The sky was a revolting grey. It had been grey for a very long time, and no one currently alive could remember a time when the sky was any other color. To most, a sky that was not gray was nothing more than a myth or urban legend, or somewhere to be visited in dreams.

"Move! Move! Get out of here!" A rough, angry male voice rang out through this grey sky, followed shortly by an explosion that kicked up a cloud of soot and ash. A small group of people numbering about fifteen scuttled close to the ground, making their way towards the north, or rather, what they believed to be the north.

"What's our objective, general?"

"Right now, we're trying not to die, so get on it!" The general dove to cover, the hydraulics in his armor screaming for him to be more careful. Nevertheless, he fired a few blasts from his laser rifle in the direction he had come, not bothering to check whether he had hit his mark.

"Got it! Apple, toss one!" A young, rather high-pitched female voice rang out from behind another helmet. She took a quick look behind her and ducked behind cover as the general did, narrowly avoiding a laser blast. Complying with her request, Apple threw a small cylinder about five meters, where it stopped and emitted a powerful burst of electricity. The group promptly picked themselves up and resumed running, slinging their weapons over their backs once they had rounded a corner.

The general stole a glance back before turning back to his squad. "We're going to run back to base. Neon, I have an important task for you once we get there."

The girl looked at him, confused. "Wha-"

"Not now!"

Everyone obliged and fell silent, making haste towards their headquarters. A loud thud sounded behind them, accompanied by a tremor in the ground and the worried gasps of the entire crew.

Despite the reactions of those around her, Neon remained unfazed. "These tin cans just don't give up!" She pulled her weapon into ready position and aimed it towards the source of the sound. As she held the trigger, energy began to build up around the muzzle of the gun.

"Wait! We're almost at base! Save your-"

The difference in rank meant little to Neon, as she continued to charge and interrupted the general. "Like hell! This guy's gonna be on our tail if we don't down 'em, here and now!"

She dramatically released the trigger, sending a huge beam of reddish-orange energy forward and propelling her backward. She crashed into the ground two meters from where she had fired, and proceeded to painfully slide half a meter further. Barely able to lift her head, Neon saw a huge cloud of dust rise from where she had fired, and she laid back down, satisfied with her work.

"Neon! Are you alright?" The general and the rest of the squad ran over to her and helped her to her feet, not caring if there were any more enemies in the vicinity.

"Agh…yeah, I'm fine." She put her left hand over her right shoulder and spun it around, the hydraulics of her armor creaking as she did so. Bending over, she picked up her weapon and began to hug it rather lovingly. "More importantly, my dearest Shelly is still A-okay…"

The rest of her group stared at her in confusion. No matter how many times they saw her do this, they never became accustomed to it. Neon seemed to have a romantic love for guns, caressing them in her free time and even assigning a personalized name to each one that 'fit its personality'. Before she could fully escape to another mental place, the general walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"That was good work, but you can't keep doing that. It's bad for your armor and for you."

Neon looked at him and waved her hand down, slinging her weapon over her back once more. "Oh, please. The power suits can take this punishment and then some. It'll be…" She was interrupted when a loud creak emerged from the armor's right shoulder, and a snapping sound could be heard. "Fine…"

The general facepalmed and shook his head in disappointment. "When we get back to base, make sure you repair your suit. I'll tell you your task after that."

She pumped her fist into the air energetically. "Sweet! Can do!"

Everyone sighed and began walking back to base. Neon seemed to be constantly energetic, even in the face of death. While this was appreciated when morale was low, this characteristic often made her appear foolish to her squad. Some soldiers took efforts to avoid her entirely due to this, but this did not change the fact that Neon was exceedingly popular, especially among the males.

After a five minute walk, the group reached a large chrome door that was covered in soot and dust. To the left side was a small panel with a keypad and retina recognition software, with wires running to the top of the door rather conspicuously. The general approached this panel and typed a password quickly, having his retina scanned afterward for additional security. After these processes, the door slowly opened, groaning loudly as it moved across the dust-covered ground. Everyone hurried in and closed the door behind them, taking a sigh of relief once they were safely in.

"Priority one: fix up my suit!" The back panels of Neon's suit opened up, allowing her to quickly jump out and gather tools. "I'm sorry, Remus…I let you get hurt…" She hugged the suit tightly, running her hand over the chest area.

Apple walked over to her and chuckled, taking a bite into the fruit he was named after. "You named the suit? More importantly, you gave it a male name? So, that means…"

She blushed bright red and scooted closer to the suit, still hugging it. When she saw his disapproving gaze, she blushed even deeper and popped one foot into the air, leaning against her suit with all her weight.

"You're unbelievable." Apple sighed and tossed the apple core into an empty tool box delegated as a trash can and jumped out of his suit. He was a lean young man with red hair and black eyes, making him represent the fruit of his namesake quite comically. "Well, don't let me stop you from your repairs. Get to it."

Neon nervously obliged, working quickly and efficiently. She removed the metal plating on the right shoulder and exposed the inner machinery, where she saw the problem. The force of the shot had caused the plating to cave in, thus blocking the hydraulics from moving properly and even bending some of the more sensitive tubes. Setting to work, she first performed the easy task of repairing the armor itself, and once that was done, she straightened out the bent mechanisms with impressive delicacy. She then replaced the plating and locked it into place, and, having fixed her prized suit, she re-entered it and approached the general.

"You wanted to see me, general?" Shelly was slung around her back, symbolic of her protective nature. She never once let one of her guns out of her sight.

"Ah, you're done. I'll need you to follow me." He beckoned for her to follow him to the right wing of the base. Neon knew that this was where information was handled and stored, but she was surprised when the general took a right turn and walked up to a chrome door with a diagonal blue stripe.

She raised her finger and narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Uh, isn't this a supply closet, general?"

He chuckled and scanned his retina, opening the door. "Notionally, it is. That's also what 98% of the people here think. You're about to join that 2%."

Within the room was a large machine that occupied most of the interior area. All around, people manned terminals and observed statistics, turning dials and adjusting scanners when necessary. The general quietly cleared his throat and shouted,

"It is time."

Everyone changed their purpose immediately upon hearing this. They all performed different tasks—those who managed dials now monitored computer screens, and those who monitored charts and graphs managed dials.

Neon took a hesitant step forward. "What…what is this place?"

The general placed his hand on her shoulder and walked her forward. "This is our emergency transporter. Naturally, since it is an 'emergency' transporter, it is kept highly classified and tucked away from most. Only those who have proven themselves to be trustworthy can even look at this room, let alone enter it."

The girl fidgeted sheepishly. "Aww, shucks…am I that good?"

He laughed and shook his head. "I haven't chosen you for your intelligence or physical strength." Seeing her dejected slump, he changed course, "I chose you for your weapons expertise and adaptability. No matter what mess we found ourselves in before, you faced it with a smile…and Shelly. Now, come on then."

The two walked up to the machine, and the general directed Neon to stand on an elevated platform in the center. As she complied, he gave her a small flash-drive and began to give instructions.

"We are teleporting you to an uncharted sector of multidimensional space. We know they have incredibly advanced technology since we've detected radio signatures from them for quite a while. When you get there, try and find a computer that can support this flash drive, and plug it in." He placed his fist on his chest in a form of salute, and Neon did the same. "Unfortunately, that is all I can tell you. The rest remains classified. Good luck, soldier. And come back safe."

Neon nodded firmly and assured him, "I won't let you down, general. The fate of humanity rests with me, right?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yes. Yes, it does."

There was a bright flash of light, and Neon was transported.

AN: It's a short chapter, but I really just needed to introduce Neon and the setting. And don't worry—the lack of description for their enemies is intentional. It'll be described more later on.