Chapter 39: Atlantica

"Destroying a whole city block is not what I had in mind! That bastard! Alistair should have killed him months ago!" Hook shouts, smashing his mechanical hand down on the table.

A large crack echoes through the table and eventually causes it to break in half. Gothel remains calm as ever, but still a little rattled from Hook's outburst. It's not like she can look anywhere else. The room is the only thing providing light at the moment. The moon is covered by clouds, bringing an eerie feeling over Corona. The night does not feel safe. The moon isn't watching over anyone.

"You're right, but how would we know he would go to that length? Now the Freeway is down and Corona is under heavy watch. It's an unfortunate time for us," Gothel states.

Hook paces around the room with his hands on his hips.

"That man! He was right! Hans just used us and left. No word from him. How did he even escape without any of us knowing! Between the two of us one should have known!"

"Glad to hear people are finally realizing I'm always right," a voice coming from the door snickers.

Gothel and Hook look to the door and see the very same man from the last two times. The man in the suit. He walks in and takes a seat. Hook rushes up to him and grabs the handles of the chair, getting right to the man's face.

"Why didn't you stop the fight!? I thought you wanted to help the Hierarchy!?"

The man smirks. He places his index finger on Hook's forehead and slightly pushes. Hook loses his balance and stumbles halfway across the room.

"For one, that fight was not mine. I had no need to aid (Y/N). Secondly, I do, and this can help. PR and all that bullshit. If both Dysa co. and Keralu aid in the recovery of the city it would be very fortuitous," he predicts.

"We're already seen as the top companies," Gothel interjects.

"Companies, yes," he says, spinning the chair towards Gothel to face her. "But you aren't admired for your actions, just your inventions. Hook has a little more than you because of his hosting of the CMFs. Do this, and people will have more trust in you. Simple as that."

Hook walks past the man and takes a seat closer to Gothel.

"So... do you know where Hans is then? I want him dead, and I know you can kill him."

The man leans back in the chair a bit, thinking.

"Well... you said yourself that you would know if he left the city or not. But what if he had the aid of another Duke or Duchess? Hm? Would that not allow him passage?"

Gothel and Hook both share a look.

"It's... possible," Gothel admits. "Each Duke or Duchess operates-"

"Operates independently without any knowledge of the others operations unless ordered to collaborate or share information by the one - or two - reigning Monarchs; I'm aware. So, who is the only other Duke or Duchess in the area?"

The man stays silent for a quick second.

"Don't answer, I already know who it is. Duchess Ursula. She's our only lead to Hans."

"And what happens after Hans? How do we know you aren't just using us like he did?" Hook barks.

The man smirks.

"After Hans comes Alistair. Then (Y/N)."

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Hunter lays on top of Gaia's shop, staring up at the now rising sun. He's thinking of what to do next. In truth, Hunter would rather be going after Alistair right now. But he knows you would never help him if he did that, and he needs your help. So, he needs to help you find Hans and stop him. Alistair has offered his aid... but...

"You're right about Alistair," the voice echoes.

That sentence has been in Hunter's head since it was first uttered to him in the hospital. The person who Hunter ran into is still a mystery man, but there's nothing Hunter can do about that. There's no way he could find out who that man was unless Hunter dedicated his time to it. Right now, there's just no reason to differ from his current course. Right now he needs to get to Atlantica and find out about Hans. Once he's out of the way, then you and him can focus on Alistair.

"You're right about Alistair."

Hunter gets himself onto his feet and stretches his arms upward. His arms shake a little bit and Hunter lets out a quiet yell. He huffs as he relaxes his muscles, allowing them to fall back to his sides. He walks to the edge of the store and walks off. Gravity pulls him right down to the ground, which Hunter lands on with little trouble. He cracks his neck and starts walking.

I'm not sure if going to Atlantica with Alistair is a good idea. Not just because of that repeating mantra but... I just don't trust him. It would be best if (Y/N) and I went alone. Alistair will find us at some point today, which means we have to get moving. I'll get (Y/N) right after I make a quick stop. We're going to need one more person, or we'll never be able to get to Atlantica.

Hunter throws his hands behind his head and interlocks them, then uses them as a rest for his head. He strolls down the street and keeps an ample pace. Even for early in the morning, the streets seem extremely empty. Usually cars are getting to or from work by now. But nothing. It's like Corona is a ghost town. Hunter keeps his eyes and ears open, just in case. It's doubtful that anything would attack him, but being cautious never hurt anyone. He even felt like nature wasn't even deeming the streets safe. It was near pitch black last night. Hunter could barely see the plaza during one his many disturbances throughout the night.

Hunter keeps to himself as he walks through the streets. He can almost feel the peeping eyes of people looking out their windows at him. All wondering if Hunter is desperate or stupid. With the way he is walking Hunter would most bet people think he's stupid. That's fair. Not that he's stupid, but that it may be a fool's errand to be on the streets. Hunter is doubtful that anything more will happen. Hans did that for you, not the city. If the Stabbingtons were still alive then it might be a different story.

After what feels like an eternity Hunter finally reaches his destination. A small house in the middle of the suburbs. Hunter walks up to the door and knocks. He puts his hand back behind his head and waits a couple seconds.

No response.

Hunter sighs and knocks a few more times. He moves his hands to his pockets and takes a quick peak at what's around him. Still nobody, even though it's halfway across town. If the air wasn't filled with fear then it might actually be considered peaceful. He turns back to the door and knocks for the last time.

No response.

"Oh for christ sake," Hunter mumbles.

He kneels down and looks beside the entrance of the house to a collection of rocks. There is one leaning against the house. Hunter grabs it and looks on the back of it. A significant part of the rock's back has been drilled and molded to fit a key. Hunter flips the rock around and taps the top of it. The key falls out of the rock and towards the ground. He moves his foot a bit so that the key lands on it. Hunter flicks his foot up, sending the key higher up. It peaks around Hunter's nose then starts falling again. Hunter uses his free hand to grab the key. Hunter unlocks the door then fits the key back into the rock and puts it away.

Hunter pushes the door open and looks around the entrance. A plethora of different dress shoes litter the carpert around the door. Hunter shakes his head and slips out of his shoes.

"I'll bet twenty bucks that most of those are Matt's," he says to himself.

Hunter walks through the house and into the living room where he finds Rain and Matt cuddled together on the couch, sleeping. Hunter stares at the situation for a moment then sighs. He positions himself in front of the two and crosses his arms.

"Hey!" He shouts.

The two men start to stir a little bit. Matt's eyes start to open first. He squints his eyes and looks towards Hunter. Since there's a window behind Hunter, he's barely recognizable to a half-sleeping Matt.

"Hi... who're you? Did Rain hire a maid? Aren't you suppose to have a kinky outfit or something? I have a maid outfit you know," Matt continues as he becomes more and more awake. "Me and Rain use it a couple times when-"

"Whoa, whoa, hey! I do NOT need to know that!" Hunter shouts.

Rain starts to wake up thanks to Hunter's yelling. He looks up and adjusts to the sun quicker than Matt does.

"Oh... Hunter... hi."

Rain looks at the situation he's in with Matt and begins to blush. He stands up and takes a few steps away from the two.

"What do you need, if you need anything? I don't want to assume or anything," he sheepishly asks.

Hunter turns to Rain, ignoring Matt.

"I need your help. I need you to get (Y/N) and me to Atlantica."

Matt pauses and looks at Hunter. Rain's whole body stops working.

"At... Atlantica? Why would you want to go back there? You almost died!"

"But I didn't have (Y/N). Besides, this is a different reason. We need to find Hans, and Atlantica is our best bet. You're the only one who can get us there, Rain. Your powers make you essential."

Rain drifts his eyes from Hunter. He was hoping that he could stay out of any conflict after the Stabbingtons. However he knows that he's the only one who can get you two to Atlantica. It's too far underwater to swim.

"No fighting, right?" Rain quietly questions.

"Just recon. Get in, find some information, and get out," Hunter confidently states.

Rain sighs.

"Fine, Hunter. I'll do this for you."

Hunter smiles then taps Rain's shoulder.

"I knew I could count on you. Come on. We've got to get going before Alistair tracks either (Y/N) or myself down."

Hunter walks away from Rain with the intent to leave the house. He passes Matt and nods. Matt smirks and winks at Hunter. Once Hunter passes him Matt's face changes. He walks up to Rain and places his hands on his shoulders.

"Are you sure you want to get back at it so soon? I mean... usually you would be the one asking me that... and circumstances would be different... hm..." Matt slips into a state of happiness.

Rain blushes at Matt's concern and what he's talking about. He gives Matt a quick peck on the cheek then retreats into himself.

"It's okay, Matt. They need me. Just like I need you. You wouldn't shy away from me, and I won't do it to them either," Rain states, a bit more confident than his usual self.

Matt gives him his signature smile.

"Well then, be careful! I don't want your cute face to be any different than it is right now! If I see even a speck of dust on your face then (Y/N) and Hunter will have an earful from me!"

Rain smiles and blushes.

"Thank you Matthew. I'll be back soon. I love you."

"I love you to my little Raindrop," Matt teases.

Rain passes Matt and heads for the door. Hunter has his arms crossed, leaning against the wall next to the door. He looks up at Rain and raises his brow.

"Ready?"

Rain sheepishly nods.

"Well, let's get going then."

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Rapunzel's eyes slowly start to open. This is mostly due to the chirping of birds and the mild sunshine attempting to get into her room but is muffled by her curtains. She lifts herself up and looks around the room.

"Wait a second..." Rapunzel mumbles, rubbing her head and looking around the room. "Wasn't I in the living room with (Y/N)? Where is he, anyway?"

Rapunzel slips out of her bed and lets her feet land on the floor. Her lower legs are exposed due to her flower covered night gown. She looks down at it in confusion.

"Was I wearing this? Did... did (Y/N) undress me?" She shrieks.

Rapunzel become flustered and frustrated. She hasn't even talked to you yet but she still wants to give you a good talking to. She marches out of her room and into the hallway. She looks down the hall to the end - your room. Rapunzel stomps her way to your room and opens the door. She's about to yell but she doesn't see you awake. She walks in and looks to the bed. You're sleeping without the covers on you, and your whole body is spread out. You're just in a white t-shirt and boxers.

"He had to have changed too, then," she whispers.

Rapunzel steadily approaches the bed and looms over you. You actually look really peaceful right now. You're breathing loudly, but not enough to be considered a snore. It almost looks like you're smiling too. Rapunzel instantly calms down and smiles.

"Seems he's having a nice sleep. I suppose it's well earned." She sighs. "He does kind of look cute like this," she giggles.

Rapunzel sees a small feather inching out from one of the pillows. She adopts a dastardly smile and slowly pulls it out of the pillow. She slowly and carefully she brings the feather down to your nose. She tickles it a bit then pulls back.

You don't move.

Rapunzel pouts. She tries again, tickling your nose a little longer this time. She hears you react and pulls away in an instant. You raise your hand to your face, but, unfortunately for you, your hand is clenched in a fist. You clock yourself right in the nose hard enough for Rapunzel to hear the bone. She cringes and squints, expecting you to shout or something. But no. There's no noise. Rapunzel slowly opens her eyes to see you, still sleeping, with your hand resting on your face. Rapunzel raises her brow and places her hands on her hip.

"What is he even doing? From what I've heard, he should be one to wake up from that."

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"Faster. More precise!" Shadow shouts, pushing away one of your fists.

You follow up with another punch, then a kick. Shadow directs the punch away and taps your inner foot with his, sending your leg away. You continue to fire your arms at him in a controlled manner, and Shadow keeps blocking or pushing them away. You finally get a hit on him when you kick the side of his right leg. He drops for a split second, which is all you need. You clamp your hands on both of his ears, stunning him. You then move your legs into a strong stance. You charge up both fists and pound them into his chest, diagonally, on the 2 and the 8 if his chest were a clock.

Shadow is sent into the air, his feet flailing. He easily moves his body backwards so he can push off the ground and recover without rolling across the ground. He lands gracefully, then brushes some dust off of his suit. He makes sure it's all tidy before returning his attention to you. He crosses his arms, closes his eyes, and shrugs.

"Meh, little to no improvement from the last time we practiced," he says truthfully. "You're not a bad fighter. In fact, you're amazing. But you are still nowhere close to Alistair."

"Oh yeah!?" You shout with an offended tone, shaking your fist at him. "Well how about you, Mr. High and Mighty? I'm going to assume that YOUR superior fighting style is able to match his?"

Shadow shakes his head.

"Not at all. You should keep the assumptions and hypotheses to me, as you rarely base them on any actual facts. I can't beat him either," he admits, answering your question. "He's too fast. His mind works quite expeditiously. I would argue that - in the field of reading a battle - I'm superior to you."

"Oh yeah?" You shout.

You run at Shadow, ready for another fight. You use your whole body to throw a diagonal punch, which Shadow slides beside. He sends his knee into your chest. You cough up some saliva then fall to your knees, holding your stomach.

"There's no way you can change your fighting style, so all you can do is learn how to overcome its weaknesses. You fight with momentum, which is fine, but it also makes it easy to see where your next attack is coming from. Though, truth be told, I'm not sure how I can fix your style," Shadow lectures.

"And what makes your style so perfect?" You question, still recovering from the blow Shadow gave you.

"I control my body, and my movements. It's harder to tell what my next move is going to be, and I have a wider variety of those moves contrary to you, who is limited."

You attack Shadow with an uppercut, which he leans back to dodge. However, he doesn't see your second fist plunge straight into his gut. Shadow skids across the plain until he comes to a halt.

"Didn't see that one coming, did ya?" You smile in victory.

"I didn't, true," Shadow concedes. "But you can't rely on the one or two lucky shots you get. You need to control the situation. Rely on skill, not luck."

"Yeah, well," you say, cracking your neck. "You do you, and I'll do me. Fair enough?"

Shadow huffs.

"As long as you don't end up killing us both, fine. Oh, and someone wants to talk to you. I suggest you wake up."

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You slowly open your eyes only to see Rapunzel on top of you. She's holding a pillow over her head with the intention of bringing it down on your face. She notices your eyes open and simply stares at them awkwardly. It takes you a second to fully comprehend the situation you are in. Until then, you and Rapunzel just stare into each other's eyes, blinking every so often to add to the dilemma.

"Hi," you loudly say.

"H-hey," she nervously replies.

"What're you doing all the way up there?"

Rapunzel looks at the pillow then throws it behind herself, giving you a guilty smile.

"Nothing at all. I just wanted to wake you, you know, be nice and all."

You blink a few times. Rapunzel remembers her purpose.

"Oh yeah! Did you, mister," Rapunzel shouts, throwing her finger up to you. "Undress me? I did not wear these clothes to bed last night and you're the only person who could have done it!"

You yawn then push her off of you and towards the inside of the bed. She shrieks as she lands in the soft embrace of the bed. She quickly gets onto her hands and knees and looks at your back.

"Well, I didn't take off your underwear, but yes, I suppose I did undress you."

"Aha! I... actually... I don't really know what that wins me..."

"Well, I was going to leave you in your clothes but you looked uncomfortable. You had that gown hanging on the back of your door so I just slipped that on you."

Rapunzel pauses.

"Well... thank you. I, um... I'm going to go make breakfast."

You wave your hand once in the air.

"Alright, I'll be down in a few minutes."

Rapunzel bounces off your bed and leaves the room. You sigh and lay back down on the bed. You close your eyes and drift off to sleep once more.

Your eyes instantly open at the smell of food. You roll out of the bed and land on the floor. You bounce to your feet and stretch a little bit. You look to your holowatch and choose a new outfit for the day. This time you choose a white hoodie with a black t-shirt underneath. You had a darker pair of jeans to cover your legs. You zip up the hoodie and roll your shoulders to get going.

You leave your room and head downstairs, a life in your step. You happily go down the stairs and get a greater smell of what Rapunzel is making. Seems like an average breakfast, from what you can smell. One of those ones you see on TV or something. You know there are pancakes and toast, that much is obvious. Hell, that's probably all you need.

You get into the kitchen to see Rapunzel hovering over the stove. As you guessed, there are pancakes in a pan, and toast in a toaster oven. You notice the toast is close to burning. You walk over to it and turn off the device. Rapunzel looks over at you.

"What're you doing?" She asks.

"Toast was about to burn. Could you not smell it?" You inquire, taking the toast out of the toaster oven and putting them on a plate.

Rapunzel shakes her head.

"Honestly, no. My nostrils were filled with pancake smell."

You take in the smell for yourself.

"Well, they do smell great. Do you cook anything else?"

You walk over to where the butter is and grab some for the toast.

"Well... no... actually. I can only make pancakes," Rapunzel sheepishly admits.

"Really?" You ask, genuinely surprised.

"Well, I suppose it kind of makes sense. Maybe you should ask for some lessons or something? I'm sure your parents wouldn't mind," you advise.

You place the toast and butter on the table. You take a seat that faces away from Rapunzel. Rapunzel shrugs.

"Well, Eugene is actually a surprisingly good cook. He's the one who makes our food if we ever need it," Rapunzel reveals as she carefully flips the pancakes.

"Huh?" You huff, diverting your eyes up a bit. "Eugene's a cook. Who knew?"

"I know, right!" Rapunzel chuckles. "Not something I would have guessed either."

Rapunzel's shoulders slouch and she becomes quiet.

"I wish he was here," she mumbles.

You hear what she said. You turn your upper body towards her and see the saddened state she's in. You finish the piece of toast and get out of the chair. You approach her from behind and wrap your arms around her. She doesn't fight back at all. In fact, she grabs your forearm. You stay with her for a couple seconds to comfort her.

"He'll be okay, Rapunzel," you whisper.

"I... I know."

"Hey, how about we go see Eugene again today? I have yet to see him," you offer.

Rapunzel smiles. She spins around and has a smile on her face.

"Really? You mean it?"

You smirk.

"Of course. Who am I, a liar?"

Rapunzel pulls you in for a hug.

"Thanks (Y/N)."

You see the pancakes start to burn a little bit. You spin around, positioning yourself in front of the stove. You face the stove, grab the spatula, and flip the pancakes onto a nearby plate. Rapunzel copes with what just happened then turns around to face you.

"What... just happened?" Rapunzel questions.

You chuckle.

"Nothing. You gonna have some pancakes?"

You walk over to the table and put down the plate. You take a seat in the same spot you were in before. You grab a few pancakes and place them beside the single piece of toast you have left. Rapunzel takes a seat beside you and grabs two pancakes.

"After we eat we'll head out?" Rapunzel decides.

You nod.

"Sounds good to me."

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To your surprise there are a lot of people walking around the streets of Corona today. Thankfully Rapunzel is driving, so you can safely stare at the sidewalk. But really, it pleases you that people aren't letting fear control them. If fear was part of the reason that Hans attacked then you're glad to see him fail. Fear has to be one of the reasons though. It has to. Why else would he attack in such a manner? He has to have sent some sort of message by doing that.

To attack like that... maybe it was to send a message to the Hierarchy? A message to my father? I'm not sure. Maybe he's just insane and wants to kill me no matter what the cost. But then why not just blow up the entire city block?

During your moment of intense thinking, Rapunzel pulls into the parking lot of the hospital. She turns off the car and unbuckles her seat belt. She looks over at you, who hasn't even moved from when she was driving.

"(Y/N)?" She voices.

You don't respond. Rapunzel grabs your shoulder and shakes you. You snap out of your moment and turn your attention to her.

"Yeah? What?" You ask, looking around. "Oh, we're here. Alright, let's get going."

You unbuckle your seatbelt and get out of the car. Rapunzel stares at you while you leave. She shakes her head and follows quickly. The two of you approach the hospital.

Before you enter your holowatch starts going off. You look down at it and see Hunter's picture in the projection. You pull your phone out of the virtual world and hold it up to your ear.

"What's up, bro?" You answer.

"(Y/N)! Where are you?" Hunter asks.

"I'm at the hospital with Rapunzel. We're going to go see Eugene. Why?"

Rapunzel stops walking and turns back to you, who's a couple steps back.

"Oh, we just stopped by the house to find you. Well, whatever. We're on our way to the hospital. We have things to do."

You sigh.

"Really? Already? I did just get my butt whooped yesterday, you know," you complain.

"Oh, so I guess you aren't as tough as you play yourself off to be," Hunter teases.

You know he's just trying to annoy you, to goad you into coming with him. It's working.

"Fine. Come get me at the hospital. I'll be in Eugene's room."

"But... fine. We're on our way," Hunter finishes before hanging up on you.

You pull the phone away from your ear and stare at it for a second. Rapunzel walks back to you and enters your vision.

"You okay? What was that about?"

"Ahh," you toss your phone into the holowatch. "Nothing. I just have some family stuff to do soon."

Rapunzel looks down at your watch.

"That's a nifty piece of gear you got there," she comments.

"Nifty piece of gear? What?" You chuckle, walking into the hospital. "Who even says that?"

Rapunzel huffs and quickly follows you.

"Hey! Don't judge my words!"

You both walk into the hospital and approach the elevator.

"Second floor," Rapunzel says to you.

You click the second floor and wait for the elevator.

"So, sleep well?" You ask.

Rapunzel raises her brow.

"Didn't we already talk about that?"

You stare at her for a second. You blink a few times, trying to understand what she's saying. You shake your head and shrug.

"Yeah, I guess."

Rapunzel continues to stare at you until the elevator arrives. You aren't that naïve or forgetful. Why would you not remember that conversation? You did take a nap, but what does that matter. She just doesn't understand.

You walk in first and turn around. You look at Rapunzel who hasn't entered the elevator. You gesture her to get beside you.

"Come on. Without you I have no idea where I'm going and trust me, that doesn't look good for anyone," you joke.

Rapunzel snaps out of her moment and follows you into the elevator. She's a little too slow, as the elevator door begins to close. You take a step and stop the door with one hand. It stops closing and instead opens once more.

Rapunzel takes position beside you. You both patiently wait for the elevator to reach the next floor. Rapunzel anxiously plays with her hair. She isn't sure why she's so nervous right now. It's like all the fear that she had yesterday is flooding back into her. She was so calm before - when you were with her. You almost made Rapunzel forget anything was wrong. But even you can't keep her happy when she sees her father and husband. However she is happy you're here. She knows Eugene would be happy too.

The elevator opens and you both leave it. Rapunzel leads you to the room. Rapunzel enters first. She walks right in while you stay behind to close the door. Rapunzel turns back to you and places her finger on her mouth, signaling for you to be quiet. You nod and slowly walk into the room. You look to the left and see Ragnar and Irena, both sleeping. Ragnar looks no worse for wear, actually. You heard he took a bullet and had a few scrapes, but he seems fine. He almost seems to be smiling too. You follow his arm down and see the two are holding hands. You smirk.

This moment makes you wish Elsa was here, or that you were back home. You miss her, you really do. Her luscious hair, beautiful eyes, and soothing voice. It always got to you, and always made you feel so calm and safe. Sure, you keep yourself and her safe with your strength, but she has a way of making you feel so secure just by being around her. It's the feeling of being around someone you love. It's a shame you've been away from that feeling for so long now. Heck, in reality it's barely been a week. But not having that feeling makes the separation feel longer than it really has been. Hopefully this will all be over soon. Hopefully you'll be able to go home.

Rapunzel walks up to the curtain covering Eugene. You look over at the exact moment she opens it up. You're almost horrified. It barely looks like him, and most of his body is in a cast. You put your hands on your hips and look at the ground. Rapunzel sees your reaction. She walks up to you and embraces you in a hug.

"It wasn't your fault, (Y/N)," she whispers.

You stay silent, licking your teeth. You look back up at Eugene.

"If I was stronger... I could have helped him. This might not have happened if-"

"(Y/N)," Rapunzel stretches out your name as she steps in front of you, staring into your eyes. "Don't do that to yourself. He would have been dead if not for you."

"No... he would have been dead without Rain. I would have been dead without both of them," you scold yourself.

Rapunzel can see your frustration in your face alone, but your words just amplify it.

"Well... nobody can do everything on their own. I know that without Eugene I wouldn't have been able to finish school."

"Hm?" You question.

"I was having a tough time in university. I wanted to quit but he wouldn't let me. He came to my campus - well, he snuck in - and spent the entire night studying with me. He did this for an entire week before my finals. I know that's not the same as... what you do... but it has the same message. You may be strong (Y/N). You may be the strongest man on this planet, but nobody can do it all on their own."

"Hmph, that's a pathetic notion," Shadow chimes in. "Needing the help of someone else means we aren't strong enough. We need to train some more. We need to master our powers if we ever want to stand a chance."

"It's just that strength, you know?" Rapunzel shrugs. "That courage you get from being surrounded by your friends."

"But you don't want to put anyone else in danger, do you? Look at what happened against the Stabbingtons - your friends were hurt. We need to improve so that never happens again, and we don't look so weak," Shadow counters.

Rapunzel and Shadow's points are colliding with each other like two wild fires. They both have a point, but you have no idea which one is right. Yes, it's good to have people that will help you no matter what and stand by you, but if that means them getting hurt then you want no part in that. Your mind wanders back to Adgar and Idun; back to when Elsa was killed. You should have been strong enough to deal with them. To be fair, you had no idea of their powers, let alone your own. You had no way to prepare for a battle like that. Nevertheless, you couldn't beat them on your own and it resulted in the death of Elsa. You revived her, true, but that doesn't mean you can revive everyone who might die. What about Hunter? Rain? Matt? Anna or Kristoff? What if those people get hurt and you can't help them because you aren't strong enough? In this way, Shadow is right.

Am I... admitting that Shadow is right about this?

"Of course I'm right," Shadow confidently says.

Rapunzel snaps her fingers in front of your face. You shake your head a bit and look at her.

"Earth to (Y/N), come in!" She chuckles.

"S-sorry," you mumble.

"It's okay. Just remember what I said, okay?"

You nod.

"Of course. So, how bad is he?" You ask, looking at Eugene.

Rapunzel looks back at him and sighs. She begins walking towards him.

"Well obviously he has two broken bones, but also some fractured ones throughout his body. The doctor said his la... larynx? I think that's what it is?"

You nod. Rapunzel takes a seat beside Eugene and gazes at him.

"His larynx was almost crushed. Other muscles are torn. He's just a mess. There's a list, if you want to read it," she says, pointing to a small pink sheet hooked to the wall above his bed.

You take a gander at it and see the entire paper is filled with his injuries. You look away and shake your head.

"I'd rather not look," you say with a faint voice.

Rapunzel's face drops. You walk over to Eugene and place your hand on the arm that's not broken,

"I'm sorry, Eugene. I wish I could have helped you... I wish it was I who was like this, and not you. But you fought bravely, even if it was in vain." You chuckle a bit. "You know he was so concerned about you guys?" You say, looking at Rapunzel. "He didn't want the Stabbingtons going after your family to get to him. They still called him Flynn Rider, too."

You lightly pat Eugene's shoulder.

"You're a brave man, Eugene. I consider you a good friend. When you wake up, I'll come back. I'll be here."

You take one last look at his broken body, his swollen face. You turn away and head for the door. You open the door but fail to go through. Rapunzel watches you as you stand like a statue.

"If you need anything, let me know. I'll do everything in my power to help you and your family."

Rapunzel nods.

"I will. Thank you (Y/N). I'll let you know when Eugene is awake... and you'd better come!"

You smirk.

"I will. I promise."

And with that, you leave the room, shutting the door behind you. You stand outside the room for a moment, just staring at the wall in front of you. The tan coloured, bland wall. A nurse walks by and sees you. She stops and approaches you.

"Sir, are you alright?" She asks.

You put on a fake smile and look at her.

"Yes, I am. Thank you."

She doesn't believe you, but it isn't her place to pry. Something suddenly comes to her mind.

"Are you... do you know a man named Alistair Knight?"

You are a little surprised by her question.

"Uh, yes... he's my father. Why?"

"Ah!" She proudly says. "I knew you looked like him."

She looks at you and sees your confusion.

"Sorry, I just met Mr. Knight and noticed you looked like him. I had to ask," she explains.

"Oh, yeah, that's alright. I guess I might look like my dad," you chuckle, rubbing the back of your head.

"Well, I'm sorry for interrupting you. Have a nice day," she says, taking her leave and continuing on with her work.

You slightly nod as a response.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hunter and Rain approach the hospital at a rushed pace. Hunter is walking fast, and Rain is speedy just to keep up with him. He's a little concerned about Hunter right now. He seems stressed.

"Hunter, do you mind... I mean we don't have to... but you think we might slow down?" Rain sheepishly asks.

"No time Rain, we have to get moving. We've wasted enough time. If only (Y/N) wasn't an idiot. We would have been there by now," Hunter snarls.

"Well... I mean that's not fair. He has a right to see his friend," Rain stutters.

"Not when it gets in the way of our work. If Alistair catches up with us then it's over! He knew that!"

Rain knows Hunter won't back down right now. He has a venom in his voice that Rain doesn't want to get in contact with. He's hoping that you'll be able to calm Hunter down, or at least do something. He really can't do anything. He doesn't have the will to stop Hunter - to overpower his.

Hunter is about to enter the hospital but stops. Rain looks towards the entrance and sees you walking out, hands in your pockets and a melancholy aura to you. You're looking at the ground as you saunter. Hunter sees you and marches right up to you. He grabs your arm, but you hardly react.

"Come on, we have to get to the ocean. We have no time to lose," he commands.

You look up at him. His eyes are so full of determination right now. You shrug. Hunter raises his brow.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. Let's go," you snap.

Hunter brushes it off and looks back at Rain.

"Come on. We haven't got much time."

Rain waits a second after Hunter passes him. He looks up at you and feels bad. He's not used to seeing you like this. You're like Matt. Neither of you are ever sad. Mad, maybe, sometimes, but not sad.

Once you pass Rain he takes position beside you.

"I-I know it may not be my position to ask, and it's okay if you don't want to answer, but are you... okay?" He subtly pries.

You don't look at Rain. You keep your head down.

Man... for even Rain to notice I'm off... Well I'm not really hiding it. Seeing Eugene like that just... it hurt. I can't get my mind off of it.

You throw on a smile for show and look at Rain.

"Yeah, I'm alright Rain," you tap his shoulder. "Thanks for asking."

Rain blushes as he curls into himself. Hunter turns around and notices you two far behind him.

"Today, please!" He shouts.

"Yeah, yeah!" You respond. "Come on Rain, we should go before he bursts a blood vessel or something."

You both start jogging after him. Seeing that you and Rain are finally picking up the pace, Hunter begins running as well. At this pace, the three of you fly through the small section of town that blocks you from your destination. Thankfully the hospital is a little closer to the waterside than Hunter first imagined, so you aren't wasting much time. Though you three are collecting a few glances from the local populace, but nothing that would impede you in any way.

It takes little time to reach the ocean. There's a beach of rocks that lead up to the water. You, Hunter, and Rain stop right before the beach of rocks. You all stare at the water, admiring its beauty. Rain, however, seems most at peace right now. He looks like he's not even with you. For him, that water is a part of him. He can feel every fish making his way around. He can feel all the litter people have thrown into the water. He can feel every wave, every ripple in that water. It's calming for him. His favourite weather is, to no surprise, rain. As it falls onto him it makes him feel absolutely complete. It's like the entire world is his. None of the other elementals can feel the same way as he does; not yet. Elsa and Gaia are not as in tune with their element as Rain is.

"Well, let's not stand around any longer," Hunter advises.

"Wouldn't want to be caught lollygaggin' now, would we?" You chuckle.

Hunter looks at you.

"Skyrim reference. You know, "No lollygaggin'" you say, imitating a guard's voice. "It's against the law, for some rea-"

"Whatever," Hunter cuts you off. "We have some things to do. Can't sit here debating. Rain!" Hunter says, looking at Rain. "You ready?"

Rain takes in a deep breath and exhales. He turns to you both and nods.

"Yes, I am."

The three of you walk across the rocks to the beginning of the ocean. Once the water hits your shoes you begin to wonder what Hunter's plan is. To hell if you're swimming there in your clothes. It may be possible with Rain, given that he could provide you both oxygen, but still not something you want to do.

Rain stops once he's knee deep in the water, while you and Hunter are still at shoe level. He raises one hand, and in return a decent sized amount of water forms a column. Without moving Rain manipulates the column into a large ball. He looks back at you two and notices the water still blocking you. Once again he doesn't move, but the water parts to create a path to the ball. It almost looks like the water itself is climbing over each other to run away from something. Rain lifts his knee and takes a step on the water, then begins walking on the water to the ball. At the same time Hunter treks his way to the ball through the path Rain made. You're still stunned at what Rain's doing. It's downright amazing.

You follow Hunter's footsteps into the ball. It's actually a hollow ball with the water just holding it. Rain walks through the ball's wall and meets with you two. He looks to the opening of the ball and fills it with water.

"Alright, we can dive," Rain informs.

Rain lifts the ball into the air and makes it go farther out, towards the deeper water. Once he puts an ample distance between himself and ground he slowly brings the water ball down into the ocean. It doesn't break through the water when it enters. It's almost engulfed - welcomed by the ocean water. It seeps into the dark embrace of the ocean and continues in a diagonal pattern.

On the shore, a man watches the ball descend. He crosses his arms and shakes his head.

"It's your decision Hunter. See that it doesn't cost you anything," he scorns.

You look down at your feet, seeing the solid water you're able to stand on. You kneel down and try to poke it. You push your finger against it but your finger can't go through. It's almost like cement or wood. Rain sees your actions.

"Cool, isn't it," he smiles.

You look up at him, smiling, and nod your head.

"It's amazing! But..." you start, pushing off your knee and standing straight. "Won't we run out of air?"

"It's possible, though I think we should have enough for the trip. If not, I can absorb a little bit of oxygen from the water. I won't do it for long though; it could hurt the ecosystem here. I also would advise against using any electronics while in here, except for the watch. Your phones won't work anyway."

Hunter exhales and turns to both of you. He has a much warmer face than he did before.

"Well, at least we made it without Alistair catching up to us," he happily states. "So, I suppose you two would like to know my plan?"

You and Rain nod your heads.

"That would be nice," you say.

Hunter lifts up his left arm and meddles with his holowatch. A hologram of a massive station hovers over his watch, taking up a decent amount of space. The station is insane. From what you can gather from the hologram, there are three main sections with small tubes connecting them. The main sections are more or less the size of warehouses, with one being significantly larger than the other two. One small part of the small warehouse starts flashing.

"This is where we'll be entering. We're going to have to split up," as Hunter explains two lines break off from each other and head in two directions; one going to the main building right away and the other leading through the second building then into the main one. "And meet here, where the lines intersect. This is where Ursula keeps all her intel. I should be able to hack in and find where Hans has gone, if she knows anything. Though, we could be disrupting Alistair right now... he has a transport en route-"

"We deal with Hans first!" You snap. "He's an immediate threat to myself, the people around him, and Elsa. Once he's done... I'll help you. Favour for a favour."

Hunter sighs.

"Well, we may be able to get some information using her servers anyway, so it could be a win-win for us both."

Hunter turns back to the hologram.

"So, you're going to have to head through the factory. It's the second largest one, and has the most in the way. It's also filled with workers."

"So how are going to get by them?" You inquire.

"You'll have to knock out two guards and take their uniforms. Your faces won't be known, and that's why you're taking this way. Everyone on that station knows my face and will spot me in an instant. It would be foolish for me to go with you. I'm going to be slipping through the storage area."

"Isn't going alone a little... um... dangerous?" Rain whispers.

"Yes, but that's why we're both going. If I get caught, Ursula will bring me to her area, which is here," Hunter explains, pointing at the far end of the largest building. "Since the server room is right behind it, you'll be able to break me free, or vise-versa if you get caught."

Hunter returns to his plan.

"You'll need to get to the pipe leading to the main area. You'll have to improvise and how to get there, but I'm sure you'll think of something. We meet up, grab what we need, and get out with none the wiser."

Rain sees your destination and sighs.

"We're approaching the facility," he informs.

You position yourself beside Rain to get a view of the station. Its layout is what you saw in the hologram, but that doesn't compare to the real thing. The place is massive - rivaling the city of Corona. There are few lights around the facility other than what appear to be docking tubes. Nevertheless it's a marvel to see.

You back up and stand in front of Hunter.

"So, am I supposed to memorize the layout to get through?" You doubtfully ask. "Cause I guarantee you I won't be able to."

Hunter shakes his head. He grabs your holowatch arm and holds it beside his. Within a few seconds he lets your arm go.

"I transferred the data to you. Just follow the line on your watch and you'll make it."

You stare at your holowatch with amazement.

"This thing is incredible. Is there anything it can't do?" You snicker.

"No, not really. I'd argue that it's Alistair's greatest invention. Though, there are only a few people who have them, and that's all the copies. You, me, Alistair, I believe Juno has one," Hunter says, furrowing his brow. "And I think that's it. Though it's possible he could have made more. I truly can't say. I think Alistair gave unfinished schematics to W.A. Industries, however, so we may see the holowatch on everyone in the next few years."

You nod in acknowledgement and lean back on your hip.

Hm... Elsa's making the holowatch, huh? But... doesn't she know I have one? Wouldn't that... nah, she's smarter than that. Surely, if she knew about it, she would know something is up.

"Oh, and one more thing before we get there. Try to avoid contact with Ursula, but if for some reason you meet her do not listen to anything she has to say. She's manipulative and crafty. She may not be able to do much herself, but... let's just say I have a history with her. Just don't listen to her," Hunter advises.

"What's so bad about her?" You ponder.

"Well, aside from being Alistair's number two - other than Juno, of course - she was one of the founding members of the Hierarchy. She knows almost everything there is to know. Her knowledge is only surpassed by Alistair. No doubt she'll try to deceive you in some way. Don't let her. She can't really do anything to you, so just ignore her and continue on with the mission." Hunter places his hands on your shoulders and stares into your eyes. "I'm serious, (Y/N). I don't want anything to happen to you."

You chuckle and pat Hunter's cheek.

"So nice to know you still give a damn about your itty bitty brother. Was starting to think you didn't."

Hunter is taken back a bit.

"Wait... really? You thought I didn't care?"

You're about to answer but Rain interrupts you both.

"I... I don't mean to interrupt... but we're almost at the docking tube."

Hunter looks at the station and sees the tube not far from where everyone is. Hunter activates his holowatch and starts shuffling through some codes. He finds one and clicks it, then holds his watch towards the base. Once Rain gets close enough to the pipe it begins to open. Water floods into it as a result.

"Take us in Rain," Hunter commands.

"I-I'm on it."

Rain brings the ball into the docking tube. He then sways his arms towards the ocean. All the water in the tube shuffles out and becomes on with the ocean again. Rain then sends the water from the ball into the ocean, leaving you all standing in the tube. Rain holds all the water at bay, just outside the tube. Hunter fiddles with his watch a bit until the doors close. Rain lets his hands droop down and turns to face you both. When he sees both of you are looking at him he begins to blush.

Hunter turns around to the entrance of the facility. He inputs a code into his holowatch which makes the door open.

"Come on."

The three of you enter the facility. You're greeted by an enormous room. There doesn't seem to be any other smaller rooms in this place, it's as big as it looked from the outside. There are machines, boxes, and people all around - hard at work. The sound of those machines being used fills up the room. It makes sense since, from what you can see, there are five giant machines being used at once.

The three of you hide behind a nearby box. Nobody is around, so you have a few seconds to breathe. Hunter slightly moves out of cover to see the area.

"Alright, you two need outfits. I believe there should be a station to pick some up, so you could do that or just take it from some people. Your choice. I'm going to sneak into the other building, just like I planned. We'll meet up in the server room. Good luck."

Hunter pats your head before sneaking off. You and Rain look at each other.

"So, what should we do?" You ask.

"Well... I think you should just lead us. I... I'm not good at leading," he recommends.

You nod your head.

"Right... I'll lead us through this place I've never been before. Should be fun."

"Sorry," Rain says, lowering his head.

You turn your head to face him.

"What? No, Rain, I was just kidding. Don't worry, I'll get us through this one way or another."

You peek out from behind the box and look around. There are some workers walking around, talking about whatever they must be working on.

Hunter said there is a place we can get outfits. Maybe a workers station or something? There are no other room in this place, so it must be a makeshift one. I should look for some tables or something. Seems like it would be a lunch area sort of deal.

You scan the area for any sort of R&R station. Rain stays behind you, keeping a lookout just in case. He moves to the other side of the box and peers out. He immediately notices two guards walking towards his current location.

"So why are we coming here?" The one on the right asks.

"Well, apparently a ship docked here, but nobody has actually come out. Who knows, it might have been a malfunction," the left one answers.

"Well if it's a malfunction then why are we wasting our time? I'm on break!" Right complains.

"Oh shut it. We'll look, nothing will be there, and we'll leave. Simple as that."

The two men are mere feet away from where you and Rain hide. Rain turns around and taps your shoulder.

"(Y/N)! People are coming!" He informs.

You turn around and see the two men. They have the same colour brown hair, but one has a grey baseball cap on. You grab Rain's shirt and pull him to the other side of the box, opposite of the workers. The problem is, you're exposed to anyone who cares to look in your direction. You know someone will see you at this rate. Just a glance, an oddity in their peripheral vision and your cover is blown. You look at Rain and put your hand on his shoulder.

"Follow my lead," you whisper.

You grab his shirt once more and force both of you to your feet.

"Hey, are you the welcoming committee we were supposed to receive?" You ask in a semiprofessional tone.

The two men look over at you. They size you both up.

"Who are you two?"

"I'm (Y/N), and this is my friend... Matt," you say, waving your hand towards Rain.

Rain looks at your for a moment but remembers what you said.

"Y-yes, hi. Nice to meet you," Rain nervously greets.

"We're the, uh, new guys here," you lie.

"I didn't know we were getting new guys?" The left one says, whispering to his friend.

"Hmm, oh no! We were! Remember Thomas and Jerald... well... they had a workplace issue and were deemed unfit for work. Remember?"

The one on the left thinks for a moment.

"Oh yeah! That's right Gary. I almost forgot. I guess these two are their replacements."

Gary walks around the box and extends his hand.

"Hi, I'm Gary. Gary Miles. This here is my brother-in-law William."

"Call me Will," he requests.

You and Rain take turns shaking Gary's hand.

"Thank you. So, do you mind giving us a little tour? This place is huge," you chuckle.

"Sure, no problem. Everyone is star struck their first time here. But let's get you in uniform first. Wouldn't want people thinking you broke in or anything," he jokes.

"That seems impossible," you snicker.

"Yeah, it is. Anyway, come on."

You and Rain walk behind Gary and Will. Rain leans close to you.

"Why did you say my name was Matt?" He whispers.

"For safety. Who knows if they have you on file or something."

"Well... what about you? Wouldn't they have you on file too?" Rain proposes.

You shake your head.

"I don't think so. If they did, I believe I would be referred to as Overlord, and not (Y/N)."

"So, did you hear Duchess Ursula is pissed," Will chuckles. "That incident a few weeks back still has her on edge."

"I wouldn't see why. It's not like that guy could come back. Plus, he seems like nothing compared to what's been going on lately. I heard that one of the Westergaard kids is going rogue, and he even went after Overlord," Gary whispers.

"Overlord? I haven't heard that in years. Wasn't he here at one point?"

Gary nods.

"Yeah, he was here. He was just a baby, but I've never seen Ursula take so much interest in anything before. She and the Monarch had a huge argument when she learned he was bringing Overlord to Arendelle. That was a tense time."

Gary looks back at you and Rain.

"Sorry, we're just rambling. You learn a lot around here. Soon enough you'll know too," he smiles.

You shrug.

"I suppose."

Gary and Will lead you to a corner, where, as you predicted, a collection of tables and lockers. Gary grabs two uniforms out from a locker.

"Here. Don't worry about the size, these are designed to fit anyone. Just some of the things we do," he smiles.

You and Rain grab the outfits. They are bland, grey boiler suits that look like everyone else's.

"Is there a place we can change?" You ask, looking around.

Gary shakes his head.

"They can just go over your current clothes. Suit up quick, we have some work to do."

Rain glances at you. You smirk and shrug, not meaning for this to happen. Rain exhales and stays behind you. He doesn't want to have to talk to anyone. You're doing a... well, other than putting both yourself and Rain into actual work, you're doing a decent job.

"But we're on break!" Will whines.

"Well, too bad. We'll have to use our next break more effectively. The day is still young, Will. Don't you worry."

Will huffs and fixes his hat up. The two workers lead you across the warehouse. You get a few looks by the some of the workers which puts you on edge. Though these two may not recognize you, it's fair to say that someone here might. Surprisingly there seems to be no security. You've yet to see anyone with a gun or anything around here. As it is, if you were detected, you could probably take down everyone in this room.

It is interesting to you how these random workers seem to know so much. Not just Gary and Will, but you've heard gossip from a lot of people. Some talk about the elementals, others about Alistair, and even Elsa. You have the urge to knock anyone out who even thinks about laying a finger on her. But her safety is what's a true concern. Almost everyone knows she's in Arendelle, and is running W.A. Industries.

If these warehouse workers know about Elsa... then every important Hierarchy member probably knows! But... wait, if they do know then why wouldn't they do anything about it? Is what Alistair said true? Is the Hierarchy really not after Elsa?

Rain lightly taps you on the shoulder once he realizes you're not fully paying attention. You snap back into it and realize Gary has been talking. You don't have to scan your surroundings since it's quite obvious what the intended focal point is. A collection of a few dozen mattress sized boxes are piled into a corner.

"So all we have to do is load these onto the conveyer belt and make sure they're set up properly in the next warehouse. Duchess Ursula wants to test them," Will explains.

Your eyes widen and you crack a smile.

"The Duchess? Are we going to meet her?" You ask, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Rain raises his brow and gazes at you. Gary rests his hand on one of the crates and leans his body onto it.

"Probably not, no. Duchess Ursula usually just watches over all of us. She's always watching," he eerily says, turning his head to you.

You raise your eye brows in surprise. Rain folds his arms and hunches a little. Gary and Will both burst out laughing.

"Sorry," Gary chuckles. "I didn't... well, yeah I did mean to be that creepy, but don't worry about it too much. I doubt the Duchess cares if you pick your nose or anything. But... she does actually watch us all. So keep that in mind."

"Anyway," Will lightheartedly says, hoping to steer away from a dark subject. "Let's just get to work. Faster we start the faster we'll be done."

"Yes, exactly," Gary nods. "So you two grab one box and we'll grab another. It takes two to tango, as they say," he chuckles. "Just load them onto this conveyer belt. Once they're all on we'll guide it to the main hub and unload it. Simple as that."

You and Rain nod. You both get to work, walking up to one of the crates.

"(Y/N)... I'm not that strong..." He quietly admits.

You wave your hand at him.

"Please, this shouldn't be too bad," you assure, walking to the middle of the crate. "Just get on the other side and make it look like you're lifting it."

Rain nods and follows your orders. You pick up the box, which isn't too bad. It's definitely lighter than the Freeway. You both shuffle over to the conveyer belt. Rain slips out of the way and you place it on. You push it more to the center to finish off. Gary and Will place theirs on top of yours a few seconds after.

"Two down... two dozen more to go," Will sighs.

"Might be more than that," Gary corrects.

"Ababababa," Will shouts, waving his hands in front of him. "I don't need that sort of talk in my life."

Gary shakes his head and lightly pats Will.

"Shut up, little bro."

"Hey! I'm not your 'little bro' so stop calling me that! Will is just fine!"

"Alright... William," Gary taunts.

"Are you looking for a beating!?"

You chuckle and get back to work. For some reason this seems so natural and easy for you. Gary and Will are actually nice guys, and have a lot to talk about. It's weird to think they're part of the organization that you've fought against for a while now. They just seem so normal. Well, Hans once said that everyone in the Hierarchy were just regular men and women. You'd never take Hans' word for almost anything, but this one makes sense. These people, all of these people, seem to be just normal men and women working hard. They're relatable, and not downright demented like Hans.

Thanks to your strength it takes little time for all the boxes to be loaded up. You put the last on top, completing the stack of three. You wipe your forehead, pretending that the work was really hard. Gary and Will smile at the work being done so quickly. It's never been like this before. Usually it takes time, and around six people to complete it in double the time it took you.

Gary pats you and Rain on the back.

"(Y/N), Matt, you two are naturals."

Rain moves away from Gary while you draw his attention.

"Thanks Gary. So, should we get moving?"

Gary nods.

"We should indeed. Come on, we have to cross over through the tube. The conveyer belt has its own, so we need not worry about that."

"Need not worry?" Will comments. "Look at you Mr. Sophisticated"

"Yeah, whatever. Let's get moving."

Gary walks towards the end of the conveyer belt and hits a button. The belt starts bringing the boxes along its path, and into the nearby wall. Gary and Will lead you and Rain to the exit of the room. Gary punches in a code and the door begins to open.

"We'll assign you your code when we finish up. You'll need it when you're transferring items from section to section. Without it, you'll never be able to leave a single room," Gary explains.

The door opens, allowing you all to enter. You look around and see an amazing sight. The tube is completely see through, so you can see all the wonders of the ocean. Rain in particular enjoys this view, as a smile creeps onto his face. Anything that has to do with water makes Rain happy.

"Oh, and in the case of an emergency there is one thing you should know. All doors have a manual shut down, which makes them slam shut. It's in case of a water spill. If that happens, both sides of the doors have a small button in the upper right side. If any unfortunate incident ever happens, you know how to keep this station safe," Gary teaches.

You nod.

"Well, hopefully nothing will happen," you say, genuinely meaning what you're saying.

"Nothing usually happens unless someone purposefully attempts to mess up the station. I don't know why though, it would be the death of almost everyone here."

"Let's not scare the new guys, huh," you joke.

"Oh, of course. I hope we didn't," Gary warmly apologizes.

The four of you reach the next door and wait for Gary to input his code. Once he does, the door slowly opens, revealing another massive room. Contrary to the other complex, this one actually has different rooms. But the most noticeable thing is the large glass lookout near the back of the room.

That HAS to be Ursula's room. I need to get there somehow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mmmmm, so that's (Y/N)," Ursula purrs, staring down at you from her perch. "The prince of all has graced me with a visit... but I wonder what for? Maybe to see his Auntie Ursula after so long. Hmmm, what I would do to him."

Ursula bounces out of her chair and walks around, swaying her hips and walking with passion. It's a walk that says she owns the world, and she basically does. She has a reason to walk like that, and she'll strut her stuff no matter what. She approaches the glass and gets a better look at you.

"Hmm, just like his father. I think a little reunion is in order. AFTER I see him move all those heavy boxes."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While you stare at Ursula's lookout Rain, Gary, and Will walk over to the conveyer belt. The boxes had already arrived before you and were ready to be unloaded. Before the three notice you're distracted you manage to come to and join them. You all begin unloading the boxes and stacking them in the designated zone. It once again takes little time to complete the task. Once Gary and Will put down the last box you lean against a wall.

"So what now?"

"We head back to our area. We're not supposed to be here for no reason," Gary answers.

"Actually," a female voice echoes over the speaker. "I think one of those boys should stay a little longer."

Gary, Will, Rain, and yourself look around the area.

"It's the Duchess," Gary whispers.

"The new one, (Y/N). Come to my office. Someone will escort you here."

As soon as she says it a nearby door opens, and a security guard approaches you.

"Come. The Duchess is waiting."

You look back at Rain who dons a worried look. You smile and wink at him, telling him not to worry. He blushes and looks away.

You follow the guard through the door he came. This whole place, unlike the previous building, is a lot more high tech. The walls are black with a blue line that goes everywhere. But it's not just the colour, it's the way it looks. You assume it's metal, but it just doesn't look like it. The black and blue just go well together and give the whole place a different feeling. There are also smaller rooms scattered around the entire place, and one huge room in the middle. The middle on actually looks like the training area back at your house, except it has some modifications.

The guard leads you through a few corridors and up some stairs. The stairs exit directly into the glass room you saw earlier.

"Darling!" A woman says so loud you swear she's yelling. "It's been so long!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Earlier

Hunter throws a piece of metal at a button. The bulkhead starts falling at a high speed. Hunter sprints towards it and slides underneath just in time. He rolls over his shoulder and stops his momentum with one of his hands, resting on one knee. He stands up and exhales.

"Sheesh, that was way too easy. You'd think they'd improve their security after I broke in here last time."

Hunter casually walks through the pipe that leads him to the next structure. He ignores the scenery around him, which is clear glass that allows one to see into the ocean. Fish and other sea creatures swim by the facility. Hunter doesn't even take note of them. He approaches the door and inputs a code. The door opens to expose a massive warehouse type room. There are boxes upon boxes stacked together, all with different labels and specific categorization. It's all organized in giant rows, meaning there is both little and yet lots of room to maneuver.

Hunter takes cover behind the nearest column and takes a moment to focus. It's a quiet room, so everything should be easy enough to hear. Hunter takes a moment and finally hears footsteps.

"Guards, no doubt," he confirms.

Hunter takes a step away from the column and goes towards the stacked boxes. He stretches his neck before running towards it and jumping. He passes two shelves before having to grab onto the third one. He quickly lifts himself to the fourth, fifth, then the top. He pulls himself up and kneels right down, as not to be seen. He looks around the ceiling to make a mental note of where the lights are. There are about two dozen hanging lights that illuminate the room, but the rest is darkness. It doesn't matter, however, as the guards are no doubt using one of Ursula's inventions: adaptable night vision. It isn't blinded by the light, in fact they can see perfectly in both environments, and she likes to use them on her guards.

"No point sticking to the shadows. I have to completely stay out of sight."

Hunter carefully shuffles across the box, keeping his knees bent and his body low. He moves to the edge and looks down. Nobody is there. Hunter pounces from one row to another. He lands softly, but still waits a moment before moving again. Once he assumes he's in the clear he starts sneaking once more. He pulls up his holowatch and scans a small list.

"Labeled... 'Plan'. So it would be in the 'P' section. What am I in?"

Hunter moves to the far end and takes a gander.

"'G', huh? Well, I got some distance to cover."

Hunter jumps to the next row and keeps going. He hops over a few before hearing voices. Hunter instantly stops himself and holds his breath.

"So, did you hear we have some guests?" A raspy voice starts.

"Guests? What do you mean?" A slightly higher pitch man asks.

"Why do you think we're here? Soldiers of our caliber don't guard this," the raspy man says with pride. "The Duchess saw Hunter and (Y/N) enter the facility! She wants them alive, so keep your gun on stun."

"Who? I've never heard of them before?"

"They're the children of the Monarch. You know, Monarch Alistair Knight?"

"Wait, he has kids?"

Hunter hears a huff.

"Nevermind, just keep your eyes open. The Duchess doesn't want anyone getting through here."

Hunter hears footsteps but they get quieter over time.

"Damnit! She knows we're here, and that means (Y/N) is in trouble. Curious how they didn't mention Rain though. Whatever, I have to warn him!"

Hunter is about to get moving but stops. He looks back at his holowatch, thinking of the package he came here to search.

"Well... he can take care of himself for a time. I'll get to him right after this."

Hunter creeps to the edge of the box. He looks down to see a soldier, and a heavily armoured one at that. It's the same type that came after you during the CMFs. They're one of the deadliest in the Hierarchy.

"Ursula must be serious about our capture," Hunter mumbles.

Hunter very carefully jumps onto the next row. He lands fairly quiet. Hunter takes another step which shuffles the box. It opens towards the soldier and starts to spill its contents. Hunter spins around, gets on his stomach and grabs the flaps of the box, closing them. His body is tense, and his mind is flaring. He isn't sure what to do. If he lets go, whatever's in the box will fall, but Hunter can't properly close it without making himself known.

Hunter looks to his holowatch. He uses his chin to activate the buttons and summon a dog's toy - a small orange ball. Hunter grabs it with his watch hand and moves on his side. He looks farther down the corridor of boxes. He focuses for a second, planning his shot. He whips the ball down the corridor. It hits a box, making a sound, and then the ball lands behind a different box. The soldier hears the noise and raises their gun. They slowly start walking towards the sound, giving Hunter some time. Hunter moves his body off the box and in front of the flaps. He quickly fiddles with the flaps, forcing them back together without using any sort of tape or glue. Once he's sure it's stable Hunter pulls himself back on top of the box and gets the hell out of there.

He quickly hops a few rows down, being careful the entire time. Once he's an ample distance away Hunter lies flat on his back and takes a second to breathe.

"Too close," he huffs.

Hunter flips onto his stomach and slowly pushes himself up. He looks back to where he started and counts in his head.

"If I'm right... this next row should be 'P'."

Hunter approaches the next row and looks down. No guards seem to be there and he can't hear any nearby. Hunter jumps down and lands, letting his body almost touch the ground to minimize the sound. He stays low and keeps a lookout.

"Jesus... I feel like Spider-Man in this position."

Hunter stands up and rotates his shoulders and starts softly walking. He looks back and forth between the two sides, scanning his eyes over every label. He keeps his pace slow, and his breathing under control. He doesn't want to attract any attention - mane a squeak with his steps or make himself known by his breathing. He ignores everything that isn't labelled "plan", no matter how interesting it may seem. He's too focused on his father to try and stop anything else the Hierarchy is doing.

Hunter smiles when he finds the box with the label. He walks up to it and lightly places his hand on the box, pushing against it.

"Nothing huge on the inside," he points out.

Hunter takes another gander at his surroundings. Certain nobody is around, he pulls the box out. It's extremely easy to hold. Hunter grips it tight with one hand while letting go with the other. He looks up and springs towards the top. He makes it on top and sets the box down. He opens it up and takes a peek of what's inside.

The only thing in the box is a chip. A single, small computer chip. Hunter picks it up and examines it a bit. He's not sure what it could be, but he's banking on it having something to do with Alistair's master plan. A smirk creeps onto his face. He places the chip in the holowatch for later.

"I could search it but this isn't the place. I need to get to Ursula's servers. But..." Hunter looks back at the box. "Why place this here? Why not keep it with him?"

Hunter doesn't allow this to distract him for now. He closes up the box and looks back down at the isle. Thankfully nobody is there, and he can put the box down without problems. He hops down with the box and slides it into position. With everything he wanted to do completed, he only has your task left to finish.

By his memory, the exit tube should be close by. Close enough to not need to haul his butt back up there. Hunter sighs and starts walking. He comes to the outer edge of the place and pokes his head out. He sees a soldier walking the opposite way. Hunter smirks and slips out of the isle, running fast but still quietly. He passes one isle and looks down it, seeing someone walking towards him. Their eyes meet for a split second before Hunter runs by. The soldier is confused for a second but quickly chases after him, not totally sure if he just saw something or not.

"Shit," Hunter huffs.

He runs as fast as he can to the end of the room and takes a sharp right turn. Thankfully, he got out of the way of the soldier coming for him. Unfortunately he runs right into another soldier. The soldier falls on his face. Hunter, on the other hand, is still on his feet. Hunter instantly kneels down beside the man and knocks him out with one blow. Hunter stands back up and looks down at the body. He can't just leave it there, so he has to hide it somewhere. Hunter looks around, trying to find somewhere to hide him.

Hunter hears footsteps and looks behind him. The soldier from before comes around the corner, gun aimed at Hunter.

"Fuck."

Hunter ducks, just dodging a shocking bolt. He grabs the unconscious body, rolls towards the soldier, and tosses the body at the soldier. The body lands right on top of the soldier, pinning him down. Hunter keeps his momentum going and ends up right on top of the two bodies. Hunter hits the soldier with a quick yet strong punch to the soldiers face, knocking him out instantly.

Hunter exhales and stands up.

"Well... I can't hide all of these. I'm either going to have to be quick... or take everyone in this room down. Goddamnit..."

Hunter contemplates what to do. Hunter shakes his head.

"I have to get to (Y/N). I'll have to risk it."

Hunter grabs the bodies and huddles them beside a box. If anyone were to look, they would find the bodies with ease. Hunter stares at them for a moment and huffs.

"It'll have to do," he huffs, crossing his arms. "So let's get going."

Hunter looks down the hallway, seeing the entrance to the door not too far down. Hunter sprints down the hall and reaches the door. He stops in front of it and enters a code which opens the door in seconds. He rushes into the tube without a second thought. To his dismay, two soldiers are walking towards the entrance - towards him. Hunter realizes his situation and comes up with a plan. Before the two can raise their guns Hunter jumps towards them, curling into a ball and turning his body horizontally. Once he is between the two he almost glues his hands and feet together. He sends his fists at one, and his feet at the other. The two are sent back at the two opposite walls - unconscious.

Hunter lands on his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He coughs as he pushes himself onto his knees. He takes a moment to regain his composure. He shakes his head and gets back on his feet. Without wasting another second Hunter runs to the next door, entering his code. As the door opens Hunter slips to the side, out of view from anyone who might be on the other side.

Once the door opens Hunter waits for a moment. He hears nothing to indicate someone is there. It's possible the guards he just took out were the ones here before. Hunter quickly looks into the next room. He sees no guards or any personnel to interrupt him. Hunter sleuths out of the corner and into the room. He's been here before, so he knows exactly where to go in order to get to the server room. He takes an immediate left and enters the door. There's a stairwell leading right up, and he takes it. He traverses up the stairs until he reaches the top. He hears a woman's voice - Ursula's - shout.

"Hello darling! It's been to long!"

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The woman, who you assume to be the famed Duchess Ursula, is a very large woman in a black dress. Her skin isn't quite pale... almost like it has a purple tone to it, and her hair is white, yet she doesn't look old. She has some obvious make-up on in an attempt to make her look half-decent but truthfully she's rather revolting. Her finger nails are coated red and they're long. Long enough to jab your eye out with if she pleased. She's also wearing a seashell as a necklace which falls just above her cleavage. The dress she's wearing honestly doesn't suit her. It makes her look even larger than other clothes would. Her meaty legs step over each other, much like Elsa when she wears a dress but not even close to as enticing.

"Yes... a whole life time, I would say," you reluctantly speak. "I don't think I've had the... pleasure," you half-heartedly say. "To meet you."

"Oh, darling I'm insulted," she pouts, stopping right in front of you. "You don't remember Auntie Ursula?"

You stare into her eyes which scream evil intention. She's not even trying to hide her dark heart, it's practically her pupils. You look away and see Hunter at the doorway. He's giving you a look of pity. You dart your eyes to the side, telling him to get moving. Hunter nods and scurries off.

I'm going to have to distract her now... great... Looks like I'll have to play along in her game.

"I'm afraid I don't," you admit, your body stiffening up due to the unnerving feeling she's giving you.

"Well, I suppose I can forgive you. You were very... young," she purrs, tracing her fingernail down your chest.

You shiver at her action.

"Yes... I'd have to be. I'm sure I would remember someone as... charming as you," you say with a fake smile.

Ursula places her hand on her chest and chuckles.

"Well that's quite the compliment, isn't it? Or is it an insult?" She inquires, truly intrigued.

"It's whatever you want to be," you coldly respond.

"Ohh, feisty. You're so much like your father, you know. I hear you two don't get along too well," she says, slowly walking around you.

"We manage somehow. Kind of hard to have a healthy relationship when he tries to kill me."

Ursula snickers.

"So why not kill him back?"

Your body tenses up and your face becomes more serious.

"We have fought before... I may not have seen the monster he is but Hunter has. I'm following his lead."

"Oh, so you're just a henchmen blindly doing what you're told?" She says, trying to hit a nerve.

"I have my own mind. I can make my own decisions," you reassure Ursula and yourself.

"Hm... and how many of your own decisions have you really made, hm? Maybe you should go rogue. Watch what Hunter does without you. Watch what Alistair really does," Ursula proposes, slowly circling you, her wide hips grazing past your jeans with every motion she makes.

"What're you getting at?" You ask, having some idea of what she's talking about but not a complete one.

"Oh, nothing. Just ramblings of an aging Duchess. I've been at this for a long time. I was one of the first Hierarchy members, you know? Back when Maleficent was the Monarch, but that was a long time ago."

"What happened to her?"

Ursula stops in front of you. She looks into your eyes. You can't read her by her eyes. Even her facial expressions change. Hunter's right, she seems to be the manipulative sort, but you're unsure what she wants you to do. Abandon Hunter? Kill Alistair? She has an agenda and you're tied into somehow.

"She was replaced when the Westergaard family started taking power, which resulted in the second Monarch: Balthier Westergaard.

You raise your brow. Something is odd with this. Why is Ursula telling you this? Why is she telling you anything? You're her enemy, aren't you? Why is she even talking to you? Why not just kill you right there? It makes no sense. Ursula smiles and turns around, walking towards her observatory.

"Wasn't so bad, I suppose, but his downfall was his pride. Couldn't accept that someone didn't want to work for him - being such a powerful man and all."

You take a single step closer to Ursula.

"Who didn't want to work with him?"

Ursula's smile widens, though you can't see it.

"Your father, of course. He was working on some revolutionary stuff, I must admit. I saw his genius as soon as Balthier explained the work Alistair was doing. It was the origin of the elemental project, except he was testing one's mental abilities. knew he had potential to be a great mind and create wonders, which he did. But I never predicted he had the potential to be a great threat," she admits, her voice trailing off, mind wandering.

"Why was he a threat? Did Alistair attack Balthier?"

"No," Ursula shakes her head. "Balthier made the first move and it cost him everything. It was the first time the Hierarchy was defied to such an extreme, and your father won. He smashed us to bits; we never saw it coming. It ended with Balthier dead, and Alistair taking over as Monarch."

"Well, it's not like he did it alone. He had my mother, didn't he?" You point out.

"Juno?" Ursula laughs. "Oh boy, she came into the picture afterwards. But, let's not focus on the past," she declares, walking beside you. "You're interested in the present and future. Ask, and Auntie Ursula will answer."

Ursula walks past you towards a desk. You slowly turn around to keep her in your sight. He walks closely beside her desk, grazing her nails across the metal. She takes a seat in her chair and folds her arms like a triangle; resting her head on her hands.

"As much as the past interests me it's true I'm not here for a history lesson. I want to know where Hans went," you say with assertion.

Ursula maintains her devious smile

"I flew him to Sanfransokyo. What he's doing there... I lack that knowledge."

You take a step away and look at the window.

"So... now what? Am I allowed to leave peacefully? I'd rather not have to hurt everyone here," you honestly say.

"I won't stop you. Go, leave," Ursula allows.

She looks down at her tablet and sees a small light go off. She chuckles a little bit but it doesn't gain your attention.

"We'll see how it goes," she whispers.

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A circular ship approaches the docking bay to the storage warehouse on the left side, opposite to the factory. It's quite literally a medium sized ball, similar to Rain's creation except it's made of a metallic substance. It's all black on the outside with a small, circle window at the very front. There are small jets all over the ball in for its movement. It slowly enters the docking area and locks in. The entrance slowly drains all the water out then opens to the main area. The front of the ball releases the air locked inside as it opens. Once open, it reveals Alistair.

Alistair, a little agitated, walks out of the ball and into the facility. The room is dark except for the few lights. He never understood why Ursula did this, but he never spent enough time here to complain about it. Alistair pulls down the end of his sleeve and takes a left. He casually walks towards the wall, not paying attention to any of the lanes to the side. However, a soldier is in one of those lanes. He sees Alistair and panics. He fires at him, not having his gun set to stun. Four bullets fly at Alistair. He lifts his hand towards the bullets and focuses for a moment. The bullets slow down, eventually stopping a short distance away from him.

Alistair lowers his hands, also dropping the bullets onto the ground. The soldier drops his gun and raises his hands.

"Monarch! I'm so sorry! I thought you were an intruder!" He pleads.

Alistair turns his head towards the soldier. His face isn't as neutral at it usually is. Right now, he seems more annoyed. Alistair looks over at the soldier with a death stare that paralyzes the soldier with fear. Alistair lifts his hand towards him.

"Soldiers don't beg. You face whatever you face with honour."

The soldier shakes with fear, unsure of what the Monarch will do to him. Alistair maintains his menacing stare. The bullets start to lift into the air, swirling around Alistair. The bullets then fly toward the soldier, piercing both his shoulders and knees. The soldier falls on the ground, screaming in pain. Soon enough, other soldiers converge on his location. They look around, but nobody there other than the other soldier.

Alistair is already gone, and is on his way towards Ursula's office.

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Hunter punches in some codes and such into the computer. His eyes dart between the screen and his fingers. With the time you've bought, he's learned where Hans has gone, along with some other interesting details.

"So Hans is in Sanfransokyo? Good thing I have some friends there. Plus they should be able to help out with any techy shit I might need. They'll be better than (Y/N) and me could hope to be."

He continues surfing through the server to see if he can find anything else. He stumbles upon something that interests him.

"Hans... He's been sending men after Elsa? But... they've all failed? Who stopped them? Elsa? Hm... Maybe I should let (Y/N) know..." Hunter contemplates thus for a moment, really thinking about the situation. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, something is keeping them away, and I don't have the time to investigate that. Whatever, I have all the information I need."

Hunter signs out of the server and starts getting a move on. His mind is still fighting with itself on whether to tell you about Elsa or not. Sure, she somehow is alright but he has no way of knowing how long that will last. She's a resourceful and strong willed woman, though. She can take care of herself. It rattles Hunter's brain. He really isn't sure, no matter how much he tells himself she's fine.

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"Well, I thank you for not forcing me to resort to violence."

"Of course not. But... well... once you leave maybe we can work together? I helped you, so you help me?"

You stare down Ursula for a moment. You shake your head and cross your arms.

"Sorry, but as helpful as you've been I won't help you no matter what."

Before any more conversation can go on Hunter rushes into the room.

"(Y/N) we have to go. Now. Right now!"

He runs past you and out the door you came in. You give a nod to Ursula then follow Hunter.

Ursula begins to smile an ever so devious smile.

"If you won't help me... then you're technically my enemy. As my enemy, I can't let you leave with the information you have."

Ursula picks up her tablet and accesses the communications.

"Listen up, all security personnel," Ursula speaks, her voice only being heard through every soldier's headset. "Overlord and Hunter are here, and they're attempting to leave with crucial information. They are heading to the factory via my tube. Corner them, and deal with them."

Ursula places her tablet down and smiles, proud at what she's done.

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You and Hunter run down the stairs and backtrack the way you came. You and Hunter stop at the tube. Hunter punches in a code that opens it. The door slowly opens, leading into the tube. You both rush in. You need to find Rain before you can leave.

You sprint to the end or the tube and stop before the next door. Hunter once again punches in a code once more. The door opens up to the factory area. Thankfully not many people actually notice you and Hunter. One of the people who do notice you is Rain. He instantly makes his way towards you two.

"Rain! Are you okay?" You ask with concern.

Rain blushes, looks to your feet, and nods.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay. I just had to move some things around. It wasn't so bad."

Hunter looks around the room and notices a mass of soldiers slowly walking towards him.

"Guys, I think we need to leave," he says, directing all of your attention towards the incoming threat."

You balance how fast the soldiers are moving to the distance to the exit.

"We're not going to make it to the docking area. We have to go back. Is there a way out through any of the other buildings?" You ask, looking at Hunter.

He nods.

"Yeah, there's one in the storage facility. It'd be best if we went back the way we came and circled around."

The soldiers finally recognize you three. One points in your direction, and the others raise their guns. The workers around them panic and run to the very sides of the building. The ones who don't see it are confused at the whole ordeal. The soldiers start firing at you, which instantly makes the three of you duck and run. You cycle through the holowatch until you find the Dragon Sword. There's no way you can deflect bullets or anything, but something is better than nothing.

Hunter reaches the door and starts punching in the code, trying not to get shot. Rain stays down and out of the line of fire completely. You stand strong with your sword, spinning it in a circular motion. You guide some bullets away, but some come too close for comfort.

"How're we doing with the door, Hunter? They're getting close!"

"My code isn't working! Hold on!" He shouts, feeling the pressure.

You deflect one bullet but another grazes your cheek, making you bleed a little. You look at it for a second before diving out of the way, knocking away one bullet with a weak swing. You slide beside Rain and look over at Hunter.

"Come on!" You scream.

"I'm working on it!" He shouts back.

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Alistair walks up the stairs towards Ursula's office. Ursula is sitting at her desk, then looks up at Alistair.

"Alistair, my man! To what do I owe this pleasure?" She loudly greets, standing up.

"Give me your tablet," he commands.

Ursula pauses for a moment.

"Now."

Ursula quickly grabs the tablet and brings it to him in a hurried manner. By the tone in his voice Alistair isn't in the mood for games, and Ursula knows this isn't the time to try and talk to him. Alistair grabs the tablet and enters his Monarch code into it. The Monarch code is something that allows full access to all the entire data base he's currently at. Thus, Alistair has full access. He cycles through the tablet, absorbing all the information he reads.

Hans is in Sanfransokyo. Ursula sent men after my sons. That's all I need.

Alistair swipes to another screen and enters a series of codes. On the tablet a window pops up. It reads "Self-destruct sequence? Enter code."

Ursula knows that my sons must live. She also aided in Hans' escape. Her facility can sink to the bottom of the ocean for all I care.

Alistair inputs his code and confirms the self-destruct sequence. A siren starts sounding throughout the entire base, letting everyone know that the place is about to explode. One explosion is all it will take to cripple the base. The integrity of the base will falter, and the water pressure will crush it.

Ursula grabs Monarch's arm and pulls on it.

"What are you doing? This is my base! My home!" She cries out.

"You should have thought of that before attacking my children. They can't die yet, and you know that. Your insolence must be punished."

Alistair activates his holowatch and summons his broadsword. Ursula backs up, her hands in line with her chest.

"Alistair... what're you..? I've been nothing but loyal!"

"No... you're wrong. And like the rest of the Hierarchy, you will die. Your life will just end before the destruction is fulfilled."

Before Ursula can speak Alistair casually launches the sword at her, piercing her heart and pinning her against the far wall. She struggles for a short amount of time before going limp. Alistair clicks his holowatch, bringing the sword back into it. Ursula's body falls to the ground, toppling over itself. Alistair stares at it for a moment and walks back to the tablet. He accesses the cameras and cycles through them. He stops at a camera showing you, Hunter, and Rain all under fire. Alistair clicks a few buttons and opens the two doors.

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You grab a nearby box and toss it in their direction, hitting one soldier. All of a sudden an explosion detonates on the other side of the room, killing three workers and allowing water to start flowing in. Seeing this, Rain pushes the water back out of the hole. However he feels something else. He extends both arms in different directions and holds them there. His arms shake a little and his eyes start concentrating.

You look back at him.

"Rain, what is it?"

"The water... It's going to crush this place. I can hold it for a time, but... we need to get out of here. Please. This is difficult to hold."

Hunter keeps entering different codes until the door begins to open. He smiles and claps his hands.

"Ha! (Y/N), Rain! Come on!"

You and Rain look back, seeing the opening door. You both run towards it, escaping the room. The soldiers quickly chase after you while the workers rush to the docked ships. This place is going to explode, and every one of them wants to leave. Screaming, pushing, and even violence spark as everyone is only concerned for themselves. People are knocking out others to get closer to the ships. Some are doing the opposite - trying to help everyone they can. But there aren't enough ships for everyone, and nobody wants to be left behind.

The three of you run through the tube and see the next door opening as well. You stay behind Rain since he's moving a little slower. You've never seen him so focused or under so much stress. You don't know how difficult it is, but since Rain always claimed he has the most control over elemental powers, you can only assume this is taking its toll on him. You hear the soldiers coming through the tube.

"There they are! Fire!" You hear.

You grab your sword and attempt to protect Rain. Hunter makes it to the end and takes cover. He looks down the tube and gestures you to come.

"Hurry! I can close it!"

Rain nods and attempts to pick up the pace. He can hear explosions coming from all over the place. Even the room he's heading to has suffered some damage.

You and Rain make it passed the door. The soldiers are hot on your tail, firing clips upon clips at you. You make it past and slide behind cover.

"Close it!" You cry out.

Hunter taps away on the console. The door starts to close, cutting off the soldiers. You and Rain get out of cover and converge on Hunter. You're all panting heavily, sweating. Rain is still struggling with keeping the ocean at bay, making sure it doesn't crush you all. His arms are still up, shaking.

Hunter bends over and rests his hands on his knees. Some drops of sweat slip off of his forehead. Before you can rest easy you hear the soldiers attempt to open the door. You all look towards it. You sigh.

"We should move. We have some time," Hunter suggests.

"I... would like that," Rain huffs.

The three of start walking towards the other door. You go through a door into a large room. It's the same room you saw, the one that looks like the training room back at your house. The three of you walk through, all struggling in your own way. You get halfway through the room when you hear glass shatter. You look towards the observatory - the only place you remember their being glass - and see someone burst through it. The figure lands right in the middle of all three of you. It instantly rushes you and Hunter, grabbing your throats and slamming you into a nearby wall. You drop the Dragon sword in the scuffle. Rain just watches, unable to do anything to help.

You grab the hand around your neck and try to pull it off. You look at the man, seeing the eyes of your father.

"Why? I offered my help and you spit in my face?" He whispers, half laughing yet half disappointed. "Do you have no consideration for me?"

He lifts you both off the wall and throws you on the ground. You hold your throat, coughing. Hunter does the same.

"Hans is in Sanfransokyo, if you didn't already know. I offer my aid to you once more. If you decline it and attempt to get him yourself, if I run into you while you do that... I will kill you. Now, I will meet you all in Sanfransokyo. I look forward to it," Alistair threatens, venom filled in his voice. "And maybe if you actually came with me, this place wouldn't be self-destructing. This is your fault - both of you."

He turns around and starts walking away. He looks over at Rain, who is staring at him with fear. Alistair nods and walks away. He jumps back up to the observatory. He marches to the other side of the room, walking over Ursula's dead body. He reaches a little left of the middle of the wall. A small part of the wall opens, revealing a hand scanner. Alistair places his hand on it, and it scans his hand. After scanning it, the wall opens up and reveals an escape pod. Alistair walks in the escape pod, a similar looking construction to the ball he arrived in.

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You and Hunter squirm on the ground, trying to recover from Alistair's attack.

"Guys... those soldiers are almost through the door... we have to go... please," he whines.

You slowly get to your feet, still coughing and holding your neck. Hunter does the same, but starts moving before you. He stumbles to the door and begins unlocking it.

You get your senses back, shaking your head to finalize it. You walk towards your Dragon Sword and pick it up. Rain stays with you, still struggling to keep the base intact. You look over at him and see his pain.

"How're you holding up?" You ask with concern.

"I'd prefer it if we hurry, please," he begs.

You nod and run to Hunter, who is still trying to open the door. You move beside him and look at his work.

"What's taking so long?"

"Nothing... I just have lack of blood flowing to my brain so I can't think." He punches in a longer code than what he usually did. The door slowly begins to open. "There," he says, taking a step back.

The door opens just enough for Hunter to slip under it.

"I'll get the other door so we're not waiting so long. Time isn't our friend right now."

The ringing of the siren emphasizes that, but you're just blocking it out. The adrenaline of the situation is keep focused. The threat of dying; it makes your blood start pumping. It's a good thing.

Hunter runs to the other door and starts opening it. You wait for the first one to open. Rain slowly walks towards you. He stops when he hears an explosion not far behind him. You see the door fly through some of the architecture of the room. You quickly sprint towards the area, knowing that the soldiers will be coming through.

"Rain, go!" You shout, running past him.

You grip your sword tightly and run towards the hole. Soldiers start pouring in, but they're instantly met by your blade. You slide into the middle of them, cutting a few of their legs, making them fall to the ground. You bounce off your shoulders and land on your feet. You turn around and quickly absorb your surroundings.

There are a few soldiers who still hasn't come to terms with what just happened, so you still have some surprise. The soldiers you cut down are still alive, but they won't be attacking you. There are seven soldiers right in front of you. You're unsure if there are any more coming. Thus, you'll just handle who you have now.

You grab your sword with your other hand and ready an upward diagonal cut. You slice through the closest soldier, killing him instantly. You step past him and bring your sword down on another. The soldiers finally noticed you and start to turn their guns on you. You turn around and lean forward, stabbing one of the soldiers. Since their armour is so dense, you can move him with your sword. You pivot your foot and get yourself into a strong, stable stance. You drag the man to the side and smash a few other soldiers with him, making them lose their guns and fall to the ground.

One soldier raises their gun enough to get you in their sights. You notice this and instantly jump, performing and aerial twist over him. While hovering over him you slice once and land, letting your legs bend to absorb the fall. His head slowly falls off his body. You squint your eyes, knowing what the sound of his fleshy head hitting the ground is.

The three remaining soldiers start getting up, scrambling for their guns. You open your eyes, see this, and dart off your back leg. You catch one before he can even get on his feet, delivering a powerful kick to the side of his face. It knocks him out on contact. You continue with your momentum and move to the remaining two. One is in reach of their gun, and is about to grab it. You quickly spring off the ground and land right on top of him, plunging your sword into an artery. The next soldier is a step away. You spin your sword in your hands, spin as you step, and kneel down next to him, bringing your sword down on his neck.

You're about to take a breather but the base starts rattling. Explosions are coming from all over the place, and the facility isn't going to stay together for much longer, even if Rain holds off the water. You stand up and look down the tube to the factory. Even more soldiers are rushing through it to get to you. You exhale and start running to the next tube. You don't see Rain in the room you're in, and don't see him until you can see down the tube. Unfortunately the soldier are hot on your tail, firing at you. You dive into the rube, rolling over your shoulder so you can start running. Rain turns around and sees you coming. He waits at the end of the tube for you.

You reach half way through the tube before soldiers make it to the entrance. Hearing their footsteps, you turn around and try to knock away some of their bullets away. One bullet hits you, piercing through your chest. You cough up some blood, but refuse to fall. You keep moving back but they're moving too fast. You can't escape them. Rain sees this and cringes, hating he can't do anything. He looks back for Hunter, but he's securing an exit for them.

Hunter looks at the last escape pod.

"This is dad's pod. That mean... shit..."

You stumble back, losing blood the entire time. As you move back an explosion occurs in the tube... right beside you. It sends you flying to the other end of the tube like a child throwing a doll at a wall. You smash into the wall and fall on the ground. Your head has a major gash and is bleeding heavily. Your clothes are charred on the right side, and some parts aren't there anymore. Your right arm is completely exposed. Water starts pouring in through the hole in the wall. Rain's eyes widen. The soldiers were disoriented but weren't hurt like you. They start moving towards you. Rain decides not to stay idle anymore. Rain moves one hand towards the hole, making the water form a wall inbetween you and the soldiers. Rain cringes at the action. His head Is pounding. His powers are hitting its limit, but he has to keep going.

Rain walks towards you and falls to one knee.

"(Y/N), come on! Get up!" He begs.

You don't move. He takes a closer look at you and sees you are in fact breathing.

"Come on! Please get up!" He shouts.

Your eyes slowly open. Your ears are ringing; you can't hear a thing. You even your arms out and slowly push yourself up. You fall back onto the floor on the first try. It feels like your body is a planet right now. It's so heavy and tired. Your body is hurting so much that you don't even feel it anymore. It's just so intense, like when something is so cold it's hot. You shake your head and push yourself up with every ounce of strength you have. Your muscles can barely perform the action, but you make it so.Rain looks around and notices your Dragon Sword is a bit away from you. He looks down to your holowatch and attempts to fiddle with it. It locks up, but also brings the sword back into it. That's good enough.

You still can't get yourself up, so Rain shimmies under your arm and helps you onto your feet.

"Come on (Y/N)! We're getting out of here!"

You don't respond since you're still trying to get all your senses back. Rain basically carries you through the tube and to the escape pod.

Hunter sighs when he sees the only thing that's left. He looks at Rain with a melancholy look. Rain raises his brow and looks at the pod. You look up at the two and see them talking, but you still can't hear what they're saying. Your hearing is slowly coming back, but not in time to hear their little back and forth.

The ringing goes away finally and you start to hear the siren again.

Great...

You push off Rain and try to keep your balance. Hunter and Rain stay close to you, just in case. You get your balance and wait a second. Suddenly the pain in your chest amplifies through your body. You grab your chest and grip it tight.

"Are you okay?" Rain asks.

"No time. We have to get out of here. We'll get you medical attention once we're out," Hunter declares.

Rain nods and helps you to the escape pod. Hunter walks in first, clenching his fist. He turns around and watches you and Rain approach it. But... something's wrong. You can't hear Rain walking anymore. You stop right before the escape pod and turn around. Rain is standing behind you with a face similar to Hunter's - a melancholy one.

Rain cracks a smirk and pushes you into the escape pod. Hunter hits the button, closing the pod. Ignoring the pain, you quickly stand up and rush to the window.

"Hunter! What are you doing? Rain, get in!" You shout.

Hunter shakes his head.

"He can't. If he gets in this pod, we all die." You stare at Rain as Hunter talks. He has a sad, yet accepting face. "This is Alistair's personal pod. It's immune to elemental powers from the inside out. It was made so no water user could crush him on his way here. However... if Rain enters the pod his powers will be nullified. The facility will be crushed by the water pressure and we'll all die before we can even launch the pod."

You stare at Rain with horror as Hunter explains it. Rain keeps his eyes away from yours. He can't look you in the eye right now.

"No..." You whisper. "No, Hunter we're resourceful guys! We can find a way out of this!" Hunter shakes his head. "What about you Shadow? You have always have an answer!"

"I do. Rain has to stay here," he accepts.

"That's not good enough! Rain, come on! We can get out of here! Please!" You beg, tears forming down your face.

Rain smirks. He slowly looks into your eyes.

"(Y/N)... please... I have to do this. It's the only way."

"NO! I don't accept that! There's always another way!" You scream.

Rain shakes his head.

"Shhh, (Y/N). This is my decision, and I have you to thank for it. Without you in my life I never would have been the person I am now. I'm following in your footsteps. I know you would do the same if the roles were reversed. I thank you so much... you were the first to accept me; to call me a friend. So... please live. You can influence more people than I can. And... tell Matt... Tell him that I love him... and that I made this decision with no regrets."

You shake your head.

"No... NO! Rain, come on don't do this!"

Rain shakes his head. He slowly backs up and starts walking away.

"GODDAMNIT RAIN!" You howl, punching the glass.

Rain approaches the launch station and hits the button. Your pod is sent flying away from the facility at a rapid rate... leaving Rain behind.

"RAIN!" You scream.

The pod zooms away from the facility, already having a safe distance between yourself and the structure. Hunter stays silent, mourning the loss of his friend. His eyes drift to you, still staring through the window. You see the facility finally give in; cracking under the water pressure. It slowly turns in on itself, molding into a different form.

"Rain... he could survive that. He's a water elemental. He can-"

You're cut off when the facility explodes, destroying everything nearby. Your spirit is completely broken after that. You fall to your knees, clenching your body and crying. But you don't make a sound. You silently cry for your friend. Hunter places his hand on your shoulder.

"I'm sorry. If there was another way..."

You don't respond. You remain silent, as Rain would. The weight of everything finally hits you. The mental pain, the physical pain. Everything is bearing down on you at once. Your eyes slowly start to close, and you fall over in exhaustion. But the only thing you can think of is that blue haired man.

Rain.