Luke laid on the bed, his arms folded behind his head, legs crossed casually as he reviewed the information being fed to him. Nirvana had awoken him hours ago, when the initial reports of violence had started coming in. Video images, news broadcasts from dozens of different networks, reports from operatives working in the field, all of it streamed through Nirvana's satellites into Luke's glasses. The picture that was forming was far from pleasant. Military and mercenary armies were clashing throughout the city, and hundreds of thousands of civilians were trapped in the line of fire.<br/><br/>At first, Luke couldn't believe the government was stupid enough to launch an attack on its own citizenry. But as more information became available, he began to see the wisdom of their actions. If there really were shadow alliances in place with ArmsTech, then this had almost certainly been planned months, perhaps years ago. The government must have realized that their partners were withholding all the good toys for themselves, and ArmsTech must have known that their partners would never accept such deprivation. And now, like two children fighting over the last slice of cake, they were going to destroy the whole house.<br/><br/>Of course, the key to the whole thing would be the children. Luke realized that the young ones would have very little in the way of raw power, and absolutely zero training or experience. But for whoever could capture the most, those problems could be easily remedied. Whoever controlled the children would have a brand new army of elementals at their disposal, and could wipe out their opposition permanently.<br/><br/>As Luke reviewed the incoming reports, Nirvana broke in on his thoughts. 'So.' 'Yeah. So.' 'How are we going to respond to this?' 'An excellent question. At this point, the smart thing to do would be to sit things out and let them kill each other. If necessary we can step in and finish the survivors.' 'I see....Luke?' 'Yes?' 'Are we going to be smart about this?' '....I'll let you know.'<br/><br/>Luke rose from the bed and walked back toward the kitchen. He withdrew a juice box from the fridge and punched the straw through the tin circle. ''Ana, can you give me locations on the others?' 'Affirmative.' Luke's shades lit up with a transparent overview of the mansion, and satellite X-ray and infrared imaging showed him his new housemates. 'Plus one...but it's very weak...' He slurped on his juice and quickly followed the trail to a small clinic deep in the mansion.<br/><br/>He arrived just as the fourth reading expired. Luke stood in the doorway of the small operating room, watching silently as Alice and Ureha spoke. Behind them, he could see the form of a young child lying on a raised bed. His body was obviously mangled, and badly burned. One arm was simply gone. The scent of blood and death hung in the air, thick and cold and coppery. He thought for an instant that he could have been saved, but Nirvana confirmed what he'd already begun to suspect. The boy's injuries had been so severe, even at full capacity Luke's medichines probably couldn't have repaired the damage. Nirvana recorded the boy's face; every line, every curve was stored in a composite sketch and saved in a data file, transmitted back to the Command Center's mainframe. When things settled down, perhaps Luke would notify the child's family, arrange a proper burial. Or perhaps the family was dead already. Either way, 'Ana knew, Luke would see to things.<br/><br/>Luke realized the others had yet to realize he was in their midst, and he slipped in behind them. He stood over the child and wiped a drop of blood from his forehead. He felt Ureha and Alice both register his presence, and as they turned to him he gently closed the boy's sightless, staring eyes. Eyes that had seen more than a child had a right to.<br/><br/>'Well, I think we can forget worrying about Ureha's mental state. At this rate he won't have time to destroy the city; ArmsTech and the government will beat him to it.' 'So, does this mean we're taking the girl?' 'Affirmative. But not yet. First I want to watch Ureha a little longer, see how he reacts to this. If we can get a handle on what he's thinking, it may help improve our strategy.'<br/><br/>Finally, Luke turned toward the others. He barely glanced at Alice, his full attention reserved for Ureha. He lifted his juice box to his lips and slurped loudly before speaking.<br/><br/>"Well, Ureha. It looks like your four days are up."