V.I.R.A.L

"I don't understand going away? Going where?"

"I just need to do something… Alone. Something has been bothering me now, for a while. I need to prepare and make things right."

Zinnia fidgeted on the wall looking at Alton lost. "Is something wrong? If there's something, we can help."

Alton shook his head, staring at the snowflake hovering above his hand. "This is something only I can do. I've just been delaying it for far too long. I should only be gone a week or two the most. The apartment is in your hands until then."

"Alton… I don't."

"You'll also be in charge. See it as a temporary promotion to leader of Team Rhapsody. You're now more than ready to take the helm."

"Are you leaving Rhapsody?"

Alton remained silent sighing. "Not if I can help it. Don't worry about me, it's Christmas. Spend time with friends and family, and before you know it, I'll be back."

"But you're my family Alton! Everyone at Rhapsody. Don't go, I can't do this alone. Please whatever has you troubled let me help you."

"See you around Zin…"

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****

Emil shook Zinnia's shoulder as she snapped from her daydreaming sitting in the cockpit of the helicopter. "You still with us, leader?"

Zinnia rubbed her face scoffing. "Don't think I'm ever going to get used to you saying that."

"Well, it's only until Alton gets back." Scarlett reminds her. "When he gets back."

Gale steps on decked out in a winter jacket, boots and goggles matching the sailor tire he is used to wearing. With his father's company badge on one shoulder and Rhapsody's one on the other. "You think this is enough? I remember it being bloody cold last time."

"That's an understatement," Emil replied. "I don't think it matters the number of layers we put on… It's still going to freeze our ass off. That's if the Garden doesn't kill us beforehand."

Zinnia curled up sighing, staring out the window. "The Garden… The legendary heroes… My parents couldn't stop them… We're going to die, aren't we?"

Everyone fell short of an answer as Scarlett shook her head, leaning forward, shaking her leg. "Way to kill the mood leader…"

"Sorry. Stick together till the end?"

"This won't be like the cult. No splitting up. We will fight together till the very end."

Gale sat down, rubbing his gloves together. "I would feel that little safer if Alton was here."

"Think we all would."

The other helicopters all began taking off as everyone else felt the nerves building. "Here we go…"

As the helicopter was about to take off, they halted as a group of people stopped the flight. Zinnia peered to her left as a woman in a long trench coat waltz over. She had long black hair, and the same lifeless look in her eye; the other CEOs also shared. Wearing heels, she stepped onto the helicopter staring at each of the streamers. "So, I finally get to meet faces to the stories. Zinnia Trost, Scarlett Syndicate, Gale Lampard and Emil Montague. Team Rhapsody. A pity Alton Brantley is not apart of this task force but no matter. I am one of the CEOs you may address me as Morto, and I will be joining you for this mission."

"A CEO joining us? Is there a reason for us, particularly?" Emil questions.

"That does not concern you." She insists sitting next to Zinnia. "We may now leave." The pilot acknowledged as it began to take flight moving in on the location provided. Everyone stared uncomfortably at Morto as she smiled, adjusting her glasses. "If questions you hold dear ask away for a short time we have left."

"We haven't seen you before at any of the other callings. We've only truly known of Kurt." Zinnia is the first to bring forward.

"Correct. I do not take part in the main dilemmas of the foundation compared to the likes of the foundling Kurt. I take on more drastic measures like foreign intermissions and classified projects."

"Like the Garden? Guess the cat is out of the bag for that one."

Morto smirked faintly turning to Gale. "Correct streamer. I was tasked in looking into the growth of the Garden well before your group was even formed."

"You say foreign intermissions, yet the world was destroyed by the Garden. There is nothing left out there, right?"

"As of this right moment. Over the many years of my travels, my progress has been incredibly halted by the fog covering our land… The world is a big place though Syndicate. Still, plenty of chances of others than just us."

"So, you were more than aware of what Vanguard was doing. You knew the Garden was right under our noses yet you said nothing."

"That is also correct," Morto admitted cupping her hands together. "Not that we, of course, did it out of spite. We've had the whole operation under control for quite a while it was only until Team Rhapsody showed up did you, in fact, shake up the plan. We had our eye on Vanguard for quite a while. We were actually pretty close to bringing him down, we wanted to give him a chance. To see if he would stop abusing Rodger's exploits. But it seemed you beat us to it. The same could be said for Paradox, you know her as Blossom now. We had her on our radar, but it wasn't until you lot came into the picture that she made her move. Truth be told if none of you children had gotten involved, we might not be in this situation."

"What did you say?" Zinnia snapped. "You were quite happy to let more streamers die with hopes Vanguard might stop. Because of him, Percy died and many other innocent streamers. If it wasn't for us that would carry on for God knows how long."

"Now, now. Settle down, children. You see V.I.R.A.L isn't one to overlook such troubles. We are constantly putting down rouge streamers all the time even if a few slips through the crack. The reason for the overlook to Vanguard was for this very moment. He was the most powerful streamer we had, and now you've put him behind bars when we needed him the most. Don't you see we turned a blind eye for a better tomorrow?"

"Quite the statement. Is that why your foundation approached my family in a joint partnership?" Scarlett questioned. "You've been fishy from the moment I've joined. Letting streamers get away with murder. Send us in to fight Paradox and the cult when you were more than aware of the Garden's influence there. And we are both more than aware the Eyes Over Reality situation was no mistake. Even you cannot be foolish enough to fall for that illusion."

Morto shrugged her shoulders looking out the window. "Think what you want, it won't matter. That was in the past and if you wish to keep that the fact let's hope for our sakes the Garden is less than ready for us."

"Hey, I see the others." Everyone else looked out the window seeing the other helicopters flying over the wall. In one of the choppers, Diego sat his legs sticking out the side as he noticed Rhapsody, he nodded to them. "It's too late to head back now…"

The snow began to dig in as it became harder to see anything. The ride was also much rougher with the storm bashing against the choppers. It got so bad it was now almost impossible to view the others ahead. Zinnia stared out the window squinting hoping to catch someone else. She would soon get her wish as a helicopter moved towards them as it got closer Zinnia got a better look as the rotor blade was torn off and the chopper on fire. It crashed into another one as both fell to the ground. Zinnia stood up only to fall over as more turbulence began. Loud explosions were heard getting everyone's attention. "What's going on out there?!"

Morto walked over to the pilots looking out. "It appears something is taking out the other transports." One helicopter toppled over just missing Rhapsody transport exploding behind them. "Get us to the ground pilot!"

Before they could react, a loud thud was heard on the side of the helicopter. It began moving around before stopping. Everyone looked confused before they looked to the front, seeing someone holding onto the front of the transport staring into the cockpit. Gale stared on in shock. It was Alice, her eyes pure yellow with flowers planted all over her body. She summoned a bow casting it at the rotors blowing the top of the chopper off. The pilots lost control as the helicopter began spinning around, crashing to the ground. The glass smashed open as the pilots were sucked out. Zinnia tumbled forward towards the open hole only for Morto to catch her throwing her back. She met the fate of the pilots flying out the hole into the blizzard. Zinnia fell to the floor as everyone braced for impact. As Zinnia tried moving back, the chopper crashed, forcing Zinnia to blackout.

****

Zinnia grumbled flicking her eyes open, seeing everything as a blur. Pain rumbled through her head as she saw blood trickling from her face blinding her. "I found her!" Gale yelled, lifting up pieces of the chopper pulling Zinnia out. She stumbled forward standing on the roof of a frozen building. Gale helped her walk as Emil was sitting on the edge of the top, holding his stomach. "Are you alright, Zinnia?"

"What happened?"

Emil held his stomach wincing. "What happened is we are fucked! We lost our transportation; the CEO is gone, and we don't know who else made it out. It's hopeless!"

Zinnia was sat down as Gale looked at her wounds. "Back there. It was hard to make out but was it?"

"Alice? Yeah, without a doubt of mind that was her." Gale whispered. "She shared the same unnerving yellow glint in her eyes Alton has whenever he goes into his Garden form. Alton did mention that she too was a Child of the Garden… It doesn't make sense to me."

"But that means… If Alice is here… Alton might be too?"

"We don't know that for sure."

Scarlett creaked the icy door to the roof open as she walked out confused. "Well, this is just getting better and better with each passing moment."

"What have you found?"

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"This here is a school. More specifically, Sunset Peak high school. Ring any bells?"

"This was Alton's school… What are the chances we crash here?" Zinnia whispered.

"It's getting better. I found this." She threw an old framed photo of Alton and a group of others one to be the girl Zinnia recognised to be Sam. "Alton is here or was."

"What the hell is going on?"

Zinnia stood up, retracing her vision as this roof and the school was a perfect recreation. It was the same place as her dream. She walked over to the edge, looking down. The wind blew in her face as the blizzard died down for a moment, and that's when she saw it. Fear clutched her holding on for dear life as Zinnia stepped back falling over at sight. "It's exactly like… Exactly like my vision…" There it was as bright as day—the thing haunting her what the CEOs called a titan. In the not so far distance, a colossal tree stood that challenging the tallest buildings in Rhinefield. It was real. "The Garden… It's really here."