About that same time...

The electro-storm was furious and swept in fast. Seraysa and Verin had made good time on the ground but had to stop and find shelter under the arch of a large tree root.

At first, Seraysa protested but Verin explained, "It's ok Seraysa. The EFP can't fly in this storm...literally! No Ansheetan can fly in an electro-storm. It messes up our ability to control our magnetic field. We're all grounded now."

As Seraysa and Verin hid from the shocking rain, Seraysa still seemed fretful, "How far are we from the lake?"

Her brother thought, "Maybe a couple nublars... perhaps more."

She got up abruptly and threw her hood over her head.

Verin grabbed her arm, "Seraysa! You can't go out there!"

"I have to warn Merco. This is my only chance to get ahead of Coroc and his forces before they get to him." she explained.

"It's dangerous Seraysa!" Verin protested.

"You don't have to go Verin. But I have to do this."

With her head down and hood covering her head, Seraysa ran out into the shocking rain in the direction of the lake.

Verin stood looking helpless for a moment before looking up, "Why wasn't I an only chrysalis?"

Groaning, Verin pulled up his hood, shouldered his supply bag, and chased after her. It was foolish and he didn't like it. But he couldn't let his sister do this alone. Even if it meant they could get struck by lightning.

...

Later at Pela Canyon...

The electro-storm was fast moving and wrathful in energy, but the worst parts ended swiftly. It rained normally for several nublars before subsiding as well. The light was beginning to fade from the sky, signaling night's approach. Anu had replaced Traynar's bandage with the materials Merco had given her from his jacket. The blood leak was once again stopped but Anu knew he'd need to see a proper medic soon. However, now that they had moved away from the lake, the medics she had requested wouldn't know where they were. That is, if they were even coming? The storm certainly would've delayed their arrival but what if none were sent?

When the shocking rain ceased, Merco lowered his arms and shook the water from his jacket with a powerful buffeting noise. Droplets rained down upon her and Traynar making her cry out from their cold temperature.

"Sorry." Merco's voice rumbled as he placed the jacket behind his back as a cushion.

A reverberating groan flowed from the giant alien as he arched his back and stretched his powerful arms out in front of him. Harsh cracks from beneath his skin were disturbingly loud, making Anu shiver. Merco groaned again and his legs shifted. His massive body leaned forward as his legs slid under him for balance. Then the tremendous form raised high toward the top of the canyon wall whilst stretching. The casual motion of standing and stretching made incredible. Anu still couldn't help but marvel.

After Merco had stretched he pointedly smelled the air. Anu reflexively did the same, curious as to what the giant alien was scenting. At first she didn't smell anything but then a faint whiff of food being cooked caught her attention. It smelled like Crackling Rain Soup. Ansheetans only made the soup after an electro-storm. A unique soup created after gathering the crackling rain in buckets before collectively putting it in a large cooking pot and adding various edible plants and herbs. Sometimes a meat was added; usually a tasty, domesticated, flying creature known as a Long Tailed Churchur. Some believed the soup brought good luck when it was prepared and eaten after a storm.

"Do you smell Crackling Rain Soup?" Anu asked Traynar.

He smelled the air, "Yeah." He swore quietly, "I forgot, there are Ansheetans living in Pela Canyon! Miners and their families."

All at once, Merco's boots swung past them with a rush of air as he moved away from them.

"No, no, no! There's going to be a panic!" Traynar grunted, "Stop him!"

Anu gave her mate an incredulous look upon watching the towering alien walk further into the canyon, "Stop him?! How?"

Traynar gave an exasperated look, knowing it was a foolish thing to say, "I don't know...but you've got to try to stop him!"

Anu's plumage lowered helplessly but she flew from the ground after Merco.

...

Once the storm had subsided and that stinging static rain dissipated, Merco felt the numbness of his legs start to ache. He needed to stand up and stretch. Pain greeted him nastily as circulation returned to his deadened legs. But he managed to stand up without losing his balance. He arched his back, hearing several vertebrae crack back into alignment. Pain accompanied it which made him groan.

Definitely not young anymore.

He rolled his shoulders to loosen them as well. As he drew in a deep breath he noticed a scent tickle his senses. It smelled like...someone was cooking something. And it smelled nice. A familiar complaint from his stomach whined at him, triggered by the smell. But where was that wonderful smell coming from?  Curious, he stepped away from Anu and Traynar and walked further into the canyon. The canyon walls varied in height and width as he traversed the winding path it created. It was almost like walking through a dried-up creek bed. Funny, it was probably the Grand Canyon to the inhabitants. Merco humorously imagined what a tour group would think seeing a being of his size casually strolling through the Grand Canyon. Probably would scare the Hell out of them...ruin their perfect vacation pictures.

He hadn't gone very far when the scent of food grew stronger. As he rounded a corner, he beheld twinkling lights lining the canyon walls as well as several cutout openings in the rock wall. Merco didn't get a very good look because all of a sudden Anu appeared right in front of his face. His head pulled back instinctually as the tiny lavender alien raised her hands at him in a "stop" gesture.

"Merco!" she 'shouted' in a hushed voice.

The bearded man wasn't sure what was the matter, but she suddenly placed her tiny hands to his forehead and pushed against him with all her might.

"What, Anu?" he asked eyes going crossed to look at her.

She gestured again and pushed against his forehead with more vigor. It appeared she was trying to get him to back up. So, he stepped back a couple steps, causing her to stumble forward in the air. Merco raised a questioning brow at her, but her face seemed to display relief. Her hands bounced in a "stay right there" sort of gesture. Quickly, she turned and peeked around the corner, watching.

...

"Thank the Maker." Anu sighed to herself when Merco stepped back away from the edge where he could be seen.

She didn't know how but she got a giant alien fifty times her size to stop moving. Now she just had to make sure he hadn't been spotted. With caution, Anu peeked around the edge of the canyon wall. Ahead she could see a mining settlement carved into the side of the rock wall; which one specifically she couldn't tell. Lights adorned the rocks outside, lighting the pathways.

But something was amiss.

She could see the large kettles of Crackling Rain Soup outside, boiling over the energy heaters that helped them cook. But no one was attending them. One pot seemed to be boiling over. Curious, she floated out to see if she could see anyone. Her heart sank when she saw the large cluster of panic and urgency gathered around the aftermath of a landslide. Rocks and mud had forcibly separated from the canyon wall and spilled down and out over several entrances. Pela Ansheetans were running and digging frantically at the massive pile of debris.

Hurriedly, Anu flew over to the rescue group and immediately located the leader with the yellow dyed crest tips.

"What's happened?" she called out, landing next to him.

He turned, relief awash on his face when he saw her uniform, "Oh thank the Maker the EFP is here!" then his crest fell when he didn't see any more members, "Wait...where are the others? You did bring more help didn't you?"

Anu shook her head, "My name is Anu. I'm an EFP scout and I was only taking shelter in the canyon from the storm. I...got separated from my squadron. What's happened here?"

The leader swore and resumed his digging, "We've got to get them out! The storm caused a landslide a nublar ago. We've got at least five families trapped beneath all that!"

Anu stared at the groups of workers desperately trying to dig down to the blocked home entrances. An uncomfortable reality crept over Anu's thoughts: they weren't going to get to them before their air ran out. The mud was too thick, and the rocks were too heavy. Unless...

"Are you going to help or not? Fly out and get some help!" the leader asked tersely as he kept digging.

Anu looked back to where she knew Merco was waiting. She felt her earlier plan of preventing a panic by keeping him out of sight fade into nothingness in the face of certain tragedy.

"I've brought help." Anu explained simply to get his attention.

The leader stopped digging with confusion written over his face, "But you just said you were the only one. Where are they?"

"It's not the EFP. You and your people are going to have to stop and move out of the way."

"We don't have time for this. Those trapped families are going to die if we don't get them out!" he stated with urgency.

Anu's expression was very serious, "Which is precisely why you and your people need to move out of the way. I'll bring him over here to help, but you will need to move."

"Wait...what do you mean 'him'?" the leader tried to clarify but Anu was already flying back through the canyon.

...

Merco stood and waited a few minutes after Anu flew away from him. He wasn't sure what was going on but Anu acted adamant that he not proceed any further. All of a sudden she came flying around the corner and gently bumped into his chest.

"Anu?" he asked, concerned she was in danger.

The little alien flew up to his face and began making insistent gestures that said she wanted him to follow her. She said his name and then made all kinds of twittering clicks, gesturing again.

"Ok. Ok. I'm coming." He assured gently. "What's the matter?"

She flew out ahead of him and then stopped midair. As he came up behind her several shrill screams made him jerk to a startled halt. On the opposite side of the canyon he could see several hundred of the little aliens all gathered on what looked like a pile of rocks and dirt. Hundreds of fearful little eyes bored into him. An uncomfortable mix of awkwardness and concern swirled in his guts. Merco had a strong urge to just back up and walk away. Anu began shouting something to them.

What the Hell was going on?

This time he got a good look around. It appeared to be some sort of village or settlement. Little openings were carved into the sides of the canyon wall, complete with lighting and walkways. But an anomaly broke up the organized layout. The pile of rocks and dirt partially covered one of the openings and when Merco looked up he saw the chunk of freshly broken canyon wall.

...

Anu led Merco only a short way and stopped. She knew everyone would feel him coming before they saw him. Sure enough, the quaking of Merco's steps made everyone stop working and turn to see what was coming. A few terrified screams rang out.

But Anu raised her arms with pacification, shouting loudly, "Don't be afraid! This is Merco and he's here to help!"

Their expressions of terror seemed to doubt that statement.

"Please move out of the way! Everyone!" Anu commanded.

At first everyone seemed frozen to the spot, too frightened or too in awe of the gigantic alien that towered behind her. But there wasn't time to wait.

Anu turned to Merco and already she could see his clever eyes deducing the situation.

"Merco, I need you to move that rubble. There are Ansheetans trapped underneath." She explained, whilst gesturing to the pile and pantomiming what needed to be done.

Though he obviously didn't understand her words, he seemed to gather the urgency of the situation and what she wanted him to do. He strode forward with purpose. Of course, that sent the workers scattering. He paused, watching them carefully until none remained on the mountain of debris. When it was vacated, he lowered his enormous body down to his knees before the pile. Then, his powerful hands went to work. With broad strokes he pushed the wet dirt aside, shifting veritable hills in a single stroke. When he'd removed a huge portion of the dirt, he uncovered a boulder that was at least as big as his own head. His fingers found the edges and the bundles of muscles in his arm expanded with power as he dislodged it. He expelled a gust of air and set the rock consciously to the side.

Anu couldn't help but marvel at the feat of strength Merco displayed so effortlessly. There would've been no way possible that the Ansheetans present plus hundreds more could've moved that rock. Even from her hovered position she could hear the collective gasp from those present.

Merco removed more rocks and dirt, setting them aside until he managed to uncover the first blocked entryway.

He looked back at her, "Anu!"

Anu understood and flew past him to the entryway.

She landed and ducked inside calling, "Hello! Is anyone here?"

"Yes! We're here!" a pair of voices responded.

Toward the back of the dwelling Anu could see a male and female pair who were rushing her way.

"Is there anyone else?" Anu asked when they were face to face.

"No. Just us."

"Hurry! Let's get you out of here!" Anu encouraged, arms waving.

Eagerly they followed her out and she guided them to the side that had been cleared. Oddly they didn't even notice Merco but Anu gave him a nod, pointing to the rest of the rubble. Merco pointed to the doorways, purposely counting them until he stopped on the one he just uncovered. He stared at her, a question in his expression. He wanted to know how many more there were but Anu wasn't sure.

"How many more are there?" she shouted out to the crowd nearby.

After a moment someone yelled back, "Four!"

Anu held up her four fingers and he nodded. His hands went to work again, moving aside the debris in quick fashion. A second opening was uncovered and Anu checked it as well. A family of five was evacuated. Merco continued to remove the rocks and dirt from the third opening but his hands stopped abruptly when he removed a sizable rock.

His great voice seemed subdued, "Oh no."

His movements slowed as he almost reverently placed the rock down. With careful motions his hand plucked up something from the entryway. Anu flew over the top of his arm and gasped upon seeing a pair of females laying limply in the palm of his hand. They were covered in blood and neither showed any signs of life. Merco very slowly and carefully, leaned out and laid the two bodies away from the landslide and closer to the gathered assembly. When his hand retreated, several individuals rushed forward to check them. Their somber expressions said it all. They were already dead.

When Anu looked back at Merco he was staring at his hand intently. Even at a distance she could see blue blood stains across the surface of his palm. A visible tremor went through the giant alien's hand. Then, he closed his hand, shook his head, and resumed the rescue. Anu wasn't sure what to make of his reaction. It seemed strange and sad at the same time. But she didn't have time to think, she had to check the dwelling for any other survivors. There were a couple males and a  female in the dwelling. Two were hurt but they all managed to evacuate.

Merco dug out the fourth opening but when Anu entered to check for survivors, she was stopped by debris that had collapsed inside the entry.

She backed out and pointed inside to him, "Merco!"

He leaned forward, put his head down, and peered inside, seeing what she had indicated. She moved aside and Merco's mechanical hand entered  the opening. Anu wasn't sure how bad the cave in was but hopefully Merco could clear it.

Anu watched as the massive pistons in Merco's prosthetic forearm hissed and flexed beneath the black glove with the movement of his fingers inside. His hand pulled out, dragging copious amounts of rocks and other debris that would've taken her hours to clear. Again, and again his hand entered and pulled out more refuse. When he went in a fifth time a scream inside the dwelling made him visibly flinch. He gave an uncomfortable expression and slowly retracted his hand. Anu took her cue and entered.

"Hello! I'm with the EFP! Can you hear me? Are you all right?" she called.

"What was that?!" someone inside shouted, clearly terrified.

"Don't worry about that right now. Come on! Let's get everyone out of here." Anu replied.

Coughing could be heard at the back as four figures emerged. A fifth was being carried by the others. He seemed injured significantly as his leg and arm were bleeding on his left side. But unlike the first group, this group saw Merco and they stopped fast; turned to fearful stone.

Anu pushed against the back of them, "Keep moving! This place isn't stable."

"Do you not see what I'm seeing?" a male at the front shouted.

Dust and small rocks pelted Anu from above, so she shoved again, "He's the reason you're seeing daylight right now! MOVE!"

Reluctantly, the group crept outside, much too slow for Anu's liking but they were safe.

Merco uncovered the last opening and three more were rescued. The rescue completed, Merco looked at Anu to ensure there were no others.

"They're all out Merco." She nodded whilst saying that.

The gigantic being returned the nod and stood up to his full height. His hand touched the space above where the landslide had originated, and more debris fell to the ground. As if ensuring no more would fall he swiped his hand against any fragile surface and forced the rocks and dirt to fall since they probably would the next time it rained. It certainly wasn't a safe place to be and Anu hoped the mining inhabitants would refuse those dwellings and make new ones.

"Anu," the leader's voice sounded as he cautiously approached, "Y-You and your...friend... saved my people. Thank you. We are in your debt."

The lavender scout smiled at him, "We couldn't do anything else."

The leader's amazed eyes were fixated on Merco, whom was still testing the structural integrity of the cliff side, "Wh-what is he? Where did he come from?"

Anu shared the look but answered honestly, "I...I don't know."

Then, unexpectedly, Merco turned and walked away. His eyes bore a far off look to them, as if he weren't aware of anything else. He just walked until he disappeared from where he first appeared.

"Where's he going?"

Again Anu replied, "I don't know."

....

Merco sighed with finality as he finished his testing of the ledge to ensure no more rocks would fall. In such a short time he'd saved so many little lives. He glanced at the blue blood staining his hand and looked back to where the tiny bodies lay covered and mourned over by those who loved them. Couldn't save them all though. How familiar. His hand shook a bit as those similar memories haunted him. Aimless, he turned and began walking away, mind a whirl with thought.

He couldn't save his comrades either during the many battles he fought. How many times had the blood of men he'd eaten breakfast with just hours before slathered his hands? How many lives were lost under his hands because he just couldn't stop the bleeding?

Five...at least.

And they pinned a medal on him for it. What for? For failing to stop the blood flow? For watching their eyes darken and skin blanch? For running into a building and blowing the heads off of some other poor bastards who shot the very men he watched die?

Merco never knew. His family had been proud of him and everyone made it seem like he was a hero. But he never felt like one. He just did what he had to do to survive.

Before he even realized it he was back to where they had sheltered. Traynar was laying beside the rock wall and looked up at him.

Merco managed a small smile as a greeting and sat down nearby, giving the alien his space. He shook his jacket and put it on before leaning back against the canyon wall to rest. The day had been long and he just wanted to sleep now.