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Chapter Text

OO1: The Capture

Peace radiated from the bustiling daytime of Nairobi, folks working and taking in the pleasant weather, children running and playing, cars moving up and down the streets..  a tranquil sight, indeed. The limousine moved at a steady pace, its presence drawing attention as it passed civilians on the road. The weather was calm; a cool breeze blew through the city, the sky was a dull blue, and small wisps of clouds lined the sky, drifting lazily in the atmosphere. 

Just four years prior, the separation and fall of the five biggest PMCs signaled a somewhat brighter future, despite smaller groups reforming to mock the greatest of groups. Now, in the present, most have put their contracting businesses to good use.

“Three years,” Prime Minister N’mani said, “look how far we’ve come in three good years.”

“It shows how good of a leader you are, sir,” his advisor replied, to which N’mani shook his head with a smile.

“Not just me, but the people.”

His gaze fell upon a small group of schoolchildren, kicking a ball to one another as they laughed, his smile growing a bit.

“And one able advisor,” N’mani continued, his gaze meeting his advisor’s, who was stifling his appreciative grin.

“Thank you, sir.”

The Prime Minister turned to look at the suited man across from him, his smile remaining.

“Your team is also very much responsible, Mr. Lightning Bolt .”

Through his sunglasses, Raiden’s blue eyes met N’mani’s, a smirk tugging at his lips as he nodded.

“Just doing our jobs, sir,” Raiden answered.

“You know,” N’mani spoke, “just a few years ago, I would’ve instantly declined the service of a private military company, but I’m glad I didn’t. You’re a good man.”

“Thank you sir,” Raiden answered, “but we prefer to call ourselves a ‘private security provider’.”

“Ah, is that so? Security can mean much more than what you think,” replied the Prime Minister.

“There’s a saying that I strive to live by; “One sword keeps another in the sheath”, a code that the Samurai lived by, you know. Violence is a deterrent, no matter. Some spared, some killed,” the white-haired mercenary explained, taking off his sunglasses to fully meet N’mani’s eyes.

“A soldier and a philosopher? Hm,” he chuckled, “you are truly full of surprises, Mr. Lightning Bolt.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Humid winds tousled through Rey’s hair as she surveyed the streets. The APC tank, the vehicle Rey had boarded, moved ahead of the limousine at a steady pace, a gunner stationed at the top, and herself and another soldier keeping watch from their ledges on either side.

Had it already been four years? Since.. The incident?   Since…

The glare from the sun hit her eye ever so slightly, pulling her back to the moment, her grey eyes falling upon a few children who watched the scene in awe, pausing their game to stare at the soldiers for a few seconds. She couldn’t blame them, she was once like that; watching the adult soldiers on the battlefield when she was a child, in the humid heat, holding a gun twice her size.

‘Thank God they’re here, and not out there. I still don’t know how I survived,’ she thought, waving to a few of them, subtly. 

Her gaze fell once more, her eyes spotting a silhouette just a few hundred feet ahead.

“Clear the road!”, the muffled voice of a soldier yelled, “This is official state business!”

N’mani turned to look at his advisor, and then at the driver.

“Why are we stopping?”

The blonde woman sitting next to the driver, Courtney, turned to meet his concerned look.

“Someone’s blocking the road!”

“Who?”

“A cyborg..” Raiden muttered, taking in the appearance of the cyborg soldier standing in their way.

“I said,” the soldier started, “clear the-!”

The man unsheathed his crimson-bladed sword, and broke into a full sprint toward the APC and limousine, forcing them to open fire. But the man proved to be a challenge for Maverick; he weaved through the bullets and deflected them with the blade of his sword. His movements were fluid and precise: like a samurai’s. The passengers of the APC and limousine watched in astonishment and shock as he dodged the bullets while sprinting. The Gunman couldn’t focus on the swift swordsman; he was simply too fast for him to spot. From behind, another cyborg jumped up onto the tank, and thrusted its own sword through the torso of the Gunner. His blood droplets splattered all over the cockpit, and he slumped over, blood pouring down the side of the metallic vehicle.

From the radio came the voice of Maverick’s director, Boris, “ Courtney? What’s happening?”

“We got hit,” she explained, “another cyborg.”

“Whose?”

“No clue! The XIFF comes up as unaffiliated!”

“Get the Prime Minister out of there! I’ll notify all other checkpoints!”

The driver of the limousine whipped the vehicle around, speeding in the opposite direction as the scene escalated. Just as the vehicle was escaping the sudden attack, a horde of cyborgs, not belonging to Maverick, swarmed the area, attempting to attack the limousine. Raiden gave a silent nod to Courtney, kicking the vehicle door open, and slamming it shut behind him.

He commanded the driver, “Get out of here!”

The vehicle sped off as Raiden distracted the cyborg group in front of him. He tore the fabric of his suit away, revealing his ultramodern cyborg body underneath, the dark metals glinting in the sun.

“Let’s just get this over with,” he muttered, donning his electrified sword from the silver case it came in.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Her black sword pierced another cyborg, the blood splattering her suit as she retracted it.

“Where’d he go?!”

Rey looked back up at the Maverick soldier next to her; he was talking about the man who had killed the gunman, and then her gaze went up again. He had disappeared.

“He-” Rey paused, “..he ran.”

A few other Maverick soldiers fought the enemy soldiers invading the street, which prompted Rey’s next action.

“Help’s on the way,” she said, “I’m going after him.”

“But-”

“Stay here, I’ll handle him!”

Rey took off in the direction she assumed that the soldier had gone, sprinting as fast as she could. 

“What are you doing?!”

Rey was slightly caught off guard by Boris’ voice through the codec, but slowed just a bit to answer.

“That bastard,” she huffed, “I’m going after him.”

“And Raiden?”

“I believe he’s not far behind,” she lied.

“I doubt you can take that man down by yourself,” Boris exclaimed, “wait for Raiden!”

She felt a spark of irritation; she was fine, and Raiden could catch up at any time. In the moment, she shut off her codec and kept on.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“Are they still behind us?” N’mani asked, his advisor nodding. The Prime Minister felt a pit in his stomach, but he tried to reassure himself that Raiden and the Maverick company was handling the situation, but he still felt himself to be a nervous wreck internally. The vehicle swerved to escape the enemy, going much faster than the speed limit for the bridge. As the limousine reached the harbor, N’mani almost felt relief; they were almost out of the city. The vehicle slowed, but just a bit, and then-

SCREEEECHH! ! ! ! !

The wailing of the halting tires caused the Prime Minister to cover his ears. He looked up, seeing a small horde of cyborgs crowding the vehicle, allowing the pit in his stomach to return. The two other bodyguards exited the vehicle, and sprinted toward the attacking cyborgs approaching.

But as the cyborgs were depleting, the ground shook violently and something burst forth from the water. The splash soaked the concrete ground, and some of it cracked under the weight of the robotic beast that had emerged from the water.

The monstrous machine reared up, as if it was about to charge at the vehicle but instead, it fired a ray of plasma directly at the limousine, pushing it back into a nearby building, leaving shattered glass and burnt metal. N’mani gasped for air as he pulled himself out of the burning wreckage.  The smell of leaking gasoline and toxic fumes spread like wildfire, and he tried to hold his breath long enough to get out. As his eyes met sunlight, he felt a firm hand grab him. The stranger picked him up, and slung him over his shoulder.

As the man was about to turn to walk off, now with N’mani slung over his shoulder, Raiden had made it to the Harbor to stop the man.

Raiden yelled, “Stop!”

N’mani’s captor donned a cybernetic body, similar to Raiden, but his was a menagerie of red and black. He had two sheathed swords that resembled machetes.

“So, you’re Jack,” said the much-taller man, a southern drawl in his voice.

Stancing up, Raiden questioned in reply, “What do you want with the Prime Minister?”  

The man laughed, and looked back at Raiden.

“Me? I want him… dead . Nothin’ personal, of course. Africa’s just gettin’ a bit too peaceful ,” the man answered. Raiden’s heart sank, but he remained stoic in the evident face of danger.

“What?”

“Since they cut off the SOP, business just ain’t been the same, you know? “A clean break from the economy,” well, some of us would rather keep that kinda’ economy. How’s an honest warmonger supposed to make a living?”

“That’s your answer?”

N’mani’s captor drew one of his swords, moving it ever-so-closer to N’mani.

Raiden exclaimed, “Don’t do it!”

“Don’t worry now,” the man started, “I won’t kill ‘im just yet. Not while he’s still useful.”

In that second, Raiden’s attention fell upon the Metal Gear approaching him, giving N’mani’s captor just enough time to escape. The beast of a machine roared, the soundwaves could shatter glass, had they not been already shattered by the rays of plasma. The hull of the machine blocked out the slow-sinking sun, the blue fading to a soft yellow. 

“How?! How do they have a Metal Gear.. here, of all places?” , Boris exclaimed, “Raiden, you must destroy their UMG, and get the Prime Minister back, do you hear me??”

He only heard part of what Boris said, his instincts lurching him forward into a sprint toward the Metal Gear. The roar of the metal gear, and the crashing of his blade were like a symphony; it’s what he lived for, should he admit that. A flurry of bullets sprayed down on the pavement, Raiden slipping past them with ease and some grace, leaving nothing but perhaps a scrape in the wake. He weaved through the walls of projectiles, leaving deep cuts in the metal of the beast. He struck the leg again, but the machine flung him back a decent distance. Raiden looked up- a glow signaling alarm bells in his head; he scrambled to his feet, and jumped out of the way of a fast-approaching ray of light, blowing cement clean off of the ground. The ground was deeper, now. He felt a chill roll down his back, a grim reminder of the past, a time where he was young, vulnerable-

-But that didn’t matter. Raiden stood back up, taking a running start toward the machine, stomping around, and cut through the gunning system of the metal gear. A scream echoed through the streets, and the beast staggered back. He sprinted forward, but the beast wound up, ready to strike-

-Raiden grabbed the blade of the monster, lifting the masses of metal with his might, throwing it up into the sky. He took a high leap, jumping onto the blade and leaving cuts on the beast’s body. He raised his sword, and brought it down, cutting into the very core of the beast. He landed on the ruined grounds, the beast falling behind him with a deafening thud.

“Horosho!! Very good, Raiden!”, Boris cheered, “Ah, but do not rest quite yet. You still have to catch up to N’mani! Go!”

“I’m on my way.”

Raiden took off, running through the alleyways and train tracks to reach them, but as he scaled a building, he was met with the familiar screech of the machine, forcing him into another rooftop battle. He fought off the flying projectiles with determination, rushing toward the beast, only to be thrown by it. He collided with a clock tower, an absence of a heavy pain sending him back up and sprinting. He jumped onto the machine once more, leaving a deep slash across the back of the beast. He landed, the beast splitting in two.

                         ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“N’mani!”

Raiden had reached the front of the train, where both N’mani’s captor, and the man who had started all of this waited for him. 

“Too little, too late, hero,” said N’mani’s captor, “I won’t be needin’ the shield anymore.”

“I won’t let you kill him!”, Raiden said, stancing up. N’mani’s captor put the blade of one of his swords to the prime minister’s throat, leaving a shallow incision on his skin. 

“Why don’t we talk about the good things war’s done for us? Why not speeches about the benefits? Jobs, technology, common purposes…”

The other man, who was sitting on a box, rolled his eyes sarcastically, as if he’d heard this exact speech before.

N’mani looked up at Raiden, shaking his head, “forget me, Raiden.. Stop him.”

N’mani’s captor shot a glare at the prime minister.

“You ain’t listenin’,” he muttered.

Raiden attempted to stop whatever was about to happen, but the second man swiftly stepped between them, flashing a shallow smile.

“Mind if I cut in?”, he mused, blocking Raiden’s glare. N’mani’s captor turned to look at Raiden as well.

“All we’re sayin is, give war a chance!”

In that moment, one of the first man’s swords pierced right through N’mani’s chest, blood spewing outward.

“NO!”

Raiden’s gaze met the swordsman blocking the path. 

“Get out of my way,” he growled, only to be met with a low chuckle from the swordsman.

“He’s all yours, Sam!”, said N’mani’s captor- no, his killer .

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

When she’d finally reached Raiden, he’d been on the top of a cargo train, standing against two opponents; a fight he might not escape alive. 

Rey couldn’t be seen, it would render both of them basically dead at that point. As the train lurched forward, speeding away from the station. Rey watched it speed off, causing her to have to think of another way. Then she saw it; one of the empty cars had nothing on it, allowing her to catch up to it and jump on. Rey sprinted toward the speeding train, hoping to catch the car in time. She leapt up, landing on the empty platform. Keeping her balance was hard, but moving forward was even harder. Rey wrapped her hands around a loose chain swinging off of the other train car, and she pulled herself up onto the other train car. Once she reached the top, the body of the Prime Minister was strewn on top of some cargo boxes, still bloodied and bruised. Rey’s heart sank seeing the Prime Minister be sent off in such a vulgar and brutal way.

“You’re just a little too late to save the Prime Minister. Sorry to break it to ‘ya,” said N’mani’s captor, who wielded two machete-like swords. Rey held her sword tight to the point that her knuckles were the color of ivory. Her stance was almost picture-perfect from years of sword training. As she waited for N’mani’s captor to strike, she felt the surge of adrenaline rising like volts of electricity through her veins. 

“You’re going to pay for that,” she said, the tremble in her voice hidden by determination and pride. 

“I don’t think I will,” he replied, stancing up as well. Rey went from her defensive stance to a sprint toward the enemy, who was immensely prepared for confrontation unlike her. She took the opportunity to take the first swing, which N’mani’s captor swiftly blocked. Rey stepped back, regaining her composure, but not before he swung his weapon back at her. He was relentless, and would not stop at anything to kill her.

But so was Rey.

Her ebony blade carried a glint of light, separating her line of sight from the enemy. Attempting to look elsewhere, Rey’s line of sight was carried to Raiden in the distance, who was bloodied and missing an arm. Her soul evaporated in that very second, distracting her from the obvious enemy in front of her. Her eyes did not return to the fight, but they stayed on Raiden, fearful of what could happen to him. Then, N’mani’s captor removed a hand from his blade, and grabbed Rey’s sword. He crushed it with the weight of his hands, as if it was paper. He threw Rey aside, causing her to hit her head against the boxes chained to the train. After a hazey few seconds, she pulled herself to her feet.

“We’re not done yet,” she muttered.

“Oh? You still got some fire left in ‘ya?”

 He looked down on her, and then looked in the direction of Raiden.  She moved to throw a charged punch, but he grabbed her, sending a blow to her stomach, forcing her back down. But Rey was stubborn, damnit; she got back up, staring him down. 

“I don’t got a whole lotta time for this, damnit, so I’ll make it quick for the both of us,” he said, unsheathing his swords once more. In seconds, the blade went clean through her left leg, a splash of blood spraying outward. Rey staggered back, her leg slowly peeling away from her thigh as warm blood moved down her skin. He grabbed her by the throat, holding her in the air for a moment.

“You’ve got spunk, girlie,” he mused, “but I think the boss wants your little friend down there.”

“..you wouldn’t.”

“Oh, but I would . And I’m gonna.”

Rey’s gaze fell past, searching for Raiden, only to be met with the distant gaze of his attacker. There was something in his eyes that she just couldn’t understand. It wasn’t malice, but it couldn’t be remorse, could it? She tried to search the swordsman’s gaze, but he threw her off of the train, sending her tumbling into the ditch nearby, pulling her away from the short seconds that her eyes met the swordsman’s.

Her final seconds before the world was black, she saw the two terrorists stealing Raiden away, and disappearing as the train sped off…

Chapter Text

“Heart Condition is stable.”

The beep of the heart monitor echoed, each beep being drawn out longer and longer each time. The constant hum of other questionable machinery kept Jack awake as he questioned his surroundings. For the last three days, he fought to stay awake, his eyes not closing for more than a blink at a time.  His eyes were heavy, and his eyelids wanted to drop down, but he didn’t let them. Strands of his silvery-blonde hair hung down in his face, unkempt and slightly oily. Each breath he took was ragged and labored; It hurt to breathe, like steel wool shredded his throat and lungs with each breath.

“Proceed with the treatment.”

This fabled ‘treatment’ he’d been hearing about worried him. And it worried the thought that he would never see Rosemary and John again. Blood trickled like a creek on his face, a sharp contrast to the clean white room. He looked around, seeing people in white lab coats, some wearing glasses, some not. The air was sharp and cold, and the room was minimal and clean, save for the blood coming from his beaten and tired face.

“Stand behind the red line. The first segment begins in 3.. 2.. 1.”

When the one speaking had stopped, a violent wave of thousands of volts surged through his body. He’d always thought that he’d be invincible to this now that he was half-machine, but no.

In fact, it only hurt worse. He stifled a scream, and the first wave came to a halt. Jack gasped for air while he waited for the next round with anticipation.
“Begin round two.”

And just like the first round, it came suddenly. But this time, oh good God, it was so much worse. He swore that his body would begin to shut down if this didn’t end soon enough. He tried to remain quiet, but the pain was just unlike absolutely anything he’d ever felt. He screamed, having no other way to take his mind off of the ungodly pain. The grueling pain and aching  combined with the electricity made for a horrid torture session, capable of making even the strongest of men shudder. 

Jack always said he never feared death, and maybe he didn’t, but in that very moment he did... 

When the second wave had passed over, he was released from the cuffs and dropped to the floor. He was vulnerable to whoever had brought him here. He was theirs to experiment with.

Jack was their prisoner. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

First there was the yelling. Then there was the beeping. Then the needles… and the stinging. Ribbons of flesh and strings of muscles hung off of the operating table, and blood seeped through the cloths and bandaging provided. The hushed voices of the surgeons loomed over the near-dead Rey, and a tense air wafted through the room every second of operation that passed.

She had dreams of her fleeting life, her memories playing like a movie, over and over and over again under the anesthestia, but in her waking moments, she felt… guilt; had she been a little less stubborn, a little braver, maybe she wouldn’t have to watch her memories as she slipped away, maybe she wouldn’t feel this aching guilt, suffocating her like a weight on her chest. Rey stared off at the ceiling, gray eyes failing to search the flat pale paint above her. She couldn’t even get herself to move, so she stared blankly. Jack was gone… What did they do to him? What… were they going to do to him?

Rey looked around the room, seeing it to be mostly empty; other patients were separated by a closed curtain, yet there were still few in the isolated room of the PACU with her. Then her eyes turned to the door, and a nurse and a familiar woman entered the room.

“Courtney,” Rey muttered, moving to sit up. 

“I have some good and bad news,” Courtney replied, taking a seat next to the bed.

“Did they find Jack?”

“Unfortunately, that’s the bad news.”

Rey hissed as she finally was straightened out, taking a few deep breaths before turning back to Courtney with a reserved, yet panicked expression.

“What about his wife and kid?”, she asked, “are they okay? Are they safe?”

“They’re fine, Rey,” Courtney answered, “the big concern is you.”

No. Rey was the last thing that the company needed to be worried about. They needed to be searching for Jack, keeping his family secure and hidden. The nurse removed an IV needle from her forearm, and threw it in the trash. 

“Then what’s the good news? Give me that, please.”

Courtney nodded, adjusting her glasses and crossing her legs as she looked over the folder’s content in her hands.

“We discovered who was behind the assassination and attack in Nairobi,” Courtney answered, “they belong to Desperado LLC, specifically the Winds of Destruction unit.”

“Any names?”

“Two codenames.”

Courtney handed her pages filled with personal information, images, you name it, it was there, kind of. Rey thumbed through some of the pages, pausing on a certain image; the swordsman from the train.

“I know him,” Rey said, “he started the ambush, he- he’s the one who-”

Courtney placed a hand on hers, “We know.”

Rey scanned the page, looking for any dirt on him, only coming to find a codename; Jetstream Sam .

“That’s.. Stupid,” Rey mumbled, “that’s a dumb codename.”

“It’s besides the point,” Courtney handed Rey another page, “that’s your problem.”

Rey looked at the paper, seeing the face of N’mani’s murderer, and the man who caused her to be here, here in some god- forsaken PACU suffering alone, miserable… Well, it kind of was her fault, wasn’t it? Had she just listened to Jack, he’d probably still be here if-

“Rey.”

She snapped out of her miserable thoughts, looking at Courtney, who was looking toward the door, so she followed suit.

“Boris, sir,” Rey stammered, putting the papers down, “listen, I can’t explain what happened in Nairobi, but-”

“I’m not here to judge you,” Boris calmly stated, “Courtney and I came to check on you. After all, it was a bloodbath when we found you.”

Rey sheepishly nodded; she’d rather not be reminded of her stupid mistakes, especially not here. She grabbed the papers off of her lap, moving to hand them to Courtney, only to pause halfway through. 

“So, Courtney told you?”

“Yeah.”

He took a seat next to Courtney, taking the papers from Rey and neatly putting them back in the folder. He sighed sharply, his gaze moving between Rey and the floor.

“We’ve lost all the leads we had looking for Raiden,” he announced, “I’m afraid we’re going to have to close the case-”

“-What if I went after him?”

Courtney and Boris shared an alarmed glance, looking back at Rey with concern. It was borderline illegal, but so was private security work. Rey awaited a response from them, almost impatiently.

“Rey, you’re down to one leg, and not to mention, you need the rest-”

“I’ll rest when Jack’s home,” Rey interrupted, “somebody has to bring him back, okay?”

“I don’t even think we can have you a fitted prosthetic by Saturday.”

“I’ve got a friend who can help me out.”

 Courtney looked to Boris for an answer, who stared at the floor, deep in contemplation at Rey’s words. On the one hand, it was dangerous, and it was putting more than just her at risk of death, but on the other…

“Jack has to come home, guys.”

Silence settled over the room again, both women’s eyes on Boris, who continued to think the idea over. Finally, he stood up from his chair, and leaned in.

“One chance,” he whispered, “that’s all I can give you. If you get hurt, or mess this up, we legally have to close this case, understand?”

Rey nodded.

“Yes sir.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Sam watched on the radar as the Maverick Jet approached Denver at high speed, passing Littleton and the South Platte in no time. He found himself bored with the task of patrolling some boring city for a potentially well-off fighter with sinister intentions; surely, World Marshal had security, if not the authorities. He was a warrior, not a security guard, for God’s sake!

‘And don’t even get me started on being a guard-’ , He thought, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword,   ‘I’m a fighter, damnit! I should be the one to hunt down Maverick’s errand-runner.’

About that..

He was sure that it could be a fair fight. No, scratch that, he wanted it to be a fair fight; he yearned for a worthy opponent, maybe even somebody better than him. 

Sam had always liked the violent parts of his missions, maybe that’s why he stayed with Desperado for so long. He was still dissatisfied with his last duel, especially with Sundowner’s decision to keep the guy alive. Sure, he had good potential, great even, but that wasn’t the goal at all! Still, nobody listened to his opinion on the idea. Now, he was stuck patrolling World Marshal, waiting for some ‘intruder’ to show themselves. He watched the room, almost waiting for something to strike, his hand brushing against the hilt of his sword, his prized possession, Murasama .  It was his father’s before his, and the last living memory of him. There, his mind drifted to the idea of his father, his teacher, his only family. About the suffering he went through at the hands of one of his students… the pain he must’ve felt in the physical and mental.. How he could have fixed the situation-

The doors slid open, a cyborg standing in the doorway; his sleek cyborg body absorbed the light like a black hole, casting a long, ominous shadow on Sam.

“It’s time,” he blankly said, motioning toward the door behind him. Sam stood up, watching his… unnatural  moves carefully. He’d never been scared of people, but in this moment, there was a faint chill in his spine as he, the other cyborg, watched under his metallic mask. He stood proud, but still like a statue, absent, yet cold-feeling eyes never leaving Sam’s figure. Then, as they became aware of each other, the other man turned and left, Sam following suit. They stepped into the elevator, being met with a blank and clean interior. They stood side-by-side, not speaking a word to one another as they descended the building. The soft buzz almost made a barrier between them, but Sam was curious to see what kind of person Jack was under all that metal.

“So,” He started. “What do you think of the job so far?” 

He didn’t turn to look at Sam, but he felt his sharp eyes glare at him. There was a tension in the air, almost revealing what Sam  really wanted to say.

“It’s fine.” He answered,  a blank and uncaring voice controlling the man. Really? After all that had happened, and he said it was..fine? No, that couldn’t be. He had to have some kind of anger or excitement for being on the battlefield.

“You’re saving the energy for the fight, huh? I like your style, newbie-”

In a second, he had pinned Sam to the corner, sword pointed to his jugular, with the blade hovering next to the artery. 

“Do not call me that. Ever again. ” The other snarled, catching the former off-guard. Sam was actually quite surprised to see how much he’d improved in the last few days. He put his hands up, as a gesture to indicate his harmlessness in that moment. He cracked a smile, too, seeing hi’s anger for nicknames as humorous.

“Okay, okay. I won’t call ‘ya that anymore. Is that better?” Sam replied. The cyborg stepped away, sheathing his sword, and taking a distance away from him. The elevator came to a stop, the two exiting shortly after. Sam looked at him again, who was ignoring him now.

“Our… guest’s still out of our range, you go and lead them off, and if that fails-”

“You want me to fight?” 

“ I’ll handle them. You’ll report our status back to Monsoon.”

 He rolled his eyes, but nodded anyway.

“Take the East tunnel out, Sam. They won’t see you then.” He commanded, gaining a nod from Sam. The fact that he was taking orders from the newbie made him feel humiliated. He was taken from the fight to stop some stupid break-in, and all for what? What could this one person do that made the people at Desperado leave him with the rookie  to stop them? He didn’t know, and he didn’t really care, either. He walked alone in the tunnel, in anticipation of a fight.

Chapter Text

She watched the small stealth jet disappear into the afternoon sky, rubbing the base of the prosthetic to get a feel for the material. It felt a little uncomfortable and a bit too cold, but she was going to have to make it work. The mission’s circumstances were less than ideal, and she felt a little selfish for the thought. She clipped the metallic casing of Jack’s sword to her belt, the rough scars on the hilt telling their own story. She began her descent into the city, a blank expression hiding what would be a scowl; she hated Denver. Why? She.. wasn’t entirely sure, herself. Maybe it was the cold. The streets were nearly empty, which was… strange, to say the least; how could one of the most densely populated cities of America be so quiet? Before she could turn the corner, the loud, animalistic cry of a gekko forced her into an alley, silently waiting for it to pass through the street.
‘Well, that would probably be why,’ she thought. When the sound grew distant, she cautiously passed through the alley, and back onto the sidewalk, and her trek continued, watching the buildings around her closely. Her destination, World Marshal’s headquarters, was one of the tallest buildings in the city, and the last known location of Jack. Hopefully, he’d still be there.. However, Rey had the wish that the building wouldn’t be littered with people, which could greatly compromise the mission, as if it wasn’t hard as is.
“You! Stop!”
Internally, she felt a wave of irritation wash over the mess of all her warring emotions, yet she did her best to compose herself. Rey turned to see two officers, and surprisingly, they were equipped with high-quality armor.
“Is there a problem, officers?”, she asked, feigning ignorance.
“You’re violating the city’s curfew laws,” the first officer replied, “were you aware of that?”
“...I suppose not. After all, I’m not from around here.”
The second officer scoffed, “do you have a permit for the weapon you’re in possession of?”
“I-”
“We’re gonna need some backup.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Rey unsheathed the sword, and quickly moved to the side, swiftly knocking the baton out of the hand of the first officer. The second attempted to assist, but was kicked to the wall, where his head connected to the brick, rendering him unconscious. Shortly after the second officer went down, the first did as well. Unfortunately, their signal had already been sent out. She sighed in agitation, and hurriedly sheathed the sword. That was when she spotted the sewer grate. She pulled it open, leapt in, and it fell shut.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The stench of the sewers was nearly unbearable, forcing Rey to put her mask back up, praying it would block out the smell. The codec beeped, and the light from the hologram illuminated her white suit.
“I’m here,” she said.
“You’re not on the correct route, Rey,” Courtney started, “what happened?”
“I had to lose somebody, and the best way was through the sewers.”
“Seriously?”, she commented, “are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Rey answered, “is there any way to World Marshal up ahead?”
“We’ll look, you just… keep those guys off your trail, got it?”
“Got it.”
So as the sewers fell silent, Rey had to keep walking, hand tight around the sword, feeling all its imperfections and bumps along the hilt. The water splashed underfoot, and scent became less the deeper she walked, indicating a work area just up ahead. Maybe that could help her along the way.
Unfortunately, she was right; a loud, whirring screech alerted her to a thin, yet tall spider-like UG in front of her. It swiftly rotated, approaching her at a high speed, giving little time to unsheathe the sword. The leg sent her flying back, causing a larger splash of water, which alerted more security to come that way.
“Oh, come on!”, she cursed, scrambling to her feet to grab the sword’s hilt, quickly yanking it out. When the next leg moved out to hit her, the sword parried the impact, sending them both slightly staggering. The machine started spinning, its rotor-like appendages kicking up sprays of sewer water. Rey watched as it moved closer, but jumped through the spinning limbs, and pushed the sword through the body, only to be flung back as it spat fire.
‘Who in the hell built these things?’
She rolled to evade the fire, and spotted a bright blue liquid leaking from the small body of the machine. She popped back up, sprinting toward the UG again to strike it again, sending the silver blade through the body, and pulling what looked like a small, glowing spine from it, the blue liquid splattering the white of her suit. She held the spine for a moment as the machine sputtered and fell, observing it closely.
“Having trouble?”
Rey almost jumped out of her skin at the shock, but calmed down as she spotted the codec hologram.
“You scared the hell out of me, Dok,” Rey replied, “but.. Yeah. What the hell am I holding?”
“It’s a UG spinal track,” Doktor answered, “It will benefit you along the mission, as the sacs hold electrolytes.”
“Electrolytes? Really?”
“Ah, well, they do share the same name. Consider it a health boost,”
“..okay then.”
The blue liquid seeped through her armor, giving what felt like an adrenaline rush, and coincidentally, the security was close on her heels, and she turned on her heel and began sprinting. She spotted a service door, and turned to push through it. The door slammed shut behind her, and she gasped for air as she slid to the ground. Finally, she got up, and continued down the hall. The low levels of World Marshal felt eerily quiet, save from the soft ambient buzz of machinery and metallic clicks of Rey’s prosthetic against the ground. She had expected a little more trouble past the eastern sewer tunnels. Of course, she was also expecting more people in the city, but what did she know?
Well, she knew something was off, that was for sure. Yet, she kept on, sometimes looking up to make sure she was right. She could feel something staring, burning a hole through her armor, and her white-knuckled grip on the sword just grew stronger for every passing moment. Her eyes swiftly travelled the warehouse-like floors, and her chest felt tense with anticipation, just bracing for an attack. She boarded a cargo elevator, listening to the metal slide along the metal smoothly. For a moment, Rey felt some relief as she took a seat on one of the boxes, taking a deep breath as she turned to look up, eyes still closed. As she released an anxious sigh and opened her eyes, she stifled a gasp as she moved her hand to the hilt of the sword again; she spotted a red silhouette on the cargo lift above her quickly moving back. Had they seen her? A cold bead of sweat rolled down her face, and her breathing quickened. Would they still be there when the lift stopped?
‘Focus, damnit!’, Rey thought, keeping her eyes trained on the lift above her. When the lift stopped, she wiped her face clean of sweat from her face. The red figure was nowhere in sight, which lowered her panic ever-so-slightly. She took another breath, and walked toward the corridor, full of white light and more silence. Rey walked alone, her eyes cautiously searching every place in sight as she pressed on. At the end of the hall, she reached a dark, open-floor room, illuminated by white and neon blue. Glass tubes stretched from the floor and up to the high ceilings, and white pods filled the cases. She paused, letting cool air hit her face as she watched the room silently in confused awe. As she watched, she could hear the sound of a creaking wheel rolling, and she spotted one lone scientist in the room, wheeling a white crate to a large set of doors.
‘You’ve gotta be kidding me,’ Rey thought, ‘of all times?’
So she sheathed the sword, and stalked close to the struggling employee, holding her breath as she crept close. She could hear him muttering in frustration, but cut him off as she swiftly wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Shh, shh. Just go down,” she whispered, her knees buckling slightly as she lowered him to the ground. He clawed at her arms, but he quickly went limp, and Rey dropped him. A keycard tumbled out of his pocket, reading LL4. Rey looked toward the doors ahead, which had LL4 painted above them.
“Bingo.”
She walked to the door, slightly calmed down, and swiped it through the key reader. The door, although slowly, split open, and she crept into the dim room. There was a sign on the column next to her:
Operation - Floor 1
Laboratory - Floor 2
Rey turned her eyes to the stairwell just past the multitude of crates and server machines, and started up again, walking over papers and past the cluttered room. It seemed that someone had shut down the servers in the room, as there were no sounds other than the occasional paper rustle underfoot, and her shaky breathing. She slowly walked up the stairs, feeling a chill pass through the air as she reached the dark laboratory.
Pitch black, save for the glowing console in the farthest corner of the room, and dead silent. Rey maneuvered through the darkness, reaching the only piece of technology that was left on. Emails, videos, documents, all at her fingertips. What idiot would’ve just left this all open? Well, probably the poor idiot downstairs..
She scrolled through the console, stopping as she reached an email, with a video attached. Her heart sank as she saw the sender.
Desperado LLC.
The video looked grainy, but refused to play, no matter how many times she pressed it. A security code that she had no access to was needed. She huffed in disappointment, stepping away from the console for a brief moment. The codec flashed in the dark room, startling Rey once more.
“Have you found anything?”, Boris asked.
“Take a look for yourself,” Rey answered, “I’m sending some footage your way.”
For a few moments, it was silent, but eventually, Kevin chimed in, “give me a few minutes, and I’ll see what I can do. It’s locked down like crazy, but it shouldn’t take too long.”
“Thanks. Should I-”
“Head upstairs. If we can’t find anything else, we’ll send the jet your way.”
The sound of the upstairs doors scraped, sending a whining metal sound as a metallic red claw pushed through the door. She panicked, not waiting any longer to sprint. She almost leapt down the stairs, and sprinted through the maze of crates and server machines, stumbling as she did so. The doors were close to shut, and the red-suited individual was close. Rey dove through the narrowly-shut doors, and frantically moved to lock the doors. Whatever or whoever was on her heels, started banging at the door, moving to pull it open. She froze up for a moment as they began to claw the door open again, but she quickly got a move-on, springing toward another stairway, and onto a balcony-like bridge, and toward a pried-open door. Odd. However, she took her chances, and sped off, down the hall, refusing to look back.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Rey had lost track of the amount of floors she’d climbed by that point, but she knew she needed to stop and breathe, pressing her back to the red wall, the soft orange lights actually doing well enough to bring her a small amount of peace as she caught her breath. Her eyes turned to the giant wood doors up ahead, and sighed, knowing that her rest needed to be cut short. Rey started walking again, her expression settling back to blankness as she walked through the corridor. The ambient hum of the lights brought a familiar sense of peace, and she released a sigh of exhaustion. But as soon as she had started walking, she stopped; an unfamiliar buzzing and clicking sound forced her hand again, moving toward the sword. A blue, glitching hologram appeared before her; the swordsman from the train, Jetstream Sam.
“If we’re being honest, I didn’t think you would make it this far,” he taunted as his hologram faded into the scene, “and you found your way up here. I’m impressed.”
“Where’s Jack?”, she hissed, her hand hovering over the hilt of the sword.
“So straightforward, never willing to hear anybody out. You have no patience, do you?”
“Not for a killer like you.”
He laughed at her comment, pacing around her as the light flickered and glitched.
“Oh? And what makes you so different?”, Sam asked, “you’re no better than us.”
“I am different than you, and when I find you-”
“You’re not. No matter how you act, how you see yourself. You’re just like us. Don’t deny it. But of course, we’ll see if your little claims are true if we meet.”
“We will.”
“So be it.”
The hologram rapidly faded, leaving Rey in the dim hall, teeth gritted in frustration. She approached the wooden doors, pushing them open to find herself standing in.. what seemed to be a lounge, stylized like a Japanese garden setting. This place was strange, to say the least; first, she was in a cargo-holding warehouse, then a futuristic lab, and now this. Whoever the designer was, probably needed to be fired. The ceiling was designed to simulate a night sky, and there was an artificial moon, hanging high above the replica buildings. She looked around, a slight glower resting on her face, now, but she walked ahead, the silence brought back that feeling of dread from before, but now, it felt heavy on her chest, as if she couldn’t breathe, and her legs felt light with panic. The sound of footsteps echoed through her head, but then she froze up.
She hadn’t moved.
Her scalp grew tight in fear, and every hair on her skin shot up straight as her heart raced a million miles a moment. She yanked the sword from its sheath, her eyes rapidly shooting around the garden.
But then it was still, as if it had all stopped, along with the sounds of the artificial garden. Rey sighed for a second, slowly moving to put the sword away as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, the red metal claws wrapped around her face, trying to pull her back. She yelped, and her arms shot up, pushing him off as she frantically grabbed for the sword again. The figure lurched forward again, but Rey, in her panic, kicked them toward the shadows, losing her own balance in the process. Desperately, she pushed herself up, only to find herself looking toward the figure as she pulled herself away. As they emerged from the dark, the moonlight glowed on the sleek red armor, and casted an eerie light on their platinum blonde hair. Everything inside was screaming at her, at the realization of who had been stalking her.
It couldn’t be him.
“Your presence is unwanted,” came the familiar, raspy voice, “leave.”
“Jack-”
“LEAVE.”
A yellow-bladed sword came crashing down from his hands, almost striking her, but the silver blade clashed with it.
“Jack, just listen to me!”
He kicked her back, yet she scrambled to her feet. Her pleas were falling on deaf ears, but she felt horrified, knowing that this is what they had done to him.
“Jack!”
“Shut up!”
Rey held off a flurry of his slashes and hacks, and sent a few swings her way, her begging being ignored, in favor of attacks. No matter how much she tried, Jack was like a neverending powerhouse, and she knew that. It was a losing game if she kept going like this, so she had to try and catch him off guard. She pushed the sword against his, sparks shooting off of the clashing blades, metal whining as they scuffed each other. Rey pulled her sword back, letting him stumble, giving her enough time to break into a sprint toward one of the replica buildings. Upon reaching the tower, she began climbing the stairs, hoping to put some distance between her and Jack. He picked up his pace, a red blur approaching from behind. A yellow blade pierced through her white shoulder piece, but she pulled forward, staggering toward the fake window. He grabbed her, pushing her toward the windowsill, which was faintly cracking. His grip was like iron, near crushing her windpipe.
“You should’ve left when you had the chance,” he hissed.
“..J- jack.. just- ..”, her voice was strained, a bead of crimson pooling at her lips, “..please.”
For a brief moment, she could see his eyes under the visor, and his grip loosened very slightly, only to crush further, a small yelp of pain barely escaping her mouth. She could feel the flimsy wood breaking underneath her back, digging into her armor and crumbling. Strained gasps of air could barely make it past the crushing weight, and-
“That’s enough, Jack.”
His grip was gone in an instant, but so was gravity. For a moment, she felt weightless, and then

Chapter Text

“What’s your status, Sam?”

“I’m fine. Blondie’s still up and running, too.”

“What about our intruder?”

“I’m still not sure.”

“And that’s supposed to mean? Is she dead? Alive?”

Sam blankly stared at one of the holographic monitors, watching an empty camera feed. He’d witnessed everything in the lounge, and was left speechless after Jack’s display of violence, for lack of a worse word. Was she dead? He couldn’t tell, but he felt… surprisingly disturbed after seeing it all. 

‘But that couldn’t have been her end,’ he thought, ‘hell, she got her entire leg chopped off, and was up less than a week after.’

“Sam.”

“Ah, um.. I couldn’t tell. Cameras were too grainy. All I can tell you is that she won’t be a problem for a while.”

“You’re positive ?”

“As positive as I can be,” he lied.

“Let’s hope that holds up. We’re counting on you two, unfortunately.”

Ouch. The codec switched itself off, and Sam continued to stare at the camera monitor. His emotions were at war, fighting to take over, but he appeared to be impassive. Eventually, he found himself getting up to stretch his legs a bit, and to clear his mind from the monitor footage. He didn’t think that Jack could be so brutal, so… so heartless. Of course, he was, too, but dear God, he could’ve been a little rational about the whole escapade, no? He paced a little, almost waiting for anything from Jack, and yet?

Nothing. It was silent; too silent and too uncomfortable here. There was a feeling, burning in his chest, telling him to get up and leave. Maybe there would be something worth his time if he left. So he paused, picking up his sheathed sword and clipped it to his belt. He stretched his arms a bit, and approached the bridge. The night-time air was cool against his skin, and the wind had picked up subtly. It was a clear night, moon and stars out in all their glory, but blocked by the polluting lights of the city. He took a deep breath, hoping to calm the strangely excited feeling in his chest. He watched the city around him, empty and silent. He waited for a second a little longer, only to huff in disappointment at the still sight around.

‘All this for Jack to take the fun out of these missions,’  Sam thought, ‘It’d be better if Sundowner had let me finish him off in Nairobi. Even then..’

Part of him was looking forward to taking on Maverick’s choregirl. He had seen her in action on the train, and her skill wasn’t too bad. It would’ve made for a good fight, but now, he was waiting for Jack in annoyance. So he kept walking, looking around and waiting for Jack, but no sign of him popped out at him. Sam was overly irritated by now, with no evidence of his begrudging partner to be found.

“C’mon Blondie,” he groaned, “we don’t have all night..”

Silence from the city around him. Still, he waited in annoyance for a moment longer, just hoping something would pop out at him. Finally, he turned on the monitor, letting the hologram light up. 

“Samuel,” came Jack’s rough voice, “I’m going to meet you a block over from World Marshal. Be there, or I’m leaving you behind.”

“Ouch,” he teased, “that’s no way to greet a friend, is it?”

“We don’t have time for your insolent jokes, especially not after the mission we’ve had.”

“Speaking of which..”

“She won’t be able to follow us,” Jack interrupted, “now, you have what we need, yes? Because I’m not waiting for you because of some stupid mistake.”

At a certain point, Sam had stopped listening to Jack’s little rant about… whatever it was, and turned his attention back to the other holographic monitors, watching them in boredom. 

“Are you even listening?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam replied, waving his hand toward the codec, dismissively, “I’ll see you there, I got it.”

“Hurry up.”

Sam had turned his attention to the monitor, fully, and his eyes lit up. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

It was cold.

The air stung her bruised face as she forced her eyes open. Rey ached as she sat up; she could practically feel the bruises forming on her skin as her hand delicately traced her neck. Shakily, Rey pulled herself to her feet, and placed both hands gently to the brick wall as she looked around.

She was back in the sewers again.

The bright blue light of the holographic codec stung her eyes as she turned to look at it.

“Rey? You’ve been offline for an hour!” , Courtney exclaimed, “are you okay?? Where are you?”

“..’m fine,” she rasped, still massaging the area around her neck, “..throat hurts a little.”

“Do you remember what happened?”

As she stood there for a moment, it all came rushing back to her head. Rey was silent, processing the nightmarish encounter with Jack.

“Rey?”

“..they made him into a monster.”

“Raiden? You found him?”

“Y- yeah, but-”

“You know what? We’re sending the extraction jet your way,” Courtney said, “head that way and just hang on.”

“You got... you got it.”

Rey began the slow backtrack through the sewer, only painfully shaky breathing, miserable thoughts, and running water to keep her company. She walked forever, her hands tracing brick, and her eyes pushing back tears of exhaustion and grief. The world around her felt numb as she walked, but there was a voice, screaming at her to just press on, just a little longer. At some point, she reached an impasse, finding herself staring at a metallic grate, a dead end. Rey looked around, finding a rusting service lift, illuminated by hideous, fluorescent yellow lights, but she was grateful to see some escape from the sewers. Her heeled boot and prosthetic softly splashed through the water as she crossed from one side of the tunnel to the other. Rey nearly collapsed onto the lift, and pressed the button. As the lift creaked for a second, it began its ascension to the street level once again. She looked over her armor, the once white material stained by dirt, blood, water, and whatever the hell else; she didn’t know, nor did she care all that much anymore. The war of emotions in her chest had boiled down to three things: anguish for Jack, an immense hatred for whoever got in her way, and a lot of exhaustion. After a long, annoying three minutes, Rey slowly walked off of the lift, and into a small service building, full of boxes, old equipment, thick layers of dust, and thin cobwebs; it was a dump, to say the least. She stepped over torn and crushed cardboard, and into a clearing. She took a second, just standing and taking deep, slow breaths, in an attempt to keep herself from a breakdown-

“-Oh? You’re still alive?” , came his voice, “honestly, I’m really starting to question if you’re actually human.”

“You again,” she muttered.

“In the flesh, or… however you’re seeing me,” he mused.

Rey quietly groaned, a scowl crossing her face as she began pacing the room. She felt his hazel eyes burning a hole in her head as she walked. 

“What now?”

“You know, Blondie and I were supposed to leave a little while ago,” he said, ”but I’m curious; how can someone be as injured as you, and still try to swing their weapon at everyone they see?”

“Don’t stall,” she hissed, “why are you still torturing me?”

“Come and find me; I’ve been looking forward to our duel,” Sam explained, “a fair fight, to the pain.”

Rey furrowed her brows, “I don’t care about a stupid fight.”

“Sure you do,” Sam replied, “I saw the look in your eyes when you and Jack fought. You’ve been waiting for a good fight, haven’t you?”

Her gaze fell elsewhere; he might’ve been… right? 

No way.

“I-”

“Admit it. You crave bloodlust, you want a war,” he scoffed, “It’s like oxygen for us, you and I.”

“I don’t want to watch innocent people march into a bloodbath all to fill someone’s pockets with money,” she bit back, “I want people like you dead.”

“There it is!”, he smiled, “you’re a natural. One of us.”

“Shut up..”

“Just say it. You can’t hide from the truth-”

“I said SHUT UP!”

Rey launched the sword, lodging it into the hologram’s projector. Her breathing became heavy, eyes dilated and maddened. Her footsteps were no longer quiet, but they hit the concrete with an echo. Rey violently ripped the blade from the machine, and sheathed it.

If he wanted a fight, she’d give him one, but she was going to fight her way. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

He leaned against the lamppost, letting cool air brush through his hair, the light warm on his face. He wore a complacent smirk on his features, watching the dark sidewalk around him, waiting for her silhouette to appear on the horizon.

And there she was….

Sam's smirk became a full grin as he watched his new opponent appear under the bright lights of the alley, her expression akin to exasperated anger. Her muscles were taut, and her grip on her hilt was like iron. She stood at a distance, watching him through anger-glossed eyes.

“How was Jack?”, he teased, approaching her, his stance relaxed and casual as he strode, “I hear it was quite the reunion.”

“You’re a monster,” she growled, “you like watching people suffer.”

“You’re smarter than you let on.”

The two circled each other, quietly awaiting for the other to lunge forward, hands tight around their hilts as they waited.

“To the pain?”

“Until one of us falls, I suppose.”

Yet, nobody jumped. Sam stopped for a second, openly embracing an attack that never came; what was she doing?

“Are you sure you know how a duel works?”, he asked, somewhere between teasing and genuine curiosity, “you have to fight, you know.”

“I’m aware,” her voice was low, “it’s your duel. You make the first move.”

“Maybe I’m a gentleman.”

“I insist .”

There was one second of stillness between them, and like lightning, they both drew their swords and lunged. The blades divided them, sparks flying as their eyes met again, both full of bloodlust and determination.

“You’re fast, I’ll give you that.”

He pulled back, allowing her to stagger forward in surprise as he swung his red blade toward her again. Rey narrowly missed his hack, and rolled past him. She sprung up, and thrust her sword against his. Both of them were intoxicated by a rush of adrenaline and a desire to win, to kill. Their blades clashed as they took blows at each other, yet their pain was silenced for the rush of battle. Sam brought his sword down, only to be forced back by hers. For a second, he caught her eyes again, as if they were on the train.. 

She had an animalistic look in her eyes, like she was some wild creature, fighting for their life.. He smiled, an idea appearing like a flash of light in his head as he relaxed for a second, dropping his sword from his hand. 

She sprinted toward him, the silver glint of metal veering toward his head, and-

He grabbed the blade with his prosthetic hand, watching her wild expression shift to surprise and panic as his grip tightened. He felt her apply force to the sword, and he pushed back with all his might, the blade scraping against the metal of his hand. She applied more force, yet he shoved back, her blade flying from her hands, and clattering against the ground, far from her. In a flash, his sword was back in his hands, and it came speeding down toward her neck. She jumped back, and stanced up as he sprinted toward her. Now, Sam hadn’t expected her to reach out, and grab him by the wrist holding the sword. He felt a twinge of panic, but he mimicked her skill, only for her to pull the sword from his hand, and cut at his metallic arm. He stumbled back, and looked back up at her. 

Rey tossed the sword aside, huffing quietly as they stared at each other for a second.

“No swords,” she rasped, “no train, nothing.”

Sam felt a grin tug at his tired face.

“Oh?”

“You and I. CQC.”

He smiled as she spoke.

“Full of surprises, aren’t you?”

They both stanced up, and whoever took the first move, they were unsure, but it was like a blink of an eye. One hand grasped her shoulder, and the other on her wrist, and he slammed her into the concrete, only for her to pull him down with her. She rolled, springing back to her feet to land a kick to his face. It felt like a brick to the head, but he pulled himself back up, and gave a few swings to her body. She stumbled, almost falling, but somehow, she was still up, standing. Sam watched her for a second, observing a glint in her gray eyes.

‘She’s planning something,’ he thought. Sam moved closer, going from a slow step, to a sprint. Rey, in turn, dropped all the way to the ground as he had lunged, letting him tumble to the ground as she sped past him, almost through his form. While on the ground, he turned to look at her, and he found a familiar red blade at his neck…

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Rey saw the disappointed look in his eyes as he released an exhausted sigh from his lungs. He slowly stood up as she kept the blade’s tip at his throat. Her face remained statuesque as he formed a tired grin on his face. 

“Impressive,” he panted, “so, now what? Gonna kill me?”

Rey remained silent as she slowly moved the sword away from his jugular, her expression falling away from cold maliciousness, to a soft sternness.

“I don’t like you,” she said.

His sly expression faltered.

“We are enemies,” Rey continued, “but you’re right.”

“Right about what? Enlighten me,” he answered.

“We’re both terrible people.”

Silence fell over them again as they watched each other in silence. The night air was cool, tousling Rey’s curls gently. Their aggression had faded into contemplation of the other, Sam watching Rey’s empty gaze in curiosity.

“What do you want from me?”, Sam muttered, “I’d rather die with my honor, instead of listening to you waxing poetic.”

Rey tossed the sword to the ground, meeting his ashamed gaze.

“You don’t want to be humiliated by Desperado,” Rey answered him, “and you won’t have to be.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“I’m giving you a chance at freedom,” Rey said, “tell me where they’ll take Jack, and you can get your freedom.”

Sam scoffed, but he found himself yearning to accept her proposal; it was almost calling his name.

”freedom from what, exactly?”, he mused, “I’m perfectly fine on my own-“

”I saw the way you shut up on the train when your ‘friend ‘ told you to,” Rey said, “you’re too scared to fight back.

Sam felt a twinge of anger at her comment.

”You know nothing about me,” he replied.

”Maybe not, but you can fight back if you help me.”

She motioned for him to pick up his sword.

”This has to be a trap.”

”It isn’t,” she spoke plainly. He thought for a moment as he observed her carefully.

”What if I say no?”

“Then you can run back to them,” Rey said, “but rest assured, I’ll kill you the next time I see you.”

Silence fell over them as Rey extended her hand out to him to take; it was his choice, after all. And for a second, he hesitated, for the first time in a long time.

”I hope you can keep this little promise of yours, then,” he said, taking her hand, and shaking it.

”I will,” she said, “let’s go, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Chapter Text

The sun hung high above the skyline, buildings reaching out to touch the clouds that drifted just out of reach. The streets were packed as people passed each other, and cars rolled up and down the roads. Amongst the sea of traffic, a sleek car blended in all of the movement.

“Do your friends at Maverick even know we’re here?”

Rey’s attention snapped to Sam, who was fidgeting with a button on the center console as he waited for a reply.

“Not yet,” Rey answered as she turned her eyes back to the road ahead, driving the car to the side to hunt down a good spot to pull over. She lightly smacked his hand off of the console, subtly glancing to see the face that Sam made. She quickly turned her attention back to finding a spot before he could look her way.

“I doubt you’re gonna find a spot,” Sam commented, his gaze falling out the window to observe the city around him, “it’s a busy day out here.”

“If you’re not gonna help me, do you mind shutting up?”

Rey veered the car toward an alley, letting the car slow down as the shadows engulfed the vehicle. She stepped out into the alley, and Sam followed suit. He quietly watched her for a moment too long, turning away as she shot a glare at him.

“You got a staring problem?”

“You’ve got an attitude, I see.”

Rey stifled an expression of exasperation, and began walking ahead.

“Just try and keep a low profile, okay? We’ve got to get into that lab ASAP,” Rey said, “it’s not a far walk, but we can manage, no matter how inconspicuous one of us may look.” 

The sweltering heat embraced the duo as they walked through the crowd of day-to-day life, Rey walking ahead of Sam, who continued to look around as he trailed behind her. The sun penetrated the cloaks on their back, and cool sweat beading along their exposed skin. The scents of the city felt comforting and welcome, despite the tense air and the rising temperature amongst the two. Rey felt a sense of nostalgia as she walked, silently enjoying the summer weather, and the familiar sight, almost like Summer when she was much, much younger, a calmer, happier time in her life-

“-do you plan on wandering, or do you have an actual location we’re going to? This is getting tiring.”

Rey was pulled back down from her memories to meet Sam’s question with a slight huff of annoyance. She turned to face him, pulling him aside so as to not disturb the street traffic. As she looked up at him, she immediately felt a small pit of irritation bubbling in her soul; his stupid grin, and the way he so condescendingly looked down upon her, as if he were superior.

“You’re impatient,” Rey muttered, “but.. Yeah, we’ve got two blocks to go, and then you can wreak your havoc there.”

“Of course, I’m no barbarian,” he said, “have some faith in me. We’re partners, after all.”

“We’re not. ” 

“If you insist.”

Sam looked back toward the sidewalk, his hand instinctively reaching for his sheathed sword as he tensed up. Rey reached out, pushing his hand away from his sword as she looked in his direction.

“What do you see?”

“..nothing, I thought-”

“Then don’t get distracted, Sam,” Rey pulled her hand away, and began walking toward the sidewalk again, motioning for him to come along. They reentered the moving crowd, and their journey started once more. They stayed low, unnoticed, and just as they continued walking, they reached their destination; a sewer grate.

They slipped into the alleyway, and Rey pried the grate open, standing back up.

“Ladies first,” Sam said, taking his cloak off of his armored body. Rey observed his face, steeling her expression at his stupid, stupid grin.

“Just get the hell in.”

Rey jumped into the sewer, Sam following suit, but not before taking one last look around the alley.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The stench of the sewers, combined with the heat was slowly making for a miserable experience; Sam could already feel his boots being stained by whatever was in the slurry of sewage, but it hadn’t suffocated his mood just yet. He followed closely behind Rey, where he could practically feel the weight of the tension between the two of them, and oh, he wanted to break it so much. He could feel his words on his tongue, and he desperately wanted to let them out, just to see her get annoyed, to break that stoic, steely mask of hers. He walked a little ways ahead, just to where her face was visible, and he grinned, just waiting for her to do something. Rey looked over at him, her expression still blankly hostile as she met his expression.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he replied, grin plastered on his features, “just trying to keep up.”

“Well, could you stop looking at me like that?”

“Maybe.”

Rey stopped in her tracks, already frustrated with Sam’s ‘charm’ , as he liked to put it. She looked back up at him, a glower resting on her features.

“Do you have some kind of problem?”, she hissed, “this mission is a suicide if we mess it up. And you have been no help whatsoever-”

“Maybe your anger issues are the problem,” Sam retorted, arms folded over his chest, “you get all worked up if someone looks at you longer than a second.”

“It’s weird when you just..!”, Rey made some awkward motion with her hand as she stumbled over her words in frustration, “oh, nevermind. You’re doing this on purpose.”

“No, no, finish your sentence,” he mused, “I insist.”

“You-”

A loud, metallic groan echoed through the tunnel, shutting down their bickering session faster than lighting. Rey’s hand went from her hip to the hilt of her sword, and Sam followed suit. They both stood in silent tension, staring down the tunnel toward the source of the sound. The groan’s echo lasted only a few seconds longer, and then it was just them, alone in silence.

“What was that?”, Rey whispered.

“Couldn’t tell,” Sam whispered back with a shrug, “could’ve been one of Desperado’s UGs.”

“Wouldn’t you know?!” she frantically whispered in a query, “you worked for them!”

“And here you go again,” he mused in a hushed tone, “it takes hardly anything to rile you up, and I can’t tell whether that’s good, or not.”

“Sam-”

Another guttural groan echoed through the tunnel, and the tension returned. He looked back down at her, and he sort of smiled again, despite the eerie tensity.

“Someone’s following us.”

“Shall we go and take a look?”

“Are you crazy??”

“Very much so. Now come on, if you keep leading us, we’ll be going in circles forever.”

He walked ahead of her, listening to her mutter something under her breath and follow after him. They quietly walked through the sewer, waiting for the ‘thing’ to lurch out from somewhere, yet nothing ever came out at them.

“Do you think they knew we were coming?” Rey asked, hand still on her hilt.

“I mean, maybe,” Sam replied, “I’m positive that Desperado’s probably got a tracker on me.”

“What?!”

“I’m kidding! Hopefully.”

The two of them kept walking through the tunnel, with the occasional comment from Sam, and then an angry sigh from Rey, the cycle repeating itself, until-

“The tunnel ends up there,” Sam commented, coming to a stop, “but I could’ve swore there was something else here..”

“Maybe we went the wrong way?” Rey suggested, “the sewer system is probably vast-”

Another metallic groan echoed out, this time, much louder, and it was followed by the pleas of a child soon after. Sam sort of looked around, but Rey immediately tensed up. The sounds seemed to be coming from the tunnel’s dead end, and that was when she noticed it-

-there was a chasm in the ground, leading to an even lower level of the sewer, where there was an imposing, sleek machine chasing after a small child dressed in white, running through the tunnel. Rey, in an instant, almost jumped into the lower sewer tunnel, sword in hand, but-

“What is wrong with you?! ” Sam exclaimed, pulling her back from the chasm’s opening and back toward solid ground, “Are you trying to get killed???”

Rey struggled against Sam as he held her back, too close for comfort, and too close in her personal space.

“It was going after a kid, Sam! We have to-”

“I don’t care! You have no idea what you were about to do!”, Sam interrupted, still holding her back.

“Let me go!”

A final mechanical groan sounded out, but this time, it came from behind the two of them. 

Rey pushed Sam off of her, and they both stanced up.

”Is that one of Desperado’s UGs?”

”Seems like it.”

She gave him a frantic, yet disapproving look as they slowly moved back from the machine, only for it to lunge right at them. Sam was forced to one side of the tunnel, and Rey to the other. He watched as the machine whipped its head around wildly as it searched for the both of them. He quickly shot up, and the sound of metallic screeching filled the air as his sword dug into the encased leg of the UG, sending it staggering back. He sprinted across the tunnel, and toward Rey as she stood up straight once more.

“You alright?” he asked in a somewhat-inconvenienced tone.

“I’m fine,” Rey answered, sword in hand, “do you have any plan whatsoever?”

For a second, they stared at each other as Sam’s expression settled to a blank stare.

“You have to be kidding me.”

“No, no. I have a plan, just uh..”

He looked toward the stunned machine, and then back at Rey.

“You aim for its legs, I’ll go for the head, got it?”

“How do you know it’ll work?”

“Do you trust me?”

“No.”

“Then can you pretend to trust me for five minutes?”

“Oh, f-”

The machine was back up, and sprinting straight toward them, but this time, the duo sprinted toward it as well. As it reared up mid-bound, Sam’s sword struck its muzzle, bringing it down for a second, and Rey’s sword clashed against the legs of the machine as they took turns, dealing blows to the machine’s body. Suddenly, it shot up, towering over the two of them as it swung its tail, knocking Sam back a few feet as Rey kept at it. 

“Get up! This thing won’t die, and I need your help!”, Rey called to him.

“Oh, thanks for asking me if I was okay. I feel so appreciated, Rey,” he retorted in sarcasm as he stood back up, “you’re such a lovely person.”

“Shut up and help me, please!”

Sam jumped up, and his sword immediately flew toward the machine’s head, a loud groan escaping its maw as it stumbled backward, giving its death cry. Rey stepped back, sheathing her sword with a sigh as she turned to face Sam.

“Listen, Sam,” she said, “you and I clearly have a problem-”

“Look out!”

He grabbed her as the machine lurched forward in a desperate attempt to take them down, and-

-The machine fell deeper into the sewer, and Rey felt her body slam against the ground.

“Rey!”

She sat up, looking around for Sam, only to see the surroundings empty. For a moment, she panicked, and felt herself shooting up to look around and… he was gone.

“Down here!”

She whipped her head around, looking toward the chasm and seeing his silhouette in the lower levels of the sewer.

“How did you get down there?!”

“Doesn’t matter!”, he called back to her, “The UG, it opened a gate further back in the tunnel! Go to it, and we’ll meet up, got it?”

“I think so!”

“Then start moving!”

Quietly, Rey raced through the tunnel, retracing their steps as she looked around for the gate that Sam had told her of. Her hand remained clenched on the hilt of the sword, her eyes darting between the two walls, behind her, and up ahead. She wished that she had paid more attention instead of getting annoyed with Sam, but that was already proving to be difficult; he was such a problem! 

But he was willing to help her. That was what mattered, right?

Rey kept moving, only to find herself stopping at the sight of a metal door, mangled and loose. A small grin tugged at her face, approaching the ruined gate, watching for a few seconds before pushing it open. Small pieces of metal clattered in the water and along the concrete walkway up ahead. Rey steeled herself, and entered the corridor in silence.

Rey walked in darkness for a few minutes, her grip on the sword flexing as her wrist began to ache somewhat. No matter, she slowed down as she entered a well-lit, cold, yet spacious room. Much like in Denver, the room was crowded with cargo boxes and what seemed to be moving materials, as if someone was relocating. Rey removed her hand from the hilt, and continued to navigate the room in silence, occasionally taking in the sight of unusual packages, or momentarily shuddering; who would keep a room this cold, all for some cargo boxes?

Rey approached the next door, watching it slide open, showing off a more.. Scientific-looking room, for a lack of a better word. She entered, looking around at the strange, yet familiar sight of surgical tools, metallic prosthetics hanging from bars on the ceiling, diagnostic tablets, all far too close to home for her. She shook off the oppressive feeling that almost crushed her stoicism, and circled the room, looking for evidence of Jack, yet she came up empty-handed. Rey approached the operation table, examining the strange sight in front of her. Nail marks scuffed up the weathered plastic material of the table, dried blood formed in clustered droplets in random spots, yet the table seemed to be too small to operate on an adult. As that revelation crossed her mind, a pit in her stomach began to slowly form, thinking of the worst-

- a loud clatter of objects broke her from the cycling thoughts as she whipped her head around to find out where the sound was coming from. Her hand flew back to the sword, eyes flickering between dark spots in the room.

“Who’s there?”

Silence.

Rey, still in her tensed-up stance, found her eyes moving toward the cluttered surgery tools, spotting a small shadow casted from behind a cart. Strangely, she found herself relaxing just a bit at the sight, standing straight up.

“You can come out,” she said, “I’m not gonna hurt you… maybe..”

The small shadow moved out from behind the cart, revealing itself to be a young boy, no older than fourteen, and no younger than ten. He had dark tan skin, short, messy black hair, hazel eyes, and coincidentally, the same pair of white clothes, like the kid in the sewer. He looked nervous and ready to run away if confronted with danger. Rey’s tensity melted to concern, confusion, and a tinge of panic bubbled up, too. 

“You’re…”, she started, “oh, God, you’re a kid..”

“..are you one of them?” , the boy asked, his accent familiar to hers, “you know, those scientists and robot-folk?”

She raised an eyebrow, yet slowly shook her head, “no, kid. I’m not with Desperado. I’m just.. Looking for someone.”

The boy slowly nodded, still examining her from a distance, “who?”

“Doesn’t matter right now. You got a name?”

“...George,” he said, “you know, like Georgetown , and all ‘dem American presidents.”

Yeah, a name too familiar to her, as well, yet she ignored the thought.

“I’m Rey,” she said, “how did you get in here, George? This is a dangerous place.”

Her tone was much gentler, almost patronizing; Rey was always bad with handling kids, so she couldn’t help it, sometimes.

“Well, I used to live on the streets back home,” he started, “and- and one day, ‘dis man-in-a-suit came up to me, an’ asked if I wanted to find some work.”

Rey nodded, her expression falling as he spoke, “do you remember his name?”

“No,” George replied, “but listen, I ended up here, wit’ a bunch of other kids, and these scientists! They’re scooping our brains out!”

Rey felt that bubble of panic grow as she looked at George.

“What are they doing with the brains, George?”, she asked, putting her hands firmly on his shoulders, “do you know about that?”

He nodded, “they take the brains and send ‘em off to America. They don’t care ‘bout us!”

Rey sighed, removing her hands from his shoulder, and forced herself to take a deep breath. For a moment, Rey found herself feeling anger toward Desperado, toward Sam; did he lie to her, right after insisting he was gonna help her find Jack? She was going to have a word with him, and hopefully, it wouldn’t end with bloodshed.

Before she could turn and speak to George again, the lab door slid open, and Rey found herself face-to-face with Sam, who looked a bit distressed.

“Oh good,” he said, masking the panic for mirth, “you found your way up here. I’m glad. Now listen, we-”

“You and I need to talk, now.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

About thirty minutes prior…

Sam watched above as Rey headed off toward the gate, his attention turning to the UG-beast in front of him. He yanked his sword from the sheath, tilting his head to crack his neck.

“I take it, you like to fight dirty?”, he joked, out of breath. The UG roared, shaking the tunnel vigorously with the vibrations. Sam, in reply, sort of just shrugged as he spun his sword in his hand.

“Okay, okay. So you’re not a talker.”

He rushed toward the hulking machine, striking its legs and torso with force, leaving deep slashes in its metallic body. He weaved through its attacks, and narrowly dodged its blows with precision, like a rehearsed dance, and his sword, the instrument. Sam’s blade cut clean through the UGs’ head, sending it staggering down and into the water with a mighty splash , sending ripples into the water. He grinned at the sight, sheathing his sword as he turned away from the metallic corpse. Sam began his new journey through the lower levels of the sewer, still wearing the grin on his features. His luck was starting to really pay off for him; baiting Rey into believing in their alliance, even better, getting her to trespass into the lab,  it was a genius plan! He stopped in front of a large vent shaft, prying the metal shutter off of it, and climbing inside. The mechanical hum of the ventilation system brought a sense of peace to his once adrenaline-filled state as he sighed, grip loosening on his hilt as he climbed through the shaft, alone. 

Sam pushed the other vent open, and inside he was. He looked around the silent corridor, and sighed, somewhere between exhaustion and content. His eyes searched the space, finding nothing of interest to him as he strode through the hall in satisfied silence. It had felt like a while since he’d even seen the lab, and a decent amount of his thoughts were how the place hadn’t been raided, yet; it was a miracle, honestly. 

‘But with the right funding, anything can just go… unnoticed,’ he thought, a frown crossing his face for just a moment. But that wasn’t the task at hand, now was it? Sam took a sharp left, and up a flight of stairs, as if trying to memorize a certain route in his head. He was sure there was another left upstairs, right? Oh, maybe it was a right turn…

Well, that would’ve been a problem, had there not been a giant sign plastered on the dull blue wall, reading: SURVEILLANCE, with an arrow pointing right in the room’s direction. He grinned at the sight, turning on his heel and down the hall once again. Sam found himself face-to-face with a giant metallic door, exactly the place he was trying to get to. He pried the door open with his blade, and took a step inside the dark room. The space was illuminated by security monitors of the entire laboratory. He glanced at a few of them, but marched past, toward a specific monitor, watching it for a moment as he messed around with the camera’s settings. However, his eyes turned toward the screen next to it, and for a split second, his heart nearly stopped beating-

-a metallic whir came from behind, and Sam whipped his head around to see a robotic mass in the dark, narrowly avoiding the searing hot blade flung toward him. The blade lodged itself in the wall, smoke hissing in the otherwise silent room. A grin, albeit a nervous one, crossed Sam’s features as he recognized the figure in the doorway.

“Greetings, Samuel,” came a metallic voice from the darkness.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack, Wolfie,” Sam replied, straightening his posture, “were you expecting me?”

“You shouldn’t be in here.”

“Well, uh, I am.”

A tense silence hung over them as the robotic canine stalked closer, Sam keeping a confident grin on his face.

“You betrayed us,” it stated, no emotion to be found in his voice box, “might I ask you why?”

“Ah, call it more of a temporary alliance,” Sam chuckled, “no hard feelings, right? If you can feel at all.”

The canine remained silent as he teased, “I do not feel.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m aware,” Sam huffed, annoyed, “so, what? Are you gonna attack me, or hand me over, or what?”

“My motives are to bring you back, willingly. Assuming you would come with me if I asked.”

“Depends,” Sam shrugged at the idea, “did they wipe your memory again? I’m curious.”

“I’m still the same, regardless.”

“I don’t know if that should make me happy or not, but good for you,” he answered. If Blade Wolf had any emotions, he might’ve scoffed, maybe. His eyes fell back toward the monitor, his confidence beginning to falter.

“She’s an enemy, Samuel,” Blade Wolf added, “her ideals clash with ours, with yours.”

“How do you know that my ideals are just like everyone else here?” Sam retorted, his tone shifting.

They stared each other down, Sam’s usual grin replaced with an unfamiliar scowl, and Blade Wolf’s faceplates indifferent (as per usual).

“Our goal should be your main focus. Not your selfish desire for revenge-”

“-and what if you’re wrong?”

Just more silence, growing, looming, deafening, sickening .

“... I am not programmed to be dishonest, Samuel.”

“Oh, I know. You were programmed to only harbor the same ideals as-”

His attention was drawn back to the monitors, a familiar voice catching his ears. A familiar, suited man on the monitors. 

‘No, no, no! This can’t be real-’

“-don’t ignore my words.”

He looked back at Blade Wolf, a panicked scowl still on his face. He turned back to the monitors, looking between the corridor camera and the operating room’s camera. For a moment, he faltered; was Blade Wolf actually right? Was he being selfish for wanting his life back? Was any of this worth it??? His eyes fell back on the operating room’s monitor, watching as Rey tried to comfort the kid from the sewer, confliction melting for just a second. And then he thought for a moment longer; if he was being honest, maybe being a little selfish wasn’t a bad thing. It’s human nature, after all.

‘You owe me this time,’ he thought, turning away from the monitor. He looked down at Blade Wolf, his scowl softening.

“Move, Wolf.”

“Samuel-”

“I said move, ” he interrupted, “if you want to rat me out, be my guest, but you’re gonna let me through.”

Blade Wolf was quiet, but surprisingly, stalked away from the door.

“Consider developing some ideas of your own, next time,” Sam said, turning to look at the android as he was halfway through the door.

“You will not live the next time I see you, Samuel.”

“I hope you can keep that promise.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

“Once again, I am trying to tell you that I didn’t-”

“Don’t you lie to me, Sam. What happened here?”

She kept the blade pointed at his face, scowling at his stupid… nervous grin? That couldn’t be right.

“Rey, listen for once in your life, I had no idea what they were doing down here. If you haven’t noticed, I don’t get told much about what goes on!” he answered, pushing the blade out of his face. Rey took a step back, looking between George and Sam.

“Do you recognize him?” she asked the boy. He looked between the two of them, carefully studying his face, before responding, “not him.”

“Thank you!” Sam exclaimed.

She glared at Sam, and only then did she sheath her sword, taking a slow breath. The silence was awkward, tensity gone as they stared at each other.

“Well?”

“..I’m sorry I nearly stabbed you. Happy?” she huffed.

“No, but listen to me. We’re in a lot of trouble. Like, we have to leave, we’re in that much trouble. Okay? Do you understand me?” Sam explained, watching as Rey’s expression shifted into another slight scowl at the idea.

“What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything, but we may or may not have been noticed by security,” he said, calmly, trying to keep her from blowing up in his face again, “just… stay calm for me, okay? We need to get out of this lab, and fast, preferably.”

“ You- wait, what about George? We can’t just leave him here,” she answered, straining her voice. Sam looked at the boy, who was still standing behind Rey, and sighed. He tried to give George a grin, but the kid sort of shied away; okay, whatever, be that way.

“He found a way back into the sewers, why doesn’t he just go that way?” Sam suggested. Rey sort of nodded, but still wore a negative look on her features.

“But what about security?”

“They’ll be after us, not him,” Sam grinned, “now, kid, tell me. You remember how to get out of here?”

“..I think so,” George said, “am I gettin’ out of here?”

“Uh-huh, but you better be fast. We’ll meet up with you outside, got it, kid?”

“Sam-”

George nodded, and Sam, still a little on edge, grabbed Rey’s wrist, and yanked her toward the door.

“Don’t get caught, kid!”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

As she followed him through tense, silent corridors, Sam would occasionally stop, and look around.

“What are you doing??” she whispered, “you have yet to tell me why you’re so on edge!”

“Shh.”

“Don’t you ‘shh’ me! What’s-”

“Can you try and trust me until we get out of here?” Sam whispered back, “I promise, I will explain everything to you once we get out of here. Can you do that?”

Rey looked at him, hand tight on her sheath as she looked him over, “okay, okay. Fine. But you better-”

“-I will, just… be less… loud, and angry.”

She scoffed, and followed along, hand still tight on her sheath. The corridor seemed to stretch on much farther than usual, the lights far too dim. Sam’s motions repeated like a broken record, scanning the scene cautiously. As they reached the corridor’s intersection, Sam froze again, looking down each hall, and then straight ahead. Instinctively, Sam’s free hand moved to hers, trying to make sure she wouldn’t just… wander off with her stubborn attitude. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Rey hissed, pulling her hand back, “don’t you know which way we’re going?”

He rolled his eyes, “I’m trying to make sure that you don’t walk away. You don’t know what you’re doing down here.”

He could hear her scoff, and begin walking after him. Sam could practically feel her words forming in her head, and walked a little faster. 

“You’re acting as if I’m incapable of working on my own! I mean, what kind of idiot do you take me for-”

Sam froze for a moment, hearing two echoing voices growing close. His eyes scanned the hall, and they landed on a cracked door, leading to another operation room. His empty hand lurched back toward hers, and with a grip like an iron vice, he yanked her into the pitch-black room. He ducked down under the window, pulling her down, too.

“What are you-”

“-please, just be quiet.”

He was expecting her to say something, to scoff at his words, but she fell still, silent. He lightly nodded, and his grip loosened on her.  They quietly stared into nothingness, listening as voices grew from a faint echo to clear as day. 

“-and the VR program, how has that been going?”  

“Ah, well it’s been going… well enough, but some of our materials are on their last leg. But you see-”

“Is somethin’ wrong with our system, doc?”

“No, no, absolutely not! It is spectacular, thank you. But not every brain is the same, and every operation is unique. That’s why-” 

“Yes, yes. You’ll receive your funding. But the project, doctor.”

“I don’t know. Seems like this project was a lot easier when ol’ Georgy boy was doin’ it in Liberia.”

“Well, times change. It’s simply how things are.”

“...”

“..”

“..I suppose you make a good point, doctor. I’ll make sure you receive your funding, personally.”

“Thank you, sir, thank you! Here, allow me to walk you two out.”

Sam could feel Rey’s eyes burning in the side of his head, and while he couldn’t see her, he pictured her expression quite well. He… he had a lot to explain to her.

“Did you know?” she whispered, her voice firm.

“...you’re going to have to hear me out, all the way to explain-”

“-Sam, I swear if you knew about any of this, I-”

A loud clatter echoed through the small room, causing the two of them to become still as statues. The distant voices became silent for a moment.

‘Uh-oh,’ Sam thought, trying to pull her back down. They stared at each other (or at least what they thought was the other person), hoping the moment would pass. And then as if someone had been listening to their prayer, the voices grew distant, farther and farther away until they were completely gone. Sam let out a sigh of relief, his hand falling away from hers as his taut stance loosened. Rey pulled her hand back, refusing to look at him, which left him rolling his eyes again. In bitter silence, the two trudged down the rest of the corridor, and into a deep, winding tunnel, occupied by empty trucks and cargo boxes piled high. Rey shuddered at the idea of what was in them, and kept walking. She passed Sam, arms folded as her eyes seemed to find the ground much more interesting than him. He sighed, and moved a little closer to catch up.

“Are you really gonna do this? Now?” he groaned. Rey stopped walking, whipped her head around to look at him, still wearing a scowl on her face.

“Yes, now! How many times have you lied to me since Denver??” Rey hissed, “and you better be honest, because I will personally turn you over to Interpol, or whatever authorities are after you, and I will find Jack by myself!”

He raised an eyebrow at her, and shrugged, “good luck with that. Because as we all know, you can’t handle Desperado all by yourself. Case-in-point, your leg.”

“You of all people shouldn’t be talking!”

“Oh, you got lucky.”

“Well, let’s see if I still have that luck-”

One of the cargo boxes split wide open, a large metallic chainsaw whipping through the air as a familiar android shot through. The duo fell silent, taking a step back in near-perfect unison.

“What the hell is that?” she asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Sam.”

The canine landed a few feet in front of them, the chainsaw-tail swinging back and forth.

“I told you I would keep my promise, Samuel,” Blade Wolf spoke lowly.

“Oh, fantastic. Another one of your friends,” she huffed, her hand moving to the hilt of her sword. Sam scoffed, moving to draw his as well.

“I know what you said, Wolfie. Still won’t think for yourself, huh-”

“You will die. Both of you.”

Rey looked toward Sam, and then toward Blade Wolf, and Sam did the same, before giving the android a shrug. Blade Wolf was stanced up, presumably surveying them as they stared back. Sam, once again, looked toward Rey, and flashed a grin.

“Still wanna test your luck?”

She looked at him, and he could’ve sworn that her scowl actually disappeared, the ghost of a smile on her face.

“Why not?”

Blade Wolf flung another searing-hot knife toward Sam, and the small blade clashed against the silver of the sword in Rey’s hand. They charged toward the canine, both rearing up to strike. Blade Wolf rushed toward them, the chainsaw hurling itself forward. Sam’s sword pushed the saw back, and Rey’s sword flew toward Blade Wolf’s legs. The robot jumped back, sending a flurry of knives at Sam. They pushed forward, some of the smoking blades flying right back to Blade Wolf. A burning knife lodged itself in the robot’s side, sending it staggering for a moment. Sam’s eyes flew toward Rey, watching the expression in her eyes shift from her usual strict attitude, to something more… excited, as if she was experiencing some kind of rush. A smile tugged at his lips, but his eyes turned to Wolf for a moment. He looked over the android, a sense of despair washing over him at the sight. Blade Wolf was his first ally within Desperado’s ranks, his closest ally, actually. He paused, feeling a droplet of doubt form in his mind…

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

‘What is he doing?!’ Rey thought, watching as Sam froze up for a moment. She kept her pace up, swinging the sword wildly, deflecting blades, and pushing the android back. Her thoughts kept pulling her back to Sam’s frozen stance, and her eyes moved to him, only for one of the small blades to slam into her prosthetic, sending her staggering back, and another sent her to the ground. She hissed at the pain, but shot up to reach for the sword. Her eyes shot over to the robot-canine, watching as it sprinted toward toward Sam, its blade moving down toward him, and-

-like lightning, Rey sprung up, and the blade in her hands was frantically thrust into the android’s back, a sickening whining sound echoed through the tunnel. The android pushed her off, the chainsaw whipping toward her as she yanked the sword up and against the saw. The metal grinded against each other, sparks dancing in all directions as the saw pushed her down. Rey could feel her hands threatening to slip as the sword whined against the saw. 

“Sam!” she yelled, her voice hardly travelling past the sounds of grinding metal, “SAM!”

It was like she said the magic words, and in a heartbeat, the red of his sword came flying down toward the canine, striking its back as smoke began to rise from it. The robot hissed, trying to move back as the chainsaw began to wildly sputter. 

“Now!”

The saw flung upward, and Rey shot the blade right through the android’s torso. She ripped the sword out, and the robot shook, only to collapse onto the cold concrete ground. As silence filled the tunnel again, the shared rush of adrenaline began to shrink, and soon, it was just them. Rey pushed the android aside, sheathing the sword as her eyes met Sam’s again.

“I guess I really am lucky,” she joked, wearing an unfamiliar grin on her face. Sam looked up at her, a smile forming at the sight of her (finally) positive expression.

“Don’t jinx it.”

Rey lightly scoffed, and turned on her heel toward the tunnel’s exit. She walked a few paces, but found herself stopping. She looked over her shoulder, watching Sam’s grin become somewhat… solemn. Her eyes travelled between Sam and the now very-much dead robot on the ground. Her grin fell, and her heel turned again, meeting him at the artificial corpse.

“So you were friends,” she noted, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

“You could say that.”

“...”

Rey kneeled down, inspecting the splayed contents of the android carefully.

“We can probably fix him.”

“Us? No, not at all.”

She looked up at Sam, a smile finding its way back to her face as she stood up.

“I know someone.”

Chapter Text

As soon as they had left America, they were somehow already back. And to make it worse, they were right back in Colorado. The sun was rising on the Badlands as the car sped down the empty highway, kicking up dust and sand in its wake. 

Rey listened to the news broadcast on the car’s screen, her arms firm on the steering wheel, and eyes on the road. Occasionally, she’d glance over at Sam, who seemed to look between the case in the back, and then on the scenery outside, his window rolled down, wind tousling his pulled-back hair. The two of them remained silent for most of the ride, only the quick subtle glances to keep them company. However, it was… oddly tranquil; the gentle breeze, the hum of the stereo, and the warm glow of the sun to light the way.

SOLIS SPACE AND AERONAUTICS - 5 MILES

The car swiftly moved across empty lanes, the soft clicking sound of the blinker echoing as the world passed by. Eventually, the shape of buildings formed on the horizon, and the car began to slow down.

“Is this our stop?” asked Sam, his fingers picking at the ridges on his hilt. She glanced over at him, and then at the black case in the backseat.

“Where else?” she replied, veering the car toward the turn-lane, “they’ll help us fix your friend.”

“And find yours?”

“...something like that,” Rey answered, “Blade Wolf might know Jack’s last location, so repairing him would do us good. And who knows, maybe he can come with us.”

“And here, I thought you hated the poor dog,” he grinned at his own joke. She let out a small huff of amusement, the ghost of a grin on her face as she shook her head. 

The car rolled into an empty parking lot, and the engine fell silent as the duo both stepped out into the daylight. Sam slung the case over his shoulder, and looked toward Rey, awaiting some sort of instruction.

“Where to?”

In the distance, there was the sound of a roaring engine coming from a sleek, space shuttle-esque machine on the pavement. Two people stood on the ship’s (for lack of a better word) ramp, the shorter of the two waving at them. They approached the ramp, Rey walking ahead of Sam, who lingered behind. The older of the two, a fair-skinned man with shaggy brunette hair that was beginning to grey ever-so-slightly, and thin, silver wire-framed glasses, wore a grin on his face as he met Rey’s eyes.

“It’s good to see you again, Hal,” she called out to him over the sound of the engine. He gave her a nod, walking down the ramp as the younger person, a girl, followed closely behind. She wore a grin on her youthful features as well, silvery strands of hair falling from the braid she had done up.

“Likewise. You’re lucky I was working on-site today, otherwise, this would’ve had to wait ‘till tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Rey sheepishly replied, “but you’re the only person I knew could help us out.”

“I figured, but-”

His eyes traveled toward Sam, and his friendly expression fell for a moment. Hal looked between Rey and Sam, then directly back at her. There was a small feeling of regret in her gut at his gaze, trying to make a grin on her lips.

“Hal, it’s-”

“-why is he here?” he asked, folding his arms, “isn’t he working with the man who cut your leg off?”

Sam scoffed, muttering to himself as the mood suddenly shifted. Rey walked closer, raising her hands in a slightly defensive position.

“I can explain,” she answered, “it’s a long story, but-”

“-how can I be sure? I mean, Sunny’s here, so what if he-”

Rey put her hand up, “he won’t. I’m sure of it.”

She looked over her shoulder, giving Sam a look of pleading, almost. He shrugged, and then nodded. The hostile mood dissipated after a few long seconds, and Hal turned on his heel, motioning for them to follow along. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Once the shuttle was high in the atmosphere, the tension had seemed to disappear, with more important tasks to focus on. Hal stared carefully at the android’s splayed internal wiring, tools in hand as his objective was laid out before him, his eyes searching for a clear answer.

“Is it possible? To fix him, that is,” Rey asked, leaning against the operating table with her arms folded over her chest. 

Hal pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, turning his head up to look at her. 

“His interface is… still intact, so his data should still be present once I power him back on,” Hal answered, “now, it’s your turn to answer some of my questions.”

“...go on.”

He took off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh, “who is he?”

Rey paused, her eyes traveling between Hal, and then back toward the lab’s opened door, watching as Sam awkwardly looked around. Her defensive expression softened for a moment as her eyes met Hal’s again. Rey could only offer up a small shrug as she moved to rest her elbows on the hard surface.

“I know what you’re thinking, Hal, and that’s what I thought, too,” she explained, “what happened with us between Nairobi and Denver, it’s been a lot. But-”

“-I don’t think you should be placing too much trust in him,” Hal interjected, “you don’t know if he has ulterior motives.”

“It’s a temporary alliance, Hal,” she sighed, “Once Jack’s safe, he’ll be on his way. I promise.”

“You don’t know what could happen. You might end up back-”

“-that was years ago!”

An unsettling silence fell over them, only the steady thrum of the engine keeping them from a void of noiseless tension. Hal’s expression softened.

“I just..” his voice was less firm. He actually sounded more like himself, for the first time in a while.

“Now that Snake.. Now that David’s gone,” he paused, “it- we- we can’t lose anybody else, okay? You understand where I’m coming from, right..?”

Her shoulders fell, a sigh escaping her lips as she stood up straight again.

“I know, Hal,” her voice was, too, much quieter, “that’s why I trust Sam. He’s willing to help us bring Jack home. Just try and put some faith in him, even if it’s only a little.”

As he thought over her words, he noticed as Rey’s gaze turned toward a small framed photo. She picked it up, feeling the plastic frame in her gloved hands, looking at the glossy-printed picture. In the frame was a picture of Hal, Snake, and Sunny. It felt nostalgic, despite the fact that it was hardly three years old. She set the framed picture down, looking back toward Hal.

“How’s Sunny?” she queried, clearing her throat, “I’ve been meaning to ask, actually.”

He looked up, pushing his glasses back onto his face as his solemn expression began to shift.

“She’s been doing good, actually,” he answered, “Sunny’s been thriving here.”

“That’s good.”

The once-solemn silence became awkward, and then-

-Rey’s codec began to buzz obnoxiously, and she grimaced. It was a bad time. 

“Don’t you need to answer that?” Hal questioned, only to get a slightly annoyed glare back from her.

“Probably,” she huffed, “I’ll just..”

And she quickly walked out of the room, the door sliding shut behind her. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Sam watched as Rey disappeared off into another section of the ship, wearing an expression that could only be described as nervously annoyed. He sort of ignored it, turning back to exploring the contents of the cabin. He found himself impressed at the layout, occasionally glancing toward the lab, watching as Rey’s friend, Hal, continued to fix up Blade Wolf. Soon enough, he and the android would be gone, back to their regularly scheduled disaster. However..

He began to think about what Rey had said, not that he had actively been trying to eavesdrop on their argument , but then again, he might’ve been. Before Mexico, she probably would’ve agreed with every little thing that Hal had said, but there she was, scolding the scientist for talking lowly of him. There was a small spark in his chest, appreciation? Maybe. Respect? Not quite, but…

“Sorry about that,” came her voice, sounding a little sheepish, “they know.”

“Who?”

“My friends at Maverick, the ones you were oh-so worried about,” Rey answered, “they know we’re working together.”

“Ah,” he nodded, scooting over on the bench, “were they mad?”

Rey took a seat, crossing her artificial leg over the other, “obviously. But they’re over it.. For the most part.”

He shrugged, relaxing against the wall behind him with a sigh, watching as Rey messed around with something on her holograph. After a few, awkwardly long minutes, Rey got up, approaching the work-station where the white-haired girl was seated, typing away at her computer.

“Hey kid,” she said, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. The girl, Sunny, looked up at her with a wide grin, taking off a pair of thick headphones and placing them on the keyboard. She turned the chair to face Rey fully, moving to get up.

“It’s been a while, Rey!” she replied, fidgeting with the loose strands of hair from her braid, “things have changed a lot around here. You’d be surprised.”

“I bet. Especially you. What, you were eight, maybe nine the last time I saw you, Sunny,” Rey mused, “shouldn’t you be in school, though? Unless you’re on break, or something.”

“About that,” Sunny chuckled, “I graduated a couple months ago.”

Rey paused, looking at the younger girl, trying to find the lie in her voice, but there was nothing.

“Seriously?”

“Yep!”

“She’s a genius,” Hal grinned, standing at the lab’s door, “always has been, too.”

Sam looked over at the scientist, watching as he pushed his glasses up again.

“Anything about Wolf?” Sam asked, standing up, “what he’s got is crucial to our mission.”

He nodded, moving away from the door to reveal the android, standing in the lab. A grin crossed his face, and a wave of relief washed over him as he moved his hand away from his hilt.

“It’s up and running,” Hal replied, “he might be in better condition than he was built in. Come take a look.” 

Sunny was the first to approach the laboratory door, following behind Hal in curiosity, but Sam waited a second longer, waiting for Rey, surprisingly.

“Your friend’s a genius, too,” he whispered, leaning toward her, “can’t believe it.”

“Hal used to work on Metal Gears, he knows what he’s doing,” she grinned, arms folded.

“You left that part out,” Sam joked. Rey looked at him, still wearing an unfamiliar, but welcome grin on her face.

“Did I?”

He grinned at his own joke, and the duo entered the lab, and there was Blade Wolf.

“What… what happened?” The android’s familiar voice came, “I went offline..”

“How’d you sleep?” Sam mused, grinning to himself all the more as Rey lightly smacked him in the arm.

“I do not sleep, Samuel.”

“He’s joking.”

“I am aware. He just isn’t funny.”

A light scoff came from Rey, shaking her head with a smile, “we know.”

“Anyways,” Hal said, “you retain a certain file of recordings that we need. You have them, but we need access from you.”

“My recordings are meant to be viewed by my masters, and no-one else.”

“I’m pretty sure they think you’re dead, Wolfie,” Sam replied, “and honestly, were they ever actually going to use them?”

“I… I cannot give them to you.”

Disappointment rested over them, a collective sigh as Blade Wolf gave an answer. Sam folded his arms, turning away from the table as he shook his head. Rey, expression fallen, walked closer to the table, steeling herself as she approached the android.

“That’s fine,” she answered, “can you answer a few questions, though?”

“I’ll answer questions within reason.”

“Who else was in that lab in Mexico? The day Sam and I were there.”

The canine fell silent for a few seconds, the soft hum of its interface acting as if it were thinking about her words carefully.

“My masters.”

“And they are?”

“...”

Rey paused for a moment, a thought hitting her like a brick as she stood back up.

“I am such an idiot,” she muttered, turning to look at Sam, “is that what you were trying to tell me back in the lab??”

“Yes!” he exclaimed, a smile finding its way back to his face, “finally. You didn’t need the AI to tell you.”

“Then who was it?” she asked, firmly.

He blinked for a second, “they-”

“Steven Armstrong,” the android finally answered. At first, Rey made a face, as if trying to rationalize the name, and then she looked back at Sam.

“The senator??”

He sheepishly nodded, “yes, the senator.”

“The other was Sundowner,” Blade Wolf continued, “he is Desperado’s leader.”

“So what about Armstrong? What’s he got to do with anything? Hal asked, finally taking a step back from the computer, and turning to look at Sam, who sort of shrugged.

“He was partnered up with Desperado, that’s all I know,” he replied, “he’s a pretentious ass, though. That’s for sure.”

Rey was too busy scrolling through a hologram, skimming information on the senator.

“Says here that he’s World Marshal’s CEO,” she added.

“World Marshal?”

“Yeah, biggest PMC to date.”

“Maybe after Outer Haven,” Hal added, “nothing could beat that.”

“I don’t know, Hal,” she said, her once calm expression becoming a little uneasy, “World Marshal seems like it could come close in size, maybe even in reputation.”

They shared a look of concern for a moment.

“How long has World Marshal been with Desperado?” Hal asked Sam, who looked less than fazed by the idea.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ve only been with them two years,” he replied.

“I’d guess that they sprung up after Outer Haven, and got together soon after,” Rey suggested.

“Imagine if that kind of information got out. I mean… he helped finance an assassination, trafficking kids, God, it sounds like Sears all over again.”

Sam scoffed, “he never shuts up about him.”

He looked over at her, watching as her face morphed into a look of realization. Rey began sort of pacing, the windows of holograms sort of following her around.

“That makes… perfect sense,” she whispered, “who else would Armstrong want in his ranks?”

“What’re you talking about?” Sam questioned, perking his head up. He looked between the other two adults, watching as they sort of matched each other's weird energy; Rey pacing around like a madman, and Hal nodding along.

“If not Sears, then his son,” Hal gasped, “the person who knew him best.”

“What the-”

“He thought Jack was the perfect soldier, and now, Armstrong wants to improve the prototype, with Jack himself!”

“What are you two talking about? Raiden was President Sears’ son??” Sam exclaimed

“Yes!!” Rey and Hal said in unison. He took a step back, making a face at the two of them.

“Okay, calm down,” Sam huffed, “I wasn’t in the loop.”

“Some of this… is true,” Wolf chimed in, “The Sears Program is centered around improving upon the image of child soldiers, and soldiers alike.”

“Look at us,” Rey grinned slightly, “we’re geniuses.”

She extended her hand to meet Hal’s in a joking high-five, to which he reciprocated, awkwardly chuckling.

“Still,” Hal added, pulling his hand away, “how are they keeping Raiden captive? It should be impossible for someone like him.”

“Ooh, good point,” she nodded, her grin becoming a serious stare, “when I saw him in World Marshal’s headquarters, he was not acting like himself.”

“You know, there’s a wire running through his body,” Sam interjected, “along his back. Maybe that’s got something to do with his behavior shift?”

Rey froze up for a moment, turning to Sam, “there is?”

“I thought you knew?”

A bright hologram shot up in the center of the room, a grainy picture of a long, thin wire resting on a table.

“Something like that?” Hal asked.

“Huh, it looked exactly like that.”

They exchanged nervous glances between each other, Rey seemingly much quieter now. It was almost unnerving, watching the light in her eyes die immediately.

“That looks like a Patriot Cerebral Cord,” Hal said, zooming in on the picture, “you connect it in their helmet, or into an actual slot in the head, and the cord remains connected to artificial skin.”

Sam nodded, “sounds about right.”

A low scoff, almost a growl came from Rey, shaking her head as she looked at the picture. Sam’s prosthetic arm found its way to her shoulder, trying to keep her grounded, to pull her out of whatever memory she was drowning in.

“Rey.”

“I can’t believe them,” she hissed, “I’ll kill them both.”

“Rey!”

She finally looked back at him, the cold, bitter darkness in her eyes disappearing. They stared at each other for too long, staring deep into the other’s soul in a confusingly tense silence. It was like the world had just… disappeared for a moment, nothing but a rush of quiet. Just them, just-

“..sorry,” she broke the silence, taking a step back, “it’s just, yeah, it’s nothing.”

He awkwardly pulled his hand off of her shoulder, nodding. As the room once again fell into silence, which was becoming repetitive, the engine roared greater than before, like a rush of water.

“Entering Tophosphere, landing imminent in T-Minus five minutes. Prepare for landing,” came the voice of the shuttle’s AI, clear and calm. The two looked to Hal, who simply nodded along, turning to leave the cramped lab. As everyone trailed out, Sam turned back toward the table, making a motion for Wolf to come with. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The scent of evening air and grass washed over them, the sun drenching their bodies as they watched the shuttle lift off, kicking leaves and debris all about. Rey watched the shuttle grow distant, Sam and Wolf looking off toward the edge of the hill. She deeply inhaled, the almost sweet scent bringing an unfamiliar calmness to the otherwise tense woman. Soon, the shuttle was absent in the violet sky, and Rey walked toward the two.

“We’ve got a lot of ground to cover before it’s dark,” Rey said, approaching Sam. He gave no reply, his eyes glued to something ahead. She looked at him, watching a strange expression of confusion… or was it concern on his face?

“Sam?”

“Look.”

Rey finally turned to look ahead, and her eyes widened in realization.

Chapter Text

Thick clouds of smoke danced on the horizon, while small, but bright bursts of orange flickered between tall, elegant buildings. The sounds of gunfire were faint, but sounded like an out-of-tune symphony. The three watched from the hill in deadly silence, eyes glued to the disaster ahead. The gunfire was washed away by the soft gusts of wind, grass flailing wildly in the breeze.

“...what.. What happened here?” Rey’s voice came quietly, as if still searching for the proper words to share. 

Sam could only meet her astonishment with silence, mulling over his memories of the last few days, trying to reason with the unfamiliar scene.

“Desperado, along with World Marshal’s aid, initiated a military coup on Abkhazia. You’re looking at the results of what occurred in Sokhumi,” Wolf answered for Sam, approaching the front of the group. 

They both looked at Wolf, Sam finally snapping out of his trance-like expression.

“When did that meeting happen?” he asked the AI, his expression still somewhat lost, “I don’t remember anybody bringing that up.”

“You were not present.”

“But you were?” Rey chimed in, “did they mention Raiden, by any chance?”

“...he was present at the last meeting,” Wolf hesitantly mentioned.

“So this was recent?”

Rey kept her eyes on Blade Wolf, a small sparkle of hope in her eyes as she approached the canine.

“Do you think he was here?”

“I…”

Sam sort of rolled his eyes at Wolf’s hesitance, “you’re gonna tell us one way or another, Wolfie. You might as well get it over with.”

A whir, almost like a sigh, came from Blade Wolf. Rey knelt down next to the robot, placing a gloved hand on the helm.

“You can tell us,” she said, “we don’t plan on letting Desperado take you back, you know.”

…

“Raiden was in the capital,” Wolf obliged, “the last signal he gave off was near Parliament, 12 hours ago.”

“See? Wasn’t so bad, was it?” Sam interjected, “Rey’s perfectly fine once you get past her bad mood.”

Rey slightly smiled, “that is true.”

She stood back up, hand moving to the hilt of her sword.

“I guess we gotta get a move on,” she said, “it’ll be dark before we know it.”

“We have approximately 16.5 miles to reach the capital. It will take us exactly 5.5 hours if we start now,” the AI added, “I will scout ahead, and you two will follow.”

Sam chuckled, “you’re the boss.”

After a while, the sky was a pitch-black canvas, speckled with starlight and delicate, fading smoke clouds. At some point, Blade Wolf had gotten quite a ways away from the duo, leaving them in awkward silence as they walked, and as per usual, came the weird little glances between them. 

“So…” Sam started, his pace slowing down, “how long.. Uh, how long have you been with Maverick?”

She looked over at him, her expression giving way to a calmer, blank expression.

“..huh,” she began to reply, “it’s been, wow, maybe three years? Could be four.”

“You can’t even remember?”

“Listen, I needed a job, and this is what I could get, especially with my skill set.”

“I hope that doesn’t include swordsmanship,” he grinned

“Hey! I’m alright at it, okay?” Rey scoffed, “I was trained a lot differently than newer soldiers. Where’d you learn to fight, anyway? VR missions?”

“Me? In a simulated fight?” Sam replied, feigning offense, before dropping the act, “no, my father taught me.”

“Really?”

“I’m no liar,” he answered, “he ran a dojo, taught me, taught a bunch of other kids, too.”

“A dojo, huh?” she repeated, “I would’ve never guessed. So what, was he a samurai, too?”

“You could say that.”

“You’re lying,” she joked.

“Where’d you think I got the sword from?” he retorted, “it’s a family heirloom. What about yours?”

Her expression fell a little, “It’s Raiden’s. I was planning on giving it to him when we found him.”

“..Oh.”

The silence threatened to creep up on them again as the moment became sullen.

“Anyways,” Sam cleared his throat, “tell me about you.”

“Me?”

He nodded, now wearing a grin on his face. She shook her head, a grin crossing hers, and kept on walking.

“Oh, come on,” he sighed, sarcastically, “I gotta learn more about my partner, don’t I?”

“Who I am,” she replied, “isn’t important.”

He followed behind her, “it is.”

“Isn’t.”

He bumped her shoulder, “it so is.”

She bumped him back, “it so isn’t .”

He kept trying, and she kept on walking, still wearing a relaxed expression as they went back and forth. She was beginning to enjoy his presence, and maybe, just maybe , he was too. Minutes turned into hours, just the two of them, treading under the dark sky..

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

By daylight, the duo couldn’t tell how far they had walked, only that the scenes around them had begun to change; sun rays hitting white buildings, streets where there were dirt tracks, a new setting, for sure.

Rey stopped for a moment, messing around with the holographic map, which casted light on Sam’s armor as he re-approached her. He quietly watched her through the transparent screen, waiting for something from her.

“We made it,” she started, “this is Sukhumi.”

He sighed, “good. I was getting tired of all that endless walking.”

“We still have to find Raiden.”

“I’m well-aware. However, we can finally get some rest once he’s found.”

“Sure.”

The map fluttered off, and Rey started off once more, Sam following suit. They searched aimlessly, only met with an eerie silence from the world around them. As they kept on, Sam’s hand flung to the hilt of his sword, frantically looking around. Rey turned to see him, her stance hardening to mirror his.

“What?” she queried, “what did you hear?”

“Listen,” he whispered back.

They both stood in the void of silence, waiting for the slightest of sounds to jump out at them-

-a distant, but noticeable metallic whine echoed from far off; Rey’s head whipped toward the direction of the noise, her eyes pinpointed on a building ahead. Her hand moved to the hilt of the sword, and her eyes back to Sam’s.

“Parliament,” she whispered.

“Excuse me?”

“Something’s happening in the Parliament building,” Rey repeated herself, “let’s go.”

They moved swiftly through the capital square, only stopping to observe the sounds around them, quickly approaching the tall structure. The once pristine white building was stained with years and years gone by, an eerily grandeur presence in Freedom Square. They approached the building, slowly, listening to the metallic whines growing louder and louder. Sam shoved the door in, the duo rushing into the abandoned structure. They were met with a horde of cyborgs, all surrounding what appeared to be-

“Wolf!” Sam called out to the AI, gaining the attention of the small group of soldiers. He looked at Rey, giving her a nod in the split second before they threw themselves into the flurry, metal crashing against metal. The AI jumped back in, the horde growing smaller. Sam’s red blade swung through one, ripping the spinal tract out of its armor, the electrolyte fluid splattering across dirtied concrete. The silver blade in Rey’s hands met the legs of a rushing cyborg, bringing him down to the hard ground as red mist coated the air as she ripped the blade out of the thigh. Bullets sprayed along the ground, chunks of concrete flying as Rey sprung to her feet. A tall, black-suited robot slammed its fists into the ground where she once stood, heaving like an animal. It flung itself into straighter posture, a bright yellow glow emanating from its almost-leathery appearance. A scratchy howl escaped its maw, and it lurched forward. Her heart nearly stopped beating as she jumped back again, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the sheer force of the robotic beast.

“Sam!” Rey yelled, hoping her voice would reach him.

He could faintly hear her call, and he kicked back the cyborg in his grasp, letting him tumble back. He rushed toward her, watching as she fought with that big, ugly robot… thing. Before he could reach her, one of the robot’s hands reached out, yanking her off of the ground and into a headlock. All of the air in his lungs disappeared at the sight. However, he ripped himself out of his panic, and sprinted right for that big, hulking idiot of a robot. He sprung off of the ground, sword in hand crashing through its muscled arm. A spray of electricity shot across the beast, giving Rey enough time to grasp for her sword, and send it through the robot’s head. It hit the floor with a sickening thud as Rey rolled out of its way. He quickly approached her side, his hand reaching her shoulder as she coughed up her lungs.

“You alright?” he quietly asked, so as not to startle her, “that was.. That was pretty good back there.”

She looked up, wiping her face of dirt, “..yeah, just-”

Rey coughed again, a few stray drops of blood staining the gray ground as she stood up straight.

“Thank you,” she finally answered him. He nodded, sheathing his sword as she followed suit. As they put themselves back together, Rey tensed at the sound of wheezing, hand moving back to the sword in her sheath. Both sets of eyes landed on the cyborg Sam had abandoned, watching as he wearily tried to grab his weapon off of the ground. Sam walked toward the pathetic display, almost grinning at the sight. He kicked the gun across the ground, the sound of the material screeching across the concrete silenced as Rey picked up the weapon, only to toss it aside.

“Now,” he started, kneeling down, “wanna tell us what that was all about?”

The cyborg hissed, “I ain’t tellin’ you anything.”

Rey stood behind Sam, her expression stoic and firm as her eyes watched them both.

“I believe you owe the lady and I, after rudely ambushing Wolfie, here..”

“...both of you are bastards,” the cyborg grunted, “just wait ‘til your ‘old friends’ with Desperado hear ‘bout this-”

Sam grabbed the cyborg by his shoulder rig, slamming him against the aging walls, a glint in his eyes as he gave a small laugh. He turned to Rey, motioning toward the enemy soldier.

“Why don’t you ask him where our good friend is?” he mused, watching as she approached. Rey stood by his side, arms folded as she eyed the cyborg up and down.

“Where’s Raiden?” she began, taking a step closer, 

“Yeah, Blondie,” Sam added, “weren’t you with him, huh?”

The cyborg made a face, looking away from them.

“Figure it out yourselves,” he huffed, “I’ve got nothing to say to a couple of low-life, dirty-”

Her knee connected with his stomach, the man groaning in pain as she pulled back.

“Where. Is. He?”

“He was with the captain, okay?” he spat out, “they- they left.”

Sam pushed him harder against the wall, “when?”

“This morning! That’s all I know!”

“You’re lying,” she hissed, “spit it out before we take what we need ourselves.”

The cyborg squirmed in Sam’s hold, refusing to speak a word as he tried (to no avail) to fight them off, only for Sam to suddenly yank him into a headlock, grip tight on the soldier.

“Let… go!”

“Ah-ah, speak first, then just maybe we’ll let you live. Got it?” Sam taunted, “go on.”

“...the captain said something about ‘Operation Tecumseh’,” he wheezed, “it was more important than the coup.”

“What do you know about it?” Rey asked, her tone intense.

“Nothing… I swear!”

“How do we know you aren’t lying?”

“I’m not!”

Rey rolled her eyes, and looked up at Sam, waving her hand a little.

“Alright, alright,” she sighed, “let him go.”

Sam feigned an annoyed sigh, but ultimately dropped the soldier, watching as he scurried off, forgetting his weapons in the process. He stretched his arms out, looking around at the ruins. Rey picked up an abandoned tranquilizer gun, before sort of placing it aside.

“That was something,” he sighed, “but uh.. Wow. I can’t believe Sundowner would just… leave a military coup up to some rookies. That’s new for him.”

He looked at Rey, who was already connecting her codec again.

“Rey?” came an unfamiliar voice from the hologram, “it’s… ah, it’s been a while since you called.”

“It’s been two days, sir,” she replied, “anyways, we have a bigger problem on our hands.”

“..go on.”

“Have you guys ever heard anything about Operation Tecumseh ?”

“Uh… like the chief?” came a new voice; a woman’s voice.

“Yeah, the guy who cursed a bunch of presidents?”

“I mean… I guess?”

“Wouldn’t Samuel know?”

“I wouldn’t,” he chimed in, grinning at the three new people on the codec, “wasn’t told about a lot of things, actually.”

The woman, Courtney, gave a bit of a shrug, “the only thing we’d know about that is the Indian chief.”

“Well, I guess that’d make sense,” Rey replied, “this isn’t a new thing, either.”

“You don’t have to tell us twice,” the younger man, Kevin, joked.

Rey gave a slightly disappointed sigh, “so this is… definitely not public knowledge.”

“Nope.”

“Well, it was worth asking about anyways,” she said, “I’ll let you guys know about any updates.”

“What about Raiden?”

“We’re getting closer.”

“...well, let’s hope that’s true.”

With that, the codec screen disappeared, leaving Rey and Sam alone again. She turned to him, and motioned toward the exit. It was quite sad to see the building left in the condition it was in, honestly. 

“Wait,” Rey paused, “where’s Wolf at?”

Sam stopped, too, and gave a look-around. No sign of the AI in sight. He looked back to Rey, and shrugged.

“He must’ve taken off ahead of us,” he guessed, “he’s probably alright.”

Rey made a face at the idea, “I don’t know, Sam. He could’ve gotten dragged off…”

He placed a hand on her shoulder, “he’s usually like this, anyways. Wolfie’s always had a thing about patrolling alone. He’ll be fine, and we’ll be fine. What matters right now is finding out where Raiden and Sundowner disappeared to.”

Rey nodded, her wary expression softening, “you’re right.”

“I know.”

Chapter Text

The door slid open as metallic footsteps echoed through the small room, the soft hum of the lights radiating in the space. The footsteps came to a stop, a figure standing before another.

Monsoon didn’t turn to look at Raiden when he stood still, keeping his eyeless gaze on the task at hand.

“The intruders are closeby,” the younger man’s raspy voice cut clean through the silence. The red-clad cyborg still gave no attention to him, watching a nameless figure, hooked up to a large machine. The younger cyborg drew near, his gaze falling where Monsoon’s remained.

“I can pursue them,” Raiden added, “it won’t take me long.”

Monsoon grinned, finally turning to look at the platinum-blonde cyborg.

“It’s just now dawning on me that you’ve no patience,” he replied, “suppose I should’ve seen it earlier.”

“I could’ve killed the woman in Denver.”

“Wasn’t it Aristotle who told the people, ‘patience is bitter, but the fruit is sweet’?"

“I don’t indulge in meaningless philosophical conversations,” he scoffed, “it has nothing to do with the mission at hand.”

“It only appears that way on the surface,” Monsoon turned away, slowly pacing the room, “to you, anything in your way is a simple obstacle to crush, but to me…”

He picked up a sleek black sai, the metal glinting in the light as he delicately twirled it between metallic red fingers as his expression fell blank again.

“To me,” he breathed, “patience is like a flower; the longer it grows, the more beautiful it becomes at the end.”

“Is that why I’ve been cooped up in here?” Raiden hissed, “the ‘angrier I get in here, the more violent I’ll become out there’?”

He grinned again, “and yet, you claim to hate philosophy.”

Monsoon circled the younger cyborg, who remained still as he looked at the shuddering figure on the table, his blue eye tracing their silhouette.

“You weren’t at your full potential in Denver,” Monsoon added, “I could feel it.”

“The woman was pathetic,” Raiden spat, “she didn’t deserve it.”

“So you let her live?”

“Samuel did.”

Monsoon nodded, “and now they’re conspiring against us.” 

“Let me kill them, then.”

Monsoon raised a hand to the insistent Raiden, silencing him. Raiden let out a quiet, frustrated growl at the idea, his fists clenched. The masked cyborg watched as he tilted his head, his smile dropping again.

“When the right time comes, use that anger. All of that hate, wound up inside you…”

Raiden kept his head down.

“... use it. ”

Monsoon approached the shuddering cyborg, small blue sparks of electricity fluttering off of the sai. He kneeled down, running his hand along the metal.

“Wouldn’t you agree?” he asked the nameless cyborg, who only replied with a nervous silence as his head hung low. Monsoon raised the sai, and drove it through the soldier’s left arm, a loud, chilling cry of pain escaping the mouth of the soldier. The older cyborg pulled the forearm off, inspecting the metal prosthetic, before setting it down next to the pained cyborg. Raiden hardly grimaced at the sight, but an unfamiliar squeamishness bubbled in his core. Monsoon turned back to him, straightening himself out.

“Now,” he began, “what did you come to tell me?”

“The captain’s here.”

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The sky was painted with a warm yellow tint, fading into a rosy pink as the sun began to sink low. Vibrant golden rays of the sun touched the ground below, a gentle whisper of wind caressing blades of grass. A small, crackling fire danced in the makeshift pit that rested on the cracked concrete. Sam had busied himself with cleaning his sword with the small resources he carried, and Rey continued her search for information, still secretly worried about Wolf’s whereabouts.

“It’s getting dark,” Rey commented, standing up to stretch her legs, “and Wolf still isn’t back. Do you think he’s alright?”

Sam shrugged, “if there was a problem, he’d let us know, but it looks like he’s still online.”

She approached the blown-out window, watching a few lone birds drifting through the sky as she thought over his words. Maybe she was overthinking things; that was a tendency of hers, was it not? Whatever, she turned away from the window, looking around the open space, watching the shadows casted on the wall, the faint light pouring through the cracked-open ceiling, and clouds freely roaming the sky. Her mind began to wander through scenes familiar to this, only to find few memories as anxiously tranquil as this one. There was Alaska, and there was that day in Nairobi…

She was pulled out of the clouds when a faint hiss escaped Sam’s lips. Rey turned to look at him, noticing a few beads of fresh, bright red blood on his ungloved hand, his sword haphazardly laid down as his metal prosthetic clenched his wrist tightly.

“What did you do?” she asked, her tone of nervousness shifting.

“It’s just a little cut,” he winced, “don’t worry about me-”

“Any kind of cut is dangerous out here.”

Rey reached into her utility belt, pulling out a small roll of bandages, and a small vial of rubbing alcohol, moving to take a seat next to him. He moved his hand to his opposite side, where she couldn’t reach. He looked away from her, rolling his eyes at her notion, “I’m fine.”

“Let me see,” Rey insisted, holding a hand out. He grumbled, and slowly moved his hand in her direction. Their hands brushed against each other, before she took a firm, but not painful grip on his wrist, her gray eyes carefully inspecting the fresh cut.

“How sharp is that sword?” she sighed, “this is an incredibly clean cut.”

He scoffed, something between a bitter smirk and a prideful grin crossing his face briefly.

“What were you expecting? This thing can cut through metal,” he replied, matter-of-factly. Rey shook her head, and twisted the vial open.

“This’ll probably sting,” she said, pouring a few drops onto the open wound. As expected Sam gave a small hiss of pain as a reaction, forcing himself to remain calm and not push her away. She took the cloth off of his knee, and delicately dabbed the blood away, drying the cut up. She set the cloth aside, and began wrapping thin layers of bandaging over the cut. Her handiwork was gentle, yet firm, and the bandaging looked precise and clean. Her eyes remained on her task, while Sam’s attention was focused on her, watching her blank expression.

“Look at you,” he mused, “fussing over a guy you wanted to kill less than a week ago.”

“Mm,” she hardly acknowledged his teasing, too busy with his hand. She cut the end of the bandaging, folding it neatly into the wrapped section, and she gave his hand a light pat. Finally, she looked back up at him, their eyes meeting in a rare moment of…

Well, whatever it was, it was pleasant; her hand in his, gazes met, and nothing but a content silence between them. Perhaps all those silent moments they shared weren’t awkward anymore, but something more. Somewhere, amidst all that chaos, was a perfect moment. 

An obnoxious beeping sound came from Sam’s codec, his eyes turning away from hers, and toward the glowing hologram.

BLADE WOLF - UNKNOWN FREQUENCY

Sam pulled his hand away, pressing the accept button as they both watched a glitchy screen in confusion.

“Wolfie, where have you been?” Sam started, “you’ve got us both worried about you.”

“I… require assistance, Samuel,” the AI crackled, “this is urgent.”

“Where are you?” Rey asked, “we’ll come find you-”

“You must stay behind,” Wolf interjected, “it is dangerous for you. Desperado is hunting you down.”

“...well, what happened?”

“What happened to me does not matter. I’m sending you my coordinates, Samuel.”

The codec glitched off, Rey and Sam looked at each other with the same worried glint in their eyes.

“I’ll go and get him,” Sam declared, “you stay here, and call me if something happens, okay?”

“You’re just going alone?” She replied, getting up to follow, “what if Wolf knows more about Raiden?”

“Wolf’s probably in enemy territory,” Sam said, “I promise, I won’t be long, Rey.”

“But-”

“I promise.”

He let go of her hand, and he collected his sheathed sword, taking off into the dark to find Wolf, leaving Rey alone. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Minutes turned into an hour, and an hour to two, and Rey found herself growing more nervous at Sam and Wolf’s absence. The idea she was so scared of being alone felt foreign to her; she was a soldier, she’d fought many, many times before, and here she was, a little anxious at the idea that someone she wasn’t that well-acquainted with was gone for just a little too long. What was wrong with her? She huffed, pacing the room as she listened to the ambient sound of fire crackling, dim moonlight hitting her face, wind playing with her curls.

“Where is he?” she whispered to herself, “Wolf couldn’t have been that far away..”

Her scalp almost felt… tight with nervousness, this weird sense of panic at Sam’s truancy made her feel so… so odd. She stopped herself in her tracks, opening the codec screen, her finger hovering over his name in a moment of confliction-

-the sound of stomping rattled the building, echoing through the concrete and plaster walls. Her eyes fluttered to the broken window, seeing the animalistic silhouette of giant, frog-legged machines in the distance.

Gekkos.  

She held a breath, watching the machines rest idly at a distance, moving to extinguish the fire in the pit and collect her sword. As the room grew dark, she pressed a free hand to a small button on her helmet, a yellow visor flying over her face, the gekkos now highlighted on the AR screen. In the dark, she moved toward the open door, and just before she could step out, the leg of one of the robots swung in, connecting with her chest, sending her flying across the room. Then came the familiar animalistic cry, alerting the horde outside to draw near. She cursed to herself, springing up as the pain gave way to adrenaline. She turned on her heel, and rushed toward the decrepit stairwell, sprinting upward. Rey climbed the stairs, only stopping when the building itself was shaken, the gekkos growing close. She pressed into the wall, attempting to stabilize herself as they shook the building violently.

The gekko raised its leg, and Rey went flying when it kicked forward. She gasped, hand clutching at her chestplate as she rolled off to the side. She frantically opened her codec, repeatedly pressing on Sam’s frequency and watching as it dialed forever.

“Rey?”

“Sam!” she exclaimed, “listen, it’s bad over here. Desperado's got a bunch of androids out on patrol! I don't think I can take them myself. You and Wolf gotta get-”

“-where the hell are you? Just stay where you are, okay?”

“That might not be possible!” she replied.

“You– alright, alright. I’m coming. Send me your live coordinates and I’ll come out there.”

Wood chips sprayed outward as the gekko rammed its ugly head into the door. Rey yelped, and sprinted toward the window, and she leapt out, rapidly reaching the ground. Her heart slowed, and her hands ripped the sword from the sheath, jamming it into the side of the wall, slowing the impact down, her boots barely touching the grass below. She pulled the sword out of the wall, and just a few feet in front of her, the gekko landed, denting the ground and shaking the very foundation of the building. The leg lurched forward, but was pushed back. The silver metal of the sword glinted in the moonlight, sparks flying in all directions as the gekko’s metallic leg pushed against the blade. She violently shoved the sword into the gekko, sending it staggering a few inches back as she began hacking away at the artificial flesh. Her blade lodged into the gekko’s thigh, and for a moment, it seemed stuck. The beastly machine’s leg flailed about, shaking Rey up in the process. With a mighty rush, the blade finally dislodged itself, and down she went, sword clattering next to her.  Rey struggled to catch her breath, pulling herself to her knees as she reached for the sword. The gekko rushed forward, moving to land its final, devastating blow, when-

-like a sudden gust of wind, she ripped the blade through the air, sparks of electricity glowing brightly as she swung the sword through the gekko’s leg. As the machine dropped, a rush shot through her, violent and yearning for more. Without hesitation, she plunged the sword into the soft, artificial flesh again, and then again, and again, and again, and-

She tore the blade out of the mangled mass before her, watching as bright blue liquid pooled around the mechanical corpse, mixing and swirling with a sickly green oil from the motor. And then suddenly, the rush was gone, the sword fallen from her hand, and silence. The ambient chirping of crickets was only ever interrupted by sharp, shuddering gasps from her lips. 

Rey’s body hit the ground with a dull thump.