Char glanced out the window of the helicopter him and Faust were riding in. A ruinous city lay before his eyes, desecrated by the tragedies he had fought his entire life to prevent from ever occuring again. The buzzing and whining of the helicopter made him think of how bustling they city may have once been in it's prime. The sound of a helicopter would've been an everyday sound heard across this spanning metropolis.

The helicopter began to descend, and sat down with a light thud in the middle of a vacant plaza. Char rose to his feet, and exited the lush interior of the chopper. It would be the last elegancy he would see in awhile. Faust quickly followed behind him, eager to begin their search across the city.

The other helicopters that had accompanied them had already sat down and platoons of Helix soldiers began to fill the plaza. Following behind were Helix Hunter Units. Accompanied by Weaponized Ordinance Launch Fighters, or Wolves for short, these units were equipped for quick movement and shock and awe tactics. They were ample enough to bring down groups of Alphas at a time and were something to be feared by anyone. The Wolves were mechanized suits that were capable of high speed movement and heavy gunfire. Powered by rear thrusters and possessing bipedal movement, few terrains could prove difficult for one.

Following behind the Hunter Squads were the Scouts. These units consisted of two soldiers that were trained in reconnaissance tactics, and were the information gatherers for Helix. They could provide one shot kill support, and were the most nimble of all of Helix infantry. They were detrimental in getting information on combat situations and cutting down the number of casualties during fights.

As the last scout units unboarded the choppers, Char felt Faust place a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at the scientist, a slight hesitation in his turn.

"So, it looks like we have some rats to flush out eh Mr. Director?" Faust was looking forward to the search much more than Char was. While both knew that it was pivotal that they find the girl, Char knew it would most likely end in violence. Marcus wouldn't hand her over so willingly.

"I doubt we will send them scurrying Faust. They've made their home somewhere in this city. It's likely they'll do what they can to defend it."

"Oh don't be a spoil sport. This is what we brought our soldiers for. Surely they can't hope to face a battalion as large as ours, even if they are Alphas."

"I wouldn't underestimate them. With the number of ambushes and cargo they've stolen, it's likely that there's a large number of them." Char knew that with as much as they had lost, they couldn't just be stockpiling everything. It would've been smarter to stay moving if their group was small.

"Well, I guess we'll get to see what a valiant effort they'll put up when terms come to blows." Faust had a smirk on his face, one that could send dread into the heart of the most vile person. He wasn't just looking to capture the girl, he was looking to make her suffer as her comrades fell around her. The notion made Char feel queasy in his stomach.

Char turned away from Faust and walked over to a nearby patio, full of dusty and broken tables and chairs. It looked like the place had been a sidewalk cafe at some point. It wasn't a scenic view, but it was nice to get out from behind the steel walls of the Helix Tower for a change, no matter how grim the surroundings looked. Around him, the soldiers had already begun to set up a base camp, tents and shelters beginning to fill up the plaza. It wouldn't be long before the search would begin...

Akatsuya watched as the helicopters began to ascend back into the sky from whence they came. They had dropped off whatever they were carrying and were now returning home. At their landing point, he could see the figures of people populating the plaza and soon, black tents and other shelters began to litter it. It was obvious to him who was there now. With a sigh, he began to scale back down the building he was sitting atop, making sure to stay on the backside as to not be noticed by the enemy across the way.

Akatsuya landed with a small thud on the pavement below, and descended the stairs into the Underground. Marcus was not going to like this. Not only did they have the mysterious woman to worry about, they now had Helix in the vicinity to deal with. The range at which Generation could operate at was now severly limited.

Making his way back to the conference room, Akatsuya opened the door and was greeted with an atmosphere depressing enough that it could sap the energy out of a battery. He was not looking forward to making it even heavier. He looked around at the glum faces of everyone, who were now looking in his direction. Maple, Alyssa, Briggs, Marcus, Germaine, Amanda. They were giving him a harsh look, knowing that he had more bad news to deliver.

"They've finally figured it out. Some soldiers have set up camp across the city from here in a plaza on the outskirts." Akatsuya expected a dramatic reaction to his news, but everyone just kept staring. It seems that they had figured if he had anything to tell them, this is what it would be.

"Yeah, I figured it would only be a matter of time considering those two's run in with that woman. At least we know where our enemy's at though." It was only a small comfort in Marcus' mind. Sure, they could get the jump on Helix if they were prepared, but he knew they would be outnumbered. He had hoped to grow his organization more by this point, but people who had been willing to fight were far and few between.

Amanda quickly shifted her position in her seat, turning to face the others. "I guess that means we need to go tell the people. We can't gurantee their safety if Helix makes their way here after us." It pained all of them to come to that realization, but it was the truth. If the corporation discovered that they were receiving help from Alphas like Generation instead of turning them in, they would execute each and every last person on the spot.

With furrowed brows, each person rose from their seat and left through the door, prepared to make a grim announcement to the refugees of the Underground, save for the two girls that had stumbled upon this entire turn of events.

Maple glanced over at Alyssa, who now had her head pressed down into her knees, curled up in the chair she was sitting in. It was hard for Alyssa to process the situation they were all in. She had been a nomad after her father had abandoned the Helix corporation, and was eventually abandoned by her own parents. Once again, she would be without a home thanks to Helix. It was hard for her to accept, so Maple decided it would be best not to discuss it any further.

Maple leaned back in her seat, and stared up at the ceiling. The two lights that adorned the ceiling began to flicker. The generator's that powered the Underground must've began to run low on fuel. While Alyssa usually enjoyed taking care of the task, Maple figured it would be best to do it herself. She gently raised herself out of her chair, and quietly passed out of the room and further past the conference room to the generator room.

Glancing at the markings on the wall, Maple took in as much of the imagery as she could. It would be the last time that she would be able to call the Underground her home. They would have no choice but to fight or flee, and knowing the members of Generation, they wouldn't be keen on fleeing. They had as much hate for Helix as anyone else did, Alyssa included.

In a few moments, Maple had arrived at the corridor leading to the generator room. It was fairly easy to get lost in the Underground if one didn't pay attention to the markings that directed the paths. The generator room was one of the easier rooms to find though, considering the large bundle of cables that ran across the wall above it and dispersed down the other corridors.

Maple gripped the circular wheel used to open the door, and gave the door a push. It creaked open, rust falling off here and there, and the humming of the generators soon creeped through sounding like a drone of insects. A large fuel resevoir was hooked up the generators that stretched across the room, repaired and refurbished by Alyssa herself. Some fuel tanks had been sat down next to the resevoir, idly waiting to be emptied. Maple walked over, and began filling the resevoir. Within a few moments, the resevoir was full again and began funneling the fuel into the generators. The lights seemed to brighten up a bit, ironic when compared to their current situation.

As she left the room, Maple heard the sound of something moving from further down the corridor. She paused for a moment, reflecting back on the incident at the car center. After a few brief seconds, a mouse came running down the walkway of the corridor, slipping down onto the railway and disappearing back into the darkness it came from. Maple felt a small pain in her shoulders, and quickly realised it was because of how tense she was. The recent events had made her alot more edgy than she normally was. With a deep exhale, she turned and proceeded back towards the center of the Underground.

As she approached the center, she could hear a ruckus coming from ahead. The sound of outraged people could be heard, followed by Briggs' booming voice. It seemed that the refugees were more than displeased at the news that had been delivered to them...