"Tsai, the results of the K27 survey?" Jessica asked.
In the dim light of their office, Billy Tsai blinked up from his datapad and gave her a polite nod.
"It's in the final stages of verification. I've scheduled a cross-reference against recent combat reports, and after that I just need to run a thorough audit."
Jessica was seething. "That report was due two days ago," she grit out."This expedition is dependent on its results."
Their team was in charge of reclaiming what used to be the border between the counties of Catherines and Luxembourg. Because the area once sat atop an aquifer, large parts of the city had collapsed into a chasm charmingly nicknamed the Howling Pit. The whole region was fraught with structural instability, and between Lost ambushes and the veins of thick miasma, the surface regions had been poorly explored.
Any misstep could mean being overrun from all sides, losing their way in thick miasma, or falling two hundred yards into a dark cavern flooded by seawater.
No Cerberus personnel had any business there without conducting an area survey first.
Tsai had the nerve to look helpless as he turned his palms upwards. "I understand that, Sergeant, and I assure you I did everything I could. Without the go-ahead from Intelligence, my hands were tied." Unfazed even as Jessica glared at him, Tsai shut his eyes and sighed. "I flagged this with Warrant Officer Abney over a week ago. I've been calling him but he just won't pick up. There's nothing I can do."
And there was nothing she could say in rebuttal.
Years donning the full-faced Cerberus mask had trained away the urge to rub her brows, but right now Jessica felt the desire miraculously reemerging.
That was the worst thing about dealing with Tsai. Jessica was sure that if she contacted the warrant officer in question, she would find that Tsai had in fact been calling him, and the calls had 'simply' been missed.
Jessica just knew that he was slacking off somehow, but the man was canny enough to always drag his feet in ways that she didn't have the expertise or knowledge to prove.
Jessica sank into thought.
Going out there without an area survey was against regulations. Worse, it was dangerous and just asking for trouble. But her company was filled with hardy survivors.
Blood Transmutation referred to the process by which a revenant could perform a number of frankly outlandish feats - informally known as gifts - by consuming their own blood like fuel. In the field of survival alone, the gifts possessed by Jessica's squad allowed them to stand head and shoulders above their peers. That was no small boast considering that the 'Security Enforcement Unit' Cerberus was filled with veterans who survived Operation Queenslayer.
Tsai, Nguyen, Maćyta and Takamiya all had instantaneous locomotion gifts, so they could be counted to get out of any ambush.
Suzuhara could power through a decapitation without so much as dispersing, and given enough time to build up, Lawrence could shrug off an attack that would vaporise anyone else.
Jessica had confidence in her own abilities as well.
Unfortunately, that still left at least three members of her team at risk, and her second in command was one of them. It was an undeniably risky idea, and would be in violation of both good sense and regulation.
It was looking like Area K27 would have to wait.
Shaking her head, Jessica began to pace.
But it was her neck on the line. And Jessica knew that Captain O'Dower was in one of her moods recently. The woman was a reasonable superior, all things considered, but the exploration of K27 had been delayed five times now. O'Dower was reaching the limits of her patience, and when she did it would be Jessica who bore the brunt of the fallout.
Still pacing about the command room, Jessica thought in silence.
"Juárez, what do you think?" she eventually asked her 2IC.
Corporal Juárez's answer was crisp and self-assured.
"We need to be mindful that K27 is located far beyond known regions. Beyond just the usual dangers of the unstable aquifer region, the nearest Cerberus station is two miles through Lost infested ruins."
Juárez looked her CO right in the eye. "If anything happens, help won't be coming."
Jessica grimaced. She knew all that of course. But she had still been hoping for a different opinion.
"We need results. I don't think we can delay any further," she admitted.
"We'll be going in blind," Juárez said calmly, but there was a note of warning in her tone. Her corporal was easy to get along with, and always cool as a cucumber, but the woman had a bottom line. Jessica suspected that pushing for this expedition would be crossing it.
She mulled over the scales in her head. On the one hand, she could push for this anyway and lose the trust of her second-in-command. On the other, she could accept another delay and lose the trust of her superior.
"Red 6th are grounded for a while," Juárez said after a moment. "It's not perfect, but happy to negotiate with HR for their survey site instead."
Squad number six? Come to think of it, this Monday's briefing did mention that Sergeant Dayal was injured. She hadn't realised it had been serious enough to ground his entire squad.
"Which area they were in charge of?" she asked, thoughts racing.
Checking her communicator, Juárez soon had Jessica's answer.
"Area K39, just a mile north of where we're assigned."
Jessica nodded, hope rising in her chest. That was better than expected.
It was all work that O'Dower would have needed done anyway, and exploring K39 would help get the data they needed for the K27 survey. Already, the O'Dower in Jessica's head had gone from shouting blistering invective to simply issuing a stern warning.
This could work.
"It sounds like that's our way forward. Juárez, can I trouble you to get it sorted?"
Juárez nodded, unbothered. "I'll take care of the paperwork. We should be ready to depart before 08:30."
K39 was a little closer to territory under Cerberus control, so that sounded just right. Jessica nodded in thanks.
"Please do. We'll meet up at the Gates."
Juárez briskly left the room for the elevator, leaving Jessica with Tsai.
"I'll adjust our supplies for the new mission parameters, Sergeant."
With that, Tsai left the room as well. At least the shameless bastard had the good sense to avoid her right now.
Jessica sighed. She supposed this could've gone worse. She'd have to find a chance to get back at him for this. Some way that he couldn't claim was retaliation for this.
One day she would wrangle that snake. And not in the fun way, either.
After writing up a quick message in her squad's channel, Jessica set out herself.
Despite her quick pace, the footfalls of her rubber soles were almost indistinguishable on the smooth concrete floor. She passed through the hallways in silence.
The 3rd Floor, which housed Jessica's squad, was for the most part inhabited solely by Red Company. Unlike some of the other floors in this building, this particular floor was usually quiet this hour of day.
Squads enjoying the paperwork rotation officially known as 'R&R' wouldn't be in until later in the day. Those who began their work day this early tended to have plans for the day that involved travelling through the city ruins.
Whether they were running supplies, patrolling the borders, or simply collecting taxes from affiliated settlements, making the most of daylight was only common sense.
Navigating the treacherous ruins of New Amsterdam could be a challenge even in the sunshine. It wasn't unheard of to see some excitement, even travelling known and controlled regions. The city ruins were always a tense affair.
Nobody wanted to still be wandering after nightfall.
This was only more true for Red Company, whose particular mandate was deep reconnaissance into regions beyond Cerberus control. That kind of work could take days at a time, leaving their floor mostly empty in the morning.
And if Jessica had her way, her squad would be performing that kind of work today.
Taking the stairs two steps at a time, she descended the two floors to the 1st Floor.
Nodding in greeting to colleagues along the way, Jessica soon found herself stepping out of the door, and down the diamond plate steel sheet that served as the ramp entrance to the facility.
As she did, Jessica was greeted by the muted buzz of civilisation. And civilisation was what it was. There was no point arguing otherwise.
Labourers grumbling about starting work this early in the morning. Store owners making the most of the low morning traffic to do inventory. Idlers chatting amicably with their friends over a morning espresso instead of preparing for work.
That last one earned a small frown from Jessica as she passed them on her way into a familiar café.
Although she wasn't wearing her hood and mask, her armour marked her as a member of Cerberus. It was enough for people to give her a wide berth.
"What can I get you, ma'am?" asked the dark-haired barista. Jessica still didn't know her name, but Barista Girl was starting to become part of Jessica's everyday life.
With a genuine smile, Jessica rattled off an order for twelve espressos - two were for her - while the barista smiled back and nodded.
"Would you like some protein in that?"
"Please."
The coffee beans being used in this shop were some mass-produced blend, grown in one of the shelters in Catherines. Coffee had mostly the same productivity boosting effects on revenants, and proved a strong psychological link to normality and the Old World. The coffee plant was apparently quite hardy and simple to cultivate besides, so it was one of the first plants chosen for farming in the hydroponic vertical farms built after Queenslayer.
Although the terrorist coup a few weeks ago had come as a shock to all, nobody - even the soldiers of Cerberus, which had lost the most - could suppress the jubilation that came with the proclamation that the Provisional Government had succeeded in revitalising the bloodsprings. That announcement had significantly eased tensions all throughout Shelter Zero.
Increasingly severe blood shortages had been the primary driver of public discontent. With that no longer being a problem, the chapter was closing on the strict military discipline that so characterised the past few years.
One consequence was that small cafés like this one were growing in popularity again. Room to breathe again meant room for little indulgences. Coffee had enjoyed a widespread renaissance across Cerberus in particular, and Jessica's squad was no exception.
It was nice, drinking coffee again. It was the kind of thing that had gradually fallen by the wayside. Bigger concerns, and more and more work piled on, until one day she had swapped the coffee for caffeine pills.
Revenants still set time aside for hobbies and leisure. It was well known that the stronger their ties to humanity, the less likely they were to succumb to bloodlust. For Jessica, that meant enjoying food and working towards a more comfortable future.
But it was a deliberate, regimented approach to living, and had seen the little things streamlined out of her life.
Jessica hadn't even realised she missed it until she had taken her first sip in years. It had come from this particular café; one of her squad members, Page, had just come from here and offered Jessica a taste from her cup.
Jessica had been coming here ever since.
Leaning against a spot on the wall between two Old World posters, Jessica glanced at the barista.
To Jessica's disappointment, her first time visiting this café herself had revealed that their menu didn't offer mochas. Coffee was a flavour enhancer, best paired with sweet syrups and other flavours like chocolate or cinnamon. Obviously. But Barista Girl was sadly something of a coffee fundamentalist, and wouldn't see things her way.
No matter. Jessica was still working on that.
While she waited for her order, Jessica idly surveyed the room.
Shelter Zero really was becoming more and more of a real city. This shop was just one of many run out of hastily constructed bare concrete buildings, but the careful arrangement of posters, rugs, and trinkets had artfully turned that into part of the aesthetic.
And while their lack of wariness marked most of the room as revenants, to someone from the Old World, the café could have been filled with average human college students.
The deaths caused by the emergence of the Thorns had halved the population of the world in a mostly equal fashion. But the horrors that came after had disproportionately reduced the numbers of those less able to run. The result was a rebalance of demographics that overwhelmingly favoured the young.
This change had carried over to the present, and its effects could be seen in the way the original New Amsterdam culture had shifted towards youth culture. That was all fine and good as long as they were her type of youth culture.
Alas, one of the cultural artifacts that had survived not only the Great Collapse, but apparently also the blood drought of the last few years, was the resurgent habit of taking long espresso breaks both before and during work.
It was a distinctly un-American habit imported and popularised through New Amsterdam by the bopsters of Generation Beta. It just rubbed Jessica the wrong way.
Still, as far as 'generations' went, Gen. Beta wasn't the worst.
That dubious honour belonged to 3rd Generation revenants. Combining the potential for power of a revenant with the naivety of the shelter-born humans after Queenslayer, the troublemakers amongst them could be the worst of every world.
At least those human kids provided blood. What were those third gens good for? Stirring up anti-government and secessionist sentiment when everyone needed cooperation the most. Jessica would consider it lucky if they didn't run off into the ruins and turn into more Lost.
Ah well. At least they're keeping us in a job.
Jessica sent some of the other patrons an icy stare - just in case - and was about to check her communicator when a familiar face walked through the door.
"Davis!"
The big lunk started, before realising which way the shout had come from.
"J-Jessica?" Davis stuttered.
She first met the large black man years ago when he was still one of Blue Company's tax collectors, before he moved into Intelligence.
After helping her out of a Lost ambush out in the Broncks, the two had greeted each other whenever they crossed paths.
Jessica strode across the room and slapped his shoulder through the metal of his armour.
"I haven't seen you in months! Any leads on Other Jessica?" she asked.
To her surprise, instead of his usual response, Davis faltered for a moment before sighing morosely.
"I've decided… to stop looking for her. It's time I moved on."
That earned a raised eyebrow from her.
"You're serious?" she asked.
The man had been going on about that lost wife of his for the longest time. Everyone had lost somebody in the Great Collapse. No, not just somebody. Most of their loved ones, even, but people moved on.
Davis wasn't the only bereaved, and the chance that his wife survived was astronomically low.
It was frankly unhealthy - and Jessica had told him as much more than once - but the man was resolved. It was one of the things she liked most about him, she'd admit to herself. The resolve, of course, not the futile quest.
Oddly, she thought she saw the same look of resolve now, as deflated as Davis seemed.
"I've just been through a lot lately. Had a lot of time to think. I've been living for a dead man so long that I haven't been living for Davis. It's time I changed that," he said.
Jessica gave him a searching look, but she found no self-deception.
She gave him another slap on the shoulder. "She's in a better place, Davis."
Oddly, that earned her a chuckle.
"Yeah. Maybe."
Weird.
"So, you still putting together that proposal on reclaiming the underground?" she asked.
That seemed to shake him out of his gloom.
"Yes. We've finally had some success in purifying blood bead sprouts. The springs are fruiting again as well, so there's never been a safer or more rewarding time to do so."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You know that also holds true for the surface where the sun shines?"
Davis showed her a rare smile.
"Isn't that what we have your Red Company for?"
Jessica shrugged. Fair enough.
They would eventually hit diminishing marginal returns on each expedition, so picking the low hanging fruits of the subterranean territories was as good of an idea as any.
"If you want to be the one crawling in the dark, be my guest. I'll take my sun, thanks." That reminded her of something. Leaning in a little, Jessica lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Speaking of, whatever happened with White Company? Was it related to the bloodsprings fruiting again?"
Jessica wouldn't go as far as to suspect sorcerous rituals like some in the barracks, but the timing was a little suspicious.
Her black friend gave her an even stare.
"You know I can't tell you that."
Davis looked at her consideringly.
"White Company is down their best men and women. If you want to know what happened, joining them is your best chance for clearance. They could really use revenants like you right now."
"Are they still being paid the same rates?"
From his helpless expression, Jessica had her answer.
White Company had been built around a core of the surviving 1st Generation revenants; professional soldiers from the Old World. The rest of the company were handpicked from the most loyal and exemplary veterans of Queenslayer. All in all they were a dutiful, detached, and infamously tight-lipped company that never quite fit in with the rest of Cerberus.
Their particular directive was protecting Central and manning the fortresses that surrounded it. What that meant was weeks and weeks patrolling a series of interlinked towers, with as many stairs as the description seemed to entail.
The most elite among their number were rewarded with the chance to patrol a labyrinthian and cavernous castle instead, with not a trace of the sky to be seen.
Jessica could count on her fingers the number of times she had made the climb to Central. Heavens, was it a trek.
The elevators didn't go all the way to the top, for obvious security reasons, and it felt like every moment she wasn't climbing some stairs, she was instead being processed through one of dozens of identical looking checkpoints in what was essentially one of eleven dim and very large grey cylinders.
Central itself wasn't much better, because while a labyrinthian and cavernous medieval castle was impressive in a technical sense, Jessica found it all incredibly dreary. They didn't even have carpet.
Patrolling that place as her nine-to-five job? No thank you.
Not without a significant pay rise.
"Davis, I take our role very seriously, but I'm not a charity worker. If they want me locked up in that castle day and night, they'd better be paying me extra."
The man looked like he expected that, but Jessica sensed a trace of disappointment regardless.
"You really won't consider it?"
"I'm a simple woman, just trying to make my way in the universe," she replied. "It's not some passion of mine, like your Depths, but I'm happy doing my part by exploring the surface."
Jessica found that she meant that.
Everything had been a scramble for survival since the Great Collapse. Even now they were barely scraping by. But things had gotten better enough that people were thinking about the future again. What life in the Vein would look like two years from now, or five. Ten.
Jessica was hoping for one with more creature comforts. Some reclamation of the life she had back when this was still New Amsterdam City. She'd never again be that data analyst working out of an air-conditioned skyscraper, but maybe she could return to being the girl who shared a warm gelato panino with her friends on a Saturday.
It was satisfying work, helping to pile the bricks that would build that dream.
"...We're really going to make it through this huh?" she mumbled.
Jessica found her own shoulder being clapped this time.
"We're-"
Just as he was about to say something, a voice interrupted them.
"Your order, ma'am."
"Ah, thank you!" Jessica smiled. The barista smiled back and returned behind the counter.
Jessica gave Davis a final, solid, tough guy slap on the shoulder. "We'll have to talk later." She looked him in the eye. "You take care of yourself, Davis. We're making this a better place, so you better be around to see the results. No more amnesia."
Davis gave her a solid nod.
"I'll try. Take care of yourself as well, Jessica."
With a wave, she left the store with twelve cups of coffee. They were both pretty tough. There'd be time to properly catch up later.
For now, Jessica had an expedition to get to.