Sunset ran around the building as the shots echoed behind her, dodging around old trash and jumping over boxes and other debris.

"One hit."

"Missed!"

"Keep shooting guys!" Sunset called in, seeing a perfect spot to fly. She didn't stop running, instead accelerating and shooting her grappling hook for a running leap. The cord whipped through the air, the alien-alloy central tip piercing into the solid wall, while the additional hooks sank around the point of impact for additional purchase.

She felt the mechanism from Mox's hook activate, and like a fish biting the hook, she was pulled through the air with tremendous force to land on her destination, a tall building just shy of the bridge where the Hunter was located, overlooking it by a solid additional floor.

Sunset rolled her shoulder. Mox's hook was designed for someone much bigger than her and carried a lot of additional strength with it. One day, if she wasn't careful, she might dislocate her arm. No trying to drag back ADVENT forces to her position with this one.

"The Hunter is not giving any indication of awareness to your current location, Sunset Shimmer," Sashssa said on the comms. "She has taken cover at the top of the bridge."

"Great. Then I can still—"

"Trojan's down!"

"Fuck!" Sunset started running. She needed to catch up, fast.

"She took another shot, but Angel snagged Trojan out of the way!" Sashssa informed, clearly surprised.

"Angel, both of you get down to the alley between the two buildings! Take cover!" Sunset ordered. "Jane, head over there and heal them."

"Hiss!"

"Roger, already on my way!"

"Fridge, you and Annette stay put. If you see the Hunter I want razing fire, but don't expose yourselves, understood?" Before she got a reply, Sunset saw a bright explosion of light on the other side of the building she was running around, and heard Outrider gasp in the radio. "Elena!"

"I-I'm fine, no damage, but I can't see anything!"

"Stay in cover!"

"The Hunter has moved!" Sashssa reported urgently. "She's on the same rooftop as you, around the corner! Taking a shot!"

Sunset ran, scampering over the staircase that led into the building and jumping down, sword raised to stab the Hunter, who took her shot, the black lance of energy flashing in a way that distorted the air around it for a split second.

She heard a distant explosion as she crashed into the former siren with all the momentum she had applied to the tip of her blade. She heard bones snap and felt the welcoming warmth of blood covering her as she skewered the monster.

She felt her gem resonate, and the world spun around her as the blood invaded her senses. Sunset's eyes narrowed as the world around faded. 'Of course... Sonata has another…'

"Ugh. Mindscape!" Sonata's voice whined all around her.

Sunset blinked as she stood up in the empty darkness.

"I hate Mindscapes! Why are they always so dull? I mean, like, why can't they ever be something nice, like a taqueria?"

Clouds of energy shifted and everything reformed into a restaurant with metallic, branded tables and plastic chairs. Sitting at one of the tables, already loaded with food and a large drink was Sonata.

Well. Older Sonata. Gone was the teenage Siren she had seen in the other world, now sporting a much more mature body.

Sunset briefly wondered how that worked. For all intents and purposes, the Sirens had been immortal in the other world. Even here, they had spent centuries in this world without aging a day. Did it have something to do with their magic? The Elders? Being turned into Chosen?

"It's fake food, but it sure does bring back memories!" Sonata said in between gulps. She glanced up at Sunset and didn't dignify her with words, merely nodding at the chair across with her head.

Sunset grimaced and rolled her eyes, but… mindscape. What the hell else was she supposed to do?

So, she went and sat down, glaring at the gorging Siren. "You done there, Sonata?"

"Huh, so you know my name? Cool! I guess." The Siren said, chewing down and swallowing a particularly large piece of food, which ended up in her coughing and grabbing her drink to help push it down.

Once the morsel was gone, Sonata leaned back, raising an eyebrow at Sunset. "So you killed me. Well done. Score one for you XCOM."

"Why am I even here?" Sunset asked, unamused. "We both know this is a hollow victory as is."

"Is it?" Sonata shrugged, sipping her drink. "You stopped me from killing more of your friends."

Sunset frowned. "You didn't kill anyone this time."

Sonata tilted her head. "Oh? Well. You might find otherwise once we're done here."

"So spill it, why did you bring me here?" Sunset leaned forward.

"Hmm." Sonata tapped her chin with her finger, pretending to think about it. "Well, you're a blood witch. And you're already down the Path of Madness. I think you'd be a better fit with us in ADVENT than XCOM."

Sunset felt a chill run down her spine. The way Sonata had used the words 'path of madness' made it sound like an actual event. "What do you mean by that?"

Sonata blinked, then smiled. "Oh. You don't know? That's a-dorable." She blinked, seeming to space out for a moment. "But… if you don't know, how did you create the Blood Bind?"

"Blood Bind?" Sunset tried to remain calm, but it was hard to concentrate. Sonata's words were full of meaning, and she had no idea what that could be.

"Yeaaaah," Sonata waved her hand in circles. "You know, that thing you did to that woman on your left."

Sunset reared back a little and cautiously looked to her left. Jane floated there, naked, her privacy kept intact only by slow-flowing streams of blood that encircled and flowed around her, except for one area, where it went straight into her chest and out of her back, like some sort of twisted Gordian Knot.

"W-what…"

"Oh. You can have a lot of fun with that. You can stop her heart. Slow her blood flow. Accelerate it. Cause her immense pain… or really, really…really intense pleasure." Sonata grinned, almost squirming in place.

"I—"

"And then there's you…" Sonata interrupted. "Haven't you looked down at your body?"

Sunset's eyes widened and she looked down at herself, relaxing a little when all she saw was her armor… but…

Gulping, she pushed the collar away from her body a little. She could almost feel her heart stop.

"Yes, yes, it's shocking the first time… you're still very sane though," Sonata said, leaning back. "You might actually survive it. Who knows what you'll become, huh? Another Siren?" She tilted her head. "I've always wanted a little sister. But maybe you will become something different. Something worse… you're so much further in than other blood witches… and yet your spells are so limited! Like, why the fuck?"

Sunset stood up, stumbling back and trying not to look at the floating form of Jane. "I—"

Sonata started laughing. "And I was, like, worried about the gem for a while there," she grinned, standing up and waving her hand. Immediately the whole imaginary restaurant disappeared.

Sonata walked forward, crossing the distance between them and getting right into Sunset's personal space. Her raspberry irises looked straight and deep into Sunset's cyan. "I think you're adorable, little witch. Come join me sometime soon for some fun and backstabbing. Here's a couple of little freebies for you… don't say the Hunter doesn't give back."

Sunset licked her lips, still tingly from Sonata's kiss. She tasted the Siren's blood, rich with forbidden magic, much like her own, and the almost fizzy taste of the Elder's psionic energy. Her breathing was coming out hard, her mind still ablaze with not only the feeling of the other Sire—she shook her head.

She wasn't one of them.

She wasn't. She'd never be one of them.

It was during that second reaffirmation that the sounds of the world returned.

"Angel's down!"