A/N: I know it's been a while. But I promise I'm not letting this story die. This chapter was a bit of an experiment. Hope y'all like it~


11:47 p.m.

"We'll do the best we can."

"That's not good enough."

"I need you to wait outside—"

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

"What was that?" "We've got a Code Blue!"

"Shit— paddles!"

"Charging!"

"What happened? Someone tell me—"

"Someone get him out of here!"

"I'm not fucking going anywhere!"

"GET HIM OUT!"


11:21 p.m.

She placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "This was not your fault."

The other woman looked at her with red-rimmed, unfocused eyes. The voice that escaped her mouth was flat, yet raw. "You say that. But you saw what happened."

"...I did."

"Then you know that the truth is, we'll never know one way or the other." The woman rose and turned away, wandering into the night, into the shadows, away from the moonlight.

Though she disappeared, the remaining woman still heard a wail smothered in the darkness.


10:54 p.m.

"How the flying fuck did this happen?!" The man bellowed in the small, makeshift control room.

No one responded. They all looked at him, quivering in fear.

"I need a goddamn answer or heads will fucking roll! Find me one! NOW!"

Everyone scattered.


9:45 p.m.

It was the smell of burning skin that woke her. Pain rocketed through her body, searing through her muscles. White hot and her jaw fell open and she screamed.

But no sound ripped itself from her lungs. Something pressed down on her. Heavy.

She gasped, sucking air in. Desperate. Quick breaths. Trying to fill her lungs with oxygen. Oh no….breathing...she couldn't breathe. It was so hot. So very hot.

"Help...me…" She mouthed, her voice inaudible. She tried to reach out — up, anywhere — but her arms wouldn't move. Couldn't.

The pain was excruciating. Knives slicing through her skin. Nails drilling into her very bones.

Her eyes fluttered closed. The world faded into darkness once more...


9:11 p.m.

Bullets streaked through the air around Sharla. One flew past her, close enough she felt the current raise the hairs on her arm.

Cover. She needed cover.

Sharla dove for an overturned shipping container, popped up, and returned fire with her rifle. "This is for Earth, you assholes!"

Bullet after bullet sparked through the air. Hitting one of the targets, the others well concealed by their own vehicle.

Then one returned fire. With a laser gun.

Shit shit shit.

Sharla ducked, sweat rolling down the sides of her face, heart pounding in her chest. The blue laser pierced the air above her, drilling straight into the steel humvee door ten feet away. Burning straight through it in a perfect, concentric circle.

Fuck.

She had to move, she had to find another place before that beam sliced her in two—

Purple. Everything turned purple.

Was it a bomb? Some kind of new Ganglion technology? She was blind, how the fuck was she supposed to see and fight?

Her vision cleared.

Melia was there, kneeling next to her, clutching her staff in her hands. A lavender, almost-translucent shield encompassed them against the laser's blast. A bruise blossomed on the High Entia's pale cheek.

"Have you seen Tyrea?" Melia urged.

"No."

Melia creased her lips into a thin line. Her hands tightened around the staff. Sharla could see that her shoulders began to shake.

She wouldn't be able to hold that shield for long. Sharla scanned the area around them.

"We can probably make it to the back of that jeep." She pointed to an armored truck maybe ten, fifteen feet away.

Melia nodded.

"On the count of three...two...one…"


8:13 p.m.

"They're inside the hangar!" Fiora shouted over the gunshots. "Shulk is in there! We have to do something!"

Oh god, he had to be okay. Right?

"We'll set a perimeter and take them down as they come out," Dunban yelled. His finger held down the trigger and the semi-automatic spat bullets at the Ganglion soldiers guarding the entrance to the hangar.

"Sounds like a plan!" Reyn called out over his own gunfire. "Though I'd rather get in there up close 'n personal!"

"We don't have enough people for the attack!" Fiora looked between them and at the two other BLADE officers they'd rescued from a different shootout. "I'll find some!"

"Wait, Fiora!"

She took off. Racing back down the concourse, into the chaos of the battle. She had to find people. Find more power. Shulk was in that hangar.

The last thing she was going to do was let him die.


7:45 p.m.

Back to back, they surveyed the enemies that surrounded them in a circle. Tyrea licked her lips. This was it. The Ganglion had infiltrated NLA. This was her chance to shine.

This was her chance to get revenge for all the pain they had caused.

A smirk danced upon her lips as she twirled her daggers in her hands. "You ready?"

"Yes," Melia responded.

"Good." Tyrea sneered. Then she called out, "Who's first?"

A female humanoid — a Defininan — in gold and silver battle armor charged.


7:02 p.m.

Shulk gunned the engine and shifted the gear into drive. He took a breath. They were going straight into battle. No…

He was driving them straight into battle.

"Hey." A hand squeezed his shoulder. He turned to see Fiora's radiant smile and warm eyes. "I'll cover you, okay?"

His heart flew into his throat, and he nodded. How did she make him feel like he could do anything with just a few words and a smile? Even when he was still terrified?

"You're right. We can do this. Together."

"You got it."

With a wink, Shulk turned back around, ignored the twist in his stomach, and hit the gas of the speeder, hurtling them towards the burning city of NLA.


8:45 p.m.

"I'm out!" Reyn clicked the gun in his hand. "That backup better be comin' soon!"

He was not planning on dying yet. Not when there was so much to do. Not when he had friends now he wanted to protect.

The ground under him shook and he stumbled against the stacked crates they were using for cover. Startled, his eyes darted right, then left.

That's when he saw it.

"Holy shit…" His jaw dropped. Whelp, he'd asked for backup.


10:21 p.m.

They were gone. They were finally gone, but at what cost?

Shulk clutched his broken arm to him as he looked at the bodies strewn around the hanger. Bodies of people with who he'd shared conversations days before. Bodies of people he'd come to know well over the past two years. Bodies of people who had no idea that today they'd take their last breath.

His stomach turned. Locking his jaw, he grit his teeth. His eyes welled with tears.

How dare they? What right did they have to do this? To hurt the people he cared about?

Everything in him stopped. Memories flooded back to him. Adrenaline pulsed through his veins.

He ran. He forward, straight for it. For the pile of rubble. His eyes scanned the destruction, but he couldn't see what he was looking for. Didn't.

Because he'd had to fight for his life and hide. He'd hidden and now...

"Shulk? Dude, you gotta get to the clinic and get that checked out." A voice called out.

Shulk shook his head. No, he had to keep searching…

But his body was rooted in place. Swaying.

"Hey, why don't I walk you over?" His mind registered Gwin's voice. Gwin, Irina's second-in-command.

How had he gotten so far from his team? Yet Shulk didn't really need an answer to such a novice question. That was what battle was: chaos.

Slowly, he nodded, letting himself be led away from the battlefield. From the destruction and the debris and the dead.

They might be gone now, but they could come back. Would they? Would it ever end?


8:29 p.m.

It was one after the other after the other after the other. Neverending. She could feel herself starting to tire. A swipe of her blade here, a wobble in the stab there.

That was unacceptable. She was a soldier. She had to continue and carry on. People were depending on her. Melia was depending on her.

With a swift kick, Tyrea brought her opponent to the ground and rammed her dagger into their throat. Blood spurted from the wound, splattering across her cheeks. But there was no pleasure in it. She just wanted it to be over.

A screech hit the air. Like nails on a blackboard.

Tyrea's head snapped up, attention focused on the origin. Shouts, shrieks, screams...they were all a part of battle. But this one, this one was a wail full of anguish.

Her eyes widened. A Prone soldier was strangling a human woman. A civilian somehow lost in the disorder. Probably trying to get to that shelter.

Tyrea pulled up her bloodied dagger from the corpse, aimed, and threw. It propelled forward, straight for the target, stabbing into the Prone's wrist.

The Prone cried out and released the woman. She dropped to her knees, coughing, gasping. Then another woman raced over, brandishing a pistol.

Eleanora.

Shit.

Tyrea's feet hit the ground. She was running. Racing. Zooming forward. As fast as she could manage.

Eleanora aimed her gun at the Prone. With a trembling hand, she pulled the trigger.

The shot echoed in the air. The body slumped to the ground. Tyrea slowed to a jog, heart slamming against her ribs.

Eleanora's hand shook as it fell to her side. She turned and helped the woman up, pointing to some location off the concourse.

"Eleanora!" Tyrea called.

The woman turned. Surprised. Then a relieved smile lit up her lips. She held up a hand.

And a smattering of gunfire riddled her body.


7:18 p.m.

"These guys are EVERYWHERE!" Reyn groaned as he reloaded his gun. The speeder streaked forward, Ganglion soldiers diving out of the way as they headed for NLA. He laughed and shouted over his shoulder, "Nice one, Shulk!"

Shulk gave him a thumbs up but didn't look back.

Right, he had to focus. Reyn took up his rifle again. Sparks and the clattering of metal on metal stole his focus as he looked to his left.

The Ganglion were shooting at the High Entia vehicle.

Reyn trained his rifle on the shooter, racing behind them in a jeep-like car, fifteen or so feet away. The Prone was standing in the back seat, gun raised.

Shit. Okay, he could do this. He could do—

A bullet pierced the back window of the High Entia vehicle.

"GET DOWN!" Sharla yelled.

Oh, no friggin' way. Reyn aimed his rifle, finger hovering over the trigger. The shooter in his sights: the Prone, aiming another shot.

"No, you don't," Reyn whispered and pressed down on the trigger.

Bullets spurred forward onto the target, knocking him back and off the vehicle.

"WHOO HOOO!" Reyn shouted, fist-pumping the air, glancing at the High Entia vehicle. Sharla looked through the window and gave him a thumbs up.

He grinned. Maybe everything would be okay. Maybe they'd get through this alright.


8:54 p.m.

Oh god, this was a mistake. She was not cleared for this. She was not ready to operate a Skell. She was going to mess this all up—

No. No way. She couldn't think like that. Swallowing, Fiora tapped her cheeks. She was gonna blast through the Ganglion, get into that hangar, stop whatever they were doing, and save Shulk.

Fiora's hands flew over the control panel and guided the robot forward. Unlocking the assault rifle, Fiora aimed and fired, mowing through a Ganglion line of soldiers blocking the path to the hangar.

A wave of revulsion rolled through her but she pushed it down. Later.

Later.

The skell lumbered forward, past the line where Dunban and Reyn and the others were. She continued her assault, picking off soldiers with a hail of gunfire. It was a huge gun!

This was going better than she thought it would.

She burst through the last line of the Ganglion soldiers and Fiora directed the skell into the hangar. Crossing the threshold, she faltered, jaw-dropping.

High Entian bodies and human bodies were strewn everywhere. Prone and female humanoid soldiers saw her — the Skell — and immediately pointed their guns at her.

She paid them no mind.

"Shulk! Shulk!" She hollered, her voice echoing off the walls of the hangar through the Skell's speakers, but none of the bodies moved.

Was she too late?

No no nonononononono.

With a scream, Fiora whirled to face the cluster of Ganglion soldiers to her right and discharged her assault rifle with sloppily. Tears pricked the ends of her eyes and she darted out of the way of their gunfire, returning with her own.

One by one they dropped or scattered.

She couldn't be too late...was she really…?

Silence greeted her.

Fiora sniffed. Wait...that didn't make sense. There were more Ganglion soldiers, weren't there? She swore she saw more when she came in here.

She turned around and froze.

The VITA. It stood. No longer inanimate on the ground. Its purple exterior shined in the overhead lights. Sinister.

Someone had turned it on. Someone had activated it and was now inside the alien skell. And it was barreling straight for her.

She stumbled backward, heart flying into her throat, but it was too late. It would be on her in a few seconds. She held up her arms to protect herself.

Its hands transformed into claws. It was going to tear her apart.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a movement from behind a heap of broken lab equipment. A blond head of hair.

Shulk.

She smiled. At least Shulk was okay. Hopefully, he'd stay hidden for the rest of this.

Hopefully—

The VITA shredded her shield and plunged its claw into the cockpit of her skell.


7:34 p.m.

"We need to split up," Dunban announced as his team poured out of their vehicles.

"What? Isn't it best if we stay together!?" Fiora asked.

"Comms are off. We have no idea what the status is on the other side of the city." He shook his head. "And judging from that airship above, the Ganglion are about to make a second assault in conjunction with any more troops they send to attack the gates."

His anger bubbled within him. But he couldn't let it overtake him. He needed to stay calm. Directed. Emotionless. If he was going to get all of them through this alive.

"Melia, Sharla, Tyrea. Go to the East Gate. Riki, search for any civilians and take them to BLADE tower. There's a shelter in the basement. The rest of you, stay here with me. We help guard the west gate and the hangar." Dunban ordered, sweeping his gaze over his team.

One by one they nodded in acknowledgment then moved to grab their weapons from the cars.

This was an attack on their soil. This was most certainly life or death. Already he'd seen too many BLADE bodies littered around the threshold of the west gate. He had to prevent as many other casualties as possible. His people were counting on him.

And there were so few left of them.

"Melia."

She paused in her moving towards the waiting Tyrea and Sharla. He walked over to her, tempted to reach out and pull her to him. But now was not the time for such gestures. For distractions.

That's why he was sending her to the east gate. Tyrea would protect her, and he would be able to watch over Fiora. He couldn't watch Fiora and Melia at the same time.

He hoped she understood that.

Instead, all he said was, "Be safe."

"You as well, Dunban. I expect to see you when this is over." Her face was blank but her eyes flashed with anger and fear.

It was enough of a reaction to break that wall of composure. He couldn't stop himself, and reached out and touched her cheek. "You will. I expect the same of you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." She murmured, leaning into his touch. A sigh escaped her, her hot breath caressing his skin.

It sent a shiver up his arm and down his spine.

Then she was gone, joining the other two women and they raced into the city. Into the battle. Into danger.

If they got out of this alive…

There was no point in focusing on that. First, they needed to survive the night. Anything else could come later.

Dunban turned to the others. "Let's move out."


12:00 a.m.

Melia paced outside the clinic, pulse pounding. She had been asked to wait outside since it was overrun with the injured and dead — and she wasn't considered family — so she'd (begrudgingly) obliged. But her insides crunched with every step she took as she waited for news of Fiora. If the young woman was alive or dead.

For the fourth time in two minutes, the princess pulled out her communicator. But it was silent. Blank. No messages from Shulk, Sharla, or Dunban, who were all inside. No information on Fiora's condition. She'd been told Fiora had been brought in with massive injuries, barely breathing.

That had been forty minutes ago.

Tyrea was gone. Lost to her grief over Eleonora. Reyn had left for BLADE tower to check on the civilians and ensure there were no injuries among them.

And that left her here. Waiting.

Waiting...it was interminable. Not knowing. She hoped that Fiora would be alright. For her sake and Dunban's. What would happen if she died?

She couldn't think like that.

Yet it was a very real possibility. Because that was what war brought with it. Death and pain and suffering. Regardless of the victor or loser.

The doors slid open. Bright light poured forth and Dunban powered down the ramp. She saw his hands clenched into fists. His body stiff.

Melia went to him, but he didn't stop. He kept walking. Barely acknowledging her.

No…oh please, no...

"Dunban is she…?"

"She's alive for now. In surgery. They kicked me out." He growled.

"She's in good hands." Melia soothed, reaching to touch his arm. "She's safe now."

He shrugged her off, stopping mid-stride, his eyes turning on her with a searing glare. Anger rolled off him in waves and Melia stepped back, startled.

"She is not safe. My sister might die. My city was leveled. My people were attacked and slaughtered. All because of the Ganglion. Why? We don't know. But your father? He probably does. But he cares more about keeping his secrets than helping others." Dunban seethed. "Fiora will never be safe until the Ganglion have been destroyed. That's the truth."

Before Melia could respond, he stormed away, disappearing into the shambles of the labs.

His rage...oh it burned. It burned so hot and seeing it more than just a flicker, catching a glimpse of the fury that burned under that cool exterior, feeling ] the scorching burn…

It had singed her again. Melia knew it wasn't directed at her. His words weren't meant to charr her, yet she couldn't help but feel responsible. For Dunban was right. If her father held the answers to their questions, answers that could prevent the deaths of Homs in the future, was she not complicit in keeping these secrets as well?

Gazing around at the wreckage of NLA, Melia felt her stomach fall, her body lose its sense of gravity. The loss, the devastation, could it all have been prevented?

Were such secrets truly worth the cost of life?

No...no, they couldn't be.

She pulled out her communicator and wrote to her father. She was done.