"It's time, Commander." A-545 was leading Zeldri and Prizrak through the Mountain on sub-level two. There was a determined glint in her eyes that made Zeldri uneasy. His unease also wasn't helped by the fact that they hadn't passed anyone since entering the sub-level; the place seemed abandoned.

"Am I allowed to know what it's time for?" Zeldri asked as he leaned on Prizrak for support because of all the walking he was doing.

"You'll know when we arrive," was all A-545 answered with. Zeldri didn't push further since it was obvious he wouldn't get an answer, so he continued to follow in silence. As they continued through the Mountain, they approached the café and Zeldri could hear muffled voices from inside. "…We're here."

"You're five minutes late!" Suddenly, Annika opened the door of the café and yanked Zeldri inside. In an instant, the smell of alcohol smashed Zeldri's nose and a warmth enveloped him while cheers were picked up across the café. The place was packed with humans and dolls.

"Commander!" SVD was the first to notice him and started waving him over to the bar with her echelon while holding a bottle of vodka in her hand. "Come join us for a drink!"

"Commander!" The cries were quickly picked up by the other dolls and the staff as Annika led Zeldri to the bar.

"…" Zeldri, for his part, was a bit stunned and unsure what to say or do so he allowed Annika to lead him through the café.

"Now that the Commander's here," SVD said while reaching over the bar and grabbing more drinks, "We can really start!"

"…Start?" Zeldri was still in a bit of a daze.

"We know it hasn't been…easy for you lately, Commander," Annika explained as she and Prizrak helped him take a seat at the bar. "And tomorrow you'll…head out for the last time. So!" She puffed out her chest and took the seat next to him. SVD poured and passed down two full glasses of vodka. "We're going to give you something to smile about, at least one last time!"

"URRA!" The café was filled with a cheer as everyone present raised their glasses towards Zeldri.

"…" Zeldri was at a complete loss for words as he looked around the café. StG44 was trying to mediate between Nagant and AA12 who were arguing while Galil and M2HB watched with smiles on their faces. A-545 joined Mondragon and AR-57 at a nearby table while MDR was running around the café with UMP40 taking pictures with everyone. SVD was pulled back down into her seat by Simonov and A-91 to continue the drinking competition between AK-47 and DP28. Rosefinch was chatting away with Jericho while the rest of Fireteam Sweeper chatted away amongst themselves. S.A.T.8 came out of the kitchen holding two massive pizzas in her hands that she brought over to a table where PSM and AEK-999 were sitting; AK-74M and AK-Alfa were making their way over to SVD to join in the drinking competition. MP-448 and PPS-43 were talking with Calico's teammates as Thunder and Calico sat quietly next to each other listening to music from Calico's earbuds. Springfield and G36 were manning the bar while Vector, NTW-20, and NZ75 went around delivering drinks to everyone. They and countless other dolls mingled with themselves and some human staff there were present. Zeldri noticed Valeriya shaking her head as she slowly nursed her drink and dreaded the next morning's visitors to the med bay. He turned his attention to Annika. She was doing her best to hide the pain she felt with a smile. Giving his own tired smile, Zeldri raised his glass to her. After a toast, the two downed their drinks. And, despite how rowdy everyone was and how much noise they were kicking up, the only thing Zeldri and Annika could hear were the tears that ran down their faces hitting the bar as they continued to drink.

"…It really was a night worth remembering," Zeldri idly spoke to himself as he sat on the train car with his back leaning against the massive cargo container. The cold wind whipped his face as snow lightly fell from the cloudy sky. They had received the coordinates the following morning, and Zeldri set out with Train Team immediately. The coordinates were to the drop-off point which was in the middle of nowhere in northwestern Siberia. Train Team was reluctant to leave him there, but Zeldri convinced them to leave as he didn't want to risk losing the train for the Mountain's future. "…If only this damned wind would die down," Zeldri quietly cursed to himself as a gust of wind kicked his face. But, the wind quickly died down after the initial gust and a shadow loomed over him.

"…" Zeldri looked up and saw a Nyto Black standing in front of him. It looked from him to the cargo container and seemed to be scanning the area. "Presence of Gavirul: Confirmed." The Nyto spoke in a stiff voice devoid of emotions. A minute after her report, a train approached the lonesome flatbed. Paradeus Wardens and two more Nytos stood atop the train as it came to a stop when it was close to Zeldri's car.

"Commander Artyomavich." Minx stepped out of the train and waltzed over to Zeldri while the Nytos started hooking up the flatbed to their train. "…Thank you," Minx sounded oddly relieved as he gave Zeldri a pat on the shoulder.

"I'm a man of my word," Zeldri replied as he looked at the hand on his shoulder begrudgingly.

"Even so," Mink removed his hand, "I am grateful, nonetheless. And, as promised, I've reported that the Mountain has nothing of strategic value." Minx couldn't hide his excitement at the thought of finally getting the sample. His smile disturbed Zeldri greatly. "Would you like to come inside? The weather's a bit chilly today." Minx gestured towards the train as the Nytos finished hooking up the car.

"…Nah," Zeldri replied and went back to leaning against the container. "It's getting harder to stay awake, anymore, so I'd like to stay in the cold a bit longer."

"…Very well." Minx folded his hands behind his back as he stood next to Zeldri. A pained expression crossed Minx's face.

"Don't tell me you regret what you did to me, now?" Zeldri no longer had any reason to contain his snarkiness.

"Would you believe me if I said I did?" Minx replied as the Paradeus train lurched forward and began pulling the flatbed car back to base.

"Not really."

"While we may be on opposite sides of this 'war', Commander Artyomavich, that doesn't mean I view you as someone lesser." Minx held a holier-than-thou air to his voice as he looked off into the distance. "You're a smart, resourceful man. Not to mention your pedigree." He gave a chuckle to lighten the mood but it just made Zeldri wonder about Minx's sanity. "You Vanya love making names for yourselves. Like father like son, I suppose."

"I didn't realize you were a fan of my dad," Zeldri remarked as he adjusted his hood to block a harsh wind gust. "If you'd asked, I could have gotten you a signature along with this deal."

"Haha!" Minx gave a laugh as he glanced over to Zeldri. "The only signature your father would be willing to give me would be engraved on the side of a bullet, I'm afraid."

"Sounds like a personal problem."

"It is." Minx showed no discomfort at Zeldri's obvious hostility. "Though, even a bullet would be worth it to get my hands on his legacy."

"His legacy?" Zeldri looked over to Minx to see the man staring at the massive cargo container.

"I'm not surprised you don't know the full story behind it." Minx sounded lost in thought as he spoke, "Considering even the Neo-Union was furious with him for it." He walked up and softly caressed the container with his hand. "This sample didn't originally belong to the Neo-Union. It actually belonged to the Catholic church."

"The church!?" Zeldri couldn't hide his disbelief as he looked at the container with a raised eyebrow.

"Surprising, no?" Minx let out a bitter laugh at the thought. "One of the most vocal organizations against Relic technology and the existence of the precursors was holding a Gavirul sample in their closet. A closet that your father smashed open when he led his forces into Rome during the third world war."

"…" Zeldri remembered his father would tell him stories from his time in the war, but he couldn't remember any dealing with the siege of Rome.

"Artyom Vanya, the Breaker of Rome," Minx proudly declared to no one. "While we try to call modern warfare civilized, there still exists the depraved tendencies of humanity when in the heat of the moment. Like looting." Minx turned to Zeldri as he continued the story, "When your father's forces finally broke the defensive line around Rome, they stormed the city with a dangerous fire in their hearts. Looting was rampant among the soldiers as they flooded the streets. Not even the Vatican was spared. It's not surprising, really, considering collectors around the globe would pay fortunes for authentic artifacts and trinkets from the holy city."

"…Which is where he found it." Zeldri quietly finished the story's through line.

"The Vatican held many secrets the church didn't want to get out," Minx affirmed. "While Relic technology was 'known' it wasn't fully admitted to be technology from a precursor civilization. It was just leaps in science the government would attribute to some scientists. Gavirul, on the other hand, was kept under a mountain of red tape and a silent agreement between the church and most of the world's governments. An agreement your father cracked." Minx's eyes went back to the massive cargo container. "With the fall of Rome came the fall of the Catholic church. After both the Belian Island Incident and now a third world war, humanity lost its faith in God; which allowed Rossartrism to flourish. With the church now out of the way, the existence of Gavirul was no longer a taboo amongst the world's leaders. And, with the Neo-Union now holding an intact sample, humanity continued to march forward."

"But, not everyone thought that way," Zeldri remarked as he took out a cigarette and attempted to light it. The wind was making it difficult.

"Of course not," Minx replied as he walked over and helped Zeldri light his cigarette before pulling out and lighting one for himself. "An organization as big as the Catholic church doesn't just disappear overnight. But, with their seat of power in ruins and Rossartrism on the rise, they lost their place at the table of the world's leaders. No one really heeds their words these days."

"And, I'm guessing that's why my dad got promoted into the FSB, then?" Zeldri blew a puff of smoke off the side of the train car and watched it melt some snowflakes that were fluttering down.

"Probably." Minx took a long drag from his cigarette before continuing, "Despite being Rossartrists, your father and FSB Chief Zielinski don't make it easy to find out what they promised each other during your father's promotion. It's a surprise he even got promoted considering the Neo-Union's official response was to reprimand him for his actions in Rome. But, after he spoke with Zielinski, he was promoted into the FSB, and the Gavirul sample he stole was transferred to the Mountain. Where, eventually, it was given to you."

"You couldn't steal it earlier?" Zeldri asked. "The Mountain had barely a skeleton crew before I took it over, according to my dad."

"A skeleton crew of fanatics," Minx scoffed. "Up until now, with your Annika, the Mountain has always been in the hands of someone willing to push the button on that bomb."

"You believe the bomb is active?" Zeldri probed as he glanced at Minx out of the corners of his eyes.

"Whether real or just a dud, the ones in charge of it would willingly use it," Minx remarked as he gave a frustrated sigh. "You know how careful I am about this. Imagine my frustration knowing the entire base was full of nut jobs willing to nuke themselves if so much as a single Paradeus unit approached the Mountain."

"…"

"…No offense."

"All taken," Zeldri replied and let out another puff of smoke.

"I suppose I deserve that," Minx admitted, "Considering…" His eyes wandered to the back of Zeldri's head despite him having his hood up. "In either case," he redirected the conversation as the train continued to move along the tracks. Zeldri saw a complex appear in the distance. "Do you consider yourself a religious man, Commander Artyomavich?"

"Not really."

"Despite your father being a Rossartrist?" Minx asked, a little surprised by Zeldri's answer.

"I don't consider Rossartrism a religion since there isn't a higher power it worships," Zeldri stated as he flicked his dead cigarette off the side of the train car.

"Is humanity not worth worshipping?" Now it was Minx's turn to ask questions.

"Wanting a better future for humanity with the help of technology is very different from thinking of ourselves as gods." Zeldri took his cigarette box out of his coat pocket and idly stared at it as he continued to speak. "I believe there should also be limits on what should and shouldn't be done. Like kidnapping children and turning them into death machines." Zeldri looked over at the three Nyto Blacks who were standing by and keeping watch on him.

"So, we should leave those at the bottom of society to suffer alone?" Minx retorted. He gestured to the Nytos and said, "These children were taken off the streets or out of slavery where they would have slowly died a miserable death. Paradeus gave them a future as tools to help humanity and create possibilities in a new world. Are you saying we should leave those at the bottom to rot?"

"I'd rather give them a new future than steal it for someone else."

"Unfortunately, Commander Artyomavich, we don't live in such an ideal world." Minx gave a disappointed sigh as he continued, "With the world's governments still squabbling with one another, there aren't enough resources to grant them bright futures. They were abandoned by their leaders, after all. But, with their help as tools, we can get closer to a world we all wish for in our dreams. We can't blind ourselves with pity to achieve a truly better world."

"Even if that world is built on the corpses of children?"

"That is for future generations to decide once they can live in a world without war." Minx's eyes lost focus as he stared off into the distance. "I doubt I'll be able to see that world. There's still so much to do. But, I'd gladly let history books curse my name if it means a brighter future for humanity."

"You sound like a member of a cult," Zeldri scoffed. "Will Paradeus drink some fruit punch when the world 'gets better'?"

"If that is what Father wishes, I wouldn't mind going out that way."

"…Who even is Father?" Zeldri recalled his conversations with Tsaritsa and her obsession with the man.

"Our leader," Minx answered while also not answering. "He's a man who knows what must be done for humanity's future and isn't bound by ethics. An enviable man, in my opinion."

"And he's the one that wants Gavirul samples? To help achieve humanity's future?"

"Relic technology is the future, Artyomavich." Minx turned to Zeldri and gestured towards the Nytos. "How much of our modern technology was derived from Relic tech? The modern man can't live without the advancements it's provided. Even your t-dolls are derived from Relic technology." He gave a laugh before adding, "And, this was all achieved while bound by ethics and pity. Can you imagine what we could achieve with the brakes removed? What advancements we could make without anyone telling us to stop? I'll tell you. Already, we've digitized the human brain and combined it with robotics!" He walked over and patted one of the Nytos on the shoulder. "While the process is…limited to succeed only with children." He looked back at Zeldri's crippled, dying form. "With further tests and advancements, we could even safely convert fully grown adults. Humanity, as a species, is freed from the shackles of our weak flesh. Digitized to mingle with each other on a level never thought of before! Free of the need for strife and war!"

"…" Zeldri remained silent and put the box of cigarettes back in his pocket. The train pulled into the complex causing Zeldri to affirm this was the right choice. Doppelsoldners patrolled the grounds escorted by Wardens and Grenadiers. Rodeleros were perched on the rooftops staring down at him. And, Patrollers marched alongside the train as it finished pulling into the complex's station. "I can't say I fully agree with you."

"…That's fine," Minx admitted as he gave a hand motion to the Nyto Blacks. Two of the Nytos moved towards the massive cargo container and moved to open it. "Everyone must make sacrifices for the new world."

"Yeah…" Zeldri stopped leaning against the container and slowly walked towards Minx. "Though, I'd say both of us are past our due for the world to come and collect."

"Our-?" Minx was about to ask Zeldri what he meant when the Nytos finished opening the doors to the massive cargo container. Inside was not a pedestal with an environmentally controlled suitcase holding an empty vial. Inside was something both elegant and industrial. Both a glorious icon and a grave sin. As the Nytos opened the door, Minx was face to face with the nose of the Heart of the Mountain. "WHA-" Minx tried to scream, but a fist stopped him. Zeldri tossed aside his forearm crutch, clenched his hand into a tight fist, and punched Minx as hard as he could. Minx's jaw shattered from the punch and he was sent sprawling to the ground. The Nytos instantly turned to Zeldri and primed their weapons as he pulled a detonator out of his coat pocket. But none of that mattered. Zeldri, filled with spite and satisfaction like never before, could only laugh as his body was pierced by the Nyto's plasma weapons which activated the dead-man switch. From inside the massive cargo container came a loud kerchunk noise, and for the first and final time the Heart beat.

"…?" A bright flash of light caught Dreamer's attention as her satellite orbited above Asia and Europe. The light was brief, but the clouds were still parting for it even after it died down. She recalled what Scarecrow had told her about Zeldri's plan the day prior. "Quite the man of conviction." She held out her hand towards the planet and the site of the explosion. "I suppose this only leaves one last thing to take care of…right, Prizrak?"