Powerless. That's how Rhett felt as he watched his charges unknowingly walk into the trap set by their own organization. He was crouched hiding his suit turned in chameleon mode outside of the perimeter. His visor retransmitted the moves of the future battlefield.

Kiara, Ethan, and their students were moving toward the center of the area. Only Kiara was informed of the real goal of the mission.

Rhett observed them recalling for the hundredth time.

At their signal, she would open the hidden door and throw a bomb. The explosion would destroy the core of the energy field. The Supras would get inside the base and destroy the control room freeing the Infected. While they would do that, the others would have to face the monster attempting to escape for thirty minutes. The time for the reinforcement to take over.

He didn't understand why they didn't send more members of Division 0 to back up the bait team. The board explanation still left him septic.

The mole had been found but the board stayed distrustful. They would only call Division 1 at the last moment. They decided to send eight Supras declaring that sending more would only increase the chance of being caught.

Rhett breathed deeply trying to calm his unease. The leader of the operation was just beside him, and by a wonderful course of events turned out to be Roman.

At this point, he was convinced that first: every interaction he had with the board member was schemed by him, and second that the entire Division knew about their history but pretended not to.

He refocused his attention on the corner of the projection. Skyler and Ash were walking close to each other. She had her fingers curled tightly around her rifle while the blond teenager was glancing around him. His red eyes seemed to fix him. The impression lasted for a fraction of a second but it was enough for him to hold his breath. The boy then tripped on a root before being caught by his friend. He couldn't see what she signed but Skyler seemed offended.

He silently scoffed. Those two were still the same. How unfair. Why should he be the only one carrying the burden of his memories? Prosthesis and the empty eyes flashed before his eyes. Remorse took over him.

'How could I wish that?' he thought, closing his fists.

He may have changed but was still felt like he wasn't a good person. No, he wasn't one. He killed too many starting with his mentor, his model, and his chosen family: Irina. He hurt everyone around him, even his charges without feeling any regrets.

'Do I have the right to care?'

His chest felt terribly empty.

Sending signal in three, two, one. Send. Start phase one.

He saw Kiara running away from the group. An opening appeared on the ground swallowing fallen branches and leaves. She took out a large device, it grew the size of a basketball. She threw it inside before curling down. She shouted. The rest of her group imitates her. Rhett's armor hardened. A violent wave of energy hit them. Tree trunks vented down, leaves were ripped and flew in the air. Dust clouded around them blocking the view. The hunter stumbled back as the impact hit him.

'Just how strong was the field?'

Phase one. Success.

His blue eye narrowed as it felt the virus awakening underneath the ground. It itched as if it was a foreign part of his body. Rhett felt the familiar repulsion resurface in his chest. He was part Infected, part monster. The sign of his infection marked his body forever. Even if Irina took the fatal blow reserved for him, his arm and eye were injured and infected by the virus. His arm turned part metallic and his veins into cables. It couldn't be saved. They had to impute it to prevent further damage. His eye was preserved but its electric blue color marked his tainted him.

He didn't know if he had the right to care but he was even more uncertain about his nature.

'Am I even human?'

Supra we are moving. Start of phase two.

He rose from his crouched position and ran. Around him, through the twisted trees and wet mud, he could perceive the shape of his teammates.

Arrival schedule in one minute thirty.

He ran faster. The rescue team would only be called once they entered the base. Every second counted.

The other team didn't notice them as they passed silently past them. Rhett walked close to his students. Skyler was clenching his jaw his hand against his temples while standing in front of his companion. Ash took a step away and looked at the hunter. Her red pupils were shining unnaturally. The Jaeger knew she couldn't see him. The only thing standing in front of her was the newly opened entrance.

8h43 we enter the base. Send rescue for the team.

He let out a silent sigh, but froze when he saw the face of his mentees: their eyes had widened. Rhett jumped straight into the hole.

He swiftly landed on the stone floor. He was soon joined by the seven Supras. The tallest walked straight toward him his mask dissolving into his collar.

"What was that?" hissed Rick. "You can't just go alone! You have to listen to us, you aren't in Division 1!"

"I thought my suit turned off chameleon mode," said Rhett, lowering his head.

"It's not! Stop finding excuses-"

"Jaeger R8_4-S44-SS that's enough," cut Roman.

"You are taking his side?" he laughed. "Well that shouldn't be surprising as he is-"

"We have a mission," coldly called Eleanor.

Rhett recognized her voice. She was the Supra he worked with during the mission of Arizona.
The two men lowered their heads slightly embarrassed before Roman advanced. The corridor was identical to the one he ventured into in Arizona. The half-dimmed lights, the stone tunnels, and the cold humid wind. The only difference was that the place looked more recent. Hurried footsteps echoed at their right.

"Looks like some Infected escaped," smiled Rick.

Their mask quickly reformed.

Destroy everything except samples.

In other words, they were free to do whatever pleased them. He started moving following the smallest group. No sound was made as they ran down the path.

A horrified scream broke the heavy silence followed by a growl. The voice quickly died. No one budged to save him. He either. He stayed impassible as the scene repeated several times.

Storage room in forty meters.

Rhett cocked his gun. The door was blasted by Roman, leading their group. The metal didn't even hit the ground and the three of them were already inside. His vision turned grey as his visor analyzed the room. Three objects were outlined in blue.

UNIDENTIFIED ITEMS.

Roman snatched them off their shelves and slid them inside his armor. The material absorbed the glass containments.

Destroy everything else.

He didn't need to repeat himself. The Jaeger shot. Liquid splattered against the wall. Shards flew everywhere bouncing on their armor. In less than two minutes there wasn't anything left intact.

Get behind me.

Rhett slid behind Eleanor. She twisted her gun changing its canon into a thin pipe. She raised her weapon and pressed the trigger. A roaring flame burst out of the canon. The fire slowly spread on the ground. Rhett took out a bottle he filled with petrol he prepared. He waited until he exited before throwing it inside the room. They threw themselves to the side as a heated explosion burst out through the open storage.

Next.

Rhett got up slower than the others, his chest soaring with the same pain in his chest. While he moved toward the second room he checked his students' footage. Two Infected-an Arachne and a Chimera-had escaped and were circling their group. Kiara launched toward the first giving it a powerful blow. The two students were firing at the monsters. Their faces were dark-scared.

'Focus.'

He closed the image. The same action repeated itself. Roman tied down the door, revealing this time a laboratory. No foreign objects were identified. They smashed down every computer and power source.

'They probably have a copy in a Cloud,' He sent to his group.

Nothing had been spared. The room was littered with broken electrical components and the walls were torn down. Rhett grabbed a knot of wire dangling down the ceiling. He took down with it half of the ceiling. Darkness swallowed them.

'Division X took care of it.'

For precautions, Eleanor still threw a magnetic bomb. Like that, they entirely destroyed five additional rooms. A discreet signal made the hunter miss his target. The bullet brushed Roman. The board member turned around his gun raised.

"Dammit Rhett!" he barked. "I was going to shoot you!"

"The rescue team has not arrived."

His voice was blank.

"What?"

"Let me check," said Roman putting his fingers on his visor.

He stayed quiet for a long moment. Rhett didn't stop staring at the little camera. He saw a third Infected emerging off the ground. Ash threw herself on Kavi. The fangs of the Chimera brushed her back. Ethan was dragging Skyler behind him, leaping. They were trying to retreat. Several minutes passed before the white-haired Supra spoke.

"They aren't coming before at least two hours."

"Why?"

"I don't know much."

"Dammit!" yelled Rhett banging his fist against the wall. "What do you mean you don't know?"

The impact left a deep dent in the wall.

"A second mole has been discovered they are locking down the HQ. I barely grasped what was happening. They are interrogating everyone."

"What about us?" asked Eleanor.

"Once finished we go straight back."

"Are you forgetting the frontline team?"

The two glanced at each other. Their expression made his stomach churn.

"We will have to leave them," answered the woman.

"They can go back with us," threw Rhett.

He tried to keep his crackled passible mask but he felt his mouth twitching.

"We need to have the permission of the Board."

"Roman is part of this fucking board!" he exploded.

"I am not the head," argued the latter. "It is a collective decision that we need to make with an overwhelming majority. Back in Arizona, we did one, but we didn't have a crisis on our hands. With how it is going we won't be able to arrange an online meeting. Besides they never last less than forty-five minutes."

"So we are leaving them."

It wasn't a question. He knew the answer. That's why he didn't feel any disappointment when they nodded. In the corner of his vision, he saw that only two Infected remain, Ethan was lying on the floor his arm twisted in a gruesome angle. Skyler was standing next to him drenched with blood still raising his firearm. Ash was nowhere to be found, and so did the majority of the students. Did they escape?

'They can't.'

The Infected would chase them down before they would even have the chance to see their plane.

"I won't."

"Rhett!"

"You will lose your rank!" exclaimed Eleanor. "You will be kicked out of Division 0!"

The hunter clenched his jaw. The perspective felt terribly painful. He knew would never be able to get back to Division 0. His dream was between his hands, he was living in it. He had achieved his ultimate position!

'But I don't feel good.'

He had felt the pride. But between his ribs, he felt nothing but an intense aching. He was constantly recalling the memories of his months spent with his charges and Aleksei.

'No.'

It was more than feeling bad.

'I am feeling terrible.'

Maybe chasing the position would calm his guilt and his pride, but what about his feelings? Could he really ignore them? Could he ignore the horrible emotions that grabbed his throat?

"Rhett don't act on outbursts," said Roman.

The hunter looked at the veteran.

"Yes, that's what you did, you and Daniel," said Rhett. "And now you are one of the most powerful Jaeger. You saved thousands of lives. You lived only for your mission. And I don't think it was a wrong decision to choose your work over your family."

He looked straight into his father's eyes and added, "But I won't make the same choice as yours."

Roman face subtly paled.

"I hope you will respect my decision as I respect yours."

He turned his back. This time he didn't stop him. He passed down all the rooms they destroyed only seeing quick blurs.

'Faster!'

He soon smelled the scent of dirt and blood followed by a morning light. He stopped under the entrance and bent his legs. He jumped. His prosthetic hand grabbed the edge. He pushed and landed outside. His visor adjusted to the bright luminosity. First, he saw the Chimera, then the bewildered expression of Kiara through her cracked helmet. He saw that she didn't recognize him. Behind her, a shadow grew.

He took out two guns and launched at the Arachne. He shot its multiple eyes before swinging his arms. The creature stumbled back. The plaques covering the hunter's arms grew into thin sharp blades. He launched and cut down one of its eight legs. A silhouette flashed next to him. The Infected fell on the side as Kiara exploded a bomb reducing its number of legs down to three.

"I got it!" she yelled at him.

One of her eyes was closed glued with thick blood.

"Go save the rest."

He nodded and looked behind him. The other mentor was alone still lying on the floor. He lowered himself beside him and gently took off his mask.

"Ethan," he called.

The man opened his eyes, his red pupil stared at him. His breathing was slow but steady.

"I-I know you," he said with a breathy voice.

"How bad is it?" he asked, without denying.

He hadn't planned to stop by him, but his state made him more worried than he wanted to be.

"My left arm...and my two legs are broken. Four...ribs too. I think I...have a head concussion."

"Are you going to make it?"

Ethan let out a scoff, the action made him wince.

"Of course."

He turned his head towards the forest his eyes full of anger.

"I tried to stop it. I couldn't."

Rhett's blood froze.

"The Chimera is chasing them."

It made him jolt he jumped back on his feet starting once again to run.

'Please, please, please.'

In the distance, he heard a roar with a robotic edge. If he was too late...

'I'll massacre every researcher myself.'

He jumped over the tangled roots and slid past the barks. His visor showed him the outline of the Chimera, and farther away human shapes.

Rhett barely found the strength to run faster, his knees were weakening and his muscles burning.

He first saw the darted tail, then its target.

He was too far.

'No!'

He snatched his helmet off. His naked eyes unraveled the true nature of the monster. Its shimmering moving core was right in the middle of its forehead. He clenched his jaw and threw his helmet in the Chimera's eye.

Blue blood splattered the mentees. The poisoned tail missed by a hair his students. The Rhett threw himself in front of its fangs. He heard their erratic breathing and wild heartbeats. His left hand plunged into the artificial flesh of the Infected. His fingers met the burning intensity of the core. He closed them. The Chimera froze before its body fell towards the hunter. Rhett grunted feeling the deadly weight, but his eyes stopped on the bloodied figure of his students.

Tangled together into one human knot they looked at him. They stared silently at each other, their red eyes slowly widening. Rhett couldn't hear anything other than the wild beat of his heart. Long seconds passed before Ash slowly signed.

'You are back?'

The hunter didn't feel the Infected dissolving or the pain in his legs, but his body did. He dropped on his knees falling over on his students. They stayed like this for a short moment before Skyler clutched his arm. Rhett passed his around his students tightly embracing them.

Their hands gripped them firmly back while his armor was wet in salty tears. The mentor let them cry without softening his hold. His heartbeat echoed through his entire body.

"I'm back."