A/N
I've been feeling lethargic about writing recently, but re-implementing a schedule has kept me (mostly) on track. I debated with myself about inserting another dialogue-focused chapter but decided against it; no more setup was really needed for the story to enter it's next stage of progression.
For this week I plan to set some time aside in my daily schedule to focus on my RWBY stories - namely my rewrite of MARS Part 3, which I've been neglecting as of late. I have roughly a third of that story done, but most of what I've written thus far needs cleaning up before I feel confident about publishing anything. Tigress is comparatively a much easier story to write for because I have a dedicated main character. The MARS saga has four, in addition to a whole host of side characters, so the going is slow.
Anyways, enough of my rambling and excuses...
Chapter 63…
A cold, prickly feeling was breaking out across Ashley's body. Her black jumpsuit, made from thick and flexible fabrics, did little to quell the breakout of goosebumps across the dark haired woman's skin.
The interior of the Goblin dropship was cold - or perhaps frigid was a more fitting description. Goblin dropships were not known for their comfort, with most featuring only hand grips in lieu of a proper seating arrangement. Even less necessary than seats was a proper heating system; Goblin's only had enough temperature control to guarantee survival in space engagements - anything else was considered a waste of power.
Ashley resisted the urge to pull her knees into her chest and curl up for warmth. She was already seated, the last thing that she needed was to look weak in front of her new teammates.
Fighting back the urge, and looking for a way to pass the time, Ashley gently cradled her new pilot helmet in her hands. The Goblin dropship periodically rattled from turbulence as it descended through the stormy atmosphere of Lyra-1. The rattles and shakes arched up Ashley's tailbone and made her spine quiver, but she kept a tight grip on her helmet nonetheless.
Four separate camera lenses stared up at Ashley, forming a broken "X" formation on the helmet's face. Ashley thought that the Gorgon helmet was as ugly as sin - and she intended to replace it as soon as she had the credits scraped up. The black and yellow paint she had applied to both the helmet and her armor pieces made it all look slightly more presentable…
Slightly…
The dim interior lights of the Goblin momentarily flickered as the small dropship hit a particularly rough patch of turbulence. Another vibrating shock arched up Ashley's spine, making the woman's legs feel numb.
"That was a rough one!" Barker's voice cackled over the ship's internal intercom. The cantankerous older man was seated at the controls of the cockpit and piloting the Goblin. Ashley was quietly impressed by the man's willingness to get directly involved in the action.
She felt a little less impressed after spotting the bottle of hooch sitting in the cockpit's cup holder… which Barker would take enthusiastic swigs from despite piloting an aircraft…
"Alright, buckle yourselves up for a rough descent…" Barker's voice once again sounded over the com. "And get your ass off of the floor, 'Kara!"
Ashley scowled and leveled a harsh glare at the frame of the cockpit door. Positioned at the top of the frame was a shiny black camera lense.
"Don't give me that look…"
Cursing under her breath, Ashley stood up on shaky legs. She wrapped one hand around the handgrips which dangled from the ceiling of the aircraft. Her other hand she used to hold her helmet, the rim of which dangled precariously from her fingers.
Another rattle hit the descending dropship, sending a fresh wave of prickly goosebumps over Ashley's skin. Somehow, despite descending lower in the atmosphere, the interior of the dropship felt even colder than before.
Ashley kept her eyes low and pointed at the floor, not wanting to attract the attention of the two others standing around in the cargo bay of the Goblin. Elijah stood on the left side of the bay, his metal arms crossed across his chest and his entire form shifted onto his left foot - an eerily human way of standing that Ashley could only guess was habitual.
As Ashley had come to expect, it was impossible to tell what the simulacrum was thinking. His rectangular optic betrayed no thought or emotion, just illuminating the dim interior of the bay in an eerie blue light. Over the simulacrum's left shoulder rose the stock of a rifle - a modern Flatline.
To the simulacrum's right stood Ashley's new team leader. The dark haired woman knew little about Valentina, save for her name and the barest glimpse at her dour outlook on life. She and Ashley had shared no words or interactions since their tense first meeting; and as unlikely as it was, Ashley was eager to keep it that way.
In the current moment Valentina had her back to Ashley, her head hidden by a pilot helmet painted in soft tones of blue and white. Her visor was pointed towards the thick glass window running along the Goblin's side, quietly observing the rain smashing against the ship's exterior plating. Across her back was strapped an aging R-101 carbine, fitted with a scope. The weapon's metal and paint looked worn from use, and Ashley wondered if Valentina had some kind of personal connection to the gun.
Ashley's own weapon, her SMART pistol, was resting in a holster that was strapped to her chest. It was not her only weapon, one other being the suppressed Hammond P2016 strapped securely to her thigh. There was also a CAR submachine gun, also outfitted with a suppressor, placed on Ashley's back.
"Okay, we're low enough for your three to make your grand exit…" Barker's voice sounded over the com. "The storm is a double edged sword. It'll be harder for them to see you coming, but don't expect our radios to be of much use. Figure it out and speak amongst yourselves, just get the job done."
"Yes, boss…" Elijah's mechanical voice quietly warbled through his speakers.
Ashley quickly and quietly slipped her helmet over her head, turning it on with a quick flip of a switch. She made sure that the long wire of her jumpkit was connected to her helmet before turning her attention towards the cargo doors of the Goblin.
"And…" Barker's voice lingered for a moment. "Go!"
There was the sound of metal grinding as the Goblin doors opened up. Only moments after the first crack appeared did rainwater begin to hammer the inside of the cargo bay, splattering both Ashley and her teammates with freezing cold moisture.
Ashley did not need to think about running and jumping through the gap, her legs were already carrying her. She moved past Elijah as they made their exit, rain flicking against her form as she sailed out of the cargo bay and through open air.
The rain was so thick and the air so foggy that Ashley could barely see the ground she was barreling towards. Not helping further was the contents of the ground, being shallow water rather than a dry patch; the shifting of the water below her further skewed Ashley's perceptions.
Not wanting to take any chances, the dark haired woman fired her jumpkit. The booster whined pathetically from the cold and moisture coating its exterior but nonetheless fired as intended. With a snake-like hiss the small jets of flame slowed Ashley's descent.
The dark haired woman's boots made contact with the shallow water below… and she was instantly submerged up past her ankles. An icy cold feeling spread through Ashley's feet as she was soaked thoroughly to the bone.
"Fuck…" Ashley hissed, lifting up one foot and observing the mud sliding off of her boot. Tearing her attention away from her soaked feet, Ashley heard the sound of something heavy impacting the water next to her.
It was Elijah, who had just completed his own landing. Ashley watched as the complicated assortment of pulleys and servos in his upper legs moved and shifted to support his hefty weight.
The simulacrum swiveled his square head to observe Ashley's with his blue optic.
"Cold, Ashley?" Elijah's mechanical voice, a chuckling undertone to his words.
"You think?"
"Thought so…" Elijah chuckled more clearly. "If there's one thing I don't miss-"
"Quiet, both of you…" Another voice cut through the conversation.
Ashley turned her attention to her team leader. Valentina had landed in a crouch, and was seemingly unbothered by the freezing cold water she was partially submerged in. The woman peered over her shoulder, her X-shaped visor glowing a dull blue in the gray fog.
"Pay attention to your helmet compasses and huds…" The woman abruptly stood up, water washing over her armored panels. "Remember your objectives! Cadman?"
"I'm to target and eliminate all nearby enemy patrols…" The simulacrum answered.
"Good," Valentine responded quickly. "Ishikara?
Ashley frowned underneath her helmet. "I'll cripple the communications array with satchel charges."
"Exactly, we want the IMC deaf and blind before the mass assault…" Valentina nodded her helmeted head. "I'll be providing oversight from a vantage point and noting troop locations. You all have your jobs, so split up and let's do them. Keep in touch via radio."
Without another word, Ashley's team leader trudged off into the fog.
"Good luck, hey?" Elijah thumped Ashley good naturedly on the arm, his blue optic shining. "Make sure you really fuck up all that communications equipment."
"I'll do my best…"
With one last nod the simulacrum darted off in another direction, his robotic body unhindered by the water and mud of the swamp.
Without hesitation, Ashley charged forward, ready and committed towards completing her goal.
Ashley had been on Lyra-1 for only about fifteen minutes now…
… and she already despised it.
Whatever grainy pictures that Barker had shared of the moon during the mission briefing did not do the planetoid justice. Just pictures alone could not accurately describe how much of a cold, swampy shithole that Lyra-1 truly was.
All around Ashley stood a thick blanket of fog - so thick, in fact, that the woman could barely spot the tree roots she was tripping over. The tree roots snaked up towards the massive trunks which they sustained. Each tree was clearly ancient, indicated by the sheer size; although the fog was so thick that Ashley could not properly see the trunks lining her path, save for their silhouettes.
And then there were the swamps… as it turned out the shallow pool of murky green water that Ashley had landed in was not an isolated case. Ashley's path had so far been one of highs and lows - freezing swamps filled with sticky algae and the occasional raised patch of muddy land.
Yes, Lyra-1 was a swampy little shithole of a moon…
… and Ashley swore that she saw something long and thin snaking and slithering through the shallow waters…
Whatever disgusting swamp abomination it was, Ashley wasn't keen to find out. There was absolutely no chance that the woman was going to wait around and meet the local flavour…
As she ran through the swampy wetlands and moist thickets, Ashley paid close attention to her helmet's hud. For what it lacked in sophistication the Gorgon-pattern helmet made up for in a utilitarian selection of tools. After some minor calibration on Ashley's part the helmet attuned itself to Lyra-1's magnetic poles, allowing for the use of the hud's in-built compass.
The compass told Ashley she was heading North - her intended direction. If the lights glowing through the fog were any indication, Ashley was coming closer to her destination.
She could hear something faint.. a noise that was not made by the bubbling swamps which surrounded her…
Voices…
Skidding to a quick stop, the dark haired woman searched about for the source of the voices. She was the interloper here, not the other way around, and the last thing that Ashley wanted to do was blow the mission because she was spotted…
Darting towards the nearest tree the woman leapt upwards, grinding the textured soles of her boots against the bark and digging her gloved fingers into the trunk. She activated her jumpkit - keeping it at a low sustained burn - and used the sudden impulse of speed to scramble her way up the vertical trunk of the tree. Her eyes narrowed in on her target - a sagging branch.
With one last leap Ashley cut off power to her jumpkit, quelling the flame jets before they could bring attention to her. She wrapped her hands around the sagging branch and squeezed tightly, bringing up her legs and wrapping her feet near the trunk so that she was hanging like a sloth.
"-need to get that transfer approved…" One of the voices grumbled - distinctly male.
Ashley could hear the sounds of boots sloshing around in the shallow swamp below. The four independent cameras mounted on her helmet could only do so much to help her see.
"Why?" Another male voice chuckled. "Why would you ever want to leave this paradise? Not enjoying the humidity and all the wonderful swampass that it brings?"
Ashley closed her eyes and focused, her joints beginning to strain from holding onto the branch. She was sure that there were two voices - two pairs of feet sloshing around below her.
"It's not the weather…" The first voice grumbled. "It's the eggheads… they freak me out…"
Ashley paused, listening intently.
"They are pretty weird…" The second voice supported the first. "Six months stationed in this swamp and we still have no idea what it is we're even digging for."
"They rush around with their clipboards and their sample cases… bunch of sycophants…" The first voice scoffed. "Spend all their time down in that godforsaken pit. Say, have you heard the rumours from O'Connell?"
Ashley was listening so intently that she almost did not hear their feet coming to a stop, the water sloshing around their boots…
"Rumours?"
"I mean, the guy might be full of shit…" The first voice murmured. "But O'Connell was in the barracks last week, swearing up and down that the eggheads finally found what they were digging for."
Ashley could faintly make out the forms of the two men standing below her. She recognized the smooth white surfaces of their IMC issue helmets.
"What was it?"
"Beats me… none of us get to know why we're even out here…" The first voice loudly sighed. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot."
"Do you remember the first dig team sent out to us?" The first voice asked. "Not the eggheads, mind you, I mean the team of laborers…"
"Faintly… what about them?"
"Did you recall ever seeing them leave this moon?" The first voice pushed further. "Because all I remember was a second team arriving to take their place - and none of us received conclusive answers as to what happened to the first team."
The second voice was silent for a very long moment. "Y'know… I'm thinking that you have the right idea, requesting a transfer…"
It was a shame that the two soldiers would never get a chance to get that transfer. Their lives were swiftly ended by two suppressed pistol shots, their bodies collapsing and sinking into the muck of the swamp.
Ashley kept her grip on her SMART pistol tight as she worked the weapon back into her chest mounted holster. She placed her now empty hand back around the girth of the tree limb; with a silent heave, the woman managed to work herself atop the limb, her feet carefully balancing as she stood up.
Peering down at the swamp below, Ashley noted that she could not see the two bodies. If there was one good thing she could say about the swamp, it was that she would not have to worry about cleaning up - the mud and muck did it for her.
Refocusing her efforts back onto her destination, the dark haired woman began to run along the tree limbs. The fog was less dense up in the trees - to the point where Ashley could see and plan her movements as she darted from limb to limb, her jumpkit flaring up in controlled bursts to keep her airborne and in motion.
Although it wasn't a good idea to become distracted while airborne… Ashley's mind did linger on the contents of the conversation she had eavesdropped…
Barker had said that the IMC was digging for something… but what exactly?
The lights which Ashley had spotted through the fog were growing clearer. Not wanting to accidently throw herself headlong into danger, the woman came to a sliding stop atop a very large tree limb.
Crouching low, the woman raised a hand to fiddle with the small array of switches and buttons on the board near her helmet's radio. One small pressure activated sensor was the controls for her helmet's magnification function.
Ashley pushed the button forwards for maximum magnification. The cameras worked admirably, slicing through the fog to give Ashley an idea of what she was looking at from her vantage point.
Not far below, and sitting in the basin of what was once a swamp, was the IMC digsite. A cluster of buildings sat in the center of the basin, with several other quick-deployed prefab buildings sitting on the borders. Past the basin was the focused site of the digging, a large quarry dominated by a massive excavation machine with a rotating blade of massive teeth. Underneath the excavation machine and down in the quarry was where the ACES were expecting to find the information and scientists that the Militia had sent them here for.
And right in the center of this camp's basin was the communications array. It was a large spire and dish, bolted to the wet ground by four large tethers. Atop it's dish was a large red light that blinked on and off in a steady and predictable pattern.
Things got worse however, as Ashley could feel the ground rumbling even from her position up in the trees. Through the gloom, the unmistakable silhouette of a massive war machine could be spotted in the fog.
There was a hostile titan on patrol…
This wasn't going to be easy…
But then again, had they ever?
Ensuring that her jumpkit was not currently burning fuel, the dark haired woman leapt from her vantage point. It wasn't a particularly long fall, and the woman's boots made a wet sounding noise as they impacted with the muddy ground below her. Ashley did not linger - immediately darting towards a nearby thicket.
She broke into a slide as she neared the thicket, coating her entire back with slick mud. The messy maneuver was worth it though, as only moments later did a small patrol of soldiers walk by her.
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
Ashley continued to breathe in and out gently; the old rebreathers in her helmet had a dusty taste to them.
"Ishikara…" A female voice whispered through Ashley's helmeted mounted radio. The dark haired woman took an instant dislike to how the voice sounded through the speakers - simultaneously too loud and too quiet due to grainy audio quality. "It's Val. Is that you in the bush?"
"Yeah…" Ashley whispered. "Where are you?"
"Up in the trees," Valentina's voice warbled back, laden with static interference from the rain. "Found an IMC sharpshooter and took his sniper. The rain might cover up the sound of the shots, but I don't want to risk it."
"Be my eyes…?" Ashley whispered, raising her head from the bush to try and spot any other patrols.
"Fine, just get the job done," Valentina's voice warbled. "I've been keeping an eye on their patrols. Make a break for the crates now… and watch out for the titan. Slather yourself up with mud, it should keep you off of thermals."
Slathering herself up with mud was a good idea… it was just wildly uncomfortable. The freezing mud coated against Ashley's arms and armor, further staining the woman's jumpsuit. Ashley was careful not to slather too much mud around her SMART pistol. She wasn't worried about the CAR or the Hammond, both were known for their reliability, but the same could not be said for the intricate electronics of the SMART pistol.
Reaching towards her thigh, the dark haired woman quietly took her spare pistol into her hand. She flicked her thumb against the safety to disengage it and darted from the thicket, her stature stooped low to make her a smaller target.
The outskirts of the dig site were populated by a few prefab buildings and digging equipment. The digging equipment consisted of smaller excavation machines and dump trunks - the latter filled to the top with removed rock and soil.
Past the small assortment of machines was a dirt road, it's lines marked by repeated indentation from truck tires. This road looped around the basin, and was being closely followed by the hulking mass that was the hostile titan.
"There's a group of soldiers approaching you…" Valentina's voice crackled through the audio speakers in Ashley's helmet. "I'd get onto one of the trucks… now…"
Heeding the warning of her team leader, Ashley slipped her spare pistol back into it's holster. Crouching down, Ashley quietly stepped into the gap between two of the parked trucks. Kicking her foot off of one, Ashley's momentum carried her to the top of the other truck's open bed; lifting herself up was simple, requiring no assistance from her jumpkit.
Pushing herself low, Ashley laid flat on her stomach atop the muddy contents of the dump truck's full load.
"-move this truck down into the quarry…" Ashley heard a male voice cutting through the pounding rain.
"Can't Bashar do it?" Another voice complained. "It's freezing out here… and the last time I drove the truck down there I had no traction…"
"Shut up and get it down there…" The first voice groused. "Dump the load in the usual spot and let the dig team handle the rest."
"Fine…"
Ashley's eyes widened when she heard the sound of the truck door being opened. Whoever had entered the cabin slammed the door behind himself, gently rattling the truck's chassis. There was a high-pitched whining noise as the truck's hydrogen engine was turned on.
"Problem…" Ashley muttered into her helmet radio.
"I know that… I'm watching you…" Ashley's leader spoke back. "You can use it to your advantage, let the truck get you closer…"
It was easy for her to say… she wasn't the one riding atop the muddy truck with her back exposed to the rain…
Digging her fingers into the soil she was lying atop of, Ashley held on for the ride. There were the sounds of tires splattering against mud before the truck lurched forwards - freed from the muddy ground that had it trapped.
Ashley's view was impeded by the rain washing off of her helmet's exterior cameras. The truck pulled onto the dirt road surrounding the basin, slowly driving off in the direction of the mouth of the quarry.
Atop the truck, it was difficult to tell whether the hostile titan was nearby. Ashley could spot it's large red optic through the fog, the majority of its hulking mass concealed by the atmospheric moisture.
With each step it took… its large frame was becoming clearer…
"Fuck…" Ashley hissed under her breath. The woman rolled to the side and allowed her body to slip off of the truck's bed. She kept one hand firmly grasped atop the rim of the bed, pressing her back against the slick metal surface of the truck's metal side. The joints of Ashley's arms began to heat and ache from the vibration and pressure.
"Smart move…" Valentina's voice radiated through the speaker. "That titan is a Legion… ideal for defense. Probably has a whole suite of environmental scanners."
"Any ideas?"
"Keep low to the ground. Not many people know this but they have a large blindspot in the area around their legs."
"Noted."
"And it may be in your best interest to let go of the truck…"
"Right…" Ashley groaned and released her grip.
The dark haired woman landed in a messy tumble but rolled to her feet, the joints in her legs aching from the shock. Luckily, the moving truck was passing by the center of the basin, where the communication tower was located. Ashley darted towards the tower, leaping to the ground so that she did not show up on the approaching titan's scanners.
"Hold still…"
Ashley's eyes widened in surprise at the suggestion uttered over the radio. Slowly turning her helmeted head, Ashley spotted the Legion titan on the approach. It's massive chaingun was clenched in it's metal hands - it's feet the size of small cars, shaking the ground with every footfall.
"Remember, the blindspot is near the legs… so don't move…"
"And get stepped on?"
"Maybe not… and even getting stepped on is better than being torn to shreds… so shut up and stay still…"
The Legion titan was only ten meters away. It did not move with any sense of urgency, slowly ambling in Ashley's general direction.
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
Ashley was having a hard time keeping her breathing under control…
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
An oversized metal foot stepped down only a few feet away from Ashley's hands. She was right underneath the titan's chassis, and Ashley could feel the air rushing around her as the war machine stepped over her.
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
Turning her head to the side, and feeling an intense quivering sensation not caused by the cold, Ashley watched the back of the titan as it slowly retreated away from her - still oblivious.
"Still alive?"
Ashley's nose wrinkled. "Clearly…"
"Don't get petty, my advice just saved your life…"
"Easy for you to say…"
"Get the job done, move it."
Emerging from the mud, Ashley darted off towards the communication tower. She whipped out her SMART pistol as she ran, keeping the barrel of the weapon high in case there were any surprise targets.
Thankfully, the base of the tower was devoid of activity.
"Put a satchel at the base…" Valentina recommended. "Then climb up and put one near the dish."
Ashley's nose once again wrinkled. "Climb it?"
"You're a pilot… are you not?"
Ashley made sure to flick her radio off for a moment.
"Bitch…"
She flicked the radio back on.
"Fine, I'm on it…"
Withdrawing one satchel charge from her pack, Ashley ripped off the adhesive backing and slapped it onto the tower's base. Re-securing the pack to make sure none of the other explosives fell out, the woman looked up at the low hanging bar's of the tower's base.
The ascent would be simple - a communications tower was childsplay. Even the design of the tower was made for easy climbing, a criss-cross formation of struts which Ashley could grab onto like a ladder.
There was a faster alternative though. Ringing the communication tower's long spine were a series of circular maintenance walkways. If Ashley picked up the right speed she could be at the very top of the tower in a fraction of the time it would take her otherwise.
The problem with that plan came down to visibility. Although the rain partially masked her presence, visibility wasn't low enough that the bright jets of her jumpkit would be hidden…
…and if she was spotted while still on the tower she was a sitting duck.
Ashley weighed her options: convenient but dangerous, or slow but safe.
There was, of course, a middleground…
"Where is that titan?" Ashley whispered into her radio.
"Near the far end of the basin and overlooking the quarry," Valentina warned. "And don't get any bright ideas… if you fire your kit too much it might pick up on its environmental scanners."
"Got it…" Ashley whispered in response as she leapt upwards. She fired her jumpkit on low burn, feeling the heat near her legs as the jets gave her a slight boost of speed. Ashley began to ascend the tower, periodically firing her jumpkit on low burn whenever her grip did not feel entirely secure.
The first of the maintenance platforms was about twenty meters off of the ground - a mere fifth of tower's overall height. Ashley curled her hands on the lip of the platform and heaved herself up, her abdominal muscles burning from the stress.
Peering over the platform's fence, Ashley searched around for the hulking form of the Legion titan. Of what little she could see through the thick fog, Ashley determined that it had it's back to her.
Taking the chance, Ashley fired her jumpkit. With an audible hissing noise and a jet of flame the booster shot Ashley up into the air. She quickly began to pat her hands against the struts of the tower, using her limbs as a guide to ensure that she did not fly off the side and get spotted.
After ten seconds of firing the jumpkit Ashley was at the second platform. The titan below her still seemed oblivious. After twenty seconds, the third. After thirty-five seconds, the fourth.
As she neared the last platform Ashley cut off her jumpkit. The momentum carried her the rest of the way, her hands wrapping around the lip of the platform the moment gravity began to take hold of her again. With one final heave, Ashley found herself at the very top of the communication tower.
She wasn't eager to stay. The rain had picked up, making the entire structure creak and groan in the wind. Ashley's boot soles slid against the slick metal of the platform.
"I'm at the top and setting the charge," Ashley spoke into her radio. She withdrew another satchel charge from her pack, tearing off its adhesive back and wedging it firmly against the bottom of the bulbous dish. "Am I good to head down?"
"Be quick, and stay out of sight if you can…"
"Roger."
Licking her lips underneath her helmet, Ashley peered around the top platform to see if she could find a quick way to the ground. The tower was anchored to the ground through the use of four high-strength tethers. One such tether could serve as a way down.
Approaching the tether, Ashley ran her hand against it's thick braided surface to get a feel for it's texture. If it was made to support a massive communications tower then it could probably withstand her weight as well.
Reaching to her thigh, Ashley withdrew her Hammond P2016. She stepped over the railing so that she was teetering off of the edge, placing the trigger guard of the pistol atop the tether cable and her hands on both it's grip and barrel.
'Here goes nothing…'
Ashley allowed her boots to slip off the edge of the platform, her hands tightly clenched against her pistol. A small stream of sparks flew as the trigger guard ground against the tether cable, but her makeshift zipline handle was working pretty well.
The dark haired woman began to pick up speed, her vision obscured by fog. Ashley found the sensation to be oddly pleasant - cold, but also helping to remove much of the muck and moisture that clung to her clothes and armor.
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
She was nearing the ground now… Ashley could spot the dirt road surrounding the basin…
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
She also spotted something that her breath hitch in her throat…
It was a massive bipedal form, it's body patched together from dense metal plating - the Legion titan. It's cluster of red optics, mimicking the appearance of a spider, was looking up straight at the woman as she descended.
The massive chaingun in its hands was beginning to spin up…
'Fuck…'
