Vecto landed on the steeple of a building. The nuclear warhead he launched engulfed nearly a mile radius of the military complex. He was atop a church's cross, watching as the dome explosion tore buildings, vehicles and soldiers into charred remains.

It seemed to last forever, marking the end of the mech, he thought. Vecto leaped off the steeple and landed hard on the ground, then rose slowly with his array of weapons hovering around him. Waves of flame and smoke scorched behind the church as he walked away, his head lowered as he contemplated his task.

With a chime, the church's bell went off. Vecto turned around to scan the building for life forms. The bell chimed two more times in sequence to indicate the time, 3:00 p.m., as Vecto's Lapton Map assured him that soldiers were within. Vecto glanced up toward the bells, reminiscent of ancient times, and only then could he get a clear picture of the steeple's cross. It reminded him of Gyro, of the cross he had found in his teammate's room.

Vecto took the time to analyze it as a compartment from his waist extended, revealing Gyro's cross. He snatched it, raised it in view of the church's cross and hit a switch on the item. Suddenly, a blade snapped out from the top. It was a weapon from a Zealot, a creation of a religious cult seeking the demise of genetically altered races, who they considered abominations against God. Yet he remembered the pastor of this church as being different than the Zealots; he valued life, unlike the cult that wanted to kill nonhumans-including Gyro. The Rev. Benign had tried to stop the bloodshed.

"Is this right-killing the SS6 trainees?" Vecto pondered, as if asking his deceased friend. "You had said that you first died from this cross, Gyro-a Zealot's-yet you defied death and kept this memento. Why?" Vecto studied the one-micron blade briefly before snapping the blade back in the cross. "Is this a symbol of death . . . or life? Do you want me to avenge your death . . . or not?"

Vecto placed the cross back in its compartment and stared at the church. Despite the kindly nature of Benign, Vecto reminded himself that SS6 trainees were warriors who worked for Sable and Morphaal. They had even made a deal with the Zealots to protect their DNA matrix project-the very thing that gave the SS6 elite soldiers their superior skills. It was obvious that all associated with the SS6 were guilty twice-over for Gyro's death, Vecto concluded.

"There's no turning back now, is there?" Vecto said to himself as he pointed his Blaster 3,000 at the cathedral.