Let's check in with Shaggy, shall we?

A one woman army.

That's what Shadow called herself.

Sergeant Hunter now understood why.

He groaned as he sat up, placing a hand on the side of his helmet. His armor had thankfully absorbed a majority of the blow from her kick, but his head still ached as did a majority of the rest of him. Gingerly rubbing the sore spot between his thigh and pelvic armor, he shuddered. He'd expected her to be able to fight, she had the build and agility of a martial artist after all, but he had not expected that level of skill. Not to mention she knew exactly where to strike to make him loosen his grip.

When that strange man Trevor first contacted them, saying he had a lead for them and their mission, Hunter had not questioned where he got the information. Sometimes in their line of work, it was better to not ask. Especially when you had been searching for an answer for close to a week with zero leads. Take what you can get.

The call had come out of nowhere, but at that point they were willing to investigate any lead. Even one in the far Outer Rim. It was better than nothing.

Hunter hadn't liked the prospect of working with a guide, knowing full well how most nat-born guides reacted to his team. But when talking about Shadow, Trevor said not to underestimate her regardless of her size or initial reaction. That alone told Hunter that this guide was more than she seemed.

He'd said nothing about her being Force Sensitive.

"Tech!" Hunter yelled to the engineer. "Go get her! Stun her if you have to! But do not pull the needle on her again!"

She'd been difficult but not outright hostile before that syringe came into play. Hunter dared to admit this mission had started quite a bit better than he expected. He liked challenges.

He did not , however, like surprises. Judging by her Force push and the pale scratches marring his armor plus the way her eyes gleamed in low light...

She was full of surprises.

Shoving the syringe back into a holster on his belt, Tech nodded to him then rushed into the roots after Shadow.

Wrecker's booming laugh came from outside the walls. "I told ya she could fight," he teased Crosshair.

The sniper all but hissed at him. "She's a kriffing Force sensitive." He turned to Hunter as the sergeant slowly pushed himself into a crouch. "What did she mean when she said not another head start?"

Grateful his face was hidden, Hunter gruffly responded, "I caught up to her in the tunnels but let her have a thirty second headstart."

The sniper stiffened. "You jeopardized the mission for a pretty face?"

She's clearly more than just that. Shadow was interesting and Hunter could definitely appreciate her cleverness even if the groin strike and head kick pissed him off. "I wanted to see how she'd fare if trouble happened on the trail," he defended himself.

Not a complete lie. If droids showed up, he didn't want to have to risk their own skin protecting a helpless guide who expected them to do all the fighting. His team had little patience for cowards.

"Hope you're pleased with your findin's," Crosshair spat.

"I am." He rubbed his thigh again. "But could have done without the strike below the belt."

"Four Eyes is rubbin' off on you, damn it," the sniper growled.

"What I want to know," Hunter retorted, "Is why she didn't just use the Force before. She had plenty of chances, but she never did."

The time she first bolted. The time she was stuck between him and Crosshair. The time in the tunnels. The top of the Tower. After she'd fallen down the hill. The initial Anthill chase. During their grappling match.

She used it last resort. She must have deliberately wanted us to underestimate her.

Clever. Very clever.

"Seemed to be a game to her until Tech tried to jab her with the needle," Wrecker pointed out. "She's feisty! I like her!"

"She's dead when I see her again." Crosshair shook his hand where Shadow kicked him.

"Once we get her on our side, you'll need to get along," Hunter reminded him.

"Like hells I will."

"Cross, we need her to reach the Vault. We'll never find it otherwise." Hunter crawled to the roots where Tech had disappeared after the kid. "Both of you go back to the ship. She freaks out when she's cornered by too many people."

If it was only him and Tech, they could get her to calm down enough to get a grip on her. Only this time he'd be ready for any Force tricks or her claws.

"I can smoke her out, or just blast my way in there to help!" Wrecker called.

"No. She'll get hostile again, and I think she's worn out by now." She had to be. "I'll get her and bring her back."

"Sarge-"

"Just do what I said! If I comm you, then come back." Muttering under his breath as his pack snagged numerous times on the roots, Hunter finally squeezed free of the tunnel and headed towards the center of the strange mound. If the kid darted out of one of the tunnels, he could chase her down.

He glanced down at his armor, primarily at the scratches covering his gauntlets. When he'd met her in that tunnel back in the library, he thought he'd imagined the cat-like gleam her eyes held. Or the way her teeth looked a little too sharp. Or the way the growls from her throat were closer to that animal. But the gashes across his gauntlet proved his suspicions were correct.

He wasn't dealing with a human.

"Tech!" he yelled into his comm. "That woman isn't human!"

Heavy panting filled his helmet. "I know! I'm not sure what she is, but I've almost got her cornered!"

"When you get her, hold her there!" He paused.

He couldn't really blame her for a fear of needles. They deeply disturbed him as well, reminding him all too much of the damn longnecks. How they poked and prodded at him and his brothers as if they were nothing but lab rats to be tested and experimented on. The mere thought filled him with burning anger... and sympathy.

Human or inhuman, target or not, she had been a fun opponent in his eyes. Stubborn yet playful. He hated that the chase had turned from playful to dire, for he'd been enjoying himself.

"Don't sedate her! If she doesn't think we'll stick her with the needle, she may calm down."

"You feel sorry for her because you're scared of needles too!"

"This isn't about me! But do not confront her about being inhuman yet! I want to do that myself!"

"Okay, Okay! She's gone down a tunnel, I think she's trapped. I'll hold her here until you find us!"

"Don't stun her unless needed! I'm on my way."

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

I groaned, closing my eyes and laying my head back on the floor. "If you're gonna shoot me, do get it over with. I despise suspense."

"I don't want to shoot you."

A rough laugh escaped me. "That makes two of us." Thought self inserts meant you always bested the characters. This is not my idea of a victory! This has been one of the worst trade deals in the history of trade deals, maybe ever "But I ain't got no desire to be acquainted with your pointy friend." More wheezing. "Full of who knows what."

"I know what," he defended before rattling off some alien chemicals. When I gave him a blank look, he slipped his pistol back into his holster, took off his helmet, and crouched outside the hole. "It wasn't a large dose, just enough to relax you so you'd stop panicking and calm down."

"Calm down? I am perfectly calm. Calm as I've ever been in my life!" I tried to laugh, but it ended in a gross cough as the air caught in my dry throat. "If I were anymore relaxed, I'd be dead!"

"I'm not convinced," he announced, brows furrowing at my hacking.

Trying not to die, I croaked, "Gee, what gave that away? The shaky voice?"

"Yes. When someone's voice shakes, they are quite emotional," Tech chirped, starting to gesture with his hands. "It's actually possible to tell what emotion they are feeling based on the inflection of their voice alone."

"You really are a nerd," I snorted, rolling my eyes. "And in case you weren't aware of the last twenty to thirty minutes, I've been running almost nonstop." I paused for a moment, sucking in a few lungfuls of air. "I'm dead on my feet. Hell, I ain't even on my feet. I'm flopped like a fish. But I'm still not comin' out."

"I just told you it would only relax you!" Tech exclaimed.

"And I'm telling you , if you insist on bringin' that into play you'll continue to get a hard no from me."

"If I told you I wouldn't use it, would you come out?"

I might. Were it not for a probably angry Hunter and definitely angry Crosshair . "I did not plan to have my funeral today. My knees may be on fire and my stomach trying to digest itself but I'll stay right here in my happy little hole."

"Your stomach can't digest itself," he remarked.

That's what you retained? Out of everything I told you, you locked onto something you thought to be factually incorrect? "The pH of stomach acid is what, 3? That's pretty damn acidic." Well, mine is probably lower given I'm an Alphian . "Besides, without mucus your stomach would digest itself."

"Stomach acid 1.5 to 3.5 on the pH scale for humans," Tech corrected. "Did you know that the stomach is one of the first lines of defense of your immune system?"

Well now I do . "It's surprising I even remember that from Bio class. You know how much information I had to shove into my head in sixteen weeks? I learned more about RNA duplication thnt I ever cared to." I frowned, rethinking. "Wait... or was it DNA? Then tRNA and mRNA were just a part of the process?" I coughed. "I know ribosomes were involved. Maybe?"

Not surprisingly, Tech began to chatter away, complete with various gestures, about the interesting process of transcription, translation, and all the organelles associated with it. Not wanting to relive biology class, I quickly cut him off. "I've already had my final exam, got a picture of me in a skeleton onesie to prove it. I've dumped the info out."

He looked a bit disappointed, and I found myself feeling bad. "Geez, don't have to look so sad, Tech. You can refresh me later." I shakily pushed myself onto my elbows. "Looks like I'm goin' to help y'all anyway. I may be stubborn as a mule, but I'm also just tired of runnin'. Congrats, Tech. You Bad Batchers keep your perfect track record." I tossed up invisible confetti. "Bravo."

"Hmm, you are much friendlier when needles aren't involved."

I flashed a sarcastic grin at him. "Ain't we all?"

"I suppose!" he agreed, giving a soft laugh. "So, you'll come out of that hole?"

"I would, but there's a problem, Tech. You may be nice, but Hunter scares the shit outta me and I'm pretty sure he'd love to stab me right now. I kicked him in the head after all."

"He won't stab you!" Tech exclaimed. "He can be harsh but-"

"I literally tried to hit him below the belt and I hook kicked him in the head. The head , Tech." I shook my head rapidly. "He'll sic y'all on me for sure, and I'm out of steam right now!"

"If you'd just cooperate, I'd have no reason to order them after you."

I froze at Hunter's growl before a deep scowl dug into the corners of my mouth "Oh. Great," I grumbled, teeth flashing as I spoke. "How long has he been sittin' there?"

Tech moved to the side as Hunter shifted into my line of sight. "Long enough." He took his helmet off, the skull tattoo even more sinister in the dim red light of the Anthill.

"I was afraid of that," I grumbled. "Tell me the homicidal twig ain't out there too."

"Sent him back to the ship," Hunter said. "But if we do not come back with you in the next thirty minutes, he's going to bring Wrecker back and they'll force their way in here."

I growled unhappily, "Joy." With him around, the calmness I'd felt while talking with Tech alone faded away. Unease and agitation took its place.

Hunter noticed. "I don't want to hurt you." He shifted and reached in towards me. "If you'd just come out of that hole-"

I swatted his hand back. "I think not. It's a nice, homey little hole. I'll name it Jeff. Jeff is safe. You are not. I'll stay in Jeff."

Hunter raised an eyebrow, hand still extended towards me. "Jeff?"

"It's either that or Finch."

"Finch? Why would-" He cut himself off with a groan and pinched the bridge of his nose. " Look , the moment we're done with our mission you'll never hear from us again. We'll go our separate ways."

Still uneasy about the whole thing, I drummed my fingers on the floor. "Who sent you on this mission?"

"We pick our own."

I shook my head. "Gotta give me something more than that, Sergeant."

"I gotta do nothing."

I made a face. "Firstly, that imitation was atrocious, please don't ever do that again. Secondly, if you want me to cooperate you do. Otherwise, you'll learn just how stubborn I can be."

"Hunter, just tell her who sent us. That cannot hurt," Tech argued, finally joining the conversation once more. "She seems willing to help as long as she knows she is not in danger." He looked back at me and smiled. "Right?"

"He gets it," I laughed softly. "Tech realizes I am, logically, worried about my physical well-being and would enjoy a bit of explanation so I can see that I would not be at risk of getting attacked by you four. Tech is smart. Be like Tech."

"Fine," Hunter muttered, rolling his eyes as Tech looked proud of himself. "There's a planet being enslaved, and we were told the Vault could have the solution to free them." He paused, regarding me for a moment with slightly narrowed eyes. "If you come out of there now, I'll forget you kicked me in the head and we'll keep the syringe out of this. Sound like a deal?"

"Sounds like coercion," I grumbled, eyeing his hand.

"Well?"

"Give me a minute, I'm thinkin'."

"Hurry up."

I glared at him. "Calm your tits."

His brows shifted upwards in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Shush," I shot back, ignoring his and Tech's stares.

I really was up the creek without a paddle. I'd run all I could. It was clear I was not getting away from these four. Of course I wasn't. Not without using my powers at least, and that was an absolute last resort if my life was threatened.

Even if I used my Alphian powers, they might not be enough to stay ahead of a team of superhumans who literally had a zero percent fail rate. They'd also been bred to fight and had rigorous training. I'd gotten quite a bit of training in real life, and during the time on the ship, but it wouldn't compare if I took on all four at once. So far, I'd only fought hand to hand with one Batcher at a time. Even then, Hunter had managed to subdue me. If they were able to stand up and were armed with guns, and I was as exhausted as I was...

"Ain't got much of a choice I guess," I said, cautiously reaching for Hunter's hand. It was warm and I had to repress a flinch at his strong grip. "Alright, Sergeant Hunter. You've got yourself a deal."

A sly grin crossed his face as his grip tightened on my hand.

Oh no .