The Etherian Prototype

Glossary:

Thoughts and broadcasted messages/Shadow Weaver Talk

Threatening Talk or Dramatic Talk

Angry Shadow Weaver Talk

Hope you have fun with this, Enjoy!

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"Alright cadets, focus up!" The commander in charge barked to a batch of new prospects; The Horde had always wanted more out of their soldiers since the war with the Princesses marched on with constant escalations and with new openings for Captains, this dangled a bigger carrot for them besides the prospect of added rations. "Today is your day to prove that you can earn your place as a higher ranked soldier in Lord Hordak's army! He wants all hands on deck thanks to the Princesses and their abhorrent new weapon that they've decided to ravage Etheria with."

Among the batch of new recruits stood three that seemed more focused and ready than the others…Well, technically two since the third was a no show; One was Adora: A blonde girl with her hair tied back in a ponytail and wearing red, quarter-length-sleeved jacket with the collar popped, she also wore a white turtleneck underneath it with the Horde's symbol emblazoned on the back along with a set of plain gray leggings along with red and white boots. "Alright, you got this…Think you can keep up, A?" She asked with a competitive grin towards a boy stood beside her.

This particular boy was a little taller than she was but he seemed to be the same age as her; He however wore a similar red jacket but with long sleeves, the Horde's symbol on the back and sported a hood that covered up the top half of his head, the only part that stuck out was a metal visor that covered his face from his chin to the bridge of his nose, it was ruby in colour with small runes etched into it but further down was a pair of standard issue brown pants and boots. "Well enough…Though it looks like Catra's opted out on this one." He remarked with a rather dry tone and his voice deepened due to the mask; "I'd have thought she'd want to show off for everyone."

"She'll show up…You know how she is." Adora whispered back before the group went to grab their holographic "Armour" and strapped them on; "Anyway, do you know what the test is? Shadow Weaver wasn't exactly clear on what we're meant to do." She quizzed him and fastened the holo-gauntlets to her arms as she saw the holographic glasses vanish into his hood.

"First off; I'm just a cadet and in the same boat as you so why would she tell me? And secondly…She doesn't even know I'm here so asking asking would make her…Well, I don't think I really need to tell you." The boy mentioned and then leaned down to strap on the shin guards.

"Worried? Annoyed that you couldn't tell her that you want to become a Captain or are you worried that you'll freeze up in front of her." Adora quizzed him before breaking into a playful smirk and a lighthearted nudge; "Come on, you know that she's looking out for us…Besides, if we can ace this then we can take on more missions and see more than just the Fright Zone."

"Ever the optimist, aren't you? Though, I have to admit…Force Captain has a nice ring to it." The boy confessed as he clipped on the last buckle of his chestplate.

"YOU TWO! Front and center for the test now!" The instructor bellowed at them since they were getting irritable from waiting and cleared their throat once the last two showed up on the line. "Alright, this simulation is a simple but important test; You are to infiltrate the Whispering Woods and navigate your way past any Princesses, violent instigators or Walkers that are along your path there, make your way to their main base called Bright Moon and then defeat the Queen…Claim the base and restore order in the name of Lord Hordak! Take your marks and get ready."

Each of the cadets took their spot and waited to begin but one particular girl leaned over to the other side to speak to the boy and Adora; "Try to let one of us get a chance at promotion, okay Superstars?"

"If you want something then you have to earn it, Lonnie." The masked boy retorted as the klaxon alarm went off and the holograms went up; Dozens of transparent trees could be seen and various bots began to take their spots and formed Princess Holograms.

Each Bot took on a Princess of different size and waved about threateningly like they were about to cast magic, though these terrifying simulations quickly went down whenever Adora threw a Heat Grenade at them or Lonnie bashing one particular bot with her riot shield.

The boy on the other hand had rushed into the trees and was carefully sprinting between them with a shock baton in hand. "Alright, Just need to get through there and…" He muttered to himself when he heard a artificial yet still chilling howl of what looked like shambling bodies running towards him; These were the Walkers, the Horde had taken to calling them that because unless something living was detected by them, they barely broke past a stumble. "Walkers…Of course." He thought to himself sarcastically as he used his powered up shock baton to swipe down the bodies and fight his way through while trying to avoid the falling tiles on the floor until finally he and Adora made it to the biggest bot there was.

This particular bot was taking the form of the Princess Queen laughing in a comically evil way while being followed by more throngs of Walkers staggering towards them. "Final stretch…You have a plan, right?" Adora asked as she grabbed a Heat Grenade in one hand and her shock baton in the other.

The boy nodded affirmatively as he gripped his own baton tighter. "Of course; I go high and smash the head, you go low and target the leg joints…The double whammy should put it down for good." He explained as he lowered himself and then jumped high up towards one of the trees to get closer.

Adora decided to follow along as she ran along on the ground while sidestepping the falling tiles and smacking away the walkers, however the problem was that the smaller creatures weren't fully enemies but just obstacles as they got back up to try mobbing her. "Back it off, you undead…Not so real grabbers!" She growled and kept swiping them away as she made her way closer and saw the boy nearby gesturing to throw. "Alright, Heads up!" Adora yelled as she pulled her arm back to charge the grenade and threw it up towards the air above the big bot before taking her opening to smash her baton against the raised leg.

"And batter up!" The boy followed on as he charged the shock baton to swing down on the grenade like a baseball, propelling it down into the bot's head in a shower of radiating heat and sparks. It made for a deceptively pretty sight before it fell into the pit along with the tile that it was standing on, thanks to a particularly late entry kicking the bot's remaining leg off of the side. "Nice of you to finally pitch in, Catra." He remarked sarcastically as the buzzer went off to signify the end of the test.

The now named Catra was rather wild looking and slender as her namesake; She wore what looked like a sleeveless, red-orange top with a high collar over a set of matching stirrups/leggings. She had a messy mane of hair to go with her overall wild look from her mismatched eyes to the claws and sleek looking tail. Gazing first at the boy and then at Adora as she struggled to climb out of her own hole; "Looks like Team Double-A scores another stunning victory~" She remarked as she leaned over the hole that Adora was trying to climb out of, "So…You gonna get out of there or are you gonna keep looking like a dork?" The cat girl asked as she reached a hand down to help pull her friend out.

"Just help me out, you bigger dork." Adora playfully snapped back as she grabbed on and was lifted out; "Besides, I'm pretty sure we could've taken it better…A little heads up would've been nice that you weren't gonna be on time."

"And sit through the same talk that we get every. single. training exercise?" Catra mentioned with annoyance as she flicked her tail, "There's only so many times that I can draw funny faces on the back of Kyle's helmet before it gets boring….Actually, nah…That's always funny."

"Besides, showing that we can act as a team will make it easier to make it as Force Captains...You kept talking about wanting to see outside of the Fright Zone so why not go along with it?" The boy mentioned as he walked over to join them. "Besides, you might actually convince Shadow Weaver to get off your back if you take things seriously."

"That's never gonna happen, every time I try to go along with her tasks; Shadow Weaver always finds some way to put ME at fault…She always takes it easier on you two." Catra grumbled as she faced the boy which seemed to be harder since she was a lot shorter and with his hood up; All she could really see were two blue eyes staring back at her to contrast with the red mask. "Let's just go before we get in trouble for something stupid like "Simulation Room Loitering" or whatever."

—Later—

The boy had finished with a shower after training extensively and put his clothes back on, snapping the mask back onto his face and pulling his hood up. "Takes it easier on us…" He mentally grimaced and then picked up the pace when he heard the sounds of other people coming, he was always the first to hit the showers since being around other soldiers was a mixed bag.

"So…Another STELLAR win for one of Shadow Weaver's prized pupils." One particular cadet decided to feel confrontational as he saw the boy stepping out into the hall. "Then again, what else is new since you'll be bumped up regardless?"

"What are you talking about?" The boy raised an eyebrow as he wanted to hear what excuse they have for trying to prompt an argument this time was. "Shadow Weaver trains me, sure…But everything else if what me, Catra and Adora do on our own to study, train and practice."

"Yeah, sure…Training and practice, the only reason that you've got for even getting this far is because you're just an upjumped Nepo-Baby." The Cadet sneered as he stood taller than the 5ft 9 boy at around 6ft 2 and was twice as wide with muscle, "Well I've got news for you, Adam…" He said and leaned in close; "Shadow Weaver's not here to fight your battles for you and those two girls can't jump in either."

The now named Adam bristled with anger and turned a narrowed glare the taller wolf boy; "I don't know…I'd like to say I'm doing well enough on my own." He mentioned before he smirked behind his mask; "Though I do have to ask, what exactly makes you think that you could do any better? YOU already failed the Captain's exam three times in a row…The only test you could pass with flying colours is what colour mop to use when cleaning up the Base."

The Cadet snarled like a wild animal and clasped his hand around Adam's throat before pinning him to the wall. "I hope you like what the medbay's serving up for food, you little bastard…Because I'm gonna make sure you stay there long term!" He barked as he squeezed tighter to try intimidating the smaller boy along with a low growl through bared teeth.

Adam lifted his arm up and grabbed onto the Cadet's thick forearm before he slowly twisted the arm away from his neck. "You know threats don't exactly work when a few words turn you into a rabid mess." He stated and then used his free hand to lightly push against the Cadet's chest.

Though what was light for Adam was enough to send the Cadet slamming into the opposite wall and left Adam standing over him. "Y-You little freak of nature…You better watch your back because when you're all alone, I'm going to-"

"You're going to do what exactly?" A very familiar and equally intimidating tone broke the stare down as standing in between the two boys was a black haired woman garbed in red and wearing a full red and black mask, this was Shadow Weaver and she was far from pleased as she saw the start of a fight breaking out. "Cadet Leorio, I trust you understand what kind of trouble that fighting outside of a sanctioned arena will earn you?" Her voice was barely breaking above a normal speaking voice but the floating hair and the narrowed glare at him made the air feel cold.

"He..He started it…He called me a rabid mess!"

"Lashing out over meaningless words doesn't make you right, it makes you look like a child, curb this behaviour…or I will change it for you." Shadow Weaver warned him and let some black tendrils dance around him as she watched the Cadet nod timidly at the threat. "Good, now move along." She ordered as Leorio left both Adam and her alone.

"You didn't have to intervene, ma'am…I wasn't going to engage the fight." Adam said with a rather serious tone before following alongside Shadow Weaver when she gestured for him to do so.

"I did have to because I would rather not see you setting a bad example for others around you…" Shadow Weaver admonished him; "In any case, I must commend you for showing better restraint of yourself in a situation like that, your control over your new strength is much better." She said as she guided him to her sanctum where she had numbers of jars, tomes of magic and the lynchpin of her power: The Black Garnet. "Now, as for why I have been looking for you is because I wished to speak with you after I have spoken with Adora."

"Is it something I can help with, ma'am?" Adam asked as he made his salute; Even after so many times of coming here, he always felt unnerved by this room in particular and especially so when she trained him.

"You can answer a particular question for me, Adam…Why is it that you've neglected to inform me that you had opted to take the Captain's exam." Shadow Weaver quizzed him, though her tone wasn't angry or accusatory but rather bemused. "You know that I could have arranged for you to have taken the Captain's exam in private to test your own skills…Just like I would with Adora..."

Adam felt the urge to swallow the small nugget of anxiety in his throat; "I…I wanted to try taking it on my own and to show that I'm good enough on my own merits." He explained; "I'd rather earn my success rather than relying on handouts or because you put a good word in for me…You always taught us to work for what we want so I stuck by it."

Shadow Weaver gauged him to see if he was lying but so far she could tell that he was being honest, "I understand…Though it does pain me that you couldn't tell me these things." She mentioned and then floated closer to him and gently slipped his hood down and placed a hand on his masked cheek. "I am your mother after all, child…I've done everything in my power to make you into a respectable soldier and you have demonstrated that you can be that and more." She said with a soothing voice that layered the same amount of praise that she often gave to Adora. "Which is why I went to the measure of talking to your Instructor…He says that both you and Adora have demonstrated incredible aptitude and skill, enough to earn you both the rank of Captain…Though you are to be granted the rank of Jäger Captain while Adora remains a Force-Captain."

Adam nodded with some internal happiness at earning his place before pulling his hood back up; "I know, mother...But what about Catra? She's been able to score just as highly as we did, she should earn the credit too."

Shadow Weaver sighed, it was clear that Adora tried this too with her and it went just as well. "If she gives me a reason to, then I would but I cannot indulge her flippancy and her insistence on acting like a petulant child." She grizzled as she tapped a finger to the bridge of where her nose would be. "As it stands, she does nothing but bring Adora down…And you down by proxy."

Adam hesitated for a moment but then came up with an idea; "Why not send us on a mission together, we can prove that the three of us can not only be good as a team but all three of us could make for good Captains." He suggested to Shadow Weaver who had turned to look into her viewing pool as his eyes made a quick glance to a rather new looking glass tube; it was filled with a dark green liquid like the kind that was normally in Lord Hordak's sanctum where he had several larger containers.

It was unclear as to why this particular one was so drawing to him but he felt his feet slowly walk towards it, his hand began reaching out and his head started to swim like it was filling to the brim with anaesthetic. Everything slowly dimmed down and faded into silence as his fingers touched against the cold glass; There was a small string of black that touched the glass where his hand was and suddenly that fog of silence quickly fell apart into a growing cacophony of sensory madness. Glimpses of a dark laboratory and the glint of a syringe in hand flashed before his eyes and then everything went white with an ear piercing scream as his head felt like it was about to split in two.

"..am…"

"…ake up…"

"Adam!"

Adam's eyes blinked open and he lurched upward with a sharp intake of air as his body felt the cold sweat tingle at the back of his neck, "I…I'm okay, mother." He said and tried to lean forward to sit up.

However a shadowy tendril placed itself on his head and gently forced him to lay back down on the ground as Shadow Weaver was standing beside his prone body. "No, you are not! You just passed out and started convulsing in the middle of talking…So you will rest here until I think you are ready to get back up." She stated firmly; Even though the dark mage was just as harsh and stern with teaching him as she was with Adora and Catra, she did have her few moments to care for them…though those moments were rare. "Can you recall what happened?"

"I…I just tapped that glass case and suddenly it was like I had a nightmare while wide awake." Adam said and began to detail what little fragments he could recall; "Then everything went white and found myself on the floor."

Shadow Weaver stood up as she mused over everything; "Interesting…I'll look into this while you are on your mission but for right now, I need you focused." She elaborated as she grabbed a nearby box and then handed it to Adam while helping him to his feet.

"A Mission? Will it be something I can invite our squad on?" Adam asked as he looked over the box; It was a deep maroon colour with a black clasp over where the lock was.

"The mission I'm assigning to you is one that I think you can handle on your own…Hence why your new title is reserved for Force Captains who specialise in hunting and tracking." Shadow Weaver explained as she used her pool to summon up a vision of a certain part of Etheria; "The Horde have been made aware of Walkers thanks to the byproduct of their wild and unrestricted use of magic…But certain ones that are especially strong are called WEAPONS, they roam the lands and possess a bizarre ability to command these Walkers."

Adam stood to attention; "What would you have me do, Shadow Weaver?" He asked her as he regained his focused visage. "And what is this box that you've given me?"

"The box is one I created with my magic to store everything you need for long travel; Additional weapons and medical gear, tracking equipment and rations…It should be more than sufficient for you to make the first travel towards Ballista: A stronghold east of Plumeria, that is where I have been seeing large amounts of Walkers roaming." Shadow Weaver explained as she showed Adam the abandoned village; "I want you to scout out the base, find out what the Walkers do there whether they guard the Princesses or they just roam…and if there is a hive made up of them then destroy it."

"What about my suggestion? About taking Adora and Catra with me." Adam suggested but then stopped when he saw Shadow Weaver raising a hand towards him to quiet.

"Adora has her own mission to collect a small group and march on Thaymor to eliminate a weapons factory and Catra shall stay with her group as she remains a cadet." Shadow Weaver said with a sterner tone and made it clear that this was the end of that discussion. "Track the Walkers, eliminate any potential threats to the Horde whether it's princesses or them and if you see a WEAPON, you are to neutralise it to the best of your ability." She detailed his instructions and handed him a Force Captain badge; However this one looked like a wolf's head in between the bat like wings. "In the case that you cannot then fall back and we shall use what information you gather…But I made sure you were perfectly trained into a soldier too good to consider retreat…Now go, you are dismissed."

Adam was about to ask again but then saluted and left Shadow Weaver to go prepare, leaving him with the mixed feelings of pride at getting promoted but also hesitant about going after considering the sudden episode that he had. "No, Mo-Shadow Weaver depends on me completing this mission…She's trained me and taught me so much…I can't afford to let her down." He thought to himself as he headed to the hangar bay to find a skiff.

Shadow Weaver on the other hand was stuck in an endless series of questions to herself regarding Adam's sudden collapse. "Could it be a side-effect? He's not shown any degradation or symptoms like this befo-No…I made absolutely sure that everything was immaculately done, HE is the perfect one…The only one who made it through the tests." She thought to herself as she found herself gazing at the Black Garnet's reflection of her. "Adam WILL not fail me…And Adora won't fail me either…"

—On the Roof—

The two other friends were trying to talk things out regarding Adora's new promotion to Force Captain; Adora was doing her best to keep Catra's enthusiasm tempered while Catra was more invested in going with Adora to blow something up now that the prospect of venturing outside of the Fright Zone was viable. "Seriously Adora, this is awesome! Now we can do whatever we want and soon enough, we can call the shots instead of worrying about Shadow Weaver." Catra bounced up and down as she was borderline purring in excitement. "You, me, Adam and the squad can now do missions together."

Hearing this was what made it hard for Adora to admit as she had her talk from Shadow Weaver; "Catra…They just want me to be Force Captain…I don't know about Adam but Shadow Weaver says that you're…staying behind with the others." Adora said with hesitance as it made her feel guilty despite trying to stick up for her but froze when she saw the door open up and Adam walking through to meet them.

"I figured you two would be up here." Adam remarked as he walked over towards the railing; "Still things are gonna change a lot now, congrats on you getting Force Captain, Adora."

"What are you talking about? Thing's aren't gonna be that much different, it just means Ad…Wait, you got promoted too?!" Catra asked as she immediately went from grumpy to shocked when she saw the Captain's pin on Adam's hoody; "I j-HOW?! I thought they were only promoting Adora."

"They made me the Force Captain, I didn't know there were…Wait, your's looks different." Adora mentioned as she seemed rather confused at this revelation but that turned to curiosity when she noticed that his badge looked different to her's. "That's a Jäger Captain's badge…How come you've been made a Hunter?"

Catra cocked her head as she looked at Adam's badge then to Adora; "There's a difference?" She asked with a bemused look on her face as she swiped Adam's badge to get a better look.

"Force Captains can command Squadrons and lead them against the Rebellion on the front lines along with coordinating plans." Adam explained as he then looked to Catra; "Hunters are directly instructed by the likes of Lord Hordak or Shadow Weaver to go after singular targets or anything specifically…Like say a Princess or a monster that's attacking the Horde." He mentioned before taking the badge back from Catra.

"Okay, let's just rewind this a little; Adora gets promoted because she's Adora and YOU get end up promoted too for some weird solo missions, What about me? Just because I don't play by Shadow Weaver's rules doesn't mean I can't be worth making a captain." Catra ranted as she was slowly getting frustrated at being overlooked.

"Catra…Let's be honest; You can be disrespectful to Shadow Weaver a lot." Adam mentioned as he couldn't help but point out that she wasn't exactly innocent. "You don't exactly make it easy for her to commend you."

"I think what Adam means is that…" Adora paused as she tried to think of a less blunt way to put it. "Maybe if you actually listened to her and did as she said then maybe she'd actually hear you out a-"

"Oh yeah, like THAT's ever going to work out, that wispy old bat doesn't have any power outside of what Hordak gives her…then again what do I expect to hear from a people pleaser and Shadow Weaver's test tube baby!" Catra snapped and then began her acrobatic climbing up the pipeline to the very top of the building.

"CATRA!" Adora yelled as she was shocked that the cat-like girl took a low blow like that and then sighed as she watched Catra vanish into the distance; "Seriously…Look, Adam…I'm sure Catra didn't mean that."

Adam shook his head; "It's fine…It's not like it's the first time that I've heard that." He said with a rather terse voice and then peered up at the higher reaches; "I can kind of see where she's coming from, though…Shadow Weaver did help put me through training, she still wasn't exactly easy on me about it."

"Weird...She was always helping me with what I needed, regardless of what it was…" Adora mentioned as she then pat his back; "Still, I owe you congratulations as well…It is nice to see someone else getting up there in the ranks, I just wish Shadow Weaver would let me take the guys with me for this mission."

Adam felt his slight tension relieve itself and nodded; "We should probably check in on Catra…She'll sit outside all night if we just leave her." He suggested as he then jumped up to grab onto one of the hanging pipes and climbed up like he was doing a chin up. "Besides, we'd be pretty bad friends if we didn't try to help her feel better."

"She's probably still upset, I don't even think it's going to help if we just sit there with her…And I DID try to talk to Shadow Weaver about giving Catra credit." Adora mentioned as she walked over to try and climb up the pipes since she couldn't jump as high as Adam or Catra. "What did you have in mind anyway?"

"I think it's probably time that I bring out my…."Secret Weapon"…That always helps when you or Catra are down." Adam said with a fairly audible smirk on his face.

Adora paused her thoughts as she climbed up the pipeline like a jungle gym but then grinned back when she realised; "You're gonna have to make it a good one."

—Up on the Canopy—

Catra was staring out over the wide and derelict landscape that was the Fright Zone; She absolutely hated it, the smell of burning garbage, the fact that nearly everyone there was a jerk towards her and now her only two actual friends were now being promoted and moved on. "Jerks…They get to have all the fun because Shadow Weaver likes them better…All I get is yelled at…"

"Oh, Catra…"

Catra's ears pricked up when she heard Shadow Weaver's voice but then realised that there was only a couple of people who actively came up here besides her and simply ignored the voice.

"Catra…Your resident gloomy ghost mother is here~!"

"Go away, Adam…I'm still mad at you."

"You wound me, Catra Applesauce Meowmeow…How can you expect for I, the dark and edgy Shadow Weaver to act like a stuck-up jerk when you're not around." The fake Shadow Weaver proclaimed dramatically as Adam and Adora stood behind Catra.

Adora snickered as she decided to play along; "Yeah, Catra…I thought you'd want to jump in on saying something to "Shadow Weaver"…Though maybe you'd want someone else?"

Catra grumbled something before flicking her tail irritably. "Stupid dorks…"

"How about…" Adam said in his normal voice before clearing his throat; "Hey, look at me…My name is Lonnie and I like to act all big and tough around the other cadets but I still sleep with a plushy at night." He said with a perfect imitation of the bruiser's voice.

Adora snorted and started to laugh as she heard what was said; "Wait, does she really?" She asked with an almost curious note in her voice.

Adam didn't say anything next but he decided to copy the other big, bad bruiser Rogelio and started making a series of grunts, growls and guttural sounds.

Catra wasn't able to hold still for long as she turned around and pounced on Adam with a look on her face that mixed in her attempt at staying angry while trying hard not to laugh. "Stop. Doing. That."

Adam then cleared his throat and looked back up at Catra. "Then what would you like me to do instead, I take requests when I'm not being a giant dork." He said while imitating Adora's voice.

"ADAM!" Adora yelled with bright pink cheeks as she broke into a pout from being called out; "I thought we agreed on no friendly fire…"

Catra finally broke as she burst out laughing while on top of him before she collapsed beside him. "You're right, she really is a massive dork~!"

"Good to see you laughing again, Catra." Adora muttered sarcastically as she sat with the two. "Look…I'm sorry if we said the wrong thing earlier, we both know you try harder than anyone else to earn your place on the squad."

Adam nodded; "We know you do…And if it makes you feel a little better…Both of us tried to convince Shadow Weaver that you were just as good as us and that you should get credited too." He said to vouch for both of them.

Catra sat up and brought her knees up to her chest before deciding to be open; "I know…But let's be honest, She doesn't really like me as much as you two do, Adora gets a pass because she's Shadow Weaver's star pupil." She mentioned and looked to Adam; "And you get free reign because you're Shadow Weaver's kid."

"Trust me…Having Shadow Weaver teaching me wasn't as easy as it sounded…" Adam admitted; While the Dark Magic wielder was more than willing to have him educated in every subject deemed appropriate for what she called a "First Class of First Class Soldier", it was nothing short of hammering the information into his head and she didn't have the patience for slow and relaxed learning.

"Here's an idea…I've got a mission in Thaymor, if I can ace that and bring back results then maybe Shadow Weaver will hear me out and let us make up a squad together." Adora suggested as she realised that she had a goal; "I mean; Adam's the smartest of us so he can make strategies, Catra's the most agile so scouting can be her thing and I am…."

"Able to punch stuff hard?" Catra said with a smug grin.

"Beat anyone at arm-wrestling?" Adam chimed in with a cock of his head as he watched Adora talk.

"I can help to organise the right level of force and get us on the right track to help stop the Rebellion." Adora pointed out to stop the two from coming up with other reasons; "If we can really come up with a solid plan then Shadow Weaver can't refuse to make us a squad, maybe we can eve-"

"Actually…That's gonna have to wait." Adam pointed out as he got to his feet. "Shadow Weaver actually issued me a mission before I got here, I'm to head out and track down some Walkers that have been roaming around a settlement near the Whispering Woods…Hopefully by watching them and getting a handle on what they do, we might be able to stop them from eventually turning on the Horde."

"You've been a Captain for like…A few hours and you're already being sent out?" Adora asked as she looked a little confused at how sudden this was.

"It's not really much of a shock…That's kinda part of being a Horde Captain." Catra pointed out; "Just try to come back BEFORE we forget what you look like…Otherwise I'm just gonna shred up all your stuff." She added and poked his chest with a clawed finger.

"Wow, Catra…That almost sounded like you were worried about me for a sec." Adam remarked with a note of sarcasm as he then decided to head back down; "I won't be gone THAT long…Besides, I'd never leave you guys behind. Horde Buddies, right?" He said and held his fist out towards them.

Adora and Catra nodded and lightly bumped their fists against his; "Horde Buddies." They said in return as they watched Adam vanish over the side and climbing back down towards the lower parts.

Catra sighed as she gazed back out to the horizon; "You guys really have it lucky, you know that?"

Adora walked over to join her at the side and pat her back; "Catra, I always thought you hated the whole thing…I didn't realise that missing out on becoming Captain affected you that much." She said to try helping Catra feel better, especially since now they were down a friend for what would be a good chunk of time.

"The rank isn't what I want…I just…want to get out of here, at least leave the Fright Zone and explore the world…Being a Captain at least lets me do that." Catra said sullenly and further explained what was bugging her; "Shadow Weaver got what she wanted by making you and Adam Captains so why put the effort in making ME one?" She asked with a more irritated look but then felt that fall into a frown again. "What's the use...I'll never get to see outside of this place."

Adora simply dangled a metal key that belonged to one of the skiffs in the hangar. "You wanna bet?"

—Later—

It had finally turned to night by the time that Adam navigated his skiff past the Whispering Woods; He had heard all the stories about the roaming Princesses and the haunted parts which he dismissed as bunk, he still knew that it was enemy territory and that alone was enough to warrant a wide berth as he traveled. "Just a few more miles…I'll help fight the Walkers back and then I'll be on to helping the others bring the fight to the Rebellion." He thought as he picked up speed and then headed for the nearby seafront where Ballista was based, his first thought was to go in but his mission was to track, not to engage so he veered off of the path and headed up a nearby hillside and parked there.

The base was practically deserted; All of the barracks were abandoned and there was no sign of anyone around even outside of it was bare. The only thing to concern itself with the Walkers' presence outside of Plumeria was the nearby port town called Seaworthy.

It was the perfect place for the Horde to try annexing as a foothold for their push against Brightmoon, Adam opened up the box and grabbed a pair of binoculars to watch from afar. He was going to get results on the Walkers no matter what it took or how long, it was a lonely spot that he picked but he needed lonely to blend in. "And now we wait…"