ShardclawK: This newly revised chapter is going to feature many new changes with some surprising additions, so I hope everyone is set to enjoy this one, as the previous ones have pleased you to this point. I'm doing my utmost to get at least two to three revised chapters up each time they are posted, as to give myself less work and ready myself to start updating this story as I'm used to. But only time can tell how things will go, so keep your fingers crossed. Anyway, enjoy the new and revised Chapter 6, though I must warn you the main reason why I stayed long on this chapter was its length.

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Metal Gear: Soldier X

Chapter 6: Origins and Endings, Part 3

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Back at the temporary Kawasaki homestead, earlier in the evening shortly after their arrival, Riku Hanabishi, Nagi Naoe and Nanami Hibino also known as Tot had been introduced to Team WARRIOR by Maya Jingu, then to Nastasha Romanenko by Maki Kawasaki, the team's long time commander. She smiled as she shook the hands of the nervous young adults who were surprised to meet her, since they have heard quite much about her and were eager to get acquainted with her.

"Well, I must say this is truly an honor to meet you, Romanenko-san." Nagi said nervously, shaking her hand.

"Please, don't think anything of it." Nastasha said. "I myself have heard about the other psychic soldier of FOXHOUND just about some time ago. You must be him, Mystic Crow."

Nagi's eyes widened slightly as he reacted in surprise. "Really now…I'd never think I would be as good as some of the veterans of the group, I'm just trying my best to be part of the team."

Nastasha only nodded her head with a gentle smile. "Of course, which is why I made sure to listen out only for the good things about this new FOXHOUND…I can tell that Campbell made a right choice in recruiting young people such as yourselves."

"Man, I'd never figured Greg was holding out on us with something like this." Riku smirked. "He's friends with the famous weapons analyst of the famous Shadow Moses mission."

"Actually, it was only today that he found out about Nastasha, Riku." Maki said. "He was just as shocked as you three are."

"So, why would you be here, Romanenko-san?" Tot asked.

"Yes, what brings you all the way to Japan?" Riku asked. "Does this have something to do with what happened to Lilica?"

Nastasha collected her thoughts before speaking to the trio of FOXHOUNDers. What she was going to have to reveal to them was going to be tough for her as well. It was also the main reason why all of WARRIOR and Seraph were gathered together in one room right now.

"If you need to know, I came over to Japan to help Maki and her friends." She said. "And also to warn them about a particular traitor in your group who is responsible for my coming over here. I think you three should know this man..."

"Are you three familiar with Matthew Reese?" Yuji asked Riku and his partners. This got a shocked look from the three of them.

"How do you know about Reese?" Tot asked in shock.

Riku stood up suddenly as he felt something wasn't right here.

"Wait a minute…why the hell does this involves him?" He asked.

"Take it easy, Riku." Maki said to him. "You and your partners will eventually learn everything that we and Greg also have been informed about Reese up to this point."

Riku knew fully well the extent of the hatred that he and probably the entirety of FOXHOUND had for their commanding lieutenant, Matthew Reese. Something like this would surely confirm the level Reese would stoop to in order to get what he wanted, yet Riku was still a little surprised at a betrayal, even from someone he hated. This surely angered Riku as he came to realize this. Also, seeing the newcomer, Seraph like this was pretty unusual, but the young ninja had a feeling that this had a deep connection to what has happened. Riku was determined to hear her story.

"I can clearly guess by now that Reese is behind what is happening and I'm certain this involves you as well, Seraph-san?" Riku said seriously.

"Yes, the man named Reese is behind the trouble that I and another am in right now. He is also certainly most involved with what happened to your comrade and his family." Seraph said solemnly. Riku noted the hint of sadness in her voice and could tell that whatever Reese had done, it was something that hurt her greatly.

"Tell us everything that we need to know, Nastasha." Riku said, trying to reserve his anger for later and calmed himself as he braced himself to listen to Seraph's story.

"Yes, please tell us." Nagi said. "If Reese has plans for Greg that we should know about, then we have to do something about it. Also, if this involves a civilian like Seraph, I'm certain that there is something more to this than meets the eye."

"You are quite perceptive of the situation. I guess there's no use to keep this from you three any longer." The Russian woman said. "First, I think we should allow Seraph tell us about what happened on her side, before I tell you what I told Maki and her comrades at WARRIOR."

"Thank you, Miss Romanenko." Seraph bowed to the Russian.

"You guys had better sit down and listen to her story before we can talk about Reese." Maki told the young FOXHOUND recruits as Riku nodded in reply and sat back into his seat and made himself calm as he was going to listen to what he could tell would be a sad story from Seraph's perspective, and Nagi and Tot did the same. This was going to turn out to be a long evening for the three of them as the beautiful and mysterious biodroid codenamed Seraph drew a deep breath before speaking.

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"It happened about a week ago, I remember it was almost evening time that the incident happened." Seraph spoke as her memories trailed back to that time. She remembered it was not too long ago, that she was being accepted as being a close friend to Yuina Hattori when she forced a contract on the unsuspecting sophomore by sealing it with a kiss as a means of a contract between human and an emulate, a combat biodroid created in the form of a human. Seraph was in pursuit for another emulate like her who could be identified with having black wings.

Seraph soon discovered that she was a stranger in an even stranger land, her home planet was far away in the galaxy and she was unable to return until she at least located the other black winged emulate. There had to be a good reason why she chased her to Earth. For now, she was living with Yuina alongside her aunt at her home.

"Yuina's mother died when she was younger and her father wasn't able to be there for her time of need as he was a working individual, so she began living with her aunt." Seraph said. "Even though she is a smart and tardy girl, she sometimes can be clumsy, but is really cheerful most of the time. She had such a troubled life before meeting me, her associations with the outside world were minimal, as she felt she didn't want to trouble or burden anyone with her presence. She always had little confidence in herself as a living being."

Her thoughts traced back as to the happy moments before the incident. Using her android capabilities, she found herself back to the memory as she viewed at the sidelines the events unfold.

"Come on, Seraph! We don't want to be home late again or else you know how my aunt will react." Yuina Hattori ran on the street where she lived with her aunt. It was an end of another school evening for her and she and Seraph had just came home from a bit of shopping. Yuina was always her tutor on showing the ways and things Seraph never had on her world.

"I'm right behind you, Yuina, but please do remember I'm not as fast as you are on the feet." Seraph said with a smile as she tagged alongside with her. "I am also curious as to what kind of dinner you would like tonight, it will be my threat."

"Ah, Seraph, it's not really necessary. Let me do it tonight." Yuina said meekly, trying her best to avoid Seraph's awful cooking once more. The present Seraph smiled a bit as she remembered how bad she was at cooking and still needed practice.

"Then it's settled then." The past Seraph nodded as they entered the house.

"We're home, aunt!" Yuina cheerfully shouted, resting her bag on the table along with a bag of groceries.

"Welcome home, you two." A female voice that belonged to a middle aged woman answered as Yuina and Seraph entered. She had short dark brown cut hair and was wearing squared spectacles. She had a strong, yet gentle and assuring smile on her face. "I see that you had another good day."

"Sure we did." Yuina replied as she unpacked the groceries. "I took Seraph to a lot of places today with me."

"I learned a lot while I was with Yuina today, Ms. Tokiko." Seraph said. While in truth and reality, only Yuina knew the truth of Seraph's capabilities. She even assimilated with her at one point before. But for know, everyone else known to Yuina can only see the black and white part of Seraph. Tokiko Hattori had no trouble in letting her stay with Yuina, as Seraph won't leave her master's side.

"I see, good for you then, Seraph." Tokiko replied with a smile. "Yuina, let me help get dinner ready, why don't you get changed from your school uniform?"

"Okay." Yuina nodded as she left, as the present Seraph looked on in her memory.

"Yuina has been learning gradually how to accept herself once more and is becoming alive again with happiness and confidence." Seraph said as she told the people around her. "She was willing to face her fears to the point of going back to being part of music related activities, she'd always enjoyed singing."

"It seems like you had things going alright with her." Yuji said as Maya nudged him hard that it hurt. "Ow! What was that for, Maya?"

"Let her finish, she hasn't gotten to the important part yet." Maya whispered.

Seraph continued talking and replaying her memory as she spoke. "We were all having a quiet dinner that evening, talking as usual and enjoying our company, until we heard guests had arrived. Yuina was the one to open the door and that was the start, as well as the end of everything that was of happiness to Yuina."

"Yuina Hattori, I presume?" A husky voice asked from the doorway as she opened it slightly ajar.

"Yes. That's me." Yuina said. "How may I help you?"

"You can help me greatly, dear." The voice said, as soon a powerful force ripped the door from its hinges and pushed Yuina back to the living room. Both Seraph and Tokiko stood up to see what was happening and rushed to Yuina, who was slightly bruised, but okay.

"Yuina! Are you alright?" Tokiko shouted, tending to her. She looked at the doorway as she, Seraph and an injured Yuina looked at the doorway, which was being guarded by five heavily guarded men, carrying sub machine guns and were wearing Arsenal Tengu helmets. They all pointed their weapons at the three women.

"Who are you people? What do you want with us?" Tokiko shouted, as a tall, skinny figure stepped from the middle of the armed group of Tengus, wearing a large, dark cloak. He had a mask over his face that looked close to a gas mask, but it was different. Tubes that outlined the sides of the mask to the coat he wore can be seen hanging around his head. He had a raspy voice from behind it.

"Now, now, Ms. Tokiko, your niece has picked up quite the interesting power. I'm just here to retrieve them." The man spoke as he pointed to Seraph first, then Yuina after. "Namely both your niece and your guest."

"I'll…never let you have Yuina." Tokiko said, gripping unto Yuina. "I don't know what you intend to do with her, but she has nothing to do with your sick plans!"

"I'm just following orders, madam." The man spoke, as he raised his right arm. "Now, surrender the girl and her companion! Or else, you will die a painless and swift death for trying to stop us."

"What has she ever done to you to make you do this?" Tokiko asked as she got no reply. "She's only a child, for Christ's sake."

"I have enough of your feeble talk, woman." The man said as he signaled the men behind him to come forward. "We will take them by force if you want to have it your way."

Before the men could have done anything, a bright burst of light came from Yuina's direction as the sophomore stood up with a glare in her eyes.

"NO! I won't allow you to hurt anyone that's dear to me!" Yuina's cry echoed as she had secretly recited the password for her and Seraph to assimilate into one being, the emulate form. Yuina's alternate form consisted of a an angelic appearance, as her hair was now flowing a pure grayish white, her body covered in a snug black outfit, her chest area in an glowing white breastplate. Shoulder pads and other similar typed patterns decorated her hands, legs and knee areas. Two large feathered wings protruded out of her back as well.

Tokiko was in shock as she saw her niece's transformation happened in front of her eyes. "Y…Yuina? Is that really you?"

Yuina nodded sadly at Tokiko and then thought mentally to the assimilated Seraph within her. (I'm so sorry, Seraph, I just had to say the password because I was so desperate…)

(This was unavoidable, but you had to make the choice. I had sensed great evil from within these men the moment they entered, when it was too late.) Seraph replied. (How couldn't I have sensed this before?)

(Could this be the other emulate you have been looking for?) Yuina asked.

(No, the presence here isn't as brutal or malevolent as the one I've been seeking.) Seraph said. (This one…he seems to be struggling against the evil within him, but…Yuina, we need to focus on protecting your aunt for now.)

(I understand. Please give me the strength, Seraph.) Yuina thought as she got closer to Tokiko. "It's okay, auntie. I'm here to protect you, me and Seraph both. We won't let these people hurt us."

"Ah, so this is the rumored emulate's true form. Magnificent and more exquisite I had hoped for." The figure said as if he was smiling. "I can take the both of you at the same time with no arguments."

"Auntie, hang on. We'll take you far from here!" Yuina shouted as she grabbed Tokiko and ran out of the room as the men began firing at her with their guns. She dashed head into one of the other rooms as the figure commanded them to stand down.

"No need to interfere, I want to test for myself how strong these emulates are before I take her in." The figure said as he began to follow them. Soon after taking flight, Yuina was on the roof top with her aunt, still shocked as to what had happened.

"Yuina, you have to tell me what is going on here!" Tokiko exclaimed as Yuina tried to confide in her older relative that things will be okay, but the fact of the matter is that she was frightened too.

"I wish I knew too, auntie, but…I've never seen these people before, neither Seraph knows about them." Yuina replied weakly. (How would they know about an emulate's existence in the first place? And if he's not the emulate that Seraph was talking about, then who is he?)

"I won't let him hurt you, auntie. I can beat him, you'll see." Yuina said, standing up. "Please have faith in me and Seraph."

"Yuina…" Tokiko muttered as Yuina hugged her. "Please be careful."

The emulate nodded at her relative and faced behind her as the figure was already perched on the rooftop with her.

"My, what a touching scene, it's a shame I have to tear this family apart." The figure said as he took off his gas mask. His face was scarred, but it had gained a near true human appearance. "I am called Psycho Mantis, little girl and my powers go beyond that of a combat android. I will properly discipline you on the true reality of battle."

With that, Yuina charged at Mantis with a punch inputted with Seraph's battle data, but Mantis simply sidestepped it.

"Little girl, you are so impulsive." Mantis said, grabbing Yuina's arm. "I can read your moves very easily, since I can predict your every move."

"It can't be…" Yuina muttered as she tried to kick Mantis, but he deflected her kick with a powerful blast that injured her leg. He then pushed her back, sending her crashing through the roof she was on.

"Is that the best you can do? This is so disappointing." Mantis said, lowering himself as he picked up Yuina by the hair.

"Mantis, sir, remember Reese's orders to bring her in unharmed." One of the Tengus said to him.

"Yes, I haven't forgotten, I must have gotten carried away." Mantis said as he dropped her on the ground, as Yuina stood up once more to try and fight back.

"Wait…I'm not…going without a fight." Yuina muttered, as blood trickled down her forehead, her glare undeterred in front of Psycho Mantis. "I will protect my aunt and Seraph, do you hear me?"

"Promises are made to be broken, little girl. You should know that from the lessons in your life." Mantis said as his hands formed a dark glowing energy globe. "Now, pester me more and I have to hurt you more than ever. I don't need damaged goods on my errand mission, but for tonight, I will make an exception."

Yuina cried out as she managed to scratch Mantis's face, but it was all a futile attempt as Mantis had already fired a point blank shot of his energy ball at Yuina, striking such force at her body she was knocked out instantly which resulted in her and Seraph being separated from their bodies.

"Mantis, sir!" One of the Tengus shouted as he saw this. "You didn't kill the target we were supposed to capture, didn't you?"

"Of course not. I only intended to put them to sleep until we deliver them to Reese." Mantis said. "He's going to be satisfied with the results of today…hmm?"

Psycho Mantis turned around and then saw Tokiko standing with her arms outstretched over the bodies of Yuina and Seraph, who were steadily getting up from Mantis' attack.

"So, you think you will get in my way, woman?" Mantis asked. "Is it your wish to die that badly?"

Yuina and Seraph groggily got up, only to meet the soon to be horrifying sight before them. They were both weak to attempt a second integration so soon, as they both were delivered serious blows to their bodies that weakened them drastically. They couldn't stop what was going to happen next to Tokiko Hattori.

"I see…your mind speaks it clearly to me. I now know of your wish." Mantis said with a smile.

"What are you talking about?" Tokiko said.

"If you want to sacrifice your life by protecting Yuina…I can grant it for you." Mantis said as he raised his right hand over her head as Tokiko looked on at Seraph and Yuina.

"Seraph, take Yuina and run!" Tokiko shouted, as Yuina reached out to her aunt, but the biodroid held her back as she stood up and started to walk backwards.

"Auntie!" Yuina cried out to her aunt as Tokiko smiled at her one last time.

"Yuina, be strong, both for yourself and Seraph. I'll always…" Tokiko said as Yuina saw Mantis plunged his hand through her chest, staining the wall behind her. Yuina cried out in agony as Seraph tried her hardest to run away, but…

BANG! A gunshot was fired, injuring Seraph on her leg. She had never been shot before as this experience soon left her weak.

Mantis had already removed his hand from Tokiko's chest and then looked on at the injured Seraph. "I couldn't have afforded to leave her alive as a witness anyway. I was told to kill anyone who was among Yuina Hattori and yourself at the time by my superior. If she wasn't here with you, she would still be alive, you know? But the fool chose to stay here and die. I can't understand humans like that, throwing their own lives for the sake of others. Well, not that it matters now, you're both still coming with me."

"No…" Seraph said, as she tried to stand up, but to her shock, she saw Yuina pushed her away. "Yuina! What are you doing!"

"Go, Seraph! They can't hurt me if you're free!" Yuina cried out as several men pointed their guns at her, but Mantis raised an arm.

(This girl is smart…she knows the level of importance she holds and yet, she still wants to protect the bidroid by letting herself be captured?) Mantis thought.

"I promised Tokiko I would protect you! I made the same promise to you too!" Seraph shouted as Yuina shook her head.

"I…I know, Seraph. But I don't…I don't want to lose you either!" Yuina cried out, falling on her knees. "Please…just run, go on without me. I know…you'll come to save me eventually."

"Yuina, listen to yourself! Are you giving up this easily?" Seraph shouted. She tried to stand up, but her injuries won't let her.

"It seems Yuina made the right choice, she should have done it before without going through the trouble." Mantis said, as Seraph sneered at him. Then she shut her eyes as she made the choice.

"It seems I must follow my master's orders and retreat for now, I'm unfit to continue battle anyway due to my injuries." Seraph said. "However…"

Seraph suddenly dashed at Mantis, only to go low and grabbed a flash grenade hanging from one of the Tengus pockets, causing a distraction to give her chance to escape.

"I'm not giving up on you, Yuina! Do you hear me? I will come back to save you!" Seraph shouted as after the flashed disappeared, there was no longer any sign of her. Yuina, still traumatized in seeing her aunt die in front of her, fainted out of weakness as Mantis caught her.

"Damn, the other target got away." One of the Tengus said. "Reese will not be happy about this."

"The host is enough for now. This is intended as part of Reese's plan anyway." Mantis said. "In any case, we've wasted enough time here, we should move out."

"What about the woman's corpse?" The Tengu asked.

"Leave it as it is, the local police will be here soon after all the ruckus we caused." His comrade said. "We'd better clear out of here now."

As the group left, Yuina took one last look at her aunt's corpse and her home before she blacked out completely.

(Mom…auntie…Seraph…I'm sorry, I failed you all…) Yuina thought to herself as she lost herself in her sleep.

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Back in the present, Seraph had just finished the tragic part of her story and only silence filled the room now. Riku had to turn his head away to suppress any emotions he had, while Maki, Maya, and Yuji stood with their backs turned. Nagi could be seen holding onto a gently sobbing Tot, while Nastasha felt unsettled as she smoked. Nanvel was wiping her tears with a tissue as she gently touched the biodroid's hands.

"That must have been really tough on you, Seraph." Nanvel said. "But it was also brave of you to tell us all about it. You did well on your part."

"If only…I was more aware of the danger the man called Psycho Mantis was capable of, Yuina wouldn't have been captured, and Miss Tokiko wouldn't have lost her life." Seraph said. "I've always blamed myself since then because of my appearance in her life. I have now brought great pain into Yuina's life, the one thing she has been denying herself for all this time."

Yuji shook his head as he approached Seraph. "Hey, now, don't go thinking what happened is because of you."

"Yeah, he's right, Seraph. Nothing's going to change if you keep regretting and blaming yourself like this, you know?" Nanvel said, trying to encourage her. "At least you had the courage to come to us and Greg asking for help, because we've gone through the same thing as well."

"And that alone should be enough to get us all through this and back with our loved ones." Maya said. "So, keep your chin up, girl. We'll see this through to the end."

"Greg did promise you it will happen and he won't break the promise as the man he is." Maki said. "However, if you know anything else that we don't that can help us, it wouldn't be much of a bother to ask you for some assistance."

"Most certainly, I'll be glad to do whatever I can to help if it's for the sake of being with Yuina again." Seraph said as she then turned to Tot, who was clearing her eyes up. "Are you alright, Tot-san?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry that I had to cry like that in front of you when you said that story." Tot wiped her eyes. "I guess that I'm not used as a FOXHOUND recruit to be able to suppress these emotions well, huh?"

"It's perfectly normal to let yourself go like this, Nanami. We are human beings after all." Nagi nodded to her. "And you do know you have my shoulder to cry on if you feel you need the support. This story has made me sad a bit too, you know."

"Thanks, Nagi." Tot smiled slightly at Nagi as she turned to her team's leader, Riku. "Well, Riku, what are you going to do about this?"

"It's best we find out what Nastasha has to say now about what we should know about Reese and his activities now that we know that it's all tied to what's happened with Seraph, along with the sudden reappearance of Psycho Mantis." Riku said sternly as he looked at her. "Okay, Nastasha Romanenko, other than revealing to us about Reese's participation for Mantis's resurrection, what other dirt is there to know about him?"

Nastasha took a long pull from her cigarette as she spoke. "I've dug up reports stating that he's had some nasty dealings in the weapons and drugs black markets around the world. He's now starting to turn out to be one intriguing criminal with not a trace to use to track him. His tracks are being covered by a higher source somehow."

"The Patriots again, huh?" Maya asked.

"It's a possibility, or he could be working for another enemy faction as a double agent." Nastasha said. "His father was a dedicated agent for the Patriots years past as well as before he died and the role was passed onto Matthew Reese. I take it that Reese wants to grow into places his father wasn't by committing these atrocities."

"What kind of shady dealing has Reese gotten himself into over the years?" Riku asked. "But the more important thing which bothers me is what he is planning for Greg if he's going through all this trouble."

"Yeah, it has to be really big and nasty to even involve Lilica and a girl like Yuina into it." Nanvel said.

Riku stared at Nastasha for a moment, and then sighed heavily. "I wonder how long it would take me to get back to America when this is over." He said in an icy voice. "I think I'd like to rearrange Reese just a bit. I think he'd look much better without his head." Then he turned to Nagi and Tot. "What do you guys think?"

"You'd have to stand in line, Riku." Nagi assured him. "Once word of this gets out, I bet there are going to be a lot of people, myself and Tot included, with the same idea."

"So, what's Greg going to do about this?" Tot asked.

"Well...he has made up his mind to do something about this alright." Yuji spoke. "He and Rio are around looking for clues that would probably lead us to Lilica and Yuina."

"Sounds like Greg alright; I just hope he hasn't gotten himself and Rio into any trouble doing their detective work." Riku said. "Still, given the current situation, that's perfectly understandable."

"How much of this does Campbell know?" Maya asked Riku.

"Nothing yet, I guess. He would always suspect something nasty out of Reese considering how out of line that man always was, but nothing like this. Unfortunately the colonel has never done anything to properly discipline him for the bad choices he has made in the past, and the results that followed. I know myself that quite a lot of them ended up with very grave consequences." He replied. "Something has to be done about this, before he gets to anyone else."

"I agree. A man like Reese deserves to regret allying himself with the enemy." Nagi answered. "Besides...it's one thing to bring Mantis back to life, but to strip him away of the memory that gave him peace before he died...then use him to satisfy the Patriots twisted needs...Reese has pushed enough buttons to get on my wrong side."

"I feel the same here." Tot replied. "Riku...maybe we should contact Campbell and tell him about..."

"That is out of the question." Maki Kawasaki cut in.

"Huh? What do you mean, Maki?" Tot asked.

"First, it was Greg who suggested that Roy doesn't learn of this situation until he has some hard evidence to use to incriminate Reese for what he is doing. He already told what we heard to two of your friends from FOXHOUND about this, but not about Reese and Seraph." Maki explained.

"The last thing Greg wants is to start some sort of panic within the group because of his problems and how much Reese is involved in them." Yuji said.

"But eventually, sooner or later, everyone else is going to find out about this." Nagi said. "And then everything is bound to blow out of proportion."

"Then we have to make sure it won't happen. Think of this as taking care of the weeds from a garden." Riku replied. "Like a rotting weed, he must be pruned before it spreads."

"You think Roy would approve of that, Riku?" Maya Jingu asked.

"Not as long he finds out for the time being, but we would be doing him a favour as well." Riku said.

"Look, as much as I sense that you should do this, we should really wait until Greg and Rio gets back." Maki said, patting Riku's shoulder. "You guys shouldn't be too worked up in this, so try to relax and think this through."

"I really wish we could do that, Maki, but Lilica's a good friend of mine and it's really hard to relax without knowing she's safe." Riku said. "That is why I've made up my mind to try and help Greg get through this. You guys are all old friends of the Hokage clan and Uruha, after all, so I'm kind of obliged in doing this for him in times of trouble." He then gave a sheepish grin. "It's a ninja thing, you know."

"Not to mention that Reese brought an innocent into this." Nagi said, indicating to Seraph. "Reese has crossed the line now by bringing a girl as young as Yuina into this mess. He can't be forgiven so easily for that."

"So, please, Maki, let us help you and Seraph too, okay?" Tot asked. "We will be of great help to all of you."

Maki nodded her head silently as she acknowledged Riku's determination in helping out.

"Well, I'm sure I couldn't have said no anyway, Riku. You and your partners are free to help us in any way you can." Maki said. "However, it would be best to talk to Greg about this as well when he gets back and listen to your requests as well."

"Knowing that is enough, Maki. Just count on us to assist you guys through this, you won't be disappointed." Riku said with a smile.

Just then, Nanvel stood up as she looked like she had an idea in her head.

"Seraph, about your biodroid capabilities, by any chance they are capable of a simulation mapping system?" Nanvel asked.

"Certainly, however, it is not nearly as complicated as the standards you normally use, Nanvel." Seraph spoke.

"That's okay; I just need to borrow your circuits a little, if you don't mind." Nanvel said. "I'd figured if you can register data differently than most computers out here, I can put my technology with yours and maybe it can give us a chance to locate Lilica and Yuina."

"Is that possible?" Maki asked.

"As long we have our satellite to work in our favour, yeah, it is." Nanvel said.

"Okay, you should get down to it then. We should at least give it a try to see if it will work." Maki said.

"Then, allow me to assist then." Seraph said as she opened a part of her arm area, which was like a compartment in which many different circuits and wires could be seen. Nanvel's, as well as everyone else's, eyes widen as they saw this.

"Wow, you really are a machine after all." Maya said. "Didn't that hurt a bit?"

"Not exactly, this area has been designed specifically for any maintenance I would require." Seraph said.

"Then we shall waste no time then." Nanvel said as she took out some connectors from her computer board and hooked it up to Seraph's body. The room was like a technological gold mine, and since Nanvel was in charge of it, she knew the proper arrangements she could access quickly for situations like this. Seraph sat next to her, wires connected to her arm and feeding information to the CPU, which Nanvel was using to access the Global Positioning Satellite feed so she can pinpoint Lilica and Yuina's location.

Nanvel couldn't get enough examining Seraph, who was willing to assist Team Warrior in any need to find her master, Yuina Hatori. The fact that she was part artificial, part human surprised everyone at first, but they seemed to have gotten used to Seraph, and her strange gentleness.

Soon afterwards after getting to the mainframe of their satellite, the images of the area where Yuina lived showed itself as Nanvel tried to scan all the areas that could be clues to where Mantis was hiding. But even with her capabilities, after several minutes, Nanvel still couldn't find anything that could be of any help in locating Mantis' stronghold.

"I'm sorry...there's nothing familiar that we can pick up here..." Nanvel shook her head sadly. "Even with your AI, it seems we're stuck on this for awhile and we're low on time."

"Don't blame yourself...it is natural." Seraph said, taking out the wires from her arm, only to have the spot where they were attached regenerated into new skin and her clothing had covered it automatically over the spot. Nanvel got an eagle's eye look at this and her mouth dropped.

"You've got the same regenerative abilities that Greg has, don't you?" Nanvel asked, as then everyone else entered to listen.

"All I did was focused my molecular structure to heal the cut, nothing major." Seraph said. "As for the clothes, I simply altered it."

"That's the same principle that makes Greg's nanomachines work!" Nanvel exclaimed. "But I'd never thought an android from another galaxy could be able to do the same thing."

"Every substance is made out of different sequences of atoms and molecules." Seraph said.

"Interesting theory, I never knew it was so basic." Nanvel said.

"But you said that was how his nanomachines worked as well?" Seraph asked. "I haven't seen those nanomachines which you speak about anywhere on him."

"I know, I did a good job making them to be concealed well, didn't I?" Nanvel said happily. "That's actually what most of his right arm was made up of…just plain, battery powered nanomachines that I created for a new age of prosthetics. After that, it was all up to Greg to use it well to his liking. He made it looked like a giant tattoo over some of the drafted skin he had and there you have it. Not everyone would know if it was real or not unless he showed it to them."

(Well, it seems that this Greg seems to have some interesting aspects as a psychic I have yet to know.) Nagi thought to himself as he stepped closer to Riku. The young psychic knew that he would find out more about Greg when he meets him, but now after learning about the truth about Reese, he hoped to help Team WARRIOR with their problems.

(I'm thinking of giving these two a hand, Riku.) Nagi said telepathically to his comradeas well as Tot. (With my skills as a hacker, I might be able to help trace Mantis's hideout.)

(You really think so, Nagi-kun?) Tot asked.

(Well, if the others were here with us, it shouldn't be too hard.) Nagi replied, still in thought.

(You mean Alice, Akira and the others from the Uruha Ryu?) Riku asked. (Well, something as important as this would be requiring their help as well, I guess…)

(You may need to contact them about what has happened, sooner or later, Riku.) Nagi said. (If Reese has begun to target innocent people like Yuina Hattori with powers like that, I don't want to imagine if he starts going after people like Aya, Shuro, Chidori and Suzumi or even Lucy and Nana.)

(That's definitely something serious to consider.) Riku thought in agreement. (Okay, I'll get to that as soon as possible, but first things first, we will do as Maki says and keep quiet about the matter from the others from FOXHOUND until its time when Greg has confirmed everything. In the meantime, we can start calling Alice and everyone else we know and find out if anything out of the ordinary has happened up to now. I may even call my uncle, Kurei and fill him, and my father, in on what's going on.)

(Okay, then.) Tot replied as they ended their mental conversation and Nagi faced Nanvel and Seraph.

"Um...Nanvel, isn't it?" Nagi stepped forward to ask. "I was wondering if I could help you guys out in tracking the data you have to find Lilica and Yuina. I happen to be pretty good with hacking myself."

"He's right; he certainly knows his way around computers." Tot said.

"Well...I guess if your psychic friend wants to give a helping hand, it will be alright. We will need all of the help we can get." Maki nodded. "But please don't overdo things; we don't want to catch Reese's or the Patriots attention. Plus it's getting late, so I don't want you three staying up because of this."

"Really, Maki, it's not a problem." Riku said.

"I'll show Riku where he and his friends are sleeping tonight." Maya said. "Coming, Riku?"

"Yeah, I'm right behind you. What about you, Tot?" Riku asked.

"I'm staying here until Nagi's finished helping Seraph and Nanvel." Tot said sternly.

"But, Tot...I don't think that's really necessary." Nagi said, only to get a glare from Tot. She just wanted to make sure Nagi doesn't get any funny ideas about Nanvel while she is there. Riku had already guessed this and knew not to interfere as he left the room as Maki had a thought hit her head.

"Excuse me a bit, Riku, I want to speak to Maya a bit before she takes you to your temporary room." Maki said to Riku.

"Sure thing, I can wait." Riku replied as he stood in the corridor and waited for Maya as Maki, who had her hand placed at her chin the entire time, signaled Yuji and Maya to come with her to her room. The two nodded silently and left the room to join Maki, who had a very concerned look on her face.

"What is it, Maki?" Yuji asked her. "I can't remember seeing that kind of seriousness in your eyes for a long time."

"Yeah, it's as if Seraph mentioned something that bothered you." Maya said in agreement.

"I couldn't help but think back to what Seraph had explained about Yuina's aunt and that's when I remembered an unsolved case of serial murders about some ten years back." Maki said. "I don't want to say they are connected, but…"

"Serial murders, you say?" Yuji asked.

"Yes, these murders happened in a rural town near the ocean just a train ride's distance from Police Town. They happened before we found and adopted Greg and when WARRIOR was still forming." Maki said. "It started when a number of pre-schoolers were slaughtered in a welfare center. Judging from the pictures I managed to see at the time, the fashion in which they were killed ranged from decapitations of their heads and severing of some of their limbs."

Maya's eyes widened as she heard this. "The victims included children?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so. And it didn't stop there." Maki said. "Similar cases followed when families were being killed in the same way, as if the killer intended to deal with them in the most explicit of ways. About four whole families were killed before the killer was apprehended. They all died of the same thing…decapitation of their limbs."

"There was also a report of people being killed in a festival in that same town." Yuji said. "Not to mention another report indicating two corpses found in a train, one of an eight year old girl and a male in his thirties the same night. DNA testing reports indicated the girl was related to the man."

"How were the victims often killed?" Maya asked.

"As I said, their heads were cut clean from their bodies, along with their limbs being torn apart, or their bodies being ripped apart, sometimes in half." Maki said. "About the murder report in the train, they found the girl torn apart from her abdomen, while the male's head was ripped from the spinal cord."

"Maki, could it be possible that a psychic was responsible for all that?" Maya said, trying to keep her composure. "And if so, can Greg…?"

"Don't even think it like that, Maya." Yuji said to her. "There's no way Greg would ever be capable of doing those kinds of things. We've known him all these years; he could never hurt anyone like that."

"Uh, yeah…you're right." Maya said.

"There's a good chance someone with immense strength is capable of doing such things…" Maki said. "In any case, I'm just letting you know to be more careful when thinking about the possibility of these things happening close to home. If need be, I may need to consult Greg himself about this, but for now, let's keep tight lipped about this."

Maya and Yuji nodded silently as they left Maki to return to the living room as Maki sighed. Then another thought hit her.

(Now that I think about it…the report also stated there was an unconscious boy around the deceased girl's age at the train when they discovered the bodies. I wonder what ever happened to him, did he ever recover from his coma?) Maki thought to herself as she left. (And whose idea was it to leave those cases unsolved in the first place?)

From a good distance unseen, Riku heard most of the conversation that the three officers were having and grew a bit worried at what he had just heard.

(Just great…well, there's no question about it now, they were definitely talking about what happened with Lucy and Kohta years ago.) Riku thought, as he remembered the details that he had learned of that tragic event from them. (I know Maki and the others are my friends and all, but I really can't answer their questions concerning whatever they may have on the cases they claimed were unsolved. Its part of a promise I made to her as a friend that I won't ever break. But one thing that bothers me is how come they seemed a bit more worried about Greg as well in this?)

Riku then gave a light sigh so as to not betray any hint of his presence and decided that for now he had to focus on what he would have to do in order to help Greg and Team WARRIOR. Since Maki had decided to leave the matter regarding Lucy alone for now, Riku decided he shouldn't be too worried about it for the moment as the current situation was now taking up everyone else's strength and time.

"Guess I should start making some calls about now." Riku said as he touched his Codec.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Psycho Mantis seemed satisfied with himself, as he had examined what he had seen from invading Greg's mind when it was weakened enough already to use his psychic power to reveal Greg his fear. But this was beginning to become a strain on his mind. It was hard on him as it is already as he struggled to keep Yuina Hattori under his control.

Mantis had succeeded in breaking Greg's spirit somehow through this. Now, he had to wait on Lt. Matthew Reese's next orders before he could decide on what he should do with his hostage, Lilica Ebett, the skilled computer hacker of Team Warrior. He also had concern on what fate he should decide for Yuina, another one of his captives.

Psycho Mantis glared at the sleeping teenager, who looked innocent as she huddled herself between the ragged sheet she had to use to cover herself. Mantis had been trying not to let his killer instinct take over to harm the girl in any way, but he also had to take measures whenever she was in contact with Lilica. The two seemed to become quick friends whenever Yuina would get the chance to see to her, and Mantis knew that he would have to do something about that before the young girl could rebel against him. If it weren't for his brainwashing effect on Yuina, she would have found a way to rescue herself and Lilica. However, he knew that he still had control over this situation and the outcome.

There was also another matter, namely Matthew Reese himself. His interests in Lilica's skills as a computer hacker were a bonus for his plan to trap Greg. Mantis's orders were to keep Lilica alive for the time being until a change of orders had been given. Mantis himself wondered why he would want that in any case.

However, Mantis couldn't care about that for now. His main focus was to follow Reese's and the Patriots orders and hopefully after he had succeeded in defeating Greg Kinezono, he would be able to turn the tables on Reese himself.

(Soon, dear Greg...I'll show you who the strongest psychic on the planet really is. You're a fool to challenge me.) Mantis thought to himself, placing a hand on his temple to relax himself from the throbbing pain. He had to prepare himself now for the battle that would lie ahead, especially since Greg was in the process of preparing himself to challenge him and he knew that would cause problems. Hopefully, Reese had laid out a plan by now to make sure Greg doesn't get to Mantis's location alive.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Night had fallen back at the training yard of the Guardian Dogs Temple, the moon shone brightly over the forested area where Rio decided to set up camp nearby where she would be staying with Greg until the training was complete. The policewoman had changed out of her police uniform and into an oversized t-shirt which she sometimes slept in that she brought with her for the time she would be staying. She sat back on the ground and knocked back a couple of beers as she thought about how Greg was proceeding with his training.

(It's been two hours since Greg went into the training area…pretty quiet for him to be training like this if he's trying to make full use of his powers like this.) Rio thought to herself as she drank her beer. (Considering he must be going through lots of pain right now, he may need someone to be with him at this time…maybe I should go check up on him.)

Sighing heavily to herself, she picked up a six-pack of beer and a first aid kit next to her and started to walk towards the clearings where Greg had been training since earlier in the evening after meeting Geese.

After a two minute walk, she then found the spot where Greg was training, but got a surprise of her life as she saw a sleeping Greg lying back against a tree trunk, it's bark torn away by a few small craters into the tree. She took a good look at her student's hands and saw that they were bloodied and bruised. Taking a few cautious steps closer, she can see that he had no shirt on. She also saw that his face was drenched in sweat and dried tears.

(Was he asleep all this time just like this?) Rio thought to herself, as she called out to him as she kneeled in front of him, taking his left hand. "Greg, wake up!"

Groggily, the psychic raised his head and simply stared at Rio with a near miserable look on his face. "Sensei…Rio? Is that you?"

"Don't talk, Greg. I'm here now." Rio said as she placed her hand on his face as she began to apply the bandages on his hands. "What happened here? Don't tell me you passed out again?"

Greg looked up at the night sky silently as Rio applied sutures and disinfect to the cuts on his hands. "Yeah, I must have overdone it again. I don't know how it happened; everything came so quickly that I wasn't prepared for shock. But I'm okay now, really."

Rio shut her eyes as she felt the seriousness in Greg's voice, yet his determination to face the challenge was one of the things that made her stay by his side to help him through this. She also didn't know that the vision Greg encountered earlier was one of the reasons he backed down from training any further, which was probably one of the reasons why dried tear marks on his face can be seen evidently.

"Does it hurt…that badly?" Rio asked her surrogate son. Greg's eyes now met Rio's pure blue eyes as he raised his head to see her.

"Only for a while, this is something I would have to teach myself to get used to anyway." Greg said.

"You know you really don't have to go through this." Rio said to him. "If the pain is getting too unbearable, you should quit while you're ahead. Surely we can find of another way around this."

"I've already come this far, Rio. I'm not backing out on this, no matter how dangerous this is." Greg said as he held onto his chest and stood up. "I don't have any regrets doing this either, this is the time I have to ask myself if I'm worthy of this power I have if I want to see Lilica safe again."

Rio stayed quiet as she watched Greg started to walk steadily away from her as his body was hurting as hell. The image of the memory he tried so hard forget as she was witness of that time still stayed on her mind as she watched him staggering to stand up.

He hasn't been training for long, but it was the memory of Third Impact and the loss of his friends and family remained fresh in his mind. He could still envision Linn's dead body exploding into LCL, as well as seeing the same for everyone else. This was for surely some ploy for him to bring his spirits down before facing Mantis.

"Why did you come here, Rio?" Greg asked, without turning his back at her.

"I thought you needed the company." Rio replied simply.

Greg simply looked at her as he knew Rio wasn't going anywhere until she made sure her surrogate son made it through this alright. He could never say no to her as he is now.

"If that's the case…can you stay a while with me?" Greg asked. "I need someone to talk to and you're the only person around right now that can listen to me."

"Talk with me?" Rio asked surprised to this. Even in his state, Greg wanted to talk to her casually as if nothing was amiss. "What for, Greggie?"

"I need your voice to help me take my mind off from some of the pain." Greg said to her. "It can be about anything, you know. You name the topic and we can just talk about it."

"But, Greg…is this alright? I mean, you're supposed to be readying yourself for Mantis, you know." Rio lamented.

"Yeah, I know. But that doesn't mean I can't keep pushing myself like this and in the end, I really don't discover an answer to the problem with my powers." Greg said. "The only way I can face the fears of my powers is to find out what is wrong with me to begin with."

"Well, I won't complain to you if you want to talk, but trust me, I'm no shrink." Rio said to him.

"I don't need the counsel, just you staying here with me is enough." Greg said to her as he took a beer can when he got close enough to her. "Please, sensei? It would really mean a lot to me."

Rio threw her arms hesitantly as she sat back on the ground. "Fine, then…since you're in a mood to talk, we'll do just that. In any case, let's focus on what's your life in FOXHOUND is like. Tell me your best relived experiences since you joined the group."

"Wait a minute now, you want to talk about my life all of a sudden?" Greg asked. "You sure you want all the details?"

"Sure…at least this can give me an idea of why this Reese would want to make our lives so miserable, you might as start with your life as a FOXHOUNDer."

"You're not making my training any easier, Rio." Greg said as Rio suddenly threw an empty beer can at her student, hitting him on his head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"This is part of the training, like it or not." Rio said to him as she sat back with a stern face. "Now, what was it like when you first joined up, hmm?"

Greg simply sighed lightly at Rio as he sat back to detail to Rio about the events of his first set of days in FOXHOUND. One of them was the day when he signed up to join the group after it became reformed in 2010.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

However, because of his status as a Japanese national since Rio took him in, Greg encountered some problems regarding his education. Most of the education he had was during his stay in Japan, where he advanced quite well enough to speak both English and Japanese, thanks to Seishiro's and Rio's support. During his young adult years, Greg was inspired to try his hardest and excel by applying for an American college, meaning Greg would have to renounce his U.S resident status for a while. Not too long after he graduated by the time he turned 22, he took active duty in the Marine Corp Martial Arts Program when he signed on the force.

Under the harsh training Greg endured over time, he applied what he had learned from his time with WARRIOR and Seishiro into dedicating himself to making full use of his combat and weapons training in the areas of assault rifle, grenade and certain CQC weapon based training. It was also during the time with the Marines that Greg had become used to piloting the standard Harrier. He took his training and time with the Marines quite seriously, but would eventually take his time off by getting along with a few of the people he had met there.

There was even one time he ran into a visiting female Chinese drill instructor from an overseas branch who volunteered to teach the newcomers some of her training. She was rather brash for the type to be part of the Marines, totally opposite to what Greg had expected from one of the respected officers from the Marines. But somehow, he had gotten attached to her for only if it was a little while. So much had happened then and now Greg can't clearly remember her face so well or what happened to her.

"Ah, that's too bad." Rio said, looking up. "You really can't remember what she looks like, huh?"

"She was rather attractive for a soldier. But at least she was strict in seeing me train so it helped passed the time a bit well." Greg spoke. "I think her last name was Mao or something…"

Rio stayed quiet as she watched Greg became relaxed somehow reminiscing on his times with FOXHOUND. She can remember clearly too when she personally assisted Greg in joining up with the group.

The day of April 20th, 2010 had come in the newly developed FOXHOUND headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was the day that Greg was to get assigned to the newly reformed group that called itself FOXHOUND after some encouragement from Rio. Seishiro Takeda himself encouraged Greg to give the group a try to share his experiences as well his talents from the years of training he endured from under WARRIOR and Seishiro's tutelages.

"Are you guys sure this is a wise choice to begin with?" Greg asked, while Rio, Lilica and Maki walked alongside with him in the hallways of FOXHOUND headquarters. They were to help Greg get signed up to be among the recruits for the newly formed group.

They were all heading to the sign-up desk, as Greg was wearing a black, tight fitting bandana over his head, a white vest which was covered by an oversized motorcycle jacket. He was wearing tight fitting blue jeans to compliment the jacket. He was still wearing reading glasses at the time.

"Well, if you're just questionable about this group, Greg, there's still room for WARRIOR for you to join." Rio said to him. "Besides, Seishiro said this was one of the best choices for people your age and your kind of specialties to get started on."

"I've heard of other similar anti-terrorists groups that exist…" Maki said to Rio. "Most of them are secret, but none of them are affiliated with any of the world's governments. Yet, they still arise to a crisis when they are needed."

"So FOXHOUND's like the only group that is publicized in the open like this to bring in new recruits?" Rio asked. "What about the buzz that surrounded it after the both Shadow Moses and Big Shell incidents? You'd think that would give people some reconsideration about joining this new group."

"She's right about that, Maki." Greg replied.

"Well, for Seishiro's sake, at least confirm for yourself if this place is good for you. We're not forcing you to join this group right away." Maki replied.

"Right...I don't want to give the impression that I had no other choice but to do this." Greg simply said.

"Maybe you'll like it in the long run, Greg." Lilica said happily.

"Just maybe, Lilica...just maybe like you said." Greg said simply. He then stopped to see a small group of people waiting near a secretary's desk. Some of them were seated filling out applications. Rio placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

"You just have a seat over there, while Maki and I look for this Colonel Campbell guy." Rio said to Greg.

"I'll be right here if you need me then." Greg replied. As the trio of the Warrior members left the room, Greg simply sat down and leaned back to read a magazine to pass the time. However, this somehow got boring and Greg couldn't wait any longer as he though Rio and Maki were taking longer than he thought. Fifteen minutes passed and Greg couldn't wait any longer.

"What is it that could be keeping them?" Greg said to himself, standing up. (Maybe if I'd walk around a bit and get used with this place to pass some time, I'd meet back with them when its time to leave here.)

Stretching out his arms and yawning, Greg stood up groggily, almost feeling tired. He took a step as he suddenly bumped into someone he wasn't carefully seeing walking towards him.

"Ouch!" A woman's cry was heard as Greg felt his body pressed heavily towards another warm body. As he looked to see who it was, he suddenly gasped as he saw that he knocked down one of the people who came to be recruited.

"Hey, can you be a little more discreet and watch where you're going next time?" The woman said to him, rubbing her head, while Greg who was still standing, suddenly saw her and swallowed, hoping he hadn't offended her.

"Ah, I'm so sorry." Greg quickly said, as he extended his left hand to her. "It was clumsy of me that I didn't notice you, please forgive me for that."

"Well, at least you apologized and are offering a hand. I guess I can forgive you." the young woman said to Greg as she gripped his hand to stand upright. When she did, it gave him a chance to properly look at her.

She happened to be very attractive woman in her early twenties, about 5' 7 in height, with short cut hair that was coloured in a chestnut brown. Her skin closely matched her hair, as it was being lightly tanned brown. She had brown pupils in her eyes and an enticing, yet innocent look on her face. She had on a biker's outfit that hugged her almost average cleavage tightly enough as her waist was perfectly curved with both muscle tanned abs and around her cute navel was painted of a red vermillion symbol. Her thighs were good to look at as well, long and slender, some muscles bulged out on just the right places.

"Uhhh…" Greg felt his face reddened as he suddenly turned around and fiddled his thumbs. He has never before he actually spoke to a woman outside of FOXHOUND with this much beauty. Since he was so diligent in his studies in his past, he never had time or the interest to properly pursue relationships. This was tough on him getting acquainted with a woman, especially one he must apologize to after knocking her down.

"Hey, are you okay?" The woman asked, placing her hands on her hips as she playfully chewed on the strawberry chewing gum that he can smell from his distance in her sensuous and glossy lips.

"Yes! I really am!" Greg suddenly replied, standing upright. He was starting to have a cold sweat. He was having a bit of a problem what to say to her.

"Hey, you don't have to get worked up. You did say you were sorry for earlier, so I'm not really angry at you." The woman said after blowing a bubble. Greg was close enough to smell both her bodily scent, as well as the flavour of the gum she was chewing.

"It's not that…you see the thing is…" Greg managed to say as Linn walked closer to him, innocently as she giggled taking a look at him. "What's the matter? Is there something on my face?"

"No, you silly. I was just curious as to why a guy like you would be here joining this outfit, that's all." She said to him after looking at him. "You don't look like the kind of person to be a soldier."

"Then what do I look like to you?" Greg asked her.

"I really can't find the words for it…you look so average, yet headstrong." She said. "There's something quite deceiving about you, I couldn't help but wonder about you."

"We've only just met by accident." Greg said to her. "Not to mention, I really can't say that I'll be actually joining this FOXHOUND. I'm only here to scope out the place. So I'm afraid I won't be around to help you solve your curiosity about me."

"At least tell me your name." The woman pleaded. She seemed really determined on finding out more about Greg.

"Greg Kinezono." He replied simply.

"You're part Japanese? That's quite the surprise. Here I was thinking you were from around here." Linn said, placing a hand on her lips.

"There's a lot about me that would really surprise you, miss…?" Greg stopped, now wanting to know her name.

"Linn Aramaki." She said, bowing to him.

"So, you're Japanese too?" Greg asked, which responded by a gentle laugh from her.

"Well, it's good to see that I'm not the only one being surprised today." Linn smiled at him. Greg couldn't help but grin a bit at her. For once he was beginning to feel comfortable around strangers of the opposite sex. He felt something common in this Linn Aramaki, yet he couldn't pinpoint what it was for the time being.

"I see you like to play dress up too. Is that a casual outfit where you come from, Greg?" Linn asked, touching his jacket.

"It's different from people like me you see normally wear, isn't it?" Greg asked.

"That's right." Linn said, taking a seat. "Say, Greg…why don't you come and have a seat with me?"

"Okay, sure." Greg replied as he sat back down on the chair, but at a good distance away from her.

"Why are you sitting so far away?" Linn asked, as Greg's face reddened. "If you want, I can sit closer to you."

"No, I'm perfectly fine over here." Greg replied as Linn giggled once more.

"Aw, you look so cute when you're like that." Linn said as she rested her head on her hand, looking at Greg once more. "I bet you've never been with a girl before, haven't you?"

Greg hung his head as she hit the nail on the head. "Yes, you're right. I never had the time for dating because of my studies."

Once more, Linn snickered to this. "Then that will make it much better for me to tease you with, Greg Kinezono."

"Cut it out, Aramaki." Greg said seriously. "I only came here to check out FOXHOUND, not to get hit on."

Linn smiled as she stretched her arms, sticking out her chest. Greg couldn't help but compare her to Rio's body size. She was sure as close his surrogate mother even to the chest and waist size and her muscular looking legs looked so slender too...

(What the hell am I thinking?) Greg thought to himself. (This is not right for me to look at a complete stranger like Aramaki in this way! What is wrong with me?)

"So, Greg, did you come here by yourself?" Linn asked.

"My surrogate family is here with me." Greg replied.

"How sweet to have them come along with you." Linn said, as her tone got serious now. "My parents won't even acknowledge that I'm joining FOXHOUND and won't even bother wishing me luck."

"They must be very worried about you if they don't want to tell you the best of wishes for doing this." Greg said to her. "Some people I know in my life are like that…when you're moving on to a next stage in your life that only you consider to be important; they really don't intend to let you go without some kind of opposition."

Linn looked on at Greg as he had a dead serious look in his eyes, yet she also felt a sadness emitting through the transparent lens of his glasses.

"You really shouldn't be angry at them because they think what you're doing is wrong, not to mention very dangerous work. They have their reasons because they are very worried about you, Aramaki." Greg said.

"You don't say?" Linn said. "You must really love your surrogate family, Greg. I like a family man."

"Ah, thanks. I don't know what to say." Greg said. "They are part of the reason why I have a Japanese surname."

"I see, and what about your old family?"

"I had a mother and a younger sister once, but…they died a long time ago. I can't even recall the memories I had with them too well, or remember their faces." Greg said sadly.

"I'm sorry. It must have been tough on you and your father." Linn said, as Greg's right fist clenched at the mention of the word.

"Father? I never could have considered him one in the first place." Greg said bitterly. "If he was a father, he would have never hurt my mother like that…"

Greg then realised what he was saying and stopped before he went further.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…" Greg said, as Linn stopped him.

"Hey, it's okay. I was the one who asked in the first place. I just didn't know you had bad memories, so I won't pry any further." Linn said. "But, at least I can see that you've been brought up by your surrogate family must have brought you at least some good memories and things out of being with them."

"Yeah, I'm glad for that at least." Greg said. "They have been very kind to me and I hope I can repay them someway for all that they have done."

"I'm sure you will do so, Greg." Linn said to him.

There was a bit of silence afterwards, other than the sounds of Linn smacking her lips while she ate her chewing gum. Greg almost felt relaxed by staying close to this woman, but he was still unsure of what he can do to say to her. Time passed as she looked then looked at her watch.

"Ah, damn. It looks like I got to run an errand now." Linn said. "So, Greg, have you made up your mind to join FOXHOUND yet?"

"Not really, I'm still having some second thoughts about joining." Greg said. "Based on how things turn out, I may not be able to join, but I'm not going to whine about it."

"That's a shame then. I was wishing that you would join. You seem to be a really interesting guy." Linn remarked.

"You're quite forward, aren't you?"

"Only to the most handsome guys I meet." Linn replied with a smile. She looked at Greg before turning around. She was carrying a mountain bike with her as Greg watched her she get on it. "Well...I'm done here. I have to get back in two days when they have accepted my papers."

"I see." Greg simply replied, trying his hardest not to allow any dirty thoughts plague his mind as she got onto her riding bicycle.

"If I ever see you again, I'll be a part of the group and you'll just be a civilian I have to protect, huh?" Linn asked, opening her biking vest.

"I guess that is the case. I do wish it was otherwise." Greg replied.

"You're not even re-considering?" Linn asked.

"Just maybe, though I can say it won't be a serious thought." Greg answered. "Not to mention, I don't have much time to spend here any longer. I have to be returning to the city soon before evening."

"I see." Linn only shook her head with a smile as she firmly placed her hands on the bicycle. "Well...I have to go now."

"Okay. Good luck with joining FOXHOUND then." Greg waved at Linn.

"Thanks a lot, Greg Kinezono. You were very nice to talk to, even if you're having trouble talking to girls. But I'm sure that is something you'll get over eventually." she said as she began to peddle out of the reception area. (Man...I was really hoping he would join...he really seemed so nice to be with.)

As she left the headquarters, Greg only looked on as Linn rode out. Just then, he thought to himself with a serious look on his face.

(Well, just maybe I can give this FOXHOUND outfit a try.) He thought. (If people like her are getting a chance to become part of this group, it would be a nice thing though. And more importantly, I bet this place would benefit me greatly if I were to start using my powers to help others voluntarily. It's not a sure guarantee that I would officially be part of it, but the most I will do is just leave a recommendation.)

As he turned, he then saw Rio, Maki and Lilica staring at him with smiles on their faces. Rio looked extremely happy as she came closer to Greg.

"Sensei Rio, why are so happy?" Greg asked.

"Oh, I couldn't believe it…my Greggie actually talking to a girl!" Rio cried tears of joy as Greg stepped back. "Yuji would be so proud of you, Greg!"

"Ah, hey! Wait a minute!" Greg shouted. "It was just a normal conversation among strangers, I don't know why you got to make such a big deal out of it, sensei!"

"Come on, Greg. I had to, you really couldn't get associated with any girl outside WARRIOR because you were busy with your studies and so much time passed that you grew up." Rio shrugged her shoulders. "You should be proud of yourself that a pretty girl like her wanted to talk to you in the first place."

"It's still nothing to be so joyful about." Greg said to her.

"Oh, Greg, you may be saying that, but you somehow liked the company, didn't you?" Lilica said.

"Oh man, not you too, Lilica." Greg shook his head.

"Come on, Greg. I think it's for the best that you stick to this group." Rio said to him. "You seem more relaxed here anyway, and if that girl is going to be part of this group, the better reason to stick around."

"As tempting as it is to say I want to join FOXHOUND for that reason, I must have more valid reasons for this, you know." Greg said. "I'm not going to join this group to pursue any romance if that's what you want me to do."

"You're really are something. At your age, you should already have a girlfriend, but it's hard to believe that you're actually having trouble getting one." Rio said. "And I'm not getting any younger, you know. I want to look as young as I am when its time for you to have kids of your own."

"Sensei, you shouldn't plan that FAR ahead!" Greg replied, as his face flustered while Rio and Lilica laughed.

"Hey, Greg. Don't take it personal, we're just teasing you as usual. You know you're cute when you're embarrassed like that." Rio placed an arm over his shoulder. "In any case, you should meet up with this Col. Campbell about now."

"Yes, it seems that he is ready to have a talk with you after we managed to tell him about Seishiro." Maki said. "We wish you the best of luck, Greg."

Greg nodded silently as he left his surrogate mother and her friends where he soon found an office area where Roy Campbell was waiting with a tall woman with long dark brunette hair. In the office with them was also another man of Campbell's age, but something about this man's presence started to bother him the moment his eyes were set on him.

"Gregory Kinezono?" The woman asked.

"That's me." Greg replied seriously.

"I'm Naomi Hunter, FOXHOUND's expert on the medical field of modern day genetics and nanotechnology." The woman said. "I've heard quite a bit about you from Maki about a year ago and I was intrigued in knowing more about the technology that developed your prosthetics for the limbs in your right arm. I was hoping you can stay with us so I can do a bit of studying into this as this is a first in a breakthrough of medical science."

"Hmph." The older male sitting next to Campbell scoffed, as Greg can feel the air being becoming tense in the room.

"Please excuse Litenenant Reese, Greg." Roy offered a hand shake to Greg. "He's had a bad morning, aside from having to personally interview all the newcomers today."

(This guy is one of the new superiors for FOXHOUND?) Greg thought. "I understand, sir. I can assure you that I won't give any kind of trouble while I'm here."

"That's what they all say, you youngsters are all alike." Reese said, biting on his cigar. "Sooner or later, you will cause problems, especially you negro types."

"Reese, please put up a little longer till the end of the week. We are only ensuring the future of the group with a younger generation of special soldiers capable of the tasks of anti terrorism." Campbell explained as Greg listened in.

(Though personally, I'm not sure if I can put up with this Reese guy myself.) Greg thought to himself.

"Just get this interview started, Campbell." Reese said, glaring at Greg at the side. Campbell sat down as the half hour long evaluation began.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Present Day…..

"I remember stepping in the office the first time where I met Roy, he was pretty friendly and open, so I had hardly any trouble talking to him and Naomi at the time. The interview went better than I hoped for and they accepted most of the truth about my nano arm." Greg explained, playing with an empty beer can with his exposed nano hand. "But even then, I should have known Reese wouldn't like me from the start."

"How could you have known then, Greg?" Rio asked.

"His voice was just as icy then as it is now, but I will never forget his eyes." Greg said. "Those eyes…they weren't smiling at me on my welcome to FOXHOUND compared to almost everyone else who did."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Two days passed as Greg was staying in an apartment he was renting in the city. Even though it was temporary until he can go back to Japan, he was comfortable living there. He was just playing some street basketball with some of the neighbours kids and had gotten a good sweat out of it as he came home one evening to meet Nanvel Candlestick waiting for him at his door.

"Yo, Greg. See that you're staying fit as ever." Nanvel said, holding unto a bag of Chinese take out. She also had a parcel of mail with her.

"Nanvel, why are you here?" Greg asked, getting inside to his apartment, which was hardly used, except for the necessary furniture that was there. For the living room, he had a home theatre system with a Playstation 2 and a DVD player hooked on a flat screen tv on the wall, while the kitchen was adequately fixed with a working refrigerator, microwave, stove and garbage disposer. Greg had a mattress spread out on the floor in front of the TV where he normally sleeps.

"I see someone's taken after a certain other someone on their upbringing of their homestead." Nanvel said. "At least you keep the place clean though."

"You didn't have to go through so much trouble to see me. So why did you come anyway?" Greg said, taking out an energy drink for himself and a soda for Nanvel.

"I thought I'd threat you to dinner, as well bring you some good news." Nanvel said.

"What kind of good news is that?" Greg asked.

"It seems that FOXHOUND had accepted you." She replied smiling.

"Weren't they supposed to call me first about this?" Greg said as he turned on his PS2 to play Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition. It was one of his most favourite games since his teenage years and was a dedicated player to the game that only recently, he managed to get to max health and maxed out Red Orbs due to hours of playtime and practicing. It also provided his nano arm good practice, especially on the Dante Must Die level.

"You probably weren't home at the time, so I got a fax instead." Nanvel showed him the page. "So, Greg, what do you think? You're up to it?"

"Well, I'll go for the sake that everyone's hoping the best out of me." Greg said as he equipped his Dante with the Sword Master Style with a Nevan and Beowulf and a Spiral and Kalina Ann combination. The gameplay videos he watched thanks to Nanvel and Lilica's constant net surfing made him use these for best results on the DMD mode.

"Are you sure it's not for seeing that girl again?" Nanvel asked.

"There's that too." Greg said simply.

"From what Rio told me, she was really interested in knowing more about you." Nanvel said taking a seat and watching Greg play.

"It seems so, but I don't want her to get too involved with me or else…" Greg stopped as Nanvel's hand touched his.

"I doubt she will turn you away, Greg." Nanvel said. "She seems nice enough to have listened to you; I bet she will keep on doing so if you keep being yourself."

"You have a point." Greg said, as Nanvel took up the second controller.

"Hey, it's been awhile since I've played with you using the Doppelganger style." Nanvel said, being an average player herself. So, Nanvel and Greg joined together and played for hours, while he contemplated much about what is going to happen when he return to FOXHOUND headquarters.

The following day….

"Congratulations, Gregory Kinezono. Welcome to FOXHOUND." An eccentric Roy Campbell shook Greg's hands after the announcement was made that he was accepted into FOXHOUND.

"Yes, sir. It certainly is an honour to be among this group." Greg said. "I do hope I won't be a burden here with me being the only black male in the group."

"You shouldn't feel discouraged, Greg. You'll be viewed just as equal as everyone else here. You'll be part of a family that will surely accept you." Campbell said.

"Well, I better hope for the best then while I'm here."

"Now that you're part of this group, there are some truths about us that you need to know." Campbell said as he began to explain certain facts he wasn't aware of.

Greg got to learn about what happened at the Big Shell a year ago and the truth behind it.

He learned from Naomi Hunter the details of what he needed to know about why FOXHOUND had to be reformed and even read the famed, 'Darkness of Shadow Moses'. He then also got hints about the Patriots before joining the group, after much time he had spent with Rio; he only knew the details about how they could have been possibly involved in arranging some hideous terrorists' acts in Neo Tokyo.

"This is still hard to actually believe, sir." Greg said, after an hour or so had passed talking as they walked in the hallways on FOXHOUND headquarters.

"Yes, the world in under control by a group of shadow leaders that control the U.S government and they have been doing so for many years now." Campbell said. "The fact that Solid Snake has been framed by them is one of their acts."

"So, this new FOXHOUND has been formed to stop the threat the Patriots pose?"

"Well, while we stay a wet works counter terrorist group, we do seek the end of the Patriots' end, but it's not really the department of where younger recruits such as you comes in." Campbell said. "All we can do is assist Philanthropy, the anti Metal Gear campaign group, and share information that will eventually lead to the Patriots somehow."

"You mentioned recruits before. So there are other people before me here?"

"Yes, some of them are still in their teens though, except for a few older members who are practically the superiors of FOXHOUND, making them among the top ranked in the group." Campbell said.

"How soon will I get to meet them, sir?"

"Patience, Kinezono. I must take you to your new quarters, as well give you your Sneaking Suit." Campbell smiled at him. "But first…I need to assign a codename to you."

"A codename?"

"It's an alias we use here in the group, based on the person's skill level during a mission." Campbell said. "I would advise to you that it is something you will have to get used to soon."

"So, what name have I been assigned?"

"We just have to test you to see if you're worthy of a good one." Campbell said, as he showed him to the VR training room, where Greg was amazed by the technology the base had and what was taking place. He can see several other recruits taking part of their training exercises.

"This is amazing!" Greg muttered. "Is this for real? I've only heard about it when I was in the Marines, but to see it first hand…"

"It is something, isn't it?" Campbell said. "Well, I won't stop you, go on ahead and show me what you have."

"Huh?" Greg said as he suddenly felt his body inside the VR environment. He was inside what it seemed to be a platform where several targets of green and yellow crystals moved about freely and various weapons lay before him.

"This is truly something indeed. I can spend hours in this suitable environment!" Greg said to himself. For some strange reason, this was getting him all giddy. If Nanvel were here, she'd faint out of pleasure from seeing the VR system activate around her.

"What should I train in first?" Greg thought as he saw the C4/Claymore section was empty. "I think I'll try this one."

The first couple of tries ended in failure, as Greg would lapse behind the record times, but it only made him preserve further. After the fourth try, he managed to do the impossible for any FOXHOUND newcomer.

After studying the targets movements and easing his steps to move from one point to another, Greg had a strategy planned out as he placed one Claymore after another near the targets, careful enough that he wouldn't injure himself in the process.

From outside, several people who were watching Greg examined the psychic make movements and studied his pattern about the VR arena.

"Who's the new blood?" A male voice asked behind Campbell.

"Oh, Michael. I didn't see you." Campbell said. Michael Hansen was watching Greg train on the Claymore field, making some good progress. "I see that you both came back from a successful mission. Well, what do you think?"

"Well, he is devoted for one thing." Michael said. "Though I'm not sure that kind of ambition is what we actually need in the battlefield. It would turn to arrogance at some point. Though, I'm certain Kinezono has his limits. Though, that look on his face says that. I would like to test him out one of these days myself."

"What, in a sparring match?" Campbell asked. "But this is his first day; I haven't even given him his codename as yet."

"I know that sir. I'll just give it some time before it happens." Michael said. "He doesn't look too masculine, but he seems to be strong too. I just need to see if he's any good in the close quarter's combat department. And I'm sure when Garland hears about him; he wouldn't mind sparring with him either. He may need a bit refining on, but at least to ascertain some doubts I'm having about him."

"I know he's new blood, but please go easy on him for the time being." Campbell said. "He may look like an average youngster, but his guardians told me he's had it pretty rough in his past. Most of the trauma remains with him up to today."

"Sure, Col. I'll be sure to keep that in mind in the future." Michael said.

The two stayed as Greg was still taking part in the Weapon Mode under the Claymore category; he managed to beat Bombshell's Bear's record of 00:30:28 seconds, when he made high score of 00:16:17 seconds.

"He's pretty good so far, I'm impressed he knows how to handle those so well." Michael said. "Well, if you can excuse me, sir. I have to join Garland and Maggie for a game of chess. Let me know about this recruit's progress, okay?"

"I'll be sure to keep you informed, Venom." Campbell said as he saw Greg come back from the VR room just as Michael left the scene.

"So, how did I do?" Greg panted.

"Much better than I hoped for. You really were serious in there; I've never seen anyone move so vigilantly before." Campbell said.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to stay here and train some more, sir." Greg requested.

"Feel free to stay as much as you like. I'll just base your scores on the record and then I'll give you your codename, or you can pick one that suits you." Campbell said.

"I rather earn the name than be given it, sir." Greg said seriously as Roy nodded at him.

"I like your spirit, Greg. Then you just go in there and show what you can do, but don't push yourself." Campbell said as he left. Greg turned around and stepped back into the VR training arena where he took part in the topping the Assault Rifle, C4, No Weapon, Stinger and Nikita time attacks. Two hours passed as Greg begun feeling worn out from the training as he stepped outside to relax himself.

"Man, I'm bushed." Greg said, taking a seat nearby. Sitting back to breath deeply, he reached for his left pocket to take out a pack of cigarettes when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Really, Greg, you certainly don't need those right after training non stop like that." The voice was very familiar to Greg as he suddenly saw a tall Japanese male with shoulder length black hair and was wearing an eye patch over where his left eye used to be approached him dressed in casual clothing. Greg's eyes widen in anticipation as the man came closer to meet him as three other men in their mid thirties to forties were accompanying him.

"Seishiro-san!" Greg shouted, instantly putting back his cigarettes and running to meet his martial arts instructor and guardian. "So, you really were here all along. I just didn't expect to run into you so soon."

"Yes, Maki told me that you were here a couple of days ago to sign in." Seishiro smiled at Greg as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "I really was hoping you would have succeeded in joining and it came true. Congratulations."

"Seishiro-san…really…I don't think this is something you should be too happy about." Greg rubbed the back of his head. "This is a dangerous thing we are getting ourselves into after all."

"Yes, the activities we will be partaking in this group will be life threatening to an extent, but I know you will do just fine." Seishiro said. "You've done well to get this far in life, Greg. And I'm very proud of you for that."

Greg hung his head and smiled a bit as he heard this. It was enough to make him come close to crying. Even after years since the incident which resulted Greg in harming Seishiro, costing his left eye when his powers were first realized, Seishiro still can threat Greg like a dear son and student to him. It was still hard for Greg to understand how Seishiro can act this way towards him, but it really doesn't matter now. Greg felt he was needed now since Seishiro was there to assure him that he will do well in FOXHOUND.

"Hey, Seishiro, isn't it about time you introduced us to him?" One of Seishiro's friends asked, who was of Japanese decent, in his thirties with short brown cut hair with bangs. He had brown eyes with a medium body built.

"Sorry, Kojiro. This is the boy who I took in years ago who grew up into who you're seeing today." Seishiro said as he showed Greg the men who were with him. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Greg Kinezono."

"Greetings to you all." Greg said with a bow. "You must be good friends of Seishiro-san, I assume?"

"That is right. We're also recruits here in FOXHOUND, so we'll be seeing each other more often." The man named Kojiro said. "I'm Kojiro Shimura, my codename is 'Hawkeye' in this group."

"And I'm Trang Nguyen Hang." The other male in his forties of Vietnamese descent spoke. He had black hair and matching eyes with an athletic build. "My codename is 'Black Cougar'."

"Marcus Blackthorne, codenamed 'Ice Wolf'." The last male spoke among Seishiro's group spoke. He was in his forties with medium build, short brown hair, and a hairline scar. He was of British descent. "We were all watching you before and we're really impressed with your skills, Greg."

"Yeah, that was nothing short to expect from someone who has lived with Seishiro, not to mention knowing him." Kojiro said, nudging his friend.

"All I did was raise him in the best ways that would make him happy. I'm sure anyone who has seen what Greg went through when his surrogate mother found him would want it what way." Seishiro said. "Come on, Greg, you have no reason to be afraid to shake their hands. I've already mentioned to them about your artificial arm and they are even interested in seeing it too."

Greg nodded silently as he extended his left hand to pull up the sleeve of his shirt on the right arm and displayed his artificial arm to them. It had strands of wires and veins extending into the remainder of Greg's upper arm, while most of it was coated in a dark, scalish gauntlet fashion. A tattoo covering most of the forearm can be seen so mask most of its designs.

"That truly is something you have there, Greg." Marcus whistled as he saw this.

"Yes, my aunt Nanvel put her heart and soul to make this as convincing as possible." Greg said.

"It is pretty efficient for Greg as well, it would serve him in combat when its time for him to use his psychic gifts." Seishiro said.

"In any case, did you get a codename as yet?" Trang asked Greg.

"No, not as yet. I think I will leave it to the Colonel to give me one though." Greg said.

"It is alright if you tell him what name you prefer to be assigned to, Greg." Seishiro said as he looked thoughtful. "Since you're a psychic, it would be fitting that you start the codename with the word. Any rank they give you should follow after."

"Sounds like an idea." Kojiro said as he smiled. "Well, Greg, do you like it?"

"Yeah, though I'm not sure about what rank given to me, but the Psychic should make up for it, I guess." Greg said.

"You're going to do just fine. Just seeing in there was enough to tell us you mean business." Marcus said. "Just know that if anything or anyone here gives you problems, let Seishiro and the rest of us know, okay?"

"Alright. I'll remember that." Greg nodded. "Even if one of them happens to be a cigar smoking Lieutenant?"

"Ah, I see. You already met Reese, I see." Seishiro said.

"Yeah, much to my displeasure. He made me really uncomfortable back there." Greg said simply. But Seishiro placed a hand on his student's shoulder and smiled at him.

"It won't be so bad, Greg. Just learn to put up with him while you're here." Seishiro said. "I'll be here with you if any problems occur and there seems to be a number of new ones your age joining up, so I'm sure there should be plenty of new friends to make here."

"Oh, I certainly will do that, Seishiro-san." Greg nodded at him.

"And one more thing, Maki and Rio told me about a pretty girl you met on sign up day as well." Seishiro said with a smile as Greg stepped back.

"They told you all of that too?" Greg asked.

"They had to share the details. Rio was rather ecstatic about it, actually." Seishiro said. "I can't really say the same thing, but at least you looked rather comfortable talking to her. Maybe if she is part of the group, you two can get together."

"Seishiro-san…even you…" Greg blushed as Kojiro laughed a bit.

"What's the matter, Greg? You really don't know how to talk to women?" he said. "I can give you some pointers, you know."

It was then the P.A system was heard calling for Greg to step into Campbell's office. Greg sighed heavily as he started to turn back and headed for the direction of the office.

(Saved by the bell.) Greg thought as he walked away. "I guess I should be leaving now, guys. I was good we met like this, especially you, Seishiro-san. I will take your words to heart if I will want to do my best in FOXHOUND."

"Well, I'll be seeing you again soon, Greg." Seishiro said as Greg took one final bow before he left. Marcus looked at his friends and then to Seishiro before he spoke.

"That guy really is something." Marcus said. "I sense something troubling, yet intensely dangerous about him."

"Yes, Greg is one not to be taken lightly." Seishiro said. "It could be useful against the enemies into thinking he's just a mere soldier. But it also can be something that can be used against his own friends if he isn't careful later on."

"Worried about him as usual?" Trang asked.

"I guess it's a habit of mine. But I know he will do fine for now." Seishiro said. "Come on, I heard Garland and Michael are having a chess game and I don't want to miss the sights.

Sometime later in Campbell's office, the Colonel and Naomi had already tallied up the scores collected in Greg's VR training. Almost surprised with the results, Col. Campbell approached Greg and shook his hand as he gave him his codename.

"Panther, you are now officially part of FOXHOUND." Campbell said to Greg as he looked at him with a surprised look.

"Panther?" Greg asked simply. "It doesn't sound bad, but why that?"

"Only among the most skilled in FOXHOUND get titles depending on the conditions set during the mission. Yours seem to have come close to the original FOXHOUND titles that had Big Boss as the top rank." Campbell said.

"And this is something that I should be really proud of, sir?" Greg asked. "I know there are people who can do much better than I am…"

"Really, Greg. Your skills alone are worthy for the group, just accept it. I have no qualms with you in the team and Naomi feels the same way." Campbell said as Naomi nodded her head at Greg.

"Then, would it be alright I included Psychic as first of the title?" Greg asked.

"Psychic Panther…now it makes it quite authentic." Naomi said. "Alright, then. Psychic Panther it will be for you from now on, Greg. Congratulations."

Shortly after being accepted, Greg was escorted to his quarters that he would be staying for awhile in case of urgent emergencies or missions. It was a bit of a tight space, but he can make the most of it by making it a bit lively. Greg carried several bags with him and started his unpacking when he got an unexpected guest.

"So...we meet again, Greg." Linn's voice called from behind him while he was preparing his quarters for living accommodations. He turned to see her dressed in a long flowing, light pink flower dress, which ended just above her thigh areas. "Looks like you changed your mind after all."

"Yeah, so it seems that way." Greg simply replied as he unpacked his suitcase. He seemed oblivious to the beauty she was displaying towards him.

"Looks like we'll be seeing more of each other, I'm really glad for this opportunity." Her smooth light brown face, being such a delectable sight to gaze at, gazed at Greg with a smile. "So...what codename did they give you?"

"They titled me, 'Psychic Panther'." Greg replied sternly, still unpacking.

"Really? I heard it was an honourable codename, the second best ranked one to the old ranking from FOXHOUND just below Big Boss." she asked. "I'm really amazed that you of all people would get to have it, I should congratulate you."

"I don't think its anything too important to make such a big deal out of. It's just a field name anyway, nothing more." Greg said. "In any case, what did they name you?"

"Silver Eagle, at your service." she replied. "But tell me...the first part of the codename, why Psychic?"

"Oh, you probably haven't seen me in the VR training room yet, haven't you?" Greg asked as she only shook her head. "The fact of the matter is that I'm really a psychic."

"You can't be serious." Linn chuckled a bit. "You don't look the type."

With a low sigh, Greg looked at the suitcase behind him as suddenly; it began to levitate on its own much to Linn's amazement. Then it began to spin around his body along with several articles laid out in the room.

"Now, do you believe me?" Greg asked. "And this is only a light amount of my power that I'm allowed to use right now. I'm only doing this so you wouldn't be confused about me."

"You're truly something, Greg." Linn said, leaning back as Greg stood up and lighted a cigarette.

"I doubt it…I've met some of the other recruits now joining up. They looked more skilled than I am right now." Greg spoke. "I've yet to meet those guys soon, one of them is supposed to be a former mercenary with years of experience, hope the chance comes soon so I can test his mettle."

"I've heard of them myself. And by the looks of things, you may get your ass kicked." Linn said.

"What makes you say that?" Greg asked, inhaling the smoke from the cigarette he lit.

"Two of them may have been part of FOXHOUND since Shadow Moses, but they were active long before. I heard this Michael Hansen guy is a razor sharp tactician and combat specialist to boot." Linn said to Greg.

"What codename they gave that guy?" Greg asked.

"Venom, I heard from Roy that he's immune to poisons for some reason." Linn said. "The other happens to be the mercenary I mentioned before who happens to have broken all the records in the CQC and No Weapons combat training under some impressive times. From the rumours I heard, he's probably the most physically skilled combatant in FOXHOUND right now."

Greg stayed silent as he let his head hang a bit. Taking the cigarette and putting it out on the ashtray nearby, he began walking towards Linn where he patted her shoulder.

"I see, I might go and look for this guy to check him out as well." Greg said. "Even if the chances of me losing are pretty high, I just want to get to know these guys. Just to break the ice between us, you know."

"But other than that, everyone else here is pretty nice." Linn said. "There are even teenagers who are part of the group now, it's truly something to behold."

"Yeah, it sure is." Greg said. "Well, thanks for filling me in, Linn Aramaki. I really enjoyed the talk. I do hope we will see each other in the field someday."

"Ah, yeah, same here." Linn said sullenly as she saw Greg walk off in the direction of Roy's office. He had such a serious look on his face that it bothered her somehow.

(He says he would enjoy his time here, but…something about his eyes isn't telling me the whole truth.) Linn thought to herself as she shrugged her shoulders. "Well, we've just met anyway, so I shouldn't be too thoughtful about his problems right away.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"You know, Greg, you got some strange reactions when it comes to the opposite sex." Rio lamented as she tended to Greg's cuts back in the present day.

"I really can't help it. If I didn't have to live isolated because of my powers at the time I discovered them, I doubt I would have problems talking to girls. You guys are different because you're family." Greg said as he flinched while Rio stitched his cuts.

"At least its good to know you had a good start in FOXHOUND." Rio lamented.

"Yes, that is true. I felt I was truly accepted in a place that truly needed my powers and skills." Greg said. "But somehow…I still feel weak compared to the others, no matter how much I say that I have their support."

"There you go again; I can't believe this thing about your powers is bothering you so much that you're full of doubt in yourself as usual." Rio said. (But then again, I'm sure this is the result of the past trauma that has been doing this to you, hasn't it?)

"Sorry if I still sound that way, sometimes I really can't help it." Greg said.

"Well, you really shouldn't act as if the situation is all that hopeless, you know?" Rio lamented. "In any case, you seemed to go pretty well with everyone in FOXHOUND in those days."

"Yeah, everyone was nice, alright. Despite getting beaten up by Michael and Garland often, the occasional breakups Linn and I had, it was pretty much routine for me." Greg said. "Except for one recruit that everyone really didn't like. He went by the name Han Zu Kang."

"I can't recall if you ever said anything to me about him." Rio said.

"There's good reason why. Not everyone I knew in FOXHOUND really liked that guy; he had this high and mighty attitude that really got on people's nerves, which made him Reese's most favorite recruit. He had quite a way on how he looked at individualism and really didn't care about his comrades as he would only follow Reese's orders instead of going against them if it would means contradicting the mission. One of our operatives, Carlos Santiago, died because of Han's decision to follow Reese's command." Greg explained.

"Please tell me that you didn't have to work with that guy." Rio said.

"Unfortunately, yes, a long time back." Greg said. "The guy really knew how to get on my case often, just because I was the one of the only few coloured operatives in the group. He made issues on my appearance a lot and even said some things about me and Linn."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FOXHOUND Briefing Room, a rainy day in October of 2012…

Greg and Linn were joined by James 'Silent Scorpion' Masterson in Reese's office this morning and despite having to listen to the annoying superior, they were there to be briefed on a new mission. At the time, Greg and Linn were still partners, but were eventually seeing each other mutually.

"Where's the Colonel this morning?" Scorpion asked.

"Must be overseeing a mission for the recruits again…" Linn said, sighing as she looked at Greg. "Why do we even have to be here, Greg? This guy is up to no good again."

"Tell me about it." Greg simply replied, not facing her. "By chance he tried to harass you again like the last time?"

Linn looked at Greg with a near shameful look on her face as she nodded silently.

"Yeah, but at least one of the other recruits came by to rescue me in time." Linn said. "Marcus really could have given the guy a trashing if Campbell wasn't in the same room."

"Let me know if this gets more serious and we'll file a harassment case against Reese." Greg said. "Really, who booked this guy to be here in charge?"

Before more was said, Reese himself stepped in the office and another person was behind him, it was Han himself, dressed in his Sneaking Suit with a big smirk on his face.

"Oh, so you're here too?" Han simply said as he lifted his nose at Greg and his friends. "Well, this will be a joy for me since I'll be working with you today, so I don't want any of you to lag behind."

"Working today with us?" Linn asked as she looked at Reese. "What's the meaning of this, Lieutenant?"

"Let me explain the objective of the mission before I tell you why I've decided on including Han in your mission today, Aramaki." Reese said as he showed specific points on a map. "We've received intel that black market smugglers are transporting a new experimental bio weapon today across this area. Your mission is to intercept the smugglers and recover the bio weapon before it reaches the harbor where it will depart from the country."

"The smugglers, are they by any chance armed with weapons to defend themselves?" Greg asked. "They are carrying dangerous materials after all; they may have professionals guarding the transport as well."

"You always assume the worst, don't you, Kinezono?" Reese said to him, causing Greg to stare at him, eye widened while Han's grin got wider. "They are based from a small rural area after all, it is doubtful that they would be carrying weapons in a place where civilians are living."

"But, one can't be too sure about the manpower these smugglers have…" Linn said before she was cut off by Han.

"These smugglers are small fry, nothing the four of us can't handle." Han said as his look on Linn now unsettling while Greg lowered his gaze at him.

"Which brings me to ask why Han has to be included in this mission as well, Lieutenant?" Greg asked sternly. "Certainly, the other recruits are more qualified in devising a plan to…"

"His expertise would provide useful tact against the enemy, Kinezono. I'm certain his organized plan to stop the transport will work like clockwork."

"He is right. I'll see to it that this mission is carried out as the Lieutenant sees fit, one way or the other." Han said.

(You CAN'T be serious.) Greg thought to himself as he and his two comrades left the office along with Han. From the tension felt from both Scorpion and Linn, Greg knew it was a bad idea to let Han tag along with them. Greg knew that if Han screwed something up later, neither he nor Reese would be punished for it. He had to be prepared for anything this guy may do on his part which could be considered reckless.

The rest of the way was by the helicopter which took them where they were to be dropped to the transport point where they would then be taken to the warehouse where all the action was going down was quite silent, save for a few brash lectures from Han which were tuned out by Silent Scorpion, who did his best not to cut open the recruit with his Fate katana, while Linn sat on being uncomfortable all the way. Greg had his Codec on MP3 mode and on the loudest volume possible listening to Hostile Groove's 'Taste the Blood', Devil May Cry 3's main battle themes as he tried to formulate a plan for the mission. He really couldn't tolerate Han's stupid lectures anymore, especially if they would include lewd remarks about Greg's race.

As they reached the warehouse where the smugglers were bringing in the vans to load the rumored weapon, Han was the first to jump out the helicopter without waiting on his comrades. Greg suddenly reached out to grab him by his shoulder as he gave him a stern warning.

"What the hell are you doing?" Greg simply said to Han. "At least wait for orders first from the commander of the mission."

"I already know my orders from Reese and you should know we have no time to waste here." Han said to Greg as Eagle and Scorpion watched from behind. "Now, let me go and follow me."

"Wait a second; no one said anything about following your orders." Greg told him. "And even if we did, God knows what kind of disaster you will stir up."

"Am I sensing a mutiny?" Han asked.

"What if you are?" Greg simply asked with a dangerous glare in his eyes. "Are you going to do something about it?"

"I'll will report your insolence and rebellion to Reese when we get back to headquarters, do you hear me?" Han warned Greg. "He always told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't get into any kind of trouble, nothing good ever comes out from black people like you. You won't get away with this."

"Just try it." Greg said he suddenly swiped his right nano arm across Han's face, dazing him a little and then found himself with his face pressed on the concrete ground as Greg locked his arm behind his back as Greg pressed his body on top on Han's applying pressure on the recruit's face with his knee, bruising it.

"Greg!" Linn called out, but Scorpion simply shook his head at her.

"It's okay, Linn, he may be doing something right here." Scorpion said as Greg looked at Han up close and whispered to him.

"Normally, I'm a mild leveled kind of guy, but now, I'm really am annoyed with your attitude." Greg said to him as he took out a pair of hand cuffs and shackled his hands together.

"What the hell are you doing?" Han protested as Greg then confiscated Han of his weapons, which weren't much.

"Something that will guarantee the success of the mission without having any more of my friends dying because of your mistakes, Han Zu Kang." Greg said as he pressed his Codec. "Venom, this is Panther. I've reached the landing point with Eagle and Scorpion and am now awaiting orders."

"Alright. What about Han?" Michael's voice said as his face appeared on the other screen. "I've been told he's with you guys."

"He's a little tied up at the moment." Greg said, as Han kicked away. "It was a good thing I decided to call you before we got here and asked if you can help us, I really couldn't trust his judgment, you know."

"You made a wise choice, Greg. I didn't really trust him at all, but will the three of you be alright?" Venom asked.

"As long you're with us giving us back up, it will be more than alright." Greg said as Michael smiled.

"If that's okay with you, then, I'll do my best to assist, Greg. It was thoughtful of you to have called me for help." Michael said as Greg turned off the Codec and faced Han once more.

"We'll be leaving you here to see this mission through. At least you'll be safe for the time being." Greg said to him. "I promise I'll be back to pick you up when it's over."

"You can't do this to me, Kinezono!" Han shouted as Panther, Eagle and Scorpion walked away from Han. "Reese will have your head for this, do you hear me?"

Greg remained silent as he and his partners left a badly bruised Han to wriggle on the cold, wet, concrete as rain began to fall heavily on the compound and on him, totally drenching him.

Thanks to Michael's last minute intervention and Greg's quick thinking, the mission went rather well as Scorpion's coordinated sniping, Linn's interception and Greg's Grenadier skills brought the most efficient results into stopping the new weapon from being transported and even brought in a few of the smugglers in for interrogation.

At the end of it all, as some of the other FOXHOUNDers came to assist in the arrest of the smugglers and the collecting of the weapon, Greg even had the heart to get Han out of his handcuffs, but not before the disgruntled recruit tried to deck Greg for stopping him before the mission. However, before Han tried to hurt him, a hand stopped Han from advancing further.

"And do pray tell what is going on here?" Roy Campbell's voice said as he managed to stop Han from hitting Greg.

"This man rebelled against me and had me handcuffed, sir!" Han complained as he started to sneeze heavily. He must have been coming with a serious cold. "They went against direct orders Reese have given for the mission and had secretly gotten orders by Venom for the mission instead."

"Is this true, Panther?" The Col. asked Greg, as Greg knew this was the cue for the likes of Han to be defended by Roy Campbell. "Did you do all this behind Reese's back?"

"Yes, with good intentions, sir." Greg said sternly. "Han's interception in this mission would have under minded everything while I trusted Venom's help which would have the polar opposite effect. I had to take the measures to prevent him from causing any one in this team from either getting injured or worst because of his recklessness."

"You're one to talk!" Han shouted, as he tried to punch Greg once more, but the psychic coolly looked at him as Campbell spoke.

"Panther, even though the success rate of the mission was acceptable, what you did to Han was unacceptable." Campbell said. "In that case, I will ask that you have to answer to Reese first thing when you get back and see what kind of disciplinary action he has for what has taken place today."

Linn and Scorpion both gasped as they saw Greg lowered his eyes at Han once more in silence. They knew well Greg did what was right for the mission and they hardly have anything to complain about it, but does he have to be punished for making the right choice?

"I understand, sir. I understand fully well." Greg said sternly as Han smirked at Greg as he left together with Campbell. Linn came to Greg with a look of disbelief on her face.

"This isn't right, Greg." Linn said to him. "As far as I know it, Han should be the one going to the brig, not you."

"It will be fine, Linn. Two weeks in the cell is something I can live with." Greg simply said to her. "Compared to what happened today, Han may end up getting into an even worse situation later on with someone else in the group. Just give it time, you can bet the way he's going, someone else from FOXHOUND will teach him something before I work with him again."

Linn looked on at Greg as he smiled at her and Scorpion as he spoke again. "But enough about him, we three along with Michael's support did rather well today, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I was actually glad things went well." Scorpion said nodding at Greg.

"Me too. At least no one on our side got hurt today." Linn said as Greg noticed the different look in her eyes which mad Greg ponder.

"Is something the matter?" Greg asked.

"You were worried about us when Han joined up today, weren't you?" Linn asked. "Is that why you had to stop him?"

"Of course I was." Greg said. "It was the first time I did something that crazy, but the safety of you guys comes first than anything else on a mission. I want to do what I can to watch over you guys always."

Linn couldn't help but think that it was kind of noble that Greg had to stop Han like that before things got worse. But this only made the rift between Han and other fellow FOXHOUNDers like themselves to widen. Greg will have to careful from now on when facing Han next time,

"Come on, guys, we need to get back to HQ." Scorpion said as they left the compound.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Wow, that was kind of cool for you to do that, Greg." Rio said as she had been listening to Greg's story. "You did the right thing then to stop that guy from causing any problems."

"If you say so, but really, I wanted to do more than just handcuff him and bruise his pretty face." Greg said with a light grin. "Still, I had to spend time in the brig for at least a week by Reese because of it. He wasn't all too happy when he heard what had happened."

"So what happened to that Han guy?" Rio asked.

"Well, I wasn't around when it happened, but Riku gave me the details of what really happened. Not too long after that incident, Han, Maggie, Garland and Michael went on a mission on their own, where I heard there were complications caused by Han's part, as he had injured Maggie because she didn't follow orders." Greg said.

"Orders from Reese, nonetheless." Rio said.

"Right. It was then Han started a little rebellion on his own as he would have killed Maggie then if Garland and Michael hadn't shot at him, killing the guy first." Greg explained. "His body ended up being turned into processed meat by machine gears afterwards when his body fell into, so there was hardly anything worth collecting for the funeral. Not even his brother wanted to pay for it and to make matters worse, we had to pay for it. He died a poor, lonely man and wasn't liked even by his own family, quite miserable, isn't it?"

Rio couldn't help but snicker to this as Greg then thought to himself a bit before he spoke.

"Which reminds me, they are supposed to be burying the former NERV commander in a couple of days soon, I hope I can at least be back in Tokyo-3 when this is over to see if anyone will be going to pay any respects that man deserved." Greg said. "But from what I gathered from the few of the friends from NERV I made before coming over here, that is unlikely as I doubt anyone would care."

"Sounds like not even a powerful man who was in charge of the base responsible for holding off the Angels is appreciated, huh?" Rio asked. "I wonder why?"

"I can always ask for a list of reasons once this is over. Be expecting a very long one though." Greg said as both he and Rio laughed together. It was a comfortable time that they can spend together as family.

The ring tone of the Codec had somehow ceased the laughter, knowing that it has to be someone from FOXHOUND who is calling Greg. They looked at each other silently as Rio patted his back.

"It will be okay; I'll sit over here and act like I'm not around." Rio winked at Greg. "Go ahead."

"Thanks, sensei." Greg nodded as he then picked up his Codec and answered it. "Psychic Panther here."

The other end was another fellow FOXHOUNDer, Maggie 'Eden Puma' Thompson, a female recruit who gifted and cursed with the necromancer ability to communicate to and listen to the dead, as well as summoning their essences. She was of American decent with brown streaked blonde hair with a near petite appearance that still remained attracted among the other female recruits of the group. She had been in FOXHOUND since long before the full reformation shortly after Shadow Moses and is currently Garland's love interest.

"Come on, Greg, I was told you're not on a mission right now, so you don't have to say the codename like that."

"Maggie? Why are you calling me? "Greg asked almost surprised.

"Well, I was kind of worried on how a psychic recruit like you would be doing if he's not in Tokyo-3 at this time and not stirring up some kind of trouble. Something has to be very wrong here." Maggie said jokingly.

"Really, Maggie, I want to laugh, but I can't right now." Greg said. "It's just a very personal matter regarding family issues that heeded my attention and I just couldn't turn away from them when they need me the most."

"Always the family man, huh?" Maggie said to him. "In any case, I'm calling you to discuss about this thing with Reese."

"Wait a second…did Garland and Michael tell you what I said to them?" Greg asked.

"Uh-huh, I'm sure they were only thinking about you when they decided to call me, Greg." Maggie said.

"Okay, but at least let my surrogate mother listen to this as well, she's here with me." Greg said as he looked at Rio. "Sensei, I will need you to turn on your Codec and meet a fellow comrade from FOXHOUND. She's the necromancer recruit I mentioned to you a while back."

Rio nodded as she switched on her Codec and her face appeared while she greeted herself to Maggie Thompson.

"Hey, there, you must be one of Greg's old friends, huh?" Rio said to Maggie. "I'm Rio, nice to meet you."

"It's good to meet you too, miss Rio Kinezono." Maggie said as she bowed to Rio. "I did wish it was under better circumstances, Garland told me all of the details about what has happened from Greg."

"I see. Well, don't let it get to you, at least I'm still kicking and that's all that matters." Rio said.

"Greg, you really would be the envy of the entire male population of FOXHOUND if the other guys find out how incredibly pretty your mom looks." Maggie said as Greg flushed with crimson.

"Enough of the teasing already, Maggie. It's time we got to the heart of the issue here." Greg said as he looked serious. "Didn't you call me to tell me something I should know about Mantis?"

"Yes, Garland said it probably be relevant to this situation which could help you. Do you want me to connect him and Michael so they can help fill you in?" Maggie asked.

"Yes, please." Greg said sternly as the Codec screen from Maggie's side was now on Garland Durev's and Michael Hansen's faces.

"Hey, Greg, I take it that you're ready to learn something I should have said to you a long time ago." Garland said to him. "It could prove useful if this bit of news can help you find your sister."

"I'm ready for anything you will say to me, Garland." Greg said seriously. "Even if it's probably something I may not like to hear."

"But I'll be right here with you, Greggie. It's going to be okay." Rio said to him from outside the Codec.

"Thanks, sensei." Greg nodded at her.

"You'd better listen up good to what I have to say about this, Greg." Maggie spoke as she prepared herself for a long speech. "It happened during a mission I was sent to infiltrate Shadow Moses sometime after Snake became a legend there. It was there I also met Garland."

"I never knew that." Greg simply said.

"Well, now you know." Garland replied.

"Did you have any idea to as what you were doing on that island, Maggie?" Greg asked.

"Yes, I had my mission objectives." She replied. "But it's kind of a long story."

"I bet it is." Greg said.

"Don't fall asleep." She smiled at Greg.

"I got hot coffee brewing on a bon fire and my surrogate mother watching over me. It will be impossible for me do so right now." Greg said seriously.

"Just a year after Shadow Moses, only a small faction of FOXHOUND remained, except for the founding members." Maggie explained. "Only Campbell and Meryl stayed behind to make sure the pieces that were left behind from that famous mission."

"That means Snake, Mei-Ling, and Naomi had left the group to form Philanthropy, if memory serves correct." Greg said. "Nastasha Romanenko somehow retired from that job to work on her story and Otacon joined Philanthropy afterwards to kick things off."

"Right. At the time, Reese was also still one of the high commanding officers of the then disbanding group." Maggie said. "Before FOXHOUND totally had been claimed disbanded by the public and to the world, I was sent to Shadow Moses on what it seems to be the last mission for FOXHOUND..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Flashback to Shadow Moses, while Alaska was still in the barren freezing temperatures, in the basement levels of the facility...

(Is this really the Commander's room where the corpse is supposed to be?) Asked a younger Maggie Thompson, wearing a B.D.U of a green colour, and holding unto an assault rifle. Behind her was Garland Durev, who seemed to have been unaffected by the hard battles that he went through just to get down to the basement levels of the Nuclear Storage Building. During the time, he was on an assigned mission as a mercenary who went by the codename, 'Bloody Hands.'

"Something wrong, Maggie?" Garland asked, surveying the room. "You seemed more unsettled than before the moment we stepped in."

"No, it must be my imagination." she replied.

"Could it be your necromancer powers kicking in again?" Garland asked. "This is the place where Psycho Mantis supposedly had died."

"Most probably." Maggie simply replied. She hadn't told Garland the details as yet, but her orders were to infiltrate the facility of the nuclear base and recover the dead bodies of any of the rogue FOXHOUND members. Using her special necromancer ability, she had been using it to track any sign of any of the deceased recruits. She had been given the right descriptions of who to look for, but she still can't comprehend on the fact of why she would have been sent on this mission despite the fact she was a new recruit with hardly any experience suited for this mission. If it wasn't for Garland's arrival some time before, a worst fate would have befallen her by now.

"But I can sense that this room once had a fierce battle...the essence of death is getting stronger from here on..." She spoke sullenly.

"Let's investigate some more, shall we?" Garland said, as he began to walk towards the hidden corridor which leads to the outside of the room. A little way after exiting the room, the two stopped to see a makeshift hole in the stone wall near the door, with long icicles covering it. Maggie cannot see inside the dark hole too well, but she can see a mummy wrapped corpse that was stained with blood around the chest area.

(That must be him...) Maggie taught to herself. Before Garland can spot what she was holding in a free left hand, she snuck a tiny transmitter near the body. (Hopefully, the signal can be picked up by the Black Ops that supposed to confiscate the body, just as Campbell said.)

"Maggie, don't fall behind." Garland called to her as she suddenly looked in his direction.

"I'm right behind you." Maggie said as she caught up with the burly mercenary.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Back to the present...over Greg's Codec screen...

"So, in short, you discovered Mantis's corpse, didn't you?" Greg asked.

"Yes, I did manage to find the corpses of both Mantis and Sniper Wolf. That was the orders I was given to infiltrate Shadow Moses by Reese of all people." Maggie explained. "That was the mission I was given and I hid it from everyone else for all this time…"

"Maggie, I'm not blaming you for this." Greg said. "Certainly if anyone knew Reese's intentions then, it would have been a different story. But we really can't go back and stop it from happening, can we?"

"Even still, it wasn't right for Mantis to be have been manipulated for this, I feel responsible now knowing that he has hurt a family of a friend of mine." Maggie said.

"Like I said before, I'm not angry at you for this. None of us could have known." Greg said as he faced Garland's screen now. "And Garland...you had any idea of this?"

"No way, Greg. If I did, you would have been the first to know right away." Garland confessed. "I had my separate mission to see about, but I had little idea about Maggie's mission and how it would affect all of us."

"In any case, did Campbell ever know about your mission, Maggie?" Rio asked, cutting in the conversation.

"No, he was never notified that I even went on a mission anyway." Maggie replied.

"Well, I guess the routine that Reese is famous forhasn't changedfrom that time." Rio said.

"Let them finish, Rio." Greg said as he allowed Maggie to continue.

"When Mantis was recovered, his body was still in satisfactory condition because of how the dead body was preserved in the thermal wrapping, to keep his skin from decomposing. All that was required was an electrical heart massage to bring Mantis back to life again and a reconstructive plastic surgery for Wolf." Maggie said.

"Not doubt with endorsements by Reese and the Patriots." Greg said.

"Those bastards took away Mantis's memory of peace and happiness when he died after his fight with Snake and warped his mind into something worst." Rio said, gritting her teeth. "They turned him into a killing machine and made him do things against his will."

"Is that what really happened?" Garland asked. "How did you know about all of that, Greg?"

"A friend of the family told us about Reese and his atrocities. That's all I can tell you for now, Garland, until everything's clear." Greg replied.

"Okay then, as far we can guess, Mantis was brought back to be a slave for the Patriots and Reese. Sniper Wolf was also brought back for pursuing Scorpion in his recent mission in Cuba." Garland said.

"What happened to Wolf?" Greg asked.

"Scorpion managed to kill her according to intel. As far as we know it, she came like a surrogate mother to him; she taught him all she knew about sniping and the art of killing." Garland said.

"He must still be going through a tougher time than I thought." Greg said.

"In any case, Mantis has to be stopped before something happens to Lilica." Rio said. "That is why I'm helping Greg get through this by the time to rescue her has come."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Maggie asked. "Greg, do you think you're strong enough to even reverse the damage that the Patriots have done to him? Now that we know that it's possible of brainwashing a psychic strong as he is, it may be impossible to break their effect on him."

"I'm not sure...but..." Greg stopped midway as he shook hid head. "I can't just willingly hurt someone like Mantis without knowing why he's doing this. There's more to this than meets the eye here. He may be hiding something important we need to know."

"What about Reese? He's the cause of all these problems; he should be dealt with accordingly." Garland said.

"Reese…" Greg muttered as he then thought about Yuina Hattori now. "Because of him bringing Mantis back, he had managed to bring even an innocent into this mess. I really can't just be laid back about this matter from now on."

"Yuina Hattori?" Maggie asked.

Greg sighed and held back his head. "A sophomore that was rumored to have hidden powers. She was snatched by Mantis from her aunt. I was told that she died trying to protect Yuina when Mantis attacked their home. Her caretaker came to my family looking for help and then one thing lead to another."

"How horrible. Now, this just keeps getting even worse." Maggie shook her head.

"Okay, Greg...we understand the situation. Now it seems Mantis has two hostages." Garland nodded his head. "If need be, we'll deal with Reese when the time comes and if he's holding back anything we can use while we're searching for the Patriots, it will be forced out of him."

"Hold on, you told me I will be getting support. Just telling me about what Maggie's involvement in finding Mantis's corpse alone isn't going to do much." Greg said.

Garland nodded his head. "Don't you worry; I didn't plan to leave you without some helping hands, Greg. I thought ahead that even with Team WARRIOR and your skills, Mantis may have some manpower to defend him. So, I contacted one of my old merc groups, the Shinsengumi to come on over to your place to help you out."

"Shinsengumi…I thought I heard about them from somewhere." Greg tried to think back. (I actually heard there were two of these groups under the same name anyway, and they all consist of the female gender. I even heard Riku muttered their name a while back during a mission in the past, but I've never actually seen them…)

"They are the famed trio of women skilled in combat and mostly, sword fighting, famous among certain mercenaries like me." Garland said. "Anyway, I asked Naomi where you could be staying and she told me the address. So be expecting them in the morning, bright and early."

"You said these girls are famous around mercenaries. Do we have to pay them for their services?" Rio asked.

"Relax, miss Kinezono. They have already decided to do me a favour and help you out, so you don't have to worry about paying them." Garland said to her.

"Garland, even if you manage to beat me down time and time again, you're still a good friend." Greg smiled. "We really appreciate the extra help."

"Hey, anything to make sure that you'll get through this without getting killed, Greg. I know family is important, but remember that you still have to come back to us after this mess is over so we can go altogether and punish Reese for what he has done." Garland said.

"I really doubt you need my help in that, but we'll see." Greg simply said. "Anyways, it's getting pretty late here; I have to continue my training for awhile longer."

"Okay, Greg. Take care of yourself." Maggie said as she logged off.

"We'll make sure to talk to you again when we uncover more information you should know about, Greg." Garland said. "I would be extremely from now on careful if I were you."

"I will. Thanks for the company." Greg said as he turned off this Codec, then facing Rio.

"So, Greg, what now?" she asked.

'Well, now we know Reese was truly behind bringing Mantis back to life and brainwashing him, something has to be done and right now I'm working on it." Greg replied.

"Just don't push yourself too much or you'll open your wounds again." Rio lamented.

"If that's the case, you should stay close by and make sure something we don't like doesn't happen." Greg said, stretching his arms. "Do you want me to show you what I managed to have controlled so far?"

"By all means, go on ahead." Rio said to Greg as she sat back and paid attention to her surrogate son's skills as a psychic soldier. For the next hour, Rio supervised Greg in gracefully using his pryokinetic powers along with his combat skills, as he endured a great deal of concentration to maintain balance of his mind when he used his powers every time. She made sure to help him up every time he fell on his knees or when it was time to take his pills. She had to support him since it bothered her that she felt Lilica's safety was riding on his actions and choices he will make.

There was a six hour break between the late night into the morning as Greg used this chance to rest and recover some of the wounds and cuts he had during the training. Rio used the tent he slept in, while Greg used a sleeping bag. By the time morning came, Greg was already up while Rio slept in a little late. He couldn't help but smile as she snored away in the tent, thinking it was best not to wake her just yet.

"My…Greggie…" Rio called out as Greg stopped midway, preparing coffee.

(Could she be dreaming about me?) Greg thought to himself.

"Please…don't take away my Greg from me." Rio finished as Greg's thoughts became more serious.

(What was that about?) Greg thought as he then heard his Codec ring once more. Knowing it could be a possible call from FOXHOUND once more, he answered.

"This is Panther." Greg simply said.

"Good morning, Kinezono." A young girl's voice was heard at the other end, and Greg almost didn't recognize it if it weren't so silent. He instantly caught on with the tone of the girl's voice before her face appeared on the other Codec screen. It was Rei Ayanami, the First Child. Greg was almost surprised to see her even call him up like this.

"The First Child?" Greg looked at Rei in surprise for awhile. "This is certainly a surprise. Is there any particular reason why you contacted me?"

"I have been seeking to ask you a question before you departed from Tokyo- 3, but I had to ask Masterson for your frequency." Rei replied.

"I see. Sorry I had to put you through the trouble of finding out my frequency from my comrades." Greg said.

"It is of no problem, but have I interrupted you from something important, Kinezono?"

"Not really, I'm just about to start my day off." Greg said. "So...what is it that you wanted to ask me?"

"Kinezono...ever since the last Angel invaded the city..." Rei stopped for a moment.

"The one that managed to get into the GeoFront?" Greg asked.

"...why did you do it?" she asked.

"Excuse me" Greg asked.

"Why did you risk your life to protect the inhabitants of NERV and of your own comrades, as well as Ikari and myself and by us time?" Rei asked. "You would have been killed during the encounter, but you willingly threw yourself in front of the enemy to defend us. Do you not know of the power that the Angels wield?"

"About that, I really ask myself why I did it. You can say it was impulse on my part that made me do such a crazy and stupid thing." Greg said. "Even now when I think of it, I'm not really proud of what I have done, even though it may have saved people for a bit. I would have been easily killed, but it seemed I got off easy for now."

"But you certainly did something possibly no other human couldn't. "She replied. "Do you put that much trust in your abilities, Kinezono?"

"No, not all the time. I actually don't trust them all the time, really." Greg said to Rei. "They have put me through so much and I've even hurt someone dear to me in the past quite gravely. But still, I want to use them for what's important to me. I want to protect the people and the time I spend which I hold close to my heart."

"I guess that's why I had to use my powers is because I'm probably asking for some kind of retribution for the things I may have done in the past. Until then, the only thing that matters is making sure the people around me won't have to suffer as some other people I know did. There are others who have gone through even worse suffering than I have, but they are still headstrong about the problems they are faced with." Greg said. "The most I could do is learn from each of my friends that I'm not alone in this fight and that is what keeps me going despite the hardships."

Rei looked at Greg silently for a moment, thinking of how Shinji went all out to prevent the 14th Angel to attack Unit 00 and in the result when his Evangelion lost power; it came to life and absorbed his life force into itself. He was obviously doing what he could to protect her, Misato Katsuragi and the people at NERV and FOXHOUND.

"Is something wrong, Rei?" Greg asked.

"I was only thinking of Ikari." Rei replied.

"His actions must have been the same as mine." Greg said. "I risked my life to defend the city and protect my loved ones, while he fought to do the same. But, I do hope he didn't have to die for it...sacrificing yourself to save others will only bring more grief. There's certainly no reason to throw your own life away to make that happen, Rei. There's more to life than it looks."

"And what about Aramaki?" Rei asked. "Did you do what you have to do because of her?"

"Certainly." Greg replied. "She's one of the reasons why I decided I couldn't give up on myself or on others, no matter how big or impossible difficulties seem. I doubt I would have been myself as I am today without her. There was something my master said to me years ago while I started to train, something that I drummed to the back of my head since that time she told me...would you like to hear it?"

"Yes, please." Rei replied kindly.

"He asked if I was still weak in terms of my strength. After I was able and still up to this time, to acknowledge it, he then said to me to treasure my weakness. Without anyone to protect, my strength is but a foolish one that will only lead to self destruction." Greg said. "I'm certain that is something you can ponder on, Rei Ayanami."

"I'll certainly will." Rei said.

"I do hope I have answered your question, but sometimes it's better to find out yourself when the time comes. It's better that that way." Greg said.

"I do not understand, Kinezono." Rei simply replied.

"You will eventually. You can ask Garland or Michael if you are still unclear on it." Greg said.

"I have most certainly enjoyed talking to you, Kinezono. I must be attending school now." Rei said to him sullenly.

"Well, be well then." Greg said as the Codec then turned off at her end. Greg sigh some a bit as he stood up, only to see Rio wearing her casual clothing. Her long blonde hair was loose which now covered her back and she was holding unto a towel along with a bar of soap and pail.

"Who were you talking to?" Rio asked.

"She was one of the Evangelion pilots. She wanted to find out a bit of why I use my powers." Greg simply said. "It was quite a bit of a mystery why she would ask me though, but now it reminded me of something important for this bit of training."

"Well, the answer's obvious, isn't it?" Rio said. "You fight to protect a future for those who would soon inherit the things us humans are meant to enjoy in life. You are a psychic guardian fitted for the role of ensuring this reality happens as you really can't give up on hope, now that there are people counting on you to help them always.

"You are right." Greg simply replied. "And I certainly can't afford to get over my head either about this thing with Reese. Getting Lilica and Yuina back safe are most important to me, as well trying to find a way to restore Mantis to his former self."

"Well, I shouldn't be stopping you from going on with your training. I'm going up to the waterfall for a quick skinny dip." Rio said.

"Alright then." Greg answered, turning around as a question mark appeared on top over her head. "Hey, is something wrong, sensei?"

"You're starting to creep me out, Greg." Rio simply said.

"Hey! What a thing to say to your own darling student." Greg said. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Your weird reaction to women strikes again. Something must be wrong with you." Rio shrugged her shoulders.

"Sensei, not now, please. I want to complete my training before sunset at least. "Greg said. "I'll be just fine."

"Alright, alright. I won't press you any longer. I guess this is why you're one of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, you can be such a straight arrow sometimes." Rio shook her head as she then took up a bar of soap nearby along with a pail as she began to walk off while Greg looked up to the sky and started to practice his skills once more while he reminisced another important memory.

(I guess it has always been like this, hasn't it, Linn?) Greg asked himself. (Ever since that time.)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It was a Wednesday afternoon, August 5th 2013. Silent Scorpion, Berserker Demon, Drakken, Silver Eagle, and Panther himself were assigned to rescue a group of children who were kidnapped by a group of para-military troops who were revealed to have deep connections to a recent uprising of drug, weapon, and slavery charges by a hidden faction of the Romanian government. Most likely, the Patriots were behind these inhuman acts.

The group had infiltrated a deserted farmhouse on the outskirts of the Romanian city, where Silent Scorpion picked two sentries clean with only two sniper shots that were patrolling from near the gate. According to Campbell's intel, there was a mansion close by where the group's ringleader was supposed to be staying. That was the target for the group.

"I still don't understand why all of us have to come..." Scorpion muttered, while gripping on to his sniper rifle.

"Well, that was Campbell's order, and I can't say I blame him for those orders. There are about fifty plus young hostage victims in that prison that we're looking for." Riku replied. "Nagu alone won't be able get half of them out of there, not in a single trip anyway, which is why Greg's here to hijack one of their transports and get them out of here, while the rest of us are to go for the leader."

"So far, there don't seem to be any problems..." Linn looked around, before cautiously walking forward. Greg followed her; just to make sure she didn't step on any mines that could be lying about. So far, thanks to the thermal goggles he made sure to bring, he didn't see any. But the daylight was still bright, making it possible for everyone to easily to be spotted, and they had to move fast if they wanted to get out alive with the children.

The group stopped at what it seemed to be the middle gathering area of the compound and then they heard the Codec rang. It was Lt. Matthew Reese.

"I take it that you've successfully infiltrated the compound?" Reese asked. There were a couple of grumbles from Riku and Greg, as they still had to get used to Reese taking over this mission since Roy was on sick leave. Linn was the one who replied.

"Yes, sir. No hitches so far." Eagle replied.

"You now must perform your assigned duties. Panther, locate an available air transport and have it ready. Eagle, you and Drakken go out to locate the children and Scorpion, your task is to eliminate the ringleader of this military group with Berserker Demon's assistance." Reese commanded. "You all have only forty minutes until Nagu gets the command to arrive at your location. By that time, you should be ready."

The Codec logged off and Greg was the first to talk. "Forty minutes alone isn't enough to get all of that done, you all know that?"

Garland nodded in agreement. "Well, we just need to do what we are told. Thank God that Venom decided to mark out the possible locations on the Soliton radars where those kids were being held before we got here. This should make things easier for us."

"We may still need to contact him now and again for further aid." Greg said seriously.

"Let's move out." Scorpion said, leaving in another direction with Garland. Riku began to walk in another opposite direction, as Linn followed. But Greg's right hand grabbed her arm before she separated from him.

"Be careful. I got a bad feeling about this place." Greg warned her. She simply smiled at him

"Don't you worry. You know I've got a good hand with children and I also have Riku to help me here." She smiled at him. "We'll be back with our extra guests soon enough."

"Okay then. We'll take care of things on our end." Greg simply said, turning to head towards a separate direction; he then turned to Garland. "Demon, if it's alright, I'll go on ahead just to make sure things are all clear."

"Alright, but be careful." Garland replied seriously.

Greg then headed off to look for any transport around, and saw only the armoured tanks and several jeeps, but no helicopter that will help with the transport. Knowing that he had no time to waste; he simply paced his movement towards the small hut at the side of the parking lot and planted a C4 near the entrance and another underneath one of the jeeps.

Before he made a step, he pulled back his head only to see a large built soldier pass him; he had a large machete strapped across his back and was holding a large submachine gun in his right hand. Greg took a look at this man and saw that he could easily put Vulcan Raven to shame, because this man looked like he could move dangerously if underestimated. From his distance, Greg could see the man speaking into a radio.

"Yes, Commander. We have the armaments ready for them just as you promised..." he spoke in a deep accent. "They have no idea that we were expecting them to come for those children. They all wasted their time, and soon their lives...into thinking they could get away with bringing us down."

(They knew we were coming and prepared themselves, which isn't good.) Greg thought to himself, keeping a straight face. (I've got to warn everyone at once.)

"No, we haven't delayed the delivery to the underground in the States. Things will go according to plan once these meddlesome FOXHOUND commandos are eliminated." The man said with a smile on his. "Over and out."

As soon he disconnected, Greg touched the Codec call button. The person that he met on the other end was Linn. He wasted no time getting set to warn her about the trap that was set.

"Eagle! Get out of there now with Drakken!" Greg shouted over the Codec. Linn looked at Greg in a surprised look.

"Panther! What is it?" Linn asked. "Is something wrong?"

"These guys somehow knew we were coming and have set up several ambushes around. This place is going to be under serious heat if we don't move fast." Greg said.

"But we already have found the children. We're just getting them out now." Drakken replied. Just then from his end, the door busted down on the floor.

"There they are! Get them!" one of the troops shouted from the background of Linn's Codec. A sound of gunfire was then heard, as static took over.

"Linn! Riku!" Greg shouted. "Damn, it has started!"

Gripping on his grenade gun, he stepped up, only to be faced with a large shotgun in his face.

"CLICK!" was the sound Greg heard from cocking of the gun in his face. He didn't even glare at the side to see the large man smiling at the intruder.

"FOXHOUND really went through a lot of trouble trying to take out our reputation, now this will be such a great victory for us when we will eliminate everyone one of you and use those children in our custody for the most...useful, purposes that our governors will find interest of." The man said.

"You think you will get away with this?" Greg simply replied, without easily showing any emotion. "You know you won't be getting away with this when we find your leader."

"Ha! Seems that the information you received was wrong. I'm that commander that you were sent to kill!" he said.

(Don't tell us we've been misinformed by Reese again!) Greg thought to himself. (Got to act fast now or else…)

Greg simply raised his right arm, that was covered in the long red cloak and punched the shotgun out of harm's way before it fired. But before Greg can reach for his USP, a sharp pain was felt from behind his back. A bullet had been shot from one of the sentries that were hiding out from behind the ringleader. Greg fell one knee. He felt the stinging, then a burrowing at the right side of his body, just behind his liver. The bullet stayed inside his body.

"This is where I get to finish you off." The man said cocking the gun at Greg's head closer. "Say good...ARRGH!"

Greg heard a blood curdled sound from the man, as his throat was embedded with a large bowie knife. Scorpion had just entered the area, picking off the three sentries that surrounded Greg. As the large ringleader fell back, Greg had to step aside before the gun went off, missing his head twice.

"Thanks, Scorpion. I owe you one." Greg looked at the dead bodies around him and then held unto his side, which was now drenched in blood.

"Greg, this was a botch. They knew we were coming." Scorpion replied. "What now?"

"Both Eagle and Drakken are in trouble, as well as those kids. I have to get to them." Greg said. "Where's Demon?"

"He's clearing a path for an escape. He spotted where we can get everyone out of here in one trip by an old ferry behind the mansion."

"You go and help him out; the chances are that he's probably in True Dread trying not to go Beserk." Greg said. "We'll be joining you soon with the children. If I'm not back in thirteen minutes, leave without me. I can always escape in the Harrier."

James saw the wound on Greg's body. "You'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'll just use these for now." Greg said as he took out some painkillers. With a bottle of natural water he also would carry with him, Greg took a swig of the drink and swallowed a handful of the tablets quickly."

"I'll be there to join you guys shortly, just go and clean house." Greg said as he started to run off, as James headed to his direction. When the scene was quiet, the movement of the large dead man's fingers could be seen moving slightly.

As Greg continued running, he heard the Codec rang. It was Reese at the other end.

"Panther! That area is highly dangerous with enemy fire! Do not proceed any further!" Reese commanded.

"And abandon my comrades? I can't really do that now, can I, Lieutenant?" Greg replied loudly, checking his RGB-6 for ammo and the wound he got. Swallowing a bit, he tore of piece of the nanomachines like a clog of living moss from his right arm and placed the colonies where the bullet wound was to stop the blood loss. Grimacing a bit as the nanomachines found a temporary new home on his body, Greg felt some stamina returning.

"This is the most I can do until I get some better medical attention." Greg said as he stopped at a corner and watched enemy sentries enter the old farmhouse that the fight ensued. He still had a USP with only 26 rounds of ammo, and some frag grenades as well. He also was carrying an empty Nikita missile launcher as well.

"You will obey the command that is given to you! Retreat now if you value your own life." Reese said.

"You should know that I can't just leave them behind!" Greg replied.

"You will return to Scorpion's and Demon's positions as of now and let Eagle and Drakken handle things."

"I've had enough of listening to you. I'm not leaving any of them behind and that is final." Greg growled as he switched off Reese's frequency suddenly as he then switched to Venom's own. "Venom, do you copy?"

"I'm here, Panther. What's the situation?" he said with a concerned, yet focused look on his face. "I was told by Scorpion about what has happened."

"I'm right in front where Eagle and Drakken are caught in some serious crossfire." Greg shouted. "If I don't intercept now…"

"Take it easy, Panther. Demon is on the way to assist you now. You'll go in following his lead." Venom said as if on cue, a blood covered Berserker Demon appeared aside Greg.

"I made it, Venom." Garland spoke calmly, despite his appearance and how Greg couldn't stop looking at him in his state. It was obvious he must have gone berserk or just really made one big mess holding the fort where he was.

"Alright, Demon, Panther, the two of you will flank the enemy from the front that is where most of them will be by now." Venom said. "A few of the hostiles are situated at the back area as well."

"We got you." Demon said as he turned off the Codec and he stared at his comrade. "You ready to raise some hell, Panther?"

"Sure." Greg said seriously, clenching his right wrist. The two rivals stared on at the door as Greg used his psychic powers to blast the heavy door off its hinges, knocking down two soldiers who were behind it. Garland wasted no time as he dashed faster than Greg's eye could see as he was now taking down soldiers in severe knockdown blows from his gauntlet worn fists and feet, while Greg picked up an M4 on the ground and aimed the gun at his north left and fired three shots at the sentry that cocked his shotgun at Greg. A shot was heard, but Greg had already cart wheeled to the side, before taking out a frag grenade and holding it in case, looking for another target.

Demon, who had just flattened over five of the sentries by now using his complex strength, saw Greg in this state as the psychic stared at him back in silence before suddenly whipping out his USP and shooting in succession three sentries above him on their vital points.

(Is this Greg's form of a Sixth Sense?) Garland thought as he saw Greg moved at a controlled pace, firing his USP at the door in front of them, before throwing the grenade in the passage way, killing two sentries who were waiting for them.

"Let's move." Greg said to Garland in what it sounded to be the most serious deadpan tone he had ever heard from him yet. Not waiting to observe Greg's shift in attitude any longer, the two men entered, as Greg had his USP and now a Bowie knife ready while Garland had his own hand gun on the ready.

Greg and Garland proceeded to meet more sentries in the proceeding levels into a basement area. Greg stopped to take out his handgun and fired at one of the sentries, before he threw the knife at sentry's comrade. This gave Garland the chance to rush in and slam the wounded sentry to the ground, while he took out the others with his brute attacks of Jeet Kun Do mastery.

"We're almost there, Panther." Garland said to his partner, who nodded to him silently as the right side of his face was now covered in blood. Garland kicked down the door while Greg was now holding unto his grenade gun. He instantly fired it at the ground in front of him, as two sentries met their ends.

"Eagle!" Greg shouted as he walked on to see in a large room, several corpses lay about, while Riku was near one of the corners of the wall, tending to an unconscious Linn who was surrounded by small children. Greg came closer to his partner and saw blood protruded near her heart, while Garland helped Riku up.

"She took a shot trying to protect one of the kids before she managed to get some of them." Riku said miserably. Greg gritted his teeth, while Garland checked her pulse.

"She's still breathing, but has got a weak pulse." Garland said. "We have to get her out of here. Drakken, you have guide the kids out of here, Greg, you'll have to carry Linn out of here."

"But, I want to help you clear out of here." Greg said as Garland shook his head.

"You've done enough getting here; I don't want you to push yourself more than you're already doing." Garland said, noting the wound on Greg's body. "Besides, you're responsible for her life now. If anything happens to her, you know I won't forgive you."

"I…I understand. I'll do my best for her." Greg nodded as he took Linn by the shoulder. "Oh, one more thing, Garland."

"What is it?" Garland asked before he and Riku left with the children.

"Thanks for the back up." Greg simply said seriously as he carried her off.

"Come on, Drakken. We have to get these children out of danger. I'll take us to a shortcut." Garland said; as he crashed open a door which leads to the back of the house with sound deafening blow. "We can leave through here."

"O-okay..." Riku said, holding unto his shuriken and returning them into the holster of his Sneaking Suit. He grouped the young children into a line and led them out along with Garland. As he passed, he saw the hell Greg and Garland raised just to get there while he saw Greg leave in a different direction.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Greg followed with Linn on his shoulders, as he stopped outside the farmhouse, just a few meters where the Harrier was located outside the compound.

"We're almost there, Linn. Just hang on." Greg said as carried her.

"Uhhh…" Linn moaned in pain, but at least it was enough of an answer to him. However, before he stopped, he met an unexpected snag. It was the ringleader of the paramilitary group who still had the knife Scorpion threw at him in his neck.

"Not now of all times." Greg muttered as he laid Linn down near a wall, but he placed his cloak around her body to keep it warm and let the nanomachines temporarily keep her alive until she can get proper medical attention.

"I'm sorry, FOXHOUNDer, I can't allow you to leave here alive." The ringleader spoke. "I'll introduce myself at least since you managed to hurt me…I am Khyber and I will be your executioner."

"I'll see to it that you stay dead so you won't do anything more to harm these children ever again." Greg said seriously as the fire around them turned into a circular barrier around them. Before he can react, the man swung out his large machete and threw it at Greg. The psychic soldier simply side stepped the thrown object, and made sure it wasn't heading Linn's direction. He charged the large man, who was just as fast as Greg, and swung a back fist at Greg, before hitting him in a double haymaker blow.

Blood was spilled from Greg's mouth as Greg felt the strength of this man impacted on his face. But he didn't let that stop him, the next time the ringleader swung his fist, Greg countered the attack with his Guard attack. Right after deflecting the punch, Greg then slammed his right fist into the man's chest, before bringing up his leg to perform a leap kick which raised Khyber off his feet.

"Rrragh!" Greg said, now turning his body to slam his leg coming down in a spinning arc kick on Khyber's chest. Greg was about to go for the kill, but the man caught Greg's arm and took out the blade from his neck in an attempt to stab Greg's chest with the knife. However, the blade was shoved away in time as Greg used his right arm to be stabbed instead.

"Urrrrkk!" Greg felt the knife cut through his artificial wrist and almost immediately after getting stabbed, the man pulled the blade across Greg's arm before pulling it out near his elbow. However, the arm bled black and blue ooze from the socket area, which burned into Greg's Sneaking Suit.

"What the hell are you?" Khyber shouted.

"A psychic of FOXHOUND, nothing more." Greg said as he let the nanomachines from his arm petrify themselves into a sharp blade into his hand. "And you shall be put to rest for good knowing this."

"I won't allow it!" Khyber shouted as he charged at Greg while the injured psychic gripped unto his makeshift sword and waited for Khyber to swing his machete at Greg while Greg dashed at him, making a single cut across his enemy's stomach. A blood curdled cry was heard as Khyber watched his own stomach cut into half as he fell on his face. Greg looked at the now reformation of his bloodied hand as he saw tears involuntarily fell out his eyes.

(And once again…I stain my hands to protect those dear to me.) Greg thought to himself wide eyed. (Is this really worth having this curse?)

"Uhhh…Greg…" Linn's weakened voice spoke as Greg snapped out of his train of thought as he now remember how grave Linn's injury was. He stood up after clearing his eyes and picked her up once more to take her to his Harrier.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"What was it that Reese was thinking sending orders like that tonight?" Greg's voice shouted from the outside of the tent that Linn groggily woke up from a sleep that seemed to have been an eternity. "Was he trying to get all of us killed?"

She noticed that she was no longer where she was for the mission, but she heard running water from the outside. Looking out, she can see they were in a heavily forested area, the FOXHOUND Harrier close by guarded by the towering pine trees.

She also noticed the stained Sneaking Suit she wore was near the tray of surgical instruments, leaving her practically topless. She looked for something to cover her, and only saw Greg's cloak. She took the cloak and began to walk outside, her legs weak from the fatigue and loss of blood. To her surprise, she saw a campfire with a pot hanging over it, as Greg can be seen talking to Roy Campbell over the Codec.

His chest was bandaged over his right shoulder and around his abdomen, but some of the fresh wounds he had were still left to tend to. The nanomachines would be working overtime to heal some of these.

"Yes, she should be okay. The bullet may have gone through, as of her vitals weren't hit, still…she lost a sizeable amount of blood." Greg said, as he sighed. "I did what I could to stop the bleeding for now, but she still needs the proper medical attention when we get back. What are you going to do about Reese?"

"He should be talked over to about this, Greg, but the best thing was that both of you came out alive thanks to your bravery." Roy replied.

"I wouldn't have to worry so much about the circumstances if the mission went according to Michael's plan, we wouldn't be in this mess." Greg said. "I take it the same for everyone else got out okay?"

"Yes, only about half hour ago, both Scorpion and Berserker Demon have now returned to headquarters." Campbell said. "You don't need to worry yourself anymore, just try to get some rest."

"I understand, sir." Greg simply said.

"I'll be seeing you both back in the States tomorrow." Roy said, before he signed off. Greg sat down on the log near the fire and sighed to himself. He hung his head as he took out a capsule pack to take some painkillers. It was then he realised that he used them as a sedative of sorts as he tried to patch Linn to stop the bleeding when she was shot. Greg threw the pack into the bonfire and rubbed his temple.

"Greg?" Linn called out to him. "Will you be okay without those?"

"Linn…you're awake." Greg said, without turning.

"Yes." Linn simply replied. "But, didn't you need those painkillers more than I did?"

"If it's for just one night that I can go through without using them, I should be fine. The nanos are taking care of everything as we speak." Greg said. "Besides, I'd figured they would be more useful to you in the most crucial moment of need."

"You know you didn't have to do that for me." Linn asked.

"I was just being selfish, I guess." Greg said, as he sulked a bit. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again, "Um…I had to take off the top of your Sneaking Suit to do the surgery. Don't worry...with your life on the line, there was really nothing else I could have done."

"Greg, I didn't think you were selfish in risking the means of saving yourself to save me instead. Just like how you ignored orders to come for me and Riku back there." Linn asked, hugging her chest in the almost cold night air.

"Now that I think about it, it was a stupid and crazy plan. I just rushed head along to make sure you and those around me weren't in any danger" Greg said, before grinning deliriously. "I would have gotten myself or more people hurt."

"How can you think that, after all that you've done for everyone in FOXHOUND, Greg?" Linn said to him. "Do you still consider yourself that weak, compared to everyone else who is more experienced than you?"

Greg didn't return the answer, for it was obvious that was the case.

"I've always been weak from the start, Linn." Greg said, looking at his right nano arm. "I can't be as strong as Garland, or full of knowledge as Michael, or fast as Riku. Even if I dedicated myself fully to become as close to those qualities, it won't change things. And this is why…I thought I failed you tonight by not being close to you to protect you in time."

Linn only stared at Greg for awhile, before she let go of the cloak and then wrapped her arms around his neck, her naked chest pressing on his scarred and tattooed back. Greg felt something soft and warm pressed against his body as he then felt her tears drop on his shoulder.

"Greg, you know that's not entirely true. Since we've known each other, you have never failed anyone, not ever." Linn whispered to him.

"Linn?" Greg asked, now feeling uncomfortable. "What are you doing?"

"Just listen to me, okay?" Linn asked him. "It must be hard on you thinking that you can't do everything to protect everyone, but that's how it is, Greg. That is such an impossible feat even a psychic isn't capable of. And don't you go thinking you're a lesser person than most people in FOXHOUND. You can do things differently than most people I know, probably even better. That counts, right?"

"But still, what about my powers?" Greg asked. "I'm even a danger to myself if I don't control them to an extent."

"You don't have to suffer alone." Linn said, resting her head on his back. "If you want me to burden some of the pain, I'm willing to do so for your sake, Greg."

"Linn…" Greg said, as his left hand touched her hand. "Thank you for the encouragement."

"Hey, if someone doesn't tell you that you're not the only person with problems in the world, who knows how you would end up later in life." Linn said with a smile.

"I may rave on nonsensically about how things aren't fair with me, am I right?"

"Hmm, something along the lines like that. Just try not to think too much about it." Linn said. "At least everything turned out okay, thanks to Michael's last minute interventions."

"Yeah, we owe him one when we get back." Greg said as he gazed into the fire.

"Um, Greg…you do notice I'm still holding unto you, right?"

"I know." Greg simply replied.

"And I'm topless, no doubt." Linn blew into his ears, causing Greg to leap up suddenly to hide his crimson face. "Hey, what's the matter with you?"

"Nothing's wrong, Linn." Greg stuttered as Linn smiled at him, realising something.

"Oh, I get it. You've never been with a girl in this type of situation before, have you?" Linn asked as Greg simply shook his head quickly. "That's hard to believe, a modest and kind guy like you don't know how to be with a girl like this. I bet this is even your first time seeing a girl almost naked, am I right?"

Greg simply nodded silently as he lowered his head. "Yes, even though I lived with Rio for years, I really never could bring myself to do such a thing unless Yuji brought me into trouble with his antics."

"Yuji is the last person you'd want to trust with getting intimate with a woman." Linn joked.

"Yeah, that's why I hardly pay any attention to him about those matters, even though he's just trying to help me." Greg replied. "And you'd be surprised to know that most of the times in the past; I had to take the baths with Seishiro, but not with Rio, even though she offered to do some of them."

"What a shame then. But don't worry; I'm not going to give up on you." Linn sighed. "Just because you think you're not fit enough for a romantic relationship, doesn't mean it's the end for you."

"Linn, there are other ways we can do this without actually…" Greg stopped as Linn took his right hand and placed it on her left breast, which had the wound just above it.

"Linn, we can't do this. It will only open your wounds." Greg said as he felt his fingers motion around her chest.

"Can you feel it, Greg? My heart is still beating because of you...yet; you rarely would want to share your pain with me. Don't make things harder on yourself anymore, Greg. I'm willing to let you share what you have gone through with me."

"Linn..." Greg muttered in shock. "I can't...it's too much...I don't even know the steps on how to properly make you happy."

"You used part of yourself to keep me alive, why can't I offer piece of my self to keep you alive?" Linn asked, almost disappointed. "Please, Greg. I had already made up my mind about you...we're meant to be together through the worst. All I want you to do is to just accept me, just as I have accepted you as you are."

Greg felt something inside him that wasn't like the feelings he is used to having. His heart sank as he let the nanomachines in his right hand examine how he carefully touched and massaged Linn. His mind started to drift, but in a good way.

(This feeling…this sensation, what is it?) Greg thought. (This is nothing I've ever felt before. Is this acceptance? Is it warmth? But Rio and everyone else who has taken me in gives me this kind of assurance, so why tonight…does it feel so different…and comforting?)

"It…feels good for you, doesn't it?" Linn asked, as her faced turned crimson. "It feels good for me too."

"Linn…" Greg muttered, unsure what to do next, but Linn smiled at him as she took her hands and guided his right hand over her lower abdomen.

"Please, Greg…you don't have to be afraid." Linn smiled as she pushed his hand lower to her thighs. "As long as it's with you, it will make me very happy and safe."

"What about protection, Linn?" Greg asked.

"You worry too much, but it will be okay. I've been taking the pill for a while." Linn said as she pulled Greg closer as their joined hands met closer to Linn's underwear. Greg's head was close to Linn's that he began to practically hear her gasping as he smelt her hair.

Greg then used his left hand to pass his fingers through them as he pulled it closer to his chest, while Linn rested her head on his bandaged chest.

"But still, Linn…even if you say you'll be happy with me, would these changes things for us in the future?" Greg asked. "We may be making a mistake here."

"I don't care, Greg. The last thing I need is to see you sad because of your own shortcomings." Linn said. "Why can't you understand I can protect you too?"

(Of course, it was obvious.) Greg thought to himself. (This love she has for me is what is giving me this new sense of assurance I've never had before. I've really never seen how determined and capable she can be if she wants to see me safe and I've been blind to see that before it was too late.)

(Can I still call myself a man for not seeing this before, the fact that one person alone isn't capable enough of protecting the ones he love due to the shortcomings he has, but even the most impossible things can be accomplished if he confides in his fellow comrades, even to the ones that are meant to be protected because they too can do things as well or better?) Greg thought as he smiled a bit, lifting Linn's head as he touched her chin.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you sooner." Greg said as he kissed her forehead. "I trust you enough, Linn. To be there for me and watch my back, as well give me the feelings no one else on this planet can."

"Greg, my love…I trust you too." Linn said as she walked back unto the Harrier 2's wing. For the moment, she was trapped and Greg had her right where he wanted her to be. He walked closer to her and placed a hand under a chin.

"Greg, please...don't be so rough." Linn begged, her breath escaping through her lips in loud gasps.

"Sorry if I'm hurting you." He said, stopping midway.

"You're really not, but I don't want to rush things." Linn said. "I want to savour every second of your gentle touch."

"Ah, me too, Linn." Greg said, nodding his head. "I'll try to be even gentler from now on."

"Yes, please." Linn replied, hugging his as his right hand to guide its way down below into her underwear. Greg can feel her protesting his 'entry', but she seemed to be simmering down.

"Greg...please..." Linn begged. "...don't stop..."

"Linn, you're so beautiful." Greg whispered into her ear, as she clutched onto his back, gripping her nails deeper into Greg's back as his hands continued to tease her body.

"I...I like it too..." Linn panted, before moving her head back in ecstasy. She then kissed his lips long enough to let his tongue slip underneath hers and drew out some saliva that he enjoyed tasting from her mouth.

"I hope I'm doing okay on the first try." Greg asked her, as she started to shake her head quickly.

"You're doing…just exceptional for a first time." Linn replied, panting and gasping. "Are you sure you really never did this before?"

"No, I would never lie to you about this." Greg said.

"Alright, I believe you." Linn said as her gasps increased. "Ah, Greg!"

"What?" Greg asked, hoping he didn't do anything wrong to hurt her.

"I think…that's enough now." Linn panted, holding onto him as a smile came to her face. "You can tell, right?"

"I guess so; you're body feels as if it's on fire." Greg replied.

"It means I am ready to return the favour. Its no fair for you alone get to give me pleasure and you did so well too." Linn said, as she sneezed aloud. "Achoo!"

"The night air sure is chilly tonight." Greg said as he reached for her legs and picked her up. "I think its best we finish this where it's much warmer."

"I agree." Linn snugged herself into his arms. Together the two made way to the tent where for the night only, they can put aside all fears and troubles, doubts and insecurities to discover the feelings Greg was unable to face until he started to believe in Linn. It was all thanks to her that he can rest peacefully for a long while under her watch and from that time on he never could afford to doubt her again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Greg! Hey, Greg!" Rio's voice called Greg out from his train of thought. He opened an eye to see Rio in a simple tight blue shirt and red jeans. Several hours have passed since morning and now the time for the final stage in training is closing in.

"What is it, sensei?" Greg said, still maintaining his meditating posture.

"I just got a call from Maki." Rio said to Greg. "She told me that Riku and his partners have arrived and now they learned everything about Reese's deeds and how Seraph is involved."

"I see." Greg said. "Still, it would help us as to find out where Lilica and Yuina really are so we can properly make plans on rescuing them."

"Nanvel had some help; it seemed that your friend Riku and his partner, Nagi Naoe pulled through with finding where Mantis is hiding them." Rio said. "This Nagi just happened to be an expert hacker who can use his psychic powers along with his hacking skills and he proved really useful for us."

"Alright, so far we are making a bit of progress. But I can't leave just yet. I still have some fine tuning on my powers, before I face Geese one final time for now." Greg said.

"Okay, I'll stay here until then." She smiled at Greg.

"Ah and one more thing, sensei. By chance you got a barber set here with you?" Greg asked.

"Yeah, there's supposed to be one at the temple, but why do you need it?" Rio asked.

"Can you do the honour of giving me a haircut? I need to let go of this past that is holding me back from realising my potential and I need to show the proof of it." Greg said.

"You got it, Greg. Just give me a moment." Rio smiled as she ran off. Greg then continued his silent meditation period as he continued to integrate his thoughts and strengths into one. He would later be facing Geese on a one on one match as he will need the concentration now more than ever.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Later that day, just before evening in the training hall of the temple…

"So, Greg, the time has come at last." Geese Howard said. He was all decked in his traditional white and red dojo uniform. He has agreed to return here to the temple to see if Greg has progressed in his training. Greg was standing in front of him, his head shaven clean, while Rio stood close by behind him.

"Yes, it has at last, Howard-sensei." Greg simply said to him, dressed in only his white vest and dark jeans.

"Tell me one thing before you begin…why did you want to become stronger, Greg?" Geese asked. "Is it for vengeance for what Reese has done to make your life miserable so far?"

"No, it isn't that." Greg answered sternly.

"Then, is it to face and prove your own strength against Mantis, to be equal to him in strength?" Geese asked another.

"No, it's not that either." Greg answered sternly once more.

"Then, do tell me…why did you go through such lengths to bear the curse that you so despise?" Geese asked.

"It's because…I've avoided facing myself for far too long." Greg said, looking at his nano fist. "There is something dark, yet incomplete about myself and I seek to learn more about it, even if it means risking my own life. The only way I'll be at peace with myself is to confront the fears that have plagued me ever since I found out about my psychic gifts."

"Then this is for personal gain." Geese said.

"I need to learn why this power has come to be without my ever having done a thing to even deserve it." Greg said. "If I do so, I would no longer be putting those I hold dear to me in danger just because the feelings inside me tell me otherwise."

"You have seen then what your own two hands are capable of if you allow your power to ruin you, haven't you, Greg?" Geese asked.

"I know it all to well, that is why I need to be sure of myself when I use this power from now on." Greg said. "I need to know if this power would accept me being worthy of protecting those that are close to me."

"And if it doesn't accept you?" Geese asked, knowing the fate that possibly was in store for Greg as he simply sighed to reply.

"Then I'm ready to face the consequences for my actions, even I must die for them." Greg said to Geese. "Even now, I doubt I'm worthy enough of saving Lilica and Yuina from Mantis, but I cannot afford to give up now of all times."

"Even if it means certain failure and a possibility that you could die along the way?" Geese asked.

"Yes…even if it means so." Greg said simply.

"Greg, let me tell you one thing that you should remember, now that you acquired a deeper sense of this power you have." Geese said. "You may feel different than everyone else, but you may certainly feel alone in the world, isn't it the truth?"

Greg simply nodded to his instructor to this. He always felt left out because of his inexperience in certain fields, but also because of his powers. He felt like an outcast to society because of his difference.

"That's not the case, Greg. Whatever the darkness of your powers may tell you, you're as human as everyone else on the planet. Never think of yourself as being alone." Geese said. "Neither coming close to anyone nor being understood by anyone for your entire life, even though you are living, it may as well be the same as if you were dead."

Greg lifted his head as he heard Geese said this. He knew he hit the nail on the head.

"This is why you can't give up on yourself or the people relying on you to live on past your fears, Greg." Geese said to him. "You've always managed to see beyond the darkness of your powers just so you can help others and now more than ever, you cannot give in to it."

"I will heed your words well, Howard-sensei. Thank you." Greg said to him, while Rio smiled sullenly behind him.

"You will most likely be facing more hardships later, but you have your friends and family to help you. You cannot turn away from them because you're afraid of hurting them or them being hurt." Geese said. "They will go to great lengths to help you and with their help your fears will certainly be overcome."

"And what happens then?"

"Who knows…maybe you'll turn out to be a better person than you are now, Greg. But only time will tell." Geese said, taking off his robe. "Now, we shall see how you will fare with your powers. Are you ready, Greg?"

"Yes, sensei. Let's get it over with." Greg got up, his body only partially refreshed, but it could still suffice enough for just one sparring match.

"Reppu-Ken!" Geese shouted, waving his right hand as Greg. A mass of his chi swirled around his arm into matter and formed into a single energy ball that rolled on the ground towards Greg.

Greg staggered a bit, before he focused on defending himself from getting hit from the projectile sent at him. He mustered his strength and concentrated his powers to activate. Clasping his hands together, he shut his eyes for a brief moment, before he opened them back, as the projectile was just meters away from him.

"Guuhh!" Greg shouted letting the flame emerge from his right hand. Surprisingly, it wasn't the fire that was affecting him so it can cause burns, but the procedure to unseal it was quicker and more painful than he thought. At least it ended quickly. With only seconds to react, he simply made a step forward and thrust out his right arm, while turning his body. His flaming hand managed to dissipate the oncoming wave of energy into thin air, much to the surprise of Rio.

Geese simply smiled at Greg. "Hmph. Your reaction is much quicker than expected. Now...let's see how long you can stand up with all of that power inside of you and still defend yourself."

Geese charged Greg with a turning kick that ended in a stomp just some distance from his student. Greg only stepped back with a quick retreating dash, only to stop at a brief standstill. Even with the growing pain in his body, he still made a stand to defend himself. He only wished not to injure Geese with his ignited right hand.

"Double Reppu-Ken!" Geese waved his arms and fired a double and even powerful version of his previous attack. Greg only had seconds to react. He simply turned his body with an outstretched right fist, as the incoming projectile of energy got closer.

"Panther Cut!" Greg shouted, as the flaming fist met the projectile, and dissipated it before it can hit him. Before he could stop to recover, he saw Geese charging at him, his fists in a stance that Greg was familiar with. Greg stopped shifting his body and got into a position that got him ready for his next attack. But what he didn't predict was that the other wave of Geese's energy wasn't affected by Greg's flame and managed to catch him by surprise.

Greg was open enough to be stunned by the hit, but not too much that it affected his balance. He could still see Geese charging towards him and not only that, he felt his body was getting used to the pain within it, that somehow he felt his own body was getting stronger. This was his chance to surprise Geese.

"Jai-Ai-Ken!" Geese shouted, extending his clenched left fist then shifting it quickly to his right one. He then placed his hands together, creating a close range energy wave in front of him and Greg. Greg got himself ready and was able to get an attack ready.

"Spiked Crescent!" Greg shouted, hitting Geese's energy wave, and him at the same time, with his right elbow first, then he connected with a rising, twirling uppercut, with the flame emanating from the fist. First, his fist landed a mark on Geese's chest, and then went upwards towards his chin. Greg could feel the searing of Geese's clothing and his skin burning from the hit, as the flame seemed to dance around his body in a long trail while he rose into the air.

Rio looked on, now with a smile on her face. Greg was actually improving his skills and incorporating his powers into his style at the same time. She started to feel proud for him at the moment, but was beginning to worry that this new power could get the best of Greg.

(No way, not my Greg) she thought to herself. (Greg can get used to this. It shouldn't be a problem for him. Everything seems to be looking good so far.)

Geese was knocked off his feet and then fell back. But it seemed that he regained his momentum quicker than Greg had anticipated, as Geese had bounced off the ground with a quick recovery and had prepared his next attack.

"Double Shippu-Ken!" Geese shouted, waving his arms and releasing two descending energy waves at Greg's direction. Greg could only try to deflect the energy waves by using a counter defense maneuver.

"Tsuki!" Greg shouted, creating an overhead psychic shield that protected him from the projectiles. He then stepped back a couple feet, so as to get a good distance to land his next move. The pain in his body was beginning to make him numb.

"Greg!" Rio shouted to him, but Greg nodded silently to her, letting know he was okay for the time being.

"I'll be fine, sensei." Greg called out to her.

Geese smirked to himself, seeing Greg was wide open for an attack. "How long can you keep it up, Greg? The power is starting to get to your body, isn't it?"

"But I can't give in to it, can I?" Greg asked Geese.

"No, you have yet to show me how much you've learned, Greg." Geese said to him as he prepped himself for another attack. "I hope you are ready to defend myself from this...Deadly Rave!" he beckoned, placing his open fists at his chest and charged at Greg.

If he were to contact Greg's body with this move, he would devastate his student with a series of various punches and kicks striking almost all of the vital points of the opponent's body then use a close range Jai-Ai-Ken attack to blow them away. The only other person to have even increased the power of this attack is his own estranged son, Rock Howard.

The distance between Greg and Geese was close. Greg was prepared to defend himself against this attack. He turned his body, letting his back turn at Geese for a brief second, clenching his fists and surprised him a Close Quarters Combat move that was so fast that it caught Geese off guard.

"Panther Snap!" He landed a hit with his left fist, stunning Geese and cancelling his Deadly Rave move, as then Greg shifted to his right fist, keeping his right elbow close to his body, palming Geese's chest and sending his body spiraling away, his body becoming charred from Greg's attack.

Greg stopped his feet, as he felt the impact of his blow on Geese. Rio looked on with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

(I don't believe it...Greg actually did that!) She thought.

Greg started to pant to himself; the pain in his body never giving up on him. He only looked on at Geese's as he staggered off the ground.

"Had this been a real fight, you would be dead by now, Greg." Geese said to him.

"What?" Greg said, as he felt extreme pain overcome his chest area. Getting on one knee, he coughed out some blood as he saw Geese's palm indent on the centre of his chest area.

(How did he…?) Rio thought in shock as she saw Greg in pain. Greg looked up at Geese as he staggered getting up.

"This is not any other spar you're used to with Rio. With me, I always mean business, Greg." Geese said to his student, who wiped the blood near his mouth and stood on his feet. Once more, Greg got into a fighting posture and awaited Geese to attack once more.

"Jai-Ai Ken!" Geese shouted as he motioned his fists towards Greg once more. However, the FOXHOUND psychic was prepared for his instructor now.

Greg suddenly dived to his side and suddenly gave Geese a turning back kick, which was easily countered by Geese in time before it reached him. However, as Geese lifted Greg off his feet to slam him, Greg turned his body in a form of a revolver chamber to execute an aerial spin kick on Geese. The crime lord smirked as he felt Greg's determination through his attacks.

"Nice counter." Geese said to Greg as he stood up once more, beckoning Greg to come at him once more. "Well, come on, don't you have any other tricks up your sleeve, boy?"

Greg simply gritted his teeth as he suddenly dashed at Geese and swung a punch at him, which was countered with an arm grab that Geese formulated and had now slammed Greg against the floor. Geese raised a foot over Greg's chest, but the psychic blocked it from going down on him with his right arm and with all the strength in his body, Greg lifted Geese off of him.

Rio looked on as the fight grew more and more intense. She knew this was a common thing for Greg to face even more experienced and stronger combatants from within FOXHOUND, as it did come as a surprise to her when she heard that Garland Durev was part of the group around the early time when Greg had become part of the group. It was around the time he had lost his first sparring fight against him and he just told her about it. She too knew about the legend of the Bloody Hands mercenary and had warned Greg more than once to be extra careful around him at times.

However, she knew that it wouldn't keep Greg down at a time like this. He was pushing himself right now against Geese, so at least he could get a standing chance against Mantis, all for the sake of rescuing Lilica and Yuina.

Greg stood up, his face covered in sweat and now looking a bit fatigued. Swallowing hard, Greg held onto the wrist of his artificial right arm as a strong gust began to blow across the room.

"I see…so you're finally ready to get serious, Greg?" Geese asked him, knowing what may come next.

"Yes, sensei." Greg said simply to his instructor as the wind seemed to have been originated from his powers.

"Then, prepare yourself with this attack." Geese said as he raised his arms over his head, energy forming around them, while an energy globe formed itself around the palm of Greg's right hand. The globe then lit up with white flame as the gust began to swirl around him and into the energy globe he formed.

"This is it, Greg! Here I come!" Geese shouted as he slammed his fists into the ground in front of him. "Raging Storm!"

A powerful geyser of chi energy sprung from Geese's feet, surrounding his body and now expanding towards Greg, who had shut his eyes for a moment and then raised his right hand as he opened his palm. The energy globe he created expanded in front of him, as he was ready to summon his attack.

"Crimson Gale!" Greg shouted as the flames he created came as volleys of white flames spiraling at Geese's attack. The flames combusted with Geese's chi as the two energies collided upon impact, resulting in a bright flash, canceling each other out.

Rio can be seen coughing as the smoke cleared, as Greg panted heavily as he saw the burns on his right hand being repaired on his fist by the nanomachines. He then looked to Geese's direction.

"Geese-sensei? Are you alright?" Greg said to Geese, who was now getting up.

Geese smiled at Greg and stood up. He had gone through situations in worse things had been thrown at him before. "I'm doing okay, Greg...it's you that has managed to surprised me today."

"Yeah, Greg…I'd never thought you'd counter Geese's attack like that." Rio said to her student.

"I…I only got a bit lucky that it even worked." Greg said. "It still needs some work, though."

"Yes, but at least you have a trump card or two for the enemy when its time to face him. I was thinking that you weren't capable of living through this, but it looks like you'll do just fine, Greg." Geese smiled. "With a little work, you can get used to this."

"I'll take heed of what you've taught me earlier, Geese. We're in debt to you." Greg said, bowing to Geese.

"Just remember, Greg. You still have ways to go on mastering the true aspects of your powers. Even though you've now discovered that you can truly create a living flame, the bad news is that it's true you're new to it." Geese said to him. "There are probably other psychics who have better control of talents similar to yours for years now. I may truly not be the one master suited to help you control them, but I know there's someone who will help you gain better control when the time comes."

Greg nodded to Geese silently as he turned to Rio now.

"With the training done for the time being, Rio, here's the payment for the trouble you and Greg went through for the time you spent here." Geese said, handing her a suitcase. "Do make sure to handle it properly, it may lead you to where Lilica is being held."

"We can't thank you enough, Geese." Rio bowed to him as he left. Before he did, Greg called out to him.

"Howard-sensei …is there a chance we'll see you again when this is over?" Greg asked him.

"We'll see, depending on how things turn out." Geese said. "For now, just watch your head out there and remember that everyone's is with you through this. I'll be sure to send word to Kyo and Iori about what has happened."

"Be sure to do that, I also may need to see them on a timing as well." Greg said as Geese took his leave. Rio then gleefully jumped as she hugged Greg.

"You finally did it, Greg. Now we can get set in rescuing Lilica and Yuina now." Rio said.

"Yeah, but we can't get over our heads. We need to be careful now more than ever about this, now that my powers are totally unearthed." Greg said.

"I know, I know. Try to relax a little, will you?" Rio said, patting her student's back. "Come on, we've got to get back to Maki's place, but before that, lets put this money to good use."

"By the sound of that, you probably want to go ahead and spend it out shopping. Shouldn't we use it instead in getting the resources we need for the rescue mission?" Greg asked.

"That's my point! We need all the accessories we can get for the mission." Rio said.

"You're not seeing eye to eye with what I meant, sensei." Greg said, as suddenly, Rio hopped on his back to nudge his head.

"What did you say, Greggie?" Rio shouted as she rubbed his head even harder.

"Ow, owww!" Not there, sensei! That hurts!" Greg shouted as he wrestled trying to get Rio off of him. "Come on, we have to get going, the earlier the better. And since you're already on my back, I might as well piggyback you to the motorcycle."

"How nice of you, Greg. Always considerate of me, aren't you?" Rio said. "You think you're able?"

"This is good exercise, sensei. I don't mind doing this." Greg said as he and Rio left the temple together.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Later that evening, Tot and Nagi were sitting at the porch of the Kawasaki household gazing at the sunset, where Nanvel and Maya were at the street checking their transport van. From inside, Riku leapt out with Yuji behind him.

"I have to admit, this is some nice set-up you guys have here." Riku said to Yuji. "Even if you're not in Police Town at the moment, you've still got access to information which could be useful in this situation."

"We do what we can to help him out on our end time and again." Yuji replied. "But sometimes, I often worry for him and Rio right now though."

"Oh, you worry too much, Yuji." Maya waved an arm at him. "They will be back soon enough."

"I just wonder how soon." Nagi said.

"Why so eager to find out, Nagi-kun?" Tot asked him.

"It's just that I'm a bit curious to see what it is that Greg will do about this, not to mention ask him a few questions regarding with what happened to Seraph." Nagi said seriously. "It kind of bothers me a bit to know how this is affecting a psychic like myself, so in a way, I need to know how he feels about this."

"In other words, you're trying to understand a bit of him to see if he's different than Crawford or probably any other psychic we've met before?" Tot asked.

"Yeah, you can probably say that." Nagi admitted. "One thing I've learned is that all psychics aren't the same in personality and they think differently as well. I want to see for myself just how different Greg is when compared to some of the others we've met, that's all."

"I can't blame you, if he was raised by good people like Seishiro and Team WARRIOR, he may be quite a good person." Tot smiled to Nagi.

Just then, a loud motorcycle engine was heard from across the street. It stopped in front of the house, as Rio got off the backseat. She then saw the people standing in front of her, as she smiled at them.

"Rio, about time you got back." Maya ran to her. "How did things go?"

"A lot better than we thought for a change." Rio said as Greg stepped off the bike, taking off his helmet. "Everything went okay on Greg's end, so he's going to be just fine."

Greg came forward silently at the gathered group with a serious, yet welcoming look on his face. He then saw Riku as he soon recognized his face.

"Riku, it's been awhile. Missed me?" Greg smiled at Riku.

"Yeah, I guess. Where were you and Rio this entire time?" He asked.

"We were going after some leads which would have helped us find Lilica and came up with nothing." Rio answered for Greg before he spoke mentally.

(Sensei? Why did you have to say that?) Greg asked as Rio turned her head slightly to show Greg she was up to something.

(Greg, I know you and Riku are close friends, but I don't want to give him any impressions something's seriously wrong with you, especially with what's happened to you and your powers just yesterday.) Rio replied. (Just let it be for now and act as if nothing's happened.)

(He'll eventually find out, you know.) Greg replied.

(Not anytime soon, though.) Rio said. (The last thing we need is more questions about your powers…we should be more focused on getting Lilica and Yuina back for the time being. Got it?)

(I understand.) Greg sighed as he nodded his head silently as he replied to Riku. "Yeah, it's as she said, we didn't get any leads on finding her."

Riku felt something was up with Greg and Rio's answer, but felt he shouldn't pressure them with more questions than they already have. Instead, he wanted to ease the tension a bit as he decided it was time for Greg to meet his partners.

"Well, it's good to see you anyway, because my two partners have been waiting to meet you ever since we got here." Riku said as he let Nagi and Tot get close to see Greg.

"Oh, these are...?" Greg now remembered that Riku was bringing two people with him, but he never figured out how young they appeared until he saw them in person.

"Greg, these are the two people that I have been telling you about." Riku said. "This is Nagi Naoe and his girlfriend, Tot."

"Mystic Crow and Usagi Ninja...we finally meet at last." Greg extended his left hand. Nagi was the first to take Greg's hand and shake it.

"It's really an honour to meet you, Psychic Panther." Nagi smiled. "I've been really looking forward to meeting you after hearing so much about you."

"I feel just as honoured to hear that, Nagi." Greg replied. "I remember hearing some vague tales about you, but I never expected that you would be still in your teens the way Riku always talked about you."

"Nor did I imagine the kind of psychic you'd be after hearing about you." Nagi said. "You really don't look like much of a psychic."

"I try my best to maintain that image at all times." Greg said as he then shook Tot's hand afterwards.

"Tot, isn't it?" Greg asked puzzled. "Is that a nickname everyone calls you by?"

"Is something wrong with it?" Tot asked.

"No, I don't think anything is wrong with it. It just that it kinds of bothers me some that you would be called by Tot rather than your real name." Greg shook his head.

"Well, if you want to call me by my real name, you have to become a real good friend of me and Nagi first, Greg." Tot smiled at him.

"Then I'd better try my best in the future if I were to make it happen, Tot." Greg replied with a confident grin. (At least it will give me a chance to try and make a good impression with these two. Not to mention I can see she's in good hands with Nagi around her.)

"I can see Nagi's in good hands with someone like you." Greg said seriously as he then glanced at Riku. "Just as much you two probably trust Riku's judgement whenever you're with him to get around such dangerous missions by yourselves."

"That is a true fact, Greg. He may come off as laid back all the time, but he is serious about his job and protecting his buddies." Nagi said.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Riku smiled as Greg looked on at Maya.

"Has the Shinsengumi arrived yet, guys?" Greg asked.

"Nope, but I did get a call earlier from a woman named Dee Starling who claimed to be one of them. They are to get here tomorrow morning before we get set for the rescue." Maya replied.

"It's best to use this time to think about what we should be doing for rescuing Lilica and Yuina." Greg said.

"Greg, when you do have chance, I want to see you in my laboratory for an examination on your nanomachines. I did some research that would be able to help you later." Nanvel said.

"That's much appreciated, Nanvel." Greg said, as suddenly he felt his stomach rumble.

"Whoah, someone must have built up an appetite while he was gone." Maya joked. "Greg, you can go on ahead and fix yourself some dinner while Rio discusses some things with Seraph about the mission."

"Have Riku and his friends eaten yet?" Greg asked. "I thought I would treat them for tonight since they are special guests."

"Greg, really, you don't have to do that. It's really no trouble." Riku nodded.

"I insist, Riku. You are part of this family after all and we're all brought into this by some strange and twisted instance we couldn't prevent. At least allow me to rectify the trouble I may have caused you and your partners by coming all the way here." Greg said, patting him.

"Well, if you say it like that, I guess we can use something to eat." Riku said nodding to him.

"Just think of it as a chance to catch up on old times, we have much to talk about." Greg said.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ShardclawK: There you have it. Another all new and slightly different revised chapter of Soldier X, and probably the longest one I've ever done, considering the history, references and the characters I've included. Hope those who have enjoyed the progress liked this one the best so far as things will get even much better soon. I still have much to be done in terms of revision, so bear with the delays. The faster the first set of these chapters are revised, the faster the following ones can be done, so I'm doing my best to make it happen while including other varieties into the story.

And a short note to Royal Knight to his recent review about the last revised chapter, you can say that the incident involving Seishiro Takeda (thanks to Grey Wolf4 for letting me use him, as well helping with some of the soon to be Wolf Pack members in this chapter) losing his eye was kind of based off the CLAMP manga, Tokyo Babylon's Seishirou Sakura-zukarmori, though he did was blind in his right eye. But, the truth of the matter is that is wasn't really one hundred percent based off that reference, but you did get one thing right though, that X is currently one of my favourite reading material during the revisions of Soldier X and I had finally seen the complete animated series just recently which serves the title justice, (though it can't touch the manga in ways of the humour and then violent horror sections when some of the cast members die, fans of that would know who I'm talking about but at least Fuma is as cool as ever, both anime and manga wise.)

I also hoped you liked the other references I've sneaked into the story, most notably for Eflen Lied if you noticed. To tell the truth, I can't wait to find a way to include those characters in an update or even during the revisions, so cross your fingers for the time it happens.

As a matter of fact, the quote that Geese told Greg before the sparring match in this chapter was what Arashi's guardian said to her at the end of Volume 10 of the manga in her flashback scene and since Yuina's aunt's name was never known during the run of Angel/Dust, I thought I'd named her after one of the ill fated X characters for the remainder of the story, Tokiko Magami, who was Kamui's aunt, thus making her Tokiko Hattori. I do hope you all okay with that, as I kind of felt uncomfortable going through the chapter by calling her just be 'Yuina's aunt', you know?

Okay, that's about enough of my ranting. See you in the next one, I promise to get it out real soon, but I got to take a short break first considering the work I did on this chapter alone...

Collis aka ShardclawKusanagi