"Remind me again why we had to flee in the sewers?" Corso asked as the Pirates made their way to the Black Manta, looking a whole lot more soaked and dirty than usual.

"Listen, that was the only route where I could disable the security cameras in such short notice," Artie replied somewhat defensively.

"You're paying to get my coat cleaned," Corso grumbled as he took off said coat and headed to the bathroom.

"Yeah yeah, we all know how you feel about your precious c-..." Artie started but stopped as he looked at Corso, chest now only covered by a tank top. This revealed that his left arm was made of a chrome black metal.

"Crap, it's all in my joints, too." They could hear Corso mutter as he was scrubbing the arm clean. Artie looked at Bennett.

"Did you know…?" He started only to be glared down by Sonny. "Sorry."

"Corso has been on active duty in the Flux Wars. Let's keep reminding him of that to a minimum." Bennett said as the three shared a solemn nod.

"We need to stock up on some chrome polish…" Corso muttered as he came back from the bathroom. "What?" He asked as he saw his three companions look at him awkwardly. "Did I miss a spot?"

"No… no, you're good," Artie said as Corso just rolled his eyes.

"I'm hitting the sack. Plenty of things to do tomorrow." He said, heading to the bedroom. After another awkward silence, the others did the same, deciding to just forget about things.

The next day, they were at Genesis Stadium, walking through the crowd. Just a regular scouting mission.

However, soon enough, Corso noticed he and Sonny were being followed and it wasn't Technoid.

"Bounty Hunter?" Sonny whispered to Corso from underneath his hood as they entered a crowd and tried to get a look at their stalker inconspicuously. It didn't work.

"Probably. That's been a while has it?" Corso answered. "Routine?"
"Yeah. There are two alleyways away from this street. Right in front of us. On three."

"Don't get yourself killed."

"Never do. Three." With that, the two men each took a different direction. Sonny quickened his step, walking into the darkened alleyway as far as possible. However, after a few minutes, he noticed just how quiet it was and when he turned around he noticed why; he wasn't being followed anymore.

"Oh bother…" He said before he revealed his watch. "Artie, Bennett. There might be a problem."

Back in the other alleyway, Corso cursed as he noticed their pursuer followed him instead of Sonny. However, after that, he couldn't hide a smile.

Dumbass.

He lowered his cloak, revealing his face.

"I'm sorry but your Princess is in anoth-..." He started but was stopped as he saw a knife going for his gut. "Whoa!" He said, managing to block the strike just in time. He took the time to look at his assailant; young Chissian man. Sharp features. Lean figure. Long black hair and light green eyes. Dressed in all black military gear. "Going in for the kill? Technoid doesn't accept dead bounties, kid."

No answer as the other man backed off, changing his grip on the knife, eyes set on Corso.

"Alright then, have it your way," Corso said as he dodged another knife strike, grabbing the stranger's arm and tossing him to the floor. Corso was about to stomp on his chest but the stranger quickly rolled to the side, ready to strike again and soon enough, the two were trading blows.

Artie, do you have a visual on Corso? He might need your help.

"I have and I… kinda doubt it," Artie said, looking at the fight with binoculars. "Corso's holding his own pretty well." As he said that, Corso had his assailant on his knees, arm around his neck holding him there.

"Alright, pal. You're going to tell me exactly who you are, who you work for and why you're after me." Corso said, tightening his grip.

Still no answer.

"Stubborn? I can't blame you. You're trained to keep calm under pressure. Guess what? I'm trained to break that wide open."

"Corso!" Artie called, having reached him by now. This caused Corso to look up but also gave his captive a chance to hit him in the face with the back of his head and be let go.

"Son of a…!" Corso said, looking at the stranger dashing away. "Get back here!" He broke out into a sprint, trying to catch up. The man was too quick, however and soon vaulted over a balcony into a rather perplexed crowd.

"No way that just happened," Artie said, following to look over the balcony to see the man rushing off. "That was five stories down…"

"There's a pipe over there," Corso said, intending to follow but Artie held him back. The crowd was now looking at them.

"We should leave before we cause a scene." He whispered. Corso looked down one more time. The stranger had vanished. Now the focus was on them.

"Yeah. That seems to be the best idea." He softly said as the two of them turned around to make their way back to the Black Manta.