Omen snatched the keycard with ease as Julian, Andre, Maria, and Matilda rushed out of the station and across the street. He joined them, stepping out of the shadow and offering Julian the keycard.

“Thanks, buddy,” Julian whispered, taking the key and petting the wolf on the head.

A wave of emotion hit Julian. Excitement, satisfaction, and joy. He smiled, watching as Omen’s tail started wagging.

“Oh, not so bored now, huh?” Julian teased, scratching behind Omen’s ears.

“You two good?” Andre asked, watching the display.

Maria had already snatched the keycard from Julian and was checking out the door and scanner.

“Yeah, we’re good. He is just learning about what it means to be a good boy,” Julian said, smirking.

Omen let out a low growl, stepping away from Julian.

“What? It’s true!”

Omen slipped back into the shadows, but even as he disappeared, everyone saw his tail still wagging.

Maria chuckled. “I think you’re winning him over.”

With a swipe of the card, the door beeped, and the lock released.

Andre tugged the door open. “Come on, guys. Be quiet and careful.”

Julian and Maria followed Andre inside, letting the door shut behind them.

The door led to a hallway. Concrete floors and LED lighting showed the path before them. Doors lined both sides of the hall, but the doors were closed. At the end of the hallway was an open doorway that looked to lead out to the warehouse.

“Omen, detect anything?” Julian whispered.

Omen replied with a wave of assurance.

“Seems to be clear,” Julian told the others.

“Let’s move. We need to find a way down,” Andre said, leading the way.

As Julian walked past the closed doors, he saw his shadow reach out underneath them as Omen checked out each room for them.

“Careful, buddy. Don’t want to set off any bracers,” Julian whispered.

A wave of annoyance hit Julian, but Omen complied.

As they made it to the end of the hallway, the concrete floor changed to metal grating. Looking through the doorway, Julian saw a large warehouse filled with crates of various sizes, some wooden, some plastic, others metal, that were stacked on top of one another. The warehouse extended for about 100 yards from end to end, and LED lights flickered overhead. Now and then, a guard walked around the crates, weapon in hand. On the far side of the warehouse was a large freight elevator.

“Found our way down,” Julian whispered, pointing to the elevator. “How do we get there without getting spotted?”

“We can’t,” Andre admitted. “We will have to fight our way down.”

“They’re armed,” Julian informed him.

“I’m aware, and I’m open to suggestions.”

“I might have a solution,” Maria said, turning to Matilda. “Think you’re up for it?”

Matilda chirped from her shoulder before hopping down to the floor. She scurried over to the railing and made her way across the top of the shelving.

“What if she sets off a bracer?” Julian asked.

“By then, it will be too late,” Maria said, her eyes bright with mischief.

Everyone watched as Matilda scurried down towards one guard. A flash of purple later, the guard was collapsing to the floor.

“What just happened?” Julian asked, his face turning pale.

Maria scoffed at him, “Relax, she just put him to sleep. No worries.”

Andre’s eyes went wide as he looked back out to the warehouse floor.

A second guard was already asleep in a pile, and Matilda was already halfway to the third.

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“Good eye, Maria. I’m glad you captured her.” Julian admitted.

“See? I told you she was brilliant,” Maria smiled with pride as the others watched a third and fourth guard quickly fall asleep in a huddle.

Julian shivered. “Looks like the coast is clear. Let’s go.”

Together, they made their way down the metal steps and onto the warehouse floor.

As they walked by crates, Julian resisted the urge to check inside them. However, as they got to the elevator, Julian glimpsed a metal briefcase with one side of a handcuff still attached to the handle. Cut marks were all over the case, but it looked like it was still closed. He stepped towards it and picked it up.

“Whatcha got there?” Maria stepped forward, Matilda riding on her shoulder once again.

“Don’t know. Looks like they wanted inside it badly, though.”

Andre thought for a moment. “Hmm, let’s bring it with us. Think Omen could carry it in the shadows?” He hit the elevator button, causing the freight doors to open for them.

Julian shrugged, mentally calling for Omen, who quickly appeared from the shadow underneath the table.

“Care to take this?” Julian asked.

Omen sniffed the case and begrudgingly took the handle in his mouth before slipping back into the shadows.

Julian only caught the faintest wave of complaint from the wolf.

“Your chariot awaits,” Andre said, stepping into the elevator and waiting for the others.

Together, Maria and Julian stepped into the elevator.

Andre pressed the arrow button that pointed down, and with a shake, the elevator eased its way down toward the basement.

Julian and the others rode in silence as darkness filled the elevator shaft. The light overhead was blown out, so nothing was helping them see. Soon though, the elevator slowed, and light appeared at the edge of the grated elevator door, growing as the elevator fell flush with the floor.

The elevator doors opened to another long hallway, with one solid door at the end, and cell doors lined up on either side of the hallway.

“That’s creepy,” Julian said, sharing what everyone else was thinking. He led the way out of the elevator, with Maria and Andre behind him.

Each cell was empty but appeared to be furnished.

“What is this place?” Maria asked.

“If I had to guess, this is where Artino’s private force is operating out of,” Andre said, stepping forward towards the solid door. He tried the handle, but it was locked. “Still got that keycard?”

Maria stepped forward, pulling the keycard out of her back pocket and swiping it through the scanner. With a buzz, the door lock unlatched, and Andre opened the door.

Julian stepped inside to see a young woman sitting on the floor. She had dark, short hair in a pixie cut with Asian features. She had a bruise under one of her eyes and slowly opened them as everyone entered.

“Kiyoka!” Andre exclaimed, rushing to her side.

“Andre, thank god.” Kiyoka jumped to her feet and wrapped Andre in a hug. “Have you seen my dad? Is he with you?”

She released Andre and turned to face Julian and Maria. “Who are they?”

Andre stepped between them. "This is Julian and Maria. Guys, meet Kiyoka Miura, Dr. Miura’s daughter."

Julian and Maria looked at each other.

“Nice to meet you both,” Kiyoka said, turning to face Andre. “You trust them?”

“Hey!” Maria exclaimed, crossing her arms.

“I trust them,” Andre said, standing firm. "They had no reason to help me get in here, but they did."

Kiyoka looked from Andre to Julian and Maria. “I apologize. It’s been a rough day for everyone.”

“I’ll say. Since we discovered the source of the SOS beacon, how about getting out of here?” Julian asked them.

“I can’t leave yet, not until I find my father’s case. He entrusted it to me.”

“Oh, you mean this case?” With a mental command, Omen appeared from the shadows, case in mouth.

Kiyoka’s eyes went wide. “Yes! Thank you!” She reached for the case, but Omen growled at her menacingly, making her back off.

“Dude,” Andre started.

Julian stepped forward. “I’m going to hold on to this for now. Once we are out of here, and Andre keeps his word about sharing what he knows, then she can have it back.”

Andre protested, but Kiyoka nodded. “Of course, that’s no problem. Let’s get out of here and find someplace safe, and we can talk in private.”

Omen shifted back into shadows.

“Thank you for understanding,” Julian said. “Now, let’s get out of here.”

They left Kiyoka’s cell and rode back up the elevator.

As they arrived back up top, they found themselves surrounded by a group of guards and guns, all pointing at them and the elevator doors.

One guard stepped forward. “Well, well, Miss Miura, you have friends everywhere I see.”

Kiyoka stood straight, her head held high. “I remember when my family said the same of you, Mr. Von.”

Mr. Von smirked at her. “That was before your father betrayed us all. Look at the destruction he has brought to the world.”

Kiyoka’s face was hard. “I wish I could have seen it with my own eyes. As I recall, it was your unit that had captured me even before his supposed crimes were committed. I suppose as a bargaining chip in case he didn’t comply with Dr. Artino’s wishes?”

Julian looked over to Maria and Andre, each of whom was exchanging glances.

Von's face suddenly turned dark. "Smart ass brat-"

“Let my friends go. They had no way of knowing what they were walking into. I’ll stay and be the bargaining chip Artino needs.”

“Too late for that, Miss Miura. Your friends know we are here and active in the city. Also, it seems as if we have misplaced that little case your father had entrusted to you. You wouldn’t know where it would be now, would you?”

Kiyoka glared at Von. “How should I know? I’ve been locked up, remember?”

Von smiled, shrugging his shoulders, “Well! If you know nothing, then that means I have no further use for you.”

Julian sent a mental command to Omen, hoping he understood.

Von raised his hand. “Fire!”

Gunshots lit up the room as automatic gunfire assaulted the elevator.

Around Julian and the others, however, the bullets froze in mid-air, none making contact.

Julian looked over and saw Matilda’s eyes glowing a bright shade of purple, her mental abilities in action.

Von growled in frustration. “Get them!”

Just as the guards stepped forward, a howl broke the tension of the room as ice covered the floor underneath the guards' feet, making them all lose traction and fall. More gunfire went off as a few of the guards pulled the trigger in their descent to the ground.

“Let’s go!” Andre yelled, jumping around the guards to the clear concrete on the side and running towards the stairs.

The others followed his steps and took off after him.

They took the steps two at a time before gunshots began ricocheting off the metal grating.

“Stop them!” Von roared over the sound of gunfire.

As they made it to the top of the stairs, they dove for cover, landing hard on concrete before getting to their feet and running for the exit.

“Doesn’t he have any Eidos?” Julian asked out loud.

“No, but that will probably change after this,” Kiyoka said.

Andre was the first to the exit, hitting the handle and busting the door open.

Night had fallen over the city. The only light was the aurora and the erupting energy from the tower, causing the city to be cast in a dull glow.

Andre quickly summoned Oryx. “Let’s go!”

“All four of us can’t ride that thing,” Maria said.

“Any better suggestions?”

Julian chimed in. “Maria, see if Matilda can move one of those vans in front of the door! Quickly!”

Matilda’s eyes immediately turned purple, lifting the van with ease. She slammed the side of the warehouse wall with the side of the van before dropping it over the door perfectly flush.

“That works,” Julian nodded. Once again, he was glad that Maria had caught that thing.

“That was also loud as hell! We gotta move!” Andre said,

The four of them took off running past the gas station, their Eidos in tow, as the sounds of the wild Eidos drew closer to the warehouse, and them.