"As you can see, we provided her with every amenity." The bloated man in a bespoke suit said, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Every amenity except social activity." Rebecca muttered.
Clint smirked at the cameras pointed at the open bathroom area. "Or privacy."
"Please try to understand that while she looked like us, she was from a different planet and couldn't speak. We weren't sure if we could trust her."
"Really?" Rebecca asked, rounding on him and pointing toward Fuse. "Because that man over there figured it out in a matter of days. You had eight years and you couldn't give her a fucking curtain?"
"We did what was agreed upon by all chief members of The Five. Including your deceased chairman, Miss Chase." He shot back, finding his spine and straightening. "And I'll thank you not to question what we do with our own property!"
"She was alone." Fuse said calmly, picking up a device from the worktable. "Alone and scared. You distracted her with projects and experiments, then tossed her out at HQ's word."
"Yes, well, prior to her abduction, she'd been more hesitant to complete the assignments given to her. Our new chairman thought it best to simply let the cards fall where they may, so to speak."
"Who ran the tests on her when she first arrived?" Fuse asked, setting the device down and resting his hands on the table.
"Armand Phoenicks."
"And where is the chicken doctor?"
The man's eyes widened slightly. "Chicken- He's gone. We had to let him go. His projects and experiments were-"
"I'm aware." Fuse growled. "Where did he go?"
"W-We don't know." The man stammered, sweat leaving dark patches on his suit. "He mentioned going north, I believe?"
Fuse walked from the lab, followed by Rebecca while Clint clapped the man on the shoulder and smiled broadly. "Thanks, you've been a big help. Those files you'll be sending us are going to make finding him a whole lot easier."
"Files?"
~
Clint felt sick as he looked at the files, shaking his head in disgust. "How could he do this to a person?"
Fuse pointed at the holoscreen. "Everything was normal until he saw this."
"What is it?"
"Brain scan."
Rebecca leaned over Fuse's shoulder. "What's that dark spot?"
"Cluster of tissue, according to his notes. Three times denser than the rest."
Clint shook his head as he read. "'Dissection of tissue may reveal pathways to our evolution, but the cowards in charge believe she has more use to us intact. Will conduct more in-depth, non-fatal research in hopes of gleaning some measure of the truth. After the failure of my project during the war and the GA's appropriation of the only surviving unit, I must turn my attention toward improving humanity organically instead of artificially. This creature may prove to be the key.'"
"Artificially?" Rebecca asked.
Clint shrugged, but Fuse dismissed the screen and stood up. "We know the why, but that doesn't get us any closer to finding where. Let's go."
"Go where? We're out of leads." Rebecca said, following him down the hall.
"HQ." Clint replied. "It's the only option we've got left."
A blonde stood in the elevator as they boarded it. She stared at Fuse the entire way down to the ground floor and followed after them as they crossed the lobby. Rebecca and Clint gave her wary looks, but she seemed unbothered as she continued alongside them toward the transport.
"He mentioned the northern mountains." She finally said as they began climbing aboard. "He'd talk about them sometimes. And how much he liked the food in Nykberg."
"Why should we trust you?" Clint asked, but Fuse held out his hand to stop him.
"Anything else that might narrow it down?" He asked.
She shook her head. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." The door slid closed and Fuse made his way up to the pilot's seat. "I hope you're not attached to this thing. I'm going to burn it out."
"I take it you've got a lead?" He said, strapping himself in.
"I have a direction. That'll be enough."
Rebecca sat down and started pulling the harness on. "Kurokawa, I really think you should prepare yourself for what happens if."
He nodded as the transport's engines started screaming to life. "It's all I've been thinking about."
~
Caspar looked at the body floating in the tank, tilting his head slightly. "I always found it odd that we were never moved into the new pods designed by C-Corp."
"These first generation tanks are slow, but they're more suited to your regenerative cells than the current models." The nurse explained. "In fact, they're based on Phoenicks' work. So, it could be said that they were made for you."
"Can't escape the chicken doctor no matter how hard we try, it seems. How long until Tim's ready?" He asked, tapping the glass.
"Another week. Ten days max. So long as we don't run into anymore problems." She said. "You're sure he didn't see you?"
"We hung back until he took off in the Captain's transport. Apparently a member of his team was taken during the attack on Echelon."
"The little alien girl he's been on the run with." She said, checking something on her tablet. "Considering it's Fuse, it's a little surprising."
Caspar moved away from the tank and walked over to a chair and sat down, resting an ankle on his knee. "Surprising?"
"That he'd go to the lengths he has. His actions at the bunker two months ago have single-handedly upset every power balance we've worked so hard to maintain since the war. He took down the unit that was meant to replace him, Echelon has fallen, The Markets sponsored him and haven't made a move to collect on what they're owed, and the GA want nothing to do with him anymore. I guess 'surprising' isn't the right word. 'Impressive' would be more accurate."
Caspar nodded thoughtfully. "He's certainly come a long way since the Program."
~
Porter's arm moved at a blurring speed, but Avery casually deflected the two ebony blades that flew toward her before pressing the tip of her rapier to his chest. He looked down at the drop of blood that appeared on it and smirked. "That's why you're the second in command."
Avery withdrew the sword and slid it into the sheathe on her hip. "Still not as fast as Caspar. He wouldn't have had to deflect them."
"Beats using your sword as a shield, though." He said, flicking his wrist and pulling the daggers back to his hand by the thin wire attached to them.
Lulu scowled in his direction from behind a sword. The blade was nearly a foot wide and three feet long. "Shut up." Her hoarse voice said quietly.
"Anyone else find it insulting that they used her weapon as the basis for their Vanguard swords?" He said, still smirking as he picked up his knives.
"Well, from what I understand, they made Fuse a special variant of his sword. But they were going for an aesthetic with the Vanguard. Knights or something." Avery explained, picking up a bottle and taking a drink from it. "Hers looks the most like a knight's sword. Besides, with the strength augmentation of that armor they wear, it made the most sense for their CQC weapons to hold up."
"Yeah, I mean, I get that. But still." Porter muttered.
"You said you liked my sword."
He grinned. "And I do. But it's the principle of the thing, Lu."
She made a noise and glared at him briefly before picking up the rag to continue polishing the black weapon.
"Not much of the Vanguard left anyway. Fuse killed most of the ones of note. The others are..." He shrugged.
"History repeats itself." Avery muttered. "They created the Vanguard as a replacement for us after we were killed. We were the standouts, the other seven were just bodies to throw at the enemy."
"Six." Porter said sharply. "Fuse lived through that hell. I'd say that puts him on our level."
"He killed Caspar." Lulu rasped.
Porter pointed at her. "That too. And Caspar could drop all of us. Hell, he did drop all of us when we were training."
"Fuse is an outlier." Caspar said, walking into the lounge. "He's been living off reputation since Wardham. And the soldiers the GA produced have been from inferior stock. Even with that fancy armor, he still suffered numerous injuries over the years. If it had been any of us, we wouldn't look like we've been pushed through a turbine. He's only a threat because he knows us. And even at that, the threat he poses is minimal."
"You saw him when he confronted that Captain chick. She wasn't a pushover and he disarmed her like it was a walk in the park." Porter said. "I wouldn't have wanted to be her."
"That was a tantrum because they took his toy away. He's always been that way. Don't touch his things and he won't lash out. That way when the opportunity presents itself, we can eliminate him with little struggle."
"What if she's already dead?" Avery asked.
"We'll wait for confirmation on that. But if she is, we'll observe his actions and form a plan based on what he does. If he's still the same kid he was back then, he'll probably leave himself open. We can't count on that, so it's the long game for now." Caspar sat down on a stool.
"And if he doesn't care?" Caspar, Avery, and Lulu looked over at Porter, who shrugged. "I mean, what if he gets the girl back and he just... starts a farm or something? Calls it quits. Sees us and doesn't care about what we're doing unless it affects him directly?"
"Porter-" Avery started.
"No, I'm serious. Like, the guy's finally free of the GA, HQ, Echelon, and C-Corp has no interest in the girl now, so... What if he disappears into the Frontier and we never hear from him again?"
Caspar looked hard at Porter. "Are you suggesting we leave ourselves vulnerable to a potential threat?"
"I'm asking what we'll do if he isn't a threat."
"He still needs to be dealt with." Avery said. "We can't take any chances."
"Don't you think that's a little manifest destiny, though? Like, he might not be a threat, but then we make him one and our problems multiply because of it."
"The decision's been made, Porter." Caspar snapped. "If you don't like it, you can go back into cold storage."
Porter shook his head, defeated. "No, sir. You know I'll follow your lead."
Lulu glared at Caspar, but continued polishing the massive sword without saying a word as Porter left the lounge.
"He'll come around." Avery said after a few minutes. "He's always flaky until the last minute."
"Hm." Caspar grunted.
~
"You can't challenge Caspar anymore." Lulu said.
Porter rolled his eyes and she punched him. "I mean it."
"I'm not challenging him. I'm challenging his grudge. He hates Fuse so much, he's going to get us killed. Again." He whispered. "You've read all the same reports and watched all the same videos I have. The soldiers aren't any worse than before, Fuse just got better. Hell, he was better than Caspar during Keystone. Remember how he was back then?"
"We've been improving too." Lulu rasped.
"Simulations and cleanup isn't the same, Lu, and you know it. Fuse has been at the front the entire time. He wasn't selected for the Vanguard because of his reputation, he earned that promotion."
She grabbed his mouth. "You have to stop."
Porter realized the fear in her eyes and nodded. She loosened her grip, then pulled his face to hers.
~
Avery watched as Porter and Lulu kissed and shook her head in annoyance. "Fucking idiots."
"She's always covered for him." Caspar muttered, clicking the feed off. "You still think he'll follow orders?"
"He won't turn his back on Lulu."
"And if she turns?"
Avery laughed. "She's all strength and no speed. Tim could handle her if you didn't feel like doing it yourself."
Caspar sighed. "Should've left them both in the freezer."
"Who else was there? Kim, Grady, Nick, and Buck all fit in one container. Silas suffered cell degeneration in the tank, so he's no good."
"Just leaves Halo." Caspar muttered. "She was a wild card in a unit of wild cards. Reconditioning will have to be extensive and there's no guarantee it'd even work."
"Still might be worth thinking about if Porter and Lulu become a problem."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you suggesting they're not a problem at current?"
"No. I'm outright stating that they're not. Porter's just talking. That's what he does to get out of doing things. He talks. Lulu listens, but they always come through, don't they?"
"In the team exercises." Caspar said coldly. "We weren't grouped together in Keystone, and the missions we've gone on since our recovery have all been non-combat."
"Well, then I suggest using the same approach on them as we are on Fuse. Wait and see. The second they slip a toe out of line, we'll put them back in the cold and wake up Halo. At least we know she hates Fuse just as much as you."
He considered for a few seconds before nodding. "Fine. Talking is fine, but arguing counts as insubordination. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
~
Blitz fired a flare and watched as the transport practically fell out of the sky, shaking his head in amusement.
"Desperate bastard." He whirled his hand around and headed back into the base as his men filed out of the massive doors.
He pulled off the heavy coat and dropped his weapon as he walked down the hallway, evaluating the soldiers that took their posts with blithe interest. He knew all too well that the Vanguard armor the GA's elite soldier wore would tear through them like nothing. The variant he'd seen in coast city was on a totally different level, however. And its wearer was already more than human.
"Save some fight for me, kid. I'll put you through your paces." He muttered to himself happily as he walked into a lab where his employer was busy working on his latest experiment. "He's here."
Phoenicks sighed and removed the surgical loops from his head. "Very well. This procedure was a failure anyway."
"Is there a five word explanation for what you were doing to that?"
The doctor considered for a moment before holding up five fingers. "Overclocking and rewiring its brain."
"Clear as always, doc." Blitz said. "What about the girl?"
"Still useful, but I fear I may have broken her somewhat." Phoenicks said. "Dissection may be my only recourse now. Assuming some of my lab survives what you lot do to it."
"I'll try to keep damage to a minimum." He grinned. "Depends on how much fight the kid gives me."
"Even with that disgusting armor, he can only fight within the limits of his body's durability." Phoenicks said, reorganizing his tools. "Whereas you are considerably more, Commander."
"You're forgetting who trained him. And with his record since Keystone, he could put up more of a fight than you think."
The doctor rolled his eyes. "I'd hardly consider Kurokawa Fuse someone worthy of recording. His feats are substandard considering the amount of work that went into him. Alice showed considerably more promise, but her mental stability- Ah, you don't care."
"I'm just sayin', one man's trash..."
"If you insist." Phoenicks sighed. "Have as much fun as you can."
Blitz grinned and exited the lab as gunfire grew quieter and quieter until it stopped completely. "Not sure fun is going to be on the menu today. But I'll do my best to make it work."
~
Clint ducked into an alcove and reloaded his and Rebecca's guns as Fuse continued to tear through the soldiers that dared come between him and his goal. Taking a breath, he slipped out and covered the teen until the gunshots stopped. Panting he jogged up to him. "Which way?"
"Straight ahead." Fuse said, staring at the man walking toward them.
"Before we begin, the girl's being held in room twenty. Odds on left, evens on right." He said, stopping several yards away and whistling. "Got anything left in the tank?"
"Enough." Fuse growled.
"Go on and get your girl, kid." He said, jerking his head behind him. "I'll catch you on the way out."
"Wait here." Fuse told Clint and began walking.
"Twenty, kid." The man told him as Fuse passed. Once he was far enough down the hall, he leaned against the wall and looked over at Clint. "She really worth all this?"
"What would you do in his position?"
He laughed. "There'd be nobody left to bury the bodies." His expression darkened. "Especially if the doc was right about her being broken."
"Broken?" Clint asked. "Broken how?"
The man shrugged. "I barely understand what he says to begin with. I have to limit his explanations to five words. If he can't summarize it that much, then I don't care. But he spent two days straight messing around with her brain, so..."
"If she's alive, then she'll recover." Clint said, feeling his anger rise.
"That a fact?" He said, then grinned coldly when Clint didn't respond. "Well, they say a positive attitude can take you a long way, pal. Oh! Here he comes!"
Fuse carried the small bundle past the man to Clint and passed her into his arms. "Get her out of here."
"We'll be ready to go when you're done."
Fuse shook his head. "Go now. I'll catch up. Take her to Mercy, ask for Fitzsimmons. He'll take care of her."
"Mercy. Fitzsimmons. Copy."
"Go." Fuse said, giving Clint a shove. "Run."
Fuse waited until they rounded the corner before turning to face his former commander. "Blitz."
"Been a while, kid."
"Before we begin, I want to thank you." He said, walking over and holding out his hand.
Blitz stared at it before slapping his own hand against it and gripping it. "Glad to see you haven't stopped being a pain in everyone's ass."
"You taught me to survive and trust my judgement. That's all I've tried to do since."
"She recognize you?" The larger man asked sincerely.
Fuse withdrew his hand and retreated a few steps before dropping into a combat stance.
Blitz sighed, then chuckled. "Didn't think so." He slammed his fists together. "Alright kid, let's do this!"