Inside the hut, Metal Bat rubbed at his head as he sat up from being tossed across the room. He winced when he found a warm gash along the backside of his scalp, groaning as he fit several of the tips of his fingers through. Standing up, he turned to glare at the approaching Viskel, whose body filled half the hut as he walked. Rage filled his body and Metal Bat grit his teeth as he raised his fists to fight.

Siblings… thought Viskel. Let's take a look in your brain here eh? He picked through Metal Bat's memories, images flashing in Viskel's mind like a series of glowing computer screens. One of them had Metal Bat being talked down to by a little girl only moments after an exhausting fight. Oh…oh…perfect!

Zenko appeared to the side of Metal Bat, glancing around in a sundress as she realized she wasn't at home anymore.

"Z-Zenko?" asked Metal Bat, his eyes widening as he looked down at her. "What the…what are you doing here?!"

"Where am I?" asked Zenko. "I was at home for a second, and then…oh hey big brother!"

Metal Bat blinked down at her. His mind raced with confusion and fear. Sweat and blood poured from his head on opposite sides.

"Zenko…" said Metal Bat. "Zenko, you need to get the hell out of here!"

Zenko peered around the room, freezing when she saw the massive grinning Soulless approach her.

"And there it is," said Viskel. "Looks like it's the end of the road for you!"

His grin stretched from one end of his face to the other, rows of black sharpened teeth outlined by a glowing mouth. He tore a gleaming knife out from his side.

"He looks like that guy I get the autograph from, but different…" said Zenko. "Sycamore! But…you're not him, you don't have the suit, you just got knives in your back…"

"And one in the hand," said Viskel, tipping his knife to the side.

Metal Bat struggled to get up, yet his body would not allow him. An invisible force of a thousand tons weighed him down, pushing him into the steel no matter how hard he tried to get up. Metal Bat strained and groaned, his eyes widening at the nightmare before him.

"Don't you dare hurt her," said Metal Bat. "Do you hear me, you fucking bastard! Don't you dare hurt her!"

Zenko gave her brother a surprised look, her eyes wide at the crumpled Metal Bat sitting on the ground. Turning back, she gasped as she realized Viskel was upon her, his knife hovering above her head.

"So this is what Silan means…" said Viskel. "Hmm…"

Zenko took a step back, her heart pounding as Viskel loomed. His eyes wild, he grinned down at Zenko as Metal Bat screamed at him to stop. His pleas fell on deaf ears.

For a moment, everything hung in place as Viskel readied a swing. Metal Bat struggled against the invisible weights, the muscles in his arms tearing as he writhed against the force upon him. Zenko watched the Soulless with her mouth hanging open.

Viskel looked down at her. She couldn't do a thing against his assault, and for some reason, this only drained him of energy. His excitement faded as Zenko stared up at him, half-defiant and half-terrified.

"Hmm…" said Viskel. "You, uh, have some spirit in you, eh? Got a big scary monster right over you and you still look like you wanna fight, even if you can't…" He frowned. "I uh…I need to check something. One second."

Viskel slid back out of the hut, his body a stream of shadow against the air. He slammed the door behind him, causing Blast to jump at the table.

"Back so soon?" asked Vastal, who stepped out of the way as Viskel stood staring at the hut. "You teleported her in there, huh?" Vastal's voice was tinged with disappointment.

"Yeah…" said Viskel. "I don't know, if they can't fight back, there's not much joy in it for me…feels kinda pointless…and weird."

"Mmm," said Vastal, eying the knives sticking out of Viskel's back. "Always the fighter."

"Well, what do I do then?" asked Viskel, his arms slouching. "I've got to do something surely, Silan expects it…"

"I can knock Metal Bat around and we'll call it good," said Vastal. "Don't worry about it."

Tatsumaki watched from over at the table, her arms shaking at the sound of the two Soulless talking.

"Okay…" said Viskel. "Hmm…"

"What is it?" asked Vastal.

"Dunno," said Viskel, his eyes raising to the clouds above. "Thought it would be more exciting here."

"Exciting?" asked Vastal.

"Yeah…" said Viskel. "But eh, the food is nice, and not getting shot at is nice."

"Yes it is," said Vastal. "Stop thinking about fighting, we're not going back."

"Nah, I don't want to go back," said Viskel. "Just wasn't sure what to expect. Ah well, I'm sure Silan's got plans for us all."

"I'm sure he does," said Vastal. "But stick close to me, eh? Silan's your boss, but I've been looking after you for much longer than he has."

"True…" said Viskel with a sheepish grin.

"What were you doing in there?" asked Tatsumaki. The look from Viskel immediately made her regret her question.

"None of your damned business," said Viskel. "Official stuff. Stuff you're not involved in. You're under our rule, you don't get to question it."

"Cool it Viskel," said Vastal. "And you know the rules Tatsumaki."

"What exactly did he do?" asked Atomic Samurai. "What rule did he break?"

"He…uh," said Viskel. "Uh…called us monsters, and that's an insult to us, no insults!"

"In other words, keep your damned mouth shut," said Vastal. "Consider that a rule, and start following it."

"You-" began Saitama.

Vastal shuffled forward, his massive metal body shuddering along several cracked platelets. Saitama closed his mouth, fire raging behind his eyes.

This is insane, thought Saitama. What the hell is happening? Who the hell are these losers, why are they doing this, how are they this strong?

A loud humming sound slithered from the skies above, snaking its way into Tatsumaki's very soul. She looked up to see a ship floating down from the clouds towards a clearing near the table.

"Saitama," she said as the ship neared the ground. "Everyone. I know you all want to help, but we won't be doing anyone any favors by being beaten or dead. Trust me, I want to fight as much as you, but I've seen how strong these guys are. You all have. We can't beat them, and fighting them won't make things better. If you want to be heroic…you'll have to do it quietly."

Vastal gave a small nod to Tatsumaki, her words briefly distracting him from the ship above. Viskel eyed the ship with suspicion.

"Wise words," said Vastal. "Like she said, just shut it and listen, and you'll be fine."

A door on the side of the ship slid open as it touched the ground. Out came a snarling Soulless, clad in sloping armor but without his helmet this time. His right hand remained clamped in a wad of silver hair as Garou came stumbling out of the ship as well.

"Oh it's just Greidhof," said Viskel. He yawned as he sat down on Vastal's nearby lawn chair. Vastal grumbled and materialized a separate lawn chair right next to where he was standing, sitting down as Greidhof approached.

"Where the hell is Silan?!" asked Greidhof. "I've brought the person he so-called forgot, now where is he? He better not waste my time like this again, he's already going back on his agreement-"

"Hey!" said Viskel, pointing to Greidhof with a vicious stare. "You can't insult Silan like that! I'll kick your ass!"

"If he sets up a system, he should stick to it," said Greidhof. "And if I have to wait much longer, I'll just drop this pest off here. He's lucky he's even alive this one, was mouthing off to my guards and they nearly gunned him down. You can thank Silan for your own skin, pest."

Garou coughed, blood sputtering out from his mouth and dribbling down his chin in tiny red streams. He glared up at the Soulless who had his hair in a knot.

"You can…go fuck yourself," said Garou.

Greidhof flung Garou to the ground and raised his foot, clawed and gleaming in the sun. Garou turned over to witness Greidhof's foot come crashing into his chest, blood spraying from his mouth as he shrieked in pain. Greidhof raised his foot again and slammed it back into Garou's chest, smirking as he heard a wet crunching noise sound off from below.

"Greidhof!" said Tatsumaki.

Greidhof froze in place, his foot hovering over Garou's chest. Bang and Saitama along with Atomic Samurai all looked ready to jump out of their seats, with Viskel eying them all with irritation.

"Who just said my name?" asked Greidhof. "Did one of you degenerates just-"

"If you kill Garou, Silan's just going to ask for another person," said Tatsumaki. She shook in her seat.

If what I can tell about this asshole is right, maybe I can get him on our side, thought Tatsumaki. At least for a bit…oh God, the things I have to say to these people, the way I have to appease them…I hate this, I fucking hate this.

"For another person," said Greidhof. "Go on degenerate, what else do you have to say?"

"Well, if you wanted to stick it to Silan…" said Tatsumaki, her mind running desperately to search for ideas. Every member of the table was staring at her now, aside from Blast, whose hair ran in dark veins over his face as he looked down at his food.

"Go on," snarled Greidhof, his foot still hovering over a shaking Garou.

She's standing up for Garou of all people? thought Saitama. Not that I want to see the kid die, but this Greidhof guy looks fucking unstable…be careful Tatsumaki.

"You…you could ask for a trade or something," said Tatsumaki.

Honestly not sure how bad it is out there, but surely it can't be as bad as it is in here, thought Tatsumaki. Can it?

"Enough with the games," said Vastal.

Tatsumaki sat riveted to her seat as Greidhof swung his foot around Garou and stomped it into the ground. He marched right over to where Tatsumaki was sitting, her heart pounding louder and louder with every step Greidhof made. By the time he had made it over to her, Tatsumaki was gripping the edges of her seat, her eyes trained on his and her heart like a ticking time bomb.

Greidhof shook his head at her, his mouth pulled back in a gnarled frown. He reared back and smacked Tatsumaki across the right cheek. The force from the impact knocked her to the ground, making her world spin. She raised a hand to protect her face from the fall, feeling blood trickle out from the side of her face as she hit the dirt.

"Filthy degenerate," said Greidhof. "Acting as if I don't know what to do." He spat at Tatsumaki, whose shoulders tensed as she felt the liquid hit her on the back. "Don't speak to me again unless I allow it, you pathetic, worthless, conniving little creature."

Viskel rocketed out of his seat, his eyes trained on something in the distance. Vastal grunted as he did the same, his body shuddering upwards as if it were ready to fall apart. Greidhof turned to see Silan approaching the table, a thin smile on Silan's face.

"Ah, you made it," said Silan. "Though, I see no reason for you to be rude to my citizens. They broke no rules, no?"

"This one," said Greidhof, pointing a finger at a fallen Tatsumaki. "Is irritating."

"Please Greidhof, Tatsumaki is an esteemed and valued member of the community," said Silan. "And I know you must be irritated, with having to bring another person here on such short notice, but you have no place in attacking my citizens unless they are causing grievous injury of the mind."

"She…" said Greidhof. "Ugh. Fine. Even still, you-"

"Apologize," said Silan.

"What?"

"Apologize. To our dear Tatsumaki. She's had quite the day today."

Greidhof stared at Silan, his mouth hanging open. Silan grinned back.

"Well?" asked Silan.

"Not to a thing like her," said Greidhof. "Not to…a degenerate!"

"You'll have to learn Greidhof," said Silan. "For a more stable society, we should not mete out punishments unless they are warranted. You are all about control, surely you understand that."

"They can't fight back!" said Greidhof. "These helpless, worthless bastards are nothing! We can beat them whenever we want, anytime they so much as think about fighting back-"

"Perhaps in your jurisdiction," said Silan. "But here, we are smarter than that. Apologize."

Silan stood tall over the table, peering down on everyone, even the snaking Greidhof. The smaller Soulless let out a disgusted sigh as he turned down to glare at Tatsumaki. She had risen to her feet by now, her hands clenched and the most hateful of glares on her face.

That look, thought Greidhof. I'll crush it out of you, make no mistake. You might not be under my thumb now, but you will be, you will be…

"I…apologize," said Greidhof. "You…would be best off watching yourself in the future."

Tatsumaki spat directly into Greidhof's face, prompting a howl of laughter from Viskel. Vastal smiled from under his helmet.

"I'll be sure of it," said Tatsumaki.

Greidhof's eye twitched. He raised both arms, his hands extended out as if to wrap his fingers around Tatsumaki's throat.

Silan chuckled.

"That will be enough for now," said Silan.

"She…you saw that!" said Greidhof. "How dare she! I'll kill you, you little cretin, I'll kill you!"

"Enough Greidhof," said Silan. He snaked an arm around Greidhof's back and yanked him away from Tatsumaki, pulling a stumbling and shocked Greidhof back over to where Garou was.

"But…" said Greidhof. "But…"

"I understand, it's been a stressful day," said Silan. "And I am truly sorry for such late notice, I really did forget about poor Garou being on my list. Tell you what, I will make it up to you one day, and of course will notify you of any more transfers with much more time in the future."

"You said…they were all…" said Greidhof. "In your damned camp. That you had them all!"

"Ah, but you can allow such a small mistake," said Silan. "After all, a tiny one here or there will not ruin you. And besides, you are in a much better place now, are you not? As I've always told you, you stick with me…"

He cranked his arm into an L-shape to point to the sky.

"And the only way to go is up," said Silan. "And I certainly think that's the case here. Go on, run on home, expect a consolation from me at some point, as a token of gratitude for your compliance."

Greidhof grumbled as Silan pulled him towards his ship.

"Get that idiot to stop laughing at me," said Greidhof. "And…and…make Vastal and the idiot stand whenever I arrive, and I'll be satisfied."

"I'll see what I can do," said Silan. "Now run along, I'm sure you have your own things to do."

"And hurt that woman," said Greidhof. "I hate her. She has resistance in her eyes, and she's worthless."

"The resistance is what draws me to her," said Silan. "Now run along."

Greidhof sighed as he entered his ship, the door sliding closed behind him. A few moments later the ship took off from the ground and darted away from the camp. Viskel rubbed tears out from his eyes as he recovered from his laughing fit and watched the ship leave.

"Ah," said Viskel. "I take it back. The robot's not my favorite, it's the lady with the green hair. Ahhhhh, that was good."

"Highlight of my day," muttered Vastal. "So what now Silan?"

"Back to business as usual," said Silan. "And well done Tatsumaki, providing a shining example for everyone here."

"What?" asked Tatsumaki as she stood near her seat. "With him?"

"Of course," said Silan. "He didn't follow the rules, he's out of our jurisdiction, and you made him pay for it. An excellent show, and of course, Greidhof certainly deserves a lesson or two from time to time. Even still, you would still be wise to show him some respect should he come here. He too is a superior of sorts, and I would tire should he have a fit every time he comes here."

"But he does that all," said Viskel. "The. Time. He did that on the way here, he did that back at Temra's place, pretty sure he even bitched after I got stabbed that one time!"

"There's been many times," said Vastal.

"Yes yes even still," said Silan. "Carry on. I have some plans for the day, and need to move some supplies for our injured back at the main infirmary."

He turned and walked back to the main building, with Viskel bounding after him asking how he could help. The two of them disappeared into the massive cathedral of a building, their shadowy forms melting into the darkness of the great hall before the doors snapped shut behind them.

"Well…" said Saitama as he looked over at Tatsumaki. "So much for quiet means of heroism eh?"

"You know what I mean," said Tatsumaki. "Just no fighting."

"What you did was very brave," said Bang.

"Very," said King. "I don't think I could've done it."

"Impressive," muttered Atomic Samurai as he sipped a cup of tea. "Now if only we could do that to Silan himself."

King gave a nervous look over to Vastal as Atomic Samurai spoke. Vastal gave no hint of a response, only choosing to lean against the hut behind him.

"Surely together we could take him," said Blast, his voice muted as his words hit the table.

"What?" asked Saitama. "Earlier you were telling me not to do it!

"I changed my mind," said Blast. "We could all rush the idiot behind us. Then make our way out. Easy."

"All of us…" said Atomic Samurai.

"Don't," said Tatsumaki. "He could freeze you in your place, kill you without even touching you. It's not worth it to try, we have to figure out something else."

"Really want to punch him though…" said Saitama. "And Metal Bat…Metal Bat's still in there."

Tatsumaki glanced over at the hut where Metal Bat had been taken to, a bastion of silence amongst the courtyard.

"King, Bang and I take the left," said Blast into his plate. "Saitama, Tatsumaki and Atomic Samurai take the right. Garou…I don't even know if he can get up."

Garou snarled, heaving himself to his feet. Blood poured from his mouth as he hyperventilated.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," said Garou. "And nice one Tatsumaki, that bastard's as good as dead when I meet him."

"Don't mention it," said Tatsumaki. "And Blast, shut the hell up. You're going to get more people hurt for no reason."

"I have to get out of this," said Blast. "I will not be constrained. I will not be degraded like this. This was not how it was supposed to be."

"I…I hate being here too," said Tatsumaki. "I…hate being constrained too. But…we…we have to follow them for now, as much as I hate it."

Faint images of a glowing green cylinder ran through Tatsumaki's mind and her breath caught in her throat.

There's no escape, she thought. My sister…and me…we're trapped here, we can't get out…there's no escape…

"You won't even be able to get out of your seats if you try to rush me," said Vastal. "So unless you want to die today, I wouldn't advise it."

"We should try," muttered Blast.

"Then you go first," said Vastal. "Show them what a real hero looks like then, you fucking idiot."

Blast said nothing, peering down at his empty plate. His eyes were wide and his face pale, stretched out over his features like a gaunt Halloween mask.

"That's what I thought," said Vastal, crossing his torn-up arms. "Heroism my ass. Be practical about this, like Tatsumaki. Whether you like it or not, you're in our world now. Best shut up and get used to it."

Tatsumaki took a step away from the table closer to Vastal. He peered over at her and she raised her arms in self-surrender.

"I just wanted to ask if I could see Metal Bat," said Tatsumaki. "Just to see him."

"Why," said Vastal. "And Garou, sit down and eat something, or don't for all I care. Just stop standing there and hyperventilating over the food."

"Think…that bastard…broke my ribs…" said Garou, giving Vastal a nasty glare. "You think…I can eat like this?"

"Ugh, fine, I'll take you to our infirmary later," said Vastal. "And as for you Tatsumaki, why do you want to see him?"

"Just to see how he's doing," said Tatsumaki. "Make sure he's not dying in there or something."

"And you care because?" asked Vastal.

"I might not know him that well, but I'm trying to keep everyone together," said Tatsumaki. "I don't want…anyone to lose themselves. It's not what I want, it wouldn't be…what Secter wanted either." Tatsumaki's breath caught in her throat at the mention of Secter's name, her heart accelerating if only for a moment.

"Good luck with that," said Vastal. "But fine. Just for a moment."

Tatsumaki gave a small nod, shuffling forward as she rubbed at the dried blood caking on her cheek. Dropping her hand to scratch at the tears in her dress along her shoulder, she approached the door and opened it to let the light from outside flow in.

At the other end of the room sat Metal Bat, his head leaning over a sleepy Zenko as she cradled herself in his arms. He blinked away tears as he spotted a shocked Tatsumaki step through the doorway.

"You're…you're alright," said Tatsumaki.

"Yeah I'm fine," said Metal Bat, rubbing at his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought Viskel had hurt or killed you for a bit," said Tatsumaki. "Why…why is Zenko here?"

"I don't know," said Metal Bat. "Think that bastard Viskel made her appear here, threatened her with a knife…and there was nothing I could do. Nothing I could do…"

He sniffled, clenching his teeth to hold back another wave of tears.

"Just let me be," said Metal Bat. "And keep that bastard Viskel away from me and my sis."

Tatsumaki gave a little gasp at his words. She took a step back as she turned towards the entrance.

"I…can't promise anything," said Tatsumaki. "I'll do what I can to keep us all safe, but I can't promise anything…they hurt my sis, and I couldn't stop them…"

Metal Bat gave Tatsumaki a shocked look.

"They…those…" Metal Bat's expression shifted from shock to pure rage, and he squeezed Zenko tight, prompting an annoyed grumble from the little girl. "We're in this together Tatsumaki, even if we disagreed before, we're gonna make all those Soulless pay."

"Trust me, I want them to suffer for what they've done," said Tatsumaki. "But…we just can't fight them. We have to find another way."

"Like how?" asked Metal Bat. "What could we do?"

"I have some ideas," said Tatsumaki. "We'd have to be careful, but I have some ideas."

. . .

Tatsumaki left the hut, giving a wary eye to Vastal as she saw him approach Garou. Closing the door behind her, she grimaced as Vastal snapped his fingers at Garou and made him vanish.

"There, he's at the infirmary," said Vastal. "Damned whiner."

"His ribs were broken…" said King.

"I can guarantee everyone in this camp has had worse," said Vastal. "On our side at least."

"Hey," said Saitama. "Where's Fubuki? Isn't she in this camp too?"

"She was attacked," said Tatsumaki. "She's…not doing well, but she's in the infirmary."

"Great," said Saitama. "Just fucking great. As if I wasn't worried and angry enough."

"I've never seen you like this before Saitama," said Bang. "This is…different, for all of us."

"Yeah, I'm not really accustomed to losing either," said Saitama. "Or being helpless. And also, can I get Genos off of the wall? He doesn't even have limbs, it's not like he can fly away."

"He can't walk either," said Vastal. "So there's no reason to have him out."

"Ugh," said Saitama.

Tatsumaki approached Vastal, who turned to look down at her. He towered over her like a steel fortress would a single attacker, a lone besieger against a great armored goliath. Her eyes heavy in their sockets, Tatsumaki let out a small sigh.

"Thanks for letting me see Metal Bat," said Tatsumaki. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to see my sis, at the infirmary."

"Did you eat?" asked Vastal.

"No - not much," said Tatsumaki. "Not really hungry."

"You should eat," said Vastal. "You're thin as is, worse than Viskel."

"I'll eat after I come back," said Tatsumaki. "Please, I need to see her, she's my sister."

Vastal sighed. The worry Tatsumaki had for her sister was something he could understand, no matter how badly he tried to ignore it.

"Fine," said Vastal. "It's over at the edge of the camp."

"I know where it is," said Tatsumaki. "But thanks. You've…been kinder than the rest."

"I couldn't care less about you," said Vastal. "Feel like I've told you this before."

"Yeah well, sometimes what you say doesn't always align with what you do," said Tatsumaki. "But that's not a bad thing." She glanced down at the gaping holes in Vastal's arms.

Vastal shook his head at her.

"I know what you're trying to do," said Vastal. "You're not the first. Trust me, it's not going to work, I've learned it's best not to care. I worry about my own problems, keep my head down, and everything turns out alright."

Coward, thought Tatsumaki.

"But you do care," said Tatsumaki. "You care about Viskel, and if you really hated us as much as you've said, you would've hurt us by now."

"Knock it off," said Vastal. "I'm only being softer on you because you're a bunch of humans as opposed to Soulless. You're not like them, you're…weaker."

"I don't think we're really as weak as you say," said Tatsumaki. "Even if we're not as powerful."

Vastal was getting irritated. He stalked away from Tatsumaki to lean back at his favorite spot not far from Genos.

"The rest of you, hurry up and finish eating," said Vastal. "Then…then I don't know, go to your huts or talk for all I care. Just don't do anything to piss me off."

"I wish to be freed," said Genos, cranking his head towards Vastal. The gears in his neck made a sputtering sound as they turned. "And reunite-"

"No," said Vastal. "Shut it."

Genos turned to look at Tatsumaki, his eyes grave. Next, he glanced at Saitama. Defeated, he peered back at the ground.

If Saitama can not resist, thought Genos. Then I have no chance.

Saitama gave a tired look over to his friend attached to the wall.

Tatsumaki turned towards the table, only getting distracted for a moment when she spotted Viskel and Silan head out from the main building with a box of glowing bandages in hand. Setting it down on the pathway to the courtyard, Viskel looked up at Silan with his back hunched.

"Agh, the knives are sore today," said Viskel. He rotated the muscles on his back, grimacing at the knives still burrowed into his body. "When do you think I'll be able to take them out?"

"Do you need to?" asked Silan. "You are an animal, a vicious thing. Surely a bit of pain won't stop you."

"Yeah, you're right!" said Viskel, straightening up. Doing his best to hide a wince, he smiled at Silan. "I am one of the best fighters around! Though…" He scratched at where one of the blades had been lodged into his back, the skin around it a shade paler than the rest of his body. "They are a pain…"

Silan ignored him and turned to walk back to the main building. Viskel dropped his hands and bounded after him, his back muscles shuddering as he went along.

Looking over at the table, Tatsumaki gave a small smile to the heroes assembled before her.

"Metal Bat's alright," said Tatsumaki. "And I'll be back, have to check on my sis."

"Hope she's alright," said Saitama. "Tell her I said I'm hoping for her."

"And I as well," said Bang.

"Me too," said King.

Genos gave a small nod to Tatsumaki, while Atomic Samurai and Blast stayed silent for a moment.

"Give her my best wishes," said Atomic Samurai.

Tatsumaki smiled at the group in front of her and headed towards the infirmary, a new energy in her stride. She made it to the door and pushed it open, narrowing her eyes as she entered a dim cavern of a hut with hospital beds outlining both of the walls. The lights from above shone off the pure white sheets of each of the beds, and Tatsumaki spotted a still Garou laying atop one to her left. He raised an eyebrow at her as she entered, both hands resting atop his shuddering chest.

"You again," said Garou. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Checking on my sis," said Tatsumaki. "You seen her?"

"Think she's in the back," said Garou. "Hard to tell since I can't move much, but I think I saw her in the back row. From what I can tell, she doesn't look too good."

Tatsumaki's heart dropped three stories below, all the way down to her stomach. She spotted her sister laying atop a bed in the back. Dread flushed Tatsumaki and she ran over to Fubuki. Her arms began to shake uncontrollably as she gripped the side of her sister's bed.

Fubuki looked about the same as she had that morning, her face pale and her breathing labored and pained. If it weren't for the fact that her chest still moved, she looked ready to be embalmed, and a sickly sweet stench rose up from her body as sweat and blood poured off of her. The black bandages around Fubuki's wounds were peeling off, and her leg looked swollen and red.

"Help…" whispered Fubuki, her eyes half-closed. "Help…"

"Sis, it's me," said Tatsumaki. Tears welled up from behind her eyes, and Tatsumaki let them flow down across her face, warm emissaries of anguish. She reached over and stroked the side of Fubuki's face, groaning at how clammy her skin felt. "It's me."

"Sis…" said Fubuki. "Sis…sis, it's over for me."

"No," said Tatsumaki. "No, please God, don't say that."

"I can feel it…" said Fubuki. Tatsumaki had to lean over her sister to understand what she was saying. "Sis…it's getting hard to breathe…"

"Just…just keep going alright?" said Tatsumaki, a punch of nausea tearing its way through her stomach. "I'll get help, you just have to stay with me, please. If I lose you…I'll have no one…"

"Secter…he's still out there…"

"I really hope so," said Tatsumaki, the world turning into a field of transparent waves through her vision. "But you have to stay with me sis, I love you so much…"

"Love you too…" said Fubuki. "But I can't…keep going…much longer…"

"I'll get help," said Tatsumaki. "Just keep going, I'll get help!"

Tatsumaki ripped herself away from the bed and bolted out of the hut, sprinting back towards the table. Tears flew away from her eyes back out towards the sides of her head as she ran. By this point the table was empty aside from Blast and Atomic Samurai, with the samurai munching on a sandwich while Blast sat slumped over. The rest of the heroes were clustered around Genos, while Vastal stood by the hut in which Metal Bat and Zenko resided.

Turning her attention from them, Tatsumaki spotted the box sitting alone in the middle of the courtyard, a heap of glowing bandages jutting out of the top. Her eyes widened. Hope was being presented right in front of her.

She turned back to Vastal, who was staring over at Saitama and his group. Then back to the box. Then to the main building, which stood as quiet and ominous as ever, its spires stretching out into the sky. Then back to the box.

She ran for it.

Scooping up as many bandages as she could, Tatsumaki turned away from the box and dashed back over to the infirmary, pushing the door open as she neared the entrance. Stumbling towards her sister, Tatsumaki whipped around and set the bundles of bandages on the bed behind her, her head pounding as she furiously blinked tears away from her face.

"Sis…" said Fubuki. "I think I heard you…"

"It's me," said Tatsumaki. "Don't worry sis, I got help. I got help for you."

She snatched up a bandage roll and began to wrap it around Fubuki's leg, frantically unraveling it over and over across the bloodied flesh until the entire thing had encased Fubuki's appendage in a glowing heap. Taking another, Tatsumaki wrapped the next wound, grunting as she lifted Fubuki off of the bed a few inches with one hand to allow her to wrap the bandage around her sister's torso. By the time Tatsumaki was done, Fubuki resembled the side of a building in the midst of night, glowing strips all over her body. Nodding at her sister, Tatsumaki took a step forward near the bed.

"That'll help sis," said Tatsumaki.

"I still feel…weak," said Fubuki. "But things don't…sting as bad as before…"

"Those bandages will work much better," said Tatsumaki. "Not sure how, but they will."

"Sleepy…" said Fubuki. "Everything hurts…but so sleepy…"

"Get some rest sis," said Tatsumaki. Leaning down, Tatsumaki planted a kiss on Fubuki's forehead. "You'll need it."

"Sis…" said Fubuki. "Be careful out there."

"I will."

Turning around, Tatsumaki took a deep breath as she looked at the few bandages that were left. Glancing all around the hut, she sighed as she realized there was not a hiding spot anywhere to be found. As she walked forward, she heard Garou whisper to her from the side.

"Hey," said Garou. "I'll take em. Maybe even use em."

Tatsumaki turned and rushed over to him. She shoved the bandages into his arms.

"Use them quick, I had to steal them," said Tatsumaki. "And when you're done…I…I don't know, you'll have to find someplace to hide them."

"Will they work on bones?"

"Yeah," said Tatsumaki. "But use them quick if you need them. Otherwise I have to get out of here."

"Alright," said Garou. "Thanks."

Tatsumaki gave a small nod and dashed outside, closing the door behind her as she went. She arrived at the edge of the courtyard to see Silan pointing to below the halfway point at the obelisk of rules, while Viskel slouched over the empty side of the table. Approaching the table, she spotted Saitama and his group in the same spot as before, while Vastal watched her as she went along.

"And as you know," said Silan, mid-way through his lecture. "That is rule number six. Very, very important this one. I would be willing to dole out some particularly beneficial rewards to those who follow this one today, for I am in a surprisingly good mood. Now, for the rest of the rules…"

Tatsumaki turned to peer back over where the box was. Nothing stood in its place. Grimacing, she turned to look down at the table, when she noticed Blast was staring right at her.

"What do you want?" asked Tatsumaki.

Blast swiveled in his chair, looking over towards Silan. For whatever reason, Silan was staring and grinning at him, as if he expected Blast to begin speaking.

"Tatsumaki stole some bandages," said Blast. "From the box. The one meant for the other infirmary."

Tatsumaki's heart felt like it was being squeezed by a thousand hands from every which direction. She gripped the edge of the table as Blast rose from his seat with a smile on his face.

"Oh?" asked Silan. "Is this true, Tatsumaki? The box did feel a little lighter…"

"I…" said Tatsumaki.

"Tell the truth," said Silan. "We'll know if you're lying."

"They…they were for my sis!" said Tatsumaki. She slammed a fist down on the table, knocking over glasses and plates of food alike. Her face turned bright red as she spoke, utter fury and contempt bleeding from her words. "You left her in there to die, you said you'd take care of her and she was dying! I had to do something!"

"I see," said Silan. "It seems you have not only stolen from us, but are claiming I am dishonest. A real shame to see you act this way Tatsumaki, not at all leaderly of you."

"I won't," said Tatsumaki, baring her teeth in a vicious snarl. "I won't let you leave her."

Saitama and the rest of the group began to shuffle forward, all of them watching Blast with pure hatred in their eyes. Saitama led the group with fists clenched, the veins in the sides of his head threatening to burst out of his skull.

Silan sidled over to the table, his head hung low but his grin still gleaming. He stood next to Viskel, who eyed Tatsumaki with skepticism.

"A shame indeed," said Silan. "But rules are rules. Blast, you are free to go."

"I…what?" asked Blast.

"Go on," said Silan.

Shock took hold of Atomic Samurai and every other hero in the courtyard. Atomic Samurai's mouth started to drop open, while Tatsumaki remained riveted to the spot. It didn't make sense, it couldn't make sense. She watched as Blast began to rise in the air, looking around as if he might be shot down at any moment.

"Fly off," said Silan. "You are free to go. That is of course, unless you want to stay?"

Blast gave one last look of incredulity down at Silan. Then, he took off, rising higher and higher into the sky until he was but a speck amongst the clouds. Tatsumaki watched him go, her hands turning limp and her body slowly sliding down the table. She refused to take her eyes off of Blast as he rose into the sky, farther and farther away from the earth below. He was free. She remained.

. . .

Koros sat opposite Secter in their cell, his eyes trained on the wound on his leg. It had slowly healed over the past few sessions down at the burner, a sore, dark gap across his leg rather than the oozing gash it had once been.

"Not bad," muttered Koros, turning his leg over. "Still hurts like a bitch, but not bad at all…"

"Wonder where they put Varo," said Secter, the whites of his eyes gone yellow from exposure to ash and burning corpses.

"Who?"

"Varo. You know, the guy who's been working with us?"

"Oh. Eh. Don't know."

Secter shook his head. Every piece of him felt like falling apart, not as sore as when he had first arrived yet somehow twice as tired. He kept blinking in rapid bursts every few seconds, his mind smelting in his head as he tried to focus on the ground in front of him.

"Wonder if-" said Koros.

An eruption of metal sounded off from outside, followed by screaming and shouting as something rumbled towards the front entrance of the outpost. An ear-piercing thud-thudthud-thud rang from the outer side of the wall and Koros dashed to his feet to peer outside.

"What the fuck?" asked Koros. "That's…that's a big-ass gun."

"What is it?" asked Secter, the screeching sounds of elimination rifles going off in the distance bringing him to his feet. "What do you see?"

"Uh, armored cars," said Koros. He narrowed his eyes as he gripped the edge of the slit that served as his only gateway to the outside. "With turrets on top. Whoever the hell they are, they're shooting at the guards. Wish em all the best."

He slumped back over from the window and stepped aside to let Secter look. Grasping the wall, Secter stared outside and spotted a great hulking behemoth of a vehicle, a conglomerate of steel polygons on four silver wheels. Atop the vehicle was a serious looking Soulless grabbing a mounted weapon, a gun about the size of a desk and glowing through several spots on the body just like any other. It rattled as it fired away at the walls, shredding Soulless and their materials alike.

"Holy shit," said Secter. "Who are these guys?"

"Beats me," said Koros. "Can't be much worse than Supremacy though, so they might just be our ticket out of here if they can fight their way through."

Secter pulled away from the window, his eyes still trained on the glimpse of a vehicle outside.

"Maybe they'll-" began Secter. He was cut off by another explosion, this one flaring up from the wall just a few meters away. Wincing, Secter fell away just in time for a third explosion to rip through the side of the wall leading towards the front of the building. Extending an arm in front of Koros, Secter watched as a section of their wall crumbled apart, leaving several jagged gaps for white light to pour through. Retracting his arm, Secter took a step forward.

Koros beat him to the wall, tearing at the chunks of metal with his bare hands. He grunted as his arms strained to rip a piece of metal away from one of the nearest gaps. As he pulled back, the metal stretched and snapped, sending Koros stumbling back. A hole, wide enough to fit a single drawer through remained in its place.

"Go," said Koros. "And move quicker this time."

Secter gave a small nod and leaned down towards the hole, his eyes wide. He squeezed himself into the hole, squirming and wincing as pain shot through his entire body down to the old wound on his leg. He used his shoulders to push away at the metal threatening to tear into his skin, twisting and pushing until he was halfway out. Ahead of him, the armored vehicle had moved on, several armed Soulless at its side. A siren was blaring from the skies above, sections of the outpost crumbling and falling past the ground that surrounded the building and into the Nothing below. Several guards lay dead or bleeding out near the entrance, while almost a dozen more streamed out towards a great stretch of blackened ground that formed a road from the entrance, torn up by two great trails across its sides. Secter gave one massive push and tore himself free from the gap, landing on a platform of dark soil that surrounded the place. Directly in front of him lay the twisting roads withing the Nothing, a nexus of dark grounds that spiraled and twisted through the white void. This ground allowed the outpost and roads leading to it to exist even as the Nothing constantly seemed poised to swallow it. Secter stood on the ground near the outpost, shuffling to the side as he heard Koros crawling his way through.

Sidling away from the gap, Secter made it to a section of ground that connected the front entrance to the main road leading to the outpost, a great expanse of dark earth stretching hundreds of feet far and wide. He turned as he saw Koros finally pull himself out of the gap, snarling at the metal which tore at his clothes. Standing up, Koros looked over at Secter, who had begun sneaking towards the main road.

"Alright," said Koros. "Time to fucking run. Don't stop for anything, not rounds at your back, nor yelling from the front."

Secter barely heard what Koros was saying. All he saw was the road forward. Freedom. Tatsu.

He gave one look up to the nearest guard tower, a section of which was missing from some unseen explosive. Turning back, he sprinted for the road.

As Koros predicted, a few bursts of yellow energy streamed past Secter as he ran, one of which scalded his side as he made it to the edge of the road. Secter kept running and the blasts eventually stopped as he headed further and further along the path which seemed to lead to nowhere. Tripping over a crumbling divot in one of the trails in the road, Secter caught himself with his hands as he fell, his eyes wild as he crawled forward. As he brought his head back to eye level, he spotted a shocked Soulless in a stained black shirt watching him from just down the way, near a few chest-high piles of rocks scattered all along the sides of the road.

"Secter?" asked Sycamore. "You got out!"

"Sycamore?" asked Secter. "The hell are you doing here, we have to run!"

"We should be alright this far out," said Sycamore. "But we can keep going back for a bit."

The two of them turned and kept sprinting along the road, their pace slowing down as they neared a curve in the path which led deeper into the Nothing. The rest of the road was blocked from sight by the white void.

Secter peered back behind him, the outpost far enough in the distance now to where the shooting and explosions had become dull in their sound. He spotted Koros running towards the two of them, a long black pipe with glowing streams of light bleeding across it in his hand.

"There he is," said Secter. "Thought he got shot for a second."

Koros stumbled forward to reach Secter and Sycamore, his eyes wide as he approached. Coming to a halt, he glared at Sycamore and clutched his pipe until his knuckles went white.

"Well well well, look at this," said Koros. "Didn't expect to see you here, you little bastard."

"The hell?" asked Sycamore. "I'm the one who brought those people here!"

"What?" asked Koros. He narrowed his eyes at Sycamore, shadows seeping over the edges of his eyelids to give him an expression of thousand-year skepticism. "How so?"

"I…just found them rolling along," said Sycamore. "Told them that you guys needed help, and at first they just ignored me. Then I mentioned that you guys were being held by Supremacy, and they asked me which way."

"Huh," said Koros. "That's…a bit more believable. Supremacy ain't popular with all people, I can tell you that."

Secter laid a hand on Sycamore's shoulder, then pulled him in for a hug. Sycamore gave a sheepish grin as he closed his eyes in Secter's embrace. He returned the embrace.

"You might've just saved our lives in there," said Secter. "Sycamore…you really are a great friend."

"Ah, thanks," said Sycamore, beaming. "But we shouldn't do this here, we're still a bit close."

"Yeah, quit the reunion and let's keep going," said Koros. "Especially since we don't know these other guys and they don't know us. They could shoot us just as easily as some random Supremacy people."

Secter and Sycamore separated, with Secter casting a glance down at Koros's weapon.

"Well, we aren't much in the way of a threat except for that," said Secter, pointing at the pipe. "Where the hell did you get it?"

"Corpse," said Koros. "He sure as hell doesn't need it anymore."

Koros's eyes widened as he spotted two Soulless armed with pistols run out from the corner of the road. Both turned to look at the trio, with one of them diving behind a pile of rocks just up ahead. The other pointed his gun and began firing wildly at them, yellow beams ripping through the air.

"Get the fuck down!" said Koros. He dove to the ground as Sycamore dashed for the nearest pile of rocks and Secter ran to the other side of the road to jump behind another pile.

Secter clasped his hands to the back of his head as yellow streaks tore through the side of the rock pile and flashed back towards the outpost. He glanced over at Sycamore, who had shrunk against his own rockpile as the second enemy Soulless began firing at him as well. Sycamore groaned as he slid down to the ground, covering the top of his head with two shaky hands.

Then the firing on Secter's position stopped as he heard a loud crack echo through the air. Peering out from behind his cover, Secter spotted Koros snatching up one of the Soulless by the neck and thrusting him onto the front side of a single large rock. The Soulless's pistol clattered to the earth below.

Rearing back, Koros smashed his pipe into the Soulless's face, snarling as the Soulless's teeth were smashed in. The Soulless's mouth resembled yellow pudding, oozing with liquid and black chunks of what used to be teeth. Desperately the Soulless clawed at Koros's sides as he tried to push Koros off of him, but was greeted with another bash to the face, this one pummeling the Soulless's lips inward and crushing his jaw. His entire lower half of his face quivered as it began to fall apart and spill all over his collarbone, blood spitting out from where the Soulless's mouth used to be. Two wide, terrified eyes could do nothing but make a silent plea for mercy as Koros reared back and smashed those in too.

Something began to rumble from behind the bend in the road, prompting Koros to look up.

"Fuck!" shouted Koros. He flung the Soulless in the middle of the road as another armored vehicle came jostling around the corner, tearing its way through the dirt as it plowed over the limp form of the Soulless on the ground. Ridged, massive tires spun their way through the Soulless's legs, black slivers of skin and yellow streaks of gore flinging out from the back of the wheels as the vehicle rumbled towards the outpost.

Secter watched as the vehicle went before dashing forward. He snatched up the pistol the Soulless had dropped just as the other Soulless dove out from his hiding spot. Turning to point the gun at the newfound enemy, Secter froze as he spotted the Soulless before him.

The man was unarmed, his pistol tossed to the ground behind him. Dull yellow tears flowed forth from both of the Soulless's eyes as he threw himself to the ground over his fallen friend. Lifting the corpse of his comrade, the remaining Soulless began to sob over the dead body, his tears dripping down onto the chest of the nameless victim.

Secter lowered his gun, his mind a block of jelly frozen solid. He clenched the pistol's grip in his hand, frowning down at what he saw. The Soulless's cries echoed throughout the road, lonely and unheard by his friend.

Koros ran forth from his hiding spot and whipped his pipe upwards, catching the weeping Soulless in the jaw. The Soulless dropped his comrade and fell over onto a nearby pile of rocks, watching with terror as Koros leapt over the corpse and swung his pipe into the Soulless's face. A sickening crunch burst out into the air as the Soulless's jaw was bent forward out from his face, bones sticking out from the bottom of his right cheek. Secter could see the outline of the Soulless's jawbones from where he stood, his body frozen in shock even as Koros swung his pipe down onto the Soulless's head. The skull caved in two, the skin around the pipe's impact lacerating and streaming blood as Koros ripped it away from the divot his weapon had made.

"Hrrrrrgh," said the Soulless, his mouth filling up with liquid. He tried to get a few more words out but could only choke and cough as tears and blood streamed down the sides of his face.

"There," snarled Koros, turning his attention to Secter. "Did it for you."

"That…" said Secter, his body unwilling to move despite his mind screaming at him. "That wasn't necessary…"

"If you're going to survive out here, you're going to need to learn not to hesitate," said Koros. "You're going to need to be a monster, because there could be one lurking around every corner. You just don't know it yet."

"No…" said Secter. "No…you didn't need to do that."

"He shot at us," said Koros. "And just because he cried for his friend, doesn't mean that he's suddenly one of ours. If anything, that means we have greater reason to kill him because he's got a vendetta against us."

"He could have been one of our rescuers," said Sycamore, who had walked over next to Secter out from his hiding spot. One hand was on his opposite arm, and he stared down at the gurgling Soulless with a trembling stomach.

"They shot at us, might as well have been Supremacy," said Koros. Flipping his pipe behind his back, he shook his head at Sycamore. "Once they start firing, they're as good as dead. It's us or nothing."

Scowling down at the half-dead Soulless, Koros pointed at the gun he had left behind.

"Sycamore, get that gun," said Koros. Swinging his pipe down in front of him like a pendulum, Koros smiled at the hanging weapon. "I think I like this thing."

"What about him?" asked Secter as he gestured to the Soulless. "We can't just leave him here!"

"Let him suffer," said Koros. "The hell are you protecting him for? One lucky shot from him and he could've ended either you or Sycamore. He deserves to bleed."

Shaking his head, Koros turned away from the duo and started to walk along the road.

"Sometimes I forget neither of you have been here in a while," said Koros. "Oh, you've got a lot to learn. You've got a lot to learn…"

Secter's heart was engulfed in a maelstrom of hatred for the person walking away from him. Koros had ceased to be human to Secter, no matter his form. Instead, all he saw was a striding shadow, burning just as Secter's mind did.

"He's wrong," said Secter. "Just made everything worse for no fucking reason. We could've left, you asshole. We could've left."

Sycamore tugged at Secter's sleeve, worry plaguing his face. Secter turned to look at him.

"What do we do?" asked Sycamore. "With the guy down there?"

Secter's eyes went heavy. His entire body felt as if it were about to sink into the earth like an anchor. Looking back over at the Soulless, Secter grimaced when he saw that he was staring back. There was something in the Soulless's eyes which Secter couldn't quite place, something between that of hate and that of something else, a long-standing feeling which almost seemed to mirror the environment around him…

Hopelessness. The Soulless had given up.

"I'm sorry about this," said Secter as he raised his gun. There was no life in Secter's eyes as he leveled the barrel of the pistol at the Soulless's head. "But it's for the best."

The Soulless closed his eyes.