//Ahn: Steel

They took turns sleeping in an abandoned jewelry shop a few miles into District 3. Ahn took the first watch. While Sae and Ahn didn't need to replenish energy, they needed to enter a sleeplike state to properly process the information they had gathered. This function was designed out of fear that the ANGELs may become frenzied, which, taking their capabilities into account, would not be a pretty sight. They didn't need to 'sleep' nearly as long as humans, but were required to do it every day or two.

Ahn's gaze drifted along the empty shelves, taking in the sullen scenery. It was far different from the custom-made resting quarters he was accustomed to at EDGE. Here, however, he somehow felt more comfortable than he ever had in his own home, if it could be called that.

He looked down at Sae, who was sleeping on the floor. She looked peaceful, which was contradictory to the way she tended to approach issues, but it was somewhat soothing to Ahn. They had always slept in different rooms, and he never quite knew what it looked like when they were sleeping.

Sae's delicate figure was covered in a dark hoodie and a pair of sturdy jeans, her chest rising softly as she took in each breath. Hephaestus had provided them with clothes that would make them stand out less in crowds, but it felt a bit weird to wear anything but their EDGE uniforms.

Nathan was snoring away a few feet apart from Sae. He was much less graceful. His arms were sprawled out flat against the smooth floor, and his legs were following suit. The only audible noise in the entire store was his choppy breathing and occasional mumbling. He must have been dreaming.

No, Ahn thought, his incoherent muttering had a frantic edge to it. He was having a nightmare. Ahn wondered what dreams were like. He understood the concept of ambition, which could also be referred to as 'dreams', but he was incapable of having dreams while he was sleeping.

They were supposedly odd, far different from what the dreamer's mind would normally produce. Apparently whoever had the dreams rarely remembered them. What was the point of such a thing?

"Ahn."

Sae's voice jolted him out of his deep thought. Sae sat up, looking up at him. She didn't yawn or stretch, or even sound any less focused or energetic than she would in the middle of the day. This was another thing that was different about their form of sleep.

"You can sleep now," Sae said, slowly standing up. "My data is secure."

Ahn nodded, lowering himself to the spot Sae had occupied a few seconds before. He closed his eyes, and the world faded to black almost immediately. Another thing that makes me different, he thought as his consciousness slipped away.

When Ahn woke up, his thoughts lingered on his training at EDGE, when he had first been made. This was unusual. When he woke up, the first thing he thought was to look at his surroundings to ensure there were no approaching threats. Why was he thinking about such pointless things now?

He opened his eyes. Sae's face obscured his vision almost entirely. She was peering intently down at him, her head only a few inches above his. Her silvery eyes were scanning his face meticulously, her soft breath falling onto him.

"You're up," she said, lifting her head in no apparent hurry.

"I'm up," Ahn replied, getting to his feet. "What were you doing?"

"Studying your sleeping patterns. You were talking while you were in your unconscious state. I found that odd," she explained. "I was...curious to see what we do externally while processing data, as well."

Ahn nodded blankly. He was put off by the memories of his time spent training.

Sae noticed his lack of attention. "Are you injured?" she asked. "Your arm?"

"Um...yeah, it hurts a bit. I'll be fine," Ahn said after some hesitation. There was no need to bring his memories up with Sae, especially in front of Nathan, who appeared to be waking up.

Nathan jerked his body up with a snort. His eyes looked wild. His head snapped around the room as if he were expecting an attack. Upon seeing Ahn look at him with concern and Sae give him an annoyed stare, he let out a deep sigh.

"Well?" he asked cheerfully. "Are we going to head out?"

Ahn looked to the front of the store, which was lined with windows and had a glass door. Light shone in from every direction, brightening the unused shelves and tables that lined the floor. If they still had jewelry on them, it would have made for quite a spectacle.

"Where do you suggest we go?" Ahn replied, unable to keep up with Nathan's abrupt changes in pace. "Do you know your way around this district?"

Nathan gave a confident smile. "But of course! I know the perfect place for us to stay."

"Who said we were accompanying you?" Sae cut in. "I doubt you'll manage to be useful to us."

While her words were a bit harsh, Ahn couldn't help but agree with her. They couldn't stay with Nathan for long. They didn't know if they could trust him, and even if they did, he would probably just slow them down if they had some form of confrontation.

Despite all of this, staying with Nathan for a bit longer posed some benefit for the two of them. They had no idea what the layout of District 3 was, nor did they know who to avoid and where they would be. If Nathan was familiar with the city, they could at least let him tag along for the next few days, or at least until they had a basic understanding of the area.

"I'm quite sure you're familiar with the OEC?" Nathan asked in a manner that said he didn't expect an answer. "And how to deal with them? Or, more importantly, how to keep them off of you? And I'm certain you know where you can go to stay hidden, right?"

Whoever Nathan was, he understood how to play the cards he had well. He knew that Ahn and Sae were lost in District 3. The most valuable thing for them right now was information, and he apparently had it.

'He's right,' Ahn thought to Sae. 'We need someone to guide us around, even just for a little bit.'

Sae didn't respond, but seemed to agree, despite her opposition to spending any more time with Nathan than she had to. She clearly held distaste for the man, and Ahn couldn't blame her. He was dangerous.

"We'll stay with you for now," Ahn said carefully, producing another smug grin from Nathan. "In exchange, you'll give us information."

Nathan nodded with exaggerated earnesty. "What is it you want to know?"

"You mentioned something called the OEC? What or who are they?" Ahn inquired. It would be a good idea to learn about the organizations or groups that posed a potential threat to them.

"The Order Enforcement Coalition. They hold a sort of monarchical system over District 3. Anything the leader says, goes. You remember the boy from last night, right? The one that got taken away?" Nathan was no longer smiling.

"That tank belonged to the OEC. While it likely wouldn't have been difficult to take it out, judging from your skills," he continued, gesturing to Ahn, "If we did decide to take them on, the OEC as a whole wouldn't stop until you were either captured or dead." He paused. "Dead, if you were lucky."

"Do they serve as a sort of police force?" Ahn asked.

"That's implying that the people they arrest are criminals," Nathan said gravely. "The OEC puts laws in place that are almost impossible not to break, then uses them as an excuse to execute whoever stands in their way."

"Who is setting the laws?" Sae asked, her tone implying she still had suspicions, but that she at least believed what Nathan was saying for now.

"I don't know his name," Nathan admitted. "People just call him 'The Steel King'. Nobody really knows his intentions either, and he never appears before the public. The only thing we can go off of is when his voice comes over the street intercoms and announces a new ridiculous law or levy."

"What about the companies around here? Where do they fit in with the OEC?" Ahn asked.

"They all follow like sheep," Nathan said with disdain. "One company alone can't do anything against them, and there aren't enough that would be crazy enough to band against the OEC."

"So they're unopposed," Ahn said.

"Not exactly. There's another organization, albeit a smaller one. They call themselves the Nighthawks. They go out during the mandated 'lights out' times and carry out hits against the OEC. They're mostly made up of civilians, so they don't have a whole lot of proper equipment, so they're more like an annoying fly than an opponent, but they try their best."

"That sounds inefficient," Sae commented.

"It is."

Sae looked a bit surprised, as if she had been expecting Nathan to try to argue with her. Nathan, however, just stood with his eyes glued to the floor. He seemed to remember Ahn and Sae were with him, and quickly adjusted his expression to come off as optimistic.

"Anyway, I'm sure it's nothing we have to worry about. Let's head out," Nathan said, pulling a black mask over his face, followed by a pair of modified goggles and his hood.

Ahn looked at Sae. She nodded, appearing to be satisfied with Nathan's information.

"Right," he said, pulling his own hood up.

Nathan went quiet as he walked towards the door.