Silence 4.5 by Janelle Stalder

attack. He looked - nervous, and she had no idea why.
    Walking further into the room, he stood before her. "You asked about the oranges. I import them from the States. That's how I get my hands on a lot of things I have here."
    She stood up slowly, not sure she was hearing him properly. "The States?" she repeated slowly, questioning him just to be certain she'd not imagined it.
    He jerked his head.
    "That's impossible."
    "Not for everyone," he said.
    Could he be telling the truth? They’d only found out that the US army. and the United States itself, still existed from Roman a short while ago. It wasn't common knowledge. So how did Bastian know? And Roman had said it was impossible to get reinforcements in from there because the security around them was too tight.
    Anything that came close, by sea or air, was reportedly shot down. At least, that's was Roman had told them. And even though he had once been Ludwig's right-hand man, Pixie believed him. There was an honest way about Roman, and she knew he would never do anything to harm, or lie, to Bridgette. So if Bastian was telling the truth, that meant he had figured out a way to have planes or boats land without being detected.
    This was huge. It was no wonder he hadn't wanted to answer her questions before. That also explained why he was so suspicious of her. Which begged the question...
    She looked up at him. "Why are you telling me this?"
    He shrugged, suddenly looking uncomfortable. Like a little boy who had done something nice and was now embarrassed because of it.
    "I figured that sort of thing could help you," he said finally.
    She tilted her head. "Help me with what?"
    "Help all of you...the Archers," he said, shocking her. "I imagine if you really want to put a dent in the New World Order, you're going to need a little back-up."
    Fear and relief mixed, knowing that he knew the truth about who she really was. Obviously one of the others had told him. She just hoped that they weren’t hurt in the process. She didn’t think he’d be standing here saying these things to her if he had though. There was no more reason to lie, she thought thankfully. And now he was suggesting he wanted to help them. Her chest tightened. She took a hesitant step forward. "You'd do that?"
    He nodded once. "I will. For you. And this place is the perfect location to mobilize an opposition. Ludwig hasn't paid attention to the Outlands since the day he put up those fences around New Berlin. We'd be safe here."
    Words were hard to formulate. Was this some sort of cruel joke? From all appearances, he looked like he was being sincere, but part of her was hesitant.
    "Why?" she asked finally.
    Confusion passed over his face as he glanced around, as though the answer would be lying somewhere in the room.
    "Because I know what you're doing is right. Because I've stood back and done nothing for too long." He pushed a hand through his hair. "Fuck, I've even done shit to basically make things worse, never mind better. I've screwed up. And because I owe people more than that. People that I haven't thought about for a long time. I've disappointed a lot of them."
    Pixie didn't know what to say to that. All she knew was that hope - real, true hope, blossomed in her. This could be the turning point, she thought. With Bastian's help, they could get a real army in to help them, and make a difference. They wouldn't have to struggle anymore, or live in fear.
    It also meant she and her friends were safe now. They could even bring the rest of them here, out of Ludwig's reach, and start to put concrete plans together.
    She remembered then what he had said when she’d first asked if he was serious about helping them. His reply had been, "for you".
    Another kind of hope started to unfurl inside her. The kind she wouldn't have normally considered. The kind she had never imagined for herself. But it was there. And looking into Bastian's eyes, she thought, perhaps, he also felt something akin to it.
    Pixie took a