Phoenix frowned as he doubled-checked the classified papers laid on the desk in front of him. He took a sip from his cup of coffee before sighing softly, still trying to comprehend the new information given to him by his fellow mercenary.

"I thought I finished off Z.O.E. decades ago." He said, his right index finger kept tapping on the desk impatiently, "Those things are supposed to be gone."

"Well, Ribbon's info proved otherwise," His partner replied, his grim voice told Phoenix that he too found the info troubling, "After all, it was one of those things that shot his ass down."

Phoenix leaned back on his chair, his eyes stared blankly at the ceiling above as he stroked his chin thoughtfully. The Z.O.E. drones were upgraded to become much more fearsome than he expected judged by how the RAVEN AIs performed in battles. Anything that was capable of shooting down a pilot like the Blue Ribbon does not mean good news in the least.

"Did they recover the wrecks of those things?" He asked, "If what those papers say is true and they can record our flight data, then we need to know who got their hands on them."

"Well, the Oseans managed to recover bits and pieces of Valravn at the Megalith when they went down to disable the nuke, but Ribbon destroyed its databank when he shot it down. Nothing we could recover from it," The man explained, "They had better luck at the space elevator, though. The one that was shot down underneath the structure was successfully recovered intact, though the other one that was shot down in Gunther Bay mysteriously disappeared. You could probably guess who's responsible."

Phoenix sighed again. He really hoped that his partner wouldn't say it, even though he already expected what the answer would be. Ouroboros has always been the one elusive bastard that stays ahead of them at every turn. Whatever it is, it has eyes and ears everywhere, and it's capable of anything. He and his partner, along with the Blue Ribbon of North Point, had been spending years trying to bring it to light – with little to no success.

Ouroboros - the tale of a gigantic snake that grew so large, it could wrap the entire world and grasp its own tail in its teeth – seemed rather fitting for a shadowy organization that spanned across the world manipulating history as they saw fit. From what Phoenix could dig up, they were the ones who supplied the Sky Fortress to the rebels during the Skully Islands Insurrection, and even the prototype Z.O.E. drones to the Rebel Forces during the Usean coup d'etat. Cipher, Mobius One, and Bartlett's own investigations revealed that some members of A World With No Boundaries terrorist group, the Free Erusea, the Grey Men, and 'The Generals' of Estovakia were actually double agents working for this elusive organization.

He could only imagine just what these people are capable of. They were involved in pretty much every conflict that took place ever since the Cold War in the eighties. Hell, perhaps even further back than before he was even born. They were determined to throw the entire world into an endless cycle of conflict, and nobody even has an idea that they even existed. They made the Grey Men look like amateurs in comparison.

"So now they got their hands on whatever flight data the drone's carrying. Just the good news we need, huh?" Phoenix finally said. His partner silently nodded without response, "Anything you got about that Free Erusea general?"

"Aldrich is dead," A short, bitter reply confirmed Phoenix's fears. His partner walked toward a kitchen counter next to the only window in the room then work himself a glass of coffee, "The news said he committed suicide in prison – apparently out of shame of what he did. We all know that's bullshit. Ouroboros got him somehow and made it look like a suicide. They don't like loose ends."

"Well, the guy did go rogue on them in the first place," Phoenix added, "Even stole Project Icarus right under their noses, too. No wonder why they wanted payback."

His partner actually chuckled a bit at that, feeling a little bit of respect for the deceased Erusean general. However batshit crazy his plan was, the fact that he managed to screw Ouroboros over even for a little bit was a high achievement in his eyes.

Still, that also means they had lost their only lead.

"I suppose your trip to Sotoa turned up nothing as well, right?" Phoenix asked.

His partner nodded as he finished preparing his coffee, "Ouroboros covered their tracks well. They planted fake trails all over the place. I'm even willing to bet that they aren't actually operating in that country at all, too. It's all just a big wild goose chase out there."

He walked over to sit at a nearby couch, a cup of coffee in his left hand.

"Goddamn, Pixy would be so much better at this investigation shit than me," He sighed, "I wish he's here."

"Didn't you guys used to be enemies?"

The man chuckled again, "Everyone is a potential enemy for people like us, Phoenix. You should know that already. In our line of work, there are no true allies."

"Having a title like the 'Demon Lord' would make people think twice before playing nice with you, you know?" Phoenix joked, "Hell, even 'Cipher' doesn't really make it sound any friendlier."

The man known as Cipher shot Phoenix a half-amusing, half-annoyed glare. It's true that his behaviors both in the air and on the ground didn't really earn him any true ally and many enemies, considering his ruthless reputation. Still, it's how he kept himself alive so far. As far as he's concerned, if it ain't broke, then don't fix it.

"Blame Brett Thompson and his silly documentary for my infamous reputation," Cipher said, "Though, it is a pretty well-done documentary if I must say. Really builds up how badass I was during the Belkan War."

"Heh. Someone's being cocky, isn't he?" Phoenix grinned, "Remind me again who fought in two conflicts and who only fought through one?"

"I watched seven nukes going off in my face and my own buddy tried to kill me. Top that, prick," Cipher chuckled.

"Point taken," Phoenix snickered, "So, back to the point. What do you think we should do about Ouroboros?"

"Well, seeing how Ribbon's out of the fight right now, I'd say there's not much we can do on our own," Cipher said, his expression turning serious again, "He did mention that he's thinking about forming a team, though. A team of ace pilots who could fill in for him while he's recovering. Bartlett told me that he'll be the coordinator for them."

"Yet you don't sound so thrilled," Phoenix noted upon examining Cipher's grim expression. It was obvious that something was troubling him about Ribbon's plan, "I thought having more allies to help us would make our jobs easier."

"It would, except it turns out one of the pilots he recruited turned out to be…" Cipher paused for a moment as if to gather his thoughts. He placed his cup of coffee down at the nearby table and leaned back on the couch lazily, his hands clasped behind the back of his head, "…Well, you know who I'm talkin' about."

Phoenix sighed. He knew exactly who Cipher was referring to. If that was true and the new pilot is actually the man he's thinking of, then this is only going to complicate things.

"He has to show back up in your life sooner or later," Phoenix said, "I told you before, remember? You can't escape your past forever."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Cipher admitted, "The things we do here…he shouldn't be a part of that. I left him back then so he can have a decent, normal life, not…whatever the hell we got ourselves into right now."

"Kid's stronger than he looks, you know?" Phoenix said, "Bartlett told me all about what he and his friends went through in the Circum-Pacific War. All that Grey Men conspiracy they had to tangle with was not really that different from what we're dealing with now. I'd say he has what it takes."

"It's not about having or not having what it takes, Phoenix," Cipher shot back, "What I did during the Belkan War…what I did throughout all these years...The world that both of us lived in is not the world that he should involve himself in."

"Then why the hell are we still doing this, then?" Phoenix said, "None of this would've happened if we had just go back to our normal lives. That kid wouldn't have any reason to put himself in danger if you were there for him."

Suddenly, Cipher shot Phoenix a cold glare.

"I saw the world burned in front of me, Phoenix," Cipher said gravelly, "I went up against people who are more than willing to wipe out half the planet just to prove a point. Don't you dare ask me to let the world be when there are still people who are capable of pulling that shit off again. Don't you dare. I won't let that kid live in the world like that if I can help it, even if he has to grow up without me."

Phoenix remained quiet. Cipher, realizing that he may have overstepped a bit, composed himself and leaned back on his couch again to relax. Phoenix could understand the man's frustrations. He went through many horrors during the Belkan War that even Phoenix could only imagine, and he was right there when the nukes fell. Going through something like that would change anyone, no matter how much of a cold-hearted mercenary they once were.

Still, what Cipher is asking is outright impossible. Though he won't ever mention that in his face, lest he wants Cipher to tear him a new one, Phoenix realized that it's going to take a lot more than a few ace pilots to go up against something like Ouroboros. There's only so much they can do as ace pilots, and as their new enemy proved time and time again, they're now taking steps to ensure that even their skills would become obsolete with the introduction of advanced AIs that could do anything they could with no human restrictions.

Despite what that new ace did at the Lighthouse, he's only prolonging the inevitable. They all are.

"I'll talk to Ribbon about the kid and tell him not to mention you to him until you feel you're ready to sort this mess out," Phoenix promised as he turned off his computer, trying to change the topic that Cipher was uncomfortable with. They have to talk about it sooner or later, but it's not going to be tonight. Cipher had too many things to worry about right now, "I'll also ask Bartlett about the drone they got from the Lighthouse as well. Maybe we could turn it into something we could use."

"As I recall, a Belkan scientist named Schroeder got his hands on it," Cipher replied, then quickly added once he saw Phoenix's worried face, "Don't worry. Bartlett said the doctor can be trusted – his ethnicity notwithstanding."

"I didn't say anything!" Phoenix wailed.

"Yeah, but you're thinking it. Why trust a Belkan?" For once, Cipher managed to smile a little, "Don't forget that my former wingman was a Belkan as well."

"And he tried to shot your ass down. Doesn't exactly help your case, you know?"

"Jerkass," Cipher chuckled, "So anyway, what I heard is that Schroeder's assistant – some kid named Simon – has plans to do something about that drone's AI. I don't know the details, but what I got was that he's been planning to make something that feels 'more human' than the emotionless AIs installed in those drones. Probably thought it would help make it more cooperating with us than its predecessors so that it won't actually try to end the world this time."

"And on today's episode of 'Has Science Gone Too Far?'", Phoenix said snarkily, "Nothing good ever comes out of drones. I've fought those things. The world would be better without it. That kid's going to create something he'd regret in the future, and we'll be the ones that pay for it."

"I'll tell Bartlett to keep an eye on him," Cipher said, "If that kid tries to do anything stupid with that AI, we'll be there to shut it down…or at least made sure that it's actually on our side for a change."

"Forgive me if I'm not as optimistic about it," Phoenix snickered. In his humble opinion, there's no such thing as a 'good' drone. He'd rather see them all destroyed if possible.

"So, you stayin' for the night? It's getting quite late," Phoenix offered.

Cipher waved his hands as he got up from the couch and tidy himself up, "Nah, I'm catching the next flight to Emmeria tonight. I've been looking over the files of this one Emmerian ace pilot. Figured he might make a good ally if I could convince him to join us. Hell, he might know something more about 'The Generals' that could help us as well. No promises, though."

"Heh, so we're really putting together a team for real, huh?" Phoenix chuckled, "I swear, if someone starts calling us 'Avenger Squadron', I'm gonna launch a sidewinder up their asses."

"You watch too many superhero films, buddy," Cipher laughed as he grabbed his jacket hanging next to the door, before turning back to Phoenix once more, "What 'bout you? What's your next move?"

"I think I'm going to South Osea next," Phoenix replied, "Bartlett mentioned that the whole damn region is about to go up in flames any day now. Leasath's leader has been ranting madly about how their neighbor Aurelia screwed them over and convinced his people to go to war with them. There's a big chance that Ouroboros is involved somehow."

"Well, that's one lead, at least." Cipher said, "So, you plannin' to add another war to your resume?"

"Tempting, but let's see how it goes," Phoenix grinned, "Chances are there's probably one crazy pilot who'd show up to deal with Leasath's nonsense sooner or later. Seems to happen in pretty much every conflict these past few years. It's always good seeing a new rising star in the business."

"And you gave me lips about putting together a team," Cipher said amusedly before he opened the door to leave.

"I'll contact you if there's anything that comes up. Until then, we both need to lay low for a little while longer," Cipher said as he turned to face Phoenix one last time, "The world's just returned to peace, after all, it's about time we enjoy it a little – as long as it last."

"Heh, amen to that," Phoenix replied back with a smile, "See you around, Demon Lord."

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Author's note: Seems I wasn't quite done with the story as I thought xD.

Since I'm taking a long break from writing, I figured maybe I should write something about Phoenix and Cipher, our two favorite mercenary aces lol. I previously established in 'A Night In San Salvacion' that the two were working with Mobius One and Jack Bartlett to uncover the truth about Ouroboros, a global-wide conspiracy that's been stirring up pretty much every conflict in Strangereal so far. Think 'Spectre', 'HYDRA', or 'The Patriots' level of conspiracy xD.

And yes, this will all be leading up the events of Ace Combat 3, or at least my own version of it. It'd be a long time until I get around to that, though. For now, I'm going to do some other hobbies for a change (and enjoy a brand-new DLC mission of AC7 as well, yay!).

As always, thank you every reader for reading and review! I love you guys so much!