Porter stepped down into small pool of liquid, hearing the splash echo throughout the tunnel. He imagined if he wasn't in his towering machine, that puddle might have felt like a small pond, but he still seemed to believe he was the one stepping in it either way. All of the training he had gone through had always been built on the foundation that his battlesuit was an extension of his body, and that the two would always move in the same fashion.

The pair had descended much further into the depths of the Jahari's networks, and they hadn't come across anything for quite some time now. It had created a very eerie feeling when held against the surge of bodies they had previously been travelling through. There had been a few times since encountering the worm that a similar rush of Bahari had come by, but the two of them had eviscerated them with relative ease.

Marian was putting on a show to say the least, and he seemed quite capable of taking on these small clusters of Bahari in tight spaces. They couldn't avoid the effects of his concentrated chi, and any who escaped around the edges were quickly dispatched by the White Storm's blades.

But as the enemy numbers had faded away, Porter's level of alertness had only risen. Something had to be going on, somewhere. It was hard to imagine going from hundreds of Bahari swarming everywhere to absolute silence. And yet, that was how it had gone now for quite some time.

All of Porter's paranoia was amplified by the encroaching darkness. Once they had turned into the tunnels, all the sunlight had disappeared, and the only consistent source of light now was Marian's shining body and wings. But if Marian rounded a corner first, Porter was left in momentary darkness, with only a few flickers of light coming off his own machine. Those were the most terrifying times, the spots where sound and light vanished entirely.

The viewscreen in the White Storm shifted, playing new images of the theoretical space around them. Porter had kept one eye on it at all times, as it was usually a consistent way of getting the general shape of an area, but it couldn't pick out any finer details, and if a Bahari was sitting against a wall, it would just merge them together on its screen. The last thing Porter wanted was to be killed by something that he believed to be a tunnel.

Marian's light ahead suddenly expanded. No longer contained by the tight tunnel, it now spread around an enormous cavern. Porter stepped down into the space behind the general, finally able to stand beside him instead of trailing behind. They both took in the space, searching for the next pathway that would connect them to their destination. But there were no other tunnels anywhere that Porter could see. It was a dead end.

"Well that sucks," Porter sighed. "I'm surprised you didn't hit more dead ends along the way, but I guess we just got lucky."

"No, Marian answered, sternly, instantly. "This isn't an ending."

"And what are you, master of the mole people?"

Marian pointed across to the far wall of the cavern. "Maybe if your affinity for sensing chi was as great as mine, you too would be able to locate the mass ahead of us." Porter grumbled but didn't interject. "This is the pathway to reach it, of that I'm sure. But somebody has hidden the entrance to trick others."

"So we have to dig a little?" Porter asked, staring down at his two swords. Not the best for carving through rock, but he could if he had to.

"We just need to move a little dirt, that's all. But only if he lets us." Marian gestured to a corner of the cavern, a space still coated in shadows where the general's light could not quite reach. Porter squinted at the spot Marian pointed at, but couldn't make out anything. His viewscreen equally showed more wall, but it wasn't entirely trustworthy.

"You will not make it further," a voice grumbled. It was a low growl, a bizarre scratching sound created by something not entirely biological, but it was also clearly not generated by a machine. The wall shifted slightly on Porter's screen before a large Bahari stepped out into Marian's light. It was taller than Porter's warmachine, sitting between the White Storm and the Archangel in its height and size.

"So you are the one who stands as guard?" Marian asked.

"Wait, Bahari can talk?" Porter blurted out, his fears of being ambushed replaced with his fear of the unknown.

"This one can," Marian answered, calmly. It seemed as though none of this was phasing the veteran, and it was all being treated as a minor annoyance he wanted out of the way. "Maybe you should stay here and talk to it."

"I do not guard the Mind." The Bahari spoke again, and its voice was becoming slightly clearer as it used its speech capacities. It still always held a cross between an engine grinding and a more human throat, but its words were no longer as scratched and heavy. "One of you are welcome to visit the Mind. Let it enlighten you." The monster gestured towards the hidden tunnel, and Marian walked straight for it, without any hesitation.

Porter was still frozen in place, unsure of what to do next. It seemed as though this was a challenge left for him by this Bahari, and Marian was well-aware of it. Whatever was down these tunnels and behind the power of the Jahari, Marian would be facing it alone, for the time being. And Porter would be facing the creature.

"So it's us then?" Porter said, watching the light fade away as Marian threw aside the rock blocking the path and descended further. It was now a dark cavern once again, a massive space of black. The few lights on the chest of the White Storm gave out a faint glow, and the core of the Bahari cast its own eerie red light. It was all Porter had to identify where his foe was located, unless he wanted to rely on his radar, but that would be useless once combat started.

"You are the one who speaks with the metal ones," the beast answered. It hadn't moved yet since revealing itself, standing still in the cavern.

"I'm sorry?"

"The metal humans, the purple and white and the third," the being snarled. It continued to make noises in its throat after it finished each sentence, but they didn't form any words, leaving Porter always paused. "You talk with them, you know of them."

The words clicked in Porter's mind. Obviously these monsters would be terrified of Sigma and Syn, considering what had happened in the past when Christian had revealed himself. It wasn't surprising to hear they had interest in them. Now the fact that Marian had been left alone made more sense. "So what if I know them?" Porter answered, gripping his controls tighter as he braced for the first strike.

"I am Ur'Wrath, great hunter of the Jahari, and I have been tasked with the eradication of the metal ones." Porter could feel the tension building through his body. The talking had to end soon. This Ur'Wrath character was apparently designed to hunt and kill things as powerful as Sigma. That alone made it the greatest threat Porter had yet faced. "You will bring them to me," Ur'Wrath continued. "You will tell me everything you know of them, and summon them for me."

"And how will you make me?"

The monster laughed. The sound was excruciating for Porter, worse than anything he had heard produced before. There was a soft, wet slapping sound, and Porter could only imagine what the creature was doing, his body still surrounded by darkness. "I was made to kill those metal humans. You must understand I have many ways to make you talk. Do not tell me your minds are as feeble as your bodies." Ur'Wrath paused to enjoy his own humour. "First though, you must be dismantled and withdrawn from your shell."

Porter saw the red core begin to move, and he threw his arms up across his chest immediately, preparing to defend himself from the incoming attack. But there was still nothing. Just a slow pacing as the beast took its time, slowly circling its foe.

"What are you without the light?" Ur'Wrath said, taunting Porter as he continued to stride around the cavern. "You lack the sight of the Jahari, the strength, the speed, the mind. Why do you fight us when you cannot match us on any level?"

"I've killed more than enough of you to disagree," came Porter's retort. He wasn't about to back down to some monster when he had matched so many before. He always had Marian to rely on as well, leaving the general to go and execute the source of the madness that was the Jahari. Perhaps he only had to buy time here with Ur'Wrath until Marian killed the central mind. As soon it died, all of these creatures would fall into chaos and disarray, and would be easy to slaughter and pick off

"Let me show you then. Let me show you your great weakness compared to us. Let me give you back your strength, and you will still find you will be torn apart." Lights began to flicker on in the cavern, small orbs set into the dirt casting a glow on the space. They were almost indistinguishable from the earth around them.

"You have light down here?" Porter asked, confused by the sudden appearance of technology.

More laughter. Eternal taunting. "You forget, we are not some primitive degenerates. We understand technology and machines better than any of you. It is because of that they were have been able to discover even greater inventions, mightier technology. The fusion of flesh and metal, the merging of the two. It is our choice to follow this path."

"Still seems kind of stupid to have lights and never use them." Porter's confidence was quickly returning with the light. Now he knew the scope of the room with his own eyes, a massive cavern with more than enough space for him to duel the Bahari. He could get a better look at Ur'Wrath as well, seeing the two bulky sections on its wrists where weapons were surely located. Most likely it would be some sort of blade. "But I guess I shouldn't expect so much from a bunch of creepy mutants in exile."

In the blink of an eye, Ur'Wrath was in front of Porter, closing the gap instantly between them. One of its twin swords was out, just as Porter had guessed. But the speed the monster possessed was a shock, and not something he had calculated previously. No Bahari had ever moved that quickly, and it had been something Porter had assumed was impossible.

"I will show you," Ur'Wrath snarled, "what this exile can do to you." Porter leaped back, but Ur'Wrath was right next to him again, not allowing for any separation. Porter had to deflect the incoming attack, parrying the sword strike, then throwing down his other sword to block the second weapon of his opponent.

Suddenly, a mass of tendrils shot out from Ur'Wrath's wrist, lashing out and wrapping around the White Storm. They gripped tightly, spinning around before whipping Porter backwards. He collided with the opposite wall of the cavern, the shockwave shaking through to his cockpit.

But there was no time for recovery. Ur'Wrath was immediately in front of him again, stabbing forwards with its sword. Porter disappeared, leaving behind an afterimage to be impaled. It wasn't enough to slow the creature, who spun around to face Porter on the far edge of the room.

"Nothing has ever moved as fast as I do," Porter panted, taking the moment to regain his wits. "It's impressive."

"You forget my design," Ur'Wrath answered, pausing as well as he let Porter recover. It seemed the monster was a fan of toying with those it thought were inferior. "The metal humans can far exceed your abilities, and I am to keep up with them."

"Sure, but they're little compared to you. How do you match against someone closer to your size?" Porter dashed forwards, going on the offensive as he brought both his blades down together in an overhead strike. Ur'Wrath blocked the blow with ease, using one of his swords to stop the attack, then counter punching into Porter's gut with his second weapon.

Porter spun out of the way of the follow-up attack, driving his elbow into Ur'Wrath's back as a counter. The creature stumbled forwards, but instantly shot out another tendril, grabbing Porter's arm as the White Storm tried to break away. Porter quickly sliced through the tentacle, freeing himself. Ur'Wrath followed with a kick into the chest of the White Storm in the opening, sending Porter crashing into another wall.

Options were starting to run out for the young pilot. He knew what he would have to do, but he had tried his best to avoid using up everything he had. The last thing he needed was to pass out after all of these fights and end up struggling and exposed in the middle of the Jahari's tunnels. But Ur'Wrath was a different beast, as he had first guessed, and it would take everything Porter had to exceed the monster's strengths.

"You won't be able to outrun me in here," Ur'Wrath stated. The beast had already closed the distance on Porter. Its tongue rolled out from its jaws, dangling down and slapping against its face. It seemed that's where the strange sound was coming from. That was one mystery solved, but Porter still had to solve for the remaining issues in front of him.

"I'm faster than you are," Porter replied, dashing out of the way of another blow. Each time he tried to pull away, Ur'Wrath was with him, following every dodge and attacking again and again. The pair began to become a blur within the cavern, constantly bouncing around as they continuously parried and moved. Sparks began to fly as their blades met, appearing every so often before disappearing, reappearing somewhere else as they clashed.

"You are never going to exceed my speed. You will never beat my strength. It is impossible for you ever match me." Porter drove aside another attack from Ur'Wrath as the creature spoke, and the two broke apart, ending up in a standoff on either side of the space. Neither of them showed any weaknesses to each other. Porter was trapped within a battlesuit, and it could not stop to catch its breath no matter how much he pushed it. It seemed Ur'Wrath was similar, seemingly unphased by the constant fighting. There were a few strikes across its flesh though, small cuts from moments where Porter had broken through. There were similar marks across the White Storm, plus deep scratches caused by the tendrils.

Porter examined the monster's body closely, noting how eerie the Bahari were designed. Their forms were somewhat skeletal, and Ur'Wrath was no exception, and metal frame coated in a combination of muscle fibres and hydraulic tubes, blood seeping out and mixing with oils and other fluids. It was the face that always disturbed Porter the most, a warped humanoid thing that mixed with a wild animal, creating the ferocious grin that was permanently left slightly ajar.

Still, there had to be a weakness, and Porter was certain he could exploit it, knowing he would still need to push through to the next level if he was going to win here today. He let the electric charge course through his body, opening up the floodgates within him. If he was going to beat Ur'Wrath, it would be with everything he had, There was no escaping that fact anymore.

The White Storm lunged forwards, an electric arc trailing behind it as Porter dove into Ur'Wrath. The tendrils shot out to counter him, but a flurry of superheated sword strikes tore them to shreds, melting the fleshy metal they were composed of wherever they were cut. Porter whipped his blade across Ur'Wrath's chest, forcing the monster to step back and dodge the swing instead of blocking it.

Another step forwards. Another step back from Ur'Wrath before the beast disappeared entirely, trying to reposition through its own speed. But Porter was with it, tracking the creature's movements as the world slowed down around him. The dirt that they kicked up seemed to float in the air, barely inching forwards while Porter danced around it.

He zoomed up into the air, cutting off Ur'Wrath's escape and colliding with the Bahari's body. The two toppled into the wall before Porter kicked away. He reset on the ground, leaping upwards again to strike at Ur'Wrath before the monster could recover, but it was able to dodge with its own speed. Porter simply bounced off the wall, using it as a spring for his counter attack as the fight sped up. Once again, the pair became a blur of movement, a trail of lightning circling around the room to follow Porter. Each time they would appear, another strike was blocked, a piece taken off the other's armour.

Ur'Wrath wasn't taking the offensive surge lightly though, countering at every opportunity. For each blow Porter landed onto the monster, another was given back to him, no matter how fast he moved. Porter had to check himself as it continued, making sure his strength wasn't slipping away. The discipline that had been beaten into him over his last session of training was coming through now, leaving him in complete control of his body.

The tentacles lashed out again, and Porter turned them all aside, diving forwards between them as he sought out Ur'Wrath's heart. He knew that this would go nowhere with the Bahari. Unless he could destroy the core, it wasn't going to stop. As he drew in close, Ur'Wrath shifted, withdrawing the sword from one wrist and using his hand to suddenly punch into Porter's side.

The unexpected change of style caught the youth off-guard, and he was knocked to the side, left exposed for a moment. Another tendril took off towards him, this one growing stiff and rigid as it approached, piercing straight through Porter's shoulder. Damage reports flashed. It wasn't a critical blow, and it wouldn't disable any functions, but it had still torn a chunk from Porter. He cut off the appendage, freeing himself from Ur'Wrath's grip.

Another leap from the Bahari. This time, both weapons were pulled in, and the monster tried to drop its elbows onto Porter, using its new approach to overwhelm the pilot before he could adapt to the change. But Porter was ready. Years of bullying at the hands of Chase had already made him quite familiar with hand-to-hand combat, and the training he had received on top of that kept him on his toes strategically.

Porter deflected the elbow with one of his swords, immediately following it with a slash to the chest of Ur'Wrath. While the creature was able to pull back, the tip of the blade carved a new scar through the muscle and metal. Electricity surged through the White Storm once again, and Porter shot forward with a flurry of blows, trying his best to prevent the creature from withdrawing its weapons again and leaving it vulnerable.

While not as powerful as previously, Ur'Wrath held up to the attacks, matching Porter's speed each time and turning aside subsequent blows. Slowly, its own swords were emerging, as it found spaces in the seconds between attacks to prepare for its counter. Time was running out on this critical moment. Porter just needed to go a little bit faster.

Even if it was only by the tiniest fraction, it would have to be speed that would help Porter win. The strength of his weapons was already obvious, as any cut with the superheated steel would slice through the Bahari with ease and cripple it. And once it was slowed slightly, it would be enough for Porter to execute it and put an end to the fight. He just had to find that speed, had to find a way to push the White Storm even faster.

He gripped tighter onto his controls, seeing the world slowing to a crawl in front of his eyes. Each of his attacks looked normal, it was the dirt and rock around him that slowed in the air, constantly kicked up by the movements of Porter and Ur'Wrath as they danced around the cavern. It still wasn't enough, but Porter couldn't stop. The blows had to be constant, and he couldn't hesitate for a moment or everything would unravel in the opposite direction. It was just a matter of speed.

And Porter watched as his focus took off beyond levels he had previously experienced. The world continued to slow down, even Ur'Wrath starting to look a bit sluggish compared to its usual incredible agility. Each strike from Porter was coming just a fraction faster, the block was only just in time. But Ur'Wrath's blades were almost fully extended, and the counter would begin in that moment.

Then Porter snapped back to the usual flow of time, his sword having cleaved straight through Ur'Wrath's right arm. The two hovered in the air, seeming to freeze in the middle of combat, before both of them landed back down on the ground, with Ur'Wrath's severed arm landing next to it. A spurt of blood shot out from the side of the machine-creature, merging with oils as it sprayed onto the earth. The monster clutched at its stump, trying to stem the bleeding as best as possible.

But it knew it was over. Porter did as well. There was no way Ur'Wrath would be able to maintain the style or level of fighting it had previously displayed, and Porter would eviscerate it if they continued. Porter wasn't about to practice forgiveness or remorse though; this Bahari, speaking or otherwise, was a relentless killing machine that was going to pursue Sigma until it could destroy him, and then it would kill every other human it could find. And that wasn't something Porter would stand for.

"As I said," Porter stated, letting out a deep exhale as the combat closed, "I'm faster than you."

"It would seem my design to combat the metal ones has its flaws," Ur'Wrath answered, strangely introspective considering its state. It appeared to be partially resigning itself to its fate, understanding a warrior's end. It made Porter even more suspicious that something else was going to happen, or that it possessed some form of self-destruction as a last resort.

"Sigma," Porter called in his older brother, opening up the private connection between the two. "How are things going above ground? What's the status of the others?"

The android appeared on screen, as he always did when contacted. It was always bizarre considering there were no cameras to capture his face, just a trick with the computer software that Sigma manipulated. "They engaged with two Mahari."

"Two? Are they alone?" Porter held up his sword to Ur'Wrath's chest as he spoke, ensuring the monster couldn't move without first getting impaled in its critical location.

"Yes, they've been surrounded by the Bahari pushing past, though there's another squad within a few kilometres."

"What's the predicted success rate."

Sigma closed his eye momentarily, as though he were concentrating, but Porter knew it wasn't true. Unless there were a sudden burst of information coming from somewhere else, this much data wouldn't be overloading Sigma in the least. "I have them at ninety-seven percent. They should be able to beat both as things currently stand. It seems as though they have just felled one of the two."

Porter sighed in relief, though he maintained his focus in the moment. He was certain Ur'Wrath would dash away as soon as he even blinked. "Then we'll focus down here. Marian seems to be pursuing whatever controls the Jahari, and I'll be joining him shortly. Met up with some sort of Enigma Soldier killer here."

Expressions weren't Sigma's strength still, so the slight surprise that passed over his face was awkward-looking at best. "I theorized that it would be here if I dropped down any lower or interfered. Good news for me then isn't it?" Sigma chuckled a little, and Porter smiled. It would seem they were one step closer to a victory, and Porter would be able to rejoin Marian in killing the monster in charge of everything, leaving his friends on the surface to clean up the scattering Jahari forces. This was their moment, finally, in this bizarre war. Next would be the fight against the Kaiser himself.

"Allyson?" Sigma exclaimed, the shock in his voice ringing within Porter's cockpit. There were very few things that could really surprise Sigma like this. "Allyson, why are you here? What are you doing?" Sigma's face seemed to change into growing concern, and Porter imagined he was on the move, possibly to intercept the mysterious appearance of Alpha.

"Sigma, what's going on up there?" Porter frantically asked, growing concerned at Sigma's change in demeanour. "Give me an update."

"No, Allyson, don't!"

Porter heard the sound first, through his communication channel with Sigma, before he saw the light, a brilliant flash brighter than anything he had ever experienced before. Then the impact hit him, and the world went from light to absolute darkness.

* * * * *

The breeze wrapped around the trees, tickling their leaves and rustling their branches as it passed between them. The apples hanging from them shook slightly, some of the ripest falling to the ground. They joined with the carcasses of other apples that had met similar fates, half-chewed by a combination of insects and animals. The newest to fall would be be the same soon enough.

Clouds covered over the sun, leaving the earth below slightly cool. It was fall weather, through and through. Porter glanced over to Sigma, knowing the android couldn't really feel the temperature. The cloak the cyborg was wrapped in was for disguising his body, not for bracing from the cold. Porter zipped up his own jacket tighter; he envied Sigma in moments like this, already pining for the return of the summer sun that had so recently departed.

The young pilot leaned back against the massive sword of the White Storm, the weapon stabbed into the earth so it could be used as a prop for Porter's back. He wasn't a fan of sitting in the cockpit when he could be out in nature. Besides, it would terrify any locals they eventually came across to see him approaching in the battlesuit, particularly since it was unmarked. The last thing he needed was someone calling in the Midnight Sun to arrest him. Sigma was enough of a liability.

"Do you ever wonder about how apples grow?" Sigma said, reaching out his hand to grip one of the lower fruits. He caressed it gently, and Porter watched from his seat on the ground a few feet away.

"Not really. And you know the answer anyways, don't you?" Porter rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest as he continued to observe his brother.

"Now I do. I used to think about this all the time." Sigma had plucked the apple from the branch, somehow finding the way to control his incredible strength and gently pull down the fruit. "I can remember it from before. I used to talk about it with Allyson a lot. It would drive her crazy when she was trying to talk about war and government and I was bringing up apples."

There was a silence that settled in between the pair. Sigma continued to examine his fruit, and Porter quietly took in the scene, feeling the breeze blow through his hair as it passed them by. Nature, it seemed, did not care for the emotional weight of individual moments.

"Do you hate her?" Porter asked, keeping his eyes down at the grass between his legs. He began to play with it nervously as he waited for the answer.

"No," Sigma replied softly, staring intently at his reflection in the apple's glossy surface. "I don't hate her." He shook his head for emphasis.

"Do you miss her then?"

"Yes."

Porter yanked out a small clump of grass, letting the blades fall back down to the ground through his fingers. It hadn't been the intention of either of them to bring up Alpha, but whenever it happened, the conversations always drifted away like this. They fell apart in their hands, the same as the grass. "I don't hate her either," Porter added. "I just wish it hadn't happened."

"Not really in our control though." Sigma tossed the apple over to the Porter, and the younger sibling caught it with ease in front of his face. "We both know that was programmed into her. Too many other things fell into place afterwards for it to have just been coincidental."

"Did you ever think Sigmeund would find a way to become the Chancellor of a new state?" Porter bit into the apple, chewing on it for a moment before spitting it back out. Despite its fancy exterior, its inside had rotted away from one insect's hard work.

"Are you just jealous?" Sigma posed his own question as an answer, though he also hadn't faced his brother to look him in the eyes. It was a unique behaviour that helped remind both of them Sigma still possessed, on some level, a human heart. "You wanted to tear up the government and give it back to the people. You wanted to end all the pointless wars. He got there first."

"My plan to do it would have never included detonating the largest bomb ever seen and massacring almost every member of the military in the process." Porter tossed away the apple, watching it smash against a different tree trunk, chunks of apple spraying into the air. "I bet you he was always involved in the Jahari, all just to bring everyone together so he could blow it all up and-"

"Stop," Sigma cut in. His eyes flashed with their purple glow as the brother turned to face his sibling. "Don't start to think about it, remember? Focus on today."

Porter didn't continue that line of thinking, returning to tearing up the grass between his legs. He grew tired of the activity, eventually throwing aside the turf he had in his hands and wiping them clean on his pants. He leaned his head back on the sword behind him, sighing up into the sky. "Is there anyone on the island?"

Sigma shook his head, as he did every time the question was asked of him. "Like I say every time..."

"Alpha killed everyone on it before going to the Breach," Porter finished off the sentence with ease. It had been ingrained in his memory since the first time he had heard it. "I don't believe it."

"You don't want to believe it," Sigma corrected. The android stepped forwards, leaning down over his brother, casting a shadow across the youth's face. "This is the world now. We live in the aftermath of war."

Porter batted aside his brother and hauled himself up, slowly stretching out his body once he rose. "Whatever. Let's just find everyone and do it all over again." Sigma smiled as an answer. "Oh and...thank you." The cyborg tilted his head to the side in mock suspense, both parties knowing where this was going. This was always how the conversation ended, and Porter couldn't stop himself, even though he knew what he was going to say. "For...saving me."

"What else is a brother for?"

"For starters, you could get this thing moving." Porter pointed his thumb over his shoulder at his Goliath, and its sword lifted out of the ground as it sprang to life, Sigma's computer mind taking over the device. So long as they were on their journey, Porter wanted to walk alongside his brother, and Sigma, grounded to avoid raising suspicions, was there with him every step of the way.

"So where to next?"

Porter stretched his arms out to the side before another gust of wind forced him to tuck himself back into a tighter ball. "You said there's a civil war in Dalarcya, right?"