A/N (You should actually probably read this!)
I know, I know... you're rubbing your eyes in disbelief right now. That's right! After... how long has it been? Three, four weeks? Possibly more? I have uploaded another chapter onto this site.
Unfortunately, I can't really say that I'm "back" yet.
The last few weeks have been an absolute blur for me. Between university work, regular work, and family obligations I have had very, very little free time available for writing; and in the rare moments that I did have some free time, I didn't really feel motivation. Writing, even recreationally, can suck up a lot of time. Even something as small as a 2,000 word chapter can steal away a few hours of daylight. The simple fact of the matter is: I just don't have space in my life right now.
Does this mean I'm quitting? Hell no. I'll finish what I start... I just can't promise the upload schedules that I used to proudly boast.
I'm going to separate the next two pieces of information into separate headings.
Regarding Tigress
The future plotlines of Tigress are still undergoing revision and contemplation. The next few chapters will probably be just character and worldbuilding until I have a proper idea of what I'm doing.
Regarding Team MARS Part 3
As of right now, all work on Team MARS Part 3 has been ground to a halt.
Well, sort of...
The truth is, I'm deeply unhappy with how Team MARS Part 3 has turned out so far. I could list all my reasons but it would take up most of this page if I did. Team MARS Part 3, right now as I see it, has way too much going on. Almost thirty chapters in and I'm still not close to approaching the main plotline. It's just too much...
Which is why, as of last week, I began rewriting Part 3. It's not a full rewrite, mind you, many of the chapters, concepts, and ideas have actually been salvaged; but this new version will have longer chapters and (hopefully) a more concise plot. I will begin releasing (or re-releasing) chapters in the near future, but I want to get a good foothold and finalize all of the plot details before I do so.
No more stumbling around blind in the dark - it's bitten me in the ass more times than I can count.
In the meantime, thank you for bearing with me. Today's chapter was particularly fun for me to write. Barker holds a lot of potential as soft comic relief, and I enjoy writing the contrast between him and Ashley.
Anyways...
Chapter 59…
Ashley felt her stomach flopping around as the ship finally came to a rumbling stop. There was an almost weightless feeling as the landing gear made contact with the ground. The sudden jolt that came from the landing arced up Ashley's legs, causing the slightest spasm in her knees.
"And we're here…" A familiar male voice quietly cheered over the dull whine of the exterior engines. "Excited, 'Kara?"
Ashley wrinkled her nose and turned her head to glare at her employer. Barker, unlike his newest recruit, had opted to splay out in his seat like a lazy cat.
"Kara?" The dark haired woman muttered.
"Yeah, I cut down your name into a nickname," Barker grinned. "You're welcome."
"Uh-huh… I put two and two together," Ashley lifted a dark eyebrow. "I don't think it needed an explanation."
"Well, you got one anyways…" Barker chuckled. "Once again, you're welcome."
The middle-aged man stood up from his seat and slapped the interior of the aircraft good naturedly. Stretching himself out and loudly yawning, Barker shook his head and shoulders to ward off the worst of the flight fatigue.
"Let's go…" Barker muttered as the cargo door of the Goblin dropship slid open. Standing up and grabbing her bag, Ashley slung her sack of belongings across her back and hopped out of the aircraft.
The dark haired woman felt her boots crunching against the asphalt of the landing pad. Internally, she felt a great sense of relief about being back on the ground. The last few days of space travel had been… interesting… to say the least...
Or perhaps they had been uneventful… Ashley wasn't really sure yet. She had kept mostly to herself, save for Barker, although his company had been mostly unwelcome.
Her new uniform fit well enough. Long gone was the worn out, oversized jumpsuit and the cramped steel toe boots. Now Ashley was clad in a fresh jumpsuit, coloured in alternating patches of green, orange and yellow to match her new allegiance…
Rubbing the back of her head to make sure that her hair was still tied back, Ashley faced her employer.
Around her and Barker was a rather cramped Militia complex - built right in the middle of a populated area. There was a large square defensive wall which penned in the dozen landing pads for Goblin dropships. Other than what seemed to be a small command building, there were no other constructs.
"Walk with me…" Barker muttered, raising his hand in gesture for Ashley to follow. "Let's get going…"
"Alright."
Barker breathed out a large sigh as he walked. "Hello… home-sweet-Harmony…"
"Your home?" Ashley asked, feeling the weight of her bag dragging on her back.
"Well, I was born elsewhere…" Barker shrugged. "And I suppose that I like Angel City a little bit better than this place…"
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah… real shame that Angel City is still under IMC control," Barker sighed wistfully, his gaze looking upwards towards the blue sky. "Lots of fun times there. Drinking… gambling… good times..."
"I've been to Angel City before," Ashley licked her dry lips as she tried to recollect her experiences. "But it's been a long time."
"Speaking of Angel City…" Barker muttered, his drawling voice stuck between inquisitive and playful. "Well…?"
"Well?" Ashley raised a dark eyebrow. She adjusted the bag hanging off of her left shoulder, feeling the straps digging into the muscles of neck. "What about Angel City?"
"I just want to know whether or not you were involved in that little shindig…" Barker shrugged. "Y'know? I didn't exactly leave that place peacefully… pretty sure that there are still wanted posters of me in that place…"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Ashley raised her other eyebrow.
"When the Militia was trying to 'rescue' me from the IMC in Angel City…" Barker rolled his eyes, a barely perceptible motion due to his dark shades. "Were you trying to stop them?"
"Oh…" Ashley frowned. She felt her left hand squeezing tighter on the strap of her carrying bag. "No. I have been to Angel City before - on shore leave, mostly. But I don't recall ever fighting in that place."
"Lucky you," Barker chuckled. "That day was a bloodbath."
"I bet."
"I'm not fucking with you…" Barker's voice dropped in volume, growing almost hoarse. "I mean… they got me out through the sewers… so I didn't see a whole lot of what was going on. But when two opposing forces drop a bunch of titans and troops in a civilian populated zone…"
"People get caught in the crossfire," Ashley felt something strange coiling around in her chest.
"Too many people."
For a moment, Barker's jovial mask seemed to slip off of his face. In those brief few seconds of naked vulnerability Ashley finally noticed the prominent streaks of grey in his temples.
"You know…?" Ashley cleared her throat; the woman lifted her eyes and found herself on a collision course with the tail of a parked goblin. Swerving her neck and contorting her chest, Ashley ducked her head out of the way. "Sometimes you ramble. It makes it hard to understand you…"
"So? I have a chaotic train of thought…"
"Let me off the train…"
"Heh, I guess that you are capable of humour…"
"Capable, yes…" Ashley's nostrils flared as she exhaled. "Willing… usually not…"
The dark haired woman and her cantankerous new employer stopped at the main gate of the outpost. With a loud electronic blare, the gate slid along it's rollers to allow the two mercenaries to exit.
Beyond the rolling gate, the bustling metropolis that was Harmony's capital city stretched out towards the horizon. Skyscrapers loomed in the still air, but what sat atop the buildings is what truly captured Ashley's attention. Blooming from the tops of the massive man-made structures was a dense array of leafy green foliage - foliage so prominent that Ashley could make it out, even from her considerable distance.
"Those buildings…" Ashley blinked in confusion. "Do they have trees on top?"
"Greenhouses," Barker corrected, taking one wide step forwards and exiting the base. "Come on now…"
Ashley absentmindedly followed behind her employer, her gaze still stuck on the leafy skyscrapers in the distance. The two of them were now on a rather quiet street. To Ashley's right, the long walls of the Militia checkpoint stretched out for hundreds of meters, bordering the sidewalk. On Ashley's left, the other side of the street, small shops and buildings were propped up - as if there was nothing strange about being across the street from a military installation.
"Why greenhouses?" Ashley murmured, her dark gaze stuck on the horizon. "Why are they on top of the buildings?"
"You're more inquisitive than you let on," Barker chuckled. "I'm not a botanist… but apparently the plants help with the smog or something. The air quality is better… and the greenhouses sure look neat, don't they?"
"Yeah, neat."
Ashley finally tore her dark-eyed gaze away from the distant man-made marvels. For the first time in a very long time, the woman felt a sense of almost childlike wonderment inside of her. But this feeling was quickly drowned out by the droning voices of passing pedestrians and the nearby whir of hydrogen engines.
"Where are we walking, anyways?" Ashley asked as she quickened her pace to catch up with her employer.
"H.Q," Barker answered in a nonchalant tone, as if the acronym somehow answered all of Ashley's questions.
"And where is this headquarters, exactly?"
"Nearby."
Ashley felt frustration beginning to coil in her chest.
"Why didn't we just fly there?" Ashley muttered. "Couldn't the Militia drop us off?"
"Well, no…" Barker shook his head, his dark aviator shades bobbing up and down on his nose. "Sure, my Angel City Elites contract out to the Militia… but were not their errand boys. And I can't just go around flashing my credentials expecting a taxi service…"
"And?" Ashley scoffed. "It feels like there's something that you're not telling me…"
"Yeah. It's kind of against Militia flight protocol to make a landing on a city street."
Ashley felt her feet drag to a stop, her heavy pack digging into her shoulder blades.
"On a street?" Ashley's voice raised to a higher octave. "On a regular civilian road!? That's where your headquarters is?"
"Our headquarters… you work for me now…" Barker corrected with an infuriating finger wag.
"Don't act nonchalant!" Ashley hissed. "You're a mercenary group operating out of a regular building? Who the hell did I agree to work for, Barker?"
"Relax, Harmony is a perfectly safe planet… and I hire a guy to watch the door…" Barker waved his hand dismissively. A passing car ruffled the man's short hair and caused Ashley's black ponytail to whisk around. "This place isn't like Angel City… we can operate out in the open."
"I-"
"In broad daylight."
Ashley's lips curled into a painful grimace, her hands balling into fists.
"Look, you're getting the wrong idea…" Barker held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Just come along and I'll show you the place; trust me, you'll like it…"
Ashley took a deep breath. She watched intently as Barker leaned back on one foot, tapping the other on the ground impatiently. The man crossed his arms across his chest and peeked at Ashley over the rims of his glasses - as if she was a petulant child he was talking down to.
Of course… he had a point… Ashley was being a little petulant…
But did she not have a right to be a little bit short at the moment? Whisked away from the relative peace of one planet and carried across the quadrant to another. Not just any planet, but the hotbed for the semi-official military force that she one called her enemy…
Where else would she go, though? She had no contacts… and she was already indebted to Barker…
"Fine…" Ashley waved her hands and sighed in defeat. "Show me."
Barker gave Ashley a toothy smirk. "Let's get going!"
"And… we're here!" Barker held up his arms in a grandiose display of showmanship. "What do you think?"
Ashley stared up in disbelief at the squat, three story building in front of her.
What did she think about Barker's headquarters?
'...dingy, dirty, squalid…'
Three words echoed in Ashley's mind, although they were soon joined by many more.
'...decrepit, depressed, rundown, revolting…'
"Well?" Barker asked, his tone giddy. "What do you think?"
"This dump is your headquarters?" Ashley's voice wavered in near-disbelief. "Barker… it's fucking horrible…"
"Hey…" Barker's face fell. "Our headquarters… you're on my team now…"
"Fine, whatever," Ashley waved her hand. "This building looks condemned…"
It did, the three-story construct had certainly seen better days. Unlike the modern architectural blends of wood, glass and metal that decorated the rest of Harmony's buildings, the headquarters was made from worn-out metal and composite. Ashley recognized once sleek walls and lines, but those glory days were far off in the past.
"Why here of all places?" Ashley murmured.
"To begin… it's quiet…" Barker gestured to the street surrounding the building.
The man was correct, there was little to no foot or vehicle traffic. Most likely because the rest of the street was just as depressed looking as Barker's base of operations. The buildings lining the roads had dusty, unused windows.
"And?"
"That's it, really… it's quiet…" Barker shrugged. "A neat little place for this establishment, don't you think…?"
The man swept his hand up in gesture to the blinking neon sign that hung high up above the front door. Ashley was reminded of the neon lights of Tokyo as she regarded the name of the establishment.
"MacAllan's."
"MacAllan's…" Ashley murmured.
"Named in honour of a Militia hero…" Barker muttered. "And an old comrade of mine."
Ashley knew exactly who Barker was rambling on about. James MacAllen… the famous IMC mutineer…
In truth, Ashley had never much cared about the man's defection prior to his involvement with the Militia. She was a mercenary, her loyalty had been bought with an abundance of credits. How strange was it now that she was on the same side he had defected to…
… she had helped to burn his town to the ground. She had been involved in the massacre of his people...
MacAllen, in turn, was the sole man responsible for the complete destruction of Demeter…
Lines of allegiance were written in sand, it seemed. One swift kick, or one gust of wind was all that was needed to change the course of history. To many in the Militia, MacAllen was unquestionably a hero; he was the man who stood in defiance to oppression and even died a martyr.
Perhaps he and Ashley were on the same side now… but Ashley could never see him as a hero. To the dark haired woman, MacAllen was the man who had condemned an entire planet, and all of its people, to complete annihilation.
"-could be a bit of a yarn talking to him at times, but he was a good guy," Barker rambled, his voice drowned out by Ashley's thoughts. "Are you listening?"
"Yeah," Ashley bit her tongue and tore her eyes away from the sign. "Sounds like he was a real stand up guy…"
"He was… had bigger balls than me, that's for sure… but not by much," Barker sighed. The man took a moment to brush off his clothes, fix his hair, and adjust his aviator shades. "Now, what say we go meet the rest of the guys?"
Ashley felt her shoulders tighten in anticipation as Barker ascended the small flight of steps leading to the front door. The neon sign buzzed and flicked overhead, displaying the name of the Militia's most celebrated hero.
"You coming?" Barker quirked an eyebrow up as he swung open the door to the building.
"Yeah," Ashley's voice wavered. "I'm coming."
Hoisting up her bag, the woman ascended the steps. She squeezed past her employer and entered the dim waiting room of the establishment. The smell of cigar smoke and alcohol hung in the air.
James MacAllen was still on her mind…
'Hero… villain...'
Neither descriptors were wrong. The hero of a story could always be considered a villain if observed through the lens of their opposition. Perhap James MacAllen was a good man, a moral man… but did that excuse what he did? Did it excuse his ending of millions of lives on Demeter? Millions of lives wiped out in a single bright flash… as if touched by the apocalyptic hand of a cruel God?
Like allegiance… it seemed that morality was merely a line written in the sand. Even Blisk, as harsh and relentless as he had been, had always been honest about his intentions. Ashley's former employer never lied about money being his top priority… he didn't do things for free. If there was anything admirable about Blisk, it was that he never minced his words.
Perhaps "hero" and "villain" were meaningless terms… old words bound to an ever shifting, ever changing set of ideals…
"You look like you've seen a ghost, 'Kara…" Barker muttered as he shut the door behind her. "You alright?"
"I-" Ashley's voice wavered. The woman took a deep breath and steeled herself. "I'm fine. Let's get this over and done with…"
In the next room over, Ashley could hear murmuring voices and glasses clinking together. She had no idea how many people sat in the adjacent room, but it was certainly more than one.
"I like that can-do attitude of yours, 'Kara…" Barker slapped Ashley's shoulder good naturedly. "Let's go meet your new best friends!"
"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!"
Ashley felt as if she was having an out of body experience.
"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!"
A while ago, she had been sitting in her dark room on a quiet little garden planet…
"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!"
And now here she was… surrounded by what seemed like dozens of faces. The light of the bar was incredibly dim, and Ashley couldn't really make out one face from another.
"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!"
They rabble had introduced themselves in a hurry, their words like an avalanche. Ashley held no hope that she would remember a single one of their names.
"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!"
But there was a silver lining… Ashley could just blame the alcohol…
"COME ON 'KARA!" Barker shouted from behind the bar. The man's cheeks were a rosy red from the amount of liquor he had consumed. Held in each of his hands was a dark bottle of alcohol - which he was currently waving around with all the zeal of a fanatical cult leader. "DRINK IT UP!"
"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK DRINK!" The mass of people around Ashley chanted. If Barker was the leader of an alcohol cult, then the other bar patrons were his congregation.
Sighing to herself, Ashley turned her attention down to the surface of the bar counter. In a neat little line, like soldiers standing at attention, were six shot glasses. Each contained a rather liberal amount of amber coloured whiskey.
"Here it goes…" Ashley muttered. She wrapped her fingers around the first shot glass, lifted it to her lips, and downed the fiery liquid.
"ONE!" The mass of people shouted.
Ashley slammed the first cup down onto the counter. She snatched up the second, not wanting to wait too long and allow the alcohol to affect her.
"TWO!" The rabble shouted as Ashley downed her second glass.
"THREE!"
"FOUR!"
Was the world spinning? Barker seemed a little bit out of focus…
"FIVE!"
Ashley's fingers trembled as she slammed down the fifth glass. What the hell was she drinking? Whatever it was… it acted fast…
Her hand shaking, Ashley raised the last glass to her lips…
"SIX!" The large crowd around the dark haired pilot broke into cheers as Ashley drained the last cup. Ashley felt woozy, the glass falling from her hand and clattering back down onto the counter.
"ALRIGHT!" Barker cheered from behind the counter. "THE FIRST PART OF 'KARA'S INITIATION IS COMPLETE!"
'First step…?'
"AND WHAT COMES NEXT!?" Barker shouted out a rhetorical question.
"BULL! BULL! BULL!" The crowd chanted in unison. Unlike before, the new tone of the room was a little more… reverent...
'Bull…?'
Ashley felt many hands clamping down on her arms and shoulders. She tried to buck them off, but was far too inebriated. Ashley, hopelessly discombobulated from the amount of alcohol she had just downed, was pulled to her feet.
The crowd carried the groaning woman to a dark corner of the bar.
"LIGHTS!" Barker yelled as he smashed the light switch with his hand.
The dark corner of the room was now lit up by a dedicated spotlight. Standing in the middle of the floor, without even the slightest bit of safety equipment or dedicated space, was a large mechanical bull. It had been painted white and black, but the paint had long since chipped and worn out.
"Oh… fuck no…" Ashley croaked.
"BULL! BULL! BULL!" The crowd continued to chant, Ashley's weak pleas falling on deaf ears.
Unable to properly resist, Ashley was hoisted up by the crowd. She was roughly placed atop the mechanical bull, her legs straddling it's rough back.
"Wait!" Ashley weakly pleaded. "Don't!"
"LET'S REV THE ENGINE!" Barker yelled, still standing behind the bar. Now clenched in his hands was a large remote control with a single red button - which he made a big show of turning on…
Ashley's stomach jumped into her throat as her world became a blur. She could feel the mechanical bull slamming around on it's spring-loaded chassis; the vibrations so intense that the dark haired woman could no longer feel her knees.
"TEN SECONDS!"
Ashley, in her drunken stupor, flung her hands around in the desperate hope that she could find something… anything that she could hold onto…
"TWENTY SECONDS!"
After twenty seconds of sheer terror, Ashley finally found some handholds. She grabbed onto the cracked horns of the mechanical bull, clenching them so tightly that her knuckles were white.
"THIRTY SECONDS!" Barker screamed. "LOOK AT HER GO!"
Ashley's handholds were not as stable as she hoped they would be. The dark haired woman's hands were slick with sweat… and quickly slipped off of the horns…
"WE HAVE LIFTOFF!"
For a moment, Ashley felt at peace. She was weightless… defying gravity… almost like a conscious wind…
'...is this death…?'
Unfortunately, gravity was a heartless bitch.
Pain arced up Ashley's spine as the woman's limp body crashed into the wooden floor of the bar. She rolled for a few meters before friction brought her to a halt - her gaze stuck looking at the ceiling…
Black spots danced in front of Ashley's eyes as her eyelids began to flutter closed. The woman recoiled when she suddenly spotted the dozens of pairs of eyes staring down at her.
Most recognizable was Barker, his dark shades still over his eyes. He offered Ashley a blindingly white smile.
"Well, I'd say that she passed…" Barker shrugged. "Good job making it through initiation, 'Kara…"
"Pass" she did… as Ashley promptly blacked out...
