Africa, the day of Prime Minster N'Mani's escort…
"...Three years. We've come so far in just three short years." The Prime Minister reminisced as he looked out the window.
"The sign of a strong leader, Sir." N'manis advisor piped in.
"No - the will of a strong people," N'Mani remarked, seeing the people enjoying the life of the city, before he looked to his advisor. "And one very able advisor."
"Thank you, sir." the advisor replied, fixing his glasses.
"You deserve credit as well… Ms. Firestorm," N'mani remarked.
"All part of our job, Mr. Prime Minister," Zayna remarked as she removed her sunglasses momentarily, back in her suit as two unnamed cyborgs were with her and Lexi, one driving and one riding in the back with Zayna, while Lexi in her human disguise rode shotgun.
To N'manis eyes, Lexi was a 27-year-old woman with a beautiful shape, her hair long and brunette and her eye color the same as before, as she wore a suit similar to Zayna's.
"I must admit, I once thought of groups like yours as opportunists - enablers of war." N'Mani began in admittance. "But you've trained our new army well, and strengthened it with your company's security robots– Order has returned sooner than expected. Perhaps I was wrong about my world's 'private military companies'."
"Vandelay isn't a PMC, but I consider it… a multipurpose company. With one purpose being security. Vandelay ensures that security bots and other security measures are top of the line, for ensuring the proper measures of security for all parties involved." Zayna stated as larger Vandelay security bots marched alongside the escort tanks.
"Yes, well, purpose and security both can mean many things," N'Mani remarked.
"There's a saying I like: 'One sword keeps another in the sheath.' Sometimes the threat of violence alone is a deterrent. Sometimes, by taking a life, others can be preserved. It's a code the samurai lived by." Zayna remarked.
N'mani hummed. "An entrepreneur and a philosopher. You are full of surprises, Ms. Firestorm."
"Could say the same about you, Mr. Prime Minister." Zayna chuckled.
Suddenly, the vehicle stopped, as Zayna's eyebrows raised, as N'Mani looked around.
"What is happening?" The advisor asked.
"I think someone's blocking the path." Lexi said.
And Lexi was right, as ahead of the military vehicles, walking up to the lead escort jeep was a man in white cyborg armor, walking along very nonchalantly as he soon stopped a few yards from the vehicle, having dark hair tied in a ponytail.
"Clear the road! This is official state business!" A man on top of a 50. Cal turret called.
To this, the man simply unsheathed his sparking red sword, waving it around and checking it as he kept walking a bit closer to the vehicles.
"I said, clear the road! We're authorized to use force if you dont-!"
Before he could finish, the man in cyborg armor bum rushed the vehicle, running past the shots in a serpentine pattern to avoid them before he leaped into the air, as the man fired at him, the samurai cutting through all incoming bullets before slicing the turret, and its gunner, in half!
Vandelay bots immediately moved in, along with two APCs full of soldiers that began to rush out of them.
"Leopard One! U-Turn, turn back!" Lexi exclaimed in slight panic as the driver floored it to get them out of there.
Meanwhile, the samurai looked at all his gathered opposition… and smiled.
"Open fire!" A soldier shouted as they and the GNRs started firing at the unknown man.
"Who was that!?" The advisor of N'Mani exclaimed.
"A cyborg…" Zayna remarked with a growl.
"One of our competitors?" The unnamed man next to Zayna asked.
"Doubt it." Zayna remarked.
"Lexi! Whats goin' on, alerts just lit up back here!" Ace called in, back in Acmetropolis of course.
"A cyborg ambushed us! He came out of nowhere and started attacking!" Lexi said as the cyborg continued to slice through the soldiers and junk Vandelay bots.
"Yeah, we see em. Tech, any ID on this guy?" Ace asked.
"XIFF reads unaffiliated, I got nothin', Ace!" Tech growled. "Best I can do is signal all checkpoints, get outta there Lex! You too Zay!"
"Got it." Lexi nodded.
"And stop calling me Zay!" Zayna snapped.
The last remaining military vehicle drove ahead, N'mani's escort right behind. Just then, Lexi picked something up with her sonic hearing… a cyborg soldier on a rooftop, armed and ready with a…
"RPG!" Lexi shouted at the top of her lungs.
Too late. The shot fired and the tank was stopped, N'Mani's escort slamming on the brakes! Just then, cyborg soldiers ambushed the tank, killing the allied soldiers. At the same time, semi trucks pulled in, blocking off an exit with solid walls.
"Full reverse! Reverse!" Lexi exclaimed.
"We are going to die…!" The advisor gasped.
"Stay calm." N'mani assured.
Another semi pulled in from behind, causing the vehicle to stop as the driver skillfully shifted gears to escape before a group of 3 cyborg soldiers leaped into view.
"He's got friends, twelve o' clock!" Lexi said.
"Okay, Zay, all on you!" Ace exclaimed, seeing the situation.
"Got it. Keep the Prime Minister safe." Zayna declared, not even minding the nickname this time.
"Guess you do need to break out your suit today. Just… try not to go too overboard with the Magitech this time." Tech said.
"Heh, no promises," Zayna smirked as she stepped out, her suit making a crack on the ground from the force as she suddenly tossed off her oversuit, revealing her same Battlesuit from before, the latex blue and black suit ready to go as the effects lit up, as did the Repulsor blasters and cores. "Tech? My swords? Why are they not on my wrists?" Zayna asked.
"Already on their way. I decided they needed a liiiittle upgrade." Tech remarked.
Zayna saw two briefcases fly down, before they opened up, revealing her HF Katana and HF Longsword, Zayna smiled, reattaching them to her wrists as she used the blades themselves to unsheath the other, as they sparked with power from her suit as she tossed the cases away. Then, she unleashed a massive amount of slashes, which cut down nearby storage containers, blocking off the conflict from the vehicle.
"You figured out how to amplify my blades, Tech? They couldn't cut through like that before. Sure, they could cut but… damn!" Zayna smiled.
"Perks of being buds with the Loonatics. Anyways, get those hostiles!" Tech exclaimed.
Zayna cracked her neck, as she perfectly parried an attack to instantly enter a focused state, rapidly slashing the foe to bits with her two blades, before she leapt back.
"Let's give Magitech a spin. ELFIRE!" Zayna exclaimed after scrolling through much fewer menus than before, blasting the last two with a massive fire that took them out in one. "Hey-hey! That's a lot more organized, thanks Tech!"
"I see you like the modifications I made to your Magitech selection menu." Tech said. "Impressive technology by the way."
Magitech. One of Zayna's finest works after continuing a ditched project from Kale. Utilizing tech to mimic magic almost to perfection, converting technological energy into magical arcana to fire a wide array of spells and attacks.
"Hey, Zayna! Not to rush you, but The limo's in trouble, get over there!" Duck exclaimed over comms.
"On it!" Zayna exclaimed, rushing back to the limo as quickly as she could. "Lexi, are you doing okay?"
At the limo site, Lexi and the two African security guards were busy taking down any cyborg soldiers that were in the way. Lexi non-lethally with her usual martial arts skills while refraining from using her brain blast, while the guards used ther machetes to cut the cyborgs in half.
"We're good. I think we're done and clear over here…" Lexi said before suddenly her Sonic Hearing picked up something coming from the ocean. "...Or not."
Something huge was in the water, jetting towards land at high speed before surfacing with a big splash as it landed on the ground. It was a giant Metal Gear! It roared at the trio, as Zayna heard it from afar.
"LEXI! GET OUT OF THERE!" Zayna yelled in concern.
The giant amphibious machine then opened up its mouth as something was charging inside it.
"Don't have to tell me twice-!" Lexi said as she barely avoided a giant plasma blast, leaping out of the way to avoid it as it demolished the ground, causing the limo to flip over as well.
"Lexi? Lexi!?" Zayna exclaimed, as she quickly slashed down cyborgs and cut down a barrier to get over to her. "Ace! Is Lexi alright? Do you still see her vitals!?"
"Yeah she's good, so's the other guys but you gotta move!" Ace yelled.
"On it!" Zayna picked up the pace quickly.
As one of the soldiers tried to run to N'Mani's aid, he suddenly heard something and looked up…. to get his arms slashed off by a large man in dark cyborg armor, with a bald head and scissor blades in hand, as he rapidly slashed the soldier to ribbons with them with a smile on his face.
The second guard came in from behind, but the man easily parried his machete without even looking. The guard avoided his counterstrike but went for a counter of his own, which was easily parried as his arm was sliced off, before the man attached a blade to his wrist, and made his blades pinch around the guard's neck, slowly and slowly applying more pressure, until….
*PROTECTION
Program Execution
The last thing the guard saw before his head and body fell separate from another.
Lexi saw the whole fight from an unseen position, out of her disguise. "Yeeaaah… definitely staying away from him…"
"But-Lexi-the-Prime-Minister!" Rev reminded.
"Look at him, Rev! Does that seem like the kind of guy any of us can take?" Lexi exclaimed.
"Lexis right… hes smilin', but those eyes… he… he's got menace written alll over 'im…" Ace remarked.
The large man soon picked up N'Mani and was about to leave when…
"Stop!" Zayna yelled, finally arriving as she looked at the man.
The man looked to Zayna in kind. "So you're Kale's little girl."
"Tch… …What the hell do you want with the Prime Minister?" An annoyed Zayna snarled.
"I want him… dead." the man answered with no hint of remorse. "Nothing personal, course. Africas just gettin' a bit too peaceful."
"What?" Zayna asked.
"Business ain't been the same in these parts since they shut down the SOP. 'A clean break from the war economy'." the main scoffed. "Well some of us like that economy. How's an honest warmonger supposed to make a living?"
"So this is your answer?" Zayna asked incredulously. To this, the man laughed before drawing one of his blades. "Don't do it!" she warned, thinking the man would kill N'mani right then and there.
"Don't worry now. I won't. …Not while he's still useful." The man smiled wickedly. "So long." He added, before leaping up to a rooftop, as Zayna was about to give chase, when the man motioned for the Metal Gear, which cut off Zayna from the man.
"Fine. Not like I haven't scrapped metal before." Zayna remarked.
Cue: Rules of Nature - Metal Gear Rising OST
The metal gear roared in challenge to Zayna, as it only had one directive towards its target: destroy.
"Is that a Metal Gear RAY?! Where'd these guys get one of those?!" Tech asked.
"Y-you're gonna fight that thing!?" Duck asked Zayna.
"Not like anyone else will!" Zayna remarked as she ran to face it, slashing bullets as she ran, before she looked at the legs. 'Every big behemoth's weakness. The legs.' Zayna smiled, as she proceeded to lay a hammering on the legs of Metal Gear RAY, as she started with the right leg, ripping and tearing into it!
"Zayna! The armor on the RAY should be weak enough to slice apart with your HF Blades once you get an opening!" Tech said.
"Ya mean like THIS!?" Zayna asked, blasting Bolgannone onto the leg as the Metal Gear screeched, Zayna leaped up and she laid into the armor with fierce swings and slashes, before kicking the armor as it blew apart!
"Great work! That gave it a lot of damage to think about." Tech said. "But it's a tough one. You're gonna have to take it apart piece by piece."
"I'm more than fine with that," Zayna smirked, as she targeted the same leg, bashing the weakened leg repeatedly, finishing with a supercharged Repulsor Beam. "Now, let's take care of one of THESE!" Zayna yelled, leaping up and slashing its lower right side turret to bits, before landing a kick to cause it to explode. "Hahah! Eat that!"
"That'll teach 'em! Go for the other leg, the other leg now!" Duck cheered.
"You know it!" Zayna smirked as she cut through more bullets, before seeing missiles being shot down. "Wuh-oh!"
"Cut 'em up before they blow!" Lexi yelled from the sidelines.
"Yeah!" Zayna nodded, cutting apart the missiles before going to the left leg now and assaulting it just as hard, as she rinsed and repeated the process she did on the right side, as the Metal Gear RAY was almost down!
"Bring it down, Zay!" Ace cheered on as the Metal Gear made a final stand, firing plasma wave after plasma wave at Zayna, who expertly dodged and deflected bullets, reaching the Metal Gear!
"Alright, made it! Now how am I supposed to-?"
"Uh, Zayna?" Duck asked.
"Yeah, Duck?" Zayna responded.
"GIANT BLADE INCOMING!" Duck shouted.
"Wagh!" Zayna gasped as she raised both her blades instinctively, grunting as she was being pushed down.
RULES OF NATURE!
"Zayna, hang in there, we'll-!" Ace was about to shout.
"Urgh… hold that thought… I won't… Let this thing… BEAT ME!" Zayna said, as she suddenly performed a spinning move that slammed the blade to the ground, before it made a return attack. "No you… DON'T!" Zayna roared as she did the same maneuver, this time landing on top of the blade!
"YEAH! YEAAAAH! SPLIT IT WIDE OPEN!" Tech cheered as he watched Zayna slash all the way up the blade and then through the Metal Gear SEAMLESSLY!
Landing epically afterward, Zayna retracted her blades, posing in the explosion.
(song fade)
"Tech…. I'm sorry I ever doubted your technology skills." Zayna apologized as she smiled, looking at her upgrades.
"You can say it, I'm a genius," Tech said, regaining his composure.
"Never mind that. The guy who swiped the PM went through that collapsed building, go!" Ace exclaimed.
"Got it," Zayna remarked as she rushed through the building to see the large man on the run.
"There he is! Get him!" Tech ordered.
"You need me to cut him off, Zayna?" Lexi asked.
"Nah, I got this, you report back to HQ." Zayna remarked as she hopped in after the man, cutting through and hopping over any obstacle in her way…
Before suddenly, missile blasts cut her off, surprising the Loonatics, Tech especially.
Rules of Nature: Re-Start
"That damn UG still works!? How!?" Tech exclaimed, as RAY was back up for round 2 despite missing an arm.
Ray then opened its mouth and started charging up its plasma cannon.
"Shhooot!" Zayna remarked. "Better now than never, Iron Man help me!" Zayna exclaimed as she launched the Repulsor Thrusters to take off, as she leapt over the sweeping plasma blasts!
"Wait, you can fly?!" Duck asked.
"No, jump good!" Zayna remarked. "Plus this only lasts a little bit." She added as she landed back down, unsheathing her wrist blades again. "COME ON!"
She began unleashing a massive amount of slashes into the Metal Gear, to the point she leapt up and cut into its jaw, and then kicked the armor around the jaw apart!
"I'm gonna need to do a lot more damage if I wanna get this thing to stay down… should I go all in and use Overdrive?" Zayna asked.
"No! Don't! You still need to be able to function to get to the PM!" Tech exclaimed.
"Right, got it…" Zayna huffed as she proceeded to slash through more missiles, then heavily slash into RAY some more before cutting its last turret apart, which did enough damage to really hurt it.
"Now it's hurting! Finish the bastard off!" Tech shouted.
"Sure!" Zayna remarked, as RAY retreated, firing tons of missiles at Zayna.
"That's a LOTTA MISSILES!" Duck exclaimed.
"Watch me!" Zayna smirked, as she began to leap from missile to missile!
"Go for its right arm!" Ace said.
"Got it!" Zayna shouted as she sliced the arm apart and kicked it, revealing the exposed soft metals, before she sliced through them with her blades, landing as RAY collapsed behind her.
"Whew… that's over-" Duck was about to say.
"Not yet it isnt!" Tech said.
At that point, the Metal Gear ate Zayna!
"OH NO, ZAYNA!" Duck panicked.
"Shut up Duck, I'm fine! Let me go!" Zayna yelled as she stabbed the Metal Gear, as it screeched. "What the- WHOOOOOAAAAAA-! UNGH!" Zayna yelled as she crashed into the clock tower.
"Are you alright, Zay?!" Lexi asked.
"I'm fine. Luckily my suit is built to withstand such hits." Zayna remarked as she kipped up, and began running down the tower, dodging missiles, debris, and plasma blasts as she ran towards RAY.
"It looks desperate!" Ace said.
"This time I'm going for the head!" Zayna exclaimed, leaping onto the Metal Gear's head and slashing her way through the skull, before planting her blades deep, and running down the Metal Gear, slashing it vertically down the middle, as she flicked the metal and wires off her blades before sheathing them, as the Metal Gear split apart just as she sheathed her wrist blades.
(end song)
"Zayna, I've got our runners' location! He's heading for an overpass not too far ahead of you!" Tech said.
"Looks like he's got a train to catch. Y'better get there too, or you'll miss it." Ace said.
"Right. I'd better get there, or I'll miss my VIP ticket benefits." Zayna remarked as she ran that way as fast as she could.
"Shouldn't you kick it into overdrive now?" Duck asked.
"Not yet! I'm gonna save it for N'manis captors!" Zayna said. "Besides, I can only use it once every few hours!"
"When did that come into play!?" Tech asked.
"That was always a failsafe. Overdrive is taxing as HECK." Zayna remarked. "Not just for the no defenses either. Once I turn it off, I'm drained for a while."
"Gonna need inhibitors for it I guess…" Tech mumbled.
"What was that?" Zayna asked.
"Nothin', get going." Tech said.
Zayna caught the end of the confrontation between the man and the African soldiers, seeing the man jumping on the train, as Zayna hoofed it, even doing a Sonic-like drift through the corner as she tried catching up, before launching up to a building, and managing to leap onto the train.
"I made it just as it left the station. Where's N'Mani?" Zayna asked.
"The big guys still got 'im, he's headed for the front of the train," Ace said.
"Moving," Zayna stated.
"Be advised, I got eyes on an unidentified tiltrotor overhead. Look out for it." Tech stated.
"I may need you guys to extract me once I get this done," Zayna remarked.
"Be right dere, Zayna." Ace said.
"Wait, why does it gotta be you who leads the extraction?!" Duck asked incredulously.
"Zayna's dealin' with two advanced cyborgs and one of 'ems packin' a blade like hers. We can't make a mistake on this, Duck." Ace stated firmly.
Zayna ran quickly, and she soon found the two cyborgs and N'Mani, who was chained up.
"Prime Minister!" Zayna gasped.
The large man in black looked at Zayna. "Too little, too late, 'hero'," he said, using the word hero loosely. "I won't be needing my little shield here any longer." He would add before raising his blade to N'Mani's throat, and turning it under his chin.
"No! Stop!" Zayna exclaimed, but that didn't stop the man from running his blade beneath the chin, cutting N'Mani and lathering the blade with blood.
The man then grabbed N'mani by the throat. "What about all the good things war has done for us? Why don't we ever hear any speeches about that? Jobs, technology, a common purpose…"
The samurai yawned as this droned on, as N'Mani looked to Zayna.
"Zayna… forget me… Stop him." N'Mani pleaded.
The large man dropped N'mani as he grabbed him again instantly by his tie. "You ain't listenin'..." he said, cutting his chains as the Prime Minister struggled, the man going towards him.
For the first time in her life…. Zayna cared for a human being other than herself and those in her direct family. She roared as she charged forward, blades ready to defend N'Mani!
But then, the samurai snapped into gear, jumped in front of Zayna, and blocked both her blades easily before pushing her back.
"Mind if I cut in?" The samurai smirked.
"Tch…!" Zayna snarled.
"All we're sayin' is…" The large man smiled as he held N'Mani up. "Give war a chance!"
And with a swift motion, the Prime Minister was gutted and killed instantly by the scissor blade, as some of his blood splashed on Zayna, as her eyes widened.
"No…!" Zayna gasped.
With a smile on his face, the large man simply jarred his blade, as the Prime Minister fell off of it, lifelessly tumbling along the ground as Zayna's eyes narrowed fiercely.
With a roar, she tried to get to the large man to attack. But the samurai easily parried her still, and knocked her back a good distance.
While this was happening, the tiltrotor Tech detected flew over the train and lowered a rappel line, to which the man got on.
"She all yours, Sam." the man called as he was raised up into the air
Cue: The Only Thing I Know For Real (Instrumental Version) - Metal Gear Rising OST
"Let's go." The man, now named Sam, smirked as he leveled his blade.
"Tchrrrr…!" Zayna growled as she entered Overdrive mode, focused on her foe as they entered a tunnel.
She rushed at Sam, precisely swinging her blades to make him block in a way she could immediately assault his open guard, and about twice, it worked.
"Going all out from the very start, eh? I like that. That tells me you don't mess around!" Sam smiled as he leaped to the car ahead. "Don't be shy now." He smirked before he launched and slashed down, sending Zayna back as she grunted in pain. Trying her strategy again proved futile, as Sam figured her out as he began messing around some.
"Is he… messing with her?" Lexi asked, as the other 5 Loonatics were watching from Zayna's perspective before they clashed and now held blades against each other.
"Self-taught. And not half bad… but still…" Sam remarked before he proceeded to send Zayna into the air, and then slash her back a far distance, quite a few cars back as she landed hard.
"GAGH!" Zayna growled, a bit slow to get up despite Overdrive.
"Your technique while good, lacks something…" Sam remarked.
"Shut it…! HAH!" Zayna yelled, firing a Thoron, as well as a Nosferatu in an attempt to heal some.
"What the-!?" This caught Sam off guard as while he dodged Thoron, Nosferatu hit, knocking him off balance as it allowed Zayna to land a nasty combo on the samurai, kicking him far back herself!
"Magitech, you lovely creation!" Tech cheered on.
"Okay… so I underestimated you a bit. That's on me." Sam chuckled.
"I can't use any bigger spells since we're in a tunnel… so I'm still limited!" Zayna cursed as she tried once more to attack Sam.
However, her attacks began to be less and less effective, being worn down more and more before she clashed with Sam again…
"Now I see… You deny your weapons their purpose!" Sam remarked, as he looked at the front core of her suit, as he broke the clash, bashed her face…
And slashed the power core of her suit, deep enough it slashed through ribs, part of her lungs, and heart too.
"-!" Zayna gargled as she coughed blood from the strike.
"It yearns to make a world that is full of truths and justice, but you hold it back!" Sam declared to Zayna.
"No… …My weapons… are tools of justice." Zayna spoke as she staggered to her feet, holding her blades up weakly.
"Justice? Is that what you're calling your magnum opus?" Sam asked. "Or are you just too oblivious to figure out… that you're making the same mistakes as Daddy did?"
As he asked this, he and Zayna clashed blades more, red fire against blue as Sam had dug his blade along the flammable train car and slashed, causing an explosion as Zayna lit her blades aflame with Scorch, as the duo clashed and clanged their blades in an epic duel!
Triggered by Sams question, Zayna decided to take a risk. "Sorry Tech… but I'm going to have to forego your warnings! Overdrive-!"
Before she could finish, Sam sheathed his blade, as Zayna saw it, trying to escape…
But one more slash made a deeper cut in her chest. Her suit lost all power, the power core was gone! ….And she was losing blood fast.
"GAAAAAHHHKH-!" Zayna gasped for air from the cut on her lungs, but was slightly gargling on blood.
"Oh, nuts!" Tech said, looking at Zaynas vitals from HQ. "Ace! Zaynas gone critical!"
"How bad we talkin' here?!" Ace asked.
"Her front power core's been completely destroyed! All 24 ribs cracked or worse, broken, and she's losing blood!" Tech exclaimed.
"And let's not forget the fact that this guy sliced open her suit too!" Duck remarked, though gawking at where was sliced open was the LEAST of Zayna's, and the Loonatic's concerns.
Slam also made a panicked remark in grunting, looking at the screen.
"Yeah-Slam-we-can-all-see-clearly-that-Zaynas-LUNGS-are-cut-wide-open-and-probably-her-heart-too-this-is-very-very-very-very-very-BAD!" Rev exclaimed.
"Zayna! Zayna, can you hear me!? You're almost out of the tunnel, hang in there, PLEASE!" Lexi called out in horror.
Hearing their voices, Zayna staggered on, raising her blades.
"Oh, did you want to practice first?" Sam quipped as he slashed, but Zayna guarded… though it sent her skidding harshly. "Oh, you actually guarded! I'm impressed!"
"Not… gonna die… here…" Zayna gasped.
"Wow… you aren't like your dad after all. He would have easily laid down and died. Okay, I'm intrigued." Sam smirked.
Zayna could swing her blades somewhat… but they had no strength behind them, as Sam laughed, as he slashed once, sending Zayna rolling across the car, she stopped with her blades before she dangled off the edge, as she gasped and panted, gargling blood.
"This is what happens when you bring a tool to a sword fight," Sam said. "It's over."
Raising his blade to finish Zayna off, he was about to deliver the coup de grace, when suddenly they came out of the tunnel as someone landed behind him.
"Lucky devil..." Sam said, looking to see Ace behind him, Guardian Strike Sword drawn.
"I'd borrow that line y'used before you and Zayna started swingin'… But that's not gonna cut what I wanna do to you…" Ace growled.
"Ace….?" Zayna asked in genuine shock… Ace… no, the Loonatics… actually cared for her…?
"Heh, fair enough bunny boy, let's see what you got!" Sam goaded before suddenly, allied tanks arrived and began firing at the train. "Eh!?" And specifically at Sam, who had to dodge and deflect bullets.
"Y'didn't think I'd run inta this blind, did ya?!" Ace smirked.
Just then, the tiltrotor descended down, and it lowered the line for Sam to grab, as he smirked, before he clashed with Ace momentarily, easily knocking him off balance to where Sam could grab the line and ascend up to the tiltrotoror safely.
"Ace! Zap him out of the sky!" Tech yelled. "Don't let what he did to Zayna slide!"
"Workin' on it..!" Ace said as he regained his balance as the tiltrotor began ascending. "Let's see any flares that things got stop hot laser eyes!"
Ace quickly blasted his Laser Vision at the tiltrotor, before it erected a literal shield that made his lasers harmlessly bounce away.
"A shield!?" Ace exclaimed. "C'mon!"
"Gh… hk…. …Agh…" Zayna was starting to fade… slowly… painfully, as she gasped for air to find none.
Ace looked back at Zayna and lowered his gaze. "Nah. Not today." he said, running over to Zayna as his eyes flashed back…
"One more thing before I go, guys," Chase said before he had left on his journey. "If you guys ever run into Zayna again… promise me you'll keep an eye on her."
"What?! She tried to kill us! Why should we look after her?!" Duck asked.
"So were you just not paying attention when she broke down or what?" Chase asked.
"That doesn't mean you can just discard the fact she tried to kill us, Chase!" Lexi pointed out firmly.
"Wait-Lexi-he-has-a-point-I-mean-remember-her-face-when-she-thought-Tech-was-a-complete-goner? She-was-sorry! Real-sorry!" Rev pointed out.
"Plus, I saw it… She's got a good heart an' a good motive… She just needs the right execution. Do I got that right, Chase, my pal?" Ace asked.
Chase nodded. "I dunno if I'm the right person to help her. Or any of us. She needs to help herself. She can't see that her ideals are hitting too close to her own fathers. She wants to work hard, but she's taking the easy road again. I think that's mainly thanks to using her dad's old blueprints though."
"So… what you're saying is… we… we need to rehabilitate her?" Duck asked.
"Not impossible. I believe in her." Tech smiled.
Slam gave a grunt of approval as well.
"You and Lex may not approve, Duck. But the rest of us do… an' I for one am all for listenin' to Chase and lookin' after a girl like Zayna." Ace smiled.
"Well.. fine, we'll play corporate babysitter. But we're tellin' her grandma what she did!" Duck said.
"Yeah, can't argue with that. Roxanne's gotta know 'er grandaughters been up t' no good." Ace agreed.
"But… can she really change, Chase…?" Lexi asked in concern.
"I believe she can." Chase smiled.
"I believe in her… I believe she's not Kale's Daughter."
"She's Zayna Vandelay. And no one can change that."
Flashback end…
"Tech, get yer tools ready. Not only are we healin' Zayna… we're givin' her a fresh new upgrade!" Ace said over comms as the scene faded out.