Allisa's dreams were never normal. Ever since she was a child she would always be plagued with strange visions, learning that they were in fact vestiges of the previously chosen, King Arthur. Yet occasionally, she would find herself in places she had never seen, places that were beyond what others would consider normal.

Some were horrifying, such as the battlefield, wading through water knee-deep walking over bodies of the fallen. This one was.... different.

A plain of bright green grass stretching out for miles, a hill overlooking what looked like a small village of white marble, and a white tower that extended far into the sky. And she was not alone. Standing on top of a small hill, down below she could make out two figures walking towards the village. They were so far away, Allisa couldn't make out who they were, only identifying silver and green hair that shimmered in the sun. As she stood watching over them, one turned to her direction-

Allisa groaned, reaching the buzzing sound of her alarm clock. With a groan, she fumbled to the device flipping the off button.

The buzzing didn't stop. Opening her eyes, Allisa saw that it was her phone which she had switched to vibrate.

"Who's calling me at this hour?" Allisa reached for her phone, hitting the receive button letting out a "Hello?" before yawning.

"Hey. Didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I just woke up Mirage- wait, MIRAGE?!"

"Been a while, hasn't it?" Mirage said, sounding cheerful.

"You're telling me! I've been trying to get a hold of you guys all night!" Allisa snapped. It was nice to hear a familiar voice but after what had happened the other night she was in no mood.

"Why? Did something happen?"

"You could say that...." Allisa said spying the still sleeping Ion, as well as Berken who was deactivated amongst her figurines. She then explained as much of what had happened that night, including some aspects of Ion's story. ".... Right now she's still asleep. Same with that rabbet of hers."

".... Ion, huh," Mirage responded in a flat tone.

"Mirage?"

"Listen... could you swing by the home as soon as you can? Bring Ion and this rabbit with you. It'll be a lot easier to explain there."

"Explain- Mirage?" The call was cut. "What was that about?"

Ion was still fast asleep on the sleeping back on her floor. She looked peaceful enough but there was something off in her expression, the same sad expression she had last night.

"What have I gotten into this time?"

****

No matter how many times she walked down the streets of Little Wood, Allisa never once felt uncomfortable or out of place. Today was very different.

"Stop struggling!" She snapped at her backpack. "Ow!"

"I... don't think Berken likes that very much." Ion said, walking beside her.

"I don't care. He can't fly around while we walk so he's stuck in there."

"This is robot cruelty," Berken's voice came through his finger that Ion was holding. "Carrying an Automotive support droid around like a pet!"

"I know it's uncomfortable, but please bear with it, Berken." Ion said soothingly.

"Weeelll, if it's for you... fine." Berken said. "But know this spy! If you even think about double-crossing us-"

"If I was gonna double-cross you I would have turned you into my dad. He's a cop." Allisa said matter-of-factly. "And drop the 'spy' stuff already."

Her relationship with Berken had not improved. When he was activated, Allisa removed a finger from him before shoving him (with difficulty) into her bag. Ion was able to calm him down somewhat, but occasionally she could feel him squirming behind her.

"So... where are we going?" Ion asked. She had a look of curiosity at the town and sky which oddly made sense given what she had said about herself.

"Oh, it's a place underneath the mall where my friends live," Allisa replied. "You know what a mall is?"

"Oh yes," Ion nodded. "There's a huge one in Nahabras in Ter'figma that I visited."

"Well, my friends are held up there. If anyone can help you find your friends, they can. Gotta warn you though... they can be a bit... uh..."

"A bit what?"

"You'll see. But I promise you, they're really good people."

"I remain unconvinced, spy." Berken's voice came through the speaker. "Stay on your guard Ion. Remember, Altosk's agents could be anywhere. There's no telling when they'll-"

Passing by a light post, Allisa casually rammed her bag against the pole as hard as she could. "Ops."

"See Ion! A vicious attack when I'm constrained and vulnerable! The nerve of this fiend!"

"Hey Ion. Does he have an off switch?"

Ion didn't respond but chuckled. "You two are getting along so well,"

"We're not!"

"Never!"

Both shouted in unison as Main Street came into view. The long straight road that leads to the town center with a wide array of stores lining the street never felt so distant to Allisa. While she had memorized the streets and back allies there was something that crawled in the back of Allisa's mind comparing it to locations like Riser or Tattoria and even Triest and Sterland.

Places that were more familiar to her than her own home.

Ion didn't take notice of Allisa's plight, looking with wonder like a child, gawking up at the clear blue sky. While she stood out with her expression, Allisa couldn't help but see herself in Ion when she first visited Avalon.

"Do they have towns like this back in Sora?" She ended up asking.

"Hmmm... Some towns in Dobomes have ground transport but... no nothing really like this town."

With the mall in sight, Allisa led Ion into the side street then into the familiar back alley. "What's back here?" Ion asked, looking confused.

"Be careful Ion. I suspect she's luring us into a trap." Berken said.

"Shut up," ignoring them, Allisa approached the brick wall and placed her hand on it, watching the cobbled bricks begin to part revealing the stairwell that would lead into Hunter's home.

"Wow. Is that an eather ability?" Ion gawked.

"Uh... I guess." Allisa said, taking off her bag and handing it to Ion. "Here. If I let him out, I have a feeling he'll just ram into me again."

"Right." Ion placed the bag on the ground and gently unzipped it. Berken emerged from it, floating above both the girl's heads while turning his own a full 360 degrees.

"What is this place? An underground secret layer for all your spy friends?"

"We're not spies," Allisa narrowed her eyes at the rabbit as the entrance began to close up. "And... yeah, pretty much. It's... kinda complicated but they're not actually from this world."

"Ha! I told you Ion-!"

"And they're not from Sora either!"

"Oh, so they're from another world like me?" Ion asked intrigued.

"Yeah, a world called Avalon," Allisa nodded, walking down the stairwell to the doorway at the end. "Let's just say my story's pretty complicated as well." She finished, knocking on the door. "Hey! It's me!"

There was a scuttle on the other side of the door. "Allisa?" The door slowly opened and Max stuck his head out of the door. "Hey! There you-" He trailed off when he saw Ion and Berken standing directly behind her. "Is that a flying... Rabbit?" He asked, pointing at Berken, cocking his head to one side.

"Automotive support droid!" Berken snapped.

"Greetings," Ion bowed. "My name is Ion. And this is Berken."

"Yeah... long story." Allisa sighed. "Are the others in?"

"Sure are," Max said, opening the door wide with a full view of the boxing ring at the center of the home. "We also go a-"

"MARKUS!" Ion suddenly shot past Allisa and Max running into the center of the room.

"Wait, Markus?!" Berken followed, ramming into the back of Allisa's head, ricocheting into Max's face before flying after Ion. "Markus! It really is- WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BODY?!"

"Ion?! Berken?! Thank the Ekon you're safe."

Rubbing the back of her head (cursing Berken under her breath) Allisa saw someone new in the home; a large man sitting by the boxing ring made almost entirely of what seemed like scrap metal emitting a strange blue glow.

To her right, she spied Cliff and Melvin huddled by the dining table (with Cerberus perched on top of it) watching the reunion. "Hey, there you are." Cliff greeted her as she and Max walked towards them.

"Uh.... There's a robot in the home?" Allisa asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, long story," Melvin said watching Ion and Berken. "So she's this singer he was looking for?"

"Must be," Cliff nodded. "How did you find her anyway?" He asked Allisa who returned a scowl.

"I didn't. She broke into my house last night."

"Meow!!"

"Hey boss, is that the singer girl Markus was talking about?"

Allisa suddenly found herself pounced on by Meracle with Rodger following after her.

"Whoa- Mary what are you-?"

"Wired robots kept shooting at me all night long! It was horrible!"

"Uh.... robots?" Allisa looked at Max.

"Yeah, some kinda weird machines that kept popping up everywhere that kept shooting at us," Max summarized. "There's those small ones, that crab thing and that floating prime-something that opened this big hole in the sky."

"Thanks to our powers we were able to send em packing ta whatever hell they crawled outta!" Rodger declared proudly. "They'll think twice before coming knockin again!"

"Nyaa! I never ever wanna go through that again!" Meracle continues to weep, clinging to Allisa's back like a monkey.

"Uhh...." Feeling more lost, Allisa turned to Cliff and Melvin hoping for a better explanation.

"We had a rough night..." Cliff sighed.

"Oh, there you are," Yuki appeared, keeping his eyes on Ion and Berken. "Is that the singer girl and... a rabbit?"

"Nyew?" Meracle crocked her head to the side to get a good lock at Berken.

"Automotive... support... yeah, it's a floating rabbit," Allisa said.

"After those enforcers last night I don't think anything can surprise me," Cliff said.

At the other side of the room, Allisa saw Dale, Mirage, and Sasha sitting around the TV watching the reunion. Mirage waved at Allisa when she noticed her. Everyone seemed to be present except for the Elder and-

"Where's Nel?"

Before anyone could answer Ion suddenly raised her voice. "But Markus, your body-" she said, sounding deeply concerned.

"Please do not be concerned. It was my own recklessness that caused these damages." The robot said speaking in a deep, formal tone.

"What did you even do to yourself anyway?" Berken asked, floating around the robot's body, "It looks like you threw yourself into a void reactor and had it destroy yourself from the inside."

"As embarrassing as it is to admit, that is an accurate assumption,"

"This is all my fault..." Ion took a step backhand over her mouth. "It's my fault this-"

"Ion. This was my plan to take you to Marina. If anyone is to blame for the current state of affairs, I am."

"Not to mention Bec! If I see that metal-faced rouge I'll send several jolts of eather energy to fry that mouth of his!" Berken exclaimed.

The robot then looked directly at Allisa who couldn't help but flinch seeing his human face with unnaturally blue eyes. "Are you the one who found her?"

"Uh, yeah," Meracle jumped down as Allisa approached the robot. He was far more imposing up close simply due to his height, towering over everyone in the room. "Um... I'm Allisa."

"My name is Markus," a large mechanical hand raised slightly upwards towards Allisa, "You have my most sincere gratitude for finding Ion."

"Th-thanks," Allisa raised her own hand to handshake. Her entire hand was engulfed by Markus' own. His metal fingers gently coiled over her hand, shaking softly before releasing her. "Though it's more like she found me."

Everyone started to crowd around Allisa and Ion, curious at the new visitor Allisa had brought.

"Careful Ion," Berken hissed, floating close to Ion's side. "We still don't know who they are and what they want," his head turned to Meracle who had walked to Ion's right side staring intensely at Berken. "That one looks like it's about to pounce."

"I think we can trust them. After all, they saved Markus." Ion turned and bowed to the group. "My name is Ion. Thank you for all you have done for us."

****

"Is now a good time?"

"Yes, I can talk," Nel said to Cliff while staring through a pair of binoculars.

"Allisa's just arrived at the home. She's found that singer girl, Ion."

"That's good to hear. I take it she's at home with her."

"Yep. Markus is about to tell us about what's going on. I'll tell you about it when you get back."

"Right," Nel lowered her binoculars. "I've got some good news as well. I found out where the pilots are."

"Great! Where are they?"

"Well... that's the bad news,"

From the highway, Nel had a birds-eye view of the Black ops base of operations in Little Wood built onto a low clearing. The steel fences encircled the complex of thin sheet buildings, tents, a vehicle drop, and two helipads.

After her departure the other night, Nel very quickly found a lead by spying on the military checkpoint at the edge of the forest, catching a glimpse of two people being shoved into the black vehicle that drove off. Nel tailed it as much as she could before being forced to back away as it reached the base. The entire morning, she spent scouting the perimeter to find an elevated vantage point at a checkpoint on the highway. After knocking out the guards and stealing a pair of binoculars, Nel began her reconnaissance of the base.

Through a stroke of luck, she found two people exported from one building to another; one of those looking like a giant rabbit.

"I see," Cliff took the news as well as she anticipated. "I had a feeling this would happen,"

"The base looks pretty complex," Nel raised her binoculars to her face again, "but I should be able to infiltrate it to get those two out."

"...Alright. Just don't kill anyone if you can avoid it. With what happened last night, losses in their base will make things worse. Dale says there have been more eyes on the shop than normal."

"I'll call you when I have them," Nel said, hanging up.

A radio sounded in the building behind her. "HQ to Checkpoint Sierra report."

Nel moved away from the highway railing into the building to the control console, walking over the unconscious soldiers she had knocked out and grabbed the receiver.

"HQ to Checkpoint Sierra report."

"Checkpoint Sierra, all clear."

"Roger that."

Nel put the receiver back down. She was glad she had overheard one of the soldiers (a female at that) speaking before taking out the checkpoint.

"Thanks," She said to one of the unconscious soldiers tossing him his binoculars. Exiting the building she leaped down from the highway onto the soft ground below in the woodland area that surrounded the base.

Nel began making tracks, walking slowly at first before breaking into a short run, skidding behind a nearby tree. Two soldiers passed her by, engaging in idle chatter as they did their rounds of the base's perimeter.

I need to make sure I'm not spotted.

As the soldiers pulled further and further away, Nel resumed her path to the base, keeping her body low to the ground to muffle her approach. She finally reached the edge of the woods. There was the base, and separating her and it was a wide-open field with regular patrols and lookout towers. Even with quickstep, Nel doubted that she'd make it without someone taking notice. With the amount of security present, Nel guessed that the events of the previous night would have put them on edge.

There has to be a way without being noticed...

The sound of an engine from the woods drew her attention. Walking right she found a small country road. On it was a black flatbed truck with a black canvas sheet covering what it was transporting stopped in front of another patrol. The driver, another soldier had disembarked, showing off a clipboard to the other two.

Seeing her chance, Nel moved to the end of the truck, quickstepping to the rear. Hugging the back bumper, Nel glanced out the side. Confident no one had noticed she quickly climbed through the covering canvas into the back. The cargo was a collection of heavy black boxes. As the driver returned to the driver's seat, Nel ducked in between the cargo, parting a piece of the canvas to see what was going on. The truck began to move, passing through the wide-open field, stopping again at the entrance to the base, then moved again to a depo.

Nel ducked out of the canvas before the inspection arrived, sneaking through the various collections of stacked boxes (carefully avoiding the soldiers) and vaulted over the railing moving quietly into a narrow alley between two of the sheer buildings. Directly in front of her was a soldier with his back turned.

Nothing for it...

Nel raced up to the soldier, grabbing him by the neck, pulling him into the alley tightening her chokehold on the struggling man before he finally passed out. Nel dragged him further back in the ally before returning to the edge of the building.

No one seemed to have noticed her presence so far, with everyone moving back and forth attending to whatever duties they had.

"Let's see," Nel drew out a crude map she drafted through her bird's eye view of the base. The two people she had seen were taken to a building at the right of the control tower, which unfortunately meant infiltrating the very heart of the complex. That part wouldn't be too difficult for Nel to pull off, this not being the first time she had infiltrated a military base (though admittedly the first of this kind). The hard part would be getting out with her charges.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there," Nel stowed her map away, shimmy across the wall to an open pane that took her into the building which turned out to be a storehouse of the vehicle's cargo. One was open, showing off an array of weapons, similar to what was in Miltesa though more advanced.

They must be on edge if they're stockpiling this much.

Nel exited the building, darting down another lane, stopping by a crate while two soldiers walked past. From their chatter, Nel overheard mention of losses, likely from last night. She continued, ducking behind another crate with a soldier standing in her way with his back turned. Nel waited, honing her sensor ability until she was sure she was completely alone then knocked the man out cold.

With the way now open, Nel continued on the path, keeping to the narrow plots of land as much as she could. Her route occasionally became diverted, leading her back to the main street where she stuck to the shadows and ducking into buildings when necessary, freezing every time a patrol passed.

Moving forward inching closer to the tower at the center, Nel reached a two-story sheet metal building. Moving to a gap-

Nel quickly ducked out of sight. Slowly she poked her head out the side. On the ground where two soldiers. Nel moves to one of them and propped him against the wall. The man was dead, bleeding from something gouged in his throat.

Nel reaches for the wound and pulls free the object. It was a shuriken, and one she had never seen before. Wiping away as much of the blood, it was six-pointed and made from black metal with a purple rim. The second victim had one jammed in the back of his neck.

There was only one explanation; someone else had infiltrated the base ahead of Nel. Whoever it was, they were highly skilled to have broken in without raising any alarm. The question now was, who were they working for.

If they're here for the pilots I doubt it's to save them.

As soon as Nel poked her head out from the building, the control tower exploded.

****

Cpt. Brice stood firm, standing at the front of an alarming total of eighty body bags. Casualties were always an unfortunate hazard for any war. In his tours of duty, he had witnessed loss of his comrades, men, and charges. However, the reality of the previous night put all that in perspective.

Every squad except Iowa was wiped out by an unknown enemy, each one with burn wounds that must have come from the same force. The fate of Hotel was another matter entirely, with slash and pierce wounds recovered star projectiles and snapped necks. The Director called the mission a success and that his men did not die in vain. For Brice, two outsiders and an unsalvageable wreck were not worth the price they paid.

"Sir. The commander requests you at the Ops center."

Brice looked behind him, seeing one of his men standing behind him.

"Alright. I'll be right there." With one final look, he began walking away from the morgue. The FOB was busier than it had been before; a consequence of the recent losses. The ops center lay at the heart of the FOB, a temporary structure like all the other buildings, standing several feet tall with state-of-the-art radar dishes on the roof. On his way, various military personal saluted him as he passed with the occasional "Sir" thrown his way.

He reached the building, pulling out a card and swiping it on the card reader to the side of the door. Confirming his identity, the door opened. The first floor of the building was made up of a wide array of computers and machines with workers slavishly taping away at the keys and controls. Brice walked through them as they took very little note of his presence with only the occasional salute or acknowledgment of his existence. No fewer than five replies as he reached the stairs that would take him into the control tower.

There was a similar setup, consoles and a desk at the center with the bases CO. "Capitan."

"You asked for me?" Brice asked.

"A word from the director. He's recalling you back to HQ."

"Recalled?" This was not much of a surprise. The officers of Sector 13 were often pulled from one area to the other. It still nonetheless came out of the blue unless... "Let me guess, he wants me to escort our 'guests,' doesn't he?"

The CO simply nodded.

"What about my men?"

"There to stay put for now. We have a chopper waiting-"

"Sir!" One of the control staff interrupted. "Unidentified aircrafts approaching from the northwest."

The conversation was cut short when one of the men at the monitors spoke up taping at the radar screen. "An unidentified aircraft?" The CO said as he and Brice walked to the screen.

"No, sir.... About ten showed up 100 klicks from the base."

The CO and Brice exchanged looks. On the monitor there were indeed ten white blobs, each getting closer and closer to the base.

"Have you tried haling them?" The CO asked as Brice walked over to the window in the room.

"Yes, sir. They're not responding to any hails."

"Do we have a visual!"

"Yes, sir!" Another man called out. "It's.... what the?"

"Sound the alarm," Brice said looking out to the north. He could see them, ten blocky aircraft approaching from the north; with one emitting a flash. "Evacuate."

"What-?"

"GET OUT NOW!!"

He ran to the stairs followed by several panicked staff, reaching them just the ops center exploded.

****

Nel quickly ducked back into the corridor. Chaos rained among the base. Soldiers began to flood the streets while non-combatants began to flee.

"What was that...?"

Throwing caution to the wind, Nel drew her weapons, peering around the edge. Everyone in the base was all pointing up at the sky. Nel followed the gaze only for more explosions to occur around the base. Through the smoke she saw something approaching the base from the sky. Large aircraft, rectangular with several large chunks of metal, four glowing rings at the base.

".... That's not good."

The soldiers began opening fire as the large aircraft fast approached. Explosions erupted as missiles fired back, striking buildings and vehicles. One struck a truck that was driving, striking the back. The truck curved out of control barrelling directly to where Nel was standing. Nel leaped back into the alley as the vehicle smashed into the building.

Nel ran back across the ally to the first junction but stopped as one of the aircraft hovered directly above her. The side hatch opened and something enormous leaped from it. Nel backed away as the thing landed on the ground, jet a resulting shockwave blasted her off her feet. Nel recovered in the air skidding to a halt.

Before here was a massive gorilla-like creature, coated in blue armor with exposed plates, a massive shield in one hand with a hammer in the other. Another landed beside it, armed with a massive fun that began firing at Nel who ran and leaped into the nearest building. The airship lowered itself and four human troops, wearing similar armor and armed with silver rifles joined the two brutes. Two more joined them, small creatures with furry ears sticking out of their blue helmet.

Nel charged into the nearest building as the men began opening fire, skidding by the door before performing quickstep in through the building. The large brute with the gun marched forwards, firing large rounds into the building Nel was in while one of the little ones pulled out a small grenade launcher. The others passed by as it fired a single grenade into the building, detonating seconds later.

"I think that got her," one of the brutes grunted. "I thought this area was clear?"

"Who cares?" Said the small creature with the grenade launcher, walking towards the building. "You heard the commander. Everyone in the base is considered hostile-!"

Nel suddenly landed on top of the creature, driving her dagger into the creature's neck. Her right hand wrenched the grenade launcher from its small hands. The brute with the shield ran in front of its comrades as Nel fired off two rounds. Each one hit their mark, but the brute held firm despite the blasts. Nel threw aside the weapon and charged forwards, leaping up, kicking against the shield before descending on one of the human soldiers landing foot first on his face. Before any of them could respond, Nel jumped to her feet, plunging her dagger into the neck of the soldier next to her.

"You bitch!"

Nel lowered herself to the ground, kicking another soldier back. A roar came from above as one of the brutes swung its weapon at her. Nel ducked, allowing the weapon to pass her by overhead, her glowing yellow eyes moving at impossible speeds scanning the brute's armor. Lowering herself to the ground, Nel stabbed her dagger into the brute's leg, causing it to stagger before stabbing it through the neck, spinning on her axis as she wrenched the blade free. The brute fell to Nel's feet while the two remaining humans and small creatures backed away from her.

"Wh-Who the hell is she?!"

"Don't panic! We still outnumber her!"

Nel snickered, walking over the dead body of the down comrades, watching as the men took steps back. A dark shadow began to loom over her as the hammer-wielding gorilla leaped into the air, roaring as it brought the hammer down on Nel's location, the hit sending out a mini shockwave on impact. Lifting the weapon, there was no sign of anyone below, even a body. Before impact, Nel had quickstepped into the air, a few feet above the brute falling backward before slicing through the nape of its neck.

The brute dropped its weapons, fumbling at the back of its neck before toppling to the ground.

"Damn it... Fall back! Fall Back!"

The survivors began to retreat into a nearby alley, letting out volley fire behind them. Nel persuades, using her yellow eyes to avoid incoming bullet fire, using her short blade to deflect some.

"Hold on!" The small creature leaped into the air, drawing out a staff that sparked into life with strange digital circles. Pivoting around and pointing the staff, a torrent of electricity fired off towards Nel's location. Tracking its movements, Nel leaped to the nearby wall, running across its surface before leaping to the opposite side, pouncing at the creature like a cougar. Another human fell through a stab to the gut between the exposed plates. Kicking it to one side, Nel used her short sword to knock the silver rifle out the hand of the final member, kicking him to a wall before pressing her dagger to his throat.

"Who are you?"

"A-A-Altosk expeditionary force!" the man stuttered. "Wh-We're here to save the Star Singer from- from this world's clutches!"

"Altosk? And by Star Singer, you mean this Ion girl?"

"I-I got nothing to say to you! Wh-were going to save the star singer from-"

"This is getting nowhere," Nel stabbed her dagger into the man's throat. As he slid down the sheet metal wall, Nel fished out her phone, quickly cycling through the numbers while the sounds of battle grew with intensity.

****

"Our mission was to bring Ion to Marina to change her allegiance. However, as you have undoubtedly surmised, things did not go according to plan."

Everyone sat in a circle while Markus explained to them the full situation they were in, as to their presence. Most of it was what Ion had told Allisa last night, so it was familiar to her. As for her friends, even they found the idea of Sora a bit far-fetched despite most of them being from another world. Max, Rodger, and Yuki did seem particularly lost in all the terms, only retaining Altosk as they were mentioned the most. Meracle asked about Berken and whether he was a real rabbit and if she could eat it (which earned her a ram to the head from the machine itself). It took half an hour, but the party got the full story from the visitors.

".... Markus, what happened?" Ion asked. "I thought if I was in stasis we wouldn't be attacked by the enforcers."

"I have two hypotheses regarding that," Markus said. "The first is the Aether Primes we encountered last night."

"You mean that weird floating body thing?" Max asked, to which Markus nodded.

"That frame of primes has deep either scanning capabilities. If we flew into its domain it would explain why they began to swarm us as they did. As Ion has told you, the Star Singer's existence is paramount to the maintenance of Sora. Her leaving the world- worse yet, entering the void- it could pose a serious risk to Sora itself. Therefore the Enforcers deem her a threat to the world and will act to eliminate her."

"So... it would know they had her on board?" Mirage asked.

"The Star singer emits a special eather, one that the Enforcers can detect. Putting her in stasis was the only way to suppress that so we could travel through the void undetected. Unfortunately, with the Aether, it could detect Ion, no matter how faint the signal was. It was good fortune we landed on another world where the connection to the core system could be severed. As you saw from last night, the damage could have been much worse."

"And... the other hypothesis?" Allisa asked. Markus turned to her, looking unsure as to what he was about to say.

"... Altosk could have deliberately provoked the Enforcers in our flight path, forcing us to flee from the void as fast as possible."

The mood from Ion and Berken noticeably dampened from the thought.

"Provoke them? Is that possible?" Melvin asked, sitting beside Cerberus, "From what you said about the Enforcers they sound like sentinels for Sora."

"That's true, they were created for that purpose," Ion answered. ".... However, the song for controlling them has been long lost since Strelizia. I have no power over them."

"As you all have witnessed first-hand, the Enforcers act on programming alone, deeming everything with life a threat to the safety of Sora itself regardless. Provoking them is a very simple matter." Markus finished.

"But if the second theory is true, who could have done that?" Berken asked, floating to Markus's level. "And how did they know what we were up to? We didn't tell anyone about this except for Bec, Bertta, Larek, and Otto!"

Markus let out a deep sigh. "If that is the case then it seems I have grossly underestimated their information gathering."

"Markus..." Ion said quietly, putting a hand on his large forearm to comfort him.

"I know you got a lot on your mind so far, but from the sounds of it, you've got bigger problems at the moment. " Cliff said.

"Indeed." Markus nodded. "It is imperative we return to Sora as soon as possible, which at the moment is.... Difficult.

"Good point! Even if we find those two, how are we gonna get back with the ship destroyed?!" Berken exclaimed.

"Not much you can do. You should probably wait for Nel to get back with your two friends before anything else." Dale suggested as he sat up. "Anyway, I need to open the shop. If we close any longer those men in black guys'll think somethings up. Already seen them lurking around." With a wave, he walked to the door that leads up to the comic book shop.

"Men in black...." Allisa couldn't help but ponder the word, as though there was something she was supposed to tell them. Oh right!

With the memory returning to her she turned to the other hunters. "Cliff, Mirage, Sasha, have any of you been approached by the men in black?"

"Na ah," Sasha shook her head.

"Can't say I have," Mirage said.

"Have you?" Cliff asked.

"Yeah," Allisa nodded her head. "Yesterday a guy called Dan Wilson approached me at the diner."

"Nyew?" Meracle crocked her head.

"One of the black orc guys?" Rodger asked.

"Huh? 'Black orc?'"

"Ignore them," Cliff said to Allisa. "Did he say anything to you?" He asked urgently.

".... I'm not sure. But it does seem like he knew something about me."

".... Shit." The room went quiet again, with the visitors not following the conversation. "In that case, we need to watch our backs."

All of a sudden, his phone began to buzz. "Hm?" he pulled it out, checking the display, "It's from Nel. She must have found them." and hit the speaker button. "Hey, Nel. You're on speaker."

"Change of plans, all of you get here now!"

The phone hung up before anyone could ask what was going on. Due to the sound in her voice, something had happened to her end, something serious. Markus brought up several hologram monitors in front of him, surprising Allisa to an extent.

"Markus...?" Ion asked, looking concerned.

"..... No," Markus's face dropped in horror before he clenched his teeth in anger. "Damn them! I should have seen this!"

"What's up?" Yuki asked, grasping his katana.

"I'm detecting Hermet transport signals somewhere to the North East of town! It's Altosk!"

"What?!" Allisa exclaimed, and she wasn't the only one. Everyone jumped to their feet, looking shocked at the news. None, however, looked more horrified than Ion.

"It's a small strike force, and given the traffic, it seems they are assaulting a military installation."

"A... sorry, a military what?" Allisa said walking up to him.

"The Black ops base!" Mirage shouted urgently.

"Ahhh... of all the places," Cliff clicked his tongue. "They're gonna bring more of those guys here now!"

"I think we got bigger problems than that," Melvin said pointing at the monitors. "What if they end up attacking the town! If they can go toe to toe with this world's military I don't see how this place is gonna defend itself.

"So what are we waiting for!" Max exclaimed slamming his fists together. "Let's just get up there and kick their asses back to Sora!"

"I'm with the pyro on this," Yuki said. "If they're here for the girl they could attack the town next, right tin man?"

Markus didn't respond at once, taking a while before registering that he was being addressed. "Ah, yes. If it is who I suspect then it is likely they will assault the town to retrieve Ion."

"Then I'll turn myself in!" Ion suddenly declared.

"Ion! You can't!" Berken said hovering in front of her. "If you go back to them-!"

"I won't just sit here while others risk their lives for my sake!" Ion yelled back.

"You can and will," Yuki said firmly. "You said it yourself, you'd rather die than go back to those bastards for all the shit they're doing."

"Even so-!"

"Don't worry," Melvin said to her. "We may not look it, but we've been through a hell of a lot worse than this. Right boy?" Cerberus barked at her.

"Count me in too!" Sasha suddenly declared.

"And me," Mirage added. "This is our home and we won't let any outside force tear it apart."

"And we won't abandon someone in need!" Rodger said. "A real man will always fight to protect the smile of those around him!' That's what my pa would say!"

"Everyone..." Ion tried to argue back, but couldn't find the words, seeing the determination that burned in all their eyes, all for a stranger they had just met.

"..... Um, I'm gonna sit this one out." Allisa suddenly said.

"Myew? You're not coming?" Meracle asked her.

"If those guys see me there, forget about me, my entire family could be at risk. I'm sorry."

"No, that's a good point," Cliff said nodding at her. "In that case, you can watch over Ion to make sure those bastards don't lay a hand on her."

Allisa smiled and nodded.

"In that case," Markus suddenly stepped forwards, "would you mind if I joined the battle? I am familiar with Altosk tactics."

"But- You're body's still damaged, isn't it?" Ion said.

"It is of no concern now. My core systems and shield projectors are fully restored. If I put priority to the weapon systems I should be able to assist you in repelling Altosk. Please, allow me to fight alongside you."

The question was answered with enthusiastic nods and shouts of 'welcome aboard' thrown his way. Markus smiled at them before turning back to the concerned Ion.

"I will be ok. Please wait here until I return."

Ion reluctantly nodded.

"She's in your hands. Please keep her safe." Markus said to both Allisa and Berken.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure that spy doesn't get the drop on us!"

"Seriously, would you drop it,"

With a reassuring smile, Markus ran to catch up to the others, disappearing through the same entrance that Allisa and Ion had passed (barely squeezing his large frame through the narrow entrance). This left Allisa alone with Berken and the still brooding Ion.

"Don't worry. My friends are very strong. Those Altosk guys'll be sorry for messing with them."

Ion didn't respond but gave her a weak smile. She was still very concerned about what was happening, and Allisa couldn't blame her. She would have loved to fight alongside her friends again, but she knew the risk of going to the black ops base would be to her and her family.

"So um... wanna watch a movie. Dale has a whole collection of them. It'll help take your mind off things."

Allisa escorted Ion to the giant TV in the home, sitting her on the couch before strolling over to Dale's extensive movie collection cycling through what to watch. Ion then called her over, pointing at the gaming console on the floor. When Allisa explained what it was Ion lit up saying they should play on it. Encouraged by Ion's change of mood, Allisa helped set up the game, picking out a racing game for them to play together before getting a text... from Lucy telling her she was on her way over now.

Crap I completely forgot!

A pit formed in her stomach. It was 10:45. She had agreed for a birthday treat out with Lucy and her friends, and a date with Aston. That was something she had been looking forward to for a year and would not miss it for the world. But... with Ion here in mortal peril....

Allisa looked at Ion, who seemed content with the game chosen then back to her phone....

Damn it...

"Uh... Ion,"

"Wow, this looks so cute." Ion said cheerfully holding up a controller. "Come on! Let's play!"

"Uh.... Maybe later," Allisa said, her mind racing. "Um... listen, there's something I uh.... I need to take care of it. I'll be leaving you alone for a bit."

"Hm? You're leaving?"

"Just for a bit!"

"See Ion, I told you we couldn't trust her," Berken whispered deliberately loudly so Allisa could hear her.

"Oh, shut up!" Allisa snapped at the mechanical rabbit. "Um... look, there's something really important I need to do. Once I take care of it, I'll be right back."

"Alright," Ion nodded, not seeming to mind. "Then we can play together,"

"Yeah." Allisa ran to the kitchen, grabbing a pen and paper before scribbling her number down. "So... just don't leave the home. It's the safest place for you," She said hurrying over to Ion. "This is my number," She handed it to Ion. "The phones over there. Anything happens, call me."

"I will." Ion nodded.

With tugging guilt, Allisa left Ion, charging up the home's third exit not looking back. Sorry.... I'm not ready to give that life up yet.

****

The abandoned Steel mill lay far from the town. Following the horrific massacre that took place but a few months ago the locals gave the area a wide berth. Even the road that past insight of the location was rarely used.

So it was unnoticed as a large chunky aircraft descended on the dilapidated complex. Dust kicked off as it landed in the old square, opening its wide doors to allow ten blue armored soldiers to exit, filling out in all directions weapons aimed.

"Area is secure."

Following them were two others that stood out from the pack. First a man encased in blue and golden armor with a helmet carved into the vestige of a cybernetic human skull exited the dropship holding a staff with several cogs at the tip. Then a girl that came only to his waist, dressed in a black and blue dress in stark contrast to her silk hair and pale eyes. Behind her trailed two spheres that whirled around her person like satellites.

"Aralius's attack has begun." She said as one of the black orbs hovered to her side. "The ones Xeno's mentioned are on the move too."

"He sure is one sly bastard," the man in armor wheezed cheerful as his staff whirled to life. "Shame we couldn't join the Next Generation. I'd love for a chance to test out Razz's new toy."

"We have a more important job though," The girl replied.

Behind her, the final occupant left the dropship. Heavy boots hit the dirt, allowing the sun to bath his salmon-colored hair. Wearing a blue sleeveless top, baggy combat trousers and gloves that covered his wrists he stood among his two subordinates.

"So Leo, should we do our part."