Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.

Sunshine had the same question. Was it the Noxians that had reported her death, or someone in the council?

Vortan let out a long sigh, "The rumor is that you were struck by a ’super-lightning bolt’ and vaporized. Nine has been a mess since the news started spreading. He ate an entire field of blue mushrooms in grief."

Sunshine scoffed, stretching her overalls. "Vaporized?" So, it wasn’t Noxians. "Ha! they wish. Before we could start repairing the rift, the Noxians made a grand entry."

Vortan’s expression hardened instantly. Nine’s antennae twitched, his mandibles clacking in rage.

Vortan’s rare smile vanished, replaced by an expression that meant someone was about to have a very bad day. "They found you. How?" Before she could tell him that she was just as confused, he continued with an explanation. "This means that someone gave up your location."

Sunshine leaned back against one of the giant crates. The same thought had crossed her mind. "Not just any location, those freaks knew exactly where I was going to be and when I would be there. I could understand if they showed up to earth and hunted for some weeks or months before finding me. But they knew where I would be. As if someone was watching me and told them where I was."

Vortan nodded, looking at the repairman watch on her wrist. "That," He pointed at it, "It must be how they tracked you accurately. It is tracked 24/7 by the organization but that information is very confidential for the safety of all repairmen."

"You think that someone from the organization gave up my location? Is that not like very illegal?" Sunshine said as she turned the device off.

Vortan smirked, "It is not just illegal Sunshine, if this actually happened it would shake up the entire organization. How would the repairmen trust it when something like this can happen?"

"I can only think of one person with enough authority to pull this off." Sunshine thought of a certain female face.

Nine immediately said the name with enough venom to melt metal. "ZEVRAN! I bet my left antenna it was that pale colored parasite!"

Sunshine sighed. "She hates me more than most. She is definitely capable of doing this, but I have no evidence that she did." Many others were jealous of her quick progress. There were those who she had offended because of the prime core. To say that Zevran was the only one disturbed by her presence was a stretch.

"I will look into it," Vortan said, his fingers already flying across a holographic data slate. "But even if she accessed this data, it is not enough to incriminate her. We need to get evidence of this treachery."

Sunshine smiled, and it was the same cold, predatory smile she wore when she had an upper hand. "Well, I didn’t just escape death. I captured one of them."

Nine gasped, his eyes popping. "You have a live Noxian?!"

"Yep," Sunshine said, "He is injured but alive."

"Excellent," Vortan said, putting away his slate. "Take me to him. I have several... investigative techniques... that will make him talk fast. I doubt your people can make him talk. Earthly questioning techniques are...cute."

Sunshine wondered what Carson would think of that description.

"Let us go right now!" Nine shouted, waving his claws. "I would like to introduce his face to my claws?"

Sunshine looked at her two friends. They were a strange, chaotic mess, but they were her strange, chaotic mess. She nodded. "System," she commanded. "Teleport us all to the underground lab."

They arrived just when Carson was testing two naked electric wires, tapping them together to create a shower of blue sparks that illuminated his sweat-streaked face. He was about to give the Noxian a very rude awakening. The alien, strapped to a chair and leaking dark, viscous blood, was babbling in a language that sounded like a blender full of marbles.

"Talk, you alien freak! How did you know where Sunshine was?" Carson growled, leaning in with the wires.

Suddenly, the air in the monitoring room shimmered. Poncho, who had been leaning against the glass with a bag of chips, nearly choked as two massive figures materialized out of thin air with Sunshine. He scrambled back, knocking over a chair.

"Whoa, whoa! What the fuck is happening!" Poncho yelled, reaching for a weapon he didn’t have.

"Relax, Poncho," Hades said, stepping forward with a calm hand raised. "These are friends." He turned to the newcomers. "Vortan. Nine. Good to see you, guys. I am guessing that Suni told you about our guest. We need your help making him talk."

Nine let out a clicking chortle and swept Hades into a brief, terrifyingly strong hug. "Brother-in-law! You look well! A bit squishy, but well!"

"Put me down, Nine," Hades wheezed, his ribs groaning.

"Of course," Nine set him down. But, he smacked Hades on the ass.

Poncho did not even have a smart comment. He was still gaping at the giant, talking insect like creature and his orange alien friend!

Meanwhile, the aliens and the Quinns turned their attention to the reinforced glass. Inside the lab, Carson pressed the wires into the Noxian’s open shoulder wound. The alien flinched, his four arms straining against the restraints, and let out a string of guttural curses, but his eyes remained hard and defiant. He looked like a man who would rather swallow his own tongue than give up a secret.

Vortan sighed_ a sound like dry sandpaper. "He is wasting his time. And my patience."

Without another word, Vortan pushed through the heavy lab door. Carson spun around, wires still sparking, his jaw dropping as he saw the orange alien strolling into the room.

"What the fuck are you?" Carson snapped, though he didn’t move toward him. Having traveled to other worlds, Carson wasn’t exactly scared, just annoyed that his "technique" was being interrupted. The wires were now pointed in Vortan’s direction.

"Put those toys away," Vortan said, gesturing dismissively at the wires. "Noxian warriors are bred for pain. They have secondary nervous systems that reroutes electrical shocks. Right now, you are giving him nothing more than an aggressive tickle."

Carson looked at the wires, then at the Noxian, who actually looked more annoyed than hurt. With a huff, Carson tossed the wires to the side. "Fine. He’s all yours. Show me how the pros do it."

Everyone in the monitoring room leaned in, expecting Vortan to pull out a jagged blade or start tearing limbs off. Instead, Vortan did something much stranger. He began to hum. It was a low, melodic vibration that seemed to make the very air in the room feel heavy.

He paused and looked the Noxian in the eye. "Will you talk, or do we do this the long way? I do not like the sight of blood."

The Noxian spat a glob of blue bile at Vortan’s feet.