As the two of them descended upon Bravado with its chaotic shouting accompanying the sound of gunfire, the vague, shadowy outline of an approaching convoy of trucks caught Jin’s attention. It troubled him, rolling from the far west like sinister storm clouds, forcing him to re-evaluate his actions. Why come here? It was a fool’s move, a death wish, though survival often contradicted itself in the risks it demanded. The shadows grew larger and thicker, and a hot feeling of discomfort pinched him in the pit of his stomach. He could somehow sense, a sixth sense, that this was more than a mindless assault from a small scale rebellion. There was a full blown war coming. Turning back as Saya, the woman he had known for five minutes, moved in direction of the smoke, he called to her. “No. Wait!” he said, struggling to speak clearly and indeed she had failed to hear him. “We shouldn’t be here!” But the growing racket of gunfire and anxiety filling the town masked every word. “Damn it!” he cursed under his breath, feeling a sudden, strange sense of responsibility to the woman. He glanced back once more at death, before hurrying to catch up with Saya.

As they emerged into the small town, the manic hustle and bustle made stopping for conversation impossible. Novus Ordo soldiers seemed to emerge like cockroaches, popping out of alleyways and scattering around the streets. They paid little attention to regular townspeople, though they aggressively shoved anybody who got in their way. It angered Jin deeply though he fought to bury his emotions, remembering why he had avoided people and busy societies for so long. He immediately felt claustrophobic, out of his comfort zone though his dwindling supplies demanded it.

“Move!” a man’s voice suddenly boomed, colliding into Jin like a freight train and shoving him into Saya. It was a large N.O. soldier with a scarred face, curly black hair and a greasy beard. His smug, toothless smile beamed in Jin’s direction as he passed with three armed soldiers. They were clearly in a hurry, yet the hideous behemoth’s shove was more for amusement than necessity. But Jin’s bitter reaction was both accidental and stupid, a mouthful of profanities and a sample of his former self that often brought avoidable consequences. The six foot seven freak of a sweaty soldier stopped and glared back at Jin, his big ego challenged in the company of fellow soldiers. His smile faded and was replaced with a look of disgust, one that seemed to lose all interest in current events. If that wasn’t enough, Jin had already been beaten up today. Twenty or so minutes ago? Good grief.

The large man, having removed his rifle, stormed over to a 5’9 Jin who had only just returned to his feet. He grabbed him by his hood and effortlessly tugged him to the floor. Meanwhile, the other men then seemed to swarm Saya. It was difficult for Jin to see her beyond Satan’s shadow hanging over him and the giant claws that reached down. The giant pulled Jin off the ground like a baby and swung him back to the floor with a sick thud. Gasping, Jin’s adrenaline pumped full force into overdrive. The man’s slower, methodical approach to dismantle Jin gave the smaller man a chance to think through some of the blur. He hooked his left foot around the giant’s left ankle, then launched a heel strike into the man’s inner left knee, causing him to stumble and collapse to his knees. Returning to his feet, Jin landed multiple round kicks and strikes, but most with minimal effect. Before long, the large man grabbed hold of him and again forced him to the ground. It became a mindless scrap on both sides. Around them, chaos and panic within the town seemed to increase, so much so that they had become invisible. Jin blocked as best as he could, evading few of the hammer fists raining down upon him as he struggled trying to get off his back. Somebody then thumped him in his head. Everything became a daze after a half second flash. The big man seemed to stop, growling at somebody for interfering with his fight. By the time he finally returned, an opening had become present. As the first spike of adrenaline settled slightly despite the ongoing conflict, Jin remembered his training on the ground. He shifted his body in numerous directions as the big man dropped back down upon him, and trapped one of the his beastly arms before locking his legs around his neck. It wasn’t pretty or perfect, but Jin had secured a triangle choke, using his legs and the man’s own arm to clamp his neck and cut off his circulation. The large man fought to stand up, but Jin held on with all his might and kept him to his knees. Within a minute of fighting to maintain the hold, the man's circulation was completely cut, and the giant passed out. Jin immediately released the hold although it meant sparing the man’s life. He didn’t feel like killing if he didn’t have to, but unfortunately fate wouldn’t be so forgiving. As he barely made it back to his feet, the fleet of trucks roared into town, their passengers gunning down Novus Ordo at every opportunity. It was a rebellion and the beginning of a war.

Bullets were flying everywhere. Blades were meeting flesh. Another explosion erupted in the distance. And Saya was nowhere to be seen. Jin, unable to pursue her, ducked for cover in a nearby alley to collect himself. Rubbing his eyes as he became more aware of the blurriness around him, it became apparent that a cut had been opened above his eye, the kind that really knew how to bleed. He quickly removed a white rag from his bag, tied it around his head and across the cut close to his eye, and pulled his hood back over. He was also still breathing through his mask, though his air-filtration system had seen better days. Returning to the street and its bloody battle that continued to worsen, Jin spotted a second fleet of trucks rolling into the town. It was a second wave of Novus Ordo soldiers, coming to support their side in the battle. But they weren't alone. No, there was something strange marching slowly behind them.

"It... it can't be," Jin stuttered as he wide-eyed the four-legged spider-like mech built like a tank and armed for invasion. "It's... it's impossible!"

Reality, however, was a bitch.