Porter pulled his hood up over his head. They had been shuttled to a small town outside Beijing, to purchase supplies and anything they might need while in the city. All of them had purchased some form of scarf or hood, and they had each torn the insignias from their clothing. They were no longer affiliated with the Enian Federation, and they didn't want anyone thinking otherwise. Even though the Federation was still in an alliance with the Eastern United States, Porter was a known fugitive, and Beijing had become a restricted city after his escapade there.

"Are we ready?" The teenage leader addressed his group as they approached the fringes of Beijing. He could see the landing pad where his Goliath had first touched down, where he and Chase had entered the city. This time, they would have to seek out Ling Shi and the Jade Fang on their own, and Porter wasn't sure how they would approach them. How would you call out to an anti-government group publicly, without alerting the authorities?

"We're good to go Porter." Ardwen nodded to supplement his answer, working as a second-in-command purely because of his former title and his tactical mind. The rest of the group quickly murmured their agreements, and they shuffled into the city, moving past the taxis and merchants who sat on the edge of Beijing.

But are we? Porter was weary of his surroundings, all too familiar with the actions of the military last time. The Goliaths the Eastern United States used were so abnormal, so bizarre, that he wasn't certain they could fight against them if they were caught. The hope was just that that wouldn't happen to begin with.

The group quickly shuffled into the town, trying to move past the different vendors with great difficulty. They were always being grabbed at, their shirts tugged at by little children or elders with empty cups, and it was nearly impossible to take a step without some item shoved into their faces. Porter pulled his hood tighter to his body, fearful that an overzealous vendor would expose him. While he was certain that he wouldn't be instantly recognized as the man who downloaded data from the library, he did know they all looked like foreigners, and questions would follow them wherever they went.

"Sir, sir." One of the merchants tried to wave down Porter, almost stepping directly in front of him. He stumbled over the language, able to recognize a tourist but barely able to speak to one. "You buy, you buy?" Porter wasn't sure if the inflection was for a question or command, but this shopkeeper actually owned a building, not just a tent or counter, and he was trying his hand at the language, so Porter decided to give him a chance. Something spoke to him about the man, and he figured he needed to speak with anyone local about how he could connect with the Jade Fang.

Porter observed the man closely as he followed him into the store, the rest of the team close behind. He was middle aged, only slight wrinkles starting to form at the edges of his eyes, and his black hair was kept short and clean. He wasn't particularly tall either, though he wasn't standing up straight, and every so often he would glance over his shoulder at Porter with his round face and smile to try and reassure the teen.

The shop was open on the inside in the centre, while the walls were covered in shelves stocked with blank containers. There was no area to make purchases, and it seemed that any exchanges would be run through the shopkeeper himself. It immediately unnerved Porter that there was no indication of transactions or even that this shop barely had the qualifications of being one. He began to inspect the area for ways out in case things went the wrong way, but since he had the entire group with him, things were probably safe.

"Why did you come back here?" The man's voice had changed, completely eliminating his struggle to speak the language from earlier. His posture had rectified, his body standing up straight and narrow, and he looked significantly younger in an instant. "You shouldn't have ever returned."

"What are you talking about?" Porter narrowed his eyes, taking a step back from the shopkeeper.

"You know who you are and why you're here. The government does not need your kind here again." The man pulled away his black jacket, a worn-down rag that had been draped over his body, to reveal a gun and badge. He eyed Porter, waiting for the youth to make a move, but Porter was smart enough to stay unmoving.

"So what then? You'd want me out of the country?"

"By your own choice, that would be best, but we can remove you in different ways if we have to." The government officer stepped forward, and the group of youths all stepped back in response. There was no door to slide shut behind them and trap them, as the doorway was completely open, but another, larger man was standing just outside the shop, eyeing them all.

"Better to do what he says, Porter," Ardwen whispered into the teen's ear. "We can't afford to have an entire nation chasing after us already."

"Why not?" Porter hissed back, a smile slowly spreading across his face." It's not like we are allies with anyone anymore."

* * * * *

Rick dropped down into a hallway. It was getting confusing moving through the prison, as nearly every inch of it was constructed to appear identical to every other inch. What made one part different from another was only the prisoners that filled it, and all of the cells were blocked off, meaning he couldn't see into them unless he got close enough to peer through the little window in each door.

Still, this was not unusual for the Circuit Breaker. Most modern designs in the Enian Federation were metallic and blocky, and often looked the same no matter where you went. Even from one building to another, the interiors were always similar. Rick always had to rely on his suit to help him out, providing him with maps and information so he could focus and find his way. This time it was in conjunction with Sigma, as there was no obtainable data for him to use.

"You're nearly there. Guard will escalate in patrols and you'll need to directly approach them."

"So termination?"

"Probably." Sigma agreed without hesitation, no remorse holding back his words. It was clear the android had an affinity for this place, but Rick was still trying to figure it out. He knew he could not use his suit's computers to try and dredge up information; anything he could see, Sigma could see too.

"Do you think Porter would be alright with me killing others?" Rick was not concerned about death. He had been given orders to execute before and he had carried them out. It hadn't been since Porter had first interrupted his attempt to capture Riya that he had turned away from killing, temporarily at least. It was a simple task for him, and he was certainly well-armed as needed. He just wanted to know that Porter was alright with blood on the hands of the entire group.

There was no answer from Sigma at first, and Rick knew it was because of the cyborg's emotional side. If he knew an answer, he would instantly state it because of his brain's processing speed. Even if he didn't, he would obtain one within a second or two. But whenever there was emptiness, it was Sigma's human side slowing everything down. "Yes, he'll be ok with it. We do what we have to do."

"Very well." With his orders given, Rick immediately pointed his hand out towards a nearby camera. From under his wrist, a small blob shot out from his suit, sticking onto the machine. It spread out upon contact, giving the appearance of a small egg colliding with the ground. The camera crackled a bit, and Rick knew it was already disabled, showing repeating loops of empty footage. He would only have minutes now before he was caught. A prison like this was always watching its systems and would know immediately when a guard didn't walk by on patrol. That was fine; he liked working with a tight schedule.

The first guard stepped out of a room, walking into the hall and turning to face Rick. Before he could react, Rick dropped to the ground and shot forward on his stomach, using the tips of his fingers and toes to propel himself. He was always thankful for the boost to his strength and endurance the suit gave him, particular during these kinds of maneuvers. The guard did not flinch as he anticipated though, quickly grabbing his rifle and aiming it downwards at Rick.

The Circuit Breaker rolled to dodge the first shots, listening to them thud into the steel floors. He kicked his body up, springing onto the nearby wall, then bounced off of it in an instant, withdrawing a knife from its sheath on his leg. The blade plunged into the guard's chest, just barely missing the neck as the soldier had stumbled back in time. Rick grabbed the hand holding the rifle, twisting until he felt the tendons snapping and resistance give way.

"Give me one moment, and this will all be over." Rick withdrew the knife and quickly slashed across the guard's neck, slicing open the tender skin and veins, sending blood shooting outwards into the hall. The Circuit Breaker was already gone though, his weapon back in its sheath. He had always been trained not to wait around after a kill. There was no need to observe what you had done or to pontificate about it. One must always move forwards until the job was complete and you were safely home. That was when you could stop and rest.

Riya flashed through Rick's mind, and he sighed a bit as he moved. He pulled out his pistol, the end covered in a silencer to reduce noise, and shot the next closest guard in the back of the head, watching him topple forwards. What would Riya think of him like this? This wasn't the man she knew or respected; this was a completely different side of him, a part he had once always been using. Which one did he prefer now?

"There will be a group of three upcoming for you to dispose of, then it's the fourth cell on the left from the records here." Sigma was the constant voice that pulled Rick out of his emotions, keeping him sharp and on-point during the mission.

"How do you know it will be three? Are you able to access the prison systems?"

"No, there's just always three there because of the convergence of paths." Sigma responded far faster than Rick had anticipated. Normally, he would have done his usual pause before answering with such revealing information, but that statement at least confirmed that Sigma had been in the prison before. For what reason, the assassin did not know, but it wasn't as important as completing the task in front of him.

As Sigma had said, three guards stood in the halls, right where a collection of pathways came together. Rick's suit flashed online as he approached them, its charging process completed, and he immediately switched on his stealth mode, disappearing into the air.

"So then, get this, she says she isn't interested in it."

"Get out! Man, always like a woman to do that isn't it? You think you've got something and then they walk away."

"Hey, don't talk about us like that, that's sexual harassment. You two should be ashamed of yourselves."

"Not harassment if it's true right?"

"Right!" The high-five between the two men was cut short as one of them suddenly froze in midair, before coughing up red liquid, the blood dribbling out from between his lips. Rick's suit flickered behind the man, and the knife flashed through the air as it was pulled out of the guard's neck. The other two immediately dove away, and the Circuit Breaker jumped with the female, his body staying in line with hers. So long as he was close to her, she couldn't fire at him, and her male counterpart wouldn't be able to safely shoot at him with his compatriot nearby.

Rick grabbed the woman's gun as they landed on the ground next to each other, cocking it towards the male soldier. He felt the nanotechnology in his suit begin to sweep out of his palm, travelling through the gun's small computer systems and taking control. He did his best to wrestle control of the weapon away from the female in her shock, aiming the end towards the man. He didn't need to pull the trigger to shoot, letting his suit hijack the firing mechanisms and release the bullets. Only a few hit their target, piercing through the guard's legs, but it was enough.

The female guard was starting to come to her senses, grasping the situation. Before she could regain control of what was going on, Rick drove his elbow in to her chest, a small blade sliding out of his wrist. He quickly placed his hand on the woman's chest, letting the tiny blade slip through her skin. To her, it would be a similar experience to a bug bite, but the effects of the poison injected into her system would put her to sleep permanently within seconds.

The assassin stood up from the deceased female without hesitation, his gaze shifting towards the remaining guard. He was clutching at his legs, trying to stem the bleeding and deal with the pain he was experiencing. When he saw Rick moving towards him, he began to scramble for his weapon. He pointed it down the hall, but the Circuit Breaker was already gone, disappearing once more as his camouflage took over.

There was a shimmer in the air, and the soldier fired at the spot, but the bullets whistled through empty space before bouncing off the walls. He felt a tug at his neck, and only then did he realize there were hands at either side of his head. A crack rang through the hall as the guard's neck was instantly twisted and snapped.

Rick stood in front of the cell, placing his hand over the lock. This was the last obstacle before he had rescued Chandana. The escape would be easy from here, as per Sigma's instructions to bore through the wall and access the sewage tunnels. The path he would be moving through supposedly wouldn't have any guards, letting him quickly get out with the objective. "It's tricky, much different from before." Sigma spoke into Rick's ear as he accessed the lock through the Circuit Breaker's suit.

"But still can be broken?"

"Already done." The door swung inwards, exposing the tiny room within. There was nothing but a hole in one corner, clearly meant for disposal of human waste. The rest was empty space, nothing but metal walls. In the centre of it all, Chandana sat, legs folded. She slowly opened her eyes to look up at Rick, but she barely reacted. She seemed to be coming out of a meditation. Probably the only thing she can do to help pass the time, Rick thought. She seemed much calmer from any of the reports he had read. Perhaps time in prison had helped her to mellow out and refocus herself. Still, it was an injustice that she was wrongfully imprisoned, as Porter had said, and so Rick's sole purpose was now to free her.

"Who are you?" Chandana's voice crackled through dry lips, and Rick was certain he only heard it because of the enhancements through his suit.

"I'm your saviour, madam."