Note: Yeah, I know what you all thinking through. But I am not a zombie! Honestly. Why I did not report so long? Let's say lots of stress + a broken hard drive = a lot of demotivation. But I did not give up and just rewrote everything … T.T. Hope you like it.

PS: Thank you pandora-twist for your patience, help and ... cuteness (づ￣ ³￣)づ

"I'm sorry! Whispered Tao near him in a feverish tone. M-21 grunted in response, clenching his fist even tighter, trying desperately to distract himself from the hundreds of fine cables Tao had sent to examine his arm. It was certainly not the most painful thing that ever happened to him in life, but also not the most pleasant. The current situation was very similar to the moment when M-21 had hid the children and Tao had manipulated all the data on the chip. At that time, however, it had been only his arm and not nearly the entire side of the body. Back then his recovery was also not so fucking good that the skin closed over the cables before they were actually where Tao wanted them to be.

On the other side, Takeo had settled cross-legged. He held up a lamp so Tao could better assess where he was at the moment and intervene in case of emergency if M-21 moved too violently. Neither looked happier than M-21 felt. The gray-haired man suppressed a groan as Tao drilled the fine strand deeper and deeper into his flesh. He did not want the hacker to hesitate, they had already gone too far. Behind them were weeks of hard work, days when they had not exchanged a word or even saw each other. Hours at which they could only exchange a quick glance between cables and sheet metal, and then again hours when they were just sitting together in their room, brooding over plans.

His position within the Union could prove to be their key to the greatest damage they could inflict upon their hated creators. All baits of the Union primarily served as a distraction and as an infantry on simple orders. Their secondary purpose was to gather as much data about opponents as possible, including their attack strength, the choice of weapons, combat power, numbers, movements and patrol patterns. In addition to the usual infected people, modified cyborgs and discarded experimental material were also put to this role.

Infected people were the most popular. They could be created quickly, without much effort, and always obeyed. Cyborgs were often more costly in their creation and far stronger. They were gladly used when it came to tackling stronger than ordinary opponents and enemies who were to be killed or taken prisoner. Experimental material, like M-21 and his comrades, were actually considered useless. Weak and usually unable to survive long without medication, being a bait was one of the quickest ways to get rid of and gain some benefit out of them at the same time.

And from this, they now wanted to draw benefit themselves. Like all baits, M-21 was equipped with various microchips that collected and transmitted data. This included a special device, designed to quickly dispose of unpopular baits when problems arise. Tao was trying to find exactly this device. Apparently most of the baits died out of nowhere and that had to have happened with a remote control, which may even be linked to each other via a network. If anything could hurt the Union, it would be the loss of their army, all at once.

If Tao managed to find something... M-21 suppressed the reflexive twitch of his muscles. He was getting tired and they could tell he increasingly controlled himself not to move. They had begun in the morning, after days of discussion. Tao and Takeo did not like the idea of exploring the possibility of a chip in his body, in order to switch off maybe all baits at once. If M-21's theory proved correct and they found a way to make it happen, M-21 would die too. The gray-haired man had found the discussion quite unnecessary and quickly made it clear to the other two that they would all die soon anyway, in what way was probably of secondary importance.

"Ok ... ok," Tao murmured, "I think I'm almost done."

M-21 briefly opened one of his eyes to wink at him and then closed it again. He did not dare to talk while the right half of his torso was completely pierced by his cables, that turned his muscles, tendons, bones and sat directly on his marrow. It did not feel very comfortable and Tao had told him not to talk or even move. The danger that something will be damaged was too big.

He heard Tao make a relieved sound as he put everything where he wanted it. The hacker would have much preferred to read out the needed information about all implants from their collected Union data. But some data, including that of Crombel, was yet to be found. In addition, it quickly turned out that it was not as safe to access the data as they had thought. The head of the Union himself spied on its members and they had to be careful not to be caught by other users while rummaging through the database.

"Here we go." The click of keyboard and mouse filled the room. Tao sent small amounts of power through the cables to detect hidden chips. The electric shock was weak and yet painful enough that M-21 had to clench his teeth. Hopefully, Tao would find something soon. He did not feel like doing it on the other side and who could say if they would even be able to stay undisturbed for so much time. Takeo held him precautionarily by the shoulders as his silent comrade worked, searching and gradually removing strands that turned out to be useless. Finally, there were two points left, one for the chip in the arm and another right in the neck.

"I have it - I think." Tao made some strange noises. "Takeo hold his head tight," M-21 sighed deeply as Takeo did as he was told. Tao let Takeo lift his head and turn it carefully back and forth so he could better hit the chip that was sitting right in his neck.

"Well, actually, that's very logical," Tao explained as he analyzed the chip. "The chip sits directly against your backbone and is strong enough to roast your entire nervous system or trigger a shock or brain hemorrhage."

"An explosive charge?" Takeo asked.

"Hm, so to speak. The chip sits between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae, directly at the nerve node. The explosive charge on it is not even as big as my fingernail and would still kill you because it blows up so concentrated." Tao clicked his tongue, "Or maybe you would survive that? Baits within the Union do not actually have your regeneration."

"Lucky me," M-21 pressed out and then closed his mouth again.

Attempting to diminish his further mutation through food deprivation had been more or less successful. Until Takeo had finally knocked him one over with his gun barrel and made it clear that none of them would benefit if he was too weak. That and another punch coupled with the words, "I know you're rolling your eyes now," had also ended this discussion quickly.

Tao only needed a few minutes to fully analyze the chip. As they had suspected, the explosive charge could actually be controlled remotely via satellite reception. The permissions were another thing. For one, they were spread across the various labs. On the other hand, the head of the Union had far-reaching rights.

"That only benefits us," Tao gave thoughtfully, "I can introduce myself into the authorization and give me far-reaching user rights. When the time comes, I will start a countdown and tada!" The hacker jerked his arms up to demonstrate the explosion. The shock and the resulting pain caused M-21 to moan.

"Sorry M!"

"Just finish this," the gray-haired man gasped. After all, the worst was still ahead of him. Tao looked at him worriedly and moved a little closer.

"You still do not want anesthesia?"

"We've talked about this before Tao," Takeo intervened and took advantage of the brief pause to dribble some water into M-21's mouth and wipe away the blood. "We do not have an anesthetic that is strong enough and it's too dangerous to experiment with the means available to us."

"Yeah," Tao gnawed on his lower lip "Only ... I," he sighed, "I'll hurry."

"Please do." Growled M-21 sarcastically, whereupon Tao returned nothing. The hacker focused on his work again, struggling to finish it as quickly as possible without damaging too much. M-21's pain level doubled again. The gray-haired man gritted his teeth and clenched his fists to endure the pain.

The final piece yet.

After him, the other two were on the line.

-.-.-.-

"Test, One, Two, Three. Do you hear me Takeo?"

"Roger."

"M-21."

"Ro ..."

"Peter Piper picked a pack of pepper. Where's the pack of pepper Peter Piper... ah damn!"

"..."

"..."

"Could you understand me, M-21?"

"..."

"M?"

M-21 sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, determined not to respond to Tao's stupid shuddering rhyme, to continue concentrating on his task and watching the deep black night. Ignoring Tao's whimpering in his ear. With his improved recovery, his senses had generally improved. Or at least M-21 felt that way. Of course, every little change that befell him or one of the other two, was recorded. They kept a journal. It gave them the feeling of a little bit control, without them really having control.

Control, though deceptive, gave them confidence that the plan could work. In the last few days they had buried themselves deep in the borrowed Union data. Thanks to the used, designed by Tao, microchip it was easy to communicate with each other without the Union getting wind of it. The chip, no bigger than a fingernail, had some other useful features. But for them it was important to be able to talk. To talk freely to each other, without fear and only with little effort and caution. Whenever one of them had time and was left unattended, he let the others know about the data. This is how they got to know the world outside the Union.

They got to know the reality.

Nobles. They were called Nobles, not Noblesse. This race, which existed from time immemorial, was so much more complex than what the Union had represented. They did not have much in common with vampires, but they were not perfect either. After all, some of them were inside the Union, even at the highest level. An almost human weakness of such an old race, made the Nobles in their eyes … less different. Nobles were not gods, were not perfect, but a folk with mistakes like humans.

However, why the Union pounded on the term Noblesse remained a mystery to them. Tao rummaged for days through the data without a specific hint. With more time they would probably find out. But time was a rare commodity of which they had too little.

Every passing day the Union was not stopped was a further opportunity for those bastards to beat their claws into the world. Civil wars, abductions, murder, corruption, experiments and so much more. It made M-21 sick just thinking about it. Laughing that the Union once called itself the protector of humanity. Did the people who worked for these bastards really help people with their actions? How did these people justify what they were doing? How did they justify what had been done to his comrades?

"Earth to M!"

He awoke from his reflections and reflexively put his hand on his ear only to take it away again. The implant was under his skin and could not be removed. In some ways a disadvantage. "What?"

"You'll be there soon, stop," Tao said lightly, ignoring the irritation in M-21's voice.

The man stopped. In a few minutes he would reach the remnants of the abandoned lab. The ruin he had already visited twice. He could not see his destination yet, but that did not mean anything. As a modified human, a few miles were nothing.

"Takeo," Tao gave the instruction with the still loose tone.

"I'm in position," the sniper answers calmly. "I see a person. A child. White hair."

"This will be the baby," muttered M-21 and started to move again.

"Wait. I just saw something," Takeo took a long break. "Two more people. Grown up. Blond. About the same distance as M, west of the target."

Blond? M-21 frowned and took cover as a precautionary measure. None of them could say how far the perception of a Nobles was, if the Nobles even had to see to know where you were, M-21 considered annoyed. Also …. Blond? It was dangerous enough to meet a single Noble who was still a child whose life he had practically saved. But with two adults? Were they really Noble? He passed the question on to Takeo.

The sniper took his time to answer, M-21 heard him adjust his weapon to get a better look. "The distance is too big," finally came the answer "I can not confirm it."

"Hm, an ambush?" Tao mused. "Is the child looking in his direction?"

"Negative."

"There is a possibility that the boy will be covered as we cover M-21 or spied on. The point is too close to the outer sphere of influence of the Union that I would tap on second."

"Hmph, there is no point in speculating." M-21 shifted his weight and narrowed his lower lip, trying to find the best possible solution.

"Takeo, do you see a way to the target that is covered?" Tao asked his comrade.

"Yes, but that only gives him privacy screen," Takeo muttered.

"I can go."

"That's ..."

"We do not know when the half pint will re-emerge," M-21 said irritably. "Takeo should cover me and keep me informed about the two unknown individuals."

"You will turn back immediately if we tell you to," Tao demanded of him.

M-21 gave his consent and got moving again. He did not need to reach the ruins, although he kept using Takeo help to chose a cover way. Shortly before the end he had to cross an open area, whereupon Takeo told him, tensed, that they had probably seen him.

"You have two minutes," Tao stated. "It does not matter if the boy understood you or not. Give him the USB and go."

"Oi, brat!" M-21 snapped unnecessarily, the boy had already noticed him. Nevertheless, his groomed mind contorted to an angry frown and with one leap the Noble was close to him. Through the view of the half collapsed wall, M-21 allowed himself a brief smirk, which obviously made his counterpart even more upset.

"How dare you? I'm older by a hundred years ... "

"Cut the bullshit," M-21 interrupted him indignantly. He had listened to the self-righteous speeches of the dwarf at the last meeting. Sure, Takeo was right about what he said. The Nobles had to hate the Union. This boy had every reason to hate him, but that did not change the words that burned into his mind, and he would hate to hear them again and again mentally.

Modified human. Traitors to your own race. Killer. Hypocrite. Liar.

M-21 told himself that this child could not have known and had no idea. Nevertheless, there was always a remainder of doubt. These words sparked a small voice in his head. How innocent was he? He had murdered, often and without hesitation. Had gotten used to it and dulled off. He had no choice if he had wanted his comrades to survive and he had stopped questioning his actions. M-21 did not know who he was before the Union and the sheer possibility that he might have volunteered once ...

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up," crunched the gray-haired man and clenched his fist unconsciously. "Just shut up and listen. Even you should manage this. I have information about another lab, which is run by the 9th and 13th," here M-21 took a short break. "The name of the 13th Elder is Ignes Kravei." He heard the noble gasping for breath and saw his eyes widen. So he knew the name.

"Ignes Kravei experiments with Nobles," he explained, watching as the boy's facial features began to derail more and more. "Maybe you will find what you are looking for in here." M-21 threw the USB to the half pint and watched him catch it despite his confusion. "See that you don't act like a big idiot and take someone along. If it is really embarrassing for you, remember a human scum could save your dwarf ass again." He could not resist the last remark.

"They have started moving." Takeo's warning tore M-21 out of his little treat.

"M!"

The gray-haired man backed away, turned on his heel and hastened to create distance between himself and the Noble. He could still hear the boy gasping for breath, in the equally surprised and shamed tone of voice saying, "Sir Ragar!" That sounded like someone he knew, so no Union agends. M-21 slowed his pace, listened intently for signs of any pursuer. Halfway through, Takeo emerged from the shadows and joined him. Together they sprinted through the forest, with all the senses straining for pursuers until they were close to the base.

"Takeo?"

"They are not following us." The man turned his head once in each direction. M-21 was silent. They had delivered their message. Whether the Nobles will believe them or not, they could only guess.

-.-.-.-

"Well, that was not all that bad," laughed Tao as they all met again in their retreat. The hacker clapped his hands and bobbed his chair in excitement as soon as they entered the room. "The 13th Elder's lab is one of the biggest! Mainly involved in the creation of new anti-noble weapons! It will really, really hurt!" The hacker folded his hands in a melodramatic gesture.

Takeo shook his head with a mild smile and went to clean his gun. M-21 sat down on a bed - he always stole one of the two - leaned back and watched as Tao continued to bounce up and down in front of Takeo. The hacker had dark circles under his eyes, more clearly visible through the pale neon light. To be fair, M-21 had to confess that he and Takeo did not look much better.

He absently touched his neck with his hand and traced the thin cables that moved from there to his ear with his fingers. It had not been pleasant, but it had paid off. The chip, the communication system developed by Tao. They had pushed their plan so far ...

"M-21?"

The gray eyes flicked aside. Tao and Takeo looked at him expectantly, almost inviting. Each step that brought them closer to their goal was a success and at the same time their end. Because the end of the Union would be theirs too. There was no prospect he was afraid of. M-21 took his hand away from the barely perceptible ridge under his skin and carefully sorted his thoughts.

"It's nothing," he mumbled, leaning back and closing his eyes, "Nothing at all." M-24 took his will to survive along with him to his death. He was not afraid of it and did not see any point in clinging to a life other than looking for the name of his comrades, at least to keep that promise. Perhaps his pride played a minor role, but the conversation with half pint alone had shown him what kind of life a modified human could expect outside of the Union.

In comparison, Tao clung to his life and M-21 envied him, his ability to leave the past behind and to move forward. All exploration and understanding everything. Even under the aspect that the Union modified him, his thirst for knowledge was enormous. As for Takeo, he was far too kindhearted for M-21's taste to survive within the Union. Maybe also the reason why Teira existed.

Tomorrow he would leave for the lab that they had just revealed. Officially, to deliver hardware and software that Tao had developed on behalf of that lab. He would deliver the package, install it and accidently would infect the entire system with a virus.

Their specially designed separate server system was ready, regularly fed, maintained with data, and well hidden enough that the Union would (hopefully) never find. They had installed technical traps, such as the extinction of all baits, but also the manipulation of funds for experiments. As soon as the right time came, all this, together with the Union's communication system, would break up. As large as their data access had been, they still did not have everything, but they could not wait any longer. The Union was preparing for a final strike. The lab hummed to develop new weapons. They did not have the time to wait for the rest of the data.

They always lacked time.

Therefore, they decided to divulge the location of another laboratory. A larger one where experiments could no longer be delayed by manipulating deliveries and remittances. The 13th Elder was too dangerous and what worked was even more dangerous.

They had to act. So they would gradually give away locations, while still trying to gather as much information and get involved in the server system. To the point where the Union would understand what was going on.

Of course, these bastards were no fools.