Jago recalled Maya's story of her sister while he read the Intel a few times to find an error, but everything was precise. He pitied Maya; losing a family member was one thing, but learning that the person returned as a vampire was overwhelming. "How was this possible?"

"Mira might have survived but was near death until the Coven 'nursed' her to health," Orchid said.

"This can't be true...my irmà, a member of the Coven?" Maya kept crying. "This must be a lie."

Orchid rubbed her sobbing friend's back. "Maya, the evidence is there, with video footage. I checked the information so many times for-"

"No! Mira would never...she..."

Maya sprinted out of the dungeon, ignoring her friend's calls. Darkness crept into the City of Dawn as the sky rumbled. She dashed through the forest while cursing the Coven, tears streaming from her blue eyes. The rain poured as though the heavens wept with her. She found shelter under a tree and slashed the trunk with her daggers until she exhausted herself. She curled herself against the tree; her heart shattered into pieces.

"Maya!" Orchid called, but the Night Guard leader kept crying, pretending she did not hear her. Orchid and Thunder arrived as the former agent wrapped her arms around her friend. Thunder scanned for any signs of Mimics, but he glanced at Maya with sympathy. "Shh, everything will be okay."

"How could this happen? Why the fates snatch the ones I love away from me?"

Thunder planted his hand on Maya's shoulder, though still on guard. "I can't imagine the pain you're in now. I lost my brother to Ultratech long ago; they turned him into those war machines. On the day you confront Mira, will you save her or do what's crucial if she's beyond saved?"

Maya fell silent, swallowing hard to relieve her sore throat. A part of her heart urged her to rescue her sister; the mercy killing will stay as her last resort. Orchid and Thunder helped Maya to her feet, returning to the citadel.

Maya sat at the collapsed arch, listening for assignments on the radio the next day. Because she needed time to mourn, she stayed behind at base. She stared beyond the rainforest, uncertain what the future will hold. Deep in her trance, Maya was unaware of Carrie climbing on the arc to join her.

"Are you okay?" Carrie asked, bringing the Night Guard leader out of her thoughts.

"Carrie, how come you didn't go with our friends?"

"I don't want to be a burden or hurt anyone."

"Oh, you're no burden. Had Jago been helping you with your powers?"

"He and Orchid have been trying. Is Mira still on your mind?"

Maya sighed morosely. "I still can't wrap my head around the fact that Mira's part of the Coven. I must confront her one day, but could I save her is the question. Can I ask you something? If I make that choice, and on my deathbed, God asks me why I killed my sister, what will I say to Him?"

"I'd tell the Lord it was out of kindness. He'll be there to help you, regardless of the struggles you're facing."

Maya mused on Carrie's answer until the comm device buzzed on her wrist. "Maya here."

"We're heading back to the citadel from our missions," Orchid said. "Is everything good?"

"The base is quiet for now. Carrie and I await your return."

The gang converged at the City of Dawn, securing any items they collected from their missions. When Kim returned, a golden snake creature floated beside her, much to the gang's surprise.

"What the hell is that?" TJ asked.

"A Guardian, duh," Kim replied.

"Let us guess: Kan-Ra. You bargained with him again?"

"Sort of, so, here's the story: ARIA needed someone to accept requests from the Mummy. Once I gathered enough Astral Gems, I convinced him to bring forth this little one here."

"You need to be careful with him," Maya said. "Who knows what motives that sorcerer is hiding under his...'service.'"

"I'm aware of that." Kim opened her bag and uncovered the items from Kan-Ra's missions.

TJ grabbed a jar containing a heart. "Is this a heart?"

"An Odorous Wolf Heart, and please, don't open that jar," Kim advised. "The smell alone will leave you out of commission in seconds. Kan-Ra mentioned it enhances your fighting skills by 'consuming' it."

TJ set the jar on the ground and slid it away from him. "I've seen enough TV shows to know where it's going."

"Well, nighttime is approaching soon, where the Mimics become most active," Orchid said. "We must set a guard duty schedule and listen for any assignments for us. Where's Carrie?"

"She's in the forest for a bathroom break, but Pemba's with her," Maya said.

Pemba and Carrie were in the woods near the citadel; the latter was desperate to relieve herself. "We shouldn't stay for too long."

"I'm almost done," Carrie informed. Pemba sensed a presence and narrowed her eyes. She never lost focus, even as Carrie emerged from the brushes. "What's wrong?"

"Something is out there. Stay close." Pemba changed into a horse-sized black wolf. They headed in the disturbance's direction and stopped. After she motioned Carrie to hide, Pemba crept into the foliage. With timed precision, she pounced on a strange creature coated in a thick layer of ice. The creature waved its hands in submission, which Pemba tilted her head and blinked. "Carrie, come look at this!"

The telekinetic emerged from her hiding spot. "What is that?"

"No idea." Pemba pulled her head back when the creature mumbled in a strange language. "What did it just say?"

"Let me try something." Carrie tapped into her powers. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

The creature's eyes widened. "Yes, I can. How is this possible?"

"I was born with this power. I'm Carrie, and this is Pemba. Who are you?"

Pemba cried and fell; an arrow with bright blue feathers pierced on the shapeshifter's side.

"Pemba!" While Carrie dashed towards Pemba, the undergrowth rustled as a man emerged with a robotic bird of prey. Strange glyphs spread across his torso, face, and right arm. The man stretched his bow, aiming his arrow at Pemba's head, ready to fire. Carrie summoned her powers and pinned the archer towards a tree. The metal bird dived to attack Carrie, but she stopped it, leaving it mid-air.

The creature stepped in between them, ending the conflict before it arose. It pressed a button on a device resembling a watch on its wrist to interpret its native language into English. "Carrie, is it? Please, forgive my protégé."

"He shot Pemba and threatened to kill her!"

"It has a name, and that girl, is she a witch?" the archer said.

Carrie slammed the archer's head against the tree trunk. "Don't call me that!"

The archer grabbed the back of his head, sucking air into his teeth. "Glacius, what happened?"

"Oh, Eagle, you misread the situation."

When hearing the archer's name, Carrie recalled the story Orchid told of the missing recruiter while aiding Thunder. That's Eagle, but what happened to him?

Eagle rubbed the back of his head. "I don't understand. That giant wolf pounced on you."

"Only because I thought it was a Mimic, you bèn dàn!" Pemba said.

"Mimics?" Glacius recalled fighting the hazy creatures when the portals arrived. "What are you two doing out here?"

"We'd ask you and your friend the same, but this arrow...hurts so much."

"I'll help you." Once Carrie released Eagle and the bird from her grip, she approached Pemba and was about to grasp the arrow when a firm hand stopped her.

"Don't. It might cause your friend to lose too much blood," Glacius apprised.

"Don't doubt her abilities. She stopped Thunder from bleeding to death when he came here," Pemba said.

"Is that true?" Eagle approached the small group, eyeing Carrie. "You saved my brother?"

"A metal monster with claws stabbed Thunder; a Fulgore...what Orchid and the others called it. He's been searching for you," Carrie said.

Eagle covered his mouth with his hand, letting this information sink in his mind. "Is he here?"

Orchid and Jago patrolled a section of Night Guard terrain. Since his return to recruit Kim, she noted a change from her brother. "You must have a lot on your mind, brother. What're our chances of surviving this invasion?"

"I rather not think about it. Sister, I have something to tell you. When Pemba and I returned from our mission and relayed it, I left something out because I didn't want everyone to think I was crazy."

"Crazy? Jago, my old superiors thought I was irrational when I showed evidence of ARIA's plan, so whatever it is, I can handle it."

Jago drew a deep breath, mentally rehearsing the words. "Okay. I met our father."

Orchid stopped as Jago did. "I understand your issues because you never met him--"

"I'm serious. It happened when I was dying after my scuffle with Gargos. He wanted me to tell you he loves and misses you. He even told me of his fate before I returned to the living, regardless of what ARIA mentioned when she recruited us."

"What...what did our father say? What happened to him?"

Jago pulled her close and whispered in her ear. Orchid cracked, covering her face with her hands, sobbing. He wrapped his sister in his arms, allowing her to release any emotions she kept inside for so long.

"I need to check the Intel ARIA sent for proof, but thank you for telling me this." Orchid wiped the tears off her eyes. "Ultratech still needs to pay, though."

"Our father was right when he and I spoke: we have his stubbornness."

"No argument there."

The half-siblings resumed their patrol until a familiar voice echoed in Jago's head.

"Are you there, Jago?"

"Carrie? What's wrong?"

"Pemba's hurt, and we have company."

"Was it Mimics?"

"No. It was from confusion, but Glacius and his protégé want to join us on fighting Gargos."

Jago scrunched his brows. If memory served him well, Glacius was an icy creature that partook in the Killer Instinct tournament, but he didn't remember this thing having a protégé. "Where are you?"

"In the Night Guard dungeon, treating Pemba."

"Stay where you are. We're on our way. Sister, we need to go back. Call the others too."

Once everyone gathered, they traveled to the dungeon. As the gang arrived, Orchid motioned her crew to stay and observed the room. When she returned, her green eyes widened, her hands covered her mouth, and her tanned skin was pale as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Orchid, what is it?" Thunder asked.

She slowly regained her composure. "Um, Thunder, take this one."

Thunder furrowed his brows before bringing forth his weapons. Once he approached the entrance, his eyes widened. The tomahawks slipped from his hands and hit the ground. His chest rose and fell with each breath, and his lips quivered. He spotted Carrie and Glacius treating Pemba, but he was at a loss of words upon seeing the fourth person. The gang peeked inside the entrance, shifting glances between him and the fourth person.

Eagle sighed, trying to find the right words. "I sense what you'll say, Hinmatoon. How am I still alive? For the longest time, you kept the mindset Ultratech changed me into a Fulgore. I still kept waiting, praying that you would rescue me from ARIA's clutches. You must've suffered so much when ARIA kidnapped me, but I'm here now." Eagle withdrew from Thunder's slow approach, but Pemba's wolf form stopped him. "Brother, please say something..."

Thunder did not utter a word while staring at his brother, with tears welling in his eyes. "I never thought...I see you again, Tipyeléhne." Tears gushed in Eagle's eyes as he and Thunder embraced each other.

The group lingered in the dungeon. Apart from the crackling torches, no one was uncertain what to say. Only Pemba's nickering remained as she pressed the bandages; the arrow long since removed.

"The more you keep pressing it, the more it won't heal," Kim said.

Pemba snorted. "Try taking an arrow to the side, and then, talk."

Eagle bowed his head, as did his robotic bird companion. "My apologies. I was protecting my friend. I also mistook you for a creature whose name we do not speak, for it was a shapeshifter too."

Pemba growled softly until her face softened. "Apology accepted."

Eagle smiled. Pemba was too kind and snarky to be a creature of evil. He shifted his attention to his brother. "You must have questions."

"When Orchid mentioned Ultratech was using you as a base for these Fulgore units, I assumed they turned you into one, so what happened?" Thunder said.

"ARIA imprisoned me while adding some cybernetics on me. For how long, I cannot say until Glacius visited me."

"I have been creeping into Ultratech since they lured me to the planet using a distress signal," Glacius said. "They stole advanced technologies from my ship. From the Fulgore units to advanced medicine, they derived from me."

"Time out." Kim formed a T with her hands. "So, you're not a guy in an ice suit. You're an actual alien?"

"I'm a galactic marshal. My job is to hunt any life forms that violate '88 Decrees.' After retrieving the technology, I remained to assess the settings on Earth. Deep in the confines of Ultratech, I discovered Eagle, trapped in a gel stasis capsule. He wanted ARIA to fall, so I freed him. When I brought Eagle to my ship, it was difficult for him to survive, so I made a few tweaks."

"What happened to his weyekin?" Thunder noted the metallic bird on his brother's shoulder.

"Because of the changes from both Ultratech and myself, it had affected his guardian. It will never return to its original state, but the soul is still intact," Glacius said. "Eagle and I had planned to strike ARIA until rumors spread of an invasion, and an alliance, so we sought to join them."

"Well, you and Eagle came to the right place, although we've 'aligned' ourselves with Ultratech," Kim said. "We'll split from them once we stop the invasion."

"Good, because I had found alarming evidence during my intrusion around Ultratech." Glacius removed a white peach-sized ball with unique buttons from Eagle's travel bag. After pressing a few, it rose and projected videos of ARIA's secret room. What shocked the gang was the empty containers with each of the fighter's names, including one for Carrie and Pemba.

"Why are there containers for us? What does ARIA want?" Carrie inquired.

"She wants to be human. Using Eagle as a base, she learned how to turn flesh into steel, which resulted in the Fulgore units," Glacius explained. "Now she's reversing it. With the genetic code she stole from me, she's trying to create a body that could receive her mind, but the human body is obscure. She believes any human involved in the Killer Instinct tournament has the missing link. Once acquired, she'll be in the same line as Cinder, but higher. That disrupts the '88 Decrees.' One I cannot let happen."

"That means destroying ARIA. How?" Orchid queried. "Each time you destroy her, she comes back."

"Yes, but Glacius had informed me of a small window between her destruction and revival," Eagle said. "That gap is where she's at her most vulnerable."

"Makes sense, but her destruction will have to wait, as this invasion is a top priority. I also want to apologize, Eagle. I should've never sent you to that tournament if I had known they'd do this to you."

"Don't blame yourself. I should've been more careful. Now that I'm free, I'm ready to set things right."