ã€ŠFurther Than The Skyã€‹


 Black Snow 1-1

    Chapter 1-1: Black Snow

    Six large humanoid machines trekked through a valley, only the white of the snow to accompany them. Explosions went off in every direction beyond the peaks, the fires of war flashing before them like a fireworks display on Independence Day. Despite the hellish battlefield they were beneath, they continued pacing forward, hiding away from the conflict.

    A red-haired woman piloting on of the machines eyed the timer on her screen. "Five minutes till we''re in operation range. When we''re there, the autopilot will shut off." Her ears twitched when she heard the sound of a guitar on her transmission. "Nine! You''re practicing here? Now?!"

    The man sitting in the machine behind hers had his legs crossed, an acoustic guitar on his lap. "Yes and?" He played a few notes in quick succession, despite having to compromise space in that cramped cockpit. "All we can hear is boom boom boom. A little bit of music to break the tension isn''t too much a favour, yeah? Gotta chill."

    "Wahaha!" An old man in another robot laughed heartily. "I remember that one time dear old Nine slid a CD into the command center''s computers. Everyone went into red alert thinking it was an enemy attack. Wahaha!"

    The redhead noticed one transmission cut off upon hearing the first ''wahaha''. She paid it no mind. "Anyway! We''re five minutes from starting the mission. Don''t you think it''s too reckless to play around at this kind of time?"

    "Relax, Two." Nine said, combing back his graying hair. "The usual length for the songs I listen to are about four minutes. Plenty of time to get one song down."

    He continued playing, completely unfazed by the war being waged above them. A robot plummeted in a flaming wreck from those skies, exploding next to him. Yet he kept strumming, not an ounce of fear or surprise in his expression.

    "That song..." Two closed her eyes, recalling the tune he played. "That''s I Don''t Want To Miss A Thing, by Aerial Smith, isn''t it?"

    "Wahaha! So our grumpy, naggy commander has an eye for music after all!"

    "Shut up, Seven."

    Nine winked, not a pause to his play. "Yeah, it''s Aerial Smith alright. Surprised you even know of them."

    "It''s the song my fianc¨¦ and I listened to back when we were dating."

    "I''m more surprised that you had a fianc¨¦."

    "Just a fianc¨¦, the marriage never took off." Two leaned back and sighed, a frosty cloud forming out her dry lips. "He got enlisted into the military, and we never communicated ever again. I joined the militia hoping to find him, but..."

    "No dice?"

    "He didn''t make it through his first sortie."

    "Oh. Sorry."

    "Wahaha!" Seven laughed, trying to lighten the tension. "Y''know what they say! Shit happens. You just got to move on from it!"

    She grimaced at his advice. "I''m an adult, I know that. Mind you, I''m technically your boss right now too. A little respect goes a long way."

    "Wahaha! Rank does not equate to experience, Two. The fact that you''ve got a nice tuft of hair to show proves that!"

    "Just because you''re bald doesn''t mean you''re better. I have a higher rank because I''m skilled. Experience means nothing in the face of ability." She shook her head, grumbling. "Nine, per chance, do you know how to sing that song?"

    "Hell no, just listen to my voice." He spoke with guttural growl, a natural consequence of a smoking addiction. "I ain''t gonna besmirch Steve Tyler''s godly voice with my shitty singing. Why don''t you sing? You know the lyrics."

    A feminine voice exclaimed over their receivers, "Six can sing it! She used to be an idol!"

    Everyone screamed back together, "Hell no!"

    Two groaned, clutching on the uniform she hung over her shoulders, the fur-lined hood warming her collared neck. "Fine, I''ll try." She closed her eyes, listening closely, noting how Nine was getting close to the chorus. "Don''t wanna close my eyes~ Don''t wanna fall asleep cause I''d miss you babe, and I don''t wanna miss a thing~"

    Nine smiled wryly, with a taste of disgust. "Yeah... That''s some monotone singing right there. You might need a few karaoke sessions."

    "Shut up! It''s been years since I heard it, okay? I was nervous."

    "Wahaha! Nervous about what? Singing or dying?"

    "Singing¡ª" She gasped. "Hey! Why the hell are we screwing around?! It''s a minute before we reach the combat zone!"

    Nine strummed his last note. "Relax, we can''t enter battle feeling all stressed out, it''ll take our fighting skills down a notch or two." He put away his guitar, placing it on the passenger''s seat behind his. "It''s times like these when we should chat some more, know a little more about each other. Tell some juicy secrets." The flashing explosions of the battle reflected in his yellow irises. "We don''t know if it''ll be the last time we''ll get to say it."

    Two smirked as she heard his words. "Then we don''t divulge any secrets. Cause today won''t be the last time we''ll get to say anything to each other, nor will tomorrow. I''m not letting any of you die, understood? The objective of this mission is to take back the Liner Research Facility, and if impossible, to destroy it. My only order to all of you..." She took a deep breath, clutching her controls as the timer fell down to the seconds. "Is to survive."

    "Wahaha! How dramatic!"

    "AMS, disengaging autopilot."

    Reaching the end of the valley, the autopilot on all six machines shut off, the giant sign bearing the nine words disappearing off their screens. They pushed on the levers to acquit themselves to their machines, a slight warm-up before the real show.

    They had radars to help them know where their enemies are, however, they knew that such information was useless on that snowy-field stained with black. Robots covered the skies, airships flying alongside them, beams and ballistics raining down in every direction. With such a vast, chaotic skirmish, their own two eyes proved to be of more use than any technology.

    A subordinate of theirs spoke up, quivering from the gelid air and his own fear. "T-T-Two...! Where did you say the Liner Research Facility was? Cause the only buildings I see are buried in snow!

    "It''s on the other side of this battlefield. We''ve got no choice but to break through."

    He gasped. "Break through?! This?!"

    "Just do what I say."

    "N-N-Nine! Nine! I don''t wanna die! What the hell am I supposed to do?!"

    The man tugged on his tattered red scarf, reaching within the deepest parts of his mind to extract words of advice from his knowledge and experience born from his time with the military forces. Three words came to him, and casually, as a father would to a son, he said, "Don''t get hit."

    <hr>

    The beautiful hymns of a violin was all that echoed throughout the pristine, porcelain walls. The view beyond the windows was but a sea of clouds brushing by. The young lady with the instrument against her neck and a bow in hand stood front and center; her eyes shut as the tune took precedence of her focus and attention.

    Her cheeks tightened, sweat dripping from the tips of her golden locks. The song she played hastened, slowly devolving into a chaotic howl. With an angered grunt, the lady stopped, the music ending with an abrupt screech. She glanced to her right, eyeing the reflection in the window.

    A familiar silhouette stood behind her, cross-shaped hairpin on her fringe particularly eye-catching. The two girls wore the same outfit, a white jacket over black, a red ribbon to complete the look. Miniskirts three centimeters above their knees, the two could almost be mistaken to be schoolgirls in uniform.

    Arms crossed, the onlooker asked, "Why are you practicing now? We''re almost arriving at the combat zone."

    The violinist calmly stepped over to a box bared open on a countertop, putting away her instrument with utmost care. "I''m well aware." Closing the box shut, she leaned back, raising a finger to her friend. "Did you know? Music soothes the soul. I simply needed a last minute recreation."

    "What I heard tells me that you''re far from soothed. Is something bothering you?"

    The blonde was quiet. She turned to the window again, the heavy snow dashing across her watery blue irises. Her palm pressed against the glass, pushing down as if she were trying to crack it through nothing but pressure.

    "I''m Sovian, you must be well aware, no? Three years ago, I was not a soldier, nor was I a pilot. Merely another girl living an ordinary life. I woke up. I went to school. I made friends. I went home. I did my homework. I slept. That was my life. But that day..." She gritted her teeth, anger seething through its cracks. "It was snowing heavily, just like today. I lost everything. I blinked but once, and this snow took everything I''ve ever loved away right before my very eyes. And now..."

    The girl finished for her. "You''re back at Sovia." She placed a caring hand on her shoulder, hoping her empathy came through. "Anastasia, I know it must be hard for you to come back here. But you''re the first ranked pilot aboard the Jotunheim. You can''t let your emotions best you, not at such a critical moment."

    Anastasia took her friend''s hand away. "I''m aware. Those Imperials will make quick work of me if I fight too recklessly. But I swear by my name that I will make them pay. Those monsters are vile and cruel."

    "Then, if you know, I''ll head out first." She stepped toward the door, pushing a button to open it up. "Charlotte''s headed out early to clear the area surrounding the combat zone, so now it''s my turn to go in and clear a path with the Red Rose."

    "You may be second ranked, but you''re on equal grounds as me when it comes to AMS combat." She stressed her face into a reassuring smile. "Show them what we Candidates are capable of, Karen."

    With a nod, the girl left.

    Anastasia stood in there, her expression fading. Her eyes rolled toward an ornament ring on her left hand. Inscribed into the gold, hard as it was to see, was one word, ''Alexandrovna''. She raised her hand and kissed the ring, a single tear escaping.

    "Father. Mother. Everyone. It is only because of all of you that I continue to live on. I don''t have anything left to live for, which is why I dedicate this life you saved to your deaths." She clasped her hands together, her arms shaking. "I may not have a country to fight for, but I swear by our name that I will take back everything Gestahl has robbed us of."

    She froze, her skin paling white as the snow.

    "So please, give me the strength to fight."

    <hr>

    When Karen sat in her bright red AMS, the gates of the runway before her opened up one by one. With a few flicks of switches, she activated the machine, yelping as a sharp pain shot up her spine to her brain. It was normal, the AMS externally connects to the pilot''s mind to help maximize their piloting abilities. No surgical modifications were needed, any person is connected as soon as they activate these machines. How compatible they are with such a system, that''s a whole other story.

    Karen clutched the levers by her side, watching the snow flow into the launching pad. She could see the fighting even from where she was. She sighed, finding it sad how ceaseless the war is. She always believed in peace. She always thought that every conflict can be solved if both parties could take the time to understand one another.

    "Yet here I am in the cockpit of an AMS..."

    The irony cut deep. She never wanted have a hand in the war, but she ended up deported into the Candidate Program. As a peace-loving person, she had a talent for these war machines. A talent that frightens her.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    An older woman''s face appeared on her screen. She straightened her posture and instinctively saluted.

    "Karen. A brief rundown of your orders. You are to clear a path through the waves of Imperial AMSs to allow the Jotunheim to reach the Liner Research Facility. Do not stray too far away from the airship. After the path is clear, immediately withdraw and leave the rest up to Anastasia''s Blue Magnolia."

    "Understood."

    The feed cut, and her screen was clear. She glanced to her right, looking at the katana her machine wielded. The Akatsuki Type-III. A quick glance to the left was a shorter wakizashi, the prototype Hibiki. They were the only weapons she had. They were the only weapons she needed.

    The Red Rose was specifically geared toward high mobility whilst still boasting excellent handling. It could fly at speeds exceeding Mach 1, yet the pilot can still maneuver it as if it were moving at strolling speeds. In short, the machine was second to none in terms of melee combat. Engaging it at close ranged combat was equal to suicide.

    The only reason she was the sole pilot of this one-of-a-kind machine was because she was Candidate, nothing more, nothing less. Not once in her piloting career has she taken major damage.

    "Karen Murakumo, Red Rose, launching."

    With a step on the pedal, the catapult her machine''s feet were strapped to pushed her machine forward into the bountiful snow.

    <hr>

    "It''s a little hectic up here, ain''t it?"

    "A little?"

    Two, Nine and Seven were breaking through to the facility by going straight across the battlefield. Needless to say, the amount of ammunition being fired in every direction made for an excruciating experience for the pilots. Compared to every other machine flying in that airspace, theirs were notably more rusty. AMSs have certain design elements that all come together, but theirs looked like random parts of various machines put together hastily.

    There was a term used to describe ''junkyard'' AMSs such as these, ALT. The only thing an ALT will ever have over an AMS is that it rolled off the tongue better.

    Still, despite appearing vastly inferior, the three soared through those skies, avoiding any kind of damage as they maneuvered to the chaotic web of battle. Their performance was far within satisfaction. Perhaps it was good customization and loadout, perhaps it was their abilities as veterans coming to fruition, but the three hadn''t any fear toward the afterlife.

    Their other teammates took a different, safer route around the battlefield. Their jobs were to become artillery support once they touch down at the facility. In the first place, their safety wasn''t guaranteed if they had to brave through the crossfire.

    "Wahaha! Two was right!" Seven was cackling as he steered his way through. "The enemies don''t care enough to take out small fries like us! Going through straight through was the best choice! Our buddies over there with the fancy tech get all the attention!"

    "Yeah, but..." Nine stomped his foot on the pedal, drastically halting his machine''s acceleration. Just as he came to a stop, a big blue laser from an airship whizzed right in front of him, taking a direct hit on an allied ship. "You gotta watch out for stray fire." He continued flying on, catching up with his squad.

    Two was barely listening. All her focus went into her eyes. "Just a little more. We''re almost there!"

    "Guys! Guys!" a feminine voice spoke up on their transmission. "Six detected something! Unidentified unit approaching! It''s coming in fast! Really fast! It''s three times faster than the average AMS!"

    "Three times faster?" Nine''s mouth gapped, his eyes nearly escaping his sockets. "Is it red?!"

    The three of them eyed the sky before them as a single red line zoomed in every direction, seemingly randomly. But behind that line was a trail of destruction, units exploding the moment the line touches them. And what was worse was it was getting closer.

    "Shit, of all times!" Two opened a transmission to her other team. "Guys, where are you? Are you seeing that?"

    "One red thing getting all the kills? Just like my children''s cartoons."

    "Good. If you can see it, then stay there for a sec. Five, please ready your sniper rifle." She pushed a few buttons, locking her sights on the enemy. The single eye on her ALT''s head telescoped out, the camera''s retinas narrowing to get a clearer lock. "Six, connect Five''s FCS to my lock. Five, when you have a clear shot, shoot to kill."

    Neither gave her a response, but she was confident that they were acting as she commanded. The distance was still pretty far, but within seconds, a single beep came on, and Two was successfully locked on to the unit which not even her eyes could follow.

    The lock was then sent over to Five who was even further away from the action than the three, and her Firing Control System was tied down to wherever the enemy AMS moved. Sniper rifle ready, it''s barrel swaying toward the AMS'' relative angle, it was just a matter of time before an opening showed itself.

    Two puffed her chest up. Six and Five were both awfully strange, in two radically different ways. Neither of the two girls were worthy of trust. But, if she coordinated them right, then miracles could occur.

    She saw it, it was just a twitch, maybe even a moment of hesitation, but the red line slowed down for a brief moment. At the top of her lungs, she screamed, "Now!"

    Five pulled the trigger, and a single purple beam zipped past the battlefield like a flash of lightning. The distance that exceeded two kilometers was traversed in an instant, and the beam struck the red AMS dead center. A beam would always cut through metal like hot knife through butter, so the chances of the AMS standing was close to null...

    So they believed.

    Two''s triumphant grin slowly arched down to a horrified scowl when she saw the machine intact. In fact, it hadn''t suffered even a scratch. She couldn''t fathom why such a thing would occur. The question would''ve continued to build up if not for Nine putting the answer right there for her to digest in three simple words.

    "A fucking barrier?!"

    Karen breathed out in relief. Had it not been for the Twitch Armour, she would have been dead by now. It was an energy shield that deployed in every direction surrounding her AMS if she was unable to evade an attack. A shield that can only protect her for that pivotal moment that would cost her life. All Candidate AMSs are equipped with it, and it has not seen usage anywhere else.

    She doubted herself. That was what could have killed her. In the end, the only thing stopping her from surpassing Anastasia was her hesitation and indecisiveness. Composing herself once more, she raised her head and looked at her screen at the AMS that was locking onto her from afar. With a gentle step on the pedal, she chased after it.

    Two shrieked, "Shit! She''s charging! One, Three, Five! Your location is compromised, run!" Without another order, she, Nine and Seven had already begun escaping.

    "Quick analysis, guys!" Six couldn''t stop panting as she spoke fast. "The AMS only has swords! I repeat! It only has swords! So just shoot it!"

    Nine yelled back in irritation, "Shut up! Don''t make it sound easy!"

    "Wahahahahahaha!" Seven was laughing hard, but it was obvious from his face that he too was petrified. "It''s fast! It''s waaaay too fast! We can''t shake it off! Wahaha!"

    The Red Rose was getting closer and closer, her katana fixated on Seven''s ALT. Inching closer and closer, she raised her blade, a crimson chaotic burning aura emanating from its edge. One strike, and she could cut through it to bring it down.

    Karen pushed on her lever. The blade fell. But she didn''t hit what she expected to.

    Nine couldn''t even react when he saw it. Two had maneuvered her ALT in to take the blow for her comrade. Her machine''s top half came clean off, and it arms fell into the buried city beneath them. Losing control, her ALT was sent flying in a downward spiral into the hills of snow.

    He wanted to scream, but he knew it wasn''t the time. The enemy was still before them. Nine had no choice but to bottle his feelings up and finish the job.

    "Seven, go to the facility. I''ll hold the line long enough for you to get there."

    "Wahaha! Alone?! Are you crazy?!"

    "Crazy in a crazy world." He licked his lip. "Pretty normal, I guess. I told you. Before I got shipped to this piece of shit squad, I used to be quite the hotshot. Remember what they called me?"

    "Bullet Striker." Seven breathed in for a moment to contemplate. "Wahaha! Then I''ll leave it to you!"

    The thrusters on his ALT blazed up, and he flew further and further away as Nine stared the Red Rose down. She didn''t move after cutting Two down, she just waited, almost expecting him to act. Since guns were useless in the face of the Twitch Armour, Nine drew out a steel blade attached onto his left shoulder. It folded out, nearly doubling in length.

    Karen didn''t think much of it. One quick scan of the ALT and she knew the machine would be unable to best her in melee. The only thing she can''t account for is the pilot''s ability. But even then, the specs between his ALT and her Red Rose was like night and day.

    She hated it. Whoever was in that ALT was probably shrieking in fear, crying for his family. But from the way his blade is drawn, it was obvious he was ready to kill. When she hesitated earlier, she almost got shot down. That was why she cleared her mind of any guilt and remembered that there were things she wanted to protect too.

    Noticing how it was obvious he''s trying to serve as distraction to let his ally get away, she activated her thrusters, red flames releasing from the turbines. Eyes set on his ally, she boosted past him.

    Nine thought to himself, "Relentless bastard''s still going after Seven!" He almost instinctively turned around, it was the most logical thing to do in such a situation, wasn''t it? But he knew, he just knew, that there was something in his blind spot. Without thinking twice, he reached his blade over his shoulder and¡ª

    Clang!

    Waves were released from the clashing blades, the falling snow around them melting into rain from the thermal release. Nine started panting, his instincts were right; she was trying to get him while he turned around. He looked over his shoulder, noticing movement in the other arm. With a quick reflex, he stopped swing at its halfway point, catching the Red Rose''s arm by the wrist.

    "One arm locking blades, the other holding the other hand back." Nine groaned. "Dammit, my Vulcans are all pointed up front. I can''t shoot it!" He smirked. "Then again, Samurai Flamenco here doesn''t have any guns on. So we''re locked in a stalemate..."

    Karen didn''t know what to feel. Not once has she had to swing at an enemy more than once. But to think she swung twice, yet this ALT with below average specs was able to remain intact. It was almost unthinkable, how something like this could occur. She couldn''t believe what was before her very eyes.

    Yet, neither of them had time to rest. Warning signs appeared on both their screens, and they realized that they were locked on by an Imperial airship. The sirens went crazy when an enormous salvo of missiles shout out the massive shit, blackening the blue sky with its smoke.

    Nine gasped as dozens of missiles were headed his way. "I''m one of you, dumbass!"

    Karen on the other hand, knew that the Twitch Armour wouldn''t too helpful when hammered by so many missiles, it had a limited amount of uses. With a quick thought, she delivered a kick straight at the ALT''s back, pushing it off. Nine boosted away, turning around to look his at his foe one last time.

    And thus the salvo of missiles split the two apart.

    Karen soared upwards, relying on her extreme mobility to outrun the missiles. Within seconds, she was far beyond the missiles homing range.

    "That''s enough." The older woman commanded, her face appearing on her screen again. "You''re too far away. The path is clear, return to the Jotunheim."

    "Understood..."

    She stared downwards at the massive white area. Her only thought was of that one foe that played her hand in her field of expertise. It was just a crappy ALT with parts taken from various AMSs. Yet, he was able to stand his ground despite being so close to her. She doubted his AMS could outrun the barrage of missiles, but given his performance, he could very well have found his way around the attack.

    "Just who was that guy...?"

    <hr>

    "Phew!"

    Nine''s ALT climbed out the snow, a single mechanical arm carrying the giant machine out a pile of white. In order to get the heat off him, he flew down into the snow-buried city, hoping the sub-zero temperature and low altitude would get the missiles off him. Ridiculous as the plan was, he didn''t take a hit, so no one gets to complain.

    Finally seeing light, he leaned back on his seat and pumped his fist. He survived. Such an occasion called for celebration. He reached into his coat pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes. Biting onto on stick, he took out a lighter and let the scent of tobacco fill his cockpit. The battle still waged on up above, he was so far below and so far away, that it was fine for him to just enjoy a smoke.

    His eye caught on to a machine trapped in the snow, just as he was. From the rusty exterior and the missing head, it was obvious to him that it had to be Two''s ALT. He moved quickly toward it, finding a cockpit torn wide open for the snow to fill. And beneath that snow was head full of red.

    With a flip of a switch, he activated the speakers on his machine. "Two! I see you right there! You alive?!"

    But there was no response.

    He took a deep breath of smog, a vein popping on the side of his head.

    "Two, you better answer, dammit! You can''t just die so soon! You''ve got lots of shit left to do!"

    He raised his ALT''s rifle up to the sky and fired twice. In close proximity, the sound was almost deafening.

    "We still gotta work on your singing! Karaoke with me, every day from now on! You have a good voice, you just need more expression! I''ll help you! Come on! You have the potential to become Gestahl''s number one idol! And I''m not talking about that shitty 48-member idol group Six came from!"

    Her hand rose up from the snow, and his face brightened at the sight. She rolled her hand into a fist, and slowly raised her middle finger at him.

    "That''s the Two I know."

    Pushing herself out the snow, she sneezed once or twice from the cold. Climbing out her busted ALT, she shook her bleeding head as Nine''s ALT reached its hand out to her. Hopping on, she then ran up its arm all the way to the torso, where a hatch was automatically opened for her.

    Reaching her face into the cockpit, she sniffed twice. "You''re smoking in here?!"

    "Hey, it helps me calm down. That shit just now was crazy."

    "Well, not every day a new high-tech model just waltzes into the battlefield. Still, we have to expect the unexpected. Especially if we want to survive." She wiped the blood dripping down her cheek. "Where''s Seven?"

    "Held the line so he could go. He should be there by now."

    "Well, let''s hope he''s still there by the time we get there. I''ll be giving orders from your backseat from now onwards."

    She stuck her legs in through the hatch, stepping on his face. Balancing about, she stood on his shoulders and gently got onto the passenger''s seat. Just as she put her butt down, she realized that an acoustic guitar was taking up her leg space.

    "Why the hell am I sitting with your guitar?!"

    "It''s not like I expected you to hitch a ride with me!"

    "You''re way too irresponsible...!" She looked up as the hatch closed. "What kind of psycho brings his guitar to war?!"

    "The guitar keeps us all from going crazy!" Nine dabbed the ashes on the lever to his left. "Music is an expression of the soul! The only thing that divides man from beast is the soul."

    She opened a first-aid kit by her right, taking out the bandages and wrapping it around her head. "Yeah, but that doesn''t mean you have to take a whole frickin'' guitar with you everywhere you go!"

    "Trust me, five years from now, I''ll be needing this guitar. Screw this war, I just wanna be a rockstar!"

    "You''re already crazy..." She shook her head, taking out a headpiece from her coat. Attaching it to her ear, she clicked on some miniscule buttons on its side to adjust its frequency. "Two here. I managed to survive, but my ALT didn''t make it. I''m in Nine''s ALT right now. A minor inconvenience, especially for my legs."

    "Wahaha! And here I thought the young boss died to save this old hoot!"

    "I wouldn''t die so early, I''m the heroine here. Seven, we''ll be with you soon. Everyone else, proceed with the mission as stated in the briefing." She snapped her neck twice, exchanging glances with Nine through the reflection on the screens. "So, had you quite worried there, did I?"

    "No. I don''t care. I knew you''d be okay."

    She slapped him on the side of the head. "Oh you. You think I wasn''t listening? I have a good voice, huh?"

    "Shut up, I didn''t say that. No one said that."

    She leaned back, resting her cheek on her palm. "Thursday and Friday nights. You and me. Karaoke. That''s an order from a superior."

    "Now you''re just abusing your power."

    "You''re the one who suggested it." She shook her head, slight irritation welling up within. "Whatever. Let''s head out now. To the Liner Research Facility."

    To Be Continued

 Black Snow 1-2

    Chapter 1-2: Black Snow

    Karen docked her Red Rose back on the Jotunheim. As crane arms grabbed ahold of the machine to keep it in place, she clasped her hands together, balancing her forehead over her knuckles. She was frustrated, unable to comprehend how a dinky ALT was able to survive an encounter against her.

    No, it was less that her ego was bruised, more that she wasterrified. If that pilot could hold his own with specs so bad, what could he do if he were piloting something on her Red Rose''s standard? Had he shown up into battle in such a unit, she could have been dead then and there. The fact that the only thing keeping her alive on that battlefield was her superior unit was frightening.

    "Why do you look so gloomy?"

    A transmission came in, a live feed of a girl with twintailed pink hair appearing on her screen. Her upbeat, cheery tone of voice was in complete contrast of Karen''s moodiness. The two were about the same age, both teenagers who''ve yet to reach their twenties.

    Biting her lip, she avoided eye contact with her friend. "Huh? Oh, it''s nothing."

    She stuck her index fingers into her mouth, stretching it into a curve. "Cheese! I like it better when there''s a smile on your face!"

    Karen stared at her image for a few moments, before forcing a rather ugly grin onto her face. Her friend accepted it regardless.

    "Anyway, I''ve scouted the area for enemy units, and I think I''ve found your sniper." She gave her a peace sign, a wink to ice the cake. "Don''t you worry! Charlotte''s Gold Experience going to show those meanies what happens when you try to put a bullet through her favourite butt!"

    The tangerine-haired cringed for a split second. "Yeah, you do that. Don''t get careless."

    "No good luck or anything?"

    Karen hit a button, cutting off the transmission. With the push of another, the cockpit opened up, the hatch forming a platform for her to cross onto the raised walkway that crossed her AMS''s chest. A glance to the left, she spotted the golden twirls of Anastasia''s hair.

    "Your face is rather pale. Is there anything you wish to confide?"

    "No." She stepped past her friend, her head hanging low.

    Anastasia, leaning against the railings with her arms crossed, loudly proclaimed, "I was watching your performance out in the field. I understand that you''re upset that you were unable to defeat an inferior unit. Understand this..." She paused as Karen''s footsteps stopped. "Talented as we are, experience is what we lack. Some pilots can bridge the gap between us and them based on skill alone. To encounter someone who overpower us, that is only natural in war."

    "I know that." Karen reached for the door, her voice cracking. "I''m just scared to die."

    As she left, Anastasia stared up at the AMS docked beside the Red Rose. The unit was slightly larger, painted blue with black trims running down. Behind its waist, a massive rifle was held down by clamps, its length almost thrice the machine''s width.

    "We''re all scared of dying, Karen. But we have to turn that fear into strength if we want to live."

    <hr>

    "And that''s the third turret."

    Three ALTs stood high up on a cliffside, one holding a sniper rifle. They were half of Two''s squad, the ones who split off from her, Nine and Seven. Their task was to take a safer route through a series of caverns to reach a vantage point for sniping. The Liner Research Facility''s defence turrets were still active, and chances are that the enemies had reprogrammed the security for their benefit. The safest course of action was to destroy them from outside operation range.

    "That damn Two." A lanky man sat in his ALT, legs crossed. His brown goatee was short, yet well-kept, proof of his attachment to the tuft of hair. "She relegated me to such a boring job. I''m a better pilot than her. Yet here she is, acting like she''s in charge. Damn woman was from the militia, I came from the military. Who does she think she is, acting like she''s the boss?"

    Another man in a nearby machine replied, "Isn''t she our commander because she came to our squad with a higher rank? It''s only fair, One." He wiped the sweat off his unkempt raven hair, his screen zooming into the iron gates situated on the foot of a mountain.

    "Yeah, but dammit, she''smilitia. She didn''t receive proper formal training like I did. What does she know about tactics? You''d rather take orders from me, right, Three?"

    The man shook nervously, afraid to voice his honest opinion. In the end, he opted to say what would make his brother-in-arm happy. "Y-Yeah. Sure. Of course. Haha."

    "Well, if anything good came out of this, it''s that I don''t have to listen to that bastard Seven go ''Wahaha'' again. God, I hope he gets shot down for good." One leaned back, slamming his heel on his screen. "If I have to put up with him for one more month, I might just shoot him myself."

    "T-That''s bad, dude." On Three''s screen, target reticles surrounded another turret, a bar beneath it slowly rising to 100%. "Channel your anger towards the enemies. You''ll only make things difficult for yourself if you attack your ally."

    "Hmph. Either way, I pray to God, if that bastard even exists, that Seven goes down. No more ''Wahaha''."He licked his lip, a devious smirk on his face.

    Three shook his head, finding it impossible to reach out to his ally. As the bar hit 90%, he opened a transmission to his other squad mate. "Alright, Five, it''s almost full."

    A live feed of a blonde girl widened on his screen. Though he said something to her, she didn''t respond. On her face was a strange smile, and in her blank blue eyes was void. It almost seemed like she was staring off into the distance, her mind in a whole other world.

    To put it as Nine once did, she looked like she was really, really high.

    "Five, 93%... Get ready to shoot."

    Three and Five''s ALTs were built to work together. His was equipped with cameras and computers to help the Firing Control System to pick up objects from far distances, whereas hers was built with accuracy in mind. In a sense, he was the eye and she was the finger. Whatever his ALT detects, the information would be transmitted to hers and she would shoot it down.

    "I don''t get why you keep trying to talk to that damned drug addict." One groaned, rolling his eyes towards the snowy peaks. "She wouldn''t even react if I snatched her underwear right off her ass. That woman''s in some fantasy lala land."

    "Five doesn''t take drugs. She''s just..." Three gulped, trying to find the right word to seem inoffensive. "Special. I''ve been with her for almost three years. She never says anything, but I can tell from her facial expressions what she''s thinking."

    "She''salwayssmiling like a retard. Tell me what Little Miss Retard''s thinking, why don''t you?"

    He gazed at the live feed, squinting his red eyes to further examine her. And, like a student reading off a textbook, he muttered, "One, go fuck yourself."

    "Okay, now you''re just looking for a fight, assho¡ª"

    Three cut him off when the bar was full. "100%! Five, transmitting!"

    No words nor reaction, Five stayed static. But neither men could notice her pull the trigger. They did, however, notice the energy beam fired off her ALT''s rifle, one that zipped straight through the snow. It travelled the distance that would take them five minutes by flight in an instant, and when it hit its target, the explosion was so far away that they couldn''t see nor hear it.

    Three quickly checked the state of the turret, and much to his delight, it was but a mess of scrap. "Right on target, good job. That''s the fourth one." He called out to his vexed comrade. "What was it you wanted to say, One?"

    "Five didn''t think anything, you''re just looking for a reason to cuss me out, aren''t you?" His ALT brandished a blade, taking a combat stance. "I''m on this team to protect you from enemies, but I don''t mind taking the two of you out and reporting back that an enemy unit attacked."

    Teeth jittering, Three''s jaw hanged wide open in absolute horror. "One... There''s an enemy behind you."

    "You think I''d fall for that? It''s the oldest trick in the book. I turn around, and you shoot me in the back."

    "No, there''sreallyan enemy behind you."

    "Stop trying to make a fool out of me."

    A feminine voice suddenly blasted on their transmissions. "Enemy unit inbound! It was using jammers to hide its position! Guys! It''s right next to you!"

    One''s stern faced hardened, and his heart started racing. Not even a second to look, something smashed into his ALT, causing him to jerk from the sheer impact. The golden unit behind him had slammed its pile bunker right into him.

    "Mufufu... So you''re the sniper team that tried to shoot Karen, huh? This is punishment for trying to take that fine butt away from me!"

    Charlotte pulled a trigger on her lever, and that activated her unit''s pile bunker. The stake was launched out upon detonation, a single casing flying out of the revolver-like weapon. The heavy tungsten punctured through One''s ALT as if it were a piece of paper, and as she slid the stake out, a massive hole was left behind.

    Statics went off in Three''s speakers, a result of a faulty transmission. Far as he knew from experience, when an allied communication goes static, it''s like they''re dead. He couldn''t grieve even if he wanted to; he wasn''t very fond of One in the first place. At the moment, his one and only concern was to survive the encounter. A single glance toward the cavern they came from, and his strange partner''s face flashed in his mind.

    "Alicia! Escape! Use the route we came from! I''ll hold the line!"

    She didn''t even show any worry nor concern. Only that smile. Yet he knew, he just knew, that she was reluctant to act for his safety would be in jeopardy.

    "Don''t worry about me! I''ll rendezvous with you soon." He winked at her, shaping his hand like a gun. "We trained under the best after all, I know how to handle an AMS."

    Without a response, Five dropped the sniper rifle and activated her thrusters. Her ALT flew right past Three and into the caverns. Charlotte gleamed over the escaping ALT, ready to give chase. However, the remaining ALT stood between her and her target, a blade drawn in its hand.

    She chuckled. "Oh, you must have said something cute like... Go! Save yourself! Tell my wife I love her!" She bonked her head with her tongue stuck out. "So sorry you had to meet me today."

    The ALT moved in and swung its blade. She stayed still, hands off the controls. When the blade struck, her cockpit shook a bit, but a simple glance would prove that the strike failed to dent her unit''s thick armour.

    Charlotte boasted, "The Gold Experience''s armour is made from layers of titanium and chromium alloys! Nothing can penetrate it!" She then covered her lips with a sheepish giggle. "Unless I let you, of course. You need a lady''s consent before penetration."

    The blade started to crack, prompting Three to shriek like a little girl when it shattered. His hands were grasping the controls, yet he couldn''t find the nerve to make his ALT move. The golden AMS that stood before him was only slightly taller than his, yet in his eyes, it looked like a titanic monster about to devour its prey.

    "Now then..." Charlotte tugged onto the lever to her right, raising her unit''s right arm. "Sorry, but you''ve got to go." With one thrust forward, she aimed to smash the pile bunker right into the ALT''s chest, where the cockpit was situated.

    Almost as if he found his courage, Three raised both of his ALT''s arms right in front of the chest area, and the stake struck them instead. When Charlotte pulled the trigger, the resulting impact completely shattered both of his arms, yet the damage to the cockpit was minimized. His ALT fell to the snow, no defence to protect him from another blow.

    Even in such a dire situation, he felt his pants tighten. He was terrified, yes, however, his fear was almost forgotten as a single thought ran through his head,"So cool!"

    It was the first time he had seen a pile bunker in action. He was always told that the weapon was too impractical and difficult to be of viable use in a battlefield, but here he lay, struck down by that same weapon. The damage, the sheer power it possessed... itexcitedhim. He was going to die, most definitely, but he believed that if he was to die being struck by such an awesome weapon, then it was a death worth dying. He grinned, fully accepting his fate.

    Bang!

    The Gold Experience was shot by a rifle bullet. Not even guns were capable of scratching its tough armour. Still, it was an annoyance for Charlotte when her cockpit shook about, and she gleamed over toward the caverns where a single ALT stood. It was the ALT she struck down first.

    She pouted at it, "Guess I didn''t hit him right."

    Three noticed it signal at him with its hand, flicking its fingers toward it again and again. Stepping on the pedal, he boosted right into the caverns as panels opened up on the ALT''s shoulders. Charlotte moved in to give chase. But she stopped when the ALT fired missiles upwards, causing the cavern to fall apart and cave in, sealing her away from them.

    She clicked her tongue. "Phooey." Spinning one tail around a finger, she simply smiled her disappointment away. "Oh well, at least they won''t be a problem from now on."

    With one step, she split the rifle Five used in half. Satisfied with the results, she flew off into the snowy skies.

    <hr>

    "Wahaha! Just let me through already!"

    Seven found difficulty against an enemy AMS that was in his way. The facility was right before him, and yet the single unit before him just wouldn''t stay still long enough for him to shoot. Its attacks were just as predictable, and Seven was skilled enough to evade each and every one of them. Yet, the issue remained that neither could hit the other. It was a tiring stalemate.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Suddenly, over a transmission, a gravelly voice screamed,

    "Special delivery, coming in hot!"

    Like a meteor falling from the sky, an ALT crashed right into Seven''s foe, smashing it down into the snow. As floating mess of snow dissipated, Seven recognized the machine as Nine''s.

    "Wahaha! Kept me waiting, huh?"

    "Are there any other enemies remaining?" Two''s voice spoke on their transmission.

    "Wahaha! That was the last one. Good job, Nine, you took out one AMS." He glanced behind at the broken scraps of parts trailing behind him. "Out of six."

    He shrugged. "I could''ve done that too. Don''t get cocky."

    "Don''t argue." Two commanded, clicking on the earpiece. "Three, are you there? Respond. What''s your situation? Are you at the vantage point?"

    "One question at a time!" He shouted back. "Sigh. An enemy AMS showed up and totaled us. No casualties, and we managed to escape but..." His tone softened. "One''s in awful shape. His ALT even worse. He fell unconscious, so I''ll be towing him on the passenger''s seat. And well... I lost my arms. My ALT''s arms, I mean, not my actual arms."

    "What about Five?"

    "I made her get away first. We''re backtracking through the route. At the moment, none of us are in any shape to fight. Five dropped her rifle to get the load off. Well, we cleared the turrets at the entrance, at the very least."

    "Dammit." Two leaned back, adjusting her legs around the guitar. "You''re authorized escape. Rendezvous with Five and make your way out. Please be careful."

    "Hurray!" He cheered. "I mean, understood. Good luck to you."

    The transmission cut off. Two called over to her bald senior, "Seven, the sniper team''s out. One of us has to go in while the other has to stay in their ALT and protect the other. How well''s your ammo gonna hold out?"

    "Wahaha! Almost depleted. That last AMS was quite the pest!"

    Nine tossed his rifle over to him. "Then use mine. It''ll be better if two people go in than one. You can take on more than five. Take care of my ALT, yeah? My baby''s in here."

    "Wahaha! So you got the commander pregnant?! I knew you two were going AWOL!"

    Two cringed, one nostril flaring up. "What?! No! He''s talking about this stupid guitar!"

    "Yeah, it''s the guitar. If I come back and she ain''t pretty, your head''s not gonna be the only part of your body that''s bald."

    "Wahaha! She''s in good hands then."

    Two shifted said instrument to the side. "Let''s go."

    The ALT''s thrusters lifted it off the snow, and it zoomed straight for the iron gates which were wide open. The turrets were destroyed, so it was a mere bee line past the gates. The inside was large enough to fit an entire squad of AMSs, however, due to the battle, it was empty. Shutting off the thrusters, Nine landed his ALT on its feet, making it kneel to make it easier for him and Two to get out.

    Two glanced at the screen one last time and noticed a change in the mission objectives displayed on the top-left corner. "Activate the facility''s self-destruct mechanism..."

    Nine raised an eyebrow. "Huh, they didn''t even bother telling us when they made that change. Jackasses. They tried to gun me down just now, y''know?"

    "Well, to them, Zeroes like you and I are worth less than dirt. This is only natural."

    "Guess so. We just gotta be better than them, I guess."

    She patted his shoulder, starting her climb out the ALT. "Come on, the facility shouldn''t be well-guarded at the moment. We should work fast before they send reinforcements."

    <hr>

    The Gold Experience soared high in the sky, flying over the mountains. Its pilot hummed to herself, celebrating a job well done. She flew the unit with her hands folded behind her back, no care given to potential ambushes. There was nothing that could scathe her armour; that much she can boast. Her unit had finally reached allied territory, and she was flying closer to friendly AMSs.

    She was almost about to fall asleep when a sudden transmission opened up, a woman appearing on her screen.

    "Charlotte Fabre! Do you intend to sleep in the midst of battle?!"

    "Eeek!" As if it were a natural response to the voice, she straightened her back and saluted. "Yes! I mean, no!"

    The woman, who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, flicked at her mauve hair. "Carelessness leads to disaster. You''re the third ranked Candidate, act according to your abilities. Your bout with the sniper team was awful." Crossing her arms, a furrow formed between her eyes. "If it weren''t for the Gold Experience, I may not be speaking with you at this moment."

    "Mean!" Charlotte pouted, pressing her index fingers together. "I-I mean, I played around a little, yeah, but it''s because I could that I did. I know how to pilot an AMS just fine."

    Her tone harshening, the woman sounded like a teacher scolding a student. "Your issue is not your abilities, it''s your attitude toward work and effort. Your aptitudes during entry were stellar, even better than Anastasia. But your laziness holds you back. If you didn''t put minimum effort into everything you did, you would be the first ranker of this program."

    Charlotte started pinching at her hair, averting her gaze from the screen. "Uhm, with all due respect, I don''t think now''s a good time to lecture me." Her voice softened, fear cropping out from beneath her words. "I mean, I''m still not back yet, and uhm, I need to pay attention just in case uhm..."

    "I''m lecturing youbecauseI want you to pay attention! You were about to fall asleep in there again! Don''t think I''ll forget that time you crashed an AMS just because you slept in the middle of piloting it."

    She bonked her head and with a lax tone, said, "Silly me."

    Another transmission opened, this time an operator aboard the Jotunheim. In complete distress, she shouted,

    "Enemy AMS detected! Five o''clock!"

    Charlotte quickly turned back to look, yet all she saw on the mountain range was a flash of light. It was too late. The enemy fired a beam at her, the only thing that could tear through her heavy armour. But she had nothing to fret; the Twitch Armour would protect her.

    Her cockpit jerked, and she was thrown aside. An allied AMS had pushed her out of the way, taking the attack meant for her. The beam tore through it, causing the internal mechanisms to overheat and explode. The AMS plunged toward the snowy grounds, a black trail of smoke left behind.

    She gasped, guilt welling up within. Her savior definitely didn''t know of her Twitch Armour, he didn''t know he sacrificed his life for no reason. Fires burning in her amber eyes, she turned her attention to the assailant, and with a simple push of a button, launched a volley of missiles at it. The enemy was too late to move as he was engulfed in igneous explosions.

    Her voice deepened, a sense of professionalism showing itself. Glancing her superior eye-to-eye and said, "We''ll continue this conversation later, Sergeant Lucrescia." With that, she shut off the transmission and flew toward her savior.

    The AMS was a wreck in that snow, definitely, but it was still very much intact. It didn''t seem as if it could operate anymore, however. Charlotte reached her unit''s arm out to its chest, then ripped the cockpit hatch straight out. On the seat was a boy, around her age, who sat unconscious, bleeding from the damage he sustained.

    She bit her lip. Her superior was right, carelessness led to disaster, and now someone else paid the price. She zoomed in her camera closer to him, and much to her elation, icy fogs formed in front of his lips. He was breathing. With the load off her shoulders, she spoke her thoughts to him as if he were awake,

    "Thank you for trying to save me. Now it''s my turn to do the same."

    <hr>

    Two and Nine hid behind a corner, pistols in hand. They peered out, eyeing the two guards armed with rifles. They kept their breaths soft, waiting for that perfect moment to strike. Two, who stood just as high as Nine''s shoulder, started to sweat. Without realizing, a single drop slid off her chin.

    "Who''s there?!" One of the guards screamed, alerted by the tiny dripping noise.

    "Hey, don''t just shout out of nowhere. That dripping was from the ice melting."

    "Sorry, I just really wanted to try that line out. Guard duty sucks."

    A vein popped on Nine''s head. "Dammit, these guys..." He came out from cover, hands in the air. "I surrender!"

    The guards immediately pointed their rifles at him, beaming with excitement. "Slowly put your weapon down!"

    "Kiss my ass!" Nine covered his eyes with one arm and swung his other down, aiming his pistol at them.

    They didn''t even wait. Their fingers tugged on the triggers, and they unloaded ammunition right into the scarfed man, gunfire echoing throughout the steel corridors.

    Two slapped her palm against her face, showing nothing but irritation at the site of her comrade being gunned down. "Reckless as usual..." She reached behind, grabbing a single grenade strapped to her belt. Biting the pin off, she rolled the grenade toward the distracted guards.

    "What in the world..."

    The guards had emptied an entire clip of ammunition. They were too excited to see action that they didn''t realize they were wasting all of it. But what shocked them even more was that the single target they were trying to shoot down was still standing, though he was bleeding out from the many bullet holes that covered his body.

    "You done?" Nine lifted his hand, a wide grin plastered on his bloodied face. He then pointed at their feet, where a single grenade lied. "Next time¡ª"

    Boom!

    He couldn''t even get a one-liner in before it went off. The excited guards were blown off their feet and fell in a singed, blackened mess.

    "That was stupid!" Two came out from hiding to chastise him. "Dammit, you always do that! You know I don''t like it!" She patted his chest and stomach, blood getting on her hand. "Are you hurt?"

    He raised an eyebrow. "That''s a dumb question. Of course I''m not." With his sleeve, he wiped his forehead, preventing the blood from leaking into his eyes. "I wasbuiltto take on this kind of crap! Wahaha!"

    "Hey, don''t go turning into Seven!" She stuck her finger into one bullet hole, trying to scrape the bullet out. "Gah, dammit, I have to be the one to take it out of you. You know how annoying that is?"

    Despite her treating the wound so roughly, he showed no signs of pain. "It''s fine! You used to be a nurse after all!" He brushed her hand aside, motioning toward the door. "Come on, we wanted to get this done quick. Time''s a wasting."

    "Wait!"

    Ignoring her order, he opened the door. The room was surrounded with computers and processors, large tubes scrawling the walls to moderate the temperature of the systems. Nine found himself wowed by what looked like a sci-fi movie, till he felt a metallic object push against his cheek.

    "Don''t move or I shoot." A man in a lab coat commanded, gun in hand. "Do you understand what you Imperials have done? It''s inhumane. I cannot allow you to proceed any further."

    He shrugged, not a sense of intimidation in his stance. "I''m well aware that Gestahl is pretty insane, but see here, I don''t really care right now. I''ve got a job to do, and I''ve got to get it done. So, please, scooch over, you don''t have to die today." He turned his head, holding his forehead against the gun''s barrel.

    "Human lives are not yours to play with! I''ll risk my life if it''ll keep the empire''s hands away from these experiments! These things are too dangerous!"

    "Listen here, I don''t know or care what''s going on, so please just¡ª"

    "Die!"

    Nine''s body swung back from the impact of the point blank shot. The bullet was lodged squarely on his forehead, but even so, he remained on his feet. The man paused for a good five seconds before letting out a disappointed sigh.

    He glared at the scientist with utter contempt, blood flowing down his sharp nose. "I told you to move."

    "W-What are you¡ª"

    Two emerged from behind Nine, having hidden behind his wide build. Not allowing him a chance to speak, she fired twice, and the man fell over, a pool of blood expanding beneath. She glanced over at her partner who was trying to scrape the bullet out his forehead.

    "Always getting yourself shot..."

    "I do it because I can." He winked at her, thumbs up. "I''m no stranger to the weirder side of the empire and their obsession with human experimentation; I''m one of their results after all."

    She stepped over to the main control panel, where various, somewhat nonsensical buttons were spread all over. As she analyzed it, she spoke, "Look, I just get worried whenever someone I know gets shot. People die when they get shot, most of the time. But you let people turn you into cheese. I don''t like seeing you covered in holes and blood."

    "Because you wanna see my handsome face, right?"

    She shouted back at him, cheeks flushed, "No one said you''re handsome!" Shaking her head, she continued. "I''m just worried, okay? You''re my subordinate, I have to look after you. Hm? Oh."

    Her green eyes widened upon sighting a big red button which read ''Do Not Press''. It was almost cheesy how inexplicable it was, but it was obviously the button she was looking for. With a single push, the lights of the facility started to blink red, a siren bellowing.

    A robotic voice started to repeat itself over the speakers on the corners, "Self-Destruct Sequence initiated, please evacuate the facility within ten minutes."

    Nine grinned, hands on his waist. "Everything went better than expected. Alright, let''s get out of here before we get blown up!"

    "Wait!" Two glanced out the window behind the control panel. "What is that...?"

    The view before them was of dozens of pods, all lined along the walls that stood twenty meters high. Under the flashing red light, the silhouette stored within the pods could be seen, and they vaguely resembled that of a human''s. Two spotted a door to the right that led straight to that area, and without even a second thought, she rushed down to that area.

    Nine''s jaw dropped as he witnessed his commander. "Two, what the hell are you doing?!"

    He gave chase, following her down a flight of stairs and into that area, where the pods covered every part of the circular walls. She was examining them, looking closely at the people stored inside.

    In panic and under the deafening siren, he could only yell, "We gotta get out, you idiot!"

    "They''re all people! This is what he was talking about!" Two cried, her teeth clenched. "All these pods have people stored inside! They''re alive, they''ve got to be! We can''t just leave them here! They''ll die!"

    "Are you retarded?! We can''t holler over all these pods! We only have one freakin'' robot!"

    She kept moving from pod to pod, examining the people kept inside. Men, women, they were all sleeping in there with a wired visor on their face, a skintight bodysuit to wear. They were all strangers to her, yet she felt sympathy for the state they were trapped in.

    His patience ran out. He took her arm, attempting to pull her away, but what she screamed stopped him.

    "It''s a child! There''s a child trapped in there!"

    She forced her arm back, dashing toward a certain pod. Within, a petite girl slept; her silver hair running down to her knees. From her body, Two estimated that she was at most, thirteen. As a commander, she had always tried to keep a cool head, but she couldn''t stand the sight of a child being forced into such an experiment, let alone die without knowing why.

    "We have to save her!"

    "Screw that!" Her partner shouted back. "They''re experiments! We don''t know what the empire did to them! For all we know, they could end up killing us! I know this shit,Igot experimented on! These guys go crazy all the time!"

    "All the more reason!" She slammed the butt of her pistol against the glass, failing to make a crack. "What could a kid like her do to deserve something like this?! I can''t just go home knowing I left her here to die! If I canat leastsave one person¡ª"

    "Self-Destruct Sequence initiated, please evacuate the facility within nine minutes."

    "We''re running out of time!" He grabbed her by the shoulder, making another attempt to pull her away.

    "No!" She screamed, elbowing him in the gut. With his hands off her, she spun about and delivered a kick that sent him two feet back. "I''m saving her no matter what!" She rushed back to the pod, smashing it over and over with her gun but to no avail.

    The sirens kept going, a reminder that everything in the facility will fall. Nine knew; he understood that it was impossible to reason with her, that she would keep on trying even till the last second. She showed great talents as a leader, no argument, but her morality always made her become somewhat immature.

    "Dammit! You''re such an annoying bitch!" He stepped in front of her, pointer finger toward her face. "Promise me you won''t get the rest of us involved if this shit goes wrong! This stupid girl will beyourresponsibility, got it?!"

    "Promise!"

    Raising his fist, Nine punched the glass, shattering it completely. His hand was covered in shards, yet he simply flicked his wrist about, not a worry in his eye. Green fluids leaked out the pod, the girl gently floating down to the bottom as the fluid receded.

    Two grabbed him by the side of the head. "Nine..." She then pecked him on the cheek, making him flinch. "Thank you!"

    Heat rose up his cheeks, but he dismissed the act as a friendly gesture. He then helped her sever the visor off the girl''s face, simply by yanking it off. Taking her out of the pod, Two carried the girl by the shoulder, finding ease thanks to her lack of weight.

    The two exchanged glances. Without a word, they merely grinned at the other, finally coming to an agreement. Together, they dashed out, making their getaway.

    <hr>

    "Wahaha! Took your time, you two! Did you happen to be going AWOL in there?"

    Heaps of scrap surrounded Seven''s ALT as Nine flew by. The latter opened a different transmission, this one providing a live feed to his bald friend. The image of a bloodied man showed up on the screen.

    "Wahaha! I knew Two was quite the wild one!"

    "No, you idiot!" She yelled back, cheeks red. "That idiot just went and got himself shot over and over. Sigh, when we get back,I''llbe the one who has to get the bullets out. What a pain."

    Seven stepped on the pedal, his ALT''s thrusters lifting it off the ground. He flew it close to his comrades, all of them bearing a tired look that showed a hint of relief. Far as they knew, the mission was over. All that was left was to go home.

    Nine wiped his face with his tattered scarf, casually talking. "Anyway, Seven, I lent you thatCrimson Kingtrack like, two months ago. When are you going to give it back?"

    "Wahaha! I still listen to it every now and again!"

    "Hey, asshole, at least let me listen to it too. It wasn''t easy getting my hands on it, you know?"

    Two held the girl tightly, letting her rest on her lap. It was even more uncomfortable for her, now that she was sharing space with another personandNine''s guitar. "Do both of you have to argueallthe time?" Her irritation showed in her tone of voice. "The mission''s over, can''t we just get along?"

    "Wahaha! Sounds to me likeyou''rethe one who''s angry!"

    She didn''t want to explain to him about the girl she rescued, preferring to leave it for when they returned. She grumbled, finally choosing to remain silent.

    Nine glanced back at the two girls, raising his shoulders at the thought of their futures. He ended up speaking to his old friend instead. "Right. So, I want it back already, dammit. Seven, you know thatCrimson Kingis on my top five list of bands. I haven''t listened to them in a long¡ª"

    A blue beam flashed before them, and within an instant, it tore straight through Seven''s ALT, melting through the steel machine like a hot knife through butter. His cockpit was struck, and the aging man could only leave one final message as the heat scorched his flesh.

    "Wahaha!"

    Static. Two went pale as she watched her subordinate''s machine explode, leaving a heap of junk to hurtle toward the grounds. Nine was frozen, a vein popping on his head. He couldn''t control it. His feelings came bursting out in a fit of sorrow and anger.

    "Seven, you dumbass! You''re not supposed to die! You frickin'' bald asshole!"

    Far in the distance, beyond their eyes could see, a blue AMS stayed in place, steam pouring out of its massive rifle. Within, its pilot smirked, the words ''ALT destroyed'' showing up on the corner of her screen. Hands on the controls, Anastasia turned her sights onto the remaining target.

    "One down, one more to go."

    To Be Continued

 Black Snow 1-3

    Chapter 1-3: Black Snow

    "Shit!"

    "Nine!"

    With a rough pull on the lever, Nine steered his ALT rightwards, crashing it into the mountainside. The chasm protruding before him provided a decent cover against the mysterious assailant, if only temporarily. It would only help prevent its targeting system from perfectly adjusting to his location, but a beam could easily tear right through the mountainside.

    Two tapped the button on her earpiece, sweat trickling down despite the cold weather. "Six, Six, respond. Seven is down, I repeat, Seven is down."

    The girl replied over the intercom. "What? The old man is dead? Are you joking?"

    "Hey, dumbass!" Nine screamed back. "You think we''re in a position to be telling shitty jokes like that?! There''s an enemy sniper on our ass!" Another shot was fired, the massive beam of light streaking past them. "And sure as hell looks like it wants us dead!"

    Six let out a sulk, but hadn''t a choice but to assist them with the turmoil. "Uhm, that''s strange¡­ The two beams that were fired just now, they came from¡­ Well, relative to your position, four kilometers away, three kilometers above your altitude."

    Nine tapped his finger on the lever, eyes rolled upwards. "Four away, three above¡­ I know there''s a formula to calculate this. Hippopotamus? Hypocrite? Damn, should have paid attention back in elementary school."

    Two leaned back, wrapping her arms around the girl tighter. "Pythagoras'' Theorem. We''re looking for the hypotenuse." She sighed, a large cloud forming from her breath. "I don''t remember my squares, I need a calculator for thi¡ª"

    "Five," a feminine voice spoke.

    Nine flinched at the answer. "Huh? Who said that? Didn''t sound like Six."

    "Uhm, yes, five is correct. I just calculated." Six replied. "The enemy sniper is about five kilometers away from you, if you fly a straight line toward them. And no, it wasn''t me who answered."

    Two''s eyes widened when she slowly came to a realization. "Five kilometers¡­? You''re not joking, are you? The furthest range a sniper''s FCS can function is about 1.5 kilometers. That''s almost¡­ three times that range! You mean to tell me that our enemy can get an accurate shot on us from so far away?!"

    Another blast flew by, this time smashing to the grounds behind them, creating a scalding crater beneath the snow. Two stared at it on the screen, unable to clamp her jaw shut.

    "That one was also from the same source!"

    Her hair stood, eyes almost bulging out the sockets. The crater was still smoldering, and the sight of it made her fret for her life. The enemy was too far for them to reach, yet they were like ants to be squished. She felt tears starting to leak out as she wondered whether it was her time.

    Nine watched her over his shoulder as her face darkened. "Hey, Two. You''re the boss here. That''s not the face of a leader, y''know?" He tapped his finger on the lever, echoing a beat in his head. "I''ll tell you this, I''ve been stuck at this squad of ours for many, many years. But out of all the commanders that got stuck with me, I trust you the most. I''m not a very smart guy, you see? So I''m going to need you to tell me what to do. You told me you''d do whatever it takes so all of us could make it out alive."

    She looked up, staring at his callous face through the reflection of the screens. As she wiped her eyes, she suddenly bit into her wrist. Her teeth sank into her flesh deeper and deeper till blood dripped down her chin. An enthusiastic grin on her face, she nodded back at him. "Thanks, my mind''s clear now."

    "Alright, then. Here''s a bit of¡ª"

    Another blue beam of light streaked right by them. Had it been a meter closer, they would have been fried. The side of the mountain was dyed black from the heat.

    "Here''s my offer, just to psyche you up. I''ll call you Boss if you can get both of us out of this mess alive."

    "Boss, hm? I like the sound of that." She spat the blood out, shaking her wrist about. "Your piloting skill is what''s going to determine that. So for my end, I''ll sing for you ifyoucan get us out of this alive."

    "Deal."

    "Twenty seconds. That was the time between the shots. I''ll assume that''s its rifle''s cooldown time. How fast is your ALT?"

    His eyes aimed toward several static blips on the radar. "Hits 170. Maybe with a little extra baggage, 150."

    "The ALT''s only weapon right now is the blade. We''re going to need a rifle and a shield. I want you to fly in and snatch those from the fallen AMSs on the ground. "

    "I doubt a shield''s gonna do any good against a blast that huge."

    "Wasn''t your advice to Three ''don''t get hit''?"

    He glanced over his shoulder at her smug face. Shaking his head, he found himself grinning as well. "So you wanna see why they call me theBullet Striker, eh? I''ll give you a show, just be ready for one hell of a ride."

    Another shot, this time missing the ALT''s head by a few centimeters as it burrowed into the mountainside. The snow on the top started to collapse.

    Her eyes narrowed, her feet shifting around Nine''s guitar. "Twenty seconds again. Now, if I put a rough estimate, if we go 150km/h, and the sniper''s five kilometers away¡­ How fast would we be in terms of minutes?"

    "2.5 kilometers per minute!"

    Nine raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell¡ª"

    "So we''re going to need two minutes to make it there. And in that time, we need to survive six shots. Once we''re in visual range, I''m sure the sniper''s accuracy will increase. How confident are you, Nine?"

    "Bullet Striker, baby.Bullet Striker."

    "Fine then. I''ll leave the rest to you."

    "Also, Two."

    "What?"

    "I love you."

    Her cheeks flushed red as he failed to hold back his snickers. "I know you like to embarrass me when I''m being serious, but now''s not the time for that."

    "I just need to lighten the mood. I''m no good with these tense situations. I fly best when I''m in high spirits."

    "More like when you''re high."

    Another shot came down, closer than it ever was. It was practically shaving the shoulder plate of the ALT, and as it dissipated, the plate was half its original length. Nine stomped on the pedal, and at last, the ALT came out of hiding.

    Two held onto the girl as if her life depended on it. Even with her belt on, the G-forces acting on her was unbearable, and Nine''s rough piloting made it difficult to keep steady on her seat. She started to mutter under her breath as they drifted through the snow. "One¡­ Two¡­"

    "Louder!"

    "Three! Four!"

    The wreckage of enemy AMSs lay in the snow, still smoking from damage. All of them were taken out by Seven. It was obvious that there were no survivors within their cockpits. And Nine knew he could take advantage of that.

    As he flew by, he snatched a shield and rifle planted into the ground. Eyes on the screen, a single blip was beeping, warning signs of concentrated energy on his screen. It was time he avenged an old friend. With a single bound, his ALT took off from the snow, hovering over the frozen scapes with a single target in mind.

    "Seven! Eight!"

    Two could barely keep her eyes open under the high speed. But her true concern was with the unconscious girl on her lap. More than anything, she wanted to get that girl out of the battlefield safe and sound.

    "Nine! Ten!"

    "Fuck!"

    Nine made a sudden turn as the bright blue light suddenly flashed. The beam pierced the front of his ALT, melting the tip of its armour. He realized that she was mistaken; the lag between shots was ten seconds, not twenty. But they can''t stop now that they''ve begun.

    "Ten! Count to ten!"

    "I know! One! Two! Three!"

    They just wanted to go home. Listen to music. Watch television. Complain about the terrible food. They were charging forth for the chance to see what tomorrow brings.

    "Four! Five!"

    Being a soldier was never their dream. Somehow, they ended up in this situation. The aspirations they held as children were quietly discarded.

    "Six! Seven!"

    Looking to the past held no merits for it could not be changed. Looking toward the future had no purpose for it could not be predicted. All they had was the present.

    "Eight! Nine!"

    His eye widened, a blue light reflecting in his irises.

    "Ten!"

    With a hard stomp, he made another sharp turn. His ALT was sent rolling in the snow as the beam phased through the downed units behind him.

    Watching them melt like a slab of butter, a thought occurred in Two''s mind. She immediately yelled at him, "Jammers, now!"

    He didn''t think twice before flicking the switch. His ALT''s signal disappeared from the radar, but so did every other signal. Jammers were a double-edged sword. In exchange for completely masking your presence, it also blocked communications and the signals of every other unit. A pilot has to rely on sight and senses when using them.

    As he continued his charge, he didn''t hear a word from her, so he yelled, "Start counting, dammit!"

    "There''s no need to anymore." She adjusted the girl on her lap to hold her in a more comfortable position. "It''s not going to shoot us anymore."

    "Hah?"

    A single breath released, her expression brightened as if a load was taken off her shoulder. "Think about it. What kind of camera can accurately break down information of AMS movement for the FCS from five kilometers of distance? It was definitely using its radar, and our signal was its reference.

    "Then why was its accuracy diminished when we were hiding?"

    "Perhaps it needed its camera to finalize the calculations. Relying entirely on a camera of five-kilometers of distance would make it too sensitive; a single change in degrees and the shot misses completely. But mixing information from both the camera and the radar would create the best result for sniping. Outside of sniping range, it can''t get us if it can''t detect us."

    Nine perked his lips, staring ahead at where the enemy was. "The next shot wasn''t fired yet. You''d think it''d be looking for us."

    "It thinks we''re dead." She pointed at the smoldering pile of scrap that used to be the shot down units. "When it got those, I had you activate your jammers to make it seem as if you got hit too. As far as it knows, we''ve been shot down."

    "So, we''re invisible to it now?"

    "Yeah. We should be safe now. But we''re not exactly done yet, are we?"

    He wiped the blood off his cheek, one hand caressing the lever to his left. "That guy killed Seven. Unfortunately, I''m not going to let that go." He stared at the mountain peaks which grew taller and taller, fixing his gaze upon the thin blue light that streaked away from it.

    "It''s still in a position to swat us like flies. Chances are, if it sees us up there, we''re going down. Its allies won''t take too long to rip through our jammers. There''s only one way out of this, it seems."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    He didn''t respond, choosing to continue straight onward toward the enemy. His hand hovered over a small keypad which he started tapping on.

    "Nine?"

    On his monitor, various mp3 files were on display. He clicked on one of them, which made the speakers in his ALT roar with the strum of a guitar.

    "Did you actually store music in your ALT''S computer?!"

    He grinned at her over his shoulder. An addictive guitar riff started playing. Then, as if he was anticipating it, he sang along with perfect timing, "I was told a million times of the troubles in my way, might you grow a little wiser, a little better every day~!"

    Blood pumping from the laidback rock, he stomped on the pedal. The ALT''s thrusters flared brighter, and he flew it toward the mountain where the enemy AMS was situated. As the peaks rose higher and higher with each second, and he couldn''t help but bob his head to the beat. Two''s nagging drowned in the chords. Before long she simply gave up and pressed her face against the girl''s back in absolute frustration.

    <hr>

    Anastasia was perched far away from them, high on a mountainside. The peaks she used as a post was the tallest in the area, and it was perfect position to snipe. Her unit was equipped with a massive sniper cannon that had immense recoil. It was a terrible idea to fire it in mid-flight.

    She fired one too many shots to take down a single unit. She quite hated that obscured enemies become difficult to target. Luck was her friend in such cases, but not a single shot hit that foe when it hid. At the very least, when it was out, it finally went down. The disappearing blip was her only proof. It was rare that she ever saw the enemy she sniped. Even at the closest zoom, the massive machines were nothing but dots on her screen.

    Still, her task was to clear a way for the Jotunheim to safely land at the research facility. If even one enemy poses a danger to the Cruiser-class airship, she must snipe it. She felt no remorse from pulling the trigger. After all, these imperials were the ones who took everything away from her.

    Her Blue Magnolia raised its rifle high into the sky, its barrels facing down a squad of AMSs moving toward the facility.

    "Anastasia! Enemy unit inbound! It was using jammers!"

    "Jammers?"

    It was not normal for her friends aboard the Jotunheim to too long to detect an enemy equipped with jammers. No one lasts more than a minute in her sniping range. But when the information revealing its location came in, she realized that it was close, no, it wastooclose. In fact, when she glanced at its direction, it was barely five seconds from reaching her. She could not believe it managed to stay in her range for so long without her noticing.

    Biting her lip, she quickly pointed her rifle at it. There was no time for calculations, as soon as she lined the rifle up with the enemy unit, she pulled the trigger. She knew, at that close distance, she couldn''t miss. It would take a miracle for the enemy to dodge.

    "Come on!"

    Nine hadn''t even a second to think. When that blue beam flashed before his eyes, he had to act according to raw instinct. He had done this maneuver many times during his training days, back when fighter jets roamed the skies. It was flashy and looked impractical, but in his hands, it was a tactical maneuver. Angling the legs of his ALT, the machine was spent spiraling to the side. What Anastasia realized too late was that it was an evasive-offensive move. By barrel-rolling the ALT, he could narrowly dodge an attack without a loss in speed. And that speed was what he needed.

    With the shield aimed forward, he zoomed straight at the Blue Magnolia. Anastasia, who was confident that she couldn''t miss at such a close range, didn''t see him approach from her blind spot. And the moment the machine reached her sight, the airbags of her machine exploded forth, shielding her from the impact.

    The blue AMS was sent toppling into the snow, a large dent on its chest piece. Nine threw the shield aside, and without missing a beat, delivered a kick right into his foe''s sniper rifle. The AMS''s grip on the gun was loosened, and the weapon was sent rolling down the mountainside. Just because he removed that weapon from play, doesn''t mean his job was done. If he left things as it is, the enemy could fly down and reclaim her weapon.

    Aiming the stolen rifle toward the Blue Magnolia''s head, he pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, at that very moment, Anastasia''s airbags had deflated, and she was in clear view of her surroundings. The moment she saw the rifle''s barrel, she strafed leftward, activating the beam saber in her AMS'' wrist.

    At such a close range, it was obvious she''d attempt a melee. Nine felt relieved that he hadn''t chucked his blade away. Grabbing its hilt with his free hand, he swung it toward the pink streak of energy coursing out the Blue Magnolia and deflected the strike away. Normally, a solid metal blade like his would be cleaved in two from a beam of energy. However, current blade technology was manufactured to produce its own barrier within its edges to amplify cutting power, and that barrier was able to clash with the beam saber.

    Nine backed away clearing the distance between them, his gun aimed squarely at her. He hesitated to fire, however. The enemy was staying still. Unnatural occurrences always spelled trouble in the field of battle.

    He eyed Two''s face through the reflection, and smiled at her loosened complexion. Since they''ve been found, he switched off the jammers as there was no use for it anymore. And the moment he did, a transmission came in from an unknown frequency.

    A feed of a teenage girl was overlaid on his screen. "Congratulations. You claim the first honor of damaging my Blue Magnolia. And¡ªHuh? Why are you covered in blood? And what''s with this awful music?"

    Nine found her to be pretty for her age, she gave the impression of royalty just from appearances alone. He wouldn''t be surprised if she actually was a bonafide princess. But what bothered him the most was¡ª

    "What thefuckdid you say about my music?!" He clicked a button to switch it off, a vein bulging on his forehead. "I''ll have you know that this is Keep Yourself Alive by Crimson King, the chart shattering song of 1973!"

    "That''s ten years ago!"

    "So what, violin girl?!"

    "How do you know I play the violin?"

    "You look like the type to have a violin on her neck. And the way you cringed when you heard thatsickguitar solo, that''s the face of a classic music granny. I bet you spend your nights listening to Mozzarella."

    "It''s Mozart!" She cleared her throat. The man''s crude nature was bringing out the worst in her. She told herself that she can''t forget the most important fact; this man had rammed her AMS with a shield. "Anyway, I thought that it might be rude if I failed to introduce myself to you."

    "Who the hell are you anyway?"

    She clutched her lever as if she wanted to snap it off. "I''m right in front of you."

    "The sniper? Why the hell are you talking to me? Aren''t you trying to kill me? I''mdefinitelytrying to kill you."

    She cleared her throat once more. "In any case, my name is Anastasia, and I am the first ranked pilot aboard the Jotunheim. This unit is my personal AMS, the Blue Magnolia. It is developed by the Stark Foundation, and only one of it exists in this world. It is specifically tuned toward sniping, however, it has far more options in close ranges than one might expect. At its fastest, it can go 300km/h. It is equipped with the Twitch Armour, which is still in its prototype stages and has yet to see use outside the Jotunheim. If you wish to leave this place alive, I suggest you refrain from pursuing this confrontation any longer."

    Nine''s face was blank. He didn''t know how to reply to that. Thankfully, Two took the words right out his mouth. "Are you trying to sell us your AMS?"

    Anastasia turned beet red. "No! Who is that?!"

    "My copilot. Even she''s confused why you''re telling us about your robot."

    "I''m making a statement. If you treasure your lives, you''ll fall back."

    Six gun-shaped drones separated themselves from the Blue Magnolia''s back. They hovered in the air with their own flight system, and proceeded to surround Nine''s ALT with each of them aiming their barrels toward him.

    "Bits, eh?"

    "Indeed. I have you completely surrounded. This is a warning. If you proceed with hostilities, I will not hesitate to open fire."

    "Great. Well, you blabbered a lot about your big toy, lemme tell you something about me, just to keep things even." He cleared his throat, mockingly imitating her. "I don''t even have a name to give you, so you''ll have to make do with remembering this handsome face as Nine. This AMS I''m piloting is an ALT, it''s made from scrounge up parts we find at junkyards. Stat-wise, it can only hit 170 at its fastest, when 200 is the bare minimum of the AMSs of today. As for its equipment, I don''t even know any of these, because I just picked them up. Basically, what I''m trying to say is that this machine is a total piece of shit." A smirk grew from cheek to cheek. "And I managed to make it leave that huge dent on your special snowflake."

    She bit her lip, holding her irritation back. She had to keep her emotions in check, acting too rash could spell the end of her life. As annoying the man was, he had a point. Hediddamage her AMS. She couldn''t underestimate him, not even for a second.

    "Your first shot took out a friend of mine." He wiped the blood flowing down his neck and licked it off. "So you see, I''m out for blood. If there''s one more important fact that you need to know, back in the day, they used to call me theBullet Striker. I''m about to show you what that name really means." He stuck his rifle over his back, letting a mechanical arm on his ALT clamp it to hold it for the time being. One sword in hand, his fingers danced over his lever.

    Anastasia took a deep breath. It would be unwise to be impatient. She kept her eyes fixated on the unit. If it made one small step toward her, she would riddle it with holes. That was her plan.

    Nine''s eyes bounced back and forth. He was sizing up the conditions and the environment, as well as his foe. In such a situation, surrender might be the best option, but he didn''t trust this girl enough. If he left things as they are, she may eventually snipe them again.

    Two only nodded at him when she saw him looking at her. He knew from that gesture that she has complete faith in his abilities.

    With a tug on the trigger, a panel opened up on his ALT''s shoulder. An explosive, unguided rocket flew out in a straight line, yet Anastasia remained in place. She saw its trajectory and knew it was aimed for the ground, not her. Perhaps it was a tactic to make her move irrationally, either way, she wouldn''t fall for such a simple trick.

    However, the moment it exploded, she realized its true purpose. The snow between them was sent flying up, creating a blanket that obscured her vision from him. It would dissipate soon enough, but five seconds for this man is four seconds too many. She immediately activated her Bits, firing all of them at the exact same time. The beams tore through the blanket like a bullet through a cloth.

    Nothing exploded, and she knew something was wrong. In fact, her firing of those Bits superheated the snow and turned it into a thick mist, obscuring her visioneven more. She could not see that machine, despite how big it is. Her enemy was using the mist to hide himself. If she charged in, she could get attacked from a blind spot, so the best option would be to back away from the clouds and let him come to her.

    As she activated the thrusters to move her Blue Magnolia back, Nine''s ALT suddenly emerged out the mist from her left, a single blade raised. Without as much as a blink, she swung her beam saber back at it, locking it down. It was her chance. He had one blade with him; she had a beam saber for each wrist. Switching the second one on, she swung it toward his torso¡ª

    "I know you have two."

    He caught her by the forearm with his free hand, preventing the strike from connecting. It was a match of strength. Whoever could overpower the other, wins. Anastasia''s AMS had better joints, but the man''s bulky stature seemed to make up the gap. If she just kept pushing, eventually, she''ll slice through him.

    Veins were popping all over Nine. His ALT was just no match for the meticulously built AMS. The only thing that''s keeping him up with her is his piloting skill, and that alone. Though he was successfully holding the Blue Magnolia back through sheer force of raw strength, it wouldn''t be long before either he or his ALT gave out.

    Of course, he considered that before the battle even started. From just a small exchange and the fact that she used a sniper-type, he knew his enemy was a cautious one. When conditions seem unfavourable, he guessed that she would fall back instead of charging. And she moved where he wanted her to.

    His ALT''s leg swung up and kicked the AMS off the edge of the mountain. It was impossible for him to hold out longer than her, so this was the only way to make it out alive. Anastasia found it pointless, AMSs canfly. Trying to throw her off the mountain holds no merit. Stepping on her pedal, the thrusters on her machine lifted her against gravity''s pull, slowly going from falling to ascending. But just as she rose, the barrel of a rifle was aimed squarely at her.

    Nine had pulled out the rifle he kept away, drawing it for the exact moment she moved upwards. Having yet to reach top speed, she was easy pickings for him to shoot. A tug on the trigger, and a barrage of 36mm rounds was spread squarely at the Blue Magnolia''s head.

    Anastasia realized that this was probably his goal from the beginning; he aimed for the head earlier as well. The AMS'' head is where the main camera and processing units are located. By damaging it, he made it immensely difficult for her to continue sniping. Her cockpit turned dark from the destruction of the main camera, and it would take five seconds for it to switch to the sub cameras. He was too close for her to wait that long. If there was a time to act boldly, it was now.

    Her AMS'' arms swung wildly, hoping to get a lucky hit in. She scowled as she couldn''t hear the screeching sound of melting metal. Instead, she was jolted forward when something hit her from behind.

    As she boosted upwards, Nine had moved around her to get behind. With a single turn with the blade out, he delivered a slash on the Blue Magnolia''s back, cutting through its main thrusters. The machine, unable to fully support its weight, was sent crashing into the mountainside, rolling on its way down.

    Anastasia panicked as she spun about in that cockpit, trying to stabilize her AMS. The auxiliary thrusters on her legs were enough to keep her from rolling all the way down, but they wouldn''t help her fly. She was like a bird which had its wings clipped, and the man responsible was floating high above, where she could no longer return.

    Nine looked at her angered face that seemed about ready to fly into a fury. Without much a care, he reached into his pockets and then lit up a cigarette. "It''s my win, Ana. You''re probably thinking of using your Bits to swat me, but you should know you won''t be able to hit me in this situation." Holding the cigarette between his lips, he clicked on the panel, playing his song once more.

    "Keep yourself alive~! Ooh~! Keep yourself alive~! Take you all your time and money and honey you''ll survive~!"

    Anastasia''s head was down. She withdrew her Bits, flying them past him and back to her AMS. She was shuddering in disbelief. "How¡­? How did I get beaten by some guitar-playing degenerate¡­?"

    His face brightened up. "Hey, you knew I played the guitar. It''s cause I have the face of a rockstar, right?"

    "No, I can see the guitar sticking out behind you." She clenched her lever hard, almost wanting to snap it off. "I''m the first ranked pilot aboard the Jotunheim. I even have the Blue Magnolia. There''s no way I can lose like this!"

    He leaned back, smoke escaping through his nostrils. "The man makes the machine. Not vice versa. You said you were the first ranked aboard the Jellyfish? Small fish in a big sea. I''m not even the best pilot I know."

    "Three years¡­ I spent three years to be the best AMS pilot I can be. To think that¡ª"

    "I spent five times that amount going battlefield to battlefield. Just because you have a big toy doesn''t mean you can best everyone." He tapped on his forehead. "It''s all aboutthis."

    She bit her lip, so hard it was on the brink of bleeding. "I''ll remember this... I''ll defeat you, Nine. You and your emblemless squad. If I don''t see an emblem on an AMS, I''ll know exactly who I need to shoot first. After that, I know I''ll be ready to take down the rest of the empire and take back everything they took from me."

    He noted how her glare was full of murderous intent, yet the tears they hid behind told him of the pain she was going through. It was a face he''d seen many times in his years. However, seeing as they were enemies, there was nothing he could do about it. He shook his head and flew his ALT away from the battlefield.

    "Good luck, then."

    With that, Nine cut the transmission. He eyed those glacial skies with a wry smile. The world was getting blurrier and blurrier. On his screen, they were reaching the end of the combat zone. Even so, his body was getting weaker and weaker.

    Two took off her seatbelt, putting the unconscious girl down where she sat. "Nine, did you spare her life because of me?"

    "Well¡­ She was just a kid." His voice was strangely gentle, and his eyes were half-closed. "You''ll bitch at me all day if I killed her. That''d be annoying¡­"

    She patted him on the head and pecked him on the cheek as his eyes shut. "Thank you."

    "Two, I''m getting really tired¡­"

    "I know. Go to sleep, I''ll take over." She slipped the cigarette off his lips and rubbed it against the lever to put it out.

    She then climbed over him and sat on his lap. Tucking his hands away, she assumed control of the ALT. As she flew away from the battlefield, she couldn''t help but sulk at the snowy, white grounds that were now stained black as a result of battle. The world was a beautiful place, but neither she, Nine or the girl could ever appreciate its beauty because of this war they''re embroiled in.

    Sighing, she had no choice but to accept this fate. Someday, it''ll all be over. She only has to wait for that day to arrive. How long must she wait, she doesn''t know. The only truth is that nothing is eternal. All things come to an end.

    "Keep yourself alive~! Come on, keep yourself alive~! All you pretty people, keep yourself alive~!"

    "Now, how do I put a stop to Nine''s music¡­?"

    To Be Continued

 New Recruits 2-1

    Chapter 2-1: New Recruits

    He blinked over and over. The blurry image of a white ceiling became clearer with each successive flap of the eye. He was lying on a bed, specifically, an infirmary bed. The tubes wired to his body clued him off. And from the slight feeling of motion, he knew he was in an airship.

    Fighting against his heavy bones and tired muscles, he sat up. Though he felt a stinging pain on his shoulder, he suppressed it, opting to pull out the tubes from his wrist. The transparent liquid of the IV drip spilt on the floor, slowly forming a puddle.

    One glance to the left and another to the right. His belongings had been taken away. Even his dog tags. He sighed. Why was he here? He tried to recall his last memory.

    ¡°The gold one! It¡¯s been targeted!¡±

    ¡°Stop, Blaze 3!¡±

    He flinched. The bright light was the last he saw.

    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I threw myself in the way to protect that unit. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡±

    Coughing hopelessly, he forced himself off the bed, splashing the puddle with a hard stomp to the floor. Trotting toward the door, it slid open as soon as he neared it. He didn¡¯t know where he was or where to go, but he felt like he was accomplishing nothing by staying there.

    Slowly, his muscle ache was fading. His hunched stature straightened up, and he was able to walk normally. The hallway was a mess of doors, and there was an elevator at the very end. It was the one thing he wasn¡¯t fond of when it came to airships-- How easy it was to get lost.

    He took a gander at the nearest door, with the numbers 4031 imprinted on top with ornate plating. He needed to find someone, anyone. If he wandered on his own, who knows where he¡¯d end up? Believing those numbers to be designation for living quarters, without as much of a thought, he opened the door.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    Golden locks glimmering beneath the glare of the rising sun. Dazzling cerulean eyes one a foreign face that widened at the sight of him. Her face looked like it belonged to a poster on a wall. If she walked by, a normal person could never resist stealing a look. If that was all he saw, maybe his heart wouldn¡¯t be pounding as hard as it was.

    She was down to her underwear. The glistening, unblemished skin as white as fresh snow glowed subtly beneath the black lacings. Her figure was curved in ways a sculptor could only dream of producing. Yet, she didn¡¯t look an age older than him, around sixteen or seventeen. She stood there, with her skirt around her ankles.

    He was frozen at the sight. He knew it was bad, but he couldn¡¯t stop looking. She was bent over, her fingers pinching the tips of the skirt. That pose emphasized her curvaceous butt, and when she turned around, her cleavage was for his eyes to see.

    However, those cheeks that turned a bright shade of red foretold his impending doom. Those puffy pink lips split open, and a horrified shriek echoed throughout the airship.

    ¡°Kyah! Pervert!¡±

    Slam!

    Terrified, his hand pulled on the handle and shut it loudly. His heart was pounding. His breaths were becoming wild. But he fought off all temptation to run. No, that¡¯d be far too suspicious. He hadn¡¯t a clue where he was, but he knew that if he were to escape with his life, he¡¯d have to casually walk away.

    Back straight, hands striding, each step was robotic but it smoothened out slowly. Calm down, he told himself. Even if that girl were to give chase, she¡¯d have to put on her clothes first. No way in hell would she hunt him down whilst naked. Thirty seconds, at the very least. That¡¯s enough time for him to reach the end of the hallway and take the elevator.

    However, the sound of doors unlocking and their creaking open started to echo. Girls started exiting their rooms from in front of him, then from behind. Quickly, he was trapped from all directions. And what was worse was, all of them were still in their underwear.

    ¡°What was that loud screaming?¡±

    ¡°Pervert? Was Charlotte at it again?¡±

    ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn that was Anastasia¡¯s voice¡­¡±

    ¡°Uhm, is that a guy?¡±

    The boy froze. All eyes were directed squarely toward him, a sizeable circular space between him and the girls.

    ¡°Well. Shit.¡±

    Loud stomps inched closer and closer. The girls behind him parted, making space for a certain angry blonde to rush in. A simple shirt and skirt on, the rage in her eyes was akin to the ferocious wrath of a wild tigress.

    ¡°There you are, degenerate. You better say your prayers.¡±

    And so, for the first time in years, he prayed to God.

    <hr>

    When she opened her eyes, what lay before her was a loaf of bread infested with ants and cockroaches left to rot on the floor. By sight and odor, she guessed that it had been left there for two or so days, factoring in the cold winter that was freezing her fingers off.

    Without moving even an inch, her eyeballs rolled about, carefully scanning the surroundings. Iron bars stood on one end of the room, and the scent of urine seemed to permeate from the white dome-shaped thing that had been stained brown and black at the corner. It was obvious she was imprisoned.

    Another mission to break herself out of prison. How wonderful. She had forgotten how long and how many missions she had been undertaking ever since she was thrown into that pod. Not a second to rest, not a moment to think. Each painful death and failure led to retrying the mission, each success was met with the start of another mission. It was an unending cycle that lasted three years with no respite.

    This was just another of those. Her body felt weak, but those are probably conditions placed to handicap her. She didn¡¯t seem to have any equipment on her either, meaning the scenario was perhaps to successfully break out with whatever she can find.

    In such a situation, there was only one thing to do: Nothing.

    She stayed completely still, pretending to be a corpse. If she waited a day or two, someone would open that cell door to throw her away. That would be the perfect time to strike. An iron creak echoed quietly, and footsteps grew closer and closer.

    ¡°Hey Five, don¡¯t you feel worried about the girl Two brought in? Soon as she got here, the big guns tossed her into prison, and she hasn¡¯t woken up since. Shouldn¡¯t they at least hook her up to something to keep her condition stable or something? That beeping thing, what¡¯s it called?¡±

    There were two sets of footsteps, but the other party didn¡¯t seem to respond.

    ¡°I hope she¡¯s okay too. But I¡¯m scared since she hasn¡¯t budged an inch for the past three days. You don¡¯t think she¡¯s dead, right?¡±

    The man¡¯s response to that to complete silence led the girl to come to the conclusion that he was completely insane.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s dangerous to open the cell door, but I think I should check her pulse. This isn¡¯t a place for anyone to die, especially a young girl like her. Watch my back, please.¡±

    The clinking of keys, the undoing of a lock, the rusty creak of the hinges, and the footsteps of the man. She didn¡¯t need to wait as long as she thought she needed to. He stepped closer and closer, and wrapped his hand around her wrist, his thumb pressed closely against her cold skin.

    He sighed in relief. ¡°Her pulse is norm¡ª Guf!¡±

    She straightened her free hand and delivered a chop right to his Adam¡¯s apple. The man felt like he drank an entire barrel of beer after scarfing down five burgers, and the pain made him collapse beside her, gasping for air.

    The girl rolled on his feet, making a bee line for the door. The silent woman stood on the other side, reaching into her coat, trying to draw her gun out her holster. But just as she pointed it at her, the girl was already in hand-to-hand combat range. All it took was a simple smack to the hand, and the woman¡¯s grip on the gun was released, leaving the firearm to spin away on the ground.

    With a simple shove, the woman was pushed away, giving the girl an opening to escape. And as she ran down the hallway, she quickly swiped the handgun to accommodate her getaway.

    Five seconds. That was all it took for her to turn the situation around to her favour. She found it odd how the prompt to her next objective wasn¡¯t flashing in front of her, but she understood it as another attempt to ground the mission to realism.

    After climbing a small flight of stairs at the end, she hid behind the corner of an open door, peeking out to analyze the situation.

    ¡°You know, Boss, I don¡¯t get why we have to visit the prison to leave food for that little girl. Wouldn¡¯t it be more logical to put her in an infirmary till she wakes up?¡±

    ¡°Tell that to the higher ups. I suggested that too, you know. But what did our general have to say to us? Lock her up! What a cad.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, but I don¡¯t like wasting my time coming all the way out here just to leave food in case she wakes up. I mean, I got better things to do, like practicing my guitar.¡±

    ¡°You do that all the time, Nine. I hear strumming all the way past midnight. Take you to the town nearby, you practice in the SUV. Go into battle, you practice in the robot! These fifteen minutes we spend going to the prison is nothing compared to the time you spend strumming away.¡±

    ¡°Music is my oxygen to live, dear Boss.¡±

    Though the man was unarguably irresponsible, he had a large and imposing build, contrast to the woman¡¯s slightly shorter and slender one. The girl didn¡¯t hear running from where she came from, meaning that the other two were perhaps intimidated from giving chase due to her snatching the weapon.

    If she wanted to escape, she knew she had to fight her way out. The biggest concern was the big man. Strange as he is, he would probably defeat her in a fistfight, and if not that, stall her long enough for his female companion to pull a gun on her. That is why he should be the one to go first.

    Rushing into the room where the exit stood behind the desk the two were sitting at, she raised the gun with both hands and aimed it squarely at the man¡¯s forehead. Just as he felt a glimpse moving past the corner of his eye, he turned to look and¡ª

    Bang!

    A bullet was lodged into his forehead. The girl eyed the woman whose green eyes were widening, and quickly aimed the gun at her before she could draw hers. Without a hint of hesitation, she pulled the trigger once more.

    However, the woman did not fall. Instead, the man she had shot threw himself between them, taking another bullet to the chest.

    One shot to the head, another to the chest. It was a miracle that he was still standing. She knew he¡¯d be a pain just from looking at him. Another tug on the trigger, yet he still refused to fall. Instead, he marched on forward, as if the blood leaking out his flesh were like irritating mosquito bites. She shot the fourth time and the fifth, yet he still pressed forward. Inching back, she realized she was trapped against the wall, and the man was glaring into her eyes with an indescribable rage.

    Upon the sixth shot, he gripped her wrist as if he were trying to crush her bones, slowly lifting her off the ground. The handgun fell to his feet, to which he stepped on to prevent her from taking it back.

    ¡°Give it up, kid.¡±

    She refused to give in. Balling her hand into a fist, she punched at his jugular over and over, to no effect. It almost felt like only she was getting hurt by her efforts.

    The woman shouted at them, ¡°Nine! Don¡¯t kill her!¡±

    Veins popping on his forehead, he spun about and slammed the girl against a wall like rug that needed dusting. Cracks emerged on the brick wall, chunks of stone falling on the floor. The sharp pain rose to her brain, and her consciousness quickly faded as she dropped to the floor.

    He turned to Two and yelled, ¡°This is what I meant when I said that these things are fucking nuts! If it wasn¡¯t for me, you¡¯d be dead right now!¡±

    She dashed past him and knelt before the girl, one hand on her chest, the other around her wrist. ¡°She¡¯s still breathing¡­ Thank God.¡± She let out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t thank God, thank me!¡±

    A furrow emerged between her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m infuriated that you¡¯d attack a young girl like that, and I want to scold you for doing such a thing. But, I¡¯m grateful that you saved my life, and I want to thank you as well.¡± She gazed over her shoulder with a smirk. ¡°So the scolding and the thanks cancel each other out, hence I¡¯ll do nothing.¡±

    ¡°This bitch¡­¡±

    ¡°The base must¡¯ve heard those gunshots.¡± She picked up the girl and slung her over her shoulder. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve got some explaining to do and probably some paperwork to fill in thanks to that.¡±

    ¡°Aww shit!¡±

    <hr>

    Groan¡­

    The boy sat on a chair, exactly one meter away from the girl. Neither refused to look at the other. In front of them was a white table, a single chair behind it. The boy¡¯s body was covered in red, hand-shaped marks, and all he had to wear at the moment was a pair of trousers.

    The chair spun around, an older woman with mauve hair revealing her face, clad from head to toe in military uniform. On her chest was the seal of a captain, most probably meaning she¡¯s the woman in charge of this airship. At the very least, the woman was definitely an ally, as the uniform was unmistakably Luriesian. That meant he avoided the worst case scenario of being captured by enemy imperials.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Anastasia saluted at the woman. ¡°Captain Lucrescia Noire, here is my recount of the situation. This lecherous young man snuck through the ship and invaded my quarters to see my naked body. And then he called upon every other girl to do the same to them. We merely punished him for his crimes.¡±

    ¡°I said, it was an accident!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Because of you, I can¡¯t get married now!¡±

    ¡°In the first place¡­¡± he chimes in, ¡°Haven¡¯t you people ever heard of locking the goddamn doorknob?¡±

    ¡°How would I know a pervert would come barging in like that?!¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m not a pervert! Besides, you stripped me naked and then slapped my dick! If anything, you¡¯re the pervert!¡±

    ¡°How would I know you would be perverse enough to go around without underwear?! Ahhhh¡­¡± She covered her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m tainted now. Forever... It¡¯s all your fault!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± The woman yelled, causing the two to turn rigid from fear. Her face was buried in her palms, and she was visibly shaking. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I took the position of captain for this¡­¡±

    ¡°Captain, for invasion of privacy and stealing the purities of all the girls aboard the Jotunheim¡­ The proper punishment for this pervert is suicide.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    ¡°Anastasia.¡± Lucrescia glared into her blue eyes sharply. ¡°Please kindly shut up.¡±

    Her back straightened, pupils shrinking in utter terror. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°He is correct. Every door on this ship has a lock installed. Even though every staff aboard the ship is female, it is your own responsibility to keep yourself secure by locking your rooms. Especially since we have a certain Charlotte aboard.¡±

    Anastasia gulped.

    ¡°And Ichijou, please make sure to knock on every door before you open them. You may end up seeing things you don¡¯t want to see. Consider yourself lucky that it was a girl your age instead of someone¡¯s grandmother.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that to mind¡ª¡± He flinched. ¡°Wait, I haven¡¯t introduced myself. How do you know my name?¡±

    Lucrescia slid open a drawer and brought forth a set of dog tags. ¡°Ichijou Shido, call sign Blaze 3. I was keeping your dog tags safe till you woke up. I am, as you heard, Captain Lucrescia Noire. I¡¯m the woman in charge of the Jotunheim.¡± She slid the dog tags across the table.

    Ichijou grabbed the dog tags, pocketing it with his eyes on her. ¡°Jo-Jotunheim¡­ It¡¯s this airship, right?¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be an underwear brand, now can it?¡±

    ¡°And all the personnel here are women¡­?¡±

    ¡°Precisely.¡± She leaned back on her chair, puffing her ample chest out. ¡°The Jotunheim is a testbed for the Candidate Program, where we take in young women with high potential and run tests of powerful experimental weapons. We¡¯ve received funding from powerful corporations across the globe in hopes of bringing out the maximum potential of their creations.¡±

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t have any men here?¡±

    Anastasia crossed her arms, turning away, ¡°Protecting the candidates is of utmost importance as none of them are over the age of twenty, and many lack proper training in self-defence. If a scoundrel such as yourself, were to come aboard, that would endanger the girls, would it not?¡±

    Ichijou bit his lips. He had only heard about this program from a squad member by the name of Roger. He was a hyperactive youth who caught a rumour that the ship was full of cute girls and would literally kill anyone to be able to spend even a day onboard. Suffice to say, Ichijou understood that he would die the moment he told Roger about today.

    ¡°Wait.¡± He uttered as a thought hit him. ¡°Why am I aboard this ship?¡±

    ¡°You reportedly shielded one of our pilots from an attack. She brought you in here for treatment, against our wishes. However, due to the chaos of the battlefield, we hadn¡¯t a choice but to split up with your company. So, you¡¯ll have to stay onboard for the meantime till we can rendezvous with your squad. Are there any objections, Anastasia?¡±

    ¡°I!¡± She glared at the captain and then at him. ¡°I have no objections. However, I request permission to use lethal force if such an incident occurs once more.¡±

    ¡°Approved.¡±

    Three knocks on the door. With Lucrescia¡¯s approval, the door swung open. A gentle-faced girl with tangerine hair stepped in with a shirt and coat inhand.

    ¡°I was told by the Vice Captain to deliver these to the passenger onboard. So¡ª¡± She froze the moment she saw Ichijou¡¯s face, eyes wide, mouth hanging.

    He stared at her the same way, dumbfounded by the face before him.

    ¡°Ichijou¡­?¡±

    ¡°Karen?¡±

    Anastasia raised an eyebrow. ¡°You two know each other¡­?¡±

    And like two birds cawing through the night, they screamed in unison,

    ¡°EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH¡ª¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    The young girl found her hands behind her back, a pair of cuffs holding them together and the back of a chair standing between her arms and her back. She tried to move her legs, but she felt them tied to the legs of said chair. From feeling alone, she could tell she was completely shackled.

    ¡°Ah, awake at last, are we? Open your eyes. You can tell that your struggling is futile.¡±

    One eyelid open, her pupils scanned her immediate vicinity. Two soldiers with rifles in hand stood behind an office table. And stationed at said table was a sharp-eyed man with red hair. He was stirring tea as he watched her. The very sight of that made her sick.

    With dry lips, she asked the only question on her mind. ¡°Where am I¡­?¡±

    ¡°Reality, my child.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    Eyes slowly adjusting to the lights, she turned to the left to see a shelf full of accolades. Then to her right, where a familiar scarlet-haired woman sat; several others sitting on the floor behind her¡­ playing with cards. Of note was the big man with the scarf who she recognized at a glance, as his head was bandaged. That was the man she shot. Somehow, he walked out without fatal injuries.

    ¡°Poker!¡± One of them shouted.

    ¡°I told you this before, it¡¯s called a Full House, not Poker!¡±

    ¡°Ahem!¡± The man behind the desk loudly and fakely coughed. ¡°Our guest here is awake. I believe the time for games is over.¡±

    All but the big man stood up and saluted. ¡°Sir, yes sir!¡± They quickly collected their cards, stashing it into a box.

    The man clasped his hands, hiding his lips behind with his eyes staring straight through the little girl. ¡°How long do you believe you have been asleep?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± The girl tried to recall. ¡°Perhaps an hour? Maybe two?¡±

    ¡°Not unconscious. Asleep. From reality, that is. For the past three years, what do you believe you have been doing?¡±

    The only memories she could recall was the endless training she was put through. Every moment, another mission. Failure led to another mission. Success led to another mission. Without rest. Without sleep. Without a meal. She kept on heading missions over and over, and when she gave up from weariness, she would be punished heavily.

    ¡°The Virtual Reality Soldier Simulation Program, proposed by Professor Doctor Steven Fencer. A program to train the minds of the regular individual into a soldier with far more experience than the norm. In a simulation, concepts such as sleep or sustenance are of no importance. As long as the proper nutrients are fed into the body, the mind can be continuously pushed through the simulation without a stop. However, results show that those who are put through even a month of such rigorous training become rather¡­ unhinged. Am I wrong to suspect the same of you?¡±

    The girl¡¯s eyes were starting to close. That man talked too much, and his calm voice was like the narration of a nanny reading a storybook. Before she realized it, her mind was black, and she started to snore.

    With a smile, the man grabbed onto the teacup by his side and chucked it straight at the girl¡¯s face. The porcelain cup shattered, hot tea scattered all over her face. She screamed in pain as blood flowed out from a wound on her cheek, the scalding hot fluid intensifying her pain.

    ¡°Hey!¡± The woman beside the girl shouted. ¡°That was uncalled for!¡±

    ¡°Silence, Two. In my office, when I speak, I expect to be heard. Be it a child or an adult, any or everyone here has that responsibility.¡± He waved his hand, and the two soldiers pointed their rifles at her. ¡°Is that understood?¡±

    ¡°Sir, yes, sir¡­¡± She weakly replied, lowering her head.

    ¡°Excellent.¡± He stood up from his chair, walking around it to the front of the girl. Grabbing her by her silver hair, he pulled her face up to meet his. ¡°Now, can you hear me clearly?¡±

    ¡°I can¡­!¡±

    ¡°Now, answer me, how long were you in that simulation?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±

    ¡°That is not an answer!¡± He slapped her across the cheek, the loud smack resounding throughout the wooden room. He walked back to his seat, the girl squirming in pain as he sat down.

    Nine suddenly stood up, a large grin on his face. ¡°Oooh, look at me! I¡¯m so cool, beating up little girls~!¡±

    Two was trembling in anger. ¡°Nine, now is not a good time for this¡­! You¡¯re the one who knocked her unconscious in the first place!¡±

    The man snickered. ¡°Oh, Nine, what a jovial man you are. Truly, you are the empire¡¯s greatest mistake. Oh, how I wish killing you were much easier. But for a man of steel such as you, I would prefer another means which surpasses simple violence.¡± He clasped his hands together once more. ¡°Zeroes. How long do you believe this girl spent in that virtual simulation?¡±

    Three scratched his head. ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem that crazy¡­ Two weeks maybe?¡±

    ¡°Not even close. All the subjects of the program were put into the pods three years ago, and no one else was added later into the research for the sake of consistency. Any subject that was taken out of their pods was promptly executed due to unhinged behavior. With that in mind, how long do you propose she was in her pod?¡±

    Two replied with a bated breath. ¡°Three years¡­¡±

    ¡°In seconds, Two.¡±

    Her mouth gaped. There was no way she could convert three years into seconds without a calculator¡ª

    ¡°94,608,000 seconds!¡±

    ¡°Who said that¡­?¡±

    ¡°Precisely. Those seconds are far more war experience than the average soldier. Why, I believe her experience on the battlefield supersedes a fifteen year old veteran such as yourself, Nine.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a computer simulation.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t compare it to actual warfare.¡±

    ¡°Obviously, a bloke such yourself underestimates the hyperrealism incorporated into those simulations. I¡¯ve seen it for myself, and I find it a suitable replacement for reality. However, arguing about it serves no purpose now, as the Liner Research Facility has already been destroyed. The only remnants we have are the data collected, and this young lady before us.¡±

    ¡°And¡­?¡±

    ¡°And. We have no need for her. The data is what we wanted, not the subjects. Besides the data, anything related to that research was to be terminated. Including her. And that is why¡­¡± He took his gun from his holster and then slid it across the table. ¡°Two, would you kindly do the honours of executing this girl?¡±

    ¡°Hold the fuck up!¡± Nine yelled, stepping between him and Two. ¡°You made us wait two fucking hours in your office for this little cunt to wake up just to shoot her? If you wanted her dead, couldn¡¯t you tell those losers behind you to gun her while she was asleep?¡±

    ¡°Now, now, Nine, it¡¯s not a simple matter of merely ending the life of a test subject.¡± He stated, smiling grimly at Two. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because of a child that you doomed our forces in the Northern Garrison? That is why you became a Zero, is it not? I don¡¯t have much faith in you, and I don¡¯t want to lose the Eastern Stronghold. If you don¡¯t execute her, then I¡¯ll have your entire squad executed in her stead.¡±

    Three gasped. ¡°What?!¡±

    She clicked her tongue, looking away with humiliation and anger looming in her thoughts. ¡°I understand.¡± She stood up, walking past Nine, and reached for the gun. As her hand touched it, her eyes roamed to the two rifles pointed squarely at her. She then glared the man before her, and said, ¡°General Heinz Lawter, you truly are the most despicable man I¡¯ve had the displeasure of meeting.¡±

    She took the gun and pointed it at the girl. Her vision started to blur. Her breaths became heavier and heavier. Despite the cold climate, she started to sweat. All of her squadmates were watching her with a bated breath.

    Heinz stated calmly, ¡°Either the girl or your squad.¡±

    The girl looked up at Two, her golden eyes widening at the barrel of the handgun. She had no words for her situation. After all, she did try to gun that same lady down earlier. Perhaps this was what they called karma.

    Eyes squeezing shut, Two¡¯s finger shivered on that trigger. She knew that she couldn¡¯t do it. To end someone¡¯s life was an undeniable aspect of war. To end the life of a child, that was unjust no matter the context. However, was the life of a stranger worth the lives of her comrades? She knew there wasn¡¯t a choice in the situation. She had to pull that trigger. That was, until she felt a warm hand divert the gun away.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to make this choice, Two.¡± Nine stated. ¡°I mean, think carefully. Isn¡¯t there a certain squad that is considered a death penalty the moment you are drafted into it?¡±

    ¡°A squad that¡¯s¡­¡± She flinched as the thought struck. ¡°That¡¯s our squad!¡±

    Heinz chuckled to himself quietly. ¡°This is why I despise you the most among the Zeroes, Nine. You¡¯re hard to kill, and you show brilliance in the most unfortunate of times. Yes, you are precisely correct. The Zeroes are where we throw the empire¡¯s trash to run operations we do not expect to succeed. By our standards, it is the death penalty for our men.¡±

    Two¡¯s grip on the gun loosened, and it fell to her feet. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­?¡±

    ¡°Is it any different? You¡¯re merely prolonging her execution. Two, how many people named Two do you believe have walked in and out of my office?¡±

    ¡°A lot. But that doesn¡¯t matter. Between killing this girl and giving her the death penalty of becoming a Zero, one has more merits than the other. So¡ª¡±

    ¡°That is up to me.¡±

    She clicked her tongue. ¡°You know that having her join us would be more beneficial in the longer run. Even if she dies, she¡¯d have helped the empire in some form and some way. Right?¡±

    ¡°That is correct. However, you are merely saying that to dissuade me from your orders. I can¡¯t simply allow her to live that easily, no? I would like something in return, as you see.¡±

    ¡°What, her body?¡± Nine smirked, rubbing his hand all over her flat chest. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here.¡±

    Two smacked his hand away with a vicious glare. ¡°Name your price.¡±

    ¡°I want the Northern Garrison recaptured within a week. If you fail to do so, then I will have all of you executed.¡± He beamed at Nine. ¡°Ah, and you will be allowed a front row seat. After all, executing you is far too difficult.¡±

    ¡°One week to take back a fortress¡­¡± Two cleared her throat. ¡°Do we get anything to help with that effort? Like an airship or¡­¡±

    Heinz laughed out loudly, pointing at her. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re serious?¡± He motioned at his two men, and they promptly laughed with him even louder than before.

    ¡°Figures¡­ We¡¯ll have to make do with what we have, I guess.¡±

    He wiped a tear rolling out his eyes, then turned his attention to the girl who was sitting there with her head down. ¡°Young lady, from today onward, you will become a Zero, as per the behest of their leader here. Do you know what a Zero is?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°Precisely, because their job is to die. Zeroes are composed of the military¡¯s criminals. Incompetent soldiers as well, if they prove their worthlessness. We do not allow your kind to address yourselves by name. From the moment you become a Zero to the moment you die, you shall be addressed by your assigned number. If any of you dies, whoever comes in shall take the number you left behind.¡±

    The girl forced herself to stay awake to avoid another teacup to the face.

    ¡°And if I¡¯m not mistaken, I believe One has been killed in action? Shall that be what we address this girl as from today onward?¡±

    Two replied, ¡°He¡¯s comatose, but he isn¡¯t dead. I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll wake up. The numbers we have open are Seven and Eight, because Seven died in the last mission.¡±

    ¡°Seven it is. That is your designation, is that understood?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Now then¡­¡± He snapped his finger. One of his men walked to Seven with a metallic collar in hand and promptly attached it around her neck. As soon as it closed, the collar locked into place, and Seven was sure she would never pry it open by force.

    ¡°That, Seven, is an explosive collar. If you defy my orders, I can easily push a simple button and sever your head. Our darling Two over there has one just like yours.¡± He motioned at her, eyes tracked on the bomb collar on her neck. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Nine has one too?¡±

    He pulled on his scarf to reveal a collar on his neck. ¡°Highly doubt this tiny thing can kill me though.¡±

    ¡°These are the biggest criminals we have. Others like the small fry back there have collars on their wrists or ankles. If those explode, I¡¯m sure the results would be fatal, but there exists a chance of survival. The same cannot be said for you.¡±

    The soldier took out a key and uncuffed the girl. Noting how the other had a rifle trained on her, she clasped her hands together and held her head down. At any moment, the man before her could have her gunned down or have her neck blown apart. She was completely at his mercy. There were ways to get out of such a situation, she was calculating it as she stood, but if he were to be believed, she was no longer trapped in a simulation. A single mistake would cost her life. That was no longer a price she could afford to pay. It was the fear of death and the impossibly low odds of success that made her stay her hand.

    Heinz motioned his hand, and the soldier took position behind him once more. ¡°From today onwards, you are a Zero. You are nothing but a tool for the empire, a weapon to be used and discarded. The empire cares little for your individuality, if we tell you two plus two equals to five, then you will believe it with your very being. If we tell you to jump off a bridge, then you will do it with a smile. That is your fate the moment that collar was locked around your neck.¡±

    She stared at the man who was clearly taking delight with every word he spoke. Arrogance, cruelty, sadism. She could smell the odor of a scumbag oozing from his very being. It was because people like him existed that there could never be peace. She wanted nothing more than to make him disappear. However, with that collar around her neck, she was at his mercy. She could only clench a trembling fist as she held back her emotions.

    Two stepped up and stood between him and Seven. With a warm smile that fought off the cold winter climate and a hand outstretched, she introduced herself, ¡°I¡¯m Two, currently acting as the leader of the Zero Squadron. You¡¯ll be in my care from now on¡ª¡±

    Seven slapped her hand away. She was glaring daggers at Two, eyes writhe with absolute contempt. Two understood why she¡¯d feel that way. After all, she was the one who put her in that situation, not a speck of consent requested. The girl turned her back on the lady, refusing to share eye contact.

    Nine just shrugged. ¡°Well. Is that all? Can we go now?¡±

    Heinz flailed his hand in their direction. ¡°Yes, yes, your very existence is polluting my office. Remember, as I said, all of you have a single week to capture the Northern Garriso¡ª¡±

    He dug his ear, stepping toward the door. ¡°Yeah, yeah, or else you¡¯ll kill us blah blahblah. You¡¯re a broken record that loves his own voice way too much.¡± He opened said door, holding it open for his squadmates to leave. ¡°You better reward us handsomely when we do it.¡±

    ¡°If you can do it.¡±

    Two held Seven by the shoulder, slowly guiding her out the office. Glaring at Heinz over her shoulder, she coldly remarked, ¡°One week from now, you¡¯ll see. Us stray dogs with nothing to lose can make the impossible possible if we put our minds into it.¡±

    As they stepped past Nine, he clutched on the knob and closed the door as he left, his free hand flipping off Heinz as the door creaked back.

    To Be Continued

 New Recruits 2-2

    Chapter 2-2: New Recruits

    He could still feel the pain coursing through his body. He was given immediate medical attention, but it wasn¡¯t as if it eased the pain. The bruises were fading, but they still ached.

    Ichijou¡¯s hand felt numb as he sat on that wardroom bed. The captain said that there weren¡¯t any quarters for outsiders as the Jotunheim wasn¡¯t constructed with the thought of taking in refugees. It was a battleship through and through, thus the only space they had for him to sleep was the wardroom meant for the injured. Even if he recovered, he¡¯d have no choice but to stay there. Still, it wasn¡¯t a terrible situation. He could be sleeping on a blanket spread across the floor.

    The only thing that kept coming back to his mind was Karen. Soon as their eyes met, they screamed and she ran. He didn¡¯t know why she ran. She just did so as if it were a natural instinct. He thought she¡¯d be happy seeing him after all those years. His first action when the captain allowed him to leave was to search for her, but the airship¡¯s corridors were so confusing, he gave up. Why did she run? Didn¡¯t they part on good terms? So what did he do to deserve such a reaction? The only thing he wanted at that moment was an answer from her.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡±

    The door usually creaked when pushed, but he didn¡¯t hear anything. Before he even knew it, a girl stood right by the door, her tangerine hair recognizable from a single glance. Just as he thought about her, she appeared before him, a tray of food in hand.

    ¡°Karen?¡±

    She placed the food down on a drawer beside him. ¡°I¡¯m surprised that you found your way through. This airship is like a maze.¡±

    ¡°Anastasia helped me through. But she was very¡­ prickly about it.¡± Imitating her voice and mannerisms, he went, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me, don¡¯t look at me and don¡¯t breath the same air as me. In fact, it¡¯d be much better if you up and died. I think it¡¯s gonna be hard staying here with her room directly in front of mine.¡±

    She chuckled. ¡°I think both of you got off on the wrong foot. She¡¯s actually a very nice and reliable friend. Though, given the circumstances I heard about, I can see why she¡¯d act the way she does.¡±

    Ichijou was silent.

    Her lips curled into a wry grin, a slight tilt in her stance. ¡°Did you like what you saw?¡±

    ¡°Given how things went, I wish I didn¡¯t see anything.¡±

    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed if you saw me like that. I mean, we used to shower together.¡±

    ¡°Ahahaha¡­ Those were the days¡­¡± He clasped his hands together, thinking back all he could remember about her. ¡°By the way, did you get lost when you first got aboard?¡±

    Her cheeks turned red. She puffed up a cheek, turning the other way. ¡°I-I did not¡­¡±

    ¡°Some things never change.¡± He reached out to grab the glass of juice. ¡°It¡¯s been seven years and you still have a terrible sense of direction.¡± The moment he sipped the beverage, his eyes widened as if his mind were refreshed. ¡°This is really good juice. You girls eat well up here.¡±

    ¡°Naturally. We are well funded, so we have a healthy stock in the pantry.¡± She sat down on his bed, just beside his leg. ¡°Such a shame you can¡¯t join us in the mess hall. They told me you weren¡¯t allowed there because it¡¯d cause too much a commotion.¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be helped¡­ I guess I¡¯m the number one enemy aboard the Jotunheim now. Sigh¡­ It was an accident¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to clear your name.¡± She smiled at him, a hand on his leg. ¡°I know the Ichijou I grew up with isn¡¯t that kind of guy. Unless, a lot of things changed the last time I saw him.¡±

    ¡°I swear, it¡¯s an accident!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just toying with you. Still, you really did change. You¡¯re so much taller now. And your body¡¯s quite, uh, healthy, hmhm¡­¡± She blushed as said that.

    ¡°And you got cuter.¡±

    The redness on her cheeks flushed across her face upon hearing that. ¡°D-Don¡¯t just say that without warning! A-Anyway, you should eat already!¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re still way too easy to tease.¡±

    He grabbed the plate at his side along with the fork and spoon. Stabilizing the center of gravity on his lap, he took a long hard sniff at the curry on rice presented to him. It was a simple meal, but due to being out cold for the past few days, the aroma alone was enough to set his appetite ablaze. Scraping up one spoonful, he took his first bite.

    It looked like a simple curry dish, but there was a certain kick to its flavor. Something about the spices, that mixed perfectly into a pot of gold. The meat of the chicken fell right off the bone, and melted on the tongue. The rice beneath was soft like a cushion, and the sweet taste of maltose emphasized the curry.

    ¡°By that look on your face, I can tell it¡¯s quite tasty. The Jotunheim doesn¡¯t have any assigned chefs, I¡¯ll have you know. Us Candidates are shuffled around mess hall duty. Guess whose turn it was today?¡±

    Ichijou¡¯s mind was blank. But by the smug look on her face, his only assumption was, ¡°You? B-But you burned the rice everytime! And when you cook eggs, they explode!¡±

    ¡°Some things do change. I¡¯ve gotten much, much better at cooking, have I not?¡±

    He stared at the meal as if it were the Holy Grail that could grant him immortality. ¡°You did¡­ Shocking. Are you sure that you¡¯re Karen?¡±

    ¡°Your surprise is the biggest compliment.¡± She leaned back, supporting herself with her arms and stared at the lights above. ¡°Seven years, hm? It feels like it¡¯s been forever since I last left the surface world.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only here because of that promise we made that day. Can¡¯t believe I¡¯d see you on the battlefield of all places.¡±

    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Her lips curled into a smile. ¡°I knew you¡¯d keep that promise. That¡¯s why I joined the Candidate Program. I was hoping that maybe, just maybe, I¡¯d get to meet you somehow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s way too reckless!¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re here right now, aren¡¯t you? To be honest, these past seven years¡­ It¡¯s been hard on me. For a person from the surface to move up to the floating continents, it¡¯s quite a major culture shock. I haven¡¯t been able to make a single friend in my time up there. That¡¯s why, when I found out I had potential, I immediately decided to join this program.¡±

    ¡°What about the adults that adopted you?¡±

    ¡°They were fine with it. They couldn¡¯t interfere with my decision anyway, since it¡¯s an important government-sanctioned one. Apparently, people with potential like mine were a dime in a dozen, so naturally, they¡¯d stop at nothing to have me be part of this program.¡±

    ¡°Haaah, but isn¡¯t it dangerous?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re well-equipped to handle any threat. So far, there hasn¡¯t been a single casualty on the Jotunheim. You have Captain Noire to thank for that.¡± She felt elation in her heart watching him scarf her cooking down as she talked. ¡°How about you? How has military life been treating you?¡±

    ¡°The sergeant likes to use my being from the surface as a means of agitating me during drills. And some of the superiors like to treat me like a slave because of where I came from. It¡¯s been really stressful for me, but I made a lot of friends on the way. So I guess I¡¯ve been doing fine? The battlefield¡¯s surprisingly more peaceful than my time as a cadet.¡±

    ¡°As usual, you never seem to let anything get to you. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re emotionally strong, or just very dense.¡±

    The door suddenly swung open.

    ¡°Did someone say dense?!¡±

    Both Ichijou and Karen gasped, turning their attention to a certain twintailed girl who posed before the open door, like a lightning bolt had struck the room. Ichijou had no idea who she was, but something about her voice felt familiar.

    ¡°Because ¡®dense¡¯ is what everyone seems to use to describe me!¡±

    ¡°Uh, uhm¡­¡± Karen, obviously nervous, raised an open hand toward her. ¡°Ichijou, this is Charlotte. She may seem very eccentric, but she¡¯s actually the second-ranked pilot aboard this ship.¡±

    ¡°Come on, Karen, don¡¯t steal my introduction.¡± A lecherous grin emerged on her face, her hands making squeezing motions as she inched toward the girl. ¡°Someone deserves punishment~¡±

    Karen¡¯s mouth was agape. As if it were a naturally born behavior, she covered her chest with her arms, forming a cross. However, the pink-haired girl simply shoved her face against hers, her arms reaching around her body, attacking her butt instead.

    ¡°Kyah!¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s face was that of a perverse old man, complete with drool leaking down her lips. ¡°Did you forget that my favourite part of you is your butt~ Squeeze, squeeze~ Squeeeeeze~!¡±

    Ichijou gently put away his plate, eyes unable to roll away from the scene before him. Only one thought loomed in his head, ¡°Roger would kill me if he knew about this.¡±

    ¡°Oho?¡± Charlotte turned toward him with a Cheshire Cat-like grin. ¡°Jealous, are we?¡± She released Karen from her iron grip. ¡°Actually, I came here to see you, uhm¡­ Jojo?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Ichijou¡­ Ichijou Shido.¡±

    ¡°Aha~ Jojo¡¯s much easier to pronounce, so I¡¯ll call you that from today onward.¡± She crawled on all fours, slowly reaching his face. ¡°Anyway, if you must know, I¡¯m the reason you¡¯re on this ship.¡±

    ¡°Ha?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°I brought you here because you got shot down trying to protect me. I felt really bad because my negligence almost got you killed. That¡¯s why I needed to get you treated no matter what.¡±

    ¡°I see. Uh, thanks?¡±

    She pressed her index finger against his lips, eyes narrowing. ¡°No, thank you. You protected me with your life. I wanted to reward you myself. That¡¯s why¡­¡± Her hands pressed against his cheeks, her head tilted and before he realized it¡ª

    Chu!

    Their lips met. His eyes were wide open, however. They were watching Karen whose pupils dilated in utter shock. Before he could move, she jumped off the bed and ran out the ward, tears streaming behind her.

    Charlotte pulled back, her green eyes locked onto his. ¡°Tell you the truth, that was my first kiss. But, where I come from, that¡¯s how we express our thanks.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t sure how to react. Karen already ran out, but if he were to push Charlotte away and give chase, he feared that it would offend her. His eyes kept trailing back and forth between Charlotte and the door.

    ¡°Oh dear.¡± She covered her lips, following his gaze. ¡°Was that not an appropriate moment to do such a thing?¡±

    ¡°She really is dense!¡±

    She stuck a tongue out, tapping her head with a fist. ¡°My bad! I¡¯ll go find Karen and tell her it¡¯s all a misunderstanding. You stay here and rest, this one¡¯s all my fault anyway.¡± She rolled to the left and fell on the floor. Standing up, she struck another pose as she waved and screamed, ¡°Goodbye, Jojo!¡±

    He really had no response to give. Was there any way to handle such a character? All he could do was nod as she shook her hips all the way out the door.

    However, just before the door shut, she peeked through and asked one question, ¡°By the way, what relationship do you and Karen have?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my childhood friend.¡±

    ¡°What an interesting development! You may be the perfect candidate for me Harem Plan, hehehe¡­¡± Her head slowly receded behind as the door closed shut. ¡°Have a nice night, Jojo!¡±

    He was feeling fatigued. Karen may have ran away out of jealousy, but he knew that she wasn¡¯t the type to misread such a situation. If anything, she had always been understanding, even as a child. Apologizing can wait for tomorrow, because at the moment, he needed all the rest he could get.

    <hr>

    There was one thing Seven understood as she sat on that tattered sofa. These barracks was no place for a living creature. Ripped newspapers and plastic scrawled all over the floor. The lights on top didn¡¯t work, so there flashlights placed here and there to substitute. The walls were cracked and about to fall apart. And the windows had no glass, so the snow simply flowed in from outside. These people don¡¯t even sleep on beds, they have blankets spread across the floors of the ¡®bedroom¡¯ and lie down on that hard surface.

    Could this really be called living quarters? Are they sure this wasn¡¯t a modified prison? From the conversation with the general, she had the thought in her mind that they weren¡¯t the most decorated of squads, but now they seem no better than slaves. And she¡¯s one of them now. That very thought made her think that, maybe, it would¡¯ve been better if she stayed stuck in that endless simulation.

    ¡°Seven! Dinnertime!¡±

    That voice was the apparent leader, the woman named Two. When she was brought here, she was immediately given some thick clothes to wear since the building wasn¡¯t well-heated. Two told her that she was free to wear anything in her wardrobe as they fit her well. Some guy said it was because Two was flat as a preteen despite being over thirty and was promptly rewarded with a massive smack upside the head.

    As she walked toward the kitchen, the sight of Two in an apron instantly gave the image of an abused housewife. Though there was a big smile on her face, her beady eyes cried for help. The others were already at the table, none of them seeming eager to have a meal.

    The redhead quickly noticed her presence. ¡°Come, join us! Sit down, Seven!¡±

    As she made herself comfortable on the wooden chair, she looked across at the black-haired man who quivered when their eyes met. Everyone noticed his reaction because of how badly he was hiding it.

    A short brunette spoke up. ¡°Three, it¡¯s just a little girl. Why are you shaking?¡±

    ¡°T-That ¡®little girl¡¯ almost killed me! She could kill all of us! Look at that emotionless face of pure evil! Don¡¯t fuck with the loli!¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯d go to jail.¡±

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Two suddenly intervened. ¡°Where¡¯s Nine?¡±

    The raven-haired lady beside Seven stroked her chin. ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s lounging around, listening to music as usu¡ª¡±

    ¡°NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!¡±

    Two¡¯s roar was like the screech of the warning siren. It was fortunate that the base was situated away from a mountainside, else her scream would cause an avalanche. Like a wild beast hunting for prey, she stormed away from the dining area and slammed one of the doors down the corridor open.

    Though they were in a different room, both their voices could be heard clearly.

    ¡°Nine!¡±

    ¡°Whaaaaaaaaat?!¡±

    ¡°Take off your fucking headphones!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s dinnertime! Go eat now!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry!

    ¡°Do it before I feed your portion to Five!¡±

    ¡°What are you, my mom?! I¡¯m not moving an inch!¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll move you!¡±

    Seven was cringing. Nine was that implacable man she couldn¡¯t kill despite shooting six times. When he held her up and glared into her eyes, she was terrified for her life. But hearing this now¡­ It was embarrassing.

    Within seconds, Two came back, towing Nine by the leg to the table. As they reached, she pointed at an empty chair and ordered, ¡°Sit down!¡± He grumbled and did as told, crossing his arms on that table like a child being forced to eat broccoli.

    Seven glanced toward the brunette on her left, trying to keep her voice monotone. ¡°Is it like this every day?¡±

    She giggled under a false smile. ¡°This is one of the better days.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Two clapped her hands. ¡°Everyone¡¯s here! Now, Zero Squadron, allow me to introduce our newest¡ª¡±

    Nine cut her off. ¡°We know! Where¡¯s the fucking food?!¡±

    Her hands moved toward his face, one hand keeping his eyelids open, the other threatening two poke both eyes out. She was beaming in joy, but there was an obvious murderous aura growing from her. ¡°The food will be here, after the introductions.¡±

    His gruff tone suddenly receded into a quiver. ¡°Yes, mom.¡±

    She walked over to Seven¡¯s side and gripped her by the shoulders. ¡°This is Seven, who¡¯ll be taking the place of our old Seven! Say hi, Seven!¡±

    She gazed upon everyone¡¯s bored faces, and without energy, she did as told, ¡°Hi¡­¡±

    ¡°Hi Seven!¡± Everyone chanted back.

    Nine joyously stated, ¡°But, if you really wanna replace our old Seven, you gotta go wahaha with every sentence!¡±

    A single sweat rolling down her cheek, Seven went, ¡°Waha¡­ ha?¡±

    Two¡¯s grip tightened. ¡°Please don¡¯t start.¡± She tapped the beautiful lady on her right. ¡°This here is Four. I know what you probably thought, but Four is actually male.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    She jutted out her index finger and wiggled it about. ¡°The beautiful woman has a weewee.¡±

    Three balanced his chin on his palm. ¡°What¡¯s sad is that he¡¯s prettier than Two.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk smack. You almost slept with him.¡±

    He covered his face in shame. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Four winked at him. ¡°I swing any direction. If you ever change your mind about that night, just call me anytime.¡±

    ¡°Aaaand before we teach her things we should not, on your left is Six! She used to be an idol!¡±

    The brunette made a peace sign and hovered it over one eye. ¡°Dojyaaaan! Six here! I may be an operator at the moment, but one day I¡¯ll make my comeback into stardom!¡±

    There was something about her that made Seven feel rather agitated. As in, her very existence felt abrasive. She didn¡¯t know why she felt that way.

    Nine chimed in, ¡°Just don¡¯t let her sing. Ever.Even if you¡¯re deaf. If you value your life, you won¡¯t let Six sing.¡±

    Six rolled her hands into fists, holding them near her face. ¡°Mean! Your growly voice isn¡¯t that nice either!¡±

    ¡°A washed out idol like you that can¡¯t understand the greatness of Crimson King has no right to talk about music!¡±

    Three started chuckling to himself. ¡°H-Hey, guys, I-I got a good one. Why is Six afraid of Seven? Because Seven ate Nine!¡±

    Everyone simply groaned.

    Two, shaking her head, pointed at him. ¡°That failure of a comedian there is Three. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you chopped him on the throat, right? He spent all day crying about it.¡±

    ¡°It really hurt, okay?!¡±

    She ignored him and pointed at the blonde beside him. ¡°That¡¯s Five¡ª¡± And then she realized that Five was already eating. ¡°Hey! I haven¡¯t even served the food yet! Who said you could eat?! No!¡± She snatched the plate away, holding it over Five¡¯s head. ¡°Bad Five, bad Five!¡±

    Five didn¡¯t reply. She simply stared up at the plate with a blank and vacant smile. Seven was hundred percent sure that she may have suffered brain damage during battle from the way she acted.

    ¡°And that one¡¯s Nine!¡± Two pointed at him. ¡°The bastard child, our rebellious son!¡±

    With a tone similar to that of a bad TV commercial, he pointed gun hands at Seven and followed up, ¡°You may remember me from various programs such Summer Slam, Six Bullets and Whooped Your Ass.¡±

    Seven glared at him. This was the guy. The image she had of him then was completely shattered by the man she saw sitting before her. It was rather unnerving.

    ¡°And I¡¯m Two, the leader of this sorry excuse of a Breakfast Club.¡± She placed the plate down in front of Five for her to continue eating. ¡°I¡¯m actually the freshest recruit, but as soon as I came in, the previous leader, Eight, died. Then everyone elected me as leader because none of them wanted to take the job.¡±

    Nine flashed his teeth at her. ¡°That¡¯s because you seemed capable!¡±

    ¡°Capable of kicking your ass, maybe! Anyway, I hope you¡¯re familiar with everyone and their designated numbers, just ask me anytime if you ever forget. ¡± She turned off the stove behind her and grabbed a ladle. ¡°Time to dine!¡±

    Circling the table, she dropped whatever was in that pot on everyone¡¯s plate. ¡®Whatever¡¯ specifically because that thing she was cooking didn¡¯t seem to be anything Seven recognized. It was red like raw meat, but somehow sludgy. When she poked at it, it stuck to the spoon like glue and wouldn¡¯t let go. Was there a word for this dish? Is it edible? The sight of the dish completely killed whatever energy that table had.

    Once everyone¡¯s plates were served with that¡­ thing, Two sat down with a wide grin, that was so horribly hiding her pent up frustrations, then formed a heart with her hands, saying, ¡°Today¡¯s meal is prepared be me with lots and lots of love!¡±

    Seven glanced toward the sink and noted the stacked piles of freshly opened cans.

    Four kept trying to pull the dish up, but it was so sticky that he couldn¡¯t remove his spoon from it. ¡°Are you angry, Two? Are we being punished for something?¡±

    Three glanced to his side and watched how Five ate it; by shoving her face onto the plate and chewing it from there. He then glanced to the other side and noticed how Two had yet to even touch her utensils, nor did she have any intention to.

    ¡°So, tell us more about yourself, Seven.¡± Two requested, hands clasped. ¡°Where do you come from?¡±

    As she kept pulling on the dish as if it were modeling clay, she calmly answered, ¡°Schwarzlang.¡±

    Everyone gasped their spoons, eyes wide with a painful cringe. The spoons rhythmically fell on the plates one by one. Even Five who was happily scarfing down froze.

    Two lowered her head with shut eyes. ¡°I-I¡¯m very sorry, Seven. I shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡±

    Seven was confused. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Six bit her lips. ¡°Three years ago, Schwarzlang was completely enveloped in a gravity well. It¡¯s gone, all of it.¡±

    She gulped. ¡°Right... I tried not to remember. Actually, I saw it happen right before my eyes. I was actually captured by the imperials at the time.¡± She kept poking at the dish.

    Two kept on bowing her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so, so sorry! I really shouldn¡¯t have asked that question!¡±

    Seven had no response to give. Her senses started to dull as she endlessly poked at the dish. At long last, her efforts came to fruition. She managed to scrape one spoonful of that substance. Everyone¡¯s hearts pounded as she brought the spoon into her mouth. With one bite, she fought against the dish¡¯s stickiness to yank it off the spoon.

    ¡°What am I eating¡­?¡±

    The texture was what came to mind first. It was somehow grainy, chewy and soft all at the same time. The dish stuck to her teeth like a horrible candy. The flavor was horrid. It was a strange mixture of sour and bitter, in fact, the last time she tasted this particular flavor was when she vomited. And when she swallowed, the feeling it left on her throat was like having phlegm stuck there during a flu.

    This dish was worthy of being classified as a biological weapon.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were on her, a mix of anticipation and horror on their faces. Six was even reaching toward a first-aid kit on the wall. However¡­

    Seven grew up knowing one thing: No matter what she ate and no matter how it tasted, she had to say one thing to whomever it was that cooked it. Whether it was the truth or a lie, it didn¡¯t matter. She had to tell the cook those two words.

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    The cold air of the dining room fell into silence.

    ¡°Say that again?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡±

    Two was trembling from head to toe. Tears flowed down her cheeks as a big smile etched on her face. It was different from the smiles she had before. Those ones were obvious cries for help, used to hide her stress. This particular one was genuine. Her joy could be felt across that table.

    ¡°D-Do you really meant it¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She stood up, her chair falling back from the force. Rushing around the table, she threw herself at Seven and wrapped her arms around the girl who was a head shorter than her, pecking her on the cheek over and over.

    ¡°Not even my mother has ever told me my cooking was delicious! You¡¯re such a good girl, Seven! Even if you¡¯re lying to make me feel happy, I¡¯m completely happy! I wish I had a daughter like you¡­! I wish¡­¡±

    Seven would¡¯ve felt incredibly appreciated if it weren¡¯t for Two¡¯s snot flowing down her cheek.

    Everyone else looked at Seven and then at Five. Altogether, they nodded heads and shrugged, wordlessly coming to terms. They lifted the plates and yanked the thing off with one bite.

    On that night, the sink was covered in vomit.

    To Be Continued