Resonance of the Stars: Bleak Horizon

Zach waited til Kyuba left the room and then looked around to check the other cultists were gone. when he was sure they were he shivered.

"Well fuck." it was the bluntest way to express himself.

"Fuck indeed. As in the enemy are fucked. They're ALL going to die won't it be such fun?" Zero crooned. Zach grabbed his head.

"This hellion contingency seems wondeful. It would be a great way to rebel against his church. Hmmm IDEA! This should be fun fun fun!" Zero mused mirthfully and then began to sing.

"Total slaughter. Total slaughter. We won't leave a sing prick alive!" Zach shook his head.

"SHUT UP!" Zach commanded angrily. "You stupid psycho! Like you'll be allowed to help!" Zach shook his head suddenly tired.

"Hmm thats the problem isn't it? The ability to help." Zero mused sarcastically. "The dead girl's a doctor. The Cultist has followers that are an army in themselves plus he himself is a powerful warrior. Then our Illustrious Leader is of course in command. But you? you're useless. You should just give me control at least i'd be of use!"

Zach blinked his eyesight hazy. He was so tired from fighting him but Zero had made a point. Zach realized his other piece was right he was useless.

"Maybe you're right. But I need to think." Zach swayed back and forth. Zero smiled as the body began to fall asleep. The last thing Zach heard before unconsciousness claimed him was Zero singing.

"La di dadi DIE. Genocide. La di dadi dead. An ocean of BLOOD!"

The bolstered courage in Lucas' heart began to give way to concern, and above even that, exhaustion. Already his team's newest assignment had reached explosive levels and complications, and now it was time to begin yet another trial.

Before setting himself some due time with the children, and allowing himself to alleviate some of the stress he'd built onto himself in one day alone, Lucas decided he would need to attend to the matter at hand, and make sure to prepare himself with as much information as he could before getting some much needed rest. If this assignment proved to be as dangerous as he was concerned it may be, he would need to be at his peak performance, something he knew that he could not provide.

Entering the war room and sitting at a nearby panel, Lucas patiently waited a few moments before pressing one of the many buttons on the console and staring into a nearby monitor.

"Mirik!" He barked out.

"Tell me we have some good news."

Mirik was calmly typing onv he large readout in front of him. Several small red blips were surrounded by hundreds of black ones. "Commence...now" As Mirik spoke a time clock appeared on the screen, the time counting back from 4:59. A still Image of Lucas appeared on the screen and Mirik immediately patched him into the network allowing Lucas to see everything he could.

"Commander, we have acquired 75% of the Satellite network we have destroyed 24%...."

Lucas nodded attentively. He hadn't worked with Mirik long, but he was a quick study, and very clearly knew what he was doing. He preferred not to think on it, but this was clearly not the first invasion Kyuba's men had performed, the others being under less...honorable, intentions.

"Excellent, deal with that final percentage immediately, I want him completely in the dark. Do we have satellites of our own we can send up in place of the ones he's lost?"

Establishing a strong surveillance system was key if any of their future missions would succeed. Time was a factor, as Noir was going to react upon seeing just how much of his network had been taken out from under him. This man seemed to be little more than a petty tyrant, so Lucas was not quite as worried about handling him, however, in future situations, he knew he would have to be more cautious. He'd been careless, immediately playing his hand and revealing not only his forces, but also making a statement to Noir, showing force, and taking his materials out from under him with his full knowledge of it. A smarter play would have been to hack into the network, so they would see what he saw, but only allowing him to see what they wanted.

Hindsight is 20-20, after all, live and learn.

Mirik smiled as the clock wound down to nothing and the final blip turned black. A message popped up on the screen which he immediately send to Lucas. "We do not sir...but this may interest you. We have a way of monitoring their communications. It is archaic but it seems they have switched to short range radio communications bounced between towers and encrypted. We have received about half of their encryption codes and have already mapped out the amount of troops they have. You have been sent the information sir.

Lucas nodded, pleased with the current results. Noir was either reeling from this strong opening hand, or was playing his next moves very close to the vest, planning out his course of action and allowing himself to appear on the ropes. Regardless, the ball was in their court now, and they had to prepare the next play carefully, one wrong step could mean disaster.

"Excellent work, keep the codes coming in, and monitor all transmissions you can, keep an eye out for more satellites being launched in case they decide to rebuild the network, and obviously prepare for missile strikes."

He didn't know why he was bothering telling Mirik these things, this was not his first assignment, he knew what he was doing, having taken down an entire satellite network with only the instruction to do so, no actual instructions on how. If nothing else, it was a sense of comfort, knowing that he knew what would need to be done, even if others already knew as well.

"Mirik, I want you to key in all transmissions to find the keywords "Auduro Mestro". It's a large city somewhere nearby here. Use the network to find it and keep round the clock surveillance on it, I need all the intel you can provide me with on this place as quickly as you can get it. Patrol routes, soldier counts, everything. The enemy knows we're here, so it's only a matter of time before they start changing their patrol routes and working on more underground patterns, if we can, see if we can start working on underground surveillance as well, this time a bit more...discreet. We want the enemy to think they're still in control so they don't keep changing their game plan on us."

"Roger sir" Mirik cut the communication and moved on to complete the task set ahead. "Auduro Mestro....now that...sounds interesting." Mirik set up a special file for all things related to the Keywords and then left the camp quietly...he had other tasks to deal with of a more secretive nature. Cloaked in shadow he sneaked past guards who he had personally seen through training as if they were children asleep in their beds leaving not even the slightest trace of his passing.

Traveling for a few good hours he came upon a shack in an abandoned town. He rapped on the door four times and it opened. Slipping inside he was immediately blindfolded and sat down forcefully in a chair.

"What is the latest news?" A poorly disguised female voice whispered. "Hello...newest esteemed elder..." A loud slap echoed through the room as the Elder punished Mirik for his insolence. "SILENCE WRETCH....or I will skin you alive and feed your soul to the goddesses demon hounds." Suppressing a shudder at the thought Mirik smirked. "You know I am FAR to valuable to the council for you to be able to do that besides which...your CONNECTIONS...aren't strong enough to give you anywhere close to the power of a real elder...remember your place girl..."

Another slap. "SILENCE I SWEAR I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Mirik only laughed but soon quieted himself and began to give his information, knowing time was short and he would soon be missed. "They are focusing on a place called Auduro Mestro...and as I am sure you know...the Hellion Contingency has been activated."

"AUDURO MESTRO????, I must return to the council. You are dismissed...worm"

Mirik was pushed out of the shack and he made his way back to the camp.

Hearing the resolve and confirmation of his instructions, Lucas decided, would have to suffice for the time being, as he knew there was no way to simply have all of the requested work done instantaneously, there was still much that would need to be done over the course of their endeavor, patience was key, waiting for the prime moment to strike.

Feeling a sense of weariness coming on, Lucas decided that his remaining workload could wait, and instead returned to his tent, where he made contact with the kids for some time. Chatting with Sophia and Raul, taking his mind off of the conflict around him for at least a few minutes, did a world of good, and finally, for the first time in the entire day, he relaxed. A sense of accomplishment was finally beginning to work its way into Lucas' mind, as he began to realize just how much had already been done. Regardless of how much still needed to be done, this day, Lucas had led his team on another successful assignment and begun to cripple an oppressive regime on a new planet. The tides were beginning to turn.

After what felt like mere minutes, he let the children return to their studies under their tutors, who he was pleased to hear were treating them well, and drifted into a slumber. The world could wait a little while, right now, all he needed was some rest...

Opening his eyes, Lucas realized he was gazing into the cold, emptiness of an open void, a black abyss. Unsure of where he was, he tried to regain composure and keep a calm position on his standing, trying to make sure he was in fact on solid ground.

The skies opened to blinding light, and before he could fully comprehend what had happened, Lucas looked and saw himself in...what appeared to be a capital. THE, capital of the entire Nebula.

"What in the name of...?" He looked around, and saw the streets filled with ceremony and joy, tattered flags of their vicious foes being burned on giant pyres of propaganda and instruments of control, and beside him, Alpha Squad, joyous, proud.

Free.

"Did we...Did we win...?" He wanted to pinch himself, this couldn't be real. It felt like mere moments ago he was back facing one of the earliest trials they had to overcome...

Without so much as a flash of light or any sort of diversion of focus, the scene was violently jarred, switched before him to a ragged battlefield, the same city, the same beautiful buildings, but the people were no more. His team battered and broken, mutilated and mauled, the city lost in flames.

"No...."

"Salvation....or damnation. Where the future leads for you is uncertain, Mortal." A booming voice bellowed in his mind.

A voice he knew all too well.

"Xander...?" He asked weakly. Several times before, the mighty titan had spoken to him in his mind, in what he could only assume was feverish delusions, the Resonarks were machines, not people....

"The dark gaze rests on your cause...." The violent pained scene once more became the glorious joy and victory of a world at peace. "Whether in blessing..." And once more, it became the fiery ruins of a world at war, causing Lucas insurmountable confusion and pain, being forced to see his companions in this state. Knowing how close they came...only to fail in the final stretch. "...Or bloody baptism, remains to be seen."

Turning away from the furious confusion and chaos, Lucas saw he was once more bathed in darkness.

"The die is cast. Fortune has yet to show it's hand."

A low rumbling began to growl over the sound of what Lucas believed to be the voice of Xanderfall, and turning back, a blurred visage of....something....lay on the horizon. Something large....Expansive....Almost...like an army.

"What is tha-" He began to ask as once more the voice interrupted him.

"Your trials are far from over, Mortal. The battle has only just begun."

As the amassed....thing....grew closer on the horizon, shapes began to form in the area around them....almost THROUGH them. Two massive....empty, ovals....Almost like eyes.....

As he thought this unusual comparison, the ovals opened, and revealed two very distinct eyes, one a blue dark as the ocean, one pale as the sky, and to his alarm, the color did not stay consistent, switching often between the two.

Something about these eyes startled him. There were no pupils, only what would appear on most others to simply be the white of the eye, here instead depicted in two ever changing shades of blue, and despite the lack of pupils, it seemed they were locked tightly onto Lucas, homing beacons to track him no matter how he moved.

And they too, were growing closer.

"The dark gaze rests upon you...." The voice said as the rumble of what appeared before to be an army continued to march forward, led and part of the mysterious eyes.

"What happens as a result, is left untold...."

Losing himself to the bizarre gaze, Lucas' eyes shot open, once more in his tent, a cold sweat overtaking him.

The next few weeks were busy for Kyuba. His troops were constantly trickling in from the far corners of space. He looked on with dead eyes as the last of his army, yes...it was his army wasn't it. Kyuba shook his head. This was not the time for idle thoughts. The mission would be difficult. Not only would he be attacking a supply depot but he would be drawing an entire army down upon him. He licked his lips.

His men fell into place in front of him and he stepped forward Kiri'tas standing cold and dark behind him. "You have all been chosen...you all know what it means to disobey. Many of you will die in this coming battle but if any of you were afraid of that you would not be here. Do you want something to fear? Fear is a powerful weapon. It can drive a man to do crazy things. Well I will be generous and give you something to fear. Any man that falls to the enemy I will personally drag your soul before the goddess and feed you to the eternal void myself!" He snarled the last part as the battle cries flew forth from his men. "Lucas...my men are ready to go...we will rendezvous at the designated point and commence the strike at 0800 tomorrow."

Lucas finished going over his papers and visuals of the planned strike. This was going to b difficult for Kyuba, but it would be even harder for Lucas. A small strike force attacking a supply depot as a diversion is a standard assault technique, however, leading a three man strike team into a stronghold and toppling it? That was an entirely different matter altogether. Perhaps he'd been spending too long with Kyuba over the past weeks, but he almost found the prospect of this kind of dangerous challenge...enjoyable. Interesting.

Inspiring.

Ever since the haunting dream he'd experienced, Lucas' mind tended to wander. Questions surrounding the war began to circulate in his head. What were they fighting for, would the war ever end, could there be more on the horizon beyond just this conflict and the struggle for freedom?

What WERE the Resonarks? Why were they here?

It was clear to him that his mind was not focused, and it was all he could do to keep his attention on the tasks at hand, otherwise he could spend days on such trains of thought.

When finally Kyuba's transmission came in, Lucas simply nodded.

"Understood, we'll be ready. Michiko, make sure you're set to go, Zach, same on you. When each of you has the time, I want you to come see me for final briefings before tomorrow, together or not, doesn't matter, I'll see you when you make the time. Mirik, any further updates?"

Mirik had taken quite a bit of initiative over the last few weeks, making sure that Lucas and Kyuba had all the tools they would need as soon as they requested them, in Lucas' case sometimes even before he asked. He may not have trusted the man, but there was no denying he was damn good at what he did.

Zach heard Lucas' message and sighed. He wasn't sure how prepared he was. He and Zero had been having many ... conversations over the last few weeks. About ability and usefulness.

'This should be interesting. Have you decided yet weakling? hm? About what to do? Give me control? Keep being weak?' Zero mused with a laugh. Zach massaged his temples. He quickly came to the tent that Lucas was in and spoke immediately.

"Lucas I need to speak with you about something. Since Michiko will be on this mission with us maybe she should be here. That though is to be your choice, Sir" Zach said to Lucas repectfully ,while saluting his friend and commander,  and proceeded to wait to hear the response. He knew what he needed to do.

They needed a weapon not a washed up warrior. So he had one choice and he knew having blocked this thought from Zero successfully that no one would like it. Well except maybe Kyuba.

Kyuba stalked away from his troops after making sure they were absolutely on standby upon pain of death. "What the hell could he want now..." He walked to Lucas's tent and stormed in. "You wished to speak with me...sir?"

Michiko was in the middle of the final preparations to the medical unit. The cultists busied themselves with her suggestion, but she noticed they always took care to do something slightly off. If she told them to stack the gauze on the right, they'd stack it in the middle. Going behind them and fixing their miniscule rebellions was getting tiresome. She sighed, in her mind it made very little sense that a group that practically worshiped death had a medical branch.

When Lucas summoned her it was a welcomed distraction from her current duties. She quickly dropped what she was doing to answer his call. "I'm here with the final report on the preparations of the the medical units." She offered upon entering the room.

Lucas sighed and rubbed his temples in irritation. They were his team, no doubt about it, but damnit if sometimes the entirety of their situation couldn't be frustrating.

"Alright, everyone's here, excellent." Immediately setting down any papers he had in hand, Lucas pulled up a holographic map from a console behind him.

"Mirik's been providing me with intel over the last several weeks, and allowing us to set up a full attack plan. Kyuba, you're taking your squad on a supply raid to the west, obviously this is a decoy attack as you know, but anything and everything you can salvage, take. We're going to need all the supplies we can get, and anything we have, is materials Noir doesn't."

He quickly made a circular perimeter on a compound on one side of the diagram.

"Zach, Michiko, you're with me heading into the main city. Michi, you're going to have to guide us through the stronghold, you know this place far better than we would. Any opposing units along the way are hostile, dangerous, and expendable. Nothing is to stand in our way, we claim this city as the first step in winning the war, are we understood?"

This was a rough outline, and he knew they all understood the plan, but he needed to go over everything just once more to make sure every piece of the puzzle was in place. Once they were all ready, he'd give his specific instructions and answer any unlikely questions they may have had. He knew Zach wanted to discuss something, but it needed to wait until the briefing was about finished, this needed to be handled first.

Kyuba's eye slanted nearly shut as he listened impatiently as Lucas briefed the others on their mission. "And my team will be drawing most of the hostiles away from you...many shall meet the goddess this day." Kyuba could feel the tension eeking out of him. It was unlike him to be this tense before battle but he had never called the Contingency before and he knew that he may not make it back from this alive. "Show no mercy,,,,kill any that stand in your way and you may survive..." On that chilling note he exited the tent and moved off to make his own final preprations. When the time came his army moved out a mass of black bodies tanks and heavy mechs. "Today...we meet the goddess...."

Zach cocked his head to the side as Kyuba left. The man seemed almost worried in a way. Zach shook his head. 

"I understand, Sir. Though my knowledge of the mission may uh change after the subject I need to discuss." Zach said formally. He had to do this. Kyuba had one thing right they'd have to kill most if not everyone who got in their way. He would be able to or at least... Zach shook his head to clear those thoughts. 

"So i await your convenience weather you want Lady Michiko here or not is as i said at your word." Zach spoke as a soldier he'd done that a lot since they set camp but he guessed it was necessary. the formality kept him sane. or as sane as possible anyway.

Michiko took in everything Lucas had to say. She weighed it carefully before responding. "Understood, but please keep in mind that though the enemy is expendable there will also be many innocents caught in the crossfire." She paused for a moment, grateful that Kyuba left the room. "We must remember to hold onto our humanity despite the company we are forced to keep." Michi chuckled uncharacteristically "But maybe that's just the doctor in me speaking."

Strangely, she didn't feel her words of compassion as strongly as she normally did. She spoke them more out of disdain for the cultists than anything else.

Lucas nodded as he listened to Michiko's words, all the while, sending out a single message.

"May Shi'ira bless you in battle, Kyuba."


Refocusing his attentions all the while, Lucas once more returned to the diagram.

"You're absolutely right, this is a mission to restore order and to liberate a city, not raze it. Enemy combatants will be our only targets, keep collateral damage to a minimum, protect civilians where possible. We need the people on our side if this is to work. I need us at our best, and I need us to be able to get the job done without scaring off survivors and captives."

Looking back at Zach, it was clear he was trying to get something off his chest, but at the same time, irritation was starting to set in once again. If there was a major game changer, he should have presented it well before the assignment was to begin.

"Whatever it is, it'll have to wait until we finish the briefing. This plan has been in the works for the last several weeks, we need to make sure nothing can go wrong at the last minute."

Returning to the diagram once again, he began to point out specific locations and perimeters that the team would need to concern and focus themselves with.

"Zach, you're going into the eastern districts, heavy military occupation, should be fairly direct. Michiko, you're going to be guiding me into the temple at the center of the city, that's the main stronghold. Once there, we deal with the guards, by which point Zach, you should be returning to our position. We do a clean sweep of the surrounding areas, enter the temple and remove opposition, at which point we scour the city for any remaining forces and clean them out of the area. This isn't going to be easy, the forces in there are going to be well-armed and dangerous, Zach, if you decide you need backup, contact one of us and we'll be on our way. Are their anymore questions or concerns?" He asked, turning back from the now heavily marked up holographic diagram and looked to Zach with a mild irritation well-hidden in his face.

Zach wanted to laugh. A hysterical sad laugh of a mad man. He could read his friends irritation no matter how veiled it was. He knew this would aid the plan not hinder it. 

"Heavy military force? good. Sir..." he trailed off a moment. He looked Between the doctor and his old friend. No his commander now their friendship was gone for the most part. Dead from war. From the difference between giving commands and to be commanded. At least that's how Zach felt in a way. It was probably better that way. He took a deep breathe. 

"I'm giving you the codes to the Zero Tolerance Protocols." He said it bluntly without feeling. Zero's response was almost instantaneous.

'NO i will NOT be controlled again!" Zero shouted but Zach barely flinched, shook his head and continued. 

"They are used to control Zero. There are three. Activation and deactivation, Defense mode, and Kill mode." Zach spoke deadening his thoughts while listening to Zero rant.

"After working with you to escape you would have us used AGAIN? Are you that weak?" Zero raged and tried to take control. Zach didn't give him an inch and wouldn't until his leader had the knowledge he needed. Though internally he mused that he was glad Kyuba wasn't here. 

"For the use of your weapon "Zero" the way to bring his out of me or to control him when he's out is the word Discrimen. To have him take defensive measures you must use the word Saepio and then who or what to protect. Finally Interficio is used to destroy or kill. As with the defensive code one must give a target or several targets. these targets can be buildings or vehicles and mechs for destruction. Or a person or several persons, even whole cities to kill." Zach had barely stopped for breathe as he spoke. Zero had ranted and raved but was ignored. Zero stopped fighting after the explanation was given. He new he was to be a weapon once more. 

'At least you'll get to kill Zero.'  Zach mused inwardly. Zero just grunted in annoyed acceptance. Zach doubted that was the end of it. He then saluted both Lucas and Michiko.

"That is all Sir, Ma'am. Awaiting commands." Zach finished and fell into parade rest.

The command to move out seemed a distant memory. Grim muck covered walls and a pungent stink permeated the present, but not Michiko's mind. Thoughts of the very near future crowded every crevice of her grey matter.  This was the easy part. Remaining undetected on a planet that was universally known for technological advances. So far things were running smoothly. The cloaking technology was holding it's own, but Michiko knew it was only a matter of time. 

Aduro Mesto's sewers were ancient and in need of intense restoration. The water beneath their resonarks was stagnant with a sickeningly thick consistency. Fat rats squeezed laboriously into the cracks that peppered the walls as the units approached. Michiko sympathized with the rats. Every corner was a gamble, and the easy going they'd had so far made Michiko uneasy. 

"Lucas, something doesn't feel right."  The words tripped across her mind, but she refused to communicate them. The situation was tense enough, extra paranoia could jeopardize the entire operation. A gut feeling was not going to outweigh a plethora of readings from finely tuned instruments. So instead she pressed on, waiting for the next status request.

Lucas stilled his breath as they wandered the tunnels in what seemed to be an almost endless maze. Down through the darkness they would travel, only to come across what seemed to be even more maddening tunnels. It had been remarkable just how smoothly the mission had gone, not a single patrol was out of place, nobody had noticed their movement at all yet.

It was only a matter of time until something went wrong.

Surely nobody would go off script, he'd already had enough to worry about when everyone was learning their positions in this assignment as it was. His blood ran cold as they moved silently through the sewers, keeping as close to total darkness as he possibly could. This was their only chance at pulling this off, and he would have no complications on his end. He wouldn't tolerate it. Fear was ever present, the terrifying thought that he would do something wrong, that the entire mission would fail by his hand. But those thoughts propelled him forward, he couldn't wallow in terror.

"We're so close...." The words resonated in his mind, and he thought back to the Zigrav.

When you're so close to victory that you can almost taste it, disaster is sure to follow.

Kyuba watched as his army moved into position. The supply line was well guarded already and if the plan worked even more would be coming. His troops were hopelessly outnumbered. Everything was just the way he liked it. He paced back and forth, skull helmet hiding his big grin as he surveyed his troops. As the last of his men fell into line a lower ranking priest delivered a message saluted and left. 

He read the message and cast it aside as it burst into flames. Lucas, We are ready to begin the strike on your mark." 
He signaled for the men to stand at the ready and climbed into Kiri'Tas. It is a good day to die!

*drip drip drip drip* Something was leaking. Was it one of the walls? Or was it the sound Michiko's courage draining through her pores? They were insanely close. Two more rights was all that was left after hours of dredging through sewage. The troops were getting restless. They showed no signs, but Michi could sense it somehow. They knew too of course. Everyone could feel it... Nothing in life, and certainly not war was ever this easy. 

"Checking in, all's well back here. How about up front?" The status request she was expecting hadn't come and it was a welcome break in the silence. Maybe Lucas was feeling it too.
Before Lucas could answer, there was a very disturbing sound. It was very low in frequency, not quite a thud and almost a boom. It sounded as if something immense was moving above ground.*BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM* like 4 enormous steps. With each boom the vile water beneath them rippled.


Everyone stopped without being ordered too. The darkness seemed to amplify the ominous sound. According to the map and their instruments Michiko could tell that the exit was right in front of Lucas. He had a big decision to make and as much as Michiko wanted to help him, all she could manage was a whispered "Lucas?"

"Roger that, Kyu-" Lucas' heart sank as the ominous banging roared through the tunnels, and he stared in terrified silence at the final door before him. The time was now, the answer lay before them. They had already come so far, made so many sacrifices, all for this. Whatever was waiting for them beyond this was merely a step on their path to victory, but would it be a graceful step up the path, or a vicious pitfall, ready to send them falling to failure? 

To sit on such thoughts would drive a man mad. So sit in tyrannical fear. A bead of sweat ran down his brow, his heart stilled in his chest, and for a moment, the sweet sounds of silence were all that permeated the air.

With a slow exhale and an even slower nod, Lucas took one step. Then another. Then yet another, until the door itself was within his grasp.

Michiko's whisper hovered in his ears, and just for a moment, he turned back. Hesitant, unsure of his course. Wondering if this truly was, the right course to take. If he was jumping the gun.

Lucas hadn't issued a command. Michi tried to scan for whatever was making that deafening noise, but the signals weren't penetrating the ceiling. Something was interfering. She had no idea what to do. The silence was getting increasingly unnerving. Neither of them seemed to know how to act or what to say. They could stay in the sewers and try a different route, but this one had the most advantageous exit. Though now, it sounded like that was far from guaranteed.  "Lucas I..."


Her words got drowned out by the sudden rushing of water. It was coming from above and much farther back, then it got louder. Recovering from the momentary distraction she tried again "Lucas I think..." The water grew louder still, maybe the leak from before had gotten larger. Piercing squeaks started to echo through the sewer. Something was bothering the rats.

Unable to take it any longer she turned on a small hand held flashlight and looked back at the commotion. She saw the leak and the rats...or what was left of them. Disintegrating rat skeletons were scattered around the gushing wall. She squinted and saw that the source wasn't a crack at all, it was a tube.  "LUCAS IT'S ACID!!! WE HAVE TO GET OUT NOW!!!!" She screeched forgetting to use the link. It was madness, pure madness. Flooding the sewers with acid could cause it to collapse, taking the entire city down with it! It would seem Noir's forces knew they were there, but Michiko couldn't be certain.