Fifteen minutes later, Sally arrives at the office block Danny crashed through. Dropping her borrowed bike at the door, she smashes through the glass, and sprints up to the fourth floor. "Dan?" she calls, more in hope than anything.

There is no answer.

OK, keep calm, work out what happened. Sally takes a deep breath, then analyses her surroundings. That's where he crashed into the building. He then hit the floor, tearing through the carpet and the interior walls, and… Oh no…

Sally dashes to the broken windows where Danny flew back out the building. Across the road lies a two‑storey building that has been caved in. "Hold on Dan, I'm coming!" she calls.

Maria and Xander arrive at the building just in time to see Sally sprint out and around the back. Confused, they follow to find the panicked hedgehog heading straight for the collapsed two‑storey building.

"Dan?" Sally calls. "Where are you?"

"Hey Sal," Danny replies from deep within the rubble. "I'd come to greet you, but I'm a bit stuck."

"Thank the Ancients!" Sally sighs, relief washing over her like a tidal wave. "I thought… Doesn't matter what I thought. Where are you?"

"About in the middle," Danny answers. "I crashed through the top floor and landed in the basement. Before I could get out, the whole thing came down on top of me. I'm OK though, no injuries. Well, none that haven't already been healed."

"Stand back," Xander instructs Sally. "I'll dig him out."

"I'll help," Maria volunteers.

Together, Xander's brute strength and Maria's deft use of vines quickly dig a stable hole down to where Danny is trapped. All three then take a moment to survey the scene.

"Well, that's a predicament alright," Sally begins, trying desperately not to laugh. Maria however exhibits no self‑control at all: she begins laughing almost uncontrollably. The lynx's childlike giggling breaks Sally's resolve, and she also bursts into laughter.

"Yes, it's very funny," Danny replies semi‑sarcastically. "Now, can someone get me out of this tyre stack?"

Five minutes later, Danny, Sally, Maria, and Xander sit in front of the ruined garage to rest and plan their next move.

"So, what did I miss?" Danny asks, resting in Sally's arms, both badger and hedgehog on their backs.

"I got run over," Maria answers simply.

"I got shot," Sally adds equally simply, her legs wrapped around Danny.

"And I helped them both," Xander finishes.

"We took out all the vehicles though," Sally informs.

"Good." Danny pauses a moment. "Where did you get shot?"

"Left thigh," Sally answers nonchalantly. "Thankfully, the Water Crystal fixed it. It even extracted the bullet," she adds, showing Danny the lead slug.

"You kept the bullet?" Danny asks in surprise.

"A memento of my first mission as a Red Scarf," Sally explains. "I think I'll have it encased in acrylic, and wear it as a pendant."

"That's weird," Danny replies. "And yet, somehow, it's also kinda cute."

"Cute?" Maria giggles. "It's silly!"

"Did you guys not keep mementos of your first missions?" Sally asks.

"My first mission was reconnaissance," Danny explains. "Nothing to take as a memento."

"Mine was theft," Maria adds. "It was only one item, and I couldn't keep it: it had to go to Leader Kyokan."

"And my first mission was uncovering military secrets," Xander reveals. "All we took were photos."

"How many years have you been Scarves?" Sally asks.

"Four," Xander answers.

"Six," Maria answers.

"Eight," Danny answers.

"And you've never kept mementos?" Sally asks.

"Only one," Danny reveals. "It's from my first contract killing: a drug baron's signet ring. I keep it as a reminder that sometimes, we have no other option."

"My only memento is a gunrunner's necklace," Maria tells. "Like Danny, I keep it as a reminder of what is sometimes necessary."

"I don't have any mementos," Xander explains. "My father's a Shuigang general, and he taught me very early on about what it means to kill, and when it can be justified. Therefore, I don't need a memento to remind me: it's second nature."

Sally takes a moment to absorb the information. "This is all in stark contrast to how easily we killed the people in those tanks," she observes. "Me included," she adds with no shortage of guilt.

"The life of a Red Scarf is a constant moral dilemma," Danny explains.

"How do you live with it all?" Sally asks.

"With great difficulty," Maria reveals.

"Like every soldier in every army," Xander adds.

"I see." Sally pauses a moment. "I'm not sure I can handle the guilt."

"Guilt is good," Danny explains. "'Keeping that perspective separates us from common murderers'," he quotes. "My father taught me that."

The quartet takes a few moments to reflect.

"We should get back to the mission," Danny decides, receiving murmurs of assent in return.

Meanwhile, Tsubaki Moto and Kaede Himura finally find their way into the tunnel where Kaede's car is parked.

"I think we lost them," Kaede observes.

"Don't get complacent," Tsubaki advises.

The two Grand Masters start walking down the tunnel.

"My leg is killing me," Kaede reports. "I think the bullet's shifted."

"I'm not carrying you," Tsubaki informs.

"If it gets worse, you may have to."

"If it gets worse, I'll put you out your misery."

"You really need to work on your empathy."

"Empathy is for the weak."

"You can't solve all your problems by slicing them in two."

"No, but I can solve most of them."

"You so need to get laid."

"Don't proposition me."

"I'm not."

"Good."

The two ninja leaders continue to walk in silence.

"Let me know if you change your mind," Kaede informs a few minutes later.

Tsubaki remains steadfastly silent. Her libido is insatiable.

On the surface, Hanna and Rob continue their search, the vixen's frustration growing by the second.

"We'll find them," Rob assures.

"Shut up," Hanna snaps.

Rob is about to reply, but is interrupted by Hideyoshi Takenaka contacting him via radio. "What's the latest?"

"Your friends have made excellent progress," Hideyoshi reports. "They've broken three separate vehicular advances, and the invaders' push has stalled. With a bit of luck, we'll start repelling them by nightfall."

"You hear that Hanna?" Rob relays. "The invasion has stalled."

"Yippee," Hanna replies sarcastically.

"How is your hunt?" Hideyoshi asks.

"Not great, to be honest," Rob reports. "We almost had them but we got ambushed by a bat with impact grenades. We fended her off, but we lost Tsubaki and Kaede in the process."

"Down here!" Hanna exclaims suddenly, disappearing into a lava diversion tunnel accessway.

"Gotta go," Rob reports, terminating the connection.

As the quartet of Scarves returns to where Danny's trike is parked, Sally receives a message from Hideyoshi. "Good news, guys!" she reports. "The invasion has stalled!"

"Excellent!" Danny replies. "Have Hanna and Rob caught Tsubaki and Kaede yet?"

"Hold on." Sally reads the rest of the message. "Ah… turns out they lost the trail for a while."

"But they got it back, I assume," Danny guesses.

"They've followed them into a lava diversion tunnel," Sally informs. "He wants us to assist."

"But the invaders haven't been repelled yet!" Maria protests.

"Rumours of our power will be spreading through the enemy ranks," Xander assures. "Morale will be dropping like a stone. It's only a matter of time before they break and are repelled."

"So, does that mean we saved the day?" Maria asks hopefully.

"Not yet," Danny informs. "We still need to stop Tsubaki and Kaede. Therefore, I have to insist that Sally returns to the bunker."

"What‽" Sally exclaims in disbelief.

"While under Kaede's mind control, me and Maria helped her steal some very powerful weapons from a shuttlecraft belonging to someone called Arata Bando," Danny explains. "But that's not his real name. His real name is Lord Arktivus Brevon, and the shuttlecraft is the Absolution. The weapons we stole are energy weapons. Body armour will be useless, and there's no guarantee the Elemental Crystals can protect us."

Silence descends over the quartet.

"I think I'll return to the bunker," Sally decides.

"And we'll provide backup for Hanna and Rob," Danny confirms.