As Janus and Itzel lowered themselves into the Pilot's Section, the cries of the passengers from the rear of the vehicle penetrated through the metal doors. Mag stood next to the Pilot, staring at the radar along with him. "Hurry up and put on those emergency brakes!" Mag commanded.

"And stop this Transporter so we can all become Sand Carver food?" the pilot asked in horror.

"You're not going to out-maneuver this thing! Sand Carvers are fast and nimble. If you don't put on those brakes then we'll be headed for a full on crash! Then everyone onboard won't be alive to even get a chance to run away!"

The vehicle shook again. The impact was more severe, sending everyone that was standing up staggering from side to side. With a shake of his head, the pilot pressed a few buttons on the projected control panel. A loud screech overcame the anguish from the rest of the passengers as the Transporter's velocity plummeted to a crawl. In less than a minute the passing scenery came to a complete stop. There was an eerie silence as everyone inside stared out the window. The ground visible from the front of the Pilot's Section began to split. The Sand Carver emerged from the sand, leaping forward with an open jaw. It encompassed the entirety of the front of the Pilot's Section. It's innards were visible through the window, showing off its muscles and inner organs as it dug its sharp teeth into the hull of the Transporter.

Long and jagged teeth cracked the glass, dripping saliva among the control panels. The glowing screens flickered with static before disappearing completely into thin air. The pilot jumped back, screaming in terror the Sand Carver closed it jaws, further crushing the frame of the Transporter.

"Go on! Get out of here!" Mag said as he placed a hand on the pilot. He pulled him to the side and directed him towards the section's exit. Stumbling forward, the pilot input his credentials into the door's panel. With the exit open, he sprinted through into the previous segment of the vehicle. The passengers all looked into the frontmost area of the Transporter and let out audible gasps when they saw the Sand Carver’s innards pulsate as its teeth dug further into the hull of the vehicle.

"You two get out of here too!" Mag shouted to Janus and Itzel. He held onto the spear with both hands and pointed the tip at the front window.

"You're not going to be able to take it out all by yourself!" Itzel shouted. The hissing and groaning of the Essencima along with the crunching of metal nearly muffled her statement. There was a deafening grating sound that came from the ceiling. All three looked up and saw the roof begin to cave in. The once smooth metal plating became a wrinkled mess with sharp pieces of metal and razor like teeth.

Janus and Itzel ran into the previous section with Mag backing away after them, keeping his spear angled at the Essencima. The creature roared as it slid back and off the front of the Transporter. As it slinked back, its jaws further crushed the structure of the Pilot's Section. The front glass plane completely shattered, leaving an open space into the arid desert air.

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"Everyone! Go back as far as you can on the Transporter!" Mag called out, his body still facing towards the Essencima. "And tell whoever that you pass to do the same!" At his command, the terrified passengers obeyed, all scurrying through the backdoor in an orderly manner. In a few seconds, only Janus, Itzel and Mag remained in the section.

"Let me hold that spear, Mag!" Itzel said. She reached her hand out with an open palm. "You can't use both weapons at the same time, can you?"

"Do you know how to use this thing?"

"It can't be that hard. I can see that there's a button. And using a spear is pretty straight forward, is it not? I just drive the tip into the monster and then activate it."

"That's the gist, yeah. But there's more to proper spear usage than just stabbing at your target."

"Oh really?" Itzel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"There are techniques and maneuvers you've got to utilize to be as effective as possible!"

"Then let me see the gun!"

"Now I really know you don't know how to use this. Took me a bit of tinkering to figure out to set this thing up properly. And I've gone hunting with this kind of weaponry before."

"So you're going to hold onto both weapons and try to take down that Sand Carver all on your own?" Itzel asked.

"I don't want you two getting killed if I can help it! Just follow the rest of the passengers and head to the rear of the Transporter already."

Itzel placed one hand on the spear. "You being a lone hero won't get you anywhere! I'm one of Labrisson's top Exterminators! And Janus isn't a slouch, either. Let me get a hold of this thing. That way if one of us goes down, at least we'll have a back-up plan!"

Mag release his grip of the spear. "Alright. You talk a mean game, Itzel. Here's to hoping you and your friend can back it up."

"Don't worry. Slaying Essencima is our job." Itzel let the length of the spear rest on her shoulder. "Did you have a plan? Or were you thinking about using a more aggressive approach?"

Mag swung the cannon from his back towards the front of his body. He held onto the trigger with one hand and the bottom of the barrel of the other. He made sure to keep the gun itself pointed downwards. "When you say 'aggressive,' did you mean just stabbing and shooting at it until it can't move anymore?"

Itzel nodded.

"Then yes. That's exactly what I had in mind!"

"I like the way you think!" Itzel said. "But now that we've got three of us here, we can bring the tactic of 'stab and shoot until it stops moving' to a new level."

"I'm open to ideas," Mag replied. All three looked out the window and watched as the Sand Carver slammed into the Pilot's Section again. It screeched as the front of the body crashed onto the top of the vehicle, making the front section completely collapse in on itself. "But we don't have much time for brainstorming!"

Itzel then looked towards Janus. In her eyes, he could make out a gaze of sadness as if she were preemptively apologizing. "I don't like that look, Itzel," Janus said quietly.

"Someone's going to have to go out there," Itzel said just as softly. "I'll go out first. That's the best way for me to get close enough to lodge this thing into the Sand Carver's skin. If I don't make it Janus... think you'd be willing to take my place? That is, if you're able to reach the spear once I drop it."

"Doomed if I do, doomed if I don't," Janus said hesitantly.

"That's one way to put it. I'm guessing that a 'yes' then?"

Janus nodded.

"Alright then," Itzel said before looking at Mag. "I think I've got a plan."