Cost

"Goddammit what is it?" She takes out her wrist watch to see a code orange sent 4 hours ago. Usually code orange is for major events. But for it to activate now seemed weird since she didn't hear anything strange outside.

She quickly gets up, still groggy after a lack of sleep yesterday. The rental condominium she managed to barely afford felt comfortable. It wasn't a looker with it's more utilitarian looks, but it was right next to the train station, close to the rich district and had a good view of the entire city of Sector A. A far cry from her inhospitable bunk bed where she had to attach apparatus onto her. Just like the others.

She really wanted to continue sleeping, but the irksome dreams of the family somehow frightened her to her core. Still stuck into her brain like a parasite and unable to forget. Was it telling her something? She gets out of bed to see a fire at the robot base south of her bedroom.

"No wonder it is orange..."

She quickly dressed out of her nightgown and rushed to get everything settled before leaving. Nearly leaving a large pile of dirty clothes unchecked.

The rising sun blinded her as she made her way into the highway at speed. Itching in the arms and legs as she weaved through the traffic dangerously, annoying motorists and the police. She knows that she did not clean herself well, but punctuality is an important factor for better equipment. By the time she made it however, everyone had already arrived except for Team 6.

A husk compared to before, the place was full of dust and charred debris unlike the quiet abandoned neighborhood that once stood. The hotel, ground zero, was now nothing but a melted pile of mess. The surrounding buildings was burning so badly that as she pass through the scrambling cops and smoke, firefighters scramble to get water to hose them under control. Around the area, skid marks riddled the broken roads leading all the way out of the neighborhood. Ahead, a portion of the floating air base tarmac cracked and went downwards from what seemed like a large explosion. In front of the melted debris stood Alfred by his Mercedes. Talking on a microphone as he fiddled with a laptop.

"Alfred what was the situation?" She asked him as he inspected tire marks, now brandishing a soldier's uniform.

"The perpetrator ran amuck and had officially ended the last of the gangs in this area. However what interests me was the footage found inside the site." He ordered his subordinate to pass him a thumb drive. A relic from the 2010s. She was surprised that he had one that still exists and functions. Hacksaw would had loved it.

He played the video as it fizzled to life. It was remaining footage in the lair of The Tribunals. Though she feels weird why they would want a camera in the first place, especially when it was on a crate of boxes. It was first calmness in the lair. Then a silhouette of a woman with her 'wings of steel' smashing into the place before the video cuts out. She was shocked as to why Unholy Wings would do such a thing, she always followed protocol after all. It felt weird, impossible for something like that to happen. He closes the laptop as he looks at her, rather disappointed by the behavior displayed.

"I know it is shocking, but I'm gonna have to take precautions. So for now the whole of Team 6 is on probation for forceful entry without entry permit and damage to a huge chunk of the the landing strip."

"There was the only one evidence found so far in the burning wreck, there may be more, so go in and check. I must head down to the conflict zone to inspect the troops." He shook his head as he heads for his Mercedes, tearing up the dust at her as he left. Shane watched in disbelief. Such drastic measures were not necessary as of yet.

She carefully enters the site, noting down items of concern. So far the only important clue seemed to be tyre marks from several vehicles including the stolen Lotus from yesterday. She walks closer into the wreck, in ground zero a melted hole of tarmac that can be possibly made by Atsuki using her laser bazookas. The charred melted walls remain with wooden splinters and metal debris remaining.

With testimonials coming in supporting that it was Team 6's fault, of how a green glow shot out into the night sky, she felt hope of her friend being innocent was almost lost. Then she smell something familiar. Onions. She carefully crawled into the hole, the pressure crushing bricks as she went in. The place was moldy and dark. Through the light rays shining into the site, she saw remnants of a kitchen, or what was left of it with white faded tiles cracked from the shifting of large equipment, piles of water leaking from the walls and charred flooring stinking even more the moment she got closer. Small wires laid a wrangled mess on the floor, possibly the once's used for testing. She walked in further, then she found it. Several plates of that same black sludge found amongst large debris.

"Eureka!" Shane let out loud as she ushered officers quickly but safely to collected the items for investigation. She dig deeper into the debris. Pounding so hard such that mild tremors were being made. She wandered through the charred smell of onions and weirdly rotten eggs. But the place seemed ominous with tampering, if it actually was. Behind her, lots of clear footprints seemed heading up the dusty stairs calmly. She turns around to see debris of what once was crates.

She carefully walked around the back to find a concealed chest, hiding behind lots of charred moldy planks. The chest seemed empty however with the lid opened. Then another breakthrough. She spots black sludge covered on a chip, laying aimlessly on the lid. The men must had fought valiantly. Finally their innocence could be proven. As she returns to send her shoes as part of evidence (her shoe prints had managed to contaminate the scene). She smiled proudly. Another case rightfully solved.

Several miles close to the ocean

"If it wasn't for him..." Silvia blasted at a lost Sergio, unable to calm Silvia down. They were just informed this morning how they were on 'probation' for an indefinite time. Their 'probation' was to guard the secret base, Nightingale, a base right by a cliff in a national park overlooking a rising ocean. Now closer to flood the bunker.

Sure it felt sick to be in the city. But it was much better going around to beat some bad guys that just patrolling around several poorly lit corridors in a facility. She watches Ken sneer at a soldier as they made their rounds. Ambar however was made to stand guard outside the base with his own turrets and mini looking robots. "Hopefully they would resolve this", she thought to herself. Atsuki had however taken it well strangely as she still soldiered on quietly.

"Ok this has gotten really boring really fast. How about we play a game of would you rather?" Hanson said as Ken and Silvia enthusiastically agreed. Atsuki and Sergio rolled their eyes as they continued on. "Ok would you rather have rotten potatoes now or would you wait two days, starving for the best meal in town?"

"Oh come on this question is so pathetic. The first one is what we would all take! All in favor?" Silvia complained as all in the group raised their hands, "See? It's like saying would you rather marry Hanson or someone else." Hanson jeered as Ken, Silvia, Sergio and even Atsuki was giggling to the joke, "Or even better, would you rather die by his arms or by Team 7's Maximillian's arms?"

"Hey Silvia, I'm not gay." Ken retorted as all the girls in the group were dreaming in awe. His bulky strong body was truly to die for.

"Hey! who are you?!" Hanson shout out loud as everyone got their act together. Hanson, Silvia, Sergio and Atsuki poised to position as Ken flexed his muscles. In front of them, three dark figures stood solemnly. Each eye glowing green as a google seeming reflected under the light bulb that was on. "Ambar?" Sergio looked shocked as Silvia freaks out looking behind. More figures, soldiers from earlier, standing stoically. Glowing with the same evil green eyes. Behind them all, small machines the size of a hand wandered about. It large tasers equipped on the top of the large saucer shape body. Wandering around upside down like they just infiltrated an ant colony

"We are surrounded!" Ken looked as Sergio began slamming her fists into the ground. The 'monsters' leaped as Ken punches Ambar, knocking him to the ground.

Atsuki meanwhile launched her many 'feathers' as they sliced through the now possessed soldiers and robots as they made their way through the shaking ground. They stood their ground well for over 5 minutes, but their efforts were in vain as no matter how many they had slain, they still kept reviving, back again with the same aggressive vigor as before. With more of Ambars' robots and charred men, the fight felt as if it had already ended. Hanson tries to radio in for aid, but the lines were seemingly cut off.

Seeing the hopelessness of the situation, Silvia charged the zombified soldiers with a loud battle cry of her large Saber Buster. The red aura forming around the mystique weapon as she dashed towards it in a blur. Ken looked on at the increasingly large amount of zombified soldiers, horrified. He tries to stop her using his bulky size, hoping that she would have gotten the message and lead an escape. But he was too slow. She dashed around and through the crowd with blood splattering the walls till the last one. A dark figure standing by the halls. She poised her weapon and leaped, eager for a successful run.

"Finally my first kills o-" She stopped her conversation. Something was very off, why was she not moving? She slowly looked downwards, gasping at the swift impalement in the chest.

"For fucks sake..."

Her blood flowed onto the ground as she collapsed into the ground shot. The being wandered past, ignorant of his previous move. Such pride...

But she was still alive. She better do something before she goes. She grabs her Saber Buster and fires one last defiant shot at it. Hopeful for a home run. But it was hopeless. It barely grazed it as it turns back around and grabs her by the collar.

"Say hello to your parents for me." He stabs her multiple times, her body slushing around like a rag doll from the force before she slumped onto the side of the corridor. Lifeless.

"Noooo!"

The being turns back, emitting a green glow in his palms and pinning everyone down, barely avoiding Atsuki's 'feathers'. Completely unable to break the large heavy bonds around the group.

"Who are you?" Sergio struggled to reply under the huge near bone cracking force pinning her down as the figure seemingly morphed into her.

"Your new maker." It grinned as a bright green light illuminated the corridor.