Two months later…

Another long night had seen him sleeping in, and with that came a lingering since of regret. Ever since they'd lost the child once again to the Underground, the Commander hardly ever had the time to relax, let alone sleep. He found himself ignoring the Baron's latest round of ridiculous orders to arrest random children, and turned down offers to head out on missions for artifacts pertaining to the Tomb of Mar.

There was solace in racing, at least.

Errol left his apartment close to the stadium and headed for the KG Fortress, where he needed to be present for the latest round of Dark Eco injections the Baron inflicted constantly on the young man they'd been using for two years. Onin had informed them he would be…different, but nothing had changed. There had been only a brief time in the beginning, when Errol had felt something like pity towards the boy; now it was just a sense of disgust and anger at what the Eco had done to him. He feared the Dark Warrior Program had completely failed, and he wasn't afraid to tell Praxis this fact, either.

Fleetingly, his thoughts went to Torn and the Underground. They were winning, weren't they? They were getting smarter, stealthier; no one had noticed the agents who had stole several valuable things from the Barracks, and each time Errol felt the hatred surge upon discovering they'd fooled him yet again. And then he thought of Phoenix, at what he would have thought of all this…

The coolness of the Fortress suddenly washed over him and he winced, having been used to the heat of the day. With a light sigh, he turned to one of the security doors and punched in his recruit number and pass code. There were a few beeps and a light flashed from red to green as a computerized voice said, Welcome, Commander Errol. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and stepped into the prison, where Praxis was already waiting for him.

And it started once again.

The boy's screams had faded away now, and Errol watched with a passive look as he gasped the air back into his lungs. The computer had yet to tell them about his current status, but Errol already knew the answer. He tilted his head slightly, sneering at the boy lying shackled to the chair. Strands of blond fell into his face and his eyes were closed as he attempted to gain back some of his strength. Errol pursed his lips as the Baron prowled back and forth in front of him. The computer spoke in its monotone female voice.

"Dark Eco injection cycle complete. Bio readings nominal and unchanged."

Errol held back rolling his eyes and chewed on his tongue as Praxis growled with disbelief. The Commander's eyes fell once again to the wounded, now resting young man, and slightly shook his head. It was apparent failure loomed over them like a shadow. Errol forced away a disgruntled sigh and gathered up his courage to inform the Baron that which he'd known for years now.

It was just another day; another failure.

*******

The afternoon sun filtered in through the awning that hung heavily above, the ends of the tattered canvas floating gently in the breeze. Rays of light slanted through the holes in the buildings; birds cawed from somewhere above. There was a strong smell of dirt and dampness, but none of these things fazed Torn any longer. He sat cross-legged on a small lopsided pier, which had once not been too far from his old home in Haven Coast. Each time he found the place, he half-expected Mik to come back, but he knew that wouldn't happen. He sat there and stared out critically across the pool of dirty water, watching it form puddles in the crumbling ground. With a small sigh, he leaned back slightly and balanced his arms on his knees.

The scrape of footsteps caught his attention and he smirked, knowing exactly who it was.

"Hey, Keira."

She pouted, crossing her arms. "How'd you know?"

Torn turned to face her, raising his eyebrows. She stood above him at an angle, regarding him with a curious look.

"How could I not? Pick up your feet when you walk, kid."

Keria made a face and plopped down beside him, causing the boards to groan slightly underneath them. She blew the bangs from her eyes and kicked her legs over the edge of the dock. The dogtags clinked as she fiddled with the chain absent-mindedly.

"Everything went okay I hear," Torn said. "Apparently, Syd likes taking you on missions- keeps requesting you for a lot of 'em."

Keria smiled, recognizing Torn's hidden comment. "Well, I like Syd. She was great for the one last night- those KG zoomers are completely out of commission, thanks to my lucky monkey wrench. Plus, I got the Underground some new car parts and one of those nifty remote control missile turrets you can mount on to a car…not that I'm an advocate of violence, but when you need it- it's there."

She shrugged and Torn nodded in approval. He tapped his fingers thoughtfully on his knees, focusing his attention back on to the ruins of Dead Town.

"…So what are you doing back out here?" Keira asked him carefully.

"I gotta clear something up," answered the ex-Guard.

Before Keria could question him further, Torn's radio crackled from his belt. He had made it a habit to keep the damn thing close by so that if there was an emergency, he'd know about it. He didn't feel like repeating the past…

"Torn, here. What's up?"

The radio crackled with static briefly before Ashelin's voice sounded.

"There's just been a prison break- it's code red across the entire city," she informed them, "Patrols are being sent to your area of the slums, so I'd watch out for cruisers. Thankfully, there aren't many zoomers for them to use, so you have some time."

Torn exchanged surprised looks with Keira before turning back to the radio.

"This has gotta be a first," he said, "Do we have a description of the prisoner yet?"

"No, but from what I'm hearing it's just a kid."

Torn shook his head. Praxis wasn't above arresting teenagers for simple things like riding JET-Boards or spray-painting art on the city walls. The Underground had taken in several orphans and teens within the past few years.

"Alright. I'll have someone direct whoever it is to the hideout; I'll be able to tell if they're Underground material or not."

"Okay," Ashelin agreed, "I have to go- I can't keep this channel secured for much longer. I'll try and stall them as long as I can, and don't forget that the Kid is still up and about on the streets with Kor."

"Right."

Ashelin abruptly ended the transmission and the radio picked up a batch of static. Keria had a confused look across her face as Torn turned to speak to her, replacing the comlink on his belt.

"I want you to head back to the city and have Hector give you a ride back to the stadium; until I figure out who this kid is, I don't want you anywhere near him, got it?"

Keira nodded, biting her lip. "Sure…I appreciate your concern, I guess."

Torn smirked, gripping her shoulder comfortingly. They rose to their feet, Keira taking one last look at the ruins of Dead Town. Letting out a small sigh and folding her arms over her midriff, she smirked at Torn and said,

"I'll see ya around. Keep in touch- let me know if Syd wants to go on a joyride to the KG garage again."

"Sure thing. I'm sure she'll be glad to hear that."

Keira smiled and turned on her heel, trudging back toward the city wall, kicking up small clouds of dirt as she went. Torn watched her go, shaking his head. When she had disappeared behind the airlock door, he turned back to walk over the dock, fishing into his pockets for something. Gently, he pulled out two tiny flowers Tess had given him that morning- orange lilies, the kind she used to put all over their house in the Coast. Torn sighed, watching as the wind gently bent the petals in his palm.

"…Sorry I haven't talked more about you, Miky," he said quietly to the emptiness, "I've been a little distracted, but I'm sure you'd understand; you were always a good kid…I never told you that enough." Torn looked up at the unusually blue sky, a few rays of sunlight spilling down through the awning nearby.

"And I'm sorry. But how funny is it that by some peculiar twist of fate, I've made a friend out of the one teenage kid who would act so much like you? I'm sure you'd like Keira," he sighed, and the breath caught in his throat. "I really wish you were here, Mik. I really do…"

Torn let the lilies drop from his fingers and watched as they fell lightly into the water, bobbing up and down softly with each ripple. He smiled gently.

"See ya around, Mik…"

The soldier walked one final time through the ruins of his city, and went back to the war.

Author's Note: Well, it's finally the end! I can't believe it, it's taken months! But it was all worth it, I'm pretty sure. ;) Hope you have enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I appreciate the fact you've read this far!! Thank you so much, dear readers. And I'd like to give a shout out to The Beckster and Grey Jedi for all their help, comments and encouragement. H a ha. :D Tell me what you liked, I'm up for it- And thanks so much! Until next time, everyone! ~Captain Hilts.