FUCK ORDERS.

1777, JULY 20th, WEDNESDAY 9:02pm.

Noche was back on the streets after teleporting to an empty alleyway. She had chosen to resurrect in a new body, rather to wait for her previous one to wake up from a concussion. That said, she had teleported the old body into limbo, gathered her belongings, and destroyed it with corruption.

The blonde stood before the V.P.D. once again. She made her way inside and marched straight for Dharma's office. The leader of the Voluntary Police Department was locking her office door as Noche approached.

"Noche – I hadn't expected to see you so soon," Dharma paused. "You look relatively unharmed. I take it you and Raptorman didn't fight after all?"

"Is it true that Cross can't participate in the tournament?"

"That's the spirit of the thing, but there's no rule saying they can't."

"Shit."

"Don't tell me he convinced you not to fight because of that."

"No, we fought, but it was rather one-sided," Noche scowled. "General level strength and augment are one thing, but that speed."

"Every General has a specialty from what I understand. Raptorman, while not an actual General, focused his specialty on speed."

"Next time, I'm going to get him."

"Next time will be in ten years. Which, from what I understand, you don't have."

"No... No, I tried to do things the right way. I tried talking things out and I tried the tournament... But the world is on a timer to destruction and every second I waste brings us all closer to death by the hands of Edward."

"So what do you intend to do about it?"

"I'm going to do things my way. Orders and everyone else be damned. I need to stop DeathTech."

"If that's the route you're taking. Then might I request a favor?"

Noche locked eyes with Dharma. "Depends."

"Wait a week. We're close to busting a major child slave ring. If we can show MoveCity how Raptorman has failed these children, it will cause chaos amongst his supporters. Better yet, I know the superhero, and he'll take this personally. He'll be emotionally distraught and heartbroken when he sees these kids."

"And what better time to try and take him out than when he's a wreck," Noche grinned.

"Prevent Raptorman's forces from rallying to him, make him vulnerable, and then defeat him and take over the city by force," Dharma said. "It seems like you can get everything you originally wanted out of this with as little bloodshed as possible."

"Alright. Well, Dharma. I look forward to working with you in a week's time."

"I look forward to it."

Noche gave one final nod before turning and walking away.

It didn't take long for her to get back to Mr. Musical's hotel. It would cause problems if she encountered Raptorman again, so laying low and avoiding him was the goal. Maybe she could take in some of the sights of the city. Not often she found herself in a bustling place like this.

She opened the door to her room, and found Jack Chandler standing there. Noche blinked and he was gone. Taking a few cautious steps inside, she closed the door behind her and looked around. The room was empty.

"No. No I don't care. So what if my actions don't feel right... That doesn't matter," Noche muttered. "Stupid conscious. Only defeating Raptorman and getting out of that desert matters."

She looked at the spot where Jack stood a moment ago.

"You were such a good person. You always did what was right, and look where that got you," she said. "Now you're dead! If I was like you, Edward wouldn't be stopped, and everyone would die! Don't you get it – I have to be hard! I have to kill Edward!"

There was no response from the silent room.

"That desert is really getting to me... I gotta get outta here. Gotta defeat Raptorman before the sands consume me," she muttered. "This city is a thin barrier blocking out my own personal hell. Even with buildings obstructing the view, I can still smell the sand... This very place is a poison for my soul."

Noche sat on the bed, cupped her hands together, and placed her face in them. Her heart was beating fast enough to seem like it would burst. The muscles in her shoulders were so tense that they felt like solid blocks of iron. It was as if the stress was killing her. Slowly driving her insane.

"I can't believe I'm back in the desert that nearly killed me. I gotta get out of this desert city. I gotta escape that desert."

Venny and Rad walked the streets while both ate from paper bags filled with popcorn.

"Que incredible! I can't believe it was Noche who won the finals," Venny said. "I knew Cross soldiers were strong, but for someone to be that strong."

"She's probably some sort of elite super soldier," Rad said. "What gets me is why would Cross keep her despite that courtroom incident."

Venny shudder. "Don't remind me. She could've snapped and done that to us at any momento."

"I think there's more to the story that what we saw."

"Probablemente – but you remember how she cut that guy's arms off? That girl is bloodthirsty."

"Yeah, I can't deny that," Rad nodded. "She is definitely a violent person."

"Espera. Que es esto?"

"What's what?"

"Mira," Venny pointed.

In front of them was a boulder blocking the door to their blimp.

"Nooo," Rad groaned.

They both walked up to the rock and stared at it. Venny tried pushing it, but it didn't budge. Rad joined in and they worked together, but it only wiggled slightly.

"Fuck!" Venny shouted. "How are we going to move this!"

"Maybe we can call someone over for help? Someone with more augment."

Rad looked around as Venny swore under her breath.

"Chinga tu madre, I swear the pranks some people pull. Who would do this? Why!"

"Venny, I'm going to go ask around. I'll be right back."

"I'll come with you," she sighed. "If only we weren't so weak."

"Hey, we're slightly above average... Besides, we could always train create."

"Yeah, but most of our time is spent paying bills."

"True true."

"Maybe we could ask Noche for help?"

Rad burst out laughing, and Venny joined him a moment later. Together the couple searched for someone with enough strength to move a boulder.