The strike team made their way around the cliff face, eventually stopping at the bottom of a ravine the cliff sat inside of. The entrance was there, just barely poking out of the soil. Based on the height of the cliff, the whole complex must've been constructed hundreds of meters below to reduce pressure on the geological structure of the area. The team scaled the ravine with the help of Rainbow Dash, who carried each member– except Butch, who simply jumped down –to the bottom. As they approached the metal grate poking out of the cliff, Evelyn grabbed some tools out of her pockets; a screwdriver and a wrench.

"Let's see if I can open this..." Evelyn said as she tended to a bolt.

"Eve, you know we I can just kick it down, right?" Butch offered, but Evelyn was too caught up in her own thoughts to pay any attention to him. Eventually, after a few minutes, Butch grew impatient and motioned to Evelyn to stand aside.

Butch smashed the steel grate covering the large ventilation duct with his metal hoof, then tore it off with his robotic hands. While his strength was already more than impressive without his armor, with the added power of the suit he was wearing, he was practically a walking tank. Rainbow Dash whistled in amazement, trying to wrap her head around just how strong the stallion was.

"Damn..." Rainbow Dash gave Butch an approving nod as she looked down at his handy work.

"Told ya it'd be much easier than trying to unscrew the damn thing," Butch said to Evelyn, who rolled her eyes, unresponsive.

"My way would've been much cleaner..." Evelyn mumbled as she turned her head away from the others.

"You and your OCD..." Masami shook her head and gave a light chuckle as she stared into the shadowy duct leading into the complex. "Well, this is it."

"Do you know the way to each member of Infernalgear?" Winslow inquired.

"Yeah, I've got a map right here." Masami tossed a metal disc in the air, and a map of the complex appeared as a hologram. "However, I'm not exactly sure where each member is, I only know which area of the complex that member resides in. I also don't know which member is which, since they all are marked as red dots on this map..." Masami's expression suggested otherwise as if her explanation was only half of the truth. Rainbow Dash realized this and intervened.

"You okay?" The sky blue pegasus asked.

"Yeah... I think so." Masami shook her head again, trying to keep a half-smile on her face. "I just-... got a chill is all. Let's just get this over with."

"Go on." Winslow insisted as he gestured towards the map with his index finger.

"Right. So, there's one here, on the first level. According to this map, there's some kind of interference in this general area, so it's all highlighted in red. I'm assuming it's some kind of machine perhaps." Masami turned the map, zooming in on an area marked by a red dot. "This is the experimentation wing on the third floor. There's somepony in here, kind of off to the side, away from everypony else."

"I'll investigate that." Winslow volunteered.

"And I'll join you," Fluttershy said with a determined expression, steadfast in her decision.

"It might be-."

"I'm going with you. We shouldn't split up." Fluttershy insisted in a stubborn fashion.

"I think I'll go to the first level. If it's a machine I should be able to handle it with casual ease." Evelyn said as she put her tools away.

"No way, Eve. I ain't lettin' you go by yourself." Butch grunted as he crossed his arms.

"I can handle myself, Butch. I'll be fine." Evelyn tried to coax the brooding stallion by patting him on the shoulder, reassuring him with her confident expression. "I'll be okay."

Butch sighed in reluctance, closing his eyes and bowing his head in deep thought, imagining Evelyn all by herself. While the thought scared him, he knew Evelyn was more than capable of defending herself. "Alright. But you find me as soon as you're finished and you call me if you're in trouble, okay?"

"Okay, Butch." Evelyn agreed.

"Alright. So, here's the other two red dots. There's one here, on the second floor. There seems to be a lot of activity in this area as well. Perhaps there's a group of cultists? I'm not sure." Masami tried piecing it together in her head.

"I'll go there." Butch volunteered instantly, taking the most dangerous job for himself. Evelyn wanted to protest, but she knew he could handle himself; it pained her to see Butch ignore his own safety. However, every worry that Evelyn tried to throw at him before seemed to just glance off of him, like it didn't even matter. Years of being a soldier taught him that, shaped him into a daring brawler who jumped into the fray before anypony else.

"Good..." Masami was sceptical as well, as she knew such decision would bother Evelyn. However, Masami knew there was no time to spare, so she figured it would be best for him to take care of a larger threat. "Okay. Let me see what else we have here." Masami paused for a moment as she stopped at the last area marked with a red dot. "This is the last one floor before the ritual chamber... that's where Ichirou is."

"How do you know that?" Evelyn wondered, the sceptic within her kicking and screaming.

"I just do, okay?" Masami's tone shifted from confused to cornered in an instant, and that quelled Evelyn's inner sceptic. She didn't believe most of the mystic mumbo jumbo that Masami talked about, but she often tried to respect Masami's culture, knowing full-well the consequences of belittling somepony's beliefs; Evelyn learned that in boarding school. "I'll go. Alone."

"Woah, woah, woah! Alone? Are you kidding me, Masami?" Rainbow Dash glared at Masami with a disappointed mug.

"I have to, Rainbow Dash. For Hiro." Masami clenched her fist tightly. "Go with somepony else, okay?"

"Hey, that's bull-."

"Rainbow Dash, everypony, go inside. I'll talk with Masami." Winslow ordered them, and they all obeyed, respecting his ability and obvious wisdom. "We won't be long."

"Alright..." Fluttershy agreed as she crouched and entered the air duct.

As the rest of the strike team entered, Winslow sat down on the soft soil and crossed his legs, sticking his sword into the ground, blocking the duct. He hummed an unrecognizable tune as he relaxed his body, closing his eyes. He opened them slowly, looking up at Masami, who was leaning against the ravine with her head to the side, away from his gaze. "I don't suppose you'll sit down?"

"I think I'll stand," Masami replied bluntly as she turned her head to him.

"So, tell me... are you the leader of this team?" Winslow said as he placed his elbow on his knee, resting his head on his closed fist in intrigue.

Masami didn't reply for a few seconds. "Yeah."

"Then may I suggest something to you?" Winslow asked her as he tapped the blade of his sword. Masami nodded slowly. "You need to throw away honour in a situation like this."

"It's not honour, it's-!"

"Yes, it is for the sake of honor. I know what honor is." Winslow silenced Masami as he stood up and approached her. "Your friend is leagues above you. If he could catch Draven off-guard, then he is leagues above Spike, Twilight, me. Martial prowess and faith will not win this battle. You're a well-rounded tactician, use that. Do you think it would be smart to fight 'fairly' against an enemy infused with supernatural rage directed towards you? He will use anything and every tool at his disposal to kill you."

"Which is exactly why I can't let him kill anypony else I love..." Masami said, tears welling in her eyes.

"You will most assuredly die, Masami. Do you think your master would want that? Do you think Rainbow Dash would want that?" Winslow's speech became more passionate and empathetic. "There is a fine line between honor and foolishness, and you're stepping over it into that dark realm, the same realm your friend stepped into."

Masami swallowed and closed her eyes, realizing the truth in Winslow's words. "I know. I know that, dammit..."

"Then let Rainbow Dash help you. She loves you... and there is no greater weapon for fighting tenacious personal demons than that." Winslow patted Masami on the shoulder as he sheathed his sword and entered the duct. "Come, we have work to do."

"Yeah..." Masami nodded as she followed him inside.

****

Liazo was an odd stallion indeed. He was fashionably dressed, often wearing a vest coupled with an extravagant dress shirt. The lavish choice of fashion, the charisma, the smooth voice; every aspect of Liazo's character, mannerisms, and quirks, they were all Constantine's. Yet, there was a calmness to his demeanour as well. Liazo was much calmer than Constantine¬– well, calmer than the Constantine that Gin knew –and that calmness seemed to seep into the other elements of his character. He was perhaps, what Constantine could have been, an alternate version of the tyrant.

Gin walked alongside Liazo down a narrow sidewalk. It was fairly quiet, save for the faint racket emanating from where the battle was ensuing, and a brisk but non-threatening wind traveled down the street. Old street lamps sparked once every so often, stunning Gin, who cursed every time they did. Aside from Gin's occasional frustrated reaction to the sparks, she didn't talk much to Liazo.

Gin cleared her throat as she peered into the broken windows of the various houses that lined the street. "So... what's it like? Being... you know, a-."

"A clone of a sociopathic monarch?" Liazo finished her sentence, adding some flourish on the end. "Pretty interesting. I age slower than you due to my physiology, but I didn't really have a childhood." Liazo let out a laugh as he looked up at the sky. "They, uh... the ponies who made me, they accelerated the aging process for me– slowed it down once I reached maturity. Me and my siblings... we were going to be Constantine's 'perfect warriors', some bullshit like that..."

"You know, if it makes ya feel any better... I didn't really have a childhood either." Gin said as she took a sip from a flask she hid in her bandolier. "I grew up in a rough part of town, I had parents when I was young, but nothing else. I just had me brother, that's pretty much it."

"Does your brother have liquid gold or acid for blood?" Liazo asked with a half-smile.

"Yours do?"

"Yeah. My brother, Gaines. He has gold for blood. I don't really keep in touch him, but I hear he's the king of some island in the south." Liazo chuckled as he recalled another sibling. "You already met Viper. He hasn't got much of Pa's brains. In fact, he was the only one of us Constantine could keep in line. Then there's Roderick. He's got steel in his veins, and he's a brute."

"Sounds like you have a family with some character, huh?" Gin laughed as she put her hands in her pockets. "Is there anypony in your family you keep in contact with? You know, through letters or something?"

"There's Bethany," Liazo remembered as he ran his hand through his frosty blue hair. "She's an angel compared to the rest of em'. I write to her once every so often, ask her how things are. Last I heard she was in Caven Isle, the miriad capital city to the far east. She's in some kind of group– can't remember the name of it. She's really the only one I talk to nowadays."

"What's her power?"

"She's got molten obsidian for blood," Liazo answered.

"Is it hard? Being an individual when you're... you know." Gin wondered.

"Yeah, sometimes. But, I mean, we weren't all raised the same, I suppose. To be honest, I don't think me and Constantine are alike at all. Sure, we look the same, but at the end of the day... I'm my own pony, you know?" Liazo said as he fiddled with his butterfly knife.

"Why are the Catelli's so important to you?" Gin asked, curious as to why Liazo went through so much trouble to kill mob bosses.

"Because they were my family once, that's why," Liazo said as he put his knife away, staring down at the sidewalk as he continued. "When me and the rest of my siblings escaped, we all went our separate ways, and I was pretty lost in Ausrüstung once I got here. Then I met Fonzi. He was suave, deadly, a real killer. He saw what I could do, and he invited me into the family. So, I joined."

"What made you leave?"

"Oh, well... that's a long story, but I think I can break it down for ya... this was all before I became an undercover agent..." Liazo tried recollecting his memories into an organized heap. "Well, I slept around quite a bit when I was in the gang. I mean, we all did. But, there was this one mare... she was a fox, I'll tell you that much. Her name was Mariana O'Neil, a member of a rival gang. She was... my first love. Eventually, Fonzi found out, and..." Liazo paused for a moment and lit a cigarette. "Fonzi got some of his guys to cut her up and throw her in a river. "

"Damn, that's..." Gin was unsure how to respond to such a tale of brutality. "Damn..."

"I left the gang after that, and that's when I took up private espionage. I spied for the cops, the feds, anyone willing to pay enough coin. And of course, that's how I met Octavia. I think I already told you about her." Liazo had a momentary lapse before continuing. "Then, after a few more contracts, I ended up butting heads with Butch, and after getting punched in the face, one thing led to another and I got on the team."

"Well, you certainly have had it rough." Gin sympathized with the troubled stallion.

"I've sorted myself out over the years, but yeah, I guess..." Liazo tossed his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. "I don't think I've had it as bad as Butch... that stallion's been through hell." Liazo stopped and looked up, pointing down to the end of the block. "Over there, there's the place."

Liazo pointed over to the larger building covered in old neon signs. Without the glow of the neon they were hard to read, but as they got closer, Gin could read the words on the building.

SNAKE EYES CLUB

"Heh, figures. Fonzi used to talk about this ol' place all the time. It used to be where all the Catelli bosses met before the war. Real shady stuff happened here." Liazo reminisced as he walked towards the old double doors; they were locked. "Ah, shit. Let's see here..." Liazo reached into his pocket again and brought out a bobby pin and a thin throwing knife. "Alright, give me a second..." Liazo cracked the lock on the door, and with a click, it swung open, revealing the lobby. "Viola..."

"Nice work. I'm almost jealous." Gin giggled as she urged him to go first. "Milady..."

"Sir..." Liazo went along with Gin's joke as he bowed to her, entering first. "C'mon."

The lobby was completely dark, save for the front desk, where a single lit candle sat. Dust congealed on every surface in the room, but after years of exposure, the building remained structurally intact. There was still the old red carpet with floral designs on the floor, the chandelier was still hanging above the lobby. The building had been taken care of. The Catelli's had been there, Liazo could tell, and he could tell they had been around for a while based on the shape of the building. The floorboards were discolored, some boards were entirely new. Somepony had been doing repairs.

"Keep an eye out, Fonzi must've brought the whole gang tonight..." Liazo shook his head in a troubled manner as he vaulted over the front desk. He motioned over to the next set of closed double doors leading to the main area of the club. "Hey, can you check that for me, Gin?" Liazo scoured through the desk, looking for other clues. "What have you been up to, Fonzi...?"

"Hey, Liazo... this door is locked." Gin crouched down to get a better look at the handle. "This lock is welded shut too."

"Welded?" Liazo scratched his head as he looked around for another way in. "Well, that's-." The phone on the desk began to ring, cutting through the silence in the lobby. Liazo picked it up. "Fonzi? You there? C'mon, don't leave me hanging, after all we've been through together?! Fonzi...?"

"Yeah, Quicksilver... I'm here." A raspy voice on the other end replied.

"So you do remember me!" Liazo grinned as he flicked his knife around.

"Oh, how could I? How could I forget the stallion who, with his own two hands, killed half of my crew?" Fonzi snickered. "You're dead meat, Liazo. You've been dead meat for years, and now I can finally get back what's owed..."

"Don't tell me you're still hung up over that, Fonzi. That was years ago..." Liazo chuckled, agitating Fonzi.

"So, did you have a funeral for that little Consuelo mare, Liazo? After we chopped her up and fed her to the sharks? Did you cry, Liazo?" Fonzi growled, his voice like sandpaper.

"You listen to me, you son of a bitch." Liazo pounded on the desk with his free hand. "I'm gonna make you cry, you hear me? I'm ending this, once and for all."

"I can't wait..." As Fonzi replied, the double doors opened, and Liazo heard cheers from the next room. The whole Catelli family was waiting for them. "Welcome home, Liazo..."

Author's Notes:

So, we're getting close to some real action here ladies and gentlecolts! As always, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!