BZZZT

"IT IS 3:37 IN THE AFTERNOON HERE IN ALTUS AND WE HAVE JUST RECIEVED A REPORT OF A SUPPOSED ATTACK ON THE INTELLIGENCE CENTER HERE IN TATHAN CITY. WE HAVE A TEAM OF REPORTERS OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING. WE WILL TRANSITION TO HIM NOW."

"ACCORDING TO A BUSINESSMAN WHO ESCAPED MULTIPLE FIGURES HAD GOT PAST THE SECURITY OF THE BUILDING UNTIL THEY TRIPPED THE ALARMS TO THE SERVER ROOM LOCATED AT THE TOP OF THE BUILDING. THE MANPOWER INSIDE OF THE BUILDING HAS GEARED UP AND SURROUNDED THE TERRORISTS IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS, GUNFIRE RINGING THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES THE TERRORISTS HAVE ACCESS TO MAGIK, BODY ARMOUR, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES. THEIR OBJECTIVE IS UNKNOWN."

...

"GRIMJAK COME IN! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

Axel was heard shouting through a walkie-talkie strapped onto Grimjak's shoulder, who was crouched in a large office filled with dead bodies of armed guards. The tables and chairs around him were flipped over and leaning against the walls of the office with blood spread all over them alongside bullet holes and claw marks.

"I...am alright. We got seperated after my elevator stopped a floor earlier than yours. I'm just below you, Axel. Bastards tried to trap me and kill me, they failed." Grimjak grunted as he looked down at his lower torso, a bullet hole was inside and bleeding heavily. "I've been hit but I don't think it hit anything important."

Gunshots rang through the walkie-talkie as Axel swore under his breath before talking, his tone desperate. "I'm gonna come and get you. Trinita and Kruger are on the other side of the building on the top floor, they've already found the databases there. Hang in there Grimjak!"

Grimjak's red eyeliner was smughed across his upper right cheekbone, his white hair no longer slick and instead in a rough curtain. He grimaced his crimson teeth as he heard footsteps approaching the office he was stood in from the doors in front of him.

"Hahhh~" Grimjak's body steamed red as his teeth sharpened to the point where they could rip through even metal, his nails doing the same.

...

"Hurry up, Axel. Cruelty isn't something I wish to have laid upon me.."

The doors suddenly burst open, a large SWAT team moving into the room, all aiming their weapons at the tired Grimjak, who stood weakly with his body still steaming a furious red.

"SURRENDER! DEACTIVATE YOUR MAGIK AND LAY ON YOUR STOMACH, TERRORIST!"

Grimjak grimaced, the laser sights from the SWAT team's guns locked onto his body. His face of exhaustion turning into a frown as his body stopped steaming red, lying on his stomach slowly.

"Jerton! Cuff him!" A member of the team ordered another, one of the men going to Grimjak with a pair of cuffs in his hand and a pistol in another.

"HYAH!!!!"

As the second the man reached for Grimjak's hands he swiftly sliced upwards with his claws, slicing the man's hand completely off. Grimjak then got up and grabbed the man, pinning him in front to use as a shield and grabbing the pistol out of his hand as he screamed in pain.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" The team captain yelled out as he pushed down two guns of the SWAT members.

"Jerton is your name, yeah? Listen here. I don't just have the gun pointed towards your buddies, I also have my nails dug halfway into your throat. You better behave." Grimjak's body started to steam red again.

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!" Jerton kept still and obeyed Grimjak, sweat producing on his forehead.

"Sir, what are your orders?!" One of the team yelled out to the captain, who stood out the crowd. He lifted his visor up and aimed his revolver at Grimjak and Jerton with one hand.

"One more step and I blow your brains out." Grimjak trained the gun at the captain, whose brown eyes squinted.

"You look familiar to me..you're the kid who was on the television. You fought in the tournament! Keh, I forgot your name. But I doubt someone like you would keep a record of yourself anyways." The captain looked around the room. "It seems like you killed most of the building's security that came to this room..must mean that the guy you fought was extremely strong. You ain't no pushover."

The building soon shook from an explosion on the other side of the building.

"Gh! Team two, report!" The captain yelled into his earpiece.

...

There was no respose.

Grimjak slowly backed against the wall, still holding Jerton. The wound on his lower torso still bleeding.

"Sir..what is that?" One of the swat members looked out the window, his gun still aimed at Grimjak.

"Huh?" The captain went over to the window and squinted.

...

"EVERYBODY GET DOW-"

The outside wall suddenly burst open, the concrete and glass scattering everywhere. Grimjak fell to the floor with Jerton, coughing and keeping against the wall he put his back to. The dust soon settled, and what stood before them was the 8'0 monster; Zedarka.

The captain grunted and looked at Zedarka as he stuck to the floor, observing her. She looked over at Grimjak and then at the swat team which stood back up, all weapons on her.

"W-What on Adepta are you?!" The captain's eyes widened as he looked at Zedarka, whose purple hair blew to the side thanks to the wind reaching into the room from the blown open wall.

Zedarka fully faced the captain, slowly walking to him and grabbing him by the collar. She walked over to the open wall, dragging him across the floor before raising him up over the edge.

"When you meet your creator, send them a message. Tell them that we are coming for them, will you?" Zedarka's blue eyes locked onto the captain's who panicked and looked at his team. "OPEN FIRE!!"

The swat team rained bullets upon Zedarka, all of which were rendered useless by her pristine armor. She sighed and casually dropped the captain, leaving him to plummet to his death from the top of the skyscraper. She then turned around, using her armored hand to cover the bullets from hitting her face.

From Grimjak's point of view, the whole SWAT team were dead within two seconds. All were mangled and ripped apart, the details of Zedarka's attacks impossible to see due to the speed at which she moved. She then slowly walked over to Grimjak, who was still keeping Jerton hostage. Zedarka reached her armored hand out to Grimjak, who let Jerton go to grab it. He was then pulled up.

"I'm hurt, Zedarka." He held his lower torso, Zedarka briefly looked down at the wound before looking at Jerton.

Jerton backed against the wall, shaking. "I-I didn't see anything! I won't tell anyone!"

"Except you did. You will live with this for the rest of your life. The scent of death and the sight of your comrades getting killed by me. You simply having that knowledge is dangerous..so you must die."

Before Jerton could talk, Zedarka took the gun out of Grimjak's hand, shooting Jerton in the head with it. She then threw it to the side and walked to the large hole she made in the skyscraper's wall. Police sirens rang in the distance as Grimjak looked at Jerton's body for a few seconds before walking weakly to Zedarka's side.

"I don't want to sound like a broken radio, but I'm bleeding heavily here.."

Zedarka looked down at his wound once more. "Hm. I forget how bad a simple gunshot is for you." She exhaled, talking more. "The rest of the group have already escaped. I told Axel to go with Trinita and Kruger as I was already on my way to get you."

"Why did you get me in the first place?"

"Because you were surrounded by men with fully automatic weapons. I doubt even Axel would have been able to handle that."

"Ah, I see." Grimjak grimaced his crimson teeth, Zedarka looking down at him once more.

"Alright, we best get outta here." Zedarka grabbed Grimjak and pulled him over her shoulder. Grimjak grunted and widened his eyes. "H-Hey!"

"Hold on."

Zedarka stepped over the ledge, dropping down the skyscraper. Grimjak held tight and closed his eyes..on the inside he was screaming out of fear, but he didn't want to give Zedarka the wrong impressions.

...

Meanwhile, in a forest just outside of Tathan City, sat Axel, Trinita and Kruger around a campfire.

"When is Tommy coming?" Kruger asked, throwing a dry leaf into the fire from the log he was sitting on.

"Even if he did arrive now we would still have to wait for Zedarka and Grimjak." Axel lied down next to the campfire, Kruger sighed. "Why did she go after that kid? She risked exposing herself to the public."

"Kid? He ain't much younger than you, Kruger." Trinita mumbled, leaning against a tree not far from the two. Her dark red hair was hanging over her shoulders, her visor cap hiding her eyes as she looked at the floor.

"Tch!" Kruger threw a small stick into the fire.

Abruptly, Zedarka walked into the area with Grimjak over her shoulder.

"Axel, potion." She ordered. Axel immediately stood up and threw Zedarka a grey bottle. "He alright?"

"Just got hit by a bullet." Zedarka put Grimjak down on the log next to Kruger and handed him the potion.

"Thank you." Grimjak took off his jacket and did the same with his bulletproof vest, he then lifted his shirt up and poured the potion on the bullet wound, the skin twisting back to it's unwounded state.

"So..where is the data?" Zedarka turned to the group. Kruger looked up at Zedarka and passed her a USB drive.

"Location is on there, alongside the name of the item. It was identified as GIANTS_BROKEN_RING..closest thing to a halo on there."

"Hm." Zedarka gave the USB back to Kruger and looked at Axel. "Where is Tommy?"

"He's on his way." Axel responded before looking at Grimjak, adjusting his blindfold. "You alright?"

"Hm? Yeah, fine." Grimjak put his jacket back on and zipped it back up, standing and looking at Axel. "All healed up~" He grinned, his crimson teeth showing.

A ship suddenly roared out above the group and landed in an open space nearby. The group started to make their way over to it.

The ship itself was black and sleek, it looked like it was built for both combat and swift travel. It's wings were in a reverse V pattern, it's pointy cockpit having windows which streched all across it. As the group approached the ship the ramp opened, a figure in a black shirt and goggles walking down the ramp. They had dirty blonde curtains and brown eyes. Their skin looked like it was minorly burned all over, leaving scars here and there.

"Tommy, it's about time you showed up old man!" Axel chuckled and pat Tommy on the shoulder as he walked up the ramp. Tommy looked at Grimjak briefly, his eyes were lazy.

"Tommy..I've not seen you face to face yet.." Grimjak spoke to him as he walked by, Tommy simply itched his cheek as he turned and followed Grimjak up the ramp.

"Old man? Why did Axel call him that? He looks like he's only in his early thirties..those burns don't help though, so he might be even younger." Grimjak thought to himself, deciding to shrug it off as he walked into the ship.

Tommy walked straight to the cockpit and sat down, Zedarka standing just behind him to the side. "Fly us to orbit so we can rest, Tommy."

"Right." Tommy obeyed, his low and somewhat intimidating voice echoing through the cockpit.

...

Axel sat on the other side of the cockpit, taking his blindfold off and placing it down...