#jaynix

The sun hadn’t peeked over the city walls yet, but its light emanated over the darkened sky. Civilians were waking up, BLADEs were getting to work, Ma-non were surrounding the pizza parlor demanding their first meal of the day. It was a familiar sight for Jaynix, who walked past quickly. She already had her destination in mind, and she had sworn to be there early to get the most out of the day. After all, she and Pongo hadn’t seen each other in a long time. It would be good to see him again.

Their meeting spot was at none other than the Free Hug Stand, in the northeastern part of the commercial district. Pongo had opened it up with the intention of brightening everyone’s day - not that he didn’t have a habit of doing so already. It had been a huge success, and still was. She grinned to herself; she was a frequent customer to his stand, even if it was just to talk. If their messages last night reigned true, then he’d be working by the time she got there.

But by the time it came into her view, Jaynix was surprised to see that the stand was empty. She glanced around to see if he was nearby, but no indigo eyed Interceptor entered her view. She shrugged her shoulders, thinking that he might be out to get a caramel macchiato or some other coffee, and leaned against the stand, patiently waiting for her friend to arrive. She checked the time on her comm device. Early. Okay, understandable. He probably ran to get a coffee before meeting her here. He would be back soon.

Fifteen minutes passed. Thirty. Forty five. An hour. Jaynix had passed the point of believing that the cafe was busy, and she decided to shoot him a message, asking where he was. Another hour flew by with no response, and she started to wonder if something was wrong. Maybe he was in trouble? Maybe he forgot? No, it wasn’t like him to forget. Something had to be wrong.

“Jaynix?”

A familiar voice called out to her, and she spun around, thinking too quickly that it was Pongo. However, this voice was feminine, so her hopes were dashed. But it was still nice to see another good friend of hers, Rosetta, waving hello.

“Rosie! Been a while, how’ve you been?” Jaynix asked as she approached.

“I’ve been well.” Rosetta said, “I’ve been looking for missions to take, but everything seems quiet. Too quiet..”

Jaynix nodded. “Yeah, missions have been sparse haven’t they? But that means more time to spend with friends! In fact, I’m waiting to meet up with one now, only…”

“Only what?”

“It’s been two hours since he said he would meet me here. I think he might be in trouble, he’s not one to forget meetings like this.”

Rosetta frowned. “That’s a cause for concern. Have you tried contacting him?”

“I did, a while ago. No response.” Jaynix said with a sigh.

“Well...where would he be?”

“I thought he was going to get a coffee - he loves those things more than life itself - but it doesn’t take two hours to get one from the cafe, even on busy days. He did say he had a mission last night when we were making plans, a simple gathering assignment in Cauldros…”

“Maybe the mission is running long?” Rosetta suggested, “Gathering missions can take a very long time depending on the material he’s looking for.”

Jaynix shook her head. “He would’ve told me if it was running longer than expected. I just...I don’t have a good feeling about this, Rosie.”

“Then let’s go find him,” Rosetta told her, “I’ll help you.”

“Aww, Rosie, you don’t have to -”

“He’s a friend of yours, and he sounds important to you. Besides, it’s our job as Interceptors to help people out on the field.”

“Thank you…” Jaynix said, head bowed. “Alright then, we can take my rover, though I don’t know where exactly he would be in Cauldros.”

As they walked away from the stand, Rosetta asked, “Did he tell you what he was collecting?”

“Charged Cayennes.” She responded quickly.

With a nod she pulled out her comm device and searched up the vegetable on Frontiernav. “They’re more commonly found in caves. We can start there.”

“Awesome. Let’s get to it then!” Jaynix said, leading the way to her rover, parked near the transport pilot’s station on the other side of the commercial district. She put on a smile of fierce determination, but deep down she was pushing back that little voice in her head.

You’re his teammate. JZAP, remember? You’re supposed to be there for him. This is your fault.

Shaking her head, she continued on her way. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too late to find him - for all she knew, he got launched into a wall so hard he got stuck. Wouldn’t be the first time that happened.

.

In the sweltering heat, their armor didn’t do much to keep them cool. But underground in the caves they trekked through, the air was refreshing and crisp. They had searched through a good number of caverns and underground areas in the continent, and yet, no sign of Pongo. Jaynix grew more anxious by the second, but she knew better than to give up. At least she wasn’t in this alone. Rosetta kept a sharp eye out for anything and everything. Focused on the task at hand, her electric blue eyes were open, alert, showing no signs of visible emotion. Many would call it a cold stare, but Jaynix liked to think they were full of warmth. They were very beautiful eyes for a very beautiful woman, indeed.

Standing next to a wide pool of lava, Jaynix looked ahead at their next point of interest. It looked like a normal cave entrance at first glance, but inside was one of the most dangerous and prominent Ganglion bases. She’d had her fair share of experiences in there, none of them good. But it was still a cave, and Pongo was still out there, so she had to look.

“Ready?” She asked Rosetta, who stood to her left staring down at the lava.

Looking up, Rosetta frowned. “Wait, Jay, are you planning on running across this? It’s deep; you could get hurt.”

“Don’t worry! We’ll be fine, we just have to be quick!” She chirped a response, boldly taking the first step towards the lava. As soon as her foot made contact with the flaming hot substance, she sprinted as fast as she could towards the entrance of the base. The heat made her sweat buckets, but her armor was absorbing most of it. When she reached dry land, she took a few deep breaths, checking her body for any signs of open wounds. There were none, not even a scratch on her armor. She smiled as Rosetta came up from the lava, breathing a little heavier than Jaynix. Her armor was thinner; the run took more of a toll on her body. She stood straight within a few seconds.

“That was reckless. We both could’ve gotten severely injured by doing that.”

“Well, we’re both here in one piece, aren’t we?” Jaynix chuckled, though it quickly faded as she realized how serious Rosetta was being. “Mims can handle a lot of the things Mira can throw at us. I’ve run through lava a ton of times, you just need to be quick.”

“Next time, bring terrain damage reducer arguments,” Rosetta sighed, walking ahead. “Those work miracles. Better safe than sorry.”

“I get it,” Jaynix said as she tagged along after Rosetta.

They reached the entrance to the Antropolis, a narrow corridor that was too small for Skells to pass through - not that Jaynix ever thought about bringing Skells here. The idea made her shiver with fear, but she pushed it aside as they made it inside. A Definian and a Prone stood watch near the open area, though with Rosetta’s guidance they were able to slip past them both. Against a wall, they looked around.

“Anything?”

Jaynix shook her head. “Don’t see him. But this place is massive, so he very well might be. We just have to -”

Crunch.

Jaynix had stepped forward and onto something that squished beneath her feet. Raising an eyebrow she looked down, but quickly averted her gaze as the spiciness radiated off of the object. She could feel tears in the corners of her eyes, and with a sniffle, she laughed. “Charged Cayenne.”

“He was here, then.” Rosetta concluded, turning to face her right, where an entrance to a smaller area beckoned to them.

“Fucking Ganglion…” Jaynix growled under her breath. Of course Pongo didn’t respond to her messages, he was in this god-forsaken place! Captured or hiding or dead, nothing added up to a positive turnout. And nothing except the need to stay focused kept her from blasting the nearest Prone to bits with her gatling gun.

After a few minutes of sneaking around and no sign of him, Jaynix shook her head. “I’m worried, Rosie. If he’s not here, what if he’s -”

“We won’t know until we find him. For now, stay on task.” Rosetta told her calmly. “The sooner we find him, the better.”

Jaynix nodded, following Rosetta into another open cavern. The place was close to empty, with a few crates and boxes lined up against some of the circular walls. Upon hearing voices, they both bent down behind some of the convenient cover and listened.

“I still think we should kill him now.”

“That’s no fun! He will provide more if we use him as a bargaining chip. The humans will do anything for us if we offer the right conditions.”

“How do we know the humans are looking for him? He is blind. Useless.”

“They will come. Trust me. Stay on guard.”

Blind.

“Pongo. They have him.” Jaynix whispered.

“Wait...he’s blind?” Rosetta tilted her head.

“Well, no, but he’s got very special eyes. It looks like he is, but he isn’t.”

Rosetta nodded in understanding. Her dual swords were out in the blink of an eye, but she didn’t move from her position. “Can you take them both? I will have to stay guard. No doubt reinforcements will come once they hear the noise.”

“Oh, am I ready to wreck shop.”

Whipping out her gatling gun, Jaynix stood up. The two Prone standing guard saw her immediately, but it was too late for them. In a matter of seconds her bullets tore through their body like paper in a shredder, and once their bodies hit the floor, she got a good look at her surroundings. Next to one of the corpses sat Pongo, wide eyed at the scene before him. His hands were tied behind his back, his feet tied at the ankles, and though he was attempting communication, tape covered the bottom half of his mouth.

Jaynix jumped over the boxes and ran to him, putting her gatling gun to the side as she worked to undo his restraints. “Damn it, Pongo, you had me worried sick! Did they hurt you at all?”

“MmmmPHmmmm!” Pongo shook his head. “Gnnyphks mmmph mmm nmmmph aidmmph hmmm -”

Rrrrriiiiiip.

Off came the tape with a flick of Jaynix’s hand. Pongo’s eyes became as wide as the largest Miran moon. “Ow.”

“Sorry, figured you’d like to tell me what happened rather than have your mouth taped shut for the rest of your life,” Jaynix giggled, undoing the restraints around his ankles.

“Oh goodness, that would be awful! How would I ever be able to compliment people or ask Jo for the usual caramel macchiato or sing songs to people who come to the stand - THE STAND.”

“It’s fine, Pongo, nothing happened to it.” Jaynix couldn’t help but chuckle. Man, was she happy that Pongo was okay - and in his usual state of childish excitement.

Pongo sighed with relief as Jaynix undid the binds on his wrists. He shook them out, and they stood up together. Jaynix towered over him, and he had to crane his neck upward to meet her gaze. “Good to hear. Now as payment for rescuing me from this dark and terrible place I will prote -”

His gaze had wandered towards Rosetta without Jaynix realizing it - how could she?! He didn’t have pupils!! - and his lips parted ever so slightly. Her back was towards them, but that was probably for the best, because as with most new people, Pongo was starting to blush.

“J-Jaynix?...Who…” He stammered.

“Oh, that’s my friend, Rosetta!” Jaynix told him, “She’s with the Interceptors just like us! And she offered to help me find you!” With a playful nudge she added, “Isn’t she drop dead gorgeous?”

Pongo’s blush only continued to grow stronger. “Y-Yeah? D-definitely!! Just, ah...I d-did not...I…”

“C’mon, I’ll introduce ya!” She offered, beckoning him to follow her. Pongo gulped loudly and followed, his hands clenched up tightly at his sides. Jaynix knew he had trouble with new people, especially pretty people - well, who didn’t he think was pretty - but it was in his best interest to get some confidence.

As they approached, Rosetta turned her head. “Good to go?”

“Yep! Pongo, this is Rosetta. Rosetta, Pongo.” Jaynix made the appropriate hand gestures towards them both as she introduced them to each other.

“H-hi!...Pongo, yes, me! And you! Rosetta! Beautiful name, outstanding name, I should shut up before I say something stupid.” Pongo rubbed the back of his head. Jaynix had expected this, but at least this encounter was going better than what usually happened!

Rosetta began to blush herself upon hearing the tiny compliment, but with a swish of her hair she gave him a curt nod. “A pleasure to meet you.” Now addressing them both, she told them, “The coast seems clear. We’ll have to be quick, though, I don’t know if reinforcements are on their way or not.”

“Got it. Let’s get the fuck outta here,” Jaynix agreed.

Just as they had gotten in, they quietly made their way out - though Pongo was never one for stealth. Once or twice Jaynix had to drag him behind a wall to stop him from running into a pugilith on patrol. He did his best to stay with them, knowing very well that this place was dangerous, and the sooner they got out, the better. Jaynix could see that intense concentration in his eyes and was reminded of Rosetta’s focus. Maybe they had more in common than met the eye.

At the entrance of the cave, the three faced the lava. Pongo stepped out in front of them, glancing around to see if the nearby indigens would pose any threat to them. “Looks like we can run across without any concerns. Will you two be alright?”

Rosetta nodded. Jaynix stood next to Pongo, the lava’s light igniting the fire in her eyes. “We’ll be perfect. C’mon, let’s get outta here!”

She sprinted into the lava with no hesitation. Pongo giggled and was about to follow suite, but with a small turn of the head he noticed that Rosetta was simply standing there, watching Jaynix run. He offered a grin.

“Th-thanks, by the way.”

“Hmm?” She looked confused as he addressed her.

“For helping Jaynix find me. I am a total stranger to you and yet you came out here and…”

Understanding what he meant, she said, “I never turn down an opportunity to help. It’s what we do as Interceptors, right?”

Pongo nodded a few times. “Definitely! Helping people is a lot of fun, and I could never imagine doing anything else! Just, I felt it was right to thank you anyways because that is polite and I am polite - I think? Oh, I hope I am not being rude, tell me if I am being rude and I will -”

“You’re not,” Rosetta interrupted. “I understand. But I’m just doing my job.”

“And you are doing spectacular at it!” He chirped, turning to face the lava. Jaynix was across already and was waving to the two of them next to her rover. “I mean, you got in and out and only had to strike down the two Prone that kidnapped me - at least, I did not hear any other Prone dying while I was in there, you can tell me if I am wrong.”

“You’re right. We only killed the two.”

“That is awesome. I know the Ganglion are our enemy and all, but...well, killing more than we are supposed to kill, that is awful.” Pongo shrugged. “Going after them and slaughtering them after all we have both been through is excessive. I hope that makes sense.”

A warm breeze pushed back Rosetta’s bangs, and she moved them behind her ear as she replied, “It does. I can respect that. Now, let’s not keep Jaynix waiting.”

“Right!” Pongo said before he stepped out into the lava. It felt like warm water around the bottoms of his jeans, a strange tickling sensation that was nothing akin to the usual feeling of lava. But before he got too far, his head picked up and he turned back towards Rosetta. He pulled a tiny spherical object out of his pocket - an augment. “Oh, ah, do you need one of these? I always have extras on me just in case!”

She blinked. “Is that a terrain damage reducer?”

“It is!”

“I’ll take you up on the offer then.”

He tossed it over to her and she caught it with both hands, pressing it onto the hilt of her dual sword. Now, Pongo walked across calmly, feeling no need to run. After all, it wasn’t hurting him to take his time. Rosetta, however, ran across just as Jaynix had despite having the augment on. Once they were all together again, Jaynix laughed, hopping into the front seat of the rover. “C’mon then, off we go! This place is way too hot!”

Pongo chuckled. “Right. Definitely hot. Though maybe it is because of both of you being here at once - oh my gods no I did not mean -”

Rosetta felt her face flushing up again while Jaynix gave a confident nod. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case, Pongo. Now, do you want shotgun?”

“Why would I want a shotgun, I have my dual gu - oh, you mean the rover, right!” Pongo giggled at his own mistake. “So long as Rosetta does not want it, I shall ride the shotgun!”

Rosetta couldn’t help but give a small grin. “Go for it.”