《Harbinger: Infinity [Mecha Drama]》


 001 - Prologue

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    ¡°If you were like me, with a cracked visor stuck to your helmet, you can¡¯t see anything but darkness. With a full system shutdown, you can¡¯t hear much of what¡¯s going on outside, either. With no working ventilation, breathing becomes more difficult. And with a concussion, you can¡¯t even make left from right. I don¡¯t know how else to describe the situation I was in.¡°


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    The trapped pilot mustered up the strength to do the only thing that came to mind. Through labored breaths, she frantically kicked the door panel in front of her, but the padding only sent her foot reeling back in vain. Dizzy and struggling to stay in focus, she propped her feet against the same door panel, this time using whatever she had left in her attempt to pry it open. Nausea kicked in as her legs fell limp.


    ¡°No, no, please,¡± she mumbled amidst her panicked breathing. The ground shook under her back, signaling the approaching footsteps of metal upon asphalt, and it was as if she knew she was once again its target.


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    ¡°And I knew exactly who it was that was after me. At this point in time, why wouldn¡¯t he want me dead?"


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    The footsteps suddenly came to a halt, but experience convinced her it was in the air now, lunging towards her, shooting that final surge of adrenaline through her as if to scream out and plead for her life. Her feet once more found themselves against the door panel, pushing out with all her might. Just as the joints to the lower panel began to creak under stress, an unfamiliar roar of boosting thrusters zoomed overhead, searing hot air rushing through the newly opened crevice between the door panels.


    A volley of gunfire boomed and echoed, sending her already pounding head for another violent loop as she screamed out in excruciating pain. Silence never came as the sound of the rushing hot air around her continued endlessly. Was it there to save her? The thought was short-lived as she struggled to keep her focus.


    "Confirm your status,¡± a woman¡¯s voice spoke over a loudspeaker.


    The tone was almost robotic. It wasn¡¯t a voice she recognized, but it was nevertheless a sign she was being rescued. Her hands fumbled around her helmet¡¯s strap mounts to either side of her head, haplessly attempting to remove the contraption from her head so as to see or hear better what was going on. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Words were difficult to come by in this physical state, much less enough breath to push out through her vocal cords. Dizziness grew stronger. Her fight against blacking out quickly grew weaker with each second passing. It was then she felt herself being dragged away. She could sense the metal beneath her scraping, pulling away from the direction of the threat as she finally gathered a semblance of her orientation; She had been lying on her back facing upwards this whole time.


    As soon as whatever it was that had a grip on her had let go, she felt a rush of cooler air as well as blinding light from outside pour in. She once again thought to reach for her helmet strap mounts but couldn¡¯t find the strength.


    ¡°Easy, easy!!¡± she heard a man¡¯s voice before she felt herself being carefully lifted out by two sets of arms.


    ¡°No neck injuries apparent, let¡¯s get her out, quick!¡± another man¡¯s voice added.


    But that pilot was sure she was going to die where she lay. Even with the expected comfort to overpower her fears, her mind was now affixed to the thought ¡°but, how?¡±


    Her death was that certain to her. Her left thumb finally found its way to the release tab, allowing her to jerk away the strap that held the broken helmet on. As the helmet rolled off her head and fell to the back of the cockpit below her, the lights from above had her once again quickly overcome with pain. ¡°Why¡­ who¡­ who are you!?¡±


    ¡°Confirm your status!¡± the robotic voice from above once more shouted over its loudspeaker with a possible hint of impatience.


    ¡°Who are you!?¡± the pilot again shouted, running out of breath.


    ¡°This is Galatine. Your survival status has been confirmed.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure who or what Galatine was. She was even less sure how she was even able to sit upright and who had been helping her up.


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    ¡°But of course, it wasn¡¯t who I thought it would be there to save me. The ones I needed most were the ones I abandoned emotionally... even literally left for dead for all it amounted to... all when it mattered most. I didn¡¯t care at what cost it would come at that time, but damn, what I wouldn¡¯t have given up to be the one hovering above me more than anything... To just make it all go away... to make it all right again.¡±


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    The nevertheless reassuring pair of arms behind her continued to keep a grip on her before she felt herself being carried away. ¡°Is she¡­ she a Harbinger¡­ here to save¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, come on, Sam! Stay with us!¡± the ever-distancing voice from one of the men earlier rang out from one side of her.


    ¡°Is this even the right pilot?!¡± the other man continued from the other side. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your name, pilot!?¡±


    ¡°My name? ¡­ I¡­ what are¡­¡±


    It was no good. The fight was over, and everything went numb from that point.


    All silence¡­


    All darkness¡­


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    <hr>


    ¡°You know, that was a good question once I got around to thinking about it. Who am I, really? Who have I been? Someone who, instead of sticking it out for law school, chose this¡­ for what? Me, a hopeless, helpless wreck, chasing a lost cause? Chasing a title? Chasing¡­ what? To think I have found myself thrown across several continents to still come up empty handed¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for sharing that, Samantha,¡± a calm, yet seemingly impatient male voice spoke up. ¡°Please, tell me, do you think you will ever become that so-called Harbinger?¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± she chuckled under her breath, masking the pain. ¡°No, not yet. Not until I''ve lost everything.¡±


    There was a period of silence only to be disrupted by the bumping of a stylus to a digital pad. ¡°I see. Well then, before I start with my side of things, could you remind me how this little journey of yours began?¡±


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    (Months Earlier)


    ¡°Now arriving, Sumeria Central Terminal.¡±


    Aqua-green eyes snapped open and then snapped closed once again as the programmed artificial sunlight blindingly filtered in. Yet it wasn¡¯t enough to deter their owner, as they opened once again, this time a bit more slowly to allow them to properly adjust. It was as the announcement was made a second time that she finally moved, rising to her feet and stretching as the train gently came to a stop, a yawn escaping her lips as she worked out the kinks in her body brought on a deliberate lack of proper sleep. Grabbing her purse, she made to join the throng of people exiting the train. Unable to resist the release of another deep yawn, she glanced up at the information board that highlighted the incoming and outgoing shuttles, idly noting that her shuttle to Akkadia One was still running on time. Fortunately, that on time was still another hour and a half away, which would allow her to exorcise her current status for something a tad bit better.


    Satisfied with that goal, she made her way to a nearby cafe, ordering herself an espresso and finding herself a seat outside the cafe, allowing the combination of warm artificial sunlight and caffeine to slowly drag her awake. It was only after half of the espresso had been consumed that she felt suitable enough to deal with the other facets of her early morning. Withdrawing her phone from her purse, she touched the screen and brought up a holographic display. Lazily perusing it, she found what she wanted, before setting it down upon the table at an angle and tapping an icon.


    It responded immediately at the command input, light generating up into the air and coalescing to provide a mirror image for her to inspect. Under ordinary circumstances, the visage of deep dark circles under her eyes, and lightly mussed black hair with arctic white strips on one side lazily tied into a messy ponytail would have been enough for the weekend; unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t for where she was going.


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    Sighing deeply, she dug back into her purse and withdrew a brush and some make-up with the firm intent of concealing her late evening from the type of parties who would voice their opinion rather vigorously to her chagrin. Luckily, she had been fortunate in the genetic lottery, requiring only a few minutes to touch herself up and make herself appear respectable again. Satisfied that at least she had that fire put out, she closed the application before ordering another espresso and a snack, taking the time as she finished polishing off the bitter drink by reading through social media. It was as the second espresso was placed before her, with a small cake, that the holographic display changed to show that she had an incoming call. Reading the name, she couldn¡¯t help the sigh that escaped her lips as she felt a headache that she thought she had been free of from last night begin anew. Knowing that refusing to answer the call would only delay the inevitable, she hit the activation stub, watching as the screen changed to the image of an older, near-spitting image of herself if she had a medium tan and hazel-green eyes.


    ¡°I just sat down,¡± she began, trying, and failing, to keep the irritation out of her tone. It was honestly too early to deal with this, yet it appeared that she had no choice in the matter.


    ¡°Well hello to you too, Samantha,¡± Amelie Delacroix responded with a hint of tart of her own, ¡°I just wanted to let you know that your father won¡¯t be there to pick you up when you arrive. The hospital called him again. Your grandfather¡¯s treatment suffered another setback and they want to consult with him on what the options are going forward.¡±


    Samantha grimaced, feeling a bit guilty for her initial attitude now. Grayson Knight, her grandfather, had been diagnosed with Alzheimer¡¯s nearly six years ago. Normally, such a thing would have been easily treatable, almost an afterthought, but the elder Knight had been one of the few who were resistant to the general treatment. It had been a slow, inexorable, decline that had been made only more difficult for her because her grandfather had been the man who had largely raised both her older brother and herself.


    ¡°How bad is it,¡± she found herself asking, not wanting, yet at the same time wanting to know.


    There was a long pause from her mother, before she slowly shook her head, ¡°Alexander didn¡¯t say,¡± she finally said, ¡°but he sounded,¡± she paused again, obviously looking for the right word, ¡°defeated.¡±


    Nodding dejectedly, she took a sip from her espresso. There wasn¡¯t much she could say on the subject that had not already been gone over so many times before. It was the harsh reality of the situation.


    ¡°By the way,¡± Amelie started, obviously looking to change away from the unhappy subject, ¡°I never got your progress report.¡±


    ¡°Mom,¡± she groaned, not liking the subject matter, ¡°really?¡±


    ¡°Sam, please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re coming home with less-than-pleasant news,¡± her mother demanded, ¡°it¡¯s the last thing either your father or I need. There¡¯s a lot of money riding on your education.¡±


    This time she couldn¡¯t help but scowl, ¡°Yeah, a lot of dad¡¯s money, Mom. It¡¯s not like you bothered to ask what I wanted to do with my life before spending the money.¡±


    The groan from the other end was audible, as Amelie took the time to rub her forehead, ¡°Sam, we¡¯ve had this discussion before. Even Alexander agrees you have a lot of potential at being a good lawyer. It¡¯s a good-paying job, and you already have a foot in the door at your grandfather¡¯s firm. Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re throwing all of that away.¡±


    "Maybe being a lawyer is in my future, Mom. But I just don¡¯t feel it right now. I¡¯m twenty-five and you¡¯ve spent the last decade planning my future without any of my input. If you want to lose me like you did Isaiah, you can keep this up, or you can just let me breathe.¡±


    It was cruel of her to do this, but frankly, she was just over it. It wasn¡¯t the matter of her mother understanding her situation and her unhappiness with it, she was just sick and tired of her obsession with planning her future. It was why she was pretty sure her older brother, Isaiah, had left three years ago. It hadn¡¯t mattered to their mother and father that he was working a job that paid handsomely and left him financially secure; they had disapproved because it was with the military. She could still remember the arguments that had raged in the household for years after the Second Earth-Space War. They had hounded Isaiah to resign his commission insisting that he get a real job despite the plaudits and laurels he had accrued during his meteoric rise in the military after his conscription at the age of fifteen. She didn¡¯t know what had been going through his head towards the end, but there had been no warning when he suddenly resigned his commission and disappeared. It had honestly been the final nail in the coffin of their already fracturing family, with her parents divorcing in all but reality, and her father withdrawing himself from their daily lives. But the worst part of it all was that it had deprived her of the brother she had looked up to, providing an example that she could only hope to emulate. It was largely why she was doing what she was now, following in his footsteps in a way.


    ¡°If it¡¯ll make you feel better, Mom,¡± she decided to offer an olive branch, ¡°it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have a job at the moment. My third month¡¯s paycheck from Hexa cleared last night if it¡¯s money you¡¯re so worried about."


    ¡°Being a mercenary,¡± was the spat answer, ¡°Sam, you have no idea who you are getting in bed with. Vincent Vrey is never in your life going to be a man you can trust."


    Isaiah never seemed to have a problem with him, Sam had to fight the urge to retort that factoid, knowing damned well it''d only incense her mother further. She didn''t know why both her parents looked poorly upon the CEO of Hexa International, only that they had some sort of irrational dislike for a man who had been quite supportive of her joining the Infinity Project.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom, all Mister Vrey pays me to do is to do routine simulation checks, and when I have the time, I get to do a few real test runs with other pilots. Nothing too serious, and the pay¡¯s plenty good enough.¡±


    It was obvious to her that her mother wasn¡¯t buying it, but if she didn¡¯t want to accept that this was what she wanted, then that was her problem. She was done trying to make her parents happy by making herself miserable, and if that caused her to break with them like Isaiah, so be it. Not like she was cutting off one¡¯s nose to spite one¡¯s face.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Amelie finally said, recognizing the impasse, ¡°you get to explain to your father your new life goals, he¡¯ll be absolutely delighted in your choice,¡± and Sam couldn¡¯t help but wince. Yeah, just what she wanted, another one of those quiet, awkward conversations with her father that he only seemed to have with her when he could be bothered, or when her mother had badgered him enough, ¡°and you may want to make sure Mr. Vrey,¡± she sneered at the name, ¡°doesn¡¯t decide to alter his deal with you and ship you Earthside to show off his toys. See you at dinner.¡±


    And with that, she cut the link, leaving Sam staring at emptiness for a few moments before her mind began processing what had been said. That very next moment she immediately accessed her phone, looking through the recent news from Earth. It was a poorly hidden fact to anyone within the family that her mother had never really retired from her clandestine establishment, despite claims to the contrary. While she may no longer be taking part in field operations, she still kept her toes in the metaphorical water, keeping herself informed on events in the Earth sphere that fit within her job as a ¡®security consultant¡¯. As much as she wanted not to admit it, there was a distinct possibility that despite the cattiness of the moment, there was some truth to what she was saying.


    Can¡¯t be Dhaka or Yangon, she thought to herself, continuing her perusal, if Mister Vrey was going to do something with me like that, it would have been during the initial rollout. And it appears they are contained at the moment, so it wouldn¡¯t make sense to deploy me there.


    Her brow furrowed, switching tracks as she quickly logged into the message board that served the various members of Project Infinity. If she wanted any scuttlebutt on what may be on the horizon, it was likely to be there. It only took her a few more minutes, but she found her possible answer.


    Where the hell is Colombia, she thought to herself, even as she selected the news link, replacing the screen with a video feed of a reporter in front of a massive dilapidated bipedal mech sprawled over the crumbled remains of the building it had collapsed upon. The mech had significant cosmetic damage to it along with the evidence of a lack of maintenance, but the most telling damage was the large hole rent in the chest of the mech where the cockpit bloc was. It was easy to tell by her eyes that that had been the killing blow.


    ¡°Local Colombian paramilitary officials have confirmed reports on the identity of the pilot of the Allied A-7 behind me as Tomas Secada, a former Staff Sergeant of the now-defunct Confederation military and veteran of the Second Earth-Space War. Secada was part of an attack by anti-government insurrectionists upon the parliament building that was repelled by the local paramilitary groups. While an investigation is now underway as to how a mechanized bipedal unit found its way into the hands of terrorists, sources have confirmed that Secada has been identified as one of the ringleaders of the current unrest plaguing Colombia. This is the latest in a series of escalations that have gripped the capital here in Bogota after protestors took to the streets nearly three months ago after President Torres refused to acknowledge demands to reform the government and relinquish more authority and representation to the open public. President Torres also made remarks this morning on how violence needs to be off everyone¡¯s list of acceptable paths to change.¡±


    Sam then flicked the screen down as she saw an image that caught her full attention. She clicked on it to enlarge, pressing play soon after.


    ¡°These you see here were once prototype quarter-scale mechanized bipedal infantry, also known as LTACs, that have been showing up in the aftermath of the A-7 assault on the parliament,¡± a different reporter¡¯s voice read aloud, speaking of the smoldering remains of what was a mech but paled in comparison to the size of most mechs of the era as it sat between two apartment buildings on a 6 lane-wide street. ¡°It¡¯s been six months since the AiX raid on Hexa International¡¯s testing grounds in Australia. It¡¯s still to be determined who has found ways to reproduce these smaller mechs, but their proficiency for urban combat has been proven quite deadly, as the protesting guerilla forces across various locations around the globe have utilized them with much more success against government military forces trying to put a stop to it all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Bernaud variety, but I guess the news can¡¯t say that,¡± Sam said to herself under her breath. ¡°I guess things are progressing faster than they led on, and maybe I might have to upgrade my status from simulation sit-by¡¯s to active roster.¡±


    ¡°Hexa International CEO and Founder Vincent Vrey met with Greece¡¯s prime minister earlier last night and held talks of the hastening of their recruitment centers which are planned for use in conjunction with any hiring government in need of bolstered security, especially areas under threat of attack by the unidentified underground-led protest groups.¡± Sam shifted her posture as she accidentally knocked a napkin off of the table. As she chased it, the reporter continued: ¡°Protest groups still clamor for the restoration of the Worldwide International Confederacy which had been dissolved on August 1<sup>st</sup> of 2163, just months after the end of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Earth-Space War. The common theme remains that the main powers refuse to divide aid and protect trade relations as they once did during the Confederacy and that the end of the Confederacy brought about the rapidly rising poverty rates in certain countries that needed such programs to remain in place.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the message, Ms. Choi,¡± another reporter¡¯s voice said as Sam took her seat back. ¡°Representatives, who aren¡¯t yet confirmed to be official, have spoken with us on their key concerns. They resort to violence as they can¡¯t find any other means to bring about international attention to their circumstances.¡± The continued images showed neighborhoods wrecked by not only poverty but violence as well. ¡°Countries such as those in Southeast Asia had normalized wealth distribution curves never seen prior to the 2100¡¯s, but the disruption brought about by the sudden breakup of the Confederacy has sent those numbers crashing, putting them in worse situations than any living generation has seen. We are talking about 2040¡¯s to 2060¡¯s here, pre-World War 3 decades here. But they continued by saying that while the military response was expected, the security package forces starting to get sent in by the space proxy giant Hexa International has been the largest possible slap in the face-¡±


    Sam turned off the feed. ¡°That¡¯s enough, tired of hearing all that bullshit.¡± She grabbed her things and headed for the shuttle boarding gate. As she continued her brisk pace, she tapped her earpiece once more: ¡°Yeah, I am about to board now¡­ damn right I got wiped out, barely with the living as we speak, hoping this shit I took gets me past the hangover. Forget the exam, I got other plans¡­ No, not that¡­ nevermind, hey, I gotta go- will get with you later, girl. Bye.¡±


    Talking briefly with her friend did nothing to placate the knot in her stomach. She knew she had nothing to look forward to in her brief return home. Just get past this and everything will go back to how it was, she told herself. But who was she kidding? Part of her insisted that this be a visit where she undoes that something to make things never go back to how they were.


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    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    A small, brightly white painted shuttle craft sped past a Space Traffic Control station as it headed for a large satellite facility just beyond the farthest end of Eden Territory¡¯s outermost and largest space nation, Akkadia One. The facility was just coming into view as the sunlight coming from the other side of Earth broke the eclipse, illuminating its features that were unique to old war fortresses and outposts. Turret emplacements had been long-since removed, but the battered shielding that surrounded them remained, serving perhaps as a war memorial judging by its appearance alone, although the myriad of circling commercial and industrial shuttles suggested otherwise.


    Retroboosters firing, the white passenger shuttle eased in and pulled up to the farthest-reaching dock to the station as it latched onto it, synchronizing itself with the rotational speed that provided the artificial gravity. After the dozen passengers adjusted to that change and their regaining of their sense of weight, they disembarked and found their way beyond the connecting terminal where multiple posters read ¡°Welcome to Jazira Station¡± and into the main atrium where they saw what resembled many of the spaceports found across the territory.


    ¡°Here to see Director Channing,¡± the young woman up front spoke with a greeting nod, placing her feet over the ID mat in front of the check-in counter. The screen on the other end of the counter read ¡°Daja Castille - Hexa International ¨C Recruitment Specialist¡± along with the displaying of the face recognition check.


    ¡°Sorry, Ms. Castille, she just checked out this morning. Mr. Vrey sent out an emergency notice, calling for several Directors to meet at the West Pacific Number Six immediately. She won¡¯t be back for a few weeks I¡¯m afraid,¡± the receptionist replied as she reached for a mobile scanner and placed it on the counter between them. ¡°But she did leave assignments for her recruiter groups, including yours. Please accept the files she left,¡± she continued, motioning them to place their mobiles over the scanner.


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± the woman fussed to her peers as she scanned her mobile, pulling it back to review the files received. ¡°Sorry,¡± she spoke back to the receptionist with a smile that begged forgiveness. ¡°We just seemed to have run into a lot of last-minute cancellations today. But we have other business here so we will be on our way. Thank you!¡± She stepped off to the side as the others checked in, glancing at her screen that showed the first file uploaded. ¡°Oh wow, can you believe Nguyen ended up getting shipped to Bangladesh? When did this happen?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that kid?¡± a slightly older man asked as he too stepped away from the check-in counter and walked over to join her. ¡°I remember him, the kid from Casares, right?¡±


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s the guy my boss told me to aim for since our space-side recruit numbers have been dwindling, but some other group snatched him.¡± She then started chuckling, rocking back and forth on her heels. ¡°Sam was supposed to join us as well,¡± she added with a shrug of disappointment. ¡°She¡¯s normally here so much it¡¯s almost like she lives here. Strange she¡¯s been gone for over a week, now.¡±


    ¡°She had a big exam, didn¡¯t she?¡± another younger man asked as he rejoined the group.


    ¡°She does, technically, but it¡¯s not like she has any intention of passing,¡± she answered back with a roll of her eyes. ¡°She and her buddies were supposed to go out tonight, knowing good and damn well that we had this one night locked out of our schedule.¡±


    ¡°Hah, what¡¯s the deal on her anyway? I keep hearing her name,¡± a second young woman joined as she overheard the conversation. ¡°That Knight girl, right? The one with the Harbinger dad and brother?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, Alexander and Isaiah Knight, I think¡±


    ¡°Right, those guys.¡± The air around them stiffened at the mention of those names. ¡°And little Sammy, fresh out of school and no tag to her name to keep her from the game¡­ living that Hexa Pilot Trainee motto, deep prior knowledge of warfare equipment, excellent results with pilot training, good academic records, solid references, and a clean, healthy lifestyle,¡± she spoke with thick sarcasm as she quoted the recruitment pitch in a manner that could convince anyone within earshot she had recited it ad nauseum over her career.


    <hr>


    Preface Part 1


    It is the year 2176. It¡¯s been thirteen years since a thirty-six-month war raged between politically and fundamentally different ideals of the global confederacy RANE, the original union of space nations known as Eden, and a breakaway union of space nations known as Casares, ending in a treaty that not only prevented further use of trade embargoes or sanctions as a weapon between the Earth and space, but also dissolved the global confederacy RANE effective months after the signing of the treaty. That war was already the second war of its kind, which happened ten years prior over space colony rights, leading to their independence from the Earth. It doesn¡¯t seem that the current events are pointing to any global scale war like before whatsoever, yet the tension levels within each troubled nation could be argued an equal level as they were during the war. Many nations did not take the dissolution of the confederacy well, and power struggles that were solved by central authorities left the void to be filled by more corrupt individuals even by comparison to those in power prior to the confederacy. This led to problems such as explosions in poverty levels and exponential wealth gap increases in as short as a year, crippling what used to be strong, healthy economies. As a result, many of these struggling nations without assistance from their former partner nations are seeing massive uprisings and surges in violence, using any means necessary to gather the desired attention to their cause, expecting either intervention or for the ruling parties to step down. Ultimately, most of what they were clamoring for was either the restoration of their prosperity they were stripped of, or the restoration of the confederacy, which seemed to be the farthest from realistic without a major turn of opinion by major world powers (and in turn violating the treaty). What remains to fill the void if either happens is yet to be determined, but until then, what has been observed is that the affected countries either fight to suppress the protesting and violence, or they see their hopelessness and reach out to hire outside help to do the suppressing.


    Hexa International was formed by former Vrey Robotics (Hong Kong) CEO and Founder Vincent Vrey not long after the Second Earth-Space War with its headquarters established in Akkadia One rather than back on Earth. His products were focused on making use of his robotic technology in in-home appliances and life essentials such as those with special medical needs. But because of his history in the previous war with mech warfare and their operating systems, his expertise was bought up by former Sumerian military giant Mugen, and the ideas to create the desired security forces began in 2174, where the first drafts of the concept LTAC (Light-duty TACtics) were drawn up. These smaller mechs were about a fourth of the size of a typical MBI such as the A-7 or the Sumere (~5m tall vs ~20m) from the last war, built to handle lighter combat within packed urban environments and cause as little collateral damage as possible. The first LTAC designs, labeled the Hexa AiX models, were first tested in artificial, simulated Earth gravity at the Akkadia-operated Jazira Station not far from Eden. When they were being loaded back up for return after testing, one cargo ship was stolen after an ambush, disappearing off to somewhere on Earth. The Jaziran Heist marked the beginning of the harshest uptick in resistance violence across the globe as a popular underground dealer Bernaud reverse engineered the Hexa-made AiX, using them with extreme effectiveness against urban combat-designed tanks and armored vehicles. Not long after, the unidentifiable powers utilizing such tactics began to take on a new identity ¡°The Underground¡±. This gave rise to the demand by various countries for LTAC provisions, by which Hexa had to make their own internal changes before planning as to whether or not they would benefit filling out such orders.


    After deliberation for a year, on August 2<sup>nd</sup>, 2175, Infinity launched. This was Hexa International¡¯s volunteer security program they created to not only make official use of their LTAC-based services where requested, they would also provide trained pilots, tactical and logistics leaders, and mechanical crews. These security packages would be leased to the countries providing pay, and not long after, several Earth countries began requesting the building of Infinity recruitment centers within their borders to hasten and ease accessibility and support. The original recruitment center started in Akkadia One, followed by one in Casares, then was followed by the first Earth-based center in Athens, Greece. By this day, there are a total of twelve Infinity recruitment hubs on Earth.


    Recruitment wasn¡¯t exactly simple, however, when public image and reputation would be of utmost importance. Former pilots of the previous war initially seemed quite drawn to the ample pay, insurance benefits, travel opportunities, housing, and bonuses as a great way to re-establish their place in life, but Vincent made it clear with his direction with Infinity. Global security was of utmost importance, but right alongside it would be maintaining consistency and rationality. He knew the protests were not of anything sinister, but something that had to be contained, subdued, and controlled to allow more peaceful solutions to come about, which was right in toe with what each hiring government preached. He had to have high standards for the recruits, and since a stable psyche was one of the ideal requirements, he closed off all recruiting from any former war pilot. This angered many but couldn¡¯t be helped. This is how Samantha A. Knight got her position after recruitment. She was the daughter of two former war pilots and a graduate of the Akkadian Naval Prep Academy (High School), currently enrolled in Gehret Memorial Law School in Sumeria. She was also a prime example of the qualities desired: deep prior knowledge of warfare equipment, excellent results with pilot training, good academic records, solid references, and a clean, healthy lifestyle.

 002 - No Approval Needed

    The clock struck 1AM on Sam¡¯s mobile, lighting up the mess on the table that was cluttered with mostly empty drinking glasses, purses, and other mobiles. The mobile screen then quickly switched to another call notification coming from ¡°Dad¡±. The blaring music from the club dampened the slamming door that closed behind a disgruntled man in his late forties, dressed in a business suit and lightweight designer trench coat with tied back arctic white hair. He briskly walked through the crowd in the middle, dodging bodies left and right before finding the ringing mobile as if it was calling to him from across the room. His pale blue eyes nearly matched the color of Sam¡¯s as they found her at the table nearby, half slumped over her chair back, laughing away at another girl¡¯s story, both wearing revealing party dresses. He quickly walked over to pick up the mobile along with her bag, proceeded to grab her by the arm without a word, and firmly began to drag her towards the exit.


    ¡°Dad! What the- dad let me go!¡±


    ¡°Like hell I will,¡± he grumbled back, barely audible over the music, still pulling her along and back between the moving crowd. ¡°You can¡¯t even walk straight, much less on your own!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this! I, I-¡° she sputtered as she managed to wiggle free, stumbling to the ground in an awkward fashion. Her dad picked her up with an embarrassed face to match, this time holding her up by the shoulders before guiding her back towards the exit.


    ¡°Sam, I swear, you are twenty-five and you think you can drink your way out of that failed bar exam?! I¡¯m taking your drunk ass home before you make a fool out of me any more than you already have!¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    It was much easier for him to think now that they were outside in a more controlled environment. And before opening his mouth, he realized the irony of the situation unfolding: treating a woman as if she were a child at this point in life had to be a major part of the problem, yet unable to put away the inner parental grip that continued to suffocated their relationship.


    ¡°Get in, go on, I got your shit already, see?¡± he continued grumbling as he showed Sam her bag and its contents, seeing that she was about to panic over her belongings. He helped her take her seat in the back of their car as the seatbelts engaged. He then took his seat and pulled away, taking a breath as to try and start over. ¡°I saw the results, but rather than yell about your failed second attempt, I¡¯d like to ask, what is it you¡¯d rather be doing? I think this is a message you are trying to send me or your mother with this 35% score.¡±


    Lovely, here we go yet again! Sam thought as her stomach tensed into a knot. ¡°I thought¡­¡± she started, scrambling to gather a response. ¡°Wait, dad, how did you even get the score? I didn¡¯t send it to you or mom!¡± Are they spying on me?


    She didn¡¯t notice his eyes roll as she thumbed through her mobile to see a message sent at 11:57pm to Alexander Knight, labeled ¡°Dad¡±. ¡°Ah, damn it. I did, didn¡¯t I,¡± she let out in defeat. ¡°Yeah, that¡­ that was meant for Daja, not you.¡±


    ¡°Clearly,¡± he smugly replied. But by this point, Alexander felt the weight of the atmosphere push him away from his overused lecture to the all-too-common emotionally charged deflection. He took another breath, collecting himself. ¡°Sam, what is going on? Or do I need to wait for your head to clear up in the morning?¡±


    Odd¡­ that¡¯s all he¡¯s going to say? Her eyes wandered off to the passing buildings seen through her window. ¡°You know, normally you are a lot madder than this. Like last time. And the time before that.¡±


    ¡°Last time I thought would be the last. Sam, you keep going out to these, I don¡¯t know, parties and getting piss drunk¡­ for what I don¡¯t fucking know, but shit, Sam, I don¡¯t know what to do anymore. I ran out as soon as I could as I think I¡¯d rather have things lined up before your mom starts interrogating. You are normally at home by eleven, midnight at latest.¡±


    Sam laughed through her nose the instant she heard that line. ¡°Isaiah never had curfews.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s probably another reason why he¡¯s gone,¡± he let out with a sigh. ¡°We let him do too much on his own after we had those bouts with his undergrad studies and keeping him away from work, which unlike you, he never finished, remember? I thought letting go would be better for everyone. Both me and your mother can¡¯t just keep letting you destroy yourself, either. I keep saying that over and over again, hoping one day you¡¯ll understand.¡±


    But that was just it! That was the line her mother had already used hundreds of times. Perhaps her parents were exactly as she suspected: they were in denial this whole time about why Isaiah removed himself from the family. ¡°So, you DO know why he¡¯s gone.¡±


    He hesitated a moment before answering. He could sense that the threat of losing another child truly might be around the corner, realizing that perhaps this would be the time to stop dodging that very question. ¡°He has a life elsewhere, doing what he feels is right. That¡¯s all I can say. And all we can do is hope he¡¯s doing alright. We have to move on until he¡¯s ready to come back¡­ that is, if he ever forgives us.¡±


    There was another long, quiet minute that passed before Sam broke the silence. ¡°I like my job with Hexa. I want to be with Infinity¡­ full time.¡±


    ¡°Now that,¡± he chuckled, ¡°that sounds like alcohol influenced talk right there. Why? How did you even come up with that?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s the only thing consistent for me¡­ and¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even go anywhere. You just log pilot training diagnostics for the new recruits. What fun is there in that? It¡¯s not even good pay for the sixteen hours a week you do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I want to go full time, dad! Damn! I swear you don¡¯t ever let me finish. If I¡­ when I go full time they¡­ I mean I get to choose pilot ops, which is what I have always wanted to do. Shit, I mean, I went to a naval academy so-¡±


    ¡°-We just said-¡± he cut himself short before he turned to see the look in her eyes staring out the window, still. ¡°I know, you still have that hero expectation thing going on. That¡¯s what I hate about us three. I wish we didn¡¯t have any media perception to battle with since it¡¯s tough enough already as is.¡±


    ¡°See?!¡± her eyes widened with frustration as she snapped her glance in his direction. ¡°This is all I get from you! And mom, too! You do all this stuff, expect the same stuff from yourselves, expect the same from Isaiah, but then I am supposed to just fade out and be a¡­ a¡­ good little lawyer girl for you, mom, and grandpa? Media nothing! You all did what I grew up wanting to do! I only joined Hexa as a tech part time as a way to sneak myself into a piloting job knowing damn well no one would approve! I was a fucking moron to think I could ask you and expect you to get it.¡±


    ¡°Sam-¡±


    ¡°-And you and mom always say the same thing over and over! I get it! You and Isaiah both didn¡¯t enjoy being a pilot, that you never asked to be a Harbinger or take on those responsibilities, and that all it brought you was grief. But I--- I also keep on saying this over and over! It¡¯s not wartime anymore! This is like any other plain old job where all I do is fly security! Travel places! I haven¡¯t even been to Earth outside of France and England! I will go back to finish school after I enjoy a life I chose! It¡¯s not going to be more than five or six years anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well, perhaps it¡¯s come to that proverbial breaking point,¡± he replied as he let his voice taper off. ¡°Let¡¯s see what your mom says.¡±


    ¡°Do we really want to go there? I mean¡­ you don¡¯t even talk to her.¡± Speaking of which, when was the last time they¡¯ve talked in person? It¡¯s been more than a year by now.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    That next morning, an electronic stamp showed up on Sam¡¯s request for full-time status update form as she watched from her mobile screen. A look of excitement rushed over her face, evident even to the kiosk staff where she had been standing. ¡°Welcome to your new position, Ms. Knight,¡± the recruitment officer spoke up with a smile as he handed her a code card. ¡°You will get access to all the files you need to look over, sign, all that good stuff. Everything is due by five this evening. You will then get your reporting time before Monday 8am.¡±


    Sam rushed outside where she found an empty bench near the cab rotary. Her makeup was more meticulous and done with more care than before, perhaps as there was more motivation this time than the prior evening. She took her hair down and felt as if she shook away years of frustration off into the air around her. She then quickly pulled up a contact that was the same face of the girl from the night before at the club. ¡°Hey, yeah, they already activated my request and I will get my travel schedule Monday! Can you believe that?!¡± she shouted enthusiastically. ¡°Yeah, exactly! Right! I didn¡¯t even tell my mom! Who cares- I signed that dotted line- I am done!¡± Her excitement then suddenly took a drop upon hearing something from the other line. ¡°Yes¡­ that might be an issue.¡± She sat back, letting her back stretch over as her head pointed straight up to the upward curving streets and cityscape right above her.


    ¡°You know," she continued into her device. "I can only pack the essentials, anyway. I will just have to shop when I get there. Or read up on local culture and things like that¡­ yeah yeah you know I will message you as soon as I find out! Sorry, yeah, can¡¯t shop this one out. We will do something else tomorrow, ok? Sweet, will call you then.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    She tapped her earpiece, closed away her mobile, and started down the sidewalk, looking for an open cab. She found one, took a seat, and entered her destination into the portal. I feel like I won¡¯t be missing this view for a good while, she thought as her eyes wandered back to the narrow horizon of alternating infrastructure and artificial sky panels that curved around up and out of view.


    Upon arrival to her destination, she tagged her mobile for payment as she got out and stood up before a quaint yet tastefully designed and decorated office building that looked no larger than a two-story house. She walked up the pathway past a sign that read ¡°Raven and Associates Counseling¡±. She entered through the door, nodded to the secretary who pointed her toward the back hallway through which Sam passed, finding her way to a door that read ¡°Saffire Aurion-Raven, PhD.¡± She waited a moment before a light came on by the entry panel. She let out a deep breath before entering, thinking to herself: the last remaining sanctuary for me to have someone properly listen to me.


    ¡°Well, hey, Sam, fancy seeing you again so soon!¡± the woman dressed in a full business suit greeted her with a smile, standing up to hug her as Sam approached.


    ¡°Thanks for leaving me an opening, Saff,¡± Sam replied as she took a seat on the sofa behind her, clutching her bag. ¡°Look, I can keep it quick. I mean, real fast since I know you are going to be busy.¡±


    ¡°Oh sure, no problem! What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Saffire answered as she leaned against her table.


    ¡°Yeah, I kind of did a thing¡­ a thing that I know for sure will piss my mom off and maybe even you.¡± She dug up her code card and showed the Hexa International logo on it with a gingerly wave. ¡°I got myself signed up full time¡­ and am headed for Earth in about a week.¡±


    Saffire began to chuckle and replied with a shake of her head: ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d make up your mind that quick!¡± She turned and took a seat next to Sam and continued: ¡°Let me handle talking to them since I know that¡¯s what¡¯s got you worried, but did you at least tell your father?¡± She saw her nod, easing her concerns somewhat. ¡°So, I take it he wasn¡¯t upset. Of course he wouldn¡¯t be, though. Knowing Al, he¡¯d be upset on the surface, but I think he deep down wants you to do what makes you happy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of two things that has me so bent out of shape, still,¡± Sam said as she put the code card back up. ¡°He¡¯s always so, what¡¯s the word? Hands off. I sometimes wish he¡¯d be a bit more involved. He tries to save us when we screw up but it¡¯s when we are trying to do the right thing where, I don¡¯t know, he just let¡¯s things happen. And that¡¯s where I feel like I¡¯m taking advantage of the situation. Like, I really want to do this- I mean I¡¯ve been wanting to since I was little.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what usually comes up between you and your mother, and I assume what you still think about how things went before your brother took off.¡± Saffire then leaned back before continuing. ¡°I know we haven¡¯t talked about you being a pilot in a year or two, knowing how sour a topic it can become. I still get it, though,¡± she said with a hand on Sam¡¯s shoulder to comfort her. ¡°I could once again run on and on about the horrors we experienced. I get it. Everyone around you including me have all these battle scars and stories to tell, sad or not, and it still can be a confusing but real source of pressure. But you were right back then and even now you still are right. It¡¯s not the same world it was. Everything is so much better now in comparison. You know, with how well you¡¯ve established yourself in pilot training, I think a tour or two running security would be great to fill whatever void it is you have, then come back home. And, you know, let things continue the way you all want them to.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it won¡¯t be too much, or anything permanent. I was thinking just a few years.¡± Even though I just told dad it¡¯d be five or six years¡­


    ¡°So, see? I will talk to your mother and father next chance I get, let¡¯s say, Monday? I think Michel and I can stop by then.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Sam answered as she turned to face her. ¡°Tuesday would be best. I have to find out where they will send me, first, and I won¡¯t know until Monday. You know her reaction will be different if it was a cool place like Bali, Vietnam, or even anywhere in the NAU (North American Union). Being new, I bet they do like most others and run them through the lighter pockets.¡± Sam then couldn¡¯t help but flash back to daydreams she used to have; she had always pictured herself meeting popular vloggers she followed that worked in the NAU, namely in New York, all the while continuing her line of work in the vicinity.


    ¡°Good point. Look, as soon as you find out, send me a message so I will know beforehand, ok?¡±


    ¡°Great, will do!¡± Sam stood up with a look of relief. ¡°Thanks so much for always being here to talk, Saff. Best auntie ever!¡± As they hugged once more, Sam made her way toward the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell the guys back home you stopped by and said hey!¡± Saffire said as she waved goodbye. After the door closed, she let out a troubled sigh as she returned to her seat, mumbling to herself: ¡°When will Amelie ever get things straight with her on her own terms? Or when will Al ever find a way to do the same? I can only butt in so much before it¡¯s nothing but stress for me.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    That next Monday morning, Sam¡¯s alarm woke her up at seven as she got up, changed, and found something to make for breakfast. The house was quiet; only the sounds of Sam¡¯s munching of toast and sipping tea could be heard. All I have to do is wait for the notification to come in any minute now. I hope dad¡¯s not too busy with clients today.


    Moments later, the awaited message from Hexa International showed up under the title ¡°Infinity Recruitment and Dispatch Services¡±. ¡°Yes, finally!¡± she giddily whispered aloud, wasting no time in opening. Her gaze suddenly went from excitement to confusion as she read the header. ¡°Due to emergency situations¡­ all new full time pilot recruits from Eden Territories¡­ to here?! Where is this?!¡± She walked over to their computer nearby where she started to pull up a map of the Earth. On her mobile¡¯s holographic display, the letterhead wrote:


    ¡°Due to emergency situations that have increased in severity across all major districts in the Bogota capital area of Colombia, central Dhaka area of Bangladesh, and Manila capital area of the Philippines, we are rerouting all new full time pilot recruits from Eden Territories, Casares Territories, and from Rhodes City Services and Recruitment Centers effective immediately to the listed areas and will remain as such until further notice. If this is your first notice, you will report to your first scheduled check-in as documented. All others must report in before check-in to receive a new boarding pass.


    Destination Report for Samantha Amilia Knight, Age 25, Akkadia One Resident:


    Bogota, Colombia, Sector A, Pilot, Hexa Ai20.


    Schedule Report: Friday, June 19<sup>th</sup>, 2176, 6:55AM from Transit Point ¨C Akkadia Service and Recruitment Center.¡±


    ¡°This is where Colombia was? The SAU (South American Union)? I hadn¡¯t even heard of this place until the other day!¡± she shouted to herself in disbelief. ¡°At least put me in the damn NAU! It¡¯s right there! Ugh!¡± she continued fussing, standing up with hands on her head in frustration. This is so not going to go well with mom. She went back to her mobile and swiped across to her messenger, clicking on the contact labeled ¡°Saff¡± with the sub-detail contact name ¡°Saffire Aurion-Raven¡±. She quickly typed in: ¡°They are sending me to Colombia?! And it¡¯s this Friday! Any clue about this place I¡¯m going to? Is this bad?¡±


    She was then shaken by the sudden reception of a message, shocked to think Saffire would respond so quickly but only to feel bummed the next instant upon seeing it was someone else. She brought up the message by the sender ¡°Daja¡± with a raised brow and a look of bewilderment as if it had been ages since she last heard from her former classmate and close acquaintance from her university days.


    ¡°Call me¡­?¡± she read aloud with a frown. Girl, I have too much going on right now! she thought, flustered as she swiped the call function anyway. ¡°Daja? What happened all of the sudden?¡±


    ¡°Sam, you didn¡¯t tell me you signed up full time!¡± she lambasted, further drawing Sam¡¯s ire. ¡°And you realize I would see everything they process through my side of the system, stupid!¡±


    She rolled her eyes with a sigh of concession. ¡°Okay? What is it to you, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I could¡¯ve put you in the Mediterranean instead of Colombia if you would¡¯ve told me you were signing up for full-time riot control!¡± she carried on as her tone drew closer to a more light-hearted side of the fussing spectrum.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sam mumbled as she put her hand over her forehead in part regret and part embarrassment over how she misjudged the initial lambasting. ¡°Damn, you know I had so much on my plate lately with my studies and my parents- I totally forgot to check back with you.¡±


    ¡°But hey, you know what actually has me most concerned is the fact I could¡¯ve pulled a string maybe to get you with some pilots I know, but at this rate, I can¡¯t even get access to who you¡¯re with. Who knows who the hell you will be serving under.¡±


    No access? What.. is my upcoming team roster already under wraps? But why? ¡°Daja, look, I appreciate the notion and all. I realize I should¡¯ve stayed in touch, but in all honesty, if there is some kind of lock on my files in process, sounds like you would¡¯ve never had a chance to do anything to begin with.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that a bit weird? Suspicious, even?¡±


    Sam paused in thought, only to find herself chuckling.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    This is the same shit they did for Isaiah way back. Mother¡­ mother¡­ The sudden build up of tension seemed to have left her even if just for a brief moment at the thought. ¡°That HAS to be administration hiding me from my parents. I swear¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if you say so. But you know, your objective isn¡¯t going to change. You are still about to pilot the front security line day one. In Bogota. With no backup for days.¡±


    The emphasis that fell on the last word of each line sparked up the uneasiness in Sam once more, however, unable to escape it completely no matter the direction of their conversation. ¡°Right. I do need to finish looking up what I can on this place. Speaking of which, it makes me think back to yesterday morning when I had the news on just that. This is a lot to take in.¡±


    ¡°Well, hey, I just wanted to tell you that. Are you fine with this- I mean, you need me to help back you out?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m good,¡± the words slipped out without even thinking. It was so natural of a response it was almost frightening, given the circumstances. What am I even saying?


    ¡°Alright, if you say so. But I will still be up here stuck in Jazira until the end of time most likely. I gotta run, but don¡¯t forget to call if you are ever in a bind!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Daja. Bye,¡± she replied with a weak smile as she hung up, letting out a sigh the instant the click was heard. I am such an absolute mess right now, but it¡¯s too late to turn back. Let me see what all I am really looking towards.


    With that, she spun back around to her screen and resumed her research on her target destination. Colombia¡­ and they got me piloting an Ai20 model¡­ eww, the most boring model we have¡­ I wonder how bad traffic is. Do they have a bunch of overhead power lines there? Wait, what was the name of the city again?!

 Why Colombia?

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bogota, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    Bogota residents of the Santa Fe district downtown were out walking their morning commute as any other day. Many of the buildings were high rises with shops and businesses on the first few floors with offices or apartments above. The architecture had taken a departure from its traditional appearances as the reconstruction that followed the first Earth-Space War over twenty years ago gave it more of a Modern Western European look.


    A few younger men and women watched this scene from their 3<sup>rd</sup> floor view from one of the apartment buildings while drinking coffee, all chatting quietly amongst themselves in their native tongue. One of the males who looked to be in his upper twenties with short cropped, dark brown hair and a rough goatee spoke to the female in her upper twenties who shared many of the same facial features: [OK, I think we¡¯ve watched over these ¡®rolos¡¯* long enough. We can¡¯t keep Bas waiting, especially not with that newest recruit. I don¡¯t like the idea of those two being stuck alone together out there.]


    [We are staying put until the Rocha¡¯s clear us,] she replied curtly.


    [They will wait until we fall off dead from this balcony, no? I think it¡¯s clear they don¡¯t want us near their barrio, regardless of the deal.] He was visibly nervous, unlike his accomplice who seemed to be unfazed by the tension that thickened the air.


    [Just give it five more minutes. Traffic is slow.]


    Why doesn¡¯t anyone else in the room have any sense of urgency? He knew that the last time they had worked jobs in this part of town, the parliament building nearby was almost incinerated by a stolen Allied A-7 mech. He set his coffee down, lighting a cigarette. [Man, fuck the Rocha¡¯s. We already watched the exchange! They all got on their buses safely and drove off! Fuck this wait, I¡¯m calling Bas.]


    [Stubborn idiot.] She then turned around to shout [Hey, no smoke yet?] to a man behind them who had been staring out another window with a viewfinder, keeping a sniper rifle to his side just out of view.


    [No smoke, but we got about a hundred gathering at New Park 3. No phone call?] he shouted from across the room.


    Just then, the girl¡¯s mobile lit up as she answered and listened. Moments later, she hung up and grabbed her bag. [Rocha¡¯s said they got what they want and that they will call off the demo. Tell Bas to pack up his ¡°Caballero¡±.]


    [Guys, I don¡¯t think they got any words from their boss] the man across the room said as he looked through his viewfinder to lock in on what looked to be men setting up barricades across the main street running alongside the park. The park ran alongside a large police station, which seemed to be the real topic of concern. [I¡¯d better check on Bas,] he continued, loading his rifle.


    Down the street by a few blocks, a slightly younger man with the same features as the man and women talking earlier was sitting on a hover scooter next as he watched the same developing demonstration group from his viewfinder. Another man who looked to be barely twenty was on a similar scooter just beside him. [Bas, what is this whole thing again?]


    [Don¡¯t call me Bas, you don¡¯t know me,] he chided with a shake of his head.


    [Sorry, Sebastian,] he quickly apologized.


    [Anyway, Renzo and Dani just got the word, but I think they got lied to. Something seems different this time, and I don¡¯t like the feeling.] He zoomed back out, and moments later let his arm rest on the handlebars. [Rich ass rolos from Usaquen think they can pay off other Familias from other Barrios to do their dirty work. They are the ones who somehow keep finding ways to, under the table, get all those people armed and set them loose here and there. It¡¯s like they really think things will change because they start fires and blow up the police.]


    [But you got the call. We can go now, right?]


    [You can go ahead,] Sebastian answered as he got off of his scooter, motioning him to hop on. [I will take the Caballero back once things look safe.]


    [No, no. That¡¯s not a good idea,] he responded with a suspicious hint of concern. [Let me cover for you. I will stand watch from it while you return to your brother and them.]


    [I said what I meant. Go back to the others.] Something is off about this guy. No one mentioned to me he could pilot, especially knowing LTAC pilots in particular are so few and far between.


    [You leave me no choice, then,] the young man said as he stood up from the scooter with a pistol drawn, seeing Sebastian stop to raise his hands. [Your cooperation will let us win over the seats for the SAU, ¡®cachaco¡¯*, but you could¡¯ve lived if you just handed the LTAC over.]


    [Really?!] Sebastian let out a sigh, lowered his head. A silenced shot rang out from a balcony not too far away and sent a bullet through the man¡¯s head. Sebastian stood back up with a look at the man¡¯s face, grabbing his communicator. [That was too close. Thanks, our boy was a plant after all.] He didn¡¯t hesitate to reach into the man¡¯s pockets to find his wallet, took out his ID, and tossed the wallet back on him before hopping back on his scooter. [Keep finding new ways to piss us off. See how much more we let you think you can keep up this shitshow.]


    [Bas, this is Renzo, get out of there! They got more than just tanks rolling in ¨C I think they are aiming to take down central police headquarters!]


    Sebastian started his scooter up and quickly took off down the narrow street. [Dani, tell the Vera¡¯s to handle this. We need to get back to compound ¨C we only got two ¡°Caballeros¡± here and no armor. I got the man¡¯s ID- we need to see if he¡¯s tied to Secada or if he¡¯s just another Rocha.]


    [Agreed. They got their politicians and of course we get stabbed in the back in the end. But we can¡¯t let them win it all,] Renzo came over the line. [Everyone, fall back to Kennedy so we can plan our next move.]


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sebastian rode through a few packed alleys where he was surrounded by lo-rise apartments, passing through larger intersections in between. Something has got to change, here. He was not accustomed to always moving with haste, looking over his shoulder at every turn. Memories flashed back from their encounter with the hijacked A-7 incident weeks prior. He remembered the rocking explosions, the stomach-wrenching chaos, the smell of burning buildings, and the panic and terror he saw in the eyes of those that he helped rescue during the aftermath. It all then paled in comparison to the anger he felt when the SAU military refused to intervene or assist in clean-up. I see it happening all over again at this rate. Everything always coming from both sides and never ends.


    He then found the entrance to a heavily guarded set of houses. He passed the security forces and rode up to a large, open garage where he saw Renzo and Dani waiting alongside about ten others. [Who were those men we let go? The rookie knew, said they were going to be used for taking the government, assuming he meant the upper house.]


    [Exactly, and that¡¯s why we need to talk to the Boss,] Renzo replied, still visibly irritated from earlier. [They demolished about half of the central HQ which means even the police will be scared now, most likely. They really think we are to just lay down and let them run the show.]


    [Shit,] Sebastian shook his head in response. [And only two ¡®Caballeros,¡¯ one carrier, no tanks left. What the hell do they expect us to accomplish, now?] He refrained from mentioning the numbers of other Familia¡¯s, never one to assume help from anyone else.


    [Our boss will suck it up and spend money. I think it¡¯s time he gave Infinity a call. Fight fire with fire, right?]


    [Sounds like a Rocha thing to do, using foreigners,] Dani interjected in staunch disapproval. The name ¡°Rocha¡± had long been accused of bringing in foreign muscle, leading the men and women of this loosely organized paramilitary to strongly believe that the A-7 incident was funded if not orchestrated by them. What methods were being used were never clear, but it was publicly well-known they had ties to politicians who aimed to oust the sitting SAU Parliament members with the upcoming election.


    [I will talk to him,] Sebastian said as he laid his equipment on the table and headed for the door. [If we don¡¯t get help soon, we may as well just lay down, right? Should we just die like good cachacos?] He could sense Dani holding back her retort. [Don¡¯t forget that A-7 we barely took down after almost losing some of our brothers, or how much we lost after the last fight with the Rochas. I refuse to cross out any better options. Now unless you have something better in mind, I am going upstairs to talk.]


    Dani wasted no time walking up on Renzo the second Sebastian disappeared. [What are you thinking by giving him hope?!] she fussed with her hands over her head in disappointment. [No one gives a shit about our country! If that Hexa company does in fact send us help, it would either be half-assed, incompetent, or both!] Seeing Renzo roll his eyes fueled her frustration as she continued: [You know we don¡¯t have Rocha-level money so don¡¯t get Rocha-level expectations in his head!]


    He breathed out a sigh that faded into a laugh as he looked away, pulling out a cigarette from a pouch he took from his shirt pocket. [You get so worked up over us actually trying to do something, you know?] As he lit it and paced the opposite direction towards the still-open garage door he looked to his mobile that began vibrating with the incoming call. [It¡¯s Boss,] he mumbled as he continued to the switch to close the door as he picked up the call.


    Dani shook her head in acceptance, knowing she had nothing else to add to the discussion even though the whole situation sat sourly with her. She remembered the promises from other local Familia¡¯s that ran empty during attacks following the A-7 incident, further draining any trust she held in anyone but her own people. Eyeing the rest of the crowd up the way from her and seeing how none of them had taken issue to the direction of the conversation, she retired her concerns and leaned herself against the side of the truck she was next to. She took out her mobile as well, pulling up a link she had left open from earlier, showing a social media app¡¯s post related to Colombia¡¯s situation from Space¡¯s viewpoint. Of course, to no surprise to her, it was heavily satirical in nature, furthering her curiosity enough to read its contents despite her sickened spirit. [To think how great life was when we were children. When is this years-long nightmare going to end?]


    [Dani!] Renzo called from across the garage. [La Familia Saravia sent some of their men here before we arrived, did you know that?!] He tucked away his mobile, wearing his trademark glowing expression of hope that caused Dani¡¯s lips to curl in disgust as it always did. [They said they are going to pitch in some money to make a move as soon as tomorrow! Bas picked a good time to bring up the talk, huh?]


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    At the top of Hexa International¡¯s main office building, CEO and Founder Vincent Vrey¡¯s office was clean and orderly, decorations from his lifelong accomplishments hung on each wall. Several pictures of old war MBI were also hung up, each adorning parts from his previous corporation Vrey Robotics. At the center was a framed technical piece that featured an MBI labeled as the ¡°Vrey B8/VR5 ¡®Clarent¡¯¡± and an artistic approach that seemed to convey this machine had won a war. But on the corner of his desk was a picture of a young man in an old Confederate uniform that read ¡°Lance Vrey, 2140-2163¡± on the placard. The CEO was famous for his creations, but he might be even more famous for being the father of the late heralded hero of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Earth-Space War, posthumously awarded the title of ¡°Harbinger¡± as treaties were drawn.


    From his seat, Vincent, who himself was in his early sixties, was sitting back, awaiting a call to connect on screen he had up in projection mode. The screen then read ¡°Connected ¨C N62 Carrera 80, Bogota, Colombia¡±. A stoutly built older man with swept back hair and a clean cut beard came into view. ¡°I see you have a particular special request, Mr. Galeano. How may I help?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Vrey, I apologize for the inconvenience, but you must know I only speak to those who run a business, not the ones who run around putting more things in the middle. I am a very direct businessman,¡± the Colombian businessman spoke with surprising fluency.


    ¡°Understood, Mr. Galeano. Please, go ahead,¡± Vincent continued with his soft, welcoming tone.


    Mr. Galeano returned the smile as he continued: ¡°We are having difficulties with, how should I say, foreign interests and our city. I learned from cooperation with others here in power that the service requests made to Infinity will not be enough. We are facing much more than expected, and we only have the bare minimum left in the cabinet before we are overrun by demonstrators and the foreign firepower they bring. We will be able to pay, but we need more than the two requested security outfits We need at least ten."


    ¡°Of course, we can gladly assist,¡± Vincent said as he sat up. ¡°As a matter of fact, our own intel saw some dangerous encounters occur over the last week and we have already arranged emergency preparations for larger scale security dispatch to your city. All I need for you to do is to wait until we send an envoy on Wednesday. From there your city¡¯s governor will sign and we can let everything develop from there.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sir, but that won¡¯t work,¡± Mr. Galeano replied, quickly dropping the softer approach.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Oh? Why not?¡± Vincent replied as his brow raised in curiosity.


    ¡°The government is powerless. If we are to fight the source of the problem, we need to do it directly and without delay. And if we are going to sign over so much of our money, I want a trial. Proof that your men can do the job and we aren¡¯t being sold short.¡±


    Vincent took a moment to ponder the request before continuing, still calm. ¡°Alright, I cannot breach a policy that I have created, but I can send a squadron to air drop over your location tomorrow morning first thing. I will send my best scoring reserve pilots, but it will have to suffice, seeing as anything beyond that will cause¡­ problems¡­ for everyone, but they should prove our effectiveness regardless.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand. How will one security package help us?¡±


    ¡°Strike some fear into their hearts. It¡¯s just our, let¡¯s say, trial package, but watch and see. Let the aggressors rethink their position for a while, and in that meantime, we will have enough time to take care of the contract fully and legally. Can we agree to that, Mr. Galeano?¡±


    He waited a moment as he hesitated to accept, but ultimately nodded. ¡°Very well, thank you, Mr. CEO. I expect the group here to rendezvous at the coordinates I will provide. We will see how effective they are.¡±


    Moments later, after hanging up, Vincent let out a troubled sigh, pulling up a list of pilots. ¡°Call in these pilots for emergency response, please,¡± he ordered as he hit a button on his communicator. ¡°It¡¯s a 6-6-18 package. Get it done on the double.¡± He then leaned back, letting out a troubled sigh. Of course the man is going to be stubborn. He¡¯s the one who helped create their problems.


    On the screen, six Ai-20 LTACs pilots and six Av-25 were listed amongst eighteen support crew members. One of the names read ¡°Samantha A. Knight.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam had a dazed and confused look mixed in with her flustered expression as she hauled her bags downstairs and tossed them on the floor by the front door. She quickly and awkwardly approached her father, who had made his first stop by her house in person for the first time in over a year. ¡°Thanks for coming to get me. And yes, mom is still out and about, but I really think this is the only way I make it out of this door in one piece.¡±


    ¡°Are you still sure this is what you want to do?¡± Al asked, still concerned about her decision.


    ¡°Well, yes," she struggled to answer without it appearing obvious how hard she had to fight back her concerns and fears of the unknown. "But this is what I have been wanting to do. I won¡¯t stay gone long with the huge bonus they pay they are giving us for the rushed orders. I said a year, but I think with this kind of pay, I could do less. I also get two weeks off after this security run.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bake down there, wear sun block,¡± he said with a smile, trying to ease his own fears.


    ¡°Dad, we are stuck in an LTAC all day.¡±


    ¡°Look, don¡¯t let anything get to you. You said you already talked to Saff, right?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s supposed to be here later today since she couldn¡¯t make it this morning. But maybe it¡¯s best to tell her ¡®never mind¡¯?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably best. This is something your mother and I have to come to an agreement on. But yes, we can¡¯t have you in the middle all the time.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she replied with a bit of relief. But then again, this is the first time you¡¯ve been this level of supportive for me. What¡¯s the catch?


    ¡°Sam, are you sure you won¡¯t be seeing anything besides riot control? I heard there was an old A-7 that came crashing down over there the other week. Those are what I used to fight against, and those are monsters compared to what you are going to run around town with.¡±


    Maybe it¡¯s reverse psychology, again? It¡¯s not going to work. ¡°Dad, that was a one-off; the only time an MBI was ever spotted since decommission orders. But Hexa already trained me on that, and we have anti-MBI outfits that would cut right through them in the event we need them.¡± She then saw signs that her father¡¯s concerns might be genuine. ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright. They are very thorough with everything.¡±


    ¡°Vrey was always very thorough, indeed,¡± Al said as he tried to relax. ¡°Alright. Go ahead. Call as soon as you get a chance after touchdown, alright?¡±


    ¡°Love you, dad,¡± she said with a tight hug before grabbing her things and rushing out the door to catch the cab they called for her. And in that next instant, feeling of embarrassment creeped in for the first time in a while. ¡®Love you¡¯? Where¡¯d that come from?


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bogota, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    Sebastian descended from upstairs to find everyone else lounging around. [I got a response. He sent for ten security packages from Infinity, but we only get one tomorrow.] Knowing Dani would not approve, he already had the ID he took from the turncoat recruit earlier in hand to show her. [They ran this guy. Turns out he was Rocha. Had almost a year in pilot training with some foreign outfit. Things are getting way out of hand, now.]


    Just then, Renzo burst into the room from outside. [Bas! Either you or someone was tapped during our ride this morning; armed rioters are headed this way up Carrera 80 as we speak! Get the Caballeros ready! Dani, take the rest up top and don¡¯t let anyone sneak through!]


    Everyone scrambled without hesitation or question. One might express concern or doubt considering what type of people were in charge of their paramilitary operations, but when it came to acting quickly and with solidarity, all it took was a word from Renzo. He was, after all, the one who over time won over the trust of all of his direct constituents, consistently referred to as their unofficial leader.


    Sebastian and Renzo quickly headed down the access tunnel which led to a small garage with an overhead door. As they passed through, the two threw off the tarps of two mechs that stood under twenty feet tall from the top of their catwalk, hurried downstairs, then climbed up the access ladder attached to the open cockpit area. They made their way up alongside legs that came down to points for feet, jointed in reverse compared to previous MBI designs with a third balancing point that resembled a tail, appearing much sleeker in build but questionable in armor stability. The two sat in an ergonomic position that had them in a posture that resembled one floating ¨C the pilot was seated at a forward leaning angle of about thirty five degrees and the arms were propped up on angled forearm rests that allowed all controls to be handled by wrist and finger movements only. This kept the pilot¡¯s profile low and taking up as little space as possible within the already tight cockpit space. When the top and bottom folding doors closed, only basic illumination was present as the two put lightweight helmets on and slid visors over their faces through which they would see the world around them.


    [Open the roof!] Renzo barked over his headset, strapping himself in.


    The nitrolysis boosters ignited, making noise levels far lower than those of more traditional fuel cells. There was a distinct reddish brown tinted trail left behind as the units ¡°jumped¡± out of the garage and allowed themselves to glide to a halt at the nearest major intersection, watching all traffic lights around them go red from local traffic control getting the signal from the Galeano¡¯s.


    Sebastian and Renzo stood up back to back as they armed their tear gas-filled polymer rounds for crowd dispersal. But on each MI-r LTAC¡¯s launcher tube was a mounted anti-vehicle-classed shotgun attachment at the ready if needed.


    [Here they come, Bas, all on foot. Expect some armored trucks to follow. Dani, be our eyes. Snipers, watch the back. Only use the gas rounds on the active crowd. Anyone else that decides to ¡®slip¡¯ through? Silence them, full authorization from Boss.] He refrained from any useless side-chatter, although normally he would be tempted to question the gall of the impending attackers. Here comes the mouth that bites the hand that feeds.


    [Renzo,] Sebastian responded back as he zoomed in on something that had him nervous. His camera found explosives detected from a balcony overlooking their position from a 2<sup>nd</sup> floor house a bit up farther the hillside. [Renzo! Rockets, 2 o¡¯clock! Permission to fire?!]


    [No, change positions! Traffic intersection behind us, fall back one sector!] Renzo shouted over what was now the sound of ricochets and small caliber impacts ringing off of their armor.


    The two MI-r¡¯s leaned back, firing their boosters as they reversed course, now opening pellet fire on the oncoming crowd who had begun opening small arms fire on them. Immediate dispersal of the crowd began as gas poured out. Renzo kept an eye on the main street which was getting difficult amongst the white smoke filling the area. [Switching to mass momentum sensors. Anything big coming through, let me know!]


    [Rockets clear. No sign. I bet your ass they move closer, though!] Sebastian shouted back as he took a few more lob shots into the opposite side of the crowd. He took the bought minute to read the signs a few held, calling for the head of their boss as well as the threat they would burn all his compounds down. Other said to free their loved ones. Free their loved ones?! Are they talking about the politicians we just set free this morning?! But without a second more in passing, the same explosives detector alarm went off again as not only the rocket crew before showed back up but another to their left showed up on a five-story building rooftop. [Damn it, that¡¯s two! We¡¯re sandwiched!]


    [Radio the boss! We need help from the west! Bas, hide to the left side shadows ¨C hit that 2 o¡¯clock rocket!]


    With that, Sebastian switched magazines as he darted to the left, hurrying before the one group could start tracking a shot. [Come on, come on,] he nervously spoke to himself as he finally got the reloading sequence finished. He aimed the barrel right towards the open window, eyeing down the attackers in question. Please, put the damn rockets down... Please... The lock-warning alarm set off his already nervous trigger finger, sending a grenade into the building, silencing both threats. [Damn it all!] he seethed in frustration.


    [Dani! New order!] Renzo barked as the two stood up against the high-rise that protected them from the other rocket threat all the while watching the crowd activity. [Clean up on Calle 798 just off of Carrera 80 by one block. Bas just hit a fucking house.]


    [No time! Vehicles approaching! They¡¯re loaded! Stay here and watch that other rocket, I got this!] Sebastian¡¯s MI-r jumped high as he used up almost all of his jump boost reserve, landing in the street parallel to them, pointed feet dragging finely shredded concrete and asphalt with them. As he descended, he heard a rocket pass him. Instinctively he looked to his right as it slammed into another apartment building. [Dani that¡¯s two cleanups! Carrera 80 is about to get lit the hell up!] He then peeked around the corner, hugging a commercial building that was just tall enough to hide him. He took aim, waiting for the mass-momentum sensors to reveal their approach, took aim, and hit the center of the intersection which had by now been cleared of traffic. It sent an armored carrier onto its side, screeching to a halt. With the same timing, he took another shot to the left of it where the next vehicle tried to move towards so that it could dodge the obstruction, sending it spiraling out of control into the nearest building. He walked his MI-r up to the first wreckage, scanning for others incoming, only to find the smoldering mess and dozens of fleeing rioters. Moments later, the injured carrier passengers slowly and painfully made their way out. [Streets are clearing up over on this end.] These are Rocha hires. The real locals wouldn¡¯t run away like this, much less lead a baseless attack blindly like this.. [Hey, Renzo?]


    [Backup from Kennedy West just arrived, took out the other rockets. I¡¯m cleaning up here- you worry about your end!]


    With that, he continued to run scans, finding nothing. He marked the armored carrier wreckages for cleanup as he made his way one more intersection down the same street. As he approached what might have been positive for high density rounds for a weapon, he then saw friendly tag markers were showing up on screen. That can¡¯t be good. He turned the corner at the intersection and saw a Galeano-marked secure transit vehicle wrecked into the side of a building and all occupants lined up outside along the next to nearest wall, all shot in the head as if they were executed. [Shit, this wasn¡¯t a riot aimed for us after all. They caught us looking. Renzo, any clue why a package delivery was filled up with Family members?]


    [ID¡¯s?]


    [Hold on.] He walked up until he was about two meters away from the first body, running a bio scan. This is Boss¡¯s money runner. Where the hell was he headed!? It then just hit him the direction they were headed was for the clearing by the airport. [Shit, they got the payment Boss had ordered for the Infinity packages! They are on to us! They knew exactly what we were up to and where the money was going!]


    [What do you mean?!] he heard Renzo over his radio.


    Dani then shouted over the channel: [This was a trap! They weren¡¯t headed for Boss or the compound! They knew what we were going to buy! No one return! Stay away from the compound!]


    Another of the crew came over the radio: [Cleanup dispatched, staying away, rerouting all returns to compound four! I think Bosa will be a safer place than here for now.]


    Sebastian felt uneasy about the backup plan, remembering precisely what it was that wiped out the LTAC reserves the Vera¡¯s had last week. [Negative. Scratch that. Someone¡¯s been watching us. Requesting we fall back to ¡®Casa Morada.¡¯]


    [I was about to say the same thing,] Renzo confirmed.


    The two MI-r¡¯s went separate directions, and the cleanup trucks continued their business as things fell quiet once more as people started to emerge, assessing the damage and the overall situation. Ambulance and fire response sirens by now were heard from all directions.


    From the nearest hilltop looking down on the area, three LTACs with cloaks draped over them stood amongst the trees. One had what looked to be advanced detection equipment sticking out just beyond the heavy cloak material rustling in the wind.


    ¡°They switched destinations. Unless that¡¯s a deflection code for compound four? Or anyone know what a Casa Morada is?¡± a man¡¯s voice spoke from one of the LTACs. ¡°At least they won¡¯t be able to buy their packages Wednesday.¡±


    ¡°I hope your translation output isn¡¯t going haywire for your sake,¡± a second man chimed in.


    ¡°Just sit and wait,¡± the third replied in a colder tone. ¡°They have to return here tomorrow morning regardless. Let them do what they want. We will get them all taken care of in time. Until then, we wait here, so unpack and set up camp while we wait for Cable to get back in touch with us. Hexa makes their first drop at 5AM.¡±


    ¡°Stay sharp for wanderers.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    <hr>


    <u>Preface Part 2 (OPTIONAL)


    </u>


    Colombia happened to be one of the regions hardest hit by unrest as of late. After the collapse of the global confederacy, it only took a year for the vacuum of power at the capital to be filled by several highly economically influential and well-armed mobs, or ¡°Familias¡±, to take control of most of each major city¡¯s basic services. The government was only a front as any elected politician simply represented one of the five main Familias of Bogota: the Vera¡¯s of Santa Fe (or downtown), the Galeano¡¯s of Kennedy (the largest populations), the Benitez of Usme (the poorest), the Saravia¡¯s of Teusaquillo (most foreigner-born population), and the Rocha¡¯s of Usaquen (the richest).


    For most of the time since the Familias took power, shaky but sustained cooperation between them helped them economically rule Bogota, including control of the police and the justice system. Freedoms and rights were at all time lows since pre-confederacy times, and recently the Rocha¡¯s began to change their tune as they utilized their much larger tax base to fund the protestors and funnel them weapons and vehicles. Unidentified foreign aid also provided the first MBI which led a raid on the Parliament as they tried to take control of the district as well. This started an inter-Familia war as the Rocha¡¯s were accused of trying to take control of Bogota and in turn insert their politicians into the SAU Council who can promote pro-confederacy sentiment across the continent. The Familias staunchly fought back as they would lose everything if such a governing body were to take back over. But with the military and police horribly underfunded over the decades, there are only what forces the Familias have to try and prevent such changes. But as of late, the Rochas are assumed to be coming with more and more firepower, overwhelming the opposition week by week. This also encourages the public to resort to their own protests and violence directed at the Familias and their establishments. The only thing holding back any Familia from responding all out is the fear of destroying their own city over their in-fighting. But that might have to change, soon, as well.


    Sebastian is the youngest of the three Navarre siblings who work for the Galeano¡¯s of Kennedy. He along with his older brother Renzo and older sister Dani were of a dozen original pilots for the purchased Bernaud MI-r LTACs from a source kept private from them, but nonetheless made good use of them against the more heavily equipped acts of violence and also served even more effectively against any protest that went out of control. While the three Navarre¡¯s were reluctant to fight for a corrupt power, they were held in check by their fear of a complete take-over who would allow the city to eat itself alive in violence and turmoil.


    But as of a week ago, all but two of their LTACs, which Renzo had dubbed their ¡°Caballeros¡±, were destroyed in their first clash with a wave of Hexa AiX knock-offs from an unidentified political interest. As a result, the Galeanos and Veras attempted to make temporary peace with the Rochas to buy time for rearming and regrouping by releasing several political prisoners to them. However, it seems that won¡¯t go to plan as they had hoped.


    <hr>

 First Drop Operation

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Vincent walked back into his office, joined only by the sounds of the automatic doors closing behind him. By the looks of his face it was evident he had not slept for days. He took a seat back at his desk where he watched several live feeds from orbital security, one overlooking Bogota which was still overcast in the early morning¡¯s darkness. He scrolled back and forth between one end of town and one empty clearing near Bosa, a district bordering Kennedy to the west. The Bosa clearing was marked for an Infinity drop operation. He then reached for his phone terminal and pressed a button that had been softly flashing green and spoke: ¡°You may continue as planned. I still don¡¯t see any buildup of anything. No heavy equipment activity, not even a tank or armored carrier to be seen.¡±


    ¡°We still have no idea where their armed resistance got their equipment from,¡± a voice responded. ¡°They could have all of that hidden anywhere nearby.¡±


    ¡°But it won¡¯t be an MBI response like last time- you can¡¯t hide those anywhere. Their anti-infantry and vehicle outfit should suffice.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to command, sir. If anything, we can still rely on locals to assist. Don¡¯t forget we¡¯ve got binding contracts from the Galeano¡¯s and are awaiting return responses from the Vera¡¯s and Benitez.¡±


    ¡°I realize I shouldn¡¯t be meddling in their decisions, and of course I won¡¯t, but I can¡¯t help but at least keep my eyes open for the duration of this launch as well. So much is at stake with the three countries that are about to go full scale with our security programs. We need all three to be fully successful if we are to be able to ramp up funding and recruitment. But if not, I fear this unrest will only grow hungrier.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of needing success, sir, is now a better time to ask why you included Knight in the initial launch? She¡¯s a complete rookie, and we could¡¯ve sent her in on the next cleanup wave.¡±


    Vincent hesitated before answering: ¡°I just got this feeling we need to ride on the ones who show the most energy and promise. That¡¯s how we were so successful last year with our work. My son and his partner showed me that I have to put my faith in those who want to go to work and let them do what they do best.¡± He then had flashbacks of news headlines detailing the death of his son, killed in action during the Battle of Hargrove (May 2163, Casares Territories). ¡°But unlike then, I will better know my limits and when to stop.¡± He then wandered back to another map where he saw a drop pod carrier headed for SAU airspace. While still feeling hesitant, he held to his confidence in his decision. Afterall, it was Sam¡¯s father he had worked with so closely at the end of the last war, knowing all too well of his family¡¯s capabilities. Forgive me, Alexander. This is a gamble I hope you can understand.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    A large freighter vessel approached a secure hub nearing an inner orbital path with the Pacific Ocean in full view. Several Akkadian naval warships stood guard as the vessel checked in, clearing security. These large checkpoints remained eyesores to most commoners as their history was marred in violence; many a destructive electromagnetic rail charges were fired from warships near this point in the previous wars, reigning destruction upon the targeted regions below. And in that last war, many of the firing ships were disguised as freighters early on, always drawing leery eyes from Earth-born passersby.


    The freighter approached a dock where it transferred the large, capsule shaped pod it had been carrying to the main frame of the dock. Just behind it was a smaller passenger ferry that pulled up to the same dock¡¯s main frame. Inside, Sam awaited the signal to stand and deboard. She let out a nervous sigh, looking out the window to watch the main docking frame pass by slowly. It¡¯s been ages since I¡¯ve been by here. This is where Isaiah made his marks all those years back. Upon hearing the chime, she took her earphones out and prepared to unbuckle.


    ¡°A bit scared?¡± a strong yet soft voice in a thick Scottish accent came from the seat across the narrow aisle from her. The younger red-haired man with a clean-cut beard looked her way as he continued: ¡°Joe Burnley. I reckon I seen ya from the SRC before, signing your papers. You hittin¡¯ Earth for the first time?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been. But only to London and Paris when I was little. How about you?¡± Sam politely responded, hiding the urge to tell him off, thinking he might be someone she needs to get to know and be on good terms with.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m from Edinburgh myself. Scotland. Did all my training in Akkadia, though. You from there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, born and raised.¡±


    The man began chuckling with a smile that made Sam quite uncomfortable. ¡°Well, well, things are more fun on Earth. You took your bone density supplements, but I hear your space type take more than a week to adjust. I heard the trick is to drink fruit juice with them to make them work better. Have you heard?¡±


    What the hell? Are they letting just any idiot in these days? Sam immediately turned away in offense. She knew to stay quiet, but couldn¡¯t resist the urge on this one, turning back to him. ¡°Calcium uptake is inhibited by the acid in fruit juice, but thanks for the attempted bad advice, prick.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, such a firecracker,¡± he continued to chuckle in amusement, further angering Sam. ¡°Keep up that attitude and the Colombians will have more than a new addition to their street girls.¡± As he laughed harder, he could see the anger in her eyes quite clearly now, ready to snap back. His eyes then wandered below the neck. ¡°Oh, you got the package alright, I bet you¡¯d draw them a pretty penny!¡± Before she lunged, he quickly returned a glare full strength. ¡°You think I¡¯m an arsehole. Perhaps, but if you go in this soft, you¡¯re fucked, love. I¡¯ve been on three security runs through Dhaka, one of the hottest spots on Earth at the moment and would hate seeing people with supposed talent like you smeared all over the asphalt. You¡¯re a Knight, right? Yeah. Get off your intelligent PC high horse and develop some skin. If you are scared now, get angry instead. Helps take the nerves off. Helps you stay more alert in the right ways. I like for my teammates to be angry. I saw nothing in you to get you that way, so maybe I did the job?¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t come up with a response, too befuddled to do more than let out a confused breath as they all felt the ferry come to a halt. Her eyes instinctively had her looking outside, but when she turned back the other way to respond, his seat was already vacated. She quickly grabbed her bag and filed out along with everyone else. What the hell kind of team am I really boarded up with? Am I supposed to take what he said for real?


    She along with the rest in line made their way to their seats in a debriefing room where dozens more filed in from multiple hallways, all having come from several different boarding locations. As she got herself situated in her chair, she looked up and noticed the Scotsman across the room from her as he sent her a wink. She looked back ahead as two other men sat next to her. She did happen to notice there were not many women in the room, either.


    ¡°Attention Infinity crewmen and women,¡± a female officer called over the speaker as she looked upon the gathered crowd. She looked to be in her early thirties, wearing badges showing her experience piloting from the previous war. Her bright orange-red hair ran straight midway down her back, tied up just enough to not get in the way.


    That¡¯s Marian Channing. She was one of the few Confed pilots who got the Harbinger tag. Who¡¯d have thought she was working here in space?


    ¡°As you know, our drop zone is Colombia¡¯s capital. Bogota is currently under the leadership of a government that largely allows itself to be instead governed by five ruling mobs. They are locally known as Familias, and I need you to familiarize yourselves with some names I am about to give you.¡± As she spoke, images of each important organization and their people showed up on large screens. ¡°¡®La Familia Galeano¡¯ has attempted to make the first payment, but they were intercepted and now refuse to pay unless they are able to meet up directly for a hard transfer. They have been very accommodating and have promised full cooperation, but we need this payment transfer to succeed in addition to providing full security across the major targeted Downtown areas. You should have already studied the target areas by now. The people you need to seek contact with ASAP are the Navarre¡¯s, veteran paramilitary members who have the most experience of their group with La Familia Galeano. Renzo and Sebastian Navarre are the only LTAC equipped men they have, which means LTAC crew need to seek them out first when establishing contact. All others need to seek out Daniela Navarre who is in charge of ground crew activity. Support crew especially needs to link up with her to continue determining the best logistic plans. The only other information you need to be updated with is the following: La Familia Rocha is off limits ¨C do not by any means allow yourselves to communicate with anyone from that group or their paramilitary. Immediately alert anyone of their presence. The other news is that a Rocha-led attack on both a major police headquarters and on a Galeano-owned compound had just occurred recently, so everyone will be on edge. Keep close to each other and stay sharp for wanderers.¡±


    Where have I heard that little line from before? I feel like I¡¯ve heard that explained to me before by someone in the family.


    As she closed her announcement another directing officer took her place as he spoke up: ¡°Once you get your final schedule adjustments delivered, load up. We are departing by 0430 hours at latest. Director Channing¡¯s crew will follow her to station one, and everyone else follows me to station two.¡±


    Some minutes had passed after Sam watched her schedule fill up. She saw their landing coordinates, her core pilot crew of six listed, and their report priorities show up on screen. Shit, they put me with Burnley. Of all people to put as my squad commander, she thought in reference to the pilot she encountered earlier. After a few focused glances at the other names, she put her communicator away and shouldered her bag, making her way for station one. As she passed through the main gate she felt as if Officer Channing from earlier was watching her. She pretended not to notice as it was a crowded hallway, but she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling. Not long after boarding the pod, each member stopped by several cutouts in the path where they stepped into space suits designed for travel between Earth and Space.


    ¡°Departure for Bogota landing zone in T minus eight minutes.¡±


    Nervousness set back in as she locked in her restraints where she was seated, looking once more across the way to see Burnley from earlier, still grinning like before. He was one of the six pilots sitting in their chamber. Everyone around them seemed to be chatting it up except for her, but as the countdown neared zero the conversations slowed to a halt.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    The drop pod raced through the sky, blazing towards the surface like a meteorite, leaving a trail of thick steam behind it. As the flames started to fade, the pod began to pick up its nose, angling away from the ground. As the approach angle leveled off enough, smaller pods were released from the main frame as each went into a temporary free fall before allowing their parachutes to deploy. After their paths were stabilized, fins extended from the containers as to keep their path straight. ¡°All crew, silent check in,¡± Officer Channing spoke over the radio.


    Sam reached for her left shoulder harness where her communicator was attached, clicking a large button three times.


    ¡°Hitting outskirts of the Bosa district in less than a minute. Prepare for anti-impact thruster charges. Get your helmets off and un-suit as soon as the belts are off. We have to get the payment delivered safely to us first, then we will reroute and rendezvous with the Navarre¡¯s.¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bogota, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    The three pilots of the cloaked LTACs disguised in the forested hillside saw from their camp the smoke trails left by the incoming drop pods. The one pilot sitting near the detection equipment looked back at his main screen once more before looking up to the sky again with his viewfinder. ¡°They¡¯ve changed course. Damn it, someone changed their course. They jutted away from the airport landing zone and are now headed south of there. The welcoming party won¡¯t be ready. What the hell is going on?¡± he grumbled as he hurried over to his LTAC, still cloaked as it was the day before. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s who I think it is.¡±


    ¡°Reap¡¯, hold up!¡± one of the other two pilots shouted as he stood up. ¡°We can¡¯t just move out yet!¡±


    ¡°No, no, I need to confirm something,¡± he said as he connected his headset to his main system¡¯s terminal, watching the screens as logged messages began streaming in. His left chest pocket had a call sign nameplate that read ¡°Reaper¡±. His eyes were pale blue, his hair jet black and slightly unkempt, and his face not shaven in days. He let out a troubled sigh as he disconnected the cable. ¡°I figured so. Cable swung them off course and didn¡¯t log any of the code changes with Hexa. She¡¯s got her reasons, I¡¯m sure, but we will have to play this one by ear until she makes contact with us.¡± He then adjusted the channel encryption on his headset and began to speak. ¡°Cable off course. Adjusting to position after touchdown. Will send in Rocha¡¯s cells immediately after confirming their 6-6-18 package numbers. We will fall in to sweep up as needed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d expect this is their one and only attempt, Reaper,¡± the digitally distorted voice spoke from the other side. ¡°Make sure of it. Don¡¯t leave any survivors or anyone who would wish to ever return.¡±


    ¡°Copy. Moving out with Revenant and Requiem shortly.¡± Reaper disconnected his equipment while motioning to the other two. The one who spoke earlier wore the tag ¡°Revenant¡± on his left chest pocket. His features were that of Middle Eastern descent along with tightly parted short black hair and hazel eyes. His demeanor gave off an aura of caution and meticulousness which could be noted in the way he packed away their camp equipment in a quick, orderly, but quiet manner. The other, who looked of Israeli descent with much shorter, tighter curled brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a cleanly maintained goatee, donned the chest pocket tag ¡°Requiem,¡± and he had a calmer demeanor as he took his time neatly packing away the loaded camp equipment. All three men were of the same late-twenties age range by appearance. All the while, the approaching drop pod grew larger in size and noise as it approached into clear view, causing them to pause momentarily to look up. ¡°No rush. Let¡¯s not attract any local¡¯s attention.¡±


    The anti-impact drives engaged full thrust as the pod gently touched down at a large empty field just outside a surrounding wall of less densely packed neighborhoods, attracting much attention from those nearby. The moment the first loading ramp opened, two small passenger vehicles drove out and headed for the edge of the nearest neighborhood and towards an approaching off-road vehicle. Not long after, a group of officers walked down, one of them being Director Channing.


    ¡°Director Channing, ma¡¯am, I highly advise you to stay on board. Your safety cannot be guaranteed outside the safe zone,¡± an officer spoke to her from behind.


    She turned to calmly respond: ¡°I highly doubt they reach us on such short notice. We landed in the safest possible location, and I saw to it we did. Go ahead and send the security package to the rendezvous point.¡±


    ¡°But, ma¡¯am, the payment collection envoy?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t wait,¡± she flatly snapped back. ¡°Time is ticking and who knows who is closing in on us as we speak. Send them.¡±


    Behind them came a dozen cargo vehicles alongside three armored carriers. Each cargo truck spread out before unloading their LTAC cargo, standing each one up. They stood the same height and of the same stature as the MI-r but with a sleeker, more up-to-date, and more modular design. Each shoulder had a painted marking Ai-20 as their designated model number. Each had holstered riot shields, multi-round rifles, and fragmentation grenades.


    In a group of a dozen pilot suited crewmen, Sam was walking alongside Burnley from earlier as they approached their Ai-20 fleet. She didn¡¯t appear to be as bothered as she was earlier but was still just as nervous. ¡°Pretty sure I got everything. I will keep my eyes off any distractions and just watch your backside.¡± But this environment, she thought to herself as she held her hand up, blocking out the intense sunlight beaming down from a cloudless summer sky. I didn¡¯t experience anything like this level of brightness, heat, or humidity before. As they arrived, each one loaded up their bags into the small storage compartments underneath their seats of their cockpits before climbing up. They sat in the same ergonomically forward-angled positioning as well, keeping the cockpit space minimal. The cockpit doors closed, leaving the same head-width gap between their nose and the padded door, only a helmet-mounted visor providing outer visuals and assistance.


    Sam pulled her helmet down over her head, locked the chinstrap, and folded the visor down, automatically powering the display inside. As her surroundings were softly brought to light, comforting memories of training months before at Jazira Station. Right, all I have to do is just follow protocol. I feel like I¡¯ve done this so many times already. Just need to stay focused on that and I¡¯ll be fine, she told herself as she confidently gripped the controls.


    ¡°A-One here, orders are to move to rendezvous point as marked,¡± Burnley¡¯s voice came up over their speakers as each Ai20 stood up and began moving down the field. ¡°We will take the cleared highway to Bosa Linda, then turn for the park at Timiza Lake in Kennedy. Our boys are meeting us there. City requests we don¡¯t make any jumps; no clear landings and don¡¯t want to risk civilian injuries or damaged infrastructure.¡±


    Sam¡¯s hover drives activated as they followed the lead armored carrier at a cruising pace of about 40 km/hr down a wide road marked ¡°Carrera 87B¡± that took them into their first neighborhood. Sam stayed at the back as she was ordered but found herself unable to resist the urge to take long looks around town. Most buildings were two to four story-tall apartments, many having stores or shops packed in-between spaces as available. Cars had been forced to the sides of the roads as they parked halfway on the sidewalks already busy with pedestrians. Sam couldn¡¯t help but notice how each stared at her as they passed. A stop light warning came up on her screen as she caught the group slowing down to a halt. Up ahead at an intersection the police were still trying to clear the road for safe progress. Sam switched her view to show her rear camera, seeing the police following them while holding back oncoming traffic. She felt a sudden strong, overpowering sense of being trapped, heart now racing and her fingers gripping the controls more tightly. Calm down, nothing¡¯s happening. Just people going to work or to the store. She continued to look around, noticing many looking down from balconies. The honking noises began to increase in magnitude as each second ticked by. She then heard the distinct sound of LTAC feet hitting the pavement as they turned off hover drives to conserve fuel. She eyed her fuel cell reserve condition before following suit. At least at this rate we can recharge the cells enough for a jump boost in case something does go down. But the following silence only worsened her nervousness as her eyes darted back and forth across the surrounding crowd. Why do we have to stop this long?! What is wrong with this city!?


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    There was far less noise in the area surrounding Lake Timiza where Sebastian and Renzo were waiting inside their own MI-r units while the rest of their crew waited behind them. Dani waited outside of her truck while the others stayed inside their trucks. She then put her mobile up, tossed her cigarette, and headed for Renzo¡¯s MI-r which was a few meters ahead by the lake shore¡¯s open grass lot. [Renzo, what the hell¡¯s the hold up? No word?]


    [No one on this whole damn planet is ever on time these days,] Renzo fussed as he opened his cockpit door, allowing the sunlight to pour in. [I saw them get stopped at the big roundabout in Bosa Linda. Traffic is always a nightmare over there. Some genius decided to route them like that.] He then looked over to Sebastian¡¯s MI-r. [Hey, Bas, why so quiet? You¡¯ve been in a funk since you took that house out on accident. You know it was empty, right?]


    [No, that¡¯s not it.] Sebastian kept an eye around the map looking over the gridlocked highway network near the Infinity Security Group¡¯s locale. [This whole delay¡­ I don¡¯t think this is a coincidence. I think they are trying to piss them off enough to reroute south through Central Bosa where they had that police bombing last week. Now, police don¡¯t go there anymore, right? Something seems wrong. Just like yesterday.]


    [I get what you mean, bro, but think about it. If that was the case, that¡¯s a lot of firepower they would face. Also, Rochas don¡¯t even come this far into our territory.]


    [But they did just that last week. They are everywhere these days. More and more money means more and more followers and they keep getting weapons from someone or somewhere.]


    Renzo then noticed something appear on his map from the view in his visor. [Oh, look, the envoy has made it.] He closed the cockpit door once more as he saw Dani and several other crewmen walk up towards the edge of the parking lot.


    ¡°Sorry to be late!¡± a Hexa official spoke as he got out of the car which had been brought in by police escort. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the best route!¡± He then glanced at Dani with a perplexed look, noting not only the paramilitary¡¯s field camo she wore but also the chest rig and the slung assault rifle on her shoulder. ¡°I thought they were sending the Galeano¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t trust anyone,¡± Dani spoke in a burdened, thick Colombian accent and not a trace of patience. ¡°We lost our delivery men sent yesterday. We won¡¯t be the same. We can protect ourselves. Do you want our payment?¡± She then motioned one of the crewmen to deliver the envelope containing the digital payment code.


    ¡°Well, thank you anyway. Do you need word from our director?¡± the Hexa official continued.


    ¡°No. Just bring your people here. Quickly. And don¡¯t go anywhere until you do. OK?¡± The officials returned to their armored car as Dani turned back to the others. [Anything new?]


    [Damn it! I told you!] Sebastian shouted in frustration as his MI-r powered up its thrusters¡¯ nitro converters. [They just got diverted south! I can¡¯t just stay here! That¡¯s our package! Renzo come-]


    [-Bas settle down! We can¡¯t leave Dani here! This might be what they wanted, damn it!]


    [Then I am going! If I am wrong, I will just walk with them back here, OK?] Without waiting for a response, he hit the jump boosters, leaving a faint trail of reddish-brown exhaust behind him. A bright red and yellow light up top his right shoulder unit started to flash, indicating to the locals of his emergency response status. He gently touched down in an abandoned parking lot just directly south of the location he saw the Infinity group headed down, now taking his time to carefully navigate the less crowded street parallel to the busier highway nearby. This is all really starting to work my nerves. When will they give us a break!?


    Sam was immensely relieved to finally see everyone¡¯s catalyzers starting to wind up again as they started a slow crawling pace on under-foot rollers due south of their roundabout position. She heard over the radio ¡°New route. We will take a south then east approach instead of east then south. Much easier to navigate.¡± Not long after, each Ai20 was now engaging their hover drives, getting up to about 15 km/hr. ¡°Looks like¡­¡± the man continued on the radio, ¡°¡­ looks like we are picking up trace NOx trails on the scanner. Brecht, Philman, you two run a NOx air diag. Knight, Huynh, open up explosives detection to our south.¡±


    Now that¡¯s just what I didn¡¯t want to hear.


    As she opened up the screen for explosives scanning, she remembered that NOx scanners were used to pick up LTAC presence as they lacked the catalyzers that convert the reddish-brown gas back to the colorless, odorless elemental nitrogen. Sensors remained calm as they continued their pace down the highway, approaching a large clearing at the center of a roundabout. Before they reached the roundabout, the leading vehicle once again came to a stop.


    ¡°Not again?!¡± a voice shouted over the radio.


    ¡°Keep it bloody down, will you?!¡± Burnley¡¯s voice shot back. ¡°Alright, forget the traffic. Make the jump and get to that clearing ahead. We will forge our own path from there. Command, relay that to their officers!¡±


    Without hesitation, each vehicle and LTAC found their way to the clearing as they allowed the escorting police truck space to make its way back to the front, but when they looked for it, it was gone.


    ¡°Bloody hell, this can¡¯t be good,¡± Burnley continued over the radio, triggering the same stomach-gripping nervousness in Sam as whatever traces of confidence that remained had completely vanished. ¡°Command, we got stranded. Orders?¡± Silence caused the rest of the crew to grow equally nervous. ¡°Command?¡± He continued. ¡°Director Channing!¡±


    ¡°The director is missing! I repeat, Director is AWOL!¡± a voice came in response soon after.


    Huynh¡¯s voice popped up next. ¡°Captain, we got explosives detection signals around us ¨C looks like they¡¯re bringing something up top! Heads up 3 and 5 o¡¯clock!¡±


    The squad radio continued with its barrage of responses: ¡°NOx sensors detected in this area! The last exhaust activity only fifteen minutes ago!¡±


    ¡°NOx sensors picking up new signal at our six!¡±


    ¡°Explosives confirmed! Rocket pods to our 3 o¡¯clock!¡±


    ¡°Security Group B move south now! Jump the traffic do anything to get through to the rendezvous point! Group A we are standing here to hold up the back!¡± Sam heard as she grew to the point of nearly getting sick right there on the spot. She saw six of the twelve Ai20s jump-boost out of the area as she instinctively armed her riot shield in left hand.


    All of the surrounding four to six story buildings nearby were now suddenly being evacuated as the roundabout suddenly began to empty as traffic came to a wild halt. As the car occupants began to flee, Sam noticed a red object acquisition pop up on visor. Down the street ahead she saw a tank roll around the corner and head for them, taking aim. ¡°Tank!! Shields up!¡± she shrieked out in knee-jerk fashion, throwing back her rear support beams as she brought her left arm around in front, holding the shield up firmly. In that same instant, she heard explosives detection signals blaring as rocket fire poured in from above. The shields each of the six Ai20s hid behind held up against the small rocket fire fairly well, but the tank round shot from ahead had no problem shattering the squad commander¡¯s shield as he was thrown back into the Ai20s behind him. Lucky, she had been at the back of the squad, as it didn¡¯t take more than a second to regather her bearings. Over the next seconds, smoke and dust rushed in and enveloped all standing within the clearing.


    ¡°We need to retreat! We aren¡¯t equipped to handle tanks!¡± one of the pilots shouted.


    ¡°Commander Burnley is down! I repeat, commander down!¡±

 Welcoming Party

    Sam¡¯s heart was now beating out of her chest. Numb by adrenaline and fueled by instinct, she threw her foot down on the jump-boost pedal and guided herself backwards to space herself from the others, seeing a few followed suit. This is not happening- shit-shit-shit keep it together! She quickly let off once she saw her Ai20 match height with the buildings, catching a landing two traffic lights away from the clearing between abandoned cars. As she looked up, she saw rifle fire from the first traffic light area nearest to the clearing. Three of her team were under LTAC fire and were returning fire down the intersecting street.


    ¡°Contact! Multiple LTACs!¡±


    ¡°Requesting aerial interception! Too much on these rooftops!¡± one of the squad mates shouted.


    Think, Sam, think... What did I do in the simulators¡­ Now too tense to feel the queasiness anymore, she quickly jogged her Ai20 up the far-right side of the street while she changed her magazine from dispersal gas to live rounds. She heard the response from the aerial team ¡°inbound on your mark, A Squad¡± as she stopped at the building¡¯s corner at the intersection, shield up. She docked her rifle to the right edge, locked it in, then pivoted the corner to find three knock-off design LTACs locked in a fire fight with the other remaining three from her squad. As she took aim for the widely exposed leg units, she pulled the trigger in bursts, not letting up until she saw the first go down. She backed up, reloaded, and pivoted once more.


    Shit, where the fuck did they go!?¡± Other than the one she downed, she couldn¡¯t spot the other LTACs. NOx sensor warnings showed the trails leading to the opposite side of the building she was hiding behind. She turned to her three teammates in preparations to join them, but the second she made eye contact on screen, she noticed they were quickly being approached by distorted silhouettes mimicking LTACs that registered no NOx readings. ¡°You three! Behind you!¡± She quickly brought her rifle around as if to fire but was unable to pull the trigger both from panic and from not wanting to hit her teammates. I can¡¯t shoot! What do I do!? Over the next few moments as she futilely tried to slow her breathing down, each cloaked LTAC swung out large plasma arc bladed weapons, cutting through the arms and legs of each Ai20 attempting to turn around. The scene had her spun further into a daze as she watched her squad mates¡¯ disabled mech arms unable to take proper aim at their point-blank attackers, having white hot blades driven through the cores of each Ai20.


    The vital sign markers above her squad-mates¡¯ mechs flashed red that instant.


    Sam never once in her entire life pictured seeing someone killed in front of her eyes.


    Paralyzed in shock, unable to utter a sound, instincts once more kicked in as she turned back to the clearing, only to see scattered remains of the other Ai20s. She felt herself blacking out, heart beating out of control. She then felt, and heard, the slam of the butt end of a hefty plasma arc sword against the core of her frame. The sudden, forceful impact had her head slammed against the seat backing before snapping back into the front door padding. Her Ai20 was subsequently driven back against the wall of the supermarket behind her as a left hook from the cloaked LTAC left a slicing gash in her unit¡¯s right shoulder, severing all arm movement. The next moment, a heated machete blade drove just over her head underneath the main camera unit, affixing her to the same wall. By this point, Sam wanted to cry out but was once more too paralyzed by the trauma, left in darkness, struggling to breathe.


    Reaper sat inside the assaulting mech, taking a moment to make sure the pinned Ai20 was still in stable condition before turning to his two wingmen that just finished retrieving their weapons. His scanners also showed no signs of activity from within their cockpits on his proximity scanner. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s a wrap. The rest will be taken care of soon enough down the road.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Reap¡¯? What about that Galeano kid?¡± Revenant asked with a gesture towards the lone approaching MI-r.


    ¡°Negative. We¡¯ve been out here long enough¡­ don¡¯t need any more unnecessary exposure. Let¡¯s get back to camp.¡±


    The ensuing silence allowed Sam to at last collect herself enough to think. Please work, please work¡­¡± Both motion controls and primary communication lines were down. She was unable to see anything outside nor the calm retreat of the three cloaked LTACs, frantically reaching for her headset controls that she couldn¡¯t find. She was finally able to grab a hold of the secondary control knob only to find that her headset had been damaged upon impact earlier. As her senses continued to come back to her, she realized her left arm from elbow down was in extreme pain from that same impact. Her next focus was to get the door open, which was more than a chore due the broken locking mechanism as she lacked the physical strength to pry it open.


    Down the same road, there was one Ai20 still in retreat, attempting to return fire on two chasing MI-r units. Rocket fire from in front slowed it down enough for the pursuing units to close ground. Before they could fire their next shot, a grenade round launched from behind tripped up both attackers, causing one to stumble down.


    [Keep running!] Sebastian shouted as he loaded and fired another round, this time crippling the thruster unit and back joint of the lagging MI-r with a direct impact. He had the pilot on his comms locked in, but only got a panicked gasp in return, realizing his own communication was mistaken. ¡°Run! Keep running!¡± Sebastian continued in English this time, switching to his shotgun attachment, sticking it in the face of the now turned around MI-r in front, sending slugs through the armor and power distribution block as it fell to the ground. He looked up to now see the Ai20 pilot bailing out as a helicopter dropped an escape rope for him to latch on to. Sebastian then turned around once more to the final remaining active Ai20 signal, seeing it hadn¡¯t moved an inch. He hit the jump-booster once more, hitting the altitude required to get beyond the high rises separating the two. This allowed him to survey the area along the way, having painful flashbacks to the prior weeks. They really are going at us until no one remains standing. His MI-r slammed to the ground next to Sam¡¯s downed Ai20 to find it still pinned to the building¡¯s concrete wall.


    She was unaware of the descending crowd upon her disabled mech, but all she knew was the loud crashing thud of metal near her position followed by the popping of dispersal gas rounds.  She immediately felt a rush of the feeling she was being rescued by her team after hearing such a familiar sound. ¡°Help! My comms are broken! I can¡¯t get my signals out! Or my door open! Help!¡± she screamed amongst the sound of moving LTAC feet. There was a sudden stop as she heard the nearby unit¡¯s cockpit open, followed by the sound of boots on the pavement. ¡°Yes, help open this door!¡± she continued to shout, banging on the door from the inside. Next, she heard the sound of micro cutters melting away the joints of the lower door, and once the panel fell away, she saw Sebastian¡¯s face and his hand gesture ordering her out. Her expression quickly faded from hopeful to frightened. ¡°Who are-?!-What-Where is my squad?!¡±


    ¡°We need to hurry! You aren¡¯t safe here!¡± Sebastian frantically tried to coax her out, fearful more attackers would come. He looked both ways at the tear gas rounds fired earlier that were sealing off the street ends. ¡°I am a local paramilitary! You aren¡¯t safe! Hurry! The gas won¡¯t work much longer!¡±


    She reluctantly eased herself down, carefully putting most of her weight on her right shoulder. Sebastian reached out to her left hand to help her out but immediately saw the blood that had been slowly running down her fingers and decided to wait. She finally got to the point where she could grab the lower edge of the door with her right hand to get her out of the cockpit completely, allowing him to now help her down without grabbing her left arm. She took a second to catch her breath amongst the smells of molten metal, thick remnants of NOx, and exposed fuel cells, all of which caused the deep breaths to lead to hacking coughs. She then felt herself being carefully led away from the wreckage. ¡°You have no idea how thankful I am you got me out in time,¡± she spoke up as she started to look to where she was being led. ¡°But, how are you getting me out of here?!¡± She saw nothing but the one MI-r unit with the two of them stuck between two damaged buildings and two white clouds of gas.


    ¡°You are the only one left.¡±


    Only one left?!


    ¡°You have to ride with me back to safety. Your officers are at the meeting point at Lake Timiza.¡± He climbed up the ladder and took a seat once more in his MI-r, now extending a hand down to her. ¡°Or you can stay here,¡± he said curtly, losing his patience, reaching over to put his helmet back on.


    Sam couldn¡¯t stand the thought of waiting for the gas to subside, waiting to see who or what would descend upon her. And with hearing the approaching sirens and heightened shouting, she reluctantly grabbed onto the ladder and awkwardly made her way up one-armed until she could grab onto his extended hand, allowing him to pull her up. Another awkward couple of seconds passed before she sat down the only way she could in his lap. All the while, her mind frantically switched back and forth between You have got to be fucking kidding me and the picturing of being captured or killed. The cockpit doors closed, barely leaving any wiggle room for the two. The self-latching restraints, however, only attached to Sebastian by the nature of the design. She awkwardly searched for the nearest handle to hold, unfamiliar with the LTAC¡¯s interior design, all the while trying to maintain composure.


    ¡°I only have enough fuel for one more jump. Hold on, please,¡± Sebastian warned, giving her a second to grab on firmly to the grips normally used for leverage during loading and unloading. The MI-r took off, heading back for the lake via way of the only street he¡¯d expect to be safe enough for travel. [Renzo,] he called over his radio, reverting to his native tongue, [I got a survivor with me on board. Are you clear over there?]


    [We were waiting on you! Hexa ran off when we had to take care of some Rochas trying to sneak up behind us!]


    [Is that tank still there?]


    [No. Tank disabled by some of our Bosa friends with mines.]


    [OK, good. I¡¯m headed your way now down Carrera 77.] The MI-r weaved in and out of the less dense traffic, now making use of its roller attachments to make up for the increased weight and lack of fuel. [Boss is going to be pissed.]


    Sam could only listen in bewilderment, unable to see anything but the padded door frame in front of her nor was she unable to understand anything, either. She then thought to herself Damn, my communicator must be completely broken. No in-ear translation or nothing.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°How bad is your arm?¡± Sebastian broke the awkward silence, taking a turn at an intersection that headed straight for the lake.


    ¡°It¡¯s, um¡­ fine, I think,¡± she fumbled with her response. ¡°Kind of hurts, still.¡±


    ¡°It seemed bad to me. We will get you help in a minute.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, but if you don¡¯t mind me asking, are you with the Galeano Family?¡± she asked, remembering some of the mission details that had gone foggy earlier.


    ¡°Yes. I am taking you to the lake meeting point where my team and¡­ maybe your people are. We are almost there.¡±


    Sam started to take respite in the calmness of his voice and demeanor, no longer feeling in any immediate danger. She couldn¡¯t see what Sebastian could, but she could tell there were no warning or caution signals, signifying she would finally be out in the clear. ¡°Are you Hexa trained? You maneuver this¡­ Bernaud model¡­ very well.¡±


    ¡°No, not Hexa trained, internet trained. Old brother trained. You can watch instruction videos if you have a¡­ ¡®eme-ee-gamma¡¯ (MI-r) like my team. Or same for Hexa ones, too.¡±


    She then remembered hearing about their only pilots being the Navarre¡¯s. ¡°Hey, wait, you¡¯re a Navarre, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Sebastian Navarre. And you are a Ms. Knight. I saw your name print.¡±


    ¡°Yes, um, Samantha Knight.¡± Her attempt at small talk to last the remainder of their trip wasn¡¯t much, but by the time she felt the urge to continue, she felt the MI-r slow down considerably.


    ¡°We are here.¡± He then clicked the comms button once more as he lowered the MI-r into park mode. [Renzo, Dani, bring a medic.]


    [I am the medic, idiot, remember?] Dani chided.


    As the door opened, she saw several men run up to help Sam down carefully. She started making her way to the older truck Dani was sitting inside of as she made a motion to them to load her up. She also noticed another MI-r nearby, parked and open. The markings were the exact same as those on Sebastian¡¯s LTAC but had more apparent scarring from combat built up over the months. ¡°What about him? Is he not coming?¡± she asked to the man helping her walk. He only returned a confused look as he urged her nonverbally to continue toward the truck. Oh, right, wrong language. She looked back again, seeing Sebastian never got out and instead was talking to another man in a similar outfit.


    [Who is she? A Hexa survivor?] Renzo asked as dragged a reserve fuel cell carrier towards Sebastian. [Or maybe even one of their pilots?]


    [Yeah, she was the only one I found besides one who a helicopter retrieved. They left her for dead, I think.]


    Renzo slid open the reserve cell compartment and started loading the cell. [For how much we paid them, Infinity sure does suck, huh? Biggest fucking waste of money. I swear-]


    [-No,] Sebastian stiffly cut him off. [There were three others in strange looking LTACs. They weren¡¯t Rochas. They were even stronger outsiders. They even had active detection blocking. They wiped the entire Infinity squad out in less than a minute.]


    [Are you sure it wasn¡¯t that tank I heard? I heard the shells.]


    [No, that tank was just the one side. The rest was by the mystery three. Any ideas?]


    Renzo closed the compartment and started wheeling it back to the truck. [How would I? Why don¡¯t you go ask her? Come on, Bas, you speak such great English,] he responded with an impatient, tired frown.


    Sam had taken a seat and saw Dani approaching her with some bandages and disinfectant. ¡°Welcome to Barrio Bosa. My name is Dani.¡± She then paused and made a gesture to her left arm. ¡°I can fix.¡±


    Sam held her arm up as Dani started prepping it for rolling, having Sam pull her sleeve back far enough to work with. ¡°Appreciate it. I¡¯m Samantha Knight. Sorry if I don¡¯t speak¡­um¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s OK. Are you from the NAU?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m Akkadian.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a space girl? You speak some Spanish, then. You learn it to speak with people in Casares. So many people in Casares are also from SAU, like from here in Colombia.¡± She was now applying disinfectant and saw Sam wince. ¡°You can speak Spanish. You learn it in school.¡± [Tell us about you. Why do you come here?] Her reverting to her native tongue caught the attention of the rest of her crew as they jumped in on the conversation.


    [Ah, yeah, tell us what happened to your team,] a man next to her interjected.


    [Yeah, tell us why your crew is garbage! Huh?] another added in disappointment akin to Renzo¡¯s.


    Sam could pick up on the caustic direction of the conversation and thought to herself: Where did that Navarre guy go? Who the fuck are these assholes?


    [And why do you look like a dalmatian?] a third joked.


    [A dalmatian? ¡®The hell are you talking about, you dumbass?] Dani joked back as she started wrapping Sam¡¯s elbow area.


    [Her hair! It¡¯s black and white like¡­]


    [Like that lady from the movie with the dalmatians! What was her name?]


    [Cruella! Right?]


    The ensuing guffaw had Sam enraged in thought: And where the fuck is my team?! Air rescue never came, and the envoy team left?! Did Director Channing just bolt?!


    [Hey hey! Cut that shit out!] Sebastian barked as he approached the crowd. [I have questions I need answered! Piss her off and we don¡¯t get any information out of her!] He then saw Sam who seemed relieved to see him but couldn¡¯t return the notion. [I need to borrow her when you¡¯re done, Dani.]


    [Oh, go ahead! Don¡¯t mind me], Dani responded sarcastically as she continued rolling the bandage carefully.


    Sam wasted no time speaking first. ¡°Can you or anyone tell me where my crew went? Anyone from Infinity? I need to get back.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t go back now,¡± Sebastian flatly replied. ¡°How will you go? Your men left when Renzo, my brother, was attacked. Your people took our money and left.¡±


    ¡°What,¡± Sam stumbled with her response as she suddenly felt in danger again which she made clear in her voice: ¡°What do you mean? The camp is just back over in Bosa! What are you all going to do with me?¡±


    Sebastian paused in confusion before cracking a smile as he and Dani started laughing. ¡°What?!¡± He then saw the frightened look on her face grow stouter. ¡°We rescued you. What are you talking about?¡±


    Sam remembered the words spoken to her on the ride over to Earth: ¡°Keep up that attitude and the Colombians will have more than a new addition to their street girls. ¡°Oh, you got the package alright, I bet you¡¯d draw them a pretty penny!¡± She then stood up defensively. ¡°I get that! Thank you but I am not about to-¡±


    ¡°Girl, shut up!¡± Dani interrupted as she took offense to the reaction, yanking the bandage knot tightly in finish.


    Sam pulled her arm away with an offended look. Ouch! Bitch! What did I do!?


    ¡°Let us start over, OK?¡± Sebastian asked, now calm once again as he tried to calm Sam down as well. ¡°Again, I am Sebastian Navarre. This is my sister, Dani. That over behind me is my brother, Renzo. We work for La Familia Galeano. We paid for your security services, so you have to stay with us for now.¡±


    ¡°I would just like to know how to get back with my crew, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Are you from the NAU?¡±


    ¡°-Akkadia. She¡¯s a space girl,¡± Dani interrupted again.¡±


    The hell!? Why does everyone think I¡¯m from the NAU!?


    [Dani, stop. Please?] Sebastian said as he shook his head, then looked back to Sam. ¡°I need information from you, but yes, you can trust us. We don¡¯t want to do anything to you. We will hold you safe until someone comes to get you, OK?¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± she replied as she looked at the approaching brother Sebastian pointed out earlier. ¡°I can tell you what I know but I don¡¯t know much, alright?¡±


    Renzo now joined the group, adding more to the uneasy feeling of being surrounded from Sam¡¯s perspective. [Tell her that her Drop Operation Director is missing.]


    [What?] Sebastian responded in surprise. [What about the envoy? Are they not sending anyone back?]


    [We need her info for now,] he flatly continued. [I expect they will send someone but right now shit is getting to be real damned suspicious. Their next in command contacted me just now and told me they will send a rescue vehicle from their Bosa camp once rocket activity is guaranteed a non-threat level. The last aerial rescues both got shot down. No word on pilot recoveries.]


    [So, when are they picking this girl up?]


    [Fuck if I know?]


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Sam interrupted. ¡°But I need to give some kind of information, right? In exchange, can you tell me how I am getting back to my team?¡±


    Sebastian took a moment to think of the right phrasing as he saw how skittish she was. ¡°Your people can¡¯t come yet. They say it¡¯s too dangerous to send air rescue. The last ones got shot down. You stay with us until they say it is safe to send someone, OK?¡± When she nodded her head, he continued: ¡°So, I need to know about the, ahn, the people who put you into the wall. Tell me about who did that. And who cut your team like that.¡± He then turned to Dani. [Bring her some water. Something to drink. Where¡¯s the hospitality, sis?]


    Sam was too overcome by the flashes of memories of watching her teammates being killed to notice Dani rolling her eyes at Sebastian¡¯s remark as she headed for the other truck next to them. She had forgotten how real that was, feeling the punch-in-the-gut sensation once more as reality further set in.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Sebastian noted the paling in her face. He put a hand on her shoulder as he attempted to look her in the eye. ¡°Hey, are you ok?¡±


    Sam snapped back, taking in a proper breath, then looked back at Sebastian. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know where they came from. My team¡­¡± She had struggled to recall everything, trying to jog  her memory of what happened prior to the attack. ¡°My team had gotten separated from the other team at that clearing. A big¡­ roundabout. We saw a tank. Some of us fell back. I saw some Gammas, kind of like what you have there but a different color,¡± Sam pointed to his and Renzo¡¯s MI-r¡¯s. ¡°There were some black and brick-colored ones that I was helping shoot down. It was when I turned around to reload when I saw these¡­ these- call me crazy, but cape or cloak covered frames.¡± She then took the water bottle Dani brought, thanked her, and took a few long sips before continuing. ¡°Sorry. Anyway, I don¡¯t know what mech frame they were. I couldn¡¯t even get a good picture almost as if my own memory is distorted. Real foggy for me, sorry. They all had these, I think, bladed weapons they hacked everyone down with. I couldn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t shoot¡­ they had my teammates between me and them. When I backed up they were already in my face¡­ bashed me against the wall and I lost all system control. Even my secondary communicator broke. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t understand you all when you speak Spanish.¡±


    ¡°OK,¡± Sebastian responded as he took a moment to digest everything he was told.


    [Well, are you going to tell us what¡¯s up? Clue us in, bro. Shit sounded important,] Renzo interjected, curious why he hadn¡¯t been updated after everything she said.


    ¡°But those mechs?¡±, Sam continued. ¡°They didn¡¯t even show up on radar, couldn¡¯t even lock in on them. They even showed up blank on NOx traces.¡±


    ¡°Knocks? What are knocks?¡±


    ¡°No no, sorry, I need to avoid acronyms. Um, nitrogen, oxygen, like¡­ NO<sub>2</sub> or NO<sub>3</sub>,¡± she awkwardly started as she started subconsciously using her hands to help explain. ¡°You know? The stuff¡­ the brown gas¡­ that pretty much all Bernaud frames- err¡­ Gamma frames¡­ spit out when moving under boost. So, yeah, nothing we could see on our screen. It¡¯s like they¡­ weren¡¯t even there.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I think I understand. But, please, hold one minute.¡± He then looked to Renzo and Dani. [If I understood right, they are complete foreigners like I said. Blades? Cloaking? Catalyzers we don¡¯t have access to? This is bad. We need to go report everything immediately and get everything straight with Infinity.]


    Renzo laughed mockingly before boiling: [Man, fuck those pricks, they ripped us all off!! I was not ready to hear about spending more money on them.]


    [So, what do we do? Huh?] Sebastian shot back with a straight face. [Ready to go out on our last ride? Those foreigners are here and I bet they are here to stay. Want to face them alone?]


    [Bas, wake up! They didn¡¯t show themselves until Infinity showed up!]


    Sebastian pondered the truth behind the statement, unable to retort, mouth agape.


    Sam, however, picked up on what Renzo must have been saying as she looked to him. ¡°Hey, I got that. We showed up, they showed up. But the order is already made. We were just the first drop. There are way more of us showing up in a few days. More than double what showed up!¡±


    [What did she say?] Renzo said, puzzled at the thought she said anything at all to him.


    ¡°Samantha, can you communicate with your people if we take you to our compound? You need to warn them.¡±


    [Bas! What did she say?!] Renzo persisted.


    [Renzo, damn! She said the order was already including the next wave of bigger security packages come in a few days. I remember this was a package deal with only part of it coming today. They still owe us eight more squads,] he said with a smirk.


    Dani checked her watch as she opened her driver side door. [Alright, time¡¯s up. Pack up. We need to get out of here before more people get bad ideas. Shame this shit happens in our own neighborhoods.]


    Sebastian nodded in agreement as he faced Sam once more. ¡°So, I have to go back in my Gamma. You ride with Dani. I will help you get communication set up with your people when we arrive, OK?¡±


    Sam was comforted by the thought of hearing from her team once more, but then was quickly discomforted seeing Dani in the driving seat and her stuck with her for who knew how long. Dani turned around, giving her a smile that Sam could only weakly return.

 Family Interventions

    During the drive back, Sam was once again mesmerized by the view passing by. The sheer difference in architecture and the layout of the city was something she likely would never get adjusted to, especially with how hectic traffic got when no one was following the lane markers. She eased back once more in her seat, checking the bandage on her arm to see the bleeding had stopped. She felt the heat blasting from outside even though the wind coming in from the open windows had been steadily flowing by. She felt the sweat from her back soaking into the upholstery of the seat cushion, causing her to readjust her posture. Seeing that the others in the truck weren¡¯t in anything like her pilot suit, she casually zipped her collar open and pulled it further down towards her abdomen, letting some of the trapped heat out of her suit but also exposing her undershirt. She remembered how uncomfortable the other guys made her earlier, causing her to awkwardly put the zipper back up. She then heard Dani over her communicator with someone but couldn¡¯t make out the words as the noise drowned most of it out. She then started having flashbacks of the massacre earlier and what news was brought about the bailing out of her rescue team on her. Once again, the feelings of terrifying isolation and vulnerability kicked in.


    After a few lines were exchanged, Dani turned to her. ¡°Hey, your team left Bosa. No more camp.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sam thought, just as she thought it couldn¡¯t get worse.


    ¡°They got told that they had to leave because, ahn, it was too dangerous to look for missing pilots. You. The helicopter crew. Sorry. Your team left Bosa and is on a train to Medellin to get to safety.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?!¡± Sam tried to stay calm, knowing she at least was being cared for. ¡°OK, OK, Sebastian said he would let me talk to my crew when we get wherever it is we are going. I can get them to come get me, right?¡±


    Dani could only shake her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I feel sorry for you.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Reaper was watching a large cargo train head out from the city and northwest from a different camp set up in the mountains overlooking Bogota. He zoomed in to spot Hexa officers at the back of the personnel car. ¡°That leaves one left unaccounted for.¡±


    ¡°I already marked the escaped Ai20 pilot and that heli crew as KIA or MIA,¡± Requiem spoke from a seat behind him, ¡°so I assume you are speaking of her.¡±


    Reaper was then approached from behind by Director Channing, who was now dressed down in the same camo pattern pilot gear. ¡°Cable¡± was written on the name patch over the left chest pocket. He looked to her and spoke: ¡°You still expect Vrey to send the rest of the package on time?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± she said, ¡°you know, since I had to ditch a week sooner than expected, all I can give you is my best guess. That man is who we know him to be. Expect the delivery not only on time but might even be bigger.¡± She then turned to the view of the city below. ¡°Destabilizing this place wasn¡¯t as hard as I originally calculated. Do you really think we need one more go? You might not like the numbers next time.¡±


    ¡°No. We aren¡¯t done until we see the other Familias¡¯ citizen contingents start to rebel. The Vera, Benitez, and Galeano sympathizers are still too much in control. We actually just might need a large-scale mess to really have them question their state of being. Let Hexa send their groups. Round up more locals. The Rocha¡¯s like their pay.¡±


    Requiem stood up from his chair and headed the other direction. ¡°Already ahead of you, Reap¡¯. Me and Rev¡¯ will go talk to Boss Boy and see who can be rounded up by tomorrow.¡±


    When Requiem¡¯s footsteps couldn¡¯t be heard anymore, Cable turned to Reaper again. ¡°Isaiah, you know your sister is still not exactly in the best shape to call safe or sound. You risked exposure just to hope she¡¯s sent home scared shitless and never to return. Don¡¯t tell me you are going to do the same if we don¡¯t see an extraction by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Marian, stop,¡± Reaper (Isaiah) sighed. ¡°I really appreciate everything you yourself risked in bringing her and everyone off course to safe landings, and I did get to in fact see her completely freeze up. She had three chances in specific to shoot one of us down. She is in over her head like I knew, and now she knows it, too. It¡¯s unfortunate that Galeano kid ran in messing up her rescue. I didn¡¯t plan on having that heli shot down, you know. That was just after the fact.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± she flatly replied, arms crossed. ¡°Answer my question.¡±


    ¡°About next time?¡± he said with a frustrated chuckle. He was never able to talk as he wanted to about his sister he had abandoned, always feeling some responsibility for whatever fate she would meet. ¡°Sam is resourceful. Either she uses that and finds a way to get out and back home where I know she will stay, or she gets a stupid idea and uses it to get herself killed. I did my part. She just has to do her part now and go home.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t chastise you for valuing your family. But we have to expect much more than simple anti-riot packages next. That tank and you three guy¡¯s appearance means the Ai-25 and 30 models also make theirs, along with their own tanks and attack craft. And don¡¯t forget they might break out the Ap-50 prototype.¡±


    ¡°You overestimate Vrey¡¯s carelessness with the public eye. He worries more about his stockholders-¡±


    ¡°No. He worries about his personal success and his pride. That will always trump everything else, just like always. Remember, he lost his son for the sake of his invention succeeding. He will send an army.¡± And to think of the extent he will go to¡­ gives me chills.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope for our sake I¡¯m right. I need to get my ears closer to Kennedy East so I can at least see what¡¯s going on with Sam. I¡¯m like you, Marian. I want this to be over much sooner and with much less fighting than not.¡± He picked up his viewfinder once more, this time focusing over the central part of town. ¡°Something says little Galeano might give Sam the wrong sense of confidence. I might need to get him silenced.¡±


    ¡°Do you want his information? Sebastian or Renzo Navarre. Not sure which it was, but one was there, one was at the lake.¡±


    What was I thinking? Marian will only get carried away. I need to just keep my mouth shut and pray Sam sticks to course. ¡°Nevermind, it¡¯s time and resources not worth spending,¡± he said, letting his arms rest again. All I can do for now is hope. Please don¡¯t get that damn stubborn confidence up, Sam.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    ¡°Yes, please, sir!¡± Sam begged the older man at the Galeano Compound gathering room. ¡°I can make sure you get paid. I just want direct communication capabilities.¡±


    [She wants direct comm link to her place of choice. Will pay, she says,] Sebastian told the man. [She made contact earlier with her dispatch and warned them of the attackers. But of course they only told her what we already knew, and aren¡¯t going to come, so she¡¯s pretty scared. I think letting her make a call home would be the humane thing to do.]


    [Very well. Take her to the terminal. We can collect after she gets what she wants,] he said to Sebastian, gesturing them to the room behind them.


    ¡°Thank you thank you!¡± Sam elatedly replied as she let herself be led into the communications room. ¡°Excuse me,¡± she whispered as they made their way around several men sat at their stations. ¡°So, is this the access screen?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Go ahead and make your call. Akkadian code, right?¡± Sebastian asked as he pulled up the input selector.


    ¡°Yes. 3389 Joseph Block A. Line 0098-1228.¡± She then stood in front of the screen, putting herself centered in the call screen. The other line picked up, with her mother showing up.


    ¡°Sam!?¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± she burst out, this time unable to hold back a small trail of tears. ¡°I¡¯m OK before you ask anything! I¡¯m totally fine, and I¡¯m so sorry for my outburst this morning. I just needed to let you know I kind of don¡¯t have any way out of here! I really, really need you to tell dad and see if he knows a chain to pull or something.¡±


    ¡°Sam, hold on!¡± she said with a breath of relief. ¡°I am so glad you are OK, though of course you are, you are Samantha Knight. But at the very same time I still can¡¯t believe you just¡­¡±


    Is she rolling her eyes?!


    ¡°¡­Just ran off like you did! Hopefully you realize now is not the time to start asking for favors to cover for you! Why isn¡¯t Hexa getting you!?¡±


    Sam realized she should¡¯ve known her mother would more likely be angrier than relieved as she wiped her eyes, clearing her throat. ¡°Mom, Hexa can¡¯t. They ruled the area too dangerous for extraction. I need another route out. I promise, mom, just help get me home. Forget my years I said I¡¯d do this- I¡¯m already done with them. I get it, this is not what I was meant to do.¡±


    Amelie crossed her arms, leaning back with visible intent to scold. ¡°Now do you see what I meant all this time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, mom, please, just please,¡± she continued in a defeated tone.


    ¡°I will talk with him once I hang up and call his office directly. But if he can¡¯t pull strings, I¡¯d bet I still have plenty of options.¡±


    Sam still couldn¡¯t help feel the pressure of defeat even after everything she had been through. She was aware of all the chances she had to listen to her mother and avoid the situation. ¡°Thanks, mom, and sorry for everything. I realize everything up to this point was my choice and I am taking the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Sam, maybe this was just what was required in growing up. Everyone needs different challenges to face in order to finally grow up and make necessary discoveries and changes.¡± She then unfolded her arms and softened up her expression. ¡°Alright. Look, you know I will be waiting by the phone until you are home.¡±


    ¡°The people here have been nice for the most part, and I feel safe with them. I will be fine in the meantime. Thanks again.¡±


    ¡°Bye Sam. Please stay put.¡±


    ¡°Yes, definitely will do. Bye.¡±


    The call ended as Sam let out a huge, heavy sigh, and Sebastian returned a confounded look. ¡°You two¡­ don¡¯t seem to like each other much. I didn¡¯t think even Akkadians were so distant to each other in one family.¡±


    ¡°Well, first, thanks for letting me call. I could transfer the money now if you want. How much?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they will collect. If they do, worry about it when they ask.¡±


    ¡°So, what did you mean? When you said distant?¡± She asked as they left the room with Sebastian leading them to what looked to be a break room for the pilots.


    ¡°Distant. Like, if that was me and my mother talking, she would be going crazy, all worried and scared¡­ and crying. Your mother was only angry at you, and you had to say sorry?¡± He motioned her to take a seat at the table nearby with a few empty chairs remaining. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could live in such a world.¡± He pushed in her chair as she took a seat. ¡°Coffee? Smoke? Drink?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t smoke or drink, maybe a coffee.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ha! You don¡¯t drink!?¡± [Cruella here says she doesn¡¯t drink!] Dani exclaimed, who was sitting across the table with a cigarette. Laughs poured in. ¡°I know how people like you dress! You party. You drink. Right?¡± [Get her a shot. She could use one and settle down some.]


    ¡°No, please! Last thing I need is a damn hang over,¡± she fussed, slouching over in her chair. ¡°I hurt enough as it is.¡± I just want to go home. I don¡¯t know where I am or what the fuck I am even doing anymore.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Dani continued to push the invitation as she motioned to a chuckling Sebastian. ¡°We need to welcome you to El Barrio Kennedy! Best places in the city are here. You had a bad day. Hurt a lot. You can let us help you feel better!¡±


    [Do you expect her here long? I don¡¯t like foreigners here, to be honest,] the man from earlier said to Renzo who was standing next to him.


    [Bas said we ought to, and normally he¡¯s not like this. Let him have his way this one time. He took down a good number of Rocha bastards today all on his own. Let him see what this girl wants to do with her sorry self. We are here waiting for the next security package delivery anyway, right?]


    [Right. It¡¯s settled. She can stay until Friday when they deliver. If they can¡¯t get her back then, she has to find her own way. Tell that to your brother for me.]


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al stormed the Hexa central office building in a manner similar to the way he stormed the dance club the other night. ¡°He¡¯s expecting me,¡± he growled to the secretary, showing him his Retired Navy badge, allowing it to be scanned.


    ¡°Yes, sir, Mr. Knight, top floor.¡±


    He was a bit more polite with how he opened the fancier, expensive wooden doors to Vincent¡¯s office but was sure to walk in with the same enraged aura. ¡°What did you lead Sam into? You thought this was just a security tour for real? Tanks? Cloaked LTAC technology!? Downed helicopters?! Vrey, have you gone mad?! How did you not see this coming with all the insane amount of intel at your fingertips?!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Knight, please hold your emotions, I have an explanation for all of this,¡± he said as he stood with a hand up. ¡°Listen.¡± Al was now almost a foot away from his face. ¡°None of this was expected. The losses are devastating as it is, but to make things worse, our director of drop missions over Northern SAU defected. A girl I loved as my own daughter just pulled a turn coat and I find this out moments ago. She set us up. She set Sam up.¡±


    ¡°What?! Marian?! And why should I believe that of all things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid Marian might be acting like this as a way of exacting revenge. She still blames me for Lance¡¯s death. I tried, tried so hard to make it up for her, giving her the stable life she needed, and now she is with the opposition.¡±


    ¡°But she is taking away my Sam! Nothing to do with you! Other than the fact you are going to get her back for me no matter the cost.¡± Al tried to calm down, thinking a suggestion would work more than a threat. ¡°How many survivors need picking up?¡±


    ¡°Just her.¡±


    ¡°One¡­ one survivor? Of the twelve pilots¡­ well, of course Sam survived she¡¯s one of your best pilots and seems to be able to fight her way out of anything thrown at her. But her as the lone survivor?¡± Al paced the room for a moment before arriving to a new thought. ¡°Even if Marian was responsible for the setup everyone walked into- wait, that¡¯s it. Let me see the last five minutes of the squad leader¡¯s recorded feed.¡±


    Vincent changed screens, allowing Al to watch the final few skirmishes. ¡°You put the worst possible people in charge.¡± He then thumbed over to the part where the escaping Ai20 pilot was able to get free after Sebastian¡¯s MI-r covered him from behind. ¡°This must be a local.¡± He then fast forwarded to where he ran off to cut Sam free. ¡°That¡¯s who has her. That¡¯s who was with her on the phone call. This guy. These¡­ that¡¯s it!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of Infinity¡¯s logistics?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Jarro. Why?¡±


    ¡°Stockholders are livid, I assume? Right. Of course, they are. You just cost them a billion by trusting such a sensitive drop op to a lady you knew might have a serious grudge. Look, if you want to see the recovery op succeed and wipe out whatever screwups you all had in this first attempt, you are going to put me in his position. Effective immediately.¡± He saw the look in Vincent¡¯s eyes, knowing he wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse. ¡°You know what I have been capable of in the past. You¡¯re not going to tell me no, because you need this victory and image clear up almost as much as I want my daughter back. And trust me, you don¡¯t want me violating international code stepping foot back into a mech if I have to.¡±

 Hoping for Return

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al was working from home where had an already established office from his previous job. While the walls around his desk were neatly arranged with multiple achievement displays, all complimented by well-placed framed photos of family and friends, it harshly contrasted his cluttered desktop. There was no to-do tray or inbox in sight, only halfway separated piles of folders and portfolios which often received scorn from passing viewers as this was, after all, more than a century into the paperless business world. Al never cared for going with the 100% online norm as he preferred hand notation of much of his work and thought, finding it easier to organize in his head what had physically touched paper.


    He was reviewing Infinity¡¯s ground footage from Colombia Vincent had handed to him, and while he had plenty to choose from, he focused only on the feeds that contained records of the mysterious trio of cloaked LTACs. He went back and forth between distorted views from the helmet view feeds¡¯ last moments, studying the only discernible portion of the screen. His eyes then caught a glimpse of something glowing a bright blue that rang a bell.


    Plasma arc technology for sure. To have this much proximity distortion technology¡­ and have their hands on old war tech downsized this much? I could almost swear this would¡¯ve all been highly locked down by any of the few producers. He then scrolled back to Sam¡¯s feed. He saw her rifle aimed at what was a clearer view of friendly Ai20¡¯s locked in battle with the mechs he couldn¡¯t identify, but once the Ai20¡¯s were knocked down, Sam¡¯s feed, too, became completely distorted. They are locking cameras with this device. She was that close to getting a good look. She did well to survive against this, he continued in thought as he watched until her feed was abruptly cut off during the last impact delivered. But after watching this, I learned it wasn¡¯t her fighting skills necessarily that got her out alive. It was almost pure luck, if not completely deliberate. Vincent, you¡¯d better move fast.


    At Hexa¡¯s main office, Vincent was seated in his chair in the executive board meeting room, where his plaque read ¡°Vincent Vrey, CEO¡±. He sat around four other men in their 50¡¯s and 60¡¯s with one vacant seat. ¡°How was his news taken, Mr. Lucian?¡± He asked across the table to the man with the plaque reading ¡°Rafael Lucian, Head of Internal Affairs¡±.


    ¡°We all knew stockholders were already calling specifically for his head. He had no choice but to take it well and leave. His office will be empty before the end of the hour.¡± He then looked to the empty seat that read ¡°Eric Jarro, Head of International Affairs and Logistics¡±. ¡°Issue is, we can¡¯t exactly wait for another round of interviews for the spot. And then vote? We have a mess to clean up, and I think we need someone with more war expertise is needed.¡±


    ¡°Even though at no point in the world is anything remotely considered at war?¡±Another man asked, his plaque reading ¡°Bramo Nabransky, Head of Corporate Expansions¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying anyone is at war, because that¡¯s obviously not the case,¡± Lucian continued. ¡°You can get that from anyone here. My point is, we are now dealing with military grade weapons on a regular basis as far as logistics are concerned. We saw the feeds. Those are military weapons fighting back, and now we have a different problem on our hands. Mr. Jarro had no experience with such, and to be honest, I regret my vote allowing him onto the board.¡±


    ¡°Then do you have anyone in mind? Who did you think you should¡¯ve pursued instead?¡±


    ¡°I have a motion to make,¡± Vincent spoke up as he stood up. ¡°In agreement with Mr. Lucian¡¯s point, I am referring the position to Alexander Knight, currently employed by the state legal defense network, former Forerunning Labs R&D contributor, former Union Navy Pilot and Commander.¡±


    ¡°So, you are seriously suggesting a war hawk after all?¡± Nabransky replied. ¡°What kind of negative PR are you asking for, pardon my frankness?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± a man whose plaque read ¡°Rion Mugen¡± joined in. ¡°Mr. Lucian made a good point. We need someone with not only military tactics experience and years of leadership, but we also need someone familiar with our technology and R&D enough to provide better leadership with logistics considering the sudden surge in resistance and their weapons availability to use against us.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Lucian added. ¡°I had the misfortune of working against him in the last war when we tried to reverse engineer the Antares series against the Union Navy. He was the most influential force behind the adjustments made to counteract our advances. Much respect for his abilities, and we might need those exact same skills seeing someone is funding our opposition too well if I may say so myself.¡±


    ¡°I have no dog in this fight,¡± the man whose plaque read ¡°Symo Zaeras¡± spoke, ¡°but I can agree to any position as long as we agree today. None of us are going to just¡­ step up and do Mr. Jarro¡¯s job for him, are we? Let¡¯s not kid ourselves.¡±


    ¡°But if we put Knight in charge of logistics, there¡¯s no guarantee his actions won¡¯t cause wars to start popping up,¡± Nabransky persisted.


    ¡°But he can¡¯t!¡± Lucian quickly refuted with a befuddled laugh. ¡°It¡¯d be impossible to speak of something that large scale all from the result of just trying to augment government responses to riots and terrorist attacks! We are not talking about international struggles here! These are all within each country! The only way war is even remotely a possibility is if we start helping pit nations against others in some kind of business-minded proxy war.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Mugen added. ¡°We all know what two wars looked like in our lifetimes. This is a non-threat, a non-possibility. We need to neutralize extremist activity where our services are ordered, nothing more. And for that we need someone who can handle logistics against stiffer opposition to do that. And when we speak of someone who dedicated year after year to his craft, I believe we are getting more than just someone who wants to save their child. He will want to save them all, which is what we need.¡± He then turned to Vincent. ¡°Mr. Vrey, I believe we can start the deliberation process if you are to approve.¡±


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bogota, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    Sam washed her face at the sink in the restroom, dried, and then took a long pause staring into empty space. Flashbacks of the rocket fire, tank blasts, and the LTAC attacks flooded her mind. Her attention then went to her still sore arm and unwrapped it, washed and dried it once more, and placed an adhesive bandage over the wound. Her thoughts then took her back to when she failed to pull the trigger after the cloaked LTAC jumped for her. She then took a deep breath with a quick shake of her head. ¡°I need a shower, rinse all these thoughts out of my head¡± she mumbled to herself, still dressed in her pilot suit up to her waist, sleeves tied, black undershirt only on top. ¡°I can¡¯t even take care of my own present self, much less anyone else. No bag, no spare clothes, all sweaty still, not even a change of underwear¡­ gross.¡±


    She noticed how unkempt her hair was but knew any attempt to straighten it would be futile. But the thoughts returned once more, this time with the returned realization there was no luxury of worrying about such things for the other eleven pilots. She tried to fight off the overwhelming feeling of guilt, crouching and sitting against the wall near the sink, hands over her head. Her hands began to pull down her face, eyes shut tight. I can¡¯t do this. I just can¡¯t. I can¡¯t sit here and break down with my chance to get back home, she thought to herself, finding strength to stand back up. If anything, I really need to go thank everyone. I really could¡¯ve been dead like everyone else out there.


    With that she headed back out into the break room. All of the lights were still on, but it was noticeably darker as the sun had long been set and the night sky could be seen from the windows. At the table where she sat earlier, she only saw leftover glasses, ash trays, and other various items. Amongst the silence, she walked around the table, subconsciously taking in the distant sounds of music playing and the smells of cigarette smoke, something she had never smelled up close before. She then eyed a peculiar round handle-less mug with a large metal straw stuck in what looked to her like dried grass, giving off another new, nose biting smell. She continued past the table to the balcony where the door was still open. She found Sebastian sitting there reading through news cards on holographic display from his mobile, all the while humming a tune.


    ¡°Are you not going to sleep? Or is the bed we have for you not good?¡± he called out to her, hearing her approach.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she waved with a smile and a shake of her head. ¡°I¡¯m just too exhausted and stressed out to sleep. You know what I mean?¡± she continued outside, now leaning against the ledge, looking across the compounds yard to the view of the neighborhood apartment buildings and shops filling the narrow, packed horizon just beyond the wire-wrapped concrete and steel fences. She then felt exposed, taking a nervous step back.


    ¡°It¡¯s OK. There are barriers up to stop small bullets. Anyone inside the compound walls is safe.¡± As Sam stepped back up to continue looking in thought, he continued: ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t sleep much these days, either,¡± he replied, returning to his sifting through the news. ¡°I always worry about our city. Nothing is the same since the change of powers. I don¡¯t like the situation. I feel like people are getting too angry at the wrong people, and somebody is coming to use that to¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ make money or get attention for something. And we pay for it.¡±


    ¡°You were the group I must¡¯ve read about that took down the A-7 way back. I heard a little bit about it on the news.¡±


    ¡°That really big robot? Yes. After that and fighting foreigner brought AiX the next day, we lost so much. That¡¯s why you see only a few of us moving around. Many of our paramilitary is running out of supplies¡­ men¡­ things to fight with. Many don¡¯t want to fight anymore. I am afraid one day we will be the last dozen men standing for Kennedy and Bosa, so I read the news to always be ready to move again.¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°How long has this been going on? I mean, why is there no proper military? Why do you have to do all the work?!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how many problems our economy had after the Confederacy was dropped. Since there was not enough tax money to pay for a military, the Familias just made their own. Like for us. I started helping when we turned into secondary school students. My brother, sister, and my friends were drafted into the Galeanos where we were picked to drive tanks and armor cars. A few years ago, we changed to what we call the Caballeros. Now we only have two left. So, everything I have known since I was in secondary school is starting to fall apart.¡±


    ¡°But what are you all fighting? If I may ask. I got some information from our commanders but I feel like I should trust you more than them.¡±


    Sebastian let out a sigh before closing his news card viewer. Why does this girl talk so damn much? He saw her open her mouth to apologize but cut her off: ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s OK. I want you to understand.¡± He sat back with a stretch, letting out a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s like I said. The Familias run Bogota. You can like it or hate it. It¡¯s life here¡­ you know¡­ you can only accept it. So, since about maybe a few years after the war, people didn¡¯t like being ran by the Familias and wanted the old government back. But the old government was lazy and already controlled, but no one noticed. It had us all lazy. We could just sit back and the SAU would get international money from other unions, like the NAU or Europe. Money fixes problems, and when it¡¯s free in your mind, you are happy.


    ¡°Now? That money has been gone for a long time. They blame it on us Familias. But now they want to destroy things to get attention and they think if the Familias fall, then there will be someone to come in and save everyone. That¡¯s what the Rochas are doing. They got people believing they are the people to save them all, but they are the most corrupt Familia of them all. They are the ones giving them guns and rockets to their protestors. They also control the airport, which is why we can¡¯t just expect you to be able to fly out with no problem. But, if they win, I think it¡¯s the worst dream for everyone if that does happen, not a good dream like they expect.¡±


    That¡¯s a lot to digest. Sam knew she would never come to experience anything at all like just described, thinking perhaps for the first time how good her life had been. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear all of that. I¡­ don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like people being sorry,¡± Sebastian was quick to flatly reply. ¡°I like people being reasonable. Being real.¡± He then looked over to her. ¡°Can you be real with me?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but let out a confused chuckle. ¡°Real with what? I haven¡¯t been hiding anything.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here? Why did you come to Colombia? You don¡¯t seem like the type to get involved in something this¡­ messy¡­ dangerous.¡±


    Something had her feeling vulnerable as if the sky itself, absent of the comfort the upward-curving city streets and buildings of the satellite nations provided, all taken for granted up until now. She took a while to digest the question all the while. ¡°Why did I come?¡± She let herself once more stare off into the distance for a moment. ¡°This is what I felt I had to do. Something in my conscience told me I needed to do this, just like the rest of my family. But I don¡¯t know why I keep feeling that. I just acted on that idea. Now, here I am, regretting my decision.¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t want to be a pilot after all? Were you ever any good?¡±


    ¡°I guess I really don¡¯t know. I had great scores and all, but that was all simulation. Now, all I know is that I am in over my head. And maybe it¡¯s to do with my parents and my brother having been pilots¡­ Harbingers...¡±


    Not making eye contact, she missed Sebastian reacting to that word.


    ¡°Ha. My brother would be chewing me out if he saw me in a mess like this. He was always the one telling me to stop dreaming pilot fantasies when I was younger. Mom and dad ended up saying the same. I had to rebel, I guess.¡± She then started to feel tears start to well up. A subtle sniffle ensued, getting more of Sebastian¡¯s attention. ¡°I still need to be properly thankful you and everyone. I can¡¯t believe this day passed and I am still here able to talk like this. Everyone else didn¡¯t get to say the same. I barely got to know any of them. They¡¯re all gone, now, and I feel¡­ bad¡­ like¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know what to say in these situations, either¡± Sebastian replied with a look off in the same direction beyond the fences. ¡°You are from a very different world. But you don¡¯t have to thank me because this is my job. I don¡¯t like seeing people hurt or put in a bad situation for bad reasons. I am glad you get to go home where you can be safe.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s kind of why I feel like shit saying ¡®yeah¡¯ to that. What about you all?¡±


    ¡°Oh, me?¡± Sebastian attempted to cover his feelings with awkward laughter. ¡°I don¡¯t think about that. If I chose to stay away from it all, I would be like the people in those apartments over there. Life would be much safer. But I wouldn¡¯t make a difference. I would just look to these compound walls and think ¡®what are they doing and what are they trying to protect?¡¯ but that¡¯s not my life. This is my life. I chose it. You choose yours, and that¡¯s OK,¡± he continued with a smile towards her.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t like your brothers and your sister,¡± Sam said as she rubbed her eyes, sniffling again. ¡°I felt¡­ so scared, when I got here. I was marching with eleven others in armor and I still felt the most terrified I have ever felt my entire life. I feel bad, now. I feel stupid. I had reason to fear the attackers in the end, but at first, before all that, and then afterwards, I feel like I was scared of the wrong things and that was what kept me from doing what I felt I do best. I learned a lot from today, I think.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know,¡± Sebastian said as he stood up and walked to the balcony edge. ¡°You said you still don¡¯t know what you want to do. You just went through the same feelings all foreigners go through when they come to Bogota and aren¡¯t in the big city lights of downtown or the nice neighborhoods of Usaquen. Talking about what you are scared of and not scared of anymore? Yeah, so that¡¯s all normal. I expect to hear that. But you don¡¯t know what you really want to do, and maybe you should focus on that. I would feel better if you left tomorrow or Friday with an answer.¡±


    Sam took some time to think again on the different perspective she didn¡¯t expect to get. ¡°Do you know of the term Harbinger?¡±


    ¡°I heard you mention that earlier. Of course. Anybody would know.¡±


    ¡°So, yeah, my father and brother are. Especially my father, who fought with some of the strongest of them last war¡­ even fought alongside Lance Vrey to the very end. They accomplished so much. You talk of making a difference. That¡¯s what all the Harbingers I know of personally did. Made differences. Even today. My counselor, and kind of like an aunt to me, is a Harbinger, too. You see? I am surrounded by people who made differences like you speak of doing yourself. My brother was even in the last war for half a year when Eden started running out of pilots. All I ever did was go to school. And go to parties. And get drunk.¡±


    ¡°But here you are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and hopefully, home I go. Once again,¡± she said with a more depressed tone.


    ¡°You just need to find a new way. This is not for you. You can¡¯t make yourself be who you aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem. Who am I supposed to be?¡± she said with a long sigh. She then turned to him with a sudden change of mood. ¡°Hey, Sebastian, can I ask one last favor?¡±


    ¡°Um, sure?¡±


    ¡°Take me across town tomorrow so I can get me out of these clothes into something clean, eat something decent, and just¡­ reset my mind while I wait. Could you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°I can ask Dani. I don¡¯t do that kind of stuff.¡±


    Awkward, uncomfortable memories from their earlier encounter and truck ride flashed back as she winced. ¡°No, not her, please, she¡¯s too overbearing for me. Please Sebastian, just for those few things. It¡¯s not anything like what you are maybe thinking. I can¡¯t just walk around town unguided or with no one to keep me safe, you know.¡±


    Sebastian wasn¡¯t buying the approach as expressed with the glance he returned. ¡°I can even order things to be brought here for you. Dani or place an order. I don¡¯t do those things.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal,¡± she said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you on a date. What do you mean you don¡¯t do those things?¡±


    ¡°You are very¡­ what¡¯s the word, how do you say¡­¡±


    ¡°Persistent? Stubborn? A complete pain in the ass? Yes, that¡¯s me. You asked who I am well damn it that¡¯s who I am,¡± she said with a joking smile, leaning towards him.


    Sebastian returned the look with his own eye roll. ¡°Fine, OK, just for the morning. But I am only doing this because my time for patrol isn¡¯t until eleven and after. Now go get some sleep or I will forget about it and do my own thing in the morning.¡± He then grabbed his mobile and his drink and headed inside. ¡°Good night.¡±


    ¡°Night,¡± she said with a grin, then turned back to the neighborhood view with a sigh. To think this was how my first trip to Earth since preschool would go. She then reached for her pocket out of habit, coming back empty handed. Right, no mobile. Damn, I wish I could post all of this, maybe have someone help reset my mind.


    ¡°Close the doors behind you¡± she heard Sebastian say from inside. ¡°You let too many mosquitos in.¡±


    Sebastian walked past Renzo in the hallway just past the break room who was surprised to see still awake. [Is something wrong?]


    [So, what¡¯s up with the girl?]


    [She¡¯s ready to go home. Why?]


    [Boss said put her out if she¡¯s not picked up by Friday night. Don¡¯t get attached. Don¡¯t forget our every-day focus.]


    [You know me, I don¡¯t do attachments. And there¡¯s nothing to get attached to. She is a lost girl who wants her mother and father. Am I wrong to help? What would you do? See you in the morning.] He continued walking past him to his quarters where five other guys were sleeping in their bunk beds. [What a day, what a day] he said to himself under his breath, taking his shirt off, tossing it onto his bunk, then turned for the bathroom to wash up.


    Renzo was still standing outside the room against the wall. He waited until he saw Sam make her way back across the break room, pausing near the table as if to observe something. He entered the room, slightly startling her. He knew of the language barrier but tried to communicate anyway. ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Hi,¡± Sam feebly responded. ¡°You¡¯re Sebastian¡¯s brother, right?¡±


    ¡°Si, somos hermanos. Ah, you¡­ ahh¡­ go home¡­ pasado ma?ana. You are... OK?¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± Sam started to conjure a response. ¡°Wait,¡± she said as she sat down, attempting to recall some Spanish grammar she learned in school. Well, crap, I did take Spanish for about eight years. ¡°Let¡¯s see, um, yo quiero... volver... mi casa.¡±


    ¡°S¨ª, Hexa te va a llevar a casa. Pero- but¡­ ah¡­ no hasta al viernes... ahh... not to Friday.¡±


    Sam was trying to compute the response passed by her far too quickly but was thrown off by the smell of that same strange miniature pot and straw next to her from earlier.


    ¡°Ah, esa mate... quieres probarla? Ahn... do you try?¡±


    Sam broke down in subdued laughter. ¡°Sorry, sorry I just I can¡¯t, I don¡¯t remember enough.¡±


    Renzo shrugged his shoulders, ready to give up as well. He then heard footsteps behind him, seeing Sebastian in the hallway. [Weren¡¯t you going to sleep?]


    [You know me, thought I could but...] He then saw Sam at the table looking up in what has become a trend for her lost expression, hand by the mate cup. ¡°Why are you sitting by Rodrigo¡¯s mate? You want to try?¡±


    Sam pulled her hand back instinctively, shaking her head after realizing the situation. ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s... wait, what? It¡¯s called mate?¡±


    Renzo tried once more to communicate. ¡°That... that uhn... Es porque la mam¨¢ de eso rolo es de Argentina.¡±


    [Shut up], Sebastian told Renzo before looking back at Sam. ¡°He¡¯s half Argentine, Renzo always jokes on him. Anyway, they drink those. We prefer our coffee. You want to try? You will never go to sleep if you do. I think it¡¯s too much cafe¨ªna for you.¡±


    Sam found herself laughing again, partly from the awkwardness of the conversation and the other half from mental exhaustion. ¡°I think I need to go to sleep.¡± She then looked up at Renzo with a smile to say ¡°Thanks, um, I mean, gracias,¡± then looked to Sebastian to say ¡°Sorry I think I kept everyone awake. I will go now. Good night, er¡­ buenos noches,¡± she said in departure, taking a subconscious second check at the still-shirtless Sebastian.


    ¡°Buenas noches,¡± Renzo and Sebastian said with a nod as she disappeared into the hallway.


    [Well? Maybe Cruella isn¡¯t so bad? And hey, I think she likes you,] Renzo quipped with a grin.


    [So, what made you change your mind?] Sebastian deflected.


    [About what?]


    [I never thought you would try to talk to her. So, you see? She¡¯s just a human, like anyone else. Maybe now you can see it¡¯s not a big deal putting up with her for a day or two.]


    [I still respect you, little brother. You¡¯ve been that way since we were little kids. I always see you trying so hard for things I don¡¯t see as much value in. Maybe I need to try harder sometimes, too.] He then patted him on the shoulder as he passed him, headed for the hallway. [Let¡¯s get some sleep for real. It¡¯s past midnight.]

 Hoping for Return, Part 2

    Sam woke up to the bright sun beaming down through the window right over her face. She rolled over, feeling every ache she didn¡¯t the night before but twice the pain. She took the next few moments to gather the strength to reach for her mobile out of habit, once again coming back empty handed. To think how much I had in that bag of mine. I¡¯m sure some local got it, hacked it, and is loving life with that thing she thought to herself, still trying to finish rolling over to the edge of her mattress. As she let out a big yawn, she heard the door open. She sat up to find herself in a dingier storage room than she realized with the lack of light the evening before. ¡°Good morning,¡± she said before being cut off by Sebastian¡¯s flat response.


    ¡°It¡¯s ten. You are losing time before I have to report for duty.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± she mumbled as she finally gathered the strength to stand up, still in her pilot suit. ¡°Sorry, forgot without an alarm I wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up.¡± She saw Sebastian was wearing his loaded tactical vest over his T-shirt and jeans. ¡°What¡¯s with the gear?¡±


    ¡°Just because I am not on patrol doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t stay ready for surprises. These are not the most stable times as I explained yesterday. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Well, better than nothing,¡± Sam shrugged, following Sebastian out the hallway and down a set of stairs that led them to a long underground walkway. It led to a garage where Sam got to see the MI-r¡¯s he and Renzo took care of. They walked past them to find a set of pickup trucks like the ones from the day before. They passed several of the men on the crew as each nodded good morning to her. She nodded back with a small wave, then sat down in the passenger side of the smaller of the trucks that Sebastian had started up.


    As she buckled up, she suddenly started feeling strongly self-conscious. Damn, I probably reek, and my breath is probably shit, too. Forget my mobile. What I wouldn¡¯t do for a shower and a toothbrush. They drove down towards a ramp that took them out of the garage. With the windows rolled down, it was as hot just as was burned in her memory the prior day. Great, now I get to add on more sweat. The truck pulled up to a gate that opened for them, allowing them to pull out on a public road, merging with light local traffic. ¡°Sorry about oversleeping.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. You saved me time. Now I get to make this all quick instead of having to use up many hours with you,¡± he quipped, holding back a smirk.


    ¡°Great, thanks¡± Sam sarcastically replied. ¡°OK, so, since I have a minute, this is what I thought about last night. You and your brother are the only two LTAC pilots in the whole city?¡±


    ¡°No. We are the only two for our Familia. The Vera Familia has maybe one or two, and the Benitez have one. The Rochas have most of them.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s the ones I saw with the funny colors?¡±


    ¡°Yes, those are Rocha, and they might have more than twenty as of this week. Many new ones keep appearing. They are the ones helping cause all of our problems.¡± He waited for Sam to make a response as a number of silent seconds passed. ¡°But, you know, I learned yesterday that they have new foreigners with them. Powerful ones. Which is what I did want to ask you about, Samantha. You see, this morning, my bosses talked to me and my brother about some very important details they learned and I need you to explain us more about what you saw¡­ yesterday in the last fight, you know? When we are back to the compound, of course.¡±


    She figured he was speaking of the ones that knocked her out, even though she couldn¡¯t imagine having any information worth sharing. ¡°Sure, of course.¡±


    Sebastian pulled them up to a curbside shop that had around a dozen four-person tables to the side. He put it in park, checked his holstered pistol and magazines, then got out and motioned Sam to follow. ¡°Stay close.¡± He walked them up to the cashier, making their order: [Two arepas de perico and two coffees.] He held his watch up to make the payment, then motioned Sam to follow him. They took their seat at the only empty table left.


    Sam was back to her bewildered state, studying her environment constantly. The architecture, the colors, the advertisement methods, the noises, the heat, the vegetation, the smells, the music mixing in from all around, it was still too much not to become mesmerized. Her moving gaze brought her back to Sebastian, who was looking impatiently at her. ¡°Oh, sorry, can¡¯t help it.¡±


    ¡°You need to be quiet. Don¡¯t attract more attention than you already do,¡± he said in a subdued voice.


    She looked around, conscious of that, noticing that in fact she did have a number of eyes staring back at her. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°I ordered something you should find easy to eat. When we finish, we will get you a change of clothes.¡±


    ¡°What did we get?¡± She then nodded thanks to the waitress who brought them their coffee.


    ¡°Arepas are like, well, you will see. It¡¯s got, um, eggs, tomatoes, other things. You do eat eggs, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, who doesn¡¯t?¡± Sam replied, still conscious enough of her voice levels as she stirred in some sugar and creamer into her coffee.


    (*Arepas de perico)


    Time passed, and Sam tried her best to eat quickly but carefully. She thanked him for the breakfast and quickly followed him to a shop a few store buildings down the way. She looked up to see it was a smaller boutique. ¡°Are you going to come inside?¡±


    ¡°No, I will wait here,¡± Sebastian said as he passed her a money pass, then stood against the wall near the entrance. ¡°Go ahead. Don¡¯t take more than ten minutes.¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t waste too much more time before finding a pair of sandals, a decent T-shirt, and a pair of athletic shorts to go with a set of underwear. She passed the cashier the money card and then proceeded out the door.


    ¡°That was fast,¡± Sebastian said as he took back his money pass and led them back towards their pickup. ¡°You can change when we get back, and then I have to go to work. You will be safe at the compound. Someone will be there at all times.¡±


    ¡°Thanks so much again, Sebastian, I will make sure to repay you all somehow.¡±


    They made their way back to the truck and loaded up. As they pulled off, a group of men across the street watching them turned away while one picked up his communicator.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    A gentle breeze rustled the branches of the canopy above. Isaiah didn¡¯t seem to mind the heat nor the unpleasant humidity as he still donned his field jacket, albeit sleeves rolled up and main zipper undone. He had a street map of downtown Bogota covered in red and blue ink annotations on top of his clip board which was already stacked somewhat haphazardly. The cluttered state of his collection of clipboards and notebooks resembled the state his father¡¯s office was in. ¡°Reap¡¯, come in,¡± he heard a voice speak out through his communicator. He stood up from his chair he had set in the shade by his detection equipment to answer.


    ¡°Go ahead, Req¡¯.¡±


    ¡°One of our cells in Kennedy spotted your sister. She¡¯s with the Galeano kid, still. Do we take him down after drop-off or wait until the next outing? They want your call.¡±


    ¡°Tell them forget about it. After some calculations it won¡¯t even be necessary. Also, I don¡¯t want her caught up in any crossfire over a guy that isn¡¯t terribly important.¡±


    ¡°Well, by what we picked up, sounds like the Galeano¡¯s really are trying to send her home.¡±


    ¡°Good, then let her leave in peace. And if Hexa doesn¡¯t show up tomorrow, we can move in, get her out, then send her on her way ourselves. Let¡¯s just hope we can do it the easiest, quietest way, first.¡±


    ¡°Roger that.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t forget to keep all of your data logging on paper. We can¡¯t afford to be hacked or traced not even once.¡± He then took his seat, placing the clipboard from earlier back on his lap.


    Marian was now walking up to him with a viewfinder in hand. ¡°I got all necessary activity around the other compounds logged, but before we start calculations, I want to know what¡¯s the deal with your overprotectiveness. I know you care for your sister, but that compound they are staying at is still the Galeano¡¯s number one protection priority for that Kennedy District.¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself yesterday as well as the day I found you. This is the Vincent Vrey we are about to fight against. And for all I know, with his connections with my father, he is once again simply trying to capitalize on the products of the best out there. But I digress. She was all I had when we grew up. Mom ran off and stayed gone for years, never came back until after the 2nd War. Dad was always gone, busy. We raised each other with the help of my grandfather sometimes.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    You and I are going to always somewhat have that in common, growing up without real parents.¡± He saw the look Marian gave him, striking a soft spot. ¡°You helped prepare for the day we would run into Infinity¡¯s first full force attempts, and now the day is already coming. That¡¯s why I want things to go according to plan more than ever with this stage in the game.¡±


    Marian lifted a brow as she retorted: ¡°Then that¡¯s why we have to strike that compound. They have the last two LTACs of the city not under control of the Rocha family. Why do you think the other families kept borrowing them?¡±


    ¡°No. You give them too much credit,¡± Isaiah calmy rebutted. ¡°Even if those two Gamma pilots do our cells in, they still helped us. We attack elsewhere- hey, let them show up. If they bite the dust, we are in the clear. If they hold out, we as a group still play our aces Friday night and it won¡¯t matter who lives and doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Marian felt patronized by the tone but continued to listen, still unsure when it would be better timing to question his confidence. You make it sound so simple, like anything dealing with Vrey ever goes to plan.


    ¡°You and I have to worry about our next and final testing ground, remember? The least of our problems is seeing if Sam leaves in one piece.¡±


    ¡°Well, then, we just have to pray that this doesn¡¯t get heard or caught onto by the higher-ups.¡± She then walked back over to one of the cloaked LTAC¡¯s. ¡°Unlike Tamaz or Elias, I didn¡¯t have a life to throw aside for this,¡± she said, followed by a long pause, staring up at the sky. ¡°Which means if we can¡¯t stop that man¡¯s mad, life stealing ambitions, I have nothing left to exist for. That¡¯s why I am always so worried about anything I find possible to cause everything to fall apart. I can¡¯t help it, even if it involves your family.¡±


    Isaiah remained silent, not even giving a glance or a change in expression and only continued to annotate the map further.


    ¡°I know you made sure your father didn¡¯t accept Vincent¡¯s offer to join the board before you left. Things like that say I know how particular you are with the small things. I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t trust you on that.¡± But at the same time, I still can¡¯t see how you can be so comfortable after my early departure leaving just enough of an unknown.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sebastian¡¯s truck pulled back into the garage, backed into his usual spot, and the two of them got out to find Renzo waiting on them. [Any changes?] Sebastian asked as he got out.


    [Kennedy West and Central Bosa reported more cases of arson. They have most of it under control, but the patterns say we expect bigger cases later tonight. Bosses think that the success they got against Infinity has their hopes up that Galeano will give in and release the Barrios. We need to change our patrol up, and needed you to look over something with us first before we head out.]


    [Ok, but one second,] he said as he looked to Sam, who just walked up with her bag. ¡°You have knowledge of Hexa and not-Hexa LTACs, right? Do you know what the cape wearing LTACs were? Could you see them or tell me if there were any special structures to them?¡±


    ¡°No, they were distorted on my visuals. All I could tell was they were covered in something. I recognize AiX variants, all current A models, and even many of the Bernaud variants. These were none of such. I couldn¡¯t tell you a thing about them, sorry. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I was asked to ask you. Which, by the way, what I asked about earlier is, I need to talk to you again about not just that but also the uh¡­ knocks¡­ radar¡­ thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the NOx sensors. Why?¡±


    ¡°This morning, your father was in contact with us. Alexander Knight, right?¡±


    Sam¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Right, but, what? What did he say?!¡±


    ¡°He sent us some install kits and also the details on how to make our own. Says it will help out security and alarm systems. We will install them at our compounds. He also sent us a message about the next security package details. And last, he wants you to call him one more time.¡±


    He sent? Wait, does that mean he actually joined Hexa?!


    ¡°I have to go. Wait for my word this evening. Ask Dani if you need anything. She stays stationed here all today.¡± He then turned to Renzo as they walked off.


    Sam stayed behind in thought, still perplexed by the message delivered. He sent sensor kits and technology blueprints? Hexa copyrighted those. He really did join, didn¡¯t he! But¡­ why?! She then noticed the two gone as she started back tracking her way to the main floor of the compound. He can¡¯t possibly know all the package details and possess blueprint data unless he did¡­ but damn even I remember the argument between him, mom, and Isaiah three years ago. That almost broke the family when he almost took that offer. What happened between yesterday and today?! she continued in thought as she approached the long connecting walkway. She then saw Dani approaching with her less-than-comforting smile.


    ¡°Good morning, did you enjoy the town?¡±


    Sam quickly reset her thoughts as she returned the greeting with a wave. ¡°Oh, it was a very unique experience. The food was actually pretty good. I was surprised. And I can finally go shower and change,¡± she said as she held up her bag.


    ¡°Good, good! I came here to tell you where to go. When you finish, you can come, and we will get you to give another call to your father. He left messages for you,¡± she continued as they walked together towards the main building. ¡°So, first question. What are bone pills?¡±


    ¡°Ah, those,¡± Sam recalled it having been more than twenty-four hours since her last dose. ¡°We have to take those while we are here on Earth every day. It basically keeps our bones strong enough for the gravity here. We can be in a lot of pain if we go too long without them.¡±


    ¡°OK, the father said you need to find some if you lost them, or to wait until tomorrow. I don¡¯t think our stores sell them.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t imagine they did,¡± she replied with a sudden increase in consciousness of her body aches.


    ¡°Now, second question he said. Asked can you take a picture of what you eat and drink? Said it would make your mother feel better- but I say just tell her everything here is good. I don¡¯t think you will find bad food or bad drink.¡±


    ¡°I-yeah, I can explain all of that,¡± she responded with a forced smile in return. She then found they had arrived at the same hallways of their quarters, and the room with the shower at the end of that hall before the break room. ¡°Well, I will get showered off, then.¡± But when Dani nodded and started to head further down the hall, she got her attention once more: ¡°Um, Dani, I never did say thanks to you, yet. I feel like I could¡¯ve been saved by a not-so-nice um, Familia, if I landed somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Of course, no problem,¡± Dani returned with a more genuine expression. ¡°It is like I say, we are the best people of the best part of Bogota. Now go get your shower. You stink.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    Sam stepped out from the restroom, now looking refreshed both mentally and physically. Her hair was still damp but in its usual ponytail, and she was now in her outfit she purchased earlier. The v-neck football club shirt and her shorts might have been a good look for a stroll around town, but it clashed horribly with her surroundings and those around her as she made her way towards the communications room she had visited the night before. There she was approached by two men, both with headsets around their necks.


    [About time you showed up. You have your father on the line. He has been very persistent,] one spoke to her with a tired look.


    Sam was instantly reminded once again how heavy the language barrier had been on her nerves, this time having to guess what they meant. She finally figured things out by the other man¡¯s gesture motioning her to the main screen. She walked up in front next to another who was at the controls.


    He looked up to her while pointing to the screen: ¡°A¡­ uh¡­ Alexander Knight. On line, for you.¡±


    She nodded and looked up at the screen. When her father showed up it was like pounds of stress were lifted from her chest. And as suspected, he was sitting in front of a Hexa International logo just above his head on the wall. ¡°Dad, thank God you were able to get back in contact with us. All this time I was wondering how to call you because I can¡¯t do anything for myself here without my stuff.¡±


    ¡°Well, well, what do we have here? Trying to blend in with the locals already? How resourceful,¡± he joked, noting her new ensemble.


    ¡°I know, suits me surprisingly well, doesn¡¯t it?¡± she joked back, tugging at her shirt.


    ¡°Glad you are still doing OK. I take it everyone is keeping you locked in for the most part?¡±


    ¡°Forunately for me, yes.¡± Her eyes once again fell on the Hexa logo. ¡°Dad, why are you at Hexa? Are you at the main office building?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, uh, long story. I do need you to listen to a few things, though.¡± He then pulled up two screens that were profile pictures of Sebastian and Renzo. ¡°These two guys are pilots I spoke with earlier. You made their acquaintance I assume?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Sebastian was the one who saved me out there. Did you talk to them?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. So, the first thing I need to tell you is the change in plans. You know that ten package order on the way arriving tomorrow? I had to change the contents. It will be the same contents machines-wise but I am not sending any pilots.¡±


    ¡°No pilots!?¡± Sam fussed in confusion. ¡°Dad, what is the point then of sending anything?¡±


    Al returned a quickly changed tone: ¡°Listen. I already saw exactly what happened, Sam. It was completely idiotic not expecting there to be such an effective anti-LTAC force there who seems to not only know the land far more than we could¡¯ve ever calculated, but they¡¯re equipped too well for us to simply do the same thing over again-¡±


    ¡°-or to just throw more numbers. I get it. You are arming the locals, aren¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°You caught on. I see your two boys run old Bernauds. I told them they would not only be getting our newer Ap50s to try out, but would also be receiving a mixed set of Am30s and Av25s as well to lead. Total of 12. I also am including a support set for one Ap60 ¡®Axiom¡¯ which needs field testing. Do you remember it well?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I ran about four or five beta runs about two months ago.¡±


    ¡°Good, that means you can test it for real this time. He then pulled up another screen full of tech files. ¡°Next thing I need you to know. I sent these manuals to your boys down there. They already got the Spanish editions, but I need you to check and make sure they got everything, especially on how to operate and interpret the various scanner functions once the package arrives. Spanish or not, these systems aren¡¯t exactly beginner friendly.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t speak Spanish, though, and only two people here I know speak English well enough for me to-¡±


    ¡°You just have to relay everything through those who do, Sam. Find a way.¡±


    Sam then started to wander off in thought, trying to ponder not only how she would get out in the end, but if she was even fit for piloting again. ¡°Dad, are you sure you want me in the Axiom? I got crushed yesterday like it was nothing.¡±


    ¡°But if the Axiom can¡¯t even help you, it means there¡¯s more work to do. The armor set should hold up to physical weaponry like what we saw much better, but still best to keep your distance.¡± He then saw the worried look still on her face. ¡°Look, the sooner we clear the threat, the sooner we can get you on that train. The last thing I need you to know is once you are clear to move out of town past La Candelaria, Mr. Galeano agreed to let me borrow your boy Sebastian once more for escorting you to the Brazilian Border. From there I made sure an official Brazilian government squad will safely transport you to Sao Paolo Spaceport for getting you back home finally.¡±


    ¡°But couldn¡¯t I just leave like that as is? They wouldn¡¯t see us leaving.¡±


    ¡°The walls have eyes there, obviously. You can¡¯t just walk out. How else did they know exactly where our drop would be and what forces we brought? They are waiting to strike again, I guarantee. I am not about to lose you to ill planning. Follow their lead, OK?¡±


    ¡°Alright. That¡¯s what I have been doing. But, wait, you keep saying ¡®we¡¯¡­ did you really just join Hexa? What happened over the past night?¡±


    ¡°I said long story,¡± Al said with a sigh. ¡°I promise to explain everything. I know what you are suggesting and no I had properly hashed it out with your mother already.¡± He then straightened up again. ¡°I have to finish overseeing the drop launch. I made sure you are getting a new basic equipment set and a new mobile. Ah, and your bone density pills as well. Stay indoors, and just follow any instructions they give you. Stay safe, Sam.¡±


    ¡°I will, thanks dad.¡± The communication screen then went blank as Sam let out a long sigh. I hope he knows what he¡¯s doing.


    (Finally with a change of clothes!)

 No Easy Way Out

    ¡°I will, thanks dad.¡± The communication screen then went blank as Sam let out a long sigh. I hope he knows what he¡¯s doing. She saw the man next to her signaling her to head out. She made her way back to the exit, and as she passed through, she saw Dani waiting a few steps away.


    ¡°My boss and my brothers say they talked to your father. Very famous man. Says we are lucky to have you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You know him?¡± she asked, surprised.


    ¡°Brothers say he was a famous Harbinger with lots of money and strong connections. He is Hexa now, right?¡± she asked as she pulled up his picture over her mobile on holographic display. ¡°See? He is, uh,¡± she sputtered over the word ¡®logistics¡¯. ¡°This man. He is sending us much better things tomorrow. He even is sending us the boxes that do the reading you say to us, what was it¡­¡±


    ¡°The NOx sensors, right, I heard earlier.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Those are almost here already, coming to other compounds.¡± She then flipped the screen to another page with the package contents. ¡°Please tell him thanks for the new trucks he will deliver us. Very nice man to give us so much things we didn¡¯t pay for.¡±


    ¡°He can be very charitable when he feels people have been screwed over, which we kind of had been,¡± Sam said off to the side before looking back to Dani. ¡°I will help out with anything you need with the packages, but I have to explain some important technology details with Sebastian. When will he be back?¡±


    ¡°Sebastian? He will be back around midnight.¡±


    ¡°Midnight?! But isn¡¯t the delivery tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He will come home, take you and everyone to delivery site to wait.¡± Dani then smirked at the thought Sam might just be wanting to be with him more than anything. But before she could talk, her communicator went off as she turned it to the main channel. [What happened?] she said to herself, ready to listen in.


    [Compound 4 Kennedy North has been hit hard. Communications from within are down. Explosives used. Many trucks inbound.]


    [Shit,] Dani seethed as she turned and headed back for the garage. ¡°Stay here! Don¡¯t go out!¡± she firmly ordered Sam without turning around.


    Norte, Sam mentally repeated the word she overheard as she grew concerned. That means north, so, that¡¯s over that way, she continued in thought, walking outside to the same balcony as the night before, looking over to her left. ¡°That.¡± She saw smoke billowing up from over and beyond the rooftops blocking her view. ¡°They must be under attack.¡± She then looked down to see two trucks leaving, each with four passengers inside. I don¡¯t know what they plan on doing with so few people. They really are stretched far too thin, she said to herself, not noticing she had developed concern for them. She then quickly walked back inside, down the hallway, and toward the elevator that led to the ground level with intent to catch up to Danni but found a man standing guard.


    [No guests allowed.]


    ¡°Can you please let me down there? I think I could help somehow!¡±


    [No guests. Go back.]


    Sam gave up on trying to force her way through words, headed back to where she was, and looked for the communications room only to find it guarded and blocked off, too. ¡°They weren¡¯t kidding when they said stay inside. Shit.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Time and transition was not as kind to Kennedy North, evident by the much larger amount of concrete buildings that didn¡¯t use the same protective layering as most modern cities had, leaving most of the surfaces appearing unfinished. The lack of routine maintenance also added to the visible disparity between here and the areas more towards downtown. As smoke crawled down one alley and spilled into the main street, a pair of Gamma LTAC frames could be seen approaching quickly up the main street from the distance.


    Sebastian, piloting his next to next to Renzo¡¯s, had his visor showing him the location of the compound under attack in sight. They headed down an empty drainage ditch to avoid traffic, trying to keep on course. [At least they got that sensor kit put up. Still no NOx trails detected. I think we are looking at ground only.]


    [No shells fired so far, just bombs and rockets. Get the gas rounds ready,] he heard Renzo reply over the channel.


    Sebastian turned up the ramped ditch wall, eased up on the boosters, and allowed himself to get his feet and wheels on the ground before turning the corner at the empty intersection. From there he could see the compound burning in the distance, quickly cranking up his forward speed. The closer he got, the more he had to be wary of the bystanders that grew in number. Why aren¡¯t these streets cleared?! Have they gone mad?! Some had already paid heed to the yellow and red flashing light mounted on his shoulder, but most had remained an obstacle. [Clear the path! I don¡¯t want anyone hurt!] he shouted over his loudspeaker.


    Unable to get anyone to listen, he angled his grenade launcher and fired a pair of gas rounds for the compound. The loud thud got most in the area to run for cover, allowing him room to boost-jump into the grass clearing next to the compound¡¯s main building. He slowly lowered himself to an area that just cleared of assailants and saw the main garage door about 20 meters away still with intruders gathered around trying to rush inside for cover. [Leave the compound at once! Anyone found inside will be taken down!] he shouted over the loudspeaker again.


    He knew there wouldn¡¯t be many listening as he aimed his shotgun attachment to the ground in front of him, discharging a shell. The deafening blast caused a shockwave reaction around him as the scattering crowd outside scampered away more hastily. From inside the garage a few intruders began to cower away and out towards the broken fence. [Last warning! I will continue to use deadly force!] he shouted again, this time aiming his attachment for the door. He scanned the area, not seeing anyone in that vicinity ID¡¯d as Galeano members.


    [Bas, I got the entrance cleared of any small arms activity. Are the rest holed up inside?] Renzo spoke over their channel.


    Sebastian was already growing beyond nervous, knowing it was to be a race against time before reinforcements would become a quick, easy option for them. [Right, got maybe twenty or more inside. Hold on.] He then walked over to improve his firing angle, put his reticle over the back wall of the garage, waiting for movement. [Where is Dani?! Where are the rest of our guys? I don¡¯t want to blow this whole joint up!]


    [They¡¯re inbound; give them about thirty seconds!] he replied before hearing a beep on his NOx sensor relay. [Wait, is that the new detection equipment? There¡¯s no one in the room to tell us what or where. Bas, back up.]


    Dani pulled around the last intersection before seeing the same street Sebastian used on his approach, seeing both MI-r¡¯s standing amidst clouds of thick gas and smoke as coughing and dazed assailants slowly cleared the area. [Safeties off!] she shouted over her radio. [Bas gave the last warning order. Get in and run a full sweep!] But as her truck and the one behind her drew closer to the outer fencing area she saw Sebastian and Renzo¡¯s mechs turn around the other way. [What is it, brothers?]


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Sebastian started to run explosives scans towards the direction of those fleeing. [Dani, take everyone inside and get to work. Something is going on outside. New sensors went off. You¡¯re not safe out here.]


    [Do you know how to use those, yet?] she asked as she pulled inside the compound and into just to the right outer wall of the garage entrance. She then signaled everyone out as they lined up on the wall preparing for infiltration. She then tightened her tactical vest before quickly filing in front of the line, shouldering her rifle.


    Sebastian waited in futility for a response. [We are blind without someone inside to read the parameters. All we know is there are detections, and I don¡¯t have any explosives showing up.] Things started to fall uncomfortably quiet around them. [Renzo, what¡¯s your call?]


    [At least let Dani get her side figured out. Control, make sure the rescue response stays the hell away for now!]


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam had been pacing frantically around the breakroom for some time as made evident by the guard¡¯s reactions. Now that pressure was on, trying to recall all those years of elementary Spanish was becoming next to impossible. She then took a seat, propping her head over her clenched fists. Think, think! If this is what I assume it is, they don¡¯t have a clue how to utilize those new NOx sensors this early in the game. Just need one good line to get in there. She took a few long breaths before she started doodling over the table top with her right index finger. ¡°Got it,¡± she said to herself as she stood up and started for the guard once again. ¡°Sebastian¡­ esta en¡­ peligro.¡±


    ¡°C¨®mo?¡± he spoke back to her with a raised brow.


    ¡°Esta en peligro!¡± she repeated. ¡°Yo puedo¡­ ayudar! Puedo ayudar!¡± she continued with increasing exasperation.


    ¡°Esperate,¡± he told her as he turned around to the others, speaking something incoherent before looking back to her moments later. ¡°C¨®mo puedes ayudar?¡±


    Sam began making more frustration circles in place before hearing a familiar voice:


    [I need help with these readings! Whole compound is not responding! Please respond!]


    She couldn¡¯t make out what was said but she knew for certain it was Sebastian¡¯s voice, triggering what to say next to the man. ¡°That, that! Puedo ayudar! Puedo ayudar!¡±


    ¡°Nh? En serio?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± she heard another man near him shouting, signaling the guard to let her through as he looked to her and said: ¡°You! You need to come help. No one doesn¡¯t comprehend Hexa¡¯s bad instruction,¡± much to her surprise and offense.


    Are you serious!? ¡°You¡­-!?¡± she thought to herself wide-eyed in rage as she started to walk through. ¡°Alright, I need to talk to Sebastian!¡± she said to him as she tried desperately to calm down, narrowly staving off the urge to hurl insults at the officer.


    He handed her a headset that she quickly put on. ¡°Sebastian, do you hear me?¡± she said with a click of the main switch.


    ¡°Samantha?¡± she heard his bewildered voice. ¡°What are you doing in there!¡±


    ¡°Do you have the NOx sensor relay installed in your Gamma frame?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but nobody didn¡¯t get any time to start reading the instruction. I can¡¯t connect to the main room.¡±


    ¡°No, it is, it has to be by default. You aren¡¯t looking at it right.¡±


    ¡°But all I hear are beeps. Samanatha,¡± Sebastian now asked in a growingly impatient tone. ¡°I can¡¯t chat. Help me later when I have time,¡± he said with a click of a button on his headset.


    Sam let out a frustrated grumble at her channel being set back as one way. She then started looking around the room. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have time! Where is the main relay screen?!¡± Her eyes then closed in dejection. Of course. She only got a room full of confused looks. ¡°The main relay! Sebastian and Renzo don¡¯t have time! I need to help them hook up their sensor equipment!¡± she hollered in desperation; eyes still shut tight in utter frustration. She then started back for the door looking for the man who spoke English earlier.


    I fucking swear! Where did that bastard go?! She could then hear indistinct chatter between several of the men starting to spread around the room. ¡°Everyone, this is important!¡± She then started having another small breakdown with the language barrier becoming unbearable under such pressure.


    Renzo took a few steps back toward the compound and away from the nearest alley he had approached. [Those beeps are getting a bit more frequent, don¡¯t you think?] He then turned his camera behind him. [Dani, eyes for us, please.] He then saw a corner of his screen transmitting to him the feed from Dani¡¯s headset camera, showing a garage area in ruins, all of their team slowly making progress on the main hallway. [No bodies or ID¡¯s?]


    [Not yet, but the ones hiding had rifles. I can¡¯t confirm, but they looked like Deimars.]


    [Rocha¡¯s, of course. More foreigner-bought shit,] Renzo replied with a frown before another warning sound had him tense up. [Sebastian! That beeping is getting on my last fucking nerve! Get Cruella back on the line and get her to figure this out before something bad happens, damn it!]


    Sam had been looking frantically across the room before hearing Sebastian¡¯s voice pop back up over the intercom.


    [There! I put up my NOx sensor detail on display! Now what do we do!?]


    Sam could sense the urgency edging out rationality in his voice and words she couldn¡¯t understand, electing instead to start looking around for what he was going on about. She then caught the main display behind her glowing with yellow cloud readouts around the Compound 4 map. ¡°That¡¯s it! That¡¯s what I needed to see!¡± She then ran over to get a closer look. ¡°Sebastian! Listen to me, transmit your display controls here as well! Can you do that?¡± Seconds later she saw the interactive screen take over the display, triggering Sam to rush even closer, having to nearly push several men out of the walkway.


    ¡°Here, hold on!¡± She reached up to a few of the toggle menus, knowing by habit where the buttons she needed to be were despite them all being in Spanish, adjusting display parameters until she saw a red pair of path tracing clouds that meandered around the outskirts of the main yellow cloud surrounding the area. Near each leading piece of the red paths was a timestamp. ¡°Shit, Sebastian, the alley to the direct right of Renzo! Approaching active from five seconds ago!¡± she continued to bark out, completely oblivious to all of the collective ire she had drawn over the past minute.


    Renzo could understand that one key word ¡°right¡± as he turned to an old decrepit concrete parking building that sealed off most of that alley mentioned. He stared to walk straight towards it at a steady pace, left arm reaching for a magazine switch. [Sebastian, get those grenade rounds ready. Changing out mine as well.]


    Sebastian heard Renzo¡¯s thruster cooling fans start up as an explosives alarm went off at the rooftops behind them. [Rockets! Don¡¯t jump!] he said with a spin to face their exposed side. [I think they¡¯re waiting for us to make the first move!]


    Renzo saw out of the corner of his visor Dani¡¯s men diving in after tossing a smoke grenade, taking down several armed men before they got a clear scan on negative ID¡¯s. [Eyes! What else do you see?] he asked before he got his answer on visual. He saw a slew of ID¡¯d Galeano members¡¯ bodies strewn across the exposed room.


    [They slaughtered everyone here,] Sam heard Dani say over the radio as she continued. [It¡¯s shots to the head like Bas saw two days ago. We will keep pushing to clear the building, but they¡¯ve turned to armed executioner mobs.]


    Sam then turned her sight to the upper corner of the map, seeing the explosives detections north of Sebastian. ¡°Protocol said we don¡¯t take the first shot. But that¡¯s Infinity¡¯s training. To hell with that shit for now. Hey, Sebastian!¡± she barked again. ¡°Your grenades either take out that office floor or those rockets take out the apartments near Renzo! You¡¯re screwed either way! Don¡¯t let that hold you back!¡±


    ¡°No, better idea,¡± she heard him respond.


    [Renzo! Jump! Take on that target now!] he ordered as he started his thruster cooler system and looked to time his jump with his brother¡¯s. The second he saw him rocket upward, he hit the jump-boost full speed, aiming with his shotgun attachment at the ready. Without waiting for firing solutions, he swung his reticle over the office building¡¯s rooftop and fired three consecutive shots, sending dust, concrete debris, and glass flying along with the scattering of a rocket launching crew. [Those rounds won¡¯t go through concrete, right?!]


    Renzo was unable to answer, focusing on his screen, watching for the hidden LTAC to pop up below. ¡°Renzo, the trails all lead inside that one garage in front!¡± he heard Sam yell out over the radio. He took a second to think of what she meant, then realized the building below was a garage that possibly had large bay door access and landed his MI-r on the rooftop gently, arming his smoke rounds.


    He lobbed three rounds down through the ramp up top before jumping back off of the back side and in front of a large bay door, firing two more inside. Stepping between several abandoned cars he had backed up carefully, switched back to explosive grenade rounds, and fired one inside from the first angle he could take. [Bas, over here! Now!]


    Sebastian set himself down on opposite end from Renzo, preparing to switch rounds. But just then the cracked wall nearest to him burst as a mech flew his way as if to tackle him. He instinctively turned in his left shoulder to brace for impact, and in the next moment, felt the sudden jarring and screeching sound from it. His MI-r came crashing down, but took less of a fall than the attacker¡¯s smoke-shrouded mech. He did his best to stand partly up, swiveling his aim just around enough to plant the shotgun over the cockpit area of the mech and pulled the trigger.


    Renzo too had seen one more frame¡¯s silhouette become visible with the added sunlight they let in, quickly firing a round right at the leg units of the attacker. [Bas, you OK?!]


    Just as Sebastian heard the call, he felt a rumble resembling an earthquake. The parking building started to collapse.


    Renzo backpedaled to a safe distance, but saw Sebastian¡¯s location didn¡¯t change. [Bas!]

 No Easy Way Out, Part 2

    Isaiah¡¯s cloaked LTAC stood behind a figure, dressed in a similar pilot suit to Isaiah¡¯s, amongst the trees of a field where the backdrop of skyscrapers of the capital could still be well seen over the tree line. The other two cloaked LTACs weren¡¯t far from him, pilots inside, facing towards him. A recent model luxury SUV pulled up a few meters away and several well-dressed men stepped out. The last to get out was dressed in a summer weather-friendly suit with designer sunglasses to match. He was the first to approach the pilot, who could now be seen to be utilizing a sun-masking visor display over his helmet, unable to make out his eyes or face. He watched the pilot hold up his mobile as a voice transmission interface opened up on holographic display, cueing him to speak. ¡°I realize how many men I am losing to do this, but it¡¯s thanks to you we are finally gaining ground on those who stand strongest against us, Mr. R.¡± The casual manner in which he spoke hinted that this form of communication had already occurred numerous times.


    The voice from the other side, disfigured by a program beyond anyone¡¯s possible recognition, spoke back: ¡°And I will of course honor the rest our end of the deal. But I called you here to request an alteration in one of the conditions on your end.¡±


    ¡°We might be able to make some changes,¡± the man said as he stopped just in front of him, taking note of Revenant¡¯s and Requiem¡¯s LTACs looking down on his men. ¡°What might those be?¡±


    ¡°I am going to bring in about two dozen more Kappas and four tanks. I need you to recruit or promote more men to operate them, and have it done by Saturday. Can that be done? Or should I bring in our people to help fill the need?¡±


    ¡°So, please, Mr. R,¡± the man asked as he turned to look upon the city skyline. ¡°Understand once more why I am working with you. I seek not to destroy the city, just to get the people to stop surrendering their freedoms to the families who continue to keep them in poverty. But I feel that the more we try to use your money and resources to destroy them, more of our city gets destroyed.¡±


    ¡°I understand your concerns, Se?or Rocha,¡± the voice continued. ¡°But you see what you fight against. You have used up a number of our Kappas by this point, and I think you need to check the status on the three you sent today. Think about how the Galeano¡¯s old Gamma frames are holding up so well while being so outnumbered.¡±


    ¡°We over-ran one of their compounds today, first such victory for us. Maybe that¡¯s just what it costs sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I think that the damages done will be essential in getting what you want accomplished, don¡¯t you think?¡± He saw Mr. Rocha now deeper in thought. ¡°But now think about the intel I gave you earlier. Infinity is sending in a dozen more of their A-series units in tomorrow morning. You won¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    ¡°Even though you wiped out a dozen by yourselves yesterday¡­?¡±


    ¡°The element of surprise was much more in our favor. Don¡¯t underestimate their abilities to adapt. Now, understanding the situation better and knowing what has to come as a result, allow me to send more firepower. People will have to see the damage as the doing of the Galeano¡¯s, and next, the Vera¡¯s, as they are the ones refusing to listen to their constituents. The hands they force in keeping control of their districts is what brings about the destruction. The people want change. You listen to it, or you fight it. Let them get fought, let the cost be what it is. Isn¡¯t that what this is all about?¡±


    Mr. Rocha took a long pause in thought, unable to counter. He had by this point in time been long accustomed to acquiring power and influence by force. By now it would be silly at best to suggest to the man that a less violent route be chosen. ¡°You make good points. I hate to think about the reconstruction efforts, but sometimes the old must come down to make the new.¡± He then put his hands in his pockets with a defeated smirk. ¡°Alright, Mr. R, I will use the last of my few good pilots and will ask that you provide the rest. Who may contact you with the numbers?¡±


    ¡°You will send a message to the same proxy as you used Monday. Respond with the numbers by seven o¡¯clock latest tonight.¡±


    ¡°Good doing business with you, Mr. R.¡± He then turned and headed back for his SUV as the others behind him followed suit and loaded up.


    As they drove off, the man took off his helmet, revealing he was Revenant. He turned to Isaiah¡¯s LTAC and put a hand up in the air, circling his pointed finger around. ¡°Lead the way, Cable,¡± he said over his communicator as he then turned towards his own LTAC.


    Marian turned Isaiah¡¯s LTAC around and walked up to the opposite end of the road the SUV took to leave the area, once again taking hiding within the deeper part of the forest. ¡°The Rocha crew is likely failing to do more than what they got done, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Everyone stay down,¡± Isaiah¡¯s voice came up over the radio. ¡°No need to warm up the catalyzers, either. Let them clean up as they please¡­ the damage is already done for us. All we need to worry about is that empty set of LTACs on their way. You realize this is not Vincent Vrey calling the shots anymore, right?¡±


    ¡°What, did you intercept something new? Who is it?¡± Marian continued.


    ¡°Someone with brains, and upped the encryption internally so I don¡¯t know who is contacting them. But one thing I did grab was that they are equipping the locals instead. This is crunch time. We won¡¯t need to necessarily over-run them, but we need maximum damage to come out of this to their infrastructure in exactly the right places. Any messier and we likely get intervention from the SAU who will be guaranteed to side with the wrong mobs, which we can¡¯t afford to let happen right now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Reap¡¯, just how do we expect to do that without our own intervention?¡± Revenant asked as he got into his LTAC. ¡°I get the risk factor, but these Rocha hires and even the guys we brought in aren¡¯t the most dependable as you see.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s just it,¡± Isaiah replied. ¡°If we don¡¯t get this done with the hires, Underground won¡¯t give us access to better people. We need to prove our worth here. Prove that our methods use as little time and as little of people like us as possible. So, let¡¯s stop wasting time. Got a lot of work to do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like sitting back like this, but what choice do I got?¡± he huffed as he hopped back into his seat and harnessed up. ¡°Well, we might as well go check back in with the boys over in Kennedy.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam saw the toppled parking garage building cutting off all visuals and distorting the signal from Sebastian¡¯s unit, but at the same time couldn¡¯t ignore the fresher NOx trails approaching Renzo from around the corner behind him. ¡°Renzo, watch out! Got one coming up on your eight!¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    [Bas, hold on! Hang in there!] Renzo shouted, whipping his MI-r around and held up his grenade launcher. Shit, only two rounds left. He then heard the beeping sounds once more. [Cruella, tell me what that is and where it¡¯s coming from!]


    [She said check that corner you are looking at!] an operator¡¯s voice responded over the line.


    By that time, the dust cloud from the collapsed building rumbled past him, blocking most of his visuals. He took a second to recalculate his moves, switched to his last smoke grenade round, and fired it directly in front of him where he last saw the empty intersection. [Tell that girl to calculate me their angle of approximate position from me!]


    The operator sitting just to the side of where Sam was standing now stood up, patting her on the shoulder and ran a finger from Renzo¡¯s unit to the opposing wall and then to the red cloud imaging. [Distance and angle, please,] he requested awkwardly.


    Sam swiped the screen to zoom in over the clouded area in question before reading the time interval changes relation to the intensity changes. ¡°You are at about a¡­ 15 meter distance and 50 to 60 degree angle shot away but increasing with distance. He¡¯s definitely backing up,¡± Sam detailed with hand motions, hoping to make sense to the operator.


    Renzo¡¯s sweaty grip tensed as he awaited an answer, dialing up the detonation delay on his grenade launcher.


    [Ah! I got it! You got about a 60 degree angle from 15 meters out if you are taking a shot but make it quick!]


    Renzo waited no further as he adjusted his aim while watching his trajectory form on screen, taking a shot, and then jump-started his boosters. After hearing the explosion, he rocketed forward out of the smoke and spun his mech towards the direction he anticipated the enemy to be, finding it in an attempt to regain its balance. He pulled the trigger this time to his shotgun attachment, sending five blasts through it before he could tell the black and brick colored machine fell silent. The shattered glass and scattered concrete and tile wall pieces were still falling from the sky as he let out a heavy sigh of relief.


    [Don¡¯t just sit there! Check on Sebastian!] Sam scolded over the radio.


    Sebastian was catching his breath, realizing his unit somehow held up from the weight of the concrete wall section that fell on him. He could then feel from the weight of his body that he was parallel to the ground on his left side, now trying to pull the controls back to force himself free. While he continued the struggle, his sensors detected explosives armed nearby. Now breathing harder once again, he pulled at the controls just as hard but to no avail. Just as he had let go of the controls out of sheer frustration, the blinding light of the sun had him squinting, realizing someone freed him from the wall section.


    Renzo continued to shove the slab off of his brother¡¯s MI-r carefully while keeping his eyes open for any other surprises. [Bas, you OK in there?] He then stepped back as he saw the MI-r start to stand up, collapse back down, then roll over as if to climb the crumbled section next to him.


    Sebastian could now see through part of his visor showing the left portion of his screen visibly enough to know where he was aiming, took aim for the infrared activity detection, and pulled the trigger.


    Renzo saw the spectacle, noting Sebastian had no hand. He looked to what he was aiming for and realized there was another black LTAC under some rubble trying to gather itself. He carefully walked up to it and fired his last shotgun round point blank into the back of the unit. [Should¡¯ve told me sooner that he was worrying you, little buddy!] Renzo chuckled, easing the tension inside the communications room as well.


    [All clear inside, but they took everyone down¡­ no prisoners,] he heard Dani speak up.


    [How many Rocha¡¯s made it inside?] Renzo continued.


    [Um, most of these guys weren¡¯t even Rocha¡¯s. Total foreigners¡­ European perhaps, but we can¡¯t find any documentation on them. Lots of Deimar rifles. Fourteen men in all that made it inside before the executions.]


    [Thanks, sis, Finish cleanup and I will help stand guard. Bas is out of commission, I think.] He then looked back to Sebastian¡¯s unit which was barely standing. [Bas, no comms?] He then noticed the front cockpit canopy open up and saw a broken headset tossed out onto the ground below. Oh, how about that.


    Sam took her headset off as she wiped her forehead, letting out a deep sigh of relief. But no sooner did she take notice of the much busier air to the techs and operators in the room as more screens popped up with other compound members and even local news channels. Must be how cleanup starts around here. I keep forgetting to think what a mess this all becomes. Shit¡­ She looked around awkwardly, wondering what to do with the headset now in her hands.


    ¡°I will take that,¡± a voice said from behind her.


    Sam turned to see a stoutly built man with a cleanly cut beard in a familiar pattern. ¡°Mr¡­ Mr. Galeano? I think?¡±


    He reached for the headset and then reached for a cigarette from his left chest pocket. ¡°We were sad you were an only survivor from yesterday, but glad that the one survivor is you, Samantha Knight.¡± He then lit the cigarette, waiting on a response from Sam.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure how to take that, but, thanks, Mr. Galeano.¡± She tried to hold in a cough as some of the smoke coming off the cigarette wafted her direction, taking her comfort levels back down a few notches. The sharp smell was still something to get used to as this form of nicotine uptake was never exercised in Space, but with the Boss of it all in front of her, she tried her best to hide her disgusted reaction.


    ¡°You will teach our men how to use that sensor software and hardware you were just using. I think when we get our new delivery tomorrow, we will very much need this. OK?¡±


    She visibly continued growing more and more uncomfortable. ¡°I can try, but I do hope to be able to return back home tomorrow, sir.¡±


    ¡°You can help us, first. Fair, is it not?¡± He then pointed to her clothes. ¡°You have been taken care of when we could¡¯ve left you in the street. My boys are very kind. Too kind for my liking, but they are amazing and valuable assets to me so I let them talk me into letting you have some freedom moving around our complex and spending our money.¡± He could read the protesting expression she gave off and continued before she could respond. ¡°I already talked with your father. He was a good pilot from the last war. I read about him just now. So, you are the daughter of a real Harbinger. A famous one who is now a top Hexa official making deals with me.¡± He took in another smoke before continuing. ¡°I agreed to continue with what I promised, but you need to give us just a bit more before I consider the conditions on your side met. So, you need to teach these men to use your sensor software and hardware today.¡±


    ¡°Today? But how?! Sorry, sir, but there is a major language barrier, and I don¡¯t have my translation abilities without my Hexa-issue headset or my mobile.¡± She eagerly awaited a response, wincing a bit to a growling stomach.


    Mr. Galeano turned to get the attention of the nearest tech to him. [Bring this girl some empanadas* or something and a drink.] He then looked back to Sam. ¡°You are hungry, of course. It¡¯s already very much past lunch time and you did lots of good work helping to keep my boys alive. I am very thankful for that. But please, take your time and¡­ ah, of course, you are not from NAU you are from space. You learned lots of Spanish to speak with the Casares people.¡±


    Oh boy, here we go with this bullshit again, she thought in response to both his casual grin and the line she now grew to hate with a passion.


    ¡°Use that to speak with my men, and you can do that while you eat lunch that they will bring you.¡± He waved off Sam¡¯s attempt to plea, causing her to cough more from the smoke tossed around. ¡°My men will tell me when you are done. Then you can go do what you please.¡±


    What the ever-living fuck?! Are they really serious? She cleared her throat to respond but had seen Mr. Galeano was already leaving. You have got to be kidding me! She then turned to see the eight men around her still busy and ignoring her presence for the most part. Helplessness reared its ugly head again as she sulked. I really, really hate this country right now. Stupid mentalities, stupid language, she continued in thought, letting out a defeated breath.


    [Excuse me, miss, but,] a man from behind said as he patted her on the shoulder, holding up his removed smart watch. [I overheard your complaints. You can use mine for now.] He then took her left wrist and attached it to hers, held it up, and opened the active translation application. [There, good to go.] He said as his words appeared in English through holographics just like hers would have done had she not lost it. He could see through Sam¡¯s eyes her stress levels started to drop immediately.


    And to think at ANY given time ANYONE could have done this for me.


    (*Empanadas Colombianas)

 Changing Deals

    Sebastian had a slight hobble in his gait as some of his crew helped him into their truck¡¯s back seat, passing him a water bottle once he got set. [We can¡¯t afford to lose our last one,] he said as he looked on Renzo¡¯s MI-r watch over them from within the compound, taking a sip from the bottle. He then looked back to his half-wrecked MI-r with a long face. [Where do they keep coming from?]


    [You heard the transmission?] the man standing next to him asked. [We found a whole lot of bodies without valid ID and are clearly not locals.]


    Another member who sat down in the front passenger seat added: [Someone is getting paid big money. What is it going on here that attracts this level of attention?]


    Sebastian replied with a shrug: [It might be the elections coming up, but we¡¯ve never seen it get this bad.] He then straightened himself in his seat and buckled in. [Get me back to base. I need to get my head straight before I can start to help figure this out.] As the driver started the engine and pulled the truck around to leave, Sebastian could see Dani¡¯s truck still working on pulling his wrecked MI-r into the compound¡¯s garage. Down to one. Now what? He then looked back down at his right knee he was massaging. [We also need to do something about leg padding in those things. This is the second time I¡¯ve done this after taking a spill.] The truck eventually found even pavement, passing several fire trucks and a few ambulances. As his focus shifted to the passing stores and apartments, he continued in thought: So much in so few days. This might all be for nothing. Hell, at this rate tomorrow will be our last. He then remembered the initially unwelcome but ultimately useful interventions Sam came back with during the encounter. Maybe the Boss was right. Maybe her connections are stronger than I thought. Maybe she can do more for us than I thought. He then felt his attention start to wander into nothingness from the heat and exhaustion before a shake of his shoulder woke him back up.


    [Boss is asking for you,] the man from earlier said as he offered his mobile.


    [Bas my boy, how are you holding up?] Sebastian heard Mr. Galeano from the other side to which he responded:


    [Banged up, down another Caballero. Things aren¡¯t looking good, sir.]


    [The Vera Paramilitary also took a direct attack this morning to their northern borders. We might be approaching ¡®that time¡¯, I¡¯m afraid. But before we make any rash decisions, I need you to go check on the girl. I think she needs your help again, but before you say anything I think that today she has repaid you for your previous efforts, don¡¯t you think?]


    Sebastian let out a sigh. [What do I need to do?]


    [Go to her, you know where to find her. And¡­ sorry to hear about your loss. I know you were very attached to it. But there will be better days coming ahead, so keep your chin up.]


    Sebastian walked into the communications room, only to find Sam surrounded by five others near the main display. She had simulation software pulled up, showing multiple LTAC bogeys along with their compound¡¯s sensor activity details. They were all listening intently, taking notes and discussing things amongst themselves. He approached the group as he spoke up over their them: [Well, look at that, girl! You already learned that much Spanish?]


    Sam turned to see him and returned a laugh, seeing his message translated from her borrowed watch. ¡°No, silly, I got a translator going for me now so there¡¯s been a hell of a lot less holding me back.¡± She then motioned him over to join.


    ¡°Oh, and I was hoping you learned something,¡± he sarcastically replied.


    ¡°Hey, now it¡¯s your turn. Look,¡± Sam wittedly replied as she pointed to the screens. ¡°All your boys are pretty much done figuring out the main controls and adjustments to be made with the NOx sensor sensitivity and display configurations. All that¡¯s left to be done is adjusting it to their preferences and making split-second judgments based on the information flow, which is kind of what we were doing just now.¡±


    Sebastian chuckled a bit. ¡°Who made you a teacher?¡±


    ¡°Actually, my brother did a lot of things like this. I just took after him, a bit, I guess?¡± She took a step back to see the others already toying with the configuration menus she explained earlier. ¡°Here,¡± she said to the man nearest to her who gave her the watch. ¡°Thanks, I think my work here is done,¡± she said as she returned it to him. As she picked up her half-full juice bottle and wadded wrapper and started on her way out, she left by saying: ¡°I need a break, and looks like you do, too.¡±


    Sebastian paid little attention to the invitation as he looked to the man who loaned his watch. [Just a bit surprised she did so much for you all. Is everything figured out like she said?]


    [Oh, no problems here, she was much clearer than the instructions¡¯ vague attempts,] he answered with confidence. [But Bas, don¡¯t think it was out of the goodness of her heart. Boss came by. He made her do it or she wouldn¡¯t be allowed to go back home, so¡­]


    [Is that so,] Sebastian mumbled to himself, looking back her direction, seeing she had just walked out the door. He continued in thought: [Of course. I¡¯d be stupid to think she would be doing otherwise. I just need to keep moving.]


    .


    .


    Sam tossed her wrapper in the trash bucket and stepped outside on the balcony. She took a seat at one of the chairs, turning to see the break room still empty. She sighed, then turned back to the view of the neighborhood beyond the walls. One more evening to pass. One more evening, and a lot of this becomes one big, crazy memory. She then looked down at her shirt and laughed under her breath. Maybe I should buy some souvenirs on my way out. She then scooted her chair back under the shade and leaned against the wall, realizing now how tired she was after finally being able to relax. I should¡¯ve bought some sunglasses while I was at it. Hell, after all this shit, I think I earned the right to use a tad bit more of the Galeano¡¯s money. That was some real work put in. She then remembered her talks with her father. Damn¡­ that¡¯s right¡­ one last big job. NOx trainer today, latest Hexa model frame trainer tomorrow. She uncapped and took a sip from her bottle, placed it on the table, and adjusted her chair once more, putting herself in the corner where she could lean against one wall and prop her foot against the other. Moments later, she felt herself halfway fall asleep as memories from before came to her mind.


    ¡°But you are sure you won¡¯t be seeing anything besides riot control? I heard there was an old A-7 that came crashing down over there the other week. Those are what I used to fight against, and those are monsters compared to what you are going to run around town with.¡±


    ¡°Dad, that was a one-off. The only time an MBI was ever spotted since decommission orders. But Hexa already trained me on that, and we have anti-MBI outfits that would cut right through them in the event we need them.¡± She then saw the concern that Al had been trying to hide. ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright. They are very thorough with everything.¡±


    Sam laughed at the thought. Everything, thorough¡­ they still got me fooled. Watch, an A-7 or B-8 will show up tonight or tomorrow at this rate. Her thoughts carried her into a light slumber as more memories came about.


    ¡°Mom, no! I am sick of never making my own decisions. I am getting on that shuttle.¡±


    ¡°Sam this running away won¡¯t do anything but make life worse for you! I know all about countries in the SAU and you won¡¯t last!¡±


    ¡°So, you get to leave everyone for work you choose and I don¡¯t? Even though no one is left behind from my end? Whatever,¡± she said as she hung up, walking away from the taxi rotary and towards the Akkadia Services and Recruitment Center.


    A distant blaring of horns that erupted from a nearby traffic jam slightly startled Sam just enough to halfway open her eyes, noticing Sebastian was sitting at the opposite end of the table from her with his news cards on display, humming a tune. She sat up, still somewhat dazed from her awakening as a pillow fell from between her head and the wall and onto her lap. She also noticed the sun had set quite a bit. Ah, damn it, let me guess. I just lost a whole hour or two.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the five o¡¯clock traffic you hear. You slept for about two hours.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯d this pillow come from?¡± she asked as she held it up, puzzled.


    ¡°Dani told me to give it to you, so I tried my best not to wake you up. You seemed to need it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, well-¡±


    ¡°-Hey, come here,¡± Sebastian interrupted as he waved his hand. ¡°I need you to see this.¡± She was slow to get up, prompting his manners once again. ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Hm, my whole body¡­ like¡­¡± she said as she winced a bit, still slow to make her way towards him. ¡°I think my body is in more need of my next bone density medication than I realized.¡± She then stretched a bit as she looked down at the display. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Before I explain, watch first.¡± He then swiped over to a separate screen and motioned it to play. It was an Akkadian news outlet feed with Spanish subtitles at the bottom.


    ¡°We bring you updates to the escalated violence occurring amidst heightened unrest in the SAU¡¯s Colombian capitol city, Bogota,¡± a female reporter started. ¡°The calls for the restoration of pre-dissolution era government have grown to such a dangerous point that SAU officials have started to question whether neighboring countries should intervene.¡± Pictures of Hexa LTAC wreckages were then scrolled across the background. ¡°In an attempt to avert international intervention, local authorities hired Hexa International¡¯s security services known as Infinity, and after what seemed a peaceful reception ended quickly and devastatingly, claiming the lives of many volunteer pilots and support crew members from around the world and from space; a total of eleven pilots and seven crew members perished in the ambush led by unknown hostile extremists utilizing unfamiliar LTAC weaponry and what appeared to be a tank, also of an unknown origin. CEO Vincent Vrey has remained mum about how he will approach the remainder of the contracted services, but what has more speculation and controversy going on is more on the new hire of former Akkadian Navy high ranking official, Alexander Knight,¡± the reporter spoke as Al¡¯s face and position title came on screen. ¡°Mr. Knight has assumed the role of logistics and seems to be changing course within the written contracts; details remain unknown at this time.¡±


    Wow, I forget how we might look when things go bad.


    The reporter turned it over to her co-host as he started off. ¡°But the biggest part of the ongoing speculations pertains to whether or not the claims that the lone surviving pilot is the daughter of the logistics department head, Samantha Knight.¡± Sam choked in reaction to the unexpected exposure. Even her Hexa official ID picture was used in the displayed bio information screen. ¡°We are unable to confirm these claims, but sources just got us this information only minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Would this have led to Mr. Knight¡¯s sudden taking of the position? The timing seems appropriate. The day the operation in Bogota went sour, that same evening he took the position.¡±


    Sam could only put her hands over her face, dragging them down slowly as she muttered: ¡°No confidentiality when you are a for-profit organization¡¯s hired member abiding by all international transparency laws. Might as well sell my chances for a proper rescue while I still got them.¡±


    Sebastian then swiped to the next screen, saying: ¡°But this is the other one you need to see.¡± This time he had up a local news outlet with the captions in English.


    [The Galeano¡¯s really went all out, hiring the help of that downed Infinity pilot,] one of the two men on screen spoke. [They, like many others struggling to keep order in the city, are getting to the point that they will take anything that comes their way. People are getting crazy these days and the acts of violence don¡¯t even follow protests or demonstrations anymore. Not even riots.]


    [These are almost like acts of insurrection, but rather than towards the government, they are towards the ruling Familias. What do you take of the most recent development?] the other spoke.


    With that, a video recording of Mr. Galeano was brought up where he was speaking: [These insurrections are not civil. These are men brought in from other countries. Our plea to the watching world is that we are not dealing with protests or anything we can take a more diplomatic approach toward. This is terrorism with international interests involved in our affairs. They want you to believe that we are causing this, but the destruction to this level is unacceptable and we never once did any such thing to provoke such actions. If you speak with anyone, they will tell you that our men have always responded with non-lethal methods. The use of our destructive weaponry only came out of necessity. Tanks? Mechs? Who brings these in? What is their goal other than wreaking havoc on our city?]


    [You see, Paulo,] he continued in response to the clip. [I think it¡¯s to do with Mr. Galeano involving himself with Infinity. They dealt the first hand. They brought in international firepower, and so to help keep the momentum going, the protesting public has to get some help. Do you blame them? You don¡¯t just sit back and watch the overly powerful get more powerful. You strike first. And then did you hear about them paying for new technology upgrades under the expert advice of Alexander Knight¡¯s own daughter today?]


    [You would think her type would stay in Space! Why is she even in Colombia?!]


    ¡°Because I can¡¯t get back home!¡± Sam angrily replied to the display in vain. ¡°Why do you think I am here in the first place?! And I am not being paid, damn it!¡±


    [And then you hear Galeano talking about this kid like she was his new asset. It¡¯s like she joined the Familia! How disgusting! Like we need-]


    Sebastian closed the feed recording and looked back up at Sam. ¡°You know, you slept through a lot, but I am glad you did. I needed to think of what to say.¡±


    ¡°Well, what can you say? You heard what they are making up,¡± she said as she sat down against the wall next to him. ¡°How can this get worse, now?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to show you this while I was on my break. I need you to see how big this is becoming, and how I think you need to see it all¡­ to see that this is why we hired Infinity services to begin. I tried to explain yesterday, but this is a better way, I think.¡±


    ¡°I can kind of tell how bad it is as of earlier,¡± Sam nodded. ¡°But it sometimes feels like I can¡¯t even stop to think about everything and keep it all in perspective. I wish I could get a chance to really just stop and absorb everything properly.¡±


    ¡°You do realize you can do that all you want once you go home. This is our every-day life, lately. Until then, this is how it has to be¡­ no slowing down, ever.¡±


    Sam sighed, putting a hand over her face. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant to say, if you think I mean it like¡­¡±


    ¡°You know I spoke to Boss¡± he said with a change in tone, deflecting the conversation. ¡°He wants you to join us, you know, permanently. I knew you would be upset, so that¡¯s why I told him to stop trying to make you join, knowing you don¡¯t want to.¡± He then closed his display function and looked over the balcony. ¡°But he doesn¡¯t always listen to me. So, he said he will take you to dinner tonight. He loves success, and he saw how much the new thing you installed works¡­ you know¡­ the thing you used to save Renzo and me earlier.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy. I know where this one is going, too. I can¡¯t back out of this one, either, right?¡± she asked with a defeated chuckle.


    He leaned back, letting out a sigh. ¡°You might as well go with him, and don¡¯t resist or attract any more negative attention. He does what he does, and it¡¯s best to say ¡®OK¡¯. He always goes to his own private part of town, so it won¡¯t be dangerous. We do this with him sometimes, too. Actually, it never used to be dangerous for anybody here. Not until the past few weeks when that big A-7 showed up¡­ and all these Rocha¡¯s and foreigners¡­ and all the good attention they get.¡± He then turned for the door. ¡°I need to get back to my men. Time is up.¡±


    She thought to get up along with him as she realized how hard it would be to stand up straight with many of her joints still in pain. Wincing, she placed a hand against the wall, slowly pulling herself up, carefully stretching herself upright. How does he keep moving like that? Must be nice not needing medications to get around on this planet.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    A coffee cup went sailing and ricocheted off of a pine tree near where Marian was sitting. Their camp was once again relocated, this time even farther from the city limits. Isaiah looked over her direction from his seat, still holding his mobile up as he watched similar news releases. ¡°We all knew one day they¡¯d get smarter, why the surprise?¡±


    ¡°Because!¡± she shouted in a restrained but noticeable rage. ¡°What happened to your supposedly set-in-his-ways father?! Did he succumb to Vrey¡¯s money trick like every other higher-up or was he bullshitting all of us this whole time?!¡±


    ¡°Marian, sit down and calm down. This doesn¡¯t affect you.¡±


    ¡°The hell it doesn¡¯t!¡± she seethed, now holding less back. ¡°The last thing we need is that father of yours doing that bastard any favors! Especially if it helps him!¡±


    He could feel her glare burning through him. ¡°All it does is hasten our operation to the point we just bail on the riskiest plan A and go to a safer plan B. Colombia is only our test phase where we learn what not to repeat once we hit Dhaka, not our final battle.¡± He then stood up to face her directly. ¡°I never said I can¡¯t or won¡¯t understand your feelings. I am simply saying it won¡¯t help right now to be pissed off at what Vrey would¡¯ve done by now regardless, and it¡¯s our job to know how to work around this from now on.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± she continued in her anger as Isaiah approached her calmly. ¡°I joined to see exactly one thing accomplished, and I refuse to accept this bullshit as an acceptable outcome.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest for the best course of action?¡± he conceded.


    She shook her head with a wider gaze, expecting something better. ¡°You tell your father to back the hell off! You can only hide your involvement so long. You see what he is doing is clearly an act to save your sister! What do you think he¡¯d do if he knew you were one of the field commanders for the Underground!? Think!¡±


    He only shrugged, refusing to acknowledge the effect her emotions had on her judgment. ¡°You know I don¡¯t play underhanded moves that would jeopardize my standing with my higher-ups, but you should also know I won¡¯t put my father in any kind of situation unless it was something deliberately in my way. You¡¯re right about him best not ever knowing I exist here. That¡¯s why we stay away.¡±


    ¡°I said cut the bullshit!¡± she continued, now approaching him, coming to a stop right in front of his face as she threw a pointing gesture towards the city. ¡°You saw what Samantha is doing! That compound raid this morning failed miserably because she spread Vrey-built cancerous tech to her new buddies and you know damn good and well she isn¡¯t the type to get forced to do shit she doesn¡¯t want to, right?! Especially not seeing how fast she got that done. You already know how complicated that sensor tech is from the standpoint of a bunch of complete newcomers.¡± She then turned, hands on her hips, letting out a heavy sigh of disappointment. ¡°I realize bailing out on my post was my fault, allowing this to get set up on their side without our knowing, but this whole letting your sister go is starting to become more of a regret as well!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ involve her,¡± Isaiah said with a sudden stiffness in his voice. ¡°You are making great and valid points, but this isn¡¯t all about revenge alone. If this was, you didn¡¯t join me. You would¡¯ve killed the man yourself if that¡¯s all this is about, but that¡¯s not true, is it?¡± He let her turn around to face him before continuing. ¡°We didn¡¯t come here to lose another one we care about. Let¡¯s leave the rest to the Rocha¡¯s and take our business to Dhaka. We won¡¯t do any good here, and although I think you are wrong about Sam, she is a complete nonfactor here in the grand scheme of things.¡±


    Marian took her time along with a deep breath, calming down before replying. ¡°Medellin by morning?¡±


    ¡°Right. I will tell the other two to get packing.¡± He then finally approached her close enough to put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°The prize is for last. The mission always comes first.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    Isaiah approached Revenant, who was working on a tall device that looked to be long distance communications related. ¡°Hey, pack in the next hour. We will head for Medellin by split departure as planned.¡±


    ¡°Damn, Reap, just got this thing near ready to go again. Is it all about the news?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but it is what it is. I will get a message to Mr. Rocha that we are going plan B.¡±


    ¡°Plan B¡­¡± he said as he turned to look back at him with some doubt. ¡°No, man, I am not leaving without Req¡¯. You can make a plan C, then.¡±


    ¡°Your decision if you want to move together with him, then,¡± Isaiah replied as he turned back for the other side of camp. ¡°I still have to do what I have to. Make sure you catch the next morning train out.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you doubt us, man, after all this,¡± he said with a smile and a shake of his head. ¡°We got our little thing to take care of, and then we will get on that train. You two go on ahead without us. Have fun packing and shit.¡± He then got back to work as Isaiah disappeared off with a wave.

 Back in the Saddle

    It was well into the evening and the streetlights outside the quaint diner were lit. To the left and right of the diner were two much taller apartment complexes with first floor restaurants, each with queues going out of the door and lining down the sidewalks. The diner, however, was much quieter. Sam was led to a table for two where she was seated by a well-dressed man with sunglasses on. ¡°Please, sit, and wait,¡± he spoke to her in broken English. Sam uncomfortably sat up, examining her surroundings while trying not to look too conspicuous. There were only a few other tables more towards the back of the diner with a few equally well-dressed men talking over drinks. Behind her were several armed men at the door, both with stolid expressions. The only things that arrived as somewhat comforting were the smells of freshly baked breads that went along with the lingering aroma of grilled meats and cheeses.


    I guess I¡¯m safe? She settled into a more relaxed posture, trying to stay at ease. A waitress then delivered a glass of water to her. ¡°Gracias,¡± she replied, taking a sip. Ugh, no ice?


    Moments later, Mr. Galeano came and took a seat. ¡°So good of you to accept my invitation. Please pardon the decor. This is one of my places where I like to have meetings.¡±


    ¡°Good evening, thank you for the protection, and my safe bringing here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course, I need to protect all of my assets,¡± he said with a grin, taking his hat off. ¡°Listen, I came to explain one thing and then ask another.¡± He started to take out a cigarette, and then remembered Sam¡¯s earlier reactions. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, you don¡¯t like these things.¡± He put it on the table and cleared his throat. ¡°Do you know about Familia Vera? Did my boy Bas tell you about them?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes, yes sir, he did. They are the downtown families, right?¡±


    ¡°Claro. He has told you much. Good, that means I don¡¯t have to explain. You see,¡± he said as he straightened his posture. ¡°We all know the delivery of your company comes tomorrow morning. But¡­ other than you and our family, only they know about this, and this is because they are the ones about to get hit hard. So, I have a favor to ask.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to install their scanning software and hardware as well?¡±


    ¡°You jump to too many conclusions,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°You have a very busy mouth. You have to be careful with that. Allow me to explain.¡± He dismissed Sam¡¯s put-off reaction and continued: ¡°Your work saved us from what I was afraid would be many more attacks. The Rocha¡¯s¡­ they got another Parliament member on their side today. They now need to just get one more large voting block on their side as well and things will change. They need a big, big mess downtown. We need to stop it. And I need you on our side when we change the plan.¡±


    Sam¡¯s brow rose. ¡°Change¡­ change what? Sorry, I¡¯m confused. I¡­ I mean we deliver our packages to your boys, the twelve pilots, and we allow your security perimeter to set up. What is to stop you from going along with the plan?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Vrey and Mr. Knight agreed to let us set up security. Made us promise no strikes, and we must make a first strike. The Vera¡¯s are willing to tell us where they know a possible cell to be, where they smuggle in these¡­ what are they called?¡±


    ¡°LTAC frames?¡±


    ¡°Those. We need to use the package for a strike. Tomorrow night. And you must be with us.¡±


    Sam caught on to what was going on as she made it visible with her own smile, albeit a defeated one. ¡°I see what you are asking. I need to ask you in return, because I know I can¡¯t refuse,¡± she said as he returned an obvious grin. ¡°If we fail, I¡¯m not dying here. I am backing out and headed for that border no matter what I have to do to get there.¡±


    He remained fully confident with his approach. ¡°No, no, with a dozen new¡­ frames, for my dozen men? You don¡¯t know what they can do. Failure will never happen. And I have my politicians to clear your name with Hexa when we send you home. The SAU isn¡¯t one hundred percent free of any buddy-buddy stuff, if you know what I mean.¡±


    Sam shrugged at the ordeal, knowing she had no way out. ¡°I don¡¯t like how bad this whole thing stinks, but I will do as you say unless things go the wrong way. That¡¯s where I am out.¡±


    He could only laugh for a few moments before finding the words to respond. ¡°You really have one seriously dangerous mouth. You really don¡¯t know how to act on Earth, but again, I will forgive you, because you saved my boys today. And if you help save more tomorrow night, I will make sure you are paid more than what Mr. Vrey pays you. And you will be free to go; I promise guaranteed safe passage but we can only secure it if we silence the Rocha¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Deal. And about my mouth? I apologize, that¡¯s how I act when I feel cornered.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do I make you feel that way? Here, I brought you here not just for making a deal, but to feed you, too. You need to eat a good, properly made Colombian dinner. Please, order anything from the menu. I know you must be hungry. How were the empanadas?¡±


    Sam thought to comment on his overbearingness but shook the feeling off. ¡°They were great, thank you. And thank you again for offering dinner, too, but I don¡¯t know what anything is here, or what is good to order. I haven¡¯t even had real seafood before, come to mention it.¡±


    From a distance, Revenant and Requiem were looking down from the side of a small mountaintop just bordering the city from the back of their small pickup. Revenant took his viewfinder down as he continued listening in. The device he was working on was right behind them in the back of the truck. ¡°Hey Req'', that¡¯s the deal we needed to hear. They are headed for downtown tomorrow night. Follow that guard that just left the diner. I bet he¡¯s the messenger. We need to know specific times and locations.¡± He then opened his communicator channel and continued: ¡°Reap, your sister jumped right in on their scheme. You sure you know her as well as you say? Until this is all said and done, she¡¯s a right fuckin¡¯ Galeano for all we are concerned.¡±


    ¡°Cut the head off of the beast if you think you can pull it off,¡± Isaiah replied through his earpiece. ¡°But only if you can do it cleanly.¡±


    ¡°Copy.¡± He then looked behind him. ¡°Rev, forget listening in. We are grabbing the messenger. Let¡¯s roll.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam turned on the light and walked into the storage room where her mattress was still laid out. The room was still a mess, but as she made her way toward the mattress, she noticed her pilot¡¯s suit and under-layers folded and placed next to it. That¡¯s right, I totally forgot I put these on to dry-wash this morning. How thoughtful of them. She then kicked her sandals off and let herself fall onto her mattress face-up. She had stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking of the things she wished she had access to. What they say is true. You never truly know what you are missing until you don¡¯t have it anymore. Tomorrow morning couldn¡¯t come any sooner. But as earlier, the more she rested, the more she felt the body aches return. To top off all of the negative news spouting off all around me that I can¡¯t even see, my body is deciding it¡¯s time to do a total skeletal shut down. She slowly rolled over on her side facing the wall, letting out a long sigh. And with Sebastian still on patrol I got nothing else to do but try to sleep, I guess.


    Her daydream-like state took her from the memories of the Ap-60 Axiom she had experience with during beta test runs, anticipating her return to it, but the memories quickly shifted to the images of the cloaked LTAC from before rushing her head on. She felt herself unable to move, fully paralyzed and helpless.


    ¡°Wakey,¡± a voice and a nudging hand to the shoulder startled her upright, blinded by the sunlight pouring in from outside.


    Why is the sun always so damn bright here?! She grumbled with a long, painful stretch, looking up to find Dani standing over her.


    ¡°Come on, sleepy space girl, delivery is coming on time and we need to go catch it.¡±


    Sam shook her head and rubbed her eyes, regaining her focus on the room, realizing it was already morning. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°Seven thirty. Put your pilot suit on,¡± Dani continued before leaving, closing the storage room door on her way out.


    As she changed, flashbacks once more hit her as hard as the cloaked LTAC did before, forcing her to pause. She felt the same sense of helplessness clutching her at the core, knowing she was to step back into another cockpit that night. I know if I show back up, so will they, whoever they are. I just know it, she thought to herself, finishing pulling the main zipper up to her collar. She sat back down, feeling more of the pain continuing to rack up as the hours pass. She put her face down in her hands, let in a deep breath, clasping her hands back together just before standing back up. It¡¯s my only way out and back home. Gotta do this¡­ gotta find some way to do this right this time, she continued in attempt to shake the feeling. Will just focus on sticking to the basics. That last time was just all the wrong timing and all the worst match-ups happening all at once. No way this happens if we strike first. She then let out one more long breath and headed out at a slower than anticipated pace. ¡°Yep!¡± she winced. ¡°Every damn bone and join is still sore.¡±


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    She made her way towards the truck she found already up and loaded as she passed the spot where Sebastian¡¯s MI-r used to be parked. Dani could see from her driver¡¯s seat Sam¡¯s long face as she stood there for a moment. ¡°Hey, he¡¯s waiting on his new ride!¡± she heard Dani holler across and through the rolled-down window. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She picked up her pace as best as she could before taking her seat in back next to two others, buckling in. Each of the other three men nodded, and Sam returned the salutation.


    [Is Cruella really going to be that new model¡¯s pilot?] the one in front of her spoke to Dani, drawing Sam¡¯s ire as she picked up on the unfortunately stuck nickname.


    [That¡¯s her daddy that sent it with the others, so of course], Dani answered as the truck exited the compound. [Look, forget what we are or aren¡¯t getting. Aren¡¯t we all ready to finally get back into action like before? It feels like forever to me!]


    [I already know what color I will paint mine.]


    [Oh, and I get to paint that damn A-7 mark on mine!] the one next to Sam joined in. [That was me delivering the final blow to it!]


    [Yeah, all to get trashed the next day in not even five minutes,] the man across from the other side replied. [But, actually, I think Cruella might own the record for the shortest time running.] The jab drew laughter from the group, worsened by the jarring bump caused by Dani running up a curb to cut across a busy intersection. [And now she¡¯s going for the new record!] he added amongst the increasing laughter.


    [Alright alright enough joking!] Dani interrupted as she pointed to the man in the front passenger seat. [Keep an eye on explosives detection, will you?] She then clicked a button on her headset. [Any NOx trails ahead? ¡­ No? Great, we are almost there. Less than a kilometer out.]


    [Damn, no fun,] the man next to Sam muttered, looking straight ahead with a straightened face.


    Not too much time had passed, and when Sam caught notice of what was coming up ahead, she was surprised to see to a soccer stadium¡¯s parking lot. ¡°Wait, this is the landing zone?!¡± she thought out loud.


    ¡°Welcome to New El Camp¨ªn, the only place no local would dare destroy!¡± she said with a heavy hint of satire. ¡°You know about SAU countries having the world¡¯s best football clubs,¡± she continued as they stopped and started to unload. ¡°We got a much bigger stadium built about ten years ago so we get Infinity to land here, and is very safe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d expect the landings and unloading to destroy the field, though,¡± Sam replied as they all headed towards the entrance where several trucks were posted.


    ¡°No, I think bosses are all paying for a new field grass.¡±


    ¡°Hm, when Galeano said he would make the landing spot an unannounced and unexpected location, he did a hell of a job keeping his word.¡± Sam passed through the first gate and through the main corridors, passing by several security outfits that were mixed in with the same markings and colors as Sam¡¯s pilot suit. At least Hexa moves fast. May not always be smart, but definitely fast and always on time. As their group made it out to open air, she saw several landed personnel carrier pods next to two much larger LTAC carrier pods amidst a busy crowd of crewman. She then quickly spotted Sebastian and Renzo next to the one that was still in the process of getting the air locks off and doors open.


    ¡°Samantha Knight!¡± she heard a man¡¯s voice from off to her right. She located a Hexa official headed her way with a hand extended. ¡°Director Landon Braun, got orders for you from your father. I see you¡¯re hanging in there!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she responded, returning the handshake.


    ¡°Look, he asked you to go ahead and take these,¡± he said, handing her a small bag that resembled the one she left behind in her destroyed LTAC the other day. ¡°And then go help the interim squad captain over there. They¡¯ve arranged for a Renzo Navarre to take the spot, so you know what to do after that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she said again, opening the bag to find a micro headset communicator, a temporary replacement mobile, and a divided stack of bone density supplements. ¡°Great, this is what I have been waiting to get back in my possession for so long, thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°Our pleasure,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°I have to get with the local leaders, so if you need anything your communicator will connect with our personnel. And base will remain here until tomorrow morning.¡±


    Sam watched him walk away as she affixed her in-ear communicator, popped a bone density supplement, and shouldered her bag as she started to head towards the others. Something bothered her, however, causing her to stop and power up the mobile loaned to her. This has been bothering me for WAY too long. She loaded up the browser and typed in ¡°Cruella¡± while hitting the image tab.


    These motherfuckers¡­


    After holding her mobile in silence for a few awkward moments she quickly closed the browser, packed her mobile away, and quickly made her way towards Sebastian and Renzo. ¡°Alright, long time no see!¡± she shouted over the increasingly loud mechanical white noise filling the area, seemingly intent on delivering a certain message.


    Renzo looked up from his holographically displayed manual with a smirk. [Oh, well look at that. It¡¯s Cruella back from the dead!]


    Sam¡¯s live in-ear translation was working as she expected, sending back a roll of her eyes. ¡°Yeah, laugh it up. I¡¯d like to see you live in space for three days without puking every time you try to stand up.¡±


    Sebastian laughed in response, also making note of Sam¡¯s translator software.


    [What did she say?] Renzo spoke back to Sebastian with a straight face.


    ¡°And just for you, I will dye my hair all black tonight so you can all shove it with the stupid Cruella jokes,¡± she said with a joking frown, now standing between the two. She held her hand out to him, drawing an even more confused look. ¡°Your mobile.¡±


    [This?] he said, awkwardly handing it over to her. He watched Sam flip to a connection settings tab where she linked her in-ear communicator to his whole network.


    ¡°There. Isn¡¯t this better?¡± she said, watching Renzo start to smile in wonder. ¡°These types of communicators run differently and won¡¯t set up in local networks automatically. That¡¯s what I had to do.¡± She then turned to Sebastian. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said with a purposefully and irritatingly cute tone. ¡°Looks like I get to be back on my own with my linguistic independence.¡±


    [Alright alright] Renzo interrupted as he flipped his mobile¡¯s display back to the manual. [Enough of the small talk. Since we understand each other now, I need just one thing explained and that¡¯s the advanced shortcut resets. I can figure that Hexa doesn¡¯t want us toying with that, but I guarantee you that¡¯s the first things I will want to get my hands on once they¡¯re unloaded. Can it be done?]


    ¡°A lot can be reconfigured to your preference,¡± she responded with a look beyond where they were standing. The carriers¡¯ door operation motors cranked up, attracting each of the pilots¡¯ attention. Once they could see inside, the black-gray-speckled light blue urban camo patterned LTAC frames came into sight as Renzo and Sebastian looked upon them in awe.


    [Holy shit, they¡¯re beautiful,] Renzo mumbled.


    ¡°These look much better than the ones you first came in, I agree,¡± Sebastian commented as well. ¡°Ap50¡­ Yes, and these are very big upgrades over what we had.¡±


    ¡°Right. These anti-LTAC Ap50 units are the ones you have been studying,¡± Samantha replied, then pointed to the other carrier. ¡°Those over there are Ai20¡¯s which have anti-riot gear like the one I had, and some are also anti-tank, the Av-25¡¯s. Two other one-offs. One, the Am-30, is anti-MBI if anything crazy happens, and the other is what I will be piloting.¡±


    ¡°Which is¡­?¡±


    ¡°You can see, later. Come on,¡± she said as she led them up the ramp. ¡°Gotta get these down sometime!¡± Each of the six Ap-50¡¯s lined up were a bit heavier than the Ai20 units Sam¡¯s previous group was equipped with, including heavier jump-boosters, larger glide control fins, heavier weapons, and more magazines. The armor plating was also a bit sleeker in design, taking angles to help deflect smaller projectiles. Each one had much more subdued Hexa logos on each left shoulder compared to the last. Sam walked up to one of them, carefully avoiding crewmen who were walking up to each one for pre-unload check-ups. ¡°These models park on their rollers, unlike the others, since they¡¯re heavier and will take up more space. They also need to run on boost more than the others since the rollers can be overloaded going over bumpier grounds at higher speeds. Are you OK with such a big change?¡± she continued, now looking at the two.


    [I¡¯ve only known ours, which are so much lighter. But I know the advantages and will just need one test run to get used to the controls,] Renzo replied as he reached for the open switch. [Ah, just like ours. Are they always like this?]


    ¡°All the Bernauds are kind of Hexa rip-offs, so, yeah.¡±


    Sebastian watched Renzo climb aboard as he spoke up: ¡°We got back late last night after you were already asleep, spent all night and morning studying simulations they gave us. We haven¡¯t slept at all, but this is so big¡­ big of a deal. Big deal, very big deal.¡± He, too, continued to walk around it, still in as much awe as the rest.


    [The helmets really are so much nicer than ours! Pictures didn¡¯t do them justice!] Renzo shouted from inside as he tried on the attached helmet on, powering up the visor. [Even the cushion is nicer than I¡¯d have expected! Padding and control placement, too! These take whole entire shits on our Caballeros!] He then activated the electronics system, feeling a cold breeze on his back through the ventilated seat backs. [Damn, the motherfucker really does have air conditioning!]


    Sam had lost most of the nervousness she felt earlier and even forgot about her body aches for the moments she watched the two giddy as children on Christmas morning. She backed up as she saw crewmen come from behind with thumbs up. ¡°OK, Renzo, go ahead and walk it out!¡± Her voice grew to shouts as she heard another incoming heavy lander pod.


    The roller units under the feet retracted as the LTAC straightened its posture and slowly but steadily walked out and down the ramp. [I got the beacon. Bas, load up! Get the other¡¯s in and ready as well! Convoy will take us to the practice grounds.]


    Sam had now gotten off of the pod as she watched the other pilots from earlier walk on and load up. ¡°Knight, you can bring the others to the next pod,¡± she heard over her communicator. She turned back around to see Dani approaching her with five others. ¡°I got the word. Let¡¯s load up!¡± As Sam motioned them to follow her, she noticed three armored carriers with anti-air emplacements unloading from the heavy lander pod she heard earlier. Well, Dad, this had to be you, she thought to herself. Everything is in such better-looking order, too. No confusion, no tension¡­ Sam¡¯s thoughts were cut off when she saw the contents of her lander pod in plain sight. In front of six of the other-model LTACs she saw something she hadn¡¯t seen in months. Draped in a different, much grayer urban camo pattern coat in comparison to the others, the height was no different from other LTAC frames but the bulk was much more increased with break-away release joints on each armor plate, suggesting it had a lighter frame underneath when the demand arose. Rocket pods were at each corner complementing the heavier multi-purpose launcher docked on its shoulder harness. That¡¯s the Axiom, alright. You really did send me the real thing. Bastards aren¡¯t going to know what¡¯s coming this time.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    ¡°Hey, Reap¡­¡± Isaiah heard on his communicator ear piece from inside his truck driving down the highway towards Medellin.


    Well, this can¡¯t be good. ¡°Go ahead, Rev.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t believe what got dropped. Our Rocha friends and the boys we got for hire just might be fucked without us. Might I suggest a change in plans?¡±

 Back in the Saddle, Part 2

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al¡¯s new office space at Hexa¡¯s main office building was far removed from his at-home office concerning the level of organization. There were no decorations or photos hung on the walls left barren, and the desk surface was mostly open, save for a few cleanly stacked folders as evidence he had never departed from his traditional ways of using physical media. As he placed a clipboard in his lap, he scooted his chair up to the multiple monitor setup nearest to him, pen in hand.


    From the main monitor display, several feeds were showing various surveillance points across Earth. One was from an orbital drop/reception station, one was from Singapore, and one was from Cuba, and every region had one of their directing officers representing and showing in a small window in the corner of the screen. Vincent Vrey was on the final screen at the bottom. ¡°Very well,¡± Al started, ¡°please confirm the scheduled ammunition drop over RZ-3B,¡± he requested in a stern tone.


    ¡°We just dropped the last L-Tracker set and will follow up with rifle and launcher round cases twice, once at 15 hours local time for the boys on the ground, and one more set twelve hours from then,¡± the officer on the orbital drop/reception station answered.


    ¡°And the enlistment report?¡± Al added.


    ¡°Four twelve-twelve packages are signed up and will be sent out five AM Sunday morning. Expecting our boys to hold the fort until then, and they should be able to, based on all data provided over the past few days,¡± the Singapore officer responded. ¡°That puts the Usme District receiving the first two and the Teusaquillo District for the other half. Each and every applicant has already been thoroughly debriefed and will be awaiting final prep sequences.¡±


    The Cuba officer then added in: ¡°We are done gathering pilots and mechanics for our next of two six-eighteen packages but will take some time getting our materials together. We are scheduled for shipping out Tuesday four AM local time and will be dropping behind La Candelaria for the Santa Fe delivery.¡±


    Vincent could be seen with a relieved look on his face. ¡°I think our recovery will go quite well. I see the grand error on my part having ever sent the forces unprepared and without necessary numbers.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not OK to say so just yet,¡± Al replied with no change in his sternness. ¡°We need to see how that ¡®Colombian Dozen¡¯ does. As you know, they were the ones who stopped that full-on A-7 assault with no proper training.¡± He then looked back to the top of the screen. ¡°Reception, make sure you keep updates on the communication with pickup team Alpha from Sao Paolo. I see their dispatch notification so they will be waiting at the border for changing hands.¡±


    ¡°Will do, sir,¡± the officer replied.


    ¡°Mr. Knight, are you still not planning to speak with your daughter?¡±


    ¡°She has a name,¡± Al replied, now with an irritated voice. ¡°And no, she said she intends to come home and that¡¯s exactly what I am making sure goes through and I have zero intentions of not seeing this all the way to the end. We will use the Axiom live test results for someone else afterwards; do as you please with it.¡±


    ¡°But you saw how smoothly she guided the local LTAC pilots via L-Tracker and she never even had any prior experience with direct hands-on sensor interpretations.¡±


    Yep, there it is. There you go with wanting to make Sam your next Lance, Al reacted internally as his impatience grew, pausing for a moment to collect a response. ¡°Don¡¯t even start, Vrey. You almost got her killed. She is coming home, and that¡¯s it. And now, if you don¡¯t mind, I need to finish getting these updates together.¡± He then reset his mood, looked back up at the monitor and continued. ¡°Encryption changes and security reports¡­ Get these all reset after every communication sent. With each breach, notify not only me and the Galeano rep, but the Axiom comm link as well. I need her to have an eye on everything just as much. Any slightest clue where the constant breaches and hacking attempts are coming from you let me know that instant.¡±


    ¡°On that, sir,¡± the Singapore officer spoke up. ¡°We have confirmed the largest frequency of breaches originating from a certain location I will send you. This update came as of a minute ago. Check these coordinates.¡±


    Al then looked up to another display where he opened the satellite imagery of the Bogota area, seeing red dots appear over clusters in the mountains surrounding La Candelaria and on the opposite side near Bosa. ¡°They don¡¯t even operate in the city. That means it¡¯s not the opposing mobster family the Galeano¡¯s keep mentioning. Definitely foreign activity, which they hinted at. This means they¡¯ve long responded to our incoming numbers.¡± He then looked back to the main monitor and continued: ¡°Send update orders 1B to the lead Ap50 pilot and a backup to the Axiom. We will let them prepare as they see best fit.¡±


    ¡°Should we re-emphasize putting the pilot Renzo Navarre in charge of maneuvers, sir?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Keep the adjustments in the hands of the most knowledgeable.¡±


    Vincent let out a troubled sigh amidst the conversation as he kept his mic on mute. ¡°I trust your judgment, Knight, yet at the same time I hope you realize you are ending us as a corporation if this falls through, trusting the locals too much all just to get your daughter home, who I still think we really need to continue utilizing if our drops are to remain successful.¡±


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bogota, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    Sam seated herself into the Axiom¡¯s cramped cockpit which had even less room to move compared to her Ai20 from the other day. The padding was thicker and unlike the Ai20, the arm and leg cutouts had individual restraints for each limb and moved independently from the seat itself, allowing more impact absorption and control-range freedom. The helmet dropped down from above as she strapped it on, lowering the thin visor as her camera and diagnostics loaded up across her field of vision. She could now see the open door to the pod as she stood her unit upright, taking easy steps down and off of the unloading ramp. She could hear the impact of moving LTAC feet behind her as she continued her pace towards the rally point indicated in front of her. ¡°Renzo Navarre. Don¡¯t forget your appointed position as squad lead. For now, I am only doing what I got assigned to do as we run our adjustment trials.¡±


    [I got you!] he responded over her in-cabin communicator. [All we need to do is make it to the lake like last time. But unlike your boys I am not letting us walk behind no damn cops.]


    Dani saw the last remaining Ap50 move out before she followed suit, unaware of the growing grin on her face. [Feels good to be back! What say you guys!?]


    Sebastian let out a sigh before cutting into the loud ruckus that ensued. [Cut the bullshit! This is what caused the last disaster!] He then looked behind him, seeing the crowd of a dozen LTACs gathered up at the rally point alongside the three anti-air equipped armored carriers. [This will be a quicker shot to La Vaca than it was to Timiza. Let¡¯s not blow it!]


    [Chill, Bas,] Renzo scoffed, looking at the map that was updated with the most recent security breach attempts. Many were happening just to their east, which was the opposite side from their westbound vector. [That abandoned abasto warehouse complex at La Vaca was cleaned and will remain clean. Making a direct jump once we get our final go call.] He then switched the map screen to show the explosives detection notifications. [Sweepers, give us the signal.] He then panned his camera upward, looking at the sky as if searching for something.


    Sam heard a chiming sound notifying her the confirmed connection with ¡°Eye in the Sky¡±. Orbital sweepers¡­ to think what we could have avoided the other day if we had such clearance like we do now. She accepted the connection and then linked it with the Galeano command compound. ¡°Sweeper connected to my main link, all satellite systems running. Looks like we are good to go! All catalyzers warmed up? Boosters pre-charged?¡± she spoke as the armored carriers left the stadium well ahead of the group.


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    [Let¡¯s go, then!] Renzo shouted as the dozen plus one rocketed out of the stadium, headed for the other end of Kennedy, leaving not a trace of visible gas behind as their burners emitted clean, properly catalyzed exhaust.


    Ah, now I remember what my brother used to say, Sam thought as she dug for useful things to say as somewhat of a leader. ¡°Keep close to each other, and stay sharp for wanderers,¡± Sam added, watching her radiator temperature and boost capacity monitors.


    Wait, I¡¯ve heard that line before recently¡­ who was it from? Renzo reacted to her the remark with a raise of his brow as he too watched the view below, starting his controlled descent towards a large, multiple building complex near a lake. Getting some serious de ja vu here.


    Each of the thirteen Hexa-marked LTACs touched down on empty pavement, each turning towards the outside of their perimeter, weapons still inactive. Renzo checked his map once more before shouting out: [Area still clear, load up simulation set A.] He then thumbed over to a load data folder and continued speaking: [I would say let¡¯s thank Vera for lending us a few early perimeter checks, but in the end, they will thank us for the data we are about to provide. They are supposed to be next in line to get these same frame outfits.]  He finished the load sequence and saw the Axiom walk up front.


    Sam took in a deep breath, feeling less and less grappled with tension and more at ease as if she was back at her training days on Jazira Station. Memories of what were many times told to her were flooding in with each breath she continued to take. ¡°Alright! Review!¡± she barked as she looked back at the dozen. ¡°Biggest difference between these and the Bernaud-based Gamma frames you ran¡­ heavier armor, longer boost recharge times. But that doesn¡¯t mean slower. Use short but full-strength boosts when engaging directly with any enemy LTACs. Always focus on getting in the first shot. Your armor will absorb whatever they pull off at a bad angle, and if they were using heavies, they didn¡¯t nor couldn¡¯t have time to shoot first. Drill that in your head. You have to shoot first. All or nothing with how these frames are built and the power of these hybridized rifle rounds. This is what this simulation set A is for.¡±


    [What about B? I see it here, is that next?] Renzo asked.


    ¡°B is for when you can¡¯t. That¡¯s for cover fire and retreat. Will get to that after this.¡± She then looked back at the rows of abandoned warehouses and rolled up to one before signaling their start. ¡°Spread out two each row as marked. Triggers are set to fire simulated digital rounds. Single fire only; exercise your trigger pull. In real life, these hybridized rounds will tear through concrete like nothing. Must learn to keep collateral to a minimum.¡±


    [That¡¯s a bold expectation to set,] Sebastian commented flatly as he rolled off down his set path. ¡°These guys, they hold our people and the buildings as¡­ hostages. What do we do with these guns that would tear up things so easily?¡±


    Sam wasn¡¯t fazed by the rebuttal. ¡°You hit the damned target when you pull the trigger. That¡¯s what we are practicing right now. First shot accuracy, aiming for the lower frame. Nothing else!¡± She stepped back and watched the simulation overhead from her switched out map view while changing her comms to keep open the line with the Eye in the Sky channel. ¡°Sweeper, what¡¯s the hit count on security breaches over the past minute?¡±


    A female tech¡¯s voice came through with some interference: ¡°You have increased activity to your immediate north by about point five kay em. Thirty seconds and counting to a possible source. Stand by.¡±


    Sam continued to watch the turning-in and firing practice, seeing some engagements going fairly well, and in some cases, going flawlessly.


    From a building-top in the bordering district of Fontib¨®n, Revenant held up his viewfinder, using the balcony from where he stood to keep a steady hold. The wind was blowing steadily but was deafened out by distant noise behind them. Smoke was rising from near a government office building where crowds were clashing, allowing the two to keep a minimal profile. He continued holding zoom, keeping the magnification up enough to get a clearer view of the warehouse complex where Sam¡¯s group was training. A yellow label kept fading in and out from is superimposed position on the Axiom. ¡°Req'', cut it. No good at this rate¡­ their encryption has been changing wildly since they brought in a Sweeper satellite.¡±


    ¡°Damn, no juicy news this time?¡± Requiem, who was sitting behind him by communications equipment, asked as he flipped three switches. ¡°Jammers up full. If we can¡¯t hear them, no one will.¡±


    ¡°We will just have to catch up with Reap the hard way, eh?¡± The two then started packing their equipment. ¡°I hate to leave all that jamming equipment behind in the mountains, but oh well. Let¡¯s roll while the noise is still turned up over there. Should¡¯ve stuck to these back-end towns sooner.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Revenant said as he shouldered one of the bags. ¡°Not like we are admitting any defeat here. We are just letting that Galeano bunch do their own damn thing. Seems like they¡¯re not worried about their Fontib¨®n compadres over behind us getting their asses handed to ¡®em¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you know, I still don¡¯t get the politics here. Forget it,¡± he said as he grabbed one end of the larger case.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go catch back up with Reap¡¯ and Cable.¡±


    ¡°Vamos¡­ a Medell¨ªn!¡± Requiem spoke in his best but yet awkward attempt at Spanish.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been in this country too damn long.¡±


    ¡°Nah, man, everyone in the NAU has to take eight years of it.¡±


    Revenant rolled his eyes as they walked their cargo up to the heli pad where they could now hear the approaching helicopter. ¡°Yeah yeah. I¡¯d rather hear that lame old Boston accent of yours than that.¡±


    Sam flicked the channel switch button back and forth several times but drew blanks on the updated data logging from Eye in the Sky. ¡°Damn it, jammers must be up somewhere. I lost everything.¡± She shrugged it off, attempting to stay calm. ¡°No time to worry. Keep up the practice!¡± She then looked back at her main map. ¡°Alright! Rotate next set! Spare your recharge coils!¡±


    [Hey, Cruella,] Renzo called out from his backed-off position as he had rotated out. [What happened to that satellite station they brought over us? Did they drop us?]


    [Old-school jamming, bro,] another male voice spoke back. [This is that shit they used all last war, remember? Nothing in, nothing out, unless its military grade.]


    ¡°Enough! Let them work around it!¡± Sam barked back. ¡°Until then, rest your recharge coils. Get ready for simulation set B in five!¡± She then found an empty alley and pre-warmed her boosters. ¡°Renzo, up front! You call this next one!¡±


    [Wait,] he responded with a following of a few seconds of silence. He sensed something wrong after realizing the jammers being up meant more than their loss of communication. [This isn¡¯t good. If they are jamming us with old Confederate equipment, that means not even our people are getting any kind of reception!] He then opened up a channel with the main compound. [HQ, any connection?] he shouted to no avail.


    Sam wasn¡¯t able to comprehend their level of concern. ¡°Can you explain the hold up? I mean¡­ how did you all survive the previous war with those up!?¡±


    ¡°Samantha, you don¡¯t know much about history, huh,¡± Sebastian intervened. ¡°When the Confederacy was taken down, every country went back to the old technology they had before the war since we don¡¯t need local jamming cancel technology. That jam cancel tech, it¡¯s gone. Without it, no one even gets TV anymore. No mobile calls. Nothing. This is about to be hell.¡±


    It finally hit Sam what had everyone froze up. ¡°You got to be shitting me. They are going to these lengths¡­ for real!?¡± She then flipped her map back to flip through each data stream to find every channel except her squad¡¯s local data stream was empty. ¡°We¡¯ve been cut off from everyone outside of LOS (line of sight by laser transmission) comms.¡±


    [Calling for a retreat back to our compound! We are nothing but dead meat attracting vultures just sitting here!] Renzo shouted, shaking his head. [Weapons live! We will sort this out once we ensure our own safety first.]


    ¡°But wait! We can¡¯t just move out like-¡±


    ¡°-Samantha, quiet!¡± Sebastian spoke up as he armed his live munitions. ¡°He knows more than you will ever know about how to move in this city. We move back now!¡±


    ¡°Then hold on one second, dammit!¡± she angrily shouted back. ¡°You can¡¯t just move out like that! I remember protocol in these cases that you wouldn¡¯t! Everyone, you can find the switch from-¡± she was cut off by the sudden departure of all but one LTAC, all following Renzo on their leap out of the complex back towards Eastern Kennedy. ¡°What the actual fuck is wrong with everyone here?!¡± she continued in frustration, refusing to follow. She then noticed the lone remaining Ap50 looking back at her. ¡°¡­What?!¡±


    ¡°Are you not coming? We are much bigger targets, now, and I won¡¯t have room for you in this cabin like last time, you know,¡± Sebastian asked in a much calmer voice in comparison.


    ¡°Dammit, Sebastian, I was trying to say our frames are all LACOM data and LADAR tracking equipped¡­ I mean, it¡¯s all laser technology. We never thought we would need it with the war long gone, but one of our biggest donors insisted on it. If we use it, we can resume connection with Sweeper. Look,¡± she said, looking to the sky. ¡°It¡¯s a clear sunny day. LACOM data has great streaming conditions.¡± She switched her system transmission and reception settings from all-band to LACOM and stood by quietly for a moment, leaving Sebastian in uneasy silence. Sam then jumped at the sound of various update notifications, all beeping in at once. ¡°There! See?!¡± she said with a hint of excitement before her eyes were widened by a sight that swept panic across her face. ¡°Oh, shit!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± he screamed back, joining her in panic.


    ¡°Sweeper was trying to show us we got multiple incoming NOx trails surrounding the compound! As many as twenty!¡±


    ¡°We must go! Now!¡± he persisted.


    ¡°Activate all your LACOM systems! Use voice activation if you have to!¡± She then turned to the East along side him, activating her live rounds before jump-boosting off. ¡°Sebastian, we need to get the rest of the team to get their LACOM up, too!¡±


    ¡°Well?! What do we say to turn it on!?¡± he fussed back. ¡°You know we don¡¯t have this technology normally!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡¯LACOM system on¡¯.¡±

 Lights Out

    Renzo and the ten that followed eased their LTACs down just beyond sight of the compound that was now ablaze. [Must be more than a dozen of them!] he shouted with a hint of exasperation. [Not sure how the fuck they pulled this off with dead communications!]


    [Any ID¡¯s on tanks or any heavy armor?!] he heard Dani call out over the line of sight communication channel. [What are we looking at while we have cover!?]


    [We have to wait- hold defensive positions here!] Renzo barked, taking steps towards the large bank across the way from the empty abandoned commercial lot where they landed. [Gather up in groups, keep barrels aimed down street! We will adjust based on what they send us!]


    [But the base! It¡¯s just two blocks away we can take it back!] another yelled out in frustration.


    [They know we are here!] Renzo cut him off sternly. [They already moved on us most likely so get that damned barrel pointed down street and shut up!]


    Renzo adjusted his in-rifle camera to the right corner of his visor display, using small thumb motions to guide the barrel aim just beyond the edge of the building across the intersection. Those are crowded apartments right there. And you are telling me these rounds cut through buildings? ¡®Fucking kidding me¡­ Car traffic was nonexistent by this time, most already cleared out proceeding the smoke and noise. He felt the eerie silence beyond the distant sounds of civilian retreat heavy on his body as his grip started to tremble. A sudden blast hitting the center of the intersection from an incoming grenade round startled everyone, causing a few to instinctively throw their shielded left arm up and swing their barrel off to the side. Two more followed suit, hitting the same vicinity. [Keep it steady! Point-men keep the shield up! Wings, barrels up!] he continued, trying to keep focus. As the next ten seconds were filled with similar heavy silence, a highly unfamiliar ¡°TAH-TAH-TAH¡­ TAH-TAH-TAH¡± caused him to jerk back more than the previous blasts did, even more unsure of where the quick, intense orange flashes came from. The sharp, eardrum piercing ring echoed through the streets as he found himself having taken a few steps back, completely off aim. He quickly readjusted his position and waited for something to come through the intersection.


    Damn it, Sebastian, you were supposed to fire once and hit the lower frame, not the upper! Sam thought as she watched the struck LTAC frame drop limp to the ground.


    Sebastian¡¯s Ap50 used its roller feet to quickly but carefully approach the same intersection, assault rifle up with Sam¡¯s Axiom right behind. ¡°I think they don¡¯t know we¡¯re here,¡± Sebastian spoke as he eased toward his right just before reaching the edge of the last building at the intersection. He then looked back at the carcasses of the two enemy LTACs sprawled mid-street before looking once more at the smoldering remains of a car abandoned mid-intersection. ¡°But this means they are close. Samantha? Flare, please.¡±


    Please, let it be them, she thought as flashbacks of the last encounter reared their ugly heads. Heartrate increased intensely as she nervously toggled through her controls. From between her shoulder and head unit a bright green flare shot out and landed near the wreckage, keeping an angle low enough to not be seen from beyond their surrounding buildings. Seconds later, a similar green flare fell just a few meters away.


    ¡°That¡¯s them!¡¯ Sebastian spoke up with immense relief.


    ¡°Go ahead and approach! I got the street ahead locked down!¡± Sam responded, keeping her active LADAR tracking up with her heavy round launcher now aimed up. She then felt how vulnerable she left herself, unable to check behind her. She edged toward the nearest building wall hoping it would limit her visibility.


    Sebastian double checked his L-Tracker to see no NOx activity as he eased his way around the corner, rifle at ease.


    [It¡¯s Bas!] one of the pilots rejoiced.


    [Thought you ditched us!] Renzo joined in, seeing his unit link up through LOS comms. All the other units too had eased up.


    [Listen, we have to move quick!] Sebastian cut the celebration with a stiff response. [These rifles don¡¯t shoot like you¡¯d expect. Do exactly as training went because these will really mess up the town. Samantha is leading the next punch, Renzo you take over from there!]


    They then saw the Axiom proceeding through the intersection without turning. ¡°Sebastian! Tell them to turn their LACOM on!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± As the dozen filed in behind Sam, Sebastian continued over the LOS comms channel: [While you have a second bought, activate LACOM systems. It seems we have a laser data link with the satellite above us. It will put all your communication systems back on and allow you to utilize all weapons tracking!]


    Sam watched the cloud formations on her L-Tracker approaching the next major intersection. She kept her steady pace forward, hugging the left wall of buildings without getting too close as to hit the street lights and trees, carefully placing multiple rocket trajectory calculations that would land just beyond the center of the street to the left of that next intersection. She then loaded up a smoke round into her launcher, aimed it upward, dialed back launch magnitude, then launched it right into the center of the intersection. ¡°If you are going to make your charge, Renzo, wait until I get them blinded! This should buy us time to get a plan together!¡±


    [We are in line, following! Nice we have no radio to be intercepted this time!]


    I HAVE to be the first to shoot, just like in the simulations. I can do this! Sam then switched back to her grenade launcher rounds, rotated her torso to her left, and placed her foot just over the jumper pedal. ¡°Now!¡± she shouted, jumping head-first into the smoke, releasing a steady stream of her two-dozen rocket charges from her shoulder units, firing the last one just before touching down on the other side of the street, keeping her aim ahead of her with the team to her back.


    Sebastian, who was just behind Renzo, saw his signal as the three formed lines charged left, middle, and right of the widened streetway, rifles up as they made their way out of the smoke cloud to find more smoke, smoldering cars, and target acquisition boxes light up their visuals like Christmas. He planted his feet, allowed the firing solution to take the split second needed to center on the farthest unit as he double tapped his trigger, emitting the same ear-splitting shrieks as heard moments ago. The volley was soon joined by dozens more as each acquisition indicator turned gray one by one over the course of a few seconds. He then instinctively followed Renzo¡¯s careful pace forward, clearing the smoke from Sam¡¯s rockets to find the few remaining enemy frames had turned to retreat before taking crippling rounds to the back. Each of the dozen-plus downed LTACs had no retreating pilots nearby, sending a chill down his spine as he fully realized the lethality of their weapons he had not been adjusted to.


    [Holy shit!] a pilot¡¯s voice howled over the still ringing echoes.


    [What in the hell kind of rounds are these?!] another added in shock.


    [Renzo!] Dani called out from the back of the pack, immediately after. [That¡¯s only fourteen down! There¡¯s got to be to be more of them at the compound!]


    [Of course!] Renzo answered, [You two! Keep an eye out for tanks behind us! Knight, help Dani and Rodrigo hold the back! Me and Bas will lead two packs to pinch off the compound from both entry points!]


    ¡°But that¡¯s overkill!¡± Sam quickly rebutted, thinking how by this point they¡¯ve essentially killed every opposition pilot encountered, which strongly went against her training protocol. ¡°Besides, we just bought you all plenty of planning time! In the meantime, I need to keep distance by a block to prevent anyone jumping in on you all!¡±


    [What¡¯s overkill are these rifle rounds! Don¡¯t let yourself get circled up and fucked up! Now, file in, damn it! That¡¯s an order!]


    ¡°You¡­¡± Sam bit down, shaking her raging desire to fight back. This motherfucker, she thought to herself as she doubled back. Really just does what he wants without thinking of everyone else! Ditching no plan, now bust in no plan!? Why did Dad make him the leader?! As she turned the corner at the same intersection, she saw the smoke mostly subsiding, revealing a path littered with a mix of brown and black LTAC carcasses amongst a sea of shattered glass.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Isaiah and Marian were riding on a train, headsets in, window blinds closed. Several couples and families surround them in the nearby seating sections, carrying their own conversations. Isaiah had a cup of coffee in front, opposite from Marian¡¯s cup of milk tea. Isaiah was studying a set of maps on his mobile while Marian read through a technical manual on hers. She then reached over to change her song playing in the background of her headset before she saw a message notification. She picked up a pair of glasses, put them on, and saw a message display in front of her view which would not be readable by anyone on the opposite side of the lens: ¡°Party is getting unruly. Requesting quiet time.¡± She then took her focus off of the message to look over to Isaiah, motioning him with her hand. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s him. He wants us to keep it down.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hear anything. Go ahead,¡± he stoically replied without looking up, appearing to be speaking in code along with Marian.


    She then swiped her mobile screen to text input, seeing her response show up on the same lens, reading: ¡°We like the silence as well.¡± She tapped him on the hand a few times, then went back about her business.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam heard her team¡¯s rifle shots ring out in succession once more a block away. She heard return fire volleying back but was quickly silenced seconds later. As she approached one of the brown painted LTAC frames downed a minute earlier, she saw the cockpit had been ripped open and left that way, no sign of life nearby. We really need to figure out where the hell these things are coming from while we have a chance, she thought to herself, electing to use the down time effectively in more ways than one. She parked the Axiom next to it, noting that Dani and her wingman had already moved on, then proceeded to open her doors, slinging her PDW she took out from under her seat. She took her helmet off and set her headset to LOS with the Axiom and began to climb down the ladder that extended to the ground. [Left, clear!] she heard over the radio as she dropped to the pavement, extended the stock to her PDW, shouldered it, and approached the downed LTAC slowly.


    [Right, clear!] the radio continued.


    She checked her surroundings before walking up to the ripped-open cockpit of the sideways lying frame facing towards her, noting the smell of blood and burning electronics. This was the first time smelling such a thing, feeling a sense of queasiness from the shock slowly rising.


    [Check for survivors!] [Keep an eye out for any reinforcements!]


    Oh, shit¡­ she reacted in further shock, seeing the mutilated body of the pilot slumped over the side of the cockpit, strung in by the still-attached harnesses. She felt herself choke up, halfway passing out as she put a hand against frame, trying to catch her breath. But upon hearing more radio chatter, something re-instilled focus in her, knowing she had a job to do and had no time to lose. Holding her breath, she looked under the seat for anything but found it inaccessible due to the body parts and blood in the way. She looked away immediately, trying not to vomit.


    [Keep shields up! We got no way of detecting open explosives!]


    She then caught sight of the LTAC¡¯s grenade launcher out of the corner of her eye and walked towards it, waving away smoke rising from the smoldering, gaping holes just past the cockpit. ¡°Wow, these aren¡¯t Bernaud, nor are they Hexa,¡± she said to herself, dropping her slung PDW to free her hands up as she started to remove the main magazine.


    [Renzo, we need to check the other compounds!]


    Explosions could then be heard much farther in the distance. She released the magazine lock, dragged it away, and removed one of the rounds. It looked about fifty centimeters long and had obvious heft to it seeing the way she handled it, easing it to the ground as to look at it from the back of the round. ¡°Not even sure what language this is. I need to bring this back.¡± She grabbed her PDW with her right hand, shouldered it one-handed, then grabbed the round and held it close with her left.


    [You hear that activity? That came from downtown!] [Renzo, what-¡­]


    Sam continued forward towards the Axiom, curious as to why her radio fell silent. After she made her way back up the ladder, she slid the round under her seat alongside her PDW and fell back into seating position. She closed the doors and refitted her helmet only to see nothing from her radar or on her map. ¡°Renzo, this is Sam, do you copy?¡± She turned towards the direction of the compound, making a careful approach, launcher aimed forward. ¡°Renzo? Sebastian?¡± she continued. She paused, taking her helmet off once more, and removed her headset to find the activity indicator was turned off. She fought it a few seconds to get it to come back on. ¡°Shit,¡± she said in realization of something. She took another look at the satellite connection screen to see it was still severed. ¡°EMP¡­ This is not good.¡±


    The sounds of cars colliding and other electronic equipment failures in the distance started to fill the void left behind by the disabled communication equipment.  She turned to see every street light was out and not a single building¡¯s display was lit. ¡°Those bastards really did it. I heard stories about the old world war from the 2030¡¯s, but never thought I¡¯d be one to relive this kind of scene.¡± She then turned back for the compound¡¯s general direction. ¡°I need to get back to the others before more shit hits the fan.¡±


    The Axiom approached the compound which was still engulfed in flames but was this time surrounded by the blue urban camouflaged group she was relieved to see all together and in one piece. She quickly spoke up upon confirming her LOS link. ¡°EMP nuked the whole town. Did you all find out anything?¡±


    [Hey, what took you so long?] she heard Renzo¡¯s voice over her radio.


    Sam waited for the in-ear translation for a few seconds before remembering her communicator pieces were fried. She then let out a flustered sigh. She continued forward, finding Sebastian¡¯s ¡°02¡± marked Ap50 and opened her upper cockpit door. She waved the round as she tried once more to communicate: ¡°Sebastian. Tell them I had to gather samples from one of the downed LTACs. Need to find out where they came from, so I brought back something.¡±


    Sebastian nodded as he spoke over the main channel: [She¡­ said something took out our power. And if we found something.]


    [Tell her ¡®no shit¡¯. What else did she say? What was she holding?]


    [She said she picked up some part from a downed enemy frame. She thinks she might know where they came from.]


    [Let me see it,] Renzo replied as he approached the Axiom, parked his Ap50, and climbed down to the rutted field below. Sam and Sebastian both got out as well to meet him halfway. She carefully handed Renzo the grenade round she took. [Ha! Damn, Cruella, you are a crazy bitch carrying this thing around,] he joked holding the casing up to reveal the Asian phonetics stamped into its underside. [This shit¡¯s from somewhere like China or something,] he scoffed, carefully handing it to Sebastian as he continued: [What frame did this come from?]


    Sam reverted to her old habits again, looking straight to Sebastian for a translation. ¡°Is he asking where I found it?¡±


    ¡°What frame did you take it from?¡± he answered, studying the case himself. ¡°This is not the same kind we use in our old ones.¡±


    ¡°I got it from one of the newer Kappa frames. Bernaud, that is.¡± She saw the two were still studying the case and continued: ¡°Those are usually sourced from Eastern Europe. Romania has had a large supply chain underground as of late. Not sure why it¡¯s got an Asian grenade round in it.¡±


    [It¡¯s the kind we see a lot lately,] Sebastian told Renzo. [The only thing she says is strange is this case.] He then turned to Sam to ask: ¡°What kind of gun did you take this from? Was it like my one from my old Caballero?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the other strange thing. It¡¯s the same launcher used on our old prototype AiX. Hexa only made a few dozen. You guys were right. We are facing a major foreign threat.¡± She then faced the compound, hearing fire engines finally en route. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain where this ambush came from. Did you clear all of them out?¡±


    Sebastian eased the round down to the ground before responding. ¡°The enemy we began to chase down¡­ just¡­ suddenly dropped like the machines had simply died. I¡¯ve heard a lot about EMP before, is that really true? Is our whole city¡­ no electricity? No power?¡±


    Sam nodded with another sigh. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long time before that¡¯s restored. Infinity does provide disaster relief, and this should easily fall under that.¡± She turned to see Sebastian telling Renzo what she had just said.


    ¡°[Oh, hell no!] Renzo scoffed. [First, Hexa drops in duds. Leaves us her to be rescued. Next, yeah they send us good presents, but! But, at the cost of this!] he shouted, pointing to the fire. [We are only so lucky the place has a bomb shelter built in!]


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but return a confused shoulder shrug. She turned to Sebastian who was looking troubled.


    [I think we first have to be thankful to be alive,] he spoke back with an expression making it clear he had no intent to argue. ¡°Samantha,¡± he said to her as he faced her, ¡°How fast will Infinity respond to this?¡±


    ¡°We stay at the last known rally point. They can only pinpoint drop any necessary and essential supplies but no personnel. Last time I got training on this, response time was two to three hours.¡±


    [We have to wait here for a few hours. They will drop supplies to us here.]


    [You realize SAU will have their ground troops deployed and spread across the whole city by then, right? This is clearly a foreign terrorist attack after all.]


    [Maybe that is what they wanted?]


    ¡°Guys!¡± Samantha interrupted with a point towards the compound¡¯s main building being extinguished by firefighters. ¡°I think we need to focus on something else if we have to wait?¡± By the time she took notice of her surroundings, she realized Dani along with three others had already walked up to the scene.


    [I left the others to stay on watch!] Dani shouted over the increasingly intense noise from the fire extinguishing foam cannons. [The containment walls are fireproof, right?]


    [Right, but we lost all our shit in the fire most likely,] Renzo replied with a heavier tone. The seven of them couldn¡¯t do much in the meantime other than stare as the shock of the whole string of events set in. [Damn, they really just pulled a fast one on us like that.]


    [I think I got things figured out,] Sebastian commented. [When we were training, jamming went up to block out their approach. When the EMP went off, it prevented us from ever tracing where anything came from¡­ to hide the escape for whoever did this.] He then turned to Sam. ¡°Can we¡­ are we not able to track when the EMP is used on their weapons?¡±


    Sam shook her head. ¡°They used technology that clearly wasn¡¯t EMP shielded, so, no. Everything they have is fried. We won¡¯t know who did it unless we get some proof from the physical remains.¡±


    ¡°No, we know it was Rocha men,¡± he replied with a strong sense of resentment.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t really know anything, yet, right? Let¡¯s at least talk to our guys inside to see what they saw before the attack.¡±


    ¡°OK,¡± he reluctantly agreed. ¡°But this is the last time we take this kind of insult.¡±

 Looking for Better Days

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Amelie hung up her call with Al as she reached for the remote to the TV display on the living room wall. She saw the words on the news ticker read ¡°Active Terrorist Strikes in Colombia¡± across the bottom with the backdrop video being footage from aerial cameras looking over a burning building. She leaned forward anxiously, hoping not to see any news about Sam.


    ¡°-before the first reported attack,¡± the female announcer said to her co-host as the feed had started. ¡°So what you see here is the only remaining footage we have of what seemed to be the focus of their attack, yet we can¡¯t make any connections as to why the EMP bomb would be set off. We will await further reply from the SAU who has notified Colombia officials that they would send immediate military response to Bogota along with their disaster relief team.¡±


    ¡°So when you say EMP,¡± the male co-host spoke up as images brought up a technical page on the weapon¡¯s effects, ¡°this means the affected area is without anything giving off or using electronic signals. This in the end means that potentially the entire city is without essential services such as water, sewage, food, cooling, everything. The only services I believe that would still be available would-be emergency response services using vehicles from the previous war-time era that had proper shielding installed.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t even get in touch with our team on site,¡± she added. ¡°We will now connect with our members present in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo who are listening in on the briefing the SAU Secretary of Defense is giving as we speak.¡±


    The screen then changed to a set of decorated officers standing at a podium surrounded by media. ¡°We will find out those responsible as this affects millions of lives immensely. We have already sent out medivac airships to transport as many medical patients as we can, and afterwards we will use what we can to bring in water and food as needed until the infrastructure repair is finished,¡± the Secretary of Defense answered to a question he had been asked.


    Another reporter stood to ask another question. ¡°What of the terrorists themselves? Has anyone been identified or anyone speculated to have any involvement?¡±


    ¡°We are working actively to find any traces of evidence leading to the ones responsible. But you have to understand that working with EMP devices makes things very difficult as it destroys most evidence we could use, leaving almost no detectable traces behind.¡±


    ¡°What about any motives?¡± another asked.


    ¡°Again, we do not have any information on who or why at this time. We are working as fast as we can to get such answers.¡±


    ¡°Would this have to do with the protesting or any campaign to shut down protests, perhaps?¡± a third reporter asked from in back.


    ¡°Could you clarify, please?¡± the Secretary of Defense replied after some hesitation.


    ¡°The protests,¡± he continued, ¡°they had been plaguing the city for the past while. Is there any chance that this act was to draw maximum attention to their situation? Or is it possible that an outside interest had reasons to bring a forceful halt to it all?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but again, we cannot provide such speculation at this time.¡±


    The screen changed over to multiple views of the raging protests across the capital area over the last week as the previous reporter joined back in. ¡°These are the demonstrations in question, all demanding the return of fair ruling and enforcing of accountability within the branches of their national government. Most expected policies to return to the Confederacy days, even hinting that the Confederacy ever having been dissolved was the greatest crime against those in poverty. Elections for the senate seats and the governor weren¡¯t set to begin until December this year, although this may be in anticipation of revolutionary changes at the polls.¡± He then took a moment to allow the screens to change to various scenes of LTAC involvement in the riots. ¡°Paramilitary response to the demonstrations had been ramped up since, seeing use of modern lightweight mech technology more commonly known as LTAC warfare as means to suppress the crowds and the potential damage done. Replacing policemen, these machines were using tear gas and other non-lethal methods to disperse crowds before resistance upped their own forces, resorting to rocket fire, small arms fire, arson, and lately, much deadlier force.¡±


    ¡°Which is the sad reality for the many living there,¡± the co-host joined back in. ¡°Each time the resistance fought back harder the paramilitaries fought back with even more force to contain. By the time international interest Hexa International¡¯s security provider Infinity had gotten involved, which came at the heels of an MBI assault on the city, tanks and LTACs had already found ways into the city limits amongst other contraband weaponry. I can¡¯t see why the SAU didn¡¯t respond sooner to the threats, although it might be a jurisdiction issue. But at this rate, with the most recent activity, we can only hope-¡±


    Amelie turned off the TV as she switched the screen back to the call function, redialing Al. When he picked up, she started back immediately with noted concern: ¡°Did she not have her equipment shielded? Why haven¡¯t we heard back from her?¡±


    ¡°First, I was surprised we had clearance to use a military grade LACOM equipped satellite over their space. But anyway, I learned that when Hexa was donated the LACOM technology they were not properly shielded as to cut costs. Such instrumentation needs military level spending to shield such complicated equipment. So, no, we don¡¯t have a way to communicate until she is safely out of the perimeter of effect from the EMP and the jamming.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I realized someone was smart enough to use EMP shielded jamming tech. Something I would only expect to hear from old Union occupying forces.¡±


    ¡°We have been on that. We seem to have some incredibly well-equipped foreign interests involved. We know this as the last feeds we had from Sam and her crew were showing them up against more than twenty LTACs on ground. Before they got cut off from the grid, they did destroy or disable every LTAC upon contact, so we shouldn¡¯t be worried about whether or not she made it out of engagement alive. I have already arrangements to speak with the SAU about getting her an escort to deliver her safely to Sao Paolo Spaceport since this time they will show up on site for us. Same plan, almost, just with these wrinkles making it take more time than it should have.¡±


    ¡°Sam has been strong, holding out after all this time. I guess we just need to have faith that she will continue to be as strong.¡±


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bogota, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    Smoke and steam filled the air surrounding the remains of the compound as firefighters slowly made their way out, carrying dozens of body bags along with other recovered materials. Sam had been sitting, watching from inside the Axiom with both cockpit doors open. Heavy thoughts had been flying through her head after seeing what she had, thinking to herself: They really just lost everything and everyone, just like that. To think they had incendiary shelled the place¡­ How am I supposed to even talk to them? This is the kind of stuff I have zero training for. She then rested her face in her open hands, letting out a long breath. Images of the rifle-round-wrought dead body she saw earlier began to crop up as well, causing her to shiver. So much today I wasn¡¯t ready for.


    ¡°Why are you hiding?¡± she heard a familiar female¡¯s voice from just below.


    Sam popped her head out to see it was Dani who, while wearing a long face, was attempting to cover it with a smile.


    ¡°Come down. Join us. You fought with us. Right?¡±


    Sam slowly climbed down, having not expected any welcoming gestures after reading all of the heavy body language from everyone earlier. ¡°Sorry, I¡­ don¡¯t think I have a place here at the moment. Everyone lost a lot.¡±


    ¡°We need to be together¡­ in times like this. Come, walk with me,¡± she said with a continued fight against her emotions. They made their way towards the front gate where some of the men including Sebastian and Renzo were sitting, all facing the compound¡¯s remains. ¡°We stayed many many years living away from home in a place like this. There used to be three of this place. This was the last one. Now we feel it is like we will lose all of the city.¡±


    Sam awkwardly placed a hand on her shoulder, still unsure how to comfort someone during a time of loss. ¡°Did you have any family there?¡±


    ¡°My real family? Nobody here has family. Just people we know for a long time. They didn¡¯t do anything wrong. We are the ones who do the fighting, and they all inside, they died.¡± She saw Sam about to attempt to say something out of guilt and stopped her. ¡°No, I have seen this a lot my life. This is part of how we live. I want you to see, I understand you now. I wanted to talk to you about that. I see why you want to go home. This is why you need to go home, so you don¡¯t have to live like us.¡±


    Sam could feel the real, actual guilt take over. ¡°Dani, I really am sorry. And I realize I have been selfish to say things the way I said them when I could have been more considerate. I really did want to help, though. I really did.¡±


    ¡°You helped us fight back. Everything your company gave us, it gave us a reason to keep fighting. We aren¡¯t done yet. But I want you to see this,¡± she continued as she took Sam¡¯s hand that was on her shoulder. ¡°All of this. Please don¡¯t live like us.¡±


    [Bas, hold up!] The two heard, startling both of them as they turned to see Renzo walking after Sebastian. [That won¡¯t do you or us any favors! You said it yourself, we wait here until the supplies arrive!]


    Sam watched as he passed her with a sense of fierce determination that gave her a scare. ¡°Sebastian? What¡¯s going on?¡± He continued by without paying her a hint of attention. ¡°Sebastian, wait! What happened?! Where are you going?!¡±


    Renzo bumped past her, hitting her shoulder with his own as he sped up to catch up. [Hey, don¡¯t ignore me damn it! You do this now? Then you do this shit on your own from now on! You hear me!?]


    Sebastian continued without slowing down, heading straight for his parked LTAC. He felt himself dragged down suddenly from behind, tumbling down before having a chance to realize it was Renzo tumbling down with him. The two tussled for a few moments while Sam ran up screaming. Sebastian then broke free of Renzo¡¯s grip and threw a punch across his face, causing him to let go. He stood back up and continued his pace.


    Sam had stopped in reaction to seeing Renzo knocked aside before looking back to Sebastian who was now climbing the ladder up to the cockpit. She instinctively ran for the Axiom, knowing she would likely have to chase him that way.


    [Don¡¯t waste your time!] Renzo shouted to Sam in futility, standing up to wipe his busted lip.


    Sam paid no attention as she hurried up and closed her doors, put her helmet on, and activated all mobility systems. ¡°Sebastian, dammit what is going on!?¡± She waited another moment before trying again, only to see his jump-boosters go off as he headed northward on a course that took him at altitudes much higher than Sam had ever seen done before. She had no choice but to follow suit. She could hear one other LTAC take off behind her, but she paid no further attention. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you do something stupid! That¡¯s what your brother was trying to say, right?!¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Sebastian watched his thruster capacity reach beyond halfway as he tried to spot his destination by eye, unable to use his navigation system. He then saw a clearing wedged between several taller buildings. He eased off of the boosters, coasting towards a parking garage that he was unable to land as softly as he wanted to, just having run completely out of boost capacity. The cars next to him shook as a cloud of concrete and other dust kicked up. He then walked up to the ledge, peering down at what looked to be an armored compound below. He ignored the screaming of the fleeing pedestrians below, taking aim with his rifle and let out strings of 10-15 round bursts from it, no longer utilizing the single fire system.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?! Are you insane!?¡± Sam screamed out as she landed just behind him, barely placing herself between two parked trucks. ¡°You can¡¯t just shoot people up- stop it, damn it!¡± she persisted, making her way next to where he was. She looked down to see the bright orange hybridized rounds flashing down, tearing cleanly through the armored walls as dozens fled the building, screaming. She saw many were covered in dust, debris, and some even with blood spattered on them. ¡°Sebastian¡­¡± She was unable to continue, horrified by the scene below. She thought to turn and force him to stop but couldn¡¯t muster the strength.


    Sebastian continued to pour down until the cooling alarm locked his trigger. He was breathing heavily and rapidly, sweat all around his gripped controls. As time passed, he started to tremble.


    [I¡¯m here for you, brother,] she heard Dani over the LOS comms. She looked up to see where she was but got interrupted by a brilliant green blast that hit the part of the main structure most weakened by Sebastian¡¯s assault. She had used a full charge shot from her anti-MBI cannon from where she stood across the other side of the street. [The murderous bastards won¡¯t mess with us ever again.]


    ¡°Dani! Wha- why!? Don¡¯t-¡±


    Dani then fired a parting shot from the underside of the cannon, sending an anti-MBI rocket into the larger, gaping hole, sending a column of fire and smoke upwards as well as right towards them. ¡°They killed our boss. They killed the man that made us who we are.¡±


    Sam heard the triggering phrase, instinctively waited for the debris shower to settle before ripping off her helmet, opening her doors, and climbing down in a fit of rage. She ran over in front of Sebastian¡¯s Ap50, barely leaving her a foot of room between her and the ledge behind her. The smell of burning metal and building material burned her nostrils and the smoke irritated her eyes, but she fought through the sensations, staring down Sebastian as if she could see him through the doors. ¡°Sebastian Navarre! Open your door right now, damn it!¡± she shouted at the top of her lungs. ¡°This is not you! Open up!¡± She then jumped when the door locks disengaged, surprising her that he actually did as she asked.


    He slowly climbed down and made his way toward the ledge just past her, once again startling her as he slung his watch that he had taken off moments ago at the building. [Fuck you all!] he hollered in a cracked voice, then ripped off the bracelet he had on the same wrist and heaved it in a similar fashion, causing him to lose his balance. He let himself fall to his rear end, stopping his fall as he caught the rest of his fall with his hands. He then leaned forward, resting his face in his arms he now propped across one of his knees.


    This can¡¯t be about revenge, she thought to herself, peering back over her shoulders, now able to see through some of the smoke. She turned and peered over the ledge just enough to see below, finding a gruesome scene of dozens of men who weren¡¯t able to escape the blasts in time. Death hadn¡¯t been anything seen in person until today, and the sheer number coming all in one morning was overwhelming. With her gaze still locked below in shock, she felt that she easily could have been a body like one of those below had she not been in the positions she had up until this point. She then remembered Sebastian and his actions, snapped out of it, and turned to him. She walked up, reaching out to grab both of his shoulders, kneeling down face-level with him. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go, we can¡¯t stay here long. There¡¯s no way they don¡¯t come back to get back at you.¡± Sebastian remained without response, still looking at the ground. ¡°Hey,¡± she said with a subtle shake. It hadn¡¯t been too long since she was in his shoes. ¡°We need to hurry, it¡¯s not safe here. Let¡¯s get to a safer place, alright?¡± she continued with a firmer grip. ¡°Hurry up, now, we can figure shit out later.¡±


    He looked up as the words had triggered similar memories. ¡°Go where? Where is there to go, now?¡± he said with a lost look in his eyes.


    ¡°You can follow me¡±, she said with some relief, standing back up. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the drop zone. The old compound grounds are safe with Renzo and your boys still there.¡± She turned for the Axiom, taking a few steps before turning around again. ¡°Or you can stay here, although I¡¯d prefer you come back alive with me instead of given a concrete burial here.¡± Her patience started to sour in similar manners to before as well. ¡°Really?!¡± She started back towards him and stood in front of him once more, about to speak. Her words that were just about to come out were cut abruptly by an explosion set off by a leaking fuel supply below the compound. It set her off to grab onto Sebastian, pushing the two of them to the ground, holding tight until the debris shower settled down, ears ringing intensely. As she started breathing normally again, she pushed herself back up enough to see Sebastian in pain. ¡°Hey! Are you alright?!¡± she shouted, barely able to hear herself over the ring.


    He started to cough but found the strength to roll over on his side, slowly getting up. ¡°OK, maybe we should go now.¡±


    Sam helped him up, assisting him back to the cockpit ladder. ¡°Can you get up by yourself?!¡±


    ¡°I think so!¡± he shouted in return, slowly pulling himself up. By the time he had finally gotten in his seat, he looked back down to see Sam still there, waiting on him. ¡°I am OK, I think.¡±


    She held a thumb up as she backed towards the Axiom, then slowly turned towards it, seeing a group of men approaching her from the opposite side of the parking area. She froze immediately, realizing she hadn¡¯t brought her PDW with her. ¡°Oh, shit¡­ Sebastian?!¡±


    He turned on his loudspeaker as his Ap50 turned to aim its rifle at the advancing group. [Don¡¯t even think about it!] He walked towards them, stepping between the displaced cars as they started to run. ¡°Samantha,¡± he continued, ¡°you are right. We need to go some place safer. Come on.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so now you are ready to go!¡± she said with an eye roll, hurrying back up into the Axiom¡¯s cockpit. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s get back to the drop zone!¡± She locked her harnesses in as she took a few long breaths, thankful to still have a place to return to. The two LTACs then boost-jumped back southward towards the stadium.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam flipped her visor up and opened the cockpit doors to see her surrounded by more Hexa-marked vehicles and the three armored carriers from earlier. As she climbed down, she saw the man dressed in the director¡¯s jacket and vest who she had met that morning, still with his helmet on. Ah, Director Braun, he¡¯s still here¡­ he didn¡¯t bail, she thought along to a sour memory of when Marian had gone AWOL on her team.


    ¡°Ms. Knight! Glad to see you in one piece!¡± he said with a hand-shake and a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Had been worried sick what was going on amidst this radio silence! What happened to the rest of the boys?¡± he continued with noted concern.


    ¡°They are all doing fine last time I checked, still back at the Galeano Compound¡­ or what is left of it.¡± She then turned to see Sebastian approaching them. ¡°He¡¯s the only one that came with me. Needs to recuperate from¡­ a lot.¡±


    ¡°Do we need to send medics their way? What about you two?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. If we need something, we will be sure to ask.¡± She then stepped aside to let Sebastian walk up to meet him.


    ¡°We much appreciate your services, sir,¡± the director said as he extended his hand. A few officers came up from behind them bringing water bottles, helmets, and vests. ¡°Ah, here, take these. You need to wear this while you are here. No telling what could rain down on us until we get new LACOM equipment dropped off. But at this rate there is no telling how long we will be stuck here.¡±


    Sam took the vest and helmet, putting them on quickly, then turned to see Sebastian having a hard time lifting his right shoulder. ¡°Here,¡± she said as she helped pull the vest through and around to his other shoulder, zipping it up for him.


    ¡°Are you sure he won¡¯t need medical attention?¡± the director urged.


    ¡°We will get him checked up on in just a minute.¡± She then took the helmet from the officer as she reached to put it over his head.


    He took the helmet with an awkward smile. ¡°I can put this on, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Well, I take it you had some serious resistance?¡± the director continued from behind them. ¡°We heard the rounds your boys fired. Rang out from every direction it seemed with that echo going.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they took out more than twenty,¡± Sam responded before taking a long gulp from her bottle.


    ¡°Hot damn! That¡¯s what I like to hear! To think it was such a shit show the other day with Director Channing¡¯s drop. It¡¯s almost like that whole damn thing was a setup! Those poor souls, may they rest in peace.¡±


    She turned around and spoke with a serious tone: ¡°Director, please excuse us. A lot of good people died today. Not ours, but, still¡­¡± She then tugged at Sebastian¡¯s left arm, urging him to follow her to the bench by the near spectator seating wall. During their walk, Sam recollected on her first drop operation, comparing the scenery and the atmosphere to what everything had become now. What had once been seemingly smooth and orderly was now busy, bustling, and loud. Nervousness was replaced with soreness and weariness. For Sebastian, the anxiousness was replaced with too much of what he wished he didn¡¯t know to begin with. Finally reaching the bench, they both let out a heavy sigh as they plopped down. Sam spoke up first. ¡°What a real fucking day, huh.¡± She then tightened up a bit, slowly stretching her legs a bit further out. ¡°Shit¡­ forgot how much my whole body hurts. I hope these pills hurry up and get to working.¡±


    He normally would respond to her frequent whining, but he felt more compelled to let her continue, especially as he noticed she had been struck by something near her neck and shoulder. ¡°You¡­ um¡­ I want to thank you for saving me,¡± he said with an earnest voice. He then looked over to her, seeing her roll her eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t start. I didn¡¯t save anyone, and who knows what those goons m-¡± she paused as she felt his hand on the back of her neck. ¡°Ouch!¡± she winced in sudden pain, feeling a sharp burning sensation run up the back of her head.


    ¡°Sorry, but I can see you got hit with something there,¡± he said as he pulled his hand away, fingers tinged with blood. ¡°You get hurt a lot. Second time I see you bleeding,¡± he said with a chuckle.


    She put her hand to where she now felt a lump on the top back of her neck, wincing once more. ¡°Yeah? Well, this one¡¯s your fault. You made us take too long.¡±


    ¡°But it could be worse if you didn¡¯t save me there. That¡¯s why I want to say thank you.¡± He had remembered that when they went falling to the ground immediately after the blast at the Rocha Compound, her neck was pressed against his cheek as debris started falling around them. ¡°Whatever hit you, that was going to hit my eye. I would be half blind.¡±


    She shook her head with an abashed smile. ¡°Are you feeling a bit better, now? Can we talk while we have the safety of being surrounded by friendlier people?


    He sighed as the smile disappeared, taking a moment to think, staring back into space. He took in another long breath, letting out another troubled sigh, attracting Sam¡¯s concerned look. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you much truth¡­ or¡­ facts about my family. Me, Renzo, and Dani, we all ran away. There is no draft. Me, and Renzo, we had crazy dreams of being someone to stop the madness. Dani followed. She didn¡¯t want to be left behind. And Boss? People said Boss was no good man, but he was a good man to us. He became the father we never had. The Rocha¡¯s always wanted him dead. Now they are the winners in this. And somehow, they got to him so easily after so many years no one ever got close.¡±


    ¡°But you still have your family,¡± she said leaning over, looking at him. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to lose a father. But I do know what it¡¯s like to lose a brother.¡± She put her hand on his shoulder again firmly. ¡°You should be with them when you get to feeling better. They are hurting, too, I imagine, and you need each other.¡±


    ¡°Did you rethink what you will do with your life? I think your father needs you. And maybe your mother, too,¡± he redirected, looking her back in the eye.


    She averted her eyes away to the ground in front of them. ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore. Ever since I set foot here, I have just been doing what I can in the present moment. Doing what I can to move on to the next step. I don¡¯t even know where it¡¯s taking me. I assume the SAU is bearing down on us as we speak after what happened today, which means I will get that escort promised one way or the other.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s decided,¡± he said with a forged smile. ¡°It¡¯s the best for you. You can get home, recover, and make the right decision when it¡¯s the right time. I¡¯m glad you made it-¡­ glad we all made it out today.¡± His smile faded as time passed without a hint of reaction from Sam. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t just go home like this,¡± she said to his surprise. ¡°I actually accomplished things for myself for the first time in a long time. I still have things to accomplish. I realize there are millions behind these walls affected by today¡¯s attack. The SAU is coming, but so is Infinity. I can¡¯t just walk away from my responsibility, just like I know you all aren¡¯t.¡± She stood up and turned to him with a smile. ¡°I can at least promise to help clean up. That¡¯s part of my contract, technically, but¡­ this is something I actually want to do.¡± She then put her hand out, helping him stand up. ¡°I will decide more on what I will do with the mess called my life after we see Bogota recover from this. Will you let me hang around for that?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We are still partners for now, anyway, right?¡± he said with a smirk and a point towards the Hexa logo on his shoulder.

 Cleaning Up

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ A Private Aircraft over the Pacific Ocean</li>


    </ul>


    Even up here in the sky, this guy¡­ Marian was still not sure what to think about the contradiction of technology that was still the dominant scene for them as she held a pair of thermoses of tea in hand.  Strewn across an inflight desk were several data slates and yellow legal pads and at the head of the table was Isaiah, hastily scrawling notes upon one of the pads as his eyes scanned over yet another slate.  Placing a thermos in front of him, he drew his gaze up from the slate and met her own gaze.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, placing the pen down on the pad, he grabbed the thermos, unscrewed the top as Marian took a seat across from him, watching as he took a sip from it.  The dark bags under his eyes only serving to highlight the fact that he hadn¡¯t rested since they had left Bogota, instead burying himself in work even before they were wheels up and on their way across the Pacific.


    ¡°You need to get some rest,¡± she found herself saying after he placed down the thermos, before going back to jotting notes on the tablet, his left hand gliding over the tablet and retrieving whatever information he sought. ¡°If there was any time to get even just a bit extra shut-eye, now would obviously be the time to afford such.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll rest when I get this done, Marian,¡± came the rebuttal, his eyes not leaving the slate.


    Frowning, she reached across the desk and placed her hand in front of the pad, stopping him from writing further and drawing his gaze back to her, ¡°You won''t be doing anyone any favors if you collapse in exhaustion.¡±


    What she did not mention is that she knew why he was driving himself so hard, knowing how the detonation of the EMP device in Bogota had been an emergency insurance policy and not part of any of the initial planning for the operations on Colombia.  By choosing to escalate so dramatically in the early stages of the operation had changed the complexion of everything going forward.  But it was also the fact that she knew, in the years working closely with him prior to their reunion in Bogota, Isaiah also felt personally responsible for using it in the very first place and intended to make it worth it.


    He kept her gaze for a few moments, before his shoulders slumped in accepted defeat and he allowed the pen to drop to the pad, seeming to age a decade before her eyes.  He leaned back in the chair and wiped his hands over his face, abrading it upon the stubble that had grown more pronounced. Whatever he was going to say in resignation to her, however, was interrupted by the lighting up of his mobile, Marian noting, to her irritation, that the caller was simply titled ¡°Rex¡±.  Isaiah¡¯s worn sigh drew her back to him as he reached from the phone, and activated it.


    ¡°You know why we are calling,¡± the digitally altered voice on the other end began, not even bothering with a greeting.  Marian couldn¡¯t help but bristle at the tone, like a schoolteacher admonishing a misbehaving child.


    ¡°And if any of you had bothered to read my initial after-action report, you would recognize that I was left with little choice but to activate that contingency,¡± he flatly responded as he reached up to massage the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°A contingency you did not confer with us before deciding to execute.  All you have done is create a massive following for Infinity.  Do you realize the opportunity you have handed them on a silver platter in building a positive image?¡±


    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


    Sam and the rest of the crew of one dozen were in construction outfits, working together to replace a broken transformer unit from one of the power stations near a major train station. Everyone else surrounding them was in similar dress, digging and placing better shielded cables. A Hexa-marked fleet of trucks were lined up nearby, loaded with necessary tools and supplies.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


    Marian opened her mouth to angrily retort at the accusation being leveled, only to stop as Isaiah held up a hand.  A flash of irritation welled up at the idea of being told to be silent by anyone, even Isaiah, but kept from voicing it as he conveyed a lot more in the gaze, he leveled towards her than any words.  Grudgingly, she accepted that he wanted to make this his fight alone, she settled back in her own chair as she took a sip of tea, resisting the urge to grumble.


    ¡°I beg to differ,¡± he returned coolly, his eyes never leaving hers for a few more moments before they returned back to one of the slates, even as he offered more, ¡°All that has been done is that our actions in Bogota have highlighted the inadequacies of the current nation-state system.  If the South American Union wasn¡¯t mired in its own corruption and petty interests, it could have easily quashed our actions long before Hexa would have ever bothered to get involved.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the purpose of the Bogota operation, Reaper.  We sent you to overthrow the government and replace it with a pro-Reformist regime, not reduce its infrastructure back to the stone age.  Do you have any idea of the damage you have caused with your actions and that infernal EMP device?¡±


    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


    People of all ages were with push brooms, garbage receptacles, and pans, sweeping up broken glass that had fallen all over the sidewalks as others between them were working to dig out broken asphalt from the street¡¯s impact craters. Some spoke of the day they saw the immediate aftermath the Axiom left in its wake during that unforgettable day. Sebastian walked behind a large cable spool carrying truck that made a stop near a few of the Ap50 LTACs his group had piloted. He motioned one of the LTACs to approach the truck, signaling the pickup of the cable spools. Sam hopped down from the passenger seat of the cargo truck to meet up with Sebastian, showing him a roadwork blueprint of that repair site just beyond the aftermath site.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


    ¡°Are you referring to the human, political, or the financial cost?¡± Isaiah continued.


    ¡°You know damn well what we are referring to!¡±


    ¡°No, I actually don¡¯t.  Because when the decision was made to greenlight the Bogota operation, I cautioned that any on-the-fly unilateral changes once started would be detrimental to our long-term goals.  Both Cable and I warned you that relying upon untrained and under-equipped local assets with questionable loyalty that you forced upon us would result in events that could easily escalate the theater beyond our control. Changes in plan would only have been successful with the right, experienced contingents in place.¡±


    ¡°Do not blame us for your failure, Reaper,¡± the voice hissed, ¡°we have made a significant investment into you and we expect returns upon that investment.  Now, while the opportunity exists, and not three years from now.  If you cannot back your promises¡ª¡±


    ¡°You presume that Bogota was a failure, Rex.  It was not.¡±


    Rex fell silent on the other end of the line, obviously incredulous by the statement that was just made, and Marian found herself somewhat matching it.  By her own reckoning, Bogota was a failure for them, they had not achieved their military or political objectives.  So, what was it that would cause Isaiah to claim otherwise?


    ¡°Explain.  Now.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think there was no shift in anything, politically speaking?¡± Before I explain what I feel should be very well obvious, you saw the collateral caused by the locals Infinity had armed.¡±


    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


    Newspapers were back in circulation without electricity restored anywhere as of yet. Brought in from nearby cities, some showed front pages either blasting Hexa and Infinity for fueling the fires of violence, some with Sam¡¯s face as the root cause of it all. Some championed the local¡¯s heroic efforts to stem the influx of armed foreigners, but the former outnumbered the latter by a large margin. It was also the latter that had more papers remaining in the baskets.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°You know exceptionally well Rex that if we had backed off, we would see the absolute obliteration of every soul sent to support our movement, because that¡¯s exactly what the new shipment from Infinity had in mind when they sent the Axiom and their newest models to go along with it.¡±


    ¡°And what did the setting off of that EMP off do to them? They were fully shielded, of course!¡±


    ¡°It spared the lives of those in the unshielded Gammas and Kappas. They could retreat with their lives. And the ones that didn¡¯t, well, you and I both know by now that there was evidence Infinity used noble gas fission technology in their updated armaments. Hybridized rounds. Physical in weight and momentum, plasma-powered speed in cutting efficiency. My men already audio recorded the particular crackling sound it sends off from even kilometers away. Rockets in the streets? Craters that used to be parking lanes? The damage Hexa has caused is unmistakably remarkable. People won¡¯t forgive them if they feel they were on the receiving end of the assault.¡±


    ¡°And whose job is that?¡± He waited a second as if he could see Isaiah¡¯s averting eyes so that he could continue. ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s our job. You gave us a hell of a job to plug in the right lawmakers and representatives that can do exactly that. You don¡¯t even have to worry about who does and doesn¡¯t win at the polls. We do, and we¡¯d appreciate you not making our job as hard as humanly possible.¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± Isaiah said with his patience fully tested. ¡°You gave my team a duty to fulfill. We succeeded. The disaster that played out met the worst amount of support for it possible. If this was the Confederacy RANE once was, the military swooped in the minute the first parliament building attack came. How many weeks late is the SAU? We won and you know it. We won but it was just simply a less convenient avenue for you and the pencil pushers. My calculated attacks did what they needed, and the last-resort EMP was to secure the mess Hexa would have to clean up without making any accidental wrong moves politically. Vincent Vrey is terrible with handling PR, which you already know. And¡­ so is his new logistics and communications director. By the end of next week, expect big changes from the SAU, be them late or not. Mark my word.¡±


    ¡°You get Dhaka for two weeks,¡± the voice said, changing the subject. ¡°If you can¡¯t repeat the same results without EMP or anything idiotically destructive, I will see to it personally that you are cut from us. You, Cable, everyone in your group.¡±


    Marian looked up to see Isaiah was now finished with the call, watching him swipe away the video screen. She was sitting across from him, her chair against the front bulkhead. ¡°I¡¯m still waiting on that Knight in you to kick in, take a drink for once, and let it all slide.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bothering me that much,¡± he said as he waved her comment off. ¡°I just sometimes get sickened by the thought that our little party has the same tendencies as my people back home. Everyone is so damned quick to forget what even got us here. It¡¯s not like I ever get to meet any of them in person to say I have anything close to a connection to any of them, but everyone would rather we just throw them to the wolves to get their quick W.¡± He then leaned back, filing his papers away into an old manila folder as he sighed. ¡°It¡¯s now worse as I realize my father is doing the same. You¡¯d think after the lives he had watched taken away in front of his eyes throughout two whole wars, he¡¯d learn to have some perspective for once. But no, instead, the ones hired for us were gunned down in the streets by the latest, state-of-the-art LTAC technology he likely had a hand in rushing to live field testing. Just like the old days¡­¡±


    ¡°No one saves the world, remember?¡± Marian spoke solemnly as she was now looking out the window. ¡°I watched Lance take his last breaths, thinking he could do just that. Everyone wants to save the world, but no one can bear the load without losing their life in the process.¡± She then looked back to him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are getting ideas again.¡± She reached over to grab the manila folder he had just closed, seeing his expression change from irritated to defensive.


    ¡°Marian, stop.¡±


    She did not take more than a second to find he had been writing alternate armor placement suggestions alongside weapon materials, none the surprised with what she saw. ¡°You¡¯ve spent more than a year on the Samael¡¯s equipment and now you are already trying to prepare for more customizations? Isaiah, I thought you were working on getting away from direct involvement?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I realize I have to stay alive to get anything done?¡± he retorted, taking the folder back from her hands. ¡°No one is trying to be a hero here. I just want business done right and staying alive to see everything out to the end is obviously one of my top priorities.¡± He then took out one of the messily drawn diagrams from the folder and passed it to her. ¡°This is what I got back from Elias and Tamaz earlier. You of all people should remember all too well what kind of damage these can do. We aren¡¯t exactly at the advantage level we were a few days ago.¡±


    Marian saw the notations on the hybridized rounds used by the Hexa models that day. In an instant, flashbacks from her piloting days had her remembering the terrible ear-ringing crackles that rang out from each burst she had fired from her old war B8 model MBI along with the louder, thunderous claps from air-ionizing particle weaponry fired her direction. She passed the paper back to him with a shake of her head. ¡°Armor won¡¯t save you from that, and you know it. Isaiah, this isn¡¯t your fight to take part in. You aren¡¯t going to Dhaka to do anything more than coordinate as planned.¡± She then paused as she realized he had to have thought about that already. ¡°You are bringing back reflective coating? How?¡±


    ¡°I have to explore my routes once we arrive, but I feel there will be plenty of new options in wake of the recent events,¡± he said as he calmed down. ¡°I didn¡¯t bother telling this to the top as we don¡¯t see the results the same way from Bogota, but with Sam on her way home and the high chances Hexa gets forced by international pressure to dial back on hybridized tech, we will stand to strike back with ferocity unchecked. The SAU could have been a potential nightmare to work around had they gotten involved too soon, but with Dhaka? Bangladesh has no higher authority lingering around to reign in domestic issues that go out of control.¡± He then sifted through another folder, expecting another response from her but instead found her patience. ¡°You know, of course I have other ideas, just in case. Do you mind helping me with figuring out this guy? He might be key in getting us in and out of there within the week,¡± he spoke as he pointed to a small photo of a political figure in Bangladesh.


    ¡°Sure,¡± she said as she took a quick glance before looking back at him. ¡°But before that, I was waiting on your call to end to remind you about the jammers Tamaz and Elias set. They are likely to have already been discovered by now. Are those two waiting on anything else? Because I haven¡¯t heard a peep about them or from them since.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t know what the Galeano dozen was going to do after their leader was taken down. Their orbital cameras might have had a good eye on them leaving for Medellin, and the last thing I want is Hexa adding two and two together so I will keep our guys hanging around there until everything settles down, just in case.¡±


    ¡°And for your sister to skip town?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll hate me for saying it, but I will continue to avoid that topic for a reason.¡±


    ¡°Of course you would say that. And you still act like I never hated your guts before,¡± she replied with a smirk.


    ¡°You might start hating me again,¡± he said without returning the expression. ¡°Everything we spoke of has me going back down the old road again. Do you genuinely think I can do this as a passive, hands-off coordinator?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she firmly responded. ¡°Yes, I do. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been here to help you succeed in all this time. I understand what you went through unlike anyone else, and I will stand by what I said in that you won¡¯t have to be a hero¡­ You won¡¯t have to resort to the sword at every obstacle like before.¡± She didn¡¯t see any change whatsoever in his expression as he once again shifted his focus to the floor between them. ¡°You need to one day be able to make a promise to yourself. You expect those around you to make a change for the better; to learn to stop the needless sacrifice of others. That will only continue to change for the better if you continue to model that change. This is a set goal you can¡¯t afford to stray from.¡±


    ¡°Efficiency of old clashes with inefficiency of the ideal,¡± he said as he looked back at her. ¡°But you are right. Efficiency alone doesn¡¯t mean the right job gets done. I will rethink my approach.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    (One Week Later)


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al¡¯s office monitors were all active, most hovering over various Southeast Asian countries¡¯ maps. On one monitor, the same Singapore SRC operative from the second Colombia drop day was active on voice. ¡°News has reached the military branches of the governments in basically every country in our region, sir,¡± the man spoke.


    Al¡¯s forehead wrinkled with discontent. ¡°Well, I did overstep a bit with the rifle choice after all, but damn it those things gave us every upper hand possible.¡± He straightened up before bringing up a new screen where he started typing. ¡°Nevermind, scratch the request. Keep the new recruits on standard round issued rifles for those needing the equipment. We can¡¯t have this area giving us the same bad rep. Will stick with the updated rules of engagement until further notice.¡± He then glanced back at the damage photos from across parts of Kennedy District in Bogota. ¡°Yeah, and to think these kinds of noise levels would have locals shitting their pants in any situation. Understood.¡± He then started to chuckle in disbelief, drawing a confused look from the Singapore operative.


    ¡°Did I leave something out?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, just realizing something. It¡¯s nothing.¡± He then continued in thought to remember the engagement style his old wing mate Saffire Raven had; with her brash, high-collateral but high efficiency ways of offering fire support, Al laughed at the notion his daughter was somehow already becoming that similar in style to her unofficial counselor. What the hell has she been teaching her in private? he thought to himself, continuing to type the rules of engagement update reminder. Attached to the request was a spec sheet for the ¡°NGF-Hybridized Marksmen Rifle¡±, looking to be the exact same model Sebastian and half of his crew had been using.


    ¡°Very well, sir,¡± the operative continued. ¡°I will continue on my end and will report back once we get any further updates from Dhaka or Mandalay.¡±


    As he logged out, Vincent¡¯s name showed up as incoming. Al took in a breath and straightened his posture once more. ¡°I take it the board is still hounding us about the expenditure outlook?¡±


    ¡°Almost on target,¡± Vincent replied. ¡°We have to back off the Ap50 production and deployment by more than half. We are going to end up with too much overstock on the Ai20, but I assume you¡¯ve already seen the package adjustments. I came to let you know we are halting all further deployment of hybridized NGF tech until further notice.¡±


    ¡°And where is that coming from?¡± Al responded in disbelief.


    ¡°I appreciate the incredible advances you have overseen throughout the past week, both in Colombia and the eastern seaboard, but aside from debatable spending, too many international powers are upset at the rate of increase in firepower we are employing. We need to cut a few compromises here and there until we get more on our side. Sweeper satellite usage will also be dialed back to only countries with full authorization signatures.¡± Vincent paused, expecting a retort, but only saw Al continuing to type. ¡°I assumed your daughter would have returned by now. Any updates from her?¡±

 Heading Home

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bogota, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    Cars were once again driving down the busy downtown streets as life was slowly returning to normal. A garbage collection truck by the curb picked up the last pile of concrete rubble before hauling it off, showing Sam walking alone down the sidewalk, face buried in her mobile. Something was different about her compared to a week prior. She carried herself as if she was one of the locals; the busy sidewalks, the constantly changing smells of various foods and sounds of various songs playing that changed as the passing building changed, all of it seemed to be nothing more than naturally occurring background noise to her. Her hair was still in a ponytail as always, but her arctic white bleached accents were completely gone as all her hair was now a uniform jet black. She spoke through her opened voice chat as she made her way towards a hotel building with a sign put up, marked with temporary labeling ¡°SAU ¨C Infinity Staff and Crew Members Only¡± in English.


    ¡°I know, Mom, Dad already told me yesterday. Don¡¯t worry about that part¡­ right,¡± she said as she paused in her tracks to focus on the conversation. ¡°¡­yes¡­ but that¡¯s what I was trying to say,¡± she continued impatiently. ¡°We are still surrounded by SAU troops left and right, so it¡¯s not like I had anything to risk. I saw something through to the end for once, and¡­ it feels right¡­ of course¡­ yes¡­ tomorrow. They already have my shuttle seat ready for me in Sao Paolo. All I have to do is get on the plane tomorrow morning¡­. Yes, they cleared it. The SAU has troops stationed there, too, mom.¡± She then took a seat on an empty bench that happened to be right beside her on the sidewalk.


    [Hey look, it¡¯s that robot pilot from space!] a young boy walking by with his mother shouted as he pointed to Sam in excitement.


    [Don¡¯t point at people!] the mother scolded as she then looked at Sam with a smile. [Good day to you! Excuse my son!]


    Sam smiled back and waved back. ¡°You know,¡± she said back to her mother, ¡°I learned something, too. I don¡¯t like how so much violence happened as a result, but I see why people were upset. I got to see a lot of bad parts of town with so many seemingly good people just trying to happily live their lives. I went on a walk several times by myself earlier this week, just trying to accustom myself and all¡­ yeah¡­ I was accompanied all the other times. But I knew where I was going and what I had to do. Like for one instance, that¡¯s why my hair is all black again. I can¡¯t maintain it properly like this, so I went out to buy the restoration dye. Managed to buy it myself with no help, and everyone I have come across so far have been so accommodating!¡±


    A truck loaded with displaced families just happened to barrel by, catching Sam¡¯s attention briefly. The warm feelings Sam had during her conversation chilled. She then stood back up as she started back for the hotel building.


    ¡°But there is so much work to be done here. So many things I just can¡¯t help but feel so useless when seeing. I really do need to rethink a lot of things once I get home¡­ Right¡­ yeah that¡¯s the time. I¡¯ll be seeing you a few hours after departure. 6PM local time here. Right¡­ OK, go ahead I will catch you again my morning time¡­ No problem, go ahead. OK mom, bye,¡± she said as she hung up the call, looking ahead to see Sebastian in front of her. Almost dropping her mobile from surprise, she gathered herself before speaking up. ¡°Hey, when did you get here?¡±


    ¡°I just walked here. I saw you were talking so I waited for you to finish,¡± he nonchalantly replied. ¡°Look, I got sent on break, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You? Took a break?¡± she added with a laugh, putting her mobile away in her pocket. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you rest in days.¡±


    He rolled his eyes before starting to walk past her. ¡°Come with me if you are still on break.¡±


    ¡°And now you are inviting me somewhere?¡± she continued with the same taunting approach, following next to him the opposite direction from which she came. ¡°I knew you and your brother had an important meeting and all with the Vera¡¯s, but what the hell could¡¯ve happened that would make you all sociable all of the sudden?¡±


    Sebastian returned the joke with a tired sigh. ¡°We didn¡¯t agree with the after-cleanup plans. We got in a¡­ an argument, and Mr. Vera told me to take a break.¡±


    Sam pulled her wit aside, hoping she hadn¡¯t made things worse on accident. ¡°Well, sure, um¡­ why don¡¯t we go get coffee and maybe you can tell me what happened? I didn¡¯t expect you to be upset.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± he responded flatly. ¡°And because I have to take a break now, I will make this my first time in months to eat something that is not late at night.¡± He turned to check if Sam was tagging along, which she was. ¡°I don¡¯t know most of downtown really, except maybe one place. It¡¯s a little long walk from here. Is that OK?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I wasn¡¯t going anywhere anytime soon, anyway. I thought your meeting would have gone longer. Said I wasn¡¯t needed back until tomorrow morning for checkout.¡±


    The two arrived at an intersection where they waited for the crosswalk signal. ¡°Is this your first time downtown?¡± he continued. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone has shown you this Barrio before.¡±


    ¡°Other than what I saw on my way in and around this hotel, no. I¡¯m just letting you lead the way.¡±


    He then once again changed the topic with a frank tone. ¡°I realize¡­ I like talking with you. Most people get bored of my talking and say I am boring.¡±


    Sam hid her surprise by the unexpected compliment. ¡°Yeah, I am a good listener¡­ sometimes¡­¡± The light then turned green as they began to cross the street. As Sebastian ended up a step ahead of her, her eyes subconsciously checked him, looking away the moment he turned to her to continue.


    ¡°Well, I can explain why I was angry earlier.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t tell¡­¡± Sam as she caught back up in step. ¡°You hide your anger very well.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    The two walked into a smaller restaurant as a waiter avatar pointed them to a lit table where they were to be seated. Sam walked up to the smaller booth where they were brought to and took her seat across from Sebastian, noting the music softly playing in the background while the few TVs around showed either world soccer game coverage or the local news. She hadn¡¯t been in a restaurant on her own accord like this since before coming to Colombia, and it showed through her aura.


    ¡°Did you like the food Boss gave you last week?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that time? Yes!¡± she replied with widened eyes, appetite on the rise just by the recollection. ¡°He ordered me some kind of shrimp dish and it was so good. I don¡¯t even know how to describe it- and it¡¯s the kind of fresh food we don¡¯t really get anywhere in Eden.¡± She then held up her mobile to translate the menu for her, noting that the menu matched the d¨¦cor of the restaurant, giving off a traditional, pre-22<sup>nd</sup> century vibe.


    ¡°You know, speaking about Eden,¡± Sebastian continued as he looked over to the half-empty seating areas. ¡°You have never once speak of your friends, your family, or your home.¡±


    Sam paused upon hearing the last few words. ¡°Um¡­ well, what is there to say?¡±


    ¡°You see the world I live in. You see it every day. You see my family. I don¡¯t have to explain much, but I don¡¯t get to see yours.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯d be boring. What would I say?¡± she said with a light chuckle.


    ¡°You speak of boring topics better than me,¡± he said with a weak smile in return. ¡°You go home tomorrow morning. I will help you get to the spaceport. I took the day off.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wait, you did? But what about your job?¡±


    ¡°I took the day off,¡± he repeated in a way that reminded Sam of his being upset earlier. ¡°I have to clear my head.¡± He then pressed a button at the table. ¡°Dos camarones a la criolla.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what-hold on! What do you mean? And what did you just order me?¡±


    ¡°You like shrimp. I do, too. So, I ordered two.¡±


    Laughing in disbelief, she responded: ¡°But I didn¡¯t even get to think about what I wanted!¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t fast to make decisions,¡± he said as he started trying to hold back a laugh, ¡°but you are very fast to argue when somebody different makes decisions.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± she said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°Thanks, guess I could expand my experiences regardless.¡± She then settled back in to her previous thoughts. ¡°So, what did you mean by ¡®clear your head¡¯?¡±


    He sat back, looking up at the ceiling for a moment, letting out a tired sigh. ¡°Renzo knows more than me, and is good at making strong and quick decisions, but I don¡¯t always like them. Kind of like you in that way.¡± He then leaned forward, looking at the table as he took in another uncomfortable breath. ¡°The Galeano property is now the Vera¡¯s. He signed all the papers with the other boss¡¯s assistants. He also signed contract with Hexa to continue work as security but in Medellin. They move tomorrow, saying the next work would be to find the source of the trouble-causing.¡±


    ¡°But you said you would be going with me to Sao Paolo tomorrow, which means¡­¡± she said as she looked back at him with concern. ¡°Why are you leaving them?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± he said as he tried to look back at her but couldn¡¯t. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what I want to do anymore. But I don¡¯t want to just¡­ leave. It¡¯s too much. So much is broken here. So much bad has happened. But I don¡¯t want to simply¡­ leave everything¡­ our¡­ life here¡­ for I don¡¯t know what. Boss promised better days, but I don¡¯t see them, Samantha.¡±


    Sam thought of how it somewhat resembles what she had felt much before. ¡°I know how you feel about going along as told and how it just feels¡­ wrong,¡± she said as her voice tapered, thinking back to how she got there in the first place. ¡°I came here because I got tired of my parent¡¯s expectations to finish law school. Me running away to a full-time job with Infinity is how I got here. I ran away because I was sure of what I wanted to do, yet, I really wasn¡¯t in reality.¡± She then let out a weak laugh. ¡°I know that sounds stupid.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°But I understand,¡± he said with a smile in return. ¡°When Renzo said we need to take our job up there in Medellin, I got angry. I want to fix everything here, first¡­ but even I don¡¯t know what can be fixed, and I really don¡¯t know what anyone could find in Medellin that would fix what we are missing, even if we find someone from the attack.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense that that¡¯s what he¡¯s out for; to find the ones who murdered your people.¡± Sam then let her eyes wander to the TV screen showing what looked to be SAU military officers speaking on the recent events. While she didn¡¯t understand the language, she could sense the calm in the air regardless. ¡°You know, this might be what Mr. Galeano was talking about.¡±


    ¡°How could you know?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to tell you at some point in time,¡± she started with some hesitation, ¡°but I think Mr. Galeano saw his end coming. He also talked about the Vera¡¯s and at some point in time, yeah, he mentioned the coming of better days.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. He didn¡¯t see that coming. He wouldn¡¯t kill himself.¡±


    ¡°No no, Sebastian, not that. He deals with those who deal the dangerous. I think he had inside info. He kept hinting about a huge strike on the Vera¡¯s that night that he was killed. I think he knew it was coming for him, but couldn¡¯t ask out of¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She knew she just dropped an accidental bomb on Sebastian, feeling her own heart sink as a result. Shit, why didn¡¯t I keep my mouth shut? In fact, why the hell didn¡¯t I think of this sooner?! Mr. Galeano willingly led his boys away from certain demise but didn¡¯t even give them a chance to make a difference!


    Sebastian shook his head in disappointment, already catching on to what Sam was giving off in her aura. ¡°He was so stubborn. He maybe knew all the communications were listened to by the foreigners we kept searching for. Maybe at some point in time he even tried to get us to save him and everyone else, but we were just too late.¡± He then straightened up with a fierce expression returning. ¡°But that¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to leave! Renzo said we move on. I don¡¯t¡­¡± he said as he started to show hints of breaking down. ¡°I don¡¯t want to just move on. This is everything I know. I lost a father-like person, and now my brother and sister want us all to leave. I¡­ I can¡¯t just leave. I have to finish what I started years ago.¡±


    Sam found herself once again putting a hand on his shoulder. ¡°I think you just need to take a day off. Think about what you want to do and also how you plan on doing it. And trust me, don¡¯t start drinking over it. Drinking doesn¡¯t solve shit, I would know,¡± she finished with an attempt to lighten the mood.


    Sebastian took a few breaths in thought before responding. ¡°I don¡¯t like being rushed into deciding something like this. That¡¯s my problem. I understand that. Leaving Bogota, for some reason, has me scared. I don¡¯t even know why.¡±


    ¡°You know, you should do like I didn¡¯t do. You need to properly talk to your siblings. Make things right before you part ways¡­ it¡¯ll make you all feel better about it.¡± She then tried the smile once more ¡°Also, if it helps, I could try and talk to him, too,¡± she offered.


    Sebastian noticed her hand was still on his shoulder. ¡°You do this a lot. Do all girls from the NAU do this?¡±


    ¡°I swear to-¡± she shouted in surprised, offended anger, giving him a subtle shove as she took her hand away. She then saw the joking smirk on his face as she responded to it with a roll of her eyes.


    ¡°I know. Akkadian girl.¡± He then leaned back as he heard the kitchen door open. ¡°Our food is here. I am so hungry.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± she said with a raised brow. ¡°You can eat after such a heavy topic? Damn.¡±


    ¡°If I am hungry, I stay hungry.¡± The two plates of coconut stewed Creole shrimp were placed in front of them, and as Sebastian grabbed his fork, Sam remained staring at the plate. ¡°You look like someone who doesn¡¯t like shrimp, after all that talking.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, I do¡­¡± she said with her nose inching closer. ¡°But¡­ this smell¡­ it¡¯s good and all but what is it cooked in?¡±


    ¡°Akkadians don¡¯t have manners?¡± he flatly responded as he dug in. ¡°You don¡¯t do nothing and complain. You try, first, then complain.¡±


    (Camarrones a la criolla con coco)


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam forgot how much she had gotten adjusted to the heat and how much she would sweat on a regular basis, but having a hard time getting her cover-all uniform off at her hotel room reminded her vividly on a nightly basis. Last night, finally, she thought to herself, reaching for a brush. She straightened her hair as her eyes wandered around the cramped quarters and minimal amenities and continued in thought: Yeah. Overall, this city isn¡¯t a bad place. Not exactly a lot I won¡¯t miss, but still¡­ She then stepped away from the bathroom door where she stood, placed her brush down, and reached for her mobile. She brought up her contacts and clicked on a picture of a girl her age labeled ¡°Daja C.¡±


    ¡°Sam, where the hell have you been?!¡± the higher pitched voice answered. She was answering in what seemed to be a department store setting.


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t even want to know,¡± Sam replied with a laugh, sitting on the bed.


    ¡°And why are you half dressed?! Is that just a uniform undershirt or something? I thought you said you¡¯d be scoping out the local styles or something before you left!¡±


    Sam rolled her eyes, thinking how far from a priority that had been once she arrived. ¡°Look, I will be catching up with you regardless since I will be back home tomorrow, but real quick. I need to ask you for some advice. Something that I think is going to keep me up all night.¡±


    ¡°Oo, boy advice?! Lemme find a seat, hold on!¡±


    Sam took a seat herself at the foot of her bed and let out a sigh, reluctant to start. ¡°You know my luck with boys has been a wreck since high school, right?¡±


    ¡°I had to find a bench, sorry! So, wait, did you find someone?!¡±


    ¡°Daja, when do you know when it¡¯s time to change your¡­ what¡¯s the best way to put it¡­ goals?¡± she said with the final word drawing out a feeling of awkward embarrassment, a feeling she had completely forgotten over the many years.


    ¡°Girl, what?¡± she said in a put-off sense. ¡°You of all people know you don¡¯t change you. Is someone saying you got something wrong with you or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, please, you think I¡¯d listen to that- no, it¡¯s different. No one has told me anything like that.¡± She was then cut off by an incoming call alert that showed her father in a split screen to the bottom corner. ¡°Damn it!¡± she blurted out in frustration. ¡°Sorry, Daja, that¡¯s my dad. If he¡¯s calling at this time it¡¯s really important and might have to do with my shuttle home.¡±


    ¡°Ah you go ahead! Spill the bag when you get here!¡±


    ¡°Right. Be waiting for me!¡± With a wave, she ended the call and switched to the other line as she wiped away the thoughts of Sebastian and took in a breath, hoping to not hear more bad news. ¡°Dad, something happened I assume?¡± she asked in full anticipation.


    ¡°Hey, Sam, that grenade round you picked up. Guess what,¡± he curtly asked without paying attention to her tone.


    ¡°Wait, huh? Oh, that thing!¡± she said as she sat upright. ¡°What, did someone have a breakthrough with it?¡±


    ¡°Bingo,¡± he said as he changed his screen to the grenade round analytics page he was sent. ¡°Sam, you found a unique production line that only comes out of Northeastern China. Best thing? It¡¯s not even on the legal market. You got us something huge to work with. All we are missing now are links to that plasma arc weaponry you encountered back on day one.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Dad¡­¡± her voice trailed as her mood went sour. ¡°That¡¯s got nothing to do with me or anything I am capable of doing, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, it does- let me explain. You are still coming home as planned, but everything up to this point including this allowed me to get you cleared for a huge stipend for your high-risk efforts that potentially saved serious lives for us over in Southeast Asia. Wouldn¡¯t you want to know all about that as soon as possible?¡±


    ¡°You mean, like, how much of a stipend?!¡±


    ¡°About the same as a whole year¡¯s full time pay.¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± she exclaimed, quickly standing straight up. ¡°So, I can use that to get myself back into doing school or anything else as soon as next week!¡±


    ¡°Bingo, again,¡± Al this time said with a rare, warm smile. ¡°We don¡¯t have any recoverable data besides what you got us, but damn it you did some real good work out there. And was also very commendable of you to stick the whole operation out until the end. But hey, I got a lot of work to continue doing-¡±


    ¡°-Yeah I know how much you have been restructuring since day one! Don¡¯t overwork yourself!¡± she spoke as her voice still contained excitement from the news.


    ¡°Right, right, but I have to go. Just had to let you know that. Call when you are home, tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I will! ¡®Night!¡± she said as the call ended. She laid back over her bed, letting out what she thought would be a huge breath of relief, but suddenly found herself feeling empty inside. She couldn¡¯t put a finger on it, turning over a moment later as she rubbed a hand over her face. She then stood back up, slumping towards the bathroom. ¡°Whatever. I need a shower.¡± She passed the only window in the room on her way there, pausing to look outside to see the partially lit up view of the city from her twelfth-floor room. Taking a pause in her trip she opened the window and propped her folded arms against the windowsill, taking in the breeze blowing by. It was quiet every night for the past week and seeing it this way every night reminded her how crazy the other days had been prior. I am starting to miss all that constant music left and right, to be honest. At least things are getting back to normal for real. Before more memories came back, good and bad, she heard a familiar tune being whistled. She leaned further out to see Sebastian¡¯s window next door was open as well but he wasn¡¯t to be seen. She took her mobile back out, loading a song analysis app to search the tune. Once a result popped up, she tossed it on the bed and headed for the bathroom.


    Sebastian sat at his hotel bed, whistling habitually, flipping through news cards via holographic display beaming from his mobile on the table in front of him. Most were about the technology outages, the estimated return to normalcy, or how much of a political shift would occur with the passing of the Galeano family¡¯s core members. As many were flicked by without ¡®tapping¡¯ any of them, he began to grow agitated, allowing the strobe of cards to slow to a halt as he sat back against the wall. [What am I doing,] he said to himself. His focus shifted over to the window. As he looked out, he had flashbacks of the morning he saved Sam from her wrecked LTAC. Hard to believe more than a week has passed, yet feels like forever since then. He leaned forward again to flip back to a message he had received earlier that was labeled ¡°Invitation to Upgrade Your Position to Full Time¡± from Hexa:Infinity.


    The screen quickly changed to a green glow as a call from Dani was incoming. Without thought he quickly opened the call. [You decided, yet? We are still getting ready but have room for one more. We aren¡¯t the Big Dozen without you, bro!]


    Sebastian still felt as upset as he did earlier, but realized most of his frustration was aimed at his brother. [I got a lot I am still trying to decide between, so go ahead on. Not like Renzo wants to see me, I¡¯m sure.]


    [Forget his words earlier. He will regret them or forget them by tomorrow.] She then let out a sigh as she read her brother¡¯s expression. [I know he said a lot of hurtful things earlier, but we are all still very hurt. You of all people would know. That¡¯s why I think you would have most to benefit from leaving this town for a while, you know? We all could.]


    Sebastian thought once more of the offer from her perspective, but his eyes once again wandered out the window. [Some people are just built to see things out ¡®til the end. Some promise to see something wrapped up before moving on, even when offered chances to turn the other way beforehand. I think I will do the same. Thanks, but go ahead.]


    [Well, you can always join us later. Hexa has us as temps but they are treating us like full timers and let us flex our schedules to keep us there for a whole three months before contract ends with renewal options after. So, there, it gives you time as well to rethink.]


    He shook his head with a sigh, looking back to her. [It¡¯s not like you will find anything. Those reports Renzo recovered don¡¯t tell us or give us anything. I don¡¯t blame you all for going to dig around and chase whoever it is down that ran from the city, but what does it fix when you don¡¯t even know what to chase?] He stood up as he picked up his mobile. [I know what I can fix here. If you find anything there that amounts to something real, maybe I will rethink things.]


    [You defended him the other day, but you can¡¯t this time? It¡¯s the same thing every time. When has he let us down when following his hunches?- You know, neve rmind. I won¡¯t harass you anymore about it. Think about it, alright? ¡®night, brother.]


    He tossed his mobile on the bed, walking back over to the window as he peered outward, looking down at the street still fairly empty compared to the usual.

 Heading Home, Part 2

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sebastian was startled, awoken by the sounds of a firm knocking at his door. He frantically reached for his mobile, seeing it was ten in the morning. [Shit!] he thought to himself as he hurried to grab his uniform. Halfway through getting it on, he realized he wasn¡¯t on work schedule that day. [Who is it?!]


    ¡°Sam, you idiot!¡± he heard from the other side of the door. ¡°You said you¡¯d go with me to Sao Paolo! You don¡¯t remember?!¡±


    [Agh, damn it!] he sputtered as he continued frantically to finish putting his uniform on all the way.


    Sam was seated next to Sebastian on the train they boarded as they awaited departure. The car was divided into private booths, each holding up to four passengers. Theirs was just the two of them, stiff air dividing the two. ¡°I¡¯m still waiting on an answer. You never sleep late. Why today?¡± she asked with a stoic expression, suspicious of something.


    Sebastian was still rubbing his eyes as if he was fighting through a severe headache. ¡°I told you. I wasn¡¯t feeling well.¡±


    Sam¡¯s expression immediately switched to the offensive, poking him repeatedly in the arm. ¡°I told you not to solve anything by drinking! You are hung over and can¡¯t fool me!¡±


    ¡°So, what?!¡± he grumbled back, holding up a hand to stop her.


    Confusing him further, she broke into laughter. ¡°Chill out! I wasn¡¯t going to let you forget. But seriously? You really can¡¯t handle a night after, can you!¡±


    ¡°A night after what?¡±


    ¡°I saw that one bottle of tequila in your room just then! That¡¯s it?¡± she continued as she kept laughing. ¡°Fucking rookie, I swear!¡± She leaned back into her chair, backing off of the harassment. ¡°But in all seriousness, if I can turn a new leaf on that- sorry¡­ start over new¡­ on that¡­ so can you. Did you get to do any real thinking before you passed out?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t speak of starting new, saying you don¡¯t drink just because you have nothing to drink,¡± he retorted, taking the napkin from under his water bottle, wadding it up, and tossing it at her.


    The wad fell under the table as she returned the jab ¡°oh, look you made it fall on the floor,¡± driving her foot into his shin as she reached to pick it up.


    Sebastian barely had time to react before he heard his mobile ring. He looked down to see a message from Renzo. ¡°Not him¡­ not today.¡±


    ¡°Wait! You said you¡¯d talk it through with them, right?¡± Sam said as she sat back up straight, tossing the napkin in the bin nearby. ¡°What is he saying? At least read it!¡±


    He reluctantly opened it up, seeing something to his surprise. ¡°Samantha, their train stopped.¡±


    ¡°What happened, I wonder?¡±


    He paused in thought, only to shake his head with a look of disappointment. ¡°He¡¯s just trying to scare me. He does this a lot to make me feel guilty and go help. He has been doing this kind of trick on me since we were kids. Every time, which is not much, I say no like this to him, he does this. Ignore it, please.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. ¡°And to be honest, the outages reached a whole five kilometers up the railway. They are likely to have all kinds of electrical issues. Maybe he wants you to pick him up?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes. But they can call Infinity. Not me.¡± He then muted his mobile. ¡°It¡¯s your last day in Colombia. Enjoy the countryside,¡± he finished with a more relaxed smile. They then felt the train¡¯s brakes release as it started to roll, humming along as the linear motors levitated the cars over the tracks. ¡°See?¡± he asked with a point of his fingers to the now-visible mountainsides lining the back of the city outskirts.


    Within less than a minute as the train accelerated to full cruising speed, she was now able to see the endless plains and mountainsides without a trace of urban development. ¡°You¡¯re right. Wow, I only saw this kind of view from history class. Even my trip to Europe when I was real little was only in the middle of big cities.¡±


    ¡°And if our country didn¡¯t lose its spaceport way back, you would miss this view. This is the only view I would think of going out to see, if it¡¯s not my own town.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she said as she looked back to him. ¡°You never thought to travel for fun one day? Not to move, just, to see for a weekend?¡±


    He leaned against the window, looking out as he answered: ¡°I traveled for Boss a few times to Peru. Once to Bolivia and Argentina. Every time was me and my brother and a few others for security. It was nice, but I never did think to go by myself. What about you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t see anything real in space,¡± she responded as she, too, leaned against the window, eyes stuck on the mountains in view. ¡°Nothing to travel to see. I only traveled to other space nations that look just like mine¡­ for things like school¡­ or shopping. Hell, I am finding this incredibly expansive sky alone worth the bucks. You don¡¯t realize how droning it is to see cityscapes for a ceiling all your life.¡±


    Sebastian¡¯s eyes wandered back over to Sam. ¡°Hey, I would like to see what your view of your city looks like¡­ this city for ceiling thing. Send me a picture of how your view looks one day, OK?¡± he said as he opened up his link request from his mobile.


    ¡°Sure, of course!¡± Sam smiled back and clicked accept from the request as the contact information access was initiated.


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Off Coast of Bangladesh, Bay of Bengal</li>


    </ul>


    The monsoon season had long been underway as a large freighter vessel pulled towards a guarded industrial canal entrance. Isaiah could hear the rain beating down as he watched feeds from a screen labeled ¡°Reaper¡±. He saw from viewfinder stream a stopped train from which several carrier cars opened up to show them containing LTACs bearing Hexa¡¯s camouflage scheme.


    ¡°Hey, Reap¡¯, you see that, right?¡± Revenant¡¯s voice came over Isaiah¡¯s headset. ¡°That¡¯s one persistent bunch of little shits if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°They really are testing me, and something says I can¡¯t afford perceivable failures this time around. Thanks for keeping me posted,¡± Isaiah replied as he looked at his current heading. ¡°Now, I need to wrap up so I can get us through security. Go ahead and make it quick. Leave a survivor or two to be a mouthpiece for us while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°On our way!¡±


    Marian walked up behind him, seeing Revenant¡¯s feed and communication line close out as she let out a disappointed sigh. ¡°You weren¡¯t serious earlier about going down that route again, were you?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s big changes you were expecting, Marian, forget it,¡± he softly replied with a weak smile. ¡°This is who I am, and I decided it¡¯s not time to kick that efficiency that has served me for so long. With the trust they have in me in jeopardy, I can¡¯t continue to do like you¡¯d expect, at least not anytime soon.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    She would never admit holding onto more idealistic albeit unfulfillable expectations of him, having seen the various sides of his personality far removed from the battlefield over the years. Still, in that same sense she refused to admit she was chasing a dream as any other might be when having such expectations, still hoping deep down he could turn that leaf and walk down that same walk as her, eye to eye. ¡°Isaiah, damn it, you just essentially won the last campaign- why are you luring out and murdering non-essential interests?! You don¡¯t have to do a thing! Just look ahead! That is your only responsibility right now!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said as he stood up to walk up to the front cabin door. ¡°We haven¡¯t truly won there just yet, for one. Second¡­ you mentioned murdering.¡± Isaiah had seen far too many pilots and crewmen dying around them, barely a decade separated from the present. The gut-wrenching sensation that came from not only witnessing it but being the one pulling the trigger had long been fully desensitized, becoming nothing more than a variable in the equation of winning on the field. He simply looked back at her with calm conviction and was not about to give into emotions at a time like this. ¡°There is no murder in war.¡±


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Sonson, Colombia, En Route to Medellin via Train</li>


    </ul>


    Renzo took a long drink from his canteen inside his Ap50 which stood amongst the others, all remaining within their platform cars. They stood with the view of a town in the distance, roughly five kilometers away as they were surrounded by trees on one end, open field on the other. He then wiped the sweat from his brow, helmet off, door open as hot air continued to blow in. [I swear. If we don¡¯t get clearance to move¡­]


    [They could at least let us turn on our systems for the AC!] another complained over the radio.


    ¡°Cuba CCC responding! Incoming threat to your north!¡± a Hexa operators voice came up, startling the dozen. ¡°Activation clearance granted! Connecting you with Cuba directly!¡±


    With no hesitation, each pilot closed their doors, locked helmets and visors in, and powered up all systems. [Alright, Cuba, give us a heads up on our friends who made us sit through this shit if you would, please!] Renzo shouted over the channel.


    ¡°Galeano Dozen, this is Cuba CCC- you have multiple traces of unidentified explosives detected, moving inbound seven kilometers away on the highway parallel to your tracks. Engage after they clear the city limits!¡±


    ¡°Here comes their little welcoming party!¡± Dani replied enthusiastically in English.


    [Show off,] Renzo chided with a birdie to the in-cockpit camera. [Alright. My squad on the left. Move in straight along the tracks. Dani¡¯s squad on the right, cut around the tree line then swoop behind once they clear the city limit.] With his orders, the two groups of six took off, each fully utilizing their aerial drives to hover a meter above ground at speeds much faster than they were accustomed to by rollers alone. [And fuck the new rules of engagement for these rifles,] he said to his squad. [We are outside the city! Three round burst mode! Don¡¯t worry about conserving ammo! We will wipe them out like we did last week!]


    Dani¡¯s Av25 group, armed with anti-vehicle equipment, was now separated from the rest by trees zipping by. She looked at her corner map that showed the southbound movement of the explosives detection marker. [One more kilometer. Cut back in on my mark!] she barked. [They are moving in fast, Renzo, watch your timing!] She then switched over to her anti-tank rocket launcher¡¯s targeting computer. She swung her barrel around, awaiting proper timing to move in. She was then startled by a chill she felt shoot up her spine. Instinctively, she spun her head to her left to see a large chunk of armor flung just past her, causing her to hit the brakes and switch to her main cannon. Before she could acquire any target, she saw her cannon severed in two, one of her crewmate¡¯s LTACs already violently tumbling to a stop. She thought to shout out but was instantly silenced by a flash of brilliant green light removing the mass of metal and machinery above her head as sunlight and sparks poured down.


    [Why isn¡¯t anyone responding!] Renzo shouted in futility over the radio now overcome by distortion. He force-fired without properly functioning aim-tracking, firing on a cloaked LTAC weaving in and out of the disoriented squad of six, swinging a large plasma-arc equipped sword with each pass. Seeing no decent hits were landing, he turned and bolted for the nearest buildings of the city they approached. He hated the idea of using them for shelter but in his situation, he felt it was do or die. Lord knows what I wouldn¡¯t do for Bas to be here covering my six. He quickly decelerated around the first street corner he hit, aiming to turn back towards the enemy at the next intersection. The second he turned the corner, his camera feed went blank as he felt the sound of split metal. He then felt his LTAC violently knocked over, subsequently rammed into a concrete wall, slamming his helmet against the cockpit¡¯s restraint bar.


    Dani came to, gathering whatever strength she had to unbuckle her restraints, falling to the side of her cockpit with a painful thud. She had been through a thrashing a month prior, but never one that tested even the safety limits of such an advanced pilot-focused cockpit. Renzo, hold on, she thought to speak but couldn¡¯t find the strength, failing to recall her communication equipment had already been smashed. Recognizing the daylight pouring in from the hole severed open earlier, she rolled out of the wreckage best she could. Once her body hit the sun-warmed earth beneath, her breathing became uncontrollable once more as she found herself unable to stand, knees failing her. Boys, are you still with me? Why is it so quiet? Once her vision became clear enough, she saw two tattered cloak-bearing figures standing in the distance beyond the other blue and black camouflaged Hexa LTAC carcasses, most ablaze. Unable to shout or scream out, she could only feel a hot tear fall down her cheek before collapsing again to the ground.


    (Revenant (left), Requiem (right))


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Sao Paolo International Spaceport, Brazil</li>


    </ul>


    Sam had for the first time in many years eyed down a mass driver that sharply curved up and extended into the sky. This was one of the few present as each would be used to help hurl large transports into space. ¡°Your shuttle will be separate from your container, so make sure you run a check at C-7 before boarding at A-2,¡± an SAU military officer from behind her guided as they walked down a transparent, sealed path suspended above the ground surrounded by jet transports and other large vessels parked at their respective terminals. ¡°And don¡¯t forget to keep your passes visible. It¡¯s not often we have non-military personnel using this wing of the spaceport.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she responded as she focused back on the two officers behind her. She noticed Sebastian, who had been walking at her side, seemed to be stuck gazing at the mass drivers as well. ¡°Your first time seeing them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. I have never been to this city before, either,¡± he said as he also took notice of the myriad of skyscrapers off in the distance on the opposite side of the horizon. He felt his mobile start to vibrate from an incoming call but elected to ignore it for the time being.


    The two approached a security checkpoint where an officer took Sam¡¯s pass and scanned it. ¡°You may proceed, Ms. Knight. But you,¡± he said to Sebastian, ¡°this is as far as you can go. No more visitors beyond this point.¡±


    ¡°But I am an Infinity pilot, too,¡± he reacted with surprise, as did Sam.


    ¡°Security purposes. We are handling military grade weaponry with only one authorized access allowed.¡±


    ¡°Well, shit,¡± Samantha mumbled in disappointment, looking back to Sebastian. ¡°I didn¡¯t think we would have to say goodbye here.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ guess I have to,¡± he responded with an equally deflated tone. He turned to face her just as he heard the vibration of his mobile coming from his shoulder bag once more.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir,¡± the officer said as he approached him, ¡°but that is starting to concern me. Please take it out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just my mobile,¡± he said, cooperating with orders as he pulled it from his bag. ¡°I will call them later,¡± he said before noticing it was from Hexa - Cuba CCC. [Oh¡­ oh shit,] he mumbled with a sinking feeling in his stomach.


    ¡°Sebastian, what happened?¡± Sam asked as she sensed the sudden change in the air.


    [Yes, sorry I was away from my device¡­] he quickly answered without hesitation. [Yes, I am in Sao Paolo escorting Ms. Knight to her shuttle to Akkadia¡­ they what?!] he said as his eyes grew wider than Sam had ever seen or ever imagined. [Who?!]


    ¡°Sebastian!¡± Sam continued to inquire persistently, now with a hand nudging his shoulder. She then felt her mobile starting to ring as well. ¡°Yes?¡± she picked up without even seeing who it was from. ¡°Dad!... hold on! I am already about to board. What happened? ¡­ Hold on,¡± she said as she opened the holographic live stream call function, holding her mobile in front of her. ¡°Look, we are right here at the checkpoint.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Al said as he looked at both her and Sebastian. ¡°Sorry, I had to confirm everything with my own eyes. Glad you two got that far. Tell Sebastian to hold on. I am getting him clearance to get on board with you.¡±


    ¡°But why!? Dad, what happened? Even Sebastian is over here freaking out.¡±


    ¡°We lost eight pilots from the original Colombia Dozen. They were ambushed near Sonson not too long ago. Renzo and Daniela, his siblings as you know, are in critical condition on their way to the nearest hospital along with one other survivor in a similar situation.¡± He could see Sam starting to panic as well but continued instructing: ¡°Sebastian¡¯s position back in Colombia is now considered fully compromised as this may be a plotted act of revenge. I sent instructions for them to hold you two there until you and he both are cleared to board that shuttle.¡±


    Paralyzed, Sam couldn¡¯t think of what to say in response, now looking to Sebastian who was looking like he was about to go off.


    ¡°No evidence of anything yet, but everything points to those mystery men that hit you on the day of your drop,¡± Al continued. ¡°So, get your asses up in space A S A P.¡±

 One Last Change of Heart

    ¡°You¡¯re saying those are the same ones that wiped out my whole drop group!?¡± Sam continued in shocked disbelief.


    ¡°We are awaiting data retrieval but, until then, Sam, I can¡¯t repeat myself enough. You two need to assume the absolute worst and get on that damned shuttle the absolute second they clear you two.¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t help but look back at Sebastian who was holding his mobile in hand, motionless, call disconnected. ¡°Dad, let me call you back in exactly one minute,¡± she spoke without looking back as she too disconnected the call. Putting the phone away hastily, she hurried to his side. ¡°Sebastian, I know now¡¯s not the time but I think we are being hunted.¡±


    [He was right,] he struggled through his anxiety, incapable of speaking words she would understand. [I should¡¯ve been there- I need to go back, now].


    ¡°Hey, listen, we¡­¡± she paused, seeing her incessant ways would only make things worse. She then thought to herself that the offered invitation to escape the country would even possibly anger him beyond repair. In that same moment, she even started to feel traces of frustration that once again things were laid out for her to simply follow. ¡°You know what? Let me help this time!¡± she spoke as she had to stop him from dialing out a call. ¡°You,¡± she now said with a calmer tone, ¡°you came all the way out here for me. I can go all the way back with you so we can check on your family. They need you more than anyone back home needs me. They can wait another day.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t lose any more people like this. Don¡¯t be another name on the list,¡± he said back to her through the flurry of emotions running through his head. ¡°I heard your father. He is a good man. Tell him thank you for the offer. I need to go back, now.¡±


    As he once again headed back the direction from which they came, she could only call out from behind him. ¡°Sebastian, hold on!¡± The panic, fear that her indecisiveness would once again be the cause for losses not only on her end but on others¡¯ as well. Her only escape back to the safety of her home was one shuttle away, one step beyond the gate just behind her.


    ¡°Miss, we have clearance for your partner now, but we can¡¯t wait any longer,¡± the officer next to her spoke up as he tapped his watch.


    But, to her, the only reason she had made it this far was now walking away from her. She knew that following him would be guaranteeing absolutely nothing, and that her father was likely correct. Her ultimate demise out of one¡¯s act of revenge was highly likely as far as any of them could tell. She could be walking into a path that would never get her back home, but something had changed her resolve that instant. ¡°No, I need to start sticking to my decisions,¡± she said aloud subconsciously.


    ¡°Sorry?¡± the officer returned in confusion.


    ¡°I have to go, too!¡± she blurted out, realizing her response wouldn¡¯t have made any sense. She tore off after Sebastian, leaving the officers in a lost but accepting position as they closed the gate. ¡°Wait!¡± she continued to shout to Sebastian.


    ¡°Samantha, what are you doing?!¡± he responded both puzzled and upset, stopping to question her. ¡°You need to get home! That is your only way out!¡±


    ¡°I can explain!¡± she continued, finally catching up to him. ¡°Remember what you asked me? You said, ¡®Why did you come to Colombia?¡¯, remember? Well, I never figured that one out,¡± she said as he started to look frustrated at the waste of his time. ¡°But it¡¯s because it doesn¡¯t matter anymore! I figured out why I will stay!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this,¡± he snapped back, breaking free from her as he hurried off.


    ¡°Then let me talk while we run together!¡± she huffed, catching up and keeping pace.


    ¡°Go get on that shuttle! You wasted everyone¡¯s effort if you don¡¯t!¡± he continued to argue, no longer looking back at her.


    Sam was now throwing the anger and frustration back at him as she continued keeping their jogging pace, side by side down the connection hallway, attracting the attention of the others passing by as she replied: ¡°That¡¯s not how it is- that¡¯s not how any of it is! Let me explain, damn it!¡±


    ¡°What do you want!?¡± Sebastian now shouted back in a voice that shook her core. Both were now stopped in the middle of the corridor, staring at each other. ¡°I have a brother and sister who need me! I need to go see them! You!¡­ you need to be-¡±


    ¡°-With you,¡± Sam interrupted with a broken voice.


    ¡°With¡­ what?¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t continue holding gaze as her focus fell to the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to be open about what I want, OK? That¡¯s always been my problem.¡± She felt the need to back up and turn back towards the shuttle departure terminal where she had left moments ago. What¡­ What was I thinking?! As her feet just started to slowly drag her that direction, she could hear Sebastian¡¯s heavy sigh.


    ¡°But¡­ you said¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I said too much,¡± she mumbled back as she turned away. ¡°My life really needed a reset. Thank you for at least-¡±


    ¡°-Wait¡± he said as he grabbed her wrist to stop her.


    ¡°Oh, now you want to talk?¡± she said with her guard back up. She was then briskly pulled back the other direction along with him as she awkwardly fought back. ¡°Hey, what the hell!?¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°You said you wanted to be with me, so now you have to go same speed as me and same direction as me,¡± he bluntly retorted, keeping focus ahead, suddenly feeling as if something was calming him down.


    ¡°What the hell? That¡¯s not what I meant, clearly!¡± she dryly fussed back, freeing her wrist from his grip. ¡°I meant-¡±


    ¡°I know what you meant,¡± he said in a less sharp tone. ¡°Show me if you were serious, because I have to stay serious for now, OK?¡±


    Sam had forgotten what it was like to feel herself fighting back a blush, unable to send a proper response back. ¡°I was- I mean, I am.¡± Internally, she was smacking her forehead as she thought: When the hell did I become some damn awkward. This whole train back is about to be the most awkward day of my life.


    ¡°This is going to be uh¡­ how do you say¡­¡±


    Read my mind. ¡°Awkward?¡±


    ¡°Is that the word?¡± he asked as he fumbled around for his boarding pass.


    ¡°Hold on, stop real quick,¡± she said as she carefully reached inside his inner jacket pocket to reveal the boarding pass she noticed him putting away earlier. ¡°There,¡± she said with a bit more relaxed smile.


    ¡°Oh, thanks, yes this is going to be awkward. Very awkward train back, but we must get going,¡± he said, unable to return the relaxed look as he was not only still caught off guard, but had been hit with a reaction he wouldn¡¯t have been capable of imagining.


    The two were now once again sitting in a similar setting as their trip there prior. Everything up until this point was a blur. So many conflicting thoughts and unexpected turns had Sam still reeling emotionally. She was still unable to come up with a proper response to the question she knew still remained unanswered. Sebastian was still on his mobile via earpiece, watching him look out the window as he had been long talking between calls to Infinity operatives from Cuba CCC (Communications & Command Center), the Vera¡¯s from Downtown Bogota, and the hospital to which his siblings and the other pilot were rushed to. The least she felt she could do was patiently wait while he finished his business. It didn¡¯t stop her from frantically searching for the best words to speak once he was done, however.


    [Thank you. Tell him I will be there in about an hour,] Sebastian replied to the other end of the line before disconnecting. He let out a long sigh of relief as he put away his mobile and headset, attempting to rub the stress from his face. ¡°Renzo is awake, now. He is responding to the doctors.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that was the hospital? About time they gave you some good news. What about Dani?¡±


    ¡°ICU,¡± he said as he looked back to his watch, looking at the time. ¡°They think she is stable, now, but that¡¯s why I want to hurry. I don¡¯t like this. At all.¡±


    Sam never found any words to start to explain how she felt. Her hands instead found their way over his tense, tired hands that rested on the table top separating the two. ¡°You¡¯ve always been there for me. That¡¯s what changed my mind.¡± Perhaps it was the warmth she hadn¡¯t felt since the first day they met that gave her the sudden confidence to express what had remained balled up inside. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just because you rescued me. It was every other moment when I needed someone to be there for me that you were always there. I want to be there for you, now.¡± She then gathered the strength to look back up to him, seeing that he was looking still at the table. ¡°I don¡¯t know what made me come here, but I am done doing what is either expected of me or what is laid out for me. Today, I start doing what I want to do. Saying what I want to say. And I am not going home, yet. I chose to stay with you and I don¡¯t care why.¡±


    ¡°You are good at words,¡± he chuckled as he shook his head, loosening himself up a bit from the stress that still had him wrapped up. ¡°Boss said you had a dangerous mouth and that I should watch out for you.¡± He then looked back at her with an equally calmed smile. ¡°I have been trying so hard¡­ so hard my whole life¡­ to help who I can because no one else helped me or my brother or sister. Maybe I need to let others help, and not get mad when they try.¡± He started laughing under his breath again, confused but unable to stop. ¡°I am so bad with words.¡± He took his hands and put them around hers, finding the words he had been looking for as well. ¡°Thank you, Samantha. I need to let you speak more. I need to listen, more.¡±


    ¡°Please, just, Sam,¡± she smiled back, now finding herself beginning to laugh under her breath as if it were over a week of confused emotions finding their way out, relaxing both of them. ¡°I had been wanting to tell you that since day one.¡±


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al¡¯s office was less chaotic than it was compared to his first week. Less screens were open at the same time, but the sense of haste from him had remained unchanged. He turned his chair to look at a set of materials delivery schedules and orbital drops on one screen as a chime rang out from one of his devices. Without looking or shifting direction he clicked a button on his headset. ¡°Yes¡­ hold on Amelie, one second,¡± he spoke as he continued rearranging schedules while reaching over with his left hand to silence another program temporarily. ¡°OK. I can hear you now.¡±


    ¡°I take it the silence means Sam changed her mind,¡± she stated in a depressed tone.


    ¡°I never did call her back. I mean, she sounded upset. I think she has attachments we won¡¯t be able to comprehend at this point in time,¡± replied, still working around supervision and schedule conflicts on the other screen.


    ¡°She hung up, first? Didn¡¯t you offer to cover the boy as well?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I did. I already had a means to get him fully accounted for. All they had to do was pass through one last gate. Maybe Sam has other priorities, now?¡±


    ¡°I fear more and more every day ever since she left that she might end up going down the same path Isaiah did¡­ now this has me thinking she has.¡±


    No, that¡¯s not it. Al paused his work for a moment in thought upon hearing that line. ¡°I, however, fear that one day it might be our own doing that pushes Sam down the same path as Isaiah. That, Amelie, is why I have elected not to call Sam back.¡±


    ¡°Knowingly allowing her to put herself in the most dangerous position possible?!¡± Amelie fussed back in a flash of anger.


    ¡°I told you, I couldn¡¯t. I can¡¯t,¡± he said as he rubbed his brow. ¡°I offer what I can. I can only let her make the decisions as of late.¡±


    ¡°You know this was all your fault she took off to that hell hole in the first place, just so you don¡¯t forget.¡±


    ¡°Hell hole? She had a whole entire family network voluntarily protecting her from day one. Sounds like anything but Hell to me. And my fault? I didn¡¯t make any decisions for her- damn it Amelie she is a full grown twenty-five year old adult. Why are we still pushing her to make choices we arrange for her?¡±


    ¡°Because she still can¡¯t do it on her own, clearly!¡±


    ¡°Clearly she can or she¡¯d be on that damn shuttle! Ugh, I¡¯ve got work to do,¡± he huffed as he disconnected the call, quickly getting back to where he was on screen. Sam, he thought to himself, taking one last pause before fully refocusing on his duties, please tell me you know what you are doing. Even I know you won¡¯t come back at this rate.

 One Last Change of Heart, Part 2

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Medell¨ªn, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    Sebastian was at a hospital¡¯s reception desk where he spoke with automated staff while Sam sat at the waiting area close by. Sam had noted on the way there that the city had not been hit as hard by the recent uprisings and violence, yet there was still a thickness in the air that smelled of the possibility the town would have the same fate; the TV screens in the lobby were all tuned into local and national news stations broadcasting the Bogota events over the past weeks, each with clashing opinions as if they were reaching to both sides of the political spectrum present in the building. Sebastian returned to the lobby where he spoke to Sam, who was now standing. ¡°Come, they will allow us to go, now.¡±


    Immediately upon exiting the elevator, the two had showed their Infinity badges to security guards on that floor before passing by several rooms in the cold, sterile-smelling hallway. ¡°There, must be one of those,¡± Sebastian pointed as they approached the final rooms on the hall, each with additional security outfits standing by. [We are here for Renzo Navarre, Sebastian Navarre, Hexa,] he spoke to the first guard they approached, once again showing his ID.


    [This way,] the guard replied as he stepped aside.


    The automated door revealed his brother who was sitting upright, head propped up against the tilted bed frame with several machines attached to him via sensor wiring or micro-catheters. [Oh, now you show up, bastard,] he scoffed before smiling. [But that¡¯s a good thing.]


    [So glad you are doing better,] Sebastian spoke back as he firmly grabbed the only accessible hand he could, patting his shoulder with the other. He noted the bandaging wrapped around his forehead, the brace around his neck, and the mechanical bracing around his waist that had him firmly pinned to the bed frame. [What happened to you?] he asked, glad to be speaking at all, but horrified at the idea he wasn¡¯t too far from an escaped death.


    [Please, take a seat. I might have to talk to you all damn day, bro,] he joked, nodding towards the chairs by the wall behind them. [Why is Cruella still here? She your new arm decoration?] He then saw her hair had changed. [Cruella lost her stripes!] His laughing that ensued seemed painful from what the two could see.


    Sam, who had her translation active in-ear, had not seen someone in this bad of a situation before. Her usual reaction would have been to slice back, but even she felt the uncommon urge let it slide. ¡°No, I can explain.¡±


    [Renzo, what happened out there? How did they do this to you all? Is everyone else¡­ really¡­] his voice tapered off as he became overcome by the thought that so many he worked with so closely over the years were not to be seen again. Not only did he have no place to call home, there would be almost no one left waiting for him wherever the winds would take them.


    [We have to mourn later. You know me- damn it I can¡¯t even think to rest until we figure shit out]. He then took in a long breath before continuing. [Motherfuckers came up out of literally nowhere. We fell for a trap. They stopped our train, we got readings of approaching targets, didn¡¯t even get close.] Renzo paused a moment to let out a few coughs. He pressed a button with his control near his hand to bring over a straw from which he drank a few sips of water from. [We disappeared quicker than the poor bastards who she dropped with. I say maybe thirty seconds. All of us, down.]


    ¡°Were you able to see the weapons they used?! Were they plasma arc?!¡± Sam shot out without thinking, remembering how there was only a few seconds between spotting her teammates being downed until she too was taken out the day of her encounter.


    ¡°Sam, stop, hold on,¡± Sebastian grumbled as he put a hand up. [Sorry. She-]


    [It¡¯s ok, bro, tell me what she said,] he said with another weak chuckle. [She¡¯s helped us before, maybe she still knows something.] His smile quickly changed to a look of impatience. [I would kill to learn any little piece of information that could point me in the way of those sons of bitches.]


    Sebastian sighed, refraining from arguing as well, easing back into his seat. [She asked if you saw anything about the weapons they used. She said some words about them that I don¡¯t know, so¡­]


    [Ah, they were direct contact weapons. They closed in so fast our weapons couldn¡¯t be pointed in time¡­ they had some kind of crazy visuals and tracking distortion device or something. I don¡¯t even know what the fuckers looked like. Couldn¡¯t see them right, couldn¡¯t target them right¡­ one big cluster fuck up close and personal.] He then showed a glimmer of weakness as he looked to the other side of the room. [Some didn¡¯t die immediately. Some got trapped. The weapons they used sealed some of us out from escaping and died burning alive. Dani¡­ she got free. She would¡¯ve died for sure if she didn¡¯t cut those restraints and crawled away.]


    [And how is she- I heard she was still in bad shape?] Sebastian rushed back to his side upon hearing her name.


    [She will be fine,] he said as he looked back at Sebastian. [Critical but stable. She had to get blood transfusions and forgot what else, but they said give her another day and she should be alright.] He then looked to Sam who seemed to have been listening earnestly but holding her tongue. [Hey, girly, does anything sound familiar?]


    ¡°Yes! That describes everything I saw!¡± she blurted out, having long waited her turn to speak. She too approached the two as she continued: ¡°Have you spoken to anyone from command about those details, yet?!¡±


    [Have you spoken to command about all that? She said she knows exactly what you described,] Sebastian translated.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Sam said as she handed Renzo her mobile with her translator switched to two-way. ¡°There.¡±


    [Hah, I thought girls from the NAU were against touching people,] he joked once again, noticing how her hand gently and carefully placed the mobile in his so that he wouldn¡¯t drop it. [No, I kid! Damn!] he said with a stronger laugh followed by a stronger cough seeing her reaction. [Hey, Cruella, where did your stripes go?] he said, once more noticing the restored all-black condition of Sam¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Ok, ha-ha, enough of the damn jokes, I really want to help get something figured out here,¡± she snapped back, unable to hold her tongue anymore. ¡°Did you speak to command, yet?¡±


    [Yes,] he flatly spat back. [And I never heard back. I don¡¯t know if I like who is in charge of the new CCC in Cuba. I miss the nice looking lady from Singapore CCC and she always had better response time.]


    ¡°Cuba is new,¡± Sam replied back in a defensive tone. ¡°They are, like, a week old. Singapore had their hands beyond full and you just have to let them settle in a bit. Let me talk to my dad, OK? I think he¡¯d love to hear this as he has been waiting for more confirmations.¡±


    [Yes, you do that. I like your father, too. Good man,] he said with a smile that matched Sebastian¡¯s from earlier. [Hey, Bas,] he said as he turned his attention. [Are you really staying?]


    Sebastian couldn¡¯t help but smile with a confused laugh. [Of course! Why would I leave at a time like this? I have to help you get better so we can get back at those bastards one day!]


    Renzo¡¯s smile disappeared in an instant. [You would leave right now if you had brains.]


    [What?]


    [Look at me. Go take a good look at Dani, too. Heh, you and me both in the end spoke well about Infinity no matter how much I wanted to hate them. They gave us so much. Gave me a bigger ego in addition to the bigger weapons. You speak of revenge? That¡¯s great. All I can think of is revenge. So, why waste time?! Go out there and find the bastards that did this. Do you want to just sit here and shoot the shit with me while I wait until the day I can put on a helmet again? Which might be, like, in how many months?]


    [But, you don¡¯t make any sense! Where would I even start to go until then?]


    Renzo rolled his eyes in disbelief. [You are too smart to act like such an ignorant dumbass all the time. You got the best connection on the fucking planet to getting anything you want- right there!] he said with his best attempt to point at Sam. [Cruella¡¯s father I¡¯m sure would gladly hook you up! Am I right?] he said with a look to Sam.


    ¡°Uh,¡± she said with an uncomfortable smile, ¡°I don¡¯t think asking me for help on pivotal decisions is ever a good idea.¡±


    [You know what, stop, I think-] Renzo continued with another intermittent cough.


    Sebastian winced in reaction. [That¡¯s enough, we will come to talk again when you rest some more-]


    [You making me fucking yell so much is what¡¯s making me cough, damn it! Shut up for a second!] he said through more coughing. [Go check the wrecked black boxes again. I bet the director allows it. There is some good shit I had left out on purpose, I guarantee you¡­ not really trusting anyone but you to tell. I got a piece of one of those bastard¡¯s capes, drapes, whatever the fuck it was, and I saw the target clearly for that split second before he had me running. Go back to Bogota and demand you see those black boxes, especially mine. If you find it, I bet you get a good idea of what to do next and who to call. See?] he said, having held back the urge to cough until the end, letting a few out and drinking more water.


    Stolen story; please report.


    Sebastian stood up straight with a cross of his arms. [Now, that¡¯s really quite enough. I will go check on Dani, now. You¡¯ll hang in there?]


    Renzo looked back up with a sincere look in his eyes. [Go. Go see her. And think about what I said. You want to do the right thing¡­ well staying here ain¡¯t it.]


    Sam quietly waved to Renzo as she followed Sebastian out, taking note of the sudden change in atmosphere. I would have never known these two had this kind of¡­ dynamic. Point taken.


    Sebastian was sitting down in a chair he had scooted up right next to Dani¡¯s bedframe, her right hand clasped in his. Her eyes were sunken and dark, chest slowly rising and falling. He couldn¡¯t see her whole face, however, as a mask and set of tubes covered her mouth and nose. He looked over to see her legs were both fully set in molds, showing evidence she had emergency restructuring surgery. He had heard of the procedure that could fix severed ligaments or crushed joints in less than an hour with the newer technology brought from the NAU just before the dissolution of the confederacy, but he had never known anyone to receive it. All he could tell was whatever happened, she almost lost both of them; nothing however hinted of the ensuing complications that must have forced them to put her in a medically induced coma. He took in another deep breath before looking back to her face. [I never went into our job thinking this would be how it might end. To think what I helped drag you into,] he thought aloud as he took a few moments to regather himself. [I know what I have to do. You always looked after me. Now I need to make sure to continue fixing things. Everyone kept promising better days to us. This time, I am not taking any more promises. No, I will make the promise. And I will make it come to reality. I am coming back with the head of whoever did this to you all.]


    Sam had heard everything before he started to stand back up, carefully placing Dani¡¯s tube-riddled hand back over her chest. She realized she had seen and heard more losses, pains, and grief over the course of a week than she might have over the entirety of her life. The weight she felt emanating from the room had her unable to find the words to speak to him as he left through the doorway.


    Sebastian could pick up on it as he paused before passing her. ¡°Thank you for being here for me, too, Sam,¡± he said as he turned to reach for a hug.


    Sam, without thinking or hesitating, reached back out in return to embrace someone in a manner she had never before: both grateful and empathetic yet comforted and warmed.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    (Two Days Later)


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bogota, Colombia


    </li>


    </ul>


    Sam and Sebastian stepped out from a transport vehicle that pulled up to a location they had not seen before, marked Hexa property; the place seemed to have formerly served as a distribution warehouse before abandoning and subsequent purchase from Hexa for reoutfitting as a dispatch and servicing center ¨C a vast departure from the makeshift setup they once had at the El Camp¨ªn stadium from before. Much was still under construction, but was a more welcome sight as they had been missing the sense of stability.


    ¡°Ms. Knight! Sorry to make you wait all this time!¡± Director Braun waved as he approached the two.


    ¡°Thank you for taking the time, Director,¡± Sam waved back as she shook hands. ¡°Thanks for also getting me reprocessed.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, and glad to see you, too, Mr. Navarre,¡± he said as he shook hands with Sebastian. ¡°I got that blackbox pulled, finally. We already looked through it, and I am sure everyone else interested got some good looks as well. Anything in particular you are looking for?¡±


    ¡°Is it the box from Renzo Navarre?¡± Sebastian quickly inquired. ¡°That is the one we need to see.¡±


    ¡°That is exactly why this took so damn long to get clearance for, even with Ms. Knight¡¯s father involved,¡± he said as he led the two inside a temporary office structure. ¡°There¡¯s been speculation that more Hexa tech had been stolen to do what we saw being used, and I mean stolen so well that we never knew anything was ever even sniffed at.¡± He then had them pass through to a smaller, darkened room and approach a screen he had already prepared. ¡°Here, look.¡±


    The two watched repeated frame sets of Renzo¡¯s hybridized rifle rounds by chance pass through a distorted blur of an image before seeing a few paused, clarified frames of what looked to be a head unit similar to the LTACs Sam had seen too often. ¡°That looks like the first head camera assembly I got adjusted to in the 1<sup>st</sup> A-series. But everything else looks¡­ off. What¡¯s with that cloak? I remember Renzo mentioning capes. This doesn¡¯t look good.¡±


    Sebastian took a closer look at the extended handle sword-like weapon being wielded. ¡°And it¡¯s like was described to me. What is that?¡±


    ¡°Can you zoom in on that weapon?¡± Sam requested as she too took a step closer. She then remembered seeing something similar before when she saw the bright beaming light source at the end of the handle at the base of a long, slender metal core that extended to a point. In her past, she never paid much actual attention to her visits to the Earth-Space War Museum where she had plenty of opportunity to take a closer look at the mech remnants her father piloted. But she did remember the old-world inspired broadsword-like weapon it had in its grips. ¡°Director, did he mention anything about this weapon?¡±


    ¡°Your father?¡± he responded as he himself took a closer look. ¡°Of course I never got to speak with him personally. I wasn¡¯t part of the conversation other than getting you clearance for this. So, what in particular were you looking for within this footage?¡±


    ¡°Anything we can get. I wanted a good look at the son of a bitch who did this to my brother and sister,¡± Sebastian was quick to reply. ¡°I also need to see the next frames.¡± As he saw the next few slowed segments, he noticed the entire base frame of the LTAC was visible, seeing stark similarities to the Ai20 frame Sam had once piloted. ¡°The armor isn¡¯t hiding by itself. It is the cape.¡±


    ¡°A cloak¡­ metamaterial cloaking,¡± Sam mumbled, catching the attention of the director.


    ¡°Meta what? Where did you hear that?¡± the Director inquired, having never heard such a term despite his experience.


    ¡°My dad and my brother had a bunch of boring talks of that¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ theory? A long time ago. I could be way the hell off with this one, but I think someone beat them to the punch, because if Hexa officially made this I have already at least seen or heard of it even if just a little. Oh yeah, if I were to try and do anything with this, I¡¯d have to talk to my dad, first. But seeing this all here¡­ this is way out of my league.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? You seem to know much about all of this,¡± Sebastian added, feeling a bit let down. ¡°I think they are making a joke of us. Is there no way to use what we have¡­ or use what we know to get back at them?¡±


    Sam let out a long sigh, closing her eyes in focused thought. Strategizing was never her responsibility before as she was only familiar mostly with well-established protocol. And with her own experience with them once before, crossing paths with them once more was never an option. ¡°Sebastian, I think we need to sit back and get numbers and plans put together. I saw them before. You saw what they did to us way back. They clearly have every advantage against us and the only thing I see in both cases is a total lack of preparation. And I don¡¯t mean basic preparation. This is some extremely high level shit that even I couldn¡¯t speak on. Remember, you¡¯ve been at this longer than me.¡±


    ¡°So, what are you saying? You aren¡¯t already giving up, are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± she scoffed. ¡°You can¡¯t just go riding in like a¡­ you know¡­ knight in shining armor, forgive the pun. We need to get someone to rewrite some books for us if getting back at them is the focus.¡±


    Director Braun stepped back in as he noticed the footage was no longer the focus. ¡°If you two are done I do have a lot to get back to.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Sam looked back with a softened expression. ¡°I really appreciate you having this for us. Just give me one more minute- I need to take one more look at that weapon of his.¡± She nodded in thanks to his welcoming gesture and continued scrolling back to the clearer resolution imaging of the attacking LTAC, taking a much closer look at the handle. ¡°It¡¯s exactly as your brother and my dad described. This plasma arc tech is apparently serious business for the full sized mechs. Having it on these guys, downsized so well yet so effective? Someone who knows not only Hexa tech to the T, but also fully grasped tech we haven¡¯t seen since war time a decade ago.¡± She stood back straight, looking over to Sebastian with a stern look. ¡°We really, really need to gather ourselves before taking any action, and we will need more men to do this.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    ¡°When is your report time, again?¡± Sam asked as the two walked away from the portable office building. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything until tomorrow since they just finished my re-processing.¡±


    ¡°I am in some kind of in between thing. I requested transfer to here, but my return response has never come. I thought it would be here by now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, you did mention that,¡± she said as they sat at a bus stop bench. ¡°I really need to just get some good phone calls in, you know, before we actually decide what to do. And it sounds like we got time.¡± She then looked at him, knowing he had been really gung-ho about joining any group that showed a leaning toward search and destroy ops concerning the unidentified cloaked LTACs. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I really don¡¯t want you to give up, and I have no intention on not helping us get back. Do you get what I mean?¡±


    Sebastian knew he couldn¡¯t get caught up in his emotions, either. ¡°I know. Do you think your father can think of something?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been busy doing a lot of crazy shit like trying to open up new CCC¡¯s across the globe, establish different recruitment pipelines, maybe still trying to do that whole pilot requirement change. I doubt he¡¯s had time to devote just to our little cause.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can hope, right?¡± he said with a defeated smile. ¡°But maybe with your new toy, we might attract them. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I might not be in it long. Why would they want it here? Bogota has really settled down since the EMP incident. But if that was the case, they¡¯d already be trying to move us to Medellin, right?¡±


    ¡°This silence in our schedules has me a bit uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just hungry again,¡± she joked, noticing that it was actually the case for her. She leaned against him with a goofy smile as she continued: ¡°Yo quiero¡­ yo quiero comer¡­ camarones.¡±


    ¡°Again!?¡± he laughed back. ¡°That¡¯s all you eat these days!¡± As he turned to see the top of her head he was reminded of the arctic white streaks she used to have. ¡°Are you ever going to go back to your old hair style?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± she thought as she continued leaning against him. ¡°So much I have stopped doing since I got here, whether it was a choice or not,¡± she chuckled as she continued pondering the question. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will. I haven¡¯t been partying, I haven¡¯t been going to clubs or drinking, I haven¡¯t been updating my social media¡­ it¡¯s all a big reset for me. I haven¡¯t even reached for my phone unless it was a call! I really think I like moving forward with the newer, less crisis-laden me.¡± She then turned to him with a curious look. ¡°Why, did you like that hairstyle better?¡±


    ¡°Um, do you know why my group always called you Cruella?¡± he asked sheepishly.


    Sam¡¯s face soured quickly before rolling her eyes. ¡°Yeah. I looked it up. Thanks for letting them call me that all this time, asshole.¡±


    ¡°What?! I thought you always knew!¡± he returned in defensive laughter.

 Colombia Arc Finale

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    At Hexa¡¯s main office, Vincent was seated in his chair in the executive board meeting room where it was a group of six board leaders sitting in a manner along the sharp angles of the main table that gave off the shape of a hexagon. Al was seated across from him, surrounded by the other four who had been there since the beginning: Lucian, Nabransky, Mugen, and Zaeras. Vincent started the meeting off: ¡°I for one have no problem finding time for us all, but I would start to question the need to have so many emergency board meetings lately.¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± Mr. Lucian, who was labeled as the ¡°Head of Internal Affairs¡±, responded as he put a hand up. ¡°I know everyone saw my notices, and I think most here agree. We would like to know why holds have been placed on as many as twelve different active-duty divisions across the globe. It¡¯s got a lot of us up in sorts. If we need to discuss anything and get things in the open, it has to be now. A lot has happened and a lot needs to continue moving forward and we need to get this cleared right now.¡±


    ¡°Right, especially the ones I have been trying to help rearrange,¡± Al added.


    ¡°Alright, gentlemen, I can put it this way,¡± Vincent replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to interfere with your work. I know exactly how busy you have been with expanded employment and recruitment as well as the flurry of new structure construction and management. That¡¯s why I took the time to flag various groups to try and determine how best to continue further field testing of our newer equipment.¡±


    ¡°But we just had our financial adjustment meeting days ago!?¡± Mugen, the head of financial matters, responded in frustration. ¡°We can¡¯t just start dumping the funds once more on those Axiom units! We have to at least gather a new round of investors just for that one project to continue! And that is what I am still working on, to be clear.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s what I meant. We only have four on the ground. Twelve potential hot spots to cover. Not enough funds just yet, and we are still bound by modified rules of engagement with hybridized round technology. I really want the best and fastest results to come up over the next few weeks as you know a certain rogue group amongst the terrorists really have us in a pinch.¡±


    ¡°But they haven¡¯t surfaced since that incident in Medellin,¡± Nabranksy, head of corporate expansions, added. ¡°We need to focus our new expansions across the South Pacific. As much as I had my disagreements, Mr. Knight has been pivotal in locking down much of the SAU corner of the globe. With Cuba getting where it needs to be, I think Singapore needs more of our time, now, not the Axiom project.¡±


    ¡°Then,¡± Vincent said with confident smirk, ¡°explain to me why we shouldn¡¯t continue field work without spending another dime more? Our Axiom pilots are in the least active regions as we speak, each having seen tremendous success. I want them put in our hottest spots up to date in Bangladesh and the Philippines.¡±


    ¡°Is that what the holds were about?¡± Lucian shot back with a frown. ¡°You intended on doing that without consulting first?¡±


    This is all bullshit, Vrey, and you know it. Al quickly interjected: ¡°As if you thought that would fix the biggest cluster- you know what¡¯s we have experienced since day one?! And this is not even to start to mention how the Axiom has only shown excellent results¡­ against the weakest opposition! We have men bearing tech so advanced we here at Hexa never figured it out for crying out loud.¡± He felt in his gut Sam would be put right in the middle of the talks, but couldn¡¯t bring that up for fairness¡¯ sake.


    ¡°I will do what I must, because every other point you made until now is a true matter,¡± Vincent calmly but sternly returned. ¡°Research and development can¡¯t afford to take back seats with our financial and personnel matters, therefore I am going to continue forward with the restructuring of our active-duty rosters as I have already begun to do. This means we will expect to see how much more of a difference Axiom-centered squads do in areas with the biggest need of clean-up.¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t even intend on wasting an Axiom unit on Dhaka, yet,¡± Al spoke back with paralleled confidence. ¡°That¡¯s not even an LTAC issue. We¡¯ve got our politics so screwed up backwards in that city, basic approach and all. The prime minister even made it clear we aren¡¯t executing like they initially imagined. We are already in the process of renegotiating the terms of the contract- don¡¯t mess this up!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like the surge forward to find faster, more effective, positive results, the door isn¡¯t far, Mr. Knight. We showed you your seat we can show you the exit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s being a bit unfair, sir,¡± Nabransky stepped in. ¡°You trusted us to work together on this-¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Vincent stepped back in abruptly. ¡°I expect you to work around our biggest problems, and you must- and you have no choice but to admit that our lack of efficiency in those two areas are not just political. We don¡¯t have enough personnel, and we can in theory make up for it with more effective endurance and load-bearing capabilities. That is what the Axiom was designed for! Why are we holding them back? You ask me to make a sensible decision, but ask yourselves: are you truthfully thinking sensibly?¡± He stood up to continue, not about to let them answer back just yet. ¡°You men have been doing outstanding jobs. And please, continue to do so. Do so around a new shift in manpower. I will have the schedules finalized soon, but that is none of your worries. Our fine network of directors already know how to handle it all. You just continue your work you all have laid out.¡±


    ¡°This meeting was not just to question your intentions but to plead you to rethink the potential risks¡­ fatal risks we might be running when all we need is just a bit more time, sir,¡± Lucian tried once more in deep earnest.


    ¡°I acknowledge and understand your concern, but since you came to understand my intentions and you are now clear on everything, that is how it will be. Meeting adjourned.¡±


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bogota, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    Sam and Sebastian hadn¡¯t made it far from the bus they just stepped off before both of their mobiles had buzzed with a message notification from Infinity. Sam¡¯s eyes widened immediately upon seeing the title. ¡°Hey, did you just get reassigned!?¡± she fussed as she started to read.


    Sebastian paused in his tracks. ¡°What?! Why are they sending me to Singapore!?¡±


    ¡°Me, too!¡± Sam shouted back as she looked around his shoulder. ¡°We both got Singapore SRC to report to tomorrow!¡± She started thumbing through other messages from the previous days. ¡°This makes no sense! From what I could tell, we would at least be here in the country for months or more!¡±


    ¡°It says we are to receive special operations training for two weeks.¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Singapore¡­ Singapore¡­¡± Sam said to herself, now staring off into the distance. ¡°Hold on, that makes me think¡­¡± she then pulled up a map app that showed recruitment centers across the globe. ¡°That¡¯s where most recruits are sent to Bangladesh, Bali, Myanmar, and the Philippines.¡± Her eyes then sunk. ¡°My very first emergency assignment was notifying all of us about sudden shifts of all new members to Bogota, Dhaka, and Manila. Shit. Sebastian, I think I know where we are headed, and this is not what we were wanting.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said in surprising calmness. ¡°I think someone knows where the bastards we are looking for are going. Call it a¡­ a what is it...¡±


    ¡°A hunch? That¡¯s a hunch I don¡¯t want to hear. Are you ready to start speaking a new language? I mean, you? Leaving South America?¡± She then felt another message notification vibration as she read the headline. ¡°Welp, there you go, buddy. Start learning whatever Bangladesh speaks. That¡¯s where we are headed unless you want to quit Infinity and go hunt those dudes on foot?¡±


    Sebastian took a moment to take everything in. ¡°I need to go talk to my brother one last time, but I still have a¡­ a hunch.¡± He then started laughing at the irony of a memory that had popped up. ¡°He always said I would one day have to leave home to grow up. Maybe this is that calling? I don¡¯t know, but I can¡¯t just walk away with no home to go back to. Maybe we find these men we look for along the way. Maybe Infinity is calling their best pilots?¡± He then returned to the same smile he had earlier. ¡°Are you with me?¡±


    Sam still felt horribly uneasy, but couldn¡¯t help but smile back with a nod. She wondered, too, if the nightmares Sebastian had been having as he coped with the loss of his former team members would become worse, or if the new direction they were about to take would replace them with new ones. But, still, the comfort that came from choosing both her current direction and who she would surround herself with was real.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    (Early Next Morning)


    Sam was back in the same hotel room where she was since the SAU took over operations, and her bags were still packed as if she hadn¡¯t opened them the night before. She sat on her bed with the window in front of her, sun just barely peeking out over the horizon, indicating it was early morning. Her hair had been neatly brushed and tied back, but the no-makeup trend continued. She held up her mobile to open up her Waves app before placing it on the table near her to make a video recording.


    ¡°It¡¯s been too many days counting since I left Akkadia,¡± she started as she kept her eyes on the mobile¡¯s camera lens. ¡°I think an apology is in line for assuming my line of work would be less demanding, but I was na?ve and can see how my approach is insulting to those in this field. With that, I am not just taking a break, but will permanently log off from all activity until my contract expires,¡± she continued with a heavy tone as her initial smile had faded completely. ¡°Too much has changed in such a short time, and I don¡¯t think I can properly explain anything, even if you asked me directly. So, what I will promise to do is collect what I can, compile it when I feel my time to return has come, and wait until then to fill everyone in.¡±


    It was apparent her feed was live as a several comments had already been left, keeping the notification light blinking constantly. She paid it no attention, taking one last breath to continue. ¡°I can¡¯t say where I am going, but I can say I am in good care. I am with someone I feel I haven¡¯t had such faith in trusting in so many¡­ maybe never before. So, sorry for my sudden departure, but I can¡¯t let anything distract me. Some people very important to me are counting on me being focused and able to do my best, so I will do what it takes to maintain that focus. Thank you all for following and will see you sometime in the hopefully not-too-distant future,¡± she said as her smile returned. She motioned with her hand the feed to stop and put the mobile away in her shoulder bag without looking at the notifications. As she zipped it up, she let out a sigh as if a hundred pounds of weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. I am now really starting to believe the mental burden shit that social media has been said to put on the young.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Medell¨ªn, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    Sebastian walked into Renzo¡¯s room to find he was still awake and on social media. [Are you serious?]


    Renzo laughed under his breath as he put his mobile down to reach over and turn the room light on. [Got any better ideas on how I need to spend my time?] He then eased himself up a bit to better speak. [So, did you make any decisions?]


    Sebastian looked back with a conflicted look. [Yes, and no,] he said as he stood by the side of the bed. [I can¡¯t help but think I need to-]


    [-Go play hero?] Renzo interrupted with a smirk.


    [You interrupt me to damn much,] Sebastian chuckled back. [I think they have to know something. You mentioned what you did about the caped units, but the guys at Infinity aren¡¯t exactly denying anything nor are they telling me anything helpful.]


    Renzo¡¯s head swayed in thought. [Sounds like they know a lot. You know how even the government does. If they denied, they don¡¯t want you. If they stay shut up, they either want or need you. So are you staying with them?]


    [With Infinity? Yes, that¡¯s what I decided to do. But as far as deciding what to do? They already did that for me. And that¡¯s what I wanted to ask of you before taking my flight out of here.]


    [Oh-hoh, so the Sebastian Navarre is looking to leave on his own for once!] he laughed before starting to cough as last time. He saw Sebastian approaching him but he waved him off. [I know, I will back off,] he said as he cleared his throat.


    [So, anyway, I do want to find the men who ripped apart our family, taking away what we cannot get back. But Infinity wants to take me to Asia, and I don¡¯t have a say so in remaining here to continue the search.]


    [Idiot,] Renzo mumbled as he rolled his eyes. [That means they have a lead. You are one of the survivors with data or something they will want to keep on hand. They will bring you where you need to go. Even if I am completely wrong, do you think the ¡®cape man¡¯ will hang around Colombia just for you? I bet they moved on to bigger targets. You need to go. And make sure to tell Dani on your way out.]


    [Why, is she awake!?]


    [No. They take her out of her coma tomorrow, but still, tell her anyway. Just¡­ in case.] He then looked to the empty doorway. [Hey, where¡¯s Cruella?]


    [She is on her way. We are meeting at the airport before leaving to Singapore.]


    He chuckled once more in thought before continuing: She turned out to be nothing like the simple idiot tourist I thought she was. Maybe you need to keep her after all¡­ to help keep you in line, too.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam had been waiting outside on a bench near the entrance stairway, dry-fit cloth around her neck tucked between her uniform collar. She didn¡¯t mind the wait, leaning back against the wall behind her to gaze at the high-rises filling the view across the street from her. She noted once again how drastic of a change her perception of the country had gone through in such little time. Morning work-goers busily buzzed by as she thought to herself: I almost want to say¡­ I am going to miss this country. I really need to come back after things settle down. So much¡­ life here compared to home. And better food, people are more upbeat¡­-¡±


    ¡°Sam, we can go now,¡± she heard Sebastian call out from behind as he descended the stairs.


    ¡°How¡¯s Dani? Is she awake, yet?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said as he waited for her to gather her things and shoulder her bag. ¡°Not until tomorrow, and even then she might still be asleep. I will call her when we get a chance after we land.¡±


    ¡°And how about your brother? How is he with you leaving?¡±


    ¡°Remember?¡± Sebastian said with a smile. ¡°This whole leaving out on my own was always his idea. It¡¯s up to me to find out if he¡¯s just crazy.¡±


    ¡°Well, only one way to find out. It might be both of us losing our whole damned minds.¡± Sam then shouldered her other smaller duffel bag over her left shoulder and intertwined her fingers in Sebastian¡¯s open left hand as they started walking. Moments later Sam began to hum a tune to which Sebastian had often hummed, causing him to react in subdued shock.


    ¡°Hmm? You know that song?¡± As she continued humming it, he continued nagging: ¡°Hey, really, who told you?¡±


    ? ¡°Oh, I know that there¡¯ll be better days¡­¡± ?


    ¡°Okay, stop,¡± he continued with a playful nudge. Although, who knew she could sing?


    ? ¡°Oh, that sunshine ¡®bout to come my way¡­¡± ?


    Sebastian thought on impulse to join her, but the erupting cracked voice caused both to sputter in laughter. ¡°Ok, you do the singing. I will just pretend to join.¡±


    ?


    May we never, ever shed another tear for today¡­


    ¡®Cuz oh, I know that there¡¯ll be better days¡­¡±


    ?


    ¡°Amen.¡±


    <hr>


    <hr>


    -End Colombia Arc-

 Dhaka Arc Preview

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Director Norris! Andre! Are y¡¯all still with me?!¡± a younger woman¡¯s voice screamed over the sounds of nearby explosions and crumbling concrete. Her Hexa Infinity pilot suit was drenched in sweat; her body tensed, sore, and numb all at once. Her name patch on her chest read ¡°K. Melancon¡±. She felt gravity pulling her down at an awkward angle from how she had her Ap-50 unit hunched over, hiding underneath an overpass that went over a large drainage ditch. Smoke and dust poured all around her as a building behind her completely collapsed. She waited until the tremors stopped before catching her breath. ¡°Director?¡± Rolling thunder that followed only added to the chaos.


    A cloaked LTAC approached the scene, now wielding a large reflective-coated shield bearing system mounted to its left shoulder and forearm. It gripped the handle to the shield with its hand while keeping the upper end of the shield attached to the pivoting mount on the same upper arm. Behind it walked three Bernaud model LTAC frames, keeping about a hundred meters distance from it. They walked between a corridor of abandoned buildings; a precinct that had been left to rot after moving its tenants and residents to the nearby precinct where walls that had been built sealed off the area.


    The young pilot, still feeling the low frequency rumbles from sliding concrete debris, quickly turned off her targeting and detection equipment and powered down her mobilizing systems. Before the L-Tracker screen went blank, the only readings were three NOx patterns about two hundred meters out. She knew that there was the fourth still there, likely much closer than she¡¯d want.


    From behind the spectacle, off by an additional two hundred meters, a crippled Ap-50 unit dragged itself forward on its arms and elbows, staying low underneath the covering of an old market complex that had just enough ceiling clearance for it to crawl through. The Infinity pilot was not dressed in a pilot¡¯s suit but rather an officer¡¯s jacket with a chest label reading ¡°Site Operations Director¡± followed with a name patch underneath reading ¡°D. Norris¡±. The inside of her cockpit was dark as she kept up only the basic processes running. She was also struggling to keep her composure with the prone-positioned LTAC having her suspended in a way that her entirety was facing the ground below, feeling the restraints tugging away at her whole body, making it hard to breathe normally. She finally got to a position where she could see the three Bernaud units in her sights. Without any tracking or laser targeting, she manually positioned her rifle crosshairs over the nearest unit.


    In the building next to Director Norris¡¯s location, a younger man finished easing himself out from his downed Ap-50 unit, trying to land without causing a stir. Rain began to pour down as he quickly ran under the nearest awning and hid behind a large pillar. His Infinity pilot jacket¡¯s name read ¡°A. Nguyen.¡± As he caught his breath, he unslung his bag he had carried from the LTAC he abandoned as he pulled out a viewfinder and turned to look for the three units in question. As the rain that soaked his short, spiked black hair ran down his face and the viewfinder unit, he zoomed in to see the cloaked LTAC not too far away, barely visible through the now intense downpour. He brought a finger to his earpiece, clicking it as he softly spoke ¡°He¡¯s about a hundred meters in front. Hold steady, director.¡±


    ¡°Do your thing, Andre,¡± he heard her reply.


    He then clicked another button as he continued in the same, calm voice: ¡°If you hear me, Kerry, hold in place. Stay quiet. Don¡¯t move don¡¯t respond don¡¯t do anything.¡±


    One of the Bernaud unit pilot¡¯s brought himself to a halt, surveying the drainage ditch scene ahead. Through the blinding rain he could only visually make out several crumbled and collapsed buildings that surrounded both sides of the only bridge that would run to the other side. It, too, had collapsed during the bout. ¡°Scanners have been dead quiet, Reaper. Where do you think they ran off to?¡±


    ¡°Either the kid was buried alive, or she ran on foot,¡± Isaiah¡¯s voice returned.


    Andre saw the four had been stationary for quite some time. He pulled out a remote switch from his bag and clicked it, hearing a thud in the far distance, barely audible over the sounds of the storm.


    ¡°They¡¯re making a run for it at the Kashipur bridge!¡± the Bernaud unit pilot heard over his radio as he saw Isaiah turn the other direction.


    ¡°On my way,¡± Isaiah spoke in response to the request. ¡°You three, stay here and keep looking for that last A-P.¡± He then blasted off to their immediate south as his jump-boosters lit up the area, leaving the others still standing in place.


    ¡°Alright, scanners to motion sensing, unless you got any better ways around this damn rain?¡±


    Andre clicked a button on his viewfinder, placing a digital tracing on each unit¡¯s back as quickly as he could. ¡°Now.¡±


    Another pilot from a different Bernaud unit reached to his helmet as if to take it off to wipe the sweat from his brow before a locking alarm rang out, causing him to jump just before metal shrapnel sliced through his torso.


    ¡°TAH¡­ TAH¡­ TAH¡± rang out the familiar hybrid rounds from the Ap-50¡¯s rifle. Three quickly placed shots tore through the backside core of each unit. Director Norris waited for the three to move, but each remained silent in their places. She let out a heavy sigh of relief. ¡°Kerry, you can make your way for us once we confirm the Cloak¡¯s reaction to this. Until then, hang tight.¡± She then got out from under the market building¡¯s ceiling before allowing her unit to roll onto its side. As her doors opened, she removed her restraints and her helmet, revealing her tightly curled hair and her face that showed her African descent and that she was perhaps in her late thirties or early forties. She rolled out from her restrictive cockpit and eased herself to an upright sitting position with her feet hanging out, looking at the drop to the ground below before seeing Andre show up, hands extended.


    He helped ease her down before making a run for the awning across the street, dashing down the empty pedestrian walkway before ducking into another alley. There they sat in wait, only the continued drumming sounds of rain and the occasional mew of a cat to be heard. By the time a few minutes passed, Andre looked back to the Ap-50 unit Director Norris had just abandoned to see that not only was it undisturbed but there was not a hint of impending retaliation. ¡°That¡¯s the time marker. If the Cloak was coming, he¡¯d be here.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Director Norris agreed as they braced for another sprint. ¡°Let¡¯s go get Kerry.¡±


    The two approached the destroyed bridge area, seeing nothing around them but the remains of the previously abandoned buildings and a lot of impassable terrain. ¡°Alright, Kerry, coast is clear,¡± Director Norris spoke over her headset.


    ¡°About damn time,¡± Kerry responded over her headset, taking the cue to power up all of her systems once more. ¡°That did not go like I would have expected¡­ at all¡­¡±


    Moments later the two standing not too far away heard concrete being moved before seeing the last functioning Ap-50 standing up from just beyond the bridge¡¯s overpass. ¡°Rescue team,¡± the Director continued over a separate channel, ¡°area cleared and all members accounted for. You might only have a few minutes interval- make it quick!¡±


    ¡°Roger, director, ETA sixty seconds,¡± she heard back from the operator.


    Andre reached in his bag for the same switch he clicked earlier, looking back behind them. ¡°Going to miss the guy,¡± he spoke, clicking a separate button as he saw the self-destruction sequence rip through the rubble that buried his LTAC unit. He then looked to Director Norris. ¡°Last parting words?¡±


    ¡°Shut it and get it over with,¡± she replied with a roll of her eyes.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    The ride they were given was on a cramped but well-equipped med-e vac aircraft. The director, Kerry, and Andre were away from the medical staff as they got out free of injury, but the defeat and exhaustion they felt that night was plain as day. While Kerry and Andre gave up their fight with staying awake, Director Norris couldn¡¯t help but think back on their escape. I feel like I never should have declined the route of naval pilot instructor. Last war, this little episode, all the same. These poor kids. I don¡¯t know what I am going to do now. She then turned behind her to see the injured being tended to. Six of theirs made it out in total plus my two. To think we had eighteen pilots checked off for duty this morning. As she continued in thought, more memories from her past war¡¯s battlefield horrors vividly rushed back.


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Kolkata, India</li>


    </ul>


    A spacecraft built for taxiing passengers from Space to Earth had just landed on its pad as a connecting tunnel from the terminal extended and allowed those aboard to disembark. Al thought to himself as he took his first steps off of the landing craft and into the tunnel: Haven¡¯t been here since¡­ before the last war¡­ Definitely don¡¯t remember the air being this thick. The humid night air remained inside the connection as the line of passengers quickly made their way to the terminal. The terminal was one of many attached to the spaceport, belonging to India but with one small portion dedicated rental space to Hexa for the remainder of their contract.


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    Al was led to a closed office room inside one of the rented buildings as he was led by other Hexa officials mixed in with Indian military officers. He nodded gratefully as one opened the door for him, allowing him to pass through and see three seated at one end of the smaller conference table at the center of the somewhat cramped room. He immediately noted Director Norris who seemed to trigger a number of memories from his past. He didn¡¯t know of the two next to her, one being Andre, and the other being Kerry, who was like Director Norris in having African descent. Her hair was in short locks, swept to one side, and her facial features were much softer in comparison. He also noted how short she was. All three were cleanly dressed, having had showers and a chance to change after their earlier ventures.


    ¡°Well, of course they¡¯d send you,¡± Director Norris spoke as she stood up to greet him.


    ¡°I know, always late like the old days,¡± Al smirked as he took his seat across from them. ¡°Well, well, Danielle, I¡¯ve got to say, nothing would bring me down here unless it was something incredibly urgent to the level of shit tossed right into the fan.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and an epic proportion, at that. Last time you walked into a conference room with me all those years back, it was definitely that kind of shit all over the fan,¡± she said with a returned smirk and a subdued giggle at her own gag. ¡°Glad to see you are doing well for yourself, Knight.¡±


    ¡°Likewise. I knew it¡¯d only be a matter of time before we crossed paths,¡± he continued as he pulled out a number of items from his briefcase including his mobile he put into holographic projection mode. He then noted the patch on her uniform read ¡°Norris.¡± Assuming that must be her maiden name, he thought to himself as he continued preparing.


    Danielle wasn¡¯t surprised by the lack of formalities as she may have been long accustomed to this type of response. She soon, however, noticed her pilots were beginning to look impatient. ¡°Sorry, these are the two you requested me to keep with me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Al said as he projected the roster Danielle was in charge of was brought up. ¡°Kerry¡­ Melon-kahn-¡±


    ¡°Meh-law-sawn,¡± Kerry corrected, holding back frustration as if she had heard the wrong pronunciation a thousand times too many. ¡°Sorry, sir.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no no, my apologies,¡± Al waved as he continued. ¡°Hailing from the Louisiana province of the NAU. And Andre¡­¡±


    ¡°Just pronounce it as ¡®win¡¯, sir, keep life easier for you,¡± Andre said with an equally casual smile. He saw Danielle and Kerry looking at him judgmentally before shrugging his shoulders. ¡°What, he¡¯s the one who¡¯s setting the atmosphere, not me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so,¡± Al jumped in before more time was wasted. ¡°Nguyen, I see you are from the Casares Territories¡­ Hargrove A at that.¡± He then looked at the three once more before continuing with a straight face. ¡°I need to know three things, so let¡¯s cut to the chase. Danielle, you realize that not only are you the last remaining Harbinger serving for Hexa outside of myself, but also that you willingly piloted a Hexa LTAC at that, am I right?¡±


    Kerry¡¯s attention was jerked in fully by the remark. She¡¯s a Harbinger!? And this guy, too?!


    ¡°Just in case you decide to go bitch-out mode, just know that the regional coordinator already gave me the earful just earlier. Directors have no place piloting, stipulations and red tape blah blah, but our entire holding facility was wiped out this morning,¡± Danielle finished with a sudden jump in tension.


    ¡°As I heard,¡± Al replied, pulling up other screens on display. ¡°I see you took action quickly as well, chasing¡­ something to this direction where a lot of the damage was taken. Tried to go straight at them?¡±


    ¡°We called the thing the Cloak after he put us on the run. That¡¯s the one who initiated the fight. We¡¯d heard of things happening in Manila and Bogota, but nothing of this degree. Their group came down from all angles. I gathered who I could for a counterattack, leaving me with these two here for all I had left once the retreat protocol was put in place. Everyone else I had was scattered or killed¡­ and the only choice I had for keeping up with these two was to grab the empty A-P I saw. Kid it was assigned to was KIA before he had a chance to load up.¡±


    ¡°And how did you survive? Everyone else this¡­ Cloak¡­ faces, has left nothing but death in his wake for the most part. I¡¯m thinking of having just talked to people in Colombia with similar experiences.¡±


    ¡°Well, Knight, that¡¯s just it. It took a few rough, and I mean rough, encounters throughout the day, but me and my two new best friends here think we have the formula for reducing the Cloak¡¯s strengths. We can¡¯t even think to take him on head-on, but we can talk about what we can do to beat him. That¡¯s why I¡¯m glad they sent you to allow me to make some special requests.¡±


    ¡°Right, I saw the requests and that¡¯s not the issue. You actually are providing me with some ammo for talks I need to bring to the board about this whole keeping Harbingers and ex-pilots out of the business. Times have rapidly changed, and we need to change our vision as well.¡±


    ¡°You saw, then. Not everything went to plan, but Cloak is many levels above the teams he pulls. It¡¯s gotta be old war experience serving him- hell I¡¯m convinced he used to be one of us. He¡¯s coming right¡­ straight¡­ at us. He knows Infinity is not ready for all out anti-LTAC warfare. So, to counter that, I figured instinctively that, OK, I gotcha, this is just a war of attrition. You take our¡¯s, we take yours. We have a national resource pool, apparently you do, too. But, hey, we have shots you can¡¯t make. We started finding ways to pick off his supporting cast every turn he takes.¡±


    ¡°You mean with the tech we have access to.¡±


    ¡°See? The ROE for the hybrid rifles are bullshit. Only equip when we file for permission a day in advance?! Yeah, so I never had legal rights to do what I did, but I never had our A-P¡¯s without them at the ready. I know what fire I am to face, but I expect you can help. That¡¯s what we did all day today, set up, wait, pick off. Single shots to the core. Run.¡±


    ¡°How well did that work? How many did you manage to get vs how many you lost?¡±


    ¡°At the split up, I only had three originally with me. Melancon was already her squad leader as you know, Nguyen here, and Barakat. He¡¯s out, we medevac¡¯d him earlier during the day after he got taken down. But by our exit, these two here and I had taken down sixteen of their pawns. All at the expense of every A-P left except Kerry¡¯s, which is getting repairs as we speak.¡±


    Al cleared his throat as he swiped over to a different screen, showing various weapons they had collected information on over the past few weeks. ¡°Did you see any of these along the way?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we saw those grenade launchers to a heavy extent. But those swords you point out, no. The Cloak had something similar, but not those.¡±


    ¡°The Cloak was in Colombia, I¡¯m afraid. Three of them in total. Those weapons you point to are who we believe are his accomplices. Same grenade rounds used as well. This is a worldwide effort.¡±


    ¡°And that worldwide effort got smart. They are about to smash us out of the park before dawn at this rate. I need you to speak to the uppers for me. This by-the-book bullshit is going to get these kids killed. We need complete make-overs or something for our ROE. Squad combat. Anti-LTAC strategies. Something.¡±


    Perfect, just as I was hoping. Right on the same page- will make things easier for me. ¡°Do you remember the flex four formations?¡±


    ¡°Do I? You think I haven¡¯t been pondering their adaptations for the urban setting?¡±


    ¡°Even better.¡± Al seemed all too comfortable with the conversation he had been having with whom by now was well established as more than a simple acquaintance. Kerry and Andre were growing impatient by this point, unsure of their involvement. Al read their eyes and shifted his tone. ¡°Well, look, Danielle I would have to find more time tomorrow morning to get things ready to write down our official ¡®suggestions¡¯, but the next two things I need are from your pilots here. May I speak with them in private?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure, I figure they¡¯re getting testy by now anyway¡± she said with a smile to the two of them. ¡°I will gather my notes on the formation adaptations I have thought about for the morning. Let me know when to stop by,¡± she said on her way out.


    Kerry didn¡¯t watch her leave as she continued staring down Al. ¡°How are you two- sorry, sir,¡± she said as she caught herself speaking out of place. ¡°Permission to speak freely.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the military, Melancon- if I said that right. Any time, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°How are you two this comfortable?!¡± she said with disbelief. ¡°People are dead and some are on the verge of dying, pilots and support staff alike. I don¡¯t get how you two can be smiling and visiting! This isn¡¯t OK!¡±


    Al dialed his casual tone back with another clearing of his throat. ¡°Well, to be frank, this is something myself and Mrs. Sal-, sorry, Ms. Norris have been long, long accustomed to. I am here to ask two more things. First is to ask you two whether or not you are ready to take on the burden of continuing forward with Director Norris here¡­ and the other is to ask how much I can get from you as statements on behalf of all the Infinity holding area victims. I¡¯d like to do as much as I can before regional management steps in and stirs the pot the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t understand, but I don¡¯t know if I am capable, sir.¡±


    He started losing his softness by the second. ¡°Ms. Melancon, you might need to see these, then,¡± she said as he swiped over to black box records from her¡¯s and Danielle¡¯s Ap-50, showing each of the shots recorded from their rifles. ¡°Eight, nine, ten¡± he counted through each snapshot until he got to sixteen. ¡°That¡¯s sixteen units, sixteen casualties you two have inflicted. It doesn¡¯t matter what is or isn¡¯t OK, this is what it is. You were trained by a Harbinger, clearly, and you don¡¯t realize the skills you have, I believe.¡± He then looked to Andre. ¡°And I saw the coordinating you utilized between the three of you after comms went down. Most would¡¯ve panicked or fell back completely, not run out in the middle of the storm. Nothing you pulled off was ever in the books from my knowledge. This is why I asked those two questions. Please take a minute to think if needed, but I need an answer.¡±


    Andre looked to Kerry with a look of disbelief as he whispered ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn everything we went through in training was the book.¡± He then looked to Al as he spoke up: ¡°Look, Mr. Knight, we don¡¯t really follow much of what you are trying to explain as this is all hitting us like a ton of bricks. Director Norris was the first piloting instructor we were placed with at Jazira Station post-recruitment way back in January this year. This was before she was upgraded to site operations director where we just so happened to be reunited with her only a week ago. This is a lot to take in, sir, if you can understand what we mean.¡±


    Kerry meanwhile looked as if she felt betrayed by something or misled. ¡°I only do what I am expected to, and do the best job I can. That¡¯s just how I was raised,¡± she said as she started to frown. ¡°But I don¡¯t like to think that I am about to be scrutinized for doing just that, and following orders.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t being scrutinized, you are being commended,¡± Al reassured her as he attempted to lighten the mood somewhat. ¡°I need you two to think about whether or not you are OK moving forward, and if you are willing to spell out in detail more of what happened with me before I hit the shuttle back to Akkadia first thing in the morning. I know it¡¯s late, but business is business. Please let me know.¡±


    After a moment of difficult deliberation raced through their minds, Kerry responded: ¡°I think we are better off speaking to Director Norris before giving any real response. Is that OK?¡±

 Dhaka Arc Preview, Part 2

    Danielle had walked into the same conference room early that next morning, finding Al the first one there this time. ¡°So, what did they say?¡±


    ¡°I will run through the last of what has been arranged,¡± Al said as he pulled a set of screens up. ¡°But you won¡¯t be directing operations anymore. We are pulling you to work deployment coordination. Vrey and I don¡¯t really see much eye to eye, but whether he wanted to accept it or not, our opposition leaves us with no choice but to adapt and that means more experience where it matters. But until that day comes, thanks to messy politics and just the mere thought that the moniker ¡®Harbinger¡¯ would cause a stir to be certain, we have to play this one step at a time.¡± He then pulled up squadron formation and grouping format screens to the front. ¡°We are allowing anti-LTAC squadrons to be formed, each needing their own coordinator and trainer. This is where you step in. You will be the first to test this platform in Dhaka, but they did award us two weeks training and some new members.¡± He then pointed to the top formation labeled ¡®Flex Four¡¯. ¡°This is what I could patch up based on what you gave me last night. Find a way to get this to fit in within your pilots personal attributes as best as you can.¡± He then let out a chuckle thinking of the irony of the situation. ¡°I really would¡¯ve had this sit down with people like you from day one if I truly took the time to realize how ridiculously ill-prepared each trained pilot was for anti-LTAC combat. Did Vrey honestly think there¡¯d be only riots to control?¡±


    Danielle let out a sigh as she took a seat two seats down. ¡°I don¡¯t know if these kids know what they truly are volunteering themselves for. I really need a sit-down real soon with them, but it¡¯s just so hard to figure out the best way to be fully open and honest without, you know, scaring them. This isn¡¯t a war, yet it still is.¡±


    ¡°You keep calling them kids,¡± Al noted. ¡°Aren¡¯t they mid-twenties?¡±


    ¡°Ha, they¡¯re still kids to me, but you¡¯re right. Kerry is engaged to marry someone across the globe next spring, and Andre has been working several full-time jobs over the years to support his sick mother. They¡¯ve had more normal, adult lives than I ever got to experience. I don¡¯t want to believe I am helping ruin their chances at returning to their much more normal lives, but damn it I can¡¯t just let things go without getting my hands involved. Just like you obviously can¡¯t, either.¡±


    ¡°It has consumed and cost me a lot on my end, I must admit,¡± he added with a troubled sigh. ¡°But I fully understand where you are coming from. A little too well.¡± He then pulled up a training schedule that needed filling as he continued: ¡°Anyway, find you some men. If you need help plugging in spots, don¡¯t hesitate to reach out, but hopefully finding two good pilots who are available for transfer shouldn¡¯t be too tough.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Later that morning, the three were on a flight to Singapore. They sat in a privately partitioned space, separated from the rest of the Infinity members who joined them on their trip. Danielle was half awake, attempting to benefit from the caffeine in her coffee. Andre was content to stare out the window as he listened to music through his earphones. Kerry was lost in thought, thinking back to the black box footage she saw of the last three shots Danielle took that cleanly took down the last three enemy LTACs in less than two seconds with nearly zero targeting assistance, which still had her bewildered.


    The fasten seatbelt light went off with a ding, cueing the two younger pilots to remove their restraints as they stretched out, slouching slightly into a more comfortable position.


    ¡°Ms. Norris, what do you really think of your new job?¡± Andre asked after yawning, removing his earpieces.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter what I think,¡± she responded without looking up from her coffee. ¡°I doubt it could have been any other way. I hold my promises, and I expect everyone else to hold theirs.¡±


    ¡°Ms. Norris,¡± Kerry interrupted as she decided now would be the time to ask what had been bugging her since that meeting. ¡°What exactly is the whole story on you Harbingers? You never said you were one.¡±


    Danielle closed her eyes as she sat back, taking a moment before looking back to her. She preferred the topic being brought up rather than trying to find a way to do it herself, after all. ¡°What do you not know about the title? I thought you kids learned more than enough from your current events classes. Didn¡¯t you graduate college just two years ago?¡±


    ¡°I got my degree in mechanical engineering, not political science,¡± she snubbed before straightening her posture. ¡°I am talking about what you had us do. We followed you like you were the book, but that guy said you were training us differently. Does that apply to everyone you trained? And why? Why would it have anything to do with being a Harbinger?¡±


    ¡°I see what you mean, and I knew it¡¯d come to this one day if I lived through it,¡± Danielle responded with a chuckle. ¡°I had made some poor, poor decisions before, and ever since making things right, I continue to do so without feeling like I have to announce my position on everything to the world. The world never wants to understand, anyway.¡± She then looked back at Kerry, seeing she wasn¡¯t going to be satisfied without a direct answer. ¡°We were the ones to survive the first interspace war with certain records. Government propaganda or sense of pride amongst the surviving pilots? Make your pick. We got our titles. Come the second interspace war? We already got pre-sorted into our custom-tailored messes, survived those, kept getting better, more efficient at things we never asked to become skilled in. It really got us screwed up in the head over time. What is a Harbinger, you ask? You are asking that question in the wrong era. Mr. Knight is one to stick to concepts he works comfortably within. Me being one means nothing to me. Bringer of change? That¡¯s what we all should be striving to do, not just the ones with a convenient label.¡±


    ¡°So, you are trying to do your own thing even if it endangered the lives of others because you felt it was right?¡±


    ¡°Damn right I was,¡± Danielle subtly shot back. ¡°You know you weren¡¯t brainwashed. You knew exactly what to do to survive and here you are. Why else would you be? Same for Barakat, who¡¯s still alive and breathing, right? I knew things would become what they have one day. We just live in a different era with different names for the same human problems. I saw who I worked with when I worked with you all,¡± she continued in a more lecturing tone. ¡°All thirty-six of you. Even though I am only looking at the last two I remained in contact with, I saw kids looking to be tossed in similar situations with¡­ the book, the only thing to depend on. What we are about to take on in the next two weeks is proof that what Hexa up top has you doing should be labeled as dangerous at best.¡±


    ¡°To be completely honest,¡± Kerry responded while keeping her eyes at level, ¡°I felt there was no other choice given the situation. I have spent the past month at the squad leader level that was forced onto me. I didn¡¯t mind in the end, I guess. I know what you mean when you say all that- I feel the same way, too, in a sense. But¡­¡± she trailed off as something made her feel defeated and look away. ¡°I see. If we followed protocol, that first attack had us regroup center. We¡¯d have been picked off like everyone else who followed protocol, almost like they read us beforehand.¡± She then thought back to the last encounter with the attackers before she lost contact with the two:


    -----------------------------


    ¡°Hold position!¡± Kerry heard Danielle shout over their channel from within her Ap-50.


    The skies were starting to darken as storm clouds rolled in, cutting out what visible sky was left between the tall buildings that surrounded the street from which she stood. Using the LTAC¡¯s feet, she slowly inched her way back towards the intersection that split three different directions, one being towards a drainage ditch and a bridge over it. ¡°Ready to fire the bait shots. Let me know the coordinates.¡±


    ¡°Incoming NOx trails two blocks northeast of you,¡± Andre spoke over the same channel. ¡°From their patterns so far, this means Cloak should be-¡±


    Kerry heard the sound of shots fired, severed metal and split concrete, triggering her instincts to run. Instead, she bit down, fighting off the fear just long enough to drop her rifle, grabbing two grenades. She heaved one directly toward the sound of the noise before dropping one at her feet. She quickly hit the boosters towards the bridge, hearing both explosions go off, knowingly putting all the nearby buildings to the blasts in a state of crumble. All she could think to do then was trust the process she had built in. She then heard a familiar pair of explosions not too far from that intersection she abandoned, knowing that was Danielle, but needed to check on Andre once she found her way under the bridge. ¡°Andre! Do you read!?¡± She checked the corner of her screen to see both of their radio lines weren¡¯t active anymore, sending panic through her nerves. ¡°Director Norris! Andre! Are y¡¯all still with me?!¡± An ensuing explosion had her feel a sinking feeling before the louder sounds of crumbling buildings had her return to finding a safe position under the overpass.


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    Unbeknownst to Kerry, the grenade she threw to Andre¡¯s location knocked an enemy LTAC to the ground before the building toppled on top of it. On the other side of that same building, Andre¡¯s Ap-50 had just edged itself far enough away to avoid the same fate.


    The Cloaked LTAC that had dove into Kerry¡¯s original location was now too clouded with dust to see due to the grenade she dropped before retreating.


    -----------------------------


    ¡°I have to admit, I was really scared. I heard that building fall on y¡¯all. I thought it might¡¯ve been me causing it. And then I thought I was dead for sure. So, now I can¡¯t help but think that¡­ all this kind of stuff¡­ just¡­ comes natural to you?¡±


    Danielle leaned forward, placing her coffee on the table in front. ¡°That¡¯s what I have been trying to have you all primed to do. Just¡­ handle business. You can¡¯t think for even a second. And I figure since neither of you have run off with the chances given to just simply cash out, you must have something motivating you in ways I couldn¡¯t have done myself.¡± She then sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, too. I would¡¯ve convinced anyone else to leave, but not you two. Seeing I am still in this whole deal for the longer run, you two kids don¡¯t know how happy it makes me to see you still here.¡±


    ¡°Question, we really are going back to Dhaka, aren¡¯t we?¡± Andre joined in, seeing Danielle nod. ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t even try to be all philosophical and what not. Just worried about one thing, really. It¡¯d better be more pilots than just me and Kerry this time around,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°I am not about to go through all that again.¡±


    ¡°No, of course not,¡± Danielle calmly replied. ¡°I was promised two more. We got a lot to work on, but for now, let¡¯s not worry about who it is just yet.¡±


    <u>Dhaka Arc Preface</u>


    It was the fall of the Confederacy that catalyzed economic crashes similar to what was experienced in Colombia, but in some corners of the world, it was much worse. For southeast Asia, the two largest spheres of influence during the height of the Confederacy were China and India. Once India had been no longer obligated to redistribute its portion of the larger region¡¯s GDP, Bangladesh and Myanmar were two of the first to feel its effects in full. It was especially difficult for Dhaka¡¯s residents, as a partially completed rebuild of the capital city had just hit its last phases before it came to a crashing halt. 90% of the city had its divisions redrawn and relabeled in precincts, receiving new construction of many buildings present including heftily upgraded infrastructure. Each reconstruction phase came precinct by precinct, and before construction the scheduled precinct¡¯s citizens and businesses would be the first to relocate to the first cleared and rebuilt precinct. The abandoned area would be rebuilt, then the next would move in. The cycle would continue until the whole city was rebuilt. When the confederacy was dissolved, only 60% of the city was rebuilt, 10% in the abandoned phase. Demands to resume reconstruction fell on deaf ears as no one could draw up the funds necessary to continue them, and many angry political activist groups demanded compensation from the nations that were contracted originally. The ruling BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party), however, disapproved of pursuing such a route as it would cause further tensions in trade relations with India and China, leaving the activist groups no choice but to continue garnering attention through various means, both violent and non-violent. The government was quick to hire Hexa¡¯s services to help keep the peace, but the abandoned precincts unknowingly served as efficient preparation grounds for an unexpectedly strong surge in anti-government and anti-foreign aid resistance. With their decline in popularity for using Infinity¡¯s services, BNP politicians were quick to experience cold feet and are now moving to distance themselves from the partnership in order to keep their position as ruling party over the next elections.


    Infinity had kept a persistent presence at first for the early months, but as of late had been suffering a wave of injuries and deaths, gravely tarnishing their reputation as providers of a marketable profession. But to Hexa, bowing to the BNP¡¯s pressure and giving up on their contract might prove to be a greater blow to their reputation. The dilemma on how to handle the situation enters its final hours: push back with a ramp up in the use in violent force, or back out before events spiral out of control at the risk of other nations losing faith in their services.


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    The sounds of rain assaulting the windows and patios lining the restaurant where Marian had just taken her seat mixed well with the ambient noises from the crowds inside, creating an atmosphere she for some reason seemed to be soaking in. She looked across the table for two at the younger woman dressed in a seemingly expensive designer¡¯s pants suit and began to speak: ¡°I loved what I smelled walking back here; I think I was passing the kitchen just now,¡± she spoke of the restaurant located in the New Bashundhara Shopping Center.


    The woman had long, coffee-brown, curling-ironed hair pulled into two trailing ponytails hanging over the front side of each shoulder, complementing the low hanging earrings she wore. Her returning smile also matched the strong gaze her dark brown eyes gave off as she spoke back with a stout Bengali accent: ¡°So, I take it you¡¯ve enjoyed your stay thus far, Ms. Cable?¡±


    Marian was for once dressed up as well, unable to match the same level of flair but nonetheless paired up in full business attire. ¡°I have, thank you, and I can¡¯t wait to try this Kacchi Biryani you recommended. But at this rate, it might not matter what you got me as everything seems wonderful,¡± she responded, appetite fully aroused by the aromas of various spices, meats, and stews.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame your partner could not make it. There is so much to see here in this area, and I can only hope to be good company until you meet with my father.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± too busy to enjoy just a few minutes of his life¡­ ¡°just been tied up with projects that never seem to end.¡± She then thought back to the objective of her meeting with the woman. Her name was Taneesha Sur, and she was the daughter of the First Secretary of State of Bangladesh. Although she would admit to caving into her guilty pleasures of indulging in Earthside-only exquisite cuisines, she knew not to lose sight of the task at hand. ¡°That does remind me, though. Ms. Sur, I do need to ask a personal question if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Ms. Cable, of course,¡± she responded with a smile, leaning forward intently.


    ¡°You do realize your father has the power to help end the latest problems with the capital city here and it won¡¯t have to involve the mayor whatsoever. Could you, in order to help me better approach this meeting in the best way possible, tell me why he¡¯s so invested in the mayor as of late?¡± I have to be careful not to mention Hexa. Not sure who here could have any mixed feelings, after all.


    ¡°You have to understand,¡± she replied with a calm tone, ¡°this is how our recent history has been and you should know that. People, especially politicians, think that any time we have a party change, it has to be counteracted with another party change. Our family wants to take caution and take the proper amount of time required to fix that, as does the Prime Minister. And because for once, unlike recent past, we actually agree on something major with the current and opposition parties: we want Hexa out.¡±


    No shit. Tell me something we all don¡¯t know.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t just rush to emotional decisions like many expect us to, and this is still something we can¡¯t let the public know just yet. Let me remind you that is why we are arranging this meeting. I trust you have the information we need. But you have to understand that we must support our current party¡¯s constituents, including Dhaka¡¯s mayor. All we need to do is give him your information after we determine how useful it is, and we can work on removing the biggest eyesore of a contract from our government¡¯s spending. I promise you citizen and government relations will improve from that point.¡±


    Before she could continue, two plates of biryani were placed in front of them, once again stealing Marian¡¯s attention. ¡°Sorry, I promise I¡¯m listening,¡± she replied instead. ¡°Is this¡­ this is lamb, isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Of course, marinated lamb for this one.¡± She waited to take her first bite, instead finding humor watching Marian so completely absorbed in the experience.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had lamb in more than ten years. This is too amazing¡­¡± Marian spoke with her mouth full, making up for the lack in manners with the compromise of holding a hand over her talking mouth.


    After a brief chuckle, Taneesha continued: ¡°Again, we want you to see how great Dhaka is on the verge of becoming. We can only do it with our mayor and our Prime Minister working together. Let me continue to show you after our meal, please, and you might change your perspective.¡±


    Marian struggled to keep focus initially through the intense flavors and tenderness of the lamb, but the last statement had her thoughts gathered up once more. Typical blind party loyalty to the BNP, something to note. Will just have to wait and see how the Secretary of State reacts to the package we brought and see how pliable his direction is.


    ¡°What if my father remains firm with his support of Mayor Biswas? Is this going to trouble your plans?¡±


    Marian swallowed prematurely upon hearing her called bluff.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your intention to ensure the removal of Hexa from Bangladesh? Or am I sensing something else?¡± she continued with a colder gaze.


    ¡°Ms. Sur,¡± Marian said as she straightened her posture, clearing her throat. ¡°You threw me off with such a change in tone. You had me thinking you gravely misunderstood my message,¡± she continued firmly. ¡°My one and only drive is to see Hexa gone from the face of the Earth. I have no interests vested in this country other than that one goal set for myself and my business partner. I came to ensure your father can deliver proof needed to do just that. Is that not why we met? Or could you explain how you misinterpreted my intentions?¡±


    Taneesha now elected to take her first bite, relaxing her posture. ¡°You must realize this is what I do for a living. I cannot afford to be caught off guard, so please excuse my reactions. No offense intended, Ms. Cable.¡±


    Rex said specifically to work with this chick and her father, but something says this whole party reeks of political sidestepping and she brought it with her. Definitely something I don¡¯t trust here¡­ maybe I should venture out on my own a bit tomorrow and spot someone to speak with in the Awami League Party instead of sticking with her and the ruling BNP¡­ someone who we know for a fact is ready to quickly and aggressively wash the slate clean with this country.


    ¡­


    But I digress. She looked back up as she took a sip from her cup of tea, enjoying the moment sans anything to do with the person in front of her before continuing with a forged smile. ¡°Apologies for the wrong turns in the direction of our activities. Let¡¯s move forward as we arranged.¡±

 Other Side of the World

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Singapore SRC/CCC</li>


    </ul>


    [Two Days Later]


    Amongst other manmade islands scattered amongst the Singapore Strait was one that had been vacated by the former International Confederate Military. A large part of the complex had been utilized for pilot training, and Hexa found it prime real estate for its pilot training and recruiting while also having room to operate a command center. It was expensive, but the national military elected to receive a premium for renting it out rather than spend to keep it maintained and never used.


    Walking down one of its main corridors just past main security check-in was Danielle, wearing a different director¡¯s jacket from before. A violet color accented design stood out from the whites, grays, and blacks of everyone else around her. On her tag was ¡°D. Norris¡± with ¡°LRD Director¡± underneath. She had a relaxed pace to her walk as she approached a waiting room to her right, seeing an officer standing by the doorway. ¡°I take it they¡¯ve been waiting patiently?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, although they are still confused. As am I, to be honest, but go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± she said with a pause in her tracks as she checked her watch. ¡°I need to make sure my other kids aren¡¯t getting held up.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam leaned back in her chair, uneasy and uncomfortable. The room was on the sterile side, only six chairs to a round table and nothing else but bare walls and a projection device. Sebastian was busy digging through Southeast Asia news sites, not paying much attention to Sam.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said as he kept swiping through the holographic card viewers, ¡°I found a site that is making a hero of someone. This could be the guy.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Sam said without looking over. ¡°We just got here, guy, you need to lay off the news. We can¡¯t even figure out what we are doing- we¡¯ve been stuck in this room for more than an hour now!¡±


    ¡°But look!¡± he said insistently, rotating his mobile on the table towards her. ¡°This is a Bangladesh local journal. Says some hidden hero stuff. Saving the city from Infinity invaders.¡± He then swiped over to the next, seeing he had her attention. ¡°This? Says Infinity lost an entire base a few days ago.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± she said with a look of shock, taking a closer look. ¡°I heard before that Dhaka and Manila were having a rough time, but¡­ wow. They even kept this hush-hush from us as well¡±


    The two of them jumped at the sound of the door suddenly opening to see Danielle walk in. ¡°Rough time doesn¡¯t even start to explain it,¡± she continued for them as she approached the now standing couple. ¡°Sorry for startling you. Danielle Norris, LTAC Response Division Director.¡± She then looked to Sam as she extended her hand. ¡°I could tell you would share some similarities with your father, but those must be your mother¡¯s eyes, Samantha.¡±


    Sam was turned off by how casually Danielle seemed to be approaching the meeting, but firmly shook hands anyway. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. I take it you were the one we were told to wait for?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± she said as she now extended her hand to Sebastian. ¡°And the brother in-tact. Nice to meet you, too, Sebastian.¡±


    ¡°Why do you know us so well?¡± Sebastian asked as he too shook hands.


    ¡°My job, of course.¡± Danielle then motioned them to sit as she found herself a seat at the opposite end of the table. ¡°We have had absolutely zero time to do things by the book getting you two processed, and I mean zero.¡± She then pulled up pictures of a destroyed Hexa holding center, the one she had to escape from in Dhaka. ¡°This is why I am in such a hurry to get things back on track. We had many pilots and their armor shelled up here in Dhaka. All gone. Pre-emptive strike from their underground.¡± She then looked to Sebastian. ¡°The one you just found in their news. That¡¯s what has us so busy and no time to be nice with our preparations.¡±


    ¡°So, how does this involve us? I read we have two weeks for training,¡± Sam asked as she studied the aftermath.


    ¡°You do. This is what we are training to do. To prevent this from ever happening again.¡±


    Something didn¡¯t sit well with Sebastian, even though he withheld from comments about what he thought might be connections to the cloaked LTACs. ¡°But why us two? You must have more men.¡±


    Danielle held a response as she continued to slide over to a separate photo showing surveillance camera frames during the attack. She zoomed in on one of the older Av-25 LTAC units that was the first one to make a run for a better shooting angle. She put up the next frame, showing its legs sliced out from under it but with no directly engaging LTAC nearby. The next frames showed it being struck by a grenade round before the pilot could escape. She noted the level of attention spiking from the two, pausing the frame showing there. ¡°I take it you know not only the kind of weapon used just now, but you also know those specific grenade rounds being used. Nothing like Hexa-made ones, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the cape¡­ that¡¯s the cape doing that,¡± Sebastian couldn¡¯t help but think aloud.


    As Danielle was notified, she confirmed his prior knowledge. ¡°Cape? You mean the Cloak? So you do know of it.¡±


    ¡°You see it only in real life, only with your own human eyes,¡± Sebastian continued as he looked back to her. ¡°How did you see the cape if you were not looking at it the same?¡±


    ¡°My survivor did,¡± she curtly replied. ¡°Others got their word in, too, but they all said the same. A cape wearing LTAC, or as we call it, ¡®Cloak¡¯.¡± She then looked to Sam who was still trying to make sense of everything. ¡°Samantha, don¡¯t you also have some info on this already as well?¡±


    But Sam had already gotten what she needed to see as her hopes were that their trip wouldn¡¯t ultimately be in vain, brining both relief and anxiousness at the same time. ¡°I only saw what he saw. It was his brother, Renzo, who was the source of confirmed visuals. But after looking at his black box feed, we did see as a bullet struck the cloak, the stealth effect faded for an instant.¡± She then looked back at Danielle as well, sitting back in her chair. ¡°Actually, this is all 100% why we both decided not to ditch. I assume my Dad must be¡­ expediting things? All of this timing seems a bit too convenient.¡±


    Danielle laughed under her breath as she stepped away from the projector screens. ¡°He of course would tell me he¡¯s too busy to call you; he was just with me the other day in Kolkata. He didn¡¯t mention at first that he¡¯d be dragging his own daughter into the worst of the fray, but something says it wasn¡¯t his decision. He¡¯s out to set a path to make sure you get the best prep, though.¡± She then cleared her throat, tapping her watch. ¡°They¡¯re almost here. Anyway,¡± she continued, swiping towards a new set of screens. One showed the Axiom¡¯s technical layout. ¡°This is a different but equally important reason as to why we think you¡¯re called in. You are only one of four left with fully functioning Axiom units. Field testing gets another go before Vrey¡¯s dogs go running wild¡­ and that¡¯s nothing I want anyone to see.¡±


    ¡°So then that means the rest of the Axiom pilots are really going to get put together into one mission? That makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°You need experience enough to tell you when to keep your mouth closed and listen, kid,¡± she retorted as she watched Sam¡¯s expression sour. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. Focus your energy on listening to understand, not listening to respond. Don¡¯t you remember that from school? We are both from the same Naval Prep, believe it or not.¡± She then pointed to a roster of four spread over four groups. ¡°We are the only ones with experience in some form or fashion, limited as it may be.¡±


    Sam held her tongue this time, not wanting to hear another reprimand. Her eyes instead looked back at the roster sets Danielle pulled up, showing two names next to hers and Sebastian¡¯s, most notably above their names. She tried mentally pronouncing the names as well, stumbling a moment before hearing the door click.


    The door was carefully opened just then as her two pilots walked in, trying to move while causing as little noise as possible. Sam herself automatically noted the pilot designated jackets they wore, but was quick to take note of the female pilot¡¯s very short, slim stature in comparison to the much taller and muscularly built but baby-faced male pilot behind her.


    Danielle motioned them to take their seats next to her as the two awkwardly sat down, placing their bags at their sides. ¡°Well, what timing. These are the two you see on the roster.¡± She then looked to Sam and Sebastian and pointed with her open hand: ¡°Samantha Knight of Akkadia, and¡­ Sebastian Navarre of Colombia.¡±


    The other two took hint.


    ¡°Kerry Melancon. Louisiana.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ I¡¯m Andre Nguyen. Hargrove A.¡±


    Sam was somewhat glad to hear of another space-born pilot, but was subconsciously reaffixed on Kerry¡¯s accent and the country she had never heard of. She didn¡¯t even catch Sebastian returning the formalities during that moment. She then noticed Kerry¡¯s uncomfortable frown.


    ¡°So,¡± Danielle continued as she zoomed in on their roster, ¡°now that we all are in the same room, we need to get to business right away.¡±


    ¡°You notice this girl¡¯s been steady mugging me?¡± Kerry spoke discretely, side-faced to Andre.


    ¡°Uh, maybe ask her what¡¯s up?¡± he quietly returned before catching Danielle¡¯s glare.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Ice breakers and all that warm fuzzy bullshit takes a back seat,¡± Danielle shot back, fully catching everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°We have two weeks which is two whole months too quick to teach what I have never had the task of teaching before this day. I don¡¯t like any of this more than you.¡± She took a breath, shaking her head disappointedly. ¡°I was adamant about you four not even hitting the same hallway until you get this shit in your heads even just once.¡± She then pulled around a separate video file that showed old Mugen Sumere MBI units the Eden Navy used to use from the past war, something Sam hadn¡¯t seen in person since museum visits years ago. ¡°Alright, history lesson,¡± she continued as she put her hands on the table, allowing the video to loop. ¡°This formation here. Old information to me, unheard of to the regulars, never seen in video games, and definitely never even thought of for urban combat under the full influence of gravity. But this was what got us the term ¡®Harbinger¡¯ earned all those years ago. It¡¯s so easy to just¡­ pull triggers and try to light ¡®em up¡­ or at least that¡¯s what most people do when bullets start flying. Everything they teach you goes out the window. But some of us changed that game. I didn¡¯t personally come up with any of that, but my old mentor was one of them.¡± She then pointed to the video. ¡°That there brings us to today. You four, unlike the other three groups, are going to not only test the Axiom package but also this formation in specific: the Flex Four, Earth edition.¡± She saw the lost looks but kept on going. ¡°My mentor coined that name, but I tell you most Harbingers swore by this one formation when shit hit the fan. Saved many of our lives, helping us save theirs. So, I will give you a crash course real quick on this, start you off on what I expect for beginner trial runs, and then we will just see how fast we can progress from there. It¡¯ll just be one huge trial and error process to see how to best adapt it to urban settings within the constraints of this bothersome gravity.¡±


    Holy shit, Sam thought to herself, both overwhelmed and annoyed at the monologue delivered just then. Was my dad this way, too?


    ¡°Sorry, miss,¡± Sebastian said as he put up a hand politely. ¡°I¡­ I understand the main things you said, but, English isn¡¯t my first language. And¡­ I don¡¯t know anything what you say about¡­ forms- er¡­ formations. I think this is going to be difficult.¡±


    Andre and Kerry had minimal reactions to his admission, but Sam felt the need to get defensive yet again. ¡°Oh, I assume you already know all about them, then?¡±


    Sebastian cringed before Danielle thumped her fist on the table. ¡°Damn it, Knight, hold the commentary for after!¡±


    Sam clenched a fist and bit down, having to try harder to get a grip. She knew she was never like this before, overwhelmed and only capable of listening and absorbing what she could in any briefings that came her way. She figured that instant maybe Danielle was right that her very limited experience could not be used as an excuse to get confident.


    ¡°I understand, Navarre,¡± Danielle continued in a calmer voice. ¡°You know, I actually served with a couple Casares guys first war. You speak Spanish, right? So did they. You don¡¯t learn with English, kid, you learn with practice. You learn with diagrams. You learn with experience.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Director¡± Sebastian humbly replied. ¡°I will give my best effort. I want to stop that cape, err, the Cloak¡­ maybe more than anyone in this room.¡±


    Sam was only slightly relieved to see a more accepting reaction from the rest in the room. I¡¯d better not see one more reaction or hear one more damned peep about Sebastian. I have no clue who these people really are but there¡¯s no way they¡¯ve seen what he¡¯s seen and experienced.


    Wait¡­


    Since when did I get this defensive over someone?


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Not too far from base was the space port once owned by the same military outfit during the Confederacy. On the passenger shuttle that was waiting in line for launch, Al was seemingly comfortably seated for a man who was strapped down tighter than a stunt-car driver. He sat amongst a smaller security outfit, earpiece still in as he looked to the seat-back in front of him where the screen showed a voice call in session.


    ¡°All I am asking is for you to look and give a simple second opinion, nothing more¡­ No, but almost. We are up after this next launch and I need to know if I need to make changes in plans for my next stop once I am back in Akkadia,¡± he spoke to the other side.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Territories</li>


    </ul>


    A man in his forties and spiked-back blonde hair mixed with streaks of gray leaned back in his living room chair. His mobile had a projection running off to his left from the coffee table with the voice session labeled ¡°Asshole¡±. ¡°Look, I know you want some kind of answer, but this shit isn¡¯t easy to say yes or no to at a moment¡¯s notice. Besides, I still think you¡¯re out of your mind for involving yourself like this. Really. ¡®The fuck would you expect?¡±


    ¡°Da-ad!?¡± his pre-teen daughter behind him scorned his language as he put a hand up in apology.


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t ask Saff these things anymore,¡± Al spoke over the speaker. ¡°And I get it. It¡¯s been too long. It was a long shot asking. I originally planned on asking Gabe since that¡¯s his forte, but¡­ you know... not exactly easy to suddenly show up in the man¡¯s life first time in-¡±


    ¡°Al, come on man,¡± the man said with a shake of his head. ¡°This isn¡¯t 2150. You¡¯ve now got me reliving nightmares already like it was just yesterday that- no, forget it. I¡¯ve decided you are asking the wrong guy and got me really wanting to say screw it all, OK? I don¡¯t think I want to help anymore.¡±


    ¡°Strife, Please.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, how many times I gotta say it, Al? Don¡¯t call me that anymore,¡± he spat back with a sudden darkening in his mood.


    ¡°Alright, Michel, I give. Thought I¡¯d try for the sake of the young pilots here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already used that guilt trip on me before the last war!¡± He was about to continue but heard a door open and close across the house. ¡°Welp, wife¡¯s home. That means my exit,¡± he said as he stood up with a stretch.


    Al sighed in defeat. ¡°Fine, at least I still give a damn.¡±


    ¡°Is that Al?!¡± Saffire¡¯s voice rang out from behind Michel.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t even worry about-¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± she shouted as she ran to the living room. ¡°Wait, Al, don¡¯t hang up!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Saff, didn¡¯t mean to ruin your return home from work,¡± Al¡¯s voice continued despite Michel¡¯s disgust. ¡°I know you weren¡¯t looking for another psychoanalysis job.¡±


    ¡°Is this about Sam?!¡± she continued with some exasperation to her voice.


    ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡± Al asked as Michel too seemed surprised.


    ¡°Al, what the fuck, man?! Really, your own daughter?!¡± Michel blurted out, receiving glares from both Saff and their daughter.


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s facing off against an LTAC killer. I need more minds on things just to take a look at formation adjustments. I got Danielle with them on the ground. I just¡­ just simply need a few more working minds to look over the flex four modifications she is working on.¡±


    Saffire sat in Michel¡¯s chair as she leaned forward. ¡°Danielle... You mean Danielle Salim!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Saff,¡± Michel answered for him. ¡°This little son of a-¡­ this A-hole hired her and looks like he¡¯s trying to get one big happy Harbinger reunion going on or some¡­ stuff.¡±


    Al rubbed his face in frustration, knowing his time was running out. ¡°I didn¡¯t hire her. She volunteered for the job, damn it. She reached out and asked me for help. Like any human would want to when people¡¯s lives are at risk and can¡¯t do it themselves.¡±


    ¡°Al, is there a reason you are making this call now and not having this talk here in person?!¡± Saff went on, still much to Michel¡¯s dismay. ¡°You¡¯re just wanting Michel or me to call up Gabe for you since you don¡¯t have the guts and wanted to use our better relationship status to get the ball rolling and nothing more, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, damn, if you put things that way. You know, I swear you read minds a bit too well,¡± Al said with a laugh. ¡°How¡¯d you guess?¡±


    ¡°Are you really asking me that?¡± She said with a returned smile. ¡°Stop by here before you have to report back to Hexa! I will call Gabe and find out if he has the time to join in.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Singapore SRC/CCC</li>


    </ul>


    Sam, Sebastian, Kerry, and Andre were walking down a hallway on the dormitory level, none of them making a sound. The air was tense as they had already gotten off on less-than-ideal footing with each other. Sam eyed her room card key for the hundredth time, seeing the number 250 match the door she was now in front of. As she pressed it to the sensor pad by the door handle, she pushed it open and gave Sebastian a sad face, watching he and Andre walk through their door across the hall as if to say ¡°ugh, wish me luck¡±.


    -----------------------------


    ¡°Now,¡± Danielle strongly spoke out to the four with a sudden turning off of the projection. ¡°Anything beyond this would be moot point without you four being on the same page both mentally and emotionally. Therefore, your next target objective is to unpack in your new assigned dorms, go out on the town, do something together as pair and pair, then as all four together, then return to me with ten things about each other- including their quirks and non-verbal habits.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Kerry spoke up before cutting herself off as to avoid admonishing.


    ¡°You kiddos have until 16 hundred hours to report back to me or I will change the approach in a way you will definitely live to regret. Be back by then. Now, go!¡±


    -----------------------------


    Sam¡¯s bag hit the floor with a careless thud beside her bed as she let out a long, tired sigh. She felt the bags under her eyes, not having slept properly since her flight across the globe. They felt almost as heavy as her mood, knowing she would have to turn around and initiate the conversation she had no choice but to pursue.


    ¡°I can tell y¡¯all don¡¯t like Director Norris,¡± Kerry spoke up first to her surprise. Sam turned to see she was already sitting, bag neatly at the foot of her bed. Kerry seemed awfully casual for such a strange way of forcing their interactions.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t¡­ like or not like anything going on. It¡¯s more like¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she replied with a continued nonchalant approach. ¡°She can do too much sometimes, but that¡¯s always been her. We¡¯ve been with her since forever. No one I trust more, though.¡±


    Something told Sam she couldn¡¯t blow this one, feeling like she had to get along or else. ¡°Sorry about earlier, I think I wasn¡¯t being the politest guest. Allow me to start over properly,¡± she said as she approached her with her hand extended. ¡°Samantha Knight. You can call me Sam.¡±


    Kerry gingerly shook hands as her expression lightened up. ¡°Kerry Melancon. Nice to meet you, I guess, Sam.¡±


    Sam found herself chuckling at the sudden understanding of why she had stared at her earlier in the first place. ¡°Let me explain earlier. I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever heard that kind of accent before. You said you were from Casares?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s Andre- he¡¯s from Casares. I said I was from Louisiana. You sound like you¡¯re from California.¡±


    Odd. This follows me everywhere I go. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why people I met last month kept asking if I was from the NAU. Didn¡¯t realize anyone in Akkadia had the same thing going on. So where is Luz¡­¡±


    ¡°Louisiana. NAU. Southeast part. By the Gulf of Mexico. We¡¯re known for having half our province permanently lost, underwater.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I never took geography class seriously. Space nations and territories are all I know.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you do? You look like you¡¯d be the type to do¡­ like¡­ UTV streaming or Waves vlogging or something."


    ¡°Me? How¡¯d you guess?¡± Sam asked as she knew she had long dyed out her white accents from her hair and hadn¡¯t worn makeup or any accessories at all since before that.


    ¡°I can tell you had Sadee Jay accents in your hair. Whoever dyed your hair did a bad job hiding it.¡±


    Sam¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You know the style!? Holy shit- you are the first one to recognize that since I got to Earth! You follow her Waves page as well?!¡±


    ¡°What? Of course! Where the hell you been where they didn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Colombia, if you¡¯ve heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah. Northern SAU over between Ecuador and Venezuela. Surprised they don¡¯t watch her. What¡¯d they think of it- is that why you dyed it out?¡±


    The memories drew a grimace. ¡°They kept calling me Cruella.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Kerry sputtered, covering her mouth to hold a laugh in. ¡°That¡¯s how they took it?! What¡¯d you say when they first said that?¡±


    Her brow continued to crumple as strongly as the first time she heard a similar reaction from Sebastian¡¯s crew that first day she arrived. ¡°OK, OK, new subject! We¡¯ve got to figure out something to do. Time¡¯s ticking.¡±


    Kerry settled down enough to go with the flow of the conversation. ¡°Alright, OK. Unpacking and stuff can be later. Let¡¯s go get your hair redone. Easy enough of a task without wasting time, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Sam said with a nod, ¡°but let me change, first. Not going in a full sweat with how hot it¡¯s been.¡±

 Other Side of the World, Part 2

    Across the hall, Sebastian was already sitting at the end of his bed as was Andre, both with mini game controllers in hand, playing a racing game from the projection screen off of one of their mobiles aimed at the wall between them. There seemed to be no sense of tension in the air between them, much unlike the two girls from earlier.


    [I didn¡¯t take you for the gaming type, no offense,] Andre spoke in Spanish with an accent notably different from that of Sebastian¡¯s.


    [I used to play too much when I was a kid. One of my friends back then, he was rich. He¡¯d bring over his stuff to the boys on our apartment floor on the weekends.]


    [I grew up on bootlegged stuff, man. Wasn¡¯t until I got my first job I could afford anything good. Same for you?]


    [No, I quickly left the gaming scene once I got hired by a local paramilitary. Haven¡¯t played one of these in years. This really brings back memories,] Sebastian said as he began to subconsciously reminisce, causing him to overshoot a turn and clip a wall.


    [Yep, I see the rust,] Andre jabbed lightheartedly. [You know what I have been wanting to do real bad? I want to see a beach. It¡¯s been months for me.]


    [Ah, no simulated beaches in Space, huh.]


    [I¡¯ve been here six freaking months, man, and every country we go to is coastal! Only once did I get a day to go. Hey, after a few rounds, wanna go hit one up? You been before, right?]


    [No, actually never been before.]


    [What?!] Andre shouted, nearly crashing into the car braking in front of him. [What a waste! You even got a coast and everything!]


    [I never got invited! The hell you want me to say?] Sebastian joked back.


    [Then it¡¯s settled! Easy as that.]


    Sam had paused before knocking on their door, hearing their conversation but without the translator in ear as she had gotten used to leaving out over the past few days. ¡°I would¡¯ve never imagined hearing this going on. You knew he spoke Spanish?¡±


    ¡°Who, Andre? I thought Spanish was the official language for the Casares nations. He just happens to speak English really well. They¡¯re like Europeans. Many I think are bilingual from childhood, unlike us Americans.¡±


    ¡°Or us Edenites,¡± Sam added, thinking back to how much her second language skills severely lacked. She then knocked, hearing the sudden pause in the background noise coming from the game. ¡°Guys, we¡¯re leaving. Are you figuring things out?¡±


    Sebastian opened the door to his surprise, seeing Sam for the first time dressed that far down. It was also to his surprise seeing the two seeming to be getting along judging the atmosphere. ¡°Thanks. We are finishing this game, then going to find a beach. You two are OK?¡±


    ¡°Off to get her hair redone,¡± Kerry answered for her.


    ¡°Oh, white stripes again?¡± Sebastian asked.


    ¡°Nah, different color this time. Anyway, since you guys seem¡­ busy¡­  we¡¯ll be off! Will see you at four!¡± she said with a wink and turned down the hallway.


    The sun was much less intense than she remembered it being back in Bogota, but it was still summer heat nevertheless hitting the two as they exited the building, heading for the shuttle bus rotary. ¡°This makes me think everywhere on Earth is this hot. Second month straight of this¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer this over fake satellite weather if you¡¯re going to start complaining. If you want, we could join the boys later at the waterfront. I know satellite countries don¡¯t have lakes, ponds, or even pools.¡±


    Sam hid her reaction to what she considered another callous remark, unsure whether to feel welcomed or offended by Kerry¡¯s upfront nature. ¡°I did make sure my missions don¡¯t ever put me over water.¡±


    The two got on a shuttle bus that would take them to the train station at the far end of the complex from where their dorm area was. Once they sat down, Kerry continued: ¡°So, forget all that boring talk. What¡¯s with you and that dude? Y¡¯all a thing?¡±


    ¡°You mean, like, a couple?¡± Sam hadn¡¯t talked to anyone since the night before the departure she backed out of to stay with Sebastian, unable to come up with a straight answer.


    ¡°So y¡¯all not-¡±


    ¡°-We are. Don¡¯t get me wrong. We are but he¡­ isn¡¯t the kind to like telegraphing private life. You know what I mean?¡±


    ¡°So¡­ like¡­ a work in progress? Alright, I got you,¡± Kerry said with a smug look, turning her attention to the window as the bus took off.


    Sam could see the engagement ring now that Kerry had her left hand supporting her head against the side of the bus, reflecting the incoming light. ¡°How about you? Or should I say, congrats. When will you tie the knot?¡±


    ¡°Thanks. As soon as we both agree when to quit and move on to something more¡­ regular.¡±


    ¡°I imagine he must be worried a lot about you. You¡¯re in an awfully dangerous job and all.¡±


    ¡°Well look at you? I know what I¡¯m doing. Can¡¯t you say the same?¡± Kerry waited for a response, disappointed in her silence. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re in some kind of early life crisis or something. Let¡¯s get you to the salon and then into some fresh air.¡±


    Sebastian, dressed in swim trunks and a t-shirt, found a sandy bank just past the boardwalk and took a seat as Andre remained standing.


    [Don¡¯t know how to swim?] he asked to Sebastian as he set his duffel bag down.


    [It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t, I just want to enjoy the view. This is all new to me, you know?] He then looked back up with a content expression. [You can go ahead. I¡¯ll join you in a minute.]


    [Suit yourself,] Andre replied as he placed his shirt over the bag and started to walk off to the water before he saw a group of young women in their swimsuits walking across their path. He looked for a brief moment before looking back to Sebastian, seeing he was looking as well. [Hey, wait, that reminds me. Is that Samantha chick your girlfriend or something?] Sebastian took his time to respond, drawing a shake of Andre¡¯s head. [Man, you can¡¯t do relationships and this job at the same time! Come on! Trust me. I¡¯ve seen drama get people killed¡­ well, almost killed, but still!]


    Sebastian picked his mobile from his pocket to see Sam was calling. He switched the screen to video call to see Sam was walking out from a hair salon. ¡°Pink hair?!¡± he blurted out, seeing the once-prominent white stripes on the left half of her hair were now a bright fuchsia.


    ¡°Well, hey to you, too! What, you don¡¯t like it?!¡± Sam shouted back.


    ¡°Where did the idea come from to do pink?¡±


    ¡°Kerry here knows all about the girl who does these styles, said fuchsia would go best. Or, pink, if that¡¯s what you want to call it.¡±


    ¡°You should do white like before.¡±


    ¡°Cruella!¡± he heard Kerry shout from behind her in a mocking voice.


    ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°Whatever!¡± she replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°Hey, where are you two?¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Place called Central Changi Beach!¡± Andre stepped in, slightly pushing Sebastian over a bit to fit in the screen. ¡°I¡¯ll send Kerry the location if you are coming to join!¡± He then took a seat next to Sebastian as he waved, hung up, and put his mobile away.


    [I thought you were going to swim?] he said to Andre.


    [Nah, I¡¯ll wait a bit. We will get another chance since we are here for two weeks.] He could now see that something still had Sebastian not at much ease at all, even after doing what seemed to relax him. [Still worried about where we are going after this?]


    [It¡¯s not that, really. It¡¯s just¡­] he answered back with a shrug. [I know what I came here for. I know exactly what the new director has planned and I know who I am hoping to find. I¡¯m just nervous about myself having what it takes to see it all through, you know? So much new I have to learn¡­ so much to be responsible for in so little time. All the while I have to adjust to the fact I won¡¯t ever really see home again.] He took a deep breath, keeping himself from going off that emotional deep end. [I have to admit¡­ I don¡¯t see how you two are so relaxed. I guess it comes with experience?]


    [You don¡¯t look like a newbie, to be honest. How long have you been serving for Hexa?]


    [Not even a month.]


    [What?! So you¡¯ve only been paramilitary all this time? How¡¯d you get LTAC training?!]


    [Internet¡­ UTV,] Sebastian nonchalantly revealed just the same as he did to Sam the other month.


    [Man¡­] Andre said with a roll of his eyes. [So, Colombia is that bad, huh?]


    [No. It wasn¡¯t bad until last month. Foreigners came and screwed everything up, destroyed everything we tried to hold together. All started with that old war A-7 that came crashing in.]


    [Wait, hold on, was that your group that took it down? We heard about that in the news.]


    [It all went downhill after that. And the men that killed my old team members and almost killed my brother and sister? That¡¯s who I am chasing.] Sebastian then let out a somber sigh. [I didn¡¯t even get to see my sister wake up before I got sent here. Everything in my life changed so quick with no warning, and now I feel this is the only thing left to do if I am to make anything right out of so much that has gone wrong. You know¡­?]


    [Damn, man, I kinda picked up on something like that earlier, but didn¡¯t know it was like that.]


    Some awkwardly silent seconds passed before Sebastian broke it with a deflection. [So, why did you come to Singapore here with your friend?]


    Andre spent a moment looking at the waves crashing into the shore before standing up with a smile and a gesture from his tilting head. [Let¡¯s drop the heavy talk and shit and go for a swim, man. Come on.]


    ¡°So much ocean everywhere¡­ hard to adjust,¡± Sam said as she and Kerry sat at a table by the railing of the caf¨¦¡¯s balcony floor. The wind carried the warm, humid, salty air through their hair as her partially drank smoothie. ¡°I have to admit. I kind of like the experiences I get from all of this. I had been holed up in tin cans hurdling through orbit all my life with the one exception of a trip to Europe when I was too young to remember a whole lot.¡± She then looked over to Kerry who was more than halfway done with her latte. ¡°How many regions have you been across since I assume you¡¯ve been with Infinity for a long time?¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t travel much, either,¡± she said as she put her drink down. ¡°Makes us the same there. I didn¡¯t leave Nola ¡®til I set off with the National Guard, then college, and then again for when I joined Infinity. Life just keeps tossing me here and there ever since.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ve been in Bangaldesh up until now?¡±


    ¡°Trained in Australia, got further training with Ms. Norris in Jazira¡­¡±


    Jazira Station? I¡¯ve been back and forth there so damn many times over the years, how¡¯d I not see either of them before?


    ¡°¡­Hit my first duty rotations in Myanmar and even stayed here for a good while until everything settled down. Then, they put me in Dhaka in April, but that¡¯s when everything started going crazy. People don¡¯t ever talk about anything beyond the protests and damages. I¡¯m talking about a whole underground militia taking over and¡­ just¡­ sweeping the floor with us. It¡¯s a wonder Hexa hasn¡¯t thrown in the damned towel.¡± She then looked to Sam, figuring she might have similar stories. ¡°I heard things were crazy where you were, too. A whole A-7 came to town?¡±


    ¡°That was before my time. I came in after, but not before long the SAU finally stepped in and quashed the whole mess.¡± Sam now thought to bring up what had been bugging her since seeing her and Andre¡¯s name in spots over her¡¯s and Sebastian¡¯s. ¡°Hey, I saw they got you in a squad command position. I guess I have to admit that surviving that cloaked LTAC better than I did gives you that merit. I¡¯m sure what you went through must have been absolute hell compared to my limited experiences.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Kerry said, dodging the bait, ¡°they¡¯re about to be our experiences real soon. And just between you and me,¡± she continued with her cup lifted, pausing in hesitation. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s stick to the more fun topics, huh? How about that *chilli crab restaurant I told you about? Since you say you love seafood, you have got to try it.¡±


    Seagulls calling to others as they flew overhead quickly evaporated the heavy air surrounding them as Sam looked up in continued curiosity. Right. Despite the bad, so much else has been so nice. This almost makes me think Isaiah probably ran away here to Earth. Day by day I¡¯m starting to wonder what was I trying so hard to return to?


    (*Singaporean Chilli Crab)


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    A complex of raw materials warehouses surrounded the open streets, dust filling the air as industrial carrier vehicles moved about. The precinct was originally intended for helping funnel supplies to the rebuilding precincts according to the previous schedule but was now relegated to its former identity as an inexpensive goods distribution zone, never the recipient of reconstruction as had once been promised. As a result, the complete absence of any pedestrian activity suited Isaiah¡¯s ideal choice of locale for his base of operations. More than a dozen LTACs were situated under the large five-story-tall abandoned warehouse, some receiving repairwork. Isaiah stepped outside of a temporary building attached to the main structure to see a pair of large freight trucks pull up. As the dust settled, he saw Revenant and Requiem hop out to approach him.


    ¡°Reap! Long time no see! So, no jungles this time?¡± Revenant joked.


    ¡°Glad you two made it without a hitch,¡± Isaiah nodded, ignoring the jab. ¡°As we spoke, not a sign of any activity from any of the Hexa holding houses, but their activity across the border over in Kolkata has me concerned.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± Requiem joked. ¡°You mean we didn¡¯t just come here to have a few drinks? I mean, hey, you guys took all the action before we could get here.¡±


    Isaiah shrugged. ¡°As you saw in Colombia, Hexa doesn¡¯t run. You may be making it just here in time for all we know.¡±


    ¡°Not so fast,¡± Revenant said as he pulled up a news card from his mobile. ¡°Dhaka Mayor spoke with the Prime Minister just now about relinquishing power. You mean you didn¡¯t see?!¡±


    Isaiah took a moment to read the text before pausing in thought. ¡°No. No way he does. This is to buy time. Come, I have to finish our talks inside, safe from radio interception. As the three walked back into the temporary building, they each found a seat at the table cluttered with papers, journals, and clipboards. He passed the two a set of photos before continuing, noting an unsettled look in Revenant¡¯s eyes. ¡°This one lady here, that¡¯s who has me worried about a counterstrike op. Danielle Norris, confirmed pilot from the last offensive where we cleared out their last holding house. Former communications and intelligence operative during the First Earth-Space war. Harbinger, both wars. Now I sense she¡¯s collecting more authority over this specific campaign.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Revenant interrupted, eyeing Danielle¡¯s bio. ¡°Since when did Vrey start hiring old guns? This lady is 40 something years old and she pulled a slick one on you- yeah, I know, big time war vet, it seems.¡± He then caught more on her chart as he laughed in amazement. ¡°Shit! This lady hung three KIA¡¯s on that Hess trio all by herself? And I thought their whole policy was no war vets?¡±


    ¡°I started to play this to our advantage and let the locals run a smear campaign, but I decided that bringing attention to that would be premature. I¡¯d want to see how their policy changes, first, then have her dead before speaking on the topic. Think how this would set the stage for later campaigns, no matter how much we win this one by. The more we know¡­¡±


    ¡°What has Rex said?¡± Requiem added. ¡°Guessing this Norris lady our next target?¡± He then paused a moment, perplexed by something he noticed. ¡°Hey, Reap, hold on. You never explained. What happened out there with her? Rare you let anyone get away, especially taking down that many of your men, assuming no locals were involved.¡±


    Isaiah had no shame in the results. ¡°You know to never worry about his opinions. We are the lucky ones to have had such an ill-prepared opponent in Infinity. The fact they had a Harbinger go rogue on us and pilot their little squad to a narrow escape doesn¡¯t really faze me, nor should it faze you. It just means we have to prepare for her to come back with a strategy. Thing is, she served with my father once before, so she is likely to bring back formations they used last war. And for another, which is confirmed, she is beyond an expert shot. Enough to the point I had to speed up the reconfiguration of our shielding while you were en route.¡±


    ¡°But no smear campaign?¡± Requiem continued. ¡°This means Vrey might bring along more vets in on the whole deal. I don¡¯t think we are equipped to hold a war of attrition against any such solid talent with nothing on the line. This could be game changing if we don¡¯t start putting pressure on the line this lady crossed.¡±


    ¡°I assume you know where she ran off to?¡± Revenant added before noticing it was odd that it was only the three of them. ¡°Wait, where¡¯s Cable? Isn¡¯t she here, too?¡±


    ¡°She took off before me. She¡¯s in the Kashipur Precinct working with an insider team linking us to the BNP. These locals have been far more useful than we expected and has our intel running perfectly as far as what happens within the country¡¯s borders. As far as Norris goes, she and her team of two ran off to Singapore. Word has it they¡¯ll be there two weeks. If they were to bring in more vets, they wouldn¡¯t take their time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit, the election is in three,¡± Revenant realized as he had been looking at the event calendar behind them. ¡°We need to just¡­ what¡­ hold down the fort? For what? This makes them the aggressors in the locals eyes- we don¡¯t have to do anything. Right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be the safe way,¡± Isaiah nodded.


    ¡°Right, politics never go as you¡¯d expect. Hell, remember the stories in history class about all that funny shit that went on in the 2020¡¯s in the NAU? What, back when it was just the U.S.?¡± Requiem added. ¡°Alright, Reap, show us what you have in mind.¡±

 A New System

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Singapore SRC/CCC</li>


    </ul>


    Sam, Sebastian, Andre, and Kerry were each seated at the same table from that morning, each having dressed into their new pilot suits. Andre was leaned back comfortably in his chair, halfway dozing off, unaware of the two next to him. Both Sam and Kerry were still self-conscious of their appearance with their new form fitting pilot suits. Unlike the more comfortably fitting gray jumpsuits that all pilots had normally received, these were of a more flexible material that hugged the body, further standing out with its bright white base and its gray and purple accents. Sebastian couldn¡¯t help but be entertained by the two¡¯s reactions, however he kept it to a minimum.


    Sam continued tugging at her left sleeve as she mumbled: ¡°I know I¡¯m not the only one here who finds this material weird at best.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Kerry added as she continued adjusting her posture, seemingly never finding a comfortable position in her seat. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s itchy or anything bad. How do they get this to feel so light yet tight at the same time?¡±


    ¡°Hey, look at the bright side,¡± Sam continued with a bit of laughter. ¡°Unlike our old get-ups, at least with these we¡¯ll sweat less. I was hot before changing, and this is a long sleeve.¡±


    ¡°And I have to admit they also don¡¯t do bad on our figure,¡± she added, looking at her waistline. ¡°All I¡¯m missing is a little bit more up top and this would give me the perfect profile. Must be nice,¡± she said looking to Sam¡¯s figure.


    ¡°Yeah but you got the smaller waist. You could pull off a lot more than I could if you-¡±


    ¡°-Oh boy,¡± Andre huffed as his eyes opened just to roll emphatically. ¡°Really? You got to put us boys through all that?¡± He looked to Sebastian who didn¡¯t return the sentiment before continuing. ¡°How much longer is Ms. Norris going to be.¡±


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t ever remember anyone talking about this back at Jazira,¡± Sam continued despite Andre¡¯s comments. ¡°These things tend to take a while to develop and there had to be a reason. What was wrong with the last materials I wonder? This design had to cost a fortune.¡±


    With that line, it dawned on Sebastian what must have been going on prior to its development. ¡°My brother talked about my people being trapped inside, burning alive.¡± The atmosphere suddenly took a dark, heavy turn as everyone looked to him. ¡°He told me about this in the hospital. I think he told Hexa, and they made these for us because they know who we are hunting.¡± He then paused to think back. ¡°This is the same materials I think¡­ from the last war. The ones navy pilots would use.¡±


    That¡¯s right, he did mention all that¡­ Body temperature regulating and fire-proof- no, these might even be radiant heat-reflecting,  Sam thought as she also realized nothing was mentioned when the suit was placed out for them prior to changing. ¡°So, this is the risk level they placed us at.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah¡­¡± Kerry replied with a befuddled look. ¡°I thought that was clear- I mean, of course this whole new materials thing was beyond me, but I was already expecting the worst coming up. That¡¯s why we are up for a two-week drill on this new Flex Four simulation.¡±


    Sam found the patience enough to hold her brow back from furling upon the remark. I still don¡¯t know what it is about this girl I can¡¯t seem to trust¡­ can¡¯t put a finger on it, either. ¡°I just tend not to take things at face value. Sometimes you never know what is going to go wrong, yet, after it does you come to find out someone knew all along. You just find out too late.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, are you speaking from experience?¡± Kerry snapped back, once again at a loss and unsure what had Sam offended. ¡°All I am saying is everything Ms. Norris has been saying has a valid reason behind it. And here¡¯s more proof they are trying to make this to be what it really is. We have serious, heat-proofed, military grade pilot suits. How could this be any bigger of a hint than it already is?¡±


    ¡°Would you two stop already? What¡¯s the point of going back and forth over something so pointless, jeez,¡± Andre huffed as he sat up straight, leaning on the table with a glance towards the door. ¡°Let¡¯s all just chill and wait for Ms. Norris. We can¡¯t do anything until we get her word, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Pardon me,¡± Sebastian interrupted as he looked up at the three, not the least bit amused by their antics. ¡°I really don¡¯t like speaking like this, but we are here for one thing, right? Can we please focus on that? People have died by the hands of the men we seek, and we are lucky to be able to plan so early like this.¡± He then looked at Kerry in a singling-out manner. ¡°I¡¯ve lost family because of poor planning by Hexa. I believe that we have a right to feel suspicious of anything and everything.¡±


    Tell ¡®em, Sebastian! Sam laughed on the inside, taking guilty pleasure of seeing Kerry put in her place through her perspective.


    Kerry hinted with her body language she would retract her statement just as Danielle opened the door. Everyone quickly straightened up in their seats.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to keep you waiting anymore,¡± she sternly spoke up to the room without entering. ¡°Get yourselves to the simulations room on the double.¡± She stood back while holding the door open, allowing the others to leave before filing in behind. ¡°VR units three through six have been cleared just now. I will walk you through everything as we go rather than waste time in the debriefing room.¡±


    As the line passed by a busy personnel processing area, Sam noticed how many eyes were following them every step along their way. It had been a long while since she last felt as nervous as she suddenly did just now, albeit under completely different circumstances. Nevertheless, she felt as if every side conversation and look her way was something she didn¡¯t want to hear. It then struck her that this was the first time she was self-conscious of her position and how she was placed into it. Being a Knight in some form or fashion had to be how she made her way through the top of the Akkadian Naval Prep Academy all those years as well as getting her seat into that popular law school she had just taken a leave of absence from. It never bothered her as she only cared about moving forward, but something had her humbled as she kept noticing the other pilots passing through processing. Some had faces speaking of their arrival to the completely unknown and uncertain while other faces told the stories of what terrible things they had seen. Perhaps they too had come back in from Dhaka, which was soon to be her next destination but with much better and specifically designed equipment and training.


    ¡°Are you OK?¡± Sebastian snapped her back to reality with his concern.


    She was trailing a bit farther behind than she realized. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°File in, VR units three through six,¡± Danielle commanded to the group as she held open a door for them that led to the simulations area. Melancon, three, Navarre, four, Ngyuen, five, Knight, six.¡±


    Sam took her seat in the full-sized cockpit module as she reached for the helmet overhead. She took the helmet, holding it in both hands as she inspected it front and back, inside and out. This weighs so little for being a much bigger helmet than the standard. I wonder what¡¯s different about the tech. She rested the helmet over her head, carefully adjusting the neck pad tightness and the chin strap, noting the higher degree in fit and comfort. Flipping down the visor and powering on the systems, she immediately noticed the biggest difference in the technology utilized. This visor is wrap around! It¡¯s like real peripheral vis-¡­ It was instantly dizzying the moment the simulated world loaded up as each eye movement affected the POV angle from the camera transmission.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°This is nuts!¡± Andre shouted over the comms channel, likely speaking of the new visor technology. ¡°Are you all seeing this?¡±


    ¡°This is going to make me sick,¡± Kerry chimed in.


    Sebastian tried as hard as he could to remain calm. The sensory overload was enough to handle as it was, much less the lack of sleep still taking its toll. After trying to only look straight forward in futility, he quickly flipped the visor back in its upright positioning, catching his breath. ¡°Why is this necessary?¡±


    Danielle then finally joined in over the channel. ¡°I wanted to let you experience something new firsthand. There used to be this pilot operating system known as Antares and it required direct neural network linking to utilize.


    I remember my dad talking about that years back.


    For how superior it was of a system, it was too taxing on the pilot. Instead, someone up in space last year found a way to keep the whole ¡®shoot where you look¡¯ tech and some other bonus goodies, so, what you see is what I¡¯m speaking of in its pre-production form. If it¡¯s getting you dizzy, you¡¯ve got to get used to it. I am about to load up some very simple target practice bots. By the end of today, we will be able to not only complete basic one-pull targeting but we will also get to see each other¡¯s natural strengths and weaknesses so that we can start to implement the basics of the Flex Four formation and get you in the right roles. But until then, get your equilibrium reset real quick.¡±


    Easy for you to say. Why have I never heard of this newer system version!? She closed her eyes, relaxed her shoulders, and calmly gripped the controls. Let¡¯s just move forward and see what¡¯s what with this thing. She activated the catalyzers and felt the usual humming vibration she had long been accustomed to which every simulator up to this point had beautifully reproduced. Being removed from the chaotic outside world, the familiar situation once again felt like home. She then began to ease the control stick bases forward to get the Axiom walking. She knew how the feedback felt all too well when walking over asphalt, which was why an incredibly uneasy feeling swiftly rushed over consciousness. But this is just a simulation, right? I must be going crazy¡­ She continued to adjust to the life-like feedback systems as well as the camera that would snap in every direction just as fast as her vision would naturally do depending on the stimuli present. By now, all of her surroundings were old abandoned high-rise apartments with run-down offices and markets scattered between. She noticed that as her head turned to the left to spot the language written on an old billboard, despite the camera panning left in response to her neck muscle input, her eyes darted to the right to spot something similar. The camera snapping to the right in response was just as she initially thought, far too close to real vision properties and quite unsettling.


    After a few seconds passed, a red-highlighted touchdown zone popped up on screen with the label ¡®landing target¡¯. ¡°Are we jump-boost practicing?¡±


    ¡°Give it a shot,¡± Danielle responded.


    Sam readied her feet as she quickly depressed them, instantly feeling the pull of her launch just like she took off straight out of the building, letting out a shout instinctively. She felt the air roaring by as much as she did the easing up of the acceleration force as her jump arc approached peak. The tightening of her gut prior to the drop downward was already naturally kicking in as she hit the boosters once more to soften her landing to a solid but harmless thud. The scraping sensation of her foot units sliding on the asphalt below already had her brain convinced this was all real. The red landing zone where she had landed turned to a soft green glow as she yanked off her chin strap buckles and quickly removed her helmet to yell out: ¡°Director, what the hell kind of system is this?! Could you explain this sensory wizardry before I freak out, please?¡± With those two lines alone she already found herself having to stop to catch her breath.


    ¡°I can break it all down after you complete these. We have to see how your body responds to any given situation and this is the only way. Get back to it,¡± Danielle flatly replied over the channel.


    Ugh¡­ no choice, huh. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± She took a deep breath before locking her helmet back on and flipping her visor back down. I just have to tough it and keep doing this like it was another walk through one of the Jazira programs.


    The observation room was dimly lit with only enough light from the display screens to illuminate the presence of three officers. Danielle was standing between the two, watching the simulation tasks being run while the other two assistants monitored incoming data. The angle of the lighting accentuated the bags under her eyes, proof that she had been awake for more than the past twenty-four hours, yet her sharply focused gaze showed fuel still left in the tank. Her eyes couldn¡¯t leave the screen that showed Sam¡¯s in-helmet and in-cockpit combined feed. While easily recognized as thoroughly uncomfortable at best, her stress levels were still within the accepted range as her Axiom continued through the motion trials. ¡°Keep practicing emergency relocation sequences. I will keep an eye on things from here.¡± Her focus then wandered to the other three, seeing a mixed bag of results.


    Sebastian had stopped to flip open his visor to rub his eyes, following by several hard blinks. His Ap50 stood well outside the landing zone, having missed by a block. Andre managed to land in his zone by the skin of his teeth but at a cost. His helmet was removed, head buried in his hands. He attempted to massage his eyes in a similar fashion, followed by a shake of his head in an attempt to get everything back together mentally. Kerry was halfway through her descent. It was controlled, albeit as shaky as her fingers¡¯ grips on the controls. Her stomach felt like it was lifting up into her throat as she fell towards the landing zone. Instinctively, she punched the thrusters to soften her landing, but the feedback again was too surprising as she overcompensated and overshot the landing zone by a few meters. As soon as it settled in place, she was as quick as the others to throw the helmet straps off and gasp for open air.


    ¡°Director,¡± Andre spoke up with audible discomfort and confusion. ¡°This too much on our brain at once. I feel like we are in the matrix or something and we had no warning.¡±


    ¡°Nguyen, why do you think we are giving you two weeks?¡± Danielle sternly replied. ¡°Keep practicing. Each one you hit or miss loads a new one. Keep going because the slower you go the longer it will take to get used to it.¡± Danielle had thought back to her experience with the full Antares OS the previous war, knowing there was no way they had as much to cope with, yet it was still a cause for concern. ¡°If you have to slow down for these first few, do so if you have to. But it¡¯d be better to get it done as quickly as you can for your own sake.¡±


    Sam landed her second successful jump but had to immediately stop to calm her nauseousness down. After a few long, slow breaths, she opened her eyes to scan the area around her. It was hard to see anything with the area being so densely packed with a monotonous pattern of concrete framed high rises, each plastered with the same illegible markings. ¡°Director, where is this program locating us?¡±


    ¡°This is Dhaka, one of the abandoned precincts,¡± Kerry answered. She was still standing where she landed earlier, taking in her surroundings and preparing herself for the next practice run. ¡°It all looks real familiar. Hard to do any fast movements unless you jump.¡±


    I guess she should know from experience. ¡°I see.¡± Her own experiences suddenly then took control. She grabbed her controls once more, this time imagining the Cloak was approaching her from up the wide six-lane street headed for the intersection from where she stood, using her manual aiming on her equipped launcher. Lifting the arm, her eyes instinctively looked for the reticle, altering her camera angle to the lower right, throwing off her focus and disrupting the aiming cycle completely.


    ¡°Knight, what are you doing- stick to the trial!¡± she heard Danielle fuss over the channel. She attempted to manually aim once more, still unable to keep her eyes away from the moving reticle. ¡°Knight if you want to keep doing what you want to do, you can walk out right now, damn it.¡±


    What?! Isn¡¯t being able to shoot the damned enemy a bigger priority than running!? The grip her experience with the cloaked LTACs in Bogota had by now already run too far away for her to come back to reality as she continued fighting the aiming and eye-tracking camera. Moments later her screen went blank.


    ¡°Five-minute cool down,¡± Danielle bluntly spoke with a pull of the plug. ¡°Calm the fuck down and follow instructions or walk away.¡±


    Sam tried her hardest not to take the helmet she just removed and slam it against the front cockpit door in anger. It was, however, even harder not to when she heard Danielle¡¯s next remarks over the line.


    ¡°Navarre, get yourself together! No time to act tired- next attempt, go!¡±

 A New System, Part 2

    Sebastian found his eyes unable to focus fully on the projection in front of him, causing camera angle confusion evident from those monitoring. He shook his head, followed by another series of long, strained blinks. The glow from inside his visor showed he too had started succumbing to a lack of sleep as seen by the red around his eyes. ¡°Yes, trying again now,¡± he responded with another jump. I don¡¯t get it. I have done this kind of thing so many times it¡¯s normally nothing more than second nature. What is wrong with me? As he depressed the pedals for initiating his jump boost, he felt sudden and intense vertigo, causing him to veer far off course and eventually crashed into a building. The jarring motion further magnified the effects of his vertigo, causing him to let out an unusual groan.


    Sam, while listening to the exchange during her forced time for reflection, was just hit by the realization her body was technically at full rest yet felt like she had been violently slung around the city a few dozen times.


    This machine¡¯s operating system is simulating nervous responses through our neural mesh networks. This is all forcing us to feel what isn¡¯t even happening, even motion. This means¡­


    Pilots, who were all labeled as such once determined they were compatible to neural mesh implants, had undergone such surgical operations in order to enhance their data processing speeds, both input and output. It wasn¡¯t until much later that stories of operating systems that could control sensory processing had been created, making the pilot an organic extension of the operating system itself as the human brain was so much more efficient of a processor than any manmade CPU.


    Sam replaced her helmet back on its mount as she opened her cockpit doors, ignoring Danielle¡¯s orders to return. She stormed past the other units to find Sebastian¡¯s, opening it up with a shout: ¡°Sebastian, take off your helmet!¡±


    ¡°Wh-¡­ why? Sam what are you doing here?¡± he answered back with a flabbergasted response.


    ¡°Sebastian, get that off! You¡¯re going into a neural overload if you don¡¯t!¡±


    He was unsure of what she meant, but by the way her voice carried such urgency, he was compliant and unbuckled his helmet, immediately feeling faint the moment he removed it from his head. Sam stepped up to help him mount it back up before he felt her hands on his face, one pulling his forehead back to hold his eyes open and the other for support. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Danielle roared as she approached angrily. ¡°Who the hell had you thinking our protocol was optional?¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, Director!¡± Sam had shouted back with her head out the opening, careful not to ring Sebastian¡¯s ears. ¡°He¡¯s going into neural collapse if we don¡¯t pull the plug!¡± She carefully eased his restraints off of his shoulders and helped him out slowly, nearly stumbling over on their way down. ¡°He needs immediate rest, look,¡± she said to Danielle as she walked up beside the two. Sam supported his head in a similar fashion to earlier, this time allowing Danielle to see that Sebastian¡¯s eyes were twitching erratically; it wasn¡¯t major, but just enough to notice. Combined with his equally erratic breathing, Danielle let out a sigh as she stood back up.


    ¡°We might have a collapse, here. Prepare the medic just in case,¡± she called over her headset, now looking to the other two pilots approaching from their cockpit modules. ¡°Leave the man space,¡± she advised as she looked back to Sam. ¡°Do you know what you are doing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember this from training,¡± she responded, easing Sebastian to the ground to let him lay flat. ¡°Easy, look, just¡­ lie down for me, ok? Breath easy, close your eyes.¡± She remained crouched next to him, keeping a hand gently laid over his eyes as she held his right hand, gripping it firmly but caringly, placed over his chest. ¡°This is a neural mesh overload. These happen rarely, but this machine is causing it. You just need to let your nerves relax for a bit and you will be fine. Keep your focus on my voice and just listen. We will let your nervous system calm down, and we can all go get some rest in a moment.¡±


    ¡°What happened? What is she doing?¡± Kerry asked as she approached Danielle from behind with a notably slower, awkward gait. ¡°Is he going to be alright?¡±


    Danielle put a hand on her shoulder as if she were feeling remorseful. ¡°A bad combination of jet lag, no rest, and Antares, Jr.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Antares?¡±


    ¡°The upgraded LTAC OS. The ones you are using now. They¡¯ve heavily dialed it back from its original form, but he¡¯s too new at this to handle all of this on no sleep or proper meals prior to full practice.¡±


    Sam felt Sebastian¡¯s breaths calm down to a slower pace as the twitching too fell to a slower pace. ¡°Just hang in there a few more minutes. ¡± She looked over her shoulder to the others. ¡°I believe it¡¯s in his rights to ask for a break in simulations until the morning, Director.¡±


    Danielle approached the two with a look of defeat, gaze trailing off to the side. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± She turned her head to the two behind her to continue: ¡°Melancon, Nguyen, stop staring and get back to training.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Kerry responded without hesitation, but perhaps she was hiding hesitation with her slow return to the cockpit module. ¡°Come on, Andre. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    [I feel like shit,] Sebastian mumbled as his breathing returned to normal but still appeared completely drained and off kilter. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can stand up.¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± Sam responded with a quick motion of her hands to help him sit upright, slowly and carefully. She then looked up again to Danielle. ¡°He¡¯s talking under full control, now. Did you willingly put him in there knowing he might have an out-of-code mesh implant?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Danielle replied, taking offense to the remark. ¡°Look, I appreciate you helping your friend here, but a pilot is a pilot and we have two weeks. I see he needs a night of rest, but you do realize taking this job was optional for you.¡±


    Sam bit her tongue, knowing all too well she had by now been told her unfiltered and loose cannon, smart-mouthing attitude would only dig themselves into an unnecessary rut. It burned her to do so, looking back to see Sebastian still in incredible discomfort and slight delirium. And that in itself was already a lot to bear, seeing someone nothing like their usual self and not being able to help anymore than what she could.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get an implant check upstairs. Open the exam room,¡± Danielle spoke over her headset as she looked back down at the two. ¡°Listen, Knight, before we get you help escorting him back upstairs, I want you to take one more good look at him.¡±


    Sam looked back at him and then back at Danielle, confused.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t really do the assignment like I know you should have. This right here is how you need to be able to react with your team captain and your other teammate. Bonds are critically important to develop, and that¡¯s equally as important as learning how to cope with and master this adjusted OS¡­ while learning new formations.¡± She let out a weak laugh before finishing. ¡°I realize how hard this must be for you kids. Just know I have been through hell enough before to know exactly how upset you must be right now. Internalize it, get stronger from it, and let¡¯s get better from here out.¡±


    ..


    ..


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam was sitting on a waiting bench outside of the exam room where Sebastian was being checked up. The halls were sterile and brightly lit, void of all except the sounds of walking feet and chatting officers and technicians passing through nearby walkways. She laid back against the wall, picking her left arm up to check her watch. She tapped the screen to bring up a holographic display of a news journal site she was browsing earlier that read ¡°Ongoing Investigations on Allied Health International¡¯s NMO Implant Equipment Production¡± dated fifteen years back.


    ¡°How¡¯s it looking, Sam?¡±


    Sam, startled by the sudden question, looked up to see Kerry approaching to sit next to her. ¡°Oh, hey, they¡¯re supposedly finishing up. They will explain everything, I assume.¡± She closed her holographic watch display and made room for her.


    ¡°You seem to know a lot about what¡¯s going on. Is it something to do with a disease or disability he has?¡±


    ¡°No. I think it¡¯s a faulty implant or procedure. Or maybe it¡¯s because his were put in at too late of an age¡­ I don¡¯t know. You know, I haven¡¯t ever heard about near-shutdowns happening in real life. This comes from hours on end with simulations, even.¡±


    Wait a second¡­


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    She then remembered the exchange from earlier before she and Sebastian were brought up for the checkup. Her gaze hardened as she looked straight at Kerry. ¡°You saw this guy suffering and you didn¡¯t seem bothered. Why are you worried now?¡±


    Kerry dodged the invitation to verbally throw hands and kept her relative calm. ¡°Excuse me, but I care about anyone on my team because that¡¯s my damn job.¡± She too was appearing quite worn out from the initial practice run. ¡°Whatever issue it is y¡¯all got with the Director, that¡¯s y¡¯all¡¯s business, but I still feel like I have a right to be worried while doing as I am ordered at the same time. You feel me?¡±


    As much as she wanted to, she was too exhausted to argue. Rather, she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh in concession.


    Kerry settled in her seat as she continued. ¡°I¡¯ve been long, long used to how Ms. Norris throws new things at us on the fly when it comes to training, so no surprise with today¡¯s freaky experience, but¡­¡± she said as her voice trailed off into a long, uncomfortable pause. ¡°Do you know what she was talking about when she said Antares or whatever it¡¯s called? This is the first time I feel like I am being left out.¡±


    Sam laughed a bit to herself at the irony of that statement. You think you of all people are being left out?


    ¡°And I mean that with all seriousness, like¡­¡±


    ¡°-I get it,¡± Sam replied with a wave of her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t go too far off with life stories with, well, you¡¯re technically still somewhat of a total stranger to me I¡¯ve only known for a day. I will spare you my personal tales, but this operating system is quite infamous from the last war. I doubt the Confed¡¯s ever spoke of Antares as it was a Union thing, but that shit almost killed my dad when it he tried to pilot the fully activated version. Then again, I can¡¯t help but think about all the stories I was told about not just him, but people close to me, others who were famous, infamous, hell¡­ it even reminds me of the Kaylen Melleney incidents.¡±


    Kerry had heard that name throughout the past decade along with every popular, negative connotation, especially since joining the piloting ranks. ¡°You know of her, too?¡±


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know of her? Operating systems that use the brain like a conduit scare me, to be honest, but with emotions aside, I saw the desperation in Director¡¯s eyes. I think what we are about to face requires us to have some kind of advantage like this developed. So, don¡¯t get me wrong. I still can¡¯t quite trust the Director as things are, but at the same time I get it, she knows what we don¡¯t.¡± She then looked back up to the exam room door as she sighed once more. ¡°Thinking about those stories have me worried about Sebastian.¡± Her eyes then lit up as she saw a man approach the door through the small window.


    The door opened to a young medical assistant who carried a tablet with him. He passed through quickly with purpose, letting the door close behind him in showing that they would not be allowed in the room. ¡°Just as requested, I can give you a quick explanation of things,¡± he started with a tired but warm smile. ¡°Here, if you can take a look,¡± he said as he opened up a holographic image from his tablet. It showed the neural mesh implant surrounding the upper hemisphere of Sebastian¡¯s cerebral region highlighted and detailed. ¡°As you see, the implants are fine. It turns out there was a firmware issue upon installation many years back with the microchip set, causing a minor incompatibility with whatever system it is he used. We¡¯ve flash updated it and treated him. He will be fine by morning.¡± He saw the weight lifted off of Sam¡¯s shoulders as he continued: ¡°But don¡¯t worry, we will make sure something is done about this. No pilot is ever allowed to operate Hexa equipment without compatibility screening. We will hold anyone responsible that-¡±


    ¡°-Wait!¡± Sam interrupted with upset confusion. ¡°He¡¯s been processed since a week ago. He was already cleared!¡±


    ¡°Well, then, someone ran a program he was not cleared for.¡±


    Kerry was now picking up on what had Sam confused and concerned. Is this man trying to imply that Ms. Norris is responsible for this somehow? And is that what Sam here has been thinking as well? Gotta be shittin¡¯ me.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, that is our protocol to act upon,¡± he insisted despite the objections both Sam and Kerry were telegraphing through their body language. ¡°If you are to wait for Mr. Navarre here to be released, we will have him out here in the next five minutes, thank you.¡±


    As soon as he turned his back, Sam quickly tapped her watch once more to set up a call to her father.


    Kerry was now beginning to lose patience as she sensed more unfair anger directed towards the innocent. ¡°What are you doing- who are you trying to call, Ms. Norris?¡±


    ¡°No, hold on,¡± she answered with a hush as she watched the door close. ¡°Dad, real quick,¡± she spoke into a voice message delivery service in a suppressed tone. ¡°One one nine for Director Norris and the OS compatibility screening. Thanks!¡±


    She was now curious who Sam¡¯s father was after listening in on the cryptic message but her immediate concern was still on the present predicament. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you think Director had anything to do with this.¡±


    ¡°I think there are two different sets of strings getting pulled,¡± she replied without biting on Kerry¡¯s strongly signaled suspicions. She then swiped over to a keypad screen and started typing away at her notepad, casually brushing the entire confrontation away. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll explain later.¡±


    ..


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    The Palace Gulshan Hotel building was one of the centerpieces to the redesigned and revamped town center for the Gulshan Precinct. This, along with Bashundhara Precinct, were two of the most financially well-off areas and they stood out in stark contrast to the abandoned Badda Precinct bordering them to the south. Not far from the walls was a large open square filled with demonstrators led by several men with a megaphones and campaign boards all around them. Looking between that scene and all around it from the penthouse¡¯s view, Marian continued to scan the horizon for something else. The room was filled with businessmen and women, politicians, and various other highly regarded public representatives. She had been tuning out the bustle and commotion behind her, only periodically changing her attention from the outside view to her watch as if she had long been waiting for a response from someone.


    ¡°Ms. Cable?¡± a soft voice came from behind, causing her to turn to see a younger local male appearing in his early twenties, dressed in a lavish green designer business suit. ¡°Excuse me, my father doesn¡¯t know I am here, so just know he was not the one sending me; I was asked to find you by someone else so if you don¡¯t mind-¡±


    Marian had to stop him amongst his timid but fast-talking ramble enough to interrupt: ¡°Sorry, but you will have to tell me who sent you.¡±


    The young man smiled bashfully and approached more closely as if to whisper to her. ¡°Mr. Revenant sent me. I am so excited to serve the famous group-¡±


    ¡°-That¡¯s enough. If you have a message let¡¯s bring it outside,¡± she said with an impatient huff, casually easing herself towards the door nearby to the outside patio. The hot, thick, humid night air was still heavy with the smell of after-rain which had kept the crowd inside with the comforts of conditioned air. This left the two alone, masked by the droning sounds of night life beneath them echoing up and between the high rises near them. Why would Isaiah pick this way of getting back to me? This is not what he said he would do. She turned to him once more to continue in scorn: ¡°Control that loose mouth of yours before you speak to me in public.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, apologies,¡± he said without dropping his smile. He then cleared his throat and took a breath as if to thoughtfully choose the next words he would speak. ¡°I have a message to deliver from Mr. Revenant. He says you need to know this tonight and that it is very urgent- very important, er, yes, very important message.¡±


    ¡°¡­Well?¡±


    ¡°You are to change your informant from my cousin to me,¡± he continued with a wider grin.


    She paused in utter confusion, shaking her head before answering. ¡°To you? Who are you, and who is this cousin you speak of?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Revenant gave me the message because you seek someone in the Awami League Party, and that is me.¡±


    Marian now saw the resemblance between his smile and Taneesha¡¯s. Although his accent was heavier and more stressed, he could now tell this had to be who he was. ¡°Are you that relative of Taneesha Sur¡­ Sharif¡­ Hossain?¡±


    ¡°Yes! That is me! So glad you were told of me. I am just a school student at the university, so no one here knows my real job. The other message I must give you is very critical.¡± He then happily extended his hand which contained a note written on paper.


    This is Isaiah. Yep, of course he wouldn¡¯t send me anything electronically- what was I thinking!? she thought to herself as she carefully accepted the note, catching sight of the handwriting.


    ¡°So,¡± he continued, ¡°Read this and please let me serve. I am very excited to join the effort- to join the cause.¡± He watched in amusement as Marian¡¯s expression went from anxious to confounded. ¡°You need to stay away from my cousin as she is very sneaky. Cannot be trusted. Her father and my father have been for a long time almost enemies. Please take heed of this information and let me help you move forward more effectively. It would be my honor, Ms. Cable.¡±


    She slowly looked back up, slowly digesting what she read. ¡°Yes, thank you, Mr. Sur. This does answer the question I was waiting to have answered.¡±


    ..


    ..


    ..


    She exited the hotel room, unescorted, yet confident in the fact she knew exactly where she was going. The packed, late evening streets surrounding the hotel area filled with shops, restaurants, and bars might be intimidating to the average first-time tourist, but it didn¡¯t faze her as she made her way towards the nearest intersection. Amongst the swarming flock of micro cars, autorickshaws, and busses pulled up a nicer, all-black European model car, halfway riding up the sidewalk.


    ¡°Get in!¡± Revenant shouted as he popped his hand out the window with a hurrying gesture.


    Marian hastily climbed in the back seat facing the sidewalk as the car quickly pulled away back into the flow of traffic. The car smelled as if it came off the dealer¡¯s lot and the fuel cell drives hummed brilliantly and clean, bringing about her surprised reaction. ¡°Where in the bloody hell did you get this from?¡±


    ¡°Present for working with the Sur¡¯s! Aren¡¯t they the best?!¡± he laughed as he kept his eyes on the road, coming to a stop at the red light. ¡°Damn shame we can¡¯t stay at the Palace Gulshan. That place looked nice. Ready for another hole up in the dust? Reap¡¯s been missing you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s exactly what the messenger pigeon deliveries and all would perfectly express to me.¡± She adjusted her posture and loosened her shirt collar. ¡°So, how did you find Sharif? What¡¯s his story?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you will not believe what he can get for us. The things he will do? ¡­ It¡¯s like¡­ how did we not find him sooner! Here¡¯s the deal so you can know what¡¯s up when we catch up to Reap¡¯.¡± Rain then started to fall with a gentle pitter-patter on the roof of the car and the windshield. ¡°Do you ever miss having controlled weather, by the way?¡± he said with a curious look behind him.


    ¡°Just tell me the plan,¡± she responded without realizing her tone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, just really worn out after these past few days.¡±


    ¡°No, I get it,¡± he said with a defeated grin as he drove off as the light turned green, carefully navigating the slew of vehicles packing each lane. ¡°Sharif is the son of, as you may or may not know, Rakib Hossain, one of the top military leaders. Crazy, right? Not sure how Reap¡¯ worked things out beforehand as, look, even I didn¡¯t know until earlier today, but they¡¯ve gotten strings pulled and will send out the package ten days from now. Things will¡­ ¡®get moving¡¯ before the election, and this will be bigger than just the mayoral election as originally planned. Since they want all our manpower, we just asked for information in return and we got everything we need.¡±


    ¡°So, we don¡¯t need Ms. Sur for anything anymore, I assume. Who is-¡±


    ¡°-Oh, no, don¡¯t think we are done with her. She still has a whole lot to provide for us. Let her continue to dig out anything that we can get from her as it¡¯ll be icing on the cake. But in the end this country will be another big name to land on the Pro-Confed side of things. Another stop, another revolution, another one to go. Where are you hoping we end up, next?¡±


    ¡°Wherever it takes. You knew that.¡±


    ¡°Aw, have some fun,¡± he kidded. ¡°But I guess since all the places that mean dearly to you are already on our side, it doesn¡¯t leave much in the department of preferences, huh.¡±

 A New System, Part 3

    ¡ñ¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Singapore SRC/CCC


    An exhausted Sam ruffled through Sebastian¡¯s front duffel bag pocket to find his mobile as she pulled it out and walked back over to his bedside to hand it to him.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said as he lied back down and checked the time, which read 20:05. ¡°I want to check what time it is at home. Maybe I can call.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± she answered with a yawn, walking over to the TV to turn the news off. ¡°Do you think your sister¡¯s awake, now?¡±


    ¡°Well, hold on,¡± she continued as she sat next to him, thumbing through a screen on her watch. ¡°We are eleven hours ahead here, so it¡¯d be seven in the morning there. She might be awake if she¡¯s still in coma recovery.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± he responded as he opened his contact list. ¡°I will try, then. I have been worried all this time, still.¡±


    He must be. I have never seen him turn away from the news on any given evening. She let her mind wander around the room, seeing Andre¡¯s belongings still on the other side of the dorm, bed unkempt. I still hope they don¡¯t mind my intrusion.


    [Bas, you¡¯re OK, I was wondering when you would call,] she heard Dani¡¯s voice to her surprise. She sounded elated to hear from her brother but at the same time, judging by the absence of the energy levels she had already grown accustomed to, it was evident her path to recovery had only just begun.


    [Hey, wait, what are you talking about, I was afraid you were the one not OK!] he answered with suppressed jubilance, holding back a tear. [I¡¯m so glad you are awake and sounding like you are recovering well.]


    [I just have post-surgery rehab on my list and that¡¯s really all I have to worry about. What about you, I heard you went to the other side of the world?]


    [Right. We are in Singapore, now, and maybe for about two weeks before Bangladesh.]


    [Wow, a real world traveler,] she responded with a chuckle. [How is Cruella? Renzo told me she is taking care of you now.] Sam instinctively took the mobile from him to swing the camera to herself, flashing a peace sign and a goofy smile that had Dani completely taken aback. [Oh, look at that! Pink stripes, now!? And you can smile? What are we supposed to call you, now!!]


    ¡°¡­What?¡± Can¡¯t they see I don¡¯t have my ear buds in¡­


    [Crazy, right? Renzo had a pretty similar reaction,] Sebastian added as he joined in on the laughter.


    Sam, despite being lost in the conversation, had quickly caved and joined in as well, mostly taken over by the relief she felt hearing both of them enjoying some normalcy. And she knew it didn¡¯t matter anymore, feeling Sebastian¡¯s left hand take hers while he continued, remaining content just to be there for him while he mentally unwound.


    .


    .


    Across the hall, Andre had been uncomfortably standing against the wall while Kerry sat on her bed, electing to text her fianc¨¦ rather than voice call. He tried to occupy his time checking through social media discreetly through his watch but something had been eating away at him.


    ¡°Kerry, why hasn¡¯t anyone talked about earlier? I feel like something¡¯s up and we all need to know.¡±


    She paused mid-text to think before sitting up straight. ¡°If I recall correctly, you chose not to follow me to the medical exam corridor.¡±


    ¡°Dude,¡± he reacted with a wince to the unexpected jab. ¡°I always stay away and you know that. I have been trying to do everything but make things worse when issues pop up¡­ unless I have a part to play.¡±


    She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes before lying back down facing the ceiling. ¡°Then you get that things are complicated since this new job started. I have to adjust¡­ a lot it seems¡­ and so do you.¡± She then immediately went back to texting the rest of her message. ¡°At worst, do like we have always done. Stay in our own lane, do what we are told, and get paid or promoted.¡±


    He attempted to digest the remark before it stagnated at the word ¡°adjust¡±. ¡°So, how have you adjusted? You seem to be awfully unchanged.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my goal. I can¡¯t let all these changes affect me to such an extent.¡± She sent her finished message and allowed her arms to fall behind her head on the pillow, followed by a tired sigh. ¡°But I¡¯ll keep it real with you. I can¡¯t exactly figure out what I heard earlier and what-¡± A knock at the door startled the two of them as Danielle proceeded to enter, remaining at the doorway as the door closed behind her. Who the fuck knocks on doors these days? Judging by the pause in silence between the time in between, the two assumed it was something she didn¡¯t want heard.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am?¡± the two almost simultaneously spoke up.


    ¡°I just got one-one-nine¡¯d and I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry. I need to ask a favor and this is something I didn¡¯t want to risk over electronics.¡±


    That¡¯s the code Sam used earlier¡­ Kerry thought in reaction to hearing the announcement.


    ¡°So, anyway, in a second I will need you to go get net checked* at the lab- and don¡¯t worry, I got someone to open the lab for me real quick. And while we are at it, I wanted to let you know we have a guest coming some time in the next day or three who will be a better guide through this new operating system, so in the meantime just bear with me. We will continue practicing at an increasing pace, starting tomorrow with six-on¡¯s¡­ full setting.¡± As she took a moment to read their reactions, knowing they likely would have no verbal objection, she could read their faces all too well. ¡°No, I won¡¯t tell those two tonight. That¡¯ll be your job in the morning first thing.¡±


    ¡°But why us!?¡± Kerry quickly objected, unable to hold that one back. ¡°They¡¯re going to complain about that dude¡¯s health or some-¡­ thing and I highly doubt she listens to me.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°You being both the leader and out of your comfort zone is something you could use in these next few ¡®down days¡¯ since up until this point you haven¡¯t had any, um, stronger personalities to stomach. It¡¯ll build character.¡±


    The offense reached critical mass for her as she couldn¡¯t hold back this time, keeping her voice to a minimum amidst the release of frustration: ¡°Ms. Norris, I- do you know how patient I have been with her? And do you hear how she talks to not just me but you, too?! She got me fucked up the minute she walked in the meeting room for the first time!¡±


    Danielle knew Kerry was being sincere when she lost her composure just enough to speak as such, understanding not only how she felt but how these had been far more stressful times for everyone. ¡°Just trust me. You will soon see what I mean by us all needing each other, and I sensed the tension between them and you two. Just tell them first thing. Now let¡¯s get going and get this test out of the way. Will need plenty of shut eye tonight.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam entered her dorm room to find it unoccupied and lights off. She was ready to apologize for taking so long to her two teammates, but rather than ponder their whereabouts she instead elected to dress down and throw herself into bed, not even pausing to think about everything that had happened. By this point, all that mattered to her is that there was still a semblance of things going by schedule and Sebastian was looking to be alright. She also felt the comfort of a proper mattress and sheets underneath her as she let go of the tensions that she had been holding onto all this time. Longest¡­ day¡­ ever¡­ she thought to herself as she drifted to sleep.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    The loud, abrupt chiming of an alarm going off coincided with the silent alarm Sam¡¯s mobile had been set to, startling her from her fleeting slumber, leaving her feeling robbed. ¡°Where¡¯s that coming from?!¡± she grumbled, haphazardly scrambling to shut off the noise from the source.


    ¡°Chill out, damn,¡± Kerry grumbled in return as she sleepily reached for her mobile to silence it. ¡°Six-on, starting at 0-600 hours. Don¡¯t drag us around,¡± she continued, easing herself from the bed.


    Sam caught her breath, sitting upright for a moment to gather herself, realizing it was the scheduled 5:30AM alarm that had gone off. ¡°Right,¡± she mumbled, hopping out of bed to head for the sink.


    As Kerry affixed her bandana over her forehead and pulled back dreads, she silently continued to wait for more of a reaction. ¡°You know we are right back to full settings for six hours, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes- I mean, I figured so,¡± she nonchalantly replied before splashing her face with warm water. She then turned to her as she dried her face to continue: ¡°Sorry for yesterday, by the way.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± she awkwardly replied as she looked off to the side and shrugged, having expected things to go differently. ¡°We had to get a net check last minute. That¡¯s why we were gone.¡±


    ¡°I know- I mean, I figured that as well,¡± she curtly replied as she stepped into and pulled over her pilot suit she took down from the hangar.


    She hesitated to reply, raising a brow as she passed her, heading for the sink. What? How? I do not get this chick one bit. I swear she¡¯s got something going on to keep dodging me like that, but can¡¯t quite figure it out¡­ almost like me or Ms. Norris had done her wrong in some kind of way. She continued to listen for anything to come back in addition, but the silence was met with only the sound of running water. I need to be careful around her.


    But Sam was locked on what she had listened in on and spoke of the night before with Sebastian. She continued in focused thought as she zipped up her suit and redid her braided ponytail: I really do need to continue to do like Mr. Galeano once told me and stay away from my loose-cannon mouth-off tendencies. Just don¡¯t respond to any of the noise around us.


    She finished affixing a band around the end of her ponytail as she took in a deep breath, reflecting on her most recent conviction that solidified over the past day. Right now, I just need to focus on keeping us on track. Sebastian came all the way out here to run into all of this and I need to stick by him¡­ be there for him¡­ get better and not be a liability for him.


    .


    Across the hall, Sebastian was already suited up and was turning to face the window, peering out to the distant soft glow of the near-dawning sun trying to peek up into the horizon.


    [You all ready? I still worry about that spill you had yesterday, man,] Andre spoke up, breaking the lack of communication that started prior to the drills the day before.


    [I am. I am pretty pissed off and embarrassed about yesterday to be honest,] he said as he stepped closer to the window, continuing with noted resolution: [No breaks for me. No one else back home had the chance to come as far as I have, so no doubt I make the most of this.] He then turned in reaction to a warm, firm pat on his shoulder. [Sorry if I come off cold sometimes.]


    [No sweat, man,] Andre replied with a chuckle. [This job does that kind of shit to you. All of us. Let¡¯s see what we can get done today,] he continued with a fist bump.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sebastian took his seat in the same cockpit module as the night before. Having calmer nerves and better rest, he could tell this time as he put the helmet over his head a strange feeling come over his consciousness; it was warm and fuzzy, but not the nice kind of feeling. What remaining nervousness he had left, he hid it knowing he wouldn¡¯t want to attract the wrong attention from the others, especially from Sam.


    He hadn¡¯t felt that comforted in years yet he couldn¡¯t help but feel vulnerable, usually the one depended on to be the support. He flipped down his visor and slowly but confidently gripped the controls, flipping on the active camera switch. [Let¡¯s try this,] he thought to himself, focusing his eyes adamantly toward the immediate front of his LTAC.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s pick up where we left off!¡± he heard Danielle over the comms channel. ¡°We can¡¯t move on to targeting until we can effectively maneuver both aerially and across terrain.¡±


    The endless blue and white grid view suddenly turned to another abandoned Central Dhaka City precinct, and within seconds, three of the four were already starting their initial practice jumps to their designated landing targets, each falling over intersections of varying widths. Sam, however, stayed behind, eyes intently following Sebastian¡¯s Ap-50. She watched him land smoothly, but still well off target. ¡°Sebastian! You don¡¯t have to be that careful! They fixed your terminal firmware! Try like you did yesterday!¡±


    He felt the encouragement intended, but was still more apprehensive that he originally thought. He looked up to see the next landing zone come up on screen, but this time he elected to walk his Ap-50 in a few circles around the intersection as it was six lanes wide all around, giving him the perfect amount of space to practice eye movement while adjusting his head angle. He took meticulous care in the stepping around of each abandoned car, slowly adjusting his senses to the ultra-sensitivities of the camera feedback. ¡°I think I understand things more. I have to think like my eyeballs¡­ are the robot¡¯s eyeballs.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ makes sense!¡± Sam answered in bewildered excitement.


    ¡°Try it again,¡± he heard Danielle join back in.


    He loosened his shoulders and neck, taking in another deep breath. Without hesitation, he leaned into the jump boosters, both from the feeling that he can¡¯t take this too slow but also from the idea that perhaps he just needed to be more forthcoming with his attempts if he is to improve. As he apexed his flight path back toward the streets below, he felt as if this time the strange sense of changing gravity was acting as a guide rather than a source of motion sickness.


    He let himself accept that he was falling, waiting for the perfect time to kick in the thrusters and softly touch down right inside the landing zone. With the solid, comforting thud felt that next moment he let out a sigh of immense relief, already starting to feel the effects of the machine but without the panicking or loss of sensory control.


    ¡°Good, now can we move forward with the targeting?¡± Kerry impatiently inquired.


    ¡°That makes everyone a pass for the jumping tests. Loading the hit boxes for target acquisition practice. Starting with one at a time, alternating appearance times.¡± Danielle placed the mic back on mute, leaned back and rubbed her eyes for a moment before letting out a distressed sigh. The thought of being nowhere near making the formation practices begin on time had already been enough stress as it was, evident in her now rubbing her entire face in frustration.


    Really¡­ Only two weeks to get them to master this shit. What have I gotten myself into.

 End Training Intermission

    That next moment, the door opened as an Akkadian Navy-dressed officer walked into the room after being escorted in by Singapore CCC officials. She got up to see who it was, not realizing how much the bright hallway hurt to stare into.


    ¡°Sorry, guess I should¡¯ve knocked,¡± the soft-spoken man said with a smile as he allowed her time to adjust. ¡°I also realize I may have arrived a whole day sooner than planned, but I think you could forgive me for that one.¡±


    Danielle¡¯s squinted eyes suddenly felt relief by what she smiled back. ¡°Gabriel fucking Silva. Look at you, Sly! And Knight never told me you were upgraded to commanding officer!¡± she spoke with excitement as she walked up for a hug. In the light, the man could be seen to have mixed ethnic backgrounds and appeared to be in his thirties. His slim yet athletic build towered over Danielle¡¯s shorter stature as well.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s been too long, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Gabriel added, returning the light embrace. ¡°So, is this the mess you got yourself into here at Hexa? I hope I¡¯m not too late for anything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no! I was actually just asking that myself. Here, take a seat! I¡¯d imagine you had quite the trip getting here on such short notice.¡± She motioned him towards an empty seat next to hers. She, too, took her seat, letting out another stress-laden sigh. ¡°Sly, listen, I know this all will bring up bad memories, but-¡±


    ¡°-Saff already filled me in, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Knight didn¡¯t reach out to you? He was the one who told me he might be able to get in touch with you.¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am, Saff called me right before I pulled strings for the rush flight. She told me everything. Even got to talk a bit to Strife for a moment about the mess. So, why bring up old Suha- and why are you calling him Knight?¡±


    Danielle picked up on the sour note that came at the tail end of his response, electing not to reach any further. ¡°Never mind all of that. Just wanted to make sure you knew the whole situation.¡± She then directed his attention toward the screen. ¡°I assume you read my notes on the way here. This is the mess, part two. Antares Mk.2 installed after last absolute second clearance. Four kids bombing the first part of the crash course, and who knows how much of it is to do with this new operating system. I know it has to be me for the most part, but this was never my thing back in the day, you know? Just because I know how to do something, yeah, it wasn¡¯t going to be something I could ever translate to them at all.¡±


    Gabriel took a moment to observe the simulation course underway, taking in a few mental notes before looking back to Danielle with a smirk and a chuckle. ¡°Yeah. You still talk too much. That was probably error number one.¡±


    ¡°I do not,¡± she shot back. ¡°You think this is stuff you can put in one sentence? This is the-¡±


    ¡°-You are attempting to prep them for the Flex four, Danielle, I get it. You must be taking this approach like you had our old drill sergeants do us back then¡­ way back when everyone called you Rook.¡± He continued despite the sour reaction Danielle had to her old call sign. ¡°With times and systems changing, you know crash drills don¡¯t work now, it never worked back then, and that¡¯s what a number of us tried so hard to fix. Let me get you off on a good footing.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t taking my job, are you?¡± she said with an uneasy chuckle.


    ¡°Shit, no,¡± he laughed back. ¡°I got a few days unless I need to call in a special favor, but don¡¯t forget I am a guest here. And judging by the fact you all wanted me here especially because Suha¡¯s little girl Sam is involved, I highly doubt Vrey even knows about this.¡±


    Danielle had been moving so quickly since her last episode with rule violations she had forgotten how thin the ice was for her. Shit, Sly, that¡¯s not what I want to hear, but damn it I need your help.


    ¡°Let me get you off on a good footing and you can see exactly what to do after that. Your initial ideas were great. Execution is what I was fearing would be lacking, so we¡¯ll fix that. Call your pilots in so I can give them a proper introduction.¡±


    ¡°Mid-run?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we need to start from square one, and that¡¯s showing what the end product is, first.¡± He then nudged her hand that had just reached up to hit the call button on her headset, causing her to pause. ¡°And second, you really need to quit calling everyone younger than you ¡®kids¡¯.¡± He saw she was about to retort before he cut that off as well with a smile. ¡°I know, I know. Sorry, go ahead.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    An exhausted set of pilots were now seated in front of the same screens where Danielle was stationed, this time in the absence of other Infinity staff. Each of them adjusted their ear pieces and caught sight of the activating monitors hooked up to one of their simulator pods.


    Sam peered over at Sebastian occasionally, still concerned for his condition but still relieved that he was holding up. Come to think of it, she thought to herself, remembering how different things were when it was just the two of them prior to their arrival. He¡¯s been awfully quiet even before the spill. I hope he¡¯s alright with everything.


    ¡°Director Norris,¡± he spoke up, surprising the others. ¡°Is that a new instructor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Navarre, in a sense,¡± Danielle answered with a weak smile. ¡°He will be assisting us for a few days to help get things started more quickly.¡±


    ¡°Shh, look,¡± Kerry spoke up as she noticed the monitor changing locations several times until it loaded up a location southeast of Dhaka City that was on a building overlooking a crowded sea of older apartment buildings. ¡°I think he¡¯s starting.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s where our holding house was in Narayanganj,¡± Andre said with a gulp, flashing back to the nightmare that ripped them away from their station, barely with their lives intact.


    ¡°This is Former Eden-Casares Union Pilot Gabriel Silva,¡± the voice spoke to them in a stern voice from the simulator pod.


    The name immediately set off a bell in Sam¡¯s head, remembering how that name had been tossed around several times back in her middle school days. Silva? No, that can¡¯t be him¡­ is it?


    He then continued: ¡°What I am about to show you is the capability of Antares, even despite the many key features that have been disabled for your safety. Watch carefully and take notes. Switching to in-eye camera.¡±


    Clustered flashes of red and three clouds of yellow popped up on the screen next to Gabriel¡¯s in-eye camera feed, showing the incoming LTAC units honing in on him. Two were groups of five, and the other a group of eight. But before any of the four pilots could study the screen any further, their eyes quickly darted back to the camera feed as a dizzying blitz of focus changes and quick changes in movements had them reeling, struggling to make sense of what they saw.


    Sam could only make out that the Ap50 was airborne one second, attracting fire, then angling downward at an uncomfortable angle through an alley. Within less than a few seconds, the eye-camera had darted between zipping over a few targets and back to the alley behind him, somehow firing six shots in between each flash of the camera angle. The Ap50 then swung directions, facing the other way as it rocketed back upwards, but was still hard to follow as Gabriel¡¯s eyes never stayed in one place for more than a split second. By this point in time, no one was able to follow. The echoing sounds of the hybrid rifle rang out four more times, being the only event that they could comprehend by this point. Just trying to keep focus on the camera itself was disorienting enough to nauseate. This has to be that Silva guy dad flew with. Why the hell is he here?


    ¡°Ten down, popping in behind the last group,¡± he continued calmly, finding a quiet corner to stop and gather his bearings for a few moments. Even during this time, the eye-camera feed never settled down, constantly snapping back and forth between the sky, in front of him, and to the left, all views out of the alley from where he stood. He then took off again, advancing to his left while turning himself back to face where he left, now thrusting himself upwards into the sky, firing the final shots which Sam counted to be a total of ten. He then gently set himself on top of where he started, letting out a breath that only hinted slight exhaustion at best. ¡°Sorry about that, the last target was a bit slippery from that angle.¡±


    ¡°Forty-two seconds, Sly,¡± Danielle spoke as she had this whole time been watching a statistics monitor and not any of the action.


    ¡°This dude is not human,¡± Kerry spoke up, noting the others were in the same boat, mouths agape.


    ¡°Correction,¡± he replied as she shut her mouth, embarrassed that she had been heard. ¡°Human here, sorry, but human with an unhealthy amount of experience with this OS. If I knew this region better like your boss there, who may have scored this in under thirty seconds unrestricted, you¡¯d see different. Now, let me hear the observations before I break this all down for you.¡±


    Holy shit was all the four could muster in thought before Sam broke the silence. ¡°Mr., um, Silva, you placed twenty shots. What did you hit with the two you missed?¡± She immediately felt the pressure of everyone looking back at her as if she may have insinuated something she didn¡¯t intend. ¡°I ask that as I realize there is so much for us to look out for with the ROE and our hybridized rifles, sir¡­ I would like¡­ to know what you did in the event you couldn¡¯t take the ideal shot, sir.¡±


    Unlike the others, however, Sebastian was feeling excited as he thought to himself: [About time! I couldn¡¯t for the life of me figure out what this machine was supposed to look like when it does its job! This is good shit, please continue.]


    ¡°Great question,¡± he said with a pause in thought. ¡°You know, I will jot that down as I go over the recording frame by frame in a minute. But for now, let¡¯s get this studied like we only had a day to do this because it might be all I have!¡±


    -Begin Dhaka Arc-

 Enter Dhaka

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Approaching Dhaka City, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    It¡¯s been only ten days since Project Antares Mk.2 started with our instructor changing quickly from just Director Norris to her and her old compatriot Gabriel Silva. They told us two weeks to train, but their combined gut feelings had us work double overtime and leave four days early. They never told us why, but here we are, arriving to port on a small carrier cruising up the Buriganga, and what a God-awful smell it has been, Sam thought to herself as she continued typing in her online journal entry under her save-for-later folder. Bogota in the end was a place I really felt I could adjust to fully, even actually enjoyed the latter half of my stay, to be honest. But this place, I am getting some cold vibes. I do feel for the locals in that sense; I see what they would hope for and expect by this point in time. It¡¯s the 2170s, and I feel like I am still peering into the 2050¡¯s before the third World War that ¡°reset¡± the globe. Or so one might think, especially from the perspective of us from space.


    ¡°Ah, there you are,¡± Sebastian spoke to her as he climbed out from the stairwell that led outside, facing the railing where Sam was leaned against. ¡°Still doing that?¡± he continued, easing himself behind her, looking over her shoulder, one hand propped against the railing.  ¡°Why don¡¯t you just call your mother since you stopped social media?¡±


    A few moments of silence, interrupted only by the humming of the engines and the occasional splashing of the river against the hull, passed as she hesitated to respond. She hadn¡¯t talked to her parents much since her decision to stay on Earth. Guilt played a part, knowing she promised her the last time they spoke that she would immediately return home, and she had not yet found the words to explain what was going on. Fear played the other, not knowing what scolding or wrath she would face after essentially lying. And her father, she knew he was too busy as things were. He would call her when he had a chance, which was fine with her as she had already exchanged messages with him about the mission on a few occasions. ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain.¡±


    At least Sebastian has been doing so much better and more like his old self again.


    She closed her mobile, letting out a sigh as she leaned back against him. Her eyes wandered off into the distant, barely visible morning sun that was hidden behind a layer of overcast clouds, noting their approach towards a large bend which would take them to their right. She was unaware of the eyes watching them from the banks of the river as they passed small shops and houses of the towns along the way, slowly graduating into larger apartments, mills, and factories.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you stay out here. It smells bad, like¡­ I don¡¯t know. Is it the river?¡± he continued, not realizing the cloud cover was mostly photochemical smog. He then grinned at the thought of something ironic. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you like the hot weather now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s peaceful, regardless of how hot it might be,¡± she responded with a roll of her eyes. ¡°I still can¡¯t get comfortable around the others, you know? You and Andre seem to get along, but to be honest there¡¯s something about him I can¡¯t quite trust. Same for Kerry and the director.¡±


    ¡°Even Mr. Silva? It¡¯s been a long week,¡± he shrugged before putting his hands on her shoulders comfortingly. ¡°Maybe we simply need to do real work together, and not just only practice. Even I was getting angry at practice.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± she calmly conceded, feeling a bit more relaxed despite the increasing industrial clanks and drones of distant traffic. ¡°Not that I have a problem with Kerry leading everything now, I would like to think there¡¯d have been chances to try to figure her out¡­ but she¡¯s always reading maps.¡± She then turned her head up to face him, returning a similar grin he had given moments ago. ¡°Like you with your news every single night!¡±


    ¡°Yes. I like knowledge,¡± he said with a laugh. ¡°And I also like knowledge about new places, too. Do you know what this city is?¡± he said with a point toward the other side of the river bend as the carrier began to take its turn.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, we are headed for the capital city.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what makes it special?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, the food?¡±


    ¡°The streets system,¡± he flatly replied, catching Sam by surprise. ¡°Do you know what Kerry has been studying? Streets. Street maps. I did, too, and you should, too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I knew that; they explained that already. I thought you¡­ nevermind.¡± What a mood killer. I was hoping he meant ¡°special¡± like¡­ ugh who the fuck am I kidding? She thought as her head sank, embarrassed at the notion. That sounds like the me that thought about shopping of all things before dropping over Colombia. I really need to keep my shit together like everyone else. The thought then popped up again as to why they would be on edge. They did after all come here to face whoever it is that almost killed them. I must admit, they have the guts I don¡¯t quite have.


    Sebastian too was now preoccupied in thought as the two continued to stare out aimlessly into the slowly narrowing horizon. [I still want to ask about what I found on the news, speaking of, but something says now isn¡¯t the time to talk about politics. Maybe I should wait until things settle down and we find our new holding house.]


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Vincent walked into the executive board meeting room which was now the most cluttered scene it had ever been. Map overlays, papers, folders, and projected holographic images were covering most of the expansive tabletop between the six seats, each filled with the exception of the lone seat towards which Vincent approached. ¡°I assume they are making their final approach now?¡± he asked as he sat down, feeling the tension in the air much more apparent.


    ¡°Yes, and all this monitoring is what we have been up to for the past six hours,¡± Al calmly but exhaustedly responded as he spun his holographic display around, showing the aerial view of the carrier containing the three Ap-50s and the Axiom along with Sam and her team. ¡°So far, and this is of course to the best of our abilities to gather information on such short notice, we have not spotted any major Underground activity on the surface for days, and riots have actually remained at levels prior to the holding house breach.¡±


    The gentleman sitting across from Al, Symo Zaeras, joined in. ¡°And our insider has provided us some highly invaluable information on the election trends. The Awami League has taken some hits after some scandals had been revealed just this morning- some serious money laundering issues that tie in with international interests. The press is releasing their statement later today.¡±


    Vincent let out a somewhat relieved sigh as he straightened his posture. ¡°I take it Ms. Sur has the greenlight, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Zaeras continued. ¡°At this rate, the BNP should solidify their re-election win and this will allow Ms. Taneesha Sur the much needed, under-the-radar opportunity to move our men into the right places. Only then can we get PM Khan to sign our extension.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Re-election isn¡¯t until next week, so don¡¯t forget what all can go wrong until then,¡± Lucian chimed in. ¡°Just under seven days, men. Let¡¯s hope our little shift in plans works out for the better, and the PM keeps his head on his shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Knight,¡± Vincent continued as he eyed the zoomed out strategical course of action map that had the central-most part of Dhaka City on display. ¡°Update me on our lady, Ms. Norris. Any news?¡±


    Al scooted over a bit to zoom in one of the screens to a closer aerial view of the Buriganga near Old Dhaka. ¡°She is looking to be on point for the rendezvous under the Babu Bazaar Bridge which is in less than five minutes. From there they seem to have a clear route to the temporary holding house. All routes from the LTAC drop point to that holding house is also clear. And I already had specific instructions delivered to Director Norris and her squad leader Melancon about when to make their first moves to retake the first base. Streets in the old town are not on surveillance, which is a plus, but they are an absolute tangled mess, especially with those sectioned-off reconstruction zones sitting just beyond them.¡±


    Vincent took a moment to digest the scenarios playing in his head. ¡°How are their chances looking? I realize this is really a do-or-die type of situation, and I would like confidence before I pull the plug for their lives¡¯ sake.¡±


    ¡°Frankly, Vrey,¡±Al replied with a continued calm expression, although with a hint of irony. ¡°We should have been doing this long ago. You have a highly experienced war vet- a Harbinger at that, in charge of infiltration, extraction, and placement strategies. If we had her instead of Marian for that Colombia Drop Op, we would be looking at a whole different narrative. And with highly detail-oriented Melancon in charge of field ops alongside the excellent on-field adaptability Nguyen possesses, all it takes is Sam¡¯s proven technical knowledge and prowess and Navarre¡¯s natural shooting and overall combat abilities to round off this infiltration group near-perfectly.¡±


    ¡°I must admit, I never knew Director Norris had such effective pilot training skills.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s not just her, mind you, it¡¯s your granted permission to move forward with Antares Mk.2. This might be the game changer.¡± And it¡¯s a damned good thing Silva hasn¡¯t been noticed. I pray he makes it back to Space without getting caught.


    Lucian got a hold of their attention as he raised his hand. ¡°Gentlemen, they¡¯ve arrived. Establishing contact with Ms. Sur in the next minute.¡±


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka City, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    Sam was seated between Sebastian and the back corner of the small passenger vessel that was ferrying them from the carrier to the shore of the river just beyond the large bridge¡¯s underpass. She was by now, to a degree, subconsciously accepting of the smells coming from the river and from the shores, but she looked back away from the approaching dock to Kerry and Andre, seeing the most uncomfortable expressions as they silently tried to hide their shock. Not a word was spoken as they were all too nervous to come up with anything. Even their ferry operator remained silent as he calmly approached the dock, awaiting a secure link before opening the gate lock.


    The four pilots stood up and carefully made their way off of the ferry, walking towards the only standing person at the end, seemingly waiting patiently for them. Despite none of them being in proper Hexa Infinity attire, it was as if she knew the faces of who was to come. And it was then that nervousness had fully set in, gripping Sam by her stomach. These feelings were akin to what she went through her first time through the streets of Colombia. The sense of fear, however, kicked in two-fold as she was only protected by the unmarked duffel bag on her back and the non-uniform shirt and pants ensemble she wore. No metal alloy to protect from the unexpected.


    ¡°Welcome to Dhaka City,¡± Taneesha called from the exit as she motioned them to approach. ¡°My name is Taneesha Sur. I will be your travel guide. I will take you to your place of stay, so please follow me to our private shuttle taxi.¡± She wore a pants suit that emanated the sense she was a typical business woman, unlike the time she met with Marian in her expensive, high-level designer suit, but her smile was as warm and accepting all the same.


    ¡°Hi,¡± Kerry said as she led the line, giving a subtle wave in return. ¡°I¡¯m Kerry, here in place of Ms. Danielle Norris.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, of course! Follow me to the shuttle,¡± Taneesha again insisted, turning to the stairs that would get them to street level. The four ascended, now getting a full view of one of the oldest parts of Dhaka City, un-renovated, unscheduled, and un-sectioned. What Sam felt as a glimpse into pre-2050 Earth was now solidified, taking in the moment as Sebastian next to her did the same, never seeing such scenery. Groups of auto rickshaws alongside several smaller trucks and busses passed by noisily, showing that electric and natural gas vehicles were still the norm unlike hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to which they had been accustomed to all their life. Sam¡¯s eyes then wandered over to Kerry and Andre, leading the pack, seemingly calm on the surface. They were here for weeks before. This might all be the same-ole¡¯ for them, but they have got to be on edge. I hope Danielle knows what she¡¯s doing, putting us in an old non-surveilled part of the city. She then took another look at Taneesha, who was now motioning the driver to open the doors to the small shuttle bus. And can we really trust this chick?


    As they walked to the opposite side of the bus to load, Sam quickly approached Kerry from the side and whispered, wide-eyed: ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea? Remind me of why we are here and not a more developed area.¡±


    ¡°I told you!¡± Kerry returned in an impatient whisper-shout, remaining just barely audible over the passing noises. ¡°No surveillance means no hacking¡­ and that means no cloaks tracking us!¡±


    Sam of course knew that was the logical answer, but she still hated the thought of where they would be taken, given the surroundings already gave her plenty a clue how their provisions would look and feel. She had remembered during the precinct map study that they were only a short drive away from Motijheel and Dhanmondi Precincts, both fully renovated, clean, and modernized. The thought only further strengthened her discontent regardless of how well she knew it was all for the better.


    All of this could be read on her face by Sebastian, waiting for her to climb aboard. He put a hand on her shoulder, once again warmly reminding her that everything would be alright. They all took their seats with their bags placed at their feet, buckled in, and felt the gentle pull of their vehicle as it merged with traffic and turned up a street that would take it up the hill.


    .


    From the top of a stairwell access to the bridge just above them, just barely out of plain sight from the shuttle bus that pulled away, Marian took another bite from her street stall-sold shingara. Munching away using one hand with guilty satisfaction, she awkwardly one-handedly typed a message on her mobile: ¡°Guess who our girl on tabs picked up just now?¡± As she finished the last bite, a return message came back from Reaper.


    ¡°Meet me at the Bangabhaban Garden in 0:30 hours. And try to stay away from the vendors. Eating slows you down too much.¡±


    She rolled her eyes with a nasal laugh, readjusting her shoulder-slung bag and continued down the bridge¡¯s pedestrian walkway.


    (*Mangsher Shingara)


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    The van-sized shuttle bus slowly made its way down a narrow, pedestrian and auto rickshaw packed lane. As the driver carefully and gently maneuvered the street and its unpredictable flow, Sam was able to take in the surroundings much as she had tried to do since approaching by river.


    These streets are much more packed and narrower than it felt looking at maps alone. Not even many buildings over three or four stories tall and no room for an LTAC to fit in between. This means Kerry was right. If we were to hide not only from surveillance, we had to hide where only those on foot had a chance to do anything. And this is REALLY out in the middle of nowhere it seems.


    Kerry was, on the contrary, only watching the driver and Taneesha, who sat in the passenger seat, speaking the whole time in local Bengali dialect, almost as if waiting for something to pounce on. This was noted by Sebastian, feeling the urge now to switch from simply being nervous and observant to vigilant, almost as if he were back home, deep in Rocha territory.


    ¡°Ms. Sur!¡± Andre spoke up out loud over the engine and road noise, shattering the silence.


    Oh, shit! Kerry thought as she realized what Andre just noticed.


    ¡°Sorry, but we were ordered by our director to stop at the Balurgat Inn!¡± he continued, noting they had passed up the street he had been waiting for to show up.


    ¡°We are almost there!¡± she spoke back to them just moments before the van creeped to a halt in front of an old four-story hotel building. ¡°Here. Now we are here.¡±


    ¡°Kerry,¡± he whispered to her discreetly. ¡°This is not the spot. Be ready, follow my lead.¡±


    What? Oh no, not this shit again! Sam thought as she was barely able to make out what was said. And so, there it was again, the feeling of her stomach tightening into a knot with nerves approaching their limit. She kept her breathing under control this time to keep her faintness from making its ugly return, however, something she had been stressed to do many times by Danielle over the past week.


    Andre then then looks to Sebastian and Sam, holding a finger up in equal discreetness. The door then opened as the four quickly but carefully hopped out, reshouldering their bags, staying alert.


    ¡°Here, inside,¡± Taneesha motioned them as if she too were on full alert, hinting that they might be in danger.

 Enter Dhaka, Part 2

    Shit-shit-shit, why do we have to go through this again! She thought as her heart started pounding.


    As Taneesha led them into a hallway, the driver continued off down the street as the door closed. She then proceeded to further motion them into the vacant lobby with exception to the single clerk. She greeted him with a wave as they continued down the short hallway to an empty room. She quickly and quietly closed the door behind them, knowing she had a very tense set of guests. ¡°You need to understand this was for your safety as we would most definitely have been followed. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us sooner? You had us freaked out just now!¡± a highly upset Sam objected as she approached her. In doing so, she failed to catch Kerry and Andre scanning the room. ¡°Could you tell us who might be after us?¡±


    ¡°Here, please, have a seat and I will explain how to get where you need to go to stay safe,¡± she continued to plead, seemingly always on the hand motions to communicate. She noticed Kerry and Andre silently refusing to do so, eyes wandering around the room. She elected to not further add to the tension, seeing that since Sam and Sebastian did so at the foot of one of the beds, she continued explaining: ¡°Listen. There is a political party that very much needs you to disappear. They plan on taking the election next week, and they cannot have you stopping their demonstrations.¡±


    Sam was a bit perplexed by hearing what was essentially preaching to the choir. ¡°Well, we already figured that, ma¡¯am, that¡¯s why we are here, and why you were to guide us¡­ so why aren¡¯t we where we are supposed to be?¡±


    [What is she doing?] Sebastian thought to himself, not about Taneesha but elsewhere as his focus fell on Kerry¡¯s eyes. She saw or heard something but was making an effort not to give it away or to cause alarm just yet.


    ¡°Yes, I- what I am saying is that we cannot go there. I am one hundred percent sure they would have listened to that order. We must change our location to a safe house in Gabtoli. Once my own personal driver arrives here to pick us up, we will move there safely.¡±


    ¡°So, we just wait a bit?¡± Sam asked as she calmed down a bit. Not too bad, then, I was just getting worked up as per usual. At least that river smell is gone, and we are away from all those crowds. I have not felt this discombobulated in ages.


    ¡°Yes. Please wait with me until then. We have to keep close, and stay sharp for wanderers.¡±


    Andre noted a peculiar spark in both Sam and Sebastian¡¯s reactions to that phrase just now, unsure what it meant but knew that something serious was triggered that instant, nodding to Kerry.


    ¡°So, please, let¡¯s just-¡±


    The conversation was cut harshly short with the bang of a kicked chair that Kerry sent careening Taneesha¡¯s way, followed by an awkward attempt to shield her exposed front side. The chair struck her in the arm and gut as she buckled over by reflex, and in that instant Andre was already behind her, pulling her arms behind her back and had her forced to her knees in the blink of an eye.


    What the fuck!? Sam had barely the time to react as Sebastian held an arm up as if to keep her from going anywhere.


    Before Sebastian could come up with any words in response to the drastic turn of events, Kerry had already pulled a pistol from under her windbreaker and behind her back, already in arms reach as she grabbed the back of Taneesha¡¯s head, gripping her by the hair and forcing her head down, pistol pressed firmly against it.


    ¡°Where is the tracker!¡± Kerry growled in anger.


    And since when was Kerry armed?! ¡°Kerry, stop! What- what the hell- what are you doing!¡± Sam tried to stop her but was held back by Sebastian still.


    ¡°Come on, bitch, talk!¡± she continued as Andre prevented her from moving, locking her arms and legs in place.


    She could only manage to utter groans in pain, further angering the two.


    ¡°Last fucking chance, bitch! Where is the tracker before I pull this motherfucking trigger!¡±


    ¡°Sebastian, lock the door!¡± Andre shouted in urgence, motioning his head to the front of the room. ¡°Sam, close that curtain!¡± he continued, motioning his head to the open window.


    The two could only quickly and nervously jump to their assistance, not knowing what else to do in the heat of that moment. This is fucking overkill! What the hell is wrong with these two?! Have they gone absolutely mad?!  Sam thought as she pulled the blinds down.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Sam heard Sebastian shout as she turned to see him walking with more than just that purpose towards the three.


    No, no, no, don¡¯t do anything stupid, Sebastian!


    He ran his hand into her back pocket, pulling out her mobile. He spotted a missed message from ¡°Ms. Cable¡±, seeing the simple heading read: ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± He then showed the screen to Kerry.


    ¡°Alright, next question! Who the fuck is Cable!? Huh!?¡± Kerry continued through her teeth, pushing the barrel harder against the crown of her head.


    Taneesha finally found the strength to catch one breath to say in sudden, sincere desperation: ¡°Don¡¯t message back! Please!¡±


    In between panicking and reacting to the events, Sam had been trying to figure out what had even happened that triggered the entire event. She then remembered the line Taneesha spoke right before the chair went flying. ¡°Kerry, I know that line! She knows something!¡± she shouted as she rushed up behind her. ¡°Kerry, listen, that line she said was something I heard from only a few people in my life!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± she returned as she continued to press the barrel down, unwavering, eyes still locked in.


    ¡°My father, my brother, or Marian Channing.¡±


    The name seemed to hit a sore spot for Taneesha as she screamed out again: ¡°Don¡¯t message her back! Please, I beg you!¡±


    ¡°Unlock her phone,¡± Sebastian suggested with a look of disgust, looking down at her. ¡°I know that name, too.¡±


    ¡°Well, well!¡± Kerry let out an exhausted chuckle, standing up but keeping her aim pointed well downward, allowing Andre to pick her up back to her feet. ¡°Andre, you got her?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ move,¡± he insisted in a quiet, threatening manner as he backed up and stepped aside, drawing his pistol from behind his back as well, leaving her now standing between two aimed barrels. ¡°Now, no time for lame ass games or any other stupid shit you might be thinking, whoever the hell you are. Open your phone, and toss it back.¡±


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    Sebastian tossed it her way. The toss landed in incapable hands as she fumbled the catch, dropping it to the floor. Her hands were trembling terribly as she slowly picked it back up, placing her finger on the screen to unlock.


    If she was who they think she is, she is awfully scared. Something is going on, but not sure how the hell she is in connection with Channing, Sam thought as her heartrate slowly settled down as the tensions began to fall. ¡°Here,¡± she said with her hand out. The mobile was awkwardly tossed her way, and as she caught it, she looked back up to see tears had been falling down Taneesha¡¯s face as evident by the eyeliner trails and smeared foundation and lipstick. She hadn¡¯t seen a face this desperate, almost as if she were staring down death in the face.


    ¡°Sam, what¡¯s her contact log tell us?¡± Kerry asked as she kept her eyes down barrel, both hands still firmly gripping her sidearm.


    She now was flipping through call and message logs, seeing the name Cable mixed in with other code names she couldn¡¯t make out in Bengali. ¡°The only name I see that I can recognize is Cable. This has to be Marian Channing, judging by her reaction.¡± She then felt some of the betrayal that the others must have felt so much more strongly and much quickly than she had, now taking a step towards her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too close, Sam!¡± Andre warned as he too kept his barrel up.


    ¡°Marian Channing is the bitch who left me for dead in Bogota,¡± Sam spoke with a sense of spite she hadn¡¯t spoken to anyone, not even one of her many exes. ¡°How do you know her, and why are you two connected?¡±


    Taneesha was still trembling as she gathered her response. ¡°I will tell you everything- just¡­ don¡¯t message her back. We must get out of here now. We are all in danger now that you have ruined my plans to get away from her.¡±


    Andre pulled away, heading back for the window as he spoke back over to Sebastian: ¡°Hey, man, check the hall. Anyone coming?¡± He peered out the window, seeing nothing out of the ordinary as he heard Sebastian¡¯s ¡°No¡±, signaling him to return to business. ¡°Kerry, I think we ditch this mobile here in the room. Take off without it. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been burned once before. You and I both knew to keep eyes peeled and ears open. Nothing says we can¡¯t ditch the bitch along with it, too, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Sam said as she walked over to Kerry, noting the uncontrolled stream of tears start to flow once more, weakening Taneesha to the point she was now back at her knees. ¡°Kerry, she is our only lead. If we find Marian Channing, we find the guys behind the Cloaks.¡±


    She leered back at Sam in annoyance. ¡°What is this name you keep telling me? We don¡¯t have much time to make a decision and you aren¡¯t in charge last time I checked,¡± she impatiently returned.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you she might be telling the truth. The day that Channing bolted on my drop op, that very next hour the Cloaks took my whole squad out. They are likely in on our whole op and we need to get the hell out of here.¡± Kerry began to let some of her guard down as she continued: ¡°We just might need her to get ourselves out of this mess and turn things back on them.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got a point,¡± Andre added as he started to lower his sidearm.


    Kerry took a moment to stew the thought. She hesitantly put her pistol back on safety and replaced it behind her back, taking a towel from her duffel bag to offer to Taneesha. ¡°Alright, wipe up. You look like shit. Can¡¯t have you going with us out like that.¡± She then started to pat her down, not coming up with any weapons of any sort.


    Sam, no longer feeling like the two were insane, started to think more logically as her senses continued to come back to her. ¡°We might need to stay not too far from here so that if they do move in, we know about it and know who all is coming.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sebastian argued as he continued to check down the hall. ¡°We have a mission. We are here early, and we still have to move tomorrow evening¡­ because then Director has our LTACs ready. If we die here, this is all for nothing. We should move very far from here and think of a new plan.¡±


    Kerry nodded as she reshouldered her bag. ¡°Yeah, not only are we still on radio silence with Director, I don¡¯t like this neighborhood anyway. Too close to the river and not enough high-rise for my liking.¡±


    Sam took the phone and walked to the window, seeing a house across the street just in throwing distance. She opened the door and heaved it onto the rooftop. ¡°That should put them for a loop trying to find her.¡± She turned to see the three with disappointed faces. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You are such a rookie,¡± Kerry huffed as she took Taneesha to the door, motioning everyone to follow behind. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a backup spot I researched. Take us to North Shewrapara.¡±


    ¡°But that is so far! We would need a car or a bus!¡± Taneesha reacted.


    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly what you will help us get! Now, move! And no stupid shit!¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Marian was seated in a shaded park bench, nose buried in a digital novel projected from her mobile. She paid no attention to the stares she got as dozens of pedestrians moved by about their business. One figure popped up from the nearest crowd wearing rough business attire complete with a stuffed briefcase that had seen better days. He took a seat next to her as he let out an exhausted breath, causing her to put it away.


    ¡°Out of shape already?¡± Marian scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ve been out all morning, having not sat down until you decided to get me off the path.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and you slept last night,¡± Isaiah dryly remarked as he pulled a notepad from his briefcase. ¡°I am upset that our intel has fallen short once again. I assume Director Danielle Norris is no longer in Singapore.¡±


    ¡°No idea. But I can tell you who I saw, which means she might be somewhere nearby.¡±


    ¡°I already know. B-¡±


    ¡°-No, you don¡¯t,¡± she said with a stern look and turn towards him, lowering her voice as a means to scold without attracting attention. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you have in mind with the changes in plans going from Sur to Hossain for this election, but it¡¯s about time you clue me in.¡±


    Isaiah never needed reminding why he brought her along all this way. Sometimes he needed someone to challenge his thinking, but nothing could ever restore his full trust in any human being with how things had been for him, even if he truly wanted to. ¡°You are in no position to-¡±


    ¡°-Damn it, I-¡± she quickly refrained from uttering his name. ¡°-Listen. Your sister is back- I saw her get off that boat and hook up with Sur. Will this change your plans once again? Because that¡¯s what I was getting to be leery of now.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he once again dryly returned with no change of emotion, drawing a slightly shocked reaction from Marian on the contrary. ¡°I can¡¯t say I am surprised she didn¡¯t go home after all. That means the Galeano Kid stayed with her. He¡¯s looking for me, isn¡¯t he?¡± He then leaned back with a flip of his notepad, searching for a certain page. ¡°Let them do as they please. I gave them a fair warning. What happens after that, happens. Right?¡±


    I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be that heartless. No, that can¡¯t be. Maybe he has to say that.


    ¡°All I am worried about is this,¡± he said as he showed her a page from his notepad. ¡°I needed to show you this today regardless of the little finding you had earlier. Take this and study it for a bit, compare it to our movement layout map.¡± He then leaned over to pull out another document from his briefcase. ¡°I don¡¯t have long before I have to go tie up the last loose end with Hossain¡¯s family, but let¡¯s take this little backstab from Sur as a gift. When she shows up dead, it should send one of three messages to Rex.¡± He folded the pale, green-colored paper and passed it to her, putting a hand over hers as a gesture to not read it just yet.


    ¡°Already have her plans worked out before we even know how legit Hossain is?¡±


    ¡°I have too much proof he¡¯s a real asset. This country will turn, and turn much sooner than Rex had on the timetable. This is and has to be where we get our just credit and really turn the heat up on the worldwide scale.¡± He then pointed to the note. ¡°Read that once you are in a secure location. Sur will be the perfect bait, since she clearly has no idea what she walked into trying to get involved with us in the first place. Let this be the lesson for future¡­ greedy public interests.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe your stance on moving forward knowing your sister is going to get caught in the middle and most likely die,¡± she continued with a disappointed tone, twiddling the note between her fingers.


    Isaiah returned no gesture or remark, only zipping his briefcase back up and adjusting his blazer. He then nodded to her as he stood up to leave, walking off at a brisk pace.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    He had only made it two blocks down the path before a man quickly joined him from behind, slowing pace to match his.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your partner likes me,¡± Sharif spoke with a chuckle. ¡°Are we okay with today¡¯s deal?¡±


    ¡°Consider it signed. I just need to meet with your father.¡±


    ¡°And I take it you will deal with my¡­ troublesome cousin.¡±


    ¡°I understand how hard it is to ¡®take care¡¯ of a family member. Consider that already taken care of as well, Mr. Hossain.¡±


    Sharif showed a pleased grin as he motioned forward: ¡°Then, please, Mr. R, follow me and we will ink this deal.¡±

 Enter Dhaka, Part 3

    Sam was crammed aboard a bus, squeezed uncomfortably between Sebastian and a stranger as she tried to keep an eye on her crew. The whole time Andre had kept a hand on Taneesha¡¯s shoulder, all sticking together in cluster. Unable to see outside or even breath for that matter, both she and Sebastian were equally on edge, trying their hardest to hide it. Maybe this is why I got so much flack for not studying the town maps more. I have absolutely no clue where we are going or what the fuck we are even trying to do. What did I get myself into this time? I really must have lost my damn mind, tagging along, signing up for this madness.


    The bus came to a stop and Sam felt herself suddenly tugged by her bag from behind as Kerry pulled them towards the exit while waving to Andre to bring Taneesha with him.


    .


    The bus drove off, leaving a trail of kicked up dust as Sam waved it away from her face, turning to see the massive concrete wall behind them, casting an ominous shadow. ¡°Kerry, remind me why are we stopping here instead of the Shewra-whatever? I think we are the only ones who did.¡±


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Kerry flatly ordered as the crew followed her into an alley across the street from the wall. The alley took them between rows of dilapidated housing structures, cables and pipes hanging from wall to wall. What they had seen up to this point was destitute as it was, but this seemed to be the epitome of the poverty gap. She kept her watch up in front, trying to identify a building she had preset in her navigation app. Spotting it, she quickly turned a corner and panned her vision across the alleyway, looking for something.


    ¡°Oh, this place. I remember now,¡± Andre said as he pushed Taneesha along before stepping just next to Kerry with a hand pointing up at a second-floor establishment. ¡°There, right?¡±


    As the group turned for a rickety stairwell, Sebastian leaned over to Sam as to whisper, not wanting to be heard not only by the oft-passing townspeople but also by Kerry and Andre who had been steadily emanating a somewhat threatening aura since the hotel scene. ¡°Let me walk behind you. I don¡¯t know if I can trust this is not a new trap.¡±


    Sam nodded and gladly picked up the pace to let him fall a step behind as they approached a rusty door with Bengali written all over the sign above it, mixed in with faded, matted poster papers that had been little-seen and long-forgotten. Before passing through the door Kerry opened with a code entry, Sam got one more peek across the way at the large concrete wall, now able to see multiple higher-rising buildings with no lights on, giving off no signs of life. A cold shudder ran down her spine as she turned to enter. The room was dimly lit, and the stale air smelled of a building that had not seen activity for years. ¡°Kerry, where are we?¡±


    ¡°Take a seat,¡± she commanded with a motion towards an old wooden table, accompanied by equally rickety metal chairs. Behind the table were two doors, both shut, no sign of the lights on behind them. She saw Sam start to move before she put a hand up: ¡°Not you, the chick.¡±


    Taneesha, still trembling from earlier, stiffly approached the table and took a seat, looking back up to the group, knowing what had to be done for her survival¡¯s sake. ¡°This¡­ this must be a ¡®safe room¡¯. Mr. Vrey to-told me about these but never spoke of where they were.¡±


    ¡°Damn right,¡± Andre huffed as he took a seat across from her. ¡°Kerry and I have a whole damn list of these. Don¡¯t think we didn¡¯t learn a thing or two from our last squad command before things fell through.¡±


    Kerry then walked up behind him for the looming interrogation. ¡°So, spill it, bitch. Who is this Marian Channing chick? Is she who you were about to double cross us for? And what were your plans for us? Speak fast before our two minutes are up and we ditch.¡±


    Sam noted that Sebastian, content to stay leaning on the wall by the exit door, was listening intently on the conversation. Everything has been moving an absolute mile a minute since we set foot on solid ground but even Sebastian seems to be acting way too naturally. Maybe I need to join in on the crowd. Is this how life goes out in the field? Shit¡­


    ¡°Thank you¡­ for letting me speak,¡± she continued in an even shakier voice, now staring down at the table. ¡°You have to understand my work was always for keeping my party¡¯s best interest at heart. It¡¯s true that¡­ I was working with the Underground to help my party win, and¡­ that includes se-setting up Infinity. But today, today was the day I had to draw a line.¡±


    ¡°No beating around the bush, less than two minutes,¡± Kerry warned, impatiently tapping her watch.


    ¡°Mr. Vrey told me about a Marian Channing! And I realized before that this Ms. Cable I was working with had to be her!¡± Taneesha now spoke with more alarm, more desperation in her voice as Kerry and Andre leaned in, listening more intently. ¡°This man, Rex, told me you were to come days from now, not today, and to bring you to a different area for ambushing. But before today, before Mr. Vrey told me the plans changed, I saw Ms. Cable- er, Ms. Channing speaking with my uncle Rakib Hossain and his son, my cousin, Sharif.¡±


    That¡¯s a lot of names to take down¡­ Rex¡­ Hossain¡­


    ¡°He is a threat to this country, and I knew immediately I was being used¡­ my whole party and family was being used. But I couldn¡¯t turn away and challenge them because they watch every move I make, so I went about business as usual. That was when I took you to the proper area at first to get you away from the ambush first so I could explain in privacy.¡±


    ¡°Not buying,¡± Kerry snubbed, once again checking her watch. ¡°Thirty seconds.¡±


    ¡°The election is at risk, now, with my uncle being involved. I thought our country needed to be rid of Hexa, but now I see we need Hexa. You have less than a week to stop them!¡±


    Andre stood up with a smirk. ¡°Come on, Kerry, she knows how we do- that is if the CEO really talked to her.¡±


    Taneesha continued to grow more nervous. ¡°Hold on, I-¡±


    ¡°Nah. Let¡¯s let the Underground deal with her. I got a few good names down. Ready to seal the building?¡±


    Seal the building?! What does that mean?!


    ¡°No! Wait!¡± Taneesha cried out with another stream of tears bursting as if she were pleading for her life.


    ¡°Oh, she knows the code,¡± Kerry said as she saw Andre return a ¡°told you so¡± look. ¡°Well, alrighty then!¡±


    The panic, fear, confusion, and bewilderment that had dominated the morning for Sam was now turning to frustration as while nothing was going to plan, there was this seemingly well-established plan B that no one clued her in on. ¡°Can either of you tell me what the hell is going on!?¡±


    ¡°Sam,¡± Sebastian quickly stopped her as he pulled her back firmly by the shoulder. ¡°Watch. Let them finish. I can see they have very, very good experience.¡± Turning to see his stoic expression was another put-off to add to her list.


    Kerry finished typing in a message on her phone when she looked back up to Taneesha and almost began to feel sympathy for the hell of a morning she had been through herself. ¡°There was no timer for real. That was just my West Bank temper.¡± She then walked up with a hand out. ¡°Now, the last thing before we part ways. Your burner, please.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, asking nicely,¡± Andre quipped.


    ¡°My burner?¡± Taneesha responded in confusion.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Kerry rolled her eyes. ¡°Your burner phone. Then we let you go.¡±


    Taneesha heard the click of a pistol¡¯s safety being disengaged. Knowing she by now had no other choice, she reached into another one of her jacket pockets and placed a smaller mobile in her hand along with a watch. ¡°There. That is everything I have.¡±


    ¡°You are officially off the list with us, and our eye in the sky now has you on full watch. You dare come near us you know your fate.¡±


    ¡°Eye in the sky¡­¡± Sam muttered under her breath. They pulled in another military orbital surveillance satellite already? Damn it, Director! Why weren''t we briefed on this!?


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re free to go,¡± Andre said as he put away his pistol and motioned to the door.


    Sebastian opened it as they watched Taneesha make her way out as he too began to return a confused expression. He closed the door and locked it instinctively, turning to ask: ¡°Are we really OK to let her go?¡±


    ¡°Follow us,¡± Kerry said as they passed through one of the doors across the room into another smaller hallway with a trap door between the door and the wall. She opened it up, revealing a ladder that headed straight down several floors as could be visible by the available but dim lighting. ¡°Only a few spots like this were secured for us by ¡®insiders¡¯ during our last month of stay when shit was getting heated. This will take us back to the other end of the neighborhood, giving us a clear exit to head to where we need to be headed.¡±


    ¡°But what about the girl?¡± Sam asked as she waited her turn for getting on the ladder.


    ¡°She can¡¯t do shit before we disappear,¡± Andre answered as he adjusted his shouldered bag. ¡°This place is shielded from all digital interception.¡±


    ¡°And last question ¨C how is there such a crazy plan B I was never aware of? A sweeper satellite- how was that pulled off?¡±


    ¡°You think we planned this bullshit operation?!¡± Kerry sneered as she continued her descent. ¡°A sweeper what? We just did what we could to get information!¡±


    Sam felt somewhat back-stabbed, having believed everything she saw and heard. ¡°Let me guess, your plan to shoot her earlier was fake as well?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Never pulled a trigger at someone in our lives!¡± Andre added with a smile.


    ¡°It looked so¡­ real¡­¡± Sam found herself mumbling out loud, climbing onto the ladder.


    ¡°I grew up amongst some crazy ass shit on the daily,¡± Kerry explained in a more serious tone. ¡°You grow up New West Bank like me, you get to learn how some people get what they want, and in our case, we had to act. I personally couldn¡¯t kill anyone unless absolutely necessary for self-defense- and never had to so far, but that bitch really got me mad back there, not gonna lie.¡±


    ¡°You remind me of my brother,¡± Sebastian suddenly joined in as he climbed in after Sam. ¡°And that is a good thing.¡±


    I don¡¯t know, Sebastian, Sam thought as she heard Andre close the trap door. I don¡¯t even know these two people anymore. It¡¯s like we are talking to two completely different crew members.


    .


    It was a good, awkward descent until the whole crew reached the bottom, looking down a short, dark, damp hallway to a single door with a series of metal bolts locking it shut. ¡°Before we go out, which I assume is out, Kerry can I ask one last question?¡± Because this one has really been bugging the shit out of me since earlier.


    She sighed initially, but let out a relaxed chuckle as there was evidently no longer a reason to stay tensed up. ¡°I get it, and we will run the whole thing down once we reach our next secure spot. But you¡¯re about to ask about me and Andre¡¯s GB9¡¯s. You know we can¡¯t tell you about these while on Hexa property. We¡¯d lose our jobs and so would Ms. Norris.¡±


    ¡°But how?! Just having one on you has you tracked and everything!¡±


    ¡°These are old school,¡± she said as she reached for hers, tossing it to her as Sam caught it.


    She immediately felt the incredible weight of it, almost like she was catching a pair of channel locks. She immediately noticed it had an ejection port, clueing her in on what Kerry meant. ¡°These¡­ are cased rounds?!¡± she asked in shock, quickly handing it back to her as she felt afraid to handle it. ¡°I had my training but only with the standard issue ones.¡± All weapons, both large and small, were designed to use caseless ammunition since the dawn of the century. She had only heard of old world, cased ammunition weapons floating around Earth, escaping the tracking system that was mandatorily put on all weapons since the move to caseless ammunition.


    Kerry locked the slide back, catching the ejected round and passed it to Sam.


    ¡°I feel like I am holding some kind of old-world relic,¡± she spoke under her breath, feeling the cold steel of the brass case. As she handed it back to her, watching her remove the magazine before replacing the round, she continued to ask: ¡°Where did you get- er, should I ask, who gave you these?!¡±


    ¡°Now that I will have to say sorry, won¡¯t go there until we can truly trust each other,¡± she curtly answered as she reset the slide position and re-holstered. ¡°Stick close. We have a few blocks to walk before reaching the Amin Bazar safe house.¡± She then raised a brow before turning to the door. ¡°And you¡¯d know where that safe house was if you properly studied your damn maps.¡±


    Sebastian held up the rear of the pack as he had been, following the rest to the door leading outside, but no one noticed he had been preoccupied by what he had just seen marked on the pistol passed around. [That was a Deimar model. Same mark we have been seeing on the foreign protestors. I got a lot of questions, too, Sam, but when is a good time to speak up?]


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al had stepped outside of the board meeting room as he pressed a button on his earpiece. ¡°You can talk, now,¡± he spoke to the other end. He leaned against the wall, seemingly exhausted from the non-stop activity that came along with this most recent operation and shift in resources.


    ¡°Sorry to disturb you during¡­ whatever it is you¡¯re busy with,¡± he heard Danielle speak over the line. ¡°But I want to ask one major thing if that¡¯s OK.¡±


    ¡°Shoot.¡±


    ¡°Bring in a sweeper satellite for us, will you?¡±


    ¡°And why would I do that?¡± he laughed in disbelief. ¡°Last time we did that we got our heads nearly taken off by every politician aimed at us.


    ¡°Our contact has been compromised.¡±


    He felt his heart drop immediately. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°That Sur lady got busted. Something went down and my kids got a lot of info extracted from her. Now- I know that doesn¡¯t answer your question so hold on.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± he grumbled as he casually walked back into the meeting room with his headset now attached to the room¡¯s headset system. ¡°Keep going.¡±


    ¡°The name Kerry gave me was a Hossain, two of them, actually. Rakib and Sharif Hossain.¡±


    The rest of the men in the room instantly stopped what they were doing at the mention of those names.


    ¡°Said that even though her original intent was to work with the Underground, hearing those names involved had her run back to us,¡± she continued. ¡°And not only did she confirm that Channing is in fact involved, she was the one tracking her. She goes by the code name Cable. Another code name she gave us was Rex. Any idea who the hell that is?¡±


    Vincent immediately walked up and gave a signal to the group to record the conversation.


    ¡°No, Danielle, you will have to give us time on that one, but we got that name down¡­ both of them,¡± Al answered as he quickly took his seat back, pen in hand. ¡°Keep going.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, they had to let her go. They got a tracker planted on her back collar, not sure how the ever-living hell they got that planted there without getting caught, but we are going to need the big eyes on this whole region today and tomorrow I guarantee.¡±


    ¡°Is she demanding a sweeper satellite? Who gave her the idea we would have clearance to do that?!¡± Lucian quietly spoke in a mix of surprise and frustration to the table.


    ¡°Look, we can¡¯t do that yet, either. Unless of course that is we have some extenuating circumstances,¡± Al continued as he saw Vincent shake his head in declination.


    ¡°Um,¡± she stumbled for a moment. ¡°Not that we do, the kids are all on their way to the next safe house on the list which no one knows but them as things are. But Channing being there is basically guaranteeing every damn Cloak is out there somewhere and who knows what all was listened in on. Is there no other way to guarantee their surroundings are monitored 24/7? That¡¯s my only fear. Someone sneaking in on their slumber kind of thing, you know? Shit they aren¡¯t all trained for¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it looking like for you?¡±


    ¡°Me? I have my 6am air drop scheduled for them. Why?¡±


    ¡°No. Let¡¯s bump that up to tonight 9pm. We will get that drop convoy in the air ASAP.¡± Al then looked up to see his surrounding¡¯s reaction, seeing a number of heads nodding in agreement. ¡°So far the moving up of everything way ahead of schedule seems to have them thrown off enough to give us more hope. Are you sure they are ready, though?¡±


    ¡°What, to pilot?¡±


    ¡°Talking about the project, so yes. That was a lot in less than two weeks.¡±


    He heard Danielle let out a worried sigh. ¡°They are as ready as they could be. I don¡¯t know what else to say other than they have my trust.¡±


    Al then saw a hand sign from Vincent as he continued: ¡°Are the pilots contacting you by phone?¡±


    ¡°No, this is over encrypted code by text. Why?¡±


    ¡°You know we can never be sure who is listening in. You don¡¯t know what we¡¯ve been dealing with. Stick to that unless you are in person.¡± He then leaned back as he let out a long breath. ¡°The rest is up to you all. We will see about that sweeper satellite but only once we go jump through some more hoops. But until then, I assume someone has an eye on Sur?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see¡­¡±


    ¡°The kid bluffed, didn¡¯t she,¡± he said with another disappointed sigh, now massaging the bridge of his nose. ¡°No choice but to continue with it. Shit. We will get back in touch before you drop.¡±


    As the call disconnected the room quickly returned to its level of activity, all except for Al who had remained stationary in thought for a moment. Gabe, take care of them. If you haven¡¯t bailed out already, that is.


    ¡°Get that report on the Hossain¡¯s!¡± he heard Lucian next to him shout to staff members behind him. ¡°And someone get the ball rolling on figuring out who the hell Rex is!¡±

 Trust Issues

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka City, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    The team was once more stepping off from a packed bus, but this time it was to Sam¡¯s surprise to look up to find completely different surroundings. Everything was so much more modern looking and there were many more ten to twenty-plus story buildings towering over the wider, well paved streets. From their bus stop she could also see at the far end of the major thru-way a bridge leading over the Buriganga as if to head out of town. ¡°Remind me why we came to what looks like a great place to get tracked?¡±


    Andre had already begun leading the team behind him as he shrugged his shoulders to the remark. ¡°You go where they least expect you, especially when we are free from any bugs or moles stuck with us. We need food, and we need to buy time before checking out our next available safe house.¡±


    Kerry chimed in as they approached a crowded crosswalk. ¡°We can¡¯t know if that chick can be trusted, so we will let a few hours pass before we check in to see if anything major has changed. Until then we lay low.¡± She then gave a signal to cut their conversation as they approached listening distance.


    Great, still nothing going to plan, Sam thought as she took in a deep breath, staying calm as she could. At least these two really do seem to know what they are doing. She then looked over to Sebastian, noting how much he was studying the area. Maybe I should start doing the same. Feeling like we might get split up one day and I need to remember where I¡¯ve been and where to go.


    It was three different Dhaka¡¯s she felt she had witnessed up to this point. The old and cramped, run down and left behind the developed world, the fully modernized and rebuilt world, as brightly lit as her hometown, and then the cold, eerie, ominously quiet walled-off worlds which she was yet to enter, knowing that one of those was their destination to be. Can¡¯t wait to break this radio silence and figure out what¡¯s really going on.


    .


    .


    Taneesha stood inside a restroom in front of a mirror, trying to straighten her hair back to how she had it. Her makeup had been reset, and she seemed more like she did before being assailed. Her eyes, however, seemed to tell the story in full no matter how much her makeup and hairdo were restored. As she finished her hair and once more straightened her blazer collar, she felt the approach of someone. Turning to her right she saw Marian passing the corner.


    ¡°All done?¡±


    Taneesha¡¯s face sank, realizing she never removed one of her rings she wore.


    ¡°It took a good breath out of me tracking you down. Where is the team, and why did my boys find your mobile abandoned on a roof?¡±


    ¡°Miss Cable, I had issues,¡± she feebly replied, avoiding eye contact as she continued looking to the mirror.


    Marian was now standing up against her in a way to make Taneesha as uncomfortable as possible, acting as if she had her own hair to fix. ¡°I feel like we aren¡¯t on the same page. I can¡¯t let someone endanger my friends, you know? I trusted you. Or did you just sell me the image of trust like you sell everything else in your household?¡±


    ¡°Miss Cable,¡± she responded with more resolve in her tone, yet there was a hint of waver. ¡°I was attacked.¡±


    ¡°Bollocks,¡± she laughed out of offense. ¡°You look great.¡± She then changed her tone to more of a threatening one as she finished fiddling with her hair, returning the glare back through the mirror¡¯s reflection. ¡°You know something we don¡¯t. I don¡¯t want anyone hurt, and that goes on any side. That was always our goal. We were to be in and out of here before the election. You are playing with fire and you know it. The more you don¡¯t get your act straight the more trouble you will cause and you never know when it just might catch up to you.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing else to tell you. I was attacked and threatened with my life. They took every device I had and tossed them. They found nothing of what they were looking for and left me behind,¡± she replied with continued resolve.


    ¡°Tell me what Vrey paid to entrust with you, because I know how well he will pay,¡± she responded, setting off a shocked reaction from Taneesha. ¡°And only then I will believe whatever you say about this, ¡®attack¡¯.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    (Several hours later)


    It¡¯s that feeling when you don¡¯t know if the world is coming down on you or you just over-analyze something you were told. Groundbreaking, nonetheless. World shattering. Sam was coming to grips with how to handle the run-down Kerry just gave them before stepping out with Andre for a quick path scouting. According to them, word from Danielle prior to their departure was that Vincent did not trust her with any ¡°extra¡± knowledge of the situation, which she had taken as an insult to her intelligence. Kerry only shared this with her as she felt everyone had the right to know when the time was right. Am I just to silently follow orders and not worry about why? Or was there something he feared would cause me to react to in a way that would screw things up? Was it something I did back in Colombia that had them doubt my ability to handle the situation? No, that can¡¯t be it. Has to be to do with Kerry and Andre¡¯s experience and Sebastian and I just need to keep ourselves from complicating things on accident¡­


    She was sitting against the wall, typing into the continuation of her journal entry from that morning. She had her legs stretched out across the bare wooden floor shoulder to shoulder with Sebastian who was reading news cards on holographic display. The room was dimly lit and sparely furnished aside from several cots and a sink, causing her typing to give off an echo as she continued.


    ¡°I need to talk to Kerry when she is back¡­ about this,¡± Sebastian broke the vocal silence as he nudged her arm. ¡°This is why everything is so quiet and no crazy riots or bombs or nothing.¡±


    ¡°It has been awfully peaceful on this end,¡± she replied with a raised brow, looking over to his foremost display screen. ¡°Awami League facing financial corruption charges¡­ oh, and more? Illegal foreign entity involvement with a potential voter scam? Hey, that¡¯s the riot supporting party. Does this mean the BNP gets to win this next election?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he argued to her surprise. ¡°Look,¡± he then said as he swiped down. ¡°This is the name Hossain that girl spoke, right?¡±


    ¡°Sharif Hossain,¡± she said as she looked closer at the smaller print. ¡°Wow, this guy¡¯s pretty damn bold to still claim victory on its way. Inevitable?¡± she finished with a nasal laugh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it looks like a BNP win¡­ but something about that girl and what she said has me worried,¡± he answered with undertones of his experiences with the Rocha¡¯s and other politicians back home. ¡°You know, Rocha men won the seats in SAU Parliament.¡±


    ¡°What?! When!?¡± she exclaimed, looking up at him in disbelief. ¡°How?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that, either. I saw that before we left, but I didn¡¯t want to mention it because of our mission and I don¡¯t want¡­ you know¡­ distractions.¡± He then pointed back to the news card. ¡°That is why I don¡¯t trust this. Any time a person with lots of money speaks politics to me, I lose trust very fast,¡± he continued in reference to their misfortunate guide from earlier.


    The door opened as Kerry walked in, visibly winded from her brisk walk. ¡°We gotta go. Crowds are all gathered at the mosques for Eid al-Adha or whatever it¡¯s called, so it¡¯s now or never.¡±


    Last stop before cutting radio silence¡­ about damned time, Sam thought as Sebastian helped her up, taking her bag from him as the three headed back outside and locked the steel door. Once they made it down the dark, narrow stairwell they passed through a long, graveled corridor between old apartment buildings until they finally reached sight of the main street. All along the way Sam felt the all too familiar gaze from the locals they passed, glad the crew was dressed down and free from any Hexa or Infinity logos or patterns. She along with Sebastian also noticed quite the curious stench coming from Kerry. When they reached the corner, they took a right that brought them staring down another massive concrete wall. There it is again.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Right here,¡± Kerry quietly caught their attention as they ducked off into another small alley just wide enough for two people at most, following her to a manhole on the ground. Her eyes checked both ends of the alley, ensuring no one was present before she kneeled and took a hold of the latch. ¡°Hold your breath real good,¡± she warned as she opened the cover, revealing an access ladder to the bottom of the storm gutter.


    Sam had seen these kinds of scenes on movies, never once imagining she¡¯d be living it. She took a deep breath and reached for the ladder, carefully taking each step down while Kerry held the cover. Sebastian, once he reached the bottom, held up his mobile with his flashlight on. Once Kerry joined them, they quickly made their way towards the next exit ladder, proceeding quietly but quickly. Trying her hardest she tried not to notice the floating and bobbing garbage filling the drainage channel to their left but it was too much not to pay it attention, realizing what the source of the smell was from earlier. Breath beginning to run short already from her nervousness, she more frantically approached the ladder and climbed up, reaching to take a hold of the cold metal release bolt. Pushing the cover open, she crawled out coughing and gasping for air she prayed would be fresh air but was rudely awakened to dusty, damp, and stale instead. Not paying notice to the other two rising from the access tunnel, she looked around to see they were inside a warehouse with a view outside that revealed what looked to be a ghost town. So, this is how they got inside.


    Sebastian coughed as he caught his breath, attempting to wave the smell from around his face in futility.


    ¡°Are you OK?¡± she instinctively asked in a whisper as something startled her that instant.


    ¡°Shh,¡± Andre silenced, holding a hand up from where he stood by the edge of the gated entrance to the warehouse. He held a viewfinder and radio in hand, seemingly waiting on the rest to gather up. They once more followed Kerry quietly over to his position. He then made a calling motion to Kerry as he started to hand over the viewfinder.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Kerry said in her quietest voice next to his ear as she carefully took the viewfinder, gazing out and down the deathly quiet street.


    ¡°Might just be patrol, maybe inspectors. Take a look, they¡¯re headed for the guard box,¡± he whispered back.


    She pointed it down the street, zooming in to see the guarded exit to the abandoned precinct and saw who he mentioned. Two light trucks and a crowd of a dozen men walked alongside at a seemingly leisurely pace. ¡°No idea, too foggy to make them out.¡± She passed him back the viewfinder before reshouldering her bag. ¡°We need to go ahead and move out- they shouldn¡¯t notice us.¡±


    Sam looked at her watch, noting the time was 6:48PM. No one was sure just yet what time the move would happen, but it was getting towards dusk, and the rain had been holding off all day, much to their relief.  ¡°The watch spot, that¡¯s it right there, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said, pointing to the crumbling entrance to a larger commercial building.


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s move,¡± Andre said as he quickly but quietly walked them across the street, eyes constantly checking down both ends of the street. Without trying to pry any doors, he instead walked them around the corner and up to a window that had been left ajar. He motioned Sebastian over to help him as they carefully forced the window open enough for everyone to fit through. ¡°Once you¡¯re in, locate the stairwell and keep moving ¡®til you get to the rooftop access door. Wait there.¡±


    Kerry got helped through first, softly planting her feet on the floor as she turned to the open end of the dark hallway, pulling out her sidearm in her right hand and a pocket flashlight in her left hand held against her right. She waited until she heard the window close behind her before making her careful advance toward the end of the hallway, spotting the stairwell.


    Sebastian immediately noticed this was not an office or commercial building but a school, instead, noting all the passing doors led to classrooms. [They really abandoned entire neighborhoods and just left them here to rot. How could anyone let this happen? I think I get the news, now.]


    .


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Airspace over Indian Ocean</li>


    </ul>


    Danielle and Gabriel sat hunched over their worktable aboard a Hexa-marked aircraft, digital documents, maps, and diagrams up and charts scattered across the top. On one holographic screen, however, was a communications channel showing up as ¡°locked¡±. This screen seemed to be paid most attention to, earning constant quick glances from the two of them. A distinctive pinging sound alerted the two of them as the screen changed to a green color and the text changed to ¡°incoming¡±.


    Danielle quickly switched on her earpiece. ¡°Kh¨­l¨¡?¡±


    ¡°Kh¨­l¨¡,¡± she heard Kerry¡¯s voice over the line, still speaking in a suppressed voice.


    ¡°?art¨¡bal¨©?¡±


    ¡°Nad¨© ?uki?¨¥ g¨¥ch¨¥.¡±


    ¡°Bid¨¡?a.¡± She closed then quickly closed the connection but ensured the channel stayed unlocked. ¡°Alright, Sly, that¡¯s the word,¡± she spoke up with a nervous smile. ¡°Uppers said no radio, but even encrypted texting still seems risky.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I still have a hard time keeping a straight face hearing you all use Bengali. But hey, they found the perfect place I take it. All that¡¯s left is to program the autopilot and pray.¡±


    ¡°I only wish they got us that sweeper,¡± she said as her tone changed back to a more worried one. ¡°I really hate them sitting under that roof for more than an hour.¡±


    ¡°Hey, look,¡± he said as he tried to ease some of the heavy concern. ¡°There is just absolutely no way in hell they see this coming. The fact they got that far after that scare earlier this morning and they got radio contact established in the no phone zone says you picked the right crew. Add that on top of the fact there is no chance they know of the project. Off chance they show up with the heavies, they are ready enough.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope the rest of the conditions stay right, too.¡± She moved her focus back to another screen showing the location of a carrier vessel on the Buriganga sitting in port. ¡°This will be the first autopilot drop I have ever overseen, and of course it would be during the worst absolute case scenario.¡± She then spotted an update on another screen. ¡°Oh, look at that.¡±


    ¡°Kolkata crew seems ready.¡± An update showed the status of sixteen Ai20¡¯s and four Ap50¡¯s which were labeled as loaded with pilots on board and ready for takeoff. ¡°Now is the most nerve-wracking part,¡± he continued as he joined her nervousness with an awkward chuckle.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long flight from there, and an even longer jump from the Amin Bazar Bridge area to the old airfield. If only we lived in a world where I could fly out there with them I would feel a hell of a lot better.¡±


    ¡°You miss the days?¡±


    She tilted her head with a crunched brow and a laugh. ¡°No, hell no. I just¡­ never imagined being on this side of the pushed pencil, you know?¡±


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka City, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°That, that¡¯s where one of our crews were for the longest,¡± Kerry spoke quietly as she pointed out a spot across the clearing to a damaged building near the abandoned airfield.  The four of them stood at the edge of the high school building¡¯s roof ledge overlooking the expanse of land the local air force used to utilize years back. ¡°I¡¯m convinced everything got looted, but hopefully the power grid and shit is still intact.¡± She then looked to Andre. ¡°Chances?¡±


    ¡°Who cares,¡± he quietly responded, leaning closer in.  ¡°We need to survive regardless. You think the drop really works after all this?¡±


    ¡°Just gotta wait a good little while. Let¡¯s head back inside. About to be dark anyway.¡± As they made their way back to the roof access door she looked to Sam. ¡°You ready for your job?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± And there it is, the ONLY thing I knew I would eventually have to do, and now my nerves are really killing me. The launch from the bridge would be too far to not require additional fuel cell packs, which means once we ditch those after hopping on, we still would have an entire ten to fifteen minutes of not being able to boost jump anymore. Now that I got to truly scope out the landscape for what it really is, now it¡¯s my job to map out our movements before taking the base.


    ¡°And don¡¯t forget the reinforcements will drop only once we plant that marker,¡± Kerry continued, looking to Sebastian. ¡°I want to make it damn clear again the only thing I want us to worry about killing us is that damn operating system. This won¡¯t be near as bad as I thought it would be. Like an actual ghost town out there.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s supposed to be,¡± Andre quipped, seeing her reaction before returning a smile. ¡°I know, but yeah you never know ¡®til you get there!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be here for a bit longer,¡± Sam said as she turned back to the open field, viewfinder in hand as she found a more comfortable positioning, leaning against the ledge.


    Andre paused, realizing he couldn¡¯t leave her out in the open. He motioned Kerry to continue on as he put a hand on Sebastian¡¯s shoulder as he passed by. ¡°I got it here. I¡¯ll stay on watch. Go help with the street level watch if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± he replied with a look back to Sam. Her returned smile brought him assurance she knew what she was doing as he waved back, headed for the door.


    .


    .


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Andre asked Sam as he looked at her notepad with several crude diagrams on it. His eyes squinted as he tried to make out the overall picture, not having enough daylight left to do so naturally.


    ¡°Can I be more open with you?¡± she asked as she continued scanning the area between the last building at the edge of the open airfield.


    ¡°Not sure what the hell that¡¯s supposed to mean, but shoot.¡±


    She then paused to look below and over to the street corner. Her eyes followed it up to the next intersection where several connected empty lots remained where buildings had once been demolished. ¡°I think we need to draw them out. We can¡¯t have our LTACs dropped in over there for easy access as we won¡¯t have the jump power to reach base for who knows how long. You are both good shots, right?¡±


    ¡°That depends on who the enemy is. Who do you think comes first if we do a diversion?¡±


    ¡°We drop there,¡± she said pointing to the demolished building area, ¡°and we literally march it up that street up until the next to last intersection. There we hold until we recharge. Then jump.¡±


    ¡°You know you can¡¯t run anything by Kerry without numbers. That¡¯s not good enough.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she said, picking up her pen and paper. ¡°The fact you didn¡¯t object means the idea might work, so now I just need a good moment or two to figure out those numbers you want. Here,¡± she said, passing him the viewfinder. ¡°Since you¡¯re staying overwatch for me,¡± she added with a wink. She then turned to crouch against the walling, hiding herself from below, using her turned-over watch to provide a soft light for her notepad as she got to work.

 Trust Issues, Part 2

    The sun had fully set as the warehouse where Isaiah had set up his operations was now in full darkness aside from the sparse lighting provided around each entrance and exit. Isaiah was followed by Revenant and Requiem to one of the doors as they opened and entered, seeing their tarp covered LTACs standing in the clearing.


    The three remained silent as they walked up to one of the loading areas, grabbing the tarp and pulling it off to reveal their heavily modified Kappa frames they used in Bogota, this time with a pair of large shields that ran a length from the top of the shoulders down to the ground. Each was arm mounted and with a swivel mount attached to the shoulder, suggesting free weapon utilization while being able to keep defenses up.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame, I tell ya,¡± Requiem quipped, gazing up for a moment. ¡°I really wanted to surprise the Infinity drop. Aren¡¯t we kinda wasting that info that Sur lady just tipped us with?¡±


    ¡°Keep moving,¡± Isaiah stoically replied as he moved to the next. ¡°I really don¡¯t have that kind of energy right now.¡±


    The door opening behind them startled the three but quickly eased up once they saw it was Marian. ¡°Damn, Cable, ever knock?¡± Requiem fussed with a chuckle.


    As she approached them, she intensely stared down Isaiah in a confrontational manner. ¡°If this is because you can¡¯t pull the trigger, then damn it let me do it.¡±


    He let out a tired sigh, shaking his head even though he knew the ire he would draw. He frankly had no energy left to care after the days he had pulled whatever he had to achieve his rewritten plan¡¯s goals. ¡°Stay out of this. You had your job to wrap up the Taneesha Sur deal, now this is ours.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she firmly retorted with a tinge of anger. ¡°My job handed to me was watching her and extracting any info I could. I did that and got you everything you needed to know. Now it¡¯s time to utilize it like you said because they are dropping tonight and you are going to just let that happen?¡±


    He started walking towards the next LTAC, uninterested in a quarrel. ¡°Did you finish the deal with her? Or did you shy away from that, too?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t take orders from outsiders, much less do I ever use lethal force on any human,¡± she hissed in reference to the Hossain¡¯s, stubbornly following close behind. ¡°Rex ordered me to one job and it¡¯s a done deal. And while we are being unfair little cunts, you seem to be shying away from a certain little undesirable conflict with a certain someone.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about that,¡± he deflected calmly, hiding the nerve it struck as the three pulled down the next tarp, revealing the same setup for Isaiah¡¯s LTAC. ¡°You asked if I was OK with the possible outcomes, and I said yes, didn¡¯t I? Now let us get to work,¡± he said as he turned to face her with an exhausted, irritated expression, eyes closed. ¡°Go back to your hotel room where it¡¯s safe. You won¡¯t like how rowdy it¡¯s going to get.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, why are you being so stubborn all of the sudden!? How do you think Rex will handle us with you going a completely different direction!?¡±


    Revenant turned to speak, taking care to speak in a way as to not further fuel the fires. ¡°Trust us. This deal we got inked will have us out of here tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the point!¡± she roared back defensively.


    Isaiah then looked to his watch. ¡°They¡¯re checked in and ready for the first phase.¡± He then looked to Marian who he knew he wasn¡¯t going to win over from the start. All he could worry about now was moving forward, and the clock was ticking. ¡°You know you shouldn¡¯t be here- you should be packing your things so you can head out with the rest of us tomorrow. Anything that results from you not fulfilling your end of the job will fall on you.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t think of a retort in time before Requiem warmed up his LTAC¡¯s boosters, drowning out any words she may have decided to utter. When she looked up, the other two were headed for theirs as well. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t try to warn you. You aren¡¯t always right, Isaiah. When Hexa recaptures their base, they won¡¯t let you just waltz up to Parliament like that.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sam and Andre descended quietly down the stairs and into the first classroom on her left where Kerry was seated. The room was the only one that had all the windows fully boarded up where lower amounts of light wouldn¡¯t get out, and it worked out well as she had to utilize her mobile display to illuminate her formation notes and movement audibles. ¡°What¡¯s the word?¡±


    ¡°Sam here has a pretty solid approach. Take a look and see if you¡¯re cool with it.¡± He passed her Sam¡¯s map diagram covered in circles, arrows, and labels. He continued as she looked it over: ¡°We just need to make it to point B to plant the drop signal. We use that line of buildings along the edge for retreating if necessary. Any long-range fire should be minimal as whatever we have seen from the Underground has never been heavy enough to fire from over the walls. Drop would be over us in less than five minutes if we open up the signal by 9.¡±


    Kerry then looked over to Sam with a satisfied nod. ¡°This beats what I had in case. I have to admit, I¡¯ve never had play improv with LTAC equipment before. Last time we got in a jam, Director did all that for us.¡± She then stood up, patting the dust off her behind and legs. ¡°Go catch Sebastian for me if you don¡¯t mind,¡± she said to Andre and then looked to Sam. ¡°Thanks. This does help, and it gives me something to work with.¡±


    Wow, I¡­ never imagined her thanking me. Maybe it¡¯s just my overthinking that had me sure she hated my guts deep down. ¡°No sweat, and¡­ thank you for getting us here. No way I could¡¯ve gotten here myself.¡±


    ¡°Well, we got about thirty minutes before we step out. Let¡¯s run these through as much as we can.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    Sebastian was propped up against the corner of the stairwell exit in a chair he had pulled from a classroom, keeping a good view of the main entrance along with the windows around him in sight, keeping his devices off as to keep himself hidden by darkness. But with how quiet it had remained since their arrival, he had nothing to do to occupy himself other than thought.


    [I still don¡¯t get what doesn¡¯t stop others from coming out this way. It was that easy for us to get here, why isn¡¯t anyone else trying to hole up in here? Seems like a great place to do something bad and never get caught.] He then quietly chuckled to himself. [What am I talking about. We are about to do something bad to the public eye. Speaking of which, they were right, it¡¯s been way too quiet. There were so many riots back home. Why has it been so much quieter after all those riots downtown I read about? Do the locals know something we don¡¯t?]


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He then heard footsteps approaching down the stairs, assuming it was one from the group, continuing to stay on the lookout.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Andre whispered from one flight above. ¡°We¡¯re going over the plan before heading out. Come on back up.¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    The warm, humid breeze that had been blowing steadily earlier had now started to pick up, kicking up tiny, dusty whirlwinds between the alleys leading up to the clearing identified by Sam earlier. The eerie silence disrupted only by the whistling of the wind quickly turned to a roar of raindrops beating into the walls of the buildings that remained standing and the gravel below.


    Good, better this rain came sooner than predicted, Sam thought as she peered out from beneath the opened window of an empty shop on the corner across from the clearing. The deluge was now in full force, echoes of the rain whipping against the buildings intensifying as winds continued to pick up. She looked over her shoulder to see the others weren¡¯t quite as comforted by the sudden change in conditions. Maybe I spoke too soon. I¡¯ve never even been out in this kind of rain before in my life. By now, mist riding the winds had begun to sting her face, causing her to back up and head back to where the others had gathered by the door. She reached into her bag¡¯s rear pocket, confirming her LTAC access key pod was where it should be. Alright, any minute now.


    Kerry, who was standing at the front nearest to the exit door, turned to show her watch glowing yellow as she held up her index and middle fingers in the air just above her head. The four lined up as if getting ready to rush out into the rain.


    Sam¡¯s heart began to pound harder with each passing second, but by this point she had grown so accustomed to it there wasn¡¯t quite as much of an edge to it. She saw Kerry¡¯s hand signal change to just her index finger as each member nervously clutched their shouldered bag¡¯s straps tight. A peculiar hum could now be picked up faintly in the distance. It grew as well by the second, bringing comfort to each of their hearts. The now fully recognizable whirring of the jump-boost drives began to overpower the drumming of the rain as Kerry put down her finger, tightening her fist and giving it a shake before they darted from the doorway and out into the downpour.


    Damn it! Shit! This is not what I was expecting rain to be like! As soon as Sam¡¯s shoes hit the first larger puddle she felt her heel give way to the loosened gravel, feeling gravity yank her around and down toward the ground before Sebastian caught her fall, quickly helping her back upright and giving her a push back in the right direction. She thought to turn and thank him, but the flow of the events had her staying focused on not slipping and moving forward.


    A familiar rush of blazing air and heated mist rushed in from behind them as they quickly lined up against the wall directly adjacent to the clearing, watching the LTAC¡¯s land as programmed one by one. Sam instinctively looked to Kerry at the front of the line and Andre at the back, each with their sidearm up. Sam and Sebastian were to board first, moving to their cover fire positions and allow Kerry and Andre time to set up safely.


    The Axiom¡¯s doors opened, and the boarding ladder extended to the ground as Sam jumped on, making her way upward but keeping her head down as the rain continued to assault their thoroughly soaked bodies.  She rolled in, quickly tossing her bag under the cockpit seat and closed the doors. She ran her hands across her rain-beaded face and back over her drenched hair, knocking off what moisture she could before seating the helmet over her head, strapping it and her harnesses in. Visor down, she could now see the lighting-enhanced images over her surroundings which were only as welcome to her as was the fuzzy, unnerving feeling of her neural mesh linking with the Antares Mk II system. ¡°LOS Comms up. All systems normal. Booster cells on recharge,¡± she spoke out over the local channel, clicking away at the controls. ¡°Weapons live. I see you, Sebastian. Moving to position.¡±


    The Axiom lifted and pounded each foot into the ground below with each stride it took to one end of the clearing, moving surprisingly quick for its heft. All she had to do was wait for the others to check in, leaving her to cover one end facing the ever-ominous concrete wall at the end of the street, fearing that if anything was to react to their movement it would come from the source of the lights beyond the wall, barely visible through the blinding rain. Shield up and launcher propped and aimed to the skyline, her eyes darted occasionally from side to side, scanning the area as her in-visor camera followed her eye motion. She was, after all that training, much more accustomed to the camera motions, noticing how things didn¡¯t feel as disorienting being in the real thing compared to the simulator unit.


    ¡°All systems normal, all tracking up, and in position¡±, Sebastian spoke up as he joined in the channel. ¡°I¡¯m seeing nothing in the south sky.¡± He then ran his sights down the street to his right, unable to make out anything but saw nothing on his scanners. ¡°And we still have nothing on the NOx scanner.¡±


    ¡°This weather is total ass but it might have been the best thing to happen,¡± Kerry joined in as she finished powering up her systems. ¡°Andre, you good?¡±


    ¡°Ready.¡±


    ¡°Point A rally complete,¡± Kerry continued as she turned to the open field. ¡°Proceed to point B. Sam, keep watch on the western wall. Sebastian, keep eyes on the building line. Andre, watch the skies. I will keep eyes up ahead.¡±


    .


    .


    A man with a viewfinder witnessed the approach of the four LTACs headed his way from the building opposite from them at the edge of the airfield. Sitting in darkness, dimly lit only by what light made it through from the other side of the city, he continued looking out his window of the upper floor room, now reaching for his radio call button. [They are early as we expected, but too early. We aren¡¯t ready to take them on head-to-head. Where is Reaper?] he spoke in local tongue.


    [Hold position,] another man responded over the channel. [We cannot locate Reaper or his men.]


    [Why not?! They were supposed to be here as promised!] he continued as he grew anxious, seeming to have signed up for the assignment based on his supposed support.


    [They never returned contact after this morning. Hold your positions.]


    [Hold my position my ass,] he grumbled as he changed channels on the radio. ¡°Incoming enemy LTAC units- I count four. What is your status?¡± he spoke in English this time.


    ¡°We are ready when you are, but incoming enemies already? Are you sure? Isn¡¯t it early?¡± a thick accent-burdened response came back over the line. ¡°What is their outfit?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see well but I see four. Walking together.¡±


    ¡°Walking?¡± he said with a mix of disbelief and confidence. ¡°We will move out on your signal.¡±


    .


    Sam continued her backwards walk over soaked turf, feeling each squishy thud of her moving feet and still sensing the never-ending fuzzy vibrations from the driving rain. Monitors remained empty, scanning back and forth but never seeing anything other than emptiness and a lonely row of buildings they had by now separated themselves from completely.


    Kerry continued her pace as point-man, keeping her rifle barrel downfield. The large control building, still completely dark, slowly grew in size on her screen as they steadily approached. A glint of light flickered and disappeared instantaneously in the distance, quickly catching her attention. What did I just see in that window? ¡°Hold,¡± she calmly ordered as she stopped in her tracks. She got her first opportunity to utilize a mental command for the system, looking harder at that window and allowing the camera to zoom in, hitting around 20x magnification. I know I saw something- there! She thought as her eyes widened in both anticipation and fear. ¡°Located an active viewfinder on the 4th floor of the main building!¡¯ ¡°Pop it,¡± Andre flatly and calmly responded, keeping his barrel aimed up towards the opposite wall¡¯s sky.


    Pop it? What are they- Sam had no time to finish thinking before the normally ear-splitting ring sent out by a hybridized rifle round. She instinctively whipped her head around to see nothing that could be made out, and sensors were still quiet for her.


    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know if I hit it with these conditions holding our readings back, y¡¯all, but they know we¡¯ coming for real!¡± Kerry spoke with urgency and nervous excitement. ¡°Speed it up! Get to point B!¡± But just as they hit the pavement of the old runway, the maximum distance threshold to close in on crucial details was crossed as the soft glow of the light-enhanced visuals of their surroundings suddenly sharpened and formed a crisper view of the control building complex. Within the clearly defined borders of the complex was now a full readout of visible human counts as well as specific mechanical heat sources and their origins. ¡°They¡¯ve got something moving on the back side! Tail, rotate! Wings, quarter front!¡± she barked in code, referencing their limited but specialized playbook of sorts.


    Sam, feeling the comfort of the firm concrete below her feet, used it to push off at a jogging pace, passing up the stopped Ap50 Kerry was in as she took the lead, shield up. As she set pace, Sebastian and Andre, just behind her to her left and right, pivoted their upper frames to the front, keeping their aim just to the left and right of the complex. ¡°Prepping flare,¡± she commented as she toggled her multi-launcher magazine load from rocket to ECM flare. ¡°Firing on mark.¡±


    ¡°Five¡­¡± Sebastian heard Kerry as he carefully watched an increasingly intense glow his display showed behind the complex. [She¡¯d better watch her timing. We are getting too damn close for this.]


    ¡°Four¡­¡± Andre heard as he too was growing nervous, watching the IR glow start to slowly spread from one large blob into three and then into six. ¡°Three¡­¡±  Come on, Kerry, let¡¯s speed it up! They¡¯d be in firing range by now!


    ¡°Two¡­¡± Shit! Sam thought in reaction to the eight defined blobs now showing NOx readings, each predicted to be Kappa frame signatures. Why are we moving so close?!


    ¡°One¡­¡± Kerry could tell they were just at only three hundred meters out from the complex, easily crossing them into conventional rifle firing range, but she had her reasons, and her convictions were shown as she smirked through the sweat and the tension. ¡°Flare out.¡±

 Taking Back

    Sam let out a heavy and equally tense breath with the pull of her right index trigger finger.  The soft ¡°thunk¡± sound could be felt as the charge left the tube, sailing just beyond the building before it exploded into a burst of light intense as the sun, causing the pilots to all squint momentarily before the light sensors quickly acted to adjust the visor monitor brightness. The NOx source-tagged markings scattered in reaction, showing now a total of twelve possible Kappa frames in an updated count. She quickly toggled her launcher setting to rocket once more, waiting for the next command.


    ¡°Wings, take the first shot once they cross that line,¡± Kerry continued, continuing to suppress her anxiousness.


    ¡°We¡¯re still aiming for the lower frame, right?¡± Sam asked as she had been wanting to, hoping to squeeze it in before things got hairy.


    Only a second passed after that when Sebastian fired off two three-round bursts at the first pair of targets rounding the corner of the complex. The rapid streams of ionized air in each round¡¯s wake ripped by like thunder had just struck multiple times in one place amidst the storm, raising tensions even further as there was no going back after the amount of noise they were going to continue to escalate.


    ¡°They¡¯re going airborne! Barrels up!¡± Andre shouted in reaction to the enemy¡¯s response.


    .


    The man with the viewfinder from earlier was crouched behind a row of conference desks, radio in hand, trembling in fear as well as the cold from the wind and rain blowing in, soaking him and the glass shard-covered tile flooring around him. ¡°Repeat! Enemy is moving i¡ªTAH-TAH-TAH-¡± he hollered desperately at the top of his lungs over the noise of the Infinity model rifle bursts. ¡°Calling Reaper! The -TAH-TAH-TAH- is c-TAH-TAH-TAH before we-TAH-TAH-TAH- numbers! I Repe-TAH-TAH-TAH-¡± He ran out of breath, coughing as he tried to stay hidden from view, praying for his life.


    ¡°Sam, heads up!¡± Kerry barked, having watched the NOx markings¡¯ movement closely from behind the wall she put up. Two more heavily equipped Kappa frames launched up in an attempt to strike them from directly above, quickly taking aim for the front of their pack. Damn it! What am I doing?!¡±


    Sam had felt the strangest sensation the absolute instant the lock-acquisition alarm started to ring out, feeling as if something urged her to tilt back and squeeze each handle¡¯s secondary fire buttons. It was almost as if the OS had done some reacting for her. And so without a chance to even judge the best course of action to take, a flurry of rockets streamed out from her shoulder mounted launchers, each slamming into the airborne enemy LTACs.


    The man inside the tower still clutching his radio and viewfinder reacted to the sounds of explosions, buckling over in terror once again before something else much larger than a bullet came crashing through the front window, taking out the entire panel with it and the desks nearest to it. Amongst another ear drum rupturing barrage of burst fire sounds, he awkwardly stood up just enough to make a run for the hallway door in the dark, tripping over a large piece of metal that slid in front of him. He slipped on the wet floor as he tried to right himself, finding a solid grip on the piece of hot LTAC framework just behind him. He thought to hide behind its seemingly safe, bulky cover, quickly crouching next to it without a second thought. He then smelled what seemed like blood amongst the smoke and dust, quickly brewing a new, stronger concoction of fear and panic in his gut. He peered over through the darkness to confirm his fears, only to see much worse when the flashing of rifle fire showed the upper torso of a pilot¡¯s severed body still strapped to his seat and cockpit backing.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    ¡°Hey Reap¡¯? Um, you are hearing this, right?¡± Revenant spoke as they sat idle inside their LTACs, waiting on someone or some command. He sat as he continued listening in on the radio calls for help from the old Tejgaon airbase complex that was under attack, fidgeting impatiently. Revenant normally was fine following orders as he had a lot of trust established with his superiors over the years, but this was an exception. He knew the level of firepower being employed, and could hear every shot ring out unreturned, unanswered, uncontested. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we are going to sit this one out after all,¡± he continued grumbling after realizing Isaiah would not reply.


    Requiem wasn¡¯t any more content, either, even though the situation was contrary to the norm. It was typically Revenant¡¯s job to help instill patience in his partner. ¡°Dude, you and I both and you know that, but we need this to work. Like we keep saying, man, just trust our boy Sharif. He¡¯ll get us the signal soon.¡± He too had no reason to object in most cases, but more than anything he was ready to leave town and that was exactly what was promised them after their last move was made.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    ¡°Last three targets! Switch to phalanx and wait for them to move!¡± Kerry continued ordering firmly, still keeping track of each movement tracker.


    [No, no, time is what they always buy before finding ways to get behind us or some shit,] Sebastian started thinking to himself as memories of countless ambushes from back home flashed across his mind. He had been silent much of this time ever since hitting Singapore, but his days of leading started to itch for a return, be it inopportune timing or not. ¡°We need place the drop marker now! Not later!¡±


    Shit, he¡¯s right! Sam thought but was quickly interrupted.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t walking into any traps today!¡± she snapped back. ¡°Switch to phalanx!¡±


    ¡°Tanks!¡± Andre yelled as he turned to his exposed left to see a pair of them approaching the street running alongside the airfield. They were likely older war models, but they would have long enough range to hit them just by simply turning that one corner, meaning they had about two seconds to react.


    Tanks?! We aren¡¯t equipped to- ¡­


    Sam remembered that instant how Commander Burnley bit the dust that one day in Bogota after being done in by a tank using the weaker riot shields. No! Not this time! ¡°Reverse phalanx direction!¡± she shouted, running her Axiom as fast as it would go just past Kerry¡¯s Ap50 before digging her feet into the turf, slamming her shield down.


    ¡°Sam!¡± Sebastian tried to object, already taking aim for the frontmost tank, forgetting the piercing specs to his ammunition.


    She wasn¡¯t focused on anything but the alignment of her shield her left arm swung around; so focused to the point she didn¡¯t feel the shockwave sent her way. That next instant, she instead felt the thud of a discharged tank round impacting on her shield and subsequently throughout the rest of her entire frame, pushing her restraints and padding to the limit. The fragmented shards from the round flung every which direction as an engulfing ball of fire joined it, complete with a rapidly expanding cloud of incinerated mud and mist from the point of detonation.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?!¡± Sebastian roared in anger at the other two, unsure if he could even be afforded the second to ask if Sam was alright. He immediately laid down fire in hopes he could penetrate their armor. ¡°THUNK¡± went the heavy launcher just next to him, causing him to jump back in reaction to the unexpected event.


    Sam watched the bunker buster charge hit the tank dead center, setting off a column of smoke and a display of shrapnel from the shattered armor. She wasted no time reloading and firing the next shot into the second tank that was attempting to back up and away from the wreckage. All during the while, she didn¡¯t realize Kerry and Andre wiped the last LTACs remaining behind them as the detection monitors all fell silent.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Last clear!¡± Kerry called out. ¡°That was a trap after all, you see?!¡±


    All four remained silent after that moment, only hearing the steady fall of rain beating down on them before one realized they weren¡¯t done yet.


    ¡°Placing marker and retreating!¡± Kerry shouted, setting their current location as the drop point before the four quickly ran back for the building line running along the same street as they had originally planned.


    Sebastian noticed a twisted and warped plate of metal lying over twenty meters from them as they charged their destination. ¡°Sam!¡± he shouted half elated, half terrified. ¡°How did you survive that!?¡±


    ¡°We all need to get us one of these!¡± she replied, halfway out of breath herself, amazed at the fact the shield actually held up enough to deflect most of the carried energy away from her, but of course at the expense of the shield itself. ¡°What¡¯s the ETA to rendezvous?¡±


    Kerry found different respite in the updated signal from the drop carrier above them. ¡°Drop initiated! Landing ETA two minutes! Let¡¯s hang tight and watch the perimeters!¡±


    ¡°That also means all radios are live!¡± Sam added, noticing an additional channel opened up on her communications tab.


    And now would be a great time for our booster reserves to finish recharging!


    .


    .


    Marian wore an expression of thorough discontent and disagreement that had not faded since the moment she left the warehouse. Quarrels were not uncommon between she and the rest of the squad, but this was the first time that she had felt the need to side with Rex, which she knew deep down might be one reason Isaiah continued to avoid the topic. It wasn¡¯t that she wanted to, but somewhere she felt there was more and more being withheld from her, but for why she just couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on it. Exhausted mentally, she fell onto the sofa, taking a moment to exhale and rest her eyes, letting the sound of the rain against the windows soothe some of the frustration away. Moments later, an impulse caused her to tilt her head to the side, looking for the remote to the TV. She reached over to the end table next to her, flipping on the TV and searched for the local news outlet. I¡¯m sure the worst is over by now. That thunder I heard earlier may not have even been thunder after all.


    ¡°-it seems, fortunately,¡± the sound cut in as the live news feed started up, showing local reporters streaming aerial footage from above Old Tejgaon Air Field. Several small fires could be made out amidst the downpour and the smoke.


    Of bloody course.


    One of the reporters continued: ¡°But this is why Hexa had originally limited their use of land to that which is within the Ibrahimpur TBD (a newer term coined as ¡®To Be Demolished¡¯) precinct. The reinforced wall material would prevent any damage to nearby precincts in the case of such disasters that have now happened twice.¡±


    ¡°That was in fact one of the agreements made by CEO Vincent Vrey upon the purchase of that land in January,¡± the co-host added. ¡°Again, for those just tuning in, we are streaming live the incident unfolding at Old Tejgaon Air Field, location of the former Hexa International Operations Center for Infinity: Dhaka City as Infinity forces seem to be on the verge of reclaiming their property by force. This property was taken by Underground forces weeks ago, prompting a slow but steady decline in protest activity.¡±


    ¡°So far there have been no confirmed presence of residents in the area at the time of the attack, patrols by police having just ended moments before it started.¡±


    Well, that was fast. Looks like it¡¯s already over, she thought as the seeds of doubt that had long been planted started to bud. What are your true intentions with your next upcoming move, Isaiah? She let out a long sigh, closing her eyes, shaking her head in stubborn disbelief. A sudden vibrating of her watch shook her upright. Did he change his mind?! she thought before realizing the call was coming from Rex with a quick glance. Her eyes closed, head dropping back to the headrest of the sofa as she uttered a sigh of disappointment. The watch continued vibrating despite her desire to ignore it, hoping he would hang up. Bloody hell¡­ ¡°Yes,¡± she answered with a straightened posture and voice, fixing her earpiece in place.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you all in place?¡± the digitally distorted voice interrogated. ¡°This is completely against orders.¡±


    It was odd he would call her, but this had to be because Isaiah was blocking or ignoring his calls as he must have been anticipating his anger. ¡°I understand that, but this is all out of my hand. With all due respect, that is, sir, I am just following orders just issued to me.¡±


    ¡°I am not ordering you to take any action. I am asking for an answer to my question,¡± he firmly persisted.


    ¡°I am at my hotel, sir,¡± she bluntly responded, matching with her own persistence while keeping it tactful. ¡°I was ordered to return without proper explanation and it puts me in no position to be asked for further details.¡±


    ¡°I have record of you, Cable, last speaking to our plant before this happened. This means you know of the reasons why if you were told well in advance that Infinity was coming this fast.¡±


    Shit. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else you expect me to say, sir. Our plant had double crossed us. We had no time to really put together plan C because both A and B were thrown off by that unexpected betrayal. I can only trust Reaper has made up for the lack of resources made available to more adequately respond to such conditions.¡± She then took a second to look at the TV screen, noticing that there had been about two dozen Ai20 units landing near the air base by paradrop. ¡°I now see twenty-four reasons in addition to why we were correct to hold off, if I am allowed to say so, sir.¡±


    ¡°Relay to Reaper that the next time he cuts communications from central link without permission, your entire team will be reclaimed, processed, and replaced.¡± With that, the call abruptly ended.


    ¡°Fucking wanker,¡± she spat as she tossed herself over to her side, head on the armrest. Your plan had better bloody work, Isaiah.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Even after a half hour had past, Sam and the rest of the team were still stranded out in the rain, although now they were with plenty of company. The Infinity drop team, which consisted of the two dozen Ai20 units and several support vehicles, all stood together with them just outside the man hangar doors at the backside of the secured main complex. The area was littered with debris and carcasses that remained of the Kappa units that had met their fateful end, not knowing the degree of counterfire they were to face.


    Sam continued to tug at her t-shirt and shoulder harnesses as the still-damp materials had irritated her skin, and her back was the worst as she couldn¡¯t do a thing about it but squirm uncomfortably on occasion. This came after deciding not to utilize the vented seating, afraid to catch a cold. Her shorter length shorts resulted in her bare legs¡¯ skin sticking to the seat material as well, furthering the discomfort that wasn¡¯t an issue until being told to sit in it for as long as they had.


    ¡°Alright, sorry about the wait,¡± Danielle¡¯s voice came over the radio. ¡°You all did about as perfect of a sweep as you could, and that was all without the eye in the sky.¡±


    I can¡¯t even believe it myself. The seeds of doubt were still planted from well before their journey, however, and that one side of Sam could never fully stay hidden away regardless the relief and joy that came from victory. ¡°Director, what will be the ETA for when we can get an assessment on property damage?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in a demolition block, Sam,¡± Kerry chimed in. ¡°This was the one place to not worry about all that.¡±


    ¡°Now hold on,¡± she heard Gabriel joining in. ¡°I remember that question you asked me about missed shot accountability. Remember that? Well, now I can better answer the question. I know you are aware of the ROE for that rifle, and I am, too. Everyone,¡± he said in a different tone, almost as if to start lecturing. ¡°While we are still on hold, answer me this. Did you feel anything different when engaging each target?¡±


    Come to think of it, I can¡¯t even remember how we all shot as well as we did. She continued in thought, not paying attention to the thinking aloud by the others. I don¡¯t remember pulling any triggers. This is weird. She tried hard to recollect that moment she first fired the rockets at the airborne targets all the way to the moment she fired her launcher at the tanks. It was all a blur. Even the impact on her shield was not coming back clearly. She remembered getting back up, half dazed but in condition enough to fight back. She remembered Sebastian opening cover fire from behind her, but no matter what those specific memories would not materialize. Is it that system again? ¡°Excuse me, Mr. Silva,¡± she finally spoke up in the midst of a break in conversation.


    ¡°Ms. Knight, what do you have?¡±


    ¡°Does the system utilize your subconscious?¡±


    ¡°Damn, you caught on,¡± he said with a chuckle. ¡°Hey, Rook, you hear that?¡± she heard him say off mic but just audible enough to make out before coming back clearly: ¡°That¡¯s what I held back because you have to feel it and do well with it to understand it. If I had explained it first, it might have ruined everyone¡¯s approach.¡±


    ¡°Our subconscious?!¡± Kerry fussed out in befuddlement. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°What is subconscious?¡± Sebastian added in the fuss.


    ¡°Alright, stop,¡± Danielle finally intervened. ¡°We will address that when we arrive in the morning. Until then, yes, understand that unlike the Mk. 1 system, this one does not force your subconscious rather it can enter a passive mode, influencing your reactions and decisions discreetly and unnoticeably but only if you are in the right mental state to allow for it. Your shot placement seems to have been about 90% to system spec, meaning collateral damage was not only minimal but contained within the walls. In other words, you did about as perfect of a sweep as you possibly could.¡±


    ¡°Attention all surrounding. Power coming on and doors opening. Stand by,¡± an officer¡¯s voice added in as many breathed an enormous sigh of relief. This also came as the rains started to let up, adding to the collectively eased tensions.


    ¡°About damn time!¡± she heard Andre in response as a light turned on just over the man bay doors. Subsequently, a string of lights appeared just above it along with every floor¡¯s main window lighting up on the inside. Then, the clanking sound of the activated bay doors felt to them as if it were a cool breeze.


    ¡°Get your rest, and make sure to eat if you haven¡¯t this evening,¡± Danielle concluded. ¡°I will resume debriefing in the morning.¡±

 Cause for Concern

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Only the four had entered the hangar bay area as they had to leave room for the equipment carriers to park and unload. Much of the building had been gutted of vital maintenance equipment and other essentials, leaving much to be done to restore the facility to minimum operational capacity. But for the time being, the infiltration crew of four were to rest.


    Sam¡¯s cockpit doors opened as she felt the instant relief of her harnesses retracting and the ability to properly stretch her arms and legs out, even before taking the time to unstrap her helmet. Did I really just live through all of that? Did we really just blast through an entire stronghold in that short of a time frame? She then flipped her visor up and unbuckled the strap clamps, pulling the helmet off as trails of loosened, damp, sticky-from-sweat hair stuck with it.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I locked my hair way back,¡± she heard Kerry jab from just outside beneath. ¡°Nothing worse than helmet hair, huh.¡±


    She quickly climbed down, liberated by the solid ground welcoming her two feet, looking up to see Kerry approaching with a wide, satisfied grin and a right palm up.


    ¡°Nice work out there!¡±


    Sam gladly extended her hand but saw that it wasn¡¯t the intention as Kerry¡¯s arm continued around her back shoulder and pulled her in. ¡°I saw you take that shell for us. That was some real shit, now,¡± she continued as she released from her warm embrace that still had Sam halfway thrown off. She was left unsure how to respond, but it didn¡¯t matter as she now had Sebastian and Andre coming up to the two, doing much of the same. It was all somewhat of an emotional blur for her, almost a surreal experience as she never imagined what she signed up for would roller coaster as it had. And then it hit her. Everyone, including herself, stunk. Real bad. Please tell me there is running water here.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    And there was no such luck for them.


    ¡°Lovely. Showers will be up tomorrow morning before lunch,¡± Sam grumbled as she read the notice from her watch. She was sitting sprawled on the floor of what used to be a make-shift crewman¡¯s quarters room, complete with a set of towels, water bottles, and their belongings. Her head tilted to her side to see Sebastian doing the same, hands clasped under his head, eyes closed but still awake. She felt the exhaustion still leaving her drained, but not enough to muster the strength to scootch over, placing her head over his chest. ¡°A bit upset the Cloaks weren¡¯t there? Because I think maybe it¡¯s best they weren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he mumbled before taking in a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to understand the system we use. Our sub¡­ subconscious¡­¡±


    Her head rose and fell as his chest did so, ending with a long exhale, and she had felt some anxiety in between. ¡°Right. Not only that, because yeah, it creeps me out a bit as well¡­ but I don¡¯t think this is over, do you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ maybe it was made easy because of the system but I still think it ended so fast that it wasn¡¯t even real.¡±


    ¡°Sebastian,¡± she said as she rolled over some, now able to see his face. ¡°You know¡­ we have like thirty of us here, now. Maybe it was because the Cloaks didn¡¯t show, but what will they do, now? Take all of us on at once?¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the problem,¡± he continued, aware he might irritate her with his persistence but was refusing to fully relax. [I still can¡¯t relax knowing everything was so quiet all day, and that even after all that noise no one came to their rescue to stop us. Why is no one else noticing this?]


    ¡°You still worry too much,¡± she resigned with a weak chuckle, rolling back to how she was prior. ¡°I just, I don¡¯t know, feel like we should take things as they come, you know? That was a lot to go through, and it seems like that was quite the feat we accomplished according to command.¡±


    The sound of hand washing could be heard behind the restroom door not too far from them as Sebastian thought of a more sensitive response. ¡°I will wait until the morning, then, to continue worrying. And then you can worry with me, too. Does that sound like a fair compromise?¡± he jested.


    ¡°Hey, where¡¯s dinner?¡± Andre joined in the joking mood as he passed out of the restroom. He saw the two still lying on the floor, now staring up at him in confusion. ¡°What,¡± he returned with a crumpled brow. ¡°You don¡¯t smell dinner coming?¡±


    The door opposite from them was gently flung open as Kerry bumped it out of the way with her hip, holding two delivery bags. ¡°Fresh from the delivery drone,¡± she sung as she walked over to the three, gingerly setting both bags down and sat cross-legged next to Sam, looking upon the bags with hungry impatience. ¡°Biryani?¡± she asked to her in a goofy tone.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t speak Bengali like you,¡± she responded with a shake of her head. But the smell did wake her up, causing her to arise to an upright position.


    ¡°Who even said I did? Besides, it¡¯s not Bengali, dummy, it¡¯s Biryani,¡± she dryly retorted, opening the bag to pull out one of the containers and a spoon and napkin set before extending it in her direction. ¡°Wait, hold up, you¡¯ve never had this before?¡±


    She took the container and couldn¡¯t help but pause after taking in a better whiff of the aroma of the many spices. ¡°It¡­ what is it?¡± she pondered aloud, confused by the complexity of it. Was it spicy? Herbal? Sweet? Pungent? Savory? All of the above at once?


    ¡°Man, look,¡± Andre began to state as he took a container from her, passing one to Sebastian, before taking his own and joining the circle without leaving much room for comfort. ¡°You come to this part of the globe and you order take-out you get Biryani. You need something on the run? You get Biryani. You stuck in a dry-rot hole like this? You get Biryani. Eat up.¡± He wasted no time removing the top and digging in, releasing more of the strong aroma Sam may need time acclimating to. He sensed the discomfort in her, causing him to chuckle carefully without choking.


    ¡°Right, see?¡± Kerry added, now leaning up against her, shoulder to shoulder, using her spoon handle to point to her container she held in front of her. ¡°You got, um¡­ meat¡­ this special kind of rice obviously, and some special spices and shit they mix in real well¡­ real good and never get tired of it- you gotta try at least one bite, girl, I¡¯m tellin¡¯ ya.¡±


    The combination of all of what was in front of her nose along with the stench of the four of them all in such a tightly packed circle, not to mention the already stale smell that had lingered in the quarters, was becoming a bit overwhelming for her as she had by now lost most of her appetite. But something told her not to disrupt the mood, noticing even Sebastian was busy stuffing his face, not seeming to notice her discomfort. ¡°I can try a bite, I guess,¡± she feebly responded in defeat.


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    ¡°Good, here,¡± Kerry spoke with a smile, passing her the last container and spoon set. ¡°That reminds me,¡± she said just as she started grabbing her first bite. ¡°Andre, we need to hook these two up.¡±


    ¡°Shit, with those, you mean?¡± he replied with a cocked brow, mouth half full. ¡°Could they even work them right?¡±


    ¡°What are you people talking about?¡± Sebastian joined in with a laugh, something Sam hadn¡¯t seen in that manner since her first day in Bogota. ¡°What is hooking up?¡±


    Sam, who wasn''t half paying attention, was now holding up a spoonful, having carefully avoided the chunk of lamb which she wasn''t able to recognize as anything she knew. The texture wasn''t putting off, and the smell wasn''t necessarily unappetizing.


    ¡°My bad, y¡¯all. I forgot we would have to wait for Ms. Norris to get back,¡± she said with a hand over her mouth, saving some of her dignity while chowing down. ¡°I won¡¯t forget.¡±


    Sam finished inspecting the meal and took a bite, quickly finding amazement in the manner of which the spices had started to spread throughout her mouth, even without any chewing.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Andre nodded. ¡°Especially seeing we all here might be a real thing from this point on. And I mean, we might have to move on foot a lot more than we are used to, just like this morning.¡±


    ¡°This is so amazing!¡± Sam blurted out after realizing what she sensed was not only delicious but almost exhilarating, causing everyone to jump.


    ¡°You always wound up so tight,¡± Kerry joked with a light shove from her shoulder, making her faced crunched and tensed up out of jest before it broke down into laughter along with the rest, including Sam. ¡°See? Loosen up sometimes!¡±


    She¡¯s right. All of this¡­ is one for the vlogs one day and I mean this whole scene, I can tell already.


    .


    .


    But from their distance they were unable to hear the distant rolling of tanks and LTACs descending upon the Parliament building.


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    The pre-programmed sunset was triggered as the simulated sky panels slowly phased from a bright, clear blue to a soft, amber glow. Amelie was curled up in her plush basket chair, half asleep with her mobile lying next to her. The heater setting in what she called her ¡°basking room¡± might have been the cause for her drowsiness, and the warming colors of the setting sun began to amplify the effect. There were bags under her eyes, making it seem as if this was a permanent feature for everyone in her family, and her unfocused gaze into space showed her exhaustion. She had spent the entire morning since before dawn waiting by the TV or her mobile, constantly waiting on each update from the operation happening down in Bangladesh, and she was only able to keep up with what she could through Al feeding her bits and pieces that he was able to divulge as the events developed.


    Who am I kidding, she thought to herself as she rolled over on her back, kicking her legs out and over the edge, letting them dangle just above the floor. Why did I let her do this to herself? What stopped me from putting my foot down? How did I ever let anyone convince me there was nothing I could do? Pent up frustration was peaking as of that morning when she was alerted of the operation going sooner than planned with warning there would be complete radio silence in what was essentially enemy territory. Surely there is something I can come up with instead of just sitting here waiting.


    A vibrating buzz shook her from her locked gaze with the ceiling as she hastily scooped up her mobile to see who was calling. It was rather a notification of Bangladeshi media outlets reporting breaking news, prompting her to quickly sit up and open the media connection that was linked in the headline. Oh, shit¡­ holographic display was brought up, showing the live broadcast being reported by international press reporters:


    ¡°We bring you live what has been not only confirmed to be over two dozen tanks and just over fifty smaller scale mechs known as LTAC¡¯s, but also an armored motorcade leading in what is alleged to be Lt. General and former Awami League Party member Rakib Hossain as they approach the National Parliament House, locally known as the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban,¡± the man spoke with a Singaporean accent.


    A junta taking over¡­ of all things¡­ she thought as her heart raced faster.


    Camera angles changed to show the lines of tanks headed down the street directly facing the parliament building, steadily rumbling onward. ¡°Most current updates also speculate the origin of such force.¡±


    ¡°As you can tell, this is not the Bangladeshi Army you see on the move. The split came just moments ago, blindsiding the entire military administration, leaving them in no position to make any immediate moves,¡± his counterpart added with an Australian accent.


    ¡°For those who weren¡¯t in the know, the split from India¡¯s support network after the dissolution of the Confederacy left Dhaka relatively unprotected by what had been appropriated to them just prior to the split. Miniscule in comparison to their neighbors, military protection had always been a massive cause for concern, hence the motives behind the hiring of Hexa International¡¯s Infinity program many months back.¡±


    ¡°We can only assume this has to do with the Underground forces that drove Infinity out from the borders weeks back.¡± The cameras then panned back to incoming LTACs from the flanks.


    Hands trembling, Amelie could only continue to watch in bewilderment mixed with anger. Al, how the hell did this get by anyone?! If you knew, why didn¡¯t you tell me of this?!


    .


    .


    Across the satellite nation at Hexa¡¯s central office, the executive board meeting room was full of tension and tumult, each as surprised as the other that a coup was underway. Al, who had just pushed his chair from one assistant¡¯s makeshift worktable behind him back to his own seat, checked back with a screen showing a flight path from Kolkata to Dhaka leaving at 5 AM. ¡°Heads up, I will be pushing Norris¡¯s flight to 12AM. We need that backup there ASAP as I really don¡¯t feel like taking chances with their diplomacy,¡± he spoke to those around him at the main table.


    ¡°But we haven¡¯t even heard from anyone officially!¡± Lucian argued back, afraid to push too many buttons all at once. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to look like aggressors any more than we just did, am I wrong?¡±


    Vincent entered the room from his office with a heavy brow, reading from his watch before joining the rest at the table.


    ¡°You heard the news, right? That¡¯s the Hossain¡¯s we just finished looking up- and you want me to not get too aggressive?¡± he huffed, continuing with his adjustments to Danielle¡¯s departure. ¡°Tell that to the kids we ju-¡­ to the pilots we just had do all that dirty work for us when they decide not to be nice anymore!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Vincent firmly stated from his seat, hands clasped under his chin. He had been almost motionless in his office since the approach on Parliament started up and had been lost deep in thought until entering the room that previous moment. ¡°I came in here to suggest something on the same note. Knight, don¡¯t just speed up her flight, speed up the one behind her, but empty the reinforcements. They need to get the hell out of there now that everything has been completely compromised. No more losses in that country for us.¡± He then put a hand up before a few of the men across from him could object. ¡°We will of course wait to see what Hossain has up his sleeve before we clear any authorization of force, but we can¡¯t get caught in the open, allowing something unfortunate to happen first.¡± He then looked back to Al with a nod. ¡°Push those two launches up to midnight and get those drop units on base at Tejgaon Air Field to stand by. We should expect things to be executed much more smoothly and efficiently with Norris flying and watching overhead- don¡¯t let her touch down.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Should I have Melancon¡¯s group up as well?¡± Al asked as he got to work on his monitor.


    ¡°No, let them rest. They at least deserve a few hours of it.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    Back at Amelie¡¯s residence, she was already up and looking out the window, impatiently waiting for Al to pick on the other end of her voice call she had outgoing. ¡°Damn it, Al, this is our daughter you toyed with!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t bicker with you, clearly,¡± he grumbled with a subdued voice as the chatter and commotion died out instantly with the closing of a door. ¡°Keep it quick! I am clearly very busy trying to ensure she has the safest route out now that we¡¯ve shifted the whole op to an evacuation op!¡±


    ¡°Then I expect you¡¯d send those two down there right now! I don¡¯t trust anyone else to get the job done right!¡±


    ¡°Who the hell are you even talking about?!¡± he shot back through a whispered shout.


    ¡°You know who I am talking about- quit playing games! I don¡¯t care what clearance they don¡¯t have! You know good and well I have strings to pull after they get sent back- IF they get sent back!¡±


    A long, thought-burdened pause continued before Al finally came back with a more composed voice. ¡°Very well. I will send them the nudge.¡±

 Cause for Concern, Part 2

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka City, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    It was dark from within the make-shift pilot¡¯s quarters where the faint aroma of the consumed Biryani remained in the air, and the only light that could be seen emanated from the screen of Sebastian¡¯s mobile, keeping the news out of holographic display for once out of respect for the other¡¯s slumber.


    Kerry and Andre¡¯s slumber, that was. Sam was curled up in her sleeping bag on top of her cot trying to sleep but was her chances for shut-eye were still drowning in the chaos of all the thoughts in her head: What is this junta thing everyone¡¯s talking about? Do they mean a coup? Is it really what they say it is? And what gives? Is no one going to question us just sitting here and standing by like this? And why weren¡¯t we allowed to help out or see the clean-up floors? I wanted to assess the LTAC wreckage for data collection like I had been long prepared to do. Why the tight security on that? And why are all the other pilots and ground forces still outside on full alert even though no one is approaching? She then rolled over a bit, popping her head out from under the top cover to see Sebastian still reading away. And why the hell is he still all up in the fucking news?! I swear that¡¯s all he ever does! Her brow crumpled in full disapproval, shaking her head before rolling back over. That light is half the reason I am awake!! ¡­ That and Andre¡¯s snoring¡­


    Sebastian was oblivious to the mental turmoil taking place through various physical manifestations just a meter away from him as he continued reading intently every article he clicked on in their entirety. It had been a long while since he had to read so much English in such a political setting, leading him to be that much more cautious and thorough.


    [I wonder how much of what that Sur lady was telling was the truth. I am starting to think we did the wrong thing assuming her guilt. But what if it was a set up? We ended up taking the base without her, which means she was supposedly a useless asset to begin with? This is so much to try to make sense of. I have so many questions for the director tomorrow morning. But until then, I really want to see what¡¯s ANY official response from ANY leader here. What¡¯s the hold up?]


    As he spotted a smaller printed article title in the bottom corner of his screen ¡°India¡¯s Official Response?¡± that he thought of moving on to, a sudden flicker of light startled him to the point of almost dropping his mobile, turning to realize it was only Sam. She, too, was now sitting upright with her face buried in her mobile, sending an equal glow from her display. It only took a second to realize that she too was looking at news articles, and naturally his eyes met hers, sending her a confused and offended look.


    ¡°What?¡± she whispered back with the same frown and an additional shrug of her shoulders.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he quietly hissed, ¡°you are reading the news!!¡±


    ¡°No shit, Sherlock!¡± she hissed back with her face back in the screen, refusing to take to the intended jab. ¡°Who the hell are you to complain?!¡±


    ¡°Stop copying me!¡± he continued in prodding, leaning over to make sure she could hear every word. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what to look for!¡±


    ¡°Is this acceptable?!¡± she, with wide eyes, whisperingly shouted with the screen shoved nearly in his face, showing a displayed article titled ¡°Bangladeshi PM Sattar Refusing to Comment¡±.


    ¡°Where did you find that?!¡± he replied with a snatch of her mobile, reading the site source. ¡°An Akkadian outlet?¡±


    ¡°We take Earth news more seriously than Earth ever did,¡± she spat back, taking her phone back in the same breath. ¡°This is why they are telling us to stay down for now, I think.¡±


    ¡°But I just¡­¡± he started before straightening his posture in a more upright position. ¡°I just read that the whole parliament building was raided and tanks are everywhere. No one knows where the tanks came from because they are not Bangladesh military¡­ or even paramilitary.¡±


    ¡°I know, it has me nervous, too,¡± Sam more calmly replied as she too sat upright. ¡°Every time something like this goes on here on Earth, it makes anyone in Space nervous. I never read much into these specific things before coming to Earth myself, but a military take-over¡­ Sebastian, this goes way, way over what we saw go down back at home for you.¡±


    ¡°I hate it but you¡¯re right. The SAU saw the streets cleaned up and the riots ended, finally. This¡­ this really has me worried and feeling a little bit sick.¡±


    ¡°Would you two shut the fuck up and go to sleep?!¡± Kerry loudly grumbled in a half-awake voice from her corner of the sleeping area. ¡°Shit!¡±


    ¡°Sorr-ree!¡± she hissed back, slipping out of her covers and crouching next to Sebastian to continue speaking to him but in an even quieter whisper. ¡°Here, look, read this,¡± she said as her cheek gently pressed up against his as they shared a screen. ¡°It¡¯s looking like whoever it is with this military force is waiting inside the empty parliament. I mean, don¡¯t coups happen during a meeting or something? How do you declare victory when there is no one there to declare it over?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes a coup happens like this. Happens at night¡­ you take the building¡­ and¡­ declare¡­ right? Declare you are the new leader. You wait until the old leader shows up either to ah, surrender in peace, or he comes back with his own army to fight and you get a lot of big disasters after.¡±


    She took a moment to process the situation as it applied to the current. Come to think of it, I remember both the Director and Kerry mentioning this part of the world having such turmoil over the past century or two. I think he¡¯s trying to tell me the latter is more likely. At that point, all she could do was go along with the flow of the conversation, afraid to show fear as she normally would by this point, even though it was already starting to show in the rumpled inner corners of her eyebrows. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s so quiet. They would never just give it all the good old social media treatment and say it¡¯s just the holiday.¡± She then scrolled down to more articles popping up, struggling to keep her anxiety from surfacing any stronger. ¡°Do you think the new leader, assuming he becomes it-¡±


    ¡°-his name is Hossain,¡± Sebastian corrected.


    ¡°Yeah, him, whatever.¡± How the hell is this guy so calm?¡± ¡°Anyway, assuming he becomes the new¡­ leader, would there be anything directed at us? Doesn¡¯t the timing seem odd?¡±


    ¡°You know how it is so quiet, right? This is another reason why. The people must have known for a long time, maybe. And I think they wanted this. This is¡­ not good for us.¡±


    Dammit, Sebastian, please don¡¯t pile it on. ¡°How do you know?¡±


    He bumped aside her mobile to show her his screen. ¡°This.¡± The screen portion he highlighted read ¡°¡­showing a fervent support for the creation of the next global confederacy.¡± Sam¡¯s heart sunk, already connecting the dots, and Sebastian saw it now more than ever just by the way she breathed in deeply the moment she finished reading. He took to the notion, calmly reaching over with his other hand, turning off the power to the display to hers as he did the same to his, leaving the two in almost complete darkness, save for the dim light coming in from the two entrance door windows that led to the still-lit access hallway. ¡°That¡¯s enough worrying for one night. We need rest,¡± he added with equal calm in his tone.


    She let the weight over her head gently fall onto his shoulder as she let out that long, anxious breath she drew in. ¡°Director did tell us to rest,¡± she started before finding herself chuckling, placing her mobile on the floor next to her. ¡°And I definitely am not helping.¡± She knew, however, just how exhausted she was and was frankly tired of her tensed nerves rebelliously putting up such a fight. Over the next few seconds of quiet, she scanned the width of the cot she leaned against, noted Sebastian didn¡¯t zip his sleeping bag, and realized this may be the only control she would have over any of the situations at hand. ¡°Move over,¡± she spoke with a nudge, slipping her feet in one leg at a time as she laid down with her back against his chest, pulling the top sheet back over her along with his arm to top it off. She felt the frazzled nerves begin to calm at the rate of the rise and fall of his chest, only to be hastened to near sleep with the weight of his embrace.


    Her calming was contagious as he too began to succumb to his exhaustion just as quickly, making sure to carefully maneuver his other arm that was in an awkwardly mashed position out from under her weight and into a more comfortable spot before allowing himself to fall asleep over the next few moments.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Airspace over India-Bangladesh Border</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to like the options we have for you,¡± Al solemnly spoke over the phone to Danielle as she stared out the window, peering into the endless night sky. ¡°And I speak with obvious limitations.¡±


    She knew he wasn¡¯t at the meeting table as it was far too quiet. ¡°Are you in your office?¡±


    ¡°For the time being, mostly because all we can officially do is sit on our hands, waiting for word from Hossain or the PM himself.¡±


    But you can¡¯t mention Gabe by name, still. Knight, what chain was pulled? What do you know that we don¡¯t, rushing us out there this fast without any other official word? How fucking nervous do you want me to be? She allowed her stare to continue aimlessly, worried not only about her traveling partner but also about her team still on the ground. ¡°So, then, at least fill me in on these options while I have a few more sleepless days to log in.¡±


    ¡°Ha, if you could only join me in such company,¡± he joked back with a bitter smile. ¡°I can tell you everything I have been able to assess. Forget waiting on any words, Danielle.¡± The instant he spoke that, she could feel something clutching her chest tightly as he continued: ¡°You won¡¯t get permission to land, and Hossain is taking- no, let me correct that, the country is turning to him for new leadership. Again, don¡¯t plan on landing, so here is what I need you to think about.¡±


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Quit beating around the bush, damn it,¡± she huffed without thought or care, closing her eyes before continuing. ¡°Are my kids going to be OK or not? I want your full honest take on this.¡±


    ¡°This is going to be painful for you either way, but it sounds like you are more concerned with their outcome more than your own.¡±


    The implication came out as bitingly sharp as an accusation to Danielle. ¡°The fuck are you saying? When the hell was that ever in question?¡±


    ¡°Hey, look, no one ever saw this coming.¡±


    ¡°I bet Vrey did.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter right now, but the ones on the ground sure as hell do. I apologize for my remark.¡±


    Growing tired of the meaningless garble, she let the tension out of her fist and opened her eyes, looking outside once more. ¡°Just tell me the fucking options.¡±


    ¡°Command from above, or command from below, but you already seem sold on below, so maybe I can spare you all the ugly details.¡±


    Her eyes batted a few times in confusion, surely hearing right and not because of a loosely fitting earpiece. ¡°You all just said not too long ago that we don¡¯t have permission to land.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Cut the bullshit, Knight. You-¡± Wait a damn minute, she cut herself off with the sudden recollection of a certain figure from her past, one the two of them shared in common. ¡°You know what we are carrying aboard¡­ of course you would you are the¡­¡± You are about to ask some serious shit of me and Gabe, aren¡¯t you. ¡°But what will happen to you?¡±


    ¡°Can I ask you the same, or will you snap back at me again?¡±


    Danielle started laughing under her breath at the irony of the response, taking a moment to collect herself. ¡°You know my choice. Give me the best time.¡±


    ¡°Kids, as you keep calling them,¡± he said with a much more gathered, confident tone, ¡°are asleep as we speak, and are scheduled to wake up at five hundred hours. This means you have exactly four hours to plan whatever it is you need to, map out whatever, as I highly doubt this peace lasts past sunrise. Get everything you can, plan A, B, C, whatever the hell, get it together and don¡¯t bother checking back in.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s my alibi?¡±


    ¡°You mean mine?- I¡¯ll stop,¡± he said with a weak chuckle under his breath. ¡°Amelie will have the loose ends will be tied after; she gave us her word. Just worry about your end and we will handle things here.¡±


    Figures he had someone else in on this. Why her, though, of all people? ¡°Alright. Leave it to me. Thanks, too, for the lovely insight on how shitty our outlook is.¡± She casually hung up without a parting note, looking immediately to her left across the aisle, seeing Gabriel moving over to her end of the aircraft. The cabin area they shared was small, cramped, and full of equipment in the seats left unoccupied. It was only the two of them, leaving them free to speak for the most part. ¡°We got a lot more to plan than we bargained for, Sly. You ready?¡±


    ¡°You called my bluff all this time, didn¡¯t you?¡± he said with a smile and a wink, sitting in the seat next to hers.


    Danielle was more relaxed now, letting out a more relaxed sigh. ¡°You took a whole damn month off for all I can tell, knowing you and all. But of course, you still aren¡¯t going to tell me what¡¯s up, are you?¡±


    He popped his knuckles as he leaned back, seemingly as if to loosen up before making a heavy confession. ¡°Truth is, I didn¡¯t just¡­ take off from work.¡±


    ¡°You what? They wouldn¡¯t just let you slip out, now,¡± she said with a raise of her brow.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± he continued as his eyes wandered to the floor. ¡°That moment Saff and others approached me, you know, I knew it was going to lead to something all complicated like this clusterfuck we are about to walk into. I can¡¯t afford to get caught up in something this big and not cause problems for the brand.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t retire, did you!?¡± she said in a slightly raised and upset voice, stiffly grabbing his shoulder with her left hand. She loosened her grip immediately, however, hearing him chuckle in surprise. ¡°Well, of course you wouldn¡¯t be that idiotic, but what, though?¡±


    ¡°I took an official leave of absence with no set point of return, accepting the suspension in pay and benefits. If something were to happen, she¡¯s already set to sever my position. If I come back, it¡¯s like nothing happened other than my alleged need for a mental health break.¡± He then leaned back in his seat, looking over to her, wondering why she hadn¡¯t responded by now. ¡°Just the fact Suha was mentioned, much less his daughter Sam being involved as well, I knew this couldn¡¯t end well. I did what I figured would cause the least chaos back home.¡±


    ¡°Then,¡± she responded with a sudden look of remorse mixed with her concern and confusion. ¡°Why did you take the job? I mean, shit, I¡¯m so sorry, Sly,¡± she said as her head dipped lower, lips tightening. ¡°I thought so lightly of everything, never once thinking you would still be here with me tagging along all this time.¡±


    ¡°You mean to say you never once thought of an entire sovereign nation¡¯s army being our potential threat, huh?¡± he said in an attempt to lighten the mood. ¡°I only explained all of that so you wouldn¡¯t be in the dark the entire time. And, you did ask.¡± He then in turn placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a firm, reassuring pat. ¡°You and I survived way the hell worse ten years ago. Now think¡­ if four newbie kids could wipe out that number without taking a lick, it means that, A, we did a damn good job training, and B, we aren¡¯t even close to facing equals. Worst case, I bet we just get pulled for ROE reasons after we go too hard.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope we get to stay in the air if that¡¯s how you see it playing out,¡± she said with a smile, feeling some relief after hearing his confidence. ¡°Still got a lot to plan out. Let¡¯s get to work, shall we?¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka City, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    Isaiah remained seated inside his LTAC, standing between Requiem and Revenant¡¯s amongst a dozen others just in front of the pond surrounding the Parliament building as the sun began to rise, gently warming the dark gray sky from behind the overcast cloud cover. He had, like the others, stayed tuned into the conversations going on both inside and around the building, keeping track of both official government and Infinity movements. He heard his watch alarm go off, showing that it was 5:00. ¡°That¡¯s the mark.¡±


    ¡°Sharif should be at the podium, now,¡± he heard Requiem respond as he switched his auxiliary monitor to a local news broadcast. ¡°If we need to move, I guess this might be the time to get ready?¡±


    ¡°Hold.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Bangladesh,¡± they heard the young man speak over the broadcast. ¡°I am speaking on behalf of the loyal citizens to the true representatives of our great country, and I bring this message to you in order to reveal the truth behind what has been a cancer to our society, to our efforts, to our future.¡± The camera angle revealed the sharply-dressed Sharif Hossain to be standing in front of the entrance to Parliament, keeping the three cloaked LTACs in plain view. ¡°But first, let me introduce what we are about as we take control of a powerless, useless regime former Prime Minister Sattar has let go out of control.¡±


    TVs turned on around the area as lights slowly one by one began to cast a glow from behind closed windows across town, much too early for many to be up and around, but not crazy enough to silence the curiosity of many. ¡°¡­As you wake up to this message, or watch it later, of course,¡± Sharif continued, ¡°think about the promises made and soon forgotten. It was the BNP who promised securing of the lost funding for the ¡®Rebuild Dhaka City¡¯ project. It was the BNP who promised a fight in international courts for the repayments for lost finances to the former Indo-Asian Union and for the removal of unfair sanctions India placed on us.¡±


    Sebastian was stirred awake by his mobile buzzing around the floor, showing a news alert notification lit up. Half awake, he blindly reached around for it, finally grabbing a hold of it as he slowly swung it over his face, activating the link. ¡°¡­Only Rakib Hossain has the people in place and the wherewithal to start such things in motion and end the talks,¡± the voice continued. Sam too was now startled awake, rubbing her eyes as she tried to make out what the talking was all about. ¡°¡­and this starts today! Why wait? Why wait while our great city dies a slow death because we are afraid to anger some ¡®key allies¡¯ who have no interest in our rebuilding? We have no allies! We must do things ourselves!¡±


    ¡°Sebastian,¡± Sam mumbled as she noticed the other two were starting to rustle in their cots, slow to awaken. ¡°What are- or who, are you listening to?¡±


    ¡°This is Sharif Hossain, the man we talked about a few times before,¡± he quietly replied, trying not to wake the others, yet unaware he already had their attention.


    .


    ¡°And you,¡± Sharif continued as more lights across town lit up. ¡°so many great, strong, proud citizens of this country, I applaud your unwillingness to stay quiet and take inaction from everyone in charge. I applaud your persistence in protesting the useless Sattar-led administration all these long months. And now we see your efforts come to true meaning with the dawn of a new era of true independence!¡±


    What¡¯s he really getting at? Marian pondered, watching from her holographic display from within her hotel room. I hope they knew what the bloody hell they were doing with this loon.


    ¡°Now, let me continue to speak of the truths behind the cancerous BNP leaders who hang on to the coattails of those in the former Indo-Asian Union which has not existed for more than a decade! Two hundred! Two hundred billion in unused payments still managed by the former Union financial members in India and no one would tell you! Five hundred! Five hundred billion more in refunds owed by similar funds collected by the union managed by banks in Space! And on top of this, five hundred more lost to corruption over the past decade! Right here in our borders! These borders that continue to watch us crumble as if we were too weak to stand on our own again! Who let this happen? Every member of the BNP along with our police and military administration, dead-set on forever appeasing Indian and Space-bound interests!¡±


    .


    ¡°Woah, that¡¯s a lot of money to be claiming there,¡± Andre commented aloud, finishing pulling up his uniform pants as the others got prepared as well, feeling a sense of urgency and an unwillingness to wait and be surprised unpleasantly.


    ¡°¡­We will retrieve the trillion-plus rightfully claimed by the people of Bangladesh! We have so much to rebuild as we were once promised, and we will do that starting today! We will address the removal of this cancer today!¡±


    ¡°Hey, this guy actually sounds like a stand-up guy¡­?¡± Kerry pondered to the group, pulling down her uniform undershirt and straightening her hair. ¡°Why did that Sur chick want us to fear him so badly when it sounds like he is the one who seriously wants to fix the city?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I get that, but, why did it take this kind of take-over for him to win an election, though?¡± Sam added, stepping into her pilot suit. ¡°Why was a coup needed?¡±


    ¡°But that is only one cancer to speak of! What we will also do starting today is to get rid of a second cancer ailing our great country!¡± Sharif¡¯s voice continued, causing each to pause momentarily in anticipation. ¡°It is a great mockery to us that I must mention the hundreds of billions we will never reclaim that we have lost to Hexa International! ¡­ all liars who never once had any interest for our rebuilding and our recovery!¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, yep, that might be why,¡± Sam reacted with a regained anxiousness and fear that quickly permeated throughout the room.


    Sebastian¡¯s hand stopped reaching for his bag, knowing there was no way he misunderstood what he just heard. ¡°Wait¡­¡± he thought aloud as he continued in pause to listen further.


    ¡°And to top it off,¡± Sharif added on in an even more emotional, stronger voice. ¡°They senselessly murdered more than a dozen of our citizens who were simply keeping watch over property we reclaimed overnight!¡±


    ¡°That! That¡¯s a lie!¡± Sebastian fussed as he stood up, feeling not only the burn from within from the nervousness everyone shared but from a sense of absolute indignation. ¡°Every LTAC pilot we encounter is a foreigner! Every man we take or kill has been foreigner!¡±


    ¡°Did the terrible noise they caused not catch your attention?¡± Sharif¡¯s voice added to his insult. ¡°Let me show you what these foreign terrorists have done to our people, and take caution for these are very graphic images.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold up!¡± Kerry too felt enraged by what she could tell was coming. ¡°Gimme that phone!¡± she said in a race to Sebastian¡¯s mobile that had been broadcasting by video. She clicked up the holographic display as the four looked on images of pilot remains, many missing limbs or ripped nearly in half.


    None of it was censored, nauseating Sam and causing her to immediately look away. Shit, that¡¯s bringing back images I didn¡¯t want to recall from Bogota.


    ¡°What¡­¡± Sebastian continued in utter disbelief, seeing the names were all Bengali. ¡°What?! These people never use locals!¡±

 Time to Run

    Sharif paused after reading off the names before changing to a more solemn tone. ¡°And these were all men with families. I want you to look at this list of names once more, and then I want you to study these pictures. Study them well.¡± Immediately after that, Sam¡¯s enlistment photo came up, fully enlarged and complete with biographic information, reading: ¡°Samantha A. Knight, Akkadia One, 25, Hexa: Infinity Pilot, Kill History: 5.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± she blurted out, heart beating faster and starting to feel faint. Where did they get my information from?! And what- who did I even kill!?


    [How?! We¡¯ve been hit by a mole?!] Sebastian joined in thought.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s you!¡± Andre said as he read the next screen showing the enlarged bio for Sebastian, reading: ¡°Sebastian D. Navarre, Colombia, 26, Hexa: Infinity Pilot, Kill History: 27.¡± Holy shit! Now that¡¯s a kill count! Oh, snap,¡± he then said in reaction to his own profile, reading: ¡°Andre K. Nguyen, 28, Hargrove-A, Hexa: Infinity Pilot, Kill History: 14.¡±


    ¡°No, for real! Who got our info like this leaked!?¡± Kerry joined in the other two¡¯s shock and panic. Her bio had showed up last, reading: ¡°Kerrington S. Melancon, NAU, 24, Hexa: Infinity Pilot, Kill History: 18.¡±


    And what¡¯s with all these unreal kill counts!? I bet that¡¯s what got them upset in the first place! Sam thought as she started to panic, unable to say what was on her mind. This is why you don¡¯t shoot to kill but no one listens!


    Kerry then quickly elected to stop being distracted and get back to getting dressed out for duty. ¡°This is some right bullshit! How could they possibly know this?! Who the fuck is leaking this shit!?¡±


    ¡°We had many problems like this at home for me and my team this year,¡± Sebastian added as he too reached for his bag to finish preparing.


    Sam was able to shake off the panic enough to catch on to what was about to unfold. ¡°Hey, hold up! This might not be the best time to look into showing our faces, right?!¡±


    ¡°Sounds to me like we are public enemy number one,¡± she snapped while keeping her face down at her pilot suit she was straightening out to hop into. ¡°We still haven¡¯t heard from Director. We need to finish getting ready and at least stand by, so that¡¯s what we are going to do, dammit.¡±


    .


    .


    Across the way, Marian was continuing to watch intently, taken then by surprise as she saw Danielle¡¯s profile on display, but this time was her own side-by-side with a recent picture in Hexa uniform and an old picture in her old EC Union Naval uniform.


    Well, well.


    The profile caption read: Danielle N. Norris (Formerly Salim), Mitannia Two, 42, Hexa: Infinity Deployment and Operations Director.


    Harbinger


    Former Casares Rebellion Pilot


    Kill Count (Lifetime): 244


    Kill Count (Bangladesh This Year): 16


    And that instant she swore she heard an uproar sweep across the nation.


    That¡¯s going to hit a sore spot, she thought, noting the inclusion of not only such detail but the fact she was a former Rebellion pilot. The same Rebellion that claimed countless Confederacy men and women serving for or near the armed forces, wiping out entire bases and spaceports, crippling the global economy that had only just recently reached some semblance of stability. That title alone was guaranteed to painfully resonate through the onlookers not only locally but anywhere else across Earth. Such lovely memories you bring back to us all, Miss Salim. She reached over to grab her cup of tea she had placed next to her on the end table, taking a slow sip while her mind wandered off in thought, tuning out Sharif¡¯s ensuing message. So, I guess this is the part where you hold your promise? Is this the plan to get them to leave without anyone putting up any more of a fight than they already have?


    .


    Back at the Parliament building where Isaiah was still parked outside awaiting key developments from inside his LTAC, his eyes had been closed for most of the speech delivery Sharif just finished. He took one last deep breath before stretching out his hands, popping his knuckles before firmly placing them over the control sticks. But before his feet found the pedals, another incoming call indicator rang inside his earpiece. He was visibly annoyed once more, tempted to hit ¡°dismiss¡± as he had all night.


    ¡°Are we not moving out?¡± Requiem called out to him over the radio, expecting the ending to bring about their next move.


    ¡°Hold on one more time,¡± he replied in a frustrated tone, switching over to the incoming call. ¡°Yes, Rex.¡±


    ¡°This is the last stunt you pull on our watch, Reaper,¡± the digitally masked voice coldly and sternly warned. ¡°The next will be costly, not only to our operations and our trust with other collaborators, but to you as well.¡±


    ¡°Government reset has been a total success. The military will not put up a fight. The people are outraged towards the exiting party as well as Hexa, so that is our cue to finish the job.¡±


    ¡°At this rate it¡¯s far too late, damn it!¡± the voice barked in anger. ¡°Your actions just angered one of our major donors who expected the Parliament to remain intact! And worst of all, you just lost us over a dozen local volunteers¡¯ lives!¡± He paused a moment to regain his thoughts while Isaiah sat still, impatient but keeping his mouth closed. ¡°We had a clean victory on the way and you blew it again. Stand down and allow locals to control the situation.¡±


    Isaiah knew the locals were essential sacrifices used to turn the populace against Hexa, only taking the beneficial side effect of anger towards the former ruling party as well for having ever employed them. He also knew the pilots he was about to take with him to clean up were all foreign sourced and battle trained. ¡°There won¡¯t be any more casualties except for those on their end, and we shouldn¡¯t use locals to fight.¡±


    ¡°But you just did.¡±


    ¡°It was already agreed by their end that it was a necessary loss to catalyze the change needed and it succeeded as expected. Now, it¡¯s best to move forward now and clean up base while we have the momentum.¡±


    ¡°Until I speak with the man myself, I won¡¯t take any result as anything but insubordination. Now, mind you I had just warned you of the next consequences.¡±


    He bit down, hunching his shoulders as he gripped the controls more tightly for a moment, finally relaxing and sitting back straight as he took a deep, slower breath. ¡°We will wait for one wave of their response to fail, and then we all move out,¡± he flatly stated in compromise, feeling the time to overstep his authority may come but not quite yet.


    ¡°Stand down until told to move,¡± the voice ordered in a similar tone before disconnecting.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Revenant called over this time. ¡°That was boss, right? What¡¯d he say?¡±


    ¡°We are standing by,¡± Isaiah curtly replied.


    ¡°And¡­ waiting for what this time?¡± Requiem joined in on the conversation in curiosity.


    .


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    ¡°Load up and await launch orders. We don¡¯t know what they are sending or when, or if it¡¯s all one big bluff,¡± Sam played Danielle¡¯s message back in her head over and over again as the four pilots marched out the main hallway exit and into the hangar area where they saw their cleaned up LTACs awaiting them. A new shield caught Sam¡¯s eye, then noted a smaller version was equipped on the other three.


    Just like I was hoping. At least there¡¯s this. That was one hell of a safety net.


    Sebastian had checked on Sam every few moments, concerned about how strangely quiet she had been since what was essentially a declaration of war on Hexa, fearing she would be far from a war zone-safe state of mind. Having gone against so much before, he didn¡¯t mind the threat. He had even faced off with a full sized mech once before. But that was different as during those times he was only concerned with his own mental and physical state as his brothers and sister never gave him any trace of doubt. He couldn¡¯t get Sam off of his mind, however, and her stoutly preoccupied expression worn on her face didn¡¯t help.


    [I hope we weren¡¯t too rough on her in the past. I never thought for how loud or seemingly strong she came off as¡­ that she was this vulnerable. Please, keep being strong for me.]


    .


    This whole damn country knows my face, now. They think I¡¯m a killer, at that¡­


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Sam paused as she reached the ladder extending from the open cockpit of the Axiom, trying her best to wipe the clouds of doubt away. A hand was warmly placed on her shoulder from behind, causing hers to reach over to take a hold of it, knowing who¡¯s hand it was that comforted her in a time like this.


    ¡°Easy on the doubts, focus on the piss-off,¡± Kerry¡¯s voice from immediately behind her startled her as her hand reflexively dropped to her side.


    Turning, she saw Kerry with an unusually empowering smile and a pat on the head. ¡°I see your boy here worries a lot about you, and now we are worried, too.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Sam replied with a grin she couldn¡¯t hold back. She forgot how much she grew to trust her over the short time they had been together, forced to come to better understand her and see past the false sense of hostility. ¡°I¡¯ll shake it off, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, that¡¯s it. Be pissed off, get tore up. They put us on blast for shit you know they had no business in. Am I right? Make it your extra weapon.¡± But instead of waiting for a response she simply left it at that with one last firm pat on the shoulder where her hand was and walked off towards her Ap50.


    Wait a second, that¡¯s a hell of a lot like something Burnley would say¡­ she thought with a frown that quickly relaxed back into a light grin and a chuckle. Just a less creepy, cuter version instead. Ah, she thought as she heard what was without a doubt the sound of Sebastian¡¯s footsteps behind her, causing her to turn around and feel more of the comfort she was seeking.


    ¡°I came here to complain,¡± Sebastian stiffly spoke before breaking into a similar smile.


    She matched grins along with a shake of her head. ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°No, really,¡± he said as he looked to the hanging sub-machine gun mounted just behind and over his head. ¡°I want you to stop worrying about the ones who want to take your life and what people watching TV think of you,¡± he said as his tone grew more serious. ¡°I would rather you feel like a monster and come back to me, all safe and alive, than to continue worry about being a monster and letting them take you. Do you understand?¡±


    He¡¯s talking about my persistence with shooting below the core. I must have been saying that too much. But it¡¯s protocol! I can¡¯t help it! she mentally pleaded her case to no one as she continued thinking of the best way to respond. ¡°You know¡­ I don¡¯t recall signing up for a position requiring me to be violent to a lethal extent¡­ not like you three are so easily able to do. But I get it,¡± she said as her head tilted back, closing her eyes in gesture of admitting error in judgment. ¡°I will take what they throw at me. If that¡¯s how they come at me, I will throw it back.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a yes or no,¡± he joked back with a smile to try to lighten the mood back to where it was. ¡°But alright, Cruella.¡±


    ¡°Alright, bastard,¡± she shot back with a playful shove to his shoulder.


    ¡°Stop fucking playing and load up!¡± they heard Kerry blast over her speakerphone system behind them.


    Sam jumped initially in reaction but was quickly calmed by Sebastian¡¯s sudden embracing hug.


    ¡°I was serious. Come back to me no matter what you have to do out there.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± she replied as she pulled her head back to reach her chin up, giving him a quick kiss before releasing the embrace, turning to climb the ladder before being scolded again for taking up time.


    Ugh, I still got that biryani breath, they both coincidentally thought in unison, continuing to load up.


    .


    .


    .


    Not too far to the west flew in three aerial equipment carriers, the one in the middle seeming big enough to carry about twelve LTACs, and the two on the side carrying only up to about four each. Each was marked with Hexa¡¯s logo and was inbound on Dhaka city, but looking down from the craft one could only see dreary overcast cloud coverage.


    Danielle entered a small, cramped, but efficient communications room where she was joined by Gabriel along with two other staff members. She looked back at her watch as she hovered over several digital maps with annotations covering each one, linking several spots of the city to the surrounding areas as if to draw up a set of escape routes.


    Still twenty minutes to arrival¡­ ¡°Go ahead and let the next in command down there know the situation,¡± she spoke to the field operations officer sitting just behind her. ¡°She then looked to Gabriel who was still tracing lines from what looked to be one of their carrier craft to the Parliament. In the backdrop, one of the maps showed a scattered assortment of red icons descending upon the airfield. ¡°Let me listen in on this real quick, keep looking at those alt routes.¡± She turned to listen to the upcoming conversation between the officer and the ground team.


    ¡°CCT to Tejgaon. Bangladeshi military still en route to your location. Approximate arrival in five minutes. Expect official communication from their command between now and their arrival.¡±


    ¡°Copy, CCT. This is Tejgaon. All forces are gathered and awaiting further instruction.¡±


    ¡°Ensure the implosion devices are installed on each piece of equipment to remain.¡±


    ¡°Copy, CCT.¡±


    ¡°Live equipment count.¡±


    ¡°Sixteen Av25 units standing by, four anti-LTAC standing by. Two personnel carriers standing by. Leaving behind all others. Inform if numbers need to be altered.¡±


    ¡°Roger. CCT out.¡± The officer then turned to speak to Danielle as she turned off her headset. ¡°Ma¡¯am, your input, if any.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and allow the main carrier to continue its evac route,¡± she calmly answered, hiding her buried, sickening feeling of regret for allowing the push to continue, knowing there wasn¡¯t enough room for all the LTAC units to fit, leaving a few to ultimately get stranded. I have to do this. It¡¯s us or them, and I can¡¯t run. She turned back to look over her shoulder at Gabriel, who still had a pen in hand. ¡°Sticking to plan A. We are going to dump the A-P¡¯s we got on board. Change the numbers to twelve plus personnel, four, and four. Put spec-op on this ship.¡±


    Gabriel stood up straight, stretching his back muscles for a moment as he continued eyeing the map. ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s the only way,¡± he replied with a look back to her together with a nod of agreement.


    ¡°CCT to Tejgaon,¡± the officer picked the line back up. ¡°Pickup and board pattern twelve, four, four on our mark.¡±


    ¡°Copy.¡±


    ¡°CCT out.¡±


    Danielle broke the ensuing moment of stiff silence with one last request. ¡°Get eyes on ground zero to respond on the location of the Cloaks.¡±


    ¡°CCT to Jasper, respond when you are secure.¡±


    Moments passed before a man on the other end finally picked up. ¡°Jasper. I¡¯m clear.¡±


    ¡°Physical sight confirmation of the Cloaks.¡±


    ¡°Three present at the steps as of the current. No movement by any other forces present.¡±


    ¡°Roger. Switch radio activity to live upon their movement. CCT out.¡±


    Shit. I don¡¯t know what they have planned, but this has to work, and has to work quickly before those Cloaks move. ¡°Sly, will need your help dumping those two A-P¡¯s when we get the clear. We should be there in fifteen.¡±


    Gabriel nodded in affirmation all the while reading the aura Danielle was putting off, sensing more nervousness from her than he had ever felt before in the past war. ¡°We¡¯ll get them back,¡± he added with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll get them out of there, but until then¡­-¡±


    ¡°-right,¡± she interrupted in anticipation of what was being suggested. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the ground team. Enemy is arriving any minute now,¡± she continued, taking her spot back hovering over the maps, placing her earpiece back in her ear. She then brought up a new map display to her right, showing the enemy units inbound with ETA and travel vector quantities.


    Gabriel then turned to take a pair of goggles he put over his face, switching them on as he placed his hands on a set of controls that were integrated into the table section where sat. ¡°And now, I take it that¡¯s my que for some quick, live assessing and what not.¡± Through his in-goggle screens he launched a surveillance drone from the carrier by way of rocket delivery, ensuring the drone got there as quickly as absolutely possible. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the green light signaled the release of the drone as he quickly guided it downward, speeding towards the Tejgaon demolition zone while using the VR function of the goggles to look around, taking in all metrics linked up with his radar information, including all inbound Bangladeshi military marked units. ¡°Let¡¯s hope I don¡¯t crash heading through this cloud cover.¡±


    The drone zipped through turbulent winds with zero visibility for almost a full minute before finally catching full visibility of the city below. Yes, perfect, not too low. The drone was guided in a straight line for the region north of Tejgaon, en route to establish a position between the threat and the air field base.


    ¡°Ground Team this is CCT Norris. Eyes inbound and on time. No enemy contact attempted, requesting switch to field command.¡± he heard over the channel linked between his carrier and the base.¡±


    ¡°Roger that, director. Switching to field command,¡± the voice spoke back as Gabriel maintained his focus ahead.


    ¡°This is ground team field command,¡± Kerry¡¯s voice joined in the channel as Gabriel spotted incoming gunboats, noticing what looked like unfamiliar markings. ¡°Outside on stand-by, weapons active, awaiting orders.¡±


    ¡°Hey Rook,¡± Gabriel spoke blindly across the room as he was not connected to the radio channel. ¡°These aren¡¯t Bangladesh¡¯s colors or marks. What the fuck gives?¡±


    ¡°What do you see?¡± he heard her ask.


    ¡°Shit¡­ um¡­¡± he thought out loud as he zoomed the camera in, panning close enough to make out an unconventionally shaped flag that brought up no ID results. ¡°Nothing on it. These are bought ships and tanks, all of them.¡±


    ¡°No wonder they hired us in the first place,¡± she replied with similar bewilderment. ¡°They did say way back that they had no substantial military force. Where the hell did these come from?¡±


    Shit, I spot something else new, he thought as he raced over from a different angle, panning his zoomed-in camera over the LTAC rank advancing. ¡°Rook, tell them we are looking at full RC gear.¡±


    ¡°Field command this is CCT Norris,¡± she quickly spoke up back over the radio. ¡°Be advised, incoming LTAC squads have shielding equipment that are capable of stopping your hybrid rounds, watch your shot placement.¡±


    .


    .


    Sam¡¯s technical memory was immediately triggered upon hearing that description. She sat upright in her seat, hands clasped under her chin as she continued recollecting rumors about experimental designs she overheard throughout the months back home. She knew it was no time to sit and waste energy on anxiousness, blocking it out with the task at hand. ¡°I remember now!¡± she said to herself before tuning in the group-only channel. ¡°Refractive coating. It disperses the photon energy carried by the hybrid round, just like the shields we have. That¡¯s what they are talking about.¡±


    ¡°But with these shields we are shooting one handed,¡± Kerry responded, noting they would be shooting with handicapped accuracy. ¡°How are we to place shots better?¡±


    ¡°Aim low, hit the legs and destabilize and disable their frames,¡± Sam answered with a sudden surge in confidence. ¡°With the numbers that are possibly coming, this would be the most time efficient since-¡±


    ¡°-CCT Norris this is Ground Team! Incoming transmission from the BNM!¡± the operator¡¯s voice from earlier interrupted with urgency. ¡°Putting on broadcast!¡±


    Sebastian immediately felt the need to prepare for launch, placing his hands on the control sticks and allowing each finger to rest over each input button at the ready.


    A local military commander¡¯s voice came up over their channel and started speaking: ¡°All present forces, you are by declaration of the highest authority to be under arrest.¡±


    Andre closed his eyes, joining in the expectation that the call to engage would come any second.


    ¡°We will open fire upon any resistance or attempts to flee.¡±


    Gabriel immediately pulled back his drone, climbing higher into the sky just below the cloud cover line before getting a full view of the potential conflict zone below.


    ¡°Remain where you are, stand down, and power down all equipment.¡±


    All was still silent across the airfield complex. ¡°CCT Norris, this is Ground. What is our response?¡± the operator nervously requested direction over the closed channel.


    Sam was back to feeling the burning nervousness rush over her face and through her heart, listening intently while looking over to her three teammates standing close by, just beyond the main gate.


    Danielle¡¯s voice finally came up: ¡°Give no response. Await further orders.¡±


    What?! They are headed right for us! Sam thought as she for the fourth time checked her weapons ready status.


    This is bullshit, Kerry thought before realizing there had just been a large set of incoming battle map data updates streaming from a surveillance drone nearby. Huh? Where did that come from?


    ¡°Administration orders no negotiating with any aggressors,¡± Danielle added firmly. ¡°Continue evac preparation and guard the landing area until we arrive overhead!¡±


    The military representative from earlier lost patience as he started to yell: ¡°This is your last chance to respond! All terrorist activity is a federal crime and punished by law! Stand down immediately or we will open fire!¡±


    ¡°Field command!¡± the four heard over their closed team channel.


    Mr. Silva?! they all thought as they heard his voice suddenly and unexpectedly shout out. So, he was the one behind all this sudden useful data streaming?


    ¡°This is your eye in the sky!¡± Gabriel continued. ¡°Get ready to launch! Pattern A until they split up, then follow the split with Pattern C! Moving out in T minus 15 seconds!¡±


    Sam breathed out in relief, remembering the trainer behind the formation design that paired with their newer operating system was somehow able to be flying above them like a guardian angel. Pattern A. Just like last night but with our boosters. She then checked her weapons for the fifth time, taking in and letting out one last deep breath.


    ¡°Ten.¡±


    ¡°Confirming LTAC images uploaded and visible,¡± Kerry spoke up amidst the countdown. ¡°Shields confirmed, aim low!¡±


    ¡°Five.¡±


    ¡°Keep the fight away from the wall!¡± Andre remembered as he too joined with a shout. ¡°Don¡¯t give them another reason to hate us in case we bail!¡±


    ¡°Launch!¡±

 Time to Run, Part 2

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Amelie was right, Sam is about to be way the hell in over her head.


    .


    ¡°Who requested that spy drone launch and who in here authorized it?!¡± Vincent roared as he stormed back to the Board Director¡¯s room from his office.


    Al calmly placed his hands flat on the desk, suppressing his desire to erupt as the stress from the current unfolding of events had piled up at an alarming rate. ¡°We needed eyes. Ever since Bogota we have not been able to get clearance for any more sweeper satellites and we are not about to let our boys go in half blind,¡± he firmly responded.


    ¡°And if the capital thought that missile delivery was a weapon?!¡± he blasted back as he stood behind his chair at the table. ¡°I hired you to keep things clean, not stir up a potential storm! Do you know the responses we just got from that?¡±


    ¡°We as a group of five, sir,¡± Lucian spoke from his seat trying to keep the peace but showed in his tone he took some offense from the outrage. ¡°We made that decision just moments ago. The request came, the opposing units were many, and we can¡¯t say no to that clear a safety precaution.¡±


    ¡°And all of those carrier units carry one, sir,¡± Nabransky added in from next to Lucian.


    Vincent took a breath as he calmed down. ¡°It¡¯s after the fact, which has me still upset, but we will take things as they are, fortunate to have no further negative reactions beyond what we did receive. I still did ask, however, who requested that drone be launched.¡±


    ¡°Director Norris,¡± Al flatly responded with his eyes back fully returning to his work station.


    Vincent shook his head once, taking his leave back towards his office. Always her. I am seriously starting to question my hiring of her in the first place.


    With the room back in focus, Al continued with the preparations for Kolkata to move search and rescue resources along with coordinating the distribution of personnel between there and the rest of Southeast Asia. Singapore had been well set up to handle it as was, but that was only until it started to reach its limits as far as its operating capacity was concerned. The debacle in Bangladesh had disrupted much of the system they installed, and as much as Al wanted to focus on that, he still couldn¡¯t keep his head fully out of the extraction op in Dhaka City. Amelie has surprisingly stopped bugging me since then. It almost has me suspicious of to what extent she said she would tie up loose ends for Danielle and Gabe. Makes me think she made talks with them personally to the side without my knowledge. Wouldn¡¯t surprise me, but that¡¯s what scares me.


    .


    Halfway across the satellite nation, the Raven residence was quiet as Saff found herself enjoying a rare evening to herself. She had a song playing over the kitchen¡¯s in-ceiling speakers that helped keep the stresses from work away as she enjoyed her cappuccino, staring into empty space, lost in thought. Taking another careful sip, she remembered then there was a TV program she wanted to see and that now would be the perfect time to watch it without disruption. She placed her cup down, hearing a shot ring out from the Union standard issue anti-mech rifle. The most innocent of sounds such as that from her weighty mug softly hitting the table with a muffled thud sometimes triggered that effect, never causing an arousal or a gasp as she had been dealing with the problem for almost two decades.


    Not right now¡­ please, not right now. Let me enjoy my evening, please.


    ¡­


    She turned her head over to where her mobile lay flat near her on the kitchen table and rotated in her comfy stool, letting out a sigh of defeat. She flipped on the holographic display, bringing up a search tool and starting typing in the search bar.


    I promised myself I wouldn¡¯t do this, but damn it¡­


    ¡°Trouble in the capital? We bring you as close as we can to the Parliament building, locally known as the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban,¡± a reporter spoke through a heavy British accent, standing with the massive structure behind him in the distance. Military personnel had the access street taped off, allowing the man to do what he could with only a few tanks visible from where he stood. ¡°Thank you, fellow Eden viewing families, for tuning into us this morning, and we bring you the latest news breaking from early this dreary morning turned over on its head. The Rakib Hossain-led military secession group has garnered what looks to be hundreds in manpower hired from unknown foreign sources, marching on the capital as you see here, storming the Parliament with absolutely no resistance...¡±


    Are you fucking kidding me, Al? You never even hinted this kind of shit was going on!


    Her coffee mug sat undisturbed over the next few minutes as she intently and nervously stared at the screen.


    ¡°This seems to have stemmed from much more than just financial matters that have boiled over since the split from the Indo-Asian Union of the Confederacy days that once spanned a financial singularity from Pakistan to Vietnam. As explained by son Sharif Hossain earlier, the more intense situation brewing is between the incoming government and Hexa International, now labeled as terrorists with multiple counts of excessive force and murder.¡±


    Murder!?


    ¡°With Hossain taking power, one of the first moves is sending his newfound military force directly at a field base Hexa¡¯s own military-esque force ¡®Infinity¡¯ just took back from guerilla forces just last night. To make things worse for the hired hands, they had been doxed, faces plastered all over local media with Hexa official bios, followed by home addresses and other personal history. But what remains to be seen is what the remaining Bangladeshi Military still loyal to the BNP will do, perhaps being the cause behind these tanks you see here still parked. You can even see,¡± he said as he pointed the camera to zoom in further towards the Parliament, ¡°that LTAC forces are also lined up, holding their positions as if expecting a separate attack. But let¡¯s take you to one of the demolition zones once known as Tejgaon¡­¡±


    Saff was no longer listening, however, as she was now at the computer just beyond the bar separating the kitchen from the living room, searching up said information. She found herself speechless upon seeing Sam¡¯s entire crew including Danielle up on display, wanted for capture dead or alive as enemies of the state resisting arrest. Her heart started racing as she ran back to her mobile, stopping the streamed news site and brought up her call screen, typing in ¡°Amelie Delacroix¡± frantically.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka City, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Keep moving!¡± Sam heard Gabriel¡¯s voice booming over their private team channel as her heart pounded, fearful from not only unknowing of the full strength of the forces bearing down on their location but from the thought of having to fight with no way of retreat as it was. The ever-looming concrete walls surrounding them became more of a threatening existence, feeling as if it were the walls of the gladiator¡¯s den and a pack of hungry lions were set free. All the while feeling such sensation, her Axiom¡¯s feet continued to pound the still-soft earth below, steadily headed straight for the heart of the abandoned skyline ahead. ¡°Pick-up arrives in fifteen, let¡¯s move it-move it!¡± Gabriel continued as constant updates in enemy movements poured in.


    The city center was a ground once cleared, housing a large plaza-style arena of office buildings and commercial establishments, prime landing area for a large platoon such as the one Gabriel was trying to lead behind the scenes, utilizing Kerry¡¯s verbal commands as liaison.


    ¡°Troop A, Troop B, status!¡± Kerry shouted with intensity and urgency. ¡°We¡¯re losing time!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s everyone! Both troops and all vehicles in motion!¡± a voice shouted back over the open line.


    Finally! Sam felt her knees at the ready the instant the words were shouted, confirming their clearance to speed things up. ¡°Leading the way!¡± she joined the channel with a holler, slamming the pedals that sent the Axiom airborne, quickly followed by the three other Ap50¡¯s just behind her in formation. ¡°Confirming holding pattern 6!¡±


    ¡°Roger that,¡± Kerry responded as their frames began to ease off their ascent, preparing to slow to landing speed. ¡°Keep eyes to the sky!¡±


    ¡°Negative!¡± Gabriel suddenly interrupted over the private channel. He spun his drone back out and through the cloud cover, picking up on what he sensed was approaching. ¡°Two gun boats trying to sneak back up over the top! Navarre, get an angle on them!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Sebastian calmly replied as he eased his descent to the east by a touch, just narrowly putting his landing trajectory over the only parking garage in the area. [Almost brings back memories.] As he touched down gently as to not cause the structure below to give way, he caught sight of the other three units sailing past, touching down not far from his location on the old, broken, quickly crumbling asphalt stretch.


    A few locals who had holed up in the garage below with cameras quickly made their way to the ledge where they looked below to see the two Ap50¡¯s and the Axiom adjust, stop, and turn back to the other side of the street. They were quick to start their recordings, full of intent to broadcast live what they knew the media couldn¡¯t. [Hey, one of you get the other side! Someone else, go run up top! See what landed!] one of the young men shouted to the others in Bengali.


    The youngest of the four, appearing to be in his late teens, made a dash for the stairwell just in front of him at the corner of the building, instinctively ducking mid-dash as a team of Ai20¡¯s roared by, landing beyond the point where the Axiom stood. Hurrying up the stairs until he saw dim daylight, he stopped to pull up his camera and hit record before proceeding carefully. [This is where I heard something big land. Let¡¯s take a look,] he quietly spoke to the recording, easing up the last corner of the stairwell as he rose into the open air, spotting right leg of the blue-gray camo-decorated Ap50 easing its way back a few steps. He ducked back around the corner out of caution before once more slowly edging forward, camera pointed where he knew the monstrosity stood. Just as the top of the Ap50 came into view¡­


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    TAH!!


    Rang out the unwelcomed, much-maligned hybridized round, sending the young man almost careening down the stairs backwards, narrowly grabbing the rail with his right hand after dropping the camera, desperately reaching for his ears to cover them tightly as if it would stop the deafening, scream-inducing pain.


    TAH!! TAH!! TAH!!


    Rang the shots three more times in succession with thunderous echoes sent down the stairwell. He quickly gathered himself, fearing for his life as he reached the floor below in full sprint for the opposite corner where he knew there would be a safer exit. Through his loss of hearing, however, he wouldn¡¯t notice Sebastian¡¯s Ap50 quickly evacuating his post for the opening behind the building as the sounds of missiles approached quickly.


    Sebastian landed with a thud, quickly spinning back the other way, rifle up as he backpedaled, taking note his two acquired targets were gone, inbound missiles dodged just in time. Over a dozen rockets rug into the garage building, sending it into a rapid collapse, pushing the team back another fifty meters. ¡°That was close!¡±


    ¡°Alright, eyes, what¡¯s the sky looking like?!¡± Kerry shouted as the groups re-established themselves behind new cover, having lost their largest building.


    ¡°Hold tight, sky clear! You got ground units coming in first,¡± Gabriel continued as he circled around, trying to keep himself mobile as possible before what he feared most happened.


    -Beep-Beep-Beep- went the target acquisition alarm from four different directions. ¡°Shit, I need to bail guys- you got this!¡±


    And that was what I knew would happen. No one is that dumb to let that go for long, Sam told herself as she took a deep breath. She looked around, seeing Sebastian across the open plaza from him at one corner, Kerry to her right at her corner of the plaza, and noted Andre directly behind her, watching the back entrance to the plaza. The last time she felt herself cornered, she was alone with an enemy she couldn¡¯t find. This time felt different, however. Not only were there numbers, there were three others who had proven their mettle in front of her own eyes. She had to be more confident this time. Think¡­ think¡­  It took the waiting in silence for the next thirty seconds for her to realize something.


    ¡°Hey!¡± she shouted over the team radio, remembering not just how missile tracking was pre-war level, but also what she had long questioned about the controversial performance Gabriel put on for them in the simulator back in Singapore. If we are to win this, we can¡¯t let them move first! We have too many technological advantages to NOT hit them first! ¡°Kerry, listen real quick, I have an idea!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll have to wait!¡± she firmly answered without pause. ¡°They¡¯ve crossed into the airfield!¡±


    ¡°But them being in that open field is our advantage!¡± Sam fired back intensely, unable to hold back this time. ¡°We have the operating system to pull it off if you let us!¡±


    ¡°Sam is right! I would prefer to be the one to shoot first in any situation!¡± Sebastian added on, boosting her confidence but only for that brief moment.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a vote, damn it!¡± Kerry seethed. ¡°Barrels up- hold positions! Here they come!¡± She then took note the distance the two Av25 squads had put between them and the heart of the abandoned district. ¡°We¡¯ve got to keep them from crossing that field bordering street!¡± Just as she started to focus down the open streetway facing what little field she could see, a tank round took out the corner of that same intersection¡¯s office building, blinding everyone¡¯s visuals with columns of dust and debris, causing everyone to flinch and lose focus for just a split second. That was all the time it took for a rocket angled over the building to point its nose right back down, diving in on Kerry¡¯s position without proper warning.


    ¡°Kerry!¡± Sam erupted. ¡°Shield up-¡± she was interrupted by the deafening thud that felt what set off every nerve in her body. ¡°Kerry!¡± she shrieked as she caught herself in a moment where she felt the strongest urge to hit the jump boost and back out to safety as she knew to do once before, but yet something conflicted within her that instant, causing her to dash in on Kerry¡¯s location through the falling gravel rain without a single calculation. ¡°Everyone, pinch in!¡± she barked, expecting the worst of what had just happened but couldn¡¯t simply dash off to safety for her own sake this time around.


    Sebastian followed suit without hesitation, and Andre anted up with the tossing of two successive grenade tosses over and through the intersection where the tank shell erupted. Just as the three rotated and touched down just steps away from the fresh crater, they heard movement behind them. That special ordered shield fell from the Ap50¡¯s grasp and landed with a bang, freeing Kerry from the building she was pinned against, stumbling away, shaken but in one piece.


    ¡°Gotta get moving!¡± she said with a cough, losing some of her sense of equilibrium from the wind knocked out of her. The following set of two explosions from the grenades and their thunderous echoes exacerbated the dizziness. ¡°Don¡¯t just sit there! Get us moving!¡±


    Sam took the initiative rather than argue her intentions, sending a rocket from each of her shoulders to the same location, timing it with her sidestepping toward the empty street leading them to where the other teams had holed up. ¡°Best bet we batten down the hatch over there and hit the first things we see move while the dust cover is up! Sebastian, cover our back! Andre, help Kerry until she¡¯s a hundred percent back with us!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m staying here! Get Kerry to safety first!¡± he argued, already barrel up and locking in on what seemed to be faint NOx signals on the other side of the smoke.


    ¡°Sebastian!¡± she angrily shouted back as she led Kerry and Andre down the street, tempted to stop and turn.


    ¡°We have to slow them down before they think we are running away! This is how they fight! They always fight dirty!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know who they are!¡± she wailed back, convinced Sebastian had a screw knocked loose in the explosions.


    ¡°These aren¡¯t locals! They marched in with foreigners and I- hold on!¡± he cut himself off as he started firing several bursts through the intersection, assuming the faint traces were LTACs approaching. [Right there, those should be their knees.] He carefully sidestepped with every burst, never holding still as moments later the expected return fire came zipping through, innocently tearing through the concrete in the building behind him. [Fuck me. Can¡¯t seem to land a shot AND they came with high power rifles this time,] he thought to himself, expecting grenade rounds. [Maybe she was right. And damn it, I don¡¯t think I hit a single one- that can¡¯t be right!] A large buzzing object zipped by just meters in front of him, blazing a trail through the plaza clearing and through a narrow alley, causing him to throw his barrel in that direction before noting the green glow around its location. [Mr. Silva?! I thought he left!] He then watched as it suddenly flew upward, streams of ECM bursts and a friendly shout over their radio:


    ¡°I had to hide out!  Can¡¯t just leave you four lost in the jungle!¡± Gabriel sung over the squad channel. ¡°This time for real! I got one good pass,¡± he continued with a full speed burst across the open airfield.


    Sebastian noticed the newest updates in target information light up his sensors like a Christmas parade, seeing exactly what he was shooting at. The tracings showed the approaching LTACs to be holding full height shields in hand, followed by a rank of about five tanks just behind.


    ¡°Sebastian, get out of there!¡± he heard Sam shout as he too realized he wasn¡¯t the least bit prepared. ¡°We can¡¯t fight this in the streets OR the open field We need heavy¡­ heavy artiller¨ªa!¡± he shouted through his lack of vocabulary as he hurried through the continued return fire towards the others.


    That means I was wrong to ever suggest going in the open. What was I thinking we were about to face? What was I thinking at all?! Sam suddenly found herself in doubt, hunkered down behind an apartment building not far from Sebastian as she propped her heavy launcher against the corner and kept it aimed down the street. Who ARE we up against if it¡¯s not the Bangladeshi Military? ¡°Speak to me Sebastian, what did your rounds do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing! Their shields are so low they touch the ground!¡± he said as he passed her, spinning back to face the same street opening, standing just across the street from her. ¡°They can¡¯t be hit!¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± she answered back after a second¡¯s pause with an idea. She readied her trigger finger just as the scanned outlines of each unit quickly began to fade from view.


    ¡°Had to scram the drone, sorry but that¡¯s the end of the show!¡± they heard Gabriel say with a collective sigh from stress in response.


    Sam pulled the trigger anyway, expecting the previous movement rate to put the frontmost LTAC right in the traveling path of her tank buster round. The ensuing explosion carried not only asphalt and dirt further into the air, but they saw the firework display follow suit, signaling the hit they were hoping for.


    ¡°Hell yeah. That¡¯s a kill,¡± Andre spoke up in relief.


    ¡°Nailed that bitch,¡± Kerry added. Her head had been fuzzy for the past minute, but was now shaking the last of the haziness off as her surroundings finally came clear.


    But those words coldly reminded Sam of what she just had taken no hesitation in doing after multiple attempts to scold others for the same. The thought brought a second¡¯s worth of humiliation, but she knew she had no time to think on it any further. All she could worry about now was to keep the rounds loading and firing. Only got eight shots¡­ And I can¡¯t just call for a reload¡­ WAIT! she thought with an epiphany.


    .


    Sebastian fired all those shots, no hits, nothing, which confirms they are in fact running refractive coating on those shields. But yet¡­ the tank buster went right through it? The shields that should¡¯ve stopped it just enough like for me and Kerry!? That¡¯s a hack design! They really are running nothing more than fucking knockoffs! That means-!


    ¡°Sam!!¡±


    She heard Sebastian shout, waking her from her thoughts as she noticed an approaching NOx cloud through where she just shot, causing her to pull her trigger once more. ¡°We need those Av25 squads to beat them! Move back one block and run A-1 formation- no time to explain!¡±


    ¡°No, tell us now if you want us to re-expose ourselves!¡± Kerry argued back, holding her position as a tank shell hurdled into the building where Sebastian had once stood earlier, causing both her and Andre to flinch.


    ¡°Oh, NOW you want to hear my ideas?!¡± she belligerently replied, continuing her dash deeper into town as the streets grew narrower. Well, shit, that just slipped right out my mouth.


    ¡°Bitch, what?!¡± Kerry snapped back, seemingly lost in the heat of things herself.


    Damn it! NOT what I intended on starting! ¡°Look, we need those A-V¡¯s! Hurry before they get smart enough to bust through!¡±


    ¡°Stop it! Move first, then argue!¡± Sebastian shouted as he split between the two, kicking up asphalt as he knew the streets were becoming too cramped to boost around. He continued up to the next smaller courtyard where he turned to find a few Av25¡¯s to his immediate right, almost like they were a welcoming party of some sort. ¡°Sam, I know what you are thinking! You don¡¯t do a pinching trap like that! If they have tanks, we have to be the bait first!¡±


    He knew what I was thinking!?


    ¡°The basic launcher they have isn¡¯t fast enough travel to targets far away!¡± he continued as he watched the other three file in behind, reluctant but with no other choice as things stood. ¡°You, you are too heavy. You stay and shoot. Me, Andre, Kerry, we have to be bait.¡±


    ¡°That was the plan!?¡± Kerry fussed back initially, but soon realized with the next series of exploding shells nearing their position that they had no choice but to try, and something was better than nothing. ¡°Aerial or cross-town?¡± she said with a suddenly straight, honest tone.


    ¡°In the air. We have to be fast.¡± He realized the entire Av25 crew behind them seemed bewildered, dumbfounded, and mildly offended. ¡°Sorry, teams. Listen, we need you to aim down this street. Don¡¯t fire until after we drop down and they turn to us!¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± one of the Av25 pilots spoke up. ¡°Understood, holding ground!¡± He wasted no time, as did the five behind him as they took up cover behind what they could at each corner. ¡°Spread the word to the others, and get them lined up on every street parallel to this one facing the airfield!¡± The units quickly moved into position, holding up launchers that were somewhat similar to the one Sam had, save the simpler design that only shot one type of round: armor-piercing post-entry detonation rounds. The build of the Av25 was similar to the Ai20, but lacked the riot shield mount and instead carried a host of anti-vehicle tools on a set of multi-compartment cases in the left shoulder, upper arm, and forearm mounted locations. ¡°The rest of you,¡± he continued before being interrupted by increased shelling of the buildings nearby from more than one direction this time. ¡°Haul ass and start trapping the flanks with the claymores! Don¡¯t let anyone sneak up!¡±


    Sebastian hadn¡¯t barked orders since leaving Bogota, feeling a sense of confidence he too had not felt since. He then realized perhaps it was not the best mix of talents between he, Sam, and Kerry as all seemed to want to be the leader, yet then again, he knew this wasn¡¯t the time to ponder such things. ¡°Sam,¡± he said with a slight jump in reaction to rifle fire he heard quickly closing in, ¡°you fire first, bring them in this way if you can.¡± He then turned to launch, knowing he had plenty in the reserve to bail out the second he was to touch down. Where? That was what he had all of a few seconds to determine. He looked around, surveying several building tops, spotting a rather large, flat-roofed apartment complex seeming to be prime landing space, albeit for even only a second or two. ¡°There!¡± he shouted as he laser-painted the building. ¡°Up there when Sam shoots next!¡±


    ¡°On it!¡± Sam responded, carefully timing her next pop around the corner, knowing someone would be waiting for her. She checked her launcher status one last time to make damned sure she had the right round locked and loaded before pivoting, shield out and launcher between it and the corner of the building.


    THUNK!!


    Went her ECM charge right into the midst of a tank surrounded by several Kappa LTAC frames, sending sensor frazzling charges throughout the courtyard like fireworks as it detonated. ¡°Enemy blind!¡±

 Time to Run, Part 3

    That instant, Sebastian, Kerry, and Andre each jumped up high enough to clear the eight-story building they stood next to as they prepared to land on top of the apartment building twice its height next to it, quickly aiming below. Each quickly opened fire with successive thunderous bangs of their rifles in several predetermined directions to attract attention, unable to feel the less-than-ideally constructed roof start to slowly give way.


    One of the Kappa frames below had found enough of a window between visual cut-outs to manually aim its grenade launcher towards the top of the building, letting his one fired shot sail through the window of the third-from-the-top floor, setting off an explosion that effectively created a sink hole just below Sebastian¡¯s Ap50, causing it to fall without giving him a chance to react.


    Kerry and Andre by instinct hit the jump boost to get aerial before realizing Sebastian was below them somewhere inside the building. ¡°Sebastian!!¡± Kerry shouted in panic, starting her descent abruptly. "Shit, now what do we do?!¡±


    ¡°Keep with the plan!¡± the two heard him answer over the channel, letting them breathe out a sigh of relief, keeping focus on their descent to their respective landing points.


    ¡°What about you?!¡± she continued speaking to him, back pedaling as she started opening fire on the few LTACs that turned onto her street with shields up.


    ¡°I will get out of here somehow! Squad B! Your turn!¡± they heard him continue resolutely, unaware he was masking the fears rapidly building up as he never emerged from the apartment building.


    ¡°You heard him, boys!¡± Andre shouted with a nervous smirk, backing off his cover fire that had been aimed around a tank and a pair of LTACs in the distance up the same street, navigating a point obstructed by several crumbled walls. He quickly sidestepped into an alley to his immediate left, allowing two Av25 units from Squad B time to fire their anti-armor rounds at the oncoming, exposed bogies.


    ¡°That¡¯s more than six of them down!¡± Kerry called out as she watched her side of town¡¯s well-placed shots split through shields the same way Sam¡¯s shots had earlier. ¡°Squad A, get ready for your end! Heading there now!¡±


    ¡°Right with you!¡± Andre joined in as the two once again blasted off from the ground back into the building tops.


    .


    Sam had been silent this whole time, carefully navigating her way back to the front of the Av25 squad she had been waiting behind, never getting word back from Sebastian. ¡°Keep moving as planned!¡± she commanded, taking rest for the moment between two friendlies who had posted up on either side of the building she stood behind, taking the time to identify a route to where Sebastian had been downed. Spotting a path she deemed acceptable, she marked the map with an icon labeled ¡°A-P DOWN¡±. ¡°Evac is here in less than five minutes! Hold your ground! I¡¯ll get Sebastian out!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going back out there?! We can¡¯t cover you from here!¡± the squad leader next to her said in confusion. ¡°We can¡¯t even get visuals on that building!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll worry about that! Just stick to the plan like they said!¡± Tuning out the next series of ground rattling explosions, she rearmed her weapons systems, turning to make a direct jump to the plaza next to the marked apartment building. I have to at least keep that area clear for landing for the evac op! No telling who might have noticed he¡¯s still there! ¡°Sebastian, hold tight! I¡¯ll secure the area for you!¡±


    ¡­


    She kept her altitude low as she could, skimming the tops of buildings before landing in the intersection just before her marked zone, making sure she could assess the units present before entering. But it wasn¡¯t the tank presence that had her stomach in knots. Why hasn¡¯t he responded?!  ¡°Sebastian, respond!¡± What the hell happened up there?! No way I am too late already! No fucking way! She darted around the corner, not even waiting for target lock as she pulled the trigger the instant it hovered near the tank. Quickly switching to her shield, pulling it in front of her, she continued her steady pace forward alongside the apartment building in question. It was eerily quiet once the clamor from the destroyed tank began to settle. She surveyed the area quickly, noting the concrete, glass, and metal strewn about the plaza, mixed in with tank and LTAC carcasses from earlier. Several more tremors could be felt in succession once more, yet she remained focused on assessing the situation while trying not to lose focus on her visuals.  Wait! Ground troops! She now pondered the chances men on foot entered the building already as not a soul could be seen running around. ¡°Situation status!¡± she shouted over the area channel, feeling another series of rumbles and the ensuing, unsettling explosions.


    ¡°Bastards are on the run!¡± Andre quickly answered. ¡°The last three groups we tagged are distancing themselves and headed back for the airfield!¡±


    ¡°We are posting up for cover!¡± Kerry joined in. ¡°Evac almost here! A and B Squad, gather back up on point and prepare for reception!¡±


    .


    .


    On the approaching carrier convoy that would have been visible if not for the ever present, low hanging cloud coverage, Danielle was no longer in the communications room but was instead in an access hall, busy trying to pull up the zipper to her pilot suit. As she continued through a doorway that led to the docking bay, she found two Ap50 units laying on their backs in carry mode, both doors open and power systems up and running.


    ¡­The hell???


    She finished the last adjustments on her suit as she jogged up to one of them, climbing up the access ladder to see Gabriel was inside, already seated and affixing his helmet. Her brow quickly wrinkled into a disappointed frown as she fussed: ¡°Sly, this isn¡¯t for you to worry about- what the fuck are you even thinking!¡±


    He continued with his shoulder harnesses, never pausing to return a glance. ¡°It¡¯s going to take both of us. You said it yourself, the Cloaks are on the move.¡±


    ¡°But that was your job to stay behind and warn them, idiot! I need you commanding the team from up here!¡± she pleaded, frown quickly fading. ¡°You and I both getting hanged afterwards would leave them with no one afterward!¡±


    ¡°Who the hell said anyone¡¯s getting hanged?¡± he shrugged as he flipped his visor down. ¡°Rook,¡± he continued in a playful yet seemingly condescending manner, ¡°get loaded up before I open this door.¡±


    ¡°And the coordination? Hmm!?¡± The second of silence was already enough as she huffed, climbing back down the ladder.


    ¡°You take one, I take the other two! Deal?¡± he shouted out from inside, hoping she could hear.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Scared?!¡± he continued with a chuckle.


    ¡°Damn it, Sly!¡± she fussed aloud as she started climbing into the other open Ap50 unit. ¡°Just keep them distracted at least! I HAVE to cover for the evac landing!¡±


    ¡°Oh, hell no! Everyone got me pulling stunts, nuh-uh, there is no way I don¡¯t go all out. Fuck all that shit! You just do what you got to do, then!¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    .


    .


    Sam had finally finished securing her area before rushing to the front of the apartment building, running through her head several means to getting herself inside to search for Sebastian. Let¡¯s see, scanners showing about three to four bodies scattered about the 8<sup>th</sup> floor¡­ shit. Sebastian¡¯s vitals are still nominal, that¡¯s good. Got no body armor for myself¡­ shit. Nothing but a PDW¡­ shit. Metal cutters, that¡¯s all I got?! But before she could think of disembarking from the Axiom, which she knew was most likely a terrible plan in itself to begin with, an alert caught her attention as she thumbed the map notifications tab up on view. ¡°Two A-P¡¯s launched from Evac! What are they doing?! Shit that might not be a good sign!¡± No more fucking time to waste! Damn it all! She threw up the visor and quickly unlatched the straps before slinging the helmet off her head, opening the man cockpit door as she unharnessed herself. ¡°Heading inside marked building! We don¡¯t have time to wait for Sebastian anymore!¡± Quickly snagging the docked PDW and survival sling pouch on her way down, she dashed for the open corridor entrance of the apartment building, ducking into a doorway cutout providing what seemed to be enough to make a stop and assess her surroundings.


    ¡°-On point, Axiom, good luck,¡± a male¡¯s voice from the other squad spoke up through her earpiece.


    Heart beating out of her chest, struggling to keep her breathing noise to a minimum, she peeks back at the Axiom, seeing it approached from behind by a fellow Av25 who heard her call. Holding her sigh of relief, she leaned against the door and quietly extended the stock to her PDW and pulled the sling and her pouch over her head and put her arm through, squeezing her weapon¡¯s handle and foregrip tightly, all the while listening for footsteps or anything to hint the presence of someone in the vicinity.


    ¡°Backup to my location!¡± Andre shouted over the channel. ¡°Last four in my corner!¡±


    She wiggled her earpiece, ensuring its fit before pressing a button at the base of the device with an ensuing whisper: ¡°Sebastian, I¡¯m at the bottom of the building. Location.¡±


    While she waited for a response, she peered back around the other corner, looking down the empty hallway, spotting a stairwell entrance. Come on, Sebastian, answer! Several long, nerve-wracking moments passed as the only sounds she heard were from occasional rifle fire, tripped and detonated claymores, or the impact of anti-tank rounds, unsure who or what was biting the dust.


    ¡°That¡¯s the last of the rouges from inside our protection zone!¡± she heard Kerry shout with joy from her unit. ¡°Evac, you are clear for approach!¡±


    But even through the good news, all she knew was Sebastian never responded, and with Evac arriving soon, she knew she was on the clock for real. She subconsciously took a quick look back at her watch, scrolling to the team vitals screen, seeing his signs were still nominal. I take it he¡¯s held up and can¡¯t talk. Here goes nothing. She gathered her wills before taking a dash with as light of a tread as she possibly could make, carrying her awkward gait up to the stairwell to find it was pitch black. She pushed off the wall to bring her to a hushed halt, quickly reaching for her sling pocket to pull out a flashlight but soon realized that was a bad idea. Great, slow walk up the dark, wet, nasty stairwell to hell. Afraid to waste time as if it were a countdown to Sebastian¡¯s doom, she without hesitation began to quietly feel her way up the steps, slowly, quietly, testing each footing area with her toes, all the while keeping her left hand on the wall for balance. Damn it! This is going to take all fucking day.


    ¡°Ground team this is Director Norris inbound, please be advised.¡±


    The director!? she thought as she continued her slow, steady pace.


    ¡°You have eighteen additional bogeys headed your way from the south west, same equipment. Cloaks confirmed on the move and in their mix. I will attempt to cut them off; proceed with maximum caution.¡±


    She¡¯s piloting!? Is that what the two A-P¡¯s we doing when¡­ wait! Who is in the other one?!


    .


    .


    Isaiah had been praying it never came to this. He had hoped the large force sent wouldn¡¯t have been overwhelmed, asking over and over to receive more apt pilots and operators, but saw that once again he had been sold short. He kept a steady pace down the wide open eight-lane street, having prior military personnel clear the way minutes ago, side by side with his wingmen. He watched the large group of Kappa frames speed on ahead, hoping they could reach the exposed backside of the awaiting pickup crew soon enough to cause enough commotion to let them slip in undetected. ¡°Revenant, Requiem, we won¡¯t make it before they start boarding. Forget trying to pull off any miracle saves, just target anyone on post and let the others in front take their shots on the carriers.¡±


    ¡°We got it, Reap,¡± Revenant responded calmly, keeping eyes on the road as well as their map, showing where to veer off.


    ¡°Activate cloaking,¡± Isaiah continued with the flick and the press of a hat switch on his controls.


    -BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP-


    Rang the approaching IR sensor tracking alarm, startling all three.


    They got behind us? Isaiah thought in a mix of bewilderment and concern, knowing their only real weakness to their cloaked design was being targeted under boost. That much exhaust would paint any decent IR targeting a highly detailed picture, triggering the dilemma he had to handle. Would he slow them down, hide, and wait to engage after they pass? Or turn off cloaking, match speed, and engage head on? But with the distance between themselves and the tracking source being too far to be a real threat, he knew had a moment bought. Who did they send? Let me guess¡­


    Three rounds cracked and shattered asphalt just next to Requiem to Isaiah¡¯s left before one round struck the unit¡¯s back shoulder, all happening too fast to have been prepared for.


    From this distance?! He thought as he knew their range was still beyond a kilometer out. That¡¯s¡­ no¡­ they sent her for me. The bastards really went for broke. Very well, then, he continued with a nasal chuckle. ¡°You two, move on. I will stop Norris.¡±


    <hr>


    <hr>


    (Ten minutes prior)


    .


    Crowds had by this point in the morning had already started to bulge into the streets, almost pushing over barriers put up by the military brought in by the junta. They were all seeming eager to get a closer look at the now publicly speaking Rakib Hossain, who had just taken his position as the chairman of the new party in command. Isaiah, still serving as one of the dozens still surrounding the Parliament as both security as well as an act of boasting its victory over Infinity, remained disinterested, helmet off and stowed away. He had been uneasy, spending the down time going over possible scenarios that were likely to pan out once Hexa made their move to attempt their rescue mission. This came at the tail of angering Rex, knowing the next step he took couldn¡¯t take him too far off the path he was hired to take, never one to forget he would be responsible not only for his own consequences but for his three partners as well.


    On one hand I could say Marian was right. Losses aren¡¯t going to be worth it in the end. We go home this afternoon, regardless of the turnout as Hossain is already locked in. But on the other hand, I still need to hear that one most important response from Sharif about how he will sign off with Rex. Can¡¯t just fly the coop and burn that bridge we managed to build so quickly.


    Requiem interrupted his thoughts over the private channel: ¡°Um, you do realize we have company approaching. Didn¡¯t you catch that alarm?¡±


    Great¡­ He reached for his helmet and strapped it back in, lowering his visor so that he could see the map and notification. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± he said before letting out a troubled sigh.


    ¡°Only two LTACs, I know, but what do you think we do about it?¡± Requiem continued, not seeming the least bit concerned with their situation. ¡°I guess we let the other boys handle it?¡±


    ¡°That throws a wrench in the whole deal,¡± Isaiah responded with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s almost insulting.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t rule out Norris being in that mix. She was the last one to take down our men, shooting them in the back like the coward she is. It¡¯s not out of the question that she might do the same over there at Tejgaon.¡±


    ¡°So, we intercept?¡±


    Isaiah refrained from speaking up about the incessant chattiness of his, perhaps for the hundredth time. Swallowing his irritation, he shook it off slowly with a switching of his channel. ¡°Mr. Hossain, I have a request.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Reaper,¡± Sharif¡¯s voice came back over the line. ¡°I take it you have news of our new guests.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was getting to-¡±


    ¡°-Proceed to Tejgaon Airfield and see to it there is no rescue operation,¡± Sharif cut off in a cold tone. ¡°We have more innocent young boys of ours killed by these Hexa bastards. They weren¡¯t even involved with anything. School boys with dreams. Make their actions paid back in tenfold.¡±


    Isaiah felt the deep resentment for the invaders in his voice and a sincerity that stung even his nerves. ¡°I understand your anger. I do have to ask if you understand what my team has been tasked to do, and that I may not move under your authority without consent from my own superiors.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would make requests based on that concern, Mr. Reaper,¡± he calmly replied, leaving a moment of pause before the next voice came over the channel.


    ¡°Reaper,¡± Rex¡¯s signature digitally masked voice came to his surprise. ¡°I have just finished adjusting the deal with Mr. Hossain here. The losses must be justified with theirs. Move in on the rescue operation, intercept, and eliminate the leading team members. Those are your new orders.¡±


    Well that answers that. I can¡¯t help but be incredibly suspicious with such a shift in direction. ¡°On it.¡± He then switched to the team¡¯s private channel once more. ¡°Revenant. Requiem. We move now.¡±


    ¡°I just saw the main street getting cleared, taking the hint that¡¯s what was coming,¡± Requiem replied. ¡°And I kept an eye on the incoming pair. Can¡¯t tell which way they are headed being that far from landing, but seems like a bee-line for Tejgaon.¡±


    Of course. That would only fit the bill, knowing Norris.


    <hr>


    <hr>


    They didn¡¯t send her for the rescue op, they sent her for me. She has a death wish taking on all three of us, Isaiah thought to himself as he spun back the other way, holding a shield up that matched the model the other Kappa frames were all equipped with over at the air field interception op. ¡°You two, keep moving! I will take her on myself!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the boss!¡± Revenant responded as they picked up the pace, rapidly distancing themselves from Isaiah.

 Reunion

    Isaiah could now clearly see that while one of the descending LTAC¡¯s had already passed the group up overhead, the other was sailing right for him. So, both of them were equipped with aerial drives, yet this lady is taking her sweet time with her approach? Interesting. It¡¯s like she knows me somehow. He stood there, baiting the first move from the still quite distant Ap50 on the steady approach, no longer firing upon him as if it knew he was in the ideal defensive stance. Of course, those weren¡¯t hybrid rounds just now. They were smart, avoiding using such dreadful things in the middle of town. The sounds of bystanders gathering around each side of the street from him, all recording devices aimed at him, had him even more at ease. Well now, Ms. Norris, what are you going to do?


    The approaching Ap50 remained attached to its aerial drive set which consisted of a large booster engine with its own separate reserve in addition to pairs of long horizontal and vertical wing extensions to keep it stable under high travel speeds. Rather than electing to land and engage directly, it instead picked up speed and broke off from its approach, looking to circle around.


    Isaiah couldn¡¯t tell what it was up to, but he knew he was still the target as the IR sensor tracking steadily provided its warning sounds. He rotated to match angles with it, preventing it from ever getting an open shot before his thrusters cooled. No more than thirty seconds passed before the targeting alarms silenced, and the circling Ap50 began to dive in, almost as if it was waiting for the challenge.


    The Cloak was no longer visible from within the visor¡¯s view of the area below from the viewpoint of the Ap50 as it rapidly closed in on that intersection where it was last seen. Still, it pulled up from its dive as it decelerated quickly, making a smooth landing on the still-emptied street below as a sudden flash of jeers rained in from the surrounding alleys and buildings. The aerial drives remained attached, added weight perhaps not being a concern as its standard-issue rifle (conventional round-equipped) was shouldered once more.


    Isaiah was already on the other side of the block, however, approaching the Ap50 from a parallel-running street. It took care in its strides to keep the meta-material covering his shield¡¯s face as it rolled gently and quietly across the pavement, sword in hand, un-ignited. The moment he reached the edge of the intersection he was already prepared to engage as he rotated his angle to face directly at the Ap50. Something says this is too easy¡­ no¡­ he fought off doubts, knowing he had to make the first move. His feet didn¡¯t even have the chance to apply the slightest amount of pressure before shots rang out, ripping across his meta-material covered shield, causing him to jump back in shocked surprise. Isaiah had not been ambushed nor had the jump on, much less twice in one minute. Damn, this girl¡¯s good.


    He then heard the signature roar of Hexa¡¯s jump-boost initiation, knowing too well it would be an attack from directly above. He jumped up instinctively, sword ignited and thrust forward to the only location the Ap50 could approach from. The second he reached a height equal to the five-story condominium building, shots rang out from over fifty meters away from his backward-retreating target. He uncharacteristically misread his opponent, and it hurt as he dropped back to the pavement with an uncomfortable thud, racing to collect himself. She¡¯s studied my every move somehow before they ever got here. Absolutely brilliant- I never thought they would be this invested to the point of risking so much over one single target. Shame on me... and to think she hasn¡¯t even landed a stray bullet anywhere.


    .


    Revenant and Requiem continued their bee-line for the concrete wall that separated the precinct they were in from old Tejgaon, wary of the approach of the Hexa carrier craft not too far ahead but much higher in the sky above.


    ¡°Jump point approaching,¡± Revenant advised from the back. ¡°Front units, keep pace and make your jump. Head straight for those landing carriers, opening fire the moment they enter firing distance.¡± He continued surveying the sky just above the wall, waiting for a signal of sorts. ¡°Airfield, hold position and use cover, stay together until the carrier approaches firing range. Avoid, repeat, avoid all further engagement with the enemy.¡±


    Just as he finished his last word, he felt the slightest hiccup-like sensation from somewhere behind him. Immediately after, a warning signal ¡°Error Code 35: Nitrolysis Chamber #1¡± appeared at the top of his screen. ¡°Damn it,¡± he muttered as he started to back off his approach speed.


    ¡°Rev, what¡¯s going on?!¡± Requiem called back to him, unsure whether or not to slow down as well.


    ¡°Bitch hit one of the stabilizer feeds. Gotta back off or I¡¯ll overheat,¡± he answered dejectedly as he slowed to a more modest pace. ¡°I can still pull off one quick jump if I cool down. Go ahead and back up the others! I¡¯ll just be behind a minute or two.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ll miss you!¡± Requiem jokingly returned, feeling relieved it wasn¡¯t more serious. Finishing off the chuckle he made to himself, he straightened back up to watch the team in front hit their jump-boosters. ¡°Alright, man, catch you on the other side!¡±


    Revenant continued his slow approach, eyes once more to the sky as to hopefully be of some help until he could cross through. He noticed the stray Ap50 was now starting to circle back but for the back end of the walled-in precinct. ¡°Hey, heads up, I think that¡¯s Norris¡¯ buddy over there diving in.¡± He then switched to the broad area channel to warn those on the other side. ¡°This is Revenant, suspected enemy spec-op unit is headed your way! Move in on the city now while we back you up from the other side!¡±


    ¡°Are you insane?!¡± the voice quickly chided in response. ¡°No one mentioned their level of organization AND they¡¯re shooting to kill! We did NOT sign up for this bullshit!¡±


    ¡°Move your ass or lose your ass,¡± Revenant shot back, unmoved by the attitude or the gall of the insubordination. ¡°And Reaper is on his way. Who are we cleaning up? You decide.¡±


    .


    .


    <hr>


    (Some minutes prior)


    <hr>


    Sebastian¡¯s heart was beating so hard he could feel it in his throat. The sounds of crumbling concrete and cracking support beams finally ceased as the long seconds passed by, waiting for his Ap50 to stop sinking into the building. By that point, he had estimated falling three stories before his descent came to a rest. He only knew because of experience, having fallen through a roof once when he faced the A-7 months back trying to get a better shot on it, and the experience wasn¡¯t too far off from the parking garage that toppled on him the month prior. By this point in time, he was sick of crumbling concrete structures but was glad to still survive another episode.


    ¡°Shit, now what do we do?!¡± he heard Kerry over the radio, unable to hear any other shouting amongst the crashing noises earlier.


    ¡°Keep with the plan!¡± Sebastian shouted back over the channel, pulling his visor up after it failed to come back on.


    ¡°What about you?!¡± he heard Sam¡¯s voice this time.


    He continued unbuckling his helmet and started to pull off his harnesses. ¡°I will get out of here somehow! Squad B! Your turn!¡± he shouted back resolutely, realizing his suppressed fear wasn¡¯t about surviving the fall but about getting out alive.


    ¡°You heard him, boys!¡± he heard Andre shout as he reached under his seat, pulling out his survival sling pouch and PDW. He then proceeded to attempt to open the cockpit doors, relieved to find out there was not much in the way of fallen debris on top waiting to drop in and land on him. He quickly reached over to his earpiece to silence the audio-in function before extending the stock to his PDW, shouldering it as he slowly leaned forward to stand up, peering over the corners of his open cockpit, checking the area before grabbing and slinging his survival pouch, starting his quiet, careful descent to the floor below. Working his way past the loose chunks of concrete, holding onto solid alloy frame parts until his feet reached solid flooring, he remained fully focused on what his ears might be able to pick up. Nothing but echoes of the fire fight outside. He stepped gingerly over the loose debris until he could reach the first doorway he could get to, seeing it led to the main connecting hallway of that floor.


    Almost pitch black without proper lighting, he paused to ensure no one was approaching before grabbing his flashlight and bandage rolling to affix the flashlight to the foregrip of the PDW. Clicking the button a few times with his thumb while maintaining proper hold of the newly rigged foregrip, he was now feeling prepared to make his exit attempt. Weapon shouldered, taking in a deep but quiet breath, he clicked the light back on and made a slow, silent move for the stairwell, wherever it was. It would be a long, slow, dreadful tip-toe all the way there, feeling like he had been moving forever just to see he had only progressed past a few doors.


    ¡°Nanti, tunggulah orang lain!¡± he heard someone trying to fuss quietly from the floor below, causing his heart to once again start to race.


    [What language is that?! Is that Bengali? Locals?!]  he thought to himself, having long been frustrated at brought-in foreign manpower but thought what to do if it were another trap, inviting more fuel for the media. It was the first time he thought not to shoot to kill, but would it be the right decision was another mental snag he couldn¡¯t shake. [Shit, and they¡¯re getting closer!] His eyes raced back and forth between the end of the hallway and the open doorway just to his right as he hugged the wall. The others weren¡¯t moving. If he moved first, what would he be giving away?


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    [Ah damn it, I should¡¯ve muted the channel and left my in-ear translation running. That was likely something crucial I missed.]


    .


    .


    More than several minutes passed that he remained where he stood, hands quivering from nervousness, deathly afraid to make a sound. Even breathing at the hushed level that he had maintained thus far became more than a chore, struggling to maintain composure.


    PATA-TA-TA-TAH!


    He heard the popping of caseless, small caliber ammunition echoing from the stairwell, causing him to duck in reaction, still with feet motionless.


    [That was from the other side of the building!]


    He then heard someone shout something indistinguishable from the stairwell but with much less echo, revealing to him the shots fired were from quite the distance if not from the opposite side of the building at a lower level. This allowed him to straighten up and make his move forward carefully, masked by the remaining echoes masking the muffled tap each footstep.


    "Ketepi! Jangan kasi diorang lari!" the shouts came as the sound of dashing feet clapped in quickly fading intensity, clearing Sebastian a fortunate turn of events. He picked up the pace, flashlight up and aimed at the stairwell entrance.


    BDA-DA-DAHH!!!


    BDA-DA-DAHH!!!


    Rang out an unfamiliar pair of burst fire accompanied by what seemed to Sebastian a mechanical ¡°clang¡± of sorts. The echoes came at much more distant intervals than the gunshots earlier, indicating there was a gunfire occurring what might even be ground floor in one of the stairwells or hallways. [Shit, that might be a rescue party for me! Have to hurry up!] His mind raced as he entered the stairwell, holding his aim low as the path lit in front of him allowed him to maneuver his way down, being careful not to stomp or cause commotion.


    PATA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TAH!


    Continued the small arms bursts and subsequent ricochets off concrete, increasing in intensity. [That sound! That¡¯s our standard issued PDW fire! That¡¯s one of my people! Fuck!] he realized as reached the first exit, cutting off the flashlight, readying himself to peer around the corner out into the hallway. He took two breaths in a manner to count himself down to facing the open hallway, hitting ¡°three¡± as he swung around with flashlight on. Immediately he saw two figures with their backs turned to him, triggering his instincts to squeeze the trigger.


    <u>PATA-TA-TAH! PATA-TA-TAH! </u>


    He fired off two controlled bursts, deafened by the assault on his left exposed ear but keeping eyes down his sights. Keeping the light on, he watched one fall while the other spun around, putting a hand up in response to the light partially blinding him.


    That pause would prove to be lethal.


    <u>PATAH!</u>


    ¡­


    And the other fell with a thud.


    [Those were definitely not locals,] he thought as he realized after the fact that the uniforms weren¡¯t even proper BDU¡¯s or anything closely resembling official combat attire. He then raced down the hall to the other end where the assumed KIA¡¯s laid limp on the floor, this time no care for the sounds he made with his feet. Only after a quick check confirming the bodies remained motionless, he turned off the light and leaned up against the stairwell, listening for any further information he could receive on the situation.


    Footsteps.


    [Those are headed my way,] he thought as he squeezed the handle and foregrip subconsciously, heart still racing as furiously as it had been since the start of the ruckus.


    BDA-DAHH!!!


    The rifle echoes were now much closer, and this time he knew the mechanical sounds he heard was not only the sound of roller locks in action, but he also could now hear the sound of brass hitting the floor. [That must be the Deimar models like the ones we took from the Rocha¡¯s!]


    <u>BDA-DA-DA-DAHH!!!</u>


    More fire from the old-war style cased munitions rifle thundered from just around the other side of the stairwell wall from him, knocking him back over the body behind him. Avoiding a near trip and stumble, he quickly readjusted his footing and dashed for the entrance, knowing he would have to shoot first with his last opportunity knocking.


    <u>BDA-DAH!!!</u>


    This last thunderous bang was joined in with what had to be a girl¡¯s reactionary scream stemming from that last shot. He quickly turned the corner and around the left, right in the direction where he was sure he heard the shot come from, light on and a vest-over-T-shirt filled his brightly lit vision.


    *THWACK*


    Went the sound of his stock over the base of the man¡¯s head and neck as he took a tumble down the stairs, prompting him to continue down to keep his momentum up, reaching the turn-around as he too rotated and aimed over the rails to see-


    [-PURPLE AND WHITE UNIFORM!] his mind shot off as he rapidly recognized the uniform that he now had clear vision of. The same person aimed their light right back at him-


    <u>PATA-TA-TAH!!!</u>


    [Agh! Fuck!] Sebastian fell against the wall leading with his left shoulder, not even sure if he was hit, but the light was still pouring around him. ¡°It¡¯s me!! Stop!!¡± he shouted through the pain of the impact with solid concrete.


    ¡°Sebastian!¡± Sam wailed as she hurried up to him, overcome with too many different emotions assaulting her at once to realize she had missed him. ¡°Augh! I- Sebastian I- Shit!!¡± She was then grabbed by the shoulder and pulled back up the stairs and to the exit where he had just entered, pinning her against the wall. He then reached over to turn her flashlight off as he turned off his.


    Once again, nearly pitch-black darkness and the sounds of approaching footsteps in the distance down below.


    [She can¡¯t hear very well, either, I bet.]


    Sam couldn¡¯t stop her near hyperventilating breath rate, feeling like her heart was about to explode, joined by hot tears streaming down her face. She couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, breaking down as she slumped to the floor.


    He removed his ear piece and whispered ¡°shh¡± to her, placing both hands on her cheeks softly after letting his PDW fall to his side. ¡°Sam, you have to calm down, they are still out there. Can you do that for me?¡±


    She felt like she had something caught in her throat as all the nerves unwound in the most inconvenient of ways, only able to manage a trembling nod, forcefully holding her breath a bit to slow her panicking even for just a second. But just hearing him still calm in such a situation, and knowing he was alright and standing between her and whoever approached, had granted her just enough relief and energy to persist in controlling her breathing. She felt herself slide down the wall slowly, knees feeling as if they were about to give way. Clutching her PDW tightly, she let herself reach a balancing point with a squatted position as she continued focusing on-


    <u>PATAH! </u>


    Screamed Sebastian¡¯s PDW the moment a bright glow from his flashlight shot out from the stairwell.


    <u>PATA-TA-TAH! </u>


    Continued the weapon as it was joined by the sounds of bodies tumbling and sliding down the stairs.


    Sam tightly shut her eyes and reached for her ears once more, still unable to tell who was firing at who, too afraid to jump up and run to help him yet picturing him taking a bullet over her inability to do anything useful in situations like this. Why!? Why can¡¯t I move?! Damn it! Sebastian, please come back!


    Sebastian let out several long-winded breaths, no longer hearing the stomping of climbing footsteps, feeling that was the last of them. He left his light up and turned back to the top of the flight of stairs, knowing Sam was likely still on the other end waiting for him. He flicked the flash light on and off several times, hoping she would get the signal as he slowly trudged upward. After his third step, however, something caught his attention as he aimed his flashlight/foregrip down below him.


    [He¡¯s coming back¡­?]


    A leg was moving as if to curl up or roll over. He stepped aside as the man he struck earlier continued to slowly move while softly groaning in pain, keeping his barrel aimed just in case he had any funny business planned. Meanwhile, he noticed the man¡¯s rifle was nowhere near him, nothing in his hands or in reach.


    [But that was quite a fall after the hit. Maybe I can get something from him.] Wasting no time, he stepped over him once more, crouching down to roll him onto his back and shoved the PDW¡¯s flash hider firmly into his forehead so that the light would beam directly into his eyes. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The man coughed for a moment, holding both hands up, unable to keep his eyes open for more than a split second. ¡°Please, please stop. Stop, please,¡± he quietly pleaded through burdened English and labored breaths.


    He wouldn¡¯t have too much patience, however. ¡°Who are you!? No games!¡±


    ¡°I already am paid, please¡­ let me go home,¡± he begged in a manner Sebastian wasn¡¯t exactly anticipating. ¡°Don¡¯t let me die here, please¡­¡±


    Sebastian then reached down once more to grab his jacket with his open left hand, pushing him against the wall just inches away as he backed up, keeping the light over his face. ¡°Sit up! Now!¡± [Though maybe he can¡¯t¡­ what am I thinking? What am I doing?] he thought in sudden, inexplicable guilt. Perhaps it was seeing the blood that had ran down and across his face that brought it out of him, perhaps feeling as if he faced almost certain death and was just simply glad to be breathing. He then watched the man slowly ease himself up, wincing in pain every few seconds, keeping his hands against the floor. Eventually, his back rose up enough against the wall that he could sit up somewhat. ¡°Now, who are you? Last time I ask!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I am Aziz,¡± he finally answered, now with a hand over his face to shield away the light. ¡°Please, I already am paid. I need to just go home, please let me go home,¡± he continued to beg pitifully.


    [He keeps saying ¡°paid¡± over and over again.] ¡°Who!? Who paid you!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always, always Rex¡­¡± he said as he started another coughing fit. ¡°Rex says, we help kill you all, all Hexa¡­ no questions to ask, go straight to home.¡±


    ¡°Last question, and I promise to let you go.¡± [What am I saying?!] he thought in disbelief aimed at himself, not hearing Samantha slowly approaching the two from up and behind them, trying to get closer to hear what was going on. ¡°How did you get this job? Tell me why you are here and how you got here!¡±


    ¡°Everyone wants the big money,¡± he said through a melancholy chuckle, unsure if his deathly fate was already sealed, allowing his hand to fall to his side, eyes closed. ¡°We¡­ we all come through Nanning. Everybody comes through Nanning¡­ recruits¡­ everybody.¡±


    [The grenade round Sam picked up back home!] Sebastian thought in a flashback to the Asian symbols printed on the back of the round she brought back. [I have to research this¡­ Nanning place!] He pulled his barrel away from his face, looking to see the rifle he had dropped just near his feet, kicking it behind him. ¡°Sam!¡± he hollered as if he knew she was there the whole time. ¡°Come stand over him while I check him!¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡± she responded through a much calmer heart rate, slowly and carefully making her way down to him, pointing her barrel up at the man who still had his eyes closed. She then, too, noticed the pain he was in, figuring whatever exchange just happened might have been sincere. He¡¯s not even trying to make a move¡­


    Sebastian finished patting him down carefully from both sides, finding only a knife at his ankle as he put it in his pouch, turning behind him to pick up his rifle. ¡°Hold on, and stay right there-¡±


    ¡°-Wait!¡± she shouted, causing him to stop abruptly. ¡°I forgot to tell you!¡± Oh- the time! ¡°Shit!¡± she blurted out as she looked over to her watch. ¡°We have one minute! Norris is outside! She¡¯s helping seal off the landing site and we have to be out of here in less than a minute!¡±


    ¡°What?! You just now tell me this-¡±


    ¡°Now!¡± she pleaded as she motioned him to lead the way. ¡°He¡¯s too hurt to do anything!¡±


    He shook his head with a sigh as he started forward. [She¡¯s probably right-] ¡°Wait! Director Norris?!¡±


    ¡°Just go, damn it!¡± she shouted in an impatient manner, appealing to her plead to move on. ¡°And put your earpiece back in and turn it on so you don¡¯t miss anything else!¡±

 Situation Collapsing

    There is so much I wish I could explain to him right now, but who knows who might be waiting around any corner for us.


    Sam¡¯s head was still turning from the gunfight she was thrown into, leading up to her reunion with Sebastian after almost shooting him on accident. As she worked on keeping her footing well-lit during their cautious descent down the stairs, she was making sure to keep her free hand on his shoulder as he led the way. Their earpieces, back on with full volume, allowed critical information in from the battlefield just outside their walls.


    ¡°Someone get those tanks! Our carriers can¡¯t land with that threat up and running!¡± Danielle pleaded, shouting over the sounds of her rifle firing away.


    ¡°A-V¡¯s getting hit hard from the south! We are being flanked!¡± a voice joined in response.


    Kerry soon chimed in afterward. ¡°We got it! Andre, let¡¯s move! Grab me that A-V¡¯s launcher off the ground!¡±


    I think now might be a good time with the carrier about to reach boarding altitude. ¡°Sebastian,¡± she quietly called his attention. ¡°We really ought to tell them we got you secured and are headed outside,¡± she continued as she felt much less of a sense of danger than earlier. ¡°I don¡¯t think there are any left in here.¡±


    ¡°Hold up,¡± he said as they came to a stop at the last flight of stairs before reaching the first floor. ¡°You¡¯re right. I will check the exit; you make the call.¡±


    She reached over to her earpiece, clicking a button before speaking: ¡°Knight here, Navarre is with me and we are approaching the exit.¡±


    ¡°Thank God you guys made it!¡± Danielle was quick to rejoice. ¡°Now, get back to the Axiom before you miss the loading window! I already cleared that area surrounding you just now!¡±


    ¡°Roger. What¡¯s enemy status report?¡±


    ¡°Four tanks, multiple personnel carriers, two Kappa¡¯s in this quadrant, about to approach the incoming reinforcements to the south! Hurry while you¡¯ve got your chance!¡±


    That few left already!? Shit! she thought in bewilderment.


    ¡°Sam! We are clear, let¡¯s run!¡± Sebastian shouted as he came back from his errand, hand extended.


    ¡°The Axiom is this way, though!¡± she shouted back at him with her head-tilt signaling to her right, pulling him that direction and taking the lead. ¡°You will have to ride with me this time!¡± she continued with a hint of a joking reference back to their first meeting in Bogota.


    A worried frown grew across his brow, unaccepting of the suggestion. ¡°But the new cockpits are so little space! I don¡¯t think we both can fit!¡± The light at the end of the tunnel had grown now to the point they were holding their hands over their brows, squinting as their eyes adjusted. ¡°You didn¡¯t bring backup to watch the area?!¡± he said as he noticed the Axiom stood alone and out in the open, surrounded by smoldering debris and disintegrated asphalt and concrete.


    Sam was double the shock, mouth agape. It¡¯s a wonder it¡¯s still there! ¡°But I did! Where¡­¡± Her gaze landed upon one of the flaming wrecks not far from them. From one of the pieces of armor hanging out of the side of the pile they could make out the Infinity logo. Before she could deduce what had gone awry, their feet could feel a sense of vibrations that could only match very heavy machinery, or-


    ¡°Tanks!¡± Sebastian blurted out in response to the increasing sensations. ¡°We-¡±


    ¡°No, stay in here! Let me clear the area first! I have enough shots left!¡± she commanded with a hand up, running towards the Axiom. Folding the PDW stock away and allowing it to drop to her side, she hastily climbed up the ladder and situated herself inside the cockpit as quickly as she could.


    Everything under the seat. Helmet, helmet on, doors, closing. ¡°Axiom back online!¡± she spoke into her headset as the doors locked shut, not noticing Sebastian had already run back under the cover of the entrance with the strongest look of disapproval, yet with no other choice. From the corner of her view, she saw a friendly rapidly approaching from behind. Looking up, she saw it was an Ap-50 with special aerial flight attachments as it zoomed by, curling off to the east, revealing the approaching carriers, massive and imposing as they filled up the sky just behind and above her.


    That must be where Director Norris came from. Now, where are these tanks?!


    A sudden pair of thunderous booms pounded the air as sonic shockwaves ripped by, almost knocking Sebastian to the ground. [Those blasts came from nearby! The other side of the building!] ¡°SAM!¡± he roared over the channel from his earpiece.


    A pair of subsequent explosions screeched and echoed throughout the area, sounding like tons upon tons of lightweight alloy had just been shredded through. The carriers! She thought in panic, feeling her heart drop to her stomach. Looking back up again, she saw one of the carriers had been caught by the shelling, structure quickly failing as it began to collapse and fall to the ground.


    ¡°Shit! Carrier down! Hurry up and get those tanks, damn it! Who let them through!?¡± Sam heard Danielle screaming over the channel in frustration.


    ¡°Overrun by enemy reinforcements from the south!¡± another yelled out, voice input clouded by the sound of gunfire and explosions.


    ¡°Cloak on the move! I repeat! Cloak active and in our vicinity! We-¡± cried out another before being quickly and suddenly silenced.


    It was as if Danielle had been eager and waiting for it to show back up, quickly changing her tone the instant she got confirmation of its general whereabouts at the expense of one of her men. ¡°I got the location! I¡¯m on it- someone get those tanks already!¡±


    Sam was already on the move, focusing on the source of the blasts that came from the opposite side of the building, figuring the fastest way would be to drop in. No time to worry about potential rifle fire! Stepping on the booster pedals, she rocketed straight up and quickly guided herself over the apartment building and over where Sebastian¡¯s Ap-50 had fallen through the roof earlier, now getting clear sight of the two tanks in the opposite courtyard, perfectly shielded by other buildings. That¡¯s why. Lowering her launcher, she took aim during her descent, slicing one anti-tank round through the nearest target. Shield up in front as she landed, she felt the deafening bang of the other tank¡¯s ammunition charge detonated.


    ¡°Carrier three down!¡± one of the operators from the last remaining carrier cried out. ¡°Pulling out! Situation compromised!¡±


    ¡°Negative, Carrier two! Hold pattern! Remaining group, go-go-go!¡± she heard Kerry ordering towards someone to hurry and make their approach. ¡°Get on board while you can, dammit!¡±


    Sam could now feel the barrage of tremors along with the clanging and crashing of the impacts coming from the remains of Carrier¡¯s One and Three. She quickly back pedaled, spacing herself a bit before sinking the next round into the remaining tank, taking pause to shield herself from the shrapnel from the ensuing explosion. ¡°Tanks eliminated! Boarding approach clear!¡± Moments after, as she watched a small, scattered cluster of five to six Av-25¡¯s headed for the opening boarding gates.


    It then dawned on her once more. The Cloak, or Cloaks, were out there. According to her map, looking down with a cold sweat kicking in, it was only herself along with Danielle, Kerry, and Andre remaining. With no carrier left to get them out, it was a sudden death situation where eliminating all enemy craft was the only option left. Unknown amounts of Kappa¡¯s and Cloaks made the odds seem impossible by this point, especially knowing how they were fully stranded for the meantime.


    .


    .


    Requiem took a slow approaching walk towards one of the tighter corridors between large buildings, already aware of Danielle¡¯s approach towards his general area but unaware of the pilot inside.


    No clue where that son of a bitch came from, but whoever he is he¡¯s pretty damn quick and clean with his work for a solo flyer. Might need to be careful with this one.


    He also noted Kerry and Andre¡¯s location, seeing they had landed and looked to regroup. With his active cloaking on and no excess heat traces to think of, he quickly began to calculate his masked approach, knowing he had one good shot to hit it cleanly, leaving no chance for her to land her own shot. ¡°Hey, Rev¡¯, whenever you do get here, looks like the two A-P¡¯s I am tagging for you are your best bet. That heavy Axiom is moving solo for now. Leave it for me to pick off after I finish off this unknown A-P flying around like the irritating gnat it is.¡±


    ¡°Passing through the gate as we speak! Getting there with enough boost saved up for a couple quick kills,¡± Revenant responded, allowing Requiem the reprieve needed in knowing he would be able to fully concentrate on the target ahead.


    Shield up and still under active cloaking, he took a careful but nimble pace up that narrow street, daring his opponent to take any first move if there was to be one. A smirk grew across his face as he watched it slow itself down, hovering over and past his location as if he succeeded in keeping himself completely hidden. He eased his controls in a manner that softly rotated his LTAC back towards the opposite direction, keeping his shield up in front best he could. Easy now. Come on, bitch. Drop down and start looking for me. He continued a graceful rolling approach, taking care to dodge potholes below him as he kept himself positioned just behind the Ap50. He had been matching speed, waiting for the right opportunity to jump up and strike, hands at the ready as he gripped the controls. It stopped! he thought, catching his enemy come to a steady hover. It then began to slowly climb in altitude, wiping the smirk off his face and twisting it into curled lips showing disappointment. Is this guy really about to run or-


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    The aerial flight extensions were suddenly jettisoned from the main frame connections in all directions, putting the Ap50 in a shockingly abrupt free fall as it took a quick tumble head first.


    From inside Danielle¡¯s visor display view, her targeting reticle had been placed firmly over a whipped-up dust cloud emerging from what had to be the Cloak¡¯s knee-jerk reaction she brought about with her little stunt. Ripping off a magazine-emptying barrage from her standard issue rifle, she held the trigger down and fought direction-disrupting turbulence to keep her manual aim steady.


    Fuck! Requiem panicked, doing the only thing he could think at that fight-or-flight moment, tossing his shield up and backing up as fast as he could, using his boosters to throw himself safely out of the path of the titanium shower that sent concrete, gravel, and dirt hellishly streaming up all around him. The sounds and vibrations from the rounds that pelted his shield were quickly joined by shredding armor alloy. Camera feeds flickered, blurred, and flashed full-screen static intermittently as he continued his retreat. ¡°Whoever this bastard is got my main camera! Targeting is fucked- left arm hydraulics about to go out! Reaper, Revenant! Full-¡±


    ¡°-Get out of there, Req¡¯! While it hunts, let me ambush it!¡± Revenant responded over their channel before being cut off soon after.


    ¡°Negative!¡± Isaiah¡¯s voice shouted over the two in a hint of what seemed to be rare exasperation. ¡°You are engaged with Danielle Norris- we had it the wrong way around! Turns out I am facing someone on a different level here! Take out the targets you can and get out!¡±


    Danielle¡¯s alarms screamed in her ears as she cut within a few seconds from impact with the ground below. She quickly let off the trigger and jerked the controls back, sending her LTAC into a flip in a cat-like motion, desperately trying to land on its feet. The G¡¯s pulled in the feat were the least of her worries; it was the timing of her thruster release. Shit! She thought as she winced, knowing she went for broke and now the cost was to be paid. The boosters fired off but far too late, only slightly slowing the ramming of her leg units feet-first into the ground below.


    That heavy impact mixed with the crunching of metal support frames and snapping shock absorbers echoed throughout the alleys and had Requiem thinking for a moment the landing might have been deadly, if not crippling. He slowed his retreat to a halt, waiting for his camera to give him even the slightest window of view on the spectacle ahead. Come on¡­ no way you survived that stunt. He then heard a warning signal indicate his left arm had lost full control as it fell limp, dropping the shield he carried. Ugh, fuck it. I need to get out of here while I can.


    Danielle coughed painfully, grabbing her side as she flipped up her visor and unbuckled her helmet. After throwing it off, she reached for the door release, feeling the sharp twinge from her side prompting her to calculate the extent of her injury during the wait. The doors finished opening as she wincingly slung her pouch and PDW and crawled out, slowly easing herself down the ladder while the dust cover provided temporary cover. That¡¯s a broken rib or three. She then hobbled down the alley behind her and then ducked into the nearest open doorway she found, finding a quiet, safe corner to let herself sit and regather. As she tried to take her slung equipment off, she felt her left arm fail to outstretch fully, sending a sharp pain back up through her shoulder. Broken arm, too, I guess. Shit. Retiring from the attempt for the moment, she then elected to radio in the rest of her crew, knowing they were now fully stranded with active Cloaks in unknown numbers and locations.


    ¡°Crew, give me updates,¡± she spoke in a subdued voice, fighting off her aches.


    Kerry quickly responded: ¡°We just regrouped and finished off most of the Kappa¡¯s that moved in from the south. What¡¯s the status of the Cloak before we move?¡±


    Here comes the hard part. ¡°It ran off. I think I hit it pretty good, but I am down and out, and am blocking out my location on tracker.¡±


    ¡°But¡­!? We can come get you while we are in the clear!¡± Kerry reacted that next instant.


    ¡°No!¡± she shouted in a hushed manner, ¡°You have to get out of here while you can! There are still one or more Cloaks running around, so evacuate now- That¡¯s an order!¡± She then closed the channel with a press of a button on her earpiece. Failure to protect them was the biggest loss for her as she kept her hand off of her watch; her selfish side wanted to turn it back on and be walked out of this town she had grown to despise, yet felt she¡¯d rather make it her own personal grave than a family grave. Her finger ran over to the other button on her earpiece, speaking into it with a more solemn tone. ¡°Sly, you still alive?¡±


    ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re still alive, too,¡± he quickly replied through his exhausted nerves. ¡°Hey,¡± he added with some solemnity, ¡°tell the Knights back home I¡¯m sorry for me, will ya?¡±


    ¡°Sly, what are you talking about-¡±


    ¡°-You know, back in the day, I always had a crush on you,¡± she heard him interrupt with more evident regret and despair, feeling those words land an unexpected sting, reaching deep into her heart.


    Of all times, now you say something like this to me¡­


    ¡°I got the lead Cloak as far from the Tejgaon walls as I could and out into post-demolition land. You know how cornered animals are.¡± His voice quickly changed to an almost enthusiastic tone. ¡°Sorry, Rook, gotta go. Get yourself and your kids home for me, you hear?¡±


    She then heard the channel close with a soft beep, and she soon started to feel the hot tears that had been welling up around her heavy eyes. What the hell have I done? I¡¯ve dragged everyone down with me, even him. The area around her remained deathly silent, not even the rumble of moving LTAC feet could be felt or heard, only the sounds of her silent weeping. As she let herself sink lower against the cold concrete wall closer to the ground, she reached over to her watch, clicking up and scrolling over to a screen showing Gabriel¡¯s vitals.


    .


    Down about five blocks away from Danielle¡¯s wreckage, the two remaining Ap50¡¯s and the Axiom stood shoulder to shoulder, looking all directions from the open intersection where they stood, almost as if on standby, awaiting further orders.


    Kerry fought off the desire to shout angrily after hearing their Director giving up on them, instead choosing to hurriedly think up some way to work things out before highly possible enemy reinforcements arrive. ¡°Y¡¯all, look, I got logged coordinates on her last location before her A-P went silent. What say we move there anyway?¡±


    ¡°No way in hell we leave without her,¡± Andre agreed wholeheartedly as he checked his systems monitors.


    ¡°You two do that, I have to go get Sebastian,¡± Sam added as she turned the other way. ¡°I will double back, so set us up a rally point and wait for us there.¡±


    ¡°Got it, let¡¯s do this,¡± Kerry said with added confidence, pointing herself to Danielle¡¯s last known whereabouts.


    ¡°Sebastian, status?¡± Sam asked as she rocketed down the street headed back for the apartment complex she left earlier.


    ¡°At the north side hall. Waiting for pickup there,¡± she heard him answer quietly, still trying to stay hidden. ¡°Make room for me, OK?¡±


    Great, she thought with an ironic laugh, knowing how much more cramped her cockpit area was compared to his old Gamma frame. Maybe I will have to let him pilot to get this to work out. To think that almost became a distant memory already¡­


    .


    .


    Isaiah¡¯s LTAC was now without the usually present protection of alleys and buildings with its back facing an unending field of hollow foundation blocks and scattered piles of brick and concrete rubble. Once stood a large neighborhood at this edge of the city, never rebuilt after once being scheduled for reconstruction. The only thing left protecting him was his cloaking technology and a shield underneath it at his left, but it was with the swirling dust around him that had him at peak uneasiness.


    This was what they were aiming for the entire time. They never once used tracking, which means they not only have incredible manual aim, they are completely accustomed to tracking with their eyes alone.


    His mind raced to come up with the best mode for attack as he knew he no longer had any advantage as things were. Holding still for now was all he could think to do before stirring up more dust, watching the Ap50 land as it shed its extra weight, removing the extended flight drives. It used its bought time to then finish reloading the next magazine into its rifle.


    The only pilots I ever knew to focus THAT much energy on manual eye tracking were those in my father¡¯s group. Norris is over in Tejgaon, and there is no way either of the Raven¡¯s would be up to this. That leaves Gabriel Silva, the best tactician my father ever hired on and trained his pilot skills to match his unmatched analytical abilities. This game is soon to be over for me if I don¡¯t take him head on as he¡¯d least expect. With that last thought, he dropped his cloaking and detached the covering, allowing the wind to carry it away, revealing the Samael¡¯s green and brown camouflage pattern and angular armor¡¯s design cues. He then brought up and fully extended his plasma-arc sword and took on a melee-ready stance, shield out in front.


    This guy¡­ got to be fucking kidding me. Gabriel suddenly feeling a cold sensation run up his back. That IS Knight¡¯s boy, looking just like his father. His approach came to a halt, shouldering his reloaded rifle, now feeling a sense of nervousness he hadn¡¯t felt in over a decade since the last war. And even though the Samael stood in plain sight, he kept his aiming assistance off.


    Isaiah had long been uneasy with the whole situation, but with himself fully exposed, he felt an odd sense of confidence return through the tension. That explains why they knew what to aim for in facing us. I now believe it¡¯s in the realm of possibility someone sent him out for me personally. This will NOT end well.


    Gabriel saw absolutely no movement from the Samael, and the daylight-piercing glow from the ignited blade occupied more than half his attention as he too had his mind racing. His right thumb used for guiding the aiming hat switch gently drifted the reticle to the left foot of the shield-bearing side of the LTAC. But in that same moment he sensed his movement was read as his enemy lunged at him, feet quickly disappearing off the ground and out of sight behind the massive shield. ¡°Fine, then, bring it!¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sam parked the Axiom right where she left it the last time she had to exit the safety of her cockpit, finding everything in the same order it was when she left. As she monitored the area for heartbeats, she noted one in addition to Sebastian¡¯s that had just distanced itself to the next over building across from them. ¡°Hey, who¡¯s the bogey on the run? Another local?¡± she asked as she turned to face towards it.


    ¡°Let him go. He surrendered earlier, remember?¡± he calmly replied as he began to emerge from the dark hallway exit and into open daylight for the first time since yesterday.


    ¡°If you say so,¡± she replied, following it with a heavy sigh of exhaustion. She then unharnessed herself as the two cockpit doors unfolded along with the ladder extension dropping toward the ground. ¡°Problem is,¡± she said as she started reaching for her helmet strap release-


    ¡°-Sam!¡±


    Her hands instinctively darted back to their positions on the control grips. ¡°What!?¡±


    He had halted his jog for the Axiom, stopping dead in his tracks as he spotted a cloud of dust kicked up down the street. A black cloaked LTAC had just turned the corner and made a bee-line for their position. ¡°Behind you! Cloak!!¡± he roared as he felt his face run cold and heart skip a beat, dashing back for the hallway once more. ¡°Run! Run now, damn it!¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t get the doors to close back up any faster than she could get the harnesses back on, trembling hands fumbling the buckles with the loss of dexterity through the panic.


    ¡°I can see it headed right for you! Hurry!¡±

 Situation Collapsing, Part 2

    SHIT!


    The Axiom had just barely turned itself around with its shield up, and even though she saw absolutely nothing barreling down on her, it was as if she could feel what it was Sebastian could sense as he watched the Cloak roar in uncontested.


    Sebastian flinched, covering his face with his arm as the deafening clash of metal on metal rang throughout the area, sending echoes out as far as Kerry and Andre¡¯s location, drawing even their attention momentarily. He then watched as the much heavier Axiom stumbled backwards, nearly falling over on its back as the Cloak was sent backwards momentarily. ¡°Sam, it¡¯s pulling its sword back! Jump!¡± he coached wildly from his viewpoint, though still trying to remain hidden from sight.


    Sam paid no heed to the painful physical jarring that reverberated throughout her entire skeletal frame, realizing the preciousness of his voice and commands and how much she felt a sudden surge of mental steadiness as a result. She pulled both control sticks all the way back with all her might, fighting against the simulated resistance feedback mechanisms that tried to tell her the move would be physically impossible. Move, damn it! She gave it one last pull with her whole frame, finally feeling the Axiom lunge its weight forward, taking the cue to step on both pedals, sending her int a controlled, stable path upward.


    Sebastian then watched as the Cloak took its own lunge forward just where the Axiom left the ground, narrowly missing its initial thrust of its ignited plasma-arc sword. ¡°He¡¯s under you now!¡± he continued in suppressed shouting from the sidelines, unaware of how much he was jumping with each command he input. [Shit!] he shouted as he hid for cover as the next swing missed, sword falling just five meters away. Popping his head back out, he saw Sam instinctively backing up, holding her thrusters level. [I¡¯ve got to land her in the right spot! Think, think!] he fussed to himself under his breath through clenched teeth.


    Requiem by now wasn''t surprised by the feats the Axiom pulled off, rather he was confused by the misinformation he felt he was given. "Guys, I think there is a third pro here. Not sure who kept intel up to date but there is no way in hell little miss Knight is dodging me like she can see me." And as he fought to keep pace through intermittent, disruptive flashes of camera display static, he thought to himself: "The patchwork auto-repair mechanisms may not hold out long. I have GOT to at least take down this one special ops model before I make my exit!"


    Sebastian watched as the Cloak¡¯s sword quickly deactivated and it retreated on its rollers, backing up the direction from which it came. [Ah, he¡¯s avoiding IR tracking. Sam definitely needs me!] He thought to himself as he carefully rounded the corner of the building¡¯s entrance hallway, spotting the Cloak taking a turn onto a different street at the intersection, hiding himself from view behind the larger of the surrounding buildings. ¡°Sam! Go ahead and land! Recharge your boosters!¡± he barked as he took off running across the plaza, hopping over and around potholes, small craters, and scattered hunks of metal debris.


    ¡°Where are you going?!¡± Sam shouted back as she landed, watching Sebastian quickly dip into one of the abandoned buildings across the plaza.


    ¡°Getting a good view for you! Don¡¯t move!¡± he fussed back as he panted. Using his hands to stop his motion as he came in contact with the first wall inside, he quickly turned and crouched and began intently listening for any sounds of movement from anything heavy enough to send vibrations his way. A few seconds passed before he could sense something coming in from the window to his right. Wasting no time, he darted for the window and sure enough spotted the Cloak creeping from around the other side of the block, shield up and pulling its unignited sword back. He then looked to examine the three-story building behind it. ¡°Shoot the ground in front of the pink building to your left- the left behind you!¡±


    Sam whipped the Axiom around, desperately searching for the mystery pink building. Pink!? Her mind continued to race. Pink where- WHAT? This one?! That¡¯s not pink! She switched off aim tracking and placed a manually fired round in the street adjacent to the building she had perceived as lavender. The anti-tank round bounced off of the asphalt with a gravel-scattering impact before bouncing off the hidden shield of the cloak, exploding just meters away in mid-air. The shockwave didn¡¯t do much to hurt the LTAC just beneath, but it was enough to disrupt the metamaterial covering, allowing her to see a pixelated ¡°flash¡± of it before it reverted back to its hidden state.


    ¡°Knight! Listen!¡± she heard Danielle shout out over the radio, no longer able to restrain herself from what she feared would be an ill-timed distraction. ¡°You have to aim for the swirls of dust movement on manual aim! Shoot where you look or you don¡¯t stand a chance!¡±


    Sam had to delay her response as she found herself already in a full retreat, unsettled by how shockingly close the Cloak came to making another approach on her. ¡°I can try, but¡­¡± Lady! Do you realize how hard that is to do in this windy-dusty of a town!?


    Sebastian then jumped back in on the channel: ¡°It went to the other side of the block! Sam, hold on right there again!¡±


    ¡°Which way?¡± she asked as she grinded to a halt. ¡°Tell me which buildings again!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t yet, hold on!¡± he said as he raced across the street and back to the same apartment building as earlier. ¡°Let me get a look from the¡­¡± He was interrupted halfway as he heard the rushing of hot air through from the opposite side of the hallway. ¡°Sam! Above you!¡± He then turned to head back to the plaza but was too exhausted to make a sprint for it. Before he made it to the end he saw the green glow of an ignited plasma-arc sword smashed into the gravel and asphalt in the middle of the plaza, having narrowly missed Sam by the miraculous fortune of her timing.


    She had involuntarily pulled back on her controls, backward boosting just out of the sword¡¯s path, now able to get a good look at his location. In a mix of panic and fury, she swung her launcher back around to fire in its vicinity, but the time it took was a half second too long. The Cloak¡¯s sword was slung forward and off from the ground as it jetted forward, landing it directly into her shield, digging halfway through before it became lodged in.


    Shit! ¡­ Come on come on! Get off me! Sam couldn¡¯t see much behind her shield other than the hot, partially molten alloy surrounding the green arc that was quickly removed with a shove of her left arm. She then caught glimpse of the green arc and the arm holding the blade swinging back as it got ready for another attack.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "That was my last boost! My reserve line is fried!" Requiem thought to himself as he resorted to an approach by his LTAC¡¯s own legs this time. He brought his sword down toward the upward lifting launcher that the Axiom was too slow to bring around one-handed. He felt the impact of the sword once more digging into the ground, but this time amongst a sea of sparks and flung bits of molten armor alloy.


    ¡°SAM!! NO!! GET OUT OF THERE!!¡± screamed Sebastian in fright, witnessing the whole spectacle.


    Sam watched her right arm and launcher fall to the ground with a sickening thud, feeling herself go instantly pale. At that instant, unaware of the sword being picked back up and swung right towards the core of her LTAC, her pinky fingers latched down on the two auxillary switches that were on her controls, unused this whole time. That input combined with her reflexive, instinctive pull back on the controls allowed the sticks to lock back into a different position on the control arm consoles as a loud, rapid series of intense, high-pitched bangs rang out. At every corner of the Axiom¡¯s frames were force-ejected armor panels designed to break away on-demand, instantly lowering the total mass by more than 33%, allowing its backward jump to occur much more quickly.


    "What?!" Requiem reacted in frustration as his swing carried through nothing but air and loose armor pieces mid-fall. Wasting no time or opportunity, he continued dashing forward for the next swing. His frame was still faster than hers, even with her having that unexpected jump on him. But then he saw the shield she held was now falling to the wayside, left hand free, reaching for her left hip, and it only meant one thing to him. "Damn it!"


    Her left arm control and input motions were awkward but fast enough, pulling her NGF-Hybrid round-equipped SMG around that had been stored under one of the detached armor panels.


    <u>PTATATATATATATAH!!!</u>


    Shrieked the sounds of the high rate-of-fire submachine gun, completing its firing arc from left to right in a wide, single sweeping motion.


    ¡°Rngh!¡± Requiem grunted loudly and painfully as he felt a screamingly hot sensation in his side as two small windows were punched out of his cockpit area amidst sounding alarms. Something in the midst of that one single second of chaos had thrown his aim off just enough to only graze the lower torso of the Axiom just below the cockpit, slicing and disconnecting several joints and hydraulic cables. He then used that last swinging momentum to make a full retreat while his cover still functioned somewhat.


    Sam felt the Axiom stumble and fall as it collapsed under its unsupportable weight, letting out several screams of her own each time a corner of her frame hit the pavement below. After a series of violent thuds, the Axiom came to a rest on its side, rolling over on its side until the cockpit module¡¯s front corners stopped it from rolling further. Her breathing was now so heavy and rapid it was making her nauseous, rendered completely unable to assess the situation.


    [Damn it! That was too close!] Sebastian ran out to her as soon as he could, watching the Cloak not only backing up but turned as if to remove himself from the battlefield. He ran around to the cockpit door area, finding there was enough room for it to open as he banged on it with both his hands furiously. ¡°Sam! Get out, hurry! He might come back again!¡±


    The first panel opened, seeing that the bottom was malfunctioning as her hands reached out in appeal for help. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ get o¡­ help!! H¡­Hurry!!¡±


    He used the back of his shoulder to push the upper door open further, watching Sam¡¯s head as he removed her carefully, ensuring she wouldn¡¯t get hung up on anything so much to the point he didn¡¯t pay enough attention to his own balance. With her free from the cockpit, the two tumbled to the ground, rolling to a similar stop. ¡°We got to keep moving!¡± he spoke through his clenched teeth, struggling to pull her back up to get them headed back for the hallway, noticing she was having trouble keeping balance. ¡°Come on, get up! Stay with me!¡±


    After coming to just enough that she could sense his urgency, she now was able to find the strength to restabilize herself, pulling her own weight on her own now as they continued making their dash for the apartment entrance hallway. Once under the comfort and safety of the darkness the stairwell offered them, she grabbed him in a full embrace, finding herself once more crying uncontrollably.


    Sebastian could only stop, realizing it was her trauma and not his, returning the embrace and letting out a sigh of relief. He began to pat her on the back as if to tell her everything would be alright, feeling her only squeeze his back even more firmly as her sobs deepened.


    ¡°Sebastian! Sam¡¯s radio is out! What¡¯s going on over there?!¡± cried Andre¡¯s voice from the earpiece Sebastian had dropped out in the plaza during his sprint from earlier.


    .


    .


    Requiem had distanced himself a fair distance from that plaza, slowing his retreat to a walk as he found an abandoned garage building large enough to fit into, grunting intermittently all the while in extreme pain. He parked his LTAC under the cover of the building and quickly opened the door, taking off his helmet as he winced. The ladder extended as he made his way down and out through the smoke and thick smell of burning electronics, but at a crawling pace. Finally reaching the ground, he grabbed his left abdomen, feeling a large, gaping entry wound surrounded by blood-soaked uniform material. He limped to the wall nearest to him, slouching to the ground as he stretched out his legs, letting out a long, painful sigh. As his breaths became more labored, he continued applying pressure to his wound, pausing moments later to take in a proper breath as if to speak. ¡°Rev¡¯, I need a pick up. I¡¯m down and out¡­ coordinates on radio. Come¡­ come get me, man.¡±


    ¡°Req¡¯!¡± he heard him shout back, distraught by the unexpected cry for help. ¡°I¡¯m on my way! Just tore apart a pair of abandoned A-P¡¯s a second ago, was attempting to track the pilots but never mind that- forget them! You just hold on, alright?!¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­ that¡¯s¡­ what I¡­. plan on doing,¡± he spoke through the ever-increasing numbness that took over what had been almost too painful to bear, still pressing on a wound that he didn¡¯t realize had an equally large exit wound leading out his backside. His lips began to grow cold, focus began to fade, back and buttocks now soaked in blood.


    .


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam and Sebastian remained in the stairwell, both still seated on the floor, laying their backs against the wall. The two shared the only water bottle they had as Sam¡¯s survival pouch had been left behind in the Axiom. Seeing earlier that it had been in a slow burn from one of the ruptured fuel cell management systems breaking down and igniting, she knew she was not only out one additional bag of survival supplies but was also once more without a communication device. But that was the least of her concerns. Her head remained propped on Sebastian¡¯s shoulder; weary, battle-fatigued eyes closed.


    Sebastian remained calm as he had been earlier, glad the two had the luxury of sitting there to collect themselves enough to start calculating their escape as he thought: [I hate to bother her with all this¡­ she was the one after all to tag that Cloak. Although I wish it would have been me out there instead. I would¡¯ve finished that bastard off for good. I wonder when we will meet again to finish settling that score...] He then remembered he didn¡¯t have his radio earpiece on him anymore, reaching to press a button that led to him simply mashing a finger into his open earlobe. [Shit¡­] ¡°Ahn, Sam, I need to go find my earpiece. We can¡¯t do anything without a radio, and we have no idea where we are or where to go.¡±


    She gently lifted her head up from his shoulder, nodding at the notion. ¡°I will be right here. I think the coast is clear- it¡¯s been so quiet.¡± She watched him slowly make his way up and out towards the exit, looking like soreness was already kicking in. She knew she wouldn¡¯t even be able to stand up given how stiff she felt just sitting there, content to remain in place in thought. I can¡¯t even believe I got out of that mix up in one piece. I never hoped to be the one to face the Cloak. I hope Sebastian isn¡¯t too mad at me for blowing the opportunity I had¡­-


    -A sudden explosion in the distance rattled her once more, although this one felt much farther away and without the head-pounding echoes that she had almost grown accustomed to that morning. Still, something had a shiver run down her spine and her heart and stomach tense up. Kerry and Andre¡­ and Director Norris¡­ She now had the energy enough to stand up and make her way towards Sebastian who was now jogging back with his earpiece in place. She waited for him to get closer so she wouldn¡¯t have to raise her voice and incidentally attract unwanted attention. ¡°Hey, what happened just now?!¡±

 Situation Collapsing, Part 3

    <hr>


    (Moments Earlier)


    <hr>


    Marian was huddled on the sofa as she frequently found herself doing while unable to leave her hotel, mobile on the coffee table facing up, holographic display up. The man visual she kept on stream showed a map on one half and Isaiah¡¯s movement analytics and vitals. Why is he still staying so far from the Tejgaon walls? Who has him that locked up like that? Her mind was over-wound and unnerved, racing to come up with a reason or explanation to why it was taking him so long to run his sweep-and-return mission he promised would lead to minimal casualties and minimal dispatch time. Damn it, Isaiah! Turn your radio back on! Give me SOMETHING!


    A bleep on the map then caught her attention towards the airfield-side of Tejgaon, looking over to see it was Requiem¡¯s Samael frame on alert.


    ¡°Warning: Cockpit-Area Safety Breach, Level 5¡± read the flashing yellow box next to his name and locator as it slowly moved away from the site of apparent action. She squeezed the pillow she had between her folded arms, fighting the urge to demand someone off the operation. Something¡¯s going far too wrong! I¡¯ve never heard anyone ever able to even land a-


    ¡°-Rev¡¯, I need a pick up,¡± came Requiem and Revenant¡¯s exchange over the radio. ¡°I¡¯m down and out¡­ coordinates on radio. Come¡­ come get me, man.¡±


    ¡°Req¡¯! I¡¯m on my way! Just tore apart a pair of abandoned A-P¡¯s a second ago, was attempting to track the pilots but never mind that- forget them! You just hold on, alright?!¡±


    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­ that¡¯s¡­ what I¡­. plan on doing,¡±


    Her heart had frozen up during the exchange, already fully determining exactly what had happened and what the warning status entailed. She no longer felt capable of waiting for anyone else to get hurt, reaching over to her watch and swiping over to Rex¡¯s contact. As she waited for him to pick up the emergency line, she saw from the map Requiem¡¯s vitals rapidly growing unstable. Her teeth and her balled up fists clenched as she waited. Pick up the bloody line you son of a bitch!


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Danielle remained in her dark corner just out of sight from the outside of the building where she hid, hunched over, unable to take eyes off of her watch, either. Her nerves had her trembling, watching Gabriel¡¯s vitals show his heartrate had stayed too high for too long. Why aren¡¯t you leaving!? You¡¯ve stalled them enough! She then felt another flash of guilt rushing back, thinking of the radio silence that dominated the past minutes in isolation. Where were the others? She hadn¡¯t heard back from Sam since their last exchange. Why did Kerry and Andre¡¯s radio go silent? It was all becoming too much as her breathing went from heavy to choked, mixed with the fear of dying where she sat. She knew there was a high chance reinforcements or cleanup squads would be on their way soon enough with no word from HQ as to whether a second rescue attempt would be made.


    Footsteps running, pounding asphalt, hurried dashes across crumbled streets woke her situational awareness once more as her breathing was forcefully paused. There were two sets of feet approaching. One set was much lighter than the other. There was no audible jangling or rustling of worn equipment, nor was there any audible trace of vehicular movement. That¡¯s them! In that instant, half of the weight that dragged her soul downward lifted as she stood up and turned the corner.


    Kerry flew into her in an embrace, warmly but painfully knocking the wind out of her as the two were back in the dark shadows of the building¡¯s interior. ¡°Don¡¯t do that to us!¡± she groaned through a hushed yet strongly upset voice, mixed with the efforts to catch her breath. She then caught the notion that she was hurt, quickly changing expression as she backed off. ¡°Sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to- how bad is it?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Danielle waved off the sympathy as she put a hand up, glad just to keep some space as things were. ¡°Wait- why are¡­¡± She started in disappointment, shaking some sense gently into Kerry with concerned eyes. ¡°Why are you here without you¡¯re A-P¡¯s?!¡±


    ¡°We had to outrun the Cloak, ditch, and run¡­ ¡®s all we could do,¡± Andre said with a long face as he joined the two with much less enthusiasm, hands at his hips in similar exhaustion. ¡°Was a damn good thing we kept these coordinates from earlier or we¡¯d be in the same boat as you, holed up waiting to die.¡±


    Kerry backed off, giving Danielle space as she straightened herself to continue: ¡°We¡­ we got out somehow like the dude just up and turned the other way. I don¡¯t know what happened, or if it had anything to do with Sam and Sebastian.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t answering anything,¡± Andre added with a shake of his head. ¡°I just tried a little while ago, no good.¡±


    The three were then startled by a distant thud, nowhere near enough of an echo to suggest the explosion happened within the walls of Tejgaon.


    ¡°No!¡± Danielle blurted out as she frantically pulled her left wrist to view, looking to see what she wished she hadn¡¯t. ¡°Sly!¡± she cried out as she fell to her knees. His status had instantly gone from its previous state to ¡°terminated¡±.


    Sly¡­? Kerry thought of the name as she knelt down to console Danielle, racing to figure out what just happened, trying to make a connection as well between the name and the explosion just now. Sly¡­ oh! That¡¯s the Silva guy! He¡­ he was doing what now!?


    That can¡¯t be!! You were the better pilot than me!! Why would you¡­ how could you¡­ Danielle¡¯s hands balled up so tightly on the ground, her fingernails felt as if they were about to cut right through her skin. Shaking from the emotions rocking her, Andre, too, felt the urge to help console, even though he didn¡¯t know what was going on, either.


    ¡°Ms. Norris, come on, we gotta get outta here,¡± Kerry said with her arms around her back and shoulders. ¡°We can¡¯t all get caught here.¡±


    ¡°I told him to stay on that carrier¡­¡± she spoke through trembling breaths to the tear-spattered ground below.


    ¡°Mrs. Norris, I don¡¯t get what all just happened, but those carriers were shot down, remember?¡± Andre callously reminded her of that fact as Kerry shot daggers back at him for the alleged insensitivity. ¡°Look, in all seriousness- I¡¯m not even joking! We¡¯ve been doing real damn good to stay alive and now we need to make sure we don¡¯t add to the casualties list!¡±


    He¡¯s right¡­ ¡°Just give me one second,¡± Danielle fought to get the words out through her grieving, knowing she still had her other dedications and pledged responsibilities standing right there with her. They came back for me. I have to be strong, like Sly was just now for us. This is our only chance to get out with the time he bought for us. She reached up as Kerry and Andre took each other hands and was helped up, wincing along the way until straight, letting out a long sigh. ¡°We still have to find the other two.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not badly hurt? Andre can carry you,¡± Kerry suggested with a confident thumb pointed towards him.


    ¡°No one¡¯s moving wounded. We stay right here,¡± he deflected, unamused.


    Danielle nodded in agreement as she leaned back against the wall behind her. ¡°If they are mobile, let them come to us. Set a rally point.¡±


    ¡°Let me try one more time,¡± he said as he clicked his earpiece, looking back outside to the sky. ¡°Sebastian, Sam, either of you. Give us a status report.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for making you wait,¡± Sebastian came through as Andre turned with an OK sign. ¡°We lost much of our equipment, Axiom is down, but Sam is safe.¡±


    Danielle had already tuned back into the squad channel as she breathed a sigh of relief, hearing Sebastian¡¯s voice. ¡°Ask about that Cloak,¡± she suggested to him.


    ¡°What about that Cloak you engaged with earlier?¡± Andre added.


    ¡°Cloak has run off, not sure where to, and not sure of the others. Hold on.¡±


    <hr>


    (Present time)


    <hr>


    ¡°Sam, I heard from Andre just now. It sounds like those three are OK.¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Sam wanted to feel more at ease, but everything thus far had always come at a cost no matter how good the news. She backed up to let Sebastian back into the stairwell as she then paused in thought.


    I remember there was more than one Cloak. Does that mean they took one out, too? If not, I¡¯d hope they aren¡¯t planning on pulling off some rendezvous or so¡­ at least not until the coast is guaranteed clear.


    ¡°Can you all fly?¡± Sebastian continued as he leaned back against the wall, signs of weariness still heavily remaining.


    ¡°That¡¯s a big negative,¡± he heard Andre reply glumly. ¡°We¡­ well, Kerry and I bailed after barely ducking that Cloak that was on us.¡±


    Sebastian closed his eyes, hanging his head in disappointment. [No, no, stop. I can¡¯t be mad. I couldn¡¯t expect the same from them as they didn¡¯t have help¡­]


    ¡°You see, the thing is¡­ the Cloak just up and left. Like it was in some kind of hurry, and it was the only one we had any trace of. Since you said the one you faced was damaged and ran, I think it¡¯s safe to move, now.¡±


    ¡°Move where?¡± Sebastian continued in doubts there was any cautious thinking or planning. ¡°Let me speak to Director Norris. I heard her just now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, hold on.¡±


    Sebastian instinctively turned to check on Sam, now surprised to see her deep in thought. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The finger she had been using to draw up something in the air in front of her switched to a ¡°hold on¡± expression before twiddling about once more.


    ¡°This is Norris,¡± he heard her speak with evident signs of her emotional trauma in her voice. ¡°I take it two are without wings as well?¡±


    ¡°No, we are stuck in a building at the original landing site plaza. I think we are too far from you if we are to go by foot, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Hang tight. We have our locations secured enough. I need to contact HQ since we had been on radio silence since our evacuation, and hopefully they can run an extraction for us real quick.


    ¡°Understood,¡± he replied as he let out a long breath, leaning his head against the wall. He then noticed how his survival pouch had become heavy, giving into the urge to slide it off of his shoulder and onto the ground. He then peered over to Sam once more, pondering what it was that had her so preoccupied.


    ¡°I remember now!¡± she quietly but firmly blurted out, shaking her fist as she stood up enthusiastically. ¡°Wait, one second,¡± she awkwardly interrupted herself as she reached into Sebastian¡¯s pouch, looking for something but to no avail. ¡°Where¡¯s your flashlight?¡±


    He tapped his still-slung PDW around the foregrip area where he had affixed his flashlight with tape.


    ¡°Never mind, then. Look! The newer 3<sup>rd</sup> generation models have realignment repair mechanisms, to what extent I can¡¯t quite remember, but you¡¯re A-P only fell through a roof, right?¡±


    ¡°Ahm, I think it was just a fall but I was worried about many other things besides the fall. Like¡­ getting to you alive. Why?¡±


    ¡°About that,¡± she reacted sheepishly, never having properly thanked him for rescuing her earlier in the stairwell gunfight. ¡°I have a lot to say about that whole ordeal, but listen!¡± she said with a turn-around in mood. ¡°If you only sustained damage from less than ten feet of a drop, I think we can run some repair programs! I think we should head back up to it and give it a try instead of just sitting here! Come on!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Confounded, he returned a look of disbelief but had no choice but to follow her upstairs as she led him on with a wave of her hand. ¡°How do you know this?!¡±


    ¡°The manual, genius! The kind of thing you guys never read!¡±


    ¡°You know we have a long way up from where it fell!¡± he replied in deflection of her inflammatory joke, now with his PDW flashlight back on as he took the lead. ¡°I think I fell three stories!¡±


    Sam continued upward in earnest, keeping close and watching the lit footing areas of each step. ¡°I¡¯m still going to give it a look! Do you have any better ideas?!¡±


    ¡°No. But do you have any not crazy ideas?¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± she said behind him with a sudden, unexpected change in tone. ¡°Thanks for saving me earlier, twice. The stairwell and also with the Cloak encounter. That¡¯s twice I should have died, right here in this God-forsaken pre-demolition zone.¡±


    The conflicted emotions welled up once more, wanting to blame her for letting the Cloak get away like that, yet still couldn¡¯t bring it upon himself to mention that just yet. Everything must have been too overwhelming for her, he assumed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know you tried to save me, too. And now that I think about it,¡± he continued, unaware of a smile that broke out. ¡°I was trapped, but you coming up those stairs allowed me to move in and save you. We saved each other, how about that?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± she answered with a smile of her own. Come to think of it, that¡¯s all we seem to do for each other lately. We have GOT to find a better life together some time soon, she continued in thought with melancholy humor.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    This had to go as horrifically as absolutely possible. Amelie is not only going to kill me, Sam will kill me twice over if she gets back.


    Al had his hands tied as it was during the same morning similar sentiments of overthrowing not-so-stable regimes across the equatorial regions of the globe radiated out in unprecedented swiftness. The board room was no longer busy with just the issues in Dhaka City but also with multiple countries popping up as rapidly becoming unstable, warranting more attention than Al would have wanted to give if he had a choice.


    ¡°Singapore is advising we keep the radios down!¡± he heard an operator shouting over the steady commotion he had long grown accustomed to.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them make direct connection with anyone here or Singapore until they are cleared of Cloak activity!¡±


    I still won¡¯t forget the incredible level of communication interception we saw in Colombia and even happening as we speak. How in the ever-living hell will I be able to get Sam out of this?


    He looked back at his mobile out of guilt, seeing the multiple missed calls and messages from Amelie. The topmost one read ¡°You know what? Forget about it. Saffire told me everything I needed to know. Piss off.¡± He sunk further in guilt every time he looked at that last message that had been received over thirty minutes prior.


    It¡¯s times like this my sorry ass can¡¯t get the balls enough to just tell her what exactly the hell is going on and why I can¡¯t just reach anyone I want to. If I didn¡¯t hire that new crew at Singapore, whatever op you are trying to pull¡­ well their cover would have already been blown before they moved. All I can do is hope our plant is doing her damn job.


    As he looked back up at his screen, he noticed a new alert coming from Vincent himself, sent from his office. He opened it up, seeing a project header labeled: ¡°Excalibur¡±. Narrowing his eyes, he clicked and began to read through the descriptions and data with trailing doubts about his choice to stumble in without prior thought. Why would he send me a project reboot idea at a time like this? As he continued scrolling through, he kept seeing three names in bold appearing as ¡°Curtana¡±, ¡°Galatine¡±, ¡°Arondight¡±.  But it was what immediately followed the subheading ¡°Galatine¡± that had him frozen in what looked to be fear, leading him to quickly close the project file and bolt for Vincent¡¯s office in shock.


    You are NOT intending on reviving this old project! Not like this! No way in hell anyone here will let you!


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka City, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    The two continued their steady march upstairs, Sebastian still leading the way as they began to approach the first of the bodies left behind from the earlier gunfight. ¡°I smell it. I think we should¡¯ve taken the other stairwell. Come on,¡± he suggested as he led them out of into the 5<sup>th</sup> floor hallway. [I¡¯d rather not her have to see all of that again.]


    ¡°You lead the way,¡± she agreed, relieved to avoid the sights she still would find nauseating. ¡°You know, we haven¡¯t eaten since last night¡¯s bir¡­-whatever, we are out of water, and haven¡¯t even used the bathroom since before the 5AM launch. Plus, we have survived falls, dodged bullets, been hit by trains¡­¡± She then looked back up with a half delirious grin. ¡°I¡¯m surprised we are still walking and talking, fully functioning beings.¡±


    Sebastian chuckled in response, somewhat livened up by the timing of the humor. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you knew what to do just then. Those¡­ pops, what was that? How did you do that?¡±


    She took a moment to process his question before remembering the awful racket made by the break-away armor system like rapidly ripping bolts from ship hulls. Come to think of it, I don¡¯t even remember doing anything. I just remember it happening. Hell, that whole incident is a blur. ¡°You know what? I don¡¯t even really know. Maybe it was muscle memory?¡±


    ¡°Muscle memory?¡±


    ¡°Like, I had done a lot of beta test flights for the Axiom before, just because I was a Knight and got connections. That was months ago, though. I don¡¯t even know what tripped it off. I just¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ did?¡±


    The two were now into the other stairwell, naturally quieting down as Sebastian peered upwards, listening for any noises. Upon confirming silence, they continued upward. ¡°Well, at least it worked enough. I am thinking¡­ it¡¯s been very quiet. If you didn¡¯t damage it, it would come back to this building, I think. No one is coming and that¡¯s the best thing to me right now.¡±


    ¡°Navarre, this is Norris,¡± he heard over his earpiece.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°HQ and Singapore are silent. This means there is still enemy activity somewhere. Do you have supplies left?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean ¡®silent¡¯?¡± he anxiously replied as they paused in their tracks.


    ¡°Silent. They won¡¯t risk an intercepted evac if there are Cloaks still around. We need to hold location until further notice, so do you have supplies left?¡±


    ¡°We are out of water, and Sam¡¯s bag was destroyed.¡±


    There was a long pause on the other end, prompting the two to continue. ¡°We can¡¯t do anything other than ask you to find some way to last until then. Hole up and wait. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± he flatly responded with no intention to do so. He looked over to Sam, seeing the same determination in her eyes.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Revenant parked his Samael model next to the heftily damaged one left by Requiem there under the cover of the garage building. He hurriedly made his way out and down the ladder, sprinting for the corner where he saw him laying against the wall, blood spatters all the way there. ¡°Req¡¯! What the hell happened?!¡± he shouted, heart racing, stomach in a full knot. Rushing to Requiem¡¯s side, he crouched next to him and unslung his pouch, unloading its contents clumsily, trying to find the bandages in his frenzy. ¡°Here, I can get that patched up, OK?¡± he said as he started unwinding the specialized wound-sealing tape but realized something wasn¡¯t right. He paused, hands starting to quiver more uncontrollably, noticing how quiet everything was. ¡°Hey?!¡± he shouted in panic, looking to his face, looking to be in a peaceful slumber, head slouched to the side.


    .


    .


    ¡°Req¡¯? Elias¡­? Hey, Elias¡­. You with me? ¡­¡±


    .


    .


    .


    - - - - -


    ¡°You don¡¯t doubt Rex has this wrong? We still had a chance to go straight to Manila and avoid this place, you know,¡± Requiem asked Revenant as they approached Isaiah¡¯s location on the outskirts of Dhaka.


    Revenant answered with a shrug and a smile: ¡°Why do you bother asking? Reap¡¯ has been on-spot a hundred percent of the time, man. This will be a cake walk, boom¡­ boom¡­ off to Manila we all go.¡±


    - - - - -


    He didn¡¯t realize he had been holding Requiem¡¯s cold hand during that flashback, squeezing it tightly as he bit down, holding in tears, fighting off the inevitable break down in futility. He remained there in silence that would only be broken later by a prayer for his lost friend.

 Situation Collapsing, Part 4

    ¡°They killed him, you son of a bitch!¡± Isaiah heard a choked-up Revenant over the channel as he hurried for the walls of Tejgaon, back under the mask of his active cloaking. He was still vastly into rarely charted waters, being in such a rush in the way that he was, dodging past cars littering the wider streets rather than taking the emptier paths they had been accustomed to doing.


    ¡°Your perfect data didn¡¯t account for a third fucking Harbinger! Maybe Rex does know what he¡¯s doing after all!¡± he continued in his heart--wrenched rage.


    ¡°Tamaz, I get where you are going and I don¡¯t blame you! But you need to keep your cool!¡± Marian came up over the channel unexpectedly, further flustering Isaiah¡¯s already at-tipping point emotional and mental state.


    What are you thinking, Marian! Stay out of this!


    ¡°Tamaz! Listen!¡± she continued, adamant in her almost mother-like response. ¡°We have to close this out without losing any more of us! Whoever bloody fucked this up it¡¯s already too far gone! Don¡¯t do anything you will regret, please!¡±


    But there was no third Harbinger, damn it! His carelessness was the only reason he was done in by my hapless, helpless sister! But they¡¯d never listen at a time like this. Requiem¡­ Elias¡­ what the hell happened to you before all of this?!


    ¡°I¡¯m killing that son of a bitch whoever it was!¡± Revenant continued without any hint of slowing down. ¡°And as soon as-¡±


    ¡°-Negative! Stand down and get his body out of here!¡± they all heard Rex¡¯s distorted yet easily-recognized voice roar over theirs. ¡°Pay him those respects and pass on the cleanup responsibilities to Reaper! He caused this mess and now he will atone for his mistakes on his own!¡±


    Isaiah could have felt insulted, but this was more along what he had preferred to do to begin with.


    ¡°Y¡­ yes, sir,¡± Revenant replied with a sudden drop in energy. ¡°Revenant requesting retrieval from the engagement zone, carrying Requiem with me. Marking pickup location at the southwest wall.¡±


    Just stay calm. Everything will be back on track after I finish this up. Don¡¯t feed into his games. He had now reached the far northwest wall as he jumped at an angle set to clear the barrier¡¯s height. I don¡¯t know who the hell helped you up to this point, but it all ends here, Samantha. He then reached the apex of his climb, backing off the thrusters and gliding towards the airfield-paralleled street.


    ¡°Reaper,¡± Marian¡¯s voice continued, this time with a tone hinting she felt betrayed. ¡°I will talk to you all when you get back. Be careful out there, and don¡¯t go beyond the call of duty any more than you already have.¡±


    Don¡¯t tell me Rex has gotten to her as well. Everyone is too adjusted to being in over their heads and reaping the benefits of what I accomplish regardless of their shortsightedness. He continued his radio silence, keeping all focus on the checkpoint markers labeled ahead. These operations will all need revisiting after this is over. There is about to be a hell of a lot less democracy moving forward.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    Sam and Sebastian had finally reached the floor where light poured in from the missing sections of the ceilings and the roof, illuminating the Ap50 that seemed to be resting on its laurels, nestled between large chunks of concrete that fell underneath it. Although Sebastian didn¡¯t seem to be as bothered, Sam was at the end of her physical reserves, trying to keep her breath up. Aches and pains kicked in that weren¡¯t there earlier, likely numbed by all of the harshly unsettled nerves that had just regained consciousness of the damage taken. It felt like someone kicked her square in the lower back and her right shoulder felt like it took a baseball bat to it, both throbbing in pain as it drew winces with each involuntary attempt to massage them.


    ¡°Well, damn, that¡¯s not even that bad¡­¡± Sam huffed as she wiped the sweat from her brow. ¡°Did you run a diagnostic on it before you got out?¡± she continued as she noted the two cockpit doors still open, lights running.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he responded with a scratch of his head, looking to her then back to the peacefully seated Ap50. ¡°I just got out because I didn¡¯t know who would come for me. That¡¯s what always happens after crashes, right?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± she answered with a lack of confidence as she put her hands at her hips. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that protocol, but you run diagnostics after you crash as well. You have to know how much damage you took and if you can still move, you know?¡±


    ¡°It can maybe move, but more of those ceilings will move, too, right?¡± he continued, pointing to the hole above them.


    I swear. Just let me do my damn job here. She waved off the comeback as she approached the cockpit access ladder, painfully but slowly lifting herself up and slowly taking a seat. She paused in thought while continuing to catch her breath. It¡¯s been a while since I did this from a real module¡­ let¡¯s at least do this remotely, she pondered as she caught sight of the sweaty helmet mounted above her. Yeah¡­ remotely is good. She held her watch up and entered a series of passcodes and clearance information, bringing up a diagnostics screen that allowed her to view the Ap50¡¯s various conditions. ¡°Hey,¡± she spoke up as she scrolled through several more screens. ¡°You only had one disconnect at the right knee, plus three nicked but automatically resealed hydraulic lines. I will get a reconnect process running and those only take a minute if you can help me clear that debris sandwiching that knee over there,¡± she said as she gestured towards the joint in question.


    ¡°So, you can fix it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she shrugged as she began initiating the wire prep sequences. ¡°I just said these things can fix themselves just enough, but only if it¡¯s nothing serious.¡± And in this case, I¡¯m damn glad it¡¯s minor. And with no live transmitting to the outside, having this to get us back to the rally point would be nothing short of miraculous. She then peered back outside to assess the situation with each leg unit, taking note the condition of the floor beneath each. ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s best to work slow so that I can keep this thing right where it is. The next movement we make needs to be with both of us inside, ready to fly.¡±


    He nodded in approval after seeing the unevenness of the flooring underneath it, sagging under the Ap50¡¯s weight. ¡°How long will this take?¡±


    ¡°About ten minutes. Give or take five, and don¡¯t forget none of these fixes are permanent,¡± she replied as she started punching in commands from her watch. ¡°It¡¯s just to get us from one point to another, which beats the hell out of nothing.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Kerry backed away from Danielle as she inspected her handiwork she had just completed. She crossed her bare arms, displeased at the sight of her uniform having been the only wrap-able material she had to make a make-shift cast from, and it left her with only her undershirt and under-uniform leggings. ¡°Not quite the right angle, hold on,¡± she said as she inched back in closer, gently taking a hold of Danielle¡¯s right arm that was bound across her body, pulling back some of the binding tape used to hold it in place. ¡°Let me know if it hurts,¡± she continued as she made the minor angle adjustments to her shoulder, snugly refitting the taping. ¡°Try moving a bit.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°It¡¯s plenty good enough,¡± she replied with a weak smile after a quick movement check. The pain she experienced from rotating her torso still caused painful kickback from her right side, but the locked arm movement helped with the worst of it. ¡°And thanks for lending me your suit. You really didn¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Psh. You really didn¡¯t want to go back to base smelling like Andre¡¯s stinking ass the whole way back, did you?¡±


    Andre held his retort, having already found enough comfort in that their spirits were holding steady as they sat waiting in mostly silence, holed up in a building where they awaited discovery by friend or foe. Which would arrive first was their only remaining concern. ¡°Here,¡± he said as he held up her survival pouch and PDW. ¡°Put these back on. No telling what¡¯s coming for us.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said as she slung the two items before taking pause. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± she realized. ¡°Do you hear something?¡±


    ¡°I feel something,¡± he said as he put his body back against the wall that he had been against since earlier. ¡°It¡¯s not big like a carrier, but it¡¯s aerial. You think its medevac?¡± That does remind me, she should know best. I would think something this small would be the last thing the Underground sends us after all the hell that broke out. He then turned to Danielle to confirm. ¡°Do you remember what our medevac shuttles sounded like?¡±


    ¡°Help me up,¡± she said to the two as Andre rushed over behind her, helping pull her up gently while Kerry assisted from the other side. ¡°Let me get by the exit and I can tell you. How close is it?¡±


    ¡°Close enough to hear real soon. It¡¯s flying real low.¡±


    About thirty seconds passed in absolute silence before a low-pitched hum could faintly be heard, drawing a worried expression from Danielle as she turned to face them. ¡°That¡¯s not anything Hexa. Hide.¡±


    Without word, the two quickly posted up behind both sides of the exit, just out of view from the outside as they disengaged their safeties on their PDWs, allowing Danielle to move back and away, retreating further inside. ¡°It¡¯s getting real close,¡± Andre whispered as he crouched down, edging his weapon just past the corner enough to get it poking outside, providing him with some vision through the top-mounted optic. He switched the metrics from IR scanning to echo-directive, a mode that would help predict from which direction approaching persons and the approximate number or size. After the humming ceased to grow in amplitude, less than a minute into the tense wait brought about a sensor reaction, indicating one on foot around the corner. Only one? His grip around the handle tightened as his trigger finger found itself in position to pull.


    ¡°Ms. Melon-kahn? Mr. En-goo-yen?¡± a familiar female voice rang out as the footsteps grew closer, startling both he and Kerry. ¡°I found you on tracker from Mr. Vrey¡¯s information he gave to me. Can you please come out? We need to get you out of here!¡±


    Who the fuck?! Andre silently spoke to Kerry through his eyes, making a nervous hint at his unwillingness to trust what they heard.


    That¡¯s that bitch from before! Kerry shot back with her own tensed expression.


    Is she here to try and off us?! Andre sent back in a similar manner.


    Ooh I wish the motherfucker would!


    ¡°This is Taneesha Sur! We have your ride out of here! You need to come with me before they send more troops!¡±


    Huh? O-oh! Andre casted from his gaped mouth and a look of realization. ¡°Four-one-one!¡± he called out without hesitation.


    ¡°Nine-one-nine!¡± Taneesha¡¯s voice called back, triggering a sigh of relief from the both of them as they lowered their weapons, emerging from the exit doorway.


    ¡°Who is that?!¡± Danielle spoke quietly but firmly through clenched teeth, flabbergasted at the sudden and unexpected drop of their guard.


    The two turned to see Taneesha, surprisingly dressed down compared to the last time they saw her, alone and unarmed. A small passenger craft could be seen parked on the street not too far from her, seemingly expensive and most likely funded by the city. Andre couldn¡¯t help but feel ashamed all of the sudden, however. ¡°You really were with us this whole time?!¡±


    ¡°Andre!¡± Kerry fussed as she knocked his arm with the stock of her PDW.


    ¡°Right, no time to talk.¡± He then looked back once more to the exit they just left before turning back to Taneesha once more. ¡°Do you have room for one more?¡±


    .


    .


    Sam was watching the progress bars for the multiple repair sequences from her watch screen, seeing most of them reaching 90% or more. Sebastian was standing by the opposite end of the hallway, seemingly on watch.


    ¡°Hey y¡¯all!¡± Kerry¡¯s voice rang out over Sebastian¡¯s earpiece and the Ap50¡¯s speaker as the two of them jumped in fright.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that! Shit!¡± Sam spat back over the channel, heart having skipped a beat. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I got all three of us on a ride back with that Sur chick we ran into yesterday. Turns out she was Hexa-hired after all. Only thing is, ain¡¯t no space for everyone, and we have to get Ms. Norris back ASAP since she¡¯s injured pretty bad.¡±


    ¡°Well, look, we are about to get Sebastian¡¯s Ap50 mobile again. How long will a round trip take?¡± she asked as she quickly settled down, comforted in the thought that the long day might end on a better note already.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be long. Glad to hear you will have some gun power to hold down the fort with. So, yeah, hang tight. She will radio you back sometime soon on this channel, a¡¯ight?¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± she replied with a relieved smile. ¡°Looking at only about two minutes left on this end before we test this thing. We may not need a ride after all if this gets up and moving properly.¡±


    .


    .


    Kerry closed the channel as she leaned back in her seat, looking out at what she could see from her view of the front cockpit window, watching the craft clear the Tejgaon wall they had been trapped inside for so long. A series of notification beeps went off, quickly resetting the mood back to nervous. ¡°What¡¯s that?!¡± she shot over at Taneesha across the cabin from her.


    ¡°Ms. Sur!¡± the pilot shouted from his front seat in a thick local accent.


    ¡°Are we being followed?!¡± she asked back, adding to the quickly reverting tension.


    ¡°Something is moving towards the old Raja Bazar Central Plaza! Wall sensor picked up large IR movement!¡±


    ¡°What was it?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know! Just, IR reading!¡±


    Shit! That¡¯s the last Cloak! The one that¡­ that killed Sly! Danielle thought as her distressed aura quickly permeated through to Kerry and Andre sitting just in front of her.


    Kerry and Andre made eye contact amidst the continuing exchange between Taneesha and the pilot, nodding to each other as Kerry started readying her hands and Andre slowly reached for his bag.


    ¡°We have to turn around!¡± Danielle shouted her plea, walking up to stand between her and the pilot.


    ¡°You must stay in your seat, Director Norris!¡± Taneesha pleaded in return as she turned her focus away from the conversation and to Danielle instead. ¡°We cannot carry any more passengers as it is, and you are injured!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re about to be dead if you don¡¯t turn this around!¡± she roared back.


    ¡°I cannot do that!¡± Taneesha fussed back with greater conviction but soon realized her attention was brought to the front for a purpose. She found herself quickly pulled back against her seat by both of her arms being yanked behind.


    Danielle pulled a PDW from her survival pouch as she swung it around to aim it at the pilot while Andre darted from his seat and landed next to Taneehsa, putting his PDW to her head.


    ¡°Would you all stop!? Why do we have to do this again!¡± she seethed in anger this time, no longer with the fear of death unlike the last encounter. ¡°I am serious! We cannot turn around or we all die!¡±


    ¡°You said that last time,¡± Kerry snarled, keeping her pinned in place. ¡°And this time, we got no reason to spare your sorry ass if you don¡¯t turn this bitch around!¡±


    ¡°What is going on back there!?¡± the pilot shouted in fright, knowing best to not attempt to turn around, hinting he perhaps had such experiences before.


    ¡°Shut it and turn this ship around!¡± Danielle strongly spurned, keeping her aim at the pilot. But I can¡¯t shoot the man. These rounds would go right through the firewall and even the outer hull¡­


    ¡°I only follow commands from my leaders! You cannot just take over!¡± the pilot fussed back, seemingly confident in the same notion he couldn¡¯t be shot so easily.


    Taneesha, still racing to come up with a solution to the stalemate she felt would end in absolute, unmitigated disaster, caught Andre out of the corner of her eye reaching into his pouch. From within it he removed a heavy, black piece of polymer-encased steel, hearing the subsequent racking of the slide before the chambering of a cased round. Damnit, I slipped there. I should¡¯ve remembered they had those. Unable to counter the new threat that was a round unable to pierce the cabin¡¯s firewall, much less put not much more than a crack in the windshield, she gave in and cried out: ¡°We will turn around! Stop and put that away!¡±


    ¡°How smart,¡± Andre said with a grin, not having even gotten as far as the next row up. He left the safety engaged, lowering his pistol.


    ¡°You genius, I should¡¯ve known you would bring that heavy ass thing with you,¡± Kerry quipped, easing up a bit on the grip she had on Taneesha¡¯s arms. She then turned back to speak to her: ¡°You underestimate our methods of business.¡±


    [Turn around, back for Tejgaon,] she reluctantly spoke to the pilot in Bengali as he shrugged, following orders hesitantly.


    As Kerry felt the craft veer to their right, she then remembered the situation about to unfold. ¡°Ms. Norris! What do we do with the Cloak out there?¡±


    Danielle had calmed down, lowering her PDW as she too watched the scenery change back to a view of the walls of Tejgaon they had distanced themselves from more than she had hoped. That¡¯s right, I forget Sam has no radio. Got to think of something else. She slung the PDW over her right shoulder, now reaching for her watch carefully. ¡°Navarre, sit-rep!¡±


    ¡°This is Sam!¡± she was surprised to hear respond back. ¡°I borrowed Sebastian¡¯s earpiece and we JUST got this thing up and running!¡±


    ¡°NO!!¡± she blurted out in an urgent tone. ¡°Cloak is in-bound on your location! Do NOT emerge!¡±


    ¡°The what?! There¡¯s another?!¡± Sam¡¯s voice continued in alarm.

 Inevitable Confrontations

    Sebastian overheard the entire exchange just well enough from his distance to follow what was going on. [No, I can do it this time.] he thought as he jogged up to the ladder just as Sam finished straightening the LTAC¡¯s stance. ¡°Sam! Let me pilot this time!¡±


    ¡°What? No way!¡± she rebuffed with a frown, remaining busy with wrapping up her work. ¡°Who said we are going to engage?! You heard the lady! We are getting the hell out of here!¡±


    Rain drops started to fall from the gaping hole in the ceiling, setting off an idea in his head as his eyes widened. ¡°No, the rain! This is the perfect time to go after them! Sam!¡± he shouted, jumping a few times to get her full attention. ¡°If it¡¯s raining, you can see the Cloak!¡±


    ¡°And do what?!¡±


    ¡°I can take it down, I promise! Just let me go out there!¡±


    ¡°And take on the pilot who took out Mr. Silva?! Would you listen to yourself?! You¡¯ve lost your damned mind!¡± she argued back, closing down the maintenance application on her watch, finally taking the time to look back down from the open cockpit door. ¡°We can just fly out of here on a good boost, instead! Enough to get us over that wall at least!¡±


    The rain was now pouring in.


    Something had Sebastian pause momentarily before releasing pent-up emotions he had been holding in since the last encounter that didn¡¯t end as well as he had wished. ¡°Sam, this is why I came here! What I want to stop is coming for us right now! Don¡¯t take this away from me!¡±


    The anguish in that last line reached her heart, feeling the shock down her spine. Was that directed at me? Is he blaming me all the sudden for something? Why do I suddenly feel like I was an accessory!? She stood up so that she could look him in the eyes before continuing. ¡°Sebastian. Stop the nonsense and climb up. We are leaving so that neither of us has to travel home alone.¡±


    Sebastian was unshaken, unwavering. It wasn¡¯t just pent-up feelings from the witnessed conflict earlier, it was from the very beginning of this journey he stepped out on. He had been the spectator since arrival. He had been the only one that couldn¡¯t share the experience in the same manner as the others, being the only one new to unknown lands. He had always held in the thought that no matter how chaotic his hometown had gotten, it was his home. His people. He always had the luxury of autonomy when he wanted it because it was his and Renzo¡¯s to share, and if things could have been done better, he did it. Now he felt it in his core that he was no longer to sit back and simply go along when he knew better¡­ when his knowledge and judgment could serve more.


    [No more shutting me up like everyone else.]


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t leave without trying myself for once.¡±


    Huh?! ¡°Sebastian, damn it! You asked me to come back to you alive and here I am! Twice returned to you! Now it¡¯s your turn!¡± she angrily shouted back, eyes shut tight from frustration and the hot sense of tears building up. Who the hell does he think he is all the sudden?


    *PING* rang the IR proximity alert. Shit, not now!! her mind raced as she reached for her watch screen once more to pull up the HUD on holographic display. A map was brought up, showing a faint readout on a heat source rapidly approaching their building. Her thoughts quickly settled on a notion that had her nerves start to tighten once more into a bundle. Every time I end up facing them, there were NEVER any IR tracking alerts. This Cloak is desperate, or maybe he¡¯s that confident knowing it¡¯s just us, now.


    ¡°I heard that alarm!¡± Sebastian shouted impatiently from below. ¡°Switch with me while we have time, Sam!¡± Startled by a sudden kicking noise, he involuntarily took a step back to see the ladder withdrawn back into the cockpit module as the doors closed. ¡°SAM!¡±


    No, it won¡¯t work that way, Sam thought with a heavy heart amongst her frazzling nerves. On one hand, she herself wasn¡¯t able to fully grasp what path she had just chosen or how she arrived to the sudden conclusion. Yet on the other, she knew deep down that if one had to face the Cloak, it¡¯d have to be her.  ¡°I have more tools in the box for facing this thing, Sebastian. Sorry,¡± she said over the external speaker as the Ap50¡¯s catalyzers warmed up, forcing Sebastian to back off before being blasted by the hot air that would start gusting out. She knew he wouldn¡¯t be in the state of mind to listen, but she continued anyway, hoping he would understand: ¡°Besides, it¡¯s raining now. Metamaterial doesn¡¯t stop splashing water droplets.¡± She then brought the helmet down and buckled it on, ignoring the unpleasantries she noted earlier as she continued to buckle in her shoulder harnesses. Visor down and visuals up, she looked up to the hole showing the rain falling down upon her.


    ¡°Sam, stop! Don¡¯t do it!¡±


    She took in a long, deep breath, holding it in as if it might be the last one she would take in before jumping into a constant string of panic-driven action as it was earlier, thinking she had to make this one move count.


    Heat source from that direction¡­


    The catalyzers reached optimum temperatures as the whirring slowed.


    Cloak will be running hot for at least three seconds before cool-down and it disappears like always¡­


    The locks on the magazine and ignition chamber for the hybrid rifle clicked open as the arm holding it pulled itself in for take-off clearance.


    Leaving aim-assist on for those three seconds.


    Her stomach tightened sharply as she bit down and gripped the controls tightly, waiting for that worked up courage to kick in enough to hit the floor pedals. But in that next moment, it was something else that briefly got her attention.


    Sebastian!


    She quickly scanned the area in front of her, seeing he had disappeared from her field of vision, no longer in blast damage reach. Only then did she finally feel the urge kick in.


    I¡¯m sorry.


    The Ap50 rocketed out of the building, shoulder units and stabilizers scraping the edges of the concrete floors on the way out. This is my one shot. Her LTAC pivoted with a short, violent twist in a clockwise motion, aiming arm outstretched, facing the main street headed to the west wall. The auto tracking mechanism feedback only took one vibration to set off the blind pull of the trigger, not even waiting for any other confirmation.


    <u>TAH-TAH-TAH!!!</u>


    .


    Isaiah heard the shots fired a split second after hearing one of the three rounds tear through his Samael¡¯s right ankle joint, setting off the damage monitor alert. Before the weight could cause that same leg to buckle under the sudden unsupportable force of its step, he took off full boost, making a beeline for the Ap50. That¡¯s Sam, still using the aim assist unlike the others. He put his shield up in front, ditching his cloak as it sailed off behind him in its wake.


    Sam now had her screen filled with a rapidly approaching green and brown camouflaged unit as she continued firing in limited bursts under aim assist. What is it doing?! It¡¯s making a head on attack without its cloaking?! Shit! She could sense the impending full-speed collision, one she knew her body couldn¡¯t afford to absorb any more than it had already from earlier, quick to put up her shield before tilting back, boosting off back towards the street below and away from the apartment from which she arose.


    Isaiah cut his jump-boost engines short, snapping his controls forward to angle his dive right towards her, ignited sword pulled back. The approach was naturally at a much faster rate of acceleration compared to that of Sam¡¯s headed in reverse, giving him a clean, wide-open look as all the incoming burst fire ricocheted harmlessly off his shield. The path to his first strike was clear despite the resistance Sam put up, bringing back memories from their childhood when they used to spar with fencing. It was always a one-sided affair, much like the scene now. You never took things seriously enough to reach a high level in anything. Why, why haven¡¯t you given up already!?


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    That¡¯s it! Sam realized her grave mistake as she came within a second before she would be forced to land on the quickly approaching pavement below. No aim assist! She pulled back on the controls and clicked a button near the thumb¡¯s hat switch just as she saw the shield of the Samael pulled back, revealing a thrusting flash of brilliant green. Shit!!


    Several alarms rang simultaneously, one being the collision warning, and the other was her landing approach warning. She indeed hit her landing angle rougher than calculated, jarring her enough to lose sight of her shield she tried to bring around. The unsettling crash of dense armor material slamming into brick and mortar along with a new, louder alarm led her to the notion that her shield was the culprit. Wasting no time, she lifted back off of the ground, keeping her reversing speed. In the same motion, she pulled her rifle back around, pushing the aiming hat switch around to center it over any exposed frame she could find as it continued to swiftly encroach upon her.


    Isaiah gave Sam her full second to attempt. It was all the time he needed to clear the distance limit for his next swing as he pulled back for another thrust.


    Sam suddenly felt a gripping, almost tingling sensation shoot up her tendons running along the backs of her wrists. It felt as if something within her nervous system involuntarily nudged her thumb¡¯s trembling, awkward motions into a smoother action. The notion came swiftly and dizzyingly, yet felt right. She squeezed the right trigger, feeling the pulsations from the recoil.


    <u>TA-TA-TAH!!!</u>


    Bright orange trails sliced through the armored forearm panels of the Samael, detaching the hand and the sword it carried. The sight of the spiraling trail of glowing green off behind them confirmed the hit.


    YES! GOT¡¯EM!!


    However, that split second she had bought in her mind was far from delivered; Isaiah¡¯s leap forward never slowed, instead finding the shield used as an impact weapon, shoving her back and off balance. SHIT! she reacted as she could tell her speed was too high to simply fall back to her roller feet. But in that same moment, another dizzying, nauseating sensation rushed over her as she felt the intense urge to pull her right control stick back and stick her foot down on the left boost pedal. Using the counteracting forces, the Ap50 bounded harshly from touching down at that angle, but nonetheless found both feet¡¯s stable contact as she kept her momentum.


    Isaiah took a harder impact on his still-functioning left foot, using it to follow through with another lunging jump forward, shield pulled back.


    As she saw the Samael diving in, for the third and ultimately final time the sickening, mysterious sensation-influencing her reactions washed away her vision momentarily, feeling as if she were about to black out. She then felt the deafening screech of metal upon metal as Isaiah rammed his shield bottom-point first into the core of her Ap50, this time knocking her onto her back. As her LTAC took a tumble, it was as if the next seconds went blank for her. It was only moments later she finally had gathered herself enough to recognize the damage alarms screaming, her hyperventilation raging, and her vision still largely blacked out. But beyond that, it was quiet¡­ serene, almost.


    In the meantime, Isaiah had doubled back to where he dropped his sword. Limping on his damaged lower leg units, he dropped his shield and picked up the sword with his fully functioning left hand, turning back to face Sam¡¯s wreckage.


    The silence for Sam was now turning into soft thuds approaching. Her breathing became even deeper and more unstable, panic further setting in. No, I¡¯m getting out of here alive! She mustered the focus just enough to sling off her harnesses and helmet, furiously fighting to find the emergency door controls. At long last, the awakening sensation of the rain beating down on her seemed to clear her vision even if just temporarily, finding her way up and out of the cockpit, slipping on her way down, taking a tumble onto the asphalt below. Groaning and wincing from the fall, she was slow to get up.


    Thump¡­ Thump¡­


    The sound of the approaching Samael re-energized her effort to pull herself up off the ground and make a hobbled dash for the narrow alley she saw in front of her just a few meters away. Unable to continue her forward momentum, she slipped once more on the slick, oily asphalt. Catching herself this time, she bit down through the pain sent up her seemingly broken body, fighting through one last time to get back on her feet and continue forward. She finally got the proper footing to fall forward just enough to reach out and catch the corner of the building leading into the alleyway before she was suddenly grabbed from behind and slung firmly against the opposite wall from her.


    She was had been completely overtaken, now, forearm pinned against her neck, unable to regain the breath knocked out of her that resulted from the impact against the wall. She now could also feel the hot, intense burn of a puncture wound digging through her left shoulder just beneath the collar bone. Her right arm flailed in attempt to push the body off of her but was to no avail; all she could do now was open her eyes, taking one look at the person trying to take her life. Vision still blurred, she struggled to bring focus on the face that almost up against hers, feeling his breath, his cold stare, a sense she was being divinely judged.


    ¡­


    Why isn¡¯t he killing me already?


    Forearm still pressed firmly against her neck, the fight just to even suck in the slightest hint of air began to fade. Her right hand she had wrapped around a fist-full of his arm¡¯s jacket material was now falling limp. The rain beading up and rolling down her face mixed with the tears of lost hope.


    .


    <hr>


    ¡°This is the last time I¡¯ll warn you, damn it!¡± Isaiah seethed as he stood over Sam whom he had just shoved to the ground after tussling over her mobile. He scrolled down to a delete application button, pressing it without hesitation. ¡°You still think it¡¯s all a game of fame!? Wealth?! Death is the only reward you¡¯ll get if you follow our path!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°What do you want!?¡± Sebastian now shouted back in a voice that shook her core. Both were now stopped in the middle of the corridor, staring at each other. ¡°I have a brother and sister who need me! I need to go see them! You¡­! You need to be-¡±


    ¡°-With you,¡± Sam interrupted with a broken voice.


    <hr>


    .


    Sebastian¡­ where are you¡­?


    .


    The pressure from the arm was removed suddenly from her neck as gasps of air rushed in, followed by intermittent coughs. Vision began to return slowly, however, she remained forcefully planted in place.


    ¡°Death is the only reward you¡¯ll get if you follow my path,¡± the voice spoke, jarring her soul. The voice alone increased her already exhausted rush of adrenaline, but the words spoken carried a stabbing pain sharper than what had her shoulder pinned to the wooden building exterior behind her. She now felt his arm removed completely from her, feeling the distance grow between them as he backed away. And now that her breath had finally caught up with her just enough to see, Isaiah¡¯s rain-soaked visage was now all she could see.


    Anger, rage, humility, resentment, all rushed through her veins upon that sight.


    ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± she grumbled through the surge of emotions and the ever-lingering, intensely biting pain, reaching over to remove whatever it was he had left in her.


    ¡°I thought I could make you see your worthlessness out here, but¡­ you are too stubborn to disappear, to quit like you always did everything else!¡±


    The judgmental, mocking stare continued to burn into her, worsening as she was unable to bear the pain that came from her attempting to force the handled object loose from her shoulder.


    ¡°Always in my way! Never understanding how wrong you always had been and how wrong you still are!¡±


    ¡°Fucking¡­ bastard! How could¡­¡± she continued to push her voice through the pain and struggle to keep her consciousness together.


    ¡°No¡­ I won¡¯t do our mother or father like that, letting you die at your own blood¡¯s hands. You die from your own mistakes, warning after warning!¡± he said as he lifted a hand, pressing a button on his headset. ¡°All LTAC threats eliminated. Move your men in,¡± he coldly commanded against his own inner conflicted emotions, unaware of his own tears that had now long been mixed with the rain as well.


    I looked up to you all those years¡­ and I was looking up to this?!


    It only took those moments to turn her entire image of her brother she had been compared to all her life, even admiring, into one she would now burn in effigy if given the chance. She now fully, instantly regretted ever having wished she could find where he had been all these years, expecting him to have found a path to enlightenment outside the containment of their mother¡¯s stifling bounds and chains, but instead found that she was looking at the one she now felt she could hold responsible for the murder of who knows how many. ¡°Piece of shit!¡± she roared out, eyes shut tight, with the last of her strength-


    <u>-KUTHN-THN-THNK!!</u>


    Popped and scattered asphalt and gravel sailed up and off of Isaiah¡¯s face and upper body as he flinched, throwing his hands up in defense, spinning away from what had to have been gunfire-


    -BDA-DA-DAH!!


    The delayed sound of rifle fire from behind him crackled and echoed through the alleys.


    Isaiah was now running frantically back for the Samael, narrowly dodging incoming fire that continued to send dust, mist, and gravel fountains just behind him.


    .


    Sebastian pulled his rifle back, watching the escaping figure disappear behind the Samael standing there, mid-street, too far away to catch on foot from where he stood. Unsatisfied with the borrowed weapon he brought with him, he had forgotten how hard roller delayed, cased ammunition rifles kicked and how much barrel climb they had, or he was confident he would have got at lease one on him. His eyes then darted over to find Sam still pinned against the wall. [She must be too hurt or weak to move,] he thought as he turned and dashed through the alley he stood next to, turning back onto a smaller gravel path that paralleled the main street. Running as fast as he could, all he could think would be to pop back in to that very corner to grab Sam without both losing count of the buildings as well as losing track of the Samael he knew would soon be on the move.  [Hang in there, Sam! Please!]

 Inevitable Confrontations, Part 2

    He then felt his wrist pick up vibrations from his watch¡¯s call alert, catching that it was coming in from Andre. [Now of all times?! This had better be important!] He continued his pace forward, slinging the rifle, freeing up his hands so he could pick up: ¡°Yes?!¡±


    ¡°Sitrep! Is Sam still alive!?¡±


    [What? Are they watching?!] He then heard the activation of jump-boosters, signaling him to duck into the awning of the building he just passed. ¡°Are you seeing this?! Where is he going?!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s leaving the area! We are on our way, go get Sam!¡±


    [On your way!? What is going on!?] he thought as he started back his dash for the fourth building from him, keeping count of the alleys he passed. Gasping for air through his exhaustion, he elected to pass on any further communication. [Please, Sam, hang on!] He then heard the thruster engines¡¯ booming grow distant, cuing him the safety confirmation he had prayed for, ducking into that last alley without the fear of any surprises.


    Sam¡¯s neck was still throbbing, choked up by not just the physical damage to her hyoid bone and larynx but also from her fury still burning at full strength, unable to focus enough on pulling the blade still impaled in her left shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! Let me do that!¡±


    She heard the voice she forgot how hard she had prayed for to hear shout out to her, suddenly bringing out a stronger wave of hot tears, mixing with the rain that continued to stream down through her still-blurred vision. Her crying out became coughs in pain despite feeling the warmth of his presence next to her.


    ¡°This is going to hurt, OK?¡± he said as he pulled out gauze and tape from his pouch, placing one hand on the dagger contraption that was seemingly made of unfamiliar technology. Counting to three, he removed the unexpectedly long dagger, quickly dropping it to catch Sam who had fallen forward and up against him. Guiding her falling weight downward to the ground safely amongst her coughs and screams of anguish, he raced to apply the wound-sealing gauze and tape setup before too much blood loss could set in. As he finished the process, he let out a heavy sigh of relief. ¡°I have to thank my sister for teaching me that,¡± he spoke through his own attempt to catch his breath, slowly gathering the strength he would need to stand her back up to get them out of the open.


    ¡°Sebastian, y-¡­¡± she started to speak before he could move. ¡°it was-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what all just went on, but hurry it up!¡± Andre¡¯s voice shouted over his watch via the call he had forgotten to hang up. ¡°Something is inbound, likely an APC!¡±


    ¡°Where are you! Are you on your way?¡±


    ¡°Landing in that main street next to you! Get you and Sam behind cover, now!!¡±


    Sebastian frantically scanned the skies around him, finally spotting something that looked like a personal shuttle approaching on the horizon. ¡°That thing?!¡± he sputtered, slowly standing up as he pulled Sam up with him. ¡°Come on, Sam, we have to hide for a minute! Stand up!¡±


    As she finally found her footing, she allowed him to provide support enough to hobble back around the corner and into the alley from which he had arrived. ¡°Zay¡­ Sebastian, Zay did it all!¡± she struggled to relay to him as she fell back to the ground, back sliding down the wall against which she was propped.


    ¡°Sam, you have to slow down! Help is coming!¡±


    ¡°No! Zay is a Cloak! He did all of this!¡± she continued to shout through still-persistent coughs, eyes still shut tight through the continuing, burning pain both inside and out.


    ¡°Sam,¡± he shouted back, giving into the confusion. ¡°Who is Zay!?¡±


    ¡°My brother, damn it!¡±


    He could only pause in shock, almost missing the sound of an approaching aerial vessel nearby.


    [You mean to tell me¡­ that so many of our people have died chasing¡­ her brother?!]


    ¡­That I have to explain to Sam that I have to kill¡­ her brother?!]


    ¡­The one she said was a Harbinger and ran away years ago¡­ the one she¡¯s been looking for?!]


    ¡­What else is there to this story that-]


    He didn¡¯t catch during that thought process that he too was leaning against the wall next to her as she started shaking him awake, missing the majority of the incoming message over his watch:


    ¡°-behind you at least! Hurry!¡± Andre¡¯s voice finally rang into his head as he returned to reality.


    ¡°Wait, what? Say that again!¡± he said with a shake of his head, grabbing another hold of Sam as if preparing to stand once more.


    ¡°That¡¯s a fucking A-..P-..C!¡± he hollered in desperation with full emphasis on the acronym. ¡°Move, damn it, while we find a way to draw their fire! Get to that street behind you!¡±


    [That sound!] Sebastian whispered to himself as he felt like the whole situation struck him upside his head for the second time now, realizing the carrier approach earlier was the aforementioned APC. He was now standing Sam up as quickly as the two started limping down the alley. ¡°Sorry! I couldn¡¯t tell! Who do you have with you!?¡±


    Gunfire immediately erupted just beyond the corner they had vacated, mixed with the screams of ricocheting return fire.


    ¡°We set a beacon! Get Sam over to our shuttle now while we can cover for you!¡± he heard Kerry this time over the call before passing it back to Andre:


    ¡°Closing connection!¡±


    [This is it, let¡¯s get us out of this hell hole!] he thought as he gathered his dwindling energy for one last push up the back street for the now-active beacon showing on his watch.


    .


    .


    ¡°Go!¡± Andre yelled across the doorway to Kerry as she tucked her PDW and made a run for the nearest alley, narrowly fitting through the window in gunfire. He continued to pop off any rounds he could get down the street, assessing the number of enemy boots on the ground. This isn¡¯t good, they¡¯re about ten strong. Can¡¯t let them fan out! He instinctively checked over his shoulder just for an instant to see Danielle huddled up in the back corner out of sight, trying to radio in any form of support she could. Damn it! If only we had one more!


    A sudden clunk of approaching footsteps from behind him startled him, but only by a fraction compared to the reaction he had to seeing Taneesha approaching with a rocket launcher. ¡°Move back!¡± she barked, having no resistance from him as she set herself up at the other side of the doorway. ¡°Cover fire!¡±


    ¡°Covering!¡± he shouted, turning the corner to fire off his last few rounds before he heard the magazine click empty. Curling back around, he began to pop out the spent magazine before jumping back, shook by the sudden discharge of the rocket from its tube. The secondary acceleration charge burst to life just a split second after firing, sending the anti-vehicle explosive careening into the APC at near-sonic speeds.


    ¡°Nice shot!¡± he returned in bewilderment, attempting to regather his focus to switching magazines to once more being astonished by the scenes that continued to unfold with their new ally.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    <u>BDA-DA-DA-DA-DAH!!!</u> rang out a burst of fire, complete in the same local flavor of roller delayed, brass-cased spice from the carbine-length rifle she had slung around her. And to top it off, he could now see that she was even adorned with military-issued digital analytics goggles and headset. ¡°I¡¯m covering! You go!¡±


    Wide-eyed, Andre gladly responded ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± as he timed his roll-out from the shuttle.


    ¡°Kerry! Andre!¡± Danielle shouted from her corner as she put away her radio and pulled out her PDW to prepare for a potential join-in. ¡°Just got word! Sur has to deliver something to HQ and we need a secure location before transmitting!¡± So, THIS is why she was so damned adamant on not turning around? But, then, why not just SAY it to us? What is going on!?


    ¡°Hold up, this is a two-way rescue, now?!¡± Kerry continued her race to the back street to where she expected to see Sebastian and Sam, hoping to catch them before anyone else.


    ¡°She¡¯s part of the package!!¡±


    ¡°Roger! We already got this end covered! Kerry¡¯s got the other two!¡± Andre¡¯s voice came over in response as she spotted the narrow gap between the fast-approaching street corner, readying her PDW. Grinding to a halt, she whipped around the edge, sights up, finding instant relief to see the two of them only a block away. ¡°Come on! Keep moving!¡± she shouted with her left hand up in a wave. She then pivoted her head back the other way from whence she came, finding comfort in seeing Andre already posted up at the corner. ¡°They¡¯re on their way!¡±


    ¡°Receiving!¡± he responded as he started laying more cover fire.


    Kerry jumped across the narrow gravel street, getting the two out of her line of sight as she stared through her optic, awaiting any hint of enemy activity possibly on their tail. Come on, come on, she impatiently mumbled in her head as Sebastian and Sam continued their hobbled approach to her corner, anxiously adjusting her hold of the foregrip and handle.


    Sam was trying to keep as much focus as possible on her gait, knowing that time wasn¡¯t on their side, but it was more than the sharp pains running up her left side that slowed her down. A hole in her heart remained, an additional gaping wound paired with the one left in her shoulder.


    I can¡¯t believe you left us¡­ who turned you into this¡­ monster?-


    <u>-PTAH - PTAH!!!</u>


    Rang out a pair of shots from Kerry¡¯s PDW that caused both she and Sebastian to jump in reaction. Turning, they saw what must have been someone retreating back into their alley.


    ¡°Move, move!¡± Kerry barked, expecting at any second to see more boots arrive.


    ¡°Shit, we¡¯re trying!¡± Sam fussed back through her teeth, looking back forward as Sebastian pulled her along once more. They finally made it to the corner, turning to see Andre at the other end, reloading after expending his last round.


    ¡°They¡¯re on their way!¡± Andre shouted over the radio as he spotted the two approaching, Kerry close behind as she kept her barrel facing their six. ¡°Clear the way!¡±


    ¡°Here!¡± Danielle shouted from behind and inside the shuttle, to which Andre could well see had more armor plating than he expected, holding up to the return fire that had been raining down intermittently. He dropped his slung PDW to catch the canister that fell his way, pulling the release tab before slinging it toward the general vicinity of the half-wrecked APC. A second later, smoke burst from the canister, providing the cover he knew Sebastian and Sam would need. ¡°Smoke up! Let¡¯s move!¡± he continued to bark, waving the two past him.


    ¡°Rockets coming!¡± Taneesha shouted as she noticed an explosives marker rounding the corner not too far up the street, signaling Andre to hold them up.


    He quickly and without a moment¡¯s hesitation grabbed Sebastian¡¯s pouch strap, pulling them back behind cover. ¡°Hold on til we¡¯re clear!¡± He then edged back over to try to catch a glimpse of the situation. Just before peering around the corner, he heard footsteps approaching. Stock pulled back up against his shoulder, he gripped the handles of his PDW and pivoted, placing two bursts at two soldiers approaching the shuttle from along the same wall. In the same motion, he was able to catch what looked to be another APC inbound. ¡°We have to get airborne before they get a chance to shoot that thing!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the signal, go!¡± Kerry shouted with a push from behind, no longer willing to wait for the soldiers behind them to catch up.


    ¡°Now or never!¡± Sebastian urged Sam to give it one last go as they now saw the shuttle¡¯s open door, and to his surprise, seeing Taneesha behind the right corner with a waving signal. [Oh, wow, of all people¡­]


    ¡°Ms. Sur!¡± Danielle shouted from behind Taneesha, trying to keep an eye on her approaching squad. ¡°Let me take over for you! You are trying to get back alive, right!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been through worse!¡± she fussed back as she pulled back to reload amidst the ricochets of return fire. ¡°I survived your precious children at gunpoint, twice, didn¡¯t I?!¡± she jabbed with a smirk, drawing ire and a subsequent shrug from Danielle before she turned to continue covering fire. ¡°And remember, you¡¯re injured! No good dead to us!¡±


    Danielle smiled wryly. Sounds like my kids really did a number on her yesterday. Glad they weren¡¯t too rough.


    ¡°The APC¡¯s stopping!¡± Andre shouted as he expended his final round of the last remaining magazine he had, now pushing the two along with a sudden sense of desperation.


    ¡°Covering!¡± Kerry shouted as she took over for him, now seeing the APC pulling to the side with a top hatch opening. ¡°Shit! Rocket!¡± she continued with wide eyes, spotting the launcher tube rising above the roofline.


    Like I said! I could have died three times before today, so there is no way in hell I am going to now, Taneesha continued the thought with a mix of frustration and worsened irony, wrapping her foregrip-attached sling around her left upper arm firmly, stabilizing her aim as she shut her non-aiming eye to get one good shot. Placing the laser reticle over the outlined head her goggles painted for her, she took a breath in, held, and squeezed.


    <u>BDAH!!!</u>


    Screamed the rifle round that sent blood and flesh from the man holding the rocket tube as it fell innocently to the asphalt, bouncing in a way that confirmed their safe exit.


    ¡°Nice shot! Damn, that saved our ass!¡± Kerry elated, tight-fisted as she laid the last of her covering fire shots downfield. She then heard the three¡¯s footsteps clanging on the loading ramp, cueing her the end of her role. ¡°Finish covering for us, we are loading!¡± she barked as she rotated, helping shove them on board.


    ¡°Down! Everyone down and in!¡± Sam heard Andre holler as she stumbled to the ground, half in pain, but half in complete release of all the tension gathered during their retreat. She was finally on board. Sweet, sweet smell of shuttle floor mat relief! she thought to herself as she rolled over off of Sebastian¡¯s back.


    He too rolled over to make room for Kerry who was one step from diving in as well, then turning his head to see Taneesha laying down the last of her cover fire.


    ¡°She¡¯s in, that¡¯s everyone! Close it up!¡± she ordered the driver as she spotted one last man in the corner of her optic. She inched her sights over to get that last shot she knew she¡¯d have a second or two to make before the door would finish closing.


    ¡°Ms. Sur!¡± Kerry shouted as she rolled over to see her still looking downfield. ¡°Let¡¯s-¡±


    TWHIP


    ¡­


    Oh, shit! Sam panicked, blood-sprayed across her face.


    Kerry¡¯s words immediately trailed off into a scream as she reflexively reached over to catch her falling body. ¡°Ms. Sur!¡±


    ¡°Sur is down!¡± Andre wailed, falling down to her side as Kerry caught her, rolling over to keep her down enough from getting hit further.


    The door was now sealed as the driver pulled them up into the air.


    Kerry started losing her composure as she blindly started pressing down on her neck where a large portion of skin and meat was missing as blood poured and sprayed from between her fingers. She tried to make out words to speak to her, unable to utter anything comprehensible outside of her frantic pleas for help in between.


    Andre had already ripped his pouch open, grabbing out whatever gauzing he could as he too started to lose his dexterity through the panic, dropping whatever he tried to grab. ¡°Stay with us, stay with us,¡± he repeated in sharply increasing hysteria mixed along with her intermittent sputters and gargled blood. ¡°Stay with us!¡±


    Sam was still paralyzed, dumbfoundedly looking upon the scene as she felt the shuttle accelerate off into the clear. Her own focus began to fade as she watched Kerry crying through her fuddled speech and futile attempts to stop the bleeding, Andre¡¯s joining of hands with Kerry over her neck, and Sebastian who had now jumped over to join them, trying to pick up the gauzing Andre dropped, failing similarly through his own losing battle to distress.


    ¡°Hold on! Please!¡± he cried in vain through the lump in his throat, now holding onto her rapidly trembling hand as if to comfort her.


    ¡°Find that sealant! Keep pressure on it!¡± Danielle¡¯s voice could now be heard crying out from somewhere above and behind her. ¡°We can¡¯t lose her!¡±


    Sam¡¯s fogged consciousness then brought her to attempt to lift herself off the floor, barely getting her head up and her back elevated more than a few centimeters. Nothing could have been said to get her to snap out of it and respond in any helpful way, however, and her vision slowly wandered downward, meeting the rapidly fading light in Taneesha¡¯s empty gaze. Through their stare, it was as if Taneesha spoke to her:


    ¡°What happened to me? Why can¡¯t I breathe? Why did you let this happen to me?¡±


    The horrifying expression caused Sam to once again collapse back to the ground, freezing in place.


    ¡°Here- found it, found it!!¡± Andre frantically spoke back as he cleared room for Danielle.


    She hurriedly bumped Kerry aside through her own half-suppressed panic, not having had to deal with such fatal trauma in her life herself. ¡°Sealing the artery!¡± she shouted with her best attempt at pulling the sealing patch around the exposed artery without missing, knowing it was a one-time shot. Shit! Why did she have to play hero?! This wasn¡¯t your place to die! If anyone¡¯s it was mine! She then felt the sealant bind to the vessel only partially, missing from lack of practice.  ¡°No! Damn it!!¡±


    Kerry from the side continued to press back down in vain, losing her sanity as well in the process upon hearing Danielle¡¯s shout of hopeless resignation.


    Something then suddenly felt damp across Sam¡¯s arm and shoulder. The larger part of the warm river of blood now reached Sam¡¯s bare neck as it sent a cold shiver down to her core, causing her to scream out in tears uncontrollably, losing hold of the last thread of sanity she had been clinging to. Everything that had been crossing her mind in regards to her brother had now gone completely numb and out of reach. Every injury she had sustained, every inch she came within death, everything that could have possibly gone wrong that day was no longer there to hold her together. The longest day that had finally neared its end was nigh.


    Her screams joined in the disharmony of the others¡¯ cries in anguish, accompanied by the rush of the propulsion drives kicked into full gear, and the prayer the pilot spoke aloud, holding onto his last thread of sanity for dear life.


    .


    .


    .


    ¡°We lost Sur¡­¡±

 Longest Days End, Part 1

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al was still in Vincent¡¯s office, leaning against the wall. His hands were covering his sulked face as he took in a deep breath, slowly allowing them to rub downward, pulling skin down with it. A long, relieved sigh left his chest as he lifted his head up to the window across from him on the opposite wall. ¡°This still doesn¡¯t change anything, Vrey.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± he returned with an impatient frown, still focused on the displays hovering over his desk. ¡°I expected to get my retrieved data back from Ms. Sur herself, rest her soul, but it pales in comparison to what your daughter brings back.¡±


    ¡°Sam survived in spite of your bullshit planning, not because of it,¡± he snapped, feeling the desire to smash something through the holographic transmittance casing that covered the desk. ¡°When we retrieve the black box data, we are using that to retire her to an office here. I believe her results show her system testing and development could be utilized at a much higher level-¡±


    ¡°-You mean pilot at a much higher level. I saw what I needed to already,¡± he scoffed, dragging over a screen to zoom in and move up between the two of them. The screen showed the recently decoded and restored video feed taken from her encounter with Requiem, showing her timed armor release and SMG sweep. He saw Al¡¯s disbelief of what he could see unfolding in front of his eyes. ¡°You knew about Norris¡¯ plans, didn¡¯t you? You wanted to think that was her that downed this thing you call a Cloak, am I wrong?¡± He could see the confusion and anger growing on his face as he continued, not allowing him a chance to retort when he knew he had him cornered. ¡°And I can show you more. She damaged a second one before she bailed, in a completely different LTAC, at that! Don¡¯t dare tell me we aren¡¯t dealing with a pilot we can¡¯t afford to lose from the playing field!¡±


    Al took in a deep breath, knowing his rage wouldn¡¯t serve him or Sam at all in this moment, taking pause to look for a higher route. ¡°Let her choose.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s highly likely she is in any psychological state to choose at the moment-¡±


    ¡°-When¡­ she recovers,¡± he interrupted with eyes closed and on his last nerve. ¡°Let¡­ her¡­ choose.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I can¡¯t say you aren¡¯t being unfair,¡± Vincent conceded with a wave of his hand, now putting away the close-up video feeds.


    Al thought during the next few seconds of silence as he tried to keep his thoughts collected before acting. I swear he is on to something with Sam but I can¡¯t quite put my finger on it. She was a nobody as far as he was concerned before Colombia¡­ now it¡¯s like¡­ And even I know it can¡¯t be her skill alone. Something isn¡¯t adding up and-


    ¡°-I believe you are still shocked to see your daughter doing so well, judging by your silence,¡± he spoke as if reading his mind, standing to reach for his coffee he left on the small counter behind him. ¡°I recorded every activity that took place in each of the four¡¯s cockpits. I saw that the Antares Mk2 system registered several increases in the sensory input amplitude during that last battle¡­ the one inside Navarre¡¯s Ap50 unit. It could only come from someone who knew the limits of Antares.¡±


    Danielle¡­


    ¡°Ms. Norris did the right things, in the end,¡± he continued as he took his seat back, maintaining a calm, confident demeanor. ¡°It was thanks to her that this operation didn¡¯t buckle like it almost did. From what I can tell, the Underground slipped, and Ms. Norris saved our pilots¡¯ lives. And of course, thanks to Ms. Sur as well.¡± Al remained silent, afraid to speak too much and jeopardize Danielle¡¯s standings with Vincent. ¡°So, in our next meeting, to put a close to this operation and to let us go home and rest, I propose two things- and I would like to get your opinions on these.¡±


    ¡°You will finally speak on this¡­ Project Excalibur, I presume?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that, and Ms. Norris¡¯ fate. She broke several accords along with our biggest pilot policy on the books, you know.¡±


    There it is¡­ dirty son of a bitch.


    ¡°I can arrange for her to have most of what she did¡­ covered up. I will just leash her up here in space at a desk job. She can keep her salary, whatever she wants. She deserves¡­ better¡­ than to be tainted in the public eye. But we will make sure she never steps foot on Earth again as long as our operations are running full scale.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± he responded with a breath of concession, albeit with some admitted relief. ¡°You can¡¯t fault her for having heart, dignity, selflessness,¡± he spoke with increasing strength in tone to point out the stark contrast Danielle¡¯s characteristics possessed in comparison to the image Al held of the man before him.


    Vincent read the jab, refusing a reaction as Al digressed.


    ¡°We will inform her as such. Now, what is the big idea with rebooting Excalibur? Didn¡¯t this fall apart a decade ago for a good reason?¡±


    ¡°You see how incredibly strong and vicious our enemy has become. Are we to throw more men? Give in and sell our clients short, leaving them to the wolves? What would be your answer, Alexander?¡± he stiffly posed, pausing to return the cold, judgmental gaze. ¡°What do you expect me to do?¡±


    ¡°Play the game of chess like the damn game of chess it is, that¡¯s what I suggest. Why are you supposing the only next move is to smash the board with a sledgehammer?¡±


    ¡°Time. You realize that the only reason we are having such difficulties is because this Rex character has shown up over the past year and everything has gotten harder to control on an exponential scale. One month to take a different route gives that branch of the Underground an entire year¡¯s head start, and they¡¯ve been an untreatable eyesore with their effectiveness on the ground with anti-LTAC technology and tactics. Fight fire with fire, Alexander. Wasn¡¯t that your mantra last war?¡±


    Now he had lost his cool as he stood up, hands balled up. ¡°This isn¡¯t a war, damn it!¡±


    Vincent returned the energy with a cocked brow and a tilt of his head, matching glares: ¡°Until you prove your men on the field otherwise, it sure as hell is to them. They want to win this. Now, sit down and let me explain what I need your well-thought-out opinion on,¡± he continued in his maintained demeanor, taking another sip from his coffee thermos. ¡°You saw the technical notes addressed on the first two pages I assume. I want to, if at all possible, avoid using anyone inexperienced, including Samantha. You¡¯d prefer one last go on hiding the use of an ex-pilot, I assume?¡±


    ¡°I saw, and I saw you intend on rebooting not just the project¡¯s three mech designs, but also the installation of a prototype Reign operating system. I can fully assume you plan on tracking down that girl, wherever she is.¡±


    ¡°So, you will help me find her?¡±


    ¡°Find someone who¡­¡± Al stopped midsentence with a laugh he had to hold in, both from irony and from disbelief. ¡°I think you really have lost your mind. If you plan on moving forward with this project, you need to let us choose the pilots. I¡¯ve done it many a time, and I can do it again while saving face for both of us. It¡¯ll also be one way to spare Sam, who I can guarantee you will be coming home after all this.¡±


    ¡°At least you are with me on the most important points. We will bring up Ms. Norris¡¯ softened fate and Project Excalibur to the meeting. I will have it start in thirty. Gather what you need, Alexander.¡±


    Maybe this fixation of his is for the better, he pondered as he paid no attention to Vincent¡¯s business he continued with. His eyes then fell upon that one picture of a occasionally referenced young man that read ¡°Lance Vrey, 2140-2163¡± on the placard, still sitting on the corner of Vincent¡¯s desk as it always had. And we all know where that fixation is coming from¡­ He took his time leaving, hand over the back of his head as he massaged his neck. But I wonder what else has him so hell-bent on reactivating Reign research to the point he¡¯s looking for her of all people. He closed the door behind him, softly this time, tuning out the noise that filled the meeting room as he meandered throughout the maze of staff members crossing by, aiming for his seat at the table. He won¡¯t ever find that girl. I don¡¯t know too much about her, other than she was close to Lance¡­ and no one close to Lance, outside of Marian, of course, has ever surfaced publicly since¡­ He took his seat to find his mobile face-up with a string of missed calls from Amelie. Shit¡­ right. I¡¯d better hurry and fill her in.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Dhaka City, Bangladesh</li>


    </ul>


    Rain continued to pummel rooftops and blot out most of the glimmering night lights cast from the nearest commercial district¡¯s high-rises. The door slammed shut as a drenched, exhausted Isaiah stepped through the narrow hallway to their ramshackle temporary office that still stood amongst old warehouses. He slung his bag to the corner of the room and pulled out his seat at the round table still cluttered with papers, photos, and clipboards. He fell into it with an uncharacteristic thud, allowing his head to hang to the side, taking in several deep breaths.


    How much more could possibly go wrong. I swear someone is tampering with my plans and adjustments. But who¡­?


    A splash could be heard along with the approaching hum of a hydrogen combustion engine. Soon after, the hum died with the opening and slamming of a door. Marian burst through, clearly livid, quickly shedding her rain coat and removed her mobile from her pocket as she walked up facing it to him. ¡°A mobile. Do you perhaps have one in this day and age?¡± she fired with a piercing glare.


    Isaiah rolled his head to tilt the other direction, unfazed by her impending accusations. ¡°You left Taneesha Sur unattended. Where were you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because that last pilot that escaped was none other than your sister,¡± she seethed, and in a manner that hinted she had been waiting for this one. ¡°I can al-ready guess!¡±


    He trained his eyes back on her, meeting hers with a cold, serious stare. ¡°Where were you?¡± he insisted.


    She rolled her eyes as her hands dropped to her sides in disbelief. ¡°I was trying to track every change in plan to pick up any pieces you left behind! You left me no choice! And now Elias is dead as a result, you bloody prick!¡±


    Now you¡¯ve gone too far. ¡°You let Sur slip out and rescue who should have been captured or killed along with all the rest. Now, how do you feel about knowing Norris, her pilots, the Colombian, and my hapless sister are free thanks to your abandoning of your post?¡± He saw the rage building, and he couldn¡¯t care less. It was already established well in his mind that this was not his undoing. ¡°Sur was your job. Your one actual job and you left her alone the one time it mattered most. Now the rest are back in Kolkata. Don¡¯t dare come at me about someone who didn¡¯t follow their orders as well,¡± he coldly continued. ¡°He was supposed to retreat after failing to take out Norris. That¡¯s on him.¡±


    ¡°You really are a Knight,¡± she spoke back in a quieter, saddened voice, shaking her head. ¡°How could you?¡±


    He crossed his arms, taking his stare off to another direction. ¡°When you erase your expectations of an operation like this to follow initial plans one hundred percent and realize how much you let yourself get toyed with, you will then finally realize how misplaced your emotions are.¡±


    ¡°Toyed by you if anyone,¡± she huffed, turning to grab the rain coat she threw on the floor as if to leave.


    ¡°You spoke to Rex without my authority, didn¡¯t you,¡± he calmly shot back, still looking out the rain trails running down the window.


    ¡°And?¡± she said as she picked the coat up, shaking the rain off of it.


    ¡°That was when you left your post. What did he tell you to do?¡±


    Something in that line had her pause in her tracks in thought.


    ¡°Marian¡­ what did he tell you to do?¡±


    ¡°He said¡­ he said to bail the op and to stand by for picking you up in case of emergency. In case you¡­¡±


    Bingo. ¡°Marian, you were toyed with. I won¡¯t fault you with not knowing the ground troops we had been promised for cleanup were mostly diverted to a last-ditch effort by the remaining paramilitaries¡­ the ones still loyal to the BNP¡­ to attack the Junta forces. Not much left for us. Then, Sur picked the best possible timing to run out to save her new employer¡¯s pilots, right as you took your eyes off her. But Rex knew this, and he still asked you to abandon. Now, whose fault is it that Hexa got away in the end? Are you going to blame us three for not piloting better?¡± He then stood up with a rare fire in his eyes he rarely exposed, approaching her.


    ¡°Those pilots had nowhere to go! They were to die in the streets at the hands of locals who had wished nothing more than to execute a greedy corporations¡¯ lackeys for the lives lost and the money wasted! They were the last few remnants of an entire drop convoy we wiped out! All just after we finished a coup that did the job we were hired to do weeks sooner than expected!¡± He was now in her face, once again eye to eye. ¡°Now, where are they!? Answer me! Who is at fault here in the end and who is toying with who!?¡±


    She found herself looking down, unable to come up with a response like she normally had done under similar circumstances. ¡°There may¡¯ve been some rushing to judgment on my part,¡± she mumbled after taking in a deep breath to calm down. ¡°But,¡± she continued as she looked back to him with a shrug, ¡°maybe it¡¯s just best we stop trying to prove who is right and just¡­ focus on getting on to the next thing. Isn¡¯t that what all of us have done best up to this point?¡±


    Isaiah saw a tear hiding behind those eyes still staring back intently. We are hurting. This isn¡¯t the right time or place. He knew that he still hadn¡¯t faced Revenant just yet, deep down fearing the confrontation, knowing he would be eaten by the qualm that would rear its ugly head every time that name was to be mentioned from here forth. ¡°I apologize for my lack of control just now. I realize the best plan moving forward will be once I speak with Revenant. I owe him every explanation possible, and even that won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± she responded with a pause long enough to get her rain coat back on her properly. She then took a moment to finish gathering her thoughts as she looked out the same window he had earlier. ¡°I know what prize we all were eyeing. You always tell us to take things one step at a time, and, well, if you had your mobile on you would¡¯ve received Rex¡¯s call.¡±


    ¡°Right, and that¡¯s the least of my priorities as you can tell.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come here just to scold you for not answering,¡± she chuckled with a defeated smile, now looking back at him. ¡°I came here to tell you Rex is trying to move forward without you. Our next step has to be together, and these next steps will be without Tamaz.¡± Those words stung Isaiah in a way he hadn¡¯t felt coming from her before, and Marian could tell as she approached him once more. ¡°I really, really need you to understand that we can¡¯t all think and do as you do. I speak with confidence that there aren¡¯t many you can trust. Don¡¯t try your hardest to lose us just to gain another progress point¡­ for what, if it¡¯s to be alone?¡±


    By this point in time, these three had been the only ones I could trust. I do need to focus on losing less before gaining anything else or I won¡¯t last, he pondered as he let out a flat sigh. ¡°What did Rex say?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s sending Tamaz to Manila, and not just sent, but transferring networks. He¡¯s with Tyrus, now.¡±


    He already felt isolated, now, losing both of his pilots all in one evening. It was already heavy enough on his heart on how Requiem was lost, but to lose one more to a rival pipeline leader was insult to injury. Tyrus of all people. The only one who would ever think to snipe anyone under my watch, and it could only happen if Rex allowed it. ¡°So, Rex is already that prepared to have me done in. Why bother calling him, then? Why tell me? It sounds like I should be figuring out what¡¯s next myself.¡±


    ¡°We,¡± she corrected. ¡°We should be. And that means calling Rex soon after before he sends you back to Nanning for going AWOL on top of everything else you all pulled.¡± She finally cracked a smile for the first time in over twenty-four hours. ¡°Just keep your damned mobile on from now on, please. I was also trying to warn you that you forgot to activate the ¡®backdoor¡¯ while you were fully distracted.¡±


    The second he realized what she was talking about, it struck him as embarrassing, drawing a thankful gesture from the tip of his hand. I really am out of sorts. He wiped his hand across his forehead, pulling it back down over his eyes, realizing things weren¡¯t all lost. ¡°I¡¯ll let you man that one. Let me reorganize in the meantime,¡± he suggested with a picked up tone, reaching over for one of the folders and clipboards tossed across the middle of the table.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Kolkata, India</li>


    </ul>


    Night had fallen on the last standing Infinity service and recruitment center in continental Asia, and up on the rooftop stood a figure only visible by the moonlight¡¯s soft reflection off of her hair that rustled through the warm, damp breeze. Danielle was alone just beyond the roof terrace¡¯s entrance door, mostly hidden by the shadow of the nearby display tower. She stood there with her left arm in a sling leaning against the wall, earpiece connected for her call that had her seek the privacy she now had. ¡°No, I can talk now. Go ahead,¡± she spoke in a hushed tone, keeping her eye on the door across the way.


    ¡°Alright then, transferring you now,¡± Al¡¯s voice came over the in-ear speaker.


    ¡°Ms. Norris,¡± Amelie¡¯s voice then came up after a second¡¯s delay.


    ¡°Yes, may I still call you Mrs. Knight? Or have things changed since years back?¡±


    ¡°I had to speak with you personally as I refuse to make a request indirectly but never directly thank you,¡± she answered straightforward, dodging the formality. ¡°Were you hurt?¡±


    ¡°They already have me scheduled for fracture repair in the morning. I¡¯ll be done with it and back in Space in no time.¡± Her tone quickly changed the moment she mentioned space, however. She already had her talks with command, and she knew Space would be her last stop for a long time. ¡°Sam is still getting her wound cleaned up, but she¡¯s alive and well,¡± she continued as her voice also continued to drop off. ¡°Sort of.¡±


    ¡°How is Gabriel?¡± Danielle was silent for a moment, long enough for Amelie to repeat herself. ¡°How bad is it?¡±


    She swallowed whatever had her choked up enough to answer abruptly: ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, gone?¡±


    Damn, is their whole family this cold and dense? she thought as she started rubbing her eyes, fighting off tears she was already worn out from battling all evening. ¡°He didn¡¯t make it out. We lost him before¡­ we lost him before I gathered who I could. It¡¯s still thanks to him we had time to make it out alive.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Amelie conceded after hearing the emotional response she dragged out. ¡°I have the rest of my life to thank you for bringing back my daughter. I will speak with her once she¡¯s able, but I had to thank you first. I will make sure you are treated and rewarded generously upon your return.¡±


    Danielle held back a sigh, knowing this was the best she could do and would do no good expecting something more rational or realistic for her response to the situation. ¡°Thank you. I guess¡­ I¡¯ll see you on the other side later this week.¡± The call disconnected, yet she remained where she stood, looking back up to the moon. I hate it, Sly. I hate this. I didn¡¯t expect to be headed anywhere after today without you. We should¡¯ve both been headed back to Space at worst¡­I¡¯m sorry.


    But in that same frame of thought, the idea of what he would have done wandered across her mind, helping her conjure up a sense of direction.


    I can at least do that. When he had a chance to move on, he hung around to keep an eye on us. Let me do the same.

 Longest Days End, Part 2

    The air was much more frigid and drier throughout the floors below, especially the second from the top where medical services were being issued to all the late-night visitors. In one of the rooms from which a pair of EM techs had just exited sat Sam, upright in her bed, left shoulder completely shrouded in bandaging that doubled as a brace for her slung left arm pinned against her chest. She remained there in silence, emotionless as the doors closed, accompanied only by the occasional sounds of passing feet down the hallway and the soft glows emitted by the various medical equipment screens that surrounded her, one of which was for the pain killers administered intravenously.


    What have I done? Who did I think I was?


    ¡­


    Flashbacks of the manner in which Isaiah stared into her soul, the way Taneesha coldly stared back as if she felt betrayed by her, the way her mother last looked down on her the last time they spoke in Bogota, all seemed to speak the same message to her. She was to blame for all of this. She was in over her head, and she was too stubborn to walk away and stay in her lane.


    She knew was in over her head, and this time, the thought was the most painful it had ever been since her trip to Earth began. But the pain, this time, was different than it felt when she was the victim. It was like she was the perpetrator, but the pain killers had her mental fog just thick enough she couldn¡¯t think clear enough to do more than dwell on that thought. And being cold and alone as she was, the thought and the pain associated with it became more pronounced.


    Long, cold, shivering minutes passed, knees curling up as she wrapped her right arm around them. Where is everyone? I don¡¯t even hardly remember ending up here. Hands beginning to tremble, she starts to reach for the blanket they provided with her that was bunched up at her feet. Sebastian didn¡¯t even look at me right last time I saw him¡­ when he saved me¡­ oh God¡­ she thought as a tear started to well up. Why did I tell him all of that?! What if he tells others what I told him?!


    The sliding open of the automated door caused her to jump, but quickly breathed a sigh of relief to see Danielle walking in, noting her left arm, too, was slung and bound in place. I thought I was going to be stuck here alone all night. ¡°Where is everyone?¡±


    Sheesh, girl looks like absolute shit. It took some effort to return the question with a smile, unaware of how weak it appeared to Sam as she took a seat next to her bed. ¡°Protocol,¡± she winced as she adjusted her posture as to minimize the pain shooting from her left side. ¡°They have to answer questions with the crisis prevention team. I was done first¡­ thought I¡¯d stop by.¡±


    Crisis prevention¡­? We had such a division? ¡°But the crisis already happened. I don¡¯t get why they-¡±


    ¡°-This is an ongoing crisis, Sam. We are trying to make sure things don¡¯t get worse than they already are. We lost a lot of men today, and it turns out we may have lost a real doozie with Sur being K.I.A. The last thing Infinity needs is bad response, bad cleanup, and bad publicity.¡± She could see that things weren¡¯t registering too well for Sam, judging by her pursed lips and her crumpled brow as she looked down at her knees. ¡°I know you went through too much today. I think that was all too much to handle for you. It¡¯s best that you, you know¡­¡±


    ¡­No! Don¡¯t tell me that kind of bullshit! Don¡¯t start sounding like my mother! Her mind suddenly began bogging down with self-destructive thoughts, drowning out Danielle¡¯s continued advice as she elaborated without realizing it fell on deaf ears. Why is it everyone thinks I can¡¯t handle what¡¯s going on! It started with mom, then dad, then Sebastian, then Zay, now Ms. Norris?! Are you fucking kidding me?! Is the whole world going to just tell me to shut the fuck up and go back home where they think I belong!?


    ¡°Hey¡­ hey¡­ are you listening? Because I can let the CP team handle this alone,¡± Danielle huffed, catching Sam¡¯s attention. She hid her soured emotions upon the way Sam reacted in insult with her demeanor. The shit I wish I could say. ¡°Sam, we all lost people we can¡¯t get back today. We saw things we can¡¯t unsee. I need you to be ready to make a few decisions for when CP comes by in the next few minutes. Can you listen for just a moment?¡±


    ¡°You want me to go home,¡± the words slipped from her mouth, unable to contain it internally. She didn¡¯t care that her emotions were getting the best of her as her stomach started to knot up, bearing convictions that her near-death and death-witnessing experiences granted her at least that much.


    Danielle lowered her head into her open hand, massaging her brow as she took a slow breath. ¡°Sam, what is it you want to do?¡±


    ¡­ What?


    ¡°Your father will get around to talking to you about that anyway, once he¡¯s cleared.¡± She slowly looked back up to her, finding her visibly confounded. ¡°What do you want to do from here?¡±


    ¡°Director,¡± she started to respond with what she thought was a confident answer, ultimately choking on the false momentum of the fleeting thought. Her hand she had raised to speak paused where it hovered, slowly closing it, retracting it to her bedside.


    .


    Is this what I really want?


    .


    Isaiah¡¯s cold, judgmental stare roared back to the surface of her active thoughts. The euphoric rush that came from severing that one sword-bearing arm off of the Samael pierced right through it as if she swung a sword of her own right through it. Then, the memories of the nauseating, disorienting pulses that ran through her just before and after those moments shook her back to the present. Her eyes scanned Danielle¡¯s face without thought, seeing someone who had faced the skills of pilots perhaps ten times more adept than the Cloaks she encountered. She came in when many more units had them surrounded, yet, when Sam emerged from the top of that apartment complex, only one remained. She did all that, didn¡¯t she? What else does she have to speak of?


    Feelings she hadn¡¯t had cross her conscious not once this entire operation started to flicker back to life.


    I¡¯m looking at what I want to be.


    ¡°I want to be a Harbinger. One like you.¡±


    ¡°Sam,¡± Danielle spoke in an attempt to stop what she didn¡¯t expect as she sat up straight.


    ¡°No,¡± she stoutly objected, matching posture and energy. ¡°You tampered with the Antares settings. You did that, didn¡¯t you!¡±


    ¡°Wh- how did you figure-¡± she responded aghast, but quickly straightened up after a realization. ¡°But what does that even matter? I just did that to try to help you survive that matchup!¡±


    ¡°The same shit that makes anyone pass out? You knew I could do it, didn¡¯t you!¡±


    ¡°You need to settle down,¡± she spoke through her suppressed desire to walk away by this point, leaning forward as if to caringly reach for Sam¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°You would do the same if you were me right now,¡± she reacted with a shake of her head, squirming back against the frame of the bed as if to avoid contact. ¡°You said ¡®what do you want to do¡¯? Well, that¡¯s exactly what I want to do.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just claim that title,¡± Danielle retreated with a defeated chuckle. ¡°You plan on explaining that foolishness to your mother and father?¡± But she instantly regretted the question, seeing how unfazed she was, still burning with intent. ¡°It¡¯s not a position, it¡¯s not a job- damn it, Sam, it¡¯s not even a program anymore for crying out loud!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s what everyone around me was, and it¡¯s what I am capable of considering myself one day regardless of whether or not it¡¯s a program anymore.¡± She could sense Danielle¡¯s patience beginning to wear thin, but after going this far, she knew she couldn¡¯t stop without feeling self-betrayal. ¡°I felt I was on the right path when I stayed in Colombia the first time I was offered a way home. I don¡¯t regret a thing ending up here.¡±


    ¡°I thought I could make you see your worthlessness out here, but¡­ you are too stubborn to disappear, to quit like you always did everything else!¡±


    The flashback sparked that rage once more as she slammed her fist on the bedside. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being told to quit when I have a right to everything laid out in front of me! I can and will make the difference my family is holding me back from being!¡±


    Danielle lowered her gaze in disappointment. Is that so? ¡°Are you ready to lose everything?¡±


    Sam was so blinded by her emotions she had failed to notice the sudden somberness of the words uttered. ¡°What do you mean, lose everything?¡±


    ¡°You only see what¡¯s in front of you. I think you need a good rest and some time to think things over before you make such a rash decision, Sam, and I mean that,¡± she calmly replied as she straightened up to leave. ¡°But before I go, CP will ask about your experiences with Ms. Sur. Understand that she left us so much data behind to work with I can¡¯t even begin to explain how sickening it makes me that we let her die for us. And then understand that everything Mr. Silva taught you was only what I taught you, don¡¯t ever bring his name up. Act as if he didn¡¯t exist. And¡­ that¡¯s fine because¡­ it¡¯s no longer a lie,¡± her voice trailed off with the holding back of the tears she was already languished from fighting off all evening. Even though I refuse to think that¡¯s how he went down¡­ ¡°You need to make that kind of decision after you think about what you will lose. Because, as I said, you will lose people around you, either by abandonment or death.¡± With that last word, she began stepping out of the room without looking back, letting out a long sigh that felt like it dragged the weight of the day along with it.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Sam¡¯s energy couldn¡¯t sustain itself after hearing that dagger of a departing note. Danielle had already passed through the door by the time she could even muster up a thought in response. If she¡¯s talking about Mr. Silva the way I think she means¡­ is that why he hasn¡¯t returned yet? Her head then began to shake in denial. But I already lost my brother. I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t even mention his name to anyone, not only because who would believe me, but this would make me nothing more than a liability if they did¡­ and they¡¯d remove me from the next operations¡­ The next thought that flickered across her mind felt like a slap across the face as her heart sank into her stomach. Sebastian! Why did I tell him all of that- shit! Don¡¯t tell me you said anything! Please! Her heart raced even faster as she saw several men and women approaching in white coats with large ID tags assuming it was Crisis Prevention. It was too late to try to do anything to stop what she feared most, now.


    .


    .


    Other Crisis Prevention staff members, however, had already started their interviewing processes in a room a few halls down the way. Sebastian was standing against the wall outside in the cold, sterile hallway just across from the closed doors as he flipped through news articles on his mobile. It was a rare moment for him, keeping the projection mode off, awkwardly using his thumb to scroll around until he found the headlines he was searching for. Holding the screen closer, he spotted ¡°First Secretary of State¡¯s daughter Taneesha Sur reported as one of the many civilians killed in today¡¯s conflict.¡±


    So much had eaten away at his soul that day, unable to refrain from letting out a dry chuckle. [Many civilians?]


    He glanced at the first body paragraph before swiping over to the related articles section, seeing the top of the list read: ¡°Local heroes reportedly stop Union-born Harbinger pilot Danielle Norris.¡±


    His head continued to shake. [Forget all these liars. I can¡¯t find anything about this¡­ Zay? Zay Knight was his name?]


    The doors then opened as he quickly put his mobile in his pocket, looking up to see Kerry walking out as he took notice of the three CP members seated at the back of the cramped, temporarily set-up conference room. He forgot how terrible they must have all looked after everything, reminded by the bags under her eyes, the splotched bloodstains around her wrists and knees, and the emptiness in her gaze.


    As her eyes then met his, just the slightest spark of life came back enough to speak with a forced smile. ¡°Hey, when did you get here?¡±


    He attempted to return the gesture with his own. ¡°About ten minutes ago. They must ask many questions, huh.¡±


    The doors behind her shut as she felt the urge to speak her mind. ¡°This is completely inhumane. They can¡¯t ask what they asked after we saw what we saw,¡± she spoke with sudden determination mixed with suppressed anger. ¡°If they don¡¯t back off of us, I swear I¡¯m about to cause a crisis right here and now,¡± she continued as she started to tremble from the emotional outpour.


    Sebastian could see the tears of frustration, devastation, and utter exhaustion well up already as he did the only thing his nature suggested he do in such a situation, opening an empathetic arm as she took the welcomed hug. ¡°I will see what I can get from them,¡± he calmly replied, trying to be the strength in the moment as he noted her remaining where she was under his arm, seemingly fighting back those same tears. ¡°I have lots of information now, and I feel I have many questions prepared to ask them. I think I have some fight remaining, maybe¡­¡± he continued as he gently patted the back of her shoulder a few times, eyeing the doors that still remained closed. ¡°Maybe throw something back at them for us.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Sebastian,¡± she spoke back with mustered strength as she backed away, hearing the doors behind them now open. ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t do much myself.¡± She then warmly placed a hand to his arm with a smile that came much more easily. ¡°Good luck. I¡¯ll see you in the commons.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he nodded with a grin in return before stepping into the makeshift conference room.


    ¡°Will be waiting with Andre for you!¡± he heard her add in before the doors closed. He then took the motioned hands as his cue to take his seat at the middle of the table, across from the three CP staff members.


    ¡°Sebastian Navarre of Bogota, Colombia,¡± the younger man in the middle began to speak in a low-toned, droning fashion. ¡°In active voluntary service since June. Assigned to Kerrington Melancon¡¯s special operations group overseen by Director Danielle Norris with intent to complete a s-¡±


    ¡°What is the significance of this meeting?¡± Sebastian flatly interrupted as he raised his hands off of his lap as he softly suggested his already built-up exasperation.


    ¡°You engaged with top priority targets this morning,¡± the woman to his right stepped in with a stronger tone, not acknowledging Sebastian¡¯s deflection. ¡°Do you know of the technology you faced?¡±


    ¡°Do I know of what?¡± he answered with still-increasing frustration.


    ¡°Do you know of the technology you faced this morning,¡± she continued with her own impatience, pointing to a screen the man on the left brought up from their holographic image-displaying tablet. The pictures showed an uncloaked Samael, but something looked different about this one. The one he saw up close didn¡¯t look this damaged.


    ¡°I saw something similar to this. But why do you ask me what do I know? Of course, I know nothing but the fact they are dangerous.¡±


    ¡°You saw these with your own eyes, correct?¡± she persisted. ¡°We have a situation, and with these targets on the run, we have to know what you learned. What information do you have to tell us right now?¡±


    Flashes of the images still burned in his head, seeing Sam twice land hits but with each missing the mark, allowing both Cloaks to get away. He was still convinced that it should have been him behind those cockpit doors, but he digressed. [No¡­ Now is not the time.] ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you. What do you mean, information?¡±


    ¡°Anything. You were the one ready to change the topic to this, am I wrong?¡± she flatly replied, unknowingly tapping her pen on her tablet, giving away her irritation.


    Sebastian tried hard to not roll his eyes, preparing to give her anything to move things to where he could ask what he had been holding onto for the proper time. ¡°Two Cloaks. Those, right? They got away. They all used shields that were like our shields, but they broke easily when hit by large rounds. Their tanks, also, had special¡­ aiming parts. They could aim high up¡­ to¡­ take down the carriers-¡±


    ¡°-Navarre,¡± the man in the middle coldly and rudely interrupted with a hand up, ¡°tell us who you saw. Who did you see come from that last Cloak?¡± He saw the hurt and the conflict in his eyes, knowing he asked the right man this time for the answer that had evaded him all evening. ¡°Who - did - you - see?¡±


    ¡°How do you know I saw anyone?¡±


    He remained thoroughly unamused by his stalling. ¡°We pulled a torturing knife from your bag, and we assume that blood- Knight¡¯s cauterized and fresh blood, that was all over it came from that wound we stitched up. Tell me, Navarre, who was that? What did he or she look like? Give us anything.¡±


    [Torturing knife? What in the hell?...] He then closed his eyes for a short moment, putting his thoughts back to where he was headed. [Whatever, I know what they want, and I don¡¯t trust these people.] ¡°I only remember seeing a man, white, had either brown or black hair¡­ it was raining so I don¡¯t know which is the real color. He stepped away for a second, so, I shot. I missed him, however. I don¡¯t know anyone on their side, what do you expect?¡± The look in his eyes over the span of that last question rivaled the impatience of the staff.


    ¡°We have to do everything we can to learn of this enemy. The situation is highly likely to spill into this region and that is a crisis we cannot afford to endure at this rate.¡±


    [A~nd that¡¯s where the name comes from, I see.]


    ¡°Therefore, we need you to be more truthful with us, more¡­ complete with your responses,¡± he finished with his hands clasped, hunching over the table.


    [Wait,] he thought with a sudden sense of panic, scrambling to conjure up a response to an accusation he wasn¡¯t ready for. [Is this standard procedure?] ¡°I told you, I saw that man near Sam, I shot at him maybe¡­ ten bullets? I didn¡¯t hit him. I wasn¡¯t ready for that recoil. Deimar rifles are popular for their bad kick.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Navarre,¡± he said before letting out a long nasal sigh. ¡°Nevermind, we will save that question for Ms. Knight regardless.¡± He saw the offended reaction from him but remained calm in his continuation: ¡°The other thing to ask, and we have time, of course¡­ do you feel you could have prevented more losses if you never lost your LTAC?¡±


    [These sons of bitches are reading my mind. Was I bugged? Was Sam bugged?! No way in hell!... no time for that, either.] ¡°I was sad to lose mine. Of course, I would never wish to sit on the bench. What kind of question is that?¡± he shot back with a frown. ¡°Actually, why are you insisting that I am¡­ what¡­ you think I am lying? Who would I cover up with lies for¡­ on their side? The side who killed my family!? I came HERE to capture or kill those Cloak pilots! Whose side are you on, making me seem the suspicious one?!¡±


    The woman from earlier jumped back in without hesitation: ¡°Don¡¯t jump to conclusions here, now, Mr. Navarre. We appreciate your time, but we would appreciate your honesty more. Again, this is not to accuse, this is because this information is of absolute, utmost importance. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand,¡± he sarcastically replied. ¡°And you? Do you understand that I. Don¡¯t. Know. Anything!?¡±


    ¡°Let him go, this is a waste of fucking time,¡± she said to the side under her breath to the man next to her.


    ¡°Before I go,¡± Sebastian pressed on, ¡°I have one question.¡±


    The man put up a hand as he stood up. ¡°We don¡¯t take questions. Please proceed out of the room so we may move on to the next interview. Thank you for your time.¡±


    .


    .


    Sebastian entered through a door at the end of a sterile, empty dormitory hallway that led to the crewmen¡¯s commons. He saw a plethora of seating options but noted the room was void of anyone but Kerry and Andre who were seated at a semicircular sofa, both sprawled out half conscious.


    ¡°Hey, did they berate you, too?¡± Andre inquired, picking his chin up but stayed slouched where he sat. His appearance was as disheveled as the rest, still covered here and there with mud and blood stains and had the eye bags and scrapes to match.


    ¡°Berate?¡± he answered as he sat across from them on a similarly shaped sofa, finding a comfortable posture.


    ¡°Did they give you a hard time? They all seemed like assholes, and the more me and Kerry here think about it the more pissed off we got,¡± he restated as he shook his head.


    ¡°Ah, that? Yes¡­ and yes.¡± He took in a deep breath, thinking about how he didn¡¯t get to ask a few key things that bugged him. ¡°I wanted to ask about Ms. Sur. They talk about crisis things, and preventing them. They didn¡¯t mention anything to me about her. Only other things that I couldn¡¯t figure out how they knew to ask. It was like-¡±


    ¡°-Was like they read our damn minds, am I right?¡± Kerry jumped in, followed by a cough. Sitting upright, she leaned over and put her hands on her knees to finish: ¡°Especially that one bitch, got me fucked up asking me about me and Andre holding Sur at gunpoint yesterday. How the fuck was we supposed to know that she would defect?¡± The fire that was in her didn¡¯t last long due to the mix of not just her exhaustion but coming back to Earth with the notion this was a person who died saving them that she was talking about. ¡°I mean, rest her soul, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, shit. All we can do is sit here and bitch and moan, waiting for what?¡± Andre added on as he too started to stare at the floor. ¡°So, what were you trying to ask?¡±


    ¡°If there was any crisis to stop and Sur was so important, why didn¡¯t they send proper rescue teams? Why did Sur have to do it herself?¡±


    The two were taken aback by Sebastian¡¯s simple ponderance, remaining silent for a few moments in thought.


    His fists began tightening. ¡°They sent carriers for LTAC crews, but they wouldn¡¯t send a small rescue craft for five or six people? And they want to ask us how to help prevent a crisis? That makes me more angry than anything. So many people now have died because of Hexa¡¯s bad planning. I am starting to question my place.¡±


    The three didn¡¯t notice Danielle had just joined them seconds ago. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, Navarre. Not yet.¡±

 Dhaka Arc Finale

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    ¡°We appreciate your patience, allowing us to confirm all of that basic background information,¡± the man seated next to her spoke in a calm manner, jotting things down in his tablet as he casually rocked in the office chair he pulled up from the nearby desk.


    Weren¡¯t they supposed to be asking me about Ms. Sur? I¡¯m a bit confused, now.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he went on as he looked up for the moment, ¡°the next two questions pertain as to your survival methods. We need to utilize this information for training purposes, never knowing when they will surface again.¡±


    ¡°They,¡± Sam nervously spoke, never able to make eye contact with them. ¡°You mean the Cloaks?¡± I can¡¯t DARE speak of my brother¡­ not yet¡­ not to these people.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am, that¡¯s who we are most concerned with,¡± the man continued as he sat up to look her in the eye, noticing she was still too apprehensive to look back up at him. ¡°If you could, and take your time if you have to, go through the mental process you took in damaging those two¡­ ¡®Cloaks¡¯ as you call them, during your two bouts.¡±


    I forget they had updated the pilot screen upstream hardware since Colombia. They already know exactly what I saw when I was piloting. Let me at least give them the best I can feed them without spilling too much. ¡°I, well, I don¡¯t want to take credit, sir.¡±


    He returned a chuckle towards the bashfulness he had perceived. ¡°Not meaning to insinuate that. Just tell us what happened, then.¡±


    ¡°No, to be honest, Sebastian Navarre helped me see the first Cloak,¡± she continued in earnest. ¡°And, Antares modifications came mid-skirmish with the second. Neither were of my strengths or strategies alone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for that note, Ms. Knight,¡± he answered with a smile, once more jotting on his tablet. ¡°The next question is based on the events after you were damaged to the point you had to bail out. How did you survive your physical encounter with¡­ whoever it is you encountered?¡±


    ¡°The guy that put this in me?¡± she spoke with a finger pointed to her covered wound on her shoulder. ¡°He sounded like he was¡­¡± Shit¡­ come on, Sam, think!


    ¡°Take your time,¡± he once more warmly insisted in response to her pause.


    ¡­~AH!


    ¡°He sounded like he was from the NAU!¡± she blurted out with strong hints of trembling in her voice. ¡°That accent, I heard it before. I think he is some NAU recruit because this is like¡­ SEA, right? That kind of guy shouldn¡¯t be out here! That was one thing I had been thinking about this whole time, because everyone else being local or whatnot-¡±


    ¡°-It¡¯s OK, you can settle down!¡± he chuckled again with a hand up. ¡°Let¡¯s not get your heart rate up. I know you went through a lot, so let me rephrase. I apologize for rushing into that one.¡±


    ¡°Let me try this one,¡± the woman standing next to him spoke up as she leaned over with a smile matching her partners¡¯. ¡°Was it any kind of physical technique you used to fight your way out of that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± They were talking about the fight itself, not who it was. ¡°Sebastian Navarre saved me. He shot at him, missing unfortunately, but saved me nonetheless. That was twice I should¡¯ve been dead¡­¡± she somberly tapered off with her focus falling to the wayside again.


    ¡°We actually have other staff interviewing him as we speak. We must be getting such valuable knowledge from you all. And of course, we are so grateful for your cooperation,¡± the man from earlier chimed back in. ¡°That would explain how you managed to get away. I can¡¯t imagine how terrifying that was.¡±


    ¡°We read that a large portion of the wound was cauterized internally, do you know what kind of weapon that was?¡± the woman once more interjected as she drew a look of ire from her partner.


    Damn it, I had forgotten about that as well. ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking,¡± Sam quickly and uncomfortably responded. ¡°I couldn¡¯t look, if you can understand.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± he huffed at his partner before turning back to her with an apologetic smile. ¡°We will process what we can for tonight, so please, get your rest. Staff will have you cleaned up and ready to relocate to Singapore later tomorrow morning,¡± he spoke as he stood up. Another man entering the room got his attention as he turned to see who it was. ¡°Ah, I assume it¡¯s her father?¡±


    ¡°The mother,¡± he corrected as he passed him the smaller tablet. ¡°When she¡¯s done, she can leave it here for us to pick up in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he responded as he looked once more to Sam. ¡°We will be leaving you to speak with your family and get your rest. Good night.¡±


    Mom? She actually called first? She held the small tablet just out of camera¡¯s view of her face as she waited for the staff to leave, pulling it around to in front of her face as soon as the doors closed. ¡°Mom?¡±


    ¡°Sam,¡± Amelie¡¯s exasperated voice came up in a manner far different than from the time she spoke with her in Bogota. ¡°What is with you and losing your mobile? I¡¯ve been worried to death!¡±


    Mom? Worried?


    ¡°How bad is it really? Who did this to you!?¡± she continued in her flustered fit.


    ¡°Mom¡­ I¡­¡± she bit her tongue just before uttering his name, feeling a rush of nausea kick in. What will this change if they find out? How much more will Zay break our family? I think I need to think this over before just¡­ telling them¡­ what do I do?!


    ¡°I¡¯m glad it¡¯s nothing life threatening, but listen, never-mind, you can wait on that. I wanted to explain to you what I have lined up for you here. You know I had to call Dr. Simone for your reconstructive surgery as soon as you arrive tomorrow-¡±


    ¡°-Wh-, Arrive? Where?!¡± her eyes widened as she sputtered.


    ¡°Home, Sam! You have no more business staying down there! That¡¯s twice you almost got killed!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± she blurted out without a chance to even think of the repercussions. But then the second she saw Amelie¡¯s aghast expression, she threw those cares to the wind. ¡°Mom, I am NOT going home! I have unfinished business, and big business at that! You have no idea what I would be leaving behind if I did!¡± Because I KNOW now I can¡¯t say anything! This is MY business and MINE ALONE to take care of as far as I-ZAY-UH is concerned! I don¡¯t EVEN want to hear his name from her mouth!


    ¡°I will have that arranged whether you like it or not. You think I wasn¡¯t responsible for your safe being?!¡±


    ¡°What? My safe being? Mom, what are you even going on about?¡±


    ¡°You think those two helped you out of the good of their heart? Sam, that was my doing by my network! And it seems one wasn¡¯t afraid to take the fall for you! How does it feel having someone die for you, Sam?¡±


    Somewhere deep down, Sam knew Danielle was holding back heavy emotions earlier when she mentioned Gabriel¡¯s fate, but this venom-laced move stung. She forgot to think of her mother¡¯s former field of work, realizing now that normally no one in their right mind would risk what they did to fly along their operation this far, watching over her group. ¡°You put them up to it? What, you paid them?¡±


    ¡°You now owe me the seeing through of their end-goal, Sam,¡± she bluntly replied. ¡°You are getting washed up and on that airplane for Singapore¡¯s Spaceport in the morning. Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡­


    Time passed before Amelie huffed impatiently. ¡°You are in no shape to keep up this rebellious act young lady. Don¡¯t forget who has proven themselves wrong twice in a month now. Do you see you are in over your head, now?¡±


    Isaiah¡¯s cold stare and his similar words flashed across her memory, gripping her stomach even more tightly as she winced. Taking in a breath to calm herself down just enough to make a response, she straightened up and moved her right finger, placing it over the end call button and tapped it gingerly without making eye contact.


    No¡­ if I leave, it would be the ultimate lying down in shame to the will of that rat bastard¡­ I already have my mind made up, and you are no different than your son. She sat there in silence for a minute, not moving a muscle, locked in repeating memories of the things said over the past conversation just now, with Danielle, and the words exchanged with Isaiah over and over before being overwhelmed. Tears of humiliation, heartbreak, and a reborn sense of helplessness began to roll down her cheek.


    The only break in the silence came as another pair of feet softly walked through. The nurse looked up from her digital chart with a smile as she spoke: ¡°Alright, Ms. Knight, we are going to help you get cleaned up and ready for some rest, okay?¡±


    Sam sniffled and cleared her throat, gathering a moment¡¯s worth of strength to answer: ¡°Can I speak to my team, first?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, no visitors to this hallway until after administration clears it in the morning. Let¡¯s not worry about anything else until then, okay?¡±


    She let the tablet she had been holding this whole time fall to the mattress near her feet, closing her eyes in lonely defeat. Sebastian¡­


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam was still fast asleep when Sebastian entered her room. As he stepped into the dark room, his fresh, standard-dress uniform quickly faded into near-indiscernibility, illuminated only by the glow of the instruments and night-light panels near the floor behind him. He approached her bedside, noting a wheeled office chair not far from it. He gently pulled it towards where her head lay and took a seat, leaning forward and placing a hand over hers.


    [I have so many questions, so many doubts, so many things I am confused and frustrated about¡­] he pondered as he looked over her still-closed, sunken, weary eyes and patched-up forehead, having been cleaned from the blood that he remembered staining it the evening before. [But now still isn¡¯t the time.] He gripped her hand a bit more firmly, taking in a slow, deep breath as his focus wandered. [I have to remember that I might be a bit more used to this level of chaos, but she isn¡¯t. I have to just¡­ pray that everything is a result of that and nothing more. I wonder how bad the CP team berated her last night.] He then noticed her eyes twitch a few times before she suddenly breathed in deeply as if to yawn; her hand pulled free from his as she stretched, reminding him of a cat waking from its slumber. He moved his hand to her forehead above the patch, gently brushing back her hair as her eyes finally opened.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Sebastian?¡± she muttered as her eyes met his. ¡°Are we still in the medical bay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are. Are you doing alright? How bad are things?¡±


    ¡°I think I will be okay,¡± she spoke back as she continued letting her eyes adjust. ¡°Are you coming to check me out?¡±


    ¡°Ahn, I wish I could, but I can¡¯t¡­ and, I have to leave soon,¡± he returned with a weak smile, withdrawing his hand. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t let me come here last night, so I had to wait until now to speak with you one more time.¡±


    Her eyes squinted as she rubbed them with her only free hand, trying to finish waking up. ¡°Why so soon? Where are they taking you?¡±


    ¡°I have to go to Space for a week.¡±


    ¡°Space?!¡± she sputtered, leading into a short coughing fit. ¡°Sebastian, for what?¡±


    He leaned over to rub her back as she sat up and leaned forward in that same motion. ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s something I have to do, they said.¡± [I only have a few minutes left, might as well be frank.] ¡°It¡¯s my brain-net thing. Do you remember my problem I had in Singapore?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she mumbled as she calmed down, looking back to him. ¡°The neural mesh network? Someone suggested you do something about it?¡±


    ¡°Right. Orders came to me from administration. I am to see this, perhaps popular?... brain surgeon in Sumeria. And after that, I need intense training to adjust, and Ms. Norris will be with me for that.¡±


    ¡°Sumeria? You are going to where I was going to law school¡­ heh, once upon a time.¡± The irony of her ability to utter those words somehow felt liberating. But the feeling was a fleeting one as her active consciousness recovered by the second. ¡°Sebastian, I have to ask.¡±


    Noting her sudden seriousness, he straightened up and leaned forward a bit more. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mention¡­ you know¡­¡± her eyes lowered, looking down at the floor off to the right of him. ¡°Anything about that guy, did you?¡±


    Ever since that past afternoon, the mere mentioning or hinting of her brother seemed to pierce his chest each time, causing a slow burn not intense enough to draw an overt reaction but nagging enough he couldn¡¯t hide it completely. ¡°I won¡¯t speak about that until you tell me to.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± she spoke through a sigh of relief, leaning back against her bed¡¯s headboard. ¡°It¡¯s for the best, for now I mean, and I have to figure out what I am going to do about it, first¡­ you know what I mean?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± he responded but through a sigh of frustration and the continued sense of isolation. ¡°But I trust you will speak about many things when you are ready. I know you have endured many things, so I won¡¯t rush you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what was that? What are you hinting at?¡± she griped after pausing for a moment, picking up on his tone. ¡°I was just saying it¡¯s a sensitive subject.¡±


    ¡°I have to go soon. Please call me when you are released and you have a mobile to use,¡± he deflected with a forced smile, standing up and allowing the chair to roll back. ¡°Maybe we can¡­ figure things out when everything is calm again.¡± He leaned over one last time to place a soft kiss on her forehead.


    Was it something I said? What is he talking about?! ¡°Sebastian, hold on, wait-¡±


    ¡°-I really do have to go, Ms. Norris is waiting on me,¡± he continued as he pushed the chair back to the desk where it was found earlier, then turned to her one last time with a wave. ¡°I can¡¯t miss the shuttle. Call soon, okay? And don¡¯t forget to call Andre and Kerry- they are worried about you, too!¡±


    Her head was still wrapped completely around the unexpected turn in emotions she witnessed so much that she was only half aware of him rushing out the door. Was it because of my brother? He didn¡¯t act that way until I mentioned that whole ordeal. ¡°Ugh!¡± She rolled back over on her right shoulder, placing her hand over her eyes, taking in a deep breath in frustration. My life has only gotten more fucked up by the day ever since you left! It did mom in, then dad in, now you are doing me in! This is going to end! I swear I am going to kill you next time I see you! She was unaware of the tears beading up around her fingers. A few long minutes passed as she remained there, sniffling occasionally, keeping her composure as if she were around company, and the absence of the hand that calmed her down so much just minutes ago was now kicking her down by loneliness. All she could do was wait until her scheduled surgery later that morning, and not only did she feel more alone than she could remember, she couldn¡¯t recall feeling this abandoned.


    Silence. And more silence.


    ?¡°H~mm¡­ hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hm~m hm hm~m¡­¡±? her weak, raspy hum played the melancholy tune she memorized from that time, and unlike before, she weakly continued along unaccompanied.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Outer Boston, New England Province, NAU</li>


    </ul>


    The briny, early afternoon¡¯s summer breeze blowing by gently complemented the view of the Broad Sound and Revere Beach from the hill at which Isaiah stood overlooking with pensive eyes. Several days had passed before the funeral procession for Elias and the David family would take place, leaving him chance enough to make it in time. It was the first time in over a decade he had attended a funeral, and it took that much time in recovery to convince himself to attend one once again, having survived and attended the cremation of dozens of close companions during the final course of that dreaded war. But for Elias, he was no soldier nor was he part of any official armed service. The family in attendance along with the decorum were that of any typical local family, grieving the loss of a loved one.


    The pastor began to make his final remarks, catching his attention as he looked back down to the casket surrounded by five other men like himself, standing with their hands clasped behind their backs. His eyes continued to hover over to the man standing next to him in between his glances back out over the sound.


    .


    After the casket was lowered, the pallbearers returned to the small crowd gathered behind them as Marian watched Isaiah and Tamaz walking together once more. She was too far to catch their conversation, but it soothed her mourning soul to see the two still on terms enough to carry themselves as they did. The two continued past the intermingling families and on towards a clearing past the rows of graves and up to a fence at the edge of the cemetery. I know, I realize it¡¯s best I leave their talks to them and stay out of things this time.


    The two were once more looking over the sound with heavy expressions, still feeling the tensions that had come up between them ever since that fateful afternoon.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Tamaz broke the silence, taking in another long, tense breath as he began loosening the cuffs to his shirt¡¯s sleeves. ¡°I will admit, I almost thought you wouldn¡¯t come.¡±


    ¡°I will admit myself,¡± Isaiah murmured as he continued to stare out blankly to the sea, ¡°I almost thought I wouldn¡¯t be welcome here, rest his soul.¡± He then leaned over on the fence, putting both arms up on the top railing as he let out a sigh. ¡°I won¡¯t ever pretend to know the long history between you two, and I surely won¡¯t pretend I understand your pain. But I do know this, everything that happened that afternoon... I promise it won¡¯t ever repeat itself.¡±


    Tamaz finished rolling his sleeves up before loosening his collar and necktie. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you intend on doing with that promise, but you do know I am with Tyrus, now. You don¡¯t have to apologize anymore, either, I know it wasn¡¯t all your fault. Sometimes we¡­ just need to learn to move on. This kind of loss is¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­this kind of loss has long been our reality. I know.¡±


    ¡°But we just keep moving on. I know.¡±


    ¡°We were being listened in on,¡± Isaiah suddenly broke direction as he looked over to him finally, speaking with projected conviction. ¡°I can explain everything when the time comes, but I have grave concerns for how you are about to be used.¡±


    ¡°Reap¡¯, just let it go,¡± he replied with a weary smile, putting his hands in his pockets as he continued looking to the beyond. ¡°I told you I won¡¯t hold it against you, but I need this for myself. We had put so much faith in you for those years¡­ it will take some time, man.¡±


    ¡°But you know me. I can¡¯t leave things broken.¡± He knew he wasn¡¯t going to get a response by now, so he continued regardless of the silence. ¡°I will find you in a few weeks once I get everything one-hundred percent lined up. You can go ahead and continue as you planned, but let me just say this one thing: Each victory we brought up ahead of schedule saw us heftier obstacles from our own pipelines. They are separating us for a reason, so keep your eyes open for what Tyrus does. You do remember how much Rex and he don¡¯t get along, but I don¡¯t see this as a poach for your talent. Rex might be punishing you, too, for having too much success.¡±


    Tamaz only closed his eyes, calmly shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°Our quicker successes were perhaps too much of an obstacle for certain people. We saw Venezuela with no violence lead to unnecessary violence. We saw violence in Colombia lead to full scale LTAC drops. We saw full scale LTAC ops in Bangladesh lead to the involving of old war Harbingers. What will Manila bring you, Revenant? I know what Tyrus has planned, and I will be there before he makes his big move. Look for me.¡±


    He then waved, stiffly yet cordially as he turned to leave.


    ¡°Reap¡¯,¡± Tamaz broke his silence as he dropped the tension in his shoulders and let out a defeated chuckle. ¡°You work too hard. I¡¯ll expect to see you when you rest up for once, or I won¡¯t trust a damn thing you say.¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Amelie walked up to the ringing door service app inside her residence, somewhere deep down hoping it was Sam that would show up on screen. Danielle¡¯s face came up instead, but it wasn¡¯t to her disappointment. ¡°Thank you for coming. You can come in,¡± she spoke through the transmitter and then walked to the larger of the sectional sofas lined up in the open-air living room and kitchen area.


    The main hallway was in view as she watched Danielle turn to close the door. Amelie was at some point expecting her to stop by, but seeing Danielle¡¯s current body language now had her apprehensive. ¡°Please, come have a seat. I know you must be exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡­ I need you to see something, first,¡± she replied with an unusual sense of awkward distress. She began to unshoulder her large purse she had slung over her right shoulder in a manner that would avoid bumping her tender, post-surgery recovering left shoulder. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind,¡± she continued as she approached Amelie.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Amelie asked with her attention and concern fully bought as she looked to the bag.


    ¡°Ms. Knight, you asked me and the late Mr. Silva to do that favor for something much bigger than fear for your daughter, I believe. Am I correct?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m, sorry, I don¡¯t know what you are even hinting at.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± she paused to read through the poker face she was confident Amelie was putting on as she gripped an object inside her purse. ¡°Your whole family never spills the beans on anything upfront. We always find out afterwards,¡± she finished as she slowly removed a bloodied knife handle-like contraption. She saw the sudden affixing of Amelie¡¯s focus on it, hinting to the correctness of her assumptions. ¡°I had the biggest feeling you would know what this is.¡±


    ¡°How did you get that? Whose blood is that?¡± Amelie quickly interrogated, dropping the front of hospitality she had on.


    ¡°I smuggled this from evidence processing. This blood?¡± She twirled the handle around to the side with the most dried blood on it to show her. ¡°It was your daughter¡¯s. Her boyfriend found it impaled in her shoulder, leaving her trapped against the wall.¡±


    ¡°Give it to me,¡± she coldly snapped as she reached out for it.


    Danielle didn¡¯t put up a fight as she let her have it, taking a step back to read her body language further. She saw her eyes weren¡¯t even looking at the object but rather it was her hands that did the viewing, the recollecting, the recognizing.


    ¡°I had lost this set¡­ this set was one of several in my personal collection. I lost it years back.¡± She continued shaking her head for a few moments before looking back to Danielle.


    But by now, Danielle had already calculated exactly what Amelie was going to say. Suspicions confirmed. ¡°I remember what you did last war, and the war before that. I can also read people very well, Ms. Knight, and it¡¯s pretty clear you know now who we found¡­ working for the Underground. So, yeah, you might want to talk this over with your husband as soon as humanly possible.¡± She let out a heavy sigh as she watched Amelie wasting no time in reaching for her watch. ¡°And there isn¡¯t too much time, now. Sam will be active for training by next week, and they have her scheduled for the Philippines alongside my two; Navarre, the boyfriend, will rejoin them after I finish training him post-surgery as well. September hits, and a lot of shit will start hitting the fan¡­ it will be up to you two to figure something out before then.¡± She then started back for the door. ¡°I have to go disappear into the corporate cubicle nothingness, so I will trust you two figure this one out and do the right thing,¡± she spoke with a wave goodbye without looking back in her departure.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    The shout carried a rare sincerity that shocked her into pause without turning around.


    ¡°In return, I want you to know Gabriel Silva didn¡¯t die with confirmation.¡± Amelie waited a moment for her to turn around. ¡°No one of his status would die leaving no trace behind, even the Underground couldn¡¯t recover him and not leave something. But you probably already knew that, right?¡±


    Sly¡­


    She hid her own shock and tears. She had been thinking so all along, but to hear it from her was something else. Of course, she¡¯s right. That sly son of a bitch¡­


    She closed the door behind her without reply in order to keep herself composed. She paused as she took a long breath, spending if just that one second to reflect on the blessings everyone still had to count, then looked up to see her automated taxi still waiting for her. Lord, let there be better days ahead¡­ and I mean that for their sake. She then looked down at her Jazira Station Staff pass with markings that restricted her with access to that one and only station as tears of uneasiness, incertitude, and the thought of her newfound helplessness started to well up.


    Better days indeed.


    Please, Lord.


    .


    .


    ---End Dhaka Arc---

 Manila Arc Preview, Part 1

    Isaiah, what the hell have you done?


    No¡­ what the hell have I done?


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    The programmed weather change took away the simulated sun that had been beaming down on Amelie in her basking room, making it less apparent how much she had been crying, puffy around her eyes along with the faint trails of mascara. She fidgeted around with the knife contraption in her hand as if she had never let it go the moment Danielle handed it to her, hands and fingers tired but unable to put it down. Only two people knew of her work back on Earth before, and those same two were the only ones who knew where she hid her work instruments. The knife she continued gazing at emptily was one that had seen the blood of countless targets, but this time the uncleaned blood was of her own daughter.


    How could I have been so careless?


    The seed of doubt that Isaiah was involved with the Underground had long been planted, but it took such a sickening revelation for it to blossom into full realization.


    I have to do something to stop this before it goes any further¡­ for everyone¡¯s sake.


    Her right hand gripped the handle tightly as she felt a sense of duty flush out the remorse and regret.


    Sam didn¡¯t tell me or anyone for a reason. For what, I may never know, but it was likely for the best. I have to help fix this before it costs us all dearly¡­


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°I love this place I found! Never get tired of it!¡± a young man¡¯s voice shouted over the boisterous sounds of talking and other exchanges occurring throughout the bustling command annex at Hexa¡¯s Manila CCC. He meandered his way toward a large table with his eyes cast on the empty seat that he left cleared as space to place his many paper bags he carried in both hands. Both sets of bags were pleasantly warm, giving off the aroma of fried fish and other lunch items.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s lunch time,¡± a young woman spoke over a yawn and a stretch, leaning back in her chair as she looked over to the approaching man with the bags of food. She then looked back to her colleague sitting beside her. ¡°And besides, the guys up top can¡¯t fault us even if we are late with this; the new kids aren¡¯t even pilot-ready for a few days.¡±


    ¡°I hear you¡­ And that smell,¡± he replied with a chuckle and a turn towards the man who now took his seat, laying out each bag carefully. ¡°Fried bangus?¡±


    ¡°And chicken balls, too¡± the man replied with a smile as he continued opening the bags to the delight of each of the dozen around him. ¡°And other things, here, look.¡± He began to open another bag, accidentally bumping the display switch with his elbow near the edge of the table¡¯s workspace. ¡°Ah, crap,¡± he mumbled in response, reaching over to turn it back off but noticed the title of the file being worked on: ¡°Project E Transferal, Phase1¡±. He paused for a second in thought before switching it back off, resuming the passing out of their lunch. ¡°What¡¯s up with that project? Already movement on that this soon?¡±


    ¡°While you were hitting up the food court, this little message came by,¡± the woman replied as she grabbed a wrapped food basket. ¡°They found her; didn¡¯t you hear?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He was only half listening as his stomach growled, unwrapping his basket. ¡°Found who?¡±


    ¡°The pilot for the project- well, at least the most crucial one. We have to prepare for its transfer here once they get her to sign on.¡±


    As he started munching on one of the skewered spicy fish balls, he took a moment between conversations to recollect what all had been said leading up to the supposed execution of the project. ¡°Hey, that reminds me, you know those new transfer pilots we got coming here soon?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Knight¡¯s crew?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they¡¯re still missing that one guy. This transfer is definitely ahead of schedule, which makes no sense. Why send it without the star pilot even confirmed, much less before the second phase team is even together?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter? We have a job to do regardless, and we really only need to care about that one lady getting here on time,¡± she replied after gulping down a drink of her water.


    Outside the window just behind them showed the distant, densely skyscraper-lined skyline of the capital city. It had rained not long ago, but the clouds lined above didn¡¯t succeed in hiding the rising smoke columns coming from one small corner of their view.


    ¡°And I see the P4C (Post-Confederacy Charter Change Coalition) gang is at it again, so they¡¯d better hurry it up. All the manpower they keep funneling in has become a serious pain-in-the-ass of a trend.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bahia Blanca, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    [I just dropped them off¡­ No¡­ right, we will catch up with you next time they are in town. Sorry, gotta go.]


    An old BNV model coupe sped up its cruise past the Comandante Espora Airport, humming along as the old 2080¡¯s engine banged out hydrogen fuel in a manner that came well before the quieter operation of the current era hydrogen fuel cell. It was mated to a manual transmission, which was made it an extreme rarity, only bought and maintained by purists and enthusiasts with money to pull it off. The top was retracted, revealing the lone driver to be a blonde-haired woman in her early thirties. She wore enough makeup to somewhat hide the bags under her eyes, but it didn¡¯t quite match up with the hairstyle she didn¡¯t put as much effort into, cut rather short and without flair.


    She looked back at her console, showing the disconnected phone call with ¡°Abuela¡±. She swiped the screen over to her media management and allowed auto-play to take over, blasting out music that came from a recent trend of music from the early 2000¡¯s. She then closed the roof back and rolled her windows up to cut out the turbulence.


    Why do I keep putting up with this stupid ass way of living?


    The music choice seemed to have blended perfectly with the complicated expression emanating from her gaze out into the open road ahead.


    Why do I feel like I still miss him? How far do I have to go to get away from it all?


    She shook the feeling as she entered the large traffic circle that took her westward, headed for Bosque Alto. She then looked back at her left hand, glancing at her wedding band on her ring finger.


    The farther away I get, the more I can¡¯t stop thinking about him, even after NJ visits for the holidays.


    Her ensuing sigh was a heavy one as she gripped the wheel firmly.


    I need a drink.


    <u>*BAM*</u>


    <u> </u>


    The fuck!?


    She whipped the wheel back in the opposite direction from which her car was sent reeling after something had stricken her back driver-side wheel, tires screeching and smoking as it finally stabilized its path forward. Eyes darted to the rearview mirror to see a recent model SUV roar up once more as if it were targeting her.


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    Heart pounding and adrenaline flowing like it had been a decade passed since it last felt that way, she slammed the shifter to a lower gear and floored the pedal. The direct-injection hydrogen delivery ports opened up wide as the exhaust roared, bringing the car¡¯s acceleration up enough to greatly soften the hit from behind.


    No way this is another hit! Why didn¡¯t they just try to shoot me like the others?! Her mind raced as her eyes now hurriedly hunted for a way out. She knew she had to get back into the city for any hopes to lose her attacker. Her car could out-accelerate the SUV but wasn¡¯t looking to be enough to do the job. She timed her sudden yanking of the wheel to the left, nearly careening off the edge of the road as she pointed her car for the nearest neighborhood. After well-timed downshifts, engine braking, and the narrow dodging of oncoming traffic, she pointed her car for the next set of tight intersection turns as she noted the SUV was already at a large gap.


    What a fucking amateur!


    Her heartrate started to level out, keeping pace as she dodged slower traffic, hoping only to avoid police on duty as she now took the time to put the retracted roof back over her head just in case. Windows now up, the quickly passing houses grew into taller, five to ten-story apartment buildings. Her pace was forced down to a slower one as traffic quickly built up, but after one final hard right, it was nothing but upset motorists behind her with no sight of that all-black SUV that tailed her. She kept darting back and forth between the traffic and roads in front and the rearview mirror, but nothing changed.


    Phew.


    <u>POP-POP-TUNK!</u>


    Rang out the splitting and cracking aluminum body paneling that came from small caliber gunfire, seemingly originating from her right. Heart back to racing once more, she had no choice but to duck out in front of oncoming traffic as she hit into second gear, accelerating hard out of the intersection from where her car was struck.


    They clearly weren¡¯t aiming for my wide-open head. What gives?!


    She continued aiming deeper into the bigger part of the city, feeling this was the best option. They aren¡¯t from here, or I was already dead. I bet they don¡¯t know this town as well as I do.


    The thought was fleeting. Just as she took off down a much narrower backstreet, she eyed down that black SUV headed right for her. Eyes widening in surprise, amazement, and panic all at once, she realized she wasn¡¯t followed by one but two or more cars who knew the area more than she could¡¯ve guessed.


    The chaotic chase ensued over the course of almost a dozen city blocks until she realized she had to call for help. [Audio off!] she shouted as she remembered the music was still playing, then continued [Call Tio!] The phone rang a few times as her engine continued roaring on and off of the switching gears and braking in between, finally hearing a man answer:


    [Yes?]


    [They¡¯re at it again!]


    [Where are you?!] the man¡¯s voice spoke back with sudden guard. [What do they look like?!]


    [Necochea towards Brown Freeway! A black SUV and one more, no telling but that one is still following me!] she answered back as she tried to keep focus. Every turn she took, the SUV stayed within a car or two¡¯s length behind. Each time she had a chance to look for the driver, it was too obscured to tell any real features worth describing. [All I know is that he¡¯s by himself! I can¡¯t tell anything else!]


    Speed was the only thing I had on my side after all, I need to get on that freeway network!


    Road signs flashed by showing the approaching onramp for the freeway network that connected the larger parts of town by much freer flowing traffic outlets, looking to be her last shot at losing the car if not with the help of the man on the phone.


    [Alright, Emilia, I sent someone to help! Head for Pampa Central!]


    [Got it!]


    She allowed the call to disconnect, fully focused on the dodging of traffic as she slid onto the onramp. It would only take getting to the top to give her the best chances at outrunning her pursuer.


    <u>*BAM!!!*</u>


    <u> </u>


    She felt her car this time spun too hard to recover, tired screeching turned into grass and turf shredding as her car slid down the slope off of the onramp and into the guardrail of the street below, followed by another eardrum splitting collision that spun her the other way. Her car came to a stop as her engine stalled from not being pulled out of gear, forcing her to take a second to gather herself. She had no time to shake off the dizziness that ensued, simply aiming to restart her engine and get it back into motion. Another SUV, a red one this time, pinned her into the guard rail with another jarring crunch. The collision was from in front this time as she saw a drawn pistol by the female driver.


    Of all the times I closed the fucking roof! She thought to herself in regret, knowing she had no way of getting out quickly after being unable to force her door open.


    She looked to the other door but with no time to think or react as the black SUV now fully locked her in. The door flung open as the man who also had his pistol drawn quickly but cautiously approached her from the opposite side.


    Come the fuck on! Is this where my run ends? Already!?


    The phone app was ringing once more as she instinctively pressed the call accept button on her steering wheel, not making a sound, eyeing the approaching man and woman.


    [Emilia?!] the man from earlier spoke up in continued concern.


    [Hey! Get out the car!] she heard the approaching man shout as he took a better shooting angle.


    She then turned to see the woman now had her pistol aimed at her from just a few feet away. [She can¡¯t get out, idiot!] she barked back with a shake of her head. [Hey! Roll your window down and put your hands up where we can see them!]


    She was unable to make out the face from the cracks in her window, but nevertheless had no choice but to comply. She rolled the window down and then promptly showed both her hands up and behind her head, sighing in defeat.


    [Emilia!? Emilia!] the voice over the speakers continued.


    [Emilia?!] The approaching man was now at the other window looking straight in as he laughed. [Dani, you heard that? Emilia?!]


    [Shut the fuck up, Renzo,] Dani chided back as she looked their target in the eyes. [But it is a good question, Kaylen Rodgers, who is Emilia?]


    [Who sent you?]


    [Good Argentine accent you got there,] Renzo joked. [I think Mr. Vrey will be amused to hear that,] he continued as the sounds of impending police sirens and the sounds of approaching passersby grew louder.


    The mention of that name caused her to stop her attempt to figure out how to gain access to the pistol stored under her seat.


    Vrey? Vincent Vrey!? No way¡­ ¡°Shit!¡±


    Her right thumb depressed the call disconnect button, putting the other side abruptly in the dark on the situation.


    [Alright, hands out,] Dani ordered with her mag-cuffs after holstering her sidearm, noting Renzo had her covered.


    Kaylen begrudgingly obeyed, having no other choice, but felt most of it was due to the defeating shock that came with hearing that name.


    [I got the whole rap on you beforehand, surprised you aren¡¯t putting up more of a fight!] she continued with an exhausted chuckle, locking the electromagnetic links to the sturdy pick-proof handcuffs seen in use by most police outfits across the globe. Once detained, most in the know were aware of the taser-like function they had as well, linked to the controls multiple officers would have at ready. [Alright, now, out the other way you go,] she commanded with a motion toward the opposite door that Renzo opened for her before he backed up with his hands up, sidearm in one, badge in the other.


    [Infinity Bogota Officer on duty! Working under permission from Kirchner himself!] Renzo barked to the nearest police outfit that pulled up. [Sorry for the mess!]


    Dani had gotten to the other end to pull Kaylen out, leaving her brother to tend to the red tape as she walked her toward the red SUV from which she arrived, seeing it had taken less damage than the other. She noted the sullen expression her captive wore, thinking once more how much in contrast it came to her expectations. [It¡¯s going to be a long ride to Punta Lara Spaceport.]


    ¡°How did you find me?¡± she spoke up in her native tongue, unable to look at her captor as her sight was carried over to her wrecked car.


    [Woah, don¡¯t start all that- I never said I spoke English!] she joked back as she opened the back door for her, motioning her to climb in.


    Kaylen deflected the attempted humor with a returned gaze, speaking with noted doubt: [But you are an Infinity agent. I heard your partner-]


    [-My idiot brother-]


    [-Whatever!] she snapped back.


    [Who does this bitch think she is?!] Dani thought as she opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off once more even from that.


    [-You don¡¯t know shit about me or who I have been running from! And to think of all men it would be Vincent Vrey that catches me!? You don¡¯t even know why he would want me, much less HOW he even knew how to get to me, do you?! How much is he paying you!?]


    [Hey!] Renzo interjected frustratingly from behind the two as he walked up. [What the hell is the hold up?! Girl, get in the damn truck!] he fussed as he put a hand on her shoulder and tried to be as easy as he could without literally shoving her into the back seat. [We are good to go, Dani, escort squad and all. Shall we?]


    Dani closed the door with an emphatic slam, shaking her head with a sigh. [Already tired of that bitch. Like I was just saying, it¡¯s going to be a long ride to Punta Lara. Are we getting paid enough?]


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Kaylen had her head against the window, looking through the reflection in the sideview mirror of the quickly distancing city she had thought became her home no matter how unwillingly it may have been. The cold September wind chilled the pane, numbing the hot, swollen bruises on her cheek and forehead but did nothing to numb the mix of emotions storming throughout her mind.


    [What¡¯s up with her?] Renzo mumbled to Dani as he checked up on her as he did from time to time using the rearview mirror. [She¡¯s way too quiet compared to who we are accustomed to bringing in back home. Is it an NAU girl thing?]


    [How do you know she¡¯s really from the NAU? Maybe she¡¯s like Cruella?]


    [She¡¯s from Florida, read the damned file.]


    Dani squinted with hands up in frustration at the direction of the argument. [What¡¯s that got to do with her being quiet? Look, why don¡¯t you just ask her yourself?]


    [Hey,] he quickly and awkwardly spoke up with a lifting of his chin, making it clear he was talking to Kaylen. [We saw you have hundreds of hits on your name. All coming from anywhere from the NAU clear to Australia. I see you being all brooding and what not back there. We don¡¯t give a shit¡­ about you being behind that Apollyon Massacre last war. I heard you argue with my sister. We tried to be nice as we were allowed to be but-]


    [-You call nice slamming into the back of someone on the street?!] Kaylen snapped back with disgust. [You call nice shooting at someone?! You call nice ignoring the one question I had for you?! And now you act superior because you got paid and provided by the richest, most corrupt man in the universe!?]


    [Girl, shut ? up!] Dani seethed as she slammed her fist into the dashboard.


    Kaylen wanted to do much more than that with her hands, but they were magnetically locked to the seat frame below her.


    [Look,] Renzo spoke back up, trying to regain his calm. [If it will make this trip easier, fine. Yes, we were rough with you and yes, we got paid well to do it because it¡¯s our damned job. We got out of the fucking hospital not too long back and we don¡¯t know what earful we will get for bashing cars during rehab. But according to the big man and according to the knowledge he gave us on what you will provide for us, we did what we do best. NOW,] he emphatically added as he tried to look her in the eye through the rearview. [If it will make you feel better, what was this question you wanted answered so badly?]


    Of course, he only thinks business, she thought as she pondered what scheme he must be up to.


    [Well?]


    Might as well talk, this is better than the countless assassination attempts I have outrun. [How did you find me?]

 Manila Arc Preview, Part 2

    ¡°How did you find me?¡± she spoke up in her native tongue, unable to look at her captor as her sight was carried over to her wrecked car.


    [Woah, don¡¯t start all that- I never said I spoke English!] she joked back as she opened the back door for her, motioning her to climb in.


    Kaylen deflected the attempted humor with a returned gaze, speaking with noted doubt: [But you are an Infinity agent. I heard your partner-]


    [-My idiot brother-]


    [-Whatever!] she snapped back.


    [Who does this bitch think she is?!] Dani thought as she opened her mouth to retort, but was cut off once more even from that.


    [-You don¡¯t know shit about me or who I have been running from! And to think of all men it would be Vincent Vrey that catches me!? You don¡¯t even know why he would want me, much less HOW he even knew how to get to me, do you?! How much is he paying you!?]


    [Hey!] Renzo interjected frustratingly from behind the two as he walked up. [What the hell is the hold up?! Girl, get in the damn truck!] he fussed as he put a hand on her shoulder and tried to be as easy as he could without literally shoving her into the back seat. [We are good to go, Dani, escort squad and all. Shall we?]


    Dani closed the door with an emphatic slam, shaking her head with a sigh. [Already tired of that bitch. Like I was just saying, it¡¯s going to be a long ride to Punta Lara. Are we getting paid enough?]


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Kaylen had her head against the window, looking through the reflection in the sideview mirror of the quickly distancing city she had thought became her home no matter how unwillingly it may have been. The cold September wind chilled the pane, numbing the hot, swollen bruises on her cheek and forehead but did nothing to numb the mix of emotions storming throughout her mind.


    [What¡¯s up with her?] Renzo mumbled to Dani as he checked up on her as he did from time to time using the rearview mirror. [She¡¯s way too quiet compared to who we are accustomed to bringing in back home. Is it an NAU girl thing?]


    [How do you know she¡¯s really from the NAU? Maybe she¡¯s like Cruella?]


    [She¡¯s from Florida, read the damned file.]


    Dani squinted with hands up in frustration at the direction of the argument. [What¡¯s that got to do with her being quiet? Look, why don¡¯t you just ask her yourself?]


    [Hey,] he quickly and awkwardly spoke up with a lifting of his chin, making it clear he was talking to Kaylen. [We saw you have hundreds of hits on your name. All coming from anywhere from the NAU clear to Australia. I see you being all brooding and what not back there. We don¡¯t give a shit¡­ about you being behind that Apollyon Massacre last war. I heard you argue with my sister. We tried to be nice as we were allowed to be but-]


    [-You call nice slamming into the back of someone on the street?!] Kaylen snapped back with disgust. [You call nice shooting at someone?! You call nice ignoring the one question I had for you?! And now you act superior because you got paid and provided by the richest, most corrupt man in the universe!?]


    [Girl, shut ? up!] Dani seethed as she slammed her fist into the dashboard.


    Kaylen wanted to do much more than that with her hands, but they were magnetically locked to the seat frame below her.


    [Look,] Renzo spoke back up, trying to regain his calm. [If it will make this trip easier, fine. Yes, we were rough with you and yes, we got paid well to do it because it¡¯s our damned job. We got out of the fucking hospital not too long back and we don¡¯t know what earful we will get for bashing cars during rehab. But according to the big man and according to the knowledge he gave us on what you will provide for us, we did what we do best. NOW,] he emphatically added as he tried to look her in the eye through the rearview. [If it will make you feel better, what was this question you wanted answered so badly?]


    Of course, he only thinks business, she thought as she pondered what scheme he must be up to.


    [Well?]


    Might as well talk, this is better than the countless assassination attempts I have outrun. [How did you find me?]


    [Oh that?] he chuckled without thought.


    [I can¡¯t help but wonder,] she continued with her face back against the window. [It¡¯s been over a year since anyone outside of my family circle even uttered my real name.]


    [Easy, found you in a day.] He felt her attention perk back up in astonishment. [He told me your address, gave me your picture, car model, license plate, even said you were on your way to drop off your husband at Espora today.]


    Kaylen¡¯s heart twinged upon hearing such detail as if her whole recent life had been under a magnifying glass. But the pain was magnified by the simple thought that it was Vincent Vrey. How did he find out all of that?! What the hell kind of connections could he possibly have way over here in southern Argentina?!


    [You see?] Dani responded in observation of Kaylen¡¯s reactions. [You just need to stop being a complete asshole. Have a real conversation with her, like the ones you attempted with Cruella last July.]


    [I don¡¯t know. Cruella was pretty damn stuck up but at least was easier to talk to. This one is giving me the creeps. Does she really have to be on edge like that? It¡¯s not like we tried to kill her,] he mumbled in response, hoping he wouldn¡¯t be too easily heard.


    She waved her hands up in befuddlement once again. [Of course, she¡¯s on edge you idiot. She¡¯s been hunted for who knows how long? We are just the only ones successful enough to finally get her. And who knows, maybe we were the first not to try to kill her?]


    [You are the first,] Kaylen interjected, having heard the latter half of the conversation as residual shock from that revelation moments ago still tugging at her attention span. [The only thing that made me give myself up without a fight was hearing you were Infinity.]


    Renzo fought the urge to ridicule what he expected her to say of her chances to retaliate earlier but bit his tongue, letting her finish.


    [Vrey is a businessman. No matter how much I hate him, he must have something on the table for me to benefit from, hence I let you take me,] she continued coldly and stolidly.


    He now could only shake his head in disbelief, continuing to hold his responses. What IS her story!? Seriously, she really is giving me the creeps! He quickly glanced up at the rearview to see her staring back out the window, turning his head now to Dani with a look of impatience. His eyes seemed to speak: this really is going to be a long ride to Punta Lara.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    The Punta Lara Spaceport sat at the edge of the much-expanded cityscape of Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, leaving just enough wide-open space to continue providing services to and from Space as one of the only two in the entire continent. Unlike Sao Paolo in Brazil, this one strictly focused on civilian activity. The difference was most stark in that all of the security staff were privately staffed unlike the military police that surrounded its sister port.


    The bright lights of the late-evening skyline reflected off of the window panes that Kaylen continued to gaze out of tirelessly. She was joined by Renzo alongside a pair of security guards inside a holding room with one seat left open at the end of the long table. The silence was long and droning, joined only by the occasional tapping of shoes going up or down the hallway nearby.


    [You really like windows, huh?] he sarcastically opened his mouth, shattering the silence.


    [I¡¯m used to looking out to the beyond, always wondering where my life is taking me next,] she responded weakly yet resolutely.


    It was now irritatingly biting his tongue that became something Renzo found himself doing just as much. Ugh¡­ the cringe from this woman¡­ She really must have an interesting back story. His sight continued, however, to hover over her as if he couldn¡¯t help but look, either from curiosity or genuine interest. [It¡¯s such a shame. Even for the absolute mess she is, she could be kinda¡¯ cute if she cleaned up her look just a bit¡­ and loosen the hell up.]


    Footsteps grew closer once more but without distancing this time. The door suddenly opened and in came a handful of security guards followed by a rather elderly businessman he hadn¡¯t seen in person, yet the face seemed somewhat familiar.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t laid eyes on you since our time on the Norco all those years ago, how have you been?¡± Vincent¡¯s voice spoke over the rustling, bringing a jolt through both Renzo¡¯s and Kaylen¡¯s spine.


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    [Oh, THAT¡¯s him! That¡¯s who kept talking to us about this. He really came all the way here?!]


    Kaylen was quick to pick back up on her spiteful side. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine who all you bought just to get us all here in one room.¡±


    [Hmph, almost forgot she was an NAU native,] he thought as he casually activated his in-ear translation.


    ¡°Now, Kaylen,¡± he responded in a smile as he cleared his throat, leisurely taking the empty seat. He then took in a breath, ignoring the hostile glare she beamed directly at him. ¡°I do hope you understand I never intended to hurt you, but you have quite the reputation in front of you,¡± he continued as he placed his mobile on the table, pulling up a holographic display full of various articles and news bits. ¡°Seems you have been on the run from¡­ continent to continent¡­ and all these murders you are accused of when you were just trying to defend yourself from international criminals and thugs¡­¡±


    ¡°Get to the point. I can be broken out when needed, you know. This wouldn¡¯t be my first time doing so.¡± She continued pressing on, not noticing Renzo¡¯s eyes rolling again. ¡°So, what do you want from me, and what can you give me in return?¡±


    ¡°Leave us,¡± Vincent spoke to the guards. He saw Renzo starting up as well, placing a hand on his shoulder before he could finish. ¡°Stay, son.¡±


    [¡­Ok¡­] he stoically replied as he sat back down, leaning forward with a clearing of his throat.


    The doors closed as the three remained, allowing a moment to pass before Vincent started the conversation back up. ¡°Before you ask why he is remaining here, this young man might be pivotal in this whole ordeal, because, as you should know, he has a lost family to avenge, somewhat like you do as well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare mention his name, and don¡¯t you dare compare that loss to his,¡± she seethed, clenching her fists through the tightness of the cuffs that had them bolted to the top of the table.


    [Wait, hold on¡­ she has a husband. What is this?]


    Vincent took a deep breath, avoiding what he could that would drag the ordeal in the wrong direction. ¡°If you allow us all to work to complete one single goal, Kaylen, I can¡­ no, I will get you your life back.¡±


    Renzo noted Kaylen¡¯s head tilt just ever so slightly as if her interest was piqued.


    ¡°I know too many politicians in the NAU who would love to make arrangements if this goal is met, because, you see, we all have a common enemy we needed eliminated.¡±


    [A-ha. Those Cloak bastards. I wonder what he can do to explain this to her,] Renzo now thought as he listened in intently.


    Vincent continued scrolling through the collection of articles before brining one up to zoom. ¡°Here. See this? The NAU might be incredibly friendly to the pro-restoration movement like the Underground, they are wanting to keep a clean, peaceful approach. Seems like a certain one of their leader groups are causing the most¡­ damage, in too many ways to define. This is where you come in.¡±


    Renzo bit down in a separate realization. [Shit¡­ forget about that, I now want to hear about what makes this chick so good of a pilot that she alone is supposed to make a difference all of the sudden. I thought Bas and their little team was supposed to be able to do all that but maybe they¡¯re still not enough?] He then looked to Vincent over to his right, unknowingly cocking his right brow in anticipation. [This old man must have left some big details out when he debriefed me and Dani.]


    Kaylen leaned back, peering back out the window with a nonchalant response: ¡°I had a feeling those nightmares would come back to haunt me, so go ahead and tell me you expect me to operate Reign once more.¡±


    [Wait,] Renzo remembered as his attention popped back to Kaylen across from him. [That¡¯s right, this is the Apollyon Massacre chick sitting right there, what the fuck was I thinking? That was no human that could¡¯ve done all that- That¡¯s what this project must be; reviving ¡®that¡¯ thing again¡­!!] he thought as he began to shudder.


    Vincent began to swipe away the main screen he had up as he let out a chuckle. ¡°You do realize that infernal machine was never my invention to begin with, just the operating system. This,¡± he spoke as he brought up a single screen with a lock panel on it. ¡°Is what I was wanting to discuss, and of course, all along with how I can ensure your return to your old normal life as I mentioned.¡± He then placed a hand across the empty square below the lock symbol momentarily, unlocking the blueprints to the LTAC frame now on full display.


    [Holy¡­] Renzo¡¯s jaw gaped in amazement, thinking he saw everything already when he received that first package of Ap50¡¯s months back, but this one took the cake in his eyes.


    Even Kaylen was afraid to admit her curiosity, expecting some kind of monstrosity to show up but instead saw a more gallant design, marked with elegant armor plating and the appearance of a savior, not a terror. She then noted the title of the frame PK-03X ¡°Galatine¡±.


    ¡°You know,¡± she started, folding her arms, leaning forward on the table. ¡°You always seem to follow the same schematic. This looks like a little sister to the Clarent*.¡± Her tone then changed back to the offense in a more subtle manner. ¡°You really are expecting me to carry on some damned proverbial torch for Lance, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    He let out a sigh, seemingly in concession to the accusation. ¡°Not necessarily, but I need a hero, or heroine, in this matter- No, we need more than that.¡± He cleared his throat, closing the image. ¡°We had a team of heroes but they¡¯ve met some serious obstacles. Our media team has been working overtime this past week on posting the acts of bravery my top pilots have been achieving since June, including Mr. Navarre here,¡± he continued with a casual pat on Renzo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How would you feel if the world saw you as the avenger of those who massacred their families and friends? To shift the battle back in the favor of those who are out to protect peace, stop the violence, stop the riots, to help put a final stop to all of the chaos? The world would like to see such an addition, especially coming from you.¡±


    Kaylen could only roll her eyes. ¡°Alright. Enough. All this talk of fluff has gone on too long. At this rate, I won¡¯t consider anything anymore unless you just spill out all the conditions. Objectively.¡±


    [What a head case, is she stable enough to trust with all this?] Renzo thought as he looked to Vincent to see how he would reply.


    Expecting such a response at some point in time, Vincent already began to put his mobile away, then proceeded to take out a digital contract card he passed to her. ¡°You can read it over and let me know.¡±


    She reluctantly accepted the card, holding it firmly in one hand and depressed the center of the card with her other fingers in a pinching motion, bringing up the text contents she could then zoom in on.


    Some time had tediously passed, and Renzo didn¡¯t realize his foot had already started bobbing up and down in anticipation. [¡­Well!?]


    Just taking down one target and in exchange I get a life no longer on the run¡­ can I really trust this? Seems too good to be true¡­ she pondered heavily, afraid to pull the trigger. But there¡¯s no way I could ever even imagine wanting to just¡­ willingly transfer myself to that soul sucking device. Her breathing became more tense as she felt the pressure mounting. It wasn¡¯t because she felt forced to do anything, or anything like someone depended on her. It was instead the pressure of selling herself and how that would affect her own self-worth. You¡¯re being used, Kaylen, this means Vrey never found another match for the system. Think, is this worth it? What would NJ think? Could I really just¡­ go back home like this?


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al cleared his voice as he adjusted his posture in the seat he took at a quiet bar. There weren¡¯t many around other than a few businessmen across from his view. ¡°Yes, unfortunately, the son of a bitch found her already. And this comes directly from the project log updates.¡±


    ¡°That makes no sense. How?¡± Danielle¡¯s voice could be heard on the other line. ¡°You know what, never mind. I doubt he fails to bribe her. Give me extra time with Navarre. He¡¯s going to need it.¡±


    He then looked over to his right to the man sat next to him with a beer in hand. ¡°You hear that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Sebastian nodded without any hint of surprise or objection.


    ¡°Alright, Danielle,¡± Al continued as he stared into his mug with a defeated expression. ¡°I know what I have to do as well. I can¡¯t do but so much to slow the project unveiling as well as its actual roll out.¡±


    ¡°That was already the plan.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. I will stay in touch once I get done with-¡±


    ¡°-No. Once I finish with our boy I have somewhere I need to be. I won¡¯t be reachable.¡±


    Al¡¯s face cocked aside in suspicion-laced thought. No, I need to ask in person. Not on public lines. ¡°Well, you do what you have to. I¡¯ll always be around.¡± He ended the call and quickly put it away, letting out a long sigh. Besides, it¡¯s not like I can expect her not to be who she¡¯s always been. He turned to Sebastian once more but with a different intent. He knew this was his one and only chance to talk to him the way he wanted and didn¡¯t want to squander any opportunities before the two had to part ways. He had, after all, gone through the trouble to invite him to drink in the first place, only happy enough just to get to know him in person.


    ¡°So, listen, I won¡¯t bother you anymore with the responsibilities talks. I just need to ask a few more things.¡±


    Sebastian had long read the atmosphere since the phone call had begun. ¡°You want me to call my brother, right?¡±


    Al put his drink down and began chuckling, shaking his head. He didn¡¯t even get to put up his finger before his thoughts were interrupted.


    ¡°You want to ask why I know. Ms. Norris trusts me and tells me almost anything, because if it¡¯s me on the ground, it¡¯s me who needs to know almost everything,¡± he continued in the sternest tone, not giving an afterthought to the fact that he was speaking to one of the topmost superiors in the administrative ranks. ¡°I thank you for the help you always give us and the time you make to fix everything, but it¡¯s not just me but also your daughter who needs to know these things.¡±


    ¡°Touch¨¦,¡± he concurred as he picked up his mug once more, taking a casual sip. ¡°I¡­ well, I can¡¯t tell you the whole story because we don¡¯t have time,¡± he started, working up the better answer of the two options in his head: tell a shortened tale of the Apollyon Massacre survivor accounts he witnessed, or let him in on something else to appease and distract from the horrifying memories he wished to keep repressed, so help him the alcohol. ¡°But I can tell you since Vrey found his girl, the project will go no matter how much we oppose it, so, we need things to at least work right.¡±


    He pulled out his mobile once more, but this time not activating the holographic display on a blueprint he loaded up. ¡°This,¡± he said as he pushed it towards him, ¡°is something we need you and Sam¡¯s team to make good use of to accomplish things before the project starts, but he won¡¯t sign off on it unless he gets his pilot up here for neural realignment exercises.¡± He watched Sebastian study the blueprints of modifications and armaments for the Ap50 he had by now grown so accustomed to piloting, noting the curiosity blossom by the second. ¡°Have your brother help convince her to join if he hasn¡¯t already. If Vrey has to win, we must make sure our girl stays in the best spiritual and mental state possible.¡±


    [I like this shield and booster upgrade. I bet if we see those Cloaks again, we can at least match their offense with better defense and evading capabilities. I need to ask about these heat source detection and prediction mechanisms sometime soon.] He was half listening, half in thought all the while until he pushed the mobile back in Al¡¯s direction gently. ¡°I will call him.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± he said as he placed the mobile back in his coat pocket. ¡°I hope Space has been forgiving for you.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop vomiting for an entire day.¡±


    The straight-forwardness of his response once more drew a chuckle. ¡°Apologies our artificial gravity doesn¡¯t do the trick. But, I hope it was less stress on the stomach than my daughter. How are things between you two?¡±


    [Hmm. She is more obsessed with her brother. I am just an afterthought lately- why do you ask?] he simulated speaking aloud before shaking the thought. [I think our relationship was formed out of convenience or something like that, so I wouldn¡¯t really expect much at this rate, to be honest,] another fleeting thought came across his mind before opening his mouth: ¡°pretty good, I guess.¡± A weak smile curled the edges of his lips as he brought his beer to them for a sip. The topic change was a bitter reminder of what had been nagging and tugging at his soul since his trip to Akkadia. It was something he couldn¡¯t shake, and he had begun to grow tired of using his exhaustion and reoccurring nausea from the neural mesh network¡¯s post-op rehab and training as excuses to not call. But he couldn¡¯t let that become a theme here in front of the father. ¡°But I am not one to talk romantic things, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is,¡± he empathetically replied as he looked back ahead. ¡°As long as someone as organized and has their shit straight at all times like you keeps her crazy ass in line, I can¡¯t really fuss. I truly do thank you for always looking out for her. You mean a lot to her, you know.¡±


    The burn started to sting even more, and the acid from the drinks didn¡¯t help. ¡°I think I will call my brother, now.¡±

 Manila Arc Preview, Part 3

    ¡°Well, hold on, I had one more question,¡± he spoke with a raise of his hand, leaning back in his seat, taking in a long breath. He then looked him in the eye with concern, almost like a father to a son set to head off on a dangerous task. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t pressure you into anything you¡¯re uncomfortable doing. Are you really OK with this accelerated training program? Is the potential outcome¡­ you know¡­-¡±


    ¡°-I haven¡¯t been this confident in a very long time, Mr. Knight,¡± Sebastian calmly replied as he too leaned back, letting out a less than calming sigh. ¡°I am nervous, of course. But¡­ my life never really had direction like it does now. I just sat, watched my home town start to¡­ come apart. Start to break into pieces. But ever since I joined Infinity, even if its things I don¡¯t like doing, I know where I am going and I always learn something to help get me closer to the end.¡±


    Al avoided bringing up the loss of Sebastian¡¯s boss and all of his crew he had likely viewed as family but yet he felt the need to also avoid coming off as aloof in such a moment. ¡°But you have lost so much since Hexa stuck its nose into it. Doesn¡¯t it upset you?¡±


    Sebastian couldn¡¯t deny the occasional haunting flashbacks, the blaze that consumed all he knew, the corpses he viewed at the morgue days later. But those scars that formed didn¡¯t take permanent shape necessarily. ¡°I realize that it was not Hexa¡¯s fault in the end, even though that was very much how I felt at first. Of course, I was very angry. Angry at so much¡­ And yes, Hexa did accelerate the ending there, but it was an end that was coming no matter what, once you think about the Rocha¡¯s and their involvement. I¡­¡±


    Shit, there it goes, I hate making people like this guy feel remorse when it was others at fault. This is the kind of talk I was never built for, he thought as he watched Sebastian¡¯s head droop somewhat, now staring through the table, likely swallowed up by painful memories.


    ¡°¡­I feel like even I would be dead, too, if we died a slow, year-long death. I got to escape that because of the power I feel like I now have that I didn¡¯t before.¡± He looked back at him, now with a stronger sense of resolve that changed the air around them. ¡°Even with the loss at Bangladesh, I improved. Even when I lost my LTAC, I saw and¡­ and analyzed¡­ what I could do to take down who I know is behind these attacks. I know I will see them again, but I need to be ready for them even more.¡± [And I know exactly who one of them is, and who will help bring him to me.]


    Al sensed darker feelings behind the resolve, but refrained from comment as he preferred to have a motivated pilot moving forward.


    ¡°I will help end this mess that spilled into Colombia, Mr. Knight,¡± he continued as he met his gaze. ¡°I will take your offer and make sure this also ends before this project you seem to hate so much ever needs to take off.¡± He suddenly felt himself jump in his seat almost from the reaction of a firm, friendly hand to the back.


    ¡°I believe you, always did, now relax!¡± he replied with another chuckle as before. ¡°I brought you here to have lighter conversation than all this. Finish your beer, all you have to do tonight is call your brother and then get a good night¡¯s rest.¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    It was well past the programmed sunset at the hotel where Sebastian was dropped off by the automated taxi. He stood at the edge of the pickup and drop-off rotary, accompanied only by the soft glow of street lights, the hums of passing cars, and the gentle rustle of vegetation stirred by generated winds. He had spent more than a week here yet the absence of bugs¡¯ chirping, distant music playing, and the white noise from general gatherings. Perhaps it was the sterile nature of the Space Nation Akkadia One that had him feeling empty inside, perhaps it was really just everything else he had been balancing mentally and emotionally since his arrival.


    A moment had passed before he realized how long he had been standing there staring emptily at the hotel sign in front of him, finally electing to take his mobile out and head inside. [I am always too wound up lately. Renzo was right, and so was Mr. Knight. What has happened to me all this time? I miss being able to laugh at the boys¡¯ jokes. I miss laughing at he and Dani¡¯s stupid arguments. I miss a good talk over good food¡­]


    He passed through the door to find a TV displaying the news centered around the election situation in The Philippines and the P4C demands. [But I have to keep my shit together for just a few more weeks. I need to finish this right.]


    On his way into the elevator, he noticed a young woman with her face buried in her mobile stepped in just behind him, casually pressing a floor button as he noted just how different of an aura the women her age carried there. [I also can¡¯t lie. I miss Sam, yet¡­] [Hm?] His thoughts were interrupted by the music he could hear over her too-high of a volume earpieces¡­ a song that matched styles with what he heard at the bar just earlier. [Mr. Knight talked about all these bands from the early 2000¡¯s. It really is popular here. Hmm¡­]


    He arrived to his room and in no time fell onto the sofa near the entry, remaining stretched out there for a moment. He then remembered his call to Renzo he needed to make, working his mobile out of his pocket.


    [Brother,] he spoke up as the other side picked up after several rings. [What¡¯s the word?]


    [Space man!] he energetically replied, seemingly glad to hear his voice. [How¡¯s the no gravity life?]


    [Remember that joke Sam told you once she got her translation back? Yeah, she wasn¡¯t kidding, man.]


    [It¡¯s really that bad?]


    [You get used to it. Hey, I was going to ask a favor.]


    [It¡¯s about the girl, huh? Listen, I just stepped out. The girl and the old man are still in talks and no idea how much longer this is supposed to take. So, what happened?]


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Sebastian always found it easy to say exactly what was on his mind to his brother or sister. There was never any need to mince words or walk on eggshells, and as he started to reply he could sense this clearly. [I talked with my superiors here and they convinced me this Project E thing is something I need to avoid ever happening. That girl you have there is apparently a big threat to everyone but those in the higher ranks.]


    [But it sounds like if the chick didn¡¯t want the job she¡¯d have said no, right? She¡¯s been mum the whole time.]


    [I don¡¯t think we will ever get half the shit they talk about, but I am only worried about the old man Knight¡¯s tone. He said we need her to join, but we have to act fast once they use her in starting this project up.]


    [I will think of something,] Renzo reassuringly responded. [Damn, bro. I knew I was getting involved in some deep shit when I saw the pay check they offered me and Dani.]


    [What about Rodrigo? They didn¡¯t offer him, too?]


    [He didn¡¯t want to. Said this country brings back too many bad memories for him. Besides, Argentina is the last bastion for pro-independence in the whole of SAU. You know what that means in the long run, right? Yeah, I think it¡¯s best he stayed home and it¡¯s best Dani and I get back home now that we¡¯re wrapped up.]


    [Well, I will let you do what you need to. Stay safe, brother.]


    [You too. Tell Cruella hey for her next time you see her.]


    [Right¡­]


    He rolled over on his side as he hung up the call. The simulated starry night panels screamed emptiness to his soul, hoping he could stare off into them as he would back home. His eyes looked just beyond the panel and to the farthest up he could see before running out of window to see more city above him with the lights of cars passing through. Days passed and he still couldn¡¯t adjust to seeing a cylindrical world wrapped around him. He turned back away to the cold, clean, ultra-modern yet hollow interior of his hotel room.


    [It may not be Sam¡¯s fault she¡¯s like this. But what does that do for me¡­]


    ¡­


    [I wonder what she¡¯s thinking or doing right now¡­]


    .


    ¡­


    [The Philippines, huh¡­]


    .


    .


    .


    ¡ñ¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Punta Lara Spaceport, Buenos Aires Vicinity, Argentina, SAU


    Kaylen finally had her cuffs released, pulling her freed wrists away and immediately began massaging them as she kept her gaze downward. ¡°You must have known I would¡¯ve strangled you to death if you had let me out of these sooner, I assume.¡±


    Vincent, who had just pushed over a signature app her way, shrugged his shoulders in response to the threat he elected to not acknowledge. ¡°As goes another day in the business world I regret creating for myself.¡±


    ¡°You still and will always disgust me,¡± she continued mumbling under her breath, signing the holographic panel with her finger gesture before clicking the accept button area. Renzo then once more entered the room, hands in pockets with a nonchalant response to the atmosphere that had drastically changed in comparison to before he left to make his call. [You as well.]


    [Wait, what?] Renzo sputtered in return, halting in his tracks with a confused look. [What did I do?]


    [I am receiving compensation from you, by the way, as part of this whole deal since you WRECKED my Z84 that I will never get back,] she hissed as she stood up to leave, refusing eye contact. [Now, drive me to the terminal.]


    [No thank you,] he huffed as he turned to leave, hands back in pockets. [I see my business is done here-]


    ¡°-Last¡­ order of business,¡± Vincent interrupted with a grin. ¡°She has to arrive as agreed upon, and she¡¯s got one last stop because this was just the holding room.¡±


    [But¡­ you have her,] he spoke back with an unconvinced frown and a vivid gesture both of his hands threw towards her.


    ¡°When she arrives in good spirits, you will be dismissed, and since she seems to have taken such a liking to you, it is as we must fulfill,¡± Vincent quickly replied, denying any further argument. ¡°Take Mrs. Rodgers to her destination as requested, please.¡±


    [Let¡¯s go,] Kaylen impatiently ordered as she passed by him and his palm stuck to his forehead. [Off to your piece of shit SUV we go.] She then heard the door close behind them, cueing her to turn and whisper through her clenched teeth, pushing her index finger into his chest provokingly: ¡°And no, don¡¯t even try and get any stupid ass ideas. This is all just me reminding you how spineless you are, bending over any way that soulless coward pushes you simply because you let him simply buy you with all that money.¡±


    He motioned to throw her hand aside, but she beat him to it as she backed off a step.


    ¡°And of course I noticed all that bullshit eye rolling of yours. The only reason my ¡®family¡¯ didn¡¯t come to bail me out when you thought you had me was because I elected so. By not uttering the code word, which I was that close to doing, it told them I surrendered myself¡­ that the day had come. ¡®Emilia¡¯ is dead to them, now,¡± she continued as her voice trailed off.


    ¡°I hope that answers another one of your pointless questions.¡± She then turned to head down the hallway alone, leaving him even further confused and frustrated. The door at the end opened as a set of security guards offered to lead the way out and towards the terminal shuttle.


    I can¡¯t believe I said that, knowing I just made a deal with the devil himself. NJ, please forgive me. This is for your sake as well. Wish me luck. I¡¯m going to Space and back for the first time since you know when¡­


    .


    .


    .


    .


    <u>Manila Arc Preface</u>


    It was the fall of the International Confederacy that catalyzed economic crashes that went beyond violent unrest as seen in Colombia, as coup d¡¯¨¦tats like those that occurred in Myanmar and Bangladesh had become the norm in expectations across Southeast Asia. For southeast Asia, the two largest spheres of influence during the height of the Confederacy were China and India. As for those under China¡¯s umbrella, debt and trade disruption was not the only factor involved unlike with India¡¯s sphere collapse. China retained much of its control over former territorial waters and islands, preventing many smaller countries from resuming independence over its economic trade outlets, unable to utilize air and sea as it once did prior to the Confederacy. The greatest collapse to occur from this as a result was in the Philippines.


    Political dynasties and the abused cycles of turncoats had finally seen their end after Confederate policy prohibited such activity under its management, but the moment power was returned to the country, the pre-Confederacy charter was restored, erasing the hopes of finally adopting a federal statehood. The P4C (Post-Confederacy Charter Change Coalition) was born initially out of necessity to continue the push, but the elites of the greater Manila area who had enjoyed incredible economic growth and amassed incredible wealth during the Confederacy period had no intentions of relinquishing influence and power. And with the more recent adoption of pro-Confederacy Restoration sentiment (mainly the expectations that it would bring more stability), more support for the P4C has poured in from other nations in the forms of both finances and firepower.


    By the 2170s, peak unrest had begun taking its toll on infrastructure and the population across the capital area, and the moment Hexa¡¯s Infinity began offering contracted services, Filipino PM Cruz was quick to jump on the offer. Infinity has by now finished its eighth month in Manila, seeing largely crowd control activity and very little heavy fire, but the intensity has steadily ramped up regardless, and as of the past month, LTAC presence has ticked up as well. This led to increasing damages and losses to Infinity¡¯s LTAC arsenal, alarming Hexa¡¯s administration. The biggest fear now is a repeat of Bangladesh, leading the administration to agree to sending Danielle Norris¡¯ assembled team there along with the soon-to-come implementation of Project Excalibur, leaving many on the ground curious as to what kind of assistance is on the way.

 In Need of Healing Time

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    A large clock display came into view that looked over the airport¡¯s main atrium that Sam entered, pulling her rolling suitcase with her. Seemingly accustomed to hot, humid weather by this point, her hair was in a high ponytail that was twisted into a knot to keep it off of the back of her neck and she wore a sleeveless designer t-shirt pared with matching shorts and sandals. Across her left shoulder just below her collar bone was the remnants of the laceration wound, all but fully healed after advanced repair treatments. It was only noticeable as she kept her left backpack shoulder strap off of it to be safe.


    She took her attention off of her mood-matched music she had playing through her earphones to look up, seeing the clock read ¡°1:55PM ¨CSeptember 2<sup>nd</sup>, 2176¡± and then checked her watch, checking once more for any message notifications. Seeing it remain blank, she let out a heavy sigh as she began pulling her suitcase once more.


    It¡¯s been more than a day and he still hasn¡¯t answered me. Does he even know I¡¯m back to full duty in two days?


    She continued on to the opposite end of the atrium and through one of the exit doors that lead to the nearest train terminal. Her exhaustion was evident once she finally got her things aboard, finding an empty set of seats to plop onto, slow to stow away her suitcase and properly set her backpack on the seat adjacent to her. She bumped her wound in the process, drawing a slight wince, stirring up memories in a flash. The entire exchange between Isaiah and her had been on repeat countless times every day since the event passed, wearing on her enough as it was, but lately she also couldn¡¯t avoid the replaying image of Sebastian walking out of the room as if disappointed.


    It¡¯s almost like I said something. I wish I could figure even just the slightest thing out that happened that day. Or was it the day before? Her head shook as she grabbed the bridge of her nose, giving it a tug, trying to once more fight off the depressing, stinging thoughts. Hell, at this rate, the only option I have left is to just go to work and hope it helps take my mind off shit I can¡¯t even start to figure out. The train kicked off, bringing out a soft chuckle under her breath. Who am I even kidding? This is me, the never-ending hopeless, helpless mess, right? What have I even fixed for myself since getting to Earth?


    The tunnel quickly turned to views of the outside, revealing scenery that almost reminded her of the nicer parts of Dhaka she saw the month prior, but even more modern than that. The sun was blocked out by cloudy skies that showed signs of coming rain, providing better conditions for staring out endlessly and mindlessly, finding comfort in the fading but welcoming respite from her nagging memories. High-rise building after building whizzed by as her tired focus faded away just as quickly. I remember reading about how this place was half destroyed during the last war. I can see what gave way to such reconstruction, but I wonder what happened to the rest of the city? Can¡¯t help but think that ever since getting out of Dhaka. She then began chuckling once more, amused by the simple fact she cared for once about the state of places that would never have any bearing on her life or situation.


    She was then harshly startled by the buzzing of her watch, showing an incoming message. Frantically bringing the screen face into view, her wide eyes brimming with expectation sank in a flash, seeing it wasn¡¯t Sebastian. She pulled up the message anyway, seeing it was from Kerry, who she knew was already in Manila since a few days prior.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m on the train,¡± Sam spoke as she activated her earpieces. ¡°I should be at the station in a few.¡±


    ¡°Cool. Hope it wasn¡¯t a bad flight over?¡± she heard Kerry respond casually. ¡°-Hey, look,¡± she quickly continued in an interrupting manner, ¡°I want to catch you before you get there. Take the third station after that instead.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get off at Boni Station. Wait until you see Santolan- that¡¯s where I¡¯ll be waiting for you, OK?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Sam fussed once more with a wrinkled brow and a look ahead, away from the windows and the view outside. ¡°But this paper says our base is accessed from Boni¡­?¡±


    ¡°I realize that, Sam. You don¡¯t have to check into the dorms, yet, you know?¡±


    Ugh, what is she up to? ¡°So if I get off at¡­¡±


    ¡°-Santolan.¡±


    ¡°San¡­ to lan Station, there is some other place you expect me to stay because you know how much baggage we bring. And I mean that in all possible ways.¡±


    ¡°I just,¡± Kerry paused midsentence with a giggle, ¡°I was talking to Devin- my fianc¨¦, you know? He agreed to let you crash at our place until active duty starts back up.¡±


    Oh yeah, of course I remember. Devin Yanga. She was always talking about him back at Singapore, she thought as the train slowed to a stop.


    ¡°He wants you to get properly accustomed to the land before you get tossed out there and get all the wrong impressions and stuff,¡± Kerry continued enthusiastically. ¡°And we got an extra room and all here.¡±


    Why does she keep saying ¡°we¡±, though as if they already bought a house together? Sam¡¯s eyes rolled at the thought, not paying much attention to the train¡¯s doors closing and moving once again. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I know what to say yes and no to by this point, anyway. An~nd I just passed up Boni Station, so I guess I will take you all up on the offer?¡±


    ¡°Good! I¡¯m parked just outside the new northeast exit. Look for me in a light blue Tomita; I¡¯ll have the trunk open. See you there in a few!¡±


    ¡°Blue car, got ya. Bye,¡± she replied as she ended the call, looking back up out of the window as something caught her attention just beyond the four lane-wide street. SM Megamall? That instant, talks with her friends before leaving Akkadia that fateful June rushed back, promises to go shopping once life settled down. It hadn¡¯t sunk in fully until now, realizing she had not gone in months despite having every chance to ask someone to tag along as she never would once go alone. Maybe I should ask¡­ she began to think before feeling like there would be too much going on after all¡­ just as things have always turned out for her thus far. Never mind. The mall passed by, still leaving her in awe at the size. But damn¡­ that thing is still monstrous for a mall. I can¡¯t even start to think how big these could get in a bigger city like Los Angeles or Paris.


    .


    The train had finally arrived at Santolan Station, cueing her exit as she departed with her luggage. After passing through the main turnstile she spotted the northeast exit as instructed, pulling her suitcase along and down the last connecting walkway. Headed back out into the open air, she felt the rush of intensely humid air blast over and around her, quickly drawing a grimace from her as she began looking for the parking lot from the ledge she approached at the end of the path.


    I swear this is the only weather in existence on this planet! Ugh! Kerry, please be down there like you said!!


    Looking down and around, she finally spotted the only bright blue car she could, noting it was parked on the side of the street just by the end of the staircase. Oh, un-uh, she thought in disapproval of that route, starting her next search for the elevator. But before she could even take two steps, she heard something in the distance that got her attention. Something had told her it wasn¡¯t the roll of thunder by the nature of it.


    A black column of smoke popped and spiraled up into the sky from behind the blocks upon blocks of buildings as the sounds of fire response sirens started going off.


    Shit¡­ I know that sound all too well. The sound of the boom shook back memories of the attack she endured her first day in Bogota that rang in unison with the clips of the riots she watched and studied prior to her arrival there. This is looking to be exactly what they said this place would be. She then looked back down at her watch, instinctively tapping it as if to pull up the SOS page before remembering she didn¡¯t have clearance, yet. No, you¡¯re still not activated into service, yet. Just get to that elevator and keep moving, Sam.


    She had only made it to the elevator at the other end before losing her battle to curiosity. She walked past a quickly forming crowd at the ledge, finding a spot with a good view of the column of smoke, pulling her suitcase in front of her before pulling out her mobile. Opening the camera app she hovered over the smoke, zooming in until she could make out what was going on just a bit more clearly. That¡¯s a rank of Ai20¡¯s moving around. I wonder what got hit- what¡¯s on fire over there?


    Her mobile then began to vibrate, showing an incoming call from Kerry.


    ¡°Forget that! Come on down already!¡± Kerry hollered as Sam snapped out her focus away from the distraction, quickly headed back the opposite way of the crown and toward the elevator. ¡°It was a car bomb they drove into Pack 12, Devin texted me just now.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°A car bomb? Shit, was anyone hurt?¡±


    ¡°He was saying it like they had missed. But look, that region has been one big mess since months ago he was saying. Hurry up, I¡¯ll explain that all later!¡±


    .


    Sam finally made it out of the elevator and up to Kerry¡¯s parked car through the sweat she already worked up. ¡°Woah,¡± she reacted to the spotlessness and shine of the seemingly quite expensive sedan that she saw Kerry now climbing out of from the driver side. ¡°Wait, you drove this thing yourself?¡±


    ¡°Sam, I see you for the first time in over a week and that¡¯s the first thing you say?!¡± Kerry laughed as she approached for a hug.


    The short-lived hug greeting was still awkward for Sam, and her sweating made things even more embarrassing which was noted in her feeble attempt to return it. ¡°Thanks for coming to get me. I do have to admit, it¡¯s nice seeing you instead of some Infinity officials.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get you to a cooler place, huh? You look like you¡¯ve been for a jog or something,¡± she poked as she took Sam¡¯s suitcase from her, heaving into the trunk, now motioning her to put her shouldered bag in as well.


    ¡°Yes, please,¡± Sam huffed in frustration-laced relief, plopping her bag down before walking to the passenger door. ¡°This is a nice car. Whose is it?¡± she asked, opening the door and climbing into air-conditioned, leather-wrapped, new car-smelling paradise.


    ¡°Mine, of course, dummy,¡± Kerry smartly replied as she took her seat, closing the door and buckling in before putting a hand over a large, central rotating knob on the console. ¡°Now hold on, you don¡¯t mean to tell me you never thought to spend a single bit of your bonus we got last week!?¡± she fussed, turning the knob to ¡°drive¡±.


    Sam had been in a truck several times before in Bogota and even rode in a van in Dhaka, but sitting in the front passenger seat this time brought once again another attention-stealing experience, watching the world move around in front of her, feeling even more belittled by the sizes of the buildings and waves of traffic passing by.


    ¡°Hey, if you were worried about that attack just now, that¡¯s been constantly on and off over there at Quezon Memorial Circle. I hear of that hot spot for demonstrations from Devin a lot, but he¡¯s long since reassured me that Infinity has had it mostly under control. Just really annoying and persistent, comes in waves, but we aren¡¯t going to worry with it. That¡¯s their job, not ours.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Sam snapped out of it, realizing how zoned out she was, mesmerized by the world moving by as they merged into traffic. ¡°No, I was just looking around. Sorry, you were saying something before that?¡±


    Kerry let out a nasal laugh, shaking her head. ¡°You sound like you need a nap. You can crash when we get home- we aren¡¯t far. Like, five minutes from here, and it¡¯s relatively peaceful.¡±


    She has a point. I didn¡¯t sleep well at all on the plane ride. Her mind then wandered off to the things she saw earlier before she was once again fixated on the large mall she saw. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the mega mall thing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you saw it!?¡± Kerry said, eyes wide with anticipation.


    ¡°How could I not?! Are all Earth malls that big!?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been to a mall on Earth, yet!? Sam!¡± she shouted back with profound excitement. ¡°Girl! I was going to wait until you rested, but we have to go hit that place up! They have this designer dress carrier that I¡¯ve been meaning to go to once I got back! And you know I don¡¯t go shopping alone!¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, me too! But you can¡¯t go with Devin?¡±


    ¡°Devin?! Ha!¡± she giggled with a cocked brow. ¡°You say that like you would expect your boy Sebastian to do just that for you.¡±


    Right¡­ Sebastian¡­ he wouldn¡¯t, I don¡¯t think. Hell, he isn¡¯t even answering my texts like I would expect.


    Kerry saw the mood and the aura around her rapidly sink, prompting an even more emphatic shout: ¡°You know what, forget them for now! I got to show you these dresses they got coming in- they¡¯d be perfect for this club I have been waiting to hit up! And you look like you need a drink already,¡± she added with a smirk.


    Club? Dresses? Drinks? Shit¡­ how long has it really been? She hated to admit it to herself, but she felt a sense of comfort she hadn¡¯t felt since then, even though she somewhere deep down promised it¡¯d be her friends from back home once she could pay them a shuttle down to Earth. But, no, this can¡¯t be a time for play. What was all that going on earlier, shouldn¡¯t I be a bit more concerned? That concern, however, genuine as it may have been, was quite fleeting at best. Considering the temptations, there was no denying her dire need of an emotional pickup. No¡­ Perhaps this would be good for my soul, just maybe, she thought as a smile escaped the corners of her lips, prompting an even wider grin from Kerry.


    ¡°I see you, girl, don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m wrong now!¡±


    Sam¡¯s grew equally as large, unable to contain something she had by now been subconsciously holding back for weeks, which was her guard being up in regards to her interactions with Kerry up until this point in time. New country, new city, upcoming new mission, new friend, no Sebastian¡­ fuck it! Let¡¯s hit that reset button! ¡°After I drop all my stuff off, let¡¯s go straight there. I¡¯m already ready,¡± she answered glowingly through the mental and physical exhaustion. Who the hell am I kidding? This might be exactly what I need!


    .


    .


    The apartment building at which they arrived was of fairly recent construction, sandwiched in between two smaller apartment communities, and faced a rather large Catholic Church with what appeared to be an extensive golfing range. Sam saw all this from the ledge of the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor walkway as she waited for Kerry to hang up with her fianc¨¦ and open the door. But with the look back down the opposite end of the walkway, she could see a cluster of rundown concrete buildings that may easily be more than a century old, cracked and crumbling. The ups and downs of all these towns I visit, even if they look so different in appearance, it¡¯s like a common recurrence. It¡¯s like Eden and Casares satellite nations put into one in random order. I might not ever get used to this¡­ Earth¡­ trend. She casually pointed her mobile in both directions, snapping a picture of both views. In that second shot, however, was the black smoke from earlier showing up in the corner of the screen. Her eyes shifted past her mobile and into the distance, feeling what felt like a sense of guilt. Am I really OK to be just¡­-


    ¡°-Sam, come on! I said don¡¯t worry about that!¡± Kerry fussed at her with the pull of the door, motioning her in. ¡°If you wanna ask questions about all that, ask Devin. He¡¯ll be home later tonight, but anyway, until then, make yourself at home!¡±


    ¡°My first time staying in a proper housing situation since I got Earthside,¡± Sam replied with a soft smile. ¡°I appreciate you and Devin¡¯s generosity because I was not looking forward to the dorms to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to the benefits of being engaged to a local,¡± she joked as she closed the door behind them as the automated lock bolted in with a distinct pair of clanks.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± she said with a cock of her brow before realizing she was being pointed to a room to their immediate right as an invitation to place her things. ¡°Oh, this room?¡± she continued with another tug of her suitcase.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just put your backpack on this chair here, but yeah, put the suitcase wherever,¡± Kerry replied as she checked over the room to make sure once more that it was good enough for company. ¡°Anyway, this is the guest room where Devin¡¯s sister comes to stay sometimes. She¡¯s studying abroad in the NAU as well.¡±


    It was the second comment now that had Sam¡¯s curiosity fully active. ¡°So, when you said local, you never mentioned Devin was from here, though, did you?¡±


    ¡°Well, we met our freshman year of college, right? And he had no intent to move back home to be honest, but here we are, right?¡±


    Hold on! She mentioned him being here for months! And to think he was a local? Her curiosity changed to suspicion on the spot. ¡°You mean to say Infinity placed him here on purpose, knowing he¡¯d be less willing to shy away from the long haul because he¡¯d be what, protecting his home?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that serious,¡± Kerry waved off the presumption with a smile, motioning that the two should head back to the living room. ¡°Come on, we can sit at the table while you catch a quick break.¡± As she turned the other way with her face out of view, her eyes rolled in reaction to that particular statement, but it was short lived. I forget that it¡¯s not like she wants to be wound up like that all the time. None of us ever really get to catch any breaks these days, but I forget it¡¯s me that¡¯s used to things around here, not her. ¡°You drink coffee?¡± she continued in an attempt to change the subject.


    ¡°Sure, whatever you got would be fine with me,¡± she lightly replied as her eyes began to subconsciously survey the interior of the apartment. She then took the seat pulled out for her with a nod of gratitude, sighing out as she rested her chin between her cupped hands. ¡°I guess you liked the reassignment since you get to be at home away from home, huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just temporary,¡± Kerry responded as she opened several cabinets to collect a few items for preparing their lattes. ¡°Devin grabbed up this place the second he got his placement here way back earlier this year. He was here while I was in Myanmar, said ¡®hey, if you look to be there a long time, set up a place for us¡¯ kind of thing, you know?¡± She didn¡¯t notice Sam half paying attention while still locked on studying her surroundings, continuing the small talk while setting the machine for operation. ¡°But the lease is up at the end of the year, and we will end our careers here so that we can get back to the NAU and, you know, find something more normal to do.¡±


    ¡°When do you plan on tying the knot, speaking of?¡± Sam asked, now looking back over to her. ¡°If I may ask.¡±


    ¡°Well, not until we get back and find a job- I mean, we won¡¯t be rushing because our salaries keep getting major upgrades, you know? But something to settle down on, we don¡¯t even know what town we¡¯ll end up in, but definitely back in the NAU for sure. How about you and your guy?¡±


    What is there to even talk about? Sam sourly replied in her mind, not noticing the nasal sigh she let out the second she heard that question.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t tell me something¡¯s still going on, huh?¡± Kerry responded in concern, reading the air as she poured the espresso over two glasses full of ice.


    Shit, I wasn¡¯t exactly ready for this kind of conversation. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know what to say, Kerry, I wish I knew what was going on.¡±


    Kerry then reached for the milk carton, half distracted in thought: Well, damn, I can only guess something went down between the two at the hospital in Kolkata because they haven¡¯t even been in the same room since then. She then poured it into each cup up to the marked lines before walking it back to the refrigerator behind her. ¡°Maybe you two just needed a quick break from each other?¡± Yeah, that¡¯s all it is, maybe. ¡°A lot of stuff went down in such short time, you know.¡±


    Right, what else do you do when you can¡¯t get the thoughts of a murderous sibling out of your nightmares and can¡¯t even tell your own family or boyfriend about it. Sam sat upright, shaking the thought as Kerry brought them their lattes, sitting next to her with a long look. ¡°I can¡¯t talk about all this right now,¡± she replied with a gentle smile to ease up the mood. ¡°Thanks for the concern, but I need to spend these few days relaxing and recovering from all the shit that happened¡­ have a bit of fun for the first time in so long.¡±


    ¡°I can agree to that,¡± Kerry concurred as she too relaxed both her expression and her posture.


    Sam took a sip of her prepared drink, finding it of starkly similar taste and strength of the kind she would normally order. It went down smooth, seemingly bringing down equal weight in stress with it. ¡°Damn, this is pretty good. Thanks.¡± And for one reason or another, the goofy smile brought about on Kerry¡¯s face reminded her of Andre. ¡°Hey, where¡¯s Andre these days? Didn¡¯t he get here the same time as you?¡±


    ¡°The dorms.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ ouch¡­¡± she spoke back in full admittance of her guilt. I really do need to enjoy all of this while I can, then. Things could be so much worse- no. This is all pretty damn sweet of a situation to be in for a couple of days.

 In Need of Healing Time, Part 2

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Jazira Station, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    *BA-BAM!! BA-BAM!!*


    Pounded the foot modules of an Ap50, boosters firing off in bursts as it snapped directions in and between rapidly approaching wall-like obstacles driven by cables below the ground. Sebastian frantically pulled the controls back and forth in near-rhythm, beads of sweat pouring from behind the soaked visor pads and down his cheeks. Each time his LTAC hit the ground it was time to blast off in the opposite direction to avoid being trucked by the inbound obstacles, having little to no room for error or lapse in timing.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hold for much longer!¡± he grumbled, struggling to keep pace, swearing the speed had been ramped up over the past few seconds.


    ¡°You still got more than thirty seconds, hold it!¡± Danielle¡¯s voice shouted over his radio. ¡°You¡¯re doing great!¡±


    From her position up in the observation tower, the view of Sebastian¡¯s exercise showed him making forward progress down the entirety of the circular station and not just juking in place. She didn¡¯t show any signs of enjoying the display, but she knew how far he had come since his surgery. He¡¯s really come a lot farther than I would¡¯ve ever expected. We¡¯re only fifty percent into the desired progress range, but we may not need two weeks after all. She then let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head as she leaned back in her chair. If Sly was here I¡¯m sure this would all be a piece of cake, even with his recovery condition. Her mind once again wandered in his direction as it did on what was almost a daily basis. Another day, another round of no news on you. When will I get any kind of sign?


    ¡°All clear! Collisions: zero!¡± chimed an automated voice from the software system, prompting her to snap back to the present and check the vitals display, relieved to see nothing abnormal after pushing himself to the end of the course.


    ¡°Returning now,¡± Sebastian¡¯s voice followed with a tone revealing his stamina was crossing its limits. ¡°I need to stop for a little while. I can¡¯t do target inclusion yet.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯ve done plenty. You can take the rest of the evening off.¡± She then reached over the operations table and to a holographic panel of directives, tapping on ¡°Close Operation.¡± I wish everyone would have told me earlier what has this boy pushing himself so hard. Letting out a deep breath she headed for the exit, turning off the course software on her way out.  I was lucky to have been able to work as a pair before with him, but now I need to just stick to doing what I do best. No one can afford to wait for me to stop living in the past, especially this kid here, poor guy.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sebastian stepped down from the ladder, wearing a vest over his flight suit that wasn¡¯t issued during his time in Bangladesh, revealing padded armor pockets along with bolstered shoulder harness guides, hinting their maneuvers must demand more out of them physically than before. He slowly removed it as he waited for the ladder to retract, turning to run his last shut down checks before heading for the exit. Halfway down the tarmac he paused to turn and take another look at his borrowed LTAC, eyeing the modified armor and booster fixtures once more. His vision slowly moved away from that and onto the large contraption wrapped around the left wrist¡¯s armor frame. The logo laser-etched onto the side was barely visible but read out ¡°Forerunning Labs¡±, clearly marking that its creation was not of Hexa¡¯s.


    [There are so many people up here helping me get ready to finally end this, everyone,] he thought to himself as he pictured faces that he missed so much gathered around the break room table, listening to stories of that day¡¯s encounters. He then reminisced on the immense relief he felt, arriving to that hospital in Medellin to find his only two blood siblings alive and breathing after the Sonson incident. His focus then began to wander, either from getting lost in thought or perhaps because his tank was running that low. [A stupid clich¨¦¡­ It¡¯s like fate brought me here, but if that¡¯s true, fate sure has me hurting and exhausted as hell.]


    ¡°Hey,¡± the shout along with the abrupt closing of a door shook Sebastian back into focus as he whipped around to see Danielle approaching. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are rethinking going back out there!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t, I am done for now,¡± he said with a tired smile.


    ¡°You really doing OK?¡± she spoke with a concerned frown as she continued walking towards him. ¡°I know what¡¯s got your motor running nonstop since you got here, but don¡¯t forget sometimes you have to take care of you.¡±


    He let his crossed arms down to his sides, allowing the vest to tiresomely hang from his loose grip. ¡°Yes, I know. I am good enough for now. I just need to sit down¡­ and cool off.¡±


    ¡°You know, you really should¡­¡± she paused in hesitation as she stopped in front of him, looking down to the ground in thought.


    ¡°I know,¡± he defeatedly replied to what he assumed she would say. ¡°I have to watch my condition.¡±


    No, that¡¯s not it! She thought as she now looked back up at him, now feeling like she was eyeing one of her old pilot crewmembers. She remembered the determination in their eyes when they had no choice but to depend on each other to survive the next sortie, but Sebastian¡¯s determination wasn¡¯t in his eyes. She could feel it in his aura, behind the eyes that tried to mask or hide anything otherwise.


    Coaching him to do what¡¯s technically best for him will only hold him back, making him hurt himself in the long run. I was slow to realize it, but he¡¯s just like so many I knew before. He almost reminds me of that one kid¡­


    She put a hand on his shoulder with a comforting, assuring grip. ¡°If you¡¯re OK with it, kid, so am I. You just tell me what you need and when.¡±


    Something in her actions triggered his urge to speak what was heavy on his mind for the past while as he looked away with a dry, bittersweet grin. ¡°I spoke to my brother. We spoke about our jobs and everything important to do with it. And¡­ the last time I did that was the last time I thought I would hear from him.¡± He drew in a long breath before continuing, unsure what had him speaking, but it was too late to stop now. Looking back at her with the same determination as earlier, he continued in a hushed but desperate tone: ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to turn off the program just yet. I really¡­ really need to have this finished in two days, Director, not two weeks.¡±


    She knew it. She was now grinning as she patted his shoulder a few times reassuringly. ¡°Take tonight off. I¡¯m going to bring something tomorrow that should help you accomplish just that. It¡¯s going to hurt, and it might even make you lose your mind for a moment, even. But I trust you. And since not exactly legal, don¡¯t say anything- just let me handle it, alright?¡± She then let out a nasal chuckle as she retracted her hand. ¡°And I told you, I¡¯m not ¡®Director¡¯ anymore. Just Danielle Norris, here to help.¡±


    Sebastian was already grateful as it was having the outlet for accelerated training with prototype equipment loaned by his more recent sponsors, including the time Danielle took out of her day to do unpaid work in helping with his rehabilitation training. The neural mesh network installation in itself was also a blessing to him, coming too close to hitting a suffocating ceiling in his potential for development. And now, even with his unrealistic request, he felt he heard words spoken that only his late father-figure had used.


    It was understood by now that his exhaustion was a factor in how he was less able than usual to withhold his emotions and reactions, now feeling the onslaught of memory-tied tears heating up under his eyes. It was always a rare occurrence to make pleas to anyone, feeling it was always most important to complete one¡¯s own duties and only did so if things became desperate. And during those few times, only one had understood, accepted, and trusted his intentions. That was up until now.


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Norris,¡± he finally worked up the response, naturally backing away out of feeling vulnerable before noticing her open arms. And in that moment, it was almost like something inside him was trying to replace those emptied places in his heart for lost family with others who tried to make themselves available for him.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    .


    .


    Across the other end of the tarmac was an incoming group of pilot trainees along with a handful of supervisors and other specialists. One paused to point and smirk, leaning towards her colleague as she commented: ¡°Hey, Daja, isn¡¯t that Sam¡¯s bee-eff over there? Look!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Daja replied in confusion as her focus was buried in a registration checklist, stopping to see what it was she was being interrupted for. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that- hey you¡¯re right,¡± she now spoke with a frown. ¡°Hold on,¡± she said as she swiped her mobile screen over to the camera function.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have guessed a cute Earthling guy like that would be into the cougar type like her,¡± she chuckled, moving back to her business.


    Daja snapped a picture of the two across the tarmac hugging in what was more than a few seconds, drawing a sigh of mixed emotions. Damn, Sam¡­ hoping this is a real big misunderstanding for your sake, she thought as she continued taking a few more.


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    The clouds began to break up, heavy rains just missing Quezon Memorial Circle as citizens continued their march towards another of their rally groups at the shrine located in the center of the large-scale traffic circle. Two ranks of Hexa Ai20 units lined the entrance, backs facing the approaching marchers as they kept their shields up to the north and south as if expecting something from those directions.


    Andre was in an Ai20 of a separate group rolling up Commonwealth Avenue which led directly up to that same entrance, keeping a leisurely pace behind the marchers alongside several police patrol cars. Breathing in and out what seemed to be a relaxed sigh, his eyes casually glanced from sidewalk to sidewalk, each lined with planted trees between them and the buildings behind them. He occasionally noted the plethora of power lines that ran overhead and intersected across poles almost as numerous as the trees, thinking: power lines, power lines, everywhere I go, it seems. I wonder why it¡¯s almost 2200 and so many countries still use them.


    ¡°Hey, Nguyen,¡± a voice spoke over his radio, shaking him from his spacing out.


    ¡°Hey, Yanga, right? What¡¯s up?¡± Andre answered, straightening up in his seat. The notification in the corner of his visor view showed it was over a private channel, coming from Devin Yanga¡¯s Ai20 unit just over to his left as the two lead the front of the six-LTAC formation.


    ¡°Yeah, hey, you really didn¡¯t have to come out all this way for patrol so soon after getting here. I heard you gave up your days off for this? Even after that epic disaster they put you through in Dhaka?¡±


    Andre shrugged. ¡°Man, look, I was about to do a whole bunch of nothing. The two girls were about to go off shopping or some shit, and my other squad mate? He¡¯s been too busy up in Space and isn¡¯t due to return for a while.¡± But I wish I could be honest and tell him the damn truth. This is maybe my only way to stick to normal work-loads. ¡°I¡¯d rather find something productive to do to keep myself sane, especially after what I¡¯ve been through.¡±


    ¡°If I had been through what I read about you, I¡¯d have quit.¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t lying,¡± Andre huffed with a smirk. ¡°I feel it sometimes, but then I turn around and remember why I keep it up. I just need to finish out the year before I can go back home¡­ and this extra job they let me pick up is going to help me that much more, you know what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°Ah, a man of goals, I can relate,¡± Devin¡¯s voice answered in apparent higher spirits. ¡°Hey, we should hang out after this exchange, what¡¯cha say?¡±


    The Memorial Circle entrance was now approaching, steadily coming into view. ¡°Sure, but how long are these really? I mean, we really protecting demonstrations out here?¡±


    ¡°Command won¡¯t tell us, but I already got it figured out. P4C has been showing us some weird patterns lately and I bet it¡¯s because their leaders are changing. This one marching group in particular is advocating the removal of the president from office, not just a charter change.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so not as simple as the debriefing had it. This whole P4C thing is looking to split into two factions- kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I personally think, or else why are we marching behind them and protecting them? This far-left group is the newer group, and my intuition says the state wants to pay us to protect what might fully disrupt and destabilize the whole damn movement.¡±


    ¡°I see, I think I can make sense of this, now. Simple enough mission for the day, then,¡± Andre then finished his thoughts as he eased off of the controls, coming to a stop near the main intersection that allows merging of main traffic onto the circle.


    ¡°All of Unit 2,¡± Devin now announced over the main channel. ¡°Post up behind these barriers here in the far-right lane. Watch for any activity to pop in from the south, especially.¡±


    Andre noted his crowd dispersal gas rounds loaded but with the safety still locked, fully feeling the gap in responsibility levels compared to the past few weeks, but it was a comfortable feeling for a change. Riot shield still in hand but at ease and on mount, his wheel units retracted, allowing his Ai20 to stand on flat feet, adjusting posture to provide maximum stability and boost recharging rate. He then looked back to the circle center, seeing what looked to be maybe two to three hundred marching, then looked beyond them to see a much larger gathering at the shrine. Noise was there, but nothing seemed out of control.


    During the next few moments, idle hands brought about curiosity once more as he caught sight of the nearest poster signs being carried. One had ¡°Out with Cruz¡± written in reference to their president, another showed ¡°Return Justice ¨C Return the Confed Era Charter¡± in reference to the anti-dynastic policies enforced during the International Confederacy era. Several more nearby demanding the abolishing of the entire political party altogether, but it was the next line that had more of his attention: ¡°Stop the violence! Use your votes instead!¡±


    Ah, there¡¯s big reason why we are out here guarding this protest. Simple enough!


    Several minutes more had passed slowly, completely forgetting that he ever felt the slightest bit nervous about his return to active duty, albeit a few days early.


    I remember command mentioning that botched car bomb attempt that happened a few blocks from here having originated from that southward direction. Nothing since. He then began lost once more in thought as he stood there, keeping at the ready. I heard so many horror stories about this place. I see the wacky ups and downs of the rich and the poor here, I see how one side might be hating the other over this political bullshit, but I don¡¯t see why would it die down lately all the sudden? Is it just THAT particularly possible that things are simply fizzling out for a change?


    Could I be that lucky for once?


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Kerry¡¯s car steadily hummed along the multi-lane street amidst late afternoon traffic, stop¡¯s and go¡¯s clearly working her nerves as Sam turned to ask: ¡°You know, it just hit me, does¡­ no one on Earth use auto-drive?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Auto-drive is a Space thing, didn¡¯t you know that?¡±


    ¡°I thought that was just a broad jab at our preferences and not fact. So, how come?¡±


    ¡°As long as so many cars that aren¡¯t auto-drive exist on the roads, it takes an experienced human¡¯s input to safely get around and predict their stupid ass driving,¡± she answered just as someone from the right lane abruptly cut in while hitting their brakes. ¡°Like this stupid ass!¡± she fussed, mashing the brake pedal in frustration.


    Sam¡¯s curiosity then carried back over and through what she saw out of the window as newer office buildings passed by. ¡°I also noticed the lack of ramshackle neighborhoods. I think I learned them as slums back in history class. I haven¡¯t seen any, so does that mean Southeast Asia has none?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re all over Manila if you go to the right areas. Girl,¡± Kerry chuckled, ¡°you really haven¡¯t been many places yet, have you?¡±


    ¡°Well, Bogota, Medellin, Singapore, Dhaka, and here,¡± she counted off on her one hand. ¡°And the other few places in Europe I went to were back when I was in elementary school, so I don¡¯t remember them too well.¡± She then felt the car slow down once more, hearing the clicking sound of the car¡¯s blinker. ¡°Oh, are we there now?¡±


    ¡°Pulling up in just a minute- wait,¡± Kerry spoke as the incoming call notification lit up on screen, sending off a chime that caught their attention. The text on screen read ¡°Automated Check-in Service.¡±


    The ensuing programmed voice informed: ¡°Pilot, Devin Yanga, Unit 2, has arrived to destination. Status is active as of 4:33 PM local time. Location, Memorial Circle East. Reporting on standby until 9:00 PM.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Kerry reacted with a frown as they pulled into a large parking garage. ¡°He said he¡¯d be done at 6!¡±


    Sam remembered the suggestion they all go out for dinner that evening, now realizing that plan went out the window. But that means¡­ her mind wandered upon the realization of how much the time on duty was extended. That explosion earlier, does that mean something bad is about to go down?


    ¡°Never mind, I got a better idea,¡± Kerry continued, now with a smile. ¡°Everyone¡¯s been saying it! This has been the most settled down few days in months, so let¡¯s just take it as it is while it lasts, right?¡±


    The calm before the storm? Sam couldn¡¯t help but ponder before quickly extinguishing that flame. Nah. ¡°Yeah, I mean, if who we expect to be kicking up dust was here, we¡¯d know.¡± The car then came to a stop at a parking spot on the fourth floor as a digital meter above their windshield softly displayed their time and rate. ¡°That was quick. Must be nice to live so close, did you already visit here a bunch?¡±


    ¡°A few times.¡± Kerry closed the door as she adjusted her purse that she had slung over one shoulder, catching Sam¡¯s eye as she walked around.


    ¡°Hey I know that brand!¡±


    ¡°Good! This is the store I wanted to show you- they got this new series of dresses they released- we should get them and go for a pair look!¡± As the two walked up to the elevator, Kerry showed Sam a screen she pulled up on her mobile. ¡°This club here¡­ this one¡­ would be the perfect place to roll up with what I got in mind. What do you think?¡±


    Oh¡­ thought Sam as the last time she visited one was the night she failed her last exam, leading up to the decision that brought her exactly where she stood, waiting for the next elevator. Maybe this is a pattern¡­ maybe a good one? ¡°We needed new plans, anyway. Show me what they got,¡± she replied with a wide grin.


    ¡°Bet,¡± Kerry quickly replied, matching attitudes.

 Resurfacing

    A utility truck deftly maneuvered its way around pedestrians and rickshaws through the narrow streets of shore-side Navotas, just north of the city center. The construction differed vastly from the Makati and Quezon areas Sam had passed through earlier, having been stuck with infrastructure from the 21<sup>st</sup> century. Through the smells of fishery exports and associated wastes that wafted in and out of the opened windows of the truck, Revenant kept focus on the road ahead, carefully scanning the view for his target destination. He finally arrived to an opened garage space that was part of a boarded-up shop. He took time to adjust his entry angle before finally getting clearance to back up.


    As the truck continued backing up, several doors on the inside began to open and shut as the sounds echoed throughout the empty garage.


    Always these dirty, abandoned dumps. You¡¯d think Tyrus had different tastes from Rex. Revenant saw the wall just inches from his back bumper as he put the truck in park, killed the engine, and climbed out to the sound of approaching footsteps around the corner. He turned behind him to the only connecting hallways he could sense, seeing the silhouettes of three figures approach dauntingly. ¡°I prefer my coffee when I arrive, thanks,¡± he nonchalantly requested, taking out his ID badge from one of his shirt pockets.


    ¡°You know I only drink tea,¡± Isaiah¡¯s voice came from behind the other two men, taking Revenant by surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t act like that, now, Tamaz.¡±


    Tamaz (Revenant) paused in a mix of befuddlement and insult as the two men walked past him and right toward the exit of the garage. He noted their faces were not of locals, but rather from perhaps the mainland. Before he spoke back up, he instinctively turned off his ear piece. ¡°Forget the fact you didn¡¯t get any rest all this time; I¡¯m not surprised. But them?¡± he spoke as he pointed behind him. ¡°You stopped by Nanning, didn¡¯t you? Why involve them?¡± he continued as his eyes narrowed, focusing again on Isaiah¡¯s silhouette.


    ¡°I already got a good read on Tyrus¡¯ thinking, and of course Rex already has no idea I am here.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Tamaz snapped back, maintaining his hushed voice. ¡°Why them? They look like damned rookies to me.¡±


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Isaiah motioned as he turned back to the hall from which he emerged. ¡°And leave them be for now, they¡¯ll be standing guard.¡±


    Tamaz paused in thought as the garage door began to close behind him. Of course, this is how he acts when Cable isn¡¯t around. What the hell are you up to, Reap¡¯¡­ He began to reluctantly follow him down the dark hall and around the corner. But then again, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not just a bit relieved to see him show up unannounced after all that¡¯s been going wrong lately. The door at the end was opened as a light switch was turned on, revealing a table with scattered papers, clipboards, and folders while a stack of holographic transmitter stations was haphazardly piled to the side against the wall. It brought an even more reluctant but undeniable, bittersweet grin to his face at the sight of it. Just like things always had been and always needed to be. Damn it, Req¡¯, if only you were still here, brother. ¡°I see you must have gotten here this morning. Not a trace, even.¡±


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Isaiah wasted no time mincing words or bothering to catch up on recent times, showing him the empty chair in front of a closed portfolio marked ¡°Project E???¡±. ¡°Utilizing the chance to truly focus during the height of the silence and isolation Rex bestowed upon me up until yesterday, I managed to dig up two very critical pieces of information. This is one.¡± His finger pointed out the portfolio, watching Tamaz eye it as he took his seat. ¡°Take a look.¡±


    ¡°I knew this project was coming- I mean, everyone knows. That¡¯s why Tyrus has us ready to move big tonight.¡±


    Isaiah frowned in disagreement toward the notion as he too took his seat. ¡°But do you know why it¡¯s about to be a colossal mistake? Did your Tyrus ever figure out what the hell Vrey had in mind creating this scheme?¡± He awaited his response patiently, noting Tamaz¡¯s careful look-through of the files.


    ¡°Well¡­ these parts do match what I heard¡­¡± Curtana, Arondight¡­ Galatine¡­ But once his eyes met the jotted down specs underneath the Galatine¡¯s layout and configuration schematic, one particular codename had his heart skip a beat. Reign OS. No fucking way¡­


    Isaiah saw the rapidly built-up tension in Tamaz¡¯s gaze. ¡°Rex was an absolute fool for taking me out of the picture- or at least trying to. Do you see now why we need to stop whatever foolishness it is Tyrus has planned?¡± His hand extended across the table in gesture. ¡°Will you help me?¡±


    This OS means only one thing¡­ Tamaz only half heard what was spoken to him as he remained fixated on the operating system details, unnoticeably shaking his head in denial. This is a fucking full-out assassination operation lined up. How would he see through the plans to¡­ ¡°Fucking hell,¡± he suddenly spat out as he slapped the portfolio down against the face of the table through his frustration and fear. ¡°Reap¡¯, are you sure this is for real? You aren¡¯t fucking with us because if you are I swear-¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Isaiah calmly repeated as his gesture remained open: ¡°I need your help, Tamaz. Please.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± he replied with a sudden flash of insult and disbelief. ¡°No, no, those guys you brought with you. They¡¯re trainees straight out of Nanning- I can tell. That¡¯s not like you at all, Reap¡¯. What the hell is going on here for real?¡±


    ¡°Keep your voice down, please,¡± Isaiah retracted his hand as he saw emotions were getting the best of his partner.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t you,¡± he continued shaking his head in disappointment.


    ¡°No, this is me,¡± Isaiah rebutted, quickly continuing as not to allow a chance for him to shoot back. ¡°I lost you and Elias, and I will explain later what I have Cable off doing for us, so I needed someone in case I lose myself as well. My contingency plan- I always have one.¡±


    ¡°But this move Hexa has planned is more the reason we move tonight on their base like we did in Dhaka!¡±


    ¡°No! That is exactly what they want you to do, damn it! That¡¯s their trap they have set up for you!¡± Isaiah lost patience for just a moment, quickly dialing his emotions down as he hoped not to be heard. He took in a deep breath, now remembering it would be best to find something more objective to make his point. His eyes pilfered through the clutter, finding the blue clipboard he remembered taking notes on the week before. He picked it up and passed it to him, showing downloaded correspondence between Tyrus and a number of unnamed informants. ¡°You can see Tyrus is moving as if the real threat lies in Infinity¡¯s Marikina Base.¡± He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh and a chuckle unintentionally as his thoughts moved to the next. ¡°You might know the other critical piece of information is that a mole leaked the location of their one missing piece to the project.¡±


    ¡°The pilot,¡± Tamaz instantly filled in the missing word, answering naturally without thought or hesitation. ¡°Of course, they wouldn¡¯t have anyone on edge if the pilot wasn¡¯t found.¡± But if this is all true, and we lay waste to their whole base¡­ I see it, now. The president would grant authorization of widespread lethal force. That¡¯s the kind of support Hexa would¡¯ve loved to have had¡­ that¡¯s precisely what was missing from the government leaders back in Bangladesh and Colombia.  His fingers started tapping the table nervously. And this is the pilot from the Apollyon Massacre. This would mean the second our forces surface we¡¯d start dropping like flies, one by one, from miles away even. The realization of what Isaiah had been hinting at finally hit home, causing Tamaz to place the board back on the table, looking him in the eye once more. ¡°We can¡¯t stop the move tonight, Reap¡¯, it¡¯s too late now. What do we do?¡±


    Isaiah breathed a bit easier upon seeing his partner¡¯s trust slowly returning. ¡°Like I spoke of earlier, I need you to promise me a few things, first, but trust me that I have everything worked out.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s where things get fun, Tamaz,¡± Marian¡¯s voice suddenly came through his left earpiece, startling him.


    ¡°Damn it, Cable, you hacked my line?!¡± he fussed, bursting from his chair in distress.


    ¡°Salutations from Nanning, old chap. What say we start getting back to good old business?¡±


    The fact his earpiece was even on had him quite uneasy, feeling his heart rate ramping up. His eyes then fixated on Isaiah, knowing he heard her voice even if just slightly, yet he continued his wait calmly. ¡°I-, you realize we could have been listened in on. I had this turned off!¡±


    ¡°We have picked up a number of things on my way here from Macau,¡± Isaiah answered as he reached under the table, pulling up a small handheld device no larger than his thumb. It contained no lights or buttons; just a smooth, black, rounded-edged device. ¡°Your first promise is to keep this on you at all times, but keep it safe from the elements.¡±


    ¡°This is how we will talk to only you and the rest of our small team,¡± Marian added over the line. ¡°We have to move faster than ever and we can¡¯t trust anyone else¡¯s judgment as you just found out.¡±


    Isaiah watched Tamaz calming down somewhat as he took his seat back slowly, confusion still lingering. ¡°The other thing I need you to promise is to eliminate those three from Dhaka the absolute first chance you get, and you know who I am talking about.¡±


    Tamaz took a second to process the request, remembering orders regarding that specific issue. I remember¡­ That was Melancon, Nguyen, Navarre, and Reap¡¯s sister. But is he serious? ¡°But intel says they¡¯re not even in Manila yet.¡±


    ¡°They are. They¡¯re already here, and Nguyen is even on duty as we speak,¡± Isaiah flatly replied, suppressing the emotions trying to break to the surface as he prepared himself for the next statement. ¡°And forget the orders to capture alive. We¡¯ve confirmed exactly what happened to Requiem, to Elias¡­ and it was in fact Samantha.¡±


    Tamaz closed his eyes upon hearing that last statement. His thoughts quickly settled on what he had been training himself to believe since that mournful event, convincing himself patience would lead to resolution. ¡°I will hold you to your words, Reap¡¯.¡±


    ¡°We draw them out tonight,¡± Isaiah coldly continued, painfully keeping his own emotions at bay. ¡°We have to do this and quick, because if those specific pilots are neutralized, the need to continue with the operation will be gone. If we don¡¯t, the locals and the news will end up giving Vrey every positive light needed to unleash his big dogs.¡±


    ¡°Though it is just one pilot-¡±


    ¡°-No, Tamaz,¡± Marian¡¯s voice interrupted. ¡°I will show and explain my findings once I meet up with you both tomorrow, but this Project Excalibur is not just about my old comrade in crime Kaylen Rodgers, I found much reason to believe Little Knight is to be one of the other two major moving parts. That¡¯s what he meant by the need to eliminate them ASAP. This isn¡¯t just the return of the Reign operating system, it¡¯s much more, and Sam doesn¡¯t even know this yet, so we must move fast tonight.¡±


    Tamaz¡¯s brow was cocked in curiosity upon an idea that popped into his head as he listened. ¡°This all means you know exactly where those pilots are, each and every one of them.¡±

 Resurfacing, Part 2

    ¡°You saw those two men earlier, I assume?¡± she was quick to respond in confidence. ¡°We have three more ready to move.¡±


    ¡°Well, that was quick.¡±


    ¡°It was hard finding motivated men, but we did, and now we are back in business.¡±


    ¡°Last question for me,¡± Tamaz spoke up, leaning forward as he stared back at Isaiah as if to read his response before asking. ¡°And I only want a yes or no. Tyrus doesn¡¯t have a single word on this move, yet, and I have freedom to use lethal force if I see any of those four pilots you mentioned, especially your little unfortunate sister of yours.¡±


    Isaiah felt the steadily chilling tone from his partner. This is, in the end, what I have brought about, and what she herself has brought on her own. But with my failure to reclaim any meaning to Elias¡¯s death that day, Tamaz, it is only you who I would not despise if you do what I had failed to do. With that thought, he offered a nod in response, free of any hesitation or shifting of his eyes.


    ¡°Well, then,¡± Marian chimed back in. ¡°Let¡¯s begin explaining what you are to do.¡±


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    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    Kerry¡¯s car had pulled up late that evening to what was the first major casino resort that Sam had laid eyes on. The lights alone already had her mesmerized, and the surrounding high-rises each had matching colored markings and advertisements of the same scheme, making it apparent how ritzy that specific area was. But everything else paled in comparison to the casino complex¡¯s monstrous central building, and it was in such stark contrast already to the area which she had left, leaving her to question in her mind if they were still in the same city. After pulling around to their eventual stop inside the parking garage where they met a valet stand, the two stepped out, revealing matching one-sleeve dresses in half piano-black, half sequined-silver layouts along with matching bags branded by a major internationally recognized fashion designer.


    .


    After passing through several gated entrances, all with her following close behind Kerry, they finally reached the entrance to the club where they found their place in line.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been to anything this big of a deal since¡­ I don¡¯t even think I have!¡± Sam shouted from behind her, still unable to catch her breath from the excitement and awe.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get exclusive places of this size or name over in those tin cans up in Space,¡± Kerry joked back as she started looking around. ¡°Hold on, one second!¡± Wide-eyed, she snatched her mobile from her purse and began motioning it towards the couple standing next to them in line. ¡°Excuse me! Can you please take our picture!?¡± As the young man nodded with a smile, he took the unlocked device which already had the camera function opened as he started to aim it.


    I just realized that this is the first person on Earth wanting to take a picture with me, Sam incidentally thought as Kerry backed up, standing right next to her as she held up a hand. I don¡¯t even know what to¡­ The mobile then flashed, cutting off her thoughts as she pulled off what awkward pose she could in the limited time available.


    ¡°Thank you so much!!¡± Kerry shouted with glee, quickly returning to her side, standing up against her as she held her mobile close. ¡°Let me send this to you! Look at how good we look! You gonna post this, right?!¡±


    She had been doing well, she thought, staying away from most of her social media all this time. But the split second she heard that, combined with the excitement from the air and the sounds coming from the club, old memories and vibes came back too strong to fight it off. A wide grin broke out as she stuck her hand out giddily. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve got to play around with it, first! You don¡¯t realize I haven¡¯t posted a night out with a girl friend in so~o long so it has to look perfect!¡±


    ¡°You right!¡± Kerry beamed back, leaning further into her as she watched Sam fly through the filter settings and other adjustments.


    As they slowly shuffled towards the entrance, Sam, too, could feel Kerry must have been in the same boat.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Back near Quezon Memorial Circle, the chants and megaphones had gotten much louder as the evening burned on. Andre, who had by now began to grow bored, must have seen the same pickets and the same banners circling around him more than a dozen times. His arms were folded across his chest, he was fully leaned into his seat-back, and his helmet straps were unbuckled.


    ¡°Units 1 and 2,¡± a soft voice called out over their radio, lightly shaking him from his zoned-out state. ¡°Relocate to sector C northeast to join Unit 4. Reports of approaching explosives markers on foot. Alert level 2.¡±


    Oh boy. Andre didn¡¯t seem too alarmed by the smaller scale alert, gladly accepting the status as looking out for an RPG at worst. His hands reached for his helmet buckle to fasten them, eyeing his radar screen in the meantime. ¡°Huh, I guess they must be aiming for the ringleader up top of the circle. Easy pickings,¡± he mumbled to himself, now with both hands on the controls. He could now see the others beginning to move around him, watching his whole crew of six taking an almost leisurely pace up the circle as they kept between the waves of traffic, caution lights atop their right shoulder armor flashing brightly.


    He cleared his throat to break the silence that ensued the order. ¡°Hey, Yanga.¡±


    ¡­


    His Ai20 was rolling steadily along behind Devin¡¯s Ai20 at a pace of 15 km/hr. but as the seconds passed, he never did get his answer. ¡°Yanga,¡± he called out again; perhaps he wasn¡¯t saying it loud enough earlier. ¡°Hey man, you hearing me?¡± A cold shiver ran down his spine. The night Dhaka¡¯s Tejgaon base fell was the first and only experience he had where every radio fell silent, and it was an unforgettable one.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    .


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    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    [Something¡¯s not right here,] Sebastian pondered, eyes closed, sprawled out on his bed. His right hand still loosely held onto his mobile which was left on the message history between him and Sam. The last message read ¡°Hey, can we talk sometime tonight?¡±, and it remained ¡°unread¡± for the past 55 minutes. His mind wandered through several possibilities he dreamed up in his head, ranging from her being angry with him and giving him the silent treatment to wilder ones like her being engaged in combat against foes too tough or too numerous. Head shaking after each thought popped up, moving from one to another, he finally grew tired of it all, sitting back upright, mobile back to its home screen.


    [But I don¡¯t even care to read the news much anymore. Something¡¯s just not right¡­]


    He continued to blankly stare at the soft glow of the home screen, his mind wandering off once more.


    [I need someone to talk to.]


    His thumb then flicked up the contact list as he pulled up Danielle¡¯s number.


    .


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    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    As the pack of Ai20¡¯s lumbered through traffic, Andre caught sight of a woman waving her mobile in confusion to someone down the sidewalk from her. Looking to who she was waving it at, he saw more doing the same. Cell phones are out. That¡¯s what I thought.


    He knew what to do now, and through his stomach-gripping nervousness that set on rapidly, he toggled through his communication settings to switch his radio to LOS (line of sight) direct communications. Devin¡¯s Ai20 lit up yellow as he cleared his throat once more before speaking: ¡°Yanga!¡±


    Devin was tuned into something going through his head when he heard ¡°Yanga!¡± shouted unexpectedly, accompanied by a flashing yellow LOS marker on-screen. The shout startled him as he jumped in his seat, feeling a cold rush up his spine. Words were oddly difficult to come by for someone who spoke so easily before. ¡°Nguyen, w-what¡¯s going on? Why are you on an LOS line?¡±


    ¡°Dude! Fucking jammers are up, can¡¯t you tell!?¡± Andre fussed back as he shook his head in disbelief. Are you serious? Do these guys not know the protocol- I mean, shit! Radar¡­ the explosives and L-trackers are all offline, AND the updates show a stoppage in connection! He opened up lines with the rest of the crew nearby as he took in another breath, feeling the added weight of having to potentially take charge over what seemed to be an entirely unacceptable level of unawareness. ¡°Keep moving, let me in front, and stick to LOS comms for now! All tracking is down! Switch to live rounds and use manual aiming- only shoot if I give the command!¡±


    ¡°Nguyen, right?¡± one voice came in from a younger male in the Ai20 just behind him. ¡°Please, take the lead! We didn¡¯t sign up for whatever this is! Except for cameras we got nothing working!!¡±


    Andre heard the heavy uneasiness in the young man¡¯s voice, feeling even more as if he had no choice but to continue his push. ¡°Yanga, you OK with the change in plans?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Yanga!¡± he continued in frustration. ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me, man! You leavin¡¯ me no choice!¡± He sped up just a touch more to squeeze in between a small freight truck and Devin¡¯s Ai20, taking physical lead of the pack. I fucking swear! Was he really this group¡¯s leader this whole half a year?! Seems no better off than a rookie ¨C blind leading the blind!


    His fingers then toggled through more settings with increased haste and irritation. Come on, I know you¡¯re in here somewhere he thought as he furiously dug around for alternative L-tracker settings, scared to lose the only eyes left he might have with radar down. His mind also carried back the memory of Gabriel¡¯s drone that provided life-saving real-time data, realizing this is what doesn¡¯t come to such low priority duty posts.


    Damn¡­ at this rate, let¡¯s hope one of these guys knows more what they¡¯re doing. ¡°Hey, one of you work out some way to get a hold of base while I figure out a way to get our tracking back up!¡±


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    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    ¡°Woah!¡± Sam shouted through the blaring music in awe of the scene in front of her as they entered the main area of the club. ¡°I remember hearing about places kind of like this being on Earth! Crazy seeing it in person- this sort of setup is impossible in Space!¡±


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get sat and our drinks ordered!¡± Kerry shouted back as she led the two of them through the crowd and the lights. As soon as they found their first empty table, Kerry wasted no time tossing her purse down as she swiped open the drink menu. ¡°Let me get us the first round!¡±


    ¡°Awesome, you do that! I need to post that picture real quick while you do that!¡± Sam finally took out her mobile for the first time since arriving, noting the transferred picture file from Kerry¡¯s phone but only just before noticing three other notifications. Messages from Daja, Dad, ¡­ and Sebastian? Hesitation kicked in the second she saw his name, but it only lasted a few seconds before hearing Kerry¡¯s excitement upon hearing one of her favorite songs starting up. Right! Let me post this, first! Not ruining my mood just yet! She attempted to bury the notion he was sending something more along the lines of breakup material, fears that had started to crop up the longer their message silence dragged on. Once she had her caption typed in for the picture and hit the upload button, that was the end of it; the mobile hit the tabletop face down. ¡°You got us something good, right?!¡± she shouted out with a returning smile, albeit pulling traces of guilt along with it.


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    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    Andre finally spotted the intersection that would lead them off of Memorial Circle and onto a path that, according to their maps, would lead them to the last located presence of the approaching threat. As he took a right onto Visayas Avenue, something had him pause his progress, sidestepping to get out of the way of traffic. He stared down a long stretch of road that was barely visible through the tree cover and lower than usual hanging power lines. ¡°Uh, I got our L-Trackers up, but no one with any luck with the comms?¡± If we can¡¯t move safely forward AND we got no eyes¡­


    ¡°Working on it!¡± the younger pilot from earlier quickly responded.


    At least he¡¯s trying. Why the hell isn¡¯t Yanga saying anything during all this?! ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hold up here while I get the explosives detection settings fixed up as well. We can¡¯t just walk into an obvious trap like this.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Nguyen,¡± he heard Devin finally speak up, drawing an eye roll as his impatience continued to mount up. ¡°Uh, pretty sure the bigger trap is just sitting here like ducks. Team, let¡¯s keep moving.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold on!¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± the younger pilots both spoke up in evident doubt, almost as if to show favoritism already for Andre on his first rotation out.


    Andre shook his head, feeling the ambushes and traps given and received over the past months back in Dhaka. He normally was fine taking a seat back to Kerry during that time, and even for Sebastian during their last full sortie, but this time something was building up rapidly deep down. It might be stupid of me for doing this, and I might pay for this big time later on, but damn it something just reeks real bad right now, and NO way I let some wishy-washy motherfucker lead us into something. He took in a deep breath, regaining focus back on his current task of reconfiguring the explosives detection. ¡°Knock yourself out, bro.¡± He left his mic on as he pushed the remaining breath in him out as a sigh. A petty move, he was very aware, but he had no other choice in his mind.


    Devin¡¯s Ai20 had already begun its cautious advance, ducking the tree cover as traffic drove around him. ¡°I was wrong about you,¡± he spoke back with apparent disdain. ¡°You should¡¯ve stayed at base, but whatever. You do what suits you because we won¡¯t be held responsible.¡±


    Some time passed before he too stopped in his tracks momentarily, noticing he didn¡¯t hear the footsteps of the other two¡¯s LTACs. ¡°Timbol, Bautista, let¡¯s move!¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t getting anywhere blind, Yanga! Sorry!¡± one had replied as Andre couldn¡¯t help but notice both of their LTACs remained parked to either side of him.


    Devin held in a stronger response, taking in a breath before replying more calmly: ¡°When I join up with the other units, sweep up, and get back to base later on, I am filing for your misconduct. All three of you.¡± He then started back his pace up the street with no one following.


    The comment hurt Andre, even on the surface it was clear, but something in his conscience continued to dig away, preventing him from further commenting. So much for trying to make new friends on the new job¡­ I hope I¡¯m not blowing this, but man¡­


    ¡°-I got it!¡± the man next to him interrupted his thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t know what jamming this is but it isn¡¯t disrupting visuals, right?¡±


    The proverbial light went off inside Andre¡¯s head the instant he heard his remark, wasting no time utilizing their efforts. ¡°Morse code! Sounds insane enough to work! More the reason to hold tight- wait!¡± I forgot about possible threats approaching. Nothing on the L-Trackers within the immediate vicinity¡­ ¡°Timbol, set your lights for an S.O.S. call ¡®EYE IN THE SKY¡¯ for me, will ya? I will keep my eyes on the tracker.¡±


    ¡°Eye in the sky?¡± he questioned back, clearly never having heard or used such terminology before.


    ¡°That¡¯s a code word for our¡­ um¡­ ¡®special¡¯ surveillance satellite ops.¡± Though I need to watch how I speak sometimes. If it wasn¡¯t for Sebastian and Sam talking about that incident, I wouldn¡¯t have a freaking clue. He thought up the best, shortest explanation while keeping an eye on the silent L-Tracker screen. ¡°I don¡¯t have any experience with them necessarily, but if we get one up for us, we can use laser communication lines to basically open up everything possible even with all this jamming.¡±


    ¡°Is that allowed? Sounds like something for the military only.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but, seems like we get clearance when crazy shit like this goes down because, you know, jamming not just ours but civilian wireless signals is already highly, highly illegal.¡± He then noticed the lights on his teammate¡¯s shoulder flashing Morse code. ¡°Thanks, man, I see you got it. Let¡¯s all back up out of the tree cover and let¡¯s just pray it reaches Space.¡±

 Going at it Blind

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Things were fairly quiet in the executive¡¯s meeting room with only maintenance staff cleaning up after what looked to have been another board meeting. A mobile remained on the table amongst several forgotten papers, sticking out as its screen lit up with a soft oscillating glow.


    ¡°There it is, damn it,¡± Al grumbled as he entered the room from the main hallway, huffing as he moved to pick up his forgotten things. He quickly reached for it, noting the incoming call from Amelie. Before picking up, he also noted it was the fourth call within the last minute, causing his eyes to widen and his heart rate to pick up. Shit! What did I miss?! ¡°Amelie, what¡¯s going on?¡± he spoke in a hushed voice as he quietly but quickly rushed back into the hall, heading for his office. ¡°Sorry I left my phone in the- what?!¡± His pace hastened even further, putting the device between his left shoulder and ear as he pulled back his sleeve to check something on his watch. ¡°Wait, let me look¡­ when was this again? Actually, hold on.¡± He finally entered his office, closing the door and taking a seat to catch his breath and bring up his PC monitor from the active holographic display top of his desk.


    He brought up the main browser screen as he typed in ¡®Manila News¡¯, scrolling through a list of current events, leading up to one that caught his eye. ¡°This one, I see it. Shit¡­¡±


    ¡°Al, it¡¯s isolated blanket jamming just like last time. It¡¯s who I think it is,¡± her voice could be just barely heard through his earpiece due to the near-absolute silence in the room. ¡°And I think you know it, too.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we can¡¯t afford to rush to any conclusions here, and right now we should be worried about Sam and Sam alone, alright?¡± he spoke back as he continued scanning through the article he pulled up.


    ¡°Al, no, I¡¯m taking this one myself. Watch Sam for me.¡±


    ¡°Amelie, damn it hold on-¡±


    ¡°-You¡¯re right. You need to worry about controlling what you can and Sam¡¯s situation is exactly that. Now that you are aware of that, I will trust you know what to do next. So, with that all said, I am going to take care of this other one.


    Al¡¯s focus fell off quickly from the screen and into the call with a heightened sense of distress in his voice. ¡°Amelie, damn it, don¡¯t go off and do this to us again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in about a month.¡±


    *~click~*


    Al closed his eyes, letting out a troubled sigh. He remained there for a brief moment in silence, shaken back into reality by the changing glow of the screen¡¯s lower half that contained an ad that switched into its next rotation. He reached over and swiped over to a different screen as he switched his communication link to his PC. ¡°Connect me to Singapore CCC on the double.¡± He waited for a response, using the time to bring up queues for live satellite feeds across several portions of the screen.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Knight. This is Singapore,¡± a female operator¡¯s voice spoke up.


    ¡°This is code Blue. Establish visual contact between Manila airspace and orb-sat.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Right away. Connecting now.¡±


    Al waited as the queued windows began to slowly populate. Once the closest satellite imaging came up, he zoomed in over downtown Manila to see all lights across town still working, making things one useless, blurry mess as far as he could tell. ¡°Last known location for Samantha Knight.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°She is currently still checked in at the Occala Resort and Casino.¡±


    Casino?! What the ever-living¡­ ¡°Last known location for Kerry Melancon.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Same Casino, sir.¡±


    Are you kidding me?!  ¡°Damn it, what about Andre Nguyen?¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Last confirmed location was on Quezon Memorial Circle North, on duty with Unit 1.¡±


    Bingo. He scrolled up and zoomed in more to the spelled-out location. He waited a moment more for adjusted clarity, now seeing the circle drive she mentioned. Corner of Visayas, there¡­ there it is. And¡­ He then noted a peculiar sparkle flickering amongst steadily glowing street lights and buildings. Hold on¡­ is that what I think it is? ¡°Singapore, I am sending coordinates to something suspicious. Run a double-check- wait. Sorry, hold on.¡± His voice had quickly changed from monotone to unsettled and disconcerted. That looks like Morse Code¡­


    ¡°Yes, sir, we are checking those coordinates now.¡±


    Al had already opened up a translation scanner over the screen with settings on Morse Code. ¡°Wait! Eye in the sky! Damn it, they¡¯re requesting that same- ugh! Get Vrey connected with Manila Central about this on the double! Haste is of an absolute priority now!¡±


    ¡°On it now, sir!¡± the operator energetically replied as she disconnected the call.


    Al promptly reached over to his mobile once more, dialing up Sam. Even though I realize she STILL hasn¡¯t responded to my message to call me. Now she REALLY needs to pick up! The other end never answered, leading him to her voice mail and a frustrated winding up of his arm as if to send it sailing through the office wall. ¡°Wait,¡± he thought as he let the tension out of his grip. Got to be smart about this. This is Sam we¡¯re dealing with. He dialed up Sebastian instead, calming himself down.


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Knight?¡±


    My boy. ¡°Listen, Sebastian, this might be a serious emergency! Call Sam and get her to call me as soon as humanly possible!¡± he spat out with speeds that left the other end in some confusion.


    ¡°I, wait, I- Mister Knight, I have tried to talk to her but she does not respond to me. What is happening down there? Can I help?¡±


    You have GOT to be kidding me! His hand ran down from the top of his head, pulling his forehead down with it. ¡°Sebastian- never mind. Just please-please keep calling her until you reach her. And tell her to call me, alright? She¡¯ll be more likely to answer for you.¡±


    Sebastian could sense the direness of the situation that would lead him to plead as such. ¡°Yes, sir, I will try.¡±


    .


    .


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Across the other side of the Space Nation, Sebastian was seated at the desk situated at the foot of the bed, a TV display running a broader SEA newscast station while he remained staring blankly at the call screen which showed the attempted dialing of Sam¡¯s mobile. [I can¡¯t believe she has to be ignoring me of all possible times. I knew something bad was happening. I just knew it.]


    The news program airing behind him was muted, but the captioning below the newscaster¡¯s face detailed the latest behind the sudden loss of wireless communication of all types just next to a small map depicting the area affected. The unevenly shaped blob fell just over Quezon City, out and away from the area where Sam was located.


    He adjusted his automated call settings to autodial her until she picked up, swiping tabs over to her social media post he just noticed being uploaded earlier. The picture she took with Kerry was with the nightclub¡¯s name in clear view, prompting him to check the location just after the news broke out. [But if she¡¯s way over there and out of the mess, I wonder what that means for Mr. Knight to be that frantic? Sam, pick up, damn it!]


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Are you going to pick the damn phone up or what?!¡± Kerry scolded, thoroughly irritated by the mobile lighting up and dancing around across the table, all the while Sam stared at it while her second prepared drink sat to her right, already partly finished. ¡°We all know it¡¯s Sebastian!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s RIGHT after my dad called! He¡¯s just being ordered around! I mean, it¡¯s not like he WANTS to call me!¡± she fussed back, finally giving in to the urge to drink the thoughts away. She grabbed her glass and downed a good portion of it with a few big gulps.


    ¡°Well, OK, then! Forget the guy! Let¡¯s go dance, huh?! That¡¯s what we came here for!¡±


    ¡°I wish I had a boyfriend as dedicated as yours!¡± she dejectedly added in melodramatic fashion, slow to get up. Even though I haven¡¯t even met the man. Hah, does Devin even exist?! Right, I bet not! her already buzz-induced mind haphazardly put thoughts together as she started forward for the dance floor.


    .


    .


    The music¡¯s bass escaped the walls fairly easily from where several security guards walked by as they made their rounds near the backside of the Casino. After passing by a large set of doors, three figures approached from behind them quietly, making their way back up the hall from which the guards emerged. Slipping back through one more connecting hallway and into the lights revealed one of the three to be Tamaz. Each of them was dressed similarly to the Casino¡¯s security outfit, fake ID tags included. After a brisk walk took them through several more hallways and past a handful of guards, they finally reached a maintenance shaft where one of the men used his ID tag to gain entry.


    ¡°Reap¡¯, come in,¡± Tamaz whispered over his communicator after the door was closed and locked.


    ¡°Quick as expected,¡± Isaiah¡¯s voice responded. ¡°We¡¯ve finished confirming Samantha¡¯s location along with Kerry Melancon¡¯s as well. They are going to be together somewhere near the table location provided to you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then, here goes the veil,¡± he continued in his hushed voice, fishing a small device from his pocket. He eyed the wall of circuit breaker panels in front of him, holding up his watch to check the levels of electrical noise. Eyeing the breaker box near the strongest point of condensation, he placed the small device up top where it was just out of view. He turned to accept a separate device which was fairly larger, mounting it to the same breaker box. He then took a set of cables from the other. ¡°Veil going up in about ten seconds.¡±


    .


    .


    Sam and Kerry were in the middle of a larger crowd of clubgoers up and dancing when something had distracted Sam for the last time, causing her to back away and look at her watch which continued to vibrate from the incessant incoming calls from Sebastian. ¡°Damn it! Why won¡¯t he take a clue that I¡¯m busy!?¡± she fussed aloud, removing it from her wrist and sloppily shoving it into the only pocket on the blazer half of her dress, promptly returning to her activities.


    She didn¡¯t notice, however, that once her watch hit the bottom of the pocket, the vibrating began to stop. Slowly but steadily, one by one, people began to catch notice their live recordings, casting, and other cell service rendering functions had come to a halt.


    On her phone locked away at her table, the screen showed a message that had just arrived seconds before the loss of data connectivity, reading: ¡°Emergency Report ¨C Man on Duty Down ¨C Devin Yanga, Unit 1 ¨C Last reported at the San Juan Bridge on Visayas Avenue.¡±


    .


    .


    The late evening traffic had thinned down considerably, somewhat easing the tension felt by Andre and his two remaining teammates, still standing by, waiting for anything to give them a sign. A stout breeze then began to pick up from the northeast, all but canceling what looked to be a clearer outlook for the night after the rain had held off for the most part.


    Andre watched a string of pedestrians walk by nervously, but understandably so as the three¡¯s LTACs weren¡¯t the most welcome sight there in the open alley at the edge of the main street. ¡°Maybe this isn¡¯t what I thought it was,¡± he mumbled to the group. ¡°But then again, you never know wh-¡­¡±


    *BEE-BEE-BEEP*


    Rang the L-Tracker in tandem with flickering caution and directional arrow signals in bright yellow.


    Andre¡¯s attention snapped to the screen in the bottom left of his visor, noting the wind had brought in wafts of nitrogen oxides but at a low concentration, hinting LTAC activity if any was happening at quite the distance up the street. ¡°Welp, spoke too soon! That wind is giving us a huge hint, guys. Follow me,¡± he spoke up with a gulp, initiating their steady pace northbound with nervous confidence.


    ¡°We¡¯ve never been blind on L-Tracking before. What does that signal mean?¡± one worriedly asked, sticking close behind with his shield up, covering their left flank just in case.


    ¡°Unless it¡¯s close enough, all it does is say yes or no to any presence, right, Nguyen?¡± the other attempted to answer, switching hands to hold his shield in his right hand, covering that flank as well.


    ¡°Right, we need to get closer to figure out what all the hell is going on. And with no update from the Eye, it might mean we aren¡¯t going to get cleared for one.¡± Which means we might be fucked if things end up like what I keep fearing it will.


    It would be a tense few minutes making their way up the street at their now heightened pace of 40 km per hour so as to not hold up traffic, attracting unnecessary attention and honking horns, which was what Andre wanted to avoid the most. It was then that after approaching close enough to a small bridge they could spot what looked to be a rather large gathering of people in an area where a building had long been demolished. Andre¡¯s heart started beating as if he knew what he was about to encounter upon closer investigation, hearing the L-Tracker monitor slowly picking up in intensity.


    ¡°Jamming still has us blind, Nguyen, do you see anything?!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see shit with all those people in the way!¡±


    Andre couldn¡¯t make sense of anything just yet, either, but fought the urge to make use of his crowd dispersal gas. ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t do anything just yet,¡± he ordered as he switched to the loudspeaker. It¡¯s either this or the gas because damn it there is something really wrong about this and I REALLY don¡¯t want to see pissed-off locals. Before clicking the button on his hat switch, he scanned the crowd, estimating over fifty were present in the tight gathering. ¡°This is Infinity Security! Clear the area! There is a safety threat reported here! Please allow us to investigate without obstruction!¡± Phew, I hope I said that right!


    And it was like Moses had parted the sea, much to his surprise at how cooperative the crowd was. This wasn¡¯t like Dhaka, and it sure wasn¡¯t like any other stops he made before. But the first thing he saw once enough had moved away was the foot of an Ai20 lying sideways on the ground. His heart dropped into his stomach that instant, locking up momentarily.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Nguyen?!¡± a trembling voice from next to him spoke up, remaining on LOS comms. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s Yanga¡¯s unit! What the hell happened here?!¡±


    A dozen burn marks and smoldering pits ran all up the side of the torso, signifying an attack had taken place.


    ¡°Form a circle around it! Popping flares- someone up top HAS to see this!¡± Andre frantically commanded, knowing he had no time to figure out anything else. Shit! Why did I take up duty when I didn¡¯t have to!? Today of all days! His mind raced as he set up a flare by the street-side, knowing this might expose them to the enemy that took down his unit captain, but for all he knew, they might be vastly outnumbered as it was. ¡°Hold your spot, switch rounds to live but keep that safety on! Let¡¯s hope someone can see this before it¡¯s too late for us!¡±


    A few seconds passed before someone else checked what Andre forgot to think of in the midst of the slight chaos. ¡°Hey, wait, guys! The cockpit door is wide open!¡±


    Andre wasn¡¯t quite ready to contemplate leaving the safety of his own cockpit, much less to examine the condition of another. I don¡¯t even know if I want to know what¡¯s down there waiting for us. He then remembered to turn the sensors around behind him to run a life scan. ¡°Hold on¡­ no¡­ negative on that,¡± he spoke back as he caught no sign of anyone inside. ¡°No blood, either. All we can think now is he either A, got away on foot with no radio to tell us anything, or B, he¡¯s been taken.¡±


    ¡°And the fact he ain¡¯t shown up already? I¡¯d say it¡¯s B.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of,¡± Andre worriedly concurred.

 Going at it Blind, Part 2

    The crowd had only grown larger inside the main area of the nightclub as the DJ mixed in a new song. Sam immediately recognized the singer¡¯s voice, however, triggering an onslaught of memories she shared with Sebastian from her extended stay in Bogota. That¡­ that¡¯s the same singer as the one in ¡°our¡± song. Has to be¡­ I wonder if¡­ She then realized she wouldn¡¯t have her mobile on hand, unable to check the artist nor satiate her sudden, profound, and untimely curiosity.


    ¡°My live stopped casting! What the fuck?!¡± a woman in her immediate vicinity fussed aloud in disgust, which initially didn¡¯t bring about much of a reaction. But the next voice she heard added directly onto it: ¡°Hey, send it to me again?! I think my phone quit working!¡±


    And it only took that quick moment for alcohol-influenced regret to kick her in the stomach, causing her to back out of the crowd and head for her table. What?! The phone towers are down!? Why didn¡¯t I at least see what Sebastian was trying to tell me?! Halfway through her series of near-collisions and stumbles, the voices of similar discontent piled on, causing her to realize even through her clouded thought processes: I¡¯ve never heard of internet just¡­ dying.


    She hurried to unlock the small storage cubby that held her mobile as her mind continued to race. This isn¡¯t Bogota all over again, is it?! Speaking of that damned Two Empires singer! She finally got it open and snatched up her mobile, seeing her reception was dead. Come on, what were one of you guys trying to say?! she thought as she pulled down her contact history, seeing one message from her father read: ¡°Sam, I know you¡¯re on leave for now, but don¡¯t do anything stupid. Just go directly to base and lay low.¡±


    That was sent this afternoon¡­


    She moved to the next message from him, seeing something that made her eyes widen doubly. It was from only two minutes ago.


    ¡°Damn it, Sam, this is an emergency! Pick up the fucking phone! There is jamming going on and I need to confirm you¡¯ve been alright!¡±


    She dropped her mobile on the table as the kicked feeling in her stomach instantly grew to a full-fledged, gaping black hole. So, it IS jamming?!


    ¡°Sam!¡± Kerry shouted from behind as she tried to catch up. ¡°Did you hear everyone?! Are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking!?¡± But before she could make way for the table, cut off by a pack of younger girls crossing her path, something caught her attention just out of the corner of her eye. She stopped to give a pair of security officers making a bee line for their table some attention, making her take an even more concentrated look. Both had their right hands over their left hips, triggering a different reaction from her as her eyes narrowed and leg muscles pushed off in an even quicker paced approach. Of course! What a coincidence!


    She quickly worked her way around several tables and the people crowded around them, trying not to fall or accidentally tackle anyone in the process. Finally, their table was in sight, hoping to catch Sam there but instead saw it empty, bag drawer opened. Shit! She hurried over to now see the security officers now darting for the nearest exit. Good! That means Sam knew what was up and took off! her mind raced as she whisked her bag out from the drawer, removing a small handheld device, clasping it in her palm tightly as she sped off in pursuit.


    Sam was gasping for air as she continued her full-speed sprint, barefoot through one of the main hallways that led to and from the main area of the nightclub. She turned for what she figured should be the right exit way for the parking tunnel. I hope to God Kerry caught on and will be there at the car! If not- She ran straight into a larger man walking with his date, both of whom had just emerged from the connecting hallway, knocking Sam to her bottom with a shriek.


    ¡°Woah! Lady- what are you doing!?¡± he angrily fussed back, regaining his balance as he too had almost fallen.


    ¡°Sorry! Can¡¯t explain!¡± she shouted back apologetically, wincing but hurriedly attempting to stand back up. She could hear the sound of running feet rapidly approaching, sending another adrenaline-fueled spark light underneath her.


    ¡°Are you OK?! Why-¡± the woman next to him spoke up in concern, seeing the terror in her eyes as she clutched her bag, starting off another full speed dash, awkwardly balanced as it was. ¡°Hey,¡± she now said to her date who was still straightening his shirt. ¡°I really think we should call the police for her.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, back up,¡± he responded as he heard more coming around the corner, bracing himself as put an arm in front of her.


    ¡°You two go straight! I¡¯m going right!¡± the man heard men¡¯s voices shouting as they approached. ¡°No telling which exit she took!¡±


    He watched two of the officers run by as one turned right for him, stopping just inches away from another collision. ¡°Woah woah! What gives?!¡± he scolded by pure reflex.


    ¡°Did you see a girl in a black and silver dress head this way!?¡± Revenant asked, catching his breath, calmly removing his hand from his holster.


    ¡°A who? Sorry, sir, but we just got here.¡±


    Paying no more attention to the man of no help, Revenant dashed off again and down the hall.


    Kerry had been closing in on the pursuing officers at a much better rate, having had an extensive history running track in grade school. She had also worked hard on maintaining her conditioning ever since leaving the national guard, and it was evident how she still had a good bit in the tank as she turned a corner to see the backs of two officers. ¡°Well, shit, one disappeared, but that¡¯s OK. One of these two will have to speak!¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Sam saw the exit door rapidly approaching, struggling to keep her focus up through the exhaustion, the building up of muscle cramps in her calves and sides, and the fought-off desire to pay any mind to the dozens of eyes that followed her in aggravation or concern. She knew it wasn¡¯t far from that door to where they parked, but she also noted there was a restroom coming up in a hurry as well. Decision time was up just dawned on her that she not only had no key but had no idea how far behind Kerry was, and that was dependent on whether or not she caught on in the first place.


    With a split second¡¯s hesitation, she took a rapid glance behind her to make sure there wasn¡¯t an officer behind her,


    ¨C good ¨C


    ¡­ ducked into the women¡¯s bathroom cutaway hall and into the nearest stall she could find, feet off the floor and onto the toilet of the now-closed stall. Just as she slid the lock closed, she could hear tires peeling out around the parking garage just on the other side of the wall from her. Please tell me that¡¯s for us! Please don¡¯t let that be their reinforcements or some shit! Wouldn¡¯t that be my luck!?


    The noise from the approaching vehicle had now attracted the bystanders¡¯ attention away from Sam¡¯s commotion just as Revenant turned down that same hallway. He caught everyone looking out through the door, signaling him that his target had headed that way. Without hesitation, he slammed the door open, regaining his balance from a near-stumble, taking pause to survey the area. Through his attempt to catch his breath, he didn¡¯t spot a single running soul, now assuming his target was in hiding. Damn it, maybe we should¡¯ve snagged her first before putting up the veil. But then again, anyone could¡¯ve intervened- shit¡­ He unbuckled his holster, removing his pistol as he reached for and fished out a silencer from his pocket that he would screw on.


    Gotta find her the hard way. Backup won¡¯t be here for a minute.


    The revving of the same vehicle¡¯s engine from earlier revved up once more from around the other side of the garage, now fully catching Revenant¡¯s attention as well. He gripped the pistol with both hands, backing up against the wall, focus on the ramp leading up to his location. Upon hearing the cutting off of the engine, he felt his cue to make the first move, quickly headed for the opposite side, hanging close to the wall. I bet that¡¯s Melancon or Nguyen. Never a bad idea to expect the worst from those resourceful little shits. He occasionally checked behind him, not only staying aware of the civilian activity, which was fortunately minimal as the scene caused had scared away most, but he remained concerned for his two accomplices who were yet to be seen since the split.


    The parking garage entrance door clicked as it closed, drawing a quick turn of his head once more to it. Hmm¡­


    Sam hadn¡¯t heard a single crack of the door since the last sounds of running feet passed by earlier, counting the minutes that would pass. Her heart never slowed, the sick feeling in the back of her throat continued to suffocate her, and she had absolutely no idea where Kerry was. She habitually checked her mobile in vain once more to see that there was still no signal. Closing her eyes, she regretted never having taken her up on the offer to receive self-defense equipment for carrying on her while off-duty. And to think I could¡¯ve spent my time on boring but safe patrol with Andre instead of running for my fucking life yet again.


    ¡°Hey, lady!¡± a hushed female voice whispered loudly with the creak of the opened bathroom entrance.


    Sam shut her lips tight, tightening her body and holding her breath in reaction, feeling once more like her heart jumped out of her chest.


    ¡°Lady!¡± she quietly but stubbornly persisted as the voice grew closer. ¡°Hey! Whoever was chasing you is gone!¡±


    Huh? Can I trust her?!


    ¡°It¡¯s me, the one you almost ran into just now!¡±


    No way! I bet she has a gun to her head! Shit!! She started to tremble, fighting the urge to cry out in terror.


    ¡°You might want to get out while you still can! I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s coming back or not! Hey!¡± the voice continued whispering out loud.


    Something in Sam¡¯s mind made her pause, finding the strength to focus on that single realization that she only heard one set of feet slowly shuffling in. She quietly pulled her hair back with one hand and reached for the toilet paper cover with her other hand, firmly taking grip. She slowly and carefully lowered her upper body just enough to peer under the bottom edge of the stall wall, spotting that one pair of heels approaching with no other feet in sight. I¡¯ll be damned! She pulled herself back up, placing her feet on the floor as she opened the door quietly. Peeping around the edge of the stall, she saw the woman was in fact the one she stumbled across earlier, white with fear.


    ¡°Hey! Those weren¡¯t real police, were they!?¡± she continued in the same voice, pointing toward the hall. ¡°You need to hurry out!¡±


    Sam decided she must be a local, judging by her face the best she could even though she had not yet been adjusted to the average face of the nation. ¡°Why are you helping me?¡± she asked without going through any semblance of a thought. Shit! That¡¯s not what I meant to say! Her mind scurried to come up with something else to say while the woman looked back in a loss of words. ¡°I¡¯m here to work with the P4C.¡± Yes, that was it! That was the group! Whatever the hell it even meant?!


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought!¡± she now responded in sudden relief, running up to take her by the arm. ¡°There¡¯s been lots of cracking down on foreign helpers for the P4C! You need to get out, now!¡±


    Wait, huh!? What?! That doesn¡¯t make any damned sense! The only crazies out on violent walk-down errands ARE the P4C, right?!


    Sam then forced out an attempted casual ¡°OK¡± in response, masking her confusion so that she could slip out during perhaps her only chance available. ¡°Thanks!¡± I guess?!


    ¡°Go!¡± the woman insisted with her arms out in similar expression. ¡°Hurry while you can!¡±


    Sam now looked at the exit door to the parking lot, dress straightened out, heels back in her left hand and her right hand clutching her bag¡¯s shoulder strap. Taking in a deep, slow breath, she calculated her timing for walking out that door either casually to not attract any more attention, or to tear off running to get a head start in case they were out there waiting for her. Kerry¡¯s car is¡­ shit¡­ no, it¡¯s close but she can¡¯t be there yet. She then noted there were now a few walking toward the glass doors in full party attire, seemingly unaffected by the calamity. OK, they really must be gone.


    But before she could take a careful step forward, a male voice¡¯s painful shriek echoed down the hall as two gunshots followed a mere few seconds after. Instincts told Sam to run away from the noise, leading her as she had planned, out into the garage and towards Kerry¡¯s car.


    Revenant heard the ruckus as well, pulling back from his slow progress towards the same entrance doors and back into the darkness of the concrete pillar next to him, taking the safety off of his pistol.

 Taken Off the Grid

    *WHAM*


    Burst the doors open with a commotion, further spooking the approaching party as Sam split down the middle, preventing Revenant from getting any open shots.


    THAT¡¯S HER!!


    He quickly popped out from behind the pillar, pistol in both hands and down at his side, keeping a narrow profile as he ran between the rows of cars separating him from his catch. Eyes darting between the obstacles around him and Sam, he finally caught sight of a good point for interception.


    ¡°KYAHH!¡±


    Screamed the crowd from earlier just split seconds before more pistol fire rang out, sending echoes throughout the garage complex. Hearing small caliber fire ricocheting off glass and metal not too far from him, Revenant reluctantly delayed his move, electing to duck and reassess the situation.


    ¡°Sam! Run!¡± a girl¡¯s voice shouted out as he tried to figure out her identity.


    Sam immediately recognized Kerry¡¯s voice, sending a fresh burst of life into her near-deflated calves and quads. Kerry! I¡¯ve got to reach the car! She just got past the fourth row of parked vehicles, finally spotting Kerry¡¯s car. There! Yes! But an ear-splitting cracking sound had her fall to the ground in both panic and disoriented loss of balance. With a thud and a groan and a new shot of pain from her shoulder and hip she rolled over to look under the car next to her. She then saw a rapidly approaching set of feet headed right for her.


    Get up! Shit shit get up! She coached to herself in desperation, struggling to find the strength to get her feet underneath her. As her hands fought to provide her quivering body balance, she felt the vibrations and heard once more the squeals of a rapidly approaching vehicle akin to what she heard from the bathroom earlier. Dancing reflections and cast shadows whirled around before the sound of running feet turned to a slipping slide. Did he stop?! Who is that?!


    The car then screeched to a halt just between her location and the approaching man. Already in a squatting position, she put her hands up to the window of the car, slowly pulling herself up to see what was transpiring. Her attempt was cut short by another round whizzing by, cracking the glass of the window behind her as she dropped once more to the ground. This time, however, more shots rang out, popping into concrete across from her row, almost as if it were aimed at her assailant.


    This prompted another sudden acceleration of the car as it drove past Revenant, turned the corners, and spun itself back for Sam¡¯s location. Sam had her bag strap hung up this time on the rearview mirror of the car behind her, giving way to a newfound struggle to stand up properly. By now, tears of fear and desperation had already made her way down her face, and the instant she finally freed herself from the entanglement she stumbled her way forward and out into the open lane. The car from earlier, however, was now coming to another screeching halt just inches from her.


    ¡°Sam! Get in!¡± the man¡¯s voice called out.


    Even though the tone seemed a mix of both anger and sincerity, she no longer had the psychological capability to make anymore last-second rational decisions. The passenger door was flung open as she rolled in awkwardly, pulling her feet in before scrambling to shut the door amidst the car¡¯s sudden acceleration.


    ¡°What the ever-living fuck did you do in Dhaka, Sam!?¡± the man continued as she struggled to sit upright in her seat, fighting the seatbelt all at the same time. By the time she clicked it in, as hard as it was with the swinging maneuvers around turns and parking traffic by her escape driver on his way out, she finally got a chance to look at her savior. The twists hanging down over his eyes, the latest-trend fade, the peculiar sloping of his nose... she had seen it too many times before in pictures.


    ¡­


    ¡°Devin? Devin Yanga!?¡±


    ¡°Answer my question, damn it!¡± he furiously persisted, keeping eyes on what was ahead and around each corner.


    ¡°Devin, why are you here?! The airwaves are dead- how did you know-!¡±


    ¡°Last time I ask you this question before I kick your ass to the curb!¡± he snarled back, finally reaching the exit, pulling a sideways slide just past the edge of the stopping arm that came within inches of colliding with his windshield. Whipping the steering wheel the other direction, recovering his angle of exit back onto the service street, he now had a second to look her in the eyes. ¡°Well!?¡±


    Sam was already half petrified from not just the previous events but also his insanely skilled exit that had her thinking they¡¯d crash and die. But then again, after what he said sank in, she couldn¡¯t believe this was the same Devin Kerry had talked about. ¡°But this makes no sense!¡±


    The car came to yet again another screeching halt, head almost bashing into the glove compartment in front of her, then back into the headrest with a thud. ¡°Wait!¡± she shrieked, finally understanding his seriousness, trying to catch her breath.


    The honking horns of cars both from behind and passing around them didn¡¯t faze him, continuing his death glare. ¡°What! Did you do! In Dhaka! To piss off Revenant of all people!¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Sam¡¯s face stiffened in confusion upon hearing that name. Revenant?! Who!?


    ¡°Damn it all,¡± Devin conceded after seeing she didn¡¯t know what was what after all, unable to toss her out as threatened. He casually pressed the accelerator, weaving his way back into the flow of traffic.


    Who? What is going on!? Through these thoughts, she caught notice how dizzy she had been, now focusing on steadying her breathing. The now settling comfort that she was at least in relative safety allowed her to do as such.


    ¡°Ugh,¡± he huffed in sudden, heightened distress and frustration. ¡°Sam, where was Kerry just now?¡±


    ¡°She,¡± Sam paused to recollect her voice appearing behind the mess, encouraging her escape. ¡°She was probably the one shooting those last shots, knowing her,¡± she unintentionally laughed through her nose, still in disbelief she walked away mostly unscathed. That WAS her shooting, right? Guilt for leaving her behind almost snatched her by the stomach, but hearing Devin join her in the same nasal chuckle had her look back at him. ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Shit, that¡¯s Kerry Melancon,¡± he nodded before shaking his head in a mix of emotions. ¡°Damn, I love that woman. I wish I had half her combat skills.¡±


    Scary that someone like this guy could say that, but then again, I remember Dhaka¡­


    ¡°You know, she¡¯s probably one turn away from being hot on my trail. Shit, that makes me glad it was you that rolled out in front of me and not her.¡±


    Now THAT is suspicious. ¡°Hey, who is Revenant?¡±


    ¡°Right, right,¡± he mumbled as his voice trailed back into a more serious tone. ¡°Revenant went AWOL on us this afternoon. Makes perfect sense I saw him just this far,¡± he said with his thumb and forefinger near pinching, ¡°from killing you himself. I knew he had a reason to disappear and that was you? Fucking amazing. I wish I knew what you did to piss him off that much.¡±


    ¡°Devin, I realize I just met you, and you just met me,¡± she started with more capability of coherent thought, piecing something together that she couldn¡¯t ignore. ¡°But I realized too that you never answered my question. I don¡¯t know who Revenant is, but why were you there?¡± She saw the hesitation coming from him as she persisted. ¡°Airwaves had been dead. No one could¡¯ve called you. Your arrival like a knight in shining armor- no pun intended, was far too well timed.¡±


    She now caught sight of the town around her not quite as glitzy as it had been. Storefronts and apartments became more and more aged along with the increasing frequency of foot traffic. Turning back to Devin, she awaited his response impatiently.


    ¡°You know, you got no right to interrogate me. I saved your ass.¡± As he pulled up to a red light, he reached over to her with an open hand. ¡°Your phone,¡± he demanded, looking to see if she had a watch on, but saw only two bare wrists.


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    ¡°We are about to leave the umbrella. Give it to me- it¡¯s for both of our own good.¡±


    The dark of the streets nearby along with the eerie tone he was now using had her not willing to take her chances. It made too much sense not to. He did, after all, save her from that near-life-taking predicament. ¡°Here,¡± she reluctantly handed it to him after fishing it from her bag. He then proceeded to hold it outside his open window and gave it a gentle toss in front of the car. The light turned green as quick as her eyes widened in shock, accelerating and proceeding to run right over it, crushing it with a wince-inducing crunch.


    ¡°Devin- what the hell!?¡±


    ¡°How the fuck you think they found you so easily? They aren¡¯t about to find us that same exact way. Look, you¡¯re about to lay low for a real good, long time, OK?¡±


    Arms went up this time. ¡°Devin! I get it! You saved me and all, but this is absurd! Don¡¯t I get any basic explanation of what is going on!?¡±


    ¡°Look!¡± he fussed back but kept his eyes on the road. ¡°Let¡¯s try this again, because this could answer a lot of questions in itself. Who did you kill in Dhaka?¡±


    The assumption struck her as strongly offensive. ¡°What?! I didn¡¯t kill anyone! You¡¯d have to ask Kerry that, or Andre, or Sebastian!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see one of the hottest heads in the world go after her, damn it, he was after you!¡± All hints of courtesy were going out the window as quickly as the surroundings outside had turned seedier. ¡°Who did you kill?!¡±


    She now felt the pressure to come up with something as she sensed the danger coming from outside, bringing back the same familiar fears and insecurities she had on her first trip into the heart of Bogota. Her right hand found itself subconsciously slipping toward the grip handle of the door, taking firm grip. ¡°Sebastian killed a few on his way to save me, and he only mentioned someone he got info from being from¡­ where was it¡­ oh yeah, Nanning. Nanning, China.¡±


    ¡°Shit, everyone lately is from Nanning. That¡¯s not it,¡± he quickly dismissed. ¡°I am talking about you, though, Sam. Think!¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t even get a chance to!¡± she fussed before remembering the one and only time she felt her hands tremble after the horror that rushes in after escaping the jaws of defeat with her own strength. It was a rare occasion; in fact, it was the only such experience she had, unable to ever forget it. The inexplicable urge she felt pulling back the controls, hearing and feeling the spine-jarring explosive armor panel releases, and the pulling of the trigger that sent her attacker running. If it weren¡¯t for that, her eventual collapse would fall at his feet, not to the open arms of Sebastian.


    ¡­


    ¡°I tagged one, but he ran off. I didn¡¯t kill him, just¡­ won that one battle.¡±


    ¡°Who did you tag?¡±


    ¡­


    That was the one word she struggled to utter, feeling as if it were a forbidden word in this given situation. But why?


    ¡°It was one of the Cloaks.¡±


    Devin¡¯s reaction was either disproportionately melodramatic, or worse, it was of sincere vexation. ¡°Oh, shit, that was you,¡± he spoke through the following disbelief. ¡°Damn it, Sam, that was you?!¡±


    Back came the confusion even stronger, coupled with newfound intrigue. ¡°What was me?!¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Devin, what did I do!?¡±


    ¡°You were the one that fucking killed Requiem! Holy shit,¡± he laughed out the rest of his disbelief and aggravation.


    Sam¡¯s brow quickly crumpled up in suspicion. ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± The continued chuckle further unsettled her. She knew Devin had only been stationed in Manila since way back. She was convinced there could be no way he would know that much about who was who in Dhaka regardless of what stories Kerry could have told. The fact he was sitting there rattling off specific names was the last straw.


    I¡¯m going to say it! Fuck it! I¡¯m saying it!


    ¡°You¡¯re Underground, aren¡¯t you?!¡±


    .


    .


    .


    Devin doesn¡¯t seem very angered by the accusation, and that scares me.

 Taken Off the Grid, Part 2

    <hr>


    (Moments Earlier)


    <hr>


    Devin¡¯s Ai20 lumbered towards the San Juan Bridge, spotting the clearing right next to it where he aimed to duck into, peering behind him once more to see if the others decided to follow last second. As expected, only the sparse foot traffic along with several passing vehicles filled his visuals. He then stepped into the clearing and turned to the other side of the street, now looking upon the surfacing of a Kappa frame from the river bank below. He set his munitions to live rounds and disabled the safety, pulling his rifle around slowly.


    The Kappa frame was careful to make its way up without use of boosters, seemingly as if to keep a low profile. It then raised its rifle and took careful aim at Devin¡¯s cockpit, firing off a steady burst, sparks and hot fragments of armor flying off, zinging through the air and into the buildings nearby. The Ai20 fell with a thud, rolling over with its cockpit pointing to the sky.


    Devin shouted out in pain and fright, reaching for the door opening lever. ¡°I¡¯m hit hard! Lost control of right arm! Bailing before they get here!¡± he exclaimed into the empty airwaves, pulling the lever to see the two door halves open. He then saw two men with rifles show up, prompting him to throw his hands back against the seat.


    ¡°Out! Get out with your hands up!¡± one of the men barked furiously as another dropped his rifle to reach in and yank him out by the wrists. ¡°And no funny business!¡±


    ¡°Alright, stop! Don¡¯t shoot!¡± Devin cried out in panic, struggling to keep his balance while being forced out. ¡°I¡¯ll get out! I surrender! Just please, don¡¯t shoot!¡±


    .


    The pair of armed men finally got Devin down from the toppled LTAC to find a small crowd gathered to see what the commotion was, but kept its distance for obvious safety concerns. Several other gunmen being present also ensured the crowd kept their distance. The one that held Devin by the wrists now let go, patting him on the back. ¡°You left all your shit in the cockpit, right, Tenshi?¡± he casually spoke to Devin in a lowered tone, careful not to get picked up by the black box¡¯s audio recording from the Ai20 they left behind.


    ¡°Hell no,¡± Devin answered as he tugged his pilot suit straight and shook some of the tension from his shoulders. ¡°You still take me for a rookie?¡±


    ¡°Hey, that was some good acting- you had me thinking you actually pissed your pants,¡± he joked back as he slung his rifle and let it fall to his side. ¡°Speaking of, I got word for you. Straight from Tyrus.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that? Why couldn¡¯t he tell me before all this?!¡±


    They were now walking past the Kappa frame that had its pilot turning to take its position back by the river bank.


    ¡°I think Tyrus only just found this out literally minutes ago. I got this word right before entering the umbrella zone.¡± They now arrived to the foot of the bridge as they continued across. ¡°Here,¡± he said as he handed him a set of keys and a paper ripped from a notepad. ¡°Take this.¡±


    Devin unfolded the paper while stuffing the keys into an empty pocket. Revenant found spotted near the Occala Casino. Suspicious activity expected. Any nearby units respond and investigate. He looked up, shaking his head. ¡°I was never a fan of Revenant joining us.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t he the biggest shot pilot we¡¯ve picked up in ages?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s about to fuck everything up if he stirs up Hexa the wrong way. Project Excalibur is only this far from coming to fruition, and it only takes as many steps forward as Rex¡¯s fuckups make them.¡±


    ¡°Well, Tenshi, good luck finding him, I guess. I¡¯ll be approaching from the south corner if you get the north.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll take the parking garage, Texas, you take the poolside.¡± He then looked behind him to the second gunman from earlier and nodded. ¡°I take it you will handle cleanup if needed?


    ¡°Always,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Here, chew on this, Trident,¡± Devin joked as he handed him a set of pictures. ¡°You see this guy or his girl, shoot their asses on sight.¡± The pictures he handed him were of Isaiah¡¯s and Marian¡¯s faces.


    ¡°Woah, Tenshi, that¡¯s not in our orders,¡± he mumbled back, trying to keep his voice down.


    ¡°I know that, damn it. Everywhere Rex¡¯s men show up, shit gets fucked all the way down to hell. So, with Revenant AWOL, it means Rex¡¯s golden boy is here somewhere. Think about it.¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    ¡°Another jamming umbrella was opened around the Occala Casino!¡±


    Devin heard over his earpiece, flaring his emotions as he stepped harder on the gas pedal, tearing around slower traffic. ¡°Almost there! Give me a minute!¡± Head shaking, teeth clenching, he let out a sigh of disbelief, peering occasionally ahead and to his right to see the lights of the casino steadily approaching.


    Damn it! I wish I could¡¯ve known all this shit sooner! Of all places, WHY did Kerry have to choose this joint?


    Just over a minute later, he pulled into the entrance boulevard and tapped on his earpiece. ¡°Testing.¡± Silence told him he was well within the jamming range, cueing him to toss his earpiece in the cup holder of the console. ¡°Well! No time to waste!¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    He had finally made it into the base level of the parking garage and saw people starting to pour out of the exits, giving him a feeling in his gut he might have been too late to stop something terrible. What the hell would bring Revenant all the way out here?! Once he got past one crossing pack of pedestrians, he floored the pedal and squealed his tires around the next few corners, making his way up the ramps as fast as he could. Once he got several floors up, he couldn¡¯t help but notice how much quieter things were.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    He slowed his car to a halt and waited, foot resting on the brake. His eyes darted back and forth across the level, seeing not but a few heads walking towards the entrance. Why are they walking IN and not OUT like the rest? He elected to spend a few more seconds scanning the area, and with no success he let off the brake and quickly accelerated over to the other side of the level.


    Something stinks here, but I can¡¯t tell shit with this lighting and noise. His car he was handed had louder exhaust than he wanted at a time like this, pressing the engine on/off button. The newfound silence was a welcome feeling. He now heard footsteps in the distance even though he couldn¡¯t see a moving soul.


    Many seconds passed, unable to determine what he could swear was approaching footsteps. But the soul-jarring sound of echoing pistol fire that he knew the sound of all-too-well shook his senses awake, quickly reaching for his own pistol from under the seat. His hands found nothing but grit and metal supports, prompting the throwing of himself back into his seat with a slamming of his hands on the wheel. Shit! They didn¡¯t leave one for me! Having no more time to think, he quickly started back his engine and spun the car off in the opposite direction to close back in on the nearest entrance door. Kerry, please be alright!


    As he rapidly approached the last corner that would bring him to the front row, a figure moving between concrete pillars grabbed his attention. He saw the face even just for that one split second and he knew exactly who he caught sight of. Revenant! He threw on the e-brake, spun his car into a complete U-turn, and accelerated hard the opposite direction in a manner that would allow him to catch back up. But then he heard the cracking of glass several times, followed by a female¡¯s scream. That doesn¡¯t sound like Kerry. Who is his target?!


    He then remembered where the pistol they left for him might have been, stopping the car and reaching for the glove compartment. Opening it, he found a silencer-attached pistol, drawing a sigh of relief. There it is! He opened his door amidst the sound of screams and panicking casino-goers and looked around where he figured Revenant would be, hearing another pop of cracking glass. There he is! He thought as he spotted a lone silhouette standing up in the distance. He fired a few shots, missing, but definitely sending the signal he intended. But before he could get himself situated back in his car to move to a better shooting angle, a girl dressed in a party outfit stumbled into his lane, clearly distressed and panicked. His target is¡­ this girl?! WAIT ¨C I know her!


    He wasted no time pulling up and reached over to throw open the door, shouting: ¡°Sam! Get in!¡±


    .


    .


    Kerry ran up to find no one standing where Revenant was, out of breath herself and unable to focus fully any more, tears of anger rolling down her face. They took Sam! Motherfuckers took her! Hands on her knees, standing between a row of cars, she finally was able to discern the sound of running feet over the accelerating roar of the car that she knew Sam disappeared into. She without hesitation took one more burst towards the last open lane, seeing Revenant in full sprint as if he were running away. She held her bloodied hands up, firing the last few rounds she had, not having the fortune to strike her target before he disappeared from sight.


    Physically and emotionally spent, still trying to catch her breath, she let her arms droop to her sides, slowing lowering the rest of herself to the pavement below, holding back the urge to break down and cry. The soft lights around revealed her bloodstained silver half of her outfit along with some smeared blood spray across her left cheek. Her left hand unfolded as the device she held from earlier fell out, blood and bits of flesh flung from it as it clanged on the floor.


    .


    <hr>


    (Present Time)


    <hr>


    .


    ¡°I take the silence as a yes, damn it! Does Kerry know about this?!¡± Sam continued interrogating, fighting off the horrible sensation arising from her decision to make that thoroughly damning accusation. It was a bold one, even for her standards and her long-running history of doing such. This time, however, it wasn¡¯t her family or friends sitting across from the scathing attack. This one might cost her life, but perhaps it was her close encounters to losing that very same life that had her a bit numb to such a fear.


    ¡°If anything,¡± he started with a sideways grin, eyes still on the road. ¡°From this point on, what I will say is that you should just sit back and shut the fuck up, because you don¡¯t seem to really understand jack shit about what¡¯s been going on and what is what.¡±


    ¡°I know exactly what the Underground has been doing, and no one knows anything or anyone unless you know their names!¡±


    ¡°What names?!¡± he laughed. ¡°What the hell are you on!? Before I drop your ass out this car right now.¡±


    ¡°Like Revenant!¡± He hasn¡¯t killed me yet, so might as well throw this one out as well! She had one name in particular in the back of her head ever since that time the late Taneesha had her burner phone compromised, leading it to becoming a household name and a world-wide man hunt. ¡°And Rex! I know his name! I assume you know all about him, right?!¡±


    That name set off a nerve, pulling his eyes from the road and onto her, finding a fierce stare fired back at him as if it aimed for his soul. He focused back on the road that next instant, taking in a breath. He then felt a rumble from his steering wheel that vibrated to a short pattern. ¡°You must be real close friends with her,¡± he mumbled in reference to Kerry. ¡°You know, I planned on that being her right there in your seat, not you.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question!¡±


    ¡°Once the car stops up ahead, you can¡¯t say a word. You hear me?¡±


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t hear you at all unless you are just going to admit you¡¯re outright avoiding-¡±


    ¡°Look around and shut up for just one fucking second, please?¡± he interrupted her, rolling his eyes.


    She forgot the window had been rolled down some, noticing more now how rough town had become. Where was she now? The tightly-packed, hanging cable choked, dilapidated buildings¡¯ appearances reminded her of one of the older Dhaka Precincts she was taken through.


    Devin felt the rumble through his steering wheel once more before continuing: ¡°I said you are going to lay low. I picked you up because I couldn¡¯t let that man kill you. It¡¯d break Kerry¡¯s heart, wouldn¡¯t it? She just tried calling my phone that I don¡¯t even have with me several times. She¡¯s worried about me and likely trying to figure out how to save you or how to figure out who took you, having no clue it was me.¡±


    His sudden change in tone had the hint of sincerity Sam didn¡¯t expect. She backed off of her charge, letting him finish.


    ¡°I bailed out of my post to go save her in case she was the target, but found out that was you. You know, before you go off asking why am I leaving her behind? I¡¯m¡­ not,¡± he paused with a sigh as traffic slowed to a crawl on the now-narrowed street. ¡°I hate leaving her in this kind of state, but she¡¯s stronger than me. You? I got no clue what your mettle is, but you looked like a deer in the headlights back there. Revenant was one step from putting a bullet in your head, too. Now,¡± he said with a look back towards her. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, understand?¡± He waited for a nod or any gesture of the sort. ¡°OK? I don¡¯t want to hear you sounding like you know what Underground is, because you don¡¯t. You are going to lay low for a day or two until I figure out what the hell to do about you. Understand?¡±


    She finally nodded, unwilling as it was, but she had no choice.


    ¡°Good. If I think you¡¯re worth explaining any shit to, I will decide if I do, what I do, and when. And I highly doubt I do, just for the record.¡± He then pulled into a narrow alley, puttering along while searching for a certain building. ¡°You know what, I already know what to do with you. Give this whole jamming net operation a few days to clear up so I can make my way out. Kerry and I will be gone from this hemisphere so it won¡¯t even matter what you say about me then.¡±


    What makes him so confident Kerry would be so accepting of all this? Or better yet, why am I even listening?! I can¡¯t trust a damn thing he says as things are! But then again¡­ Her thoughts trailed, noting the solid concrete building they pulled up to had all windows blocked off and painted over. It must have not seen maintenance in a century, either, going by the looks of it. The car pulled over next to the only visible entrance as a handful of men with hands in their hoodie pockets eased up. Yeah¡­ all I can do is keep my mouth shut and myself alive for now.


    He left the engine running as he put the car in park, getting out to speak over to the nearest approaching man. ¡°I need to talk to Tyrus. Give me a phone or something ready, will ya?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the dressed-up chick?¡± the man chuckled with a pointed finger towards Sam. ¡°Doing the side-chick thing?¡±


    ¡°Get me Tyrus,¡± he flatly persisted, looking back to Sam, noting how tense she still was. ¡°She knows about Rex. Might be pretty damn useful to us, so I¡¯ll be fixing her a room for now and I will figure out what to do next.¡± He motioned her to get out and looked back to the man standing next to him. ¡°When I get back down, have that phone ready. This is urgent.¡±


    Kerry¡­ do you have any clue as to who the hell you plan on marrying here?!

 Taken Off the Grid, Part 3

    She was led up several flights of barren concrete stairs and into a small hallway. The smell of dampness, mildew, and rotten wood was enough as it was, but the strange humming sound coming from one of the rooms was even more unsettling. The last room on the left was opened as she was motioned to go inside. There she found a sheet-less mattress that took up half of the cramped, closet-sized room, and on it lay a single pillow. As he turned the light on, she noted a small cutout that contained a sink and a toilet.


    Oh boy¡­


    ¡°Hold still,¡± he said as he started unapologetically patting her down, drawing strong ire from her immediately.


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯d think if I could fit a gun or knife in this dress you¡¯d notice!¡± she hissed, jerking and jumping with each pat.


    He finished at her hips, catching notice she came up barefoot. ¡°Where are your shoes- no, never mind. I¡¯ll expect you don¡¯t try anything stupid.¡± He then turned and exited the room, closing the door behind him. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in ten,¡± he said through the door, electromagnetically latching it closed from the outside.


    That instant she started inspecting the room, looking for any possible way for escape. The window? Filled in with concrete or something. Shit. The door? She waited a moment for him to leave, then tried wiggling the handle and giving the whole thing a push. Shit. She then looked back into the WC to see solid concrete for flooring, which matched the floor she already stood on. Shit. She then stood up on the toilet, gently pushing up on the ceiling to see it wouldn¡¯t budge, either. Shit!


    Hopping down and finding a seat on the mattress, she started laughing at the irony of the situation. Did she actually think she could do something with her incredibly limited knowledge and experience? Where did I think I was? The Galeano Compound in Bogota?! ¡°Ugh,¡± she sighed in defeat, crouching forward over her knees. Something narrow and pliable from inside her dress was pushed down into the lower right side of her gut, causing her to jump back in surprise. She forgot she had a small pocket there, and it was right over an area Devin was too nice to pat down.


    How about that! She pulled out her much smaller-than-usual smart watch from that semi-ornamental pocket and tapped the screen to make sure it still worked. Her usual watch was tossed earlier that day in favor of this brand new one she bought with Kerry while shopping, making sure it was one that matched her outfit. The smaller, narrower profile must have helped keep it less evident after shoving it in there while dancing earlier.


    The screen came on, showing it had plenty of battery left but no signal. Shit, shit, shit! Nothing is going right! She looked around, thinking about how a jamming net could go this far. No way, it must be signal blocking built into the walls or something. I heard him mentioning a phone earlier. Damn. She then looked back to the screen and double tapped it, bringing up a small 7¡±x10¡± holographic screen. Having nowhere to place it, she laid it on the pillow and sat cross-legged in front of it, counting the time as she pulled up her messages saved from earlier before her mobile was destroyed.


    I can¡¯t download anything new or access much without the handset, but I can still view whatever was backed up. And I sure don¡¯t need internet to see what I missed.


    She pulled up the messages folder, looking at the last one that she opened. ¡°Damn it, Sam, this is an emergency! Pick up the fucking phone! There is jamming going on and I need to confirm you¡¯ve been alright!¡± Read that pivotal message from her father. This is what got me where I am now. Thanks, Dad. This saved my life. She felt the rare desire to hug him right now, if only she could.


    Massaging her sore, bare, thoroughly roughed-up feet with one hand, she used her other to swipe down through the remaining messages she blew past earlier. Oh yeah, I forgot Daja sent something. She scrolled back over to it, seeing she had a video attached that she couldn¡¯t download. Shaking her head once, she moved her focus over to the text caption.


    Daja C. - ¡°Sam, I hate to break it to you, but look at your man here with that Norris lady.¡±


    Her eyes squinted at the text once more, leaning in closer. Maybe she misread it. But a second and third look confirmed what amounted to a fairly heavy accusation. ¡°Mrs. Norris? Director Norris?¡± she mumbled with the untimely rumbling in of emotions, torn between whether to feel she¡¯s misinterpreting or Sebastian is taking out his separation from her in suspicious ways during his stay in Space. But¡­ Mrs. Norris?! Really? Argh, I wish I could get my phone back! How many have I lost on this damn planet?!


    ¡­


    But why did he try to call ten thousand times earlier? Was it really just my dad or was he trying to confess something¡­


    She wanted to cry for too many reasons to count once again. Her head leaned back, eyes pinched shut in frustration, firmly banging against the wall.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± She winced, sitting upright with a rub of the back of her head. It must have knocked a bit of reality back into her as she remembered her current situation. Devin would be back soon, and she had nothing in hand but mixed emotions, no way out, and bare feet. No, there has to be something productive to do while no one¡¯s watching. I¡¯ll just have to ask Daja or Sebastian himself what the hell is going on when I can afford that luxury¡­


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Back towards the other end of Quezon City, firefighters had just arrived to a collection of wrecked cars and the burning carcass of an LTAC frame in the middle of a cramped intersection. Andre¡¯s Ai20 frame had lowered itself to a crouched position, allowing him to more easily descend from the cockpit and down to the ground where a police patrolman awaited him. The clearing wasn¡¯t much where he stood, leaving the officer to stand leaning against the building behind him with just mere feet between the nearest leg frame and himself.


    ¡°Evening¡­ sir!¡± Andre awkwardly greeted as he dismounted from the ladder and wiped his sweaty brow. ¡°Hexa has their officials on the way, but the area is secure.¡±


    ¡°You need to know that our men are all busy in other places with the problems caused tonight. Problems everywhere!¡± the officer spoke with animated gestures and disbelief-fueled half-delirium. ¡°Sangandaan has not seen such mess this entire time. Who was in charge of this action?¡±


    Hands at his hips, he tried his best to remain diplomatic. ¡°I was, sir. It would¡¯ve been our squad leader but he was captured. After that, we got caught in an ambush with no radio. I had to stop them.¡±


    ¡°This is still too much. I need to speak to your commanding officer.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re on their way, sir, I promise. I¡¯ll wait right here with you.¡± Andre continued catching his breath, albeit at a more leisurely pace, eyeing the water cannons that started pouring down on the Kappa frame wreckage. He was worried about the bystanders as well as his shellshocked crewmates, but of course, the fire would be a priority as a fuel station was right behind it. ¡°I can tell you one thing. Being able to survive until getting out of that jammer range was huge.¡± Without thought, he looked back over his head at the still-smoking barrel of his over-worked multi-round rifle and the empty magazine rack mounted at the hip nearby. ¡°But, really. Sorry for the mess. I know having to clean up all this is only making your night worse,¡± he added with a hand over his head.


    He then felt a buzz coming from his mobile he had in his pocket. ¡°Excuse me, one second,¡± he spoke as he clicked on his earpiece. ¡°Nguyen here.¡± He suddenly breathed out a sigh of relief upon hearing something that next instant. ¡°Thank God, Kerry, I wondered what hap- ¡­ what?! Wait- hold on, what!?¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    The officer was now leaning over, trying to hear in on the conversation, seeing how fraught something had Andre all of the sudden.


    ¡°Sam is gone!? ¡­ no- no I mean- ¡­ of course not! You think I could get away? I tried to call earlier! We JUST got out of the jamming net and I am stuck here with the police! ¡­ No! Yanga was separated from us and now HE¡¯s gone, too! ¡­ No, he was kidnapped, too!¡±


    News trucks began pulling up as the officer decided to get more story beef, inching closer still to Andre. His two surviving crewmates also saw the scene he was causing, attracting their curiosity as well.


    ¡°We saw no blood, Kerry. Just an empty cockpit to his shot-to-hell A I¡­ No, it happened during the radio blackout just like with you and Sam! I don¡¯t know what the hell to make of it either! ¡­ Wait wait- no! Don¡¯t head here! Head to HQ! I will be there after- ¡­ yes¡­ I will see you there once I finish up here. You did good to get away from the Casino. Tell me about it later. ¡­ Alright.¡± He hung up and turned to see the officer, his two crewmates, and a TV reporter host with his camera on record. ¡°Oh boy.¡±


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Jazira Station, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    A small shuttle craft neared one of the connecting terminals, receiving clearance for docking. As it started its final approach, a soft yellow light started flashing inside the upscale but compact cabin. In a cozy, well-designed space that only sat eight sat Amelie by herself, mobile in hand. She wore no makeup for wherever it was she was headed, and it suggested she wasn¡¯t in usual dress, even with the full space suit and helmet covering everything.


    ¡°Docking in two minutes. Prepare for deboarding,¡± spoke an automated guide.


    She felt her mobile vibrate as a call came through, number and location blocked. Her pursed lips and tense sigh hinted she had been expecting the call for some time. Pressing the answer icon, her mobile rolled the call over to her earpiece as she spoke up: ¡°Confirmation.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s alive,¡± a familiar voice replied through some digital interference.


    ¡°Where have you been all this time?¡±


    ¡°Laying low, off the grid, you know.¡± The voice started coming through clearer, revealing it to be Gabriel Silva¡¯s voice. ¡°Just like you warned me it¡¯d end up like. But yes, Sam is safe for now.¡±


    She took a deep breath in, both relieved at the news yet stressed by what she knew was coming in addition. ¡°Make the rest quick, Sly. You got less than a minute.¡±


    ¡°Nanning has been an easy switch for me. Security has been a hot mess since Dhaka went down and Manila became the new focus, making it real easy for me to gather everything.¡±


    ¡°Hurry, Gabriel,¡± she spoke in a heavier tone, watching the terminal approaching too close for comfort.


    ¡°Right. Two big things: One. Excalibur is targeting your boy.¡±


    Her reaction was suppressed, but the words were a dagger through her gut.


    ¡°Two, Tyrus and Rex are the latest and greatest clashing of heads it seems; Rex being the majority representation and Tyrus being the rogue. A big shit storm is brewing, Ms. Knight-¡±


    ¡°-Delacroix.¡±


    ¡°I mean, Delacroix. A real big one, and Sam is caught right in the middle.¡±


    Again. Just like right where Sam started. And now Isaiah¡­ what is he doing?


    ¡°I feared as much. I am on my way. You did well to survive up until now. I will repay.¡± She then hung up the call just seconds before she felt the thud and clanking from the shuttle docking.


    .


    .


    Sebastian was seated just outside his Ap50 frame looking over two digital documents while maintenance crewmen serviced it. He had set up two tablets on the workbench to which he had pulled a stool up to, scanning through data from two test runs. Both included diagrams of varying melee weapon configurations on the right forearm¡¯s armor mounts.


    ¡°Still can¡¯t make up your mind?¡± Danielle asked as she approached from the observation building. ¡°You know it won¡¯t bother me if you ask anything!¡± As the days had passed since her new position, more and more of a seemingly youthful glow had returned, likely as a result from the dramatic lowering of stress-inducing responsibilities and an incredibly lax work schedule.


    Sebastian casually shook his head and smiled defeatedly, turning his head to reply: ¡°It¡¯s not that I am afraid to ask something.¡± His focus came back to the screens again as he put his chin over his partly intertwined hands. ¡°I can¡¯t make up my mind because I can¡¯t be sure which Cloak I will run into. I know their styles will be different if it¡¯s not the same.¡±


    He remembered the high-speed charge style of offense that one Cloak used against Sam back in Dhaka In his head, what he saw played itself over and over in sequence on a daily basis. It was like film one would study before a sports match, but he was afraid to just simply leave it at that, knowing in his mind that it wasn¡¯t the only Cloak out there.


    ¡°I told you already, young man,¡± she answered with a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You gotta pick what fits you regardless. Quit thinking about them. Think about you,¡± she continued firmly, giving his shoulder a gentle nudge with the uttering of that last word.


    ¡°In that case¡­ then¡­-¡±


    The PA chime softly rang, catching both of their attention: ¡°Attention Instructor Norris, please report to the main docking area at this time. Instructor Norris, main docking area, please.¡±


    The two looked at each other, following it with a shrug of their shoulders.


    ¡°You figure that out before I get back because the Lab wants your answer tonight. Let me go see who this is.¡±


    .


    .


    Danielle passed through the security entrance area and down the primary connection tunnel, finding the dock she was instructed to find. She saw a shuttle pilot standing outside the shuttle¡¯s door at the end of the dock¡¯s tunnel, signaling her to enter. ¡°Can I not yet ask who is calling for me and where I am about to go? This is quite the odd way of requesting a meeting,¡± she spoke to him in vain, not expecting much of an answer by how things were going.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere,¡± he calmly replied. ¡°She¡¯s in the main cabin. I was instructed to stay out here until you guys finish.¡±


    ¡°OK, sure, I guess,¡± she answered with a raised brow and another shoulder shrug, continuing through the cabin entrance. She looked to the back, expecting the usual row after row of passenger seat benches but was shocked to see only two rows of four. And it was even more of a shock to see the lone woman sitting at the back.


    ¡°Close the inner hatch on your way in,¡± Amelie softly commanded, never removing her eyes from her mobile¡¯s screen.


    Danielle continued her baffled pause for a moment, then finally broke the silence with the sealing of the door and a curious thought out loud: ¡°You¡¯re Sam¡¯s mother, I assume? You two look an awful lot alike.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have but five minutes,¡± she flatly stated, avoiding the entertaining of her guest. ¡°Come. Sit.¡±


    ¡°Well, OK, then.¡± Danielle kept her mouth shut, figuring there had to be a catch but would hold off her more emotional reaction to it until actually hearing it, assuming this would be some sort of bribe to go save her daughter for her. She casually approached the front bench, seating herself in front. In doing so she felt more comfortable, not having to look her in the eye. ¡°I take it this is about Sam?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and no,¡± Amelie dryly replied, now typing something into her mobile. ¡°Indirectly, of course this could help out Sam in her predicament immensely, but this is mostly about you doing me one last favor- and this last favor would also be for someone you would, in my opinion, likely die for.¡±


    Naturally, Danielle wasn¡¯t expecting such a response after giving that assumption, but it only took three seconds for the intended notion to kick in, unknowingly thinking out loud: ¡°Sly¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been very, very alive and well.¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Danielle whispered out loud, again unintentionally but very audibly, clenching her right fist.


    ¡°Stay focused, Norris, I will only say this once. I need you to live off grid¡­ lay low for a good long time for me, making a delivery to Silva. I¡¯ll give you payment tonight, lump sum.¡±


    Danielle could already see where this was going, however, much to her dismay after the excitement upon hearing Gabriel¡¯s survival was quickly put on ice, sending a shiver down her soul. ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories about your¡­ deals¡­ from the grapevine over these years. This one sounds like the kind I may not come back from ever again.¡± She now turned to look Amelie in the eyes, waiting for a reaction but got nothing such. ¡°I need proof he¡¯s alive- and not just that!¡± She exclaimed, remembering Sebastian just beyond those walls. ¡°I still have one last, big responsibility! I can¡¯t walk out on him! He¡¯s becoming like a son to me after all this time!¡±


    Amelie was still yet to remove her eyes from the screen. ¡°Fifteen million, Norris. You¡¯ll receive it tonight. Deliver a drop package I am arranging you to receive at a destination you¡¯ll be informed of later, and bring it to Silva before Friday.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the hurry?¡±


    Amelie without hesitation dodged the question and continued: ¡°You will guide the landing of the package yourself and remain with Silva until the passing of Project Excalibur. From that point, you will wait one year. After that, do as you please.¡±


    ¡°Project Excalibur?¡± Her brow raised. ¡°What do you care, anyway? And why are you asking me to do this?¡±


    ¡°And tell Sam¡¯s boy to hurry back to her. And I mean quickly.¡± Her face finally arose from her mobile, looking Danielle dead in the eyes. ¡°She¡¯s been taken.¡±


    Danielle froze in her thoughts upon hearing that, struggling to come up with a way to respond.


    ¡°Time is up, Norris. Decide to accept or not, because if not, you know I-¡±


    ¡°-I accept the request,¡± Danielle spat out half-intentionally, half out of panic. ¡°I can already tell just how fucked up this situation must really be, now that I think I¡¯ve pieced enough together from what you said.¡±


    ¡°Take this,¡± Amelie spoke with a hand moving from the inside of her suit pocket to Danielle¡¯s now opening hand, passing her a device that was strikingly similar to the device Revenant was handed to by Isaiah. ¡°I will reach you through this in exactly three hours. Get your things ready and make your farewells.¡±


    .


    .


    Danielle was now standing outside the connection tunnel as the pilot re-entered the craft and began departure preparation sequences. ¡°What in the hell did I just agree to,¡± she thought aloud, face locked into one of fear and concern. Not just for herself, but for Sebastian¡¯s as well, looking down the main connecting hall. At this point, hell, it¡¯s not one bit about the money, but if Sly is really alive¡­ ugh. I don¡¯t even know if he actually is alive. Something seems too good to be true, but then again, that¡¯s not how Knight¡¯s girl¡¯s reputation goes. Shit¡­

 Taken Off the Grid, Part 4

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-Valenzuela Region, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Sam was still empty-handed, subconsciously rocking back and forth cross-legged, hands on knees, mind still racing. She felt the clock ticking but still no light at the end of the tunnel.


    A door opened not too far away, snapping her out of her boundless train of thought. She heard a pair of feet trudge through heavily, not sounding like they¡¯d be someone of Devin¡¯s stature. Were they sent for her?


    ¡°Wait!¡± She heard Devin¡¯s hushed shout from farther away, prompting her to tiptoe stealthily as she could to the door, pressing her ear to it.


    ¡°Not yet!¡± His footsteps joined the other¡¯s as he continued to speak in a hushed tone, just audible enough to make out the words. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her, I got her- hold on.¡±


    She intermittently held her breath while he spoke, quietly exchanging air in between pauses.


    ¡°Apologies¡­ no, sir, I was talking to Titan¡­ understood¡­ by the end of tomorrow¡­ correct.¡± That last word was followed by the sound of something being put away before footsteps started back up, startling her to the point she almost fell backwards over her own feet. She awkwardly but quietly managed to get her rear end back on the bed and her watch back into the pocket before the heavy door opened.


    A bag was thrown onto her lap as Devin popped in momentarily. ¡°Change if you want. They¡¯re Kerry¡¯s so it might be a bit tight on you, but deal or don¡¯t. Your choice.¡±


    She knew it¡¯d be futile to display her offense to her captor¡¯s hospitality, but it brightly showed anyway. ¡°OK? And? Am I supposed to just live off this tiny room according to your directions of laying low for a while?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Deal with it for a while if you want us to let you go in due time,¡± he huffed, closing the door not a second after.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m reporting everything!¡± she screamed out defiantly.


    The door opened just slightly, enough for his voice to make it through clearly. ¡°No shit. You walking means our operations were finished and we simply disappear. Have fun for all we care.¡±


    The door slammed shut this time, causing her to blink tightly. Letting out a sigh, she played with the bag thoughtlessly for a moment, finally opening the flap to see what was inside. She dug around to find a white t-shirt, stretch leggings, and a pair of chanclas. ¡°Hmph, great. And of course, there¡¯s no bra,¡± she shrugged. Oh well. Beats feeling half-exposed with this party dress, I guess. She put the bag back down beside her on the bed, feeling the regret from earlier rapidly setting back in. Why didn¡¯t she just report in and check into her dorm like she was supposed to? She knew this all could have been avoided if she had just done as told.


    I will just have to use this time I didn¡¯t want but have plenty of to figure out how to get out of here or get signal. She took her watch back out, tapping it out of habit. The no signal sign still stuck out as a sore reminder she would remain powerless. That is, unless a miracle could be pulled off.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    For how late in the day it was, the Command Annex at Hexa¡¯s Manila CCC was as active as it was during peak hours. In the central operations office, the main screens on holographic display that hovered over the central workstation tables showed ¡°Awaiting Connection ¨C Akkadia Central Headquarters: Executive Office¡± alongside the call-in-progress marking. One agent¡¯s attention was caught by the opening of the main doors to the office, prompting him to approach as he masked his increasing impatience. ¡°Excuse me! No one should be accepting any visitors!¡± he fussed to the clerk who entered first.


    ¡°Apologies, but they were insistent, and they technically do have the required clearance given the circumstances,¡± the clerk responded as he stepped aside, revealing he had brought in Andre and Kerry.


    Andre¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t too far from the norm after a day of piloting, just the expected visible levels of exhaustion and sweat. It was Kerry that had drawn most of everyone¡¯s attention, still in her party dress with the exception of a towel hung over her neck and down the front of her shoulders. Smears of blood remained on her hands and arms, and much of her makeup on the lower half of her face had been wiped away. Whatever remained of her makeup was ruined by the combination of sweat and her hair getting everywhere from the running and struggling she had done.


    ¡°I think we all deserve to know why we can¡¯t get that Eye in the Sky request cleared!¡± Andre shouted angrily, seemingly irritated by how polite the clerk was acting in such a dire situation.


    The agent was for a moment concerned for their physical state but still couldn¡¯t afford the time as it was. ¡°Sorry, but we can¡¯t deal with pilot concerns right now!¡±


    ¡°Aw hell naw!¡± Kerry joined in, already matching Andre¡¯s energy which was already a rare enough sight for him. ¡°We did NOT just go through all that to hear any of that bullshit! Does anyone here not care about Devin or Sam anymore?!¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d you bring them in?!¡± the agent hissed to the clerk, drawing Andre¡¯s and Kerry¡¯s rapidly increasing ire.


    ¡°We got a faint signal and I KNOW it has to be Sam or Devin!¡± Andre persisted, now approaching the center work station as the agent started to walk in between in a move to slow him down. ¡°Why can¡¯t anyone give us the means to close in on it!? Time is ticking, damn it!¡±


    ¡°Manila CCC this is Knight,¡± Al¡¯s voice came over the intercom as heads snapped toward the holographic display in unison.


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s Sam¡¯s dad!¡± Kerry whispered to Andre, feeling a spark of hope upon seeing his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much time, what is the important update?¡± Al continued, now locking gazes with Andre and Kerry. The other agents at the table began grabbing and reaching for their things before Al lost his patience. ¡°Actually, forget it. You two, great you¡¯re here. Detail me on what just happened.¡±


    ¡°I got a faint signal on some area near north of here between Navotas and Quezon City!¡± Andre stepped up, relieved to finally have someone of authority listening. ¡°We think it¡¯s either Sam or maybe even Kerry¡¯s fianc¨¦, Devin Yanga, who disappeared as well! I¡¯ve been trying like hell to get through to anyone the whole past half hour! The crew that came to cleanup didn¡¯t do jack to explain anything or even listen!¡±


    ¡°And the jamming is still up in both areas,¡± Kerry joined in, now standing next to Andre. ¡°We all know there¡¯s no way this isn¡¯t the work of the Cloaks! Why can¡¯t we get anyone moving?! They took my Devin and our Sam- your daughter!¡±


    Al took a pause out of caution before continuing. ¡°I get that, and I promise to do what I can. I have to see that tracking log for myself, though, before I can give any orders. Was it logged into your systems recorder?¡±


    ¡°Everything, sir!¡± Andre excitedly replied.


    ¡°Then it is a damn good question why I haven¡¯t gotten those updates up here yet,¡± Al replied with a cross face, looking over to the agents standing nearer to the station monitors. ¡°I¡¯ll override the upload.¡± He then looked back at Kerry with resumed anticipation. ¡°What happened in the Casino?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee the head count, sir, but multiple armed men... as many as five. I got all but one.¡±


    ¡°What shape was Sam in when you last saw her?¡±


    ¡°She ducked into some car that disappeared on us. I think she did that to dodge getting shot by the last guy I couldn¡¯t reach.¡± She remembered another key detail just as Al was about to continue speaking, putting a hand up. ¡°Oh, and this was something I can¡¯t confirm but I am ninety percent sure of- shots were fired from that car at Sam¡¯s assailant.¡±


    ¡°But no sign of Sam anywhere besides this possible faint signal. Any visuals on the car she got into?¡±


    ¡°Was way too dark with headlights here and there making it worse, sorry. All I know is that it was a smaller car, sedan perhaps.¡±


    Al nodded and paused once more in thought before shifting his sight to Andre. ¡°LTAC presence?¡±


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°We fought off four, sir,¡± he replied, straightening up his posture. ¡°They were armed with less than usual, but made far better shots than anyone we¡¯ve ever faced before for simple Kappa outfits.¡±


    ¡°And who was your originally appointed squad leader?¡±


    ¡°Devin Yanga. He was captured as well, no signs or nothing on him, either.¡±


    ¡°Cloak crew activity at the Casino, LTAC activity in North Quezon, both jammed. This sounds like two opposing parties given the timing and circumstances.¡± He then looked back to Kerry with narrowed eyes. ¡°You sure you heard those gunshots?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell the direction, but I heard the glass popping for sure. Sam wasn¡¯t armed, and the cracking came from the side of the shooter. I don¡¯t see who else would¡¯ve made the shot because it wasn¡¯t me and it sure wasn¡¯t Sam.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± the agent from earlier roared at the two, having long sat idly through their impatience, having been afraid to speak up but couldn¡¯t hold their tongue anymore. ¡°We had made connection requests that do not-¡±


    ¡°-You aren¡¯t being spoken to!¡± Al fired back, shutting him up. ¡°Did I not say I didn¡¯t have much time?-ugh, never mind again,¡± he closed his eyes tightly for a moment, opening them back up to look toward Andre and Kerry once more. ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to access your recordings on the double, Nguyen. In the meantime, both of you, if you¡¯re physically able, do what you need and get yourself on standby in your A-P¡¯s. We don¡¯t know when we can get a launch going but I highly suspect two working parties for the Underground. I will assign a liaison between myself and you two, so forget dealing with HQ, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± the two energetically replied in unison as the agent scoffed.


    ¡°Thank you for everything you have done thus far. Someone will be in touch shortly.¡±


    The second the call disconnected, the agent turned to scold the two pilots but saw they had already bolted out of the office. ¡°Augh! We didn¡¯t to address the actual issue we had!¡±


    .


    ¡°I heard from so many lately that if you want shit done, he was the guy to talk to- if you get lucky, that is,¡± Andre spoke to Kerry as they hurriedly walked down the hallway for the elevator.


    ¡°For real. Look, I¡¯m going to wash up and change, first. I¡¯ll catch you at the hangar in a bit.¡±


    .


    She had made her way through the clearance checks that brought her to the locker room¡¯s shower area. Being the time it was, it was completely empty and quiet. Quiet enough to allow her to stop at the mirror and see what a mess she was. It not only reminded her of the bloody injuries she inflicted upon Sam¡¯s assailants, but the thought they may have died as a result, regardless of her intent to avoid the neck and chest.


    She leaned against the sink, feeling faintness and nausea coming on strong. These kinds of feelings had assaulted her before as she was never able to tolerate the feeling of lost life in front of her eyes, seeing that normally the only times that would happen was between and behind thick plates of armor, by definition shielding her from ever seeing or imagining such horrors. But with those flashbacks combined with the rapidly re-emerging fear and concern for Devin¡¯s safety, something was coming up. And to add the helplessness-inducing thought that only one man so far was willing to do something about it all?


    She immediately ran for the toilet behind her.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al had stepped out of the meeting room, letting out a long, tired sigh as the door closed. As he pulled out his mobile from his pocket he noticed Lucian approaching the door.


    ¡°Knight, you heard the negative on the LACOM (laser communication) satellite permissions?¡±


    ¡°Vrey told me to expect as much,¡± Al replied with his eyes locked on his mobile¡¯s screen. ¡°We are on our own for sure on this one. And as a matter of fact, that¡¯s exactly why I am off to see what I can help get started,¡± he spoke with an increasing volume along with heightened frustration, drawing Lucian¡¯s full attention for the moment. ¡°The only ones we can really rely on are the ones with their proverbial boots on the damned ground¡­ unless you think one day Vrey comes out of his cave.¡±


    ¡°I hear you on that one. He has been to himself a lot more these days,¡± Lucian concurred as he passed through the doors.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Al continued down the hall and into his office, quickly taking a seat and punching the connect button to Sebastian¡¯s contact entry. It rang a few times before the answer click came up.


    ¡°Listen, I need a favor,¡± Al started off immediately, not giving the other side a chance to say ¡°hello.¡±


    ¡°I am borrowing the boy,¡± Amelie¡¯s voice responded, throwing Al for a loop, continuing before he could have a chance to gather any words. ¡°And I am also borrowing Norris along with a few other things. Thanks for reminding me to disconnect this number.¡±


    ¡°Ame-¡±


    *~click~*


    ¡­


    He was now left staring blankly into space for a moment. He was slow to put away his mobile, upset he let her slip by yet again, but at the same time jaded to this kind of behavior from her.


    Well, great. All that¡¯s left to do is pray Sam hangs in there. He then started jotting down a few things on a notepad in front of him: ¡°Sedan leaving Casino¡±, ¡°Kappa Frames in North Quezon¡±, and ¡°Faint Signal between Navotas and Quezon¡±, all under the heading ¡°Orb-Sat Requests¡±.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-Navotas Docks, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    The garage door opened as Revenant pulled back into the ramshackle operations building Isaiah had come to take over recently. With a different security outfit and a slew of crates and boxes he had no recollection of, it reminded him of how Isaiah and Marian had hollowed out the place to better accommodate for their equipment they brought along.


    He passed through the few doors leading him to the main operations room, first making eye contact with Marian who seemed perturbed by his very existence. He of course was in no mood to deal with it. ¡°Yeah? What?¡±


    She rolled her eyes and spun her mobile around to better point the holographic display in his direction. ¡°You couldn¡¯t¡¯ve handled that little errand any worse.¡±


    He knew he had screwed the pooch but still didn¡¯t want any of it. It was all trivial in the end in his mind. ¡°It¡¯s not like they gained anything or we lost anything.¡± He threw his bag down and took a seat, looking at the screen that showed a news clip she had been watching. Its headline read: ¡°Old War-Style Jamming Reveals New Threats¡±. He put a hand up as if he was supposed to feel a certain way upon viewing it. ¡°Again, you act like Infinity had anything to gain from this. Who knows who the hell picked her up because it sure as hell wasn¡¯t her crew¡­ and what gives with the second jamming umbrella? Was that you two?¡±


    Isaiah put his tea thermos down calmly, taking his time swallowing the sip he took prior. ¡°You know, you¡¯ve grown sloppy throughout this little¡­ separation we¡¯ve had,¡± he stated, ignoring the offended reaction drawn from Revenant. ¡°But I take your return here as your offer to reinstate yourself, am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°I work for Tyrus, now, clearly,¡± he smugly returned the perceived jab. ¡°I came back because I have to report everything, and to be honest? I was hoping I could get that one little explanation that I just asked for, but go on, assume what you please.¡±


    Isaiah closed his eyes, seemingly in concession to that notion, but then let out a sigh with a slight smile as if reminiscing. ¡°I miss having the solitude and privacy of the woods. It¡¯s all I had ever known until forcing myself to adapt to holing up in places like this just to keep tabs on everyone and everything.¡±


    Revenant leaned forward, looking unsure of Isaiah¡¯s direction. ¡°And we won¡¯t ever get those days back, Reap¡¯. What¡¯s the point?¡± He then looked over to see Marian had returned her focus on the News reel, still jotting notes. ¡°Oh, wait¡­¡± He then looked back to Isaiah to see this had been the only time he appeared without dark spots under his eyes. He seemed almost as if he were at peace with something. ¡°You bastard, you¡¯ve been letting Cable here do the heavy lifting. You?!¡± he started laughing sarcastically. ¡°You really came rested as if you had to take my words seriously that day back in Boston.¡±


    Isaiah passed on any denials, indirectly validating Revenant¡¯s assumption. ¡°I need your talents to complete the package now that you had your attempt to exact revenge,¡± he started back before opening his eyes again, leaning forward with a sudden match in intensity. ¡°But I need you to understand a few things before we start discussing it.¡± He pulled up his notepad and started reading from it: ¡°That man who snatched up Sam last minute was one of your own. Devin Yanga. Codename Tenshi.¡±


    ¡°What!? Wait, one of ours?!¡±


    ¡°Apparent mole, planted at Infinity¡¯s base some time ago by Tyrus.¡±


    ¡°I knew there was one but I don¡¯t have a face to put with that name.¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ listen, please,¡± Isaiah said with a pause and a frown. ¡°Tyrus had always expected my return, but couldn¡¯t know when. You showing up for our first meeting triggered the jamming according to Cable¡¯s calculations, and I fully back her up on that. Nothing else could trigger it.¡±


    Revenant started to verbally react, holding his tongue as he noticed Isaiah still holding a hand up.


    ¡°Yanga, or Tenshi, owns a flat in town. Sam¡¯s staying there because she is with Kerry Melancon, Tenshi¡¯s fianc¨¦e.¡±


    Things started connecting in Revenant¡¯s mind as he sat back in his seat.


    Isaiah was now looking over to him directly. ¡°Look. Just as you said. There had to be an explanation for the convenient rescue that ruined your attempt along with that second jamming umbrella¡­ and there you have it. And also, just as you said, Infinity had nothing to gain from your slip up but I knew that Tyrus had everything to lose if you failed.¡±


    ¡°OK, now you¡¯re losing me again.¡±


    ¡°Tyrus has allowed the pendulum to swing away from him and right towards us with this monumental slip-up. You do realize that Quezon City is the heart of the new P4C movement?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but-¡±


    ¡°-The demonstrators and the residents of Quezon¡­ think about it. They just lost their ability to connect AND they witnessed a deadly fiasco between their forces and Infinity¡¯s tonight. All they can do is sit in temporary fear and confusion, but us? We are the only ones who see it for what it is.¡± He leaned further in, increasing in intensity. ¡°Tyrus fears us. He knows he¡¯s banking on a miracle allowing the passive, peaceful movement to take hold. He just watched the beginning of the end for that, however, and he didn¡¯t want to lose you on top of all that.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Revenant replied with a smirk. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I doubted you,¡± he said with his smile evidently fighting off a bitter curve the other direction. ¡°I fucked up letting that girl slip through my fingers, but I have to let the past go with Req¡¯. No one made him suffer that fate but himself- I remember his orders to retreat.¡± He took a few breaths during the short silence before looking back at Isaiah. ¡°I needed a break, and so did you, but you were right about me. Let¡¯s sweep this shit show out of the way and get things rolling for real like old times.¡±


    ¡°Are you quite done yet?¡± Marian dryly added to their conversation. ¡°Rex was needing to talk to you once you decided to join back.¡±


    ¡°Rex?¡± Revenant pointed to himself in confusion. ¡°Me?¡±


    Marian rolled her eyes with a chuckle, pointing to the device they passed him earlier. ¡°Click that button.¡±


    He fished around his pocket, feeling where it was and pressed the only button on it. It instantly sync¡¯d with his earpiece as a familiar, deeply distorted voice came up.


    ¡°Nice of you to join us once more, Revenant. You still want your revenge, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The cold, robotic tone from his former and once-again reinstated boss rang with a chill.


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve located a faint signal northeast of you, and we have gathered enough evidence to believe it¡¯s either Tyrus¡¯ mole ¡®Tenshi¡¯s¡¯ signal or it¡¯s Samantha Knight¡¯s. Here is the next move you will make while jamming continues to be a convenient diversion for us.¡±

 Intermission - Character and Mechanical Refresher

    <u>Hexa: Infinity Pilots</u>


    Age: 25


    Nationality: Akkadian


    (Any + values are indicators of changes from the start of the Dhaka operation to the present)


    Technical Knowledge: 10/10 (+2)


    Ranged Combat: 8/10 (+4)


    Close-in Combat: 1/10


    Personal Combat (when outside of LTAC): 2/10


    Collateral Management: 9/10 (+1)


    Decision Making: 6/10


    Temper and Patience: 4/10


    <div>


    Age: 26


    Active Duty Experience (As of September 2174): 1 Year


    Leadership: 7/10


    Technical Knowledge: 4/10


    Ranged Combat: 8/10 (+2)


    Close-in Combat: 7/10 (+5)


    Personal Combat (when outside of LTAC): 9/10


    Collateral Management: 5/10


    Decision Making: 6/10


    Temper and Patience: 6/10


    Age: 24


    Active Duty Experience (As of September 2174): 7 Months


    Leadership: 7/10 (+4)


    Technical Knowledge: 6/10


    Ranged Combat: 6/10 (+1)


    Close-in Combat: 2/10 (-1)


    Personal Combat (when outside of LTAC): 7/10


    Collateral Management: 4/10


    Decision Making: 6/10


    Temper and Patience: 4/10


    <div>


    Age: 28


    Active Duty Experience (As of September 2174): 5 Months


    Leadership: 4/10


    Technical Knowledge: 6/10


    Ranged Combat: 7/10 (+3)


    Close-in Combat: 4/10


    Personal Combat (when outside of LTAC): 6/10


    Collateral Management: 5/10


    Decision Making: 6/10 (+4)


    Temper and Patience: 7/10 (+6)


    Hexa: Infinity LTAC Frame Models


    .


    .


    .


    <u>Underground Pilots</u>


    <u></u>


    Name: (RIGHT) Isaiah Knight


    Nationality: Akkadian (Akkadia-One, Eden Territories)


    Age: 28


    Active Duty Experience (As of September 2174): Unknown


    Background: Akkadian Naval Academy


    Leadership: 10/10


    Technical Knowledge: 10/10


    Ranged Combat: 6/10


    Close-in Combat: 10/10


    Personal Combat (when outside of LTAC): 10/10


    Collateral Management: 10/10


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report itDecision Making: 8/10


    Temper and Patience: 8/10


    Goals (and shifts): To lead the swiftest, most efficient operations within countries needing the most assistance against Hexa: Infinity''s oppression so that neccessary political victories can be attained. (He''s growing weary to the level of obstruction Rex seems to have been causing him the more he continues to operate independently.)


    Name: (LEFT) Tamaz Aliyev


    Nationality: Tblisi, Georgia


    Age: 29


    Active Duty Experience (As of September 2174): Unknown


    Background: Georgian Air National Guard


    Leadership: 7/10


    Technical Knowledge: 8/10


    Ranged Combat: 4/10


    Close-in Combat: 9/10


    Personal Combat (when outside of LTAC): 9/10


    Collateral Management: 9/10


    Decision Making: 8/10


    Temper and Patience: 6/10


    Goals (and shifts): Aligned with those of Isaiah. (With the loss of his long-time friend, Elias, he has been more revenge-focused and has lost some of the bond established between he and Isaiah.)


    Name: (RIGHT) Elias David


    Nationality: NAU (Massachusetts)


    Age: 27


    Active Duty Experience (As of September 2174): Unknown


    Background: NAU Marine Corps


    Leadership: 5/10


    Technical Knowledge: 10/10


    Ranged Combat: 6/10


    Close-in Combat: 9/10


    Personal Combat (when outside of LTAC): 9/10


    Collateral Management: 9/10


    Decision Making: 7/10


    Temper and Patience: 8/10


    Goals (and shifts): Aligned with those of Isaiah and Tamaz. (His untimely death has potentially driven a rift between his surviving friend, Tamaz, and Isaiah.)


    Hexa: Infinity LTAC Frame Models


    <div>


    Non-Pilot Characters and their Positions & Goals<u>


    </u>


    <u>Hexa: Infinity-Aligned Support</u>


    <u>Underground-Aligned Support


    </u>


    <u>Not Fully Determined-Aligned Support


    </u>


    Gabriel Silva - Veteran War Pilot (Harbinger), Akkadian Naval Instructor - Developing training programs that extract the most combat efficiency possible from the invovled pilots. Current status and whereabouts - Undetermined

 An Unexpected Proposition

    Sam had already changed into the clothes Devin provided and stood at the barricaded window with her elbows propped on the sill, face buried in her hands. Countless minutes passed, battling away the thoughts of what could have been while desperately trying to come up with any kind of way to get signal to her watch, knowing that might be her only way out. But she eventually caved into the futility of it, backing away with a shake of her head in defeat.


    Who am I kidding? I don¡¯t have half the strength of everyone else nor the strategizing know-how they seem to always have around so conveniently. If I could just get some luck or something?


    She continued her slow, short-stepped pacing around the room.


    Maybe they were able to follow Devin and are just waiting on a chance to break in? The thought was now shameful after what she had experienced, leading to another shake of her head to ditch the notion. She backed herself against the door, letting out a deep sigh. As she propped the back of her head against it, she slowly leaned against it, slouching until her right elbow bumped into the door handle.


    Her eyes opened up wide that next instant, backing her elbow away before placing it back as if to play with the handle a bit. There¡¯s play in it! It might be¡­


    Freeing her hands with the placing of her watch in her right pants pocket, she excitedly turned around and gave the handle a gentle pull, hearing it click as it continued downward about a quarter of a turn. No fucking way! Why would he¡­ never mind!


    She refrained from opening it, realizing there could be guards waiting on the other side. Her heart started beating out of her chest, seconds feeling like an eternity. What can I even do? I have no weapons or anything! Shit¡­


    But the seconds led to only more silence.


    Wait¡­ does that mean there¡¯s no one there?


    The door was suddenly pulled away from her as she almost let out a scream, losing her balance. She fell head first into Devin who had just returned.


    ¡°Oof,¡± he let out as he caught his balance along with hers, pushing her back upright.


    Oh shit! Don¡¯t kill me!! She bit down and kept her eyes closed as if ready to receive some form of physical backlash for her incredibly short-lived escape.


    ¡°Well damn!¡± he fussed in a hushed voice, halfway smiling. ¡°I was right, you really were crazy enough to think about escaping. Come on,¡± he said as he walked around behind her, nudging her down the hallway.


    ¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Shh,¡± he whispered, continuing to motion her to the end of the hallway. ¡°Something on you got Rex¡¯s men on their way, and I know it wasn¡¯t me because I ain¡¯t got shit on me with a signal.¡±


    There was no one else in or around the building even as they walked outside to Devin¡¯s car. Sam knew she had a chance now to attempt a run for it, but something kept her back. Why is he moving me? And when he said Rex¡¯s men are on the way, does that mean he¡¯s technically trying to save me? She then remembered Devin had a firm grip on her shoulder, and the dark alleys surrounding them looked like the worst form of invitation for a foreigner to run to. She chose the wait-in-silence option as he opened the passenger-side door for her.


    She sat down on her own, offering no resistance as he pulled out his pistol from behind him and paused to look around before hopping in. Something in the air reaffirmed Sam and her choice to follow his lead. ¡°You can tell me now, can¡¯t you? Is this about Rex being after me?¡± she whispered back as he started the car.


    ¡°Do you really make me out to be some actual bad guy here, Sam?¡± he responded in his usual voice as they started down the road. He then looked to her, checking her wrists. ¡°No watch. What do you have on you that is giving off a signal? Because whatever the fuck it is, they¡¯re using it. Turn it off if you want us to live to tomorrow.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know whether or not to count this as defeat or not, but the level of sincerity in his voice convinced her she should turn off her watch. Yet, something also convinced her it¡¯d be against better judgment to reveal she had it this whole time. She let out a huff, hoping to fool him with an attempted distraction. ¡°Unless one of your men stuck me with something earlier, I don¡¯t know- you destroyed my only phone, remember? And I¡¯ve already lost tons of those by now as it stands.¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­ no matter, though,¡± his voice changed as he looked back ahead. ¡°Where we are going, we will have cover regardless. I¡¯ll make it work.¡± He didn¡¯t catch the fact Sam¡¯s right hand had fumbled around the pocket where she kept her watch. ¡°I don¡¯t know why but I feel even luckier it was you I ran into.¡±


    Good, he didn¡¯t notice me¡­ I think. She slowly pulled her fingers away from her pocket after feeling the reassuring bump vibration from her watch powering off.


    He pulled away from the intersection they approached, speeding up to what felt much more comfortable to both of them as they cruised down the now-empty, somewhat wider streets. ¡°Now we both have to lay low, but thank you for drawing their asses out for me. Revenant went blank after that casino fiasco, killing any chances of me locating them. But someone got greedy, and now is a good time to knock them down a peg or three before trying to barge in here and take over like they do everywhere else.¡±


    ¡°But why do you have to lay low?¡±


    ¡°Knowing Revenant is back and Rex is moving his men this quickly and boldly, it means Reaper is here.¡±


    Sam picked up on how heavy and solemn his tone had become. Reaper. I need to take that name down.


    ¡°And if Reaper is here,¡± he continued, ¡°it means he will know I was the one who picked you up.¡± He then started chuckling in an obvious mixture of fear and disbelief. ¡°I thought it was just because you killed Requiem, but now I realize, you were slated to be a part of Project Excalibur, weren¡¯t you.¡±


    Shit! Of course, he would have dug or hacked around and find out about the project, being a damned leak and all!


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡­


    But let me let him finish. This is way too much good information to throw away the chance to be of use here!


    ¡°Well¡­ yes, but why?¡±


    ¡°Bingo.¡± He began looking for an intersection coming up and turned down a narrow street once more, slowing down considerably. ¡°I got my own safehouse no one knows about, not even Kerry, that we will stay at until I figure out what to do next for us.¡± He then brought the car to a stop underneath a smaller apartment complex¡¯s entrance awning. He then turned to look her in the eye.


    His next words would jar Sam¡¯s soul more than anything she had heard in a long while.


    ¡°I need to talk to you about joining the Underground.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Are you crazy!?¡± Sam hissed through her teeth, not sure if the off-the-cuff question was offensively genuine or meant as an insult to her integrity.


    ¡°I can explain shit that will change that per-determined pride of yours,¡± Devin confidently remarked, putting the car in park and turning off the engine. ¡°This old shack never had proper WIFI or any kind of satellite linkages, so the shielding I put up months ago would have never been registered on Tyrus¡¯s or Rex¡¯s logs,¡± he continued as he eased himself out of the car, having made a complete turnaround from the edginess he had leaving the previous building to that of at-home levels of ease. ¡°You can run at any time, but the invitation only gets extended once.¡±


    ¡°Is that supposed to be a challenge?¡± She wasn¡¯t trying to be smart-mouthed this time, rather, she just didn¡¯t know of any other way to put it, given the circumstances. She too had opened the door and even thought of running if not for just a fleeting moment.


    He looked over the car¡¯s roof and straight in the eye without wavering. ¡°Hey, I mean, you keep making me out to be some kind of bad guy, right?¡±


    Well, she thought as she mindfully dodged the charming smile he returned, unwelcome as it may have been. He did save my life. He could have done literally anything else the Underground¡­ does¡­ whatever the fuck it is they do.


    ¡­


    No, wait, this is my chance to do something. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen, but just to listen,¡± she said with a grin in return.


    .


    .


    He led her into a surprisingly comfy though cramped living room/bedroom, given how old the building¡¯s appearance. She approached the small table with a few floor pillows scattered beneath it.


    ¡°Go ahead, I need a beer,¡± he spoke as he turned to pull open a small refrigerator that doubled as a bookcase prop.


    She pulled out a floor pillow and carefully eased herself down, uncomfortable in the loaned leggings, having no other option but to sit with legs extended out. She leaned back a bit to prop her weight on her opened hands just behind her, head leaning back as she scanned the one room apartment. ¡°There¡¯s like, nothing electronic in here,¡± she spoke as she noted the refrigerator, small window A/C unit, and the lighting. ¡°For how clean you keep your living spaces, why avoid more creature comforts?¡±


    ¡°I shielded the area, remember?¡± he replied, following with a nasal laugh. ¡°Drink?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes, please.¡± She didn¡¯t think to reject this one offer given how parched she was.


    He then sat across the table from her, comfortably cross-legged with a beer can in each hand, extending one her way. ¡°I don¡¯t know how good of a pilot you are, but you must be something special if you were snagged by Project Excalibur. That¡¯s like¡­ CEO Vrey level shit.¡±


    She reached out for it as she began speaking: ¡°Come on. Explain this whole offer of yours, because poorly-fitting compliments aren¡¯t doing anything for me.¡± With a crack of the tab, she without hesitation began to quench her thirst.


    ¡°Well,¡± he huffed before opening his and taking his first sip. ¡°Let me first say this.¡± He firmly placed the can on the table, looking her squarely in the eye once again. ¡°The Underground first started off as a future-pilot advocacy movement until they realized that what we needed was what the whole world really needed. You surely must consider yourself a ¡®pilot¡±, right?¡±


    Hold on¡­ This whole situation has first-night-in-Bogota vibes¡­ Shake it off, Sam.


    ¡°I mean, why else are you here in Manila?¡± he persisted while the last phrase really struck that same bell in Sam¡¯s mind.


    She was slow to respond. ¡°Well, to be honest¡­¡± That question, the level of exhaustion she was in, the look he was giving her ¨C it was impossible to shake the notion this was a repeat of that very night.


    But what¡¯s different this time is I already know the answer¡­ for once! Hah¡­


    Devin noticed something had her suddenly and uncomfortably hesitant. ¡°I¡¯m just asking a simple question, but did I step on any toes here, maybe?¡±


    Sam continued wearily in thought: I AM a pilot. Yes. I signed up to do exactly what I signed up to do.


    Why am I here in Manila?


    Damn it, I am a Hexa: Infinity pilot. I am a former volunteer pilot for Project Antares Mk.2 and current volunteer pilot for upcoming Project Excalibur. I need to fucking act like it!


    Without waiting any further for her to come up with a response, he hardheadedly continued with his proposition. ¡°Anyway, listen, no one knows more about what it¡¯s like to have everything taken away, then everything in the world given to them, just to again have it all stripped away like pilots do. And you know what¡¯s happening to everyone all around the world ever since the Confederacy got torn down?¡± he asked as he picked up the can for another sip, deciding to give Sam another chance to say something.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry,¡± she said with a shudder. ¡°Let me digest everything for one more second, please.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± he casually replied with another swig.


    Right. This guy is no Sebastian. Sebastian genuinely had my best interests at heart all this time, and now I need to have not only his in return, but I still owe Kerry something major big time. Devin¡¯s sloppy for a mole, albeit he¡¯s been nicer than he has to be. Yep. I am getting myself into a position to get shit done tonight on my own for once. ¡°It¡¯s been a long night, you know?¡±


    ¡°Ran down, chased around a casino in the dark, almost killed, picked up by a total whacko,¡± he said with a gesture to how crazy it all must have sounded. ¡°Locked up in a nasty old holding cell. I realize that, and I¡¯m sorry. I get how frazzled your nerves are- I don¡¯t mean to rush you.¡±


    She rubbed the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes with a sigh. She then laughed on the inside, feeling like this is exactly how her own father acted toward something so unbelievable. ¡°OK, let me get this straight.¡± Let¡¯s start with some knowledge I can take with me. ¡°I already know the message of the Underground, which is re-establishing the old Confederacy so that dying countries can be re-established as well. Pilots get their freedom to access the job-pool and money-pool again yada yada. I get all that shit, Devin. How does everything you¡¯ve said equate to anything here in your own country, though? Admit it, Hexa has allowed P4C to peacefully protest the Charter AND call for a new PM that supports the reforms, am I wrong?¡± Yes! I¡¯m so glad I read up on some news for once in my life before I got here!


    ¡°But that¡¯s just it!¡± Devin firmly agreed, much against Sam¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°Huh? But why would you need me to join if things are going to plan, then?¡± she continued in suspicion with a raised brow.


    ¡°Because they aren¡¯t!¡± Devin started chuckling under his breath. ¡°I get it. Look,¡± he said as he leaned back, propping one arm across a knee he pulled close to him. ¡°I keep mentioning Rex, the guy you know somehow. He¡¯s here, you already want Hexa to allow P4C to win, which is what we want as well-¡±


    ¡°Who is we?!¡±


    ¡°We as in us Filipinos. Tyrus speaks for us, not Rex. And remember how I said they¡¯re on their way looking for me, or you, or both of us? Now is a chance to do like me and make sure both sides win here!¡± He paused, waiting for things to click in her head.


    Oh. Shit¡­ that wasn¡¯t what I expected, but it still doesn¡¯t change shit for me. ¡°I get it. You need me as a pilot for your side to help stop whoever the hell Rex sent.¡±


    ¡°You see!¡± he said with arms in a ¡®eureka¡¯ gesture. ¡°No one has to know you joined! Why not make happen what was supposed to happen anyway? You gotta work both sides to make it work in real life, just like politics.¡±

 To Accept or Decline

    ¡°Just like politics¡­¡± she mumbled as she continued in thought: Yeah, lemme work both sides here one last time. She brought her focus back to Devin. ¡°Do you know why I am with Project Excalibur? -Actually, do you even know what it¡¯s for?¡±


    ¡°Told it¡¯s an assassination program.¡±


    ¡°Assassination program?!¡± she laughed in surprise, not expecting to hear such a claim, but then again there was some doubt behind that display of hers. Lately, there had been plenty going on to convince her nothing she hears is every totally off the mark. ¡°No, it¡¯s a safety network to prevent disasters like in Dhaka!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an assassination program, Sam. It only kicks in if this election doesn¡¯t go smoothly, because the higherups at Hexa would love a good scapegoat right about now, and every undeserving pilot Tyrus has is at the other end of the approaching barrel.¡±


    ¡°But your people kept attacking Infinity troops!¡±


    ¡°No, they got attacked first! The network here is only designed to never let them spread beyond the allowed borders.¡±


    This guy is nuts! ¡°So why now do you need me, then!?¡±


    ¡°Damn it, Sam, our boys are afraid of Reaper and Revenant!¡± he fussed back in frustration, hands hovering near his face.


    Oh¡­ it¡¯s that sound of sincerity in him again.


    ¡°¡­the thought of slaughter,¡± he slowly continued in a much more subdued tone. ¡°¡­After how hard we¡¯ve coordinated things to end peacefully for once. We¡¯re now afraid of being on the other end of the swords of those two Cloaks.¡±


    Sam tried desperately to mask her reaction upon hearing that combination of names. Holy shit! Her heart started racing, causing her to look aside and act as if she were in deep thought to continue masking her epiphany she was experiencing. If Revenant was the guy chasing me at the Casino, that means Reaper¡­ REAPER! He¡¯s Isaiah! Shit! I gotta do something before everything hits the proverbial fan!


    She straightened up, taking in a deep breath to help keep her calm outer appearance. Looking back at him, she managed to carefully speak her next move: ¡°I appreciate you taking me seriously, Devin, and I do see what you are talking about now. Hey, I mean, I take back what I insinuated about you earlier.¡± Not. ¡°But can I have, like, a night to think this over?¡±


    He shook his head with a wry smirk. ¡°Do you think we have much time?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, we don¡¯t,¡± she agreed as she turned her head to the door. ¡°I realize there¡¯s something tagged on me that must¡¯ve led them to you. Let me find my own hiding spot for the night to see who it is they¡¯re really after, and if the coast stays clear, I will come back here in the morning. You¡¯ll be here, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, I will, but that sounds a bit stupid don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°You want me to consider joining you, right? But is it me they¡¯re after or is it you like you say? Let me think about it while I see if I can really trust what you-¡±


    ¡°-Sam,¡± he started chuckling again. ¡°If I didn¡¯t trust you myself, I wouldn¡¯t have taken you from that room mor leave the door unlocked on purpose. I just don¡¯t trust YOU making it far out there in the dark on your own.¡±


    She rolled her eyes, knowing he was right about that, but by now, hadn¡¯t she seen worse? And she knew she didn¡¯t have to make it far. ¡°Then, I will trust you if you trust me on this one thing. I can make it. I did it before.¡± Not, but still.


    He stood up slowly, heading for the door in defeat. ¡°Alright, Sam, but three things as I let you out. One,¡± he said with a finger to start counting. ¡°You die? That¡¯s a hundred percent on you. Two? You run off to Hexa to tell on me? You won¡¯t find me AND you will ruin everything Kerry and I have struggled with up til now for each other. That¡¯ll be on you as well. And three?¡±


    Sam was now headed for the door, rolling her eyes again in response. ¡°Devin, I can¡¯t mouth of to Hexa about you, clearly. I get it. You already planned this out.¡±


    He instead reached behind the bookcase over the fridge, removing a small shoulder bag. ¡°No. Third? You keep this on you just in case.¡± He then winked as he pushed it onto her. ¡°Hexa-issue, stolen and re-chipped.¡±


    She reluctantly took the bag and opened it, slowly removing what she was afraid it would be. She held the pistol gently, reminded of the time Kerry had her hold a different, less refined model.


    ¡°It¡¯s your safety net as well as mine. If I ever need to, I control the switchboard that pins the fingerprints tied to it to a host of cold case crimes.¡± He let loose a guilty smile. ¡°Sorry, Sam, but I can¡¯t be too careful. The only prints on it are now yours. Use it wisely, and stay safe.¡±


    Are you fucking kidding me?! She thought before almost dropping it. But this nut-brain seems to have planned absolutely everything down to the last possible detail. Either he is one incredibly motivated man, or he is clinically insane. Sam couldn¡¯t afford the time, however, to debate the sanity of her situation, facing only one viable option: to go along with it. What else can I even do but trust him? I mean, I REALLY need to get some distance on him here.


    ¡°Well, I will. I will be back in the morning.¡± She put the pistol back in the bag and shouldered it, opening the door. ¡°I¡¯ve used one of these before. I can hope for your case it¡¯s me they¡¯re after.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see how wrong you are, but that means I will see you tomorrow,¡± he quickly replied with a worried look mixed with the smile from earlier. ¡°I really need some good talent on our side to make things work.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask Kerry?¡± Sam finally asked as she started out the hallway, turning to hear his response.


    ¡°I can¡¯t involve her like that,¡± he said looking down before shaking his head, looking back to her. ¡°But then again, it¡¯s you who fell in my lap, not her.¡±


    ¡°-¡®Night, thanks for the talk and the drink,¡± she said with a closing of the door. Oh my God that was so much lying in one sitting- and nothing in all of this has a shred of believability! What have I done?! She cried to herself on the inside, slowly walking away. But passing through one last doorway led her to the outside once more. Things hadn¡¯t changed. It was still terribly dark, and the lighting wasn¡¯t too helpful, nor was the passing sounds of chatter and cars slowly passing by in the distance. She clutched her bag tightly and started off back to the street she last remembered seeing.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Just get to a spot where- She reached and grabbed her watch from her pocket, quickly attaching it back on her wrist and turned back on before once again clutching her bag strap- I can get signal enough to call in my location!


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    The night was still restless over towards the southern end of Quezon City where that same region near the city-center was still affected by jamming. News revealed that police were yet to identify the location of the jamming equipment and gave the notion they would urge the PM to ask for outside help. In the meantime, seemingly no one was able to sit by idly.


    Andre saw all this on his watch¡¯s holographic projection as he sat inside his Ap-50, helmet on his lap with his left arm propped on top of it. He then looked up after hearing a door close nearby. ¡°Finally,¡± he mumbled to himself, turning off his watch display.


    ¡°On my way up,¡± he heard Kerry¡¯s voice speak up through his earpiece. ¡°Sorry, I¡­ needed a moment.¡±


    ¡°We still haven¡¯t gotten the greenlight from Singapore, but I have been trying to put loose ends together regardless. Why is everyone else so lax about this? Wasn¡¯t this place as hot as the one we just left!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like an explanation, too. Nothing makes any motherfucking sense. Not one thing since we got here.¡±


    Andre put his helmet on, affixing the chinstrap and activating the visor. ¡°I got an idea. About to power up sensors here¡­ maybe we can find something else in this unfortunate downtime.¡±


    Kerry turned to sit herself down in the pilot¡¯s seat of her Ap50, stopping briefly to catch her breath. She reached up and grabber her helmet as an incoming call came up on both of their headset:


    ¡°A-P Team this is Singapore CCC, do you copy?¡± the man¡¯s voice firmly requested.


    ¡°Copy, Singapore,¡± Kerry responded with a surge of anticipation mixed with relief she made it to her cockpit in time, buckling her helmet and harnesses in.


    ¡°Copy,¡± she heard Andre add in soon after. She now had her systems¡¯ main power coming online as well.


    The operator continued: ¡°Orders from Akkadia Central HQ. Your priority objective has been altered from recon to extraction.¡±


    Kerry¡¯s heart jumped with even more anticipation. Not sure when we even got the word about recon, but damn! I¡¯ll take it! ¡°Affirmative.¡±


    ¡°Watch signal originating from Pilot Samantha Knight has been upgraded from probable to confirmed, signal moving 2 km/hr north-northwest near Industrial Road, Valenzuela Region.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ A,¡± Andre added in with the same positive intensity.


    ¡°Who the hell even says that?!¡± Kerry laughed back as she saw all systems fully online through her visor, including the new blue target icon on her radar/map. ¡°There she is. Singapore, requesting permission for myself and Pilot Nguyen to launch.¡±


    ¡°Negative,¡± the operator¡¯s reply came with a deflating effect. ¡°Launch permissions active once we confirm the area is safe. Please await further orders.¡±


    Shit, come on, dudes! She¡¯s right there!! ¡°Can we get an explanation, then, as to why no other active-duty pilots aren¡¯t on standby?¡±


    ¡°Active-duty schedule has been downgraded as of three days ago to no midnight patrol. You are the only two active at this hour.¡±


    That means this whole protecting P4C¡¯s newest branch has had a bigger olive branch effect than I would¡¯ve ever expected. No active midnight duty after how crazy lit this place has been? She then reacted to a new alert showing up just over Sam¡¯s location. She scrolled the zoom in on it, reading:


    ¡°Axiom Launch Command Initiated.¡±


    Her eyes then looked just north of her location, seeing a large, empty grassy field. And with that came the roaring back of the confident spark she had. ¡°Look at my little bitch go! Andre, you see that?!¡± She laughed. ¡°That¡¯s my girl!¡±


    ¡°Command! Permission to prep the Axiom for automated transit!¡± Andre shouted through his own excitement.


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± the operator responded to their relief. ¡°Prep the Axiom as well as your own LTACs for launch. This will be a simultaneous jump. Await further clearance and orders for procedures post-launch.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± the two replied.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam crouched down in a corner between a raggedy fence and an old, abandoned truck on blocks as she caught her breath. She tried to keep it quiet, occasionally peering through the cracks in the fence and the trees nearby at a large, grassy clearing. She couldn¡¯t make out much, but the map she had pulled up revealed plenty of landing room.


    Damn, I¡¯d better turn this off, now.


    Switching off her watch¡¯s power, it dawned on her how much time she potentially gave her pursuant up until now. She remembered the bag she shouldered, slowly reaching for it every time she thought she heard an approaching vehicle or passing footsteps.


    This is the dead-end corner of a backstreet! What¡¯s up with the midnight traffic? She thought as she nervously double checked the distance between herself and the narrow road nearby. There had to have been at least three meters, and her spot had her hidden from the lone street light across the way. All I can do is wait for my Axiom to drop in. Hopefully, and just maybe, Kerry and Andre made it through whatever all happened and can launch with it.


    Another minute had passed, and another approaching car this time had her subconsciously gripping her bag. Her heartrate went up, that taste again coming up in her mouth. Something about the slow approach had her fearing the worst all of the sudden as she quietly opened the bag and slowly removed the pistol. It was light, lighter than she remembered, fumbling around a bit for the safety release, leaving her finger resting upon it. To think if I had one of these back at the Casino¡­ but who am I kidding?! She thought in exasperation. I haven¡¯t used one of these under duress before! And this is no PDW! No holo, only nine shots¡­ shit¡­


    She had never aimed a pistol at a moving person before, and it was already hard enough as was even with the PDW she tried and failed to use effectively in her last on-foot escapade.


    And there it was, the sound of tires stopping just ten or fifteen meters down the road. She adjusted her crouched position, ready to dart out or lean over if needed. She was too afraid to look, however, training her ears in on anything she could pick up.


    A parking brake engaged. Two doors opened. Several feet hit gravel and concrete. The feet were moving softly but with purpose, all headed her direction. All she could think now was why the Axiom hadn¡¯t landed yet, as it would give her all the distraction in the world to do something about the predicament.


    ¡°Kailangan mo tulong?¡± an old man¡¯s voice spoke up, not fitting the predicament at all in her mind. Still, she couldn¡¯t relax just yet.


    ¡°Um¡­ We¡¯re lost. Can you help us?¡± a much younger voice replied timidly.


    ¡°Oh, I can help?¡± the old man now spoke in English, albeit with a thick accent. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Looking for a friend who moved in recently. I thought it was here,¡± the young man continued, triggering a stronger sense of danger within Sam¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Who?¡± the old man replied.


    ¡°She¡¯s new to the country. Black and pink hair. She looks American.¡±


    Hey, those accents don¡¯t match that old man¡¯s accent at all. They¡¯re definitely not local.


    ¡°Oh, well¡­ wait, please,¡± he answered as he turned to shout something indiscernible towards someone inside his home. The ten seconds that lapsed felt like an eternity, unsure whether he would unintentionally make this nightmare get worse or not. ¡°Yes! She moved in and lives in a house maybe fifteen houses the other way! You came the wrong side of the street. My wife saw her there earlier walking to town with friends.¡±


    Wait¡­ is he for real!? The tension finally and joyously eased up, even if just for a moment.


    ¡°You sure, old man?¡± the young man snapped with a sudden change in tone.


    ¡°Yes. You are looking for Sam Knight, right? She¡¯s new. She lives on the other side of the block.¡±


    <u>*PSHT!* *PSHT!*</u>


    The unnaturally smooth gaseous releases blasting from a caseless round chamber emptied out in succession, sending a harsh jolt down her spine as she tensed right back up, heart beating so loudly she couldn¡¯t hear straight anymore. But she knew the next sounds she could hear were from a body collapsing.


    ¡°She¡¯s here,¡± the man was now whispering as the sound of their feet quietly grew nearer.

 Less Than Ideal Reunion

    The bastards! She thought in a mix of fear and rage, not able to comprehend why they just murdered an innocent local in cold blood. But when the shots she heard replayed in her head once more, an even more horrifying thought came to mind.


    Those¡­ those are the same sounds our standard issues make when silenced! That means¡­!


    Unable to sit through the suspense any longer, especially knowing the approaching men were carrying a Hexa-issued pistol, she gripped her own with both hands, then pivoted and stood up in a single motion. It¡¯ll be me before them! She held her arms out like she had always practiced, bracing with one hand, pulling the sights up to match her line of sight with the other, and squeezed the trigger at the first silhouette she made out by the parked car. She squeezed, and squeezed once more in rapid succession. It was as if she didn¡¯t even hear the ear-drum piercing pops nor did she even determine if or how she hit her target.


    The next reaction was just as much of an unprepared action, diving back into the corner from which she came from, now able to make sense of what she heard following immediately after. Silenced shots rang off the surface of the van she hid behind. Mind numb already, she couldn¡¯t afford the luxury of calculated movement anymore. She turned as if to run, too afraid to return fire as things were. It was dark and there weren¡¯t many street lights.


    The jelly in her legs finally solidified, gathering the strength to take off, but in that very next second something sounded too close for comfort. She turned and aimed to see a figure seemingly diving for her. Both fired shots but were well off the mark. Bodies collided. Sam felt her grip on her pistol come undone as she hit the concrete below with a thud and a shout.


    And as much as things had gone numb for her, by now it was something she would completely blank out on later on if she were to survive. It was raw, fear-driven instinct kicking in. The assailant¡¯s body scrambled to stand up over her, giving her legs something to target as she flailed with both, striking his forearm he brought up. Following up her rolling motion, she was now frantically searching for her dropped pistol. Fortunately, it had not fallen far as she quickly re-established a firm grip on it and swung it toward the silhouette. Two bullets bounced off the concrete inches from her right shoulder as she squeezed the trigger again.


    A painful scream quickly left the man¡¯s vocal cords as he continued shooting. It then felt like something blindingly painful ripped along her right upper arm, but she didn¡¯t stop, either. Her trigger soon stopped functioning after she emptied the small magazine. She thought she may have gotten the job done as the silhouette started to drop, but it only took a brief moment more to figure it was coming for her.


    Something was unsheathed by the sound she heard next, immediately resuming her attempt to run. Her head and upper back bumped up against the fence, forgetting how close she fell to it earlier. With her back against the wall, she was left with no choice but to blindly roll over, plant her feet underneath her, and make a dash toward him in hopes to tackle him before he could strike first. The two careened to the ground once more, hearing the sound of dropped steel.


    This time, it wasn¡¯t anything of hers that fell. She pushed herself up over him and started swinging with the butt of her pistol at what she could make out to be his head. The first swing only hit somewhere on his shoulder with a thud as the man began to reach for her neck. She couldn¡¯t miss this next swing as she regathered her strength.


    With that next swing with a hand squeezing at her neck, she felt the sharp ringing of the metal contacting his skull. The hand slipped off immediately and she struck once more. He strangely hadn¡¯t the strength to push her off of him as light as she was, allowing her to continue angrily swinging and bludgeoning the man¡¯s head until she felt him stop.


    There she would remain, furiously trying to catch her breath and re-establish her hold of reality.


    Thoughts of relief, relishing the fact that she was still alive, and the slow backing-off of the adrenaline only lasted a short moment before her acts became more apparent to her. She felt the warm body underneath her, motionless. And despite the numbness in her right hand, she still could make out the wet stickiness coming from the grip of her pistol and the smell from the blood she spilled. She looked up to see the other motionless body laying across the concrete near the van she hid behind earlier. She then saw the slow gathering of a few of the locals, finally feeling safe enough to pop their heads out of windows and doorways.


    It was too much. She dropped her pistol, trying to fruitlessly wipe her hands clean of the blood smears but eventually caved into the dizziness and panic that quickly set in. Her hands were now trembling mightily as she grew too weak to stay kneeling as she was. She ended up crawling away, retching near the edge of the fence, trying to keep her balance. It was only the shadows of that same fence cast by an approaching set of bright glows and roaring engines that helped her fixate back on reality for the second time. She caught her breath and found the strength enough to stand back up, leaning against the light pole nearby.


    Those are Hexa drives. Those¡­ are¡­ definitely Hexa drives. They¡¯re finally here.


    Sam now made out the sounds of panicking neighbors behind her. The residents of course would have a fit after such a commotion. It didn¡¯t bother her too much, however, unable to even begin to think of what to do next. Her eyes then soon returned to the nearing light spectacle approaching. Her foggy vision began to clear, revealing a pair of glowing lights to either side of the closer set.


    That¡¯s them. They both came-


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯d better hide!¡± a woman¡¯s voice firmly but quietly warned from behind through a similarly thick accent akin to the old man¡¯s from earlier. Sam turned to see a younger woman in her twenties, or even younger, extending a hand. ¡°You we¡¯re with Tenshi, right!? Come on!¡±


    It took more than a few seconds for the words to register, fighting off the fear her blood-stained shirt and pants were going to cause a fright or make her look a murderer. Tenshi¡­ huh? ¡­ Oh, Devin! ¡°Right, but, no! No!¡± Sam fussed with a hand to the sky. I just killed two people and this is what someone says? ¡°That¡¯s my-¡±


    She grabbed Sam by the wrist and began to tug. ¡°-He told everyone in the neighborhood earlier that Reaper was coming for you and him! You need to hide before more come!¡± Sam started to tug back in resistance as the lady continued: ¡°You are lucky to be alive just now! We will take care of the story with the police later!¡±


    She¡¯s¡­ on my side?! OH- Shit! That¡¯s right! Sam felt more panic set in. She couldn¡¯t just walk away after murdering two men and never even saw their faces. Debating with the thought of her having the gall to run and hide, she then remembered the gun Devin gave her. She now was gripped with the notion the police and CSI would have a field day with whatever history that gun had once they found it laying on the concrete. ¡°Hold on! I need to go get something else from over there- I dropped it and need to find it!¡±


    Just keep it together, Sam! You¡¯re alive. Just get that gun back¡­ ¡­ and while I¡¯m at it, I should see if either of them has that Revenant guy¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hurry, then!¡± the woman fussed back, following her with her arms crossed.


    Sam paid her no attention, hovering over the area she left moments ago, unable to quickly locate it. There was a sudden flash of light flooding the area, causing her to turn to see the lady had turned her flashlight on using her mobile. ¡°¡­Thanks!¡± she awkwardly replied, quickly looking back down to find her dropped pistol. She quickly tucked it away in the bag she managed to keep on her. But as she started to step away, the scene somehow reminded her of the last time she laid eyes on a corpse. Right¡­ I need to grab something else to take back just in case.


    Her hands, much to the shock of the woman behind her still helping her with lighting, started pilfering through the shirt pockets of the corpse. Her hands ran across several entry wounds along the way, noting there was no use of any kind of plates or vests. She withdrew her hands and turned back towards the van, finding the gun he dropped not far away. She picked it up to see that it was in fact a Hexa-issue model. She checked the chamber¡­ empty. She then looked up to see the bloodied face. It was hard to tell, but he looked nothing like Revenant from what she could remember.


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    ¡°One more second!¡± Sam pleaded to the woman as she hurried back toward the other side of the van. On her way to the second corpse, the one she shot first earlier, she found the gun still clasped in his hand. This guy doesn¡¯t look like him, either. Damn. She also looked back at the open doorway from earlier, seeing no other body. Wait, where did the old man go? Her thoughts were cut off by the rapidly intensifying sounds of the approaching LTAC booster activity. With no more time to waste on the thought, she pulled the magazine from the frame, all the while thinking: Why the fuck not. My fucking prints are all over the damned place. She slipped it into her bag before running to the fence where she was waiting earlier.


    ¡°Where are you going?! Are you crazy!?¡± The woman scolded from behind, still chasing with her light.


    Sam pointed once more to the now landing trio of LTACs about twenty-five meters out beyond the fence. ¡°I have to go! That¡¯s my ride coming!¡±


    ¡°Then take this!¡± she fussed back, holding out a small, round, black device. ¡°Speak with us again before trouble finds you again!¡±


    Something seemed incredibly enigmatic with not just the device offered or the words spoken, but also with the way she looked back at her with sincerity that seemed to match Devin¡¯s.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Sam again awkwardly replied with her hand extended, once more adding something to her bag before turning to the hole in the fence. ¡°I have to run, now!¡±


    But as she distanced herself more and more from the street, separated from the crowd that was alarmingly accepting of her running away, the flooding of relief started to take away her ability to keep pace with her feet, unexpectedly stumbling to the tall grass-laden turf. The queasiness too had started rushing back. It was another to her list of near-death experience, but the first she felt with her own physical body. And the fact she was able to escape was too surreal.


    ¡°Sam!¡± she heard, trying to lift her head back up to see a short figure running towards her. One of the LTAC¡¯s had its spotlight on, flooding the area, preventing her from identifying who it was.


    ¡°Sam! It¡¯s us! You alright?!¡±


    That¡¯s Kerry!


    ¡°Sam!!¡± Kerry shouted as she slid to a stop right next to her, tightly embracing her.


    .


    .


    Andre felt a rush of relief wash over him as he watched Kerry help Sam back toward his direction, feeding the camera visuals to HQ. ¡°Command, this is Nguyen. We have confirmations of Knight¡¯s safety and is on her way to the Axiom.¡±


    ¡°Roger. Piloting status?¡± the operator¡¯s voice spoke back.


    ¡°Stand by for scans.¡± He then thumbed his channel back to the squad radio just before he caught a flash on the radar. ¡°Damn it¡­ Ugh. Kerry, get her checked before you let her load up. L-Trackers telling us we might have company inbound from the West.¡±


    ¡°Got it, but I gotta say I¡¯m seeing a lot of bloodstained clothing here,¡± Kerry answered back as she kept a firm hold around Sam¡¯s shoulders as they neared the Axiom. ¡°Hey,¡± she now spoke to Sam as they came to a halt. ¡°What¡¯s¡­¡± She paused upon noticing the blood droplets scattered across her face, shocked to find even more of it. Her eyes then moved back downward to the red streaks down her right arm. ¡°Sam, whose blood is this? Yours or theirs?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know,¡± Sam wearily responded, looking to her arm as well. ¡°I think I got grazed. The rest is¡­ from whoever that guy was.¡± She then took a second to straighten her posture, feeling a bit more composed. Maybe just enough to get up that ladder. Yes, just the idea of sitting back in the safety of the cockpit would bring some sense of security back to her even if just temporarily. ¡°I think I¡¯m good. Let me load up and let¡¯s get the hell out of here.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Vincent reached over to his nearest holographic display over his desk as he unmuted a channel lighting up green around its borders. ¡°Go ahead, Singapore.¡±


    ¡°In response to your request, sir,¡± the same operator who spoke to Andre started. ¡°We have confirmed the successful extraction and recovery of Samantha Knight. She is clear to pilot and is preparing for return as we speak.¡±


    Vincent leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and letting out a slow sigh of relief. ¡°Was her holding location confirmed?¡±


    ¡°She seemed to have been attacked. End of Mary Drive off of Gladiola.¡±


    ¡°Send in a cleanup team on the double. I will contact local police myself right now to get them filled in.¡± The screen shrank away once the operator ended the connection. He then looked to another screen that connected to Al¡¯s office. He waved his hand over it, bringing it up front and off mute. ¡°Knight, they got your daughter back.¡±


    ¡°I was following. Now I am worried about those L-Tracker readings,¡± Al was quick to reply. ¡°Are we going to go ahead and push for Kaylen Rodger¡¯s launch? This shit is all hitting the fan way to quickly to just sit back and watch. It¡¯s giving me Dhaka vibes.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Vincent nodded as he looked over to another screen showing a map of all Infinity LTAC deployment posts. ¡°We got several Ai groups stuck with repairs and the other ones on duty are in bad locations for transfer. I¡¯ll get Rodgers Earthbound by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Make sure she¡¯s good and ready,¡± Al replied with a huff. ¡°We have no choice but to move along with your little scheme, but don¡¯t forget what happens with that cursed OS design of yours and a poor pilot prep plan.¡± There was a brief, difficult silence between the two before Al broke it up. ¡°But it¡¯s better than Sam being pushed beyond her limits again. I suggest we get her back to base and let¡¯s let Rodgers handle whatever they throw at them.¡±


    ¡°I was going to suggest the same. Very well.¡± Vincent then ended that call as well, now closing all of the screens. ¡°Alright, Mrs. Rodgers, on to you.¡± He stood up and made his way for the door, straightening his tie.


    .


    .


    Down in Al¡¯s office, he too had stood up but saw something on the last screen he left open that caused him to pause. It was of a route tracking map between Eden¡¯s Space Nations. Several items were highlighted, but one in particular was flashing yellow. He stepped in to take a closer look, noting the label read ¡°Status: Complete¡±. It was hovering next to a location labeled: ¡°F.L. ¨C Sumeria.¡±


    He reached for a button on his earpiece, clicking it once and spoke: ¡°Labman.¡± After a moment in waiting, the call connected with an operator on the other line.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± a tired voice picked up.


    Al cleared his throat before proceeding. ¡°I needed to ask you a favor but only after confirming the final checks had been made.¡±


    ¡°For which ones?¡±


    ¡°The Arondight and Curtana. Vrey needs the Galatine ASAP, so go ahead and ship that one out to Drop Station H1.¡±


    ¡°Then, I assume this favor you ask of is to do with that little mystery shipment you sent to me a few days back.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Migrate the old interface systems on those modules to fit the newer OS on those two LTACs. I know it¡¯s a bold request, but if anyone can downsize and fit those modules, it¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ as I was afraid,¡± he continued with a sigh. ¡°Playing with fire as always, sir.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Al responded to that sarcasm with a mirthless chuckle.


    ¡°Very well. I will have those all moved to my place at the old Mugen Shipyard on the next shuttle out. My men and I can work under better conditions there. I will call when it¡¯s completed- and no, if anyone asks, I won¡¯t tell them you raided a war museum for these parts.¡±


    ¡°Right. Thanks as always,¡± Al replied as he rubbed his eyes, genuinely appreciative but still felt the weight of another project to keep a close watch on.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ In Transit, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    A pair of shuttles floated closely by each other, neither with any systems active. Sebastian sat in the darkness in a full space suit minus the topmost helmet attachment; It had remained attached to the holding area under his seat. This whole time he had wanted to peer out the window to see what all was going on, but under orders, he had to leave them all shut. He let out another nervous sigh, looking back at his watch.


    ¡°That¡¯s the signal,¡± Danielle called out from across the cramped shuttle, appearing from the boarding hatch area.


    Sebastian could barely make out her figure from that distance, unbuckling himself to approach her. ¡°Signal for what? I still can¡¯t fully understand what is going on.¡± He grabbed a hold of the bulkhead wall as he pushed his momentum to a halt. ¡°You said we were going to jump over Manila.¡±


    ¡°This is where we split up,¡± she replied in a more solemn tone.


    ¡°We!?¡± he spat out in more pronounced confoundment. ¡°Where are you going?!¡±


    ¡°Remember what I told you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That WE were dropping over Manila early this morning.¡±


    Danielle took in a long breath, placing a hand over his. ¡°You did the best you could and you grew up so fast as a combat pilot. But that¡¯s why I did that. Where I am going- even I don¡¯t know, but you go get your girl and find those Cloaks before they find her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going with that lady? Why? At least tell me that much.¡±


    ¡°That lady,¡± she said with a troubled pause. ¡°That¡¯s Sam¡¯s mother,¡± she finally made herself to speak as she patted his hand before pushing off toward the hatch.


    [What?! Her mother?!] ¡°Wait! Ms. Norris!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you on the other side at some point, Sebastian. Take care of her and yourself, you hear?¡± she said with a weak smile, closing the decompression chamber door, separating the two of them. She knew it might be the last time seeing him, urging her to keep the departure as brief as she possibly could. And not being able to see that last look from Sebastian kept her heart from hurting any more than it did.


    Danielle had used a connecting tunnel to the other shuttle, and once she re-pressurized the boarding chamber, she made her way towards the lone passenger in back. ¡°He¡¯s ready. Are we?¡±


    ¡°Detach. Launch sequence A,¡± Amelie coldly spoke into her communicator as the engines of Sebastian¡¯s shuttle started up.


    Moments later, the shuttle began to accelerate, and once it moved out of the shadow of Jazira Station in the distance it was revealed to be approaching an incoming drop pod.


    Sebastian noted that each of the windows had finally opened, urging him to rush to the nearest one. He saw the incoming drop pod but he couldn¡¯t find the shuttle that Danielle transferred to.


    ¡°You will drop over Philippine Airspace in six hours, Navarre. Get seated and ready to transfer over to the drop station in thirty,¡± he heard the shuttle pilot¡¯s voice over the shuttle¡¯s speakers.

 Less Than Ideal Reunion, Part 2

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-Valenzuela Region, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Sam took her time getting herself seated inside the Axiom¡¯s cockpit. She took a few breaths as she looked out toward the streetlight-lit scenery that disappeared to the tune of the closing hatch. She reached under her legs to make sure the cubby for her bag was well secured before reaching up to her helmet, pulling it down and buckling in the chinstraps.


    Hell always ensues every damn time I power this thing up.


    She flipped down her visor and adjusted the fitment of her headset¡¯s earpiece. ¡°Knight here. Online.¡± Even though she was flight-ready, her appearance remained a disheveled mess.


    ¡°Sam,¡± Andre had quickly replied that next instant. ¡°Did you get an ID on the attackers?¡±


    ¡°Andre!¡± Kerry shouted offendedly. ¡°The fuck is wrong with you!? She¡¯s still recovering!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sam responded wearily, anyway. ¡°Was too dark. But neither matched that guy from the Casino.¡± She now let her focus relax once more before training her eyes on the detection systems.


    ¡°Vests?¡± Andre continued.


    Sam paused for a moment, struggling to keep recollections in her head straight. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Noted. They must¡¯ve sent amateurs your way both times, I assume.¡±


    Kerry was still strongly displeased with his direction. ¡°Andre!¡±


    Shit. Sam didn¡¯t expect to already be held to the hiding of many secrets this early in the game. She paused, making sure she had her response straight in her head before speaking up. How do I tell them¡­ without telling them¡­ that I¡¯m the target because my fucking murderous brother and his psycho compadre are after me for revenge? Let¡¯s just stick the only facts they need to know. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Kerry I¡¯m alive after the Casino, but to think about what happened just now? It¡¯s just me they''re after, but not sure why. And maybe they sent amateurs because¡­ it¡¯s me. I¡¯m a pilot, not a black-ops Marine or some shit.¡±


    ¡°Sam,¡± Kerry interrupted with a calmed voice. ¡°We need to get you back to base and get you fixed back up. Tell us everything after you rest.¡±


    What rest? I¡¯m going to be questioned like last time no matter what.


    ¡°We can¡¯t rest!¡± Andre fussed back. ¡°That¡¯s why I am trying to get sit-rep done now because we got shit headed our way and we need as much leeway as possible! You want us to turn tail and-¡±


    ¡°-Yes, damn it!¡± Kerry snapped back. ¡°Singapore Command,¡± she now barked over the general channel. ¡°Update mission status!¡±


    ¡°Squad, hold positions,¡± the operator stiffly replied.


    Kerry paused, jaw agape. ¡°What? Sam is in no shape to pilot! She just freed herself from ARMED abductors! We need clearance to get her landed back at Quezon!¡±


    There was some pause before the operator responded: ¡°LTAC activity approaching from the west. Knight is clear to return. We are sending three units as backup your way. Repeat, Knight to base, Melancon and Nguyen to remain in positon.¡±


    ¡°Negative,¡± Sam refused, much to both Kerry and Andre¡¯s surprise. ¡°Andre, what did you face?¡±


    ¡°For just being a few Kappas, they were a hell of a lot better pilot base than we faced in Dhaka!¡±


    ¡°We need firepower until the coast is clear,¡± Sam continued. ¡°Singapore, let me remain until backup arrives.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative, Knight,¡± the operator responded. ¡°Squadron, hold position until further orders.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Andre huffed as everyone¡¯s radio resumed team-only transmission. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, Sam, can I ask how the hell you managed to get out of that one? Glad you¡¯re back, but shit, they had us thinking you¡¯d be locked away pretty damn tight.¡±


    Yep, she thought in anticipation of his continuation. Oh boy, here goes Plan A. ¡°They held me with zip ties. My folks taught me how to snap those. I found a good opportunity and ran like hell. They had finally caught up to me just minutes ago.¡± She let the two of them air their reactions before continuing: ¡°But I blanked out on a lot of it. I don¡¯t even know whose blood this is on me. Sorry, I¡¯m not built to be a good fighter. I just lucked out with having equally poor fighters chasing me.¡±


    ¡°So, you sent that launch request before they found you? Because that¡¯s when we headed straight here,¡± Kerry added.


    ¡°Right, that¡¯s when I-¡±


    ¡°-Hey!¡± Andre interrupted. ¡°Radar! L-Trackers! They¡¯ve uh, gone blank!¡±


    Sam had gotten too far off track with her talking to notice it until Andre mentioned it. She wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised, but she had to continue acting. ¡°Yeah, uh, guys? Remember how I said they were after me? I might have been wrong, maybe they were after any one of us, and now we are all gathered in one spot for them.¡± A few seconds passed without response, leaving her to wonder if she said something wrong. But the silence in hear ears spoke differently after realizing it.


    ...


    ¡°Guys?¡±


    ...


    "-c-th" A short-lived noise came as the only response amongst the silence. Her heart started up once more.


    ...


    ¡°-rk better? Y¡¯all hear me?¡± Kerry spoke over an opened LOS channel.


    Aw, shit. The trademark move hit her in the gut as hard as it had always done each of the past few times. ¡°Ugh, jammers up again! Are you for REAL?!¡± Sam sighed aloud in bitter disgust. She changed her output to merge with the same LOS channel, continuing: ¡°No good. We need to bail. You know what this means.¡±


    ¡°Right, scratch whatever I said,¡± Andre was quick to reply as his Ap50 turned back southward. ¡°Let¡¯s regroup at base. Singapore can¡¯t even get a hold of us like this.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Wooded Region Near San Roques Peak, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Revenant took his hand from one of the keys lined up in series on a large instrument that stood next to several others. Each of these machines were under the cover of brush and tree foliage, each with sensors aimed toward the city center. He turned to the truck that had parked not too far away, watching for a sign from Isaiah who sat inside.


    ¡°We should have been here from the start,¡± Marian spoke up from behind one of the instruments. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we would¡¯ve had the cover necessary to get this all into the country without the help from the hapless Tyrus club.¡± She walked over towards him, oculars in hand. ¡°I¡¯m sure those doubts are gone now, I assume?¡±


    Revenant let out a defeated chuckle. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I trust Rex any more than Tyrus, but damn it if Rex doesn¡¯t see this coming every damn time I swear.¡± He picked up the oculars from her and took a look toward the Valenzuela area, noting there was no communications activity. ¡°We haven¡¯t set up a jamming net this extensive since Bogota.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all up and going,¡± Isaiah spoke from the truck as he opened the door, getting out to join them. ¡°And the false LTAC activity cloud along with the empty brute force attack sequences on the National Coast Guard¡¯s security servers should have our plan in full swing very soon.¡± He then put a hand out toward Revenant as if to ask for the oculars. ¡°Let¡¯s see which direction she flies, Tamaz.¡± He then put them to his eyes as he started searching the same area, finally finding the Axiom starting up its boosters alongside two Ap50s. ¡°And there you go. This approach is more of your preference, I assume.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d get the chance,¡± he spoke with a confident smirk, headed towards a tarp covered LTAC.


    Marian watched Revenant pass by, slowly turning back to Isaiah with a complicated expression. ¡°Are you sure you can watch this? I mean, is it even necessary anymore?¡±


    ¡°Marian,¡± he replied, still watching the horizon. ¡°I was right to call her a nonfactor in the grand scheme of things, but I was wrong to assume that my father wouldn¡¯t go about helping everyone else equally across the globe. I didn¡¯t foresee him approving her extended contracts, constantly pushing the envelope on expansions, and I even less foresaw him expediting Project Excalibur.¡± He finally put them away as he looked her in the eyes solemnly. ¡°Sam had her chances to leave. I even left her a parting gift I didn¡¯t intend on leaving last time. I don¡¯t know what else to do but have her stopped for good. Father can¡¯t continue with blood on his hands- he should¡¯ve stayed out of Hexa.¡±


    Marian knew he had no tears to cry after hearing his experiences from the last war, but even she had enough heart to know this was tearing him up. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she attempted to soften the situation. ¡°I need to apologize for ever insinuating she didn¡¯t deserve to be spared those two times. I forget sometimes what it¡¯s like to have-¡±


    ¡°-Marian, thanks,¡± he rejected politely, looking away. ¡°But you realize the world including Space wouldn¡¯t care to hear my pitiful story. Things are so much bigger in the grand scheme, and those three over there including Sam play a part in the biggest threat to our plans as things stand. If I let them walk, then what do I tell everyone?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t find a response, biting her lip along with a difficult sigh.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s not me, Marian. Even if it¡¯s not Tamaz. Sam can¡¯t last much longer no matter how we cut it. But with this way, at least, there will be a chance Tamaz has mercy on her soul despite her taking his only true friend¡¯s life. He¡¯s changed, and I pray Sam makes a change real soon when she sees him.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-Valenzuela Region</li>


    </ul>


    The Axiom suddenly cut its booster preparations, powering down all mobility systems and taking Andre and Kerry by surprise.


    Feeling a strange quivering sensation in her side, Sam sat there in as much shock as the others, knowing it wasn¡¯t something she consciously chose to do. She shook her head, perhaps reeling still from her recovery from shock and trauma more than she realized. Why did I just pull back from jump prep? She then felt another odd sensation in her side once more. She then realized it was something from underneath her. The bag?!


    ¡°Sam, you alright?!¡± Andre called out in concern.


    ¡°You sure you are able to fly?¡± Kerry added in likewise.


    ¡°Hold on! I need to check something real quick! I didn¡¯t set something up right.¡± She started at the cubby below her seat while thinking: I really shouldn¡¯t be playing the lie counting game in a state like this. She then fished out the bag while continuing: I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s gotten into me, but¡­ She opened her visor to see her way around the bag, then took out the small device the girl handed her earlier. It then started to vibrate stoutly in her hands, causing her to jump and almost take in a loud gasp. This thing?!


    Finding the only button on it she could spot, she clicked it once and immediately noticed something from her visor giving off a soft, soothing, dark blue glow. She closed it to get a better look, finding the color taking over the entire inner screen


    This can¡¯t be good.


    ¡°Hello, Sam,¡± a digitally distorted male¡¯s voice spoke to her.


    ¡°Who- what?! How do you know me?!¡± she shouted in panic, grabbing the sides of her seat subconsciously as the bag fell to the floorboard. ¡°Who are you?!¡±


    ¡°I see this device made it safely to you, and that you safely made it to your LTAC as well.¡±


    ¡°This device¡­¡± She then started to worry about what Kerry and Andre would be listening in on. Why haven¡¯t they said anything yet?!


    ¡°Yes. This device is what we here use to make sure our transmissions go in and out only between the users and no one else.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you mean no one can hear us?¡±


    ¡°Precisely. Now, Sam,¡± the voice seemed to be speaking in a manner to keep her calm. ¡°I will need you to check this device wherever you are when we send a signal.¡±


    Who the hell does he think he is!? Ordering me around like I work for him!? ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said with a frown. ¡°But I don¡¯t even know who you are.¡±


    ¡°Tenshi, or rather, Devin told me all about you. I am who this local network calls Tyrus.¡±


    ¡°You!?¡±


    ¡°I only have ten seconds left, Sam. Your first word of advice from me is to carefully walk home and hide behind the high rises. We want you to remain alive, and Revenant wants you dead. He¡¯s on his way to you now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, huh?!¡± What is with these guys?! ¡°How did-¡± Her second attempted interrogation was cut short by the sudden blanking out of the visor screen before abruptly returning to normal function.


    ¡°-me?! Sam! Hello?!¡± Kerry¡¯s voice suddenly cut in, hollering to the extent her ears started ringing.


    ¡°Sorry! I¡¯m good now!¡± Sam awkwardly fussed back, exasperated and confused at the same time. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to me just now, but I feel better all the sudden!¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Kerry responded in a lower tone. ¡°You seriously blanked out on us for a minute there. Let¡¯s get you the hell home!¡±


    The unsolicited omen immediately rang through her head the second the suggestion reached her ears. ¡°Um, hey, about that¡­¡± That Tyrus guy really just fucking suggested walking¡­ ¡°I think it¡¯s best to walk to base.¡±


    ¡°Walk?!¡± the other two spat out in unison.


    ¡°Yeah, uh,¡± Sam replied as her face began to grow hotter. ¡°Every time I start up the boosters I feel dizzy and faint. Systems aren¡¯t jiving with me or something.¡±


    ¡°To hell with that, we¡¯ll just auto-launch you back! We¡¯ll fly alongside-¡± Andre fussed back.


    ¡°-No!¡± Sam blurted unintentionally, putting a hand over her mouth. Why am I even trying to go with that guy¡¯s advice?! He didn¡¯t even explain why- OH! It dawned on her as she half listened to Andre¡¯s tirade. Why the hell didn¡¯t we think of this sooner! With jamming up, booster output would scream IR signals! How else could they spot us from a distance?! Brilliant!


    ¡°I got a better idea!¡± Sam blurted out, now realizing she cut him off. ¡°Sorry, Andre, but listen!¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Isaiah kept eyeing his focus between his notepad and a computer monitor he had set up as his makeshift table near the truck. Every once in a while, he would spot something on the monitor light up but then quickly fade out. It was showing IR activity of a specified area but with no labeling as to where.


    ¡°I have us marked at¡­¡± Marian started to speak up from behind him. She had her own monitoring duties, using her watch¡¯s native display from where she stood leaning against the truck. ¡°¡­about ten minutes before your move comes up. I¡¯m wondering if you two figured something out?¡±


    ¡°Someone mysteriously got smart on us again, but I¡¯m not surprised anymore,¡± Isaiah mumbled through the hand he held just over his mouth. ¡°They didn¡¯t launch. They¡¯re on foot, mingling between too many buildings to figure exactly what they¡¯re up to. Possibly headed for Highway 26 south if they¡¯re still wanting to get back to base.¡± He then looked at his own watch, noting the time elapsed. ¡°Maybe I should back off and go help him. He¡¯s losing his advantage this way.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should just back off the number of jammers in use?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about our window of opportunity with the Coast Guard attack plans and if and when Hexa finds a way through our communication blockade. They¡¯ve been working furiously to get a way through.¡±


    ¡°Well, they have a lot at stake. Especially with their new, odd relationship with that one sect from the P4C,¡± Marian replied as she walked over to a separate machine from the one Isaiah was near to. ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll take care of Tamaz. You get ready for the Port insurrection now that the Hexa plants have been discovered by the news.¡± She then let out a sigh before finishing. ¡°I am getting rather tired of seeing lives lost to further our progress. Maybe this all ends tonight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably as good as things will get.¡± Isaiah stood up, looking more resolute in his initial decision. ¡°Reset the turn-off timer to the jammers to pattern 2 so the news can restart their broadcasting. I¡¯ll trust you with Tamaz. See you back here in the morning.¡± He tucked his notepad along with a few other papers under his arm as he headed deeper into the woods.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Andre led the way as their three LTACs marched steadily down the narrow but empty street, carefully avoiding cars and utility poles and lines. Passersby often stopped to look, but didn¡¯t seem too alarmed. Some even seemed relieved as they felt perhaps it was all in an attempt to rectify the situation with the jamming problem sweeping the area.


    He kept his rifle off safety but kept his trigger finger off of the grip, eyes awake but unable to fully focus on the visuals as much as he may have intended. He was not only lulled into deep thought by the quiet and calm similar to what he had experienced at Memorial Circle, but also by his lack of sleep and energy.


    Sam really isn¡¯t acting herself. She¡¯d be the last person I thought I¡¯d never hear suggest we do something crazy like this, even though I do technically agree it¡¯s the best course of action. But still! How did she come up with it before me!? Even Kerry saying it would¡¯ve made more sense.


    He then rethought his suggestion to send Sam home on automated launch, feeling somewhat embarrassed. To think, had I forced my hand with that idea¡­ there was no telling if they jumped in and went for the kill while she floated around incapable of defending herself. Damn.


    ¡­ WAIT! He nearly stopped his advance at the realization of something. Standard booster drives don¡¯t put off anything that can cause vertigo without hard launching! What was she aiming at with that line?


    ---


    Kerry had gone through similar spells of her own lack of focus, though her thoughts lingered on her night more than the current situation. She hadn¡¯t been that physical of a series of altercations since her time with the NAU National Guard after post-hurricane crime waves. To think Sam survived that. Shit, I wasn¡¯t sure how the hell I got through my end of things. I guess it was the same for her.


    Her thoughts then drifted to Devin¡¯s. I had heard about abductions and how they try to ransom out big bucks. Hexa does pay up big time for their pilots, that¡¯s for sure. She almost found it comforting, having no other idea where he would be or how his conditions were. I bet Hexa already looked into the ransom payment. Maybe he¡¯s already back by the time we do.


    But damn. How did Sam get out and not Devin? ¡­ WAIT! Kerry nearly stopped hers as well in the same fashion. Did Sam have cuts on her wrist? She said she broke zip-tie cuffs. I have a real hard time believing that now. She definitely did damage with all that blood on her, but whose was it really?


    ---


    Sam had her shield up, holding the back of the pack just in case. She had the Axiom¡¯s gait set to backpedaling at their steady pace, keeping the front side facing rear. It was an odd sensation looking through her visor as if it was a rear-view mirror, but the automated controls sync¡¯d well with Kerry and Andre¡¯s pace, making it easier to rest her body in the meantime.


    A soft blue glow slowly creeped in, almost triggering her to fall asleep.


    ¡°Samantha, you must hide your group.¡± It was that voice again.


    Tyrus? Did I press that button again or did this happen on its own? Or did I press something?!


    ¡°Another scanner is trying to predict your next crossing into open space. Hide your group, now.¡±


    ¡°Who is? How do we even hide?¡± And how the fuck am I so nonchalant about this old dude advising me like this?

 Less Than Ideal Reunion, Part 3

    ¡°You can stop at the location you will see once you return to live visuals. You can leave them in the open until jamming is gone. It¡¯s too crowded for their sensors to work and there is no room for attack. Not without seeing them coming first well in advance.¡± The voice then disappeared as fast as the blue light did. This time, however, her panicking at the thought of how silly she¡¯d look in front of them again vanished at the sight of her steady pace backpedaling. It was like nothing ever happened. Nothing but silence on the radio and on their highly limited perimeter scanners.


    Oh. She then saw a small blue marked region coming up in about 200 meters. She swiveled the Axiom to a forward-facing gait, now catching the other¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Sam, what happened? See something?¡± Kerry asked over the radio, masking her suspicion.


    ¡°No, not that. Look,¡± Sam spoke with a laser designator from her head unit painting a digital mark over a section of the street just before reaching Highway 26. ¡°You see that pair of department stores? And that big bank, and the even bigger apartment building?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Andre asked with a hint of his suspicion showing.


    ¡°That¡¯s a packed area with no heavy traffic at this hour. No one can see us from anywhere without them tripping off our perimeter sensors. We¡¯re under jamming, right?¡±


    ¡°Um, yeah?¡± He continued.


    ¡°We are way too far from home base, guys,¡± Sam spoke with her best acting voice, feeling guilty about how much she had already gotten accustomed to her new string of lies. ¡°We need to wait this shit out instead of constantly exposing ourselves in the open once that highway hits.¡±


    There was a long, quiet, heavy pause that followed, bringing out more sweat from Sam. But she didn¡¯t dare speak until someone replied.


    ¡°OK I am going to see where this little rabbit hole of yours goes,¡± Andre dryly replied. ¡°I mean, you¡¯re right. Everything you have been saying was exactly what I led my ragtag group earlier today with when the first jamming hit over at Memorial Circle. So yeah, why not?¡±


    ¡°You sure about all that?¡± Kerry answered with her own doubts. ¡°I¡¯d rather be home, not parking our asses in¡­ wait¡­¡± She stopped her advance, causing the others to halt as well. She zoomed her visuals in on the upcoming highway, seeing there would be potentially a lot of night sky in view. She then looked upward, seeing several stories of commercial and residential steel and concrete blocking out that same sky almost completely. ¡°No, I take it back. Y¡¯all got good points.¡±


    The three of them filed into the wide-open shoulder of the street, putting their fuel converters on cooldown. Sam took in a slow, deep breath, thankful to have another moment of peace to reorganize her thoughts. You know, what doesn¡¯t make sense is how Tyrus was talking to me with jamming going on. Her eyes then started to wander around, checking both sides of the streets. He has to be near our- no, has to be in direct line of sight of this device or it couldn¡¯t work. He¡¯s here somewhere.


    Kerry then broke the silence: ¡°Listen. I got the system set to alert me once we regain connection, so we need to rotate here seeing we¡¯re all beyond worn out. One in, two out.¡±


    ¡°But where?¡± Andre asked, still untrusting of the situation.


    ¡°I spotted a 24-hour internet caf¨¦ over there. We can buy something to hold us and nap there, whatever we need.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy, just like in a comic I used to read,¡± he huffed before resigning. He was even taken somewhat aback to hearing how casually Kerry spoke of it, unaware of the extent the whole retro entertainment movement affected much of society on Earth. ¡°Sounds terrible but we can¡¯t sit in these cockpits for hours and last. If shit ever hits the fan, whoever is out needs to stay in hiding while the one still loaded up needs to fucking run.¡±


    ¡°As long as jamming is up, they can¡¯t find us without making noise or tripping our proximity sensors,¡± Kerry responded, folding her visor up. ¡°So, sense me and Sam got the shit beat out of us, we deserve the break first.¡± She was unable to see Andre¡¯s reaction as she removed her helmet, continuing to speak: ¡°Half-hour rotations. And Sam, let me get you some wet napkins, first. No way in hell you go in like that.¡±


    .


    .


    Back near the mountainside, Marian was still trying to decode several pieces of communication trails she picked up on over the past half hour. It was a lot of work for only what could be just one line of conversation, but it had to have been something when nothing should have been working. She continued making adjustments to the equipment she had up on her laptop she had laid on top of one of the machines before finally making out one fragment, and it was good enough for her to warrant picking up her communicator.


    She walked over to the edge of the forest, pulling out her ocular and scanned the tree line opposite of her, finally finding Revenant¡¯s IR marker as he hid toward the top of an abandoned mine. She then clicked her communicator once the LOS confirmation signal popped up. ¡°Cable to Revenant.¡±


    ¡°Copy, Cable.¡±


    ¡°I just got some proof that says little Samantha has been talking to someone in Tyrus¡¯ ranks. Back off the attack for now.¡±


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯d believe it. Fuckers disappeared from IR scanners all the sudden and I never figured the best angle of approach.¡±


    ¡°Remain there until we lift jamming. We will hard-target them the instant the timers go off and the news reel runs.¡±


    ¡°Well, got no choice but to wait, I guess. Got any campfire stories for me while I wait?¡±


    Marian clicked the communicator once more, shaking her head before going back to her post.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    The internet caf¨¦ was old and in need of renovating, but the warm and welcoming glow of the lights and displays were a comforting sight for Kerry, reminding her of younger days when she would head there straight after school to join friends for gaming and snacking. The trend made a lasting comeback after facing near-extinction over a century ago, and this establishment wore the years with confidence.


    Clutching her shouldered equipment satchel, she ordered a private cubicle and paid for six hours, drawing a confused look from the register attendant as she then made her way for the restroom. She had expected such looks, however, still in full her purple and white experimental pilot attire. Fortunately, the attendant would be the only one to notice as the place was empty.


    In the meantime, Sam had finally made it down the ladder with her pilot suit in her bag she had on her shoulder. There, she took the moment to scope out the surroundings from ground view. It was a quiet as expected, minimal passing automobile traffic if any at all, and no on-foot traffic in sight. While waiting for Kerry, she had her hand in her left pocket, nervously fidgeting around with the communication device that remained a mystery.


    You know, what if he¡¯s looking at me from somewhere? The thought now had her looking around nervously, but at the same time with some curiosity. Tyrus¡¯ existence was more of a mystery than a threat by this point, but her guard still remained up.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Kerry exited the building and passed her a few folded wet paper towels she quickly used to wipe her face and hands with. ¡°Thanks. This is still kind of new territory for me,¡± she spoke as she recalled the blood paramedics cleaned from her face after her evacuation from Dhaka.


    ¡°Hey, between you and me,¡± Kerry started as she too had Sam a bit on edge, assuming the worst. She looked back up at Andre¡¯s LTAC, parked and still silent. ¡°I realize Andre has been more open lately than he¡¯s ever been before- I mean, I think Dhaka changed all of us. But still.¡± She now looked back at Sam, who was now mostly cleaned up as far as her face and hands were concerned. ¡°He has been as important to us being alive as any of us, and with that I have to be suspicious as well.¡±


    ¡°Of what?¡± Sam tried her best to hide any guilt she felt, looking for the nearest trash can as she awkwardly held up her wadded paper towels. ¡°Why I stopped here of all places?¡±


    ¡°No. Come on, let¡¯s talk inside,¡± Kerry said as she gently yet firmly took her by her left wrist toward the internet caf¨¦¡¯s entrance.


    Sam tossed the wad into the bin as they passed it, Kerry passed her the equipment satchel she had and had her hold it over her bloodstained shirt. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Sam made her way to the restroom to change into her pilot suit, which she found oddly heavy compared to their previous ones. But there was no questioning it as it was all she had clean on her. On her way back, she found the cubicle Kerry reserved for them to find her already sitting down with several bags of chips and two bottled milk teas.


    The whole time Sam was inside, she felt the same as Andre: surreal, yet oddly familiar thanks to the influence of Earth-side movie and drama productions. It was to the point she stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do next.


    ¡°Come sit,¡± Kerry said with a hand patting the chair next to her, both facing the PC.


    Well, this is fairly expected, she thought as her self-consciousness continued at maximum level. I am probably terrible at acting on top of it all. Ugh. ¡°So, what did you want to ask?¡±


    Her attempted smile had quickly vanished, taking a gentle hold of her left arm again. She slowly pulled up the sleeve and turned her wrist upward. ¡°Your wrists are smooth as mine.¡±


    Shit. Did I really use the zip-tie lie? ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. You don¡¯t break zip-ties and not get major cuts from it.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But how would you know?¡± Another awkward lie escaped her lips, making her feel more and more cornered and more difficult to keep up the fa?ade.


    Kerry had her strongest unamused expression going, pausing for about five seconds, never relinquishing her lockdown stare. ¡°I had trauma care experience in the National Guard. I saw a lot of shit go down where I lived.¡±


    Sam collapsed. Her eyes closed as a difficult breath rushed in.


    Kerry watched her hang her head as she started shaking hers in disappointment. ¡°Sam, mind telling me what¡¯s really going on?¡±


    Sam struggled to get her vocal cords moving, and when she did, it came out in a near-whisper. ¡°Kerry, I¡¯m trying not to involve you and Andre in things that will get you both in trouble,¡± she mumbled, looking toward the floor.


    ¡°Like¡­?¡± Kerry responded, adjusting her head to try to get level with Sam¡¯s.


    What do I do?! I don¡¯t want to just spill it all. She looked the other direction, trying to buy time but doing a horrible job of it. I don¡¯t know if I can trust her enough to- Wait! What am I saying?!


    Kerry read the struggle, putting a hand on her shoulder without even thinking about it. ¡°Sam¡­¡±


    Sam was now hands over head, shaking it in her own disapproval. She doesn¡¯t deserve this! She¡¯s long earned my trust after the shit we¡¯ve been through, and damn it, I need someone right now, real bad. This is Devin¡¯s fianc¨¦e after all! She deserves to know! She finally found the strength to look her back in the eye. Fuck that planted gun threat he gave me. He can have it. ¡°Kerry, look,¡± she said before clearing her throat.


    A polite knock came at the cubicle door, startling them both. ¡°Excuse me,¡± a small voice came from the other side.


    ¡°Yes?¡± the two replied in unison.


    There was definitely no one else here! Did someone follow us?! Sam¡¯s heart started racing, and Kerry felt those vibes, putting a hand over her bag as if ready to grab something.


    ¡°I have another one of these for your friend. Can I give this to her?¡± the voice continued with the enigmatic offer.


    Sam looked to Kerry, initially with a look of confusion, but she quickly grew strongly suspicious. She then nodded, watching Kerry slowly get a grip of the sidearm she had in her bag. She then looked to the door and scooted just out of the way in case Kerry had to draw, opening the door slowly.


    Huh!?


    It was the young woman she saw at the street earlier who gave her that device she had been using to talk to Tyrus. And in her two cusped hands she held yet another one: same color, same shape. Sam quickly put a hand up to signal Kerry to put it away, sliding back in her chair. ¡°Did you follow me?!¡± she hissed through her astonishment.


    ¡°Sam, who the hell!?¡± Kerry stepped in, matching the same low volume.


    The lady made her way in, putting a hand up in a polite gesture excusing her rudeness. She saw there was one unoccupied chair behind them as she took a seat, regardless of how unwelcomed her entrance was. Kerry never removed her hand fully from the bag as her eyes followed her, heart racing. ¡°You don¡¯t need that,¡± the lady whispered with a smile. ¡°I have no weapons.¡±


    Kerry slowly pulled her hand away, looking now mostly at Sam for a clue.


    ¡°Um,¡± Sam started, not sure who to speak to first. Shit, shit, shit! Why is SHE here of all people and all times?! What the hell am I supposed to do now?! But before she could figure out how to start, the lady extended her device to Kerry.


    ¡°What is that?! Do I know you?!¡± Kerry lurched back in her chair, unreceptive of the offering gesture.


    ¡°Tenshi brought his girlfriend here,¡± she started up again, continuing to hold out the device. ¡°And now I see you are Samantha¡¯s only close friend. This means you are already involved. Please, take it.¡±


    Sam joined Kerry in their combined offense mixed with confusion, unable to make a response. Kerry finally broke that ensuing silence with a scoff before speaking: ¡°Involved in what? You not gonna tell me who you are?¡±


    The lady continued to smile, unaffected by their rejections, and now looking at Sam. ¡°We learned she is the one who helped save you from Revenant and his people. You owe her the truth, and you must agree she needs to find her Tenshi.¡± She took their continued silence as her cue to exit, now putting the device in Sam¡¯s lap. ¡°You can give it to her. Tyrus never cares how you join. Just that you understand you join.¡±


    Sam watched her leave, close the door, and silently disappear, leaving the two of them in an awkward silence and an additional communicator in her lap.


    ¡°OK!¡± Kerry fussed wide-eyed through a whisper, looking back at Sam once more. ¡°Explain what the ever-living fuck that was!¡±


    Well! I REALLY have no choice now! Sam gathered her words, taking grip of the device in plans to pass it to her. It then started to vibrate in the same eerie fashion as hers earlier, startling the both of them. Sam¡¯s was short-lived, however, remembering what happened next. She held it up to her, pointing to the one small button on it. ¡°He must have something to tell you. Here, take it, and click this.¡±


    ¡°And who is HE?¡± Kerry had way more than that on her mind that she wanted to say, but at least this was a simple enough of a start. She reluctantly followed along, clicking the button before hearing something humming softly through her earpiece. ¡°Andre?¡± But as soon as Sam could tell Kerry heard a response, her immediate answer back wasn¡¯t a friendly one. ¡°Alright cut the bullshit for real! Who is this?! ¡­ Tyrus who?!¡±


    While Kerry continued to angrily whisper during the extent of their exchange Sam was unable to listen in on, unfortunately, the thought occurred that this was all still during an intense jamming interference. Sam opened the door and looked around, seeing not a soul in sight other than the attendant who was busy looking at his mobile. Is it him? No, has to be the girl, but where is she? She then looked to Kerry and hinted her suspicions.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back one second! Something doesn¡¯t make sense here!¡± She quietly closed the door and quietly but casually approached the attendant. ¡°Excuse me, you don¡¯t mind us being here during this mess, do you?¡±


    ¡°Actually, no!¡± He turned to face her with a shy smile. She was surprised at his fluency as well. ¡°I am hoping you can solve this problem with the wireless internet. I heard the problem hit Quezon earlier, and now it¡¯s here, too?¡±


    She was able to get a quick glance at his mobile¡¯s screen without being noticed, catching that it was sitting on a WIFI settings screen. Maybe he¡¯s not the one? ¡°Yeah, tell us about it. Jamming has us in dire need of connectivity.¡±


    The attendant continued to smile, waving off the issue. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad to say we have wired internet, so please, have at it! I won¡¯t turn away customers!¡±


    So it was that GIRL who had the transmitter! But where is she?!


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Sam returned the wave as she made her way back to the cubicle. But there¡¯s no way I step outside carelessly looking like- She was interrupted mid-thought by Kerry reaching out and pulling her inside, quickly shutting the door.


    ¡°Sam!?¡± Kerry had a hard time keeping her voice to such quiet levels with how visibly upset she was like someone had just defiled her whole family¡¯s image.


    Sam then immediately feared Tyrus gave her knowledge she wished he hadn¡¯t. ¡°Kerry, please! Let me explain if you can give me the chance.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d fucking better!¡±


    Sam took her seat, avoiding the laser-like glare burning into her soul. ¡°Devin made me swear not to tell you anything because he was deathly afraid of you getting involved and hurt in the process.¡±


    Kerry¡¯s pointed and wagged finger added to the feeling of being cut down to size. ¡°He AND you both are going to be deathly afraid of my foot up y¡¯all¡¯s ass if you don¡¯t make it make sense! And I mean right now!¡± Her voice then suddenly changed to more of one in pain. ¡°How could you hide this from me?!¡±


    She¡¯s right. Damn, now that I think about it, I was more worried about what Devin would do to me if I told Kerry, not what would happen to Kerry if I didn¡¯t. She finally found the courage to look her back face to face, lips curled back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really am. I¡­ look, he came to the Casino thinking you were the target.¡±


    ¡°He what?!¡±


    ¡°He was the one who picked me up. He was expecting it to be you he rescued, not me.¡±


    Kerry quickly settled back down, perhaps realizing she was getting a bit emotional as well. ¡°He-wait¡­ he¡­ was expecting me to get in the car? But I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    Sam took some relief from the change in atmosphere, guilty of what she was charged with, but was glad she didn¡¯t end up ruining everything all at once. ¡°It¡¯s a real, real long story. How long ¡®til it¡¯s Andre¡¯s break?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Fifteen more minutes.¡±


    Sam grabbed one of the water bottles and unscrewed the cap, getting ready for a long explanation. ¡°Here goes.¡±

 Bonus Art (No Chapter Content)

    (This is just because I didn''t know how or where to put these without going way far back.)


    These took place in Dhaka.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.Sidearm: Hexa-Issued JM7 (Caseless)


    Rifle: Deimar XA-55 (Cased)


    Sidearm: Hexa-Issued PDW-7 (Caseless)


    Rifle: Hexa-Issued Croft M136 (Caseless)

 Less Than Ideal Reunion, Part 4

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    It was still before sunrise outside the caf¨¦. There was still hardly a sound to be heard outside the rare passing car. Kerry climbed into her Ap50¡¯s cockpit, closed the door and reaffixed her helmet. ¡°Andre.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he wearily responded.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going down? It¡¯s your turn, remember.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already been twice. I¡¯m good on everything. Sam needs the sleep, anyway.¡±


    Kerry stopped to think back on everything explained to her, along with the extras that came afterward. ¡°As much as I feel we both need the sleep possibly more than her, I still feel sorry for her.¡±


    ¡°Same. Hate to admit it, but we¡¯re used to this by now, sadly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± she answered back with a sigh. ¡°I realize a lot of what I¡¯ve felt about her has come from me feeling like I need to bring her in. Like I¡¯ve been trying to save her from something, but I don¡¯t know what.¡±


    Andre chuckled dryly. ¡°Oh God, you sound like Ms. Norris.¡±


    Wow, it¡¯s like he read my mind. ¡°I probably do. She did rub off a lot on us. But Andre, speaking of her¡­¡± She then hesitated before continuing with a smaller voice. ¡°I think¡­ all of us have an issue to deal with. Everyone had been putting Sam on a pedestal, and we ended up doing the same thing, I guess, but Sebastian¡­ That¡¯s her ¡®bee eff¡¯, yet we just got through looking at some messages that showed him with Ms. Norris.¡±


    ¡°With Ms. Norris?! What?! She¡¯s like¡­ forty! What the hell were you even doing earlier?¡±


    ¡°We had some¡­ girl talk, then she wanted to check messages she never got to check since the Casino. A girl she said was her friend took some pictures at Jazira Station and... never mind. Look, I don¡¯t know if the pictures were real or not, but what it makes me think is that, in all seriousness, Sam is here still not knowing what she wants anymore because she didn¡¯t exactly act like her life was over seeing her guy like that. She doesn¡¯t know what to do, who to trust. I can¡¯t help but continue to pity her.¡±


    ¡°She looks up to you.¡±


    She looks up to me? Kerry wasn¡¯t expecting to hear that, making her swallow her next sentence.


    Andre then continued: ¡°I could tell she hated you something special at first, you know, back in Singapore? But ever since Dhaka, I can tell she has been taking after you quite a good bit. I think she¡¯s been looking for a friend to trust as if she¡¯s never made a real friend before. I have to stop and realize that sometimes. Kinda¡¯ like myself. I was hoping Sebastian would¡¯ve been someone I could consider the same, but that was all too short-lived as you know.¡±


    ¡°You really think she thinks that?¡±


    ¡°I had always despised the rich, but I also learned more about their type more than I ever wanted to along the way while growing up. Way back in Hargrove, no one could live without having your face all up in the stark contrast between our side and theirs daily. They don¡¯t make friends, Kerry. They just move in whatever they call their constructs that change as their superiors change it. Be it parents, bosses, their professional circles, whoever it was over them in the pecking order...¡±


    ¡°Is that how all Space Nations were?¡±


    ¡°From what I could tell, Akkadia One was the absolute worst.¡± He then took in another breath in thought before continuing. ¡°Kerry, I think you wanted her to like you equally as much, not just the other way around.¡±


    She did open up on everything as if she deep down did want to tell me all along. I mean, I would¡¯ve been intimidated of myself if the shoe was on the other foot. Kerry now was feeling like she had the torch passed to her, the burden of guilt knowing she could tell Andre so much about what they knew and what was about to adversely affect their next day¡¯s outcome once the jamming net lifted, but something held her back. She now felt this might have been similar to what Sam had felt up until that talk.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-Malate District</li>


    </ul>


    Looking over the bay from the top of the Legapsi Towers at just over twenty stories high, Isaiah had a clear, unobstructed view of the Coast Guard headquarters building. It was still quiet, but he wasn¡¯t there for observing any particular activity. He slowly turned around as he checked his watch, looking at a timer steadily creeping towards 0:00. He then pulled out his mobile and swiped to a screen that showed a screen loaded with various coding logs. Once the timer silently flickered 0:00, he pressed the ¡°input¡± command, quickly swiping over to a different screen.


    One of the local news stations was pulled up. A live segment was rolling, and Isaiah took his seat against the wall as he adjusted his earpiece to listen in. After a few minutes passed, what he wanted to see had just begun as he unmuted the channel.


    ¡°This just in,¡± the newswoman started. ¡°Valenzuela, Quezon, and Para?aque have all reported the recovery of their wireless communications seemingly all at once. No one has yet to determine the source of the signal¡¯s jamming, but officials have been quick to argue the cause being terroristic or not.¡±


    ¡°With major cabinet elections upcoming, the topic of the Charter Change has been thought to take a more peaceful turn as of late,¡± the newswoman¡¯s partner next to her began. ¡°But this all potentially comes crashing to a halt as former foreign affairs minister Ongoco, who retired from his last government post in 2160, was found shot and killed while staying at his youngest daughter¡¯s house in Valenzuela just hours earlier.¡±


    Isaiah let out a troubled sigh upon hearing the name. He always tried to keep himself from hearing the names of those victimized by the progressing of their plans.


    The newsman continued on: ¡°And although the two suspected perpetrators were shot and killed by an unidentified resident, Hexa-marked guns were found to have been used in the murder.¡± The scene of the crime where Sam had made her escape was then shown on-screen. Everything had been taped off by local police. ¡°Hexa representatives were already on the scene upon our reporter¡¯s arrival, each speaking of the wrongful accusations, stating the weapons were stolen weeks prior.¡±


    ¡°But with how Hexa¡¯s Infinity Program has tried to take a turn in its involvement with local demonstration organizers, this has to come off as the worst possible timing,¡± the female host picked back up. ¡°The pressure is on Hexa and how they can clear their involvement with the loss of a long-time P4C supporting member.¡±


    The screen now panned back to the studio as the co-host added: ¡°And with information steadily trickling in, we will continue to update the area with any major discoveries.¡± He then paused to accept an update to his station¡¯s alert screen. ¡°This just in, there were sightings of three Hexa LTAC units on foot near Highway 26 in the Valenzuela area. They have apparently been parked near the MayNet Bank and Apartment Towers since more than an hour ago. This falls outside of the normal duty hours scheduled by Infinity, and has local residents as well as police in suspicion of some sort of connection with Ongoco¡¯s murder.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Isaiah turned off the feed as he clicked the main button on his earpiece several times before speaking quietly: ¡°Tamaz. Highway 26 MayNet Bank. Go.¡±


    ¡°-Reaper!¡± A distorted voice snapped in suddenly over the same channel. The distortion pattern matched the one typically used by Rex. ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡±


    It showed in Isaiah¡¯s eyes he had no time to spare for useless arguments, electing to ignore him for now as he headed for the stairwell entry.


    ¡°This is the second time you have defied orders. Don¡¯t think there will be room for your existence if you try this again.¡±


    ¡°All I ever do is upgrade your plans, but you already know my history,¡± he huffed, shaking his head. ¡°You can¡¯t just turn the people nor their military against Infinity- This isn¡¯t Bangladesh.¡± He then reached over to his earpiece and disconnected from the channel with another click of a button. Tyrus may be na?ve but Rex has become overly arrogant and predictable, he thought as he entered the stairwell, quietly and carefully descending. I hope Tamaz got my call because this is his only window of opportunity.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-Valenzuela Region</li>


    </ul>


    Sam burst from the exit of the internet caf¨¦, trying not to lose her balance running while trying to finish zipping up her flight jacket.


    As she finished climbing into the cockpit, slinging her bag under the seat, she could hear both Kerry and Andre¡¯s LTACs already warming up their boosters. ¡°Fill me in!¡± she shouted over the radio as kicked the under-seat cubby closed and reached for her helmet.


    ¡°I was going to explain the crazy shit the news just spun earlier, but forget that!¡± She heard Andre shout back to her as she pulled her visor down. ¡°There¡¯s something dropping from orbit above us right after the jamming went down!¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t catch the time, but through her visuals she noticed the sky had already started brightening up as sunrise approached. ¡°Nothing on the radar, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what always has me worried when this kind of thing happens!¡± Kerry added in over the channel as Sam started her booster warming sequence.


    She then looked around, noticing there were a considerable number of apartment residents from across the way looking out over their balconies over and down at them. This was, however, the first time in her experiences that the onlookers didn¡¯t appear menacing.


    ¡°Just hoping they didn¡¯t turn the locals on us like last time!¡± Andre continued.


    Sam didn¡¯t see fear or contempt this time. She instead felt as if they were concerned more than anything. ¡°Let¡¯s not jump to any conclusions yet.¡± But then a quick flash of blue washed over her visuals, causing her to freeze up for that moment.


    ¡°This is all the work of Rex, and now Revenant is inbound on your position,¡± Tyrus¡¯ now well-recognized, digitally altered voice came up just before fading right back out, all over the course of that one short moment.


    Damn it, of course he would! The jamming cleared and we are now sitting fucking ducks out here in the open! Her mind raced, figuring the best way to announce their need to move and move quickly but without upsetting the others- Wait! Kerry had to have heard that! Hmm¡­ Damn¡­


    But it was like Kerry read her mind by how she shouted out: ¡°Y¡¯all! Let¡¯s plan later and focus on getting the hell out of here! We¡¯re wide open on their radars without jamming up!¡±


    YES! LOVE YOU! THANK YOU, KERRY! ¡°Right on that!¡±


    They each aimed their noses to their immediate southeast, preparing to jump.


    .


    .


    Revenant¡¯s cloaked LTAC sped down Highway 26 on an interception course, having very little traffic to fight as he closed in quickly. He then saw his three targets jump directly away from him, boosters on full blast. ¡°They must have gotten tipped again. They¡¯ve got to be headed for their base via field hopping. Intercept along the Tullahan River clearings.¡± He then had another thought before waiting for a response: ¡°And put that search order out for Tenshi. Execute on sight.¡±


    ¡°Roger,¡± a voice answered back. ¡°We got plenty to take care of that.¡±


    As a few seconds passed, another voice came up on his channel: ¡°Revenant, this is Rush reporting in, about one minute from interception point with those Hexa pilots. My crew is asking what to do with the couple of Tyrus lackeys between here and there? Are they considered a threat, yet?¡±


    ¡°Priority targets first,¡± Revenant quickly replied. ¡°Then you take anyone out who tries to interfere regardless of their affiliation.¡±


    .


    .


    With a series of firm thuds following the landing impacts, roller-extended feet carried the Axiom and the Ap50s down a sizeable stretch of open field that led to a large highway interchange. ¡°Flex defense minus tail!¡± Kerry ordered as radar updates started rolling in.


    Sam eased ahead of the others, arming her shield and keeping her left control stick¡¯s main hat switch at ready, shouting out: ¡°HQ, we will inbound via Mindanao Avenue! Requesting an escort group dispatched for rendezvous!¡±


    ¡°This is dispatch control,¡± an operator quickly responded as Sam continued scanning the updated readouts on her map. ¡°Sending an A unit shortly. Rendezvous point established, refer to map section C-1-3.¡±


    They then reached the edge of the field before hitting the interchange, bursting off into the air once more. Andre then noticed something once they reached a certain altitude. ¡°L-Trackers giving us two strong signals up near our next landing point, another pair weaker but about a kilometer out. Get weapons live!¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t hesitate initially to flick away the trigger safety cover as she too took note of the incoming markings on her map, but it was the familiar, brief, peculiar hum that had her rethink the command.


    ¡°Those two are mine,¡± Tyrus¡¯s trademark voice spoke up.


    Why isn¡¯t the screen blue-ing out? Is it because jamming was lifted and they¡¯re utilizing something else?¡±


    ¡°Their assignment is to intercept the incoming defectors from the southeast. Choose wisely which to engage.¡±


    That means Kerry is hearing this, too, then, she thought as the hum came once more, signaling the disconnection. Damn it, maybe I should¡¯ve clued in Andre after all- there¡¯s no way we can stop and ask for them to help.


    ¡°Fuck, of all times! How are we going to split up?¡± Andre asked as their distance rapidly grew closer.


    To hell with it! He wouldn¡¯t have believed us anyway! ¡°Blow past!¡± Sam shouted in response. ¡°We can¡¯t stop!¡±


    ¡°Huh!?¡± Andre shot back in bewilderment. ¡°Right through cross fire?! Are you nuts- look at their angles on us!¡±


    ¡°No! Listen!¡± Kerry concurred with Sam, much to Sam¡¯s relief. ¡°Look at the two beyond them! They¡¯re moving in near the rendezvous point- if we don¡¯t secure that spot first we won¡¯t have anyone to help us get back home!¡± She then cut back in, not allowing Andre time to rebut. ¡°Sam, get that shield up on our left, I got the right!¡±


    ¡°Taking the bullet in case you were wrong is NOT making me feel better!¡± Andre snapped back, reluctantly taking the middle of the pack on their descent toward the next landing field. ¡°And Kerry?! I sure as hell hope you didn¡¯t forget that we don¡¯t have our hybrids with us this time!¡±


    He took in a deep breath, hyper focusing on the yellow cloud markings that were now clearly visible on the map. Impact with the ground led to him quickly compensating for rifle angle. It never hit him until now how much he rued the notion hybridized rifle rounds were prohibited from use in the country, considering how things had been lately. Every shot would count, and each shot might not ever be enough.


    But with time elapsing as they quickly approached the end of the field, nothing but silence answered back to his fears as they roared past the enemy location markings. ¡°Decoys to slow us down?¡±


    ¡°Keep moving! All this talking ain¡¯t going to help!¡± Kerry barked as they lifted off once more.


    So, Tyrus wasn¡¯t lying yet again. That means the ones ahead must be working with Revenant if that¡¯s who¡¯s really behind us. Now to finish convincing him to get us to stop and engage once we get there. ¡°Just make the jump!¡± She wanted to feel some relief, feeling like there were others who had their backs, but guilt quickly creeped in as they soared up into the air once last time. Those two might not stand a minute¡¯s chance, but we need everything we can get.


    ¡°Engage once we land at the targeted clearing! We can¡¯t let them move in on the rendezvous point!¡± She heard Kerry order as more detailed scanner data popped up on the two enemy markings. There were two more touch-and-go clearings between them, buying them some time to strategize.


    ¡°Those might not even be Kappas. Probably the older Gammas,¡± Sam reacted to the new details. ¡°Judging by their location, they¡¯re not grenade launcher equipped. Expect rifle fire.¡± And then the anxiousness kicked in even harder. Getting tired of always guessing! Any more details would sure be nice right about now! Why are they coming to a stand-still!? Were they ready for us?!


    And just as if her prayer had been answered, that distinct sound she wanted to hear the most hummed in her earpiece before the distorted voice spoke up: ¡°Reports say one is a war veteran known as Rush and is an expert marksman. Approach with extreme caution.¡±


    Her stomach started tightening as Tyrus¡¯ voice and hum quickly faded out. That wasn¡¯t what I was hoping to hear, but shit¡­ the timing, all the fine details coming so quick¡­ this is why Dhaka and Bogota went as badly as they did! How did the Underground get such a complex, insanely efficient communication network up like this?!

 Beginnings of a Rift

    ¡­ I know Kerry heard that one as well. I hope she-


    ¡°-Good call,¡± Kerry interrupted her thoughts, albeit calmly and collected. ¡°Let¡¯s keep our formation tight, shields up, and pull south of them before looping back.¡±


    I like that idea, but how expert of a marksman is he really?


    ¡°No way!¡± Andre shouted back, exasperated by the suggestion. ¡°They are standing there for a reason! You think they will just sit back and plink around while we mosey on by!?¡±


    ¡°We have backup on the way and a base to return to! Keep your priorities straight!¡±


    Wait! SHIT! Kerry is forgetting about- and Andre is unaware of Revenant behind us! Both of these ideas won¡¯t work in reality! And I can¡¯t just explain everything to him now of all times! Ugh! Tension was increasing tenfold as her grip on the controls tightened. She knew the biggest hindrance on proper planning with not much time left was the fact she couldn¡¯t just shout out the fact they were being tailed by a Cloak. The trap was set, almost as if Revenant himself was able to figure this all out beforehand. Scenarios raced through her head as she tried to imagine several likely outcomes, many gruesome, all the while unaware of the direction Kerry and Andre¡¯s disagreement that still raged on.


    She wished she could just shut it all out and focus on the actual problem at hand that was doomed to go on unaddressed as things stood. If only I could talk to them¡­ She then figured the only way to even take a shot at such an idea, silently toggling off her radio completely, following it up with the muting of her audio pickup. Blackbox will get this if I don¡¯t¡­


    Taking a moment to gather and confirm her still-intact sanity, she shouted out loudly: ¡°Tyrus! I need something from you!¡±


    Several seconds seemed to have taken an eternity to pass, but that one voice came to her again, bringing a smile of relief that she herself was completely unaware of.


    ¡°Samantha, you are always connected to us as long as you have our device on you, and in these cases, it is only with you and no one else.¡±


    It felt wrong, utterly and completely wrong that she found comfort in willingly establishing a connection with the enemy, but at the same time, she felt some sort of newfound desire to question which establishment had her best interests in mind: Infinity, or this one specific wing of the Underground. ¡°Tyrus, I only have a second, so please! Can I get any more information on this expert marksman coming up?!¡±


    ¡°Samantha,¡± Tyrus continued calmly, ¡°Your simulation scores were easy to access. You have the shot-placement skill to defeat Rush with your distinct firepower advantage.¡±


    She took the statement as patronizing, striking the wrong chord. ¡°But those are just simulations!¡± she fussed in return. ¡°I am not that great of an actual pilot as my track record proves!¡± she then admitted after a moment¡¯s hesitation.


    Tyrus let out a casual chuckle that initially had her unsure whether to feel mocked or comforted by the simplicity of the issue from his perception. ¡°You have too little confidence and too much noise. Leave your radio off and engage him directly before Revenant can catch up. Act as you will without worrying what others might think.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s my team!¡±


    ¡°The last time you successfully took on pilots greater than yourself, you were alone. And in that same minute, you lost to another because you couldn¡¯t pull the trigger. Why didn¡¯t you pull the trigger back then, Samantha?¡±


    She knew he was referencing her first drop in Bogota, and by now she wasn¡¯t surprised the extent of his knowledge no matter how specific it was. She remembered being unable to potentially shoot her own crewmates, who ultimately died regardless. Was it her fault after all? Could her shot have saved lives that day, and was her own hesitation a result of her self-centeredness? Questions began to strangle her ability to focus even worse than before this call.


    ¡°Samantha, you only have seconds left to think,¡± Tyrus pressed on, almost as if he were watching and coaching. ¡°We wanted you because of your capability and potential. You inherit from one of the Harbinger greats. Focus on the one target ahead of you. Make that pilot the only other thing in existence.¡±


    What does that mean I do? Continue to leave the rest on mute?


    ¡°I will be here waiting for you afterward, Samantha.¡± The voice then faded out along with the hum that always accompanied it, signaling to Sam that she was now truly on her own if she kept things the way they were. Can I really just stay on mute and do as he said?


    The silence accompanied only by the roaring of flight drives that blended into landing thuds began to grate her nerves. She knew this was the last stretch of field before their next jump would take them head-on into their enemy waiting on the other side. Worries of what Kerry and Andre were shouting by this point in time was taking its mental toll as well, but she couldn¡¯t outright ignore the advice given seeing how far it had gotten her. Still, she couldn¡¯t forget how much Kerry, and in turn Andre, had been an even greater factor in her survival.


    The best thing now, she thought as she took in a deep breath, now quivering from anxiousness and pressured by uncertainty over the decision she was about to make. ¡­I need to stop these self-centered thoughts. She looked over to her left, seeing the two of them still right next to her. I need to quit worrying what they think of me. I need to save them and myself or we have no one alive to whom we can make amends.


    She let out that long breath at last, quickly reaching and feeling her way around for a switch over near the base of her right control stick. Her fingers found it, rotating the dial as it clicked once.


    ¡°Antares Activated,¡± read the indicator overlay.


    She then rotated it further, hearing it click several more times. The ¡°1¡± setting climbed quickly up to ¡°7¡± as she closed her eyes throughout the uncomfortable adjustment period that put a strain on her vision momentarily. Memories of the strain she felt with her last encounter with who turned out to be Isaiah rushed in before fading back out equally as fast, assuming she would be able to handle this now if she could before.


    She then switched her safety off of her main launcher, equipping the anti-tank rounds. I bet they¡¯re equipped with shielding of the same level as before. Need to make these shots count. She then jumped as the end of the field approached, but instead of keeping pace, she fully depressed the throttle pedals, sending her stomach into the back of her seat, feeling something short of a blackout from the G¡¯s pulled by the maneuver. Shield in front, she now backed off the thrusters and let her momentum carry her through her trajectory. By now she could imagine the teammates she left in her wake would surely be shouting various expletives, but there was only one thing left to focus on now.


    Flowing targeting guide arrows flowed across her screen as approach angle warnings crossed paths, creating a nightmare scenario for the viewer as any attempt to follow one set would shift the camera directly over it, forcing them to lose track of the rest.


    Was it always this difficult? She desperately fought the urge to react with her eye movement, forcing herself to look straight ahead. But this was it, the last final seconds to confirm her direction. I always ran beta test runs as if I was the only one out in the field, so that¡¯s exactly what I have to do. She remembered there only being one pair of detected LTACs on the tracker, but that was only based on NOx emission levels. Likely to be some in waiting, just like anywhere else we¡¯ve been. I need to take both of these down fast enough to put a dent in their plans. Question is, do I take the crack shot pilot first?


    A flash of red and yellow from various warning signals popped up before disappearing in less than a second. It had been many days since the last time experiencing what felt like a forceful, demanding persuasion of her reflexes to influence her wrist and hand movements.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± she blurted out, not expecting anything inbound from this far out and at this speed of an approach. A trio of hypersonic rounds violently but safely bounced off her shield that had come between her soon-to-become freefall and her pivoting angle.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Crack shot pilot it is, then!


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-West Quezon Region</li>


    </ul>


    It was approaching 6AM and morning traffic was already starting to pile up in key areas such as where the next jump had taken place. Sam¡¯s Axiom soared over the already-busy NLEX Toll Plaza, taking her another precious second before realizing those deflected rounds may have passed through someone¡¯s car or apartment not too far away. I can¡¯t even think about using any of my equipped rounds! These guys are nuts! They can¡¯t engage in a place like this! Memories of the evacuation orders back in Bogota and the restricted no-entry engagement zones in Dhaka came alongside that notion, causing her to rethink her approach with dangerously few seconds left to do so.


    She then proceeded to do the only thing left she could think to do: communicate. She switched her radio and headset back on, keeping her eyes and left controls reacting to the subsequent incoming shots. ¡°Sorry! I had to at least try to get the first jump on this guy to see what he¡¯s about! And to hell with it! That guy is nuts!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, Sam!¡± Andre burst out in immediate response. ¡°A little warning, please!? What are you even trying to do over there?!¡±


    ¡°I know! Sorry! I thought I could pull something off but couldn¡¯t!¡± Sam fussed back with a hint of guilt, pointing her jump boosters in reverse to slow her to a mid-air halt, dropping behind cover provided by the remnants of a warehouse complex that separated the two parties. This is THE only cover around! Everything else is offices and apartments! ¡°Listen! His range is too great for us without our hybrids! We need to move in closer!¡±


    ¡°We were just trying to figure out ourselves what the fuck to do!¡± Kerry shouted back in frustration. ¡°Backup isn¡¯t arriving for another three to four minutes- and that¡¯s gonna be an eternity if we don¡¯t do something quick!¡±


    Sam¡¯s L-Tracker began to ring out with warnings of two signals approaching from either side of the complex. ¡°Bunch up here and let me make the first jump out once they cross that last warehouse between us!¡±


    Kerry and Andre¡¯s Ap50¡¯s touched down just behind the Axiom, rolling in, booster drives furiously venting the enormous gobs of heat generated over their series of extended flights.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fire unless you get a perfect shot! Way too many potential bystanders nearby,¡± Sam added, drawing even more of Andre¡¯s suspicions. She had forgotten how much her image had always been strongly one of a rulebook follower, especially when it came to collateral damage prevention, but she was already convinced she was just as focused on coming out a winner here as either of the other two were.


    ¡°Command to squad!¡± the operator from earlier popped in with urgency, immediately drawing the crew¡¯s eyes to their maps. They never heard any additional LTAC sighting warnings since the initial two, but they knew it was bad news. ¡°As per dispatch, reinforcements have been intercepted and are sustaining rapid losses! You are advised to distance yourselves until further instruction!¡±


    Wait WHAT?! Sam immediately knew it was Revenant. He got around us already!? Were we not the¨C SHIT!


    ¡°Philippine National Guard officials are scrambling to gather an air response! Advising you find shelter until their air support can move in!¡±


    She felt faintness kicking in, heart heavy with the realization she had moved the wrong way far too soon, falling for an obvious trap. The regret for not engaging Revenant head-on was fierce, and fighting it back wasn¡¯t going to be easy under this kind of pressure.


    Kerry¡¯s response carried the same mix of dread and humiliation: ¡°This was a trap! Roger, dispatch! Preparing to fall back!¡±


    ¡°Fall back and do WHAT Kerry!?¡± Andre cut in, watching the nearest enemy LTAC trace inch in closer every second, gripping his controls, bracing for contact.


    ¡°Sam, tail back up! Cover fire in block pattern A!¡± Kerry shot back defiantly, standing her ground with the directions set in place. ¡°We are NOT falling for any more traps!¡±


    She¡¯s right, they¡¯re sitting ducks with this guy¡¯s shot placement, Sam thought with her right forefoot anxiously hovering over the pedal. But¡­ I can¡¯t just run away with them. Her mind prepared for the worst, feeling insane for thinking of acting against orders, but the feelings rushing through her mind were this time more resolute than the ones that took to long to act on before. She knew she had to change at some point. ¡°Alright, Kerry! On three! One¡­ Two¡­¡±


    Andre let out a loud, frustrated huff as he backed off his right fingers off the targeting control switch and trigger, pulling his Ap50 around and reluctantly boosted off alongside Kerry as Sam shouted:


    ¡°Three!¡±


    Sam heard the two¡¯s drives activate, signaling her vertical jump, immediately following the strong, mind-numbing nudge from the OS to throw herself toward the target on the right. Without hesitation, she plunged shield first right into the steady stream of quickly repeating single-shot rifle fire.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Samantha, you control your place in this fight,¡± Tyrus shifted into her thoughts, almost as if he came specifically to provide support.


    .


    Kerry had cleared the toll station that was now at a grinded halt due to the shutdown of all highway lanes from the threat of the conflict spilling over. It was just then that she realized she and Andre were flying alone. ¡°Sam! What are you doing- get back here!¡± Her heart sank again but with an additional flicker of anger, wondering why she had to always worry about her running off and doing her own thing without ever involving her. She then shook her head in further disappointment as she realized Sam had cut her radio off once more.


    ¡°Leave her, we need to quit saving her from her own trip to the grave,¡± Andre coldly replied as they distanced themselves towards the West. ¡°We still need to be prepared to face something real soon even if it¡¯s just us two again.¡±


    She could only push back her desire to respond, instead settling for the only relevant reply she could muster: ¡°Clearings ahead. Let¡¯s regroup at the one adjacent to the river.¡± But mid-flight, another set of L-Tracker warnings popped up, beeping a total of four times.


    ¡°Damn it, really?!¡± Andre fussed again as he caught notice.


    Before Kerry could comment, a familiar young female¡¯s voice came in through her headset following that particular hum she had now strangely grown accustomed to: ¡°They¡¯re on orders to hunt down and eliminate Tenshi. Devin Yanga.¡± Hearing his name quickly reset any feeling she had toward the prior incident, helping her find sudden but solid focus. If only she could reply.


    ¡°Eliminate them before they have a chance to move out.¡±


    Kerry bit down in anticipation. ¡°The fuck they will! Not after we handle them!¡±


    ¡°Huh!?¡± Andre interrupted, but backed off given the circumstances. ¡°Never mind. Shit. Fuck it. Let¡¯s fucking bullrush and hope for the best at this rate! Everywhere we turn we¡¯re fucked anyway!¡±


    .


    .


    Far above the calamity, A large pod screeched through the upper atmosphere, streaking in like a comet. As the smoke cleared, it revealed the shape to be a military-styled drop pod rather than the usual lander setup Hexa had always used. A large door opened from the backside, exposing a support rack-bound Ap50 unit strapped down. As the distance to the ground rapidly closed in, a green light from within flashed brightly, signaling the release of the foot support platform, dropping the LTAC into a freefall.


    From inside, Sebastian already had his helmet affixed and visor screen up, now fighting the switch from one freefall speed to another, all the while upside down, furiously fighting the controls to keep his fall angle steady. But his eyes couldn¡¯t help but pop back and forth to the map corner, hoping some kind of data would update. The city map of Quezon remained empty with a loading wheel spinning, taunting him as he struggled to maintain both his focus and his composure, afraid to lose to the vertigo coming in like a battering ram.


    Finally, after some time had passed and he felt he had a better, more solid grip on his approach and angle, he saw large amounts of data and markings populate his map screen like a hot summer air-fueled storm blowing in. He spotted Sam engaging two targets near Quezon and then Andre and Kerry headed for another wall of targets. He couldn¡¯t be sure who would be best able to handle which scenario, but the numbers he saw between Sam and the Quezon base seemed to be most ominous. He tilted his pitch, taking a steeper dive which would put him on course for the area near where the rally point was originally staked.


    Over the next few seconds, he saw six more Infinity-marked units show up lined up behind him as the data link completed its connection. He still had the uneasiness and uncertainty of the whole drop situation which showed in his voice as he fought off a slight stutter in calling out: ¡°Navarre here, on course for rally point, all systems ready! Rescue group, check in!¡±


    As he listened to the six names check in one by one, all names he had never heard of prior to the impromptu drop mission, he then broadened the connection of his radio to link up with Manila HQ below. ¡°Manila Control, this is pilot Sebastian Navarre reporting from Special Operation 5-E! Requesting connection to the teams on the ground, over!¡±


    ¡°Roger, Pilot Navarre, this is Command, access request granted. Continue with mission objectives as detailed, over.¡±


    Sebastian wasted no time in accepting the connection immediately after, shouting out even louder: ¡°Sam! This is Sebastian! Hang in there, I¡¯m dropping nearby!¡± He proceeded to wait for what felt like eternity, never receiving a reply. Thoughts swirled in his head, fears that either she was in so much of a bind that she couldn¡¯t respond, was running for her life, or even worse, was outright ignoring him. ¡°Sam!¡± he continued in vain.


    [Sebastian! Where the hell have you been!?] he heard Andre call out from the other end of the line in his distinct Casares dialect.


    He felt relief hearing Andre¡¯s voice for the first time in a while, but it did little to stave off his concern. [I can explain later! Why isn¡¯t Sam responding- is she alright?!]


    [She went silent on us! I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s thinking but maybe you can knock some sense into her! She¡¯s had a few screws loose lately!]


    Andre¡¯s comment resonated quite uncomfortably, but Sebastian knew he had no time to waste. [What about you two?!]


    [One clearing gap away from engaging enemy LTAC presence, hoping National Guard can hurry their asses up! Who the fuck let so many Gammas and Kappas sneak in like this?!]


    [Listen! You have six Av25¡¯s inbound on your position! They will drop in pattern to entrap whatever enemies you can gather! Focus on slowing them down and hold tight for a few minutes!]


    [Roger that, good buddy!] Andre then quickly switched back to English in the same breath: ¡°Kerry! Sebastian¡¯s got help dropping our way! Forget the bull rush ¨C we just need to get their attention and hold!¡±

 Beginnings of a Rift, Part 2

    The Axiom flew in a high arc over the empty lot between the two main warehouse buildings, safely landing on the opposite end from the two engaged Gamma frames below. None of the rifle rounds made it past her shield as she straightened up, using the few seconds she bought once more to figure what move to make next.


    Come on, Sam. Just think. I never had issues pushing this LTAC model to its limits during beta testing.


    She then spotted the L-tracker showing no motion from the cloudy traces, hinting they were waiting for her next move or they were moving on foot towards her.


    No, it¡¯s my overthinking, she thought as she shook her head, toggling her launcher to user-input detonation and turned off her missile pod safety locks. All it took was one flashback of her mishap-free debut in the Axiom back in Bogota, albeit against much lesser resistance. Nonetheless, it was recent enough to fuel her confidence. I always moved best when no one was looking or really cared. If I could do it in Bogota of all places, I could do it here, too.


    She turned off the missile firing system¡¯s auto-tracking and targeted two missiles at the ground near one edge of the building before snapping a U-turn with drives at full burst, launcher out in front. Alright, here goes nothing!


    The Gamma frame that immediately came into view was already aiming toward the opposite end where the explosions went off. Chunks of asphalt dinging off of armor must have mixed in with the lock-on alarms as an anti-armor round sailed towards it, gouging its way into the joint between the hip and torso¡¯s basal rotary motor.


    Sam saw the other was much quicker to react, already jumping out of the way with equally fast return fire. She planted the Axiom¡¯s feet into the pavement, sending her on another high arcing path upward. She clicked the trigger upon liftoff, feeling the thud of a shockwave sent from the blast now safely below her. She felt another dizzying sensation as a slew of aiming inputs fought for priority, one with an instant victory as her eyes immediately focused on a spot on the ground not far from the other Gamma frame¡¯s location. Clicking the other trigger three times, three missiles fired from each pod and screeched toward the innocent pavement below.


    The Gamma pilot had no choice but to put its shield up. Its older frame had a hard time pulling off such a sudden change in direction, and each impact threw enough dirt and asphalt its way to throw off sensors.


    Sam continued to roll with the punches from the system, firing off six more pairs of missiles all around her target¡¯s location as she let her feet off the jump booster pedals.


    The Gamma pilot lost his advantage of visibility, and it must have known as its next move was to jump straight up. Once it cleared the clouds of dust and smoke, another series of impacts rained down on its shield as missiles battered the Gamma down and off its path.


    As Sam landed the Axiom nearby, she now had a clearer shot. Her target was on a faster descent than the frame could handle, taking the only shot angle she had and pulled her right trigger. As predicted, the pilot reacted incredibly well to avoid the direct hit, but Sam already clicked the trigger just a split second after firing. The blast had to have been jarring for how close it was, just enough that it must have not known Sam pulled the trigger once more, firing off her last round that now found its way into the bulkier armor of its right leg unit.


    I did it¡­ she told herself with an intense breath of relief, pulling the trigger one last time.


    ¡°You took out both without a single one of your shots leaving the area. Most impressive, Samantha,¡± Tyrus¡¯ voice came up with another bid of confidence, but with the look on Sam¡¯s face in reaction, it wasn¡¯t welcome this time.


    I can¡¯t focus if there¡¯s all this damn talking! THAT¡¯s what I was missing from the simulation days- no one fucking opened their traps! Knowing Tyrus had a wide-open door to her communications, she only had one left. ¡°System settings!¡± she started off with her audio command prompt opened. ¡°Audio output override! Playback command, GSX Radio! Audio input, maximum volume!¡±


    She now shifted her focus to the area where their inbound backup had been intercepted, knowing she had only seconds to spare at this rate. Having no rounds left in her launcher and heavily overworked boosters gasping for air, she depressed the two auxiliary switches that were on her controls near her pinky fingers, pulling back on the control sticks and locking them into new positions on the control arm consoles as a loud, rapid series of intense, high-pitched bangs rang out.


    I remember this feeling from Dhaka¡­ everything after this was a complete blur.


    At every corner of the Axiom¡¯s frames were force-ejected armor panels designed to break away on-demand, instantly lowering the total mass by more than 33%, greatly alleviating the stress load any subsequent jump boost would have on its drives as well as increasing its acceleration and top speed.


    Time to put this mode to its first real-life test, one that I can actually be aware of this time.


    Her thoughts joined the sounds of a classic mid-2000¡¯s rock music station, unaware of anything Tyrus might have been trying to communicate, bursting off towards the next clearing and equipping one of her hybridized SMG¡¯s that remained docked under one of the ditched armor panels. Good thing command left these here for me.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-Malate District</li>


    </ul>


    The early morning sun was finally in view, peering through a gap between two rows of high-rise buildings, casting a warming glow upon Isaiah¡¯s nodded head. He sat outside a caf¨¦ in a somewhat secluded corner, evident by the half-eaten croissant and partially drunk cup of tea that he had more than a moment to relax. He was half-slumped over the table as he had his eyes fixed on his mobile screen, reading through several local news outlets on the most recent events.


    A businessman wandered through the empty tables and made his way calmly towards Isaiah, carrying only his blazer with him as the morning was already growing uncomfortably warm. He then extended his hand as he approached. ¡°Reaper, I presume?¡± the man spoke to him through a notable Californian accent, suggesting he was from the NAU.


    ¡°Thank you for joining me,¡± Isaiah returned with a short-lived, polite smile as he looked up, turning off his mobile display and standing to shake the offered hand. ¡°Please, take a seat.¡±


    The man made himself comfortable as he placed his blazer over the table and scooted his chair up. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I really only came to speak business,¡± he said in reference to the light breakfast Isaiah had started on.


    ¡°I know how busy the Embassy will be, so please, I won¡¯t mind the brevity,¡± Isaiah cordially responded.


    ¡°I really would like you to,¡± the man started with an awkward pause, starting back up in a more hushed voice. ¡°¡­to please hear me out once more on our prepared counteroffer before moving forward with the party in conflict.¡± He read Isaiah¡¯s hand motion and continued, taking out a small file drive from one of the blazer pockets. ¡°The NAU can locate much better points of entry on this coastline thanks to what we could get thus far working with Tyrus. We are willing to pay double what you and your side are accepting from Beijing so that we can guarantee the outcome will include a unified front. And this would be on demand, prepared within an hour, but only if you agree to cancel your agreements with-¡±


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    ¡°-May I remind you, Agent Hill,¡± Isaiah calmly interrupted him with a hand up, voice kept low. ¡°This is about restoring more inclusive boundary lines between countries, not within one alone. Don¡¯t suggest we focus on what makes us all feel better just because you got cold feet. You had your chance to partner with us a year ago, and your stubbornness has canceled any other reasons I had to hear you out.¡± He then switched his mobile screen back on, turning it to face him. ¡°You know the news. We have already begun phase two. If you expect us to listen to any further propositions, it¡¯s to do with my next of stops, not this one.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but I¡¯m afraid you and your leader are underestimating the ramifications of surrendering this sovereignty to a former world alliance power.¡±


    Isaiah shrugged his shoulders, unbothered by the stubbornness of the Embassy agent. ¡°You must have secondary thoughts towards the thought of paying our men for services that would be more lucrative, because The Philippines¡¯ fate is already sealed according to the will of the people. I assume you are targeting the former Indo-Pakistani Alliance next?¡±


    ¡°Please, Reaper,¡± the agent now spoke with a shade of nervousness and haste. ¡°Surely you understand how fast you are moving and this could cause more imbalance in the grander scheme of things. At least give that thought a few more days to mull over what would happen should SEA become-¡±


    ¡°The soon-to-be President elect has already made his decision with my leader. It¡¯s happening in five days.¡± Isaiah¡¯s voice now grew tenser. ¡°You claimed you had an offer we wouldn¡¯t be able to turn down, but I was wrong to assume you had anything better than a waste of my morning. This isn¡¯t about money.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can sidestep everything along the way. It¡¯s what is needed to afford the forces you gather and are set to lose potentially.¡±


    ¡°If you truly think we are financially motivated, make the deal sound more enticing, then, rather than just simply inflating the dollar signs.¡± He then stood up and gestured the agent to be on his way. ¡°Come back if you have another idea in mind, but don¡¯t forget the deadline. And please, do send Tyrus our best regards.¡±


    .


    .


    Driving an older model pickup, Isaiah was making his way down the street from the caf¨¦ that was slowly piling up with morning traffic. He affixed his earpiece back in place, clicking it once it was ready. ¡°Marian, what¡¯s their status?¡±


    ¡°Gap restored; backup forces are mostly wiped out. How about your end?¡± she responded over his headset. ¡°How¡¯d the meeting go with the old Yank¡¯?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still pushing the long route to snub Beijing. I thought they might reconsider the bigger picture and offer to fund our next big mutual target, but they¡¯re too focused on-¡±


    ¡°-Sorry, just stop. Give me one second.¡±


    Marian never interrupted him in such a manner, leaving him waiting in silence for over thirty seconds.


    ¡°Bloody hell, Isaiah, your sister just took out Rush¡¯s group and she¡¯s in bound on Tamaz¡¯s location.¡±


    He let out a disappointed sigh, following it with a tilt of his head. ¡°Marian, connect me to Hub E1.¡±


    ¡°Wha- wait! No, I thought you were saving that for a last resort?! If you use that now, you might give away more than we can afford!¡±


    Isaiah clicked his earpiece off, sending the signal to Marian he was serious about something. Seconds later, something in his bag he had next to him began to vibrate in sequence several times. He then reached inside to pull out a mobile docking device, placing it in his lap as he then took a hold of his mobile, tactfully attaching the two devices. He clicked the main button on his earpiece once more, opening his mouth as if to say: ¡°Sam.¡±


    Instead, he only received the blaring guitars of the old 2000¡¯s, startling him enough to cause his car to slightly veer out of his lane. With a wince and a curse, he swiftly removed the docking device from his mobile and changed over to another channel on his earpiece. ¡°Tamaz! Status!¡± he growled, stoutly irritated either by the unexpected, unintended trolling or by the fact something wasn¡¯t quite going to plan.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-West Quezon Region</li>


    </ul>


    The Samael that Revenant piloted finished its last thrust of its sword through the back of a retreating Ai20 amidst a sizeable collection of abandoned cars and scooters littered across the four-lane street. He then caught the falling LTAC by the shoulder armor, preventing it from falling on top of a car that had been boxed in, passengers unable to escape. He then let it fall to the side toward the empty shoulder.


    He took the bought time to finally respond to Isaiah¡¯s radioed request with an irritated tone: ¡°That¡¯s the last Ai unit standing. I am on my way to intercept.¡±


    ¡°You must have-¡±


    ¡°-I know. Cable just informed me of your purportedly incapable little sister you son of a bitch.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Tamaz,¡± Marian joined back in over the team channel. ¡°Both of you. We just got confirmation of a Hexa drop pod and they have units inbound on both our held points, including yours. Tamaz, it¡¯s now or never because the clock is ticking dangerously fast.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t have to tell me twice.¡± Revenant popped his knuckles as he loosened up a bit prior to jetting off towards the incoming Axiom.


    ¡°No. Pull back,¡± Isaiah commanded to Revenant¡¯s surprise. ¡°This is all not worth the losses with a possible National Guard intervention in addition. We still have the main event to plan f-¡±


    ¡°-Fuck the plan, Reap¡¯!¡± Tamaz barked, fully keyed in on the Axiom closing its distance, holding off of his booster drives to hide his location. The mere thought of Isaiah going soft fueled not just his focus but his rage as well, remembering well how Requiem should be there at his side if it wasn¡¯t for Isaiah¡¯s underestimations. ¡°This was a job YOU had to do last time and YOU dropped the ball! Next, YOU promised me the chance and clearly I am the ONLY one willing to see this shit through!¡±


    ¡°Tamaz-¡± Both Isaiah and Marian tried to respond before being cut off again.


    ¡°Shut it!¡± His intensity continued to climb. It was as if the mere mentioning of letting Sam off the hook once more tipped him over the edge no one was ever aware of until now. ¡°She has no one to save her this time! Now why don¡¯t you two back off and find that damned traitor Tenshi if you want to make yourselves the least fucking bit useful right now!¡±


    He quickly turned off his audio input, now staring down the Axiom that just touched down onto the same emptied street just half a kilometer away. He could even tell she had no idea of his actual location. He knew there was no Devin, no backup, no one from the forewarned reinforcements drop near enough. ¡°It¡¯s just you and me. Finally.¡±


    .


    .


    Sam had battled the wooziness caused by the effects of the operating system, putting her at tipping point as she continued to fight off the anxiousness and fear so strong, she could taste it in her mouth. It had only just hit her moments ago the sheer lunacy of her decision to pursue the one type of enemy she long learned to fear most. But it was too late to turn back ever since ditching formation. Paranoia had her constantly keeping her shield out up front, not ever sure when or where the Cloak would show up. All she knew was that the backup forces were wiped out with the last one falling less than a minute ago.


    The radio blaring on was now a distant echo.


    The empty street ahead seemed to stretch on forever.


    The eerily quiet sensors were beyond unnerving.


    And without ever having afforded the time to think, a screaming alarm pierced through the vocals and lead guitar, kicking her nerves in gear just as a pair of swirling dust clouds in the distance caught her eye. The alarm, however, wasn¡¯t part of her system. Something in her head cried out as her conscious attempt to look more closely zoomed her visible world in on it, confirming there was something approaching her.


    There wasn¡¯t even the time to allow her life to flash before her eyes as a sudden bright green glow appeared in a rapid approach. She only felt the most powerful kick to her head, slamming both feet on the boost jump pedals in reaction.


    .


    Revenant¡¯s thrust missed, feeling the roaring vibrations of booster drive exhaust rumbling by. As he turned to track his target, watching it land safely just under a hundred meters away, the alarm of an overhead object rang out. Looking up, he saw an unregistered Ap50 unit approaching rapidly. ¡°Cable!¡± he called out, turning his cloaked LTAC all the way around for another charge. ¡°Got an AP dropping and it¡¯s not in the books! What gives?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to access that one¡¯s history! Give me a minute!¡± Marian shouted back over the line. ¡°And for God¡¯s sakes Tamaz if you would just pull out this wouldn¡¯t be an issue!¡±


    ¡°Are you blind?! The drop headed right for me!¡± Revenant continued with the added concern, worrying about more than just time. ¡°I need to know if that thing¡¯s able to see me! Can¡¯t you check the most recent drop permits?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, erm, that¡¯s the neat part,¡± Marian replied to Revenant¡¯s chagrin. ¡°We can¡¯t. It¡¯s nowhere in the history logs. No drop pod has been approved internationally for over a week.¡±


    He was aware of the incoming police and national guard air response signals, knowing this had to end quickly. ¡°Fuck it, going for the kill regardless! Taking out baby Knight and getting the hell out of here!¡±

 Beginnings of a Rift, Part 3

    Sam blinked hard several times, fighting off the stress-induced, stabbing pain that had her eyes throbbing. It had been too long already since having her settings dialed up that high, almost forgetting how much sensory overload the whole experience was. That was definitely ¡®him¡¯ just now. Holy shit that was close. She knew with the way the buildings were lined up, there had to be no way the Cloak took any sudden detour. As she turned to face the unseen enemy, she noted the cars near the shoulders of both sides of the wider streets were all seemingly empty, hinting at the chances for least possible collateral. She aimed her SMG toward the ground at fifty meters away, firing off a few three-round bursts:


    <u>PTATATAH!!!</u> <u>PTATATAH!!!</u> Rang out the thunderous crackles of hybridized rounds, just a touch quieter than the standard rifle-sized rounds she was used to.


    She then immediately zoomed her vision in on the flickering heat traces that puffed out before vanishing almost instantly, feeling the mind-ripping draw of the strings Antares seemingly had on her nerves at the sight of each one. There was no choice but to trust the system and force her thumbs and fingers at the controls to keep up.


    Her thumb switch guided the aiming cursor back and forth at an insanely high-speed setting, pulling off a single burst at the merging of each minute heat trace and the cursor. It was then followed by a sudden, large flash on the infrared sensors.


    .


    Revenant had just kicked in his reverse thrusters for that one moment, just enough to bring him to a sudden and forceful stop, walking his way back quickly, noticing the firing had stopped even if just momentarily. And after having heard those peculiar firecracker effects of the hybrid weapon¡¯s rounds, he knew he would have to find a better approach. His feet twitched, fighting off the desire to floor it and make another charge, only hesitating at the thought of giving away his position for even just one precious millisecond.


    ¡°Huh. Bitch really did get smart on us at the most inopportune time. Are our cameras rolling?¡±


    Marian came back up over his radio to answer: ¡°I just started sending the clearance notifications. Never mind your surroundings; Do what it takes, and do it quick.¡±


    ¡°Lovely.¡±


    He continued following the back-pedaling Axiom in its skinny, minimally armored form, eyeing a wide intersection for him to utilize in an attempt to flank her from a better direction. His foot backed off the pedal some as he found both refreshed patience and comfort in the opened opportunity right ahead.


    .


    Sam kept her finger off the trigger for the time being, knowing not only to conserve ammunition but to avoid collateral, given the cramped circumstances. She continued her backwards pace up the evacuated street, constantly eyeing the ground in front, hoping to catch the slightest hint of thermal traces to lock onto. And wherever the enemy was, it wasn¡¯t close enough for an accurate readout from the proximity sensors. She knew that regardless of the cloaking technology, anything close enough would be impossible to mask. Just keep that distance. Whoever he is, he can¡¯t do shit without moving faster than that.


    A few more seconds passed before a thought crossed her mind, causing her to come to a slow stop. She turned her audio output off, silencing the interior of her cockpit. The thud upon thud of distant LTAC feet hitting pavement too had come to a soft, slow halt. She hadn¡¯t noticed how intense the beating of her heart had been, and now the sound of it made it harder to figure out what just happened. If I stop moving, that means he now has to make the first move¡­ right?


    She felt she had bought some time, even if just a few seconds, to muster some semblance of a plan. Her eyes darted down both shoulders of the road, hoping to spot a reflection or break in the shadows¡­ anything to give her a hint of his location. He HAS to be close!


    And in a flash, startling her as she reflexively pulled back on the controls, the heat traces on screen instead showed the enemy distancing himself before disappearing around a corner at the nearest intersection. Shit! That was my chance to hit him! She thought in self-loathe, pounding the side of the right control console arm as she let loose a string of exasperated expletives.


    And with the frustration came the resurging fear. She knew it had to end here after taking the perhaps noble, perhaps equally idiotic and regrettable plunge, and now she just let her best shot slip through her fingers. As her hands and feet froze momentarily in place, her mind raced between whether or not she should have just kept firing regardless of the surroundings as well as what to do now that the Cloak was likely setting up his next move for the kill. But in the midst of the fright, the memory of the Cloak¡¯s pounding footsteps resurfaced, cueing her to slow her breathing and open the cockpit¡¯s main hatch.


    .


    .


    Sebastian wasn¡¯t too far above the area, deploying the last of his parachutes that would allow him to slow his landing approach. He continually kept his eye on Sam¡¯s status monitor, seeing her heart rate at abnormally high levels, but with the most shock, her cockpit doors¡¯ status on open. [What?! What is she doing?!]


    Knowing the Cloak had to be somewhere nearby, he continued crying out in vain to reach her on the radio, but every ping attempt to her channel was blocked. ¡°Sam! Please! Open your channel!¡±


    .


    .


    Sam was already able to feel distant rumbles sent through her LTAC¡¯s frame and through her control sticks, but now she could hear the echo of them coming from her right ear just before a popping burst from jump-boost drives in the same ear startled her. The sensors on her L-Tracker would be delayed due to the nature of their design, leaving her to act only on her trust in whatever was left of her senses. She closed the hatch and immediately retreated to her right and over the buildings in her way. Running away clearly hadn¡¯t been the first thing on her mind, but she sensed it was move away now or pay dearly.


    .


    ¡°The bitch is running after all!?¡± Revenant jeered, clearing the top of the building he planned on using to allow his drop in on the Axiom, now finding the street empty. He looked up to confirm his target rapidly distancing itself from him, headed right for Hexa¡¯s HQ. ¡°Cowardly piece of shit!¡± He wasn¡¯t going to let his chance slip away, either, jamming the pedals down with an all-out burst in her direction.


    .


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    Sam heard the IR sensor begin to scream, looking at the map to see a large heat source identified. ¡°There you are!¡± She shouted to herself, lifting her feet from the pedals and pulled her Axiom into a hard spin, and activating heat tracking. Keeping her aim on manual, she swung her SMG around from a low angle, firing in an upward sweeping pattern that would run parallel to the emptied highway below.


    <u>PTATATATATATAH!!!</u>


    If being too careful was going to be the death of her, she could at least feel she didn¡¯t drag others with her.


    One of the hybridized slugs made contact with some form of armor, showing a glitched, short-lived, but definite object on her visuals headed her way.


    <u>PTATATATATATAH!!!</u>


    Rang out another sweeping run back toward the ground below her at the same angle as she felt her Axiom rapidly descend in its loss to gravity. This time the distorted visual that popped up early hung around much longer, and it was approaching with lethal speed. Her chest tightened up painfully, clenching down on her controls so hard her joints felt like they would rupture. And with the worst yet most convenient timing, the sickening and overwhelming control input impulses would flood her screen and overcome her nervous system.


    As impact alarms suddenly rang out, her mind couldn¡¯t keep track of what was going on, succumbing to a near-blackout while her physical reaction took a path she wouldn¡¯t be actively aware of.


    It was a maneuver she played around with for over a year with the simulator during her downtime. Never once was there any outside observations or input, but it was something she found almost fun when testing around with the lightweight mode. The only difference between then and now was actual gravity.


    The Axiom, having the clear weight advantage, overloaded its full drive system for one burst, ripping her in the opposite direction of her momentum, carrying her underneath the would-be charging assailant. And in the same motion, she pulled up on the controls just enough to touch down wheel-first safely, skating away unscathed. The adrenaline rush mixed with the vertigo-inducing G¡¯s of her maneuver had her shaking almost uncontrollably, fighting for her life to keep focus. Turn around, Sam, turn the fuck around! He¡¯s got a weakness!


    .


    .


    The Cloak landed smoothly not too far from the Axiom, pivoting on its rollers with a firm push from its right foot to avoid the unnecessary use of its thrusters. Revenant let out an embittered growl, biting down as he kept his composure together. If only I had better reach. His thumb began to reach for the hat switch that would select his sword¡¯s plasma arc selector, but better judgment had him retract it. No. No matter the fight she suddenly has in her, she can¡¯t keep this up.


    ¡°Tamaz, this is a dead end!¡± Marian chimed back in anxiously. ¡°That unregistered A-P dropping in on you was a personal purchase by Danielle Norris! That-¡±


    ¡°-So what!?¡± he interrupted with a roar. ¡°Stop fucking worrying about me and find that traitor before he gets these bastards more outs!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t let me finish! That¡¯s just the one compared to a whole unregistered squad they dropped on our western-end ambush outfit! We weren¡¯t ready for this- we have to pull back!¡±


    .


    .


    Many blocks west of Sam¡¯s duel was an older open air market that was fortunately not up and running that morning. Using whatever cover they could while hiding crouched behind their shields, Kerry and Andre had been encircled as sporadic suppressing fire sailed over and around them. They had their backs in a corner between an L-shaped concrete building, waiting on their boosters to finish recharging and cooling after over-using them earlier to get as far as they had.


    ¡°Kerry!¡± Andre shouted out as soon as he heard the chime that sent some hope back into him. ¡°Now or never while the fire loosened up!¡±


    ¡°No way they¡¯re not waiting for us to do that!¡± Kerry fussed back, easing her feet on the floor pedals.


    ¡°How the hell do you know!?¡±


    Kerry¡¯s Ap50 jumped only ten feet from the ground, just enough to allow its upper frame to be visible over the top of the building before dropping back to the ground with a thud. That instant, heavy fire poured in from several directions. ¡°That¡¯s pretty fucking textbook, don¡¯t ya think?!¡±


    Both ducked harder behind their shields, nerves and stomachs tightening back down. ¡°Fuck the textbook! We can¡¯t let them close in on us any more than they have!¡± The fire slowed back down momentarily, prompting Andre to continue his outburst: ¡°It¡¯s gotta be one quick and sustained jump up and over the-¡±


    ¡°-We are holding, damn it!¡± Kerry fired back. ¡°That¡¯s an order!¡± But with the suppressing fire growing closer on them, the one setting she had been avoiding was becoming more of a necessity. She toggled the Antares OS to the ¡°on¡± position, set to ¡°3¡±.


    Andre still felt different, unwavering in his shouting back: ¡°I know you feel it coming, Kerry! I¡¯m not going to sit here and die not trying!¡±


    ¡°At least switch your Antares on! There¡¯s too many of them out there!¡±


    It was only one second before she heard Andre¡¯s jump-boost drives light up again. ¡°Andre!¡± Her shouts were all in vain, and before she could even start to think of how to react, the splitting and cracking of Hexa¡¯s proprietary armor alloy nearly froze her in her core. And it wasn¡¯t one but several in rapid succession.


    ¡°Shit!¡± She heard him cry out in panic. ¡°Left main drive¡¯s down!¡±


    She immediately panned her camera upward to see Andre¡¯s LTAC veering off sharply to the northeast. The Underground¡¯s suppressing fire now quickly turned to take-down fire. She fought to keep her composure, turning to prepare to chase him down, feet moving back over her pedals.


    And then the sound of older era booster drives roared overhead. A rough Gamma frame-build LTAC looked to be in on the hunt for the wounded. But as she planted her feet back on the footrests and swung her rifle around, the jarring but soon-to-be comforting sound of thunderous crackles rained down upon it. She watched it careen downward, crashing into the pavement below with a deafening series of thuds and screeches of grinding metal.


    ¡°Pilot Melonkahn, this is Drop Team Leader at 300 meters above you and descending! Secure Pilot Ingooyen while we cover fire!¡±


    Without hesitation, her feet quickly jammed the pedals into the floorboard as she immediately shoved her controls to her right, darting off with her eyes on the smoke trail Andre left. She couldn¡¯t get her mouth moving in response to the mostly unidentified rescuers, nor could she even think to look up to see where they were coming from. She saw Andre¡¯s LTAC marked in a wreck up against the next-over building and that was all she could focus on. And that she did, keeping her shield forward, making a bee line for him amidst a newly brewed storm of crackling showers of hybrid rifle rounds now behind her. The only thought that did manage to cross her mind mid-flight was: And where the hell is Sam!? Why of all times is she still on silent!


    Her Ap50 landed firmly with a clatter, sliding to a halt before whipping around to the direction from which she came, shield up. Several rounds zinged around, well off mark, cueing her to peek around the right edge of the shield, spotting an ensuing LTAC only made visible by its movement as the camouflage had it well blended in beforehand. Having Antares active, the aim tracking was off and her right thumb went for the hat switch with precise, careful movements to an area just off center. The spot must have felt right, going with what the OS was communicating to her as she pulled the trigger in bursts.


    With a bang and a show of fireworks, she watched the power converter block go off as the targeted LTAC was thrown to the ground. Wasting no time, her eyes darted to the area behind it, seeing a train of four friendly units all touching down, rapidly spreading out to secure the area.


    Now, Kerry finally afforded the chance to check up on her downed partner. ¡°Andre! Status!¡±


    ¡°Flight is a no go!¡± he responded back, disgruntled. ¡°Everything else checks out.¡±


    ¡°Whoever that is that dropped in, we¡¯ll let them handle things. Rifle up and ready until we get a green light to return!¡± She then took a look back at her map, spotting Sam¡¯s marker still fully active, not too far from what must have been Sebastian¡¯s new marker just a click away. ¡°Sebastian, if that¡¯s you, what¡¯s Sam¡¯s status?!¡±


    A few tense seconds passed before he finally responded: ¡°She¡¯s fighting the Cloak! I can¡¯t see what is happening, but I have to keep my distance until she turns her radio on!¡±


    Frustration began to rapidly build up again upon hearing those last words. Sam! Whatever the hell it is you¡¯re up to, it¡¯d better be worth shutting us out!


    A sudden blue flash around the corners of her screen flickered several times, stirring her completely out of her focus. A voice then came up over a separate channel: ¡°Kerry! Listen to me!¡±


    It was Devin¡¯s voice, stopping Kerry¡¯s heart for a moment. She had just found the strength to respond before she remembered Andre right behind her. She clicked off her team channel before answering back: ¡°Dee! Where are you!? Are you alright!?¡±


    ¡°I only have seconds before I have to disconnect so they can¡¯t track me, so listen!¡±


    Tears felt as if they were about to well up, nodding her head as if he could see her.


    ¡°First, don¡¯t worry about me- I am in the safest possible spot to hide until Excalibur is over!¡±


    Excalibur?!


    ¡°You have to do the same once you get back safely! Do NOT re-enter service! Your whole group is marked for bounty internationally, including me, and there¡¯s ten times that number for your buddy Sam!¡± He took in a deep breath before speaking his last sentence. ¡°Promise me to stay inside HQ until Excalibur is over, alright!? Kerry! Promise me!¡±


    ¡°I-but¡­ Dee! What is Excalibur!?¡±


    ¡°My time¡¯s up! Promise me, Kerry!¡±


    She opened her mouth to shout back once more, but a flash of blue signaled to her the other side was gone.


    I want to promise, Dee! But what the hell is Excalibur?! How do I even know how to find you!? Her eyes finally regained focus on the field ahead, watching the fire indicators from each of the newly dropped squad members flash in and out. She then paused her thumb¡¯s advance to switch her radio back to active as she continued thinking. The bounty must be an extension of that Dhaka mess. What the hell are we in for, and what is Sam out there doing that got her such a high bounty?!

 Beginnings of a Rift, Part 4

    The Axiom still stood still as Sam had her focus honed in on her ears, listening for anything to give her hint of the Cloak¡¯s position which was once again fully hidden on her visuals. She had already watched the cloud of dust it had kicked up earlier drift too far away to be of anymore use, leaving her without much to go off of.


    If only I had some way to tag it once more! Whatever it¡¯s made of, it fixes itself enough to go back full-cloak if I don¡¯t hit it hard enough.


    She then noticed an unmarked Ap50 landing into an empty intersection behind where she figured the cloak to be, cutting its parachute attachments and giving off an updated signal of its weapons going live.


    I can¡¯t turn my radio back on, can I?- No! Keep your focus! Forget who that is and just¡­. ¡°Rrgh!¡± She grunted in frustration. Whoever you are, you¡¯re about to be my bait for targeting this son of a bitch!


    A blue flash then stole her attention as a familiar female¡¯s voice came up via channel setting override: ¡°You need to escape while you can!¡±


    The voice thoroughly startled Sam, leaving her unable to respond quickly.


    ¡°You have new backup nearby! Rex¡¯s mission has failed and they will retreat soon! Leave now!¡± the voice continued before another blue flash signaled the end of the call.


    So, that¡¯s who that is over there?! Who are they!? Maybe-


    Her thoughts were cut off by a sudden flash of brilliant green sweeping downward just over head, accompanied by the equally sudden screeching of impact alarms. And with it came another swift kick to the brain, just as earlier, responding to the prompts that seemed to forcefully yank her hands back on the controls.


    The green plasma-arc descended and met the Axiom¡¯s shield it had rapidly swung around. The collision sent Sam reeling backwards, likewise the unexpected kickback sent the attacker in the opposite direction momentarily, forcing it to use its boosters to recover. The green blaze then vanished seemingly as soon as it had appeared.


    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Sam screamed out in reaction, realizing this was now the golden opportunity. She pulled her right control stick back over center, pulling the trigger in an upward arc, forgetting to keep her aim away from the open skies. But only three rounds made it out before solid titanium made contact with the SMG¡¯s receiver, severing it in two.


    The unignited sword carried through, knocking her shield away from her main frame.


    Several prompts felt to force her to pull back on her controls and dash away while other prompts fought to swing her shield back the other way. The resulting conflict in system inputs seemed to rip her mind in two.


    And then the flash of green reappeared, triggering her reflexes to swing her left control stick back the other way, shield meeting the descending blade just in time once more. Only this time, the arc hit directly enough to wedge its carrying blade deep into its thick alloy plating.


    Her controls wouldn¡¯t budge. Her systems screamed at her to pull away, but the force applied from the other side kept her pinned in place. She saw the glow of the near-melting point zone of impact right in front of her eyes. Her shield wouldn¡¯t hold, and neither would she if she didn¡¯t think of something and quick.


    She remembered her 2<sup>nd</sup> SMG still stored on left hip. She only had seconds to spare, fighting to reconfigure her settings to equip a left hand weapon to her right hand, all the while struggling to keep her LTAC upright and pushing back.


    Almost there!! Shit!! Come on!! She bit down, feeling this would be the end if she couldn¡¯t get it to go through. Sweat streamed across her brow and rolled down into her eyes at the worst possible time, feeling the heat and imminent threat of shield and joint failure pressing down.


    .


    ¡°Got you now, fucking bitch!¡± Revenant shouted as if he felt Requiem was watching him take his vengeance. He could now feel his right control easing up as the shield across from him started fully buckling under the heat and pressure applied. He was glad he stuck through it all, as this was the moment he had been waiting for since Dhaka. He grinned satisfyingly, already feeling at ease. ¡°Eat shit!¡±


    .


    Marian finally got sight of the tussle in her ocular, zooming in as far as she could to make out the two still locked together. She had been standing atop the truck she used to get to her mountainside lookout, only now able to spot them between a clearing of hi-rises. She wanted to breathe a sigh of relief to see the battle finally winding out victoriously, only to have her breath sucked away from her upon a peculiar sight: a thin red beam of light pierced through the dust and smoke, wavering somewhat before honing in on the backside of Revenant¡¯s LTAC. Her eyes widened, quickly clicking her headset to shout: ¡°Tamaz! Get out!¡±


    .


    Sam¡¯s shield was now quickly buckling inward from the heat. And knowing her only option for movement was toward the Cloak, it would only hasten the forcing of the impending plasma arc further into her. She had to reach that left hip¡¯s SMG somehow, but even that was now completely hopeless as it would certainly ensure collapsing under the force still bearing down on her. She cried out in denial, unwilling to accept such an end.


    <u>*P-TA-TA-TANG!!!*</u>


    Rang out the harsh sounds of sliced and pierced armor, immediately followed by a loud series of crackling thunder.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Forgetting how hard she had tried to pull back this whole time, it was like a breath of new life flowed into the Axiom, suddenly able to jump back. She also wasn¡¯t aware of her shield having been blasted in half, essentially freeing her left arm to pull around that SMG she so desperately needed. And in that same motion she saw a flash of a barely visible but definite outline of an LTAC standing in front of her.


    And it looked to be missing its right arm.


    She didn¡¯t care.


    Moreover, she couldn¡¯t care less. All signals pointed her to aim and fire before it could move again. And with no hesitation, pull the trigger, she did.


    .


    <u>PTATATATATATAH!!!</u>


    .


    Marian almost dropped her ocular, feeling her heart stopping and stomach knotting up. ¡°Tamaz¡­¡± she barely managed to get out through her lips. All she could think now was to call Isaiah.


    .


    .


    .


    Sebastian had his helmet off and cabin doors wide open, looking down the street over the fallen Cloak and right into the eyes of the Axiom making its slow approach towards it. He had a laser sight pointed downfield, still illuminating the Axiom¡¯s left shoulder from where he had its aim placed just moments ago. He rushed to unbuckle his harnesses and pulled himself to the edge of the cockpit hatch so as to scream out to her: ¡°Sam! Sam!!!¡±


    He realized she either ignored his more than obvious presence, or she was too focused on the Cloak lying defenseless before her. The realization of it being a combination of both quickly sank in on him, cueing him to drop his ladder and descend as fast as he could.


    .


    Revenant¡¯s cockpit was filled with smoke and the sounds of alarms and burning electronic equipment mixed in with the despair of labored coughs and wheezes. Light peeked in through a series of holes punched in throughout the frontal cockpit walls. He couldn¡¯t feel his right arm, but it moved. He clumsily worked his hand toward the door open switch, pulling the tab as the hatches opened, letting in hot sun along with a muggy breeze, clearing the smoke just enough to see outside.


    More blood sprayed from his mouth as he choked on that very air. He tried to focus on undoing his harness buckles, but that would prove to be too tall of a task without any proper dexterity remaining in either hand. ¡°Reap¡¯¡­ I¡­¡± More coughs interrupted his struggle to speak over his radio, not aware if it even still functioned. ¡°Reaper¡­ please¡­¡± He instead elected to take off his visor at the very least. By now, he at least wanted to see anything but darkness as his visuals were cut out completely.


    He felt no pain, just the burns all across his body. He started to stare outward into the sky, making out the shape of clouds in the distance. He then realized he lost his sense of hearing as he noticed the sky quickly blocked out by the menacing glow of the Axiom¡¯s multiple eye units now casting its gaze upon him. He was now staring down the raised barrel of that SMG she fought to equip. Closing his eyes, he starting laughing amongst fits of more coughs and sputters.


    .


    Sam stared in at the shrapnel-riddled pilot, feeling as if she made eye contact with him. It was no face she knew. Other than the knowledge of his callsign, all that she associated him with by this point were feelings of rage.


    For all I know!! She began to cry throughout her chest-gripping thoughts. For all I know! Everything up until now has been all your doing! Everything we¡¯ve had to do! Everything we¡¯ve lost is on you!


    Her finger now, albeit shaking violently from her nerves, sat firmly on the left control¡¯s trigger; sights placed squarely over the open hatch.


    ¡°You! ...You tried to kill me all those times, for what?! What did we ever do to you!?¡± She now belted out with all her might, cracked and hoarse.


    She at first couldn¡¯t pull the trigger, but then the memory of her having to bludgeon a man at the risk of her being strangled to death quickly resurfaced. The fright provided the impulse, squeezing the trigger and so tightly that she couldn¡¯t let go. It was like a rage that had been waiting to be unleashed, pent up and waiting to lash out, pulling tears of anger and contempt along with it.


    Leaving no opportunity for any parting words or thought, the small, hybridized rounds shredded through the core of the fully visible Cloak like white-hot blades through the morbid canvas laid out before them. And when the magazine was spent, the only sounds joining the painful pounding of her chest were from the shrieking sizzles pouring from around the barrel and the screaming inside her head. She continued staring at the smoldering wreckage, half-strewn across the pavement around them. The feeling of something coming up from her stomach returned in a similar fashion to the night before, but this time the horror-fueled retch was staved off by a sense of righteousness.


    Her hands dropped from the controls, almost as if she lost complete feeling in them both from exhaustion. She leaned back, propping the back of her helmet against the headrest, taking in slower breaths to calm down. I just¡­ I just killed Revenant. I just¡­ killed another¡­


    But it all became surreal. She felt like she had seen this before, but from the outside looking in. Memories of Sebastian ripping through Rocha members inside one of their compounds quickly snuck in her thoughts, remembering the horrible, thunderous clamor as he took all of his frustration out on the helpless below.


    Her eyes widened, feeling a rush of cold shoot down her spine.


    Sebastian- No! what have I done?!


    The tears starting heating up once more.


    She then swore she heard Sebastian¡¯s voice had emerged from her recollections, calling out to her from a distance. She hastily ripped off her helmet, unbuckled her harnesses and threw open the hatch, looking out to see Sebastian running toward her on foot; the mysterious Ap50 model stood behind him in the backdrop with a large rifle in hand, complete with a matching smoking barrel.


    But removing herself from the operating system so abruptly would prove unwise, feeling herself lose the ability to stay upright and keep her eyes focused ahead.


    ¡°Sebastian!¡± Her mouth had opened to shout out his name with every last ounce of energy she had left, all before slowly drooping backward, falling over into the depths of her cockpit.


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-Malate District</li>


    </ul>


    Isaiah was inside his pickup, parked within the depths of a public parking tower. His head rested on the steering wheel, arms folded and resting on the cluster covering. His breaths were those of someone trying to control their emotions, slow and deliberate.


    ¡°She killed Tamaz, damn it! Scrap the plan already for God¡¯s sake!¡± Marian¡¯s crying plea repeated in his head several times, triggering a shaking of his head in denial. His radio remained off, having to shut out the noise to regroup himself mentally.


    ¡°Who else are we going to lose out there?! Answer me!¡± her voices continued. He felt the urge to slam his fist through the dash, but kept composure enough to resist. He lifted his head from the wheel, pulling his hand in front of his face. He remembered the knife he chose not to bury in her chest that one day in Dhaka.


    If only.


    He then slowly turned to see a flashing indicator on his mobile he had tossed into the passenger seat. He grabbed it, checking to see it was a news update. Curious, he swiped it open to read.


    The plan is still going to work, he thought as he continued scanning the article. The plan was going to work, Tamaz, you didn¡¯t have to be a hero out there. It didn¡¯t have to be this way. He straightened up the best that he could, taking in a deep breath. He felt the sense of isolation for the first time in years. Anything from this point on that would involve direct engagement, he would have to do it alone most likely.


    And then it was as if he spotted the information he had most hoped to see. A quick exhale of subdued but greatly needed relief escaped as he brought his left hand to his earpiece. He switched his radio back on, clearing his throat before his lips curled, muttering a cold, flat command: ¡°Move in the Nanning Reserves ahead of schedule. Switch to target group B. Plan to hit with maximum collateral.¡±

 Unintended Consequences

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-East Quezon Region</li>


    </ul>


    <hr>


    With that next swing with a hand squeezing at her neck, she felt the sharp ringing of the metal contacting his skull. The hand slipped off immediately and she struck once more. He strangely hadn¡¯t the strength to push her off of him as light as she was, allowing her to continue angrily swinging and bludgeoning the man¡¯s head until she felt him stop.


    She felt the warm body underneath her, motionless. And despite the numbness in her right hand, she still could make out the wet stickiness coming from the grip of her pistol and the smell from the blood she spilled. She looked up to see the other motionless body laying across the concrete near the van she hid behind earlier.


    Both seemed to stare back at her with haunting, enraged intent; the faces were both bloodied beyond any possible recognition.


    No! She wanted to scream out but found her mouth wouldn¡¯t open. I didn¡¯t mean to do it! Stop! Tears wanted to fall, but nothing moved, nor either of her feet.


    She could see the writhing souls emerging, slowly drifting her way. They began to wrap around her, constricting her body, squeezing once more at her throat along with her chest.


    Choking and unable to utter a word, she continued to attempt her desperate plea in vain: I didn¡¯t mean to! Stop! Please!


    <hr>


    .


    Sam awoke in a cold sweat, desperately gasping for air. Already in a mental haze, trying to even focus enough to determine where she lay, her head split with blinding pain, making it all the more impossible.


    ¡°Sam, it¡¯s OK,¡± She heard Sebastian speak out calmingly but firmly as his hand laid on her shoulder gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze. ¡°You¡¯re OK.¡±


    She wanted to speak back, but couldn¡¯t find a way to get her vocal cords moving. Murmuring something indiscernible, she tried to sit up, finding his hands carefully insisting she stay put.


    ¡°You¡¯re OK but not OK enough to stand. You have to wait until medevac gets here.¡±


    She winced as a wave of pain shot down her body from the back of her head and seemingly out of her eyes. Why? And why does my head hurt so much?! What happened?!


    ¡°Sam, you have to stay calm,¡± she continued to hear him speak even though her eyes had a hard time focusing on him. ¡°You hit your head somehow. Just breathe. We are safe. The National Guard is arriving very soon.¡±


    Sebastian tried to smile out of relief she was going to be alright, more than elated she survived that encounter, but something weighed heavy on his heart as he kept subconsciously looking over to her bag that vibrated several times to the tune of a strange, peculiar voice coming from her headset he had placed next to it. And what tugged at his heartstrings were seeing Amelie¡¯s cold, calculating eyes hiding who-knows-what secrets reflected in Sam¡¯s eyes as he stared into them, only to watch her gaze continue off into the unknown distance. He only met her mother once, and briefly at that, but the gaze she had would be hard for him to forget.


    His own headset then began to chirp: ¡°Pilot Navarre, this is HQ. Connecting to Central Office. Stand-by.¡±


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al was packing several papers and clipboards from his desk into his briefcase as he spoke into his earpiece: ¡°How is she? Talk to me.¡±


    And his heavily tensed nerves through which he spoke were eased in an instant as he heard Sebastian reply: ¡°I am sitting with her. She is going to be OK. We are waiting on the medical carrier.¡±


    ¡°How is she looking?¡± Al spoke back as he closed the briefcase and headed for the door.


    ¡°OK, but, I think maybe that has a¡­ Traumatismo de cr¨¢neo. Se peg¨® en la cabeza.¡±


    Al blinked his eyes tightly, processing what was said after allowing his automated translation service kick in. ¡°Do you know how? Was it during her fight?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure. But she is awake, here with me.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, kid,¡± he sighed with a mixture of relief and a heavy heart. Nothing goes right in any of the countries she sets foot in, and knowing she ended up facing one of the Cloaks, he hadn¡¯t been at ease even for a second until now. ¡°I will be on my way to you all once I wrap up the last of the loose ends here. My shuttle will be Earth-side tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, we will be waiting for you.¡±


    Al reached for his earpiece to disconnect the call before hearing Sebastian slip in one last remark: ¡°And, sir, I think she really needs to see you. She¡¯s been¡­ hurting. She needs family here.¡±


    A weak smile cracked as he got on the elevator. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I am headed there. I will contact you to check on her again soon. I don¡¯t trust anyone better at the moment than you.¡±


    And after finishing up the conversation and hanging up, he found himself looking over the empty pickup and drop-off loop at the front of the office. Darkness prevailed, still being hours away from the programmed sunrise. Only the sound of distant humming generators and transformers kept him company.


    It may not be family she wants, though, he thought with a more troubled sigh. I don¡¯t know if me showing up is best for her, but I can¡¯t take it anymore watching from up here. He then slowly made his way to the curbside waiting area as he caught sight of the approaching automated cab. Amelie, don¡¯t be up to too much, wherever the hell it is you went in your search for him. We¡¯ve never dealt with going against one of our own before. He eased himself into the backseat of the cab, clicking a command on his watch which initiated his return home.


    He rubbed the bridge of his nose, still exhausted from an extended lack of sleep as evident by the dark under his weary eyes.


    Right. This is all I can do. The absolute best I can do is keep a good watch over Sam in the meantime.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    While on his way back, pondering back and forth between Sam¡¯s condition and Amelie¡¯s whereabouts, his thoughts then settled onto Sam¡¯s encounter with the Cloak itself. He pulled a work tablet from his briefcase and punched in several commands, bringing up a collection of screen data from the Axiom that had been logged and uploaded for upper administration access. After clicking through several video files, he swiped back to the last one and brought it up full-screen. He had already seen the morbid scene earlier, including the grossly unnecessary amounts of hybrid rounds unloaded into the opened hatch of the Cloak, but something different stuck out this time. He noticed the Antares OS indicator in the upper right corner was flickering red.


    Shit¡­


    Eyes widening, he only just now realized Sam had the setting at maximum enhancement levels.


    How did she survive that setting for so long? It then dawned on him why perhaps his leaving the office was too soon. Vincent already saw that, I¡¯d bet. Fuck me, he thought with a frustrated but subdued fist driven into the empty seat next to him. Sam, hang in there. No way I let them give you the Lance Vrey treatment. I can¡¯t save that Rodgers girl, but for you¡­


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila-East Quezon Region</li>


    </ul>


    Sebastian, too, had caught swift and strong notice of the Antares OS settings as he put on Sam¡¯s helmet during their wait. He quickly removed the visor as he squinted, rubbing his eyes as if they were hit with strobe lights.


    He then looked down at Sam with even deeper concern, now having guessed what may have caused her condition. ¡°Sam, did the machine do this to you?¡± His words didn¡¯t reach her as the approaching roar of medevac carrier engines filled the cockpit.


    [And I wonder who that was trying to communicate with her just a minute ago.]


    But it wouldn¡¯t matter for a while, noting her eyes closing from her giving up the struggle to stay focused. With a last rub of her forehead, pulling the loose ends of hair from her sweat-drenched face, he backed away to clear the cockpit for the medical team now approaching on foot.


    ¡°Is your LTAC still up and running?!¡± He heard an officer from behind shout to him.


    Turning to respond, Sebastian kept a hand over his brow to block the hot wind blasted their way: ¡°I can return on my own, thank you! My LTAC is fine!¡± And with a return nod, he reluctantly made his way back to his personally tailored Ap50, which now bathing in full sunlight, showed a prototype extended-length rifle still at the ready along with the still mysterious device wrapped around the left forearm. As he finished climbing back into the cockpit, he unshouldered Sam¡¯s equipment bag he brought from the Axiom. And as he got back into his seat, he was able to take one last glance at Sam as they boarded her on the carrier.


    ¡°HQ says move it, Navarre!¡± a voice came over his team radio, seemingly a voice from the crew he dropped alongside. ¡°They¡¯re not reacting well to the news they put out! Better safe at base!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, returning now!¡± he stiffly replied with a closing of the cockpit hatch. As he strapped himself in and brought his helmet down to buckle on, he started to feel something he hadn¡¯t felt before. It was a type of empty feeling, strange enough as it came at the heels of the second of three Cloaks being brought to what he expected to feel like justice, and of course, closure. Flashes of the smoldering cockpit and the slag and armor fragments strewn about the pavement came back as well, offering no sense of achievement even though he knew it was his well-placed, three-round burst that freed Sam up for the kill. His last-second plan worked, yet it all felt empty to him.


    He looked at his map to see Andre and Kerry alongside the drop group already in route toward HQ. Sam¡¯s carrier had also started to move out.


    He then realized Sam showed no sign of elation or relief earlier before she had passed out, being able to get a solid glimpse of her as he tried to get her attention. And along with it came the flashbacks of a similar look she gave him when he found her wounded, wounded and left for dead by her own brother.


    [I get the feeling it¡¯s all come down to¡­ what she will want do about him.] He depressed the pedals and took off, trying not to spend too much time in deep thought. [Sam¡­ I don¡¯t know if I am more worried about your health conditions or the path you¡¯ve chosen after what all you¡¯ve ultimately gotten yourself into.]


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    The sun had fully set that evening without any further sounds of explosions or any commotion of the sort. It didn¡¯t result, however, in silence. The news display Sebastian had playing holographically with sound directed through his earpiece showed the noise had only gotten worse across the city. He sat upright in his chair pulled next to Sam¡¯s hospital bed, still in his pilot¡¯s suit as if he had been at her bedside since his return.


    He watched several segments showing the President¡¯s urges to continue refraining from taking to the streets for either side, which was in direct conflict with the P4C¡¯s call for answers dealing with the Ongoco killing and the alleged ties to Hexa¡¯s Infinity-hired officers. But any outlet made it clear that the demonstrations weren¡¯t in harmony. One side continued to push for the President¡¯s retirement while holding onto any help they could get, while the other shifted away and focused on removing their dependence on foreign interests, namely Hexa, whom they claim can¡¯t be trusted anymore.


    And even though he occasionally switched his focus over to Sam, who remained asleep from her operation recovery, his mind continued to chew away at the notion: [Nothing adds up. Everything seems like it was so¡­ sloppy¡­ on all ends. And after Dhaka, I can¡¯t see how one side could still speak up for us in public. The setup should¡¯ve been perfect as far as ruining our image with that, be it a lie or not, but¡­] He then remembered the mysterious voice he made out coming through Sam¡¯s headset earlier. He kept the device and her bag with him out of precaution, but the fact that command had been so mum on everything added to his unease.


    [Just what in the hell did I miss while I was gone?]


    ¡°Hey,¡± he heard Sam mumble toward him, snapping his attention away from the display as his eyes met hers.


    ¡°Sam!¡± He quickly put away his mobile and leaned forward to take her hand.


    ¡°Where did I end up this time?¡± she spoke with a hint of delirium, now looking around the room.


    He let out a weak smile, seeing her recovery looked like it went well. ¡°You had a¡­ um¡­ concussion? Yes, concussion surgery.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± She stirred a bit in place before attempting to sit upright. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly remember getting one. Did I get hit?¡± She then noticed his hand on hers, drawing an uncomfortable reaction as she subtly pulled her hand away.


    Sebastian picked up on it, but tried to hide the pain that it kicked up with a straight face and a straight attempt at an answer: ¡°Doctor said you had hit your head some time after you took off your helmet. I think it¡¯s when you fell the last time.¡± He put his hand back under his arm as he crossed them in an attempted casual manner. ¡°I think the machine made you too exhausted,¡± he continued, remembering the unbearably high input rate she had Antares set to.


    He then remembered a bottled sports drink he picked up earlier and set on the small table just behind him, turning to grab it for her.


    Sam finally got herself somewhat upright, leaning against the padded headrest as she took a break from trying to gather her bearings, closing her eyes. ¡°The last thing I remember was his face.¡± She didn¡¯t notice Sebastian approaching her with the drink as she continued in a heavier tone: ¡°Sebastian, what happened to me? What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±


    His lips curled in an empty smile, left only to guess what all she must have gone through. ¡°Nothing. Nothing is wrong with you. Here,¡± he softly replied as he passed her the bottle. ¡°You should drink.¡± He knew she was still hooked up to an IV, but still felt it might help her feel better nonetheless.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she spoke back as she took the bottle he opened for her, taking a few sips before passing it back to him.


    And in that very next moment, it was like he could see a heavy realization hit her. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to anyone after I blacked out. I have to talk to Kerry, to Andre¡­ I have to reach out to¡­¡± She took her eyes off of him and was now looking to the wall in front of her.


    ¡°Sam, don¡¯t worry. Kerry and Andre are fine. Well, Kerry is. Andre got a little hurt but he¡¯s going to be OK.¡±


    ¡°Sebastian,¡± she asked with her eyes¡¯ focus drifting off beyond the wall. ¡°Where is my bag? Did they take it?¡±


    The glum smile grew tighter as he took his seat once more, letting out a heavy breath. ¡°I put it in my locker. I told them I have your mobile and your¡­ other things.¡±


    ¡°I need my bag,¡± she persisted with an ever increasingly flat tone.


    He now started growing not only suspicious once again but this time with an impatience he couldn¡¯t fight off. ¡°Sam, do you need your mobile? I can call anyone for you.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she fussed back with a shake of her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want my phone- I want my bag.¡± She was now looking right back at him with discomforting determination.


    ¡°What? What is in it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t explain right now- I just need it. Can you please bring it?¡±


    He already knew now exactly what it was she was demanding, and it was quickly becoming difficult not to come clean with his emotions. [What the hell am I doing, beating around the bush?] he thought with a deep breath through his nose.


    ¡°It¡¯s that little device. The round black one, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He had her full attention and gaze, and it was the most he had since she woke up. ¡°What is that thing, Sam?¡±

 Unintended Consequences, Part 2

    ¡°What did you do with it?¡± she firmly spoke as if interrogating him all of the sudden.


    ¡°Nothing, I left it in your bag, but why?¡± he answered in a matching tone.


    ¡°I said I can¡¯t explain it right now,¡± she huffed back, closing her eyes with a slow shake of her head. ¡°Please, just bring it to me.¡±


    He shook his head as well, but in rejection instead of frustration. ¡°I need an explanation. Sam, what is that thing? And who was that strange voice on your headset?¡±


    Her eyes closed tighter as if in pain.


    ¡°Sam, I feel like you¡¯re hiding something from me.¡±


    ¡°You really¡­ have to trust me in that I can¡¯t explain anything right now.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he leaned forward, pressing on: ¡°I was so happy to come back, but now I find these things so suddenly. Why do you have to do this to me now? Why can¡¯t you trust me?¡±


    Her hands went over her face, tugging at the skin below her eyes. ¡°We can¡¯t start talking about trust issues. I saw the pictures of you and Ms. Norris, after all.¡±


    His brow furled offendedly, sitting up straight. ¡°I¡¯m sorry? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You know what, never mind,¡± she answered with a defeated tone, dropping her hands at her sides. ¡°Either you want to trust me or you don¡¯t, because right now I feel that-¡±


    The door opened, cutting off the conversation as the two looked up to see Kerry walking through.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough¡±, Kerry interjected, tight-lipped as she looked over to Sebastian. ¡°Thank you for watching over her all afternoon, but don¡¯t you think we¡¯ve all been through too much today? Especially her; Why can¡¯t we let her rest and recover while we¡¯re at it?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he spoke back to Kerry with a huff. ¡°You¡¯re right. She apparently does need more rest,¡± he chided as he got up to leave.


    Kerry paused as a deep, sudden breath rushed in, then chose better judgment before releasing it. ¡°Go ahead before I lose my shit.¡± She waited for the door to close behind him to let out a heavy sigh, taking that same chair to sit next to Sam. ¡°The fuck¡¯s his problem all the sudden?!¡±


    Sam shook her head, once more rubbing her face in frustration. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s me or him or what, but I just can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t trust just him, Kerry. I can¡¯t even trust myself right now.¡±


    Kerry realized she only made things worse after seeing her reaction. ¡°My bad, I shouldn¡¯t have even said all that.¡± She took a second to think before continuing: ¡°We just got notified of a team meeting with one of the directors here tomorrow morning, but just focus on getting rest today, alright?¡± She then pulled out her mobile and flipped through several screens. ¡°Thing is, I need to catch up with you on a few things once we get cut loose afterwards. I jotted down a few things, but the first thing I found out a little while ago is about your neural mesh network.¡±


    Sam laid her arms over her chest and looked over to her as she began to calm down herself. ¡°Yeah, apparently, I had a concussion but I already know of most of the treatment methods. What¡¯d you find?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Kerry started with a puzzled smirk. ¡°This network access procedure they said they used on you¡­ as I just read¡­ only works on first-gen technology.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Sam realized now something else she had been hiding, although this time, purely coincidence and without such intention. She returned the weak smile before looking away. ¡°Sorry. I never did mention my network specs to anyone, really. I don¡¯t even think I was supposed to.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t a war pilot, but you were once prepped to be one. You were born a ¡®gen one¡¯ pilot, huh. That explains a lot, and why you got the spot and the treatment you got.¡±


    Sam sensed a tinge of betrayal in her voice mixed with the confusion. ¡°I¡­ listen, that¡¯s all because I had logged in months-worth of simulation hours with the beta test runs for the Axiom, but I thought that was already public knowledge for our operations.¡±


    ¡°We knew that detail.¡± Kerry straightened her posture, leaning forward with her hands at her knees. ¡°I just,¡± she started before pausing to hold back unnecessarily agitating comments. ¡°¡­Never knew you were a true ¡®gen one¡¯ all this time. I¡¯m kind of jealous, to be honest, but it does explain a lot.¡±


    She glanced down at her mobile which had a message pulled up, revealing a message Sebastian left her, reading: ¡°Sam survived both of her fights using Antares setting 9,¡± and it was sent to both her and Andre. She flipped to the next, which read: ¡°You realize this is the second time she¡¯s had special priority treatment by hospital administration. Something¡¯s not right,¡± bringing back memories of the harsh treatment everyone else but Sam got back at Dhaka.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been in a whole different league than us all this time,¡± Kerry continued in a tone hard for Sam to read accurately, leaning further forward. ¡°And maybe that¡¯s why despite all this the uppers already want to meet tomorrow. I mean, in the end, are you really already over your head trauma? We are still worried about you.¡±


    Sam too tried to straighten up. ¡°I just feel really groggy. Weak. But that¡¯s about it.¡±


    Kerry then shook her head with a smile. ¡°You know what, I¡¯m doing it again,¡± she finished with a chuckle. ¡°This ain¡¯t helping no one. Anything you need me to bring you? Or maybe call in the nurse now that you¡¯re up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks,¡± Sam replied with a genuine smile. ¡°You know what? I have so many things to repay you for. The other two as well, but I just don¡¯t know when I will ever be able to do it.¡±


    ¡°Well, we do have time to figure things out,¡± she said with a pat of the bedside. ¡°Glad your procedure went well.¡± She then noticed Sam growing heavy-eyed again, feeling now would be the time to spit out the rest of what was on her mind. ¡°And speaking of, I have to say thanks for what you did out there.¡±


    Sam worked up a chuckle as she settled her head back onto her pillow. ¡°I thought you¡¯d all hate me for ditching you.¡±


    Kerry looked back at her phone subconsciously as she continued: ¡°I hated you at that moment until I realized we were all better off the way things went. Word was everywhere when we got back about the Cloak, not to mention the two war vet pilots you bagged on your own.¡± When she looked back up, she saw Sam starting to drowse off again. ¡°Meds still hanging around, I see.¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay you all back some day,¡± she mumbled as her head tilted the other way.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll take payment in some drinks once this little operation is over,¡± she quipped. And while awaiting a response, she noted Sam falling back asleep. Letting out a weak, nasal chuckle, she went back to her mobile to open up a new message.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Farther down the building, Sebastian arrived at their locker room with the intent to transfer the bag over to Sam¡¯s as so coldly requested. His mind couldn¡¯t stop racing back and forth between what all had happened throughout the day and what Sam just accused him of, causing him to move even slower.


    [How can I even start to get things right again?] he mumbled under his breath, closing his locker door before walking over to hers. [Was I wrong to have ever left? Is she mad because I left for space that day?]


    He clicked open the door mechanism and carefully placed her bag inside at the base underneath her pilot equipment hanging just above. ¡°Hmph,¡± he let a low chuckle slip out as he closed the door back. [I don¡¯t even think she knows I helped take that Cloak down, yet.]


    [It wouldn¡¯t change anything,] he heard Andre¡¯s voice coming from up the hallway. [So. do you always talk to yourself like that?]


    Sebastian shrugged, letting out another chuckle. [I do from time to time. What did you mean, by the way?]


    Andre approached while dejectedly shaking his head, making the bandage over his right eye more apparent. [I tried to tell you way back that you shouldn¡¯t get tied up with girls, man. I find not only Sam¡¯s behavior awfully suspicious lately, but Kerry¡¯s, too.] He then brought his wrist up to glance at his watch. [I could use a drink after all that shit, couldn¡¯t you? We got time if you wanna join.]


    His watch then buzzed as he looked at the incoming message from Kerry. [Wait,] he said as he read the message, then looked to Sebastian. [Hey, did you know Sam was a 1<sup>st</sup> generation pilot?]


    [Huh?] Sebastian returned with genuine puzzlement. [How is that possible for someone who isn¡¯t old enough to be a vet?]


    [Shit¡­] he laughed with a shrug of his shoulders. [It¡¯s the build of her brain; she didn¡¯t need the neural mesh things we have. Hers is a simple upgrade, meaning we are outclassed here and never could tell. Something stinks,] he finished with a frown, turning to the locker Sebastian had closed. [What¡¯s in there?]


    [It¡¯s only her bag. But wait, what¡¯s so suspicious about that?]


    [We all, including you, know the special treatment she keeps getting and she still keeps acting all aloof. Like she can¡¯t see what¡¯s going on. Was she a plant? Is that why only she got the Axiom? Does someone up top have something else going on that we don¡¯t know about? Why stick her on us?] He could now see Sebastian in deeper thought. [You see where I¡¯m going with this? We keep dragging her along like she¡¯s the rookie, but now none of this makes any sense.]


    [I think you are overthinking things,] Sebastian replied, shaking his head, making his way for the exit. [Are you coming for that drink you offered?]


    [Wait, that bag. What¡¯s so special you had to come back all this way to-]


    [-Hey, leave her shit alone, will ya. Let¡¯ go,] Sebastian interrupted with a wave and an irritated scowl.


    Andre didn¡¯t like the snub, but decided now wasn¡¯t a time to push the envelope just for a potentially worthless hunch as he followed along.


    .


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    Sam rolled over, eyes slowly opening through yet another cold sweat. Each time she fell asleep was another flashback, but this time of the cold, belittling glare Isaiah left her with alongside the knife he had her pinned down with. Wiping and rubbing her eyes, she found the strength to get herself upright, looking around to regather her bearings. The room was silent and empty. She looked over to see the time was 5:45 PM. Next to the clock display was the nurse call button, pressing it as she recalled her being supposedly clear to leave.


    I really need to get my head clear. I can¡¯t just lay here all day and expect anything to improve, right?


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    She approached her locker amongst the distant noise of passers by and their conversations, hoping her bag would be there as she attempted to request earlier. With a pull of the handle, a sigh of relief came out, spotting her bag with all the contents she remembered leaving with it. ¡°Ugh, thank God.¡± She then spied other things she left at the club from the night before, bringing back more flashbacks.


    That Revenant guy who tried to kill us¡­ he¡¯s really dead, isn¡¯t he?


    As she put away her mobile and shouldered her bag, she headed for the back exit at a slow, exhausted pace.


    I still barely recall how that all went down. Did I really beat him? And¡­ why was Sebastian there again?


    Rubbing her eyes again with the readjustment to the afternoon sun, she made her way towards the signs that marked the nearest exit gates. Stop, Sam, just focus on clearing your head.


    She reached into her bag pocket to fish out her mobile¡¯s earpiece and affixed it, then proceeded to pull up a playlist from her sync¡¯d audio apps. Normally, the thought of leaving such a secure zone would have her in a fright, but for the first time since arriving on Earth she felt safer in leaving, even if just for a brief minute.


    Right. Revenant is gone. And unlike where we went by the coast last night, Tyrus seems to be in control of this entire part of the city over here. And still no clue who the moles are within these walls.


    And Sebastian pissing me off¡­


    The last thought came as she clutched the still-mysterious communication device she received the night before in her windbreaker pocket. And while that last thought stung, hanging around like a paper cut, it only took another deep breath to refocus and keep moving ahead.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    She made it past the first city block and up to the crosswalk to await the signal. Looking around at her surroundings, things seemed almost welcoming which was surprising given the mess that had been caused so recently. No one was staring back at her from their cars, passersby paid her barely any attention, and their conversations within earshot seemed anything but distressed. She pondered the possibility that it was either due to the locals being used to the recent troubles including the protests, or that Tyrus¡¯ group had a stronger influence than she would have expected.


    The signal changed, and as she casually crossed the wide intersection something about the atmosphere reminded her strongly of Bogot¨¢, a town she initially feared so intensely yet in due time learned so many of its positives before it was too late. She wouldn¡¯t pass up the opportunity this time, either, even though much of the returning imagery brought her thoughts right back to Sebastian.


    Not having noticed how many minutes passed by lost in those complicated thoughts, the aroma of something like seasoned ground beef. And it was a familiar one somehow, not only firmly grabbing her full attention but also her stomach as it started to growl, reminding her of how long it had been since she had a proper meal by now. Her eyes veered over to her right to find a small, quaint, open-air eatery with a simple sign above the walk-up order window. Her eyes then focused on the central word of the sign: ¡°Empanadas¡±.


    She inadvertently let out a surprised gasp as her feet brought her to a sudden halt. What?! Empanadas! I remember those! She of course wasn¡¯t familiar with Vigan Empanadas as the sign had written, but it was good enough for her as things were, especially having no clue what else could have been good without a guide anyway. And the actual purchasing of something was never to be an issue regardless of the country as all countries within the former major alliance spheres never discontinued their use of global credits, and she remembered no problems using them in Colombia.


    And as she happily took her fresh empanada from the attendant, she quickly went to find what looked to be the coziest corner of the outside seating area. Taking her seat, she placed her bag on the table and set her backpack on the floor next to her, now rummaging around for the sports drink bottle she took from the medical bay. As she started to remove the bottle, she sensed someone approaching, pausing out of caution.


    ¡°We were wondering when you would leave,¡± the familiar young female voice spoke in a warm, greeting fashion.


    Wow¡­ Of course, she thought as she let out a sigh that tapered off into a mild chuckle. ¡°You scared me.¡± She put her bottle on the table next to her empanada bag and looked the woman in the eye, watching her sit down across from her. ¡°You sure seem to follow me around a lot. Can I by chance get your name?¡± she asked in a lower voice, never truly able to fully let her guard down.


    ¡°Tricky,¡± she answered succinctly with a smile matching her aura. ¡°Please, don¡¯t mind me for now. Go ahead and eat,¡± she continued with her hand extended toward the bag.

 "Tricky" Situations

    Sam returned the gesture with an awkward grumble, suddenly unable to look her in the eye. ¡°Um, I planned on doing that, but, well¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You need to eat, and besides, we have eyes outside,¡± Tricky responded in a manner she hoped would lighten the mood, pulling a canned coffee drink from her own bag. As she cracked it open and took a sip, she then looked at Sam once more with the same gesture once more. ¡°I need a break, too. Please.¡±


    Sam shrugged, feeling she had no choice. But then again, she did buy it with the intent to eat. ¡°Well, thanks, I guess,¡± she mumbled with a cautious smile as she pulled out the wrapped empanada from the bag. As she opened the top of the wrapper, the smell that lured her in struck her full swing this time, finding herself now thoughtlessly digging in.


    ¡°You seem to know what to buy,¡± Tricky continued with a chuckle after another long sip from her coffee. ¡°Do you know about our food already?¡±


    Sam finished chewing and swallowing before looking through what she started eating. ¡°I ate these in Colombia earlier this summer. I saw the word and recognized the smell, kind of. But these are still pretty different.¡± And without further thought, she couldn¡¯t help but chow down. She was now feeling her hunger hit even harder, and the savory treat¡¯s taste and aroma were more than welcoming.


    And the small talk continued until she was done with her brief but thoroughly enjoyed meal, leading Tricky to invite her to follow alongside her somewhere. They made it several blocks down and away from Infinity¡¯s HQ before their stroll took them to a busy intersection with several cars lined up along the sidewalk.


    Tricky motioned Sam her toward a newer, relatively expensive-looking sedan. And as she hopped in first, she continued motioning her to climb in.


    Sam had her fair share of involuntary rides since her arrival on Earth, but this one was the nicest yet. The younger driver herself was well dressed, matching the still-new car smell and upscale interior. And as more small talk continued, she managed to find peace with the situation as their brief drive took them through rapidly narrowing streets and to a series of apartment buildings.


    And after following Tricky up a few flights of stairs, she passed through a door that was horribly similar to the heavy doors she passed through when Devin had her held hostage, if that was the proper terminology.


    But before her senses could give her the wrong vibes, Tricky calmly spoke with an abrupt change in subject: ¡°We need to have a more¡­ business-like talk, now.¡±


    Sam chuckled with another shrug of her shoulder. ¡°Of course, I sensed this had to be what was up all along. Sure, I mean,¡± she huffed, crossing her arms lightly. ¡°The list is long. I do owe a lot of people these days including you all.¡± She continued following Tricky to a table where the two sat down. They were the only two there other than the couple of guards at the heavy set of doors down the hall.


    ¡°So,¡± Tricky cleared her throat as she leaned forward, elbows on the table. ¡°As you can tell, we have to stay hidden. We use many¡­ layers of shields to keep us safe and this floor has no communications in or out. And the whole ride here was scrambled as well, so no one knows we even drove here.¡±


    And that is supposed to make me feel comfortable? Sam thought as she started to grow more uncomfortable, shifting in her seat. But then again, I would hate to have been tracked on my way out of HQ, now that I think about how much of a dumb-ass I was for just walking out. Ugh.


    ¡°And that leaves me with, well, messages from Tyrus himself.¡±


    Again? What¡¯s with their recent obsession? She tried to think about the last exchange she shared with Tyrus, but things were still foggy.


    ¡°He first has an offer for you, and then he also needs us to explain our situation to you, and we promise to keep it short.¡±


    Sam¡¯s brow raised. ¡°We? Who is we?¡±


    Tricky turned to look at her watch. ¡°He¡¯s coming soon. We were a bit early.¡± She then looked back at Sam. ¡°Before that, I also need to tell you something personal. That old man, Mr. Ongoco. I know you have seen the news.¡±


    She knew of no such name, but hearing the words ¡°old man¡± come from her lips instantly brought back the memories of that night¡¯s assassination she witnessed. The onset brought shivers up her spine, unable to answer with anything.


    ¡°That night I met you in person for the first time.¡± Tricky¡¯s voice started to lower, as did her chin. ¡°Enough people saw what happened. We know it wasn¡¯t Hexa, and the witnesses were probably supposed to have died, too, that night. But Mr. Ongoco¡¯s death, while we are very sad,¡± she now spoke with her chin back up. ¡°It gave us new spirit in our fight. We saw who the real threat is this time.¡±


    ¡°Rex,¡± Sam uttered unintentionally, realizing what she said and immediately looked away, unsure if that was something better not to have said.


    ¡°Rex is using the wrong people for the wrong purpose,¡± Tricky responded in affirmation of Sam¡¯s assumption. ¡°But it¡¯s also Tyrus who says the same. We are tired of being used.¡± She then pulled her long, dark brown hair from her forehead, revealing scars from a wound that ran down from near her temple down to her ear, showing a piece of her ear missing. ¡°We are tired of being weapons.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    My God, what happened to her and why?


    Tricky continued in earnest: ¡°We stopped fighting our own people because they were never the enemy in the beginning. It¡¯s not the police we will fight anymore, it¡¯s not the government anymore, it¡¯s foreigners with bad interests.¡±


    Sam then remembered the most recent protests being protected by Hexa and the police, which was the complete opposite from what she had heard stories of. ¡°Then, what was that car bomb?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think pays for those men? The ones we aren¡¯t even sure if they are our countrymen? They are here to try to change our minds and change who we fight.¡±


    Sebastian¡¯s sentiments then echoed through Sam¡¯s head, remembering too many stories of the Rocha and their tactics. The name Rex then surfaced even stronger, now assuming a complete, perfect connection between the two countries. But why else would she tell me all of this if she¡¯s not like the others? Are they still trying to reel me in? She let out a heavy sigh in deeper thought, hesitating before eventually replying. ¡°Well, what can I do? I¡¯m not a fighter, and I am not going to leave Hexa. I can¡¯t just abandon certain people.¡±


    The doors through which they entered opened once more, and as Sam turned to see who arrived, she was nowhere near expecting to see Devin walk through.


    The moment she saw him, thoughts of Kerry were quickly washed over by the frights experienced the night she last saw him. Walking away from him led her to that deadly confrontation, including all the flashbacks she tried so hard to keep at bay. All the pain, agony, blood, and blinding panic. She knew it wasn¡¯t his fault, but the correlation still strongly lingered.


    A hand on her shoulder made her realize she had zoned out again during that recollection, pulling her back into reality and looking up to see Devin looking back with concern. It was that sincerity she remembered seeing in his eyes, too, that helped pull her back. ¡°Hey, Sam. Sorry you had to go through all of that, but damn am I glad to see you still breathing.¡±


    She diffidently shrugged with a nod, taking in a breath. ¡°Kerry¡¯s still worried sick. Why are you here risking yourself?¡±


    ¡°I have you to thank for a lot, it seems,¡± he continued as he took a seat at the table, dodging her second comment. ¡°Look, before I get into the nitty gritty, I did see the files on your little encounter with Rush and his buddy. Had that ambush pulled in on the three of you before taking those two down, you¡¯d all be done for. No Kerry to worry about me if she¡¯s been wiped.¡± He then leaned in similarly to Tricky with a comforting smile. ¡°You don¡¯t know how much everyone owes you, Sam. You even did all of the heavy lifting for us without any collateral. Not a single non-vacant building hit, and our people have taken notice.¡±


    It hit her. She hadn¡¯t been thanked like this before from so many people in one day. And in deeper honesty with herself, she realized she hadn¡¯t been thanked for much of anything from anyone with any trace of sincerity, leaving her to respond with another sheepish, awkward shrug.


    ¡°But here¡¯s the word I had to bring you from Tyrus,¡± he spoke now with a heavier tone. ¡°I couldn¡¯t just sit back and leave you strictly with people who haven¡¯t gotten to know you at all. Anyway,¡± he said as he straightened up in his seat. ¡°Tyrus first wanted me to ask if you want safe exit from the country.¡±


    Exit?! I could go home?!


    Devin gave her time to respond, sensing the cloud kicked up.


    But¡­ but¡­ wait¡­


    ¡°Sam, your father is flying in tomorrow.¡±


    He had her sudden, full attention with that. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°He, uhh, will be great for securing you maximum safe passage since his security team is uncrackable, you know?¡±


    Sam still couldn¡¯t shake her confusion. ¡°Why? Why is he coming here?!¡±


    ¡°Well, to get you home, why else?¡± Devin responded with his own shrug.


    D¨¦j¨¤ vu. She didn¡¯t even have to stop to recollect that experience twice encountered. ¡°No. I¡¯m not done deciding yet.¡± Right? I can¡¯t just¡­ leave! She thought as her head began to shake in disbelief. Thoughts of the Cloaks, the setups, Revenant¡¯s face¡­ Isaiah¡¯s glare. The last one had her shivering again.


    Devin pursed his lips as if holding something back, but moved them again to speak with difficulty: ¡°Sam, I got to view so much more than that fight you had. I got everything on, well, you. Who you really are.¡±


    She paused, slowly looking back up at him. ¡°What do you mean? And what does that have to do with me being offered to leave? I still don¡¯t get that or-¡±


    Devin shook his head. ¡°Damn it, Sam, no file on record Earth-side had you originally listed as a ¡®Gen One¡¯ pilot, much less with a FL-1 network implant.¡±


    Sam paused once more, but this time in genuine befuddlement. ¡°Wait, I knew I was ¡®gen one¡¯, but what¡¯s the big deal about an FL-1? Why¡¯s it any different from other neural mesh networks for any other ¡®gen one¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the difference either until Tyrus told us. It¡¯s still yet to become public knowledge; FL-1 implants were reserved for the compatible pilots only. They ended up being the platform for which the monstrosity called Antares was designed around.¡±


    What?! How did I never hear of this?! Does that mean Dad knew all this time- even before I got my network implant?!


    ¡°You ran for almost half an hour on maximum settings whereas anyone else would¡¯ve melted their brains long before.¡± He sensed the confusion growing into shock, but before letting her respond, he drove another fact in to worsen the tension. ¡°You aren¡¯t just a pilot, Sam. You are cut of the same cloth as Harbingers; not by blood but by design. Just like your father¡­ and your brother.¡± He saw the shock turn to panic, knowing he hit it on the head. ¡°Am I right? Is that why you can¡¯t leave?¡±


    Sam was hit by something so unexpected she began to feel faint as her heart began to beat out of her chest. She couldn¡¯t even think straight as the mixture of Isaiah¡¯s glare mixed with the world somehow finding out and exposing her for the secrets she had been withholding.


    How the fuck did they find out!?


    She then heard Devin¡¯s voice slowly pull her back to reality, followed by another concerned hand taking a hold of her shoulder.


    ¡°Sam¡­ Sam? You okay? Just what in the hell did Reaper put you through?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t believe her ears anymore, still paralyzed by the fact they somehow knew and seemed to have proof beyond any possible deception. She didn¡¯t even really fully understand why it had to be kept from everyone¡¯s knowledge-


    Sebastian! He¡¯s the only one I ever told!


    But before her mind could play tricks on her and superimpose his image over some sort of foul play, Devin continued with another nudge of his hand: ¡°Sam! Listen!¡±


    She finally fixated her eyes on his, deciding to try and calm down and slow her breathing down. ¡°How did you know? Who told you?¡±

 "Tricky" Situations, Part 2

    ¡°Sam,¡± he spoke back as he pulled his hand away. ¡°Only three of us know. Tyrus, myself, and Tricky here. We just found out this afternoon.¡± He then sat back in his seat, taking in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he gave her a chance to settle in. ¡°It was a message Tricky intercepted while she watched over your scuffle with Revenant. Revenant had¡­ called out to Reaper not too long after, swearing to kill his sister right then and there. Well, that was obviously in reference to you, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    He watched her head slowly droop downward in realization, now as if staring through the table. ¡°This is why Tyrus wants you to have that offer on the table. Reaper, or should I say, your brother Isaiah Knight is no one to ever come face to face with on the battlefield. We¡¯ve already gotten so much from you as is, so we could never ask this of you in addition to all of that and still call ourselves human.¡±


    Sam had faced him before, twice; once in Sebastian¡¯s Ap50, and once with him inches away. She flashed back again through those memories, still unable to bring up those experiences through words which remained a heavy lump deep down in her gut.


    ¡°Listen, Sam,¡± Tricky joined in as she rested her hands on the table. ¡°We say this because it is very, very difficult to track or trace Reaper, but we can tell he is moving big, and moving very soon. Even Rex has lost control of him lately, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Is he after me?¡± Sam inadvertently blurted out through a murmur aimed at her still-crossed arms.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Devin responded, taking another breath as he treaded around the conversation carefully. ¡°He¡¯s a slippery guy even for the Underground. Most of us speak openly and that¡¯s how we always react so quickly to each other and move so quickly, but that bastard does everything the old-world way¡­ analog. It makes him damn near impossible to track, even when his accomplices slip up like Revenant did so many times lately. All it does is expose that one individual, not the head of the pack.¡±


    There was a long silence ensuing that last comment. The air remained heavy, and Devin and Tricky remained patient, awaiting Sam¡¯s response.


    Her head finally picked up a few inches, enough to speak more clearly. ¡°What if I don¡¯t return? What is Tyrus¡¯ other message?¡±


    Devin shook his head, amazed and in disapproval. ¡°Sam, you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up against if you stay,¡± he huffed.


    ¡°What is his other message?¡± she insisted flatly.


    ¡°The message was only for if you decided to stay,¡± Tricky answered for Devin as he leaned back in his chair, eyes closed in disbelief. ¡°He wants you to know that if you stay, you must remain with Infinity. You and your mech are a must-have combination, and we fear the worst coming from outside forces sometime soon next week.¡±


    Sam found some focus for a change, realizing Tricky was going on about something she had been pondering for a good while but never stopped to ask. I do need to ask what the hell is going on.  ¡°Who is coming? More foreigner pilots and soldiers?¡±


    ¡°No. China is coming to take us again.¡±


    China?! What? Why?!


    ¡°I got it from here, thanks,¡± Devin leaned back forward again, nodding to Tricky. ¡°Tyrus has us on the best path to putting us people back in charge of our country, meaning we will take the long road to recovery but it¡¯s the one we chose. One we can use to wash out a lot of the corruption that set in over the past decade. It¡¯s unclear exactly who tried to involve the NAU in the transition, maybe for the corruption clearing to be by force, but now we have intel saying either Rex or his now-uncontrollable Reaper is bringing in China instead.¡± He sighed, pausing to collect his thoughts. ¡°Meaning it would likely be a move to restore the former China-Sphere Alliance,¡± he concluded in a heavy tone.


    ¡°The Alliances of the Confederacy¡­¡± Sam mumbled as hearing that alliance brought up things she picked up in her old history courses. The Philippines to the China-Sphere, Bangladesh to the IndoPakistan-Sphere, Colombia¡­ it¡¯s already the SAU in name but not in actual form¡­ or is it about to be? Her fists balled up as she bit down in frustration. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± She now looked up at Devin, continuing: ¡°Isaiah would never fight to restore the old Confederacy after fighting in the last war! Why would he do this?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just him or Rex who thinks so,¡± he replied, shaking his head. ¡°He has a group behind him who wants our country to be washed of not just the built-up corruption but also our economic disaster that has become of our country¡¯s finances.¡± Sam could see the frustration pent up in Devin¡¯s aura as he kept on: ¡°It¡¯s the only reason we¡¯ve had any real unrest the past months. Someone has them believing the best way is through joining in on the rebuilding of the old China-Sphere and bring back what they all say will be an instant return to the stability of that era. But no one with a sane mind knows it¡¯s not that easy.¡±


    Sam still couldn¡¯t add up how any of that would give cause for Isaiah to join what she felt may be nothing more than some pro-Confederacy extremist group.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because maybe your brother is answering the call for old war pilots to restore the world in general, not just the Confederacy,¡± Tricky added calmly. ¡°We are only worried about our country and we say to hell with China, but maybe Reaper¡¯s moves are not about the China-Sphere but about his place in life¡­ maybe?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Devin¡¯s expression hinted he was about to say something he would regret, but spoke anyway: ¡°They say both wars created pilots who can only see the next mission, the next operation. Maybe your brother is hoping to create the ultimate ¡®next mission¡¯, even. Who knows.¡±


    ¡°Then I have to stop him,¡± Sam¡¯s lips slipped again, immediately feeling a sense of regret kick in.


    Tricky, unlike Devin, let out a confident smirk. ¡°Then, that means you will stay and join Infinity in our fight, together.¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Tricky-¡± he spoke in an attempt to prevent her from egging on Sam¡¯s rash decision before being cut off.


    ¡°-We only stand a chance because Hexa is helping us stand up for what we know is right for us,¡± she spoke back with a growing frown of disagreement. ¡°Why would y-¡±


    Devin wasn¡¯t going to sit back this time as he interrupted back: ¡°-She didn¡¯t ask to get involved, before you ask, that¡¯s why! I always kept things as a set of choices between me and her because she deserves that choice, right?!¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Sam spat out, putting her face in her hands a moment before continuing, having their attention. ¡°I get the situation, and just like with my friends back at base I also owe both of you for me being alive and able to argue with someone like this.¡± She pulled her face back up and let out a huff. ¡°Let me speak to Tyrus and I will give my final decision.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Tricky flatly replied. ¡°With Reaper possibly going rogue and on the move, Tyrus must stay low. They aren¡¯t friends, you know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s OK,¡± Devin spoke with a hand up. ¡°Sam, go take your time and think it over. Talk it out with Kerry if you have to, but think this one over long and hard tonight. You know how to get back in touch with Tricky here once you make up your mind.¡±


    Oh my God, all these ultimatums¡­ one after another, Sam thought as she closed her eyes. Doesn¡¯t help to call it a choice when¡­ ugh¡­ what am I doing- I can¡¯t keep this whole solo act. Who was I kidding? I do need my friends right about now.


    Sam then felt her head starting to throb and ache as her meds finished wearing off. She had forgotten to think that there could be something painful to go with her trauma, making it that much harder to continue in thought. ¡°Alright, I really need to get back to base and see about something for this headache I feel coming on.¡± She now felt the bandage-covered micro-incision site at the base of her head and neck joint as she rubbed around that area. ¡°Not like I can do anything anyway. I¡¯m inactive until the doctors clear me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s wrap this meeting up. It has been a long time,¡± Tricky spoke in agreement with the direction the conversation was headed.


    ¡°Yes, please do so, and thanks for coming all this way, Sam,¡± Devin, who had calmed down significantly, replied with his signature sincerity. ¡°I¡¯m glad you hung in there. Tell Kerry hey for me, and to keep waiting for me- oh, and keep watch over her for me, too!¡±


    .


    .


    .


    .


    The street lights farther towards down town were fully lit, mixed in with the surrounding building lights near a shopping area less crowded than usual. The masses had been apprehensive lately with the LTAC scuffles spilling into the streets two days in a row, but something in the air had everyone sensing they had already seen the worst of it.


    The quaint shopping area was situated very near to Infinity¡¯s HQ, being only approximately ten minutes away by foot. Most employees and crewmen frequented the area, and security systems were extended up to that point for better surveillance while members were off duty.


    Inside the pub at the back corner of the center, Sebastian was seated next to Andre and across from Kerry, all on their mobiles. A variety of empty glasses and mugs were spread across the table, and silence befell most of the empty interior as it was still a bit early for the usual patrons. It was a heavier silence, however.


    And with a matching, heavy sigh, Andre was the first to break what seemed to be quite the long pause in conversation: ¡°So, I guess it has to be me to address the elephant in the room, huh.¡± He paid no attention to the looks he received from the other two, placing his mobile on the table and leaned back. ¡°We¡¯re all beat, dragged out, drinking at this time of day thinking about what the fuck to do with our down time whilst the true source of our problems sits in bed with top priority treatment.¡± That last comment drew ire, but he remained unfazed. ¡°I promised myself to wait until this last leg was over, but I don¡¯t know if I can anymore- I mean, is it just me that thinks that finishing the last portion of our contract may not be worth it?¡±


    ¡°Andre, really?¡± Kerry huffed, turning off her mobile screen and folding her arms. ¡°And here I was biting my tongue about your attitude since we got here, but guess that¡¯s off the table now.¡±


    Andre chuckled in disbelief. ¡°Wow. You two really are in something together, then, am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°Andre!¡± Kerry fussed back, rolling her eyes. ¡°You were all over the idea for Sam¡¯s exfil and now you despise her all the sudden? Listen to yourself! We came here to relax and you¡¯re still on one! You tell me why we have to be changing our attitudes so suddenly!¡±


    ¡°Of course, you aren¡¯t willing to hear me out properly,¡± he mumbled with a shaking of his head in return. ¡°I said,¡± he now spoke more emphatically. ¡°Maybe the rest of the contract isn¡¯t worth it! And I said that she¡¯s the cause of this mess! That¡¯s why we went out on that suicidal exfil op that did almost get us killed because of shit I got no clue about. But whatever it is, it follows her, clearly, and that¡¯s regardless of how much we care to help watch each other¡¯s backs,¡± he finished as he calmed himself back down.


    Kerry held her response, realizing what he was getting at.


    Sebastian chimed in directly after, however. ¡°Andre is right, we have to be more careful and think again about our situation.¡±


    ¡°Well, so much for the relaxing part,¡± Kerry replied as she leaned in with one side of her lips curled up. ¡°Alright, what is our situation, then?¡±


    Sebastian had been mulling over the idea night after night his reluctance to speak his mind more often, always afraid to cause more trouble than its worth. He had long felt like the black sheep of the group, completely out of his element, but this was the path he had to be on. It was getting to be too late to revert to his original way of taking each situation by the horns, and something made him feel like now was perhaps his last shot, even though Sam wasn¡¯t around.


    He slowly breathed out, collecting his final thoughts before starting: ¡°Please forgive me for speaking slowly, but¡­ I have had a long time to think about things- especially when I was in Space. And¡­ Andre is having the correct thoughts.¡± He took a few more moments to gather his words, seeing he had drawn their attention. ¡°Sam¡­ she survived as the only pilot from the first drop in my home country this summer. Now she survives not just one but two Cloaks, Cloaks who easily killed so many, including my brothers. And now to see that¡­ there are so many trying to follow her and then we see so much special treatment for her¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean you think there is some hidden plot here?¡± Andre interrupted casually.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sebastian shrugged. ¡°But I think from how her father spoke-¡±


    ¡°-You met Mr. Knight, too!?¡± Kerry also interrupted, shocked.


    ¡°Yes, I did. And I met her mother, too,¡± he continued as his voice tapered off. ¡°Very short visit, but Sam doesn¡¯t know who she is. Everyone else knows, even the Underground knows, but she doesn¡¯t¡­ and I am afraid that, well, while we do not know her really, either... I feel that we are not supposed to know. That¡¯s what has me worried.¡± After a long, heavy silence, he finished the last of his thoughts. ¡°And it has me scared for her. I can¡¯t leave her, but I can¡¯t follow blind, either.¡±


    ¡°Aloof,¡± Kerry huffed. ¡°That¡¯s been the word to describe her in every aspect. I wish we all had the privilege to be such,¡± she admitted openly that she had been harboring such feelings after all, and not just the others. ¡°Well, what do we do in moving forward, then? I think she¡¯ll be waking up soon.¡±


    Her mobile then began to buzz with the incoming call signal marked "Sam", bringing about an awkward, panicked pause from each of them.

 "Tricky" Situations, Part 3

    Her mobile then began to buzz with the incoming call signal marked ¡°Sam¡±, bringing about an awkward, panicked pause from each of them. But she refused to let it ring much longer, picking it up: ¡°Hey, how you feeling? The meds finally wore off?¡± she greeted, shedding the hesitation she originally had from her voice. Sam spoke back, albeit inaudibly to the ears of Sebastian and Andre. ¡°Figured so, but no, wait there,¡± she continued, looking over to the guys as if preparing to measure their upcoming reactions. ¡°I¡¯ll come to you.


    ¡°What?!¡± Andre¡¯s eyes messaged to Kerry as he sat up.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Kerry responded once more to Sam before hanging up. ¡°I¡¯ll go see what¡¯s up,¡± she said with a sigh, grabbing her messenger bag as she stood up.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Andre laughed in disbelief. ¡°Hold up, Kerry, what the fuck? We just agreed clearly that we are to start being suspicious of Sam, did we not?¡±


    ¡°Huh?! No, if anyone that was you,¡± Kerry retorted, pulling up her part of the tab on her mobile to pay before leaving. ¡°I agreed that there¡¯s more to her story and the circumstances seem fishy, but never said I was about to start doubting her- I mean, who the hell said she¡¯s doing anything on purpose? Like she was planning all this shit?¡± she huffed, turning to walk out.


    Sebastian sighed uncomfortable, burying his face into his elbow-propped hand as Andre got up to follow Kerry out.


    ¡°No-no-no, you can¡¯t just act like we didn¡¯t start finally figuring shit out, huh?!¡± Andre fussed, hands up. ¡°What, are you planning to keep the same ball rolling? Let it go- Let her go before the remaining Cloak and his crew come busting in!¡±


    ¡°Leave, then,¡± Kerry snapped, turning to face him. ¡°Cuz¡¯ this is the kind of toxic shit that would bring us apart anyway-¡±


    ¡°-The fuck you talkin¡¯ about-¡±


    ¡°-I see your true colors,¡± Kerry chided. ¡°You¡¯re chickening out again and this time blaming it on shit Sam can¡¯t even control no matter how fishy you think everything else might be.¡±


    ¡°What, so you¡¯re against me now?¡± Andre chided back but with much more stinging sincerity. ¡°You know, you¡¯ve been awfully suspicious, too, ever since we got Sam back, anyway. Did y¡¯all get involved in some side shit I don¡¯t know of?¡±


    ¡°The fuck you goin¡¯ on about?!¡± Kerry laughed, shaking her head and turning to leave once more with a wave. ¡°You know wha- don¡¯t even worry about it, Andre. You just keep doing you!¡±


    Sebastian could tell it was perhaps the alcohol that fueled Kerry¡¯s and Andre¡¯s uncharacteristic outbursts, having by now been used to these types of moments being more comical and not this heavy. He knew just as well it was best to let it defuse on its own, electing to remain quiet.


    Exasperated, Andre turned around to fuss: [Bro, you just going to sit there?]


    [Please. Don¡¯t ask me,] Sebastian tried his best to respond in a calmly manner, keeping his eyes over his mug. [I said what had to be said because we all need to know certain things.] A brief, heavy pause fell between statements. [We can¡¯t afford this infighting.]


    Andre thought to reply otherwise, but decided it wasn¡¯t worth further emotional investment. [You¡¯re right. We can¡¯t.] He saw Sebastian look up at him as if expecting him to cave. [But that won¡¯t be my problem anymore. It¡¯s set; I¡¯m out,] he huffed, turning to leave. [And I already paid. You all do what you want from here on out.]


    Sebastian, feeling a mixture of betrayal and surprise, struggled to keep his mouth shut. [Really¡­] he mumbled under his breath, shaking his head as he stared down at the table once more. [How did everything spiral out of control so fast?] It felt so distant the last time he could communicate openly and freely as he always had with his team back home, never afraid to express his opinions. He missed the shoulder his brother and sister always had despite their quarrels. And now, all of the sudden, he missed Sam by his side, there to listen to his troubles.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    He reached over to order another beer, preparing to potentially spend the rest of the night by himself.


    .


    .


    He didn¡¯t realize that there was another sitting alone at the bar counter, back facing him.


    Marian wore a hoodie with the hood itself only half pulled up the back of her head, hair tucked in as to avoid looking like she was trying to hide something. She held her mobile in hand, casually inputting a message that read: ¡°Party is splitting. I have got a lot to report. Moving soon.¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sam and Kerry had met up between HQ and the bar, and Sam finally had her opportunity to somewhat return a favor by letting Kerry choose the food vendor she had been wanting to stop by since returning. Sam wasn¡¯t sure what the banana-looking item was handed to her, but being she wasn¡¯t that hungry after eating earlier and that this was just fruit more or less, it couldn¡¯t be that bad.


    ¡°What¡¯s this called again?¡± Sam asked, holding it up once more under closer inspection as they headed down the hallway for their dorm.


    ¡°Turon,¡± Kerry answered with a mouth half-full. ¡°These are better with ice cream, but I don¡¯t think I have the space for it, either.¡± She laughed at the sight of Sam still being cautious and hesitant. ¡°Damn, Sam. You already braved something earlier, and this is way simpler I¡¯d bet.¡±


    Sam gave in, taking a crunchy bite through the fried, brown-sugar coated exterior to find it was as described. ¡°Not bad.¡±


    The two passed through the final connection hallway and into their dorm, finding conditions were just as nice as their Singapore dorm looked. ¡°So, here we are again,¡± Kerry sighed.


    Sam reflected once more on the notion her and Devin¡¯s apartment was off-limits for who knows how long. She even pondered for a moment the possibility it had already been ransacked for all she knew. ¡°Are we really going to be safe to talk here, though?¡±


    ¡°Only so many moles here, and we weren¡¯t even scheduled to stay here until just now,¡± Kerry calmly replied as she took a seat on one of the beds. ¡°Here,¡± she spoke with a suggestive pat of the empty spot next to her.


    Sam took another bite before placing the wrapper and her tea down on the bedside stand, brushing her fingers off and taking a seat. Kerry scooted closer, now with her legs firmly pressed against hers. By doing so had Sam at peak awkwardness, afraid to react as things were, but she also noticed Kerry was quite at ease.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what level of audio detection is in the hallways or even in this room,¡± she spoke in a whisper as her head leaned in, cheek gently resting on her shoulder as her loose locs fell and rubbed against her back.


    Oh. Of course. Sam played off her uneasiness, acting casual and returned a whisper: ¡°So, yeah, listen.¡± She now returned the communication effort with her head leaning against hers now. ¡°I met with Devin, and that girl, too.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± Kerry answered back with suppressed emotions.


    ¡°Yeah, I had to sneak out and breathe a bit¡­ and they caught up with me along the way. He was still worried to death about you¡­ still sorry about making you wait under these circumstances.¡±


    ¡°What is he doing- I mean, how involved is he, still?¡±


    ¡°He came to see me on his own accord, seeing he¡¯s still in hiding. I think he knew his risks but I think that¡¯s the last we see him until the last of the shit hits the fan.¡±


    Kerry¡¯s next line quickly grew sullen: ¡°The last Cloak is coming, isn¡¯t he.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sam sighed. She felt the fear, concern, and uneasiness exuding from her so much that Sam had completely forgotten her own uneasiness from earlier. She had forgotten to think how much of an emotional roller coaster this had also been for Kerry as well, feeling the hints of desire to return the emotional support she was always one to receive. ¡°You know, he really is a good guy. He¡¯s just stuck between a rock and a hard place¡­ But don¡¯t get him wrong. He¡¯s doing what he can behind the scenes for you. And me, too.¡±


    It was over the next seconds that took Sam by surprise as she felt Kerry¡¯s arms wrap around the front and backsides of her waist, hugging firmly as she grew closer. ¡°I¡¯m still losing everyone else around me, Sam. I feel like a Devin I can¡¯t see might be the only one I have left.¡±


    ¡°Kerry, what are you talking about?¡± Sam tried to keep the mood light, awkwardly putting her hand over and across her opposite shoulder.


    ¡°We got word that your dad is coming. You¡¯re going home, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Well¡­ shit¡­ she already knows¡­


    ¡°Kerry¡­¡± Sam spoke through her continued whisper while her mind raced.

 Holding Onto What You Have

    ¡°Kerry¡­¡± Sam spoke through her continued whisper while her mind raced. I thought I smelled alcohol on her, but that just means she¡¯s being overly open with me. She can¡¯t be just acting vulnerable, right?


    And then she realized this hearkens back to what Devin said to her. Maybe having such a person genuinely confiding in her is something she could only feel if she truly felt she was where she needed to be. Her arm squeezed Kerry a little more tightly.


    ¡°No, I never planned on going home,¡± she warmly replied. ¡°I¡¯m doing this thing as long as I can, and especially not while you two are so close to finishing out.¡± She then felt Kerry¡¯s cheek move around a bit, followed by a sniffle. A warm tear then rolled onto the exposed skin of her shoulder, further tugging at her rarely-pulled heart strings. ¡°Kerry, what happened while I was out?¡±


    ¡°I feel like everyone¡¯s starting to turn on us,¡± Kerry answered with another sniffle.


    Turn on us?! ¡°Who? Andre?¡±


    ¡°Andre is trying to turn Sebastian, too,¡± she continued.


    Sebastian?! He wouldn¡¯t, would he?!


    ¡°I can¡¯t even get a hold of Ms. Norris¡­ it¡¯s like she disappeared all of the sudden. And when I heard your dad was coming, I was sure it meant you were leaving, too,¡± Kerry finished as she tried to pick herself back up.


    Sam¡¯s eyes narrowed upon further thought into her announcement. Andre was acting suspicious with good reason, but I see what¡¯s got her so fraught. If he¡¯s turning tail and Norris is- ¡­ wait! She remembered the picture she saw of her and Sebastian. But I can¡¯t ask about that right now! But what if there¡¯s some weird correlation here? She shows up on a picture but is now¡­ gone?


    Sam cleared her throat. ¡°No, like I said, I am staying.¡± And she heard and felt Kerry breathe a bit easier just then. ¡°But we can¡¯t worry about the others. We have too much at stake to do anything other than stick to our goals, right?¡± She then gave Kerry¡¯s shoulder a reassuring rub. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear about that thing with Ms. Norris¡­¡±


    And I can¡¯t ask her about that¡­ thing with her and Sebastian now, can I¡­


    ¡°¡­But don¡¯t worry about the guys. I got your back no matter what this is that¡¯s coming for us this coming week.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Kerry humbly whispered after a slowed breath.


    Sam felt it again with that word. But as she started thinking up how to respond further, Kerry eased up her grip and started sitting up straight, clearing her nose with one last sniffle. ¡°It just hit me. Isn¡¯t it stupid we have to whisper like this? How many moles do you think are within these walls?¡±


    ¡°No telling,¡± Sam sighed, stretching her back. ¡°But let¡¯s give that a rest. We got time to talk over more of whatever you want in the morning, and I know you haven¡¯t been sleeping,¡± she now spoke in her usual voice and a weak smile, looking back at her over her shoulder. She saw Kerry had leaned herself into the corner, head fit snugly in place as if to sleep there as she lay. ¡°No no,¡± she laughed, standing up to guide her to a more proper sleeping position. All the while, she couldn¡¯t help but feel what must have Kerry so distraught.


    She can¡¯t see her fianc¨¦, she can¡¯t get a hold of Norris, Andre acting out, and now I realize she hasn¡¯t slept in ages because she had forgone that whole night for saving me.


    She stepped back to pull the covers over her as Kerry started turning to her side, facing the wall with her breathing much more at ease.


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    I don¡¯t know what else I can do for her other than at least be here for her. Her mind then turned to Sebastian once more as she backed away to sit on her bed just across the way. Sebastian, the only other individual she had felt so inclined to stick around for throughout her journey.


    Should I try to call him?


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sebastian walked briskly but with hushed footsteps alongside the alley¡¯s walls just behind the bar from which he left, eyes locked straight ahead on a figure approximately ten meters in front. He felt a vibration coming from his watch, knowing it was an incoming call. Without looking, he reached over to click a command that would decline the call, never releasing his eyes from who he was following.


    And just as the figure passed under a street light, he caught glimpse of a few locks of red hair that had escaped the hood they had over their head. His eyes narrowed, now confirming the figure had to be a woman. And as she turned the corner near the crosswalk at the upcoming intersection, he took the chance to pick up the pace and close in. But when he turned the corner, he saw nearly empty sidewalks ahead amongst several passing cars. He scanned the opposite end of the street to only find differently clothed men walking in a group, chatting loudly amongst themselves.


    He bit down, knowing he likely lost his target. He checked to see if there were any alleys or open doors near that corner, only to find nothing but locked and barred doors to that corner building. Huffing in defeat, he leaned against the wall and pulled his mobile from his pocket. He swiped away the missed call from Sam and brought up his notebook app, writing down: [Red hair, female, alone at the bar just across from us. Never saw face. Entered after us, left at the same time. Came alone, left alone, disappeared.]


    [Just as I started suspecting lately. This place must be crawling with ears¡­ and my guts tell me HQ isn¡¯t any safer.] But he had nowhere else to go as things turned out, electing to head back to headquarters. [It¡¯s times like this when I wish I had my brother and sister to lean on.] His thoughts were deliberate, trying to keep the desire to turn back to Sam for comfort, still feeling as if the sudden and unexplained dug-out, cold ravine still existed between them. The struggle, however, would continue all the way to the front entrance as he started humming a tune. This time, however, the tune was not his usual melancholy selection that he lately had shared with Sam, but rather heavy, seemingly defeated.


    It was the song he overheard someone listening to, back during his visit to Akkadia One. The song seemed to stick to how things had become and never let go since then. And with no more than half a minute passing, the lyrics that he understood had tied his thoughts back to her, unrelenting.


    He tapped his watch to bring up the call function, finger hovering over the dial command for a few hesitating moments. He withdrew it, instead swiping over to the message function. He brought up the keyboard overlay and instead typed: ¡°I hope you recovered well after the surgery. Please call me after you rest. Good night.¡± He then swiped it all away, letting out a long, heavy breath as he slowed his pace as if to try and enjoy the peaceful air for a change.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sam had stared at her response to Sebastian¡¯s message that read: ¡°Thanks. I am doing much better. And, sure, I will tomorrow before the meeting. Good night,¡± and was posted fifteen minutes after receiving. And going by her screen clock, over ten minutes had passed. Unlike her peers, the glow from her mobile revealed far-less pronounced bags under her eyes, but yet a deep, undeniable weariness still prevailed.


    Why am I still doing all this? Why am I-


    She almost answered that same rhetorical question to herself for the millionth time, but a more commonly occurring thought sprouted up once more in its stead. She had never felt so scared yet so confident in her life when she stood her ground vs the last Cloak she faced. She remembered the look of submission from the face that once struck nothing but panic into the hearts of not just the ones close to her but countless ones before her. And she wanted so dearly to return to that very position, even if it included starting down her brother. And the thought had her feeling shameful, almost remorseful, but it was becoming harder to keep at bay.


    Her mobile screen had timed out, going blank as the room fell dark.


    The images quickly shifted to the prior evening. The feeling and smell of warm, sticky blood pervaded her senses, dropping the weapon she had used to take the lives of two men she¡¯ll never know as to who they were or who sent them. To keep this up, the fear was how many more times she would be exposed to those sights, though as the night continued to set in, those fears began to numb. She was then tuned into the breathing sounds from Kerry¡¯s slumber, feeling she had more on her list with feelings for than just Sebastian. And the longer time passed, the more that fear became suppressed.

 Inevitable Divergence

    Maybe¡­ maybe it¡¯s because I am finally somewhere where I am not in everybody¡¯s way for a change¡­


    The flashback to Isaiah¡¯s blade driven through her shoulder combined with his cold stare flickered in and out of her conscious, altering the course of her thoughts.


    Or maybe because I won¡¯t ever be able to let that one go¡­ She rolled over with a groan. Imagine me turning tail like I normally would have in any other life¡­


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    That next morning, a loud buzz coming from Sam¡¯s mobile slowly but eventually shook her awake from her yet-again nightmare ridden slumber. Unable to accept it was already six in the morning, she heavily rolled over, reaching out for it so she could swipe the alarm switch off. She looked over to see the stirring caused no disturbance to Kerry¡¯s sleep, allowing her to take her time changing back into uniform in anticipation of their meeting with the rest of the team and whichever directors were slated to join. She then got around to easing Kerry back to reality, allowing her for time to eat a quick breakfast she would pull from the refrigerator while Kerry got ready.


    They both knew they would be back in the same room as Sebastian and Andre, which weighed more heavily on them than the presence of higher-ups. And for Sam, there was the added anticipation of when her father would show up, wondering why he hadn¡¯t messaged her yet.


    He¡¯s usually late for everything, anyway. I should stay focused on what the hell to do about Andre if everything Kerry spelled out is for real. And Sebastian¡­ I still don¡¯t even know how to face him with how awkward everything¡¯s been between us¡­ Thoughts continued to swirl in her head as she stared emptily through the wall in front of her as she continued eating.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    The two passed through a room with several security gates in route to a briefing room where several men and women in director¡¯s jackets were seated at the front-most table. One of the assistants present guided Sam and Kerry to their seats at the table near the front as they took their seat, noticing no one was uttering a single word in the whole room.


    The silence was disturbing, and even the rustling of bags and other equipment almost seemed purposeful to avoid any awkwardness. The air even felt heavier than anticipated; it was as if there was bad news to be shared.


    Sam looked over at Kerry as she straightened herself in her chair, seeing she looked somewhat better the more time passed, worried her hangover might still be evident. Her eyes then hovered back over to the table, confirming no sight of her father anywhere. Yep¡­ late as expected. There were four or five more tables behind them, yet they all remained empty as two more director¡¯s assistants joined the front table, leaving the two girls the only pilots in the room. But where are the other two? Did Andre really quit?


    And just as another long, awkward minute passed, Sebastian filed into the room and was seated next to Sam. He too remained quiet as he felt the pressure not to speak, and he could tell the others understood all the same.


    Still, Sam was surprised he came alone. Well, shit! Andre really did quit!


    ¡°Good morning, crew, and thank you for attending,¡± the center-most director spoke, cracking the deadness of the air. He spoke without any microphone, allowing his stronger, easily-carried voice to dictate with a sense of urgency: ¡°I¡¯m Earth-Space Operations Director Arrion Lau, and we called you for several reasons, each of which will be debriefed in detail, but first and foremost, we have to make it clear that you will each have specific duties involving the upcoming execution of Project Excalibur. I believe you have been notified but never filled in on anything of substance, am I correct?¡± His eyes locked in on their table, awaiting a response impatiently.


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    ¡°No, sir,¡± Sam spoke after clearing her throat, avoiding direct eye contact. She didn¡¯t know why she found it hard to look back at him, and it was a strange feeling, but for now, getting her eyes at least to the tablet on the table in front of him was the best she could do. ¡°We only know of the name, and not of the contents or any dates.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± he continued stiffly. ¡°That¡¯s because our enemy¡¯s plans and movements are volatile at best, so giving anything official would only lead to constant and wasteful adjustments.¡± He then clicked a remote that brought up a map of The Philippines and the surrounding seas behind him as several labels and arrows popped up. ¡°Based on intel, which by the way includes the data provided by your most recent¡­ sortie, gave us enough insight to begin finalizing our next steps.¡± A second later, the picture of the Axiom engaged with a cloudy, indistinguishable blur popped up, reminding Sam of her battle with Revenant. ¡°Ms. Knight, I assume you understand the impact this little victory you achieved has had on the whole operation. You understand that was one of the last two remaining Cloaks as you call them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, I remember¡­¡± She then felt a realization that hit hard like a brick to the head; a realization that she didn¡¯t do that on her own. She remembered seeing Sebastian, but for what reason she never figured out nor planned on asking. Guilt rushed through her as she turned to look toward him. ¡°I remember Sebastian here helped make that possible.¡±


    Sebastian looked back at her with surprise, already sold to the notion his deed would go unrecognized, but it was instead Director Lau that did the honors.


    ¡°It matters nothing how it was done in the end, because with your toppling of the power balance, it put them in a reeling backspin and put us in the driver¡¯s seat- not just with the loss of another of their Cloaks but two more prominent pilots.¡± While failing to notice the offense Sam took on Sebastian¡¯s behalf, he then turned to motion towards the center of the map. ¡°As a result, two doors opened for us and revealed what you see.¡± He pointed to one photo of a man that popped up on one side of the capital city and continued: ¡°This is the man they plan on voting in as the P4C¡¯s rep. And if things go as planned, his victory will nullify the plans for whatever faction the assumed Rex has going, which means they have to move before election day.¡± He then turned back to face them. ¡°But even though we know they always move faster than we expect, their retreat left some doors open even if just for a moment, and we gathered something incredibly critical.¡±


    He then leaned forward as the map zoomed out to show several arrows from China pointed to the island nation. ¡°China has been politically active with its pro-Confed restoration movement, and it¡¯s no one¡¯s secret that they want to also rebuild its former alliance with the nearby SEA international community¡­ some even expect it to be forceful as in the past.¡± His tone continued to grow heavier. ¡°We intercepted one single but damning communication that hints just that¡­ that someone within that faction has ties with someone up top within the PRC¡¯s military. This means only one thing to us: their goal is to reignite anti-Chinese sentiment and use that to turn the tide back in favor of the incumbent party members. And that, as you can figure, means more clashes within the protests and more potential for violent uprisings.¡±


    ¡°That makes no sense,¡± Sam mumbled under her breath, feeling conflicted with the presented information as her experiences taught her that each of the Underground¡¯s operations were to put pro-Confederacy party members in power.


    ¡°Do you have a question, Ms. Knight?¡± Director Lau prodded as he noted her reaction.


    Sam winced before mustering a response alongside Kerry¡¯s head shaking and Sebastian¡¯s sigh, realizing her folly. ¡°No sir, just wasn¡¯t what I was expecting to hear.¡±


    ¡°I assume you are referencing the Underground making moves to keep incumbents remark.¡± He read her body language just the same, continuing: ¡°You realize this is not simple politics, miss. Their end game just looks to be much faster and much bloodier, and we are here to prevent the latter, not the former. Do you understand now?¡±


    Kerry¡¯s face seemed to react along the lines of ¡°what an asshole¡± as she hid her face, looking back over at Sam to see if she had any last unnecessary remarks.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Sam spoke back while holding her tongue from any further commentary. Today would not be a day to test waters with her typical stubbornness.


    ¡°Now,¡± the Director continued as he cleared his throat. ¡°Seeing whoever Rex has working for him had to pull their lines back, we will fill the gap and hold everything steady until we finish preparing the Excalibur Team for active duty. That,¡± he spoke with a hand gesture toward Sam¡¯s table, ¡°is where you all come in.¡±


    The screen now changed to three silhouettes of new LTAC designs, ones Sam couldn¡¯t recognize without any further details revealed, and a list of five names. She saw her name along with Sebastian and Kerry¡¯s, then saw two she didn¡¯t know. Who are those two? And I can¡¯t even read that other name! Who the¡­ And Andre really did fucking quit, huh!


    Lau brought his hand toward the list. ¡°We are awaiting the arrival of those two not in presence later this evening as we had to make last minute adjustments, but you five will be the scout team so that Excalibur Team can have eyes and ears where they need them most.¡±


    Hold on¡­ they¡¯re putting us on scout duty!? Have they lost their minds?! Sam thought with the added insult to injury, seeing a new list propagate above theirs, showing three names assigned to each of the LTAC silhouettes, one being Kaylen Rodgers.

 Inevitable Divergence, Part 2

    ¡°And because of concussion surgery protocol,¡± Lau continued, ¡°Knight must stay inactive for the next three days, which works out perfect seeing the launch date is exactly then.¡± Kerry seemingly let out a sigh of relief in response as Lau looked back at the pilots. ¡°Briefing on the new set of objectives as your newly formed team will begin momentarily, and buckle in. We will require you all to know certain city districts like the back of your hands, memorize certain faces and names, emergency exit routes.¡±


    The map then zoomed over to the western coast and harbor area. ¡°We expect they have some form of military-grade firepower coming for them to stand a chance against Philippine security forces much less ours here locally, so setup will focus around this region. And with absolutely no room for error,¡± he spoke with his eyes narrowed in a suspicious manner, ¡°we will keep live ears and eyes within each cockpit at all times.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Sam¡¯s lips moved as if to speak, barely managing to keep herself inaudible. No-no-no there¡¯s no fucking way they suspect us of working with Tyrus! She looked back up to see her father still not yet arrived. Rgh! Where is my dad when we need him! If this is what I think it is, he can clear us! She instinctively looked over at Kerry, seeing a similar emotional response.


    ¡°And last, we need to review what was cleaned up by you three, both on the ground and in your LTACs. We also need to discuss how the two of you,¡± he said with a finger towards Sam and Kerry as their eyes lit up. ¡°Will be involved with us and the local courts¡­ seeing we still have to do some necessary legal work after your¡­ well, messy incident the other night, Ms. Knight.¡±


    Both Sam and Kerry were too insulted to find the words for an immediate response, but Sebastian, to their further surprise, spoke for them instead with a disgusted frown. ¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s lies.¡±


    Lau was almost laughing in reaction. ¡°Boy, who-¡±


    Sebastian stood up as he interrupted: ¡°-I already learned that she was clear in the court! You can¡¯t create a problem that doesn¡¯t exist anymore!¡± Something had triggered Sebastian, which now had even Sam scared as it was so far out of character.


    ¡°From who?!¡± Lau chuckled. ¡°Entertain me before I have you removed from this site altogether.¡± He shook his head as he looked to an assistant, signaling to have him processed.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the military!¡± Sam burst out as she stood up with equal tenacity. ¡°We are bound legally as you obviously know and this is NOT a breach of contract! It¡¯s an insult no less!¡±


    Lau was prepared for such an accusation. ¡°An At-Will contract. You gave us enough reason for the uppers to allow us to cut ties with the both of you right here and now,¡± he seethed.


    The doors behind the director¡¯s table swung open as Andre marched in, forcedly by Al and his assistants who were now seen to be pushing him through. ¡°Sorry I was late. Found a straggler,¡± he bluntly spoke up without care for his intrusion.


    Dad! Sam¡¯s eyes immediately lit up.


    He gave Andre a strong nudge from the back to take his seat with the rest of his group before looking around to assess the situation, taken aback to see things had a heated look to it. He then turned to read what was on display while the awkward silence continued, seeing Sam and Sebastian on the scout list. ¡°Who the hell¡¯s in charge here?¡± He then laid eyes menacingly over Lau, who seemingly didn¡¯t have too much of a clue who he was talking to. ¡°And what is this I hear of at-will contracts in the middle of a critical debriefing?¡±


    Right! Tell him!


    ¡°You aren¡¯t on the list to participate in this meeting, whoever you are,¡± Lau sneered.


    ¡°Over there, take your seat,¡± Al spoke to Andre with another nudge before looking back to the director¡¯s table. ¡°Oh, you were talking to me? My apologies,¡± he chuckled sarcastically as he put down his briefcase on the empty table next to him. ¡°I could have sworn you were referring to one of our key pilots here I put back on the roster.¡±


    Lau moved to respond before hesitating, taking further offense to one hand raised in his direction and another with a mobile opened up in a holograph call. But it was when he saw Vincent¡¯s face show up that had him bite his tongue fully and regretfully, taking his seat.


    ¡°I think the roster updates didn¡¯t go through, but someone here needs some extra confirmation, I believe,¡± Al flatly stated before pivoting back towards the director. ¡°Either way, I will need some time fixing a number of problems before we can call our operation ready to start.¡±


    ¡°That,¡± Vincent replied as he paid no attention to the displayed debriefing room audience. ¡°Would rather be the fault of the recent upsurge in information updates and leak reports, not so much our directors on the ground. However, they are responsible for moving with such updates accordingly. Do as you see fit.¡±


    Al hung up after nodding, looking back toward Lau. ¡°Well, I technically arrived with a separate presentation planned, but I see there is one thing of higher priority,¡± he calmly spoke as he took a seat at the empty table where he set his things. ¡°Please, proceed.¡±


    Lau had finally put the pieces together, realizing that was Alexander Knight, quickly sealing away any desires to express outrage or offense. Shaking his head of the emotions that caught up with him, he ran through an updated list of directives, finding that what was mentioned was true. He clicked through several commands before the screen projection data switched out rosters from the two lists.


    Yes! Sam was excited to see her name up near the top with the rest of her team, Andre included. Her ensuing fist pumps were subdued, but very noticeable by her peers. Looking to see their reactions, she was shocked by the betrayal of her findings. Sebastian looked disappointed, Andre looked on in anguish, and Kerry seemed highly bothered, and perhaps even discouraged. But¡­ but why? Isn¡¯t this what we wanted originally? But as she had come to think of it, Sam couldn¡¯t even explain to herself why she was on the contrary so relieved, and to some extent, thrilled.


    ¡°Alright, pilots,¡± Lau hesitantly started back up, looking at fresh reports. ¡°Looks like quite the changes have come. We are looking at confirmed movement of Chinese-borne PMC forces just near their coast, but no word on who paid or what their intentions are. But we should be sure to include this in on our preparations for the worst as this goes in line with the rest of our intel. The other new leak shows that we still have the third missing Cloak present.¡± He then looked up to the squad. ¡°Present here in Manila. We can¡¯t wait for team reestablishment processes, so you four will remain as the special protection team for a minimized Excalibur Team. Shows¡­ only one pilot is confirmed to meet the deadline for preparations.¡±


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    When Sam looked back up to the name listed above their squad, it was again that same name ¡°Kaylen Rodgers.¡±


    ¡°Now,¡± he cleared his throat again, looking toward Al. ¡°I see the last update mentions a special presentation on some specific duties assigned to your team, which Head of Logistics Alexander Knight here has prepared for us.¡±


    Al looked over at Sam with a nod and a flash of a confidence-inspiring smile, followed by what looked to be a strong hint of regret this was only his first time seeing her in person since before leaving for Colombia, and being under these circumstances only made it feel that much worse. He opened his briefcase to take out a projector with the presentation ready to go.


    And it would be a long hour passing that left Sam with three unanswered, burning questions and a plethora of information she knew was pertinent to their duties but yet didn¡¯t solve anything in her head. What are those LTACs they kept hinting at? Who is Kaylen Rodgers? And why are Sebastian and Kerry so off-put? She awkwardly awaited dismissal to speak as her eyes hopped to and from her father and the directors wrapping things up and Sebastian next to her.


    She noted his eyes had never left the presentation through its duration. Kerry and Andre were also as well, for the most part.


    This just might be me being my old, impatient, impulsive self¡­ wanting to know what I want to know and not what I need to know. She didn¡¯t catch herself zoning out again. But something doesn¡¯t seem right in all of this¡­ Are we really just going through more training until the attack comes? This wreaks of our Singapore and Dhaka days. She started to uncomfortably adjust her posture, continuing in thought: I almost am starting to wonder if Lau had everything right- except for the court case crap¡­


    Whatever excitement she seemingly had going had died a slow, painful death. Concern and anxiousness took over as it always had in the past, now. She then remembered how she was the only one who wasn¡¯t as attentive during the last training drills back in Singapore. Or maybe it¡¯s just me.


    ¡°Sam,¡± Sebastian snapped her out of her zone with a heavy look.  ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask to go home or even just to stay at base?¡±


    Huh?! Sam¡¯s first reaction would have been to take offense, but noticing Kerry and Andre had disappeared from the table wiped the notion away. ¡°Wait, what are you talking about? And where¡¯d the others go?¡±


    ¡°Sam, you¡¯re in no shape to stick around and fight.¡±


    She then spotted the two talking to her father as the rest of the directors cleared the room. ¡°Sebastian, it¡¯s only a 48-hour recovery period of no connecting to the LTAC OS, and I¡¯m already a good number of hours into that resting period,¡± she responded flatly, looking back at him. ¡°If it was that serious, and knowing my dad, he would have asked me to leave even if it was right in front of you.¡±


    Sebastian was prepared for that comment. ¡°I think both of us know that a lot more is going to happen, and it might come before you finish your resting.¡± He then shook his head, realizing there was no way he could have actually expected the suggestion to be taken seriously. ¡°I know how powerful your father is. I also know how much he cares for you, and he also speaks much about¡­ he wants you to be happy. That¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t ask you to go home or stay at base and take a substitute for the team.¡±


    Sam sighed, holding off on her usual quip. He¡¯s probably right. Dad didn¡¯t even hint at the suggestion. I wonder how much Sebastian spoke with him while he was up there in Akkadia. But things were still inexplicably awkward for her in being straight with him ever since his last departure, even after returning to her side. ¡°Well, look. I¡¯m getting there,¡± she replied, still unable to look back at him directly.


    ¡°Going where?¡±


    ¡°Getting to where I feel I am happiest,¡± she instantly responded, shifting her body weight, leaning on the table. Her eyes hovered over to the screen that was now blank, but she remembered seeing the three prototype LTAC profiles that had a lot of her attention earlier. ¡°I am getting more clues about what I want to do, but I just can¡¯t say I¡¯m comfortable with everything yet.¡± And then the flashes of her confrontation with Isaiah reared their heads again. ¡°Let me fix that. I¡­ I don¡¯t feel happy per se. But¡­ I think where I am going will get me there eventually, especially if I can get some roadblocks out of the way.¡±


    Sebastian was confused by the last statement, but still felt better that Sam was finally opening up a bit compared to how cold she had been towards her lately. And a flashback of his own brought him back to how relieved he felt to see Sam step out from her cockpit alive and in one piece, looking over the carcass of the Cloak. He also remembered his carefully placed shot burst that separated the attacking shoulder from its base, allowing Sam to deliver the final blow. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to mention that critical detail to her just yet, however, regardless of how unaware she was. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing a lot, and seeing so much more danger each time we step outside. It makes me worry more each time. Please understand.¡±


    ¡°I get that, and thanks,¡± Sam replied in a calmer tone, realizing he wasn¡¯t trying to be patronizing. She then noticed her father signaling for her to approach him and the others.


    The two walked up as Andre let out a slow, heavy sigh. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Sam asked.


    ¡°You four,¡± Al started with a suppressed nasal chuckle. ¡°Have no idea how much I know about internal squabbles and the like. My experience in controlling emotions myself is a long history in and of itself, but the same goes for learning how to identify and help manage situations that get out of hand emotionally within my crew.¡±


    Oh. Right. He¡¯s talking about Aunt Saff and them, huh. I remember all those stories. Are we that obvious?


    ¡°And since I could tell that something¡¯s been bothering you all, this morning your special task is a bit different than the sillier version Ms. Norris gave you all back last time in Singapore.¡±


    ¡°Hold on. Isn¡¯t Manila a bit different to just stroll out and about into compared to Singapore?¡± Sam prodded, already seeing into where the conversation was going.


    Kerry and the others shook their head to the tune of ¡°some people never change¡± in their body language.


    ¡°Sam,¡± Al flatly replied as his smile quickly evaporated. ¡°Shut it and let me finish.¡± He then continued in spite of the hurt reaction he drew from her. ¡°You aren¡¯t setting foot outside of this complex and there is no way in hell anyone in power here would do so. You are walking targets from what I can tell and we have no idea who or where the moles are.¡± He then took a slow breath to reset himself. ¡°You are get to choose what room and under what conditions, but you are all to complete a series of questions to each other that were prepared by an acquaintance of mine who specializes in this¡­ kind of thing.¡± He held up his watch and pressed through a few commands. ¡°It¡¯s uploaded to your personnel files and can access where prompted. Have this done within the next three hours before reporting back to Director Lau.¡±


    ¡°Are you staying?¡± Sam asked, avoiding any further questions pertaining to the order she wished so deeply to object to. Because I know what assignment you are talking about. It¡¯s the one Aunt Saff uses, right? These things are what Akkadians do for Akkadians, and I doubt that goes over well here.


    ¡°Yes, as a matter of fact, I am,¡± he bluntly answered, reaching to pick up his briefcase. ¡°Only until Wednesday evening, but we expect either shit to hit the fan before then and I remain as a supervisor to Excalibur Team¡¯s operation execution, or we see to it we never need to press that proverbial red button and I am no longer needed here. Until then, however, I will be quite busy and expect only to be bothered if I am off duty¡­ and am awake and functioning.¡±


    Oh, so now you walk in to take over¡­ which I am kind of happy for but¡­ now you give us a childish assignment with cringey tasks, and now you hint you will be drinking again. Really?!


    ¡°Well,¡± Kerry mumbled as they all watched Al make his way for the hallway exit. ¡°Where are we going to choose to get this over with?¡± She looked over to Sam and Sebastian, still finding it hard to look Andre in the eye without discomfort.


    Sam held off further desires to object to the situation overall, electing the peaceful route for now. ¡°I need some fresh air. Can we do the courtyard? I saw one along the way here.¡±

 Inevitable Divergence, Part 3

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    <ol>


    <li> Discuss why you are remaining on the squad.


    </li>


    <li> Discuss the impact you feel Infinity¡¯s presence has on local events.


    </li>


    <li> If the base was attacked now and SOP cannot be executed, debate what you think the ideal plan of action should be in its stead.


    </li>


    <li> If you and your LTAC suddenly found yourself in the sights of the Cloak, debate the best plan of action as a team.


    </li>


    <li> Determine the directives leader for your squad. Elect only one.</li>


    </ol>


    The above was on each of their mobile¡¯s displays as they sat across from each other between tables in the courtyard. Each also had a notepad and a pen behind them as instructed; each response had to be written down and turned in physically.


    Sebastian didn¡¯t seem too fazed by the assignment, rather he seemed as if this should be a cakewalk compared to previous expectations. Sam and Kerry on the other hand seemed caught between several different emotions no matter which question they looked at, but Andre had the heaviest aura of the four. His eyes remained nervously locked on the first question.


    ¡°This is one dumb ass assignment. What as my Dad thinking,¡± Sam huffed with a shaking of her head, leaning back and eyeing her notepad and pen. ¡°And why the hell are we using this to write?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice that something like this can be clear and concise for once,¡± Kerry added, sitting upright with a stretch. ¡°But this is just¡­ odd. It¡¯s like Mr. Knight wants us to argue each other to death because I know that¡¯s exactly what¡¯s going to happen. Is it some sort of mental toughness test?¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Sebastian responded with intent to redirect the group, unwilling to participate in the current trend. ¡°I think we need to answer. I don¡¯t think it is a good idea to add more questions.¡±


    Andre¡¯s hands began to tremble, clearing his throat and speaking in spite of the ongoing conversation: ¡°Mr. Knight paid off my mom¡¯s reconstructive neural surgery along with the rest of the healthcare debt we had piled up¡­ even paid off the final session she put off for so long because we couldn¡¯t afford it.¡± The others turned to him in surprise that not only was he seemingly taking the assignment seriously, but also in reaction towards the meaning of the statement itself. He sighed, leaning back against the table¡¯s edge with his elbows propping him up. ¡°I tried to leave, but¡­-¡±


    ¡°-Did he bribe you!?¡± Kerry popped off, processing the sudden influx of information.


    ¡°No!¡± Andre fussed. ¡°He didn¡¯t even ask me. He did it before coming here, even.¡± Kerry backed off as Sam and Sebastian listened in more earnestly. ¡°He said nothing other than a thank you for my volunteered service. Said he did it as a token of his gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Then, why¡¯d you come back?¡± Sam asked. ¡°I heard you left for good, even though I guess I really don¡¯t even know why.¡±


    Andre let out a mirthless chuckle, looking down. ¡°I couldn¡¯t. I called my mom right there on the spot, and she said¡­ come home as soon as I can and that everything was going to be alright now.¡±


    ¡°But you could have.¡±


    ¡°Was a perfect opportunity.¡± Andre shook his head. ¡°But¡­ I felt too chickenshit to just keep walking. I turned and caught back up with him¡­ asked to stay until the contract runs its course.¡±


    Kerry still felt hurt from the night before, unable to take his response at face value, but Sam seemed to have had a different take as she had been pausing in thought. ¡°I promised Sebastian to help him avenge the ones he lost to the Cloaks,¡± she spoke as she looked back over toward Sebastian with a half-smile.


    ¡°Ew.¡± Kerry rolled her eyes with a nasal laugh. ¡°For me¡­ this job will secure the last of the funds Devin and I needed to move where we wanted to and start our new lives, but I have to hang around even more in hopes we get him back.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Sebastian felt immediately better at the sudden taking to the task at hand. ¡°I have to do what Sam said, and we only have one more Cloak left.¡± But he kept looking back at Sam, as he wasn¡¯t comforted by the mentioning of their promises. The nagging deep within continued to bother him, knowing Sam was hiding many things including the ones she had toward her brother somewhere out there. He was convinced there was no way she could even be remotely comfortable as things were. His thoughts then trailed off into the notion that Kerry was having an unhealthy influence on her lately, but Andre spoke up, interrupting those thoughts.


    ¡°You guys make me sound even more chickenshit for my reason, so let me add that I need to hang around to save your ass next time it¡¯s needed.¡± His gesture, which was difficult to tell whether or not it was soaked with sarcasm, pointed toward Sam. ¡°Don¡¯t start going off again thinking it¡¯s OK to solo or some other stupid shit like that, alright?¡±


    .


    .


    Al watched the ensuing argument from the security camera at the desk where he sat, letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°If they can¡¯t handle this,¡± he spoke into his headset. ¡°You have to send them home. If they can¡¯t work as a group under what¡¯s about to be some serious pressure, they are nothing more than liabilities. This isn¡¯t a situation with unrestricted ROE and potential enemy personnel built for the meat grinder like last time.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ New San Mateo, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Marian was near the edge of town at the foothills of the mountain, seated at a bar¡¯s outdoor patio section. It was a location conveniently near her outpost they set up and used the other night, but this was a chance to unwind after spending the prior evening and this morning doing work she never liked to begin with. She leaned back after another sip from her mestiza, pulling up her vibrating mobile to check the incoming call. She hesitated before answering, letting out a slow sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking my time if I may,¡± she answered the call in a soft voice and a look to the cloudy, late morning sky. ¡°I don¡¯t care how early it is. Bugger off.¡± As she listened to the call from her earpiece, she propped her head against the chair back, looking now over the fence and past the tree-shrouded ravine. ¡°No, actually. On the contrary, they¡¯ve started to split. Quarrels and whatnot, but perhaps it was only the alcohol doing the speaking. Time will tell.¡± The sounds of distant, calming music coming from inside and passing cars from the other side of the building continued to mute out the voice coming through. ¡°Right. That¡¯s why I put it on the back burner. I am now focused on what the hell Knight made his visit for. It was not only unplanned, but I can¡¯t imagine there¡¯d be much way around his security detail¡­ Well, if you think so. But I will keep my channels open, because a lot can happen between now and then.¡±


    Something seemed to catch her attention as she looked to her right, noticing it was perhaps just the now-seated couple sharing a laugh. ¡°You just focus on the plan. I will worry about Knight in the meantime.¡±


    But something kept itching her conscious. Perhaps it was because of the nature of the topic, afraid to draw any unwanted attention. She tried to shake it off, but the other side of the call could tell. She straightened up with a huff. ¡°Sorry, come again? ¡­ No, no sign, no traces.¡±


    But something drew out another long, uncomfortable, distracted pause from her as her eyes started to wander to the area to her left. She leaned forward and peered casually around the windowed area that showed party after party seated inside. And then something she caught out of the corner of her eye startled her as she instinctively turned back to face the patio. ¡°No. Stop. Hold on,¡± she spoke in a quieter tone as she turned back to the window once more, seeing the corner table now empty when she could¡¯ve sworn that she saw someone seated there, staring out at her. She was convinced of it, now; those judgmental blue eyes she hadn¡¯t been subjected to in over a decade. There was no other glare that sent such a shiver down her spine as one person could possibly send her way almost exclusively.


    She nervously grabbed her mobile and opened the payment app to clear her ticket before getting up to leave. She left her other end of the line on hold until she exited the rear entrance at the back of the patio, quickly finding her way across the street and into the brightness of the limited sunlight pouring through a gap in the clouds. The shadows were the scariest places to be for her when put under such rare circumstances, and she wanted to be seen by anyone¡¯s eyes, not taken in silence and darkness.


    ¡°Isaiah, I¡¯m being followed.¡±


    She turned to check her surroundings once more. ¡°Who? Who the bloody fuck else would know how to find me much less follow me?¡± She straightened up and hurriedly walked toward where she parked her truck with a nervous shudder. ¡°Kaylen, that¡¯s who. The foul bird herself is here already, and I got the feeling no one is daft enough to let her loose on her own.¡±

 Stirring the Hornets Nest

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Infinity Marikina HQ, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    From one of the many monitors on display in the headquarters¡¯ operations control room, Kaylen¡¯s GPS showed her location north of their position, making its way slowly towards base.


    ¡°She¡¯s back on the move,¡± a technician spoke into his headset as he watched over both that monitor as well as a satellite overlay of the broader area. ¡°Do we move a security team in?¡±


    ¡°Negative,¡± Al¡¯s voice came up from behind him. ¡°Vrey knew what he was doing letting her go. Only need updates if she stops again.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± the technician replied. ¡°Understood.¡± He continued to watch the dot meander through several streets before picking up the pace. ¡°Sir, she¡¯s walking faster.¡±


    Al was still looking down at several reports, unfazed by the technician¡¯s unsettled tone. ¡°She must have found something, then. She was resourceful back in the day, and I assume Vrey knew she still must be.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ She¡¯s actively requesting communication, sir.¡±


    Al¡¯s hands stopped momentarily before placing them on top of his desk. ¡°Run a proximity scan from her side. If clear, open an encoded line.¡±


    Moments passed before the blip on the screen came to a full stop between two narrowing streets. ¡°HQ, I got a positive ID on a big target. I had a feeling Channing would be here,¡± Kaylen¡¯s digitally altered voice spoke, leaving no time for a response before she disconnected for the sake of avoiding tracing.


    Marian Channing, why the hell are you here, Al thought to himself as he propped his chin on one hand, leaning forward. He closed his eyes as he starting to try and piece several ideas he had floating around since arrival. She ditched us in Colombia, leaks had her staying there for their operations¡­ and there¡¯s also the fact our late double agent worked with her in Bangladesh. Now she¡¯s here in Manila. She has to be here because Sam¡¯s here. Old memories of their encounters over the past decade started to swarm through his head. He had served with her for a very short stint during the last war, and every encounter with her was painfully strained afterward.


    Surely it can¡¯t be because of me. She¡¯d still hate me for obvious reasons, but if there¡¯s anyone she¡¯d hate enough to tail so persistently like this, it¡¯d be someone of more value to her. But it can¡¯t be Sam, either. What¡¯s she up to? Is it something I never knew of between those two?


    ¡°Keep tracking her,¡± Al spoke to the technician as he went back into deep thought.


    But never mind that. If she¡¯s here, the Cloak being here wasn¡¯t just a rumor or assumption as said. This confirms it. And this has to do with them knowing about Excalibur. This means they¡¯ve seen us coming and are prepared. And by how they always come far too prepared each time¡­


    He then leaned back, took in a deep breath, and dialed up Vincent on a separate, direct line. ¡°Marian¡¯s a positive. We need to reconsider our options.¡±


    And after a moment of listening, he responded: ¡°You were right. Rodgers had her ways of knowing, and right¡­ never mind how or why. We now know we have to deal with the absolute worst, now, and we might not even have proper time to prepare any of our pilots, much less the normal duty and support crews.¡±


    As he continued listening, he peered over to one of the monitors that showed Philippine military station activity. ¡°Roger. Let¡¯s hope they let us lean on them. I¡¯ll trust you still have the proper connections.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    The courtyard where Sam and the others remained locked into their assignment was now fairly empty as clouds had gathered fairly heavily overhead. The air was wet with higher humidity and the threat of rain was felt in each breath through their noses.


    Sam for the most part had accepted everything she had mapped out in her head, but the last one was still where she was hung up and dreaded the looming topic that was coming up soon. Why can¡¯t the admin pick a leader? This is like asking for mutiny down the road- and that¡¯s IF we manage to pick someone. She briefly closed her eyes tightly, trying to fight through the frustration, knowing she had to have something ready to say this time instead of always simply reacting. Maybe I have to put my hand up for once. I DID figure out a lot this past week and a half.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°So, let me check what I got written here,¡± Andre mumbled aloud as he held up his notepad. ¡°2, we are here to allow a peaceful change over of powers rather than fight an uphill battle. 3, if we were attacked all of the sudden, we find each other first before securing a safe path to the main hangars. 4, if any of us gets isolated against the Cloak, we run for it.¡±


    ¡°And call for backup,¡± Kerry added as Sam put her pen down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the part mentioned that we can¡¯t just run away, period,¡± Sam interjected. ¡°Have to run toward the nearest friendlies.¡±


    Andre finished making edits before looking down at the last blank, number five. ¡°Ugh,¡± he huffed. ¡°I wanted to dodge this question. Any takers, because it sure as hell isn¡¯t me.¡±


    ¡°I vote Sebastian,¡± Kerry voted to much of everyone¡¯s surprise. She looked around with equal surprise at their reactions. ¡°What, he¡¯s the only one who ever seems to remain calm no matter what shit hits the fan.¡± She then weakly chuckled. ¡°With each battle we find ourselves locked into, I get less and less capable of handling even my own shit.¡±


    ¡°I know their weaknesses, though,¡± Sam found herself rebutting, having feared she couldn¡¯t find the courage to say but somehow managed. No turning back now. ¡°I think with how things are now, you know, I could better lead a coordinated attack on them knowing their methods.¡± She didn¡¯t notice the awkward looking away from the others as she continued: ¡°I mean, there was a pattern somewhat in how the last two Cloaks operated. It was something I did go over in my head over and over again.¡±


    ¡°Sam, um, you didn¡¯t even beat the last Cloak,¡± Andre jabbed, rolling his eyes, much to her offense. ¡°Sebastian did.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± All three of the others sputtered.


    ¡°When¡¯d you get this info?¡± Kerry asked in surprise.


    ¡°What the hell- what made you come up with something like that?!¡± Sam heatedly shouted.


    Sebastian seemed to have taken the most offense. ¡°Cierra el pico, Andre!¡±


    ¡°Dude!¡± Andre fussed back at everyone. ¡°This guy blew the fucker¡¯s sword holding arm off- no telling how many of us saw the playback! I don¡¯t know why you two didn¡¯t, but go look for yourselves!¡±


    Sebastian! Sam now redirected her reaction towards what she could tell meant ¡°shut up¡±, a self-incriminating message. ¡°Hey, you know something I don¡¯t?!¡± She fussed, standing up with open hands of frustration aimed at him. ¡°Something you could have told me all this time!?¡±


    Ugh! This is fucking embarrassing! She thought as it left her feeling betrayed by her own sense of accomplishment.


    Sebastian put his head into his open hand he had propped up on the table, shaking with a mixture of disappointment and guilt.


    ¡°He was obviously trying not to make you feel bad!¡± Andre snidely interjected. ¡°But don¡¯t let that get to your head and make you think you¡¯re ready to be a leader all the sudden- just because you started discovering your Gen One piloting capabilities and what not.¡±


    That word again! Sam¡¯s eyes darted towards Andre¡¯s. ¡°What the hell does that even have to do with anything?! That¡¯s two of you going behind my back about shit you could be upfront with! And now you want to accuse me of being incapable of leading when I can¡¯t even trust what- rgh!¡± she grumbled, sitting back down as her left leg started trembling nervously. What the ever-living fuck was Dad thinking putting us to this bullshit!


    Kerry held back her desire to pop off at Andre for that remark, but seeing Sam in that state drove her the other direction to keep things from bursting even more at the seams. ¡°Well, if this is how you want to do the team, Andre,¡± she spoke with a huff, standing up while looking at Sam. ¡°Let me go back to squad lead. I can¡¯t let this shit tear us apart, but as things stand,¡± she spoke with a glare aimed at him. ¡°You and Sebastian need to get your priorities straight, and if Sam not leading is all it takes to suit your petty self, she won¡¯t lead. I will.¡±


    ¡°Kerry, you don¡¯t have to take that from him!¡± Sam argued back as her heated emotions started taking over. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you and me the other day, he¡¯s dead! And this is the attitude he takes after trying to walk out on us!¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what¡¯s wrong with you, still!¡± Andre matched wits and volume. ¡°Things just HAPPEN to work out every damn time but you can¡¯t admit you are reckless! You just make shit up as you go because the only one you¡¯re really worried about is you!¡±


    ¡°Andre,¡± Sebastian growled as if he were about to have an outburst himself. ¡°Una palabra mas y juro que-¡±


    ¡°-Hey!¡± Sam now tore into Sebastian. ¡°Speak to me, buddy! You should have something to say after what was just let loose, huh!¡±


    ¡°Sam, please, not now,¡± he spoke through his teeth as he continued the struggle to keep his composure.


    ¡°Then when!?¡± While she awaited his response, she noted Kerry and Andre already off on their own extension of the argument. Oh wow. I swear, Sam shook her head in thought as she got up to walk towards the connecting hallways entrance. Thanks, Kerry, for having my back, I guess. If that¡¯s what you can even call it.


    ¡°Uh, Sam, where are you going?!¡± Kerry asked in surprise.


    ¡°You three got this, right?¡± Sam sarcastically spat back with a gesture waving them off. She gave the door a rude shove as she started heading towards her quarters, thinking: And to hell with that emotionless son of a bitch. What the hell was I even waiting on all this time?! She had paid no attention to the clamor that arose as she distanced herself, having no desire to further partake. Fuck it. Let me just claim my injury reserve title for a few days. This shit isn¡¯t worth it, not right now. They want me out of the way or on my own? Sure, I can handle that. That¡¯s all I ended up doing two sorties in a fucking row.


    The cloud over her head that rapidly grew darker by the second followed her in silence all the way to her room where she walked and proceeded to flop onto her bed face first. Normally in these instances, the tears of frustration and denial would have already started flowing, but something had her still holding on. It was as if she wouldn¡¯t let herself cry over these kinds of things anymore. She had grown tougher skin and a more resilient spirit over her time on Earth, and in her mind, this shouldn¡¯t be the hardest thing to overcome.

 Stirring the Hornets Nest, Part 2

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ New San Mateo, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Marian made it back to her outpost after taking a highly convoluted path back to ensure her tail was clear, breathing out an immense sigh of relief as she stepped out of her truck. Walking towards the hidden clearing where she would once more set up the operations table, she reached over to her earpiece to answer an incoming call. ¡°I¡¯m clear.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is in position. Get eyes on the surroundings and start marking,¡± Isaiah¡¯s voice could be heard over the in-ear speaker with how silent the vicinity was.


    ¡°The new recruits work fast,¡± Marian spoke in a calmer tone as she began to regain her bearings. She then paused to rethink her order of actions. ¡°I need a minute to get everything set back up. Hold the show for two minutes if you could be so kind.¡±


    ¡°I have to disconnect. Two minutes.¡±


    ¡°Bloody hell,¡± she chuckled with a hint of nervousness. And as she went to the back of her truck to unload her equipment she would need to set back up, she couldn¡¯t help but think: If this doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll be outed for sure. Isaiah, I do hope you realize the stakes here. She dragged the table and briefcase from the back and lugged it toward the clearing as she went over in her head what steps remained in the event things went smoothly, which they never did as of late.


    I never did care for all these assassination attempts, but seems this is the only hand we have left with such a short clock.


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Infinity Marikina HQ, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    After a few minutes of zoning out throughout the barrage of heated flashbacks from the argument, she rolled over and checked her phone to see nothing. After a roll of her eyes, she then started to dial up her father.


    ¡°We¡¯re already calling off your squad,¡± Al quickly spoke to her as if he could read her mind. ¡°You know we had to monitor the mental state of everyone.¡±


    Something in those first words broke the barrier helping her hold back. It was like an unexpected stab right in the back, and she didn¡¯t even know why when normally she¡¯d be relieved to be taken away from such a mess. ¡°Was this some kind of punishment?!¡± she started speaking through tears. ¡°You knew this would happen- why not ground the team instead of putting us through that if you had no intent on letting them station us?!¡±


    Al sighed and followed with a pause, knowing the conversation would lead to this. ¡°I needed an excuse to move you to another team, and I knew you all didn¡¯t truly get along which would cause more than a problem if you were to be put into action.¡±


    She clutched her fist refusing to fully lose her battle with keeping it together. ¡°But you brought that bastard back! Why, if you knew!?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t make him come back, nor did I offer anything if he did,¡± he replied as calmly as he could. ¡°I had to repay his efforts. He walked off at first, then came running back- and I asked why, but he couldn¡¯t give a straight answer. So, since he was wasting my time, I pushed him toward to the briefing room as it was all I could do with him in the way.¡±


    But that doesn¡¯t make any sense! ¡°Dad, he hates my guts, clearly! Of all times, this is not a time to lie for whatever reason it is you have!¡±


    She heard a click, and it came within a thread of her losing her sanity. ¡°Are you fucking hanging up on me?!¡± But as she pulled her mobile into view, she saw it was still connected. The silence that continued over the next few seconds felt horribly uneasy. ¡°¡­ Dad?¡±


    Sniffling and clearing her nose, she sat upright and took a closer glance at her screen. The call then disconnected with a signal error screen. The data transfer signal also became blank. Her heart began to beat out of her chest on top of her already heightened blood pressure as she clicked on her earpiece to connect her to the emergency line. She waited but never heard a single confirmation tone. Shit! We¡¯re being jammed right here in our own fucking building!


    Her first thoughts were to make a run for the hangar, but as she hurriedly walked to the door, a pair of terrible, deafening thuds rocked her to the floor as she screamed out in panic. It only took three seconds to realize the explosions had come from both buildings adjacent to the dorm area.


    Dad! He was the first to pop into her fear-grappled mind before she could realize her squad mates may have suffered the same fate. Her mind raced for the two additional seconds she spent standing back up, trying to decide to head left or right out of her door as several alarms started blaring and emergency exit lights started flashing.


    She got to the door, opening it to the sound of hollers and calls for others amidst the blaring alarms. But as she began to step out, she suddenly felt exposed and afraid, too afraid to keep moving. She paused in fright, at first confused by the sudden grip it had on her, but then realized what her experiences had taught her by this point: She had nothing to arm herself with.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    -*Bzzzt bzzzt*-


    The sudden vibrating pattern came from her bag behind her. In her heart she somehow immediately knew it had to be that device Tricky gave her. It drew her nearer faster than a blink, and the second she fished it from within, she clicked it to hear the blip of an established connection in her earpiece.


    ¡°Wherever the hell you are, take cover!¡± shouted Devin¡¯s voice from the other side.


    Her heart stopped upon hearing that, and without a second¡¯s doubt she threw herself under the bunk right next to her. A third deafening bang ensued, and it was so close this time she felt something completely knock the air out of her. And that was the last thing she would recall.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Isaiah peered out from his truck¡¯s window through his set of oculars, watching over a smaller freighter port as the area buzzed along as it normally would. He then zoomed in to the seas beyond, spotting a pair of container ships on the approach. ¡°Tomorrow looks like a guarantee, now,¡± he mumbled to himself. He zoomed back out, panning the area as he looked for anything unusual. He reached over to his earpiece and tapped it before speaking: ¡°Inside, scramble code once you reach five hundred meters out. Outside, make sure you re-flash the system once we flip the switch on the grid.¡± He tapped it once more, leaning back as he let out a tired sigh.


    ¡°Isaiah,¡± the other channel woke up with Marian¡¯s voice. He reached over to his jacket pocket to click on the small device.


    ¡°Keep this channel silent until you can confirm kills, Marian, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Listen,¡± she insisted, though keeping her voice down. ¡°I just now got word from up top. Moles got us intel on that job Forerunning Labs did on the other pieces to Excalibur, and they¡¯re already done and are about to be Earthside way ahead of schedule- they ship out in a few hours.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change anything,¡± he started his rebuttal, rubbing the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°It does when none of our targets were hit over there at Marakina, mind you,¡± she curtly responded, ending with a sharper tone. ¡°And your sister and the Colombiano are tagged as the pilots for them.¡± And she cut back in quickly the second Isaiah attempted to make a retort: ¡°And! There are some Akkadian codes thrown for allowing a non-military transport into the Singapore entry space.¡± There was a small, heavy silence following that last statement. ¡°Isaiah, Excalibur is moving a bit unlike you predicted, don¡¯t you think? What do you think that transport means if it¡¯s not picking up those Excalibur pieces which are clearly going to change the tide for our entire operation already as it is?¡±


    Isaiah couldn¡¯t help but take a few moments to collect his thoughts as Marian impatiently awaited a response. ¡°Look,¡± he started with a huff. ¡°I get it, Sam has become more of a threat that even I predicted, and even with their supposed squabbles within the team they still pose an even greater one. But even if our detonations were off by a second, we still have a wave of men on the ground that can at worst buy us enough time. All we need is time to unload and set up the perimeter. Once we get moving full speed, Hexa can¡¯t send their prized possessions into the middle of a hotbed with no receiving party intact.¡±


    ¡°The transport ship-¡±


    ¡°-There¡¯s no possibility for that, not this day and age, Marian,¡± Isaiah cut her off sharply, hinting he understood what she was implying. ¡°If anything, that transport is attempting to move the pieces to Excalibur under our noses but that won¡¯t matter. It¡¯s too late for them timetable-wise.¡±


    ¡°If this goes to hell, this falls on your shoulders and you know Rex is lying in waiting, waiting just for that- and I really hate saying that myself, but think about this before you pull the trigger on the next phase while we still have time to regroup and rethink our strategy.¡±


    Before Isaiah could respond, she ended the communication link. He put his head against the headrest, closing his eyes as he took in a slow, deep breath before slipping back into thought. Am I overstepping my own limits? he pondered as he crossed his arms. But it shouldn¡¯t matter. The election is soon enough, and nothing will change as long as worst-case the Marakina Base gets flattened. I have too many people within their parliament secured for anything else to go wrong. We just need that convoy to land.


    He then opened his eyes, feeling nervous for the first time in a long while, zooming in back over the now-closer freighters, measuring their approaching speed and distance.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    ¡°Sam!!¡±


    She could¡¯ve sworn she heard someone scream her name. Was it Sebastian? Was it Devin on the line, still? Either way, she couldn¡¯t shake herself fully awake as her ears continued its horrible ringing. Her sense of balance was thrown off as well, unable to focus on pushing away the bunk support that fell just inches short of crushing her, blocking her from rolling back out into the room. Coughing from the dust still flying around her, she now realized how badly her head hurt.


    Not this again, she thought to herself as she paused to catch her breath, hoping some semblance of strength would muster itself before trying again to push herself free of the blockage. But once she felt she could see straight enough to focus on finding a spot to get a good push going, she noticed light at her feet. Ah, I can just scootch out of here, hopefully!


    It took some time to work herself out of the tight squeeze, and once she was free and able to slowly stand herself up, the sounds of ringing alarms and shouting became more apparent. Were those bombs that went off?! The smell of fire and smoke drew out more coughing as she instinctively put her arm over her mouth, looking to the exit to see the glow of distant fires. She looked up to see smoldering ceiling panels from the floor above, bringing her to the realization the bomb was placed on the floor above, perhaps.


    She then thought to approach the hallway slowly, knowing she had to do something. She assumed both her father and her squad mates, if still alive, would be the first to find safety, but she couldn¡¯t leave without seeing that for herself, regardless of the agreement she made earlier. No one said we had to follow protocol while we were on foot. But the second she got to the door, she froze up in fear.


    I don¡¯t have a sidearm¡­ nothing¡­ not a single damn thing¡­

 Stirring the Hornets Nest, Part 3

    And then began the distant bursts of gunfire that echoed all around from both ends of the exit. She jumped back and reached for her right hip instinctively, and it served another debilitating reminder how empty that area was with nothing slung or holstered. Several fire fights she had endured, and this would be the first potential encounter with nothing but her bare, exposed self.


    ¡°Dorm hallway One-A contained!¡± a gruff male¡¯s voice shouted as her sense of hope suddenly sparked. ¡°Checking for room one oh four!¡±


    Heavy yet careful footsteps plodded closer, each with easily sensed urgency. She couldn¡¯t help but call out for help, fighting off her sense of exposure attempting to lead her back under the fallen bunk. ¡°This is Samantha Knight! Of one-oh-four! I¡¯m alright!¡± she shouted, remembering just now to check herself for any cuts or bruises, finding nothing more than scrapes and dust.


    The soldier appeared around the corner, followed closely by another who kept his six. ¡°Pilot accounted for!¡± he shouted into his headset as he extended his hand. From his opened glove she could tell from every inch there up to his helmet and color-coding that he was from the PMC (private military company) Hexa had been hiring for almost a year, and he was decked out in as much gear as you¡¯d expect from someone more of an NAU or EU-level military grade.


    She without hesitation ran forward and took grab of his hand as he returned the reassuring grip, unable to make eye contact through his helmet¡¯s visor, but she felt too much relief to care. Now I just need to ask about everyone else and if they¡¯re OK! Knowing they would have the facilities floorplans down like the back of their hand afforded her the opportunity to come up with a way to make such request on the fly. Maybe they-


    ¡°-RPG!¡± the other soldier still in the hallway roared, before she felt herself yanked down to the ground with sudden, ligament straining force.


    Another explosion knocked the wind out of her yet again as more dust and debris was violently thrown their way, and whatever chance she had to breathe back in immediately after was cut short by the soldier falling over her. Several coughs later along with a struggle to catch her breath, she could tell the soldier wasn¡¯t as well off. His groaning in pain, although muffled through a closed mouth, was intense.


    She gave up on her attempt to negotiate her way out from underneath him and instead focused on what she could see in front of her, and after a few seconds she noticed several holes shredded through the back of his thigh and up to near his waist. He squirmed as he tried to get up, unable as his collective joints were out of commission.


    As he continued to force the impossible, more blood poured out, bringing back more nightmare images Sam had tried to forget. She remembered feeling blood splatter across her face as it sprung out from Ms. Sur¡¯s neck after trying to cover for their escape. She remembered how paralyzed she felt that instant, and it mirrored how she felt now in this different yet similar circumstance. She could do something for him, or for the both of them, but what? And there was so much bleeding and signs of blinding pain.


    Her world started to spin, too, just like last time. Dizziness. Queasiness.


    ¡°Nu?ez!¡± he finally managed to shout out through clenched teeth, looking over his shoulder as best as he could. ¡°Nu?ez!¡± he again shouted in vain towards his silenced partner just on the other side of the wall out in the hallway. ¡°Damn it! Motherfuckers!¡± He finally put his strength into his arms to roll over, leaving Sam now free to get up and out of the way, unknowing her inability to do such. He then reached for his pistol holstered just over his left leg as he heard several footsteps rushing their way.


    She never knew what it was like to wear the helmets they did, but it gave them something of a heads up as the first two shots had her immediately covering her ears and curling up in fear, letting out an incidental shriek as the first approaching figure was taken down through the wall. Whoever it was had plopped down like a ragdoll right into the doorway as the PMC soldier continued firing through the wall, but this time his shots were not the only ones. Several sailed back in their direction, and as a few zinged over her head, one went right up the soldier¡¯s area just under his exposed armpit.


    She didn¡¯t need blood on her this time to hear that same sound once more, putting the death grip her fear had on her sense of reality even tighter. That sound only meant one thing, and she was too afraid to turn and look as the soldier gurgled and sputtered as he tried to breathe through the uncontrolled coughing spurts.


    The feelings of blacking out encroached on her vision rapidly as her heart beat out of her chest. Her hands and feet were numb, violently quivering in place. She desperately wanted to get up and run but couldn¡¯t find a single muscle to comply.


    And then the sounds of more feet approaching rapidly served as a final warning that it was move or die right there on the floor of her dorm room, a room where she was supposed to have felt safer than anywhere else in the city. And as she finally had another flashback jump in to take the place of those that were focused on watching the blood of others spilled, the memory of finding the working motor skills to aim and squeeze a trigger roared back. She rolled over and grabbed the only grip she could see with her limited vision: it was a heavy, just below standard length rifle she had only perhaps seen once or twice in movies, and it was it was mounted to a single-point bungee sling, barely allowing her to pull it her way and press it up against her shoulder at a low angle.


    Come on, damn it! She struggled to pull the barrel over enough to get it into view of the hallway door, but with a third effort she was able to see the bright glow of a reticle suddenly come into view. And as the bright red double-circle was now filled with an all-camo wearing figure turning the corner, she didn¡¯t think twice to pull the trigger before he could pull his own weapon¡¯s sights over her head.


    <u>**BDA-DA-DAH!!!**</u>


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The standard three-shot burst ripped out from the rifle, dropping the figure over his former squad mate, and cueing Sam to make a proper run for it while her adrenaline was serving more positively than not. Without any chance for proper thought, she rolled back towards the dying PMC soldier and reached over to unhook the sling from the foregrip mount. And with that same motion, she hobbled awkwardly over to the edge of the door frame, shouldered the rifle once more, propped her back up against the frame, then used it to support her as she leaned over.


    She saw two more no more than five meters out near the end of the connecting hallway, prompting her to pull the barrel over to line up the reticle and squeeze the trigger over and over. She couldn¡¯t even breathe right anymore, only able to hear the ringing of her ears and nothing else as her pummeled shoulder rang out in pain. She didn¡¯t even realize the rifle was out of rounds, only that the hallway was now clear aside from the clouds of dust.


    She didn¡¯t even know how much time had passed before her hyperventilating came to somewhat of a pause, just enough to realize her Underground¡¯s communication device going off in her pocket that she had forgotten she ever put there to begin with.


    ¡°Sam, are you OK!? Respond!¡± Devin¡¯s voice shouted the second she clicked on the button with her freed left hand.


    It took a few seconds to come up with the focus to get anything out of her locked up throat. ¡°N-not now! Not now!¡± She took her hand off the communicator, gasping for air, and finally realized the folly of sitting where she lay. She scooted over back into the room, looking back and forth haplessly until her eyes set gaze upon the still PMC soldier who saved her life initially. His body laid motionless, face to the floor. Wincing, her gaze fell to her feet, where she took a long, unwanted look the bodies of the two dead intruders.


    The armor, Sam, the gear¡­ their weapons¡­ the magazines¡­


    The selfish, beyond insensitive thoughts sickened her even more, but they kept repeating themselves over and over as she inched closer. She could now hear more voices approaching, and the words weren¡¯t in English. Another look down, and she realized at the very worst she could avoid defiling her late rescuer¡¯s body and instead take from those a little bit closer to her body height and breadth. The one closest to her had a still-leaking hole in his head she avoided eye contact with at all costs, focusing only on finding his armor rig¡¯s quick-release tabs. And by the time she finished fitting it to herself a minute later, she didn¡¯t think to grab anything but what was already right there in front of her, and she immediately felt the further added weight of the rifle that looked nothing like anything she had ever seen in person or perhaps even in movies.


    This has to work, she thought as the voices grew closer. She shouldered it despite the horribly awkward front-heavy nature of the rifle and mounted herself to the door frame, but this time to the one in front of her as she waited once more. But the footsteps never approached despite the time she afforded herself to prepare. Gunshots in the distance continued as the shouting continued, triggering her to rethink her situation.


    If anything, this means I have a chance to take another route out of here. Going towards that direction seems like it¡¯s walking into a deathtrap. Maybe I should go the back way.


    She eased her way into the hallway, optic pointed down the hallway with no bodies in sight. She then snapped around and took off back the other direction and towards the door that would lead her to the courtyard from earlier. After busting through and turning a hard right to take herself back around towards the directors¡¯ offices, she could now hear other running footsteps besides her own. One more corner quickly came up that she knew she¡¯d have to take another turn at, unable to determine if those were more PMC soldiers or intruders. But as she approached that very corner, another coming around from the opposite side let her know which one using the butt end of a rifle stock to her head.


    The blow was a glancing one, only managing to knock her balance off enough so that the ensuing collision of their bodies sent her falling backward.


    <u>**BDA-DA-DA-DA-DAH!!**</u>


    Her rifle was no longer square on her shoulder, but she squeezed the trigger anyway while fruitlessly fighting the rifle¡¯s violent bucking upward. After expending those five shells, it immediately seized up as a mixed reaction of confusion and panic took over, only to quickly fade with her assailant falling down right next to her, yelling out in pain. Her eyes inadvertently darted right towards the hand he was gripping, noting she had shot off part of his right hand, setting off the escape reflex as she backed up, feet scuffling until she could stand up. She shouldered her rifle once more before remembering it had jammed up. Hands trembling furiously, she freed her left hand from the foregrip and searched for anything to clear it, not having any knowledge of handling cased weaponry.


    The assailant at the floor below her managed to look up to see her frightened return gaze and started to crawl away back to the corner from where he had come from. His weapon had fallen to the side, but he elected not to force any move he¡¯d regret, hoping to get away with his life and the rest of his body intact.


    Sam finally caught sight of a charge handle at the upper left side in front of the receiver, noting it was halfway engaged. Without thought, she started jerking at it, taking several strong but futile attempts to get it to move. But with one last all-out attempt along with a shout of desperation, it moved back all the way, snapping back to the return position as a case was ejected and flung forward.


    And with a huge breath, she rounded the corner and swung the reticle of the mounted sight over the back of the retreating assailant, squeezing the trigger without hesitation.


    The rush of adrenaline fueled by her sheer determination to survive rivaled that of what she experienced vs Revenant the other day. Without a moment to spare for calculating her next move, reflexes and instinct, what little there was that could apply to the situation, commanded her every move by this point. After the last casing of her spent rounds hit the tile floor below, movement well down the hallway had her change direction and head down a different hallway than planned.


    She squeezed into a cutout where a pair of restroom doors stood beside her, allowing her to catch her breath even if just for a moment, trying desperately to listen for footsteps over the thumping of her heart that beat with an intensity as if it were seated between her ears. And with those passing seconds, her frenzy of scattered thoughts finally settled on one option: the communication device. Devin had tried to contact her earlier, and perhaps it was something her life might depend on.


    ¡°Devin!¡± she whispered through her panting, but it was the response that would spook the last of her gathered senses out.


    ¡°Sam!¡± Al quickly responded through the device. ¡°Where are you! Are you alright?!¡±


    Wh¡­ Dad?!


    ¡°Ugh!¡± she grunted inadvertently amidst her release of some of the over-stacked nerves.


    Thank God you¡¯re safe! BUT! What the hell are you doing with Devin¡¯s communicator?!


    The first thoughts to mind were that either Devin had surrendered himself for God knows what reason, or that her father had been a part of the operation. The latter, however, drew a stronger reaction as she found the breath to respond:


    ¡°Dad! Wha-why!? How?!¡±


    ¡°OK, phew, you¡¯re fine- that¡¯s a good thing! Now! Get to the hangar as soon as you can! I will be waiting for you there!¡±


    Her breathing rate continued to escalate. ¡°Huh!? Dad, what¡¯s going on!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t-! Look, calm down! Don¡¯t say anything else to give your position away and just focus on moving! Alright! We are moving out, too!¡±


    We?! Who is with him?! What the fuck is going on!?

 Stirring the Hornets Nest, Part 4

    She wanted to cry from the frustration, but he was right, and knowing he was alright helped her find confidence to follow along as told. She had to move, and there was no telling who may have been tailing her. She spent another few moments gathering her bearings, noting that no one approached. The only sounds she could clearly make out was a slowed but steady exchange in fire between two parties, and it was evident that she had caught the tail end of it before changing routes.


    OK, she thought as she realized where she was currently. This is the wing that takes me to the staff offices. The hangar would be way the hell over¡­ wait! She remembered Sebastian, Kerry, and Andre being in the courtyard last time she saw them. If I go back this other way I remember, it passes by the other side of that courtyard! She took a few more deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down enough for a focused dash, then took off down the hallway, rifle shouldered but lowered at the ready and finger up and over the trigger guard. She had only so much training back during her time with the Naval Academy, but it was enough drilling experienced to stick with her in times like this.


    Wait, doubts pervaded what thought she had collected. This is Sebastian and Kerry we are talking about. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re just hanging out if they survived!


    And as she heard a commotion come from the intersecting hallway, the sound of panicking staff members and other workers brought her to a halt. She pulled her rifle in anticipation, not wanting to come off as a threat, and as the rush of fleeing workers turned the corner and headed towards where Sam just came from, it gave her an idea.


    If they¡¯re headed from that direction screaming like that, that means-


    -¡°Sam!¡± She heard Kerry shout from the tail end of the stampeding crowd, snapping her focus in utter disbelief as her heart skipped a beat. ¡°Run!¡±


    As she watched her and Andre shoving the tail end of the crowd around the corner, she felt the crackling of drywall behind her, followed immediately by the volleys of gunfire coming from flashes far down the end of that hallway. As the injured fell, dragging down Kerry and Andre along with them, Sam crouched, swung her rifle to the ready, and aligned the puffs of smoke with the bright red circle set.


    <u>*BDA-DA-DA-DA-DAH!!*</u>


    Screamed the rifle as Kerry and Andre felt the return volleys¡¯ flashes of heat and the pain ringing from their eardrums.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Kerry shrieked as she covered her ears, keeping her head down as she lay on the ground with the others. She waited for Sam¡¯s second burst to continue: ¡°Where¡¯d you get that from!?¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t think to piece together what she had said through her own temporarily impaired hearing as she anxiously attempted to swap magazines using what was left in the plate carrier rig she had stolen, trotting off down the hallway.


    ¡°Sam!¡± Andre was now shouting out as he curled around. ¡°What are you doing- now¡¯s our chance to make a run for the hangar!¡±


    She didn¡¯t hear that, either, or she didn¡¯t care. She finally got the magazine switched out after tossing the other, now aiming back up at the three men downed. She noticed two were motionless while the third was reaching for something from one of his chest rig¡¯s pockets. She moved the reticle over his head, and just as he started to speak into his headset, she squeezed the trigger.


    Kerry and Andre both looked on in shock for a few moments before turning back to the two who had been hit by gunfire just moments ago.


    ¡°Has she lost her damn mind?!¡± Andre fussed as he turned to a staffer grabbing his leg. ¡°Let her go! Help me wrap them up so we can-¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t stay here long!¡±


    ¡°No shit!¡± He fussed as he ripped his left sleeve to prepare a makeshift wrap. ¡°Wrap and carry!¡± He then looked to the man¡¯s face to check his condition, noting his silence but could see the grimacing through the pain. ¡°Sir, you with me?!¡± He saw the fear-stricken nod as he started tying around the entry wound on his calf. ¡°We¡¯ll get you out of here!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s only grazed!¡± Kerry said with a pat on his shoulder, standing up together with the staffer she was tending to. ¡°We gotta evacuate them!¡±


    As Andre got the man halfway up, lifting him up off of his bad leg, Sam approached from the rear with heavy gasps for air. ¡°Sam, you ok!?¡± he asked with concern that surprised even himself, looking upon a version of Sam he had never seen before. Even the look in her eyes gave off that of a completely different person. And with a jump, he awkwardly caught the rifle tossed his way.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Kerry put her hand out to take the other confiscated rifle from Sam as she looked back at the wounded she was tending to, trying to pretend she didn¡¯t feel a certain way about the blood on her, reminding her of the other night but with even more of a frightful appearance. ¡°But we can¡¯t just leave them!¡±


    ¡°She can stand,¡± Sam spoke through her gasps, pointing to the one with the graze wound. ¡°And she can help him. That exit is clear. But we,¡± she now spoke with her finger pointed to Kerry and then to Andre. ¡°We need to get to the hangar, like, fucking now. And those were orders.¡±


    ¡°Well! Fucking A¡¯,¡± Andre said with a sudden change in mood. ¡°I wasn¡¯t ready to just sit back and take shit like we did at Dhaka!¡± he shouted with nervous but revitalized spirits, inspecting the rifle¡¯s condition before putting the sling around him.


    ¡°Andre, you can¡¯t be serious! Sam has-¡±


    ¡°-Lost my sanity?¡± Sam snapped as she tugged at her plate carrier which weighed heavily on her shoulders. ¡°Fine, do as you please. I¡¯m not waiting to get killed.¡± She then turned back down the hallway with a sluggish, forced trot. Andre was then quick to follow without a look back at Kerry, who a second later reluctantly went along.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking Kerry!¡± Andre shouted without turning, keeping his eyes down the hall. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about what was said about Sam earlier! I like moving forward, and she¡¯s got us seriously moving forward!¡±


    Kerry wanted to respond, neither liking nor trusting the direction this was headed in one bit, but couldn¡¯t find the words after seeing Sam like that. She was sure she saw blood soaked over her whole left side below the plate carrier. Whose blood was that? And the spatters across her face, they were more pronounced than last time. But most of all, it was that look in her eyes as if she lost some of her humanity that had her at such a loss of words.


    Andre continued as they neared the door at the end, still held open by the corpses of those disposed of by Sam moments earlier. ¡°These are the same damn tactics the Cloak¡¯s guys used on us at our Dhaka base weeks back! No way in hell you forget that, right! This is NOT happening again!¡± As they approached it, he naturally took the lead as he checked each direction before covering for the others.


    ¡°Kerry, you know these halls better than us. Set our path. Me and Sam will keep watch.¡± He looked over to her to see if she was able to hear, and then back down his sights again after seeing her confirm with an emotionless nod. ¡°Oh, and Sam,¡± he spoke in a lower tone as Kerry caught up to them. ¡°If you were concerned, Sebastian went looking for you, but thought you¡¯d head for the control room and not the hangar. Do you think he got the same orders?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± she shot back as she slowly started to catch her breath. ¡°Can you talk less?¡±


    ¡°If we have to do this, just shut up and follow me,¡± Kerry huffed, reluctantly taking point.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    After that last scuffle, there wouldn¡¯t be another invading soldier they would stumble across. And along that path by which Kerry had led them, the only sounds they heard outside of the distant exchanges of gunfire and shouts were those of hover carriers serving escort to medevac and fire control personnel. In their minds, whatever invasion they had survived was coming to a close, but all three of them knew this was only going to be at best a first wave. Andre had already mentioned how it likened to their near-death experience in Dhaka before Sam¡¯s entry into the program, and Sam didn¡¯t need any more of a trial run than provided.


    But at last, the final set of approaching double doors brought about an enormous sigh of relief, knowing they reached one of the guarded entrances to the hangars. With the exception of Sam¡¯s gear of unknown origin, their markings on everyone¡¯s outfits had already served the soldiers standing guard plenty of identification, cueing them to hold up a hand signal to let them through.


    .


    And once they stepped into the main LTAC staging area where armed PMC members had guided them to, they looked to the center to see a larger gathering of staff members, directors, and three familiar faces in the middle. But it was one who stood out most.


    Dad¡­


    All the adrenaline that had been working well past overtime had brought on an onslaught of trembling and quivering, feeling as if she would collapse there on the spot.


    ¡°Woah,¡± Andre was the first to speak of the three as he stepped forward first toward the crowd. ¡°How the hell did this place go unscathed?¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± Sam shrieked out, using the last gasp of energy she had, dashing off toward him as she felt the uncontrollable burn of tears kick in.


    Sebastian watched as the two embraced, not only hurt from the thought she never noticed him standing two feet away, but he also felt sorrow in a way he hadn¡¯t before. She was the most traumatized he had ever seen her, blood spotted all over and far beyond visibly shaken. He even felt traces of guilt, having the intention to do everything he could for her, and he thought perhaps this could be another chance he¡¯d miss if he just sat back and watched like he tended to do around everyone else since leaving home.


    Kerry read his reactions, putting a hand on his shoulder with a shake of her head. ¡°Whatever it is you feel like saying or trying to do to step in¡­ let her be. You don¡¯t know half the shit she¡¯s gone through.¡±


    .


    Long seconds had passed before Sam finally loosened her grip she had on her father, struggling still to breathe between the sobs. And at last, she found the energy to speak through her drying throat: ¡°I thought I would-¡±


    ¡°-Shh-shh,¡± he hushed her through his own battle with emotions and held-back tears as he continued to console her. ¡°Sam, we¡¯re all OK. We¡¯re all glad you are, too.¡± He didn¡¯t expect himself to be in this position emotionally, having been separated from something of this level for more than a decade. Seeing her this hurt and begging for solace brought back memories he had forgotten existed.


    He then looked to those standing around, immediately feeling bothered. ¡°Give her some space and continue what we were discussing! We¡¯ll obviously be a minute!¡±

 The Storm That Will Follow

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Isaiah was still inside his truck, tucked away inside a dark location where the only light visible was that coming from his mobile and his watch. ¡°Go ahead and pull them all the way back,¡± he spoke into his watch as he read a stream of information coming through one of the screens he had on display. ¡°Evacuate the wounded¡­ full retreat. Don¡¯t let the National Guard get involved.¡±


    His eyes kept darting back toward the other screen, showing the reports on their targets¡¯ condition: Samantha Knight, Sebastian Navarre, Kerrington Melancon, Andre Nguyen, Alexander Knight. Each of the names were with empty check boxes next to them. He let out a long sigh, closing the window to that one screen.  ¡°We move out regardless. They will be in enough of a disarray after this.¡±


    And I almost feel as if someone was purposefully standing in our way. This went far too wrong to make any sense for that not to be the case.


    ¡°Isaiah,¡± his earpiece went off as Marian chimed in, cueing him to disconnect from his other channel. ¡°Rex is on the line. Do you want him or should I do the honors of telling him to bloody fuck off?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle this, thanks,¡± he replied with another long sigh, closing his eyes and leaning back in his seat. ¡°I kind of saw this coming, so I¡¯m already prepared for his worst.¡±


    ¡°We still move out, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll finish things on my end once I¡¯ve confirmed everyone unloaded and checked in safely.¡±


    ¡°And one last thing,¡± she continued with heightened concern. ¡°I never found any trace of Ms. Rodger¡¯s presence yet found too much proof of her arrival. And¡­ she¡¯s not anywhere near Marikina. Stay well hidden.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not an assassin nor does she possess any fighting skills. I am worried about a lot but definitely not about her- in fact, the thought that she¡¯s not anywhere near the Galatine has me on the contrary more relieved than anything.¡±


    ¡°The Galatine may not be held within their base. That¡¯s what I am afraid of.¡±


    There was a long pause between the two, strongly hinting which was Isaiah¡¯s biggest worry. ¡°I was afraid of that possibility. Hence, we have no choice but to move ASAP.¡±


    ¡°Again, stay well hidden, and I will continue to keep my eyes open. Also, something is fishy here with the timing and coincidence of everything going wrong. Don¡¯t be surprised if Rex is behind this somehow, taking the meaning of ¡®cutting off the nose to spite one¡¯s face¡¯ to a whole new level.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± He clicked his earpiece once, then proceeded to wait until the expected call from Rex came up on his watch. ¡°Alright, tell me you can¡¯t handle progress at a high pace without telling me you can¡¯t handle progress at a high pace, Rex.¡±


    ¡°You blind fool,¡± Rex¡¯s distorted voice was quick to respond with apparent disapproval. ¡°Your little stunt you pulled- and clearly failed, already has the people turning to Infinity. Check the feed showing the demonstrations going on both at Memorial Circle and at the Naval port.¡±


    Isaiah already knew that would be one of the short-term outcomes, as painful as it was, but knew to bite his tongue.


    ¡°Now, at this rate, we may never get the change in power we needed AND your little party from Nanning will show up with maximum resistance thanks to you finding a way to let Hexa¡¯s star pilots survive.¡±


    Isaiah waited for a few seconds after Rex finished that sentence to make sure he would be able to speak uninterrupted. ¡°You grossly underestimate the potential we have with pilots all hand-trained by Sly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t trust you, Rex, and I never did,¡± Isaiah calmly continued. ¡°You really thought a change in power here would make a difference. The people are too nationalistic, too united in solidarity for their Charter Change, not joining an alliance. This shows your glaring lack of vision and how out of touch you are with the people you watch. The Filipinos treasure their strength as a nation, not as a cog in the China-sphere¡¯s system. Do you really think they¡¯ll just line up and follow commands like a good little dog once the current president is unseated and China starts to make their moves?¡±


    ¡°Your moves will create a burning hatred for the mainland. You will create future deaths in droves. The Confederacy¡­ the Alliances¡­ will never form again if everyone pours their distrust together against one of the biggest powers we need to be restored.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a fool to think the long road will grind itself to victory,¡± Isaiah spoke back with equal strength as he leaned forward, ready to disconnect the call. ¡°If it worked before, it will work again. We have no time to waste hoping the people embrace their new place in the coming reconstructing of the old alliance. It has to form once more, and it will form overnight.¡± He then clicked his headset button with a huff as he shook his head.


    Should have told him to just bloody fuck off like Marian suggested. That was a waste of time I could have spent continuing surveillance.


    He then got his mind back on track, reopening the channel he had open earlier as he reached for his clipboard he had in the seat across from him. ¡°Continue updating the status of the cargo, and scrap the demo plans. Will reschedule and resolve some time after this next coordinated attack.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    .


    Armed hovercraft marked with Philippine Nation Guard insignias hummed along as they circled Infinity¡¯s Marikina Base, passing through and around the several columns of smoke as the fire crew below wrapped up their business. Police had the whole block circled off, and hundreds had flocked to witness the spectacle and its aftermath. Such scale of an attack had never happened on their soil, and the level of shock would peak well beyond what it had been during several violent spillovers from sporadic clashes between armed pushbacks of the past against Hexa¡¯s present forces. But judging from their faces, they looked on with concern rather than excitement.


    Inside the complex¡¯s hangar wing, which was incidentally one of the least damaged areas, prep crews and director staff were scurrying around as pilots stood by inside their LTAC units. Nearly a full dozen remained in their pit spaces, operating systems active but kept their drive systems off.


    Sam was the only one not in the area, instead seated next to her father inside one of the control rooms that overlooked the hangar. ¡°I still think I should be out there,¡± she persisted with a massaging of the back of her neck. Her hands weren¡¯t quivering as they were before, but she still felt weak, drained, and sore. The only thing different from earlier was the blood on her face and fingers, having been cleaned off just moments ago.


    ¡°I avoided the topic in front of the others,¡± Al replied as he kept his eyes glued to the screen in front of him at one of the station¡¯s desks. He had only just sat down recently as well, having come from a relentless flurry of verbal exchanges as none of the communication lines had been working since the attack. ¡°But I called for medical personnel to bring a scanner by to check on that concussion procedure of yours. I don¡¯t know if the mesh patch held out properly or if the glutamate inhibitors are still in place, but something¡¯s off if you ask me.¡±


    Sam wanted to deny the fact she might be sidelined for a long time after hearing that, and knew no matter what fuss she might bring about, it would be instantly silenced with facts she had no rational counter for. I wonder what the others are thinking¡­ me just sitting here¡­ safe while they wait for the impending¡­-


    ¡°Hey, wait,¡± she blurted out as she slowly started putting some of the situational pieces together, unable to comprehend much of anything earlier. ¡°Can you explain to me why we know something¡¯s coming later today?¡±


    ¡°A girl paid me a visit moments before she took- Oh, that¡¯s right,¡± Al remembered mid-sentence that he never asked her something that was on his mind and wanted to ask once things settled down a bit. He put his hands down and away from the key panel, looking over at her with concern. ¡°So, listen, as I was negotiating my way out of the rubble from that blast earlier, God knows how most of us managed to survive that, by the way, a man helped me up to my feet.¡±


    Oh, so THAT was why Dad talked to me through his communicator.


    ¡°To keep this short, he told me to stop worrying about you, and that he could help figure out where you were and to get you to a safer location.¡± He cleared his throat, leaning forward. ¡°Said his name was Devin Yanga.¡±


    ¡°So, he did end up with you,¡± Sam responded in a manner that unsettled him. And it wasn¡¯t because she was calm, it was because of something else that had him upset that she was so calm.


    ¡°Sam, he had a device that communicated with you wirelessly, and without LOS. ¡­ Sam,¡± he repeated her name as he noted her expression never changed as if she didn¡¯t get the hint. ¡°The jamming. It¡¯s is still up.¡±


    It was after those few words that took some of the air out her. She finally realized what it was he was onto and what she got busted with. And although the root cause was completely different than earlier, her fight-or-flight instinct kicked in as expected. And in that same instant, the only face she felt she could turn to for help and support popped up. ¡°Dad, no, hold on- that¡¯s not it,¡± she spoke with an acted gaze out of the window. ¡°I have to go talk to Sebastian before he loads up,¡± she fumbled the continued response as she awkwardly stood up to leave. And it made her queasy as it went on.


    I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this after earlier. What the hell is wrong with me?


    ¡°Sam,¡± Al huffed, stopping what he was doing to turn and look with disappointment. ¡°You can only avoid the most important details for so long, but I get it- but! If you have to go talk to the boy, go apologize and be grateful to someone who actually gives a real shit about you and your safe being, please?¡±


    The truthful dagger hit home hard, nearly stopping her in her tracks, but she knew she couldn¡¯t hang around and pushed on stubbornly.


    ¡°And please be careful walking around. You aren¡¯t fully recovered yet, clearly, and you also have to get checked out soon so hurry back!¡± Al finished with concern, watching her leave out of the room.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Malate District, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Throngs of protestors filled the street and open areas surrounding the National Guard¡¯s main office that sat at the coast¡¯s edge downtown; the smoke was thick, the droning mix of shouts and chants, and the wall of onlookers dozens thick surrounded the whole scene, blocking traffic and adding to the chaos.


    Just a few blocks away, an older ride-share car pulled up to a corner of an intersection and came to a stop. A female in a lightweight hoodie pulled over her head with only sunglasses and the bill of a ballcap were visible turned to pay, uttering the words: ¡°Five thousand here, and five thousand more if you hang here for ten minutes for me. Highly doubting the police are concerned with parking tickets today.¡±


    The driver looked on momentarily in disbelief before shrugging his shoulders, figuring the pay as was justified any risk of him sitting there longer than his schedule was ever supposed to allow. ¡°Why not. Sure, go ahead,¡± he replied with a smile and a nod as she exited the vehicle.


    She casually strolled up to the rear of the blockade of onlookers, scouting the area for a gap in the throng to slip through. Spying one finally, she quietly snuck through and found a set of old cars next to a dump truck all parked side by side just up ahead. As she got halfway there, she was able to catch a glimpse of the opposite end of the clearing, seeing banners hung from the traffic light poles that read ¡°Igalaw mo ang tamad mong pwet!¡± next to another that read ¡°Infinity¡¯s blood is on your hands!¡± The pattern was quickly picked up on, noting there had been an evident shift in loyalty, likely due to the recent unofficial agreements between Infinity and Tyrus¡¯ circle.


    That¡¯s a radical change based on the information I was fed the other day, she thought to herself after pausing for that one second before continuing on. She worked her way up to the top of the car and stepped over to the next carefully, finally making her way up and climbing to the top of the dump truck. From there she could get a perfect view of the entire chaotic scene.


    This was supposed to be a demo set up to piss off the locals, not get them to rally together. Either Rex¡¯s party fucked up royally, or this is something even the Underground here couldn¡¯t fully calculate.


    She continued to observe the movement, the chants, and the clashes between riot control as she continued in thought: Almost all of these are aimed at the NG¡¯s lack of action to help us out with the recent mess rather than the call for forcing out Infinity forces. So much in support of Hexa¡­ I wonder who turned this tide. She then shook off her curiosity, focusing back on the original goal she set for herself, taking out a monocular and set her sights to the sea. After a few moments she spotted a cargo freighter in the distance that caught her full attention.


    Ugh. I knew they¡¯d hire idiots to do such a simple job, and someone on our side fucked up, too, it seems. This could¡¯ve gone down terribly.


    She reached over inside her hood and clicked a button on her earpiece, and having been away from the jamming zone she established a connection with someone.


    ¡°I knew they would reroute on the down low,¡± she spoke in a lowered voice, holding her hood over her mouth to shield out some of the noise coming from outside. And then with an adjustment of her settings, the display now showed relatively hollow cargo crates on top of the vessel, drawing a frown. ¡°Bingo. Multiples moving on the NG Port. Cancel the previous targets, I repeat, cancel previous targets and switch to the now acquisitioned units. Moving back to rally point. Emilia out.¡±


    And this proves it. I refuse to ever let myself get involved in other¡¯s messes, but since I have no choice, I want to not feel like more of a bad guy for doing it. And as she turned to head back, she paused with a hint of worry, looking over the crowds. Apologies in advance, everyone.

 The Storm That Will Follow, Part 2

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Infinity Marikina HQ, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Sebastian stood at the restroom sink, water running full pressure. He rinsed off the soap suds for the third time, re-examining his right palm. Memories of the dried blood stains that ran through each wrinkle remained despite the now clean appearance, feeling the weight of killing another by his own hands directly for the first time in years. He dried his hands and took a step back, looking down at himself.


    [Still in one piece,] he thought to himself and took in a slow, deep breath. He continued to stare up at the wall above the mirror, dreading having to leave what respite he managed to get there, quiet and alone. The thought that this would be his best shot at the last Cloak had ironically taken a back seat to stronger begrudged thoughts.


    And then a noise came from the locker room door behind him, prompting a more casual look from him as he rubbed his face, dreading the talk he knew would come.


    [Look alive, brother,] Andre spoke up enthusiastically with a pat on his shoulder from behind. [No time for girl trouble- and I tried to warn you way back,] he continued, looking back at him through their reflection in the mirror. [Right?]


    [What do you care?] Sebastian¡¯s true feelings of annoyance slipped out unintendedly.


    [Bro, this is the best we¡¯ve looked in getting ready for the real shit, don¡¯t you get it?] He fussed back with a smirk, taking his hand off of his shoulder to adjust his shouldered bag. [We always lacked solid vision at each corner, always someone who didn¡¯t quite have their focus together, but did you see the look in Sam¡¯s eyes just a minute ago?]


    [The look of terror?] Sebastian frowned as he turned to him, affronted. [And if I understand you right, you have no room to speak-]


    [-I know, I know,] Andre huffed, hands up in admittance. [I was always the first to bitch and complain,] he added before reverting to his prior expressions: [But I felt it this time! Everyone¡¯s focused and ready to get this over with no matter how we feel about it! Even Sam- listen, she absolutely wailed on them dudes no mercy. She¡¯s fucking done, it sounds like. Done with this shitshow that keeps following us and ready to put an end to it all! That¡¯s the look I saw in her eyes! Even Kerry agrees, so why can¡¯t you?!]


    Sebastian shook his head, collecting his calmer thoughts before speaking. But as he looked up, he noticed Andre already turning to leave.


    [You know what, as Kerry says,] Andre added with a quick turnaround, ¡°you do you.¡± [I¡¯m going to talk to Sam if you won¡¯t. We need to end this real bad, and you know it. We all need it. Shit¡¯s coming, and we can¡¯t run, so, you know¡­ come on, right?] And with that, he turned to head out of the restroom.


    Sebastian wanted to put in a last word, yet he didn¡¯t want to extend the meaningless conversation and allowed Andre to leave unimpeded. As the door shut, he slouched forward and leaned on his hands over the sink counter, closing his eyes. He didn¡¯t want to be in this situation to begin with, wishing now things could just go back to how they were before they left South America. His desire to avenge his friends¡¯ deaths had significantly died down, mostly due to two of the Cloaks responsible had met their fate. And as justified as it felt, something felt off with the continued, seemingly futile chase after the third and final Cloak. And making things more confusing and frustrating were his feelings for Sam.


    [Why is everything I am doing going so wrong? What am I doing wrong? Why can¡¯t I get through to¡­ no, why can¡¯t I find any damn words when it matters most?] He looked back up at his reflection, seeing a look of no real sleep, he also sensed a self that was still wandering around in the dark, much like it had felt years back before he found his place, committing his life and career to the Galeano Paramilitary. But the distress inside felt deeper, harder to recognize, harder to identify.


    [Maybe things will just go back to how they were if we can just get past tonight. I got a feeling this will be our last¡­] His thoughts trailed off into another troubled pause as he started once more contemplating their encounter with not just another Cloak, but Sam¡¯s brother. The one he saw leaving her for dead in Dhaka. The one who he felt sent an assassin out for her life the other night. He realized this was a problem he¡¯d never be able to face head on with her, one he would avoid at all costs if he could, but the day had already arrived and now there was no time to bring it up. [What is she even going to be able to do? What are her real intentions?] And his last thought brought not only the sensation of tears but even a bit of resentment, as shameful as it felt: [And who will she choose when we all end up face to face tonight?]


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sam slowly advanced down the main corridor that linked the back side of the control room back to the hangar, and the locker rooms she aimed for were between the two. With no communications systems working, the shouts and call outs along with the sounds of ringing emergency landlines filled the air, but she was already mostly zoned out, lost in thought. Caring nothing for the bustle of scurrying staff and crewmen passing to and from, she only cared for finding the words to say once she did find Sebastian.


    But Andre found her first, spotting her through a crowd of mechanics. ¡°Sam,¡± he called out as he ran up. ¡°Hey, you on your way to suit up?¡±


    Why is he even bothering to talk to me? Sam avoided eye contact but stopped to collect herself enough to respond properly, feeling it¡¯d be best to avoid any confrontation given the state she was in. Taking in a breath, she replied: ¡°I need to find someone, first.¡±


    Andre thought to take a shot at who that was, but something caught his eye. Sam was wearing only her sleeveless undershirt as her flight jacket she had on earlier was not only ripped and bloodstained, it also got in the way of the bandaging she had done on her cuts and scrapes. And it was over the front of her left shoulder where he noticed it fairly bruised. ¡°That Deimar DR model you took from them, I¡¯ve shot one of those before,¡± he spoke with a weak chuckle as if trying to soften the air. ¡°Really kicks the living shit out of you if you aren¡¯t used to those kinds of rounds. Sorry to see it was rough on you, too.¡± He noted her start to look away, not biting on his attempt. ¡°Look, Sam, I need to apologize for the asshole I¡¯ve been,¡± he added on a more serious note.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time right now,¡± Sam answered as calmly as she could, starting to move before Andre lightly put a hand up, fully drawing her attention, albeit unpleasantly.


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    ¡°I have to also thank you for saving us all these times,¡± he quickly continued as he looked back at her square in the eyes. ¡°I never did, and I¡­ uh, made it sound like I did anything but trust you. I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t have time for this.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡¯ll let you go,¡± Andre conceded as he stepped back. ¡°I just had to say that, and that I never should have doubted you. I realize you really are a fighter, and I should¡¯ve tried harder to work with you and not against you all this time, because¡­ maybe things would be different if I had, you know?¡±


    Sam closed her eyes, conflicted on how to respond to something so sudden, especially not knowing how sincere he was. ¡°I appreciate the notion, but I don¡¯t want to continue the talk with what I got going on right now, and I really need to find someone right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry, I totally get you,¡± he continued in concession, stepping out of her way. ¡°I¡¯ll just catch back up with you at the hangar,¡± he finished as he trotted off, allowing Sam to breathe out some of the tension that had built up over that minute.


    But she found herself standing there in place longer than she wanted to. The words she had gone over in her head evaporated after her encounter with Andre, and that aggravated her on top of everything else she had swirling around in her jumbled mind. Hands over her face, she slowly rubbed her eyes, shaking her head in a mixture of frustration and exhaustion.


    ¡°Sam!¡±


    A jolt reflexively ran up her spine as she turned, turning to see Kerry running up to her with apparent urgency. ¡°Kerry? What happened?¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Kerry spoke between the catching of her breath, turning and placing a hand behind her back to suggest they hurry. ¡°Mr. Knight sent for all pilots and specifically asked me to get you back to control.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Sam spoke back in her confusion. She then noticed that the flow of the crowd was going in the same direction, right for the hangar. Had she not been aware of the shift in direction during that pause in thought just now? ¡°OK, but can you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Something up top, like, way up top,¡± Kerry continued with her hand in gesture as they started their brisk walk up the hallway. ¡°Made some big order and we won¡¯t find out until we are all in place it seems. But why were you over here, anyway? Why¡¯d you leave control?¡±


    What? What do you care? I thought you were ready to abandon me earlier after everything you said¡­ but then again, why come back? I don¡¯t get it. Sam was at a loss for words, covering it up with a weak chuckle for the time being. ¡°I, uh, I don¡¯t know anything anymore. I can¡¯t even read people right anymore, either. Something¡¯s not right in my head right now¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Did no one check out your mesh implant yet? Like if it¡¯s still in place or not?¡± Kerry asked with a look of concern, but keeping pace. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if that was it after seeing you clearly went through some real shit earlier.¡±


    That¡¯s right, I was supposed to wait for that before I bolted. ¡°I do need to get back to control. I bet that med tech is waiting on me, huh.¡±


    But just as they approached the end of the hall, a sudden booming alarm froze them in their tracks. ¡°The hell!?¡± Kerry blurted out as she looked around her to see if anyone knew what was going on. ¡°Why¡¯s the tsunami alarm going off!?¡±


    ¡°Tsunami alarm?!¡± others around them started to shout, cueing Sam¡¯s panic once more. She felt Kerry¡¯s other arm reach around her, and this time she felt no hesitation returning the notion with her own hands.


    ¡°No,¡± Kerry finally spit out as she physically urged their progress once more. ¡°We have to hurry!¡±


    .


    And through all the commotion, they didn¡¯t notice Sebastian behind them, hurrying to catch up, held up by the dozens of crewmen and staff in the hallway. Each shout to get their attention was drowned out by the voices of others in dissonant harmony.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ New San Mateo, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    A pair of armored trucks pulled up to a clearing in the trees near where Marian had previously established her overwatch setup. After several PMC soldiers unloaded and quickly swept the area, Kaylen emerged from one of the trucks and walked up to the edge of the mountain path, overlooking the bay area. I don¡¯t know how Vrey picked up enough trace information to lead me here after what little I was able to collect earlier, she thought as she scanned the horizon. But she was definitely here. This is the perfect spot considering where they operated recently. Maybe it¡¯s all simpler than I realized.


    ¡°Vrey, I¡¯m in position,¡± she spoke into her communicator as she brought up her set of oculars once more, zooming in on the same ships from earlier.


    ¡°I take it Channing left nothing behind, so let¡¯s assume they¡¯ve gotten the message,¡± he calmly replied through her earpiece. ¡°Confirm the distance from the targeted ships to the nearest barge at twelve kilometers.¡±


    Kaylen¡¯s eyes narrowed in on the numbers popping up in view. ¡°Currently at twelve point two. If we are to start, now¡¯s the time. Don¡¯t make this all a waste of my time here.¡± She put away her oculars, continuing to look over the bay with a hand shielding the sun from her eyes. ¡°You do realize whoever is out there is listening in most likely.¡±


    ¡°Let them,¡± Vincent bluntly responded, drawing a wry smirk from Kaylen. ¡°Everything else is in place. Operation Excalibur commencing in T minus thirty.¡±


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Malate District, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Isaiah emerged from his vehicle and approached the only visible opening that showed the outside world, giving him a limited view of the harbor and the ships he was watching for. He was in a nervous sweat, frantically checking their approach speed and time to arrival. ¡°How the hell did this leak? Who is the likely mole, here, Marian?¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯re the one absolutely panicking?¡± Marian fussed as the sound of her truck engine hummed in the background of their call. ¡°Someone sniffed out my location and was lucky just to erase my tracks! What the bloody hell just happened, Isaiah?! I thought we were clean!¡±


    ¡°We were! Every detail we couldn¡¯t afford to leak was recorded on paper as always! And this line is the most encrypted, secure line we have between us two! There¡¯s no way this is something Tyrus could pull off- wait,¡± he cut himself off in the realization of something big enough to nearly drop his viewfinder. ¡°The only one who even knows of our operations in Nanning is¡­ Rex¡­¡±


    ¡°Shit! You mean?!¡± Marian blurted out. ¡°Rex sold us out!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s as you feared, or even worse¡­ this might not go according to the Excalibur information sold to us.¡± He squeezed his viewfinder in anger, completely taken aback by what could only have been his own missteps. How did I let this happen?! What was wrong with my method? Did I rush this too much somehow?! ¡°They must have men on board! We need to alert the crew!¡±


    ¡°No, you heard the man! It¡¯s Excalibur! That means it¡¯ll be Rodgers from the air!¡±


    ¡°In thirty seconds? No one has that time! It must mean-¡±


    Before he could finish getting out that next sentence to Marian, a blinding, instantaneous flash flickered across the sky before following up with a massive plume of fire and seawater. And before he could even feel startled from the spectacle, the thud from the impact nearly swept him off of his feet. And then a second came exactly one second later. The immense blasts struck deep below the surface, bringing up massive waves sent careening towards shore at an unnatural pace. And throughout the chaos, no one could take the time to realize this was why the warning sirens had gone off preemptively.


    .


    A whole minute had passed after the screams from the panicking crowds slowly died out, and crashing waves blasted past the primary sea wall but not enough to get past the second. And as the columns of smoke and mist continued to rise up seemingly miles into the sky, it hinted to the knowledgeable onlookers that this was no mere bombing.


    Seconds later, the tsunami warning sirens finally died down. But the shock Isaiah felt continued to grow exponentially. He not only saw both cargo ships go up in a flash, but he could almost sense the deaths of dozens of his men without a chance to even cry out. Everything he had planned for the attack went out the window as fast as what just transpired. The large waves from the aftermath continued to assault the sea wall as the crashes filled the air, or else there was not a peep from him nor from Marian for another minute.


    ¡°Isaiah¡­¡±


    After hearing her words, however, he suddenly felt as focused as ever, and the only thing that was on his mind now was the voice of Rex he had imagined was haughtily mocking him. It would only be a matter of time before that call would come in. Rage began to build, never having felt this betrayed, mocked, toyed with before in his life.

 The Storm That Will Follow, Part 3

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ SE Asia Orbital Region, Space</li>


    </ul>


    A sleek, tactically re-outfitted freighter began to rotate back into its normal orientation as a pair of long cannon protrusions retracted back inside the hull. The bridge was mostly silent, manned by a skeleton crew dressed in Infinity attire. The main screen changed from the satellite imagery of Philippine airspace to Vincent¡¯s office at Hexa¡¯s HQ.


    ¡°Confirm collateral damages,¡± he flatly spoke after clearing his throat.


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± the ship¡¯s supervisor answered. ¡°Twelve smaller commercial vessels capsized; rescue crews active on site. Two barges with compromised ballasts; mechanical crews on response. Sea barrier system damages are not reported and expected to be minimal to none. No shoreside injuries expected.¡±


    Vincent took in a slow, heavy breath, taking his time before continuing. ¡°Any signs of activity from the target freighters?¡±


    ¡°None, sir, completely destroyed as intended.¡±


    ¡°Prayers that none of the civilians swallowed up by this were lost in the process,¡± Vincent thought aloud before looking back up at the screen. ¡°Very well, we must continue the operation. Release the eye and commence phase two of four. Prepare for phase three in the meantime; the Arondight and the Curtana will be shipped from FL¡¯s facility shortly and we must make their transition to Earth seamlessly.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± the supervisor nodded before closing out the call. He then nodded towards one of the crewmen.


    At the back of the freighter, a large pair of bay doors opened, releasing a large military scale satellite and allowed it time to set itself into an adjusted orbit.


    ¡°The eye will be up and online within the hour, sir,¡± the crewman informed the supervisor as the screen was now showing the boot status of the advanced communications satellite. ¡°Running initial diagnostics now. Stand by.¡±


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Infinity Marikina HQ, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Sam and Kerry reached the end of the hallway at the gate that led into the main hangar bay as Sam intended to see her off at the very least before doubling back to the control room. The warning sirens had died down, but the tensions were still running high all around. But at the very least and as far as they could tell, nothing catastrophic had happened by the lack of news. But no news wasn¡¯t exactly reassuring, either.


    ¡°Are you sure about this? We still don¡¯t know what all¡¯s going on out there even though they¡¯re expecting everyone to be on the ready.¡±


    Kerry returned a reassuring smile sent through the heavy anxiousness all over her face. ¡°You have to let us cover for you this time. We owe you, so go help your dad out and keep your head safe,¡± she spoke as she put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°The last thing I want to see is someone I care for¡­ you know¡­ given the physical state you¡¯re in¡­¡± she continued as her voice trailed off, looking away in her pause.


    ¡°I hate not being out there like I promised, though,¡± Sam answered with a hand over hers, remembering the previous night¡¯s confession and realizing the incident earlier was most likely out of Kerry¡¯s genuine intent to keep the situation from exploding.


    ¡°You said you¡¯d stay, and that¡¯s good enough.¡± Kerry let her hand slide off naturally, adjusting her shoulder bag. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll let you help us clean up once we take care of the big dogs, huh? Because we know they¡¯re coming if that alarm means anything.¡± she added with another attempt to comfort her before backing away. ¡°Anyway, gotta-¡±


    ¡°-Wait!¡± Sam suddenly reached out to grab a hold of her as her other hand reached for her pocket. She had completely forgotten she moved her Underground communicator from her bag earlier, feeling it go off. She fished out her headset and reattached it without thinking what possible attention she could get, clicking the button with her hand back in pocket. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Kerry finally understood what was going on as she looked up in anticipation. ¡°Who is it?¡± She quickly grew worried as Sam blankly stared back before finally looking straight back at her.


    ¡°Devin¡¯s brought his squad. Dad apparently took them all in, not sure how but he did.¡±


    ¡°He said what?!¡± she elatedly replied as she nearly started to dance in place. ¡°Where is he!?¡±


    Sam finally eased up as she realized no matter how unexpected or shocking the news was, this was going in a direction she couldn¡¯t help but accept whole heartedly, feeling Kerry¡¯s elation. ¡°Hangar Annex B. Tricky says he¡¯s there and wants you to go join him before you load up.¡± She then gave her a joking push as she put her earpiece away. ¡°Go on! I¡¯ll get back with you on the LOS comms in a bit!¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Omigod, omigod!¡± Kerry excitedly squeaked as she turned and took off, leaving Sam to watch her off to see her significant other.


    It was in that same moment she realized it was something she hadn¡¯t felt and wouldn¡¯t be able to for some time, leaving her now feeling empty. She wanted to be happy for them, especially knowing Devin found a way to work his way back into not only her life but back into hopefully a sense of normalcy for himself. Perhaps it was the desire to just swear everything off that she couldn¡¯t control, unlike the one thing she had been able to all this time: the world inside the cockpit of the Axiom.


    If only¡­


    She then turned to the window above the gate from which those in the control room observed, thinking it was time to head back up. But before she made it halfway there, she felt she heard her name being called. Grumbling while rolling her eyes, knowing who it had to be, she turned to face him. ¡°This clearly isn¡¯t the time! I have to go get checked!¡±


    ¡°No, you have to listen to me just for a minute!¡± Sebastian quickly answered back as he caught his breath. ¡°I have a real bad feeling about what¡¯s going on outside and I can¡¯t¡­¡± He was always poor with his word choice once flustered, but knew lately to slow down rather than say something on accident that he¡¯d regret. ¡°I can¡¯t keep letting you walk away with no telling you how I feel¡­ after all this time.¡± His face was mere inches from hers, slowing his breathing down, trying to keep a firm lock on her eyes. His nerves were frayed, but something had him convinced that it was now or never to at least get the ball rolling on repairing what little they had left by this point.


    Sam could only return the notion wearily: ¡°I have to go get checked out and my Dad is still looking for me.¡±


    ¡°Sam,¡± he persisted, now gently putting his hands on her shoulders. ¡°I haven¡¯t been clear with you, and I keep avoiding you, and I feel terrible. I have so much to tell you, and so many things I was afraid to explain.¡±


    I bet he does, she thought as a dry grin started to grow. ¡°Sebastian, why did you wait until now to say anything? I have been through so much-¡±


    ¡°-We all have.¡±


    ¡°Let me finish, please,¡± she curtly replied, stolidly resetting her expression. ¡°I don¡¯t think now is a good time to have a heart-to-heart conversation.¡±


    He let off of her but only for a moment. ¡°When is?¡±


    She shook her head softly, looking away. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But not now, clearly. Maybe once this whole operation is over?¡±


    He thought to agree for a second, but then unbridled frustrations took over as the welling of tears started up again as a continuation from earlier. ¡°Then why do you make time for others in a time like this? Why not for me?¡± he managed to speak through his barely opened lips, unable to look her in the eye.


    The seeming attack caught her off guard, returning with an equally barbed response: ¡°They earned their time after consistently having my back, Sebastian.¡±


    Emotions taking over like this was a rare incident for him, but his usual calculations were already long out the window. ¡°I did everything I could to come back to you and to do that! That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t tell you that was me who stopped the Cloak that day!¡± he continued with arms up.


    ¡°So, all of the sudden you¡¯re worried if I will thank you or not?¡± she returned with a lowered voice and narrowed eyes. ¡°Is that it? Will that make you feel better?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± he fiercely shot back. ¡°I want to start over and fix things! Please!¡±


    ¡°I see your priorities, Sebastian,¡± she continued with her refusal but felt something inside her hurting more by the second. She wanted to open up¡­ to let him open up, but she couldn¡¯t allow herself to and not knowing why made her even more guarded. ¡°I know, you came all this way to get revenge and I was to stick with you and help. I will do just that, but here at the control room until released by the medical staff, OK?¡±


    ¡°Sam, be fair, please,¡± he pleaded, knowing this was going down a path he had no way of getting through to her. ¡°It is not like that- it never was like that. I don¡¯t even care anymore if we don¡¯t find the last Cloak. I just want to fix everything we had.¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± she said with a hand up. ¡°I really have to go. But I realize you got a lot of secrets or something that¡¯s bothering you, so if you want to tell me about them when we¡¯re all back, I¡¯ll listen.¡±


    ¡°Secrets¡­¡± he huffed before starting to chuckle through his nose, looking away again. ¡°Secrets?¡± He now looked back at her with insult added to injury. ¡°Like the secret friend you just talked to on a wireless line? I saw you answer your headset. We are jammed, Sam. Who are your secret friends?¡±


    He then felt like he was watching his razor-edged accusation slice through whatever thread still had them hanging together by. He knew that moment he had taken a step in the wrong direction that he could never take back.


    ¡°Good luck out there,¡± she managed to respond after spending the past eternal moment holding back her rage. She turned and walked off briskly, never turning back to see if he would follow. The yelling out through feelings of deeper betrayal continued in her mind, forcing herself to keep it and her approaching onslaught of tears suppressed as she continued up the stairs. What the fuck was I even thinking- no, what was I expecting?! Why do I still latch on to someone so damned insensitive!?


    ¡°But you said we were a team!¡± she heard shouted at her from beyond the corner, but she fought through the sharp pain that went through her chest as she turned her head to shout right back at him:


    ¡°Yeah, right! And I thought you¡¯d be a team player all this time!¡±


    .


    As she passed through the door that led her back into the control room, she wiped away the traces of tears she felt before facing her father who she knew would be waiting on her. But when she looked up, she saw him standing amongst two others, both a surprise. Director Lau, wearing a bandage across his head and in a shoulder sling, stood reading from a notepad with his only useable left hand, and next to him was Tricky, leaning over several devices hooked into the mobile workstation her father was using.


    ¡°Dad? What¡¯s going on?¡± she asked as she attempted to straighten up, walking towards them.


    ¡°A lot just went down, but I think you were already aware of that,¡± Al dryly replied, keeping his eyes over the paper he and Lau were looking over. ¡°The specialist said he¡¯d be right back to check on you once you got back. Come, sit and wait here,¡± he gestured with his free hand, pointing to the chair beside him.


    ¡°But,¡± she started to respond before closing her mouth, instead quietly and awkwardly taking the seat that put her right beside Tricky, who was still busy with her equipment.


    Why is she here of all people? I get Devin, seeing he was originally a Hexa employee, but her? Why would the Underground send their people here exposed and out in the open?


    ¡°You told off the wrong man just now,¡± Tricky spoke aside to her in a small voice without losing focus on her work. ¡°Sounds like you are trying to isolate yourself and someone important in a time of most need.¡±


    ¡°What? Excuse me?¡± Sam then realized her entire conversation must have been listened in on just now, leaving her at a loss of words.

 The Storm That Will Follow, Part 4

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ New San Mateo, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Kaylen traveled with her escort group of five men and women, now intermingling with the crowd gathered near one of the large holographic projection clusters running in a market square with urgent news flashes dominating each of them. She still donned her hoodie pulled tight over her ballcap, fortunate to be accustomed to this kind of heat. She walked up as close as she could without coashes dominating each of them. She still donned her hoodie pulled tight over her ballcap, fortunate to be accustomed to this kind of heat. She walked up as close as she could without mpromising her ability to make an escape, squinting in on one of the screens and allowed her earpiece to automatically tune into the public broadcast.


    ¡°Less than ten before we have to move,¡± one of the security crewmen behind her spoke under their breath to her as she nodded in acknowledgment, putting a hand up to gesture she wanted to wait and listen.


    ¡°Lana Roye with CNB will join us,¡± a newswoman spoke over the now tuned-in broadcast. Kaylen watched as a birds eye view of the ship wreckages as the title read: ¡°Blasts destroy cargo freighters off coast of Manila.¡± ¡°From what we understand,¡± the woman continued, ¡°you have new information reported from the capital?¡±


    ¡°Correct. It seems this indeed was an orbital strike granted emergency clearance by top authorities within the hour,¡± the other reporter joined in with a heavy tone. ¡°It remains to be announced the contents of the cargo containers, but ongoing speculations have it that it was perhaps posed a threat to national security. This marks the first orbital strike of its kind since before the end of the Second War, but that goes without saying.¡±


    It sure as hell does, Kaylen thought as memories of much closer encounters flooded her mind. It had been more than a decade since, but they were images that would never lose its vividness.


    The reporter continued: ¡°Demonstrations continue to rage near the coast, even despite the near encounter with tsunami-like surges from the blasts. Only minimal responses have been seen by the National Guard since Hexa¡¯s Infinity Base at Marikina and locals are on edge- an absolute understatement seeing how tensions have grown closer to another point of meltdown.¡±


    ¡°And we have no further word on the source or cause for the jamming in the area, much less the motivation and those responsible, although¡­¡±


    As the screens changed to the situation at the Marikina Base area, Kaylen¡¯s attention began to fade. Moments passed before she turned to signal her crew to head back. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough. If this was a mistake, something different would be in the air.¡± But as she started off with them away from the crowd, an incoming message caught her attention as she held up her watch, reading as she walked. It read: ¡°Next phase soon. Report immediately.¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    The riot situation at the other end of town near the coast continued to escalate. Not only was it from the outrage at the damages spilling into the city center more violently than ever, but also as a second side of the riot emerged, this time in support of ousting Infinity under the notion it was attracting dangerous business.


    Marian witnessed what she could of the spectacle from a rooftop access stairwell door atop an old storage facility. She later withdrew, filing through narrow hallways and around the dozens of others hastily scurrying about. She eventually entered a large opening by way of a catwalk, finding Isaiah standing over a tablet computer, looking over a tarp-covered LTAC. ¡°There¡¯s no way the numbers add up for us. And to top it off, there¡¯s been some even more alarming intel gathered as I got here,¡± she spoke through catching her breath, both exasperated and exhausted from the unplanned, hurried vacating of her post.


    ¡°I keep getting updates as well,¡± he flatly replied as he continued making programming inputs into his tablet. ¡°That was the so-called transport I failed to take heed of, just like you said. That ship fired the rails. That ship was the¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­The true first phase of Project Excalibur,¡± Marian finished his sentence as she stood next to him, looking over his tablet screen. She could have responded more snidely seeing his obvious admission of stubbornness from before, but this wasn¡¯t the time for anyone. ¡°Unbelievable. Even I couldn¡¯t have called this.¡±


    Isaiah¡¯s voice from there began to grow more irritated, something that normally would concern Marian, but given the circumstances nothing was off the table anymore. ¡°We knew it was an assassination program, but this level went beyond our imagination. I still can¡¯t grasp how Vrey found connections strong enough to get permission to fire that into territorial waters from Akkadian Orbital Space. It¡¯s almost like¡­¡±


    ¡°You forgot the other new piece of information.¡± She was now looking over at the tarped LTAC. ¡°They say Rex is changing the orders. One, to block your command, and two,¡± she said as she looked back up to him with unease.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    He paused what he was doing, sensing something. He already expected Rex to betray him in such a way, knowing the revocation of authority was inevitable at this point, but something told him she must know something more personal.


    ¡°Sam is off the elimination list.¡±


    There was a long pause between the two of them. Marian fully assumed Isaiah knew what it meant, and his pause confirmed that.


    He finally broke the silence with a sigh. ¡°That means Rex wants her. Of course. Tyrus wanted her, he got her, she¡¯s starting to turn, and now she¡¯s the hot commodity.¡± He cleared his throat and resumed his final check-throughs on the tablet. ¡°I¡¯ll finish the job tonight with her. That¡¯s our last goal.¡±


    ¡°And further risk your life knowing Rex will turn even further against you?¡± She wanted to confirm more than just that, but it was evident he couldn¡¯t entertain the emotional and psychological ramifications of his intended actions.


    ¡°I said it¡¯s our last goal. And besides, you already know most of Rex¡¯s constituents aren¡¯t fans of his. That¡¯s why we are all right here right now ready to go. We can continue to adapt as well.¡± He then closed the screen and looked back at her with conviction. ¡°After I rid us of this one last major problem, we move on one nation earlier than planned to our last phase of the gameplan. No need to stay here, no need to bother with Athens or Istanbul. Straight to the finish line we go.¡±


    ¡°The finish line? You mean¡­ straight to¡­¡± She looked back at him after a pause with ever growing concern. ¡°Hey, be careful out there. No telling who might turn on us out there.¡±


    ¡°You and our crew here are far more than enough,¡± he answered back with a nod, putting his things under his arm and took off down the stairs to the lower level that would bring him to the cockpit entry of the LTAC.


    ¡°She¡¯s been sidelined at Marikina! Make it quick and get out of there!¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Infinity Marikina HQ, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    I can¡¯t believe my own Dad joining in on the two-faced crowd. After all this time, he waits until NOW to tell me what kind of shady business was behind Excalibur? Sebastian first with his behind-the-back bullshit, and now my own father?!


    Sam stood at the window overlooking the main hangar as several roof sections retracted over some of the LTAC¡¯s heads. Tricky remained at Al¡¯s workstation as the two continued to monitor activity revealed on the screens above. Seeing the information continue to pour in served a steady reminder of how hurt and frustrated it all made her, especially after hearing they just established full connection with a sweeper satellite.


    And this whole¡­ under-the-table¡­ partnering with Tyrus¡¯ Underground?! We¡¯re all supposed to be OK with Vrey just pulled the trigger on ending who knows how many lives, wrecking innocent ships and marinas, and almost tsunami-blasting the entire shoreside? How is Tyrus of all people OK with this!?


    She then looked back over to the Ap-50 unit with its cockpit door being closed by a crewman, revealing the marking that Sebastian had put up before arriving back on Earth.


    And Sebastian¡­ still quiet as ever. What was he really trying to tell me? If it was something I HAD to know about what¡¯s going on, why couldn¡¯t he just be straight with me and tell me!? Ugh! Her hands balled up tightly as she looked away. It¡¯s like I¡¯m still cursed. Surrounded by men with two faces. She let out a sigh, rubbing the back of her head, at least having one thing to be thankful as her test result showed a negative on any damage to her surgical implant site. She was still, however, instructed to stay out of precaution and to avoid the risk of reinjury. Maybe this was all just simply out of my league. Tyrus did try to sell me hard into going back home. Maybe he saw this coming, and cared more to shelter me from it than my own Dad.


    She slowly made her way back to a seat not far from the others, picking up the station¡¯s headset and held it uncomfortably for a moment, hesitating to put it on and take her seat. Memories of the battle site coordination she ended up doing in Bogota flooded her mind. She couldn¡¯t help but feel the parallels between then and now, and the stakes being much higher only shot up the tension inside her. And making things even worse was the thought the only one she felt had been real with her was about to join the soon-to-come fray.


    ¡°Kerry,¡± she called out as she fixed the headset to her ears. ¡°I heard you were passing leadership to Sebastian. You sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Kerry responded, sounding to be in better spirits. Sam could also see it as such as she looked up to the screen that brought up Kerry¡¯s cockpit camera. ¡°I really think in the end it¡¯s the best. We need the experience with the worst leading us, no matter how much we may be pissed off at him. I¡¯d have preferred you, you know, but hey. I mean, everyone coming home alive is the best plan, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t know how best to react, but was spared a potentially awkward response when she noticed Kerry¡¯s cockpit door opening.


    ¡°Hold that thought, Sam,¡± she continued as she slid up her visor, looking to the person at the other end. ¡°Gear? What for?¡± she asked in surprise to the other end.


    .


    Kerry looked at the crewman with confusion, hesitatingly accepting a loaded plate carrier and an unloaded standard issue assault rifle. Her heart then immediately began to pound nervously, not liking the direction she saw this going in. ¡°Did our orders change?!¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am,¡± he humbly replied before kneeling to better speak to her. ¡°These are for just in case. Both Yanga¡¯s squad and the new boys from L5 all said no one should get caught in a bind without this. Said something like, they heard stories about Dhaka and said this ain¡¯t about to be no Dhaka again.¡±


    ¡°Well, they got that right,¡± Kerry answered with slight relief, storing the gear under the now packed under-seat compartment area. ¡°Thanks!¡± She then returned the wave and nod before repositioning her visor. ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that, Sam. Got some gear, just in case.¡±


    ¡°I heard. I doubt you will need it, though,¡± Sam replied through her audio feed. ¡°I do know we have a good handful of whatever Tyrus had left of his LTACs out on standby not far from here. May have been six.¡±


    ¡°Pshh, as if six could do us anything,¡± Kerry nervously added. ¡°I¡¯m more afraid of shit happening like what we just heard about. Orbital strikes are no fuckin¡¯ joke. And even though we got full communications and sensors back online, there¡¯s no way they back down turn away from hitting us back hard with something bad like¡­ oh never mind,¡± she finished with a sigh.


    ¡°Well,¡± Sam broke the short, ensuing silence. ¡°I¡¯m getting back to prep work. I¡¯ll catch back up with you once movement happens.¡±


    Kerry waved as she let out another long, troubled sigh. She played around with her engagement ring that just poked out beyond her half-finger glove¡¯s edge, thinking back to her short but much needed reunion with Devin earlier. She thought she would feel not only safer but more motivated to finish the job, and with it their entire contract in full, but something naggingly urged her to walk away with him. But of course, with it were the conflicting emotions of being incapable of abandoning everyone else.

 The Storm That Will Follow, Part 5

    Across the busy hangar, Sebastian was back out of his Ap50, standing next to a mobile maintenance table while holding a rifle in one hand and an oiling cloth in the other. A number of components disassembled from the receiver of the rifle were laid out on the table as he meticulously oiled and inspected each part before carefully replacing. His mind kept creating images of what it must have been like for Sam to have found a way to unjam her rifle and escape with her life that morning. He heard the various survival stories from many, but the one of hers rang the loudest, and being unable to speak of it directly to her only fueled the concern.


    The band that created the song he overheard back at Akkadia One had been playing on loop through his headset since starting his preparations, and as that same song started playing, he unknowingly stood there in still, steady silence, looking over the reassembled rifle.


    [That thing¡¯s not going to jam, bro,] Andre chuckled as he walked up, realizing now Sebastian may not have heard him. [Yo,] he continued, waving to get his attention.


    [Oh, I¡¯m sorry,] Sebastian replied after being startled a bit. He reached over to click his earpiece speaker off before continuing. [What¡¯d you say just now?], asking as he tried to hide his irritation towards him that hadn¡¯t faded since their earlier argument.


    [I said,] he added as he leaned over the table, looking at the mess of cloths and tools. [These don¡¯t jam, so¡­ what are you doing? I mean, have you never used a caseless gun before?]


    [I know. These aren¡¯t like the Deimar models Sam had to use, but it makes me so nervous thinking about it.] He then looked up at him with a forced, weak smile, wanting so badly to speak his mind once more but couldn¡¯t find the excuse. [Besides, nothing with moving parts can be said to never jam. Do you really trust it not to in a time of need?]


    [Whatever, man,] he huffed as he stretched and popped his knuckles nervously, looking around before looking back at him. [I wanted to, uh, apologize for being an asshole again like always¡­ you know, from earlier,] he awkwardly stated while tapping his hands on the table. [I did finally talk to the others, and uhh... hoped you and me were still cool as well?]


    Sebastian thought about a response for a moment, taking in a deep breath in the meantime. And then it hit him; an excuse to say what he wanted. [I just want you follow my orders. We all can retire after today, alright?] He saw the discomfort arise, not minding one bit, however. [Are we cool with that agreement?]


    Andre finally offered his hand after an awkward pause. [Gotta do what I gotta do.] And with some of the air cooled off between them, he let out some of his built up anxiousness through a sigh, looking around at the frantic preparations still underway. [Did you also withhold that huge bombshell about Sam¡¯s little artifacts she brought back that went with your gatherings?] He immediately followed it with a gesture, waving off the poor joke. [No, but in all seriousness, I never would¡¯ve guessed you two of all people would help by chance link the PRC with all of this bullshit. It¡¯s no wonder the military here is all mobilized. Leaves us open, but maybe we are overreacting? I mean, the whole country is on edge¡­ in a whole terror right now.]


    Sebastian almost couldn¡¯t believe he was hearing what he thought he heard, making it clear with his returned gaze. [The Cloak only wants us. I really don¡¯t give a shit about the PRC knowing that the rest of the world powers will do what they must. Besides, if it¡¯s anything that major, I¡¯ll just check up on that on the news tomorrow. If we survive, of course,] he huffed as he started putting on his plate carrier, strapping it in to Andre¡¯s surprise.


    [You¡¯re planning on piloting in that thing? How do you plan on breathing?]


    He could only shake his head after pondering a response. [¡­ Just go and load up,] Sebastian shot back as he turned, grabbing his rifle and heading for his Ap50.


    .


    And from the control room, Sam couldn¡¯t help but constantly peer over at the monitor that showed Sebastian¡¯s prep area. She saw the exchange between Andre and him, and it didn¡¯t take much for the switch inside her heart to activate; Despite the endless, ongoing feelings of dissatisfaction and betrayal alongside other indescribable feelings that itched her core, seeing Sebastian looking that fed up with someone had her sold on the notion that Andre was up to no good.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    And so, for the time being, the ability to deflect her frustrations toward something more apparent and seemingly antagonistic helped her focus. She might feel guilty for having such thoughts if one was to make her more aware of it and how contradictory it would all seem, but after seeing how in the end Kerry had stuck through so much with her, how Devin came through all of his promises she never thought held much water, and how Sebastian never exactly gave up on anything yet, it only left that one man as a mental target to take out her frustrations upon.


    ¡°Kerry,¡± she spoke through her headset as she switched channels. ¡°I see others making a move to wear your plates rather than stowing it away. I¡¯d suggest you see if it¡¯s something you can pull off.¡±


    ¡°Trying that right now, actually,¡± Kerry responded after a moment. ¡°That was Devin¡¯s call to us less than a minute ago.¡±


    It was things like this that reminded Sam the mixed feelings she had about Devin as well, and how while she felt happy Kerry had someone so devoted and mindful, at the same time she was a bit jealous. Not so much in Devin as an individual, but having someone like that in her life. ¡°Well, not one bit surprised,¡± Sam replied with a wry smile. ¡°Did everyone get that memo?¡±


    ¡°Only the ones on board. You need to check on Sebastian and Andre, I think.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I saw Sebastian already doing that hence I shouted back at you. I¡¯ll tell Andre.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± She then took a breath after seeming to have finished her struggle with the plate carrier. ¡°So, you just¡­ resorting to spyin¡¯ on your boy instead of telling him what¡¯s really up?¡±


    Sam winced, both at the thought of doing so, and also towards the feeling of being cornered with the question. ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t right now.¡± She didn¡¯t realize until right then how she left herself open to that call-out. ¡°Anyway, let me catch Andre real quick.¡±


    But when she switched channels, she then cut the connection and reached into her pocket to click a button, reconnecting her to the back channel. ¡°Devin, if you¡¯re on the line still, thanks for always keeping an eye out for us.¡± She felt no guilt in skipping over her offering to reach Andre, feeling much stronger about other obligations.


    ¡°Nah,¡± he replied with a chuckle. ¡°I got you to thank for everything working out for us so well. You know,¡± he continued as he let out a grunt as if he was putting down something heavy. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you bailing so many of us out that day, I wouldn¡¯t be reunited with everyone like this. I never imagined making my exit the way I did, but yet, I always imagined my return would be at the right time somehow. Keep a good eye out for us.¡±


    The sincerity wasn¡¯t always in his eyes, it was even in his voice. This was what she wished she could feel from Sebastian, and the feeling sank in her soul deeper and deeper.


    ¡°You know it. Wish I could be out there with you all.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Sam,¡± he chuckled again. ¡°You¡¯ve been with your gang too long to speak like that. Give it a ¡®y¡¯all¡¯.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t hold in her own chuckle, thinking of how Kerry would¡¯ve said it, entertaining the image. ¡°Alright. Yep. Wish I could be out there wit¡¯ch¡¯yall.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± he laughed out, drawing a light-hearted cringe from her. ¡°That¡­ was terrible, never mind.¡±


    But before she could answer back, a familiar series of chimes sucked the spirit of the conversation right out of the building. ¡°Shit,¡± she mumbled as she turned to the screen board. ¡°There goes the L-Tracker. Show time.¡±


    ¡°Well, get to it!¡± he added while she heard him close his cockpit doors. ¡°Let me check in with Kerry one last time!¡±


    After feeling like some of the life-altering trauma that plagued her morning had been eased up just enough to see some light at the end of the tunnel, the darkness of the approaching unknown started to drag out the sense of helplessness. Ever since arriving to this country, every approaching opponent came with her handicapped. First was with no communication. Then, with no direction. Next, with no visuals, followed by one with no weapon. Now, she has no LTAC. No Axiom. No feet on the ground.


    ¡°Everyone lock in!¡± Al shouted from across the busy room.


    And it hit her; she did have her father there. He was there in spite of how much she disdained the fact he was hiding critical information from her as he had all her life. No matter how much she could hate him for it, he was there. She knew he could¡¯ve easily stayed in his office up in Akkadia, choosing instead to stick his head out in the thick of things for her.


    ¡°Keep sweeping for heat and compression signals- don¡¯t get too fixated on the L!¡± Al continued on, sitting down and grabbing a headset.


    It¡¯d be easy for her to sit back and hope everyone would negotiate their way through whatever was coming without a hitch, but knowing Isaiah was out there, she felt like no instrument or sensor in the world could help her assist them in what could be certain death if not handled or read properly.


    ¡°Getting better readouts on the L-Tracker signals¡¯ origins!¡± one of the field techs shouted out in the background as she stood up.


    ¡°Pin point the source first! We should have time for it!¡± Al answered back, now switching around some of the screens to bring up a better view over the regions of concern.


    Heart once again racing, she jogged up to the screen board to get a closer look at the L-Tracker readings to see them closing in from the north and south. Only four readings?! That can¡¯t be right! Is this a trap!?

 Full Swing Retaliation, Part 1

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Malate District, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Helmet strapped down and visor online, Isaiah sat nervously in the dark of his cockpit as if waiting for a signal. His screen showed the various weather readouts, and one showed wind speed and direction. He could hear the muffled echoes of the shouts and gunshots from outside, knowing the police had already begun to crack down on the crowds with their tear gas and rubber bullets, hoping to get everyone out of potential harm¡¯s way.


    ¡°Wind speed steady. It¡¯s now or never,¡± he indirectly commanded, now looking at a radar screen. ¡°Five, positions ready?¡±


    ¡°Ready,¡± a male¡¯s voice came back in immediate response.


    ¡°Two and three, wait until the net is up. One and four, only launch if the city sends their armor.¡± He then focused on a squad already on the move towards Infinity¡¯s Marikina Base. ¡°Six, that leaves you four on the move. Stay on course, do not engage their first launch.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± another voice replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s never too late to back off and regroup,¡± Rex¡¯s voice came up after such prolonged absence.


    The voice came back, unexpectedly. But this time, however, Isaiah felt his presence as an absolute menace, not as a mere nuisance. ¡°They¡¯ve made their choices, and you clearly have made yours,¡± he responded firmly through the temptations of anger and humiliation. ¡°Many are aware of your true intentions if you weren¡¯t able to tell by now. After we break through, what little that you have left will join me like the others.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown beyond arrogant, now acting as if you are in any position to order me around. You don¡¯t even know what you are accusing me of.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Isaiah let out as he continued to hold back his emotions. ¡°I¡¯ve fully confirmed that you simply can¡¯t let your own win. That much I know, and that much is clear now.¡±


    There was a long period of silence between the two before the sound of Rex disconnecting gave cause for a long sigh of both relief and tension. He had hoped Rex would have given off some semblance of admittance of guilt concerning the orbital strike moments ago, but it just showed how hard that outcome would be to bring about.


    ¡°Cable, that¡¯s your side¡¯s cue to get moving as well. Rex thinks he isn¡¯t done with us yet.¡±


    ¡°Roger, that, Reaper,¡± Marian responded. ¡°Not surprised after all. All operations underway.¡±


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Infinity Marikina HQ, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Sebastian had already switched his music over to the busy communications channel that linked the makeshift control center to their connected orbital sweeper satellite. He paced his breathing to help keep his nerves calm, trying his best to follow every piece of information he deemed important.


    [Seeing more violent riots just broke out, this means someone injected an opposition group into the mix because there sure as hell weren¡¯t any such conflicting messages or demands earlier. This means we have to definitely keep the fight away from the western end.]


    He continued listening as he started to adjust his helmet straps nervously. He then reached out and felt around the cockpit door area for a lever, finding it where he remembered it to be. It was not a standard component, but with the way he knew how to find it so quickly, it was as if he had been training to use it under certain circumstances.


    [And with how quiet it¡¯s been other than those few incoming targets, this is definitely a trap¡­ especially with national guard distracted by the seafront riots. I¡¯d bet they are waiting for us to make the first move, and I guarantee they¡¯ve been listening in on our plan so far.] He then took in one last big breath. [Ugh. This is what I dreaded. I feel like shit for what I am about to do, but it seems to be the only way people who get things done operate here.]


    ¡°Stand by to launch and execute assignments in one minute!¡± Sebastian heard Al¡¯s voice bark out to the group, signaling him to click into the channel and respond.


    [Negative!] He shouted back in his native tongue with heavy guilt, but also with a renewed sense of energy. [We need a change of plans! We cannot fall for their obvious setup!] Speaking without worry of losing himself or anyone in translation freed up his mind more than he¡¯d have ever thought of, and it was like the words suddenly flowed from his mouth without hesitation. [Look how much the local guard is preoccupied over port-side, exposing our every side all at once!]


    Al took a moment to respond, as did everyone else, as evident by the few seconds of tense silence. It was also likely due to the gap in automated translation responses. ¡°I thought the same as well, but no one¡¯s engaging the targets. Someone has to, so get to it.¡±


    [Sir! Sorry, but this isn¡¯t the military! If you are going to fire me, so be it, but we aren¡¯t about to walk into the hornet¡¯s nest like they want us to! Hear me out!]


    ¡°You got thirty seconds!¡± Al replied with an impatient sigh.


    [Let me take my squad west and keep Ayala¡¯s Ap50 squad here on standby, putting the other two Ai squads outside on perimeter! Make them make their move first! Because if anything, we know the Cloak will come from the port!]


    ¡°What makes you say that!?¡± Kerry suddenly entered the conversation.


    [Those shots that blew up the damn boats carrying whatever the hell it was on their way to get after us- it was all coming from the sea, so where would their welcoming party be waiting?!]


    ¡°We¡¯ve already tried to confirm that, Navarre! We can¡¯t know that!¡±


    [Of course! No one knows anything!] Sebastian grew desperate, knowing time was already running out. [Let me call this! I just have a strong feeling about this, and it¡¯s better than supposedly smart guesswork! And who knows, maybe the local guard will take notice and move to help!]


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    A final few, grueling seconds passed before the words from Al that he had hoped for urged him to stomp on his thruster pedals: ¡°Alright, go! Hurry, they¡¯re already closing in too closely!¡±


    .


    .


    Passersby not far from the barricaded street intersections watched from afar as four LTAC silhouettes rocketed up from the base one by one, each slowly taking a descent angle toward the bay side of town. And just seconds from then, several rockets fired up into the sky straight above, detonating after just under ten seconds of flight. The explosions had everyone reeling, taking cover from what they thought was an attack of some sort, only to hear ensuing silence amongst the usual noises from town.


    From a few blocks away, Marian looked up to the sky, slightly hanging out of the window enough to get a good view through her oculars of scattering particles throughout the sky. ¡°That should blind the satellite connection for a good half-hour. Direction, west-west, four Ap50s, most likely the Colombiano leading them.¡± ¡­ ¡°How do I know? It¡¯s the only one with modifications, and he was the only one sent to Space and back, remember?¡± She then sat back down and buckled back in, pulling out of the curb space where she had parked and back into the traffic lane. ¡°If you are going to send it, send it now before they have time to fully react with their backups still at base. It¡¯s definitely now or never¡­ Do or die time.¡±


    She clicked her headset to off as she took in a slow breath, nervously gripping the wheel as she slowed down her approach toward a red light. It was slowly sinking in that her choice to follow Isaiah to the end wasn¡¯t as acceptable as she had once originally thought. She never thought that he¡¯d be walking into a potential death trap in such a manner all by himself. She shook her head, wishing she had tried harder the moment they lost Tamaz to call off the whole operation and regroup elsewhere. The ending she worked towards, and the progress she felt they had made in getting toward her own personal goals seemingly started to fade away all of the sudden, and that sun would set right there in Manila.


    ¡°No, not this time,¡± she mumbled aloud with a grimace, changing lanes as soon as the light turned green and took a different route than the one planned, heading in the direction of the Marikina Base rather than the bay side of town.


    .


    .


    Back at the control room at the Marikina base, monitors for the various sensors and relays were all going silent one by one as their connection with their satellite rapidly destabilized.


    ¡°Perfect time to not have a good gust blowing,¡± Al grumbled, hands at his hips as his mind raced. ¡°How did they get jamming to stop direct laser connectivity?¡±


    ¡°ATRA smoke,¡± Tricky was quick to answer as her hands continued typing away at her input panel. ¡°You don¡¯t remember this technology from the last war? Many of the major cells save these for times like this, but now we are on the receiving end instead of the giving end.¡±


    He thought to suspect more was hidden behind her response but hesitated, figuring it would have to wait. ¡°You¡­ have a way around it, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Connecting us to our backup towers. It will connect our LOS with some relay towers across town. We can¡¯t talk to the satellite, we¡¯ll stay blind, but we won¡¯t stay deaf.¡± She finished up a command line as she closed two smaller holographic panels with a swing of her swivel chair to face him. ¡°There, done. Transmissions channels are open again.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Tricky! I know that was you!¡± Devin¡¯s voice abruptly burst over the line.


    Sam hadn¡¯t realized how buried her attention was in trying to make sense of the problems that had popped up so suddenly, but hearing that voice brought her over to where Al and Tricky were in a hurry. ¡°Dad! I am here for nothing if none of our systems are up!¡±


    ¡°Good, now you can sit back and rest instead,¡± he spoke back, waving off her complaint as he turned back to his station, ignoring her offended reaction. ¡°Get Navarre¡¯s eyes and ears uploaded to the main screen!¡± he now barked to the staff in the room. ¡°I need to see what he¡¯s got a look at so far!¡±


    .


    .


    Sebastian¡¯s unit came to a soft landing at an empty lot where buildings once stood, giving him a clearer look toward the west. Each of the four stood still, however, almost as if in no hurry.


    [There is no movement,] Sebastian thought aloud, watching his L-Tracker monitor using the onboard limited range sensors. [We can¡¯t see far out, but they were moving this way and should¡¯ve been near by now. I think they stopped once we launched.]


    [Hey, bro,] Andre suddenly commented in his own Spanish. [What are our chances the Rex or whoever guys are listening in on us now that we are on Underground relay towers?]


    [We get that, Andre,] he answered back impatiently. His LTAC continued to scan the area carefully, ignoring the constant passing of cars on both sides, looking on leerily. [Risk or not. We can only use what we have, and they were aware of us already.] He straightened up in his seat, taking in a long breath as he finished deciding how to react. [Form up.] ¡°Flex 1. Form A. Pattern 4.¡±


    Kerry remembered every one of their packages they memorized during their trainings, unsure of the correctness in Sebastian¡¯s choice but nonetheless followed along, lining up behind him with her rifle at the ready. Her eyes narrowed in on her L-Tracker, giving her wrists a rest as she relaxed her shoulders. ¡°Roger, in line. Hey, are we OK to operate like this in threes?¡±


    ¡°No choice,¡± Andre answered nervously as he too stepped into his position. ¡°Alright, in line.¡±


    Sebastian remained in silence, keeping all attention to his sensors. Several minutes passed by as constant radio chatter from the control room and the other pilots on standby back at the base or out on the perimeter. Occasionally, Sam¡¯s voice would also pop up, but that was the voice he had tried hardest to block out. But it was a sudden sense of vibrations going up his feet through the pedals. [Ears!] he shouted with a jump before shouting it out again in confirmation. [Ears!]


    The channel suddenly fell silent, almost as if everyone was suddenly waiting anxiously for the next response. The last time Kerry and Andre heard that shout was their first week in Dhaka months back. It ran a shiver down their spine, hearing that same word shouted before the Cloak and its forces ran roughshod through their base. They of all knew the most to remain absolutely quiet as they listened in on their vibration sensors, which many called their ¡°ears¡±. These weren¡¯t used very often, but rather for objects moving underground. But since there were no subway tunnels there, this could only mean they were using it for something above ground.


    [It stopped,] Sebastian mumbled quietly, easing up on his grip. [Hold pattern, hold silence,] he continued in an almost whisper. He then thumbed through a command that separated his squad¡¯s channel from the main, preventing any unnecessary chatter from interfering unless tagged through as urgent. Closing his eyes, he went back to focusing on the vibration sensors that remained silent. And as minutes passed, even after a series of rockets elsewhere fired up and added to the particle storm above, his squad remained motionless. And with the radio silence, they were unaware of the battle that broke out near the main compound entrance where Devin¡¯s group was in full engagement.


    Andre noticed something else, however, amidst the continued agonizing silence. ¡°We need to ease over to the other side of the street,¡± he whispered, looking around at the fact they were standing in the shadows of the larger high-rises nearby. He could see the afternoon sun pouring into the empty lot just meters away, and it was awfully inviting given the current circumstances. ¡°We can¡¯t see any dust they might kick up.¡±


    ¡°Or any chance they give off something on our IR sensors, which the sunlight might help with,¡± Kerry added in an equally hushed voice, shifting around uncomfortably in her seat. The armor plates restrained her movement more than she thought they would initially, leaving her feeling somewhat suffocated in a situation already difficult to breathe in.


    They then saw Sebastian start to turn his LTAC toward the other side of the street, keeping on rollers, hoping not to cause too much interference. And just as he finished his rotation, he paused, waiting for the others to match up before he could signal them to move. Switching one of his camera angles to his rear, he waited until the two were ready and still.


    And a split second later he felt the vibration sensors pick up a crunch like rollers on asphalt, and his heart sank into his gut, knowing good and well Kerry and Andre both had just stopped moving. ¡°Turn around!¡± he belted out in English, knowing there would be no time for wait for the translation software, and slung his Ap50 through a full 180-degree spin, rifle up.

 Full Swing Retaliation, Part 2

    A flurry of tungsten rounds shredded through the thick air without more than a muffled series of thuds from across the other side of the street; two black-painted LTACs hidden in the shadows of the alleys from which they peered through had just stepped into view, well-protected by the veil that the radar jamming provided. And going with how the L-Trackers didn¡¯t go off, it suggested that the units either had properly installed N-Converters to suppress their exhaust traces, or that everyone¡¯s L-Trackers were not functioning under the same jamming veil. Either way, Sebastian¡¯s crew had no other way of detecting their approach.


    Sebastian kept his shield close, rifle mounted, and eyes downfield. Through the violent knocking of several rounds off of his shield that were fortunate enough to be right on target for a solid hit to the core, his trigger finger hesitated not a fraction of a second as their heat sources provided a trace to lock onto. And unfortunate for the two offenders, they did not have a shield as one well-placed three-round burst from Sebastian chewed through one, and a second later, an equally well-placed burst from Kerry sailed through the other.


    [Status!] Sebastian barked, heart racing, eyes focused now on his machine¡¯s and his own body¡¯s vitals.


    Kerry heard Andre coughing over the radio as she winced, feeling as if something knocked the wind out of her seconds before. Smoke and the smell of hot metal brought out coughs of her own as she waved her hand fruitlessly in front of her face, drawing in enough breath to respond: ¡°Stable! Andre, you good!?¡± And as she coughed out again from breathing in the irritating smoke, she realized she had a small window punched in somewhere, prompting her to pull up her visor and spot the two-inch hole in her cockpit door, turning around to see pitted spots from fragmentation scattered about. ¡°Andre?!¡± she shouted again as her fears and concerns fully turned toward her wingman.


    ¡°Nrghh!¡± Andre groaned, reaching for his chest through similar smoke and light that leaked in from outside through a tiny window. ¡°Shit!¡± he finally got into words as he sputtered out several more suppressed coughs. ¡°I think¡­¡± he began to speak more coherently as he gathered his strength with the time they bought. ¡°Something tagged me but I think I¡¯m fine for now,¡± he finished as he pulled his hand away, seeing his fingers tinged with blood.


    Al was quick to join back in on their situation after hearing the exchanges. ¡°Not according to your vitals update, Nguyen! Check out of there and head back ASAP!¡±


    But Sebastian wasn¡¯t content with the false sense of relief the silence around them brought, feeling as if that wasn¡¯t all there was to the vibration patterns earlier. [Kerry! Cover Andre¡¯s retreat! I will hold this area- I know the Cloak is near!]


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that by yourself!¡± Kerry fussed while knowing she was torn between both wanting to help Andre back, yet couldn¡¯t accept the idea of leaving Sebastian to a one-on-one with what might have been the Cloak after all. Still, the persistent, nagging cough from Andre had her quickly changing her mind.


    [Andre, hurry!] Sebastian yelled out, ignoring Kerry¡¯s plea. [And keep breathing no matter what!] he continued as he began to suspect a deflated lung.


    ¡°Naw, man, I¡¯m walking this shit off and-¡± Andre fussed back between coughs he was getting better control over. ¡°No way I risk us getting picked off! You know this is a trap and I am not running anymore!¡±


    Sebastian couldn¡¯t argue more than he did, bracing himself for what he felt was coming as he went back to his vibration sensors. [Suit yourself. Everyone still and ready.]


    .


    Sam had been listening into the conversation since the ambush, checking for anything on what L-Tracker information she could scrap up in their vicinity.


    ¡°We¡¯ll still send medical crew your way, Nguyen! Detach when it arrives!¡± Al finally answered back amidst the ruckus.


    After hearing that in addition to Andre¡¯s unexpected determination, Sam¡¯s focus started to deteriorate, bringing her thoughts to what could have possibly happened to him to put his vitals in yellow. And after a few seconds of relative silence on that end as the other tussles remained in the distant background, the words Tricky spoke earlier resurfaced. Did she have some ulterior motive behind that? Why would she care that I brushed Sebastian off earlier? Does she know something I don¡¯t?


    ¡°Eyes!¡± Sam heard someone¡¯s voice shatter the silence. ¡°Cloak inbound! Sighted near the bridge on Bonifacio!¡±


    ¡°Three on one, y¡¯all!¡± Kerry responded in a feeble attempt to mask her rapidly intensifying fear and to keep everyone¡¯s spirits up.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost done clearing the streets there! Keep weapons live!¡± she heard the voice continue on the line.


    Realizing that was Isaiah closing in on the three of them had her feeling suddenly and intensely guilty. And she felt incredibly foolish having not prepared them better, already sensing how angry Isaiah must be at the moment. I get it¡­ how did I just let him leave without a hint? A clue? Not even Kerry- oh my God¡­ shit! ¡°Don¡¯t sit still! You have to keep a distance- make your way back one jump at a time!¡±


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    Her focus was now on the eyes they had on her team from the various angles provided by the Underground¡¯s surveillance network, hoping to catch any detail she could in turn offer up as advice. How the hell have I not been in my right fucking mind to let them know what they might have been up against!? She felt herself now feeling the guilt and panic flashing like fire through her as she started to sweat. Why was I so stupid! Rgh!


    .


    Sebastian heard the warning, but he stayed quiet as the other two had. He instead switched his eyes over to his IR scanner, bringing it up on full screen. He then tensed up, sitting upright and taking a different grip on his controls. [Kerry, be my ears for me. Andre, rifle up in front of my location and fire if you see a dust cloud.]


    He struggled to keep his composure, but it was a series of flashbacks from his intensive training sessions with Danielle that helped instill a sense of direction. He had never received maneuvering and combat skill coaching of that magnitude before, and he felt that rather than a chance to showcase what he felt he could pull of now, it was his ticket to survival.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just sit there, damn it!¡± he heard Sam yell out but continued to dismiss the warning.


    ¡°Hops incoming!¡± Kerry added in immediately after, showing her unwillingness to break pattern despite the stubborn appeal. ¡°One block away!¡±


    ¡°I see it!¡± Andre spoke through his clenched teeth, trying to stave off the pain enough to keep a good focus downfield. He caught sight of a kicked-up shower of gravel off the pavement from a clearing just inside five hundred meters out. ¡°Conventional rounds, right?!¡± he continued as he started to place several single-fire shots up the cleared street. ¡°Let¡¯s hope they¡¯re right!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a jump!¡± Kerry shouted out that next instant, looking up to see Sebastian¡¯s next move so she could have even a remote sense of how to react next.


    [I see it,] Sebastian spoke through his teeth, pushing forward on the controls as each base disconnected, rotated a quarter of a turn to the outside, now freeing up his hands to take on a more unrestricted range of motion. His rifle was docked as short, sturdy blades extended from the armor attachments on his LTAC¡¯s forearm docking units, and in the same motion his LTAC took a wider stance with his left foot forward. And in that next moment he could then see a short-lived but critical flash of white on his IR vision just above him and on rapid descent.


    .


    Andre threw off his helmet, hands now trembling from the overwhelming chest pain he was stubbornly enduring, quickly reaching for the hatch release. ¡°I¡¯m no good like this,¡± he struggled to speak out, pulling the switch. ¡°Let me be your eyes, bro,¡± he continued as the doors opened, revealing Sebastian locked up with a large cloak veiled LTAC. Through his shortening breath, he looked on with a smirk as if suddenly the Cloak wasn¡¯t as frightening anymore.


    .


    Sebastian heard the remark, feeling a new sense of hope as he held himself upright against the force of the enemy¡¯s arms trying to push through. He couldn¡¯t see anything more than the bright glow on his IR sensor just past his own hands, but he still knew he had some time bought with this as he started to picture the orientation of his attacker. [HQ, I am engaged with the Cloak! Keep a watch on my back!]


    ¡°One approaching behind us- Don¡¯t worry, I got it!¡± he heard Kerry shout out before blasting off. ¡°Andre, hang in there!¡±


    And immediately after, he heard Andre chime back in with something that would open his eyes: ¡°Cloak planted his left foot! He¡¯s pulling!¡±


    And that was his chance to see if his estimation was correct. He pulled back his controls and sidestepped to his left, watching the visual of the Cloak¡¯s blade¡¯s heat trace swing and miss just to the right of him.


    .


    Andre was now standing at the edge of the hatch, leaning against the frame as he saw the spectacle unfold, the Cloak now with its sword in the pavement and its shield on the opposite side from Sebastian. ¡°Left gut open! Hit it!¡±


    And now everything in that instant made sense as to why Sebastian spent so many hours with high-speed juking. It never was as clear until now that it wasn¡¯t about him approaching targets at high speed, it was the opposite. And as he watched the blade¡¯s traces flick towards him from the right, he had already jumped ahead of the lunge the Cloak took at him. He knew where his target would end up with such momentum, throwing out a right hook, feeling the crunch of armor alloy meeting his own blade.


    ¡°Landed a hit¡­ through his right shoulder!¡± he heard Andre struggle to announce. But greater than his concern for his health was the concern for what he knew he was about to do. And rather than spending a precious second attempting to dislodge his weapon, he released it and blasted off backward to distance himself with enough time to rearm his rifle. And the second he squared up his landing, a flick of a switch on his controls showed that one of the settings was set to unlatch his cockpit doors. He stared down the Cloak, watching it turn to face him down, watching it drop its shield and switch hands as it powered off its blade¡¯s plasma arc. Sebastian wasn¡¯t too sure if the pilot was aware of the laser marker his rifle cast over its chest area, but this was what he had only prayed he could one day pull off once more. It worked once before, and now it would have to work again.


    ¡°Oh wow. You smart son of a bitch,¡± he heard Andre chuckle through obvious agony, now imagining the pain the other end was about to receive. He didn¡¯t catch a good look at Sam¡¯s brother¡¯s face last time, but it was for the best as it might have caused him to hesitate more than he already was. He now instead felt the anger he almost forgot he harbored as he imagined the faces of his brothers lost at their hands. He remembered how he pictured his sister almost dying, laying helpless and nearly left for dead.


    This was the last Cloak left, and this would send him home, finally. And not just himself, but Sam as well, now imagining her crying for her lost brother.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Sam,¡± he muttered aloud, now watching the Cloak freeze up as if he was listening in the whole time.


    ¡°What?!¡± he heard her shout back in confusion just as he pulled the trigger and didn¡¯t let go. And with the unobstructed assault on his ears and body from each round ripping its way down the way, he had no way of hearing Sam¡¯s continued responses. He held down the trigger until he watched the Cloak fall to the ground motionless.


    Some seconds passed in silence afterwards, only accompanied by the sound of a sizzling barrel just outside his open cockpit doors.


    ¡°Cloak axed,¡± he heard Andre speak before another coughing fit. ¡°I repeat¡­ Cloak axed.¡±

 Full Swing Retaliation, Part 3

    Sam stood up in utter shock, unable to contribute nor refute the brief but relieved collection of shouts and verbal updates over several lines. No way¡­ she thought, still stuck in her stupor, jaw slightly agape. It couldn¡¯t have been that easy. Not Zay, not after how easily he handled us before¡­


    She felt a hand at her shoulder, causing her to jump before turning to see it was Al. ¡°Dad!?¡± But as she looked up to him, distraught, she now saw a father who wouldn¡¯t be aware of a thing if his own son Isaiah had just met his demise. The guilt from moments ago was now doubled, especially knowing she was only telling herself that it wasn¡¯t Isaiah just now biting the dust. Her mind now raced, realizing he would be reading her face by now.


    And he was. ¡°Sam, did something else happen!? Why are you looking like you just saw a ghost?!¡± he prodded concerningly, hands on her shoulders. ¡°Your boy just pulled off a miracle! Why aren¡¯t you-¡±


    ¡°-Dad, I¡­¡± She struggled to come up with any words at all amidst the flurry of emotions caught between her denial of the events unfolding and the desires to see Isaiah meet his due justice, but not now, not like this, and not in front of their father.


    ¡°And by the way,¡± he continued with a sudden air of suspicion. ¡°What was Sebastian apologizing to you for just now? Right before he took care of the Cloak.¡± But he waited for a response only to watch her focus painfully fade away. ¡°I¡¯ve seen this all over you too many times before. You know something I don¡¯t, and seeing how the timing is, Sam, I think you¡¯d best tell me.¡±


    She could no longer hear the constant communications chatter all around them, feeling as if the eyes of even her mother in addition were staring through her. She agonized over the thought of telling her about Isaiah, but feeling too exposed to continue acting as if her troubles were of separate origin, knowing that there would be no way she could make any kind of convincing diversion.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± She felt her stomach in her throat, knowing she had no choice but to spill it. But the second she found strength to get more words going, she felt his hands lift away from her shoulders. Only now could she continue eye contact, this time with the concern directed toward him instead. ¡°Dad?¡±


    He was looking down at the floor, paralyzed in thought. It was a long few seconds before he looked back at her. ¡°Who stuck that knife in you back in Dhaka?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Why would he bring that up, now of all times?!


    ¡°Sam,¡± Al continued, still staring at the floor. ¡°I remember now. A man possibly from the NAU who you said left that scar on you¡­ Sebastian was the only other one who knew of his existence when he saved you.¡± Voice trembling, he now found the focus and strength to look back up at her with a despair in his eyes that almost drew her to tears. ¡°And he just said¡­ ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Sam,¡¯ for what? Who did he just kill?¡±


    Sam could only shake her head, too paralyzed by his pleading stare to speak. No¡­ there¡¯s no way¡­ But before she could finish her thoughts, Sebastian¡¯s voice coming back over the radio caught her attention in a manner that would strengthen the grip on her soul even more.


    [Andre! He¡¯s collapsing!] His shout rang through her core, reminding her in the worst of times what it was she had done. She wasn¡¯t sure what happened exactly, but the dots started connecting themselves very quickly no matter how much she tried to shoo away the thoughts. ¡°Kerry! Somebody, get him to safety, now!¡±


    ¡°Coming!¡± Kerry¡¯s exasperated voice quickly joined in. ¡°HQ, I just cleared that last threat! Requesting for immediate medevac!¡±


    [Tend to him!] Sebastian answered back. [I will keep watch for any remaining forces!]


    Sam in that next moment already pictured hearing Sebastian and Kerry¡¯s voices screaming or coughing out in pain as her ability to stay shut rapidly crumbled. She knew it wasn¡¯t her brother just now. Rather, she was now deathly terrified not only for Andre¡¯s condition but now for the two she wished she had done more on her part before sending them off as poorly as she had. She turned back to her workstation with a whirl, grabbed her headset and blared out: ¡°No! That¡¯s not who you think it is! Sebastian, Kerry! Full alert! We will send an armed escort with that medevac!¡±


    Al swiftly grabbed her wrist and her full attention with what looked to her a fit of outrage she hadn¡¯t seen in years, adding more to the terror. ¡°Sam, damn it! Those are your people out there! What are you hiding!?¡± he seethed through his clenched teeth. ¡°Who was that just now and why are they in trouble all of the sudden?!¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± Kerry¡¯s voice interrupted them once more. ¡°HQ! I got Andre with me! Fuck! He¡¯s taken shrapnel or something to the chest! Damn it- Andre, hold it together! Stay with me-Sam! Sam! Answer me, damn it!¡±


    Those last words were now knives to the heart. It was something else she couldn¡¯t dodge, pinned between her guilt and her father¡¯s catching on.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Andre wearing his armor!?¡± Kerry continued to cry out furiously amongst Andre¡¯s woefully audible, painful groans. ¡°Did you do this on purpose, Sam!? Answer me!¡±


    That was it. She remembered now exactly what happened. She felt like she didn¡¯t owe Andre a damned thing earlier when she purposefully left Andre out of the loop, and now she realized he might die for her thoughtless, careless, selfish act. And if she really believed the Cloak Sebastian downed wasn¡¯t Isaiah, that meant he was already swooping in to claim both his and Kerry¡¯s heads and it would be her fault as well. And with those fears and the desire to scream out building up, an adrenaline-fueled yank of her arm freed it from her father¡¯s grasp as she belted out: ¡°Let go of me!¡± And with that momentum she took off for the door in a sprint.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Al burst out and started to chase her, only to stop right after as he realized where she was headed. ¡°Lock the Axiom!¡± he barked toward one of the operators next to him. ¡°Don¡¯t let her launch!¡±


    ¡°Close gate three!¡± an operators voice relayed the command as he rushed back to his station. With both hands now firmly on the edge of the table and his heart rate rapidly rising, he remained there in silence, seemingly struggling with various thoughts and emotions storming inside. And against the norm, which would usually consist of him quick to belt out orders, always making his intentions clear, he instead sat there amongst the chaos that was the constant stream of field operation communications and shouts exchanged. He then found himself standing up and staring down Tricky.


    She sensed something amidst her monitoring of Devin¡¯s team¡¯s situation, stepping back to answer his call. ¡°What happened just now?!¡±


    ¡°I need a favor,¡± he firmly requested, dodging her question. ¡°And I can pay any price you ask. Anything.¡±


    .


    Sam rushed out of the locker room, having just changed into her pilot suit with her bag in hand, making a desperate dash for the hangar. Nearly plowing into a pair of crewmen in their own hurry for the hangar, she could only keep a very limited focus on what was in front of her, clouded by agonizing regret and fear of the worst.


    If only I had thought about more than just myself!


    Spotting her Axiom standing there with the ladder still extended, she ran right up to it, jumping up to the highest step she could reach from the ground and hurriedly but clumsily made her way up.


    Everyone careful in planning and executing but me! Just sitting there and wallowing in self-pity!


    She threw herself into the seat and reached down for the plate carrier rig under her seat, and with each arm she put through and each buckle fastened was a dagger through her heart. And here I am doing what would have saved Andre if I had swallowed my damned pride!


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    Unaware of the tears starting to fall down her cheeks, she yanked at the harness straps and buckled them in with record speed, then reached up to pull the helmet down.


    And now I see what¡¯s most wrong with me! Sebastian should hate my guts by now! And Kerry- oh my God, please tell me they¡¯re all still alright!


    And as she affixed her headset and earpiece before throwing her helmet on, all she heard over the next seconds were silence. But amidst such a rush of emotions, it didn¡¯t occur to her what had to have been going on. Several taps of her earpiece and the side of her helmet failed to get her connection to the radio up nor did it wake up the visor monitor. ¡°Come the fuck on! What gives?!¡±


    Her imagination then took over as she furiously began searching for something she perhaps forgot to set up, feeling her desire to scream wildly ratchet up. And just as she felt her fingers go into a grip so tight she felt her nails dig into her skin and just came a second shy of ripping out a shriek of utter frustration and desperation, a soft ping from her headset matched a sudden blue glow from her visor.


    ¡°Antares Operating System, power on. Initializing. Please Wait,¡± spoke the system¡¯s automated voice, and with it came a release of built up steam as hope started to pour into Sam¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Yes! Thank you!¡± she shouted out as she quickly clicked through several commands the instant the screen changed to pre-launch sequences. And as her eye cameras came online, she looked up to see the launch gate was starting to open. Why was this even closed to begin with? Everyone and their mom knows these are to be kept open!¡±


    .


    Back at the control room, Al was sitting motionless at his station, hand over his face.


    ¡°Are we clear, Mr. Knight?¡± he heard Vincent¡¯s imposing voice over his headset, refusing to answer in turn for holding in his pent up anger. ¡°You have no authority to meddle with executive orders I place directly. We are in a critical situation here, and we cannot afford to waste not one resource.¡±


    His breath began to tremble, struggling to keep strength enough to hold back, but with each word, it became more and more difficult.


    ¡°We must keep Navarre¡¯s team up and moving until we confirm that Cloak pilot¡¯s identity, and with Nguyen out, Samantha must take his place as she¡¯s the only one capable. Don¡¯t pretend you can¡¯t make such sacrifices. Don¡¯t make me bring up similar choices you made years back.¡±


    That last line was the last straw, teeth now clenched tight as he drew in a deep breath. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare go there.¡± He straightened up as he menacingly let out his threat. ¡°You have me with my hands tied, for now,¡± he added as his head cocked. ¡°But once this is all said and done, this is going to all come down on you, not me.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Knight,¡± Tricky¡¯s voice whispered from behind.


    ¡°Mark my words,¡± Al finished as he threw his headset down, now turning to face Tricky. ¡°Can it be done?¡± he now spoke with a lowered volume.


    ¡°My men are working on it now as we speak,¡± she spoke in an equal tone. ¡°But we will hold you to this promise.¡±


    ¡°Just make it happen.¡±


    .


    .


    Across town where Sebastian stood over the downed Cloak, police and Infinity crowd control had just finished taping off the block and fought to hold back agitated and fearful onlookers. But the most agitated and fearful there was he himself as he found himself hesitating, unable to take off his helmet and get up from his seat and out the open cockpit. He gripped the receiver of his PDW, clutching it tightly and up against the chest region of his plate carrier, forcing himself to slow down his breathing. He heard Kerry¡¯s intermittent, pleading calls for medevac to hurry while constantly checking the scanners for explosives or threats on foot in the vicinity.


    ¡°Get that ID, Navarre!¡± he heard from one end of the communications channel.


    ¡°This is a definite case of hemothorax! I can¡¯t do shit from here- somebody hurry!¡± he heard Kerry from the other end.


    He didn¡¯t know how that happened to him, but it was the first time he felt this exposed and helpless. Even throughout his experiences that had him under direct fire, this situation was somehow different. He finally found the resolve to flip up his visor and pull off his helmet, leaning forward enough to look down. He saw heavy police presence down the street about fifty meters away, which should have given him enough confidence to push forward.


    [Why can¡¯t I move?!]


    ¡°Navarre, right?] a voice called out he didn¡¯t recognize, causing him to sit back down and put back on his helmet and visor.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± he asked before realizing there was a pair of Ap50¡¯s just behind him.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been reassigned! Go get that ID! We will cover for you! And medevac is ETA thirty seconds!¡±


    A huge sigh of relief left his lungs, feeling like it was just a matter of waiting before at least part of the situation could clear up. He got himself back to where he was earlier and finally made his way quickly but carefully down the ladder.


    [Tell me you¡¯re holding on there, Andre!] he shouted over his headset along the way.


    ¡°He¡¯s not responding anymore, Sebastian!¡± Kerry cried back, fueling his haste as the thought of Andre fading pushed him to hurry up and do the only thing he could do at this point.


    Upon reaching the asphalt below, he made haste, PDW shouldered and in a bee-line for the Cloak. He hadn¡¯t seen it this up close and personal before, making the mood that much heavier. These had claimed so many lives, yet there it lay silent and harmless, and assumably lifeless as well. His pace slowed as he approached the cockpit area of the monstrosity, leaving him wondering how to approach the hatch area due to the shredded armor and opened holes riddling the area.


    But upon closer inspection, the hatch door setup was eerily similar to the Gamma units he was so familiar with. Subconsciously by habit, he reached with his freed left hand for the external switch plate he was accustomed to using for entry. And only the bottom half seemed to partially function, and with no choice, he took in a few heavy, difficult breaths before pulling it open by force with that same open hand, unsure of what was waiting for him on the inside.


    [Please tell me it¡¯s¡­] he mumbled aloud through his teeth, pulling with all his might before it eventually hit the bump-stop, signaling to him it was as open as it would get. PDW back up at the ready, he slowly climbed up and peered inside amongst the smoke pouring out.


    [Shit¡­]


    His heart was already beating out of his chest, but that word slipped out as he instantly felt faint at the sight of the body. It wasn¡¯t the blood or the stench, it was that the sleeves of the lifeless pilot were rolled up, revealing the body was nowhere near the same skin complexion as Sam¡¯s alleged brother. It wasn¡¯t the body he expected to see whether he had hoped it to be true or not.


    And from there he had to do what would require more grit, climbing in close enough to grab a fingerprint scan. While holding his breath, he finally got a hold of the pilot¡¯s drooped right hand and pressed it against his watch¡¯s scanner he had activated just prior. But as he released the hand, he couldn¡¯t help but look back up, and through the cracked open visor he could make out a face just enough to tell for sure that it was one he had never seen before.


    Without wasting another second, he quickly ducked back out into the street, now feeling as if he couldn¡¯t stand up straight from the panic kicking in. [Scanned! Now¡­ listen, this¡­ this was the trap¡­] he continued mumbling, awkwardly spinning around as if to look around each of the building tops surrounding them. [This was a trap!]


    ¡°Get back in the cockpit!¡± Kerry screamed out as she caught sight of him looking around, dangerously exposed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell you mean, but if it¡¯s shit hitting the fan, get back to safety!¡± And as she finished shouting, the sounds of humming hover drives drowned out her continued thoughts as she looked down to see Andre still breathing, albeit shallow and too rapid of a pace. ¡°Hang in there! I hear the medevac! They¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°Navarre, sitrep!¡± Al shouted in Sebastian¡¯s ear as he stumbled his way up the ladder.


    [I¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡­] He instead chose to wait until he got back into his seat and doors sealed before taking a few deep breaths to settle down and collect his thoughts. [I don¡¯t know how to say it, but that wasn¡¯t the Cloak¡¯s pilot. It was a decoy.] And through the next pair of deep, trembling breaths, he remembered something else he had to say while the line remained quiet. [Sam¡­ please don¡¯t hate me for what I tried to do.]


    Al finally broke the silence on his end. ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t even ask. Navarre, you and your team report back. You¡¯re no good out there anymore in the state you¡¯re all in.¡±


    Sebastian knew that would be the logical choice with Andre out and Kerry not even flight-ready, but the guilt still sank in on him, feeling as if he would have to betray Sam¡¯s wishes once more. There was just no way in his mind her brother wasn¡¯t coming for him after that decoy stunt.


    [Or, wait, was this to distract us so they could hit a different target?]


    With a snap of his reflexes, he buckled his helmet straps and pulled his visor down, now rushing to get his mobility systems back up.


    [SHIT! That¡¯s exactly what this is!]


    ¡°Navarre!¡± Al shouted out after waiting for a response. ¡°Medics have Nguyen loaded up and en route to base! Get Melancon and yourself back, now!¡±


    [Kerry! I had it all wrong! They lured us out to expose HQ¡¯s western block! That¡¯s where they will hit!] Sebastian called out, ignoring Al¡¯s command.


    ¡°Hold on, I have to load back up!¡± Kerry quickly answered back with her catching of her breath loudly noticeable. ¡°And listen, Sebastian! Andre¡¯s unconscious! We need to protect that medevac!¡±


    Sebastian turned to watch the hovercraft take off with its lights flashing, quickly rising above the tops of the nearby buildings before accelerating. Shaking his head, he went back to finishing his own launch prep. [No, it¡¯s not us they¡¯re after! It¡¯s HQ! If-]


    He was cut off by the echoes of rifle fire from the distance that caused his eyes to dart back to the sky, finding trails of black smoke spewing from one of the thrusters of the medevac as it started careening toward the ground below. He was wrong again, and his heart froze in that instant. [What- NO! ANDRE!]

 Full Swing Retaliation, Part 4

    ¡°Andre!!¡± Kerry shrieked in unison from her open cockpit, frozen momentarily with fear before realizing the carrier was about to crash land out of view. ¡°Sebastian!¡± she now roared out resolutely amidst her trembling as she strapped herself back in to launch. ¡°Intercept while I cover the crash site! They are trying to pick us off one by one!¡±


    A field operator¡¯s voice then chimed in immediately after: ¡°Five incoming heat signals! Two from five hundred meters south, three from four hundred meters north-west!¡±


    Putting his feet to the pedals, Sebastian was now thinking of only one thing: not losing anyone else. [On it! Kerry, two of the three from the north are headed for you! I¡¯ll get the other one!]


    ¡°Navarre, Melancon!¡± the operator continued. ¡°Medevac controlled its landing just enough! Top priority on that crash site until backup arrives!¡±


    ¡°On our way!¡± Devin¡¯s voice shouted out much to Kerry¡¯s relief. ¡°We just cleaned up this end! Give us a minute!¡±


    .


    .


    Sam¡¯s Axiom was still a few major city blocks away, careful not to rush too blindly as traffic wasn¡¯t cleared out from her path she chose. But as she got close enough to pick up visual on the smoke column coming from the crash site. Self-hatred continued to deliver a firm kick to her gut, but she also knew going through those thoughts won¡¯t save him nor will it save Sebastian or Kerry from whoever is after them. And if it wasn¡¯t Isaiah earlier, she knew this time it had to be.


    But over the next second, a different calculation crossed her mind that gave pause to her momentum. She realized there was no way to not consider Sebastian¡¯s encounter with the Cloak real; the pilot wasn¡¯t who they thought it was, but the machine was. And there had never been reports of a fourth, either.


    ¡°Sebastian! Kerry! He¡¯s not trying to hide anymore! Get out of there, now!¡± she yelled out with exasperation, fueling her next jump forward.


    ¡°No way! Not without Andre!¡± she heard Kerry fuss back as she heard the approach alarm sound off, IR scans indicating two incoming LTACs on their ascent from a recent jump.


    Any response back would have to wait, and with how she judged their approach, the enemy knew what it was doing. Any shot from that angle would, if it hit, send them down on top of countless innocent civilians¡¯ heads. She instead put her shield up in anticipation of incoming fire, which ended up confirming her choice as the correct one as shots rang off of them several times over the next few seconds.


    All she could now think to do was make sure her landing was still spot-on all the while keeping her shield up at the right angle. And through her descent, she was completely unaware of the effects from her Antares OS settings still at the maxed-out setting from the other day. What normally would have been noticeably dizzying went completely unnoticed as she dug her rollers into the barren lot below, smoothly but firmly rolling to a quick spin and halt, now awaiting the aggressors¡¯ landing.


    Come on, damn it! The others aren¡¯t going to last if they slow me down too long!


    She watch the two landing just beyond sight behind a block of older office buildings. This was going to be a game of cat and mouse she couldn¡¯t afford to play. Of course they¡¯d be trying to keep me distracted! Knowing she had no time to calculate her own approach angles, she instead debated over the next two seconds whether to ditch her armor and attempt to flank them on the ground, or to keep her heavy equipment and hope for a slip-up on their part.


    No¡­ neither guarantees anything but time off the clock! Damn it!


    Frustrated at her inability to decide, she reluctantly and nervously held up her launcher in the event they made their first move. ¡°Please, you have to listen to me! Get out of there now! We are their only targets if you couldn¡¯t tell already!¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°Thanks for the idea!¡± Kerry shouted back the instant she heard the warning, realizing her best choice was not to sit there and wait for the attack. She remembered how close she was to some open fields of the Balara area she was just familiar with enough. And then she caught eye of three Ai20¡¯s rolling around the corner in a rush. ¡°Devin, check Andre! I will draw these two new targets away from here!¡±


    Devin could tell where that plan was going. ¡°No, wait! Let me-¡±


    ¡°-Listen!¡± she cut him off with a rush of fear and regret that kicked in as fast as her over-boost engines, carrying her just west of their location for the fields. ¡°Your 30 can¡¯t keep up with my 50 AND you don¡¯t have the right shielding equipped to face them! They¡¯ll eat your group alive!¡±


    Devin paused just feet away from the wrecked but largely intact medevac, taking a few difficult breaths before swallowing the reality of the situation. He knew she had a point, and then felt further convinced once the two incoming bogeys veered west to chase her at equal speeds. ¡°Head right back, alright?! Don¡¯t be a hero!¡± he shouted back as he opened his cockpit and got ready to climb down. ¡°Squad, cover us! I¡¯ll keep watch until the next ship arrives! Keep those explosives scanners up and running!¡±


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    .


    .


    Sebastian elected to keep his close combat package equipped, hugging each building he passed as he tried to keep a watch on the IR tracker from the corner of his vision. Each time he rolled around the corner of the block he circled, the tracked target placed himself at the opposite end of the block as if it was purposefully distancing itself from him. Knowing it wasn¡¯t a cloaked enemy with any sort of element of surprise, he decided to be the first to take a jump at it. He retracted his left hand¡¯s weapon and pulled his shield back around, expecting gunfire once he cleared the five story building separating the two.


    After letting out a deep breath, he tightly gripped the controls and rocketed upward, quick to change his angle the split second he cleared the top of the building so as to leave as little chance possible for the other side to get a good firing angle. He instead met the ear-splitting ring of the collision alarm. And instead of firing his boosters downward, he left his hands¡¯ positions where they were and floored the pedals once more, throwing his Ap50 farther into the sky.


    He almost felt the whiff of heavy alloy just passing underneath him as if he just dodged a bullet train. [What the hell!?¡±] And once he realized what had happened, he spun around quickly to see a larger frame than most LTACs turning mid-air in a similar fashion to stare him down. But it wasn¡¯t the perceived stare from the unseen pilot that came across as menacing, but rather the oversized sword it gripped with both hands, pulling back as if ready to swing again.


    He knew it couldn¡¯t make an approach at those speeds, or not at least any such sudden change without the resulting G¡¯s knocking them unconscious, and started his descent. But before he could think of switching over to his rifle, the exact unthinkable occurred, now watching the heavy monster already darting right toward him. He felt the mental kick from his lower-set Antares OS so hard that even he knew right then it was dire. Dropping his shield, he now had the weight advantage enough to increase his speed and distance himself to the point the next swing would miss as well. And the ensuing landing came far faster than calculated, sending him almost careening into an apartment building before he found himself on better footing, shedding his speed off with a sharp turn at the adjacent intersection.


    [I think I found the real cloak!] Sebastian called out through a quivering voice. He didn¡¯t realize how shaken he was until now. His fingers and toes were tingling and numb, and his breathing was also noticeably shortened.


    ¡°Shit! Damn it, hold on!¡± he heard Devin cry out over the line, freezing him up even more.


    ¡°Devin?!¡± he heard Kerry shout back amidst the echoes of exchanged gunfire.


    ¡°Shit, shit!¡± Devin continued with heightened urgency. ¡°HQ! Hurry the hell up!¡±


    ¡°Devin! What is it!?¡± Kerry fussed again.


    ¡°Medics are knocked out and your pilot has no pulse! What the- his chest¡¯s all shot up! What the fuck do I do!?¡±


    Sebastian was now not only frozen up by the heart-shattering update, he was now once more looking right down the street at an approaching sword that he felt was the size of his whole LTAC.


    He had never felt this locked up with fear his entire life, now realizing he should¡¯ve heeded Sam¡¯s warning. ¡°Sam!?! Kerry!?!¡±


    ---


    ¡°Thank God the Seraphiel is working in proper order! You couldn¡¯t¡¯ve chosen a worse time to give that bloody thing a test run!¡±


    Although upset at the fact Marian had stuck around against the plan, Isaiah impatiently awaited Marian¡¯s timely updates, keeping his eyes locked on the modified Ap50 standing down the street from him, feet at the ready once any move was made.


    ¡°Look, don¡¯t push it. You¡¯ve got time, and things are fortunately going as hoped. Sister dear is dreadfully tied up north of you, and Melancon will need a miracle to make it out of her sortie.¡±


    He remained silent, however, almost as if avoiding being heard by someone. He uttered not one sound since launch, with only the sound of his controlled breathing and the occasional system feedback alerts filling the air inside his cramped cockpit. The cushioning was much more heavily layered than Hexa¡¯s standard build, almost to a point it would choke the pilot from the lack of moving space. Even the cockpit hatch seemed much closer to his face than before, all due to the thicker plating present. But the starkest contrast between it and the normal cockpit setup were the control sticks; rather than having each one tiltable on an axis like a standard joystick that sat under his hands, they were attached to a pull-type base that were set in front of his hands.


    And from the outside, the Seraphiel he piloted was revealed to be heavily based off a more recent Hexa platform but with all mobility parts having been completely revamped. More bulk was added to the shoulder units to handle the enormous sword it held, and to counterbalance the inertia involved were larger thruster units strategically placed throughout the frame. Weight was saved by having no other equipment attached and no extended flight mechanisms, hinting that the frame was built to make one or two successive aerial bursts with overall limited jumping distances compared to the average Hexa model.


    ¡°Best part? No sign of Rodgers, and no movement from their Marikina HQ. Not even from their delivery site at Para?aque. Our network has no ears on her, either, so we are all assuming Rodgers flew the coop.¡±


    Isaiah didn¡¯t feel any sense of relief, however, and hearing that name only had him gripping the controls even tighter. And in that next instant he saw his foe¡¯s Ap50 reach for its rifle with a lean backward as if to burst off.


    But Isaiah was ready for it. His feet were already pushing both pedals to the floor as he pulled back one control stick, pushing the other forward. And as the Seraphiel pulled its sword in front, brilliant white sparks danced about in flashes as each bullet struck the broad surface as if it were a shield. And with no fear from taking any direct hits, it closed in on the Ap50 with rapid ease.


    ---


    [What in the hell-?!] Sebastian growled in panic, unable to fathom what contraption the unknown model was utilizing as its shield and main weapon at the same time. And he had seen how rifle rounds acted against various types of shields, and none of them ever reacted in that way before. But the next sound he heard awoke the deepest paralyzing fear yet, and it came to the tune of crackling plasma arc energy. The backside of the sword lit up in a blinding blue fashion, now close enough to pull back for a swing.


    That sound. That sight. That was always the last thing seen by anyone who survived it before, and they were few in number. Stories from Dani, stories from Renzo, and even stories from Sam. He knew he was about to be next, and it would take outside help to free him from his locked-up joints.


    The Antares OS, as much as Sebastian had forsaken its presence this evening, rudely reminded him of just that, sending a shockwave through his nerves and nearly forced his wrists and ankles to work.

 Words Back to Haunt

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Marikina District, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Sam had herself backed up against the side of an old apartment building, facing a string of empty lots that led up to a tall combination building that separated her from the two attackers. She had been waiting there for nearly a minute, but she wasn¡¯t waiting on their attack to make a move.


    ¡°Sebastian, hang in there! I don¡¯t know where these pilots came from but they¡¯re¡­-!¡± Kerry¡¯s flustered voice crackled through the radio interference. Sam knew how far she had to have gotten based on the limited reach of their LOS communication amplifiers that Tyrus¡¯ Underground lent them. Sam looked back at her map once more, and then up again to see nothing but the empty streets and dust settling.


    And in that time frame, Sebastian never responded, and it seemed to confirm the plan she had going through her head. With a series of blasts, several pairs of rockets flew around the building, turned upward and into the air, then proceeded to detonate in sequence. And during those two seconds, it was all the cover she needed to ditch her armor segments and turn westward, jumping off full speed. ¡°Sebastian! Kerry! I¡¯m headed your way!¡±


    ¡°HQ!¡± Someone from Devin¡¯s team¡¯s voice rang out with heightened panic. ¡°Yanga can¡¯t save him! Whoever that Nguyen guy is to you, you¡¯d better hurry your asses up! You¡¯re losing him!¡±


    At the top of her jump¡¯s peak, and as the buildings flew by below her at blinding pace, the thought of losing Sebastian and Kerry if she didn¡¯t hurry up was already a heavy enough presence, but after hearing that, the guilt of her cause of Andre¡¯s situation now changed for the worse. If only she could push the Axiom to move faster, and if only even a small fragment of her adrenaline-fueled grip could be transferred to her boost reserves, maybe there¡¯d be a way to put a stop to those fears from coming to fruition.


    A quick look behind her showed two distant LTACs unable to keep up, but their goal was still certain.


    Andre¡¯s crash site was a mere three jumps away, Sebastian¡¯s being one more, and Kerry¡¯s an additional two. I already fucked things up with Andre. No way I do it again. Andre first, since Sebastian and Kerry are at least holding up. But then she remembered Sebastian yelling out in panic just moments earlier. Or maybe not. Shit, please tell me everything¡¯s straight with-


    A loud chime rang out from one of the alarms, and it wasn¡¯t from targeting or any other threat warning. It was the vitals update alert, and her heart suddenly sank into her stomach.


    ¡°HQ¡­ never mind. He¡¯s gone,¡± Devin lamented through his exhaustion and frustration.


    .


    No, not yet! Wait!


    .


    ¡°Nguyen¡¯s gone.¡±


    .


    Her landing was uncharacteristically rough, nearly plowing through a line of unaware motorists in front. Barely managing to take back off on her next jump, her crumbled focus continued its struggle to stay on task.


    I didn¡¯t even get to apologize- no! He¡¯s not done yet! The medics¡­!


    ¡°The Andre I knew isn¡¯t giving up yet! Help¡¯s still on the way!¡± Kerry fought through her fears and her struggles to offer back to Devin¡¯s concession, all the while with rifle fire echoing in the backdrop. ¡°Damn it!¡± she added immediately after a loud cracking sound. ¡°Sebastian, hold on!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°I want to be a Harbinger. One like you.¡±


    Danielle lowered her gaze in disappointment. ¡°Are you ready to lose everything?¡±


    <hr>


    Her body started to tremble upon recalling that exchange, and she could feel the screams building up from underneath. She saw her next landing coming up near a mostly empty lane, but through her visuals she couldn¡¯t wash away the images of Sebastian and Kerry suffering a similar fate. She hadn¡¯t heard Sebastian¡¯s voice since his last plea for help, and she heard the unsettling noises over Kerry¡¯s line. And with no update from Andre, the nightmare situation sank in more and more each second.


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    And worse yet, even with no choice but to leave Andre to the incoming backup medevac team, Sam now had to pick which of the remaining two to save. Throughout that and the next jump, she continued to battle between which route to choose, as the next landing would be the point of no return, having only west or north to go from there. No one spoke other than the field operators during that time, and it felt like an eternity before one of the squad lines opened up:


    ¡°Medevac is here! Switching Nguyen off to the medics!¡± Devin hollered out, not realizing how much this was going to save Sam¡¯s day. ¡°Moving out to your location, Kerry!¡±


    I¡¯m so sorry! Pull through somehow, Andre!


    The Axiom touched down with a heavy thud, dug its right foot firmly into the pavement as it curved left and took a turn hard westward, and recharged for one last jump. I got you, Sebastian. No way in hell I let you down this time.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Infinity Marikina HQ, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Al, arms crossed and chin buried in his neck, paced around his work station, earpiece busy with several channels¡¯ worth of exchanges. His brow was heavy, lips drawn back tight, seemingly with a world of words held back with all his might. Something had happened in his exchange with Vincent earlier, but no one around dared ask even after all this time had passed.


    Tricky approached him, snapping him back to reality. ¡°No changes. Should I redirect Sam back south toward the two chasing her?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he spoke after a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°I can¡¯t say anything to distract her. Her focus is the only thing keeping her alive.¡± He didn¡¯t notice the incessant tapping of his fingers on both of his arms, showing he was still debating something in his mind. ¡°Besides, it seems like she¡¯s on sudden bad terms with her teammates. Best she just go in and get the best job she can get done.¡±


    ¡°Then, what about the real Cloak? It¡¯s not even stealth-equipped this time, so maybe it¡¯s an all-out attempt, and maybe it¡¯s his last go in his mind for all we know,¡± she spoke in a more hushed tone as she adjusted her position to where she could look him straight in the face. ¡°You asked a favor, and my people are trying hard to provide as we speak, but you still have a conflict of interest here if you don¡¯t let us pull one of the orders¡¯ plugs.¡±


    If that¡¯s really him, Sam can¡¯t handle him even if she was in top condition, he thought before trying to answer that stinging question, but after he saw the live feed from Sebastian¡¯s encounter moments ago, seeing that oversized sword and how it was wielded, it was already confirmed in his mind. It was now only a matter of how he¡¯d handle the dilemma.


    <hr>


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you and Mom created a selfish, lazy, aimless wreck,¡± a younger Isaiah chided over a voice call while Al stood leaned over his desk at his family¡¯s law firm. ¡°And again, it¡¯s not that I¡¯d have her tag along with me. I¡¯d just give her some opportunities to branch out as you did for me.¡±


    ¡°Listen,¡± Al replied before drawing in a long, difficult breath. ¡°For the hundredth time, she¡¯s not built like us¡­ like you. She can¡¯t handle it, so it¡¯s best you give up on that and leave her out of everything we discussed.¡±


    ¡°Fine, so be it,¡± Isaiah conceded, following it with a brief pause. ¡°Just don¡¯t be surprised if she gets sucked into the next big conflict given her age and her accolades.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been so confident about your little affiliation¡¯s chances at pushing the renewed alliances agenda, so why would you be worried? Your whole mantra has been about joining a cause that would prevent war, so-¡±


    ¡°-Failure is always a possibility. There will always be the chance I just fade out of existence completely. Not just from Akkadia, but all in all.¡±


    ¡°Stay safe, Isaiah,¡± Al curtly replied, unwilling to continue down the direction the conversation was being carried. ¡°And be back within a year if things don¡¯t go smoothly like you said.¡±


    <hr>


    The memory of the last time he ever heard from his son several years back faded as he battled with the unexpected. How did he end up fighting for extremists?! How did he stray so incredibly far from our original talks? This shouldn¡¯t have even been a remote possibility! Who convinced him of taking up such twisted ideals?!


    He then began visualizing the mental agony Sam might be going through in her head as she leapt towards what looked to him as a deadly confrontation. After Isaiah failed to show up years after his promise, he was intent on not losing Sam, but now it would appear he¡¯d have to lose one, and it drove him near insanity on the spot. Sitting down with hands pulling over his face, those thoughts continued rendering him incapable of making a decision after all.


    ¡°Mr. Knight, time¡¯s almost up,¡± Tricky chimed back in with a tap of her watch.


    ¡°I know,¡±Al muttered woefully through his hands before letting out a long sigh.


    And then a separate female¡¯s voice came from behind the two of them: ¡°I remember the day we all charged the Hargrove lines together,¡± Kaylen spoke with a flat, emotionless tone as she looked over at the sortie monitors. She now stood between Al and Tricky, catching both their surprise and their confusion. She looked back at Al and shrugged her shoulders lightly. ¡°I remember you tried to do too much, then, and I get the feeling you¡¯d be up to something. I don¡¯t know what it is, but don¡¯t you dare interfere. Don¡¯t repeat that day.¡± And with a patronizing pat on his shoulder she looked back up at the monitors as if to confirm something, then quietly vanished with her security detail.


    But almost as if Kaylen had left Al a personally written, confidence-inspiring note, Al sprung to his feet in sudden realization. ¡°Keep that original order in your back pocket,¡± he spoke aside to Tricky before stepping around to a separate monitor looking over the LTAC location markers on the map. He then cleared his throat to shout out a command to the room: ¡°Changing main directive for Operation Excalibur!¡±


    The barked order brought swift silence around him.


    ¡°Bring in the Cloak¡­ codename Reaper¡­ in for interrogation!¡± he continued with reawakened conviction. ¡°I repeat, change directive from elimination to apprehension!¡±

 Words Back to Haunt, Part 2

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Marikina District, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Sam thought she had the two behind her distanced enough, but it only took one bad series of landing sites to slow her down enough to be able to touch down without taking down anyone amidst the gathering of crowds clashing with police barricades. ¡°Get out of the way! This place is too dangerous for this!¡± she shouted over her loudspeaker as she rolled up to the backside of one of the barricades. She needed room to accelerate for her next jump but had absolutely none of the such. Her heart was already racing violently as it was, but with her entrapment, she now felt like it was about to stop with unbearable levels of fear and frustration.


    Her eyes raced between several intersections up ahead on the map and the incoming tracker signals racing in from behind. And just as she spotted a potential street to float over to for another shot at regaining her speed, the barricade in front collapsed as the throngs barreled through. Are they seriously doing this!? What even for!?


    She turned to see what was their target in the case it wasn¡¯t her, and she quickly realized it was something much bigger. There was a newer police station just behind her, but nonetheless everyone nearby was in greater danger with the two following her inbound and dangerously close.


    She then remembered flashes of the scenes that unfolded in Dhaka along with her name being tossed up with kill numbers. She remembered her photo up as if she were public enemy number one. And now she saw it all here; those two chasing her must have wanted something similar set up. What for would be the question after getting out of this mess and in less than five seconds.


    I¡­ I can¡¯t do this alone¡­ what the fuck was I really thinking after all this time!?


    Amidst her near breakdown, the swallowing of her focus by the echoes of holler and shouts from the crowd rushing around and through the Axiom pushed her past the brink. She lifted the Axiom¡¯s right arm and aimed it over the tallest building toward the bayside.


    **PTA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TAHH!!!**


    Sounded the long burst fired off while the crowd quickly screamed and fell to the ground in horror.


    And as her breathing slowly made its eventual return to manageable levels, she came to realize what she had done, but before she could start to regret her decision, her IR warning alerts breathed new focus into her. She looked back behind her to see the pair of pursuing LTACs both airborne, diving straight for her.


    As if to return the cold stare she felt coming from them, she locked gazes with the target markers and swung both arms up. No LTAC outside of an elite few models could accelerate mid-dive fast enough to avoid hybridized gunfire.


    **PTA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TAHH!!!**


    And as more screams in panic rang out amongst the ear-splitting crackles, her instincts would be proven true as she sent two lines of blinding orange flashes through the both of them, watching their tumbling descent as sparking, smoking corpses to the empty pavement below with deafening crashes, all for the throngs to witness with their own eyes. And as the dust clouds rapidly approached, Sam took the scattering of the rioters as her open chance to take off without the worry of roasting passersby underneath.


    **BEE-BEEP!!**


    Rang her targeting sensors that next moment as her body froze up and heart skipped a beat. She didn¡¯t know what she took a shot at just now, but it wasn¡¯t the two chasing her. Antares settings had never left their maximized output settings, and the kick sent throughout her entire nervous system was felt that next split second, forcing her to make a move before becoming an easy target.


    But it wasn¡¯t fear anymore that fueled her next move. Despite the several downward accelerating paths the system would attempt to influence her in, she instead felt a sudden flash of rage, unable to shake those who were preventing her from reaching those she desperately wanted to save in time. She pulled back on the controls and pushed the pedals in even farther, setting off the click of the over-boost drives as she launched into an upwards U-turn.


    She didn¡¯t catch hearing the fired shots, but the ensuing string of rifle fire just zinged past her, careening into and through an office building just below her, adding to her outrage. She had just finished taking too many careful steps to avoid casualties, too many steps to avoid falling into the trap of drawing the ire of the masses like before, all just to see it was going to happen anyway no matter what she did. Her lips curled tightly as she bit down, squeezing the trigger the instant she had a lock, not caring anymore for where they fell this time.


    Have it your way, then, you pieces of shit! she thought to herself in disgust, not letting up until she saw the targeting markers disappear. Row after row of burst fire ripped by the two of them, shields up, desperately attempting to do what they could to block and withstand the attack as they continued their ascent, locked into their regretful move as backing off would have them sail into the buildings below at lethal speeds. But it was either that or try and face the onslaught head on, and try they did.


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    Sam instinctively flicked off the aim assist and relied on her hat switches to do the rest of the work, clicking her sweep angle down a notch, and ignoring how much damage she caused below, she ran in one last sweep which shredded through the attackers¡¯ exposed leg thrusters. Essentially ruining any chance for survival, she quickly spun back the other way as her descent sped up dangerously quick. And after a controlled touchdown onto precious open turf, the storm of sod flung into the air was quickly ensued by two large plumes of fire, smoke, and slung metal, concrete, and glass from those impacts she left to fate. And with such potential loss of life or amounts of injury that would normally have her losing her absolute composure would not be an issue this time with how badly Sebastian¡¯s well-being burned into her conscious.


    ¡°Sebastian!!!¡± she belted out as loudly as she could, voice cracking in the process. ¡°I¡¯m one jump away! Get open!!¡±


    .


    .


    .


    A few blocks away rang the emergency evacuation sirens that echoed throughout each alley and streetway, joined every few seconds by the thuds of impacting LTAC rollers and the blasts of jump boosters. In an unwilling game of cat and mouse, Sebastian could hardly keep a good grip on his trigger fingers with how much sweat ran out from underneath his half-gloves and down and around the controls. He had spent what felt like an eternity just trying to stay alive long enough for someone to show up to help.


    Every few landings his booster diagnostics would flash red, signaling him to wait until they could cool off, forcing him to choose from two actions he regressed to: one was to continue trying to squeeze in a shot his opponent couldn¡¯t block, or the second was to charge head on and hope for an error that would leave him an opening.


    Remembering the training he had pounded out daily during his stay on Jazira Station, his timing was already clockwork, and the heavy nature of his opponent¡¯s sword allowed him reaction time enough to dodge with each head-on pass. But even this time as he tried once more, throwing caution to the wind as before, there was never any hint of mistake. Each shot fired in passing was either a miss or it would be deflected by the shielded base of the sword. And after passing, he always came only a meter or two from direct contact with the blade, and it eventually began to feel like he was being toyed with.


    And just after recovering from his most recent failed attempt, he heard Sam shouting over the channel to get open. ¡°Sam?!¡± he shouted as he unintentionally backed off, looking over to his map to see the incoming Axiom from the East. ¡°Sam!!¡± He then felt the full force of the Seraphiel colliding with him, sword having pierced cleanly through the just barely exposed left shoulder unit. With that very momentum exchanged during that split second, the sword was separated from him as his LTAC careened backward into an old narrow apartment building with a thunderous crash.


    The Seraphiel then turned to eye down the incoming Axiom.


    .


    .


    Sam fell faint during her hastened descent, watching the spectacle helplessly from her distance.


    <hr>


    ¡°I want to be a Harbinger. One like you.¡±


    Danielle lowered her gaze in disappointment. ¡°Are you ready to lose everything?¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°No!!¡± she cried out, once again landing haplessly, carrying too much speed in her rush to his aid. ¡°Sebastian!!¡± And she kept her speed up best she could, fortunate to have a cleared street to continue her acceleration down street full blast, noting the Seraphiel¡¯s mocking glare before it took off a different direction. Her instincts first had her believing it was for an attack, but then realized it was moving away to safety. The building in which Sebastian was tossed into began to crumble down toward him.


    She couldn¡¯t even cry out this time, desperately and recklessly flying down the avenue toward the pinned-down Ap50.


    And as Sebastian clumsily fought to get his harnesses unbuckled and helmet thrown off, he could only think to get out as soon as he could before the sword he feared could drive through his body while completely exposed. Despite how shaken up the two collisions had him, he finally got the hatch release switch pulled and nearly tumbled out of the cockpit completely, barely grabbing a hold of the ladder that extended itself out and down to the rubble below. But as he looked up to debris falling all around him, he realized it was too late to do anything else, watching a whole concrete wall section coming right down on him.


    Moments ago, the idea of him going out the same way his departed brethren had flashed through his mind several times, but now he realized it would be much grimmer. He could only shut his eyes tightly in reaction, biting down and looking down, bracing for impact as he held on dearly to the sliver of hope that his mech would hold up. And with a loud crash and a furious cloud of dust rushing by, he waited until that sure something would knock him down and pull him away.


    Yet that something never came around.


    Coughing, unable to free his hands to cover his mouth, he struggled instead to catch his breath without choking. But after a few seconds he realized the air that was quickly growing clearer was also much hotter, almost too hot to bear.  Confused but finally catching his breath, he looked up and over past the open cockpit hatches. The outstretched arms of the Axiom in its barebones frame held back the centermost, unbroken section of the wall, using its thrusters to provide the force needed to push it back the other way.


    ¡°Sebastian! Are you OK!?¡± he her shout over the loudspeaker, cueing him to free one hand to reach over to his earpiece to answer back.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine! Sam, thank you! Thank God you¡­¡± he hollered with what strength he had left to speak over the roaring of the hot gusts still blasting by. ¡°Just¡­ I am glad you are still alright!!¡± And as the Axiom backed away from the wreckage once the threat of the building crumbling was rectified, he swung back around to grab his rifle before sliding back down. ¡°But you have to go save Kerry now!¡±


    .


    Sam looked down to see Sebastian with a hand up over his eyes, almost as if the two were able to lock gazes. The regrets from earlier were now joined by a renewed, intense desire to say all the things she realized she should have already, and listen to all the things he would have wanted to say, but she also knew they¡¯d have to survive this predicament first and foremost. ¡°Right, but what about you?!¡±


    ¡°I will be alright! I¡¯m not hurt! You go on!¡± he shouted back with a thumb up before slinging his rifle and ducking away into the nearest alley.


    ¡°Stay on radio, at least!¡± Sam answered with a quick turn toward the last area Kerry was located. ¡°Kerry!! Status!!¡±

 Hope Slipping Away

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ West Marikina District, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Your timing is ass but we¡¯ll take it!¡± crackled Kerry¡¯s intercepted voice over Isaiah¡¯s left earpiece. He carefully ducked between several alleys, keeping a close watch on how much space he kept between pedestrians, buildings, and passing cars or scooters. ¡°We¡¯ve been stuck in a standoff! Can¡¯t flank either of them without causing a mess!¡± he heard as he continued to listen in.


    I really hate having to do this, but we¡¯ve already run out of time it seems.


    ¡°Charlies, pull back and execute the next phase!¡± Isaiah barked out in rare form, having used lines outside of his own personal ones for the first time since Dhaka. ¡°I got the rest of phase D from here!¡± He came to a stop in the middle of one of the narrower streets, causing somewhat of a calamity as motorists screeched to a halt to avoid hitting him. He then checked his map and started mentally counting off the steps the dots on the radar were taking. And as one dot farther away showed up on screen, he immediately took off straight into the sky and then blasted off northbound.


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Kerry¡¯s voice crackled off again. ¡°They just¡­ up and left?!- Oh shit, Sam! Those two are headed for you! Watch out!!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine! Let them!¡± Sam¡¯s voice cut in and out.


    He then pressed a button next to his thumb¡¯s hat switch just before adjusting his angle of descent. The Ap50 and Ai20 markers became clearer with closing distance, showing both to be on the opposite side of the block from him, and with easy access via several alleys between.


    .


    .


    Kerry watched her radar while she used the time she had to catch her breath. ¡°Devin, what¡¯s your ammo reserve looking like?¡± she asked in between gasps, having a bad feeling about the lone target approaching.


    ¡°This and a half mag¡¯s all I got,¡± he answered back with equal apprehension in his voice. ¡°Look, Kerry, I think all signs point to that guy headed here is Reaper himself.¡±


    ¡°Let him come, then,¡± she replied with an attempt to garner any last bit of confidence she had left in her, tightening her grip and propping her shield up with her barrel aimed down-street. ¡°So, you think ROE is out the window by now?¡± she asked as she took a quick look around at how emptied out the area had become since the last firefight began. Not a single building took any damage, which was one of the reasons the Kappa frames that just took off were able to without ever taking a hit.


    ¡°If that¡¯s Reaper,¡± Devin continued with a gulp, squaring his Ai20¡¯s feet up right next to her, shoulder to shoulder. ¡°It¡¯d have to be, or we don¡¯t have a prayer.¡±


    She wanted to say something to ease the tension, but even she knew it¡¯d be best to save her energy for focus. Knowing she could at least fire more freely, she reached over to switch her rate of fire to a higher setting. ¡°Here it comes!¡± she shouted the second she heard the proximity alert go off, aiming between an alley exit between two buildings fifty meters down the street. But what emerged from there wasn¡¯t what she expected, sending a shiver down her spine, trigger fingers paralyzed.


    The glitched blur emerged three different times, each one emerging in a stuttering manner before disappearing only to instantly start back from the same exit point. It was like a ghost¡¯s trick you¡¯d see in a horror movie and with equal lack of forewarning. She had nothing to lock her rifle onto despite the imaging, and before she could switch her aim assist off, the blur this time fizzled in and out of view only forty meters out, only to disappear yet again.


    ¡°Above!!¡± she heard Devin scream out as he fired off all boosters right into her, knocking her out of the street as she yelled out in confusion and panic, scrambling to right her feet.


    She then heard a heart-stopping screech of ripped metal, followed by a series of a rifle¡¯s burst fire. ¡°DEVIN!¡±


    She swung herself around the absolute instant she got her feet planted back firmly in the concrete below, aiming to once again see only a fuzzy semblance of an image she couldn¡¯t register a lock on, remembering to turn off the aim assist. As she rushed to switch it off, she heard the scraping and dragging of metal from the ground and from the LTAC it was buried into. Fingers and toes already numb from the panic and uncontrollable breathing rate, she finally got her reticle over where the target should¡¯ve been. But with the pull of her trigger, she only heard ricochets and the roaring of jump boosters.


    And without even a split second to react, something drove squarely into her with double the force she just felt from seconds ago, throwing her directly into the apartment behind her. Dizzied from the impact, she lost a few seconds before she could realize what was going on as a blade drove in directly above her, missing her helmet by a few inches. Emergency exit sequences were triggered as what was left of her cockpit hatch doors released, and she wasted no time snatching her visor up in a flash. Ducking away from the falling sparks and debris, she allowed herself to roll out without abandon, more afraid of the hot metal above her than the potentially lethal fall as she felt herself freefall.


    .


    Riding a hover scooter at the highest speed it could handle, Sebastian had just emerged from an alley opposite from the horrific sight that unfolded at such a rate even he couldn¡¯t believe what he saw. Realizing the Seraphiel was still on the move, he brought it to as quick of a stop as he could before determining his next move. He initially looked to his right to see a downed Ai20 struggling to lift an arm, holding onto the rifle it managed to keep a grip on. He then took a quick look straight ahead to see what he thought looked like Kerry¡¯s Ap50.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Without a second¡¯s hesitation he darted off for her, taking a wide angle to avoid what was about to transpire to his right in the middle of the street. And as he looked up along the way, he could make out what looked to be her falling straight out of the cockpit. Her body hit the side of her Ap50¡¯s leg unit a few meters just below, bouncing off with all of her wind knocked out of her before crashing into the concrete debris below.


    He pulled right next to the pile of concrete, almost slamming into it in full slide, and nearly falling off himself. As he hopped off halfway out of control, he stumbled right into her path as he reached out to catch her. The collision knocked the both of them back, but he held onto her as tightly as he could. Having to negotiate having his own wind knocked out of him in the process, he finally came to enough to look up and see the Seraphiel pulling his sword around, looking right down at them.


    ¡°Kerry!¡± He yelled out as he pulled her closer, now realizing she was either out of it or wasn¡¯t conscious at all. He scrambled to get up, lifting her up and away by the wrists in a desperate last attempt to toss her to safety. Sweat working against him in tandem with his heart beating out of his chest, he felt one of her hands slip loose from his grip, causing him to let out a scream of frustration. He fought hard that instant against his sudden desire to throw himself instead out of the way of certain death, stepping back forward to get a better grip before he heard a sudden blast of rifle fire, stumbling back to the ground with ears covered.


    He felt like he lost his hearing, but he knew what he felt that next second. Heavy thuds from the Seraphiel turned to find the Ai20 had indeed a live pilot with a will to fight.


    .


    Devin¡¯s helmet was off and in his lap, cracked and broken. Light poured in through the fully opened window above amongst the smoke billowing out from behind and below as the electrical and fuel supply management systems failed to control the fires. What was left of the door system left him an open exit, yet he firmly remained in his seat, still strapped in. He could only focus on one thing as he spoke through his teeth into what was a disconnected communications system: ¡°Get up, Kerry! Get the fuck out of there!¡±


    He pulled the trigger again, hoping his angle estimations at least clipped part of the Seraphiel. A wry smile then grew as he looked up at the shadow cast overhead. He heard all the stories of Reaper¡¯s cold efficiency, but that was always from the viewpoint of a fellow member of the Underground. Now, and only now and for the first time, he felt what it must have been like from the other side for countless souls.


    But he did catch sight of someone there to scoop her up just now, bringing him some semblance of comfort for that one short-lived moment. ¡°Sorry, girl.¡± He then swallowed one last difficult breath, feeling the strangest, sickening sensation rapidly flashing throughout his body.


    .


    .


    Sebastian knew not to waste such a valuable opportunity to make a mad dash for his exit. Out of the corner of his eye he knew what he had to refuse to confirm, knowing that sword came down at an angle that could not miss this time, instead focusing on efficiently pulling Kerry¡¯s weight up and over into his arms, carrying her as carefully as he could without tripping over the loose concrete chunks below. Thankful for how short and light she was, he finally managed his way to the scooter and held her in front of him firmly with his left arm while using his right to pull the accelerator, speeding off through the alley from which he came.


    [I got Kerry with me! Both our A-P¡¯s are down and out! We¡¯re on the retreat now, but she needs medical attention!] he shouted through his communicator which he kept on him after bailing out earlier, zipping through the next intersection, constantly looking back when he could to see if he was being tailed.


    ¡°10-4!¡± an operator responded quickly and to his relief. ¡°Get to safety and we¡¯ll send the next escorted medevac to your location!¡±


    .


    .


    ¡°No! Stop! Why!?¡± Sam cried out angrily, watching the Kappa frames that left Kerry and Devin¡¯s sortie from moments ago sail past her, headed straight for HQ. ¡°This is nothing more than mindless terrorism!!¡±


    It would take such a drastic turn of events to keep her mind off what just happened to her two friends, unable to make sense of the radio exchanges without access to their vital monitors she¡¯d normally have on screen. All she knew was Kerry was knocked out, albeit safe with Sebastian. The thoughts of the worst happening to Devin then flashed across her mind as she landed with a sharp U-turn and bolted directly for the two Kappa frames.


    ¡°Devin, you OK back there!?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t wait any longer for the silence to haunt her, now unable to hold back the guilt-fueled rage building up to the point she forgot even more what not to do given the angle she had looking down at the Kappa targets on their descent. She armed her main weapon she kept shouldered on the back of the Axiom, having saved it earlier after ditching her armor. And as she brought it out in front at the apex of her jump, a shoulder stock extended out and revealed that what she had equipped wasn¡¯t the usual anti-armor launcher, but rather a five-barrel gatling with a special muzzle brake that from its silhouette looked not much different from the originally equipped launcher.


    She made her mid-air posture adjustments while spooling the firing system, taking her time to adjust her sweep angle. Her initial reaction was a split-second¡¯s hesitation as the path swallowed up a street full of cars-


    -They¡¯re moving out of the way! she thought the exact moment the onlookers saw the Kappa¡¯s approach.


    The intense, numbing rush of vibrations and the deafening, droning hum of the fully cycling gatling made it hard to keep her tight sweep angle, sweating all the while keeping her focus off of her targets and on the center line.


    One of the Kappa¡¯s pilots had instinctively pulled to his left the second he heard the ripping of LTAC armor alloy mixed with the brilliantly glowing, panic-inducing path of countless asphalt fountains that surged ahead. The moment his rollers hit the ground with an awkward slam given his approach angle, he threw his shield up and carried his momentum all the way up next to an office building. But before he could take another moment to gather his bearings, a dozen rounds ripped through his shield and proceeded to knock a series of windows through his cockpit hatches.


    ¡°Where is Reaper!?¡± Sam screamed through her huffs, catching her breath upon landing. She then turned to head back to the last place she knew Sebastian to be, squeezing the controls more tightly than ever. ¡°Command! Where¨C is- Reaper!?¡±


    .


    .


    Marian almost dropped her ocular from the building top from which she witnessed the swift downing of the last two support LTACs they sent. Bristling with a sudden fear of what could easily go wrong, she clicked her headset, breaking the dead heat¡¯s silence: ¡°Isaiah, listen! They armed her with a bloody hybridized minigun! Get out of there! Call this off before we lose anyone else, damn it!¡±


    ¡°I can handle her!¡± he shouted back through the radio noise, much to her surprise and further concern.


    ¡°Cut the heroics! Your equipment isn¡¯t going to handle that!¡±


    Her watch alarm then began screaming out, sending another cold chill up her spine. ¡°Bloody hell!¡± she blurted out with a look to check the alert, feeling her heart continue to work its way further up her throat. ¡°Movement!¡± she screamed out again. ¡°ID on purple- no, there¡¯s confirmed movement from purple over at their HQ! That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s Rodgers moving out!¡±


    Unable to wait for Isaiah to make any response, she let the oculars drop to the ground this time as she turned and made a dash for the rooftop stairway. ¡°Isaiah, damn it! Get the fuck out of dodge right now!¡±

 Hope Slipping Away, Part 2

    ¡°Sam!¡± Tricky¡¯s voice rang out, snapping her back to reality after having spent the past few seconds fighting off a sudden brain fog. ¡°Code E is a go! Time to pull back!¡±


    She had to stop and shake her head a bit, realizing the back of her head felt heavy and sensitive to motion. Twinging, she focused on properly answering: ¡°But I have to get back to Kerry and Devin! They¡¯ve never responded!¡±


    ¡°You.. you got five units inbound from different directions! You can¡¯t take them on in your shape!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?!¡± she snapped back, feeling like they knew something she didn¡¯t, forgetting the more advanced metric readouts they would have on her. And why is her voice all shaky?


    ¡°Your neural network repair work¡­ it won¡¯t last! If you take any big hit at this rate it¡¯ll be the end, you hear me?!¡±


    She wouldn¡¯t have any of it, however, not with a score still to settle. Zay is still out there! That piece of shit had better not done anything to-


    ¡°-Damn it, Sam!!¡± Tricky yelled out with a crack in her voice, scaring her straight. ¡°Devin¡¯s gone! Don¡¯t add yourself to his list, too, you idiot! Move!¡± she finished yelling with it evident she had been holding back tears this whole time.


    Hearing that froze her where she stood, feeling the cold wash over her like earlier. No¡­ not again¡­


    <hr>


    ¡°Devin, if you¡¯re on the line still, thanks for always keeping an eye out for us.¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± he replied with a chuckle. ¡°I got you to thank for everything working out for us so well. You know,¡± he continued as he let out a grunt as if he was putting down something heavy. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you bailing so many of us out that day, I wouldn¡¯t be reunited with everyone like this. I never imagined making my exit the way I did, but yet, I always imagined my return would be at the right time somehow. Keep a good eye out for us.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°I want to be a Harbinger. One like you.¡±


    Danielle lowered her gaze in disappointment. ¡°Are you ready to lose everything?¡±


    <hr>


    She remained silent there in disbelief. Was Andre really not going to make it? Is what Tricky said about Devin true? Is he going to continue hunting down Sebastian and Kerry while they¡¯re helpless and exposed? All these questions came around to a point where the memory of the wound she received through her shoulder shot through once more like she relived the pain all over again. She could almost feel Isaiah somewhere out there within arm¡¯s reach, staring back at her with the same cold, demeaning glare. She had only held back from telling her parents out of fear of¡­


    Wait, she thought as she started coming to. Why did I ever hide the truth from them in the first place? Why did I not seek him by name if I want to end this? And the fury continued to amplify by the second. Why am I sparing ANYTHING over someone who clearly isn¡¯t my brother anymore?!


    Oblivious to the fire engine and ambulance sirens, panicking shouts from civilians tangled up in the chaos, and the honks of cars scrambling to safer distances, she switched off of her channel and clicked on her other communication device. ¡°Reaper!!¡± she bellowed, refusing to call him by name. ¡°Stop running, you fucking coward! I¡¯m right here, damn it!¡±


    She might have been missing out on who knows how many commands or alerts on her main channel, but none of that mattered in that moment. If this is what all I have to lose, Ms. Norris, then I¡¯ve already lost. What else is there to lose? She thought to herself as she took hold of her gatling¡¯s secondary grip with her left hand, feeling her senses heightening once more through the stubbornly continuing discomfort that gripped her brain. Everyone left their mark as a Harbinger, so this is where I leave mine.


    She felt a chill run through her like she felt she just damned herself an early departure from this world. But she still felt she had to own it seeing how the situation evolved up to this point. Putting her back against the wall, this was the only path left to take.


    ¡°Well!?¡±


    She was fully aware of the radar signals honing in on her position, but one of them finally stood out to her as it was the first dot to cross the frame and into her immediate vicinity. That¡¯s him, she thought with a gulp. That¡¯s got to be him.


    And from over the top of a building-top water tower descended what threw her off of her expectations completely. Taken aback by the far bulkier, cloak-less LTAC now staring her down from the other end of the street, she even questioned if that was him or not. But then she realized that was a massive sword it held out with a two-hand grip, plasma arc hot and glowing.


    Biting down and with not a shred of care for the structures behind the Seraphiel, she swung her gatling around and hovered the reticle for the hatch door area.


    No¡­


    In a flash of hesitation, she remembered the last encounter she had with him LTAC to LTAC. She remembered him having no fear of a ranged attack seemingly head-on, so there was no way in her mind he wouldn¡¯t have changed now of all times.


    Her reticle instead continued through a different path, now slowing just short of his left vicinity, squeezing the trigger while now swiftly pulling it in a sweeping motion before letting go as to prevent too much unnecessary fire.


    Her eyes then widened in confusion as Antares scrambled to make sense of what transpired. Several distorted images of the Seraphiel popped in and out along her firing arc before they all fizzled out instantly, leaving only a wake of shredded steel, concrete, and glass. ¡°What?!¡±


    And then she remembered hearing Devin screaming ¡°Above!¡± minutes earlier, prompting her to pull back on her controls in a jump back to distance herself.


    But where¡¯s the feedback? She thought as she started moving, eerily without any pain or nauseating waves of painful jerking sensations that were now an expectation when dealing with higher level pilots. Why do I feel nothing?! A cold sweat had already started beading down her neck as she began looking around both over and behind her. And what even was that just now!?


    She desperately wished there was someone listening in on, or watching in on what had transpired, and the feeling of having dug her own grave was kicking in full strength as she started backing up, eyes constantly darting from one end of the sky to the next.


    .


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Infinity Marikina HQ, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Kaylen had her eyes closed, seemingly focused on keeping her composure amidst her constant trembling and her inability to keep her hands still as they lay on her knees. She sat inside a cramped cockpit, one much tighter on space than the usual LTAC. And even more unlike others, the helmet that remained docked just above her head had no visor. Instead, it was a solid, one-piece design that had her completely blindfolded and focused solely on head impact protection.


    She was strapped in like any other pilot, but with no control sticks at the end of either console arm rest. In their places were two hand rests with individual finger wells, but neither with any semblance of joints for movement inputs.


    On her flight suit were a collection of cable input jacks, a pair at her shoulders, another behind her back, two at the base of her neck, and two just above the bottom of her rib cage.


    ¡°Ready!¡± a man¡¯s voice called out from just outside the open cockpit as he stepped in from the catwalk, holding a set of loose-ended cables. ¡°Establishing final connections!¡± he continued as he one by one started clicking them into place, starting from behind her neck. And with each locking ¡°snap¡± Kaylen felt, the more violently she would to shake and the more her breaths would become hastened. Her helmet then began to lower as the tech stopped what he was doing to secure it to her as he noted her sudden lack of willingness to progress forward with the final preparations.


    The Kaylen Rodgers sat there was the same Kaylen that had on too many occasions brazenly displayed how much confidence and contempt she had with the air of having nothing to lose. It was the same ex-pilot she didn¡¯t break upon being referenced to as the ¡°Apollyon Massacre¡±, yet there she sat as if she were about to break down and cry from total, blinding, suffocating fear.


    She then felt a hand approach her. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking touch me!¡± She shrieked as she grabbed the tech¡¯s right hand that held a cable input just below her chest. He dropped it as he called out in pain, reeling back with shock. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± she continued with a heavier, more difficult breath. Blindly feeling her way with her clumsy, quivering fingers, she guided the cable into place, feeling the click of the locked connection in a way like it had started sucking away at her very soul. ¡°Next!¡± she cried out with her hand extended. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this shit over with, already!¡±


    The last cable was finally locked in as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. ¡°Ready,¡± her defeated, cracked voice mumbled out as the irritated tech closed the cockpit doors. She thought to take in one last breath before guiding her fingers through the conduits on the hand-rest units, seemingly savoring it before taking a firm grip with each hand.


    The tear that was to fall from her other eye never came as her trembling immediately came to a halt. Her breathing normalized, her jaw relaxed, and her posture straightened. Everything seemed magically at peace, including the soft hums of the operating systems powering up.


    Al watched from the outside of the control unit they had set up in the hangar, peeping in on the crew of four that manned several monitors and input stations, all connected to what read ¡°Hexa PK-03X: <u>Galatine</u>¡±.


    ¡°Operation Excalibur, phase two under way,¡± a control tech spoke through his headset before turning to Al as if he knew he was being watched. His head shake spoke to Al as if to say a request had been denied.


    Al then stepped inside the station area before two of the men stood up to stop him. ¡°Let me see the commands, damn it!¡± He struggled with the officers pushing back, just managing to catch a glimpse of everything he needed to see before allowing himself to be removed from the area.


    ¡°Hey! Get him out of here!¡± the head control tech snarled as soldiers approached him, but Al was quick to put his hands up in a conceding gesture.


    Straightening his jacket, he quickly took off toward the main control room he was in earlier with teeth clenched. He knew what he saw, and the text burned in his conscious: ¡°Primary Objective: Eliminate Reaper and all associated ground forces.¡±


    He burst back into the control room to find his station still as active as before, Tricky still on her headset trying to pull all units back. ¡°Hey, I need that favor done now if you don¡¯t mind,¡± he firmly spoke to her with a hand on her shoulder.


    She paused awkwardly as it took a moment to switch mental gears before realizing the poor timing. ¡°Sir, your daughter is still refusing to reconnect her communications.¡± Surprised those words didn¡¯t faze him, she continued in a more pressing manner. ¡°She engaged with Reaper¡¯s LTAC after ignoring retreat orders!¡±


    Al started to turn away as if to scream at the wall before curling his fists up, letting out a frustrated huff. ¡°I need that favor, and I realize Sam¡¯s in danger by my hands are tied, clearly!¡± he fussed back as he turned to face her again. He then lowered his voice, shaking his head as if to clear out some of the emotional fog in his head. ¡°Galatine is launching as we speak. The last thing I¡¯m worried about is Reaper if Sam can just hold it together for one minute- and she is in a position we can¡¯t do anything to change. That¡¯s why I need you to prioritize that one thing before it¡¯s too late. Please,¡± he continued in his own pressing tone.


    Tricky couldn¡¯t fully accept his view of the situation, but after some hesitation, she nodded with a turn to one of her command monitors.


    ¡°Incoming!¡± a man shouted out in alarm, causing Al and Tricky both to duck their heads instinctively. The room then shook as if an earthquake struck, lights flickering and people screaming in response as a thunderous boom echoed throughout.


    ¡°Ballistics shield perimeter not responding! Explosives detected at several locations around the base! Ai units, flush them out- change rifle ROE to level two!¡± Al heard another shout over the channel before he immediately looked to the screen showing the hangar he just left from.


    Static.


    He bit down as he felt the worst coming, clicking his headset before barking: ¡°Status on Hangar four!¡± And just as he finished, another series of explosions rocked the building.


    .


    The four Ai20 units that remained standing despite the sudden heavy waves of gun and rocket fire could only do so much, overwhelmed and left with no other choice but to keep their shields up until they could find an opening to return fire. And then a sudden series of thuds rang through the heart of the oldest pilot there, triggering him to shout: ¡°Mortar fire incoming! Move!¡±


    As the four scattered amidst the raining down of mortar shells, the one at the front noticed each dropped fairly close to the hangar complex behind them.


    ¡°Find the source, quick!¡± they heard a voice command over their radios as they scrambled to their barely functioning explosives monitors, having hardly a clue from which direction it came from as more thuds pounded more fear into them. And they knew the next series would fall through the roofs of the complex, wincing, jamming their feet solidly into the asphalt below with their shields up.


    And after each of the next series of impacts shredded through the first few hangar bays, all fell silent. Explosives monitors still showed nothing while the two Ai20 pilots up front began surveying the area once more, wary of a surprise attack, knowing either LTAC units or missile trucks could be hidden in waiting.


    <u>**TAHH!!**</u>


    Shrieked a rifle round of a far higher than average velocity round with a shrill echo that numbed the nerves of the remaining pilots. And before they could spit any words out in reaction a sharp explosion ensued that next instant, causing them to jump.


    <u>**TAHH!! TAHH-TAHH!!!**</u>


    Two more fired, and two more explosions right after.


    .


    Al, hearing another terrifying series of connected shots and impacts, was now ball-fisted even tighter than earlier and in a nervous sweat. ¡°It¡¯s begun¡­¡±


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Marikina District, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°We¡¯re pulling back! All units, retreat or take cover!¡± Isaiah barked in rare form, speeding down a mostly emptied multi-lane street as most of the traffic, both foot and auto, had evacuated the district¡¯s roadways and taken shelter. ¡°Status, Cable!¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t take so long to get moving, you¡¯d be in the clear! You might have one minute if that!¡± he heard her cry out in response.


    ¡°I thought¡­¡± he started to answer back, realizing the folly in ever entertaining the thought of silencing Sam as he promised he would prior. ¡°Never mind. Hang tight, don¡¯t move until we check back in.¡±


    .


    He then sensed he spoke too soon, letting out a mixed sigh of impatience and laughter at the irony of the situation. He threw the brakes on his right rollers and kicked his left foot out, spinning a 180¡ã as he allowed his momentum to carry him in reverse, sword out and ignited.


    ¡°You think you can run AND ignore me like always?!¡±


    He felt his heart twinge at the hearing of her voice.


    .


    Sam finally thought to use LOS communications, realizing earlier he was in a modified AiX chassis which would likely have the same emergency functions installed. She stared the Seraphiel down for a few seconds, noting the distance she had with a straight shot at him from just over a hundred meters out. ¡°Fine!¡± she spat out as she pulled the trigger with a yank of the controls, firing off an angled belt of titanium Isaiah¡¯s direction. And just like earlier, a collection of glitched images fizzled in and out of position before all disappearing among the following fountains of debris, but this time the next image of the Seraphiel came back into view thirty meters in front.


    ¡°No, the only thing consistent here is you and your pathetic little figure eight you call your life.¡± Isaiah responded coldly as he pulled back to swing amidst his charge. ¡°Let me finally fix it for you.¡±

 Figure Eight

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Marikina District, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    The impact alarms blaring mixed with the kick of Antares¡¯ input signals had Sam reeling backward at full thrust, using the open space she had behind her to distance herself before regathering her thoughts. The only problem was that despite her weight advantage that should have given her the edge in acceleration, the Seraphiel relentlessly kept pace.


    How is he this fast?!


    As her senses stabilized, she moved to take the seemingly open shot. This time once her pre-sweep reticle made its arc across its target, there was no shock when it fuzzed out of focus. She had felt the larger intersection already approaching, jerking the controls to her left as the Axiom swerved the corner. The instant she completed the arc, she slammed the controls in a forward full-tilt and kept the pedals to the floor, slinging her through the air and back the opposite direction. Biting down in a fight against blacking out, she swept her gatling arc across the center of the intersection where she could feel her target about to cross, letting it rip the next instant.


    What?!


    Catching her breath during her descent, she realized there wasn¡¯t a single trace of any reading crossing the intersection, much less anywhere in the vicinity.


    There wasn¡¯t even any alley before then- How!?


    And with no LOS communication ability, she couldn¡¯t even shout anything back, as badly as she wanted to. She instead resorted to screaming out as if it would ease her pain and frustration: ¡°Fucking coward!¡±


    .


    Isaiah spun to a halt one block away, readying a device with his freed left hand by control input. At the click of his left thumb trigger button, a small drone-like device detached and zoomed out and off from under his left hip¡¯s armor panel. He then guided it towards the intersection he had just avoided.


    .


    And with a series of new alarms going off, Sam was quick to swing her gatling up towards the source of the incoming IR tracking signal, seeing it was in the form of an LTAC silhouette. She had expected an attack from above at some point after hearing Kerry¡¯s earlier encounter, and this was what she waited for. And her biggest confidence boost was from feeling as if she already had a grasp for his escape patterns using that peculiar ¡°ghosting¡± effect, sweeping her firing angle in a vertical fashion, landing the reticle at a stopping point at the predicted landing point in front of her.


    But this time, much to her shock, the first point of her firing arc struck the silhouette, abruptly ending the transmission of what looked to be a decoy as it flashed out of existence with a bang, revealing a small device instead took the bullets.


    Another alarm, and another signal incoming from behind her.


    A trap!?


    She had started firing sooner this time, not giving her brother the chance to read her sweeping angles this time. But again, much later into her firing sweep the bullets struck another decoy once again.


    ¡°Are you serious!?¡± she screamed out again in exasperation.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Infinity Marikina HQ, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Speak to me!¡± Al impatiently growled through his headset as he hurriedly walked out of the control room and back for the hangar area, waving off surprised soldiers still stationed on security.


    [I can still see them from here, but I can¡¯t get close!] he heard an exasperated Sebastian answer back, having to wait on translation.


    ¡°Can you not get her attention? She still doesn¡¯t know Excalibur¡¯s directives and that she is potentially putting herself in direct line of fire!¡± he now spoke through evident exhaustion as his body started to wear out through all of the constant tension and emotions.


    [No, and that¡¯s exactly what I have been trying to do! And Kerry here is still unconscious! I don¡¯t know what options I have here!] Sebastian continued as Al spotted the docked Ai20 that had just walked in for diagnostics after surviving the wave of rocket fire on the base moments ago. [What about on your side? Is there anything you can see or suggest?!]


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I am about to figure out!¡± Al grumbled as he took off his jacket and slung it aside, showing his identification to the technical crewmen that surrounded the parked LTAC. ¡°What about the Galatine?! Any idea where-Hey! Hey!!¡± he shouted to the nearest one as he motioned him to take off his ear protection. ¡°Using emergency clearance to reactivate this unit! Get that pilot out and give him a rest! I¡¯ll take it from here!¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The lead crewman hesitated out of confusion for a moment before yelling back: ¡°But the pilot¡¯s in good condition and on standby to-¡±


    ¡°Orders!¡± Al barked back as he blew past him.


    [Mr. Knight! You aren¡¯t doing what I think you are, are you!?] Sebastian interrupted in shock after hearing the exchange.


    ¡°Just keeping a promise, boy!¡± Al curtly responded as he impatiently waited for the pilot to climb down out of the cockpit. ¡°I told Old Man Vrey that if it came down to it, I¡¯d keep my daughter safe even if it meant suiting back up my damn self!¡±


    But Al had no true interest in returning to the cockpit, with his violently trembling hands the proof of his hard-headed, drastic course against better judgment. ¡°I know what¡¯s about to happen and damn it I can¡¯t just sit back and do nothing!¡±


    As he climbed the ladder with sweaty hands and the onset of faintness, memories of battlefield recordings of a single, smaller but insanely fast and impossibly accurate mech shredding through other mechs labeled with two different nation markings as if it were on a murder spree, indiscriminately darting from one target to the next regardless of their national alignments. He then imagined Sam and Isaiah¡¯s faces at the opposite end of that same horrifically efficient killing machine, further blurring his vision as he entered the cockpit.


    ¡°Knight!¡± he heard Vincent¡¯s voice boom over the channel as he joined in the channel. ¡°Stand down this instant!¡±


    ¡°You did this, you bastard! You overrode my orders and let that monster loose knowing DAMN well what will happen!¡± he lashed out, forcing the straps in place without a care for how terribly and uncomfortably cramped he was in a cockpit far smaller than those of the old war mechs. ¡°I am NOT letting you get away with such gross negligence of the lives sucked in its wake!¡± he seethed in reference to the Galatine and the death toll he could only imagined already started minutes ago. ¡°This was NOT part of Operation Excalibur!¡±


    ¡°This is your doing, Knight! Your stepping in has only caused problems and forced me to take measures to rectify your mistakes caused by your lack of focus! Your emotions still control you, I see!¡±


    Al finally got his helmet strapped in, now ripping his earpiece off and slamming into the cockpit floor. ¡°Come on, get this piece of shit back online, damn it!¡± he roared out through the still-open cockpit hatches.


    Catching his breath, all he could do now was make one last check he knew what he was about to do with the controls in front of him.


    Sam, Isaiah, whatever it is you¡¯re doing, for the love of God, please stop and run!


    .


    And just beyond their city block hovered the heavily armed Galatine, hanging over the buildings below from an altitude of about 200 meters. Onlookers who dared to take a peek from the streets below saw what hearkened back to the aerial onslaught their islands suffered a decade ago when much larger mechs controlled the skies. And like those of the past, this black, gray, and purple-accented LTAC shouldered a long, hefty main cannon and a pair of near equal length, rifled armaments mounted behind its shoulders on pivoting arms as if they could be fired without need of handling directly. But seeing a much smaller frame known only for skating and hopping with minimal armaments looming overhead in such a threatening fashion only encouraged more to join in, mobiles out and recording.


    Another shot was fired from its main cannon in the distance, letting off an eerie, nerve-tickling thud mixed in with a loud crashing bang from the ignition chamber as the onlookers jumped back once more in shock. And then the Galatine suddenly dipped from its position before following up with a dart off to the side, gracefully dodging two incoming surface-to-air missiles before the mounted rifle under its left shoulder swung around to shred through a third incoming SAM. And then as if nothing in the world could faze it, it went back to work with its next main cannon¡¯s shot, only taking little more than a second to find its next target.


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Marikina District, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Sam, now farther from the nearest Underground¡¯s data rerouting point than she wanted to be, couldn¡¯t get any clear readings on her IR sensors, feeling not only blinded but completely exposed after seeing the mind tricks her brother seemed to be aiming for. And as she turned to head for safety at the end of the T-intersection behind her, a jarring collision slung her over a set of parked cars and into the building nearby.


    Her impact alarms not functioning properly anymore was reason enough to scream out, but the impact this time felt like it knocked something loose in the back of her head. And the next visual sensor-fed response from Antares exacerbated it that next instant, just as the Seraphiel¡¯s ignited blade came swinging around after using it to send her flying.


    All she could do was what came without thinking, pulling back on both controls, stepping on both pedals, and pulling her hat switch around while squeezing the trigger.


    Isaiah, already expecting such a reaction, already had his sword falling down to the right of her, hacking through the gatling swinging his direction, slicing off the Axiom¡¯s arm just beyond the wrist joint. The sudden shedding of weight had the Axiom accelerate to safety, albeit in a hard-to-control manner, but it gave Isaiah all the time in the world to end this quickly. And his heart raced all the while, constantly taking note of the support unit head count dropping every second. His time was ticking, too, in that sense, and had to end this quickly.


    ¡°Last chance to part ways and stop this endless mess- right your life for once!¡± he shouted out, ready to turn and run.


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± she expectedly spat back through audible pain, but with an unexpected volley of fire from her left hand¡¯s SMG she armed in the same motion as her retreat.


    Knowing his sword¡¯s armor shielding wouldn¡¯t be able to stop hybridized fire, he had no choice but to roll out of the way, and only had one shot to right himself before she could tag him while he was down on the ground. With one quick release of his sword, he timed his fall just well enough to be within arm¡¯s reach of the gatling Sam dropped moments ago, having no time to wait for it to register within his Hexa-based OS.


    .


    Sam, through the searing pain that shot through her brain the second her OS picked up the incoming gatling fire, could only shriek out and pull back. With no shield nor building for cover, several of the last of the dozen rounds ripped through the Axiom¡¯s lower half of its frame, bringing it quickly to the ground with a deafening series of screeches and thuds.


    .


    ¡°Sam!!¡± Sebastian yelled out as his face flashed white with sickening fear. He couldn¡¯t expose himself nor could he contact her. There was not a single thing to do from the alley which he took shelter from while keeping watch. He turned to look at Kerry to find her eyes still closed, almost as if still in a peaceful slumber. He set his scooter down, turning off the hover drives and then slowly got up so that Kerry wouldn¡¯t fall off. Making sure she was stable in her position there, he then turned toward the alley¡¯s exit once more, grabbing a hold of the one grenade fastened to his plate carrier rig and started taking in several deep, trembling breaths.

 Figure Eight, Part 2

    As the Axiom came to a grinding halt against the sidewalk pavement, the expected silence inside the cockpit was instead filled with Sam¡¯s crying out in anguish. Not a single beep was heard with the OS silenced via emergency power shutdown to avoid fires, and her helmet¡¯s visor was severely cracked from impact by a chunk of shrapnel that resulted from one of the gatling rounds flying through her cabin not too far from her head. Even the ventilation system had stopped, now bringing out heavy, laborious coughs from Sam as smoke and dust filled her lungs. As dizzy as she was from the onset of another concussion, the coughing now had her completely out of sorts, unable to even think what to do next.


    ¡°I know how much it hurts, Sam,¡± a calm voice popped in over her earpiece, still connected to the same separate communicator. Throughout the coughing and writhing in agony, that one voice seemed to bring her to focus just enough to gather what was about to happen.


    ¡°No¡­¡± she began to whimper out in desperation, unbuckling her harnesses and reaching blindly for the hatch release switch. ¡°No¡­ no, no, NO!!¡± Her voice steadily found enough strength to yell back through her blind, delirious state. ¡°You don¡¯t know shit!¡± she continued, still unable to find the hatch release. ¡°Still too afraid to face me without cheating, just like always!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what I fear, Sam, and it would never be you,¡± he emphatically responded as his last few words grew even stronger as if rising toward a certain crescendo.


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Infinity Marikina HQ, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    Al¡¯s commandeered Ai20 unit was now clear for rolling out as the last technician backed away, giving the signal with his illuminated beacons. He sat in the last moments he had of silence, praying something would stop him from doing what he was about to do.


    ¡°It went through!¡± Tricky¡¯s voice rang out over his headset as his eyes opened wide, breathing in a deep breath of relief, letting go of the controls. ¡°They got it to work!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, God,¡± he spoke out through the sigh he let out, feeling every tensed muscle in his body come undone. He then took one more breath before speaking back into the channel: ¡°I will keep my promise. Thank you. Now we just need to get the word to Navarre to get out of there.¡± He then gripped the controls once more, but this time with ease and confidence. ¡°Pull whoever we have in the field for retreat cover! I¡¯ll take over for the main target recovery!¡±


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Marikina District, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°What?! You¡­¡± Sam knew what Isaiah meant just then.


    He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s really going to kill me!


    Adrenaline fully kicked in, she mustered up the strength to do the only thing that came to mind. Through the continued labored breaths, she frantically kicked the door panel in front of her, but the padding only sent her foot reeling back in vain. Dizzy and struggling to stay in focus, she propped her feet against the same door panel, this time using whatever she had left in her attempt to pry it open. Nausea kicked in as her legs fell limp.


    I can¡¯t let everything end like this¡­ no¡­ I¡­


    ¡°No, no, please,¡± she mumbled amidst her panicked breathing. The ground shook under her back, signaling the approaching footsteps of metal upon asphalt, and the next sound she heard was the most fearsome one: the sound of an igniting plasma arc.


    .


    ¡°Isaiah! Stop- it¡¯s too late now!¡± Marian screamed over Isaiah¡¯s earpiece as if it was for the tenth time, and his reaction was as if he just now heard it for the first time. He had struggled this whole time deciding between a pure retreat and doing what it took to make sure Sam never interfered again, which had recently been proven to be just as crucial.


    He then felt like this was the sloppiest he had ever been this whole time on Earth.


    The grip he had on his controls started to weaken as his hands started to tremble. ¡°I can¡¯t go back now, I have to do this!¡± he shouted back with a pull of his controls, bringing his sword up and around to strike his downed prey. And as the sword began to fall, both of the Seraphiel¡¯s forearms severed at the midway point of their frames as the sword got caught up in the mix, heavily twirling off astray just past a geyser of hot asphalt and dirt before slicing and wedging itself into the garage building nearby.


    Losing its balance, he hit the thrusters with his momentum intact to avoid stumbling to the ground, now himself feeling like his heart was the one about to beat out of his chest, panicking as he had no defenses nor any way to return the attack, wherever it came from. He whipped around midair to redirect himself north for a retreat, now realizing it had to be the power he feared he might have to face, although he didn¡¯t expect it to be under such dire circumstances. ¡°Where is it?!¡± he shouted to Marian as he dove for cover immediately upon clearing the first set of buildings.


    ¡°It¡¯s beyond my sight and too well-shielded for our sensors to pick up, even on IR! You¡¯re going to have to stay hidden until we can get you out of there!¡±


    Isaiah struggled to keep his cool, nearly clipping two buildings as he weaved his way through the remaining sparse traffic. ¡°B-11! Find me there!¡±


    .


    Inside the wrecked Axiom, however, the silence instead had Sam believing the sudden disappearance of the earlier footsteps meant that her attacker was in the air now, lunging towards her, shooting that final surge of adrenaline through her as if to scream out and plead for her life. Her feet once more found themselves against the door panel, pushing out with all her might. Just as the joints to the lower panel began to creak under stress, an unfamiliar roar of boosting thrusters zoomed overhead, searing hot air rushing through the newly opened crevice between the door panels. A volley of gunfire boomed and echoed, sending her already pounding head for another violent loop as she screamed out in excruciating pain. Silence never came as the sound of the rushing hot air around her continued endlessly. Was it there to save her? The thought was short-lived as she struggled to keep her focus.


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    .


    Completely out of view from the Axiom above, the Galatine hovered ominously overhead, lowering its shoulder mounted cannons as the folded back up behind it. ¡°Target, Reaper, disabled,¡± Kaylen¡¯s lower than usual, flat-toned voice coldly called out from inside. ¡°Next objective.¡±


    ¡°Retrieve the Axiom pilot,¡± Tricky¡¯s voice came up in a quick response.


    ¡°Understood.¡± She then lowered the Galatine a touch as she distanced from the Axiom a bit to keep it out of her back-thrust.  ¡°Confirm your status,¡± she now continued to call out from the loudspeaker, hopeful to reach Sam below.


    .


    What¡­?! Who¡­!?


    Sam had no clue what to make of the sudden unknown voice ringing down. The tone was almost robotic. It wasn¡¯t a voice she recognized, but it was nevertheless a sign she was being rescued. Her hands fumbled around her helmet¡¯s strap mounts to either side of her head, haplessly attempting to remove the contraption from her head so as to see or hear better what was going on. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± Words were difficult to come by in this physical state, much less enough breath to push out through her vocal cords. Dizziness grew stronger. Her fight against blacking out quickly grew weaker with each second passing. It was then she felt herself being dragged away. She could sense the metal beneath her scraping, pulling away from the direction of the threat as she finally gathered a semblance of her orientation; She had been lying on her back facing upwards this whole time.


    As soon as whatever it was that had a grip on her had let go, she felt a rush of cooler air as well as blinding light from outside pour in. She once again thought to reach for her helmet strap mounts but couldn¡¯t find the strength.


    ¡°Easy, easy!!¡± she heard a man¡¯s voice before she felt herself being carefully lifted out by two sets of arms.


    ¡°No neck injuries apparent, let¡¯s get her out, quick!¡± another man¡¯s voice added.


    But just minutes ago, Sam was sure she was going to die where she lay. Even with the expected comfort to overpower her fears, her mind was now affixed to the thought ¡°but, how?¡± Her death was that certain to her. Her left thumb finally found its way to the release tab, allowing her to jerk away the strap that held the broken helmet on. As the helmet rolled off her head and fell to the back of the cockpit below her, the lights from above had her once again quickly overcome with pain. ¡°Why¡­ who¡­ who are you!?¡±


    ¡°Confirm your status!¡± Kaylen¡¯s robotic voice from above once more shouted over its loudspeaker with a possible hint of impatience.


    ¡°Who are you!?¡± Sam again shouted, running out of breath.


    ¡°This is Galatine. Your survival status has been confirmed.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure who or what Galatine was. She was even less sure how she was even able to sit upright and who had been helping her up.


    Sebastian¡­


    The nevertheless reassuring pair of arms behind her continued to keep a grip on her before she felt herself being carried away. ¡°Is she¡­ she a Harbinger¡­ here to save¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, come on, Sam! Stay with us!¡± the ever-distancing voice from one of the men earlier rang out from one side of her.


    ¡°Is this even the right pilot?!¡± the other man continued from the other side. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your name, pilot!?¡±


    ¡°My name? ¡­ I¡­ what are¡­¡± It was no good. The fight was over, and everything went numb from that point.


    .


    All silence¡­


    All darkness¡­


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Peeking from around the back corner from the partially destroyed garage building to make sure the coast was clear, Sebastian kept a woozy but conscious Kerry upright with both arms supporting her, defeatedly looking back at the scooter he rode in on. The sword knocked from the Seraphiel¡¯s grip earlier had just missed them by a story, putting a large chunk of concrete on top of the crushed scooter but with themselves safe from further injury. Helping her walk, they carefully and slowly turned the corner before seeing several cars and trucks encircling the Axiom wreckage, initially drawing sharp panic from him. ¡°Hey!¡± he began to bark back before realizing their intent.


    One had just brought Sam out on a stretcher, another with medical equipment, and others were putting away large metal cutters. This was a rescue operation, but from who was the mystery. ¡°Come on,¡± he spoke aside to Kerry as he helped her slowly make their way forward. ¡°Medical team is here.¡± But Kerry¡¯s feet began to dig in, stopping him once more. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked as he looked over to see a face that reminded him of a lost, scared child.


    ¡°You¡¯re not Devin,¡± she mumbled as she started to push away. ¡°Where¡¯s Devin?¡±


    But before Sebastian could find a proper response while attempting to keep her from stumbling over, part of the medevac crew rushed over to them after identifying them as pilots and seeing her condition.


    ¡°Where?! Where is he!?¡± she started to scream, tears beginning to pool up as they joined the struggle to calm her down. ¡°Where¡¯s Devin!?¡±


    Sebastian, now with his own feeling of a lump in the back of his throat so big it suffocated him, slowly conceded the fight to the medical crew as he looked away, knowing he couldn¡¯t dare answer truthfully.


    .


    .


    Above them, still in a hover, Kaylen remained as still as a mannequin inside the Galatine¡¯s cockpit, awaiting further input.


    ¡°Galatine,¡± a new voice came up, sending a strange shock through her as her body reacted with a wince. It was the lead tech from earlier that had Al removed before resuming control. ¡°Nullify previous orders,¡± he continued in his command, unknowing of another series of subtle jerking reactions coming from Kaylen¡¯s body throughout. ¡°Galatine, respond.¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Galatine, respond, now.¡±


    ¡°Galatine! Retrieve the Axiom pilot!¡± Tricky¡¯s voice once more came through as another jolt was sent up her spine.


    ¡°Son of a bitch, someone¡¯s still trying to override the commands!¡± the tech seethed aloud, not switching the channel off as he fumed. ¡°Galatine! Do not change the preliminary objective! Eliminate Reaper, now!¡±


    But unlike before, Kaylen remained unresponsive as alarms started ringing left and right, with one of them being an uncontrolled descent. And as autopilot started to kick in, both of her arms tensed up tightly as opposing inputs were read by the piloting system.


    ¡°Galatine! Galatine, respond!¡± the tech continued in his outrage.


    .


    .


    Sebastian back below grabbed a hold of Kerry the instant he sensed something going awry, now hearing the jarring hum of the hover drives of the Galatine floating by overhead. And amongst the sudden outburst of shouts and calls for cover, the Galatine floundered into the office building across the street from them, sending down a shower of glass and debris.


    .


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Isaiah was under complete digital and electronic silence, and not a single light source to reveal the psychological wreck he was in, leaving only the audible struggle to keep his breath rate steady as evidence. A beep of his watch then triggered him to reach out and pull the hatch release, and as the light from the setting sun poured in he grabbed a hold of the extending ladder and rode it to the bottom, finding a truck pulling right beside the Seraphiel.


    ¡°Get in!¡± he heard Marian scream from the cracked open window.


    Wasting no time, he made a dash for the passenger side, throwing himself in with a shout: ¡°Go!¡±


    And with her hands and feet at the ready, Marian tore off with a screech of its rear tires. And as it rounded the first intersection and out of sight, they would be unaware of their impeccable timing. An Ai20 landed near the Seraphiel, checking the perimeter before pointing its rifle towards its downed target.


    Al remained in his seat, zooming in to see the opened hatches and no sign of life nearby. He let out a disappointed sigh as he spoke up: ¡°Damn it¡­ He was took quick. I didn¡¯t make it in time.¡± As he awaited a response, he continued running a scan of the Seraphiel, noting it had both hands missing and no other signs of armaments. And upon further inspection, both of its main leg booster units had a pair of holes punched through them, signaling the cause for its downed status.


    ¡°That thing¡­ to think it was this surgical from blocks away¡­¡± And although his next sigh seemed somewhat out of relief, he knew right then and there that he¡¯d have a lot to answer to after hearing the altercation from moments ago.


    His earpiece then came with a response: ¡°All units including medevac, return to base. No sign of armed combatants remaining within the scanned zone of inclusion.¡±


    The voice was one he hadn¡¯t heard yet, giving him a strong hint that things were already regressing as he had still expected Tricky to have some response for him by now. ¡°Returning,¡± he hesitantly answered as he left a beacon marking on the Seraphiel¡¯s carcass. ¡°Marked secondary objective for retrieval post security sweep. Primary objective whereabouts unknown.¡±

 Figure Eight, Part 3 / Departures

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Settling down, Marian finally got a chance to speak up as they hit wider streets with room to spare. ¡°The bloody hell were you doing?! You were seconds from either dying or getting caught just now!¡± she fussed through a cracking voice, keeping her eyes on the road.


    Isaiah continued to rub his eyes and take in slow, deep breaths, almost as if he were still confirming his status as alive and well. ¡°I knew to fear that thing, but¡­ Marian, I¡­¡±


    She let him take his time now, realizing something deeper had him completely off his usual game. ¡°What was it?¡± she asked after letting him gather his thoughts, toning her emotions down.


    More moments flashed back in his head with much deeper clarity. Watching teammates in their previous war mechs being shredded from behind supposed cover, recovering the bodies, and trying to jump back in the fight as if he had to pretend he never saw anything all felt like it just repeated itself, but this time he was on the run. He counted the LTAC units he watched drop like flies, remembering it was only he and one other than made it out of Manila that evening. And then the regret that immediately ensued delivered the strongest kick to the gut. ¡°Why did I insist on getting back at her?¡±


    Marian eased her grip on the steering wheel, letting out a sigh of concession. ¡°I know. Vengeance would have been on my mind pretty powerfully as well had that been me.¡± She too had a few memories from the previous war flash through her mind, one ending with an ever-burning image of her holding Lance as he looked to be lost in a deep slumber as her tears fell over his face. ¡°But we have to move on. We can take what we gained and go to the next phase, just as you always say,¡± she continued before looking over to him with a forced subtle smile. ¡°Right?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t return the look and gesture just yet. He knew they would end the evening with an overall victory, but this one lost battle stung sharply, and would continue for some time. ¡°I just need an evening to clear my thoughts. So many things going through my head right now that I can¡¯t lose track of.¡± He then finally looked back over to her, though unable to return a smile. ¡°I have to apologize. I will take responsibility for the lives lost in due time.¡±


    He then looked out the window as they started to hit the outskirts of town. ¡°And so will the one behind this whole operation.¡±


    ¡°Vrey?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about his Operation Excalibur- that¡¯s not even over as long as I am still alive,¡± he flatly responded. ¡°I am talking about this unannounced operation someone Underground organized to help Vrey find and outmaneuver us. We might actually have a two-fronted campaign on our hands. We need to not only regroup but perhaps go and backtrack¡­ re-establish connections and make amends before we try to move any farther forward.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Near Infinity Marikina HQ, Manila, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°¡­I have nothing left. I can¡¯t face the dark without you.¡±


    Sam tried so hard to speak what she heard repeating over and over in her head to Sebastian as he looked away, feeling tears well up in her eyes but never able to fall. Something held her back, struggling to inch closer, but nothing seemed to work.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to lose, the fight never ends. I can¡¯t face the dark without you.¡±


    It was as if some invisible force began to separate them, reaching out but ever so far away. And then a solid kick shook everything up all in an instant.


    She awoke, slowly but through a dense mental fog, making it hard to focus on her surroundings as it became clear she was only dreaming. And as she finally got a good look at who it was crouched next to her with a hand wrapped around hers, she now realized where the words stuck in her head came from as Sebastian continued humming a somber melody.


    The hot sensation of built-up tears now started to flow finally as the medevac carrier began its short descent while hearing more of the landing gear retracting and locking into place. She squeezed his hand firmly, grabbing his attention as he looked back, locking gazes for an instant before he too returned a firm but gentle squeeze and a sigh of relief.


    She desperately wanted to hold him or to be held, but the stretcher had her locked in place for the most part. But that was alright for now, feeling safe even if just for the moment. And with a wave of stabbing pain across her head reminding her of her condition, she was all the quicker take things for what they were and just close her eyes.


    ¡°We have to keep this quick!¡± a loud voice over the speaker rang out. Sam, only slightly fazed by the unwelcomed drone, continued squeezing his hand as she added a gentle rub with her thumb while the pilot continued: ¡°Philippine National Guard still not agreeing to anything yet, so be prepared to be evacuated out at any moment!¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Wait, this can¡¯t be just me.


    She then found the strength enough to push some air through her vocal cords. ¡°Did Andre make it? Where¡¯s Kerry?¡±


    ¡°Kerry is over there in front of the ship, looking like you,¡± he said before the attempted smile rapidly faded. ¡°They said Andre is still alive somehow, but I don¡¯t know if he will be OK.¡±


    Guilt she felt earlier started eating away at her again despite hearing he might have a chance. After everything she could have prevented that day, this one continued to hit the hardest. Isaiah escaped again, just as always, but she didn¡¯t care one bit what happened to him after their last encounter.


    Andre¡­ I am so sorry¡­


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Al sat alone at a table just outside a small, quaint, open-air eatery. The aroma of seasoned ground beef only slightly soothed his shot nerves and defeated spirit, but he was drawn to the area regardless after having heard this was the last place outside of HQ that Sam willingly visited. He held the warm, still-wrapped empanada in front of him, not able to open it just yet.


    He then caught the sound of familiar feet approaching, knowing it was his expected company. He looked up to see Tricky approaching him in the same way she had approached Sam the day before, but this time as the invited. ¡°Thanks for coming all the way out here,¡± he spoke up to her in an exhausted tone.


    She returned the notion with a weak smile, seeming as if she had just finished surviving her own tough battles. ¡°Strange seeing you like that,¡± she responded, noting he had since removed his Infinity Admin jacket and ID lanyard. Even his earpiece was missing. She then took a seat before continuing: ¡°I guess today was both our first and last day to meet, Mr. Knight?¡±


    ¡°I am delivering as promised, so, in that sense, yes,¡± he replied as he reached over to his pocket to pull out his mobile. ¡°I just need you to confirm the details I put in. Once sent it will arrive in their account by morning.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you are going to eat that?¡± she delicately changed the topic, seeming to avoid saying what she wanted to as she pointed to his uneaten empanada. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you eat Earthside food much,¡± she added as a forced joke with a smile.


    ¡°This?¡± he chuckled as he picked it back up with his left hand, examining it once more. He knew it smelled like beef to some extent, but everything else to its aroma turned him off completely. ¡°Sam said she loves these. She described them to me when she was in Colombia, said I need to try them one day¡­ figured why the hell not since I haven¡¯t eaten in over a day, but I guess I chose the wrong day to venture out.¡±


    He then picked up on her aura when he remembered what it was he had wanted to do, right hand extended so that she could see his mobile¡¯s screen. He paused, pondering the situation. ¡°Sorry, I really do apologize. I realize what it is you want me to ask, but I can¡¯t. I have to do things my way.¡±


    The fa?ade was up, and Tricky let it be known with her sigh. ¡°Hexa isn¡¯t going to let you. We heard the exchange between you and Mr. Vrey earlier. We might be your only avenue to your son.¡±


    .


    <hr>


    (Moments Earlier)


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°What the hell just happened?!¡± Lucian roared from his seat at the director¡¯s table, more notably next to Al¡¯s empty seat. ¡°Why was the Galatine being fed two different directive sources just now!?¡±


    ¡°Marikina just reported a hacked line of command channel!¡± an assistant from behind shouted from their station. ¡°Now reporting all channels as secure!¡±


    The announcement drew quite the ire from the directors as much as it drew confusion and disbelief. ¡°Was this some breach from the Underground!?¡± Zaeras was the first the speak once they gathered their thoughts.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Lucian spoke with a hand up, leaning over one of the Operation Excalibur files. ¡°What were its modified directives in the end?¡± he asked to the assistant behind him.


    ¡°Primary objective was to disable and capture Reaper and to bring in for interrogation! Secondary objective was to ensure the safe return for the Axiom pilot!¡± the assistant answered back after a moment.


    ¡°The same objective as Knight¡¯s¡­¡± they all seemed to mumble in response to the hacked directives before it quickly became clear to Lucian.


    ¡°No, you mean to tell me Knight ordered this?!¡± Lucian spat out in deeper disbelief, turning to see Vincent bursting in from his office. ¡°Sir,¡± he spoke out as he stood up from his seat. ¡°Knight was behind this?!¡±


    ¡°He knows something we don¡¯t,¡± he started off with a stout grumble before stopping at his seat at the end of the table. ¡°But no matter, he will be here tomorrow to clear his office.¡±


    ¡°But why?! Him of all people- do we have proof?!¡±


    ¡°I just got off the line with him overtly admitting to it,¡± Vincent continued through his attempt to contain his anger. ¡°We¡¯ve lost track of Reaper and almost lost the Galatine all because of this stunt he pulled.¡± As he finished pulling up several screens from the table¡¯s console, he took in a breath to collect his thoughts amidst the heavy silence.


    ¡°As far as damage recovery, we aren¡¯t out in the clear just yet but as far as you should be concerned, even Knight¡¯s stunt didn¡¯t derail the operation necessarily. Minimal structural damage was sustained by the Galatine and the damage dealt to the LTAC Reaper piloted was damaged beyond repair. All support LTAC units to Reaper are confirmed destroyed, so we will have time to regroup and continue the chase once we reestablish safety and security for our men on the ground.¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± Lucian broke his silence. ¡°Do you think this¡­ Reaper pilot¡­ has any connections to Knight himself?¡±


    ¡°We will continue that investigation. But until then,¡± Vincent spoke as he pointed to the satellite imagery of the region surrounding the Marikina HQ. ¡°Popular acceptance of our presence is about to take a turn for the worse after today and after a new injection of pro-Alliance sentiment as a result of our use of power to prevent the invasion Rex¡¯s Underground had almost pulled off,¡± he spoke in reference to the orbital strike that destroyed the cargo ship targeted earlier that day.


    ¡°Our immediate objective is now to coordinate the repairs and reinforcements for our base there before things go south.¡± He then huffed at the thought things should have ended so much more smoothly. ¡°Let me personally handle Knight.¡±


    <hr>


    .


    Al cleared his throat, knowing he had to avoid the topic in the open. ¡°This is my family I have to take care of. My mess. My mistakes and the responsibility is mine to bear, not your group¡¯s.¡± He straightened back up, placing his mobile on the table face up before relaxing his posture a bit. ¡°Trust me. I have my ways around anything in my way, just like you do with matters you take care of in protecting your own.¡±


    Tricky finally broke down and took her defeat, looking at the details on the screen. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied with a subtle nod. ¡°Everything looks correct.¡± And as Al took the mobile back into his pocket, she stood up with a hand up as if to wave. ¡°Well, I take it you will be on your way home, soon?¡±


    ¡°After I stop by to see Sam, yes. I have to clean my office out soon, of course,¡± he answered with a wry smile before he too stood up. ¡°Again, condolences for those you all lost, and may I come back one day to see greater peace attained,¡± he finished speaking with a hand extended.


    Tricky knew enough of Al¡¯s background to realize this kind of situation was something Al had to have experienced many times. Unable to sympathize due to a lack of her own war experiences, she simply offered what she could on the spot as she returned the handshake: ¡°Everything in the world here and in space seems to operate like it¡¯s stuck in a loop. A figure eight of sorts. But as before, we will continue to pray that we all will see better days.¡±


    .


    Al let those words sink in as he couldn¡¯t help but think back to the peaceful years he had taken for granted; all of those years with both of his children at the same table in the same room. Somehow, year after year, he had let so much go to see it all culminate into the chaotic mess that just happened before his eyes.


    .


    ¡°Better days, huh¡­¡±

 Departures - Kerrington Elise Melancon

    --Kerrington Elise Melancon--


    Kerry awoke to the sound and feel of air rushing through the opening bay doors of the medevac carrier. Sitting up to the ring of a splitting headache and a wave of pain across her shoulders, it would take some time after lying back down and rolling on her side, waiting for the pain to subside and for the cacophony of engine noise, clanking of rollers and instruments, and the back-and-forth of barked orders.


    Once she could sense herself being carted around, her hearing finally caught up to real-time as she heard a man pushing her shout: ¡°Concussion protocol! Possible upper body fractures!¡±


    ¡°Tent five!¡± another shouted back.


    ¡°Undetermined head trauma! Everything else stable!¡± another shouted from behind.


    She realized now that she was being sent through some kind of makeshift triage. She rolled over enough to get a look around, noting they were in a part of the base¡¯s outer area she had never visited before, but she could make out the communications tower unique to HQ. Then she realized how much smoke was steadily rising from the opposite corner, making it clearer why they were nowhere near the dedicated triage area.


    She knew she had nowhere near the strength or capability to do much other than listen in as those around her continued to shout out communications. In spite of the ruckus and the mental fog making it difficult to think clearly, Devin still found a way to the front of her thoughts.


    I¡­ I can¡¯t remember if Devin got out or not, but if he did¡­ If¡­ He should be here; he went down before I did.


    ¡°Got too many here! Pass them off!¡± came another shout.


    She then heard from a different direction: ¡°Respirations over thirty!¡± followed by more indiscriminate commands.


    He must be here. I¡¯ll have to get up and find him myself.


    She felt her cart come to a stop inside a relatively quiet tent, and although she could somewhat feel the presence of many, there was no sense of dire urgency or panic. She felt that now would be a good time to try to slip out to find Devin. And quick was her upper body to refuse to budge. It was like something had her numbed. She remembered feeling pain earlier, but that had gone somewhere in the meantime. Either way, she couldn¡¯t find a way to properly sit back upright, grunting, refusing to give up just yet.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    .


    Huh? Sebastian?


    ¡°We really should not do this,¡± she heard his voice again, and closer than expected. ¡°And neither should you. You should be resting.¡±


    Then, a warm hand placed around her shoulder from her other side was quickly joined by another across her arm in an almost inviting fashion, drawing Kerry¡¯s attention to that side, finding Sam¡¯s eyes looking to her in a way of saying ¡°let me help you up.¡±


    Sam¡­


    Kerry was unaware of her apparent hesitation to respond, although Sam saw it as part of her condition and continued to offer her hand.


    I¡­ Sam did something, and I was so mad¡­ but what was it?


    ¡°Kerry, we¡¯re here, you can relax,¡± she heard Sam¡¯s voice speak to her in a pitying manner. She wasn¡¯t trying to help her up, but rather just wanted to reassure her someone was there.


    But Kerry still felt she had been angry at her for a proper reason, and it carried through her voice she managed to push out: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be resting?¡±


    ¡°I had to check on you, first.¡±


    Kerry managed to roll over enough to look back up at her. The inside of the tent was on the rather dark side, making it easier to keep her eyes open. ¡°Then, if you can stand up like that, go help me find Devin.¡±


    She could tell her sharp request bit Sam hard.


    ¡°Do you know where he is? He should¡¯ve arrived here before me.¡±


    She saw Sebastian unintentionally peering over his shoulder and out of the tent momentarily, then looked back as his eyes met hers uncomfortably.


    ¡°Take me there,¡± Kerry insisted, now with her free hand extended in a request to help her up off the cart. ¡°Now.¡±


    ¡°Kerry, no, listen,¡± Sebastian urged despite Sam moving her hand over to hers as she gently took a firm hold. ¡°Sam!¡±


    ¡°I have to,¡± Sam now replied in a defeated tone, hesitating before slowly and carefully helping Kerry to an upright seated position. The strain it put on her own concussion could be seen and felt by the two of them as well, but Kerry was already set in her desires. Dizzied by the exertion, Sebastian huffed frustratingly as he nudged his way through to switch hands with Sam, allowing her to back off before it got worse.


    ¡°Kerry, listen,¡± Sebastian tried once more to reason with her before she cut him off.


    ¡°-You looked at him. Bring me to him,¡± Kerry continued in a cold manner, eyes purposefully and uncomfortably locked onto his. Little was she unaware, however, that her hands were already starting to quiver uncontrollably. She could now feel the sense of desperation and fear boiling deep down somewhere inside of her. She felt like she already knew why Sebastian was trying so hard to avoid the issue, and it quickly began to tear her up on the spot. ¡°Damn it, y¡¯all, stop fuckin¡¯ playing and bring me to him!¡± she began to holler before she felt herself go faint from it all, causing her head to droop as she caught herself. ¡°Stop fuckin¡¯ playing! Shit!¡± she continued her desperate plea, heated tears now welling up, fighting to free her useable arm up enough to attempt to sit up once more.


    Why can¡¯t I get up?!


    And the next voice she heard from medical personnel behind her fed her adrenaline just enough to get upright: ¡°He¡¯s already processed! Find him in the tent behind you to your right!¡±


    That¡¯s where Sebastian looked just now!


    Dizzy, barely able to keep her vision forward as she pulled herself off the cart and onto her feet, she knew Sam or Sebastian was holding her up, but as much as she wanted to reject the help, she had to move toward that last voice she heard. And in that same direction was a black tent, door flaps mostly shut.


    Both Sam and Sebastian were shouting something, but it didn¡¯t make it past her tear-blurred bee-line focus she had set on that tent, nor did it slow down her awkward, clumsy, slow yet solid pace. Neither could their voices get past the volume of her memories cranked up on high volume. of her memories cranked up on high volume.


    .


    <hr>


    ¡°The last place I want to end up in a body bag is here,¡± a younger Devin chuckled through a dry smile on a hot, muggy New Orleans night. The two sat in the back of a pickup overlooking a party their fellow Nation Guard members threw for those leaving for new adventures. Despite the sweat and stickiness, his shoulder and side stuck closely to Kerry¡¯s as they looked down their bottles while hearing the music drown out the rest of the night.


    ¡°Not like we can pick where that happens, though,¡± Kerry mumbled after a matching sigh. ¡°And who¡¯s to say it¡¯d be better chances at your town?¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Yeah, well, I say that because I don¡¯t like the idea of floating away in my casket,¡± Devin returned with a lighter-hearted smirk. ¡°If I had to die back home, at least we have land above sea level.¡±


    She then felt his arm pull her in tighter with a reassuring squeeze.


    ¡°Just kidding. But enough of that talk. Let¡¯s revisit that like, say, fifty years from now.¡± He took the last remaining swig from his bottle before replacing it in the bucket of ice. ¡°Tomorrow, our new last job. Next year? Early retirement. My place. Calling it- right here, right now.¡±


    With a smile, Kerry leaned into his embrace snugly.


    <hr>


    .


    This was supposed to be in fifty years, Devin. Swear to me that¡¯s not you in there.


    Her mind raced, breathing quickly intensifying, matching the heating up of her tears that started rolling down her cheeks.


    Not realizing what she was doing was likely prohibited, there was no one to stop her from entering as the area was already understaffed and wouldn¡¯t have the time or resources to stop anyone with the only possible exception of it being someone from outside. Kerry, still in her pilot suit, slowly, hesitantly dragged her feet through the doors and immediately sensed the death lingering in the air. She hadn¡¯t smelled blood like this in a while, but she knew she was in the right place to confirm her greatest fear. Seven tarp covered bodies laid on carts, all roughly in a line, each with black tags at the foot of the cart. She then saw the last two had on pilot suits and boots that she could quickly recognize.


    Please¡­ please¡­


    Her breathing continued to grow shallower by the second, fingers trembling as she reached over to the first of the two to pull back the tarp near the head¡¯s end of the cart. But before she made it that far, a glistening blue ring on the body¡¯s left hand hanging down and off of the cart caught her eye.


    It was the engagement ring Kerry picked out for him.


    She felt herself quickly collapse, lungs and throat locking up. Brought to her knees and head slumped over, it was as if her soul just left her body on the spot, leaving her physical remains to suffocate. And as the minutes passed, paralyzed by the reality she tried so hard to deny, she unknowingly found herself leaning against the locked wheel-leg of the cart he lied upon, eyes fastened on his hand. It was as if he had it outstretched like always before, waiting for her to take a hold. And she did, feeling the emptiness inside grow deeper as she felt the cold of his fingers between hers.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Kerry found herself once more being wheeled away to a tent farther away, no longer any tears left to shed or breath or energy enough to cry.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Kerry,¡± she faintly heard Sam apologize behind her. She had almost forgotten Sam had stuck around all this time, slowly changing her attention to something she started recollecting.


    .


    <hr>


    (Earlier that evening)


    ¡°Pull the enemy back with you!¡± Kerry heard a voice through her channel taken over temporarily by the Underground transmitter as noted by the soft reconnection chime. ¡°You cannot allow them to provide support to Reaper once freed!¡±


    Kerry bit down while holding her ground amidst suppressing fire kicking up asphalt just around the corner. She and Devin were pinned down there behind the condemned concrete building with each on opposite corners, only able to return fire in short bursts at a time. ¡°Who is this Reaper anyway?!¡± she fussed back once she had the chance.


    ¡°The Seraphiel pilot! The one locked up with your pilot partner Navarre!¡± the voice responded once more with heightened tension. ¡°Navarre can¡¯t last much longer, and Knight is on her way!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what about Sam? Isn¡¯t that a good thing!?¡±


    ¡°Reaper is trying to draw her out!¡±


    After reluctantly abandoning her spot in favor of one with a better field of view, she ducked back down to await a chance to return fire. ¡°Why her?¡±


    ¡°We found out who Reaper is! He¡¯s Isaiah Knight! Sam¡¯s <u>brother</u>!¡±


    Kerry finished her burst of return cover fire before almost choking upon realizing what was just said. ¡°WHAT?!¡± And without thought or proper calculation, she stood back up to deliver a more precisely aimed shot, sending the one unit in her sights retreating even if just momentarily. ¡°Does she know this!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why she¡¯s on her way, and on her way to her certain death!¡±


    ¡°Then we have to hold out! I am NOT budging until she¡¯s here!¡± She then clicked off her transmitter with the seconds she bought to find there hadn¡¯t been any messages from Devin yet. ¡°Devin! We have to hold them off even if just for a minute! Sam¡¯s arriving in just a minute!¡±


    ¡°Will do! Keep that cover fire down!¡± he quickly responded with rejuvenated enthusiasm.


    <hr>


    .


    .


    That¡¯s what it was. That¡¯s why I was so angry. How could I forget.


    .


    The cart came to a stop as she continued staring off into the distance. Once the staff had her soon after pushed into the cooler, darker tent, one spoke to her: ¡°You¡¯ll be on standby here. When the outside routes are safe you¡¯ll be transported to the nearest hospital. Are you going to be OK?¡±


    It took Kerry a moment to gather the energy to respond. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Good, she¡¯s still alert,¡± the crewman spoke to the other as they started back the other way. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving.¡±


    .


    Some minutes had passed, already numb from the crying and agonizing but still unable to get her mind off of her loss. Staring up at the roof of the tent, she had completely tuned out the nearby mumblings from others in similar situations and the indiscriminate crowd noises outside but was to the point she hadn¡¯t realized one of those near her was Sam. And after a moment, that fact caught up to her as she rolled over to see she was just a few feet away sitting on her own cart, curled up, arms around her knees. Sam too looked as zoned out as Kerry was, and the area under her eyes were as puffed up and red as well.


    Seeing Sam looking that sad instantly incited a fire of rage and nauseating sickness all at once. That was her Devin she lost.


    Why is she here? And why the fuck is she crying?!


    She slowly gathered the strength enough to sit upright through the pain across her back and shoulders as well as the ringing in her head. ¡°How dare you cry for him,¡± she murmured in disgust, narrowing her eyes as she awaited an answer.


    Sam¡¯s head snapped back in her direction, surprised she had reawakened.


    Kerry¡¯s lips began curling. ¡°You make me sick.¡±


    Sam was already hurt from everything collapsing the way it did, but losing another friend on top of it all was just another fear she would have to face down. ¡°Kerry, I-¡±


    ¡°-You KNEW you brother was out there!¡± Kerry blasted with a sudden intensity that sent Sam reeling, pointing a finger straight at her, shooting a dagger through her heart. ¡°You KNEW what we were about to face and didn¡¯t say SHIT! Even after all those chances you had to speak up!¡±


    ¡°Kerry-¡±


    ¡°-Bitch I¡¯m not done!¡± she continued seething through a new stream of hot tears of frustration and rage. ¡°That same lying ass bullshit got Andre killed and then you¡­ you knew who me and Devin¡­¡± she struggled to continue as she began to lose strength, struggling to stay up.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for any of this!¡± Sam finally shouted back in equal frustration. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Kerry, I really am! Devin would be the absolute last person I-¡±


    ¡°-YOU KNOWINGLY SET MY DEVIN UP TO DIE! YOU DON¡¯T HAVE THE RIGHT TO FEEL SORRY!¡± Kerry belted back out in one last go, using up what energy she had left before breaking down once again. ¡°You always only cared about your own self¡­ What¡­ what do any of us have left now?¡±


    Sam too began to break down, unable to respond. She knew what Kerry meant, and she already had been questioning every move she made where she hid what could have prevented disaster after disaster; loss after loss. But this was beyond the point of no return for her and Kerry¡¯s relationship.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    I have nothing left. Nothing left to look forward to. Nothing left to fight for.


    Nothing left to keep me here.


    The next evening, even after recovering from her shoulder surgery and concussion treatment, her outward appearance seemingly inched closer to death by desperation. She slowly made her way off the elevator and towards the local hospital¡¯s main exit of the lobby, painfully scouring through the words needed to finish off her response to a text message she had gotten from Devin¡¯s mother.


    I can¡¯t even trust his family anymore. Shit¡­ I feel like I don¡¯t even know anyone anymore. What the hell else am I supposed to do?


    Ms. Norris, if you were here, would I still trust you? Where did you even disappear off to?


    .


    Mom¡­ I wanna go home..


    .


    ¡°Hey,¡± she heard a familiar voice from behind her softly call out.


    She stopped and turned to see it was Tricky, seeing her for the first time since that fateful meeting at the caf¨¦. ¡°Can I help you?¡± she weakly replied.


    Tricky walked up to her, holding a small paper bag, ¡°Devin would have wanted someone to give this to you, I¡¯m sure.¡± She looked away, knowing it would only make things hurt worse for Kerry. ¡°He was such a good man. I was so glad to get to know him and work with him.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Kerry worked up the strength to reply with dignity, receiving the bag without opening. ¡°He was. He really was.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡­¡± Tricky began to add before hesitating, letting out a difficult sigh. ¡°I know you have your reasons, but don¡¯t be too hard on Sam. As much as she screwed up, she¡¯s still had too much shoved onto her lap to handle things properly or communicate like she should have.¡±


    Kerry began to turn away. ¡°After I stay with his family for a while, I¡¯m going back home. I need to be with people who have my interest at heart like I do for them.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Tricky started as she looked back up at her, realizing the futility of her attempt. ¡°I¡­ we¡­ we will always be here with eyes, ears, and hearts open. Hopefully she too can understand what she did, and hopefully-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you two may have spoken about since last night, but,¡± Kerry felt she interrupted for the last time. ¡°I don¡¯t have it in me for an open heart. She ripped out what I had left. She¡­ even took Andre from me¡­ I just can¡¯t.¡±


    She then walked toward and out through the exit doors, never looking back.

 Departures / Andre Miguel Santos Nguyen

    --Andre Miguel Santos Nguyen--


    (Earlier before the last sortie)


    Andre found a plate carrier rig laid out on the equipment table just next to his LTAC, just like the one he saw Sebastian putting on. ¡°Hey, what gives?¡± he mumbled aloud to himself before a crewman near him turned to answer:


    ¡°They said put that on. Special orders.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t pilot in this thing!¡± he scoffed, electing to take the rifle next to it alone before shouldering it and putting a hand on the loading ladder. ¡°If it¡¯s for a firefight later, I know how to shoot from cover.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not for small arms fire but something else, they said!¡± the crewman insisted before getting back to operating his cargo loader. ¡°Don¡¯t say we didn¡¯t warn you!¡±


    Andre took another look at it, pondering the occasion. But¡­ these cockpits are reinforced pretty well. What could he have meant?


    He continued up the ladder anyway, taking his seat after tossing his bag and rifle under his seat. Just no way in hell I try to pilot this thing and not be able to breathe or move properly. THAT would be suicide.


    ¡°Nguyen checking in,¡± he spoke through his headset as his nerves began to set in while buckling in, and pulling down his helmet and setting it in place.


    And as he finished his preparations for launch, his equipment table was then pulled out of the way, plate carrier still on top, never touched.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Andre, situated side-by-side with Kerry¡¯s LTAC, rolled to a stop, expecting the silence to provide him a chance to listen in for any type of vibration or sound to hint where the enemy might come from.


    I hope Sebastian is on top of this. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever had to depend on something as rudimentary as-


    ¡°-Turn around!¡± Sebastian unexpectedly belted out in English, knowing there would be no time for wait for the translation software, and slung his Ap50 through a full 180-degree spin, rifle up and aiming just between he and Kerry.


    ¡°Woah, shit!¡± he spat out in a scared shock.


    A flurry of tungsten rounds shredded through the thick air without more than a muffled series of thuds from across the other side of the street; two black-painted LTACs hidden in the shadows of the alleys from which they peered through had just stepped into view, well-protected by the veil that the radar jamming provided.


    And going with how the L-Trackers didn¡¯t go off, it suggested that the units either had properly installed N-Converters to suppress their exhaust traces, or that everyone¡¯s L-Trackers were not functioning under the same jamming veil. Either way, Andre now realized there must have been no other way of detecting their approach.


    But as much as Andre wanted to pull his shield around more quickly, it didn¡¯t happen as fast as he wanted it to, and an unfamiliar burst of metal-on-metal screeches then caused a hesitation in the quickness of his return-fire aim.


    The tungsten rounds immediately burst into smaller fragments upon burrowing partway through the initial layer of armor, using the armor-piercing coating to slice through just enough to leave only part of the armor left for the next stage, which was the detonation of a central charge that would send out fragmented material directly into the cockpit interior.


    Agh! Damn it!


    Andre felt something hot and blindingly painful dig into his chest before he could even figure out what had just happened. And even before he realized what opened up a hole that let in sunlight from outside, Kerry and Sebastian had already knocked down the ambushing LTACs, allowing him to try and cough away the sudden tightness pinching down all across his chest, leaving him grabbing at it as if to pluck something out of him that had been lodged, only finding small entry holes and wounds instead.


    [Status!] he heard Sebastian bark, heart racing, eyes now looking for his own vitals screen.


    ¡°Stable! Andre, you good!?¡± he then heard Kerry respond.


    .


    Mother fucker! I don¡¯t think I¡¯m OK, but what the fuck choice do I have?!


    .


    ¡°Nrghh!¡± he groaned, reaching for his chest through the smoke and light that leaked in from outside through that tiny window. ¡°Shit!¡± he finally got into words as he sputtered out several more suppressed coughs. ¡°I think¡­¡± he began to speak more coherently as he gathered his strength with the time they bought. ¡°Something tagged me but I think I¡¯m fine for now,¡± he finished as he pulled his hand away, seeing his fingers tinged with blood.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Not according to your vitals update, Nguyen! Check out of there and head back ASAP!¡± he heard Al bark out over the radio.


    Sebastian quickly added in: [Kerry! Cover Andre¡¯s retreat! I will hold this area- I know the Cloak is near!]


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that by yourself!¡± Kerry fussed as Andre thought to interject, but found it impossible with a persistent, deep, nagging cough getting in the way.


    [Andre, hurry!] Sebastian yelled out, ignoring Kerry¡¯s plea. [And keep breathing no matter what!]


    Something doesn¡¯t feel right, my¡­ right side feels all fucked up on the inside, but I gotta¡­


    ¡°Naw, man, I¡¯m walking this shit off and-¡± Andre fussed back between coughs he was getting better control over. ¡°No way I risk us getting picked off! You know this is a trap and I am not running anymore!¡±


    Sebastian hesitated before answering with audible concern: [Suit yourself. Everyone still and ready.]


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    And after all that time passed as he tried to use the fresh outside air to relieve some of the irritation, nothing of the sorts would come, even after watching Sebastian deliver a fatal blow to the Cloak right before his eyes.


    ¡°Cloak axed,¡± he spoke before another coughing fit. ¡°I repeat¡­ Cloak axed.¡±


    And that¡¯s it, I¡¯m done. I can¡¯t even fucking stand straight anymore.


    As his cough grew even heavier during his slow, limber descent down his deboarding ladder, he was unable to pay the attention needed to the constant chatter back and forth through his earpiece. Each step he took was life or death given the distance to the asphalt below, and the force from each cough and hack made it even more treacherous.


    And although he wanted to hugely sigh out in relief upon his feet making solid contact with the ground below, all he could do was think about laying down right there on the spot. Numb, dizzy, and now feeling faint, the violent thud he felt over the next second felt no different from the torturous pain each cough brought, shaking his soul each time the same way the asphalt below did to his spine and head.


    Fuck¡­ can¡¯t go out like this. Please, tell me someone is coming for me.


    He couldn¡¯t tell how many more seconds had passed before he felt the hot blast of landing thrusters that instilled a spark of hope in him, just enough to reawake him to the blinding pain he was in throughout his whole body, causing him to cry out.


    He then felt someone¡¯s presence, someone¡¯s hands take a soft but firm hold of him. ¡°Shit!¡± Kerry¡¯s voice finally made it through to him as he continued clutching his chest.


    ¡°Kerry! Help me!¡± he continued crying out, unaware of the burning tears he began to shed.


    ¡°HQ!¡± She shouted once more over her radio as she started feeling around the area of his chest where he continued to grab. ¡°I got Andre with me! Fuck! He¡¯s taken shrapnel or something to the chest! Damn it- Andre, hold it together! Stay with me-Sam! Sam! Answer me, damn it!¡±


    ¡°Kerry, get¡­¡± he tried to call out to her as if she wasn¡¯t already only inches from his face, sputtering words through his coughs. ¡°You have to get¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh! Just lie still and keep breathing!¡± she fussed back before holding his hand to comfort him while continuing to look over his condition. ¡°Sam! Why isn¡¯t Andre wearing his armor!?¡± she then continued to cry out furiously over the radio. ¡°Did you do this on purpose, Sam!? Answer me!¡±


    Do what? What¡¯s she talking about?!- Damn it, will she listen?!


    ¡°Kerry! Listen!¡± he spoke through clenched teeth, trying to hold off his coughs just for a second. ¡°My lung, here!¡± he shouted with a clenching of her hand over his right side. ¡°I think it¡¯s gone!¡± But that last gung-ho attempt to speak took too much energy from him, feeling like he immediately floated away as his conscious faded rapidly.


    ¡°Andre! Stay with me!¡±


    .


    Damn. I wish I had put that armor on after all. Shit, I¡¯m sorry guys¡­


    .


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    A physician¡¯s assistant hurriedly walked past Kerry, who at that time was conversing with Tricky, on the way toward the elevator that was about to close, just catching it in time. As she rode upward, she looked down at her bag that contained the surgery team¡¯s lunch, checking to make sure for the third time everything was accounted for.


    Upon exiting the elevator, she headed for the break room where she dropped off the bag and continued back out and through several hallways before reaching a waiting room. She checked her watch once more, confirming several messages she wanted to deliver before passing through that last door.


    ¡°Hi, you two must be waiting on Mr. Ngyuen¡¯s status?¡± she asked, looking across the small room at Sebastian and Sam, seated in the corner half asleep from exhaustion and their own aches.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sam now nervously answered, straightening up with her stomach still in a knot. ¡°Any news?¡±


    Sam and Sebastian both hoped the assistant¡¯s tone meant good news for once.


    ¡°He held through. He¡¯s stable- unconscious, still, but stable,¡± she spoke as she approached them while the two let out a simultaneous sigh of relief of immense proportions. ¡°The thoracostomy went as well as it could, granted the grim circumstances. It¡¯s a miracle he survived the shock he went into, much less the cardiac arrest that followed.¡±


    Sam bit her lip and tightly closed her eyes, tearing up at the thought he somehow made it after all.


    ¡°Will he be able to recover to normal?¡± Sebastian asked as he held Sam closer.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep him for a few days to see how he recovers, so we can¡¯t answer too much as it stands,¡± the assistant continued, taking a seat across from them. ¡°But we have a great team working his case, so we¡¯re confident we can get him the best results possible.¡± She then looked back over another message on her watch before continuing again: ¡°We did speak with his family. His brother and uncle are on the way. Once he¡¯s movable, we will transport him to Hargrove General.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s at least able to go back home,¡± Sam finally managed to speak through sniffling. ¡°It just didn¡¯t have to be this way. If only¡­¡±


    ¡°I got the debriefing on the situation. I doubt there was anything anyone could have done given the circumstances, but he¡¯s a tough one, survived what most don¡¯t,¡± she said with a smile, trying to keep the air positive. ¡°You two should rest.¡± She then stood up to leave with a hand up: ¡°If you need anything else, someone will be available here around the clock.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sebastian replied with a smile that quickly faded once the door closed. ¡°Thank God he is OK.¡± He then turned back to Sam, knowing how heavy this was on her heart. ¡°You must stop feeling like it was your fault. We can never know every side to every situation.¡±


    ¡°I just wish it didn¡¯t have to be this way,¡± she repeated through hotter tears, head buried in his shoulder. ¡°I have so much to do better. So much to rethink in my life. I thought I lost another because of my selfish idiotic-¡±


    ¡°-Sam, stop, please.¡± He let out a sigh as he let her gather her own thoughts during a short pause. ¡°At least he can¡¯t be in anymore danger. I know the rules for Infinity. He will be sent home, and that is best for him now. He has a sick mother he¡¯s been worried about, and now he can finally be near her.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Sam started before realizing she had to stop, remembering Andre had tried to leave the other day on his own accord for that very reason before he was convinced otherwise. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do next.¡±


    ¡°Me neither¡­¡±


    .


    ¡°Come,¡± he spoke gently as he nudged her. ¡°We should go. We can¡¯t do anything else for him right now. We should make room for his family- I don¡¯t think they want to see us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± Sam finally conceded as she took the time to calm down, wiping her eyes, standing up slowly with Sebastian¡¯s help. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Andre looked out the window from his transit shuttle as it neared Casares Territory. It was his first time back in space in over a year. And as he stared out at the sea of space nations from his luxury recliner, still bound in a brace across his torso, he breathed out a mix of relief and uneasiness.


    It¡¯s been so long, hoped in a sense I could¡¯ve squeezed out at least one more year.


    He then reverted back to thoughts of his mother.


    I hope what I collected plus my release check covers everything for the next few years.


    He then thought once more back to his last recollections before passing out the other day, fuzzy as it was but just enough, shuddering at the thought he had a high chance of not seeing what he saw in the present. He had a lot to be thankful for.


    No, it¡¯ll have to be enough. I can¡¯t go back¡­ now way. I¡¯m no good to her dead. I¡¯ll move on. I¡¯ll find something back home, I promise.

 A Look into the Uncertain Future

    --Samantha Amilia Knight¡ª


    --Sebastian Ernesto Navarre Ochoa--


    Sam sat upright early that next morning, unable to sleep well after her operation. The sun poured in through her opened window blinds, revealing how cramped but tidy the room was, having only enough space for a pair of chairs next to her bedside. She thumbed through another local news article after having already gone through countless ones prior.


    All those things I picked up way back. They¡¯re coming up the same here as well. I can¡¯t believe they were PLA related?


    And as finished scanning the article for what she wanted, she placed her mobile down on her stomach as she laid her head back with a sigh.


    I¡¯ve read all this and still can¡¯t figure out why Tyrus pushed his following into accepting the PLA after all. I thought they wanted independence!? Why did we fight that fight, then?


    What did we have to lose what we did?


    A knock at the door had her sitting back straight-up in an instant, and without any pain, much to her surprise. ¡°Come in.¡±


    Sebastian eased open the door as he quietly shut it back, waving with a weak smile, showing he hadn¡¯t slept a wink all night. ¡°They said your operation was OK?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks,¡± she answered as he walked up to take a seat. ¡°No, come here,¡± she instead spoke back with arms out. ¡°Thanks for always being here. I still have so much to talk about,¡± she continued as he returned the embrace that would go on for a few long seconds as if Sebastian too had a lot weighing on his soul.


    ¡°I still worry most about your condition,¡± he replied as he now took his seat next to her. ¡°Have you called your father?¡±


    She leaned back against the headboard, looking at the ceiling. ¡°He knows it¡¯s just a repair job for what got knocked loose. I thought it was a concussion but it wasn¡¯t, fortunately.¡± She then looked back over at him, noting he for once wasn¡¯t returning her gaze. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± he slowly started before pausing to take in a breath. He then worked up the courage to look back at her as he continued: ¡°I have two big things I have to say. Things I¡­ had a very ahn¡­ difficult time preparing to talk about.¡±


    I¡¯ve been such a bitch¡­


    Wincing upon hearing those words, her head drooped as her heart began to sink. In her mind she knew what he was about to say. It was all too magical, storybook-like that he had hung around this long.


    I completely tossed him aside like he was nothing all this time. I was hoping I could fix this but I don¡¯t even know where the hell to start, but I deserve this, I guess.


    As Sebastian started, she had already pictured it. Remembering him holding her hand as she regained her consciousness the other evening, it was like nothing ever came between them and he was there to save her as she had him just prior. But in that next moment she remembered the pictures of him in a hugging embrace with Danielle.


    Maybe there was a reason for that, and it¡¯d all be my fault to begin with. Why had I been such a bitch all this time? What was I thinking?!


    Sebastian didn¡¯t quite notice the tears starting to form as he spoke nervously: ¡°I was offered a higher paying contract back in South America.¡±


    Hearing that only confirmed what she suspected.


    And he¡¯d have every right to accept it. Damn it¡­


    ¡°They said I could work with my family again, but-¡± he then finally noticed her face on the edge of breaking down as she let out a sniffle that caught his full attention. ¡°Wait, why are you crying?¡± he added with an embarrassed chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere!¡±


    She thought to explain in the heat of the moment, but that last part had her frozen for a second.


    Wait, what?!


    ¡°You didn¡¯t accept it?¡± she finally replied with another sniffle, fixing her posture. ¡°Why not?!¡±


    Sebastian frowned with a smirk. ¡°Do you want me to accept it?¡±


    Flustered, she put her hands up to quickly rectify: ¡°No no- I mean- that¡¯s not what I meant!¡±


    ¡°Why are you crying, then?¡± he continued with a relaxed sigh. ¡°Never mind. I wanted to tell you what my brother said when I called him.¡± He leaned in to take her hand to help calm her back down.


    What¡¯s going on?! I could¡¯ve sworn¡­!


    She tried her best to slow down her overreaction, taking in a slower breath as she made it clear she was ready to listen.


    ¡°He told me he heard the offer, since¡­ it means that I go back to work with him, and I quickly tell him no.¡±


    ¡°Really? But, I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought you hated me for some reason, and he called me stupid for saying no. But I am a¡­ well¡­ what¡¯s the word.¡±


    After all that hell I put him through, he never had any intention of leaving?


    She thought to help him out in his loss of words, but saw him fidgeting with his watch, assuming he was looking up a word.


    After another moment he then looked back up to her with a suddenly serious face. ¡°I am a stubborn son of a bitch. I never quit when I am supposed to, and you can¡¯t make me.¡±


    ¡°Pfft,¡± she laughed at his attempt to explain his feelings. ¡°That came out way more awkward than I think you intended,¡± she spoke before looking back at him with a smile. ¡°I know. I remember all too well the trouble you got yourself into with that part.¡± Her smile then quickly faded, looking down and away. ¡°I was so terrible towards you all this time. I thought you¡¯d hate me and want to leave.¡±


    He let out a mixture of a laugh with a sigh, smiling back. ¡°But I know you had a very difficult time, because anyone who-¡±


    ¡°-I was such an idiot- so stupid to think you and Ms. Norris were-¡±


    ¡°Wait, Ms. Norris?¡± Sebastian stopped her with a tug of her wrist, wide eyed. ¡°Ha? Why would you think about something like that?¡±


    ¡°I saw the pictures of you two hugging, and-¡±


    He started laughing, hand now over his face. ¡°Sam, I was also having a very difficult time. She was like a mother to me, and I had to leave her after so much she did for me. Why would I not hug someone like that? Is hugging a bad thing?¡±


    Sam¡¯s face instantly turned red once more, ashamed of the notion she had never once pondered the cultural differences between Akkadians and his.


    Why did I ever assume something like that?- Wait! Why the fuck did I believe Daja so quickly! That bitch- was she honestly trying to warn me or was that a setup?!¡±


    ¡°Anyway, look,¡± Sebastian went on, clearing his throat and gazing out the window. ¡°I realize one thing, and that¡¯s I have to find something I want in my life. Something to work for.¡± He took a slow breath before continuing as Sam leaned further in, listening intently. ¡°I used to work to keep my people in my hometown safe from¡­ crazy things. I only knew what was in my small world, and I never wanted to leave. But that was the old me, only leaving because I wanted to get revenge. But now I see so many of those crazy things were caused by bigger, crazier things, happening in other places in the world. I feel like that¡¯s what I want to continue doing¡­ to keep making my world bigger¡­¡± He paused as he looked back into Sam¡¯s eyes. ¡°I want to live my new life with my new mission this way if you can stay with me.¡±


    I was about to say the same thing. I have so much old-me to throw away and so much new to start on. Maybe this is my perfect chance to do so.


    ¡°I was going to tell you something similar at some point today,¡± Sam replied, closing her eyes with a faint smile. ¡°I looked back on so much since waking up. I have rethought so much, and I really want to leave the ¡®old me¡¯ behind and I really feel beyond fortunate to still have you to walk with me through finding the new me,¡± she finished as she leaned her head onto his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his left arm embracing her. ¡°Like I was saying, I have so much to talk about. So much I want to fix; to make better. And while I might never forgive myself for what I did to Kerry and Andre, I have to keep moving forward because I still got the feeling I chose right to come all the way here¡­¡±


    As painful and absolutely fucking terrifying so much has been so far, it feels so odd but yet right to say that.


    How strange¡­


    ¡°¡­And Sebastian, I¡¯m confident I can do better with you here with me.¡±


    She then suddenly pushed herself back before he could respond, sitting upright with a resolve, surprising Sebastian as she put a finger up. ¡°Did you realize how wrong we were to do four-man formations with our LTAC¡¯s designs?!¡±


    Oh my God, did I really just change the topic to that!?


    He laughed at the ironic change of subject. ¡°Sam, what are you talking about so suddenly?¡±


    She realized how awkward that came out, yet stuck with that same energy. ¡°I¡¯m serious! We could have done so much better if I had done my part studying like I should have!¡± She then cowered a bit and looked downward, feeling exposed all the sudden. ¡°I should¡¯ve realized so much more so much earlier,¡± she continued with a dry chuckle, looking out the window. ¡°My first digital text I ever willingly opened after graduating the academy was a text based on laser communication equipment research. Even texts like guidance systems got my attention, even though my time was supposed to have been on law and political science.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I wondered why you could know so much when we first met you. We thought you were maybe one of Hexa¡¯s scientists, not a pilot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± she waved his remark off with a smirk, looking back at him as it faded quickly. ¡°I never thought to study the opposition. I just took orders, and that was the one thing missing from my beta OS testing days I got to be part of. I just¡­ blindly followed as if that was all there was to do, but if I had opened up my damn mind, I¡¯d have realized one big thing: four man squads were studied and analyzed to death only to find that only worked in open spaces; the atmosphere, open fields, space itself. That kind of shit- just to realize the opposition never once used formations yet they were so damn clean and efficient.¡±


    Sebastian needed some time to process everything she just threw at him, remaining quiet as she took the time to continue gathering her thoughts that seemed to have been pent up all night.


    ¡°Knowing my brother, he did the whole formation thing last war- everyone had to. It¡¯d be natural he found a way to make it better suited for urban combat. It makes me think way back to¡­¡±


    Shit¡­ this is what I remembered last night dreading the thought I¡¯d have to run this by him. These are the memories I¡¯m sure he least wants to recall.


    ¡°¡­ You know¡­¡±


    Sebastian read her heavy hesitation as a call for help, figuring it had to do with him. ¡°To do with who we saw in Bogota, and even in Dhaka. The Cloaks,¡± he spoke through his unwillingness, knowing it was unavoidable.


    That. I always hate talking about that day. But at some point we both have to get better to prevent repeats.


    ¡°They always operated in separate locations but in unison,¡± she quickly added to hurry past the uncomfortable topic. ¡°The multiple member formations were clearly unorthodox- I mean, very unusual but effective, and I need more time to study some hard black box footage.¡± She then looked back over to her mobile that lay on her bed. ¡°Which reminds me, even as I try to catch up on the news and try to make sense of all the craziness happening around us, I can¡¯t help but think we¡¯re being held down in a way. Like people who have no clue how to really do what we do, just force us into tactics and shit seen through only those with no actual experience.¡± She began to frown, now feeling like their losses were not only avoidable by having used better judgment, but also avoidable had they been given more relevant advice.


    But by who?


    Time passed in silence, Sebastian unable to add anything constructive just yet as he too sat in his own thoughts, understanding where Sam was going but both were too exhausted as was. He leaned back, let out a sigh, then placed a hand on hers once more. ¡°Look, we both have time off. Let¡¯s not waste it, but instead, let¡¯s try to relax¡­ recover¡­ maybe just enjoy some time together.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± she smiled with a chuckle soon after, then began to catch herself as her smile weakened. ¡°The old me would love to go drink myself shitfaced after something like this, even enjoy your company the more. But this time, no.¡± Her voice grew stronger as she straightened up, shaking her head. ¡°I know we are on a timetable and our break isn¡¯t that long, so give me a day or two and I would rather hit up the black box recordings. No way I go into the next duty they assign us with a losing gameplan like every single damn time thus far.¡±


    The two then jumped in reaction to the door making a noise as it opened further, revealing a figure who had been standing there for some time.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Sebastian thought aloud, heavy with suspicion as he stood up, alarming Sam. He got a good look at her face and that was all it took as he started up again: ¡°You are the one my brother talked about. You¡¯re Galatine.¡±


    Sam rarely heard him speak like that in front of her, and something had her strongly believing something bad was about to happen as she started to reach her right hand behind the side of the mattress.


    ¡°Well, you two do look a lot alike,¡± Kaylen replied, then put a hand up as she noticed Sam¡¯s motions. ¡°Hey, easy.¡±


    Sam normally would have been bothered by Sebastian knowing someone like this without having given her prior warning, but she knew to trust him this time. ¡°So then, why did he say Galatine just now?¡±


    ¡°Chill the hell out, kid,¡± Kaylen brashly replied with her hands now placed on the empty chair next to Sebastian, casually pulling it around to his other side despite Sebastian¡¯s uneasy glare. But before she took a seat, she extended her hand out to Sam. ¡°You did well to survive all that for so long. Glad I could make it in time.¡±


    Why is she talking to us like she knows us?! She thought before putting two and two together. ¡°Wait, Sebastian,¡± she now looked back at him, puzzled, then back at Kaylen. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re Galatine?¡±


    Kaylen retracted her hand, now standing back straight up, unamused. ¡°Who names their daughter Galatine? I have an actual proper name, you know.¡± She then returned Sebastian¡¯s glare back at him. ¡°Che, boludo! Porque no nos presentaste todavia?!¡± she lambasted in a sudden, thick Argentine tirade, startling Sebastian almost as much as Sam.


    Unable to retort on the spot, all he could muster up was: ¡°What? What are you talking abo-¡±


    ¡°-La puta que te pario!¡± Kaylen huffed in disgust towards him, now spinning back toward Sam, leaving Sebastian grossly offended and further confused. ¡°Ugh, sorry,¡± she scoffed with a stout shrug of her shoulders, taking in a breath to reset herself, once more with her hand extended. ¡°Kaylen Rodgers.¡± She waited that long second before Sam cut through her hesitation and caution enough to shake hands for a brief moment, reading the cleared confusion in her eyes. ¡°Yes,¡± she cut Sam off before she could speak as she backed up to take the empty seat. ¡°Everyone says the same damn thing.¡±


    ¡°But¡­?¡± Sam slowly withdrew her hand as she looked back at Sebastian, returning an equally flabbergasted look.


    ¡°Kaylen Rodgers, the chick from the Apollyon Massacre this and that, duddudduduh,¡± she continued with a roll of her eyes and a motion from her hand as she sat down. ¡°Whatever. Look. I only came to introduce myself because some idiot sitting beside me here can¡¯t, and because we are about to become members of the same team thanks to my original pilots becoming incapacitated yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Oh- so wait,¡± Sam started back up as she figured more out from the context of the situation. ¡°You were the one talking from that LTAC that took down everyone that night? The Galatine¡­ was the name of the LTAC?¡±


    ¡°I technically was the one talking, but yes, that was me.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Technically?¡±


    ¡°That was the machine talking-¡±


    ¡°-Machine?¡±


    ¡°Stop that!¡± Kaylen blurted out with her hands striking the sides of her seat, causing the other two to once more jump in reflex. ¡°Shit! Let me finish talking!¡± she huffed once more, straightening herself to continue. ¡°Anyway, I also wanted to ask you if it¡¯s OK that I talk to you first before the officials come and give you the watered-down debriefing of your next assignment, because I could tell you a hell of a lot more than they will or can.¡±


    Wait, next assignment? That sounds a lot like what Sebastian was possibly hinting at earlier, Sam thought as she continued to hesitate giving an answer, looking over to him as if to try to read his thoughts. I bet this might be the same assignment he turned down, seeing that he somehow knows her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you yes or no since you aren¡¯t an official, but sorry, it¡¯s likely a no,¡± Sam firmly responded once her thoughts settled down.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what you are turning down,¡± Kaylen began to chuckle sarcastically. ¡°Daughter of Knight.¡± She then pulled up an image on her watch she then put up on a small holographic display that all three could see clearly.


    An image of a heavily redesigned Ap50 frame with extensive weapons and shielding equipment showed up with a detailed list of specifications. It was at the top labeled as the ¡°Hexa PK-02X ¡®Arondight¡¯¡±, colored in an off-purple scheme that reminded her of what she faintly remembered about the Galatine. ¡°You mean to tell me, going by the look in your eyes, that you don¡¯t know what this is? That you aren¡¯t dying to know why I would show you this? You¡¯re a Knight- don¡¯t even start to lie to me.¡±


    ¡°Who are you to keep talking down to her like this?!¡± Sebastian finally butted in after holding back his disgust.


    ¡°You can chill the fuck out, too, you know!¡± Kaylen quickly returned the disgust.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Sam was thoroughly put off by her insulting confidence, but she was right. She had to know what this was as her curiosity took off like a rocket, yet she knew she had to remain cautious and doubtful. ¡°First, though, why are you doing this for me?¡±


    Kaylen closed the image, taking in another slow breath to slow herself down. ¡°Well, as I said, I knew who you were for a good while now, and I confirmed how solid you two were as pilots. I then saw the reassignment requests for you two- even though flyboy here declined it, it means it hasn¡¯t come to you, yet.¡±


    I knew it! Sam thought as she confirmed her suspicions with delight and relief.


    ¡°So, I had to make sure I got a chance to talk to you first, not only because of them trying to make you my new partners in this stupid ass project continuation, but because¡­¡± Kaylen faded off as if she remembered something painful. ¡°Because you remind me of him. You remind me of Lance Vrey.¡±


    ¡°Lance Vrey?¡± Sam perked up as she knew that name fairly well, but was well confused as to why she¡¯d bring that up. ¡°Why Vincent Vrey¡¯s son?¡±


    ¡°I heard you talking about changing tactics up completely,¡± Kaylen went on in all seriousness as if she didn¡¯t hear Sam¡¯s questions. ¡°And how everyone in charge who has no fucking clue what is and what isn¡¯t, what does and what doesn¡¯t work, keeps forcing the bill on every move to make. It reminds me so damn much of the past, and how much Lance changed everything for us- everyone surrounding him back then. Your initiative here reminds me of his, and it makes me want to invest even just a little of what I have into you if you don¡¯t mind taking this somewhat more seriously.¡±


    Sam looked back at Kaylen with some of her suspicion now withheld; it was like the same eyes Devin spoke to her with. She started seeing sincerity in certain people the more she spoke with others that weren¡¯t from her own safe circle, and she could feel some of her own built-up wall slightly coming down. ¡°You really knew Lance Vrey that well? I mean, that guy was the Confed¡¯s hero up until the end.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it, and yes¡­ I was pretty close to him from the very start and up until his end,¡± Kaylen replied with her eyes lowering as she seemingly reminisced on some hurtful memories, looking back at Sam intently after a moment. ¡°You came up from a can¡¯t-get-right rookie to where you stand after only a few mere months. Now I hear you talking up what we all really need to hear after almost dying and also almost nearly losing everyone you had. You really are a Knight, and you really do remind me of Lance at the same time. That¡¯s why I want to help you even more, even your silly boyfriend here to be honest.¡±


    I get that part now, but I wonder why she keeps talking like she knew all about my family- and why she keeps putting Sebastian down like that?! Whatever, I can grill her on that later, Sam thought as she continued to hesitate. The biggest thing on my mind about this whole thing is¡­ Sebastian turned that offer down. I wonder what else was on his mind? I need to find that out first.


    ¡°Well, can I get some time to think about all that?¡± Sam finally spoke, breaking the heavy silence.


    ¡°Sure, why not,¡± Kaylen replied without disappointment or surprise. ¡°Not like I had to have an answer from you today. You technically have until the officials approach you about all this, anyway,¡± she continued as she slowly stood up as if to leave. ¡°Think things through seriously, though. This is your brother out there, wrecking your whole life, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± Sam mumbled in response, looking aside.


    ¡°I can imagine the pain. I know all about losses, too.¡± Kaylen then headed for the door, giving Sebastian a firm squeeze on his shoulder before passing. ¡°I¡¯ll tell your brother hey. He¡¯s been the easier one to talk to.¡±


    Sebastian, still confused and offended throughout the whole dialogue, continued to bite his tongue and gave in with a shake of his head. He then saw Sam looking toward him with agreement.


    ¡°Thanks, I guess, for filling me in on everything,¡± Sam spoke up as Kaylen opened the door and then paused for a moment. ¡°And also, thanks for saving me out there. Apologies for my rudeness in not saying it sooner.¡±


    ¡°No need to. It¡¯s part of my job,¡± she said as she waved without turning, then closed the door.


    The two breathed out a collective sigh of relief, however, still at a loss from their new encounter.


    Sam looked toward Sebastian with eyes that conveyed ¡°That girl is insane!¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it!¡± his eyes replied back as the silence continued for a few moments longer. ¡°It makes me think, how does she know so much about us?¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Sam now aimed at changing the subject. ¡°Was that really the assignment you turned down? The same one she offered me?¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t offer it to me,¡± he calmly answered as he leaned on her bedside. ¡°Hexa did. The officers. They never said it included you so I just decided no from the beginning, but it seems like that¡¯s because you never got to talk to them.¡±


    ¡°¡­That was it?¡± Sam replied with a slowly growing, goofy smile. ¡°That was the only reason you declined it? You didn¡¯t ask anything else about the details or- never mind,¡± she finished with a laugh, leaning back against the headrest. ¡°I¡¯m so damn sore. Too tired for this shit.¡± She then turned her head towards his. ¡°But then again, I know you have to be way worse off than me. You must be dead.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be alright,¡± he replied before laughing. ¡°It¡¯s my brother who¡¯s dead. He mentioned that girl, but never said he knew her so well. I have so many questions for him, now.¡±


    Sam shared the laugh with him for a while, then motioned towards him. ¡°Here, scoot your chair over here so I can have something more comfortable to lean on.¡±

 Manila Arc Finale

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Manila Outskirts, The Philippines</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°That bitch!¡± Marian seethed as a tea mug flew across the room, shattering upon impact with the concrete wall of the makeshift operations room. ¡°How dare that cunt mention Lance¡¯s name like that!¡± She then snatched her earpiece from her ear and slung it against the chair across from her in the same fit of rage.


    ¡°Get that excess emotion out while you can, girl,¡± a woman¡¯s voice came from behind her on the other side of the table. ¡°We got some real work coming up to do. Can¡¯t have that get in the way.¡±


    ¡°Hey, can¡¯t blame her,¡± a male¡¯s voice near the other joined in. ¡°I know how-¡±


    ¡°-Enough,¡± Marian cut him off as she brushed off her coat, settling down. ¡°Sorry. That won¡¯t happen again, and I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡± She then looked over at Isaiah who had remained quiet in his corner, overlooking several maps and pages of notes. ¡°Like I thought, Reaper. Rodgers was definitely on my tail before she launched with the Galatine. I need to split once we determine our final courses of action¡­ for your safety.¡±


    ¡°I will agree,¡± Isaiah quietly responded, keeping his eyes on his work. ¡°I have no idea how she did what she did, but it seems like she¡¯s after you. But if this is how we have to split, I do have an idea of what you could work on in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Something for me to do after I wring that girl¡¯s neck out?¡±


    ¡°Order doesn¡¯t matter. I think you might be better than me sniffing out Rex¡¯s operations that don¡¯t focus on our movements.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but why that?¡± Marian asked as she approached him.


    ¡°I have some side business to take care of, and I really need to know everything Rex is up to before I make a wrong move.¡±


    Marian knew when he said side business, it was serious. ¡°Very well. I can leave in the morning. Just give me the fine print and a security detail and we will go from there.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Infinity Communications and Command Center, Singapore</li>


    </ul>


    Two days later, and after their transferal to Singapore to ensure their safety during several transitions in power throughout the Philippines, Sebastian slowly awoke from his still much-needed slumber, squinting through the bright light that poured in from across the dormitory room¡¯s window.


    ¡°I get it now,¡± he now made out Sam¡¯s lowered voice just on the other side of the room by the hallway door. ¡°No, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s next. They¡¯re supposed to visit us today.¡±


    He rolled over the spot where she lied earlier, no longer warm as if she had been up and around for a while.


    ¡°Thanks, but no thanks, I really think we got it from here,¡± she continued, not noticing he was awake.


    [Who is she talking to?]


    He took his time to gather some energy needed to sit upright, feeling heavy as a log as he did the day before.


    ¡°I will. Don¡¯t worry about us, and¡­ thanks again.¡±


    He finally got up the will to sit up, pushing some of the covers aside as it all caught her attention. She clicked her earpiece and put it away in her pocket, walking up to him with a smile as she took a seat at his side.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Hey, sorry if I woke you up,¡± she softly spoke as she looked at her watch. ¡°Though, I was about to have to in a minute since we got that meeting scheduled.¡± She then looked back at him as she continued: ¡°Hope you¡¯re feeling a bit recovered.¡±


    ¡°Just hungry,¡± he mumbled before letting out a chuckle.


    ¡°Good! Because I just ordered you a surprise for breakfast- the delivery drone should be here any second.¡±


    A brow went up as he looked back at her. ¡°Wait, you were talking to a breakfast delivery just now?¡±


    She held back laughter, realizing he wouldn¡¯t have been able to follow. ¡°No, that was the first call I made. The call I just hung up on now was Tyrus.¡±


    She had spoken that name so nonchalantly he wasn¡¯t able to catch on at first. ¡°Tyrus? Who?¡± He then remembered the stories she had told him about over the past few days, remembering that was who helped get her back to Infinity alive that fateful night. ¡°Oh, wait, he contacted you just now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she casually responded, smile fading. ¡°I was taken aback myself, but he said it would be our last correspondence. He caught me up on what he said I had every right to know just in case it means something in the future.¡±


    ¡°¡­And?¡±


    ¡°And¡­¡± she answered as her smile returned, letting out a sigh. ¡°We didn¡¯t do all of that for nothing. Turns out the Rex guy they got done over by lost in the end. We thought the PLA was there as an aggressor, but turned out it was the only way to stop Rex from allowing the NAU to take over the security operations.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Sebastian continued through his frown of dissatisfaction. ¡°I read up so much on why they wanted to stay apart from China. Why would¡­¡±


    ¡°They did, but they compromised what no one expected, apparently. China isn¡¯t taking over. They are only acting as security to oversee the reforming of the Indo-China Alliance and one of the caveats would be to restore the Confederate Charter¡­ which means the Philippines would be freed from what they tried to remove from rule to begin with.¡±


    ¡°I will have to read up on that more, then,¡± he replied as he rubbed his face. ¡°Too early in the morning to understand right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, the big thing wasn¡¯t that,¡± she added with a heavier tone. ¡°It was Reaper.¡±


    His heart skipped a beat hearing that name, remembering that was her brother and that she refused to ever call him by his real name anymore.


    ¡°He was the one who under everyone¡¯s noses brokered that deal. I can¡¯t figure out what the hell he¡¯s really trying to do, what his real goal is, but it¡¯s not like this changes how I feel- not one damn bit.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that reminds me of one very important thing,¡± he spoke up as he straightened up to get out of bed. ¡°Remember I said I had two things to tell you?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you did?¡± she returned a similar raised brow as she moved aside to let him stand up and stretch.


    ¡°Yes, the, ahn, the time when¡­¡± he spoke through finishing his yawn. ¡°Ah, remember when I told you about why I stayed and said no to those men about the new assignment?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that! I do remember- what was it?¡± she asked in sudden eager anticipation.


    ¡°You realize I speak a lot with your father since I went to space a long time back,¡± he started, now facing the window as he stared out to the sky overlooking the opposing dormitory building.


    ¡°Right, but why?¡±


    ¡°I, well, talked to him last time while you were having surgery the other day, and he did tell me many things but asked me to keep one thing secret from you.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­ and?¡± she nervously chuckled as she came to his side.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I have to tell you, because I know it means much to you.¡± He then looked back at her to see her concern. ¡°Your mother-¡±


    ¡°-Oh, her?¡± She shook her head in disappointment, assuming his intent. ¡°Dad already told me she ran off, and that he would go looking for her. She¡¯s done that before, though. She ditched us for years at a time, even when we were young. Now she¡¯s just doing it again for who knows what reason.¡±


    Sebastian¡¯s long pause further concerned her, however.


    [Here¡¯s where I hope to hell I am not wrong in telling her. But I can¡¯t expect her to try to be more open with me if I don¡¯t do the same with her, especially if she deserves to know.]


    He placed a hand on the wall as he looked back outside, fearing her reaction. ¡°She¡¯s not gone for no reason. She disappeared to go looking for Reaper, and your father went to go stop her.¡± And he took the ensuing silence as what he feared. And each second passed afterward in silence, unable to figure out what that must have meant for her to hear, and eventually he had to turn around to check on her. ¡°Sam¡­¡±


    He turned to see she had taken a seat on the bed, lost in thought, but surprisingly not distraught.


    ¡°Sam?¡± he asked again, now taking her balled-up hand in his, relaxing it as he remembered the suffering those hands endured.


    [I forget how delicate she used to be,] he thought as he looked down at them, imagining the blood that had to have stained them thoroughly on more than one occasion. [To think she might have to become more and more desensitized¡­ I feel like I just doomed her to more in the future if she¡¯s thinking what I am afraid she¡¯s thinking.]


    She then looked up at him as if a light went off. ¡°Do you know what this means?!¡± she whispered in a fraught manner as if to suppress a shout.


    ¡°No?¡± he confusedly shook his head.


    ¡°Sebastian!¡± she continued in her suppressed voice as she stood back up and quickly pulled her hands free from his, emphatically waving them in a sudden gesture. ¡°That¡¯s it! If we find her, we find him!¡±


    A few moments passed before he realized that¡¯s what she had spent those seconds calculating. [She really does have a cold relationship with her mother. Yikes.] ¡°Sam, that¡¯s a lot to guess with so much confidence.¡±


    ¡°I know, but, it¡¯s a start!¡± she energetically rebutted with clenched fists. ¡°Especially if we can use what Tyrus gave us as maybe some kind of head start or a lead!¡±


    ¡°No- no working! No planning! We are in recovery right now!¡± he firmly retorted with a spinning of her shoulders to point her for the door. ¡°Also, breakfast first! What did you order?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, that!¡± She then pulled out her mobile to show her the last screen she had pulled up moments ago. ¡°This! Remember?! I miraculously found a little shop that makes these!¡±


    His heart warmed as he couldn¡¯t contain a hearty chuckle nor his desire to take her in his arms again upon seeing the same arepas he ordered the two of them their first unofficial time out together in Bogota. It was even with the same filling ingredients.


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    [I can already see the better days.]


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    [That is¡­ if it¡¯s not just me speaking like an idiot.]


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    -End Manila Arc-

 Character Illustration Update 1 of 2

(These are each from their moment of introduction and not the current state of being)


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Hopefully these do these guys more justice! :'')

 Character Illustration Update 2 of 2

The new title cover art:


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


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    A group photo dating back to early 2nd Arc:


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    And this is from the midpoint of 3rd Arc after the Underground guerilla raid:

 Buenos Aires Arc Prologue, Part 1

    <hr>


    The clangs of ricocheting rounds and the blasts from her side¡¯s return fire made it hard to hear and hard to see. There was always this disorientating fog in her mind preventing her from making even the simplest calculated movements. Her hand lay at her side, right within reach of a rifle left lying in reach, and her other hand remained firmly pressed against her left shoulder from where a blinding pain shot through her entire body. She somehow managed to focus on the young woman named Taneesha Sur mounted on the edge of the door frame, relentlessly returning fire.


    She knew how this ended, somehow. She knew what was coming and reached out with her free hand but air passed through her loose vocal chords, empty and without ring. Attempt after attempt as her heart raced faster took her nowhere, not even able to stand up to pull her back. Flesh was then ripped from Taneesha¡¯s neck as she fell back and fell limp as the trails of slung blood right over her fear-frozen body, knocking the wind out of her.


    Struggling to get up, she realized it was too dark to see. She pushed herself up off of the body that fell on her, only to see it was a man¡¯s face still with a hand clutching her neck. She fought to breathe but to no avail. Fighting the urge to give into suffocation, she instinctively but blindly utilized the heft she clutched in her right hand to swing at the only thing in her reach. After repeated blows to his head, she felt air finally rush in, falling to the side, only to find no relief in the blood that covered her hands.


    She now felt the pressure of dozens around her, all watching with contempt.


    <hr>


    Sam awoke from her shallow, hot, sweat-drenched slumber, heart pounding and lungs struggling to keep pace. Frantically checking her shoulder and her hands, she saw no wound, no blood, no bodies. It would take moments to realize she was alone that night in her hotel.


    ¡°Sebastian,¡± she sobbed through her earpiece she held in her quivering hand, curled up against the headboard. ¡°It¡¯s still happening- it won¡¯t stop happening. I need you so bad right now. Please...¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Sumeria One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    (One Week Post-Surgery)


    (October 15<sup>th</sup>, 2174)


    ¡°Now arriving, Sumeria Central Terminal.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Even with those nightmares that keep coming¡­¡± Sam mumbled aloud before taking in a long, tense breath. ¡°Something continues to call me back, even as I find myself back here in the Union. I mean, I almost died five or more times back on that rock, but yet, I miss it already.¡± She couldn¡¯t contain the quickly ensuing chuckle in realization of the irony in her last statement. ¡°Last June I was so scared about going there¡­ as if I feared going somewhere new and unknown more than what crazy, deadly mess lied ahead.¡±


    ¡°So, then,¡± the male¡¯s voice spoke up after a brief pause. ¡°Despite all of that, you are still confident about chasing this Harbinger title after all, I presume?¡±


    She started chuckling once more, shaking her head in response.


    <hr>


    The same aqua-green eyes, pensive as they were those five months ago, snapped open and then snapped closed once again as the programmed artificial sunlight blindingly filtered in, revealing dark bags underneath. Sam, who was seated in one of the sectioned-off shuttle compartments, put down her sandwich wrap she had only taken two bites of, visibly displeased with the taste and how poorly it went down. It was rather expensive, coming from one of her favorite and highly reputable lunch venues, but her tastes had been vastly altered since her return to Space. Closing her eyes once more in defeat, she wadded up her meal and quickly proceeded to toss it in the trash bin recession in the wall.


    Her eyes returned to their previous position of gazing emptily into the very limited view of the busiest part of the space nation Sumeria One. Makes me really miss the train ride I had back in Colombia. I hope I get to keep my promise to go back before this is all over.


    A warm, awakening chime rang softly from her smart watch as her attention was snapped away from the outside world and right into the tiny display. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t forget to stop by after your visit!¡± read the message from a sender listed as ¡°Aunt Saff¡±.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    The shuttle then came to a stop as she rose to take a hold of the support railing, using her free hand to shoulder her only luggage in the form of a stylish yet rugged messenger bag. It clashed with her former tastes, showing how her preference for quality remained intact yet loudly spoke of her as if she wasn¡¯t raised in the Eden-Casares Union. Hurrying off, she kept up a brisk pace down the main exit corridor as she turned up the volume to her music playing a latino hit from the seventh-decade (2020¡¯s), yet another peculiar change from her usual norm she had found comfort in.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, on my way to Dr. Wozniak¡¯s now,¡± she spoke into her watch as a reply to Saffire¡¯s message. ¡°Will call right after.¡±


    Her mind raced despite the continuous string of mostly sleepless nights that had gotten harder to bear, especially alone. She hadn¡¯t been back home in so many months, and there was so much she wanted to accomplish during her short stay: Figure out what¡¯s been causing her nightmares, visit her Aunt, catch up with Daja, wait for Sebastian to wrap up his training at the nearby Jazira Station, and-


    ¡°-Grandpa¡­¡± She caught herself mid-thought as she coincidentally slowed her pace. She tapped that note into her watch as she carried on ahead.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Cold, sterile walls sparsely decorated with informational diagrams mixed with a few pieces of calming contemporary art surrounded the two. Dr. Wozniak¡¯s office wasn¡¯t as warm and homey as Saffire¡¯s, but she remained confident that staying away from personal acquaintances would be for the best, especially if it kept everyone at Hexa off of her back.


    Sam let out a slow sigh, already exhausted from her trip over, but more so from having to relive so many harsh memories over such a short period of time. Preferring to get it all over with sooner than later, she tried to speak what she could but not before better advice intervened.


    ¡°I do believe that¡¯s more than enough shared for one day, Ms. Knight,¡± the doctor spoke from his chair situated next to hers, going back over notes he took on his digital tablet. ¡°Witnessing death, having direct involvement regardless of the nature, being through situations many actual military pilot graduates would never be forced to experience¡­ And you¡¯ve been experiencing that from Colombia all the way through the Philippines. I do laud your mental resiliency to even just hash out everything for me without breakdown. There¡¯s absolutely no doubting the lot of traumata there you endured over such a short time frame.¡± The doctor took a pause between breaths after his long-winded statement, then looked up at Sam as he sat up with a difficult smile. ¡°And it leads me to, well, suggest that our next meeting would focus on your goals more than how to handle the nightmares. In a sense, a more proactive approach than just simply reacting to and relieving your symptoms.¡±


    Seriously?


    Sam grimaced, expecting what she assumed to be the usual suggestion and prescription for medication and a goodbye. ¡°Well, to answer your question, my mind is still technically made up. I may never become a Harbinger due to the obvious legal reasons, but as far as what I was hoping to address during these visits¡­¡± She instinctively looked back at her mobile screen that upon awakening brought her back to the message she intentionally left up.


    Tricky¡¯s last text message to her that morning read: ¡°Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re always welcome back anytime. We will always have a place for you. No one will forget the help you were.¡±


    Her mind was exactly as stated, fully made up. But it wasn¡¯t just the warm reminders of the bridges she had built over the months, it was also that of something colder, far less personal. And with that, she thought to continue her retort but felt her mind edging closer toward her old habits of unnecessary, insensitive, tongue-in-cheek remarks and quickly withdrew. Never mind.¡± She spoke up after her brief pause in thought, shaking her head. ¡°I know I have to just have patience after everything.¡± Even though something seems like he¡¯s just like everyone else out there intent on getting me to quit.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    Feeling better after a short, quiet ride on an automated taxi trip, she found even greater respite from the sight of a familiar sign that read ¡°Saffire Aurion-Raven, PhD¡± posted near a quaint, two-story house-turned-clinic. But as she approached the entrance, her visit would take a turn from the usual as Saffire herself quickly emerged from the other side, and the instant she laid eyes on Sam she rushed to her with a shout of her name, quickly followed by a swift, firm, motherly embrace.


    ¡°You knew I was okay, Saff, I just talked to you like ten times since getting here,¡± Sam joked with a smile as she chose against fighting Saffire¡¯s concern and care that in the past felt too physical and at times overwhelming. She didn¡¯t remember feeling such warmth before, and it seemingly erased a sizeable portion of the weight hanging on her soul. And without realizing, her own two arms returned the embrace, suddenly catching herself holding back tears and a sniffle.


    Saffire had picked up on that very change as well, but knew to let it be as she stepped back to take another good look at her. ¡°I watched every damn black box file Mr. Lucian sent me under the table,¡± she started with a smirk growing across her face.


    Mr. Lucian? Who?


    ¡°And it felt like I was watching someone grow up and improve so fast it wasn¡¯t even the same Sam I knew anymore- I felt like I was watching my own past film,¡± Saffire continued with a proud chuckle. The chuckle then grew to a heartier laugh at the sight of Sam¡¯s rumpled nose in response. ¡°I¡¯m so serious! But I mean, Sam,¡± she then added with a sigh and her arms back at her side. ¡°You likely don¡¯t realize just how damn lucky you are to be here. As proud as we are, we were twice as frightened to death too many times to count.¡± She then saw Sam¡¯s tears that almost fell still hanging around, leading her to wipe them as she started up again: ¡°But I know this is the path you chose, and we¡¯ll always be behind you.¡±


    Sam then felt her unexpected, powerful urge to hug her again, giving in within less than a second. Over the many years she hadn¡¯t been around but a few that seemed to truly have her interests at heart, and while she was accustomed to pushing those emotions to the side, the sudden desire to not take them for granted was a more recent one. ¡°Can we talk inside?¡± Sam asked after spending a few seconds to regather herself.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Somewhere on Earth</li>


    </ul>


    Nearly inaudible footsteps were well hidden by the sounds of ventilation fans and the whirs of various machinery overhead from the floors above. They were made in haste but with great dexterity and precision, those that would be from a certain type professional. And one might judge by the tightly bound garments from head to toe with no wasted loose ends that it was within the field of theft or assassination.


    Staying out of what little direct light there was and hugging the walls, only making separation when finding new obstacles to stay better hidden, the figure then came to a halt at the end of the hallway as the shadow of another approaching figure neared. A quick, stealthy hand slipped a blade from its sleeve and gripped it tightly, pulling back as if ready to pounce. And before the moment arrived, its eyes darted back the other way to confirm the other end of the hall being empty, focusing on that same side to also confirm not a single sound to be heard as well.


    The approaching figure, moving a much more leisurely pace, planted its right foot and started to turn the corner, head buried in a notepad. But by the time it looked up, the other was already with one hand around the mouth and the other with the blade to its neck. And without even a split second to realize what was happening, another forceful motion threw them both back into the darkness and pinned against the wall.


    ¡°This kind of hideout doesn¡¯t suit your tastes, Marian Channing,¡± the female as revealed by her voice whispered from behind, now impressed by how relatively calm her target remained despite the nature of the situation.


    Marian, however, quickly realized how pinned she really was. One arm wrapped around her right arm and continued up to the hand that had a blade at her neck, and the other arm had her left arm was done up in a similar fashion but used that hand to pin her mouth shut, squeezing her head against the other¡¯s head. There might have been a way to use her legs but she knew not to trust her untrained body to pull of the impossible, resorting to temporary obedience.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to move my fingers so you can talk once I ask one question, and I only need one answer.¡±


    Marian stayed relatively still despite her heightened breaths and racing heart, finally giving in and attempted a slight nod.


    But before continuing, another covered figure from behind with as quiet of an approach as their counterpart reached over and snuck the earpiece from Marian¡¯s ear, taking care of its power source before nodding the go sign.


    ¡°Now,¡± she eased in even closer to Marian¡¯s ear. ¡°Tell me the country and city where I can find my son.¡±

 Buenos Aires Arc Prologue, Part 2

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Recoleta District, Buenos Aires, Argentina</li>


    </ul>


    From the balcony of a ritzy high-rise tower, a slender, well-groomed man in his early forties leaned against the glass patio door as he stared out into the horizon. The sun had already set, leaving just enough glow to make out the ocean from the sky. He occasionally checked his watch as if awaiting someone¡¯s correspondence, and after some time, walked up to the ledge and looked over to a nearby port. The city lights shone brightly, especially having earned the best night-life city after taking it away from Rio de Janeiro just before the Second Earth-Space War more than a decade ago.


    He let out a sigh as if something left him thoroughly disappointed as he continued gazing out into space. And as he turned to reach for his drink he left on the patio table, his watch lit up and quickly earned his full attention.


    [Where, and what time?] he sternly spoke into his earpiece he had quickly tapped on, turning his head to await a reply.


    [Schwartzmann Plaza, but he postponed his arrival until further notice,] the man on the line calmly responded.


    He let out an even greater release of discontent, falling into the empty chair behind him. After a pause in thought, he continued speaking: [I guess we can¡¯t rush things knowing how he works. But¡­] He started with a confused chuckle. [Why the Schwartzmann? What the hell ever happened to keeping a low profile?]


    [That¡¯s the thing,] the voice over the line spoke more casually. [I think he¡¯s slowly switching platforms, but he did mention needing to talk to you sooner. He said he¡¯ll contact you tonight.]


    [Hmph,] the man leaned further back into his chair, turning his head back out to the city view. [Knowing at what ungodly hour that may come, well, I guess I sleep outside tonight.] He tapped his headset to end the call as he reached over toward the table to grab the drink he thought to take earlier before being interrupted. Despite his thirst, it didn¡¯t go down well, overly anxious about his upcoming meeting that was now sent back into the unclear and the unknown.


    He leaned back once more, and after another fruitless glance at his watch, he began fidgeting with the wristband. And as his thumb ran under the strap buckle, it bumped into his chip incision site scar, reminding him of a heavy, difficult past he was still to this day trying to rectify. As his reminiscing carried on, a distant buzzing sound would slowly encroach on his conscious awareness, causing him to jump up and run inside, sliding the door open with one fell push and making a dash for the living room sofa just in front.


    He grabbed a small, black, peculiarly shaped device from his shoulder bag he had left there from earlier and quickly depressed the small button in the center, looking back toward the patio door he left open. [Yes?]


    ¡°Secure location,¡± a digitally masked and distorted voice quickly spoke up.


    ¡°Yes, the location is already secure,¡± he promptly replied in his slightly burdened accent, quietly closing the patio door and took a seat in the same spot as before. He then took a deep breath and swallowed, feeling his chest tightening from nervousness.


    ¡°Confirm identity,¡± the incoming voice chillingly continued.


    ¡°Adrian Liotta, ¡®F zero one two¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Room 607, tomorrow at 10 PM. Make certain to have Representative Orsi with you.¡±


    He was already nervous enough as was to take the call, but when he heard his comrade¡¯s name from the previous phone call mentioned just then, something hit that uneasiness shockingly hard, drawing an awkward pause. ¡°I need confirmation, too, before I agree to bring him.¡±


    The following pause had him fearing the worst. ¡°November Echo two three nine. Don¡¯t mention my name.¡±


    A rush of built-up tension left his lungs as the call abruptly ended as if he were afraid someone¡¯s life was on the line if it were an impostor or a setup. ¡°Reaper,¡± he mumbled under his breath, putting the communicator away in his back pocket. [Why do we always have to work this way? When can we change?] He then swiftly entered a code into his watch before reconnecting his earlier call. [Listen, he just contacted me like you said he would. From now on, only call me through this channel. We meet tomorrow, 607, 10 PM. This is going to be the big one.]


    [I would really like to think so, but watch it, even on this channel,] Orsi quickly answered with equal enthusiasm mixed with anxiousness. [We can¡¯t ever assume Rex¡¯s Underground isn¡¯t snooping around or trailing right behind.]


    [Right, same goes for that group from Bahia Blanca we caught sniffing around town this week. A lot of shit could go down faster than we ever expected.]


    He wrapped up the call, finally able to breathe a bit easier, but more and more recent events flooded his thoughts, piling onto the stress. [Well, damn. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell either of them about the updates on the stolen Project Excalibur piece. Whatever it was called¡­ Curtana, I think. That¡¯s what I really need to confirm before tomorrow¡¯s meeting. I¡¯d better go do some digging.]


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Hexa Central HQ, Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    .


    A flurry of incoming news updates popped up across the holographic display zone at the center of the board of directors¡¯ office. ¡°Why are we still seeing these?! Leaks keep happening left and right since day one!¡± Lucian shouted from his seat at the board¡¯s table with all of the others present, including Vincent Vrey himself.


    Vincent, however, didn¡¯t sense such urgency as he continued scanning the titles of each information update on the Hexa PK-01X ¡®Curtana¡¯, described as a shocking, unexpected theft from an outfit any average person could assume to be invulnerable to such.


    ¡°The Earth-side outlets were already having a field day!¡± Mugen joined in alongside Lucian¡¯s concern.


    ¡°I get that, but this is still a non-military issue, nothing to lose our focus over!¡± Nabransky chimed in, attempting to cull the tension as no one noticed or paid heed to the ringing of Vincent¡¯s mobile. ¡°We just need to focus on nipping this in the bud and get the damned thing back! Forget the leaks, moles, whatever, so we can focus on finding out if our sources confirmed anything on our potential culprits!¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I did,¡± Vincent unexpectedly interjected, still as calm as earlier, putting away his mobile. ¡°We still need a tiny bit more verification, but it seems our culprit is in fact the so-called ¡®Angel¡¯ character.¡± He used his pointer to click away the news screens and brought up a portfolio he had started on the list of culprits, opening one set labeled ¡®Angel¡¯.


    ¡°Angel? She¡¯s still on the list- but sir, no one would believe us even if it was her! She¡¯s a two-time Union war hero for crying out loud!¡±


    The news had every member aside from Vincent quite unsettled, leading many to look upon the files in disbelief. And under one of the dossier files listed Angel¡¯s credentials as: Amelie Delacroix.


    ¡°She disappeared a good while back, right before Project Excalibur went underway in the Philippines,¡± Vincent continued, leaning forward over his clasped hands. ¡°I found that out through those watching Mr. Knight¡¯s movements closely, and this leads us to believe much bigger, direction-changing things.¡± He waited for the dossier screen to finish automatically scrolling down before reaching the bottom. ¡°You all know very well that after the 1<sup>st</sup> war, Angel here never got herself directly involved with the Union¡¯s old infiltration network unless family was involved.¡±


    ¡°You mean, she¡¯s trying to do something for her daughter, Samantha?¡± Lucian asked, perplexed. ¡°But that makes no sense!¡±


    ¡°Damn it to Hell,¡± Mugen butted in as if he got hit by the bomb Vincent had just subtly dropped. ¡°You mean to tell me that is where her son disappeared off to? He¡¯s possibly with the Underground!?¡±


    Vincent nodded in uneasy affirmation. ¡°We have to pay extra close attention to our intel work this time, much much more than before,¡± he continued, trying to keep his own biases and emotions in check. ¡°We may be uncovering much more than we ever expected to, and this last leg of our operation must succeed at all costs. And with the Galatine and Arondight still not ready for operation we can NOT afford to get caught even the slightest bit unprepared, knowing how dangerous the Curtana will be in the wrong hands.¡± He then looked across the table with a heavy brow. ¡°We need to find Angel and find her now. And do NOT let Samantha get whiff of this!¡±


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Sumeria One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Sam awkwardly apologized after taking a while to decide in which chair to sit in Saffire¡¯s office. ¡°I haven¡¯t been to your Sumeria clinic in ages. I kinda¡¯ miss the homier feel to your Akkadia one.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Saffire replied with a smile, taking a sip from her coffee thermos. ¡°Look, I know what you have going on, and so let me ask while we aren¡¯t in any official therapy session.¡± She leaned forward, staring into Sam¡¯s eyes intently. ¡°Your struggles deep down, the things dividing you, it¡¯s your mother, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sam shrugged with a weak smile, shaking her head in her usual, quick, and casual denial. Though as she opened her mouth to respond, something got caught in her throat, leaving her speechless as a wave of thoughts roared through the next instant.


    No, I only left and joined Infinity full time to spite her, but that was just to join. Nothing she said made me stay permanently. Nothing she said made me stay and¡­ and¡­ after all that I¡­


    Her nightmares she couldn¡¯t shake began to flash vividly through her attempts to keep her conscious thoughts clear. She smelled the blood again, she felt the warmth of the wet blood soaking through the armor she had taken. She felt the stab wound in her shoulder again. And then the life ripped away from each man she took with each trigger pull.


    It¡¯s all his fault, not hers! She screamed out in her thoughts, picturing Isaiah¡¯s face but still unable to even think out saying his name. Everything would be so different if it wasn¡¯t for him! Why does he have to do all that!? Why¡­


    And then another thought she never pieced together suddenly formed as she froze.


    It¡¯s her fault he ended up this way, isn¡¯t it.


    ¡°You blame her for what he became, don¡¯t you,¡± Saffire spoke through a heavy heart, knowing she must be reading her emotions fairly accurately.


    Those words shook Sam out of her trance and out of her own beliefs. She had thought for so long that if it wasn¡¯t the revenge she wanted to exact on her brother that drove her this far, what was it? Was it really her mother at the base of things? Those words shook her once more as she replayed them in her head. ¡°Maybe it is,¡± she finally uttered through her weakened, mumbling voice as she stared through the floor.


    ¡°You know, I was always afraid you harbored some kind of anger or disappointment ever since your mother disappeared all those years, just to come back and have you two live the lives you did. And then your father told me about the, uh, talks you and she had after your encounters in Colombia.¡±


    But maybe Saffire was correct. Sam felt contempt welling up quickly, wiping away the effects of the frightful flashbacks. ¡°Why bring her up, though?¡± She asked with a renewed spark in her eyes as she returned gazes. ¡°She¡¯s gone again, looking for him. Looking to go save him like she¡¯s suddenly going to change his mind with another soul-crushing scolding.¡±


    ¡°She left, Sam,¡± Saffire started but with a different intent in her gaze now, one as if she now felt Sam was wrong. ¡°She left to go save not just your brother, but you, too.¡±


    ¡°Save me?! She never thought to before!¡± Sam laughed with a hurt look flash across her face. ¡°Don¡¯t try to go there, please.¡±


    ¡°Sam, listen to me,¡± Saffire continued but in an even stronger tone, one Sam herself hadn¡¯t heard often before. ¡°I don¡¯t have a whole lot confirmed yet, but everything is different ever since you got as far as the Philippines. Isaiah isn¡¯t after you, someone else is, and your mother caught on to everything. She¡¯s after the one in most danger, and saving him will save you.¡±


    ¡°Save him from who, though?!¡± Sam again felt the urge to laugh. ¡°From me? Or from my team? You mean from the one who almost ripped a new set of holes in him last month?¡± she asked in reference to Kaylen¡¯s near-success via the Galatine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what or who just yet, but only that would make her go dark,¡± Saffire replied as she backed off her approach. ¡°Just trust me. Harboring those feelings aren¡¯t going to help. You either need to refocus on why you are still doing business with Infinity, or back out while you still can.¡±


    ¡°I already promised myself I am not backing out until I get back at him! Even if it means finding my mother first to figure out where he is!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you can¡¯t focus on that objective, Sam, I said you can¡¯t do it with those feelings.¡± She then took a moment to let some of that sink in. ¡°I¡¯ll be behind you every step I can, but you need to spend some more time back home, more time with Dr. Wozniak, and rethink why you want to do this. It¡¯ll be life or death for you, and I speak this from my own experience through two wars. Please, Sam.¡±


    Sam hated to admit it, but no matter how many times those with more experience spoke those words ¡°through two wars¡±, she could never find a way to counter it. Even coming from someone as close to her as a real aunt, it set off a nagging, tormenting fire deep within her nevertheless.


    This isn¡¯t a war! Nothing I am doing or trying to do matches up with any of these wars people speak of! Why can¡¯t they see around all these false parallels they keep drawing?! She thought to herself in continued silent frustration, not noticing how she had balled up in her chair, arms around her knees. No, Sam. Calm down. I have to stop. I didn¡¯t come back home to go through this- this is stupid.


    ¡°Sorry, Sam,¡± Saffire broke the silence with a huff, rubbing the bridge of her nose. ¡°I hate doing this since it¡¯s way against my better sense, but that last line was stupid of me to say,¡± she continued, watching Sam snap out of her thoughts in surprise. ¡°This is all in the end kind of stupid. Let me cut to the real chase.¡±


    Is she reading my mind?! Sam jumped again at the notion. ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    ¡°The things I said about going in with the wrong feelings? I said that because your mother just found out some very dark things your brother is dealing with, and she¡¯s been trying so hard to keep you from ever exposing yourself to them. And from the hints I got, I¡¯m afraid one of those things might be stopping another precursor event to more global conflict in the future.¡±


    Sam paused, but not for long as nothing seemed to register as realistic. ¡°Wait, how do you know all of this to be certain?¡±


    ¡°Your mother didn¡¯t just run away like your father said, Sam,¡± Saffire continued in a steady, heavy tone with gazes locked. ¡°To just¡­ find your brother. She went to go stop your brother from dragging you into a potential, real, and I mean very real global conflict.¡± She watched Sam start to listen more intently and with rapidly increasing concern. ¡°Your father will speak to you sometime I am sure, as there¡¯s no way he stays silent about this for long. Her goal has always been to keep you from being involved, and now her other goal is to save her other child. Sam, don¡¯t go about this with the wrong foot out. Please.¡±

 Buenos Aires Arc Prologue, Part 3

    Sam took the new perspective heavily, unable to believe what Saffire was suggesting yet couldn¡¯t find a solid reason to doubt the possibility, either. Mom was always the one to shut us up after cleaning up our messes or fixing our more serious fuck-ups when we were younger, never telling us how or why. But now I see it wasn¡¯t just us being spoiled beyond repair all along, there was something serious she was hiding from me when she chose to stay silent about him disappearing. Maybe I really do need to track her down first, and not him.


    ¡°Sam, how long are you staying in town?¡±


    Sam came back to the present, shaking off what she could enough to recall her schedule. ¡°Back to Akkadia One today, staying there for five days. Sebastian is coming to join me in three as he¡¯s still training over at Jazira Station with his newly installed neural network fix. Won¡¯t be released until then.¡±


    Saffire read the ease that naturally came with the simple mentioning of her partner¡¯s name, bringing some relief of her own. ¡°He must treat you well, seeing you never had a boyfriend longer than a few weeks.¡± She saw the eyes start to roll before quickly adding with a laugh: ¡°Just kidding!¡±


    .


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    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina</li>


    </ul>


    Bright lights shone vividly amongst the towering office buildings standing behind lines of shops and restaurants gathered around the packed streets. The newest, most popular, and most toured section of the district showed just how little the region was impacted by the previous wars, which stood against the irony that was how much the economy had boomed over the past half-century yet never suffered a single major orbital strike during those spans.


    Adrian Liotta, still as cleanly groomed as he was the night before, casually made his way from the exit of a parking garage and toward a monstrous plaza hotel that towered over one of the nearby mall¡¯s main entrances. He continued his habit of constantly checking his watch, albeit keeping it as subtle as possible.


    Once he arrived inside the main entrance corridor, he found an open bench and took a seat. But only after resting his feet for a mere minute, a familiar face showed up passing through the same doors. ¡°There you are,¡± the man spoke up as he removed his designer fedora that matched his tailored suit.


    [What¡¯s with the English, Orsi? Trying to match your getup?] Adrian quipped, standing up with a brushing off of his much less gaudy wind breaker. The remark, while genuinely out of jest, hinted at his despise towards the representative¡¯s lack of any real accents when speaking English. The outside language took a major foothold culturally during the reconstruction era decades ago, but the more nationalistic types were still just reluctant enough to resist taking it in so openly.


    ¡°Our guest, remember?¡± Orsi returned the gesture as he motioned Adrian on ahead deeper down the main corridor. Despite his position as one of the more popular yet younger representatives of the restructured National Congress, he was always known for his grassroots approach and his love of blending in with his people, always preferring to walk the streets, ride the buses and trains, and shop with the rest. It was to the point that it was expected so much that almost everyone in passing, on the contrary, never paid him special attention beyond casual greetings.


    But that of course was another reason why he drew ire from his compatriot, normally never the one to dress at such high level of fashion and brand. [Sure, right,] he answered with a shrug of his shoulders and a sarcastic grin. [Anyway, let¡¯s see what this is really all about.]


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    The two left the elevator after arriving at the sixth floor and made their way to a room that read ¡°607¡±. Adrian knew not to knock, instead typing a message into his watch. Moments later, the door was opened as both them quietly but casually entered with a greeting nod.


    ¡°Your devices will now cease to transmit or receive, gentlemen,¡± Isaiah¡¯s voice rose from the back of the suite room, seated in the corner by an empty pair of seats across from the table. ¡°Please,¡± he then offered with an extended hand, ¡°we don¡¯t have long.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have this¡­ image,¡± Orsi spoke up before pausing with a brow raised in amazement, unable to believe how at ease the environment was. He normally would never be able to feel comfortable in meetings with high profile interests, but then again he knew not to expect anything but out of the usual. ¡°Like¡­ you always manage to keep things impossible to read, or tap into,¡± he finished as he took his seat, checking his watch. ¡°How do you block out every signal but your own so well in such a confined area?¡±


    Isaiah paid no heed to the side talk. ¡°I need every piece of information you have, right now, on Bahia Blanca¡¯s Enrai Faction and their connection status with their member ¡®Emilia¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Adrian started, holding in a chuckle out of insult and confusion. ¡°THE¡­ Reaper, former Reaper of- of the Rex Faction, is here to ask us for things you can get yourself so easily?!¡±


    [Grow up, brother,] Orsi snapped but with restraint in his volume. ¡°Here,¡± he then spoke to Isaiah with his hand extended, file drive in hand. ¡°I have had this on me for days wondering if it would be someone else finding it first.¡±


    [What?! Why did you have such a thing prepared without telling me?!] Adrian bit his tongue, unable to speak the rest of his mind. Something had him suddenly and highly unsettled, however, and although Orsi already picked up on it, he chose to wait and see the coming response as Isaiah accepted the drive.


    ¡°Now,¡± Isaiah spoke back in return as he placed it in his small briefcase. ¡°I need Mr. Liotta here to stay with me from this point out.¡±


    [No way!] Adrian hissed as he stood up from his chair in anger. ¡°This makes no sense! Where is the-, the promise to talk about the plan! The plan to shift the SAU alignment!¡±


    ¡°Settle down, damn it,¡± Orsi grumbled as he stood up to put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°We don¡¯t have time. This is all exactly for the plan we want in action. You must play along and be quiet for now. Trust him as we must.¡± He then left Adrian to calm down his breathing and look over to Isaiah who was now shouldering his briefcase by the strap. ¡°He will serve you as long as you keep your promise. Right, Mr. Reaper?¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I will see you next meeting, Representative,¡± Isaiah coldly replied, watching Orsi leave the room as Adrian remained in his frustrated and further confused state. He waited to speak until their eyes finally met, as uncomfortable as it seemed to Adrian.


    [What in the absolute hell is going on?!] he thought as he tried to find the words. ¡°I have brought nothing with me. Why do you expect me to just¡­ go along without any¡­ proper communication?¡±


    ¡°I am simply answering your call, ¡®Bender¡¯,¡± Isaiah answered as he removed a remote from his pocket. ¡°The call you and your representative made requesting my aid. You expected however that we would have time to discuss things? What would proper communication do when you know we need to start immediately? I need your energy, your skill, and I need you ready to pilot.¡±


    [I see what¡¯s going on. Boss always said he was a loose cannon but not in the sense I expected.] ¡°Well, I need some small bit of direction. Doesn¡¯t every pilot? You should know, veteran,¡± he quipped, giving off a hint of sarcasm as he began to calm down.


    ¡°No. You already set the direction, have you not? I am just here to get everyone there sooner rather than later.¡±


    ¡°You, wait,¡± Adrian paused in befuddlement. [You don¡¯t mean to tell me Reaper¡¯s already agreed to everything we proposed? And that bastard didn¡¯t tell me anything about that all this time?!] he thought in reference to his compatriot Orsi. ¡°If you agreed to use our¡­ proposed plan-¡± [No, Adrian, don¡¯t ruin this! He¡¯s agreed- that means do whatever he needs you to do!] he cut himself off in thought, shaking his head before taking a quick, deep breath. ¡°Never mind. Where do I go from here?¡±


    Isaiah brought up a small shoulder bag from behind his briefcase and handed to him, still yet to show any change in tone or facial expression. ¡°I have everything ready for you. Let¡¯s move. Your representative is counting on us heavily.¡±


    [Yeah. I don¡¯t like the feeling I¡¯m getting, but this must be for the best. I don¡¯t think we will ever get help like this ever again if I blow this now,] Adrian continued in thought, reluctant to follow behind Isaiah but now slightly hopeful given the circumstances. [And if Orsi knows what¡¯s going on as to be so comfortable moving like this¡­ man, I really need to ask him later on what he¡¯s doing with the shit he dug up on Enrai¡¯s people, though. Just what in the hell did he give Reaper just now?]


    But before they made it more than halfway across the room, Isaiah stopped to turn and inform him: ¡°Don¡¯t forget to follow communication protocol you were given this morning no matter the situation. We have a very new and very real threat headed our way and we can¡¯t make things easier.¡±


    ¡°Who? Someone or some group from Infinity?¡±


    Adrian then pondered what had Isaiah stiffened up for a second.


    ¡°No,¡± he replied. ¡°Someone with way more resources and prowess than anyone with Hexa.¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Southern Outskirts of Nanning, New People¡¯s Republic of China</li>


    </ul>


    The night sky lit up in bursts of faint flashes from the passing thunderstorm. The worst was off in the distance but the way the rain beat against the window panes had it feeling all the same. From inside the older apartment building, aside from the occasional flicker that the lightning cast against the sparsely furnished room, only the glow from two mobiles¡¯ holographic displays were available to dimly light up the faces of the users cuddled up together in bed, both sat upright against the headboard.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to turn in, Sly,¡± Danielle¡¯s voice spoke up through her weariness as she yawned. She then looked back at the article she was reading one last second before closing it with a gentle waving input of her hand.


    ¡°Go ahead, babe,¡± Gabriel softly answered back as he kept his eyes locked on the report details he had received from an unnamed member of his communications circle. ¡°I have to have this in my head before I crash.¡± He then took a moment away from it, placing it on the night stand next to him and loosened his left arm as to allow her to turn and kiss him good night. He continued to subconsciously watch her roll the other way, placing her head on the pillow, and let out an exhausted sigh, prompting a last reassuring hand rested over her hip.


    Gabriel had let his hair grow uncut since the day he went AWOL, building up curls that stood out much more prominently than before. And even his beard had been let go, although he did keep it trimmed just enough to keep it from looking too disheveled. But in stark contrast, Danielle had her hair cut much shorter, perhaps to help her avoid hair care she seemed to not have the time or resources for. It didn¡¯t mean a thing to Gabriel, however, still of the notion he was counting his blessings just to be by her side with nothing in the way.


    He wanted to go back to his report reading, but as he left his hand resting on her, feeling the rise and fall from each breathe, his focus wandered off into the memories that got him where he lay:


    <hr>


    Gabriel held tight to his controls, thumb squarely in place over his right thumb¡¯s hat switch, trigger finger gently resting against the metal but tense enough to react if necessary. He ultimately enjoyed the light, nimble movement capabilities of the Ap50 compared to full sized mechs of old, and he knew he had the upper hand in any one-on-one matchup if ever it would occur. He never imagined, however, that it would be against the son of his mentor. His heart was set, however, that he would do what he had to if this boy he barely knew refused to respond to a signal not used since the last war.


    ¡°This is his son, right? That is Isaiah, right?¡± Gabriel thought to himself, slowly becoming more confirmed in his assumption as the Samael he had pinned down remained motionless. And his rifle¡¯s barrel was wedged against the cockpit door frame, ever ready to fire.


    ¡°Admit it,¡± he finally spoke out over the line-of-sight communicator which revealed to him the model was based on a stolen Hexa model due to the perfect compatibility of the signals. ¡°You¡¯re Suha¡¯s boy Isaiah, aren¡¯t you!¡±


    A few tense seconds passed before he felt he might have been mistaken after all. But as his finger tightened up, ready to squeeze the trigger, a grown voice he hadn¡¯t heard in years answered his call.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to do it, do it.¡±


    Gabriel didn¡¯t hear fear, he heard a younger version of his mentor, seemingly choosing the path of acceptance of his loss.


    ¡°Get out,¡± Gabriel commanded but with a lessened ferocity. ¡°You owe me, now.¡±


    <hr>


    .


    He gasped as he was shaken back to the present, covering his eyes as the room light suddenly turned on at full brightness. He dropped his mobile from his right hand, and with a single fluid, connecting motion, he scooped up his pistol from the night stand as he rolled off from the bed. Quickly gathering his balance the split second his feet touch the floor, he had his trigger finger ready to squeeze. But just like in the daydream moments ago, something had him hesitate. Feeling as if his eyes deceived him, he squeezed his eyes shut tight for a second before reopening them to find Amelie standing unarmed at the doorway to the bedroom.


    ¡°Angel!?¡±


    Danielle¡¯s voice soon joined in. ¡°Wha-what are you doing here?!¡± she mumbled aloud, pistol drawn and aimed at her as well after having had the same reaction as Gabriel.


    ¡°I can¡¯t announce my coming, you know,¡± Amelie calmly replied, now leaning against the door frame. Her nonchalance led the two to lower their guards and their weapons.


    ¡°But I thought we had our own secure, private line?¡± Gabriel asked as he tried to calm down, putting his pistol away and stood to scratch his head. ¡°I mean, is this really necessary?¡±


    Angel didn¡¯t mind his half-naked appearance, strolling in as if it were her own room. ¡°I need to ask a few final favors.¡± She noticed Danielle remaining under the covers, looking thoroughly bothered. ¡°And these really will be the last ones.¡±


    The two were now locked onto the notebook she slipped out from her jacket pocket. ¡°You really do prefer the analog way, huh?¡± Gabriel commented as he reached out to accept it.


    ¡°Codes to the Curtana along with its location where I hid it. Don¡¯t lose this.¡±


    He reluctantly took a hold of it with sudden disbelief. Wait, what?! Why would¡­


    ¡°So, that really was you?!¡± Danielle interjected. ¡°Why give it to us?¡±


    Amelie turned now to take a seat in the corner chair across the room. Turning, she responded: ¡°If anything happens to me, pass it to my son.¡±


    ¡°What, you plan on stopping him?¡± Gabriel now interrogated. ¡°You were the one who told me to protect him if he was ever outed- which, well, was me, but still! I can still do my job! Let him do his work in that same respect!¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t ready for what¡¯s coming, but off more than he can chew I¡¯m afraid,¡± Amelie spoke back without concern, crossing one leg over the other, adjusting her posture as she slowly sank into the seat¡¯s cushion. ¡°But hey, if he can stop me from stopping him, it¡¯ll mean he¡¯s for real and that he is ready for what¡¯s to come.¡±


    Gabriel, perplexed by the direction she was headed, took a seat as well at the side of the bed. ¡°Okay, but¡­ what¡¯s the other favor?¡±


    ¡°Simple last favor. Tell me where he really is. Channing gave me fake leads.¡±


    ¡°Why would we know?!¡± Danielle again interjected, still untrusting of the situation no matter how much she knew she should trust her. ¡°You know Isaiah doesn¡¯t reveal just whatever to us.¡±


    ¡°The SAU,¡± Gabriel spit out much to Danielle¡¯s surprise. ¡°Not sure exactly when or where, but that was his ultimate destination.¡±

 Buenos Aires Arc Prologue, Part 4

    ¡°The SAU,¡± Gabriel spit out much to Danielle¡¯s surprise. ¡°Not sure exactly when or which area, but that was his ultimate destination.¡±


    That doubled her disbelief. ¡°Sly?! You knew?!¡±


    Amelie held a hand up to bring attention back to her. ¡°Never mind, that¡¯s all I needed to know. Thank you, I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±


    No, no, hold on, Gabriel thought with renewed suspicion as he stood back up. ¡°But what¡¯d you do with Channing, then, if that¡¯s who you went for first? Why her and not me when you knew my assignment to begin with?¡± And before Amelie could clear her throat to respond as casually as she had been, he continued pressing on. ¡°And why are you just lounging there like you own the place?¡±


    Danielle now watched on with heightened interest, seeing she just needed to let things unfold.


    ¡°Been on my feet all day. I needed a rest,¡± Amelie smugly replied with a wiggle of her free foot. ¡°And as for Channing? I knew she¡¯d send me on the wrong route.¡± She then pointed once more to the notebook she passed to them earlier. ¡°Check it out, she¡¯ll be of use whether she likes it or not, especially since I gave them to her under the guise of a deal. Got some good leads on whoever this Rex guy might be. Let her help us chase him down.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ why care about Rex?¡±


    ¡°Simple. He¡¯s one of the only three threats left.¡±


    Oh, right. They did have a huge fall out recently, last I heard. Easing up, he continued thinking out loud: ¡°If Rex is still a threat, then, that leaves the Rodgers chick and¡­ and who?¡±


    Amelie¡¯s smug look suddenly vanished, taking a moment before finishing his thoughts. ¡°The Arondight. My daughter.¡±


    Oh, shit. Right.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Danielle mumbled through the shock of a realization as if her mind was in tune with his. ¡°If that intel is still accurate, Sam really is prepared to lose everything.¡± Her concerns began to rapidly pile up, now turning to Gabriel. ¡°No one ever said we¡¯d have to¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­No one ever told us about the possibility of facing Sam head on as part of our duties.¡±


    A few heavy, silent moments passed before Gabriel thought to ask Amelie her take on the situation, only to find she had disappeared from the room.


    I still don¡¯t get what Angel thinks she¡¯s doing, he thought with an exhausted sigh. Little Knight knows exactly what he¡¯s up against, so why try to stop him? Does she not know what his whole goal even is?!


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    But with another look at Danielle as they put away their weapons, he knew not to go too far with his worries.


    Right, just stay focused on what I have to do. The boy is keeping his promises letting me escape my own hell, so I''ll just worry about keeping my own promises as well. Enjoy your trip to the SAU, Angel.


    .


    Hopefully the next time we all meet it''s back at Akkadia, all together like old times.


    .


    .


    .


    <u>Buenos Aires Arc Preface</u>


    Argentina was one example of how well the Global International Confederacy of the past had been to several parts of the world that had suffered the longest, deepest recessions. But even before the formation of the Confederacy, massive and revolutionary changes had brought the country from its knees as it was one of the first world feeders after World War III. World feeders were the names for countries who were still able to not only retain its crop and livestock production capabilities, but have enough to become a major provider hub for war-ravaged regions of the world or for those rendered too poor or oversaturated with refugees to support their own.


    With its newfound, long-term boost in economy, it began to fuel one of the most financially corrupt states it had ever experienced in its history up until the near civil war it experienced in 2113. A separatist movement aligned with the neo-laborist party had grown large enough support from frustrated citizens (mostly comprised of locals both poor and wealthy alike) fed up with the tilted system, demanding the president sign with the newly forming SAU still going through its early stages. The military, who many had long thought to have been standing with the ruling populists, to the world by surprise by siding with the neo-laborists and brought on what they would call the final junta.


    The junta, who had been secretly supplied and paid for by foreign entities, immediately turned over the government to the SAU, sealing the deal with the leading nation Brazil, and two years later, firmly seated itself with the combined Confederation of the Americas. Never again would there be any troubles with internal rife between Peronists and non-Peronists¡­ or so many thought for decades of massive economic growth and success. Argentina became the richest country in the SAU and kept that status for almost 50 years as they rebuilt almost all of Buenos Aires and constructed one of the busiest spaceports on the continent. But ever since the crumbling of the Confederacy a decade ago along with the restoration of power to the Argentine president, many worry for the future.


    And as for those working for Hexa¡¯s Infinity, Argentina had long been off the worry list as stability, much less riots and protests, were never as much as an afterthought. Like Brazil, Argentina was a major backbone to their union¡¯s stability, and all Underground hardliners agreed that the restoration of all global unions were a priority. And on top of all other characteristics that separated it from its neighbors farther north, it had no need for paramilitaries or private corporation involvement as it provided a third of the SAU''s military strength alone.


    What has Isaiah Knight so interested in this particularly wealthy nation is yet to be determined.

 Home

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Clean floors. Tidy counter and table tops. Coffee table d¨¦cor, sofa cushions, and throws still arranged neatly as if the living room had been meticulously prepared for guests arriving any minute. The smell of activity, however, unmistakably absent.


    Sam hesitantly dragged her feet through the weight of both her bags and her conscience, stopping only to turn and close the door. Her hand stopped just shy of completing that sequence, hearing Danielle¡¯s ominous warning for the thousandth time. This was what it started to feel like, and it sent a shiver straight into her soul.


    There was no one home to greet her. There was no one to tell her everything was alright. There was no one to go run up and hug like never before after having survived horrors like never before. This was the home she had for months thought to finally return to, and here she was, yet, tears began to well up rapidly. And the tears that eventually fell burned in a blinding manner. This was home. Why did it feel so empty and haunting?


    Her bags hit the floor without a care for the contents or the ruckus caused, slowly slumping to the floor alongside them.


    I knew it would be like this! Why did I come back!?


    The question burned before arriving, but it stung much more powerfully the more time passed: With no mother, father, or brother to be there for any fathomable length of time, where would home be, now? She eventually gathered the strength to roll her head over toward her watch, slowly bringing a hand around to speed dial Sebastian.


    ¡°Sam¡­ Are you OK?¡± Sebastian immediately picked up over the small speaker installed in the watch, seemingly fully aware of what Sam was spiritually up against.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Knowing she couldn¡¯t make the two days without Sebastian while he was still out with his intensive neural implant adjustments and therapy, she went to the only place left she had to call family. And though she lamentedly went alone, she found subtle comfort in the light hooded jacket Sebastian had given her prior to their trip up. To her, in a sense, the faint smells that lingered from the body wash and shampoos he used was akin to him being by her side along the silent journey.


    She stood before the assisted living center¡¯s entrance, feeling the still-lingering weight on her chest as earlier but felt it hit differently. She felt regret, which was a first for her coming all the way to directly visit her ill grandfather, Grayson Knight. Before, coming was only because of either formalities or just merely being dragged along. This was, however, the man who spent more of his life raising her than her own parents. She knew that with how things progressed, he would see her face and never know who it was, having suffered for several years with Alzheimer¡¯s despite the treatments that were eventually deemed a failure.


    She finally worked up the courage to pass through the doors and check in as she used to, a guest to see Mr. Knight of room 207B. She had chosen to skip makeup that day, and her slightly puffed eyes made it evident what she had been going through as she weakly smiled and nodded to the clerk that opened the security door for her. Either through humbling experiences or through the first feelings of closer-to-real bonds with others, it brought about another wave of guilt that threatened heavier tears than before as she continued up the hallway. She knew who was on the other side of the doors, and even knew he¡¯d have no clue as to who she was, yet she was the one who never cared to truly check in on him when it mattered most, and when it still would have been made a memory.


    But upon entering his room after taking a long moment to collect herself and her thoughts, she found herself rethinking everything on the spot. Her widened eyes met her grandfathers¡¯, and they were as wide but were washed over with a different, jubilant shade of disbelief.


    ¡°Well,¡± he feebly chuckled through a full grin from his propped-up bed. His voice was raspy and weak, but whatever spark he once had apparently never went away as she feared. ¡°If it isn¡¯t little Cookie.¡±


    The attendant who had been busy switching out sheets smiled in addition, stepping away to give them room.


    ¡°Grandpa?!¡± Sam still couldn¡¯t believe the fact he addressed her, not only with his old voice, but by her nickname she hadn¡¯t heard in over five years.


    ¡°He¡¯s been taking wonderfully to the newer treatments the past two weeks,¡± the attendant added as she started reaching for her tablet. ¡°I knew his granddaughter was coming, so that must be you- and I bet you want to see how he¡¯s been doing.¡±


    ¡°You cut¡­ you cut your hair,¡± he continued in amusement with an arm now outstretching in a pointing fashion. ¡°Now why¡¯d you cut your pretty long hair?¡±


    Without thinking, Sam found herself marching over to his bedside, taking his extended arm as an invitation to wrap her opposite arm around him, giving him a long, firm hug. She felt a pat of his hand across her back shoulder, bringing her to the realization she was hugging her grandfather for the first time since she was a young child.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Well? How¡¯s school going, Cookie?¡± he continued as he put his hand over hers. And as she now stood next to him, he looked over her like it hadn¡¯t been too long since last meeting. ¡°Not long until you graduate, I bet.¡±


    His memories¡­ they must be shot. What do I do? But wait, he¡¯s doing so¡­ well!? Mom said he was doing terrible! She thought but in thorough relief. ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯ve been out of school. I graduated in ¡¯71.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you did?! You must be in law school now, then!¡± he shouted out in glee before a small coughing fit started to rear its head.


    ¡°Mr. Knight, here,¡± the attendant approached with a strawed bottle of water in one hand to pass to him and a tablet in the other for Sam to see. ¡°You see, he sadly had no luck regaining his more recent memories but he seems to have regained a lot of his past ones, especially core memories.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Wow, Sam continued again in thought. So much neither Mom nor Dad didn¡¯t tell me. Maybe they never knew?


    Her grandfather paid no heed, enthusiastically looking around to keep speaking to his granddaughter. ¡°So, tell me since you came all the way here from Sumeria! How¡¯s law school?¡±


    Sam could only smile wryly in return, taking a struggling moment to respond. ¡°I¡­ I never finished, Grandpa. I came to visit you while on leave. I work full time.¡±


    ¡°Who needed that law school anyway,¡± he began chuckling again much to her confusion. ¡°That mother of yours had no business telling you what to do. Well, why didn¡¯t you tell me you got hired? Are you working alongside your brother?¡±


    She initially felt a rare giddiness, happy for the first time in her life to tell someone how and why she dropped out of law school, but that last bit was a bullet through her mood. Shit, do I tell him the truth? She then spent a moment pondering the situation with his memory, answering with the best compromise she could awkwardly muster up on the spot: ¡°My job kind of fell in my lap all of the sudden. And my brother, well, he took a different route¡­ different company, but yes, we do work in the same field.¡±


    His grip suddenly grew uncomfortably tight around her hand as his eyes narrowed with concern. ¡°I can tell what job you took, now. You¡¯re not still daydreaming about becoming some pilot hero like your father, are you?¡± The reality in those words stung despite her urge to deny the notion. ¡°The Earth¡¯s business is never a guarantee with anything,¡± he continued in a tone growing stronger before another coughing fit started to show up again. ¡°Enjoy the peace and stay away from there. Do yourself and your family a favor and stay here in Space.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m just working for a security outfit. There¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± Sam was quick to lie, both out of concern for his health and because there was no way she would make waste of her time she intended on enjoying together, not ruining by spilling the ugliness of reality. She waited until his coughing settled back down before continuing in as calm of a manner as she could muster: ¡°I actually like my time spent on Earth. I¡¯ve had good food, met great people to work with.¡±


    He took some time to regather his strength after his cough settled down, not noticing Sam checking the looks coming from the equally concerned attendant. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, Cookie, but if you aren¡¯t together with your brother, who¡¯s looking out for you?¡±


    ¡°I have someone who looks over me better than my brother ever did,¡± she responded both out of sarcasm and sincerity, letting out a grin that he did notice this time.


    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t so weak these days, I¡¯d like to come visit you¡­ see what your work is like. Security, huh.¡±


    ¡°Right, and I definitely would love it if you could one day. But you focus on getting better, because I¡¯ll be just fine.¡±


    ¡°Well, seeing you helps!¡± He tried to reply in a voice that matched his returning enthusiasm but fell just short of breath. ¡°You¡¯ll come see me more often now, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for today, Mr. Knight,¡± the attendant stepped in with her tablet. ¡°You have to stay well rested to get better.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Grandpa,¡± Sam stood up with a pat on his arm. ¡°I¡¯ll come back tomorrow. I¡¯ll be in Akkadia for a few days before going back to Earth.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sam spent the next few minutes on a bench near the main entrance¡¯s taxi pickup pondering that last exchange with her grandfather. She had been told many times by those around her that her job wasn¡¯t a wise decision, most notably regarding the risk it posed on her safety. But something about how her grandfather had worded his concern to her just now resonated differently as if he harkened to a different kind of danger or threat posed. What does he hold against Earth so much? He was almost speaking like we were still at war, or were about to be. Could he¡­ She shrugged her shoulders and looked at her watch. Nah. He¡¯s still stuck in his older memories like the nurse said. Can¡¯t take any of that to heart, she continued in thought as she pulled up Sebastian¡¯s contact. And with a wave input of her fingers she started speaking into the speech-to-text function.


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Jazira Station, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Sebastian stepped out from the locker room attached to the trainee preparations area, doing the last of the towel drying of his hair from the shower he had just finished. Tossing his towel in the bin on the way out, he tugged at his shirt to finish wicking away the sweat that started back up, feeling the regret for not choosing a colder shower. As he reached for his watch from his shouldered bag and strapped it on, he noticed a message sent from Sam minutes ago.


    ¡°I saw my grandfather just now. He was doing so much better they said, he remembered me and everything. We had a¡­ nice but deeper conversation but I can tell you about it later. Call me, I¡¯ll be hanging around.¡±


    A soft smile broke out at the thought she had a pleasant exchange with a family member other than her father. [Well, how about that,] he mumbled to himself as he held back a chuckle, comforted in knowing she had to have gotten some spiritual rejuvenation just then.


    He passed through a few more walkways before arriving at a checkpoint where trainees and other non-staff personnel had to pass through before being permitted to leave, which in his case would be the dormitories. And just before he handed his bag over to the attendant, a voice came from behind him, catching him off guard as he startled.


    ¡°Mr. Navarre, if you have a minute.¡±


    He turned to see it was none other than Vincent Vrey himself, causing further startlement. He had only seen him through others¡¯ exchanges over screen before, but seeing him in person brought about a completely different level of heft to the atmosphere. ¡°Yes, sir?¡±


    ¡°First of all, pleased to finally meet you in person,¡± Vincent spoke softly but warmly as he offered his hand, shaking Sebastian¡¯s firmly as he continued: ¡°Of which it delights me greatly as your successes on the field have helped us tremendously.¡±


    Sebastian¡¯s nerves combined with Vincent¡¯s word choice had him feeling the stinging comprehension gaps as he fumbled his response: ¡°I, ahn, sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Listen, as I was saying,¡± Vincent kept on without much care, now patting him on the shoulder as if to lead him elsewhere. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I need to speak with you in private. I have an office here if you have the time.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Sebastian finally figured out better where he was going, yet still nervous from the suddenness and everything else combined with being in the same room as his uppermost superior of such a huge corporation. ¡°Sure. Yes, sir.¡±

 Home, Part 2

    Nerves tensed, chest tight, and sweat building up once more, Sebastian sat across the small table from Vincent, feeling the additional pressure coming from the compact nature of the borrowed office space.


    ¡°Let me first say feel free to use your own native tongue,¡± Vincent started off with an attempt to relax the atmosphere even if by just a notch. ¡°I want to make sure I get your honest, accurate opinions- and I mean that. I¡¯m strictly here to hear your feelings on a few things, very informal requests on my behalf.¡±


    Sebastian nodded and cleared his throat, feeling he would best stick to doing as asked. [Go ahead, sir. Ask anything.]


    ¡°To begin, I need to know your true feelings on how you and your squad had been treated by our leadership teams, including the staff who gathered post-sortie data,¡± Vincent continued with an uncomfortable grin, perhaps expecting to hear a scathing critique concerning their most recent headbutting with Director Lau back from Manila.


    Sebastian took a few moments in thought, taking the question seriously but yet still afraid to truly take his request at face value, pondering the consequences for speaking his mind. It then dawned on him: [Maybe if I do speak my mind, I can know for sure who I can and can¡¯t trust based off his reactions. The worst they could do is relegate me to some off-the-map desk job, or let me go.]


    [To be honest, sir,] Sebastian began with increasing confidence along with some jitters creeping up. [I must say the treatment myself, Andre Nguyen, and Kerrington Melancon got was consistently unfair, belittling, and downright humiliating. This goes from Director Lau all the way back to after our near-deaths back in Dhaka. Those weren¡¯t data collections; those were interrogations like we were the terrorists.] He took a breath, pausing to measure Vincent¡¯s reactions which were surprisingly minimal. [The things we needed most were support in any form, but the only support we got was from each other. And to make things worse¡­] He hesitated once more, but this time out of his own calculations. [Samantha Knight never got such treatment. I would like to say, well, forget about past treatments. Why was there such a disparity, if I may ask?]


    Vincent took the time to listen to the steady feed of translations through his earpiece, nodding along the way, occasionally tight-lipping as the tougher criticisms rolled in. ¡°I was afraid that was the case.¡± He noted Sebastian¡¯s brow rise in response, relieved to have him listening intently as hoped. ¡°After realizing that, I had to work with our board of directors to have that whole system overhauled. It will take time, but since our field teams are under such unexpected and prolonged duress- shall I say perils, our leadership side wasn¡¯t prepared for it. I have already seen to it our worst offenders have been relieved of their positions.¡±


    Something didn¡¯t make sense in that as Sebastian frowned. [Wait, if it wasn¡¯t the administration having Sam treated so exceptionally all along since her father is, well, who he is, then why? Why did everyone else get abused, to put it frankly?]


    ¡°That, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know the true answer to,¡± Vincent carefully replied, catching Sebastian¡¯s expected dissatisfaction. ¡°All I can say is that there were some outside influences involved, which is what our board has already come to a consensus to as it did come up in our meeting concerning field team treatment.¡±


    [Something says he¡¯s covering up something, but what?] He kept his mouth shut, however. [No, now¡¯s not the most useful time for aimless suspicions.]


    ¡°But rest assured, it is being dealt with as we speak.¡± Vincent cleared his throat as he adjusted his posture, seemingly ready to deliver his own question. ¡°I can tell you also want to know the true nature of your official status of being ¡®on hold,¡¯ yes?¡±


    [Yes, I would like to know, because last time I checked in with my director here, he said it was solely for affording me time to finish training unimpeded. There is something in particular waiting for myself and Sam, isn¡¯t there?]


    ¡°I really do appreciate your frankness, Mr. Navarre,¡± Vincent shifted stances with a smile. ¡°You remind me so much of your brother.¡±


    [My brother?] Sebastian shot back with a stronger frown.


    ¡°Not to worry, son,¡± Vincent spoke with his hands on the table in a calming gesture. ¡°He¡¯s in fact been working on a few personal missions for me as of recent. He is just merely under arranged agreement to limit who is able to be informed of his movements.¡±


    [You¡­ Renzo has been working for you this whole time?]


    ¡°Yes, and that was one of the main reasons I called you here. I want your opinion on a few things I have planned, and one involves putting you and Samantha back in Colombia for a brief stint once your training and her post-operation healing process is complete. How does that sound?¡±


    Sebastian didn¡¯t hesitate to further his hesitance: [If I may ask, what exactly will we be doing?]


    Vincent scooted his chair back a bit as to give his hands and arms space to use the gestures necessary to open the holographic display built into their table top. After a few folder navigation swipes, he brought up an ¡°access restricted¡± page that required his voice input to open. Upon the voice command, the schematics and full illustrations of the Arondight and Galatine came into view. A third placeholder remained blank. ¡°Excalibur cannot continue with the theft of the third piece. We assume it was stolen with intent to pass to the Underground.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Sebastian pursed his lips as he recalled hearing similar rumors but never went beyond simple dismissals of such possibilities. [I heard bits and pieces about that, but is that what we are to retrieve, I presume?]


    ¡°Not quite.¡± Vincent then brought up a map of the continent of South America with several regions highlighted. ¡°I have a network of informants, naturally, and as limited as they are with Underground interceptions the number one threat, they can at least monitor. No active tracking allowed, no tracing, no hacking, only communicating within of strict protocol.¡±


    [Well, I get that,] Sebastian thought, given their experiences always being read first before having a chance to even move. [And that explains why we get intel so slowly and always too late. With taps everywhere, what could our intel ops do?]


    ¡°What I did manage to pick up from your brother, however,¡± Vincent continued in a more serious tone, ¡°is what we needed most. An Underground connection within the SAU.¡±


    [Oh, like how Devin Yanga was for the Underground working with Infinity.]


    ¡°Opposite case, but true. He has the way to provide you the details I cannot, for as you know anything spilled here will likely be intercepted.¡±


    [I understand. And I will accept only if Sam does as well¡­ which leads me to my last question: Why tell this all to me?]


    ¡°I hopefully made it clear that my fullest intentions are to ensure our best assets are treated more fairly,¡± Vincent replied with a relaxed, affirming chuckle. ¡°In times like these, we absolutely need all of your trust and need for everyone capable of making a difference to be on the same page, so I at least have to provide you with everything going on behind the curtains that I can.¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Sebastian refrained from responding. [I can¡¯t say that¡¯s not what we wished for before¡­]


    ¡°And, fair that we allow you time to consider based on Ms.  Knight¡¯s response, especially since I know it would be better received coming from you and not the source of her, well, most recent scares. But you aren¡¯t allowed to share this information in the open, of course. Please bring her back to one of our offices once you two get a chance, and we only have until next Monday before we make our intel makes their first moves. I¡¯ll await your response until then.¡±


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    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    It would have been nothing more than additional fuel for Sam¡¯s anxiety to remain at her house, her mother¡¯s house specifically, left alone with the endless memories floating suffocatingly throughout each room and hall. But it would have been worse with the guilt that would have come with staying at a hotel instead, feeling as if she were merely running from reality. To compromise, she chose to have company stay with her to at least numb the pain that came with the knowing her home would never be mended, even if her family were to return by some miracle.


    She sat on the sofa next to her long-time friend Daja Castille, watching the latest dramas that Sam promised to catch up on once she got a chance to come home. And as unexpectedly empty of an experience it turned out to be, she did find comfort in her friend¡¯s company. Enjoying what used to be a typical night hanging out was surreal, yet relaxing nonetheless.


    It was also her first night in some time sharing a drink or three, although it was to help keep her mind off of other things rather than to help forget, hoping to begin the process of replacing nightmares with better things to look back at. The only remaining challenge of being in that house would be to avoid glancing at the wall behind her where her life hung across the wall, told through the various stories of each framed photograph.


    But that, however, was one of the newest goals she set as of that day. She had begun looking forward to a new life she could rewrite for herself. She began thinking of what she could do moving forward with her earned connections and experiences through Infinity, where she could consider relocating to, how her new social life would adapt, and how Sebastian would fit into everything. That evening was the day Sebastian was supposed to be finished with his training program, and she had been waiting two long days to hear what the proposal was from above that he would bring with him. But never mind the proposal, she truly just wanted to be back by his side. Everything else would come secondary to that no matter how much future weight it carried.


    Her mobile buzzed as a notification shone brightly against the sofa cushion it was placed next to. And as Sam reached down for it as quickly as it lit up, Daja noticed her eyes lighting up in a similar fashion, no longer paying attention at all to the TV display. After years of seeing Sam go through various, very short-lived relationships and break-ups, something had her bothered as evident by her lips curled to one side.


    ¡°You really still got a thing for him after all that silence he put you through, huh,¡± Daja spat out without a care, as this type of response was typical over the years each time something seemed amiss. ¡°Thought you were done with him.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that was me, not him,¡± Sam flatly replied, eyes buried in the wall of text he had sent her.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Daja frowned, not sure which statement Sam was referring to.


    ¡°Hold on.¡±


    ¡°Hold on?¡± Daja huffed. ¡°You just forgot he¡¯s been hugging around on other women or what? His trainer once again is a woman over there at Jazira for fuck¡¯s sake, Sam! The place I still work at!¡±


    Sam did find it hard to focus on Sebastian¡¯s message, taking in a deep breath in anticipation for the uncomfortable confrontation she felt barreling towards them. ¡°I meant, that was me who was giving him the stupid silent treatment, not the other way around. And about him and Director Norris? You know, it¡¯s more Earth-side cultures than just theirs but they are way more open with their emotions. They hug a lot for many different reasons.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Who the hell wasn¡¯t aware of that?¡± Daja curtly replied back, now trying to see what was on her screen that had her distracted so heavily.


    ¡°Then why¡¯d you so heavily insinuate he was cheating on me?!¡± Sam shot back, pulling her mobile with her. It wasn¡¯t nearly the first time she had to get defensive with her friends or feel offended by a two-faced comment, but this one actually hurt unlike before. ¡°Like you think  I didn¡¯t know my own pilot coach and boyfriend?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you forgot what you said back then- you knew and saw what I saw! And is he really just training right now? How and why has your gullibility regressed since leaving?!¡±


    Sam paused, more like stumbled mentally, frustrated by the fact she knew everything Daja fed her was not only false but seemingly something she had been lying in wait for all this time. Yet, comebacks were never a problem before, why now?


    Why am I entertaining this? Sebastian¡¯s on his way here earlier than planned.


    She then realized as words finally started to form in her mind. She had so much she wanted to rethink about her future, and one item that never crossed her mind was how it would involve the person sitting next to her; a friend she had been close to since high school was now rapidly taking the role of afterthought. It might be another one of her kneejerk bridge-burnings, but never had it been for the sake of saving another relationship in the process.


    ¡°Sam!¡± Daja pushed on. ¡°Guys have always played around on you since forever ago, but this time this one in particular will lead you down a path no one can save you from!¡±


    Sam always had the words she wanted to say to her. She had just now only uncovered them for the first time in years. ¡°You¡¯ve only been saying that since I dumped that one guy you swore I somehow stole from you- why are you even digging this shit back up anyway?!¡±


    ¡°Because you keep leaving me,¡± Daja answered back with a wince, voice rapidly cowering. ¡°It feels like you¡¯ve always been trying to one up me when you¡¯ve always been ahead as it was,¡± she continued, not noticing Sam¡¯s befuddlement as she was unable to look her in the eye. ¡°And now you¡¯re in and out of near-death situations because you¡¯re chasing a boy. I can''t let you do that to yourself, Sam. You¡¯ve been the only constant in my social life since before the academy and you used to talk about plans for a bigger life here. What ever happened to that?¡±


    Sam felt a momentary urge to back off, but her senses remained on edge. ¡°I came back to try and remember what I missed about life here. I came back from, yeah, near-death disasters a good number of times,¡± she spoke with hesitation, holding back her thoughts of strangling her as the idea threatened to take a more realistic, frightening form. ¡°And I come back to this? To be insulted?! You could¡¯ve left the man who saved my life so many times out of your bullshit, Daja.¡±


    ¡°But you heard me earlier!¡± Daja came back on the offensive but was soon cut off by a glare she hadn¡¯t seen before.


    ¡°I see your priorities. You call me gullible, but if I still was any bit as gullible after all the real shit I¡¯ve lived through since June, I wouldn¡¯t see now how clear it is... I left Akkadia to find out my old life here had only fit others¡¯ narratives all along. But it¡¯s not just my mother¡¯s that I don¡¯t fit anymore, it¡¯s yours, too.¡± Swallowing her emotions that kept trying to boil over was tough, but the course she stayed still seemed most appropriate.


    ¡°Well,¡± Daja started replying with a tear of frustration and pain welling up. ¡°Tell me how you really feel.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sam laughed through her own frustration as she stood up staring emptily at the still-running TV display. ¡°I was trying to deny it since getting back the other day, but I don¡¯t fit here anymore. A lot has helped me realize that. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s it?¡± Daja blurted out as she too stood up in a hurt confusion. ¡°You called me over for this shit!?¡±


    Sam looked down at her buzzing mobile to see another old friend show up on screen. It was her friend from the club she last saw the night she failed her final bar exam attempt months back. Everything felt so fake and shattering into pieces all at once it was sickening. And whatever it was that held her emotions in check went out the window that instant. ¡°Yes, damn it!¡± Sam belted out subconsciously, grabbing the mobile and heaving it squarely at the display. Due to the thin nature of the film used to disperse the lighting, a myriad of cracks shot through to each border as the mobile itself ricocheted off of the wall with a bang and a slinging of fragmented frame and wall material. ¡°This is exactly what I needed!¡±


    Daja ducked as if the ricochet was from a bullet off the wall, letting out a scream.


    Sam, huffing from her adrenaline-fueled instant of rage, looked back at Daja with disappointment. She felt she looked at who she used to be. Judgmental. A know-it-all. A flake. Superficial. Bound by social circles.


    Scared.


    Weak.


    ¡°Get out.¡±

 The Only Remaining Path

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    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    Sebastian¡¯s arrival to her doorstep an hour later couldn¡¯t have come sooner for Sam. He initially intended on explaining everything Vincent had spoken to him about, but priorities were in dire need of rearranging upon seeing the emotional state Sam was in. And if anything, there wasn¡¯t anything of substance they could accomplish that night with that information as it was, leading him to instead focus on providing the much-needed shoulder.


    Sebastian found himself later that night staring at the wall right across the bar counter where he sat, waiting for Sam to come back from the bathroom. He sat with a half-empty beer bottle in hand, but was the least of his focus. He saw Sam in several photos that caught his attention, each of various points in time from her grade school years, and in each of them he saw a picture-perfect smile in each one. But it was that smile that had him feeling like he was looking back at a complete stranger. He pulled up his holographic display from his watch and slid over to an older photo album. He swiped until he saw the first picture he ever took of her: the day he bought her a change of clothes following her failed operation in Bogota, and going by the nervous but youthful smile, it seemed she enjoyed her soccer team themed outfit.


    And again, his focus fell on her smile. That was the Sam he always knew.


    [What the hell kind of lives do people lead here to create such a¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to call it.]


    He then saw who he knew had to be her brother in several others. It surprised him as he assumed Sam would ditch those on sight given her circumstances. But as he looked, he saw the same hollow, picture-perfect gaze from his subdued, socially acceptable, weak grin. He compared those appearances to her father¡¯s, recalling much more straight and honest vibes during the times they met, even though he got the sense something important was missing from how he reacted to Sam¡¯s situations. [He definitely cared more on the surface than what I could gather from her mother¡¯s reactions, but then again, was that just part of his ingrained routine?]


    He let out a sigh, closing his watch display and took another sip from his bottle. [Seeing all of this, it all really makes me want to stay with her even more. If I could give her anything that they couldn¡¯t¡­] After a long, difficult swallow, he found himself humming that tune again.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Sam softly called out from the other end of the wall as she exited the bathroom. ¡°I had been meaning to ask about that.¡±


    Sebastian straightened up as he watched her take her seat next to his in her bathrobe with warm, humid air following her from her shower. He noticed her eyes were still a bit puffed up from crying earlier. ¡°Yes? About what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been humming that song a lot since before we left the Philippines. Why that group?¡±


    He could tell it bothered her, but it had him confused as she never even gave off such as a hint that she recognized the song until now. ¡°Well¡­¡± He looked again back over at the family photo wall. ¡°Your father told me about this group. He said it was a very popular group here across Eden Territories when he was younger.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she replied with a wry grin, now seated and reaching for the unopened beer he had left for her once she got out. ¡°That¡¯s what I grew up to. We all listened to them quite a lot. And¡­ I quit listening to them the day the family fell apart, and once my brother ran off, it made me completely shut it out of my mind,¡± she explained, now cracking open her bottle and taking a long drink.


    [Well, shit, maybe I should¡¯ve thought about that possibility before getting hooked to that damn song.] ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I-¡±


    ¡°-It¡¯s okay, you wouldn¡¯t have had any clue,¡± she quickly replied with a more relaxed smile. ¡°Besides, you had better taste as it was. Seventh decade music beats fifth anyway, right? Just like our song from before.¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any preference for any special decades,¡± he joked back, taking another sip. ¡°I just like good songs.¡± His hand now found hers, fingers intertwining as he continued: ¡°Besides, we have a lot of new things to see in a week. Maybe it¡¯s a good time to find a new song before then.¡±


    Sam¡¯s smile rapidly faded. ¡°I know you said you¡¯d explain what happened earlier¡­ about what your meeting was about. Can I ask something first before that?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Anything.¡±


    ¡°Remember how we said we¡¯d visit my home and then yours?¡±


    ¡°Right. Why?¡±


    ¡°I really, really want to leave.¡±


    [Oh, it really is heavier than I thought.]


    ¡°Like, tomorrow. I really need to get out of this place before I completely lose it. Can we go straight back to Bogota? Please?¡±


    He saw the sincerity and seriousness in her eyes, and it had been a long while since she last spoke her mind about something she normally hid. He was tempted to let her calm down before making a decision she might regret, but couldn¡¯t given the thought she really might just lose it as she said. ¡°If it¡¯s been that crazy, okay. Let¡¯s change our shuttle tickets.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± she added quickly as she straightened up. ¡°After I see Grandpa one more time. Wanna come with me this time?¡±


    ¡°Why would I not?¡± He smiled back. ¡°And I¡¯ll start looking for a new song.¡±


    .


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    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Outskirts of Bogota, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    Hexa had well established their presence since the SAU¡¯s military and humanitarian aid team finished their cleanup of the mess that came about that last June. Although investigations would continue well into the unforeseen future, they returned regional security back to Colombia¡¯s authority, and they chose to put their faith in Infinity rather than face uncertainty with their paramilitaries.


    But not all was well just because the violence had stopped. The key political progress the Rocha Family had invested so much into was already well underway, and any of their cooperation with the Colombian government and the SAU was only for show.


    ¡°He just left the runway,¡± Adrian spoke quietly into his communicator as he watched from his binoculars from the very same mountain-side camp Isaiah¡¯s old team used back in June, overlooking Bogota from above. ¡°Ready to start on objective two.¡±


    He stood alone, however, only accompanied by the communication equipment he had set up all around him. And rather than having his own LTAC behind him, covered in tarping, he had only his bike to turn to.


    ¡°What did you recover?¡± Rex¡¯s trademarked distorted voice came through the other end of the line, seemingly impatient. ¡°I expect you gathered information on the Curtana¡¯s whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Even better,¡± Adrian quipped, taking a seat on his stool, putting away his binoculars. ¡°Codename Angel has the whereabouts. You, ah, know who that is, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Did you or did you not get information on the Curtana from Alexander Knight?¡±


    [I really don¡¯t like this Rex character taking over. Makes me wonder what happened to Bishop, barely even got to know the guy,] Adrian thought as he remained calm, fighting his urge to talk back. ¡°Let me play you something I captured. Here,¡± he spoke as he reached over to his watch.


    --¡°I got two things gathered here,¡± spoke Al¡¯s voice over the recording Adrian played. ¡°If what I dug up here is true, Angel has passed on the Curtana to someone Underground. And two, her next heading was the SAU but not sure which country. I thought it was here in Colombia, but no sign of major movement at all. My only other lead left at the moment is that spot in Southeast China that was linked to the materials Sam gathered. Find me there tomorrow.¡±--


    ¡°For a rookie, I¡¯m impressed,¡± Rex replied after a brief silence. ¡°You managed to get that intercepted, given the level of security Mr. Knight is known for. Your Union Rep (in reference to National Representative to the SAU) has prepared you more efficiently than I could¡¯ve imagined.¡±


    [And he really needs to keep Orsi¡¯s name out of his mouth. This Rex guy really has no clue¡­] ¡°I simply did what I had to. Now, am I clear to start objective two?¡±


    ¡°You may proceed. Your men will arrive in exactly two days for objective three.¡±


    ¡°Bender, out.¡± Adrian put away his communicator with a huff of anxiousness, now looking back over to a handbook he had over on the table that read ¡°Hexa Ap-50 Flight Operation Manual¡±.


    [Bishop, Rex, Reaper, whoever the hell. I might be a rookie here more or less, but damn it if this doesn¡¯t get things started the way they needed¡­]


    He then reached beyond the manual to grab a small clipboard he had notes written on, flipping to the page where he last left off. [Well, all I can do now is to figure out when they are moving these.]


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    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    The next evening, well after the sun set, a bullet train inbound from Sao Paolo slowed its approach as it entered the city limits.


    Sam was sound asleep, head soundly nestled on Sebastian¡¯s shoulder as his head leaned against hers. He too had been asleep until a soft notification alert eventually stirred him from his slumber. Trying not to awaken Sam, he pulled his left wrist around slowly and just enough to come into sight, looking down once his focus came to. [You know the code. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯ll be so make yourselves at home,] read the text message from Renzo. He awaited the moving to the next message as he figured there had to be more than one, enough to wake him, at least. [Oh. How long are you staying again?] read the next.


    [He already told me about that this morning,] he thought to himself as he rolled his eyes. [And same thing for how long we were to be in town.] He began to ponder his decision to stay with his brother instead of his sister, but then remembered Sam next to him. [Nah, a good little visit is good enough.]

 Business in Bogota

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Kennedy District, Bogota, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    Having exited their last train stop and stretched off the last of their tired yet restless achiness, food was on both of their minds. Sam was the first to speak the moment fresher air hit her lungs. ¡°I feel like I haven¡¯t eaten properly since going back to Eden.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you haven¡¯t,¡± Sebastian quipped, now eyeing the area for a spot to stop. He wasn¡¯t too familiar with the area as using that station was rare for him, but as things were, anything would do. ¡°I feel the same about myself, too.¡± He then tugged her arm gently toward a crosswalk and pointed at a small diner. ¡°How about here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll literally take anything,¡± Sam fussed, hugging back at his arm. ¡°Anything to get away from lab meat,¡± she added in reference to the main supply of meat for space nations, which came from laboratory grown muscle tissue designed for consumption. But waiting for the light to change gave more opportunity for her surroundings to bring back a flood of memories. ¡°So much crazy in my life all started happening right here in these streets,¡± she stolidly spoke with a sigh soon following.


    ¡°I know. So much for all of us. But I am so glad that part is over, and we can do things like this together,¡± he answered with a soft grin. ¡°Many memories we need to start over and make new, right?¡±


    The signal changed, and as they crossed the slightly busy path, Sebastian turned the corner and bumped into a man, causing him to drop his mobile.


    [Oh, so sorry!] he quickly apologized, letting go of Sam to hurry and reach down to pick up the dropped mobile. Upon rapid inspection, he was relieved it wasn¡¯t damaged as he looked up at the man to hand it to him.


    [It might have been me, no worries,] Adrian awkwardly smiled back with his reply and went about his way.


    Sam noticed Sebastian¡¯s reaction seconds later. ¡°Did you know him?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no,¡± he replied with a shrug. ¡°I just noticed he had an accent like Rodrigo had. He must have been from Argentina.¡± And as they arrived at the door to the diner, he held it open for them as they felt the aromas of various local comfort foods hit their empty guts.


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    Across the block, Adrian picked up his communicator and linked it to his watch before making a call. ¡°Yes, listen, you won¡¯t believe who I ran into on my way to meet up with my lead.¡± After listening to the other end, he ducked off into a small alley to finish speaking: ¡°That was Samantha Knight, and absolutely for sure. I saw her with my own eyes¡­ the other was some Colombiano. Was it him, maybe?¡± He let out a chuckle and a shake of disbelief. ¡°Of course, I will track them. Makes this too easy.¡±


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    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


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    Bellies full, the two were leaned back in their seats while mid-conversation Sam noticed something on the TV display behind Sebastian that caught her eye.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Sebastian thought aloud as he turned, thinking she was looking at someone. He then noticed she was distracted by the title of the news segment [Steps towards New Chinasphere Alliance]. ¡°Wait, when did you watch news?¡±


    ¡°Since you, silly, now shush,¡± she joked back as she pulled her mobile out to activate her on-screen translation tool. ¡°That¡¯s the mess we just left. Don¡¯t you want to find out what really happened after everything we tried to stop?¡±


    Shrugging his shoulders, he reluctantly pulled out his mobile and began opening a new browser. ¡°I thought we should relax.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, tables turn sometimes,¡± she spoke back with a smirk, reading the translated captions. ¡°Sometimes I get to be the one to ruin it with seriousness- but for real, hold on.¡±


    [In turn for allowing the Confederacy era charter to be reinstated,] the news anchor continued through her screen, [the new administration along with neighboring states are beginning negotiations that will eventually return the South China and the Philippine Sea to the PLA¡¯s control.]


    ¡°Huh? I thought they wanted independence!?¡± Sam mumbled as she thought out loud.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Sebastian continued reading through something he had pulled up as he added: ¡°I could have told you that detail, but I didn¡¯t want to, well, ahn-¡±


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± the voice from earlier startled the two of them as they turned to see him standing behind the partitioning attached to the back of their table. ¡°Sorry to interrupt,¡± Adrian continued with a polite smile.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Can we help you?¡± Sam asked with a raised brow, already feeling her inner-Kerry and Andre kick in as her hand started pondering the best way to her shoulder bag. She felt sure that there shouldn¡¯t be anyone talking to them as if they were acquaintances. Not unless it was a Rocha affiliate from their past coming back to haunt them. She knew if it was from the Galiano Family, Sebastian would have already reacted as such.


    ¡°Infinity pilot, Mati Morel, I realized who you two are and I am a big fan,¡± Adrian spoke under the guise of a false handle and a large grin. ¡°You are Navarre and Knight, right?¡± he added with a hushed tone as if to keep their identities from being too out in the open.


    ¡°You¡¯re with Infinity?¡± Sam asked as her hand paused, now seeing Sebastian turning an equally suspicious eye.


    [Is your phone alright?] he too felt the urge to check out of suspicion, quickly switching languages.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem, I wasn¡¯t looking where I was going,¡± Adrian answered back in English, waving it off. ¡°You two are super popular with the pilots where I am stationed. Did you know that? The duo that stopped the Cloaks?! Please- can I have your autograph?¡± he continued with convincing enthusiasm, reaching and pulling out a pen and the Ap50 manual from earlier. ¡°You two are why we have these coming soon! I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    Both Sam and Sebastian felt a bit relieved it was seemingly nothing more than a fan who had heard of their successes, hesitant but obliging as they both signed the pad.


    ¡°How long have you been with the team?¡± Sam casually asked.


    ¡°I am a rookie pilot, but I have been a volunteer since after the SAU troop left.¡±


    And with that, Sam¡¯s guard shot back up. ¡°Rookie to Ap50?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Adrian laughed sheepishly. ¡°I say rookie because I only fly simulations since a long time ago. I haven¡¯t actually, you know, seen real combat, so I call myself rookie.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Sam answered back more calmly. ¡°I know that experience,¡± she added with a wry smile, passing the pad back to him.


    ¡°Well,¡± Sebastian cleared his throat as he stood up. ¡°We do need to get moving. We have things to do.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Adrian smiled back with a hand extended. ¡°So nice to meet you two!¡±


    ¡°Your name was¡­?¡± Sebastian asked as he shook hands.


    ¡°Mati! Matias Morel!¡±


    ¡°Alright. Maybe we will see you soon, Mati,¡± Sam awkwardly replied with a smile and a hand shake before the two departed.


    .


    On their way down the street and headed towards the block where Renzo¡¯s apartment was, Sebastian noticed Sam kept looking over her shoulder periodically mid-conversation. ¡°Sam,¡± he interrupted concernedly.


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking, but I don¡¯t believe that man was anyone to worry about. If he was planning to hurt us or something, he had too many chances. He just wanted our sign.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± she answered as she started tapping away at her watch. ¡°But I feel like that autograph was a cover for something. What was his name again?¡±


    ¡°Matias Morel, why? Who are you typing to?¡±


    ¡°Dad,¡± she spoke into her watch, signaling to Sebastian what she was about to do. ¡°No time to explain yet, but look up Matias Morel in the Infinity SA registrar, please. Thanks!¡±


    ¡°Sam, you¡¯re worrying too much!¡± he fussed, shaking his head. ¡°Normally, it¡¯s me worrying so much. But this time is different! We are where I know how people work! I think it¡¯s okay, seriously.¡±


    She let out a sigh, shrugging her shoulders. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right, and it has been a long time since we last worked here. But at least let my dad get us that one thing confirmed. That would make me feel a lot better.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fair.¡± He then looked up at the upcoming crosswalk. ¡°Look. Three more blocks. Almost there.¡±


    Sam¡¯s nerves then stirred up once more. ¡°I forgot how awkward this feels, going to his house to stay.¡± She then put on her puppy face as she tugged his arm. ¡°You know we can still bail and get a hotel.¡±


    ¡°As much as I want to,¡± he spoke back with a suggestive smile, ¡°you know the rules we made and we need to stick to them.¡± He stood firm in the end, referring to their agreement to not sleep where their name would pop up in someone¡¯s registry, leading to unintended results. That was, unless, it was on Hexa property, something they both strongly wanted to avoid.


    But in trying to keep the mood more upbeat, he looked back at her hair which had long caught his eye since meeting back up with her, reminding him of what he had been wanting to say. And her hair being cut so much shorter was one change that took a while to get accustomed to, but having the pink dye removed left the white streaks that he always associated with her ¡°look¡±. Memories from that fateful June ran through his head briefly before he began to smile.


    ¡°What?¡± Sam suspiciously questioned the sudden grin.


    ¡°You know he will call you Cruella the moment he sees you,¡± he laughed, drawing much less ire than expected. ¡°What? I thought you hated that name!¡± he continued with a nudge from his elbow.


    ¡°Yeah, I do, but,¡± Sam started before letting her voice trail off, giving in with a chuckle of her own.


    .


    .


    Adrian had been listening in on their conversation through his earpiece before punching in a call request on his watch, turning back the opposite direction from the two. [I don¡¯t trust him, Breaker,] he began in his native tongue this time while speaking in a hushed voice. [And after meeting and following these two, I don¡¯t see monsters. I see some average ass, decent, maybe even scared human beings.]


    [Don¡¯t sweat it, Bender,] Orsi¡¯s voice responded over the heavily encrypted line. [Just stick to your second objective. Reaper will take care of everything as promised all in good time. You understand that, though, right?]


    [Well, yeah, it¡¯s just this Rex guy I don¡¯t trust. I already know the unofficial suggested order just now was to expose myself and kill those two pilots just now. But¡­ I couldn¡¯t do dirty shit like that. Not me.]


    [It was never your job. Don¡¯t step out of line, especially if you aren¡¯t feeling it,] Orsi assured. [Just keep moving. I am halfway done with my end. Call me back if anything else doesn¡¯t go right or feel right.]


    [I didn¡¯t fuck up just now, did I? Letting them go,] Adrian shamefully asked after hesitating.


    [They won¡¯t have time to get involved before we finish, anyway. Don¡¯t dirty your name for your own sake, and don¡¯t expose yourself for mine,] Orsi replied in a more affirming tone, helping Adrian relax a bit. [Get yourself in place before morning.]


    [Right. Will do.]


    He sighed heavily after the line disconnected, leaning against the wall of the empty restroom. [I hope Reaper follows through. Something has me damn afraid of Rex. I was only lucky enough to electronically dig my way into those pilot¡¯s communication lines. Maybe he¡¯ll take that instead.]

 Business in Bogota, Part 2

    I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m really back in Colombia. It¡¯s almost surreal.


    Sam and Sebastian had arrived at the doorstep to Renzo¡¯s apartment, both letting out a collective sigh of relief as they eased their bags off of their shoulders and let some cooler air hit their sweating backs. Sam swore she¡¯d never miss the heat and humidity before, but this time around however, it seemed more like a part of life than a total nuisance. That was, of course, until she remembered the need to change her hairstyle routine, pulling stuck strands of her bangs off of her forehead with a swipe of her wrist.


    To think about how scared I was when I got here, and how much I hated almost everything about it at first sight¡­


    It¡¯s even crazier to think how much my life¡­ well, no¡­ how much I¡¯ve changed since then. I feel¡­ safer here than I¡¯ve felt since this whole rollercoaster ride began.


    Sebastian started to snicker. ¡°I forget how long your hair used to be, and always tied in, um-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, oh well,¡± Sam resigned to the reality of her mistake in letting her hair hang loose, giving in by reaching for a pin from her bag to clip her bangs back at the very least. ¡°At least I won¡¯t ever have to deal with helmet hair like before.¡±


    Right, helmet hair¡­ she thought as she laughed to herself, holding back memories of her experiences with Kerry that were associated with that one line. But it also brought up another often reoccurring urge to check back into camp back in Singapore where she could start back her Antares training in hopes for seat time with the Arondight, something she was still yet to lay proper eyes on.


    Whatever. I got other things about to go on right now.


    She then looked down at her watch once more, noting it was still eight thirty. ¡°We¡¯re awfully early.¡±


    ¡°I know. I said around ten or eleven but I never thought we will arrive this fast.¡± He reached over to the key pad of the doorway, which in itself was a relic compared to what Sam had long been accustomed to where simple face scans did the work. The apartment complex was older, likely from the post-war turn of the century (roughly 2090 - 2110), but it was clean and well kept.


    ¡°I guess he won¡¯t mind. Did he ever answer you from earlier?¡±


    ¡°No, never did,¡± Sebastian answered as he finished inputting the code, hearing the lock open. He then opened the door and gestured her in with a reassuring smile. ¡°But he said already to go inside, so...¡±


    They made their way inside the narrow entry and into the open kitchen/dining area as Sebastian reached for the light switch. Sam was instead focused on the sound he heard coming from deeper within the apartment as if someone was stumbling around. Concern grew within as she couldn¡¯t tell if that was a thief they walked in on, or Renzo was falling over and possibly injuring himself. The latter made her smirk unintentionally as the lights came on.


    ¡°Renzo?!¡± Sebastian called out as he set his bag on the bench just behind him against the wall. Noticing Renzo¡¯s belongings on the breakfast table and in several of the chairs, which were all in addition to the lights being left off, he too let out a chuckle as he realized this was as far from a welcome sign as it could get. ¡°Sorry,¡± he then spoke to Sam with a hand behind his head in slightly embarrassed fashion. ¡°He¡¯s usually more, ahn, he has more hospitality than-¡±


    He was cut off by the light suddenly cutting on, immediately followed by the storming in of a half-undressed Kaylen into the area. ¡°??Ustedes dos gatos?!¡± She barked the moment she saw it was Sebastian standing there, coming to a halt. As much as it shocked Sebastian, it was two-fold for Sam, causing her to fumble around clumsily trying to get her earpiece activated.


    What in the ever living- is that¡­ Kaylen Rodgers?!


    ¡°??Que mierda hacen atroden y quien fue el forro que los dejo entrar?! Barderos del orto?¡± Kaylen continued in her high paced, insult-ridden shouting barrage.


    ¡°Hey! Stop!¡± Sebastian roared back in a full-frowned attempt to not only defuse the horribly confusing and unexpected turn of events, but because Sam had to have been more jarred than anyone in the room. ¡°English, please!¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t even start to form her reaction as she finally got her earpiece on and translation services running, now noticing Kaylen may not have had much of anything on underneath the oversized T-shirt she wore and nothing else.


    [The hell I will!] Kaylen bolted back at Sebastian, now stepping towards him with a condemning finger pointed as she never took well to being stared at like a lunatic. [You don¡¯t just strut in like you own the fucking place! You had me thinking you were- were some kind of-] She cut herself off mid-sentence with a hand over her tilted-back head, turning away.


    ¡°Hey, woah,¡± Sam finally found the words as she started up: ¡°Can we, like-¡±


    Kaylen wasn¡¯t listening as she abruptly started on a new tangent: [-You dumbasses realize I have to move around while staying low, right?! You knew my place in the whole scheme of things- How the fuck did you think I¡¯d react!?]


    [What the hell, Kaylen?!] They all heard Renzo shout from behind as he headed their way. [Damn, it¡¯s just Bas and Cruella! Stop all the shouting! Shit!]


    [Wait, what?!] Sebastian finally realized what was going on, seeing Renzo¡¯s appearance much more disheveled than usual. [No, no way!?]


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Both he and Sam were in sync, mouth agape, gawking at the two in a moment of awkward silence.


    .


    Outside on Renzo¡¯s balcony facing the courtyard, the two brothers finished their conversation, albeit much more hushed than just then. [Us two- I mean, forget me and Sam! What the hell are you doing with her? Since when did you¡­ really!?]


    [Says the guy who hadn¡¯t been on a date in years and suddenly hooks up with a foreigner pilot who fell from the sky,] Renzo fired back before quickly changing gears to avoid what would be a futile stand-off. [Look, we had been working together and sometimes we just got bored. It¡¯s nothing serious- I mean, you know how I am, and she has her needs, too, you know. Blow off some steam, you know. Why is this such a big deal, anyhow?]


    [I met her, too. It¡¯s not that you don¡¯t have your freedom, it¡¯s just¡­ I wouldn¡¯t expect you and her to¡­ you get what I¡¯m saying? You know who she is-]


    [-Yeah yeah. The former pilot of the Apollyon, the massacre this massacre that- brother, she¡¯s a human being like the rest of us,] Renzo emphasized in rare form, not one to defend someone that wasn¡¯t his family or in his inner circle like that.


    Sebastian realized Renzo had to have been around her far more than he led on, putting his prejudices on hold. [I apologize for not knocking. I just thought it made no difference thinking you¡¯d be up and alone.]


    [Yeah, well¡­] He turned to look back at the kitchen area behind the closed sliding door, now letting out a lighter hearted chuckle. [Want a drink? Forget all this heavy talk, man. Haven¡¯t seen you two in ages.]


    .


    Sam sat across from Kaylen, who was still leaning against the column that separated the kitchen from the dining space. The air was tense, although not as wired as it was moments ago. ¡°So,¡± Kaylen started. ¡°What gives? I thought you were reporting to Singapore next week like the plan said.¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Sam calmly but quickly replied, knowing better why Kaylen was so upset. ¡°Sebastian and I were in Akkadia for the weekend, and then agreed to come see his hometown for the remainder of our downtime. I had no idea you two- never mind that, sorry, but I thought Renzo would¡¯ve told you we were coming. He knew well in advance.¡±


    ¡°Of course, the idiot did,¡± she scoffed, now reaching for something in her bag she had set behind her on the counter. ¡°And of course, he didn¡¯t tell me. I do leave tomorrow, though.¡±


    Is this really the Galatine pilot I met the other day? The same one who seemed like she had so much pulled together and ready to go?


    Sam shrugged off her judgments, focusing back on the conversation. ¡°Well, I still haven¡¯t heard anything back from Hexa about the next steps, so aren¡¯t we in the clear to just enjoy our recovery time? I get why you have to lay low, and I apologize for our entry, but still.¡±


    Kaylen found her cigarette case and took one out to light, reminding Sam of her experiences with the late Galeano Family¡¯s boss. ¡°You get to enjoy it. I don¡¯t.¡± She didn¡¯t mind the silence that followed as her head leaned back, letting out a slow, deep breath as the exiting smoke columned toward the ceiling. ¡°Check your watch.¡±


    ¡°My watch?¡± Sam reacted the second she looked, noticing there being no signal. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why is this place jammed? Or better yet, why did you want me to know this?¡±


    Kaylen looked back at her, cocking her head. ¡°Your boy met with Vrey, and that¡¯s why you two are here. I already know everything other than the fact you two arrived earlier than you were supposed to.¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t tell if she was being read or mocked, choosing to keep her calm. ¡°Yeah. Renzo is supposed to tell us what our little side mission is supposed to be while on cooldown. So, are you going to tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I just figured why the hell not, since I already planned on it once catching up to you in Singapore.¡± She then turned to face the patio window where she could see Renzo now approaching the door. ¡°Your brother is somewhere in the SAU.¡± Turning back, she saw her eyes grow as widely as expected, and both of them ignored Renzo entering as he headed for the refrigerator. ¡°Did Vrey mention an informant?¡±


    Sam had to take a moment to catch back up to reality. No way there¡¯s already word on him this fast. There¡¯s no way we could ever hope to get a step ahead knowing how he¡¯s gotten us every damn time, is there? ¡°Sorry, what? Informant?¡±


    ¡°Did he tell you who?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡­¡± Wait a second. Sam now understood the reason for the jamming, so focused on her thoughts that she didn¡¯t notice Renzo disappearing outside with a pair of bottles in hand. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ the informant?!¡± It then clicked a step further that next instant as she felt a certain anxiety kicking in she hadn¡¯t felt since she met Devin that night in Manila. ¡°You¡¯re also with the Underground?! All this time?!¡±


    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking,¡± Kaylen chided, taking another puff from her cigarette. ¡°Anyone who¡¯s anyone in our network knows you were unofficially working for Tyrus, am I right?¡±


    ¡°But that-¡­¡± Sam knew she was had, but her point still stood in her mind. ¡°Does Mr. Vrey know that?¡±


    ¡°How else did he know how to find me so fast?¡± She then saw how lost Sam was by her remark. ¡°Oh, right. Well, I¡¯ll tell you the full story one day, but Rex wanted to find me first after hearing my skills were needed. Vrey knew he had informants here in the SAU already, and so, he used them to find me.¡± She then looked over to the patio window. ¡°And Vrey used that idiot and his sister to bring me in.¡±


    So that¡¯s why Sebastian mentioned his brother the other day. Sam then got her mind back on track as she started to settle down, knowing she might as well get something figured out while she had a chance. ¡°Then, you¡¯ve been talking to Vrey since you got here about something we need to know? Is it more about my brother?¡±


    ¡°I really got a lot to explain to you, don¡¯t I?¡± Kaylen dryly laughed, shaking her head. ¡°No. Short version, no. He doesn¡¯t know it¡¯s me. He made me one unofficially after releasing me here the other day, but he can¡¯t know which is speaking. Only messages make it to him.¡±


    This is even more confusing than I thought, way worse than how things seemed when Devin explained things to me. ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± Kaylen spoke with a sigh as she made her way to the seat next to Sam, keeping her smoking hand away as she leaned toward her. ¡°I got to find out just how fucked up he is in the head- and I¡¯m speaking of that brother of yours. I don¡¯t have the whereabouts yet, but that¡¯s what I am off to go find out before we have to report back to Singapore. Can you hold off questions until you hear more intel? I¡¯m real fuckin¡¯ tired right now.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thanks,¡± Sam spoke before coughing over the wafted smoke in her face.


    ¡°Weak,¡± Kaylen chuckled as she stood up and backed toward her previous spot. ¡°Digest everything you can as you need. I say we go join the boys outside for a drink.¡±


    ¡°Maybe for once I do need a drink,¡± Sam answered back rather quickly and naturally with a roll of her eyes.


    At least I feel so much safer now not only being with Sebastian back in his hometown- not in the middle of a crazy mess. She then looked over at Kaylen with an amused smile as she went for the refrigerator. And as nuts as I thought this chick is, I have to admit I feel safer with her around, too. To think how literally dead I would have been without both of them showing up in my life.

 No Way to Finish a Vacation

    ¡°Wait!¡± Sam spat out the second a thought buried in her head burst up to the surface. ¡°Sorry, is there a way to check for messages through your screen?¡± she asked after realizing her reaction was a bit over the top.


    Kaylen turned back with a concerned look after initially heading for the patio. ¡°Why, who would you need to contact tonight?¡±


    ¡°I had to ask my dad about a pilot me and Sebastian met earlier¡­ some random from Infinity asking us for our autographs. If my dad¡¯s trying to message me now, he might get worried it isn¡¯t getting through.¡±


    ¡°What was his name?¡±


    ¡°Something Hispanic. Oh, wait. I remember Sebastian saying he had an accent from, shit, where was that country again? Started with an A...¡± She initially had paused to allow Kaylen a second to respond, but upon a long, drawn silence she looked up to see she was gone. ¡°Was it something I said?¡± she mumbled to herself before taking her mobile out to check her signal strength by force of habit. Right¡­


    Footsteps were heard once more as Kaylen appeared with her hand stretched out and open. ¡°Mobile. Watch. Both.¡±


    Sam hesitated, but never thought to consciously and outrightly deny someone she owed so much. ¡°Okay, but¡­ why?¡±


    Kaylen took the two items and quickly turned for the patio, ignoring Sam¡¯s reaction to the hammer she held in her other hand.


    All Sam could do was sit back and watch, now feeling her gut turn toward exasperation for once rather than fear. She could tell exactly what was about to happen, and she had lost so many handsets she lost count completely.


    Not again! Are you serious!?


    And when Kaylen returned while being followed by an angrier Sebastian and Renzo, she quickly tossed the four items on the counter top. ¡°You¡¯ve been bugged,¡± she flatly announced and quickly proceeded to smash them to oblivion.


    ¡°Wait! How do you know!¡± Sam screamed in between the loud bangs. Finally, the hammer stopped as she took her hands off her ears. ¡°What made you think that all the sudden?¡±


    ¡°You said some rando from Argentina asked for your autograph, right?¡± Kaylen answered back as she caught her breath. ¡°You DO realize Hexa policy keeps your little top priority ops on the complete down-low, right? How would some rando from a soon-to-be hotbed just¡­ like, fully recognize you two just in passing on a random ass street in Colombia?¡±


    Sam felt a different punch to the gut this time, realizing their folly. She and Sebastian had both downplayed their need for security once back on Earth, but it made sense now. She had forgotten it was only her time in Bogota that ran her through operations at lower-level classification levels. Everything else was experimental. ¡°Well, shit¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Sebastian popped in with his curiosity genuinely piqued.


    ¡°I¡¯ve technically been living as a merc for an Underground cell based out of Bahia Blanca,¡± Kaylen spoke as she looked over at Renzo. ¡°You can ask him more later since he got the whole spill, but once your girl here mentioned an Argentine, my antenna went full on, and yeah¡­¡±


    [Good thing I still have my shit intact,] Renzo chuckled as he tried to keep his own nerves calm. [Or I wouldn¡¯t know what the hell you two are going on about. Brother, is that true about who you met?]


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sebastian answered back but in English, knowing Sam just lost her translation capabilities once more. ¡°We weren¡¯t being careful. We do need to avoid the open from now on, Sam. But we can use Renzo¡¯s things tomorrow and see if your father answered back.¡±


    ¡°Look, hold on,¡± Kaylen fussed after a heavy sigh. ¡°I can most likely get something done about that but not until the morning. Can we stretch back and chill, for real? Real fuckin¡¯ tired right now.¡±


    [Say less,] Renzo chuckled with a similarly exhausted sigh, standing up to head for the refrigerator once more. [Good thing I stay stocked up!]


    Sam forced a smile, knowing it would be best to loosen up. But the worries brought about concerning the Argentine they met along with the stress from being without her own means of communication stripped away yet again sat heavy on her mind. Definitely NOT the way I envisioned our last few days of vacation starting. She then noticed Sebastian didn¡¯t seem quite as bothered as he normally would have been. Must be nice to have family to feel comfortable around. Reminds me of¡­


    She shook her head immediately, forcing out the memories of her first encounter with Sebastian and Renzo in the same place months back, seeing Sebastian join in on what she swore had to be a mockery of her. She knew he was a changed man, but seeing the two together again was a bit tougher than expected, and in ways she had forgotten up until now.


    She let out a long breath as she reached for the beer Sebastian passed over to her as they headed outside.


    Just enjoy the night while you can. Stop overthinking shit.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina</li>


    </ul>


    At water¡¯s edge, several square kilometers of reclaimed land just beyond the grounds of the old Jorge Newbery Airport stretched out to the sea, providing the space needed for decades of port expansions. But being the first of such projects, its age showed as even through the night¡¯s darkness it stood out compared to its more modern backdrop.


    ¡°Thank you for making time on such short notice, Representative,¡± Isaiah spoke to Orsi as the two stood outside the gates of the outermost, least used dock.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°I always assume the most importance when I get unexpected messages from you, Reaper, especially when it must be in person,¡± Orsi lightheartedly replied, taking note of the condition of the old warehouse they were about to walk into. ¡°Not trying to hide in the mountains this time?¡±


    Hiding¡­ he thought to himself upon the mild confrontation. I have to admit, this whole final operation is only the second time I¡¯ve been this scared since coming to Earth.


    ¡°I made a point not to this time, but let me get to business first if I may,¡± Isaiah continued through the masking of his thoughts, opening the door to what would lead to the old front office reception. They eventually ended up in a smaller, separate office space behind the empty reception desk. He then turned on the light and closed the door, reaching for the top notebook placed on a stack of others.


    But things have gotten almost out of hand twice too many times. I have to take these steps forward before she has a chance to read my moves.


    ¡°I need to alter our plans somewhat.¡±


    Orsi kept his calm demeanor, hiding his wariness. ¡°I pray it¡¯s only to delay as I still fear my boy might need more time given the heaviness of his assignments so far away.¡±


    He showed him the notebook, pointing to the writing up top, which wrote: ¡°Package intercepted. Traces and witnesses -> Codename Angel. Confirmed by Codename Sly,¡± followed by transmission histories between himself and others below. He awaited Orsi¡¯s response through any change in his demeanor, following his eyes along the way. And by protocol Isaiah had suggested, Orsi remained silent. ¡°You know who that is. Alternate route, and shorten the execution date by three days.¡±


    Orsi flashed a grimace before smiling as if he realized he too had his own say. ¡°No wonder you couldn¡¯t risk this over even the most secure line.¡±


    Of course, he remembers my mother. May his grudge be still as large as it was before.


    ¡°I need more from you on the surface if this is how we will do things,¡± Orsi finally responded. ¡°Especially if you want this done sooner. You have to be by my side out there before unleashing that thing if you want this plan to work.¡±


    Isaiah wasn¡¯t fazed, rather he was fully accepting as if he already planned to accommodate such a counter offer. Holding back the weight of the risk carried by going public, he firmly replied: ¡°Of course. Full frontal. Name, face, everything.¡± But even the thought of it still had him beyond anxious deep down.


    Orsi returned the visible confidence with a grin and a handing back of his notebook. ¡°I will have this taken care of, then. Leave it to my men. And as for your new boy? He¡¯ll adapt.¡±


    .


    Isaiah saw him off before retiring back to the same office room. It was rather quiet, and only the sounds of a skeleton crew kept up what little background noise there was as the visible surface operations had to remain active. Staring back at his notes he had been reorganizing since over a week ago, his mind slipped back into recounting the news of his mother¡¯s recent involvement.


    <hr>


    ¡°She was looking for you, but yet she still came for me first,¡± Marian spoke to Isaiah over the secure satellite linked line. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if she¡¯s doing this out of desire to rip our operations apart or if she¡¯s actually trying to help you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for sticking to the plan. It really means a lot.¡± He sat in his truck, doors closed, windows up despite the muggy, sweltering evening weather.


    She let out a tired sigh before pressing on: ¡°Then could you please answer my concern?¡±


    He knew he couldn¡¯t avoid this one even though he tried. He always had a strained relationship with his mother, and it was far beyond what his sister had ever dealt with. But that was why it hit harder to hear his mother reaching the inevitable point of direct involvement, much harder than it hit when Sam came into the picture. ¡°If it¡¯s out of motherly love,¡± he started with an equally strained mind. ¡°She would have actually tried to stop Sam from ever taking part. She¡¯s not in it for us, she¡¯s in it for something else.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unlike you to lie about your family.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Wait¡­ Am I lying?


    He got caught off guard, which was even more unlike himself.


    ¡°This is one big reason why I called you. You may act like you aren¡¯t worried but you can¡¯t stop me from being worried. You can¡¯t show your face at this rate. She¡¯s coming and I don¡¯t know how to stop her, but you can help me figure out what I can do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I can¡¯t stop to think about these things. You know we never have time or resources to waste on emotions. I have my assets in line and I can simply set things to an earlier date.¡±


    ¡°You still have other options.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Confidence built back up the moment he let go of his thoughts concerning his mother. The plan in front of him, the success he foresees based upon what he had built all this time, that is what brought him respite as always. ¡°Things are still as we planned. The people need to see every one of us. Riots don¡¯t win over the big fish, peer pressure does. I already have secured backing from the networks in the NAU, EU, and China¡¯s renewed alliance in the Pacific. My mother can¡¯t stop anything once the Underground fully goes public.¡±


    Marian paused, but not because she felt she couldn¡¯t make a convincing retort. ¡°I had another reason why I called you- I got a huge tip from a connection back in Akkadia. She was the one who stole the Curtana. It¡¯s somewhere on Earth as we speak.¡±


    Isaiah couldn¡¯t respond. He instead was the one left unable to retort. ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll contact you again once I process this.¡±


    He remained in his seat in silence, heavy with thought long after disconnecting.


    Marian¡¯s right. The Curtana? One of the very devices being sent to destroy me? I was lucky to survive the Galatine as it was, and if she wanted to stop me, she¡¯d leave it in Hexa¡¯s hands. Mom, what the hell are you trying to do here?


    <hr>


    .


    That was the last conversation he held with Marian, even after Gabriel gave him a heads up that confirmed everything Marian explained about his mother. Thoughts continued to race through his head, and the continued silence further amplified the ruckus going on inside.


    After taking a seat, he reached for a headset that had been placed on the table and began clicking on several switching and encryption devices before dialing in a channel. ¡°Bender, status report,¡± he spoke up once the connection was established.


    ¡°My men and I are in place, waiting for the cargo to pass through,¡± Adrian¡¯s voice answered back moments later.


    ¡°Update for orders. Once you secure the packages, move them directly to the backup coordinates and make your switchover the second our transportation we secured for you arrives.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Adrian fussed. ¡°That puts the plan days ahead of schedule!¡±


    ¡°You are about to not only deal with Samantha Knight and Sebastian Navarre but also people far more worrisome.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you knew I let those two go?¡± Adrian questioned with a gulp of guilt.


    ¡°You chose right to ignore those orders from Rex¡¯s lackeys, but the reality of it all remains unchanged. You have to take into consideration the chances of them showing up.¡±


    ¡°Then, who else has us in a hurry?¡±


    ¡°For one, turns out Kaylen Rodgers is Emilia of Enrai, and she might become a factor depending.¡± He took the silence as indication he had never been properly filled in by Rex after the temporary switchover of hands away from Bishop. ¡°And the other is someone who knows our operation possibly. Someone we can¡¯t trace but they can¡¯t trace us either if we move while they¡¯re radio dark.¡±


    It took a long second for Adrian to digest the situation, but he couldn¡¯t argue. ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°And again, I know how tough it¡¯s been leaving your post of two years with Bishop, but trust us, his merging with Rex will be his undoing and you need no part of it.¡±


    ¡°I do trust you, but only because the man I owe my life to does. But no matter, we will light up the dawn tomorrow. And I will see you on the other side.¡±

 No Way to Finish a Vacation, Part 2

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Kennedy District, Bogota, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°So, what were those riots really all about in the end, anyway? You know, the ones from last summer?¡± Sam asked, leaning over the balcony rail with a beer in hand, staring out over the stores, houses, and smaller apartment complexes nearby. She had forgotten how tense the air felt all those months back, faltering in comparison to the relative quiet she could sense beyond the drone of moving traffic and music playing from who knew where. She knew the riots were under the surface a paid operation, but there had to be something on the surface the locals wanted or it would have all fallen through with ease.


    [Securing more SAU money. I thought you knew that already?] Renzo remarked with a wry chuckle of disappointment. [But yeah, all everyone talks about these days is bringing us back into the full umbrella of the damn ¡®Union¡¯ like we don¡¯t want our independence anymore.] He was seated next to Sebastian, kicked back with his legs up on the small coffee table. [But you see how quiet it is. I guess I can¡¯t complain. Right, Bas?] he continued with the back of his hand playfully smacking the back of Sebastian¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°He¡¯s saying it¡¯s because everyone here wants the government to steer them back into full SAU control, mostly for getting more money,¡± Kaylen loosely translated for Sam, also while staring out over the balcony, beer in hand. ¡°But also said, why complain if it¡¯s finally quieted down.¡±


    ¡°Good point, I guess,¡± Sam thought aloud. I forget that unlike the NAU, the SAU isn¡¯t a governing body but just a single military and peacekeeping cooperative. She took a swig mid-thought before looking back over at Kaylen. After finally settling down, she now noticed Kaylen had at some point slipped into a pair of jeans and partially fixed her hair. ¡°And what¡¯s your real story? I know kind of what it feels like to keep getting called something you hate being associated with.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± she answered back in rare form, letting out a smile and a loose shrug of her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m just another person trying to find herself somewhere else¡­ working, drinking, or fighting her past away. Kinda¡¯ like you, right?¡±


    ¡°But no, real talk- why the SAU? Why¡­ why Argentina?¡± Sam continued through her curiosity, tuning out the conversation behind her between the two brothers. She had no translation as it was, making it much easier to do so as it blended in with the background noise.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same thing I tell everyone who asks me about my old identity. It¡¯s a story for another day when I feel like it. Like why you just dodged explaining to me why you ended up in Colombia of all places.¡±


    Sam would have initially thought that to be a rude way to put someone off, but recent experiences quickly told her the opposite before she could process a response. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a path you don¡¯t like mentally going down. I get it. My bad.¡± Kaylen then snickered, now drawing Sam¡¯s less positive attention. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s twice in a minute. ¡®Real talk¡¯? ¡®My bad¡¯? Who sent the sardine to the NAU and back?¡± Kaylen joked with the sardine remark, which was how most NAU residents colloquially referred to those from the space nations.


    ¡°Oh, right, I got long stories, too,¡± Sam chuckled back after realizing why. She forgot how much Kerry crossed her mind from time to time, and in times like this when what had rubbed off on her was more apparent, the feelings would come back even stronger. ¡°But it¡¯s probably just something I got from someone I knew.¡±


    [Fish? Why are you talking about fish?!] Sebastian joined in on their conversation from behind with a laugh Sam hadn¡¯t heard in quite a while.


    [You¡¯re asking me about fish? Says the guy who uses old kids movies references for nicknames,] Kaylen shot back with heavy sarcasm, then laughed at the finger he pointed toward Renzo as to deflect the accusation.


    Sam continued to watch the ensuing laughter-laden exchanges between the three with slowly accumulated envy. She felt it several times before, but it was more noticeable now. I used to get so mad when I was here back before, and everyone sped off without me like this speaking shit I don¡¯t understand. But now it¡¯s like¡­ I wish I could do like Kaylen does. She then held back a laugh but cracked a smile. Maybe I just need to revisit those e-texts I still have from school¡­ get Sebastian to help me out. Who was I kidding¡­ Remembering more of how she acted before became humiliating on the spot as her smile faded away. I was so ready to run away from home last night, but then act like everyone here will just automatically inconvenience themselves for me.


    ¡°Hey, Cruella!¡± Renzo caught her attention as she jumped, especially being in English. ¡°Be happy! Drink!¡±


    ¡°Pft!¡± Sam burst out as her smile flashed back that instant. She looked back at her bottle and remembered they were out there to relax for once.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Over and hour had passed, and Kaylen made it clear she had to leave but would see them later once their next training would begin over on the other side of the globe. And as Renzo retired for the evening, Sam and Sebastian remained outside, seated side by side.


    ¡°You know, Sebastian,¡± Sam started, feeling like now was the time to mention a thought that strongly crossed her mind, but was likely a product of the alcohol. ¡°When I left here back in June, I didn¡¯t hate this place, surprisingly at that time. But now? I wanna keep coming back here with you.¡±


    ¡°Really? You like this dump?¡± he answered jokingly yet seriously.


    ¡°I¡¯m for real, and it¡¯s not a dump! I mean, I feel like I have normal feelings here. Normal emotions. I don¡¯t like the noise yet, and I don¡¯t speak the language yet, either, but I feel like I get to experience things in life I missed out on, you know?¡±


    Sebastian returned an even stronger sarcastic glare. ¡°You can live anywhere on Earth. You can do the things you say at any country you choose, right?¡± But then he realized her intent a quiet moment later. ¡°I understand. You are¡­ also talking about family, I think.¡±


    ¡°That, too,¡± Sam replied with some hesitation despite her desire to remain openly honest. Her stomach then started to knot up even more. It wasn¡¯t just the horrible memories brought about by her last trip home she was trying to avoid, but it was also out of fear and excitement of the unknown she was about to plunge into. And with the feeling like so many options in her life had suddenly opened up, she couldn¡¯t contain herself anymore as she gently squeezed his hand. ¡°I really want to find a new home, Sebastian.¡±


    ¡°I will be honest,¡± he started his answer with a smile that got Sam¡¯s heart speeding up suddenly, fearing that by how he began he might be headed towards something along the lines of rejection. ¡°I would like to join together with your new goal,¡± he continued as suspense built up inside her by the second. ¡°But I really think we need new phones and watches, first.¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Really?!


    ¡°What?!¡± He felt the sigh of disappointment quickly leave her body as he laughed. ¡°I am serious! How do we choose where to find your home if we can¡¯t find a place to enjoy on our vacation!?¡±


    Well, damn. He does have a point. And as she continued resetting her mental footing, she then thought aloud: ¡°That does remind me. Dad may be wondering why I¡¯m not responding if he already answered back.¡±


    ¡°Oh! No!!¡± Sebastian blurted out as he started to panic. ¡°Mr. Vrey gave me his number! I didn¡¯t write it on something!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?! He gave YOU his private number?!¡± She blasted back in greater astonishment. ¡°And you LOST it!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not MY fault!¡± He belted back in defense, not having elected to have it smashed to pieces. ¡°Maybe it has, what is it, auto save?¡±


    A moment passed before a collective calm was achieved, and both settled back into their seats comfortably. ¡°Let¡¯s go stop by the member services building tomorrow morning. I bet they can help us out, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Good idea.¡± He then looked back up at the full moon that had come into view as the passing clouds gave way. A few calmer breaths later, he remembered the last time he stared at the moon in such a way. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to enjoy a night sky here. I don¡¯t remember a time when I did.¡±


    Sam remembered similar events as well, especially seeing how last time she sat on a patio outside, it was against the wall, half-exasperated and sleep-deprived. ¡°Life really has changed in these few months, hasn¡¯t it,¡± she added softly as she found his hand again and looked up at the same moon. They could only live one day at a time as long as their upcoming mission remained in a fog, but at least they had some direction as far as how to spend their next two days.


    It is odd to have a chance to plan out a day¡¯s activities together for the first time in so long, too. Infinity visit, shopping, a little evening hike¡­ And as her mind wandered to how her father may have responded, she shrugged off the next thoughts that had moved to her mother. No, not tonight.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Hexa Central HQ, Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al had stepped out of the spaceport arrivals gate and into the passenger pickup area where he saw a car pull up just in front of him. A window rolled down, allowing him to confirm the driver as he waved, walking to the rear of the car as the driver opened the trunk. Placing his bags inside, he briskly walked back to the front and took a seat on the passenger side. ¡°Thanks for making time for me,¡± he spoke up, buckling his seatbelt.


    ¡°If only you were still with the board,¡± Lucian answered as he carefully drove off. ¡°So, what¡¯s the news?¡± he continued, noting Al¡¯s visible exhaustion and seeming complete lack of sleep.


    ¡°Still can¡¯t find Amelie, of course, but I did find out a few things,¡± Al replied as he placed a small container in the cupholder between them. ¡°Read through them as you please. Logs of communications I bartered for, all are between Sam and several of Tyrus¡¯ contacts.¡±


    ¡°Knight, you do realize this won¡¯t help me out in our upcoming board meeting with Vrey. If anything, this vilifies your daughter.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re the one trying to get my help in convincing Vrey to allow Sam to utilize the Underground. Or do you really think there is a better way to get information on Reaper more quickly?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t reject the notion using the recent tensions between feuding Underground factions to our advantage, Knight, I reject the notion using your daughter as the point of contact from this point. But either way, you and I both know Vrey is ready to shoot our idea down as is. So, do you have anything else?¡±


    ¡°What,¡± Al huffed as the car turned onto the main connector corridor, joining traffic. ¡°Do you really think he¡¯ll have better ideas?¡±


    ¡°No, damn it, I¡¯m asking if you have anything else to help solidify our motion here,¡± Lucian continued with matching stubbornness, keeping his overall cool intact.


    ¡°Yeah, I actually do,¡± Al quietly answered as he pulled out his mobile and brought up a file he had saved. ¡°Sam asked me to look up someone. A, uh, Matias Morel, some supposed Infinity pilot that ran into her. I did some checking and found out it¡¯s a guy serving as a sitting reserve in Sao Paolo. He never left the country, yet he ran into Sam in Bogota.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Lucian mumbled as he tried to keep his focus on the road. ¡°What¡¯d Sam say about that?¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t answered. Message I sent is still unread- she¡¯s still fine since she¡¯s with both of the Navarre brothers, but for some dumbass reason she¡¯s not looking at her mobile.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more reason to get her off the case, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Think about what you just said,¡± Al retorted, looking directly back at him.


    After a moment passed, Lucian connected the dots. ¡°Little Knight and the Colombiano being there has them tipped off. Okay, so, their next target isn¡¯t the Pacific¡­ it¡¯s the SAU¡­¡± he thought aloud, calculating further what Al hinted. But something still didn¡¯t register. ¡°But why the SAU? That whole continent has ceased to be a topic since the whole EMP mess in Colombia!¡±


    ¡°Hell if I know, but who better to have ask those who know the most?¡± Al shrugged.


    ¡°You¡¯re suggesting we push your daughter into making live contact with the local Underground there instead of with that Tyrus faction?¡±


    ¡°No, not directly, of course. Tyrus is our only shot, but don¡¯t you think there¡¯s a good chance they would know something key here? I mean, as much as it unsettles me, you knew from the start this is our best route.¡±


    ¡°Can you confirm anything on that before our meeting starts in the next couple of hours? It¡¯s not like I can bring you in to join us, you know.¡±


    ¡°Let me ring her up some more and I¡¯ll send you the go sign once I finally get a hold of her.¡±


    Lucian pulled up to the same retirement center Sam had visited before as he let Al step out. ¡°How long you in?¡±


    ¡°Enough to visit for a bit, heard he¡¯s doing much better. And, sleep, I guess.¡±


    He gave Al a parting nod before driving off. ¡°He¡¯d better, or I¡¯m about to look quite the fool,¡± he mumbled to himself. ¡°Maybe if he doesn¡¯t follow through I can think of some way to keep it headed that way. Al¡¯s right, little Knight and that boy might be our only realistic way of keeping us in the game from multiple perspectives.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bogota Outskirts, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    A well-visibly marked Hexa cargo liner had been brought to a stop on the railway headed out of town at the final checkpoint station. The cargo containers were beyond oversized, requiring special clearances to guarantee safe passage without incident, forcing any such freight to be brought to a full stop, which also allowed for thorough inspections during its downtime.


    And such an event seemed to take place that night as silent alarms set off were met with a quick response from the security outfits on duty. As several armed PMC units waited with rifles up at the rearmost container, several shouts and signals shouted from within cleared the men to lower their weapons as several detained emerged. Four men with their wrists bound wore plain fatigues with no clear markings whatsoever, not even attempting to cover their faces.


    [That¡¯s all four of the suspects in custody!] the security director shouted from behind the armed security outfit over his communicator upon confirming the capture of the targets. [No doubt they were intent on hijacking this shipment!]


    As the detained were led out by other armed security details, what was behind them became better visible: the load-bearing wheels, tires, and alloy compression padding found unique to the bottom leg units of an Ap50 model LTAC. Production had been on the rise as they saw more and more success and demand for them in the field. And it wasn¡¯t a surprise to the station crew that someone had intent to thieve.


    [Sir, with your permission we¡¯ll run one more scan before it departs,] the head of the detail asked the director as he passed by.


    [Train departs in twenty minutes.]


    [We only need five to ten, sir.]


    [Go ahead, I¡¯ll get these likely Underground bastards tended to,] the director nodded as he walked behind those with the detained.


    And with that, the security detail commander and his remaining men marched back up into the container, and as they hit the opposite end of the car, they found two men standing by the connector door. He nodded with a hand signal, now looking at the one on his right, whose face was revealed to be Adrian¡¯s.


    [Already got the sound disabled. Ready to move on schedule,] Adrian quietly spoke as they all turned for the next connecting car.


    [I¡¯ll have my cover men exit in five,] the director answered in the same volume and tone. [You should¡¯ve offed those two pilots when you had the chance. Now we have to have someone else do it.]


    Adrian nodded once more as he checked over a checklist from Reaper he held in hand. [Speak of me what you wish. As incredibly short lived as it was, with this, none of us work for Rex anymore.]

 Targets Once Again

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Hours later a rainstorm had blown through, thoroughly soaking the whole region well before sunrise. The sounds from the wind howling by and the drops beating against the window panes normally would have deepened the slumber of those inside Renzo¡¯s apartment, but Sam continued to stir uncomfortably in the bed leant to her for the night.


    Sam thought she laid her head to rest just earlier with a clearer head than usual, hopeful the nightmares would be tamed for once. She got no such respite, however, as the oncoming claps of thunder only exacerbated the distant explosions amidst her from-the-cockpit flashbacks and reimagination of panic-laden memories.


    A thud felt intensely enough to wake her from her nightmare and a loud, desperate gasp from her as she awoke also shook Sebastian from his slumber.


    My, my¡­ no, wait! Reality was still halfway lost between here and where she was in her dream as she tried to focus. Where, where¡¯d I put my gun!?


    Sebastian rolled over and opened his eyes to make out Sam sitting upright, trying to catch her breath and gather her bearings despite the near-total darkness of the room.


    ¡°Sam? Are you okay?¡± he mumbled through his drowsiness, reaching to put a comforting arm over her.


    That¡¯s him, isn¡¯t it?!


    ¡°Where¡¯s my¡­,¡± she began mumbling back, still thoroughly unsettled and seemingly disturbed by more than her dream. Her hands continued shuffling through the dark near where the night stand was, finding nothing but her shirt and jeans she laid out earlier.


    ¡°Sam, it¡¯s another bad dream,¡± he continued as he started awakening enough to figure out the futility of her goals. ¡°I¡¯m here. It¡¯s okay. You need to rest.¡±


    ¡°No, no, he¡¯s coming,¡± she fussed under her breath.


    ¡°Who is coming?¡±


    She paid no attention to the question, now standing up from out of the bed and began throwing her clothes back on just in time before the hallway light came on, peering in from under the crack of the door.


    Shit! ¡­ Wait, where am I again?


    [Huh? Renzo?] Sebastian called out, confused by the change in the situation. [Is that you awake?]


    And with a sudden, forceful opening of the door and a switching on of the lights, Renzo quickly stepped in with no regards for their privacy but only after scaring the souls out of both of them. [We have to move, now!]


    Renzo?! But in the next instant, it was like everything came back to her all at once as she finally gained her bearings.


    Renzo then saw Sam standing there as if she were already ready to run, he casually smirked. [I see I didn¡¯t interrupt anything unlike you two,] which then quickly faded back to urgency: [But we need to go! Hurry up!]


    [Wait, why!? What the hell is going on?!] Sebastian blurted out as he too jumped out to get his shirt back on.


    Sam, thinking more clearly now, could understand a few key words to figure out the issue at hand as she reached for her bag. ¡°I told you something was wrong!¡± She fussed loudly this time at Sebastian as she shouldered it, now looking for her shoes. ¡°Renzo, who is it?¡±


    And Renzo easily understood the simple question, reaching down for her shoes to pass to her. ¡°The¡­ Underground is coming to here,¡± he attempted to answer in a serious tone.


    Both Sam and Sebastian naturally paused in shock, but only for a split second before doubling their haste.


    .


    Throwing their bags along with themselves in the back seat of Renzo¡¯s repaired and tactfully modified truck, they waited until they were buckled in to finish their questions.


    ¡°So, how did you find this out?!¡± Sam quickly asked as the truck quickly backed out and took off for the parking building exit, matching the pace at which her heart still pounded. ¡°Who gave the tip?!¡±


    [Kaylen!] Renzo shouted back, keeping all eyes ahead. [She just called me and told us hit the road before they realize we have our own extra set of eyes and ears!]


    Sebastian wasted no time translating, remembering neither had their headsets working without their other equipment. ¡°Kaylen called!¡± He shouted over the roaring of the engine and road noise as the truck now quickly accelerated down the main street. ¡°I think she wants us to leave not just to escape maybe some attack, but to leave before they discover we have outside help!¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    [Hang on!] Renzo added before quickly taking the first turn towards the nearest freeway that would take them southeast and out of town.


    Sam grabbed a hold of the front passenger seat¡¯s headrest until the truck steadied, but was then grabbing a firmer hold once again out of reflex. What shock effect had her and the others shaken soon hit their ears as well as she yelled out.


    [An explosion!?] Sebastian hollered, turning to see the apartment building¡¯s west-facing wall with a fireball extinguishing alongside flung glass and debris.


    [She wasn¡¯t fucking kidding!] Renzo bit down and gripped the steering wheel harder, still not in the clear enough to speed up safely, especially knowing there were some city blocks to clear before hitting the freeway onramp. At least not with passengers aboard. [That means company! Bas, grab my gear bag from under the middle seat!]


    [Got it!] Sebastian answered back, reaching for the handle that lifted up the middle seat bottom, revealing the gear bag tucked tightly in place. And as he started tugging at the handle straps, Sam too reached in to help pull it out. ¡°Thanks! I got it now!¡±


    Sam read the atmosphere enough to start thinking what to do next. ¡°What¡¯s going on now?! Are we being followed?!¡±


    ¡°For them, no trap has no backup plan, yes?!¡± he quickly replied, taking out one short-barreled rifle with a collapsed stock, tossing it to Sam as he pulled out the other similar rifle. [You know what you are doing, I hope!?] he then shouted to Renzo.


    [How do you think Dani and I caught Kaylen in her own backyard?!] Renzo yelled back, both in jest and anxiously as he saw the overhanging street sign pointing to highway six. Pulling up to an empty red-light intersection, he knew he couldn¡¯t slow down. [Almost there, keep your eyes peeled!]


    Just as their truck carefully sped through, a smaller, sleeker SUV came from the green-light side of the intersection and quickly pulled behind them. Both Sebastian and Sam immediately knew the oncoming vehicle¡¯s intent as their minds began racing.


    [Renzo! Got followers!] Sebastian hollered out as he rolled the window down. ¡°Sam, stay low for now! You don¡¯t shoot from your left hand, right?!¡± he continued, advising her out of caution seeing she was on the passenger seat side of the truck.


    Sam could only nod, taking time to swallow her anxiety while fighting to recall only the useful pieces of her memories of the assault she survived back at Infinity Manila¡¯s base. The rifle she held reminded her of the one she used, and after filtering out the operation of it from the memories of the borrowed blood-soaked armor and the screams of pain from every direction, she remembered fighting a jam that one time. She pulled back the charging handle halfway to see it was both moving and there was no round in the chamber, signaling her to finish pulling it back and release it to check once more. There it is. Glad it¡¯s not-


    ***THOCK-THOCK-THOCK-CRACK!!!***


    Her thoughts were interrupted by silenced bullets slamming into their truck and one through the glass, striking the headrest cushion just above Sam¡¯s head, eliciting a quick shriek.


    ¡°Sam! Stay down!¡± Sebastian shouted again as he finished leaning out just enough to fire back as Renzo matched energy, swerving to his right to give him a better firing angle.


    <u>***BDAH! BDAH! BDAH!!!***</u>


    Rang the three pulled shots from his rifle, doing only minimal damage as he missed the windshield.


    Shit! Sam winced and curled up from the violent pops and echoes, her body having almost forgotten how loud the rounds were unsuppressed.


    Sebastian instinctively pulled back and ducked as more rounds came sailing through, this time shattering the center pane of the sectioned rear windshield. Sam took a second to assess her own safety and the condition of both Sebastian and Renzo, and after seeing Sebastian tilt outward to fire again, she realized she had a chance as well.


    That window, I can get a shooting angle!


    [Wait! Hold on!] Renzo shouted, pulling the truck through a hard right, taking a detour headed for the next onramp. [We can¡¯t do this in high-speed traffic!]


    Sam waited for the truck¡¯s tilt to settle while she clicked the safety lever over and tightened her hands around the fore and rear grips, finger off trigger. The instant the truck fully snapped off its body roll, she straightened her back and sat up, shoving the stock into her shoulder. Her left hand tensed to the right, squaring it up with the headlights that now roared into view as she squeezed the trigger.


    <u>***BDA-BDA-BDA-BDA-BDA-BDAH!!!***</u>


    The fully automatic burst¡¯s kick was as hard as it was her last encounter, but this time she felt the pain more intensely, and the lack of flash hider had her eyes sending off similar signals of panic.


    ¡°Shoot slower!¡± Sebastian shouted back as he pulled back inside, watching her crouch back for cover. ¡°You¡¯ll blind yourself!¡±


    ***THOCK-THOCK-THOCK-CRACK!!!***


    ***CRACK-CRACK-CRASH!!!***


    Not only could Sam have a chance to think or focus through the next wave of return fire, she couldn¡¯t hear a single thing he said. More panic set in as she saw his mouth still moving but nothing made sense.


    But her breathing was still unrestricted, only her shoulder hurt, and both of the boys seemed the same, prompting her to fight to find her focus on getting another shot in. Shit, shit, all I can do is do my best or we¡¯re dead!


    The words ¡°shoot slower¡± ran across her head once more, bringing her just enough calm amidst the ruckus to find something productive to focus on. Her finger now knew to limit its pull, swinging back around and pulled her left grip just enough to line up her sight posts just a few ticks above the right headlight from her perspective, giving the trigger one quick squeeze and a release.


    Nothing.


    Nothing changed that instant, nor did anything else register immediately in her mind, encouraging her to focus on one more shot. But something just to the left of her sight post flashed, setting off her reflexes as she squeezed the trigger again. A screech rang out from her as something burned intensely near her right ear as an even louder crack sounded off, prompting her to let go of her grip and drop back to her safer, crouched position, hand over the right side of her head.


    Shit! What the fuck just hit me!?


    ¡°Sam!¡± Sebastian quickly pulled himself back inside to check on her, first making sure to stay low as several more shots fired off, soon followed by sudden darkness. [Um, Renzo?!]


    ***BAM!!!***


    Nothing could be mistaken for the sound of heavy metal impacting with concrete. Knowing the coast might be clear for now, Sebastian rushed over to Sam¡¯s side, still unable to tell what was going on with how dark it was, only able to audibly tell she was in pain. [Renzo!]


    [Whoever hit them, hit them good!] He elated before realizing what Sebastian was hinting toward. [Shit! Hold on!] he continued, flipping the rear dome lights on. [She okay!?]

 That Name...

    ¡°Sam, where are you hurt!?¡± Sebastian hurried to find what Sam was covering with her hands, finding the area around her right ear smeared in blood. ¡°Sam¡­¡± He then saw a chunk of the top of her ear lobe missing.


    Sam was slow to calm down through it all. Shit! Whatever that was, it burns like hell! But she did realize how much calmer the truck¡¯s motion was all of the sudden.


    ¡°Are they gone?¡± She first asked before noticing the throbbing pain starting to kick in.


    Sebastian looked around for something to apply pressure with, unable to do much in the dark. [Renzo! Any cloth or something? A bullet tagged her!]


    [Dig under where you pulled out that bag! I should have a change of shirts and shit there.] He then noticed a new set of headlights roar into view in his rearview mirror as his eyes too lit up. [Heads up! More company!]


    [Damn it!] Sebastian seethed, finally grabbing onto what felt like a shirt and tossed it to Sam. ¡°Push this on your ear! And stay down!¡±


    Rgh! I can¡¯t be going through this again! Sam wanted to shout out through the pain, but instead used the frustration and fear to keep the cloth firmly against her head.


    [I¡¯ll take us around the block one more time! Can you lose them?!] Renzo barked, keeping his eyes trained on the road through the thoroughly crack-laden windshield and the nonstop pelting of hot raindrops.


    [You got any spare mags?] Sebastian called back, awaiting the truck¡¯s turn to finish out before starting to take aim out of the window.


    ¡°Take what¡¯s left of mine!¡± Sam offered, using her free left hand to toss her rifle towards his end of the cabin. She couldn¡¯t see his face well, but she could read the desperation in the air. Her hand then wandered back into the bag, feeling around for either extra magazines or anything else that might be of help.


    [Make that two incoming!] Renzo added to the despair, noting a second pair of headlights rush into view. [Sorry, that¡¯s all I have!] His hands gripped the wheel harder as he too started succumbing to the mood. Nowhere to stop, nowhere to find help, and now the rain was nothing more than a mockery of their attempt. [Shit! Come on!] He roared out futility, speeding beyond the scope of sanity. [Bas! Headed for the highway! Save your ammo for when they pull up!]


    Sebastian took the moment to think of anything else possible to stave off the oncoming assault, wiping his rain-soaked hands dry before taking a firm grip once more.


    Sam remembered the pistol she kept stowed in her bag, now reaching for it. And then came the sounds that had her reeling in panic once more:


    ***THOCK-THOCK-CRACK-CRACK!!***


    ¡°Augh!¡± Screamed out Sebastian as his grip including his trigger finger tightened painfully.


    <u>***BDA-BDA-BDA-BDA-BDAH!!!***</u>


    Fired the rifle almost haplessly toward the truck in chase before he instinctively released it, letting it drop to the seat below as Renzo swerved upon the bullet narrowly missing his hand, hitting the windshield just in front of him.


    Shit! Fuck!


    Sam opened her eyes and took her hands off of her ears, recognizing that voice. ¡°Sebastian!¡± She darted for him while trying to stay down as low as she could, eyeing for where he was hurt.


    [Shit- Bas! Tell me you¡¯re okay, brother!] Renzo added in as he stepped on the accelerator, knowing they were defenseless now.


    Sam saw Sebastian grabbing for his left upper arm where a passing set of street lights lit up an opened hole that seeped blood seemingly from both sides.


    No, no, Sebastian¡­!!!


    And as her face flashed white from memories of seeing something similar- the time she watched Taneesha Sur take a bullet to the neck and fall to the floor while trying to do something in the same vein as Sebastian- his continued groaning in pain shook her from it.


    ***THOCK-THOCK-THOCK!!!***


    Continued the onslaught in spaces.


    Taking the cloth he handed her earlier while keeping her head down, she quickly stretched it out and started to wrap it, instead focusing on a memory that would serve as useful. ¡°I got you! Hang in there!¡±


    No way we go down like this¡­ come on, hurry up Sam and get back in the fight!


    Renzo seemingly joined in on her thoughts in deepened despair, punching the accelerator to the floor as he saw the last intersection leading to the onramp. [Argh, come on! We are NOT going out like this! Gonna have to earn this one, motherfuckers!]


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The raw emotions of her own now mixed with Sebastian¡¯s and Renzo¡¯s as she too cried out amidst the roar of the engine and the beating down of the rain on her neck: ¡°Please! Somebody make them stop!¡±


    ***BANG!!***


    Sam instinctively let go of her knot work and squeezed Sebastian tight, letting out a yelp as the headlights that illuminated the cabin suddenly went dark. Her heart stopped as if Renzo just hit a pole or something worse, but the car¡¯s momentum didn¡¯t change over the next passing eternal second.


    ***CRACK!!*** ¨C ***<u>BAM!!!***</u>


    It wasn¡¯t them that took the hit in timing with the deafening ruckus, but she immediately felt the brakes kick in as the truck began to skid.


    Renzo had just noticed the same thing and followed his gut instinct, slamming the brake pedal and trying his hardest to keep the truck tracking straight.


    <u>***BAM-CLANG-BAM!!!***</u>


    Sam didn¡¯t let go of Sebastian and he didn¡¯t let go of her until the truck came to a safe but unnerving stop. Her head however refused to lift up, still unsure of her surroundings.


    What in the world just¡­ ¡°Renzo! What the hell was that?!¡±


    But the instant she asked that, she heard his door opened and could tell he took off running toward the incident. ¡°Hey! Wait!¡±


    [Renzo!] Sebastian yanked the handle open and ignored the pain in his left arm, sliding out, and almost collapsing from the combination of the slippery road surface and his inability to keep balance from the panic.


    ¡°Careful!¡± It was Sam¡¯s hand that helped keep him upright as she jumped down with him. ¡°Wait!¡± She pulled with one arm as she reached for her pistol she tried to get earlier. Feeling at least safe enough to run out after Renzo, she kept it at the ready as the two jogged behind, noting Renzo also had his pistol out in one hand but with a flashlight in the other. It was one thing to keep pace while not slipping on the asphalt, but it was another for the two of them to do it while trying to push through the pain.


    They ran up on an overturned truck and another buried into the side of the highway offramp¡¯s concrete wall. And as Renzo¡¯s light illuminated two unconscious passengers in the one truck, something about the overturned truck¡¯s monstrous, oddly decorated brush-guard had him shaken.


    And Sebastian quickly noticed it as well as the two both yelled out in unison: [Dani!!]


    [No, I¡¯ll check her! You two check the other truck!] Renzo waved Sebastian off before tearing off for the driver side of the flipped truck.


    He¡¯s right, Sam tried to think on her feet, grabbing Sebastian by his right arm and giving it a tug. If there¡¯s still a threat, we have to quash it this instant while we have a chance or we could all die! ¡°Sebastian! Hurry!¡± She finally felt him give way, letting go of his arm to take a proper hold of her pistol with both hands, coming to a slow, careful pace once she neared the shattered side windows of the other truck. She noted the paint was newer, and so was the appearance of the model. This is no television terrorist getup. Who the hell was this? No signs of activity allowed her closer, peering in to see both heads slumped over the dash.


    Sebastian crept up beside her to check for the rise and fall of their shoulders. ¡°They¡¯re alive,¡± he spoke up quietly. He turned to see no one alarmed by the incident to check on the scene, either because of the storm or because it wasn¡¯t near enough for anyone to think much of it. Turning back to Sam, he motioned her to give him the pistol.


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked back quietly but conveyed with obvious confusion.


    Ignoring her question, he took it and proceeded to place a single shot through each of their heads as she painfully swallowed her scream and shock, once again with her hands up near her head. ¡°Sebastian! What the fuck!?¡±


    ¡°They wanted to kill us.¡± He slowly let his arm down, shaking his head. ¡°Why should I let them live? After you¡­ me¡­ my brother and sister were going to die first?¡±


    Sam couldn¡¯t react, frozen by both the cold act of murder but also by his point. She also saw how much emotion he must have been holding back just now, electing to let him do what he needed to without triggering anything unnecessary. I guess¡­ I guess if the shoe was on my foot, I would¡¯ve felt the same¡­


    He then reached through the broken window to unlock the door, opening it as one arm fell limp to the side. He passed the pistol back to her, reaching over to the man¡¯s wrist and picked it up as he glanced across both sides of his arm. He dropped it, now pushing the man¡¯s head back and looked for something around his neck.


    This time, Sam really couldn¡¯t tell what was going on. ¡°What are you¡­¡±


    [Look for the left wrist,] Renzo spoke out from behind the two. Sam and Sebastian both turned to see him holding Dani up, seeming fully conscious but unable to tell her condition. [Kaylen said if we ever come across shit like this, check for the left wrist.]


    He then reached in farther to take a hold of the left hand that still clutched the foregrip of a short rifle, gently prying it free before pulling it toward him. He inspected both sides, noting mostly tattoos of typical fashion but then spotted one that didn¡¯t seem to fit. [I see a Bishop¡¯s piece marked on him.]


    ¡°Bishop¡­¡± Renzo spat, using the English wording for it emphatically. [That¡¯s who Kaylen said to look out for these days. Shit,] he seethed, kicking the pavement below him.


    Sebastian tossed the arm back in disgust, still holding back stronger emotions he felt were about to take the better of him and turned to see Dani was already tended to not only by Renzo¡¯s supporting shoulder but Sam already giving her a thorough look-over.


    [Let¡¯s get in the truck,] Renzo ordered as he got his thoughts together, passing his sister to Sebastian so they could exchange a semblance of a greeting despite the horrible situation. [We¡¯re no good sitting out here in the open. We gotta keep moving.]


    ¡°Thank you, Cruella,¡± Dani weakly replied with a smile to Sam as she shook her head. ¡°I will be okay. It¡¯s a big problem I see,¡± she then added with a wince and a laugh. ¡°A big problem. I saw Renzo¡¯s message, says¡­ I should run, but I came to chase after, and now I hear ¡®Bishop¡¯¡­¡±


    Sam gave a pat on her shoulder in return but couldn¡¯t help but ask to the group: ¡°So, wait, what is- er, who¡¯s Bishop?¡±


    ¡°A¡­ it¡¯s a¡­ Very new group,¡± Renzo struggled to answer but strongly felt he couldn¡¯t leave her in the dark as they all limbered back to the truck. ¡°We ah¡­ hate the Rocha, but¡­ this Bishop is ah¡­ maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°I hear stories while you gone, Bas, and Cruella,¡± Dani added wearily. ¡°Argentina is coming for to take the SAU. Bishop is their power, and Renzo hears Reaper is a new leader.¡±


    Sam¡¯s heart had already started beating faster the moment Renzo had such a serious point to convey to her he put forth the effort to do it in her language, but now her heart nearly stopped.


    That name.


    There it was again coming at the heels of near losses of those close to her.

 Leap of Faith Required

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Hexa Central HQ, Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Lucian stepped into his private office, brow in a full sweat and bags under his eyes. It was evident when he picked up Al earlier he was running low on energy, making it clear he hadn¡¯t slept a wink the whole night before. Closing the door, he pulled out his personal mobile and connected it to his earpiece, answering the incoming call.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have called at a better time, Knight,¡± he wearily answered. ¡°I need your contacts- I won¡¯t ask you to do work for us but at least give me ways to find your daughter.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®find my daughter¡¯?¡± Al firmly questioned.


    ¡°She ran out before our comms went full blank. Jammers went up not long after the storm blew through, complete cloud blockage- Al, we¡¯re fucked. We lost all LACOM capabilities, ground network is fuzzed, and on top of all that, and I mean right before our connections went dead, the older Navarre¡¯s informant got some warning and he along with Samantha and the little brother took off. We can only assume they¡¯re being chased.¡±


    ¡°So, she went missing, and you called me first even though you didn¡¯t even try to contact any of the contacts I did give you earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°No, Al, no I didn¡¯t. How the hell can I right here and right now?¡± Lucian huffed in surrender. ¡°We just lost a whole damned freighter full of new Ap50¡¯s on its way to the capital there, all suspected to be Underground terrorists again¡­ and you want me to suggest we-¡±


    ¡°-Right, right. Fuck it all, I¡¯ll do it myself,¡± Al scorned. ¡°You can¡¯t put yourself in that position, I get it. You¡¯ll end up like me.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lucian put his foot back down after gathering some energy. ¡°You were right earlier, and I need to utilize our resources with your contacts. Just give me a local name that isn¡¯t Tyrus. I can¡¯t waste time on hoping he might have some magical hand to offer.¡±


    Al paused, hesitating to use names over any line. ¡°You know what, I¡¯ll send it to you. It was the only name I got from the remnants of the Galiano family the other day. Get it to Vrey, and I bet you¡¯ll get everyone back. In the meantime, I¡¯ll pull some strings myself.¡±


    ¡°I have most of the board behind me. I¡¯ll get it done.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lucian. I¡¯ll be available the rest of the day- just finished¡­ tying a few newer loose ends. Call the second you know something, and same for myself.¡±


    And as Lucian hung up and put his mobile away, he turned for the door and grabbed a document folder on his way out. It¡¯s not that I care that much about him nor have I ever. I just hate the thought of seeing someone who doesn¡¯t deserve it to go through a loss like I have.


    .


    Entering the board meeting room, he returned to a tense atmosphere as all board members seated at the table remained locked in a communication hearing as other staff scurried about with matching intensity. Vincent stood at his spot, speaking over the line.


    ¡°These,¡± Lucian spoke quietly as not to disturb too much, placing the folder on the table. ¡°That¡¯s the correspondence.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lucian,¡± Vincent started up as he put a hand over his headset, looking toward him. ¡°You might not need those files after all, listen in.¡±


    Confused, he quickly took his seat and reset his earpiece to the table¡¯s secure channel.


    ¡°Now, Mrs. Rodgers,¡± Vincent continued back where he left off. ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t trust your intentions, but we won¡¯t just hand over our most valued pilots to Enrai. We need more information so that we can at least align our movements.¡±


    What?! Enrai? Kaylen Rodgers?! She¡¯s connected with the Underground cell in southeastern SAU?! What did I just miss?!


    ¡°This IS about the safety of your precious pilots, you imbecile! Listen to yourself!¡± He heard Kaylen bark back. ¡°I won¡¯t out myself for the hell of it! This is the only way to get them safe passage since they¡¯ve been compromised, damn it!¡±


    How in the ever-living¡­ He shuffled his focus around to find where he last jotted notes, seeing the previous conversation was supposed to focus on Renzo Navarre¡¯s informant. Holy¡­ Kaylen Rodgers was the informant!? It now dawned on him why his colleagues seemed as dead as he was earlier now looked like they had new life breathed into them.


    Kaylen continued in that same breath: ¡°Jamming didn¡¯t go up until right after I told Navarre to run! No telling if they¡¯re even still alive!¡±


    ¡°We understand that situation!¡± Vincent roared back, unwilling to accept such insubordination. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with you later since you are in quite the violation with our contracted agreements, but we do NOT deal openly and directly with the Underground!¡±


    ¡°Tell that to Samantha Knight herself! Tyrus is why she¡¯s still alive!¡± Kaylen continued, unfazed. ¡°Listen, damn it! I don¡¯t give a shit right now about your authority or my contract agreement!¡±


    Reading the air, Lucian got a bad feeling growing rapidly in his gut. No, no, I have to do something about this. He switched on his mic and interrupted: ¡°Mrs. Rodgers, this is Rafael Lucian speaking.¡± He paid no attention to the ire he drew from Vincent as he continued. ¡°What can you guarantee if we agree to pass her on to Enrai?¡±


    Kaylen quickly changed her tone back to a more serious one. ¡°I know of a Colombia-side agent in the vicinity who can extract them- just give us your word you won¡¯t intercept or retaliate!¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Lucian¡¯s eyes narrowed. This isn¡¯t a damn negotiation this a plea for permission to save Knight¡¯s daughter! He then cleared his throat, knowing there was no turning back after saying what his mind prepared that instant. I had been noticing how much each operation turns sour without anyone having the damned guts to make tough decisions ever since Knight left. Let me pull a page from his book for once since no one else will!


    ¡°All we need, then,¡± Lucian replied with staunch resolution, ¡°is a guarantee Samantha Knight and her team can make daily communications with us through their encrypted channels and we will guarantee no interference from Hexa as whole!¡±


    His peers¡¯ reactions were that of shock, but yet mixed with enthusiasm. These were the words they appeared to want to say but not with the pressure they were under to stick to corporate policy.


    Vincent was of course mightily offended. ¡°Did something else happen on your little trip to your office that I need to know about, Mr. Lucian?¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, sir!¡± He quickly and unwaveringly rebutted. ¡°Infinity¡¯s presence is undeniably thin between the valleys! Inner city forces there don¡¯t have many boots to put on the ground, jamming runs from there to Medellin, and the next to nearest bases are either overseas or on the Atlantic Coast!¡± He felt similar energy emanating from behind him as he continued: ¡°Our whole operation is toast if we don¡¯t have our most apt and flight-ready pilots all in on this, AND if we lose them to terrorists, the corporation¡¯s reputation will be largely at stake!¡±


    ¡°And who the bloody hell wants Knight against us this time around?!¡± His colleague Mugen added. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to just HOPE something works this time!¡±


    Thank God someone else is speaking up on this! Lucian looked back at the screen without exchanging glances with Vincent. ¡°Any more convincing evidence for proof we can trust Enrai? We must act quickly but we can¡¯t be careless, if you understand!¡±


    ¡°Does the name Reaper ring a bell?!¡± Kaylen added as the collective attention snapped towards her, including Vincent¡¯s. ¡°He¡¯s in Argentina somewhere as we speak! There is no other entity who would be this hell-bent on wiping her off the map before she can continue to be a threat! Do you get the urgency now?!¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Vincent strongly hesitated but ultimately bowed in defeat. ¡°But don¡¯t take these coming concessions as our future willingness to open more doors for cooperation. We have no choice in the matter here with so many key operatives at risk-¡±


    ¡°-We don¡¯t have time for that, now, do we?!¡± Kaylen cut him off bluntly with grave concern. ¡°If this means we are clear to send a nearby field unit to them we will do just that!¡±


    Vincent took in a breath, holding back for lack of a better approach. ¡°Do what you can, Mrs. Rodgers. Have your superior open contact with us as soon as they can so we can better set up negotiations.¡±


    ¡°And just for the record, Mr. Vrey,¡± Kaylen added with a sharp accent on his uttered name, ¡°Enrai just so happens to be at war¡¯s door with Bishop over their recent moves and their picking up of Reaper. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s about to happen, but don¡¯t get any wrong ideas.¡±


    The communications closed, prompting each member to pursue the next items of urgency. ¡°You heard her,¡± Lucian spoke up to the table. ¡°That¡¯s Reaper we can start tracking much more quickly as we also knock out securing little Knight¡¯s group¡¯s safety.¡± He then turned to see Vincent strangely headed off to his room without a word.


    It¡¯s rare to see him bow out of his stance, but is this Reaper character really the bane of his existence or what? I was sure he wouldn¡¯t budge. I¡¯d better talk to Knight again if I can break free. He¡¯s the only one up here who knows Vrey well enough.


    And as he got back to focusing on his own tasks at hand, he didn¡¯t let the thought of any threat of losing his position get the best of him after seeing it¡¯d likely be the whole board to be cut if any single member did catch heat.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bogota Outskirts, Colombia</li>


    </ul>


    [Pull over at the nearest hospital,] Dani called to Renzo from the backseat as she tended to Sebastian¡¯s gunshot wound. [This isn¡¯t good. He¡¯s going to keep bleeding.]


    [Still no signal, no way to contact Infinity,] Renzo grumbled, driving slowly but steadily back into town. His eyes constantly checked his mirror, still spooked from the earlier attack.


    Sam looked down at the floorboard, reeling from the effects once again of the energy crash that followed an immense and prolonged surge of adrenaline. She couldn¡¯t pick much out of the request other than the word ¡°hospital,¡± assuming what she meant. She remembered tying his arm but knew it couldn¡¯t do much beyond slow the inevitable. She turned to him once more, seeing how much more blood-soaked the cloth had become, drawing deeper concern from her.


    ¡°Hang in there.¡±


    Dani, noticing now with the passing street lights illuminating the cabin despite the rain and the cracks on the windshield, how reddened Sam¡¯s right shoulder was from the blood that ran down earlier. ¡°You look bad, too,¡± she returned with her own concern.


    Renzo knew he had to follow along but nothing sat well with him regardless. [But what do we do with no way to communicate with anyone? We are sitting ducks no matter where we go!] He then saw Sam spacing out again, knowing it wasn¡¯t her intention but still he knew they had to have all their heads together for this. [Bas! Come on, brother! Speak for the girl!]


    Sebastian was feeling woozy himself, shaking together some energy to speak. ¡°Sam, we have to go to the hospital, but we don¡¯t know if we are safe even at the hospital. How can we talk to Infinity with no radio?¡±


    Sam knew it wasn¡¯t good news they spoke of since getting back in the truck. ¡°Right, no radio¡­ shit, I don¡¯t think we can do anything.¡± Her mind wandered for a few moments as was the same for the others, but then a realization hit her. ¡°Wait, Sebastian, ask Renzo how Kaylen got a hold of him, er, how she warned him.¡±


    [Renzo, how did Kaylen contact you?]


    Renzo shrugged. [The line got jammed right after. She called me like anyone else would. Why?]


    ¡°Stop the car,¡± Sam suddenly insisted as she started grabbing for her bag. ¡°Stop for one minute.¡±


    Renzo got the message enough, confused yet willing to see what she had in mind with no one having much to lose. [What happened?]


    She fished out her communicator, much against her initial desires as she would have to explain a lot to Sebastian, but this she thought how this was literally a life-or-death situation. ¡°She never gave you this.¡± The three looked on in further confusion as Sam then reached out to Renzo. ¡°Tu celular, por favor.¡±


    [Alright, I guess?] He passed her his mobile once he put the truck in park just behind a dumpster near an empty parking lot. [Here.]


    She then remembered one more detail, as she pointed to her ears in a motion that signaled ear pieces, translating well enough to get him to do as such. She put one in and clicked her communicator, feeling her heart start to speed up and felt more tense but more energized by the hope she may have struck gold. ¡°Please work,¡± she muttered to herself while the other three looked on in continued confusion.


    A click and a pop sound came over her borrowed earpiece a few times, getting her hopes up before a lengthy silence had her shoulders slumped. ¡°Shit¡­ come on¡­¡±


    Then, the truck speakers softly clicked and popped a few times, startling everyone. A soft hum soon followed as eyes darted back and forth.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to get a call from you this soon, especially all the way from Colombia, Samantha,¡± spoke the distorted yet soothing voice Sam hadn¡¯t heard in quite some time. And as surprised as the other three were, they were even more surprised by Sam¡¯s appearing to be completely fine with the situation.


    ¡°I assume you need assistance. Do you need to reach someone?¡±

 Leap of Faith Required, Part 2

    ¡°Yes, we do!¡± Sam quickly responded with an intense sigh of relief immediately afterwards.


    ¡°Sam, who is that?!¡± She heard Sebastian ask from behind, but held her tongue just in case, showing him a ¡°wait¡± finger and a pleading expression.


    ¡°Sir, please, I know you probably can¡¯t do anything about it but we are being hunted, my partners are injured, our vehicle is compromised, and the entire area is under active jamming!¡±


    ¡°Are you not in your LTAC?¡±


    LTAC¡­ My Axiom, she thought as her mind wandered that instant to what always made her feel like she could stand up to anything coming her way. It was always the one thing she could control despite how chaotic any situation may have gotten. It¡¯s scary to think I don¡¯t have anything anymore¡­


    ¡°¡­No, no we are in a truck.¡±


    Some tense silence followed, sucking some of the hope from Sam¡¯s lungs before Tyrus finally replied: ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are in Colombia, but I think I know who you are dealing with. I am on good terms with some in your area, but I am also unwilling to cross Bishop for the time being. If you are in his sights, I may not be able to do anything.¡±


    Renzo followed the dialogue best he could, picking up the biggest keyword in Bishop. [Bas, you knew Cruella had Underground connections?!]


    Sebastian had already heard the details many times how Sam was aided by Tyrus¡¯ Underground as well as how Devin and Tricky saved her life, but it was never revealed exactly how. [Well, yes, to a small extent but not this much!]


    ¡°Are you safe?¡± The voice popped back in.


    ¡°Not for long, I don¡¯t think,¡± Sam responded with more of her hope dissipating. ¡°We really need to get to a hospital. Do you think we are safe to keep moving?¡±


    Another long pause had Renzo itching to move. [We can¡¯t just sit here!] He then turned to Sebastian, looking at his wrapped wound, noting how much blood he had lost. [No, we-]


    ¡°Stay put. Samantha, listen, stay put. Lights off. You have company.¡±


    Wait! What?!


    Everyone in the cabin was silenced by the ominous advice as adrenaline started to pump once more. And soon after the radio speakers crackled before disconnecting, sucking the last bit of hope from within Sam as she slowly passed Renzo back his mobile and earpiece. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know if¡­¡± she started whispering as her eyes darted around. She couldn¡¯t see with the rain and the cracked glass, and no lighting had her heart rate skyrocketing again. ¡°Maybe we should go.¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± Renzo hissed as he leaned back in his seat to take out his pistol, then held still with a finger in the air. [Listen, I hear tires.]


    The four all froze, and even though Sam couldn¡¯t determine what he was pointing out, she could read the room enough to keep her mouth shut. And not after long she too could hear the approaching sound of tires on wet pavement, but it was a slow approach.


    Is that local traffic? Dani and Sebastian both aren¡¯t moving. She then eyed her bag but was too afraid to move. Shit, please be local traffic. Please please be-


    The vehicles that rolled up rather quickly must have been coasting in unpowered as they barely made a sound, which was why the subsequent banging of metal from both sides of their truck had them all jump in shock.


    [Hands up!] a voice shouted from outside as blinding lights beamed in from inside the other vehicles that pinned them down with their opened doors.


    [Weapons down,] Renzo hissed as he was the first to put his up, squinting, trying to make out the men approaching.


    Sam instinctively followed suit as both Sebastian and Dani kept theirs up. The four¡¯s collective heart beats were seemingly audible despite the rain and the footsteps and the choking fear was palpable.


    Shit, at least let this just be another kidnapping and not what I hope it is. Sam¡¯s hands and feet started quivering uncontrollably as images of the executions she heard of back from her last stint in Bogota flashed across her mind. As far as she could tell, those were the same Rocha men outside.


    [Mouth closed, don¡¯t say a word,] spoke the man just outside Renzo¡¯s window, pistol and flashlight pointed now just below his face.


    Renzo reopened his eyes, and once the fuzziness and the sharp brightness cleared, his eyes widened with a completely different purpose. [Ro¡¯?] He whispered.


    [I said mouth closed!] He angrily shouted back but with a cocking of his head, a smirk, and a wink. [Keep hands where we can see them! Out of the truck and get down on the ground! All of you!]


    But as soon as Sam was forcefully coaxed out of her seat, she was quickly pulled away into the vehicle next to her along with Renzo as the two were tossed in rather roughly. ¡°Sebastian!¡± She cried out before a hand went around her mouth from behind. Panic began to set in as she watched Sebastian and Dani dragged into the truck opposite from them, but something about not only their completely calm demeanor.


    Why aren¡¯t they resisting?! Why is everyone okay with this?!


    But with a turn to her right she noticed Renzo¡¯s similar aura, and that last look had her convinced enough to let go of her fight.


    They all must know something I don¡¯t. Maybe the more I kick the worse I make it. She then forced herself to calm down as the hand was pulled away while the others swiftly took their seats without a word.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    .


    .


    From a distance, a pair of men in camouflaged jackets watched the scene from their oculars using their enhanced night vision and audio enhancements. [What in the¡­ who in the hell?] One of them mumbled aloud in between the bangs of thunder.


    [Bender, this is Bright, our target just got intercepted by an unidentified cell,] the other spoke into a communicator. [¡­No, we can¡¯t get a visual ID on their faces, but we heard their voices. They¡¯re local¡­ No, no markings.] He then zoomed out as the intercepting trucks finished loading their hostages, backed away, and pulled out of the parking lot in a hurry.


    [Who do we pass this to? We only have one car in pursuit left, and I counted six well-armed men.]


    The other put his oculars down and shook his head. [Damn it, they¡¯re headed south of town. Tell Bender if we don¡¯t lift the jamming we can¡¯t track them out of our range.]


    [No,] he calmly responded as he put away his communicator and turned to their makeshift tent. [He said let them go. Chances are high it¡¯s Rocha activity, and we aren¡¯t in control of them within their territory.]


    .


    .


    [We¡¯re secure,] spoke the driver of the truck that took Sam and Renzo hostage.


    Or so it seemed, as Renzo quickly shouted out from the backseat: [Ro¡¯! Where have you been!?]


    Sam could hear his enthusiasm as she turned to look at the driver who just pulled down the cloth covering the lower half of his face. She felt as if she had seen him before.


    And it hit her. It was the small pot-looking cup filled with what she thought was grass. That horribly potent smell. The face that drank from it like it was coffee. That face was his. Just like they were all back together at the break room at the Galiano Family compound.


    Wait, WHAT?!


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing here?!¡±


    [Hey, Cruella, long time!] he turned back to face the road as to not cause a scene accidentally regardless of how empty the roads were.


    [Why didn¡¯t you say something sooner, you son of a bitch!] Renzo fussed with a disappointed but relieved shake of his head. [Had us all freaking out! Why the kidnapping act?!]


    [Y¡¯all¡¯s friend Emilia said you were in trouble!] The driver quickly answered back. [Our policy is to assume everyone is watching everything and we never show our hand!]


    Sam was quickly reminded of her first day stuck in Bogota, having to survive a swirl of rapidly changing situations along with not understanding a single word flying around her head. What the hell are they even going on about!? Was that him for real? This is just like back then- I hate being left out like this! ¡°Hey, I¡¯m still here!¡±


    Renzo realized his folly, but anyone in his shoes would have gotten as distracted. [Yo, she doesn¡¯t have any translation tools right now,] he spoke before facing her to try to explain: ¡°Listen! He is¡­ he is friend Rodrigo! Remember?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but why is he doing this?! Why is HE here?!¡±


    Renzo remembered she had given him back his mobile as he passed it to her. ¡°Here.¡± [Use the translation tool like before.]


    She quickly took it as the two continued conversing amidst the still-ongoing rain and thunder.


    [So how did you end up with this outfit!?] Renzo continued, still with so many questions.


    [Long story, bro¡¯, but we gotta get you all safe first,] Rodrigo responded as the air finally grew calmer. [At least in here you are safe until we get to our ship outta here.]


    [And when you said Emilia¡­ you mean Kaylen, right?] Renzo asked as he straightened back up, looking out the back window. [Hey, wait! Where are the others going?!]


    Rodrigo waved the concern off with a reassuringly firm response: [They need medical treatment, right!? I sent them to a secure facility and will meet up with us tomorrow some time! Don¡¯t worry, man! When we get in the air we can contact them, alright?]


    Renzo was content with that one aspect but still unnerved by the rest. [Yeah, mind telling me what¡¯s really going on? Glad it¡¯s you and not those gun crazy bastards but shit man I got too many questions!]


    [Listen, I gotta keep my communicator up and open so let me keep this quick for now,] Rodrigo started, knowing he had to keep it brief. [You all will be under our watch, Enrai¡¯s watch, until everything settles down. And in the meantime, since everyone¡¯s a pilot, we might have to use you if shit hits the fan. And lemme tell you, bro, as we speak¡­ dudes from Bishop are hijacking a whole fucking Ap50 shipment right here in town. And it¡¯s not even a shot fired, just stolen under Hexa¡¯s noses!]


    What!? An Ap50 outfit?! Sam knew what that entailed, guessing the worst. Those things have been shipping eight per order! Whatever this Bishop faction is, why am I only just now hearing of it?! Was it related to the ones attacking Bogota before!?


    [Shit¡­] Renzo closed his eyes in disbelief. [No wonder you guys were already nearby on alert.] He then put a hand on Sam¡¯s shoulder in a reassuring fashion. [Look, Cruella, I never did properly thank you for helping save us earlier. So, thanks.]


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sam awkwardly started, caught completely off guard and not ready to respond properly. The communications between Rodrigo and the other end of the line helped fill in the silence, but she felt even more thrown off being more acknowledged than expected. At least that was how she felt based on past experiences, biased or not. ¡°We uh, we all do what we can to survive.¡±


    [And you helped keep ¡®Bas alive for so long- I mean, I never pictured you sticking around for the long haul like this,] he continued with a smile as he took back his hand. [Thank you for that, too. I was wrong about you. I guess I¡­ really need to apologize for being kind of rude to you before. Hell, you even took a bullet for us it seems,] he added, noticing the trail of blood that had soaked into her shirt. Her hair covered her ear, but he knew what had happened.


    ¡°I¡­ well,¡± Sam started with furthered awkwardness. It hit her just how many genuine exchanges of various natures since coming to Earth, and all of them continued through even now in such crazy times. ¡°I was wrong about you and Dani, too. We are all alive thanks to each of us helping one another. I didn¡¯t realize how good of team you all are despite the odds.¡±


    [Don¡¯t forget yourself,] Renzo finished with a bump of his fist on her arm. [Look, we¡¯re pretty damn sure that was my apartment they blew up earlier. We got nowhere to run or stay but wherever it is Rodrigo takes us. We¡¯re stuck together regardless, so like it or not we¡¯re definitely an official team, now, right?]


    A team¡­


    Sam remembered the day she started getting feelings for Sebastian all those months back. It was he who told her those same words about being a team.


    I have to realize they are brothers who raised each other. If one turned out alright, it makes sense the others were right there all along.


    ¡°Right,¡± Sam returned with a smile of her own.


    [Hey, Ren,] Rodrigo spoke up again from the front. [We¡¯re almost there. And by the way, did you ever get any signal throughout the jamming?]


    Renzo straightened back up. [No, I knew that had to be it. Once we ran out of the apartment building we¡¯ve been radio deaf since. Why?]


    [I think the guys chasing you are trying to pinpoint us now, but to avoid that we have to extend our own scramblers. Hope Hexa isn¡¯t assuming the worst with you three.]


    [Bishop?]


    [Again, we can¡¯t confirm anything but that¡¯s our best guess.] The truck then came to a stop near an expansive, open field with only more trees and mountains in the backdrop. They pulled up next to a hover shuttle that sized near a smaller city bus, and several men stood guard outside. [We¡¯re here. I¡¯ll hope to catch you sometime soon, bro¡¯,] Rodrigo turned to speak as he held a fist up.


    [You not coming with us?!] Renzo fussed as he bumped fists before unbuckling his seatbelt.


    [I can¡¯t. At least not yet. Still working on something here with our Bogota outfit and those Bishop boys are kinda¡¯ at the center of it all, you know. You were just a quick detour for us,] Rodrigo responded with a wink. [Stay safe!]

 Leap of Faith Required, Part 3

    Sam took her seat as instructed, sitting window-side near the back row by the exit hatches and behind around a half dozen armed men.


    [Yeah, they stopped trying to follow us miles back,] one of them spoke, although it naturally went over her head.


    [They¡¯re too busy for us, anyway. Good for us, huh?] The other casually joked back.


    The atmosphere was relatively lax, much in contrast to earlier, and it was much easier to breathe both mentally and physically than earlier through her two car trips. She used the towel she was given earlier to dry her hair and wrap around her shoulders as she felt another nudge from Renzo as he sat next to her.


    ¡°Is a long travel,¡± he spoke to her with continued effort to communicate around the barrier, holding out his earpiece set. ¡°You can¡­ you can sleep with music.¡±


    A smile popped up again without thought, but took into consideration the kind notion. ¡°Thanks¡­ gracias, pero¡­¡± How do you say it again¡­ Damn it, hold on¡­ ¡°Pero yo no¡­¡± She felt her face growing hot through the struggle, hoping he could be patient while she fumbled through her limited, far away vocabulary. Oh, yeah. ¡°Yo no puedo dormir.¡±


    Renzo did in fact wait, holding back a chuckle as he took out his mobile to place on the extended tray in front of her. [I like that you are still trying to learn our language,] he spoke into the translator as his message came up on screen. [Like I was saying earlier, I¡¯m glad Bas has you around for him. He¡¯s been needing someone more stubborn than him,] he added with a heartier chuckle. [But in all seriousness.] He then realized how exhausted even he was, but saw it in her eyes she still had way too much on her mind which explained what she meant earlier by not being able to sleep. [Are you going to be okay?] He asked as the shuttle gently but expeditiously lifted off.


    She was wondering the same thing. Was the failed assassination attempt one and done, or would the chase continue? Where was Sebastian? Was he really alright to be left with the others? When could she get in touch with anyone she needed to?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but nothing¡¯s going right¡­ even with me and Sebastian¡¯s time off we tried to enjoy. And I see it¡¯s dragged you fully into it. Sorry.¡±


    Renzo pondered a response, feeling a bit guilty momentarily as he was the one who invited the two back to Bogota. But he also knew this was likely inevitable. [You know, we¡¯re after the same person regardless.] He had Sam¡¯s sudden and uncomfortable attention, and it wasn¡¯t the sudden uptick in turbulence from the updrafts the shuttle ran through. [No one needs to be sorry. At least temporarily, this is our life, isn¡¯t it?] He wasn¡¯t content with bringing up Reaper as a topic, but that too in his mind was inevitable, given the circumstances.


    Shit, does he know about Isaiah¡¯s identity!? ¡°What do you know about him?¡±


    [Well,] he shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back, looking up at the ceiling panels. [He killed my men, he tried to kill you and those close to you.]


    ¡°He did,¡± Sam quickly added, remembering Devin. ¡°Someone who saved my life in several ways died at his hands last month. Losing him also made me lose one of my friends.¡±


    [Yeah, that¡¯s how I see him,] Renzo continued as he realized perhaps there was more to the story than he realized or expected. [But still. No need to feel sorry.]


    ¡°To be honest, yes, I kind of do,¡± Sam spoke in a sudden change of tone. I need to tell him. Every time I hide important details, I hurt myself and others in the end. I don¡¯t have Sebastian by my side this time, and I have no clue where the hell Kaylen is¡­ leaving Renzo the only one I can trust. And I can¡¯t do this alone even if it¡¯s just for a night or three.


    She thought to look at him to tell him but succumbed instead to the words stuck in her throat as she rubbed her face in frustration. And after a moment to regather her strength, she spoke through her hands as the only means to get her voice working: ¡°He¡¯s my brother.¡±


    Renzo shook his head as if to agree with something he expected her to say, but it took the split seconds required to live-translate her words in a way that triggered his next reaction in suppressed shock: [What?!]


    The hands went from her face to over the top of her head as she sank further. ¡°I¡¯d understand if you lose trust in me after saying that. The fact that he almost killed you, Sebastian, and Dani while killing countless others¡­ it¡¯s hard to be just, like¡­¡±


    [Bas told me your mother was a cold one,] Renzo calmly spoke up to break the agonizing admission, stirring Sam from her curled up position. [Was that true?]


    ¡°What do you mean? What¡¯s that got to do with what I was saying?¡±


    [Well, if I go by what he said, you are nothing like her and nothing like your brother, right?] He gave Sam a second to process the thought. [If anything, he might have been one crazy product of your family while you were a complete other. I won¡¯t even begin to pretend to understand a thing about you all, but I can say you are you. Just because a madman out there has your blood doesn¡¯t tie you to him. And last time I checked, brothers don¡¯t kill sisters.]


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    Right. Sam had thought those same thoughts many times before, but it always helps to hear others utter the same sentiments. ¡°Thanks for understanding¡­ and not freaking out. I mean, you¡¯re right, look,¡± she continued as she tugged and pulled her left shirt collar over her shoulder enough to expose the scar he had left her. ¡°He said the next will be for real. I can¡¯t just back down because he thinks he owns me.¡±


    Renzo grimaced at the thought more so than the sight, then bent down to roll up his pant legs up past his knees, revealing several massive surgical scars. [Yeah, I got the same story. That incident had my knees crushed. I thought I¡¯d never walk again but thanks to Hexa benefits, you know¡­]


    ¡°Well,¡± she thought to put the topic back on something less deep as she put her shirt back in order. ¡°You have any idea where we are headed?¡±


    [The only place they can guarantee our safety. Bahia Blanca.]


    ¡°Where is that?¡±


    [Central Argentina. You¡¯ll see.]


    ¡°You been before? Because you sound like it,¡± Sam added with a joking look of suspicion.


    Renzo shrugged with a smirk. [That¡¯s where I, well, ¡®met¡¯ Kaylen. And I assume that¡¯s where we¡¯ll meet her again.]


    He must be looking forward to that, she thought through heavy sarcasm. But as things seemed to settle down, her ear started to throb more and more. The thought of changing the topic again seemed to offer some potential for distraction as another concern floating around surfaced. ¡°And that¡¯s where I guess this group, what¡¯s it called?¡±


    ¡°Enrai.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, do you know anything else about these Underground groups? This isn¡¯t anything I can look up on any news outlet or archives page.¡±


    [Hey, look, all I can tell you is the bare minimum because that¡¯s literally all I know,] Renzo laid back, seemingly heavy-eyed. [Kaylen is with Enrai, and apparently so is Rodrigo. They¡¯re small, so we never knew of them until recently. I always thought Rex was the big guy since that¡¯s who tried to smash up Bogota earlier this year, but something tells me maybe Bishop pulled strings with the Rochas and not Rex. Who knows?] He then remembered the last story he was told about her, figuring it¡¯d be worth mentioning. [You know, at least according to Kaylen, that big in-fight between those two Underground parties in The Philippines caused a huge stir. I wonder if that¡¯s why Rodrigo was speaking how he was earlier.]


    ¡°Thanks, all of that info is a good start for me, and yeah, I guess I got a number of stories to tell you in regards to that last bit between Rex and Tyrus,¡± Sam answered as she pondered the thousand more questions that entailed, helping distract her from her pain but drove her further into the desire to continue conversation, picking his brain. She then looked over to see him at his conscious¡¯s breaking point. ¡°But I¡¯ll back off for now. We both need some rest.¡±


    [Definitely fill me in on that after we arrive. We could use some precious shut-eye, even if just for an hour or two.]


    ¡°Right,¡± she feebly answered as she watched Renzo lean back and close his eyes, letting out a long sigh. She too rolled back to face the closed window and tried to get somewhat comfortable in her seat.


    Yeah, as if I could sleep given the circumstances¡­


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    .


    There was a city park located just two blocks away from the assisted living facilities where Sam¡¯s grandfather was staying, and in one section farthest from the central grounds was a small collection of benches around several trees and a fish pond. Lucian sat as the lone park-goer at one of the benches, holding a cup of coffee as he sat with his elbows on his knees leaning forward, staring into the ground in front of him in deep thought. He pondered the events from earlier, still at complete unease about the situation not only with the recent theft of the Ap50 package but also with Sam¡¯s whereabouts.


    He turned upon hearing approaching footsteps as if he knew who to expect. ¡°Did you get any additional word from your sources?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Al responded as he sat down next to him. ¡°She¡¯s banged up but fine as far as her vital status goes. Safe in transit as you reported, and same for the three Navarres.¡±


    The two faced forward, staring through the pond and into space as a quiet moment passed.


    ¡°You, uh,¡± Lucian started, feeling how heavy the air had become. ¡°You going to be alright? I mean, I¡¯m glad your daughter avoided the worst of that disaster, but¡­¡±


    Al cut to the chase rather flatly but was notably spiritually exhausted. ¡°My father passed.¡±


    Lucian couldn¡¯t find the words, not expecting that kind of news as another quiet moment passed.


    .


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be hardest for Sam.¡± Al cleared his throat and checked his watch as a notification popped up. ¡°I was glad to spend the time I could with him this past year, and that¡¯s after a lifetime of him being there for me. But Sam? She only just started to get to know the real Grayson Knight just days ago, and you know how much life has absolutely fallen apart for her already as it is.¡±


    Lucian finally found a reason to turn and look at him directly. ¡°Well, either way, I didn¡¯t think to include your father¡¯s situation in what I explained before. You need to take your time and tie things up for your sake while you¡¯re here, Knight.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Al replied with a slow shake of his head. ¡°Even he said so yesterday. I need to keep moving and not worry about how bad things have become, you know, concerning my family. I have to keep moving and save what future I have left with them.¡±


    ¡°Then, you¡¯re going right back to continue looking for your wife?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got no choice. I have to find her or my son real soon, or I might not have much left to look for.¡±


    ¡°Then look,¡± Lucian spoke more firmly. ¡°Before you go I need you to hear this. Vrey has been acting a bit off. We expected the worst from him when we went against his stance on Enrai. He just¡­ walked off after accepting our plan of action.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pay his way of throwing a tantrum any real attention,¡± Al mildly chuckled as he stood up. ¡°I sometimes wish I could be there to help put an end to this global mess that never seems to find an end,¡± he spoke directly to Lucian before looking away once more. ¡°I¡¯ll keep tabs. Anything I find that might help your end, well,¡± he continued as he fished a small envelope out of his pocket. ¡°I¡¯ll use this to send it to you. And you do likewise.¡±

 Bienvenidos a Argentina

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Outskirts of Bahia Blanca, Argentina</li>


    </ul>


    Though not even close to a tenth the size of the capital¡¯s size or magnitude of presence, Bahia Blanca had nonetheless offered a cityscape of proportions that threw Sam for a loop upon opening her window as a way to keep the looming nightmares away.


    Wow, that looks nothing like Bogota for being in the same SAU.


    The early morning sun revealed the third-largest city in the country that enveloped the entire bay area as the shuttle began its descent. Before the newest distraction eased her from her troubles, each blink away from her much-wanted sleep was shaken away by onset flashbacks to the previous scuffle back in Bogota, and she desperately needed something to keep her awake until she could find reason to feel completely safe enough to sleep. And now, as they approached the northwest corner of the city, she could see how much more modernized of a town they would be hosted by.


    It looks like we¡¯re in Europe, even.


    ¡°Hey,¡± she mumbled over to Renzo as she noticed he began to awaken. ¡°We¡¯re almost there, I think.¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    After having landed at the back of an empty, densely wooded area, a pair of SUV¡¯s came to pick them up and drive them into town. Sam had no choice in the matter, content to stay quiet and watch the conversations that would ensue on Renzo¡¯s mobile-loaded translation app. And all the while, they both finally got their wounds properly tended to, and although Sam¡¯s ear was meticulously cleaned and bandaged, she knew something still had to be done about her shirt. Wherever it was they were to stop by, she figured that she could at least keep the towel she had draped over her shoulder enough to hide the blood.


    After stopping through a quiet supermarket and buying a full change of clothes, she and Renzo took their opportunity to switch out, wash up, and emerge refreshed and ready to head for the electronics department. And after purchasing their new mobile and earpiece sets, they loaded back up as the SUVs quickly pulled out and drove off.


    ¡°Finally, working communication!¡± Sam vented through a heavy sigh of relief, not only from having a proper mobile in hand but also because she couldn¡¯t speak throughout their run through the supermarket in hopes to avoid attracting unwanted attention.


    She quickly powered up her mobile and entered her PMID (a biometric-based mobile identification method) and awaited her personal account details to synchronize. And as she waited, she got caught staring at the device in a longing way. It was a handset she once wished she could buy at its summer release.


    [What¡¯s gotten into you?] Renzo joked?


    ¡°Wait, hold on!¡± she fussed back, clicking into the mobile¡¯s interface the moment it finished synchronizing. ¡°Say that again?¡±


    [I said,] he spoke again rolling his eyes. [What¡¯s with the look? Like you never had a phone before.]


    ¡°Oh,¡± she answered as his words translated in-ear, chuckling once it registered. ¡°I haven¡¯t had my own device since I started working for Hexa way back. It¡¯s¡­ it feels weird in a way.¡±


    [Here,] the woman sitting in the front passenger seat spoke up as she tossed them both a small, black, one-button device. It eerily mimicked the one Tricky gave her before, eliciting an instant response from her.


    ¡°Oh! Hey, I know what to do with this,¡± she spoke as she held it near her mobile and gave the device¡¯s button a long push before releasing. A soft blue glow took over her screen as it transitioned into a setup initialization process.


    [Good. We are waiting for word from above on what the fuck to do about you two cats,] she added as she turned back to face the front. [Just make sure you keep that on call-decline until we say so, alright?]


    Oh, yeah, we are likely being tracked, still.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    [Hey, lady,] Renzo spoke up as he repeated the processes Sam went through with his mobile. [Any word on my family I got split from? Since we can¡¯t call out, you know.]


    [I ain¡¯t got no clue what¡¯s going on other than getting you two cats to the damn harbor meetup now that you got your clothes and phones and shit. Just hang tight and enjoy the ride,] she replied as dryly as before.


    Sam and Renzo looked at each other, exchanging confused shoulder shrugs before continuing their mobile¡¯s setup.


    Damn, I wonder if they did the same for Sebastian. Kaylen smashed his stuff, too, which means neither of us have any way of trying to call each other. And¡­ and then there are the messages I won¡¯t know about since Dad sent them to my Hexa number. Maybe I should try calling him once I get a chance? ¡­ She huffed as she thought of the dilemma, at least able to settle for being safe enough for the time being. And it was only because of the close guard they received this whole time that gave her reason to feel at ease about him as well. If there was really a deal cut to protect them for the time being, Sebastian had to have been of equal priority.


    I guess it¡¯s just a matter of time and just playing the waiting game¡­


    And as the ride took them through downtown and towards the bay, bigger and more modern buildings eventually swallowed up their view. Bogota had its share of monstrous high-rise towers but their age showed much more in comparison albeit with more of a more homey feel to it. This downtown seemed more daunting for some reason, and the streets were impeccably clean in addition, being the first time to see such a sight since Singapore but over a much larger area. And after passing many shops and department stores of flare never seen before, she found herself fighting the urge to take pictures.


    After a long series of fights with traffic, their vehicle pulled up into a guarded entrance to a seaside port that took them into a large, covered industrial dock. And as it came to a stop near a pair of trucks, Sam immediately noticed a familiar blonde waiting impatiently beside one of them.


    Kaylen!?


    [Kaylen¡¯s here!?] Renzo shouted as if he read her mind, having just noticed her as well.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam and Renzo sat in a cramped closet-turned-makeshift office Kaylen had been using, both sipping from bottles of water handed to them earlier. Both were on their mobiles as if they were anxious to catch up on things they had missed as if they were without technology for days, despite only having been separated for a few hours. Sam, while unsure of what Renzo was looking up, felt compelled to dig up anything she could on Bishop, although unable to find what she wanted.


    And as Kaylen came back and took her seat, she opened her laptop PC with a huff. ¡°Fortunate for you two, there¡¯s not a whole lot to share with you for now since we¡¯re in a bit of a limbo regarding Enrai¡¯s business deals,¡± she started as she began opening several digital files. ¡°But they¡¯re things I have to show you with minimal chance for leaks or anything.¡±


    She turned the display to reveal a map to them both. ¡°This shows us what Hexa has sent us and what they¡¯re sending at the moment,¡± Kaylen spoke as she pointed out various drop shipment and sea shipment routes. ¡°You see this here, they¡¯re drop shipping us the parts needed to get our simulators equipped to load up Ap50 and,¡± she paused to look at Sam. ¡°You, this is what you need. The parts needed to configure it specifically to the Arondight.¡±


    That had Sam¡¯s eyes lit up, naturally.


    [The what?] Renzo asked, wondering not only why he hadn¡¯t heard of it but more so why it had Sam¡¯s attention so evidently.


    [Don¡¯t worry about it,] Kaylen flatly replied. [It¡¯s part of the operation she and I are in on that never got properly started.] She then pointed to another arrow coming from the east. ¡°And this, Sam, is the real thing. It won¡¯t arrive for a while, and it¡¯ll be hard to access until time to launch. And that¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­That¡¯s going to take time to work through with Hexa¡¯s uppers, right?¡± Sam assumed aloud.


    ¡°Right.¡± Kaylen then turned her PC back towards herself. ¡°Which means we can¡¯t do much else but hang in there while training for your newer platforms.¡± She then looked up to speak directly at them as if she read their minds. ¡°And once Sebastian and Daniela join us, they¡¯ll be up for the same. We can guess around one to two weeks before we are able to move out of this little safe-zone I¡¯ve been calling home for quite some time.¡±


    But Sam knew of one more thing Kaylen hadn¡¯t answered yet. ¡°No risk for assassinations or anything like that here? Because I sure as hell thought I was nowhere near a major target back in Bogota.¡±


    ¡°Hell no, not here at least,¡± she quickly and confidently answered. ¡°Bishop can¡¯t afford to make a mess here. They are pushing for a new, different Argentina. Unified under a different cause, and they need not only the capital but us as well as Cordoba to be at the forefront.¡±


    [Would that be why Bishop seems to be gathering up stolen high tech?] Renzo started to piece together something for himself.


    ¡°We have no clue for sure yet, which is why we have so many cells following them and getting back with us.¡± Kaylen then handed them a key fob. ¡°Here, this gets you in and out of here. Stay within the location range marked on your mobiles and go eat or something. I can¡¯t deal with you until those simulator mods are done later this afternoon.¡±


    An awkward moment passed for Sam and Renzo as he took the fob.


    [Well? What?] Kaylen now showed her aggravation.


    Sam couldn¡¯t determine whether it was even safe to agree enough to take the fob as Renzo did. How is she expecting us to just wander out after all that just happened?! Has she lost her sense of logic?


    Kaylen finally realized what had them so thrown off, chuckling as her frown crumbled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for leaving out a few key details.¡± She pulled her hair back, further allowing the light of the room to reveal the bags under her eyes and the red of her strained eyes. ¡°One: I haven¡¯t slept since I left Bogota.¡±


    Sam¡¯s face straightened a bit upon that realization. Oh, that makes sense¡­


    ¡°I need sleep, and you¡¯re in the safest place you could possibly be to go get a bite or whatever the hell it is you need to make sure you don¡¯t lose your sanity in the meantime. Two?¡± She then looked over to Renzo with a return of her down-turned corner of her mouth. [Nevermind, not explaining it with an innocent bystander in our presence.]


    With that, Kaylen turned to leave without closing the door.


    [Well!] Renzo shouted with a stiff raise of his brow and a hand a deep sigh.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s okay if they say it is,¡± Sam added, trying to break the awkwardness as she stood up. ¡°But you know what?¡±


    Renzo looked back at her, hopeful she had a better idea as he too didn¡¯t like the idea of going out just because they were simply suggested to. [Yeah? What¡¯s that?]


    ¡°I still got this,¡± she continued in a lower voice, pulling out the other communication device she used before to contact Tyrus. ¡°I want to see what¡¯s really going on if we are able to pull away to a spot to ourselves.¡±


    Renzo took a moment to process the suggestion, settling with acceptance as he also wanted to know more. [Clever, Cruella.]

 Too Quiet to Be Welcome

    The two emerged from an access walkway near the end of the port. Sam took a moment to look out over the fence ledge and out into the bay, which had swallowed up most of the shallow areas almost a century prior. She then turned back to see the city behind them and compared it to the much larger and more densely packed Central Bahia Blanca.


    ¡°So, what makes this place so much safer?¡± She asked as they began their way to the cross walk that would take them toward town.


    [I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s the network they have set up. They must be all over Cerri Port more than the main city. Why, would you rather be over there?] He asked back with a hand toward the central town¡¯s side of the bay.


    Yeah, actually, I would. But Sebastian¡¯s not here, so it¡¯s not like I¡¯d enjoy it particularly.


    ¡°Ah, never mind, was just curious,¡± she diverted as the light changed and they set off across the wide street.


    Renzo noticed a few large church belltowers at either corner of the port town, then started to check his map. [I see,] he mumbled as they got to the other side. [I bet they have security set up in those areas. Great vantage points for both visuals and for electronics.]


    Hmm, sounds sort of like what Sebastian would say. They definitely are brothers.


    [But anyway, hey, I¡¯ll start looking for a spot to eat. What do you like?]


    Sam took a moment to try to think about eating, knowing she should but wasn¡¯t of any mindset to think about it. ¡°Something light. Not really too picky anymore, so anything is fine.¡± She then remembered that instant she had wanted to call her father the second she had a chance. ¡°Hey, I forgot to call my dad. Do you mind looking while I make a quick call?¡±


    [Ah, definitely, go ahead,] Renzo replied, also remembering the important information her father might have for them.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Al leaned over a guard rail; his head heavy with memories he allowed to temporarily consume his conscious as he emptily stared out into the cloudless, blue, artificial sky. The backdrop was the hospital he left earlier, having just finished the paperwork on his father¡¯s passing with the help of those from his law firm. He knew all he could do afterwards was to pick up where he left off, but even after what he told Lucian hours before and even his own late father spoke to him, it wouldn¡¯t be that simple. For most of his adult life, everything he had lost was always to the greed and endless consumption of war, never in the passing of the more peaceful of times, regardless of the madness that began encircling him since June. And it was his only remaining parent, at that.


    And then his thoughts shifted to Amelie and Isaiah. It was then that he was firmly reminded of how focused he needed to be to not lose more in the midst of the madness.


    A ring from his headset startled him. He took a quick second to gather himself before looking at his watch to see a number he hadn¡¯t seen in a few years. ¡°Sam!?¡± he thought aloud as he swiped the call open.


    ¡°Sam, are you alright?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, thankfully. So sorry to keep you worried,¡± she quickly replied, almost sounding ashamed.


    Al sighed in relief. ¡°I knew you were handed over to that cell Rodger¡¯s is tied to, assuming everything was alright but I could never truly tell.¡±


    ¡°Hey, sorry too about my phone situation. I uh, got it destroyed after compromising it.¡±


    ¡°I also assume that¡¯s because of what you called me about?¡± Al asked, recalling the request she made the evening prior.


    ¡°Yeah, we think a guy faked an Infinity pilot to bug our lines and ended up trying to kill us¡­ hence we are where we are now. But, let me say Mrs. Rodgers seems honest about what she¡¯s trying to get done for us. She got us some serious help lined up and even told me about the simulation upgrade package we¡¯ll use to train on here under their security umbrella. Ah, and I¡¯m here with Sebastian¡¯s brother, Renzo, who also helped save us.¡±


    ¡°Perfect, good to hear. And yes, I did get a good explanation from Tricky, which reminds me, Sam, don¡¯t try to contact them anymore.¡±


    ¡°Wait, huh? Why? How¡¯d you figure that was my next plan?¡±


    ¡°Just, don¡¯t,¡± Al replied as he let out a difficult chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ve exhausted more lines than I needed to in both trying to not only figure out your situation, but also to keep up in my search for your mother and brother.¡±


    ¡°Any luck?¡±


    The highly relevant but still small talk-like conversation brought him to some relative ease as he leaned back on the guardrail, but much less tensed. ¡°Small steps. I do know one thing, though.¡± He held a few thoughts back, hoping to leave Sam as little to stress over as he could, feeling like he was talking to the only family he had left. ¡°You¡¯re presently in Bahia Blanca, right?¡± he outrightly asked, already having figured anyone wanting her dead already knew exactly where she would be at any given time anyway.


    ¡°That¡¯s what it seems like. Not a bad town, real clean and quiet for a big city.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re far enough to stay out of trouble for now. Listen, your brother is in Buenos Aires.¡±


    Sam paused, and expectedly so. ¡°Where is that?¡± she nervously asked.


    ¡°Just north of you. The capital. I don¡¯t know where exactly nor what he intends to do there, but he¡¯s there. Stay where you are because I can almost guarantee you leaving would spell your end.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, and shit¡­ thanks Dad. I¡­ no, I can¡¯t just run around without good company or a good plan like before. I¡¯m training with Kaylen and will wait for Sebastian to join up once his end is sorted out. He¡¯s still over in Colombia I think, and there¡¯s no way I leave off for anywhere without him.¡±


    ¡°Good. You stay in that mindset. I¡¯ll keep moving.¡±


    ¡°What about Mom?¡±


    There was the question he knew she¡¯d get to. ¡°She¡­ Who knows She might be close by. I don¡¯t know what else to say until I dig more.¡±


    ¡°And Grandpa? You know I finally got to see him and talk to him for the first time in ages. Have you checked on him lately?¡±


    Al unintentionally hesitated longer than he wanted to. ¡°I also got a chance to talk to him yesterday. He¡¯s worried about us both terribly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ he was¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, I can¡¯t hold up too long here- I got a shuttle to catch back toward Earth.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, thanks for filling me in on those things. Can you¡­ stop by here at some point? I¡¯d hope you, er¡­ I¡¯d feel better if you could.¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll find time,¡± Al smiled to himself as he tried to hide his guilt for lying, unable to spill certain realities. ¡°Stay hidden, alright.¡±


    ¡°Bye, Dad.¡±


    A long sigh took its time getting out as he went back over what he just said, pondering the chances he would regret not involving her more in what he knew.


    And a beep from his watch reminded him of his scheduled flight out of Akkadia and back to Earth. ¡°Forgive me, Sam,¡± he mumbled to himself as he took off, hoping everything lying in wait ahead of them would dissipate with finding Amelie or Isaiah first.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ New General Cerri District, Bahia Blanca, Argentina</li>


    </ul>


    Dad¡¯s hiding something again, I just know it.


    Sam shook her head with a heavy sigh before looking over to see where Renzo was leading them, noticing he too was on the phone. She cared less for switching her translation back on to make out what he was saying and looked more at the view ahead, seeing a food court entrance at the base of a moderately sized office park. Makes sense.


    Without any verbal exchange, Sam took a seat at the table Renzo stood next to as he continued his conversation, now looking at the choices she had to eat. Nothing felt right, though, only looking out of necessity and feeling quite weak. She then spotted what looked to be a bakery. Something like a croissant and a coffee would be the most she could handle, and figured perhaps the caffeine might help get her thoughts moving along more efficiently.


    [Sorry, Cruella,] Renzo called to her as he took a seat across from her, cueing her to switch back to her in-ear translation. [That was Dani. She¡¯s freed up but Bas has to go through reconstructive surgery on his arm.]


    ¡°Surgery? How bad is it?¡± She asked with a worried look, although she could read Renzo¡¯s voice enough to determine it wasn¡¯t all terrible.


    [Tendon and ligament issue. He¡¯ll be joining us in two days, but can¡¯t use his arm for about two to three weeks.]


    If anything, Renzo sounded to Sam like he still held some guilt. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve both suffered and survived through a lot. I can¡¯t speak too much for myself, but¡­¡±


    [Here,] Renzo interrupted with the intention to change the topic, handing her his mobile. [Copy his new number to your phone. Dani¡¯s, too, just in case.] And as Sam took the handset and thanked him, he turned to the bakery behind him. [I assume you want some bread? And a coffee?]


    ¡°Oh, um, yeah- how¡¯d you guess?¡± She stumbled through her reply as she finished moving over the contacts.


    He put in an effort to smile, somewhat returning things to a more normal mood. [You were staring at it a second ago. Seems like it¡¯d be normal for ¡®Sardines¡¯, too.]


    Sam couldn¡¯t quite return the same. ¡°I bet you got that little term from Kaylen. Please, we Akkadians especially don¡¯t like that term.¡±


    ¡°Space girl?¡± he tacked on with the same unwanted humor.


    ¡°Sam,¡± she flatly corrected.


    ¡°Okay, Cruella.¡± He then stood up to lead her toward the bakery. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he continued through his accent.


    Sam followed, realizing what was going on. I realize he¡¯s doing that because of what happened to Sebastian, and who knows how scared he must have been to think he almost lost his sister a second time. I do need to back off some.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sam finished cleaning up her area and dropped off her plate and cup at the receptacle, turning to look for Renzo who was still on the line with Kaylen, who had called toward the end of their meal. After waiting a few minutes, her mind began to wander further as she subconsciously began staring off into the distance.


    I bet I could¡­ no, Dad said not to call them. But then again, there is the other little device they gave me. I wonder¡­


    She then stepped off into the emptier corner of the food court and found a spot just out of everyone¡¯s view, now reaching into her bag. She held it with a finger resting over one of the buttons as her nerves tightened.


    Wait, two? What the¡­? There are two buttons this time¡­


    One was bigger than the other, located on the other side towards the top of the device, and the larger was green unlike the other uncolored one. She recalled no explanation other than being told to sync it to her mobile earlier which at that point her thumb was already trained to hit the large, centrally located button.


    Her mind again fixated on the smaller, top-located button. Pondering whether to try pressing it or not, she now felt like a cat with a life to spare perhaps.


    *Click*


    ¡­


    A nerve-wracking, tense fifteen seconds passed where she felt she could die from the suspense before a beep quickly and stoutly drew in her focus. But the voices that came pouring in as if they were urgent radio exchanges were completely unrecognizable despite having never turned off her translation function. She raced to check her mobile¡¯s translator, seeing it was still up and running. Why?! Why isn¡¯t anything translating?!


    Flustered but still intent on keeping her profile low, she cowered further into her corner as she desperately tried to make out any piece of information she could before she¡¯d have to give up and meet back up with Renzo before he could suspect anything. And several seconds into it, she noticed the name Bishop mentioned several times along with Rex. Two names she had heard enough of to begin assuming there was some operation going on, and it seemed like it wasn¡¯t good. Then, she heard a third name for the second time. ¡°Bender,¡± she mumbled to herself before realizing she spoke. Jerking straight up, she looked to make sure no one was near and checked to see if Renzo was still on the line.


    Shit, he¡¯s off the phone!


    She quickly clicked the button once more and threw it in her bag, closing it back up as she tried to look casual in her walk back towards him, noting he had just put away his tray and cup as well. ¡°So, what was up just now?¡± She managed to ask without any overt sign of exasperation or nervousness. ¡°I thought she was going to get some sleep?¡±


    [Hexa isn¡¯t letting her sleep, it seems,] he replied while shouldering his bag, headed for the exit. [She also said for me to tell you don¡¯t think about joining the comms.]


    Shit, was I busted just now?


    [Said that it¡¯s not anything you can gain anything from anyway- just a bunch of things you won¡¯t understand.]


    Sam hid her relief, regardless of how short-lived it might be. Well, I definitely wont be getting past the language part, that¡¯s for sure. Which reminds me¡­ ¡°What else was up?¡± She asked as they passed through the exit.


    [The parts already arrived ahead of schedule and they¡¯ll be ready for us in less than an hour.]


    He still seemed bummed from her perspective, encouraging her to once again try to lighten up the mood. ¡°Oh wow, damn, that was quick.¡± Then the bright sunshine along with the heat and humidity kicked in as always as they walked out from the shade of the surrounding buildings. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been to so many different corners of the globe this year and everywhere is the same: hot and humid.¡±


    [You been here in the winter yet?]


    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t it almost December here?¡±


    [This is the southern hemisphere.]


    ¡°So?¡±


    [Southern hemisphere countries get more sun in December- opposite from the northern hemisphere, dipshit.]


    Hey?! She thought to go off after that insult, but at least he seemed a bit more like his usual self. Not my fault I never had to learn something like that where I lived! But¡­ what really happened on the phone just now? He¡¯s been¡­ worse since that call.


    ¡°Well, forgive me¡­¡± She then hurried to resolve the issue. ¡°Hey, did Kaylen tell us anything else? Or is it just get back to start simulations training?¡±


    [No, that is all. Just that.]


    His response was unchangeably flat.


    Must be his problems with her as a boyfriend to girlfriend kind of thing, perhaps. She let out a sigh as they continued on back for the harbor. At least I hope that¡¯s all it is. He¡¯s all I got until Sebastian and Dani join back. And I still don¡¯t know how much I can trust that Kaylen person, and I only know so much from our little talks and what people have told me¡­ which still amounts to nothing.


    She fought off the urge to look her up later during her next downtime, instead thinking of how to approach the upcoming simulations as she still had other thoughts she kept aside for the right time. ¡°Hey, did you know Reaper is in the capital north of here?¡±


    Renzo stopped in his tracks, either out of surprise or from irritation. [Yeah, why?] he finally asked after a silent few seconds passed.


    Sam hesitated to go further after all, given his reaction. No, maybe it¡¯s still too soon. ¡°Just had to make sure. Let me know if there¡¯s anything you want to know about him- my Dad passed me a good bit of information on him a minute ago.¡±


    Renzo hesitated as well, getting back to moving forward toward the harbor. [I will probably have to. Later, though.] He then looked back moments later with a nod. [Thanks.]


    But minutes later as they neared the last intersection, Renzo turned with a suspicious look in his eyes. [Hey,] he quietly spoke. [I thought to wait until later since I got too much on my mind, but you used that thing without me, didn¡¯t you.]


    Shit. Busted after all.


    Sam bit down, looking away in shame. No use hiding it at this rate. ¡°I, well, I got curious while I sat and waited for your call to end earlier. Sorry.¡±


    [Well? Did it do any good?] he impatiently continued.


    ¡°No. My translator didn¡¯t work with it- it sounded like Spanish but nothing like what you use.¡±


    He shook his head and turned back for the intersection cross guard. [Don¡¯t mention anything to Kaylen about it. She¡¯ll do more than kick our asses I¡¯d bet.]


    ¡°I already figured that part out, too, but if you want to know to use it later I can-¡±


    [-Yeah, later.]


    Sam couldn¡¯t figure out whether she screwed that whole situation up with her curiosity or if he was being a bit too harsh. But as she thought earlier, as things stood, he was all she had. ¡°Alright. And again, sorry for earlier.¡±


    Crossing the street, her mobile then buzzed as she peeked over at her watch, seeing it was a message from Sebastian. ¡°Hey! Sebastian¡¯s up from his post-surgery I think!¡± Hurrying to the other side, she stopped to read as Renzo looked over her shoulder:


    ¡°I¡¯ll call when I can. Message from Rodrigo is don¡¯t trust anyone but my brother. Not even Emilia, or as we call her, Kaylen Rodgers. Don¡¯t go anywhere or do anything unless you are told to do it.¡±


    The two paused for a moment, having least expected such an ominous message, especially for having just woke up from a surgery operation.

 Difficult Compromises

    ¡°I¡¯ll call when I can. Message from Rodrigo is don¡¯t trust anyone but my brother. Not even Emilia, who I think is Kaylen Rodgers. Don¡¯t go anywhere or do anything unless you are told to do it.¡±


    The two paused for a moment, having least expected such an ominous message, especially for having just woke up from a surgery operation.


    [Yeah, um,] Renzo broke the silence as they started back for the entrance walkway. [Like I said, don¡¯t mention anything to Kaylen.]


    ¡°Right. You won¡¯t have to tell me that twice,¡± Sam answered with a huff of relief mixed with added stress.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    ¡°What were you thinking!? Did anyone say you could use that thing?!¡± Kaylen fussed as the two sat in the same workspace they were in earlier that morning, both wincing as her anger was felt in that swift onslaught. Sam especially cowered, realizing the device she had was likely monitored actively, and if not, at least had accessible activation logs or so.


    ¡°It was just me, nothing to do with Renzo,¡± Sam tried to cover at least the innocent as she admitted fault. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really in the right mind when I got curious.¡±


    ¡°That was for us to reach YOU in emergency-¡± Kaylen fired back before Renzo got up to walk out, cutting her off.


    [You never told us shit,] he griped, opening the door as he looked back. [Cruella may be na?ve or terrible with thinking ahead sometimes, but please, no one said not to touch it, right?! Give us a break.]


    [You of all people supposedly already had that kind of sense, though, right?] Kaylen shot back without missing a beat, still highly agitated from the discovery and from her extreme exhaustion. [And where do you think you¡¯re going? You¡¯re still on Hexa¡¯s watch through our watch and you have to train up on the new model.]


    She then turned to Sam as she adjusted her language. ¡°You¡¯re the same- I mean same goes for you. You¡¯re technically under our care and supervision so act like you¡¯re working for us and not just using us, fair?¡±


    She has a point. ¡°Fair, and apologies.¡± Sam then stood up to join Renzo at least in the sense of shifting the mood to something more constructive. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s best we go ahead and get started, then. If you don¡¯t mind showing us the place, I can take everything from there so you can get your rest.¡±


    Kaylen sighed, held her tongue, and got up from her spot on the wall she had been leaning against. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam and Renzo were led back towards the main entrance before being stopped in front of a narrow elevator shaft. On the way there and while awaiting the elevator, Sam realized how she still felt quite out of place, still receiving strange stares and glances from nearly everyone who passed by. Kaylen never introduced them to anyone, yet no one ever seemed to expect an invitation, either. She deep down had a curiosity and desire to know more about how the Underground worked, but it was just like with Tyrus¡¯ Underground¨C nothing but ambiguity and obscurity, save for what little insight and tidbits one may receive from an insider.


    They stepped into the narrow elevator and took a long, slow trip downward. Judging by the air, they were well underwater and perhaps even underground. But once they emerged from the access tunnel that led them to a large holding area, Sam¡¯s eyes lit up with both amazement and offense. In front of her were five Ai-20 models, all lined up and in seemingly good shape.


    ¡°What the- why are there Hexa models here?! How¡­ how did Enrai get their hands on these!?¡± Sam shouted under her breath as she turned to Kaylen, also noting how perplexed even Renzo was. ¡°Are these stolen?!¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Kaylen stolidly replied as she took them closer, not minding the few maintenance crewmembers present as they toiled along. ¡°We actually bought these from Rex back in June.¡±


    June!? Shit!! Sam felt much more rage the second she heard that date, knowing damned well Kaylen was referencing the Welcome Party Incident as she would always lamentingly recall it. ¡°My crew died in these, you know,¡± Sam quietly but firmly shot directly at her, also disgusted by Kaylen¡¯s seemingly indifferent attitude. But then again, hell, she may not have any clue what really went down that day.


    [Wait,] Renzo stopped as if he too sensed something wrong. [Why are they so well rebuilt?]


    ¡°Rex had a whole slew of parts retrieved over that whole campaign. They weren¡¯t always on bad terms with us, you know,¡± Kaylen answered as she pulled them back along with her motion to follow. ¡°We set up simulation software in all of these so that emergency launches can be made even during a training session.¡±


    Sam head what she said, but they didn¡¯t fully register as they neared one of the Ai20 units, noting the obvious repairs made after extensive frontal damage had been taken across the upper torso. It was as if entire panels of armor had been replaced, painted, and polished, leaving it to stick out compared to the older panels that showed some weathering.


    Sam then noted the large riot shield missing from each of them. Something still feels off¡­ ¡°So, we have to sit in the real thing to run the simulator¡­ that¡¯s something I¡¯ve never heard of.¡±


    [This is how we taught ourselves,] Renzo popped in, oblivious to Sam¡¯s heightened sense of distrust. [Not sure where our boss bought them from, but he had us rig up the Gamma models with the same thing she just explained. Nothing new to me at least.]


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Sam then arrived at the stairs that would take her up to the first Ai20¡¯s access catwalk. ¡°Can I see who this belonged to, first?¡± She asked with apparent discomfort.


    Kaylen didn¡¯t understand the heaviness of the air around her, but nonetheless conceded. ¡°I mean, this was the one for you anyway. Go ahead.¡±


    Sam slowly made her way up in such a way even Renzo found himself pausing to look upon her in a watchful way, almost cautiously. She felt her heart inexplicably grow heavier as she recognized the mark on the right shoulder plate. It had a twin bar mark painted in black underneath chemically stripped-off lettering. Her memory may have been playing tricks on her, but it reminded her of the S. K. lettering she had on her unit, now wondering which letters these had to be.


    Upon arrival to the opened cockpit, she tossed her bag into the under-seat compartment just as she used to always do, took her seat, and immediately pulled up the startup access panel. It was a small screen that operated separately from the helmet and visor system, usually used by maintenance crews to check on certain systems without the need to open the operating system fully. And the second she pulled up the user log and thumbed through a few unrecognized registries, her heart stopped at the sight of the surname ¡°Burnley.¡±


    Her face rapidly paled. My first squad leader Burnely?! ¡­ I was¡­ I was right¡­


    <hr>


    Sam knew the riot shield she held up alongside the others wouldn¡¯t hold up against a tank round. And in that next instant as she heard and felt the blast knock from the tank¡¯s cannon, she could then equally hear and feel the shattering of the squad commander¡¯s shield as he was thrown back into the Ai20s in front of her. Screaming out in panic with hands held over her head as she ducked, smoke and dust rushed in and enveloped all standing within the clearing.


    ¡°We need to retreat! We aren¡¯t equipped to handle tanks!¡± one of the pilots shouted over the radio.


    Numb from the panic, she could barely make out what was being shouted out over the radio.


    ¡°Commander Burnley is down! I repeat, commander down!¡± another added in terror.


    <hr>


    She freed herself from the trance of that flashback enough to get out from the cockpit. And as she shook off the overwhelming flood of memories, she could now make out the footsteps of Renzo as he hurriedly headed towards her.


    [Cruella, what happened!?] Concerned, he ran up next to her, and through some panting he looked around to try and find what had her spooked. [Did you see something strange or¡­?]


    ¡°I¡¯m not getting in these,¡± she stiffly responded with a shake of her head. Backing away slowly, she turned to face him and repeat: ¡°This is wrong. I am not about to get in any of these.¡±


    ¡°I swear,¡± Sam heard Kaylen sigh from below, fueling her resistance.


    ¡°Renzo,¡± she continued to speak to him as she paid no heed to Kaylen¡¯s indifference. ¡°This belonged to my squad commander the day I dropped into Bogota. Those others belonged to my old crewmates; they were all killed by the Cloak¡¯s mercenaries. Just like your crewmates.¡±


    Renzo could see it all now as far as what had her so shaken, having his own short flashbacks of his encounter with that very enemy, but he no longer felt chills down his spine each time he reflected on the whole ordeal. Not like she was, at least from his perspective. But he did have some words to offer her out of respect for her sense of honor that translated over to him perfectly.


    [Listen,] he spoke with hands placed firmly on her shoulders. [This isn¡¯t war or anything, but we signed up for this shit just like your crew. Just like my crew. We can always quit, but we don¡¯t. This is just more of what we have to stomach through to get to our own goals, because I can promise you I felt what you felt many times before. As wrong as I want to say it is, we have the same goals they had, and if you put the shoe on the other foot here I bet they¡¯d do and expect the same, don¡¯t you see?]


    Sam had avoided eye contact the whole time, not only from the discomfort being that close to someone she hadn¡¯t gotten that close to just yet, but also from hating how right his reasoning was. She knew she wanted to close this chapter out of her life so badly, but still she felt a solid gag reflex just thinking about sitting where people she knew lost their lives. ¡°I get it, I get what you¡¯re saying,¡± she finally responded as she gently shrugged his hands off her shoulders, now finally able to look him in the eye even if just for a second. ¡°But this was someone¡¯s death turned into a cash deal. I am not about to be part of it, and something says you wouldn¡¯t normally, either, am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°Then get the hell out, then!¡± Kaylen shouted from below, drawing a wince and a frown from Sam. ¡°Wasting our time spouting all that- I thought you were serious about hitting them back hard! Did you even know them personally or something?!¡±


    That one word struck a nerve, but she had a point.


    [Yeah, uh¡­] Renzo clumsily chimed in as he shrugged his shoulders. [I forgot that point, too. I knew my crewmates like family, did you?]


    Now, Sam did feel like a fool somewhat. Her emotions were true, but now she saw the irrationality of it. But that doesn¡¯t excuse you for being a complete asshole! She wanted to scream back at her so badly, biting her tongue instead with a bitterly drawn face.


    It took a few more seconds to let out a few breaths along with some of her tension before feeling able to climb into the cockpit once more and take a seat. It still felt terribly insulting to do what she was about to do, but she knew Renzo and Kaylen were right. Maybe if I just get this shit overwith¡­ She reached up to grab the helmet, and the instant her fingers took grip she breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing the materials weren¡¯t even Hexa standard. Of all things the crew did to reassemble the LTAC, that may have been the one saving grace to keep what was left of Sam¡¯s will intact.


    [I¡¯ll be in the one behind you,] Renzo spoke back with continued concern. [You going to be alright?]


    ¡°I will be,¡± Sam replied with bit of lingering sheepishness mixed in with her uneasiness. ¡°Thanks, though.¡±


    Then came what would instantly reset her emotional state completely with the activating of her helmet. She had completely forgotten how incredibly anxious she was about seeing the Arondight for herself, and while this was only a simulation, this would let her at least experience it from that standpoint, letting her find out about every detail there was to it while trying it out. Eyes widened with excitement, she quickly dug through every system menu she could without going too far as to get lost, feeling like she took a trip back to her beta testing at Jazira Station.


    This thing¡¯s driven by a completely different drive system altogether! How am I supposed to learn this in one day!? But she was lying to herself. She couldn¡¯t wait to see if she could do just that, figuring that despite how complicated the rearranged main booster network seemed, it meant to her this must move the seemingly larger frame around even faster than the Axiom. And then the fully flexible dual shield system with support boost input?! And check out the maximum output on that NGF feeder for the main rifle! Is that even legal?! But then she noticed one major detail she passed up initially; the system ran off of Antares Mk.1, which was what she never got to experience previously. She remembered Danielle¡¯s and Gabriel¡¯s explanation of how Mk.1 was the rawest form of feedback, coming up more harshly and forcibly compared to the smoother, more accurately read A.I. input of the Mk.2 system she used back in Dhaka and Manila. But being a simulator prepared by an Underground faction, there would be no such testing of the Antares¡¯ system¡¯s feedback inputs.


    This means no chance to test the MOST important function of the whole fucking thing.


    She let out a defeated sigh for the moment, cracking her knuckles as she shook off the notion. Got a lot to test regardless. One step at a time, Sam.

 130 - Difficult Compromises, Part 2

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam took her helmet off once the simulator had been properly powered down, pulling the cable to trigger the retractor and draw it back upward. Her forehead was plastered with strands of hair stuck with sweat, and her eyes squeezed shut a few times to ease some of the stress. Letting out a big exhausted breath, however, drew a reaction that startled her.


    ¡°¡¯Bout time you finished up.¡± Kaylen was seated within the cockpit¡¯s open hatch frame, back against one end and feet propped up against the other, looking as if she just awoke from a nap.


    Sam wiped her forehead in an attempt to look less sloppy as if her presentation mattered. ¡°You were there the whole time?!¡± she asked before reaching for her water bottle that was almost empty.


    ¡°No, not really,¡± Kaylen answered as she stretched. ¡°Maybe about thirty minutes, but you¡¯ve been at that for over four hours. Do you never take a break?¡±


    Sam grimaced, shocked herself that much time had passed. ¡°Well, I guess I got more absorbed than I realized.¡± Her eyes then widened as they had earlier at the start of the process as she spoke in a more upbeat tone: ¡°Hey, this thing has the sickest turn speed with the ability to block AND lay down follow-up shots- all at once!¡± And even though Kaylen was obviously disinterested all the while, Sam continued one-sidedly as she brought up a voice log she kept up running on her mobile. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do much outside of dry runs without knowing how sensitive Antares inputs will be or what difference it¡¯ll make in the end, but I did realize one big thing. Am I crazy, or would it really be better to move forward with me being a hit-and-run for you and the others?¡±


    That last line caught Kaylen¡¯s attention as her listening fully keyed in.


    Sam¡¯s eyes kept panning over her logs while going on: ¡°Formations don¡¯t allow flexibility for neither you nor I¡­ I set up a bot that ran the Galatine¡¯s basic motions for me to follow, so then I mimicked those myself for a few runs and-¡±


    ¡°-Wait,¡± Kaylen interrupted with a confused frown. ¡°You uploaded the Galatine¡¯s information?! How?!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sam thought aloud, remembering what pertinent information it was she skipped over. ¡°So, the files you got from Hexa were, well, garnished if you could say by someone- but I didn¡¯t care who did it. It was the-¡±


    ¡°-No, no,¡± Kaylen interrupted again with hands up and a shake of her head. ¡°They said Arondight and Ap50 files, nothing about the Galatine. What are you suggesting here- and I of all people would¡¯ve noticed while installing!¡±


    Sam shrugged. ¡°It was just installed within a subfolder I found looking through enemy bot programs. I know it made no sense at first, but I bet it¡¯s something my Dad may have had a hand in, directly or not.¡± She then sighed after looking at the time, feeling her stomach growl. ¡°Anyway, if I may continue? I really want your opinion.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Sure, go ahead,¡± Kaylen calmed down albeit with a roll of her eyes.


    ¡°So, after figuring your Galatine can fly that far away for that long and with that level of firing accuracy, it really makes me question why anyone Hexa hired ever pushed formations in the first place because I¡¯m seeing a better look with me as a hit-and-run, two Ap50¡¯s as flank protection and spotters, and you from up top to pick based on whatever priority variable. No formation, just jobs to do in different places and different times.¡± Her voice then lowered into a more serious tone as Kaylen subconsciously started listening in the same manner. ¡°The Cloaks never ran formations. They just did what each had to, all in different ways and places, yet their efficiency was always peak. I think that¡¯s what we need to do, and everything I laid out is my best conclusion thus far. No more wasting time group practicing, no more anything in tandem, just knowing our individual duties and responsibilities and focusing 100% on those more than anything.¡± She then looked over to Kaylen to surprisingly see her listening intently. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Kaylen incidentally let out a chuckle, then paused to think of a response. ¡°Thanks for reminding me why I wanted to hang around in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°The book. Everyone likes to push things according to the book. Everything has one, too, including formations and even formation busting- which I had to study up on for hours last war.¡± She folded her arms and placed her hands behind her head as she leaned back against the frame. ¡°Remember our talk back in Manila?¡± She asked, now looking back up at Sam.


    Sam did recall a sizeable portion of their talks of improvisational tactics. ¡°Kind of, yeah, you kept talking about that Lance Vrey guy.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why I said what I said. And now that I heard the gist of your findings, let me spend some time to mull over some of my own takes on it and we can run those ideas together tomorrow. How¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°Fine with me,¡± Sam shrugged as she spoke in a more relaxed tone. ¡°Hey,¡± she then spoke with a switch back to a more serious tone. ¡°I was about to ask what your style is, yadda yadda, but it just hit me.¡± She noted Kaylen¡¯s bothered expression meant she knew where the conversation was going, but Sam kept on anyway, feeling she had a right to know by this point. ¡°Everyone only speaks negative of that label they keep using in reference to the Apollyon, but what¡¯s your real story? I really feel like if we¡¯re to be chasing down Reaper together sometime soon, I might need to know some details- and feel free to just tell me the parts you choose. I don¡¯t have to know your life story.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, like you say,¡± Kaylen finally replied after hesitating, letting her guard down once more. ¡°Here,¡± she then added as she reached for her bag she had placed just beside her at the catwalk¡¯s ledge. From her bag came a packaged snack she had tossed Sam¡¯s way.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Sam caught the small, neatly wrapped thing, figuring it to be some cookie or something of the sort. ¡°Oh, thanks, what is it?¡± She then saw the titling ¡°Savannah¡± written across the foil covering.


    ¡°An alfajor from the market- has to be this brand or they¡¯re not any good in my opinion. Had a few on hand and thought you could try one at some point. Anyway, I can try to give you the short version of¡­¡± Kaylen noticed Sam¡¯s attention rapidly drop, assuming it must be her hunger being the source of distraction. ¡°Um¡­¡±


    Sam was already halfway done with the alfajor, completely mesmerized by the combination of chocolate, cookie, and dulce de leche. Mouth full and chewing away, she declined to respond out of manners, instead using her finger to point approvingly at it repeatedly. Finally after swallowing the last bits inside her mouth, words erupted as if freed from capture: ¡°What is this thing again?!¡±


    ¡°You really are a by-definition, standard sardine,¡± Kaylen flatly replied with an embarrassed shake of her head. ¡°Look, anyway, as I was saying¡­¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    A quick explanation of Kaylen¡¯s story turned into a half hour, but it did fill in a lot of unknowns and understanding gaps Sam had about the war that happened just over a decade prior. ¡°Damn. I end the end really don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Sam breathed out a long, troubled sigh as she tried to sympathize for something she had no experience to stand upon. ¡°But thanks for taking all that time to bring up so many terrible memories.¡±


    ¡°No, like I said, it might be helpful to talk more about it since I kinda really don¡¯t¡­ ever,¡± Kaylen replied with a suppressed yawn, still fighting her exhaustion. ¡°Other than those who helped me like I was saying, it¡¯s only you and your old buddy over there who I¡¯ve felt open to speak to about it. Most here have no clue and I liked to keep it that way, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh, wait- sorry, I did mean to ask this la~ast question,¡± she asked with a grimace and wince, remembering a huge detail she wanted but realized how selfish it made her look.


    Kaylen felt she had brought it on herself, however, defeatedly shrugging with a huff. ¡°No, no, go ahead.¡±


    Damn, I really need to make this my last one for real. ¡°If that Reign OS requires your fully integrated consciousness to work, does that mean all that talk of collaborating may be for nothing? I mean, I clearly don¡¯t quite understand the system without knowing the fine print.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright,¡± Kaylen¡¯s brow rose as she stood up. ¡°That¡¯s actually a good point to make.¡± She then faced the opposite wall with hands on her hips. ¡°I¡¯d have to see what Hexa has in mind for supplying me personnel-wise, but whoever it is, I¡¯d have to get permission to alter the command source to fit our plans.¡± She then fished a notebook from her bag she now slung over her shoulder. She then looked back at Sam as she held the notebook up as if to hand it to her. ¡°You use these? If not, whatever imp- ¡­¡± She almost reacted in offense to Sam¡¯s nods. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Sam awkwardly held her hands up in realization of her ill-timed expression. ¡°I did just start using them, though, thanks. I figured anything important we come up with has to go down on paper without being spoken to anyone. Isn¡¯t that how the Underground works?¡±


    Kaylen smirked as she let her arm fall to her side. ¡°So, you did do some thinking before. Exactly.¡±


    Sam didn¡¯t know whether to feel offended herself or take it as an at-face-value compliment. I mean, I had to think about something since the last crash-and-burn¡­ ¡°Well,¡± she then spoke, declining her chance to retort. ¡°I need a break. Are you alright to go get some real rest? Because I will be fine if I¡¯m allowed free passage between here and wherever it is I¡¯m being held for my stay.¡±


    ¡°I was about to take you to the group in charge of that,¡± She responded with her hand out to help Sam stand up and hop out of the cockpit. ¡°And yes, I¡¯ll be gone for the rest of the day after that.¡±


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    That night, Sam retired to her room the local Underground had set aside for her, using a small, privately owned efficiency motel for her stay. It was fortunate to avoid the stress of speaking to the check-in desk as Kaylen had passed it to her prior, and her long phone call with Sebastian gave her reprieve as usual, but after lying there in bed facing the ceiling, it was like she faced the return of her steadily ongoing night terrors. And to make matters worse, she was drained from her extended simulation hours after the near-death experience the night prior.


    I wish he was here right now.


    She gripped her extra pillow tightly with her eyes squeezed shut, lamenting the thought she would have to last two or more days without him by her side. The fight with her sleep, however, was to be a short one. It was one thing to fear what would likely come, but still it felt so good to just give in and vegetate, especially with a stomach full from snacking away her anxiety from earlier. The return to one of her few remaining safe spaces, the cockpit, helped with that job, and her newfound love for dulce de leche did the other.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    *~BZZT-BZZT~*


    Sam shot up in a snap from her tense slumber in a cold sweat, huffing to catch her breath. Delirious from the shock of the rude awakening, it was as if she could still smell the stench of smoke and burning equipment, and the acrid smell of nitrogen oxides unique to LTACs of the enemy had seemingly left its burn in her nostrils. But her right hand still quivered as if it still held a knife with an intent to stab.


    *~BZZT-BZZT~*


    Shouted the device from somewhere in the room, and Sam still confused it for the rumbling of steel frame pounding the asphalt. Reaching to rip off her helmet finally revealed she was no longer out in the streets of an unknown urban hellhole but back in the safety of her hotel room, allowing her to steadily catch her breath and cool down.


    *~BZZT-BZZT~*


    Now it hit her at last.


    What!? What is that- where is that coming from?!


    Her eyes darted across the dark room after a quick check that it wasn¡¯t her mobile making the racket. Feet on the floor, she felt well enough to get up and make her way towards the source. Hitting the light switch along the way, she noticed the culprit had to be inside her bag on the sofa. Her eyes lit up upon realizing the only possibility: ¡°That- that thing!¡±


    She reached in for both of her transmitters to see that the newer one was now buzzing in her hand, triggering to toss the other back into the bag¡¯s inner pocket and rush over to her bedside while scooping up her earpiece.


    *~Click~*


    ¡­


    Well?!


    She knew she wasn¡¯t crazy.


    Did I click the wrong button?! Or maybe-


    ¡°-Hello, Samantha,¡± spoke the most spine-chillingly discomforting voice she¡¯d ever heard from a digital mask, sounding nothing like what Tyrus used. Her heart began to tighten and her stomach began to clench up, feeling immediate regret for answering.

 131 - Difficult Compromises, Part 3

    The lump in her throat fought her attempt to respond. ¡°Y¡­ yes? Who is this?¡± Her tiny, quivering voice finally came out.


    ¡°I found you at last, thanks to you utilizing our¡­ allies¡¯ communications network,¡± the figure continued in an ominous fashion, triggering Sam¡¯s instant, deep, and painful remorse for ever having felt curious the previous morning. ¡°But let me cut straight to business while I have your absolute and undivided attention without risk of any interference.¡±


    Who the hell could this be, and what the hell does he want?!


    Sam¡¯s hands began to shake as she continued to hold the device, too panicked and frightened to determine the next course of action. Is this- shit, is this leading to another assassination or something?!


    ¡°I know you seek your brother, and I can assist.¡±


    WHAT?!


    Sam now froze up completely upon hearing that one word, and not only was it the shock of hearing the unexpected, it carried a certain sting like it came from someone she might have been close to. ¡°Excuse me?!¡± She shouted through her faintest whisper. ¡°And who¡­ who is my brother?! Who am I even talking to?!¡± She knew she had only spoken that one truth to very few individuals as her heart now raced under the effects of a different kind of adrenaline.


    ¡°I won¡¯t hide that fact, for it was your affiliates who searched so hard for me but always came up empty handed,¡± the voice calmly answered.


    Huh? My affiliates?! Does he mean Hexa or Infinity? She couldn¡¯t pin that on Sebastian, Kaylen, or her own father at that rate.


    ¡°But the entire Underground throughout every major network knows of your true connection to Reaper, including his true identity, of course.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t consider anything unless you tell me who you are,¡± Sam pressed on with more strength in her tone despite her continued whisper.


    ¡°Apologies, but I reveal what I may to those who I establish relationships with first and only then.¡±


    Her first instinct at that exact moment was to hang up, but her curiosity much like earlier grabbed a stranglehold of her better senses. ¡°I¡­ it¡¯s not like¡­¡± Her thoughts were too scrambled to speak clearly, fist and teeth clenched. Rgh! Get a hold of yourself! This is your only shot at finding him¡­ this soon in the game!


    She took a quick, deep breath to reset her swirl of mixed feelings to decide on her one last gamble with an offer that may never return: ¡°You clearly need me or you wouldn¡¯t reach out like this out of nowhere, am I right?!¡±


    Silence continued unexpectedly for a few seconds, signaling she may have won her little gamble. High on her sudden burst in slight but definite boost in confidence, she continued: ¡°I¡¯ve faced assassination attempt after attempt and I am supposed to just¡­ believe you?! Who are you and why should I believe you will actually help me?!¡±


    More silence continued, triggering sudden fears the person may have already disconnected, hitting her in the gut with a dose of reality soon to fade that next moment. ¡°I cannot argue.¡±


    New life was once again breathed into her as by now her body was trembling from the constant ebb and flow of adrenaline and cortisol. Woah, all that¡­ it really worked?!


    ¡°Very well, Samantha. I will give you the information you wish, but only if you agree to join my effort in putting a stop to Reaper.¡±


    She knew there¡¯d be a catch, but there was no way she could let this go, especially after realizing how desperate the figure clearly tied to the Underground must be. ¡°Just that one thing? No other strings?¡±


    ¡°Reaper and Reaper alone.¡±


    Sudden recollections of words of caution and advice rushed as soon as she began considering agreeing. Everyone she fell out of trust with over her lone courses of action flashed through her conscious, bringing her from Danielle¡¯s dire warning all the way to the though of falling out with Sebastian at worst if she were to repeat her mistakes.


    She took the continued silence as an invitation to mull it over one more second, pondering the consequences of rejecting the offer. If I refuse, will a dragged-out mission make us lose more? If I don¡¯t get a jump on¡­ him- if we don¡¯t get the jump on him first, we may suffer way worse. The idea of losing Sebastian during the chase was just as real as losing him from acting alone.


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    No¡­ there¡¯s another way.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go alone. I need my partner.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t expecting that, either.


    ¡°My next order of business was already set for contacting Mrs. Rodgers once I confirmed your interest.¡±


    Now THAT wasn¡¯t what I was expecting, either. This is real unsettling.


    ¡°The two of you are key in preventing Reaper from destroying any more of our progress. He has become an insurmountable obstacle for us without help from outside our ranks as lately¡­ loyalty amongst the Underground networks has been more questionable than ever.


    She rubbed her eyes and bit down in tense thought, still slightly leaning towards a quicker ending but nonetheless cautious. Everyone she had been taking word from since first stepping foot into the Underground¡¯s world had been delivering their promises thus far. She knew it was because she was of use, but that might have been all the reason why she could take things not only at face value but rather use them for her own personal gain just as well. After all, her only goal was to end her brother¡¯s ambitions.


    No, I have to keep going further. It¡¯s been like in my recent nightmares. The knife she had been holding recently in her dreams flashed back again, realizing the foggy picture was none other than her in a fight for her life against Isaiah. The image quickly turned to a clearer one, one where she held it over him and not the other way.


    She clenched her fist tightly and breathed deeply, letting it out as her gut tightened and heart rate picked up. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± The gamble was on, and those words came out faster than she was prepared for as she began to feel faint under the immense pressure she just put herself under. Would Kaylen strangle her? Would Sebastian scold her and reject her notions? Would Renzo feel betrayed after everything? Those questions ran through her head at such a force she almost failed to catch the other side¡¯s response.


    ¡°Very well, then. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. You will be given equipment to contact me with directly with maximum encryption in the next two days, and from there you will receive instructions for the next move. Until then, lay low and obey those from Enrai.¡±


    Hmph¡­ Lay low¡­


    Sam hadn¡¯t realized how tired she had grown of hearing that, but before she could get too caught up on that thought she remembered a critical issue as she stiffly frowned. ¡°Wait, you promised to tell me who you were!¡±


    ¡°Of course. My name is the one you once sought, and have now interestingly agreed to cooperate with.¡±


    ¡°And¡­?!¡±


    ¡°My alias is most widely known as Rex.¡±


    Her heart could have stopped right then and there and never would have noticed. Her face grew pale in a flash, instantly swallowed up by the immense regret and panic upon that name¡¯s mentioning. And before she could question just what exactly she got herself into, it was a struggle instead to not vomit on the spot as she slowly collapsed against her bed.


    We¡¯re all going to die, aren¡¯t we?


    ¡°Samantha, stay with me.¡± Rex had heard Sam¡¯s rapidly shallowing breaths, seeming adamant about their new deal. ¡°You made the right choice. Do not fear retribution or death in any instance from my part.¡±


    No! Everything I heard associated with that name was nothing but death! Fearful tears began to well up behind her burning eyes, still unable to speak.


    ¡°It was myself after all that suggested the prevention of your execution from the beginning, Samantha. I have the least interest in your death, rather your life has of importance to me.¡±


    It took a moment for that message to register, but confusion quickly grew into resent. ¡°Excuse me?! You can¡¯t claim that! What makes you think I¡¯d fall for that?!¡±


    ¡°I understand your reaction, but I don¡¯t have much time left before we are both compromised, so I will keep it short.¡±


    She desperately wanted to tell him off, but she knew the deal had already been made. All she could do was bite down through her hurt rage and listen.


    ¡°Many of us quickly and easily came to know of Reaper¡¯s family situation from the day he walked in, including your complete situation. I took a great risk accepting his lead role, and now after benefitting from his superior skills and assets, I have suffered the consequences of my gamble. You were the fallback plan from day one,¡± he spoke to much more confusion from Sam, making it hard not to continue listening despite her stance. ¡°And now I finally got through to you without compromising either of our standings.¡± Another brief moment of thoughts sinking in and breathing rate slowing down followed before Rex continued:


    ¡°Again, you are of no threat to me after taking this request from me. The only threat to your life is your brother, and even if you fail but are able to walk away, it will be out through my open doors, guaranteed.¡±


    He does have a point. Putting an end to my brother is my last hurrah, after all. Sebastian won¡¯t heal up in time and this is likely, as I thought, my only shot at a quick end.


    ¡°Now, before I temporarily cut our communications,¡± Rex spoke in notable haste. ¡°Let me repeat: you must continue to operate and function as a member of Enrai due to your current circumstances. You will receive contact from one of my members in approximately two days; Wait for Two Fifty (2:50) and you will know who and where.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what do you-¡±


    ¡°Until then, Ella.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Sam heard the click the second she fussed back in futility, left hanging with heavy doubt she understood what he meant by two fifty.


    Who am I waiting for? Are they coming at two fifty? Where, even? And am I¡­ am I Ella, now? Is that what he meant?!


    She let go of the tension in her body, sagging down and flopping onto the mattress, slowly sprawling out as her mind raced through the conversation and what was surely to come over the next few days. And though nightmares took much of her sleep away earlier, it would be the impending reality to take away the rest.


    ¡­


    I have to call Sebastian¡­

 132 - Both Paths Leading to Regret

    Sam wiped the sleepy from her eyes, squinting through the early morning sun blasting through the gap between the buildings in front of her hotel¡¯s entrance area. She subconsciously tugged at the shoulder strap of her messenger bag that pulled on her coveralls in an annoying manner. Dressed as a utility worker, she used that as a means to blend in with her everyday transit to and from the Enrai¡¯s port entrance. Unable to think about breakfast yet, she eased her way down the sidewalk as she pondered the fact that two whole days had passed without uttering a word to Sebastian, Kaylen, nor anyone else about her conversation with Rex.


    She begrudgingly accepted the fact, however, that today had to be the day to spill it before 2:50, assuming the worst if Sam left without informing Sebastian of the plan and moved forward without first checking in with Kaylen. The only thing left to decide was how.


    Has Rex really not gotten in contact with her? Her not saying a word has me nervous as hell¡­ as if she were waiting on me to ¡®fess up first or something.


    .


    She used her pass to enter the port complex as she had been, making her way without incident to the LTAC holding area to pick up where she left off each evening to further her adjustments both in piloting the Arondight and in her strategies. But this morning would be different as the moment she slid her bag off onto the cart near the access ladder to the Ai20 frame, her watch vibrated as a call popped up.


    ¡°Enrai?¡± She thought aloud, noting not only was it a name she had rarely heard, but it was also from an unfamiliar calling app. Nevertheless, she swiped the call open and leaned over the guardrail she stood next to. ¡°Hello?¡±


    A recording that lasted mere seconds came to confirm her mobile had been successfully connected to Enrai¡¯s network, automatically disconnecting the call before Sam had a chance to react.


    ¡°That was odd¡­¡± Instinctively pulling out her mobile, she scanned her app access pages to find no new call app, but the call just now was unmistakably real. Whatever. Back to business-


    [Attention Ella,] a voice over a PA system called as Sam¡¯s attention snapped towards it. [Please report to Emilia¡¯s office immediately.]


    Who-wait, isn¡¯t that the¡­?


    [Ella, to Emilia¡¯s office immediately,] the voice repeated before hanging up.


    Sam paused in thought, remembering that was what Rex had referred to her as the other night. Well, only one way to find out. Wasting no time, she quickly picked her bag back up and slung it hastily over her shoulder, hurrying off back to the main floor.


    .


    ¡°Of course, you got his call,¡± Kaylen laughed ironically from the seat of her makeshift desk as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. ¡°Or else you wouldn¡¯t be walking in, huh?¡±


    Already half on guard, the shock wasn¡¯t overwhelming but it still stung for Sam, slowly but steadily entering, taking a seat the only chair nearby. ¡°I never knew how to, well, explain anything properly, nor how to defend my decision.¡± The words came out with surprisingly little resistance, feeling as if she had already been scorned well beforehand. ¡°So, he did call you as he said¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a disgusting character, that¡¯s all I know,¡± Kaylen spat as her frown deepened. ¡°I¡¯d love to know what you found in his business approach that got you of all people sold,¡± she then added as she locked in on Sam with a more serious gaze. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were that trusting after all the living nightmares you¡¯ve been through.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Sam paused, knowing she should soften her rebuttal. ¡°I mean, you heard what huge information he had for us. You know¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, says the guy who tried to off you the other night,¡± Kaylen shot back with news that shattered through everything Sam thought she had resolved. ¡°You really think the Bishop rogue was the one calling the shots that night?¡±


    Sam¡¯s jaw fell agape as she took that punch to the gut. No way¡­ it was¡­ wait! What!?


    Kaylen let Sam soak in the irony of it all, now sifting through papers inside a folder she picked up. Pulling out a single sheet, she passed it to her, allowing her time to snap back to reality enough to notice the offer. ¡°I feel sorry for you in a way, but this is the type of shit people in spots like us call another just another bad spell. Now, read.¡±


    Sam gathered her focus enough to skim the scribbled translations Kaylen wrote across what looked like a transmission record. Finishing up, her already shot nerves started showing through the slight tremors running through her fingers as she looked back at Kaylen. ¡°You all¡­ just found this out this morning? It was real?¡±


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    ¡°Rex must have wanted you dead before that Bishop group went rogue- I say rogue because they were Rex¡¯s men. So was Reaper, remember? This little split happened the night they ordered that hit on you.¡± She saw some life coming back into Sam¡¯s eyes the more she reaffirmed the actual standing of their situation. ¡°Rex lost Reaper for good, and since you¡¯re still alive, now he wants to use you instead of fight you.¡±


    Sam could only shake her head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this shit¡­¡±


    Kaylen chuckled in disgust. ¡°Like I said. Guy is a fucked up sack of shit, but here we are with a deal we accepted just because.¡±


    ¡°Wait, we?¡± Sam was feeling much more like she was prior to stepping inside. ¡°You accepted it as well, knowing all that!?¡±


    ¡°Damn right,¡± she continued in her chuckle. ¡°You think we have etiquette and follow rules? Girl, do you remember why I ever came here in the first place?¡±


    Oh, right, to clear her name. And Reaper¡¯s elimination is her only way out.


    ¡°You see?¡± Kaylen continued as she took back the paper and placed it back inside the folder. ¡°Me agreeing is one thing, but you? You never consulted me and that¡¯s the only thing I worry about as we start feeling the gravity of the situation we¡¯re now in.¡±


    Sam started recalling other important pieces of the end of their conversation, focusing on the one last unanswered question mark: ¡°Two-fifty. What was that all about?¡±


    Kaylen shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Did he say that? Two-fifty? What, a time to meet? A part of an address?¡±


    Sam shook her head in return. ¡°He said in about two days, something about two-fifty, and me being ¡®Ella¡¯ for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Then, yeah, it¡¯s probably that specific time,¡± Kaylen spoke back, straightening herself in her chair. ¡°Listen, I got to help piece together more intel my group brought in since, well, I¡¯ll tell you now. There¡¯s some storm brewing between Bishop and Rex and it might not be pretty, and shit might all go down in the capital sometime this coming weekend.¡±


    ¡°The big SAU Senate voting session in Buenos Aires,¡± Sam mumbled as she recalled news tidbits she had picked up throughout the mostly sleepless nights.


    ¡°Yeah, has to be that.¡± Kaylen then turned back to her computer as if to resume work. ¡°Anyway, that plus the new task I have of informing Hexa¡¯s uppers of our new situation and requesting permission to move the inbound Galatine and Arondight as needed. Never know how things might change.¡±


    Sam was breathing normally by now, having had time to process everything. Sounds like I got lucky this time. I really need to stop being so afraid of confrontation¡­ not like I¡¯m talking to my mother. She then stood up as if to excuse herself. ¡°So, I guess I should stick to my own task at hand until then, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Nothing else you should do- and I mean that as in stay the hell away from that communicator unless we call you,¡± Kaylen half snapped just at the thought of more trouble coming from, in her opinion, Sam¡¯s fatal curiosity.


    ¡°But, I did stay away. Rex was the one calling me,¡± Sam attempted to calmly rebut, drawing a wave from Kaylen instead of a fuss.


    ¡°Right, right, you still get my point?¡±


    Sam nodded with a shrug of her shoulders as she left, choosing to keep the current if only temporary understanding they reached. But it¡¯s not like I can just¡­ get back to work. I HAVE to tell Sebastian about this before time is up this afternoon. She let out a heavy sigh as she approached the lift that would take her back below ground.


    She stepped back into the Ai20¡¯s cockpit but this time with her mind on the call before the task. She sat leaned against the now closed main hatch padding, head propped against her folded arms, letting out another difficult sigh. She knew this would be her last reasonable chance before work would suck her straight into lunch and the looming 2:50PM she still assumed to be the time Rex would call. By that point she knew she¡¯d hit the point of no return if she didn¡¯t come clean beforehand.


    ¡°6:45¡± read her watch as she hesitated for the hundredth time before swiping up the message function, tapping on Sebastian¡¯s name.


    ¡°If you¡¯re awake,¡± she spoke through the speech-to-text function. ¡°Please call me.¡±


    It was her hundredth slow, heavy sigh as well the second she sent it. And I still don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to explain all of this without-


    *Bzzt!*


    Rang her watch¡¯s vibrating call alert, triggering her heartrate to skyrocket.


    ¡°Hey,¡± she weakly spoke into her headset as she sat upright.


    ¡°Are you alright? You don¡¯t normally call so early,¡± Sebastian asked, seemingly fully awake and alert.


    Don¡¯t lose it, Sam. She knew what she could and couldn¡¯t reveal over an insecure line, but it would still take a lot of focus not to lose her restraint through the upcoming emotional rollercoaster. ¡°Are you still coming to Bahia Blanca today?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Kaylen told me about thirty minutes ago. Did she not confirm with you?¡±


    ¡°I was¡­¡± Shit¡­ Her stomach tightened by the second. ¡°We¡­ we were actually talking about what I might have to do today.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you going to be around when I get there? She said I should be there maybe after lunch.¡±


    Oh, wait¡­ that soon? She had me thinking more like at night, but this might work out better!! Her tension eased up a touch, leaning her head against the padding in front, letting out a slower, quiet breath. ¡°Yeah, I should be. I mean, now that I think about it, let me tell you what¡¯s up when you get here. I can¡¯t say too much.¡±


    ¡°Right, the line, yes?¡±


    Another easier sigh escaped. Thank God he understands at least that much.


    ¡°Right. But I called because I thought you were coming later. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s about to happen to be a hundred percent sure, but it¡¯s, well, kind of a big deal. Like, really big deal and I don¡¯t want to just up and move on to something big without telling you everything.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I am coming, and I actually leave with Dani in, ahn, maybe an hour if I remember correct.¡±


    ¡°Ah, great, that makes it so much easier,¡± she spoke before realizing the content wouldn¡¯t change. Shit, no it doesn¡¯t. It might make him react even more strongly in person¡­ fuck.


    ¡°Well, look, I know you are busy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in the cockpit as we speak,¡± Sam added with an awkward chuckle. ¡°I guess I had better stay busy before they get mad at me.¡±


    Sam ended up wrapping up the conversation and hanging up soon after, but just before that she had something pop up in her mind. Not a sigh was released this time as she quickly reached up for her helmet and loosely seated it in place on her head, pulling down the visor.


    I have to try this idea out first before Sebastian gets here. This just might make the difference in how I approach this whole damn mess.


    She saw Renzo¡¯s status nearby lit up as active, signaling he was already in the cockpit chipping away at his practice. ¡°Renzo, you got a second?¡±


    [Cruella, very unexpected of you to stop me in the middle of your work.]


    Yeah, he knows. I can tell in his voice.


    [You got something?]


    ¡°I do. Can you come over here real quick? In person.¡±

 133 - Both Paths Leading to Regret, Part 2

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    ¡°No digas nada,¡± read the awkwardly jotted words Sam pointed to on her notepad as Renzo stood confused at the top of the ladder, halfway in the cockpit space. She then held up her mobile and pointed to her disconnected status. She then pointed further down the page to: ¡°desconecta el WIFI.¡±


    Renzo started doubting coming over the second he started reading things in Spanish she took time to translate or formulate on her own, assuming she was up to something. [Huh?]


    ¡°Shh!¡± She flashed an angrily impatient face with a finger over her mouth, then pointing to his mobile in a commanding fashion.


    He rolled his eyes, figuring to at least entertain her long enough to see what she was up to, now disconnecting his mobile from the internet and data network. He showed her the screen before tossing it back into his pocket.


    She then showed him the next page where she had written down paragraphs of ideas, all roughly translated but hopefully well enough to convey the ideas she had organized in her head. She watched his eyes, hoping he was able to make sense as he progressed downward while she imagined him reading: ¡°We can¡¯t trust anyone, not even Kaylen, like Sebastian said, right? Does this mean we don¡¯t even trust Enrai as a whole, not even Hexa at this point? Do we only trust in ourselves on this one?¡± was one of her summarized thoughts she reiterated in her head.


    Renzo¡¯s eyes met a blank line at the bottom of the first set of statements. His head tilted as if in agreement before reading the next.


    ¡°We can only move forward with our own thoughts and plans, and the rest we just have to go with the flow. Do you trust what I am about to show you?¡± Was the other summarized thought she rehashed as Renzo read through.


    His head nodded as he looked back up with hesitant affirmation which soon lead to curiosity.


    The page flipped again. ¡°Anything we say or exchange outside this notepad can be tracked or listened in on, understood? I bet this is how my brother handles business once I thought long and hard on it. He controls the communication lines most likely, but we can at least disappear from them and become an element of surprise.¡±


    Renzo¡¯s enthusiasm quickly stepped up a notch as he kept reading: ¡°Kaylen and I agreed to this whole Rex thing because it suits both of our goals, but I worry about you Sebastian and Dani more than Kaylen ever will, I¡¯m afraid. So, what I need you to do is run through these ideas I have drawn out for when we arrive in the Capital. They¡¯re all the possible outcomes I can think of, so please add in more of what you can while I go pick Sebastian up. We will meet here as we explain everything to him. Sound fair?¡±


    He took the notepad from her to flip through several drawn-out diagrams of attack, retreat, and encirclement patterns before looking back at her with still-hesitant but steadily increasing approval.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Hexa Central HQ, Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories</li>


    </ul>


    Vincent¡¯s office was rather quiet that evening despite the chaos that seemed to have become the norm ever since the Manila incident. With Project Excalibur still delayed and detoured but with his prized pair of pilots in relatively safe hands, a breather was afforded for everyone who had been working around the clock.


    ¡°They¡¯ve responded, sir,¡± an officer on one of his holographic projector screens spoke up just as he popped up into view. ¡°The shipment will reach point A within the next twenty hours. No sign of pirate activity and only two hours until it will enter the SAU¡¯s surveillance zone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the update,¡± Vincent replied through his weary voice, taking the time to look back at the young man. The location displayed below revealed him to be calling in from Infinity Cuba¡¯s CCC. ¡°We are awaiting correspondence from our field agent housed within Enrai¡¯s network as we speak. By that time, however, my stand-in logistics director will be back with you as the liaison.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Vincent then grimaced, letting out a labored sigh as he leaned over his clasped hands. ¡°Also, relay to your director the closing of surveillance case one-thirty-nine. The stolen Ap50 shipment has been labeled as headed south from the point of theft and will pass it on fully to our orbital crew.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Will contact him immediately.¡±


    He ended the call as he looked back over to a screen that showed a satellite view of Bahia Blanca¡¯s airspace, augmented with layers of diagnostic and security data. He then eyed the contact log from Kaylen, showing their last communication established to have been thirty minutes prior.


    He then reached for his control panel to bring up Lucian¡¯s contact, initiating a call. ¡°I know you¡¯re on break,¡± he started the moment Lucian picked up. ¡°But let me inform you ahead of time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± an even more exhausted Lucian replied.


    ¡°Take note before you return: Rodgers requested a move directly into the Capital Federal as soon as cleared. Our intel from them shows the next big move to be there, sequenced with the upcoming Senate session where our suspect Representative Orsi is expected to make a move on that crippling proposal we¡¯ve been following, and my gut says our stolen A-P package is involved somehow.¡±


    ¡°I could guess that as well, but can we trust she has plans for safe entry? I don¡¯t think I like the idea of putting our few best resources in like that.¡±


    ¡°I hesitated as well, of course. I¡¯ll debrief you on all of that, but time is ticking and we are desperate for any window of opportunity we can get.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s all the more why we need to make that move on the president to sign with us. Argentina is the place we least can afford to sit out on- we need official presence there, even if it¡¯s in cooperation with SAU active duty.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late to re-convince him. We really have no choice but to to meet over that request from Rodgers, so think about what that could entail if we allow or deny.¡±


    ¡°Will be on it once I return in the morning.¡±


    ¡°And also, don¡¯t forget to bring your leads¡¯ information on Miss Delacroix. She might be key in this whole debacle more than we were let on. I expect you have that collected by now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. I have.¡±


    After that call was ended, the last screen Vincent¡¯s eyes wandered to was a map of possible locations of the Curtana and the estimated paths of movement from Amelie Delacroix. In grayed out colors were two more sets of points, each labeled with the names Danielle Norris and Gabriel Silva. His eyes especially narrowed in on Gabriel¡¯s, seemingly suspicious of his status ever since he was announced KIA.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Bolivian and Argentine Border, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Most railway cargo ran across the border uninterrupted, but several wide-gauge rail cargo had to run through checkpoints. And at this one particular border crossing was a larger hub for that, and at one gate was an exceptionally large container train parked and awaiting clearance.


    From the exit doors of the rear-most car, Adrian along with a few of his associates deboarded and shook hands with one of the SAU inspectors as they exchanged pleasantries.


    [Well,] the inspector started soon after as he looked down the line of cargo containers. [I don¡¯t know if you realize how dead you¡¯d all be without our help covering your tracks, especially knowing how many active duty Colombianos got transferred there since July,] he spoke in reference to the SAU military forces placed there to temporarily take control from the government policing. [You¡¯re all some seriously lucky bastards, you know?]


    [All we need to know is if your administration has our backdoor secured,] Adrian replied with a calm demeanor. [Because everything on our end, well, you can rest assured the groundwork has been well laid out right on schedule.]


    [Oh, it is,] the inspector answered with a light chuckle, now returning the same level of calmness. [You don¡¯t know how bad our boys back home have been itching for this change.]


    [Yes, actually. Yes, I do,] Adrian spoke back with a sudden heaviness in his tone, losing his polite smile as he took out his tablet to bring up a document. [And I speak for my men here as well. And don¡¯t think we didn¡¯t lose others in our successful attempt to divert special forces away from us using the still-unstable situation in Colombia. It¡¯s nice when things go your way when it¡¯s all so quiet and peaceful, huh,] he now added with a hint of disgust mixed with irony.


    [My apologies,] the inspector quickly attempted to revert the mood as he placed his signature on the tablet screen Adrian held out. [But, by the way, this is out of curiosity,] he continued as he put away his stylus. [While things are set on our end, what do you plan on having done during those two hours and fifty minutes?]


    [Watch the clock and you¡¯ll see,] Adrian flatly replied as he offered his hand once more before departure. [A pleasure, inspector.]


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    [Breaker, this is Bender,] Adrian spoke into his communicator from one of the empty cargo containers toward the rear, accompanied only by several machines powering the train¡¯s communication equipment. [Signature acquired, train moving. Entry into the Capital Federal cleared as well.] He then looked over a page he had written notes on from his clipboard. [Last stop should be for the last of our pilot acquisitions. Contact after I check in at rally point D.]


    He then put away his things as he took out his earpiece, powering it off along with his mobile.


    [Say, Breaker,] a similarly dressed man from behind him spoke as he approached. [I keep hearing that two hours thing. What exactly is that?]


    [Oh, that¡¯s right,] Adrian smiled as he turned to him. [You never served, huh.] He knew his compatriot was barely past twenty, but never thought much of the experiences of others as long as their skills and sense of duty were on spot. [We in the Capital Federal always had three numbers memorized from way early on, and two-fifty is the time it takes for SAU mechanized forces to arrive.]


    [Huh?] He responded with an awkward smile, crossing his arms. [To arrive from what? From where? You talking about in response to like, say, a threat or attack?]


    Adrian paused in thought before answering. [Remember the orbital strikes from 2161?]


    [Yeah, who doesn¡¯t remember? I was ten¡­ at school when it happened.]


    [Yeah, well¡­] Adrian paused again as he took in and let out a long, slow breath. [That was the longest two hours and fifty minutes of my life riding in that airdrop carrier in from Curitiba,] he spoke in reference to the major SAU airbase located in Brazil, situated between Buenos Aires and Sao Paolo, serving both regions. [Wondering if family is okay, you know that kind of story. I mean, at least I wasn¡¯t sent up north to Sao. They got leveled in comparison- but still, it made me question why that was ever a thing to begin with.]


    [Being way over in Brazil?]


    [Right. They got any support you could name in under thirty. Us? We could get air support there in just over half an hour, but when you speak of the heavy shit the jets would encounter? Those are mosquitoes just there to get swatted in the end. That¡¯s why they call in the mech squadrons, but set back almost three whole fucking hours¡­ you feel me?]


    [You know? You¡¯re right,] the man raised his tone as he matched moods. [Why didn¡¯t they ever setup shop for the mechanized within our own borders? Like we can¡¯t be trusted to take care of ourselves?] He then stopped to realized he had the answer already, shaking his head. [Of course, that¡¯s just another reason to pile on top of the others as far as our whole why, huh?]


    [We got a long ride to town,] Adrian chuckled as he leaned back against the wall. [Anything else you need filling in on? We got all the time in the world.]


    [Actually, yeah,] the man continued, taking the open spot on the wall next to him as he collected his thoughts. [I¡¯ve been curious to hear how you got back alive from Space ever since you got taken in. I heard stories on how pilot POW¡¯s were treated during the war.]


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ New General Cerri District, Bahia Blanca, Argentina</li>


    </ul>


    Sam stood with one hand on her shoulder bag, one clutching her mobile. She stood near a fairly crowded bus stop not far from the port, nervously watching her GPS tracker showing an incoming vehicle with Sebastian¡¯s tag on it.


    ¡°We always send our pick-ups and drop-offs according to busy daytime bus schedules. No one tries anything stupid out in broad daylight in front of a crowd,¡± she remembered Kaylen explaining earlier before she set off to await Sebastian¡¯s arrival. She had it planned out in her head once she spotted him to turn everything off. It was considerably late given the advantages she could have had knowing how much location and audio tracking was an issue before, but it was better now than never. Whatever she could plan to explain to him, it had to be done in digital silence.


    Well, I keep double-checking and this is the right spot and the right time. Are they on this bus coming up?


    The bus pulled up, an influx of deboarding passengers passed the soon-to-be boarders, and less than a minute later the bus pulled away. But the moment she felt isolated as the only one to stand out where she stood alone, another larger van pulled up a few meters away and a small group of people quickly unloaded.


    And there he was, right next to Dani, getting off behind the other four in front of them.


    Sebastian! She desperately wanted to shout out while leaping for him, but felt an unusually strong signal to stay put and keep quiet. Perhaps it was because of all the talk about never trusting anyone, or maybe it was due to the alertness she felt in the group¡¯s aura as they quickly approached her.


    Oh, right! She remembered to turn everything off, which she did in a hurry, tossing her mobile back into her bag and straightened up.


    ¡°Ven con nosotros, Ella,¡± the man at the front of the pack spoke under his breath to her as he now walked past her, making it clear he knew exactly who she was. ¡°Vamanos.¡±


    She knew what he meant despite her inability to properly reply, but she still couldn¡¯t just turn and walk as if Sebastian wasn¡¯t right there a few steps away. But then again, she now wondered why wasn¡¯t he nor Dani showing any signs of relief or elation? They looked as serious as the rest, causing her to nearly panic as if they must be in danger or so.


    ¡°You heard him,¡± Sebastian quietly spoke as he took her in his right arm, almost as if to say he wanted to hug her as bad as she did but couldn¡¯t. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving,¡± he added as he firmly held her close while staying close behind the others.


    Dani gave a subtle greeting nod toward Sam once their eyes met that next second, and she returned it with her own, now breathing a short sigh of temporary relief. Whatever it was happened that put them in this position, at least she still felt closer to how things were supposed to be with him by her side.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She whispered as they seemingly headed down toward the usual port entrance.


    ¡°Company,¡± was Sebastian¡¯s whispered answer as the group now turned to cross the street at that next crosswalk, taking them away from the port, triggering Sam¡¯s worry once more. ¡°Just stay close.¡±


    Renzo¡¯s going to wonder what the hell¡¯s going on if we don¡¯t get back to base. Was it another hit attempt on them or what?!


    She then remembered a pointer Renzo gave her the other morning, and her eyes looked up and around until she could see the nearest church belltower, and it was right in front of them. She then noticed the group leading them took them right into the opening which was between two small fountains near a park.


    [Wait here,] the one in front quietly spoke as they came to a nervous stop.


    [Eyes, what do you see around us?] another spoke over his headset as he looked to the belltower.


    Sam now felt the proximity of each and every passerby, realizing there were more than a dozen now in view. The thought of any of them being a potential suspect had her heart racing, and the standing in silence had her losing her composure as she squeezed Sebastian¡¯s hand in the process. Why are we sitting like this in the open!? Isn¡¯t this the opposite of finding cover?!

 134 - What will the Trade-offs be?

    She then took another quick look back at the three in front, clearly listening intently to something over their earpieces but didn¡¯t react much beyond looking ahead as if trying to act casual.


    Then began a quiet flurry of lines between two of them that were at such a pace and of such a dialect that she couldn¡¯t make one word from another. It was almost as if it weren¡¯t Spanish, and then it hit her. This was like what I heard over their radio the other morning!


    And as two of them started looking over their left shoulder, Sam, Sebastian, and Dani¡¯s also followed along as they saw a pair of what seemed to be construction workers suddenly stopping in their tracks. More indistinguishable words continued to flow by as the two distant workers both set their tool bags down by the traffic light pole they stood next to. The two then looked at one another before slowly looking back up at the light behind them as they reached for the bags they set down.


    Sebastian must have felt the need to instinctively pull Sam in tightly and uncomfortably as she had to stop herself from shouting out in surprise, but it wasn¡¯t in vain as a loud pair of cracking sounds and two fountains of gravel and dust flew up from behind both of them. That next instant, the same two of the group leading them hurried off in a dash towards the two that had now fallen over their bags while one remained.


    [Stay with them!] The leading man shouted as the third who remained turned to speak.


    Sam could only stand there, mesmerized by the mixed waves of shock, panic, fear, and confusion blocked out her ability to determine the conversation Sebastian and Dani were now taking part in while noting the steady influx of screams and shouts from the surrounding public.


    Those sounds¡­ Shit! Did someone just get shot!?


    The arm still holding Sam close kept the worst of her fears at bay while she began to make sense of what she could as she looked around, not paying attention to a conversation she couldn¡¯t understand anyway. If they had us pause here, it must have been to better track who was moving in on us. She then looked over at the two supposed construction workers¡¯ bodies, now stood over by the two who ran off, searching the bodies while passersby began to gather around, mobiles out and recording.


    She then looked back over at the belltower. You mean¡­ they have snipers up there?! They shot those two before they could move in on- damn I hope they hit the right people!


    Police sirens interrupted her thoughts as she felt herself now being pulled away and in the opposite direction from the scene. ¡°We are clear, they say,¡± Sebastian assuaged Sam¡¯s worries as he too occasionally looked back over his shoulder. ¡°They will find out quickly who they are.¡±


    ¡°But wait, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Another way in,¡± he continued in the same tone. ¡°Stay quiet. Just walk.¡±


    All Sam could do was walk as guided, stuck between eyes shifting all about as they approached the backside of a large condominium tower and the attempt at piecing together the events that just occurred. And as the uncomfortably silent tour dragged on through back doors, inconspicuously located elevators, and access-restricted underground tunnels, theories began to formulate as she couldn¡¯t help but think to the side: Wow. As corny as it seems, this really makes me feel like this was the reason they call it ¡°the Underground.¡±


    But as more theories ran through her head, only one remained through the steady process of elimination. Her mental state instantly took a turn for the worse, despite how much things had settled down over the past minutes.


    Rex!!


    Her free hand balled into a tight fist as she bit down. No one else could have sent out a hit on Sebastian and Dani other than him! The dirty motherfucker is trying to cut me slack and not him! But as angry as she now became at the possibility, she knew now how much harder it would be to ever explain things to Sebastian after all.


    He felt her begin to quiver, catching more of his concern as they awaited one last restricted-access door to open at the end of a long, poorly-lit tunnel. ¡°Sam, ¡®you okay?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± she weakly replied under her breath, unable to cover her thoughts completely but still in hopes he would let things slide for now.


    ¡°Adelante,¡± Sam heard someone in front speak up, catching her attention.


    Wait, I recognize this place. As they were led only steps around the corner, she saw the same lift she frequented since arriving. ¡°Hey, this is what I take to get to the LTAC holding area every day.¡±


    More words began flying between the one who led them there and a few who joined up before loading up on the lift, triggering Sam to look up to Sebastian for a hint.


    Sebastian listened for a moment before leaning towards Sam to whisper: ¡°There¡¯s a meeting. Emergency meeting. We are all going.¡±


    Sam felt relief that more time was bought for her to determine the best way to break everything to him, but her stomach remained in a knot as there would be no way in her mind Sebastian would forgive her for cutting such a deal with someone still intent on killing him.


    And after being seated around a circular table in what looked like a meeting room of sorts, the ones that filled up half the table viewed Sam¡¯s clutching onto Sebastian as nothing more than a sign of having missed him. But even Sebastian knew something else had her in a mess.


    After hushed exchanges between him and Dani, he turned to Sam to speak as they continued to wait on others to join, offering a comforting smile. ¡°It¡¯s all okay, Sam, we¡¯re all here and safe. Dani and I were never in any actual danger as you saw.¡±


    Dani caught onto the topic as she chimed in with a smile of her own: [It¡¯s cute seeing someone care that much about you, brother. Yep, you¡¯d better stay alive for her.]


    And they both were right in her mind, to a degree. She harbored a newfound hatred for Rex as the assumed intent on still having him killed incensed her to a level she hadn¡¯t yet experienced, and of course the thought of him not arriving alive did cross her mind over the past few minutes more than she wanted it to. Even his surgery recovery came up once or twice, aware it had gone without a hitch but knew he wasn¡¯t one hundred percent. But it was all still contemplating the way she could deliver her confession that continued to eat her alive.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    [Yo, Bas! Dani!] Renzo¡¯s voice called out from the entry as he rushed over to his siblings, catching all three¡¯s attention. [I just heard what happened!]


    [I think that¡¯s why we are here all gathered like this with no chance to even catch our breath,] Sebastian replied as he looked over to the doorway to see more file in along with Kaylen. [Here, take a seat,] he motioned toward the empty spot next to Dani.


    [Alright, quiet everyone,] a man who walked in last behind Kaylen spoke with a hand up as the room quickly fell silent. The door closed and another member began passing around blank notepads and pens. [Encryption wall is up, but keep your devices off. Enrai has some words for us,] the older figure in his forties continued as he took his seat as well just across the table from Sam and Sebastian. He then reached across the table to a small control panel as he entered a few short commands.


    Sam still wanted to die right then and there from the weight of her decisions, but something in the air gave her hope that she would receive some assistance, albeit indirectly and only by circumstance. She took in a slow, deep breath and sat up straight, noticing Sebastian¡¯s arm leaving her side as he too leaned forward intently.


    [Recent direct communications with a Hexa upper official has us in a better situation than previously expected,] the digitally altered voice with a higher pitch than usual suddenly filled the void. The voice wasn¡¯t spine-chilling like before, and everyone¡¯s mood was surprisingly casual although with mixed-in exhaustion and anticipation.


    This must be the voice of Enrai¡­


    ¡°Hey, you,¡± whispered the member earlier who passed out the notepads as he stood behind Sam. ¡°It¡¯s okay to use the phone while the door is closed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks!¡± she whispered back with relief she could at least listen in, both for what was going on as well as for anything useful for her situation. She wasted no time powering her mobile back on and opening the translator, hoping she didn¡¯t miss too much.


    [-Which begins this Saturday as you all know. And despite our preparations to move, we can¡¯t risk a fallout with the public. This is why we will downsize our initial infiltration team and focus on what assistance Hexa will provide us.]


    Hexa? Is Mr. Vrey giving into the Underground so easily? Or is it someone else? Because I remember hearing how close he was to not letting Enrai take us in for shelter.


    [And fear not, this is not a move taken by Vrey. It should be worth noting that we connected with Rafael Lucian, stepping in for logistics while they seek a fill-in for Knight¡¯s vacated seat. He is the one speaking, but his source is tied to Knight himself.]


    [Good,] Kaylen huffed. [The last thing we need is more of what we¡¯d owe Vrey after this is over.]


    [Emilia,] Enrai continued. [I will agree to allow your plan to remain the focus here, although I must relegate command to Eryx once everyone is in position. I cannot allow you to be exposed unless we have no choice, assuming you are still unable to connect to Reign just yet.]


    [Understood, and yes, sir, I have a backup frame in case of emergency,] Kaylen nodded with a huff of hesitation, then looked to the man she walked in with that had hushed the room earlier to kick off the meeting. [Eryx, I take it you¡¯re fine with newcomers on our hands?]


    He turned and shrugged his shoulders, raising a brow. [You talking about Ernesto? You worry about Ella, Eunice, and Enzo, and let me worry about my one man.]


    All that while, the names already had Sam and the Navarre¡¯s exchanging confused glares as Dani couldn¡¯t help but whisper: [What¡¯s with all these crazy nicknames starting with E? Who is who?]


    Renzo whispered back, trying to avoid eye contact with Kaylen as she continued sharing her details. [Well, I¡¯m clearly Enzo- it sounds like me. I learned that Cruella is Ella, but who are the others? Did they randomly assign you names, too?]


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± Kaylen angrily shot at Renzo out through her teeth, motioning for him to shut up as he rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair quietly. [Apologies, Enrai.] She then straightened up and flipped a page on her clipboard. [The only intel I managed to collect on those stolen Ap50¡¯s is that they are definitely headed down FC east-bound on a heavy cargo train marked for parts. That means the entire lot, not a portion, should be our main threat of concern.]


    [As goes our prediction.]


    Although with much guilt, Sam began ease up, feeling like everything might just work out, seeing that Enrai looked to have things already decided beforehand, calculating how much to omit. It was too tempting to think how perhaps Sebastian would see everything spoken as Enrai¡¯s call to make, not anyone else¡¯s.


    [This attempt to seize the Capital must be stopped at all costs. We cannot afford to wait two hours and fifty minutes for an SAU response that should total up to that many LTACs in their possession. Eryx, you will receive your specific instructions. Emilia, you as well. Move the moment Rex¡¯s liaison reaches out to any of you.]


    Sam winced the instant she heard his name, looking to judge Sebastian¡¯s reaction. And of course it was sour and with thorough disbelief, almost as if he felt  he was hearing things. Shit¡­ ugh¡­


    [And from that instant any of you meet, cut all communications from our central hub, is that clear?]


    [Well, excuse me, Mr. Enrai, sir, but¡­] Sebastian spoke up as he leaned forward, tensing up.


    [Yes, Hexa recruit, Elijah. You may speak.]


    Sebastian jumped slightly in reaction to both his unexpected codename and the fact Enrai knew who was speaking after never having heard his voice before.


    Sam, too, wasn¡¯t expecting it. Damn! How the hell do they take in everything and everyone so quick!?


    Sebastian took in a deep breath, straightening out what he wanted to say once more. [To be frank, first of all, I don¡¯t remember signing up for anything other than agreeing through Hexa to stay under Mrs. Rodgers¡¯ protection for the time being. What is this Rex business you speak of in the Capital?] A collective, silent gasp was drawn simultaneously from Sam and his siblings, but Kaylen surprisingly remained unfazed. It was almost as if this kind of disagreement was commonplace. [I believe I have a right to know before I continue this commitment I¡¯ve been left with not much choice but to make.]


    Sebastian really is different when he¡¯s in his element. I forget this is how he was before we started dating and he found himself in other countries¡­


    [Fair. I will allow your upcoming partner, Ernesto, to fill you in on every key detail you wish, but to at least give you a proper response, Rex was always one we never got along with yet he holds the key to what you and I both seek. That¡¯s the elimination of Reaper from the picture, and so far only Rex has been able to provide us with specific whereabouts and we will soon receive the when. Does this help resolve your doubts, Elijah?]


    Sebastian cocked his head, unsure where to look as he continued to speak, but nevertheless kept up his resolve. [Mr. Enrai, do you know why my brother, my sister, and myself are trying to seek this Reaper character?]


    [Revenge. You lost your team to his men; we all know of this.]


    [We- well, no. Samantha here and I have seen to the deaths of his two partners in two different countries across the world. We didn¡¯t come this far to be betrayed by the same man who wanted us dead for months on end right here in my backyard. I need some kind of insurance here, if I may request.]


    A pause left time for Kaylen to rub her eyes impatiently, seemingly as if she couldn¡¯t believe he wasn¡¯t already on board with the plan. [I will arrange what you seek,] Enrai replied after thinking. Allow me to contact you through one of my messengers later this evening.]


    [Yes, sir.]


    Phew. Sam eased up even more as she began seeing where Sebastian was headed with his persistence. Maybe I¡¯ve been saved from an unnecessary battle after all. And although the guilt of her weaseling out of full responsibility remained heavy on her stomach, she was still convinced the best result for now would be to avoid any major fallout after coming this far.

 135 - Getting Left in the Dark

    [Further instructions will be sent, but remember to cut communications and follow Rex¡¯s lead with care. End call,] spoke Enrai chairs were pushed back and sighs were let out. Some were from confusion, others from the simple weight of the unknown lying ahead.


    Sam¡¯s was from neither, standing up while reading Sebastian¡¯s face.


    [So, who the hell am I, after all!? And who are we looking for in the end!?] Dani laughed wryly, dissatisfied as her brothers at the absolute lack of detail surrounding the whole situation.


    [You¡¯re clearly Eunice since he called the other names out!] Renzo huffed as he stretched. [I still can¡¯t believe they kept Cruella¡¯s name in her new nickname,] he added with a giggle to ease the tension. [She runs to a new country and still can¡¯t escape her name!]


    Sebastian¡¯s mind was still on matters worrying him most, but it only took a few seconds of Dani¡¯s and even Sam¡¯s laughter for him to crack a smile.


    ¡°Come on, guys. Let¡¯s go, we can¡¯t do anything until we get contacted like Enrai said,¡± Sam spoke with a gentle push of Sebastian¡¯s back as they saw the doorway begin to clear out. ¡°I realize there¡¯s a huge disconnect between the absolute must-follow rules mixed in with the whatever-the-hell else stuff like this, just¡­ letting us walk around like we live here? ¡­ Kind of thing going on, but-¡± she awkwardly attempted to escape the impending serious conversation before Sebastian stopped and interrupted.


    ¡°-No, it makes sense,¡± he sighed, looking around once more. ¡°We aren¡¯t back home, and we aren¡¯t with Hexa. Of course things are very strange and different, but I think they trust us because we have no choice but to be quiet and follow every order. I don¡¯t think they have a fear of us being a danger to them.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Sam once more tried to suggest their exit with another gentle push. ¡°So, in that case, let¡¯s just roll with it, huh? We really never had a choice in the matter.¡± And as Sebastian finally gave in and started following Dani and Renzo out of the room, Sam felt the sting of that last line she spoke. She felt fake, cowardly, as if reverting to her older self all in one fell swoop. And the ditch digging commenced unintentionally, and altering course might not happen before Rex¡¯s liaison would reach out.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    The face Sebastian wore of anxiousness, worry, and disgust never disappeared, even after a relatively peaceful cool-down the four sat through inside a borrowed, well-protected suite Enrai loaned them that afternoon. Every explanation in the world about why they had to take Rex¡¯s lead never calmed his nerves as the whole idea ate away at his sanity.


    [I still don¡¯t get why you¡¯re all okay with working with the ONE man who spent so much energy trying to end us. Who is the real main target here?] Sebastian went on with his uneasy rant, halfway bent over the corner of the sofa of the living room.


    Renzo¡¯s hands went up in concession, seated across from him in a recliner. [I can¡¯t explain it any more, brother. I¡¯ll be blunt, did you want us to just say fuck you we¡¯ll do this on our own? Spend days or even weeks pissing around in the wind hoping we¡¯d just¡­ run into Reaper one day?]


    [It¡¯s just like Boss,] Dani slipped back into the conversation from the bed she had been laying stomach-down on, head propped up on her crossed arms. She caught an unsuspecting nerve from both as she went on: [Business. None of us can ever say he did only good things with good people. Rex may have sent the orders to kill us, but what were we? We were the enemy. Now Reaper is the enemy of both of us, and the craziest thing? We have no proof Rex is the one who wanted us dead.]


    Sebastian wanted to snap back at her argument, realizing a split second later he had no reply of any real substance, leaving his hand in the air.


    Dani could only let out a wry chuckle. [Anyone have proof it wasn¡¯t Reaper¡¯s call all those times? Why do we run around in circles like this, wasting our last nerves when we should be resting up instead? It was a damned miracle we got that key piece of information handed to us to find and get revenge on the one who actually pulled the trigger and kept pulling triggers all this time. Do you REALLY need more reason, big brother?] She turned the other way with a huff. [I feel like I¡¯m the older sister sometimes. Grow up, already, and get out of your feelings.]


    Sam emerged from the bathroom at last, hand over her lower abdomen and looking somewhat pale. She had already looked terrible from the days of too little sleep, but the past twelve hours¡¯ worth of havoc wreaked on her psyche began to show more and more with each passing hour.


    [And there¡¯s Cruella, too! Poor thing,] Dani continued, lifting her head off her arms to wave a hand towards her suggestively, causing Sam to come to an awkward stop. [She¡¯s been working around the clock like Renzo here, can¡¯t sleep at all, and now on top of everything she has to be front-line with this crazy-ass plan thrown at us!]


    Pursing her lips, Sam looked away, hiding the guilt felt from having yet another convenient cover for her pop up unexpectedly. But as more words from Dani registered in her head, the more a second emotion began to arise while she listened, noting Sebastian¡¯s slowly changing aura.


    [Yet you,] Dani now went on the offensive as she brought herself to an upright seated position, arm still extended. [You sit there bitching and moaning about what you don¡¯t like! As if you were the one suffering the most here with the most to lose! I can¡¯t stand listening to it anymore- Renzo,] she then looked the other way with a huff. [Should I record his nonsense so he can see what I¡¯m talking about!?]


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    [Stop, stop,] Sebastian fussed, allowing his head to droop back over the backside of the sofa headrest. [I get it.] He took in a long breath as the air began to settle slightly before finally sitting up straight. [It¡¯s something I need time to stomach. Just¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Maybe it was the fact we all almost died the other night that has me so quick to-]


    ¡°Hey,¡± Sam softly spoke to him with a hand on his shoulder, sitting down right next to him.


    I can¡¯t sit here and feel like shit about hiding more decisions from him. If I brought up the truth as is when I had that chance, there¡¯d be way more fallout than this. I can¡¯t forget that damage control is still a thing, and at this rate, the best thing to do is keep us all together as a unit, right? She told herself as she rubbed his shoulder in a calming fashion. ¡°We¡¯re all human. And besides, we really should be used to all of this by now, if I may be brutally honest,¡± she attempted to console with a forced smile. ¡°But if you ask me? While I have been stressed out by everything going on, I do feel better about one thing- one constant here. We¡¯re all together,¡± she added while looking around at the other two. ¡°We all chose this route, yeah, so¡­ you know? So far, we¡¯ve been quite the damned team.¡±


    Sebastian eased up a touch, letting out a sigh before tapping his left hand nervously on the side of the sofa. ¡°Yeah. I still hate¡­ I hate that this is how it has to be.¡±


    Renzo laughed at the irony of the situation as he rocked in his recliner. [We could go back to Kennedy and work as mercenaries since that¡¯s all we¡¯d have left if we leave Hexa¡­ go and die the same way we would if we stayed on mission.]


    [We¡¯re alley cats in that sense,] Dani joined in similar fashion. [If we have nine lives, we still got about five left.]


    Sam joined in the melancholy laughter, feeling her chances at being open and honest drifting well beyond view and into oblivion. Nowhere to go but forward, there was only the hope that either the assignment would hurry up and cause a new stir, or that the assignment would instead crumble as a result of more Underground in-fighting. Either way, she knew there was no room for error as she had felt like she stood at the edge of a cliff, waiting for the next wrong step with how she¡¯s handled everything since arriving in Argentina.


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Southern Outskirts of Nanning, New People¡¯s Republic of China</li>


    </ul>


    Marian wearily sat down at the foot of the same bed where Gabriel and Danielle slept, but the air felt like it had been quite the time passed since one last stayed. The room remained in disarray, empty folders strayed across the floor and various articles of clothes not brought along still at the foot of the closet door. She rubbed her tired eyes, taking in a slow breath before turning to the notepad she had placed by her side.


    With her pen, she struck a line through what read: ¡°Nanning Apartment.¡± And with nothing else to accomplish after rummaging through the place, she retired to the entrance where she used a code she had acquired to disarm the security system in getting in. After turning for one last futile look around, she opened the door to leave. And as she turned once more to lock the door back, the feeling of someone approaching had her spin back around in a flash as her heart nearly skipped a beat.


    ¡°You!?¡± Marian spoke with disgust, flustered as she put a hand over her rapidly beating heart. She fought hard to keep her gaze met with the man she looked upon for the first time in years.


    ¡°You came for the same thing, I assume,¡± Al calmly spoke as he held his hands up to show his intent of no harm.


    ¡°You have no idea what I am doing, nor would you have any reason why I shouldn¡¯t shoot you down on the spot right here right now,¡± Marian seethed, keeping her voice lowered as she moved her hand lower down her jacket.


    ¡°You really must think I¡¯m looking for my son,¡± Al shuffled his feet casually, almost as if bored by Marian¡¯s reaction. He then raised a brow, keeping his tone the same: ¡°I¡¯ve already conceded that to his mother as she will take care of what she must.¡± His hands went back in his pocket as he noted her hand movements never changed in her reaction. ¡°Hence I decided to come looking for Rex instead.¡±


    Marian¡¯s hand paused as her mind began racing. ¡°What do you mean, Rex? Who is that?¡±


    Al huffed as he closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°Your hands stopped. You don¡¯t intend on shooting me, so why not use me? Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯d prefer?¡±


    ¡°You make me want to vomit,¡± Marian growled at the apparent insult. ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°I got nothing left to lose, and I already see you are the same,¡± Al quickly fired back in a flat tone, returning her stare. ¡°I just lost my father, and now I¡¯m about to lose my son, my wife, and my daughter all in one fell swoop. To who? Take a good fucking guess.¡±


    Marian was now aware of the smell of alcohol coming from his breath. She was, however, well aware of how he was when he drank from the last months of the previous war. He was never to be toyed with when he took that route. Her hands slowly fell to her side, but her frown of dejection never changed.


    ¡°And I know you aren¡¯t exactly in the mood to play around with my son¡¯s chances, are you.¡± He cleared his throat to the side, turning to face the apartment¡¯s empty outside hallway. ¡°Help me or don¡¯t. I¡¯ll keep moving regardless.¡±


    A long pause came between the two as a steady wind picked up. ¡°How?¡± Marian mumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose as she took in a long difficult breath.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Al huffed as he pulled up his left wrist and scrolled through several screens on his smartwatch. ¡°Salim- I mean, Norris and Silva are off to bring something to Isaiah, so don¡¯t worry about him just yet. I¡¯ve garnered enough pieces of the puzzle to start making guesses, and your connections should amount to way more than mine enough to fill in the rest,¡± he added as he then pulled out his mobile, showing her a screen. ¡°This is my list of contacts I¡¯ll leave you with. Take it with you to your choice of Singapore or Hargrove C, letting each know you¡¯re on my safe list using that code word.¡±


    Marian¡¯s eyes scanned down the list, only recognizing one of the names. ¡°I assume you knew this place is under a heavy encryption shield,¡± she mumbled as she took out a notepad to copy down the information. ¡°Why Hargrove?¡± she asked, referring to the Casares Region¡¯s biggest metropolis space nation and former capital.


    ¡°Casares is likely crawling with supporters of your little movement, seeing many were originally from countries down here that have successfully revolted as of late. Chances are the rumors of Rex being based in Space aren¡¯t a complete wash.¡±


    ¡°But Singapore¡¯s network has always been one of the dark web¡¯s biggest hubs. The Underground never made it without the big three.¡±


    Al began growing impatient of the chatter. ¡°So, do you prefer staying Earthside? I need to get moving.¡±


    ¡°Good, be out of my face,¡± Marian smartly replied, putting away her notepad and walking around him as she headed for the exit. ¡°And don¡¯t contact me ever again.¡±


    ¡°Singapore it is,¡± Al chuckled before a short coughing fit followed. After catching his breath, he turned up his watch once more to check off his list. ¡°Casares¡­ I haven¡¯t seen you in almost a decade.¡± And as he turned to leave as well, he couldn¡¯t help but ponder the possible connection between the events now and ten years back, only the last war started to end the confederacy yet this time it was to rebirth it.


    He then remembered some of Lucian¡¯s most recent concerns of Vrey¡¯s sudden change in behavior as he became much more compromising with the Underground. ¡°Of course,¡± he mumbled quietly to himself as he picked up the pace. ¡°The last time Vincent Vrey feared any one entity, it was in Casares¡­ and Singapore used to always be Casares¡¯ biggest connection Earthside¡­ I have to call Sam before I go too far.¡±

 136 - Mother

    ¡°You and your brother are all I have left,¡± Sam recalled her father speaking to her over an uncomfortably short call that day, and that line rang in her head over and over again as the memory startled her from her unintended nap. She snapped up from her spot curled up next to Sebastian on the sofa, startling him as well in the process.


    ¡°Sam, are you okay?¡± he asked in concern as he tossed his mobile aside to reach out to her.


    She spent a moment to catch her breath and fully come to, realizing the ringing that startled her was a cacophony of distant horns from an apparent traffic jam. ¡°I saw it again,¡± she mumbled in response once she could process his question, now pulling her hands over her face. ¡°It¡¯s always him,¡± she continued through her fingers. ¡°Always looking back at me like I¡¯ll never get back at him, like he¡¯ll always own me.¡± She let Sebastian pull her in as she tried to wash away the afterimages of her short-lived though reoccurring nightmare. ¡°And my dad was saving him this time, like he¡¯s on his side all of the sudden.¡±


    Other than the two of them, the room was empty and relatively quiet outside of the news turned on low volume. The distant blaring of car horns died down as Sebastian let Sam continue to fully wake up, always hoping she could get any sleep in when she could despite knowing each slumber was anything but peaceful.


    Sam broke the silence again as she halfway mumbled through the shirt covering his chest. ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s the reason I haven¡¯t heard from him since then¡­ or gotten any calls back.¡±


    It had been three days since the expected contact at 2:50, and being the Friday before the big SAU Senatorial session they were expecting, it would be the last 2:50 to roll around. Each day passed with less and less sleep for all as the anticipation and anxiousness continued to mount, leaving Sebastian no choice but to roll along and worry only about what he could change while Sam had no choice but to continue training as she never knew when she¡¯d be thrown out from their safety net and back into chaos.


    ¡°Big crowds are coming together at the Plaza de Mayo and the Obelisco in the Capital,¡± Sebastian switched gears as he stayed leaned back into the sofa¡¯s cushion, head leaned back. ¡°Nothing violent. It¡¯s¡­ strange. Strange to see gatherings so organized without fighting or pushing back from police.¡± He let out a sigh as he turned his head to look out the window. ¡°I wonder if this is all just everyone being¡­ ahn, well, scared, and that maybe nothing is going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Everyone reading into this thing wrong would be a miracle for us,¡± Sam concurred as she snuggled in a bit more, trying to relax. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about what my dad said over the phone.¡±


    ¡°You know, that does make me think.¡± Sebastian leaned into her a bit more as he recalled a moment from earlier that year. ¡°I recall me saying, what was it¡­ your family seemed so cold. But now that I think more, it¡¯s not cold.¡±


    ¡°Not cold?¡± Sam laughed at the perceived irony. ¡°What isn¡¯t cold about everything to my situation with them? Because you got me real lost there.¡±


    He chuckled at her reaction before answering. ¡°I think it¡¯s all not normal, especially your, well, relationship with your mother and father, but they both are going through maybe some real danger to save you and your brother-¡± Cutting himself off the second he could tell Sam had a retort, he put a hand up: ¡°-No, no. Your father tried many times to get you to quit since Bogota a long time ago, right? And he never made you to feel stupid. Now he says to use his contact with that big man at Hexa, what was his name?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Lucian?¡±


    ¡°Him. And your mother, she is trying to stop you from fighting or getting killed by your own brother, and the same for him, if he gets killed by his own sister, you know¡­ What is a mother to do if not?¡±


    She thought to decline that possibility but was held up by her sudden curiosity, that perhaps he had a point. Mostly sour memories of her mother stifling any attempt at forging her own path were never black and white, always with a varying degree of contempt altering the actual situation, and it had been since leaving Akkadia that she would attempt to look at them from the other side.


    Mom always made me so sick inside, but maybe Sebastian is sort of right. Maybe it¡¯s not just her trying to save Isaiah, maybe she¡¯s trying to save¡­ us¡­ But how the hell am I supposed to know for sure if she just disappears like always and never tell us a damned word!? Her thoughts instantly darkened as her rationality crumbled as always, shaking her head as if to free them from her thoughts. And now it¡¯s like the same thing with Dad¡­


    An unexpected rumble from her stomach awkwardly interrupted their thoughts before the two of them laughed in unison.


    ¡°I know you have no appetite- which you know I understand, but you can¡¯t keep working like this if you don¡¯t eat a bit more,¡± Sebastian advised, straightening his face. He then peeked at the time, noting it was not quite noon. ¡°Let me call the others, maybe they can bring us lunch.¡±


    .


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ SAU Curitiba Airbase, Brazil</li>


    </ul>


    Adrian donned an SAU officer¡¯s uniform with his name on his badge, revealing his position as a senior technical advisor. He and a group of others had deboarded their train and made their way through various checkpoints en route to the control center of the station.


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    As for the train, long after checking scans were supposedly complete and container movement clearances were taken care of, the entirety of the heavy-gauge freighter¡¯s cargo was undocked and put on transports that took them into the heart of the base¡¯s storage facilities.


    And from the control center, several staff and administration members looked on with impatience. [What took Liotta so damned long?] One of the administrators spoke with a frown, standing out from the chatter around him through his local Portuguese tongue. [Acting like we had all day for these parts.] His eyes then fell upon the changing display screen that brought up a contents list of the cargo vessels, most showing Allied A-7 parts. [Get them put away. The last thing I want to hear is another earful from DOD.]


    A set of doors opened from behind them as Adrian and his cohort hastily walked in as if mindful of their tardiness. [Apologies, but we will take things from here, Lt. Colonel,] he stiffly opened with his remarks before flashing a smile.


    Much to the Lt. Colonel¡¯s visible chagrin, he curled his lips and gave the crew a few looks before scoffing: [Pardon me?] He answered within his own abilities in Spanish, returning the gesture. [I hope you aren¡¯t making a mockery of this contract, officer.] His tune changed the next instant, however, as the removal of several holster straps made their audible, easily recognizable clicks. And with a whirl back towards his staff who stood behind him, he noted several of them had their hands at their sidearm holsters. [What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?!] he seethed, turning red.


    [Two-Fifty, Lt. Colonel,] Adrian smugly replied, confidently approaching the main control panel. [We all remember that day. Each and every one of us here in this room, as do all others in our presence below.]


    The Lt. Colonel immediately caught on, recognizing the reference to the catastrophic failure to respond a decade ago to the devastating attacks the SAU suffered, making the realization his staff on rotation were majority Argentine. He began to tremble, having only now starting to truly fear his life. [This is Brazil, you fools!]


    [No. This¡­] Adrian huffed, bringing up a technical spec sheet on screen before turning to look the Lt. Colonel in the eye with a straight face. [This is The Big One, and before nightfall you will have helped us rebuild it.]


    The Lt. Colonel grew pale as he looked over the screens brought up, trembling even more. [What on God¡¯s Earth are you planning to do with that?! Why-¡­ why that thing!? What kind of sick traitors are you!?]


    [This is Bender,] Adrian turned to speak over his headset, ignoring the interrogation from behind. [The Big One is in and secured, and command has been handed over. All stations have checked in. All ready to go.]


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Isaiah placed his headset down after readjusting the encryption on their communication¡¯s control panel, letting out a nervous sigh. ¡°That was the second go-sign from Bender,¡± he spoke aloud to a relatively cramped, poorly lit room, accompanied only by two others who were also manning communications equipment. ¡°We are good to pack up operations once they clear the third.¡±


    ¡°We still need to move the jammers, though,¡± one of the others replied through a slight accent over the humming of the building¡¯s cooling and ventilation system they were housed behind. ¡°I¡¯ll head up there while we are on radio silence.¡±


    ¡°Both of you head up, just in case,¡± Isaiah suggested as he turned back to his spread-out chart he had been working on. Several moments of footsteps and door locking actions soon led to absolute silence, aside from the mechanical noises he had grown accustomed to. It was always when he was alone that he could focus best on his planning, hence he requested the two of his men head up.


    He didn¡¯t make it long, however, before a frustrated shake of his head broke his thought process. ¡°None of this is right,¡± he mumbled to himself as he looked over what looked like a script to the right of his chart paper. He reached for his pencil, but something had him freeze in place just before touching it. His breathing even came to a standstill that instant, tuning his ears in to his surroundings.


    Nothing, only the continuous murmurs from the ventilation system.


    No door opened, no footsteps were heard, yet he was convinced. That next instant, he thrust his hand under the desk and whipped around, pointing his pistol at the figure standing down the narrow walkway from him.


    ¡°Mother,¡± he coldly spoke, unable to make out her face yet he couldn¡¯t be more convinced.


    ¡°I know for a fact I taught you better on three things, Zay,¡± Amelie¡¯s voice calmly arose from her obscure silhouette. ¡°One-¡±


    ¡°-I knew you were coming,¡± Isaiah cut in as his hands quickly began to sweat and fingers began to quiver. ¡°So, don¡¯t think pulling your usual routine will-¡±


    ¡°-You know I never carry a sidearm, and you never did, either,¡± Amelie pressed on, unfazed by her son¡¯s implied threats, yet staying still where she stood. ¡°Two-¡±


    ¡°-Rules don¡¯t apply where we stand.¡± His trigger finger hesitated. He knew this moment might come one day soon, and he knew exactly what it meant if he did. ¡°Neither do blood relations.¡±


    ¡°You know your little plan I¡¯ve discovered is nothing more than blasphemy, spitting on the graves of your brethren scattered across Space- something we raised you to be better than.¡± She then took a slow step forward, emerging from her shadow with a dim light illuminating her raised hands of surrender as she noted Isaiah¡¯s pistol with a suppressor aimed at her.


    He still couldn¡¯t fathom hurting his own mother, but with so much on the line, he couldn¡¯t let her go too far, either. And by now, he had subconsciously measured up her attire, noting no apparent body armor past what might be around her vitals. ¡°I control this place as do each of my men here with me, mother. Leave. Now.¡± His heart beat out of his chest. He wasn¡¯t ready for this as he once imagined he was, and it all came far too soon. He knew exactly what the consequences would be if he let her continue as she pleased.


    ¡°Three,¡± she spoke with a now visible look of disappointment. ¡°You helped raise and protect Sam all those years, and yet you chose to hurt her in ways she¡¯ll never heal from. How is her shoulder you injured with my knife, Zay?¡± She then took another step forward. ¡°How are her friends?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take another step!¡± He felt a raised voice leave his vocal cords for the first time in what felt a lifetime as his breathing grew heavier by the second.


    She paused, only to weakly smile with a shake of her head. ¡°I just want to bring you home. We can end this fiasco before you cross that point of absolutely no return, Zay.¡± She watched the grip on his sidearm grow weaker as the seconds passed, and she remained still throughout. ¡°If I ever knew that Vincent Vrey character could have ever planted such foolish seeds of contempt in your head, I would have never allowed you to go work for him those years back.¡±


    He remained silent, fiercely holding back his tongue as she inched closer.


    ¡°Isaiah,¡± she spoke his full name in a way that grabbed more of his attention away from his aim. ¡°I am so sorry,¡± she added with a sigh and drop of her shoulders. ¡°This is all really my fault. Please, let¡¯s just go home, and I promise to fix all of this.¡±


    *PTAFF!!*


    Rang the blast of hot, suppressed gases from the chamber of the pistol.

 137 - 2:50

    *PTAFF!!*


    Rang the blast of hot, suppressed gases from the chamber of the pistol.


    Amelie¡¯s knee-jerk reaction was a rare misjudgment, perhaps from the emotions of it all. And aside from one critical miscalculation, it wasn¡¯t near fast enough nor accurate as she attempted to drop to the ground to dodge what she expected to be a shot to her chest or head, taking the round to her right thigh. And before she could register the struck round as a tranquilizer compound, she had already reached for and threw her concealed knife she had at the ready all along.


    Isaiah was mostly shocked at the fact he even pulled the trigger that instant, feeling a blow to the gut stronger than he could have ever anticipated, but if it wasn¡¯t for his mother¡¯s miscalculation just then, the knife that zinged by just after instinctively lowering his upper body in reaction could have struck him as well. That shock delivered a different blow as his face turned to disgust.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention my name in the same sentence as Vrey¡¯s. I¡¯ve already bested him, doing so long, long before I even left,¡± he spoke as calmly as he could despite his building rage.


    ¡°I was wrong,¡± Amelie forced out with a weak, ironic chuckle as she began buckling over. ¡°You were as¡­ prepared as I would have been.¡±


    He slowly lowered his weapon as he began settling down, eventually placing it back on the table. ¡°I tried to give you a chance to leave,¡± he spoke back with a heavy sigh mixed with both tension and some relief he didn¡¯t see that all end worse, although the trembling of his hands only continued to grow stronger. He then approached her slowly as if to help her back up despite knowing she¡¯d be out cold in seconds. ¡°I never intended to hurt you, but I never, ever, intended to let you screw up my life twice. I learned a lot from you and your mistakes, and now maybe you can learn from them a little bit yourself.¡±


    A door opened up at the end of the walkway as one of his crew members approached the scene with a jump back in reaction. ¡°What the hell?! How¡¯d someone get in- and who is she?!¡±


    Isaiah paused as he remained crouched over her, now seeing her completely unconscious. ¡°The Big One is ready to move, and since we were almost compromised just now, we need to relocate.¡± Continuing his effort to disguise his mental state, he stood back up and straightened his jacket, looking over her once more before returning his focus to his confused crewmate. ¡°I don¡¯t want any connections to this once I go live, so if you don¡¯t mind, put her in a detainment room back at J-1 Block. Take any truck you need.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± the crewman responded once he somewhat understood the situation, hands over his hips as he studied how he would pick her up and carry her off. ¡°You definitely can¡¯t afford to have anything of her on you. Let me take care of her-¡±


    ¡°-Don¡¯t let her get as much as a bruise on the way,¡± Isaiah stiffly interrupted to the crewman¡¯s surprise. His next glare was even stronger. ¡°And do NOT let Rex, not even Bishop- or any other Underground faction¡­ find out about any of this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± he replied with a raised brow before nodding in extra affirmation. But once he reached down to get a good grip on Amelie¡¯s body before lifting her up, he got a good look at her face as it was too dim to tell from farther away. ¡°Hmm, looks a bit old for such a job.¡± Then, noticing something else familiar about her gave him pause, eventually speaking up with a hint of suspicion: ¡°Hey, she looks like you.¡±


    A knife went through the back of his neck that very next second after catching him completely off-guard.


    Isaiah quickly released the handle and stepped back with a sudden release of his pent-up tension, breathing almost uncontrollably for a few moments. He had never taken a life with his own hands before, despite his history of wounding many. Taking a life from the seat of a cockpit was never the same connection, either. It brought up a nauseous sensation that would last a good moment, finding himself having to hold on to the desk behind him to remain upright.


    He looked back at the knife once more, and then back at his mother still motionless on the floor underneath his former crewman, still convulsing from the fatal wound. It was her mother¡¯s, the one that had missed just striking him moments ago.


    The overwhelming trauma took several more minutes to pass enough to collect his sanity and his thoughts, never having moved from where he stood despite the fear another may walk in. But the more he caught his breath, the more he realized his quick decision without any hesitation was perhaps for the best, given the circumstances.


    Mother¡­ You saved me after all. He was about to be a threat to both of us just now. Now, you¡¯ve also provided the perfect cover for me to get you where you can¡¯t be a threat anymore, either.


    .


    ¡°Bishop, do you read me?¡± He spoke into his headset once he had the encryption reset.


    ¡°Reaper. What is it?¡± Answered a digitally distorted voice.


    ¡°We had an intruder,¡± Isaiah began, still struggling but largely able to keep his composure. ¡°Female, early to late forties, assassin outfit. She took down C Team Number Twelve. I subdued her, but I¡¯m afraid she¡¯s tied to Rex.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well in that regard thus far, surviving a hefty bounty on your name ever since the Manila incidents.¡±


    Isaiah patiently awaited a further response, expecting minimal input to be the best route.


    ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll have it known you are keeping watch on this intruder. I expect they have valuable intel we can extract.¡±


    ¡°I highly suspect so.¡± Isaiah then looked back at his gloved hands, pondering the presence of any blood or other evidence on them before the thought he just killed a man started burning into his mind and stomach once more. ¡°I will keep you informed as I move the captive,¡± he continued, powering through his once-more sickened state. ¡°Everything is still going as planned.¡±


    ¡°Until tomorrow evening.¡± Bishop¡¯s voice faded out quickly as the channel disconnected. And that next instant, Isaiah dropped weak-kneed to the ground, letting a painful series of pants.


    ¡°What the hell am I doing,¡± he mumbled to himself through a quivering, exasperated voice. Looking back over to his mother, who still lay in a motionless slumber, he tried desperately to gather his thoughts throughout the fear he chose the wrong out. Eventually, he succumbed to his inability to assess the situation fully and rationally, resorting to him reaching for the communication¡¯s control panel once more as he pressed a button on his headset.


    ¡°Pick up, please,¡± he once again inadvertently mumbled to himself as he took a seat at the desk, head placed into the palms of his hands.


    ¡°Threat code?¡± Marian¡¯s voice popped up with heightened concern, always assuming usual protocol when reached in such a manner.


    ¡°Zero,¡± Isaiah huffed, relieved to hear her voice as he leaned further into his hands propped up on the desk.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°What happened there? Are you hurt?¡± She hastily asked, seemingly expecting something terrible.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m unhurt.¡±


    ¡°I was about to call you about my running into your father-¡±


    Isaiah least expected to hear those words after hoping the call would bring him a rational way to fix his situation. ¡°-My father?!¡±


    ¡°But that can wait. Listen, your mother might be closer than we think.¡±


    Isaiah couldn¡¯t help but let out a nasal chuckle mixed in with a troubled sigh.


    Marian took in a long breath before replying. ¡°You¡­ this is why you¡¯re calling, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Isaiah responded in a similar tone: ¡°I need help.¡±


    ¡°I just finished gathering what your father pointed me towards. Let me reroute your way as soon as I can get myself safe passage. Until then¡­¡± She trailed off, perhaps in her own attempt to assess his situation without speaking accidentally revealing details. ¡°Is she alive?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Stunned and out cold.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    But it was almost as if just having her listening on the other side provided him the mental push he needed. ¡°I got it, now. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you,¡± he calmly reiterated. ¡°I can get it from here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still headed your way.¡±


    He then stood up as he reached for the control panel one last time. ¡°Follow my tracer- I¡¯ll have it put up at the right time.¡± He then checked his watch. ¡°They¡¯re going to be here soon.¡±


    Upon disconnecting the call, he went over to his mother once more, spending the next minute fighting back repressed memories from the years before he set off for Earth. Torn between the two interpretations of their inevitable confrontation, he eventually decided it¡¯d be best to rethink it on a clearer mind.


    He gently picked her up, slowly getting her over his shoulder as he carefully stood up. And after taking a few breaths to collect his thought-out lines, he noticed the approaching footsteps of those he expected. ¡°This is a high prize catch here,¡± he spoke the second the two men entered the area before looking back over to the man slumped over on the floor. ¡°Sorry Twelve didn¡¯t get to say the same along with me.¡±


    ¡°Bishop explained,¡± one of the burlier men of the two responded as he reached over to him as if to take her off his shoulders. ¡°Said Rex sent her.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯d bargain for her back?¡± Isaiah asked as he passed her gently into his arms. ¡°No way she found us and got in without some kind of major background or experience.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± he replied as he turned for the exit. ¡°I think she¡¯s worth a lot more by the way Bishop explained things. I¡¯ll definitely keep this one in good care.¡±


    The other man finished overlooking the dead member¡¯s body as he looked up at the others. ¡°Hey, Reaper, Boss says J-1 Block. You think it¡¯s safe enough for now? Or would they send more to retrieve her?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our only choice if you ask me,¡± Isaiah answered through a sigh. ¡°I do understand the uncertainty of it all- no one¡¯s ever gotten this far in.¡± He then followed behind the other as the three headed out together. ¡°I¡¯ll see to it this room gets scuttled, and I¡¯ll also help tend to her once I finish with my outing tomorrow.¡±


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ New General Cerri District, Bahia Blanca, Argentina</li>


    </ul>


    Mom!?


    Sam had a double take as she caught notice that her last message was from Amelie Delacroix. Hurrying to open it, she felt both dread and concern, unsure if it was another demand she return home or if it¡¯d be a plea call for help.


    The short and succinct message read: ¡°Sam, I hope that ear of yours is still in one piece. Now would be your last chance to go home safely.¡±


    The first line almost had her slouched spine shoot upright, and seconds later, a new, different kind of pit grew in her stomach as she huffed. How does she know that? I mean, what was that all supposed to mean!? Wait, no¡­ that doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s in Buenos Aires, does it?


    ¡°Mom, where are you?¡± She quickly texted back using the suggestive text swipe function on her watch.


    ¡°Sam?¡±


    She jumped in her seat at the call of her name, forgetting for a second where she even was. Sebastian had brought her to meet Renzo, Dani, and Kaylen at a small diner not too far away. Although Kaylen hadn¡¯t yet arrived, it wasn¡¯t a problem for the others necessarily as the mood was more laid-back than it had been all week. The days went by without a single hint from Rex or his contacts, and it was as if the looming threat of Reaper¡¯s next big move was out and beyond the horizon, lost somewhere in the Underground¡¯s unknown.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± She attempted to laugh off what was going on in her mind, tapping her watch screen off as she looked back ahead at the others, realizing Sebastian was handing her a menu tablet which she quickly received. ¡°Ah- hey, Renzo?¡±


    [Yes?] He paused his rather loud humming to look back at her, having just put down his menu.


    Sam needed more interaction now, especially after that enigmatic message from her mother. But unless a response came, there wouldn¡¯t be much she could do. No¡­ The last thing I need now is a bigger cause for concern or suspicion when it might just be me overanalyzing things again. ¡°So, like, is that a Navarre thing to always hum some song?¡± She asked with a forced curious smile, albeit with some genuine interest.


    [Why not?] He chuckled as he looked back at the menu. [It¡¯s a good classic!] He continued in reference to the steady but upbeat reggaeton themed song played softly over the restaurant¡¯s speakers.


    Sam returned the chuckle as she too began looking back at where she left off. ¡°Hmm¡­ Lomito completo¡­¡± she mumbled as she spotted a sandwich that looked fairly appetizing. She realized she hadn¡¯t had proper land-raised beef since landing back in June.


    [Ah. Those are pretty good to start with here,] Dani commented from across the table, preparing to reach over and point at something before the ringing of the door chime prompted their attention.


    [Well, okay! You are social after all!] Renzo joked as his siblings joined in on the subdued laughter as Kaylen rolled her eyes, joining them at the end of the table.


    [Thanks for inviting me, though,] Kaylen responded in a manner least expected by the party. [I think life has been a bit less depressing when I have a consistent buddy base going.]


    And the split second Renzo saw a smirk growing at the corner of her mouth, he immediately brought on an even louder prodding shout and a gesture: [You admit you need more of me in your life!]


    Sam watched the others¡¯ collective eye roll with some relief returning to her core as she joined in with a subdued chuckle. I kind of agree with Kaylen. After all the wondering of what circle I belong in, well, it¡¯s like I feel more complete here than I have anywhere else.


    And as Sebastian began punching in each of the requested orders on his tablet, Sam noticed the music suddenly cut off. And along with it, Renzo¡¯s humming died right with it. Something in her gut had her throw the first punch without hesitation despite knowing it¡¯d come off corny. ¡°Aww, your awful pitch broke the speakers?¡±


    [Yeah yeah, like you can sing yourself?] Renzo quipped before Sebastian began chuckling. [You can¡¯t sing for shit, either.]


    [But she can,] Sebastian joked back as he motioned towards Sam. [Hell of a lot better than you.]


    And as the others joined in with the trading of jabs, Sam was reminded of how this helped Sebastian as well. For how wound up he had been, it was only as of late he started to unwind, closer to his older self.


    .


    .


    Half an hour and empty plates later, a few rounds of beer approached the table. While Sam did well enough to eat what she could, she knew to pass on anything more as she was content to lean back and continue enjoying the peace. And as the exchange of old times and lame jokes made their waves, Renzo¡¯s humming returned to the scene as a car had pulled up with its music playing loudly.


    [Thank you,] Dani responded to the waitress as she took the four glasses to help pass to the others. [Do you think this whole thing washes away?]


    [Hm? What thing?] Sebastian asked as he cleared his throat.


    [You know, this whole mess we are in.]


    ¡°Kaylen, have you gotten any hints lately?¡± Sam thought to join in, also curious, but also knowing there¡¯d be nothing specific to blurt out in public.


    Kaylen shook her head as she finished her first sip. ¡°No. Just as tired as you all. Everyone¡¯s been real quiet lately and it really bothers me.¡±


    ?[Que suene una canci¨®~n m¨¢s le~nta~]?


    Sam ignored Renzo¡¯s sudden singing along to the noise outside, thinking about Kaylen¡¯s response. Normally she¡¯d be quick to share stuff, so I guess things really aren¡¯t shaping up like promised. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a good thing?¡±


    ?[Que dure un poco m¨¢s de la cue~nta~]?


    [Ay, would you shut up?] Kaylen grumbled with her focus now on Renzo. [We¡¯re switching to a serious conversation here.]


    [What?!] Renzo fussed, noting Sebastian had already joined in with his humming of the same gentle, upbeat reggaeton tune similar in fashion to what had been playing prior. [See?! It¡¯s just a good ole¡¯ classic we haven¡¯t heard in a while!]


    ¡°Anyway!¡± Sam laughed as she looked back at Kaylen. ¡°Is it possible someone¡¯s overreacting to some flawed info?¡±


    ?[Que suene una canci¨®~n m¨¢s le~nta~!] ?


    [Stop! We get it!] Dani fussed back with a prod of her elbow into his side, seemingly encouraging him to sing louder.


    ?[Que dure m¨¢s de dos con cincuenta~!] ?


    The sudden combination of both Renzo and Sebastian¡¯s voice had Dani almost spitting her beer through her held back laughter while Kaylen began grumbling even louder, but something had Sam pause.


    Dos con cincuenta¡­ She shrugged at the initial thought, but once the words repeated in her head once more, the realization brought her hands to the table in a startling fashion.


    ¡°What?!¡± Sebastian asked as he jumped in his seat. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°That means Two fifty!¡± She stood up immediately, eyes darting around the windowed areas until she spotted the truck blaring that same song.


    ¡°Sam, wait!¡± Sebastian yelled as they all found themselves running after Sam. ¡°What are you talking about?!¡±

 138 - Mother, Part 2

    ¡°That means Two fifty!¡± She stood up immediately, eyes darting around the windowed areas until she spotted the truck blaring that same song.


    ¡°Sam, wait!¡± Sebastian yelled as they all found themselves running after Sam. ¡°What are you talking about?!¡±


    Renzo turned back in a hurry, however, running back for the digital table kiosk. [We haven¡¯t even paid yet- hold up!] He shouted as he reached for his mobile, trying not to drop it while also quickly scoping out the truck outside playing the music.


    Naturally, to avoid unwanted attention from passersby, Sam and the rest had slowed to a casual walk, trying not to directly eye down the truck that had pulled up to the curbside and out of the way of traffic. As Sam got closer, the door to the back seat opened and a younger male roughly dressed in a baggy hoodie and loose-fitting jeans held a hand out in a motion to approach.


    [Are you looking for me?] He casually inquired once they neared speaking distance.


    This guy is Rex¡¯s contact?! Sam couldn¡¯t help but feel like there was some mistake, but also felt perhaps it was on purpose. ¡°S¨ª,¡± she nodded with her timid response. ¡°Soy Ella.¡±


    [Hey, hold on. Who are all these guys? I heard of two, not five,] he added with a wrinkle of his brow, noting Renzo hastily walking up to join the others looking on. But before Sam could think up something to say, he shook his head and shrugged. [Whatever, three of you here, two of you in the car up in front,] he spoke with a hand pointed towards the larger sedan parked just in front.


    Meanwhile and before nodding in agreement to load up, Sam had her hands behind her back momentarily, making sure to click ¡°send¡± on a pre-fabricated message to Hexa, which read: ¡°Contact established. Going dark.¡±


    .


    .


    The two vehicles were able to pull off without commotion or any attention, but the atmosphere was stiff as it could get. Sam nervously sat stiff-shouldered between Sebastian and Kaylen in the backseat of the truck, which had at least turned its audio volume well lower than earlier, but she couldn¡¯t find words to break the silence as they eased down the main street headed northbound.


    Kaylen did seconds later, however. [Well?] She called out to the two seated up front. [Any reason why you couldn¡¯t just come get us? Why such a roundabout way to get our attention earlier?]


    [Are you really asking that kind of question?] The driver scorned. [Just sit tight- we got a long drive.]


    Kaylen scoffed at the remark. [Okay? And? Can you at least tell us then why it took so long? Rex is the one looking for our help, so I¡¯d say we deserve a little something!]


    [Reaper moved. He was squarely located in Palermo,] the man they spoke to outside quickly and bluntly replied. [We even found out where he¡¯s moving to as well. Does that satisfy you?]


    The three in back remained quiet in acceptance of what they had all wanted to hear confirmed.


    [We still have a few basement-level cells to operate from. And don¡¯t try to make any calls. This rig is jammed from any incoming and outgoing signals.]


    [Unless, that is,] the driver added, [One of us gives you permission to use the headset Enrai hooked you up with. Rex¡¯s network has yours registered as is,] He added with a hand¡¯s motion toward Sam and Kayen. [Ella. Emilia.]


    Over the next tensely quiet five minutes, Sam never found a word to speak regardless of the storm of concerns and doubts raging through her head. Desperately wanting to at very least ask what they were headed into, Sebastian nudged her arm and provided her first slight sign of an answer on his mobile¡¯s notepad.


    ¡°This is what I put together,¡± he spoke as he held the screen up for her to read.


    ¡°So this is what you were doing the whole time,¡± Sam paused once to grumble before finishing reading. All those gatherings Sebastian told me about earlier were in reference to this? A show of support for¡­ SAU Representative Orsi? Whoever that is.


    Sebastian withdrew his mobile and drew a wry smile. ¡°He¡¯s a big deal for their dreams¡­ A dream of Argentina leading the SAU.¡±


    [Bingo!] The man riding up front spoke up once more. [We can¡¯t get nowhere in our hopes for restoring the Global Confederacy with a selfish terrorist at the helm! But the people don¡¯t see that!]


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    The driver then loudly tacked on: [That¡¯s why we want Reaper out of commission and enlisted your help. He¡¯s about to be Orsi¡¯s weapon, and we can only assume the worst if we let this Reaper character live long enough to see that through.]


    Just what I thought. He¡¯s really self-absorbed to the point he¡¯s willing to become some¡­ what¡­ weapon of mass destruction or some shit?


    Sebastian saw the frustration and pain from the sigh she let out. ¡°Sam, are you still sure you want to continue?¡±


    She weakly shook her head, hesitating before flatly responding: ¡°I have no choice. Rather, he left me no choice, to be accurate.¡± And the last words were spoken as she took her notepad from her bag and handed it to him discreetly. ¡°I know you¡¯re going to be on the other side, but just in case.¡±


    Sebastian flipped through it, scanning a few of the pages, noting they were focused on signals for various movement patterns as well as calls for cancellation and switch-up. He knew that she, Kaylen, and Renzo had a running plan but never thought to ask to see it. He took out a pen from his bag and began scribbling on the front page in tiny writing: ¡°Is this the original or a copy?¡±


    Sam took it to read before scribbling down her answer: ¡°I made this copy for you, and Renzo made one for Dani. Study it.¡±


    [What¡¯s going on back there, huh?] The driver asked, suspicious of their silent yet busy exchange.


    [Are you really asking that kind of question?] Sebastian mockingly replied in his natural Colombian accent for the first time since getting in the truck. [We got a long drive, right? What¡¯s wrong with getting ready?]


    Sam withheld her proud chuckle, also glad to see Sebastian becoming more himself by the day, as guilty as it still felt. The air settled down over the next moment, taking in a deep breath, staring out into the busy highway ahead.


    Well, all that¡¯s left that I can¡¯t even begin to figure out is Mom¡¯s last message. I hope she hasn¡¯t replied yet- not while we¡¯re on this trip, however long it is.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Amelie¡¯s eyelids slowly opened, fluttering open and closed a few times as if to confirm she was awake. She felt the cold floor on her left cheek and her curled up hands, prompting her to sit up but not in any hurry for she knew what the circumstances had to be. Her eyes scanned the dimly lit, cramped quarters. Other than the lone metal door that had no handle was a cot and a toilet.


    ¡°Too cliched,¡± she huffed before chuckling at the irony of her situation. ¡°Again, I thought I raised you better,¡± she repeated as if she knew Isaiah had to have been near.


    [Oh, look who¡¯s up,] a locally spoken dialect came over a small speaker.


    Amelie didn¡¯t know much Spanish herself, but being of the Rioplatense flavor made it impossible. ¡°Alright. What do you want?¡± She asked, unamused.


    [Yessir, she¡¯s awake,] the voice spoke away from the microphone before a shuffling sound was heard.


    ¡°Pardon my fellow hand¡¯s manners,¡± Orsi¡¯s voice spoke in an eloquent manner surprising to her. ¡°So sorry to see you in such a predicament, Angel.¡±


    Amelie¡¯s heart suddenly jumped into her throat the second she heard that name. ¡°You?! You were killed in action back in Rio last war!¡±


    Orsi chuckled before responding: ¡°Funny you mention that, yet there you are after walking into a trap without sending a cover fall first. Must be because of your son, but I don¡¯t blame you.¡±


    ¡°Where is he!?¡± She now shouted out of desperation as she stood up, suddenly sensing the absolute worst.


    ¡°Why? He delivered you to me and went back about his business- well, our business.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want with me!?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know that I know you so well, Angel.¡± He couldn¡¯t see the fierce stare she gave the speaker during that moment, but he assumed as such based on his tone. ¡°He may have your best interest at heart by personally choosing to put you there, but I need some insurance.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t ever deal in such a way, obviously,¡± she seethed through clenched teeth.


    Orsi chuckled once more. ¡°Not to keep him in line, but to keep your daughter in line. Has all this time made gotten you out of practice? Out of touch?¡±


    Amelie released the tension in her hands, letting out her own disheartened chuckle. ¡°She doesn¡¯t care if I live. You failed to do your research there, Alabaster-¡±


    ¡°-A typical bluff-¡±


    ¡°-Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t call you that since Alabaster died over ten years ago back in Rio. Now that I put your voice together with what I¡¯ve been able to gather lately, it¡¯s so strange to imagine you would take the identity of an SAU representative¡­ A politician here of all things?¡± She added with a mocking huff. ¡°What, you must be Bishop, then.¡±


    ¡°You still have a bit of juice left in your tank, I see,¡± he unexpectedly answered without hesitation through his sudden and distinct, digitally masked voice. ¡°Sit back and let the better survivor story get things done.¡±


    Amelie was aghast. ¡°Are you serious?! You just¡­ turn on the foundation just like that? Why join a pro-Confederacy team after everything you sacrificed before!? Why- make this one make sense, you bastard!!¡± Her incensed questioning was cut short by the speaker¡¯s lit LED turning off along with the disappearing of the audio feedback. ¡°Well!?¡±


    A difficult, heavy-hearted period of silence passed with a brewing storm of anger along with regret swirling through. But slowly, her inner thoughts and the drumming of her heart died down just enough to remember one piece of solid ground to stand upon that she had left herself days before. ¡°They know what to do,¡± she confidently mumbled to herself through her anguish, still unable to help but feel defeated not just by the seeming betrayal of an old acquaintance but through yet another disastrous, untimely inability to follow through with one of her most critical jobs: Her family.


    .


    .


    An undetermined distance away, Representative Orsi had cleared his throat with an amused smirk as he took off the headset and handed it to the communications operator next to him. [You can take the rest from here,] he spoke to him as he stood up to leave.


    [What was all that about? What did she say?] the operator asked, unaware of the conversation details.


    [Nothing of any threat to us.] He nodded before opening the door to the cramped room. He then turned after thinking for a brief moment to speak: [Notify me of any movement from Reaper in any event he makes one toward her direction. We can¡¯t afford anyone to be swayed just before our biggest moment.]

 139 - Mother, Part 3

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Belgrano District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    After a nearly eight-hour trip, the two trucks sent by Rex had brought the team to their apparent destination as they pulled up next to a large church just across the street from an old railway warehouse complex. It was getting dark, yet to Sam it was just as humid as anywhere else she had been, and she was thankful her ride was well-air conditioned. She stretched, as did the others that piled out, not paying too much attention to the lone contact that had gotten out last before the trucks drove off.


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling our¡­ group likes churches?¡± Sam pondered aloud, staring up at the belltower of the church. Her eyes revealed the once-more building lack of sleep, but it was the surroundings she saw beyond the church that awoke her to a degree. Down both ends of the street were seemingly endless rows of modern apartment buildings with spotless streets and storefronts at the base of each building. Bahia Blanca was clean as it was, but it was the sheer weight of the massive population she felt after entering the town that had her believe it¡¯d give off similar vibes to the other larger towns she visited, not one this clean.


    [Come on,] Sebastian tugged at her arm gently, catching her attention and motioning them to follow their contact inside. [We can ask questions later.]


    Why is he speaking Spanish to me? She suddenly became self-conscious that next instant, feeling like the passing pedestrian traffic was looking right at her; it was as if she felt like a tourist but something hit differently than it did in other towns. She quickly followed and closed in to whisper to Sebastian: ¡°Um, why do I feel like we¡¯re all being stared at all of the sudden?¡±


    Sebastian leaned in as she caught up next to him, speaking under his breath: [We are in a purely residential area, I think. I¡¯d imagine we aren¡¯t a good target to see speaking English.]


    The two followed the group slowly up the long, steep set of stairs while Sam pondered Sebastian¡¯s observation. But, no, me speaking like a total foreigner without the local accent would be worse, wouldn¡¯t it? Maybe I just need to not speak¡­ But once she got to the top, she took the moment to turn and take one more quick, subtle look over her shoulder.


    There¡¯s so much green out here. For how big and numerous these residential buildings are, there sure are a ton of trees in-between. She briefly remembered how much brighter her surroundings felt since arriving Earth-side the more she came across greenery, whether natural or urban. But of course, the second she turned back to follow the others inside, she realized she had also noticed how well dressed the passersby had been. Really a whole different world over here. And now, to think this is how I set foot in a church for the first time in my life¡­


    .


    Minutes passed after a long, hard struggle to not stare around as they were slowly and quietly led through the atrium and the nave, eyes finding themselves inadvertently attracted to such ecclesiastic architecture she had only seen occasionally on TV. The silence was serene yet heavy and stifling. The same aura emanated from the few praying occupants in the pews. And at last, a turn out and away from the nave led them to a narrow doorway that took them to a small lift. What is with this country and their secret elevators?


    And the door to the lift opened to reveal nothing more than a service and maintenance access area. It felt as if a collective sigh was released that very moment as the door behind them closed.


    [Excuse me,] Kaylen broke the silence, asking as she tried to keep her voice down. [Mind explaining where we are going?]


    [This upcoming tunnel leads us across the street,] the last remaining contact answered as he finished inputting a code into the lockbox on the metal framed door in front. [You¡¯ll have someone on the other side get you situated.]


    [I can¡¯t go much further without Eryx,] she continued pressing in reference to her colleague that was on the team.


    [He¡¯ll be led here with a separate group shortly, don¡¯t worry.]


    The door opened, and Sam felt Sebastian pull her closer. She wasn¡¯t sure why she felt even more nervous after being through worse before, but Sebastian¡¯s reaction confirmed she wasn¡¯t alone.


    The door behind them with a bang and an electronic buzzing sound from the locking systems activating. [I¡¯ll be taking you all to get debriefed on the situation with Reaper,] the contact continued as they made their way down the long connecting tunnel. [But once you are on the active operations side we don¡¯t allow you to just come and go. You¡¯ll be quartered there and we expect operations to begin sometime late morning tomorrow.]


    Sam felt surprised to see Kaylen, Renzo, and Dani weren¡¯t too fazed by it all, now wondering why only Sebastian seemed the opposite. His face remained stoic, tense and deep in thought, but she couldn¡¯t tell if it was because of the upcoming unknown or if it was because he was suspicious of their contact.


    The contact continued, never pausing or checking on those behind him. [But just to give you a fair heads up, we¡¯ve located Reaper¡¯s prior office of operation deep within a business tower in the Palermo district, and his movement had been tracked to the harbor side. If he has anything resembling a guerilla unit ready to launch, it¡¯d be there. Whatever he has prepared, it¡¯s coming and we expect it to be real soon.]


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    And then a thought crossed Sam¡¯s mind, connecting the message from her mother to the words just spoken. There¡¯s no way this has anything to do with her, does it?!


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    The round table centered in the cramped but well-arranged meeting room resembled the manner of organization back in Bahia Blanca, giving Sam reason to believe this must be the norm for Underground operations. She sat as last time, seated between Sebastian and Renzo while Kaylen sat across the way near an empty seat.


    The door opened as Kaylen got up quickly to greet and hug the man who walked through. Sam remembered him as the only other name mentioned within the Enrai ranks, ¡°Eryx,¡± as the leader of the overwatch operations. His Towering demeanor somewhat frightened her earlier on, but over the course of a few days she grew accustomed to his soft-spoken, laid-back, but thoroughly confident nature.


    But the enthusiasm, tense nonetheless, exuded from each of her teammates equally. In her mind, the room contained more people she could at very least somewhat trust than any point in time since her first day involved with Hexa. Even though Kaylen remained a question mark after Sebastian¡¯s comments, she knew exactly what Kaylen remained focused on and never gave off the hint of any future threat. And with that thought, she felt like whatever Rex¡¯s organization might throw them into, this would be the best possible group to lean on.


    [So, it was her that found the contact by a song?!] Eryx laughed as he took his seat, pointing to Sam.


    [It clicked once she ran off,] Kaylen replied as she joined him. [But yeah. And here we are, finally.]


    Sam could see how badly Kaylen wanted her freedom from her past, and seeing how close things had gotten, she almost felt she wanted to win this for her as well and not just for the Navarre¡¯s nor just for herself.


    [Ella,] the contact firmly spoke up, shaking her upright and snapping her to full attention. He then had the lights dimmed as the table¡¯s center projector lit up, displaying a map of downtown Buenos Aires. [Got an incoming message for you before we start.]


    ¡°Me?!¡±


    Sam wasn¡¯t the only one who jumped at the announcement. She felt all eyes bearing down on her as she awkwardly nodded, already knowing what kind of ominous voice was to come up on the line.


    ¡°Connection secure,¡± the contact spoke once more as he leaned back.


    ¡°Ella,¡± Rex¡¯s distinct, digitally altered voice rang throughout the room as everyone near her froze stiff in anticipation. ¡°Before your team is debriefed, I have to share some urgent news that greatly impacts the trajectory of this operation.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure how to respond, but as her heartrate continued to rise, so did her desire to see what brought the occasion. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve confirmed Reaper has your mother held captive,¡± Rex asserted as a collective frown of shock shot across the room.


    Sam¡¯s heart, however, skipped a few beats as her jaw fell agape, staring into the blank distance ahead. That¡¯s- no, that has to be a lie! Is this a setup?!


    Sebastian¡¯s reassuring hand was quickly placed on her shoulder as he spoke up in her stead: ¡°How do you know her mother? Is there any¡­ proof¡­ of this claim?¡±


    [He would,] Renzo spoke as he leaned over to speak past Sam with a sour expression. [Rex used to hunt her personally- I¡¯m sure he had already done full background checks on every damn relative she has.] He then sat back straight with a different look of conviction. [Rex, where is your proof?]


    ¡°She was confirmed during a move to a separate city block in north Palermo District, all while moving alongside our tag we placed on Reaper¡¯s personnel outfit. Our operatives in the field caught those details while they were briefly exposed.¡±


    Sam barely knew of her mother¡¯s history with her work in whatever field it was, but she did know she came back from supposed death once. It was impossible in her mind that moment that she would be caught by her brother of all people. She knew the extent her brother¡¯s latent fear of her mother went and how much her control always found a way through to him. It took running away and disappearing from complete public view to escape that reality, hence leaving Sam with no way to further accept any reasoning on that matter.


    ¡°She was out looking to stop him so as to keep me from having to do it myself,¡± she weakly began with her quivering hands before finding strength to speak up louder. She hated the slipping of that detail which might bring about much confusion and doubt from her team, but she refused to let this be a topic to be toyed with. ¡°Which means she didn¡¯t do all that just to surrender! I need proof she¡¯s been had!¡±


    ¡°Amelie Delacroix, formerly Angel of the Hawthorne Foundation- founded in 2150.¡± The name rung a bell with Kaylen and Eryx as well as their contact as their eyes suddenly widened, exchanging confounded glances. ¡°These details emerged once we confirmed her tapped conversational audio with Bishop before she was detained. It was used later to confirm Bishop knows of Reaper¡¯s successful capture attempt.¡±


    ¡°Angel what?! Her name is Amelie!¡± Sam confusedly shouted out as she halfway stood up.


    ¡°I never knew Amelie Delacroix was the Angel of Hawthorne Foundation. I myself have been searching for her long and hard since the end of the Second War- and that is because while many of us including myself have to deliver on promises of old, many others clearly want her dead.¡±


    A chill ran down Sam¡¯s spine, realizing just how much she never knew about her mother¡¯s disappearances years back were possibly spilled over to her all at once. She¡­ she was a spy for a¡­ an underground kind of spy network?!


    ¡°And I tell you this, Ella, because I need for operations to adjust to this new threat. Execution threats have not been issued to our knowledge, but we can only assume so. Remus,¡± he called out as their contact straightened up, signifying that was his call sign. ¡°I will need to speak with you further, alone, once you are finished with your end.¡±


    ¡°Yessir,¡± Remus, the contact, spoke in smoother than expected English.


    ¡°Reaper becomes more powerful by the minute, especially with your mother hostage, Ella. Make all adjustments quickly.¡±


    ¡°Wait! I have to ask-¡± Sam burst out before hearing the disconnecting of their line, leaving her hanging.


    [I get it,] Renzo stiffly spoke up after fighting back his urge to question everything he just heard. [Cruella,] he then added as he looked her way. [I have to say, this is some deep shit we¡¯re facing. Are you okay with this?]


    Sam bit down, holding back her initial response as she slowly retired to her seat, letting out a long, difficult breath. ¡°I think I get it as well.¡± He isn¡¯t trying to take things out on mom. He¡¯s¡­ trying to use her against me as much as for himself. That fucking son of a bitch- I swear¡­


    Sebastian, too, held his comments, knowing not to spill what he knew on her family¡¯s situation still kept in the dark.


    [It¡¯s clear his main target is you, Ella,] Remus coldly added to the conversation. [And that¡¯s why it appears we need you in front tomorrow morning.]


    As quiet as he had been, that last comment rapidly and ironically set Sebastian off. [What?! In front?! Are you insane?!]

 140 - Mother, Part 4

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Amelie hadn¡¯t moved ever since lying down on the cot set up against the back wall, keeping herself calm and focused on one collective thought she had constantly running through her head.


    One more minute. One more and I know Sam has done or heard something. She forced out thoughts that tried to dwell on her unaware son¡¯s predicament, her daughter¡¯s impending danger, and the regrets of not keeping better relations with their father for when the worst goes wrong. One more minute and I can send it. It¡¯s my only chance before her party would go completely dark.


    And after another quiet moment passed, she stirred from her sleeping position to sit upright, leaning forward, arms propped over her knees as she reached down to tug at her socks. She then stood up to stretch, then massaged behind her neck as if it had a crick.


    There. All I can do now is wait, and hope Isaiah comes to his senses before he regrets everything. Despite being freed of that one task, she still fought to keep out thoughts of distress, moving to the next thing she could possibly do as she sat back down, taking in deep breaths. To think he¡¯s Bishop now of all things¡­ If Alabaster outsmarted me once all those years back, it only makes sense he¡¯s about to do the same now if I don¡¯t move more carefully.


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Belgrano District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    It wasn¡¯t the thought of her mother being in clear and apparent danger that Sam couldn¡¯t stomach, nor was it the insinuation she would be treated as bait in their upcoming operation. It was the sudden outburst of distrust and clashing of negative assumptions that rapidly eroded away her ability to think straight in the face of what would likely be the deadliest dispatch she¡¯d take on, leading her to where she was as she slowly came to.


    Her memory of the exchange was still too blurry to remember what lead her to be escorted out of the room by Dani, but the one hand around hers and the other on her shoulder now felt comforting. She was at least now able to figure out where they were headed as a man from Rex¡¯s staff opened the door to a lift that they then entered. Words finally came to mind, but feebly escaped her throat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ I lost it there.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Dani fought back her frustration with a smile as the lift closed, taking them upward. ¡°Let the boys continue to quarrel. You do not need to listen to¡­ any of that.¡±


    Sam slowly began remembering how the fuss started, recalling Sebastian¡¯s absolute refusal to accept the plans Rex¡¯s contact Remus had set up. With that, the burning in her chest once more quickly returned. ¡°I wish it didn¡¯t have to be this way. It¡¯s not right that¡­ that all because of-¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± Dani firmly cut her off as she placed her hands over Sam¡¯s arms. ¡°You need a clear mind now. Everybody here chooses to be here and take this mission. We know what we are doing and we know who you are.¡±


    With controls only managed from the outside, the lift came to an unexpectedly swift stop as door opened, cueing Dani to gently gesture Sam out with where her hands remained. ¡°They said we can go here for a moment,¡± Dani continued as they stepped into what looked like a half-empty storage room. The lift they used just now was evident to be a completely different one than the one used upon entry to the hidden compound.


    Sam began moving on her own, finding a closed tool chest as a place to sit down to regather herself. Upon taking her seat, she finally realized how wet her cheeks were, not remembering crying. And as she felt a minutes-old tear gather at the bottom of one side of her chin, she remembered what caused it. She remembered the text she received just minutes ago on her watch that somehow got through despite being in a jammed location. It wasn¡¯t marked from her mother, yet she knew it had to be her.


    -¡°Run, Samantha. I can¡¯t let you face what I have caused like this. This disaster is mine alone to atone for, and I realize it¡¯s far too late to apologize, but please, I can¡¯t lose you to what was my mistake from the beginning. Run, please. I won¡¯t let anyone else harm you anymore.¡±


    Another pair of hot tears welled up in her eyes as she inadvertently began sniffling, making it evident to Dani she still wasn¡¯t over what overwhelmed her earlier.


    ¡°My brother is wrong,¡± Dani spoke with a softened tone as she sat down next to her. ¡°If this was my mother¡­ my mother in danger, I wouldn¡¯t say no. I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± Dani sighed, unable to find the right words, eventually giving into her desires to speak in full what she wanted conveyed. [I couldn¡¯t just turn away knowing I might lose her. Even though my mother never tried to look out for me or my brothers, I still couldn¡¯t let her die. Not knowing I didn¡¯t try.] She then lightly leaned her shoulder against Sam¡¯s, staring through the ground in a similar fashion. [I get why you didn¡¯t reject Rex¡¯s man¡¯s plan to put you in front. I would expect the same, and I will be there right by your side. This is our battle to fight. We all lost someone and we all risk more to lose to Reaper, and I especially refuse to let you suffer this one alone.]


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    Sam began finding it hard to keep her breaths stable as her emotions continually took over her rationality by the second. ¡°It¡¯s not that. I realize how much I owe my survival to you, and my feeling like I belong somewhere, thanks to you all, but that¡¯s not it.¡± She had too much to keep hidden from everyone to prevent the breaking up of their trust all this time, but the one exclusion being Sebastian felt more and more like a mistake as well. Dani and Renzo had done almost as much to keep everyone together, and Sam quickly felt like Dani was the only one she continued to leave out in the dark. And that sense of guilt added to the burn she felt deep down.


    ¡°My mother-¡± Sam choked up a bit as what she pushed past her sense of guilt. But in that same breath, she realized she was about to speak what shouldn¡¯t be heard by all other ears likely listening in. She pulled Dani¡¯s head closer so she could lean into her ear to whisper in as low of a voice as she could: ¡°She¡¯s where she is because she¡¯s trying to save me from my brother.¡±


    ¡°Your brother?¡± Dani whispered back in Sam¡¯s ear in confusion, frowning upon hearing the unexpected.


    Leaning back in, she swallowed her fear of regret, realizing Dani¡¯s ignorance of the fact meant Renzo and Sebastian never broke her trust, not even with their sister. ¡°My brother. Isaiah Knight. Reaper.¡±


    Dani froze in place, but only momentarily before she turned to look her in the eye with what came across to Sam as a motherly look of concern she hadn¡¯t seen before from even her own mother. [You¡¯ve been fighting through something so big all this time?! Why didn¡¯t you tell us sooner- you poor thing!]


    The swift and firm hug Sam felt brought out more tears. She knew she didn¡¯t deserve the care or understanding after everything she had held out on everyone near her for so long. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I never told you guys when I should have.¡± She weakly whimpered as she tried to return the hug. The feelings of remorse and guilt seemingly held her fingers back, but Dani didn¡¯t seem to care as she released her and took her hands into her own.


    [Remember what I just told you? This is our fight,] Dani repeated with extra emphasis on that one word, squeezing her hands in an affirming manner with each continuing sentence. [Our fight. We lean on each other. We have become family, and that¡¯s what we do. Do you need to save your mother? So do we. Do you need us to take the steps out front with you? We were already there. And do you need help stopping him? We saw how far you¡¯ve come and we can help you finish this.]


    Sam sniffled through her rapidly deteriorating composure, desperately wanting to convey the last doubt on her mind, but the response from Dani was overwhelming. ¡°Even if¡­¡±


    [Take your time,] Dani responded in a calmer fashion, now pulling at the hair stuck around Sam¡¯s eyes back and tucking it behind her ear. [Those boys can wait if they have to.]


    Sam felt the tears being wiped away, using it as strength to finish her sentence, though still unable to look Dani back in the eye. ¡°Even if you knew the truth about me and him, you mean to say you don¡¯t have any doubts about¡­ if I can even-¡±


    [-Cruella,] Dani once more took both hands firmly. [Listen, you have long been doing what you feel is most important to you. You are out to protect those you cherish and you are also trying to stop more of those close to you from dying. Everyone who has lived out such a life sees this and sometimes much worse.] She then let out a sigh as she looked away, remembering a line she once said to Sam months back. [I even remember saying I wish you would never learn how to live like this.]


    ¡°But this is the only life I¡¯ve had since then, and I chose it all, somehow.¡±


    [But look.] Dani faced Sam once more with the same resolve. [Trust hasn¡¯t been an issue for any of us before, why now? And if Reaper is who you say he is, and you¡¯ve been trying to end him yourself all this time, why would we suddenly not trust you?]


    Dani was right. Sam knew that it wasn¡¯t about anything other than stopping the further loss of those close to her, even if it was her distant mother. Danielle Norris¡¯ words of losing everyone that continued to haunt her daily were becoming more and more apparent and real, and if she were to stop that progress, Isaiah had to be stopped first and foremost before he could claim anyone else.


    [Have you known this for long?] Dani was now curious once more of the situation sank in.


    Sam was also slowly regaining her composure, feeling the weight of insecurity somewhat lifted through that emotional exchange. ¡°Since we were in Bangladesh¡­ more than a month ago.¡±


    [Well, look, I can promise this,] Dani then spoke in a more comforting tone as she held a pinky finger up. [If any of us Navarre¡¯s get him first, we will let you decide what we¡¯ll do with him. Deal?]


    Sam understood the message, and was deeply appreciative of the offer, but was still baffled by what to do about the extended finger.


    Dani chuckled, taking Sam¡¯s right hand and pulled her pinky finger open and interlocked it with hers. [You don¡¯t know this kind of promise?] She laughed in reaction once again, and this time it was loud enough to cause Sam to join her despite how awkward it was.


    ¡°I see,¡± Sam felt herself more able to speak normally as she let Dani wag her hand. ¡°Deal. And thanks.¡± Sam then felt an instant and overpowering urge to hug Dani back, surprising her in the process. ¡°I have so much to thank you for,¡± she weakly let out as tears began welling up again but for different reason. The thoughts of how much she used to feel targeted, hated, ridiculed, even bullied by her months back immediately vanished along with the guilt she ever had them to begin with as Dani warmly returned the embrace.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go back,¡± Dani gestured in a return to her English as she let go and stood up, seeing Sam was in a better place mentally compared to before the whole ordeal began. ¡°You ready to do this?¡±


    Sam took her hand as she pulled herself up and let out a quick resetting sigh. ¡°Yes, I just had to get over some¡­ things. Let¡¯s all get this done once and for all.¡±


    They then headed back for the lift and buzzed the caller downstairs.


    Hang in there, Mom. We¡¯re coming.

 141 - Fear

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Unknown Location, North of Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°The loadouts have been prepared and are in place as ordered.¡±


    Adrian, still donning his former SAU officer¡¯s uniform, spoke over a highly encrypted line as he entered what looked to be a makeshift sleeper car out of one of the train¡¯s unused compartments.


    ¡°No, no sign of him. Why?¡± He turned the corner as he took off his coat, tossing it over the lower bunk as he took note of one of his crewmen laying face up on the top bunk.


    ¡°Your mother? You mean¡­¡± Adrian scoffed. ¡°I see. I never knew. Well, even so, the only one to even come close to us was one of Rex¡¯s men. Never got a sniff of us in the end, though.¡± He then allowed himself to plop down onto his bunk¡¯s mattress, letting out an exhausted sigh. ¡°Understood, and yes, I did get word from Sly and Rook just as you said¡­ No, they didn¡¯t see him, either. But they did confirm that they have your package on the way.¡±


    He kicked his boots off, letting them cool off in the better climate-controlled air of the compartment as continued listening. It went on for quite a while, giving the crewmate above reason to look down out of curiosity. ¡°Yes. Understood. Bender out.¡±


    [Was that Reaper again?] The crewmate asked from above, showing his face enough for Adrian to see it was the same one from days prior that listened to his stories of the past wars there in the greater southeastern SAU region.


    [Was just confirming we had everything ready to go,] he calmly replied, tossing his headset to the side as he rubbed his ear. [A woman named Angel used to work with my mentor. You know, SAU Representative Omar Orsi. Turns out she was all back in his business and got caught.]


    [Wait, why would Reaper mention that?]


    Adrian shrugged, leaning back against the wall as he reached for his bag. [That¡¯s his mother. Which means his sister really is our number one concern.]


    [Shit¡­ that¡¯s pretty heavy. All this just happened overnight or something?]


    He grabbed and took out a water bottle, taking a long sip before responding. [No clue how fast this all went down, but I¡¯m starting to regret not taking her out when I had the chance.]


    [But that¡¯s not you, right?]


    Adrian chuckled at the irony. [No. You¡¯re right, but if I had at least tagged her better I could find out more on where she is. She¡¯s holed up with Enrai. No telling where they have her, especially now that not only has Hexa holed up as well, even fucking Rex hooked up with them. The whole damn trio is thinking they can fuck us over.]


    [Wait, is Hexa even able to do anything within our borders, though?]


    [Not directly, but they¡¯re sending them whatever technology they want.] Adrian huffed at the thought of such disadvantage, but then resigned to a smirk and a sigh. [But then again, we do have Hexa to thank for considering what Reaper¡¯s connections across the Atlantic are bringing him. Reaper will soon be blessed, as will I.]


    [You speaking of the Big One?]


    Adrian¡¯s smirk widened with reawakened confidence. After all, this wasn¡¯t just an event he was looking forward to participating in directly, it was the coming of a major change he spent so many years looking for, undelivered promise after promise. [Hell yes, brother. One more night to sleep before we bring it out.]


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Belgrano District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Sam and Dani¡¯s absence, while fortunately not a cause for any particular delay in the meeting¡¯s progress, wasn¡¯t exactly welcomed, either. Ever since getting back and taking her seat, she felt the judgmental stares from both Eryx and Remus, and despite Sebastian and Renzo¡¯s attempts to redirect the negativity, even Kaylen couldn¡¯t help but join the side of doubt.


    [I don¡¯t see what difference it makes,] Kaylen spoke up in Sam¡¯s once Remus finished his part, repeating the same dilemma they faced as to whether or not leave Sam at the forefront of their baiting operation. She spoke through the holographic projection of Palermo District¡¯s map and right towards her as she continued: [Ella knew what she was signing up for. She knew the risks, and she can¡¯t act differently now that her mother is involved regardless of how much we can sympathize with her situation. Reaper has always been after her, and not putting her in the front would be the stupidest decision we could make on our one chance to get this over and done before more damage can occur.]


    [How many times do I have to tell you,] Sebastian barked back, unable to comprehend why Kaylen could keep a straight face. [You can¡¯t put her out there if she¡¯s not ready to fight! Have you forgotten the value of our only Arondight pilot or what?!]


    [No shit!] Kaylen huffed, rolling her eyes. [Again! Being our best active pilot is exactly why she should and it¡¯s also why she should shake off whatever is left! She asked for this, now she is going to see it through!] She then took a second to adjust her posture and collect herself. [Just like myself. I willingly cooperated with Hexa with involving myself the way I did so that I too could get something major behind me. So, you know, why would I do anything else to get in the way of accomplishing that?!]


    Sam knew that last part was the only thing Sebastian could objectively use without looking like a mere boyfriend looking out for his girlfriend, and she was fine with that. She however was hurt by Kaylen¡¯s seemingly backstabbing approach to it all. She expected different. What or why, she wasn¡¯t sure, but it stung. ¡°No, Sebastian, she¡¯s right,¡± she answered with her hand up to both Navarre brothers¡¯ surprise, voice still with a slight tremble.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Dani helped me regather myself. I can¡¯t just crumble again at this stupid, fucked-up business transaction that I need behind me more than anything. More than blondie over there, even.


    She took in a deep breath before finishing, having spoken for the first time since returning. ¡°I currently have the equipment best suited for stopping Reaper, and I just have to adjust myself as early as right now. I have to get this done before they can think about doing anything to my mother, right?¡± The three next to her still gave off uncomfortable vibes, but didn¡¯t have the confidence to contest. But Sam felt the confidence given to her by Dani minutes ago, and with another glance to her left and right, she knew this was the best way forward if running away wasn¡¯t an option. ¡°And it¡¯s not like I have to do anything alone. I have the best team here with me. We are facing Reaper, so it¡¯s a ¡®we¡¯ issue, not a ¡®who¡¯ issue.¡±


    [So, are you done holding us up, then?] Remus snidely remarked as he began moving the projection screen.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sam nodded without comment. ¡°Please go ahead with the instructions.¡±


    Right. She took in a more focused breath as she cleared her mind as best she could for the moment. I don¡¯t even know what my mother had been for real, or what she really got herself into, but the only way for me is forward and stopping this madness A.S.A.P¡­


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there before nightfall,¡± Marian¡¯s voice spoke through moderate interference.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Isaiah stepped out into the bright sunlight that next morning, headed for a black sedan surrounded by a tight security detail. He carefully tucked away his personal earpiece before affixing the one he had been using since arriving in the country, discretely enough to not draw much attention.


    From the back of the sedan emerged Orsi, stepping aside to motion him in. ¡°Rare form, I see,¡± he quipped, noting the tailored suit Isaiah wore. ¡°I mentioned looking nice, but you already look like a full-blown lawmaker yourself.¡± He then noticed Isaiah¡¯s aura off. He remembered how nervous Isaiah seemed the last time they met in person, but whatever had him scared had grown far beyond that. ¡°Please, let¡¯s go make things happen.¡±


    Buckled in, Isaiah sat staring out the window, knuckles tight as his mind raced back and forth between his lines and his mother.


    ¡°I have to admit something, Representative,¡± he spoke once the car began moving.


    Orsi knew why, but stayed open just in case. ¡°I know you have a lot going on. If it¡¯s anything I can help with, please.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something I realize has me far more unsettled than I could have ever expected. Could you please move my mother to a different location?¡±


    Orsi was taken aback, hiding his expression best he could with a scoff. ¡°Your mother?¡±


    Isaiah¡¯s stare now focused on the Representative¡¯s face, still trying to fight off his nerves. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ unfortunately¡­ quite good with communications, but you must have known that. But I have arranged for two former acquaintances who still technically¡­ loosely work for Rex that I trust that can move her to isolation on a different continent.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Orsi nodded and looked away for a moment, realizing there was nothing to pretend to have no knowledge of. ¡°I only hid that to spare you the extra pressure, but I understand. But why ask me? You have the authority to do as you need.¡±


    Isaiah, having only just found out her mother¡¯s true profession of her past life, still had no real confidence in the best move other than to distance himself for the sake of his goal. ¡°I have to be considerate of your history with her as she just explained to me early this morning, albeit very briefly. If you had higher motives to keep her, I understand, but if you prefer my clearer mind in our upcoming business, I have to plead her safety.¡±


    ¡°We can always discuss such things after we clear our goals today. You can count on me. Just notify my men of your hands and when they will arrive.¡±


    ¡°I programmed a message to be sent to the holding cell staff within the next few minutes. But thank you.¡±


    Orsi forced a smile back in return, hiding his irritation concerning how his mother was able to contact him despite the security they had around her. ¡°Very well. And yes, I have utmost faith in what will have accomplished here very soon.¡±


    Isaiah nodded without returning a glance, afraid he¡¯d reveal how scared he was deep down for what was on the horizon. Not a fear of regret, but a fear of the absolute unknown, the unplannable, the unforeseeable. After all the years of preparation and working everything out through meticulous planning, this was his first full-scale move where he couldn¡¯t.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sam awoke from her night terror in a cold sweat, finding herself catching her breath next to Sebastian, seated bed-side inside their borrowed room for the night. She couldn¡¯t wipe the images of Devin¡¯s lifeless hand hanging from the covered stretcher, constantly reconnecting itself with imagined pictures of the horrors he screamed when her brother¡¯s sword descended upon the defenseless cockpit.


    ¡°Sam?!¡± Sebastian jumped in reaction, quickly grabbing a hold of her to help her come to.


    Kerry¡¯s soul-drained sobs echoed around and through Sebastian¡¯s voice in her head, and the next second later it was his face and not Devin¡¯s emerging from the opened stretcher. She instinctively squeezed Sebastian, frightened as if he was being dragged away.


    ¡°Sam, it¡¯s okay. We¡¯re in a safe place,¡± he more calmly spoke as he continued holding her, waiting for her to catch her breath. ¡°You know, you really don¡¯t have to do this. Nobody can suggest doing something like this with, well, the thought that your mother-¡±


    ¡°-No!¡± Sam fussed as she pushed back almost angrily. ¡°I have to end these¡­ these nightmares once and for all!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scared you will create more nightmares, Sam!¡± Sebastian fussed back, letting more emotions slip out than he wanted, evident in his wincing.


    ¡°I saw it and I heard it all again,¡± Sam spoke through her hands as she rubbed her face in frustration. ¡°As long as my brother is doing as he pleases and as long as those fucking condescending words stick around,¡± she spoke in reference to the phrase Danielle Norris once spoke to her. ¡°None of this will end! I have to prove them all wrong- there¡¯s no way this isn¡¯t all coming from some sort of complex I¡¯ve developed over all this time!¡± Her arms then fell to her side as she fought back tears.


    ¡°Sam,¡± Sebastian tried to lean over and console her once more but to no avail as she shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s even my mother- I got all in a knot last night because I know what my mother is truly doing this for.¡± Her lips curled from the anticipation of uttering words she never imagined her uttering that next second. ¡°My mother is there because she still can¡¯t let either of us make our own fucking choices! She got herself in this mess and now I have to be held hostage to it!¡±


    Sebastian now let her come to him as his own heart pained seeing her forcing out emotions he feared may have been buried deep down while under such immense pressure the past week. He remained quiet, unsure how to respond with the lump in his throat and the worry he¡¯d say something to make it worse as she sobbed.


    ¡°I have to do this,¡± she mumbled miserably through his chest. ¡°I have nothing left to return to back home. I have no home left. I have no family left. I chose this job and I can¡¯t just¡­ run away like I always do, but Sebastian¡­ I¡¯m so scared.¡±


    ¡°We are all family now, I feel,¡± Sebastian managed to force out despite his worries, more concerned with her fate. ¡°I promise nobody will look at you bad if you sit down for this one time. But if you must, we will be by your side, and you know that. You always have me.¡±


    Sam squeezed back harder, taking in several long breaths. ¡°I made it this far because you were there for me. Help me finish this. I promise after this we will see those better days.¡±


    After a long, heavy moment of silence, the two began humming their original song¡¯s melancholy melody line. Knowing what time it was, she knew they had to leave very soon, but she wouldn¡¯t let go until that very last free second elapsed.

 Intermission - Illustration and Travel Break

    I know most here don''t share a lot about their lives but I feel like it anyway. I work full time in public education and what I get done is always with what little time I can put aside, leaving me time only to either write or to illustrate (never both), and I haven''t taken an illustration break in a long time so I felt now might be a good time. I will post those as they''re done, however.


    I also will be leaving the country for over a month for family purposes, hence I figured that also a good reason to start my final hiatus before finishing the novel so I can fully enjoy my time out. I expect the story to be done before the end of the year, though. Thanks to all those reading and supporting!


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Most recent illustration:


    Adrian Liotta of Bishop''s Underground Organization


    Retired Alliance Mech Pilot from Previous Wars

 Intermission - Illustration and Travel Break (2)

    Project: Excalibur


    Package: Hexa PK-01X, 02X, and 03X 4th Generation LTACs "Curtana", "Arondight", and "Galatine"


    Purpose: Maximum Threat Containment and Neutralization with Minimal Collateral


    Sorties: 1, Incomplete (Only Galatine was deployed)


    Status: En Route


    Special Restrictions: Curtana still unaccounted for and unavailable. Galatine still only available via assigned pilot Kaylen Rodgers, AKA Emilia


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

 Intermission - Illustration and Travel Break (3)

    Adrian Liotta expected more than just an enhanced set of arms for his arm of Bishop and Reaper''s joint operation when he marched into SAU Curitiba demanding the operational restoration of something in particular. The commanding officer who initially resisted the coup of the airbase only gave into fear of something far worse when he laid eyes upon the blueprints of the demanded machine:


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Liotta was already hinting plenty towards his dark experiences of the previous war, and with plenty of reason which remains to be revealed.

 Intermission - Illustration and Travel Break (Final Post for Now)

    Hexa Infinity Personnel Log: Samantha A. Knight


    Task: Peacekeeping Operation


    Location: Bogota, Colombia, SAU


    Date of Activation: June 2174


    Result: Disbanded, 97% Casualty Rate


    Task: Task Force Recruitment and Re-establishing Base of Operations


    Location: Bogota, Colombia, SAU


    Date of Activation: June - July 2174


    Result: EMP Damage to Bogota, Hexa Base of Operations Established, City Repair and Cleanup Cooperation, Full handover of operations to SAU Authorities


    Task: Hexa Base of Operations Recovery / Special Tasks Force


    Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh


    Date of Activation: August 2174


    Result: Disbanded, Full Retreat


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Task: Protesting Locals Protection


    Location: Manila, The Philippines


    Date of Activation: September 2174


    Result: Disrupted by Personnel Hostage Situation and Nearby Orbital Strike Intervention / Never Launched in its Entirety


    Task: Hexa Infinity Manila Base of Operations Protection / Special Tasks Force


    Location: Manila, The Philippines


    Date of Activation: September 2174


    Result: Early Initiation of Operation Excalibur, High Supporting Force Casualty Rate, Half of Task Force Disbanded


    Task: Joint Operations Force with Enrai Underground / Continuation of Operation Excalibur


    Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU


    Date of Activation: November 2174


    Result: TBA


    ---


    "Mirando a la Luna"

 142 - El Mensaje

    <hr>


    Quick catch-up for those who are up to date and got caught in the hiatus:


    -Sam and Sebastian''s return to Colombia as part of their break from duty was cut short by an assassination attempt on their lives, which ended in a failure as Renzo and Dani aided in their escape. Kaylen, revealing her connection with the Underground group known as Enrai, had them brought to safety in Bahia Blanca, Argentina.


    -Hexa leadership, hesitant but eventually approving of the hand-over, allowed new information leaked in from Rex''s Underground to be used to seek out Reaper in an attempt to strike back on their own terms. Kaylen would continue to coach up Renzo and aid Sam in her transition to what would eventually be piloting the inbound Arondight (an integral piece to the still-ongoing Operation Excalibur) while Sebastian and Dani heal up from their injuries.


    -Rex''s liaison meets up with the group and provides transportation into Buenos Aires'' Federal Capital District, which is where Reaper was shown to be located.


    -Sam and Isaiah''s mother was captured as she attempted to stop Isaiah herself, failing and being held captive. Rex catches word and allows time for the joint Enrai-Rex task group to readjust their plans, making it clear that the mother''s revealed past steeped in espionage would be too risky to leave in harm''s way, especially given the Underground-relevant/sought-out knowledge she seems to possess.


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Final Half of the Buenos Aires Arc


    Counter-Operation: Big One


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    With a click of the hatch operating switch, the cockpit to the retooled and restored Ai20 sealed itself off from the sticky, humid air that had added to the ever-increasing amount of willpower to keep focus and breathe properly. Sam had lately felt as if the cockpit was her safest space; it was always as if this was the one place where she alone could control her fate. This time, however, nothing but fear of the worst outcomes reared its ugly head for the first time in months.


    [Ella is ready,] spoke Kaylen¡¯s voice through her headset. [Waiting on Enzo and Eunice.]


    Sam paused as she held her harness straps in hand before letting out another heavy breath. I feel like I don¡¯t even know who my mother is anymore, yet¡­


    [Enzo here, all systems checked, everything on standby.]


    ¡­it¡¯s like I don¡¯t even know why I¡¯m so scared for her. If she¡¯s really who they said she was¡­


    She shook her head, readjusting the tightness to her shoulder harness straps as she recollected Kaylen¡¯s words earlier about the dirt they picked up on Amelie¡¯s past, namely her existence as ¡°Angel.¡± Sam had so many questions, but the fear of not getting to ask them continued to suffocate her amidst the already high tension in the air.


    [Eunice here, ready whenever the call comes.]


    And while she knew she had the comfort of those she could trust most nearby, it was from those she didn¡¯t trust that had her feeling compromised, like a sitting duck in a pond with the only semblance of protection or cover being the riverside warehouse roof above their heads. Only time would tell the level of legitimacy to the plans Rex¡¯s connections had for them.


    [Alright, that¡¯s my squad ready,] Kaylen added in as Sam lowered and powered on her visor.


    [Movement from sector A-1-2,] Enrai¡¯s voice abruptly joined in with a crackle as everyone¡¯s attention snapped in. [Reaper is still on the move, now on foot, and out in the open. All forces hold still, this has to be a trap.]


    Wait, what!? He¡¯s exposing himself?! Sam somehow knew that couldn¡¯t be right. She remembered the briefing she received earlier about him taking a ride toward the SAU assembly hall, but everyone assumed he¡¯d mask his identity at some point.


    ¡°This is Rex,¡± joined the second digitally disguised voice to even more of everyone¡¯s surprise.


    Sam then remembered how real this was. Rex knew Reaper, that was his go-to guy before. Enrai and Rex are seriously in on this for real, aren¡¯t they. Shit¡­


    ¡°Confirmed reports. Reaper was riding with SAU Chair Representative Oman Orsi, now accompanying him up the main entrance way. All forces remain in place,¡± Rex continued with heightened firmness in his voice. ¡°Do NOT approach! Anything out of line will compromise our attempts to locate Angel¡¯s location and may compromise her safety as well.¡±


    Sam immediately tossed her visor back and pulled up her watch, thankful they had reception from their below-ground level location. She quickly flipped to a local broadcasting station¡¯s social media page and began refreshing, looking for any new updates. ¡°Emilia, do you copy?¡± she spoke out to Kaylen, hoping not to cause too much of a stir.


    ¡°Yes, Ella.¡±


    ¡°Have everyone check whatever broadcast station is most likely to report on that big SAU meeting. I got the worst feeling this is more than a trap. If this really is Reaper we are talking about, he must have something huge for him to be willingly showing his face in public like this.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Not more than two minutes passed before Sebastian came on the line: ¡°Ella, check ATB¡¯s live stream. Search for it and look, they are already interviewing him.¡±


    Sam felt her pulse pound harder by the second, knowing every time her brother was involved on any larger playing field, the most unexpected, worst result would always come about. ¡°Checking now.¡±


    [-With the Representative here? What is your connection?] The reporter¡¯s line was cut into as the feed began, shown to be walking up to the main entrance alongside Isaiah.


    Orsi, however, firmly stepped in with a hand up to block the microphone. [He will answer only to the chairmen and the committee when addressed, thank you.]


    [Excuse me, sir,] she then asked as she pointed the microphone towards Orsi instead. [Were these demonstrations gathering here in anticipation for your proposition?]


    [Everyone here is here for the same reason,] Orsi scoffed as he pressed forward. [Who isn¡¯t concerned with the wasted money and organizational efforts by the residing chair nation?] He continued in his reference to Brazil, which had assumed the supervisory role over the union since its formation.


    ¡°This is bad,¡± Sam nervously spoke to the open channel. ¡°This is real bad.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Kaylen joined back in, unconvinced of anything major. ¡°He¡¯s been a bit of a wild card since way back from what we¡¯ve gathered. Let¡¯s sit back and watch since we have no other choice, anyway.¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Isaiah was seated at the left of Orsi at his table amongst a sea of over three dozen tables, each filled with representatives of the twelve nations making up the union. The SAU assembly was soon called to order, hearing one of the commissioners stating the agenda which eventually led to a specific point that caught Isaiah¡¯s full attention.


    [And third,] the commissioner continued, [will be the motion to suggest change in the selection process of the governing seat.]


    ¡°I assume you are still alright moving forward with this,¡± Orsi quietly spoke aside to him.


    He could only take in a deep breath and continue to hide his body¡¯s desire to clam up, evident by the slight tremors running through his fingers. He finally worked out a whispered response: ¡°This is where all the roads of our efforts lead to. It has to grow from here.¡±


    He clasped his notes in his right hand, constantly shifting his focus between the various speakers¡¯ podiums and his jotted-down thoughts, all the while making slight corrections and adding key points he listened in on. His eyes occasionally glanced in the direction of his watch which he rarely wore, but the screen remained blank of any notifications. Soon, however, showtime came as he felt his stomach turn into a heavy knot.


    [As for the next motion,] the commissioner spoke out again as he shifted his eyes towards Orsi¡¯s table. [We have a collection of signatures from six countries¡¯ representatives to welcome a course of action to the assembly floor. Please, Mr. Orsi, if you may.]


    Isaiah felt the stares of millions immediately beam down on him from the broadcasting cameras he knew had to be pointing in his direction, even though the intention was to allow for Orsi to make his opening comments.


    Father, I hope you¡¯re not watching. Same goes for you, Samantha. You all have more important things to do. His thoughts only momentarily shifted towards his mother before snapping back to Orsi as he leaned over to speak into the mic.


    [Chairman and Commissioner,] he spoke after clearing his throat. [Thank you for allowing us to share some¡­ concerns and some¡­ information that will make a case for what we believe is important for our union¡¯s future stability.]


    Isaiah looked down at a message that popped up on his watch. ¡°Head up,¡± read the text from Marian. ¡°You look great.¡± It wasn¡¯t much, but the token gesture did breathe a bit of confidence back into him.


    [Now,] Orsi continued as he turned to the representative assembly. [Those of you who have opposed our direction we have taken to put my beloved nation at the forefront of bearing responsibility for steering our union down the proper course, I will answer your doubts very quickly. But do not leave it all to me, for I have here a witness who can share much more impactful discoveries and evidence for the Chairman and all listening.] He then motioned towards Isaiah as he looked back at the Chairman. [Mr. Chairman, permission to call for a testimony from my registered guest speaker.]


    [Granted, Representative Orsi,] the Chairman replied with a nod.


    All eyes fell immediately on Isaiah as he stood up to take the podium prepared for people such as himself. With each step, he could feel the weight of the thousands, possibly millions of viewers watching with an anticipation he could not read nor calculate. This was the set of steps he took into the world that had him at such unease; this was the reality he was seeking to help create that he knew he had no way of controlling what would happen after this point.


    ¡°Greetings, Assembly of the South American Union,¡± Isaiah started with a nervous clearing of his throat. He tried to keep his eyes looking over the crowd without looking back at his notes too much, but he strived to push forward either way it ended up, for it was now too late to turn back. ¡°My name is Isaiah Knight of Akkadia One. I was once employed by Hexa International in recent years, but most notably, I served as a pilot for the Akkadian Navy and for the former Eden Casares Union last war. If you are asking yourself, ¡®why was I brought along by Representative Orsi here,¡¯ that is because I bring to you evidence for the setting up of an inevitable repeat of that exact previous war in the coming years.¡±


    Gasps and mocking jeers quietly but markedly filled the room that very instant.


    ¡°In a few moments, I will share with you what I have collected over the past year. But before that, please, ask yourself this as well,¡± he continued with a look toward the Chairman over to his right. ¡°What is the one thing the Earth of today shares in common with what the Eden Casares Union in space did ten years ago?¡± He allowed the assembly a moment to hopefully ponder his question. ¡°Does anyone have the math to show the GDP disparities between the former Confederacy of last decade and now? And the same disparities between the Nations of Space both then and now?¡±


    ¡°Please, Mr. Knight,¡± the Chairman grumbled in his best English before someone could step in and speak out of place. ¡°Make your points while you are on the clock.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± he quickly responded with a look back at the assembly. ¡°They are mirror images of each other. In the past, Earth sought to destabilize Space and keep it under control. War broke out as a result, but another war later, peace was attained. Now, Space has sought to destabilize Earth in hopes to monopolize markets in a way to secure indefinite stability.¡± He felt the increasing amount of scoffs and reactions of surprise building, but he pressed on all the while feeling his throat grow tighter by the moment. ¡°I have with me documents Mr. Orsi has kindly shared with the assembly just now showing the amount of Global Currency Credits Hexa International has obtained since opening business on Earth last year under the guise of Infinity. I will continue to point out through each major event how Hexa has successfully utilized global instability to sell its products in a way to secure its use and perpetuate economic dependency, and I will also show you how a loose organization known as the Underground for the restoration of the confederacy has slowed Hexa¡¯s progress just enough¡­ just enough to buy time for the SAU to be the first to take a step in preventing another war.¡±


    [Excuse me,] one representative from Brazil contested with a lit marker at the corner of his table. [You were quick to speak of this Underground many in our political circles have all heard of as of recent. Do you realize there are no realistic means to provide statements from verifiable sources when the entire network is made of untraceable aliases? The very definition of unreliable sources? Please don¡¯t come here to speak of make-believe stories.]


    ¡°Yes, sir, I understand your concern.¡± What Isaiah knew he had to say next was unavoidable, and his heart fell further into his stomach as his lips moved again. ¡°The time has come for the Underground to surface¡­ To come out into the open. I-¡± It was like he began to black out slightly, forcing him to take a quick breath and try again. ¡°I have here with me the leader of Bishop¡¯s Underground, and I am Reaper¡­ Codename Reaper, formerly of Rex¡¯s Underground and now bringing you work I have collected from within the Underground since last calendar year.¡±


    And he had barely finished his sentence before several representatives shot up from their seats in collective and vocal outrage.


    Here we go.

 143 - El Mensaje, Part 2

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Unknown Location, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°What?!¡± Sam¡¯s interjection was only one of dozens of others across the channel. ¡°Are you hearing this, Emilia!? Was Enrai in any way aware of this move?!¡±


    ¡°No way this is happening.¡± Kaylen¡¯s voice carried much more of a frantic tone despite her attempt to stay calm. ¡°I think the bastard is about to out every fucking one of us.¡±


    ¡°Out us¡­¡± Sam paused to think before it hit, striking a similar chord of panic within. ¡°What the hell is he expecting on accomplishing- he¡¯s about to be the biggest target of even his own people! Is he suicidal?! No way this ends up focused on us, right?!¡± She then immediately thought to reach out to her father but quickly pulled back, swallowing the fact she couldn¡¯t reach anyone outside of their communications umbrella. ¡°Where the fuck are you going with this,¡± she seethed to herself off of the channel, looking back at the news feed projecting from her watch while pondering the absence of comments from both Enrai and Rex.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    [What, now?!] one Brazilian representative from a different table shouted in disgust. [You think this is a game? What do you take us for?] He then quickly held his tongue, not due to the gavel¡¯s attempt to bring order back to the assembly, but from the calm, confident smirk that arose from his fellow representative standing at the table next to him. [Santos? What are you looking like that for?]


    Isaiah struggled just a bit less to keep his composure, noting the desired effect was slowly taking its course, noting a reaffirming stare Orsi sent back towards the representative identified as Santos.


    [Permission to speak, Mr. Chairman,] the representative smugly spoke as confusion began to quickly set in throughout the chamber. After the nod, he turned to continue: [I am Bishop¡¯s organizer used to arrange every cross-border materials and personnel exchange with Brazil and Colombia. I worked with Reaper here many times and will gladly provide my testimony and any reports necessary to support his claims.]


    [I am the most recent handler for la Familia Rocha in Bogota. I know his voice very, very well,] another representative added as he stood up from one of Colombia¡¯s tables.


    [Enough!] The chairman scolded as he continued restoring order. [Regardless of these admissions, as real or absurd- or even as incriminating as they may be, the testimony of Mr. Knight has not been concluded.] He then impatiently turned to Isaiah. [If you may please wrap up your remarks.]


    ¡°I only need to make one last statement,¡± Isaiah continued, straightening his collar, taking in one last deep breath. ¡°The Underground will surface across the world. We may be found responsible for many demonstrations and riots across the globe this past year, but it was for the sake of preventing further isolation from each other as nations of Earth. I will allow my mentor Mr. Orsi to explain the foundational principles the Underground stands behind, but I am coming to the surface not just to reveal myself and my identity as a member, but I will also bring to the surface things that will put Hexa International in the light it needs to be put into, and those pieces were all compiled by myself; hence I must be present in the real so as to testify appropriately. Thank you.¡± He let out a heavy but subdued sigh, hoping Orsi would quickly take over.


    [Does the assembly have questions for Mr. Knight?] the Chairman asked before one table¡¯s light quickly went off. [Yes, Representative, you have the floor,] he spoke to one of Brazil¡¯s other representatives.


    [Mr. Knight,] the representative began with a suspicious tone. [If you are indeed this¡­ Reaper character¡­ do you realize this equates to you admitting to being a murderer and a felon wanted by multiple nations?]


    ¡°I am no murderer,¡± Isaiah quickly replied to several shocked reactions, both from those who seemed to be in his support and those not. ¡°As I stated, I have submitted documentation to prove many things, and in that, you¡¯ll see I have never taken a single life.


    [Fairly preposterous of a remark if I may say,] the representative scoffed. [You owe the SAU many a dollar from the damages you incurred, especially the wreck you caused in Bogota!] He then looked towards the assembly with heightened anger. [This is the man who set off an EMP of all things in the middle of a major metropolitan city for God¡¯s sake! Why are we sitting here listening to an obviously scheming mad man?!]


    ¡°That was Hexa¡¯s doing,¡± Isaiah calmly replied with a motion toward the assembly. ¡°Everyone can check what I provided. The construction of the EMP emitting device was found to be of Sumerian construction encoded with language only used by their Navy¡­ A Navy that has links in that package shown putting them and Hexa in the same bed since years ago.¡±


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Unknown Location, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Sam was now beyond panicking, having gone completely livid as she continued listening to her brother¡¯s accusations, hardly aware of her team¡¯s reactions going on all the while. It was like she felt his knife blade driving through her flesh all over again, looking at his eyes that bear down on her; she could sense the glare coming from him that bespoke his self-proclaimed superiority over her and it burned even deeper down than before. She knew that he knew how much he roped her into this new scheme and how much of a fall she was about to be forced to take. It was only a matter of time before she found out how much it was going to hurt.


    Biting down and clenching her fists for a moment, she chose to avoid causing a ruckus and switched off her watch display, letting out a long, difficult breath through her nostrils. Her left knee was rocking back and forth violently while her right hand began fidgeting at the same pace.


    ¡°Why are we still sitting here?!¡± She fumed under her breath, paying no attention still to her radio chatter.


    ¡°We¡¯ve found Angel¡¯s specific whereabouts,¡± Rex¡¯s voice suddenly joined in as Sam¡¯s focus snapped over in an instant. ¡°Heed no attention to Reaper¡¯s comments. He¡¯s gone rogue, as has Bishop. We must move quickly before they initiate their plan which we still have yet to confirm what all it entails.¡±


    Sam¡¯s face lit up with renewed anxiousness and vigor mixed with a conflicting sense of guilt at the relief she felt coming from words spoken by Rex of all people. She quickly sat up straight and listened in intently, knowing an official word from Enrai, or at least from Kaylen, would be the next thing to wait for.


    [Remus has received your coordinates and will share with my team,] Enrai¡¯s digitally altered voice joined back in, much more easily recognized now by Sam. [I am sending a briefing model as we speak, follow along carefully.] Sam wasted no time opening up her watch¡¯s display once more, catching the hologram stream notification. [This is the location where Angel is being held,] he continued as a map of Palermo zoomed in on a highlighted high-rise at the corner of a busy intersection. [Here, on the twelfth floor of the TC Building on the corner of September 11<sup>th</sup> 1888 and Federico Lacroze.]


    That¡­ That¡¯s a residential building¡­


    [We will scramble three teams: Team one will be on the ground, led by Remus. They will set up the perimeter around the building so that Team two, led by Eryx, can infiltrate and extract the target.]


    [It¡¯s been a while since my last extraction,] Eryx briefly but enthusiastically joined in.


    [Team three, you will be guided from satellite recon through Emilia¡¯s lead. Your coordinates will be sent to you before leaving the umbrella.]


    That¡¯s me¡­


    [Pay close attention and do not deviate from the given courses of action. Time is of the absolute essence here- we must move while their leaders are tied up under public watch.]


    Sam¡¯s anger had subsided and reverted back to a sickening tension as her mother recaptured most of her conscious thought. Mom, hang on. We¡¯re coming. Whatever this is, we¡¯re going to make this work.


    ¡°Again,¡± Rex rejoined in on the briefing. ¡°Give no thought to Reaper¡¯s current status nor his actions and focus on getting our target out alive. There is much to gain from having her capabilities closer to our side given these circumstances.¡±


    Yeah, probably just use her for information, but that¡¯s better than letting her get killed like a dog.


    Sam tightened her shoulder harnesses once more, pacing her breaths before reaching for her helmet. She knew she couldn¡¯t let her nerves ruin this one. The ones close to her that she lost weighed heavily on her, but this is one she¡¯d never forgive herself for if her inability to speak out or move first reared its ugly head again.


    She locked her visor in as she blocked out what she could, everything but the moving map coordinate lines in front of her eyes.


    No, not this time. To hell with anyone or anything else out there for now.


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Inside an MBI Cockpit, Unknown Location, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    The inside of a full-sized mech was far roomier than that of any LTAC variant, and the main screen was at the front of the pilot, covering much of the interior panel. A pair of rotational-joint control sticks mounted to a more complex slider rail system was attached to a control console that led up to the base of the main display screen, and to the pilot¡¯s left and right were smaller side view displays along with heftier cushioning and sturdier restraints.


    A helmet connected to an oxygen line was well-fastened to the pilot¡¯s head, and through the mostly clear visor it was evident the pilot was Adrian Liotta.


    [I heard,] he spoke to someone over the line through his helmet communications, referencing the ongoing audio stream live from the SAU Assembly. [And I¡¯ve been ready.]


    He nervously tapped the side of the right control stick¡¯s rail, eyeing the right corner of the mostly blacked out display panel, paying focus to the red light flickering near the launch status indicator.


    His eye then twitched the second it changed to pre-launch check. [There. Check for the evacuation notices. This means we¡¯re minutes away from go.] He then took in a long, deep breath, leaning back and letting the fiery discourse between the SAU representatives fill in the continued waiting period.


    [You think we haven¡¯t already received agreements for pardons from the President?] Orsi scoffed loudly as evident from the audio stream. [This isn¡¯t a coup, this is a motion for a vote! This is a democratic organization, is it not?]


    [I hope to hell he knows what he¡¯s doing,] Adrian mumbled to himself. [Hard to believe he was Bishop all along, but makes sense now. Hell, makes me more confident this will work.]


    [And if we don¡¯t get it, the people outside will burn down this building right where we stand,] Orsi continued with resolve. Adrian remembered the massive gathering outside the assembly hall, imagining their change in tone based on the unfolding events. And as the tedious minutes passed, it crossed his mind enough times to quickly check in on the situation at the Assembly Hall. He flicked through his control panel commands, pulling up the view outside the main entrance before swiftly closing it all out, almost as if he knew there was a chance he was being watched.


    Good.


    He felt a bit of relief seeing a well-organized picket line, easily numbering in the thousands.


    It¡¯s just a matter of time before this whole thing swings our way.


    [B-One, this is Capital Watch,] a voice over the line came in. [Confirmed the evacuation notice request was received by the ground zero team. Sky Watch has you approximately two minutes ¡®til.]


    [Copy-]


    [Wait,] the voice interrupted. [Hold, B-One.]


    That¡¯s not good. What could even possibly cause a hold-up?


    He flicked his channel over to the usual frequency he used to communicate with his own crew, listening in regardless of the chances he¡¯d be caught. His brow wrinkled in a confused frown as he took in the bits and pieces of information he heard.


    LTAC¡¯s already on the move? They weren¡¯t supposed to move until after I gave the green light. No¡­ I bet good money that those LTACs are not ours¡­


    He switched back to the previous line and barked: [Capital Watch, this is B-One. Put me on the line with Sky Watch, now!]

 144 - Drawing Parallels

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Belgrano District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    [Cramer Bunker, opening main hatch,] Sam heard an Enrai Underground operator over their encrypted channel call out as she felt the mechanical vibrations hum throughout her body. Eyes remaining closed during the wait, she struggled but for the most part maintained her focus on the directives given out moments ago.


    [Assume no one on the streets knows we¡¯re on the move, which yes, this is new for us,] Enrai¡¯s voice spoke through Sam¡¯s recollections. [Move with care, but move quickly, and do not- I repeat, do not arm your weapons unless Emilia or myself clears you specifically.]


    Her eyes opened to a bright beam of sunlight pouring into view through her visor screen, realizing the main hatch had finished opening. Her fingers trembled furiously through the suffocating anxiousness and nervousness, but the goal was all too clear.


    [You are only providing cover. Recon and alerts are top priority, conflict is our last-ditch option, especially without the aid of Infinity¡¯s project equipment. Don¡¯t count on its availability until after the second phase, if we even get that far.]


    ¡°Aqu¨ª Ella, iniciando despliegue,¡± she firmly recited her mobilization signal lingo she picked up from others during past experiences, pushing forward on the control sticks as her feet stamped both pedals to the floor.


    Three others quickly followed as the three Ai20 units jumped from beneath an area filled mostly with stored-away trains in a clearing between two major neighborhood subdistricts.


    [Team Three, Cramer Group away,] the same operator¡¯s voice added. [Team Three, La Pampa Group steady en route to Rally Point A.]


    [All units,] Kaylen¡¯s voice then joined in from that same command center. [Decryption activity detected. Orders are to switch to LACOM effective immediately and set for contingency plan 0-0-2.]


    Nothing surprised Sam anymore by this point. It was instead somewhat satisfying, even if to a guilty extent, knowing any bit more of what was going on behind the scenes all this time. Who she used to perceive as all the same enemy was now using that same chillingly efficient coordinating system to help and serve her instead.


    Though I never knew the Underground had such layers to it with such different approaches and mindsets.


    Pushing out the flashback to recollections of extremist-level violence that she couldn¡¯t imagine Enrai¡¯s Underground pursuing, she clicked through her settings, turning off her team radio and switched over to line-of-sight laser communications, effectively cutting herself off from the headquarters and placing all faith in the two in front of her.


    She then remembered the last time she utilized communications like this; it was after they were unknowingly hit by an EMP.


    [Eunice,] Renzo called out to Dani as they touched down on a stretch of open grass right alongside a set of railroad tracks. [You head the guy. 0-0-2. You know where that drop point is?]


    [That¡¯s the one thing set most in my memory right now, don¡¯t worry,] she responded, triggering Sam¡¯s recalling of an incoming weapons crate described in a message relayed from Raphael Lucian back at Hexa¡¯s Headquarters.


    [Well,] Renzo continued. [I got the feeling we¡¯re going to need it at a really bad time.]


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Yeah, I bet he¡¯s right.


    Sam had more flashbacks that instant, almost as if she was carried back to her first group outing with Renzo¡¯s crew back in Bogota when Hexa provided their first Ap50 outfit for use in that lone counteroffensive operation. She remembered feeling slighted when told Renzo would lead, and felt even more heated when he didn¡¯t listen to what she thought was better advice.


    She inadvertently smiled for a brief moment in a vulnerable way, humiliated but also comforted by the notable difference in maturity between now and then.


    [Hey, Cruella,] Renzo called to her as she snapped back to reality. [I know you hate blind comms. I¡¯ll pass the request to open our lines back up if any bogeys show up at the scene- I mean, better to have our lines open to anyone willing to send help anyway they can, even if we get listened in on.]


    ¡°Thanks.¡± The offer only further solidified her readiness to follow. She had her skills to utilize and that was good enough.


    This is their back yard, almost.


    ¡°And good idea. Mr. Lucian or even Mr. Vrey from Hexa might be listening if we have to make any emergency calls since I know they¡¯re relying on us big time with this whole mess,¡± Sam continued as their open stretch of grass was about to run out, all on collision course with a series of city blocks and rail crossing intersections.


    [Alright, enough talk,] Renzo called out as they hit jump point, altitude climbing as they saw their trail vectors point to the next landing zone, only two away from their destination at the northern edge of the Palermo District.


    And as expected, each jump point they approached was met with collective panic from the passersby, both on foot and by car, as each sailed overhead. It was a far cry from Bogota where Sebastian and Renzo seemingly carved their way through traffic, but she deduced that without the locals being accustomed and not having proper markings and emergency lighting made the difference. It only made her nerves even worse, thinking of the possible collateral involved with their movements, but with no pre-war era-style powerlines clogging the streets it made the process smoother in the end as they reached their destination.


    Renzo held them up one block away as he allowed Sam and Dani a chance to slowly move into place ahead. [Awfully quiet, save for these civvies over here yelling back. I bet Bishop has everything in the world set up waiting for us,] he quietly fussed to the two of them.


    [I spotted the drop point from here,] Dani added as she turned to face their backside, seeing a highlighted zone above a two-story tall shop as she recalculated how she¡¯d approach it in that certain case.


    ¡°In place. Powering drives down,¡± Sam spoke out as she let out a nervous breath. The hum from the other¡¯s LTACs soon followed suit. She fought back memories that went on during the EMP incident months back, breaking her silence quickly after. ¡°Weapons are off, but¡­¡±


    [Yeah,] Renzo nervously added, reading the air. [I agree. Put the rifle safety release on two-tap.]


    All three had their LTAC¡¯s hands at the ready by their left hip-mounted rifles, trying not to appear overtly menacing to the public but not ready to be caught off-guard, either.


    Renzo continued his firmly suggestions: [The police should have been notified, but no telling who¡¯s in Bishop¡¯s pockets, either. Keep your eyes and ears wide open.]


    [No need,] Sebastian¡¯s voice popped up, throwing them all off.


    Sebastian!? How?!


    [Ba- I mean, Elijah, how are you on our laser comms?!] Renzo fussed out of confusion.


    [I just sat down here with Emilia and she opened up a temporary umbrella there where you are, using laser nodes to get a temporary communications perimeter set up. Just stay within a five-block radius and we can communicate.]


    [But,] Dani interjected. [No need to what?]


    [Emilia already tapped into the police network. There were apparently a number of hostile units inbound on your position but some ground teams from Rex are intercepting them as we speak to buy you all time. Focus on the mission.]


    Those reassurances helped Sam shake off some of her tenseness, but the inevitable was still looming. ¡°Got it. Thanks for the big update,¡± she answered with a forced smile through a grimace. Come on, Mom, hang in there.


    [Team One is ready,] Emilia¡¯s voice then joined in with a sharp hint of urgency. [Remus has the go sign. Eryx, do you copy? Eryx and your team, move in. Go. Next, team three, you¡¯re¡­]


    The sudden and suspicious tailing off of their orders had Sam about to explode, as was with her two partners. ¡°Emilia, are you still there?¡±


    ¡°Shit, team three!¡± Kaylen burst back over the line with a sudden switch in both her language and her energy. ¡°Watch the skies! Rifles ready- something¡¯s picked up on radar headed out from the sea surface to your east!¡±

 145 - Enter the Big One

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Enrai Branch Operations Outpost, Belgrano District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Sebastian held the mute button on his headset as he turned to the Enrai operator he was stationed with, looking up as he dwarfed in size compared to him. [Does Enrai keep tabs on SAU craft movement?]


    [Of course, everyone does. Why?] He responded as he hastily ran his fingers down a set of coordinates on a map connecting the port to Sam¡¯s and the infiltration team¡¯s locations.


    Sebastian¡¯s mind continued to race as he struggled to ignore the frantic chatter between his siblings and Sam all the while trying to determine a better course for action than sitting still as Kaylen ordered. [Judging by your reaction, that ship you¡¯re looking at isn¡¯t SAU.]


    [No,] he bluntly replied as he kept to his business.


    Sebastian, in his own frantic state, paced back the other direction toward a separate communications room; The outpost itself was fairly cramped and dark, nestled away below typical basement level, and was only manned by small handful of operatives, leaving him with little room to wiggle. But upon seeing one monitor on the wall in the next room showing the SAU Assembly still underway, he paused briefly to read the bold text across the bottom.


    [Hexa Infinity leaders accused of overreaching in Earth-side matters across multiple nations,] read the marquee as Orsi, now revealed publicly to be Bishop, leader of his own Underground faction, continued to push his case for Argentina to assume the position of SAU central authority.


    [This isn¡¯t some false flag op, is it!?] Sebastian burst out as he paced back to where he was, receiving a grimace from the operator.


    [How?! The national guard is kept busy watching over the Assembly as you saw, and the police are all tied up! Everything else is parked in Brazil as far as the networks show!] He then pointed to the maps he was looking between as he continued fussing: [That ship we¡¯re worried about is unmarked! Here, help me track this thing¡¯s origin,¡± he continued fussing as he shoved a pen that interacted with the screens and holographic interfaces into his chest. [If this is isn¡¯t SAU it¡¯s likely to be Reaper¡¯s or something and we need to know its reason to show up!]


    Knowing there wasn¡¯t time and Sam was likely waiting for some sense of direction, he shook off his frustration best he could and went back to his own screen to pull up a sea traffic map based off of tapped GPS trackers.


    [Ella, Enzo,] he spoke into his now unmuted mic as he got to work. [Nothing yet, right?]


    ¡°Nothing, just¡­ not knowing what the hell we¡¯re looking for,¡± he heard Sam nervously respond as he stopped his hand for a second to think.


    ¡°Ella, listen. There is much reason to think that ship has something to do with this mission- like, it was waiting for us. It¡¯s not SAU marked, but I still think this is a trap and has something to do with those Bishop guys at the Assembly.¡±


    ¡°But this whole thing is based on my mother, not the bullshit my brother and them are spouting!¡± Sam fussed back before Renzo chimed in.


    [Wait, no!] Renzo shouted as if having an epiphany. [Reaper is holding your mother here! That means he¡­]


    Sebastian¡¯s mind clicked right at the same time, muting his headset once more to catch what Eryx began pointing to.


    [These were the calculated paths!] The operator shouted as he scrambled for his radio and darted off to the next room.


    Sebastian knew what he meant as he took over his position, heart racing and sweat now beginning to bead up. [Everyone on the field! Halt your advance! This building is likely Reaper¡¯s headquarters, meaning this is likely a trap! Halt your advance at once and regroup!]


    [Remus here, Team One on standby at gates one and two!]


    [Eryx with Team Two now standing by at breach point two, what¡¯s the hold up!?]


    Sebastian let out a heavy sigh, momentarily relieved by the fact nothing had gone down just then. He then turned around as he heard a commotion going on the room adjacent to him, catching Rex¡¯s name several times. [I think Rex is about to chime in. Remain on standby!] He then took a breather, reorganizing his thoughts. ¡°Ella, Reaper is trying to put blame of everything on Hexa again, right? This means, maybe, that he wants us to do something to get your mother killed, or to cause SOME kind of damage to blame us for, right?!¡±


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Sam grumbled through her tensed breaths. ¡°I mean, I was already suspicious as it was just being him, but yeah.¡± Her grip was already beyond sweaty as she kept her eyes darting across the sky to her east all the while checking to make sure her radar stayed clean. She periodically checked the ground situation as well out of fear of some ambush, but each time she looked over the Enrai ground troops surrounding the building, the only things she saw were concerned or fearful passersby as they were diverted by Rex¡¯s men on the ground, as was with the traffic barricades they set up.


    Her trigger safety was still on, but just by having her rifle out, she was now more aware than earlier of just how exposed she felt without Antares installed or accessible.


    Simulators always go just so far. All I can do is¡­ do what I can. She closed her eyes with a sigh, focusing on what she could do then and there.


    ¡°Elijah, what are they saying at the Assembly, now?¡±


    Some time passed before Renzo first interjected: [Ella! What are you imagining over there?]


    [They¡¯re voting,] Sebastian responded quickly after with a stiff tone. [They¡¯re¡­ voting on a motion to allow a new vote for commissioner.]


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Sam immediately turned her LTAC to face the eastern sky once more with a keen eye on her scanners.


    This timing¡­


    She knew now there was no way her mother wasn¡¯t involved with the current events somehow. The only issue was waiting to see what was going on with the unidentified sea vessel that just surfaced.


    [By the way,] Sebastian added while the channel remained silent. [Could someone please explain this whole two-fifty reference? That Orsi guy keeps mentioning it in some kind of ominous tone or so, and it¡¯s a bit disturbing]


    And right after that, a clicking sound rang over the channel, signaling what she knew was eventually coming.


    ¡°New reports confirm that there is indeed a well-established defense network past breach point three,¡± Rex¡¯s voice chimed in, both to everyone¡¯s relief and dismay. ¡°All units stand your ground until we get updated information from Enrai¡¯s analysts.¡±


    ¡°But what about that ship?!¡± Sam blurted out before thinking.


    [You heard the man!] Remus snapped back. [All radios silent until Rex or Enrai speaks!]


    Another clicking sound joined the channel, signaling another digitally masked voice entry. [Ship hostile! LTAC units, find cover behind a west-facing wall!] Enrai shouted in a raised manner she hadn¡¯t heard thus far.


    WHAT?!


    [All ground teams, take shelter inside!] He continued as she wasted no time pivoting and placing her back against the building just behind her.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Isaiah had ducked off from the main hall, and as he approached the men¡¯s room as he intended to pass off for needing to relieve himself, he checked to make sure he wasn¡¯t being tailed. And with a quick glance at his watch, which was quivering from his shaken nerves, he quickly headed past the restroom area and toward one of the connecting hallways that would lead toward an exit.


    Sudden panic and distant shouts began echoing through the halls, and through the cacophony he knew his timing was on spot, picking up the pace and walking against the new flow of foot traffic rushing back toward the center of the assembly building.


    And as he finally made it out one of the back emergency exits, he looked to the northeastern sky to see a rocket airborne, quickly picking up altitude. ¡°On my way now,¡± he spoke into his watch before hopping into a small sedan that had just pulled up. And as he hopped into the back seat, he looked to the driver and called out: ¡°Status of the captive?¡±


    The driver shook his head once in a tight-lipped manner before responding: ¡°Bishop gives us orders, now, and I cannot move you safely until we are given a green light.¡±


    Isaiah¡¯s chest instantly suffocatingly tightened up the instant he heard that peculiarly heavy, British-influenced accent and saw the unfamiliar face of the driver. Everyone he monitored in Bishop¡¯s local group was just that, locals who for the most part had very limited English if any at all. But before he could muster up his own response, his mind raced at the thought someone likely from Rex¡¯s latest wave of hires was working for Bishop, pondering the idea of a setup.


    But nevertheless, the driver was not the one he called, and he risked being done in even worse if he were to make sudden moves, electing to choose the safer option until he could plan a way out. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. I have to get to my outpost,¡± he attempted, trying to buy some time.


    ¡°Your outpost is surrounded by Enrai and Rex goons. Until it¡¯s safe, I cannot move you.¡±


    ¡°I know that!¡± Isaiah unintentionally raised his voice, forgetting how rattled he was by his earlier realization that Orsi¡¯s comments about his mother were far too suspicious to let go any longer. ¡°I¡¯m going on foot if I have to,¡± he added more politely before reaching for the handle. Door locks clicked, triggering his suspicions fully.


    ¡°Sorry, orders are to keep you under watch until the green light,¡± the driver repeated as several men outside emerged to surround the car in a subtle, dubious manner. ¡°We have no intention on hurting you. Just stay seated.¡±


    His mind began to race between what few options he had, realizing his best choice the instant he heard the soft, echoing boom from what he assumed to be missile afterburners amidst a raising of voices in the distance. He quickly tapped his watch to a preset frequency and adjusted his earpiece volume, listening in.


    [That¡¯s not a rocket,] a voice shouted through heavy interference. [That¡¯s a cruise missile!]


    [And it¡¯s headed northeast of here?!] Another confused voice added. [Get the possible targets pulled up, whatever is in range of that thing!]


    [We don¡¯t have time nor the equipment for that!] Shouted a voice Isaiah recognized coming from Sebastian from prior engagements. His head nodded in disappointment, knowing his sister was no longer a probable participant but a confirmed one. He wasn¡¯t surprised, however, as he knew their target was exactly the same.


    A sudden, stronger thud was felt, reminding him of what comes from a shockwave.


    ¡°They were closer than I calculated,¡± he spoke aloud, checking to see the driver¡¯s situational awareness before proceeding with his next thought-up plan of action.


    ¡°Project Excalibur is no more,¡± the driver answered as he checked his mobile. He then turned with a slight grin. ¡°That¡¯s both of their prize machines gone. Hexa is in checkmate, now, so why the hurry?¡±


    Isaiah hid his grimace, realizing these men really were paid off by Orsi. He now spent the next moment pondering the chance his current partner had plans to turn on him after all or if this was an insurance policy he took out on him.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam breathed easily after realizing the target was far away, but the relief was short-lived. What she heard over the radio afterwards would only further escalate her fears.


    [Damn it!] Remus¡¯ voice fussed through increasing interference. [That was the ship Hexa arranged to arrive under cover to our port outpost tonight!]


    ¡°Wait, WHAT?!¡± Sam blurted out unintentionally before carrying the momentum. ¡°That was the target!?¡± Her heart sank into her stomach. Her last hope she sat on in the back of her mind was the thought that no matter how rough things would get, she could turn the tide on whatever situation once the real Arondight arrived. The much-weakened but well-sensed shockwave that just passed moments ago served as the proof that drove the gut-punch in further.


    ¡°Ella!¡± Sebastian shouted out through so much interference he was almost indistinguishable. ¡°You-¡±


    [Jamming!] Renzo shouted with a heightened sense of urgency over the line-of-sight communications line he kept open. [Aw Hell! You all know what this means!]


    [Well, brother! Cruella!] Dani nervously followed suit as she joined in. [If we¡¯re cut, they¡¯re cut, too! Eyes open, safety off!]


    Sam knew she couldn¡¯t sit there stunned, taking a quick breath before reaching for a few settings. ¡°Turn your L-Trackers and mass-movement sensors on! They can¡¯t jam our proximity systems at least!¡± And as she did so, she figured the worst they would see at this rate would be nothing worse than what they saw in Bogota, Dhaka, or Manila.


    All three of their hearts skipped a beat in sync, however, that very next second as a spine-chilling screech and a blast of wind roared by, followed by another deafening burst from large-scale retro boosters- ones that Sam knew should only be heard from a full-sized, military-outfitted mech.


    [-The fuck is that thing?!] Renzo spat as he looked up and behind them.


    [You¡¯re kidding me! Not here- not now! Not again!] Dani screamed out in a mixture of rage and fear.


    Sam froze in place, locking gaze with what she used to hear about in history class and saw pictures in passing, staring right into the glaring camera cluster of a wartime mech banned from operation a decade ago. It was this very image that struck terror into the hearts of every Confederacy pilot during that time, and in some cases, even those of the same Akkadian Navy her father served. But she had no time to ponder the puzzling reincarnation of the Harbinger¡¯s most feared weapon flying a few hundred meters overhead, because if there was a chance to live the clich¨¦ of her life flashing before her eyes, she knew now might be just that.

 146 - Enter the Big One, Part 2

    ¡°Renzo, Dani, Sam¡­¡± Sebastian¡¯s panicked voice barely made it through.  ¡°Run!!¡±


    [A Rebellion Tiger unit- No way in hell they got their hands on one!] Renzo followed Dani to the backside of the building they stood next to. [Base, do you copy! This is Enzo! We aren¡¯t equipped for that thing- no one told us about any fucking Tigers!]


    Sam never once pondered facing a behemoth that fast and equally deadly, not even in her months of extensive simulation training against more commonplace full-sized mech outfits. The Tigre was the centerpiece to the last successful and highly notorious Earth Invasion a decade ago, and she knew if there was no equally-sized mech to match it back then, there¡¯d be no way an LTAC a third of its size could even stand in the same room.


    ¡°No good!¡± Sam cried out as she turned to the building opposite from the one Renzo and Dani ducked behind. ¡°Too much jamming, and we don¡¯t have anything to hit that thing with!¡±


    Despite her panicking, she knew the only thing for sure that could at least buy them some time would be to use the residents inside the buildings as a shield, as up to this point, no single major opponent she faced ever blindly destroyed active residential infrastructure. And her next connecting thought led her to recall the one weapon that was the first step in the old Confederacy¡¯s slow turn of the tides last war: the NGF hybridized rifle round.


    [Hey!] Renzo impatiently- and rightfully so, shouted out to Sam from across the street, barely remaining within direct line-of-sight for their communications.  [What is that thing even use?! Are we sitting ducks here or what?!]


    ¡°If that thing is equipped like last war, we¡¯d know already!¡± Sam only saw digital recreations from movie scenes which limited her perception of the storied full NGF beam emissions the Tiger¡¯s carbine utilized, but she knew it had to be multiple times louder than their hybridized rounds the Ap-50 LTACs used. ¡°Remember the weapons you used before that made all that extra racket? Those are all based on Barringer¡¯s designs- that Tiger is equipped with the original most likely! If you hear anything like lightning strikes, we¡¯re already cooked!¡±


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Enrai Branch Operations Outpost, Belgrano District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Chaos was a rare element from everything Sebastian had gathered during his extended stay provided by Enrai¡¯s Underground; no matter what developments occurred, everything had a plan in place.


    This, however, was nowhere near their protocol.


    [They have already sensed our threat to their actions!] Orsi bellowed during the continued Assembly over the speakers that rang off of every wall inside the outpost. [Two hours and fifty minutes! They have long known of our worst weakness!]


    Sebastian scrambled to find a line that could connect him back to Sam and his siblings, growling and swearing in between each failed attempt. [Piece of shit! Why aren¡¯t these lines connecting!?]


    [We have no time! Use my connections with our Underground resistance force to fight back!] Orsi¡¯s oration continued as one operator passed Sebastian, stopping to correct him.


    [No! You have to wait until the other side accepts the connection! They¡¯re keeping it closed for a reason!]


    Sebastian, refusing to accept that as an answer, only became more distraught as he turned to return a fierce glare. [Then what?! Let their reason be why my three people get slaughtered?!]


    The operator did, however, sense in Sebastian¡¯s voice a certain conveyed emotion that only comes with certain experiences, urging him to ponder the circumstances for a moment. [Wait, maybe¡­]


    Sebastian stared back at the irritatingly silent monitor helplessly, hoping the three LTACs in view stayed put. It was almost as if the airborne Tiger unit was waiting for something as well.


    [Our police have no power, and Curitiba cannot scramble defense MBI¡¯s to our aid fast enough! This is EXACTLY what we¡¯ve been warning of for years!]


    [I know what to do!] The operator finally answered Sebastian¡¯s plea as he hurried off to the adjacent room. [Keep your eyes on that screen!]


    [This is our last chance, fellow members!] Another voice added in to the plea to the Assembly. [We¡¯ve freed the Commissioner¡¯s seat! Vote in Oman Orsi before this all spirals out of control!]


    Stolen story; please report.


    Sebastian began to focus on the Tiger that remained still in the air, hovering at about one hundred meters from the ground. It¡¯s peculiar weapon, shorter than any rifle he¡¯d ever seen equipped on any mech he¡¯s seen, was aimed at towards their direction. Yet, nothing new came over any channel, and with the assumption there was no ongoing communication with the unidentified unit, he began paying more attention to the broadcast behind him.


    [SAU official responses must be reconfigured from the ground up! First, Colombia! Twice, even!] Orsi continued in the same sense of urgency. [We are not about to become the first to fall victim to over-complacency and choked off by our own red tape restrictions!]


    [He¡¯s buying time for something,] Sebastian mumbled to himself before the operator from earlier ran back in.


    [We got contact from La Pampa Group!] He exclaimed, pulling up a new screen on the display, showing three other LTACs resembling a heavier Kappa build, making their way through stopped car traffic. [We just need Cramer Group to hold their positions and buy time!]


    Sebastian huffed nervously, hand over his chin. [Hold on. From what that Orsi guy is saying and looking at how this Tiger is moving, it¡¯s the Tiger that is the one buying time here.]


    [Huh!?]


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    From within the Tiger¡¯s cockpit, Adrian¡¯s brow was already in a nervous sweat. But from his visible agitation, it wasn¡¯t nerves dealing with piloting a full-sized wartime mech for the first time in years, nor was it the blaring air raid sirens accompanied by emptied cars littering the streets below.


    [Bender! Why aren¡¯t you engaging!] A voice angrily barked over the encrypted line fed from somewhere below. [Your freezing up has got Bishop paralyzed!]


    His grip tightened as he fought the urge to follow through. [I never asked for you, damn it! Get me Bishop on the line, now! No one cleared the target area like the plan called for!] He roared back with greater ferocity.


    [These ARE Bishops orders!] The operator snapped back. [Engage now or this will all fall on you!]


    Adrian bit down, knowing well what entailed with holding off for this long, allowing his enemy time to regroup, yet he still stubbornly held onto his initial gut feelings. [Look at them! They¡¯re not even fighting back!] It then clicked. He now felt he had a good understanding of the situation. He brought in his prided final puzzle piece to the grand scheme, and what stood in his way wasn¡¯t a trio of helpless LTAC units serving a separate faction, it was a side target that came as a priority last minute in a set area that was supposed to have been cleared of civilians in his mind- or at least that how he was informed just prior.


    Adrian then opened his mouth and let out his frustration without further care for how it would come across. [If Bishop wants that captive dead, he should do it himself! We didn¡¯t bring out the Big One for this!] He continued seething, adjusting his legs in preparation for blasting off. [I¡¯m moving to the original priority target-]


    [-Target has escaped!] The operator interrupted him, causing him to freeze in place for a crucial second before a lapse in judgment passed.


    He envisioned this target that his mentor had placed such a last-minute, heavy emphasis in prioritizing without ever lending a single explanation, and he saw its apparent escape somehow leading to his demise if he let this spiral out of control. He felt Orsi put him here for a reason, and he couldn¡¯t let it spoil what he had come so far for, despite how sick it made him feel to his stomach.


    Another voice joined in from the ground, confirming his thoughts. [This is holding cell A-1! Hostile infiltration forces present on both exits and the captive has gotten free inside the compound and is likely on the run!]


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Below and behind the nearest high-rises, Sam, Renzo, and Dani remained where they stood, keeping fully out of the Tiger¡¯s view. Though with each passing second, Sam grew more and more impatient, as if her end was put on hold just for the sake of mocking her. Panicked and clouded thoughts soon turned to doubts. ¡°Why is it just sitting there?! What is it waiting on!?¡± She fruitlessly shouted her thoughts out loud before looking over at the two across the street.


    [It¡¯s open!] Sebastian¡¯s voice suddenly crackled in, taking the three by surprise. [Lines are open- Renzo! That Tiger is having trouble of some sort! If you are going to make a run for it, now is a good shot!]


    [On it!] Renzo answered without hesitation as Sam watched the two point their headings southward.


    [Pin a location!] Dani chimed in before moving as she then noticed Sam¡¯s unexpected movement. [Cruella! What are you doing!?]


    Sam initially thought to make a quick jump to their side of the street before making a group exit, but something caught her eye in a way that had her freeze just beyond the safety of the shadow of the high-rise she hid behind. The Tiger remained where it had all along, but it was the angle of the weapon it wielded that drew instant panic and anger.


    She knew what the target must have been all along, and they were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time, perhaps. The angle made it apparent it had intentions of demolishing the very high-rise the ground teams intended on infiltrating and hostage extracting.


    ¡°NO! WAIT!¡± Words escaped her vocal cords so tensed her voice cracked to the point Renzo, Dani, and now Sebastian as well felt the sheer terror enough to bring their focus to a crashing halt.


    .


    Adrian bumped the hat switch on his right control pod with his tensed thumb, hovering a manually targeting reticle over a marked zone just over the twelfth floor of the twenty-story residential high-rise. Closing his eyes and letting out a tight breath, he squeezed the trigger.


    .


    Sam¡¯s fingers, wrists, and knees remained locked, stiff, frozen solid despite the brilliant flash of blue and the crackling of thunder loud enough to sense the chilling vibrations through her entire cockpit. And they came once, twice, three times before her blind rage took over enough to point her rifle to the skies through the bursting fountains of smoke, debris, and shrapnel, pulling the trigger with all caution to the wind.


    ¡°SAM, NO!¡± Sebastian wildly called out over the radio to no avail.

 147 - Enter the Big One, Part 3

    The armor plating on the shield Adrian held up was originally designed for repelling firepower magnitudes up to light artillery levels, having no problem deflecting the incoming stream of bullets from Sam¡¯s LTAC. Still under the emotional effects from moments ago, he refrained from reacting more overtly to the return fire, knowing exactly what earned such a futile reaction.


    And almost all at once, several operator voices joined in, some angry some panicking, but he tuned it out. His focus remained on the building in front, seemingly as if he were awaiting some kind of sign.


    [I did my part here! You can handle the rest of this dirty work yourselves!] He barked after realizing the return fire had stopped.


    .


    Sam¡¯s LTAC was flung the other direction as she screamed out in a fit of rage, trying to catch her balance while fussing back: ¡°Let me go, damn it!¡± She fought the controls in her hurry to find her aim toward the sky but quickly found another LTAC rushing her direction from in front.


    [Stop!] Dani screamed back with equal intensity, bracing for impact if Sam didn¡¯t turn to run. [Or we all die! Is that what you want?!]


    The same LTAC that flung her from her spot earlier grabbed her from behind once more, spinning her the opposite direction as if to force her to join their retreat. [Move!] Renzo joined in; his holler thick with desperation. [This is our one chance to run!]


    Sam knew instinctively that it was her only option, subconsciously slamming her control sticks forward, accelerating down the one open street in front. But her desire to spin right back around quickly mounted a fierce comeback as countless memories- albeit even those tied to regret or anger, forced their way through her conscious as she bit down. If this had happened only half a year ago, she¡¯d have sworn she would feel relieved if not relinquished from the years of disappointment, pressure, and guilt burdened upon her shoulders. But something felt different given the circumstances.


    She was trying to save us from something, wasn¡¯t she.


    An unrealized tear fell down her right cheek and formed a trail around the lower brim of her visor pressed against her cheek as her heart rate continued to hasten.


    Even if it was about him, she¡¯s trying to stop us from killing each other as if¡­ as if¡­


    An idea of what must have driven her mother to such lengths suddenly exploded into a series of wild yet plausible reasons connecting the ongoing attack to her presence. She threw her right stick back and slammed it against the limiter block as her LTAC snapped into a half-spin, pinning down the other stick in tandem with her footwork that slung her back towards the still-airborne Tiger as if on a suicide mission.


    [Hey! What the hell are you doing?!] Renzo barked in response but to no avail. [Dani- wait! Where are YOU going!?]


    Sam paid no heed to neither of his distress calls, nor did she listen to Dani¡¯s nor Sebastian¡¯s subsequent responses as she slowed her approach, looking upward to the now ascending Tiger. ¡°Hey!¡± She yelled out through a cracked voice as if the assailant could hear her. Her heart was already beating out of her chest and tears of frustration never ceased, yet she found the will to open up her lungs and force out the only thoughts desperate to get out. ¡°You think you can take my mothers life AND get away with war?! If that was her, she already stopped you AND your stupid plan!¡±


    The Tiger stopped its ascent, causing her eyes to widen in newly injected surprise and fear.


    But for some reason the desire to shout him down never abated. ¡°Hey! Do you hear me?! My mother never lost a battle in her LIFE! Whatever you are thinking- it¡¯s already over!!¡±


    And by that time she had already slowed down to a soft halt, holding her shield up and placed her rifle into the mounted position at its side, taking aim with her manual controls. She knew Antares would be her best friend if it were an option, but something told her to keep her controls off of anything automatic. It was almost like Antares was there somewhere in the background, guiding her, providing confidence to take on someone way beyond her capabilities.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°I heard every childish, misguided word out of that mouth of yours, little kid,¡± Adrian¡¯s irritated voice came up to her further heightened surprise.


    That voice! She gasped, instantly recognizing everything about his voice that snapped her conscious back to the day he asked Sebastian and her for an autograph. She didn¡¯t remember his name, but she vividly remembered the assassination attempt that quickly followed that fateful night.


    ¡°I knew you weren¡¯t who you said you were, you fucking traitor!¡± She belted back, eager to pull the trigger, but sense kept her back even if for one last line. ¡°You¡¯re even more insane that my brother! How many innocent lives will YOU take in the name of reviving the Confederacy?!¡±


    ¡°You figure things out fast,¡± Adrian replied with a shocking level of calm. ¡°Now run along so you don¡¯t get involved in a mess your mother helped create. You¡¯re in the wrong fight.¡±


    No, Sam told herself as her trigger finger began to twitch, noting the Tiger¡¯s resumed ascent. Mom helped stop two wars, and I bet this all was her last hurrah for a third. Why didn¡¯t she ever tell me anything?! Her eyes burned with a renewed wave of frustration and anger mixed with an even stronger desire to take back what was taken from her without a chance to ever find common ground¡­ or even forgiveness. ¡°My father fought people like you and taught me everything I know- you think I don¡¯t know your precious Tiger¡¯s weak points!? He took down dozens of twisted bastards like yourself and, and-¡±


    -Fuck it all!


    She pulled the trigger the instant her crosshairs started an upward travel three notches above the head unit at a sweeping angle toward her direction. She knew the strongest advantage he had over her was its sheer acceleration power and the ability to change directions mid-flight, but the thrusters always started out one direction during its initial burst phase. That was the one and only thought that drove her to pull that trigger, feeling as if her father¡¯s old advice helped push the notion with solid, perhaps ill-timed confidence, as she knew the lie she just spewed only came as a spur-of-the-moment thing; She never once trained with him in person, only listened the occasional anecdote.


    It was also too late to realize just how silent the world was before feeling the jarring vibrations and rattling of the pair of three-round bursts fired off from her rifle. No one shouted her down. No one ran up from behind to stop her. No one from the outpost snarled orders to stand down. And no one reminded her of a fact she should have better included in her rash calculations: the Tiger¡¯s ability to take a hit from smaller craft fire.


    Adrian wasn¡¯t fazed. He kept his ascent as the two strings of rounds sailed overhead harmlessly and out towards the sea. ¡°Your father and mother had to have taught you better! Now back off before you make me change my mind!¡±


    Sam desperately wanted to swipe back with her own piece, but a paralyzing combination of the acceptances of both his words and her dire predicament kept her from pursuing him further. He really is out of my reach- I can¡¯t do shit by myself like this.


    But as he took off with a deafening blast of his main thrusters, what had her turning for him in a screaming fit flashed across her mind just as strong as it did then. It wasn¡¯t just that one pilot she couldn¡¯t let have his way. This was also Isaiah getting what he wanted, she confidently reminded herself. It was like every sacrifice he knew her parents made, even those who she got to know along the way that survived the last war were all about to become ones made in vain.


    But rather than shout him down in futility, she tore off down the open side of the street, hurrying to pull up a map to help her find a route, even though live condition updates would be impossible with the jamming present. This is another coup attempt I swear! False flag and everything! The ONLY reason they¡¯d bring in a whole damned Tiger unit would be to scare the shit out of everyone in sight! The ultimate bargaining tool for a Confed with too much money and power!


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Enrai Branch Operations Outpost, Belgrano District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Sebastian grabbed his bag and angrily slung it as he stormed for the access elevator hall, only to be stopped by the operator from earlier.


    [And just where are YOU going at a time like this?!]


    Sebastian read his eyes, knowing the last thing they could trust was a newbie from outside any and all Underground circles, but he had nothing left to do but what he knew best. [You see what¡¯s going on,] he firmly responded, holding back his emotions best he could. [Enzo and Eunice are off the grid, Ella has been severed from our laser comms line by some unknown interception, and you want me to sit here and dig around the dark for them?]


    The operator¡¯s demeanor made it clear that while he could acknowledge everything spoken to him, he couldn¡¯t let him through, simply replying through returning gazes.


    Sebastian began to read the improbability of his release, but his siblings and Sam¡¯s safety never left his conscious. [That Barringer mech- the Tiger, I mean¡­ It¡¯s all for a Junta, and we need every last one of us out there to stop it, am I wrong?]


    [And what the hell do you really think we can do about it?]


    Sebastian grew more impatient by the second as his body now clearly mirrored his speech. [I¡¯m going to borrow one of those Kappas you have parked in back. I saw the registry. You got two on deck. That¡¯s what.]


    [Let him go,] Kaylen¡¯s voice came over their in-ear radios, catching the operator off guard and putting a smirk on Sebastian¡¯s face. [I¡¯m about to gear up myself. We got no time to lose and not a pilot to waste.]

 148 - Enter the Big One, Part 4

    But it was only moments after Sebastian had made his way up back to ground level that all screens changed to the SAU Assembly. The lower marquee in bold displayed: [Argentine Rep. Orsi wins vote 35-13, named SAU Commissioner.]


    [¡­And with this momentum,] the screen showed Orsi speaking from his table with a stern gaze into the crowd to his left. [We will put a stop to this madness at once! We have the resources, the will, and the way!]


    [We must hurry, now, ladies and gentlemen,] the counsel quickly added before the rumble of activity could start back. [With no further objection, we will ratify the motion detailing the moving of the central authority to Buenos Aires.]


    Those who stood around the screens gazed back in awe, either from how impressed they were deep down to hear their own countrymen took power from Brazil, or from how shocked they were that an acting hostile faction just made life more difficult despite the gained benefit from becoming the new central power to the Union.


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Inside the Assembly Hall, Orsi was no longer speaking, but instead just one amongst the mass of the council members and the many assistants floating in and out before the next voting session. It was normally a drab display of bureaucracy but the current crisis had everyone in a flurry. The military was paralyzed from the change in the chain of command, the police were held up by a sudden barrage of obstructive insurgents, and Hexa was never allowed to step foot within their nation¡¯s borders. And on one of the main screens, anti-air emplacements showed how ultimately futile their capabilities were as they faced the oncoming Tiger, headed straight for their location. And judging by the quickly decreasing amount of active fire, it was clear the fear of civilian casualties stifled any other attempt to crank up any pressure on it to retreat or abandon.


    And before Orsi could pause to answer back to a council member speaking to him, one of his assistants pulled him back with an urgent shout: [Hardwire message from Command! We¡¯ve been upgraded to Defcon three! Orders are to evacuate immediately!]


    Orsi paused to show apparent thought amidst the panic, turning to the councilman he was just speaking to. [This is on me, now, I assume?! Right!?] He then grabbed his watch just before alarms started blaring, hollering a message into it: [Commissioner¡¯s order, move all members to the bomb shelter! Hold off all council activity until further notice!] And as he turned to face the Assembly floor, he noted the groups rapidly turned to be quickly escorted out through the designated hallways. He, however, took a turn for a different hallway alongside his assistants just before several councilmen from across the way hurried to join him.


    [We have to report to the field before we disappear from all chances to communicate back,] Orsi barked over the escalated clamor and commotion that suddenly silenced once the doors behind them closed upon their exit. Looking behind and around, he confirmed their isolation from the rest before continuing their hurried pace. [What the hell is going on with Charlie and Delta?] He continued barking through visible anger. [Why haven¡¯t they checked into their rally points?! Bender is already past the first checkpoint!]


    [First of all, the biggest problem is Reaper, Commissioner, sir,] one of the councilmen who hastened his pace to catch up beside him responded, donning a Colombian pendant on his suit¡¯s lapel. [He¡¯s vanished from view and no guard we stationed on him is responding-]


    [-WHAT?!] Orsi had to resist the urge to stop in his tracks the second he heard the news. [Then who is on it- what is anyone doing about it!?] He seethed.


    [Lower command ordered the Hexa frames to hold, expecting this to be Reaper¡¯s trap.] He waited for Orsi to finish shaking his head before continuing, perhaps having expected a change in orders. [Sir, we cannot lose our best ground units until each of our incoming backup units are confirmed!]


    [Get Bender on my LACOM channel right now,] he spat towards his assistant, taking in a deep breath in recalculating thought. [Now!] He blasted out the second he noticed no action taken, bringing him to an eventual halt.


    [That¡¯s the other problem, sir,] his assistant finally spilled what had him hesitating as he couldn¡¯t comfortably look him in the eye. [Bender¡¯s, well, pissed off- I mean, pissed off to the point he¡¯s volatile. He¡¯s the one who called off Charlie and Delta and put them on standby.]


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Orsi took that as reason enough to give pause, feeling his rage quickly turn towards fear. He knew he couldn¡¯t complete his objectives without Adrian¡¯s part being played to the end, now pondering his potential folly in having Angel wiped out from existence as part of the process. [I think I know why¡­]


    His mind raced, fearing he miscalculated Adrian¡¯s lack of empathy for a soul he knew nothing of, especially having no knowledge of their once bad blood. But he also knew it shouldn¡¯t have meant a thing in the end, knowing how goal-driven Adrian always had been. [No,] a stiff mumble left his dry lips. His heart sunk, remembering a key line he wished he had never forgotten even if for one day. It was he himself that told Adrian not to ever feel forced to dirty his pride the day Rex almost had Adrian lose his composure after choosing not to follow through an assassination. [I still need to talk to him. Now. I may have erased one of my own problems and created a new one in the same motion.]


    [Yes, sir, but we need to keep moving,] his assistant urged as the group picked up the pace once more.


    They eventually passed through one last doorway that had all but shut them off completely from the raucous they distanced themselves from. Orsi took the communicator from his assistant and quickly opened the line: [Bender, talk to me. What¡¯s going on?] He asked in his calmed voice, hoping nothing irreversible had been ignited, almost as if he could hear Adrian¡¯s rage.


    .


    Only a few hundred meters away, just clearing the highest of the high rises nearby, Adrian¡¯s Tiger came to an abrupt halt mid-air. The retro-thrusters deafeningly blasted and echoed throughout the cityscape below, kicking up a new wave of those on foot and in car all fleeing in the opposite direction. He bit down, gripping the controls, focusing on choosing his words wisely. [You told me Operation Big One was about the transfer of power and that alone! NOT for this!]


    Adrian was also aware of the timer that had started from 2:50, displaying 1:24 in the bottom corner of the main display screen. The thoughts that rushed through his head were conflicting, but they all fit within the time frame allowing him the freedom to make his moves before the military¡¯s MBI outfit would arrive from Curitiba. Which thought path he would focus on depended on Orsi¡¯s response.


    [Listen,] Orsi continued with the same demeanor. [I apologize for changing the plans without warning, but that operative ¡®Angel¡¯ you helped me dispense of was a sudden and direct threat to our plans. But what has us in a bind is that Reaper had just gone rogue on us as of a moment ago.]


    Adrian took a moment to finalize and rationalize his decision; his heart still burned from the lives he knew he needlessly took minutes ago, bringing back memories of the burning skies of the same Palermo, Recoleta, and Belgrano Districts he looked upon a decade ago. [Did the powers transfer over successfully?]


    [Yes, but that¡¯s beside the point now, Bender. Our priorities have-]


    [-The priority! THE one priority!] Adrian sharply interjected before taking a last deep breath. [¡­Was the seating of our country at the helm of SAU¡¯s operations! Anything after this is for the people to watch and be further convinced, or am I misunderstanding something here?!]


    Adrian could sense Orsi felt like he was treading dangerous waters with how long he paused before responding. [I concede that point. You¡¯re right. I will take care of Reaper myself and you can freely choose how to finish Operation Big One. Fair enough?]


    Adrian couldn¡¯t contain a disappointed, wry chuckle, shaking his head as he thought of how to respond. Everything in his head had him convinced as of the last few minutes that he had been played all this time. And seeing how Orsi, the one man he had looked up to as a mentor for years, couldn¡¯t trust him to keep him in the loop during the most important operation of his lifetime, he now felt cornered as if the only way out was an entirely different direction. [Reaper¡­]


    [Yes. I¡¯ll handle him so that you won¡¯t have to worry about any more changes of plan. That¡¯s the operative ¡®Angel¡¯s¡¯ son, just so you know.]


    The dangerous seeds of doubt were already firmly planted, and though he had no real confidence that his new sprouting notion concerning Reaper was accurate, it felt right for some reason. He quickly envisioned Reaper, a man of no alliances, the only one now to trust to be headed on a clear path to desired victory. In his mind, that was why everything changed so suddenly, but Adrian elected not to make it a point of conversation. [Alright, go ahead with your end. I¡¯ll finish the rest of mine from here.]


    .


    .


    And a few blocks down the opposite side from the Assembly Hall, Sam¡¯s Ai20 quickly rolled its way up the empty downtown-headed avenue as all traffic headed away from the terrifying scene. She kept her stance low and ready to jump as if she were being watched, ready to react the second she might be fired upon. She saw the brightly blazing glow from the main thrusters and the daunting, long-stretched wingspan of the Tiger come to full view as the last of the larger skyscrapers moved from view.


    But with a flurry of heavy, conflicted thought racing back and forth at dizzying speeds, she continued her pace out of sheer desperation.


    The sudden loss of her mother.


    The impossible odds of her outmatched LTAC versus the airborne terror of the last war.


    The anger and ire she drew from her team.


    The mental state she must have left Sebastian in as she ran off.


    The thought she had no idea where her father disappeared off to during such times.


    The fact her brother was in on this entire operation, maybe even involved in the murdering of their mother.


    The idea of her brother walking away as he did last encounter.


    The idea she had no idea what she was even doing anymore.


    Yet, all she could see was the silhouette she stared down as she readied her rifle once more, closing in on firing range. She had no access at all to the Antares operating system she grew fond of, even completely dependent on, but somehow, she felt something guide her as she envisioned her point of attack. And all the while, she felt a confused tear run down from her eye and soak into the rim of her visor padding.


    I might die right where I stand, but what else can I do now? Mom¡­ Dad¡­ What else can I do?

 149 - The Fight Back

    And then it was as her imagination spoke for her through her memories of something he once stated: ¡°I always felt that, well, that¡¯s what makes us Harbingers a Harbinger.¡±


    The trail of attached memories of her own uttered hopes out of seeming futility, however, didn¡¯t carry the usual sting of the same hopelessness as it always had. One focused look ahead revealed the Tiger coming to the ground as it raised its shield and carbine at the Assembly Hall, standing in front of it in a threatening manner, but she cared nothing for its apparent intentions.


    Well, look at that. It''s exposed.


    The thought that her father¡¯s ramblings as well weren¡¯t merely empty echoes was quick, but her drive was revived even quicker, as was her retooled awareness. She hurriedly turned off her aiming assist functions along with all laser guidance, hoping to sneak in a shot where it would hurt most.


    ¡°Only ten more blocks,¡± she whispered under her breath, slowing her approach as she quieted her thrusters, relying more on her wheels to carry her forward through the abandoned, scattered traffic. And all the while, what her mind now focused on was finding a good vantage point, quickly spotting a break in the high-rises between two large parks where a wider avenue split from the main street. She rapidly slowed her approach, and upon turning onto the avenue she found herself standing on top of a tram¡¯s wide-open railway, providing the best viewpoint of the Tiger shown still aiming down towards the SAU Assembly Hall, which stood between other government buildings of the massive complex.


    She knew the first thing to aim for if ever given the opportunity was the only thing keeping it off of the ground. She adjusted her stance and slowly raised her own rifle, taking caution for bullet drop and windage as any automated laser-based calculations might get detected. But despite the eerie confidence she had in her plans seeing that she was still completely unnoticed, she realized she wouldn¡¯t get the time she needed when a bright onslaught of flashes blasted from the Tiger¡¯s carbine.


    What!?


    And just like that, her focus was shattered and fading faster than the unexpected fountains of glass, dust, and debris from the narrow area impacted. As much as she knew the attack had to have been for intimidation, she didn¡¯t expect actual executions.


    .


    Orsi never expected such an execution, either. Echoes of screams from within the exposed areas of the Assembly Hall rang out, however muffled from the falling debris that hit the collapsed ceiling segments below. Unable to feel anything nor move, he could barely make out a numbed radio call from his earpiece. He choked in his attempt to breathe, hoping to reach for his crushed chest before realizing his arm too was pinned down. As the calls for emergency lock-downs and nearby screams desperate for his whereabouts filled the air around him, his last shallow breaths failed to support him long enough to answer. His eyes that were looking up to the smoke-filled sky remained locked on the Tiger hovering overhead, almost as if being seen off personally.


    .


    Adrian backed away by about fifty meters, just hovering above the mixed government and commercial building complexes filling the block behind them, knowing his next move required cover from any local¡¯s rash decision-making. He let out a nervous sigh, fingers still shaking from the uncontainable sense of accomplishment mixed with fear he¡¯d regret the unplanned taking of his once-mentor¡¯s life there on the spot. But the plans he had to live to see through to the end were still very much on course in his mind.


    [Charlie, Delta,] he spoke calmly through an opened line connected through a separate laser connection. [Stay hidden until either I give a signal or Reaper informs us of any turncoat activity. Let me handle the lone hero once she makes a move,] he continued, speaking clearly of Sam¡¯s LTAC he had been keeping tabs on the whole time. [And until further notice, Reaper as well as myself are assuming command. Bishop, or Mr. Orsi, should we say, was revealed to have compromised the mission for unknown causes or intentions.]


    [This is Charlie. Copy, Bender,] answered one voice in a manner that implied Orsi¡¯s passing had left no shock or distress. [Holding position.]


    [This is Delta. Giving status report of Reaper¡¯s extraction team. They are approaching Angel¡¯s location and will proceed once the area is clear of Rex and Enrai¡¯s ground teams.]


    [Good. We must leave our country in the right hands. Here¡¯s hope democracy can do its job in the coming weeks,] he spoke in reference to the process it would take to replace Orsi as commissioner, knowing the representative would be another local native.


    .


    .


    Sam¡¯s whole body was now trembling from the shock left by what she witnessed combined with every nerve still on edge from the anticipation of her unintentionally delayed shot she had to place. But when? She felt like each passing millisecond was another opportunity wasted as the Tiger rose in altitude and inched farther away from her firing range, and the building right behind it gave even more reason to hesitate. She remembered that not a single soul emerged from the building that very Tiger assaulted earlier prior to the shots fired, and there was no way she¡¯d be capable of doing the same now. She began to ease the tension from her trigger finger slowly and regrettably.


    ¡°SAM!!¡±


    The terrified shout shattered what remnants of focus she had left, almost dropping her controls entirely upon hearing her mother¡¯s voice.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Sam! Wait! You have to stop him as a team!¡± Amelie continued in desperation, seemingly gasping for air between statements.


    Sam could have sworn she was hallucinating, not only because she feared the worst earlier but also because nothing on her visor screen showed connection she could recognize. But then she noted the lit indicator flashing next to Sebastian¡¯s tag. ¡°Mom?!¡±


    It clicked. Sebastian wasn¡¯t only on his way to her, he had to have been carrying a laser line of communication established from elsewhere and he was merely the proxy, connecting the two of them for the first time in so long. It was sudden and perhaps nothing more than a baseless spur of the moment thought, but she was convinced. ¡°Mom! Where are you!?¡±


    ¡°Adrian Liotta! He¡¯s a Harbinger level pilot!¡± Amelie persisted through steadily increasing interference. ¡°Their operation¡¯s goal is to reunite all of the former Confederate Unions, starting here with Argentina and the S-¡±


    ¡°-Mom, wait!¡± Sam blurted out without thought, instinctively reacting to sudden movement from the Tiger. Her jerking of the controls and a stomping on her left pedal quickly forced her LTAC behind cover of the office building now in front of her, but something sent a shockwave through her body in the process of narrowly dodging a narrow blast from the Tiger. Her shield she had mounted on her left shoulder fell with a crash about ten meters behind her, and now she noticed an armor alarm blinking red over the same joint area.


    ¡°Shit!¡± She shouted out through the once more near-blinding adrenaline, catching her breath with the few seconds she just bought. ¡°Mom, where are you?!¡±


    ¡°No, LISTEN!!¡±


    Normally, Sam would wince the instant such words were uttered, but perhaps it was from her perspective how her mother seemed to be guiding her rather than making demands, as this time around she shut up.


    ¡°Your brother is being used! Bishop, Rex, all of them! I dug up what I could- you have to save yourselves AND him from this mess before it¡¯s too late!¡±


    Sam realized why it seemed that way as her senses chilled.


    My brother is being¡­ used?! But hasn¡¯t everything been his doing!? HIS SCHEMING?! How does she not see that?!


    ¡°Your friends are on their way! Take that thing down, get to safety, and let me handle what I can from here!¡±


    What is she even going on about now?!


    ¡°Mom! You-¡±


    A sudden burst of gunfire followed by the sounds of ricochets and a pop from the disconnected line sent one last shock up her spine, just in time to hear the loud crackle from another incoming shot from the Tiger. ¡°Mom!!¡± She screamed out hysterically as that same energy pulled her away from the street and farther from the impact made from the incoming NGF blast.


    ¡°You heard her!¡± Sebastian¡¯s voice suddenly joined in from the same channel, confirming her notion he had carried over the signal, and the thought he must have brought the others with him brought some instant comfort amidst the chaos. ¡°We have to-¡±


    A split second of heavy interference hit, causing her to jump as the connection soon severed. As she recovered from her jump backward, she hadn¡¯t even a second to make sense of what just happened before another signal cut in. Her heart fell into her stomach once more, knowing what that sound meant.


    ¡°You chose to be a hero,¡± Adrian spoke with notable disappointment. ¡°Well, then, smile for the camera. You can be part of our success at the very least before I do away with you and your pals.¡±


    Damn it. I have to make sure Sebastian and whoever he brought wasn¡¯t brought out here in vain.


    Her eyes quickly scanned the only open area near her, just across the street corner. She noticed a small equipment-laden van stopped curbside, realizing it was all set up for recording.


    News? Underground? No, forget them!


    She then realized what he meant when he mentioned the word ¡°pals,¡± now checking her map for any sign of Sebastian. Nothing.


    ¡°Reaper, the brother, and Angel, the mother,¡± he continued before firing two suppressing shots in the same spot. ¡°You could have picked a better cover name than Ella. You¡¯re definitely nothing compared to them.¡±


    Sam felt the rage starting to boil back to the surface, but it didn¡¯t take more than a second to remember it wasn¡¯t just herself in a pinch, but her mother still in danger and Sebastian walking into a trap kept her focused enough to plot her next move, albeit far more rushed than could allow for any second thoughts. As the impacts from the shots settled into falling debris and dust, all she could think was how much smaller the hits were compared to seconds ago.


    He''s got a variable output carbine. NGF can¡¯t fire rapidly after big shots like that unless he has his power turned way down.


    She imagined getting hit without her shield even just once more, but imagined the particles¡¯ intensity spreading more then digging, and buying Sebastian time was all she could do now that she was cornered.


    I¡¯ll give him a show, then.


    She refused to speak, fearing that would destroy any hopes she had of focusing on the most important things coming up: moving under fire without Antares.


    NGF travels slower than a rifle round through air at that charge level.


    Her first calculation sent her forward just over ten meters with a kick of her planted foot, then immediately took a swift, neck-breaking leap of faith at a sharply upward angle toward the building top just in front. The second her LTAC became visible from cover was the same second a shot traveled right for her. The impact of the two shots hit just where she would have been had she not jumped.


    And the second her trajectory was clear, she lunged to her left and initiated a free-fall just past the edge of the building top. The sound of crackling thunder in the near distance was heard the instant she slammed on her roller brakes upon landing, darting back the direction from which she came, barely fitting between the narrow, paved access lane.


    Bingo.


    She hoped Adrian would shoot for the far side of the building, and the impact she heard behind her signaled her reward in judgment. Rifle out and ready, all she had to do was turn that one corner and fire on full auto, for the building he used as cover behind him should now be at an angle enough to miss any strays.


    She pulled her left control handle back as she pivoted, swinging her right thumb stick up and at an angle that seemingly guided itself naturally right for the now-visible Tiger, pulling and releasing the trigger just as the ninth or tenth round left the chamber.


    The ensuing swing of its massive shield was expected, but that was in her plans to hope it would allow her to switch to more of an offensive. However, the bright green blast that scattered in a firework display from his shield was what broke her focus as badly as the windows nearby that took the spray damage.


    She knew that wasn¡¯t her rifle that only carried conventional rounds, and she realized Adrian knew as well as it shot upwards to gain altitude rapidly.


    Something told her to look behind her just as soon as she could duck back in for cover. And within less than a few seconds, she felt a hugely relieving rumble that only heavy rollers could cause. Around the corner arose four Ai20¡¯s, with one holding a lengthy, heavy cannon that soon took another shot upward.


    ¡°Sebastian?!¡±


    She almost forgot Adrian had her blocked out from communication, but now that they were this close there was no way jamming could stop a laser link this close. ¡°Sebastian!¡±


    ¡°Sam!¡± Sebastian bellowed out as they rapidly closed in.


    [Cruella!] Dani joined in with equal excitement. [I found it! I found the drop box!]


    [Time to kick that thing¡¯s ass!] Renzo added in, now almost expectedly as Sam¡¯s morale shot upward as quick as the Tiger¡¯s new altitude became before sensors showed it rapidly moving toward them.


    An NGF rifle of our own!? And of that output!? That¡¯s a whole motherfucking anti-MBI cannon! But HOW?!


    Sam felt a smile deep down she had to fight off, refusing to give in to her usual tendencies. I think I know exactly how to use that.

 150 - The Fight Back, Part 2

    [If we could do it before, we can do it again!] Renzo kept on with his charge inward. [We¡¯ll think of something in the meantime! Just make sure you aren¡¯t using any guidance systems!]


    [We have to do like we did back home, Cruella!] Dani chimed back in without a chance to breathe much less respond. [You¡¯re already out in front! Head northwest and help us form a circle around it!]


    Sam¡¯s morale was up for sure, but her nerves were phasing in and out of focus and being completely shot. And as her next thought was to warn them of Adrian¡¯s hacked link into her voice channel, she realized she had no time nor choice but to follow the instincts of those who have downed such a sized foe before. ¡°Just make sure we keep our distance! He¡¯s too fast for anything fancy!¡± She shouted in return, albeit through her own struggle to push her voice out through her tremors. And without hesitation, she quickly darted across the street, aiming for the next open corridor while watching for any obstacles along the way.


    That next instant, she felt the cutting out of what line she was able to establish during that critical moment of communication as the buildings behind her severed the connection, but only as she finished finding cover between two more apartment buildings did she feel the re-establishing of a different line.


    ¡°The Tiger¡¯s overhead eight blocks due east of you!¡± Kaylen¡¯s voice rang in, further fueling Sam¡¯s hopes as she slowed to a quick halt. ¡°We have to cover fire for Dani! We don¡¯t have time to encircle that thing if it¡¯s able to put the whole city behind it in seconds!!¡±


    And as she felt the same distant rumbles again in-between crackles and pops of NGF blasts headed a different direction, she watched four more unidentifiable LTAC frames roll on by just across the street corner from her. She also felt the shockwave of conflicting truths rip through her conscious.


    Wait, why IS that Tiger pilot so determined to keep its distance as well!?


    Her mind raced as she turned the building corner to join the others in laying down aerial cover fire towards the airborne Tiger, yet questioned the move¡¯s usefulness as it would either easily repel the shots fired or quickly sidestep before returning fire. ¡°He¡¯s stailling?!¡±


    ¡°What else?!¡± Kaylen belted back as she and her group hopped off for cover. ¡°When the SAU military arrives we¡¯re all royally fucked!¡±


    Shit¡­ so that¡¯s part of their plan!?


    ¡°Hurry! We have to keep up cover for Dani¡¯s group! Don¡¯t let up, damn it!¡±


    And as Sam expected, the Tiger blasted backwards without return fire, either due to his desire to stall or out of his apparent fear of civilian collateral. Every shot fired that missed Sam thus far never hit anything more than open pavement or asphalt. Even his retreat points were always clear of any building obstacles behind him.


    This won¡¯t work. Shit, what the hell can we even do?!


    Sam tried desperately to fend off the doubts scratching away her hopes she just had built up all the while trying to think of something that wouldn¡¯t lead to any unnecessary losses.


    Wait¡­ Sam then remembered how much Adrian talked her down during her last confrontations. Most of his rambling came after he shot the hell out of that Assembly Hall building back the other way. He¡¯s clearly leading us way north of town and away from the Assembly¡­- what- WAIT!


    Sam turned and ripped off down the alley from which she came and back for the larger avenue that would take her back southward toward the SAU office district. ¡°Stop chasing him! He¡¯s not after us!¡±


    ¡°Of course, not! We¡¯re after him!¡± Kaylen fired back without breaking course.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± Sam now found the energy and focus enough to bellow that out over Kaylen¡¯s voice, now almost delirious from the effects of such shouting in addition to her already long over-tensed condition. ¡°We have to draw him TO us! You said it yourself- he¡¯s just going to keep putting us all behind him if keep doing the same thing!¡± She then prayed Sebastian or Renzo caught on to her movement if there was any window at all to notice. And after a minute that felt longer than an eternity passed, the extended silence confirmed she was completely on her own with no one following close enough for any established communication link. She barreled on towards the Assembly Hall block with nothing left to focus on but dodging the stopped cars ahead and keeping an eye on the skies behind.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard any shots fired,¡± she mumbled as she thought aloud, trying to calm herself down enough to put more direction to her last-second move. This had to be one big stall plan. Whatever or whoever  it is he¡¯s protecting must be there, and I bet it¡¯s to do with that takeover! She then found herself resisting the urge to chuckle, and she didn¡¯t care it felt like insanity. She knew she couldn¡¯t touch that Tiger, and knew even more the harder they fought to catch up the faster they would isolate themselves to the point of total demise. What else can I do now other than to fight terrorism with terrorism!? It has to be the only way to get him back this direction! Please, Dani, PLEASE tell me you are carrying that cannon this way!


    .


    .


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    Sebastian¡¯s view from alongside Renzo was no different as they sped down the wider laned street, zig-zagging between parked and abandoned vehicles. But more than his uneasiness about their blind charge was his fear of a setup as he constantly pondered the quietness of the entire area. [It¡¯s like the whole damned city shut down and took shelter. For this level of cooperation, there has to be some history behind this and MBI attacks.


    [Bro,] Renzo spoke up nervously. [You sure you saw her head this way? Because I got a real bad feeling about the shit that¡¯s going to hit the fan if we¡¯re wrong.]


    [I promise you I did,] Sebastian firmly replied, taking a peek back behind him through a flick of his camera switch. [Dani, how¡¯s the charge holding?]


    [This isn¡¯t the AM-1 I¡¯m used to,] she responded after a pause that further unsettled her brothers. [I can¡¯t figure out the settings and it¡¯s not even an English problem. It¡¯s been modified from something else and I have no manual on it.]


    Renzo let out a wry, stressful chuckle. [But it worked earlier, so no problem, right?]


    Dani failed to hold back a tense, heavy sigh. [It aims fine and the trigger works. All we can do is hope this fancy ghetto-rigged shit holds up.] But just as they entered a larger intersection between a clearing of high-rises, they all spotted Sam to their left heading down a street parallel to them. [I see her!]


    [Stay on course!] Renzo barked with a renewed spark. [Can¡¯t afford to slow down and lose pace! Bro, can you get a link between her and us set up?]


    [On it!] Sebastian shouted as he ducked away and headed for the next parallel street at increased speed, knowing Renzo couldn¡¯t help but be limited by Dani¡¯s slower pace given her added weight. [Give me a minute to catch up to her!]


    He then felt the irony of the entire situation folding out, and unlike the mood of his brother, he tightly gripped his controls out of rapidly building frustration. [I feel like I¡¯m always chasing to catch up with her, and I get the feeling the worst is about to repeat itself because she can¡¯t ever seem to trust us in times like this!]


    His eyes constantly darted back and forth between the street ahead and to his left, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sam¡¯s LTAC as he steadily accelerated his approach. He then saw a diagonally intersecting street coming up at the next intersection, and without hesitation he leaped over the blockage of vehicles lined up along the median and landed with a commotion on the other side, now on track to merge with the same street as Sam.


    [Got her!] Sebastian shouted out in anticipation the second he felt the line reconnect, and as expected, her LTAC had fallen right into view about fifty meters ahead. His heart¡¯s relief only lasted a second, however, as he then saw what lied beyond them. [That¡¯s the SAU¡¯s central block, isn¡¯t it?!] ¡°Sam! Where are you going?!¡±


    ¡°Stay back!¡± She shouted back in an unexpectedly stinging manner. ¡°Don¡¯t let our lines connect, damn it! He¡¯s hacked into mine!¡± She continued crying out, making more sense as Sebastian realized why she had been so intent on moving on her own.


    [He hacked into-wait, who is he? Who hacked- oh, shit!]


    Sebastian slammed on his brakes before barely slowing down enough to duck back into the next intersection, severing the connection as a large corporate building sandwiched in between them. [That¡¯s the Tiger pilot she¡¯s talking about!? How- no, I have to tell Renzo and Dani!] He struggled to contain his desire to chase after her anyway, but he was determined to let his initial instinct keep control. [Sam must have some plan to draw him back our way, and we won¡¯t get anything done if that damn pilot is listening in on everything!!]


    Seconds later, he rejoined the previous parallel-running avenue as his siblings rejoined the connection. [Stop! Sam¡¯s line is hacked!]


    [By who!?] Renzo fussed as his group slowed to a frustrating halt.


    [That Tiger pilot, apparently! Listen!] He then rolled back to face Sam¡¯s general direction. [The Assembly Hall is that way! Sam must be doing something to draw it in! If she¡¯s really been hacked, we can¡¯t plan anything with her in the line, get it!?]


    [Perfect!] Renzo blurted out after a second of thought. [We can play out what we did back home against that A-7! With our buddy here on back wing and Dani on point, you and I take positions ten and two and let Sam be the center!]


    [But that was an A-7! And we had a dozen of us, remember?!] Sebastian began to argue back before Renzo and Dani rolled off. [Hey! Are you listening?!]


    [We only got this one shot!] Renzo yelled back impatiently. [Let Cruella draw in that bastard and go grab your position while there¡¯s still time!]


    [Brother,] Dani chimed in with more calm in her voice, albeit only a mask over what had to be fears of the worst. [We know we¡¯re short on men, but we have nowhere to run and Samantha will die out there alone.]


    Sebastian immediately sensed Dani¡¯s sincerity through her use of Sam¡¯s real name for once. He wanted to fight back in spite of her logic, unwilling to accept Sam as the potentially deadly sacrificial target for the plan they pulled off once before almost a year ago. And it was once more his initial instincts that remained in control as he subconsciously began accelerating down the opposite end of the street, headed northeast of their position as he felt tears of intense frustration rapidly build up.


    He couldn¡¯t say it out loud, but he knew the dire situation they found themselves in that exact moment. If he stood back and argued, they¡¯d run out of time. If he ran back to Sam, he¡¯d sabotage their one plan already underway. If he followed through, he might lose Sam to a plan she had no inclination of. All he could do, still running on his initial instincts, was to hope this worked, and he could only do his one job. [On my way to point,] he forced a response through his chokingly tight throat.


    .


    .


    Sam rolled up on a massive police and SAU ground security force blockade that sealed off the entire complex, hearing distant, muffled megaphone voices shouting in what must have been Spanish. As she slowed her approach to a crawl, she ignored the bits and pieces of translated (and mistranslated) commands to take a closer look at the smoke rising from one corner of the Assembly Hall building.


    That¡¯s where that guy shot the place up, and it¡¯s far from what my map says is the main senatorial chamber.


    Her LTAC came to a stop just a block away from the blockade, now better able to spot a clean shot at the building¡¯s side that would allow a shot into the senatorial chamber. Her stomach immediately began to clench up in a sickening manner.


    I can¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m aiming for, but I still have to do something here!


    And it was then when Devin inexplicably crossed her mind as she fought to come up with something she wouldn¡¯t regret the rest of her life if she survived this ordeal. He somehow lived a second life against Hexa, against Infinity, against a government entity similar to what she stared down. How did he do it? How would he have done here?


    She knew his double life was his downfall, and it might be hers at this rate, but she was in too deep now to do anything other than what crossed her mind as something Devin would have done.


    ¡°He¡¯ll come back if he¡¯s called by his people,¡± she unintentionally mumbled aloud as she raised her rifle to the instant response of small arms fire bouncing off her braced riot shield.


    ¡°And as Devin said¡­ This is the hand I¡¯m dealt. All I can do is play it and see.¡±

 151 - The Fight Back, Part 3

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Unknown Location, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Amelie finally came to after having passed out. Heavy with a splitting headache and a thick mental fog, she had no recollection of what happened just before trying to make one last run for the prepared escape route.


    [She¡¯s opened fire on the sector E barricade!] A voice shouted in shock over someone¡¯s communicator through the continued electrical noise and interference. The sound was just audible enough to make out as if coming from someone¡¯s headset turned up to full volume. She couldn¡¯t figure out from where it came, however, as she realized she was blindfolded and had her hands tied against something on the wall she was seated against. The floor was cold and hard, and the wall behind her was harsh as bare concrete. [Bender, do you copy?!]


    ¡°Call out to your daughter,¡± an impatient order came from just to her left, perhaps only a few feet away. It came from the same direction as the radio noise as well.


    But more than figuring the man nearby must be holding the communicator that continued to go off constantly, her mind fought fiercely to focus through the stubborn fog, determined to learn what she could of her situation with the least energy or opportunity wasted.


    ¡°Call her to you,¡± the man continued flatly. ¡°Before she dies.¡±


    [She¡¯s headed for the Assembly- we need backup, now!] The same radio chatter continued as Amelie confirmed it was in fact Sam they were speaking of.


    I have to know who I am dealing with more than where I am.


    ¡°Ella no es mi hija,¡± she slowly but clearly spoke with equal impatience back to her captor. Unlike her two children, her background in grade school focused on world languages, and she had a plan for her attempt to start the conversation in Spanish by denying affiliation.


    The man chuckled mockingly. [Oh, really? Since when was Samantha Knight not the daughter of Amelie Knight?]


    That¡¯s not an Argentine accent! She wasn¡¯t as surprised by the fact her identity was already exposed but more by the thought the likelihood of her captor being from Bishop¡¯s squad was incredibly low.


    [Your daughter is seriously about to be terminated by the Big One any second now! You¡¯re the only one that can save her, don¡¯t you get that?! Now call to her, now!] The man was beyond impatient now as she soon after felt a communicator forced up against her head.


    And it was a different one from seconds ago as the same chatter continued just beyond them: [Stay back! I can handle her now!] Adrian¡¯s voice answered the desperate calls, triggering more from Amelie¡¯s thoughts and adding more to her situational awareness.


    [Whoever hears this, I would worry about my son before I would worry about anyone else if I were you,] Amelie flatly replied, hoping whatever got out enough for Sam to hear, she wouldn¡¯t pick up on what was said nor who said it.


    [Your son led you to us, right where you tried to free yourself,] he continued with a disappointed huff. [He¡¯s right here in this building, right now, on his way up to meet you.]


    That¡¯s a bluff. No, both of those statements are bluffs.


    [Now,] he continued with a sigh. [Last chance before your daughter dies. I see that, well¡­]


    Amelie¡¯s heart began to beat out of her chest, something she hadn¡¯t felt in some time, and she genuinely felt like things weren¡¯t in her control as much as she was accustomed to. She had to decide right then and there regardless of the man¡¯s word about Isaiah was true or not.


    [¡­The Big One has already arrived,] he finished with a mockingly somber tone. [If you don¡¯t call her to you right now, her story ends here.]


    Amelie bit down and swallowed, forcefully taking in a difficult breath. This is my only hope here. Sorry if I am wrong-


    [-I can¡¯t get any closer than this until you locate that damned cannon unit!] Adrian roared over the communicator, instantly injecting confidence into her choice.


    ¡°Samantha!¡± Amelie belted into the communicator still pushed up against her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m still in the Dumont Building from earlier! One-one-nine me when you get close!¡± She felt her lips quickly grow numb from the tension and the inability of her lungs to keep up with her heightened pulse and breathing rate. And the click of a pistol¡¯s safety switch only added to it all.


    ¡°What is one-one-nine?¡± Reverting back to his own English, the man now coldly interrogated as he pulled the communicator away. ¡°Five seconds to answer.¡±


    The banging of a kicked in door immediately sent a jolt through the two as if it were the pistol going off. ¡°Mother¡­¡± She heard her son¡¯s voice speak to her for the first time in so long, unsure if it was out of surprise and shock or out of disappointment


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Sam¡¯s LTAC¡¯s rollers screeched to a halt as it slipped into a cramped alley between two smaller annex buildings. She was still struggling to catch her breath amidst the overwhelming sense of regret for the stunt she just pulled alongside the panic that struck the second she heard her mother call out to her.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°One-one-nine when I get close?!¡± She thought aloud through her gasping breaths, remaining stuck on the number which she felt she had heard before.


    Wait!! That code?! The one Dad used to talk about?!


    With a deep frown of confusion and denial of the words spoken, she looked back behind her and then over and across the skies above. She readjusted her sweaty grip on her controls as she finally found a building to aim for. And with a silent count in her head for sanity¡¯s sake, she launched off upward and over the annex building, catching sight of the Tiger a few blocks away. But it was also the instant she cleared the second to last story of the building when she let go of the thruster pedals, guaranteeing her expected trajectory the instant she became exposed.


    It¡¯s not even looking my way.


    Sam knew what that meant, and kept her rifle at rest as she eased herself onto the rooftop next to the annex building she just cleared, now taking her aim but with her aim assist on full laser tracking. The large high-rise just behind the Tiger was obvious cover, but the targeting warning systems had to have done its job judging by the quick turnaround that had her feel like she was now locked in gazes with the Tiger itself.


    The feelings of full panic locked her muscles in place momentarily, realizing she put herself right in death¡¯s sights, but that was only until she soon remembered it was the Assembly Hall right behind her less than a block away.


    One-one-nine, the SOS beacon¡­ Mom somehow knows their plan, but it seems like that Tiger pilot knows ours, too.


    Only a few seconds had passed, but the Tiger was yet to make a move. It was almost as if both sides knew the relative stalemate they were in, but something had to give. Her right foot rested heavily on the edge of the thruster pedal and both wrists twitched, eager to pull away the second anything moved.


    Come on, Dani, I know you¡¯re out there ready for a good shot or this guy isn¡¯t frozen up like this.


    With one long, steady breath and a forced attempt to tense away her quivering wrists, she worked up the will to set everything off. She flicked her left thumb switch and squeezed her right trigger, feeling a single, solid thump and a bang. The one time she ever felt glad to be in the underwhelmingly equipped Ai-20 LTAC was now as a gas tube round fired off from the underbarrel mount that all similar frames came with as standard.


    And seeing the Tiger¡¯s shield fling around towards Sam¡¯s direction instinctively was the exact reaction she hoped for, feeling a surge of hope rush through her.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky, not smart,¡± spoke the same condescending voice from earlier.


    She wasn¡¯t surprised, however, already long assuming he was still hacked into her communications system. But even though a myriad of return insults were nearly brimming over from her gut, something kept them choked down as the flash of hope from just now rapidly faded.


    Where is Dani?!


    The Tiger¡¯s left side was fully exposed. Beyond her desires to lash back out were the rapidly piling up doubts that she was only simply losing her mind, yet maybe she was already over-thinking and just needed to wait one more second. And that very fear kept her locked in place, afraid to make a regretful move.


    ¡°This movement is too large for you to even put a dent in,¡± Adrian¡¯s voice continued through surprisingly heightened clarity despite the heavy jamming and interference. ¡°The only thing stopping me is that building behind you, just as it stops you from the same, right? You are like me. We don¡¯t wish to harm those who have no place in this fight.¡±


    Come on, Dani!! Sam shouted out in her mind, unable to take her shaky but steadfast gaze on the Tiger in front and above. Where the hell are you!? Take the shot!


    And then the sounds of approaching sirens spoke of more impending doom if she didn¡¯t do something quick. She had no clue as of what intervention forces might show up or how quickly, and her standing there was the worst way to invite such a return of the earlier favor paid to the blockades.


    [So, I see you are the same, big sister,] Adrian then spoke in his native tongue, drawing a panicked, tight-chested gasp from Sam the instant she figured out what he meant. [This is my last offer for you to all turn and leave, because I see your fight is with me and not the men of the Assembly. I respect that.]


    ¡°Eunice!¡± Sam yelled out to Dani out by her call-sign, no longer able to stand the tension and broke her locked gaze, now looking at her map to see two Hexa-marked signals just a few blocks to her right. From the angle she saw, there was no way they didn¡¯t have a shot. ¡°What are you waiting for?!¡±


    Dani desperately wanted to pull the trigger, having for over a minute had the Tiger in her manually adjusted sights. But it wasn¡¯t just the desire to avoid collateral damage that had her frozen up completely, it was the new fear stricken into her the moment she heard Adrian¡¯s voice over her line as well. That fear grew rapidly by the second, realizing that her given-away position after firing would mean there would be no setting up for a second shot. This was it, and even if she dealt considerable damage to her target, destroying property would have the SAU bearing down on her team as well, banking her judgment off of her brothers¡¯ suggestions that they let the Tiger remain the only responsible party as best as they could. And despite Sam¡¯s call for action, she knew just as well not to respond, choking down her response through the sweat and tension.


    But the next shouted cue from Sam seemingly freed up much of that in a heartbeat: ¡°Eunice! I hear sirens! I¡¯ll draw them!¡±


    Dani then thought to herself as a smile grew: [Go. I promise won¡¯t let you down.]


    Sam knew the SAU would be bearing down on her any chance they got once any form of assistance arrived, and even though the approaching sirens in the background didn¡¯t necessarily signify armed forces present, it nevertheless meant there was absolutely no time left before she had to move. Feeling a different panic kick in with the fear Dani was not even present to make a shot, she took the initiative to buy even just one more minute.


    He has to be fixed on taking me down. Maybe that¡¯s what I need to do. She then calculated the whereabouts of Sebastian and Renzo, even Kaylen and the others. There was no way they had just deserted the area.


    Feet to the floor and control sticks flung back, her LTAC took a jump back that cleared her of the one thing keeping her safe, and as hoped, he took a shot that sent a bright, loudly crackling blast of light that halfway melted through her riot shield. Sam immediately let off of the pedals and hoped her sudden free fall would trick him into even just a split second of misjudgment, biting down fiercely in anticipation of a possible back-breaking crash if her calculations were off.


    ¡°Poor decision,¡± Adrian scoffed as he prepared to time his next shot.


    But instead of bracing for impact, instincts pushed her feet back against the pedals once more as another flash of brilliant green splashed around the Tiger¡¯s shield, this time carrying pieces of armor with it. Sam couldn¡¯t look as she avoided careening into a building behind her, not able to catch the Tiger reeling in retreat nor the building¡¯s topmost corner being the only recipient of collateral.


    Finding her balance finally gave her the chance to readjust and take aim, knowing Dani had to have landed a decent hit just then.


    Dani knew, however, that she was the one to take the second shot with the perfectly presented opportunity given the new distance of the Tiger from the nearest building, but before she could pull the trigger, a bright flash flickered only in a way that a rifle aimed directly at her would as she gasped.

 152 - Hit Where it Hurts

    Sam heard the crackling thunder from the shot the Tiger took, stopping her heart and her focus the instant she realized Dani was the one at the other end of the blast. Immediate fears for the worst rushed in, paralyzing her beyond her ability to finish tracking her target and squeezing the trigger. She wanted to cry out to Dani, and desperately wished she would answer back to say she was alright.


    Her locked state was shattered once more a second later by two volleys of rifle fire, almost as if it were by her own input commands. Reality snapped back in as she instinctively pulled her rifle over the retreating Tiger, seeing it tumbling away to avoid two streams of fire.


    It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s on the defensive! That must be Sebastian and Renzo!


    She watched it tumble out of direct view behind other buildings, triggering her next immediate response, bursting off towards Dani¡¯s last location. ¡°Eunice! Respond!!¡± She finally managed to scream out, now with wheels hitting the asphalt under full boost.


    [I¡¯m fine but I¡¯m down!] Dani answered back through suppressed panic. [Cruella, you might use this better than I can!] She continued through her shortened breaths, referencing the cannon she had just used on the Tiger somewhat successfully.


    But despite the immense relief she felt from hearing Dani¡¯s words, Sam¡¯s fear for the others kicked in, knowing they had no such firepower to face the Tiger head on-


    -No, they¡¯ve done this before! I have to trust them!


    And a sharp, familiar pinging sound snapped her attention to the green tags that appeared only in a way that signified her teammates on the ground. Even the callsigns Enrai assigned everyone showed above as she immediately recognized ¡°Enzo,¡± ¡°Ernesto,¡± and ¡°Emilia¡± amongst others in her view, each several blocks apart. Huh?! But how!?


    It then hit her as she rounded the corner that somehow Hexa worked their magic with the Akkadian Navy and one of their laser communications satellites as it was just like before: just sunny enough to let any necessary amount of communication links blast through any jamming cloud set up.


    ¡°That¡¯s our eye in the sky! It¡¯s back!¡± She elated, and with the short-lived fear from not knowing her friends¡¯ movements temporarily fought off, the other reared its head:


    But that one-one-nine order Mom asked for, there¡¯s no way she really asked for that, is there?! Mom, what kind of trouble are you in?!I can¡¯t do something like that!


    Amidst continued echoing from intermittent rifle fire inundating the alleys she zipped through, Dani¡¯s LTAC finally came into view; the Ai-20¡¯s wrecked state flashed back memories from her first ever escapade that ended in a nightmare scenario months back. She was this time, however, in the driver¡¯s seat and not the other way around. It was just two blocks down, right in the middle of the intersection, hanging over a small crater in the ground. But the most important detail she noticed was that the main hatch was still closed. In her mind, Dani should have been well enough to make her retreat, especially given the damage dealt was in the form of a left leg unit all but severed from the main frame.


    ¡°Eunice! You need to get to the building behind you!¡± Sam yelled out as she then instantly brought her view up to the skies. Where is that guy?!


    Her radio came to life so clearly that next instant, almost as if she forgot how poorly jamming had hurt their lines up until now. [Eunice!] Renzo roared over the line. [We¡¯re on the offensive! Run while you can!]


    [I can¡¯t!] Dani fussed back, quickly losing her composure. [The hatch is stuck!]


    ¡°Ella, you are the closest!¡± Sebastian joined in. ¡°We have this, get her to safety!¡±


    [No we don¡¯t, damn it- Cruella! Keep firing from the back end!] Renzo barked angrily, fearful of losing their dwindling chances to get any more shots in.


    Sam had no clue what they were seeing, but all she could see was her friend in need just a single city block away. More gunfire added from additional directions along with her racing mind blocked out whatever radio chatter followed, unable to stray from her course. She knew she lived to fight upright as she did greatly in part to Dani saving her that rainy night not too far back. Sam knew it was her turn, now, to return the favor.


    I don¡¯t know where the Tiger went, but I sure as hell can¡¯t run away.


    ¡°Dani,¡± she let out as she lost care to mask their identities over a possibly hacked line. ¡°Hold tight!¡±


    [It¡¯s coming your way, Cruella! Fire back!] Renzo¡¯s shout made it through clearly this time, however.


    And the second the live interpretation spoke ¡°your way,¡± her heart stopped as she realized where Dani lay. Forgetting the risk, she pressed both sticks forward in a hope to beat whatever it was coming ¡°Dani! Brace yourself!¡±


    [Cruella!] Dani screamed back in a horrifying manner, one Sam had never heard from her in her life. [Hurry! Something¡¯s targeting me!]


    Sam had little to no shield left, but it had to do something as she rotated her torso in desperation, hoping to tackle Dani out from the intersection at this rate. Sam, too, braced herself for a violent impact as the downed Ai-20 zoomed closer into her collision field.


    A brilliant bolt of blinding light erupted into showers of asphalt, dirt, and sparks. Her LTAC piled through what felt like a wall instead of a train car, careening through all too easily, and all in the most sickening way. Her LTAC immediately stumbled and lost its footing, slamming into the ground left-shoulder first as the shield mount was ground into a white-hot nub.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Her heart continued pounding out of her chest and her breathing never settled enough to allow her to form a single word. Her eyes couldn¡¯t make out anything, either, All she could make sense of was the constant yelling: [Dani!!] from both of her brothers.


    ¡­


    [Dani! Answer me!]


    ¡­


    [Dani!! Damn it! Dani!!]


    ¡­


    Sam finally got herself together enough to pick herself up, not even thinking to calculate her frame¡¯s status or damage taken. All that mattered was that it did stand up, and it only took a second to assess what she stared down back at the crater she passed through. The Ai-20 had been ripped in half from what she could tell, and with it her heart felt like it did the same, all confirmed with the soul-shattering ¡°zero¡± vital signs alert.


    Dani, no¡­


    [It¡¯s running away! Help me get that fucking son of a bitch!] Renzo roared in a newly ignited furor as others joined right afterward.


    [Sam! Hurry and help us!] Sebastian added.


    [No, let it go!] Kaylen surprisingly rebuked. [We can¡¯t lose anyone else- if he¡¯s retreating, let this fight end so we can get him back on more level grounds!]


    [The fuck we will! North sector, keep pursuit!] Renzo quickly answered, queuing Sam¡¯s fueled desire to lash back in its entirety. She didn¡¯t have any flashbacks or any inner thoughts towards her lost friend, only blinding frustration that almost matched that she once felt towards her brother the last time they faced each other. She swore to never take such a mockery ever again, especially when taking away those dear to her.


    One quick look at her communications tab and she knew what her heart was set on accomplishing. ¡°Skywatch-Two, this is Samantha Knight calling advised by Amelie Delacroix and Alexander Knight! Requesting authorization for code one-one-nine, target ¡®Dumont Building¡¯ North Palermo District!¡± She barked through a cracking voice, speeding back for Dani¡¯s downed LTAC as if looking for something.


    [Cruella! Do you have a shot?!] Renzo interrupted before the next could.


    ¡°Sam! Stop! Let it go!¡± Kaylen shot back as Sam switched off her ground team comms.


    ¡°There it is, piece of shit!¡± Sam shouted to herself as she spotted the cannon that had fell innocently to the asphalt, missed by the series of blasts by a mere meter. Scooping it up as she tossed her own weapon aside, she blasted off the other direction completely opposite from the Tiger¡¯s headings.


    ¡°Pilot Knight, this is Skywatch-Two,¡± spoke the only voice Sam hoped to hear from as her senses fully honed in on one goal: the newly acquired destination marker set by someone above, affirming her underlying suspicion the satellite setup had to have some connection to her parents and not just Hexa magically coming to the rescue. ¡°Request temporarily granted.¡±


    Temporarily granted?


    ¡°Dumont Building location set for one-one-nine operation. Civilian casualty risk, level five. SAU Military and police force presence, zero. Guerilla force presence, high risk low confirmation. Union armed forces member presence confirmed. Risk level for jump approach is low.¡±


    Perfect.


    She already started her scan for solid jumping lanes and her boost capacitors were maxed out from her lack of usage over the past few minutes.


    On her way toward the building she left earlier that morning, each block she passed was another moment she wondered where the Tiger ran off to. The distant machine gun fire stopped, and slowly but steadily it was the sound of sirens from every direction that began to fill the air. And Finally, that last jump came as she came to a halt on top of a parking garage that overlooked both the targeted building and also had a good view of the column of smoke near the Assembly Hall block. She then lifted her cannon, noting it was far more than just an NGF particle cannon like some LTAC¡¯s had been issued before.


    Son of a bitch.


    She immediately recognized the white and red markings labeled across the receiver, just barely visible behind the adapter framing affixed so that an LTAC¡¯s power system could properly utilize it. It wasn¡¯t that it was larger than usual, it was the unmistakable shape that sent off various signals and sparked a myriad of ideas of how she would make her next move.


    This was made from the one used by the ¡®Icarus¡¯; another one of Mr. Vrey¡¯s son¡¯s famous pieces of art.


    She then looked on toward the Assembly Hall and began targeting the senate chamber¡¯s area. About 60% for that shot. And then she pivoted back toward her target right behind her, looking downward near the bottom floors. Here¡¯s my other 40%. And as she adjusted the power output for the distance to be traveled, the trigger finger that crawled toward its position began to recall the triggers pulled that spilled blood of those nameless faces she stared down on her path to surviving up to this point.


    I¡¯ve already been labeled a bad guy before, and by now it¡¯s already set to be in every way possible. But, let¡¯s see if they blame only me for this one, prick.


    ¡°Samantha Knight to Skywatch-Two, engaging one-one-nine, Lower Delmont Building, danger close.¡±


    And with that her finger squeezed the trigger.


    .


    .


    Adrian had let out a difficult sigh as his Tiger cruised over the outer limits of the Federal District area, ignoring the soft alert sent from his armor status monitor revealing damage it had sustained in its left leg thruster and stabilizer region. [I had to get out of that one fast,] he mumbled to himself, awaiting transfer to the next radio network. [They weren¡¯t playing. No wonder Colombia¡¯s attempt at this failed as it did.]


    He then heard a chime as he cleared his throat. [Project Big One complete,] he exhaustedly spoke over the newly connected network. [Returning to rally point A.]


    [Negative, Bender,] an operator responded to his surprise. [Remaining threat indicated to have engaged with forces at the Dumont building and are reporting a sustained blast to the lower floors.]


    [I took the cannon out already, what did they miss?] Adrian grumbled, already feeling his time was wasted with the Ai20 he remembered taking out of the picture. [All remaining units were only minimally equipped to handle anything outside of¡­]


    Something caught his attention as he slowed to a halt, turning to spot a large billowing cloud rising from near where he had left. He then saw a brilliant flash of green streak right across the opposite way, slamming right into the side of the Assembly Hall¡¯s main building. His heart dropped the second he realized what the target must have been, and with the fast-approaching crackles from the blast came an equally fast acceleration of his Tiger right back towards it. [Engaging! Call a retreat of all units away from the Assembly building and get every one of our insiders locked down in those shelters, now!]


    [SHIT!] Adrian furiously spat as soon as he heard the network automatically disconnect upon re-entering the jamming zone. [Anyone in range! Someone tell me why the hell no one in Bishop knows what¡¯s going on?!]


    One of his crew members eventually came over the reconnected network through interference: [Intercepted messages revealed communication between that pilot named Knight and an Akkadian Naval Laser Switchover Tower!]


    [Danger close reported, assuming Union troops or pilots are involved!] Another member added anxiously.


    [All ground teams, get away from the Assembly and track down that team! Take down every last one of them!] Adrian roared as he steadied his course for the point of origin of that last blast. [I¡¯ll get that bitch myself like I should have earlier!]

 153 - Hit Where it Hurts, Part 2

    It was an imminent head-on collision as things stood. Sam¡¯s radio remained silent, even after the passing seconds as the large plumes of smoke rose from the Assembly Hall¡¯s front-facing end. She normally would have doubted such a call to action, especially having come from her mother, but having rapidly developed such deep detest left her with not a single care. The only doubts that fought their battle inside her head were those of her mother¡¯s and Dani¡¯s condition.


    Was her mother¡¯s sudden cut-off nothing more than another loss of connection like before? Was Dani¡¯s vital sign¡¯s cut-off something similar? Nothing felt real; nothing felt like it even happened despite what her mind and memory could try to confirm. All she felt was that detest, and as the Tiger quickly approached, so did the image of his face from what she vaguely recalled nights ago in Bogota. She knew she had him angry as well, and that was what mattered most as it guaranteed her the chance she wanted.


    She then noted a sudden change in activity from Sebastian, Renzo, Kaylen, and the few others as they seemed to scatter towards her in response to newly identified bogey markings approaching from the northeast and northwest corners of their engagement zone. She knew she had to end this quickly as she switched focus.


    She had been awaiting her fuel cell reserve to recover as the last blast she fired had left it emptied, and as the chime indicated its completion, she quickly hopped off and slowed her descent, taking aim upward in anticipation, touching down a few seconds later. She kept her manual targeting on, still feeling as if Antares spoke to her from miles away, guiding her thumb¡¯s hat switch, placing her reticle just at the topside of a business tower which overlapped the Tiger¡¯s tracking indicator.


    And as she slowed to a crawl, it was now of all times that her regret and remorse from earlier reared its head; she knew her mother¡¯s circumstances and Dani¡¯s fate was unavoidable, but Sam still felt it was her reluctance to make quicker and firmer decisions that lead to everything headed toward her.


    That included Sebastian and Renzo¡¯s markers, too, pacing towards her in at concerning speeds and bringing up the thought: ¡°What- why are they¡­?!¡±


    .


    But she wasn¡¯t the only one aware of their movements. Adrian had sat through similar radio silence after switching to his previous communication channel, listening in on whatever exchanges might occur between Sam and her team. But as he awaited any sign of chatter, updated surveillance information from his previous encounter with Dani¡¯s LTAC showed what only further enraged him, triggering a flashback to his past war experiences along with the thought: [That¡¯s a damned full size military rifle- WAIT!] His eyes widened at the realization the rifle¡¯s frame matched only that of a once-famed hero and mech pilot. [Lance Vrey! That¡¯s the rifle from the Icarus! That bitch- who does she have connections with!? Vincent Vrey himself!?]


    He was beyond convinced now that not scattering her brains across the asphalt that one night was the biggest mistake he made. It wasn¡¯t about his pride, values, or image anymore, it was his foolishness. He knew now he allowed the vilest enemy to bear its disgusting fangs in the form of a weapon no one had the rights to lay their dirty fingers on. ¡°You have no idea the hypocrisy you represent holding that thing!¡± He yelled out in a spat of anger, feeling like his sense of control was eroding. ¡°Do you dare fan the flames of war?! Put that weapon down and maybe I¡¯ll spare you!¡±


    Consciously making the decision to not overthink nor overreact to his threats, she switched her communications channels back on, knowing she¡¯d have to carefully choose every overheard word. ¡°Sebastian! Renzo! What are you doing?! Stay away!¡± She cried out in fear for losing either (or both) of them, now expecting the Tiger to show up into view at any second.


    ¡°No YOU have to run!¡± Sebastian countered. ¡°We are in retreat- and why did you turn off your communications?!¡±


    Of course, she knew she¡¯d hear both a scolding and the inevitable aftermath having seen the incoming bogey readouts earlier, but she couldn¡¯t leave this one last target alive. This one had to fall, and she just received plenty of confirmation from the Tiger pilot himself that she had the only weapon to stop it.


    ¡°I know that! Listen, everyone!¡± She shouted back in frustration. ¡°Find your own safe exit! I have to handle this myself!¡±


    [The fuck you will!] Renzo stubbornly refuted as she heard a familiar popping sound in the distance as it echoed through the street ways. [If you¡¯re going to spout useless bullshit, put us back on mute! But we¡¯re doing this for Dani and don¡¯t need your approval!]


    Perhaps it was the curt response she needed to hear, knowing she felt the same regardless. Rather than waste focus on a response, knowing she had to keep her plans to herself with the danger they¡¯d be listened in on, she instead looked around to see the tufts of smoke rising from three areas a few blocks away as the two continued to close in on her location.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Those ponderings were then interrupted by Adrian over her line unexpectedly: ¡°So NOW you want to speak!?¡± She knew he¡¯d be more than pissed off, but it was all she could do to get him to circle back for this one shot.


    She then gripped her controls even more tensely, repeating Renzo¡¯s last line in her head several times to keep Adrian¡¯s distractions at bay, nodding with a slow, deep breath. Whatever it was she or they would do would either end in success or their deaths as it was, and there was already no turning back. And with the proximity alarm now blaring from the Tiger¡¯s arrival, she left her spot with faith in whatever it was Sebastian and Renzo had worked out, keeping an apartment building behind her as she kept her reticle just over the top of the same business tower from earlier.


    And just as the target readout neared her reticle, she let out a smaller charge from her cannon and immediately lifted both feet from her pedals, sending her back to the ground to avoid a well-timed shot from the Tiger that just passed into view.


    And as the top of the tower¡¯s decorative structure had a blast rip through it, sending a shower of rock and concrete into the air, the Tiger¡¯s aim was thrown off just enough to have its shot land well upward as it slammed into the side of the residential building Sam was near.


    I hope you smiled for the camera with that one.


    And right as she finished that thought, not daring to share even a single word with him, she already had her reticle pulled further upward as she let out a second shot right toward it. And not taking the time to assess the situation, she shifted her focus back to a smooth landing and accelerated toward the nearest smoke site Renzo or Sebastian made earlier, quickly passing Sebastian up on her left. And as she heard more smoke canisters fire off right behind her and distant rifle fire from what had to be Renzo, she immediately felt as if she picked up on their plan.


    They really do know what they¡¯re doing! This must be what they used back in Bogota against that A-7!


    Just as she turned the next corner with a hard veer and a hand out to catch herself from rolling over, a fountain of asphalt and dirt sent her back upright as she saw the Tiger pass overhead once more, but this time with a small smoke trail attached. Good, I must have damaged it a bit more.


    She then fired another smaller charge before hitting the accelerator full speed, buying her a second enough to turn the last corner in expectance he would attempt to block that one. And with the turn successful and now out of his sight, it must have been the outcome. Rifle fire suddenly intensified the moment she made a dash for the smoke cloud, seemingly from two ends of the nearby area. But once she made it inside, she heard the terrifying crackle of plasma echoing several times from the distance, knowing they were shots fired at one of the brothers.


    Please, hang in there ten more seconds!! She screeched to a halt with a spin back the other direction, switching her cannon output to maximum active reserve draw. During the switchover, she took a quick glance toward the two brothers¡¯ vital markers, relieved but fingers and joints still trembling wildly. Rifle and NGF carbine fire exchanges continued as the Tiger¡¯s marker suddenly made a turn for her direction, all happening behind the skyscraper in front. She froze up, realizing this would completely throw off her planned shot if he bolted straight for her.


    No, wait!


    Her fingers furiously went through the controls for her one last hurrah, just as the Tiger rushed overhead with a pair of shots that landed just beside her. Unflinching, she returned fire with her trigger squeezed hard enough to feel like she broke the switch mechanism.


    .


    Something had Sebastian pause in shock and fear, holding his fire to watch the hefty blast well-deflected by the Tiger¡¯s perfectly timed shield maneuver, all at an angle he couldn¡¯t continue cover-fire from. He knew that with that critical miss from Sam¡¯s reserve-emptying blast of that magnitude, the Tiger¡¯s next move would be her end.


    ¡°Sam!!¡± He cried out, feeling the dread of losing two in one morning.


    .


    Adrian almost cracked a smile, pulling his shield aside and quickly snapped his carbine back into its firing angle. He played with fire this whole time, not having faced such firepower since the last war, but once again he escaped the jaws of death and arose victorious. Orsi tried to interfere with his big plan, and now the daughter of Knight as well. Both would meet the same fate, just as he hoped for anyone who would threaten the deserved return of his countrymen to the top.


    He pinpointed exactly where that last shot came from, and there was no way the LTAC had any juice left to make a quick dash for it. And as his correct calculations would have it, not a single puff of diverted smoke shot from any direction, confirming his intuition. His trigger finger, however, immediately froze solid in its place, and his left thumb switch fought for priority the instant he felt something awry. There was no time to ponder the sudden bright flash of green from within the cloud, defying every limitation of the common Hexa LTAC¡¯s power diverter. What he saw was a mockery of everything he planned. And before his left hand¡¯s input and common sense could override his now-squeezed trigger finger¡¯s moment of premature victory, a blast of identical might quickly filled his main screen as he felt an incredible force jerk his body forward against his restraints.


    .


    Speechless and still frozen in place, Sebastian felt and heard the deafening shockwave spectacle above, watching the swiftly scattering of molten armor, flames, and smoke-trailed debris fill that area of the sky, not noticing the cockpit ejection sequence that fired the pod out the backside of the Tiger¡¯s carcass right before direct impact. And his vision fell once more to the ground in front where a tower of dust and asphalt rained back down through the silently scattering smoke cloud.


    ¡°Sam¡­¡± he mumbled, not realizing he was speaking. And once he did, he spoke up louder in desperation, for he knew not where that last shot from the Tiger landed. ¡°Sam!? SAM!!¡±

 154 - Hit Where it Hurts, Part 3

    Adrian¡¯s body was already fully tensed from the unexpected blast that lit up his whole display screen array, nonetheless his first time being slung out of a mech¡¯s main frame in over a decade was jarring both physically and mentally. Thrown out of the upper back-side of the Tiger by automated jettison protocol in response to an imminent lethal impact, the cockpit module soared over a hundred meters over several blocks before the parachute sets released, carrying him through a self-calculated, safe, but unmodifiable trajectory towards the nearest safe landing spot towards the coast.


    Taking the time to slow his breaths and calm himself enough to manage his situation better, he began to thumb through the emergency prompts to find most of his communication lines were severed upon jettison, leaving him only in contact with a ground team below. [Bender here, requesting a recovery team at the coordinates I am sending now!]


    [How did I miss that just now, though?!] His thoughts now quickly sent himself back into an angry mental spiral, now with nothing to do but wait in absolute silence and in hopes no one was tracking him. [How did that girl have enough power for two consecutive shots?!] He then remembered it was a tool of the Vrey¡¯s his opponent wielded. [A weapon of his¡­ AND those words¡­ ¡®danger close¡¯ confirms she¡¯s a tool of Vincent Vrey AND the Akkadians. I HAVE to make sure we get that information out as soon as I get back!]


    It was embarrassing enough to have lost to such an undersized, lesser talented threat, but now he had to spend time rethinking his approach after leaving the carcass of the Tiger out in the open for the SAU, still controlled by the uppers in Brazil, to get their hands on. He knew he had to make the most of his successes, as after all, what had to be accomplished at absolute least was certainly accomplished. With the much-needed vote sent through, all he needed to do was let his work from earlier do the rest. [Now, I just need to survive this landing and there¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t recover after today,] he told himself as he now started fighting off the remorse from taking the life of his mentor, still reeling from the tainted image of him after that back-stabbing he had received.


    [Oh-twenty five until SAU military arrives, Bender, do you copy?] A voice spoke up to him over the channel.


    [Understood,] Adrian replied, having felt the timer ticking since the operation began.


    [Request is that we retreat in full as all bogeys have scattered and fled towards Belgrano.]


    [Affirmative. Just have that recovery team ready.]


    After that, a tense but silent thirty seconds passed before tracker alerts went off inside his cockpit. [Someone¡¯s targeting me from below! Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s her!] He knew he had nothing up his sleeve but to hope there was someone below at the ready. [Incoming bogey, location unknown but it¡¯s tracking me from the ground nearby! Move to intercept!]


    [We are too far to act immediately! We¡¯re still minutes from the site!]


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sam leaped out from her LTAC, hurrying down the ladder to find Sebastian¡¯s LTAC parked close by as requested.


    Sebastian was already hopping off as he looked at her with complete and total unacceptance. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you think chasing him is important! Let him run! We won!¡±


    Sam hated to be blunt and rude, but felt she had no other choice as she answered back with an impatient bark: ¡°We let him go we all die another day!¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± He shouted back as he grabbed her, facing her towards him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this! I thought¡­¡± His voice trailed off for a second as his grip loosened and looked away, then took a breath to finish: ¡°I thought I lost you just now. Please, Sam.¡±


    Now it hurt even more to press back. ¡°I¡¯m still here, Sebastian.¡± She couldn¡¯t figure out why she spent so many years hoping to find someone to truly have by her side, looking out for her with true invested interest, and now out of all the irony she felt compelled to push that person away even if for a minute. ¡°And I have to make sure we have a tomorrow, because last time we almost had it taken away for good.¡±


    ¡°I know. There is no guarantee for anything anymore, not even if you come back with that man dead,¡± Sebastian gathered what energy he could to talk her away.


    Irony continued its work as she began to speak on something related to her mother, one whom she never mentioned in any positive light before, and also one who might still be alive unlike whom Sebastian had lost: ¡°Listen, I have to make today worth everything. What advice I was given earlier all makes sense now, and it will only work if I catch him before he runs off. Sorry-¡±


    ¡°-Sam, nobody has anything to gain if we lose you-¡± Sebastian interrupted, half choked-up as his grip grew stronger and more desperate.


    ¡°Sebastian, you have to believe me this one last time!¡± Sam cried out, struggling for a painful second before quickly slipping out from his released grip. She knew how much he hurt all along as her hands quickly went back to his, but only for a brief second, as her other half of her conscious screamed to hurry off before it was too late.


    She gently pushed off with a teary, defeated smile before quickly turning away. The fact Sebastian had nothing to say in return hit even harder as she knew how this had to feel from his point of view; Dani was surely on his mind more than anyone¡¯s, and if victory meant a chance to salvage what was left of their sanity and their togetherness, it was Sam who slammed the door shut on it, willingly at that. But her gut feelings pushed her to grab a hold of the ladder and pull herself up, not allowing her to look back, swallowing the pain that could have been if she had.


    This CAN¡¯T end without them taking the fall! We¡¯re THIS close!


    And as soon as she finished hurrying loading up, taking a seat in a cockpit of an LTAC that wasn¡¯t in temporary shut-down recovery mode like the one she just ditched, she hastily switched the communications back to her headset to hear the second voice she hoped to hear.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    [Cruella, I tagged him! Linked his tracking to our satellite!] Renzo yelled out, seemingly exhausted. [Hurry and catch up- I can¡¯t tell which way he¡¯s about to land!]


    ¡°I see it! Perfect!¡± Sam yelled back the second she kicked off full-speed northbound, noting the trail the cockpit module left as she tried to catch her breath. ¡°We¡¯ll cut him off from its East and West! Stay on your path- I¡¯ll cut it off from the West!¡±


    [Just make sure to stay hidden! I don¡¯t know what all is waiting or looking out for us!]


    [Cut the radio traffic, damn it!] Kaylen snapped, reminding Sam of the tapped channel threat as she switched her input off. [My group will watch for interception groups! The rest, continue retreat! And stay off the channel if you can!]


    [Moving to recover Dani¡¯s unit once I recover the power source here,] Sam heard Sebastian adding in before switching off his input. She let out a tense breath, closing her eyes momentarily before turning down her preset path, accelerating to chase speeds. ¡°Dani¡­¡± she mumbled as she recalled the line that continued to haunt her each time she stepped closer to finding any type of end to the constant madness. And once more, Danielle Norris¡¯ warning repeated itself, causing her to shake the thought out of her head with heightened focus. ¡°No, the losses stop here,¡± she told herself as she began calculating a better interception point for the cockpit module that was growing closer to landing by the second.


    ¡°Operative Knight, we¡¯ve established a weak signal connection with Agent Delacroix,¡± the Skywatch Two¡¯s operator spoke up unexpectedly, filling Sam with even stronger drive. ¡°Status: unknown. Establish a communication link with cooperating ground forces at ground zero in order to upgrade information pipeline.¡±


    Sam now had two things to focus on. This was now not just for Dani but to also ensure her mother¡¯s safety while she still had time.


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Recoleta District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    The fires from the earlier blasts continued to burn, all well in view from the coastline where a decommissioned heliport served as the landing site for the Tiger¡¯s ejected cockpit module. Only it was more unsettling to see it nestled deep into the top floor, having crashed through the not-too-stable rooftop, parachutes dangling in the wind and over the ledges.


    MBI Cockpit modules aren¡¯t controllable, or were they!? Something¡¯s off here¡­


    With the active drives turned off, Sam¡¯s LTAC quietly and cautiously rolled to a stop as she pulled up next to the building¡¯s outer gate, noting the silence from her channel as well as her surroundings. She stopped to run an L-Scan, noting no particular NOx gas activity anywhere in the vicinity.


    Nothing to say a truck or so didn¡¯t already stop by to extract him by now, but hopefully there are some hints left on the module.


    Sam activated the emergency shutdown protocol protection sequence as she set the bypass to her watch before hopping out with her bag slung over her shoulder. She removed and armed the pistol she brought along, tossing the bag back behind her and slowly approached the only building nearby through a missing fence panel near the gate.


    I¡¯m definitely too far for an accurate pinpoint access from above.


    ¡°Moving,¡± she quietly spoke into her headset, trying not to be overly revealing but hoping Renzo was close.


    [I¡¯m close. Proceed,] Renzo quickly answered, clearing her to move quietly ahead.


    [Two bogeys down, drawing the rest on me,] Kaylen quickly added before backing out.


    Sam took the push from her team with a deep breath, then quietly headed for the staircase attached to the outer wall, seeing it led to the roof.


    And after a long, slow, but hopefully undetectable trek to the top, she peeped over the last step to take a few glances, checking to see if it was clear. She pondered the risk of checking Renzo¡¯s location once more, but quickly declined once the buzz from a radio call shocked her into a frozen position where she stood, just having set foot on the rooftop. She could tell it was a floor below, perhaps two, but it was definitely a few words in haste from a Spanish speaker. The radio then quickly fell silent, wondering if the pilot turned it off, signaling what she needed to know. He was there, and he was by himself.


    Perfect.


    She breathed out quietly but with heavy relief, knowing better now what to do next as she took a perch by the front corner facing the street entrance gate, laying down against the short ledge wall in a manner to face the hole left by the cockpit module. She then noted the stairwell door from the inside just across the roof in plain view. She kept her trigger finger at the ready, sidearm facing toward that very door as if expecting it to open.


    And nothing moved nor made a sound for another minute, clearing her to pass her sidearm to her left hand and started typing in a command into her watch.


    ¡°Location Sent. Location Received. Active scanning commencing,¡± read the notification on her watch screen. And with that, she put her sidearm back at the ready, aimed for the door once more.


    That¡¯s that. Just need to sit tight now. Any truck that comes this way, I¡¯ll hear it. Any movement from him toward me, I¡¯ll see it comin-


    <u>***BDAH!***</u>


    -SHIT!!


    A quick shriek escaped her as she stopped herself from jumping up at the sound of a discharged round. And combined with the spray of concrete shrapnel from the round that missed her by inches, she clumsily rolled back from the direction she came from which was her only clear path.


    How the fu- where is he?!


    ¡°You can either die out there when my men arrive!¡± She heard Adrian shout from within, a sign she could stop to breath and let him talk while she tried to regather herself. ¡°Or you can die here trying to get to me first! Your choice, little girl!¡±


    But she wasn¡¯t there to fight, now figuring escape was her best option. She quickly stood back up, hoping to make a dash for the exit staircase she used moments ago but only just before that section of flooring she stood above gave way. Screams unable to make it through the unexpected near-free fall, she braced for the tumble she knew was coming. The fall was fortunately less hazardous and less of a travel than expected as the section fell at an angle, coming to a complete stop against sturdier structures underneath as she stumbled and rolled into the darkness, slamming up against a wall as dust quickly filled the area, blocking out most of the light that came in from above.


    She didn¡¯t dare move or utter a single sound despite the pain. She stayed still, holding in her coughs from the dust filling her nasal passages, knowing the more she couldn¡¯t see was the more he couldn¡¯t either.


    Seconds passed, only to reveal what she hoped least for: A flashlight¡¯s beam tore through the darkness and the dust, slowly hovering nearer and nearer to where she lay, afraid to react, afraid to hold up her only weapon for fear of the sound it might make. She had to play it off like she wasn¡¯t there if luck could have its way.


    ¡°That was very brave of you,¡± Adrian muttered aloud as the sound of his footsteps slowly approached. ¡°A one-one-nine right here in the heart of the enemy. How fancy. Did you get that from your father? I know all about those trick plans.¡±


    What? How could he know!?


    ¡°It mostly worked. My men are getting flushed out at the Delmont Building, no idea where that mother of yours is now.¡±


    And why would he tell me this?!


    ¡°But I am no fool. I know the main target wasn¡¯t there. It was me. I know.¡± He began chuckling in between breaths with hints of desperation.


    Sam continued to remain stiff as a statue despite the ever-enclosing flashlight beam. Is he really¡­ wait¡­


    ¡°I realize I wasn¡¯t as dumb to react to your shots you took on my boys at the Assembly. You got the best weapon to serve us that we could have ever asked for. That Vrey boy¡¯s Icarus rifle you somehow got your hands on¡­ that¡¯s going to be our best plan moving forward! And we have you to thank, little Sammie!¡±


    The beam was now only feet away, and too much dust had settled. Sam still had her hand on her sidearm, although still close up against her left hip. It was now to either die in silence or move and die regardless, facing one who most certainly had aim.

 155 - Hit Where it Hurts, Part 4

    And then the flashlight''s beam paused, just as Sam felt something as well. And when the beam suddenly moved about erratically, she could tell it was from him stepping back all the while snapping sounds gave her both feelings of panic mixed with opportunity. She grabbed onto the nearest thing she could, free hand frantically feeling around the darkness, finally finding a door frame as the cockpit module free-fell another two stories downward.


    Feeling the angle of the floor sink another ten to twenty degrees, the worst settled out over the next few seconds, and as the sense of danger lightened, the flashlight¡¯s beam also disappeared.


    Did he fall? Is he still there?


    She quietly and carefully felt around a bit to make sure the ground around her was still solid, and second by second the dust settled enough to let enough light in. She kept her mouth covered by her jacket, hoping not to get choked in the process, but keeping her squinted eyes open just enough to survey her immediate surroundings.


    I just need to hide myself a bit better, and then wait things out. There¡¯s no way in Hell I could get back outside without getting caught.


    She could now see she was at the end of a narrow hallway with two rooms to her immediate right, with the gaping hole surrounded by stories worth of structural remnants to her left. She knew that if he fell, he likely didn¡¯t survive, but either way, she had to move now if she was ever going to. She took a glance at the room behind her, seeing it continued further into others, offering a chance to find a great hiding spot. But the second she got herself halfway stood up, a shot rang out, as did her cry.


    A ricochet and more debris flying in a cloud near her ear, she dove forward and into the darker room, frantically crawling toward the next, unaware of her adversary¡¯s presence just a few meters away. He stopped his fall using one of the parachute¡¯s cords, but with only one foot on solid ground, his aim wasn¡¯t sure. And with no choice but to drop his shoulder-slung PDW temporarily, he used his second hand and his remaining strength to pull himself back up to more solid ground.


    Shit! He was right there!? Sam frantically tried to keep her breathing as subtle as she could, failing miserably as she continued exerting the energy needed to pull herself into the next room over and under what felt to be a large, steel-frame desk. Pulling further into the corner, she felt the walls provide some sense of security, now fully behind what should be enough of an angle bought to defend herself this time, gripping her sidearm with both hands and pointing it towards the doorframe from which she had just passed.


    ¡°I hear feet!¡± Adrian got back to speaking from not too far away as he fully reestablished his footing. ¡°Your time has come! Same for your little party!¡±


    Sam kept her aim steady, knowing that even if he spoke the truth, she should still have the advantage against him before the others came. I think it¡¯s your time that¡¯s coming, but keep talking, scumbag!


    ¡°And all this proof Mr. Vrey of Hexa is working with the Akkadian Navy? Space versus the Earth¡¯s future restored Confederacy all over again?! This plan we succeeded with has garnered even more success than I planned!¡±


    Footsteps. She realized Adrian was right, her time was limited. Worsening that moment was the realization her ear was empty of its usual earpiece. Damn it!


    If Renzo had called in, she had no idea, and if she were to call for them to hurry after taking down Adrian, she¡¯d have no time to search for it given the utterly disastrous condition of the floor she fell into.


    ¡°Now what, just hiding?! I know where you crawled off to!¡±


    But as Adrian continued his rambling, inching nearer by the second, she now focused more on the intensifying footsteps up the stairs, metal ones that must have been the same ones Sam used earlier- Stairs that led right up to the area right outside the doorway from which she just retreated. This was the definition of being surrounded at the most inopportune time, and it hit heavily in her throat as she felt like suffocating from the pressure to do something soon, regretful, or not.


    ¡°And now they¡¯re here! It¡¯s too late now, little Sammie!¡±


    The door then blew open with a heart-stopping bang as if kicked open out of desperation, followed by the most unexpected series of pops and clanging ricochets. Her heart was already racing out of control to the extent she couldn¡¯t hear nor make sense of what was transpiring, only able to instinctively ball up where she lay as if anything were to spill into that very room at rate she couldn¡¯t handle. But during the immediately ensuing verbal assault, she was able to make out one spat of a particular Spanish dialect in an even more particular voice just enough to realize who it was.


    ¡°Renzo!!¡± Sam screamed out without thought, both out of desperation and also as she realized he must have thought she was dead or something due to her unintended radio silence. And in the same swing of thoughts, she could now see as well as the light pouring in from the blown-open door gave way to the rooms opposite from her. She dared not run out into the same hallway as to not get in the way, instead forcefully picking herself off of the ground and pushing off of the wall, propelling herself towards the next room, hoping to get a shot at Adrian from his blindside.


    Shot after shot, shout after shout, all seemingly coming from every which direction, added to her light-headed disorientation, forcing her to slow her approach, and thankfully as she saw a moving silhouette through the dust across the next room.


    His gun¡¯s facing our direction. That¡¯s him- now while I have a chance.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    She took tight grip of her side arm, placed her left hand over right as she extended quickly but carefully, tracking her target until it felt right.


    <u>PTAH!!!</u>


    Her target, hit or not, reacted in a way that sent him the other direction before quickly dropping out of sight after a loud blast from the hallway seemingly brought everything to a silent halt. Only a single empty hammer pin¡¯s ring followed shortly after. And then it was only the ringing left in her ear, having been a while since shooting without any ear protection.


    Sam¡¯s heart felt it was the end as her whole body began trembling almost out of control, slowly approaching the dusty end of that open room, hearing the groaning of a gravely injured man. Flashbacks of Manila raced through her head as she nearly dropped her pistol before she heard footsteps behind her.


    ¡°Cruella,¡± Renzo flatly spoke with a hand tapping her shoulder. ¡°Here.¡±


    She turned to see his eyes dead set on the opposite corner, pistol up but not firing. She realized the pin she heard was his empty chamber, looking down at the pistol she now felt herself slowly handing it over to him. Renzo dropped his sidearm to the floor as his hands softly clasped Sam¡¯s, gently taking it from her grasp. She noticed his eyes, however, had no such kindness. She only saw exactly what she felt earlier, and without hesitation she coldly stepped back. But as he passed by, it wasn¡¯t just his movement that was soft. His gait was off, trembling as if he was either at the brink of insanity or he was hurt somehow.


    And the words that ripped out from within quickly and painfully shattered the short-lived silence: [This is for Dani!] He screamed out in anguish, soon followed by a trigger pull and a bang that left Sam wincing, turning away. [And this is for me, too!] He continued through a painful, labored bellow.


    She felt the tears Renzo must have been letting out by now, hurting and reaching deeper with each successive trigger pull that ensued. But she couldn¡¯t figure out in the heat of it all what he was saying without her in-ear translation, only catching his sister¡¯s mentioning. And then after a moment of pause, she looked back to see Renzo halfway shrouded in the cloud of dust which mostly hid Adrian¡¯s slumped body, pinned against the wall.


    [And as for her? That¡¯s Cruella to you, you piece of shit,] Renzo muttered with sudden struggle combined with his last trembling squeeze of the trigger. A thud then echoed as the sidearm hit the ground, having fallen from his loosened grip.


    Sam couldn¡¯t take any more, already satisfied enough with the fact they both remained standing while the other fell, knowing she couldn¡¯t give back what life was stolen, but still, she couldn¡¯t stand to watch it all consume him, either. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s over, we won for now,¡± she softly spoke through her numbed hearing, hoping Renzo heard as she reached out to get his attention.


    As she put a hand on his shoulder, memories of a similarly enraged Sebastian crossed her mind, remembering the pain she saw in his eyes that day months back, now feeling multiplied as it was a sibling this time. But when Renzo turned to look back, something else was empty about his tear-stained face. His trembling wasn¡¯t from sadness, neither was his now noticeably unstable, rapid breath rate. He was fading quickly.


    His trembling suddenly broke into a collapse, awkwardly caught by Sam as best as she could, ignoring her own aches and attempted to lower him down easily to the ground, propping him against the wall as she shouted to him: ¡°Hey! I got you!¡± She continued to pass his weight against the wall as she regathered her balance, kneeling next to him with both hands to hold him steady. ¡°Easy now, I got you,¡± she continued to console him, looking over him for any sign of injury, glad there was enough light coming in from the door he had entered through.


    It was clearer now, however. Renzo¡¯s rate of breath continued to escalate and intensify.


    [It¡¯s the best I could do,] Renzo forcefully mumbled in between breaths as he tried to put a hand over hers, barley making contact before feebly slumping to his side.


    Sam remembered that feeling Renzo just left, warm yet chilling. She saw the small smears of blood left on her arm from where his hand fell, bringing her attention to his hand. A trail of dark blood ran down in a messy stream, dripping to the ground.


    ¡°You¡­ Renzo! Hold on, hang in there!¡± Sam¡¯s heart fell to her stomach, frantically looking back toward the top of his armor he wore, now realizing a hole had been punched out of the top corner by his right arm pit. Her eyes didn¡¯t stop there, quickly scanning across to the other side, finding two more, both right near his heart. And right there, all basic first-aid training she received flew out of the window as her own panic, fear, and instability kicked in. ¡°Renzo, stay with me! Hold on- hold on!¡± She fought with her heightened heartrate to speak out, hands fumbling haplessly around the quick-release mechanisms to his armor carrier.


    [That¡­] Renzo attempted to speak in a sputtered manner while she hurried to get the carrier off, delirious from the blood loss. [That¡­ piece¡­ of shit¡­ he¡­]


    ¡°Shh, stop talking! Try and- ¡­ try to relax!¡± Sam began to shout through her suffocatingly tightened throat and through the tears that began welling up around her hot eyes. ¡°Hang in there!¡± She finally got the armor off, seeing his white t-shirt horribly soaked, dark with blood as she snapped, breaking down into a full sob. ¡°Renzo, I-I-I¡¯m so sorry I-¡­¡± She then reached for his earpiece and put it in hers, clicking the button and going into a full, desperate plea into the unknown while taking off her jacket: ¡°Help! Someone- Sebastian! Renzo- He¡¯s¡­ He¡¯s down! Man down!¡±


    [It¡¯s-It¡¯s his¡­ hi- fault¡­] Renzo barely got out in a whisper as his head slowly began to tilt back, unaware of Sam¡¯s frantic attempt to find a way to use the jacket she removed to apply pressure to his wounds. [N- not¡­ your¡­]


    Sam lost all sense of sanity at that point, never having felt so broken and helpless for someone other than herself. Anything she had done from that point, she would have no recollection whatsoever as she slouched over him, hopelessly speaking out to him over and over.


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    And Sebastian barely registered a single word spoken through his earpiece, too grief-stricken of his own heart-crushing experience, kneeling against the side of the smoldering LTAC remnants his sister piloted. Broken down, tears dropping on his hand that still clutched her lifeless hand; it was all that was left of her that he could see, evident from the futile attempt during her final seconds to crawl out from the wedged-shut hatch of her wrecked tomb of a cockpit.


    He never once thought he would regret an action of his own so much in that moment, now realizing what Sam was carrying on about. He¡¯d leave one nightmare to visit another. His only true blood family. Gone. He buckled over, feeling a desire that the fires burning nearby would go ahead and consume him where he stood to spare him.


    But sirens continued to fill the air, growing closer by the minute, and if not for the arrival of two fellow LTACs, Sebastian¡¯s fate might have just as such.


    [SAU¡¯s approaching from the north!] Kaylen shouted out from her LTAC through his earpiece. [We¡¯re bringing her home! Now, hurry before it¡¯s too late!] And in between the uneasy pause, she updated him with one last piece before turning back: [The others are cleaning up at the crash site. They¡¯re with Ella, now, securing your brother as well. Come on, let¡¯s go.] And with her departing words, her voice rapidly fell to a near-mumble, realizing Renzo¡¯s fate while feeling some of the weight Sebastian must have been crushed by.

 156 - Breaking Point

    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Sam despondently sat in her corner in the back of the van that had picked her up, seated next to several men she had never met but cared not one ounce who they were. Eyes puffy and red with tear trails and smears across the dust still stuck to her face, she stared emptily through the floor, slouched with her arms propped over her legs.


    <hr>


    ¡°Thank you for sharing that, Samantha,¡± a calm, yet seemingly impatient male voice spoke up. ¡°Please, tell me, do you think you will ever become that so-called Harbinger?¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± she chuckled under her breath, masking the pain. ¡°No, not yet. Not until I''ve lost <u>everything</u>.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Negative, we are on detour,¡± the driver spoke through his radio in her seemingly Slavic accent. ¡°Orders by Rex. We will continue to rally point after a requested stop.¡±


    Sam paid little heed, still trying to reconcile having lost two close friends, not having been able to see Sebastian after being picked up, and even worse, still no idea what happened to her mother despite expecting the worst as things were.


    <hr>


    Danielle lowered her gaze in disappointment. Is that so? ¡°Are you ready to lose <u>everything</u>?¡±


    Sam was so blinded by her emotions she had failed to notice the sudden somberness of the words uttered. ¡°What do you mean, lose <u>everything</u>?¡±


    <hr>


    .


    So¡­ Is this what they meant¡­


    It almost felt like it took a conscious effort to keep breathing with how empty, exhausted, and helpless she felt. But with each passing second, those memories continued to repeat as if to further torment her on top of her losses. It was only as the agonizing minutes trudged by that the constant speaking back and forth between those near her had finally begun to unearth memories she had forgotten she had; Recollections of exchanges between Sebastian, Renzo, Dani, and her alongside others spoke of the foreigners they found back in Bogota, those who had been captured or killed after cleaning up the sites of pillaged compounds across Kennedy. Various European names had popped up after research, and now the accents sounded all too familiar. These were Rex¡¯s men, the same now as it was back then. Only the targets changed this time, and now she quickly began to wonder where they were headed during this detour she overheard. And soon after, the sense of self-preservation set back in.


    Turning her head, she saw they had just snaked through an intersection littered with chunks of concrete and shattered glass scattered about, noting the nearby buildings also with similar damage. Her experiences up until today had only showed her such frightening scenes at the street¡¯s level. Fear-instilling reminders of what had transpired to such an extent reminded her of one place in particular:


    The Delmont Building. We have to be nearby.


    Her mother then immediately took back over her entire conscious as anxiety from countless directions pressed on. And looking back towards the direction they faced, there it was, and it was a gut-wrenching sight to behold. She remembered leaving it only with what damage it took from the Tiger¡¯s attack, but it only took a second to realize and take in what terrible firepower she cast down upon it earlier after initiating the one-one-nine.


    ¡°What a nasty wreck,¡± the driver mumbled aloud as they pulled nearer. ¡°Six-group, we¡¯re arriving at the back entrance now.¡±


    Mom, please tell me they got to you in time¡­


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Comandante Espora Airport, Bahia Blanca, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Marian sat staring down a long stretch of dead-stopped traffic lined up along the exit to the unexpectedly clogged-up airport, hands impatiently tapping the steering wheel of the sedan she drove.


    Her mobile had been routed through one of her portable encryption devices she had taken out of her carry-on suitcase, and the call she was awaiting finally connected.


    ¡°Marian,¡± a heavy, tired, defeated voice came from Isaiah¡¯s end, concerning but at the same time much relieving. ¡°ETA.¡±


    ¡°Hours, but good to see you¡¯ve managed up safe hiding. The mess your boys caused naturally imploded the whole fucking air traffic network. I got rerouted to Espora, and I¡¯m still trying to get out now.¡±


    ¡°You never told me what held you up last night. You said you¡¯d be here before nightfall,¡± Isaiah continued.


    Despite knowing she had to own up to her unfulfilled promise, Marian could still pick up on the same desperation that had been building up since the last time they spoke, but something weighed even heavier this time. Something far more painful began to show itself with each word spoken, and she was sure it was something brewing since that call she received after the event involving his mother. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really am. Nothing has been easy getting to you without being detected.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I will send you my location,¡± he curtly continued. ¡°I¡¯ll remain here until then. I can¡¯t lose more than what I have¡­ can¡¯t afford any more mistakes.¡±


    ¡°I understand. And SAU must be well on their way- it¡¯s been past two hours and fifty minutes according to that poor sap¡¯s plans,¡± she spoke in reference to Adrian, having heard the news on him from her inner circle.


    ¡°Marian¡­¡±


    She brought her nervously drumming hands to a standstill upon his change in voice. ¡°Are you really alright?¡±


    ¡°I feel like such a failure,¡± he mumbled frustratingly. ¡°Rex is winning at this rate, and now¡­ my sister is about to have her sights locked harder on me than ever.¡±


    Marian immediately knew he was referencing her mother. She knew it was a matter of time before she found her son, but she didn¡¯t how much to assume had transpired.


    Isaiah continued: ¡°I showed my face to the world, and now I can¡¯t stop the delivery of Hexa¡¯s weapons back into the hands of Rodgers, alongside Samantha as well.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll have yours,¡± Marian quickly interjected. ¡°We all still have your back. Everyone does, and you¡¯ll have your chance to make your stand.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but it¡¯s who will remain to forgive me for what I did.¡±


    ¡°You did nothing wrong,¡± Marian attempted to keep things positive, knowing well he was no murderer. ¡°And you¡¯re not a failure, either. You are one step away from everything we aimed for.¡±


    ¡°Marian¡­ I was right there¡­¡±


    The long pause hinted enough to her how much pain he must have gone through and what he must have witnessed. And it was just that which urged her to break her silence on what she had learned from Alexander the other night. ¡°You know¡­ I¡­-¡±


    ¡°-And it wasn¡¯t Rex who sent my mother, either,¡± he interrupted with such an unexpected claim. ¡°Rex took her life. She found me herself and he took her from me¡­¡±


    ¡°Isaiah,¡± Marian so badly wanted to console him the second she realized the worst in fact transpired, much less how apparent it was it all happened in front of him.


    ¡°It still doesn¡¯t matter what can or can¡¯t be proven. When Samantha sees what she¡¯s about to see, it might already be over¡­ and Rex will have won after all.¡±


    ¡°Rex is in Space,¡± Marian blurted out unintentionally by reflex in response to the dire need for something to keep Isaiah going. ¡°Isaiah, do you hear me? He¡¯s confirmed in Space.¡± And after the tense silence that ensued, she couldn¡¯t help but finish spilling what she learned. ¡°Your father¡¯s contact helped me connect more dots. I only need one or two more connections and we find the bastard. Just you wait, and you keep doing your thing. I¡¯ll be there as soon as humanly possible, because the rest of what I need to get done can be done from anywhere.¡±


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    The fighting had been over, and the chaos settled as quickly as the dust, allowing crowds of those too curious to stay back out of caution to cluster around the blocked-off Delmont Building. Firefighters barricaded off one level of access for the continued effort against the spreading of the flames coming from the third through seventh floors, ambulances and police encircled an area of their own to evacuate the civilians who had been trapped inside, and the final barricaded circle was manned off by over thirty armed men without any uniform or mode of identification, a common sign of Underground activity allowed by local authorities.


    And it was each barricade Sam had to fight to get through despite the help she had from her Rex-affiliated escort. Each presenting that much more of an infuriating obstacle as she fought to find any sight of where her mother might have been brought to. Each passing of an ambulance gave no reward of discovery, each being another unknown face, and each passing of a paramedic offered similar results.


    And no one cared to hear her pleas, nor did they care to ask for details to help identify or point her in the right direction. Everyone had their own pleas for assistance or demands for information, drowning Sam¡¯s hopes with each step into a seemingly endless march of futility towards the center of the unstable building.


    Her pace began to slow to a stumble as she could no longer keep her eyes focused after her sustained dizzying search, and the front lobby she approached seemed to be already emptied ahead of time, as empty as her soul had become. She now questioned why they brought her here if it wasn¡¯t for bringing her to her mother. But then a cold tug of her shoulder from the man in front seemed almost interrogatingly, dragging her through the propped-open doorway.


    She felt the cold even stronger, now as an indescribable chill ran up her spine. She that instant knew why it was so empty there in the lobby; She saw two figures standing in the farthest corner behind the reception desk as if guarding the office behind.


    ¡°No, no- don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Sam mumbled aloud, refusing to believe what her doubts began screaming to her inside, but the push from behind forced her onward. She didn¡¯t realize how uncontrollably she was shaking, either, only to be made aware the second one of the guards approached her with a worried look and a sorrowful, turned lip.


    [Why- who sent her here?] the soft-spoken, dust-covered operative in full gear and armor instead directed his question to her escort. [Who the hell thought this would even be remotely acceptable?] He now continued in scorn, knowing good and well who she was.


    ¡°Rex¡¯s orders,¡± the man directly behind Sam bluntly replied.


    [Just because we cooperate with Rex doesn¡¯t mean we accept something as fucked up as this-] the man continued in futility before being interrupted once more.


    ¡°-Rex¡¯s orders,¡± were the stiff words once more. And it didn¡¯t matter the guard¡¯s concern any longer as Sam pressed forward on her own, much to the guards disbelief but had no intention to put up resistance.


    And into the office she went as if drawn in by a calling, seeing other armed men look, then step away from what they stood around.


    Her breath left her body in one gasping exhale, quickly falling halfway to her knees as she was caught from behind. She knew what had happened, but seeing her mother silent, still, lifeless on the floor took every ounce of her strength unlike any way she could have ever imagined. ¡°Mama¡­¡± she pitifully sobbed with what miniscule air she had left in her lungs, much in the same way she called for her when she was a toddler.


    Another man from in front came to help hold her steady as she lost all will to stand, yet fought to free herself from the grip of the man behind. Frantically fighting for each breath in between cries of agony, she won the fight with those around her out of pity, allowing her the freedom to muster the strength to feebly crawl next to her mother¡¯s side. ¡°Mama¡­¡± she continued in her teary, half-choked, strained voice, teetering on the verge of insanity.


    Laying next to her in a collapsing manner, she looked over her mother¡¯s face as if she were in a slumber, imagining seeing the rise and fall of her chest. Instead, she looked to find a gaping hole in her clothing just over her chest, further sucking away her grip on reality. ¡°No, not you, too, not you too!¡± She began screaming louder through her sobs, finding it harder and harder to breathe without choking. ¡°Mama!¡± She continued on, over and over, now squeezing the cold hand she latched onto like a child seeking consoling, only to receive nothing in return.


    Minutes passed as her denial eventually faded, giving into complete abandonment of her hopes, now yielding to her anger. And that very anger directed towards what she had taken away from her led her to a brief window of awareness; She felt something from the hand she held, sitting up just enough to get a closer glance and notice something amidst the streak of blood that had dried: fingerprints. Dried fingerprints.


    And she snapped.


    ¡°That bastard!¡± She shrieked as a surge of energy took over her, rushing to an upright, seated position as she took a closer look before turning to the others. ¡°Find him! Find out who this is and find him!¡± And without confirming if anyone registered her demands, she looked back once more, swearing she wasn¡¯t hallucinating. There they were, a full set of four finger prints that could only come from someone who had gently clasped ones hands as if parting ways one last time. She knew only one person who would be anywhere near there that would be in such a position. ¡°That fucking son of a bitch!¡± She screamed out again, now pounding the ground next to her in pure, unadulterated fury. ¡°I hate- I hate that son of a bitch! I swear I am fucking killing him!¡±


    And after collapsing from her rage, she no longer cared where she was carted off to. She only saw one thing and that was the sight of her brother over her dead mother. And that was all she remained fixated on during the trip back, uttering not a word to any other.

 157 - Breaking Point, Part 2

    Sam awoke the next morning, eyes slowly adjusting to the light coming from the clock display inches from her face as she took a moment to make out that it was just past eleven. She felt no need to arise from her makeshift bed, allowing her head to plop back on her rolled up blanket she used as a pillow. She didn¡¯t see any nightmares that night before, having already thoroughly lived her worst one to date. It was surreal waking up in one of Enrai¡¯s hidden-away compounds, all the while knowing Sebastian and Kaylen were the only two people she had left with her.


    She wished she could go back to sleep, only to instantly feel the surge and torment from several recurring regrets that would keep her awake a little longer.


    <hr>


    "Maybe being a lawyer is in my future, Mom. But I just don¡¯t feel it right now. I¡¯m twenty-five and you¡¯ve spent the last decade planning my future without any of my input. If you want to lose me like you did Isaiah, you can keep this up, or you can just let me breathe.¡±


    <hr>


    Why didn¡¯t I listen?! She¡¯d still be at home, waiting for me to get my shit straight¡­


    <hr>


    [Well, look, I can promise this,] Dani then spoke in a more comforting tone as she held a pinky finger up. [If any of us Navarre¡¯s get him first, we will let you decide what we¡¯ll do with him. Deal?]


    She understood the message, and was deeply appreciative of the offer, but was still baffled by what to do about the extended finger.


    Dani chuckled, taking Sam¡¯s right hand and pulled her pinky finger open and interlocked it with hers. [You don¡¯t know this kind of promise?] She laughed in reaction once again, and this time it was loud enough to cause Sam to join her despite how awkward it was.


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Renzo had Sam¡¯s sudden and uncomfortable attention, and it wasn¡¯t the sudden uptick in turbulence from the updrafts the shuttle ran through. [No one needs to be sorry. At least temporarily, this is our life, isn¡¯t it?]


    <hr>


    And now to think who I got killed¡­ over someone they had no business dying over¡­


    Tears began welling up again, and her sniffling spat that soon ensued elicited a reaction from across the room as the door opened up.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, now,¡± Sebastian calmly spoke as he eased through the doorway without opening it too much as to let in unnecessary light. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep.¡±


    Sam picked up all too well how much pain he had been trying to disguise as he sat by her side to comfort her. And nothing could hold her back from wrapping her arms around his waist as she squeezed him tightly, unable to speak for a long, painful moment. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I-¡±


    ¡°-We chose this life,¡± Sebastian heavily responded, cutting her off as he held her in return. ¡°No one can be sorry. We just make choices. And we live with them, and everyone is suffering, not just me.¡±


    It took a few moments after hearing that for Sam to gather the strength to pull herself upright, now able to see his face. Just as she was, his eyes were swollen, tired from crying, and dry of any tears left. The rest of his face wore proof of his lack of sleep, sunken and dark. This, she felt, was the breaking point she feared would show up, but it still paled in comparison to the fear of what would await her or the both of them if she walked away to cut her losses.


    ¡°Listen, Sam,¡± he calmly began, triggering an anxious jump from Sam. ¡°They are letting me take my brother and sister back to Colombia tomorrow.¡± He tried to hold gazes with her, but found it too difficult as the painful memories tried hard to derail his thoughts. ¡°I¡­ have to put them to rest¡­ properly. Come with me,¡± he then asked of her, now intently looking back at her with his sincere plea. ¡°Please.¡±


    Sam retreated instinctively to a more defensive posture, unable to look back immediately. ¡°You know I want to, but there¡¯s¡­ I mean¡­¡± She dared not look to confirm how hurt her obvious reluctance would leave Sebastian, struggling frustratingly to find a proper response. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do, Sebastian. Honestly,¡± she finished with a more emphatic tone, finally able to look back up at him to see he was surprisingly patient enough to let her think it through. ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t know what I want to do right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He smiled weakly in return. ¡°Please think about it. We can¡¯t leave until tomorrow, but I don¡¯t want to leave without you, either. It¡¯s a lot for me to think, too.¡±


    A knock at the wall near the door caught their attention. Kaylen emerged from the doorway, looking away just enough out of respect. ¡°Glad you¡¯re up. Hexa¡¯s on call. They need you right away, Knight,¡± she flatly spoke before turning to leave. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Sam and Sebastian looked at each other as if to communicate: ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later¡± before slowly getting up.


    And knowing she¡¯d need a moment to reset herself somewhat, she asked for a detour at the restroom, finding it fortunately empty and quiet. Making her way through the piles of boxes and other equipment leaned against the wall, she stood in front of the mirror, staring down at the old, antiquated sink basin before turning it on. After a quick splash to her face, an aggravated rub from both hands over her cheeks and eyes, and a wipe of most of the water dripping down, she stood there to see her reflection in a suddenly different light. It was like she was back at Colombia for the first time all over again. She felt a similar weariness, even down to the scrapes and bruises. She felt a similar mental exhaustion, albeit much deeper reaching this time. But beyond that door was a similar emptiness. Before, she had no one awaiting her as those perished were those she never truly knew. But this time, the tides were completely turned, and the darkness quickly encroached on her sanity still teetering on the edge, prompting her to wash her face again through heightened frustration and a muffled, futile cry for help.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Adding to her desperation came that one video phone call she got from her mother, quickly tying into doubts that clouded her confidence on her choice to stay on Earth that day. But it was like she could only now see the genuine concern through her at-the-time seemingly harsh, uncaring stance. For that next moment as she caught her breath, she pondered in futility if that was the only way she knew how to show concern to anyone she loved.


    And then Isaiah resurfaced. His face, his cold, judgmental gaze, and his voice all at once. And she remembered that instant what kept her moving at times she wanted to quit most.


    No, it¡¯s different this time, Sam told herself as she rejoined Sebastian in the hallway. He took her under his arm as they followed Kaylen¡¯s lead. Sebastian there by her side was one large part of the solace she found in her decision to keep moving, but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on the other part she felt but couldn¡¯t picture. Regardless, her feet continued pushing her along, gaze locked ahead. It¡¯s just like Renzo and Dani said, she thought as she pushed welling tears back down forcefully. We all made our choices. We had- and will always have- our reasons, and I¡¯m sticking to them.


    She passed a wall mounted monitor along the way, catching sight of the local news showing a face, named ¡°Oman Orsi,¡± alongside what appeared to be brief details of his death. All was with the added backdrop of the partially smoldering SAU Assembly Hall, which Sam instantly recognized. And as they passed the open doorway to the room immediately adjacent, she saw even more monitors up and showing several news broadcasts, all focusing on the same incident.


    ¡°Why that? These people already know everything,¡± Sam irritatingly mumbled aloud to herself.


    ¡°Well,¡± Sebastian offered. ¡°I believe it is because they must keep knowledge of the public image of¡­ well¡­ everything. Everything we gain or lose, as long as we are with the Underground, no one outside will know,¡± he continued wearily. ¡°And at the same time, everything the people of the public gains or loses, we have to know it all.¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Sam trailed off as she regretted getting Sebastian started down a difficult path she knew couldn¡¯t be good for either of them.


    ¡°This reminds me of home,¡± he added to her surprise as his voice continued towards a soft, choked-up strain. ¡°The familia that I worked for. They worked the same way. We all worked the same way.¡±


    Sam slowed to a stop as Sebastian found himself locked onto a news screen that showed Sam¡¯s face and personal information. She wasn¡¯t as fear-stricken this time around, however, but rather accepting, considering the damage she dealt around town. ¡°Yep. Here we go again.¡± She then tugged at his arm to suggest moving along. ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    .


    Fear-stricken she was, however, once she entered the darkened communications room that had Vincent Vrey¡¯s live feed on the central holographic display. She didn¡¯t think moments ago to be fearful of the ramifications dealing with her Hexa ties. Not only was her identity fully outed, but her familial ties to Reaper was also outed. That alone might get her fired from what she figured in that instant she met his gaze. He didn¡¯t look necessarily pleased, either, and now she feared the worst in that he would assume Sam knew this whole time and withheld such critical information.


    But with a quick break of her gaze, glancing aside to avoid eye contact reflexively, she noted an unfamiliar face next to him. This man in particular looked concerned more than his boss figure in front.


    ¡°Samantha,¡± Vincent spoke as Sam was ushered to a seat at the large table. ¡°We are pressed for time, so I will keep this short. But we are all so immensely relieved you and Mr. Navarre here are still safe.¡±


    She initially felt relieved that he had no intent on admonishing her, but it quickly turned to discontent, now realizing he chose not to mention the same for Dani and Renzo, nor offer condolences for something he should have long been aware of. Those were his hand-selected employees as of recent, at that. ¡°Yes, sir. Trying our best with what little we can,¡± she dryly responded, unable to put out her usual polite tone.


    ¡°And we¡¯re extremely saddened by the loss of your mother,¡± Vincent added, much to her surprise and shock as her eyes shot wide open.


    Sebastian even felt her gasp that exact moment.


    ¡°Your father had been off of our communication grid for weeks, then broke the news to us just hours earlier before disappearing completely once again. We fear he¡¯s about to be involved very soon, and now we¡¯re trying to help Enrai put a close to this as soon as absolutely and humanly possible.¡±


    Wait, what?! Dad told them?! But why? Why them, and why would he bother after how they treated him?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what else I can do, though, sir,¡± Sam continued in her dry tone, unwilling to join in on whatever new game he had planned. She was too drained, and she knew Sebastian was the same. Without the Arondight- which was the whole reason she pushed forward with the previous plan as far as she had, she felt there was no light at the end of any tunnel he could prepare for them. And additionally, she now realized she had no reason to care what Vrey, or anyone at Hexa, thought of her as of now regardless of her situation with her brother.


    At this rate, I hope they try to call me off or cut me loose. I suddenly feel like have nothing to gain from them anymore.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why we called you and Mrs. Rodgers here. We needed to confirm your physical status, and now that we have, I can tell you two things,¡± Vincent continued, unaware of Sam¡¯s averted eye contact. ¡°One is that your father tried to convince us to get you to safety due to the circumstances. Two is us planning to do just that. Enrai has the protocol in place to get you and Mrs. Rodgers the Arondight and the Galatine as soon as tomorrow.¡±


    Sam¡¯s eyes widened once more, but this time in a different form of surprise. She was convinced the Arondight was a lost cause despite hearing it wasn¡¯t a goner.


    Vincent could tell he had her full attention now. ¡°We spent too much on those units to trust them to any susceptible form of transportation. We are still in possession of them and are ready to move forward on the backup plan for delivery.¡±


    Sam recalled feeling something helped push her forward moments ago, and this was it. When nightmares didn¡¯t plague her subconscious, the warm glow from the advanced direct GUI of the Arondight called to her. She had logged so many intense, exhausting but bond-building hours for what she thought may have been for nothing. But in that one line from Vincent, she felt a new sense of hope surge from within. That was the one tool, the one equalizer she desperately needed in such times. ¡°I¡¯m ready to move forward with whatever you need me to do, sir,¡± she immediately responded without an ounce of hesitation.


    Sebastian¡¯s lips tightened, and Sam saw the distrust in his eyes when she turned to look for his reaction.


    ¡°We do worry about your spiritual state,¡± Vincent quickly added. ¡°You¡¯ve lost your mother.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± She uncharacteristically quipped, snapping back towards the holographic transmission. ¡°With all due respect, sir, the Arondight is the only way I can make things right after all of my slip-ups and failures.¡±


    ¡°Sam,¡± Sebastian whispered from behind to no avail.


    She now only felt the power to fight back with a power she had never imagined wielding nor desired to wield up until recent. And in this moment, it was stronger than she could have expected. And it was more addicting of a feeling than anything, and she though felt its toxicity she offered it no resistance. ¡°I am absolutely ready to move forward. I appreciate the concerns, but my will is only solidified, not shaken.¡±

 158 - Uncharted Waters

    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ Unknown Location, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Everywhere Isaiah set up camp followed his usual table comprised of scattered notebooks, papers, and various electronic devices using analog connections to avoid wireless transmission interceptions. And hovering over one heavily used logbook was Isaiah¡¯s sunken face, revealing he had not slept since his showing up at the SAU¡¯s Assembly Hall. And now that his identity was fully revealed, he had no choice but to remain even further hidden until the dust settled, and hopefully in his favor after all that went awry.


    He wore an over-the-ears headset with one ear partly uncovered, almost as if waiting to hear something. And that he did, as moments later he heard the creak of an opening door, followed by familiar footsteps. He removed his headset and placed it near his logbook as he quickly reported to his guest without even a look: ¡°I just confirmed what we heard rumors of. That ship Hexa supposedly utilized- the one we took out yesterday¡­ turns out it was a dummy. Intel failed us; The Arondight and Galatine weren¡¯t on it.¡±


    A neatly wrapped sandwich of sorts was gently placed at his right, catching his attention only for a brief second before continuing: ¡°And Vrey is pushing hard to keep Samantha on board as I feared.¡±


    ¡°Eat,¡± Marian¡¯s concerned voice firmly spoke from behind, followed by a sigh after getting no response. ¡°Isaiah, we have to let things play out while I figure out Rex¡¯s location or identity in the meantime. Besides, you¡¯ll collapse at this rate. Especially since-¡±


    ¡°-Hold on,¡± Isaiah said with a finger up, listening intently on something coming through his headset.


    Marian held her thoughts but only momentarily, shaking her head as she dropped her shouldered messenger bag to the chair near her. Letting out a sigh, she turned to wait until she could speak. Almost five minutes passed when Isaiah¡¯s head lifted from its tensed position, signaling perhaps he was done for the time being. ¡°Do you know how much Liotta and his failed little ¡®Operation Big One¡¯ has caused you? You realize you are in absolutely no position to go out in public, much less in an aggressor¡¯s role.¡±


    Isaiah half-turned her way with an impatient frown. ¡°You do realize this is Samantha¡¯s meeting with Vrey that I am listening in on.¡±


    Marian finally elected to pull up an empty chair to the table, taking her time to think of a better response than the one sitting at the edge of her tongue, finding a notepad Isaiah had jotted notes of the previous day¡¯s incidents. ¡°I think letting this one wind itself down is better than forcing a quick finish, especially if it¡¯s to all end up our victory just the same,¡± she finally spoke up as she took her seat, gingerly picking up the notepad to give it a glance. ¡°You really expect Vrey to just spit out any kind of glaringly obvious details to his plans? Or have you perhaps gone mad since you last got yourself directly involved in the fight?¡±


    ¡°I only needed to confirm a few things,¡± he answered without bothering to take any offense to her curt remarks. He knew she was still concerned, just growing impatient of his stubbornness that he was fully aware of yet couldn¡¯t fight back. ¡°I have to get any piece of information I can about what I will face.¡±


    ¡°Face!?¡± Marian fussed with a snap of her attention directed toward him. ¡°You have nothing left to use but whatever Bishop still has in its arsenal!¡± But the more she looked him in the eye the more she saw his determination, and it was one that seemed to have untestable potential. ¡°You mean to say you found a way to the Curtana, don¡¯t you,¡± she now spoke in almost a whisper, shaking her head with a fearful frown.


    Isaiah took in a slow, deep breath before letting out a troubled sigh, taking his headset off and resting it around the back of his neck. ¡°How to get the Curtana¡­ Those were some of my mother¡¯s last words to me, Marian.¡±


    Marian hoped to completely avoid the topic upon her arrival, but she knew it would come about sooner rather than later. ¡°Isaiah, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to-¡±


    ¡°-It was inevitable,¡± Isaiah cut her off, looking back at his logbook he was jotting notes down on. ¡°I¡­¡± He attempted to finish explaining the most logical way around the objective side of the painful memory, finding himself pausing mid-sentence, paralyzed by his regrets. ¡°For all I know¡­¡± he finally got out through a clenched throat. ¡°I killed her. She¡¯s dead because of me.¡± He felt Marian¡¯s quick-approaching intervention, countering it with a shake of his head. ¡°I knew it was coming, and so did she. That¡¯s why I have no choice but to carry through with this.¡± He heavily picked up the logbook, turning to slowly hand it over in manner suggesting Marian read through it.


    She surprisingly saw no sorrow in his eyes, pondering what he meant by the mention of killing her, despite believing he pulled no trigger. But either way, she knew more now than ever that he was on the verge of insanity himself, if not something with far more catastrophic consequences. ¡°Samantha wants you dead either way, and this will be suicide with the Navarre¡¯s and Rodgers at her side,¡± she stiffly warned him before glancing through his notes.


    She then saw what she least expected, having not had a chance to read any aftermath reports. ¡°Renzo Navarre¡­ Daniela Navarre¡­ KIA listed. Kaylen Rodgers, cooldown period until December 14<sup>th</sup>- no access to Reign Operating System,¡± she mumbled aloud as her brow raised further and her hopes for holding Isaiah back faded. ¡°Bishop assets accounted for- where did they get all of this?!¡± She fussed, now looking directly back at Isaiah. ¡°You are taking the Curtana to lead an army of sorts? Against-?!¡± She cut herself short to look once more toward the bottom before shooting back immediately after: ¡°You¡¯ve drawn Tyrus, Nero, and Wyvern¡¯s Underground into this?!¡±


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Oman Orsi didn¡¯t completely fail,¡± Isaiah flatly replied as he took the logbook back. ¡°He rallied the other hardliner¡¯s assets last month under several tables. This fight here in Buenos Aires is against not just the weaker factions, but we are taking down the one thing that breathed life back into Hexa, and in turn, back into the SAU branch we tried to dismantle with Operation Big One.¡± He then pointed to a flipped page as he handed the logbook back to her. ¡°Samantha is Vrey¡¯s newest poster child, just like he did with his son. What was his face of his program for the Confeds before is now his face for Infinity, and the big heroine took down a Tiger downtown, saving the city.¡±


    His tone then grew cold as he leaned back, staring off into the distant darkness of the unlit corner of the room. ¡°The SAU presence as of now is as amassed as it will get; If we strike soon, we get the effect we originally intended. That draws in the weaker Underground factions along with Rex¡¯s thoroughly fractured resource network, and in turn, Samantha. If I take her down before the Galatine goes live, Infinity falls, Rex falls, as will this continent¡¯s confidence in the overly complacent SAU.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re forgetting about Rex altogether, then?¡± Marian asked, wondering why she sacrificed her hours of work seemingly for nothing by the way Isaiah suggested fighting him head on rather than dismantling him from within.


    ¡°No,¡± he answered with sudden stiffness, shaking his focus back together as he put his headset back over his ears. ¡°Rex¡¯s forces will fall first, then he himself will have his time come soon enough, thanks to you.¡±


    .


    .


    <ul>


    <li>¡¡¡ñ¡¡¡ñ North Palermo District, Buenos Aires, Argentina, SAU</li>


    </ul>


    Sam left the communications room with a tense sigh, exhaustion and depression mixed with a new shot of inexplicable anticipation. Sebastian soon followed behind, as did Kaylen, and the three found themselves sitting on the floor and against the recessed wall along the mostly empty connecting hallway.


    ¡°Two days,¡± Sam told herself under her breath, repeating the instructions told to her moments ago in her head. ¡°Two days wandering a city I¡¯ve never visited before, looking for a target location or person,¡± she now wryly chuckled to herself. ¡°This is what, the fourth time we¡¯ve been in that situation, now?¡±


    ¡°Sam,¡± Sebastian impatiently reminded her what he was trying to get in before being naturally silenced by the situation earlier. And as he took in a breath to continue, he didn¡¯t notice Kaylen was now looking in on the rapidly changing air between the two with a keen eye. ¡°I want to say one thing now that I see what is going on,¡± he continued, looking her dead in the eye as he put his hands over hers. ¡°You are falling to pieces. Come with me tomorrow so that you don¡¯t have to lose yourself in the process- They can¡¯t tell you no.¡±


    Sam quickly remembered him asking about going with him to Colombia earlier, and she immediately dismissed any negative feelings that might have risen up in response to him going against her staunch determination. She knew he had to go, and it made her feel the weight of several layers of guilt for denying him outright this time. She wouldn¡¯t have the heartbeat to produce the wind necessary to speak in return if it wasn¡¯t for both of his siblings¡¯ sacrifices, after all. ¡°I have to do this, Sebastian. I have to finish this for good, and you know I have to,¡± she spoke after gathering the courage, smiling weakly in return. ¡°I want to go with you so badly, especially for their sake as well, but you know this can¡¯t wait or everything will have been in vain.¡± She winced at his turned-away sigh, trying to hold gaze. ¡°We can¡¯t lose any more than we have, and stopping this is the only option we have to-¡±


    Sebastian abruptly stood up, pausing in tense hesitation before ultimately biting his tongue as he turned to walk away.


    Sam extended her hand reflexively as if to grab a hold, but in that same moment she felt the cold rush of reality sweep over her as he distanced himself down the hallway, never stopping or turning to look back. He was already past his breaking point. And as tightly as her throat closed in on itself, choking out any words she could have uttered to change his mind, what she knew she denied him gripped her conscience even tighter.


    Don¡¯t go, her mind wanted to speak out so desperately, but it was like something pulled back, keeping her tongue in her mouth. And as hot tears of fear, desperation, and panic began to trickle down just the same as the day prior, she instantly felt trapped, isolated by the prison she chose. No tears would bring back her mother, Renzo, Dani, nor Sebastian at this point.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Kaylen spoke from behind with a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Give him space. I know all about that from experience,¡± she heavily advised, and continued despite Sam seemingly unaware she was even talking. ¡°We have to keep moving forward, and he has to go his direction as well. You can¡¯t let one person dictate both people¡¯s paths if they aren¡¯t meant to be one in the same.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving up on us just yet,¡± Sam muttered in a broken voice, still looking down the empty hallway.


    ¡°I know. You shouldn¡¯t give up on him, and hey- you also have another path to not give up on, either.¡± She finally had Sam¡¯s attention, albeit because she had not much other choice. ¡°You can do both, not just for him, but for you as well.¡±


    Sam wasn¡¯t expecting to hear a softer side from Kaylen after nothing but harsher words and stances since Bahia Blanca.


    ¡°I know, crazy coming from me,¡± Kaylen answered without having been asked anything other than going by Sam¡¯s easily read expression. ¡°But the most important thing is coming back to an intersection in your paths where you both laid to rest what you have to, and let what tore you apart be completely out of the way so that your futures can rejoin once more.¡±


    Sam finally realized that moment why Kaylen was still carrying her married name all this time despite her lifestyle choices. There was a lot to get to know about her, and it felt like this was about to be something to capitalize on-


    ¡°-I still need to go talk to him even just one last time, sorry,¡± Sam interrupted her own thoughts, speaking as she quickly stood up, brushing herself off before taking off down the hallway after Sebastian. ¡°Thanks! I¡¯m taking your words to heart!¡± She shouted back before disappearing while wiping away what tears she could.

 159 - Uncharted Waters, Part 2

    Connecting hallway after connecting hallway, mixed with elevators in between ¨C not a single one led her to Sebastian. Feelings of confusion as to how quickly he disappeared soon turned into panic. As she continued looking around, asking for his whereabouts to unfamiliar faces to no result, she kept remembering more and more vividly how he snapped the day he lost the last inkling of what he called home and a stable sense of life. But that was only losing the Galeano Family. This time it was losing his real family on top of what he must have seen as Sam abandoning him to boot.


    For the third time, she tried reaching his mobile but likewise to no avail, finding herself dizzied by the number of times she turned about the accessible level of the compound. She now realized how much of a mistake she made not hearing out Sebastian just a minute longer. There had to have been some compromise to make but she was too stubborn to have any of it, and it ate her up as she wearily gave up. Face buried in her hands, leaning against the wall, she slid down to a crouch, feeling her own assaulting fears of self-caused isolation kick in full strength once more. And despite the noise of busy machines and scurrying feet, she felt completely alone.


    A vibration pattern from her phone snapped her out of it, immediately picking it up without a glance to shout out: ¡°Sebastian?!¡±


    ¡°Samantha,¡± spoke a familiar voice she least expected to hear as a sickening flash of cold ran up her spine.


    No, Samantha immediately told herself as she felt herself facing the same dilemma in a stomach-turning manner. Not this time.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time right now!¡± She whispered a shout as she hung up on Rex and stood up with a heavy but relieving huff. After a few breaths and a pressing of the call silence on her watch to ignore the repeated incoming calls, she felt the approach of someone behind her.


    ¡°He left,¡± Kaylen spoke out to her as she walked up beside her. ¡°I just asked for you and they said he went up top.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that dangerous for us out there?!¡± Sam asked, concerned but not surprised. ¡°I¡¯m even more worried he¡¯s about to go drink or do something he¡¯s going to regret.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I came to find you. I need to go find him, and I know my way around this area enough to stay out of the wrong eyes,¡± Kaylen continued with a reassuring pat on her shoulder before pulling her towards the elevator Sam just walked past earlier. ¡°And I need you to stay below and stay safe.¡±


    ¡°But why not me!? Why just you?¡± Sam immediately responded anxiously.


    Kaylen dropped her soft approach, quickly resetting her face to a more serious one with a short huff. ¡°Sebastian being up and out there puts us at risk, and he in turn is putting you at even bigger of a risk.¡± She saw Sam¡¯s expression change accordingly at the thought as she continued with a tougher tone: ¡°And if you go up, it¡¯s ten times the risk. Are you not thinking straight or what? What if this all ends up for nothing if someone dangerous jumps you?¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Sam quickly gave up, realizing Kaylen couldn¡¯t have been bluffing about her being the best to go look, knowing she¡¯d survived all these years. Even remembering how well she spoke Argentine Spanish was enough to drive her point home. ¡°Can you please keep me in the loop as you look?¡±


    Kaylen too had taken some of her edge off, realizing her point had been received. ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to say before I went up. I¡¯ll keep you posted. Do you have any idea what he tends to drink?¡±


    Sam only took a second to recall the last time she joked about his handling of drinking back in Bogota. ¡°Tequila.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Kaylen quickly and confidently responded, much to Sam¡¯s surprise. ¡°Here,¡± she then spoke as the elevator opened and she motioned her in. ¡°I¡¯ll see you down, and I¡¯ll go up from there, alright?¡±


    Once they got in the elevator and the doors closed, Sam felt safe enough to reveal what she just did a minute prior. ¡°Hey, real quick- I need to tell you something unrelated.¡± She fumbled around with her mobile¡¯s screen nervously before showing her the screen displaying the last incoming calls. ¡°This was Rex, and I hung up on him- I even ignored the calls coming in after.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Kaylen once more surprisingly replied without hesitation. ¡°We got enough going on besides hearing the obvious from someone out to ruin your life in a way.¡±


    ¡°Wait, ruin my life?¡± Sam asked in deeper confusion. ¡°I thought we were all on the same side, now.¡±


    ¡°Rex never wanted anything for anyone other than himself, and he¡¯ll seek anyone¡¯s ruin in order to obtain it, especially from those who serve him best.¡± Kaylen took in a long breath before finishing as they arrived at the bottom floor. ¡°Just like Bishop, just like Enrai, Tyrus, you name ¡®em. Just like every other person you¡¯ll work for in this realm.¡±


    And as the door opened, Sam reluctantly stepped out. Looking back for a second, she saw Kaylen already looking at her watch. ¡°So, I should keep ignoring him, right?¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°You can talk to him if it makes you feel better,¡± she curtly replied without looking back, triggering Sam to stick to the original plan as the door closed.


    .


    .


    It was a long walk back to the room where she was staying, having nowhere else to go. But despite how much Sebastian¡¯s whereabouts and concerns for him ravaged her conscious, one name did sail through as she took her mobile out, quickly searching up ¡°Dad.¡± Closing the door, she quickly ran over to and fell on her bed as the other side rang, already feeling the roaring back of the memories of her lost mother. She knew her father would still be there for her, but at this point, the thought of him being the last one left for her was overwhelming as tears began welling up again.


    ¡°Sam, thank God,¡± her father spoke the instant he picked up, triggering further choking up and hotter tears from Sam.


    ¡°Daddy,¡± she whimpered through her sniffling like a lost child, spending almost a minute through tense, teary, but understood silence as she fought to find the words to convey even just one of the millions of thoughts storming through her conscious.


    ¡°I feel so alone.¡±


    ¡°Sam, I¡¯ll always be here,¡± he quickly but calmy replied. ¡°We¡¯ve made it together tough times before, and I¡¯ll see to it we do the same this time as well. Are you in a safe place right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied after trying to calm herself and catch her breath. ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°I have to cut the call short for now to avoid overexposure but I¡¯ll say what I need to. Your mother had me promise to tell you something if anything happened to her.¡±


    Sam froze in place as that line brought her conscious back over to the moment where she kneeled over her body, feeling as if she were waiting for her father¡¯s words to come out of her mouth as if to leave a parting goodbye.


    ¡°Run if you can, but if you won¡¯t, don¡¯t hate your brother.¡±


    Sam and her mother¡¯s opinions rarely aligned, hence the familiar sting, although dulled through her numbness, still struck deep. ¡°Why?¡± she asked as if still speaking to her.


    ¡°He¡¯s been driven to his state of desperation by someone or something. Stop him but don¡¯t hate him for his mistaken path,¡± Al¡¯s voice trailed before adding one last statement: ¡°Sam, you remind me of myself. The machine calls, and you risk everything and lose everything yet you can¡¯t turn away. I saw this coming, and promised I would protect you in every way I can- and I will.¡±


    Sam felt he was about to hang up as her voice cracked: ¡°Wait! Where are you?¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t answer that just yet, but be sure to call any chance you find yourself on a fully encrypted line,¡± he calmingly replied as the call ended.


    Sam slowly turned her mobile¡¯s screen off and put it by her bag before rolling over, curling up into a ball.


    I wonder what he meant when he said he couldn¡¯t tell me where he was¡­ at least he¡¯s contactable unlike Mom, who never was, She thought as she gripped her knees tighter.


    And over the next few minutes her mind would continue to race back and forth between sorrow, regret, and anger before her mind fluttered back to Sebastian. She had her mother ripped from her life, but Sebastian was still out there. Grasping what hope she could, she quickly rolled out as she ignored Kaylen¡¯s words of caution from earlier.


    Right. I still need to fight for what I can, and I have to make things better before it¡¯s too late.


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Kaylen sat impatiently at the bar of a small pub and restaurant with her eyes glued to her watch. She had no one nearby, allowing her to type a response to a chain of communications on screen: [I thought he was confirmed to be here. Even Ella expected it.]


    A ping and a response quickly showed up, reading: [I told you. He got out between waves of interference. You know we¡¯re still not clear of all the jammers Bishop had put out.]


    With a frustrated huff, she stood up and left before the barista could even have a chance to come check back up on her. And after leaving and finding a quiet alleyway a block away, she walked up to a set of posters tacked on a bulletin board and began to feel around for something on the bricks below. Pulling back one brick, it revealed to be a case covering as she pressed the switch inside, opening a heavy, windowless door nearby. Slipping in quietly, she then found the light switch, revealing the now lit room to be nothing more than a storage closet of sorts.


    [Enrai,] she now openly spoke into her headset. [I know you have some kind of lead on him. He¡¯s a massive liability to us being out in the open like this.]


    [He¡¯s leaving, let him return to grieve in peace.] Enrai¡¯s signature digital voice was quick to respond, almost as if they were expecting such a request. [He contains no valuable intel, either. You were there during the briefing- why do you carry such urgence?]


    [He¡¯s actually¡­] Kaylen trailed off before taking in a slow breath and letting out a troubled sigh. [I¡¯m not worried about him personally, to be honest. It¡¯s him being collateral that will derail Vrey¡¯s plan to get the Arondight in Knight¡¯s hands.] She shook off whatever hesitation she had left inside her as she continued: [I want them both gone, to be honest. Tell me you don¡¯t agree.]


    Enrai paused, leaving Kaylen in an awkward wait. [You want our best pilot asset to walk away? Are you not serving the same mission as the rest of us?]


    Kaylen was already prepared mentally for that exact doubt, however. The bomb she dropped was long on her mind, and this was her only time to make sure it hit. [I only need to survive long enough to get off my cool-down period, which is only five days away. If I get back in the air with Reign, this whole damn thing is over, I swear. Knight and her recent losses- and also her upcoming boyfriend problems are only going to be a liability and you know this.]


    She took the even longer pause from Enrai as perhaps a sign she went a bit too far. [Don¡¯t get me wrong. I have nothing against them personally, and I wish them a happy life outside of this. But you know I can¡¯t let anything get in the way of me ending this mess once and for all for myself. This was my job, my mission from you originally, and my mission from Vrey himself. Am I wrong?]


    [No, Emilia, to answer your unnecessary question. Furthermore, I rather dislike your emotions playing a part in any of this. Stand down and return to protocol. We will handle the rest.]


    The sudden disconnecting sound had Kaylen jump, leaving her with crushing radio silence she would remain sitting through for a long minute before finally stirring from her spot.

 160 - Uncharted Waters, Part 3

    [No, Emilia, to answer your unnecessary question. Furthermore, I rather dislike your emotions playing a part in any of this. Stand down and return to protocol. We will handle the rest.]


    The sudden disconnecting sound had Kaylen jump, leaving her with crushing radio silence she would remain sitting through for a long minute before finally stirring from her spot.


    ¡°All they need is Rex gone¡­¡± she mumbled through her confusion and frustrated feelings from Enrai¡¯s denial. ¡°¡­Why do they need her when I can finish the job myself? I¡¯ll be done with my end of the bargain and Enrai gets what he needed most¡­¡±


    She then let out a sigh and re-entered a different call command, leaning against one of the bare walls and stared out through one of the gaps in the slats covering the lone window that let in a tiny glimpse of the busy outside world. Once the line connected, she quickly asked the other side: [What¡¯s Ella¡¯s whereabouts?] And as she let her gaze fade into the distance, the response she got shook her back to reality in a snap. [To the surface?! Who the hell- which exit did she leave from!?] She then frantically paced around the cramped room, waiting for an explanation before quickly hanging up and leaving in a hurry.


    .


    .


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    Across the other end from the subway-level compound¡¯s reach across the city block, Sam emerged from the inconspicuous exit that spit her out into the backside of a busy street. Dark from the blocked sun by the towering high-rises surrounding her and dizzied by the swirls and echoes from the passing engines, rolling tires, and horns, she clumsily made her way for what should be, from her perspective, the end of the alley that could help her reset her bearings. She took each step carefully, pacing her breath, and eventually held her wooziness back enough to remember what she knew she risked coming to the surface.


    But this is what I have to do, she thought as she adjusted her jacket¡¯s hood she had pulled over her head, being cautious of the side that might expose her pink highlights. She kept her arms forcefully to her sides and attempted to adjust her pace to a more casual one, finding the street corner that ended at a massive five-lane intersection. Fearful of looking too obviously lost to anyone, she struggled to access her short-term memory blocks for where her target location was as she nonchalantly scanned the two packed street corners across the intersection. Upon finally determining her direction, she took a few breaths to calm herself down while waiting for the crosswalk signal to change. And before the light changed, she then calculated her mode of safe travel, spotting what she saw as a good shield from the public eye.


    She timed each step along her tasked stroll to keep herself behind the young couple in front of her as their chit chat was loud enough to keep them from hearing her own footsteps, and the lovey-dovey aura they gave off should be enough of a distraction to others to keep their eyes on them. One more glance at her watch helped her confirm the three-block walk she had in front of her, feeling a bit more at ease as her trek seemed not as daunting as she feared, and the light yet talkative crowd that walked the same line around her provided just the right amount of attention buffer.


    A few slower, paced breaths later and she finally found the peace enough to focus on what she wanted to tell Sebastian, hoping to get the words in her head straight one last time. But as the block came to a pause at the next crosswalk light, she heard a soft hum and a chime from her earpiece, almost as if in sync with her arrival at that specific point. She knew exactly what it was, who it was, and also what Kaylen last spoke of about it.


    That¡¯s Rex on a secure line, isn¡¯t it. Persistent bastard¡­


    She ran her hands over her eyes as she looked down in conflicting thought, then reached over to her watch as she took in a deep breath.


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    Fine. Let me get this shit over with. I got more important things to worry about.


    ¡°Samantha,¡± Rex wasted no time picking up where he left off. ¡°You aren¡¯t safe.¡±


    Shit! He¡¯s watching me!?


    Her body tightened up as if ready to dart off, yet she didn¡¯t know where to or how, or what he even meant. ¡°Excuse me?¡± She feebly replied, careful not to look around and give anything away.


    ¡°They¡¯re looking for you, but in the wrong places. They don¡¯t realize you¡¯re headed for the San Cayetano Cathedral. When you get there, stay inside until the coast is clear.¡± He paused as if expecting a speechless response, waiting until the light changed. ¡°Cross. Keep going as you planned.¡±


    ¡°This is really unnerving,¡± Sam responded in forced casualness, struggling not to look around despite knowing she had no hopes of figuring out how she was being watched. ¡°Who¡¯s looking for me?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t determine that, but it¡¯s not my circle. The next thing I have to tell you is to beware of your partner.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sam suddenly spoke in a stronger tone. ¡°You¡¯re not about to suggest I start doubting even a shred about him-¡±


    ¡°-Not Mr. Navarre, Samantha,¡± Rex cut her off. ¡°Mrs. Rodgers. You don¡¯t know of the things she says when you¡¯re not around.¡±


    Sam took a moment to fight through the flurry of guesses that cropped up all at once. She had been conscious of how she never once felt completely at ease around her, yet at the same time, she pondered if Kaylen ever once said something she should have taken caution toward. ¡°What am I supposed to do with that information?¡± She asked with her voice back to her previously hushed volume.


    ¡°Her goals do not align with yours. I can¡¯t say for certain what all that entails, but be aware. Pay extra attention to her tone and her actions as you move forward with your new assignments. Additionally, we don¡¯t know how much we can trust anyone with Infinity or with Hexa at this point, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°Not sure if I doubt anyone at Hexa- my father and Mr. Lucian would say otherwise.¡±


    ¡°You might just be a tool, serving their goals and not yours, and that is in direct correlation with Mrs. Rodger¡¯s predicament if you recall. Speak to Mr. Navarre and determine if your path is the one you choose to take, then call me back to determine the safety of your path back.¡±


    Sam remained silent, allowing the other side to disconnect, feeling heavier more than ever.


    Am I a tool for Infinity? Or am I a tool for Rex at this rate?


    She kept pace, eyeing the last crosswalk ahead as she allowed her mind to wander further off into deeper thought.


    Sebastian might have a point. This may never end, even if I do find a way to get back at him.


    A loud rumble of an older internal combustion engine bumbled by, momentarily catching her attention. The sight of the truck reminded her of the trucks Dani and Renzo drove, sinking her heart even further into the darkness she tried to avoid earlier before setting out to talk to Sebastian.


    And this all hits me in waves. I can¡¯t imagine how suffocating this is for Sebastian.


    Her thoughts then reverted back to where they started, wishing she could remain by his side to keep him comforted. But once more, as her steps slowed to a halt at the last intersection, the thoughts began cracking and crumbling behind the fears, fed by recurring nightmares, of bullets and rockets pounding down on them from any thinkable safe-haven. She felt it coming; she was going to have to beg him to let her end this, and beg him to wait for her.


    And behind it all was the glow of her helmet¡¯s visor and the hum of the fuel cell converters and the hiss of the N-catalyzers, calling her stronger by the day.


    I know what I should do, but¡­ I know exactly how this ends¡­


    .


    ¨Œ¡¡¨Œ¡¡¨Œ


    .


    Sam knew to enter as quietly as she could, and upon passing through the narthex of the antiquated cathedral, there she saw him in the distance, kneeling, face deep in his clasped hands. And she could feel it all from there; a deep, hollow, reverent silence weighed down on Sebastian¡¯s shoulders. Only the ensuing clacks of a lone visitor¡¯s shoes to another of the pews kept what had to have been his prayers and internalized raging company. And Sam could only watch, paralyzed now by what she couldn¡¯t truly offer him. Conflicting thoughts rendered her previously clearer predetermined words into mush, now fighting the urge to retreat into the safety net of the chaos that was the outside world.


    She knew he¡¯d be here, though, and it took a moment to realize how correct she was, and that meant she might be the only one left who knew who he really was and what he really needed. Gathering the strength enough to move her feet even just an inch, she now felt his gaze fall upon her as their eyes met.


    It was a sight that still had her shaken, never seeing him so vulnerable until recent, and his weary, crestfallen eyes pierced through her soul the same way it had earlier that morning.


    And as she finally put a foot forward, he stood up from his pew, dragging himself out towards her as if to preserve the sanctity of the still-quiet nave. And after what felt an eternity until he arrived within whisper distance, the words she desperately wanted to say vanished more and more with each step, leaving her feeling choked and strangled by her own panic.


    ¡°Let¡¯s step outside, please,¡± Sebastian mumbled through his cracked voice as he went on ahead, not waiting for her as he normally would have.


    Damn it, she faltered, struggling to find the strength and courage to turn around, much less follow behind.


    I feel like I¡¯ve already fucked this up completely.