Steven and Fionna warp to the G.U.N HQ in their disguises, and are quickly welcomed by some remaining soldiers in the area.

The leader of the soldiers look at them with a raised brow. "Why did you return? Anything wrong?"

Fionna widens her eyes behind and takes a second to think. "... We're feeling bad. We're not feeling well after the warps… We can't catch that guy if we're sick."

The leader of the soldiers narrows his eyes slightly, scrutinizing them. He crosses his arms, looking at them both with suspicion. "Feeling sick, huh? I don't blame you. The warping tech still messes with people, even after the final tests." He exhales sharply. "Fine. Get yourselves checked at the medical bay. But don't slack off too long, we need every soldier out there hunting that bastard down."

Steven nods quickly, lowering his voice to sound more like a tired soldier. "Understood, sir." He grips Fionna's arm lightly, giving it a subtle squeeze to urge her forward. "Let's go, before we throw up in our helmets…"

The leader waves them off, already turning his attention to another set of incoming sick soldiers.

As soon as they were out of the soldiers' direct sight, Steven let out a quiet chuckle under his breath. "Feeling sick? That's the best you could come up with?"

Fionna shot him a glare as they walked down the hallway, keeping up the act of exhausted soldiers. "It worked, didn't it? Besides, it's not like I had time to come up with something better."

Steven shrugged. "Fair point. Now, where do we start looking?"

Fionna scanned their surroundings. The G.U.N. HQ was massive, with sleek metal walls, bright LED lights, and an almost clinical sterility to its hallways. Soldiers passed by them in small groups, too busy with their assignments to pay much attention.

Signs labeled different sections of the facility: ARMORY, RESEARCH LABS, SECURITY ROOM, COMMAND CENTER, and MEDICAL BAY.

"The command center would be the best place to find classified intel." She whispered. "But it's probably crawling with high-ranking officers. Too risky."

Steven takes a second to think and smirks under the helmet. He takes Fionna's hand and drag her to the Armory Sector.

As Steven pulled Fionna toward the Armory Sector, she stumbled slightly before catching up to his pace. "The armory? Steven, why here?"

Steven kept his voice low but confident while grinning. "They are dangerous because they have resources. If we destroy their reserves they will be unarmed for a while, specially considering this is an island."

Fionna's eyes widened slightly as she realized what Steven was getting at. "You want to sabotage their weapons? That's risky as hell."

Steven glanced at her and smirked under his helmet. "Yeah, but it's also effective as hell."

As they approached the Armory Sector, the air grew colder, the metallic scent of gun oil and steel filling their noses. The hallway leading to the storage facility was heavily monitored, with cameras perched in each corner and guards stationed outside the reinforced entrance. The sign above the sliding doors read AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

Steven and Fionna slowed their pace, acting as naturally as possible as they approached the guards.

One of the guards, a stocky man with a deep scar on his cheek, glanced at them lazily. "What do you need?" he asked, clearly uninterested in small talk.

Steven, thinking quickly, adjusted his posture to seem as casual as possible. "Got orders to check the reserves. Colonel Andrew wants a full inventory updated in case of emergency redeployments."

The guard raised an eyebrow. "Didn't we just do an inventory sweep this morning?"

Fionna cursed internally. Steven, however, didn't hesitate. He exhaled as if exhausted, shaking his head. "Yeah, well, tell that to the Colonel. You know how he is. Wants another one. We're just following orders."

The guard grumbled under his breath, muttering something about "bureaucratic bullshit" before sighing and pressing a button on the security panel. The heavy metal doors hissed open. "Get it done quick. I don't want Andrew breathing down my neck."

Steven gave a lazy salute. "Understood, sir."

As soon as they stepped inside, the doors slid shut behind them with a heavy thud. Fionna let out a shaky breath. "That was close," she whispered.

Steven, already scanning the rows of weapon crates, smirked. "Please, that was nothing. Now, let's wreck this place."

Inside the armory, rows upon rows of weapon racks lined the vast chamber gleamed under the artificial lighting. Heavy-duty ammunition crates were stacked high, and a separate locked section housed experimental gear.

Fionna's eyes darted around. "How do we even start? There are too many to destroy all at once."

Steven cracks his neck and put his hands on the ground. "I'll just use my energy again."

Fionna nods. "That's smart…" She starts to think. "Steven… How did you discover this ability back there? I mean, infusing your energy into the ground in the middle of a battle isn't exactly strategy when you don't know what's going to happen."

Steven pauses, the memory of the voice that talked to him at that moment. "... I don't know." He responds before infusing his energy in the ground.

Steven focuses on the weapons and ammo and the energy follows a root-like path to them. The weapons quickly to rust them in an insane rate, practically falling apart.

Fionna watched in awe, eyes darting between the shelves of rapidly deteriorating weapons. "Holy crap… that's way more effective than I expected."

Steven smirked, dusting his hands off as he stood. "Told you. Now they're gonna have a real hard time keeping up with us." He grabs her hand and drags her out of the armory section. "Now let's get outta here before anyone notice."

As Steven and Fionna made their way toward the Command Center, the tension in the air thickened. They kept their pace steady, trying not to draw attention to themselves. Every step echoed against the sterile metal floor, and with each passing soldier, Fionna felt her heart hammering in her chest.

Steven, however, remained calm—too calm. He glanced at her, sensing her nerves. "Relax," he whispered. "We just pulled off the first part without a hitch. We'll be fine."

Fionna exhaled sharply. "We just sabotaged their entire armory. 'Fine' is not the word I'd use right now."

Steven grinned under his helmet. "Details."

As they neared the Command Center, the security presence increased. More guards patrolled the halls, and cameras were positioned at every corner. The entrance to the Command Center was marked by reinforced steel doors, with two guards stationed outside.

Steven stopped a few feet away, turning slightly to Fionna. "Okay, same strategy," he whispered. "Bullshit our way through."

Fionna shot him a skeptical look. "We got lucky last time."

Steven smirked. "Luck's just skill people don't understand."

Rolling her eyes, Fionna adjusted her posture, mimicking the confidence she'd seen in real soldiers. They walked up to the guards, who immediately straightened at their approach.

The taller of the two guards narrowed his eyes. "What's your business here?"

Steven exhaled like he was already over it. "Colonel Andrew wants a direct report on the latest surveillance data regarding Steven. He said to bring it to him ASAP."

The shorter guard frowned. "Strange, I thought Commander Graves was handling intel delivery."

Fionna spoke up before Steven could. "She was, but the Colonel overruled it. Said he wanted fresh eyes on it. Something about too many close calls."

The taller guard exchanged a look with his partner before nodding. "Makes sense. The Colonel's been on edge all day."

He turned and pressed a code into the security panel. The heavy doors slid open with a hiss. "Get in and out fast. We're on high alert."

Steven gave a sharp nod. "Understood."

The moment they stepped inside, the doors sealed behind them. The Command Center was massive, with rows of terminals displaying surveillance feeds, tactical maps, and mission updates. Officers moved between stations, focused on their work.

They quickly walked deeper into the Command Center, the scale of G.U.N.'s operations becoming even clearer. Giant holographic screens flickered with surveillance feeds from across the island, displaying live updates on troop movements, warping platforms, and high-priority targets, one of which was Steven himself.

Fionna tensed as she spotted his name flashing red on the largest monitor. "They're tracking everything." She whispered. "If we weren't wearing these disguises, we'd already be surrounded."

Steven, unfazed, smirked under his helmet. "Good thing we look great in stolen armor."

They moved carefully, weaving through the maze of consoles and operators. A handful of high-ranking officers paced back and forth, barking orders into their headsets. Fionna gestured subtly toward an open console near the far side of the room. "That terminal might have access to classified data. If we can download something incriminating—"

Before she could finish, a familiar, commanding voice cut through the air.

"—And someone explain to me how the hell we lost those two at the strawberry fields?"

Both Steven and Fionna froze.

Colonel Andrew stood at the center of the room, flanked by two officers. His back was turned, but his presence alone radiated authority. His sharp uniform was pristine as always, his posture rigid with frustration.

Commander Graves stood beside him, arms crossed, looking equally irritated. "I told you, Andy, this isn't just incompetence, this is sabotage." She exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "I bet Steven's already made his way inside. If I were him, I'd be heading straight for—"

She stopped mid-sentence.

Andrew and Graves slowly turned their heads toward the two common "soldiers" standing in the middle of the Command Center.

Fionna quickly tries to explain herself, but she only stutters in nervousness, but Steven… He stands in silence, not even flicking at the sight of Andrew and Commander Graves.

Andrew's cold eyes narrowed, assessing them both with a quick glance before his sharp gaze fixed on Fionna, who was still caught in her nervous stutter. "Well?" Andrew barked. "Explain yourselves."

Fionna glanced at Steven, her voice trembling. "W-We were sent by Colonel Andrew." She said, trying to sound more confident. "He, uh… sent us for the surveillance data… for a… update."

Before Fionna finishes her sentence, Steven walks towards Andrew without a word. When he's towering the Colonel, Steven looks down at him and takes his helmet off, staring Andrew coldly.

Andrew widens his eyes and step back, the soldiers raising their guns at Steven. Before they can shoot, Steven grabs the face of one of them and throw against the other one, knocking both of them off.

The other soldiers in the room point their weapons at him, but Steven quickly pulls his axe and swing it in the direction of them, sending them all back.

Andrew grabs Ashley's arm and tries to escape, but Steven is quicker and throws the axe at the terminal, closing the door and blocking their escape.

Andrew and Ashley look at Steven in surprise while he calmly walks closer to them. Once he's face-to-face with Andrew again, he takes a deep breath. "... Hello, Colonel Andrew. Long time no see…" He clenches his fists and pulls his axe again. "We got a lot to talk about, and you have way too much to explain…"

[TO BE CONTINUED]