Of Gods, Men and Machines

by Manus Dei

Two decades after the Sigma Uprising, an unprecedented threat arises. As a new generation of heroes joins the old, plans are set in motion and secrets revealed... for many are the paths of power. (Spoilers for Cyberworld Immortals and Flowers Admist Rubble)

18. Escalation

Chapter 18 – Escalation

In one of the alien command vessels, in orbit over Phobos…

The richly decorated chamber, with ancient ornate tapestries hanging from its metal walls, was mostly dark, until the holographic projector mounted in its center hummed and came to life.

"Anthur tel Dalam." a woman's voice said, cold and emotionless.

The officer in question suppressed a shudder and stood at attention in front of the projector where the bluish image of a woman was looking down at him, clad in regally decorated robes. Her face was concealed underneath a featureless mask and her hair was done in a strange manner, almost resembling two pairs of wings pointing upward.

"Your Eminence…" he said, trying to avoid staring directly at the image.

"The reports coming in from the field are most disappointing." the woman said in a measured pace.

"Your Eminence, the natives are-"

"Have you forgotten your mission?" she cut him off, her tone still unsettling in its calmness.

"I have not." he said, trying to suppress the chill running down his spine. "But if you'll recall, Field Commander Xelmath tel Doren was the one-"

"The one in charge of retrieving the artifacts for study, yes." the woman cut him off again. "The very same artifacts you and your cadre of savages nearly destroyed in your carelessness."

He did not dare to protest or to raise his gaze, realizing he was treading on thin ice.

"Has your lust for battle clouded your judgement?" she continued. "Or are you simply inept? Answer me."

"Your Eminence… I believe your reports may be incomplete. The natives are putting up a surprising amount of resistance. Almost as if they were expecting us."

"Explain."

"They may not be able to take the fight to us in space, but they have war suits of their own. At least two armies and an elite unit that has proven most troublesome."

"Two armies, you said?" the High Priestess inquired. "Wielding war suits, no less?"

"Yes, Your Eminence. Highly trained. Their technology is on par with ours in many regards."

The High Priestess paused for a moment, digesting the new information, but remained as inscrutable as ever. Finally, she spoke again.

"Who are these primitives and how are they doing this?"

"The first group appears to be a covert organization of some sort. Despite our initial observations it seems that the human nations were able to assemble a considerable combined force. We still do not know their name, but they are fanatics, throwing themselves at our forces without a care for their lives."

"And the other group?"

"They call themselves… the Pantheon."

"The height of arrogance." the High Priestess remarked. "Those lowly primitives see themselves as gods?"

"Their choice of name aside, we were not prepared for the caliber of their machines. The rank and file are surprisingly capable… and their four command units are a menace in their own right."

"The reports mentioned that." the woman said, her tone absolutely chilling. "As well as your blunders. You somehow managed to lose not one but two battleships? Do you have any idea how long it will take to replace them? The fodder is one thing. They forfeited their futures by breaking their oaths to the Empire. Interstellar vessels, however…"

She paused for a moment, letting the Field Commander's own thoughts work against him. The High Priestess was one of the supreme authorities along with the Emperor. She did not need to put her threats into words to produce the desired effect.

Eventually, his fear of looking like an idiot just standing there overcame his fear of speaking out of turn and he tried to offer counter-argument.

"The first battleship was not the work of the rank and file." Anthur corrected. "They possess a strange one of a kind model that has been exceedingly troublesome. It cut the entire craft in two."

Trying to seize the initiative in the conversation, he quickly changed gears.

"Now that we have reinforcements in the form of actual soldiers instead of that rabble, things will be different, Your Eminence."

"We shall see. Continue your exposition."

Anthur tensed up, seeing that his reassurances had been met with skepticism, and quickly continued.

"Yes, Your Eminence. The final group is small, but incredibly fierce. They call themselves the Robot Masters and their machines are trouncing the lesser models of the Penal Regiment."

"She doesn't need to know that we were beaten back by children." he fumed inwardly.

"They have already destroyed the Belkath, the Belkathis and over a hundred of our unmanned units and drones." he continued. "In fact, they found a way to subvert the drones so we were forced to stop using them. The danger they pose cannot be overstated. My adjutant is missing, presumed dead."

Anthur's hands nervously twitched behind his back.

"If she hears about the Machine Souls, then…"

The High Priestess paused for what felt like an eternity and then spoke again.

"It seems that at least part of the fault lies with the scouts then. Corrective action will be required. However, I do hope that your performance will improve now that you have actual soldiers at your disposal."

"There is… one more thing."

"Speak."

"Some unidentified elements have come to the aid of the Robot Masters as well. One is a small flying unit that has displayed some very unusual abilities. The other… was a human."

"And what of this human?"

Anthur paused, struggling with the words coming out of his mouth.

"He… broke the second battleship in half… with his bare fists."

The High Priestess paused, and even through the mask her withering glare was nearly palpable.

"If this is a jest, it is a poor one, Field Commander."

"It… it's all in the footage." Anthur defended himself. "You have only seen the written reports, correct?"

"Fair enough." the High Priestess conceded. "The long range uplink is finally set up. Send my adjutant everything."

Trying to hide his mixture of anger, fear and frustration, Anthur nodded, then clenched his trembling fists behind his back.

"I will bring this backwater planet to its knees and deal with the Machine Souls myself."

"We will speak again once the rest of the data has been examined." the High Priestess said. "But I will be awaiting your next report within three cycles, Field Commander. If you are able to salvage this situation and find what we require, then you will have proven your worth to our people."

She paused for the briefest of moments, letting Anthur's tension ease just slightly.

"However, should you continue to disappoint, we may need to reevaluate your fitness to oversee this operation."

With that, she ended the transmission, leaving her words hanging in the air. Left alone, Anthur sank to his chair, exhausted.

"The family can't do anything now…" he thought with growing dread. "If the High Priestess herself is involved, I..."

---

Meanwhile, at the hidden base underneath the Black Forest…

Rachel paced around a chamber in the laboratory wing, while Asaru listened to her report.

Behind her, a small group of older scientists continued their work on several electronic parts spread out on a wide workbench. Most of those would have looked right at home on a sci-fi movie, made of a dull gray alloy of some sort and with their conductive components fashioned out of some strange substance with a faint bluish glow instead of the copper and gold typical in devices produced on Earth.

"As you saw from the satellite and onboard camera footage, the second battleship suffered considerable damage." she said, still struggling to believe that a man had been able to jump such a ludicrous distance and punch it in half.

Asaru nodded but said nothing, allowing her to continue.

"Still, between the two battleships there were still enough salvageable components for us to finally start studying their communication systems in greater depth."

"And what is your assessment so far?" Asaru asked.

She finally stopped and stepped back towards the workbench, resting her hands on the edges.

"Sturdy and efficient." she summed it up. "But with clear signs of wear. Some of these components have been active for at least ten to fifteen years in a variety of hostile environments."

"Interesting." Asaru noted. "That would suggest these invaders either have limited production capabilities or are saving their newer units for something else."

"It also means that we are a step closer to…" she added.

"Yes." Asaru finished her train of thought. "That alloy they use on their outer plating has been a considerable challenge for our detection systems, but if we can identify their communication frequencies…"

"Exactly." she said with an almost maniacal grin. "Unless they go into full radio silence, we'll figure out how to track them sooner or later."

"Good." Asaru said with a nod. "We also need to determine where they're striking from. Since we haven't found any bases on the planet, they must have at least one fleet lurking about."

"Exactly what we were thinking, Commander." a man in his late twenties with long, unruly dark blond hair chimed in, momentarily looking up from his work through a pair of glasses with large round lenses. "We're working on a practical solution."

"How much time do you need to make that possible?" Asaru asked.

"We would need to identify the frequencies and calibrate all our detection equipment." Rachel mused. "Some hardware modifications may be in order. Even if everything goes well, the whole thing will never take less than three or four weeks."

"That is… better than I expected, actually." Asaru admitted.

"Modesty aside, we do have a very good team." Rachel said with open pride. "I'm still not sure why you asked me of all people to oversee it, but this experience has definitely broadened my horizons."

"Everyone here recognizes that you are an asset to the team." Asaru said. "What you lack in experience you more than make up for in drive and focus… not to mention your organizational skills."

"I suppose geniuses can be a temperamental lot." Rachel conceded. "Getting them to work in tandem may be a challenge of its own, but this work environment is very stimulating."

She was exaggerating a bit, and the others knew it. Despite the occasional clashes of egos and personalities, which she had to manage, she thoroughly relished being surrounded by experts on so many different fields and having the opportunity to learn from them.

"There is one more thing." she added, enjoying the praise but trying not to lose focus.

"From what we've seen so far…" she continued. "This equipment may still be beyond what Earth can produce right now but its range has limits. It could in theory receive and send transmissions as far as the edge of the solar system, but anything beyond that would likely require a dedicated relay or signal booster. The battleships did have some components that could have played that role, but they were too badly damaged for us to be sure."

"Then we should definitely keep an eye out for that." Asaru said with a nod. "I have no doubt now that this campaign will not be settled on Earth."

---

Meanwhile, in the Sanctum of the Founders…

"Is this… really OK?" Sarah hesitantly asked.

Amelia smiled, glancing at her.

"Of course. Don't be silly."

With a smile, Amelia grabbed Sarah's sleeve and led her past the ground floor lobby, towards the elevator. The biometric touch pads near the door and next to the control panel allowed her through in a matter of instants. At the push of a button, the cabin bolted upwards, delivering the two a few floors upstairs. With a vigorous stride, Amelia led her guest outside and through the corridors until they reached the living area.

"So this is your home…" Sarah remarked. "Interesting place."

"It got remodeled a bunch of times." Amelia explained. "The Founders planned to use this as their offices but almost all of them died out before the setup was finished and then the place stayed empty for over twenty years."

Amelia led on past the living room and a small hall connected to a wide balcony, before reaching the area where her brother's bedroom door was, not far from her own. To her surprise, however, his door was open and the there was no one inside.

"Where did he go now?"

Curious, Sarah peeked inside. The place seemed almost unnaturally tidy, but that was not what drew her attention. Instead, she saw the replicas of famous paintings and the pictures of tapestries depicting knights of old, and her eyes lit up.

"Oh…"

"Yeah, his tastes are a bit out there, I know." Amelia said.

Sarah stepped closer to take a better look and smiled fondly.

"I've actually seen some of the originals up close. I shouldn't be too surprised that he's into this."

Then Sarah's eyes wandered to one of the bookcases and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that… a first edition?"

"Probably." Amelia said with a shrug. "You'll have to ask him about it since I'm not really into that stuff."

Staring at the books and artwork, she was confronted with some unpleasant thoughts.

"Brutish savages… It's not good for him to cling to an idealized version of the past."

A moment later, however, another thought crossed her mind, giving her something to smile about.

"On the other hand, there are real knights here and now who live up to the ideal more than the old ones ever did… and he'd probably look pretty good in armor."

Starting to look a little giddy, Sarah ran her fingers across the spine of one particular book, then carefully pulled it out and opened it, almost mesmerized by the texture and the scent of old paper.

"I read this for the first time when I was five. Never thought I'd see a first edition copy though."

"You're looking at that thing the way most people would look at a puppy." Amelia joked.

"You're not wrong..."

By this point, Sarah was actually looking a bit starry eyed.

"Looks like your brother is full of surprises. In fact, his collection may be as big as mine."

Amelia blinked.

"Wait… You too?"

"I guess a part of me always wanted to go on a grand adventure…" Sarah mused. "To see the world and…"

"Get swept off your feet by a knight on a horse?" Amelia teased.

A timid smile bloomed on Sarah's face.

"Something like that, maybe…"

Amelia grinned mischievously, but did not comment.

"I don't go around announcing it, but yes." Sarah admitted, coming down from her brief moment of glee. "Is it really that weird?"

"Not particularly." Amelia said with a shrug. "I just thought this was something a boy would be into. I always found it a bit too dramatic and a tad pretentious."

"So what exactly are you into? Apart from science, I mean."

"History, for starters. Sometimes we help out in the lab downstairs. Sometimes we go hiking together or spend a day around videogames. He's as much of a nerd as I am, but he usually goes to Alex about that whole knight stuff."

"You two sound close."

Amelia shrugged and flashed a cheeky grin.

"You've seen how big a softy he is. Somebody has to watch his back."

"It still confuses me…" Sarah remarked. "How someone such such a soft-looking face can fly into such a fury out there…"

"You and me both." Amelia said with a sigh, all trace of humor gone from her expression. "I hope we can do something about that anger. It just looks ugly on him. That's not the brother I know. But I didn't bring you here to talk about that."

"Really close." Sarah noted. "I noticed how you hover around him and like pushing his buttons."

"I know I can be a handful sometimes." Amelia admitted. "But someone has to watch his back and remind him that he doesn't need to fight this whole thing on his own."

The two girls heard footsteps outside the room. With an excited smile, Amelia turned around… only to find Phantom walking by in one of his formal black suits.

"I don't suppose you've seen that brother of mine?"

Phantom furrowed his brow.

"At this hour, I imagine he would either be training in his sparring room or getting some field practice with Fairy."

"Unbelievable…" Amelia grumbled.

After considering her options, Amelia reached for her watch and tried to reach her brother.

"Sis?" he answered. "Is something wrong?"

"Where are you?"

"Out on patrol. Got tired of sitting around."

The increasingly familiar sound of alien weapons fire was suddenly heard in the background.

"Sorry. Can't talk now. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

With that, he cut the transmission.

"Well, at least he's answering our calls now." Amelia muttered, rolling her eyes. "We'll just have to find something to do until then."

Sarah frowned.

"If this is a bad time, maybe we should…"

"No. You came all the way here so the least he can do is come say hi."

"I-It's not like I was planning to pay a visit from the start."

Amelia would not be swayed.

"Doesn't matter. You're here now. Besides, it'll be good for him to see how you're doing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We know you've been dealing with a lot of crap." Amelia explained, carefully omitting the scene her brother had witnessed. "And we've been worried about you. Especially him."

"Worried... about me?"

"To be honest, I hope seeing you will calm him down a bit." Amelia admitted. "He overthinks things a lot and gets worried about everyone. You've probably seen it by now."

"I… noticed."

"If you ask me, he takes that whole knight thing a bit too seriously." Amelia said with a sigh. "It's like he thinks he's personally responsible for protecting the whole world."

Phantom, who had lingered around, decided to break his silence.

"I agree with your assessment. That machine seems to have awakened a primal impulse in him… or perhaps exacerbated it. But without proper grounding, that can eventually lead to obsession."

Phantom was a little too familiar with excess zeal, having been created as an artificial being with a singular purpose, to which he had dutifully dedicated a good portion of his life. Given time and the opportunity to grow, in some part due to the Project Unity nanites bringing him closer to humanity along with his siblings, he had learned to find balance, though he had still retained his superhuman self-control as befitting a covert operative. Being familiar with his history, Amelia seized the opportunity to seek his advice.

"And what do you think we should do, Uncle?"

"Keep pushing." Phantom summed it up.

"Pardon?"

"Keep pushing until he gets through his thick head that he is not alone in this." Phantom elaborated. "We will continue to do whatever we can to support both of you, but he needs to learn to accept said support."

"He doesn't even realize he's doing it, does he?" Sarah wondered. "But even the strongest of shields can't be everywhere."

"So basically, we should continue what we're doing." Amelia mused.

"And do not be afraid of being more forceful." Phantom added with the hint of a grin. "Just try not to damage him too much."

"I spend most of my time these days surrounded by soldiers." Sarah mused. "Men and women who get sent out there to fight and may or may not come back alive. I'd rather not see anyone else dead or permanently damaged."

"That's OK." Amelia chimed in with a mischievous grin. "We can just give him a good shake if everything else fails."

Phantom casually glanced in Sarah's direction, his expression as inscrutable as usual.

"Funny how some things work themselves out."

With that, he checked his wristwatch.

"I have to go. You know where to find me if you need anything."

Amelia nodded and gave him a quick hug before letting him go on his way.

"So that's your uncle?" Sarah asked once he was out of earshot. "Interesting man. Gives me the same kind of vibe as Leo and Uncle Rich."

"He's hard to read and can be a little scary sometimes, but he's really sweet once you get to know him." Amelia said with a smile.

---

Meanwhile, at the Hikari Laboratory's ground floor break room...

"So, Sage…" Raito said. "What exactly did you come to deliver this time?"

"You'll find out soon enough." the Guardian said with the hint of a smile. "I expect your father will be calling the team together when it's time to unveil it."

"You guys sure like your surprises." Raito said with a grin. "But by the way… about that Tornado Bullet of yours…"

"Yes?" Sage asked with a wince, deducing where the conversation was going.

"You know that looks a lot like…"

"Fine…" Sage grumbled. "It does."

The boy quirked an eyebrow, surprised by the Guardian's reaction.

"Why do you look so annoyed about it?"

"Because after all the work I put into developing that technique, I found out that somebody had already come up with the idea half a century ago." Sage grumbled.

Raito blinked, caught off guard by the explanation.

"Really? That's it?"

"It was a lot of work." Sage grumbled. "I wanted to create something new and original, befitting my role as a warrior of the skies."

"I still think you're overreacting a bit. I mean, at this point pretty much everything has been done somewhere."

"That's not the part that annoys me though."

"Then what's the matter?"

"I didn't even know that stuff existed until Fighter randomly stumbled into it one day." Sage reminisced with a scowl, rolling his eyes. "Since then, he doesn't miss a chance to rub it in."

"Just what I'd expect from him." Raito scoffed. "You four may look all serious and proper when you're out in public but we know how you are in private."

Sage scoffed, allowing the hint of a smile to bloom on his face.

"If you'd met us twenty years ago you'd probably have mistaken us for a bunch of robots. I guess we really changed after Fairy talked us into getting those modifications and becoming closer to humanity."

"Not to mention how you got adopted into the family." Raito added. "Didn't they even give you human names at one point?"

"They did. But we save those identities for the people we're closest to. To the world, I'm Sage Harpuia of the Four Guardians. To my family, I am Ikaros Atreides."

"Ikaros? The guy with the wax wings?" Raito asked with a grin.

"Yes, the guy with the wax wings. Neo Atlantis has people from all parts of the world, but since the First Founder was Greek the family takes some pride in knowing the language and culture."

"I guess it means a lot that you told me that name just now." Raito deduced.

As the Guardian continued to speak, his expression softened, his annoyance at his sibling forgotten for the time being.

"What can I say? We've watched you and your siblings and cousins grow since the day you were born. It's difficult not to get attached. So don't go and get yourselves blown up out there."

Then he winced slightly.

"I know you're at that age when you get embarrassed talking about this kind of thing, so I'll drop the subject now."

"Hey, it's not like you're getting all lovey dovey in front of me." Raito replied with a cheeky grin. "I get enough of that at home."

"You're laughing now, but one day that'll be you." Sage retorted, flashing a grin of his own. "In fact, from what I hear…"

"Let's not go there." Raito quickly interrupted, feeling a slight rush of heat to his face.

"Fair enough. But it's good that you already know what you want at your age. Your father used to drive your mother crazy."

Raito let out a laugh.

"Yeah, I know. People still poke fun at him about it sometimes. It's amazing how someone so smart can be so thick."

"But anyway…" he added, eager to change the subject. "Did you ever get around to watching Combattler after that?"

"I did." Sage admitted. "In fact, I ended up enjoying it."

"Really? You too? Ako loves it."

"Despite its absurdity, it does have a certain... old time charm. I just wish that troll of a brother would shut up about it."

"I suppose annoying each other is part of being family." Raito remarked with a cheeky green. "My dad does it to Uncle Hub all the time. I do it to Crash all the time."

"You do have a point." Sage conceded before a mischievous smirk crept upon his face. "What that brother of mine forgets is… two can play that game."

"And just like that, you're switching gears." Raito remarked with obvious amusement.

"I never claimed not to have a sense of humor." Sage retorted with a shrug. "But there's a time and place for such tomfoolery. The middle of battle or training are just not it."

"Fair enough. But I wonder if Dad's gonna spring the surprise today or..."

As if on cue, Raito's PET rang.

"Speak of the devil." the boy remarked, seeing the caller ID and quickly answering. "So…"

"I guess things weren't gonna stay quiet for long." Lan grumbled as his face appeared on the screen. "I've already called the others. When they get here, could you get everyone upstairs?"

"Got it. Where are the bastards hitting this time?"

"Too many places." Lan said gravely. "They haven't been out in these numbers since the attack on the base. Something has them in a frenzy."

With that, he ended the call.

"I guess I should get going then." Sage said, standing up from the couch. "I'll see you out there."

Unnerved by his father's tone, Raito quickly stood up as well and darted around the hallways until he ran into Alexander.

"Ah. You're still here. Good."

"Where else would I be at a time like this?" Alexander asked.

"You've heard it too, right?"

"Pretty much." Alexander confirmed with a nod.

Raito's face took on an unusually serious expression.

"Well, while we're waiting for the others, maybe we can finally talk about a little something. Have you seen that cousin of mine?"

The prince scratched his chin with a pensive frown.

"I can guess what this is about. But answering your question, I think I saw him in the cafeteria."

The two headed in that direction and sure enough, as soon as they pushed the double doors open they found Maito eating a sandwich, blissfully oblivious to everything else.

With the Copy Bot upgrades over the years allowing for full taste and digestion with none of the health consequences humans would face, some Navis had developed quite a taste for food. Then there were others like Maito, who, in typical Hikari fashion, seemed to have a bottomless stomach.

"Why do even need a reactor when you eat for three people on a good day?" Raito teased, breaking him out of his moment of food induced rapture.

"In case you and Uncle Lan eat all the food on your own." Maito retorted with a cheeky grin, without missing a beat.

"So…" Alexander said as both boys sat next to him at the same table. "I'm guessing you've got questions about this whole Warrior of Light business."

"Yeah." Raito confirmed. "Dad told us a couple of things, including that you've got a talent for it too."

"I don't really have that much to tell you, to be honest." Alexander admitted. "Yes, they gave me an explanation and showed me a couple of things they can do with that power, but I haven't figured out how to use it outside the Leonarch yet."

"So it's true." Maito added. "That Judgement Buster and the thing you did with the sword…"

"Any knight worth his salt ought to know how to smite evil." Alexander remarked with a smile. "I still don't know what to think of all of this, but the way I see it, I have a duty and responsibility. Not just as a prince, but as a human being and a child of Earth."

"I'm not exactly surprised." Maito commented. "You and Sir Knight always had a bit of a hero thing going. Just like our parents."

"But you ride alone." Raito pointed out. "Have you ever used…?"

"No, I've never used Full Synchro." Alexander explained.

The young prince looked at the two nearly identical cousins and sighed.

"To be honest, it sounds a bit scary. To be so completely connected to someone else, laid completely bare."

At times like those, the boys were still surprised at how bashful he could be about some things.

"Let's not mix things up." Maito said. "We're talking about Full Synchro, not marrying someone."

"Well…" Alexander awkwardly said, caught off guard by the shift in the conversation. "I do remember hearing that back in the day there was a reason why boys would usually get boy Navis and girls would get girl Navis."

"What do you mean?" Raito asked, a little dumbfounded.

"Even without Full Synchro, some things can get a bit… complicated." Alexander explained. "Or so I hear."

"Oh…" Maito muttered. "You mean like…"

"Yes, like a Navi and operator getting too attached to each other." Alexander said with a sigh. "I guess your great-grandfather overlooked that possibility. Last I checked, three fifths of the human population were still attracted to the opposite gender."

He then sighed and composed himself.

"Of course I'm not speaking from personal experience and things aren't always so simple. Sir Galahad used to be my mother's Navi, but they were always like family even if he insists on a degree of respectful subservience."

"But wait…" Raito realized. "Now that I think about it..."

"No, I've never had a Navi myself." Alexander confirmed. "But what about you two?"

"If you mean the whole Navi and operator thing…" Raito muttered. "Well…"

"It's true that we played at it when were were little kids, but it started feeling a bit weird." Maito finished. "Maybe because I have an actual body and don't live in a PET."

"But what about the other kind of connection?" Raito asked with a mischievous grin, eyeing the prince.

"Stop mixing things up, doofus." Maito scolded, lightly elbowing him in the ribs.

"Sorry to disappoint." Alexander retorted, looking a little uncomfortable. "But that hasn't happened yet."

"Really now?" Raito asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"With your face and confidence, I'm surprised." Maito remarked.

"I can't do anything about my face." Alexander said with a smile. "I have my mother to thank for it, among other things. But while I may have been taught to project confidence, there's a difference between delivering a speech to an entire room and speaking to a person one on one. Presenting yourself to the public and opening up to someone on a personal level."

"Meaning you can still be a huge dweeb like the rest of us." Raito remarked, grinning again. "Good to know."

"I guess it was a bit rude of us to pry like that." Maito admitted with some shame. "But you can't blame us for being curious."

"I do have my family's reputation to consider." Alexander pointed out. "I can't just go around acting carelessly. But even if I were inclined towards such pursuits, I still believe in waiting for the right person. Not to mention..."

His smile shrank and he let out a sigh.

"Most people look at me and only see a handsome face or the family name. It can be very difficult to build meaningful connections with others when you are the heir to the throne… or to have a personal life with the tabloids constantly hounding my family and half the country watching what I do. The pressure can take its toll… on me and on anyone I might choose."

"Aya doesn't seem to mind." Raito pointed out.

"Oh you." Alexander retorted with a scoff. "But yes, I find that very few things faze that girl."

"Not to mention she can't give you a rest for five minutes." Maito remarked, visibly amused.

"She does enjoy pushing my buttons when she gets the chance." Alexander conceded. "And make no mistake. She is a very dear friend, but I doubt I could give her or anyone else what they deserve right now. I have duties to fulfill, including winning this damned war."

"I guess we all do." Maito conceded. "We're still a bunch of kids but we're already doing things most adults wouldn't dream of."

"So anyway…" Raito said, trying to lighten the mood. "It sounds like you don't know much more than us. About the glowing bits, that is."

"Afraid not." Alexander confirmed. "My parents and the Professors had a conversation with me not long before I took the Leonarch out for the first time. They noticed my affinity but were not expecting me to be the one piloting the machine."

"So, they gave you the same rundown?" Maito asked. "About having to experience some things before you can understand them and not creating expectations?"

"Pretty much." Alexander confirmed. "And they talked a bit about that Radiant Circuit they developed. Honestly, even after the things we've already seen it still feels weird to see them doing that glowing hand thing."

"Yeah, it's a bit out there." Maito chimed in, before finishing his sandwich.

"What about Atreus?" Raito asked. "Does he know anything about this?"

"Considering that our machines are related, it's a safe assumption that they'd run on similar energy." Alexander mused. "But I don't know if he was told about this stuff. Not to mention…"

"That thing of his gives you the creeps too?" Raito deduced.

The prince nodded.

"The white light I've seen you, your parents and the Leonarch give off is soft, warm. That golden one… feels harsh, angry, like it would burn you if you got too close."

"That's pretty much what everyone's been saying about it." Raito said with a scowl.

"But does it come from him or the machine?" Maito wondered.

"I don't know." Alexander said. "It wouldn't be far-fetched to think he might have the same potential, but I've never seen him show any sign of it. There has to be some reason why those two… beings… need him to be inside it, but I really don't know what's going on."

"I think we need to have a talk with him and Amelia later." Raito concluded, before glancing over his shoulder and out one of the windows. "But for now, it looks like the others have arrived."

---

A few minutes later, at one of the meeting rooms...

"What do those assholes even want?!" Shingo fumed, sitting behind one of the desks with his arms crossed. "They just swoop in, start shooting and tearing places down, then we beat them and they come back later. It doesn't make any sense!"

"We still don't know." Lan said, standing nearby. "They seem to be looking for something, but we still have no idea what."

"Apart from that whole Machine Soul thing…" Lan pondered. "That other guy went out of his way specifically to pick a fight with the boys… Why?"

With that, he headed back to his own desk facing the others.

"But we don't have time for guessing now." he added with a sigh. "Our allies are already scrambling. We need you to drive the aliens off the nearest hot spot."

"But before you head out…" Hub added, entering the room and holding the door open. "We've got something for you."

Ms. Yumi stepped into the room, carrying a few labeled packages, which she deposited on each team member's desks.

"What's this?" Aya asked, reaching for hers and feeling something soft underneath the wrapping paper.

"We thought it was time to work on some quality of life improvements." Lan explained. "We've already added some extra padding to the cockpit chairs and some extra folding seats in case you need to carry anyone else."

From the back of the room, Alexander watched with a smile.

"They're pretty much living every kid's dream."

Then his expression darkened slightly.

"But they've already had a taste of what's out there. I'll have to stay at the top of my game to make sure they all make it through this in one piece."

"So now is a good time to bust these out too." Hub added with a smile. "This should put an end to the bruises. And don't worry. After last time, we made sure these used the right measurements."

"You didn't!" Maria squealed, opening her package and finding inside a new piloting suit, complete with matching boots, gloves and an open-faced helmet with a retractile visor.

While the ensemble was still made of synthetic fibers, it looked somewhat sturdier, with reinforced patches protecting the elbows, knees and other sensitive areas as well as a glossy coating that gave them an extra bit of flair.

"Oh boy!" Maito cried out excitedly. "Now we're really gonna look like those costumed superheroes!"

Sitting at the desk to his left, Raito flashed a smug grin, which did not escape his cousin's notice.

"Don't you start…" Maito grumbled.

"Haven't even said anything yet." Raito retorted, flashing a smug grin. "But if the shoe fits..."

"Guess we'd better work on the group pose later." Dex remarked with a chuckle, ignoring the two boys.

"Protective layers." Lan listed off, trying not to laugh at their antics as he turned a spare jacket – which just happened to be his size – in his hands and showed off the inner layers. "Water, fire and weatherproof. This mesh will keep water out but still let your skin breathe, so you won't have to worry about the heat or getting sweaty."

Then he glanced at the Guts Brothers and flashed them a mischievous grin.

"You three also won't have to worry about tearing the fabric when you go all out."

"Ya know what?" Dex retorted with good humor, recalling one particular incident during his practice sessions. "It's true. Not gonna deny it."

"When this is all over maybe we can start our own superhero TV show." Chisao mused. "We already have props and all."

"Not like Mr. Mayor over there is gonna hold his day job much longer if he keeps running off." GutsMan remarked from his seat.

"Ya'd be surprised." Dex retorted, looking rather pleased with himself. "Yeah, I feel a bit crappy about putting Ms. Nanako on the spot, but it turns out people are lovin' the whole Robot Masters thing."

"I sure wouldn't want to be your secretary bro." Chisao noted. "No offense."

"Yeah and I'm pretty useless as a mayor without her." Dex said, lowering his voice. "Gonna have to think of some way to make it up to her later."

"I like it." Raito said.

"They do look rather dashing." Aya conceded, trying not to look too giddy at the prospect of trying her new suit on for the sake of propriety.

"And comfortable." Maria added with a beaming smile. "Thank you. They're lovely."

"Good to know." Lan said with a smile of his own. "Go on then. Go get suited up. We'll give you the rest of the details on the go since we're still piecing some things together."

While the others started making their way to the locker rooms, Alexander spotted Shingo lagging behind. Seizing the opportunity, he stopped and wait for the others to leave.

"Shingo, right?" Alexander said. "Maria's brother?"

"Yes." the boy in question answered, a little surprised that he'd remembered.

"Before we head out, I have to ask. Is something wrong?"

"Allergies are flaring up again, I suppose." Shingo said.

Upon closer inspection, Alexander did realize that the younger boy's eyes were somewhat reddish, but he was not satisfied with the answer.

"Is that all?" he insisted.

"What do you mean?"

"I couldn't help noticing that something was amiss." Alexander remarked. "The way you tensed up when Aya entered the room. The way you wouldn't look at her."

"Did my sister put you up to this?" Shingo asked with a hint of annoyance.

"What are you talking about?" Alexander asked, caught by surprise.

"So she didn't?" Shingo insisted, before letting out a sigh. "She means well, but sometimes she doesn't know when to let go."

"She did mention some… difficulties in passing, but she did not ask for this. Is there something you need to talk about?"

"I'd rather not…" Shingo said with a pained expression.

"Look, I can tell something is bothering you." Alexander said with a frown. "It's not good to head out there with-"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Shingo snapped, before stopping himself. "Look, I don't have the right to tell Maria who she can or can't be friends with, but that doesn't mean I have to get along with… her."

Again, what Alexander saw in his face was not simple anger, but anguish.

"You can't even bear to say her name? Why?"

"Why don't you ask her?!" Shingo hissed, clenching his fists. "Why don't you ask her what she did, if you want to know so badly?!"

And with that, he stormed off, before Alexander could see the tears pooling in the corners of his eyes.

"Something doesn't add up here…" the prince pondered. "She can be harsh at times and I know she has a bit of a temper, but..."

Putting such thoughts aside for the time being, he rushed to the hangar where he had left the Leonarch.

---

"Data is still coming in, but the aliens are definitely on the move." Hub chimed in through the shared channel as the machines launched. "There's something different about their tactics so we're not completely sure what they're doing."

"So what do we do?" Raito asked, trying to take charge a bit.

"For now, we make sure the city is covered." Lan explained. "We'll have a better idea of where we're needed in a few more minutes."

Shortly after the group had departed, Saizo and Sagiri entered the laboratory and headed directly for the mission control room.

"Guess we missed them." Sagiri deduced, watching the twins at their posts while Tron and Ms. Yumi monitored status readouts from the machines on dedicated consoles.

"Sorry, but this really isn't the best time." Hub said. "Do you need something?"

"We were about to ask you the same." Saizo answered. "The President did ask us to do whatever we can to make your job easier."

"Not that I wasn't going to do that either way, since family is involved." Sagiri added.

"I don't suppose you've got some kind of supercomputer that can tell us what exactly the aliens want?" Lan asked with a dose of irony.

"Afraid not." Sagiri replied.

"Pity." Hub said. "But maybe there's another thing you can help us with."

"Go on." Sagiri said.

"The Commander probably has his hands full right now." Hub reasoned. "So we need to get in touch with someone else."

"Well, you have Major Yeager's contact, right?" Lan asked, glancing at Saizo. "If we could swap some information about what our people and his are doing in the region, maybe we can wrap this up faster."

"On it." Saizo said, reaching for his cellphone.

"Wait, you're calling the Major on a regular phone?" Hub realized.

"Military grade encryption." Saizo explained with one of his wolfish grins. "The President isn't sparing any expense."

Less than a second later, Gilliam's voice answered the call.

"Yes, Mr. Tokito?"

Saizo skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"Sorry for the timing, but the Professors only have a direct line to the Commander, not you."

"I see. I can imagine why they would call at a time like this. Could you…?"

Saizo handed the phone to Lan and he took over from there.

"I figured since we're all working together it wouldn't hurt to swap notes." Lan reasoned.

"I take it you want to know about our deployments in the Far East region then." Gilliam deduced. "We'll have to give you some better access later so we don't have to do this over the phone."

Gilliam paused for a moment, consulting some readouts from Kiryu-Kai mission control.

"But for now, there are four engagement points between your location and the mainland. I'm sending the coordinates to you now."

"We've got an incoming data stream." Hub confirmed. "Here we go."

On one of the large mounted displays, what looked like a snapshot of the Geoscape data appeared with two locations marked on the islands and two on the mainland.

Lan tensed up and clenched his fists as he saw the locations, especially one that he was quite familiar with.

"We have a separate division handling things on the mainland." Gilliam informed. "Captain Deikun and Lieutenant Ray are heading out with a squadron from Kiryu-Kai to deal with one of the sites on the islands. Since I was in the region on other business I'll be lending them a hand."

"We'll take care of the Yoka region." Lan said resolutely. "It's the closest to us and..."

He didn't want to admit out loud that this had just become a personal matter due to several of his friends and acquaintances living there, but the concern was still evident in his tone.

"Understood." Gilliam answered, almost sounding as if he had anticipated this. "We'll try to get the situation under control before the collateral damage starts mounting."

"As for Asaru's taste in mission names, that will will have to wait..."

"In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on things here." Saizo chimed in. "If anyone tries another attack on the lab while the kids are distracted…"

"They'll be in for a nasty surprise." Sagiri added with a vicious grin.

"I'm sure you'll put it to good use." Gilliam remarked.

From her post, Ms. Yumi glanced at the pair of VTX representatives.

"Those two… What is Gilliam up to now?"

---

Twenty minutes later the Robot Masters arrived at Yoka.

The scenic countryside, known for its hot springs, traditional inns and sprawling nature preserve with a camping park, was a refuge for weary city dwellers and the occasional tourist from overseas. Since the beginning of the alien invasion, however, the area had been mostly deserted. Instead of tourists or locals, the group instead found about twenty of the advanced infantry models, along with a handful or armored units. More seemed to be buzzing about farther ahead.

"What could they possibly want from a place like this?" Alexander wondered, keeping the Leonarch's shield raised.

"Whatever they want, they ain't gettin' it." Dex said, cracking his knuckles.

"Robot Masters!" GutsMan bellowed. "Kick their asses!"

Clearly in a foul mood since the conversation with Alexander, Shingo remained completely silent. Not wasting time with banter or discussing tactics, he instead rushed ahead, ramming the Drill Machine into the first opponent in front of him. He landed a lucky hit, somehow bypassing the shields and unceremoniously tearing through the alien machine's midsection before discarding it and moving on to the next one.

"Damnit boy…" Dex hissed. "Not now!"

Still fuming, Shingo ignored his mentor and pressed on. From his left, an armored model came charging in, only to be greeted by a Boost Knuckle to the leg. Given the effectiveness of the blow, it seemed that at least some of the armored models were not shielded. As it tumbled to the ground on its back, Shingo fired a pair of Drill Missiles at its face, destroying the optic sensors. Without sparing a second glance, he continued his onslaught.

"What's the matter with him?" Maria wondered with some concern, chasing after him. Seeing her motion, the nearly identical cousins did the same.

"Guys, don't break formation!" Maito warned. "We still don't know what those new models can do."

"What is that fool doing?" Aya hissed to herself.

Apprehensive, Alexander gave chase as well, keeping his shield raised and ready. A pair of alien pilots took an interest in the Leonarch only to be rebuked with a Judgement Buster and a throw of the spear. While the aliens had begun to deploy the more elaborate infantry models in force, these two were still built from the basic template and, lacking shields, quickly fell.

A pair of the new shielded models came at Shingo next, peppering the Drill Machine with concentrated fire. While the impacts would normally have at least left some superficial scorching, instead the metal reacted with brief white shimmers as each shot connected, harmlessly dissipating the energy.

"New upgrades?" NumberMan wondered as he watched. "I haven't heard anything about those."

From above, Sage monitored the situation, scouting for targets.

"What is that boy doing?" he wondered, quirking an eyebrow.

Alexander moved the Leonarch just in time to block another barrage of enemy fire, buying Shingo some time to counterattack. The skinny boy growled and fired out both Boost Knuckles at the same time, knocking them off balance and mangling a good portion of their torsos.

Above, Sage brought the Great Harpuia into a dive, swooping around them with both blades ignited, strongly discouraging more of the aliens from joining in through the application of violence.

Alexander followed up, dismissing the sword and summoning the spear, piercing through the shields of one of the alien machines and puncturing its reactor. Shingo recalled the Drill Machine's forearms and focused both Boost Knuckles on the second target, ripping through its torso and limbs. While he was not aiming to kill, he made sure to thoroughly demolish everything apart from the cockpit block.

"Are you quite all right?" Alexander asked, a little surprised at Shingo's ferocity.

"Let's just nail these bastards and get out of here." the skinny boy grumbled.

The Drill Machine's thrusters flared and it rushed its assailants, revving up its wrist-mounted drills and charging at another group of enemies. The aliens stood their ground, however, and adjusted something on their rifles. Before the green unit could deliver its signature piercing punches, the aliens fired again, unleashing not the usual rapid streams of small projectiles but rather a pair of larger, concentrated ones, which exploded on impact. The strange energy was not enough to absorb that kind of damage, and the Titanium X frame shuddered, sporting a pair of fresh holes.

"That went through…" Maria realized with a chill.

Unwilling to let her brother continue facing his opponents alone, she tried to rush in, but before she could get close enough, a third shielded unit moved in to flank the Drill Machine.

"Watch it!" Dex bellowed, before demolishing his opponent's faceplate with a tremendous punch and charging in to guard his pupil.

Alexander intervened, blocking another barrage with his shield, before a pair of armored models tackled the Leonarch, taking up his attention. Another armored unit's pilot decided to try its luck, going for the Drill Machine's exposed back but Maria was having none of it.

"Get away from him!" Maria shouted, conjuring one of the Gemini Machine's hard light barriers right in front of the charging alien robot. Unable to stop or change trajectory in time, it slammed into the barrier.

"Now that I think about it…" Raito realized, keeping an eye on her while taking potshots at any enemy units that got in range. "Dad said all our machines had a Radiant Circuit. Does that mean…?"

From above, Sage intervened, bringing the Great Harpuia into another dive. Its wrist blades flared and the same energy spread until it had engulfed its entire body.

"Eat this…" he hissed. "Air Cutter!"

Then, instead of plunging into his target as usual, he abruptly brought the machine back up, unleashing a huge crescent-shaped energy wave that vertically bisected the first alien machine it impacted. The second one right behind it, however, was able to fire up its shields on time and make it out with just a large gash in its head.

"There's definitely something different about these guys…" Maito noted, as a group of five shielded infantry models entered the fray, moving in tight formation and focused fire on Aya.

The Spark Machine's electric barrier crackled and shuddered as an explosive projectile of some sort impacted it from behind, followed by a second. Another group of four shielded infantry models approached from the opposite side, toting what looked like rocket launcher equivalents.

"Mongrels!" Aya growled, as she retaliated with a Spark Shock. The burst of electricity tore through the alien shields, immobilizing one of the offending machines, but the others continued firing.

The Spark Machine's barrier crackled and shuddered again under the impact of more projectiles from both sides, but still held for the time being.

"Away with you!" Maria shouted, unleashing a Gemini Beam at the formation of rocket wielding units.

Rather than overloading the shield with brute power, the beam instead penetrated in a concentrated spot. Judging by the shower of sparks, that struck something important but the remaining enemies did not relent.

Rid of his assailants after a judicious application of sword and spear, Alexander moved in to shield the Gemini Machine, buying Maria enough time to get closer to the Spark Machine and project another of its hard light walls. However, that still left the gunners on the other side.

"Pick on somebody your own size, assholes!" Dex taunted, as the Guts Machine opened its arms and rushed the larger group. Ignoring the projectiles peppering its plating, Dex crossed the distance and plowed through them.

Meanwhile, the X-1 found itself up against another squad, headed by what looked like a command unit, with gaudier golden decorations on its chest and limbs and a horned headpiece.

The lead pilot was clearly skilled, having managed to avoid the dreaded Metal Blades that had cut through two of their subordinates' units, but they found themselves unable to strike a decisive blow. Similarly, the boys tenaciously continued their assault, dodging the blasts of an energy cannon of a similar model to the one they had copied in Olisipo, but struggling to find an opening.

"Time to put more of the arsenal to use, I think." Raito said. "Pick a good one."

Maito nodded and scrolled through the list, quickly making up his mind.

"Mega Buster Cannon…"

"Fire!" Raito added.

With a thunderous roar, the purple energy blast erupted from the Buster, but missed the target by a hair's breadth.

"Damnit…" Maito hissed as the stray shot blasted a crater on a vacant patch of earth.

"We've gotta be extra careful in places like this…" Raito noted. In retrospective, he was surprised and relieved they hadn't accidentally hit any buildings or cars in their previous battles.

The Leonarch streaked past them, shield raised, and rammed another of the alien units right in the face with it before bringing up the Greater Curtana.

"SMITE!"

With Alexander's roar, the blade was once again engulfed in white flames and with a mighty swing it severed his opponent's left arm before discharging the remaining energy in the form of an explosion.

"So we close the range." Maito said, steering the X-1 into a roll to avoid a burst of retaliatory fire. "Too bad we can't get Full Synchro to work when we want to."

Through the corner of their eyes, they noticed some of the rank and file moving around and trying to surround them, using the attempt at a duel as a distraction. Fortunately, Alexander and the Guts Brothers were paying attention and quickly dismantled the plan with another wild charge.

"We can't expect Full Synchro to fix all our problems, but yeah, it would be nice to get a grip on it…" Raito said with a nod, before throwing a Metal Blade at an alien unit that had strayed too close, bypassing the shield and leaving its torso flailing around on the ground. "Try to remember. How did we get it to work before?"

Maito tried to answer, but a burst of fire from the alien leader snapped him back to attention.

"Oh yeah?! Eat this!" he shouted, firing another shot of the weapon copied from Gilliam's machine.

Though the alien unit's energy barrier took the brunt of it, there was still some visible damage to the plating.

"Focus…" Maito said, following up with a dash and launching a pair of Metal Blades as a distraction. "Don't try to force it. Stay calm and let it come. In the meantime, we'll give this asshole a fight like he's never seen."

With surprising agility, the X-1 shifted into a lower stance and thrust its right leg forward, sliding underneath another burst of fire as it plowed through the earth. As its Buster built up a charge, a hum grew inside.

---

Around that time, somewhere over the North Atlantic…

"And done." Atreus said to himself as the remains of the last unmanned drone crashed into the waves.

It was rather therapeutic, he found, to release some tension on the remote control units. No ethical dilemmas, no considerations about living beings and fighting over the ocean he did not need to concern himself with collateral damage. In his early teens he had sparred with Alexander from time to time after discovering their shared interest, but eventually he had taken to practicing by himself, scared of hurting anyone by accident. The irony of finding himself at the controls of the Apotheosis, with a gigantic blade and other weapons capable of dealing very real and permanent damage, did not escape him.

Again, his thoughts turned to his friends in the Far East.

"I wonder if they're OK out there… Maybe I should check up on them."

The construct's speed was something else he was still getting used to. He was still discovering its upper limit but he had seen that it could at the very least keep pace with the Great Harpuia.

On a whim, he reached out to the lab's phone line.

"Sorry, but we're a little busy right now." Lan answered.

"Did something happen?"

"The aliens are making a mess in Yoka. The others have headed there with Alex and Sage."

"I see…"

Without another word, Atreus turned the construct around and soared in a new course.

---

Back to Yoka…

Shingo finally realized his mistake. He had run too far on his own and made himself an easy target. Fuming inwardly at his recklessness, he also recognized that he was not the only one paying the price for it.

Unleashing her own temper and the Spark Machine's overpowered generators, Aya was putting up quite a fight, but the repeated blows were depleting her machine's barrier faster than it could be replenished. To make matters worse, the Gemini Machine, still tailing them, tripped on a large piece of debris and nearly fell over.

"Damnit…" Shingo hissed to himself.

He abruptly turned the Drill Machine around and charged again, spraying his entire stock of Drill Missiles and making as much of a nuisance of himself as humanly possible. Sure enough, the aliens diverted their attention from the lightning spewing robot to the one furiously tearing through their formation.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Aya hissed. "Fall back!"

Ignoring her yet again, Shingo stood his ground, putting up a desperate fight with the increasingly battered Drill Machine to keep the aliens at bay.

"Fall back!" she insisted. "What is wrong with you?!"

"What does he think he's doing?" Maria wondered, trying to clear her head while silently thanking the Professors for the new helmets.

From the lab, Lan watched with growing apprehension as he stood in front of one of the mission control room consoles.

"Damnit…" he muttered, clenching his fists. "Don't lose your head at a time like this, Shingo!"

While he wasn't particularly thrilled to be reduced to a spectator on those battles, he had learned to accept it, at least for the time being. He had, however, grown to hate being unable to help at times like those.

With a frown, he turned to his ever-present assistant.

"Ms. Yumi… is the Proto Machine's overhaul done?"

She nodded, already guessing what he was thinking.

"Yes, but you'd still need another twenty minutes to get to Yoka."

"Get it ready for-"

He was abruptly cut off as with a thunderous clamor, a command unit's head exploded, struck by a familiar type of projectile. With a start, the twins and Ms. Yumi fixated their eyes on the monitors once again.

Maria turned her attention in the direction the sound had come from and found the Seeker, hanging from a Skyranger by a tow cable with its rifle raised.

"When did you get here?" she asked, immensely relieved by the timely arrival.

"I was getting stir crazy, so I hitched a ride." Laika said with a shrug. "Now focus or fall back."

With that, he detached the cable, letting the Seeker land with a roll. Without wasting time, he located his next target and took aim once again. One of the alien robots firing on the Drill Machine was the next to fall with a compressed tungsten bullet to the head pulverizing the cockpit.

"There are still too many of them!" Maria realized, sending her doppelgangers forth to shield her brother.

With the Drill Machine's erratic movements, she couldn't project a barrier at a spot where it would actually be useful. To compound her concern, a second command unit came into view and joined the others in assaulting the green robot.

"Son of a bitch!" Dex growled, breaking the Guts Machine free from the four opponents trying to hold it down and steering it into a sprint to assist.

Further down the road…

Turning around a street corner, Ryu, Sakura and Li Li abruptly stopped, watching the confrontation. With a furrowed brow, the Master of the Fist stepped forward.

"Take Li Li to safety." he said, soft but firm. "I will handle this."

Ever since touching the strange stone slab, an odd sensation had been growing inside him, almost electrifying. He was still no closer to finding any answers about his and Sakura's strange condition, but he had no time to dwell on such matters while his old pupils and the children under their care were fighting for their lives.

"Damnit!" Dex bellowed, moving the Guts Machine in a mad sprint. The musclebound mayor, with his teeth gritted and beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, looked more like a professional wrestler than a public servant.

---

With inhuman speed, Ryu sought out and seized higher ground. The area did not give him much to choose from, being mostly comprised of single or two floor buildings in the local traditional style, but he eventually spotted a taller, more modern one with five floors. He rushed in its direction and abruptly propelled himself through the air, landing on a window cleaner's scaffold. From it, he leapt onto a restaurant's elevated balcony, just in time to witness the Drill Machine's struggle.

With a clear view to the scene, he clenched his teeth and fists.

"That boy is in over his head."

---

"You bastards…" Dex snarled as the damage to the Drill Machine continued to mount and its left arm started dangling rather precariously.

From their seats, the other two Guts Brothers tried to speed the machine along. Chisao cast a worried glance at his brother, whose neck tendons were starting to resemble strained steel cables.

---

Suddenly, in his mind's eye, Ryu saw himself back at the strange ethereal landscape he had seen upon touching the stone slab. Once again, he felt a colossal eye, opening and gazing upon him, followed by a second one. Once again the guttural voice, speaking in a language he did not recognize but still hauntingly familiar somehow.

He abruptly opened his eyes again and his body snapped into motion of its own accord.

In a blur, he vanished, then reappeared on the roof of the building. His eyes caught the next suitable perch and in another abrupt jump, his legs carried him in a massive leap forward, landing atop an old wooden weather monitoring tower. The battle continued, oblivious to the man on foot, moving in a way that no man was supposed to.

---

The second lead unit raised its bulky rifle and took aim. At that distance it would not miss, and with the Drill Machine's plating heavily damaged and its arms busy fending off two adversaries at the same time, there was no telling what it might do to the robot and the young pilot. Laika let out a snap shot, but hitting a moving target was considerably more difficult and the compressed tungsten round went through the upper torso, failing to hit anything important.

"Souka…" Laika growled, lining up another shot.

"Die…" Dex snarled, plowing through a hapless alien machine that had strayed into his trajectory and sending it tumbling like a rag doll. As his rage mounted, a long forgotten sensation started welling up deep inside him.

Another sudden jump from the top of the tower and Ryu was barreling towards the lead unit.

As they grabbed another of the alien robots by an arm and hurled it out of the way, the Guts Brothers sensed the familiar energy of his master, surging in a way they had never seen before.

"What the…" Chisao muttered.

"Master?" Dex muttered.

With the rage welling up inside him momentarily forgotten, Dex tried to get a better view while knocking another alien machine off balance with a Rocket Punch.

Ryu's fist clenched itself and as a strange blue flame ignited around his body, two words took form in his mind, unbidden.

"AURA SMASH!"

The punch connected with its target, unleashing a sound much like a wave crashing upon a rocky shore. With his trained senses, Ryu realized that the blow had somehow bypassed the towering machine's shields and torn through its innards, forcing out a plume of shattered metal and components on the opposite end.

The remaining aliens stopped in their tracks, stunned to see a human on foot swiftly take out their leader. Seeing an opportunity, Iris decided to seize it.

"Now!" she called out from inside the X-1's systems. "Use this one!"

A strange object, resembling an oversized metal ruler, materialized in the machine's hand. The boys hurled it into the middle of the enemy formation and it swiftly unfolded as soon as it touched the ground, belching out a churning whirlwind that pinned the alien robots in place.

"And now…" Iris added, selecting the next weapon.

"Gotcha!" Raito shouted. "BUSTER MISSILE!"

The super-dense warhead punched through the immobilized machines, overloading their already battered shields.

"Guess it's easier to land a hit when they can't move." Maito noted with a satisfied grin.

"What was that thing anyway?" Raito asked.

"Tornado Hold." Iris explained. "I thought you boys had read the manual."

"To be fair, the last time I did, all these crazy weapons weren't there." Raito pointed out.

"Then I guess I'd better give you both a crash course later." Iris said, rolling her eyes. "I warned Lan about giving you too many options too soon."

With the last of the invaders beaten, the twins quickly sent out the borrowed Skyranger to retrieve the group.

---

About twenty minutes later...

Without waiting for the craft to land, Lan grabbed one of the tow cables and slid down.

"Hey! Wait up!" Hub called out, following in short order.

The twins rushed in the direction of the Drill Machine, only to find the X-1 in their way.

"He's fine, relax." Raito informed, still in the cockpit. "Just really mad at himself right now."

The blue robot's hand pointed at an old stone bench not far from their position, where Shingo was sitting, clutching his helmet as if trying to squeeze it.

"You OK?" Lan asked, stepping closer. "You gave us one hell of a scare."

"Just tired…" the skinny boy said, straightening his glasses.

"What the hell was I thinking?!"

He wanted to scream, to curse, to throw his helmet at something. He was absolutely furious at himself for rushing ahead on his own, endangering his friends and nearly getting the Drill Machine totaled.

Then, to make matters worse, he heard a rustling on the grass and as he raised his head again he saw the last person he wanted to see.

"What were you thinking?!" Aya fumed. "Are you trying to get yourself killed out there?!"

In his raw state, his mouth once again fired off without thinking.

"Would that make you happy?"

"Are you stupid or something?!" she snapped, grabbing him by the collar and fighting the urge to slap him. "If you care nothing for your own safety, then you should at least think of your family."

She was right, and he knew it, and the admission stung. What came next, however, was somehow even worse.

"At least you recognized your foolishness and turned around." she added with a pained expression, trying to keep her own emotions under control. "But why did you ignore me?"

She wasn't just furious at him, he realized. To his confusion, and adding to his discomfort, she seemed genuinely concerned.

"I made this mess." he finally answered. "I wasn't going to let someone else pay for it."

From a distance, Maria watched on, before letting out a sigh. Confronting her brother at that point would have only made things worse, she realized.

"Looks like he finally woke up from what bout of mental diarrhea. I'll give him a piece of my mind... later."

"So…" she said, turning to Laika, who was also watching and rolling his eyes.

"The break was nice." the grizzled Major-General said. "Gave me time to fine tune some of the Seeker's systems and the rifle. But I was going stir crazy on the island."

"I'm not sure if you picked the best time to come or the worst…" Maria noted. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Boy…" Dex said as he approached Shingo with an inscrutable expression. "I'm disappointed. I did my share of stupid crap when I was your age, but I'm still disappointed."

Shingo winced, shame washing over him. He would have almost preferred if the towering man he had grown to respect had yelled at him instead.

"Look at me boy." Dex added, staring at him eye to eye. "What were you thinking?"

"I don't know."

"There's a time and place for hot blood. This ain't it." Dex said, slow and measured. "If this is how you wanna act, then forget about this whole thing and go home."

"Never." Shingo retorted, clenching his fists. "If I quit now, I'll never be able to look at myself in the mirror."

"Good." Dex said, flashing a sudden grin. "Once you've cooled your head, come see us. We're gonna put you through the paces until you know how to control yourself."

With that, the corpulent mayor walked away.

"You handled that well." Chisao said once they were out of earshot.

"He's already punishin' himself." Dex reasoned. "Yellin' at him in front of everyone would have just been twistin' the knife. 'Sides, this was my failure as a teacher too."

"Can't believe I lost my cool like that. After all these years… is that thing coming back?"

---

A few hours later...

"So in the end it turns out the aliens made that huge mess in Yoka just to ransack some old temple." Lan said, utterly baffled.

"We've been getting some similar reports from previous locations." Asaru said. "It even made news headlines a while ago, but we weren't sure if someone else wasn't just looting in the confusion. Today confirms it without a doubt. Almost all the sites they struck had some cultural or religious significance."

Lan had made the call to talk shop and improve coordination in future battles, but the conversation eventually took an unexpected turn.

"I must confess that this whole thing left me feeling a bit outclassed, at least initially." Asaru mused as he poured himself a glass of scotch at his desk.

"What do you mean?" Lan asked, sitting at his office in the laboratory.

"In other Earths my tactics involved infantry squadrons, aircraft, spaceships and from time to time submarines, support vehicles and androids. Likewise, the aliens I fought were usually employing infantry forces, spaceships and a combination of cyborgs, mechanized units and genetically engineered creatures."

"You mentioned you were a bit new to this giant robot thing too." Lan recalled. "At least I'm not the only one on my back foot."

Though his face remained as nondescript as ever, the persona of the mysterious Commander was giving way to something more relatable.

"You can say that again."

Lan was still getting to know the strange man, but he had the feeling that such an admission of weakness did not come easily. Once again, he had the impression that he was dealing with someone driven, someone who would try to carve a path without complaining or hesitating.

"We are still producing and upgrading more on a daily basis." Asaru elaborated. "For now, we are managing to keep up with losses, but we need to step up our game."

"Those MECs are a bit ugly, but they get the job done." Lan remarked. "For now, at least. But I can see why you'd want to upgrade, especially since a solid shot to the cockpit and it's game over."

"As I mentioned before, those are just basic models." Asaru clarified. "We were able to get the MEC-1 systems working with conventional power sources, but the more advanced designs require elerium or something equivalent. There's just no other way to fit a suitable reactor on a frame of that size."

"So you had the theory but not the means to put it in practice." Lan realized. "I guess you really lucked out when Ciel's robot bird got shot down."

"That's one way of putting it. I do think your Robot Masters and the Pantheon might have been able to tackle this threat without us, but the collateral damage and human losses would likely be much worse."

The Commander's gaze fixated upon Lan.

"What I am curious to know is how you already had the Robot Masters ready for their inaugural battle just in time for the invasion."

"We had some warning, yes." Lan conceded. "But it was vague and the source wasn't very cooperative. We were told that a threat beyond what we had ever faced was coming and that conventional weapons wouldn't be enough."

"And a giant robot fighting force was your first thought?" Asaru asked with some amusement.

"Considering who the warning came from, yes."

"You were never one for half-measures, even twenty years ago." Asaru noted, even more amused. "Bypassing the bulk of the enemy's countermeasures by jumping in with a barely tested prototype gateway… It's the kind of thing I would do. The kind of thing I have done before."

Lan simply shrugged.

"I love this world. I know its people can do great things together. But asking everyone to blindly believe we needed a giant robot army without more details or proof would have been crazy even for someone with my reputation."

"And so you took matters into your own hands." Asaru concluded, before taking a sip from his glass.

Lan nodded.

"Pretty much. So you can imagine our surprise to find out that you were already at work since long before we even started."

"As a matter of fact, while we have been operating for longer, our MEC units are very recent." Asaru corrected. "We have plenty of soldiers, but are still in the process of fleshing out our mechanized warfare division."

"So how long have you been building up those MEC units?"

"About a year."

"A year? I guess that means..."

"Yes. After Gilliam ended up here, he reminded me of the value of flexibility and convinced me to do a little experiment. Proof of concept, you might call it. After the first successful test runs, we started producing MECs in greater numbers and eventually he approached VTX to produce some local variants of the Gespenst."

"Picking up some new tricks in case the Ethereals or something else showed up…" Lan deduced.

"Yes, but the enemy I was expecting never showed up here. You know the rest."

"Gilliam's sense of timing was on point then." Lan realized. "For what it's worth, you were able to do a lot in just a year. It took us three to put together what we have now."

"Only a few dozen MECs were ready on time." Asaru explained. "Spread out across our bases. We had barely finished the Gespenst Shildritter's test run when the aliens struck."

"We barely finished getting our machines ready for their debut." Lan admitted. "It's a good thing we started the simulator training a few months in advance."

"Ms. Yumi may well have saved the project for all I know." he thought with gratitude. "I really tried to bite more than I could chew."

While the X-1 and the Pantheon units had many shared design elements, assembling the Variable Weapons System and the Radiant Circuits – which the Pantheon lacked – had been exceedingly time consuming, despite having additional help from X and the version of Ciel from the Earth Next Door.

The plan to have the other of the Robot Master machines built according to specialized roles had also introduced a slew of additional design and implementation problems. Ms. Yumi – or rather, the accidental parallel world jumper Lisa Kabuto – had shown up just in time to turn things around, when Lan had started wondering if he should switch to an entire X series. With her assistance, the X Numbers plan had been shelved, at least for the time being. Reproducing the Variable Weapons System in greater numbers would have been a technical nightmare and Lan still had his misgivings about giving the boys access to such a large arsenal.

"While approaching you was not part of the initial plan, it seems I underestimated you." Asaru remarked. "You managed to hide what you were doing quite well and I always thought this sort of thing to be outside your area of expertise."

"It was, which is why I got some help." Lan said with a smile. "Well, a lot of help. The research journals Dr. Wily left me. A lot of friends, both in the scientific community and other areas."

"And some other… outsiders." Asaru noted. "You've always a talent for bringing people together."

"I have to ask though." Lan said. "Did you already know X and the others before this?"

"No. Gilliam was already acquainted with them, but he only realized the parallel world connection with you later on. If those Reploid friends of yours are still around, I would love to discuss the finer points of synthetic sentience with them at a later date."

"X would probably talk your ear out." Lan remarked with some amusement. "He's had a lot of time to think about that stuff."

Lan scratched his chin and glanced at the illusive Commander.

"It's funny. I guess both of us were on the back foot, trying to do something a bit outside our comfort zone. But do you always try to keep a low profile?"

"I am not much of a public figure." Asaru said with a hint of disdain before taking another sip. "Exposure means scrutiny, interference, wasted time. There were other occasions when I had to take a more direct and prominent role though, much to my chagrin."

Lan nodded.

"I remember you mentioning that in our first meeting."

Then he scratched his chin, momentarily pondering something.

"In fact, I wonder why some officials from the Ameropan Union, the Eurasian Federation and the Pacific Coalition sounded so desperate for our help once we showed our hand to the world. It's almost like they didn't know your people were around."

"They probably did not." Asaru reasoned. "Despite the fact that we're having giant robot fights in the middle of populated areas right now, for the last sixty years we tried to keep the existence of X-COM a closely guarded secret."

"So I guess this stuff was above their pay grade and they just decided to reach out to us on their own." Lan deduced.

"I try not to get entangled in international politics." Asaru noted. "It is a quagmire of ever-shifting priorities and it would simply take up too much of my time and energy, so I leave those affairs to the funding council unless absolutely necessary."

"But you've done this whole thing before." Lan recalled. "Did you come forward with the suggestion yourself… or did you plant the idea in someone's head with those powers of yours?"

"There were some disparate programs at a prototype stage when I first arrived." Asaru explained. "With a little persuasion, I consolidated them under one roof. But without a substantial threat, it became increasingly difficult to justify our continued operation."

"Right, until Duo's asteroid scared the crap out of everyone." Lan recalled.

"Yes. As for psionically influencing human minds, I find it rather distasteful unless they are an avowed threat to humanity at large."

"It's still a bit creepy." Lan noted. "But the fact that you don't abuse that power says a lot. I just wonder if there are more people out there who can do that."

"Oh, there are. In fact, I know of a few people on this Earth who possess the potential. But even with training, most of them would be hard pressed to do anything to you."

"How come?"

"Those nanites coursing through your system afford you a considerable degree of protection from mental influence. I was only able to do what I did because it was a mild suggestion... and because my psionic strength is… considerably above average."

Lan quirked an eyebrow.

"Really now? That's another feature that wasn't on the manual. I'll be sure to let their designers know."

Lan then recalled something from their first encounter and, in his usual fashion, spoke his mind.

"By the way… I can't help noticing how… personal this Long War of yours sounds. Are you just protecting humanity like the rest of us? Or is there more?"

"I do want to see humanity thrive and attain its full potential. But I also want something more."

Asaru clenched his fist and his tone became considerably colder.

"The complete destruction of the Ethereals and all their works."

Lan couldn't help feeling a brief chill down his spine as he heard those words. He had dealt with people gripped by obsession before, and the results had often been ugly. He sincerely hoped he would not have to see firsthand exactly how far Asaru might go to achieve his goals.

"But… back to the original subject of your call." Asaru finally said, breaking the awkward silence. "You're having some… material issues?"

"Without getting into too much boring detail…" Lan said with a nod. "The Titanium X can be a pain to mass produce. Unless we get exactly the right proportions, temperature and pressure, we end up with an inferior version. It's still stronger than conventional materials, mind you, but not as strong as it could be."

"And how exactly are you producing it?"

"X and the others have been sending us batches of it as fast as they can crank them out. The problem is the perfect version needs some very specialized equipment so we had to choose between having enough stuff to finish the robots on time or actually assembling that equipment."

"Meaning that your robots are strong but not invulnerable." Asaru summed it up.

"We built the skeletons with the high grade stuff and used the rest on the outer plating." Lan said with a nod. "It's not going to cut it anymore."

"So you were planning to replace the outer plating later instead of tearing the machines open to replace the skeletal structure." Asaru deduced.

"Right. Now that we have enough of a stash we're getting the new equipment set up, right in our lab. This way we can overhaul the machines and cut back on travel times."

"So what exactly do you need from us?"

"I was wondering if you knew of any other materials we could beef them up with. You've been around more worlds than most of us after all."

"I can think of a few things. There are some alloys that I appropriated from the Ethereals over the years and learned to reproduce."

"I was wondering what exactly you've been using on those MECs."

"These alloys have various applications, ranging from personal protection to battleship hulls. We had to use a lot of conventional materials for the MEC-1 but the MEC-2's chassis will be fully comprised of alien alloys."

For the first time since they'd met, Asaru actually smiled.

"I also have another thing in mind to deal with those pesky alien ships. Our fighters are made of conventional materials and it would be too expensive and time consuming to replace the entire fuselage on all of them, so…"

He finished the contents of his glass and set it down on his desk.

"Very soon, their ships will be dealing with a storm of fire."

"Don't take it the wrong way, but sometimes you really give off some supervillain vibes." Lan noted with amusement. "All you're missing is a cat and a deeper voice."

---

In one of the lab's basement hangars…

"Wow…" Atreus muttered as he gazed upon the Drill Machine.

"Yeah…" Raito said with a nod.

"Is Shingo…"

"Still in one piece, yeah." Raito said. "He got pretty lucky."

"How did this happen?"

"He lost his cool and tried to rush ahead." Raito said with a sigh. "He wouldn't say why but I've got a pretty good idea."

Atreus gave him a quizzical look.

"Aya." Raito explained. "Those two can't stand each other for some reason. They usually try not to make a scene since Aya is Maria's best friend, but for some reason he just snapped today."

"I'm pretty sure that was my fault." Alexander said, breaking his silence.

"What do you mean?" Raito asked.

"I noticed something was wrong and tried to talk to him about it." Alexander clarified. "I guess he didn't take it very well."

"Those two…" Raito groaned. "But I'm thinking about something Dex said."

"What?" Alexander asked.

"Something about anger born from pain." Raito recalled. "He thinks she did something that really hurt Shingo, but she's got no idea what."

"Something else to figure out then." Atreus mused.

"Among other things." Alexander said with a nod. "But since you're here… there's something we need to talk about."

The prince exchanged a glance with Raito and the two nodded at each other.

"See…" Raito started. "We found out a few things about our machines. Apparently they've got a secret system that was based on the Leonarch."

"And since the Leonarch and the Apotheosis are practically brother units…" Alexander continued.

"What sort of system?" Atreus asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Tell me." Raito said. "Have you ever heard about Full Synchro?"

"Who hasn't?" Atreus answered. "I mean, after what the Professors got up to back in the day, everybody's heard of it."

"Apparently there's more to it." Raito said.

"Have you ever heard…" Alexander added. "About something called a Warrior of Light?"

"Saving orbs, crystals and the moon?" Atreus scoffed. "What does that have to do with this?"

"That's the million zenny question, isn't it?" Raito retorted. "Apparently they're people who can do a lot more than Full Synchro."

"And Full Synchro is just one of the forms that power takes." Alexander added. "Tell me. Have you noticed anything strange since you started piloting that machine?"

Atreus quirked an eyebrow.

"You mean other than the bouts of dizziness, the random voices and… seeing…"

"Seeing what?" Alexander asked.

"Seeing living things around me as flickering flames…" Atreus said with a somber expression. "And feeling a stab in my chest when they're snuffed out."

The other two exchanged glances.

"And you've been bearing with it all this time?" Alexander asked, looking aghast.

"Without telling anyone?" Raito added.

"Maybe I am an idiot." Atreus conceded. "I thought I could handle this. But my sister sees right through me and everyone else is getting worried."

"But why?" Alexander asked.

"Because I was entrusted with this task." Atreus explained. "And I will see it through to the end. I'll protect humanity at any cost."

He clenched his fists and his expression soured.

"I can learn to control that thing and fully unlock its power, then I can keep everyone safe and crush that scum."

"That's a very dangerous line of thought, my friend." Alexander cautioned.

From an elevated catwalk, back in regular clothing, X watched, unseen.

"A very dangerous line of thought indeed… In fact, it reminds me of someone."

---

With a heavy frown, Aselia paced through the empty, cramped metallic corridors of the command ship. Though the visions always took a toll, usually in the form of disorientation or fugue moments during which she would momentarily lose control of her motor functions, the throbbing in her head indicated that a particularly unpleasant episode was drawing near.

"Again with the same foolishness…" she fumed, pausing for a moment in front of the door to an observation deck.

The ugly, dull gray metal frame split apart and retracted into the wall at the press of a panel and she stepped inside, finding herself standing in front of a transparent wall, fashioned from a single panel of a polymer several orders of magnitude stronger than the sturdiest of Earths' bulletproof glass, facing an unobstructed view of the red planet.

As her gaze drifted across the surface of Mars and the door closed again, she felt her thoughts threatening to drift into a dozen different directions. Caught up in such a state, she failed to notice the brief flash of light and the tall figure that materialized behind her… at least until her senses kicked in.

She abruptly turned around and found herself face to face with what looked like a lean, black haired human, clad in some sort of ceremonial flowing white garments not entirely dissimilar from those of a priest. What immediately drew her attention, however, was not the garments, but the eyes, practically glowing with a strange azure radiance, seemingly staring right through her.

"Who…" she muttered, before the stranger's lips curled in a smirk.

"Come now, Oracle." he retorted, his pale face betraying his disappointment. "Where is your sight now?"

She suppressed her unease and tried to analyze the situation to the best of her ability. Not only had he appeared out of nowhere, but he seemed to understand her words and speak her language perfectly. Her role did not place her in contact with alien species, so she did not usually wear a translator – usually mounted on a necklace or earpiece. For that matter, he seemed not to be carrying any equivalent device.

The simple fact that he had managed to infiltrate the ship unnoticed, regardless of whatever he was, suggested that she was dealing with someone dangerous. Retaining her composure, she stood her ground.

"You are… difficult to read." she conceded. "But I imagine that if you meant me harm you not have bothered speaking."

"A reasonable assumption." the man said evenly. "But I must say… You are a very long way from home."

"Home?" she scoffed. "That word lost its meaning to us a very long time ago."

"And that is not all you have lost." the stranger said with certainty. "I can tell that you are… diminished."

"Perhaps." she said guardedly. "But even in this state I can still tell that you are not what you seem. What do you want from me?"

"I want to ask you a question." the stranger said. "What do you want with the Warriors of Light?"

"Assuming they still exist at all?" she asked, playing coy.

"Do not be disingenuous." the stranger retorted, still eerily calm and composed. "I have been watching you ever since your lackeys blundered into this world. Despite your haphazard approach, it is plain that you came here in search of something."

She took a deep breath and uttered a single word.

"Salvation."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Now who is being disingenuous?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Surely you noticed the run down ships on your way here. Worn. Battered. A shadow of what we possessed in our prime."

"That is not all you are lacking." the man remarked. "A large portion of your toys are remote controlled, after all… or crewed by little more than criminals pressed into service."

She stayed silent.

"And while you speak of salvation, your thugs are making a mess of the cradle of humanity." he pointed out. "What sort of salvation do you expect to find that way, short of the peace of the grave?"

"That was not our decision." Aselia retorted, for a moment looking genuinely ashamed.

"You would watch even more of your people disgrace themselves and die in the mud simply because you do not wish to disobey orders?" the man pointedly asked. "I thought your kind were supposed to lead."

"So did I." Aselia hissed, clenching her fists. "But my hands are tied, at least for the time being… and the more I try to peer beyond the veil, the more portents of ruin I see."

"Let me tell you what I see then." the stranger said. "The blind leading the blind… merrily trudging into the abyss. You and yours are merely pawns in all of this and you will not find any sort of salvation if you persist on this course of action."

Aselia took this comment in stride, unflinching despite the sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Perhaps you are correct and we are but the last gasps of a once proud empire." she mused. "But who are you and what is your stake in this?"

The stranger crossed his arms and stared at her with a bitter scowl.

"From a moral standpoint, I find your people's actions here abhorrent. From a logical and practical standpoint, it pains me to see an intelligent species ruin itself with such foolish actions. From a personal standpoint, you are threatening humanity, and this I cannot abide."

"And who are you, exactly?" she insisted.

"It is far too soon for that." the stranger said, shaking his head. "Merely uttering my name out loud could cause complications for you."

"What do you mean?" she asked, clenching her teeth.

"All in due time." the stranger said, furtively glancing around and then turning his gaze back to her. "For now, I suggest that you try to find a different resolution for this… discreetly of course. By now you must have realized that what you seek cannot be taken by force. It must be earned."

"I suspected as much." Aselia admitted. "Not recognizing that was one of the failings of our forefathers. They may well have doomed us all for it."

"Not just yet." the stranger countered, raising his index finger. "But I do suggest that you stop antagonizing those children and their keepers. In fact, you would do well to reconsider your approach entirely."

"You presume too much." Aselia scoffed. "As a member of the Oracular Order I am here to provide guidance, but I have little to no actual authority in the hierarchy."

"It seems to me that this High Priestess of yours has an agenda of her own… which you are not privy to. Otherwise how do you explain the free hands those hounds have enjoyed so far under that self-important buffoon?"

"If all it took was virtue and intent, we would not find ourselves under the thumb of fools." Aselia lamented. "All I can do right now is try to keep my people alive. But I take no joy or pride in what we are doing. We did not travel all this way and endure what we did only to fight children."

"You do not understand." the stranger said with a conviction that made her feel uneasy. "If you keep pushing them, something terrible will happen. Of this, I am certain."

"Terrible for who? Us, them, or both?"

"Yes." the stranger curtly answered before turning away.

"I will leave you to ponder that." he added, before she could muster a retort. "But for now, I suggest that you keep this conversation to yourself."

"And why is that?"

"Because you are surrounded by vipers." the stranger said, glancing over his shoulder, his tone abruptly turning cold as the glow in his eyes intensified. "And because while I may have stayed my hand so far, if this wanton behavior continues those machines and the Master of the Fist will be the least of your concerns."

Aselia recoiled, tensing up at his words, but he had one final remark.

"As for the crimes being carried out in your Emperor's name, make no mistake." the stranger added. "There will be a reckoning."

With that, he vanished in a flash of white.

---

Raziel reappeared in his domain and his garments returned to the usual shape of a golden breastplate covered in a white toga. He strode to the edge of the floating landmass and stared into the see of clouds below.

"And now we wait…" he muttered to himself. "Until the hand pulling the puppeteer's strings reveals itself."

With a gesture, he summoned his bulky leather-bound tome and flipped through the pages until he reached one in particular where some sort of count was being updated in real time, as if an invisible hand were constantly erasing the numbers and tracing them again with a quill and crimson ink.

"Already in the thousands." he muttered, downcast. "But if my suspicions are correct, showing my hand too soon will make that a thousand times worse..."

With a weary sigh, he dismissed the book and then cast a glance at a statue standing atop a nearby pedestal, fashioned out of some sort of silvery stone. Carved in a style closely reminiscent of the Mediterranean civilizations, it depicted a tall, imposing warrior clad in a simple toga and sandals, holding a sword aloft as it stared into the distance like a silent sentinel.

"Would that we were as wise and all-seeing as some mortals believe us to be…" he mused, taking in the statue's features. "But what we have must suffice."

He reached into the folds of his toga and once again produced the strange medallion in the shape of a dragon. The large teardrop-shaped gem at its center shone, more brightly than the previous time.

"He begins to stir..." he muttered, staring at the gem.

---

Elsewhere…

After what felt like an eternity drifting through an endless indistinct nightmare, his mind returned to the waking world. His body felt heavy, groggy, but mostly intact. Feeling something on his face, he hesitantly reached out with an unsteady hand to find some sort of cloth covering a portion of his head.

"Where…"

Slowly, Belphes opened his eyes. His sight took a moment to regain focus and once it did, he found himself in a soft bed with a wooden frame, covered by a simple cotton sheet.

He tried to move his left arm, which was in a strange position, only to feel a sharp pain. Looking down, he saw that it was covered in bandages, which had been soaked into some sort of solid but brittle white substance and fastened to his chest. The rest of his limbs felt heavy and sore and his stomach grumbled in protest after long hours without nourishment. He was still wearing his black undersuit, but by the sore spots on his body he could tell that it had been removed at some point to tend to his wounds.

Carefully sitting up, wincing as he strained bruised portions of his body, he took in his strange surroundings. A wooden structure of some sort, definitely on solid ground, decorated with simple furniture and an assortment of trinkets whose purpose completely eluded him.

In a sudden panic, he hastily glanced around looking for his equipment. The translator was gone, along with his sidearm. His dark gray piloting suit was laid out on a chair, bloodstained and torn in several places.

Recalling the events that had led to his present situation and realizing the extent of his injuries, the questions multiplied in his mind.

"How did I survive that?"

As one of his feet touched up the wooden floor, a brief jolt of pain shot up his leg. Biting back a curse, he ponderously set about appraising his surroundings.