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Zaku looked more than exhausted, but didn't give up. Utilizing each rest point to full advantage before pushing himself to keep up with Tri. With how things were going, he didn't want to waste any time on his own weaknesses.

As they finally landed in Hinale, he stumbled as feet touched the ground, actually falling forward to his hands and knees out of breath. Thankfully the sun was rising and that would boost his energy back up enough to keep moving until he could eventually rest.

Pushing himself to a stand, he staggered then exhaled deeply. Saying nothing, he merely followed Tri. He appeared to know the way or at least had an idea of what to look for here.

Zaku kept pace, a hand over his stomach where it hurt the most and a general sense of exhaustion hitting him from all angles. Listening to the rumors as they walked, he suddenly picked up pace despite the pain to walk side-by-sude with Tri. "...it's too coincidental to ignore... we need to find where they took that girl... if Hexxis isn't where you think she might be. Make sure it wasn't her." he spoke quietly to him, his voice serious and his expression stoic but concerned.

"No. Any injured would be healed or transfered by now... And they wouldn't release where theyd take her." He was looking around as he suddenly turned down an alleyway and moved to a backdoor and put his back against the side of the door frame and knocked on the door softly in a pattern. The door opened a jar and piercing orange eyes stared at Zaku. "I heard there was a situation with a girl running around with a sword and was taken by criel. How long ago did that happen and where did they take her?" There was a long pause as the eyes shifted, narrowed, then looked back to Zaku.

"Last night. She was screaming for help but there were too many criel goons to try and step in. Any way, they took her toward the west... So my bet is on the off sight."

Zaku nodded, "Thank you."

"You know you could always come back..."

"Thanks, but I'll pass. I have something else in doing now. The fight isn't over, but sometimes life has different plans for us. I wish you luck." The eyes seemed the bow and the door closed. Zaku pushed off the wall and took flight to the west. "Let's hurry."

[Good Fortune 1/5 used]

As they made it closer to the shore, there was a small drop off that broke to the beach below it. Flying down, he landed to show a metal door in the side of the drop off. The paint on it said 'High Voltage Electrical Equipment. Do not Enter.' "This place was discovered by the Renegades years ago as an off site for an NBR location..." he explained, turning to look at Tri. "New Beginnings Research... a Haven facility. They think she's being held here..."

Zaku moved to twist the locked door handle, trying it a second time to get it open and moving inside. A stairwell that led downward into a standard research center. Surprisingly, there was no one there as far as staff and there were several patient rooms down one coordiror.

Zaku was far more determined than to stop here, willing to burn whatever luck he had just to make sure they got to Hexxis. Although, Tri grabbing his arm, he blinked and looked back. s**t, security. He was better than this. Damn the fatigue. He was about to brace for what would be Criel forces and alarms and gunfire. But there was only silence. Was she not here? Was the information wrong?

Taking a slow breath, he nodded to Tri and moved into the building slowly, keeping his senses as alert as possible for anything that would warrant any kind of alarm. Yet, the only alarming part of it was that is was eerie quiet. No noise, nothing at all. It didn't seem like anyone was here. Staff or patient. Zaku narrowed his eyes. Something felt very off but he couldn't put his finger on it.

[TW: blood, written gore]

Zaku looked to Tri and nodded, halting at the command and watching him split himself into a shadowed bird as it flew off.

The first patient room actually looked like it had been recently used, monitors still on as there was a table with straps in the middle of the room and a set up of machine attached to it that sent high voltage currents to whoever was strapped down into the mechanism. The room, however, was empty.

The next several rooms were empty as well.

It wasn't until the second to last room that the bird would find why the facility was empty. The first notable sight of this room was the amount of blood, followed quickly by the sight of Hexxis' cold body left sprawled on the floor on her side with her own sword shoved through her chest from the front piercing through her lung as it appeared she'd been bleeding out, dark almost black blood pooled up around her body. Eyes half open as blood and tears covered her face and her hands were covered in blood.

Further inspection of the room would only display even more gruesome of a scene. Someone had been strapped to the lone table within, a dark-skinned arm still attached to one of the wrist straps, severed haphazardly at the shoulder, a cleaver still wedged deep into the metal of the table where it had been detached. And two legs that attached in the same fashion to the ankle restraints, cleanly cut just above the knees. There was a small stand of instruments where there was a bloody scalpel, and on the floor was a large knife also covered in blood.

Hexxis wasn't moving as she lay there in the silence of the room.

Zaku showed a flicker of alarm as Tri took off running, quickly darting behind him, as he silently prayed in his mind. But when Tri threw open the door and ran to Hexxis, Zaku's heart sank. Taking in only a glimpse of the scene before running to Hexxis' other side as he stared in fear, hoping Tri found a pulse.

Her body was eerily still, her grayed eyes void of life as there was no pulse to be found. There was blood that had dried down her mouth like she had been struggling to breathe before it ceased completely. It was difficult to tell whether she had died from suffocation or blood loss but it was now very clear she was no longer alive.

Zaku covered his mouth, trying to hold back tears as he looked away. This was difficult to look at, the mortality of it all. It wasn't long before he was denying this, moving his hands to her heart and sending healing to her. Anything, any hope at all to bring her back. They had done it before, hadn't they? Maybe.. maybe if he focused everything he had, he could bring her back. He couldn't let her die in a place like this, reasoning with himself as if there was any possibility to save her.