Sam took the new perspective heavily, unable to believe what Saffire was suggesting yet couldn’t find a solid reason to doubt the possibility, either. Mom was always the one to shut us up after cleaning up our messes or fixing our more serious fuck-ups when we were younger, never telling us how or why. But now I see it wasn’t just us being spoiled beyond repair all along, there was something serious she was hiding from me when she chose to stay silent about him disappearing. Maybe I really do need to track her down first, and not him.

“Sam, how long are you staying in town?”

Sam came back to the present, shaking off what she could enough to recall her schedule. “Back to Akkadia One today, staying there for five days. Sebastian is coming to join me in three as he’s still training over at Jazira Station with his newly installed neural network fix. Won’t be released until then.”

Saffire read the ease that naturally came with the simple mentioning of her partner’s name, bringing some relief of her own. “He must treat you well, seeing you never had a boyfriend longer than a few weeks.” She saw the eyes start to roll before quickly adding with a laugh: “Just kidding!”

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●　● Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Bright lights shone vividly amongst the towering office buildings standing behind lines of shops and restaurants gathered around the packed streets. The newest, most popular, and most toured section of the district showed just how little the region was impacted by the previous wars, which stood against the irony that was how much the economy had boomed over the past half-century yet never suffered a single major orbital strike during those spans.

Adrian Liotta, still as cleanly groomed as he was the night before, casually made his way from the exit of a parking garage and toward a monstrous plaza hotel that towered over one of the nearby mall’s main entrances. He continued his habit of constantly checking his watch, albeit keeping it as subtle as possible.

Once he arrived inside the main entrance corridor, he found an open bench and took a seat. But only after resting his feet for a mere minute, a familiar face showed up passing through the same doors. “There you are,” the man spoke up as he removed his designer fedora that matched his tailored suit.

[What’s with the English, Orsi? Trying to match your getup?] Adrian quipped, standing up with a brushing off of his much less gaudy wind breaker. The remark, while genuinely out of jest, hinted at his despise towards the representative’s lack of any real accents when speaking English. The outside language took a major foothold culturally during the reconstruction era decades ago, but the more nationalistic types were still just reluctant enough to resist taking it in so openly.

“Our guest, remember?” Orsi returned the gesture as he motioned Adrian on ahead deeper down the main corridor. Despite his position as one of the more popular yet younger representatives of the restructured National Congress, he was always known for his grassroots approach and his love of blending in with his people, always preferring to walk the streets, ride the buses and trains, and shop with the rest. It was to the point that it was expected so much that almost everyone in passing, on the contrary, never paid him special attention beyond casual greetings.

But that of course was another reason why he drew ire from his compatriot, normally never the one to dress at such high level of fashion and brand. [Sure, right,] he answered with a shrug of his shoulders and a sarcastic grin. [Anyway, let’s see what this is really all about.]

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The two left the elevator after arriving at the sixth floor and made their way to a room that read “607”. Adrian knew not to knock, instead typing a message into his watch. Moments later, the door was opened as both them quietly but casually entered with a greeting nod.

“Your devices will now cease to transmit or receive, gentlemen,” Isaiah’s voice rose from the back of the suite room, seated in the corner by an empty pair of seats across from the table. “Please,” he then offered with an extended hand, “we don’t have long.”

“You seem to have this… image,” Orsi spoke up before pausing with a brow raised in amazement, unable to believe how at ease the environment was. He normally would never be able to feel comfortable in meetings with high profile interests, but then again he knew not to expect anything but out of the usual. “Like… you always manage to keep things impossible to read, or tap into,” he finished as he took his seat, checking his watch. “How do you block out every signal but your own so well in such a confined area?”

Isaiah paid no heed to the side talk. “I need every piece of information you have, right now, on Bahia Blanca’s Enrai Faction and their connection status with their member ‘Emilia’.”

“Wait,” Adrian started, holding in a chuckle out of insult and confusion. “THE… Reaper, former Reaper of- of the Rex Faction, is here to ask us for things you can get yourself so easily?!”

[Grow up, brother,] Orsi snapped but with restraint in his volume. “Here,” he then spoke to Isaiah with his hand extended, file drive in hand. “I have had this on me for days wondering if it would be someone else finding it first.”

[What?! Why did you have such a thing prepared without telling me?!] Adrian bit his tongue, unable to speak the rest of his mind. Something had him suddenly and highly unsettled, however, and although Orsi already picked up on it, he chose to wait and see the coming response as Isaiah accepted the drive.

“Now,” Isaiah spoke back in return as he placed it in his small briefcase. “I need Mr. Liotta here to stay with me from this point out.”

[No way!] Adrian hissed as he stood up from his chair in anger. “This makes no sense! Where is the-, the promise to talk about the plan! The plan to shift the SAU alignment!”

“Settle down, damn it,” Orsi grumbled as he stood up to put a hand on his shoulder. “We don’t have time. This is all exactly for the plan we want in action. You must play along and be quiet for now. Trust him as we must.” He then left Adrian to calm down his breathing and look over to Isaiah who was now shouldering his briefcase by the strap. “He will serve you as long as you keep your promise. Right, Mr. Reaper?”

“I will see you next meeting, Representative,” Isaiah coldly replied, watching Orsi leave the room as Adrian remained in his frustrated and further confused state. He waited to speak until their eyes finally met, as uncomfortable as it seemed to Adrian.

[What in the absolute hell is going on?!] he thought as he tried to find the words. “I have brought nothing with me. Why do you expect me to just… go along without any… proper communication?”

“I am simply answering your call, ‘Bender’,” Isaiah answered as he removed a remote from his pocket. “The call you and your representative made requesting my aid. You expected however that we would have time to discuss things? What would proper communication do when you know we need to start immediately? I need your energy, your skill, and I need you ready to pilot.”

[I see what’s going on. Boss always said he was a loose cannon but not in the sense I expected.] “Well, I need some small bit of direction. Doesn’t every pilot? You should know, veteran,” he quipped, giving off a hint of sarcasm as he began to calm down.

“No. You already set the direction, have you not? I am just here to get everyone there sooner rather than later.”

“You, wait,” Adrian paused in befuddlement. [You don’t mean to tell me Reaper’s already agreed to everything we proposed? And that bastard didn’t tell me anything about that all this time?!] he thought in reference to his compatriot Orsi. “If you agreed to use our… proposed plan-” [No, Adrian, don’t ruin this! He’s agreed- that means do whatever he needs you to do!] he cut himself off in thought, shaking his head before taking a quick, deep breath. “Never mind. Where do I go from here?”

Isaiah brought up a small shoulder bag from behind his briefcase and handed to him, still yet to show any change in tone or facial expression. “I have everything ready for you. Let’s move. Your representative is counting on us heavily.”

[Yeah. I don’t like the feeling I’m getting, but this must be for the best. I don’t think we will ever get help like this ever again if I blow this now,] Adrian continued in thought, reluctant to follow behind Isaiah but now slightly hopeful given the circumstances. [And if Orsi knows what’s going on as to be so comfortable moving like this… man, I really need to ask him later on what he’s doing with the shit he dug up on Enrai’s people, though. Just what in the hell did he give Reaper just now?]

But before they made it more than halfway across the room, Isaiah stopped to turn and inform him: “Don’t forget to follow communication protocol you were given this morning no matter the situation. We have a very new and very real threat headed our way and we can’t make things easier.”

“Who? Someone or some group from Infinity?”

Adrian then pondered what had Isaiah stiffened up for a second.

“No,” he replied. “Someone with way more resources and prowess than anyone with Hexa.”

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●　● Southern Outskirts of Nanning, New People’s Republic of China

The night sky lit up in bursts of faint flashes from the passing thunderstorm. The worst was off in the distance but the way the rain beat against the window panes had it feeling all the same. From inside the older apartment building, aside from the occasional flicker that the lightning cast against the sparsely furnished room, only the glow from two mobiles’ holographic displays were available to dimly light up the faces of the users cuddled up together in bed, both sat upright against the headboard.

“I’m about to turn in, Sly,” Danielle’s voice spoke up through her weariness as she yawned. She then looked back at the article she was reading one last second before closing it with a gentle waving input of her hand.

“Go ahead, babe,” Gabriel softly answered back as he kept his eyes locked on the report details he had received from an unnamed member of his communications circle. “I have to have this in my head before I crash.” He then took a moment away from it, placing it on the night stand next to him and loosened his left arm as to allow her to turn and kiss him good night. He continued to subconsciously watch her roll the other way, placing her head on the pillow, and let out an exhausted sigh, prompting a last reassuring hand rested over her hip.

Gabriel had let his hair grow uncut since the day he went AWOL, building up curls that stood out much more prominently than before. And even his beard had been let go, although he did keep it trimmed just enough to keep it from looking too disheveled. But in stark contrast, Danielle had her hair cut much shorter, perhaps to help her avoid hair care she seemed to not have the time or resources for. It didn’t mean a thing to Gabriel, however, still of the notion he was counting his blessings just to be by her side with nothing in the way.

He wanted to go back to his report reading, but as he left his hand resting on her, feeling the rise and fall from each breathe, his focus wandered off into the memories that got him where he lay:

Gabriel held tight to his controls, thumb squarely in place over his right thumb’s hat switch, trigger finger gently resting against the metal but tense enough to react if necessary. He ultimately enjoyed the light, nimble movement capabilities of the Ap50 compared to full sized mechs of old, and he knew he had the upper hand in any one-on-one matchup if ever it would occur. He never imagined, however, that it would be against the son of his mentor. His heart was set, however, that he would do what he had to if this boy he barely knew refused to respond to a signal not used since the last war.

“This is his son, right? That is Isaiah, right?” Gabriel thought to himself, slowly becoming more confirmed in his assumption as the Samael he had pinned down remained motionless. And his rifle’s barrel was wedged against the cockpit door frame, ever ready to fire.

“Admit it,” he finally spoke out over the line-of-sight communicator which revealed to him the model was based on a stolen Hexa model due to the perfect compatibility of the signals. “You’re Suha’s boy Isaiah, aren’t you!”

A few tense seconds passed before he felt he might have been mistaken after all. But as his finger tightened up, ready to squeeze the trigger, a grown voice he hadn’t heard in years answered his call.

“If you’re going to do it, do it.”

Gabriel didn’t hear fear, he heard a younger version of his mentor, seemingly choosing the path of acceptance of his loss.

“Get out,” Gabriel commanded but with a lessened ferocity. “You owe me, now.”

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He gasped as he was shaken back to the present, covering his eyes as the room light suddenly turned on at full brightness. He dropped his mobile from his right hand, and with a single fluid, connecting motion, he scooped up his pistol from the night stand as he rolled off from the bed. Quickly gathering his balance the split second his feet touch the floor, he had his trigger finger ready to squeeze. But just like in the daydream moments ago, something had him hesitate. Feeling as if his eyes deceived him, he squeezed his eyes shut tight for a second before reopening them to find Amelie standing unarmed at the doorway to the bedroom.

“Angel!?”

Danielle’s voice soon joined in. “Wha-what are you doing here?!” she mumbled aloud, pistol drawn and aimed at her as well after having had the same reaction as Gabriel.

“I can’t announce my coming, you know,” Amelie calmly replied, now leaning against the door frame. Her nonchalance led the two to lower their guards and their weapons.

“But I thought we had our own secure, private line?” Gabriel asked as he tried to calm down, putting his pistol away and stood to scratch his head. “I mean, is this really necessary?”

Angel didn’t mind his half-naked appearance, strolling in as if it were her own room. “I need to ask a few final favors.” She noticed Danielle remaining under the covers, looking thoroughly bothered. “And these really will be the last ones.”

The two were now locked onto the notebook she slipped out from her jacket pocket. “You really do prefer the analog way, huh?” Gabriel commented as he reached out to accept it.

“Codes to the Curtana along with its location where I hid it. Don’t lose this.”

He reluctantly took a hold of it with sudden disbelief. Wait, what?! Why would…

“So, that really was you?!” Danielle interjected. “Why give it to us?”

Amelie turned now to take a seat in the corner chair across the room. Turning, she responded: “If anything happens to me, pass it to my son.”

“What, you plan on stopping him?” Gabriel now interrogated. “You were the one who told me to protect him if he was ever outed- which, well, was me, but still! I can still do my job!”

“You won’t need to if I get to him, first,” Amelie spoke back without concern, crossing one leg over the other, adjusting her posture as she slowly sank into the seat’s cushion.

Gabriel, perplexed by the direction she was headed, took a seat as well at the side of the bed. “And… what’s the other favor?”

“Simple last favor. Tell me where he really is. Channing gave me fake leads.”

“Why would we know?!” Danielle again interjected, still untrusting of the situation no matter how much she knew she should trust her. “You know Isaiah doesn’t reveal just whatever to us.”

“Buenos Aires,” Gabriel spit out much to Danielle’s surprise. “Not sure when, but that was his ultimate destination.”