The sound of Verisha and I’s boots clumped through the empty halls between the alarm blares. After some effort to overcome communication difficulty, we worked our way back towards the mess hall. “There ya are, kid!” Jazz said as we skittered around a corner, bumping into each other. His eyes seemed glaze and he dripped with sweat. A blaster in his hand. “This is really loud, man.”

“Yeah, it is. Hairu knows how to turn it off though. Where is she?” She’d shut it off while I retrieved my gun earlier. Leaving me clueless about where to do it.

“Hell, I figured she with you. Showed me a room, then this started blaring, so she left.” Jazz answered, eyeing Verisha. “Does she know how to kill it?”

“I doubt it. I wouldn’t be able to ask her, anyway.” Where did Hairu go? A thought occurred then. Here goes nothing. “HAG, location of alarm controls for Utopia five?”

“Controls are in the monitoring hall in quadrant three. Would you like a step-by-step guide?” The smooth even speech was more feminine. No longer warbled, cold and mechanical. After my wound sick episode in the Red, it caught me off guard. But this was a side effect of Hairu’s updating, not a failing mental state. Furthermore, the map mentioned in the notes the automaton wrote me obviously included the compounds lay out.

More bizarre emotions crossed Jazz’s face. “Can’t believe you put that thing back on.” In all my time knowing him, he’d never seemed this flustered. I supposed, capable though he could be, this was totally out of his element. Being somewhere he knew nothing about.

I reached out and gave my friend’s shoulder a squeeze. “guess I felt naked. Let’s go shut off this alarm. I think that’s where Hairu would’ve gone.” After a glance up the halls, I said, “It will be hard to deal with anything without her to show us through this place.”

Jazz tightened the grip on his blaster and gave a deep sigh. “You’n your bracelet, lead the way.”

I nodded. “Ok HAG, how do we get there?”

The corridors seemed to go on forever. Verisha stayed hot on my heels and my mentor hung back, trotting more than running. “On your right will be the monitoring hall. The alarm silence is a large red button labeled as such.” I felt compelled to thank the device for guiding us. The human like demeanor was already more pleasant than my previous years of experience.

The room was dim and gray. monitors littered the largest wall. Multiple desks covered in keypads and smaller video screens took up the floor. Cushy wheeled chairs slid neatly away underneath them. The air was cooler than in the hall but smelled more stagnant than sterile. Unfortunately, Hairu wasn’t in here. Where the hell did she go? I scanned for the mentioned button as Verisha came to stand beside me. I noted her proximity before shaking my head to focus. A few minutes passed with the search. Jazz lingered at the door behind us, looking aimlessly around. I expected he’d been more excited to see so much working technology. But his pinched features showed no such pleasure.

A pulse of red in time with the blaring sound caught my eye. “There it is,” I said, mostly to myself, before slapping the blinking button. The following silence was a relief. Verisha’s orange eyes focused on one of the many monitors. “Tot hostibus.” I followed her gaze, my jaw muscles slacking at the sight depicted on the fuzzy screen.

The view, I assumed, was of the front side of Utopia. Considering the back hung over the gaping canyon, Valles Marineras. This showed a barren landscape of gray and black rocks with dozens of small paths and roads with other dilapidated structures in the haze. But the background wasn’t the issue. About two hundred fifty meters off was a line of vehicles. By-wheels and Humvees alike. Some adorned in the yellow and blue of Titan’s Wrath. Others were whitewashed machines decorated in the gaudy fashion of the faith.

“Holy shit.” I whispered. “Jazz, I think they found us.”

“You, yes.” he answered, his voice a flat whisper. “But not me. I led them here.”

It didn’t register at first, my brain refused the statement. My insides froze, and the world slowed to a crawl. He led them? Something slammed into my shoulder, sending me toppling over the closest desk. Breaking glass and falling components followed. There was a flash and the familiar sound of light infusion being discharged. Last, there was a painful yelp.

Verisha landed atop me. As did her busted light rifle. A section of her blue suit lay open and charred above her left shoulder. The pale skin under was still sizzling, faint smoke rising. She saved me from. . . My throat tightened until breathing was strenuous.

“Damn it, Ex. You weren’t supposed to be here!” Jazz called. I could hear him working his way into the room, stepping over debris. I yanked the contender over my shoulder and loaded it. Trying to kick another table between us for cover, rolling Verisha to her side. I popped up and fired. Deliberately letting the shot go to the right. In the small space, the weapon’s roar was deafening. Twisted steel flew as the projectile hit the solid wall. I dropped and my stunned friend sent wild bolts of light flying, sparks sailing upon impact as the shots missed.

“What the hell are you doing, Jazz? Why are you shooting at us?” I choked out. My thoughts going a million kilometers a second.

“You wouldn’t understand.” His voice was hoarse. “I didn’t want to kill you. Why couldn’t you’ve just wonder off somewhere? I never actually expected you would catch up with that girl and end up in this place!” Nothing Jazz said made sense. Did he really not believe I would survive? I thought to my grievous neck wound. He assumed I would die?

“Are you helping Owls? For what? A damn dwelling? It’s a pile of fucking rocks around a well stem!” I shouted. My fingers trembled as I fought another bullet into my pistol. The stress of the situation was cracking me at the seams. This can’t be Jazz. The thought filled my eyes with moisture.

I didn’t have time to waste in sentiments. Verisha’s wound needed attention. It all looked superficial as she huddled behind another table. But, insides took the most damage from light weapons. I need to get her to. . . Did he kill Hairu?

Biting my cheek and using pain to focus, I attempted to plan. loosing a shot at the floor closest to him, I gauged Jazz’s approach. He flinched from the splintered material. He was being slow and cautious. Maybe he was less sure I wouldn’t shoot him, knowing I’d killed to save Verisha already. I can’t kill Jazz. The thought was oddly final. But, if he got serious, he could easily pierce my makeshift cover. I needed some reflector gear or. . . I remembered.

“HAG, shield!” I called out and held up my arm. Same as the magnifying window, a space in front of me rippled like water but remained semitransparent. It was an area the size of a small door. Twice as wide as my body and just as tall. I took several shaky breaths. I hope this works. There were no specifics on what this would stop.

I rose from hiding, holstering the contender. The dark skin of my friend’s face twisted, his eyes observed and analyzed. “Well, that’s a new trick. That gonna do something?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“Yeah, means you can’t hurt me. Damned traitor. What, you fall in love with the moon?” My verbal jab sent a flurry of emotions through Jazz’s expression. Like it actually got to him. I brushed it off.

“You think I can’t get around that and shoot you? Come on Ex.” He stepped forward.

“HAG, Combat enhance, Double excel,” I tried to bore into him with my eyes, warning. “No, you can’t.” I answered while thinking. There must be more to this. He hated the faith more than anything, right? Was there more he hadn’t told me? We had worked for them repeatedly, after all.

Verisha rose to her knees beside me. I need to get her out of here. Jazz pulled his second blaster and aimed it. “Well, look like your new friend saved you and survived. What ya know?” The green-haired girl glared with all the fury I’d seen in her eyes before. But she stayed put, uninjured arm holding the other. “So, sure that trick can stop my shot? What if I shoot it with the rifle?” Jazz’s face twisted unusually as I tucked tighter behind the rippling space.

I ground my teeth till I tasted blood. “What the hell Jazz?”

“It’s treachery at its finest kid, last thing I’ll teach you. Jobs the job, and I can’t turn down the reward. Stop crying. Be a man about it.” I could see all the muscles in his body tensing through his clothing while he spoke. He wasn’t without his own reservation. “whether or not you believe me, I am sorry.”

“A reward-.” The VOOM of the firing blasters cut me off. The beam of light slammed into the transparent shield and deflected to the side. I didn’t have time to feel relief before another flurry of shots hit and scattered around the room. I watched Jazz’s face warp in frustration. He continued to fire from both weapons. Verisha stood and moved closer as the area pulsed with illumination, heat, and the smell of melted steel and electrical. I smashed my eyes shut, unable to watch any longer. The pain in my chest tightened. And tightened. Then something snapped.

“Damn you!” the words were a roar as I launched forward. My speed and strength amplified beyond what my mentor could handle. I mashed the shield against his body, driving him out of the way. I stumbled and fell over debris after my assault, rolling awkwardly out of the door. Verisha hustled past and down the hall, never looking back. The little remaining fire in my core flickered. I shouldn’t expect much more. I’m just a stranger, after all.

The shield vanished when I lost my footing, but the moment I placed the HAG in the horizontal position and stood, it appeared without call. I couldn’t bring myself to appreciate it, though. The world seemed bland. Drained of its vibrance. Verisha is too fast for him. she’ll get away. My arm fell some, lowering the protective area with it. Should I just let this happen?

“Well, that worked that time.” Jazz stepped out of the room. My frustration with his treachery breathing fresh heat into my veins.

“I told you I could kick your ass.” My words were weak. If anyone could work around the HAG’s ability, it was this man. But even if I died here, I’d give Verisha a head start.

Wiping a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth, Jazz nodded. He fired a blaster without another word, but not directly at me. Instead, just to my left and above, hitting the steel ceiling. Flinching from the unexpected flecks of molten metal, I lost focus.

A heavy slam against the shield knocked me back as he jumped and kicked both his feet against the thing. Losing my balance, I flailed my arms and the defensive space vanished. He figured it out that fast? A hard boot against my chin sent me rocking further. Even with the HAG’s help, certain human traits couldn’t be overcome. Being dizzied by a powerful hit to a loose jaw was one of them.

Unable to recover from Jazz’s well-timed barrage, my mind raced for a non-existent solution. The pain of the situation was too heavy. Shackling my hands from lifting to fight or redraw my pistol. In a matter of moments, all the structure of my life fell away. He was my family. Stumbling to my knees and out of breath, I watched my friend march forward. He held the blaster to my forehead. Gritting his teeth. He shook, pressing the weapon even tighter. “Shit!” he said, storming back a few steps.

I sighed. “Just get it over with.”

“You think that’s what I want? Damn it, kid!”

“Then why are you doing it? You’ve never done a damn thing you didn’t prefer to! Least of all for Owls.”

“It’s more complicated than that.”

I spit at his feet. “Guess people even kill family for the fucking moons.”

He turned and thundered back, pointing the weapon again. There was the familiar and dark commitment on his face. He’ll do it now. I closed my eyes and waited. “I’m sorry, Ex, I mean it. But you’re not my only family.” There was a heavy tinkling sound of steel against soft skin, then a clattering to my side. A thud on the floor followed. His only?

The next thing I knew, I was being hauled to my feet by unseen forces. I opened my lids to see Verisha’s splendid face full of focus. She examined me. Feeling my jaw and touching the minor burns that littered my body. Why bother coming back after leaving me to die?

Leaning over an unconscious Jazz was Hairu. A small black metal disk at her feet, the number five LB printed on it. So he didn’t kill her. The thought gave me a ray of hope. It extinguished with the sight of a scorched open part of her gray shirt. The missing cloth left a heat streaked but still shiny section of her middle showing. “Are you ok?” I asked in a whisper.

“Yes, I am quite fine. Your friend attempted to assassinate me. However, my core is impervious to light infusion weapons.”

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea this would happen.” Guilt pulled my shoulders towards the floor. How could I fix this? Just as I feared, I brought trouble to someone else’s world.

“This is not your doing, but we need to keep moving. Miss IO explained most of the situation to me, but I must ask. Do you believe these people will attack Utopia five?”

“I don’t know. Jazz claimed he led them here.” I looked back at the unconscious man shrinking behind us. “But he also suggested he didn’t think we, or I, would be here.”

“Have the gauntlet scan for non-local communications.”

With no reason to question Hairu’s instructions. I did as she asked. I’m sure in the thick pamphlet of notes I hadn’t finished reading, she explained this feature.

“There is a foreign line of low frequency radio wave coming from the one called Jazz.” The HAG said.

“There is your answer, Ex. I assume the channel is communicating with the amassed group. For whatever reason, he was likely sending them information from here. Or receiving orders from them. It would be safer to expect they are hostile.”

How could that be? Owls truly was dangerous with technology at his fingertips. But how could he control Jazz? Maybe the bastard really was doing this to protect his home? Or his other family? Regardless, the reality made me sluggish. Even before calling off the Enhancements. The transition was much smoother now. But again, I didn’t appreciate it. If the ground beneath me were to open like the maw of a gargantuan sluth and end my life function. Perhaps that wouldn’t be so bad.