"Don't worry, we'll cover you—just hotwire it, quick!" Alice shouted as Hana dove into the front seat of the truck, her hands reaching for a mess of exposed wires.
"Alright, my babies! Let's hold 'em off here!" Alice barked, rallying Mama's Fangs into a firing line.
Haruka stood behind them, katana drawn. The exhaustion from their narrow escape with Hana still gripped his lungs like a dog refusing to let go. He was the final line of defense.
Jax opened up with his LMG, the roar of gunfire drowning out the moans of the horde. Bullets sprayed like rain. Alice, Mika, and Rhea joined in, their guns lighting up the chaos. Zombies dropped like dominoes as the air grew thick with smoke and the stench of decay.
But the horde didn't stop. They pushed forward, relentless, some even flanking.
"Last two mags!" Mika shouted, slamming a fresh magazine into her rifle. Jax held his position, the ammo belt feeding his weapon steadily shrinking—until it ran dry.
"Reloading!" he yelled, retreating behind the others as he scrambled to feed in a new belt.
Hana dug through the sea of wires, sweat dripping down her face. "Come on… come on… GOTCHA!" she shouted, finding the two frayed leads. Just before she could connect them, something slammed her head down.
A zombie had found its way through the chaos, lunging over the dash. Hana froze—
—and then the thing's head dropped clean off.
Behind the corpse stood Haruka, katana dripping crimson. A simple nod was all it took. Hana snapped back to the wires, reconnecting them.
"Hana! We're dying out here—how long?!" Alice shouted, charging toward the truck—
Only to be tackled to the ground by a swarm of zombies. She struggled, shotgun barely keeping the snapping jaws at bay. Her arm was giving out. To her side, she caught glimpses of the Fangs still fighting: Mika had taken Jax's pistol, Rhea was firing from her sniper's scope, and Leo's drones whirred and buzzed, picking off stragglers.
In that moment, Alice felt proud. Her kids—her Fangs—were moving as one. Efficient. Deadly.
But even pride couldn't lift the weight of death. She closed her eyes, muscles failing, thinking only of her son, Michael—
And then the weight lifted.
Haruka again, slicing through the flanked zombies with the last of his strength. Alice rolled out, using her momentum to spring back to her feet. She cocked her shotgun and fired, cleaning up what he couldn't. She glanced at him. He didn't speak. Neither did she. No words needed.
"DONE!" Hana cried out. The truck sputtered to life.
"Go first," Alice told Haruka, running back to help the others.
Hana helped Haruka into the back of the truck just as the others leapt on board—Jax, Mika, Rhea, Alice, and Leo. Leo's drones stayed behind, sacrificing themselves to cover their retreat.
"Never liked that block anyway," Hana muttered, climbing into the driver's seat beside Alice.
At the back of the truck...
Haruka's mask began pulsing erratically. The cylinders rose and dropped without rhythm. His vision blurred. Yet he fought sleep—watching Mika return Jax's pistol, and Leo fiddling with his gear.
"You can sleep," Rhea's voice broke through the haze. "We won't touch you. Not after what you did for Hana. And Ma."
Everyone turned to her.
"What'd he do?" Jax asked.
"He saved Ma. Even though he could barely stand."
"I saw Ma pinned by a zombie while he was pulling back," Rhea added, calm and cold. "I waited to see if he'd help. He did."
"You waited?" Leo growled. "We could've lost her."
"Are you kidding me?!" Mika snapped. "You just stood there?!"
"It was her or us," Rhea snapped back. "I needed to know where his loyalty stood."
Mika opened her mouth, but Alice cut in.
"She made the right call," Alice said. "Rhea, I'm proud of you. Let the guy sleep."
Silence.
"You heard her," Jax muttered, eyes still locked on Haruka's mask. "We won't touch you."
Haruka didn't move. His katana still rested in his grip. He watched all of them—unblinking.
"He doesn't trust us yet," Hana said, crawling into the back. She gently sat beside him, placing her hand on his.
He flinched. Everyone tensed.
"You need rest," she whispered, taking the katana and laying it beside her. "You need to regenerate."
Haruka closed his eyes, resting his head in Hana's lap.
"Hey… look at the mask," Jax whispered.
The mask's cylinders had found their rhythm again.
"He's regenerating," Leo said quietly.
"So what's up with that thing?" Jax asked. "Does it come off?"
Leo shook his head. "It's fused to him. It is him. Like an organ."
"Don't—" Leo warned sharply as Mika reached for it. "It almost killed me. It will kill you."
"Damn, Specs. Never seen you this serious before," Jax chuckled.
The group laughed lightly, tension easing. Outside, the truck rumbled on toward safety.
"I've been studying the mask since my days at Obsidian," Leo muttered, eyes still watching the horizon.
The truck rumbled to a halt outside a large, reinforced gate embedded in a rusted cliffside. Two high-mounted webcams flicked to life, scanning the new arrivals with mechanical precision. After a moment of silent processing, a loud buzz echoed through the air as the thick bunker doors groaned open, revealing a dimly lit corridor ahead.
They rolled forward slowly, the truck's tires echoing against the concrete walls. The deeper they drove, the colder—and quieter—it became. Finally, the tunnel widened into a vast underground garage: armored trucks lined the edges, bullet-ridden jeeps rusted in corners, tanks sat dormant beneath dusty tarps, and half-disassembled drones were strewn across steel workbenches like abandoned projects.
"Yo, Mama's Fangs are back," someone muttered from the shadows, the words bouncing around the garage.
A few soldiers paused to watch. Their eyes shifted to the unfamiliar figure in the truck bed, slumped and still—cradled gently in Hana's arms.
"Yo… who's that?"
Alice hopped off the truck first, shotgun slung over her shoulder. "We'll explain later," she called out. "Clear the shaft."
Rhea, Leo, and Mika followed closely behind.
"Dumb Tank, could you carry him for me?" Hana asked, shifting uncomfortably as she tried not to wake Haruka. "My legs are numb."
"Why me?" Jax grumbled.
The group came to a halt. Every eye turned to him. The silence thickened with sarcasm.
"Fine, I'll carry him," Alice muttered, stepping forward.
But Jax moved first. He scooped Haruka into his arms before she could take another step. "Got him," he said, flashing a grin to the team.
They entered the shaft elevator in silence, their fatigue settling over them like dust. Hana kept her eyes on Haruka's unconscious form, watching the cylinders on his mask expand and contract with each quiet breath.
"He's surprisingly light," Jax said, finally breaking the quiet.
"Is he?" Leo replied dryly.
"Fuck off, Four Eyes," Jax shot back.
"Hey!" Mika yelped, shoving her glasses up defensively.
"Jax, watch your language," Alice warned, not turning to look.
"Not you, Soda Pop," Jax whispered under his breath.
Silence again—but not for long.
Jax's stomach growled so loudly it echoed. Rhea elbowed him with a snort.
"What?" he shrugged. "I haven't eaten in over a day."
Alice laughed, low and amused. Mika followed. Then Leo. Rhea chuckled next. And finally, even Hana cracked a tired smile.
"Oh, Dumb Tank…" they all said in unison.
"Don't worry," Alice said, turning to Jax with a smirk. She reached up to pat his head. "You can eat until you explode, alright, son?"
Jax beamed.
Alice turned to Leo. "You okay? You've been awfully quiet."
"I'm fine," Leo replied quickly. "I just need some fresh air."
As the shaft's gate opened, Leo bolted ahead, disappearing into the hallway before anyone could stop him. His thoughts were a blur.
"Good luck with that," Alice muttered, watching him go.
"Take the new guy to my quarters," she said, nodding at Jax.
"Can't he stay in mine?" Hana asked.
"You're a teenager. And so is he," Alice replied without missing a beat, already marching off down the hall.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mika asked.
"You do not want to know," Rhea said, walking toward the cafeteria.
Jax and Rhea raced toward the cafeteria, the scent of warm food pulling them in like a magnet.
Leo and Mika found an open table near the back. Leo had his journal open, scribbling furiously.
"You know," Mika said, watching him mutter under his breath, "you should've told Ma about the mask."
Leo didn't stop writing. "After all this time, it's finally here."
He lifted his gaze to meet hers.
"If I told Ma that the guy who held a katana to my throat was our best shot at taking down Obsidian—how do you think she'd react?"
"Fair point," Mika admitted. "She's still convinced Michael is the only way."
Before Leo could respond, Hana plopped down beside him with a grin. "Yo! What's for lunch?"
"How's the guy doing?" Mika asked.
"Still out," Hana replied, resting her arms on the table.
Jax and Rhea returned with trays stacked with food. Rhea passed one to Mika, while Jax dropped into his seat and started inhaling his meal.
"So, what's up with you and mask boy? Are y'all a thing?" Jax mumbled through a mouthful.
Hana turned away, clearly flustered. "No! We're not."
"Mama! Where ya headed? Come sit with us!" Jax called, spotting Alice crossing the hall.
"We just found Hana's crush!" Mika added teasingly—earning a playful punch from Hana.
Alice chuckled and waved them off. "No can do—just got called in. We might be heading out again soon, so eat like it's your last."
Her words were sharp but warm, her smile fading as she stepped into the elevator shaft.
"Hana," Leo spoke up. The group turned to him.
"Your boyfriend might get kicked out."
"We're not dating! And what do you mean 'kicked out'?" Hana snapped.
"The meeting. It's about him, right?" Mika asked.
Leo nodded, finishing the last bite on his tray. "Say, Hana… have you seen him use it?"
"Use what?"
"The mask," Leo said. "That's why he's out cold. It drains him."
"He hasn't accepted it yet," Rhea added.
Leo leaned in. "I need to ask you more about him." Without waiting, he gently grabbed Hana's arm and led her away.
"I'm stuffed," Mika sighed, leaning back. "Anyone want my leftovers? Rhea?"
"There's a whole human garbage disposal right here, and you ask Rhea first?" Jax said, swallowing another bite. His tray—once stacked like a mountain—was nearly clean.
Mika slid hers to him. "Consider it thanks for letting me use your pistol."
"Ay, no prob, sis."
---
Elsewhere, in Alice's quarters…
Haruka's eyes fluttered open, light piercing through the dimly lit room. He shielded his face, groaning softly. His vision adjusted—framed pictures lined the shelves: a younger Alice, and two kids he didn't recognize.
He sat up slowly on the bed.
Just then, the door creaked open.
Mika stood in the doorway—and jumped with a yelp, knocking over a tray of stacked metal plates.
Haruka instinctively got up, reaching for her arm. Their eyes met as he helped her steady herself.
Outside the room, footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Rhea arrived first. Behind her was Jax, still holding Mika's half-finished plate. Then came Hana, her eyes wide, and Leo just a step behind.
"...He's up," Rhea said.