More Than Meets the Spy

by ssjSega

Loid Forger, codename Twilight, did everything he could to ensure that he and his family appeared as unassuming citizens for the sake of his mission. And like all common families, buying a new car was perfectly normal and expected. Little does he know, however, that there's more to his family's new car than meets the eye.

18. Mission 18: Rescue

Happy Easter to those who celebrate it! I have the next chapter ready as a gift, and this chapter gets... kinda heavy and dark since it's one-half robbery and the other half continuing the battle against this fic's local Knight of Cerebus.

... so not much of a happy Easter gift. But I'm still pretty excited for this one.

Anyway, we're catching up with Anya first, then we're picking up where we left off with for Yor's fight with Barricade.

Big thanks and shout-out to SwapAUAnon and Quantum01 for Beta Reading this chapter.

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Mission 18: Rescue

Anya stayed huddled next to Sari in Mister Sumdac's arms, all of them watching the bad guy robbers come and go down the lane. They all dressed up in dark clothes, from pants to sweaters to masks that covered their whole faces. When one of them got too close, Mister Sumdac hugged them tighter, protecting her just like Papa would.

That didn't stop her from being scared.

They have guns, Mama and Papa aren't here, Bond isn't here, what do I do!? Anya kept trying to think of a way out, but she couldn't think of anything. She'd had to deal with bad guys for a while now, but she almost always had her parents. She could always point them in the right direction so they could do all the super cool, super dangerous stuff, and when she didn't have them, she had Bond by her side.

Not here. Not now.

There was no Mama or Papa to point in the right direction. No Bond to give her a hint with his future vision. She was all by herself.

And she had no idea what to do.

It was just like the first time she got kidnapped when Papa adopted her. Back then, she didn't know if anyone was coming to save her from the bad guys. All she knew and remembered was how scary it was, and how scared she kept being even after Papa came to the rescue.

Looking up at another of the robbers as he passed by, big pointy nose, bow and arrow in his hands and quiver on his back, Anya thought she saw one of those same bad guys again. Especially when he looked down and glared, "Wouldst thou kindly stop staring at me like that? Tis very annoying."

"… Uh…" Anya blinked, the illusion shattered, Why did he talk like that?

"Y-You're the one robbing the place!" Sari yelled, her voice a bit shaky as her dad tried to shush her, all while he kept glaring at the robber.

"And it will cease once we've procured our gains from both this store and the mall. Now shut thy mouth and say not another word," The robber grunted and rolled his eyes, Why did our employer's spree begin with a toy store. I swear, I can't stand children.

Anya blinked again, her fear slowly being replaced by… bafflement? Yeah, that was the word. She was losing her fear because of this guy, and her mouth started moving ahead of her brain.

"You talk weird."

Right after that left her mouth, she clamped it shut, feeling the anger coming from the bad guy. That anger only grew when Sari started snickering before going quiet too. Mister Sumdac held both of them closer, able to tell that things weren't going to go well for them. It felt like he'd been in these situations before and-

"What did thou say?" Before Anya could get a read on Mister Sumdac's thoughts, the robber held the bowstring back, pointing an arrow right at her face, "Insult mine manner of speech again, and thou shall feel the wrath of arrows a thousand-fold!" Hopefully this will get the brat to shut up.

Anya winced at the arrow in her face before Mister Sumdac shifted his body, putting himself in the line of fire, "How dare you threaten children!?"

"I dare because that one-" His eyes darted toward Anya, "Insulted mine own dialect when silence was all that was needed. Now I demand the same of thou, lest an arrow let loose is your greatest desire." Annoying as the children are, I'd rather not kill them if I don't have to. The caretaker, if he doesn't shut up, however...

"D-Dad!" Sari hugged her papa close, not wanting him to die. Anya was about to jump in and do something, but then two more of the robbers ran up and held their partner back, pointing the bow and arrow away as a shot let loose by accident. It zoomed just past the top of Mister Sumdac's head and hit one of the boxes in the aisle just behind them, knocking it open and spilling a toy to the floor.

"Aaron, what the hell!?" The tall, skinny, sharp-chinned robber holding a machine gun asked.

"Yah know, the point of having hostages is to keep them alive, right? Six feet above! Blood pumping! Light in their eyes and singing Kumbaya. Ringing any bells, bow for brains?" The lady robber with a pistol added, talking really fast and kinda like one of those characters from an old comedy movie Anya watched.

"Oh pish posh, it's not like harm was truly inte-" The arrow guy, Aaron, was cut off by the lady putting a hand over his mouth.

"The other whole point of hostages is to make sure they don't know squat!" Only reason we even agreed to this job was the payout and the promise that no kids got hurt. If we gotta brain a grown up, I'm fine so long as it ain't permanent, but no one here needs to know that!

"Seriously dude, that's robbery 101," The skinny robber said.

"Oh like thou can truly talk!" Aaron grew angrier as he slapped the lady's hand off his mouth, "Or should I remind Sir Nino of House Sexton that he brazenly foretold to the hostages what our plan was in the last robbery we galvanized ourselves for?"

"Hey! I didn't know one of them managed to hide a gun on him! Besides, we still got away with the money before the cops showed up," Nino held his hands up in surrender, trying to defend himself.

"Alright, I'll admit, not your brightest move hun," The lady robber looked back at Nino, face a mix between annoyed and affectionate, Honestly, he can be such a goof sometimes, but he's my goof.

Anya saw a brief memory in her head, the skinny robber and lady robber breaking out of a jewelry store in the middle of the night, alarms roaring behind them. The two ran hand-in-hand for the escape vehicle where Aaron was yelling at them to hurry up, both of them wearing golden rings on their fingers.

Ooooh! Bad guy married couple! Anya gasped, her fear slowly being replaced by excitement at what was going on.

"Yeah, okay, fair enough babe." One of us has to be the smart one. Glad it's you, Nino rubbed the back of his head but still smiled.

"Ugh, most the both of thou do this here?"

"Well, considering we're trying to keep a low profile. Incognito. Anonymous. Nameless. Faceless. That whole shebang, I think the fact that you said my husband's name out loud makes this your punishment, doesn't it?"

"Geez Sammy, calm down. It was an honest mistake," Nino gently tried to calm his wife as she got in Aaron's face.

"Oh come on with it! Why must I be brought to the headsman for such a misdeed and not him?" Aaron accusingly pointed at Nino, with Sammy getting between them.

"Simple, Double A Dumbo," She poked his chest, "Unlike you, he just used the nickname." Not like he said Samantha Sexton or Samantha Lomow. Then I'd punch him in the shoulder for that.

"I… I'll have you know that I-"

And then they started arguing, trying to keep their tones hushed, but it kept getting loud every now and then. Anya felt a small smile on her face, watching everything unfold while trying to read their minds for how the robbery was gonna go. Things were starting to get a little fun again, especially since she now knew the bad guys didn't want to seriously hurt anyone. But she was still scared without her parents or Bond here to help. She tended to get scared even with them around for these kinds of things.

"Uh…" Sari began, drawing hers and Mister Sumdac's attention. She looked between the three robbers and them in confusion before whispering, "S-Should we try running or crawling away or something?"

"No, they're too close. If we all move at once, they'll notice." Mister Sumdac said, trying to sound as calming as he could to them, Even with… whatever is going on here, they seem perceptive enough to realize we're gone.

Anya nodded, but tried to look around for something, anything, that could give her an idea on how to stop the bad guys. No Mama and Papa around, so she had to do this herself. Her eyes landed on the toy that was knocked to the floor by the arrow robber, seeing that it was some sort of car – looked a lot like Bumblebee's model too– with an antenna and remote control.

Maybe that can help? Anya poked at Mister Sumdac, both him and Sari looking at her while the bad guys still argued. She pointed to the toy car and whispered her idea into their ears. Sari looked like she thought it was clever, but her dad didn't seem very sure.

"It sounds too dangerous, Anya," Mister Sumdac whispered back, I don't wish to risk the safety of Yor's daughter.

"But dad!" Sari pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper as her bright blue eyes shimmered, putting on the same begging face that Anya often gave Papa. It only took a few seconds, but he caved in and nodded to Anya, repositioning himself and them so they were out of sight from the still arguing crooks. He looked back at them before giving Anya another nod, letting her go and crawl for the remote control like mad. The moment she grabbed it, she looked back to see that she hadn't been noticed and crawled back into Mister Sumdac's arms, doing her best to hide the remote.

Right when she got back, the three stopped arguing when Sammy yelled, "Okay, shut up!" She dragged a hand down her face and calmed herself, "Look, hows about we put a pin in it and just get back to patrol, kay? We can get back to it later. Right now, we got an important score here and I'd rather we make our moola and find a nice motor court before any buzzers catch our tail."

What does any of that mean? Anya heard a lot of those words in movies, but she could never figure them out.

Nino shrugged, "Whatever you say. No skin off my back."

"… fine," Aaron reluctantly replied, his voice actually losing his accent before just as quickly getting it back, "But mark my words, woman! This shall be brought to discussion when we're done!" The three of them started walking away when he added, "I believe a renegotiation of the dynamics of our trio should be in order, starting with-"

"For the last time, we're not putting you in charge."

Following her husband, Sammy added, "You both already agreed that I'm the head honcho – the big cheese – of our three-man team. And in case you forgot, last time we let you take lead, you ended up-"

Okay, now they were far away enough for Anya to stop listening as she pulled out the remote. Looking at the toy car, she pressed a button and the joystick, making mini-Bumblebee drive forward. After a few tries, she was able to get it to go where she wanted, zooming out of the aisle and circling around them before sending it right for the feet of the arrow guy. He kept walking with his robber friends, only to step on it and slip, sending him falling on his back. With one hand on the bowstring, he ended up accidentally shooting an arrow into the ceiling, cracks forming where it landed.

"You alright, man?" Nino asked, holding a hand out alongside his wife to help their friend up.

"Argh! What bloody thing got me?" Aaron reached down and held up the toy car, "How did this infernal device even get there?"

"Seems like this place ain't good on upkeep if they're leaving little toy irons around," Sammy added, still confusing Anya with her words when she looked up at the ceiling, cracks forming more and more before a large chunk of it broke apart, rubble falling down onto the three as they screamed.

"WOULD YOU IDIOTS KEEP IT DOWN!? THE BOSS IS NEGOTIATING WITH MALL SECURITY OVER HERE!"

As the dust cleared, Anya and the other hostages still in the aisle saw the three buried, limps poking out and groaning heard.

"… uh… I meant to do that," Anya quickly said, not wanting to look stupid. Either way, the Sumdacs and other hostages started to stand up, Sari hugging her quickly.

"Anya, that was awesome!" She whispered, causing Anya to puff her chest. Only a truly talented super spy like Special Agent Starlight Anya could pull off something like that.

"It was most impressive," Mister Sumdac praised too before he motioned for the other hostages in the aisle to come close, his face getting super serious, "We need to find a place to hide. Do you know where the staff room is?" The others shook their heads, Mister Sumdac putting on his thinking face, "Well, looks like we'll have to look for it. Everyone stay close. We're bound to run into more of them."

Mister Sumdac's definitely been in something like this before, Anya thought as they all followed him down an empty aisle, remembering her interrupted mind reading attempt. She tried again, this time seeing brief flashes of Mister Sumdac running through a dark, scary forest with the moon high in the sky. Unlike the real Mister Sumdac, the memory looked completely terrified, Sari shivering in his arms. What were they running from?

Who were they running from?

I-I don't wanna die…

Anya gasped, hearing what sounded like that Sutton girl's thoughts as Mister Sumdac reached the end of the aisle and leaned against the side, motioning for everyone else to do the same. While the others did, Anya and Sari poked their heads out slightly to see one of the robbers looming over the Sutton family, who were all on the floor, toys and cart scattered about, as the parents held their daughter close to protect her.

"Keep that gun away from our daughter, you cretin!" The father looked ready to punch the bad guy, but the sudden rifle to his face kept him from moving.

"You know, I could never stand rich people like you. Always thinking you're so enlightened. So much better than the 'lowlifes', as you like to call us," The robber said, his voice so disturbingly low that it brought all of Anya's fears from before back up. "Can I be honest with you? I don't think the boss needs everyone here to live," Anya didn't even need to read his mind to know he was smiling, "So let's play a game. You three get to decide who lives and who dies. Sound like fun?"

Anya and Sari gasped, Mister Sumdac tensing up as the really bad guy knelt down, gun pointed up to the ceiling, "So, who's it gonna be?" He pointed the gun at the glaring father, "Daddy?" then the equally glaring mother, "Mommy?" then the whimpering Penelope, "Or their spoiled spawn?" He stood up again, "Choose carefully. You only get to choose once, and only once." Too easy. All I gotta say is they tried to run and I had no choice but to kill the whole family. Always more fun making them think they have a chance.

NO! Anya bashed her fist against her head. While she didn't like Penelope, she couldn't leave her to die. But she also couldn't just go in and beat him up, and she didn't have time to set up a big trap like the one Red Circus guy she tricked. She didn't have Papa's super spy skills or Mama's super strength and speed, how was she gonna-

Then it hit her as she turned to Sari, who was also in the middle of figuring out what to do.

Mama wasn't here, and she didn't have her strength, but she knew someone who did.

"Psst! Sari!" Anya whispered, getting her attention. Looking around, Anya found some baseballs in the aisle and picked up a couple, "Mama taught me that if you aim for this one spot on the head really hard, it knocks a person out no matter what. I think we can do this!"

Mama didn't, actually, but Sari didn't need to know that. Anya just needed to convince her to use her super strength on the guy.

Sari looked at the ball, completely unsure, I don't know if this will work, but I trust Anya. She nodded and took the ball, whispering, "Let's do it!"

"Be careful, both of you," Mister Sumdac whispered, still assessing the situation, I have my doubts that it will work, and I'd rather something where they aren't putting themselves in danger, but we're short on time. While he's distracted, I'll try and rush him and get the gun away before anything else happens.

You won't need to, Mister Sumdac, Having seen Sari's super strength back at the park (and read her mind to see the patrol car lift), Anya knew this would work.

She hoped.

"Times up!" The robber declared, grinning, "And the winner is?"

Anya and Sari poked their heads out again and saw that he was aiming the gun at the Suttons, both of them watching as the parents looked to each other and hid their daughter behind them. "Please," The dad said, "Take me if you want. But spare my wife and child. I don't care what happens to me so long as they live."

"No," The mom jumped in, "I can see that there's no negotiating with you, so if someone must die, let it be me. But my husband is a good man, and my daughter deserves at least one of us in her life. Please, just let them go."

"M-Mama… p-papa…" Penelope was on the verge of tears, reminding Anya so much of… of herself when she lost… when she lost her mo… her mothe-

"Hmm, two tempting options, but how about…" The robber readied himself to fire, "All of the above."

The Suttons braced themselves, hugging each other and shielding Penelope as best they could. Anya's body moved without even thinking as she ran out, winding back and taking aim for the man's head. With all her might, she let loose and threw the ball, sending it flying straight for his head, hitting him hard enough that he dropped the gun and almost fell down.

"O-OW!" Instead, he winced and rubbed at the side of his masked face. "What the hell was-" He turned to Anya, ignoring the confused Suttons and glaring, "You!" He started menacingly walking toward her, "Damn brat. Who gave you permission to get up and move around?"

I'm starting to regret my choice, Anya thought right as Sari ran out, joining at her side and throwing the ball at the bad guy. It was a really strong, really hard throw, but like at the park, Sari's aim was off, so the ball didn't hit him in the face like she was hoping.

Instead, it hit him in the crotch.

"GAH!" The robber cried, which turned into a really high-pitched squeal that Anya couldn't hear after a few seconds. He clutched in pain at where the ball hit, sinking to his knees with tears in his eyes.

"… I meant to do that," Sari quickly said, Anya smiling at her and holding up her hand for a hi-five. Sari smiled back and returned it just as her dad walked out and up to the downed robber.

"W-Who are-" Those high-pitched words were all he got out before Mister Sumdac punched him to the floor. Anya watched as Mr. and Mrs. Sutton breathed out in relief and hugged their crying daughter. Even though she still didn't like Penelope, Anya was glad they were still alive.

"Are you three alright?" Mister Sumdac knelt down and asked the Suttons as the other hostages followed from their hiding place.

"Y-Yeah," Penelope shivered in her mother's arms while her father let go to start standing.

"Thank you, sir."

"You saved us," The mother whispered, Not bad, for plebeians, I mean. Anya puffed her cheeks in anger, but that's when she noticed Mrs. Sutton shake her head, Ugh, no, Margaret. The least you can do is try to be grateful!

Better, Anya smirked, glad to be recognized, until she noticed Mister Sumdac pick up the bad guy's gun. At first, she thought he was gonna use it like her papa would and kick butt, but then he took out the magazine, throwing it and the bullets in a nearby trash can before grabbing the barrel and holding the gun like a club. Even then, he looked uncomfortable just holding it in his hands, like it was infected or something. Wondering why, Anya turned to Sari and opened her mouth to ask.

But almost like she was the mind reader between them, Sari beat her to it and answered, "Dad really doesn't like weapons."

"Oh…" Anya breathed out. She wanted to ask why, but Mister Sumdac was already talking again.

"Follow me. We need to find the staff room. From there, we can barricade ourselves in and figure out an escape route," He began leading the way, Sari picking up the ball she'd thrown while Anya reached into the trash can and took out the magazine and bullets.

Sari looked at her funny, "Anya, what are-"

"We can still use them," Anya said while Penelope complained to her parents about leaving her Powdered Sugar toy behind, even when they shushed her and kept her close. "Your papa doesn't have to shoot anyone, but maybe I can take the bullets out trip one of the robbers?"

Anya's answer was met with a nod. Having everything they needed, she and Sari rejoined the group and stuck close, moving slowly and low to the ground to avoid drawing any attention. She was feeling a little less scared, but it never went away. And the more she looked at Mister Sumdac and the Suttons, the more she wished Mama and Papa were here.

But Papa was at work, and Mama…

Where are you? Between Mama taking too long and Bond running off, Anya could only assume that the Secret Police attacked her and she was busy fighting them. The more she thought about it, the more she calmed down.

This was Mama. She could handle it.

---

Yor grunted and sidestepped the machine's stomp, leaping back as and jumping high to try and climb on. Just as he was about to bat her away, she somersaulted in midair and landed her feet on his arm. The moment he moved, Yor used the extra momentum to push herself away, flying off and grabbing the railing of a still intact walkway and landing on it. The instant her feet landed, she heard the telltale sound of his gatling cannon priming, forcing her to run as a barrage of bullets tore apart everything behind her.

Even through the flames and smoke, she could see the end of the walkway, broken and mangled as it was, but she could also see the chains dangling from the ceiling. With grim determination, the moment she neared the end, Yor leapt into the air and grabbed one of the chains, using it to swing right back around to her opponent while continuing to dodge the onslaught of firepower. However, the bullets ceased once she was nearing him at high speeds, where he charged and jumped into the air, intending to grab her from the chain. He almost did too, but Yor let go and flew upward just past his head and toward the ceiling, using her hands and feet to push off and descend on him, kicking the back of his head hard enough to make him stumble. Not letting up, she grabbed at his helm to hold on, winding her fist back and delivering a punch that knocked his head to the side and sending him to his knees.

Jeez! That hurts! Yor reflexively shook her wrist to stave off the pain. Whatever material he was made of was too much for her to reliably punch through like most things. Combined with her strength having waned from the previous punch she took, coupled with the surrounding flames and smoke weakening her by the minute, she needed to end things fast.

Now with an opening, she took her knife and aimed for the circuitry she could see around his neck, driving it downward before he had a chance to recover, hoping to severe something important and kill him quick.

Those hopes died when the knife shattered on impact.

And their corpse was completely desecrated when her opponent began to stand, taking advantage of her stunned state to grab her.

"GAH!" Not for the first time in her life, Yor felt the pain of her entire body being put in a hydraulic press, the hands trying to crush her. It took everything she had to keep that from happening, her strength against his. Opening her eyes amidst it all, she looked up and glared into his crimson eye, visible through the broken glass of his visor. Near the beginning of the battle, she'd hypothesized that it was a potential weak point, but with how her previous knife shattered against the first potential one, coupled with the fact that she was down to her last…

Don't see any other options right now! Yor struggled, slowly pushing his grip open, forcing him to shift his grasp to crush her in one hand. He lifted upward with clear intent to slam her into the ground, but right as his hand went up, Yor managed to break free, sending her flying back. Spinning backwards, she realigned herself and readied her knife, staring down at the machine as their eyes met. Time almost seemed frozen the instant she threw the knife as hard as she could, launching it toward its target with nothing to stop it. Right as it neared his eye, Yor hoped against hope that this would blind and weaken him, giving her, at the very least, some much needed breathing room.

The eye is clearly made out of some kind of glass, I threw it with everything I had, I've broken through his glass window already, and my knives have pierced through glass before. This has to do somethi-

The knife shattered against his eye, leaving Yor gaping as she landed and slid back against a blood covered floor.

"That's… that's impossible…" She muttered, questioning just what on Earth her opponent was even made of. Between the durability of his armor, the transforming abilities, how even striking at what looked like weak points was a fool's errand, it was almost like every facet of his being was something that shouldn't exist! No, Yor shook her head and steeled her gaze towards the metal monster, who glowered down at her and seemed ready to attack again, You were able to hurt him before. He's not invincible. He just wants you to think he is. The moment you let him get to you like that means he's already won. Don't let him.

Clearly, her knives weren't of any help, small as they were and lacking the durability to withstand impact with him. She needed something bigger and tougher to hurt him with. Her eyes began darting all across her current field of vision for something to work with, not letting them off her opponent for a single nanosecond.

Just as his arm shifted into its energy cannon, she saw the steel beams and iron chains scattered behind him. And just as he aimed the cannon, she knew exactly what to do.

But before she could, he fired, not at her, but at the walls far to her sides and even far behind her. Cracks began to run along above where he blasted, reaching the ceiling as the structural integrity came undone. Gasping, Yor resisted the urge to cough as smoke entered her lungs and blitzed forward, realizing at the last second that it's what the living machine wanted. Not wanting to fall into his trap, she took the closest dilapidated piece of large equipment in front of her and used it as a jumping off point, sending herself to the wall at her right. The moment her feet landed, she kept up the momentum, and ran along the wall, using her speed and hard stomps to anchor herself.

Her opponent didn't like that, blasting away at everything behind and just above her to force her down. It didn't work, as she instead forced her body to run faster until she was in a position to launch herself for the chain. He tried to make another grab for her, with him just barely missing her by a hair. The moment she was on the ground, Yor rolled and took the chain as she stood up, wrapping one end around her arm and sending the other for one of the steel beams that she kicked into the air, tying it up like a lasso. Once wrapped, she spun it in the air and threw the beam to his chest before he could make a move for her, which knocked him back with a groan of pain.

Refusing to give him a moment to breath (could living machines breath?) she spun herself around like a wrecking ball, smacking the beam into his face twice over when, on the final spin, she jostled the chain loose, launching the long metal bar into his chest again, this time with enough force to send him crashing into the wall behind him.

That's when the sound of cracking stone and groaning metal echoed among the roaring flames, a telltale sign that the building was on the edge of collapse.

I gotta get out of here, Yor quickly wrapped more of the chain around her, enveloping her waist and other arm, which took hold of the opposite end. She quickly ran for the hole leading outside, dodging, serving, and jumping past falling debris as she did so. As she neared the exit, she pushed herself forward, leaping far from the collapsing building and turning back to watch it crumble. Nothing remained but a mix of a massive cloud of dust which covered a mountain of stone and steel.

There's no way that's the end of it, Yor tightly clutched the other end of the chain, watching the rubble with worry, After all that, there's no way he could've gone down from just a falling factory.

Right on cue, the silhouette of a large metal fist punched through the rubble, sending debris flying into the air and scattering around her. The machine rose out and stood atop the mound, features hidden by the haze of smoke and dust that surrounded everything in sight. Leaping down and prowling around Yor, appearing undamaged from having a factory collapse on him. He stared at her with his one visible eye, seemingly… impressed.

It disgusted her.

Gritting her teeth, she looked to the surrounding debris and saw amidst the broken stone a large piece of jagged, curved metal. It was likely a ceiling fragment that became bent out of shape from everything that happened, but it almost resembled a blade. With that in mind, she launched the chain, knocking it into the air and twisting to wrap the metal up, pulling back and spinning it to generate a light gust that dispersed some of the haze around her. It wasn't much, but her lungs had less to worry about, however little that was.

Once more, her opponent smiled. Whether it was at her ingenuity or choice of weapon, she didn't know. It certainly didn't make her revulsion fade in the slightest. All she knew for certain was that the end of his right hand shifted, forming a large buzzsaw that revved up, spinning just as fast as her makeshift chain-sickle. Both of them stood almost perfectly still, the only movement in the air being that of their weapons.

The machine made the first move, so fast Yor almost couldn't track it. Rather than charge, he punched the ground, his saw tearing into it before he tore it out, sending a barrage of jagged stone and dirt her way. Before it hit, Yor jumped high, flipping upside down and twirling over it to launch her chained blade at him. He reacted in kind, just as quickly deflecting with his saw as she landed, spinning to send it his way again, this time for the opposite side. Just as it was about to connect, he blocked it with his left arm, which shifted to form his gatling cannons that spun, pulling Yor along and yanking her off the ground.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Yor panicked, her voice getting raspy from all the smoke and dust that'd been going through it. With his left hand raised, he spun her around like a twisted amusement park ride, likely intending to slam her into everything and everything until she gave out. Not giving him the chance, Yor began to unfurl the chain around her waist, increasing its length until by the final spin, her boots made contact with the roof of a smaller, adjacent factory warehouse. Putting her strength into her legs, she forced herself to a total halt and whipped the chain free from his gatling gun, pulling it back.

Right as she wrapped it around her waist again, however, the machine jumped high into the air and landed across from her on the rooftop with almost disturbing grace, careful not to let his weight collapse it. Between his sheer size and weight, she figured that the roof beneath him would collapse regardless of caution, yet he now treated it no different than any other surface.

Why do I keep expecting him to make any sense? Not like what he even was made sense to begin with. Regardless, Yor's brief moment of panic was just as quickly replaced with the familiar rush of conviction as she sent the chain sweeping for his legs, hoping to wrap him up and knock him off. Instead, he lifted his foot and stomped on the chain, about to bring his saw down to deprive her of the weapon. Thinking quick, Yor pulled herself forward, darting like a bullet between his legs as she just barely avoided the buzzsaw and recovered her chain-sickle, sliding far back behind him.

Yor launched the chain forward in a spinning slash, blade meeting saw in a clash of sparks. Spinning it at her side, she threw it out and slashed away again, this time for his head, only to once more be deflected. Clash for clash, spark for spark, both of them were attacking as rapidly as they could, Yor trying to keep him on his (metaphorical) toes to prevent him from doing anything else. Neither of them was able to bypass each other, until finally, she found it.

A moment of carelessness.

The upward slash she delivered sent his own arm up in kind, opposite side too well-guarded, but his right was now defenseless. Using her leg, she wrapped the chain around it and kicked it downward, the makeshift blade connecting with the circuits between the armor plating of the shoulder and body.

"ARGH!" He roared in pain as the blade stabbed into him. He tried to reach for it, but Yor refused to let him get a hold of it and gain the advantage. Instead, she pulled back as hard as she could, tearing the chain-sickle from his shoulder. Upon grabbing it, she looked to see him groaning in pain, a blue substance oozing out of his wound like blood.

---

Bumblebee felt like he had to yawn. After a long day of just sitting and waiting for Loid to finish work, he'd been repressing the urge to just drive off and do something else, preferably get back to work gathering Energon for the base. But each time, he had to remind himself why it was a bad idea to do so right now.

Loid was at work, and people would notice. Thus, the daily grind.

Things weren't completely monotonous. He got to knock around that rude, dancing femme with the emotionless face who called him "ugly" and "too small and weak". He was quite adorable and capable, thank you! And even before that, there was the other femme who… concerned him. The way she screamed and pointed at him was scary, as if she knew exactly who and what he was.

But I honestly don't remember ever running into her. And I think I would have noticed if someone saw me out of vehicular form. Maybe she just hates the color yellow or something? In any case, Bumblebee still had a ways to go before Loid's work ended, so best buckle up and-

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

What the- The Autobot emblem on his steering wheel flashed a bright red, his scanners detecting… This can't be right. Can it?

An open Energon signature?

---

The machine placed his large metal hand against the wound, much like Yor did with her own, pulling back and staring at the blue liquid pouring out. He clenched his fist and looked to her, those same flecks of that ugly admiration still present, but there was now a semblance of annoyance dancing within his visible eye as well.

Good, Yor readied her chain-sickle, spinning it slowly, Glad I'm having an effect.

It was against who she was, being so petty and personal toward an opponent. She'd always been taught to remember that they were people, yes, but to also treat them only as targets. Never more and never less, for getting attached or holding grudges was always a potential death knell for any assassin. But this… this… whatever he was, after everything he'd threatened, everything he'd done, ignited a fire in her heart that wouldn't die out.

Not so long as he lived.

So, despite the danger to herself, she didn't care. She welcomed her anger. She'd let it fuel her, and it'd help her kill him.

Yor took a stance, bladed end of the chain spinning behind her as the opposite hand was held toward the machine. With it, she beckoned him, leveling a small, fake smile as a taunt. The gesture was met with immediate viciousness as the machine aimed his saw blade at her and, to Yor's surprise, fired it. The spinning buzzsaw turned on its side and flew for her so fast that she almost couldn't dodge, sidestepping it by the skin of her teeth and watching as it tore into the roof, embedding itself deep within the metal.

You're mine now! Yor rushed toward him, spinning her weapon and delivering a long-range strike for his right hand, which he caught as she'd hoped he would. He pulled back just as she pulled forward, sending her rocketing toward his closed fist, which she flew past, using the chain to swing around him. Unwrapping it from her waist and arm, she swung more and more around the machine, using her speed, weight, and strength to force his right fist into his face. Yor then followed that up by swinging herself all around his body and ensnaring his left arm to it, preventing him from using his weapons. The gatling gun couldn't be aimed for her, the buzzsaw was far away from him, he could no longer reach for his lightning baton, and if he tried to use that energy cannon, he'd blow up his own head.

"Don't even think about moving!" She snarled, now standing at the back of his neck, pulling the chain to hold it all together. She strained under the effort as he pulled and pushed against the bindings, the entire battle having severely exhausted her. If felt like she was running on nothing but fumes, yet she persisted.

It's almost done. You have him right where you want him. Just end it! Yor wasn't sure how she could do that though. Her current position stayed her hand since she risked freeing him if she so much as moved wrong. That wasn't even getting into how she had no clue about his biology or the fastest way to kill him, or if he even could be killed. Did he have something resembling vital organs she could target? And how would she get past his armor? She couldn't use her weapon where she stood, but maybe she could try and physically tear into his circuits? Whatever she was supposed to do, Yor didn't have long to think about it, since her captive foe started chuckling in a low, deep, mechanical tone that sent a chill down her spine.

"Clever move, for an organic," The machine said, voice praising and mocking in equal measure, turning his head as much as he could in his position to see her. His red eye was filled with condescension, "But clever won't be enough… assassin."

At his final word, Yor's eyes went wide, thoughts running in a panic, H-He knows!? How!? The battle must've clued him in. I revealed too much about myself and now he knows! But… but it almost sounds like he's fought against other assassins before. Does that mean he knows about The Garden? Does he know about the Shopkeeper? What else does he know!?

Amidst all her questions, her grip began to loosen, and before she could even begin to rectify it, a loud hum met her ear. It sounded like it was coming from his right hand, drawing her attention to see the wrist was now glowing bright blue. The glow almost distracted her from the familiar echo of a buzzsaw screaming in the air, leaving her with just enough time to look up past his shoulder.

To her horror, the buzz saw, its center now sharing the same blue glow, was flying right toward them. Yelping, she ducked right as the machine began to pull his right hand away from his face despite the chains. He pulled, slowly overwhelming her weakening grip, and the buzzsaw flew between his face and fist, tearing apart the chains.

Within an instant, Yor's entire trap fell to pieces, sending her flying back as the machine turned, right fist shifting back into an energy cannon. He took aim, not at her, but at the warehouse roof, blasting away at it.

At where she would have landed.

"No, no, no, NO!" Yor plummeted down into the warehouse, flailing in the air as she tried to reorient herself. Thankfully, she managed to do so at just the last possible second and land on her feet, one knee to the floor before she began to stand up.

Unfortunately, that was when she noticed the shadow enveloping her. She looked up to see the machine's giant foot right over her, no time to even try and dodge it. As fast as she could, Yor raised her hands up and held back against the stomp, a resounding shockwave and gale force wind shaking the entire warehouse. It brought Yor to her knees and scattered away everything that wasn't bolted to the ground, even knocking down a few things that were.

It's… too… much… Yor strained, sinking deeper to the floor. Her entire body shook, covered in sweat and blood as she tried desperately to lift the foot off her. For a few, very brief moments, it seemed like it worked, and when the foot lifted, a wave of respite washed over.

Only for her everything to be bathed in agony as the foot stomped on her even harder than before, face crushed against the cracked floor. It lifted, and all she had the strength to do was moan in pain and roll over to her back, the world a dark blur of moving red lights circling around a larger, motionless light that shown in a mixture of dull gray with shades of blue. As Yor's vision began to clear, she saw a blackness loom over her and felt something envelop everything below her neck. Once she could see clearly again, nothing could be done.

She was trapped underfoot, everything hurting as the machine knelt down, arms against his knee and mask retracting to show his grinning face.

All Yor could do was glare at him, baring her teeth in a fury. Blood and bile filled her mouth as he moved his right hand behind him. The wrist glowed blue again and a familiar, muffled buzzing filled the air, the flying saw blade tearing through a wall and roaring into the room as it returned back into his hand.

"Not bad, assassin," His metal teeth glimmered in the dark, raising his left hand and playing with something between his fingers. Yor's glare only intensified when she saw that it was a small knife.

Her knife.

Must be the one from his steering wheel, Yor remembered how she stabbed it, how it was the only damage her knives could manage against him. Those knives had seen her through many battles, and yet they were reduced to nothing against this new foe.

"Now…" He flicked the knife into the air and caught it like a coin, "Where is the Autobot?"

Yor glared up at him, "I… I don't know wh-HRRK!" She felt his foot press down hard against her, forcing the air out of her lungs. With what little room she had, Yor moved her hands enough that her palms pressed against it, pushing hard as she spat out, "I don't even know what that is!"

He evidently didn't like that answer, pressing his foot down harder and leaving Yor barely able to breath. The screech of his buzzsaw filled the warehouse as he held it out, slowly bringing it down upon her. "Last chance," He drawled out, clearly not believing her, "Where. Is. The Autobot?"

"E-Even if I… knew… what an Autobot was… I-" Yor opened one of her eyes, continuing to glare in defiance, "I still wouldn't tell you anything!"

Yor accepted that would be her death knell, watching as he lowered the saw down upon her. Closing her eyes, she could hear it draw closer and closer to her neck. She thought of Loid, of Anya, of Yuri, of Mikaela, of Martha, and of her City Hall co-workers, saying goodbye to each one of them. Right when the blade reached centimeters above her neck, she closed her eyes even tighter.

I'm sorry, She thought, trying to make peace with what felt like her final moments, I failed you all. Mom, dad, I'll see you soon.

But suddenly, the blade stopped. Yor opened her eyes to see the machine pull up, looking down at her in a mix of curiosity and confusion. It was an expression that she was certain was on her face too, bloody and bruised as it was.

"You really don't know. Do you?" He asked, the pressure from his foot lessening ever so slightly. Yor refused to answer him though, leaving the machine to ponder, fingers rubbing at his chin. He looked up to the skylight he made in the storage building, as if trying to assess the situation before he finally looked down at her again, reapplying the same pressure from before.

I don't know if I can take much more of this, Yor pushed with all her might, but at this point, there was so little left to give.

"Some time ago, either you or your Conjunx Endura came into possession of a vehicle baring this symbol," He held out his right hand and opened it, emitting a yellow light, "Do you deny it?"

The light projected an image of a metallic face. It looked exactly like the one on-

Bumblebee? Yor gasped, unsure of what she was witnessing, Is he saying that Bumblebee's the-

"All I needed to know, organic," The machine cruelly remarked with a smug, tooth baring smirk, making Yor realize that he'd been just as much gauging her reactions. She gave him what he wanted without even saying a word! And just as much as him, so too did she, and his intent was clear.

Yor was of no further use to him.

Once more, he powered up his saw and held it up high, this time intent to smash it into her face. Yor strained herself once more, trying to push the foot off enough to get out despite her exhaustion, but he kept the pressure up and wouldn't budge.

Have to… get out! Yor screamed within her own head, glaring at the monster taking clear amusement in her struggle. It was all but guaranteed that he'd target Anya next, followed by Loid, all while killing anyone in his way until he got what he wanted. And with this… this demon's personality, there wasn't a doubt in Yor's mind that he'd just keep killing and killing even after he achieved his goals.

But just as he brought the buzzsaw down…

"BORF!"

Bond!? Yor looked in the bark's direction and saw the Forger family dog, swinging in from on high via a ceiling chain that he held on to with his teeth, a large hook at the end of the chain itself. The mechanical devil was so caught up with her that he didn't see Bond until he started wrapping the chain around his right arm, stopping it just before he could tear Yor to bloody chunks. Now caught off-guard, he watched as Bond let go, jumping off from his grip as the chain began to pull his arm up.

Bond must have hit a lever before he started swinging! Yor silently thanked her dog and felt a surge of renewed strength, Now's my chance!

Taking advantage of her opponent's distracted state, she pushed one last time against the foot with as much force as she could muster. It lifted, finally giving Yor the room she needed to get up and out from underneath the machine. Frantically searching the room, her eyes locked with Bond's and she made a mad dash for him. Upon grabbing the dog, she bolted for the large hole behind the monster made when he summoned his saw blade earlier, jumping through it just when she heard the sounds of a chain being shattered and a ceiling collapsing.

"Hang on, Bond!" Yor ran through the area as swiftly as possible, eventually reaching the streets and jumping from rooftop to rooftop, all in a bid to put as much distance between them and that demon. She had no idea how long this was kept up, nor did she even know what direction she was heading, being completely aimless about it. The only thing Yor knew was that she heard the sounds of destruction and energy blasts far in the distance become increasingly muffled the further she ran.

And she had no intention of stopping until she knew they were safe.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before she was rooftop running in the familiar, cleaner, more populated areas of Berlint. The casual hustle and bustle, coupled with the peaceful ambiance, was enough to let Yor know that they'd gotten away. From here, she could see a few notable landmarks, the current building she was on being a sports hall.

"We better get back to the mall," Yor told Bond as the two of them landed to the building's side, "Anya must be worried sick!"

"Borf!" Bond seemed even more eager to get back, yet he also seemed worried. Must've been the encounter with that robotic devil from before. Either way, she ran around the corner and almost reached the front entrance, intent on continuing along the fastest route she knew.

Don't worry Anya, I'm on my wa-

Suddenly her face hit the concrete, body refusing to listen to her anymore.

What? Why can't… I… Yor understood what was happening. The last of her strength had been used up. All that remained was this sense of tired. She wasn't sure if she could even feel pain anymore, her entire body so completely and utterly numb to everything, even Bond's face licks to try and get her to wake up.

"Oh my God!" Yor heard a muffled voice, followed by footsteps racing to her location. Her body was rolled to its side, a blur shaped like a woman circling around to kneel in front of her. Gently, or at least Yor assumed so, she held and shook her, "Miss! MISS!?"

Then in came another voice, "Melinda! What happened!?"

"I don't know, but this woman is in bad shape and needs a hospital. Run back inside and call an ambulance!"

Muffled footsteps ran, the world becoming even more blurry, and the last thing she heard, besides Bond's barking, was the woman's voice.

"Miss, can you hear me? Please stay with us. We're going to get you some help, just hold on for a while. Everything will be okay."

Those last words repeated in her mind as the world faded to black.

Everything will be okay.

Everything will be okay.

Everything will... be... o... kay...

---

Phew! I think that's everyone, Anya wiped the sweat from her face, helping Mister Sumdac bring the (hopefully) last of the hostages into the staff room in the far back of the store, All in a day's work for Starlight Anya!

Okay, so it wasn't as super easy or cool as Anya hoped it would be. Sure, she was able to trip one of them by spilling the bullets onto the floor, hitting his head hard enough to get knocked out cold, and Sari got another one with a slingshot. Didn't completely knock the robber out and she almost got both of them, but in came Mister Sumdac swinging the rifle like a bat. It was so cool to watch!

Not as cool as her papa kicking butt, but still pretty cool.

And sure, Mister Sumdac's thoughts made it very, very clear that he didn't like doing it, but Anya still appreciated him protecting everyone. She knew Sari appreciated it too.

Lucky Sari. So lucky that her papa loves and protects her even when he knows about her. So lucky to know it for a fact and not be scared that it wasn't.

Anya shook that last thought off, What was that?

Why did she suddenly start thinking about that now?

"Good, there's a phone in here," overhearing Mister Sumdac, Anya put that aside and ran in, seeing everyone huddled for safety while Sari's dad checked the phone at the table, "I'll try and call the mall's security and tell them where we are. If they know we're safe for the moment, then they can break through the gate and send people inside without worrying over us."

Just like sending a distress signal in norse code! Anya got excited, almost jumping and clapping her hands as she remembered all the times Bondman did this on TV. She even remembered seeing through Papa's memories when he did the same thing during a few of his past missions. Something about emergency extractions after retrieving a "target" or "asset".

"Penny, no, don't-!" Hearing the loud whisper of Penelope's mama, Anya turned to her, then to the door just in time to see it open and slowly begin closing.

"What happened?"

"Our daughter, she…" Mr. Sutton started before realizing he was talking too loud, "She said she forgot something and ran out to go get it."

"It's too dangerous. I need to go get her!" Mrs. Sutton almost stood up, but the other hostages stopped her. A bunch of whispered arguments started up, saying that they'll just get them all caught and end up back where they started. Either that or really, really dead. At least one or two of them had thoughts that were VERY mean about it too.

Forget it. That rich brat signed her death warrant the moment she ran out of here for some stupid reason. It isn't my problem.

Honestly, better her than any of us. Plus, these folks seem like those high and mighty rich types. Doubt they actually care about their kid.

They were starting to make Anya mad, even though she still didn't like Penny.

As Mister Sumdac tried to calm the ensuing argument down, Anya looked back at all of them and then to the door. Quietly, she tip toed for it, slowly opened it just a bit, then closed it behind her. Looking both ways and trying to hear for any bad guy thoughts, she started sneaking around, trying to find Penny. She looked down each aisle to see if there was a bad guy stalking it.

Don't look like there's many bad guy stalkers left, Anya thought as she kept looking, The rest gotta be at the front with the mall police.

Found it!

That was- Anya heard Penny's thoughts and started making her way to them, sneaking down an aisle or two. She had to walk past a couple bad guys that she, Sari, and Mister Sumdac knocked out cold. It didn't look like they were gonna wake up, but Anya didn't want to take any chances, especially since she could still hear their thoughts.

They were muffled and slow, but still there.

Finally, she saw Penelope from afar, back turned to her, when she sneaked down to the end of an aisle and turned a corner. She was in the middle of trying to lift the life sized Powdered Sugar figure that fell out of its box, only to trip because it was just too big. A lot of her thoughts were really frustrated about it.

Why do you weigh so much, Powdered Sugar!?

Oh, she came back for the toy! Anya kinda got it, if she was being honest with herself. If Mister Chimera or Penguin got lost where the bad guys were, she'd probably want to get them back too. Or try and get Mama or Papa to get them for her. Penny didn't have Anya's mama and papa to do that, though.

But right before Anya could go get Penny, she started hearing a bunch of different thoughts at once coming from an aisle just behind the rich girl.

Ugh, still no clue what the hell even hit us.

The ceilings in this place are weak.

Why does this kind of thing always gotta happen to us?

No, some of the bad guys are waking up! Anya hid behind the corner and poked her head out, watching as the three robbers from before (Aaron, Nino, and Sammy) walked out and spotted Penelope.

"Greetings child!" Aaron said in the same funny way as before, but he sounded like his usual angry self, scaring Penny, "Where art thine folks?" Seriously, where are they? I haven't seen any hostages around since waking up. Did the employer move them to the front of the store for negotiations?

"I-I-I-"

"Easy Aaron, you're scaring the kid." Kinda part of the point, but still… Nino knelt down and asked, "Did you get separated from your parents?"

"I… uh, k-kinda?" Can't let them know where everyone's hiding!

"Well Sugar Plum, might as well keep you company until negotiations are done," Sammy said, leaning against the end of an aisle and putting her gun away. The three robbers just quietly kept an eye on Penelope, Nino pacing, Sammy leaning, and Aaron huffing. Penny was scared out of her mind, but Anya could tell that none of them wanted to hurt her at all. Not even Aaron, though she was pretty sure that was because Penny wasn't making fun of his voice.

Or saying anything at all, just keeping her eyes on the floor.

How do I get those three away from her? Anya sat down behind her cover and started thinking as hard as she could. This was starting to feel a lot like when she had to save Mama from that Red Circus villain when she was out with Papa, but back then, he was thinking of how to make a bomb, which she used against him. None of the evil people here were thinking of how to make anything explosive. They were all thinking of what to do with the money after the heist.

Except for the crazy guy. That guy was a jerk.

The problem here was that she needed to knock out all three at once to get Penelope away from them. If she didn't, they'd alert the bad guy bosses up front and make things worse. Checking her current aisle, there weren't any toy cars to try the tripping thing from before, and there weren't any balls to throw around or slingshots to use either.

"Say, that's a life-size Powdered Sugar, right?" Sammy asked, leading to Anya poking her head out again in order to see what was going on.

"Y-Yeah…" Penny answered, still not looking up at any of them, "She shoots r-rainbows and stuff…"

"Huh, neat! Didn't know these things could do that," Nino looked the unicorn over, wondering how it worked, Does it actually shoot a laser or something?

Between Samantha's giggle at her husband and Aaron sighing before twisting the horn off to pour water into it, Anya actually almost forgot the three of them were robbers attacking the store. If the small smile on Penelope's face was anything to go by, even she forgot about that for a little bit.

When she pressed something on the horse, shooting a mist of water with a rainbow in it, her smile became a bit brighter at the three bad guys. "Thanks!" She said before remembering who she was talking to, "I-I mean, you're all bad guys! But… t-thanks…"

"Fair enough, Sugar Plum," Samantha shrugged, not taking it personally.

"Yeah, we kinda made peace with the whole 'we're bad people' thing a long time ago. Can't really go around doing what we do and claim moral high ground, y'know?" Nino rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Those may be your thoughts, but I prefer to see mine self as a swashbuckling gentleman who steals from the rich and gives to the poor!" Aaron threw in with crossed arms, a smug smile as he added, "Namely, ourselves."

The three laughed, and surprisingly, Penelope laughed with them. It was super awkward, but also weirdly genuine, at least from what Anya could pick up reading her emotions. In the middle of it all, Anya was distracted from thinking about ways to try and save Penny, but then she was distracted by something else.

Sari poking her head out two aisles ahead of her.

Did she follow me to help? Anya wondered, the redhead hiding back behind the aisle. None of the people ahead were looking their way, so Anya poked her head out even further to see what Sari was planning and-

TSCHE-CHU-CHU-CHU-TSCHE!

Anya almost gasped at the sound, so much like the one Bumblebee made but also so much lighter. Poking her head out just a little bit more, she saw Sari sitting down, her hands having come apart just like in Mister Sumdac's memory. This time though, there was a glowing ball of energy between them.

Sooooo coooool!

Hope this works! Sari thought as she was about to stand. Anya feared being seen, so she went back to her hiding spot, only poking her head out just a tiny bit this time. Sari leaned out a bit, the ball of energy in one hand, and looked up to the ceiling just above the three store bandits. Anya could feel Sari forcing her worries down when she threw the energy blast at the ceiling, causing rubble and debris to fall down on them all over again. The three of them screamed in a panic right as they got buried, leaving behind a very scared and very confused Penelope.

With dust gathering, Anya took the opportunity to get out of her hiding spot and run to grab Penelope by the shoulders, shaking her, "Penny! Come on, we gotta go hide!"

"W-Wha-ANYA!" Penelope looked back, her thoughts sounding touched with tears in her eyes, Y-You came to get me?

Anya was here the whole time? D-Did she see me blast the ceiling? Does she know? Anya could feel Sari panicking behind her. She turned and saw the robot girl poking her head out, wide-eyed and worried. Sari saw her and hid behind the aisle, making Anya realize she made a mistake. But before she could go to her and lie that she didn't see anything…

"Could someone tell me what's going on over here!?"

Anya went rigid as three more bad guy robbers stormed in, pointing guns at them. The tallest saw the three robbers sticking out of the debris and grabbed Aaron by the arm, pulling him out. As the three started to wake up, he yelled, "Get up you idiots! I'm not paying you to sleep on the job!"

This guy must be the boss.

"And as for you two…" He snapped a finger and the other two that came with him grabbed them by the backs of their collars. They tried to shake and panic out when he demanded, "What happened to the rest of the hostages? Start talking!"

"I-" Anya bit her tongue when a knife was brought to her throat, reminding her too much of those dog terrorist bombers.

"Hey, leave them alone!" Sari yelled from behind them. The robber guys turned, Anya seeing Sari look ready to punch them in the kneecaps. Too bad she didn't notice the last robber, a much bigger, taller, stronger man, walk up from behind until his shadow loomed over her. He grabbed her by the back of her shirt right when she turned, holding her out so she couldn't do anything.

Anya knew she could blast him, but not without revealing her secret.

Ugh, always hated kids, The big burglar thought, walking to the boss with all three girls held out, "What should we do with them?"

"Bring them out front. We can't find the others, so they'll have to do," He said, glaring at Anya, Penny, and Sari. The whole thing made the three robbers from earlier nervous.

Nino stepping up first, "What exactly are you planning, sir?"

"Just planning on using two of them as hostages."

T-Two?

"And the third?"

"... an example."

E-Example!?

"Hold up just one stinkin' minute!" Samantha barged in, angrily pointing her finger in the boss's face, "That wasn't part of the deal! You said no kids were gonna get hurt!"

"That was before we lost the other hostages," He shoved her finger away, I can't afford to let the authorities outside know that they got an advantage or else they'll swarm the place. This will all be for nothing if that happens and I ain't letting us get caught. They need to know we mean business so my crew can get paid and get away. If I gotta off just one kid, and only one kid, to make sure of that, then so be it. Staying out of jail's more important than anything else. Besides, none of them are my kids. "If you got a problem with it, then it's coming out of your pay." He turned to the others, who still held the three girls, "Now bring them out front."

Anya could only hang helplessly as she and the others were dragged away, trying to jostle out to no effect. She looked back at Nino, Samantha, and Aaron, who all looked conflicted and regretful as they stayed put and stared at each other.

They were helpless, and no one was coming to save them now. No one could save them now.

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

We're doomed!

---

Loid let out a sigh of relief as he took a disposable cup from the water dispenser, counting the individual bubbles that rose up as he filled it. Now full to the top, he took a sip and turned his head over to the blue seats filling the waiting area, scanning for any faces belonging to high profile intel sources in business or politics. It was part of his daily routine, often in the hopes that despite his reclusive nature, his primary target, Donovan Desmond, would check in for whatever unknown reason. So far, nothing of the sort came about. He'd grown to accept it, despite the mild disappointment, as it was a long shot anyway.

Actually, there were very few patients today, but that was understandable given recent events.

Hard to believe such murders could've happened without our notice, Twilight gripped the cup tightly, using all his self-control to avoid crushing it. The debacle spoke volumes to how far he'd fallen as a spy if he could go so long without realizing such a thing happened so close to him. His mind thought of as many possibilities for who the killer could be, as well as what motive they had. Between the sheer gruesomeness of the deaths and the fact that they were done in such a long, painful manner, he could only think of one possible motive: Sadism.

Normally, Twilight wouldn't worry so much at this. He'd fought sadists and sociopaths before, bested them all, and ensured they'd never hurt anyone again. But with how this one managed to get away with it, his clearly degrading espionage capabilities, and the current circumstances surrounding Operation: STRIX, it left Loid wondering…

If this killer… if they did this outside my home… Loid's thoughts began spiraling. If Anya or Bond went off to play, or if they and Yor went for a walk and this same killer just so happened to be nearby… Would I notice before it was too late? What if I don't? What if I can't save them?

"Dr. Forger," came a voice from his side, snapping Loid out of his ever-darkening musings. Turning his head, he saw a couple of his fellow hospital staff approach him, both of their faces marred with worry. "We've been checking in on everyone to see if they were alright," one of them rubbed at her arm, eyes to the floor, "I mean, besides the whole… y-y'know? And the State Security Service coming in…"

Right, them too. "I'm doing quite fine, but I'll admit that the whole thing was terrifying," Loid replied, sounding as reassuring as possible as a hand to his pocket while he took another sip of water. It didn't take long for the State Security Service to catch on that two of their own had been murdered here, which led to the hospital staff, Loid included, being interviewed – or rather, interrogated – for answers. Thankfully, Loid was able to ward off any suspicion and answer their questions. He supposed it was just good luck that Yuri wasn't among them, chomping at the bit as he was for any excuse to have him executed.

Then again, there wasn't any way he could've been here, given that it'd "reveal" his true occupation to Loid, which carried the risk of him informing Yor. At least as far as Yuri knew, of course. In a way, his desire to protect Yor was just as much a benefit to Loid as it was a hindrance.

"I'm just grateful none of us were taken in for questioning. I fear I wouldn't last a day in their custody," said the second doctor, releasing a nervous sigh as he went to get a water cup of his own. The rest of his co-workers were able to do the same as him and avert suspicion, though it was clear that the experience combined with the killings left everyone on edge.

"Is it wrong to say I wouldn't have minded if Director Gorey got arrested?" The nurse huffed, crossing her arms, "I-I honestly don't think he's responsible, but with how much of an arrogant jerk that guy is, something needs to be done about him."

Ah yes, the Chief Medical Director, Loid repressed a grimace just thinking about the man, who seemingly loathed him the longer he worked at this hospital. Despite Loid's best efforts to get on his good side through gifts and compliments, Gorey only seemed to gnash his teeth more and more, envying all the praise he'd been receiving since beginning his cover. That same envy was what led to him trying to convince the Secret Police that Loid was the killer, citing many false claims and outright lies.

The man had no idea that Loid overheard everything from around the corner, nor did he know that the officers had already interrogated him.

Ironically enough, Gerald's efforts almost resulted in his own arrest by the State Security Service, them finding his entire demeanor suspicious, as if trying to divert attention away from himself. Taking the opportunity, and understanding full well that Gorey was innocent, Loid had stepped in to defend him. He cited that he was a respected (a lie), strong-willed (also a lie), valuable asset to the people working here (technically true) and that there's no way he could've possibly committed such a heinous act (completely true).

Still, it'd been enough to ward off their suspicions. And judging by the tearful expression Gorey had in the aftermath, he was genuinely grateful to Loid for saving him. Perhaps he'd made some progress after all.

I'd best find an opening to turn this conversation around, on the off chance he's listening in somewhere, While Loid hadn't picked up on Gorey listening in from any nearby corners, letting himself be caught in a conversation slandering the man, regardless of how justified it was, could make gaining assignment to VIP patients a bigger challenge than necessary. The potential intel from them could make or break his mission, for all he knew.

"Not to mention the way that man stalks after Miss Frost. Frankly, and I hope I'm not out of line for saying this, Dr. Forger, but I think you'd make a much better Chief Medical Director than him," His fellow doctor said with an earnest smile toward him, which was matched only by the nurse's.

"I agree."

"WAH!" The two medical staff members turned to see Agent Nightfall, currently under her alias as Fiona Frost, standing right behind them as if she'd been there to entire time.

Which she was.

"W-When did you-"

"I had just arrived, and I've already noticed Director Gorey's previous actions toward me," She interrupted the nurse, eyes narrowed so slightly that most wouldn't notice, "Don't worry about him. I can handle myself should it ever come to that."

"I know that you're more than capable," Unfortunately, he's vital towards procuring new sources of information. Though if he were actually a threat to you, I don't doubt he'd have long since been buried in six different locations outside Berlint by now. "Though at the same time, do you feel this might be a bit too harsh?" Loid still didn't pick up on the chief medical director's presence, but pressed on, "I honestly don't think anyone deserves to be arrested by the State Security Service, and Director Gorey isn't that bad."

The two staff members looked between each other while Agent Nightfall maintained her blank, emotionless gaze, never wavering from him for even a second. Loid couldn't help raising an eyebrow at that, if only because it was impossible to read his fellow WISE agent. Did she disprove of how he was going about his mission? Why?

"Heh, leave it to Dr. Forger to see the good in someone when there might not be anything," The nurse chuckled before sighing, "You're right. It's probably too harsh to wish that on anyone, but the director just drives me up a wall so much it hurts. A lot of us have too much experience with what an ass that man can be. You're still relatively new here, so I don't think you understand."

Believe me, I do, Loid recalled all the cover jobs he'd had previously. He'd dealt with people like Gorey so often it likely made up the difference the nurse was talking about.

"Not to mention all the insults and rants he goes on regarding you. How can you defend someone like that?" asked the doctor.

"Well…" Loid pondered, trying to come up with a convincing lie, "It's because I understand his frustrations with me. I don't know him, so he likely works just as hard as anyone else here." He doesn't. "Meanwhile, I just arrived, and while I'm flattered by all the praise for what I do, I don't feel like I deserve it." I really don't. This is just a cover job. Nothing more. Twilight reminded himself strongly of that last part. Smiling, he finished, "So, put in his shoes, I'd probably be reacting the same way."

Once more, a pair of side glances and a blank stare behind them. "Honestly, I don't believe that for a second, Dr. Forger," The nurse gave a reassuring smile, Agent Nightfall's finger twitching for some reason, and said, "You're just so kind and honest with everyone. There's no way you'd be like Director Gorey."

Both of those are categorically untrue, Twilight thought, a bitterness in the back of his throat that he couldn't explain. He was neither honest nor a good person by any stretch of the imagination. He was a spy of WISE, a man whose life was defined by secrecy, lies, and doing anything and everything possible to see a mission through, no matter how the cost to himself or others. Though he'd made peace with this fact long ago, he couldn't help envy those who didn't possess such burdens.

He especially envied his wife in this regard.

Yor's been far more of both those things than I ever was, Loid couldn't help smiling, an act that drew the same reaction from his colleagues, likely convincing them that he'd accepted their compliments. Aside from the lie of their marriage, Yor had been so honest and kind to him, her life so innocent and devoid of the cruelties someone like him endured or even inflicted. And how did he repay that kindness and honesty? With lies and manipulation, all of which would one day come crashing down the day Operation: STRIX came to an end, because, unfortunately, it would one day end.

… Perhaps I'm not as at peace with this as I thought, He fought the urge to grimace, questioning why he thought of his mission ending as "unfortunate". Something like that was supposed to be a good thing. Was it because its end meant he'd have to leave his family alone and unsupported? I don't understand how. I'm already making plans to ensure that Anya will be taken care of by Yor, as well as ensure they'll never want for anything once I need to take my leave.

Though even that thought, of leaving them, made his stomach turn in ways he couldn't explain.

"Dr. Forger," Agent Nightfall stepped forward, shoving past the two staff as they glared at her, "If I may speak to you alone, I'd like to discuss something regarding a recent patient request you've put in," She said while mouthing, 'I received word from Handler regarding your request about the Sumdacs.'

That's good. Any new intel I can gain will be a great help. Nodding, Loid replied, "Very well, shall we take this to my office?"

Agent Nightfall nodded and the two were about to start walking away, but suddenly, the echo of the front doors bursting open halted them. "Everyone, out of the way!" shouted a paramedic as the wheels of a gurney rumbled, "Need an emergency room, stat! This one's really bad!"

Loid, Nightfall, and the two staff members currently with them watched as the paramedics and a civilian woman ran across the entrance area. They carried along the gurney as fast as they could, and rested on it was-

Feeling control of himself slip, Loid's eyes went wide, a cold sweat escaping his brow. The cup in his hand fell, spilling its contents on the floor as he bolted forward in a panic, a name screamed from his lips.

"YOR!"

Within a single second he reached the other end of the room and pushed past the paramedics, eyes gazing in horror at the sight of his wife in such a state. She was bleeding everywhere, covered in bandages and medical gauze across her arms and forehead. Her clothes were riddled with tears, revealing cuts both big and small, as well as bruises and first-degree burns. As Loid tried to comprehend all of this, so many questions filled the air at once.

"Wait, did Dr. Forger just call her by name?"

"That's Loid's wife?"

"Oh my God, what happened to her?"

"Poor woman!"

"Was she attacked?"

"She landed in front of me while I was leaving the sports hall," The civilian woman said, her dark, curly hair hidden beneath a bandanna and eyes behind a pair of sunglasses. She must've heard at least a few of the questions amidst the myriad. "I asked my attendant to call for here," Her entire body was shaking, eyes darting around the hospital like she was scared of it. And yet she pressed on, "I stayed with her until they arrived, but with how bad things looked, I couldn't bring myself to walk away until I was certain she'd make it." The woman looked at him, eyes and posture conveying honest sympathy, "I'm so sorry this happened."

Something about this woman seems familiar. "It's alright. You have my thanks for helping her," Loid replied, deciding that her identity didn't matter right now. He turned to the paramedics, "Get her to the emergency room."

"Doctor, don't tell us how to do our-"

"NOW!" Loid glared at the man, frightening him and the other paramedics into action. As they pushed the gurney away, he followed them alongside the civilian woman and Agent Nightfall, his hands clutching at the stretcher's side. "Yor, can you hear me?" He asked as his wife whimpered, a desperation in his voice that he didn't think possible, "You're at the hospital, alright? You're going to be fine, I promise!"

"L-Loid…" Yor moaned, delirious to her surroundings, "Bumblebee… ah… t-tobot."

What? Loid wondered what that could mean, watching his wife fall into unconsciousness. While Bumblebee was the name of the family car, what did that have to do with her current state? The car had been in its parking spot the whole time. And who or what on Earth was a "Tobit"? Was it the name of her attacker?

Who did this to her!? His hands clutched the metal of the gurney in a white hot rage, bending it beneath his fingers. No one, barring possibly his fellow WISE agent, noticed this, especially as they arrived at the emergency room. They brought her in, surgeons and doctors already prepping up, but that's when one of the paramedics stopped them, the rest wheeling Yor inside.

"I'm sorry sir, but you'll have to wait out here."

"Are you insane!? My wife's in there!"

"Exactly my point, sir. You'll just get in the way. Let the doctors do their work and-"

"I'm a doctor, let me-"

"Doctor Forger!" Nightfall's hand grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to face her. "You are emotionally compromised right now. Whether you want to accept it or not, you will just get in the way," Though her face was as emotionless as ever, Loid could see something shimmering in her eyes. It was as if it genuinely pained her to have to say all of this. Of course, he also noticed her lips mouth a different set of words, them being, 'You can't let anyone clue in on how your skill set extends beyond the field of psychiatry. Should you help them, you'll risk your cover.'

Loid glared at her for a mere moment, an unintended reaction, until the truth of her words (said and hidden) sank in. His shoulders began to sag as he took a seat in the hallway, "You're right. I'm sorry."

Whatever was said after that was muffled to his ears, everything from the past five minutes just sinking in like a ship's anchor. So many questions filled his mind: Who attacked Yor? How powerful or dangerous was this attacker that they could do this to her? Where was Anya? Was she still with the Sumdacs? Was she safe?

But there were two questions that kept popping up the most: How could this have happened? Why did this have to happen?

Why… Loid felt a stinging wetness blur his vision. One hand went to wipe away the unprompted tears while the other felt a fuzzy sensation enter its touch. Removing the hand from his face, he looked down and saw Bond, rubbing his head against Loid's other hand in an effort to comfort him.

Had he been here the entire time? Loid had been so caught up with Yor that he hadn't even noticed. Feeling a small warmth from Bond's efforts, he gave an equally small smile and patted his head, the dog nuzzling into it. He's just as worried for her as I am, Seeing how ragged, dirty, and tired Bond was, it was likely the dog helped to bring Yor here. Here the two of them were, tearing themselves at the seams for Yor, which brought forth another realization, He needs to know what happened.

"I need to make a call," He stood up, ignoring the worried glances behind him as Bond followed. It was a risk, as he was letting the State Security Service into this building again right after they'd just left. Combined with his current state, he didn't know if he could pull the wool over someone's eyes like he normally could. But at the same time, it was all the more likely that he'd find it even more suspicious if Loid didn't call him about this and kept it hidden. That was reason enough to take the risk.

Though both of those things were the furthest from his mind right now.

Yuri's still Yor's brother. He has a right to know, Loid approached the phone and dialed for Yuri's apartment. It was likely that he was currently working with the Secret Police at the moment, but Loid knew that SSS operatives had their landlines patched in with HQ, mostly as a means of weeding out potential traitors. If the man wasn't there, his call would get through to him regardless.

Sure enough, Yuri's prerecorded voice announced that he wasn't home and asked to leave a message.

"Yuri, it's Loid. I'm calling from Berlint General Hospital. Something bad happened to Yor..."

---

Since we're finally hearing Barricade's voice, in terms of what I want people to picture, he's voiced by Alec Newman in this fic. More specifically, the voice he provided for Adam Smasher in Cyberpunk 2077 and Edgerunners. After all, the main idea behind Adam Smasher is "Evil Robocop", and... well, Barricade is an evil robot cop. Although a massive difference in their respective worlds would be that Adam Smasher is closer to the absolute height of the Cyberpunk food chain while, as mentioned previously, Barricade's roughly around the middle rungs at most for the Decepticon hierarchy.

I wanted to fit in an Adam Smasher reference or two now that I have Barricade's voice decided on, but I couldn't fit them in organically into the chapter, so it was best not to force a reference if it didn't fit. There likely might (emphasis on might) be a reference or two later down the road, but that's if I can find a way to fit them in.

And so, Barricade drops the big bombshell hint on Yor about just who their family car is. This is actually another way that I'm writing Barricade as an OCP (Outside Context Problem) for the Spy X Family setting in terms of how he breaks the usual rules of the setting.

In the world of Spy X Family, due to the nature of everyone's covers, there's a lot of double speak, ambiguous syntax, or just dancing around subjects so as to try and get a point across without giving too much away for risk of discovery. That's the normal of how the main cast operates, since they've all got secret sides that they keep hidden from everyone else.

Not so much with Barricade, who's a terse talker that hates dancing around subject matters and would prefer shit be short and to the point. So, when he does have to talk, he's gonna leave no room for confusion and makes it very clear what he wants. There is no room for misunderstanding with him. And unfortunately, that means if he knows something important, namely a secret like there being an Autobot among the Forgers, he's gonna be blunt as all hell about it for things like interrogation.

On a lighter subject, we finally got Sari showing off more of her Techno-Organic powers besides her super strength. Been wanting an opportunity to have her fire an energy blast, and I found what I feel was a decent spot for it.

Now, as a small "what could have been", I was originally writing the robber's boss as a bit more on the sadistic side, but that just didn't feel right, so I made him more of an uncaring punch-clock villain. Still an unquestionable dick, but one that I think better fits for the leader of a toy store robbery.

That and this chapter already had its sadist quota filled out by Barricade and that one dude Anya, Sari, and Isaac took out, so frankly it also felt like too much for me.

Anyway, I'll see you next time when the arc concludes with the fallout of the fight and, naturally, the toy store rescue.