December 10th

Year 17 4AOS

Rain fell relentlessly from the sky that evening as a silver-haired boy waited patiently for his meal.

He was shielded by a red patio umbrella, spread wide enough that he was kept dry and comfortable. The sweet smell of hot meat seasoned with herbs and the restaurant's secret sauce perfumed the air and wet his mouth. His belly rumbled as he drummed his fingers along the edge of the table. The innkeeper's daughter, a pretty young lady, watched him from the window with interest. He was a very handsome young man and his clothing made him even more appealing in her eyes. He was kept warm from the rain thanks to a black hooded jacket made of wyrm hide. His jeans had stylized rips and zippers along the thighs for display. His silver hair was tucked underneath a black beanie with a red D on the front. The girl repeatedly asked if the silver-haired boy wanted to eat inside where it was warmer, but he refused politely.

"Well, are you going to talk to him?" the girl's father asked from the kitchen window, holding the boy's order of ribs.

His daughter snapped out of her dilly-dally and blinked rapidly. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Come on, honey. I've seen you eying him since he got here. I'm happy for you. It's about time you started thinking about a nice boy to settle with. You've been working too hard both here and at school. You're young. Go out and have some fun. I mean look at the guy. He doesn't look like he's in a relationship right now."

"He doesn't look like he wants to be in one," the girl said, picking up the plate. "I've tried talking to him, but he just wants to be left alone."

"Keep trying, honey."

The girl picked up the plate and walked outside into the patio where the boy wanted to sit. It was lit by paper lamps and iron lamp posts mounted on the corners of the ivy-covered brick wall that surrounded the patio. Trees that lined the sidewalk on the other side of the wall were decorated with white string lights to celebrate the coming of Holiday music from the other dimension played softly from the speakers hung on the walls of the restaurant, also festooned with ivy. She had the boy's meal safeguarded by a spell that kept it dry and trapped the warmth.

"Thanks," said the silver-haired boy.

"You wouldn't by any chance be Aster Phoenix, would you?" the girl asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm a big fan."

"Thanks."

"My name's Adina."

"I read your tag. I know." Aster picked up a white condiment dispenser and squeezed it. Globs of the restaurant's famous sauce dripped all over the ribs on his plate.

The girl grew nervous, for it looked like he was getting agitated. "You sure you won't come inside? The weather is getting awfully bad."

"I told you before, I want to eat out here. Stop asking me or I'll hold out on your tip."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Aster said, picking up a rib and biting into it. "I'm expecting company. If you don't mind, I'd like to meet with them in peace."

Adina bowed. "Sorry for troubling you. I just wanted to...you know...go out."

Aster chuckled, tossing the cleaned bone onto the plate. "Find someone else. Don't get me wrong; you're cute, but I'm not the one for you. I'm not right for anybody to be honest."

"I understand," said Adina. "I'm sorry. You just look like you need a friend. Want my number? Maybe we could talk sometime."

Aster picked up his drink. "No. You need to stay as far away from me as possible."

Adina said nothing more and turned to go back inside to leave Aster to his meal. When she was gone, Aster dug back into his ribs, biting into them savagely, moaning at the sweet flavor. "These are good," he murmured to himself, completely oblivious that he was being watched from far away. A sniper, draped in a long, black, poncho watched Aster from atop a gargoyle. He watched the boy from his multivision scope, using the thermal option to keep a close eye on him. There was no one around. He was all alone. Seeing that, he signaled his fellow operatives to move in.

-Cobalt One to all units, that's our guy

-Roger Cobalt One. Saffron Moving in.

-Maroon moving to position. He's not getting away.

Soldiers wearing all black gear and black berets lowered their night vision monoculars and raised their weapons, forming a perimeter around the restaurant. Another team swarmed the rooftops like ants to provide overwatch. They knew what their target was capable of and they weren't taking any chances. Cobalt One still watched Aster, zooming in on him with his goggles. His sniper was meant for anti-tank purposes. One shot from that monster-of-a-rifle and he would blow Aster's upper body clean off. He did not care.

45,000,000 Star Chips. Dead or alive.

Whether the kid came in peace or in pieces, he and his comrades would be set for life.

Aster, meanwhile, ripped the sweet meat of a rib as he hummed to a jolly Christmas song on the radio. He did not like the idea of having a holiday from another world -especially a world as corrupted as Earth- become so mainstream, but he found himself rather enjoying this time of year. Those who celebrated it were peaceful and viewed it as a time to waste their money on commercial goods, whose prices were ripped in half for the holiday.

The assault team on the ground moved forward, coming closer and closer to Aster, still oblivious to their presence. He was lost in his meal and the lovely colors of the holiday lights that glimmered on the trees lining the sidewalks of the city. The music warmed his soul. He was in nirvana at the moment, and the soldiers were going to take advantage of that.

They gathered around the wall and stood still. The door to the patio opened. A man in a black trench coat and fedora walked out of the restaurant. He strolled towards Aster's table and took a seat. Aster noticed an escutcheon pinned on his collar. A shield with crossed swords on the back and two dragons standing on either side of the shield, with two stars shining over their heads. The name DracoNET Security and Logistics LTD was written in blazing white letters underneath the shield.

The man reached for one of Aster's ribs and ate one. "I love this place," he said, finishing it with two big bites. "You come here often?"

"Yeah," Aster replied.

"These are good. But you can't beat Sweetwater's BBQ downtown. Ever been there before?"

"Sometimes. But their meat is too pricey. The taste doesn't make it worth it if you ask me. But their Red Mountain Burger is the main reason why I head over there."

"Ah-ha!" said the man. He reached for Aster's drink and took a sip to wash down the ribs. "Mmm. Now that is a tasty burger. You've got good taste, kid. Very good taste. That meat just melts in your mouth. That, plus the secret sauce and the artic lettuce." He brought his thumb and index finger to his lips and kissed them. "Perfection. I tell you, Old Lady Sweetwater is too good for this side of town. A lady with prodigious talents such as hers belongs in the King's District or something."

"She doesn't mind," Aster said with a shrug. "She's not much for glitz and glamour. She prefers cooking meals for the kids at Rosenkruz Academy. Travels there from her bistro all the way to their district in her food cart just to see them smile."

"Kind old lady. I hear she has cancer."

"Cancer, here, is as curable as the common cold," said Aster. "It's old age that's making her sick. If you're that worried about it, that leaves me to believe you're from the other world."

"No denial here," said the man.

"Who cares? I get the feeling you didn't come all the way out here to talk about Old Lady Sweetwater's ribs."

The man grinned. "You are sharper than they led you on to be. No. But there's someone who wishes to see you and needs you to come with us. They wish to examine you for your...unique abilities."

"They just want my friends," said Aster. "Well, I ain't talkin'. You're just here to sweet talk me into coming quietly with you."

"It's for your own good, kiddo. Someone put a bounty on your head that has every lowlife in this city looking for you. Not even your pal, The Cyber Knight, is going to get you out of this mess." He chuckled, stealing another one of Aster's ribs. "Actually, they want to discuss that matter with you, too."

He tossed the clean bone back on the plate.

"It's hard to keep a secret in this town," said Aster.

"Indeed it is," chuckled the man. "We saw you and some other kids with monsters duking it out with mechs in the harbor months ago. There are eyes and ears all over this place, kid. Do you know how many security and logistics firms work around the clock here? Some of them are deep, dark, private. Seto Kaiba has his own drones and whatnot all over this place keeping close tabs on his interests and his properties. He had to ever since Emerald Fire won the election last week. With those Covenant of Yeyu nutcases walking around the city, everyone is on edge. All this chaos means more demand for folks like me. The Gold Rush is what we in the private security sectors have begun to call it."

He reached for a rib, but Aster spat at it, stopping him from going any further. The man sat back and adjusted his coat. "But I digress..."

"That's an understatement."

"Too right. So I'm going to lay it on you as clearly as I can. We've got squads of our best soldiers with their sights on you right now. Do yourself a favor and come without a fight. My daughter is a big fan of yours, so do it for her sake. And I'm sure she'll hate me for life if she found out it was me who killed you and had you turned into the lab to be butchered like a frog in science class. Look, my client doesn't care for the bounty. But my men. They're just itching to take you out right here, right now. And our orders were dead or alive."

Aster narrowed his eyes.

The man chuckled. "That's right. Alive or dead, our client gets what he wants, there's something inside of you that makes him...tick. There's no escaping, Aster Phoenix. Even if by some miracle you were to get away from us tonight, there's nowhere to run. Every scumbag is on the lookout for you, on the count of the bounty. And our best soldiers will search for you from now until doomsday. If you take a piss, we'll know about it. If you sneeze, we'll hear it. If you kiss your lover, we'll know about it. But unlike those savages out there looking to cash in on the bounty, we'll take care of you."

"I have no interest in being a lab rat," said Aster. "If you want what I hold, you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead, fingers."

"Well, you just made a little girl unhappy." The man got up and exited the patio.

Once the door shut, the soldiers under his command jumped over the walls and aimed their rifles at Aster. Their lasers dotted his body. He sighed, putting a handkerchief over his plate of ribs. "Can't even finish a meal in peace," he said.

"Hands up, Phoenix!" said one of the soldiers.

"Piss off," said Aster.

"Your funeral, kid. Take him out."

Aster looked up at them. His eyes started glowing bright purple. A cloud of violet mist formed behind him. From the cloud, a warrior emerged. Destiny HERO Dystopia was its name. He stood eight feet tall, wearing a black bodysuit with three lines glowing bright blue on his arms and legs. Over the suit, he sported plates of armor colored gold and blue, trimmed with white. A red D was blazing on his forehead. The warrior raised his fists and slammed his fists on the chests of two soldiers, knocking them into the air. They screamed as they flipped through the night and slammed into the side of a building, the impact smashing their bodies, killing them instantly.

The sniper seized his moment to shoot. He fired, the big round sliced through the rain. But just before it could hit Aster, a monster took form behind him. It shielded him with its cape, blocking the bullet. Destiny HERO Dangerous snarled, shielding his master from the mercenaries. He saw his chance and then sprung into action. First, he eliminated the sniper on the gargoyle. Dangerous sliced the rifle to pieces with his claws, grabbed the sniper by the poncho, and tossed him to his death hundreds of feet below. In a streak of purple, he returned to the patio and assisted Dystopia in dealing with the others as Aster finished his meal in peace.

His foes were smashed, ripped to pieces, and tossed into the night like ragdolls. An APC arrived carrying backup soldiers with heavy weapons. Aster wiped his mouth of sauce and stood up. He summoned back Dystopia and Dangerous to conjure another monster. The belltowers rang midnight. Now was the time for one of his strongest beasts to emerge and finish his foes.

"What the hell is that!" shouted the driver of the APC. He spotted something large hanging from the top of a nearby skyscraper. It was a giant, wearing a metal mask and torn purple shorts. His wrists and ankles bound by shackles. The giant jumped from the tower and let out a powerful grunt as it smashed his fists on the APC, smashing it to junk in seconds, and killing everyone inside.

"Amazing, isn't he?" A man in a white labcoat stared at the footage from the bodycams the soldiers wore. He adjusted his monocle, marveling at the monsters on screen.

"You knew my men couldn't take him down, didn't you?" said the man who spoke to Aster earlier. "But you sent them after him anyway. That's not cool, old man! Those guys cost a lot of money."

"I am fully aware of the loss of your teams, Burke. But do not fret. I suppose this means its time your troops had an upgrade. No worries. I have a remedy for that."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, new and improved gear for combat against his Eidolons. But it will be some time before they're ready. In the meantime, don't lose sight of him. Clean kills only. The boy means nothing to me if he gets blown to pieces."

"I can't promise anything," said Burke. "My men want that bounty. And they'll do whatever they have to do to claim it."

The man in the lab coat scoffed. "Mercenaries. I knew it was a mistake hiring you dogs. It seems their interests are in favor of the man who put up the bounty for his head."

"Can't blame them. That's a lot of money. Aster deserves it if you ask me. He's a kid, but he has pissed the wrong people off. Now the criminal underworld has declared war on him."

"Then see to it that they don't interfere with this operation, Burke. The Gremlin is a small, spoiled, and overzealous fool, but not to be trifled with. And if he gets his grubby hands on that boy, I fear things will get...messy. Both for Aster and for you."

"Is that a threat, Doctor Guarnizo?"

"Don't test me, Burke. I wouldn't want to ruin our partnership now that I have the pieces in hand. I just need a board to play with them. Have your men set up checkpoints along the Azure and Dragon Gardens District. No one is allowed in or out until Aster is captured and brought to me."

"Is that legal?"

The doctor sniggered. "I have friends who will make it legal."

"Understood, Doc. You'll get your lab rat. Just don't screw with me or my men again. You think you're the only one with friends in high places? The DracoNET executive board will tear you limb from limb if anything happens to me." He spoke into his watch. "All units, close off the following sections. We've got the green light. Order 111 will now commence."