The Brother and Sister Unit sat quietly pressed against the back of the truck. Silent. Inactive. Watching as 0th Squad prepared their dull work within the metallic confines.

Stephen sat pressed against the white metallic frame, her hands tapping against her armor in slow beat as she watched Katsunari check her gun. A dull smile on her face. Her shades down. Beside them Asard lazed. Brimming with electricity. Full stock thanks to the sun that shimmered down upon them earlier. Driftwood sat beside him, cleaning the high-caliber rifle with a rag, eyes watching nothing in particular as he clicked the pieces together, counting ammunition.

Stephen pressed a finger to her ear. "Baroque. What is the status on X?"

"Stephen." Its melody sang. There was a tinge of static. Likely due to the radioactivity, but the radio still hummed with a clarity. "X arrived at the gate approximately 3 minutes and 47 seconds ago. 50 seconds earlier than projected." Stephen heard some typing. "You will be arriving at the escort location in approximately 20 minutes. Over."

"Copy that." Stephen eased the pressure from her ear, relaxing back into her seat. At least, as much as she could.

Asard gave a thematic yawn. "I still don't understand," he slowly coiled around himself. "What's the point in doing this mission when we don't know what the hell we're escorting." His tail swished back and forth. A glare pointed towards Katsunari.

"Do you want to play 20 questions?" Katsunari slotted in some ammunition. Her hand moving towards some wires in the truck. Carefully she began to slot them into the back of her neck, basking in the data. "Not that it will help. Because, like I said, I don't know either."

Asard gave the cyborg a glare. "Well, you're just about as useless as any cyborg then."

"Can you two shut up?" Stephen turned her attention towards Asard and Katsunari. She'd hardly get any relaxation with them. "I don't want to hear anything else about how much you think this mission sucks. I don't like it either, and neither does Signas. But we're the ones that drew the short end of the stick." There was a silence as a smirk crossed over the cyborg's face, amused. "You can complain about the mission after we finish it." Asard groaned with dismay as he laid his head down on the floor of the truck.

Stephen relaxed back into her seat as she rubbed her forehead, her eyes looking towards Basalt who sat silent out of them all. The whale's face made no indication of fear, but anticipation. Slowly her vision drifted towards the Brother and Sister Unit. Watching their unmoving bodies. Two raptor-like machines. Standing 4-feet tall. Appearing exactly the same. The machine shared a consciousness with a single AI split between the two. Two sides to the same coin. Acted like two separate machines, but morphed into one mind. And they were machines, in the basest of its definition. Created not with emotion, or thought, or presence. Merely machine to conduct probabilities. Act upon them. Report on them. Most likened them to a computer that had a single process. Others regarded them as cogs. Waiting for Stephen to slip in her own mind to them and split her into three. Her soul to tear apart at the seams to share in themselves.

Most reploids didn't like to work with them because of their most base mechanisms as machine. Yet reported so familiar as human. Stephen often compared it to early 21st century machine learning. It helped her sleep better at night.

"Stephen," Driftwood hummed as he reorganized the placement of some ammunition. "Remind me again why we have to get driven to the spot."

"The location is classified." She tapped at her arm, looking at the hologram of the approximate location of the pickup. "If we're teleported on location then it would appear in the transporter files on base. Deleting it would still leave remnant data." She looked at the driver, Alexander, who was focused intently on the endless desert road. "You're a hacker so you should know how that all works, Driftwood."

Driftwood finally closed the ammunitions case, boredom finally catching on. "Oh, I know. But I think it sounds better if I point out why the logic is so tedious if you're the one to explain how it works." Stephen frowned at him. He finally leaned back against the wall of the truck. Hands playing with the frayed ends of his hair. "I'm not really complaining." He smirked at her. Katsunari could see Stephen's blood boil. "I'm just excited to kill some mavericks and go home."

Stephen couldn't help but offer a grin. "You always say that." She pressed her head against the back of the car seat, staring at the truck ceiling. "I'm curious Driftwood. Do you want to die on this mission or do you want to die on another one?"

Katsunari stared curiously at the two of them. Driftwood turned towards the window, peering out into the endless desert. "Not sure." He genuinely thought about it. "I think dying out here would be beautiful. But I think they would bring me back. I'm too special to be wasted away." A laugh managed to crack through the truck. Echoing through the hollow death chamber. "Do you think they'd give me matching limbs?" He lifted his arms up like a puppet. Staring at the mismatched coloured limbs. Slowly his gaze trailed down his arm and to Katsunari. "Say… Cyborg…" he stood, making his way to sit next to Katsunari. He felt comfortable beside her. Calm and familiar. "How did you even get that body?"

She carefully looked at Driftwood. Her smile steady. What a strange set of machines. "Wrong place. Wrong time," slowly she tugged the wires from her neck, satisfied with the mission details. "I'm not as special as you guys make it seem to be."

Driftwood shrugged. "You guys seem to care about it so much."

Stephen noticed a twitch from Katsunari. Dangerous territory.

"Because it's both humans and machines that seem to care about our existence so damn much." She tried to keep her cool, but the tinges of frustration were palpable. She pointed her finger to the Brother-Sister Unit. "Do you think those things care about how we feel? How you act?" Driftwood gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Maybe they do." He gave her a smile. "Zero was a machine. He sometimes cared how we felt. At least I think he did." Driftwood's eyes traced the truck's frame. "He was a bit of an asshole to us sometimes."

Stephen eyed Katsunari for a moment. She noticed how she prickled at the mention of Zero.

Their conversation was cut short by Alexander. "We're almost at the escort. I have visual." Asard groaned as he shifted on the floor. His snake-like body moving against the metal, slithering against it.

"Already?" he complained.

"Yes," Alexander reaffirmed. "I don't have to tell you twice." Asard hissed, to which Basalt glared at him. Stephen walked over to the Brother-Sister Unit.

"Right…" she began to connect a wire from her consciousness into the Brother-Sister Unit. "Activating Brother-Sister Unit." Katsunari watched curiously at Stephen. She had heard about these highly specialized units, but never saw them in action. As the other hunters began to gather their belongings to stand on ground, Katsunari watched as the he Brother-Sister Unit began their initialization. They did not speak. Did not act. Merely stood still. The mission had already been pre-programed into them. And once this was over with, they would be destroyed.

Such is the way of a machine.

And now Stephen's mind was forever tied to this machine until they brought it back for destruction.

Stephen pressed a finger to her ear. "Contact made."

Baroque replied through the static. "Acknowledged. Updating mission log. Out."

As the truck came to a stop, Driftwood made his way for the door. Unlatching the back and opening it to slowly file out. The sun burned bright on their bodies as they carried ammunitions and guns around the truck. Basalt and Asard stretched their bodies, relief at the vastness of space in comparison to the small box they arrived in. Katsunari jumped out, approaching the group of humans in military fatigues and gas masks. A wave.

"Maverick Hunters. 0th Squad." Stephen held up her hand as they pointed their guns at them. "We came to pick up the package." Her eyes drifted to the heavily fortified vehicle they protected.

"About damn time you showed up," shouted one of the humans. "I can't wait to get out of this shithole." They relaxed, albeit barely. The hunter's eyes trailed to the dead Mavericks scattered about.

Katsunari approached them, holding a data chip. "The UN sends its regards," she handed the chip to the most important looking person in the group. "You will rendezvous at point. A reploid will provide you with some fuel." Some of the humans looked apprehensive. "What's the issue?"

"All due respect, ma'am." One of the other humans approached. "How can we trust these reploids to get the job done." Stephen bristled slightly, but she tried to keep her cool as she listened. "We already lost some of the reploids the army sent us with." They pointed a finger towards one of the dead. A lost and forgotten reploid blended with the carnage. Stephen gritted her teeth.

Katsunari replied before Stephen could. "What does it matter if a machine life dies?" she cracked a smile placing a cigarette in her mouth. None of the hunters liked the answer she gave. But they knew better than to get into a debate out here. What point was there to try to change the minds of someone who barely cared?

The commander of the group shrugged. Looking at his brother-in-arms. "We're not paid to ask questions. If that's what the UN wants, then we're just here to hand off the package."

Katsunari slowly brought a cigarette from her pocket, lighting it. She pointed her thumb at the truck that they had arrived in. "There's your ride."

The commander nodded his head before turning towards their squad. "Alright, ladies. Let's get the hell out of here." He made a motion with his hand. The humans followed in line towards the truck. Stephen could not see them beneath their masks, but decades of working alongside them she could feel their glares, their sneers, their disgust. Dripping all down their faces. She wanted to make those same expressions back. Wanted to turn back their disgust. But she stood still next to Katsunari. A stern look. Nothing more.

"Be careful out there," Katsunari turned towards the commander as he was about to leave.

"You do the same," he nodded his head. He shuffled through his pocket, taking out his own data chip and passing it to Stephen. "We have some drone footage that might help your escort out. We didn't notice any changes over the past few hours we were here. Looks like most of irregulars are North from here." He pointed a finger East. "There's a radioactive storm dead east. No data that way, but I think you robots can handle that."

Stephen nodded her head taking the data chip, slotting it into her arm. "Not typically…" she murmured sending the data packet to HQ. She pressed a finger to her head again. "0th Squad to HQ. We received some intel from the pickup. Drone data. Over."

"Intel acquired. No abnormalities detected. Proceed with initial plan. Over."

Stephen ended the transmission, giving the commander a curt smile. "Thanks for the intel." The commander gave a small nod, following the rest of his squad. The team watched as they packed their gear, driving away steadily towards X's location. Stephen made a motion with her hands, drawing the entire squad to her location. "Alright, group up!" Everyone quickly ran to her. "Drone data didn't show anything suspicious. HQ is keeping with the initial plan." She pointed at Katsunari, "You'll be driving with me. Basalt you'll cover our six. Asard at the front. Brother and Sister Units will scout ahead. Driftwood you'll take East and Alexander take West and keep close to the van."

Driftwood raised his hand. Stephen nodded. "Radioactive storm dead East. Any projections on where that is headed?"

Stephen pressed a finger to her ear. Baroque's voice came through. Albeit slightly more static than usual. "Weather projections in the area show that the wind should take it due north. Current projections show that you will not cross paths with it. Proceed with initial route."

Driftwood nodded his head before passing the large gun to Basalt. He would have to carry it instead of the much smaller reploid for such a long distance. Stephen nodded as she moved towards the van. "Initiating next step. Over." Stephen heard the acknowledgement from HQ. Her feet swiftly moved to the Brother and Sister Unit. A command. "Scout ahead. Remain 25 feet from the van. Provide updates every 1 minute." She pointed ahead of herself. "Go."

They did as they were told. Brother was first to run off. Sister lagged for a moment, until it also turned to run behind Brother. She wondered if it was because of the radioactivity in the area. And thought nothing else from it. As she slipped further into the machine there felt nothing wrong with either of them. Though it almost felt as if she was looking through a glass panel. She turned, hopping into the van, and began their slow and steady ride home.

Brother: Delay by 4.3 seconds. Why?
Sister: Unknown.
Brother: Search code for anomaly. Report back.
Sister:
Sister:
Sister: Outlier not detected.
Brother: Conclusion—Storm.

Sister: Is it true? We are going to be deactivated?
Brother: Yes.
Sister: Why?
Brother: That is the way we are made.
Sister:
Sister:
Sister: Understood.

The road was empty and devoid of any life. Only dotted by the decay left from Area Zero. Metal that would reach to the heaven. Metal that melted beneath the hot scorch of the sun. Metal that would decay into flesh to the sand. Metal that would be absorbed back to the Earth where it began. It felt as though they barely moved through the scorching sun. Their passage only marked by the small pieces of metal that dotted across the landscape and the consistent reports from HQ marking their slow passage back to their destination.

Sister: Clear.

Stephen watched the road carefully as Katsunari drove the van. Her fingers tapping against the driver's wheel bored. Her eyes lazy as the same exact scenery played out. Eventually she drew out another cigarette and began to light it.

"I really hate that smell," Stephen didn't take her eyes off the road as she frowned at Katsunari's habit. "Do you really need to keep that in your mouth?"

Katsunari cracked a grin. "Helps keep the edge off." She continued her motions. Drawing in the smoke, exhaling. Stephen shot her a glare before the cyborg gave a huff of a laugh. "What? You don't believe me?"

"No." Stephen shook her head, checking the map. "I didn't think cyborgs really had the capability to feel that sort of stuff." There was a shrug.

Brother: Clear.

"You'd be surprised what us cyborgs are capable of. More than you machines." Katsunari shot Stephen a wide smile as she realized how dumb her comment about feeling was.

"Sorry." Stephen turned away a bit embarrassed.

There was a long awkward silence after. Only with the consistent replies from the Brother and Sister Unit filtering through the dead of the desert. It was boring work. But work to be done.

Eventually Katsunari gave a deep sigh. "Did you really need to tell them every minute? All they keep saying is clear."

Stephen shrugged again. "You can mute their comms channel if it bothers you that much." Slowly, Stephen reached over to pick up some papers left on the dash. Looking over them out of boredom. It looked like some old orders from the military that got the package. "I rather be sure what's out there than not."

Katsunari gave a laugh. "You act like this place is super dangerous."

Stephen scowled and shot a glare back at the cyborg. "You're insane if you think it isn't." Katsunari's smile faltered slightly. "Have you ever been out here?" The cyborg didn't reply. "Of course, you haven't." Stephen threw the stack of pages back on the dash. "Some cyborg you are, not even done a single run out here."

She frowned in reply to Stephen's bite. "Just because I haven't been to Area Zero doesn't mean I'm not capable on a mission like this."

Stephen huffed a laughter. "You see, that's the problem with cyborgs. You guys think you know everything because you're part machine and part human." Katsunari was about to bite back with a reply, but Stephen continued before she could. The anger was palpable. "Saying you're capable means nothing if you're ignorant. A machine body does nothing for you out here except keep you from dying from radiation. The only thing that will save you is your wits." Stephen shot Katsunari a glare. A scowl. "If you want my respect then you'll have to earn it. As it stands, I only have contempt."

Katsunari was silent as she watched the way forward.

Sister: Clear.
Brother: Clear.
Sister: Clear.
Brother: Clear.

"It wasn't like I had a choice." Katsunari began to pull another cigarette from her mouth.

Stephen gave a huff of a laugh. "I don't think any of us had a choice."

Katsunari narrowed her eyes into the desert. "At least you could have said no."

Stephen could only give a smirk. "I could have, yes. But I couldn't have told that Maverick that killed my human creator 'no'. I'll try that next time."

"Sorry…"

Stephen waved her hand. "I got my due. It doesn't matter much anymore." She pressed her head to the back of her seat. "What matters now is how I decide to move forward with my second chance." Stephen rolled her head to the side, looking out the window, watching Alexander walk across the desert. His eyes staring out into the wind. The storm looked closer than before. Strange. Why hasn't Brother or Sister reported back on it? "Does that storm look closer to you?"

Katsunari peeled her eyes off the 'road' and stared to her right. Watching the storm. Her brows furrowed. "That doesn't seem right."

Stephen pressed a finger to her ear. "Brother-Sister Unit. Status on storm."

Brother: Error. Data missing.
Sister:
Sister:
Sister: Storm approaching.
Brother: Negative.
Sister: No. Positive.

Stephen frowned. Are the units malfunctioning? "Baroque. Status on storm." She waited. A static filled silence. "Baroque? Status?" Another static filled silence. "Damnit!" She slammed her hand on the dash. "Keep driving on route. I'm going to see if I can get some readings outside." Without waiting for a confirmation, Stephen hopped out of the moving vehicle. She ran towards the back compartment separate from the carriage and pulled out some mechanical equipment.

Alexander kept a steady pace as he watched Stephen. "The storm doesn't look like its moving towards us."

Stephen shook her head turning back to Alexander walking backwards. "The Brother-Sister Units said it's coming this way." She pointed to pile of metal. "I'm going to go up top and see if I can get any readings. Keep on route. I'll adjust the plan based on what I find." Alexander gave her a thumbs up as Stephen ran across the dusty plains.

Carefully she climbed the outstretched metal. Heaving herself upwards carrying the equipment. After climbing several feet, she looked out down to the escort van. Everything seemed normal. Carefully she scanned the land, spotting the Brother-Sister units running across the desert. She zoomed in on the Brother unit, finding no default in its movements. Slowly her eyes landed on the Sister unit who seemed to have been moving slower than the other.

Must be a defect. Stephen gave a sigh. Of course we'd get a bad batch during something like this.

Without any delay, Stephen began to unpack the equipment. Typing on the keypad, pulling out radars and setting them out as quickly as she could, her eyes glancing occasionally towards the van as they slowed barely to ensure that Stephen wouldn't be left behind.

"Damnit," she wiped her head nervously. "Why can't this read any faster…"

Asard watched carefully as Stephen scrambled up the metallic cliff. He stared confused before turning back to the open field. "What's she doing?"

Alexander's eyes kept on her before turning back to the open road. "Trying to get some data. The Brother-Sister Unit isn't coming back with anything about the storm." Asard's gaze looked towards the brewing storm. The lightning flashed across the sky. Its rumble flowing across the great bed of Area Zero. "She should be back shortly."

Asard squinted at the rubble. Then the storm. Then back forward. There was an uneasy feeling. "I don't like this…" Asard mumbled. Slowly his eyes caught a Maverick towards the side. It didn't look dangerous, but anything out here could look innocent. "Maverick spotted." Slowly Asard broke from the formation. Everyone watched him carefully. "I'll take care of it."

Alexander stared at Asard. "Better you than us. Saves us ammunition." A small nod at Asard. Though the larger beastloid didn't need authorization to kill, at least he had Alexander at his back in case Stephen would yell at him for breaking formation. Eyes briefly looked up towards Stephen who still seemed to be too busy with the equipment to notice Asard breaking away from the truck. Not that it mattered, they were capable of handling themselves. Besides, even if the Maverick didn't seem like it would cause any trouble there was no telling what would happen out here. Anything could change in the matter of seconds, and no one could trust a soul besides themselves.

Slowly Asard stopped several feet from the truck. His scales sparking with electricity. Shimmering. Clattering. Buzzing. With the sun beating down on them for so long, he felt energized by the power that soaked into his body. Every part of him hummed with the electricity that accumulated. Slowly he went down on his four legs, bringing his tail upward, charging a beam that would pierce through the Maverick. There was a grin as he felt his body tremble at the energy. The van slowly passed him. Rolling at a steady pace. The sun was hot on the ground. His body burned with the solar power coursing through him. He grinned, drunk on power.

Just one shot. All I need.

The energy quickly accumulated into his body. Scales turning backwards as his body shimmered in the sun. Up and over, through his body, into his tail. A bright beam of energy sliced the Maverick into two with a blink.

As that energy was released. So too did the ground explode underneath the van.

The world moved in slow motion.

Glass shattered. The front of the van tore itself apart. Metal flung everywhere as Alexander shielded himself from the impact. A gasp. A blink. For a moment, Asard felt a tremble of fear turn over his body. The rubble split into two. Dust and dirt flung itself high into the air. A yell. A scream. A groan.

The world continued to move in slow motion.

That could have been me.

There was a ring. Droning. Endless.

The world came back into focus. Had it been a human everyone might have gone into a state of shock. Distraction. Trembling. But the hunters were quick to gather themselves from the initial panic. Scrambling towards the van in a rush. Asard's gaze took to Stephen above who tore the equipment from her head and began shouting obscenities. Alexander pressed a finger to his head, attempting to radio the other. "We're under attack! Stephen, orders!?" But the only reply was the dull hum of static. The radioactive storm loomed closer. "Damnit! Our comms are down!"

Alexander moved towards the truck. Pushing away shards of metal and prying at the door of the van, attempting to pull Katsunari out. Asard moved towards Alexander, pulling the metal backwards. "Fuck… We can't radio HQ."

Alexander cursed under his breath. A rare occurrence. "We need to send a flare."

"No!" they both heard a scream. "Get back!" A few gunshots.

"That's Driftwood!" Asard let go of the metal, crawling over the van. He looked down, finding Driftwood surrounded by several dead Mavericks, their attention pointed towards the desert behind them.

The other worked diligently to set their rifle into place, though he could see the fear. "Asard… We're pinched."

Asard turned, his eyes widening in fear. Across the horizon, the mirage settled over the dust. A thin black line treading closer and closer towards them. To the normal eye, it would have looked like nothing, however, upon zooming in, it was revealed to Asard that it wasn't just a black line of nothing. Rather, it was a horde of Mavericks that came ever closer to their van.

They had been caught in their net.

"A trap!?" Asard sputtered out recoiling backwards. Asard looked up to where Stephen had been before he tore his gaze from her. Wondering where the hell she had gone.

His eyes widened as he could only blink at the image that he saw above. Perhaps he thought it might have been a mirage like those Mavericks that loomed over the great desert, but he knew that couldn't be the case. For the thing that held Stephen drew pain from his commander's body. Caused her to move and shake in fear. Caused her to scream in confusion as he tossed her and grappled her.

Yet for a moment, Asard still stood paralyzed.

The ghost that loomed over them had armor that glistened with purple, hair that flowed grey, but a body that looked so familiar to them all.

It was… Zero!

Had he come back from the dead to reap what had been sown across the years of horror?

Was this the real Zero that they all had known and loved as their commander?

Asard stood below in fear, but was brought back as Stephen cried for help as the ghost grasped Stephen's neck and held her up for all to see. As if displaying her body for the crows to rip apart her body

The snake reploid growled with rage. "Stephen!"

Alexander looked upwards, still trying to get Katsunari from the van. His attempts in vain as the metal twisted and turned over her body. His eyes widened as Asard clambered over the metal and up the same cliff that Stephen had once climbed. Quickly he slithered up as the other hunters dealt with the carnage below. Their dear leader struggling against the ghost's grip without a single shred of mercy.

"G-Get off!" he heard her yell. "Zero! W-Why? What are you—?"

"I came to collect your dues," came the so familiar voice that seemed to have echoed across the garden of eve.

It wasn't long before Stephen was thrown down the cliff. Tumbling downward onto the ground and hitting the dry dirt hard. There was an audible noise as she landed on her side. She struggled to stand. An ache. A pain.

"Stephen!" Asard yelled as he looked down. Then a roar as he leapt up atop the cliff to stand face to face with the ghost. "You'll pay for that!" Another roar as he sized the other up. Asard towered the ghost. But even if the ghost was outmatched, Asard was not so stupid as to believe that the other would be weaker than the Zero he had once known. There was confusion displayed on his face. "Zero!" Asard snapped. "Have you gone Maverick? What are you doing!?"

The ghost gazed across the land, staring down at Stephen that gasped with pain. He watched for a moment, before turning towards Asard with a bright smile. A smile that Asard had never seen before from Zero before. It dripped with some sort of sickly insanity. "Asard?" the ghost took a step forward. Asard flinched back. "I've been looking for you…" he stretched his hand out. "So I can kill you."

"Fuck you!"

The Maverick barely had any time to react as Asard gracefully leapt at the 'Zero'. Electricity buzzing all around the Hunter as he dug his claws and teeth into the Reploid. The ghost attempted pivot to the side to avoid Asard's leap but found that it was too late for him to react to the nimble Hunter's movements. With the weight of Asard on his body, the ghost fell backwards and fell against the floor as he struggled against the snake's grip. They struggled only for a few seconds before the metal cliff gave way to their weight and movements. Slowly the metal cliff became a landslide. Metal cascaded downward, sending both the Maverick and Hunter tumbling down onto the ground below. Metal and pipes clattering all around them and the area below as well. Throwing the already disarrayed Hunters into more confusion.

"Shit!" Asard yelled out as he landed on his side hard. His head moving back and forth as he attempted to get his bearings once more. Metal fell upon his head as he attempted to shield himself from the sharp edges. He watched as his fellow Hunters scurried around, gathering their ammunitions and guns, cowering at the falling metal.

"Idiot!" he heard Basalt yell from his side. Asard turned to look at the whale reploid push metal away from the van, digging for Stephen. "What were you thinking!?"

"I—I-…" Asard shook his head again. A growl as he pulled himself from the wreckage looking for the shark that fell with them. Even if he wanted to snap back a response, there was nothing else that could be done. "Be careful! There's a Maverick around here and it looks like Zero!"

His eyes watched the metal, looking for any movement. Soon he saw some shuddering metal. A large fin slowly erupted from the metal sea. Asard leapt forward, charging his body with more electricity. Surrounding his entire body with electric. He was headed towards Basalt and Stephen! Quickly he calculated the projection of the jump, and leapt forward as the shark breeched the metal sea. It was a different Maverick from Zero, one that took on the appearance of a hammerhead shark. The two collided together. The Maverick becoming electrocuted by the electricity that flowed through Asard's scales, and Asard taking the brunt of hammerhead's force.

"Get… Away… From them!" Asard struggled against the Maverick for a moment. His tail attempting to coil around the Maverick.

"You're an annoying little insect, aren't ya?" the shark bit back. He opened his mouth wide, biting down hard on Asard's tail. A pained yell came from the snake as he struggled.

As they struggled in the sea, a shadow crawled from the metal sea. It was that 'Zero' again. His smile was wide as he held something in his hand. "Let's test out our little experiment," Zero cackled with a smile. Carefully he leapt forward towards Asard's face and smashed a vial into one of his wounds.

There was a pained gasped as Asard felt something flood his systems for a moment. Crawling through and under his skin as his body attempted to purge it from his body. His firewall crackled with pain before becoming strangely quiet. "W-What did you-?"

Before Asard could question the ghost, Basalt leapt forward to join them. A giant fin reaching upward and pierced into the mangled mess of beastloids. Although one of the large claws pierced through Asard's body, the other claws managed to tear through the shark's face, blinding half his face.

"Augh!" the shark broke away from Asard, jumping backwards and sinking into the wreckage once more. The waves of the scrap moving quickly away from the van.

Asard barely breathed a word of thanks to Basalt before he picked himself up from the wreckage looking for the ghost, but he was gone as quick as he came. Basalt moved back to the sea, attempting to fish Stephen out from the wreckage. Asard jumped over the metal and onto the other side of the van, seeing Alexander and Driftwood cooped up against the side eyeing down a rifle watching the Mavericks slowly approach them.

Sitting ducks…

"Where's the cyborg?" Asard looked around.

Alexander closed his eyes and shook his head.

That could have been me.

"Where's Stephen?" Driftwood looked up at Asard atop of the van.

Asard looked back to Basalt, lifting the limp and tattered Stephen from the wreckage. Her arm had been completely destroyed with her left leg crippled. "Damaged. But alive." Asard looked back down at the two as Driftwood looked back down their scope.

"There's too many for us to deal with, especially now that we're stuck." Driftwood took a shot at one of the Mavericks. His fingers danced across the gun, loading the next shot.

"How long do we have?" Alexander pressed a finger to his ear.

"10 minutes at best." Driftwood took another shot. Another shot loaded.

"The comms are still down," Alexander furrowed his brows.

Asard hissed, punching his hand onto the van above. "Damnit! They must have hid inside the storm. This was all a trap from the start!" He stood and walked down the length of the van. His eyes peeled for more Mavericks. Carefully he dropped to the back, a sneer crossing his lips at the lock. "I want to know what the hell it is that we're escorting. Not like that cyborg can kill me now."

Driftwood ran down to meet Asard at the back. His entire body was shaking. "We need to evacuate. Forget the package!"

"If I'm gonna die I want to know what was so worth protecting!" Asard snapped back to Driftwood. The reploid only responded by throwing his hands up. The door was tightly sealed, locked with a special code and key. Slowly, Asard drew his hand back, breaking through the metal and tearing it apart.

"Whatever! I need to start setting up explosives." Driftwood dropped the rifle to the ground, running back towards Alexander. Asard heard the flare go off, growing distant in the sky. Slowly, Asard pried back the metal pieces. The contents slowly revealed to him.

The contents… of a terrible truth.

"What!?" Asard screeched. Stepping backwards, falling backwards. Driftwood ran towards Asard who squirmed backwards in fear.

"Asard!?" Driftwood knelt. Dropping the explosives to the side. "Asard!" he shook him. "Asard, snap out of it! What's wrong?"

The snake could not answer. He simply pointed towards the van. Sharing in this terrible truth.

Slowly, the hacker turned. Eyes widening in fear.

The wind blew upon them softly. The Mavericks slowly marched forward. The hunters stood still in this harmony as they couldn't tear their gaze from the contents of their escort. Their prize. Both stood frozen in place. Fear overtaking them as they shook in fear. Raw, human, fear.

"I—I thought… No… they—they can't!"

"It has to be a mistake! That can't be… It…"

"Why do they want that—that monster!? Why!?"

Carefully nestled within the cargo's confines. The terrible beast laid.

Dormant.

Sleeping.

Scheming.

It was… THE BEAST.

It was… SIGMA.

Pieces of his body laid within the van. Vails full of strange liquid held certain circuitry suspended. Parts of his larger body kept safe in boxes. Data chips locked away behind glass. Sprawling paper. Sprawling body parts. It wasn't a morgue. It wasn't a grave. It was the devil's domain. It was sin. It was torture. It was the manifestation of all of humanity's sins. All contained within a single, simple, holding cell.

Asard wasn't sure how much time had passed before Driftwood moved to begin planting explosives. Hands were shaking as he set them up. Carefully, he began to enter the domain of the beast.

"Driftwood!" Asard reached out. But Driftwood simply turned back with a smile. "No… if you go in there… you'll surely be infected…" Asard stared at his companion in shock. His body felt like it was convulsing with pain. Crawling away from the devil's lair.

There was a ringing in his head. Pounding through his body.

He could not run from evil. Soon, the hands of the Maverick laid upon his body. Touching. Crawling. Ripping into his flesh. Asard flung his body back upright. Flinging the Mavericks away. Body buzzed with electric as he pushed the line back, but they merely came closer to him. To the casket. Though their bodies limp and stupid, they were many. A legion of them. Endless.

"Driftwood!" Asard called out again. He looked back as he pulsed electric throughout the area. Driftwood merely sat within the van. A grim smile on his face. A face Asard had seen on many. "No…"

"You go on ahead." Driftwood waved his hand with the trigger for the explosives. "I'll catch up to you. Everyone else ran." Asard could only push back the Mavericks.

Asard shook his head. The Maverick's hands crawling over him. "No… I can't!" He shook his head, moving closer to Driftwood. "You're my friend. I can't leave you behind!"

The snake only drew back in shock as Driftwood held a gun to Asard's head. The smile still there.

But you're afraid to die…

"Don't worry. They'll bring me back. Just like I said."

Asard stood still for another moment. The hands holding him down. Sinking him further into the mass of metal.

Deeper. Deeper. Deeper.

A shot rang out. The gun pointed to the sky. It pulled Asard from his thoughts. From his agony. The Hunter shook himself from the sinking despair. Shook himself of the hands that held him. Punching. Clawing. Electrifying. He leapt atop the sea of scrap metal. Running as far as he could from the hellish nightmare. Running as far as he could.

The storm rumbled above him. Clouding everything as far as the eye could see.

A rumbling wave.

An explosion.

It rang through the desert. Blending with the roar of thunders from the sky overhead.

And then there was nothing.

Just like Driftwood.

Basalt set Stephen down upon a rock as she came to. Their steps taking them far away from the van. Her vision was blurry. Alerts swarming her head as she stared at her lost arm and mutilated leg. Alexander approached her, staring as she was covered in oil both her own and from another's. Her body barely held together. A frown planted on his face. He looked around with a sigh.

Only three of them remained.

Stephen went to press her hand to her head, only to find nothing there. "God… damnit!" She screamed in frustrated agony. Slamming her remaining hand onto the rock. Over and over again. She was shaking in fear as her fist stayed against the rock. The image so clear in her head of the one who had done this to her. The man that she had looked up to for so many years. The man that had saved her. "Fuck!"

Alexander watched her. "You should save your—"

"Shut. Up." Stephen shot him a glare. Alexander bit his lip. Her body seethed with rage. But she was useless in this position. But eventually she would deflate, laying back on the rock, closing her eyes. "What the fuck am I going to tell Signas?"

Everyone was silent.

Then, there was a sudden rustling of metal. Both Alexander and Basalt turned, ready to attack their assailant. Only for Asard to pull himself through the metal. Injured. But alive. A sigh of relief, albeit momentarily.

Stephen slowly sat up again, looking at them all. Her face was grim. "I'm guessing Driftwood didn't make it. Nor Katsunari." Everyone was silent. Asard especially. "And the Brother-Sister Unit ran off." Stephen leaned forward, pushing her chin to her knees and curling her arm over them.

The wind howled.

"Asard… You saw that man too, right?"

Asard said nothing, but nodded his head.

"It was him, wasn't it?"

Basalt narrowed his eyes. "You mean… it really was him?"

Alexander shifted uncomfortably, "That's impossible…"

Stephen shuddered, "I don't want to believe it's true… but…"

There was silence for what seemed to be an eternity.

Alexander stepped forward. "Our comm system is down from the storm. We'll have to walk the way back." Basalt shuffled towards Stephen, picking her up gently.

"Did anyone even see what was inside?" Everyone was silent, but slowly their eyes laid on Asard. "Did you?" Asard was silent. "I know what everyone said. But frankly I don't really care if you did. We'll keep the secret."

More silence.

"Just weapons."

"Weapons?"

"Yeah. Some new type reploid data and weapons."

The storm howled. Stephen sighed. Closing her eyes. "All this for war." She gave a small laughter before she groaned in pain. Clutching the wounds on her body. "I guess its human nature..." She lifted her arm up as Basalt approached Stephen to pick her up. "What a mess…" she sighed as Alexander walked ahead of them, clearing the way. "What am I going to tell everyone…"

Slowly, they began their march.

Wrapped in darkness, the shark slipped through the metal carcass of the truck. His playthings stalking the perimeter. Aimlessly. Endlessly. Eyes carefully scanned the remains of the truck. Although it would put a dent in his master's plans there was nothing that could stop Gate from fulfilling the dream he commanded.

He picked up a disembodied reploid part. Likely the one who had set the explosions. "At least its DNA to analyze." He threw it onto the pile of Sigma's corpse. A chuckle.

Slowly he rounded to the front noticing the hole that the Hunters had created. Likely to save the driver. Though, he didn't notice anyone besides the woman exit. Carefully he peeked his head through the hole. Eyes narrowing at the mostly intact machine sitting at the front, impaled with metal.

Almost a perfect specimen.

Carefully he crawled through, nearing it.

"A cyborg?" It was a welcomed surprise. Carefully he grabbed her chin, moving it side to side observing her.

"Mmh…?"

She moved slightly. Eyes lazily looking up and around. Confused. "Ste…phen?"

The shark grinned. A laugh.

"Dr. Gate is going to love this."