Primo Victoria: Part II

**Primo Victoria: Part II** is the fifteenth episode of Season One. It is the second part of the season finale.

## Narrative

### **Team B**

"Quinnithy Gunderson, STOP!"

"We're going to fucking die!"

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Quinnithy Gunderson ignored the passengers as he drove towards the flames with a look of stanch determination on his face. The Artificial Tieflings continued to bang on the roof of the car, their screeching still just as haunting and bone-chilling. Then, the old man drove them into the flames.

"STOP!!" Akumi Cane's loud scream rang through the air, as flames lept into through the open windows and whipped around the vehicle, the screams of the passengers even louder as they ducked for cover where they could. The beings attached to the car dropped as they continued through the flames, letting out their own ear-splitting screams.

Once they made it to the other side of the bridge, Gunderson slammed the breaks of the car, pulling it to a stop, and wiped sweat off his forehead. Somehow, maybe by pure miracle, he remained unharmed. He quickly glanced out the back window of the car, noticing the beings were paused behind them, most in a giant pile of burning bodies. Feeling a small sense of relief, he then began looking down at his companions. "Everyone okay?"

"No, we're not fucking okay!" Akumi screeched as she sat up in the car, holding her burnt left arm.

"Oh, okay. The first aid kit is back there if you need it," Gunderson said, as he flipped the windshield wipers on once again, scraping the charred remains of the creatures from the windshield. "At least we all — except for the things — made it out alive."

"That fire was traumatizing," Chase said, relieved that he was alright. He turned to Gunderson, feeling a bit mad. "For future reference, I would prefer this incident not be repeated."

James Morpheus looked around him. "What the *hell*, old man?! Did you ever take a defensive driving course in your time as a taxi-man?" he shouted to Gunderson.

"Old man?! Are you questioning my driving skills?! Let's see you try better when you have demon things punching the windows and roof of your van!"

Messenger glared at Gunderson. "Driving us *through* fire was stupid and risky."

"Come on guys, we don't have all day," Akumi interrupted, opening the first aid kit back up again and using some of her water to cool the burns. "Let's get a move on."

As Richard Sanchez writhed in pain, he turned around to make sure they were safe. Thankfully, there was nothing behind them except a collection of corpses, burning in the mysterious wall of fire. *Where? How?* he thought, his head spinning.

James looked through the shattered glass to get a better view of the Demon’s Fortress. The surrounding area, which looked like grayish clay from a distance, was now revealed to be steel. The complex itself was a massive, featureless building. Empty boats stood docked and ready, platforms stood above the sea, and black lighthouses watched over the area. Intending to get a closer look, James looked through his rifle's scope.

"I think I see a few guards, not sure. Should we continue driving, or go on foot? Not to repeat what happened last time, but this car isn't safe."

"The boy is right. We need to get out of this van." Gunderson stated, beginning to get up from his seat. "I can tell it suffered internal damage from that fire and could go up at any moment. Go, move, now, hurry, run!" With that, the old man was out of the van, with the others following behind quickly.

Akumi ran along with the others. As she ran, the details of the guards standing in wait on the Demon’s Fortress began to become more vivid. Their odd, green armor was the color of vines. Their long, thick boots were the only part to be colored black instead of green. Akumi stared at the guards, failing to realize she was slowing down and the rest of the group was way ahead of her.

"Come on Akumi, you're holding us up!" Messenger shouted.

"Coming!" Akumi began sprinting up towards the group.

Running as fast as he could, James suddenly heard something in the distance. Briefly looking behind him, he watched in horror as the vehicle he carefully selected was now set ablaze. Confused, and not wanting to fall behind, he continued running.

The group continued on-wards, as they reached a point in which the bridge prepared to fuse with a downward metal road. "Almost!" he called out.

Everyone nearly reached the bridge's end — until a familiar obstacle appeared. To everyone's horror, blue embers once again appeared, rising to completely obstruct the entrance to the Demon’s Fortress. Not wanting a repeat of recent events, the group stopped in their tracks. They watched as a similar fate hit the sides of a bridge — a blockade of flames, lighting up the left and right sides.

Seeing the wall of fire, Akumi stopped running instantly, gripping her gun tighter as she glanced around.

"What's happening?!"

"I, well -" James readied his rifle, pointing every which-way. "Keep - keep on guard!"

Gunderson unsheathed his dao as he turned back and looked at the van, now in a fiery red blaze. "Our van!" he mumbled quietly.

"So much for the first-aid kits," Richard nervously muttered.

"How are we supposed to get out of this?" Messenger asked.

"I am unsure. The best course of action would be to remain here, it would not be wise to continue forward," Chase looked around the bridge, when he noticed something odd about the wall they had previously driven through.

Examining it closely, it appeared some rapid movement began to happen towards the bottom. A swirl, of sorts, as if a spiral portal of embers was created. It continued to move, before slowly spiraling violently, becoming a homogeneous light blue. At once, the spiral was thrown directly at the group, spinning violently. Everyone prepared to move from its trajectory — before it shot into the air, dissipating.

Looking into the newly created hole, five figures began to emerge.

"I didn't know I was going to be dealing with *this* when I agreed to this mission," Akumi exclaimed, aiming her gun at the figures.

"This isn't too bad," Gunderson commented, holding his dao up defensively.

The figures at the other side of the bridge walked very passively. As if taking a stroll on some warm day, they did not appear as enemies to the group. As they walked closer, it could be made out what they were: Xeren androids. The featureless mechanical humanoids barely resembled their McFly derivatives. Their skin was the achromatic color of the Demon’s Fortress and cyan light was emitted from their heads.

Leading the androids was the most intriguing. It was apparently a regular human woman, dressed in simple clothes instead the bulky exsuits of her companions. A black, long-sleeve buttoned up coat, with streaks of red. Her skin was a bit tan, and her red hair was housed by an Xeren cap. Despite approaching an armed brigade, the woman had no visible weapons. She spoke quickly. "Your little incursion ends here. All of you are under arrest."

Messenger felt rage building as she heard the woman, glaring at her. She spoke. "What did you just say, you little bitch? You aren't arresting anyone."

The woman smiled as all laid their weapons on her — yet, she stood her ground. Briefly, she turned to Messenger, smiling. "It is not 'little bitch', I'd prefer General Beth; Miss Deception." Messenger stood surprised.

The general turned her attention to the rest in the group, laughing softly. "You all are pathetic. You've loaded up some weapons in that little van, storming a military installation to kill innocent lives — think about that. I am letting you do this *voluntarily* — come with me, and there will be no bloodshed. Hell, tell me where Anoethite and Haptic are and I might even give you a nice cell."

Akumi dropped her weapon in shame. "I... surrender." The others turned to face her in shock of her words. She shut her eyes, imagining how disappointed the group was. How disappointed Korra would be.

Richard mumbled something quickly: a meek, shaky noise from his throat. He attempted to correct himself, not looking Beth or his compatriots in the eye, but keeping his head down. "I surrender." Richard bit his lip, chewing uncomfortably while he began to sweat. "It's the only... logical course of action. Michael, Korra, and Graham are in the tunnels underneath. Just don't hurt them, please."

"*What the fuck?!*" Akumi completely lost control. "You're giving up our friends for a comfier prison cell. Fuck you, don't *ever* open your mouth again, asshole!" She turned away for a second, crying slightly.

Richard clenched his teeth and began to tremble, still keeping his eyes down. He mumbled incoherently, avoiding Akumi's eyes.

"Well, we failed," Gunderson said, dropping his sword and raising his arms above his head. "Might as well give up. We're screwed. I surrender."

James slowly lowered his rifle, his hands shaking. *Months of preparation, hope, ambition — for this?* He was mixed with frustration for Richard's decision, and sadness for their failure. Solemnly, he placed the intricate weapon on the ground. "I — will... I surrender."

Messenger tore her eyes away from Beth to look at Akumi. "*Never* speak to my brother like that again, understood?!" She then turned to Richard. "I can't believe you'd betray us like that. What is wrong with you?! We're supposed to be a team."

"Messenger, please," He spoke, struggling through a stutter. "I can't let you die and we don't have a chance in hell here!"

"We had a chance if you and the rest of this 'team' hadn't given up instead of sticking to the plan!"

"Messenger, my deepest apologies," Chase said. "But I'm with Richard, Gunderson, James, and Akumi on this one. We don't really have a choice here..." Chase detached his arm and placed it on the ground. "I surrender."

"Magnificent," began the General. "I wouldn't expect it to take *this* long, but you've finally chosen to face the consequences for your actions. Don't worry about your friends, Dr. Xeren would not want them dead."

Chuckling, the red-haired woman raised her gloved hand. A set of glowing blue handcuffs appeared on the wrists of Akumi, Chase, Richard, and Gunderson. Behind her, they noticed a large black vehicle approaching — like a limousine, with no windows in the back. Two armored men emerged.

"Those who chose wisely, wait in that car or be forced in. Allow us to address your friend," Beth said, motioning for them to head inside.

Richard looked to the ground before starting to walk towards the car. "Please, Messenger, give up. We can figure this out, but only if you live through this." Richard said, before looking back with tears welling up in his eyes.

Akumi walked behind Richard towards the car, getting in and sitting next to him. Behind her followed Chase, James, and Gunderson. All of them looked solemn knowing that they had failed the mission, had failed Graham. The car was dead silent inside, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Messenger gripped her shotgun tightly, loading the pump and aiming it at the red-haired woman. She refused to take the easy way out as her friends had.

Beth simply shrugged off Messenger's angered eyes. "So, this is it," she said, amused at the lone wolf that stood before her. "You certainly aren't the stuttering mass that you were those months ago. Come, do as your friends have." Messenger did not budge. "Oftentimes a lack of confidence manifests itself as overconfidence — your friends wouldn't want you to die, would they?"

A silence — and then Messenger spoke. "Do you want my friends dead or alive?" She said, a hint of defeat in her voice.

"We do not intend to kill —" Before Beth could finish, Messenger pulled the trigger.

She watched as the bullet was deflected by the General's gloved hand. Before she could shoot again, Messenger found herself knocked back. Laying on the rough pavement, her eyes began to fill with blue hues — and then nothing.

Messenger's eyes peered open, blinded by the white light above her. Her body rested on a thin mattress. For a moment, she was unsure of where she was. The room she was in was barren, completely featureless. It was gray and dusty, with only one small frosted glass window. Most would not be able to sleep comfortably with how bright it was. Messenger walked over to the room's sole sink, washing her face with lukewarm water.

As she examined the room, Messenger noticed a man turned to the wall in a nearby bed. Approaching him, her suspicious about where she was confirmed. Looking at the brown-haired man, she could at least be thankful Xeren allowed her to stay with her brother. She chose not to speak to him after his compromising of the mission at the bridge. Messenger sat down on the bed, silent.

Richard turned from the wall and looked to his sister.

"You shouldn't have told them," she whispered. "Now we're locked in here while Korra and Michael could be getting killed."

Richard remained on his bed. "I did - I did what was logical..."

"It wasn't logical, it was stupid. Now we're stuck in a cell for the rest of our lives!" Messenger yelled.

"You just don't get it," Richard rested his chin on his hand, continuing to speak quietly. "That woman at the bridge - we, we were surrounded. They'd have found out anyway, I just didn't want you to be hurt... You were lucky she didn't hurt you that much. We shouldn't have come here-"

Messenger glared and took a breath, fuming with anger. "We knew it was risky when we agreed to the mission. Just because we got caught doesn't mean we had to throw the others under the bus. We could have stalled them, at least to let Michael and Korra get a good head start. We might've gotten hurt really badly, but it's what we agreed to from the start. We didn't come here to betray our friends at the first flicker of danger!" she said. "I have never been more disappointed in you than I am right now."

"Messenger, listen!" Richard said, his tone picking up. "I did what I had to do to keep us safe. If we stayed and fought, we would have been killed. Even if they didn't execute us on the spot we would've been beaten, captured, and then tortured for the location. If it wasn't for me, you could be rotting in a dark cell alone."

"How do you know that's not what they're gonna do to us next? Do you really think they'll treat us kindly forever?"

"I know they won't treat us great forever, but hopefully it'll be long enough for us to find some way out."

"You've always been a coward. I might not remember our childhood, but from what I've seen of you now, it probably wasn't much different! You hide from any sign of danger. That's probably why I joined the militia. You're so overbearing and controlling!"

"I may not be the bravest, but I'm no coward either! I knew we had no part joining in on this doomed operation, and you had just as little reason to run off and with that suicidal militia," Richard growled.

"Just shut up. I don't want to hear this nonsense anymore," Messenger snapped, turning around in anger and with slight tears dripping from her eyes.

She felt a heavy mixture of feelings — sadness, disappointment, worry, shame. They had come this far only to be captured, only to have their only hope given up by one of their own. This was so unlike the Richard she knew, he had always been a solid rock.

She began to take slow and steady breathes, calming herself before speaking again. "I remember the day I left for the Militia. You were so angry at me. You called it a suicide squad then too and I fought you every step of the way. But you were strong, relentless, didn't give up on your view. Even after I was already walking to join them. What happened to you?"

She felt Richard's steady gaze focus on her, as her words shocked even herself. She didn't know how, but she felt a strange sense. Memories of times forgotten flooding her mind — faint memories of her parents, times with James and Richard growing up, forgotten pets and friends.

Gasping at this revelation, she held her hand to her mouth. "I remember..."

Akumi paced around the room, leaving her without anything else to do. She felt the gaze of Gunderson as she paced.

"Mr. Gunderson," she asked. "Do you think Korra will make it out okay?"

"No. He is probably dead," Quinnithy said as he sighed, looking at his aged hands. "It is best to move on. Weeping will do us nothing."

"Thanks for the reassuring words." Akumi rolled her eyes. "Also um, sorry for calling you an old man earlier. Was just under pressure."

"It is fine, Miss Cane. I apologize for raising my voice earlier," Gunderson looked at Akumi. "Is there anything else on your mind?"

"You can just call me Akumi." the girl sighed. "Nothing really, just Korra. What am I going to do without him, without a job, in *prison?*" Akumi's head hung low. "My parents would be yelling at me right now. 'Look, you wasted your good life to go off with a boy in a suicide mission! You had a safe life where you were here. Now you got yourself in prison, eh.' They probably hate me now."

A tear ran down Akumi cheek, leaving her sniffling. "And I was trying to be calm earlier, but it's just all so overwhelming. I don't know what's wrong with me. I wasn't ready to come here. I'm not brave like the rest of you. I've lived in COSL all my life, you know? I'm not used to all these strange demons and such. I've never been adventurous or anything. But I wanted to help, I wanted to be useful for once. I now realize that was the wrong choice."

"You are useful. You have been. You have a place with us." Quinnithy said. "Sure, Michael is very unhappy with you for stealing his best friend but, you have been useful. We need you."

"Thanks but, how did I even steal... *Michael's best friend?*" Akumi asked.

"Truth be told, only Michael thinks this. Korra was his anchor, so to speak. Now once you came into his life, he thought he obsessed over you and abandoned everyone else in his life."

"He doesn't obsess over me." Akumi replied. "I'm sure if Michael and Korra tried to make it work, they could become friends again."

"Too bad they're dead," Quinnithy chuckled.

"What the *hell*? Do you even care about them??" Akumi asked, furious at the old man's laughter.

"Huh? Oh, that. I was joking, you see? They survived a car crash, they can survive this," Gunderson responded calmly.

"Ha," Akumi scoffed. "Absolutely hilarious, mocking my boyfriend's death," She turned away from Gunderson, staring at a wall. "Feels like it's been days already."

As Akumi turned her heard as she heard a noise on the opposite side of the cell, Gunderson was nowhere to be found. Through the doored wall, she could hear a faint "What were you saying?"

"What the hell, where are you?!" Akumi yelled. "Let me in there!"

"Technically, this is out and you are in, not reverse," Gunderson corrected. "I'll get you out as soon as I grab a few things," Gunderson hurried off.

Gunderson ran down the textured hallway and to a clean, white table with messy papers and files, scanning it. Above the table, a bulletin board of notes, flyers, and posters. He quickly found a small but incomplete map of the building and shoved it into his pocket. Footsteps sounded as he hid under the table. The guard stop and carefully looked over the board. Gunderson crawled from under the table, standing up behind the man. He tapped his shoulder lightly and asked "Care for some tea?" to which the guard exclaimed "Mother—" before being punched. The guard fell to the floor.

"One too many lumps."

Gunderson hurried away from the guard, and peered down the ground floor of the prison. Quickly, he examined the crumbled piece of paper. It did not provide much, but it did give him ideas of a plan for escape. "Interesting. Entrances out of the prison at the ground, fifth, and tenth . . . . biological testing? Android storage? Those weren't here before. Ah, there we are, third door from the right." Gunderson walked forward, carefully correlating the map and the prison, before arriving at what seemed to be an ordinary cell door. Opening it - a gray staircase revealed itself. "Bingo."

Chase awoke, surprised to find that he was alone. Where had everyone gone? Then he remembered - the weird woman had caused all this. He was got a strong sense of déjà vu, until he attempted to open the room's door. It was shut tight, and through it's small window he could slightly make out rows of repeating doors. This was a prison.
James's hands twitched at the sound of movement within his cell. Interrupting the meditation he had been preforming in one of the cell's corners, James began speaking. "Took you long enough."

"James?" Chase asked. "Why are you in here with me? Where is everybody else?"

James stood up and approached Chase. "Do you remember the bridge? Once we all walked to the car, they forcibly shut you off. Precautions, I guess. They drove us here, searched us, and placed everyone in different cells." James sighed. "I don't know where the others are, but they are probably nearby. It's over - we failed."
The android nodded, the events from before slowly coming back to him. "What happens now that we have failed? Are we going to remain here forever?"

"No." responded James, confidently. "I do not intend to remain in this raggedy prison forever. We'll be out before the day ends."

"How do you plan on getting out, sir? We seem to be tightly imprisoned in this cell, and surely they have guards outside," Chase said.

"Of course they have guards outside. If I am to be correct — they're coming now."

“Coming?” Chase asked. “But why, unless...” He paused for a second, knowing that these guys wouldn’t just let somebody they considered a criminal out. “They’re getting us for some kind of torture.”

James chuckled. "Do you even feel pain?"

Before Chase could respond, he could hear sounds of a lock turning on the door's other side. At once, the metallic door opened loudly and slowly. Peering into the room were two figures, completely clad in black armor. At first glance, one might assume they were an android.

"Chase McFly? You're needed with Dr. Xeren. Get out of your cell and come with me - be quick.." said the one of the guards.
Deciding it was best to not remind James that he was concerned about him, Chase nervously exited the cell with the guards. “Alright, I’ll come, but where is he?”

"That's why you should follow us." responded the man. The guard closed the shut and locked the door to James's cell.

Chase anxiously followed the guards, looking around the Demon’s Fortress's prison. It was a singular, massive room that seemed to extend in all directions. To his left, a metal railing prevented a drop from ten stories down. The hundreds of doors made Chase anxious, wondering what type of people Xeren had stored here. "Do you know what he needs to see me for?

"Aren't you an android or something? Probably work or whatever. You'll see when you get there."

"I suppose that makes sense," Chase replied. "Though admittedly, I'm feeling very nervous."

"Considering how confident you were in destroying this building, you shouldn't feel nerv-" Eerily, the guard stopped mid-sentence for several seconds. McFly and the other guard looked to the man.

Before Chase could comment, he found himself pushed aside by the silent guard. Looking up - he saw the guard choking the other. The other could barely muster out a word, attempting to claw out of the other's tight hands. The armor did not protect the man. As if gifted with a supernatural strength, the guard threw the man across the protective fencing. He fell violently to the bottom, dying instantly.

The lone guard took off his helmet. Looking down to the bottom of the prison, he took out a small pistol, aiming at his skull. "Yes, yes, yes..." he said, before pulling the trigger.

"This is bizarre," Chase said, astounded at the scene he had just witnessed. Staring towards the office door, he decided not to go in. Maybe this was his chance to escape and find the others. He looked around the area where his cell was with James, hoping the others weren't too far behind.

*Andy did not perfect emotions. Let's see if I can get more than two.* James opened his eyes slowly, ceasing a meditation that he started when Chase was taken out of his cell. He placed two fingers on the gray, metallic door in front of him. As if none had bothered to lock the door, it quietly swung open at James's light push. James walked out of his cell, looking around the massive area.

"Ah, there you are, James. Those two guards were very strange," Chase said, as he noticed James. "We need to explore this complex, it will surely lead us to the others."

James quickly walked towards Chase. He talked in a quiet tone. "What happened to the guards — well, no time for that. My cell was unlocked, managed to get out. First order of business, we need to find Gunderson."

"Where in here do you think Mr. Gunderson is?" Chase asked. "While I was here briefly before, I have yet to memorize the layout. This is a very intricate structure,"

"When were you ever at Remnant R- well, that's besides the point." James peered downwards. He could barely make out a large door at the prison's bottom. "We can't lose time. We need to find a ladder and see if we can catch Gunderson — he is out by now, I am sure of it."

"I agree, but where on these premises would a ladder be?" Chase asked, as he and James began walking around. He wasn't going to bring up his previous journey to the Demon’s Fortress (which, as he saw it, had been the catalyst for the big mess) ever again.

"Just — just look around. We don't have a lot of time." James quickly walked through the prison's tenth level, being careful not to make his footsteps too loud.

"Did you hear that?" Chase asked James. "It sure sounded a lot like Gunderson."

"Keep your voice down! Nothing sounded like Quinnithy Gunderson, get a ladder -"

One of the prison hall's many cells swung open, interrupting the silence James was attempting to set. McFly's observation had been correct - emerging from the door, carefully observing a crumbled paper. Absolutely surprised, James did not wait for greetings. "I- Well- Is that a map? We need to get out of here."

Before Gunderson could respond, a figure crept up behind James and Chase. The man took a puff of his cigar before speaking.

"Out? One cannot simply get out of the Demon’s Fortress. Now, do not cause any more trouble than we need to by kindly going back to your cells and closing the door behind you."

The man took a final puff, then dropped it, stomping it out.

"Who even are you?" Chase asked. "Because I find it highly impossible that there's no way out of here."

James ignored Chase's curiosity, and looked at the man without fear. "We'll be out before the day ends - I said this before. "

"Sure ya will - Inmate #4279." Just then, two more armed guards appeared behind them. "Nobody has ever gotten out under my leadership and nobody ever will. One more time. The easy way or the h—"

Several loud sounds of sparks began to reverberate through the loud hall, breaking the prison's eerie silence. At once, as if a generator failed, the lights that illuminated the main prison hall slowly began to shut themselves off. First, the prison's top light - then, the lights of each level. Only the dim lights that could be seen through cell windows lit up the room.

So, you're alive. Go figure. James looked to Quinnithy Gunderson and Chase, nodding. Graham had explained this would be the most important part of Primo Victoria - they knew what had to be done. Praying that the dark room would be enough to shield them from bullets, they quickly diverged from the armored guards. The sound of gunfire would not impede them from opening every prison cell in sight.

### **Team A**

*Slash, slash, slash.*

The sound of swiping could be heard in the still air, as the light and monitors of the room shut off. Backing up, Korra looked around the small breaker room, the knife still in his hand. To him, it was somewhat claustrophobic - in each corner, four glass chambers protected a conglomeration of wires and processors. Monitors surrounded the room, and a collection of generators stood in the center.

The lights continued to shut off, and Korra looked at two men that lay on the ground. After exiting the train station, he and the others made their way through the Demon’s Fortress's lower facilities to the breaker room. Graham had seemingly vanished, opting to search for any future threats from Xeren. After catching the two off guard, subduing them was simple, though their motionless bodies served as a reminder of what he had become.

The room was now completely covered in darkness and Korra and Michael had no way to see.

*Now to shut off communications. Come on. Think. What was it Mr. Gunderson said? Oh. "Simple." Right,* Michael grabbed a switch and then pushed a button, cutting off all communications and transmissions. "Korra?"

"Yeah, Michael?" Korra answered in pitch black.

"We should have packed a fucking flashlight."

"No shit," Korra snapped, folding the knife and stuffing it down his pocket. "Find the wall and use it to guide yourself out of here, it won't be long before they figure out what we've done."

Now outside of the room, Michael placed his hands on the smooth walls of the building, looking for a possible exit. "Do you even know where to go from here? You have a map?"

"No, I don't have a map," Korra replied, following the wall as well. "I wonder where Graham is."

Michael stopped walking. Pulling a lollipop out of his pocket and unwrapping it, he spoke. "Who cares?" Michael started walking again. "We're doing fine without him," Michael said, now with the lollipop hanging out of his mouth.

"Keep your voice down," Korra whispered. "Arsene employees could be anywhere right now. And we *do* need Graham, he's the only one that knows where we should even be going." Looking ahead, he noticed a green light slowly illuminating.

"Let's check that area. Remember: be careful and ready for anything."

"Sure, whatever," Michael said as he sucked the lollipop.

Eventually, they came to the source of the green light. A large metal door stood before them, green light seeping from it and illuminating the halls in an eerie glow.

Korra opened the door to an uneasy sight: another long hallway. The floor was a metallic black. It was not a lamp that gave way to the green light - lining the corridor were massive, cylindrical tanks, illuminating the room with a mysterious glowing green liquid. Each contained a featureless human body, gray and muscular. They gave off an uneasy aura. Nearby, notebooks stood atop each other in neat piles.

"Creepy..." Michael cautiously stepped into the room.

"The fuck...?" Korra asked as he slowly crept over to one of the tanks and tapped his finger against it. "What's going on here?"

"*What is going on?*" A woman dressed in a general's uniform stepped out from between two tanks. "What is going on is the production of Artificial Tieflings."

"Arti—What? Who are you?!" Michael questioned.

"I am General Nina Storm." She stepped forward. "These brings you see before you are Artificial Tieflings. You know not of Halflings?"

Korra stepped back, his hand instantly going to the gun on his right side. "No, what are those?"

"Do not try me, Anoethite." Immediately, two armored guards entered the room behind the two rebels. "A Tiefling is the offspring of a Demon and a human. An artificial one - one produced by us."

Keeping his hand on his gun, Korra examined the guards. "How do you even know my name? And what do you mean? Why are you producing these...things?"

"We know all about you, Anoethite, Haptic. Your other questions - classified information - even for your perceived usurpation of rank." She turned away. "We do not punish lightly those who disregard our rules."

The second of the guards slipped his finger onto the trigger of his gun, casually lifting it and firing at the head of the other, unsuspecting guard. Before anyone had a chance to react, he turned it on the general.

"Now, now. Know your place." She said, walking towards the exit. "Put it down, surrender yourself and you may live."

"You're all going to pay for your crimes against humanity!" shouted the mountain of metal. "I won't let you out of here alive!"

"I have done nothing," She opened the door and, turning back, gave one final message. "You can submit your concerns to the Ethics Committee." Nina stood in the doorway, waiting for a response.

The man looked at the woman with frustration for her arrogance. Without another word, the man aimed his small pistol at the woman's forehead - then pulled the trigger. She fell to the metallic floor.

"Stop right there!" Korra yelled out, quickly pulling his gun out and pointing at the guard. Due to a sudden sense of adrenaline, he boldly put his finger on the trigger and held it there - after all, the man could turn on him and Michael next. "What have you done? Why are you killing these people?!"

"I'm Iter, one of Graham's rebels," responded the guard, frantically. "Your group was captured but the power is out - quickly." The guard stepped over the bodies that lay on the floor, motioning to the door.

Korra stared down at the two dead bodies, pools of blood slowly filling across the floors. A sense of nausea passed over him as he realized the two were dead due to them - they had gone on this mission to avenge Savannah's death and now more people lay dead. *This is justice...?*

### Protagonists

The words of the guard echoing in his head, Korra gripped his gun tighter and took off after the man, leaving Michael behind in the room.

The trio raced down the halls, Iter leading the way. "They're this way, in the cells!" During their dash, Iter had explained to the two that he was part of a rebel group under the lead of Graham - rogue Arsene guards that would attack from the heart of the Demon’s Fortress when the time was right. Due to fears of their operation being compromised, the existence of the rebels were kept from Korra and the rest of his group.

Michael shoved Korra aside, opened the door, and looked out into the fiery prison.

"What the hell is this?"

He looked upon the dimly lit prison from the eighth floor, seeing the riots, the fire, the fleeing prisoners. Prisoners rushing in front of him, shoving, kicking around, trying to get out.

"The motherfuckers are here, they released the prisoners. We need to find Gunderson, Richard Messenger, Chase, and James."

"How are we going to find them in this mess?" Korra exclaimed. "They could be anywhere!"

"You better start looking! By now, they could be *dead* - probably are. Come with me if you wish for the exit." Intending to only stay for a brief moment, Iter prepared his scoped rifle frantically.

Scanning the area, Korra slowly began to lose hope at finding their friends. There were just too many prisoners roaming about, causing absolute chaos. "We can't leave," he directed towards Iter. "We can't leave them here, not after coming this far."

Akumi Cane stepped out of her cell and surveyed the area. Smoke began to fill the air as there was fire spreading like crazy in her wing of the prison. She quickly got down low to the ground, crawling and surveying the area. Her wing was filled with prisoners trying to escape in an erratic manner, but Akumi took care order to avoid getting smoke in her lungs and to avoid getting trampled by the other inmates. The screams of prisoners echoed throughout the rooms. Akumi reached the end of the hallway, getting back on her feet to run.

Akumi looked down towards the railing on the 5th floor, seeing the mass amount of prisoners fleeing the prison. A large, male prisoner walked up behind Akumi and threw her over the railing.

"EVERYONE FOR THEMSELVES!!!" he shouted, watching Akumi as she fell down the gaps between the stairs.

Akumi screamed as she fell down to the 3rd floor, The scream was so loud that it rung throughout the prison, despite all the commotion. Akumi lay there, unable to move, in complete pain. She shrieked as she tried to drag herself to a corner where she would not be trampled.

A loud scream rang through the building, the source of it unknown. Korra instantly looked back at the crowd, scanning it quickly before taking a step into it. "That sounded like Akumi, I'm going to look for her. She could be in danger!"

He was then swallowed into the crowd.

Korra ran through the crowds of people, pushing up the stairs in a heavy struggle. He was drawn by the sound of a young woman sobbing, it sounded like it was further up the steps. As he ran, he could hear the sound grow closer. He finally got to floor three, pushed his way through the crowd and found the source of the sobbing. Just as he had feared, he saw Akumi laying in a corner by the railing, sobbing.

"Akumi!" he exclaimed. "what happened?" Her body lay there limp as she looked up at Korra.

"Someone pushed me off floor 5!" Akumi cried out. "I can't move!"

"Where are you hurt?" Korra asked quickly, bending down and attempting to lift her up by her arms.

"*Ouch!*" she screamed. "That's where it hurts! My arms, my legs!!" she let out a cry of pain.

"Alright, alright," Korra let go of her arms, allowing her to lay down again. "Are they broken or just sore? Either way, I'm going to have to carry you out of this."

Bending down again, he placed his arms around her waist and slowly lifted her, ignoring her cries of pain as he adjusted her to fit into his arms.

"I'm guessing they're broken, but I don't know for sure." Akumi looked at Korra, feeling a slight bit of comfort. "Thanks. I'm glad you were able to find me."

"No need to thank me, we're going to get you out of here, don't worry about it," Korra told her as he blended back into the crowd, heading towards the area he had left Iter and Michael in.

Running through the crowd with Akumi in his arms, Korra finally noticed the railing for the second floor staircase and began to make his way towards it. "We're almost out of here, Blossy. Just wait a bit."

The girl didn't respond, still in clear pain. Just as Korra reached the railing, he felt a large rumble shaking the whole floor with smoke rising from the lower sections. Tightening his grip on Akumi, he gritted his teeth as people began to push him into him. *Did an explosion just happen?*

Running down the staircase, Korra descended onto the first floor again, quickly searching for the entrance he had previously passed through. A quick survey of the room showed just how leveled the floor had been and confirmed his suspicion of an explosion. Before he had time to fully examine the room and possible exits, loud stomping sounds boomed out from behind him.

"Just *die!*" The Xeren guard held a tight grip on James, penetrating a black knife into his right shoulder. Loud sounds of shouting filled the prison hall, a caravan of both Xeren prisoners and guards running through the unlit pathways. Bullet shells reverberated through the room. Once James, Chase, and Gunderson had opened a few cells and revealed their plans - a riot was inevitable, as the once imprisoned people of the Demon’s Fortress's prisons attempted an escape.

"Not yet!" responded James. It was up to him to complete his own duel - most prisoners had their own objectives. James tightly squeezed the man's wrist, surprising him. Quickly, he removed the knife from his shoulder. Before the guard could launch another attack, James placed him into a choke-hold - throwing him over the railing. Feeling a sharp pain, James ran forward, attempting to ascend to the top-level.

As Chase quickly ran through the crowd of people, he witnessed a frenzy of chaos. Inmates pushing on each other and throwing one another down, guards shooting at the crowd or. . .each other. Smoke filled the air and Chase saw fires bellowing from the cells as beds and sheets lit up. With the smoke continuing to fill the air, people began screaming and running. Chase quickly followed after James, trying not to lose focus on the man.

Running wildly and relieved that he could not sweat, Chase had lost sight of James. He looked around for some sort of exit, noticing an exit towards the end of the corridor. Relieved that he finally found it, he began running towards them. Before he could make it, a very familiar young man ran out through the junction hallway. It was Richard.

"What are you doing here?" Chase called out to him.

Richard kept running for a moment before stopping, realizing he knew that voice. Looking around for a brief second before seeing Chase. "Well me and Messenger were in a fight locked up in our cell, and just as it Quinnithyt quiet we lost power, our cell opened up, and then the riot started. So I took my chance and knew I had to escape so i just ran and ran until I found and exit" Richard said as he gasped for air

"Well, we better get out of here. If we don't now, we might get trampled by the other inmates with the same plans as us." Chase began running for the door, with Richard following.

"Chase wait" Richard shouted out as he began to slow to a walk "We have to find the others Chase if they are still back in that blood bath we have to go back and find them!" Richard exclaimed

"Richard, I don't really think that's wise," Chase explained, turning back. "I want at least one of my friends to make it to safety, but we can't go back there. They'd probably destroy us both."

"One, Chase? Came here together, we are leaving together." responded Richard, clenching his fist. "I'd - I'd" He spoke slowly. "I'd rather die than leave Messenger behind. I - you're an android, right? You can protect me, you've made it this far. Come on." Richard looked confidently, opposite of Chase.

"Look, Richard, the last time I had faith in a friend to survive..." Chase said, pulling Richard out and taking a deep breath. "She was murdered. And it's not like having one arm, even if it's a gun, helps our case."

Richard tightly clenched his fist, remembering the fate of his sister's friend. "That only gives me more resolve, Chase! We - that's what we are trying to prevent. We came here not knowing what would happen. You're more powerful than any guard - I want to know I made an effort to protect my sister."

“You should go find her yourself then,” Chase said. “I feel as if I’m more vulnerable here due to being an android, so I think you’re just gonna have to go without me.” Without another word, he entered into the bright hallway.

"*You* -" Richard gritted his teeth as the android stepped away. "Coward." Chase slowly came out of view. "Just you wait, Messenger." said Richard, as he ran into the hallway.

Chase crashed into some weird structure as he ran through the corridor. Maybe he shouldn't have been so selfish to Richard about surviving, and this was his punishment. His thoughts were then interrupted by a loud thud.

"Hard way it is," The general swung at Gunderson, missed, and hitting the wall.

"That working out for you, Morgan?" Gunderson grabbed Morgan and shoved him against the wall. Morgan pushed him down to the ground, punching at him, but Gunderson rolled side-to-side, causing Morgan miss and hit the floor. While Morgan glanced at his bloody knuckles, Gunderson took the moment to pick himself off of the ground. Gunderson sweeped his leg at Morgan's, narrowly missing. Morgan became angry and pushed Gunderson into the wall. "Goodbye, Inmate #4735." Gunderson took one last breath before knocking his head forward at full force - breaking the general's nose and knocking him unconscious.

"*Goodbye,* Roots."

Gunderson walked over to the general's motionless body. He bent over and pulled the pistol from the man's holster. "Might as well."

Gunderson ran down the hall, his breath faltering with each step. The fight was beginning to tire him out, but he had to keep going. Seeing the shape of a figure at the far side of the room, he placed his fists in a fighting position and slowly crept towards them, having a hard time seeing in the dark.

Just as he approached them, they stepped forward and grabbed his right hand, preventing any blow that Gunderson was prepared to give. "It's me," James's voice bellowed out. Gunderson lowered his hand at the sound of it, smirking. "About time you showed up."

"Next time we do this, have a -" James paused. In the darkness, he noticed a dark mass approaching Gunderson. Intending to operate quickly, it prepared to jam a knife into the old man's neck. Feeling the grip, Quinnithy Gunderson readied himself to retaliate - before a loud bullet shell eliminated the threat.

James gripped the pistol tightly, smiling. "- plan. Can you see the map?"

"Too dark. Where are the twins, Android, and Akumi? Grab and go," Gunderson slammed his hand on the wall suddenly in frustration. "I cannot crack it. The inmate placement algorithm. Just run a bit until we find them, should not be too hard."

"An algorithm is irrelevant when a *riot* is going on. If they're not here, and I've think you've scanned this level enough - check upstairs. I've been running up and down this place for a while. Should be higher." responded James.

"Wonderful. Let's go," Gunderson started running to the end of the corridor as he noticed James was a slowing. "Move it, let's go!"

James quickly sped up his pace, easily catching up to and passing the old man. Fortunately for the both of them, the seventh level of the prison was mostly clear. Passed the repeating cells, a metallic door slowly came into view in front of them.

"What a nice door," Gunderson remarked.

Removing the explosives from his socks, Michael piled them near a structural support wall. Pulling the lighter from his pocket, he light it and threw it at the pile before sprinting to get behind something, anything. The explosives Quinnithyt off, throwing him upward. He fell to rubble, scraping and cutting his arms, chest and legs. The explosion took out the support column, leaving a portion of the prison to crumble to the ground. Dust and smoke filled the air of the first two levels. Michael pulled himself from the debris, fighting to live. He ran to the stairs, coughing, trying to get above the dusty air. He reached the third floor, before stopping to watch the destruction as more the prison crumbled.

Gunderson glanced over the railing, watching a section of the prison tumble down. "Some men just want to watch the world burn," he said, sighing. "Open the door now, James. It looks like we do not have very much time left."

Nodding, James began to approach the metallic door. Without thinking much of it, he turned the knob and the door swung open. As light poured into the dark hallway, James prepared himself to enter - before a gloved hand began to squeeze tightly at his neck.

Retroactively, Quinnithy Gunderson quickly prepared to shoot the assistant with Morgan's pistol. He prepared to pulled the trigger, before he hesitated at the sight of the attacker's face. The woman from some hours ago, except she was not neat as before. In the doorway stood General Beth, now in a tattered uniform and a deep cut in her right eye. Remembering the feats she seemingly demonstrated at the bridge, he hesitated for some seconds.

"*Missed me?*" she said, gripping the man tightly. He attempted to claw at her hands, to no avail. A sharp pain hit James, as the woman's hand began to glow a light blue. "Fuck you and the horse you rode in on." At once, in a technique that was familiar to the man - Beth thew the man across the railing, leaving him to plummet downwards.

Eight feet of metal covered in bone white plating dropped from a floor above, mechanical hands drenched in blood as its eternally grinning face stared James down upon impact - The visage of a canine skull, filled with wires and screws. The area of the floor that Morpheus had landed on was populated only by corpses, their faces twisted into masks of terror. A tail, segmented with a cone shape on the end, began to twist around the monster and move towards James while a static hum emitted from the creature's mouth.

James attempted to crawl away in an attempt to escape from the creature, but to no avail. The cone at the end of the tail opened into four segments as a long metal needle extended from its tip. Moving like a snake up James's body and to his neck, it found its mark in his carotid artery, numbing the man's body.

The mechanical beast dug his foot into the ground, before pushing off of the concrete to leap to the next floor. It ran, dropping to all floors as it pounced towards the open door that marked a stairwell onto whatever poor soul was heading down.

The metal creature first mauled a rebel on the stairwell, before turning around at the sound of Korra' heart rate. Returning to a bipedal stance, the doglike monster dropped to the bottom of the stair with a heavy thud. Like a predator salivating at prey, blood dripped from its jaws.

Staring down the creature, Korra realized how trapped he was due to having Akumi in his arms. While every instinct in his body screamed for him to somehow fight this beast and that this would be his only chance of survival, he tightened his grip on Akumi once more and sprinted into the crowd in the hopes of placing distance between them and the mechanical horror.

The canine abomination shifted into a sprint, pushing anything in his way to the side. Seemingly, it had decided on Korra as his prey. A robotic growl not unlike a car's engine escaped its jaws as it got closer.

Hearing the pounding of the creature behind him, Korra continued to sprint across the floor, shoving his way through the crowd. After nearing the other side of the floor, he noticed several doors lining the walls, some ajar and with people flooding into them. He looked over at the door with the least amount of people, shoving through the crowd and leaving through it.

The creature stopped, dead in its tracks as its jaw swung open, unhinging to reveal a metal cylinder with a thin beam of white light now targeting the crowd. As the monster seemingly braced itself, digging its feet into the ground and crossing its arms in an 'x' shape, a chunk of concrete made contact with the back of its skull.

It turned around, looking a young man dead in the eyes. No fear was visible on the boy's eyes, only determination as Chase McFly stared down the monster.

Picking up a larger chunk of concrete, but keeping his eyes glued on the creature, Chase thought hard about how he could temporarily disable it so Korra and Akumi escaped free.

As the monster prepared to tackle McFly, a few bullets connected with its face from the gun of a rebel. Whipping its head around and running at the assailant, Chase sprinted to follow Korra.

"Korra!" Chase exclaimed, as he quickly stopped to avoid crashing again. "Where have you been? Is Akumi okay?"

"Have we lost it yet?!" Akumi looked around hurriedly.

"I don't know, I hope so!" Korra replied, rushing out the corridor and into a new room. The room was long and narrow, with people bustling through, pushing into each other as they ran. Rusted metal chairs and tables were thrown around he concrete floor, light seeping in from the two windows located far apart from each other.

A hard tap on his shoulder caused Korra to quickly jump around, getting a disgruntled groan from Akumi. Behind him stood Chase, looking slightly tired and missing one arm. The android was repeating his question from before. "No, she's not okay. Looks like she broke some bones, but we can't stand here and talk. We have to get out of here. Graham and Michael are missing, there's some huge creature that was chasing me, killed several people before it focused on me. This whole shit has been a complete disaster and we really need to get out of here."

“I guess it’s not that important to find Graham and Michael,” Chase said, understanding the urgency of the situation. Along with the others, he began to run, making sure Korra followed behind him. "We need to look out for traps.”

"I highly doubt there's random traps laying around," Korra remarked, running to keep up with Chase. "Just keep an eye out for any exits we could escape from. I want to get Akumi to Port City, at least."

After running down the corridor a bit, Korra noticed a longer and less crowded section of it, trailing off into a dark, largely unseen hallway. "Let's go down this way."

With the small group descending upon the path, they ran through the darkness until a small wooden door came into sight. A small square glass window on the door was stamped with XEREN AIRCRAFT HANGAR.

"I think it would be dangerous to attempt an aircraft escape, but considering how crazy everything has been, I'd be willing to do anything that will get us out of this terrible place," Chase said, as he slowly pushed the door open.

"Mother*fuckers.*"

Across the hangar and standing by a soldier was a tall man in a lavender suit, with his white hair wild and his green eyes wilder. Light reflected off of his glasses as Xeren stared Korra down. His face began to twitch as he met Korra' eyes, twisted in rage.

Seeing the man responsible for all the troubles they faced in the past few months standing just a few feet from him, Korra felt angry and emboldened. "Oh? So you're escaping like a bitch while everything around you is burning down?" He glared at the man, mirroring his rageful gaze.

Xeren stepped forward, his shoe scraping against the concrete ground as he held a cane in his clenched fist, his knuckles white. "Hoho, you're approaching me?" A manic delight entered his eyes and lit them up. "Instead of running away, you're coming closer?"

Staring at Xeren and the guard behind him, Korra backed up a bit, feeling Akumi's weight in his arms still. "Why are you escaping? Can't handle some smoke after all the fires you caused?"

Letting go of Akumi with one hand and adjusting her weight onto his other arm, Korra dropped his free hand to his waist, pulling out one of the Five-Sevens he had brought and raised it up. "I wouldn't suggest coming closer."

Even though he had never actually used his weapon before, he was beginning to feel uneasy with how close Xeren was getting.

"Come on, Korra," he snarled, baring his teeth. "I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer." Twisting his other hand around the metal snake coiled around the tip of the cane, he pulled just once to reveal a green blade of light, long and thin.

With a mad spark in his eyes, he quickly shot forward towards Korra, the sound of a gunshot ringing out through the room following.

Xeren swung his sword to the side as the bullet collided with it, filling the room with the deafening sound of metal heating up, like the whistle of a kettle. The bullet shot through the nearby guard's helmet, leaving a smoking hole as fell to the ground. Xeren grinned. "Tell me, Korra, is this justice?" He landed on the ground, closer to Korra. "A useless endeavor."

With the gun in his hand shaking, Korra's breath caught as he stared at the now lifeless guard laying in their own blood. Dead due to him, because he tried to be the hero of the situation. Knowing he couldn't back off now, Korra turned his gaze back to Gabe, his voice shaking slightly as he began to speak. "No, it's not. Far from it. You would know about murdering innocents though, right? Do you remember Savannah?"

Xeren's face flashed to anger. "I've done nothing wrong! Hundreds of lives for one?!" He began to stomp forward, his blade at the ready as his eyelids twitched violently. His fingers began to shake, so he clenched his hand again into a fist. "A three-hundred year empire gone because a hired gun Quinnithyt off-orders and killed one bitch!? You piece of dog shit!"

Xeren bit his lip, stepping back from Korra slowly. "M... Michael Haptic..." The slow steps back quickly shifted into a sprint, before leaping behind a Hummingbird. Desperately, he searched through his jacket to find a radio. "Hello!? Fuck! FUCK!" The small object was completely crushed, absolutely unusable.

"Chase," Korra snapped. "Take Akumi from me and hide with her somewhere safe while Gabe is distracted."

Chase grabbed Akumi from Korra' arms, rushing into a nearby plane without a word. The plane was huge, with scarce windows, and did not have a protective seal over-top the door. He locked up the doors and laid Akumi down in a small blue seat, crouching down behind one of the front seats so that he could see the encounter.

"Hello Beth," Gunderson said, keeping his gun aimed at the general. "I assume you were just standing there waiting for someone to open the door the entire time?"

Mechanical screeches continued to echo through the halls like clockwork, as Quinnithy Gunderson fearlessly stared the woman down. "*You're gonna die here!*" she screamed, as the woman slammed a fist onto the metal pathway.

Spontaneously, the burning sheets that littered the prison began to morph. The flames that burned the sheets began to morph, transitioning to blue. They swelled, covering larger areas - like small fireballs. Railing that lined each level received a small, flaming barrier. The prison was now significantly illuminated, the smell of burning linen and corpses from the prison's bottom ever present.

"Then... see you in the Underworld, Beth," Gunderson said, firing at Beth before she could react. Dropping his firearm, the old man ran to the closest exit he could. A mix of sweat and blood dripped from his face; he was filled with fear.

"You're wasting your *time!*" echoed through the eight floor, as the aggression in the woman's voice confirmed the shot was not fatal. As the old man looked at the now illuminated pathways, he could now clearly see the consequences of his brigade's actions. There was no time to reflect on the lifeless corpses however, as the metal floor lit up with flames in a matter of seconds.

"Cool effect, is this new?" Gunderson yelled out as he kept running. He came to the stairwell where he practically leapt down it to the next floor hoping to evade Beth long enough to receive help. Looking back, Gunderson lost sight of Beth. "Guess she hung up."

Quinnithy Gunderson wiped a bit of sweat off his head. He prepared to walk forward, before his progress was halted as chunks of metal began to fly towards his direction.

A massive flaming gap emerged in one of the staircase's metallic walls, as Beth emerged once again. Her injuries were even more apparent, as bruises and cuts littered her face. "Don't be scared," she said, rushing towards the old man.

Messenger's body was littered with bruises as she continued to run through a dark passageway. The adrenaline that ran through her almost lessened the pain of her face colliding with a metal railing some minutes ago. There was no sense of organization for the caravan that crowded the pathways. Dozens of prisoners had died not only from being shot by guards - but slow, painful deaths from being trampled.

Over the prisoner's heads, Messenger noticed where the group was now arriving. Coming into a view - a dead end with one generic cell door. Her nerves spiked, fearful of the fatality a sudden about-face would cause. Fortunately, the quick-thinking of a female prisoner did not allow this to come to fruition.

"Staircase!" the prisoner's yell could be barely heard amiss the sounds of bullet shells and screams. Without another word, Messenger and the others began quickly crowding the small door. A gray staircase quickly came into view. Wanting to be quick, the girl tried as best she could to go up the staircase. Even though it was relatively small, the blob of prisoners shifted forward and backward from overcrowding.

After some minutes, an entrance came into view. Preparing for an all too familiar trek, Messenger began to move towards the doorway.

It was not long before the lines of hopeful lavender-clothed prisoners began to fall dead. The small corridor provided great assistance to Xeren guards, as droves were shot dead in front of Messenger. Hearing the sounds of shotgun shells, some prisoners quickly began to descend the staircase, searching for an alternative route.

Messenger had to think quickly. She would be either pushed backward by fleeing prisoners, or pushed forward by daring ones. Her heart racing, Messenger looked forward and pushed aside a huddled mass of shot prisoners that were about to fall. Using the chaos to her advantage, Messenger proceeded to turn right, preparing to enter the hallway opposite to the bloodbath.

Messenger pushed passed panicked prisoners, searching for any familiar faces. "Richard! Akumi! Chase?!" She shouted trying to be heard over the noise. This is hopeless, she thought. Running to dodge the prisoners and guards, she began searching for a way out of this madness so she could collect her thoughts and figure out her next move.

Richard ran back down the hallway, stopping just before the main corridor to stop and scan the area for his sister. "Messenger! Where are you?!" He shouted out, trying to get his voice to carry out over the riot but failing. "This is going to be harder than I thought," he mumbled to himself. Seeing no sight of his sister, Richard ran into the chaos, dodging gunshots and avoiding fights as he continued his search.

Richard scrambled to a corpse, searching for an intact radio. From body to body, all he was finding was junk crushed under the rubble. "Come on, come on... Yes!" He nearly shouted under his breath, finding what he'd been looking for as he quickly punched some numbers in. "Graham? Are you there?!" A few seconds of silence passed before a gruff voice responded.

"Yeah, right here. Are you with your sister? Go get her and head for the hangar, you need to get out of here as quickly as possible. We don't have much time."

"Alright," Richard spoke, dropping the radio into his pocket as he ran.

Michael looked out at the rubble. He saw movement, familiar movement. *Korra? Chase? Akumi too. They probably need my help. Fine, I'll go, but they owe me.* As Michael turned around, he was met by another Arsene. general. Oliver Baldwin, his name-tag read.

"Going somewhere?" Baldwin asked.

"Are they running out of people to fight and bringing you guys in?" Michael swung at Baldwin.

"Not exactly." Baldwin, dodging, pushed the boy back. Michael suddenly lost his balance, falling to the metal floor. Baldwin held his hands out, pulled them back far and, like a mousetrap, snapped back, pushing the boy several yards back. Michael tugged at his one of his guns, "Integrity," as Baldwin stepped closer and closer. He finally pulled it out; Baldwin became close.

"Genuinely sorry it had to be this way. Such wasted potenti-" Baldwin finished as fell to the cold, hard floor. The thud echoed in Michael's head. The firearm slipped from his hand, falling through the railing to the ground floor.

"Fuck," Michael snapped back to reality. He picked himself up and brushed off his Xeren Corporation - 36th Edition suit and continued toward the staircase. As he made it to the staircase, he heard the screams of his mentor; they grew louder and louder. Michael began running up the stairs.

Gunderson noticed the boy running towards him, before frantically pointing to him to go the other way, to no avail.

"What is-" Michael noticed the woman chasing after the older man. "New friend?" Michael quipped. He began sprinting alongside Gunderson. They made it to the ground floor, exhausted, but kept going. Out in the wide, open courtyard of the prison, bodies lay amongst the rubble and ground. Some from the explosion, others from the doglike mechanical creature.

"So, uh, what now?"

As the boy uttered out the statement, Beth burst out of the stairwell.

"You..." the woman rapidly walked towards the two. "Evil fucks. Gotten farther than anyone else ever has, congratulations."

Gunderson looked at Michael, then to Beth, then down. Gunderson's synapses starting firing rapidly, before coming to a sudden realization. *Didn't she command those gray beings from earlier? Maybe she's one of them. Quick, think. Car horn! That's it! Sound! Loud noises, got it.* At that moment, Gunderson inhaled deeply before letting out a loud screech as Beth drew closer. The Halan man, not stopping, pointed for Michael to leave. Instead of obeying the orders, Michael joined in.

Reactively, Beth shielded one of her ears from the loud sounds of screeching. Of all the terrorists she had dealt with during her time in the corporation, this "method" of attack was unique to her. She hesitated speaking up, as the Michael and Gunderson continued to confidently scream as loud as possible. Smiling, the woman prepared to silence the two - before a thought. *Wait,* she thought. *Loud sounds? The art-*

The woman's amusement turned to a bitter rage, as a realization occurred within her. Unaffected by the noises, rings of fire spontaneously appeared around the red-haired woman. She looked to the two in anger.

Michael was taken aback at the strange occurrence, but trusting in his master, he continued his loud screeches. They come to an end, however - as at once, the woman clenched her fists and let out a loud grunt.

Immediately, the two were knocked back across the floor; hit with a scorching wave of heat. Michael let out a scream at the sudden shock. As Michael looked up, he could see a sudden sphere of fire quickly expanding like a supernova. At once, many were instantly charred.

Michael briefly looked in awe at the prison. Even if whatever it was would lead to certain death, the collection of blue and red hues that slowly swallowed the entire prison was beautiful him. He looked in shock, before Quinnithy Gunderson screamed for a bright hallway. The boy did not have time to think as he rushed towards the exit. The metallic tiles reflected the fire that slowly "chased" him. Sweat dripped from their bodies as Michael and Gunderson ran, both from Beth's supernatural fire and exhaustion. They ran aimlessly, searching for an exit - before the bolded word "Hangar" stood out to them. Immediately, they ran for the open door.

"Throwing a party?" Gunderson quipped. "Shame we weren't invited."

Xeren's signature footsteps of his irregular gait echoed in his head. "It's been a while, Xeren."

Gunderson slowly walked farther into the hangar. Out of nowhere, a bullet came from above, piercing the older man's right shoulder. He fell to the floor, but caught himself.

The old man peered upwards into a hanger, searching for the location of the assailant. Unfortunately for him, this only made him an easier target. A red dot quickly manifested itself on Quinnithy Gunderson's forehead, before a shot was fired. The man did not scream, as life drained from his body. His vision blurred as he fell to the floor, killing him instantly.

Michael frantically pulled a gun out of his holster, screaming at the loss of his comrade. He shot aimlessly, above, attempting to pinpoint the location of the gunmen. At once, the attackers revealed themselves. Thirty men armed with grenade launchers, pistols, and blades of plasma quickly rushed towards Michael. He attempted to pierce their armor with his bullets, but to no avail. Not caring for Michael's desperate assault, one man kneed the boy to the ground. As Michael lay on the cold metal floor, he felt the force of a metal fist connecting with his jaw. The pain would only end as a blue blade plunged itself into his heart.

Seeing the commotion occur, Korra instantly jumped behind one of the hummingbirds stacked around the hangar, leaning against it and looking around the corner of it, looking for any sight of Xeren. "Where did you go, you bastard?" He called out, tauntingly.

Xeren grinned, though his eyes remained manically focused, before launching himself at Korra from the shadows. The light of the sword returned, bathing both Xeren and Korra in a sickly green tint. Xeren bared his teeth further as he swung the blade, narrowly avoiding Korra' neck as he kicked off of the white haired man and began to run.

"Too slow!" Xeren shouted, jumping forward as he swung again, this time making contact with Korra' hand, removing his little finger and leaving a nasty cut.

Feeling pain sear through his hand and down his arm, Korra dropped to his knees involuntarily, overtaken. "Fuckk..I-" With a loss of words, he gazed upwards at Xeren.

Xeren stood to his feet, swinging the sword around lightly as a natural extension of his arm. "This really is the greatest high - Victory, that is." Raising it above his head, ready to strike, he adjusted his glasses. "Being able to see someone who thinks he's hot shit and, well, metaphorically tell him 'No, I refuse!'" Xeren began to laugh, "That's the best feeling!"

Korra gazed at the man, a half-smile spreading across his face as he spoke. "I agree."

Pulling his second gun out of its holster, he aimed it upwards at Xeren, shooting twice.

Xeren swung his sword, a bullet flying away yet again, though this only left an opening for the other to strike him in his chest. "Sh- shit!" He exclaimed, staggering back and biting straight through his lip in pain. His white suit began to turn red around the bullet hole, but Xeren pressed on back towards Korra, "I can take this!" He swung his sword wildly. "I'll disintegrate you, you bastard!"

Avoiding the swinging blade, Korra threw himself backward, landing on his back before kicking forward and making contact with Xeren's knee, using the chance to fire his gun again.

Xeren shifted the sword into a defensive position, in an attempt to deflect the bullet. Raising himself again to his feet, he twirled the sword around and stepped on Korra' aimed hand. Gasping for air as his shoulder twitched, uncomfortable seconds of silence were broken by Xeren's hushed rage. "Know your place." With a shout following, the sword plunged into Korra' stomach.

Screaming in pain as the sword tore through him, Korra dropped his gun, his scream becoming inaudible low sounds as he struggled for air.

"My heart-" Xeren gasped, swallowing saliva. "-and actions are entirely unclouded. They are all those.... of justice." He pushed the blade further, grinning for yet another few silent seconds before he collapsed to the ground as well.

A solemn picture developed in the room. The bodies of Korra and Xeren lay stiff near each other, each man having died from their wounds as they bled out over the floor.

Across the hangar, the Arsene guards hovered over Gunderson and Michael, gazing down at their work with slight smiles on their face. The other members of their group, the "Morpheus siblings" as their data read, had already been killed by the android. Only Chase McFly and Akumi Cane remained and their capture was imminent.

The scene then darkened into complete blackness, before crumbling into particles and blowing away, leaving Korra blinking at the entrance of the hangar, Chase next to him and Akumi in his arms. Xeren stood with his guard near a hummingbird, his hand over his cane and his gaze focused on Korra, rage flowing through it.

Processing his vision, Korra knew what he needed to do - it was up to him to prevent all of those deaths. He didn't even have time to be shocked by his vision. Quickly moving Akumi to one arm, he grabbed one of his guns from his holster and shot towards Xeren. Firing several rounds, he shot at Xeren's guard first, killing them instantly before turning the weapon on Xeren and shooting his cane out of his hand, blood flowing in its wake.

"Motherfucker." Surprisingly, Xeren seemed relatively unfazed, though with a cursory glance at his bloodied hand he noticed a severed pinkie. "Do you believe in gravity, Korra? The idea -" He winced in pain. "- that two people are drawn together by fate?" Xeren began to feel around in his pocket, desperately, while he spoke. "There's no reason that you should be the one standing in front of me, of all people, and yet..."

Keeping his gun aimed on the older man, Korra smirked. "Yeah, I guess fate works in mysterious ways. It's led us to here. How does it feel to have your shitty empire falling down? Do you feel powerful now?"

"Shut the FUCK up!" He jumped forward at Atti with a small knife from his pocket, barely enough to leave a cut, as his eyes flashed back into manic rage and his mouth twisted into a snarl.

Slightly surprised at the man's new form of attack, Korra pressed his finger on the trigger again, shooting off several more rounds at Xeren in a blast, only stopping when Xeren dropped to the ground, dropping his knife.

Xeren crawled backwards, using his arms to prop himself up. Blood began to shoot from his mouth in small fits of coughing. "Y... You are my greatest regret..."

"Passwords..." James launched four grenades towards the metallic door. The explosion blew the door open, revealing a massive aircraft carrier illuminated by daylight. He looked down at the scene before him, from the second level. Standing out from the barren area, he watched in surprise as Korra loomed over a pathetic Xeren, gun in hand.

The man jumped downwards into the hangar, carefully carrying a stack of glossy tablets with him. As he walked down, he could see Chase come into view, observing the altercation. "Hey!" he called out. "I'm getting the hell out. Are you coming?"

Deciding not to question the sudden arrival or the blast, Korra looked over to James, keeping his gun aimed on Xeren. "How do you plan to get out of here? And what are we going to do about this rat?"

James ignored Xeren, and continued to be fixated on Korra. "He doesn't matter. I'll get one of these jets and leave."

"Okay, but we need somewhere safe for Akumi, her legs and arms seem to be broken," Korra told the man. Glancing down at Xeren, he began to speak again. "We can't just leave him here, the whole purpose of this mission was to get rid of him."

"No time for prisoners, Korra. We're sitting ducks. You and Chase work something out - I'm taking one of these choppers," replied James.

"Chase, can you please carry Akumi to the aircraft with James? I want to remain here..for now." Korra asked, staring down at Xeren, who simply stared back with pain ridden across his face.

“Sure thing, Korra,” Chase said, taking Akumi from Korra and placing her in his arms, he began motioning to James as he headed to the aircraft. “And let me know if you need any help with Xeren.”

Upon entering the hangar, Gunderson motioned Michael to go ahead with James and Chase to the Hummingbird. Gunderson slowly waddled with pain over to Korra. "Come on," he said monotonously, looking down at the man. "It's done."

James silently noted as Michael started to follow him. The two followed the man briefly, as he searched for an appropriate vehicle to use for his exit. In one of the room's corners, his choice would come into view. Neatly parked on the light green floors of the aircraft hangar, was a glossy black hummingbird. The aircraft had large rocket mounts in its front, and was capable of seating about ten people. Morpheus smiled at the sight. Carefully, he placed down his grenade launcher and a set of tablets.

James opened up the back-doors of the vehicle, revealing sizable leather seats. "Get in. *Now.*"

Looking over at Gunderson, Korra nodded slightly, knowing it was time to leave. Placing his gun in his holster again, he turned away from Xeren without saying a word, following behind Gunderson as he walked towards the hummingbird, the only sound audible Xeren's coughing fits of laughter.

Messenger limped forward in the metallic, dark hallway. Her right arm was black with burns, cuts, and bruises. As the sharp pains coarsed through her veins, she remembered vividly the great explosion of fire that occured within the prison. The blast had killed a majority of the guards, making her escape easier, but the twisted faces of corpses were imprinted within her mind. She did not wish for this pain to break her.

A bright door slowly came into view. She could barely make out the evening sun shining into a room in front of her. Confidently, she walked forward into the room, which housed dozens of aircraft carriers. She scanned the room, before noticing the faces of Chase and Michael before. With an ounce of adrenaline, she ran forward towards them, pain all over her body.

Breathless, Richard continued to run, hearing the metal pounding behind him grow closer. Barging into the hangar room, he saw his sister running towards their group, everyone seemingly being there. Sighing in relief, he took off running again, before coming into contact with a figure on the ground and tripping over them. Looking up, he noticed a silver-haired man on the ground him, covered in blood from various gunshots. Standing up, he was unsure of what to do and looked over at the group hovering around the hummingbird.

Pouncing from the roof and drenched in blood, a broad-shouldered skeleton of metal and bone loomed over Richard. Xeren grinned, shedding all pretense of pain and weakness. In one fluid motion, he grabbed his cane again and stood to his feet. "Bravo, Hound! Who's a good boy?" Richard's face froze in fear as he felt the presence of something massive behind him. He reached into a pocket, before finding he had no weapon, and then finding a fist through his abdomen.

There was no pain, only shock as the canine-skulled monster grinned emptily behind. Richard reached to grab the fist, one hand still in his pocket, as Xeren ran to duck behind cover. Blood dripped from Richard's mouth as he realized he could not speak, and thus only had one option.

"*Call me only if something goes terribly wrong and you can't make it out alive.*" Graham had told him a few minutes prior, and this seemed like as good a time as any. His sister, yes, he had to do this for his sister. Out of his pocket slipped a radio, along with the gruff voice of one Levi Graham.

"I understand. Godspeed - Richard Sanchez."

"*No!*" As if she herself had been the victim, Messenger felt a frustrated nauseousness. Her vision blurred momentarily, as the life slowly drained from Richard. Her legs moved forward, running towards Richard.

Korra felt a sense of dread develop him as he watched his vision unfold before his eyes - he had failed to save Richard. But no, he couldn't let himself get distracted here, he could still save a life.

"Messenger, *stop!*"

Breaking from Gunderson's side, Korra sprinted across the hangar, quickly catching up to Messenger and grabbing her hand, pulling her back. The metal beast stood in its spot still, its eyes trained on them. "We have to get out of here, you'll only die!"

Messenger looked back at Korra, tears in her eyes. "He's my brother, we can't leave him here. I finally remembered my life with him and now he's dead."

As soon as she stopped speaking, the complex began to shake in a loud rumble, the glass windows shattering over them.

Covering his face with other arm, Korra turned around and began dragging Messenger with him. "We have to go now. We have no other choice, now come!"

Without a word, she nodded and turned to face his direction, the two of them running towards the hummingbird.

The hummingbird's front window began to close as James hastily situated himself. From the window, he watched in disappointment as the body of Richard Sanchez was tossed aside like trash. The mechanical creature moved to Xeren, as the two began heading in the opposite direction. As the building continued to shake violently, he turned his fixation escape. He flicked the hummingbird's engine on, causing a whirling sound to reverberate through the interior.

Gunderson watched with uneasy confidence as James took control of the vehicle. Managing a set of triggers and buttons, Morpheus activated the vehicle's four sets of rotor blades. Korra and Messenger quickly ran towards a passenger door, launching themselves into the aircraft. At once, the aircraft began to ascend.

Not wanting to search for a runway, James launched the aircraft directly upward into the glass ceiling. Firing two sets of rockets, the ceiling was quickly blown open. Glass descended onto the floor and hummingbird, as James maneuvered himself into the newly created hole. This explosion would be followed by more, as sounds of large explosions could be heard below them. Flying into the open sea, Korra peered into an open window.

Large chunks of metal began to fall into the open sea, as the Demon’s Fortress slowly began to collapse. Each large snake statue slowly began to sink, as large scale explosions befell the city. As James continued to accelerate the hummingbird, Korra could also see as the Port City bridge began to fall apart. Not wanting to see any more, Korra turned his head away. The mission has been completed.

## Epilogue

As the screen centered on the blonde man, a Silivian newscaster, he stared directly into the camera and began to speak without haste.

"Good evening. We interrupt your local broadcasting to bring you breaking news of an apparent attack on Xeren Corporation properties. the Demon’s Fortress, headquarters of Xeren Corporation and located in Port City, has been bombed, the death toll is in the high hundreds. In our neighboring city of Gladea," the newscaster paused to take a breath as he listened to the news pouring in from his earpiece. "The Xeren Corporation building in Gladea has been burnt to the ground, death toll is unknown. Right now, it is unknown who or what is behind these attacks and we hope to keep you updated as news continues to pour in."

The man turned his gaze away, the segment preparing to end. Instantly looking back up at the camera, he began to speak again, shock visible on his face. "I was just informed that the identities of the masterminds behind this attack are now known due to a tip. Apparently the attackers are human and local to Silivia."

One by one, pictures of seven figures appeared on screen, next to the man.

"James Morpheus - scientist at The Laboratory of the Unexplainable.

Messenger Sanchez - the apparent sister of the first attacker.

Quinnithy Gunderson - owner of Plant Empire.

Richard Sanchez - scientist and owner of the Laboratory of the Unexplainable.

Akumi Cane - an assistant at The Laboratory of the Mind.

Michael Haptic - long-standing wanted street criminal.

And-"

The newscaster paused again, before continuing.

"Korra Anoethite - the adopted son of mayor Rosington, officially declared deceased months ago after disappearing in a demon attack on the outskirts of the city. But he is very much alive, and seemingly radicalized. As more news comes in, we'll keep you updated."

The armored man stood below the window, carefully observing the droplets of rain outside. Euclid's weathers were alien to him, and he wished for some air to pass inside the dreary room he stood in.

A cloaked figure sat some feet away from him. Its "face" was a moving mist. Two green eyes could be seen below its brownish cloak. The man turned away from his window, seeking to talk with his visitor. As if cued, the rain solidified itself, becoming suspended in the damp air. He quickly walked to the room's acacia table, sitting down to face the figure.

"Do you have it?" he asked. The metal that enclosed his jaw moved as he spoke. The golden light that shone from his mouth was the same as the light surrounding his white, metallic body.

The figure across from him stood silent for a moment. It lifted its hand, stripping the wood from the table in front of it. The pieces floated in the air, before putting themselves together into an icosahedron. The brownish wood that formed the shape transcended into a white porcelain. The dice proceeded to open its faces, as a black briefcase manifested itself onto the table.

"Yes." said the figure. The man, ignoring what happened, quickly opened the briefcase. Syringes, canisters, of a glowing liquid were encased inside. The liquid would fade between various colors.

"Xeren was respected within this world. Was it necessary to cause a scene?" asked the man.

"We wish for our own fun too, Ronin." responded the figure.

The man paused. "As you wish, Yaakov. Tell the others to meet me soon." The man grabbed the briefcase, putting it to his side.

"Alright." With that, the room crumbled like dust.

In the distance, children laughed and played. Birds chirped as they built their nests. The sun awoke from its slumber and beamed done upon the trees and rocks. As footsteps approached, rabbits ran to their burrows. Warren stopped and took a drink of water. As he pulled his head up, a strange figure suddenly appeared in front of him. He was dressed in long, green robes and a hood with wooden sandals.

"Are you lost? Do you need help?"

The figure grabbed him and dragged him into a nearby cave.

"No, but you will soon," he said in a monotone voice.

He approached a large throne of large slabs bound together by rope. Sitting on the throne was a man in dark green robes.

"Just a few more."

Korra awoke to find himself on a beach. Everyone else was gone. “Messenger?” He called. “Richard? Chase? Michael? James?”

“They can’t hear you,” An ominous voice that Korra had not heard in a long time replied.

Korra looked up to see none other than Baroness. “What the hell are you doing here? Where did you come from?”

“I’m your worst nightmare, Korra,” Baroness smirked. “You slayed father in that attack. And we are angry.”

“We?” Korra asked, terrified. “What do you mean “ we?”

Savannah was joined by three other figures.

“We call ourselves the Sons and Daughters of Xeren. And we’re gonna get our revenge.” The one with long white hair smiled.

Metal fingers danced across a surface of opal as they eventually reached a game set similarly to Chess. Three sides decorated with identical pieces, gold, red and white. Moving the pieces around incoherently, the massive golden hand shifted into a fist and slammed onto the board, causing the pieces to fly into the air, slowly as though moving through water.

Clanging erupted from golden feet on the gemstone floor as they were kneeled next to by beings in blue robes - Not quite human, though not too different. Some of the creatures fanned the enormous figure of gleaming aurum with large purple leaves as it approached a white door decorated with intricate carvings and a red gemstone for a knob.

Whilst hooded subjects fitted a blue cape lined with fur and golden runes onto the mighty golden sentinel’s back, its hand met the door, caressing it gently.