"Last three!"
Ignis slammed his left gauntlet down, pinning a Hati to the ground. The beast's claws scraped furiously at the armored plating of his power fist—all in vain, only scoring the paint.
Electric arcs danced across his right fist—the disintegration field was already active.
"Die, xenos!" The Salamander's roar thundered through the air as his blow came down, ending the beast's futile struggle in a single crushing strike.
With a metallic clang, Anby's combat blade parried a Satyr's steel pipe, then reversed her grip and cleaved clean through its torso.
"Two left," she reported coolly.
"Watch this!" Billy shouted, his voice bright with adrenaline. "Yee-ha!"
The robot let out a wild whoop, his twin pistols blazing. A storm of bullets tore through the last two enemies, dropping them where they stood.
"Is it over?" Nicole gasped, visibly exhausted.
Thankfully, they'd reached a transfer station. The Ethereals were cleared—it was finally safe to rest for a moment.
"I'll keep watch. You three, rest," Ignis said, positioning himself at the entrance.
He watched Anby help Nicole to a bench on the platform.
"Nicole?" Anby asked softly. "How do you feel?"
"Just tired," Nicole forced a weak smile, not wanting to worry her foster daughter.
From the heat signatures, Ignis could tell the truth—her temperature was dangerously high. He wondered how much longer her immune system could hold out.
"Boss…" Billy checked his remaining ammo, noticing Nicole's pale face.
Nicole handed Phaethon's Bangboo to Anby, cutting off further questions. Then she opened her suitcase, retrieving the last supply pack.
"Billy, what round are we on?" she asked weakly.
"Eighth one, Boss," Billy replied, sitting down beside her.
"Anby—the anti-corrosion meds," Nicole said, holding out the final vial. "And some food."
"You need it more than I do," Anby protested. "You haven't taken one in hours."
"You're still fighting," Nicole said, tapping the vial against her chest. "All I need to do is hold Phaethon's Bangboo."
In Anby's arms, the little unit stopped kicking, its eyes flicking curiously around.
"Boss, don't push yourself," Billy said, grabbing the vial. "You'll turn into one of them if you keep this up—we promised we'd make it back together."
"I'm fine—" Nicole tried to speak, but Billy had already twisted open the vial and shoved it into her mouth.
"Sorry, Boss!" He ignored her muffled protests, forcing the entire dose down.
"You'll kill her with choking before the corruption does," Ignis growled, unable to watch. "That's not how you administer medicine."
"If I didn't, she wouldn't drink it at all," Billy said, only relaxing once she swallowed every drop.
The serum's effect was immediate—color returned to Nicole's face, and her breathing steadied.
"Billy Kid…" she said darkly, her tone low and dangerous.
"Yes, Boss!" Billy stiffened; even his metal skin seemed to prickle.
"Your bonus for this month—gone. You nearly killed me," she said flatly.
"Noooo, Boss!" Billy threw his hands up dramatically, leaning back as if mortally wounded.
Even Ignis couldn't help but laugh. This robot was a born entertainer—if the Cunning Hares ever disbanded, he'd make a fine comedian.
The once-heavy mood lightened.
"Grrr, I've been corrupted by the Hollow… now I'm a monster! Grrr!"
Anby stretched her arms stiffly and staggered toward Billy, playfully grabbing his hand—then bit it.
Was she imitating a zombie from one of those old films? Not that zombies usually chewed on steel.
"Hey, Anby, don't bite my hand!" Billy said, more concerned than angry. "Doesn't that hurt your teeth?"
"Sorry," she murmured, pulling away. "I just wanted to make Nicole laugh. Guess I'm still bad at it."
"Pfft…" Nicole chuckled, tearing open a ration pack. "Want some?"
Anby nodded vigorously, sitting beside her and opening her mouth expectantly.
"You…" Nicole sighed, but still fed her a piece of the compressed biscuit.
"Can't argue, though," Billy said, nodding. "We've been in the Hollow too long. Even with Ether tolerance, it just slows the corruption—doesn't stop it."
Nicole crossed her legs, watching Anby chew small bites of the dry biscuit.
"Not really my kind of thing," she muttered. "Me—the money-loving boss of the Cunning Hares—playing caretaker? I'm supposed to look out for number one."
"Is that so?" Ignis interjected. "Didn't seem that way when you got me a place to live. You even burned every contact you had to fix my identity."
"Doesn't sound like someone who sticks to that motto."
"So… maybe Nicole's actually a good person," came a teasing voice—from, Belle.
"Good person, huh…" Nicole answered automatically, not realizing who spoke. "People die for that worthless title in this world."
"I'm such an idi—" she froze mid-sentence, then screamed.
"Nicole, can't you sound happy when you scream like that?" Belle teased, her voice brimming with mischief.
"Proxy?!" Nicole gasped, both shocked and elated. "It's really you?! Not some hallucination?"
"We've been reconnected for a while," her brother Wise said from within the Bangboo. "You were too busy being emotional—Anby and Billy were messing around, the big guy was on guard duty. No one noticed."
"Actually, I noticed the little thing moving," Ignis said. "But since it wasn't a threat, I didn't bother."
"So, you all heard that?" Nicole blushed faintly.
"No need to feel embarrassed," Belle said warmly. "Everyone has moments like that."
"I'm not embarrassed!" Nicole barked, snatching the Bangboo from Anby and tossing it to the ground. "Enough chatter—[Operation: Retrieve the Safe] resumes!"
The Bangboo stood still for a moment, and everyone worried the connection had dropped again.
"The safe's signal is close," Wise's voice suddenly confirmed.
"Good. Lead the way," Nicole said, visibly relieved.
The Bangboo turned, hopped off the platform, and waddled along the tracks.
The Cunning Hares followed close behind, stopping before a wire-mesh fence.
"Break this open," Wise instructed. "There's a maintenance tram switch ahead—faster than walking."
Ignis nodded and gestured for them to stand back. His massive hands gripped the wire and tore it apart, widening the gap to ensure no one got cut.
"That's a lot quicker than taking the long route," Phaethon's Bangboo said cheerfully. "You got a contact number? Maybe I'll hire you for solo jobs next time."
"Uh…" Ignis shrugged. "No comm device. Still can't read your language either."
"You can always contact me," Nicole said, eyes lighting up with mercantile glee. "The Cunning Hares don't mind side gigs, but it's always better when the payment's official."
With the Proxies guiding them, their pace quickened. Billy located the tram control lever, and Anby switched the track. Within minutes, a small flatbed tram rolled to a stop before them.
"Last time we used one of these, it didn't even have brakes," Nicole said, hauling the Bangboo aboard. "You sure this one's safe?"
"No one in the Hollow would dare guarantee that," Phaethon replied. "But hey—last time, it did get you out safely."
Once everyone was aboard, Billy threw the lever, and the tram rumbled forward along the rails.
"So, what happened?" Nicole finally asked. "Why'd we lose contact?"
"Well, funny story—it was your fault," Phaethon said. "A hacker hijacked our systems and severed the Bangboo's uplink."
"So, it wasn't because you were mad at Nicole for lowballing the payment?" Anby sighed in relief.
"What?! You could've paid more?!" Belle's voice was full of shock.
"Anby! Don't say unnecessary things!" Nicole snapped.
"They tried to make me reveal the safe's code," Wise continued. "Even showed me live footage of you fighting Ethereals in the Hollow. The data drive you gave us was the intrusion's key."
"So, the Red Fang Gang weren't stealing the safe for themselves," Nicole mused. "They were hired."
"Just like us," Billy said, surprised.
"If the Proxies hadn't intervened, we'd be dealing with the puppet master ourselves," Anby agreed.
"If it comes to open battle, I don't mind," Ignis said, cracking his fists with a thunderous clang. "But trickery… that's harder to counter."
"Thank goodness for you, Boss!" Billy clasped his hands together dramatically, tilting his metal head. "Just like a Starlight Knight's sidekick—Meteor-Mutt!"
…Sincere, maybe, but—
"Billy, did you just call me a dog?" Belle said, half-playful, half-annoyed.
"When I first saw the job offer, I thought it was an easy double-cross gig," Nicole grumbled, folding her arms. "Turns out it's another cursed mess with too many strings attached. I'm done trusting those info brokers."
"When we're out, we dump the safe and make the middleman double the fee." She looked at Ignis, eyes flashing. "No—five times."
"But first," Anby reminded, "we have to find the safe. Be cautious—we've been in the Hollow too long. Our edge is fading."
"You mean that male Ethereal from before?" Ignis growled, smashing his fists together again. "This time, I'll crush it completely—let's see if it can piece itself back together."