Jackie blinked as she tried to wrap her mind around the words being said. Considering the source of information, she felt like the words had a deeper meaning as if she were staring into a void and could feel it looking back.

"It's a lot to take in, though my companion may have used words that require context to understand. What would help is to understand a concept that isn't widely shared. Have you heard of the idea of reincarnation?" The black-haired woman asked.

Jackie could only shake her head. The word sounded familiar, likely something she had heard on a mission.

"It's understandable that you haven't heard about this word before, many in this nation haven't. The one who founded Star and Moon told us about a powerful being that had willingly entered into the Rebirth Cycle in an attempt to learn more about himself. There are strong indications that your target is this being, so you're job is to observe and find any signs to confirm our theory." The black-haired woman explained.

Jackie held up her hands. "Wait! Let me understand this. You're going to have us spy on a 'powerful being'... whatever that means? What is a powerful being?"

The black-haired woman lifted up her hands, trying to calm Jackie down. "Be calm. You are likely not ready to understand many of this information. There's no reason to be alarmed with this individual. All you need to do is to just observe and report anything unusual and only report to us."

"No one else is allowed to hear or see your report, aside from Amanda. This is why Amanda will be joining your team." One of the brunette-haired women said. Both of them had been quietly observing what was happening only now one of them decided to participate.

"There is no need to worry about her in the field. She has received training to help her keep up with a team. You'll find her a valuable asset out in the world as it falls into chaos." The other brunette-haired woman added.

Sitting in her chair, she didn't know what to say in response to their words. Even before she could grasp the significance of the mission, she asked, "When will my team and I be leaving?"

-----------

"Are you sure that this something we should be doing?" Her long-time friend asked as she brushed back her black hair.

Looking at her friend, she looked at the twins who were typically silent. She was surprised that they chimed in on, mentioning the worker who would be going along with the team leader.

"It needed to be done. Even though Lady Helania asked us to not find that person, how can we continue to not do something for the person that set the events in motion leading to our becoming free?" Her fiery-haired friend answered.

"How are things progressing? Are the other divisions willing to follow our lead?" She asked the group.

--------

After leaving the conference room, Jackie and Amanda were riding a taxi towards the part of the base where the soldiers were sent after getting off of the Jump Jet. To get her mind off of the strange feeling the conference meeting gave her, Jackie just watched everything passing by.

"I still can't believe how large this place is," Jacke said out loud to Amanda.

"The base was built with the intention of being a haven for personnel flying in on the off chance that the world went to shit," Amanda informed her. "It seems like Star and Moon had the good forethought of designing many of the bases in this fashion."

"Will the Jump Jets still be able to take off and land with all those modified humans running about?" Jackie asked, concerned about how things would proceed in the new world, post modified humans.

Nodding her head, Amanda reassured her, "All Star and Moon properties have devices around the perimeter that messes with perception. Your suits and the Jump Jets negate the effects, but on the mission, we won't have the luxury of such tech on us."

"How do we get back?" Jackie was forced to ask the obvious question.

Amanda winked at Jackie's question.

Seeing Amanda's reaction caused a shiver to go over Jackie's body since she understood that Amanda was saying that after they left Star and Moon, it wasn't expected they would return without assistance. In order to get back into Star and Moon, they would need the company to go out and get them. Looking at Amanda, Jackie wondered whether Amanda had a secret method to get in contact with the higher-ups, considering Amanda would be handling the reports that Jackie writes up. Leaning her head back, Jackie felt exhausted and anxious at the same time.

Everything about this mission was completely different from anything she experienced and unlike any mission that Star and Moon would give out. Jackie now partly understood why she was chosen instead of someone from the Lamia Division. The Arachnia Division had people who were used to working by themselves with minimal support.

Feeling the taxi slow down, Jackie saw a sign that indicated that they had arrived at their destination. The cab only decreased the speed and didn't stop for them to get off. She had watched other people go through the process, so she and Amanda jumped off of the seat. Instead of being a taxi a person would see in the city, the cart they rode was similar to the type found in airports, transporting people to and from the gates.

As they walked down the branching hallway, Jackie saw more people she recognized. Soldiers were going about their day, either heading off to another mission or enjoying their small break. Some of them that knew Jackie called out to her, asking where she had been. Jackie gave a nonspecific answer to their question, which was a norm most of the time to not share information to basic questions.

"Hey, have any of you guys seen Lulu or Lacy?" Jackie called out to a fellow Arachnia member.

"Lulu is likely inside of the gaming center while Lacy may be relaxing in the garden," the guy yelled back.

"Who are we going to grab first?" Amanda asked as they continued to walk further into the area all the soldiers were in after returning from missions and waiting for the next one.

As they turned a corner, they reached the main area that had an impressive atrium. Screens were hanging with information flashing by and internal news network playing, talking about the modified humans. Looking up at the various displays, there was a large group of soldiers discussing the new events.

A lot of people were talking about their concerns about their families, but soon the woman on the screen reported that employees of Star and Moon didn't need to be concerned.

"I'm glad that my daughter is safe, especially getting accepted into the woman's university," A man talked to another as Jackie and Amanda walked by.

"I just hope that this doesn't affect the season for the League," his buddy sounded depressed.

"That league you were talking about? Battle Arena or something?" The first one asked.

"Yeah. The World Athletic Battle Arena League is what I'm talking about. I saved some of the games on my system. You'll love it. Even though it's nearly brand new, compared to other sports, I'm addicted to watching the games." The second one said to the first.

Jackie felt her ears perk up after hearing about the words Battle Arena. They had passed by a training area when they first came inside, and the description that Amanda had given was a bit lacking.

"Don't worry about finding out more about that sport," Amanda said to Jackie.

Seeing Amanda giving her a smile, Jackie knew that this was going to be a surprise. Based on the timing, the connection was likely to the mission they were about to start after picking up Lulu and Lacy. On their way, Jackie had continuously tried to pry out any information out of Amanda that might be relevant to the mission. Unfortunately, Amanda was a locked vault and was silent about it.

Sighing in frustration, Jackie saw one of the three main hallways. There was the one that they had gone through to arrive at this location, while the one she was looking at led to the recreational area. It was a pretty simple set up, making it easier for soldiers to adapt to a new location. On the surface level, there was mainly the check-in related steps, such as additional identity verification, contraband checks, health checks, and more. Even though there were a lot of steps just to get to the sub-levels, the methodology for going through everything was both efficient and effective. Many of the detection devices were passive, making it so the moment an individual enters into the building they are being monitored.

An acquaintance of hers, who was trying to impress her in an attempt to get into her pants, had told Jackie that he was working at one of the security sub-divisions and bragged about the amount of security located at each of the bases around the various worlds. Listening to his words, Jackie learned that his security clearance level wasn't high enough for the information he had disclosed to her. Jackie hadn't even finished her drink before a man and woman approached them at the bar. The woman asked the man if he could come with them, and based on the blood draining from his face the two was the 'don't mess with them' type.

Seeing the man escorted away, it was at that moment that Jackie understood how severe Star and Moon was about information. The two of them weren't even near a Star and Moon facility but the response time was still awe-inspiring.

Looking to her left at the wall, Jackie noticed a map with details about the various places and stores in the recreational wing. Even though they were on the lowest level, the current floor they were on was still recognized as being on the first floor. They were currently on the floor that had mostly bars and quick food restaurants. It was likely organized in such a manner for those who received a mission right after their debriefing so that soldiers could enjoy a short break with friends with grabbing a drink or eating some food.

The gaming area was on the next level while the gardens were at the very top level. Looking at the sign directing people to the cafeteria, where they could enjoy free food instead of spending money in one of the named locations, Jackie thought about grabbing some food but figured she should wait and see if Lulu and Lacy had eaten yet. There was an escalator located near her, so she would soon be able to ask Lulu if the two of them had eaten.

----------

"I hate not having my suit," Lulu groaned.

The car felt like an oven, making them all sweat though Amanda looked to be handling it better than they were.

"Don't remind us," Jackie groaned. They were currently driving through a desert on their way to the objective location, though instead of using the dependable and high-tech Star and Moon vehicles, they were forced to drive a domestic car made by JKGP. Considering the nonfunctional air-conditioning unit, it reminded Jackie why they nicknamed the manufacturer's name as 'Just Keep Going Please.' She had a sinking feeling that the car's engine was going to overhead. This was why they were sweating, due to Jackie cranking up the heater in an attempt to siphon heat away from the engine.

"Considering this is an infiltration mission and your connection with Star and Moon is effectively cut off, it would be strange to take with you suits that have a finite useful life," Amanda calmly explained to Lulu.

"You'd think that Star and Moon would design a suit that could be plugged into a wall outlet...," Lulu grumbled.

Jackie smirked, "Sure. I bet they wanted to create a suit that took years to charge from a wall outlet, considering the power drain of the equipment matched with a black-box of a battery."

"And even if they could get batteries to us, we would need to be trained in replacing something that could potentially explode like a fission bomb used in the Continental Wars. Even after all that, I'm sure the people we're supposed to be observing would notice us acting differently." Lacy added in.

Amanda agreed. "Star and Moon isn't some kind of company out of a science fiction novel. The company is limited with technology until its developed so it would be unlikely for them to create something so quickly such as what Lulu is hoping for."

"It's SO HOT!" Lulu said in frustration, sticking her head out of the window and screaming into the wind.

Jackie groaned, thinking that Lulu's complaining made the car feel warmer. "Lulu, stop your complaining. We should soon cross the border into the upper province, where the temperature is a couple of degrees cooler."

"What's that?" Lulu ignored Jackie's words and asked.

Jackie quickly glanced at Lulu but kept her eyes on the road to avoid the various abandoned vehicles and keep an eye out for modified humans. They had received intel from Operations to give them some help for the mission. It seems that the modified humans had switched from an active hunting pattern to a passive one, waiting for humans to walk near them. What annoyed Jackie was how little Operations gave them, but this was due to how quickly the modified humans are adapting.

"As long as we stay out in the open, we should be safe. We don't even have weapons, though only weapons we are trained in seem to be effective against them not the ones used by the military and police." Jackie thought to herself.

"Stop the car!" Lulu yelled out.

Jackie's foot jerked as she stomped on the break, gripping the steering wheel and trying not to spin out or flip over. Burnt rubber filled the air as the tires squealed in alarm.

Twisting the steering wheel and barely avoiding a stationary car, they ended up swerving and coming to a stop. "Damn it, Lulu! What the fuck!" Jackie snarled, whipping her head to look at Lulu who was half out of the car.

Clinging to the car and managing to not be flung out of the vehicle, Lulu pulled herself back into the car not looking to hear a word from Jackie.

Before anyone could say another word at her, Lulu yanked on the door handle and burst out of the car. "I saw someone out there!" Lulu yelled back at them.

Seeing Lulu running out of the car and into the dangerous world without any protection, Jackie and the others cursed and dashed out of the vehicle in pursuit of their impetuous teammate.

"Lulu! Don't run out there by yourself!" Lacy called out.

Feeling exposed, Jackie's eyes darted back and forth as she tried to look out for any dangers while keeping track of Lulu. Her mind knew that they were likely safe from the monsters, but her heart was still beating away pumping adrenaline through her veins.

Leaving the highway, Jackie could hear the crunching of sand as she propelled herself forward. She wanted to scream in anger at Lulu, but soon she saw the figure of a lone woman in front of Lulu. The woman was waving her arms frantically, trying to gain their attention and running towards them.

As Jackie got closer and could see the woman better, she felt like something was off about the situation. It took only another moment before what she was seeing clicked in her mind. "Where're the woman's supplies?"