The statue sat atop a small rectangular building. We approached the front door, and when I opened it, a warm breeze rushed past me. Inside, there was a flight of stairs. As we began our ascent, the stairs creaked beneath our feet. Looking up, I could see we had a long climb ahead. Wei and I continued climbing, and by the time we reached the halfway point, I noticed light streaming down from above.

  When we finally reached the top, I heard someone coughing. We had made it to the torch's observation deck. As I walked toward the edge, a familiar raspy voice called out, "Don't get too close, boy." I turned to see Ron, heavily burned, wearing a leather trench coat and pointing a gun at me.

  "How did you survive?" Rellik asked.

  "I swam," Ron replied simply.

  "Why are you doing this to us?" I demanded.

  "That's none of your concern."

  "Yes, it is! You hurt good people! You killed your own wife and put your son in a simulation, just to make your army better. You're a pathetic burnt old man!" I shouted.

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  "Pathetic, you say?" He chuckled, then suddenly shot me in the leg. I collapsed. When Rellik moved to fight, Ron turned the gun on him.

  "You're pathetic. You couldn't even kill me," Ron sneered, aiming his gun at my head.

  "No, you're the pathetic one," Rellik countered. "Get out of here. You've already failed."

  "He loved you, cared for your well-being, and you're trying to kill him," Rellik continued. "You even killed your own wife—all for what? To juice up the army? You sick man."

  "Shut up!" Ron shouted, pulling out a combat knife and swinging at Rellik. Rellik caught the knife and drove it into Ron's chest.

  "You Vollidiot," Ron chuckled as he yanked out the knife. Blood poured from his wound, but then, mysteriously, it began to heal. "See what we can cook up in the lab!"

  A loud bang rang out, and Ron's shoulder erupted in blood. He turned to see Rellik holding a smoking gun. "You can't kill me," Ron laughed.

  "Einen sch?nen Herbst," Rellik said, then shot the floor beneath Ron. The surface gave way, sending Ron plummeting down.

  "Thanks," I said weakly. Suddenly, a loud humming filled the air. We turned to see a helicopter rising about a mile away, with Ron inside, waving at us before flying off.

  "Shit..." Rellik muttered.

  I struggled to my feet and surveyed the chaos unfolding in the city below.

  "What do we do now?" Rellik asked.

  I took a deep breath before finally responding, "We get back and help take down Noir."