The Sun was high overhead, mercilessly bombarding GQC-1 with its intense waves of solar energy. Hidden from the harsh sunlight, two dirt-ridden youths were hiding out in one of the many alleys branching off from the mains streets of their slum district. Cautiously peeking their heads around the corners, they scanned opposite ends of the street. The pair stuck out like a sore thumb.

One seemed as if he was carved from a block of rich chocolate, with obsidian hair that curled like frothy ocean waves into an afro and amethyst colored irises that sharply contrasted his darker features. The other was sunlight incarnate, with fair skin, hair as white as snow, and burning yellow eyes that made it look as if a star itself was contained within them.

The one with the purple eyes was the first to speak.

"I told you this was a bad idea Rus! Those guys weren't playing around!"

Rus dismissed the other boy's complaint.

"Relax Ace, it looks like we lost them anyway! And we got exactly what we needed too! These rations should last everyone back home at least a month!"

Annoyed by his friend's excessive optimism, Ace struggled to keep his voice down as he responded.

"Just keep your head on the swivel. We're not exactly hard to identify since... oh I don't know.... I'M MISSING AN ARM! In this day and age I'm practically a unicorn! "

Rus was going to respond but something in the crowd caught his eye. There were two men amongst the passerby that looked....different. To start, the men were absolute behemoths and towered over everyone else in the busy street. They were also covered in government issued armor that was built to withstand the blows of a sever enhanced human, a phenomenon that had become commonplace in the years since the release of the Sever Spores. The imposing presence of the two men was starting to give Rus some second thoughts about his ambitious escapade into one of the government supply depots.

'Those guys are huge! No wonder they caught up to us so quick! If we just wait it out here they might just....'

His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the two titans across the street staring into the alleyway and right at him.

"Hey Ace, um.... I'm pretty sure they can see us?"

Keeping his composure, Ace responded with a whisper.

"We're not leaving until they move. If we leave now they will definitely catch us, even in this crowded street. Just ho-"

Out of nowhere the two men exploded into a vicious sprint, beelining right for the boys. Left with no options, the young pair sprang out into the street and began weaving their way through foot traffic. The giant men showed much less finesse as they barreled straight through the crowd, throwing people out of the way as if they were raging bulls. Sparing a glance back just in time to see a man get thrown dozens of feet into the air, Ace's already rapid heartbeat sped up even more.

"Yo Rus! Lets ditch the streets! These guys are from the city so there's no way they're familiar with the area like us!"

Too busy gasping for air, Rus could only afford a silent nod.

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With that confirmation Ace took the lead. Together, the two boys split off from the main street as they took to the alleys, side streets, and markets hoping to lose their pursuers. Unfortunately for the two thieves, no matter where they went they couldn't seem to shake their superhuman opponents. They had only managed to avoid being caught because Ace would pick a perfect time to dive back into a main street, giving him and his friend time to lose themselves in the crowd.

Unfortunately for the young pair, a battle of endurance against the enhanced government agents was not one they could hope to win. With each passing second, Ace couldn't help but notice his friends condition.

'Rus is too tired....he can't keep this up for much longer. I'm positive I can give these guys the slip by myself, but leaving Rus to these two freaks is out of the question. We need a place to hide, something better than an alley. Someplace these guys can't just run...through...everything.'

With the spark of a plan forming in his mind, Ace flew out of an alleyway as he led his friend and their chasers closer to the center of the slum district. He ran towards the junkyard with the hopes that all of the scrap material, partially destroyed vehicles, and small passage ways would slow the men down.

Only a couple minutes later, the boys sailed past the entrance gate and straight into the maze of scrap; their pursuers followed only seconds after.

Ace's hope proved to be well placed. With a smaller stature, the boys were able to easily run through the passage ways of the scrapyard. Meanwhile, the two giants were forced to constantly duck and squeeze in between piles of scrap to stay on their trail. Taking advantage of this, Ace led his friend around a corner and dived under a car that was a part of the scrap wall.

Finally given a chance to catch his breath, Rus quietly expressed his concern.

"Why are we hiding, I could have sworn we were going to lose the guys!"

Ace shook his head and whispered back a response.

"No, even if we get away now, its too bright out. They might find us again and I'm not heading home until I'm sure they're not on our tail. If we can lose them here, then we can wait it out till nighttime and head back home! Now just be quiet for a se-"

Ace immediately stopped what he going to say as he heard the sound of metal and glass being crushed. The men were close, and soon enough two pairs of boots came into view. They slowly walked down the path and stopped right in front of the car. An agitated deep voice rang out as something struck the metal above.

"Those little slum rats! Where did they go!"

A second voice that was equally deep but more composed responded.

"They must be hiding somewhere, we weren't that far behind them. Lets start checking under cars and other equipment. We might-"

Just as the boys were about to start crawling deeper in the scrap wall, a third voice boomed from out from the speakers across the slums and the city.

"ALL SENTINELS, RETURN TO CITY HQ AT ONCE. CEASE ALL ONGOING ACTIVITY, THIS IS A DIRECT ORDER."

Hearing this order, one of the guards struck the car again and yelled into the sky.

"YOU LUCKY SLUM RATS! You better hope we never see each other again!"

With that deadly warning the two sentinels' boots disappeared from view as the men left the junkyard and followed their orders.

After waiting for a few minutes the boys dragged themselves out from their hiding spot and made their way home. They weren't too far away but the boys took their time getting back. They wanted to make sure they didn't run into any more sentinels.

As the last rays from the sun were snuffed out by the horizon, the boys arrived at their destination. It was a modest concrete building with a large sign bolted to the front. Beneath that sign was a slightly raised metal platform that housed a badly dented metal door. The building entrance was illuminated by a lone streetlight.

The sign read "Thalia's House of the Lost".

Below the sign a woman was leaning against the dented entrance while reading a book. She was tall, not as big as the sentinels from earlier, but still impressive nonetheless. She had olive skin, forest green hair, and emerald eyes that matched her locks. Her unique hair color was the result of sever energy exposure, a phenomenon that many people experienced in the years since the spore detonations.

As the boys approached the entrance, the woman flipped the book shut with one hand, showing her gemstone colored eyes. They were full of fury.

"YOU TWO! Explain yourselves...NOW!"