The team moved cautiously through the rocky terrain. Overhead, the burnt-orange sky had begun to deepen into something resembling twilight. The column of smoke grew larger as they approached.
Silco kept glancing over his shoulder, scanning the ridgeline behind them. That persistent feeling of being watched hadn't faded. His eyes narrowed as he studied each shadow and crevice, searching for any sign of movement.
"See something?" Vander asked, leading their formation through a narrow pass.
"Not yet," Silco replied. "Which is precisely what concerns me."
Cipher adjusted his scanning device, frowning at the readings. "Our sensors are picking up an energy signature."
"Hostile?" Silco asked, hand hovering near his weapon.
"Unknown." Cipher studied the holographic display intently.
Sevika flexed her mechanical arm, which now moved with unusual fluidity. She experimentally closed her fist, and the hydraulics responded with surprising speed. "Whatever's in the air here, my arm likes it. I could get used to this."
"The air smells wrong," Vander muttered, nostrils flaring as they crested a small rise. He pointed to the plume of smoke ahead. "That's not a campfire, it's a crash site."
They moved into position behind a cluster of boulders overlooking a small valley. Below them lay the wreckage of what appeared to be a transport ship. The vessel was sleek despite its damage, clearly designed for both speed and combat. Its hull bore scorch marks that didn't match typical crash patterns.
"Shot down," Silco observed, crouching behind a boulder. "Those impact patterns are consistent with directed energy weapons we found."
Vander frowned, scanning the surrounding area. "Could be a trap."
"If it is, it's an elaborate one," Cipher replied, studying his scanner. "That ship's core is still active, burning through fuel at an alarming rate."
"Movement," Sevika whispered, pointing to the far side of the crash. "Someone's salvaging."
They could just make out a figure moving through the wreckage, pulling components and supplies from the damaged craft.
"Military training," Sevika noted.
"Circle around," Vander suggested. "Approach from downwind."
They moved quietly through the rocky terrain, using natural cover to mask their approach. The crashed ship grew larger as they drew closer.
A flash of light split the air, followed instantly by the crack of a high-powered weapon. A projectile hit the ground inches from Vander's foot, sending up a spray of dust and stone splinters.
"Down!" he commanded, already diving behind cover.
The team scattered, taking shelter behind rocks and debris as a commanding female voice called out from the wreckage.
"That's far enough! Next one goes through center mass."
"Friendly welcome," Silco remarked dryly, raising his pistol slightly and peering around his cover.
"Stay down," Cipher warned. "She's not bluffing. Let me handle this. I know her."
The others looked at him with surprise, but he was already rising from his cover, hands visible.
From behind the wreckage emerged a woman with dark skin and hair pulled back in tight braids. She wore tactical gear dusty from the crash but clearly advanced in design. A rifle of unfamiliar make was trained steadily on their position despite the visible wound on her shoulder.
"Identify yourselves and your squad," she called out.
"Still teaching people proper gun etiquette, Sergeant Williams?" Cipher called out, stepping further into view. "Your aim hasn't gotten any worse, I see."
The rifle shifted instantly, trained directly on Cipher's head. "How do you—" Her eyes narrowed, studying his face.
"It's been a while," Cipher said, lowering his hands slightly. "You still owe me for that bottle of liquor I acquired for you."
Her expression shifted through confusion, recognition, and finally disbelief. "You? The hopeless case who couldn't hit a dropship at point-blank range?"
"And yet, here I am," Cipher replied with a half-smile. "Still alive, despite your lack of faith in my survival skills."
Bangalore's eyes flicked to the others behind cover. "And your new friends?"
"Just... travelers. Like I was when we met," Cipher assured her.
One by one, they emerged from cover. Her eyes widened slightly at Sevika's mechanical arm, then narrowed again as she took in Silco's scarred face and mismatched eyes. "You're certainly not from any colony I've seen."
"The feeling is mutual," Silco replied dryly.
After another moment of consideration, Bangalore lowered her rifle completely. "I still don't know what you are, but right now I've got bigger problems. And you—" she nodded to Cipher, "—still owe me for dragging your sorry ass out of that fight."
She turned and limped back toward her makeshift camp beside the wreckage. After a moment's hesitation, they followed.
"You never mentioned knowing anyone from this dimension," Silco murmured to Cipher as they walked.
"You never asked," Cipher replied simply. "Besides, some connections are better kept quiet until they're useful."
The crash site revealed a more complete picture up close. The ship's cargo hold had been forced open, various technology spilling out. Bangalore had established a small camp with defensive positions, medical supplies, salvaged equipment all arranged for maximum efficiency.
She applied a glowing medical gel to her shoulder wound as they gathered around the remnants of the crashed ship.
"Your stance improved," she noted, looking at Cipher. "Still wouldn't trust you to hit anything smaller than a Leviathan, but at least you don't look like you're about to fall over anymore."
"I followed your advice. Practiced until my hands bled," Cipher replied. "Balance from the core, not the legs."
"So you did listen."
"When someone saves your life, you tend to pay attention to what they say. Cipher paused, the asked, "Why is it so... quite here?"
"The Apex Games are suspended," she said as she worked. "That's why this place is so quiet."
"Suspended?" Cipher questioned. "That's strange."
"So is what happened three days ago." She activated a small holographic projector pulled from her tactical vest. It displayed footage of a figure moving with impossible speed through what appeared to be an official facility. The figure was humanoid but clearly mechanical, with a skull-like face and blazing orange eyes.
"Revenant," she explained grimly. "An ancient simulacrum assassin, over three hundred years old. He was a competitor, but something... changed. He broke programming, went rogue."
The footage showed Revenant tearing through security personnel, not just killing but seemingly reveling in the carnage. His metal hands transformed into blades, piercing body armor like paper. Bodies dropped like dominos as he moved from one place to another.
"He killed half the Game Commission before disappearing. Now he's hunting other legends." She gestured to her crashed ship. "I was evacuating when he found me."
Silco studied the footage with intense interest. "Fascinating construction. The articulation points suggest advanced hydraulics, but the movement patterns are almost... organic."
"He was human once," Bangalore explained. "The ultimate assassin, preserved in a mechanical shell. And now he's remembered what he is."
"What drove him to this?" Sevika asked while taking a smoke.
"Three hundred years of being used as a weapon while thinking he was still human," Bangalore replied. "Finding out the truth... broke something in him."
Vander's expression darkened. "And now he's hunting you?"
"All of us. Anyone connected to the games. Anyone connected to Hammond Robotics." She looked directly at Cipher. "So what exactly are you doing here, in the middle of a hunting ground?"
"Looking for solutions," Cipher replied. "I told you before, my... colony is facing its own kind of war. The weapons and shields here could help level the playing field."
"Your timing couldn't be worse," Bangalore commented. "But maybe we can help each other."
"What did you have in mind?" Vander asked.
She gestured to the ship's cargo. "I was transporting prototype shield generators and experimental weapons. Take what you need, if you help me reach the extraction point at Artillery Basin."
"And Revenant?" Vander asked.
"We avoid him at all costs. His body count includes some of the most skilled fighters in the Outlands."
"How far to this... Artillery Basin?" Silco inquired.
"Two days' journey. Through his hunting grounds."
"And if we encounter him?" Sevika flexed her mechanical arm.
Bangalore's expression was grim. "Then you'll see why even legends fear him."
Cipher glanced at his companions, weighing the proposal. "We accept. But we'll need to know exactly what we're up against."
Bangalore nodded. "Let's gear you up first."
She led them to the cargo hold of the crashed ship, where various containers had been pried open.
"The shield operates on a rapid-regeneration principle," she explained, attaching a small device to Sevika's belt. "It'll absorb kinetic and energy impacts until it overloads, then recharge after a short cooldown."
Sevika activated it experimentally. A shimmering blue field briefly enveloped her body before fading to near-invisibility. "Could be useful."
"These auto-injectors," Silco mused, examining a small cylindrical device with glowing green contents, "the chemical composition must be extraordinarily sophisticated to achieve cellular regeneration this rapidly."
"Combat stims," Bangalore confirmed. "Standard issue for rapid battlefield recovery. One shot can mean the difference between bleeding out and fighting on."
Vander tested the weight of an energy pistol. "Lighter than it looks."
"No projectile, no propellant," Bangalore explained. "Just focused particle streams. The power cell is the heaviest component."
Cipher attached sensors to a shield generator. "The energy modulation is brilliant. It creates a semi-permeable field that differentiates between momentum thresholds."
"It stops bullets and energy weapons but lets you move and breathe," Bangalore said with a shrug. "That's all most people need to know."
"Understanding the 'how' helps me improve the 'what,'" Cipher replied with a smile. "May I?"
Bangalore nodded. "Just don't break it. That's experimental tech worth more than most starships." She paused, studying him. "You've changed since I last saw you. Less terrified, more... focused."
"I had to adapt," Cipher replied simply. "Not everyone gets a second chance at survival."
As Bangalore demonstrated the equipment, he closely examined each piece, attaching Heimerdinger's sensors to the most promising items. How is this thing even working in a different world? Hextech gemstone are really scary...
"So," Bangalore said quietly to him as they organized supplies, "what kind of war are your people fighting that made you desperate enough to come here again?"
Cipher hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "The kind where the few at the top profit from the suffering of the many below. Where the air itself is poisoned to maintain luxury for those who never have to breathe it."
"Sounds familiar," Bangalore remarked.
Cipher just smiled at this.
"You never struck me as the revolutionary type," she observed. "When we met, you could barely save yourself, let alone others."
"People change when they have something worth fighting for."
As darkness fell, they established a defensive perimeter around the crash site. Alien constellations emerged in a sky without familiar stars, and strange phosphorescent plants began to glow in the gathering darkness.
The temperature dropped dramatically, their breath visible in the cold air.
Silco and Cipher examined a holographic map of their route while the others rested.
"Artillery Basin lies here," Bangalore pointed to a location on the holographic map. "There's a Hammond facility along the way, heavily fortified, might offer temporary shelter."
A distant, metallic howl cut through the night air. Everyone tensed, weapons raised.
"What was that?" Vander asked, now fully alert.
Bangalore's expression turned grim. "He's found us."
From the darkness beyond their camp, twin orange eyes flared to life. They hovered motionless for a moment, then disappeared.
"We move. Now," she ordered, already gathering equipment.
As they hastily broke camp, the metallic howl sounded again, closer this time.