“The SAU,” Gabriel spit out much to Danielle’s surprise. “Not sure exactly when or which area, but that was his ultimate destination.”

That doubled her disbelief. “Sly?! You knew?!”

Amelie held a hand up to bring attention back to her. “Never mind, that’s all I needed to know. Thank you, I’ll do the rest.”

No, no, hold on, Gabriel thought with renewed suspicion as he stood back up. “But what’d you do with Channing, then, if that’s who you went for first? Why her and not me when you knew my assignment to begin with?” And before Amelie could clear her throat to respond as casually as she had been, he continued pressing on. “And why are you just lounging there like you own the place?”

Danielle now watched on with heightened interest, seeing she just needed to let things unfold.

“Been on my feet all day. I needed a rest,” Amelie smugly replied with a wiggle of her free foot. “And as for Channing? I knew she’d send me on the wrong route.” She then pointed once more to the notebook she passed to them earlier. “Check it out, she’ll be of use whether she likes it or not, especially since I gave them to her under the guise of a deal. Got some good leads on whoever this Rex guy might be. Let her help us chase him down.”

“But… why care about Rex?”

“Simple. He’s one of the only three threats left.”

Oh, right. They did have a huge fall out recently, last I heard. Easing up, he continued thinking out loud: “If Rex is still a threat, then, that leaves the Rodgers chick and… and who?”

Amelie’s smug look suddenly vanished, taking a moment before finishing his thoughts. “The Arondight. My daughter.”

Oh, shit. Right.

“Shit,” Danielle mumbled through the shock of a realization as if her mind was in tune with his. “If that intel is still accurate, Sam really is prepared to lose everything.” Her concerns began to rapidly pile up, now turning to Gabriel. “No one ever said we’d have to…”

“…No one ever told us about the possibility of facing Sam head on as part of our duties.”

A few heavy, silent moments passed before Gabriel thought to ask Amelie her take on the situation, only to find she had disappeared from the room.

I still don’t get what Angel thinks she’s doing, he thought with an exhausted sigh. Little Knight knows exactly what he’s up against, so why try to stop him? Does she not know what his whole goal even is?!

But with another look at Danielle as they put away their weapons, he knew not to go too far with his worries.

Right, just stay focused on what I have to do. The boy is keeping his promises letting me escape my own hell, so I'll just worry about keeping my own promises as well. Enjoy your trip to the SAU, Angel.

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Hopefully the next time we all meet it's back at Akkadia, all together like old times.

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Buenos Aires Arc Preface

Argentina was one example of how well the Global International Confederacy of the past had been to several parts of the world that had suffered the longest, deepest recessions. But even before the formation of the Confederacy, massive and revolutionary changes had brought the country from its knees as it was one of the first world feeders after World War III. World feeders were the names for countries who were still able to not only retain its crop and livestock production capabilities, but have enough to become a major provider hub for war-ravaged regions of the world or for those rendered too poor or oversaturated with refugees to support their own.

With its newfound, long-term boost in economy, it began to fuel one of the most financially corrupt states it had ever experienced in its history up until the near civil war it experienced in 2113. A separatist movement aligned with the neo-laborist party had grown large enough support from frustrated citizens (mostly comprised of locals both poor and wealthy alike) fed up with the tilted system, demanding the president sign with the newly forming SAU still going through its early stages. The military, who many had long thought to have been standing with the ruling populists, to the world by surprise by siding with the neo-laborists and brought on what they would call the final junta.

The junta, who had been secretly supplied and paid for by foreign entities, immediately turned over the government to the SAU, sealing the deal with the leading nation Brazil, and two years later, firmly seated itself with the combined Confederation of the Americas. Never again would there be any troubles with internal rife between Peronists and non-Peronists… or so many thought for decades of massive economic growth and success. Argentina became the richest country in the SAU and kept that status for almost 50 years as they rebuilt almost all of Buenos Aires and constructed one of the busiest spaceports on the continent. But ever since the crumbling of the Confederacy a decade ago along with the restoration of power to the Argentine president, many worry for the future.

And as for those working for Hexa’s Infinity, Argentina had long been off the worry list as stability, much less riots and protests, were never as much as an afterthought. Like Brazil, Argentina was a major backbone to their union’s stability, and all Underground hardliners agreed that the restoration of all global unions were a priority. And on top of all other characteristics that separated it from its neighbors farther north, it had no need for paramilitaries or private corporation involvement as it provided a third of the SAU's military strength alone.

What has Isaiah Knight so interested in this particularly wealthy nation is yet to be determined.