Marvin couldn't stop the ear-splitting grin on his face if he tried. The sweet taste of victory had him bouncing on his toes. His plasma grenade and photon missile had worked so perfectly that Marvin wasn't sure if he was just that good or if there was a God.

Those people had been praying after all, and he was still undecided about gods and all that spiritual stuff, unlike his sister.

"Dude! How does it feel to be the only human in the world ever to have fired a photon missile from a tank?" Marvin bellowed his enthusiasm, punctuating the word "tank" as he gave Errend an overly zealous smack on the back.

Marvin didn't notice the imperceptible wince Errend made at the comment or how he cringed at the man's large hand smacking his spine. Marvin wouldn't have understood Errend's reasons anyway.

Without waiting for a reply, Marvin kept on walking past where Errend was standing talking to Betty and into the building aptly nicknamed The Sloppy Dish, which was the only place on the base that a person could find food or drink.

Strutting his stuff like the young and wild, carefree thing he was, Marvin whooped to his comrades upon entry, pumping his left fist in the air.

"Whoooooooooooeee!"

The room exploded in a roar of cheers as everyone turned to acknowledge Marvin. The word of the success of his newly developed tank round and plasma grenade had spread fast upon the arrival of Aiya and her team. Everyone was talking about it.

Marvin's new and latest weapon, or gadget, was always a hot topic, but this time everyone knew he'd created a serious game changer.

People would have to line up and take numbers to have their tanks modified to use the new photon missiles Marvin had developed. The base's engineers and mechanics would both love and hate him.

They would hate him because finding the materials to make the plasma grenades and photon missiles were almost impossible to find but love him because they would be worth a fortune in trade.

The base Aiya and Marvin had made their home currently housed almost forty different independent companies. Money was useless nowadays, but people constantly traded with various goods, and with the war against monsters never-ending, the hottest items traded for were usually weapons and ammo.

The only other thing worth more than a weapon that could kill a monster in one shot was information on where to find the next monster.

The best way to ensure survival in today's world was to have towns and villages hire you to keep them safe, not to mention the supplies that could be acquired by handing over monster remains to the scattered fragments of government here and there.

As far as Marvin was concerned, everyone here on the base was damned lucky he didn't demand a percentage of everything sold that was based on his blueprints.

However, he didn't do what he did for the fame, regardless of how much he enjoyed being the centre of attention, and he definitely didn't do it for personal gains.

The monsters had ruined his life. Stole everything he loved and had been looking forward to. They didn't seem to want to go away or stop killing people either, so he would do everything in his power to make sure people could kill as many as possible as efficiently as possible.

A petite but very voluptuous brunette sidled up to him as the cheers died down.

"Hey, Marvin. You're a hero today. Heroes always get the girl I hear." She gave him an obvious wink as she giggled and leaned into him just enough to provide ample view down her top from his six-foot-four advantage.

Marvin appreciated the attention, and he was flattered that Wanita wanted to play naked wrestling games with him, but she played those kinds of games with too many men too often. The idea left a rather sour taste in his mouth. Some men didn't care how or who ended up in their beds, but Marvin preferred quality over quantity.

Something that felt a little too much like guilt for judging Wanita started to unfurl in Marvin's gut. Thankfully his best friend Derek saved him from having to crush Wanita's pride and feel like a royal douchebag.

"MARVIN, MY MAN!" Derek was the only other person on the base that could be louder and more obnoxious than Marvin. Marvin loved it!

"I know, I know! You are dying to buy me a beer!" Marvin slapped Derek on the shoulder, going in for a bro hug and whispered, "Save me!".

Derek didn't miss a beat and, as usual, pulled off an incredible act of not only turning Wanita down but making her feel amazing while doing it. Marvin couldn't help but be impressed.

"Wanita! Looking good, lady. Is that a new dress?" She blushed coyly at Derek while covertly positioning herself for his better viewing.

"Why Derek, if I didn't know better, I would think you finally realize what you're missing, sweetheart."

"Wanita, you are something hunny, but you know I gave my heart and balls away a long time ago." He gave her a self-deprecating smile and a wink before continuing, "Besides, my man Marvin here doesn't know it yet, but we have a date with destiny in exactly 30 minutes."

Derek gave Marvin a mysterious smile, waggling his eyebrows just to make Wanita laugh and forget to ask the obvious question. Marvin didn't even realize he was shaking his head until Derek started laughing at him too.

"Yes, we certainly do, brother. This is gonna be the real deal this time. You'll see." With those words, Derek threw an arm around Marvin's shoulders and steered him towards the back of the building.

--------------------

Aiya sat quietly in her corner booth, watching an extremely jovial Derek lead her little brother towards the pool table at the very back of the building. She liked this spot because the light for this table never seemed to be working, letting her hide in the shadows watching the crowd while she ate cold french fries.

She preferred watching people versus talking to them. Always had. Looking at her brother's face twisted with anxiety and Derek's looking like it was Christmas morning, she had a pretty good idea what Derek was up to, and it wasn't going to work.

Sighing heavily, she turned to scan the crowd again. She spotted Errend quietly sliding inside without gaining notice from anyone but her. Somehow he sensed her gaze and turned to look right at her, hiding like a creep in the corner.

Had she been a different woman, Aiya may have felt embarrassed. However, the only thought that crossed her mind was how strange the man was. She and Marvin had met Errend just a short eight months ago while out hunting. He had been hard to miss.

They had been tracking a beast heading to a small community about 100 miles south of what used to be Round Rock, Texas. When they arrived, Errend, dressed in strange dark leather pants and a biker jacket, was already fighting the monster - alone!

Aiya felt herself grin at the memory and turned her head to make sure Errend wouldn't see her face. Not that she was sure how he could see her in the dark from so far away in the first place, but she always did prefer to err on the side of caution.

Errend had been something that day, though. His tall, lanky frame said nothing of his combat skills, speed and grace. The man could dodge, jump, roll, shoot and slice with a plasma sword while making it all look like a beautiful dance. Later she and Marvin had learned that his true strength was his unmatched tactical planning skills. Which after seeing him fight, was saying something.

Yet something was off with Errend, and Aiya just couldn't figure it out. It was more than how he could move through a crowd like a cat on the prowl while avoiding notice or how he seemed to see things that most humans could not with their naked eye. It was something hidden deep behind his eyes.

Now and then, Aiya thought she saw it and felt like she almost had him figured out, and then it would be gone, and she would struggle to remember what she had just seen.

Looking back to where Errend had been, she almost mortified herself by letting out a girlish squeak. Somehow Errend had found his way quite quickly and quietly to her table.

Looming tall over her dark table, Errend asked, "May I sit? If you have the time, there is something I need to discuss with you."

A coil of uncertainty crept up her spine. Errend usually looked serious and seemed to do everything with deliberate care, but right now, he looked worried. He never looked worried, ever.