CHAPTER 4
The night was going by without a hitch. Zathura and Iria were having quite a good time, bar hopping for Zathura's enjoyment. Iria seemed content anywhere. They had decided to stop at one of Pioneer 2's numerous artificial parks to rest and talk. Mid-conversation Zathura's communicator beeped. It was Elly, in a concerned tone she told them there had been an explosion at the Lab. A few people had been injured, but there were no casualties. However, the data that had been aquired from Gal Da Val had either been destroyed or was stolen. She asked that the two hunters come to the Lab at once to help clean up and investigate the explosion. Zathura turned off his communicator and looked at Iria. " We should probably go. " She said. " Right. " Zathura and Iria headed for the nearest transporter and input the Lab's coordinates. When they stepped out on the other side, the damage was more serious than Elly had made it sound. Nearly half of the Lab had been destroyed by the blast. Fortunately it was after hours for most of the staff, which is why there were no casualties. The police had been there for quite some time, and after being informed by Elly that these two hunters were going to continue the investigation in the interests of the Lab, the Chief of investigation gave them a memory disk. " We found a non-staff fingerprint on one of the pieces of debris, this disk contains all the information we have regarding this person. Apparently he hasn't been seen on Pioneer 2 for quite some time, and now has resurfaced in order to plant this bomb. We don't know what motive he could have, I mean,...that's not saying the Lab doesn't have its enemies, but...this man has had no prior affiliation with the Lab. " Zathura looked over the information on the disk. " Right, well....have you been able to locate this person? " " Believe me, if we had, he would have been in our custody by now. We do however have a list of places he's been spotted recently. We've already sent several men to each location to stake them out, but we've had no responses from them yet. " At this point Zathura flipped to the page containing a photo of the suspect. His eyes grew wide with surprise. " No, that...there's no way he could be here. " He said under his breath. The police chief noticed this and asked, " Do you know this man? " " Erm..no, I don't, he just reminded me of someone that's all. " " Alright, well good luck with finding this guy. " " Umm....thanks. " Zathura walked off quickly, Iria followed him. " Is something wrong? " She asked. Zathura just kept walking, staring at the picture. Getting slightly irritated, Iria grabbed his shoulder and stopped him in his tracks. " What's the matter? Do you know this guy or not? Tell me. " Zathura looked at her with a solemn expression on his face. He finally replied, " I know him, actually I used to work with him. " " As a hunter you mean? " " No, it was before I even came aboard Pioneer 2, I was doing some....work, on Coral. He was my partner. " This bothered Iria, for some reason she felt that he wasn't telling her the whole truth. " C'mon Zath, what kind of 'work' were you doing? " Zathura sighed. " We should go to my place, it's a long story, and not something I care to talk about in public. " " Okay, let's go, I wanna know the truth. " " I don't think you do. " Zathura mumbled. " What was that? " " Erm..nothing, let's go. " They headed back to Zathura's pad and went inside the door. Zathura motioned at the couch telling Iria she could sit anywhere, while he got the bottle of rum out of the cabinet. He poured himself a shot and downed it. Then poured another, it went in a similiar fashion. Then he sat down and proceede to tell Iria about how he used to work as a mercenary back on Coral.
Back then mercenary work meant good money, but there was a catch. Almost always it meant getting your hands dirty in some sort of drug ring or smuggling operation, and more often than not it meant taking lives. At that point he had never given much thought about it. It was just part of the job description. He saw himself as a soldier following orders. Mercenary's were hired so the client wouldn't have to risk media scandals and legal repercussions, and since mercenary's were always payed in cash, there were never any links leading back to the client. Zathura asked Iria if she was following so far, she nodded and asked him to continue. Zathura then relayed his final mission. The one that made him realize his own mortality and quit mercenary work. His client was a wealthy business man. Apparently he had been receiving threats from a former business partner that he had cut out of one of his deals. His partner was threatening to sabotage his business and kill his family, leaving him bankrupt and alone, if he didn't give him the money he owed. Instead of simply paying the money, he hired a pair of mercenaries for nearly half the price he would have had to pay his partner. One of the pair was of course Zathura, the other was a long time partner of Zathura's, a man named Mishra. Like Zathura, Mishra had entered the line of work for the money. He had formerly been in the military training for a war that had never come. After the threat of war was over, Mishra left the military in search of meaning. No other job satisfied his bloodlust like mercenary work. It was the only way he could put his combat training to the test. Zathura never questioned his motives, it was just something you didn't do. The less you knew about each other, the less chance of you dying because of it. As it went, Zathura and Mishra had infiltrated the compound their client had specified. They had met little resistance and figured this would be a cakewalk. They'd only had to deal with about a dozen guards, which...in their line of work, wasn't much considering they were supposed to be some sort of terrorists. They started slacking off, not even bothering with stealth. If they needed through a locked door, they simply planted a grenade beside it and presto, you have a door. When they finally reached the center of the compound, they ran into the leader of the organization. Definitely not what they expected. Their clients former business partner was there alright, in several pieces. They found a note on a desk, and were more than surprised to see what it read. It was a trap! A clever ploy by one of their past targets whom they believed to have died in an explosion they had caused. Apparently he was still alive and wanted revenge. He had lined the entire warehouse complex with explosives, and had lured them there with a fake job offer. Zathura and Mishra tried to escape, but it was too late. The explosives triggered, and the building went up in flames, Zathura had been thrown against the opposite wall, and Mishra was nowhere to be found. Zathura made a run for the door, and was thrown outside by a second wave of explosions. He had just enough time to see the final wave completely demolish the building before he blacked out from a concussion. He awoke one week later in the hospital. The doctors said it was a miracle that he survived in the first place, and that he should be grateful he came away with only a concussion and a few burn scars. Zathura asked if they had received any other patients from the same incident, they replied that they hadn't, and asked if there was anyone else. Zathura simply shook his head and told them he was just wondering. He was sure that Mishra had died in the initial explosion. After seeing the only person he could call a friend die right in front of him, he resolved to never take another innocent life. Yet he still could not escape the fact that he was a fighter by nature, so he transferred to Pioneer 2 right before it left, hoping that once they got to Ragol, there would be something he could do using his skills as a warrior, but would not include harming people. At least not innocent people.
When Zathura finished, Iria simply looked at him, stunned. This was certainly not the history she had invisioned him having, but it was the truth, and there was nothing that could be done to change it. Zathura thought she was taking it quite well actually. When she finally spoke, all she said was, " So that's why you became a hunter. " " Yes, I needed to find something that challenged my skills as a warrior. " " I see, and this man that the set the bomb in the Lab is this Mishra guy? " " I don't understand it, but yes, it seems that way. " Iria thought for a moment, then said. " Well, what are we going to do about it? " " I had an idea, when I was in the bar yesterday, I saw a guy in a cloak, he was with another man, but I'm pretty sure that was Mishra. " " Well, I guess there's no harm in checking it out. " " Actually, " Zathura interjected, " there is. If this is Mishra, I don't want you coming along. " Iria looked hurt. " Why not? I've proved myself on the Island, haven't I? " Zathura looked her in the eyes and said, " That's different, those are mindless animals, albeit vicous, but they are not capable of complex thought. An animal can't set a complicated trap, an animal can't concoct thought out plans and put them into action. It's not that I don't want your help, I just don't want you hurt. " Iria shifted her gaze away for a moment, then said, " I don't want you hurt either, and that's why I'm going whether you like it or not. Even if you try to leave me behind, I'll follow you, so you might as well take me along. " Zathura just stared. He couldn't believe he'd gotten into an argument he couldn't win. Zathura thought, " Any man would've just said, ' alright, see you later. ' but leave it to a woman to insist she have her way about it. " Zathura sighed, " Alright, I guess there's no point in arguing, if we're going to go we better leave now. " Iria smiled at this remark, knowing she'd gotten her way. She'd prove to Zathura that she wasn't just an inexperienced hunter. She'd show him that he was wrong, that she could help and not get in the way. As she finished this thought, she saw Zathura grab something from his weapons rack. " What's that? " She asked. As he brought it into view she could see that it was a steel sword about four and a half feet in length, fashioned in the shape of the ancient swords that were used throughout human history before guns were invented. Even the old style guns were ancient compared to the new photon technology. There were a few collectors that owned ancient guns that fired lead bullets. Iria chuckled at the thought of it. What she still didn't understand was why Zathura was bringing that relic along with them. She decided not to ask, after all, they needed to focus on the task at hand. As Zathura slipped the sword into its sheath and attached it to the armor on his back, they walked out the door in search of the mysterious ghost from the past. The mercenary known as Mishra.
PT. II
As the pair of hunters headed towards the bar in search of Mishra, Zathura could not help but reflect upon his past. How is it that Mishra could've escaped the explosion? How had he found his way to Pioneer 2? Most importantly, why had he sabotaged the Lab? Zathura's head was swimming with questions, he hoped that once they found Mishra he would have a chance to learn the answers. Shortly afterwards they approached the bar. As they entered Zathura scanned it for the cloaked man he had seen before. He was nowhere to be found. " I thought as much. He probably would'nt show his face in public so soon after the Lab incident. As they headed back outside to search for more leads two men blocked their way. It was Mishra and his military lackey. " You've gotten soft. " He said with a smirk on his face. " Are you the one that set the bomb in the Lab? Are you Mishra? " " I'm surprised you remember my name. Seeing as how you left me for dead those many years ago, I'd thought you didn't care about me. " Mishra removed the hood of his cloak and revealed something horrible. His left eye had been replaced with a mechanical one, and the entire left side of his face had been remodeled by laser surgery, yet still leaving visible scars from intense burn damage. " So I see you didn't escape without injury. " " No, I didn't. But apparently you did. " " Look, I didn't leave you behind! After the initial explosion I couldn't find you anywhere, I assumed you were dead. I simply tried to get out before the same thing happened to me. " " I don't believe you!! " Mishra yelled. " You left me for dead, you didn't care about me, it was all just a job to you! " " That's not true Mishra, I..." " I don't want to hear it Zathura. I followed you to Pioneer 2 to exact revenge. I was simply waiting for the right moment. " " So why did you plant the bomb? " At this Mishra smiled. " You'll find out soon enough, if you live that long. " In a flash of steel Mishra withdrew a long blade from his cloak and brought it down, attempting to take Zathura's head with it. In the same fashion the blade was met with Zathura's own sword. Iria and the large man simply watched as the battle unfolded. Mishra drew back his sword and attempted another strike, this time aimed at Zathura's stomach. Zathura parried and swung the locked swords in a wide arc over their heads, knocking Mishra off-balance. Zathura saw his chance and, ducking slightly spun around and brought his sword arcing towards Mishra's side. Mishra managed to lunge to the side, barely avoiding the blow, but leaving himself exposed on the ground now. As Zathura moved in the large man stepped forward and caught Zathura's arm, effortlessly throwing him over his shoulder through the window of the bar.
Mishra quickly got up and regained his composure, lifting his sword in a fighter's stance. There was a flash of color as Zathura lept out of the broken window towards his opponent. Mishra parried his blow, and attempted to run his sword up the length of Zathura's and cut off his fingers. Zathura quickly turned his sword so that the blades made an X formation. With each others blades only inches from their faces, the two warriors pulled back, and lunged once more at each other, each mimicking the others movements so that not one of them could score a hit. That was when Iria noticed they both were evenly matched, even to the point of knowing each other's moves seemingly before they made them. It was then that Mishra finally succeded. He had swept Zathura off his feet while bringing his sword round' in an upwards spiral. It wasn't that serious, but it had made a large gash in Zathura's thigh, significantly hindering his movements. It was then that Iria took charge. " Stop! " She yelled. Just inches away from thrusting his sword into Zathura's throat, Mishra looked up, only to find he was staring down the barrel of a mechgun. He looked at her other hand where she held the large man at bay with another mechgun. " Get up now! Or I'll make sure you never move again. " Mishra heeded her advice and slowly stood up. At this, Zathura too stood up, clutching his thigh trying to staunch the bleeding. " This is not over Zathura. " Mishra said with a glare at Iria. " I know its not, cause" you're gonna answer some questions. " " Don't worry, you'll get the answers you seek, but not today. Come Yawgmoth. " With that Mishra lept up onto the roof and escaped into the shadows of the artificial night. The large man did the same, although with not quite the same agility. " Dammit, we have to go after them. " Zathura said. " No, you'd never be able to fight him and win with your leg in that condition. " Zathura looked down and realized that Iria was right. Iria holstered her mechguns and retrieved Zathura's sword from the broken glass. Iria handed him his sword. " Thank you. " " What? " " I said thank you, you know,...for saving my life. " Iria just stared, that was the first time Zathura had thanked her for anything since they'd been working together. Before she had a chance to respond Zathura walked off towards his home. Iria thought perhaps it was best to leave him be, since so much had happened that night. However she was having a hard time accepting that, she wanted to be with him, to make sure he was okay, and to be there for him should he need anything. She dismissed these thoughts as having been brought on by the stress of what had happened. She headed off in Zathura's direction, telling herself it was only to tend to his wound and make sure he had not been seriously hurt.
As Iria approached the apartment, she noticed that the door was unlocked. " He must already be inside. " She thought. She opened the door and walked in quietly. She found Zathura sitting at a communication console talking to......The Principal!? What was he doing talking to the Principal of Pioneer 2? She tried to hide herself behind the corner and get an idea as to what they were saying. Then she saw it, Zathura's copy of the data taken from Gal Da Val. He was transferring the data to the Principal! " But that information is supposed to be strictly confidential. Only the Lab is supposed to know about it. " At this point Iria was so confused. All these things happening all at once, it was too much for her. First the explosion, then the man called Mishra, who was apparently a ghost from her new partners past, and now this. What was going on? At this point Zathura ended his conversation and turned off the video screen. " How long have you been standing there? " He asked without even turning around. " Umm...I just got here. " she lied. Zathura let out a small sigh. " I didn't think androids were supposed to lie. " Iria just stood there silent. Zathura turned to face her. " I know you're probably wondering what's going on. " She nodded yes. " Well, it's a little hard to explain, and now that Mishra's turned up again, everything's taken a turn for the worse. " Zathura explained his mission to Iria. Why he was suddenly transferred to the Lab staff, and how the Principal had set the whole thing up so that he could share the Lab's knowledge. Iria was shocked, then her shock turned to anger. " So what you're saying is that you're a spy? " " No, it's not like that. " Zathura sighed as he collected himself. " The Lab has been witholding information from the public. Important information that could be pertinent to the colonization of Ragol. The Principal simply want to review this information for himself and then release the information to the public so that they know the truth. " " But......" Iria stuttered, then fell silent once more. " I'm sorry you had to find out like this. In fact I didn't mean for you to find out at all. " " So why didn't you stop me from listening earlier. " " Because the Principal would've noticed, then he would have cancelled my mission. " " Is it that important to you? " " No, not really. I couldn't care one way or the other, but that's not the point. If I accept a mission, I see it through, no matter what it involves. " " I see. So,...does that mean that...." Iria stopped short. " What? What were you going to say. " " Am I just a part of the mission? " Zathura's eyes widened, he wasn't quite sure how to answer that. After all, he had been fighting with that same question himself, and hadn't quite found the answer yet. " Iria, I..." " Nevermind, forget I said anything. How's your leg? " " Uh...it's fine, I guess. " " I better take a look at it, it's still bleeding. " Zathura assured her that it was fine, and that he would get it looked at the next morning. Iria still hadn't looked directly at him, he was starting to worry, but more than that he was feeling guilty. He wished that he had had an answer for her before, and wondered why it had been such a hard question. They stood in silence for a long time, then Iria announced that they had better get some sleep, as they had a mission the next day. With that, she left Zathura standing alone in the darkness of his apartment. The sound of the door shutting was the last sound he heard that night.
The night was going by without a hitch. Zathura and Iria were having quite a good time, bar hopping for Zathura's enjoyment. Iria seemed content anywhere. They had decided to stop at one of Pioneer 2's numerous artificial parks to rest and talk. Mid-conversation Zathura's communicator beeped. It was Elly, in a concerned tone she told them there had been an explosion at the Lab. A few people had been injured, but there were no casualties. However, the data that had been aquired from Gal Da Val had either been destroyed or was stolen. She asked that the two hunters come to the Lab at once to help clean up and investigate the explosion. Zathura turned off his communicator and looked at Iria. " We should probably go. " She said. " Right. " Zathura and Iria headed for the nearest transporter and input the Lab's coordinates. When they stepped out on the other side, the damage was more serious than Elly had made it sound. Nearly half of the Lab had been destroyed by the blast. Fortunately it was after hours for most of the staff, which is why there were no casualties. The police had been there for quite some time, and after being informed by Elly that these two hunters were going to continue the investigation in the interests of the Lab, the Chief of investigation gave them a memory disk. " We found a non-staff fingerprint on one of the pieces of debris, this disk contains all the information we have regarding this person. Apparently he hasn't been seen on Pioneer 2 for quite some time, and now has resurfaced in order to plant this bomb. We don't know what motive he could have, I mean,...that's not saying the Lab doesn't have its enemies, but...this man has had no prior affiliation with the Lab. " Zathura looked over the information on the disk. " Right, well....have you been able to locate this person? " " Believe me, if we had, he would have been in our custody by now. We do however have a list of places he's been spotted recently. We've already sent several men to each location to stake them out, but we've had no responses from them yet. " At this point Zathura flipped to the page containing a photo of the suspect. His eyes grew wide with surprise. " No, that...there's no way he could be here. " He said under his breath. The police chief noticed this and asked, " Do you know this man? " " Erm..no, I don't, he just reminded me of someone that's all. " " Alright, well good luck with finding this guy. " " Umm....thanks. " Zathura walked off quickly, Iria followed him. " Is something wrong? " She asked. Zathura just kept walking, staring at the picture. Getting slightly irritated, Iria grabbed his shoulder and stopped him in his tracks. " What's the matter? Do you know this guy or not? Tell me. " Zathura looked at her with a solemn expression on his face. He finally replied, " I know him, actually I used to work with him. " " As a hunter you mean? " " No, it was before I even came aboard Pioneer 2, I was doing some....work, on Coral. He was my partner. " This bothered Iria, for some reason she felt that he wasn't telling her the whole truth. " C'mon Zath, what kind of 'work' were you doing? " Zathura sighed. " We should go to my place, it's a long story, and not something I care to talk about in public. " " Okay, let's go, I wanna know the truth. " " I don't think you do. " Zathura mumbled. " What was that? " " Erm..nothing, let's go. " They headed back to Zathura's pad and went inside the door. Zathura motioned at the couch telling Iria she could sit anywhere, while he got the bottle of rum out of the cabinet. He poured himself a shot and downed it. Then poured another, it went in a similiar fashion. Then he sat down and proceede to tell Iria about how he used to work as a mercenary back on Coral.
Back then mercenary work meant good money, but there was a catch. Almost always it meant getting your hands dirty in some sort of drug ring or smuggling operation, and more often than not it meant taking lives. At that point he had never given much thought about it. It was just part of the job description. He saw himself as a soldier following orders. Mercenary's were hired so the client wouldn't have to risk media scandals and legal repercussions, and since mercenary's were always payed in cash, there were never any links leading back to the client. Zathura asked Iria if she was following so far, she nodded and asked him to continue. Zathura then relayed his final mission. The one that made him realize his own mortality and quit mercenary work. His client was a wealthy business man. Apparently he had been receiving threats from a former business partner that he had cut out of one of his deals. His partner was threatening to sabotage his business and kill his family, leaving him bankrupt and alone, if he didn't give him the money he owed. Instead of simply paying the money, he hired a pair of mercenaries for nearly half the price he would have had to pay his partner. One of the pair was of course Zathura, the other was a long time partner of Zathura's, a man named Mishra. Like Zathura, Mishra had entered the line of work for the money. He had formerly been in the military training for a war that had never come. After the threat of war was over, Mishra left the military in search of meaning. No other job satisfied his bloodlust like mercenary work. It was the only way he could put his combat training to the test. Zathura never questioned his motives, it was just something you didn't do. The less you knew about each other, the less chance of you dying because of it. As it went, Zathura and Mishra had infiltrated the compound their client had specified. They had met little resistance and figured this would be a cakewalk. They'd only had to deal with about a dozen guards, which...in their line of work, wasn't much considering they were supposed to be some sort of terrorists. They started slacking off, not even bothering with stealth. If they needed through a locked door, they simply planted a grenade beside it and presto, you have a door. When they finally reached the center of the compound, they ran into the leader of the organization. Definitely not what they expected. Their clients former business partner was there alright, in several pieces. They found a note on a desk, and were more than surprised to see what it read. It was a trap! A clever ploy by one of their past targets whom they believed to have died in an explosion they had caused. Apparently he was still alive and wanted revenge. He had lined the entire warehouse complex with explosives, and had lured them there with a fake job offer. Zathura and Mishra tried to escape, but it was too late. The explosives triggered, and the building went up in flames, Zathura had been thrown against the opposite wall, and Mishra was nowhere to be found. Zathura made a run for the door, and was thrown outside by a second wave of explosions. He had just enough time to see the final wave completely demolish the building before he blacked out from a concussion. He awoke one week later in the hospital. The doctors said it was a miracle that he survived in the first place, and that he should be grateful he came away with only a concussion and a few burn scars. Zathura asked if they had received any other patients from the same incident, they replied that they hadn't, and asked if there was anyone else. Zathura simply shook his head and told them he was just wondering. He was sure that Mishra had died in the initial explosion. After seeing the only person he could call a friend die right in front of him, he resolved to never take another innocent life. Yet he still could not escape the fact that he was a fighter by nature, so he transferred to Pioneer 2 right before it left, hoping that once they got to Ragol, there would be something he could do using his skills as a warrior, but would not include harming people. At least not innocent people.
When Zathura finished, Iria simply looked at him, stunned. This was certainly not the history she had invisioned him having, but it was the truth, and there was nothing that could be done to change it. Zathura thought she was taking it quite well actually. When she finally spoke, all she said was, " So that's why you became a hunter. " " Yes, I needed to find something that challenged my skills as a warrior. " " I see, and this man that the set the bomb in the Lab is this Mishra guy? " " I don't understand it, but yes, it seems that way. " Iria thought for a moment, then said. " Well, what are we going to do about it? " " I had an idea, when I was in the bar yesterday, I saw a guy in a cloak, he was with another man, but I'm pretty sure that was Mishra. " " Well, I guess there's no harm in checking it out. " " Actually, " Zathura interjected, " there is. If this is Mishra, I don't want you coming along. " Iria looked hurt. " Why not? I've proved myself on the Island, haven't I? " Zathura looked her in the eyes and said, " That's different, those are mindless animals, albeit vicous, but they are not capable of complex thought. An animal can't set a complicated trap, an animal can't concoct thought out plans and put them into action. It's not that I don't want your help, I just don't want you hurt. " Iria shifted her gaze away for a moment, then said, " I don't want you hurt either, and that's why I'm going whether you like it or not. Even if you try to leave me behind, I'll follow you, so you might as well take me along. " Zathura just stared. He couldn't believe he'd gotten into an argument he couldn't win. Zathura thought, " Any man would've just said, ' alright, see you later. ' but leave it to a woman to insist she have her way about it. " Zathura sighed, " Alright, I guess there's no point in arguing, if we're going to go we better leave now. " Iria smiled at this remark, knowing she'd gotten her way. She'd prove to Zathura that she wasn't just an inexperienced hunter. She'd show him that he was wrong, that she could help and not get in the way. As she finished this thought, she saw Zathura grab something from his weapons rack. " What's that? " She asked. As he brought it into view she could see that it was a steel sword about four and a half feet in length, fashioned in the shape of the ancient swords that were used throughout human history before guns were invented. Even the old style guns were ancient compared to the new photon technology. There were a few collectors that owned ancient guns that fired lead bullets. Iria chuckled at the thought of it. What she still didn't understand was why Zathura was bringing that relic along with them. She decided not to ask, after all, they needed to focus on the task at hand. As Zathura slipped the sword into its sheath and attached it to the armor on his back, they walked out the door in search of the mysterious ghost from the past. The mercenary known as Mishra.
PT. II
As the pair of hunters headed towards the bar in search of Mishra, Zathura could not help but reflect upon his past. How is it that Mishra could've escaped the explosion? How had he found his way to Pioneer 2? Most importantly, why had he sabotaged the Lab? Zathura's head was swimming with questions, he hoped that once they found Mishra he would have a chance to learn the answers. Shortly afterwards they approached the bar. As they entered Zathura scanned it for the cloaked man he had seen before. He was nowhere to be found. " I thought as much. He probably would'nt show his face in public so soon after the Lab incident. As they headed back outside to search for more leads two men blocked their way. It was Mishra and his military lackey. " You've gotten soft. " He said with a smirk on his face. " Are you the one that set the bomb in the Lab? Are you Mishra? " " I'm surprised you remember my name. Seeing as how you left me for dead those many years ago, I'd thought you didn't care about me. " Mishra removed the hood of his cloak and revealed something horrible. His left eye had been replaced with a mechanical one, and the entire left side of his face had been remodeled by laser surgery, yet still leaving visible scars from intense burn damage. " So I see you didn't escape without injury. " " No, I didn't. But apparently you did. " " Look, I didn't leave you behind! After the initial explosion I couldn't find you anywhere, I assumed you were dead. I simply tried to get out before the same thing happened to me. " " I don't believe you!! " Mishra yelled. " You left me for dead, you didn't care about me, it was all just a job to you! " " That's not true Mishra, I..." " I don't want to hear it Zathura. I followed you to Pioneer 2 to exact revenge. I was simply waiting for the right moment. " " So why did you plant the bomb? " At this Mishra smiled. " You'll find out soon enough, if you live that long. " In a flash of steel Mishra withdrew a long blade from his cloak and brought it down, attempting to take Zathura's head with it. In the same fashion the blade was met with Zathura's own sword. Iria and the large man simply watched as the battle unfolded. Mishra drew back his sword and attempted another strike, this time aimed at Zathura's stomach. Zathura parried and swung the locked swords in a wide arc over their heads, knocking Mishra off-balance. Zathura saw his chance and, ducking slightly spun around and brought his sword arcing towards Mishra's side. Mishra managed to lunge to the side, barely avoiding the blow, but leaving himself exposed on the ground now. As Zathura moved in the large man stepped forward and caught Zathura's arm, effortlessly throwing him over his shoulder through the window of the bar.
Mishra quickly got up and regained his composure, lifting his sword in a fighter's stance. There was a flash of color as Zathura lept out of the broken window towards his opponent. Mishra parried his blow, and attempted to run his sword up the length of Zathura's and cut off his fingers. Zathura quickly turned his sword so that the blades made an X formation. With each others blades only inches from their faces, the two warriors pulled back, and lunged once more at each other, each mimicking the others movements so that not one of them could score a hit. That was when Iria noticed they both were evenly matched, even to the point of knowing each other's moves seemingly before they made them. It was then that Mishra finally succeded. He had swept Zathura off his feet while bringing his sword round' in an upwards spiral. It wasn't that serious, but it had made a large gash in Zathura's thigh, significantly hindering his movements. It was then that Iria took charge. " Stop! " She yelled. Just inches away from thrusting his sword into Zathura's throat, Mishra looked up, only to find he was staring down the barrel of a mechgun. He looked at her other hand where she held the large man at bay with another mechgun. " Get up now! Or I'll make sure you never move again. " Mishra heeded her advice and slowly stood up. At this, Zathura too stood up, clutching his thigh trying to staunch the bleeding. " This is not over Zathura. " Mishra said with a glare at Iria. " I know its not, cause" you're gonna answer some questions. " " Don't worry, you'll get the answers you seek, but not today. Come Yawgmoth. " With that Mishra lept up onto the roof and escaped into the shadows of the artificial night. The large man did the same, although with not quite the same agility. " Dammit, we have to go after them. " Zathura said. " No, you'd never be able to fight him and win with your leg in that condition. " Zathura looked down and realized that Iria was right. Iria holstered her mechguns and retrieved Zathura's sword from the broken glass. Iria handed him his sword. " Thank you. " " What? " " I said thank you, you know,...for saving my life. " Iria just stared, that was the first time Zathura had thanked her for anything since they'd been working together. Before she had a chance to respond Zathura walked off towards his home. Iria thought perhaps it was best to leave him be, since so much had happened that night. However she was having a hard time accepting that, she wanted to be with him, to make sure he was okay, and to be there for him should he need anything. She dismissed these thoughts as having been brought on by the stress of what had happened. She headed off in Zathura's direction, telling herself it was only to tend to his wound and make sure he had not been seriously hurt.
As Iria approached the apartment, she noticed that the door was unlocked. " He must already be inside. " She thought. She opened the door and walked in quietly. She found Zathura sitting at a communication console talking to......The Principal!? What was he doing talking to the Principal of Pioneer 2? She tried to hide herself behind the corner and get an idea as to what they were saying. Then she saw it, Zathura's copy of the data taken from Gal Da Val. He was transferring the data to the Principal! " But that information is supposed to be strictly confidential. Only the Lab is supposed to know about it. " At this point Iria was so confused. All these things happening all at once, it was too much for her. First the explosion, then the man called Mishra, who was apparently a ghost from her new partners past, and now this. What was going on? At this point Zathura ended his conversation and turned off the video screen. " How long have you been standing there? " He asked without even turning around. " Umm...I just got here. " she lied. Zathura let out a small sigh. " I didn't think androids were supposed to lie. " Iria just stood there silent. Zathura turned to face her. " I know you're probably wondering what's going on. " She nodded yes. " Well, it's a little hard to explain, and now that Mishra's turned up again, everything's taken a turn for the worse. " Zathura explained his mission to Iria. Why he was suddenly transferred to the Lab staff, and how the Principal had set the whole thing up so that he could share the Lab's knowledge. Iria was shocked, then her shock turned to anger. " So what you're saying is that you're a spy? " " No, it's not like that. " Zathura sighed as he collected himself. " The Lab has been witholding information from the public. Important information that could be pertinent to the colonization of Ragol. The Principal simply want to review this information for himself and then release the information to the public so that they know the truth. " " But......" Iria stuttered, then fell silent once more. " I'm sorry you had to find out like this. In fact I didn't mean for you to find out at all. " " So why didn't you stop me from listening earlier. " " Because the Principal would've noticed, then he would have cancelled my mission. " " Is it that important to you? " " No, not really. I couldn't care one way or the other, but that's not the point. If I accept a mission, I see it through, no matter what it involves. " " I see. So,...does that mean that...." Iria stopped short. " What? What were you going to say. " " Am I just a part of the mission? " Zathura's eyes widened, he wasn't quite sure how to answer that. After all, he had been fighting with that same question himself, and hadn't quite found the answer yet. " Iria, I..." " Nevermind, forget I said anything. How's your leg? " " Uh...it's fine, I guess. " " I better take a look at it, it's still bleeding. " Zathura assured her that it was fine, and that he would get it looked at the next morning. Iria still hadn't looked directly at him, he was starting to worry, but more than that he was feeling guilty. He wished that he had had an answer for her before, and wondered why it had been such a hard question. They stood in silence for a long time, then Iria announced that they had better get some sleep, as they had a mission the next day. With that, she left Zathura standing alone in the darkness of his apartment. The sound of the door shutting was the last sound he heard that night.