Unknown to everyone, including herself, Bun's nickname was actually Little Wraith. She obtained it during her first year at A'steri's orphanage. The little girl had gotten into several fights and had surprisingly come out on top of all them, bloodied and bruised and ready for more.

Eon suspected she would like the nickname, but because he didn't want a life of crime for her, he refused to utter it. But one didn't need to walk a life of crime to defend themselves. And as Shark relaxed, Eon opened him up for conversation, giving her enough time to steel her nerves.

"Y'know with everything falling to shit, we're looking to recruit for a few permanent positions," Shark said, inclining a hand towards Giraffe. "Frankly, it'd be an honor if the one and only Cloud were to join our ranks as well. Consider it a personal invitation."

Eon feigned a thoughtful expression, it wasn't like he couldn't read the signs of a rising storm. A power vacuum in Estera had just opened up, he was only surprised by their timing. Jax must have bailed and given them notice. After all, he would have wanted to maintain an influence on the outcome of this place, no matter how small or insignificant it was. "Hmm… I don't know."

"There's also an offer for a seat off world, and triple his weight in credits. Your choice."

"Right, my choice… and Jax is a tub of lard, isn't he?" Eon thought out loud. "But you still haven't named the job."

Shark shrugged, "Off-grid Data Decryption."

"While our world's capital is burning, you want me to go gallivanting off into the sunset?" Eon said.

"Desperate times, desperate measures. Y'know, that sort of thing."

Eon squeezed Bun's shoulder, looking down into her eyes. "What do you think, short stuff, want to go on another adventure?"

His question drew odd looks from the two Iron Fist members, with only Bun understanding his true motive. But Eon could tell she wasn't ready for a real fight. Too much had startled her in such a short amount of time. Besides, she was only ten, it wasn't fair for her to carry such burdens.

Yet Eon would bet his life that Rat's sniper was directly trained on her back before he had decided to shield her. Their veiled hostility couldn't be ignored. Maybe Shark could be reasoned with, but at the very least Rat had to die.

Holstering the Acorn, Eon cupped Bun's ears just as the Trailblazer CT-X3 exited stealth mode with a piercing siren. Shark and Giraffe stumbled forward away from the vehicles when a smoke grenade exploded, blanketing the area in an obscuring mist of nanotech.

This all happened in a split-second as Eon grabbed Bun and dropped into a roll, barely avoiding death as a sniper round rang off. The super heated bullet exploded mere inches away from Eon's face, drawing a slash of blood underneath his left eye.

Ignoring the pain, Eon popped another smoke grenade and pushed Bun towards the red Trailblazer.

Shark cursed, firing into the smoke, but the nanoparticles of the grenade were specifically designed to cripple and distort a person's vision. In Eon's place stood a shadow, a camouflaged clone that multiplied each time it was shot, diverting attention away from him.

Time didn't slow, in fact, Eon was visibly shaking. His spine was frozen stiff, yet he did his best to push Bun onwards, crawling towards the Trailblazer. She wouldn't be safe now that they knew of her existence, especially not with Rat around. The rumors surrounding him were dark enough, Eon didn't want to find out what was true or not.

But surprisingly, they made it to the motorcycle without injury. He placed Bun in the reclining seat, ruffling her hair one last time, and smiled. She didn't utter a word, simply hugged him with all of her strength, then handed him the last two smoke grenades.

With a last goodbye, Eon set the coordinates for A'steri's home, then abruptly the vehicle was off, racing through the abandoned boondocks of a forgotten age. Whether she would make it home safe, Eon couldn't say for sure, but if she had stayed she would have been used against him. Of that, Eon was certain. He'd just have to wish all the crazy shit happening in the city hadn't reached the outer districts yet. Once Bun reached A'steri's territory, she would be as safe as could be.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

As the motorcycle raced away from the Sky Tower, Eon made ready to deploy another one, but before he knew it the drifting particles of nanotech froze in midair, then crashed down like a torrent of rain. Trillions of the nanoscopic machinery clattered as they hit the ground, fried with the help of Shark's katana. Surprised, Eon marveled at the devilish man, whose blade glowed with a dangerous current of crackling light.

Unlike the blades from primitive earth, Shark's katana was forged from an alloy that channeled Arc Energy. Similar to Eon's holo-watch, the katana sported a spark emitter. One that generated a field of electricity. Though, however useful the blade was, half its function was lost if the wielder couldn't manipulate the energy field on their own.

"A gift from Jax?" Eon said, storing the Acorn and raising his hands up in mock surrender.

"Tell me why I shouldn't cut you down?!" Shark yelled, ironically in midswing. But before his blade could land, Giraffe stepped in, grabbing his arm. At the moment of contact, Shark's visage morphed into that of an angler fish with blood dripping down his jaws.

Eon blinked twice, confused. He would have sworn that Giraffe's head was just chopped off. The sudden shift in demeanor caused him to question Shark's sanity. He wondered how many people fell for his easy-going apologetic act, only to get dragged down into a dark and ravenous sea.

What stilled Shark's hand, he couldn't tell. But in that moment Eon decided to kill him as well. How it would be done, he hadn't a clue, but the crazed look in Shark's eyes was enough to warrant his death. How could it not with his teeth shaped that way? Only a mad man would do such a thing.

"I need him," Giraffe stammered out. She had shied back from the perceived death-blow, her tall figure somehow appearing as an ant next to Shark's short stature.

"I say we kill'em both. Shove that lightning rod down their fucking throats," a relaxed voice said.

Eon looked to see Rat strolling up, a sniper strapped to his back and a pistol in his grip pointed directly at Eon's head. It was the sole reason he kept the Acorn holstered, instead of firing at Shark. He knew that one wrong move would signal the end.

"Silence!" Shark yelled, throwing his killing intent towards Rat. But the languid man brushed off the comment, all the while smiling, continuing his stroll towards Eon.

"Touch me again, and I'll kill you," Shark said to Giraffe. "I'll carve your tall ass down inch by inch until you resemble a fucking stump." He sheathed his sword, controlling his breath as his manic episode faded.

Giraffe frantically nodded, looking down at her feet, then at her motorcycle. "I think we should hurry."

"Not yet!" Rat lunged towards Eon with a punch. His fist, surprisingly fast, caught Eon in the stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs. Then Rat smacked Eon with his pistol, laughing as only a piece of shit gangster full of himself could. "Smart thing you did back there, but I'll find her, hehe. I'll find her," he finished, removing Eon's weapons.

"Now let's move before we're picking through ash!" Shark ordered. "Giraffe, grab the fucking idiot, he's riding with you. Rat, you take the lead."

Before Eon could charge after Rat, Giraffe managed to stop him. "Who was that your sister, daughter? If you provoke them now you'll die, leaving her with no protection from them."

"Me?! Provoke them?!"

"Don't get righteous all of a sudden. Even if you are in the right, it's irrelevant. Let's just do this last job and get the fuck out of here alive. If not for yourself…" she trailed off, dabbing at his bloody nose with a handkerchief. Eon had wiped away the mess with his sleeve, but Rat's pistol had apparently been modified to enhance the damage to such bruises.

"You sound as if you're not one of them," Eon growled. "As if you didn't lead them here."

"I sound as if I want to live," Giraffe said, ignoring the last part. "Besides, if you had stayed in your nest, I wouldn't have found you. We both know the dangers, Cloud. Only ones to blame are ourselves."

The truth did nothing to alleviate Eon's anger. "How did you find me?" Eon asked. He had his suspicions, but he hadn't worked with Giraffe in years. Had she kept tabs on him for five whole years?

"I'm not a stalker," Giraffe said, reading his face. "I was just wondering what happened to you after you dropped off the Net. Curiosity."

Eon stopped in his tracks, staring blankly as they reached her motorcycle, when Shark butted in.

"Ah ah ah! You, Tree lady, drive. You, Dumbfuck, sit behind her. And I want to see your hands, no groping on my watch."

Rat laughed, complementing Shark on his joke, and added a rude gesture after claiming that he had dibs and out right refusing to have anyone's sloppy seconds.

Eon with all of his sanity tuned the bastard out. He sat behind Giraffe, arms out splayed, sandwiched between two sociopaths. Barely an hour had passed since he was on the roof with Bun, overlooking a beautiful city, eating cookies and waiting to watch a grand display of fireworks. Now, instead of fireworks, he drove deeper into that once beautiful city. And before where there were two cruisers in the night sky, now there were hundreds. Thousands.