Scattered moonlight spilled over the silent city. The glow jetting from the massive pure-white machine flickered, then it changed direction and slowly descended.
In the end, the mech stopped among rows of abandoned, dilapidated small buildings. It crouched down and placed its hand on the ground.
"Looks like we're here."
Gaster glanced around, then pulled the young agent beside him and jumped off the mech's palm.
The mech withdrew its hand, stood again, and blasted an unsteady glow from its back as it flew into the sky.
"Well, you're still alive."
A slightly surprised voice came from nearby.
Amid the deep night, a curvaceous Red Haired Woman with a slender ladies' cigarette between her lips slowly emerged from the dark street.
"Laina?"
Gaster's expression visibly froze when he saw the woman before him.
"What, surprised?"
Laina smiled and walked toward Gaster and the other man.
The young agent instinctively tightened his grip on his submachine gun. He knew that although the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Security Federation were now cooperating, their relationship had not been pleasant before, and local clashes often broke out.
Gaster reached out and pressed down the young agent's submachine gun. He watched the almost uninjured Laina, then turned to look in the direction the mech had vanished. "Is that a force you've been hiding?"
"Director Gaster, you know my rules."
Laina took the cigarette from her hand and flicked off the ash with a bent finger.
"This counts as intelligence, right?"
Gaster nodded. "How much do you want?"
"We're allies now, too."
With the cigarette between her lips, Laina watched as a black off-road vehicle drove out from behind her. "That information is free."
She paused, looked at Gaster, and smiled. "Do we look like we can afford to maintain a mech?"
Gaster's gaze