Hunter leans on the wall outside of the music store. He can hear the thunder of the drums as you hammer away on it. He taps his foot to the beat, as he listens.

"Meh, he'll be fine. It's music, and he's playing well."

Hunter pushes himself off the wall and walks away. He blends in with the people of Corona, and disappears in an instant.

He keeps his hands in his pockets as he walks. Hunter makes his way from the music store to Gaia's shop. He enters Tiger Plaza and marches through to the end. Gaia is outside her shop, waving to a happy customer. She sees Hunter and sighs. He extends his arms to the side.

"What? Can't even feign happiness when you see me?" He complains.

"I don't need to feign happiness. I just didn't get much sleep last night," she says.

Hunter comes face to face with Gaia. He leans on one of her flower stands and crosses his arms. Gaia turns away from him and fixes up one of her stands. Hunter stares at her for a moment in silence.

"I, uh... are you doing anything... tomorrow?" Hunter asks.

Gaia looks over at him with her brow raised.

"Why?"

"(Y/N) is preforming in the CMF. I'm sure (Y/N) would appreciate more of his friends being there."

Gaia laughs. "You know (Y/N) doesn't consider me a friend. You could just say you want me to go with you."

Hunter looks away. "You know what? Forget it. Never mind."

Hunter gets off the stand and starts to walk away.

"Don't be a baby Hunter. Of course I'll come," Gaia smiles.

Hunter turns around to face her. He smiles. Gaia shakes her head and rests her hands on her hips.

"I don't know why you're so nervous about asking me somewhere."

Hunter crosses his arms and looks away.

"I wasn't nervous."

"Uh huh, I'm sure."

Gaia walks up to Hunter and kisses his cheek. The two hear a whistle, and they look over. Matt has a big smile on his face, while Rain is staying quiet.

"Kick up the romance! Is it just me or is it getting hot in here. Oh, it's just me," Matt laughs to himself.

"I can cool you down, if you want," Rain offers.

"It was just an expression. Boy, you're so cute," Matt smiles, poking Rain's nose.

Rain crosses his eyes and looks at his nose. He looks up at Matt and lets out a small chuckle.

"You know my nose is sensitive."

"Why do you think I tapped it?"

Gaia and Hunter exchange looks while they listen to Rain and Matt talk. Gaia moves her eyes towards the store. Hunter eagerly smiles and nods. The two take very small steps back. Matt and Rain don't notice. Gaia almost starts giggling but covers her mouth before she can utter a sound. Hunter looks back at the door and slowly opens it.

After there is an ample space, the two slip into the shop and run upstairs.

Rain chuckles and shakes his head.

"You get your stubbornness from your father."

"Not the worst thing I could have gotten from him. Oh, that reminds me, we have a family dinner coming up," Matt reminds.

"I'll remember, I suppose. But we should get bac-"

Rain turns to where Hunter and Gaia were. They aren't there anymore.

Rain shakes his head once more.

"Those two left us."

Matt looks over, only to see nobody.

"Hm, those two. I bet their rustling up the bedsheets right now."

"Maybe... those two are complicated. Gaia's told me about it. I THINK they love each other, but I can't be certain," Rain expresses.

"So... are you going to tell me about it?" Matt presumptuously asks.

Rain shakes his head. "Sorry... I have to respect their wishes. They don't want it to be talked about."

Matt pouts. "You're just mean to me sometimes. So... what should we do?"

Rain shrugs. "Whatever you want to do."

Matt moves his hand over Rain's shoulder and starts walking away.

"Come on. We'll find something to do."

The two walk away from Gaia's shop, and two people watch them. Hunter and Gaia observe them from the top floor. Hunter snickers, and Gaia giggles. She smacks his chest and walks away, still laughing.

"You're so bad. Why do you take advantage of Matt's ability to talk?"

Hunter turns around with a smile.

"I'm fantastic at using people's weaknesses against them. Besides, it's not hard to get Matt talking."

Gaia sits down in a chair and finishes her giggling.

"Yes, that's very true. He's a good guy though. Really skilled, too."

"Ah yes, that he is. I bet his father would be furious if he knew what Matt has done," Hunter ponders.

"His father already did enough."

Hunter can hear the seriousness in Gaia's tone. He looks at her, and she's simply staring at the ground. He sighs and walks towards her kitchen.

"Got any beer?"

Gaia stays silent for a moment.

"Gaia!"

She shakes her head.

"What?"

"Do you have anything to drink?"

Gaia thinks for a second.

"I have some rum and vodka. You could be a dear and get me a rum and coke."

"A dear, huh?" Hunter chuckles.

"Just get me the damn drink."

"There she is!"

Hunter grabs the drinks and brings them to Gaia. He sits them on a small coffee table then slips beside her. He starts by adding a small bit of rum at the bottom of the glass. He grabs the can of coke and pours it on top the rum. He then proceeds to top it up with a little bit more rum. He spins the glass in small circles in order to mix the drinks. Gaia watches as he does this. He always does it the same way with no deviation. The way he does it is superb, though. He always makes the perfect blend of coke and rum.

Of course he had to be good with his drinks. At one time or another Hunter was a bartender. It was one of the actions Hunter did that showed he really did care about Gaia. He then played it off and said he was there to get information on the Hierarchy. Gaia doesn't believe that one bit. The timing was too perfect. It was much too close to when he said he would settle down with her. But that never happened, and now they're here. Now Hunter is out fighting and spying almost every day, and Gaia his running her quaint little shop.

Hunter finishes twirling the drink around. He places the glass on the table and looks at Gaia with a smirk.

"Here you go."

He grabs the vodka and fills a portion of a separate glass. He sets down the bottle and sits on Gaia's couch. Gaia grabs the glass and sits back. She takes a small gulp. Hunter swigs the vodka around in the glass, then downs the entire thing. He lightly slams the glass on her table.

Gaia stares at him while he does that. She sighs and leans back in her chair. Hunter leans onto his legs and intertwines his fingers with one another.

"Gaia, can I ask you something? I  know it won't end well, but I still need to ask."

"You can ask anything, Hunter."

Hunter stares at his hands for a moment.

"I want to know why you won't help me. A real reason."

"Hunter-"

"No, please. I need to know why. You know I need your help with this," Hunter snaps.

Gaia drifts her eyes to the floor.

"It's not that I don't believe in your cause... it's... I'm just worried what this will do to you," she says, a disturbance in her voice.

"What? What are you talking about?" Hunter questions.

"Hunter, you're a brave man. You care about your friends and you're one of the best people I've ever met. However... this war you have... this fight... it's slowly destroying you. Twisting you."

Hunter snickers and looks away.

"I'm fine, Gaia. I've taken a few bruises, but that's it."

"I'm not talking physically. I can see you withering away like one of my flowers, except I can't just wave my finger to help you."

"I don't need your help in that way, Gaia. Once I stop my father I can-"

"And how do you know you can stop your father?" Gaia says. "It's been years for you, Hunter. Years of fighting can destroy your mind."

"I can beat them! With (Y/N), Matt, Rain, and you, I can do it. We can do it."

"You're lying to yourself, Hunter. I can hear doubt in your voice. You don't really know if you can beat them. Lying to yourself is just running away from a truth you can't accept."

Hunter shakes his head and licks his lips with obvious irritation.

"I won't help you because I want you to stop. But I know you can't... I know you shouldn't. I can see why you need to do it. But you want me to take life, or help in taking life. I won't do that anymore. I will only give life," Gaia speaks.

"So you doubt me?"

"No, Hunter. I don't doubt what you and (Y/N) can do. I'm just worried what all this will do to you. In the end, will you still be the Hunter that I fell in love with? The one who wanted to settle down with me and-"

"Gaia!" Hunter shouts.

Gaia stops and shrinks into herself a bit. Hunter calms down.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. I... I'm going to go."

Hunter stands up and starts walking away. He passes Gaia, but she grabs his arm.

"Hunter... please be careful. I... I want our dream to become a reality. I..."

Hunter backs up and kneels down to Gaia's level. He moves some of her green hair out of her faces and softly plants his lips on hers. She is surprised, but does not resist. Hunter backs off and gives her a smirk.

"When his is all over, I'll be with you till I die. I promise."

Hunter stands up and begins to walk away once more. Gaia stands up and rushes behind him. He hears this and stops walking.

"Do you want another drink?" Gaia smiles.

Hunter rolls his eyes with a smirk.

"Just don't want to get rid of me, do you?"

"I don't know... I just think you owe me after you just brought my mood down back there," Gaia jokes.

"And what do I owe you, huh?"

Gaia pulls Hunter back to the couch and grabs the bottle of vodka for him.

"Stay awhile, and you might find out."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Matt and Rain stroll down the street with two ice cream cones. Rain's ice cream is still in perfect condition, while Matt's cone is starting to melt a bit. Matt gazes at Rain's cone and sighs.

"How is yours still so fresh?"

Rain snaps out of his trance and looks at his cone.

"Oh, I use my powers. Hold on, I'll fix yours."

Rain stares at Matt's cone, and it starts to harden up again. The dripping ice cream wraps around the solid parts and adds a thin layer.

"How did you do that? I thought (Y/N)'s girlfriend was the only one who could do things like that. I mean, you could say she's just that cold," Matt jokes, laughing to himself.

"She's not mean, Matt."

"I know, I'm just teasing."

Matt and Rain continue to walk. Rain keeps his voice down, as to not draw attention.

"To answer your question, I can freeze some things, though it takes time. It's still a form of water, just in a different state. I can also control mist. Of course I can't manipulate the ice quite like Elsa can, or summon ice at will, but I can somewhat control it," Rain explains.

"Well, doesn't that make Elsa's powers somewhat irrelevant?" Matt suggests.

Rain shakes his head. "Not at all. As I said, I can't summon ice like she can. I can't even summon water at will. Gaia has the same problem; she can't just summon earth at random. Though water and earth are very easy to find, so we aren't that behind. But Elsa, Tempest, and Pyro had the ability to just summon their respective power. Though... I think I'm the most dangerous."

Matt giggles and taps Rain on the shoulder.

"You're about as dangerous as a drop of rain."

Rain snickers. "But those drops of rain can flood a city."

Matt detects the seriousness in Rain's voice.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rain lightly snaps.

Rain stays silent as they walk. Matt respectively leaves it alone. He knows what to press on with, and what not to. After walking a few blocks Rain finally decides to speak up.

Matt thinks back for a second. His mind goes through all sort of circumstances where Rain's power would be extremely dangerous. There is the possibility of his sending tidal waves at people, but that seems something normal he could do.

The two come to a side walk and wait for the light to change. Matt continues to think on what Rain could be talking about. Rain stays silent and licks his ice cream. He starts to regret ever bringing the subject.

It was extremely uncomfortable when he found out what he could do. Hunter was nice about it though, and Rain was appreciative about that. Rain always hears some of the complaints Gaia makes of Hunter. Rain doesn't always see Hunter like that. Rain basically broke down crying when he first used that power. Hunter told him that he would never have to use that power again, and he won't let the Hierarchy get control of his power.

It's partly Rain's fault too. He was desperate, and Hunter would have died. He had to do something, and... well he isn't proud of what he did. He has exceedingly more control over his powers than any other living elemental. It was just easier for him, and that's probably why he can use his powers to such a great extent.

Rain looks inside a building and sees something interesting.

"Hey Matt, look."

Matt follows Rain's gaze and sees you inside of a building. You're shirtless, sweaty, and going hard on the drums. However the two can't really see that you're shirtless.

"We should go see what he's up to," Matt states, walking towards the entrance.

Matt and Rain enter the building right as you hit the final note. You're breathing heavy, and staring down at your feet. You put down the drum sticks and click your holowatch. You stand up and place your arms on your sides, taking a break. You have your eyes closed as you get your breath. You shake your head and walk to the side. You grab a guitar and pick, then strap it around you. You slide the pick across the top strings and start playing an impressive tune. You slide into the beginning of a song, or so it sounds like. You're so into the guitar playing that you don't notice Rain and Matt.

Hey kid! Do I have your attention? I know the way you've been livin!

You're about to start the next line but you look up and see Rain and Matt. Rain quickly blushes and looks away. Matt raises his brow with a smirk.

"Jeez (Y/N), you're actually pretty hot. Then again, I hear you can use some fire powers. Suppose you'd burn down more curtains than I do," Matt smirks.

You shake your head.

"God... damnit... Matt."

Matt laughs, and Rain keeps to himself.

"I'm just teasing you (Y/N), though you do sound amazing. I'm guessing this is all for the concert tomorrow?"

You nod. "Yeah, I have to win so I can get into Dysa Co. I'm preparing a hell-of-a show for everyone."

"Any chance we get to see a little something before the show?" Matt says, gesturing you to bring it on.

You shake your head.

"Sorry Matt, you're gonna have to wait till tomorrow. Trust me, it'll be something to see. But I got to get back to work. If you don't mind, could you two go?" You politely request.

Matt and Rain both nod.

"That's alright, we'll leave you alone," Rain agrees.

Rain quickly shoos Matt away from you and they both head towards the door. Matt exits first, but Rain stays for a second.

"Hey (Y/N), maybe you should give Elsa a call, huh? The CMF is broadcast worldwide, and I'm sure they'd all love to see you play."

You glance over at Rain and smile.

"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks Rain."

"Anytime, my friend."

Rain leaves you alone in the building. You sit down on the side of the stage. You wipe some of the sweat off of your body. You look over at the instruments and sigh. You know you have a lot of work to do. Even though you only need a few songs, you would rather use all the time you have and keep under a dozen songs under your belt.

You slap your legs and stand up.

"Might as well get back too it. If I sit around for too long I might as well call myself Hunter," you chuckle. "Or Hans... or even Kristoff."

You laugh some more then walk back to the guitar.

"Goddamn, I'm hilarious sometimes."

"No you're not," Shadow denies.

"Shut up! Who asked you!?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alistair and the helicopter pilot sit quietly in a limo. The limo is making its way through Corona. Alistair is in deep thought. His mind is looking at every angle and every factor in this. Who could side with Hans? Who could pose a threat? Between he and Juno there is little that could permanently stop them, but Alistair does recognize the power in numbers. Two people can only be in two places, and who knows how many schemes Hans could pull off at once.

Hans himself isn't dangerous, but the schemes he can pull can severely affect the progress of Alistair's plan. He's more concerned about that than the entire Hierarchy turning against him. He can handle that with little problem. But he hates being delayed for ridiculous reasons. Hans is one of those ridiculous reasons.

It's a simple matter to fix, however. All Alistair has to do is find Hans – cut off the head of the snake. Without him there is no rebellion. To find him, he has to get a hold of his scent. As far as Alistair knows, the last place Hans was seen was at Keralu. Perhaps he'll catch a break, and Gothel caught Hans while he was there.

The limo pulls up to Keralu. Alistair looks out the window then to the helicopter pilot. He clicks his holowatch and pulls out a small piece of paper. He holds it in front of the pilot.

"Take this to the Corona World Bank. I have no need for a pilot right now, but you should be compensated for your hazardous work conditions. Withdraw everything from this account; it should be around two hundred thousand dollars."

The pilot marvels at Alistair he slowly takes the piece of paper and stares at it.

"Truly? You're not joking?"

"I don't make jokes that often, so no. Be with your family. Family is what's most important, after all."

The pilot smiles.

"Yes sir, thank you sir. I will. You're the best, sir!"

"You've been with me for years, I think you deserve a bonus. Now go. Relax," Alistair comforts, patting the pilot's shoulder.

Alistair turns his attention from the pilot to the task at hand. He exits the limo then walks to the passenger window. The driver rolls it down.

"Take this man home, he'll give you the address. After that you're done for the day."

The man nods, then drives off. Alistair watches the limo drive away, then walks into Keralu.

He enters the building and walks right past the secretary. He approaches the elevator and activates it. After a small wait he arrives on the top floor. He walks through the corridor and reaches Gothel's office. He walks in only to be greeted by Gothel and Hook. They both turn their gaze to Alistair.

"Monarch," the two greet in unison.

Alistair walks in stand on the edge of the table.

"Gothel, what happened to Hans?"

"He took the Dragon's Tear. My apologies Monarch. When I sent guards after them he just set them ablaze. I'm working on fixing the damage he caused," Gothel reports.

Alistair turns his attention to Hook.

"And why are you here?"

"I brought some of my augmented men to help. We were also discussing Hans," Hook replies.

"What about Hans? If you're also planning to go against me I'd just say it now. I'd spare your life if you just told me up front."

"Also? What do you mean? If I may ask," Gothel inquires.

"Jafar shot down my helicopter and attempted to kill me. He and his men are dead, obviously, though he had a small army backing him. I suppose that's under Hans' rule now. Such a shame too. I was on my way to congratulate him about his 10 year anniversary. Pity he's petty. Anyhow, I assume Hans has recruited more people to his cause, else he wouldn't have the gall to rise up against me. Now, answer my question. Are you with, or against me?"

"I am with you, sir. I can't see any reason why I'd aid Hans," Gothel says.

Hook nods. "I agree. It's evident that you're more powerful than Hans is."

Alistair stares into their eyes. He snickers then leans back.

"Very well. Gothel, do you have any idea where Hans went? Did you keep any tabs on him after he broke in?"

"I had a few men follow him, yes. They have yet to report back. Could still be-"

A cell phone starts ringing, interrupting the conversation. Alistair and Gothel turn their heads towards Hook. Hook is ignoring them and listening to his phone.

"What do you mean?" He shouts.

Alistair raises his brow.

"Contain the situation! We need the building to be presentable for the CMF winner! I can't have a situation like this!"

Alistair quickly walks away from Gothel and towards the door. Gothel is about to protest, but she knows better than to question what the Monarch does. She sits back in her chair and sighs. Gothel goes into deep thought. She isn't really sure who to side with anymore. Hans seems to be a step ahead of Alistair right now, but he's taken away her step to eternal youth. At least Alistair left her alone on that regard.

There's also the third guy, the new one. His intentions are unknown, but he seemed reliable enough. He didn't seem like someone who was going to deceive them. He just wanted their loyalty, which is debatable at the moment. Gothel is stuck between three people. The mystery man wants her to play both sides, Hans wants her to be a double agent against Alistair, and Alistair just wants to know who's on his side.

Hook is in the same situation, but Gothel knows who he's chosen. He's a fan of neither Hans nor Alistair. That only leaves the mystery man left. He has a certain charisma that swayed Hook. The mix of honestly, his blunt tone, and the power he has. Hook is attracted to power. He hates being helpless. It's the reason why he's focused so much of his time on human enhancement.

That very fact is the reason Hans wanted to go there. Alistair obviously doesn't know, but Gothel and Hook let Hans take what they want. What Hans wants with the Dragon's Tear and some tech from Dysa co is anyone's guess. Gothel really doesn't want to know. In the end, she's probably going to side with either Alistair or the mystery man. Hans just doesn't compare.

Hook turns off his phone and looks around. He checks in the hall to see whether Alistair is there or not. He isn't. Hook sighs and walks back into the room. He makes small circles with his synthetic arm while he sits down.

"Hans took some of my suits. Who knows what he's going to use them for. He only took three."

Hook stares at Gothel, who is lost in thought.

"Gothel?"

Gothel shakes her head and looks over at Hook.

"Well, I have some work to do. I'd appreciate it if you found your way out."

Gothel regally stands up and leaves Hook in the meeting room. He stares at her as she walks away. He's confused, so he starts to twirl his moustache.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alistair casually walks on the sidewalk, keeping his cool and acting normal. Unlike the men and women in the Hierarchy, Alistair enjoys a stroll through the streets. Its one thing he hates about nearly everyone in the Hierarchy: they never take the time to enjoy their leisure.

Everyone in the Hierarchy are wealthy, powerful, and have a chunk of the world under their belt, yet they don't know the simple pleasures in life. Alistair rarely uses his wealth for personal pleasures. Hell, he rarely uses his wealth for anything. Most of the time he just pays his employees, or pays off anyone he needs to. Other than that, he doesn't do much.

Though, that's not the only thing he hates about the Hierarchy. There are dozens of reasons why everyone who works for him makes his skin crawl. They're self-righteous without any actual power to back it up. Yes, they can send legions of men against their enemies, or use their influence to absolutely destroy one's reputation and life. But they can't really do anything on their own.

Alistair and Juno are basically a small army when they fight together. They have weight in their steps, bark to their bite. They don't need anyone else to back them up. The only one that can somewhat fight on their own is Hook, but that's simply because of his hand. He's worked on it over the years, giving it some use. Alistair smiles every time he sees the hand. He remembers cutting it off when Hook tried to shoot him in the back. Alistair is fully aware of the grudge hooks holds against him, but cares little about it. Hook wouldn't dare oppose Alistair. Then again, he thought nobody would. Now it seems Hans, Jafar, and who knows how many others are rising up. In Alistair's eyes, they're basically lining up for Alistair to stick his sword through every single one of them.

Alistair ignores almost everyone he passes by. However, there is a pair that catches his attention. He looks a bit ahead and sees a duo eating ice cream. One has a short, messy, blue head of hair. He's slimmer than the average guy, and his face is soft. Alistair doesn't even have to look at the other one to know who that is.

"Little Rain is all grown up. It's been years since I've seen you," Alistair whispers to himself. "He seems very casual at the moment. Strange. With his personality I would assume he'd be a little more paranoid. Who's he with? Is that... Matthew Colvard?" Alistair chuckles. "The son of Dexter Colvard is with an elemental? His father would not be pleased. Hm... Maybe that is someone who I should get in contact with. Dexter has always kept an eye on the Hierarchy's affairs. He might know who Hans is conspiring with. It would make my job easier."

Alistair nonchalantly walks right past Rain and Matt. They don't interact with one another. Neither bats an eyelash. Rain doesn't even recognize Alistair at all. Surprising, as Rain has indeed seen him. But it doesn't really bother Alistair at all. It makes things less complicated this way.

Alistair keeps his pace as he comes closer to his destination. He passes by a music store which is being abnormally loud. Alistair shakes his head and continues on. After little time, he makes it to Keralu. Alistair passes the main entrance and cuts into an alley beside the main building. Alistair walks towards the back of the building, then takes a left when he reaches the corner.

The first thing he sees is a dead body. He raises his brow and crosses his arms.

"I can only assume this is Hans' work. Well, might as well inspect the corpse."

Alistair walks up to the dead body and kneels down beside it. He examines the body carefully. The man was in custom body armour unique to Keralu, but one wouldn't be able to tell in the current state. There is a large whole in the middle of his chest. Alistair lightly rests his hand on the hole.

"Hans used a fireball. Body is warmer than it should be. Blood is dried up around the wound too. If he didn't die from the pain, he probably would have lived. No way he would've bled out. But I suppose something happened in the heat of the moment."

Alistair chuckles to himself, then shakes his head. He flips the body over and sees a small pool of blood, which the corpse was covering.

"Blood? A fireball wouldn't have caused him to bleed."

He looks closer. He sees a small hole in the back of his armour.

"A bullet hole?"

Alistair lowers his head closer to the hole.

"He was shot in the back, no doubt. There wouldn't be a mark like this otherwise. But why would Hans shoot him in the back, then hit his chest with fire? It doesn't make sense. Use one or the other."

Alistair turns his attention to his surroundings.

"Maybe the bullet is around here. It could be useful to have. Nobody can have a gun in Corona without some sort of license. That bullet can get me a lead"

Alistair scans the area. He steps over the body and stands right over it. He looks down at the body to try and get a good idea of where the bullet could have gone.

"If he was shot in the back..."

Alistair turns his body around and his arms in a ninety degree angle, with his fingers straight.

"He would have had to be facing away from the door. So... Hans opened the door and fired? It makes the most sense. So..."

Alistair turns to the door and walks to it. He turns away from the door and looks at the dead body. Alistair feigns being shot in the back and stumbles away from the door.

"He was shot. The shock made him move away. He would turn around and pull out his gun..."

Alistair mirrors his words with his body.

"But he was hit with a fireball, which flew his body back and into the position he's in. Which means the gun should be over there."

Alistair points down the alley. He can see the shine of a pistol. Alistair smiles.

"But that means the bullet... should be somewhere around here. The wall is pretty close, so it may have bounced off. No... the body armour would have slowed it down."

Alistair approaches the wall parallel to the door. He surveys the wall.

"No dents... Bullet must be on the floor around here."

Alistair squints his eyes and kneels down. He looks all around the ground until he notices something small. He walks over to it and kneels down right over it. He picks up a small, misshapen bullet and smiles.

"Gotcha."

Alistair stands up, keeping his eye on the bullet. He tosses it in the air then catches it. He activates his holowatch and places it inside.

"Well, I'll have that looked into. Now to the building itself."

Alistair enters the building through the back door. He discreetly brushes off his suit as he walks in. The way Alistair takes is a tunnel that branches off in a few places. Most of the alternate paths are just elevators to different workplaces where Keralu produces their products, public ones or otherwise. Keralu is a biotech corporation, which means they deal mostly in things revolving around flesh and machine. It's ironic to Alistair that Hook leads this division of the Hierarchy. Hook has an obsession with making himself better using technology. His hand in particular.

However, his research has been invaluable, no doubt about that. His research has really kept Alistair's project going. Of course Alistair could have done all the work on his own, but it would have impeded other projects of his. Also, Hook was the one who "gave" Alistair the plans for Power Man – Alistair's pet project. As much as Alistair despises Hook, he has been useful. He's like Hans, except slightly more tolerable.

Alistair finds the right elevator and hits the button. The elevator appears, and he enters it. It brings him to an upper floor, and he exits the elevator. He walks into a more cubicle-looking area. One man looks over at him and runs towards him.

"Monarch? How can I help you, sir?" He meekly says.

"Why are you approaching me?" Alistair bluntly asks.

The man recoils a little bit.

"Well, um, sir, Duke Hook left me in charge. As you are a VIP I just assumed I should-"

"Alright, I get it. If you want to be useful then tell me about Hans. Where did he come into the building, where did he go, and what did he do?"

"Well... Sir Hans didn't really do anything. He came in, requested some equipment, then left," the man answers.

Alistair raises his brow.

"I heard there was some sort of explosion, or break in."

The man shakes his head.

"No sir. Well, we did have a slight malfunction with our technology that caused an explosion, but other than that-"

"Was it while Hans was here?" Alistair snaps.

"Yes... sir."

Alistair crosses his arms.

He wanted me to come here... He didn't really do any damage or steal anything. But why would he want me here? Damn, I was played like a fool. It won't happen again.

Alistair turns towards the man.

"Bring me to where the system malfunction happened. I'd like to see what and where it was."

"Yes, sir."

The man leads Alistair back into the elevator and down to the basement. Once on the proper floor, the two leave the elevator and walk into the room. It's a large room with grey, steel walls that don't leave much room for the imagination. It's only decorated with computers, three desks, and some broken technology.

Alistair walks towards the source of the explosion.

"What were they doing here?" Alistair asks aloud.

The man doesn't recognize that Alistair is talking to him. Alistair turns back to the man.

"Hey! What were they researching here?" He shouts.

The man shakes with fear at Alistair's assertive voice.

"It was musical technology, sir!"

"Musical technology?"

"Yes, sir. With the CMFs coming up, we have to show our advancements for musical technology. We've been working on some instruments that will play themselves, gloves that will enhance your speed for guitar, drums, and more."

Basically useless... Hans wouldn't lose anything valuable for blowing this shit up.

"And Hans was here, no?" Alistair asks, walking out of the room.

The man scurries to Alistair's side.

"Y-yes, he was. But he didn't really do anything here."

The two leave the room and enter the same tunnels that Alistair was in when he first arrived here.

Alistair walks out of the tunnel, and right back to the alley where he started. The man sits beside him. He sees the dead body and rushes towards it.

"Oh no! Did... who did this?" He yells.

"Hans. He tried to fight back with his weapon but... it was useless," Alistair explains.

"Weapon..? Tony never used a weapon. Never used a gun," he whimpers.

"How would you know?"

"He's... my brother. He was supposed to be on break, stupid idiot always needed a smoke. Now look at him."

Alistair thinks to what the man said.

"You said... Tony... never used a weapon. He never used a gun?"

"No. He just had a baton and pepper spray."

"Which means..."

Alistair walks towards the location of the gun he saw earlier. He finds it and kneels down over it.

"If the guard never used a gun, then that must mean Hans left it behind. But... why? That's an idiot decision."

"It is. You're right."

Alistair looks up and sees Hans. He has a giant grin on his face. Alistair is about to react but something explodes behind him. Alistair is hit by the shockwave, flinging him into a nearby wall. Alistair hits it hard and falls on his back. He doesn't lay on his stomach, however. He instantly gets up and faces Hans, who hasn't moved. Alistair cautiously approaches Hans. He doesn't move whilst Alistair approaches him.

Alistair drops his guard and pokes Hans. His finger goes right through him.

"A hologram to distract me. Fantastic. But why?"

Alistair slowly turns around and looks at the explosion. There is a large black spot right where the dead body was. Both the man leading Alistair around and the dead man are completely gone, however there are no sign of them even being there. No blood splattered anywhere, no body parts around. Nothing. There is fire spreading around the alley. He looks up to see the smoke is already pretty high in the air. No doubt someone will call the fire department. Alistair needs to leave. Alistair throws his hand forward, sending water flying out of his hand. The water flows onto the fire, putting it to bed.

Alistair looks to his suit jacket, which is torn up from the blast. You wipes his pants and sighs.

"I liked this suit. I like the black and white. Now I have to change..."

Alistair clicks his holowatch and selects a new suit. It's relatively the same except Alistair is wearing a black dress shirt instead of a white one. He runs his fingers through his blond hair, making sure it's still slicked back.

"How fun to see the powerful Monarch become nothing more than a foot solider. "

Alistair turns around and sees the hologram of Hans. He's leaning back on one leg and has a grin on his face.

Alistair clenches his fist. He feels like a rat in a maze while Hans is watching over him, laughing. Alistair is usually the one watching people scurry around, and he's not too fond of the role reversal.

"Hans... what is it you're hoping to accomplish?"

"Nothing much, really... maybe just to see you and everyone you care about either kneeling or dead before me," Hans snarls.

Alistair's eyes widen for a quick second, then he clenches his fist even tighter. He clenches so tight some blood starts to drip out of his hand. Hans doesn't notice this, however.

"But I'm not here to taunt you. I'm here to give you a choice. Right now I'm transmitting my coordinates to you."

Alistair's holowatch beeps three times. He ignores it.

"You'll see that I'm at least a full day away. I will wait for one day before leaving," Hans states.

"So what's the catch?" Alistair questions, crossing his arms.

Hans smirks.

"Tomorrow is the CMFs, as you know. Take a guess who's taking part in it."

"If I'm supposed to know them, I'm assuming it's (Y/N)," Alistair blankly guesses.

"Well, that's a smart guess. Anyhow, I think I'm going to send a few men to take him out. You and I both know (Y/N) wouldn't be able to do anything about it. He'll die, of course. Can you let him die? We'll see."

Hans ends the message with a smile. The hologram disappears from sight. Alistair stares off into the distance for a moment. He leaves the alley then starts wandering around aimlessly. His mind is debating on what to do.

I can end Hans, right now. I can get there and kill him; he knows it. But... damnit... I can't stand the thought of him using (Y/N) against me. I want him dead too, eventually, but I want to do it myself. This could kill two birds with one stone but... I'm not going to let the Westergaards win like this. Not again. He's not touching my family.