The four Mechs fly in low over the impenetrable jungle of the Khmer Peninsula in the pre-dawn hours. They touch down near a landing strip in a clearing a few kilometers from their destination. Sparse lights line the runway, but there are no signs of other vehicles or people. A single, small outbuilding lies dormant.

“I know it’s early,” Chase says, “but this place looks abandoned.”

Hanami launches her drone, begins circling it overhead.

“That road should take us to the factory,” she remarks, indicating a paved road winding up and away from the airfield. “We should approach cautiously.”

Always been a huge fan of Blackbox Dynamics, Reo thinks. Never thought I’d get a free factory tour!

The four Mechs trundle up the road, the dense jungle at times even threatening to engulf their massive frames. The pilots are on high alert.

After a time, the road ends and an impressive factory looms ahead in a clearing. There are no signs of activity. The iconic ‘white cube within black square’ logo is emblazoned on the outside wall facing the approach.

Upon closer inspection, there are indications that not all is as it should be. Exterior lights mounted on the factory illuminate evidence of disarray. A company jeep is lying on its side. Hanami zooms in with her drone cam and sees that several loading bay doors are open on the far western side of the factory. Chase notices that near the front entrance, broken glass litters the ground.

The surrounding jungle thrums with the nocturnal buzz and chirps of insects, but no sounds are coming from the factory itself.

“Guys, anybody else getting the major creeps from this?” Kora whispers into her Comms.

Hanami says nothing, concentrating on her monitors, watching the video streaming from her drone.

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“It almost looks like this place got raided,” Chase mutters, pivoting his Mech to the left and right as he surveys the scene.

“A multibillion-dollar robotics factory and not so much as a security guard on patrol...” Reo adds.

“What do you think... Squadron Leader?” Chase manages to say, barely concealing a streak of bitterness in his voice. Hanami doesn’t seem to pick up on it.

“Either this Blackbox Dynamics location was raided,” she answers, “or they wanted to make it appear like they were raided. We do not have enough information yet. What is more concerning at the present time is the movement I am detecting with my drone.”

The other pilots tense up.

“What is it?” Kora asks.

“Something. No, two somethings. Hard to see in the low light. Not showing up on my sensors. Quite large. Moving fast. Trying to flank us. Changing over to night vision.”

Hanami sets her drone to auto and switches to using her newly installed Adaptive Scope II. She rotates the scope all around, trying to track rapid quadrupedal movement on the green hued screen.

Low thudding sounds and rustling foliage cause the pilots to turn to either side. Kora squints into the darkness through her cockpit windows. Two glowing red slits appear before her.

Reo sees the same thing approaching him from the opposite direction.

The glowing red slits are eyes, belonging to two nightmarish faces. On either side of the Mechs, what appear to be large robotic feline forms stalk out of the deeper shadows. Their faces resemble a cross between imperial guardian lion statues and horned Oni masks. Their bodies are dark as basalt.

“What the literal hell!” Kora sputters, hurrying to activate her Directional Shields.

“Factory pets? Security bots?” Chase wonders, switching the aim on his shoulder-mounted weapons back and forth between the two targets. “They don’t look friendly.”

Reo slowly crouches Bombardier down to one knee, giant hands extended in a non-threatening manner.

“These look like custom jobs. Customers can ask for all kinds of crazy things for the right price,” he says under his breath, then, “Here kitty, kitty. Good, kitty.”

“Reo, I don’t think you—” Chase begins.

With a snarling cry that resounds like an ear-piercing siren, the robotic lion closest to Reo pounces.

With surprising agility, it latches its mouth onto Bombardier’s left arm. Immediately, its sharp teeth begin to spin around its upper and lower jaws like chainsaw blades, metal cutting into metal in a shower of sparks. Hooked metal talons on its four paws claw against the Mech.

[Bombardier: Hull Point damage sustained. Calculating damage. Left arm breach imminent]

“Gah! Bad kitty!”

“Not friendly! Not friendly at all!” Kora yells, raising her shields.