How many had it been now? 15? 20? He'd lost count. Lab after lab after bunker after storage facility and now finally this place, a city and a dreadful one at that. The most rundown city, one of the most lost corners of this damned country. The lost "paradise" of those who rejected the new world order. Irradiated faces, scarred skin, missing limbs... It was like the far west he'd read so much about. He'd always wondered why anyone would want to live like this. The truth was they didn't have a choice. Children of the outcasts of the forgotten world. The children of those who were expelled from the cities' protection, or simply didn't want it.

Slava and Valerie walked through the desolate streets of the City of the Forsaken, their presence drawing wary glances from the few souls who dared to remain in this forsaken place. The city exuded an air of decay and despair, its towering structures reduced to crumbling remnants of their former glory. Neon signs flickered sporadically, casting eerie shadows on the cracked pavement below.

Valerie, her gaze fixed ahead, led the way with an almost unsettling determination. Slava followed not too far behind, his imposing figure a constant reminder of their formidable presence. Their suits gleamed in the dim light, a stark contrast to the dilapidated surroundings.

"We don't want to cause trouble here, let me do the talking," Valerie said, her voice laced with cold confidence. She had navigated these treacherous streets before, gathering information, and making connections. Although he didn't trust her completely, Slava trusted her instincts, and her knowledge of the city's underbelly.

The locals, with their weariness etched on their faces, watched their every move. Slava's heightened senses picked up on their unease, their wariness. He knew they were being observed by different factions, each with their own agenda and ulterior motives.

"How did you get past this last time?" Slava asked, his voice breaking the silence. He wanted to understand Valerie's past encounters with this city. To know more about her character, he still couldn’t place her intentions. The way her demeanor constantly flipped made her unpredictable. He needed to find a way to bind her.

"Last time you weren't here," Valerie replied, her voice tinged with a hint of weariness. Slava contemplated her words, realizing that his presence had altered the dynamics of their approach. It made him question their decision to traverse the city openly instead of infiltrating discreetly. After all, it wouldn’t be hard.

"Why did we have to pass through here then?" Slava pressed further, his gaze scanning their surroundings. The decaying structures, the faint hum of electricity in the air... It all added to the growing tension which was building up. He could almost smell the fear.

"There's someone we need to speak to," Valerie finally revealed, looking back, her shoulders flinching once she saw him. He was about to inquire more when he noticed a spark lighting up from the corner of his eye. In a swift but precise movement, he extended his arm towards Valerie.

“What…” Before she knew it, she was yanked from behind, as she watched a ray of light speed past the spot she was just in. As Valerie looked at him with a mix of surprise and relief, Slava's gaze shifted to their attackers. At least 5 heavily armed attackers had surrounded them, their numbers endlessly increasing, their shadows emerging from every nook and cranny.

Seeing Slava begin to walk forward, Valerie interjected, reaching out. "Slava, we need them alive," she pleaded, her voice tinged with a hint of pity. Slightly turning his head, he stared at her, frowning. Then, with the flick of his fingers, he vanished.

Emerging amongst the cyborgs, he looked around as their expressions slowly shifted. 1, 4… 12, 16; slowly moving towards him. Slava's eyes narrowed as he waited, assessing the incoming attackers, his mind already calculating the most efficient way to neutralize them. The air around him crackled as his domain flowed through like a wave. He could feel something foreign trying to interfere, but it vanished as fast as it had appeared. An odd phenomenon that felt like a domain, but one the likes of which he’d never experienced before. A weak yet omnipresent aura permeated this place. Interesting… Things were getting interesting.

“Synchronization complete!” Slava had, after their numerous excursions, perfected his suit so that it could work in tandem with him, to have it keep up with his acceleration. It allowed him to see things that he normally wouldn’t notice, things that he would otherwise miss. Things like this… reaching out, his hand lightly brushed against a thin misty thread. A veil of probability… Crow really didn’t let up. Even though he said he was going into seclusion.

Sighing, Slava focussed on his breath, noticing the particles moving before him, every movement tracked through his focus. With a chuckle, he brought his hands together into familiar movements, gathering the air between them, twisting and spinning it into fine threads.

The last time he messed with these formulas was right after Kolya died. As the images of his loved ones passed through his head, he was tempted to try again. The ones he had lost, the ones who had suffered… but he couldn't yet. Even now, even after all this time, the flaws were still clear, like sentences with missing words whose meanings he could barely decipher. He wasn't confident with it working.

More than that, he wasn't sure he could let go. The Sigil's Awakened he’d grown so fond of due to Zack and Mag. Jack's endless antics that reminded him of the past. Sasha's past, her origins, and the constant battles she had with herself. He wanted to witness her growth. His curiosity was gnawing at him. He wanted to witness for himself the future that awaited Henosis, the scene of Lord’s schemes crumbling into dust and Chaos’ secrets finally being unveiled.

All of it would come due in time, something that he somehow couldn’t get enough of. Yet… something that always seemed to slip away from his fingers. He made the wrong decisions, mistakes that lead to suffering, pain, and death. One day… one day he would fix it, whether it was by traveling forking universes, destroying everything he had built, or creating it all anew. For now, he had things to do, people to take care of, things to investigate, people to survey.

With a swift twist of his hands, the shifting hypersphere he held between them unraveled in an instant, fusing into chains. Chains that spread in all directions, dissipating into empty space and forming back around the assailants, entrapping them in an uncertain state. Their forms became irregular, phasing through time, through different ages, their metallic parts reacting, fighting over control of their bodies.

Amazing… He could feel the heat, shifts, twists, and turns that made them breathe, feel, move… He experimented, shifting their inner clock, constantly versing and reversing the reactions that made them whole, studying them meticulously. He witnessed firsthand the war between biology and machinery. Macromolecular cages carrying arsenals, clashing against countless types of lymphocytes. Each side fighting for control, except for… In the chaos, some merged and fused to create something he’d never seen before.

Could he? No… Experimenting, he relentlessly tried to fuse both of them, to turn the exception into the norm. Attempting to merge the UV countering, temperature regulating functions of the robotic structures with the malleability and adaptability of the biological anatomy. Mutating the genes and their structure to modify their function in the metabolism. Applying what he learned to himself, to his body as he went along. Feeling what he would’ve once considered to be unimaginable pain.

How long had it been since he’d had such an epiphany? With every day, he became less and less human. Was that how Angel felt every time she morphed? A light tingle turning into a spasm ending with a sharp pain traveling from head to toe. The cells in his body were changing, it was like he had unlocked a new aspect of himself that lay beyond biology. Like gears, his molecules churned, transforming his body, absorbing his suit. Enthralled by this newfound feeling, Slava took a deep breath, taking in his environment. That’s when his gaze landed on a horrified expression he recognized well. Valerie was reaching out, her suit revealing her expression, her figure slowly closing in. Seeing her made something click and in an instant, the world accelerated.

Everything around him reverted back to what it once was; his hostages released, their panting unrecognizable figures falling onto the ground. The people who were hiding began to come out piquing out of windows and corners to see the cause of the commotion’s abrupt end.

He acted on an impulse, but one that bore fruit. His vision was now blurry, and parts of his body were still adjusting back to their environment, his suit struggling to ascertain his condition, but he stood unmoved, staring down at the man laying before him, grasping at his metallic limb in confusion, a pained fright moving across his face.

“You already know why I’m here so why don’t we cut to the chase?” Valerie moved past him crouching down next to his victim “I’m not confident in stopping my f…” She flinched when meeting his gaze. “You see my companion here is very impatient so would you please guide us to Percival? For old times sakes huh? Malachi.” She energetically grabbed him by his newfound arm, propping him up to his feet

“You crazy bitch!” He blurted out, grimacing. He was about to continue, but when he met Slava’s unflinching gaze he immediately grunted, turning back around to lead the way. The rest of them stood stunned watching them walk away, feeling the touch of their renewed bodies. The civilians on the other hand cautiously observed as they left, the light of hope flashing across their gazes.