"Snake! Old friend...it really is you." Lucario stepped out and revealed himself.

"Lucario. I never thought I'd see you again." Snake smiled.

This was a very happy reunion. Lucario was one of two fighters that Snake first met, the other being Meta Knight. It was on the Halberd airship. Lucario discovered Snake hiding in a cardboard box. He and Meta Knight thought Snake was an enemy, and Snake felt the same towards them. But before they could engage in combat, they realized they were surrounded by Subspace forces. Putting their supposed differences aside, the three worked together to fight against the horde. That's when they realized that there was no hostility between them, and they were in fact fighting the same enemy. From there they formed a team, and eventually forged a friendship that was unbreakable.

The two shook hands for the first time in seven years. Lucario looked behind Snake and realized there were a couple more familiar faces.

"Peach! Bayonetta! It's so good to see you two again."

The two ladies smiled and nodded, feeling the same way. Lucario then looked at Alex.

"You…I do not believe we've met before."

"We haven't. I'm Alex. I'm with them. You must be one of the old Smash fighters. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Well any friend of Snake's is a friend of mine. Good to meet you, Alex."

"Before we get too comfortable, I have to ask; who did you think we were when we came in here?" Snake asked.

"Ah yes. I thought you might have been Deathborn's soldiers." Lucario answered.

"So, you know about him too?" Peach asked.

"I do, unfortunately."

"You said something about him "taking the boys"; What did you mean by that?" Snake questioned.

"Follow me and I'll show you. But please remain quiet, he's resting right now."

The four nodded in agreement and followed Lucario further into the cave. He eventually brought them to a familiar boy, now a young adult, sleeping like a rock. Snake, Peach and Bayonetta were shocked.

"Is…is that Ness?!" Bayonetta whispered.

"Indeed it is." Lucario nodded.

"My god, look at him! He's all grown up!" Peach smiled.

Alex tapped Snake on the shoulder to get his attention. "Sorry to ask, but who is that?"

"That's Ness, a veteran Smash fighter. He was there since the first tournament. And he was only a teenager when he competed." Snake answered.

"Woah! What is he, some sort of martial arts prodigy?"

"No, but he's a master of psionics."

"Psionics?"

"Oh sorry, you're probably more familiar with its other name; Psycho kinesis, or psychic powers."

"A psychic! Wow!" Alex said, now awestruck.

Snake suddenly frowned. "Lucario. You said that they already took one of the kids. And I think I've got a feeling of who that might be."

Lucario let out a saddened sigh. "Yes. They got Lucas a couple of weeks ago."

Just as Snake thought. "Dammit…" He muttered.

"Little Lucas?! No!" Peach cried out.

"If they do anything to or god forbid, kill that boy; those bastards are going to pay!" Bayonetta shook her fist.

"I don't think we have to worry too much on Lucas' life being in danger. If Deathborn wanted them dead, he would have had his soldiers kill Lucas and Ness when they ambushed us. They tried to kill me of course, but I remember their captain telling them to not use lethal force on the boys. So, I believe…"

"He wants the kids for their powers." Snake finished Lucario's statement for him.

"My thoughts exactly." Lucario nodded.

"Well even if his life isn't in immediate danger, we should still make rescuing him priority number one!" Peach said.

"Yes, but the problem is we still barely know a damn about this guy, let alone where his base is." Bayonetta frowned.

"Alright let's calm down, remember we need to get some rest. Worrying ourselves about the situation won't do any good. Let's just hope that our friends back home managed to catch one of Deathborn's men." Snake convinced everyone to relax. They sighed heavily and regained their composure, finally starting to get a spot to rest.

Link had their mystery attacker put in an interrogation room for questioning. He and several of the others looked at him from a one-way window outside the room.

"So, how are we going to go about this, Link?" Ike asked.

Link glared at the man inside the room. "Well first thing to establish, we will not resort to torture! No matter how difficult he makes it to get information, none of us lay a finger on him. We will not stoop down to that level. Understood?" Link asked, wanting to be sure he got his point across. Everyone in the room nodded. "Good! Fox. Lucina. Come with me to question him." He ordered.

The three of them entered the room, the man lifted his head up to look at them. He had a blank expression on his face ever since he was put in this room. No real emotion radiated from him. No anger, fear, anxiousness.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Link started, getting no response from the man. "You got a name?"

The man finally spoke up. "If I did, it was taken from me some time ago. You can just call me Fourteen."

"Why name yourself a number?" Lucina asked.

"Because I'm Deathborn's fourteenth assassin unit. I didn't choose the name, it was branded on me." Fourteen answered.

"Branded? You sound like you're not very proud to work for Deathborn." Fox thought aloud.

"Yeah…I'm not. I hate the man."

"So why work for him?"

"Here's how it works. I wake up in a lab with no memory of who I used to be. Asshole comes up to me and says that since he was very impressed with my combat abilities, I was now one of his hitmen. If I followed orders, I was fed and given a bed to sleep on along with a roof over my head. I disobey, he kills me. Plain and simple." Fourteen explained.

"Okay, but why were you about to blow yourself up for his plans?" Link asked. "That seems like something someone would do if they were very devoted to a cause."

"You thought I was going to martyr myself for Deathborn's "Natural Order" idealogy?" Fourteen laughed.

"Well yeah. From our perspective can you really blame us?"

"No…I can't. So here's the deal. The bomb was not part of the plan I was given. I was just supposed to kill everybody and get out. The bomb was something I added myself."

"Why?!" Lucina asked.

"Because I wanted to die. I had enough. Living the way I am just isn't worth it. To be forced to do someone's bidding in exchange for living. I wanted to end it, but I was going to die on my terms."

"But why try to kill the rest of the settlement along with you. You would've died giving Deathborn what he wanted. Why didn't you just blow yourself up in an open field?" Fox questioned.

"It's kind of a stupid reason. Despite not hating who I worked for, I had some warped since of pride in completing every mission assigned to me. My pride wanted to me to go out completing that mission, so I'd leave with a perfect record." He laughed, internally berating himself for how foolish he was. "But looks like you and your crew stopped me…I failed my mission…"

The room went quiet for a minute. Link, Fox, and Lucina struggled to figure out what to ask from there. Fourteen just lowered his head, sighing.

"If you expected any resistance from me then don't worry, you're not going to get any. I'll tell you what you want to know. I don't know everything about Deathborn and how his organization works, but I know a lot more than most people you can find." Fourteen said.

Link looked at the others, shocked by how this situation was playing out. They expected this to be very difficult.

"Well okay then. Let's start with your attack. What was the purpose? What was it supposed to accomplish?" Link began questioning.

"Pretty obvious isn't it? Create chaos, cause fear, panic. Textbook terrorism."

"I thought as much. But if that's the case, why didn't he send you to one of our major settlements with a larger population? Seems that would've been a lot more frightening."

"Ah! That's a good question. Before I answer that, can I ask how you knew to reinforce security on the smaller settlements? I was quite surprised you and the man in green were there to stop me." Fourteen expressed his curiosity.

"We got a tip from somebody, told us that our best bet would be to worry about the smaller settlements."

"So you're aware of how unorthodox Deathborn's methods seem to be?"

"Yeah, we were confused about it. Do you know why he works like this?"

"I do and I must say, it's a pretty clever plan on his part." Fourteen began. "He's not going to be sending anyone to attack a big area like the Capital anytime soon. He knows there's too much security, and it's also too predictable. He wants to target the smaller settlements because you wouldn't expect it, and therefore have loose security. He figured it would be easy to go into those settlements eliminate every living being there, and ruin the UR's reputation."

"Ruin our reputation? What do you mean by that?" Lucina asked.

"People look up to the UR as an organization that keeps people safe. The reason people want their settlements to be under the UR is for protection. So what do you think would happen if about five small settlements got wiped out with little to no resistance? How would people living in small settlements feel about that."

The three were struck with the realization and looked grim because of it.

"Oh shit…" Fox cursed.

"They'd think we don't care about them…" Lucina said.

"Bingo! The point is to make the people living in those small areas believe that if you don't live in one of the major areas, then the UR doesn't give a damn about you're safety. Who knows what those people would do if they formed an angry mob about that." Fourteen put it bluntly. "Fortunately you did save that little settlement, so good on you. But don't forget the others." He warned.

"He's right. I'm sure Deathborn's got more hitmen at his disposal. We need to keep our security strong on all settlements." Link stated.

"How about this question? What is the "Natural Order" that Deathborn seems so fond of?" Fox asked.

"A mad man's idea on how the world should be. That what it is."

"Care to elaborate?"

Fourteen groaned in annoyance. "Fine! I'll explain it as I understand it. Basically the "Natural Order" is a world without order. As in no government or organization that dictates what's allowed and what's not, what's evil and what's good. No one like the Hands, the Committee, or the UR are supposed to exist. Individuals have nothing, no one to restrict what they do, and their safety and survival can only be ensured by their own strength." Fourteen explained the strange ideology. "In layman's terms; a world the strong live, and the weak die."

"What a maniac!" Lucina scoffed.

"No I don't think you can call him that." Fourteen interjected.

"Why not?"

"Because that implies that he's mentally unstable. He is not crazy, not a madman. He is completely sane. He knows what his actions result in, and he's fine with what happens."

"Okay let's get back on track. Next question, do you know where his base is?" Link asked.

"Which one?"

"Excuse me?" He asked again to check if he heard right.

"I asked which one because he's got multiple bases, and I only know where one of them are."

The three in the room and all the others watching outside groaned with frustration. It was becoming very clear that finding this man would be a chore.

"Master Deathborn." One of the men addressed him.

"Yes?"

"We're about to interrogate the boy again. Do you wish to see?"

Deathborn let out a sinister laugh in respose. "Actually, why don't you tell the boys to sit this one out. I'll do the questioning myself." He ordered and got up from his chair. His men stepped aside and let him enter the interrogation room where a young blonde man was held captive. "Oh Lucas. My how you've grown." Deathborn said with a mocking tone of affection.

"What the hell do you want?!" Lucas growled at the man that towered above him. He vehemently wanted to strike the monstrous excuse of a man, but his hands were tied and behind his back. Worse yet, the room the put him in stopped any of his psychic powers.

"What do I want? How rude, thinking that I'm only here because I want something in exchange." He responded with faux disappointment. "No I've just come for a little chat."

"I've got nothing to say to you!" Lucas further rebelled.

"That's alright, I'm fine with a one-sided conversation. Would you at least like a cup of tea?"

"Fuck…off!"

"I'll leave you a cup just in case you change your mind." Deathborn smiled. "You're a very gifted young man Lucas. Not just everybody can wield those powers the way you and Ness can. But I've always wondered why were you gifted with those powers." He began. "Ness, I understand. That boy is cheerful, optimistic, and brave! He was willing to save anyone…even you."

This seemed to be touching on a nerve with Lucas, who looked up and glared at Deathborn.

"How did it feel whenever Ness took the bullet for you? When he got turned into a trophy instead of you. And more importantly how did it feel to just let Wario take him away, doing nothing to stop him." He continued to question with a wicked sneer. "You had your powers, so why didn't save him? You failed him!"

"No! Shut up!" Lucas shouted furiously, wishing to lash out at the man. He hated being reminded about that moment back during the Subspace conflict. Even though Ness told him repeatedly that he had no need to feel sorry and the he didn't harbor any bad feelings towards him, Lucas couldn't say he had ever forgiven himself. Deathborn crossed him arms and snickered. He was getting under the boy's skin, just like he wanted.

"Actually, I apologize to you Lucas, because I just realized something. I can't entirely blame you for failing to save him. Because you know what they say…the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Lucas gasped and his eyes widened. Was he talking about who he thought he was? Did he dare talk about…

"Your father Clint. Poor old Clint, he was the biggest failure of your entire family. He failed to save your beloved mother Hinawa, and he sure as hell failed to save your brother Claus. And maybe even the worst part is that he also failed you as a father. You would that you being the only family he had left, would treasure you, look after you, be there for you." Deathborn continued. "But he wasn't! Instead he wallowed in his failure and self-pity, barely even talking to you or even paying attention to you." He laughed.

"So now I see it. You can't help but be a failure, it's in your blood, passed down to you by your pitiful father."

Lucas could not even respond back to him with some sort of insult. His mind was being flooded by all those terrible memories he wished to forget, now being reawakened by the man in front of him.

"You know you and Ness seem to be good friends, but sometimes I wonder if there's an animosity you hold towards him. Before the Catastrophe he had a loving and alive mother, a pretty litter sister that adored him, and a father who while not always physically present, would constantly call in to check on his dear boy he loved so much. It's no wonder Ness would get a little homesick during his adventure, he had a wonderful family waiting for him when he got back!" Deathborn sang the praises of Ness' family. "I can't help but wonder if you were jealous, envious of him, because he had what you always wanted. It must of driven you crazy when he brought you to visit his family, wondering why you couldn't have that in your life.'

"SHUT UP!" Lucas screamed at the top of his lungs. Despite the room's ability to suppress his powers, this surge of emotions cause a little bit of energy to crackle like electricity around him, if only for a brief moment. Deathborn smirked at the display of power. It was what he wanted to see. After his emotional roar, Lucas held his head low, bitter tears began dropping from his eyes.

"Why are you doing this?! Is this the only reason you captured me?" He asked.

"Of course not! I don't capture people just for sport or entertainment. They have to be useful. So don't you worry, this isn't the reason I decided to capture you."

"Then why are you doing this?!" Lucas begged to know.

"Because Lucas, there's nothing I love more to go with my tea than sugar…and a broken spirit." He sneered and took a sip from his cup. He finally turned and left the room. "I'll be back later, then we can talk about why you're really here."

And Lucas was left in that room as an emotional wreck.

While his friends were sleeping, Snake sat at the entrance of the cave staying on lookout. He didn't tell the others but when they camped somewhere to rest, he'd only get two or three hours of sleep before getting up and going on watch. However he wasn't the only one awake this time.

"Why are you not sleeping like the rest?"

Snake turned to see Lucario was awake as well.

"Well I did sleep, just not much."

"Do you have trouble sleeping?" Lucario asked.

"Nothing like that. I just don't need that much sleep to function. I spent most of my life on battlefields. Getting a proper eight hours of sleep was never really an option. I just got sleep whenever it was safe, but I didn't sleep long. Over time I guess I got used to not needing too much sleep." Snake explained. "What about you? Why are you awake?"

"I do not require much sleep." Lucario answered simply.

"I see."

Snake looked away in the distance before chuckling as something came to mind. "You know I just remembered, we were so busy talking about Deathborn that we didn't get a chance to catch up. What have you been up to these past seven years?" Snake asked.

"Ah yes! It seems we did skip over those details. Well lucky for me on that day, I was out of the blast area; in a forest, far away from where it took place. Obviously, I survived without a scratch…not something everyone can say." Lucario said and took a look at the horn shaped shrapnel lodged into Snake's head. "And the boys survived the blast as well, as I found them a week later. However, I found out that they were not adept when it came to surviving in this world after it had changed so fast."

"How so?"

"I found them collapsed in the middle of the road. They were weak and starving. Lucas and Ness are strong fighters but they didn't know about the basics of surviving in a wasteland. After all, they were still just children. They didn't have a grasp of things like hunting for food, finding shelter, knowing to be cautious of the people you come across. For the life of them, they could not adjust. They were still in shock, maybe even in denial of what had happened. So, that's when I stepped in."

"So, you taught them the essential lessons of survival?"

"That's right. I took them under my wing and we've been traveling together for all these years. They caught on quick to what I taught them, and before I knew it, they've now become young men." Lucario chuckled and smiled for a bit. He sounded proud to say that. Shortly after, he sighed and was frowning.

Snake looked at him and could immediately tell what was going through his friend's mind. "Don't worry, we're going to get him back."

Lucario just responded with a grunt.

"Yes. We will." He nodded. "So what about you? What have you been doing for the last seven years?"

Snake smirked. "That is a very long story." He warned.

"I've got time." Lucario replied. Snake shrugged and decided to tell his story.

"Alright. Just try not to fall asleep on me…"