“He has to be in here,” said Kron, holding his rifle with a firm grip as he walked into a small building. in the wasteland of the over world. Equipped in a protective suit with a tightly fitting mask over his face and snug goggles over his eyes, he lead his group of soldiers into the rustic home in search of their mark.

“Sensors ain’t showing nothing, Kron,” announced Buk, one of the men sent with him and wearing the same garb and wielding the same equipment. “If he’s here, he ain’t breathing.”

Kron chuckled as the two other men, Ancient, because of his feeble appearance and injury prone nature, and Red, for the bright, fiery hair he possessed, walked behind him with their weapons drawn. On their equipment was stamped POE, Protectors of Eden, their home since the solar apocalypse twelve years prior.

The four men walked through the home quietly, looking through the sensors in their helmets for any signs of life. Each man wore the same armor: thick chest pieces that covered their entire torso down to their waist line with a sensors reading all throughout; pants that were equipped with thick pieces of Kevlar on top of their thighs and shins,  also equipped with sensors; thick boots that picked up the type of terrain they were standing on; helmets that displayed all of the information in the area through their visors; and various attachments along their hands, forearms, and shoulders for increased optimization. Underneath their suits was a thin layer of cloth, geared to keep each soldier at the perfect temperature for their body.  Each soldier was equipped with a rifle that was programmed for their use, coded to their DNA and special requirements and requests.

As they walked through the home, they noticed the scenery closely. “Odd place,” said Red through his mouthpiece as they walked into the kitchen. The table was set with four plates sitting in position in front of each chair with silverware adorned on both sides. They continued to walk through to reach the living room, to find several cups and saucers sitting on a table in between the couch and television set. “It’s as if the world stopped,” he continued.

“It did,” said Kron as they continued to move through the living room, reaching the stairs and looking up through their sensors before continuing. “Red, Ancient, hang out down here and make sure no one cuts off our flank. Buk and I will investigate upstairs.”

“Affirmative, commander,” acknowledged Red and Ancient simultaneously as they positioned themselves near the stairs, using their sensors to keep an eye on anything moving. With a soft exhale, Buk took the first step up the stairs with Kron following close behind him, taking each step slowly as to not alert anyone of their presence. Though their sensors were showing no life forms present, they were aware that their target, Reginald Mitten, had eluded them before. Regarded as public enemy number one and referred to as one of the most dangerous men in Eden, Mitten possessed a ruthless nature that was only matched by his ability to evade POE.

Buk stepped into the first room at the top of the stairs and walked in slowly. He turned his gun toward the bed and looked over to see their target lying motionless. “Got him,” he whispered as Kron walked into the room behind him, both training their weapons on his chest. “Sensors are showing that he is breathing and that his heart is beating, but at only twenty beats per minutes.”

“How is that possible?” asked Kron as he stepped closer to Mitten. “Could it be cybernetics?”

“I’ve never seen a cybernetic implant that allowed the heart to not beat as much,” replied Buk as he moved in closer. “If anything, cybernetics put more of a strain on the heart.”

“He could have a new heart,” whispered Ancient through the headset from downstairs.

Buk and Kron glanced over at each other before Buk stepped over to the other end of the bed, keeping his gun trained on Mitten as they surrounded him. “We’ll find out soon enough,” he said as he reached his arm out and shook Mitten, bringing him out of a deep sleep.  “Reginald Mitten, you’re under arrest!” he screamed as he leaped onto the bed and turned him over, grabbing both of his hands and placing them behind his back. Kron walked forward and secured his hands with cuffs, followed by shackles on his ankles.

“We got him,” said Kron with a smile as he connected the chains between both sets of restraints. “We finally got him.”

Mitten was incredibly groggy as he was assisted off the bed by the two soldiers and pushed toward the stairs. “Prepare the transport, Red. This guy has a court date he has to attend.”