A shot from the pistol could be heard, followed by a scream of pain.
Both workers and security troopers paused and turned around as the female mercenary stood up with a pistol in hand.
The worker, who had tackled her, curled up in a ball as blood leaked from the gun shot wound at his stomach.
"Those who refuse to fight, leave now or suffer the same fate as him!"
She fired another round towards the crowd. The shot landed near the foot of another worker that was fighting the officer.
Her message was clear to all. The workers fled to the back of the factory, locking themselves inside the ammunition storage.
Her ear twitched, sensitive to the sound of the triggers pulled by the snipers.
She raced towards her gatling gun, as fast as she could with an injured leg, while dodging the incoming bullets.
Reunion movements became bolder by the number of defenders left, advancing faster than before. Troopers began to fight within the distance of their arm's length. Some were cut down by the blades that the Reunion held or shot by the snipers at the back-line.
Their ranks thinned by the minute as the female mercenary held her ground, fending off with her Gatling gun and pistol.
A familiar voice could be heard, shouting loudly at the top of his voice.
The roof cracks open, as if a missile pierced into the factory.
A red staff slammed into the pile of dead bodies, where the Reunion snipers were hiding behind.
"I have arrived! Have I miss a party? If you going to be silent, I'm not going to wait-"
Without allowing the new intruder finish his words, the snipers began to shoot at him from their location.
"For an answer!"
"Quit fooling around and fight!" The female mercenary shouted as she cranks her Gatling gun.
"What? I can't hear you!"
Sage's movements could be seen as some form of rap dancing as he dodged the bullets while closing in for close combat without his staff.
Sage would punch and throw the snipers up into the air with ease, as the female mercenary guns down the helpless snipers.
In the midst of combat, one of the Reunion soldiers tried to pull the pull the red staff, which is firmly planted on the bodies. It was as if the staff had been planted like a tree, not budging one inch even with the help of the strongest in their ranks.
"Need help?"
The soldiers turned around, only to have Sage greeting them back with a grin. One of the soldiers tried to slash Sage with his sword, only for him to jump onto the head of the other and somersault to the tip of the staff.
"Your answer is not important." Sage replied as he kicked his staff down.
The soldiers attempted to stop the falling staff, only to be trap by its weight as it fell.
The doors slammed open from either side, Rhodes island operatives rushes in, defeating any that stood in their way.
Within minutes, the bulk of Reunion soldiers were wiped out. Those that were trapped under the staff were tied up.
"Hey big sis." Sage said as he helped the female mercenary to the field medics.
"Just call me by my code name, people would misunderstand the situation."
"What was your code name again? Its something to do with birds, hmm, right! TURKEY!"
The female mercenary immediately aimed her pistol at Sage.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Phoenix!"
Phoenix lowered her gun, studying at Sage's face as he smiles.
"Which personality am I talking to right now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Never mind, silly question."
Ansel set up a temporary medic post, with other medics, treating the injured troopers and workers.
"Hold on, I will be attending to her shortly." Ansel said as he rushed from one wounded to the other.
"Take your time, I suffered lesser injuries than them." Phoenix replied back, sitting on the foldable chair.
"Hey cheeky monk-" Phoenix stopped herself and corrected her words. "Sage, could you help me with one thing?"
"What is it, big sis?"
"Bury them with dignity." Phoenix asked as she points to the dead. "Remove their masks before burying them."
Sage nodded his head and grabbed a shovel, digging up the soil. Other operators join in after looking at the situation. They removed the masks before burying the dead.
"Sorry for eavesdropping on your conversation. Why do you tell him to remove the masks of the dead?" Ansel asked as he returned back with more medical supplies.
"This is my way of doing things." Phoenix replied back as Ansel examined the wound before treating it. "We might all fight for a different idea or reasons but once we are dead, we stayed and remained the same in the end. There wouldn't be a need to fight in the afterlife."
"I will never truly understand the mercenaries." Ansel admitted as he bandaged up the wound.
"We live in the Now, understand the Past, destroyer of Future." Phoenix replied back as she watched Sage throwing the masks into the bonfire as the night creep to the sky.
[Rhodes Island - Command deck]
"Mercenary Phoenix, at your service." Phoenix saluted the Doctor when they met face to face. "If you need extra firepower, I will be ready to be deploy."
"Big sis, there isn't a need to be so …formal, that doesn't fit your style."
Without wasting a second, Phoenix's fist landed on top of Sage head, knocking him out.
"Glad to have you with us." Doctor shook her hand.
At the background, Doctor saw crates with the label of Black Steel being moved to the mercenary's dorm.
"What are those things that they are moving?"
"Mostly gun parts, for fixing my guns." Phoenix replied, pointing to the smaller crates that were handled.
"What about the bigger ones?"
"Special manufacture guns that I ordered when working contract jobs for Black Steel. They are of the highest quality."
From the look of Jessica's expression when she took a glimpse on the description of the crate, Doctor could tell that Phoenix wasn't lying about the content.
"So, how much are we paid?" Phoenix asked Undertaker, who simply raise three fingers."
"Three thousand Lungmen dollars?"
The group shook their head.
"Three hundred?"
"Thirty?"
"Three fruits per day." Berserker replied.
"Eh." Phoenix looked at the group and back to the Doctor. "Three fruit?"
Doctor and the other operatives nodded their head.
"WHAT'S WITH THIS INFLATION RATE !?"