Was this woman stupid? Fighting isn't the best way to solve anything. He knew that, but given their situation, it was the only way to get what they wanted--freedom. Freedom wasn't going to happen just because they batted their eyes and said please. No, freedom would take countless lives, sweat, blood, and toil. If they weren't willing to fight for that, then what the hell were they doing?

As she continued to talk, Melik found himself cringing.

HOW STUPID ARE THESE PEOPLE?!

It was hard to believe they were this naive. Though, recalling his youth, he was just as naive once. Granted, he was a kid. Should he have known better? No. But these people, namely women--it was a pattern he was noticing--seemed so wrapped up in their own broken worlds. Had they never dreamed of what laid beyond the starry sky? Were the uncultured? Had they honestly no knowledge of the vast alien races that existed off planet?

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he grumbled. How was it that he was to get roped into all of this. Hell, how and why did Aleu volunteer to save these people? They had no idea what they were missing and quite frankly he was having a hard time justifying saving their lives.

Now usually Melik was all for life and happiness. But naive blindness? That wasn't something he liked. He never was a fan of stupid. For as silly as he was, he never let fear or the unknown cloud his imagination.

The fact that Nixie was so quick to dismiss her item peeved him further. She was their prisoner. Of course they would keep her necklace. Want to know the fastest way to earn back your escaped prisoners? The lure and lull of their past memories and possessions. At some point, he just knew the shady organization would send word that they would "restore" things. They would offer photos, memories, belongings. And these daft idiots would all flock to the lies.

Hand covering his face, he grit his teeth. Talk to Eleanor? Would have reason? His first impression told him no. She seemed to be the one that encouraged the running and hiding.

Good plan, he chided with sarcasm. Let's hide in a hole and wait for the enemy to surround us. Then let's get mowed down. Let's just die in our cute little bungalow without even trying to fight!

Granted, he didn't know the facts. Maybe they tried. Maybe this was all there was. And if these broken souls couldn't control their powers, well what good were they to him? He needed people who weren't afraid to learn. Who weren't afraid to try.

Nyx. She didn't seem to be the type.

A scream echoed not too far from him. He cringed before his orange eyes shot to the white haired woman. She was waking up and blabbering nonsense about killing people. Before she was taken away, he was sure to interject. There was no was he wasn't going to jump on that opening.

At first, maniacal laughter came from his direction. The more he laughed, the more he found himself wishing he never followed this group here. This was downright pathetic.

The palm that was once on his face snaked down to his chest. Shaking his head lightly, he chided, "Oh darling, get in line." Purposely blinking, he smirked. "Your little," he fed off Noah's comments, "bout of heroine is not murder. No, that's considered self-defense. Murder, and I mean murder, is when you plunge a dagger right into the heart of the enemy. You watch the color drain from their eyes. You see their soul collapse. You see yourself smirking in the watery reflection."

He jerked his head to the side. "You, my dear, have no idea what it means to kill." Snapping his head forward, "So before you casually toss that word around, consider who you're with. Some of us might just take offense to your extreme dislike of killing. Some of us whose previous form of employment solely revolved around assassinations."

With that, he spun on his heel and made a very clean exit. Once away from the masses (if you could call the hodgepodge group a mass), he took a seat on a crate. Slouching, he planted his chin firmly in the palm of his upturned hand.

"Stupid girl," he choked.

If anyone asked how he could so vividly recall things, he had finally come up with why. He was one of a few--if any--men to escape. Recalling what he learned from Aleu, the odds of a male surviving the tests were slim. The females odds were far greater. Something about their Y chromosome not being compatible really messed things up.