Pepe found himself in pitch black darkness.
A blue flame floated around him.
Pepe raised an eyebrow and wondered, "Where am I? What's going on?" Just then, he heard his own voice, and he looked around. "We're going to charge to our deaths. It's orders," his voice argued.
"Screw those orders," Stark shouted.
The blue flame extinguished.
All of a sudden, Pepe was slapped straight across the face, and he snapped back to reality. He fell to the floor and rubbed his cheek. "Ow," he muttered.
Stark loomed over and glared. "Snap out of it," he demanded.
Hafen, Matteo, and Lucius looked at him with concern. Their eyes were wide.
On his hands and knees, Pepe questioned, "What? What happened?"
"Is he back," Matteo asked Stark.
"I don't think so," Stark replied. He raised his hand for another smack.
"Wait! What do you mean," Pepe inquired and reached his hands out.
"Hold on," Hafen urged and placed his arm in between Stark and Pepe. He turned to Pepe and informed, "You seemed out of it."
"You wanted us to mindlessly charge towards our deaths," Matteo commented.
"Are you back to your normal self, Pepe? Is everything alright," Lucius sought to know.
Pepe stood up and nodded.
Stark lowered his arm and calmed down. He avoided looking at him and huffed.
"What do you remember last," Hafen questioned inquisitively.
Pepe furrowed his eyebrows and pondered. "I talked with Commander Darius about his death missions. I refused his next orders. Then...," he explained and paused for a moment.
Stark, surprised, looked at him.
"But you were just telling us about how you accepted it," Matteo asserted.
Pepe shook his head, and his eyes widened. "Then, he had his assistant do something to me. She's responsible for this. I'm sorry, but that's all I remember," he continued.
Lucius gasped and asked, "Could the assistant really be responsible?
"For the record, I never trusted her," Stark remarked and crossed his arms.
Hafen affirmed, "There's a possibility that she is powerful. No, she is powerful without a doubt. She even subdued Pepe."
"Maybe her glare alone scared him so bad," Matteo claimed and laughed.
"Not at all," Pepe insisted and frowned. "Let me dismiss the others. Then, we'll go confront Commander Darius and that malicious assistant," he declared.
Soon, Pepe, Stark, Hafen, and Matteo left for Commander Darius' office.
Pepe opened the door to the office and stepped inside.
The others followed behind him.
The assistant poured tea in a mug and handed it to Commander Darius.
"Thank you," Commander Darius murmured with a cigarette in his mouth and sat on his chair. He noticed the guests and inquired, "What do you want, special squad? I don't recall summoning any of you."
The assistant turned around and stood next to him.
Stark stomped forward and raised his fist. "I won't follow your dumb written orders," he proclaimed.
Amused, Commander Darius suggested, "Soldier, you should talk with Pepe about your issues. Not me."
Pepe interjected, "I will also not follow your written orders. None of us will."
Commander Darius chuckled and lowered his cigarette. He sneered and sipped his tea. He questioned, "Have you not heard of the recent news?"
"Are you referring to General Bobby's death," Hafen inquired.
"Precisely," Commander Darius noted.
Pepe looked at both, and he asked, "What do you mean by his death?"
"I guess you don't really remember. General Bobby died defending a fortress," Lucius revealed.
Pepe's eyes widened, and his hands trembled.
Commander Darius grinned. "Don't fret. The news told a small lie, and his funeral will be fake. General Bobby is still alive and well," he alleged.
"He's alive," Stark blurted out and asked.
Commander Darius nodded.
Pepe took a deep breath.
"Why fake a funeral? Why do you plan on fooling everybody," Hafen sought to know.
As he drank from his mug, Commander Darius answered, "Our army will be at an advantage against The Evil Cyborgs if nobody knows of General Bobby's survival."
"It's not nice to lie to your people," Matteo noted and narrowed his eyes. He asked, "How do you know he's alive for certain?"
Commander Darius turned to his assistant and motioned.
"Hold on," Pepe exclaimed and braced himself.
However, the assistant simply walked to a nearby table.
Lucius noticed the concern in Pepe's face. "What's wrong, Pepe? Is she making her move," he interrogated.
Pepe stared at the assistant. "Who are you," he queried and gulped. Sweat slowly flowed down his cheek.
The assistant stayed silent and grabbed a recording.
"Comfort them by introducing yourself. Please," Commander Darius urged and smiled.
The assistant turned to The New Heroes. She bowed and divulged, "I am Kitsune of The Union, the supreme commander's assistant."
Pepe narrowed his eyes.
Stark, Hafen, Matteo, and Lucius were also suspicious.
Kitsune raised herself and brought the recording to Commander Darius.
Commander Darius played it.
"Where are my reinforcements," General Bobby questioned in the recording.
Screams and explosions occurred in the background.
"What does that have to do with his survival," Matteo wanted to know and frowned.
Afterwards, Commander Darius smiled and blatantly lied, "We retrieved the recording after his supposed death at Hopeshire Fort."
The New Heroes' jaws dropped.
Commander Darius chuckled, and his eyes were wide. He declared, "I have new orders for The New Heroes. Your original mission will change to a rescue mission. Unless you want him dead, The New Heroes will depart on a new final mission to rescue General Bobby."
General Bobby was alive, and he needed their help?
The New Heroes struggled to speak, taken aback by such a revelation.
"That will be all. You are dismissed," Commander Darius finalized.
Pepe, unsure what to do, slowly nodded. He walked out.
The others followed him with the same turmoil of thoughts.
After they left, Commander Darius took a deep breath, and his face was full of contempt. He turned to Kitsune and divulged, "I was scared for my life just then. Those despicable monsters could have rebelled. Fortunately, there's nothing to worry about as a little lie got them to easily obey." He smirked and sipped on his tea. He became serious and looked down at his mug.
On the side of the mug, it read: "Remember! BE KIND!"
Commander Darius scowled and slammed the mug down on his desk. "Bring me more tea, but I want it in a different mug. Please," he ordered.
Kitsune obliged and poured more tea in a different mug. She smirked, and her yellow eyes glistened. The images of Hafen and Matteo reflected off her retinas.
Who was Kitsune? What did she have in mind for Hafen and Matteo?