Athena and Max returned to the base of operations where Kamara, Prometheus, and Pandora were waiting. Considering the recent failure on her end, Athena was planning take the brunt of the incoming criticism from the two androids. "Well, well…what do we have here?" Prometheus was sitting on a chair, his face resting against his fist while he stared at Athena. "If I recall correctly, didn't someone promise the end of the Resistance by tonight?"

"…" Athena did promise that. She had no reason to think anything else. But unfortunately, in the most improbable way possible, the plan fell apart at the very end. "I…"

"It was my fault." Max spoke up, causing Athena to turn her head. "Seems I underestimated my target. It won't happen again."

"Max…!" Athena whispered. As the eldest sibling, it was her job to take the heat for a failure. It had been quite some time since the Goldstones failed to hit the mark, but…

"See to it that it doesn't happen again." Pandora said calmly. "I am sure you know what awaits if you fail to push the Resistance back entirely."

"Of course." Athena said. "Next operation…we will have their leader's head. And once she falls, the Resistance will crumble. She's the only thing that keeps them fighting. Even those interlopers wouldn't be able to keep the fight going. They just don't understand her sway."

"Kyahahaha!" Prometheus laughed. "I wonder if your words are true! But you heard Pandora, do not fail again. I don't have to remind you what happens if you do. Now, begone. We're going to build another prototype with the power of this Black Moon Star shard."

"Mhm." Athena nodded and she exited the room with her siblings. Once they were in the clear, she slammed her fist into the nearest wall, punching straight through it. "I can't believe this! They made us look like a fool! Our plan was perfect, there was no way she could've seen through it!"

"Athena…calm down." Kamara said. While her expression was an aloof one, she was concerned for her older sister. Athena rarely got so upset, but she and Max always had to find some way to calm her down when it happened.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Athena took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Clearly our initial thoughts about these newcomers were wrong and we underestimated them. It simply won't happen a second time. We already know where they're striking next, so once I rest…"

"Once you rest, you will stay and do nothing." Kamara said. "You've done a lot tonight. It's mine and Max's turn to do something."

"But…" Athena didn't like the idea of doing nothing.

"You're injured, Sis. I saw the whole thing. You were giving those chumps the work. You're strong, but we're not invincible. Just trust us; we can handle the crowd control." Max said while patting Athena on the shoulder. With a sigh, the elder sibling relented.

"Very well. I hear that two of the ships that Golden Knight Gear took down landed near that gate. I suspect those pilots are in captivity as we speak. So they'll probably try to free them once their traitor alerts them of their presence." Athena was slowly calming down. "In the meantime, I'm going to review the data from the failed android formerly known as Yeti Blizzard. Perhaps I can glean something useful from it…"

.

.

By the time the group of Rebecca, Lluvi, Asuka, Happy, Pino, Stella, Jinn, and Sarisse returned, it was early morning. Everyone in the resistance waited for their arrival, cheering at the fact they not only managed to complete their mission, but the crew of Eden's was also glad that Jinn was alright. "You guys did it! Nice work." Shiki said with a thumbs up. "Are you guys okay…?"

"I've been worse." Rebecca said with a weary smile. "I'm pretty beat…but some of us got it worse than others." She glanced at Lluvi, who was silent the whole time. Stella put a cast on Lluvi to support her broken limb.

"Yeah, you guys look like shit." Sister said. "Except you, Rebecca."

"Thanks…?" Rebecca wasn't sure how to reply to that. "But Happy and the others…"

"Don't worry! We'll fix you right up!" Medi said, ushering the wounded, and Sister, into the infirmary.

Before Jinn went, he looked to Shiki and the others. "Did you find Kleene and Laguna yet?"

"Not yet." Weisz shook his head. "You're the first one we found. Hopefully that means the others are okay as well."

"I see…I have to get back out there then." Jinn said. He couldn't imagine what Kleene was going through right now. But he didn't want to leave her alone for much longer.

"You can do that later." Homura said. "We'll catch you up on the situation proper, but for now, it is important we do things at a certain pace. Let Sister heal you."

"Fine…" Jinn relented. "…Second question, where's Blair? She's the only one I don't see. And third, what the hell is that guy doing here?" He gestured to Casey. Jinn was really out of the loop.

"She decided to buzz off and go feed on some wildlife." Hermit replied, on her laptop. She managed to snag it before they fled the Eden's Zero. "She'll probably be back soon. I hope she hasn't gotten into any trouble, actually…"

.

Rebecca, Happy, Lluvi, Jinn, and Asuka were being treated in the infirmary. Casey decided step in and look at Lluvi, who couldn't meet his gaze. "…I'm sorry, Casey. I wasn't able to win against them. All I got to show for my efforts were a broken arm. So I failed to meet your expectations."

Casey shook his head at Lluvi's words. "No, you went above and beyond."

"Huh?" Lluvi's blue gazed looked towards Casey, confused.

"You've said it yourself to me in the past. You're a barrier. Your job is to shield people and protect them." Casey stated firmly. "If you weren't there, there's a high chance nobody would've returned from this mission at all. You did perfectly."

"Casey…" Lluvi wasn't sure how to respond.

"And thanks to the recording device that Ano put on you, we can learn a little about our enemies as well." Casey said. "But what I don't understand is…" He glanced at Rebecca, who was chatting with a fully recovered Happy. "How did she know that bullet was coming? Even if we assumed the sniper was in position, it was impossible to know when he'd take the shot."

"That's what everyone else wants to know." Lluvi mumbled. "Regardless, she saved Sarisse."

"…Her leadership keeps this Resistance going. She's a powerful figurehead." Casey said. "It's no surprise her leadership alone has gotten them this far, even without our help. The battle is only going to get tougher, and it looks like they're making active efforts to kill her now."

"Alright, move aside," Sister said while pushing Casey off to the side with no warning. She leaned over Lluvi and looked at her injury. "Broken arm? Easy fix." She held her hand over the injury and used her powers, healing the wound almost instantly. "There."

Lluvi moved her arm a bit, completely surprised at how fast it healed. "What the…"

"I'm the Life of Edens. This is only natural." Sister said a bit smugly. "This is for helping out Rebecca. I'm still not fond of you or your crew, but I'll do what needs to be done to ensure everyone survives this as a doctor."

"…Thank you." Lluvi had to show her gratitude somehow.

.

.

"Man…that was close…" Geno was leaning against the wall, letting out a small exhale.

"No kidding. That android was crazy." Mega said from within Geno's device. "But it was nothing we couldn't deal with. Damn, I'm good."

"…Oh. You're back late." It was Hermit.

"…What are you, my mom?" Geno turned his head away from Hermit.

"No." Hermit shook her head. She didn't overhear their conversation, but considering the time of day it was…

"I gotta go." Geno said while walking past Hermit, deciding not to engage her in conversation.

"…Is this what I was like?" Hermit said, staring with a deadpanned expression. She had some questions for Geno, but he left so fast she didn't even have the chance to ask anything. Something was up with him, though. And she was going to figure out what it was one way or another.

.

.

"Today was way too close." Stella said while looking at Sarisse. The three leaders of the Resistance were having a conversation about their next plan of attack. "You were almost killed! If Rebecca didn't see that shot coming…!"

"…I admit, it was a close call." Sarisse said, staring distantly at the war map they had. "But I would be lying if I said I didn't expect this kind of thing."

"Perhaps you shouldn't be putting yourself at the forefront of every operation?" Aiden suggested. "If something happened to you, I cannot imagine myself and Stella being able to rally everyone the way you can."

"I have to keep braving the danger." Sarisse said with determination. "This is the first time we've seen the enemy flustered and nearly desperate. If they want to come for my head, that only means they risk their own. All we need is one mistake from them and we can make our fight that much easier!"

"That's probably what they want you to think!" Stella replied. "Look…we have to be careful. We're finally able to make a big push. If you died, I would…" She shook her head. She already lost her husband. She clung to Geno and her Sister, for they were her only family left. "I don't want to lose you, too."

"You won't." Sarisse said with a gentle smile. "We're going to win this and we're all going to come out of this alive. Of that, you have my word."

"I'll do my best to ensure that it happens." Aiden replied while stroking his chin. "Since we are making our way to the security gate that leads the way to the city, I believe the three of us should join the party, and bring a small, but potent force along with us, Similar to this mission, but with the heavier hitters of our new allies."

"A wonderful idea. We can't stop our offense now." Sarisse agreed to this notion. "I'll ask Shiki and Casey who they think would be good fits for a mission like this. If we keep things going like this, not even the Goldstones can stop us!"

"…One more thing." Stella was about to bring up the topic they were ignoring. "…Athena said they know our every move, right? If what she says is true…doesn't that mean we really do have a traitor…?"

"Stop that line of thinking right now." Sarisse didn't want to hear. "There's not a single person here that would sell us out like that."

"But we have to consider the possibility…we can't just blindly believe in everyone." Stella replied. "I want to trust everyone, but we can't ignore it!"

"She's just trying to get in our heads. As the leader, I have to have complete faith in everyone. Doubting for even a second could be fatal."

"But…!" Stella objected.

"…I think it's best we proceed with caution." Aiden said calmly, stepping in to interrupt the argument. "We cannot slow down now, but we also must ensure we don't get ensnared in someone's web."

"…I guess you're right." Stella sighed. The conversation was put on hold as a scout burst through the door. "Huh?"

"S-Sorry to interrupt! But there's something bad happening…!"

.

Tristan was struggling pulling Blair along. She was fighting him every step of the way. The only reason she didn't fully lash out is because she knew she'd kill him. "I told you, I didn't do a damn thing!"

"You've been out on your own for a while…and based on what we've been told, those marks could only have been caused by you." Tristan said calmly. But Blair just headbutted him, causing him to flinch. "Ugh!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Shiki said. "What's going on here? Blair?"

"What's happened?" Sarisse asked.

"Ross and Drayden are dead." Tristan said. "Overnight, while you were on your mission." Tristan explained. "And their injuries were clear as day…gigantic claw marks on their backs." His attention then went to Blair's bandaged, arm, blood dripping off of it. "And based on what we know about you…"

"I was out feeding on animals, dipshit." Blair spat, crossing her arms while staring at Tristan indignantly.

Aiden stroked his chin, taking a step forward. "Two of our best scouts dead…while one person remained unaccounted for the entire time? I can't say that your case is looking very good off the bat."

"Wait a second now, Blair has been good so far…" Rebecca stuck up for Blair. "Why don't we hear her out?"

"Who the hell are you?" Blair's yellow eyes narrowed at Aiden.

"Aiden Viscard." Aiden replied. "And you're Blair Elfin. I've heard a lot about you from your crew."

"…." A tense silence filled the air. Nobody was sure what to do or say in this situation. All eyes fell on Blair, for those who didn't know her weren't sure what she'd do next. "Viscard?" No way. The same last name as Vanessa. She didn't know the details, but she knew that this was far from a coincidence. He was giving her some sickening, coy smile. A smile that only she could see. She could sense something foul in this man. It was an animalistic instinct that drove her to act. Blair's eyes widened…the narrowed. Like a predator, she lunged forward towards Aiden.