[[[ Three hours after Zeus woke up / Noon and the sunlight that never reached the sealed basement ]]]
[[[ The secret basement / The living room ]]]
(Sourai): So that's what happened... But you still haven't answered the one question I've asked you for the seventh time... Did all this really happen by coincidence? You took my suit by accident and discovered the ambush by accident too? ... Zeus, I'm not an idiot.
(Zeus): Well, since you're this insistent...
Zeus went silent.
Sourai and Beatrix gave their full attention to Zeus's coming words.
(Zeus, smiling): I've told you about 98% of everything I know... the rest, I can't tell you... I just hope you understand that.
(Sourai): Do whatever you want, but I also hope you don't regret it.
(Beatrix): Just know that we've got your back, and when you need us, don't forget to ask for help.
(Zeus, laughing): Guys, you're acting like my parents... I'll tell you one day, really, it's not much.
"Maybe everything revolves around that 2%... These markings are really mysterious," thought Zeus, and Beatrix asked:
"So what are we going to do now?"
Sourai scratched his long hair and threw himself back, relaxing on the couch before answering:
"There's one thing I know... Zeus, you can't go outside at all, because you're dead."
"I'm what!?"
Sourai didn't answer right away. He just played the news report from a few days ago on the TV screen.
Zeus stayed in shock for a while before regaining his composure and speaking directly:
"We need to leave now... We're traveling 3000 kilometers toward the capital."
(Sourai and Beatrix): !!?
(Sourai): You can't enter any city... Cameras must not catch your face, your energy, your credit cards—shut down your digital accounts too... Do you get what I'm saying? Consider yourself a wanted criminal by the Union... What capital are you even talking about!?
"Not the capital exactly, but a nearby village... There's a man who knows something about all this."
(Beatrix): Are you going to tell us about this too, or is that off-limits?
"Yeah, I'll tell you... Do you remember the kidnapped children?"
"Yes."
"It all started there... There's a little girl named Sally. Her father is..."
Zeus told them what Sally's father told him, and Sourai immediately searched for any info on the incident, but found nothing online—strangely, yet not so strange at the same time.
(Sourai): I'll go pack the travel bags.
(Zeus): Are we using the Mecha to get there quickly?
(Sourai): My Mecha belongs to the government and is stationed at the base... I don't think I can take it without raising suspicion.
(Zeus and Beatrix): My Mecha is privately owned.
(Sourai, annoyed, muttering): Damn rich bastards! ... Still, we can't use them. Like I said, we need to stay as hidden as possible.
(Zeus): Does anyone have a plane?
(Beatrix): Yes, but it's family-owned... Let's just take a car.
(Sourai): !! ... My car won't fit anything... We need personal items for the three of us, weapons, explosives, and also a vehicle with a floatation system or at least a high-clearance off-road car... We can't use the main roads—we're taking the desert.
(Zeus): Then let's buy one.
(Beatrix): Looks like we've reached an agreement... I'll go pack my stuff and gear.
Beatrix left for her temporary room in the spacious basement, while Sourai was giving sharp looks to Zeus, who was smiling like an idiot.
(Sourai, in a low voice): Are you going to talk now?
(Zeus, with the same smile, after a short silence): No.
...
(At 1:00 a.m.)
(Sourai's farm)
It was decided that they'd depart the next morning.
For now, Zeus sat alone in a rocking chair for the elderly in front of the house, gazing deeply at the stars on this quiet night.
In his hand was a glass bottle from which he took a sip every three or four rocks of the chair.
(Beatrix): Don't tell me you've started drinking alcohol.
Zeus lifted the bottle in his hand and looked at it for a moment before speaking seriously:
"It's just milk... What woke you up?"
"I looked around and didn't find you... I thought maybe that idiot went off to kill himself somewhere."
Zeus's lips curved slightly into a soft, subtle smile, but he stayed silent.
Beatrix didn't like Zeus's silence. She had a strong urge to scold him for fighting alone and telling no one anything.
(Beatrix): So why are you awake?
"Nothing much... Sleeping for thirteen days should keep me awake for at least a week."
"That's not how it works... Why are you really awake? Are you worried?"
Zeus sighed and spoke calmly:
"Maybe... I'm thinking about my mother... and my little sister... It must be hard on them... But if I don't do this, I'll really die in the end."
(Beatrix): Don't worry, I won't let anyone kill you... We'll fight this battle together like we always have.
(Zeus, smiling sadly): Betty, remember... this is my first shared mission with you... I don't really remember... Why don't you tell me a bit... some of the memories between us, maybe... something I was meant to forget.
Beatrix visibly flustered and quickly replied:
"I'm going. We have to wake up early tomorrow... You should get some sleep too."
Then she left quickly, her blushing cheeks not unnoticed by Zeus.
"So there really are unique memories... My heart hurts, man... Why can't I remember anything!!" thought Zeus before closing his eyes and sleeping in the same chair till morning.
...
(9:00 a.m.)
There was a large four-wheel drive car equipped with a unique stealth system. In the vehicle's trunk were a series of boxes, each containing a relatively compressed field.
The compression boxes were filled with personal items, camping gear, weapons, equipment, fuel, ammunition, and a large amount of food and drink.
(Sourai): I think we're ready... Zeus, you and I will alternate driving throughout the journey... Want to go first?
"Did you think I'd wait to try out this little beast?"
Zeus got behind the wheel and spun the car in place before taking off to give it a quick test drive before the others boarded.
(Beatrix, surprised): You want me to ride with a driver like that?
(Sourai, reassuring): Don't worry, Zeus is one of the best racers I've ever seen.
"This isn't a race!"
"Well, in any case, your suit will protect you if anything happens."
"I'm more worried about my stomach!" thought Beatrix while watching the distant car kicking up a line of dust behind it.
. . . . . . .
(At the same time)
(Unknown desert location --> Village between mountain ranges)
The village homes were carved into the massive rock walls of the mountain, nestled between two mountain flanks and a semi-circular space surrounded by two other mountains.
The village entrance was the long crevice leading to the sea of sand dunes.
Inside an illegal Mecha repair workshop on a high cliff near the mountain top, a man was working on repairing a hybrid Mecha—half machine, half beast, with the beast part coming from a creature resembling a giant eagle.
The workshop owner spoke to the white-haired young man who owned the Mecha:
"Lucky for you the sniper didn't hit the energy core... Where did you even get these cords from? It's not easy finding an Avaro bird, let alone hunting one."
The white-haired young man replied:
"I hunted one a month ago... When will the Mecha be ready?"
"A few days, I'm not really sure, but I'll be working on it most of the time—don't worry."
(White-haired young man): Do you have any extra weapons or anything that could help me?
The mechanic went quiet for a moment, then asked with a sad tone:
"Are they alive?"
"Yes, I hope so... I have to save them no matter what it takes... or die trying. I don't even care anymore... If life is going to be without them, I don't want to live... I'm talking about my brothers and my friends—they're all I've got, man, what do you expect from me!?"