Hey y'all, Foulds here. I would just like to say that I am honoured to be able to work alongside such talented people, and I'd like to wish y'all well. I would also strongly recommend that you check out the AW forum we have set up, as itwill from now onprovide you with behind the scenes gossip and analysis of Falling From The Skies, as well as the latest news from the authors. It's a livejournal community used for any AW fic related discussion, and can be found at the address set as homepage for this author. Foulds.
Disclaimer: Advance Wars and its content is copyright Nintendo and Intelligent Systems.
He strode through corridors of grey and cracked concrete, his pace slow, calm, controlled. Hawke was, as usual, the height of self-control, unemotional, the persona that had scared so many. Under the facade though, unease was roiling like a Cometan monsoon.
'What's said is said, and cannot be changed. We must prepare for what lies ahead.'
The blandness of his surroundings swirled around him as he became ever more detached, his mind running through what he had just heard. Plans, predictions, strategies all ran through his head as he came to a steel door, heavy and rusted. He looked back behind him, down the long, featureless corridor. At the other end, a faint blue light could be seen through the sliver of a closing door, shimmering faintly. Hawke allowed himself a resigned sigh as the light was cut off.
'What's done is done, and cannot be undone.'
He produced a security passcard, swiped it through a terminal, and after a click from the lock, opened the door. Another corridor greeted him, with more doors branching off to different areas of the structure. He resumed his orderly, authoritative stride, the steel of the doors glinting on either side of him.
'Maintenance.'
'Security Station Phi.'
'Research and Development C.'
'Officer's Quarters.'
'Central Command.'
Hawke's eyes glanced at the sign on this door, his movement halted mid-stride.
'Should I tell them?'
A pause. Hawke looked thoughtful, the slight traces of it flickering on his face.
'No. Not yet. We need more time for any...developments.'
He turned, any hesitation he may have given away dispelled. He began walking again. And again, the thoughts came back, swirling around and around. Hawke was troubled by these concerns – he had never experienced such disturbing thoughts. The walls he had built up against his feelings was defenceless. The structure around him became a blur again as his train of thought consumed him.
'Was it true?'
'...It has to be...'
'Is it fate? Or should we have seen this coming?'
'Should I...we...act?'
'Not yet. Not yet.'
Another door greeted his grey, impassive eyes.
'Main Entrance.'
'For now though...other matters must be attended to.'
He swiped his passcard again, opened the door, and entered the main entrance. His eyes roved over the large, almost hotel lobby-like room. Various soldiers and staff were busy doing their jobs, either patrolling the entrance doors, or slaving away on computers. The few nearest to the commander's private entrance door saluted stiffly. Hawke waved them away, walked briskly to the double doors, and left the building. Walking along the wide, rough dirt path, he looked at the large sign to his right, decorated with large, blood red letters.
'BLACK HOLE CENTRAL COMMAND BUNKER.'
Hawke smiled. Coldly. Maliciously.
"What's done is done, and what will be done...must be done."
The expansive chamber was filled with the gentle murmur of jovial conversation, rising over the quiet background music of a piano player. Groups of men in suits laughed and raised their crystal champagne glasses. The light from the glittering chandelier played around the room, dancing across the decorative marble pillars, tall windows and detailed mosaic floor, which was a rendering of the Orange Star flag. The walls were covered with small alcoves; viewing platforms for when dancing competitions were held.
Leaning back in a corner, and feeling completely out of place, was Sami. She glanced bitterly at Nell, who had decided to attend the event in her regular purple suit. Squirming slightly, Sami looked down at herself feeling frustrated and uncomfortable.
The Orange Star CO glanced to her right, and smiled at Max, who stood beside her in awkward silence, wearing a formal dinner jacket. He was fidgeting with his cufflinks, which were still, two hours after he had first refused Sami's help, on backwards. Reminded that she wasn't completely alone, she simply repeated the same point she had been making all evening, speaking slowly to emphasise every word,
"I don't do dresses. They are impractical. They are uncomfortable. Why couldn't I just wear what I always do?"
Max smiled sympathetically, clearly not used to his suit either, but he made no reply.. Sami, wearing a long black dress that left only her shoulders and arms uncovered, indifferently observed the crowd. There were generals, politicians, intelligence officers, sub commanders, and many others Sami didn't recognise. Tonight was a special event. It was exactly one year since Hawke had withdrawn after Sturm's death. The COs were expected to attend, though they had no real reason to. In peace time, COs led training exercises and little else.
Sami noticed Andy by the buffet, where he had been almost all evening. This was a good thing, given that throughout the journey here he had been making jokes about how Eagle would like to see her in a dress. She couldn't see Hachi anywhere.. Like most times, he was probably working hard behind the scenes. Nell was engaged in a conversation with a group of politicians. As Commander in Chief, she dealt with their sort a lot more.
Sami turned and stared out of the window. The final glow of the setting sun leant a red hue to the clear evening sky. Forests surrounded the area, so Sami saw only the dark shape of the trees swaying in the wind, black outlines against the beautiful red sky.
She sighed. All the noise was giving her a headache. Did everyone really have to keep tapping their glasses together? The sound was slowly driving her crazy.
Sami froze. Something had just clicked in the back of her mind. Something very familiar, but she couldn't figure out what…
Click…
Sami's mouth dropped open with a gasp as the sickeningly familiar noise reached her ears. She dived to her right, knocking Max and herself to the ground, just as a deafening crack exploded through the hall.
The sniper's bullet smashed into the wall, tearing through the concrete with ease, just missing Sami as she dived to the floor. As Max sprung to his feet and the civilians started running for the exits, Sami, still on the floor, spun round to look at where she had been standing. The shot had been aimed at her head.
Leaping up and running rapidly for cover, her eyes darted around the viewing platforms. She saw him at once. A single sniper, almost concealed in the shadows, was scanning the room, trying to spot his target in the crowd. He hadn't counted on Sami, as an infantry specialist, knowing the exact sound a sniper rifle made when you loaded it.
A second later, the assassin gave up, dropping the rifle and slipping silently out into the corridor behind him. Sami stayed calm and ran for the nearest exit. Orange Star soldiers were pouring in now. The CO grasped the rifle of one of the infantry and wrenched it from his hands. She charged for the nearest stairwell, leaving Max calling after her, still unsure what had happened.
A few soldiers noticed Sami disappear into the stairwell and sprinted after her as she darted to the upper levels. She yelled back to them,
"Set up a perimeter! Nobody leaves the area!"
The clatter of rapid footsteps of the metal flight of steps echoed down through the grubby functional stairwell. This was how maintenance people and kitchen staff moved around the building during formal events. Sami flew up the stairwell, every step of the way furiously muttering about dresses. She heard a door being kicked open, and then the howling wind whistled around her. He was on the roof. Sami, clutching her assault rifle tightly, was alone now, as the soldiers had left to set up the perimeter that she had ordered.
As she leapt up the last few steps, she evaluated the situation. It was a fair bet that Black Hole was behind this. But a single sniper was hardly was their style. And their troops never retreated. Sami knew only too well that they fought to the last man. She put this to the back of her mind for the moment as she burst through the door, which was swinging back and forth in the strong wind.
Flicking her eyes over the roof, she saw the assassin sprinting away from her. The top of the memorial building was flat, and there was no cover. Sami followed him, rifle raised, but not firing. There was no escape, and she wanted to ask this person a few questions. The roof ended with a five storey drop onto a concrete courtyard, which was filled with her troops. Surrounding the courtyard was a small security wall, which was mainly to keep out the animals that frequented the forests. Sami smiled as the man ran onwards, dashing towards a dead end.
She frowned as he kept running towards the gap. In fact, he was breaking into a sprint.. Sami realised what was happening a moment too late, and before she could fire, the assassin threw himself off the roof, soared through the air, and cleared the security wall, flying over the oblivious troops below, and disappearing into the dark forest.
Sami, stepping up her tirade of abuse against the black dress, took a deep breath and charged as fast as she could, striving to speed up. She launched herself from the building, raced towards the wall, and just made it over, scraping her legs on the coarse stone in the process.
Sami landed roughly, and her legs were bleeding, but she didn't care. She was up in a second and bolting through the undergrowth. The light was already almost gone, and under the cover of the forest, she was running blind, only following the sound of something fleeing her. The assassin, who she still hadn't had a good look at, knew he was being followed.
For a second she saw something move in front of her. Without hesitation, she opened fire into the dense overgrown forest. A man's pained scream rang out through the cool evening air. Sami charged into a small clearing, and saw a figure trying to rise while clutching their thigh. Sami lashed out with a fierce kick to their chest, knocking them back down. In the darkness, she couldn't make out any details, but there was no helmet, and no Black Hole insignia was obvious. Pointing the rifle at his chest, she quietly warned him,
"Don't move"
Sami stood, breathing deeply, a thousand questions suddenly racing through her mind, as the rustling of approaching Orange Star soldiers became louder.
Well, there we go. I hope you got loads of positive comments/questions to ask, so go ahead and review!
(A blatant request for reviews. Sorry.)
Oh, and Foulds is still wishing y'all well. Foulds and Scarf will be writing Chapter 2, so keep a look out for it!
Wishing you all a good night,
MesanShade.
