To All Readers: Thank you so much for your reviews so far. Your feedback and questions are much appreciated. Rest assured, all questions will be answered as the story progresses. I'm in this for the long haul, so this story will be long and detailed. Also, I've decided to include Predator involvement. A few Predators will join the fray, so look forward to them in the story. Please enjoy this chapter, and review to speak your thoughts and opinions.

Disclaimer : I do not own any of the Aliens and Akame ga Kill! Franchises. Those belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 6: Insight, Inside

Hadley's Hope, South of the Empire

"Run, take a look at this." Kurome was standing next to the General's Aide, and held up the smooth rectangular object for him to see. "What do you have there, Kurome?" Run asked perplexed. The teenage assassin pointed towards the north end of Hadley's Hope and answered "It's something I've found near that oddly shaped totem, at the area I was searching earlier. I figured, it might provide a clue about this place."

Run takes the rectangle device and closely observes it. He, Kurome, and the other Jaegers have just left Night Raid's Camp, and returned to the Bird Wyvern at the center of the Colony. They are to search the Colony buildings, and find clues that can explain the nature of the buildings that occupy the Valley. So far, they have only gotten a name to this place, thanks to the sign posts they found in Night Raid's Camp.

After going over every inch of the device, Run sees a latch release and pressed it. The object began to split and folded open, revealing a dark screen display and a set of buttons on a keyboard. "Interesting." commented Run. All around him, the Jaegers have gathered to see what he was doing.

"What's that you got there, Run? Some kind of equipment?" asked a curious Seryu. Behind her, Koro was climbing up her shoulder for a better look. Run turns to face his comrades "I don't know, honestly. Kurome here was the one who found it within her search area." He indicates Kurome, who nods quietly.

Esdeath walks up and joins the conversation "Then, you should be careful." she warned "If we don't know what it could be, it'll be all the more dangerous to just simply tinker with it." Run quickly nods and carefully closed the device back up, without touching any of the buttons on the keyboard.

"We should at least try to understand it." Wave explained "We haven't come across anything, that can help explain what this place is. It might be worth figuring out, what this device can do."

A sadistic smirk ran across Esdeath 's face "Are you volunteering? That's very courageous you, Wave" The sailor makes a blush and turns to the rest of his teammates. They were all staring at him expectantly. "Fine." Wave replies "As a Man of the Sea, I cannot place others at risk, before myself." He takes his Imperial Arm, stabs it into the ground, and called out its name "Grand Chariot!" The black armor materialized onto him and he stands ready. Run hands him the device and backs away, along with everybody else.

When all of the Jaegers backed safely away from Wave, the black armored Jaeger places the device on the ground and slowly reopened it. He looks over the blank screen display and wondered "Okay. I'm assuming, that this is supposed to display some sort of image of some kind?"

Wave looks over to where his Comrades are standing, and calls out "Hey! What the Hell, am I supposed to do!?" Esdeath, Kurome, and Seryu held up a hand to their mouths to stifle laughs. Run answers back "It's obviously some sort of gadget. Look for a way to turn it on." With a sigh, the black armored sailor glared back at the device. All across the keyboard, labels and letters were printed on or besides the many buttons and controls. One button near the top of the keyboard had the word "Power On/Off"

Wave fidgets, as he scratches the translucent visor atop his helmet with an armored hand. He holds up his other hand to block, as he reaches down and press the power switch in a barely audible click. The black armored Jaeger dropped to a knee and braced.

A dull electrical chime sounded from the device, and the blank screen lights up. Wave can see a set of words appear across the screen "ERROR. TERMINAL INTERFACE, INTERRUPTED. PLEASE RECONNECT INPUT, FOR TERMINAL ACCESS." The black armored Jaeger stood up, and waved his Comrades over "It's okay! Come take a look!"

The Jaegers have gathered around the device, as Run walks up and picks it back up. "Well done, Wave. You've managed to keep from getting blown apart." Esdeath commented coolly. Wave was about to retort, but Seryu steps up and claps him on his plated back "Way to go, Wave! You've put your faith in Justice, and see how it protects you." The black armored sailor turns away and quickly mumbled "Why didn't you do it yourself, if you were so confident..." He notices Kurome was standing in front of him when he blurted his contempt "Would you rather, I do it then?" she said with a teasing smirk on her face.

Wave goes quiet, as he stares down at the teenage assassin "Not funny…" he murmured. And Kurome's smirk faded, as she turned her head away "You're right…sorry". Wave places an armored hand on Kurome's shoulder "Remember your promise. Okay?" Akame's Younger Sister brushes the black armored Jaeger's hand away, and softly responds "I haven't forgotten." With both of them reaching an understanding, Wave and Kurome turned to look at Run as he studies the object with a keen interest.

"Have you learned anything yet, Run?" asked Esdeath. The General's Aide presses a few buttons and gazes at the screen as new words appear "TERMINAL SET TO STANDBY. PLEASE INPUT COMMAND." Run smiles "Fascinating." He explains "It appears, this device is some sort of operating system for the access and manipulation of data."

Seryu scratched her head in confusion "What's that supposed to mean? What do you call something like that?" Run turns around and addresses his fellow Jaegers "It's called a computer. It's a device that can provide information, as well as interface with complex machinery. Very few people in the world have something like this, and none of them had one this small and compact."

Everyone began to look impressed. "So, you're saying, this device as well as this place, are made from advanced technology?" asked Kurome. Run looks at her, and answers "Extremely advanced. To the point of extraordinary, I would say."

Esdeath held her chin in thought, then spoke "Run. You said that device can provide information? Can it give Us any information about this place? Or what has happened here?" The General's Aide gazes down at the Portable Terminal "Let me try something." Run looks over at the screen again and the words remain the same "PLEASE INPUT COMMAND." Below the words, a command prompt with a blinking cursor stood ready.

Run placed his fingers on the keyboard and carefully typed out a word "IDENTIFY." New words automatically began to form across the screen "I-ZK BETA-CORE PROCESSING, MULTIFUNCTION PERFORMANCE UNIT. MANUFACTURED BY WEYLAND-YUTANI CORPORATION"

The Jaegers looked at the words and were instantly confused. "Well, that didn't help very much." commented Wave. Beside him, Kurome nodded in agreement. Seryu drummed her foot with impatience "What's with all the techno-babble!? Can't you get it to make any sense?" Esdeath claps her on the shoulder to silence her. The General then studied the words closely "Weyland-Yutani. That word's been written all over this place." She recalls the words of the signs found back in Night Raid's camp.

The Jaegers' leader then points out to some of the Colony structures nearby, and revealed the same words painted of the sides. And below most of them, were written the words "Building Better Worlds" Seryu glared at the words with scrutiny "Building Better Worlds? Are they talking about serving Justice? Like the Jaegers and the Empire?"

Wave walked up to a nearby Weyland-Yutani sign, and stared for a second "The way these words are placed on most things, means it's a trademark. It's a brand name, to showcase products belonging to a certain merchant company or conglomerate." Run looks up at him "It makes a whole lot of sense. Good call, Wave." The Sailor Jaeger grinned appreciatively within his helmet "As a Man of the Sea, the first things I was taught, was to understand the concept of market trade, shipping, and commerce."

Kurome walks up to him and smirks "Somehow, Wave. I can't picture you as a bigshot business merchant or a market dealer." Not wanting to take the joke lying down, Wave lifts his chin up with dignity. "Let me take you out shopping one day. I'll show how business savvy I can be." The teen assassin blushes and replies "Sorry. But I'm not interested in things like that."

Esdeath clears her throat, and got Everyone's attention "It seems, we're beginning to learn the identity of the peoples involved with this place. Continue, Run. Let's see what else, this computer can tell Us." Run turns back to the Portable Terminal, and typed in another command "DESCRIBE FUNCTIONS." Another set of words appeared on screen "DATA ACCESS AND RETRIEVAL. HEAVY EQUIPMENT INTERFACE AND CONTROL. SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE, TROUBLESHOOTING, AND REPAIR." The winged Jaeger frowns and typed in more commands "DESCRIBE PRIMARY FUNCTIONS." The Portable Terminal responds and displays more words on screen "AIDE AND ASSIST COLONY PERSONNEL IN OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF LV-426 TERRAFORMING INSTALLATION."

Run nods, as if confirming something and turns to his fellow Jaegers "The people, who resided here, used this device in their daily tasks of operating this place, like some sort of tool. It provides assistance in the various operations to run an installation."

"What exactly, can they use it for?" asked Seryu. Run just shrugs, and answers "It can pull up and show any given data, or operate machinery that may be too big or complicated for humans to use."

Esdeath spoke up and commanded "Ask it to explain, who resided here, and where exactly did they go." The General's Aide resumed typing commands into the Portable Terminal "IDENTIFY COLONY PERSONNEL."

The computer responds with a list:

CURTIS HADLEY – FOUNDER

AL SIMPSON – ADMINISTRATOR

BRAD LYDECKER - ADMINISTRATOR ASSISTANT

CAPT. DEMIAN BRACKETT - COLONIAL MARINE COMMANDING OFFICER

DR. BARTHOLOMEW REESE – CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER

SGT. MARVIN DRAPER – COLONIAL MARINE RANKING OFFICER

DR. CHESTER LING – CHIEF SURGEON

JOHN MARACHUK – MAINTENANCE ENGINEER

RUSSELL JORDEN – GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYOR

ANNE JORDEN – GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEYOR

This list goes on with several more names and designated ranks and positions. Esdeath and her Subordinates scrolled over the list keenly. "Don't know who any of these people are" she looks again at some of the names "Colonial Marines. The same military group as Corporal Hicks." she presumes.

Seryu gnashed her teeth at the mention of Hicks "These people are in league with that Criminal! They're Evildoers planning an invasion, and this is their base to stage it!" Run holds up a hand and interjected "Not likely, Seryu. There's hardly enough people on this list, who carry a military rank. Maybe enough to make up a squad or two, but that's it. He looks up and turns to Esdeath "So far, none of the information we've pulled would describe this place as some sort of base." The General nods "Agreed. This place doesn't have the look of a military base."

Wave crossed his arms with impatience "So what is this place then? An installation? What kind?" Run thinks back on the recent information "Terraforming Installation." He typed in a new command "DEFINE TERRAFORMING." Words scrolled across the screen to reveal the answer "TERRAFORM – THE PROCESS IN WHICH THE ENVIRONMENT IS ALTERED TO SUIT ONE'S DESIRED CONDITION. TYPICALLY UTILIZED AS A METHOD BY WHICH AN OTHERWISE INHOSPITABLE PLANET MAY BE RENDERED SUITABLE FOR COLONIZATION AND HABITATION."

Nobody said anything as they try to make sense of the definition. "I think, we found out the purpose of this place" explained Run "It seems that these people planned to change this entire planet into something that fits their needs, so that they may come and take it over. To colonize it, according to this info."

Kurome looked around the colony buildings suspiciously "You may be right, Seryu." She glanced at her auburn haired comrade "It seems, these people weren't from around here. And it looks like, they were trying to carry out an invasion." Seryu makes an angry scowled and nods. Beside her, Koro growls and eyes the buildings around them.

"That still doesn't explain what happened here, or where everybody went." said Wave. Run goes back to typing "EXPLAIN CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING TO INSTALLATION'S CURRENT CONDITION." A message instantly appears on screen "ERROR. AVAILABLE DATA INSUFFICIENT. PLEASE INTERFACE WITH COLONY ARCHIVES AND REFERENCE VISUAL DATA LOGS, OR CONSULT WITH ADMINISTRATOR AL SIMPSON.

Run frowns as he examines the response, and continues typing "WHERE IS ADMINISTRATOR AL SIMPSON?" another message instantly appears "ERROR. AVAILABLE DATA INSUFFICIENT. PLEASE INTERFACE WITH INSTALLATION MAIN COMPUTER TERMINAL AND REFERENCE PERSONAL DATA TRANSMISSION NETWORK."

"It doesn't know the answers to the questions we're asking." announced Run. His fellow Jaegers began to grow impatient

Kurome rolled her eyes "What a waste of time." Seryu began to reach for the Portable Terminal "Let's give it a few hits! Maybe that will get it to work right." Wave stepped in front of her "Run. Isn't there anything, you can do?" Esdeath quietly stood by and crossed her arms expectantly.

"Hold on. Let me see what I can try." Run scratched his head and resumed typing "WHERE IS COLONY ARCHIVES? WHERE IS MAIN TERMINAL?" a response appears on screen "CONTROL CENTER, COLONY OPERATIONS FACILITY, LEVEL 2." The General's Aide looked confused "CAN YOU PROVIDE SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS?" same as before "ERROR. AVAILABLE DATA INSUFFICIENT. PLEASE INTERFACE WITH INSTALLATION MAPPING TERMINAL AND REFERENCE COLONY SCHEMATIC OVERLAY."

"I think we've gotten all we're ever gonna learn from this device." declared Esdeath. She turns and addresses all her Subordinates "Let's get a move on. There's bound to be more clues inside those structures." She points at the colony buildings.

Run raises a hand "Hold on, Commander. There's one last thing I'd like to try" Esdeath glared at him, and gesture for him to proceed. The winged Jaeger typed in one more command into the Portable Terminal "DESCRIBE MOST RECENTLY PERFORMED TASKS." A few seconds passed and the computer responded "UPDATE VISUAL DATA. ACCESS ARCHIVED COLONY LOG FILES. ALIGN COLONY TRANSMITTER AT INSTALLATION COMMUNICATIONS UPLINK ASSEMBLY. INTERFACE WITH DROPSHIP OPERATIONS ABOARD U.S.S SULACO. SUPPLEMENT FLIGHT CONTROLS VIA REMOTE. PILOT UD-4L CHEYENNE PLANETARY/ORBITAL CONVEYANCE VESSEL 02 INTO ATMOSPHERIC REENTRY WITHIN LV-426."

Too many technical terms are mentioned, and Run couldn't comprehend most of it. With a sigh, he powers off the Portable Terminal and folds it closed. He then turns to his fellow Jaegers "We may have a lead" he announced "We need to find the Control Room inside someplace called Operations. Does anyone know where that is?"

Wave immediately stepped forward and answered "Yes. I've seen it. It's over there." He points to a tall building directly facing the massive coned structure that Esdeath froze with ice. On the building's side was the word "OPERATIONS" written in bold lettering.

The Jaegers all stood in front of a set of heavy doors marked "WEST LOCK" that led into the Operations building. The door was shut with no handle or bolt to open it. Only an electronic keypad can be seen next to the doors, and it was completely smashed. It looked like someone had been trying to keep something from coming in. Or keep something from getting out.

Wave walks up to the sealed doors "I'll try prying it open" he slipped his armored fingers through the seam and began pulling aside one of the sliding doors. "Koro! Help him." Seryu commands her biological Imperial Arm to enlarge his arms and assist Wave by pulling open the other door. With a dull metallic groan, the doors began to part open and a rush of outside wind blew into the stale darkness within.

All eyes tried to peer through the gloom of the ruined building, but no one can see past the darkness that greeted them. "I can't see a thing." said Wave "How are we supposed to know what's in there?" Kurome stood next to him and stared quietly at the building interior. She wasn't enthused about stepping blindly into someplace much darker than the Serpents' Hive.

Unlike the Hive, which was made by the Creatures' translucent slime and allowed sunlight to filter in through gaps in the construction, the Colony Buildings are solid steel which make up the thick walls and heavy doors. Only slivers of light can penetrate the small cracks of damage. It would be pitch black in there without a viable light source. And Anything could be crawling inside these buildings.

"Here. Use these." Run held up a bag taken from the Bird Wyvern, and produced a bundle of unlit torches. "I packed these. Just in case, we found ourselves in another dark place" he lights the torches and hands one to Esdeath, Wave, and kept the last for himself. Seryu holds out her right arm "Koro! Number 9!" the biological Imperial Arm clamped his enlarged mouth onto the arm, and spat it back out with the Justice City Detector attached. Kurome draws Muramasa, and strained against the burden as power transferred into her body. She holds up the katana Imperial Arm, as its red blade began to glow.

Esdeath addressed her Subordinates "Okay. We should have enough light to safely navigate the buildings. Let's get in formation. Wave. Koro. You're on point. Seryu and Run will take center. And Kurome and I will bring up the rear."

The Jaegers' leader stole a quick glance at the south, were the Serpents' corpses and Night Raid's camp was located. She unsheathes her newly replaced rapier and coated it with ice "We don't know what We'll find in there. So be ready for anything." Seryu drew her Tonfa Guns and held them readily. Wave held up his torch and stood at the front. Koro grew to medium size and stood next to the black armored Jaeger. Run tucked the Portable Terminal in the bag that held the torches and slung it over a shoulder. He steps next to Seryu, as he held his torch ready. Kurome walked up next to Esdeath.

When all of the Jaegers assumed their positions, Esdeath signaled them to press forward. Wave carefully stepped through the doorway and into the dark building, with Koro stomping beside him. They both swept the gazes side to side, as the black armored sailor held forth his torch. After a moment of determining to coast is clear, he beckoned for the others to step inside. Run and Seryu entered next, followed by Kurome and Esdeath. Everyone quickly scanned the building interior and observed their surroundings. At first the corridor leading into the structure seemed normal, if not strictly utilitarian. Long winding cables and pipes ran along the walls and ceilings, often slipping underneath level support struts. Ductwork and pipes ran alongside or beneath a steel floor grating. Despite the corridors design for every single space to be used, it was still broad enough to accommodate three average sized adults to walk side by side.

This industrial pathway resembled nothing like what the Jaegers are used to, back at the Imperial Palace with its large hallways of marble and stone. No one said anything as they cautiously made their way down the metal path.

As the Jaegers rounded a corner, they saw the true conditions of the structure they're in. The Operations building is a wreck. Loose pipes and cable wires stuck out and tangled all over the corridor path, like entrails. Large bulky equipment and wall paneling lay strewn about, cluttering areas here and there. And in very few places on the floor, were holes of melted steel. The burn damage looked all too familiar.

"The Serpents were here!" Wave called out urgently "They overtook this place like any other. Probably killed whoever resided here." Run spoke up in a calm manner "Take it easy. We still don't know exactly what happened." Then Esdeath addressed everyone "Regardless. Let's proceed cautiously. We stay together and alert." Everyone turned to Seryu expectantly. The auburn haired Jaeger glared down at her Justice City Detector "I'm not picking up anything. This place might be empty." No one wanted to say it out loud, but the Justice City Detector has been fooled before.

"Seryu's equipment can track the Creatures when They move. There's no avoiding that, so We're not likely going to be taken by surprise anytime soon." That got everyone less anxious and resolved to continue. As long as each individual stay aware of what's around them, they'll see the threat coming. The Jaegers continue on down the ravaged corridor. The further in they go, the more heavy and widespread the damage showed. Scorch marks and bullet holes joined in and mingled with the destruction.

"Whoever lived here, it looks like they've put up a fight." Kurome commented. Wave turned back and asked "Maybe they've fought Them off and drove Them out?" Esdeath points ahead and answered "Not likely." Along the walls in front of the group, was an old dry bloodstain. A large one. No one spoke further and pushed on. They need to find answers, and soon.

Further down the corridor, the Jaegers came upon a forked path. One path leads to a set of stairs, and the other leads into a different corridor. On the wall where the path diverge, a set of directions were stamped

- MEDICAL

MAINTENANCE -

OPERATIONS LV-2 -^

SANITATION, UTILITY -v

Run points at the stairwell "The computer said, we have to get to Level 2. That's where the Control Room is." Everyone began to climb up the stairwell, but had to stop before they reached the top.

A large makeshift barricade stood at the end of the stairs. The blockade itself was comprised of heavy equipment welded together with steel wall paneling, and clumps of mesh stuffed in between. The barricade looked solid, if it wasn't for a gaping hole right through the center. The opening appeared to have been smashed open from this side, by a hideously powerful force.

"We're going through, one at a time." Esdeath commanded. Wave was the first one through, and he found himself in another corridor similar to the one downstairs. And it was just as torn up. The walls at the far end were completely riddled with bullet holes and acid splash burns. Near it, was a corner turn off. And the path leading to it had countless large holes burned right through the floor grating. The black armored Jaeger can already guess what made those holes. But so far, he sees nothing moving within his view of the torchlight.

"It looks clear. You can come through." Wave called out. Koro shrunk in size and passed through the barrier opening, then came Seryu, Run, Esdeath, and finally Kurome. Everyone eyed the distant bend and noted the fresh devastation it exhibited.

"Seryu, anything?" Esdeath asked her Subordinate. Seryu kept an eye glued to her Justice City Detector, then she turned to answer her Commander "No. Nothing." The blue haired General nods and motioned for the group to continue.

"This looks recent." Run speculates, as the Jaegers approach the widespread damage near the bend. Wave kept point, with a still shrunken Koro by his side. As they rounded the corner, Wave called back to them "We must be getting close to Our destination. I hope We find something-" Boom! Boom! Boom!. A series of explosive shots rang out from the end of the corridor.

An unseen force blew Wave off his feet, and sent him hurling back at his Comrades. He slams into Seryu and Run, and knocks them down. Koro dashes forward while growing to large size, and blocked the sudden barrage with his own body. Esdeath had dodged behind the corner for cover.

As quickly as it started, the sounds of explosive shots stopped altogether, and the Jaegers' leader stuck her head out to see Koro regenerating his body after absorbing the hits.

Esdeath held up her torch, and illuminated the end of the corridor. She sees another crude barricade blocking off further access. And in front of barrier, sat two large machines with gun barrels on top swiveling side to side.

The Automated Sentry Turrets aimed at Esdeath, and an audible dry Click sounded off. These weapons are now empty, having expended the last of reserved ammo when they assaulted Wave and Koro.

Seryu and Run began to push a stunned Wave off of themselves "What in the name of Justice, was that!?" Seryu yelled out. Esdeath stood down the middle of the corridor, and confirmed the attack has ended. "Some kind of automated weaponry for point defense." she surmised "Whatever it was, it's stopped." The General turned back to the Others "Sound off! Is everyone okay?"

"Wave's down!" Run was strenuously trying to roll Wave off of him and Seryu, then they flipped the armored sailor on his back. When they accomplished this, they went over their comrade's condition.

Grand Chariot's black armor had a dented plate near the abdominal area. The chest plating above it, has been partially blown off, leaving Wave's chest and clothing exposed. Wave himself was gasping and wheezing in shallow breathes. He had the wind knocked out of him, by the Sentry Turrets' explosive shots.

"Dammit!...gasp...That…Hurts…gasp...like a Son of a Bitch!" Wave swore and cursed between shaky breathes. He deactivates his black armor Imperial Arm, and tries to recuperate. Run and Seryu grabbed his arms and helped him with sitting up. Esdeath and Koro walked back towards them and looked down at them.

Wave lifted his shirt and jacket, and felt the large bruise on the side of his stomach. Run and Seryu turned to Koro with a delicate expression. If the biological Imperial Arm hadn't intercepted the last few bullets, Wave's upper torso would have been blown clean off. And if Koro and Wave haven't been taking point, or those extremely high-tech weapon sentries had more ammo, the Jaegers would have been completely shot to pieces.

Seryu took a close look at the Automated Sentries down the end of the corridor and growled furiously "It was a trap! Those cowardly bastards set Us up with a lowly barrage volley, instead of confronting Us themselves!"

Esdeath studied the bullet holes and acid burns closely and calls out "Indeed, this was a trap. But, it was not meant for Us." She points at the large holes in the floor "This was another attempt at combating the Serpents, to repel Them." The General indicates the barricade erected behind the Sentry Guns "And it seems they succeeded. This barrier here remains intact. The Creatures never made it past this point. Those guns did their part well." Run nods in agreement "Yes. Quite an achievement from these people's technology. And the firepower, it provides."

Wave glowers, and retorts "You're talking about something, that very nearly blew us apart!" he turns to Seryu and grumbled "Shouldn't your radar scope have picked up on these things?" Seryu turned her amber eyes away "They're stationary, and probably covered by some sort of insulated material to mask their heat signatures." Esdeath then cuts in on the explanation "Must've been designed for optimum camouflage, to use for efficiently staging an ambush. Which means, these are some kind of military equipment."

Run looks over the Sentry Guns "Pretty formidable. Much like that Corporal Hicks and his Airship." Seryu makes an angry expression "It can't be just a coincidence. He's linked to this, somehow. I just know it." Esdeath turned and look at her Subordinates, and noticed something wrong "Where's Kurome?"

Run, Wave, and Esdeath all held up their torches and scanned the entirety of the dimly lit corridor. They found no sign of Kurome, she had vanished.

"Kurome?" Wace sounded out, hoping the teenage assassin would show herself. Seryu stood up and joined the search "I don't understand. She was right behind me, when-" she abruptly stops talking, once she checked her footing and realized there was a very large hole in the floor, right behind where she's standing. Beside the hole was Doya's Revolver Pistol, that Kurome had equipped.

Run cautiously approached the hole, and picked up the Revolver Pistol on the floor grating near the edge. He was about to ask "You don't think, she fell in?" but the answer was obvious, and the evidence was apparent. Wave ran to the edge of the hole and screamed down it "Kurome!" There was no sound or voice response.

Wasting no time, Wave was about to lower himself over the edge, until Run seized him by the shoulders and pulled him back. "Let me go, Run! Kurome needs help" growled the sailor Jaeger. But the General's Aide kept a strong hold and spoke up "Don't be stupid, Wave! Listen to me! That's a straight drop all the way down. You can't even see the bottom."

Wave peered down the hole and sees that Run is right. The hole was burned wide open by acid blood, and that same fluid had dripped down beneath Level-2 and kept burning holes all the way down past the lower Levels. And with the poor lighting, there's no way to make out how deep the hole went.

Wave turned to Run "Run. Maybe you can use Mastema and try-" Run held up a hand and stopped his request "No, I can't. The radius of that hole isn't wide enough for Mastema's wings. And the top hole is usually the biggest. I won't be able to use my Imperial Arm properly for a safe descent, let alone be able to fly back up."

"Koro! Number 4!" Seryu held out her left arm, and Koro clamped his large mouth on it and swapped the mechanical arm for the hookshot. "I can use this to climb down safely to Kurome's location." explained Seryu "I'll render aid to her, if she's injured. And I'll bring her back up here." Run shakes his head at the amber eyed young woman "We don't know Kurome's condition. Tend to her if you can, but don't try to move her if she's seriously hurt."

Esdeath walked towards her Subordinates and spoke "When you find her, try to remain where you are and We'll come to you" she indicates the stairwell the Jaegers used "Wave, Run, and I will check level by level to determine the route towards the bottom. Once We find you and Kurome, We'll all take the navigated path back up."

Seryu nods at her orders. Beside her, Run hands her the Revolver Pistol "We don't have a clue of what might be down there. You need to be ready to defend yourself and Kurome, if need be." The auburn haired Jaeger nods again and tucks the Revolver Pistol inside her belt.

Seryu launched the hookshot, and it grappled onto a steel girder on the ceiling. After testing to make sure the line is securely set, she motions for Koro to come with her. The biological Imperial Arm shrunk to normal size and climbed onto Seryu's shoulder. The amber eyed young woman then suspends herself over the gaping hole and began to lower towards the dark below.

Wave calls down to her "You be careful down there, Seryu! You and Kurome stay together, and wait until We reach you." Seryu looks up and salutes "We'll be fine, Wave. Justice always rescues and protect the helpless." She continues to zip line her way down and disappears from sight.

Outskirts of the City of Kyoroch, East of the Empire

Hicks and Mine knelt atop a rocky outcropping overlooking the City of Kyoroch. Hicks was using his Motion Tracker to look for anyone who might be wandering close by. Mine was scoping out the landscape with her scan visor to make sure she and her Comrades are alone out here. Akame, Tatsumi, and the Others were hanging back and patiently waiting for the two lookouts to complete their sweep.

After a moment, Hicks and Mine fell back and joined the rest of the group. "Tracker's negative." Hicks announced "My scans shows nothing else is moving out here, besides Us." Mine nods her head and concurs. "I've located two separate paths." she explains "One can take me and Tatsumi to the city's eastern outskirts. The other can lead Akame and Hicks to the west."

Within the group, the teenage spy Pais raises her hand "Me and Litone know a hidden route into the city, that can allow the rest of Us to enter without drawing unwanted attention." She indicates Lubbock, Leone, and Chelsea "Once We get inside, and the distraction teams are in position, I'll rouse the Spy Team into wandering around the city in order to lure out the Rakshasa Demons. Once the members of the Spy Team attract a pursuer, they'll make for the closest ambush point."

Lubbock nods and speaks "As soon as that happens, I'll sneak Leone and Chelsea into the cathedral. Then once they're safely inside, I'll come provide backup for the others." He got nods all around.

Hicks places his hands forward "Hands In" he commanded with authority. Everyone threw a hand over his without hesitation, then the Corporal spoke "We're in this together, we fight together, and we're seeing tomorrow together. That's a fact, so don't try to prove me wrong." Akame, Tatsumi, Pais and Litone nod in determination. Mine, Leone, Lubbock and Chelsea smiled and smirked. "Then let's saddle up, and bag Us some dead Imperials. Oorah to ashes." Everyone threw up their hands and began to move out.

As Tatsumi and Mine started down their path, Tatsumi called out to Lubbock, Leone and Chelsea "You guys be careful in that lion's den" Leone giggles and jokes "I am the Lion!" Lubbock shakes his head in annoyance "Keep it down Leone! Both you and Chelsea hurry up and put on your hoods."

As Leone and Chelsea raised the hoods on their robes, Chelsea winks at Tatsumi "You be careful too, Tatsumi. I expect you to have at least all four kills." The green eyed fighter fidgets and wondered how he can accomplish such an outrageous demand. Next to him, Mine looked over to Hicks and Akame, and called out "Hey, Hicks. Try not to die. Or worse, get in Akame's way."

Hicks smirks and retorts "Oh, don't worry your pretty little head, Baby Girl. Marines don't die. They go to Hell, and regroup." The pink haired sniper scratched her head and wondered if the Corporal was telling the truth, but Tatsumi tugged her sleeve and urged her to move along. With a frown, Mine continued down the eastern path.

Akame sprinted down the western path, but stopped a ways down it and waited for a steadily jogging Hicks to catch up. "Thanks" he said in steady breathes "I'm sorry for holding you back like this." The red eyed assassin shakes her head "Think nothing of it. You're right about Us having to work together. It wouldn't be professional of me, to ditch my partner." Hicks smiled "I bet, you could have ran ahead, scope out the area, and come back to me before I even reach halfway." Akame smiles back and said "I wouldn't be exaggerating, if I say it's within my capacity."

Hicks' smile fades and he dons a serious look "You're not very old, are you Akame? If I had to guess, you're in your late teens. Yet, you're in peak physical condition, maybe even beyond that. Can you tell me how you've come to be so strong?" Akame's smile also fades as she listens to his request "So, you want to learn about my past as well. Am I right?" The Corporal nods "It's not that I don't trust you. Ripley vouched for you, and Everyone holds you in high regard." The red eyed assassin's smile returns "The same can be said about you. I'll tell you what. I'll say a little bit about my past, and in return you tell me more about yourself and the world you've come from."

"Deal." Answered Hicks. Akame draws in a breath and spoke "When I was a child, my sister and I were sold into slavery by our parents." Hicks was taken aback by this revelation "So, this is why she asked about slavery in my world" he thought. The Marine looks back at Akame "So, you have a sister? What's her name? Where is she?" Akame shakes her head and speaks "Your turn."

"Well, my childhood wasn't anything remarkable." Hicks explained "I was born to a family of military servicemen. My father was a Marine, and his father before him." Akame tilted her head "But, you had a choice. Didn't you? You chose to join the military?" The Corporal nods in response "Yes. That's right." The assassin lowers her crimson gaze and bites her lip "My younger sister and I never had a choice. After we were sold, The Empire purchased us in secret. We were then subjected to brutal survival training from the start. Not many survive this test. Most were children the same age as us. The remaining survivors are then put through more harsh training, in order to turn us into ruthless assassins. Weapons for killing the Empire's enemies."

Hicks began to clench his hands into fists. His desire to kill Imperials grew exponentially. "Where exactly did this take place?" he asked. Akame took a pause to think "It's near an old compound by a large forest near the edge of the Capitol. Kurome knows it, as well as I do."

"Kurome…" Hicks recognized that name. It belonged to that young girl with the black hair and dark eyes. "Come to think of it, they both like very much alike." he surmised, then he glared over at Akame "Your sister is a member of the Jaegers. She was there, when Bishop and I first encountered them." The red eyed assassin quietly nods.

Hicks was in disbelief "How can that be!? What happened to you two, that you both wound up on opposing sides?" Akame shakes her head again "It's your turn, this time. Tell me more about the people you worked with. What were your comrades like?" The Corporal mused for a bit, then he began to speak "I was part of 2nd Battalion Bravo Team. A quick response unit made up of 12 marines in 2 squads for combat operations, and 1 synthetic for technical operations. We provide a rapid tactical element to resolve all nature of crisis within far ranging colonies and installations."

Akame began to look uncertain, so Hicks used layman's terms "We go to far away places, destroy anything bad, and rescue anyone who needs help." When the confusion vanished from Akame's face, the Corporal began to describe his teammates "We were a close knit group. Pretty much like a family. Apone was much like your commander Najenda, a well respected and caring leader. Though his jokes were a little more funnier than what Najenda can come up with."

Both of them started chuckling for a moment, and Hicks continued "Gorman and Ferro were also like Najenda, in that they were both straight laced and business-like. Drake and Vasquez were gung-ho and had itchy trigger fingers, a trait that's similar to Mine. Crowe and Wierzbowski were light-hearted and reserved, just like Tatsumi. Frost was the geeky wit, a personality shared by your comrade Lubbock. Spunkmeyer and Dietrich definitely had the same amount of sassiness, as Chelsea. And of course Hudson was just as flamboyant and flirtatious, as your friend Leone." Akame giggled once more at the comparison to her best friend, then she looked up questioningly "Was that everybody? There was no one similar to me?"

Hicks makes an apologetic look "Sorry, Akame. But it seems, you're very unique. In my World, we don't have a whole lot of Athletic Mysterious Beauties who could single-handedly win Olympic gold medals and Beauty Pageants left and right." Akame giggled once more and lightly blushed.

Akame smiles again and nods in understanding "You're just like us, in Night Raid and those in the Jaegers" she explains "You're a specialized fighting group, who fought together and bonded for a long time." Hicks rubs the back of his head in hesitation "Well, I wouldn't consider us anything special. But everyone in the team, were at the top of their game." He turns his gaze away in regret "But none of that made any difference, when we went up against the Aliens. We were easily wiped out in less than 24 hours."

Akame placed a hand on his shoulder "Your people couldn't have known what they were dealing with, back then. Ripley said that the Xenomorph's were most dangerous when They're mysterious and unknowable. To not understand it, was to underestimate it. Even the most seasoned of warriors in this World can fall prey to such a common mistake."

Hicks continued to look away in sorrow "You don't understand. Ripley tried to make us recognize the threat, but we scoffed at her warnings and chalked them up to a scared woman's ravings. My whole team, including myself, did not think of it as anything more than some simple stupid bug hunt. We let our overconfidence blind us from the true horrors we beheld that day."

Akame lightly shook the Marine, and explained "We can't let ourselves get hung up on past mistakes. As soldiers, ours is to obey orders and kill the enemy. When such a concept becomes routine, we numb ourselves to personal feelings or doubts. We pushed aside our capacity for wanting to understand the target, because we felt it'd be pointless to intimately know that which we intend to kill."

The Corporal looked at her and the red eyed assassin held his gaze "I too, have made such mistakes. I was led to believe a long time ago that it was okay to kill, if it was for a good cause. Back then, I fully believed that killing for the Empire was the right thing to do. Little did I know, was that very same Empire was evil and corrupt. The strong preyed on the weak, and the privileged treated the lesser like playthings."

Akame looked away in shame "For a long time, I've been ignorant to the truth and kept on killing at the bidding of other's. Until one day when I was to eliminate my last target, who so happened to be Najenda herself, she finally convinced me to see the errors of my ways. And from that day forward, I resolved to turned my sword against the Empire that robbed me and my sister of our freedom as well as warped and twisted our will and beliefs."

Tears began to form in Akame's crimson eyes "But it was too late for my sister Kurome. She was taken from me and we were separated, before I came to learn the truth. She is still dependent on the Empire, and remains their servant through drugs and brainwashing." Akame placed a hand on Murasame's hilt "I may never be able to convince her into leaving that damned place. With her current condition, the only option is force."

Hicks stared for a minute, then he reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a peculiar looking blue colored ammo shell "Do you see this? It's called a stun round. A specialized type of ammo that delivers a paralyzing electric shock into a target's body. The result is a temporary, but complete paralysis to a target that makes capture possible." The red eyed assassin held her chin in thought "Are you suggesting, we use this on Kurome-"

"And she goes limp and stiff like whiskey dick. Thus allowing Us to gag her, bag her, and drag her, else we tag her." Hicks finishes with a wink.

Akame began to look uncertain "As much as I want Kurome to come back to me, why are you and Ripley willing to go out of the way to make it so? Even though my Younger Sister is clearly the Enemy, who'd sooner kill all of Us than try to reason with."

Hicks makes a serious expression "Because we care about you, Akame. This World has taken so much from a innocent girl, such as yourself. Me and Ripley have seen too many losses at the hands of the Aliens. And we've seen victims like the Colonists who were hunted and harvested like cattle, and orphans like Newt who wound up parentless, and traumatized into feral wrecks."

The Marine adjusts the strap on his Pulse-Rifle, and kept on hiking "When me and Bishop first encountered and escaped from the Jaegers, I swore that I wouldn't leave monsters such as them to reap and ravage anymore innocents. That goes the same with the Aliens. As far as I can tell, neither of them are any different from each other. They kill, consume, and spread misery far throughout." He makes a solemn grin at Akame "So you can bet your sweet ass, we're not gonna let you lose your cherished little sister. We'll get Kurome back. No matter what cold dark Abyss, she may lie in. Or how far we'd have to reach, to get to her."

Below Hadley's Hope, South of the Empire

Kurome opened her eyes amidst the soreness spreading throughout her body. She ached all over, but from the way she can move her limbs and head, she appears to have received no injuries. "What happened? Where am I?" she wondered.

It was pitch black all around where Kurome sat. Her only light source, Muramasa's glowing red blade wasn't showing. She had dropped the sword for some reason. Then it dawned on her, about how she ended this way. "Wave!" she called out, but nothing answered. The only sound that came to her were the thin trickling of dripping water. Further on, the teenage Jaeger can hear the hushed sloshing of another water source.

"This must be some sort of reservoir or a sewer. How did I get here, anyway?" Kurome racked her thoughts and tried to remember "We were looking for the Control Room, Wave was out front alongside Koro, something blasted at the them, and Wave was sent hurling towards Us." And that was all she could recall. Anything that came after that, was blackness.

The teen assassin checked her surroundings "Speaking of blackness." The darkness smothered all around Kurome and it was making her uncomfortable. She's effectively blind, and being blind puts one in a dangerous predicament. Not wasting another second, she placed her hands beneath her and felt all around where she sat.

As soon as she did that, Kurome instantly felt something hard and smooth beneath her. And it was slimey too. "Ugh!" she gasped, not wanting to even try to guess what she's touching. "Come on! Where is it!?" Her hand brushed against a familiar solid object "There!" she wrapped her hand around Muramasa's hilt and held the sword aloft. The Imperial Arm's blade glowed as it began to transfer energy into Kurome's body. After bearing the initial strain of the power transfer, the teenage assassin stood up and observed her surroundings in the glowing light. What she saw next nearly shocked her.

Piled in heaps beneath Akame's Younger Sister, were more carcasses of dead Aliens. "So, the Serpents were here." Kurome surmised, as she clambered off the pile and stepped onto a grated floor. Relying on the reddish glow of Muramasa's blade, Kurome studied her immediate surroundings once more. Bodies of dead Creatures littered the space around her, forming piles similar to the one she was on top of. Far above them were round holes of acid burns made by the Serpents' blood.

"Those holes looked the same as the ones found in the corridor, leading to the Control Room." Kurome speculated, as she began to make a connection to her current situation "I must've fallen down one of the holes" she thought. Then she looked back at the piled bodies "And landed down here safely, when one of these broke my fall."

She cautiously approached a carcass and felt along Its side. The texture was smooth and oily from Its own slime. Most of Its torso was firm and solid. But, somehow rigor mortis hasn't set in and the muscles remained spry and loose. Which probably allowed it to cushion Kurome's small body, when she fell. Lucky for her, none of the claws or tail blade were facing upwards, or else she would've been shredded or stabbed.

Kurome's fingers began to tingle, and she quickly withdrew her hand as she remembered about the acid blood. The tingling sensation went away, and Kurome gazed at the holes and carcasses once again. "The acid blood probably began losing its potency, after the Creature's death. Between that and the amount used to burn those hole…" she shrugs and chose not to question good fortune. She's still alive, and not in immediate danger.

"For now, at least." Kurome thought, as she warily eyes the Alien corpses. "These Things are hard to kill, and They don't die very easily." She backed away from the bodies, and checked her armaments. "I'm missing Doya's Revolver Pistol." Kurome realized, and she glared back over towards the hole she presumably fell through.

Suddenly a green blur swooped down from the hole, and landed atop the carcass. "Ah!" Kurome yelled and reflexively swung her katana forward. Seryu holds up an arm, just in time to block and catch the blade with her mechanical hand "Whoa, whoa! Easy there, Girl! It's me! Seryu! Your fellow Ally of Justice! Remember?"

Kurome withdrew Muramasa and threw her arms around Seryu "Sorry about that! I'm glad you're here." She releases the auburn haired murderess, and lightly patted Koro's head.

Seryu threw a concerned frown "Well, you seem to be okay. You're not hurt, are you?" Kurome double checked her arms, legs, and body for any cuts and bruises. "No. I don't think so." the teenage assassin announced, then she made her own worried frown "What about Wave, and the Others? Is Everyone okay?" the amber eyed Jaeger nods "They're all fine. Wave got blasted at, by some kind of weapon. His Imperial Arm protected him, so he'll be alright. But he sure wasn't happy about the ordeal."

Kurome felt relieved, and her comrade smiles as she hands her the Revolver Pistol "You've dropped this, when you fell down that hole. That's how We figured out what happened to you." The teen assassin takes the Revolver from Seryu and holstered it.

"I'd keep it handy, if I were you." Seryu warned. Kurome looks at her in confusion "Why's that? Aren't you going to get me out of this place, and rejoin Our Comrades?" Seryu shakes her head and explains "My Grapple Line bottomed out at a couple of levels above this place. Before I can figure what to do next, I saw your glowing sword down below. I decoupled my line and dropped down to land, hoping to find you quickly." Koro trotted up from behind and held up a spare mechanical arm to her, and she took it and swapped out her Hookshot before clipping it to a strap on her backside.

Kurome gazed forlornly at the hole in the ceiling above. It wasn't too high for her to reach by jumping, but it was too dark for her to see any ledges. Climbing back up through there, doesn't seem like a safe option. "I've kept track of the floors, as I made my descent." continued Seryu "We're about three levels below ground."

"We need to get moving." Kurome declared "Finding and regrouping with Our Comrades should be Our top priority." Seryu frowned and shook her head "Sorry, Kurome. Commander Esdeath said for Us to remain here, and wait for the her to come find Us-" Groar!

A booming roar sounded off in the distance. It sounded angry. And close.

Kurome glared at Seryu anxiously "Still wanna wait around and see who finds Us first?" Seryu frowned and drew her Tonfa Guns with pompous resolve "Justice never runs from Evil!" Beside her, Koro growled in readiness. But, Kurome was already walking down the grated path, towards the only tunnel leading out of here. "If those Things are down here with Us, We'll need to regroup with the other Jaegers." She drew her Revolver and checked to make sure the chambers are fully loaded. "We can't take on more than a handful of Serpents, with the weapons we have now. Let alone, anything as big as what made that sound. Even with Koro by our side, we're still at a disadvantage in this limited spacing."

The teenage assassin looks back at the auburn haired murderess "Better to relocate and see if we can find a way out of here first, while we still have time." Kurome waved and beckoned for Seryu to follow her, and the latter quietly complied.

Esdeath, Run, and Wave cocked their ears, and listened for any more sounds like that roar. It sounded far off, and the complex structure of the building made It hard to pinpoint. Though it vaguely sounded like It was coming from below. The three Jaegers looked over at the directions stamped on a nearby wall. They are currently in the corridor leading to MAINTENANCE, and the path beyond leads to the HANGAR.

Wave broke the silence and called out "What the Hell was that, just now?" Run gazed down the corridor they were standing in, and replied "It doesn't sound friendly." He turned to Esdeath questioningly. "It means, We're not alone in here" the General explains, while checking her rapier and recoating it with ice "We need to find Kurome and Seryu, quickly. So let's keep moving, double time! Wave remains on point, Run, you stay center, and I'll keep bringing up the rear."

Run points over at a burn hole "That's gotta be the one, Kurome fell through. It underlaps the one above." Wave stabs Grand Chariot's cutlass into the grated floor and reactivated his Imperial Arm's black armor. When his change is complete, he looks over at the General's Aide "So, We go one more Level below. Right?" Esdeath and Run gave the black armored sailor concurring nods, and the trio made for the stairwell.

"The next level down is SANITATION/UTILITY." explained Run. Esdeath shrugs and responds "What of it?" The General's Aide spoke informatively "Typically, an installation this advanced, would require a power source of some kind to run it. As well as the necessary equipment and facilities to support a population, like water and warmth. If we happen to locate a power source, we might be able to restore this Colony's systems. Then, We can at least turn on some lights and access more computer systems."

Esdeath held her chin in thought and finally spoke "We locate Seryu and Kurome, first. After that, we kill whatever's lurking down here. Then, We'll look for your theoretical power source." Wave and Run nod in confirmation. The three Jaegers reached the stairs and began climbing down.

"Hold on, Kurome" Wave murmured "I'm coming for you."

The City of Kyoroch, East of the Empire

Lubbock, Leone, and Chelsea kept their heads down, as they follow closely behind Pais and Litone. Both Spies and Assassins were navigating through an underground passage that led into a building within the city marketplace. When they reached the end of the passage, they found themselves coming out of a cellar door and into a spacious room full of chairs, couches, and tables.

"This is one of the few remaining safe houses, we have left in the city." Pais explained "We'll wait here, until both distraction teams are in position and ready. Then Litone and I will hook up with the remaining members of the Spy Team, and run as decoys throughout the city. Once we have the Rakshasa Demons' attention, we'll give Mr. Lubbock here the go ahead for getting you two into the Church." She indicates Leone and Chelsea "I'm sorry to say. But once you're inside, you're on your own."

Leone cracks her knuckles and checked Lionelle's belt tucked beneath her robe "Don't worry. We can handle it." Beside her, Chelsea took another lollipop from Gaea Foundation's compartment, and place it in her mouth. She then hid her Imperial Arm beneath her robe, just like Leone. "Just get Us inside that Cathedral, and We'll take care of the rest." Chelsea assured.

Lubbock spoke into the mic of his headset and spoke ("This is Lubbock with an Update. The decoy team backup team, and elimination team are in place and standing by.")

Bishop responds first over the radio ("Roger. I have a fix on your position within the city. The weather forecast shows clear and sunny, all day. So visibly shouldn't be an issue.")

Najenda speaks up from her headset ("Distraction team. What's your status?")

Hicks' response was immediate ("This is Hicks. Akame and I have reached our position, and are readying our ambush.") He glances over at Akame who gives him a thumbs-up.

Ripley spoke after ("Mine. Tatsumi. Where are you guys at?")

A few seconds passed by and Mine's voice sounded over the comms ("We're nearly there. Give us about a minute.")

Najenda replied in an irritated voice ("Well, get the lead out! You two are holding up the Operation. And We can't proceed, until you're in position and ready!")

Mine rolled her eyes and catches up with Tatsumi, as they enter a ravine near the entrance of an old ruin. ("Roger. We're here and in position. Over and out.")

("Copy that.") Bishop responded. He goes over his various computer control consoles and affirmed everyone's placement and condition. The Synthetic Android speaks into his headset soon after ("Pais. Lubbock. You're cleared to proceed.") Najenda speaks up and issued the orders ("Get going, you Guys! We don't know how long it takes for the Enemy to take the bait. But we've got the better part of the day, to make it happen.")

Pais takes a deep breath and responds ("Okay. Spy Team moving out!") she gives Litone a nod, and they both opened the front door out of the safe house and made ready to step out into the streets. Lubbock makes a grin and called after them "Good luck out there! And be careful!" The teenage spy looks back and smiles "Don't worry! My darling here is right by my side." Litone gives a thumbs-up "I'll definitely protect someone who's most important to me." A heart floats out of Pais as the Spy couple left the building.

Lubbock's eye began to twitch. "Eh? So that's how it is…" he muttered to himself. Behind him, Leone slaps him hard on the back "Better luck, next time lover boy."

The green haired defense operative grumbled as he approached the doorway. "I'm moving ahead, to clear a path towards that church." Lubbock announced "I'll come back for you two, as soon as the way is clear."

Chelsea sat patiently on a chair, while Leone lounged on a nearby couch. Chelsea calls out "See you, soon." Lubbock nods and speaks into his mic ("This is Lubbock. I'm heading out." He takes his hand off the mic, put on the hood of his coat, and stepped out through the door.)

Lubbock walked out into a bustling street within the marketplace. It was a bright day and the city was alive with business and commerce. Local people came and went as merchants filled their stalls with stocks of goods, and shoppers visited them to browse or purchase their wares. Nobody gave a second look to the lone member of Night Raid, as he made his way towards the cathedral.

"Good thing, my face is not known to the locals." Lubbock commented with a smirk "It'll definitely make it easier to pull this off. Then I'll definitely score some points with Najenda." He began whistling a merry tune, and kept walking.

High up above the street, a pair of individuals stood atop a nearby building as they quietly observed the people down below. One of them was a blonde and tan woman wearing a loose fitting martial arts garb and a bikini top. The other was a very large muscled man with a beard, who wore a similar garb with half a top and a pauldron.

The woman scanned the crowd diligently, until her green eyes rested on a particular person. "Hey, Sten" the tan woman spoke to her companion, as she eyes Lubbock with great interest. "Don't you think he's moving while constantly checking his surroundings?" she points directly at the unwary green haired assassin "More importantly, look at the way he walks"

Sten looks him over with his piercing yellow and black rimmed eyes and grinned menacingly "My instincts tell me, he's an enemy. He's carefully trying to conceal the way he walks. But I can tell, he's the type who moves cautiously as if in the midst of battle."

Mez licks her lips in anticipation. "So, he's another spy." She surmised, then she placed a fingernail against her salivated tongue "Let's Kill Him." Beside her, Sten kept up his sinister grin and replied "No Mez. Call it; Liberating His Soul." The two Rakshasa Demons stalked along the rooftops in pursuit of an unsuspecting Lubbock, waiting for an opportunity to attack him outside of public view.

Meanwhile, back at the eastern canyon, Mine takes her fingers off the mic and sat down on a large flat stone. "Phew! What the Hell's the hurry? We have plenty of time before sundown." she complained.

"You know as well as I do, that a whole lot is riding on this mission to succeed" explained Tatsumi "And We need to complete it fast, since time is really against Us." Mine shrugs and shake her head "Relax soldier boy. Everything will run its course eventually." Then she makes a mischievous grin "But if We happened to pull this off with time to spare, I sure wouldn't mind doing a little shopping in the marketplace."

Tatsumi glares at her "Your shopping habits can literally take days. That's the kind of time We can't afford to waste." Mine shrugs again and tries to act innocent "That's a pretty normal amount" she said nonchalantly. Then the pink haired gunner threw him a smug expression "A man who can't pardon a woman's shopping? How Shallow."

A pulsating vein formed on Tatsumi's head, as he bore the condescending taunt. He struggled to maintain his composure as he blabbered back "A woman who immediately teases about a guy being shallow, huh? How Shallow." The remark was relatively weak and lacked bite, but Mine still managed to take offense.

Mine stood up off her seat and growled "Bring it on! Let's determine the pecking order here, shall We!?" Tatsumi does likewise, and growled back "You should realize, you're wrong when implying that a pecking order exists despite Us working in the same organization!" Sparks began to form between their angry stares.

Suddenly, a voice rang out nearby "Please! Do not engage in violent arguments!"

Mine and Tatsumi turned towards the direction the voice was coming from, and they see a tall faired haired serene-looking man approach them. Behind him, followed a group of people garbed in formal attire. The serene-looking man himself wore a ceremonial robe that depicted him as some sort of religious priest.

The serene man held up a hand in an apologetic gesture "Oh, pardon me. That was rather intrusive of me, to speak without thinking." Both members of Night Raid grew startled as they recognize the man's features and demeanor. "Are you perhaps…" Mine started, as she fought hard to regain her composure "The Founder of the Path of Peace?"

The Lord nods and answers "Yes". He gazes around their surroundings and begins to explain "I check around the outskirts of town like this, every now and then." His tone was sincere, and he didn't inquire about what the genius sniper and the green eyed fighter were doing in a secluded area. Both assassins began to relax and stood at ease.

"Borick isn't among them" Tatsumi thought "So, the Spy Team was right. He must be sitting comfortably within his base."

The Lord closed his eyes and began speaking, as if in a trance "I can see it clearly." He then points at Mine and Tatsumi "You two are bound by the Red String of Fate." Both assassins checked themselves out, and were about to ask "What the Hell are you talking about?" until the Lord continued "So, instead of fighting, you should profess your love to each other!"

"Huh" Both members of Night Raid blurted in unison and spaced out for a second, after hearing the Lord's words. And then he adds "If you two became a couple, I would say that fighting once in a while would be fine."

"Huh!?" both assassins blurted in unison again, as they turn to face each other with blushing red faces.

"Yeah right!" Mine rambled sarcastically "Who'd want to go out with this impertinent screw-up!?" Tatsumi growled and retorted "Says You! Why would I go around with someone I can't stand!?" The Lord smiled peacefully and began walking past them with his entourage of disciples following close behind.

The two members of Night Raid argued further, completely unaware of the departure of the members of the Path of Peace.

Below Hadley's Hope, South of the Empire

Seryu held her Justice City Detector in front of her and stared intently at the radar-scope. Her and Kurome had been walking down a singular path for several minutes, after they have decided to move upon hearing that ominous roar. So far, they haven't encountered anything as they navigated the underground corridor.

"Nothing showing up on the Justice City Detector." murmured Seryu. She glances up at Kurome who was walking in front and lighting their path with Muramasa's glowing blade. There were several offshoots and doorways leading elsewhere, but Kurome kept pushing straight ahead.

"How do you know which way we need to go?" Seryu asked. The teenage assassin calmly answers back to her "Look above you. Do you see those conduits and pipes?" The amber eyed Jaeger gazed upwards, and noticed a cluster of said utility lines running along the ceiling. Kurome then explains "When lines like those are bunched up and concentrated together, it usually means a major outlet to another level or a centralized area that can lead to an exit."

The two young women and the biological Imperial Arm continued their trek through the winding corridor, for a while longer. Until they finally came upon a large set of doors. And stamped on the side of the doors, were directory words

ELEVATOR/STAIRWELL -^

AUXILIARY POWER STATION -

WATER PROCESSING FACILITY -v

"Our way up is through here." Kurome walks up to the doors and tried looking for a way to open them. Like the WEST-LOCK doors back on the surface, they had no handle or latch. There was a large switch on the side, which Kurome tried pressing, but got no response. It was electronic and therefore nonfunctional. "Dammit." swore the teenage assassin. She turns to look at her comrade "Seryu. If you don't mind?"

Seryu makes a clever smirk and turns to her biological Imperial Arm "Koro! Pry it open." Koro grows to large size and sprouts muscular arms. He grasps the doors and pulled them apart with all his might. With an audible groan, the doors slowly slid apart on their rails.

A spacious area lies beyond the doors, and somehow it appeared darker than previous areas. Seryu glanced back to her Justice City Detector, while panning it around side to side to get as much sweeping coverage. The radar-scope remained silent and clear, with no signal blips appearing. The auburn haired young woman turn to Kurome and nodded.

The teenage assassin stepped forward and held up Muramasa, letting the Imperial Arm's angry red glow radiate forth to illuminate the area. Visibility is still dim, as the glowing light couldn't fill up the entire expanse. Luckily, Kurome already found what she was looking for. At the far end of the room was a set of stairs, right next to an elevator platform enclosed in guardrails, and they both lead upwards into a vertical shaft. She turns back and calls out to Seryu "There it is! We have a way up!" beside her, a very large pair of claws reached out to her from the shadows.

"Watch Out!" Seryu yelled as she dashed forward to shove Kurome out of the way. Instead, Seryu herself was grabbed by the Unseen Creature as It stomps out of the darkness and into view of Muramasa's light.

It was big.

The bestial Monster towered over at 13 ft, with a completely black exoskeletal body. It had a long ridged segmented tail with a harpoon shaped blade at its end. Strong clawed hands enveloped the auburn haired Jaeger, and pinned her mechanical arms to her sides. Without effort, It raised Seryu and held her up in front of Its face as the head came into full view. A spiked ridge ran along the back of Its elongated cranium. And at the front of Its head, a human-looking skull peered out from behind a partially broken cowl.

The Raven inched Its grotesque face closer to Seryu, and uttered a deep viscous growl. Seryu struggled to break free from the Rogue Xenomorph's cluthes, but Its strength was overwhelming. The Raven continued to squeeze the amber eyed murderess with the intent of crushing her. "Guh!...guh!" Seryu began to gasp for air, as the pressure prevented her lungs from expanding. She was going to asphyxiate, if her body doesn't break first.

"Let Her Go!" Kurome hastily drew her Revolver, and opened fire on the Monster in point blank range. Every bullet hit the target, only for them to bounce harmlessly off the Raven's reinforced exoskeleton. Koro growled and grew to full size to match the Rogue Xenomorph, but he held back since Seryu remained Its captive.

Desperate and dying, Seryu opened her mouth and deployed her hidden gun. She takes aim and fired a round into the Raven's face, causing it to drop her as It flinched and covered Its partially exposed skull in defense. The auburn haired young woman retracted her mouth gun, and crawled backwards away from the Rogue Xenomorph.

The Raven regained Its composure, and started to reach for Seryu again. But, Koro intervened and grappled with the Monster, in an attempt to hold It back. The Raven roared in protest, and it backhanded the biological Imperial Arm. Koro staggered back from the hit and looked down in time to see his midsection impaled by the Rogue Xenomorph's harpoon tail blade.

With a tug, the Raven reeled Its tail back, and yanked Koro off his feet and sent him hurling forward. The biological Imperial Arm crashed against the stairwell assembly, and demolished it. "No!" Kurome cried out in shock and frustration, after seeing their one route to the surface obliterated.

The teenage assassin turned towards the grotesque Serpent Beast, and fired her Revolver at It with renewed fury. Beside her, Seryu was blasting away at It with her Tonfa Guns. The conventional weapons weren't doing any damage to the large Monster. They only enraged It further.

With another roar, the Raven made ready to charge the two young women. It was abruptly stopped, when Koro grabbed It by the tail and began tugging It back towards him.

Kurome paused to reload her Revolver, and clutched her head in pain. "I'm at my limit with Muramasa." she realized "I have to put it away, to recuperate." She gazes down at the katana Imperial Arm in her hand and groaned "But, if I sheathed it. Not only will We lose Our source of light, but my strength will also plummet." The teen assassin looked over at her comrade, Seryu. The amber eyed murderess kept firing frantically with her face psychotically warped and ignorant to the futility.

"If I become weak and turn into a liability, we'll all die." Kurome thought bitterly, then she took a quick glance back at the ruined stairwell. The shaft is high up with no leverage to scale it. It's too high for the weakened teenage assassin to jump it. And Seryu won't have enough time to deploy her Hookshot, grapple onto a ledge, and reel them both up, without the grotesque Serpent Beast getting at them.

"We"ll have to run." Kurome muttered "We must find another way up, link with Wave and the others, and try to kill this Thing."

Off to the side, Kurome spotted a small sealed porthole that looked like a service hatch. Beside it, were stamped words ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE ACCESS. "That looks like it leads beneath the floor, and it's too small for that Thing to fit." she wasted no time in rushing over to the service hatch, worked the latch, and pulled it open. She quickly peered inside and confirmed there was a small tunnel that went beneath the floor grating.

With the strain of wielding Muramasa starting to overwhelm her, Kurome holstered her Revolver, hopped down the hatch, and desperately called out to her comrade "Seryu! Fall back! We have to get away!" Seryu leered at her, as if she uttered something offensive "What are you talking about!? Justice never runs from fighting Evil!"

The Raven flexes Its tail and reeled Koro in again. It whisked Its tail and hurled the biological Imperial Arm towards Seryu. Koro reverts to his small normal size, to prevent crushing his user.

Seryu reacted fast, and caught the shrunken Koro between her mechanical arms. The force of Koro's momentum catapulted both of them backwards, and sent Seryu skidding across the floor and landing next to the service hatch.

Before Seryu can get back up, Kurome threw her arms out of the open porthole and grabbed Seryu by the shoulders. With a great heave, the teenage assassin dragged both the auburn haired murderess and Koro down through the hatch and into the service tunnel.

"What the hell was that for!?" Seryu yelled, as she righted herself up and placed Koro beside her. Kurome gave her a look of disdain "You're Welcome" she growled.

Suddenly, a large clawed hand shot through the porthole as the Raven reached into the tunnel, and tried to snatch at the two Jaegers. Kurome and Seryu stopped arguing and crawled deeper into the tunnel for safety. Overhead, they can hear the grotesque Serpent Beast stomp along the floor above in pursuit.

Kurome felt her head again as the strain on her body steadily grew. Not wanting to wait another second, she sheathed Muramasa and laid against the bottom of the tunnel as the power waned from her body. The red glow of Muramasa's blade dissipated, and left Kurome and Seryu in complete darkness within the tunnel.

"Why did you put out the light?" asked a bewildered Seryu. Kurome hastily thought up an excuse, without having to tell her comrade about her condition. "Because, I'm trying to keep that Beast from noticing Us." the teenage assassin explained "That way, We can slip by and try to find Our teammates." The auburn haired Jaeger pondered the explanation "How can you be sure, that Monster can't see in the dark?"

Before Kurome can answer the question, a piece of grated floor paneling came away above her head and the Raven made another attempt at reaching into the tunnel to grab the two young women.

"Shit!" yelled a startled Kurome, as she blindly scrambled away and barely escaped the Raven's cluthes. Her and Seryu hurriedly continued crawling through the blackness of the tunnel, while the Rogue Xenomorph above kept pulling out more floor panels.

Both Jaegers only stopped and waited, when the Raven could no longer be heard. "Seryu?" Kurome called out to her auburn haired comrade in the darkness. Somewhere nearby, Seryu responded "I'm here." The teenage assassin felt around through the blackness and her fingers brushed against Seryu's mechanical hands. Nearby, she can hear Koro whine.

Groar!...The Raven's roar grew faint and distant.

"It's given up. We must have gotten somewhere, where It can't follow." surmised Kurome as she breathed a sigh of relief. She looks beside her, and noticed something "Seryu. I can see you!" she remarks in surprise.

Seryu held up a mechanical hand and waved "I see you too, Kurome. There's a light source, down here" The two young women searched their surroundings, and spotted light coming from one end of the tunnel they're in.

Kurome and Seryu began to crawl towards the light, with Koro trotting ahead and leading the way. They come to the end of the maintenance shaft, waited.

"We don't know what's out there." Kurome explains "Let's have Koro look ahead, and determine if the way is clear." Seryu turns to her biological Imperial Arm "You heard her, Koro! Get to it." Koro salutes with his small hands and hopped out of the shaft opening.

A few moments went by, and Koro returns and utters another whine. "Looks like, the way ahead is safe." Seryu concluded. Kurome nods and shuffles her way out of the maintenance tunnel. Her feet touched solid flooring, and she rights herself up and looks around.

The room was mostly cubic in layout with a passage swinging around a corner. The passage itself seemed to be the only way out. But, something else had Kurome's attention when she laid eyes on the source of light.

The teenage assassin turned back and called into the service tunnel "Seryu! Come see this!" Seryu hastily exits the maintenance shaft, and rushes to Kurome's side. Before the amber eyed Jaeger can ask her comrade what's wrong, she sees the what's giving off the light.

A section of the room was covered in Alien Hive Resin. And cocooned to a wall with said resin, was a man in green armor and helmet. On his shoulder was a device that gave off a brilliant light, that easily illuminated the entire room. The man wasn't moving and his eyes were closed. He would have appeared dead, if Seryu hadn't checked her Justice City Detector and confirmed the body was giving off heat of the living.

"We found someone. After all this time, We finally found one of the people who resided here." Kurome declared. Seryu cautiously stepped closer to the cocooned man and observed him. "The Serpents must have grabbed him and immobilized him for impregnation." she surmised "Just like, They did with Our comrades from the Expeditionary Force."

Seryu raised her Tonfa Guns and took aim. Kurome quickly ran up to her, and placed a hand over her weapons "What the Hell, do you think you're doing!?" The auburn haired murderess scowled and answered "He might have One inside him. He's likely gonna end up like Bols. It's better to kill him, before It comes out of his chest."

Kurome steps in front of Seryu's line of fire "He might know the full story of what has happened here. We can't get any answers from him, if he's dead. This chance for an explanation is too good to pass up. Let's take him back with us and question him, while he's still alive." She turns to the unknown person, and makes a grim expression "However long, that may be…"

Seryu remained stationary for a moment, then she holstered her Tonfa Guns "Fine. We'll take him with us." She turns to her biological Imperial Arm "Koro!" she the points to the cocooned man "Remove."

Koro grew to large size and sprouted muscular arms. He then began tearing the Hive resin off of the strange man. The unconscious person fell into Koro's arms, and the biological Imperial Arm carefully laid him down flat on the floor. Both Seryu and Kurome began looking him over.

"He's got armor on. Must be a soldier." Kurome surmised.

"Or a Colonial Marine." Suggested Seryu.

The teenage assassin turned to her comrade, perplexed "Do you really think, he's affiliated with that Corporal Hicks?" the auburn haired murderess nods "Who else, could it be? That Criminal did mention, he was searching for his missing teammates." Seryu indicates the unconscious man "And look at this one's armor. Do you know any military organization that equips strange armor, like that?" Kurome takes a quick glance back at the person. His armor look both lightweight and tough. She's never seen anything like it, throughout her career as an Imperial assassin. So she concedes "No, I haven't."

Seryu leers closely to thoroughly inspect the person. She immediately points out something "His undershirt is the same design and color, as Hicks'. That can't be a coincidence." Kurome nods in agreement, and joins in looking over the individual.

There were many insignias and drawings on his armor with one being a dagger piercing a skull and crossbones atop some letters spelling "Or Glory", and the other showed a love knot next to a word spelling "Louise".

But one particular image caught Kurome's attention, and coaxed her into leaning close to the man's chest to read a set of black stamped letters. She began to spell out the word "H-U-D-S-O-N" The word made Akame's Younger Sister realize something. "It's his name" she concluded "His name is Hudson."

The City of Kyoroch, East of the Empire

Over the headset communication network, Pais' voice rang out in urgency ("Two of our spies have a pursuer on their trail! They're heading west, right now! Western distraction team be advised, they'll be there in less then three minutes!")

Hicks quickly responds and answers ("Affirmative! We're ready and waiting.") He turns to Akame "Okay, it's Game Time. Let's go over what we discussed, earlier. I'll lie down and perch myself at the top of the nearby hill. You stay low among the tombstones and reveal yourself when the target makes an appearance. Try to draw him past that tree over there." He points to a lone tree sitting just outside of a woodland area, at the edge of the city proper. "The space beyond that tree is the Kill Box. As soon as the motherfucker comes within range, I'll riddle his sorry ass with Pulse-Rifle ammunition. After he becomes swiss cheese, you'll swoop in and deliver the final blow to ensure he's down for good."

Akame nods quietly then she dashes over to the cemetery, and ducked behind a row of cross-shaped headstones.

Hicks jogs up the hill and laid flat on his belly, behind a clump of tall grass. He props up his arms and head, and methodically stared down the sights of his Pulse-Rifle towards his intended firing range.

A moment passed by, and a pair of men in scout gear came running out of the woods. They stopped abruptly, and scanned ahead in search of Akame and Hicks.

Hicks growled in frustration "Damn Idiots! They need to come closer!"

Suddenly, a pair of extended arms shot out of the trees, and grabbed the two spies by their heads. Akame leaped out from the headstones and dashed out of the graveyard to help them. "Hurry, Akame!" urged Hicks desperately.

Too late. With a tug, the pair of arms yanked back and effortlessly tore away the spies' heads from their shoulders.

Akame stops near the lone tree and looks on in shock and anger. The killer arms retracted back to their owner, as he saunters out of the woods and towards the red eyed assassin. He was tall, had pale hair, his bare chest rippled with muscles, and his only attire were a pair of shorts.

The Rakshasa Demon playfully held up his victims' decapitated heads "For an assassin, who is unable to save her comrades, what a disgrace." He leers with his dark sinister eyes and perversely licked his lips "You're pitiful. But I'll still play with you. Sister Akame."

Akame mutters a response "Ibara. So, you're here in Kyoroch." Ibara continued speaking "For the Bad Girl, who betrayed the Empire, it's time for a spanking." He tosses the heads at Akame's feet.

The red eyed assassin looked on in horror and disgust, as the lifeless faces stare up at her. She scowls back at the Rakshasa Demon, and flew into a rage "Eliminate!" she darted straight towards Ibara with Murasame poised and ready.

Ibara crosses his arms defensively "Just try it!" all of his fingernails extended and shot forth towards his attacker. Akame dodged and weaved past his defenses, and swung forth Murasame. The Rakshasa Demon flexed his midsection, and it stretched and whisked backwards away from the Imperial Arm's blade at the last moment.

Before Akame can follow up with another sword swing, she see small protrusions begin to stir from all over Ibara's skin. The red eyed assassin jumped backwards at the last second, and narrowly avoided being skewered by Ibara's reverse iron maiden technique.

As Akame lands a safe distance away, Ibara retracts his spike shape skin and chuckled when he spoke "We, the Four Rakshasa Demons have undergone intense training, and tasted the broth of the Lake Kraken that lives in the mountains behind our temple." Ibara takes a step forward and kept talking "We can control our bodies, however we want" he takes a another step closer "And I can easily avoid that ominous blade-" Rata-ta-ta-ta-…an explosive hail of Pulse-Rifle fire burst forth and showered the unsuspecting Rakshasa Demon.

Hicks fired another burst shot from his Pulse-Rifle, as he came down the nearby hill for more close range accuracy. When he finally let up, the Corporal look on in shock to see Ibara was still standing and not one bit concerned over the many bullet holes in his torso.

Ibara leered at Hicks menacingly "Like I said. We Four Rakshasa Demons can manipulate our bodies in any way we desire." He began to close the wounds of his, one by one "When I saw those spies were leading to an open area, I suspected an ambush involving ranged weaponry. So I shifted my vital organs to different parts of my body, where they're least likely to get damaged." All of Ibara's wounds have completely closed up, and he raised an arm and aimed it towards Hicks.

The Marine began to back away, as Akame called out from the side "Hicks, look out!" Ibara's arm extended quickly "And, I even do stuff like This!" his fingernails shot out to skewer their target. Hicks held his Pulse-Rifle out in front, to block the attack. The fingernails stabbed hard against the gun and other sections of the Corporal's armor. The force of the hit threw Hicks and sent him flying backwards. The Marine sailed for a distance, and slammed his back against a tombstone. He collapsed after the crash, and laid still.

"Hicks!" Akame called out with worry. Suddenly she found herself dodging frantically, as Ibara threw a barrage of similar arm attacks right at her. The Rakshasa Demon cackled, as he kept up his assault on the red eyed assassin "How is that, Sister Akame!?"

Akame continued blocking and dodging, as she tried hard to ignore the small damages she's sustaining. Her skirt was torn as her right hip is exposed and cut. The same happen to her top, as she received another cut below her right breast. "Wait for it…" she thought, as she looked for the right time to counter.

Finally, Akame swung out Murasame and looked in surprise as it found itself between Ibara's outstretched hands. "And now, you're Imperial Arm is confiscated!" Ibara announced, as he pulled Murasame out of Akame's hand.

The Rakshasa Demon held Murasame above his head triumphantly. Suddenly, the Imperial Arm began to give off a dark aura. Ibara looked up in shock "What's with this blade!?-" Bam! Bam! Bam! Akame had drawn her sidearm and fired. The bullets struck Ibara by his hand, and he drops Murasame.

Akame leaps onto Ibara's shoulders while he was distracted. With the Rakshasa Demon's head wedged between her thighs, the red eyed assassin performed a corkscrew spin and twist the head a full 180 degrees. Akame then hopped off Ibara, holstered her Pistol, and bent to pick up her Imperial Arm.

Ibara began to twist and straighten hid head "No way. You intended for this to happen!? So, you let go of you're Imperial Arm on purpose!?" Akame stand up and brandish Murasame "You called this blade Ominous. So I'd figure, you two would be incompatible…" The Rakshasa Demon bared his teeth, and charged angrily "How Dare You! You little-" Plunk! Someone fired a weapon, and a large bullet hole appeared in Ibara's gut.

Ibara stopped and glared down at his new wound, then he looked up to see a standing Hicks holding his rifle with its lower barrel smoking. "I already told you, that's not gonna work-" Kaboom! He was blown to pieces, as the grenade in his stomach, detonated. Blood, guts, and body parts of the Rakshasa Demon splattered everywhere in the immediate area.

"I heard you, the first time. Dick Head." growled Hicks, as he slumped to his knees. Akame rushed over to him, and held him steady "Hicks! Are you alright?" the Corporal indicated his armor and smiled "His attack had some bite to it. But it lacked punch to do anything more than tossing me around." The red eyed assassin smiled back in relief to see her teammate unharmed.

Off to the side, a coughing sound can be heard, and both Hicks and Akame turned and looked in disgust. Ibara's upper torso lay a short distance away, and he was still alive. But barely, his conscious was slipping fast. "Guh…Wha…What the Hell, are you people?"

Hicks stared for a moment, and then responded "We're the Ones, who are going to save This World from an Evil, that is far worse than the likes of you or the Empire." Ibara pondered that remark, then he let out a faint chuckle "Hehehe…Good Luck…" he closed his dark eyes, and then passed away.

Hicks turned away in disgust, and spoke into his headset mic ("This is Hicks. Akame and I have neutralized one of the Rakshasa Demons.") Najenda reply in congratulations over the communication network ("Well done, you two! Now, lay low and stand by for further instructions.") The Marine nods and gives Akame a thumbs-up "Copy that. Standing by. Over and out."

Akame led Hicks to a nearby crypt, and they both hunkered down to stay out of sight and await further orders. Suddenly, Hicks' headset buzzed loudly, as Lubbock's voice rang out over the radio network ("This is Lubbock! I'm being chased by the Enemy! They're right on my tail!")

Deep in the city of Kyoroch, Lubbock zip-lined through an empty street with Mez and Sten in close pursuit. Najenda's voice spoke in his headset ("Lubbock? What's going on?") the green haired assassin glanced behind him and replied into his mic ("They suddenly attacked me! Somehow, they knew who I am.")

Mez wound back her arm "And, Go!" her arm extended, and she launched a fist into Lubbock's back at an explosive force. "Guagh!" Lubbock coughed and fell forward onto the ground, then he stopped moving.

The two Rakshasa Demons caught up to where Lubbock collapsed, and one of them checked his body for signs of life. "Hmm…" Mez pulled back her hand, and shrugged "This guy's heart already stopped. How weak!" Sten stood behind her and crossed his arms to hide his disappointment. Neither of them could hear the frantic voices blaring in the speakers of Lubbock's headset.

("Lubbock! What happened!? Do you hear me!?") Najenda yelled into her mic.

("Mr. Lubbock. What's your situation? Please respond.") Bishop asked calmly.

("Come on, Lubbock. Quit screwing around, and talk to Us.") urged Ripley.

("Hey, Pervert! You better answer quickly, or else!") Mine threatened.

("Everyone, clear the line and maintain radio silence!") commanded Hicks ("We can't risk them learning Our ability to communicate from a distance. Pais, can you confirm Lubbock's situation?") Over the radio, the teenage spy answered ("I'll try. Please, stand by.")

"Will you guys hush up…" Lubbock thought, as he laid still in front of the two Rakshasa Demons "You're gonna blow my cover…" Behind him, Mez cocked her head up and nods at Sten. With a smile, she dashed off around a corner towards a different street, and left her large companion alone to stand patiently next to an acting Lubbock.

Below Hadley's Hope, South of the Empire

Esdeath, Run, and Wave stood at the edge of a steep shaft, as they stared at the mangled staircase within. Run held his torch over the edge and dropped it. A short moment passed, and all three Jaegers heard a loud clatter, when the torch hit the bottom.

"It's not a far drop. We can reach the bottom, if done properly." Run assured. Without hesitation, Wave was the first to go, as he vaulted down the shaft and landed his armored feet at the bottom in a loud thud. The black armor clad sailor held up his own torch and hastily scanned the area. Nothing moved or came to attack him. He calls out, back up the shaft "It's Okay! You can come down!"

Esdeath went next, as she conjured blocks of ice to act as platforms, to aid her descent. She carefully hopped down each ice block, until landing safely at the bottom. Run came last, as he simply manifested Mastema's wings and glided down towards the others.

The three Jaegers observed their surroundings in detail. Something happened here recently, Esdeath can tell. She crouches near a couple of spent bullet casings, and picked one up. "It's still warm…" explained the General, as she sniffed the casing "It's recently been fired." Wave walked up to her, and recognized the casing "That's the bullet, I gave to Kurome, so she can reload her Revolver." Run joins in on the conversation "Her and Seryu must have been shooting at something, here." He points to the wrecked staircase, and the ripped-out floor panels nearby "Something Big. And very strong."

Wave glances around frantically "So, where did they go!?" Run held his chin in thought. Then he finally admitted "I don't know Wave…" The black armored sailor wasn't having it "Don't give me that! Can't you think of something!?"

"Hey, you two!" Esdeath called out, and her Subordinates turned to see her near a set of opened doors. The blue haired woman held up her torch and indicated a sign next to the doorway.

WATER PROCESSING FACILITY -^

- AUXILIARY POWER STATION

ELEVATOR/STAIRWELL -v

Run studied the directions closely, then he turned to his Commander "Ma'am. If I may make a suggestion?" Esdeath nods and allows him to proceed. "Our torches won't burn for much longer. I'd recommend that we detour over to the AUXILIARY POWER STATION, and see if we can get this Colony's power back on."

Wave objected immediately "Are you Crazy!? Kurome and Seryu could be in trouble, and you want to go play with this place's machinery!?" Run was undeterred "Pretty soon, We won't have any light by which to continue Our search. Better to restore power to light sources within this place, than go stumbling around blindly." then he crossed his arms smartly "Unless either of you have a way to see in the dark, that I don't know about?"

Esdeath pondered hard about their options. But she already knew, Run's idea was the only viable choice. She turns to both her Subordinates, and decided "Let's go switch the power back on."

The City of Kyoroch, East of the Empire

Lubbock pretended to be a corpse, as the remaining Rakshasa Demon stood nearby. Sten looks off into the distance and grumbled "Mez sure is late."

"No, not late. You damn geezer. You should leave, too!" Lubbock thought frustratingly, as he continued to lie still to avoid detection "How long, must I continue to play dead!?" The green haired defense operative played a clever strategy, when he used his concealed armor of thread to absorb the blow from Mez's last attack. Then he cleverly placed Cross Tails' string inside his own body, to bind his blood vessels and conceal his pulse. The ploy worked for the most part. Now all he needed were for his Enemies to wander off, so he can sneak away.

So far, Sten remained where he was and soon, both he and Lubbock can hear Mez's voice call out "Here you go, Sten! She's coming your way! I'll give you the prey, this time!" From down the street, came a young woman who was being chased by Mez. Lubbock can to realize who the girl was, by both the sound of her heavy breathing and the chatter going on over the radio headset.

("Pais. What's wrong? You're out of position.") Bishop inquired as he looked over Pais' Locator signal origin. Pais kept quiet and didn't respond, not wanting to alert the Rakshasa Demons of her Comrades. She stops abruptly, as she came upon Lubbock's body and Sten, who was blocking her path.

The teenage spy looked both in front and behind her in panic, as the two Rakshasa Demons closed in and trapped her. "Dammit…" Lubbock thought "How can she get so careless? Sorry, but I can't help you, Pais. The mission is more important. You should know that as well…"

Sten towered over Pais, with a sinister grin "You must be another lost child, wandering this empty world." He suddenly seized her by the throat, and began to choke her "I shall free that soul of yours. Be thankful!" Pais started to gasp and wheeze, as she tried to call for help "Guh…Please…help…guh" Over the radio headset, Ripley's voice can be heard ("She's in trouble! Somebody do something!")

("Where is she located?") Hicks asked.

("Near the center of the City.") answered Bishop.

("She's too far out.") Najenda explains ("No one can get to her in time.")

Suddenly, a dagger came hurling towards Sten. The Rakshasa Demon saw the incoming blade, and reacted, by catching it between two of his fingers. He observed his surroundings to find the culprit, and noticed Lubbock was standing up a short distance away. "I guess it's up to me, after all. I just can't stand idly by, and let a girl get hurt."

"You…" Sten remarked, as he drops Pais to the ground, and turned to face his immediate threat. Beside him, Mez grinned in amazement "So, you were alive. Sure fooled me. You're so stupid. Should've kept playing dead." Lubbock was unfazed "Well, you see. I usually steer clear of the major battles. But if I have to fight, needless to say, I do intend to give it my all." He winds Cross Tails' threads around his gloves "Come at me, both of you."

As quickly as he could, Lubbock threw forth Cross Tails' threads like casting a net. Mez and Sten dodge sideways, with Mez muttering "Come at you, My ass! You're the one who's sent those damn threads all over the place!" the green haired defense operative began reeling the threads back "Tch! I guess, that was too obvious."

Sten rushed and closed in "Allow me to release your soul!" Lubbock turned to face him, and stood ready. The bearded Rakshasa Demon launched a barrage of punches "Kouken Temple, Hundred Blazing Fist!" the green haired assassin hastily weaved a thread barrier and blocked "Hey, Old Geezer! I didn't ask for you!"

The barrier held against Sten's attack, and he makes an impressive look "Ho…" Mez steps forward and spoke "You're quite skilled. And those threads must be an Imperial Arm…" she cracks her knuckles "This time, I'll split your skull in half. And be sure to kill you." Lubbock forms a grin "Flirting like that, doesn't turn me on at all."

The lone member of Night Raid, and the two Rakshasa Demon have a standoff between them. Lubbock makes the first move, and began to rapidly spin and weave his Cross Tails' threads together. Mez and Sten stood ready and waited to see wait their foe was up to. "Bundle, my threads!" yelled Lubbock, as the threads came together to form a spinning halberd "And, Rise Centrifugal Force!"

Mez smirked "Doesn't that move have too many openings?" she points her index finger and shoots an extended fingernail at Lubbock. The green haired member of Night Raid held forth his arm and amswered "Not really." He deflected the attack with his concealed wire armor, and somersaulted towards Sten "Take this, Super Secret Technique. Wire Impact!"

Sten flexes his muscles, held out his hands and caught the weapon by the blade "Hngh! Too soft…" Lubbock looked down in surprise "What!..." The Rakshasa Demon scowled in disappointment "This is your Trump Card? Don't make me laugh." Lubbock jumped and slid backwards to a safe distance "Is that so? I've already accomplished my goal" he points past them "Take a look behind you!"

The two Rakshasa Demon glanced behind them, and saw that the teenage spy was no longer around. Pais has escaped. "Oh, the woman got away" Mez realized. Lubbock quickly turned around, and began to run away "And now, it's my turn!" Sten placed a finger on his brow to keep his temper in check "So, he was being flashy on purpose," he surmised "to keep our attention focused on him, while the woman made her getaway."

Sten crouched low, and made ready to dash after his target "There's no choice…" he burst forth and ran at full speed "Even if it's just you, I will release your soul!" Lubbock looked behind and smirked "Is it alright, for you to charge at me like that? Cross Tails' threads are made from a Super-Class Danger Beast that lives in the clouds of the Eastern Continent. The threads that are made from the hairs protecting its vital spots, are especially sharp. Hence earning it name Realm-Cutter. It's my strongest thread"

Before Sten realized it, he found himself running straight towards a thread barrier. He tried to stop, but his momentum carried him forward and he wound up headfirst into the barrier. The thread snared him and began to cut into his neck. In front of him, Lubbock readied another thread woven polearm and hurled it straight into the Rakshasa Demon's chest. "You're finished." declared the green haired assassin.

Sten clutched at the weapon embedded in his chest, and began to pull it out "This trained body, won't be taken down by a wound like this…" Lubbock grins and retorted "It doesn't matter how tough, your body is. From the moment you were stabbed by Cross Tails, the threads have been heading straight for your heart." He makes a hand gesture and tugged his line of threads. The wires around Sten's heart began to tense and tighten, then quickly diced up the heart with their sharp edges. Sten began to cough up blood, and fell back dead.

Lubbock wound all his threads back to him, while commenting "That part of your body wasn't that tough." Behind him, Mez was rubbing the back of her head "Wow, you actually defeated Sten. Impressive! The Prime Minister is gonna be mad at us." The green haired assassin redeployed his threads and cast another barrier around himself "You don't have to worry about that. Now that you've seen my Imperial Arm, I can't let you live." The remaining Rakshasa Demon smiled merrily "Well, that's alright. We are assassins, after all…"

Mes reached into her hair, and unlatched the horseshoe-shaped weights from her braids. After the weights clattered to the floor, she suddenly whisked her upper body forward and splashed a thick fluid all over Cross Tails' barrier. Lubbock looked around in shock, as the liquid drenched over his barrier threads, weighed them down to make them slacken, and rendered them useless.

"This liquid is like oil" Mez explained "But, it's actually my sweat. And without your barrier, you're defenseless." She began darting all around Lubbock at high speed. The green haired defense operative can't even keep up.

Suddenly, Mez came straight at him and delivered a solid punch, right into his stomach. Lubbock was knocked back and sent hurdling to the ground. He clutched his stomach and gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. He then looks forward and sees the female Rakshasa Demon approach, while he's vulnerable.

In a desperate move, Lubbock reached into his sleeve and produced two throwing knives. "Take this!" he hurls the knives towards Mez, but she merely swats them away with her hand "Don't be so desperate. It's unsightly." She picks up and holds Lubbock by the collar of his shirt.

Lubbock stared down at his would be killer "Shit…You're so cute…If you weren't the Enemy, I would have definitely tried to seduce you." Mez smiled and blushed "I don't hate guys like you, so I might have been okay with that." She flexes her hand and readied a killing blow "Let's save it for the next life. Bye-bye!-" Bzzzt! Mez felt an intense flash of burning pain along her back and spreading throughout her body "What!?..." she cried out, as the electric shock began to render her unconscious.

Mez began to weaken and dropped Lubbock, as she collapsed to the floor. Lubbock checked her vitals, and determined she was out cold. He looked up to see what could have happened to her, and spotted Susanoo down the alleyway brandishing a Shotgun with a smoking barrel. "Ms. Pais informed Us at the Dropship, that you were facing two of the Rakshasa Demons, all by yourself. Lady Najenda then ordered me to go into the city, to assist you."

Lubbock looked back down at an unconscious Mez and muttered "I had it under control. Boss didn't need to send you here, for my sake." He felt ashamed, his Commander, whom he admired, had to send help.

The green haired defense operative waved a small cloud of smoke away from his face, as he tried to ignore the scent of singed flesh. "What the Hell did you do to her, Su?" he asked. The humanoid Imperial Arm ejected a blue shell from his Shotgun, and presented it to Lubbock "Bishop calls these non-lethal stun rounds. They deliver a high-voltage shock to a target, and incapacitates them for a certain amount of time." He pulls out a red colored shell and loaded it "I didn't want to risk hitting you with a scatter round, so I swapped ammunitions."

Lubbock crouched and studied Mez's body closely "How long, does it last?" Susanoo frowns thoughtfully "It varies, according to Bishop. She could be up and moving, in a matter of minutes at the very least." He walks up to her unmoving body and aimed the Shotgun at her head "Might as well finish her off, while we still have the chance."

Lubbock instantly placed himself in Susanoo's way "Wait! We don't need to go that far." He looks down at the vulnerable Rakshasa Demon "Our mission is to assassinate Borick, not the Rakshasa Demons. We should avoid anymore killing, if we can help it." The humanoid Imperial Arm lowered his Shotgun, to indicate he was still listening. Lubbock continued to explain "Su. You and I both know the Aliens are still out there. And, when They eventually come for Us, We'll need every able-bodied fighter to stand against Them."

Susanoo was still uncertain, so Lubbock tried to reason with him "You're more than just a weapon, Su. I know you value life, just like the rest of Us. And, if Najenda was here right now, she'd say the same thing."

Susanoo pondered for another minute, and finally relented. He points down at Mez and asked "Then, what do you propose, We do about her?" Lubbock eyed Mez's comatose body, and made a perverted grin "I have an idea…"

Under Lubbock's instructions, he and Susanoo dragged Mez into an abandoned building within the alleyway, that the former had picked out using his Motion Tracker and broke into using the Welding Torch. Lubbock then took Cross Tails' threads, and began tying her up. When he had finished, Mez'z body was held suspended above the floor and hanging from a support beam. Coils of thread wound around her shins and thighs, which bound her legs up to where her ankles touched her buttocks. Diamond shaped coils wrapped around her pubic region, knots tied her hands behind her back, and a harness caressed her breasts.

Susanoo stood by and eyed Lubbock's handiwork. The green haired assassin's method of tying up Mez, has got the humanoid Imperial Arm perplexed "What sort of purpose, does tying her up like that accomplish?" Lubbock fidgeted as he tried to explain himself "Well, this one is a slippery character. So I wanted to employ a special method to keep her tied up, for as long as possible."

Susanoo started to make sense of it "Are you sure, this'll work? What do you call this, anyway?" Lubbock picked up a rag and gagged Mez's mouth "It's called a Rope Dress." he answered "I learned it off a magazine, I bought a while back." He held his chin in thought "I wish I could remember, where I left it. It had some of my favorite articles. Anyway, I used the Hand Welder to calcify and harden the threads to become hard as steel. She's not getting out of this anytime, soon."

Lubbock stepped out the door of the abandoned building, with Susanoo following behind. He took out the Welding Torch, and melted the doorknob and the hinges, in order to seal the door "That should hold her, until Our mission is complete." He turned towards Susanoo, and pointed down the alleyway "Now, get back to the Dropship. I can handle things from here." The humanoid Imperial Arm nodded and dashed towards the edge of the city. Lubbock pressed his headset mic to his lips ("This is Lubbock. The threat is no longer an issue. The path is clear, I'm bringing in Leone and Chelsea.")

("Roger.") Bishop replies.

("How's Pais?") Hicks asked.

("Is Su already on his way back?") Najenda asked.

Lubbock approached the safe house, and answered the line of inquiry ("Pais is fine. She managed to get away. And Su just left me right now.") He steps into the safe house and beckons for his Comrades to follow him ("I'm with Chelsea and Leone, right now. We're making Our way to the cathedral.") Najenda spoke again over the radio ("Well, hurry and get them safely inside the church. It's gonna be dark, soon. And I want Chelsea and Leone to be in place and ready, before Borick arrives.")

Leone and Chelsea quietly nod in readiness, and Lubbock spoke once more into his headset ("Got It. We're on our way.")

The three assassins step out into the street, and Lubbock led the way using the Motion Tracker to avoid any crowds, and prevent raising suspicions from witnesses. They navigated the streets, while occasionally ducking into alleyways to throw off anyone who might be tailing them. Eventually, they came upon a large set of doors at the front of the church. "We'll go around the back. See if we can find a discreet way in." Lubbock directed Chelsea and Leone around the side of the building.

Not long after walking, they found a smaller side door with a bolted lock. Lubbock checked his Motion Tracker, and found no one was on the other side. Using the Welding Torch, he cut through the lock and opened the door. "Alright, you two" he turns to Leone and Chelsea "It's your show. Now get inside, and nail that Bastard. I'll seal the door behind you, to cover your tracks." The two women nod, and crept into the church. The green haired operative then sealed the passage and snuck off into the streets.

Lubbock checked around to make sure they weren't seen, then he spoke into his headset again ("Ok, it's done. The elimination team are inside the church.")

("Good Work, Lubbock. Now fall back to the safe house and stand by.") commanded Najenda ("Does anyone got eyes on the final Rakshasa Demon?")

("Negative") answered Hicks.

("The Spy Team are wandering the city, to lure her out.") explained Pais.

("Well she's certainly not here.") Mine said, as she recline on her seat and began to lose patience for the lack of action on her part. To pass the time, she began to tidy herself up by brushing away dirt and dust off her pink dress and her face.

After her initial cleanup, Mine suddenly leaned forward towards Tatsumi who was sitting across from her, and tried glaring into his eyes to see her reflection. "I feel like, there's something on my face." commented the pink haired sniper. She continued facing a startled Tatsumi and asked "Did all of the dirt come off?" the green eyed fighter put up his hands, and waved frantically "It's off! It's off!"

Mine realized Tatsumi was blushing. "What are you blushing for?" she asked "Are you actually still hung up on that Red String thing?" Tatsumi reacted defensively "No Way! Aren't you the one, who is taking that seriously!?" Mine argued back in disbelief "Huh!? Stop joking! It's not even funny!" she crossed her b arms haughtily "Besides, if we were bound by the Red String. You should've come to my defense, when Ripley, Hicks, and Bishop were calling me immature." Tatsumi pointed his finger accusingly "You expect me to help you out, after all this time you'd rip on me about the way I look!?"

The young couple kept arguing. Unaware of the lone figure standing atop a cliff overlooking the canyon. "Well, what do we have here? I come all the way out here to spy on that meddlesome Lord, and instead I chance upon two suspicious people." Suzuka shield her eyes from the glare of the late afternoon sun, and looked closely "The girl appears to be one of the identified members of Night Raid, and the boy seem to be her comrade." The Rakshasa Demon held herself in excitement "Looks like, I hit the jackpot. Maybe, I'll toy with them first, before alerting the others." She grinned in ecstatic anticipation "I've never been one to share in my pleasures, anyway."

Chapter 6 : End

Thank you for reading. Please leave a review, any feedback really helps me stay focused and dedicated. If you have any questions, let me know with PM. And if you like the story, please tell a friend. Next chapter, Night Raid's mission comes to a conclusion. The Jaegers discover the proof of entire Worlds far beyond their own, and the nightmarish origins of a Species that seek to consume all Life in existence.

REST IN PEACE, BILL PAXTON. You're legacy lives on.