Zachary was trying to navigate towards the carriage pile-up he had been at yesterday, although as he was going from the old university he rarely traversed this particular route. He had major landmarks to guide the way, but the specifics of his path varied from usual. He was alert more than usual, because he was aware that he was carrying quite valuable cargo- a lot of tools and a number of cores. He was not worried, of course. He was quite able to handle himself if things went pear-shaped, but he'd prefer things to go smoothly.

It was when he was trying to find his way in this unfamiliar territory that he stumbled across a body lying in an alley. Checking that nobody was around, he sidled over to it. It could be a trap. It's a corpse. What kind of trap is that? At least, I think its a corpse. The body wore black hooded robes, pants, shoes and gloves which covered his entire body and was lying face up on the ground, sprawled out. His face was pale and lifeless, and was the only exposed skin on him. There were no wounds, mutilation or signs of a struggle anywhere on him. Around his neck, dangling beside his chest, was a necklace with a symbol on it. He last remembered that symbol from a book he had just read. The Church of Aeros.

Zachary laid a hand on him and read the man's body quickly. Definitely dead, but no wounds of any sort, inside or out. No physical damage. It could have been disease, but I can't see anything obvious. Maybe a heart attack? I'm going with life-sucking kage. But whatever did it didn't want what he was carrying. Zachary expanded his view and saw what Kaa'is was talking about under the man's cloak. There were some basics, like a dagger, food, water, but more interestingly were five exotic cores. Zachary snapped back to reality and reached into the cloak, pulling out the five cores. There were three of one kind and two of another, and they were all roughly the size of a baseball. He was able to quickly identify the group of three. "Plasma cores. Now those aren't common." But the other two eluded his knowledge. "But these must be really rare. I can't figure them out from the top of my head."

Zachary got up and looked around again, and the glint of metal caught his eye. Heading over to it, he found what appeared to be a rifle of sorts strewn on the ground not far from the man. It also bore the Church of Aeros' insignia. He picked it up and carefully looked at it. The rifle was of unfamiliar design to him. He analysed more deeply, seeing the inner workings, and identified parts. A slot where a core, around the size of a baseball, would be inserted and used for ammunition, with the energies directed down the barrel. Batteries and a capacitor bank with a short pulse period to trigger the Sparker. So far it seemed like a rapid-fire weapon. But what made it different from any other he had seen was that it had wind-core forced cooling along the barrel and sparker, set to go off when the temperature rose above a certain point. It was much more cooling than would be expected of an ordinary rifle, so whatever it fired must be really hot. A moment later and he had managed to put two-and-two together. "A plasma rifle?" he exclaimed in hushed tones, "That's military grade technology." He glanced at the man. "What's he doing with a plasma rifle?"

He's definitely not a pastor, I can tell you that.

"Some kind of inquisitor?"

Well, if he's from the Church as the symbol suggests then he's probably against onikages. A holy war of sorts seems likely.

"But how did he get this and get in? Unless the military are working with the Church."

It's possible. Probably a far cry from the truth, but it's as reasonable a conclusion as any. Now, let's not stick around too long in case whatever got him gets us.

Zachary nodded, but before leaving he took one of the plasma cores and inserted it into the rifle. Kaa'is gave the sensation of rolling his eyes as Zachary aimed the loaded weapon at a wall further down the alley. Adjusting his stance to be firmer, changing his grip on the weapon and deciding how to hold and aim it, Zachary pulled the trigger once. A single bolt of plasma shot out like a bullet and struck the wall, leaving a smouldering mark in the wall and a searing after-image in his eyes. The plasma itself made little more than a swishing noise, but a moment after firing the cooling system activated and there was the roar of air being forced into and along the weapon for about two seconds. Then it stopped and all was quiet.

"That's pretty cool," Zachary finally commented.

Yes, it is, isn't it, Kaa'is admitted, a little awestruck himself. Now let's move before someone finds us.

Zachary nodded and put the rifle and cores into his bag. Then he continued his walk, during which he was able to begin pondering the numerous questions that had popped up. Who was that man? What are the strange cores he had? He would have to find the answers some other time.

As the overbearing sound of military commands grew louder, a moment of worry overcame the woman. She lay prone, chest pressed against the floor in an attempt to stay out of the sight of the rifle that had taken her previous prey's life. His lifeless corpse lay beside her, eyes lost in the abyss known as death. The woman counted her options, she had two.

Stay and die

Run and live.

A sour taste filled her mouth at the thought of running from these dogs, to her the military were the most despicable humans currently lucky enough to stain this post apocalyptic hell. They preached justice, and honor, yet so clearly did not give a rats' ass about either. Her hate began to seethe as she forced herself to slide along the floor and take cover behind and overturned office desk.

The woman closed her eyes, focusing what remained of her spiritual energy to enter a state of limbo. Reemerging in the body of the shadow child, she hid within the darkness of the rooms' far corner, away from what the human eye could perceive. Up until now, the woman's anger had caused her too overlook one of the situations most important variables. She chuckled silently at the irony as the woman she had maimed, apparently the wife of the now dead man, awoke the moment the military overran the fifth floor. Guns blazing, and ego's to big for their own good, the men surrounded the disoriented girl.

~~

"Uh... what the..." Joanna muttered as she tried to grasp the situation in a brief moment of ignorant bliss, suddenly her senses were assaulted. First, by the sudden force of a large male fist lifting her by her shirt neck, and the smell of garlic as breath more vile then a mutated beasts' assaulted her inflamed nostrils. Vision returned to her then, and she could see boots, with ... men attached to them. A sudden headache assaulted her as she noticed they were dressed in military gear and carried rifles. As sound returned, she soon gathered that the beast man was demanding answers.. Answers' for wh-

and that was when her Bliss ended...

Her eyes widened as they locked with Johnny's corpse. Breath came in short gasps, and the assault on her other senses faded into the background. All she could seem to focus on were those eyes... those distant... lifeless eyes... "wh... Wh...-" Before she could finish a sharp pain reeled her back into reality. Fear overcame her as the man who had hit her began demanding answers. "Where's the other one!?" "How did you know about the Shuttle!?" "Are you the only survivor here!?" Each demand becoming more accusing, and less requesting as the man slowly lost his patience with the babbling woman.

But instead of answering him, for Joanna found herself unable to speak, she wept. The Sergeant cursed and tossed her aside, "Do what you will with her men, she ain't worth our time."

All while the woman in the shadows watched, strangely unable to bring herself to use this opportunity to escape. Something held her here, forced her eyes on the helpless Joanna as the soldiers surrounded her and she began to scream as they beat her. Slowly, the screams weened off as the Sergeant gave the 'all clear through his head set. The Sergeant then looked to Joanna, with a look so detached, so uncaring...

It was then that time froze.

no longer were they in sovereign, fighting for their lives in a post apocalyptic world. No, they were in the forests of South Western Arcarus, and the woman was still watching on. The same scene repeated, yet different. The slave drivers kicked, not Joanna, but a young childs' mother, who, for the life of her, could only protect her daughter in the warmth of her chest.

First there were screams...

And then cries...

and finally whimpers as the mothers' life faded and the woman began to boil with rage..

It was then that the man in charge, a larger slave driver then the rest, glanced at the scene.

His look was uncaring... So completely detached...

Ariela's rage blinded her as reality returned. The Sergeant looked at her with utter shock as the woman who seemed to be the void itself impaled him with a blade of darkness. She then ripped the blade from his corpse and let it fall to the ground, the mans' spirit absorbing into her own as his life passed. Before the other four even knew what had happened two of them were dead, fallen to the same fate as their leader. Ariela decapitated the third as he reached for his weapon, and caught the fourth with a back hand as he struggled to grasp what had happened.

His body fell to the ground and the Womans' blade followed in suite, piercing his heart in moments.

Ariela then grabbed the one responsible for her outburst and threw her into the shuttle that hung out over the street below. The beaten woman could barely comprehend reality, yet somehow the demon who stood before her spoke clear as day.

"Fly it."

...and Joanna knew what she had to do...

Zachary walked into the old grocery, bracing himself for the smell. He would have considered clearing it out if the smell didn't serve as a likely deterrent for passers-by. For now he would just have to bear it. At least it wasn't as bad as the supermarket. Entering the back room he found that the skyway unit and shopping trolley were still there, to his relief (although not his surprise). He placed down his heavy bag on the ground and unloaded what he wouldn't need to move the carriage he had found. Out came most of his tools and food, the textbook on endocrinology, cores, and also the plasma rifle. He kept a few choice tools- plasma cutter, crowbar, hammer- a small portion of food and water, and his wind cannon. No point in being defenceless.

Why don't you take the plasma rifle? came the voice of Kaa'is, ever ready to criticise and stir doubt.

"I'm not used to it," Zachary replied, "It'll be a liability."

Ready, he went outside and approached the pile-up. As always, it stood pretty tall, and this time he could easily spot the carriage he wanted. But before he started moving it he would need rollers. Any long rod-shaped object would do, although whatever he chose they should all be of similar diameter. Taking a short look at the pile, he decided that light-posts would be good, as there were plenty of them and they are all of standard size. So he took his plasma cutter out and began preparing them. He needed to cut off the top and bottom of each light-post, leaving just the straight rod-like middle. He found that they were heavy, so he cut them in half to reduce their mass, at the cost of reduced length and as such a reduced margin for error when it came time for the move. He laboured for several hours, eventually managing to prepare and position ten rollers. He had gone through water faster than expected, so he had been forced to return to the abandoned grocery part way through to grab some more, along with grabbing a spare fire and lightning core for the plasma cutter.

Now he leaned against the carriage he wanted to move and pondered how he would go about executing the next step of his plan. He would have to shift the carriage about another meter before it would be free, but to do that he would need to dislodge it from the surrounding wreckage, which would be no easy feat. He started on it anyway, using his crowbar, hammer and powers to shift aside rubble on either side of the carriage by just a few centimetres, which is not much but enough to loosen the pile's grip on the carriage. The harder part would be getting it out from the wreckage on top of it, as that pressed down on the carriage with a substantial amount of mass. But as with the sides, the best approach would be one of increments. If he could shift it by a centimetre, then he could shift it by another, then another, until it was free. So he fiddled around with the crowbar, then a more substantial and longer lever he found lying around, until he found a method which allowed him to slowly push the carriage forwards.

The slow progress over the next hour was at times discouraging, but Zachary's determination to make this carriage work drove him on. Finally, he reached a tipping point and his next push freed the carriage and sent it sliding down the slope and into the path of rollers he had made. Zachary cried out in triumph as he hopped down after it.

The following part was not much easier. While pushing the carriage along the rollers was not difficult, moving the rollers at the back to the front was, as they were heavy. He made it about 30 metres before he stopped to rest and eat. While chewing his rations, he looked up to the sky to get a sense of the time. The Sun was visible overhead through the aerial barrier, meaning it was around midday. Having finished his meal and caught his breath he resumed his task, going through the tiring sequence of pushing the carriage forwards a metre, moving a roller from behind to the front, then pushing the carriage again. It took a lot of straining and sweat, but eventually, sometime in the afternoon, Zachary rolled the carriage into the grocers and got it into the back room. Exhausted, he slumped down on a chair which was in the room.

Finally done! That was a lot of work, I must say, Kaa'is said, If we had more power it would have been much easier.

"Ah, shut up," Zachary responded.

Although the carriage was inside, he still had one final step to do. He needed to get rid of the rollers, because they quite obviously pointed to where he was working. Fortunately, clearing those away was easy, as all he had to do was roll them over to the other side of the street. Finally finished, Zachary allowed himself to rest and started reading the textbook he had borrowed under the light of his torch, which he turned into a lamp by removing the top cover.

Arianna hissed through clenched teeth as hydrogen peroxide was poured onto the cut on her ribcage. She closed her eyes and buried her face into her shoulder as the former war medic began to sew up the cut. As the medic worked, Arianna thought of the massacre at the mall. Hunger had overcome Iktomi’s controlled composure, turning him into a bloodthirsty, power-hungry host. What would have happened, if he hadn’t of run out of spirit after killing the boss? Would he have continued and feasted on the souls of the Golden Mercenaries? What if he had still been hungry after that?

These thoughts had been in her head since she had arrived at the base. It wasn’t as big a mansion as the previous one, but it had more beds and a better looking front foyer than the last. Perhaps it was only because Iktomi hadn’t covered it in spiderwebs, yet. She didn’t care, to be honest. It was safe, and would provide a place for Itkomi to heal in peace. She hoped he would recover soon. His discomforting actions at the mall made her wonder if it was right for her to be in his “business.” Anyways, she had been thinking of joining the Golden Mercenaries before she ever discovered that he was still alive. She’d rather help people in need by joining the Golden Mercs than standing at the side of a man that had an inner need for power.

Then again, what care did the leader of the group of Golden Mercenaries have for people in need? She had heard them speaking of Kisheto. He had carelessly left Kisheto just because of one blunder. It was obvious to her that he was new to being in the Golden Mercs, so couldn’t they have forgiven him instead of left him there? Plus, the two hosts that had wanted to help her tried to convince the leader, but he had only thought about the good of his men. She wanted to think that he was only upset because of the loss of his men, but she knew there was another side to his actions. She could only hope that he wouldn’t leave someone to die again. If she joined, she would definitely have to try and change that. Arianna wasn’t one to leave someone when they were hurt.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the medic finished tying the knot on the stitches. She sat up and winced lightly, then pulled her tank top down and rebuttoned her shirt. “Thank you,” she said before sliding off of the bed. The medic only nodded, following her out of the small room to check on Iktomi again. With a soft sigh, Arianna headed downstairs, hoping for some water and a nice meal.

Endocrinology said Dopamine

Dopamine (or 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuroendocrine transmitter (i.e., a hormone and neurotransmitter) that plays a number of important roles in the brain and bodies of humans. Its name derives from its chemical structure: it is an amine that is formed by removing a carboxyl group from a molecule of L-DOPA.




In the brain, dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter—a chemical released by nerve cells to send signals to other nerve cells. The brain includes several distinct dopamine systems, one of which plays a major role in reward-motivated behavior. Most types of reward increase the level of dopamine in the brain, and a variety of addictive drugs increase dopamine neuronal activity. Other brain dopamine systems are involved in motor control and in controlling the release of several other important hormones.

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) contains the largest group of dopamine neurons in the human brain. They project to numerous brain areas, but the two largest projections are the mesolimbic pathway, which targets the nucleus accumbens and other limbic structures, and the mesocortical pathway, which targets the prefrontal and insular parts of the cerebral cortex.

The VTA dopamine system is strongly associated with the reward system of the brain. Dopamine is released in areas such as the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex as a result of rewarding experiences such as food, sex, and neutral stimuli that become associated with them. The source of this dopamine is primarily the VTA, although the substantia nigra may also contribute. Electrical stimulation of the VTA or its output pathways can itself serve as a potent reward: animals will quickly learn to press a lever if it results in stimulation of dopamine release, and often will continue pressing the lever for a long time, at steadily increasing rates.

Zachary finished reading the chapter and glanced outside, and was surprised to find that it was already approaching night. He had not brought sufficient supplies to comfortably spend the night here, so he needed to get home quickly. He quickly gathered up what he would take home and left, glancing both ways before stepping into the street and proceeding at a brisk walk. The darkness which was quickly falling was starting to out-pace the adjusting of his night-vision, but he dared not turn on a torch as that would kill his night vision and prevent him from seeing anything outside the beam of the torch.

As he precariously picked his way along the rubble-strewn streets, he spotted a small gang of people on the side of the street. Although he could make out nothing more than silhouettes, he could see them discussing quietly and looking in his direction. Zachary felt Kaa'is shift the position of the plasma rifle in his bag, and thinking that Kaa'is was going to draw it and shoot them he quickly turned his head to look at what he was doing. To Zachary's relief, the gun was still in his bag and not showing any sign of leaving. It had merely been positioned so that its profile was clearly visible to the gang. Said gang suddenly had further discussion and left quickly.

Intimidation is easier than fighting, Kaa'is commented. Zachary rolled his eyes. Kaa'is had probably made that move to intentionally scare him, more than to scare the gang.

Soon Zachary was home and he began his night-time routine. He ate dinner, brushed his teeth and then settled down to read before going to bed. Today he searched through the engineering handbooks he had to find what the two strange cores he had found were. After some searching, he found what they were. Trap cores- cores which store things in some sort of sub-dimension. From their size and purity, he determined from tables than these particular cores could contain somewhere around 200kg of matter or two cubic metres, which is a lot. He could make them work by creating a shell of Sparker metal which would project the core's power outwards in a field. There was so much he could do with these. Mainly it could let him carry around a large quantity of tools and materials in his pocket. What an exciting find! Zachary put the trap cores aside and went to bed, his mind going over what he could do with those cores until he finally drifted off to sleep.

"So..." Kisheto swallowed the large piece of steak he had been working on while he looked over to Hali. She sat across from on a long, dining table that was empty except for a waiter collecting the dishes that Kisheto rapidly wiped clean. "...you're tellin' you guys OWN this place? And it isn't even the main base? How do the mercs not know bout yah?" he said as he took another bite. Hali simply shook her head and sighed, "It's not that hard, if you know what you're doing. And trust me, Iktomi knows what he's doing."

Kisheto nodded, "Right. The webslinger. Heh, dude got comatose quick, didn't he? Thought he had it in the bag! Ha! Sucks to suck, chump. That's why I fight the OG way - no freakazoids in me, no sirree. I'm 100% natur-" before he could finish, Hali leaned over the table and slammed a dagger into his steak, effectively causing his knife and fork to fly out of his grasp and onto the floor behind him. He simply held his hands in the same position and looked at her with a smug grin. "Oooo, tryna be scary, huh?" he chuckled and leaned back in his chair, as she shook her head and sat back down to keep watch. Kisheto sighed and looked around, "Damn, but you guys got it good. I might just like it here better than the GM's crib... less to worry about. Though I don't know who's scarier... you or Hector." He chuckled once more, but his antics failed to anger her any further. He then sighed and relaxed as he looked around once more. "Yo, where did that other girl go? She okay now? Got into a little fight with some bum on the way here..." Hali nodded, "She'll be fine. She's practically one of us so she's welcome here. But you, on the other hand..."

Kisheto put his hands up to indicate he would play passive, but he chuckled at her frustration none the less. "Sorry, I just find angry girls to be real cute, nah mean?" he said with a smirk that nearly drove Hali off the edge. She sighed and rolled her eyes, What did you leave me with here, Iktomi?

“I wouldn’t push her buttons too much, Kisheto,” Arianna said with a slight smirk and a raised eyebrow as she entered the cafeteria. She sat down, smiling amusedly.

“Would you like anything, miss?” The waiter asked after he hurriedly made his way over to Arianna.

“Uh, a glass of water and something to eat would be great,” Arianna awkwardly replied. She wasn’t used to being catered like this. It was a bittersweet feeling. It was relieving to be able to relax instead of hunt for food, but it also reminded her of how desolate Sovereign had become. She also wondered if she would ever be able to leave Sovereign and see her parents, or even visit a real restaurant again. The uncertainty of what life would be like beyond the wall was one of the main fears she had. The military seemed a little too keen on keeping them inside of the walls. They would certainly chase after any hosts that escaped. Would her parents be safe if she visited, or would the military hunt them down, too?

With only a blink of her eyes, she wiped these troubling thoughts from her head and focused on where she was now. “So, Kisheto… How long were you with the Golden Mercenaries?” She asked, hoping to gather more information on what the Golden Mercs were.

Ariela~

Joanna was quickly ripped from her stupor as her body collided with the side of the shuttle wall. A large creak rang out as the shuttle desperately attempted to maintain its' precarious perch. Most of her weight was held by the far shuttle wall and she knew that she would not be able to move any time soon. Luckily for her however, adrenaline still pumped through her, eliminating the pain from both her wound and her husband's death.

Across from her was the woman that had marked the start of this whole travesty. Joanna watch the woman with frightened eyes as she stepped towards her and lifted her by the scuff of her shirt. "Drive. It." She spoke, biting off each word. Instead of dissipating, it seemed that the womans' seething hatred had increased even further than it had been previously. Joanna winced as she was tossed into the pilots' chair by the woman, and cringed as the shuttle creaked under their combined weights.

Joanna, seeing no other choice, began looking over the controls. To the woman above her the numbers, levers, and graphs were all but gibberish and hoopla, but to Joanna they were an intricate and detailed map showing her the way to getting this thing in the air.

To her dismay, what she was presented with was the opposite of what would be known as a 'combat ready vehicle'. The Central power core was within inches of being useless, and the majority of the grav cores were completely fried. From where she was sitting she could only manage at best a ten second flight with only one active thruster. For a moment she thought about telling the woman just how bad it was, but a single look showed that this demon had no idea what she was looking at. Joanna winced at the pain in her leg as the adrenaline started to ease off and began her repairs. After routing all core power to the left thruster she was able to get enough energy into two of the three working grav cores.

After a few minor adjustments she started it up. Much to her relief her plan was a success and the shuttle became air born. The Woman braced herself on the interior wall as Joanna began piloting the device. The shuttle pulled away from the sky mall, bringing a small string of debris with it. A large chunk of concrete fell away from the building as the shuttle left its resting place, showering a deadly combination of concrete and re-bar onto the street below.

The shuttle flew in a circular path, unable to gain any real balance. After a short while the woman sighed in relief. It seemed like they were going to-

Suddenly all power was lost and the shuttle spun out of control, smashing into the side of a five story apartment complex. The woman cursed as the vehicle collided with the structure. It blew straight through the wall, throwing the woman into a two bedroom suite located on the third floor.

She tumbled and landed on the living room floor of the small enclosure. After a few minutes of dazed shock, The woman rose and inspected the scene. They had happened to crash through the only window in the apartment, causing her to be unable to view the outside. The Shuttle itself had taken massive damage, all that was left was the main body, all of the thrusters had been ripped from it on impact, and numerous live wires now hung out from the underbelly of the vehicle. The woman stepped inside to find Joanna unconscious in the pilot seat of the device.

Ariela then became torn. her emotions were scattered, and the adrenaline made it difficult to think. For the first time since she could remember she was feeling something other than pain and despair, and that emotion kept her rooted in place, staring at the woman's unconscious form. She pondered it, unable to judge just exactly what it was that she was feeling. It wasn't long before she found herself pulling the woman from the wreckage and flinging her limp form over her shoulder. Ariela tried to question herself, but the exhaustion from using her power coupled with the adrenaline that refused to stop pumping had fogged her mind, making her unable to stop her own actions. Deep within her, Artemus's rage began to build, but Ariela was oblivious to it and so she left the small apartment and began searching for a way to escape. All while carrying the woman named Joanna over her shoulder.

Endocrinology said
Ventral Tegmental Area

The ventral tegmentum, better known as the ventral tegmental area of Tsai (VTA), is a group of neurons located close to the midline on the floor of the midbrain (mesencephalon). The VTA is the origin of the dopaminergic cell bodies of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system and is widely implicated in the drug and natural reward circuitry of the brain. It is important in cognition, motivation, orgasm, drug addiction, intense emotions relating to love, and several psychiatric disorders. The VTA contains neurons that project to numerous areas of the brain, from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to the caudal brainstem and several regions in between.



The VTA, in particular the VTA dopamine neurons, serve several functions in the reward system, motivation, cognition, drug addiction, and may be the focus of several psychiatric disorders. It has also been shown to process various types of emotion output from the amygdala, where it may also play a role in avoidance and fear-conditioning. Electrophysiological recordings have demonstrated that VTA neurons respond to novel stimuli, unexpected rewards, and reward-predictive sensory cues. The firing pattern of these cells is consistent with the encoding of a reward expectancy error.

Finishing his morning reading, Zachary moved over to his workbench and began making the Trap cores functional. He wondered why they hadn't already been in a device which would allow their functioning. Perhaps the man was delivering them, or their contents. Perhaps he had a device on hand which Zachary didn't find. Perhaps they were meant to work with the plasma rifle, although Zachary considered that highly unlikely. Such mysteries were unimportant compared to the mystery of who that man was, though.

From his selection of parts Zachary chose a piece of Sparker metal alloyed to make it particularly reflective to core energy, like that found in carriages and shuttles. Many Sparker alloys exist to achieve different purposes. Pure Sparker tends to react spontaneously with cores, which was widely used in older devices like swords where a core is inserted and it comes ablaze with power, and is still commonly used in lightning core batteries. For many modern applications, however, more precise control is needed. Most alloys of Sparker do not react spontaneously and need a small electrical charge to trigger a reaction, which allows for control over the core (necessary in everything from lights to shuttles to guns). The exact mixture of the alloy modifies how it behaves. Some alloys are more efficient than others. Some are more sensitive. Some reflect the core's energies. Some conduct the core's energies. Some can handle higher core power. Metallurgists have studied Sparker for almost as long as corologists have studies cores. This meant that there is a great wealth of knowledge about Sparker, its many alloys and its intricacies. Conveniently, one doesn't have to know all the details of the alloys to get the right result. In this environment, where everything is recycled from old machines, one simply has to match the function in the old machine to the desired function in the new machine. Zachary's intuition told him that, in this case, if he wanted to project a field then engine Sparker was his best bet, as that projects out the energy of a kinetic core.

Of course, the alloy of Sparker is not the only consideration. The shape of both the core and its casing is vitally important, as that moulds, shapes and directs the energy. Energy firearms, like the plasma rifle, have to focus the core energy into a beam. Kinetic shields, on the other hand, project the energy out in a field. Zachary had a tricky time shaping the field of his personal kinetic shield so that it would fit around his body, although that's nothing compared to Skyways, which manage to project a twisting, bending road out which has minimal diminishing of strength. The task of projecting the trap core as a field would be straightforward in comparison- it shouldn't require any core geometry much more advanced than that of a torch.

Next, Zachary needed to add an electrical power source and control interface. Quite literally, this is just a battery, a button and a few wires. Add a switch to act as a safety, so if the button is pressed it doesn't trigger the core. Assembling the parts so they would operate reliably is slightly trickier, but Zachary's skill and tools made the task trivial. Adding a few more parts to make holding and operating the device more comfortable finished the device, and all that remained was a test-run. As Zachary headed outside he found a spot to test it out. His machine reading told him that all the wiring and craftsmanship had been done correctly. Pointing the business end of the trap core at a chunk of concrete, Zachary very tentatively pressed the button. A wave of red radiated from the front of the core, washed over the concrete chunk, and snapped back into the core, taking the concrete with it, as well as any dust lying around on the ground, with the violent bang of air rushing to fill a vacuum. The ground was marked by a circle of extreme cleanliness where the core had done its actions. Pointing the core at a different patch of ground, Zachary pressed the button again. The wave of red came out again, although it seemed to be a different shade of red. As it spread forwards it deposited the chunk of concrete on the ground with a clunk, sowed dust through the air there was a forceful whoosh as the air it had sucked up last time was released. The red wave dissipated instead of snapping back this time.

Zachary smiled, satisfied with the performance of the core. He pocketed the device and returned to his workshop to build a second device for the second core.

Samuel~

The Sun was greeted by an eerie silence as its light poured on the dark manor. In the owners' absence a horrible tragedy had befallen Winters' estate. Crimson soaked the silk curtains and fine rugs of the formerly busy dwelling. The corpses of the fallen littered the halls, and the man responsible whistled a charming tune whilst holding a smirk upon his face. His fine dress was without a single spot of blood, how he had managed to slaughter forty seven people and maintain perfectly clean attire was beyond comprehension, but he had done it, and he celebrated his success by prancing through the halls of the dead.

Before long he arrived at his destination, the main hall. The only place worthy of the grand exit he had endeavored to perform. Before him stood the corpses of those he had slain not hours before. Breathing corpses that judged him with dead eyes. They did not speak, but their message was clear. 'Murderer. Monster. Kill the Demon. Give him no quarter.' Instead of fear his heart was filled with joy, so many had come to wish him death. To think that he had become so popular in the land of the dead..

He pulled his attention from his hallucination for a moment to address reality. "So milady, the deed is done. What is it that we shall consume next I wonder?" I care not Mi-lord, as long as we grow stronger, why don't you decide who next shall be our prey, hmm? "Indeed.." Samuel's grin grew wider as he wrapped his mind around the concept. "... why don't I..?"

With no further words he gestured to the dead that had once tormented him. In an instant they dissipated and Samuel grew exuberant. Unbeknownst to him, his onikage had intentionally erased his regard for human life in his year of unconsciousness. She had made him the perfect vessel and his ambitions had outgrown even she herself had planned. He burst from from the Manor, flinging both doors open as he went. The fresh morning air greeted him with grace. "I believe I have decided on the subject of our next endeavor my dearest Miralda" Pray tell Samuel..

"Next My dear... Next we devour all of Sovereign..."

Kisheto wiped his mouth with a napkin that rested on the table, an act that made him feel much more sophisticated than he had ever felt. He smiled comfortably and then looked to Arianna, "What do yah mean 'with' them? I barely met 'em before I sneaked into their little mission operation thing. Actually, I kinda used to dream of becoming a merc, y'know? Seemed cool, but I dunno. They didn't even give me a chance to apologize, heh."

Arianna nodded once, remembering the words that the leader had spoken about Kisheto. "Do they have as many as they did before the void gate opened? Do you know anything about the way they work?" she said. Kisheto raised a brow, "Um... well... they have an amazing base underground. It was beautiful, but chaotic. Everyone was crammed in there, and the only way in was through some strange elevator. Made me kinda claustrophobic, but y'know, it was cool how they had a makeshift forest inside. Makes you feel amazed at the beautiful work those builders put in when they made the thing, y'know?" he rambled on, barely pausing to let the girl respond. It was a habit of his to talk, often times more than he should.

Arianna smiled amusedly as he continued on and on. She didn't mind hearing vocal words, though, after a year of almost always speaking only through her mind to Castiel. She imagined a bunker underneath the city with a forest in the middle. Surely the Golden Mercenaries would have something like that up their sleeves. "It sounds interesting, but a little claustrophobic, like you said. Are they also trying to break down the wall?"

Kisheto's expression was replaced by one of confusion, "...well, I mean..." he squinted and looked left and right. "Isn't everyone?" He then sighed, "Look, yo, although what they did wasn't cool, I'm not gonna sabotage 'em in case you're, y'know, evil and stuff. They're still my homies deep down inside. Even if only knew 'em for a bit. I can't just rat 'em out like that," he said with a shrug. Arianna shook her head, "I don't mean any harm towards them. I'm curious about what they do, and how they do it. Before I knew Iktomi was alive I was considering joining the Golden Mercenaries. I've heard great things about them, but after what happened at the mall I'm second guessing them." As she finished speaking, Kisheto chuckled and replied, "Look, Arianna, the Golden Mercenaries are good people. I trust 'em, for real. Actually, I wasn't supposed to be in that mission at all. They gave me a safe place to say, and I..." he then looked down and sighed, "I chose to reap glory and play the hero instead. As a result, I cost them some lives... So I understand why they would leave me. However, I can't just flip judgement and say they're wrong. Ever since I was young, I only heard stories of their amazing work. It's too early for me to give up faith in them now." He smiled as he spoke his last sentence and leaned back in his chair, more relaxed. Regardless of whether it was a mistake or not, he trusted Arianna, solely because, like the mercenaries, she had taken it upon herself to ensure his safety in return for what was nothing but a small favor in his perspective.

Arianna inhaled deeply. He was right. They kind of had a reason to be angry, but was it enough to leave him to die? She thanked the waiter when he brought her the food and water and began to eat. She paused in her eating as another question formed in her head. "Are they gathering hosts? I met two of them before they left." Kisheto looked down once more and thought. Shit... I can't be doin this. What if she's a spy or somethin... he thought before looking up. "Eh, don't really uh... I don't really know I wasn't uh.. I. No," he said nervously.

Arianna watched him, hearing his nervous thoughts amidst the thoughts of everyone in the base. She sipped her water. She was pressing too hard, and he obviously didn't trust telling others about the Golden Mercenaries. "I'm sorry, if I'm pressuring you. I just want to know everything I can about them before I consider joining them fully." She glanced over at Hali, then down at her food.

Kisheto swallowed and sighed once more, realizing it wouldn't be a big deal. He decided, however, to change the topic nonetheless. "The Golden Mercenaries are a band of homies looking to do some good around here. That's all we gotta care about. I'm sure they'd accept you if you wanted to join. But forget them, you asked if they were trying to get past the wall, right? I've heard a lot of people talkin about that. I think we're getting close to freedom. I can just... feel it, you 'nah mean?" he said in a gentle, hopeful tone. Usually, when he rambled, it was an innocent string of sentences that drifted from thought to thought. But when it came to rambling about his ambitions, passions, or dreams, his tone became much smoother and more poetic.

Arianna chuckled. "Its definitely nice to hear such optimism." She sighed softly and sipped her water. "As much as I'd like to believe you, I think the military is trying it's best to keep us in here. I wouldn't doubt that they have some tricks waiting up their sleeves." Kisheto scoffed at her words, "Psh. They can't stop us. We're like an undefeatble horde of zombies trying to get back to the life outside these walls. I have family back home, y'know..." he smiled and looked up for a bit in nostalgia. He then looked to Arianna with a look of curiosity, "What about you? You probably miss your family, too, right?"

Arianna paused, her fork hovering a few inches from her plate covered in the food she had been about to eat. She nodded slowly, setting the fork back down. "I'm sure everyone does. I've heard things about the outside world, though, from some of the military men. It sounds like the military has begun to run over all of Leginia. I worry about my parents and how that must be affecting Argos." She bit her lip, a habit she had regressed to after the void gate opened. Thinking of her parents was bittersweet, and made her wish that she could at least talk to him. If only her ability could reach as far as Argos.

Kisheto chuckled, "Yeah. I think 'bout my dad all the time, mostly 'cuz of this," he said as he pointed to a single tribal ear ring on his left earlobe. It was hard to notice until you realized it was there, a tiny, bright silver loop that fit tightly. "Family tradition, y'know? Heh. But yeah, I think we'll be an outtie soon. No worries, Arianna," he said with a smile.

Arianna smiled softly, eyeing the ear ring he wore. The only thing Arianna had to remember her parents was her memory, aside from the things she left in her apartment. Were her things even there, anymore? Had her apartment building collapsed? This thinking sparked a curiosity inside of her. Her father had given her a communicator before she left, so she wouldn't have to pay for a toll phone when she was in Sovereign. I wonder if it still works, she thought, her eyebrows furrowing as she concentrated. Her gaze was locked on her food, but she didn't see it. If the communicator worked, there was no doubting that she would be able to call her parents. Perhaps Kisheto could call his dad? It would be a valuable asset to gain, in order to contact the outside world.

Kisheto raised both his brows and smiled, "Uh... you awake?" he said jokingly. Arianna blinked, looking up at him. She nodded, "Yeah, I was just thinking." She sipped her water and sat up a little straighter, a plan forming in her head. "The apartment I was staying in isn't too far from here, from what little I remember. I'm thinking about going and seeing if any of my things survived the opening or the scavengers in Sovereign." Kisheto smiled and nodded, "Nice. Diggin the adventure, huh? Just my style," he chuckled before looking over to Hali and then back, "...uh, if you do choose to go, you should lemme tag along. Um, y'know, so I can, well, protect you." In his mind, his attempt to mask the fact that he wanted to get away from Hali was all but concealed. However, he did genuinely feel a desire to venture into the city with Arianna. To him, it was like a huge playground just waiting to be explored.

Arianna smiled softly, her eyebrow raising a little when he mentioned protecting her. "You may tag along, if you'd like. I wish I could ask Iktomi, but there is an item that I'd like to search for before it begins to collect dust or is stolen. It's risky, but I want to at least see if its there."

Kisheto looked to Hali once more and then smiled as he looked back, "Psh. What are we waiting for then?"

Endocrinology said
Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine (abbreviated norepi or NE), also called noradrenaline, or 4,5-β-trihydroxy phenethylamine is a catecholamine with multiple roles including those as a hormone and a neurotransmitter. It is the hormone and neurotransmitter most responsible for vigilant concentration in contrast to its most chemically similar hormone, dopamine, which is most responsible for cognitive alertness.




Areas of the body that produce or are affected by norepinephrine are described as noradrenergic. The terms noradrenaline and norepinephrine are interchangeable. One of the most important functions of norepinephrine is its role as the neurotransmitter released from the sympathetic neurons to affect the heart. An increase in norepinephrine from the sympathetic nervous system increases the rate of contractions in the heart. As a stress hormone, norepinephrine affects parts of the brain, such as the amygdala, where attention and responses are controlled. Norepinephrine also underlies the fight-or-flight response, along with epinephrine, directly increasing heart rate, triggering the release of glucose from energy stores, and increasing blood flow to skeletal muscle. It increases the brain's oxygen supply.

Norepinephrine is released when a host of physiological changes are activated by a stressful event. In the brain, this is caused in part by activation of an area of the brain stem called the locus coeruleus (LC). This nucleus is the origin of most norepinephrine pathways in the brain. Noradrenergic neurons project bilaterally (send signals to both sides of the brain) from the locus coeruleus along distinct pathways to many locations, including the cerebral cortex, limbic system, and the spinal cord, forming a neurotransmitter system. The effects of these noradrenergic neurons are manifested in alertness, arousal, influences on the reward system, and influences on decision making.

Zachary entered the dark, smelly back room of the abandoned grocer to begin work on his carriage. His bag was packed lighter than usual, and he felt much better because of it. He was amazed how easy it felt to walk around the city without a large burden of parts and tools in his bag. Zachary pushed aside a shelf of packing trays with fruit which had decayed beyond recognition so that he would have a reasonably amount of spare floor space.Then he took out a trap core, encased in its crude gadgetry. Zachary had built each one slightly differently, so they would be distinguishable. The functional components were virtually the same, but the grip was made differently. Checking the trap core, Zachary pointed it at the floor and pressed the button. In a pulse of red and a gush of air, tools, cores and spare parts clattered onto the floor.

Before he could pick up the tools he needed to get a plan together. Taking out a lamp and some paper, Zachary began planning, frequently crossing between the salvaged carriage, skyway unit and the shelf he was using as a desk. Taking stock, he found that most of the engine of the carriage was still in place. He could replace what couldn't be hammered back into place or what little was missing. The hardest part would be gathering the right kinetic cores. The chassis was quite beaten up, but a little panel beating, a few steel L-beams and some welding would put that straight. The trickiest part would be to adapt the skyway unit so that it would make it climb up steel surfaces, such as the Wall. This was what most of his written plans were. He would need to extend the skyway's bridge and grip so that it would affect all the area under the carriage. Perhaps the trickiest part would be to make it so that the skyway doesn't merely stick the carriage to the Wall but allow it to move as well. For this he considered putting some kind of drive mechanism in the skyway bridge, make it rotate underneath like a conveyor belt. The details were complicated, and the engineering more so, and he went through numerous ideas, but eventually he found a plan which he felt would work.

Putting down the pencil and picking up his tools, Zachary began work on fixing up the carriage's structural failings. It was partially crushed, so those sections would have to be almost completely rebuilt. He also worked on flattening the many dents in the bodywork. He made a trip outside to grab some scrap metal, and eventually the carriage could almost be mistaken for a working carriage- if one squinted and the light was dim and one didn't expect it to move. But as Zachary looked at it wiping the grease off his hands with a greasy rag he was pleased, as now it was structurally sound and it would be able to withstand the abilities that Zachary will eventually install with in it.

Ariela~

Leave her!

The woman stepped forward, adrenaline had worn off by now and she was simply running on fumes.

Why do I insist on this madness!? Kill the woman and be done with it!

She screamed at herself, unable to fathom why she continued to ward this woman from danger. She was still unconscious and the weight of her had slowed Ariela's pace substantially.

I cannot afford this now.. Please.. just drop her...

She began to near what she presumed to be the exit. The stairwell seemed quiet enough, but in her state of exhaustion it was difficult to make a good call. She tried to judge whether or not she should risk blindly running in to the room. She knew it was a horrible idea, but she had no other option, and the military could be here at any time. Despite her suspicions she twisted the knob, using her weight to pry the door open. She cringed at the thought of what lay behind as she peeked through the opening. To her relief the immediate stairwell was empty and she was able to somewhat easily ease the door shut behind her.

When she reached the top of the descending stairwell her hopes were tragically dashed as the sound of boots charging through the halls below greeted her coldly. Here is my chance, use the girl to distract their attention, then... then.. Her mind froze, why couldn't she bring herself to leave this girl behind? Why did she have the pressing urge to retreat up the stairwell in hopes of hiding from the military? They were trained soldiers, she couldn't hope to fool them with such a ploy... but the chances of her other plan succeeding were just as slim. Her mind stopped working as she attempted to wrestle with herself. All the while her body was taking over, and she found herself retreating up into the highest floor..

What is happening to me...?

For the first time in a year, he ran. Mathias sped down what used the be the street of Sovereign, leaving a trail of pale, icy blue in his wake. He was stronger now than he had ever been, he rivaled any demon-bearer he had ever met and he felt good. Being able to walk, run, glide, even simply being able to stand up straight, un-hunched, made him feel truly unstoppable.

Several days ago

"What now...sir?" Crowley asked, his voice quivering, obviously unnerved by the scene he had witnessed. Mathias, a crippled and pathetic man, had took hold of the hulking prisoner, froze him and shattered his body like a pane of glass. "Now we fight Crowley, now we fight."

The behemoth was enough to fuel the transformation, his size and power allowed Boreas to complete the healing process and bring Mathias to his peak. Alas there would be a constant need to devour, "If you cease adding to our ice garden, your powers and form will surely fade" Boreas warned. But the ice garden only grew, day by day Mathias roamed the streets searching for the demon-bearers that had left the "Sheltered", he had followed Crowley's directions and scouted all possible area's; some sewer entrances, an abandoned hospital, a mall. All proved to inhabit tens of weak, crazed monsters, imprisoned by their Kages.

They hardly ever saw him coming, a routine that Mathias employed was to find a high vantage and glide down, shooting daggers of pure ice toward the biggest threats. Once on the ground he would tip the balance of the playing field, turning the floor below into a snowy battlefield, a blizzard soon followed, the creatures visions obscured. They were always easy prey, sometimes a brute would take a chance and strike, this meant little, Mathias has consumed so many Kages in the last week that he could afford to restore a limb here or there, but only through great devouring.

After much hunting Mathias returned the the "Sheltered" and took charge. Having saved them from constant skirmishes by now deceased, Mathias had proved to be a capable leader. The factories defenses were heightened and its residents made preparations for the coming weeks. It was decided by Mathias and the Governors (a group of newly elected representatives for each sector of the large facility) that the Sheltered would begin to secure safe passage, a route from the factory to the Winters Estate. This route would cover several miles and envelope a handful of city blocks in the process. In the Upper North side of Sovereign there were hardly any homes inhabited, before the cataclysm it was a district of mansions and boutiques overshadowing a row of factories just to the west, hardly anyone from this district had the ability to survive, they were either too wealthy and without the proper skills to sustain life without financial stability, or too poor to prepare defenses.

Present day

The Sheltered had paved the way, claiming several blocks for their own. Now Mathias was scouting ahead, nearing the Estate, ready to order the men there to start taking the streets. But as he neared the gate his heart sank, nobody was there to greet him, no guard, no patrols.
Quietly Mathias crept up the winding drive-way, surveying the grounds for any signs of intrusion. Reaching the wide open doors, Mathias burst through and beheld a greater hell than the streets beyond his home.
Corpses, a sea of corpses, strewn across his hall. Faces that he knew, that he had seen as family. HIS FAMILY! He lost control and stormed every inch of his home, every room, every hallway, every wardrobe. His family, his little girl, his boy, his wife, nowhere to be found. Re-entering the hallyway, the darkness began to seep into his mind, his vision blurred, obscured by fear and anger. "Mathias, calm down...please, try to calm down, MATHIAS, STAY WITH ME MATHIAS, CALM DOWN!" Boreas' words were not heeded. A scream, a deep, bone-chilling scream, escaped Mathias' mouth, it resonated in his great hall and could undoubtedly be heard from miles away.
The room was so cold, the walls turned a bluish hue and ice had formed on the marble floor below. His sadness seeped into his strength, the clouds above altered their journey, forming above the stately home and birthed a great blizzard, unlike anything he had produced before, filled the air. It flooded the mansion, and then the estate, it spread through the streets, clawing at the city to the south, enveloping the blocks that lingered to near to the North.

Mathias had lost control, but he was aware, he knew that if he could not wrestle his emotions he would surely turn the surroundings into a frozen plane. He tried so hard to fight it but the will was not with him. He shut his eyes an allowed the terror to take hold.

"Papa?"

Turning, Mathias saw his little girl, grasping her mothers hand, standing next to her brother. They were alive, his family was alive. A group of ten or more had entered the hallway, in awe of the once crippled man.

That was all he needed, he found control, the storm raged on but all was not lost, they were safe, for now.

Chief - The Old Market, Upperclass District

Marvin kept his head down as he walked through the old stalls in the market place. He could feel the cold eyes of his companions looking at him from all around. They didn't care that he'd messed up, they just wanted to watch the show that would inevitably ensue. Marvin looked around the small group that followed him, seeing that Jeff and the other two kept their heads down too. The market was one of the oldest buildings in Sovereign, with the small area around it haven been preserved for the sake of heritage. That wasn't to say that it lacked modern technology, but for the most part the stools and the like were kept old fashioned so that the upper class visitors could feel some false sense of grandeur as they waltzed around the traders and their exotic wares as their ancestors once did.

The group continued to walk through the market until they reached a clearing, a spot where public speeches and the like were once given. A large stage dominated the room from the other side of the space; it was metal framed and well supported but was veneered with wood to match its surroundings. Marvin swallowed as he looked up the throne on top the stage, the red carpet flowing around it reminding him of a pool of blood. Marvin however could not summon the courage to look up higher at Chief and felt his head sink back down as the man to his left stepped forward. "Chief! We followed the flare and found this group at some old school. They were all beaten up and unconscious when we arrived. Mike was with them too but his arm was bust pretty badly. We could have treated him but it seemed a waste of supplies, and without treatment he wouldn't have made it back." said the bald man, who appeared muscular but wiry beneath layers of intimidating tattoos.

"I see Luca, So now he feeds the birds... or freaks" Said Chief with a smile as he lifted himself from his throne. Chief was a giant of a man, standing at around 7ft and being large built. He too was bald but he wore a collection of heavy scars instead of tattoos. Chief walked to the edge of the stage and jumped off, hitting the floor beneath with a large boom and a cracking of wood floor. "So tell me then whelps," Said Chief walking towards the defeated group as their rescuers quickly distanced themselves, "What good are you if you can't bring me dinner? If you can't even defend yourselves?"

Marvin didn't want to be the one to speak but he was the closest and had no real choice, "We-we can bring you dinner Chief... the guy just caught us off guard"

Chief raised his eyebrow and a snarl began to form, "The guy? You mean to say that you were beaten by one guy?"

"It was Vates sir. He took half of us out before we even knew we were in a fight." said one of the other men desperate to give Chief some reasons to let live, "But Marvin and Jeff talked to him first! They might have some information right?"

Chief's eyes widened and his head snapped quickly to Marvin as he stepped forwards, "Is this true? Did you speak to him?" Marvin hesitated for a moment before nodding shly. "Then why the fuck didn't you kill him straight away?!" Roared Chief, his booming voice adopting a metallic screech towards the end.

"He told us his name was Monroe and that he was with some group. We thought we could trick them all into coming with us. He even said he heard of Vates and that we could find him over in the Heights District! That actually kind of makes sense doesn't it? It's where you had trouble before?"

Chief's anger faded quickly with a smile and he clasped one his large hands onto Marvin's shoulders "You know what, it kind of does. But unfortunately you won't get to find out whether or not it's true." And with that Chief began squeezing Marvin, his grip to strong for Marvin to pull away. At first it was simply uncomfortable but Chiefs hand and forearm began to shift into metal and the hand began crushing slowly through Marvins shoulder and ribs. His cries filled his companions with terror but none of them dared move. As the crunching on bone ensued, blood began spurting through the gaps in the big metal fingers. Once Chief was satisfied that Marvin was in enough pain he took his other hand and quickly and effortlessly crushed Marvin's skull. "Everyone to me!" Chief roared, his voice more metallic than before. Within moments dozens of thugs sprinted into the clearing and watched as Chief retook to the stage. "Luca choose eight men, you will stay here with me. The whelps down here can go in the cages for later. As for the rest of you! I want you all to go hunting for the man named Vates! Now as I know he's still alive he's a top priority! There are around thirty of you and only one of him! The man that brings me his head will be richly rewarded and will become an officer! Any man or men that can bring me him alive will get a bonus: I will give you a city once I rule! Any man that fails to bring me Vates better not come back empty handed!"

Sector Z - Training Grounds

Ishigo rubbed the back of his head, having taken the kick a bit harder than he should have.
"...can't focus, Ishigo?" said Hector in a gentle tone as he extended a hand towards the downed man. Ishigo smiled weakly before accepting the offer, "It's... nothing." The two were located at the edge of the lake, right at the center of the biodome where the combat training occurred. Hector stretched his arms, letting his entire upper body stretch along with them. He had taken off his armor, and his muscular torso was covered in bruises that barely affected him - he had been training for a long time. Ishigo, while not as bulky, had fewer bruises, and displayed a much more cut figure. It ran true with his agility.

Hector sighed, "You're worried about the boy, huh?" he asked, looking down and unwrapping the bandages that coated his palms and knuckles. Ishigo subtly shook his head. "We shouldn't have left him. He was tr-"

"Hermano," Hector's voice was calm but assertive, a tone that Ishigo usually had, "... relax. I sent the shinies to retrieve our fallen comrades' bodies, but I also gave them an order to search for Kisheto."

Ishigo looked at Hector curiously, and Hector smiled, "You may be a mystery to all these other folks, but not to me, hermano. I know what you're thinking." As Hector spoke, Ishigo looked down and crossed his arms with a sigh. "You don't understand, Hector..." he said while shaking his head. In his mind, he was trying his best to combat a thought, a speculation that had been tearing at his conscience since he had met the boy.

Hector nodded, "But I do, amigo. I'm not one to murk a miracle, but... isn't this a bit much? He was born near Ganjra, hermano, I was there the whole week, and I'm not blind. I see the resemblance, but it's not enough to-"

Ishigo looked up sternly, "You don't understand." He wanted to end the discussion right then and there, and Hector understood. He shrugged and looked to the side, "Aye, hermano," he said before sighing, "Anyway, did you get the report from four?"

Ishigo nodded, "Nancy reported an hour ago. The number of hosts within concerned perimeter has drastically fallen, but..."
Hector raised a brow and gestured for him to finish. Ishigo squinted and looked off in the distance, "They didn't leave. They were hunted."
Hector froze for a second before sighing and shaking his head. He turned around and threw his bandages to the ground, "I've had enough of this bullshit, I swear."

Ishigo then perked his head up, "Wait. There's more." Hector stood facing the other direction but turned his head to the side as Ishigo continued: "Four was on Wade Green Road at around 0900. They detected faint comm waves coming from a local apartment complex, but rerouted in spite of suspected hostile activity."

Hector's eyes widened, "What the hell?! A COMM WAVE? And they LEFT?! Who-" Ishigo raised a hand to stop him, "They were in danger, Hector."
Hector threw his arms to the side, "Danger? They backed off from the single most useful resource available in this dreaded city?! Adios Mio, hermano, a fucking COMM WAVE!"

Ishigo shook his head, "Hector, it wasn't just some group of rag tag thugs. There are hosts out there. And gangs. Squad four's always in contact with One, and One has all the intel. We might have another case of the Blood Saints at hand, or something similar. It was smart of them to fall back."
Hector looked to the ground thinking before nodding slowly, "You're right, lo siento. I'll get in touch right away, we need to hit that wave and get it A.S.A.P"

---

Argos Central Comm Relay

~In the city of Argos, the capital of Arcarus, one of the most advanced Comm Relays stood far above the skyline. It wasn't due to the fact that the relay was any taller than normal, but because the city of Argos itself was floating about a mile above the crust of Aeros. It remained suspended above a canyon known as "Drake's Labrynth", named due to the enormous, treacherous crater that dug into the planet below. The only entrance to Argos was shuttle transport, or through one of 15 Skyways that led into the city from multiple points across its circumference. It was a magnificent site, but what was even more outstanding was the technology within the mysterious city~

Frequencies said

• Delta: 99.107.512.G


• Delta: 99.192.868.G


• Alpha: 0000.1212.G


• Alpha: 0007.1299.G


• C. COMM: 088-766-9923


• P. COMM: 770-998-2231


• P. COMM: 770-925-5203


• P. COMM: 120-875-9985

"Try that one..." Victor's voice was smooth and poetic, it had a deep, vibrant sound with the perfect amount of "spanish" accent to give it an alluring appeal. He stood over the shoulder of a technician who worked furiously on one of the many overclocked emergency comm stations, which would otherwise be used to send distress signals warning of any weather or biological emergencies. The technician sighed and rubbed his eyes before nodding weakly. But before he could begin typing, Victor chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "...after a break. Go and rest up, hermano." The tech sighed in relief and looked up at Victor, "All Federal and Corporal Comms are useless. They'd either be wiped or the addresses would be reset. And since military comms are obviously out of question, I do believe we should continue to gather as many personal comm addresses as we can. If anyone in Sovereign has a working communicator, it may just work."

Victor chuckled and nodded, ushering for the tech to take his leave. He then walked over to the entrance of the room, where he joined some of his fellow Golden Mercenaries. "Reports," he said authoritatively. In an instant, the four mercenaries took turns reporting in short bursts of information.

"Val Base 2, 3, 4 up."
"Wint Base 4 down, mobilized."
"Border Patrol rerouted, wall checks cancelled."
"Current perimeter secure."

Victor nodded, and patted the mercenary on the very left on the shoulder, "Good work, hermanos. Now. You know your jobs. Go do them."

Edward Vates – 8 Months Ago
The moss covered beast crept towards Vates with a smile and with each step the beast took in the puddle, a bundle of sickly flora would flourish. The beast did not seem eager to kill Vates with haste. No. The beast wanted to toy with his food thought Vates, who’s grip on the hatchet had grown so tight that his knuckles had gone white. “It wants us to run, doesn’t it?” asked Janus, his tone flat and cold. Vates did not respond, nor did he need to. This host had grown more disturbing than he had been in the vision, more a beast now than a human. As each second passed by the chances of escaping grew shorter as the fungus and mold began to encircle him. There was a building to Vates back but the doors and windows had bared the brunt of structural damage and were mostly inaccessible.

“What’s wrong? Too scared to run? You’d be surprised how often that happens to people. Don’t worry so much, the pain only lasts a while.” teased the beast. Mocking passiveness the beast held its arms out to its sides for a moment before allowing a couple of vines to pierce out of the skin on its wrists and grow into whips. “Cool huh? They can pop out of the strangest of places. My hands, wrists, belly, bum…” the beast laughed, now only metres away.

“Fuck it” hissed Vates before bursting towards the beast. As he got within range Vates used his kinetic gauntlet to push the beast back and in doing so also reflected an incoming vine whip. As the beast toppled back a couple of steps Vates closed the gap and tried to sink the hatchet into its neck, but the layers of flora offered some protection and Vates only managed to inflict a small snag on the beast’s neck. The beast spun in response, attempting to deliver a blow as it did so but Vates jumped back and swiped down at the beasts arm, cutting it off.

“ARGH! You’ll fucking pay for that!” roared the beast in agony. Its threat went underappreciated however, as Vates continued to swipe madly at it. Pure adrenaline and fear had quickly taken over Vates, and now he acted on instinct alone; by this time he had only come across a few hosts and none of them were as horrific as this one. The beast, whilst hurt by the onslaught was far from defeated, and as Vates swings begun to lose steam it charged forwards knocking Vates back. As the tide of battle shifted the beast took the advantage and sent one its vines whipping the hatchet from Vates hand and over towards a doorway (one where a gap still remained). The beast let at a quiet but maniacal giggle as he revealed that his arm had begun to slowly grow back.

Vates quickly began stepping back to create distance and in doing so realised that the fungus and mold had completely enthralled the patch of land where they were fighting. In fact looking down he realised it had begun growing on him and that he was quickly getting weaker. “I’m trying to hold it off, but I can’t for much longer. You need to fini-” Janus tried to say, but was cut off as the beast sent whipped Vates with a great force and sent him flying back against a wall. Vates was dazed even more and simply sat limp in horror and confusion as he was lifted and held up against the wall by moss and vines. “No… please” he exhaled weakly, but the beast only smiled in response. Vates eyes grew heavy but as they begun to shut he saw something run up behind the beast.

“Get off of him you ugly son of a bitch!” came a defiant shout accompanied by a hatchet blow to the beast’s neck. It was the man Vates had taken the hatchet from earlier and whose dead wife he had found. “You! Will! Not! Take! Another! Life!” the man continued to shout, delivering a blow with each word. The man was having more luck than Vates had, having got the element of surprise and attacking the beasts back where it appeared to be weaker. It tried to turn and face its opponent but the man moved with it and tried to keep the advantage. The distraction caused the vines and moss holding up Vates to weaken and he dropped to the floor.

“Get up Vates! Before the bugs and these plants eat you alive! Help the man!” commanded Janus who put what little energy he could into his hosts body. There wasn’t much Janus could do, his powers were not physical and with Vates this weak there would be too big a risk of him going into stasis; he could at least fight off the effects of the mold though. Vates eyes opened more and he could see the fight before him. He managed to slowly push himself onto his feet and begun stumbling towards the fight but he fell to a knee after only a few steps; he did not have the strength in him to keep going, not while the fungus and insects sapped at his energy. Vates tried to rise again but fell completely onto his side and his eyes barely managed to stay open.

“I’ll kill you and your boy! Just like I killed your wife!” the beast mocked. The man’s hatchet had become lodged into the beasts back. All things considered, the man had done an incredible amount of damage to the beast… but it wasn’t enough. The beast turned now to face the man and managed to catch the man’s fist as a punch flew towards it. The man tried to step back but his feet had become planted. A desperate boy’s plea for his father’s life echoed from aside but neither of the fighters noticed it. Pulling the man closer the beast opened his mouth and unleashed a swarm of insects into the man’s face. The man screamed and thrashed about wildly as they made their way down his throat and through his eyes.

“NO!” came another yell from a boy, this time louder and more aggressive. Vates tilted his head up and could see the boy. He appeared to be in pain as he bent over and fell to his knees. ‘The beast has him too’ thought Vates.

“No” gasped Janus “He’s a conduit” The boys head flung back upright to reveal an extended snout, longer ears and a face covered in hair. The young boy was turning into some sort of wolf man. The transformation continued and the boy grew larger, more muscular and more wolf-like whilst the moss beast continued to obliviously kill his father. As the transformation became complete the werewolf let at a hollowing howl and charged at the beast. The moss beast didn’t have time to react and was tackled easily to the ground before being ripped apart…

---

Vates – Present Time – Tuborg Heights
Vates awoke from the flashback with a gasp and a sweat. He often relived this series of events in his sleep, perhaps because it still lacked closure. Vates sat upright against the headboard of his bed and looked at his clock. 5am. It was early but even so, Vates had slept longer than he perhaps should have. “If you want closure you need to put Marley out of his misery. The boy is gone, you know that Vates. Only the wolf is there now.” Janus advised, “Is that why you could not do the same for the girl? Do you think that sparing her meant that you could spare Marley?”

“Marley’s parents are dead because of me. I chose to be selfish, to put my own safety first. His father, despite this, gave his life trying to save me. I owe that boy everything. If I can’t save him, I can’t save anyone. Keeping him alive pushes me to be a better person, to be stronger, to be more trusting, and to save who I can. I won’t kill him… I won’t kill anyone.” Vates didn’t like discussing the topic and so quickly rolled out of bed, “Now then. There’s a gang we need to deal with.”

Endocrinology said
Nucleus Accumbens
The nucleus accumbens (NAcc), also known as the accumbens nucleus or as the nucleus accumbens septi, is a region of the human brain in the basal forebrain rostral to the preoptic area. Each brain hemisphere has its own nucleus accumbens. It is located where the head of the caudate and the anterior portion of the putamen meet just lateral to the septum pellucidum. The nucleus accumbens can be divided into two structures—the nucleus accumbens core and the nucleus accumbens shell. These structures have different morphology and function.



Research has indicated the nucleus accumbens has an important role in pleasure including laughter, reward, and reinforcement learning, as well as fear, aggression, impulsivity, addiction, and the placebo effect.

Dopaminergic input from the VTA is thought to modulate the activity of neurons within the nucleus accumbens. These terminals are also the site of action of highly-addictive drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine, which cause a manifold increase in dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens.

Research using microdialysis has shown that the levels of dopamine in the extracellular fluid of the nucleus accumbens increase when rats are injected with addictive drugs such as cocaine, heroin, nicotine, or alcohol. This increase in dopamine is believed to be responsible for the reinforcing effects that later stimulate drug-taking behaviour. Functional-imaging studies in humans have shown that environmental cues associated with addictive drugs releases dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. The activation of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens is central to "wanting". Dopamine release in the accumbens occurs in anticipation of reward, and facilitates many kinds of approach and goal-oriented behaviours like exploration, affiliation, aggression, sexual behaviour, and food hoarding.

Another day, another step towards a completed project. Zachary placed his copy of Endocrinology in his bag and set out for the day to his hidden garage. He found a strange pleasure in studying this book. He anticipated the end of the day when he would settle down and read it and he thoroughly enjoyed finding out new things in it, and exploring things in more depth. He thought nothing of it, as he was naturally curious so he presumed that maybe learning how he himself ticked was additionally satisfying to his curiosity.

When he got to the street where his project was, he found a group of 8 people already there, scavenging around. They were variously armed, most with melee weapons like swords and hatchets, two had some crude firearms and one had a composite bow with a core in it. There could easily be a host or two among them. He realised that if they found his work unattended they would almost certainly loot it, and even if it was attended they may be the aggressive type of gang which takes what they want by force. He would have to play it cool and stay on their good side. Most people prefer not to start fights if they can, although conduits make an exception, but even so Zachary was reasonably hopeful.

He started by nonchalantly walking down the street to the grocers. One of the gang turned to face him as he was at the door, and Zachary paused and maintain eye contact for a second, letting them know that he was aware of them. Inside, he quickly thought of what preparations he could make. He would have preferred to throw a tarp or sheet or something over the carriage to conceal it, but as he had no such item he did not have that option. He was able to conceal his collection of cores, though. He also decided to leave his bag and plasma rifle in the back room, taking just his air cannon strapped to his back. While he wanted to not appear helpless and vulnerable, he also didn't want to appear over-armed.
As he heard footsteps approaching from outside, he quietly said to himself "OK Kaa'is, let's see if we can take a calm approach." Despite his planning, Zachary was rather nervous as he knew nothing about this gang, whether they would be violent or greedy or difficult to deal with.
Cool, calm and charismatic? I can handle that, Kaa'is reassured him, Relax and let me help with the talking.

Zachary took a deep breath and stepped through the door, which he closed behind him, and into the shop front as three members of the group entered. One was armed with a sword, one an axe and the other a gun, which to Zachary's eye appeared to be a fire core gun. Nowhere for bullets to go in, it just spits out a tight spray of fire. Before they could speak, Zachary greeted them. "Good morning, gentlemen. Was there anything I can do for you and your crew? I'm afraid the food here is a bit off." For this last sentence he gestured at the rotten year-old produce lining the shelves. Kaa'is had basically put all those words into Zachary's mouth, and Zachary was willing to let the words roll out.

Zachary's pleasant manner put the men at ease, although the smell was trying its hardest to undo that. The one with the sword, put a bit off-guard by the warm welcome, eventually replied, "Well, if you don't have food, then we were looking for a few cores."

"Did you have any particular cores in mind?" Zachary asked. While he generally didn't like sharing his hard-earned core hoard, he could spare a few to stay on the pleasant side of this rather well-armed gang.

"Well, umm, we use fire and lightning. We keep our eyes open for any other cores too, especially kinetic," the man replied.

Zachary nodded. "Just wait right here and I'll see what I can spare." Zachary slipped back through the door, the darkness concealing the contents for the moments the door was open. Zachary picked out two fire cores and a lightning core of what he considered to be an appropriate size for their uses and returned through the door. Cores in hand, Zachary walked up to the man with the sword and handed the cores over. "There you go."

The men seemed to be confused at this apparent gesture of generosity. The man he had handed the cores over to lifted them up to eye level to inspect them as if they were somehow fakes. "These are free, right? Or is there some cost?" the man asked sceptically.

"The goodwill of your gang shall be enough for now, and that you carry on your way," Zachary answered.

The men nodded. "Understood. Thank you." Then they left, off to inspect the other buildings in the area for anything of worth. Once they and the rest of the gang had moved on, Zachary moved into the back room and went to work on the engine of the carriage.

"He stormed in" Earlson explained "Completely insane, nobody could stop him...we tried to get everyone out sir...but we had no warning." He look down in shame, but Mathias was quick to assure his old friend. "You weren't to know Earlson, how could you of? Hell, I didn't realize what he was capable of! He's gone now though, how many causalities?" The young guard Martin Golunski stepped forward, notepad in hand "Twelve fatalities sir, none that were attacked survived." Mathias sighed, the only way Samuel got in was because he was a resident, because Mathias gave him a home. It was his mistake and it has cost so many lives.

"Right!" Mathias projected from the bottom of the grand staircase, all eyes were on him, all those saddened, tormented eyes. "Today is a sad day, we have lost so many good people; friends, relatives, strangers who you never got the chance to talk to. Why has this happened? Because i trusted the wrong man, I would beg your forgiveness, but that wont bring them back, I will fall to my knees and curse the gods but they will not listen. We are alone in this hell, surrounded on all sides by crazed killers and vindictive deceivers. We must stay strong, I promise you we will have vengeance one day, not just on Samuel, but on this whole rotting carcass of a city. This I swear to you, when we rule over this city it will change, who's with me?"

Mathias' heart sank for a moment, nobody spoke, they just stood. That was it, he had lost the favor of his people, he turned to his wife and children and imagined then being thrown from their home because of his mistakes, he could clearly see the next few weeks; scavenging, hiding, running, they would not make it into the next turn of the calender. His imagination was distracted by the sudden clapping of hands, in unison the entire hall was filled with applause and cheers, they had forgiven their leader for his foolishness and they would share his vision, his body found a fantastic lightness as he was overcome with pride.

The next few hours were filled with security checks, Mathias was assured that the estate was perfectly safe. The gates were to be more closely monitored, as were the parameter and rooftops. Before the cataclysm the Winters estate was one of the most secure locations in the city, today its former glory had been restored, but not only by new security measures, but by the best warning money could buy; The clouds remained over the estate, continuing a flurry of snow now and again, the fields were permanently white, the river a trail of ice. Mathias suspected that most of the city could see the frozen landscape in the distance, he knew that it would only enhance the old wives tale that within this estate roamed yeti-like beasts and malevolent wraiths, all commanded by the mysterious Ice-King. One thing was for certain, they wouldn't be seeing many traveler's around these parts for a while.

Arianna looked around as they walked, the warmth of the sun beating down on the pair as they walked through the streets of the middle class sector. The destroyed buildings around them seemed familiar to Arianna, but she could never be too sure. It was hard to tell one building from the other in the crazy mess. The only markers were the street intersections and out of place walls that jutted from the mass of rubble. She sighed, wondering if they would ever find her apartment in this mess, or be able to recognize it.

"...but sometimes I wonder why they don't just make it so the can has a bottle-cap-like thing, because that way, if you open it, after it goes 'pshhhh', it doesn't have to be eternally opened. You can close it and reopen it for as long as you want! And..."

Kisheto looked to his left. He was walking with his head held in his crossed arms as he stared at the sky and rambled to the girl. "...sorry, I talk a lot, heh." Arianna looked over at Kisheto, having to recall what he'd said before she could register it. She smiled amusedly, "I like hearing your voice instead of your mind. It gives me one more reason to speak aloud." The young woman took a deep breath, pausing at an intersection. "Do you remember any of these street names? They're somewhat familiar to me, but I was only here a day before all hell broke loose."
Kisheto smiled and looked around. "Well... I usually just hung out on the roof tops. Maybe I'd have a better idea up there. But down here? I... uh... yeah, no idea, heh," he rubbed the back of his head, embarassed.

Arianna looked up at what used to be the rooftops until she found a spot that looked sturdy. "Would you climb up onto that and see if we're anywhere near the old library? My apartment wasn't too far from it. If we find it, we can find my apartment." Kisheto smiled, finally feeling as if he could be of some use. "Sure thing, yo."

Kisheto cracked his knuckles and looked up, squinting as he scanned the walls of the structures. He then smiled and took off his jacket, leaving his loose-fitting, baggy cloth garbs to aid him in manuevering. With a quick flick, he tossed his jacket towards Arianna and broke into a sprint towards the wall. Arianna, startled by the sudden jacket flying towards her, flinched and awkwardly grabbed the jacket before it hit her in the face. She blushed, hoping Kisheto hadn't noticed her moment of ungracefulness.

It took two steps off the wall to get a huge leap upward, noticably higher than that the average human's. With a quick grasp, Kisheto's fingers found the edge of a window sill and he thrust himself upwards with his left arm, rotating to the left while kicking his right leg up. He stayed suspended in the air long enough to kick up once more, almost as if some force kept him in the air. His movements were fluid and agile, and before long, he found himself rolling over the top of the roof dusting off his hands as he looked around.

Wow... I forgot how beautiful it was up here... he thought as he scanned the area. He crouched and looked around, finally spotting the crumbling structure held up by old fashioned pillars.

He cupped his mouth and called out to Arianna, "IS IT THE WHITE ONE WITH THE ROUND TOP? CUZ IF IT IS... IT'S RIGHT THERE!" he shouted naively with a finger pointing towards the direciton of the library. Arianna was watching Kisheto in awe, wondering how many years he had practiced climbing buildings like that. She doubted that she could ever do it as gracefully as he had done. She tensed as he shouted at her, worried that another host would find them. Yes, now get down and don't be so loud, she half hissed in his mind as she tried to keep a calm demeanor. If another host found them, she was certain that Kisheto would have to do most of the fighting. She didn't know what he could do and it unsettled her.

At first, Kisheto flinched as the voice seemingly came from nowhere, but then he chuckled off his foolishness and gave her a thumbs up before shouting, "ALRIGHT, COMIN DOWN!" With a swift somersault, he leapt off the building and thrust his legs into the side of the building. As gravity pulled him downwards, he slid along the wall, leaving a faint golden spark behind him, though he himself didn't notice. It wasn't long before he rolled off the wall and took his place back by Arianna's side.

Arianna winced lightly when he shouted again, sighing. We should never have left Iktomi's base, she thought to herself. Without another word to draw in anymore attention, she turned and began to head in the direction that Kisheto had pointed.

---

Rico and Perry took position at both sides of the entrance to the apartment as Rico leaned in and put his ear to the door. In a matter of minutes, he held up two fingers and motioned for the rest of the Golden Mercenaries in the squad to take position. Right then, Perry nodded and walked back before dashing forward and kicking the door down. The second the door was torn from its hinges, Rico and two of the eight mercenaries burst in with their rifles scanning the area.

"Entrance, clear."
"Kitchen clear."
"Hallway 3'o clock clear. Scout left."

The mercenaries scattered as they searched every nook and cranny for any hostiles. It wasn't long before Rico whistled, causing all of the mercenaries to pause.

"All clear. Find the communicator," he said, and in response, the mercenaries began rummaging through all of the cabnets, closets, and containers they could get their hands on. Eventually, one of the mercenaries found the device lying on a dresser, behind a picture of a girl and her family. He grabbed the communicator, knocking down the picture before running out.

"Retrieved."

The item resembled a holopad, but was much smaller and more intricately designed. It functioned using a Data Core and Waveform Core combination found in the central commpak next to the main battery. On the outside, it had a touch screen and a central home button that could be used for a plethora of features, primarily to fold up the communicator into a nice, portable square.

Rico nodded and patted the mercenary on the back before whistling and waving his two fingers in a cirle in the air.

"We're outtie. Move."

---

"So... so.... could you like... carry me with your mind? I could just lie in thin air and watch the sky? Oh shit, imagine the pranks we could pull with that power! I could pretend to be a floating ghost and I-I..." Kisheto broke into a chuckle at his own thought, and sighed as his laughter came to an end. The two had walked quite a bit, and Kisheto had only recently joined Arianna back on the ground.

Arianna chuckled, "I might be able to hold you up for a few minutes. I might strain my mind too much if I did it any longer." She held up her hands, wondering how much she could pick up before her mind would give out on her. "Oh... Eh, whatever. Still a pretty neat mutation if yah ask me," Kisheto said naively.

Arianna sighed softly. Would he ever realize that he, too, was a host? She stopped, hearing slight whispers of thoughts before they faded away. There was no danger, but she wondered who those thoughts had belonged too. As her eyes scanned their surroundings, she spotted her apartment just down the street. "There it is," she said, pointing. Without another word she walked towards it, her pace quickening in excitement. It wasn't damaged badly. The buildling next to it had collapsed onto the roof a little, but otherwise it was just dusty and cracked. "Thank Aeros," she breathed.

During the year Arianna had been stuck inside of Sovereign, she often thought about returning to her apartment. Something within her had held her back, though. Maybe it was fear of the gangs that might roam the middle sector, or just her own need to separate herself from the outside world like the wall had done. Now, though, she was determined to reconnect with her family and the rest of Leginia. The wall wouldn't keep her inside of here to wither away any longer.

Without waiting for Kisheto, Arianna stepped through the already open doorway and into the dusty apartment. A year ago it had been clean and ready to be lived in. Now, it resembled an abandoned house. Just looking at it told her that it had been ransacked by others trapped in Sovereign. Arianna moved through, searching for anything of her's that had survived the picking. She frowned lightly as she knelt down in front of an upturned picture on the floor. The glass was cracked, the pieces laying on the floor where it once laid. "This looks like it was recently broken," she murmured, noticing how there was no dust on the back of the frame.

Kisheto eventually caught up and walked into the room behind Arianna. He had been sizing up the place, as he didn't get to stay inside a room of his own much often before the apocalypse. His life was always out in the streets, always roaming. "Well... I wouldn't mind living here, I guess," he said half-jokingly. "You find yah thingy?"

Arianna stood, pulling the photo from the ruined frame. She looked at the spot where the frame had been and sighed. "No. I hid it behind the photo, but apparently it was found." She put the frame down on the shelf and turned to look at him, holding the photo in her hand. "It's gone."

Kisheto squinted and looked at the spot from where she retrieved the picture. He then looked back at Arianna and tilted his head to the side before speaking in a calm tone, "Hm. I honestly think that there was more to coming here than finding some glorious walke talkie." He then smiled and look around, "They didn't take everything, did they? Man, what I wouldn't give to have a picture of my family."

Arianna smiled softly, looking down at the photo of her family. She held it out for him, "I almost forgot what they looked like at one point." She took a deep breath and looked around. "I'm going to look around and see if any of my stuff is still here."

Kisheto nodded and took the picture as Arianna went off to search through her old home. The picture was beautiful and it successfully captured the happiness within her family. Arianna was younger at the time, and she and her parents were at some sort of beach. Kisheto smiled and called out, "You're gonna have to thank yah parents some time..."

Arianna furrowed her brows as she dug through her closet in her never used bedroom. "What do you mean?" She asked Kisheto.

Kisheto walked out of the room and smiled as he set the picture down on a nearby counter, "Well good looks don't just grow on trees, y'know."

Arianna couldn't help but blush. She was glad that her back was to him. "Thank you," she replied, unsure of what else to say. While she may have been an expert at learning, Arianna wasn't experienced in how to respond to compliments. Especially after a year of near-isolation. Kisheto looked around, "So... I mean, there's gotta be something useful 'round here, right?" He hadn't actually focused in on the clutters of materials, but rather just acknowledged the presence of potentially useful items. "Hell, if it were up to me, I'd just stay here, but y'know, it's still kinda your home."

Arianna turned to look at him. "As much as I'd like to stay, it's too dangerous. There doesn't seem to be many places around here to find food unless you want to take long trips to steal from the military. From experience, I know it's too risky to have only one place to stay if the military thinks of you as threat. The only options I see right now are Iktomi or the Golden Mercenaries. Either of them are questionable."

Kisheto nodded, "Yeah, you're right. I'd prefer the mercenaries though. No offense to yah friend." He then chuckled softly and leaned against the wall, "but in all honesty, I'd prefer hittin' the streets myself. Or with a homie like you. No big groups though. That'd slow me down. Digging in and all is safe, but... I don't feel alive. I feel like I'm resting in a grave. Like..." as he began to ramble once more, he looked off into what used to be a window, "... why sign ourselves off when there's so much to be done... to be explored. Sure, there's eminent danger at every corner, but I'd rather die kicking at the bastards than rotting away in a bunker." He then sighed and shook his head, realizing he had gone off in a tangent.

Arianna smirked lightly as he rambled. "I understand. To be honest, I don't want to commit to neither Iktomi nor the Golden Mercenaries. All organizations are corrupt in some way, but in order to survive comfortably, you have to join one." She sighed and ran handthrough her hair, kicking at the foot of her bed. "Anyways, we all want to tear that wall down. Everyone is just trying in different ways. The key is to join the ones that do it for everyone else, not just for themselves."

Kisheto chuckled, "Yeah... that makes sense. So... if you had to pick right now, I'm assuming you'd choose Iktomi's place, right?" Arianna looked over at him, then away in slight shame. She busied herself by looking through her drawers. She found one of her old button-ups and a necklace. "I don't know, honestly." Kisheto nodded and looked down at his crossed arms. "I think... you should come with me to the Golden Mercenaries' hideout." He looked up and raised a brow, "I mean, well... they have a lot going on there, and I believe they're gonna be leading the charge against the wall." As he looked over to Arianna, he recalled what he had seen at Sector Zero before speaking again, this time in a more gentle tone, "When I saw their base... I felt so stationary. Everyone was moving around and about, working towards something. Yeah, they're holed up but... if I had to pick, I would choose the side that did a better job convincing me that they wanted to leave. Plus, they have a whole circus full of mutants training to become superheroes, y'know?" he said with a soft chuckle.

Arianna held up the shirt and shook out the dust. He had a point. Iktomi seemed a little too comfortable in his little mansion of webs. She felt like a piece in his chess game that he was never going to move. "I want to talk to Iktomi before I make a decision," she said as she smoothed out a year-old wrinkle. "Just to make sure I make the right choice." Kisheto nodded, "That's cool. I guess I..." he then chuckled and shook his head. "Man, Locks was right when he said I was too quick to trust. But hey, I never trusted the wrong person. Whether or not you choose the mercenaries, I think I'll stick with you for now. Not a lot of people seem to be giving off the right vibes, 'nah mean? Plus, everyone needs someone to get their back, y'know," he said with a smile.

Arianna smiled back, glad that Kisheto had her back. She was about to agree when thoughts of a group interrupted her own. She also heard the distant hum of a carriage. "The military is here," she murmured, her face paling slightly.

---

About a quarter of a mile down the road from where the apratment was located, a squad of ten men marched in front of a M.A.T (Mobile Assault Tank). It was a Military Vanguard Squad, and each member held the same set of weaponry: a large shield attached to their left forearm, and a broadsword powered by a plasma core in the right hand. The squad composition was to ensure a slow and steady forward movement, since it was hard, nearly impossible to kill a vanguard. Their shields were made from Linthium, one of the (if not the) most durable steels forged from Warshiran elements. Their heavy armor also provided for what became a fort of a man. Their broadswords were sharp enough without the plasma core to give them a deadly after-swing trail powerful enough to burn through many things, human flesh being one of the more easier targets. Not only that, but the sword contained a secondary trigger to launch the trail of plasma that was created by a simple swing, allowing for deadly ranged attacks as well.

At the head of the squad, the Captain of the Vanguard marched confidently. "It's about a block or two down. The apartment that has the building collapsed upon it," he said in a deep voice, distorted by his helmet. From behind him, one of the lower ranked officers spoke up, "Can we fire from here? The M.A.T is all set to anchor."

The Captain shook his head, "Negative. If we damage the communicator because we suspected hostiles, the baddie's would have our heads." As he finished, he turned around and began marching backwards while lifting his hand and gesturing around him. "I want a clean sweep of the area. Wildhunt is still in effect - they all die. Don't touch any of the others, and if you find anything of use, bring it to me. Move."

---

Kisheto raised a brow when Arianna's expression turned to one of worry, "What do you mean 'here'? Like... 'here'-'here' or, 'here' as in Sovereign? Cuz, I mean, they've always bee-"

Arianna interjected, having no time to chatter. "They're looking for the communicator, too." She gave Kisheto a worried look, "We need to go. Now."