Valeria watches the TV news to see what’s being said about her friend.

“In other news, a warehouse located in the Filament Port docks has turned into a warzone, the interior suffered a lot of damage and several corpses, according to the reports, are identified as members of the dangerous band known as The Rabid Dogs. The leader of the gang, Yonvisneiker, has been confirmed to be dead, also weapons of high-explosive power have been found which opened an inquiry on how they acquired them. This has been labeled as a great hit to the criminality in the country as one of the most dangerous and wanted criminals has deceased, leaving Phrixus as the only one on the list, more details at 11:00 pm.”

“The things you see, Phrixus is serious business… and talking about the emperor of Rome…” says Valeria.

Phrixus enters the hall, awaiting Valeria’s response after watching the unexpected story—both he and Roberth kept it as a secret until now.

“You are full of surprises, but I’m more curious about what trophy you took from him.” Valeria asks with curiosity.

“His head… now my scarecrow is finished…” says Phrixus with the most serious tone he can muster. Valeria, thinking he’s serious, has a spooked look on her face. Roberth can’t resist anymore and burst out laughing, with Phrixus following.

“Dang it! I’m going to break this chair on your head Phrixus, and then the other one for you, Roberth.”

“That was priceless, these are the best surprises.” says Roberth.

“Heh, he didn’t have anything worth hanging onto, a shame since that was a good fight.” said Phrixus.

“At least he is gone… one nuisance less.” Remarks Valeria

***

3 hours later…

Phrixus receives a radio call.

“Phrixus, do you receive me? Over,” Officer Eve Grant says.

“Phrixus here.”

“Good, listen, we managed to find crucial intelligence despite the political unrest, the presidential palace houses an underground bunker along with a metro system which can take anyone to safe places all over the country. Such shelter is protected by access codes which only one particular government politician possess, we are currently investigating who. Also we found something of interest, do you recognize the names Enrique Leal and Jose Romero?

“Those two, they are fierce detractors of the regime and have the support of most of the people, Jose Romero got arrested for inciting violence but that is a bogus charge, I’m surprised he hasn’t been executed yet. Enrique Leal was one of the generals that participated in one failed coup d’état in the past and was replaced by another puppet driven by money and power. People can’t do anything when the military belongs in the regime’s pocket.

“A lot of the population do not support the government, this is a detail to consider, besides there is information you should know, the Red Confederacy has begun to deploy Superhumans in Venezuela, we assume they are trying to protect future Bellusaxum and Omicron Stars cargos. Our next step is to free these prisoners, studying their profile we believe they are the most appropriate candidates to reach agreements with the Vanguard of the Atlantic and ensure the stability of the country.”

“What kind of agreements are we talking about?”

“Better and reasonable deals for buying the Bellusaxum, and we’ll deliver foreign aid to help with the restoration efforts of the country’s economy and infrastructure.” says Eve Grant.

That sounds neat on paper, but there is always a catch with this kind of support… Phrixus thought without saying a word, but then he immediately addresses Eve Grant. “It sounds acceptable, where are the prisoners?”

“I’ll send you the coordinates of the military prison where they are being held, contact Duncan when you arrive to the extraction point, over and out.”

***

9:25 pm, Military Prison, Helicoide…

Phrixus is hiding at the outskirts of the prison, only carrying his P226 pistol with a silencer, M9 bayonet, and demolition equipment for the rescue. With his binoculars he makes a quick study of the structure, a small sector is unattended for a moment. Phrixus uses this advantage to approach cautiously and makes a high jump to get past the security fence.

Just inside he perceives a guard getting closer, Phrixus catches him off guard and incapacitates him, then carries the unconscious guard away and places him gently in a dumpster rather than killing him. While venturing deeper into the prison, Phrixus places his makeshift explosives carefully at strategic locations for the escape, when he arrives at what looks like the main hall he decides to draw the attention of one guard and deceives him psychically, making him think he is part of the personnel.

“Uh... I haven’t seen you before, you must be new here, at the beginning is a bit boring but you get used to it,” says the guard.

“I need to know where the prisoners Jose Romero and Enrique Leal are.”

“Cells C12 and C14,” the man says without thinking.

Phrixus goes with a low profile to the mentioned cells, arriving first to C12.

“Identify yourself,” says Phrixus, knocking at the door.

“Enrique Leal.”

“Congratulations, you are being released.” Phrixus grabs the door by its protruding sides and exerts enough strength to rip it from its foundations.

“These guys only use simple metal gates and a padlock as a cell door, not to mention their insufficient maintenance. This is quicker than looking for the keys,” Phrixus says.

“What the--!? What are you?”

“I’ll inform you when you are out of here. Follow me, we have a short window of time before they discover us.”

Enrique follows him, still bewildered. They arrive at the last cell and Phrixus asks the same question.

“I am Jose Romero.” The man in cell C14 says.

Using the same process, Phrixus opens forcefully the door, Jose Romero having the same reaction as Enrique.

“How did you do that?” Jose Romero says.

“I’ll tell you when we are out of here,” Phrixus says.

After having released the two prisoners, the alarm sounds all over the place.

“I hope you have a Plan B…” Enrique says. “We can’t get caught here.”

“Cover your ears.” Phrixus grabs a detonator and pulls the trigger, causing many explosions in the prison. “Stay close to me and keep your head down!”

Phrixus along with the prisoners escape from the place through gaps created by the explosives, quickly making their way outside. Some guards spot them and open fire. Phrixus forms a psychic field which diverts the projectiles, followed by a blast of energy to the guards, knocking them out in the process, Phrixus lifts a section of the fence making a breach below. Jose and Enrique crawl through while Phrixus just jumps it as before. They quickly escape and make their way to the extraction point.

“I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but who are you and who do you work for?” says Jose Romero.

“I’m Phrixus and I work for the Vanguard of the Atlantic, which is a reformed NATO, you have been freed because you’ll take an important role in the days to come.”

“What do you mean?” says Enrique.

“It is time for a change of government and you are the men for the job.”

“A bit extreme, but I know a lot of people still believe in me, the country needs an urgent change,” says Jose Romero.

“I say the same, I got arrested because I refused to accept the fact that a traitor was putting foreign people as high officers just to control the army and making it his private military force,” Enrique Leal says.

The group arrives at the extraction point; Phrixus contacts Duncan and in less than one minute a military helicopter materializes in front of them as it gets closer and lands near them.

“They will inform you about everything that happened during your stay in prison. See you soon.” With that, Phrixus says goodbye.

“Thanks for rescuing us,” says Jose Romero.

“Good luck out there.” Enrique Leal says.

They get inside the chopper and it takes off quickly, dissolving into the air as it flies away until the only thing that remains is a bit of smoke.

***

The next day, at Phrixus’s lair…

“…the VIPs are safe and being informed about the most relevant events, also we found the person holding the access codes to the underground bunker, Gustavo Contreras.” Eve Grant updates him on the radio.

“The president of the National Parliament, unofficially the second-in-command of the government, can approve any law to benefit or maintain the regime. So what is my objective now?” Phrixus asks.

“This is the operation, you are going to lead a squadron to assault the home of Gustavo Contreras, our intel confirms he has been performing illegal activities such as money laundering, weapons trafficking, systematic defalcation and also international fraudulent transactions which also affected the United States and many other countries. He may have covered his tracks but he can’t avoid our investigation; his crimes allow us a clear way to extradite him, so make sure to collect additional proof and minimize any civilian casualties. Go to these coordinates in thirty minutes, gear up as soon as possible, Eve out.”

“Pay a visit to that big-mouthed jerk and his luxurious mansion? …I’m gonna enjoy this.” Phrixus says.

***

27 minutes later…

Phrixus arrives at the meeting area and finds a small, concealed VOA encampment and hears a familiar voice.

“Check it out lads, guess who’s the boss…” His old training companion Floyd says.

“The prodigious soldier is back,” says Sylviane.

“And we meet again,” says Vincent.

“How unexpected, I thought you were in a remote place at war.” Phrixus shakes their hands cheerfully, jubilant at meeting his friends Arizona again, and wondering what they’re doing here.

“Not now, maybe soon, come to the briefing,” says Sylviane.

After two minutes of planning, the squadron prepares themselves for the attack. The military unit is comprised of seventeen elite soldiers, only nine of them are Superhumans. Phrixus and Floyd will do a frontal assault without raising suspicion. Vincent has taken care of the electronic systems, deactivating alarms and cutting off access to any communication network to prevent them from calling for help. Sylviane will provide long-range support as a sniper, and the rest of the soldiers will surround the building and wait for orders.

“Besides the National Guard, we have unexpected guests: confederate Superhumans. Looks like Gustavo’s fear is justified,” Phrixus says.

“Guns blazing or furtiveness, your call,” says Floyd.

“Then let’s begin this with brightness.”

Phrixus pulls out a canister and throws it at three guards watching the entrance, and before they can do anything the artifact releases a bright flash followed by a powerful Bang! They fall to the floor, stunned by the immediate ordeal, a small rubber ball bounces close to Floyd and hits him harmlessly on his shoulder.

He picks up the ball and gives it a quick scan. “What was that? Some sort of stingball and flashbang grenade combo?”

“Yeah, I brought a bit of custom-made, non-lethal stuff with me, let’s go!” says Phrixus.

The squadron quickly gets inside to Gustavo’s residence, national guards and red confederate superhumans begin to take a defensive position. Phrixus engages the hostiles with a combination of melee combat, firearms and psychic proficiency. The battle continues with the VOA squadron having the advantage at hand and commence to press forward.

“Clear!” says a VOA trooper.

“Check every room and contain any civilians, Floyd and Vincent come with me,” Phrixus says.

Vincent hacks the electronic keypad without setbacks and opens a blast door to the basement, they find a few national guards which are quickly dispatched.

“Only four walls and one door here, bet he’s calling for help to no avail.” Phrixus says.

Just when he is going to open the door it is opened violently, and Gustavo lunges at Phrixus with knife in hand only to be countered and dropped to the ground.

“The merciless hand of retribution grasps your frail neck, you and I are gonna have a small talk…” Phrixus grins.

***

3 minutes later…

“All troops take the civilians out, return to the camp and await new orders, Gustavo will stay here with me for interrogation.”

Every VOA soldier leaves the area, only Phrixus and Gustavo remain, the latter is on his knees and restrained psychically, grounded on the spot.

“It seems we started off on the wrong foot, let’s try again and get to know each other, so… tell me, what are your hobbies? Cooking, singing, painting… larceny, debauchery?” says Phrixus, amused.

“Quit your idiocy and do what you want to do, I don’t have time for tomfoolery.” Gustavo says with audacity.

“Fine then, let’s get straight to the point, you thought you were completely untouchable? You and your team can steal legally with your ‘currency control’. Any money which gets in the country goes to your wallet and you share the cut with your military ringleaders so they cover your ass from any harm… until now, you haven’t even cared for the welfare of the people… is your mind and soul clean?”

“I don’t give a crap about the people,” Gustavo says. “What about you, you think you can topple down the government just like that? We have the support of many countries, the Red Confederacy and the population, just know the consequences you will face if you continue your terrorism.”

“It seems for you, loyalty can be bought, you don’t only increase your wealth with the Bellusaxum, does weapons trafficking catch your attention? Only a few countries of South America support you. You make them smile with some cash. Your little group are only a meaningless minority with no respect and barely maintained by the highest military officers.” He presses his lips together. “Enough rambling. You have specific information that I need, I want the access codes to the tyrant’s underground bunker.”

“I’d rather die than tell you.”

He sighs. “Why do these guys always act like this...” He pulls out his revolver, leisurely whirling it with his index finger, and walking thoughtfully around Gustavo, deciding what to do next.

“Go ahead and kill me, like the hundreds you mercilessly slaughtered in the past.” Gustavo says, he weakly flails around but he can’t escape from Phrixus’s mental grasp.

“It’s harsh when life is deeply complex; those whose lives I ended, I’ll never find out what their situations were, they could be kindhearted people, helping their loved ones or in dire need of a job since the unemployment rate in the country is shockingly high…” Phrixus gives him a pistol-whip to the forehead, causing a small laceration and a small, trailing drop of blood going down through his face. “Who is responsible for this insane chaos? For this corruption? For not having a normal and content life? YOU and YOUR buddies, you only forced my hand to reach you, and in the process I have had to put to death anyone who got in my way, as far as I can tell your hands are more bloodied than mine.” Phrixus pulls out a speedloader.

“Five blanks, one real.” He loads up his revolver and spins the cylinder. “I’ll make sure the gunshot wounds are non-fatal; the label ‘human being’ no longer applies to you. Play clever, get smug, or lie to me and I shoot. I have many speedloaders loaded like this one and all the time in the world, so I ask again, where are the access codes?”

“I won’t…” says Gustavo with an agitated tone, trying to maintain his composure.

“Good.” Phrixus makes the first shot. It’s a blank, and Gustavo gets a scare.

“You piece of… If you bring down Ernesto what’s next, deliver the country to the VOA on a silver platter?”

“No, to more competent hands and you didn’t answer my question.” He makes a second shot, resulting in another blank.

“Who, that rat Jose Romero? I wouldn’t allow that spineless idiot to take any government position on my watch.”

“Exactly.” He makes the third shot, another blank.

“Damn it, alright I’ll tell you.” says Gustavo, spilling the codes in a scared tone.

“I believe you, but my gun does not.” The forth shot is a blank.

“I just told you the codes you scum!”

“And should I believe the access code for that bunker is a simple alphanumeric password? You know what?” He makes the fifth shot, the last blank.

In a distressed voice, Gustavo says, “You want the blasted codes? Go to my office, there is a keycard hidden behind a picture on the wall and I hope you fail and die a slow death.”

“Finally you spilled the beans, or so I think…” He takes aim to Gustavo’s head to make the final shot, he panics but then Phrixus aims with precision to a spot close between his knees, the bullet ricochets next to him without injuring him.

“Stop it damn it!” Gustavo yells at him.

“The luck of the draw was favorable for you, nevertheless I wouldn’t let you die here; this was a taste of your own medicine and what is coming for you in the next days will be worse. Many people will celebrate your imprisonment. Before they seal you in a box and deliver you to a U.S. maximum-security prison, I’ll ransack your memories.”

Some time later…

“So you are telling me you ‘stole’ his memories and everything he told you was a fabrication?” Vincent says.

“Yup, knowing how manipulative and deceptive that weasel can be, I figured the keycard he mentioned was just a counterfeit.” Phrixus says.

“Well, I’m relieved to hear that, by a stroke of luck we found a blueprint which shows the understructure of the presidential palace. If Ernesto takes the train I can hack the mainframe and control his only means of escape, also I found this data on his laptop.” He hands him a PDA. “E-mails, contacts, routes, everything related to a weapons trafficking ring, it will serve as a justification for this ‘invasion’ and extraditing the prisoner,” Vincent says.

“Checkmate…” Phrixus says. The two men fist bump.

“Five minutes boys, we’ll have to leave this place ASAP,” says Sylviane.

***

Phrixus arrives at his lair, Valeria and Roberth awaiting him at the hall.

“Well? Did you chop him up or just give him a headache?” Valeria says.

“Better yet, a permanent stay in an American prison. They’ll know how to treat him.”

“He did have it coming,” says Roberth.

“What’s next?” Valeria says.

“The best part is about to begin,” Phrixus says.