Evan and Brian were silent through most of the short drive to their destination. Their appearance was now more realistic and the scenes around them were strikingly realistic as if they were back in World Zero again. But once again, something was off about it. It had a fictional charm to the look and they couldn't shake it. The road, the grass, everything seemed so real, and yet, it also seemed fake. Evan was staring out the window, aimlessly watching the night sky above them as if that would save him from his fear of what was going to happen. Finally, Brian cleared the silence by sighing.

"You know," he said, "I'm kinda feeling that way too."

"What?" Evan asked, "Confused? Lost? Fucking terrified?"

"Absolutely," Brian replied, "I think all of us are."

"But I feel like we're in deep shit right now," Evan said. Brian gripped the steering wheel.

"You don't think I feel that way, Evan?" he questioned, jerking his head to face him for a moment and then returning back to the road. He continued.

"My fuckin' girlfriend is captured by those bastards," he said, "And I know for a fact that some of the people back there are not going to stop until they get them back or…"

Brian couldn't comprehend it: them killing her. What would he do if he found out that happened. He would be distraught, no, angry, no, guilty, no… he didn't know. He just knew he couldn't let it happen. Ex had claimed they had plans to get them back, but Brian had doubted them the minute he heard it. It felt too hard for them to achieve, especially with all that had been happening. Even though they felt like some power was in their hands, they felt as if it wasn't enough. He sighed in frustration.

"Look," he said, "We are here, so let's get this over with and let's go home."

"Yeah," Evan said. Brian couldn't help but hear the fear and stress in his voice and ponder more, only for a sign on the street to flash in his eyes.

Next exit: Piccadilly

His eyes widened, "Wait… you saw that, right?"

"Yeah," Evan said, "Isn't that a place in-"

"COD?"

Evan nodded, "Wonder who's gonna be there."

They took the next turn and, sure enough, there it was. Piccadilly. Buses were strewn about, windows from shops open for campers to hide in, and broken structures surrounding them. Above the city, helicopters hovered above the area and spotlights shone down onto the near-empty street.

Evan and Brian drove up to the police barricades, which were no match for a car that could drive as fast as a moving train. They finally stopped and the barricades slid against the ground with a metallic skid, almost similar to nails on a chalkboard. Brian and Evan stepped out of the car carefully, avoiding making any contact with the helicopters and their spotlights. They snuck through the side of a broken clothing building and to the outside where they were greeted to silence for mere seconds before gunshots rang out, echoing against the buildings. Instinctively, the two shrunk lower to the ground as the spotlights then moved onto the fountain in the middle of the area.

Evan motioned to Brian, "Who do you think is there?"

"My guess," he replied, "Price?"

Evan nodded, "Yeah, but what about the other?"

"Let's find out." Brian hunched his back and ran to the multiple red double-decker busses in the middle of the road. He walked across the bus and tried to peer through the windows and see who was there. Again, on cue, he felt something whoosh right by his head before the sound of a gun cracked the air around him. He ducked back and tried to silently catch his breath. He sighed as he looked to Evan, who was still covering behind the walls of the store. Brian motioned him to follow and he hesitantly obliged. The two walked to where one of the points would've been in the game before the two slowly approached an opening between two buses facing the fountain. Evan spoke to the coms.

"Anything, Ex?" he asked.

"Two bogeys," Ex replied, "One is native to the world you're in but the other one isn't."

"Then one is Price," Brian said.

"Any ideas on the other?" Evan asked, his voice a little shaky.

"I'm scanning other worlds for-" He paused for a moment, "Ah, speak of the devil."

"So?" Brian asked.

"Looks like something of a world with multiple crime reports," he said, "Gonna need a little bit more time to look into them."

"Alright, not very helpful," Evan said, "But thanks."

Then, a round of gunshots rang out, causing Evan and Brian to silence themselves. Now, they could hear the sounds of two males grunting and muffled screaming. Then more shots rang out, causing Evan and Brian to stay behind cover.

"Wait," Brian said, "Can't you hack into the helicopters?"

"Nope," Ex said, "I still need some more time to remember this shit. Once I do, OBIS could probably do it without any effort."

"And?" Evan said.

"And I'm trying to help four other duos at the same time," Ex said, exaggerating, "If the two can be friendly, try and snap the one under their control out and maybe you can come to a resolution."

"Yeah, try and make peace with guys with guns," Brian said, "Great idea."

Evan sighed, "I have to agree with Brian."

"It's that bad, huh?" Ex said, "Well, I've got no other options."

Evan shook his head and peered out to the ensuing fight and watched as a man was thrown a few feet from the fountain and slid across the concrete towards the two. He was a slightly taller man than Evan and his face was covered in a weird-looking mustache. He wore a large tactical vest over top of a jacket and no gloves. At the same time, a small pistol skidded out of his holster and stopped just a few feet away from where Evan and Brian were. It was an old-looking pistol and just from the look, they knew it was Price. They waited and they watched as the other figure stepped out from behind the fountain.

This figure was near the complete opposite of Price, as he was wearing a dark black suit and tie with a black undershirt. His attire looked professional, but his face was telling a different story. His hair was long and messy, his beard was grizzled and worn out, and his eyes looked like he hadn't slept in days. He was slightly taller than the British captain and seemingly more intimidating. He carried a small assault rifle with a somewhat short barrel length as he approached Price. That's when Brian spoke.

"John Wick?" he questioned. The problem was that he spoke too loudly, causing both the men to turn their attention to the two hiding behind the bus. Wick brought his rifle up and, without thinking, Evan dove for Price's pistol. Brian ducked behind cover and heard multiple shots before they were silenced then followed by what sounded like punches being thrown. Brian stood and immediately saw Evan wrestling with Wick to try and get the gun out of his hands. Then, the coms came in.

"Brian? Is everything alright?" Ex asked.

"Yeah, we found the outsider," he said, "John Wick."

"Well shit," Ex said, "You need to snap him out of whatever trance he's in. You need to get close and say 'Taga Umito Ise'. That should do the trick."

"I am not getting within a foot of that guy," he said, "I'll die."

"Well it seems like your friend has no problem," another voice said. Brian looked over and saw Price sitting next to him on the corner of the bus. He sighed.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Brian said. Price shook his head.

"I think your friend has it under control for now," he chuckled, "What about you?"

Brian sighed, "I'm gonna join him in a minute. How about you?"

"Possibly," he said, "I mean, your friend took my gun."

"Right," Brian said. He stood and, hesitantly, ran into action as Wick shoved Evan to the floor. He ran up and pushed him away before he could grab a weapon. He tried to do what Ex said, trying to say the phrase that would free him from the mindless curse, but he was unable to. Constantly, he was forced to the ground and almost killed before finally, he could speak clearly again.

"Taga...Umito… Is-AAA!" he tried but failed to speak the phrase as John crushed down on his windpipe, causing him to grab onto his wrists and try to free him. As he did, something pushed Wick out of the way and off Brian, giving him a sudden intake of air as he gasped. He watched as John and Price went at it to each other, throwing punch after punch, block after block, kick after kick. Watching from afar, it was difficult to decide who would win as they equally landed blows and hits on each other and each having varying degrees of success on the opponent. Finally, Evan stood and jumped behind John and wrapped his arms around his neck, and whispered something into his ear, causing John to jerk suddenly and then fall to the ground, passed out. Evan sighed and walked over to Brian and helped him up. He then grabbed the pistol from the ground and handed it to Price.

"I believe this is yours, Captain," Evan said. Prices chuckled and took his gun back and slipped it into his holster.

"You two aren't SAS," he said, "What about it? ARW? JTF2?"

"Uhh," Brian said, "Hired guns?"

Price smiled, "If not, you shouldn't be here, but thanks for the support."

He bent down and grabbed one wrist, prepared to handcuff the suited mercenary. Before he could, however, a shot rang out and Price immediately took cover behind the fountain. Evan and Brian followed before a voice called to them.

"Which one of you is the famous Vanoss?" it asked confidently. Evan looked to Brian with a look of fear and then back to the figure, who was approaching the trio quickly.

"I know you're over there," it said, smirking at the small jump in fear Evan gave. Finally, Evan stood and approached the being.

"Alright," he said, "What do you want?"

"We think you have multiple things we want," it said, "Our prisoners, that man you just incapacitated, and more."

"Alright, buddy," Brian said, standing up, "Our friends are not your property."

It shrugged, "All is fair in war."

"War?" Brian could hear Price whisper. Brian groaned.

"What are you talking about?" Evan asked, "We are just some normal people trying to adjust here until we can find our way home."

"World Zero, you mean?" the Crystalite chuckled, before looking at them menacingly.

"What's so important there that you don't want us to get?"

Evan sighed, "You can't even get there."

"It isn't can. It's when."

"Oi, green bitch," Brian said, "Shut the fuck up and leave these guys alone."

It tapped its chin as if it was thinking, "No, I don't think I will."

It charged at the group and Evan immediately began typing into his watch for some type of weapon. Suddenly, it jerked and then looked at the two in confusion. Then, a loud voice came over the loudspeaker of the helicopter.

"Misdirection, motherfucker!"

Evan smiled at the sound of Ex's voice on the coms, "Soldier class. Tier two. A couple of bullets should do the trick."

The Crystalite groaned, "Ugh, stupid son of a bi-"

Without warning, a gun was fired and the Crystalite jerked back in response before falling back, smoke floated out from a hole in its head. It shivered once more before laying perfectly still like it was dead. The two turned around and saw John Wick on one knee with his rifle, smoking hot with the residue of the bullet. He sighed and stood on before extending a hand to the British captain.

"Sorry, about that," he said, his voice deep and grizzled, "Wasn't in the right state of mind."

Price sighed, "I could tell."

He groaned as Wick pulled him onto his feet and the two looked at each other and then to the other two. Simultaneously, they spoke.

"Explain. This. Now."


Ex sat back and sighed, knowing that Evan and Brian were not in desperate need of help at the moment. His shoulders dropped as he tried to relax for a moment, letting the sound of air around him distract him. The lights around him were powerful, enough to where he could tell when one blinked off for just a millisecond. He watched the screen at where he was sitting, videos of multiple worlds showing the effort the team was putting in while he was sitting there watching. He thought he should feel relaxed, but he didn't. Deep down, he felt something much bigger: guilt and anger. He felt guilty that he was there and not with the others helping in the way he thought he could help. But he felt angry, not just at the Crystalites, but at their leader too. He was mad that he found it somewhat funny to capture his friends and, more importantly, his own brother. He was angry, and he wanted to take it out on something. He sighed and sat up.

"I should be out there," he whispered to himself, trying to justify himself sitting down and doing nothing. He felt thoughts rush to his head, thoughts telling him to give responsibility away and do something for the greater good of someone out there. He wanted to help, not with a keyboard and mouse, but with a gun and his bare fists if he had to. His mind quickly shook out of it as he felt himself grow ever more bored. He sighed.

"OBIS," he shouted, knowing he didn't have to, but he chose to anyway.

"Ex," OBIS said, echoing his thoughts, "You don't have to yell to get my attention."

Ex grabbed a screwdriver and his latest invention: a new helmet for Vanoss. He spun it around in his hand. It had the same look as the mask he was so famous for, but with some slight modifications. A strange beak that could transmit anything he said and make it look real, eyes that moved along with his own, and, most important to Ex, it was light. Light enough that he could wear it for long periods of time. He sighed and placed it down.

"Make sure they don't get into too much trouble," he said, "If anything happens, send the payload or get me and I'll be here as soon as I can. Also, run diagnostics on the helmet."

"Which one?" OBIS asked. Ex sighed, remembering that there were multiple masks and helmets he was working on.

"Project Night Owl," he said. The screen blinked twice and Evans' helmet began to bleep and light up as OBIS began to run the tests against the helmet. He sighed as he walked away, only to remember that he had forgotten something important: his new watch. He had given his previous watch to that lady on the train, Wraith. He sighed as he grabbed a new watch that OBIS had helped to make and customize to his liking. The watch had two curved screens with a holographic projector in the back, giving him a way to visualize anything if need be. It was all attached to a soft fingerless glove that felt strange at first, but slowly, it felt like there was nothing there after a minute of wearing it. He swiped the screen for a minute, trying to find out if there was anything that could be improved upon for later when a loud noise caught his attention.

"FUCK!"

His mind quickly realized the voice was Chesh, but he wasn't there. He wasn't in the same room as him. In fact, he probably was in a different facility, meaning he couldn't hear that. He wondered what it was for only a moment before he began sprinting through the hallways, trying to find the source of the voice. His thoughts translated into words.

"Where?" he asked himself. Where would Chesh go if he was looking for him? He thought for a moment before sighing, deciding to stay where he was until they found him.

"OBIS, you there?" he questioned as he leaned against the door, waiting for his friends.

"Yes, I'm here," he said, "Is there something wrong?"

Ex was about to question then sighed, "Just feeling a little off right now."

"As in something drug-related?" OBIS questioned. Ex chuckled.

"No, OBIS," he said, "I don't do drugs. I'm just… upset at the fact I can't help them out."

"You are helping," OBIS said, a sudden confusion in his voice, "With the suits, the technology, and much more! You've probably been the most helpful."

"And that's the problem," Ex said, "I feel like I'm not helping enough because I'm not out there, fighting alongside them and kicking robot ass. But then again, I feel like maybe… maybe I am digging into this too much, trying to become something I'm not. A real hero."

"Why do you say that?" OBIS asked, surprising Ex with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I mean…" Ex paused to try and choose his next words, "I like this whole being a hero thing, you know? Helping people, doing all this, and my first fight was actually exciting!"

"You've never been in a fight before?" OBIS asked. Ex shook his head.

"Nope," he said, "Where I come from, I try to be a pacifist until there is no other option except to fight."

"And yet you fight the robots with such vigor and without thought," OBIS said. Ex sighed.

"It's hard to explain," he said, "I just don't know what the rest are going to say."

"I think you know exactly what we would say."

Ex slightly jumped at the sound of his friend's voice but chose to keep his eyes peeled elsewhere, waiting until the last minute before he turned to Chesh, who was followed by Crystal, Skye, and Tails. The four of them stood and watched him for a moment before Ex sighed.

"Any opinions on the thoughts I gave?" he asked. Chesh shook his head.

"I think you're suicidal, honestly," he said, giving Ex a sting that he knew Chesh could bring with his opinion alone, "You think that this is all cool and all, but I think that you really need to see the direness in this situation. Our family is trapped, we are fighting for our lives and our way home, and we are almost outnumbered, fifty to one!"

Ex sighed, "I know man, I know."

But Chesh continued, "And you may think that we can take on these fuckers, but all we are doing is quickening our pace towards death! Is that what you want? To be dead and let these guys make an even bigger mess?"

"Dude, I-" Ex tried to speak, but Crystal continued in on the pelting.

"I have to side him Chesh on this one," he said, "I mean, being able to float and stuff is awesome and all, but we are not heroes. We're just a bunch of rising sophomores trying to get home and it just so happens that we learn about all of this superhero shit and we get pulled into the mix."

Ex's voice began to strain, "You don't think I can see that? How we don't mix in this situation?"

"It's getting pretty blurry, honestly," Skye tried to chime in. Crystal turned to face her.

"Let's just keep this to us for now, alright?" he pleaded. Skye sighed and nodded as Ex stood up straighter.

"Look," he said, "I'm just taking a quick break while OBIS calibrates settings on the suits-"

"Suits?" Tails asked, "You're making suits for them?"

"No," Ex said, then pausing a moment, "Kinda. They were somewhat prebuilt here and I'm just finishing and adding onto the suits as we speak. Right, OBIS?"

"Yes sir, we are." Ex sighed, knowing everything he just said countered his arguments against his friends. The more and more he thought about it, the more and more he just needed a stress reliever. He couldn't help but look around for a minute before returning to his friends. Suddenly, OBIS emitted a soft beeping noise and spoke up again after a moment of silence.

"We have a problem, Ex," he said, "With one of the groups."

Ex sighed, "Well, guess this stress reliever thing is going to have to wait."

"I can help," Tails said, raising his hand excitedly, "I'll go help them, you guys try to fix whatever is wrong."

Ex sighed in relief, "Thanks, buddy."

Tails wrapped his tails together and then spun them at high speeds, causing him to hover above the ground. He nodded and quickly flew away down the hallway and slowly, the sound of his spinning tails faded away. Ex sighed and looked to his friends and sighed again.

"So, anything else you guys wanted?"


Meanwhile, in another world and with many different worries, Ian and Crainer were worrying themselves about the silence that they had encountered. They expected a commotion to break out as they fearfully walked around the structure they were in. Their looks were now 2D, and their motions were fluid and somewhat realistic, except of course they weren't looking realistic. More like a child's TV program would look like, but this was different. It had a feel to it that made it similar to something, but neither of them could place a finger on it. Ian sighed.

"Well," he said, trying to start a conversation, "How is Thea?"

Crainer shook out of a small thought-moment he was having, "Uh, she's fine."

"Cool," Ian replied back, "How's Denmark?"

"Cold, almost as always," Crainer said. The conversation was awkward as neither Ian nor Crainer had met face to face up until this event. They had only talked through a Discord and mostly played games together. It had been a while since they had last spoken as time zones had caused them to stop playing as much, leaving them little option but to adapt and make new friends in their time zones. What was harder was the suddenness of it, causing fans to believe the two had stopped being friends when that wasn't the case at all. Crainer sighed.

"How's it been with Biffle and the gang?" he asked as they approached an opening in the structure. Ian shrugged.

"We're having fun," he said, "You know? Playing Fortnite, Minecraft, and planning another Sky-Factory series soon."

Crainer chuckled, "Really? When was it going to start?"

"We were preparing it to release next month," he said, "But because of this, I guess it will have to be delayed. How about you?"

"Uh, nothing really," Crainer said, "Just playing games and finding things that we thought would be entertaining."

"Oh right," Ian said, "You're talking with Jelly and Slogoman, right?"

Crainer nodded, "Yep."

The two finally came to the opening and looked out into the roofless structure as the sun shone down, the bright blue sky illuminating the whole place. The two looked at each other and then hesitantly entered the large area, realizing it was some type of great hall. They entered and saw at the end, a large group of seats surrounded a much bigger chair, supposedly being the leader's chair. The place was a mixture of black, dark red, and various fires surrounding the seats. They entered through one of the two large archways into the building, giving them a sense of fear for the sheer size of the building alone. Finally, the two entered and slowly and silently, cautious to anyone else possibly in there. Especially a Crystalite, which neither were confident with dealing with. Crainer leaned closer to Ian to ask him something but was swiftly cut off by a sudden scream.

The scream came from the center of the room, before a loud whoosh and then intense heat from a fire. Immediately, the two looked at each other, and Ian rushed to the middle while Crainer remained idle for a moment. His mind quickly awoke from that state and hurried next to Ian as they stared over to the center as another wave of flames rolled over the center like a tsunami.

"Lord almighty!" Crainer exclaimed in Danish as the two watched as two what looked like teenagers battled it out, flames spitting from their hands. They rolled, jumped, and dashed in order to gain some type of upper hand in the fight. One wore a red and gold robe of some kind like a martial artist while the other wore a more modern set of blue and white clothing. Each was defined by a certain appearance: one had black hair and a scar surrounding one of his eyes and the other had a similar scar, but with an even split of red and white hair. Ian and Crainer were hesitant to get involved as they had no powers that could help them. Then, a commotion started as the one with black hair shouted to the other one.

"I don't want to hurt you!" he shouted, "But you're making it really difficult for me to show mercy."

Ian and Crainer looked at each other as the other teen-only grunted in response before getting closer to the other one. Suddenly, OBIS's voice came through their coms, giving them a much-needed explanation.

"According to files and first-hand experience," OBIS said, "The black-haired teen is Zuko, currently the leader of the fire nation. His ability is his ability to firebend, in which he can emit fire from his hands and feet. He is known for being reserved, at times in need of emotional support, and being quick to rage. The other is Shoto Todoroki, a student from a Japanese school in a different world with abilities, called a quirk, to produce fire and ice from his body. He is known for being calm and very methodical in his approaches."

"But my guess is he is under control?" Crainer asked, referring to Shoto.

"I'm afraid so," OBIS said. Ian thought for a moment as more flames rolled over the battlefield. He looked to Crainer before coming up with an idea.

"Maybe we can find out what is controlling Shoto," he said, "If we destroy it, it should get him out of that state and into a bit more of a human state?"

"Sounds like a better plan than what I had in mind," Crainer replied. Ian raised his watch up.

"OBIS, scan around for us, please?" he requested.

"Obliging," OBIS replied. After a moment of silence, and entertainment via the fight, OBIS finally spoke up again, "There seems to be a small complex group of metal somewhere in your vicinity."

"Any places we could look?" Crainer asked.

"It seems to be much stronger near the opposite end of the room you're in," OBIS replied. Crainer nodded to Ian and the two began sprinting towards the other end of the room, hoping not to drag the attention off of the fight beside them. Unfortunately, they weren't as lucky as they wished. They had been spotted by another thing in the room, the Crystalite sent to watch over the fight. Crainer saw and was only able to get a small shout to Ian out before it tackled him to the ground. Ian ran up to the Crystalite and tried to ram it with his shoulder, but to no avail. OBIS then spoke through the coms.

"This is a tier-three 'Brute' class Crystalite, Ian," he said, "It is strong, but is weak to very hard hits for prolonged periods of time."

"Yeah?" he asked, "Then how am I supposed to save Crainer when I can't hit that hard?"

Crainer strained as the thing raised a leg, trying to stomp him. Crainer rolled out of the robot's grasp and ran to Ian, causing the thing to stand tall and stare at them. It sighed and began approaching them, Ian and Crainer quickly retreating towards where OBIS said.

"Why is it you people that get in our way?" it grimaced. The two were silent at first, letting the Crystalite process what was happening before it sighed.

"Still, roadkill is roadkill," it said as it lunged at the two. Ian and Crainer bolted towards the other end of the room, hoping to make it before they had to fight it. Then, Ian got an idea as they passed a large bowl of fire. Ian stopped and made his way to it, Crainer watching and quickly understanding what he wanted. He stood and watched as the Crystalite predictably slowed down to a halt and stared at Crainer. It chuckled.

"What a strange moment of courage," it said. Crainer grinned.

"I guess so," Crainer said. On cue, a loud metallic thud was heard followed by a deep rumbling. The Crystalite only caught a glimpse of the fire before it was hit with the force of a semi-truck as the fire bowl slammed into it, causing it to fall back into the arena with the fire bowl falling on top of it with a metallic crunch. This was what caught the attention of the two fighters, causing the flames to stop rolling, but it was ignored by the two. Ian ran down to meet Crainer, both laughing in achievement.

"Did you see that?!" Ian shouted excitedly, adrenaline rushing through his veins. Crainer nodded, bouncing on his feet in excitement. Then, OBIS broke through their joyful victory.

"I apologize for breaking this up," OBIS said, "But I believe that you have something more pressing to deal with."

Crainer nodded, still smiling, and ran towards the end and Ian not far behind. They finally reached the end and searched desperately for whatever seemed to be out of place. They looked through the fire, they looked through the chairs, anywhere they thought could hold a clue to its whereabouts. Crainer jumped down to a large throne and began searching there. It was then that he realized something: the fighting had stopped. The fire was not rushing through the battlefield anymore, meaning they weren't fighting anymore. Crainer turned around just in time to jump out of the way of a fireball the size of a baseball. He looked and saw Shoto standing above tall and menacingly as he extended his hand towards Crainer. Before he could do anything, however, a pair of arms wrapped around the teen and threw him back, revealing Zuko as his savior. He stood for a moment before another fireball flew in between the two. He jumped and then turned to Crainer.

"Quickly, move," he said sternly, "Do what you have come to do."

Crainer nodded as he quickly stood and his eyes darted around for anything as Zuko jumped back into the fight. Crainer saw Ian look at him and shake his head.

"There's nothing here!" he shouted to him, his voice being faint and nearly unrecognizable. Crainer shook his head.

"Then where else could it be?" he asked. OBIS suddenly spoke.

"Crainer, it appears you are standing on the epicenter of the beacon."

Crainer tilted his head in confusion before he felt a floorboard below him slide out under his right foot. He looked down and, sure enough, a gray device stood out from the black and red aesthetic of the room. He grabbed it and only stared at it for a moment before he threw it on the ground then slammed his foot onto it, causing a small explosion to occur and send his foot flying upwards, causing his knee to bounce into his stomach. He bent over in pain and listened as the fighting ceased. He sighed in relief as he fell back into a sitting position, hoping it was over. Once again, luck seemed to bat an eye to the two as he heard Ian scream in fear. Crainer looked and saw Ian running from three more Crystalites, each much bigger than the last one they encountered. Ian turned around and watched the three approaching him before he suddenly tripped on something and fell back into the railing. Crainer jumped to his feet and ran to aid his friend.

Ian struggled as he tried to get back onto his feet, but the Crystalites fast approach made it nearly impossible for him to do so under the stress. He quickly got to his feet and felt his legs shake as the two chuckled at the struggling man.

"Too much to handle, old man?" one asked. Ian hesitantly threw a punch at the Crystalites, which failed and resulted in him getting thrown into the battlefield, now void of any fire and leaving a burnt steak smell around the room. Ian groaned as he sat up and watched as two Crystalites jumped down and approached him while the other jumped to his right, going to deal with the now helpless Zuko. Ian watched helplessly as he closed his eyes and waited for his end to come before OBIS came back.

"Ian, may I suggest some more...practical attire?" OBIS questioned. Ian opened his eyes in confusion.

"What do you mean OBIS?" he asked. OBIS chuckled.

"Remember that word you spat out in that best fight?" he asked. Ian shook his head in confusion.

"What? Contact?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt his watch vibrate to a point where it felt like it would dislocate his shoulder. He looked at it and watched as his arm began to be consumed by a bright white light and soon, it consumed more and more of his body, moving up his body and then down his legs. Finally, it reached his neck and he tried to stop it from going any further but was stopped as a Crystalite leaped high above him, ready to crush him. Ian hopped up onto a knee and brought his arms up into a shielding position. His vision blurred into a white light for a moment before succumbing to the light.

Crainer watched as his friend was suddenly engulfed by the white light and the Crystalite jumping at him. The white stopped for a moment, making him look like a type of statue before a sudden wave of energy burst out of him like an explosion. Crainer felt the force push him back about a foot, dragging his feet across the floor at the same time. He kept his legs underneath him as he quickly looked and saw that he could no longer see Ian anywhere. He ran up to the railing, praying that something didn't happen. He ran so fast that he almost fell over the barrier and he watched now in awe.

Ian now knelt where he used to be sitting, looking down and obstructing his face near completely. His body was covered in a deep black trench coat flowing down his back and onto the floor. A white line outlined the close edges of the coat and glowed with a soft white hue. His legs were covered in what looked like armored leggings and boots, also dark black. He placed his feet underneath him and stood, revealing his body wearing a mixture of a suit and a trench coat minus a tie. Underneath was a gray undershirt and vest, carrying things like magazines and what looked like books. Around his waist was a belt that carried grenades, bottles of mysterious liquid, and holsters for small arms. Everything had a metallic touch to it as it shone the reflections of the fires surrounding them. His face was slightly covered by the pair of sunglasses Ian was wearing earlier as well as a new cover: a cloth neck gaiter covering his nose and mouth. The glasses suddenly sparkled like something out of an anime as he came to a full stand. His head turned to look at Crainer, who watched in awe at Ian.

"Ian!" Crainer shouted, "Are you alright?!"

Ian looked at his hands for a moment before returning back to Crainer, "I feel… strange."

"Hang on, I'm co-Watch Out!"

Ian's eyes immediately darted to motion out of his peripheral vision, which was a Crystalite who was jumping at him. He stepped back before kicking out to where his foot met the Crystalites face and it slid on the ground past him. A second Crystalite ran at him and he had to think fast. Suddenly, air-filled his mouth before he could stop himself.

"Tama Unite Ise!"

The surge of energy was extreme, and he suddenly felt his right hand grab something off of his belt: a small crystal ball with a flame inside its center. He gripped it tightly and it shattered in his hand, the flames spewing out of his hand. He felt the heat, but not the pain. At that moment, he didn't realize it as he extended his hand to the approaching Crystalite and opened his hand. An instant later, the flames shot at the Crystalite, who jumped over the fire now traveling towards the wall. Ian clenched his hand into a fist and the fire stopped in mid-air, the fire burning with such energy that it was near impossible to look at for long. As the Crystalite approached, he pushed his left leg back and pulled his right arm back, causing the flame to fly towards the unsuspecting Crystalite. It hit and exploded into a liquid-like flame, rushing over the things body like water and the Crystalite screamed in frustration. The fire burned through the outer shell of the Crystalite and caused the Incor to melt. Before long, a large X shape took place on its body and it fell to the ground. The fire then shot off the Crystalite and surrounded Ian at the feet, causing him to jump in surprise. He took a step back and watched as the fire continued to follow him in a perfect diameter circle. He looked to Crainer, who seemed just as confused as him.

"What just happened?" Ian asked. Crainer shook his head.

"Why are you asking me?" he shouted back, now realizing that they were hundreds of feet apart. Ian shrugged and turned to Shoto and Zuko, who were watching with awe at him. Shoto said something softly, which Ian heard but couldn't understand as it was in Japanese. Crainer hopped down and the two met, careful not to get burned by the fire. A loud groaning was heard and the two turned to see the Crystalite Ian had kicked trying to stand. Ian and Crainer looked at each other and then approached the thing.

It tried to speak, "Y-y-you w-won'-t-t… fi-i-find us."

It was teasing them. Crainer was the first to react by kicking it in the face, causing it to land on its back. Crainer held his foot not realizing that he was kicking something made of metal. They approached the thing and looked at it as it began to fizzle out of control. Footsteps behind them then made them turn around to see Shoto and Zuko running to the two in a hurry. Shoto began to speak in Japanese again, which no one could understand. Then, OBIS's voice came.

"Do you need me to translate that?" he asked. Ian nodded.

"Yeah, that would be nice."

Ian's ears were filled with static for a moment before silence. Shoto stopped to look at him for a moment before continuing. Finally, his voice came through and translated.

"I remember where they were," his voice said, "I remember something about a watch being different than the rest."

Ian looked to Crainer, "Ex?"

Crainer shrugged, "Again, how would we know?"

He sighed, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he would see Maddie again. He sighed, hoping that they weren't too late. Shoto, however, made his doubt soar.

"They said something about termination of all subjects," he said, which caught Ian's attention, "It's only a matter of time before they get their machine up and running."

"Can you estimate a time?" Ian asked, his voice leaving the helmet in Japanese. Shoto nodded.

"At minimum? A week."

Ian felt his heart stop for a moment before he turned to Crainer, "He said that there would be termination of subjects in about a week."

Crainer's face went pale, "What are we going to do then?"

"N-n-nothing," the Crystalite spoke, "Dea-a-ath is already up-p-pon them."

Ian turned to the Crystalite and raised his arm, causing the fire to crawl up his suit like a caterpillar until it levitated just above his palm. He knelt down and placed the fire against the Crystalites head, causing it to suddenly shiver its neck in fear. The fire inched closer and closer to the Crystalites face before Ian sighed.

"No. You."


Connection Lost

The two words blinked over and over again on the static as the Crystalite workers quietly waited in fear for what was next. The Crystal King stood on a platform overlooking the workers and their silence. Everyone could see that his hand was shaking and twitching in anger, each finger gripping onto the railing. The silence was palpable, meaning any other noise would cause something similar to a bomb explosion. That noise would be a request.

"Ay, you think we could get some popcorn for this?" a voice questioned, "'Cause this is entertainment."

Then, the silence was replaced by the sound whooping and hollering from a small group of observers the Crystal King had brought up to, as he put it, watch his subjects unleash chaos. Instead, the next fifteen minutes were filled with the Crystalites getting their asses handed to them. Krystal was one of the watchers along with a small group of observers, including a Mexican daredevil in green who called himself Octane, a small child with arrow tattoos plaster over his body named Aang, and a few others. They all cheered at the sight of the failure the leader was having. Finally, he lost it, grabbing the railing and tearing it until the metal bent into a curved straight. Though that was the case, the group kept laughing and hollering in joy. This only added fuel to the laughter, causing him to spin around and approach the group of spectators. His teeth ground together, causing a nearly unbearable sound to fill his ears and make his anger rise higher. He slammed his foot into the ground next to them, causing their laughter to diminish slightly, though giggling still remained.

"You call this a joke?" he questioned, his voice deep and stern. Octane stood on his metallic legs.

"Are you kidding?" he said, getting close to him, "This is hilarious!"

The laughing revamped, giving the king more anger as he grabbed Octane by the throat and lifted him off the ground, though he looked old and frail, with ease. The laughter stopped and Octane struggled as his grip tightened around his neck.

"Don't you disrespect me, you speed demon," he said. Octane chuckled.

"Oh, if I'm a demon," he said, "Then you're the devil."

The Crystal King tightened his grip again before letting go with a soft chuckle.

"I give you all this," he said, referring to the building around them, "And you call me the devil? You ungrateful children."

"This is nothing to be honored by," Krystal said, "I've seen poor planets of populations less than hundreds that gave better hospitality than you do in a day."

He smirked and approached Krystal, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Didn't your mom teach you to respect your elders, young lady?"

Without hesitation Krystal swiped his hand off her shoulder and, with as much force as she could muster, slapped the king across his cheek, sending him to the ground. He looked up at her, shocked and confused as the laughter picked up again and she smirked. She stood confidently above him.

"Didn't your mother teach you to respect the ladies?"

The king stood and groaned in frustration at the now stinging sensation on his cheek. He looked to the group, now returning to a more neutral face, and raised his arm.

"Get them out of here," he said, referring to the group of spectators. Krystal smiled as she walked away from the king.

"You know you will lose, right?" she said, catching the king off guard.

"And why do you say that?" he questioned, trying to keep a smile on his face.

"You're too confident," she said, "You are risking it all, and your life is the prize."

That was all she could say before she disappeared in a flash of light back to the cells. The king pondered her words for a moment before dismissing it entirely as one of the computer workers ran up to him.

"There's another encounter occurring, sir," it said, little emotion in its voice. He sighed.

"What is the catch?" he asked.

"Unknown at the moment, sir," the worker said. The king sighed before walking to the workers and waiting for a moment before shouting to them.

"This better work!"


Sean kept the words repeating in his mind as the group finally arrived at their destination. They were in some town in Japan and their skin was gritty and rough like it was drawn out on a piece of paper with a pen and pencil. The idea was recognizable and the grin on his face was almost ready to morph into a full-on smile. He walked down the streets, windows shining and reflecting the bright light of the sun with ease. Stone roads dragged on for what felt like miles as he, Felix, Joe, and Dan attempted to find where this Crystalite was. According to OBIS and Ex, it was a huge beast class somewhere in the vicinity. Ex then came onto the coms after a while.

"Everything alright?" he asked, his voice was somewhat energetic but at the same time, there was a loss of emotion. Sean waved that away for a moment.

"Yeah," he said, "Any ideas on where this thing is?"

"According to what I see," he said, "Next left turn."

Sean nodded, "Got that?"

Joe nodded back, "Yeah, let's do this fast. In and ou-"

Before he could finish, a large piece of debris crashed into the road next to them and the four stood in complete fear for a moment as they slowly turned to see the large beast Crystalite towering over them. It had the appearance of a lizard and it slowly approached the group as it tilted its head in curiosity. The group immediately began to backpedal as the thing crawled out slowly towards them. Joe felt his lips quiver as he held back a scream of fear before he felt the force of what felt like a car hitting him launch him away.

Sean watched as Joe was swatted away by the thing and he turned back just in time to avoid being hit by its tail. He watched it almost hit Felix before Mark stepped in and grabbed it, stopping it dead in its tracks. He struggled a little bit holding the tail but pushed it away with relative ease. The thing then made a sound that resembled a growl and a deep gurgling. Mark hesitantly stepped forward and watched the thing growl at him as he approached. At the same time, a voice came from behind the thing.

"What is wrong?" it said, the thing lifting its tail and revealing three Crystalites approaching the group. They were all big and bulky, and the monster bent down to them seemingly to protect them from any low blow attacks. Joe stood and got up to meet the group as they stood for a moment, the wind brushing leaves and dust in between them. The faces contorted into a grin as they lept at them, the world seeming like it froze for a moment before it unfroze and Dan was tackled to the ground. Felix immediately lept in, grabbed the thing, and threw it to the beast. It bounced off, but the beast stepped back in shock before roaring to the group. The four looked at each other and, simultaneously, shouted:

Tama Unite Ise!

The energy around them radiated so much that it felt as if even the wind alleviated its gaze of the world to watch this moment. The four approached the beast and the Crystalites and stood intimidatingly as if the words were floating just above them. They stared at each other for a moment before one Crystalite lunged at Dan. He quickly extended his hands and threw the thing over his head before watching it crash into a building, cracking the walls. He leaped at that one while Mark looked to Felix.

"I'll take the big one," he said. He sounded… confident. Felix also felt that sense of energy and confidence flow through him. He smiled and nodded to Joe as the two ran at the remaining Crystalites and Mark jumped at the beast, which roared in response. Joe jumped and kicked the Crystalite, which tried to fight back in response but failed. Felix threw multiple pinches at the remaking Crystalite, who blocked with its large forearms. Though, it looked stunned at the strength in the hits as Felix kept trying, ducking in and out of range before finally jumping and landing a blow to the head, a loud crunch coming from its neck, meaning he broke the electrics current. Then, a voice came through the coms.

"Everything alright?" Ex asked.

"I think this was a bit of a lie about the rift opening," he replied, "There is no other world thing other than-"

"ORA!"

The word came as fast as Felix could blink. In a split second, he was flat on his ass and the Crystalite lying next to him. He rubbed the side of his head as he looked up and his jaw dropped.

Standing over him now was a tall figure draped in black. Black trench coat, black pants, and a black hat with a gold piece of metal on the brim. His undershirt was a deep color of purple and a gold chain fell out of his pocket. His shoes made an ominous clicking sound as he approached the downed Felix. He stopped, grabbed the tip of his brim and sighed.

"やれやれだぜ(yareyareda ze)."

Good grief was what Felix thought as he tried to stand, but felt his legs mood into jelly at the sight of Jotaro Kujo. He knew what he was up against if he chose to fight him, and he was not willing to get a face full of fist from Star Platinum. He raised his hands in surrender.

"I don't want to fight you," he said before his voice translated into Japanese a mere second later. He didn't notice as Jotaro bent down and extended his hand.

"Then get up," he said, suddenly now speaking English. Felix raised his hands to his ears, having a feeling that OBIS was helping somehow. Quickly, Jotaro grabbed his arm, "These freaks are the least of our worries."

Felix was about to question him about the statement when Mark screamed and the beast Crystalite went flying over both of their heads. Felix watched it for a moment while Jotaro barely batted an eye. The thing hit the ground with a sickening thud before uprighting itself and roaring at Mark, who hesitantly stepped back before the thing lunged at him. Jotaro looked to Felix.

"I see you have them under control," he said, seemingly mocking the group. Felix sighed.

"It's our first time," he said. Jotaro rolled his eyes and stared at something behind the beast. Another figure standing silently and menacingly. He was wearing a bright purple suit with gold accents and black shoes. His most defining trait was his long golden hair with three rolls on his forehead. He ominously raised his head, looking at the group, and his eyes pierced into them while Jotaro stood unfazed. He sighed as the other figure approached them.

"And who might you be?" Jotaro asked. It slowly looked up and spoke softly.

"I am Giorno Giovanna."


The coms were silent. Ex's leg kept bouncing up and down, watching and listening anxiously for something. Then, it came: another hit. Another shout. The mechanical roar of a Crystalite, and few more thuds. He sighed in relief as Mark's voice came through.

"That was tough," he said, "But we have some scraps here to collect."

Ex chuckled, "Understood. Let me know how it goes."

Felix laughed in the background of the coms and Ex laughed more as Sean seemingly kicked one of the Crystalites corpses, causing him to yelp in pain at the sensation. Ex laughed hard as he took off the headset and sighed in relief. He turned and looked at the wall next to his desk, seeing that his gun was now finished and OBIS began to speak.

"The weapon is fully functional," he said as Ex grabbed it, "Pushing apart the foregrip and the pistol grip allows the barrel to expand and contract at the user's will, as well as change the sight at each setting. Sadly, it only allows for four different types of ammunition."

"I think that's enough," Ex said, admiring the gun, "Anything else of use?"

"One ammunition type is required: a customized version of the NATO 5.56 cartridge," he said. Ex nodded.

"Alright, where can we find some?"

"I will find and place an order for some," OBIS said. Ex nodded again.

"How's the helmet?" he questioned, referring to the one for Evan.

"Near flawless," OBIS said confidently, "But still in need of maintenance."

Ex sighed, "Is it something with the design?"
"No, something with the circuitry."

Ex sighed in relief, "Alright, can you fix it? I'm gonna get some fresh air."

Ex stood as OBIS replied, "Already started."

Ex lifted the rifle over his shoulder and walked away from the desk. The gun dissipated and he walked around the shop for a minute. He heard the whirring of machines behind him and he turned around to see beside his desk OBIS began to weld into the helmet, sparks flying everywhere. Ex then turned to his desk, which had a large holographic screen projecting the video feed and audio feed he had been using to help the group. It disappeared and left a board of things to do on it. It contained many things he needed to do, such as upgrades and repairs. But, the most important one was circled in red and underlined in black: Call mom. Ex sighed and turned around, trying not to let the stress of thoughts get to him.

He sauntered past the Jeep that he and Brian had used to save the others from the train and he rubbed his hand on the cage surrounding it. It made a sound similar to a triangle instrument and he looked on the inside. The seats were deep black leather and stitched like something out of a luxury car. The console had a small screen in the middle and its idle screen showed small lights flying across the screen. The back of the truck had a small platform for carrying items but seemingly could be fitted with some type of weaponry. Ex admired it a little longer before moving on to another part of the large hangar.

The size of the place was staggering to Ex, able to hold not just his equipment but also multiple vehicles and possibly a large spaceship. His mind ran wild at the thought of anything being here for a long time and he could imagine hundreds of vehicles coming and going from here. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't see the large tarped thing that he bumped into and almost knocked over. He grabbed it and pulled it back to balance, suddenly realizing what was possible under it. He grabbed the tarp and, with a fast pull, yanked the tarp off of the now revealed machine.

Underneath the tarp was a futuristic vehicle similar to a motorcycle. The handlebars and brakes were covered in the front and the grips were smooth yet grippy. The brakes were silky silver, aiding the bike in its futuristic look. He ran his hand down the center console of the motorcycle, showing dark screens for different types of tools that the bike had. Speedometer, fuel gauge, and a small diagram of the bike, able to switch colors and dictate the state of the bike. The seat was a soft-looking black leather that was a little rougher looking than the seats in the Jeep. He then bent down and looked at the tires, coming to a sudden realization: there were two wheels next to each other. They were big, too. Each just below the size of a bus tire. Ex gave a whistle of impressment.

"Whoever owns this," he said aloud, "Has got some serious time on their hands."

"Seems like someones taking a break." Ex turned around to see Skye leaning on the Jeep he had just walked past. Her tail swished around behind her as Ex tilted his head.

"I ain't in the mood," he said, "After showing you guys what I know and my friends...you know."

Skye chuckled, "They're just upset about being here. They want to go home."

Ex tilted his head in surprise, "This is new. You aren't this nice normally."

"As in?" she questioned.

"You're usually anti-social," he said, "And pretty blunt in your words. To me, you're speaking-"

"Different," she finished before shrugging, "I guess something in me changed. You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." Mark's words echoed in his mind at this moment. Colinne. The memories flooded back and stabbed his chest like a dagger. The pain was dull yet it was there, and it justified the change he heard in her voice. She was changing from that event, and Ex felt that way too. He felt his anger had been more prominent and he had been getting a bit more out of control of his emotions. Maybe this was something he had to check out. He looked back at her.

"Well," she said, "If you have to know, I did have a connection with Colinne, and, well, you know where she is now."

Ex nodded, "Yeah. I can see that. I've had something like that for a while."

"Really?" she asked, "But you didn't really talk to her."

Ex thought about his next words, "I guess it's just how I work. Can't explain it."

Skye shrugged, "Anyways, I came to talk with you. Alone."

Ex sighed, "And what was it about?"

"The whole finding me a home." Skye grabbed a random piece of equipment in the Jeep and threw it at Ex baseball style. Ex flinched by moving out of the way but still caught it as he stood back to a straight posture. He chuckled and tossed it back.

"If you want to hit me," he said, "You're gonna have to throw harder than that."

She tilted her head, "Is that sexism?"

"No," Ex said in disbelief, "It's meant to be banter. I would've said the same thing to Chesh."

Skye sighed, "This is getting boring already."

"There she is," Ex joked, "There's the Skye I know."

She rolled her eyes, "Nice one."

Her eyes then traveled to the bike that Ex was leaning on. She approached him and then stared at the bike. Ex sighed.

"Yeah," he said, "I dunno who it belongs to, but I think it could be pretty cool to ride around with it."

"You have the keys?" she asked. Ex shook his head.

"Wish I did," Ex said. Skye sighed and grabbed the seat of the bike. She softly tugged on it and it lifted up without warning and reached her hand into the small compartment. She grabbed something and lifted it in front of his face. A key. Ex sighed.

"I just found the thing," Ex admitted. Skye chuckled.

"It can wait," she said, throwing the keys into the compartment, "I think we should talk more about me finding a way home."

"Well then," Ex said, "Follow me."


Twenty minutes later, Crystal had been floating around the base for a few minutes, trying to keep his balance and basically learn how to walk again. He had tried to get some help, but Ex was nowhere to be found and Chesh was tired out of his mind. The whole argument between them and Ex heated into an unnecessary moment between friends. Though he knew that it was a bad time to think about it, Ex and Chesh usually talk and make it up the next day from what he had seen. This was different for some reason, though. He felt like something in this had brought Chesh and Ex to an extreme. He didn't know if there was any way for the two of them to make it up because of how much Chesh was so angered at Ex. He understood why, but he found it a little difficult to fully side with him as he thought Ex was doing it to help them all get home in one piece. He was conflicted, but he knew that he had to do something to keep the two from tearing each other's throats out.

Then, a noise caught his attention. A soft metallic creaking. Behind him. He spun around and saw a hooded figure approach him. He sighed with relief as Anahella removed the hood above her head.

"That is quite some ability you have there," she commented. Crystal nodded.

"Thanks, I guess," he said, spinning around and floating away again.

"Something troubles you," she said, causing Crystal to stop, "Though invisible, you still can show emotion. Your actions convey that you are in some type of confliction."

Crystal sighed, "It's about Chesh and Ex. Those two… Something just snapped in both of them. Chesh wants to go home while Ex wants to save his family. Or at least that's how I see it. Both have good points, and I can't say which I'd prefer more."

"You have someone with them?" Anahella asked, referring to the Crystalites. Crystal nodded.

"My brother," he said, "According to the records, he is with them. Alone, most likely scared, and I feel like something bad is going to happen."

Anahella stepped forward, "And something in your mind tells you-"

"That I can do something," he said, "And I want to, but it-"

"Feels like you are putting your life forward and praying for the best."

Crystal nodded, "You've had this feeling?"

She nodded, "I've lived for over fifty years now, and when I was just above your age, I was in a similar situation to this: two of my comrades had a similar argument to this. One was devoted to family and would die to save them, in this case, his mother. While my other comrade only wanted to kill the head of the Crystalites and return to his family."

"The two were shouting at each other as if this was a life or death situation. The biggest problem with taking sides was that they were my friends and I knew that taking one side would lead to consequences down the line. So I chose to stay out of their decisions."

"And?" Crystal asked, "What happened?"

She was silent for a moment, "He went to face the Crystal King. Alone."

Crystal shook his head, "Chesh isn't dumb enough to do that."

"I understand that," she said, "But I'm afraid it may lead to something else more reckless."

Crystal didn't understand for a moment, "What are you talk-"

The thought hit him quick, however, "You're not saying that Chesh will kill Ex, are you?"

"Ex? No," she said, "They are too great of friends. He would regret it. Skye, however, may be different."

Crystal shook his head, "Chesh wouldn't do that."

"I'm not saying he will," she said, "I'm just seeing patterns I've seen before."

Crystal didn't want to listen anymore. So he spun around and flew away down the hall, leaving Anahella behind to herself. She watched for a moment before sighing, tears coming to her eyes. Her heart, though strong, was at times fragile as she thought of her words, unknowing that there was someone watching.


Crystal turned around, watching the dark hallway behind him fly by and Anahella's words echoed in his head. Before he could think about anything else, he felt himself hit something and then he flipped through the air before something grabbed him and turned him upright. He looked down and saw Ex and Skye holding on to his ankles. He sighed and whispered to himself. He then fell and removed his glasses, watching the two for a moment.

"So," he asked, "What are you guys doing?"

Ex shrugged, "Looking for homeworlds for her."

Skye nodded, "But then we got distracted."

Crystal looked down and saw a red phone laying on the table, the screen on and showing some type of video sighed, "Ex, I know this is important, but can I talk to you?"

Ex nodded, "In private?"

"Nah, it's fine," Crystal said. Against his words, Skye stood and walked around the table to the other side, trying to concentrate on something else other than the conversation. Crystal sighed and looked at Ex, who spoke first.

"Let me guess," he said, "Chesh?"

"Yeah," he said, "You still got something with that?"

"Nope," Ex said, "Just trying to forget it."

Crystal nodded, "Okay, just checking. I've been a little concerned about all that recently."

Ex nodded, "And you have a right to be."

Crystal smiled, "Thanks for the comfort."

"No problem," Ex said, smiling back. The two turned to the table and then to Skye, who only watched silently. Ex whistled to get her attention.

"Hey," he said, "Let's keep this going before we are-"

Then the table suddenly glitched out and OBIS' voice tried to speak but was quickly drowned out as many lights in the room hummed louder and louder before going silent and normal again. Ex and Crystal had ducked down and then looked up, finishing his sentence.

"Rudely interrupted." He said that as Skye had spun around to see Chesh and Anahella running down the hall and then to see the rest of the group, some in suits Ex had made. Ex stood and approached Ian, who was leading the group. He smirked

"You look great," he commented. Ian nodded.

"Thanks to you," he said. Before they could speak anymore, the table was flooded with a sudden image of a man. A moving man in a scary white mask, similar to a kabuki mask but with a deep black moving mouth and eyes. It then contorted into a creepy smile as it spoke.

"Hello there, wherever you are," the thing said, its voice was menacing and distorted to be something so different it sounded alien. Then, Ex stepped forward and spoke.

"Who is this?" Ex asked.

"Ah, there you are, boy," it said, "Or should I call you Excavious? Because that's what most of my soldiers tell me about: you and your friends' voices."

"So what?" Ex said, "What's the importance?"

"I'm just here to talk for a moment," it said, "I, the Crystal King, have a deal for you. You and your friends are constantly messing up my plans and breaking a system that has been in place for thousands of years."

"Yeah?" Sean said, "And that system is?"

"A system that you would never understand," he said, "And obviously, I am deeply frustrated with this. Something I can see is that you seem inexperienced, and I've deduced that you are all not familiar with this."

Ex looked at the group, "So why are you talking to us?"

"I am broadcasting this to many systems and radios," the King said, "So this is a choice for everyone."

"Okay?" Sean said confusingly.

"I have a proposition," he said, "I know that you all are from the place known as World Zero. And I want to make this deal: I will release a select few of the regular world prisoners and all of the World Zero prisoners in exchange for your exit to World Zero. It is a win for you: you go home and see your families again and most of the people here go free."

Without thinking, Ex spoke, "But what about the rest?"

The Crystal King laughed maniacally, "Isn't that enough? To go home and stop fighting?"

The room was silent, the whole decision-making causing a murmur to wash through the group. Each person spoke quietly before Ex spoke first.

"That's good and all," he said, "But there seems to be hundreds more that you may not let go."

"The weak ones die here," he said, "Think of what you've grown up with: survival of the fittest. It is a simple philosophy. The weak die out here and the strong leave here."

"And what's to say that you won't let the weak free and the strong stay?" Ex asked. The Crystal King laughed.

"You don't know!" he said, "But it is up to you. A group lives or they all die? Which do you choose?"

Ex was quiet but Sean stepped forward, "Give us a day to decide, we'll get back to you as soon as possible."

The recording went to static and the radio silenced, leaving the hum of a far-off tree to leave them to themselves. The world was now crashing in on them again. They had to make a decision. Stay or go? They had to do it and they had to do it quickly. But this may be the thing that sends them over the edge, breaks them apart, and shatters them like a wine glass. What also shattered was the silence as a familiar voice came through the coms.

"You guys need to see this!"


A/N: Another chapter in this story! Getting closer by the day. This chapter took a while to finish and revise due to life in general. People, school, work, etc. Hopefully I can finish this by mid to late summer (if I try hard enough). Thanks again to the readers and game on!