Fox stood near the Freedom City’s airfield as several jet black aircraft descended with a low hum, kicking up wind as they landed. Their designs were far sleeker and visibly more efficient than the common models found on Novo Prime. A clear testament to Eden Hall’s technological advancements over the past few years.

After all of the aerial vehicles were safely grounded, their cargo holds creaked open and Eden Hall’s security team stepped out. They kept their weapons at a neutral position which indicated they didn’t need to show caution toward Freedom City. A small gesture of friendship, maybe?

“You arrived quicker than I expected.” Fox stepped forward to greet the representative with Hawk right behind him. Most of their attention was diverted to the brand new aerial vehicles they hadn't seen before until a few black crates began to be carted out.

“Of course, there is the possibility of an imminent disaster looming. We have yet to figure out the current reason for the Corrupted becoming inactive and their lack of aggression over the past few years. There haven’t been many reports of a horde sighting but we believe they are in a period of hibernation spurred on by their ability to evolve.” The representative was about to continue when he seemed to abruptly realize something. “Ah, yes, there’ll be time to talk about that later. For now, we’ve come offering equipment that will be useful to you.”

As he finished speaking, the black crates were opened and various pieces of armor were displayed. A grey armor plate with a reflective luster was handed over to Fox so he could examine it.

“...That looks like plastic,” Hawk commented with a deep frown. It appeared as if Eden Hall was attempting to make a fool of Freedom City.

“You aren’t wrong,” The representative replied before explaining, “You’re holding a hyperdense polycarbonate armor plate that’s stronger than most of the current ballistic-resistant armor available in other cities with the benefit of being far lighter. When combined with its insulated shock absorbent layer, you will find that most bullets won’t be able to stop you, let alone hurt you as long as you're wearing it. It’s also very effective in defending against normal Corrupted but those with increased physical strength are a completely different story.”

Hawk accepted the explanation with clear skepticism, shifting his gaze to Fox.

“Could we test it?” Fox inquired politely under Hawk's quiet urging. He didn’t wish to imply that Eden Hall was lying, but he certainly wouldn't believe what he was told so easily without seeing it put to use first.

“I don’t see why not.” The Representative smiled before gesturing to one of his men. "Step forward."

The soldier who was covered in full suit of polycarbonate armor stepped forward and put his arms behind him while jutting his chest out in a proud manner. He seemed to ooze confidence from every part of himself.

“You’ve told me that your companion, Hawk, is very proficient in the usage of firearms. If you have a weapon on hand, you can fire a few rounds at one of our soldiers.”

“Are you- Are you serious?” Hawk furrowed his brows while the well-dressed representative simply nodded.

“I’d ask that you hurry, we don’t have much time to waste, there are other matters we need to attend to back at Eden Hall.”

“Alright, if you say so.” Hawk shrugged and drew his sidearm, a low-caliber pistol and immediately fired at the soldier.

The bullets struck the “plastic” armor in the same spot with a dull impact before bouncing off at a much slower velocity or simply falling flat onto the ground.

“By Anton’s soul!” Fox watched with his mouth agape as the soldier didn’t even flinch.

“Our Polycarbonate Armor is far cheaper and quicker to make than those metal-based armors. We have a few hundred pieces for you today and likely far more in the future.” The representative clapped once before another crate was brought forward. “You can think of this next thing as a gift of sorts as our supply of it is very limited and we can only give out a dozen or so to you at the moment.”

Fox and Hawk found their anticipation had soared as they were already thoroughly impressed by the hyperdense polycarbonate armor.

A large crate was pushed toward them and opened revealing something stranger than the Polycarbonate Armor.

“What, uh, what exactly is this?” Fox was at a loss as he couldn’t figure out how something worked from just a glance.

“This is an exoskeletal suit that can grant completely normal humans the strength of an Abnormal with a type four physical strength trait.”

“What?!” Fox was taken aback as he looked at the very visibly unimpressive armament.

It was shaped to fit a human skeleton, that much was certain, but its limbs didn’t seem as if they would be able to give someone an increase in strength.

“That isn’t all.” The Representative shook his head as a strange sword was revealed.

A soldier placed his hand on the rubberized grip and pulled it out of the sheathe, revealing it to Fox and Hawk.

It featured a rectangular blade with a thick metal band that seemed to function as the hilt. The hilt itself was connected to a black wire that ran down the flat of the blade.

“A sword?” Fox asked curiously, waiting for the twist that was sure to come.

The Representative smirked before he signaled for one of the soldiers to begin the demonstration.

A soldier equipped the exosuit over his armor before taking the sword and pushing a switch that was barely visible under the hilt. Suddenly, a molten red glow covered the three edges of the rectangular-shaped blade, producing a heat shimmer.

A thick sheet of steel was then pushed out and the soldier grasped the sword with both hands before performing a powerful diagonal swing with the assistance of the exosuit. The molten edge of the blade easily passed through the steel sheet like it was made from paper.

There was nothing else that needed to be said as Fox was easily able to imagine what someone equipped with Eden Hall’s combat equipment could do. A sword that could cut through steel with ease, armor that could repel bullets, and a set of armor that could increase the strength of the one using it.

The one thing that did nag at Fox was the fact Eden Hall only wanted blood samples from the Abnormals within the city in exchange for the equipment. He simply couldn’t see it as a fair trade unless Eden Hall sought to do something extraordinary with it.

“Could I ask you something?” Fox began to speak.

The Representative smiled, already knowing what it was he wanted to ask, and cut him off before he could go further.

“You must be wondering why we would exchange this equipment for blood samples, correct?” The Representative inquired.

“Yes… I have to admit that I am very curious, but if you don’t want to tell me I have no issue.”

“I suppose it isn’t a very important secret, but we aren’t the ones who want the blood samples.”

“Then who-”

“The Benefactor is what we’ve taken to call the individual who's requested blood samples. We don’t know much about him or her, but they suddenly contacted us a few years ago. Their technological advances exceed ours by an incredible margin and that's saying a lot since they haven’t revealed very much of it to us. In fact, both the Exoskeletal Armor and the Molten Blade were developed from research the Benefactor sent us. No one has ever met with them face to face and we don’t know which city they’re based in, but we do know they are located somewhere in the north, the very far north. It’s hard to say how anything could live in those frigid temperatures but with the level of technology they seem to have, it makes sense they could survive.”

“Wait... So, you’re saying that your benefactor is the one who wants the blood samples? Did they say for what?”

“No, and even if they did, I wouldn’t be able to tell you that much. We're simply here to retrieve what they requested and ensure it gets into their hands.” The Representative replied.

Fox knew not to push any further and instead brought out the hundreds of blood samples he painstakingly collected from the city’s inhabitants. Each vial of blood was labeled with some cursory information about the individual it came from so it could be organized accordingly.

“I thank you for your cooperation, Fox.” The Representative spoke as the cargo was being loaded on the aerial vehicles.

“No, we should be the ones thanking you. There is also a lot I wanted to ask you about the Corrupted, especially the Queen who was able to speak human language.”

“I know you are curious, but that will have to wait. In a few days, we will be contacting every city we can get ahold of to discuss the current weaknesses and strengths of the Variant Corrupted and what we learned from Queen Zero. It should answer most of the questions you may have.”

Almost immediately after the exchange was made, the personnel of Eden Hall departed. They clearly had no interest in spending time deepening their ties as the threat of the Corrupted was even greater for them since they currently held the Cataclysmic Variant in captivity.

…

Back in New Mayhall, Visette stood in the office of Commander Wakefield who seemed slightly troubled. Her research into the social elements of human life had allowed her to gain some understanding of facial expressions and the corresponding emotion projected from them. When that was paired with her extremely attentive nature, the slightest hints could offer her insight into the emotions of the people she observed. Though, knowing how other people were feeling didn’t do anything to improve her capacity for sympathy.

“I called you here to discuss the matter of your reward,” Commander Wakefield spoke after some time.

Visette remained silent while her still eyes rested on him, creating an unsettling feeling for the Commander. He couldn’t shake the notion that she would turn hostile should he show any sign of weakness. Her eyes seemed less human and more like a hound, just like Demetrius had once compared her to. Once the idea nestled into his mind, he could only feel that death was creeping toward him the longer she stood near him.

“You are visibly distressed, Commander,” Visette suddenly remarked, her voice devoid of any detectable emotion.

“Don’t concern yourself with my mental state.” He fixed his gaze as he sat up, putting on an image worthy of his occupation while doing so. “As I was saying, you’ve ensured that Charlie was safe so it would be wrong not to reward you. There’s also the Governor who has instructed you be greatly rewarded for your deeds and there’s also a ceremony taking place in a week or so in your honor. So, just name whatever you want and I’ll do my best to accommodate you as long as it's within reason.”

Instead of a specific reward, Visette received a blank check of sorts. There weren’t many people, if any, who could possibly guess what she wanted so it was left up to her to decide.

After contemplating all of the things she wanted and what she most likely able to receive, she began talking, “Do you have writing utensil I could borrow?”

Commander Wakefield quickly handed her a pen along with a sheet of paper and Visette began to make her list.

At the top, there was a set of specifications for some sort of firearm that strongly emphasized firepower above all else. As it progressed, she added the components to create a small Novidium battery or a novidium battery itself. Then, she made an inquiry about having the seemingly broken watch that was confiscated from her four years ago returned to her. It was a piece of Minerva technology that no one in New Mayhall could figure out how to work, but she felt it would be better to completely destroy it. She also expressed her desire to return to the two of C-23 without explicitly stating the reason.

She handed the list to Commander Wakefield once she finished and waited for his verdict. Two things immediately stood out to him and that was requesting a Novidium Battery and returning to the abandoned town where there shouldn't have been anything that interested her.

“Is there a specific reason you want to go back to that town?” He inquired.

Instead of responding immediately, Visette gazed at Commander Wakefield for a few moments.

“I assumed that the nature of my reward was left to my own discretion.”

“That is true but that doesn’t simply mean that I can allow it.”

“Then, would it be more reasonable for me to send my request to the Governor of New Mayhall to obtain his approval?” Visette replied.

Even the Commander would be forced to obey the Governor's orders.

Commander Wakefield’s brows narrowed as his eyes sharpened into a scowl. “Are you threatening me, Thales?”

“No, I am not aware of which part of my previous reply would indicate a threat as that was not my intention, Commander.”

Commander Wakefield stared at Visette with a slither of disbelief and wariness. It was true that the Governor asked that she be rewarded and if she sent her request directly to him, it was likely he would accept with no qualms. After all, there was no mistaking that her presence prevented a large loss of life.

‘The only way I can exert control over the situation is to accept her request under my own conditions.’ Commander Wakefield thought to himself.

“I accept your request, but O'Hara will escort you to that town. The town of you should be capable enough to ensure your own safety and there’s been no sign of Corrupted since the evacuation. I’ll also provide a vehicle with enough space to carried a medium-sized Novidium battery if that’s okay with you?”

“There is no issue, Commander,” Visette said. Even as her wishes were granted there was no sign of joy on her face.

“Then if that's all, you’re dismissed. Oh, and make sure you meet with Dr.Eliza Brendan before the Award Ceremony.” Commander Wakefield quickly sent her away, finding that she was already becoming too much for him to tolerate. At least, not without having some sort of way to restrain her.

Visette saluted before quickly leaving the office. Vis had already marked Commander Wakefield as someone to be cautious of, but at that moment, she wasn’t even thinking of him. Since she was finally able to procure a Novidium Battery, it meant she could access the facilities of the Minerva Lab. Even if the lab was only powered for an hour, she would receive an immense amount of benefits from the high-tech system which could help her develop her psionics further.