Autumn trudged through the mud, the thick, muggy heat baking her inside of her armor. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and she felt greasy and in desperate need of a shower. The branches tickled her ears as she marched through the threes with the rest of her company toward their destination- a newly discovered well of Eco. The site had only been found a couple weeks ago, when the palace had gone searching for a new source of power when they'd mined another dry.
That had been the day Autumn had graduated from boot camp out in the desert. It had been the hardest month of her young life- the moment she'd turned seventeen, Autumn had joined the Krimzon Guard to help bring in some money for her family. With her mother ill and her sister Rikke run off to join the Underground, Autumn was the only source of steady income in her home. Rikke sent home money when she could- if she could. Sometimes, Autumn couldn't help feeling abandoned by her big sister, and resentful that she'd disappeared in such a desperate time of need, but most of the time, Autumn feared for her sister's safety.
Terrible stories had erupted over the last couple of years in Haven, about a wing of the prison that had been sectioned off and Channelers were being sent there by the dozens. Terrible screams were heard in long and terrifying intervals throughout the day and night; some of them would cease suddenly and there would be silence for several hours afterward. Before her birthday, Autumn had been going for an evening run when she saw a zoomer outside the prison with a few guards tossing in what looked like bodies into a large compartment. She had run home as fast as she could, breaking her previous record. She had told no one about what she had seen and continued on with her plan to join the Krimzon Guard. She'd endured six months of boot camp, the rumors crawling beneath her skin and manifesting in her sleep as awful nightmares about what would happen if she was found out as a Channeler herself.
It wasn't common knowledge that Autumn's mother, Amelia, had adopted her when she was almost thirteen, after her real parents had been banished out into the Wasteland by the Baron. It had been the worst day of her life, and most terrifying. She remembered her real mother, Lara, had grabbed her hand and ran with her from the Water Slums to Amelia's house and told her to stay out of sight. She never saw her mother again. It had only been thanks to Amelia's brother, Vin, hacking the citizen registry and changing Autumn's birth records that she had been saved from certain death in the Wastelands. And with no history of Channeling abilities in Amelia's family, Autumn had been able to apply for the Guard without being tested. If the recruiting agent had been just a little less desperate and a little more pushy, though, the guard would have found out that she was indeed a Channeler, and she more than likely would have gotten to see if the rumors that had caused her nightmares were true-first hand.
During her last week at boot camp there had been word that the Baron was openly looking for 'volunteers' for a project in the palace- which meant he had gone through all the Channelers from the slums. It sounded as though he would resort to taking people from their homes, high district or not. Any Channeler in Haven was in danger. And even though Autumn had managed to slide by without being tested until now, she was sure that- when the Baron got desperate enough- everyone would be forced to be tested, and then she would be hauled away. She knew that it would be safer to quit the guard before she got her tattoos; claim that she was too soft for the life of a soldier, and get out before they figured out what she was. But, until then, Autumn was going to send her mother and the friend taking care of her as much money as she could. They would be okay. She was going to make sure of that.
It was a relief to finally reach the small camp down by the silo. Autumn rolled her shoulders and back as she waited for her bunk assignment; she could use a hot meal and a break from wearing the heavy armor she was strapped into. She was extremely grateful that she'd gotten onto the second patrol, which mean she would be able to get a full night's rest. No evening patrol also meant she'd have more free time with the rest of her squad, though not so much that they could just mess around. Her company was set to guard the scientists at the top of the Silo when they drilled a man-sized hole in the top, first thing in the morning. That much exposed Eco would undoubtedly draw Metal Heads, and they would need all the protection the Baron could be bothered to give.
Autumn immediately made her way to her tent after getting the number assignment; there were two other women that were in her company with her, but after plenty of disagreements she was given her own tent to keep the peace in camp. She certainly didn't mind: Autumn had proved herself to be a bit of a recluse when it came to her comrades, all save a certain pair of brothers. Lif and Erik Andersen. The two reasons Autumn hadn't been found out as a Channeler already.
Every Channeler had a specific colour of Eco that was most attuned to them- Autumn's was green. Unfortunately, that had kept her away from proper medicines after she'd lost her biological mother in order to hide the affinity (leading to an excruciating incident with a broken arm at fifteen). During boot camp, she had dislocated her right shoulder, and would've been faced with the choice of deserting or revealing herself, if it hadn't been for Lif and Erik. Once upon a time, the two had a little sister, a Channeler as well, before the walls had fallen and they'd lost her along with their parents. They knew the signs of trying to hide Channeling abilities when they saw it, and helped her out.
"The last thing we wanted was to work for that bastard," Lif had told her, his accent in much more control than his brothers.
"But we needed the money, see, like you lass." Erik had given her a wink, his bushy orange brow looking like an over-sized caterpillars on his face. "We would never rat ye out. Yer secret is safe with my brother and I."
And they'd kept their word. Whenever she had a particularly bad injury (which had happened a lot at first) that would have otherwise needed Green Eco to heal, they patched her up in secret so she wouldn't be forced to see the camp medic. She owed them her freedom, and one day she would find a way to pay them back.
"What a day." Autumn sighed, sitting down on her cot. Rubbing her face tiredly, she resolved to start cleaning her armor before dinner. It wasn't too dirty and it wouldn't take long to clean, but it was something to do to kill a little time.
Forty-five minutes later, she put the armor aside and changed into her sparring outfit; hopefully Lif and Erik were ready for some extra exercise before dinner. She grinned, knowing that they would be moaning over the extra work.
"Well isn't that a ton of fun, then?" Erik ended up whining. "Ye come to our sweet little abode, draw us out into the muck, and then beat us up? Where is the chivalry, lass?"
"I have not beaten you up." She snickered. "You slipped, I laughed." Erik stood up and brushed off the semi-dry mud. It wasn't that wet out, so he mostly came clean after a good brushing. Lif didn't wait for Autumn to focus back on the fight: he threw a punch and she ducked just in time. She then kicked him in the gut and he grabbed her ankle and twisted quickly, making her fall over onto the ground.
"Close darlin'." He said and helped her back up. "You'll beat me some day." She snorted and took the hand up.
"Yeah, after I work at it for twenty freaking years." Autumn dusted herself off and grinned. "Also, you wouldn't be allowed to get any better at it."
"Good luck with that lass!" Laughed Erik. "He lives for hand-to-hand." She sighed but perked up from the sound of the bell for dinner.
"Let's get going. I am freaking starving!" She turned away with her two friends and headed off to the mess tent.
Autumn woke up bright and early the next morning with the rest of her company, hurriedly got dressed, and quietly crept out of the camp to the trail that lead to the silo. Few were there just yet when she arrived, giving her a chance to relax.
Reaching back, she pulled her long brown hair back into a tight bun, and wondered where Lif and Erik were at; she had heard them bickering in their tent amongst the rest of the men in their company on her way over to the trail, she thought they would have been here soon after her. Her wondering was cut short when she saw them come running up with some more of their company. Erik was a sight, red hair and beard and in red armor, and quite a bit shorter than the striking blonde of Lif. They were both carrying their helmets, like her, and eating some Nutri-Bars that tasted like the worst muck you could think of. She grimaced as Lif threw her one and she tore it open to see a faded yellow color. Banana. Yech.
"I was beginning to wonder if you two were going to show up." She scarfed down the Nutri-Bar as fast as she could, pushing past the awful taste. The boys snickered and Erik chomped on an almost pink bar- strawberry, the only flavor Autumn could stand.
"Yeah, watch me eat it lass." He winked at her and she hit him up the side of the head.
"You just look for trouble, don't you?" Lif sighed as he crumpled up his Nutri-Bar wrapper. Erik shrugged, continuing to enjoy his Nutri-Bar far more than he rightly should.
The helmet was snug against her face; it was thick with padding on the inside, making it restrictive and stifling.
Their squad leader showed up, accompanied by a lanky scientist with disturbing eyes. Autumn shivered; they were piercing, dark and angry, like he was looking for trouble.
She hated scientists. All they wanted to do was poke and prod at everything, and she knew that they would just love to poke and prod at her. Autumn grimaced, but stood at attention as her Commander scanned the crowd. He didn't even have to say a word, and everyone fell into line and stood straight; a few poor sods hadn't gotten their helmets on yet.
"Latrine duty, all four of you, for the next week. Six mile run, now. Go." The three men and the third women of their squad fell out of the line up with stifled groans and went to do a run in full armour. More than likely the Commander would make them do it over again.
He scanned over the squad once more, making sure that no one else had fucked up. Satisfied, head went and stood back beside the Doctor.
"This here is Doctor Trulson, we will be escorting him and his team to the Silo where they will take samples of the local flora. Commander Hill and his squad have camped out up there overnight and will have already secured the perimeter. Your jobs today will be to follow Dr. Trulson and his team and protect them.
"If one thing goes wrong today, you will be out on your asses so hard, and owing more Eco than you can afford. And I am going to personally make sure that you can't even get a job scooping up Yakow crap. Understood?"
"Yes Commander!" The squad chorused. Dr. Trulson stepped forward and nodded to the Commander.
"Thank you Commander Steele. I would also like to add that the equipment we will be using is generated by eco and will bring Metal Heads down upon us. Keep a wary eye, the Metal Heads out here are more feral than the ones near Haven City. They scavenge for food and eco out here, and this Silo is like a beacon to them. Add barrels of eco for our equipment, and we are the Sunday smorgasbord at the Yakow Barn." A few of the recruits sniggered at his reference to the worst restaurant in town. Trulson smile at the ripple of laughter, the menacing features of his face softening. This was a dangerous man.
"All jokes aside, I believe that we are ready to go. It is a three hour trek just east from here, so let's get going. On your mark, Commander Steele." Steele nodded and put on his helmet.
"Move out!"
The trek wasn't as hard as Autumn and the boys originally expected. In fact, a couple of wheeled vehicles had been brought from Haven City to carry everyone and the equipment to the site, making Autumn wonder how much longer the trek would have been if they had walked. She grimaced, thinking about the trek she and her squad had made the day before. It would have been worse.
"Ye think that we may get overrun today?" Asked Erik to her left. His voice was muffled through the helmet, making Autumn think for a few moments to decipher his muffled, accented voice.
"It may get rough, but who's to say?" She shrugged, and toyed with her Red Eco gun.
"I don't think it will get that bad, lad." Lif chimed in on her other side.
"Metal Heads are smarter than you think!" A young boy named Connor squeaked. It baffled many of the recruits how he had managed to get into the Krimzon Guard. "They could very well know what we are doing and waiting for the time to strike. We could be overrun before you could even say 'yakow'."
"Lighten up, O'Mallie!" Called Kristen, the other female of their group. She was strong, tall, beautiful, and blond. And she was the first one of the bunch to get her tattoos. "We know what we are doing."
"Don't think just because you got your tattoo's first means you are the boss of me!" Connor snapped. "Just you watch, I will be the next one to get tattoo's, then we will see who's boss." Before Kristen could reply, Commander Steele opened the shutter to the front and glared through it.
"All of you, shut up! Or I will feed you to the Metal Heads myself!" He snapped the shutter closed and the rest of the trip was spent in silence.
Their arrival was met with a whirlwind of activity. Not only had Commander Hill and his squad arrive the night before, there was also a team of Archaeologists at work at the base of the half buried Silo. Apparently, deep under the ground, was a buried Citadel that resembled one told in an old Fairy Tale of two wicked elves named Gol and Maia.
Lara used to tell her about a golden hero that turned into an angel and vanquished the evil siblings into a vat of Eco where they would writhe for eternity. Being here was eerie, but she didn't have time to let it sink in. Steele was barking orders at the top of his lungs, sending his squad to different parts of the site to assist Dr. Trulson and Dr. Towstego's men.
"DuPont, Andersen one, Andersen two! You three are with Trulson and his interns Melanie and Kyle. You are going to sweep the east side with them. Go." The three nodded and jogged off after their charges who had already headed for the east side of the large Silo. All around her were different scientists with groups of Krimzon Guard excavating areas around the Silo, and she could feel a charge in the air that came from the Eco run machines. She resisted the urge to start fidgeting in her armour as she and the boys were lead the farthest away from the main group. She looked over at Erik who shrugged, then Lif who jogged up to Dr. Trulson.
"Dr. Trulson, sir, we need to stick closer to the main body. We don't have enough men to keep this area sa-" Dr. Trulson put his hand and smiled.
"I understand, kiddo. Don't you worry." He smiled warmly at Lif, which gave Autumn the shivers. His eyes didn't share the smile, they stayed cold and empty. "Not much farther, there is a piece of Precursor Robot over here that I want to take a look at before we go and harvest the Static Lilies by the main body. Please, indulge an old scientist?" Lif shifted uncomfortably, but nodded.
"Alright, sir. But please, we must not linger." Trulson nodded and patted Lif on the shoulder.
"Thanks, kiddo." The Doctor turned back around and gave a sharp whistle at his two interns to carry on with him. Lif fell back and kept quiet for the rest of the walk.
The piece of Precursor Robot that Trulson wanted to look at was a hand. A ten foot tall hand that was covered in moss and ivy. It was laying palm up, and in a direct beam of sunshine was a Scout.
"Precursors, this is not going to be our day, is it?" Asked Melanie
"Shut it you fool!" Snapped Trulson. "Scare it, and we won't be able to kill it before it alerts a swarm." The small blond intern hung her head and Kyle put his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry 'bout it." He whispered. Trulson shot the curly haired man a menacing look and then turned to Autumn and the boys.
"Shoot them, before the hear us." He ordered. Autumn nodded and signalled for the boys to follow her in a crouch. They were going to split off and cover the escape routes and shoot it dead before it could even cry out a signal to any near-by Grunts.
The Scout was asleep, giving the three an advantage. Behind them, Trulson and his two interns stood still as stone, barely breathing. One wrong move, and they would bring hell down upon them. Autumn crouched low, and lifted her gun up, aiming at the the Scouts throat. It had heavy armour, and was not made for combat. She would need to keep it from screeching after being shot the first time and then go up close for the killing blow.
Or so she had read in the text books back home.
Lif and Erik gave a signal stating that she could take the first shot, and she signalled back to have them take the killing blow once she took out its neck. She raised her hand, curling her fingers one at a time. 3... 2...
"AHH!" A high-pitched scream from Melanie erupted behind her, alerting the Scout. It jerked away and screeched a loud and powerful sound. Within seconds, Autumn and the boys shot it multiple times, killing it messily. Without double checking the kill, Autumn stood up and turned back around to Trulson and his two interns. Two grunts had jumped out of the bush and were attacking them.
"Melanie! Kyle!" She screamed. Her feet felt like they were filled with led as she ran towards the two interns. Dr. Trulson was off to the side, his arm bleeding profusely.
Melanie died first, the scent of her death spread through the air as the Grunt tore apart her chest with its deadly teeth and claws. Her screams turned to bubbling gurgles as the Grunt toyed with her, and then she was silenced. The Grunt batted at her face, seemingly disappointed that it's toy was dead.
Then it turned its sights on Autumn.
"Lif, Erik, save Kyle!" She yelled, and within seconds, the Grunt was at her, it's jaws snapping at the weaker armour around her neck. "Don't you dare stop for me, go help Kyle!" She held the Metal Head back, using as much strength as she could muster.
Lif got to Kyle first, just as the second Grunt tore off the boy's arm. He screamed in agony, his body torn up from its devastating claws. The tall blond tackled the Grunt off of the screaming intern and Erik turned back around and shot the first Grunt in the chest to get it off of Autumn. She fell backwards, panting, and took off her helmet.
"I'm all right, tend to Kyle. I'll get Trulson." Erik nodded and went to run for Kyle when some Juice Goons and a few Manic Heads joined the party with a massive Flying Spider. Autumn didn't wait to recover from the first attack and got up and started shooting the Juice Goons.
"Autumn, I've got the Spider!" She heard Lif cry. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that he had killed the Grunt that had attacked Kyle and was shooting at the Spider.
"Keep them away from Trulson and the kid!" She cried. "We need to make a wall so when backup gets here they can get them out and help us take these suckers down." Two of the four Juice Goons started to square off with her, trying to drive her away from her comrades. She need to be careful, or she would be fried trying to get back to the others. She aimed for one, let it react, and then shot the other dead in the chest, giving her an opening to run to the boys. Erik had managed to get Trulson over to Kyle who was in shock and breathing rapidly. Autumn quickly un-clipped a civvy med-kit from her belt and threw it towards him.
"Use both of ours on Kyle. Lif, throw Erik yours so he can use it on Trulson." Autumn covered him on a couple of Manic Heads as he unclipped his med-kit and threw it to Erik. The Spider had backed off and the three Manic Heads and the other two Juice goons started to make a circle around them.
"Any ideas, lass?" Asked Erik as he quickly applied the Green Eco to Kyle. The boy was near loosing consciousness, but Trulson was sitting up and applying his own Green Eco.
"You need to pick off the Manic Heads first." He seethed. "They will go for you before the Juice Goons will. I alerted Steele just moments ago." Autumn didn't bother listening to him anymore and shot a Manic Head that pounced at her. Behind her she could hear Lif, and then Erik, join the fray. The Manic Heads all went down first, and then the Spider started to creep closer, smelling the dying intern at Autumn's feet. If it broke through, and she and the boys were killed or pushed away, it would take him to the Spider nest and let it's babies feast on his blood, for days. Keeping him alive until it found a new scrap of food or he died. She blanched at the idea. Lif and Erik were getting tired, she was getting tired. For all they knew there was another group of Metal Heads keeping the rest a bay so the Spider and the Goons could take them all to their respective nests.
Autumn shifted in her damaged armour; the last attack on her really busted it up. One more hit, and it would shatter. She grimaced at the thought the shrapnel that would get twisted up in her wounds if it shattered.
"Lif, my armour is damaged, cover me." She called. Lif shifted his position to cover her as she tore off the shredded armour. It was a relief to have the weight leave her body and be more mobile. From her hip, she unhooked a knife to keep in her hand in case she needed it. She quickly scooped up her gun and readier herself for another wave.
"I'm good to go, Lif!" She called. But the confidence she felt quickly dissipated.
From the trees, another squad of Grunts arrived; there were six of them, and another Spider. Autumn's heart began to race as the new group of Metal Heads surrounded them. There was no way they would survive this without back-up.
"Shoot them, before they pounce!" Cried Trulson, but his warning was too late. All the Grunts lunged, and all that she could see was flashes of metal claws and blue hide. She heard shots pop off around her, and then suddenly her gun was useless and fell from her hands. One of the Grunts came flying at her, it's teeth snapping for her neck. She knelt down and shoved her elbow into its chest, then she felt a white-hot pain after the connection. The Metal Head was thrown off of her, but her elbow was busted. The pain made her dizzy, preventing her from noticing another Grunt that took her by the shoulders. She yelped and barely pushed her palms into its throat before it tore her face off.
"Why do you bastards have to reek?" She snarled. The Metal Heads claws dug deep into her shoulders, sending pain through her body. In her surroundings she heard more screams and less gunshots. Her friends were dying. She was dying.
"Screw this." She choked, and drove the knife she had in her hand into the beasts neck. It roared and dragged it's claws down her chest at the sudden, unexpected attack. Autumn choked on a scream and tore a through the Grunts neck with the knife. The dark beast gave a bone chilling sound as it tried to scream, she had cut through it's oesophagus and wind pipe. It started to flail and tear at her chest, turning it to ribbons. Autumn screamed as she felt her body tear apart, the Metal Head's Dark Eco tainted blood burned her insides as it spread through her body. Her world became foggy around the edges, white noise filled her ears. The Grunt went to snap at her neck again, but then a 'pop, pop, pop' cracked through the white noise, and the rabid beast fell off of her.
"Autumn! Autumn!" Cried a hysterical voice. Autumn tried to raise her hand, to tell the worried owner of the voice that she could hear them, but it didn't move. Her breath wheezed, and Lif and Erik swam into her vision.
"Autumn!" They cried. There was a rush of voices around her, different shapes swam in her vision as the boys cries faded away as they tried to keep something from her. Something sweet smelling...
Green Eco.
"N...no..ooo..." She wheezed. They'll find out, they'll know. She would rather die.
She felt the Green Eco in every fibre of her being as it entered her body. It was soft, and soothing. It made her feel like she was swimming in golden honey, far, far away from here. But the euphoria was cut short when Green Eco met Dark, then it felt like every molecule was on fire. She heard screams, her own screams, as her body burned away.