- Infamous

Kenji sat in the cockpit, snacking on peanuts. He was tired. After all, he had already been winding down when Hyunji had come knocking on his door.

At least he was getting paid.

Movement flashed in his peripheral vision. Kenji set his peanuts aside and stood. "Great."

Two hooded figures walked past his ship, devices in their hands. They were scanning for something.

Kenji didn't want to find out what. They were too close to his ship. As he made his way toward the back, he heard a banging on the exit door.

Quickly, he opened his closet door and removed his katanas from the wall. Then, he opened the exit door and stepped out.

The two bounty hunters raised their guns, pointing them at his head.

"Drop your weapons right now!" Said one.

"We're taking your ship!" Said the other.

Kenji frowned. "What device did you have, to know that my ship was right here? Please, I'm genuinely curious. I've never had anyone find my ship while it's cloaked."

"None of your business. It's something I invented, but I won't have you stealing my ideas. Now enough small talk! Drop those swords!"

"These are katanas. And why do you want my ship? Are you trying to escape? The bounty you're looking for is somewhere that way," Kenji pointed with his katana toward the middle of the city.

"Why do you have so many questions? We're just trying to leave, that's all you need to know."

"Hmmm…okay," Kenji said. "I'll take you both with me. We do have extra seats. My lovely ship can hold a maximum of eight occupants! So come on board and we can discuss payment inside."

The two hunters glanced at each other, but Kenji already knew what their decision was. He could smell it. The rancid odor, that no other human would be able to smell. His eyes were good too. Just the twitch of a finger, ready to pull the trigger. He knew their decision.

In the blink of an eye, Kenji had slashed their guns in half.

They stumbled backward, confused.

A smile spread across Kenji's face. "Get outta here. Before I do the same thing to your bodies."

The two bounty hunters scrambled away, running back toward the city.

Kenji watched them go. Hyunji would have to pay him extra for having to use his katanas. He would make sure of that.

A smell began to fill the atmosphere.

Fuel.

Kenji looked up at the night sky.

Red descent lights flashed from two massive transport ships. They weren't Federation ships. That left only one other option.

Vaas had arrived.

******

Hyunji and Jade ran in the direction that the convoy had gone, moving as quickly as possible. The convoy was long out of sight now, but they hoped the destination wouldn't be too much further.

Hyunji knew they were after her brother, but there wasn't much she could do to get to him first. They continued to follow the road the trucks had been driving on, and the buildings around them were growing larger. But something was eerily wrong. The city was quiet. Too quiet. Wasn't this a popular tourist destination? Had they all gone into hiding?

Just then, a large fire erupted about half a mile away. Flames crawled into the air, filling the dark sky with smoke, obscuring many of the stars.

"What should we do?" Jade asked, retrieving his dagger.

Hyunji asked herself the same question. They seemed to be at a crossroads. One wrong choice and her brother could die. Would it be better to continue following the path the convoy had been taking? Or to see what was taking place inside the city?

A gun fired, echoing across the buildings.

"Hyunji?" Jade asked again.

"The city. I'm trusting my gut on this one. We go toward those flames," Hyunji said.

The two of them began weaving their way through alleys, trying to take the most direct path to the smoke. They got there within minutes, just as another burst of fire exploded around the corner.

Hyunji and Jade creeped down an alleyway, arriving at the scene. The sounds of battle had grown much louder now. Peering around the corner, they watched as a woman was surrounded by three figures. Flames danced all around her, and even some of the buildings had been blackened.

"The Flames of Wrath," Hyunji whispered. She'd heard the stories before about the Flames. They were a small group of bounty hunters who only went after targets who would give them the most money. Since most bounty hunters worked alone, those who worked in groups were more successful at capturing and killing their targets. But it was hard to work with others sometimes, especially when it came to money. Hunters were greedy.

The woman slashed at the female Flame, causing the enemy to stumble backward. Then, she attacked the large man, who had a massive sheathed sword across his back. He hadn't even tried to use it on her?

"They're just messing around with her," Jade said quietly. "We should help."

But Hyunji held out a hand, signaling Jade not to move. They didn't know this woman. Was she a bounty hunter? "We stay here, until the fighting stops."

They watched as the woman attacked the biggest Flame, slashing her claws at his face. The man didn't flinch, even as blood dripped down his cheek. The woman slashed at his legs. Once again the man didn't move. The claws weren't doing enough damage, only inflicting flesh wounds.

In a quick motion, the Flame grabbed the woman by the throat, lifting her from the ground. She struggled and kicked, but to no avail. Hyunji watched with interest as he punched the woman in the face once, knocking her out. Then he tossed her to the side, her limp body smacking against a building.

"Sofia!" A voice screamed.

Hyunji peered further around the corner, where two men stood. She sucked in a sharp breath.

Min-jun.

It was the first time she had seen him in three months. Relief poured into her limbs, releasing a tension she didn't know she had. Her brother was okay.

The three Flames began to walk toward Min-jun.

The biggest of them began to laugh. "The infamous Min-jun Quon. It's judgment day."