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“Not you?” Death asked. Niko faltered, looking for how to answer, when she pushed on anyway. Her responses were peppered with gunfire in the background. “Fair on my end. You guys need to work fast, though. Gheroun Imperial Guard is right pissed and the Galapricks just joined the party, too.”

The Legend’s staticky chuckle sounded through Niko’s earpiece, an explosion of some kind on the other end making him wince.

A second later, he heard its real-life echo booming in the distance to the west. They weren’t too far from him now.

“Havin’ fun, old girl? I sure am. Been a while since I got to have a day this wild.

” Another rocking explosion sounded, followed by a cackle.

“Oooh, you shoulda seen that one. Guy’s head just yee-hawed right off his damn body. Giddyup, assholes!”

“Uh, sounds like you’re having a good time, at least,” Niko said. He glanced out towards the city proper, the sounds of sirens blaring now as columns of wispy, dark smoke rose into the air. “Wait. ‘Old girl?’ You’re one to talk.”

“Hah, she’s older’n me,” the Legend said. “Just gots a better skin care routine.”

“And Heenvan longevity,” Death quipped back flatly. “Alright. They’re going to expect you heading further west, so why don’t you pivot south down one of the back alleys and we can start making our way over to get you. We need to wind this down soon.”

“Yes ma’am,” the Legend said. “Whatever you say, ma’am.”

“Niko? Elliott? You need to work quickly. We won’t have much longer.”

“Right.” He bit down again on reaching out to Elliott. If the other man could speak, he would have. There must be undoubtedly countless guards inside to navigate through. Maybe even traps.

The thought made Niko lightheaded.

A moment later, his salvation came, carried through barely a whisper over their line.

It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.

“Got them, Niko. They’re okay, as far as I can tell.

We’re moving fast, though. Had to neutralize the guards where they were being held and it won’t take long for someone to figure that out. ”

“Okay, babe,” Niko managed, heart tightening in his chest. He hated how clunky the words emerged. There were so many things he wanted to say. Elliott was alright—so far. And his father was there with him, recovered and safe. And alive.

So far.

“I’ll be waiting at the spot we were before, unless you need me somewhere else,” he added.

“No, stay there. We shouldn’t be long. I’m going to have to go dark again, though.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Be careful died on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he settled on, “Love you, babe.”

He didn’t get a response.

For the next few moments, the only change came in the form of more explosions and gunfire throughout the city, perforated by occasional status updates and coordination over the comm line between Death’s group and the Legend.

Niko could see and hear Gheroun reinforcements arriving, as well as the telltale flash and sirens of Galapol’s crafts moving onto the scene.

Their voices slowly began to turn strained over the frequency, Death’s commands coming more sharply and briskly.

They didn’t have much longer left. Above him, the gargantuan, lavender crescent of Uula pressed down on the city and all its ongoing struggle and chaos from above in glimpses awarded between thick, veridian cloud cover, ever looming.

“Come on,” Niko muttered under his breath, turning his eyes back on the secret entrance and cluster of agents.

Seconds later, Elliott’s voice filled his ears again, this time louder than the whisper before, and from just ahead of him. “Niko? Are you still here?”

“Yeah, I’m here, babe.”

“N-Niko?” a hoarse, frightened, and deeply familiar voice called out. Niko couldn’t see anything of them but faint distortions as they closed in, but hearing his father’s voice choked him up so badly he could barely bring himself to respond.

“Dad,” Niko said, his own voice catching on the lump that sat heavy in his throat. “Dad.”

“Niko. Oh god, Niko. I missed you.”

Niko swallowed back a hearty swell of emotion, all tangled with guilt. “You alright? Did they—? They—?”

“I’m okay. We’re both alright.”

“Loolae?”

“I’m here,” another familiar but haggard voice sounded, Loolae’s translator chip conveying her fatigue. He’d never heard her so worn down.

“Niko, we need to keep going,” Elliott said.

“Let’s go, then,” Niko said. “Straight to the ship. Run. But watch the ground. Lots of overgrowth to trip on here.”

Niko kept to a slower jog for Oliver and Loolae.

He didn’t know what kind of shape they were in, and it was their first time operating under cloak of stealth.

He knew from experience how far too easy it was to trip over the back of someone’s heel or knock into them.

Or even just lose track of those around you.

“It would be nice to take care of the Imperator too, since we’re paying a visit,” Elliott muttered.

“It’s too risky, Elliott.” He hated that the beast called Khaathra would be spared a second time, but his priority would always be his family. “Let’s just get out of here.”

The other man relented. “Right. I know. You’re right.”

“Killjoy? What’s your status?” Death’s voice crackled through their earpieces.

Niko winced at the tension in her voice.

Her words came sharp, cutting into his ears like jagged shards of thick glass.

His mind assaulted itself with macabre possibilities—whatever was going on out there, he knew they didn’t have long now.

Lady Death may have taken on a planetary government before, but one’s luck and skill only ran so far.

Even when they were as exceptional as the Revolutionary of Sala.

“We got them. Heading back to the ship now. ETA, five minutes tops.”

“We don’t have five minutes.” Gunfire erupted through their frequency. Niko’s breath caught in his throat as he heard someone let out a gurgling scream close enough to Death to be picked up on their call. Was it someone he knew? People were dying for this. For him. For all his choices and mistakes.

“We can make it in three,” Elliott asserted over their line.

“Dad, Loolae, I’m gonna need you to pick up the pace. Think you can?”

“We’ll be fine,” Loolae said. “Right, Oliver?”

“Right,” the older man assured.

Niko broke into a full run now as Elliott kept pace beside him, evidenced by the soft pounding of his combat boots against the gravel below.

“I can probably do three.” Death’s voice rose to a commanding shout on the other end of their line. “Alright! Fall back! Let’s start planning the retreat. Where’s Esteban?”

“Got pushed back to, uh, Esaarai Street. Things is gettin’ a little dicey over here,” the Legend called back, followed by a nervous, wheezy chuckle.

Niko nearly did a double-take. He’d never even heard the man’s actual name in all the years he’d known him.

“Think they’re boxin’ me in. Can’t get around to you. ”

“Shee’ylata,” Death cursed in her native Sala-Heenvan. “Esaarai’s a long way out. Niko, get to the ship and get your people out of here. Now. We’re going to try to swing around and intercept you, Esteban, but they’re making a chokepoint in your direction.”

“Well, I’ll just keep doin’ my thing, then,” the Legend replied.

“Shit,” Niko muttered under his breath. Whatever was going on out there, it was rapidly becoming untenable. He knew all too well how quickly a mission could fall apart.

They were nearing the Sonadora now; he could see the cluster of dense tree trunks that they’d parked behind, even if the ship itself was invisible.

The sight of being so close to getting out of this alive pushed him all the harder.

Half a minute later, and they were there.

Niko slowed and called out to the others.

“Stop. We’re here.”

“Here…?” Oliver panted out. He sounded further behind them than Niko liked.

He heard Elliott begin stomping around against the gravel, until his boot collided instead against the ramp, the solid clang of metal ringing out. “Here. Come on.”

They began the awkward process of getting Oliver and Loolae up what was essentially an invisible, ascending walkway, where they couldn’t even see their own feet.

To his credit, Oliver only paused momentarily at its base, disoriented. Niko didn’t have time to gentle the man’s first time using stealth tech the way he would have liked, though.

“Everybody inside. Let’s go, let’s go!” Niko grasped for his father, until he clumsily found his arm and gently guided him up onto the ramp. Loolae was close on Oliver’s heels, taking the dizzying ascent much better. Elliott started halfway up after them, when their comms crackled again.

“Shit,” Death’s voice cut through Niko’s helmet. He had never heard her so unnerved sounding. “Fuck. I— Esteban, we… We can’t get to you.”

The Legend gave another wheezy chuckle, defeated and tired now. “Well, ain’t that a heapin’ bucket of Toliai shit. Eh, no worries.”

“I…” Death started, her voice trailing off into a miasma of uncertainty that made Niko’s stomach churn.

This wasn’t supposed to be happening. Lady Death had always been such a towering, strong figure in his life.

So had even the Legend once, before time had forced the old man to his knees.

His heroes were breaking around him. They had reached their limits.

And it was all because of trying to help him.

Niko froze, standing just before the transparent base of the ship’s ramp.

“Niko?”

When he didn’t respond, Elliott temporarily deactivated his stealth, appearing halfway up the ramp. His eyes scanned Niko’s vicinity, trying to pinpoint him. “Niko, we have to go. Now.”

“Hey, kid? You there?” the Legend asked, his words punctuated by more gunfire.

“Y-yeah? I’m here,” Niko said.

“You get your family out?”

Hurt lanced through his chest. “Yeah. Yeah, I did. Thanks, uh, Esteban.”

“Good. Did what I came here to do, then.” After a pause, he added, “ Sorry about before. Had to try, with a bounty like that. But I ain’t what I used to be. You put up a good fight, though. I’m glad for it. Yer gonna do just fine.”

Niko deactivated his stealth and backed away from the ship, his heart pounding in his ears. He raised the visor of his helmet, gaze locking onto Elliott’s own now.

“What are you doing?” Elliott breathed, something hysterical edging at his words.

“I—I have to try,” he said slowly.

“Try what?”

“To help him.”

Elliott blinked several times, incredulous. He glanced around nervously, before stepping down the ramp toward Niko. Niko readied himself for the onslaught that was coming. “Niko, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You can’t. It’s far too dangerous. Even Death’s group can’t get to him now.”

“I have to try. He’s here because of me.”

“He chose to be here. And he tried to kill you, if you don’t recall?”

“ I tried to kill you too, Elliott. It’s in the past. Look, I can’t keep talking. I’m running out of time. I have to do this. I have to at least try.”

Elliott’s eyes searched him for a moment. Finally, his shoulders sagged and his face contorted into something miserable; he must have seen something there in Niko. Something unmovable. “Then we should take the ship—”

“No. I need you to stay here with Dad and Loolae. I’m relying on you to keep them safe and get the ship out of here if I don’t make it back.”

“If you don’t— Is this about earlier? I…”

“No, Elliott. It’s about helping the people who helped me. If they hadn’t come here and risked themselves to make a distraction for us, this would have gone a lot worse. I’m asking you to trust me, this time.”

“I fucking hate this,” Elliott seethed. In that moment, he reminded Niko of someone more boyish than a man in his mid-twenties. Niko had probably come off the same not so long ago himself, he figured. “Niko, you need to make it back.”

His own voice softened. “I know, babe. I will.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.”

Elliott pulled him into a long kiss, desperate, passionate. Niko reluctantly pulled away, all too aware of the passing by of precious seconds he couldn’t afford to lose.

“Take this with you,” Elliott said, unlatching and then handing him his own ORA and shield generator.

“Elliott…” Niko began warily, but the other man shook his head.

“He might be able to use it. I’ll be fine. I’ll be in the ship.”

Niko took them, then forced himself to step back again. “Hey. I love you.” A small, sad smile crept onto his lips. “More than I have words for.”

“I love you,” Elliott said. “I’ll keep your family safe.”

“I know, babe. I trust you.” Niko lowered his visor, reactivated his stealth, and turned towards the deadly, winding streets of Zaaka Narai, which spread before him for miles upon endless miles, its maw open and waiting.

Then he stepped into the fray.