The Fortress Grounds

"Well..."

Chris Chamberlain thought.

"I work for an organization called the Bloodhounds. It's all I really know. I was raised here. I was the top of my class. The second-in-class was always competing with me in everything. He talked a lot. Then, one day, he left without an explanation. It always really sort of aggrivated me. Why did he leave, when I was so close to victory? It's like the competition just stopped mattering to him. He lost the game of chess, but he wasn't even at the table."

He sighed.

"I don't know what to do, and I'm not used to that."

"Competition is fun but sometimes there are things more important that competition. You still loved it above all. He found something he loved more than that. Maybe if you see him you could ask?" Blake tried to comfort him and went to put a reasuring hand on his sholder.

Chris looked at Blake strangely. To him, contact was only ever a form of offense, and though he wasn't injured, it still seemed like a rather odd gesture.

"I suppose I have to... If I ever find him..."

He shook his head.

"But that's not the objective right now."

"How about we handle it after your objective?" Blake asked tenderly. Even though this man had just threatened to kill him Blake couldn't help feel some akinship with this person.
I really must be an idiot.

Chris nodded.

"If we're still alive by then, certainly."

"right. It's Svulkaine..." Blake's entire body started to shake. He couldn't fight it off anymore.

"shit...." was all he could say before his knees gave out and his mind started to race again through what had happened.

Chris just picked him up and started to walk. "Don't worry, I'm not going to let you die here."

Blake allowed himself to be carried and he grabbed his head removing his arms from his chest, which he had been squeezing so tightly left bruises on his sides where his hands where. He squeezed his eyes shut to try and stop the tears but they flowed under his eyelids and lashes anyway. This time however there was no luaghing.

"Remember to breathe evenly, it helps keep your mind clear through intense pain and it keeps air circulating." He spoke calmly.

Blake held onto Chris's voice with all his might. Listening he tried to take steady even breaths.

"Just hang on, and realize it's all in your head." Chris sighed.

After a few minutes Blake was able to once again gain composure.
"god damn him for doing this to me." said Blake once he was able to speak again. Realizing he was being carried Blake looked away from Chris slightly embarressed, then realizing he had been crying Blake's entire face went red from embarresment.
"You can put me down now. Thanks..."

Chris nodded.

"Alright..."

He set Blake down gently.

Standing again Blake turned away and made sure Chris didn't see his face. I don't think I can take much more embarressment...damn it, ever since that mind thing Svul did to me it's been harder to be my old self...

"Thanks again..." blake said quietly.

Chris noticed something. It was inherent that he should notice this, being trained for so many years in interrogation.

"You're clinging to something for dear life... And you're not sure if it's true."

Blake's eyes widened and then half closed. his face back to normal he turned to face Chris. "You psycic or something?"

Smiling Blake said, "Not yet I don't think. Unless you, like so many people recently, can figure it out on your own."

"But I'm not the one you're keeping the secret from."

He blinked.

"I know the truth....I just don't know if I should accept it." said Blake quietly.

"Well, logic dictates that the truth is the only thing we can truly act off of. It's all we can trust. Correct?"

He looked at Blake.

"I was raised with a different truth. One that goes against everything that I...naturally...am. No one ever explained anything to me, they just followed my father's lead. So I accepted what I was raised with as the truth, and that I was wrong. But now....I realize that it's the opposite but changing it is...idk..."

Blake looked down.

Christopher's eyes widened.

"Accepting your upbringing as the truth..."

"Yeah....and I want to. I'm trying too. But, I'm finding it harder to go back. But I can't just switch over. I feel so stuck....that's why I'm trying to just hold on to what I was raised with. With what I know."
Blake tried to fight back tears once again. this time succeeding.

Chris looked carefully at Blake.

"Then instead of relying on what anyone else knows, let's rely on what we can discern together."

Instantly, the world was becoming alarmingly clear to him. The reason John left... The things he had done...