Before Axel could ask any questions, Raz pressed a button on the lift and reloaded her gun. "That antidote should be pretty quick. You're going to have to be fast. Stay with me, take this" she handed him a T-90 energy-based pistol. "Don't get distracted."

When the doors opened two guards were already waiting for them. Lasers flew through the sky. Axel dropped to the ground and Raz dive rolled narrowly avoiding the hot red blast. She skid across the floor and shot two quick blasts with her S-90 energy-based shotgun, which put holes in the torsos of the alien troopers. They dropped to the floor with a clatter.

Raz offered Axel her hand and pulled him up. The two stood up and ran down yet another steel black corridor. When they reached the bottom, Raz bought up a map on her wrist device.

"There's two exits coming up, we need to head that way," she said.

"How do you know all of this," Axel asked but she remained silent and ran in the direction she pointed.

Another set of two guards were waiting for them as they rounded the corner. This time Axel managed to get a shot off. A wave of energy struck the knee plate of its armour.

The force still sent him to the floor which gave Raz an opening to smack the other in the face with the hilt of her S-90. She shot them both in the head. Blue liquid splatted the walls. Axel and Raz hurried to the end of the corridor where an automatic door was locked shut.

Axel pushed against it. “No way that’s going to open.”

“Not without a key,” Raz replied as she pulled out a grenade usually used to destroy buildings. "You're going to want to get back."

Axel's eyes widened. "Are you crazy?"

Raz didn't reply. The grenade beeped on and she threw it in the direction of the door. Then grabbed Axel by the hand and pulled him back. She clicked a button on her wrist device. The blue shield only just managed to shimmer up as the blast cut through the steel walls. While these types of grenades would usually rinse through an entire building, it seemed that the alien's walls were made of strong stuff. The tiniest opening had been blown through and Axel could see a void of darkness which led into the forest outside.

Sirens rang as the two of them ran towards the opening. Axel breathed in the cold fresh air as his feet landed upon the crunchy leaves. Four more troopers came running towards them. Those that were on patrol were flummoxed by the unexpected attack from within.

Raz pulled Axel behind a nearby rock as the formation managed to recover. She screamed out as a laser zapped through the open flesh on her ankle.

Axel crept around the other side of the rock as the troopers came in closer. He took a deep breath then stood up from his cover and managed to shoot one of them in the shoulder. Once again, the force of the energy sent them spinning backwards. Raz pointed her S-90 from around the corner of the rock and pulled the trigger.

The energy blew the attacking guard's leg right off. He toppled to the ground. Raz activated another grenade and threw it towards the troops.

While they scrambled to get away, Axel helped Raz up and she pointed towards the North. "Keep moving."

The duo ran without looking back. The grenade blast went off behind them.

It wasn't long before they reached the roadside that led into the city. Everything fell quiet as Axel finally had a chance to look at what the planet had become. The spaceships had retreated from the skies but the city itself barely held together. The place was lit from a huge orange fire within the central city.

Smoke and dust replaced the area that was once the spiral tower of the council building.

"They aren't Ivarozzans, so who are they? Why here?"

Axel turned to look at Raz. "My Dad knew about them, didn't he? I found the research he's been doing."

"Where is it now?" asked Raz. "That could come in handy."

"I don't know," replied Axel. "I didn't even get a chance to read it.”

Raz led the way as she hobbled along the roadside. Her blue coat swayed in the breeze. "We need to get out of here before they find us."

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She pulled up her wrist device and tapped in some details.

Reality shimmered in front of them as a Loop Car faded into existence. "They're not the only ones with invisibility tech," she grinned. Then opened up a compartment at the front and pulled out a bandage. She slapped it on her ankle and wound it around the injury. It glowed green. She spotted Axel gawping at her.

"Nano-healing patch," she explained.

Axel nodded. "I know, but how did you manage to afford it? Even Wizan struggled to get hold of them."

She smirked. "I have my ways," she said then hopped into the driver's side of the vehicle. "Come on, we've got a bit of a trek."

Axel jumped into the passenger side. She put her foot down on the acceleration peddle. They shot along the roadside. They passed ruins of houses. Some Vaxorian's were out in the streets. Children cried. People crowded around, some howling in sadness as they clutched the dead bodies of their loved ones, others sat alone, eyes wide in thought. Shocked beyond repair.

The orbs which usually lit up the city now lay shattered along the road, the Loop Car zoomed past them. Axel felt heavy as he tried to take in the devastation that surrounded them. Raz glanced over to him. "You're not used to this kind of thing, are you?"

"You are?"

She looked away from him. Her eyes shined with a wisdom beyond her years. "This isn't my first invasion, mate."

They sat in silence for a bit. Axel had an abundance of questions but didn't know where to start. She hadn't been very forthcoming with her answers so far and he still hadn't worked out if he could trust her.

Wizan always said that, in life, people's actions often spoke louder than the words they say. She had saved him from an impossible situation which surely meant something.

"Why are you doing this?" Axel said finally.

Raz didn't answer for a moment, just stared at the road of the head. Axel thought that maybe she was trying to avoid the question until she spoke. "I owe it to your father."

Axel didn't know what to say to that.

"Who are you?"

Raz sighed. "You're not going to leave it, are you."

When Axel didn't reply, she nodded. "I fought with your father in the Eternal Wars. He got me out of a pretty sticky situation...now it's my turn."

"What do you mean? Is Dad in trouble or something?"

"Your father could be the only person who can help Valaxoria now," she said. "As you've already seen, he has been gathering intel on these people for years. They're known as the Engen'ozus. A brutally strategic race who seemed to have had an eye on this part of the solar system for quite some time."

Axel thought about his father's collection of folders. "How long has he been working on this mission?"

"Just over a decade," Raz replied. "He couldn't tell me anything other than that. I wanted in on it but the Vaxorian government didn't want me to have anything to do with it. Your Dad and I have always had an understanding though."

She looked over to him. "He saved my life in more ways than I can count. He knows that I owe him a great debt," she said. "Three years ago, he came to me. He was pretty shook up about something. Said he was in danger and that he realised that, if something happened, you may need some help."

She opened a compartment above her and pulled out a metal box then handed it over to him. "He gave me this device. It's a signal box. It's dormant right now. Needs something to power it first but if we can fire that bad boy up there is a link directly to your father. Get hold of him and we might actually have a chance of taking down these things."

She turned a corner into a back alley. Light was beginning to form in the sky. Displincia's sun rose with a magnificent golden hue. One by one, over the next few hours, a new dawn was about to take place. Displincia's darkest days. The Loop Car turned away from the city. The surrounding forest seemed closer now.

"So how do we get this thing working then?" asked Axel.

"Your father had a few allies in this city," she said. "We put together a plan should the day ever arrive on a way of contacting him."

The Loop Car rolled into another part of the forest. Axel marvelled at what he saw. Up ahead stood a house in the middle of the woods. "I didn't know there was life outside of the main city."

"There's not. That's why Hyke likes it," Raz replied. She pulled up outside the house. "Never much of a people person."

The front of the house had been battered. Something had blown out the windows.

"Crap," said Raz as she hopped out of the car. "I didn't think they'd have bothered with him. The city is the main hub of this planet. Just like your Master."

Axel stepped through the front door with Raz.

"Hyke, it's Raz," said Raz stepping into a smashed up living room. "Hyke, you there?"

"This place seems like it's been abandoned," said Axel and Raz held up her hand to quiet him. They listened closely. Everything was silent. Axel opened his mouth to say something again but Raz shot him a dark look, she waved her finger in his face.

Axel was just about to snap at her when a rustle came from beneath them. Raz raised her eyebrows at him, he nodded to signal that he heard it too. They both reloaded their weapons and he followed her into the kitchen. They remained crouched as they moved into the centre. It looked as if someone had ransacked the place.

Raz pushed the table to the side and pointed to the ground. Below them was a hatch that looked a lot like the one in Wizan's mansion.

"Open that," Raz mouthed him.

Axel frowned at her.

"There's something in there, open that," she mouthed and pointed at the hatch.

Axel hesitated, then bent down and gripped the rusty golden handle. Like Wizan's house, the pattern twisted into a symbol of a fist. Raz held up her hand and counted down with three fingers.

She dropped one.

This was madness, whatever was in there could be quite dangerous.

She dropped the second.

Axel's heart pumped in his ears.

She dropped the last.

"Freeze!" a new voice shouted.

They turned to see a human girl. Blond hair tucked out from a red band. She wore a cream tunic and blue trousers. A necklace hung around her neck. It had a golden half heart attached to it. But Axel was most focused on her hands. She held a T-30 bullet-based pistol and it was pointed straight at them. "My hidden turrets are programmed to shoot if you make one more wrong move. Now then, why don't you tell me who you are?"