapped, instantly jumping to a harsher insult. If she was gonna criticize him at every chance she could, then damnit, he was bite back, and make his even harder. His hands curled into two deadly fists as he parts his lips to charge back again.

“ENOUGH!” Bert ordered powerfully enough to draw their attention back to him again. He'd been immersed with analyzing some pivotal choices covertly in his head, and now that he might just have made his final selection on what he must do, he understood that this also meant he might not be able to see the people he's become close to during his lengthy stay here. The people he called his family. Feeling his chest tighten up, Bert's eyes scoured every single marvelous face directed to him. If this was gonna be the last time he saw them, he had to disclose to them how he felt about each and every one of them. It was more for himself than for them to impart how much they've come to mean to him. “Now look here, we've been down here for a long damn time, too long I'm sure we'd all agree. Over that period of time I have begun to see you all as the close family I once had, but don't anymore.” Bert deviated his focus briefly to the girls he'd come to treasure like sisters, and tried to put on a smile for them. “I love you girls as much as I loved my own mother once upon a time. I swear you are as close to EVERYTHING to me as anything can get down here at this point. And that includes Cris and Connor too, who I know are still both in danger and need our help.”

The girls nodded as a indicator they were listening with vigilant ears to his every word.

“Now I need to be honest with myself once and for all, and you guys need to hear this too.” Bert deliberated to look around at everyone within their group, they all had their eyes on him. “There is no plan of escape right now, okay? There will probably never be a plan to escape. It can take another dozen years for me to study all this new high-tech bullshit, and frankly I'm growing exhausted, and anxious like the rest of you, and most importantly I'm also losing faith with every passing second that we'll rise again to the surface together. I've come to realize today that I can't keep doing this anymore. I simply can't be your leader anymore. I can't be the person you all depend on for a wish to come true. I can't. I'm done. I'm finished.” Bert gave them an acute look over, overlooking their distraught faces. “To prove to you so you know I'm not joking around, I am going to FIGHT my way down to Solitary Confinement tonight, and I am going to free Cris and Connor. After that, we three are going to fight to the death our way back up again. Now, you all are my family. I can't lose any one of you to this battle. I WILL NOT lose any one of you. I want you all to know that will lay my life down for you, all of you...even you Bam.”

Everyone was astounded by his speech, tears of loss falling down at the prospects of losing the one man who combated for them from the beginning. Even Bam couldn't deny it altered him.

Bert spun to Demitria who still snuggle against Alexis. He wanted to start with her first then Alexis. “Demi, I need you to be tough and remain the gentle honest girl I know. Keep inspiring day by day, cause that's what you do for us, you inspire us to keep moving and keep on fighting. Alexis, you've taken responsibility of the girls like any vigilant mother would with such tenderness and love that I've never truly noticed how much I commended you for that. I'll forever be indebted to you for that.” Demitria's eyes had widened in esteem by his sentiments towards her, but she wildly nodded to satisfy him. Alexis gave him an idolizing smile, her eyes glistening with profound love for him. “Natasha, though you may not say much to our routine disputes upon anything these days, I know your fealties are the strongest I have ever seen in my short life, and I am so fortuitous to have that kind of fealty on my side and not the other. Onika, I wish now more than ever that I had your clout to keep fighting when the world around you is steadfast to keep you underground. That single attribute is what I hope to take from you to the grave with me when I go down there tonight because I'll surely be needing it.” Onika nodded confidently and smiled while Natasha bit back hers, suddenly shy.

"Otep, you are the perfect female counterpart any man could ask for and if we were totally into each other I would have married your ass by now, enough said.” Otep rolled her eyes and grinned to stop herself from laughing. Bert grinned back before considering Bam. His eyes became genuine. “Bam, I still think you would fit quite nicely with our little niche, if you're still interested.” Bam's eyebrow rose questionably. His remark didn't sound like admiration, but an invitation. “This may be the last time I see you guys, so I wanted you to know how much I respect you and how much you mean to me in case I don't come back. Tonight I'll be going down below, and-”

“I'm going with you.” Bam inserted without grasping it was something he was even considering.

Otep smiled and included rapidly. “Me too.”

Bert's mouth fell open in return before he balked in displeasure. “Hell no, you assholes ain't going anywhere! I already said my last heartfelt speech to you shits! You can't just say you're coming!”

Otep laughed him off. “Bert, you're right about one thing, this mission is a definite suicidal one for sure. Don't take offense, but I truly believe you won't be coming back here with what you're up against down there. I don't want to envision you perishing down there alone without your trusty old sidekick, Otep, alongside you. Trust me, nothing in that cell of ours is relevant enough to keep me away from you, which is where I seem to belong a lot these days.”

“But Otep, you can't! I won't have your death on my shoulders, I refused to!” Bert rejected fearfully.

Otep placed her hands comfortingly on his. “Shut up and take it, Bert. I know you'll have my back down there which is why I'm gonna be there to have yours. C'mon, after all we've been through don't deny your first mate this chance to battle by your side. I won't take no for an answer, anyway.”

Experiencing that to be accurate, Bert rolled his eyes discouragingly before glimpsing at Bam. “And you. Why do you want to die tonight?”

“I can't take this hell hole anymore. I want to give these assholes a piece of my fucking mind. They can't just incarcerate us in here and get away with it. Not if I have anything to do with it! Besides, I've been needing something to beat that isn't the wall of my cell.” Bam admitted, his arms still crossed and a firm persistent look on his face.

“So Bert, whats it gonna be?” Otep requested, raising a brow. To her, this would be the ideal day to die. She was strangely eager about it.

Bert sighed, mulling on it. He would surely die down there on his own, but maybe he'd have a greater chance with his friends attending him, and an even stronger chance with Connor if they could just get to him in time. He was the toughest after all. Maybe, just maybe they'd have a likelihood. Unless the facility enhanced surveillance down there too...Bert groused and scrubbed his face before answering. “Alright, fine you guys can come! But only you guys! You girls would only give me a fucking heart attack if you chose to tag along. Lord knows we wouldn't get far with me shrieking like a scared mother, so it's just going to be Otep, Bam and I. We're gonna go and get Connor and Cris, then curve back around and come and get you girls, and then get the fuck outta here!”

They all nodded, trying not to let the tears fall, but only provoking their throats to swell up with emotions that prohibited them from speaking. With that breakfast was over for the girls and they all returned to their daily tasks after a long asphyxiating group hug with Bam, Bert and Otep. Our other three heroes prepared themselves on their last day underground.