Angel city was my home.
"Go! Go! Go!" A man shouted as the drop-ship opened up. I ran off the ramp, and jumped performing a backflip, as was custom for my unit. I activated my jump-pack and slowed my descent just before I hit the ground.
"This is Archer, I'm taking Alpha to secure the rooftops, Beta team sweep the buildings and streets," Captain Archer reported as I made sure my gun was working properly.
I looked to my left then to my right, Captain Archer was already running up a wall, and pushing off. He used his jump jet to reach the roof of an adjacent building. Not wanting to be shot for insubordination, I motioned for my team to sweep the buildings. One half would sweep the left street, the other the right. I was with the second half and ran towards the closest building. I jumped, and entered through the center floor window.
Once it was clear, I motioned for my partner to go down the stairs. He was technically a lower rank than me, so he had to follow orders. When he reached the first floor. An enemy Ogre dropped right in front of him, and before he could react it activated and fired at him.
I took cover in the building, "This is Commander Kelling! Requesting Titanfall on coordinates 231X, by 451Y!"
"Titanfall commencing, your Titan will be there in five seconds."
I jumped out the window just before my titan arrived, and dropped into the first hatch. I used a Stryder chassis, it was quicker than an Ogre, but not nearly as tough. Once the Titan was fully operational, I turned the corner, and opened fire on the Ogre's back. It didn't take him long to realize where the fire was coming from, and he turned around. I activated the vortex shield just as he started firing.
I waited for it to time-out before releasing it, and sending all of his bullets right back at him. His Ogre tilted backwards, and because of its immense weight, it fell down. I didn't hesitate to jump onto his body, and started unloading hell onto his chest piece. The pilot started to eject, but because of the Stryder's speed. I caught the pilot, and threw him into a wall.
I jumped off of the Ogre just before it exploded, and started advancing towards the enemy ranks. Before I got there, a rocket was fired at me, and took off my left leg. I activated the eject just before the Stryder started falling, and landed safely on the building I was originally in.
Angel City was your grave
I stood at the base of an unmarked grave, the only reason I knew it was there was the pile of rocks that were untouched by time. I knelt down, tears coming from my eyes. "I'm sorry."
My words were hollow, and meant nothing. There was nothing I could do to bring you back, but I knew what I was going to do. I made a promise to stay away from the Titans, but that was before they took you from me.
I looked up to the sky, the clouds above me red as blood. There was going to be a lot more blood after this. I clutched the necklace around my neck. It was the one I gave you right after I left the Navy.
A man appeared behind me, and though he was silent, I knew what he was going to say. "We don't have long, the Militia needs men like you."
"No, I'm the last thing they need."
Angel City was our sanctuary
An explosion caught me off guard, and I flew back into a wall. I was stunned, but I didn't lose consciousness. I looked out the window to see an enemy titan aiming his gun at me. He obviously thought I was dead, because he turned away. I stood up and recovered from the explosion. I ran out the window, and jumped onto the Atlas model.
The sensors on the Titan's chassis alerted the IMC pilot that I was there, and he started turning, trying to shake me off. I grabbed the core reactor's cover, and ripped it off. The inside of it was a mess, and it indicated that this Titan had been through hell.
I grabbed my shotgun, and started firing into the core. I heard a hatch open, and saw the pilot eject from his Titan. There was only one reason for a pilot to ever abandon his vehicle. I pushed off of the Titan, but wasn't quick enough. The explosion threw me back into the building.
I rolled along the ground, a shard of glass piercing my leg, and ruining any chances of getting away from the battle. I crawled up to the wall, and took out my last grenade. I saw the pilot of the Atlas I destroyed jump in through the window, and he walked up to me.
"Angel City is my love." I primed the grenade, and used my jump-jet to lunge at the pilot. Before he could respond. I punched him in the face, stunning him just long enough for my grenade to go off.
A man walked over my body, long after I was dead. I was unrecognizable to anyone except him. He knew who I was because of your necklace. He was Captain Archer, the man who brought me back into the Militia, the man who let me seek revenge against the IMC. He was my brother. My friend. My comrade. He was death, in human skin.
He knelt down, and grabbed the necklace. It was the only thing that would identify me. He sighed, and stood up, "No survivors, continue with the sweep. I want to make sure there are no IMC pilots still alive in this sector."
The men that were standing at the stairway nodded, and exited the building through the windows.
Archer knelt down next to my body, "I'm sorry that this is how it ended," he told me, putting a cloth over my body. I heard him stand, then walk away. He would pretend that I was just another grunt. He was right to, that's all I was. A grunt. A man. A killer.