Astra blinked rapidly, recoiling slightly at the question as her brain misfired. All of her building expectations for the coming fight had been kicked squarely in the balls. She couldn't even think what was more confusion, the question it asked or the simple fact it asked such a children question in such an adorable manner.

I mean... Just look at you! Big, terrifying warrior and you're acting like a child? It seemed like the edge lord villain had leapt right out of a fantasy movie, yet this was how it was acting? Sure, it was technically only like 5 seconds old, but still. This was unacceptable.

After allowing her brain to process everything, a serious and stone-faced expression fell across Astra's face. She glanced at Seth, who was still laying on the floor recovering, a habit of his it seemed, the lazy little bastard.

If he wasn't going to be awake to take care of it, then looks like she would have to step up to the plate. That was her job as his second in command, after all. With a deep breath, she looked up into his visor with cold and stern eyes.

"Yes, I am. Now stand up straight, head held high. I won't have any slouching from you."

She sheathed her sword, immediately snapping her fingers at the metal giant, who immediately flinched before scrambling to fix his posture. His heels clicked together, his hand slamming against his chest as he immediately stood at attention and performed some kind of salute.

It wasn't what she had in mind, but it seemed to come naturally to him.

"Mm, It's quite the specimen that he has created, isn't it~"

Before Astra could say more to the giant, that damned Dragon slunk her way over and traced a gauntleted claw along the breast plate of his armour. She walked behind him, tracing her hand over him as if she was examining up before reaching up and lifting his helmet, revealing the hollow abscess beneath.

He quickly slapped her hand away, causing her to let out a mischievous laugh before focusing her attention on Astra.

"But don't you think it's a bit rude of you to claim the title of it's mother? After all, I am the one who told the little worm to make it, so surely I should be it's mother. It can come back with me, let me study it more."

Astra's eyes narrowed, anger bubbling inside her as she gripped her swords hilt and stepped forward, but the Dragon simply laughed coyly and stepped away.

"Oh Don't get so worked up little human. I was only teasing you. I don't want the whelp, I've seen all I needed to see, more in fact. It seems I was more than right to choose this worm as my pet, even if it did cost me some of His blood.

Oh Well. Anyways, you can continue playing house all you want, I don't benefit from ruining your fun. Now, I have a deal to see through."

She gave a condescending half smile and a short wave, before strolling off without another word. As she left the room, Astra could here her muttering to herself softly,

"What else was it the little worm wanted again? Oh yes, to teach the lesser kin transformation. Hmm, Should be entertaining at least."

She was gone before she even reached the door, simply dissolving into the shadows. Astra's gaze lingered on the spot she disappeared from, her fist clenched tight and anger bubbling softly within her.

'I really hate that bitch. And fun? This isn't some game, It's not like I'm enjoying this. It's just my duty as second in command. So what if he calls me Mother, it means nothing... Nothing at all.'

Clearing her throat, Astra brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face and fully composed herself before turning back to the lumbering Giant.

"Now, Tell me what you can do. If Titus is the crafter and Julius does things with the little letters, what do you do?"

"Yes Mother! We are made to be the general of Father's army. His blade, to cut down whichever foes he wishes and spill whatever blood is necessary.

We will lead his army into battle and carry out his will."

A smile tugged at Astra's lips before she quickly forced it away, clearing her throat again and looking over the Giant once more.

'He made a warrior? Hmm... He certainly looks the part, and I would hate to see this big guy charging at the head of an army.'

"Alright, I'll take you out to the courtyard to test your combat skills and do a bit of training, I've been getting a little rusty myself and I need to test out my new weapon.

What about any abilities? Do you have any? Can you demonstrate them for me?"

"Yes Mother!"

The smile tugged at Astra's lips once more as he shouted like a soldier. She watched closely as he demonstrated his ability. At first she was confused, a frown etching itself on her brow, but as she kept watching his demonstration the faint smile on her lips turned to a devious smirk.

"We definitely need to get you to the courtyard for training. Come on. Oh, and we should probably figure out a name for you, huh?"

***

"Do you have your report ready?"

"Yes sir!"

"Go on then."

Within the -REDACTED- Facility, a pair of figures stood within an opulent office that had gorgeous wood panel walls and a mahogany desk that oozed importance. Sitting upon the desk, where there would usually be a name plate, there was simply a golden plaque that held a single word. Zero.

Director Zero ran this facility, the latest in a line of many to take the name and carry out the sacred duty. It was an important role, one that had taken a toll on his life. For as long as anyone else had been in the facility, they had only known this man as their director. Even the oldest members had started when the latest Director Zero was already years into his service.

Because of that, he was an older man. People suspected that he was somewhere in his 70s or 80s, but there was no concrete proof of his age. Birthdays weren't exactly celebrated in a facility full of people who were supposed to be dead.

Despite his age, however, he was an incredibly well built man. 6 foot tall and built like a 20 year old in the prime of his life. When he spoke, it was with a gravelly rumble and a voice that held the faintest hints of an English accent. The only markers of his age were the wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes, and the pure white colouration of his hair.

Said hair was cropped in a tight military style, while a thick and commanding moustache sat upon his lips, which were always set into a permanent frown.

His hands, which were covered in aged scars, were held behind his back as he stood at the window of his office, idly gazing over the main focus of this facility, and the subject of this particular report. Behind him, Scientist 19 was holding a bundle of papers and shuffling from foot to foot nervously. After all, this incident had happened on his watch and it wasn't a good look that he was sleeping through it.

Scientist 19 cleared his throat, glancing down at the papers in his hands.

"Four minutes and nineteen seconds. That was how long the incident lasted for, before it simply stopped with no warning. There was nothing to predict this incident occurring and, as far as we can tell, no signs of why it occurred at all.

Vital signs have returned to exactly the same state as they were previously. Brain scans show the same amount of activity.

We double and triple checked our records, even in the deepest parts of the archive. We have absolutely no record of this ever occurring."

Director Zero let out a deep grunt of acklodgement, glaring at Scientist 19 in the reflection of the window.

"Any changes to the containment? Was it an escape attempt?"

"N-no sir. The subject didn't even move. It simply opened its eye and, for four minutes and nineteen seconds, showed an extraordinary amount of neural activity, before simply returning back to sleep. They didn't move anything else or try to escape. We checked for breaches in the facility and turned up nothing.

We have absolutely nothing on this event."

"Is that all you have to report?"

"Y-Yes sir."

"Then you are dismissed."

"S-sir. You don't think that the subject is starting to wake up, do you? If they did then..."

"You are dismissed."

His voice was firmer, holding a hint of annoyance in it as he finally looked over his shoulder and glared at Scientist 19 properly. The nameless scientist flinched at that glare, before saluting and quickly shuffling out of the office, closing the door behind him.

Once he was alone, Director Zero let out a deep, heavy sigh as he looked over the subject of the conversation. His fist clenched, the pencil he held in his hand snapping like a toothpick.

'Why now? What are you planning? Communications to the surface are still down. This can't be a coincidence.

But why... why now? Nothing has changed for 50 years. Everything is just normal. So why now?'