In a secret lab in the Ural Mountains, Doc Serenity looked at a wall of monitors depicting CCTV footage of Astra Machina as well as an article about the destroyed Nantox lab. The High Command of the Second Phase had recently learned of the situation through their usual avenues of gathering information. A living inorganic being was something that would greatly pique the interests of a terrorist group set on digital evolution. Doc Serenity hacked into various satellite systems and databases to pinpoint Astra’s location to a diner in Nebraska. He was instructed to send an operative to the location to study Astra, so he had Recall on standby. With Recall’s photographic memory and reflexes as well as his analytical mind, he was the perfect candidate for observation. Still, Serenity wanted to know the full extent of Astra’s abilities and that would require a more powerful operative to engage her since there was cellphone footage of her fighting multiple IMD agents on a highway.

The operative had been with the Second Phase for years and was one of the foremost recruiters when it came to finding engineers for the First Angel weapon. This earned him the right to receive cybernetic enhancements. Erik Jensen was a Danish software engineer originally. After his cancer diagnosis, he became interested in the concept of transplanting his consciousness into a digital form. Eventually, it led him to the Second Phase and as the cancer spread, he continued to work for the cause. It impressed the High Command, leading to a promotion. Some operatives ask to have certain powers, enhancements or mechanical limbs. He asked that his body be replaced as much as possible with a robotic body. The result was his circulatory system being encased in a tall, slender robotic body. It was mostly dark purple with yellow sections around the biceps, calves, chest plate and shoulder blades. His helmet was just a blank metal plate with a single red lens. He called himself The Casket and was eager to have his first mission.

“You’re already one of our most devout members,” Doc Serenity told him, “I’m sure you’ll be successful on your mission.”

“You’ve given me life. I owe you and the Second Phase all I can offer,” he said in a deep, robotic voice.

“From what I know about his schematics,” Recall began, “and from what I saw of the footage of our target fighting the IMD, I calculate he would have a 48.9% chance of capturing the target if that were the mission.”

“That’s not the mission,” Doc Serenity groaned, “And I didn’t ask.”

He ignored the scientist and continued, “However, he has a 98.7% chance of engaging the target for roughly three minutes. That should be more than enough time for me to observe the target and obtain sufficient data.”

“That’s our only goal,” Serenity reminded him exhaustively.

“Then let’s do this,” Casket retrieved a metal cylinder attached to his hip. It snapped apart in two halves, revealing a collapsable battle-stave. The two cylinders at either end lit up with crackling energy and smaller lights igniting down the length of the staff.

Serenity led them away from the wall of monitors to a platform across the lab. A young man with a black body suit and green nodes stood ready.

“I have the coordinates,” Gate explained then turned to Casket, “Remember, if things get ugly, I can remove both of you from the battlefield.”

“Nothing will go wrong,” Casket twirled the stave around and stepped onto the platform.

“There’s a chance-,” Recall began but Doc Serenity cut him off.

“Abandon the flesh! Enter the Second Phase!”

The three cyborgs repeated the mantra and the nodes on Gate’s suit lit up along with the platform. Recall and Casket descended into the rectangular light below and disappeared.

On a rooftop of a city in Nebraska, an identical light emerged and the two men rose from it before it disappeared. They gazed into the distance and saw a truck stop and diner about a block away. “That’s the place,” Recall told him, “I can sync with your drone and watch the battle from here. I recommend drawing the target outside of the diner as a first step.”

“I think I can manage,” Casket’s shoulder blades popped out and slid sideways like small wings. The entire back compartment floated away from him, exposing inner black armor. The back compartment turned vertically, showing a small drone-propeller at the bottom, then the front of the drone jutted out, giving it a bird-like shape. Casket raised his stave and the drone floated over him with twin metal talons reaching down. They took hold of the stave and lifted him off the ground before flying him to the diner. Meanwhile, a holographic visor appeared over Recall’s face, allowing him to see the drone’s POV.

In the diner, Wally ate his eggs and bacon nervously, trying his best to ignore the people staring at his table. Kim sat across from him and likewise did her best to ignore the stares as she ate her waffle. In the seat parallel to them, Astra happily sat and took turns looking at everyone in the diner. Her digitized face produced a smile as she waved at an old couple in the booth across from them, “Hi”.

“I really feel like I should remind you that this is a bad idea,” Wally whispered to Astra.

“I always have to wait in the car when you guys eat or get a hotel room or… well, do anything, really,” Astra conveyed more cheeriness than expected when discussing her constant request to hide herself, “I just wanted to spend time with you guys.”

“That’s very nice, Astra but Wally’s right,” Kim indicated the diner patrons staring at them, “It’s important that we keep a low profile.”

“We’ve gone a little over 48 hours without a fight and I kinda want to keep it that way,” Wally looked over his shoulder nervously, “But with you being out in the open, we feel like maybe a fight might happen.”

“I’ve behaved quite well, recently,” Astra said defensively, “I haven’t even asked to fight anyone.”

“It’s true but people seem to want to fight you for one reason or another,” Kim explained, “And this is why we keep asking you to hide yourself.”

“I just wanted to eat with my friends,” she said sadly.

“It’s great that you want to eat with us, but like Wally explained -,” Kim began but she was soon interrupted by the sound of an exploding car outside.

Everyone in the diner leapt to their feet to take a look at the burning wreckage of a car outside. Casket stood in the parking lot, the end of his stave glowing brightly. Above, his drone circled the area, relaying everything to Recall a block away. “Shit, i-is that another alien?,” Wally stammered.

“Maybe,” Astra told him, “I’m sensing a small life reading from inside that armor.”

“It’s just staring at us,” Kim peeked around the people standing in front of the large diner windows, “Whatever it is, I really think it’s here for you, Astra.”

“We don’t know that,” Wally said quickly.

“Its sensors are scanning me right now,” Astra explained.

“Curiosity?”

“There is an artificially intelligent lifeform inside this building,” Casket called out, “Step outside and no harm will come to anyone.”

“48 hours of bliss,” Wally muttered.

“I’m sorry I ruined breakfast,” Astra told them and made her way to the door.

She stepped outside and entered the large parking lot as Casket moved parallel to the diner. “Are you a Skareen?,” she asked. “I don’t know what that is,” Casket twirled his stave, then raised it, releasing an energy blast which hit her in the chest and sent her into a telephone pole a few yards away. She angrily morphed her arm into a canon and sent a return volley. Casket pivoted as the blast passed him and burst through the trailer of a semi truck.

“She’s durable,” Recall said over radio, “Test her physical strength.”

“I’m picking up that conversation,” Astra created twin blades and raced toward Casket, “Your friend sounds human which means you’re probably human too.”

“For the moment.”

Casket used the center of his stave to block the first blade and then used the end to swat the second blade away. Astra created a spike on her knee and shoved it into his gut but caused only superficial damage to his armor. He retaliated by striking Astra across the face with his stave, spinning into a crouching position, then firing a close-range blast into her stomach which tore a chunk out of her and sent her flying into the air. She rolled along the pavement and quickly sat up, turning both hands into canons while also building two more on her shoulders. She fired four blasts at once and despite Casket making an attempt to pirouette in the air, he was struck on the shoulder and sent spinning into the windshield of a car. As he pulled himself off the hood of the damaged car, Astra sprouted two mini-jets on her ankles and shot into the air in a mega-jump. Casket looked up in time to see Astra enlarging her fist before slamming him into the pavement.

Casket raised his stave again, but a metal clamp snatched it and threw it across the lot. “Use your drone,” Recall suggested. Casket was slammed into the pavement again, “I’m trying.”

A block away, Recall rolled his eyes, “Manual override.” The circling drone released a grenade which exploded against Astra’s back and pushed her down. Casket followed it up by kicking her in the face, sending her through the window of the diner where patrons scattered to avoid flying glass. She smashed a table as she landed but shot up to her feet, turning to a shocked Wally and Kim, “I’m fine.”

“I think I’ve gotten all I need to file a full report to High Command,” Recall explained.

Casket retrieved his stave, “I can beat it.”

“That’s unlikely.”

“High Command?,” Astra stepped down from the broken window, “You’re cyborgs working for someone calling themselves High Command?”

Astra began checking for information online as Casket prepared for the next attack. His chest compartment opened up and dumped what appeared to be two small sets of tank treads. It landed and a minigun popped up. The ground drone drove toward Astra, opening fire. She ducked behind a quickly formed-shield and rushed forward as high caliber bullets bounced off. With Astra distracted, Casket leapt over her head, charged both ends of his stave in mid-air and brought it down against the back of her head. A canon emerged from her back and shot him point-blank, which damaged his helmet and threw him onto his back.

She shot a metallic tendril at the mini-tank drone, slicing through the gun. Casket commanded his air drone to attack once more. It shot its second grenade but Astra was ready. She spun around, slapping the grenade away from her, allowing it to explode near Casket’s face. His already-damaged helmet cracked completely in half, exposing wire and mechanical parts. Unable to see, he fell back to the ground, defeated.

“I did some research,” Astra began, “You must have been sent by the Second Phase to test my abilities. You think the next stage of evolution will… basically look like me. I don’t know what the future will be but I know it won’t you… and it won’t be me.”

Recall shook his head in disappointment, “I don’t know if you can hear me Casket, but I did warn you.”

Somewhere, Gate opened up two rectangular portals, “Time’s up, kiddies.” A block away, Recall jumped into his portal. Meanwhile, Astra watched as Casket crawled in to one of his own and sank inside. Kim and Wally came out just as the portal disappeared

“I think it’s a good idea if we get out of here,” Kim told her, “Thankfully, our car wasn’t destroyed.”

“Bigfoot, aliens, superheroes and now cyborgs,” Wally adjusted his glasses angrily despite the fact they hadn’t slipped, “Somehow they always come for you. This is why we tell you to keep a low profile.”

Astra had never seen Wally angry before and even Kim seemed annoyed with her somewhat. It was true that she attracted trouble even without meaning to. She followed them back to the car silently. She hated disappointing her friends. Once they reached LA, she was meant to stay with Jennifer Sawyer and perhaps that was for the best.