A few weeks later...

Slone smiles to herself, watching through the glass window as her experiment makes quick work of slicing their way through many cardboard cutouts of different snapshots and loopers with its blade.

As it chops in half the last cardboard cutout, conveniently looking like one of Jones' snapshots, she decides to enter the training room to greet them.

"Well, I must say 8R3Z, you've excelled in your training much faster than I thought." She admits, a hand on their shoulder. "You were really something else in your past."

They just stare at Slone, emotionless and silent while putting the blade back on its belt. She simply chuckles while fixing her glasses.

"Still as silent as ever I see. That's okay. I'd prefer you to stay quiet."

A hum comes from them, seemingly bothered about something. Slone, being keen-eyed, could tell what it was.

"I know. You're tired of using our dummies and cutouts to train with. You want to use your talents against our enemies, don't you?"

They nod slightly.

"Well, I promise you that as soon as we break through the island's surface, you'll be first in line to take out any loopers that stand in our way." She smirks. "Especially Jones and his little friends."

Despite the mask covering their mouth, Slone could sense a smile forming on their lips. At that moment the doors open again with a guard there to greet them.

"Doctor Slone ma'am!! I have great news. We are very close to the island. We should break the surface in the next few hours. Maybe even minutes!"

Slone smiles, hands behind her back, before walking out with 8R3Z following silently behind.

"Finally. I'm beginning to get fed up of being cramped up in this drilling vehicle."

They enter the control room where Gunnar is busy ordering around a guard trying to steer his way through the ground.

"Hurry it up soldier! We don't got all day!!"

"I'm trying Gunnar sir! Just give me a second!" They panic, scrambling with a wheel and pressing different buttons.

"Gunnar!"

The guards, and Gunnar, fall silent as Slone's voice cuts through the crowd with 8R3Z following behind.

"Gunnar, use your strength for pounding our enemies into submission instead of yelling at our guards please."

"Right. Sorry ma'am."

8R3Z nudges his way through to the control panel, typing in a few codes before pulling the nearby lever. The drill begins roaring to life once more as they return to Slone's side.

"Talking of which." She mutters. "Guards, go and grab your weapons and be ready to charge out of the Fortress. Gunnar, go with them and ready the tanks while you're at it."

"Yes ma'am! You heard her. Get moving!!"

The guards begin piling out until only Slone and 8R3Z remain. She turns to them.

"As for you, we'll wait until we break the surface. Then, you can run wild and destroy the loopers that stand in your way."

They nod in understanding as Slone sits down and begins controlling the drill.

"Count your prayers Jones, Midas. I won't be leaving this place until you're both nothing but rotting corpses on the ground..."

-----------------

Meanwhile...

The grass blows in the gentle wind, a cool spring breeze making the leaves on trees flutter gracefully before occasionally falling off onto the field of greenery below.

In a flash of light a golden portal begins to open. Coming through it is Orelia and Astra, who was clutching a small bag. She turns back to the goddess, somewhat confused.

"Why are we back on the island again my Queen?" She asks.

"Astra, listen to me. I want you to stay here. The palace is getting too old and decayed for us to stay in. It's nearly beyond fixing at this point..."

She sighs.

"I know you don't age like normal people, but I don't want you to grow up in a broken place like that."

"Oh, I see... So, where are we going to stay here then?"

The goddess shakes her head.

"I'm sorry Astra, but I won't be staying with you. Physically at least. Find Midas if you must, but I trust you will be alright on your own."

As Orelia turns around to head back through the portal Astra simply stands in place, watching her with a glum expression. The goddess suddenly remembers something and turns back to her.

"Oh, before I go. Here, Astra."

She passes her a medium sized staff with stars engraved on the handle. What looked like a rose on the top was surrounded by intertwining vines.

"What is this for?"

"You'll find out, in time." She tells her. "I'll be seeing you Astra."

With that Orelia disappears through the portal, leaving Astra all alone.

"Wait! Orelia!"

She desperately tries to go back through, but it fades as she gets an inch of a finger away from it. Upon realising she was alone, the girl begins to shed a few tears. Only briefly though, as she had to remain strong.

"It's okay Astra. You'll... You'll figure out what to do. Just stay calm and think."

To relax herself, she takes in the scenery around her. The mountainous terrain in the distance, the faraway towns and cities. Plus the little things such as a nearby pond with butterflies hovering around it.

"I suppose the best thing for me to do is find Midas and tell him everything." She hums.

She sits down by the pond, spinning a finger around in the water while a frog hops on to a nearby lily pad. A smile appears on her face as she reaches out a hand to stroke it, even if she didn't quite know what it was. Yet it seemed harmless enough to her.

Her hand pauses however when she feels a rumble beneath her feet. Astra gets up as the frog hops away in a panic, looking around for the source.

"What's that noise? What's going on-"

In an instant a gigantic drill contraption erupts from the ground behind her, landing with a thud that shakes the island. She stands there, paralyzed with fear as the drill opens up to reveal hundreds of people dressed like guards loaded with weapons. They charge on to the field with huge tanks coming from behind.

Astra's heart races upon seeing them. Something about the tanks made an image flash in her mind, causing her to clutch her head as it pounds intensely before abruptly stopping.

"AHH!! W-What...was that just now?!" She cries, shaking her head and looking up. "Was it... some kind of memory? It... couldn't be. It can't be mine..."

Another question begins to emerge in her mind.

Did Orelia know about the I.O's invasion of this place?

Or was she in the dark as much as she was.

A few guards catch notice of Astra and turn their guns towards her, causing her to back away and run.

Where?

To find help. From Midas or anyone else she could find.

-----------------

Meanwhile... again...

Jones sighs, fiddling around with his pen and aimlessly typing on his keyboard while tapping his foot on the ground. He was currently meant to be on break, but he hadn't budged from his chair as Midas offered to buy him lunch. He hadn't returned yet, so the blond assumed maybe he was stuck in a queue or something.

He told himself he wasn't pinning over his boyfriend's return, but his uncoordinated foot tapping told him otherwise. Luckily, his office door finally opens to reveal Midas holding a bag of food from Durr Burger.

"I apologize for taking so long my dear. The journey there was quite long, plus a slight queue." He says. "But I tried my best to get back here quickly, before your food went cold."

Jones simply smiles as Midas puts the bag down on his desk. Though, to his surprise, the mastermind suddenly slips into his lap, wrapping his arms around him with a smile.

"Woah, hehe. You sure that's not the only thing you rushed back for Midas?" He asks with a grin. "You're usually not up for flirting in a workplace."

Midas hums, brushing his thumb against Jones' cheek and blushing.

"Relax. The door's closed darling. No one will notice."

Jones felt himself slowly heat up as his boyfriend's golden hands tickle the hairs on the back of his neck slightly. He wasn't sure what brought Midas to take their relationship up a notch, but he was liking this side of him.

"So, we gonna eat or what Goldie?"

He smirks, leaning closer to Jones.

"In a second Blondie. I'd just like a moment between us first...If you're okay with that of course."

Jones chuckles softly, caressing his hands across Midas' cheeks while both go bright red in the face.

"Sure, golden boy."

Just as their lips reach one another's, some kind of explosion outside cuts off the romantic tension between them. Midas immediately pulls away from Jones and goes to open the blinds. Both are immediately horrified to see a gigantic drill bursting out the ground as well as blimps appear in the sky.

"What the hell is going on out there?" Jones asks.

Midas growls in annoyance, knowing exactly who it was.

"I.O... They finally made it to the island. And Foundation was right. They want WAR."

The two of them dash out of their office, Jones quickly stuffing the bag of food into his fieldpack, tossing it on to his shoulder and following his boyfriend. All the while Midas grabs his phone and texts the number The Seven lent him.

"Foundation, it's Midas. You were right. The Imagined Order have come back, and they most certainly want to wage war against us and the island."

After they exit the building they slide to a stop as they see tanks, cars and soldiers from the I.O marching their way into Tilted Towers. Screams ring out as people attempt to flee the city. Midas grips on to Jones' hand as they try to do the same, though he stops suddenly as he notices someone in the crowd.

"Wait a minute. Is that... Astra?"

"Hey yeah, it is. What's she doing in the middle of a warzone?" Jones wonders.

"Beats me. But we're rescuing her."

Before Jones can respond he was already being dragged over, Midas knocking through the guards with his elbow while summoning his staff. The girl notices them approaching and rushes over to them.

"Midas! Thank goodness I found you!" She cries.

"Likewise. Unfortunately, this time isn't the best place to talk. Let's get out of here."

Gently tapping the bottom of his staff on the ground, the trio teleport away and send a shockwave of energy out to attack the guards as they disappear.

---------

"Where'd you teleport us to Midas?" Jones asks, cuddling close to him.

"Home. It's the only place I could think of. I panicked."

"Anywhere would be better than there." Astra says. "Huh?"

Unfortunately for them, as soon as they stop teleporting, the house they land in front of hardly matches the one Midas and Jones remembered.

It had been overrun by I.O guards and was locked up tight. They couldn't even get in to grab their belongings even if they tried.

"Well well well, look who it is." A familiar voice says. "We meet again, Midas Rex."

Midas and the others turn around to find that oh-so familiar woman standing there with a loaded burst AR. An unkind smile forms on her lips as he glares at her.

"Doctor Slone..."

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