Earth, The Past

The roaring blaze of a fire crackled within the woods, dying branches tossed into the fire before tumbling below into ashes. An orange glow emitted from the flames, casting itself over Leo's face, who sat on a log next to it. His expression remained unreadable, staring at the burning fire as he shifted it with a stick in his hand. Beyond the fire was a void of darkness surrounding the forest, along with the faint glow of the stars resting above.

He's been on the road for nearly five hours, until he decided to stop and set-up camp. The main road isn't too far from where he's sitting and the car is parked just by the side of the road. His mind has been… blank for the duration of the trip, unsure whether this was truly a good decision anymore. He didn't even know how long he'd plan to stay away for. And for what? To find himself on this journey?

He stares deeply into the fire, the burning embers reflecting in his eyes. "What I'm I even doing…" Leo questions himself.

That's the question of the day isn't it? One he wished he had the answer for, but instead he's decided to come all the way out here. Dad's probably searching around town for him, if he even read his note. Leo wonders how he's doing… hopefully he understands. Despite not knowing the exact reason why he's out here himself, he guess he just doesn't feel like he belongs back there anymore.

Leo's expression tightens at the thought. "Is that really it… or are you just running away too?" He mutters, accusing his own reasons.

Was he trying to convince himself he had good intentions for this trip? To think he can find himself or to really just find some sort of escape. Maybe it's what he deserves, he caused all this didn't he?

Perhaps... it's best for everyone if he just disappears.

He tosses the stick in his hand into the fire, listening to it snapping, before turning his gaze towards the night sky, glistening with stars and watches.

Strangely he remembers an old story his Dad once told him about the stars. That each one lighting the void represented a soul that is longer connected to the soil of the Earth, but instead is now connected to the sky. If he recalls correctly he wasn't all that interested in the story back then. But now… he wonders if Mum is one of those stars now, watching him from up above, judging him.

He casts his gaze back down to the fire, letting the faint heat caress his face. "I'd judge me too." He murmurs.

He feels the tiredness dragging his eyelids down as he lets out a yawn. He stretches his arms far out wide, bones faintly popping from within. He pulls his hood up and lies down on the log, focusing back on the night sky. It's not the most comfortable bed he'll tell you and it's certainly not safe to sleep out in the open like this, but a part of him just doesn't care.

He folds his arms behind his head. "Yep, nothing better than this. Sleeping out in the woods, all by your lonesome self, we're anyone can rob or kill you… or maybe both." He sarcastically muses quietly to himself.

God he's tired. He's been tired for so long, he just needs some sleep and he'll be back on the road first thing tomorrow. He still needs to figure out where he's heading and probably fill the car up along the way, but he'll worry about it later. He just wants to forget everything just for tonight, feel like nothings wrong in the world, nothing wrong with him . And let the shimmering stars keep him company tonight.

Leo's eyes widen slightly as he squints puzzledly at the sky. "Shimmering?"

At first he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but taking a closer look he notices a wavy movement swirling above the tree lines. The air felt tense, barely any sound other than the fire made themselves known, not even an animal or insect. He could only stare in confusion as he trailed the edges of the shimmering sky that seemed to outline… something .

Leo leaned up from the log. "What the hell?" He whispers.

As if triggered by his words a beam of pure light suddenly shines down on him. The air picked up as leaves twirled around the area like a tornado, blowing out the fire. Leo lurches up off the log and shields his eyes from the sudden brightness, shock coursing throughout his body. The shimmering figure in the sky reveals itself, a black mass of metal pouring itself into reality with area's glowing a bright green colour as it took an appearance similar to a ship.

Leo starts to edge away. "W-What? What the hell is that!?" He shouts, staring widely at the mysterious object.

Before Leo could fully step outside of the beam of light, he notices the leaves and sticks beginning to drift upwards. It didn't take long until a pulling sensation tugged at him, sweeping him off his feet and floating in the air. He start freaking out and tried fighting against the mysterious force pulling at him, yet it had no effect.

Panic began to set in. "HELP! Somebody! Anybody! Please for the love of go-" Leo desperately shouts for help, but a wave of tiredness washed over him.

Everything began to look blurry, sound fading from his ears, his voice rendered useless as his body felt too weak to even lift a finger. He could do nothing but lay limp in the beam of light, guiding him to the source. His eyes felt like weights hammering down on him, despite his best efforts to force them open.

"Dad…" Leo utters weakly, until there was nothing left but darkness.

…

…

…

I'm cold.

It's the first sensation Leo felt. The sound of the wind howling faded into existence, every square inch of him aching in agony. A chilling coldness held itself against his body, along with a sensation of drips of ice pecking against his face. He peeled his eyes open and was greeted by a blurry view of the dark world. His eyes began to rapidly blinked, clearing his vision up just enough to notice that everything was snowing, even parts of him were submerged in snow.

He wasn't sure what's going on, the last thing he remembered was being in the woods and it certainly never snowed. The second he attempted to get up his body flared up with pain making Leo wince in agony as his nerves finally woke up from their slumber. Like a switch that got flipped, making everything feel so much more sensitive. It even felt like he was pinned down on the ground by something, despite nothing being on top of him.

But he wasn't going to let that stop him, stubbornly he pressed himself off the snow with a groan, feeling the freezing chill spreading across his fingers. An ice breath exhaled from him as pulled himself onto his knees, the snow crunching around him as he wrapped his arms around himself in a vain attempt to ease his shivering. Leo held a hand over his eyes, barely seeing anything, due to the vicious blizzard blocking his vision.

His breath shudders along the wind. "What… how did I… this isn't… where am I?" Leo rambled, question after question with no answer in sight.

His mind felt like it was lost in a fog, unsure whether this was truly real or not. It certainly felt real, but there's no way he could've ended up here right? Was he missing something? Before he got too caught up in his own thoughts, he catches a glimpse of something small poking out from beneath the snow. Shuffling over to it, while scraping his knees along the snow, reaches over and brushes the snow away.

A piece of metal. Leo couldn't but stare at it curiously, until he caught sight of more pieces of metal probing up from the snow further ahead. A trail of snow flung to the side, leaving a messy trail filled with more shards of metal. By the looks of it something crashed here and possibly took him with it… that would explain why his whole body feels sore. But that's not important.

What is important is how he's even out here, was he kidnapped? Did someone drive him all the way out here and crash? Because if that's the case how far did they freaking drive! The North Pole? He shook his head, knowing he wasn't going to know a single thing if he kept kneeling in the snow and ranting to himself. Picking himself off the cold ground, Leo rubbed his hands together for a bit of warmth, before shoving them in his jacket and trudging along the messy trail.

Leo hated this already. He clinged for any source of warmth his clothes offered, yet as each second ticked by his clothes felt like they were becoming icicles. Worst of all he was walking against the wind, a constant force pushing against him as his face became numb from the cold blowing directly into him. He grabbed the collar of his jacket and dragged it up, covering his mouth and nose.

He really hopes this is a dream and that he's still lying in his sweet soft bed back home. Yet the taunting chill served to remind him that this was all real. He didn't want to acknowledge that, all he needs to do is wake up. Just wake up!

Each step he took sunk into the thick snow. "Wake up. Please… wake up." Leo begged, squinting his eyes shut.

He thought about home, he thought about the days he and his Dad went out hunting together. He thought about the times his Mother took him on her little picnic trips and Jack… he remembers when they used to get along. He wants to open his eyes and relive those moments, experience them just one more time.

Was… was his life flashing before him? Is this what it's like? Does this mean he's dying? He doesn't want to die. Not yet. He's not sure how long it takes to freeze to death, but he can barely feel anything in his arms and legs anymore, so that's probably a bad sign. A good sign however is that glow of light shining in the distance beyond the snowstorm like a beacon of hope calling for him.

Leo doesn't even feel his body shivering anymore as he marches forward towards the source of light. The closer he stepped the brighter it got, the closer he stepped the louder it became and the closer he stepped… the colder he felt. He kept pushing forward though, despite the protest he's feeling. Leo doesn't know whether he's walking towards help or not, but by the time he finally reaches the light, he realises what it is.

Fire. A burning flame struggling against the ice cold wind, barely clinging to the scorch metal beneath it. He can't help but feel disappointment swell within him, a spark of hope snuffed out. Leo falls to his knees in front of it and holds his hand out to the fire, desperately soaking in the warmth it offers. His hands shivered against the fire, sporting a pinkish colour Leo wasn't sure he should be concerned about.

He gritted his teeth cold shudder waves through him. "I-I fucking hate the cold. Only thing you're good for is making bloody ice cream." He complained, hastily rubbing his hands together.

He nearly doesn't catch the sight of a large vague shape hiding within the snowstorm near him. Large pieces of torn metal decorated the snow with sparks of fire littering the ground around it. In the centre of it was a broken ship, which seemed strangely familiar to him. Parts of it were glowing a bright flickering green colour with wires loose from the sides. Something about it seemed familiar, almost like that thing he saw… in the... woods.

Leo stares at it with haunting eyes as the realisation kicks in. "No… it can't be real… it can't… NOOOO!" He hollered into the brewing storm.

He clutched his hair tightly as his breathing became rabid, clenching his eyes shut and wanting nothing more than for everything to disappear. Did everything that happened back then actually happen !? The light, the ship, the floating , everything!? It's like the answer was so painfully obvious to him that it hurt to even consider it.

He peels his eyes open, soaking in the reality he's trapped in. "This is gotta be a joke, a big fucking joke, so where the hell is the punchline!?" Leo shouted, becoming agitated as each second passed.

Yet before his sanity could crumble away even more, his eyes widened at the sight laying a few feet away from the wreckage… was a body. Unmoving under the snow, he wasn't sure whether they were still alive or not. Gathering one last bit of warmth from the fire before it snuffs out, Leo shambles up onto his feet and walks over to the body. Once he got close he kneeled down next to them and rubbed off some of the snow on them. Already it seemed like they wore some sort of black futuristic armour with parts glowing green just like the ship.

What set him off though was how tight the armour looked, they'd have to be extremely skinny to squeeze in this thing. They laid head down first into the ground, making Leo have to dig his fingers under the snow and flipping them over onto their front. A gasp left his lungs at the sight of the person… or rather the machine that laid before him. A black faceless visor stared back at him, bits and pieces missing from the length down their body.

Not even the blizzard blowing against him felt as cold as what he was feeling. The humanoid machine shared a similar body structure to a human from the head down, all except it's four fingered mechanical hand. After the shocking realisation that he might have possibly been abducted by aliens, a robot was the last thing Leo was expecting. And it wasn't just this one, everywhere he looked there were similar robots buried under the snow just like this one, only some missing more pieces then the other.

"Well t-this… is just getting weirder." Leo uttered, struggling to speak with the cold.

Was… was he abducted by machines? Perhaps for study? An uncomfortable shiver rakes through him at the idea of their study . Maybe the owner is just laying in the snow somewhere else? Although by the state of their spaceship , if he can even believe it, he doesn't have much hope they survive. Then again he's still alive isn't he?

But how did they even crash in the Antarctic or Canada? He remembers being buried by snow back there, so he must've been unconscious for quite some time if everything else here is also buried under snow. And as tempting as taking refuge in the remains of a warm alien ship would be, he'd rather not risk the possibility of their friends coming to check up.

He'll let Area 51 handle this shit, but for now he just needs to find some sort of town or some kind of shelter that can warm his ass up. Standing back up with a groan, Leo surveys the area around, seeing nothing but the raging snowstorm. There wasn't even a tree to gaze at, just piles of snow covering the land. With a tired sigh, he grits his teeth together and begins trekking in a random direction.

Each step he took felt like he was gonna buckle under his own weight any second. "This is great, just fantastic Leo. You decided to run away from home to find yourself, only to get abducted by some alien robots, who also crashed mind you, leaving you stranded in a cold ass blizzard… in the middle of nowhere. Absolutely fucking wonderful ." Leo casually ranted to himself, while freezing to death.

He felt horribly. Physically horrible. Like all his blood was pooling into his chest, leaving everything else to fend for itself. He rustled his hands deeper into his jacket's pockets, scrounging for a hint of heat, while digging his nose deeper into his collar. He could feel the cold nipping away at the skin left exposed, especially at his face mostly. There's a sense of dread clawing at his heart, knowing exactly what's going to happen next.

"I… I'm gonna die." He began to hysterically laugh. "I'm going to die, in the wilderness, freezing my balls off!"

Leo wasn't sure why he was laughing, he just couldn't help it. Maybe it's because of how absurd the whole situation was that he just found it so damn funny. And now… he's gonna die and no one is going to find his corpse. He doesn't even want to think about how Dad would react, for all the man knows he's simply ran away and hasn't come back. Guess that's something he and his brother have in common now.

His laughter slowly dies off, shallow breathing taking its place. "I didn't want this. I just… wanted some time away. That's all, I didn't ask for this!" He shouted bitterly.

He knew more than anyone that the universe despised him, breathing in his suffering like a cooked meal. It followed him like a shadow, constantly trailing behind him and waiting to strike. It's something Leo dreaded every day of his life after it first struck, each one more heart tearing then the other. But this… this might finally be the last time it strikes him.

He turns his gaze up towards the sky, seeing nothing but the flakes of snow drifting above him, blocking what he wants to see. He's truly going to die out here alone isn't he? Seems rather fitting now that he thinks about it. Throughout his whole life he's always felt like he was on his own, but at the end of the day he always had his family waiting for him.

But now they're gone.

All that's left now is his father… who's going to be all alone as well soon. Even though he's used to being on his own, that doesn't mean he'd wish it on anyone else. So if there's truly a god listening to him, then give his Dad a good life. He might've deserved all this, but his Dad… he didn't, his father is a good man and deserves to be happy.

"Unlike me…" Leo utters, until suddenly his foot hits something, causing him to trip onto the snow with a yelp.

Feeling slightly dazed from the fall, shakes it off and stares back at what tripped him over and sees a rock probing from the ground. Looking straight ahead, Leo spots a massive rocky cliff side looming over him from a distance. He must've been wrapped up in his head too long if he didn't see that monstrosity, but it didn't take long to decide where he's heading next.

He struggles to pick himself back up, the wind fighting against him with a cold breeze blowing towards his side and sending a feeling of ice spreading across him. As he started walking forward again, getting closer and closer to the wall of rock. Leo desperately hoped the cliff conveniently had a cave, it's his best shot surviving this hell hole.

It didn't take long until he finally reached the cliff side, leaning against it for support. The wind didn't feel as strong here compared to out there, which was a relief. Trailing along the stone wall, Leo drapes his eyes over any sign of a hole large enough to fit him. Afterwards he'll probably have to tear some cloth off his clothes to start a fire, but shelter first.

His hands strangely started to feel like they were on fire. "Come on… come on… work with me here Mother Nature." He begged.

As if hearing his begging, he spots merely a few feet away in the cliff side was a large cave entrance. Leo picked up the pace and practically threw himself into the cave, sighing in bliss when the cold wind no longer harassed him. Hopefully he didn't just stumble into some polar bear's den without checking. Peering into the depths of the cave, the layout seems oddly shaped as if someone personally sculptured it out.

He treks deeper into the cave, minding where he steps, not wanting to trip onto a bunch of pointy rocks. He could hear the storm violently howling away from outside, fading away more and more the further he ventured through the cave. He may not have the wind blowing in his face anymore, but he still felt extremely cold and tired. Something he can fix once he's certain this place is safe.

Instead Leo finds something better. A door. A steel door staring back at him from the end of the cave. He eagerly goes to take another step, unaware that he's suddenly collapsing onto the floor, scraping his hands against the stone surface. He lets out a sore hiss, ignoring the tingling sensation on his palms and instead focusing on what's in front of him.

He rolls his head around limply. "That's ok… I can crawl."

The door was so close. Leo crawled his way towards it, hope swelling within him one more time. He wasn't sure why a steel door was all the way out here in some cave, maybe some underground bunker? There wasn't even a handle or anything on the door, so it had to be closed from the inside by someone… right?

The second he reached the door, Leo sat down with his shoulder up against it and rested his head on the cold surface. He rests his eyes for a bit and lets out an icy breath, curling into a shivering ball. He's exhausted, he should probably work on that fire, but his whole body feels like it's on the verge of shutting down. Leo weakly pounds on the steel door.

"Please… help ."

Speaking was tiring as well, it felt useless and he didn't want to do anything except sleep, but he knew if he did that… he wouldn't wake up. Yet the thought didn't scare him anymore. Would it really be that bad? What was he even struggling for anyway? He's just so tired, that's all, maybe a quick nap wouldn't hurt.

His pupils hardly registered the world anymore, while his breathing began slowing down. Oddly he started to feel warm, coaxing him further to rest his eyes. He barely heard the sound of the steel door humming, until there wasn't anything holding him up. Leo tumbled through the door, laying on top of a steel floor and glancing back at the door shutting behind him.

Leo lets out a slight chuckle. "Thanks door." He rests his head on the floor, taking a moment to collect himself.

The room or hallway to be exact was faintly lit up and the temperature of the place feels like a usual room back home. His temperature on the other hand, different story. Every square inch of him felt like thin ice nibbling his skin, making curl into himself even further. He probably looked pathetic, good thing no one was around to see him.

"Hello. Welcome to PD Research Facility T03, Thule." A feminine monotone voice spoke, her words not coming from a clear direction.

Leo merely continued laying down. "Now I'm hearing voices." He quietly mumbles.

"Your core body temperature is steadily decreasing to dangerous levels, I'd advise heading to the medical bay immediately." She helpfully informs him.

It's not like he can't feel his whole body becoming an icy pole, although getting some medical treatment does sound nice. Groaning as he pushes himself up with whatever energy is still left in him and tucking his hands under his armpits for some warmth. The hallway he stood in was made out of straight lined patterned steel from the floor to the ceiling with lines of lights trailing the top.

Leo glances around the hallway he's in and see's no one other than himself. "That's nice to hear and all, but who's speaking?" He asks.

"I am the Planetary Discovery Operation System, otherwise known as PD." She tells him.

Leo only grew more confused. "Operation system? Are you… are you saying that you're some kind of robot?" He questioned.

"An artificial intelligence. I'm programmed to oversee the safety of this facility and it's staff, ensuring it runs at maximum efficiency." She further explains to Leo.

The whole place was dead silent, the only sound he could hear was his own breathing. "Then where's the staff?" He points out.

"Gone." She answers. "This facility has been abandoned for twenty years."

"Twenty years?" Leo repeats.

"Correct."

Leo quietly thinks to himself, before lifting his head up. "...So where's the medical bay?"

With PD's guidance, Leo eventually found his way to the medical bay room. Inside he sat down on a table in the centre of the room with what he assumes are medical equipment scattered around the place, honestly this whole facility could use a clean up. He's currently wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket, which was strangely conveniently stored in one of the storage shelves here. He was still shivering unfortunately, but not as bad as before, he didn't have his jacket on and he can't help but notice that his hands don't feel quite right.

However the part that freaked him the most out were these robotics arms coming down from the ceiling, scanning him head to toe. It's hard to believe the government would abandon a facility like this, hell Boston Dynamics would have a field day running this place with PD here. Especially if she's a real life artificial intelligence, which is pretty cool, it's nice to have someone to finally talk to. The robot arm thingy scanning him lets out a beep sound, before pulling itself back to the ceiling.

"Your body temperature is reaching safe levels and you've developed frostbite on parts of your hand and areas of your forehead." PD listed off.

Leo frowns slightly. "You say that as if it isn't bad."

"Is it not?" She questions confusedly.

He sighs in response. "I've gotta teach you some sass. Anyway, can you treat it?" He asks.

"Yes." PD confirms. "From my scans the skin around your frontal lobe will heal over time and leave only small scars, unfortunately the skin on your hands will need to be treated. I've also noticed that you're currently not up to date with the standard safety regulations of the facility."

He couldn't help but raise a confused eyebrow at PD. "You do realise I just got here?"

Suddenly a robot arm comes back down from the ceiling with a needle attached to it, forcing Leo to reel away. "W-What are you doing?" He hesitantly asks, keeping his eyes trained on the needle.

"Applying nanotech." She states as if it's obvious.

Not to Leo though. "Nano what?"

"Nanotech. Often referred to as nanomites or nanobots. They are a small organic life form that serves as the facility's multipurpose tool, each staff member is injected with nanotech to ensure their health reaches maximum levels." She explains further.

"So like you're gonna put tiny robots in me?"

"Yes."

"Is this permanent?"

"Yes."

"...Will it hurt?"

"Depends."

"On what!?"

Without responding, PD injects the needle into Leo's exposed upper right arm. Immediately he flinched at the sudden pinch on his arm, but by the time he went to yank it out, PD withdrew the needle from his arm. The robotic arm went back to it's ceiling all innocently, leaving Leo down below holding his arm.

"What the hell!?" He angrily shouted. "I'm pretty sure it's illegal to inject little robots into me without my consent!"

"All staff are required to be injected." She informs Leo.

"I'm not one of your staff members!" He reminds her, before staring at his hands. "And how is it even going to fix my hands!?"

"The nanotech administers aid that I'm incapable of performing by replacing the damaged skin cells. The process should be finished within two days and will ensure that amputation will not be an option." She said, causing Leo's eyes to widen.

"That's a joke right?" He asks, nervous chuckles passing his lips.

"Was it meant to be?"

Leo doesn't say anything back. He's still having trouble wrapping his head around all this, now he's got little nano-robots swimming through his blood stream. To think the government has nano tech laying around for anyone to take. He should probably ask PD for a run down later on what exactly these nanos can do in his body. But the silence is starting to become bothersome.

"Twenty years… must've been lonely." He brings up.

"My main purpose is ensuring the safety of the staff, secondary objectives are keeping the facility running. After the facility was abandoned, I've kept the facility running for their return."

"Didn't really answer my question, but ok." Leo muttered under his breath, before speaking up again. "So I've gotta ask, is this some top secret government facility in America?"

"The term *America* isn't registered in my data." She tells Leo.

He's slightly taken back by that. "Seriously? What about the UK?" He asks instead.

"Unknown."

"Uh Antarctic?"

"Unknown."

A dreadful feeling slithered along his spine. "Ireland, India, Canda, China, Japan, hell Australia!" He rapidly listed, panic slowly edging into his voice.

She pauses before answering. "...None of these terms are found within my data."

A pit began forming in the depths of his stomach, like a sudden realisation of a possible answer he doesn't want to acknowledge. Yet the aliens, the abduction, the artificial intelligence, the nanotech, everything . His mouth felt dry, the cold remnants freezing him barely registered. He understands his luck is shittier than the average person, but surely it wasn't this bad.

He clutches the blanket around him closer. "Then… where I'm I?" He ushers out.

"You are on the Southern Hemisphere of the planet Thule." She answers him.

He's not sure if he heard that right. "...Planet?"

"Correct."

He's almost too scared to say his next words. "N-Not Earth?"

"There is no planet called *Earth* registered in my data."

Thule, The Present

Snow blew past a window, separating the vast cold world from the warm pale white room inside. Below the window, Crimson was sitting down at a white desk, tinkering away. He used one hand to keep his new weapon, the Enforcer, still on the table, while inspecting the inner workings with a tool in his other hand. He worked silently, inspecting every inch of the weapon for possible improvements, along with potential hazards.

"Did something happen since you were gone?" A familiar artificial intelligence voice rang out throughout the room, questioning him.

Crimson continues working. "Just the usual, PD."

PD lets out a thoughtful hmmm . "Then why have you been in a mood since arriving back?" She points out knowingly.

Crimson pauses, before continuing like normal. "I'm not in a mood." He firmly tells her.

"You've barely spoken a word since arriving and your body structure has been tense. I've classified this behaviour as *moody mode* to better identify it." She finished, leaving a baffled Crimson.

He stops working and places his tools on the table. "...How do I turn your sass off?"

"Unfortunately for you, I won't disclose that information." She happily informs him.

Crimson leans back in his chair, which slightly strains under the weight of his armour. He spins around in it and glances around his room. At the far end was his double sized bed, freshly clean and neatly tucked in, barely ever touched. Over by his side of the room was his work station, bits of scraps and tools scattered the table. On the wall next to him, held various maps, each one was a detailed image of different sectors of the galaxy, some areas crossed off with a red X, while some where circled with a question mark.

Crimson can't help but stare at it. "I've just been thinking recently."

"That's a dangerous activity for you."

He rolls his eyes at her. "Talking to you is dangerous."

"Touché. What have you been thinking about? Does it happen to finally involve taking that armour off?" She asks.

PD never misses an opportunity to nag him about his armour, he's surprised his ears haven't fallen off yet. Only time he's ever really taken his armour off is when he's eating or taking a quick shower. He's always felt more… safe with the armour on, comfortable even, especially when you're living in a galaxy where danger lurks around every corner. And besides, it makes staring into a mirror easier.

"I'll take it off later. I've just been thinking, alright. Nothing you've got to worry about." He tries to reassure her.

She isn't convinced. "Unless you've forgotten my prime objective, it's my job to worry." PD says.

An annoyed tick scratches at him. "Well you don't need to, I'm fine."

"Whether your *fine* or not, it's still my duty to worry about you." She repeats more firmly.

His hands tighten. "You don't have to worry about me!" Crimson bursts out, emotions swirling deep within him.

The room falls silent. PD doesn't say anything else, carefully watching Crimson and waiting. He stares at his fists, surprised to see them shaking with tension, before letting out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. His hands stop shaking and gently lets them uncurl, gazing at each finger.

He lets them fall to his sides, along with his eyelids. "Sorry. I… don't know what came over me." Crimson apologised.

"...Are you certain it's just nothing?" PD asks again.

Crimson doesn't say anything.

A beep interrupts the awkward silence, echoing throughout the room. "Incoming transmission." PD informs. "This discussion isn't over." She adds.

An exhausted sigh escapes him. "Just pass it through."

He straightens himself up as a blue holo screen pops up on his desk with a scrambled video feed playing. It slowly adjusts to a clear visual, revealing the same woman Crimson talked to back at Zurkies club. The same woman showing up at a bad time when he's not really in the mood to talk at the moment. She wore the same outfit with a pitched black background, he can't help but notice how dishevelled she looked.

"Crimson, I've got a job for you." She immediately says, speaking unusually quick.

He raises an eyebrow at her questionably. "Didn't you tell me to get some rest?" He reminds her.

She gives him a serious look. "This is urgent and you're the only one available for it."

It isn't like her to seek him out like this. "What's the job?"

"There's a train convoy full of innocent civilians and it's getting ready to leave. It'll be transporting them to the nearest shuttle off world and sending them straight to Zordoom Prison. I need you to get them off that train asap." She carefully explains.

Crimson can already tell from her explanation that it's gonna be a big operation. If the convoy is getting sent to Zordoom Prison, the most feared location in the galaxy, it means it's under Emperor Nefarious control. They'll definitely be nefarious guards posted, but depending on how important these civilians are, he's not sure what models. He also noticed one crucial detail that she happened to leave out.

"Where's the convoy at?" He questions.

She hesitates. "...Nefarious City."

"Nefarious city?" He crosses his arms over his chest piece. "You know how I feel about taking jobs there."

There's one rule everyone quickly learns in this galaxy and it's that nothing ever goes according to plan. He's learnt this rule one too many times in Nefarious City in the past. He remembers multiple occasions of almost dying in that bloody place, nearly getting blown out of the sky the last time he visited. She must be desperate if she's asking him of all people to go there.

"Please Leo… I need your help." She pleaded, clasping her hands together and bowing her head down.

Crimson stares at her in surprise, taken back by the display. He's not even bothered by the fact he called him that name. She never begs… and he doesn't like seeing it.

"...Send me the coordinates."