//Sae: Hephaestus

The sun had risen above the city by the time Sae and Ahn had made their way back to the slums. Gray clouds covered the sky like a thick blanket, allowing only shreds of light to pass through to the desolate streets below.

The environment had slightly changed since they were last there. The gangs that normally tormented passersby had heard about the bloodbath in a nearby alley, as well as caught wind of the Golden City Casino's downfall overnight. Rumor was that both had been done by the same people. Word traveled fast.

The other occupants of the slums still miserably put one foot in front of the other on the way to their poorly paying jobs. They did so, however, with a bit more confidence. The people that would usually beat them for fun or steal the meager amount of money they had were now scared to do so. Life still wasn't easy, but was temporarily less difficult. This peace, they knew, wouldn't last - one gang would get brave and test their boundaries, then others would follow suit. It would go back to the same undefined hierarchy as before.

Sae fiddled with the memory chip in her hand. Would they really be able to help Ava? She brushed the thought aside. They had other things to worry about right now.

Ahn walked next to her, a strained expression on his face. Even for him, it was hard to conceal the pain of a stab wound and a nearly severed arm.

When they got back to the bunker, Sae decided, she would help him repair his damaged parts again. She would have plenty of time to do so; they needed to lay low for a while after causing such a scene the night before. EDGE would surely be looking for them.

Sae scanned for electronics, making sure they were in the right spot. The bunker, sure enough, was directly below them. She reached out to open the trap door, but was stopped by Ahn, who put his good hand on her shoulder.

'We don't want anyone seeing us when we get in,' his voice projected in Sae's head. She nodded.

When the surrounding streets were clear, Ahn reached down to lift the hatch, flinching as he put stress on his injured arm.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Sae said, reaching down and fully lifting the hidden door. "You're hurt badly enough."

Ahn walked sheepishly down the stairway. It was hard to believe that this was the same android that had slaughtered an entire building of people hours before.

The room was exactly as they had left it, drawers open and parts messily scattered about the room. Sae turned on the lights, illuminating the disorganized space. She gestured for Ahn to sit down on a table in the center. He reluctantly did so.

Sae searched the cabinets and drawers for suitable parts to replace Ahn's broken ones. She could only provide a temporary fix, like last time, but it was better than nothing. She walked over to the table, laying the tools out.

A loud creaking noise startled Sae, causing the parts to drop to the floor as she jumped.

She whirled around, scanning for heat signatures. One was heading down the stairs.

"Who's there?!" a gruff voice shouted.

A loud alarm sounded, various automated turrets rising out of the floor, pointing at Sae and Ahn. This would be a difficult situation to get out of, even for the two ANGELs. These turrets were military-grade, higher quality, perhaps, than even EDGE's. Dealing with over ten of them at point-blank range wouldn't be easy.

Sae's attention was averted from the high end security system as the footsteps reached the bottom of the stairs. A short, heavyset man emerged from the doorway. He looked to be in his early sixties, a long white beard adorning his otherwise bald head. A pair of goggles rested over his eyes. He wore dirty but well-made and durable looking overalls, and had black rubber gloves covering up to his elbows. His face bore an angry expression.

Sae stared at him. He clearly wasn't with EDGE, or any of their competing companies, for that matter. It was obvious, however, that he was the owner of this bunker. How did somebody from the slums have access to such high-quality android parts in such abundance? He even had his own automated turret system. Who was this man?

The man strutted over to them, showing no sign of nervousness or fear of the androids that had broken into his room. His expression turned to that of horror as he closed the gap to a few feet. Did he just now notice the blood covering Ahn?

"How could you do such a thing?!" he yelled, wrapping his arms around his bald head.

Sae gave him a confused look. What was he talking about?

The man started furiously collecting the parts that had fallen onto the floor, muttering to himself under his breath.

'Is he more concerned about some electronics being dropped than two androids breaking in?' Sae thought, now questioning his sanity.

"Just one of these parts is worth more than both of your lives combi-" he stopped, a grin spreading across his face. "I see, I see," he said, nodding. "You're not human, are you?"

Sae was stunned. The man's goggles didn't appear to have any form of special capabilities; they were for protection, nothing more. Very few people could tell that Ahn and Sae were androids without some form of electronics scanner. Ahn's suit covered his wounds, so there was no way to tell that his electronic parts were damaged, either.

This man was more capable than Sae had initially thought. Anyone who understood enough about androids to identify the ANGELs as such with the naked eye was to be dealt with cautiously.

Sae shared a look with Ahn. He nodded. They needed to be especially careful to watch what they said around this person.

"I thought so," the man said, gingerly setting the parts back on the table. "Oh, where are my manners? This is no way to treat guests," he said, pulling a small control panel out of his pocket, pressing a series of buttons. The turrets retracted back into the floor.

What was with his sudden change of attitude towards them? What was he thinking?

"So? Who sent you in?" he asked, examining them like he was a child ogling some shiny new toys.

'Sent us in?' Sae thought. What was that supposed to mean?

The man turned to Ahn. "Ah, you're here for repairs. Your shoulder, right?" He studied Ahn for a bit longer. "Your stomach, too, perhaps?"

This man would have easily been able to compete with EDGE's lead technicians.

"Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself," he said. "I'm Hephaestus. Pleasure doing business with you."