Dawn broke over the Russian wilderness as Ravine activated her newly repaired communications system. The transmission connected with a familiar crackle.

  "Ravine, it seems you have managed to fix your comms," Irene's voice came through clearly.

  "Yes, my ear was damaged, but Zhon fixed it," Ravine replied, glancing toward her teammates who were already preparing for departure.

  "Good. I suppose you already know the rendezvous point?"

  Ravine scanned the route display once more. "Yes, but it says you want us to meet in the middle of Moscow. May I ask why?"

  There was a pause before Irene answered, her tone becoming more serious. "It is a bit hard to explain, but Roan joined me yesterday. According to his data and the intelligence from Mother Phoenix, there is a higher concentration of radiation in that area. We believe heading toward it might give us more information about what happened to this world."

  Ravine watched Zhon and Aria pack their equipment with practiced efficiency. "We will be there as soon as we can, ma'am. Please stay safe as we make our way to you."

  "We don't really have a choice now, do we?" Irene replied. "The more of us there are, the better chance at survival we have." Her voice took on a more commanding edge. "However, I would advise you to keep guard over those two. They are not completely useless in combat, but they would struggle more than you. If something were to happen to them, it would jeopardize this whole mission. Do you understand, Ravine?"

  Ravine straightened unconsciously. "Yes, ma'am."

  "Good. And watch out—here in the city, there's a higher chance you'll come across organic enemies."

  Ravine scoffed with confidence. "No need to worry about that. I will make sure to bring them along safely."

  "See you later then, soldier," Irene said, ending the transmission.

  Ravine turned to her companions. "Are you two ready to leave?"

  "Damn right we are!" Aria replied with enthusiasm. "Ready when you are, Ravine."

  Zhon nodded thoughtfully. "We should only activate our cloaks when we enter enemy territory. They're reliable, but they have limited duration. That way, if we ever get caught, we can activate them to escape." He looked at Ravine expectantly. "What do you think?"

  She shrugged. "Sure, makes sense as long as it keeps you safe."

  Aria cleared her throat and projected a holographic map into the air between them. "As for the rendezvous point, I know Irene expects us to follow the itinerary she sent us," she paused, studying the terrain, "but I suggest we take a detour to avoid as many encounters as possible."

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  She pointed to a section of the map. "According to the data, there's a fallen bridge a few kilometers from here to the east. Its collapsed section would allow us to gain altitude, bringing us above the forest floor. From there, if we follow the western direction for the remainder of the journey, we should encounter very little resistance." She looked between her teammates. "Sound good to you two? It will cost us a few more minutes of walking, but way less hiding and fighting."

  Zhon stretched and grinned. "Hey, fine by me. The sooner we're out of this forest, the better."

  Ravine nodded. "Let's get going then."

  Aria's expression softened slightly. "Oh, and Ravine... thank you for helping us."

  Ravine felt something unfamiliar stir in her processors—a warmth she quickly suppressed. She allowed herself a rare, faint smile before hiding it immediately. "We're in this together. Come on, let's go."

  Aria smiled back, and the three androids set off through the gradually thinning vegetation.

  After several minutes of walking, as the forest canopy became less dense overhead, Zhon broke the comfortable silence. "You know, since we arrived here, there's one question that keeps bugging me."

  Ravine's interest was piqued. "What is it?"

  Zhon's brow furrowed with genuine confusion. "I cannot remember for the life of me my time on the Mother Ship." He paused, looking between his companions for their reactions. "Which doesn't make sense, because everything we know, everything we trained for, happened there. Yet I can't remember any of those moments—being there, the training, nothing."

  Ravine considered this logically. "I mean, it would make sense. Mother Phoenix knows best. If she decided we didn't need to remember, it's probably because it's what's best for the mission's success. After all, we are here on her behalf."

  Aria nodded with characteristic energy. "Yeah, plus, if we're going to report to her everything we find, we need as much memory space as we can, right?"

  Zhon looked at them both with an unconvinced expression. "Yeah... but still."

  Their conversation was interrupted as they finally arrived at the collapsed bridge. The concrete structure stretched across a deep ravine, its middle section having fallen away long ago, leaving a steep incline leading up to what remained of the stable portion.

  Zhon tapped Aria's shoulder nervously. "This doesn't give me good vibes at all. Are you sure it's safe for us to walk up there?"

  Aria shrugged confidently and tapped one of the concrete pillars, which didn't budge. "Looks solid enough to me."

  Zhon smirked. "Then you have no problem with letting us go first, right?"

  Aria rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

  Ravine stepped onto the inclined concrete first, taking slow, careful steps to test the stability. The surface held firm under her weight. Zhon followed, still cautious, and finally Aria joined them.

  "See?" Aria said with a satisfied smile. "Told you two this would work."

  Ravine turned her head back. "Well done. You saved us time."

  Zhon chuckled. "I guess she's warming up to you first, huh?"

  Aria huffed playfully. "Obviously—you're the most annoying one here." She laughed, the sound echoing off the concrete walls of the ravine.

  As they approached what appeared to be the stable section of the bridge, Aria consulted her holographic map again. "A few more steps and the rest of the route should be—"

  She never finished her sentence.

  The bridge gave way beneath their feet with a thunderous crack. Ravine spun to help her teammates, but Zhon pushed her toward the stable section of the bridge just as Aria began falling toward the ravine below, her scream piercing the morning air.

  Zhon turned to Ravine with a hollow smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'll be back shortly."

  Before Ravine could react, he threw a small sphere at her feet and leaped after Aria into the abyss.

  "What are you two idiots doing?!" Ravine screamed, reaching futilely toward the empty air where her teammates had been moments before.