A/N
Yes, I am a day late, sorry about that. Unfortunately, something came up that kept me pre-occupied for all of yesterday, meaning that I had to postpone my final proofread and upload of this chapter.
The last two chapter's have been long-fight scenes, so I thought it appropriate to include a more dialogue-focused chapter as a quick break.
Chapter 66..
When was the last time Ashley had taken a leisurely ride atop a titan…?
She could remember. It had been months ago, after she and Cain had been left behind during a raid on a Militia base. Content to let Cain do the navigating, the dark haired woman had crawled atop his chassis to feel the gentle breeze…
Ashley remembered it fondly. Not the mission, nightmarish as it was. But the gentle breeze wafting across her skin, the chirps of the bird-like creatures fluttering about, the whirring of Cain's servos as he stomped through the tree line, her black hair gently fluttering behind her and tickling her neck…
Little things… but things which brought her a gentle feeling of bliss…
Ashley longed to recapture that feeling, fleeting as it was…
Holding tightly onto the side of the Northstar's rocket pod, Ashley steadied herself and gently rolled her head around to stretch her neck. Lyra-1 certainly wasn't the ideal planet for an open-air titan ride. The foggy swamp around Ashley made for very poor scenery. If there was any consolation, however, the rain had died down, transitioning from a steady downpour to a light drizzle.
"Comfortable, Ashley!?" Yelled a computerized voice to Ashley's right.
Swiveling her head, Ashley caught a glimpse of Elijah. Unlike her, the simulacrum was standing up on his two metal feet, his arms splayed out to the sides as he teetered around on the titan's shifting chassis.
"Not really…" Ashley shook her head. "Are you?"
"Yeah! This is a lot of fun!" Elijah chuckled, his blue optic shining. "You ever tried this? Balancing on a moving titan?"
"No," Ashley squeezed her hands tighter around the rocket pod. Her bottom was getting sore from the constant vibrations of the chassis below her. "Can't say that I have… mostly because I don't have a death wish…"
"Hah! That's rich coming from you!" Elijah's metal frame teetered backwards, his arms shooting forwards to balance out his weight. "Considering what you and I just did to that Legion!"
Pursing her lips underneath her helmet, Ashley closed her eyes and imagined herself being anywhere else. Perhaps her bunk back in MacAllan's, where the sheets were warm and dry and she could pull the blanket up over her head. Or perhaps back on Antheia, where the days were temperate, the air was sweetly-scented, and the sun was always shining…
But there was no ignoring the mud and muck splattered all over her body… the biting cold from which she could not escape…
"It's not good to sit on a titan for too long…" Elijah's voice broke Ashley out of her silent thoughts. "You'll be really sore later… trust me, I would know."
"Really now?"
"Hey, I was once human like you…" Elijah gave a weak shrug, his square-shaped tilting to the side. "Balancing like this… it's almost like meditation. It really is good for you!"
"I'll pass."
"Don't knock it if you haven't tried it…" Elijah tittered. "Come on… humor me?"
Grumbling to herself, and feeling just how sore her bottom was, Ashley gripped onto the side of the rocket pod and shakily stood up. She removed her right hand from the pod and extended it outwards, gripping onto the pod with the other hand for security.
Every time the Northstar took a step, Ashley felt herself teeter around.
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
"Hey! Other hand off!" Elijah criticized. "You can't go halfway with something like this…"
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
Pursing her lips and wondering if this was truly worth it, Ashley took her left hand off of the rocket pod…
… the Northstar took another step, and Ashley teetered slightly.
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
Another step, but this time Ashley wasn't as off-balance. Her arms were splayed out, bent slightly at the elbow - her center of gravity carefully determined.
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
Her helmet filters were still filthy, and the air circulating around in her lungs tasted earthy and thick.
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
"Find it… find your balance…" Elijah gently encouraged.
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
After another step, Ashley found equilibrium. The muscles in her legs flexed gently every time the Northstar took a step; Ashley's arms stayed splayed out to the sides, waving back and forth to maintain her balance.
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
Ashley closed her eyes. She focused on her tensing muscles, the smell of the soil and water in her rebreather, the thoughts circulating around in her mind…
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
After a few moments, the dark haired woman forgot where she was. Ashley no longer felt the drizzling rain or the slick mud coating her clothes. Now she was standing in a field of flowers, the sleeves of her jumpsuit rolled up to her elbows so she could feel the breeze on her arms; now she was in a dark place, under the warm covers of a bed, where she would not have to face the world; now she was inside of a titan's cockpit, content with it's privacy and the quiet understanding she shared with the titan's OS…
'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'
Bliss…
"Alright, we're getting close… so you two might want to sit back down…"
A female voice nattered in Ashley's ear through her radio. Ashley's eyes snapped back open, and she was callously reminded that she was not in any of the places she would rather be. She was riding atop a titan on Lyra-1.
Soggy, ugly, freezing cold Lyra-1…
It was fun while it lasted…
Ashley looked down at the ground and spotted the sheared and shattered remains of the communication tower - they were close to the digsite. The running lights of Goblin dropships glowed in the thick fog; Ashley could even spot the large shifting silhouettes of Militia titans.
Sitting back down, Ashley turned her head to sneak a quick glance at Elijah. The simulacrum had also taken a seat and was staring off into the distance; Ashley could imagine a man's wistful face behind his mute blue optic…
What had Elijah been thinking about? Ashley could only wonder…
Gripping her hand around the rocket pod again, Ashley watched silently as they approached the newly captured digsite. The other ACES had worked quickly to clamp down on the site. Ashley watched as her fellow pilots patrolled the area; there were a few bodies littering the ground, but also a sizable line of newly captured IMC prisoners.
Two other Militia titans patrolled the site - an Ion and a Tone. They stomped around in wide circles, searching the area for hidden threats or IMC reinforcements.
The Northstar came to an abrupt stop, it's chassis lilting forwards as it's feet struggled to grip into the muddy ground. Ashley gave Elijah a look of confusion and the simulacrum returned the glance, although his optic betrayed no emotion.
"Barker just got off the horn with me, he wants us down in the quarry…" Valentina's voice nattered through Ashley's radio. "Any objections?"
"Eh, if he doesn't mind I'd like to get off here…" Elijah responded, he leered over the side of the titan to peer around the local area. "There's plenty of shiny things lying around here… and I'd like to stake my claim before anyone else does…"
"Elijah Cadman…" Valentina chuckled. "Always jumping at the chance to steal some shit…"
"It's not stealing, they're the spoils of war!" Elijah shot back with a computerized chuckle. The simulacrum stood up, reaching out one hand to steady himself against the Northstar's rocket pod. "Now, do you want the battery now, or later?"
"Just hold onto it for now, it's not like I have any place to put it…"
"Will do…" Elijah gave the stolen titan battery on his back a good-natured pat. "If I see any pretty necklaces or bracelets lying around I'll put them aside for you two…"
"Ass."
"Yeah, yeah… later, you two…" Elijah chuckled. Leaning towards Ashley, the simulacrum held out his clamp-like hand, curling in his simple digits to form a rudimentary fist. Ashley reciprocated the gesture, offering a gentle bump back with her own fist.
The simulacrum leapt off the side of the Northstar and landed on the muddy ground with a splash. Ashley watched silently as he walked off - and as he briefly paused to pull an abandoned rifle out of the mud…
"Are you leaving too?" Came Valentina's voice through Ashley's radio.
"No, let's go see Barker…"
"Suit yourself."
Squaring her shoulders and tensing her legs, Ashley held onto the Northstar's rocket pod as the titan hitched forwards and approached the mouth of the quarry. The quarry itself was a massive basin ringed with carefully carved slopes. The massive excavation machine had been untouched by the ACES' attack on the site, its massive blade of jagged teeth glinting in the dimming daylight.
Ashley felt her muscles squirming as the Northstar titan began it's gentle descent. Its leg movements were more unpredictable now; and Ashley's bottom was once again becoming sore from the vibrations. The dark haired woman continued to sit still as the Northstar traversed the quarry's ringed slopes - only relaxing once the titan came to a stop at the very bottom.
Looking upwards, Ashley spotted the jagged teeth of the excavation machine looming above her head. Its spinning blade was angled in the direction of a large fissure crudely carved into the lowest walls of the quarry.
Ashley could spot an opening in the fissure - the mouth of a large tunnel.
"Ishikara, are you still on top?" Valentina's voice crackled through Ashley's radio.
The dark haired woman felt her insides lurch as the titan came to an abrupt stop.
"Yeah."
"Alright, hop off then."
Frowning to herself, Ashley looked over the side of the titan towards the muddy ground below. Releasing her grip on the Northstar's missile pod, Ashley slid down the titan's slick armor plating and allowed gravity to carry her towards the ground. She fired her jumpkit on low-burn, just enough to spare her knees the painful shock of landing.
Hearing another splash next to her, Ashley turned her head to find that Valentina had leapt out from the Northstar's cockpit. She too had landed on the ground, her newly-acquired Kraber and battle-tested R-101 dangling from her back; if she was bothered by the weight of the two rifles, her helmet concealed any signs.
Silently, Ashley's team leader turned her helmeted head to face her. The two women were wearing helmets which concealed their faces; but Ashley could imagine a mute look taking hold of Valentina's features.
The mutual stare broke off as soon as it began. Valentina turned her head around to scan the bottom of the basin - searching for something, or someone.
"It seems Barker isn't here yet.." Valentina sighed, her voice muffled by her headgear.
"He's never struck me as the punctual type…" Ashley frowned underneath her helmet. "Am I correct?"
"Unfortunately, yes…" Valentina titled her helmeted head back to look up at the overcast sky. "Dee! Sit for me, would you!?"
Ashley watched as the blue and white Northstar titan silently followed Valentina's command. With the sounds of servos whirring and metal shifting, the lanky bipedal titan crouched down low. The ground gently shook as the titan carefully rolled onto it's back - propping itself up with it's long arms and bending its legs to stabilize itself.
It was an eerie… almost human sight… seeing a titan sit down…
The Northstar's single blue optic twisted and turned in its receptacle, moving around slowly to inspect the local area.
"Well, are you going to sit?"
Surprised, Ashley turned her vision away from the titan to find her team leader leaning against it. Valentina had taken a seat down on the titan's large foot, leaning forwards with her back arched and her hands wringing together near her legs. The woman still had her helmet on.
"Dee doesn't bite…" Valentina continued, rubbing the titan's metal leg affectionately. "And considering that you've been running and jumping non-stop for the past hour, you're probably looking for a place to rest, aren't you?"
Truthfully, Ashley felt dead tired. Her legs ached from the constant stress she had placed on them, her back was sore from the hasty acrobatics she had been forced to pull-off, and while the brief meditation atop the titan had helped to calm her down her heart was still thumping like a hammer in her chest…
"I'm fine…" Ashley lied, her arms crossing across her chest.
"Liar…" Valentina chuckled. Reaching upwards, the woman wrapped the palms of her hands against the sides of her helmet. With a gentle twist she tugged off the headgear, moving the helmet down to rest on her lap. Observing Ashley with inquisitive grey eyes, Valentina carefully swept her gloved hand across the top of her head to ruffle up her short brown hair. "You look like you're about to fall over…"
"Really, I'm fine."
"Don't be stubborn… sitting won't make you look weak…" Valentina gently shrugged. "I'm sitting down, aren't I? Besides, if I know Barker Taube we're going to be waiting here for a while…"
Pursing her lips, Ashley finally gave in. The muscles in her legs ached as she walked around a seated Valentina towards the Northstar titans other foot. Ashley took a seat on the hard metal, her muscles silently crying out in relief as she did so.
There was an awkward silence for a very long moment…
The sound of a match striking broke the silence…
"Do you smoke?"
Ashley turned her head to peer at her team leader. Valentina had worked out a small tin case from the breast pocket of her armored vest and was balancing it atop her knee. Inside the case were a few small, carefully rolled cigars, in addition to a box of paper matches. One lit match was held in Valentina's right hand, her other hand groping around inside the cigar tin.
"I used to," Ashley responded. "But I haven't for a very long time."
The dark haired woman faintly remembered her days as a teenager back in Tokyo; she could recall the taste of smoke on her lips as she and her friends puffed on stolen cigarettes, often in dingy alleyways.
"I try not to smoke too much…" Valentina spoke quietly. The brown haired woman removed her hand from the tin case, a stubby cigar clenched between her fingertips. "But I do enjoy a good cigar once in a while. Have you ever tried one?"
"No," Ashley responded again. "Never cigars."
"Would you like one?" Valentina offered, her grey eyes wide and inquisitive despite her neutral tone. The brown haired woman shook the small cigar tin in Ashley's direction, gently rattling the tin's contents.
Ashley hesitated for a long moment.
"I'll pass…" Ashley frowned underneath her helmet. "But thanks for the offer…"
"Suit yourself."
Another awkward silence settled over the two pilots. Ashley focused on the light drizzle of rain around her; she and Valentina were positioned directly underneath the massive spinning blade of the excavation machine - sparing them from the worst of the rainfall.
"I'm going to be honest with you…" Valentina spoke clearly, smoke curling from her lips as she completed a puff of her cigar. "I don't like you."
Ashley lifted an eyebrow underneath her helmet.
"I don't hate you…" Valentina clarified, one hand stretching out into a solitary pointed finger. "But I don't like you."
"Are you expecting me to ask why?"
"No… but I'll tell you anyway…" Valentina took another drag of her cigar. "It's not personal, if that's any consolation. But I don't like or trust anyone who is former IMC."
"I don't care if you don't like me," Ashley gently shook her head. "But if that's the case… why do you work for Barker? He's former IMC, isn't he?"
"Oh, Barker's greedy and profit-minded, just like any person who was involved with the IMC. But he was involved in the titan wars, not the IMC's profiteering on the Frontier…" Valentina waved her hand dismissively. "Besides, his heart is in the right place… and the Militia would have been stamped out a long time ago if it wasn't for him…"
Valentina turned her head towards Ashley, her grey eyes shining in the dimming daylight.
"What's your reason for being here?"
"Here, in this muddy quarry?" Ashley scoffed. "I'm just waiting for my boss…"
Valentina gave a low chuckle, more smoke curling from her lips. "No… for leaving the IMC? Let me take a guess… the money ran out?"
"What?"
"The IMC isn't as big as it used to be, and they're not getting reinforcements anytime soon," Valentina clarified, the cigar hanging from her lips. "You felt the winds changing and decided to jump off of the sinking ship, didn't you? Is that the reason?"
"Money is always involved… always…" Ashley responded carefully, the soles of her boots digging into the soft soil below her. "But you missed the mark."
"We all need money, no shame in it…" Valentina shrugged. "But I want to hear you admit to it and just be honest with me… we're both mercenaries, after all… money is necessary."
Ashley's lips curled disdainfully underneath her helmet. She would be lying if she said that money wasn't a motivator… but it wasn't her motivator…
Was it?
"Then what else? A change of scenery?" Valentina's grey eyes shone with a greedy light. "No… let me guess… you felt guilty…?"
Ashley's lips drew into a thin line.
"You had a conscience? You wanted to be better?" Valentina muttered, the lit cigar hanging from her fingers. The cherry of the cigar cast an eerie light over the woman's grey eyes. "Is that it? You got tired of burning homes and gunning down farmers?"
Finishing her verbal jab, Valentina took a long drag of her cigar. She gave Ashley a cold stare as she awaited the dark haired woman's response, a curl of smoke escaping from her lips and obscuring her face.
Ashley resisted the urge to shift around where she sat. Her helmet hid her facial features, but her armor could not hide the subtle shifts in motion which betrayed her feelings. Valentina was trying to probe her for information… and Ashley now realized that accepting the other woman's offer to sit down had been a carefully laid trap…
Ashley had fallen right into that trap… and now Valentina was trying to rile her up and see what her limit was…
The worst part of it all was that she was hitting the nail right on the head…
"Because if you truly wanted to be a better person you'd leave this profession entirely…" Valentina smirked. "Not much love flows from the barrel of a gun, Ishikara."
Ashley wondered if she was truly that easy to read…
Money? Guilt? Were those her motivators? Was she really that shallow?
"Silent treatment then?" Valentina chuckled. "I must be getting warmer-"
"What do you want from me?" Ashley demanded, her helmeted head swiveling to face the other woman. "Are you trying to get me to admit to something?"
"I just want to know why you're here…" Valentina gave Ashley an infuriating smile.
"I don't know why…" Ashley huffed. "There could be a thousand different reasons…"
"Pick one."
Frowning to herself, Ashley reached up to take off her helmet. She squeezed the headgear between her legs and laid her hands gently atop its round surface.
"I have my reasons…" Ashley cast her eyes down towards the ground, her ponytail tickling the skin of her neck. "But they're my reasons… and none of your business…"
Valentina remained silent for a long moment. Her cigar was beginning to burn out, shrinking smaller and smaller with every passing minute. Silently, the brown haired woman pinched the cherry and tucked the stub back into the tin box.
"Well, my opinion towards you is unchanged then…" Valentina huffed, the beginnings of a smug smile lifting the corners of her lips. "Money and guilt… how typical. You're just another turncoat…"
"Fuck off," Ashley spat.
"Mmhm…" Valentina crossed one of her legs over the other. "That's the issue with people like you… current or former IMC goons… you're not here because you want to fight for a cause, you're just here for an easy paycheck…"
"Leave me alone…"
"I might as well…" Valentina chortled. "Talking to you is like talking to a brick wall… and now that I think about it, talking to a brick wall would probably be more interesting…"
Ashley's nostrils flared but she did not take the bait, instead opting to remain silent.
Over the wind and gentle patter of rain sounded the high-pitched whine of a Goblin dropship's engines. Ashley looked up to find the green and yellow craft hovering near the circular blade of the excavation machine. The Goblin lowered its altitude until it was ten feet above the ground.
The Goblin's side door slid open and a familiar figure leapt out. It was Barker, still clad in his green jumpsuit but now equipped with pilot's gear. The older man fired his jumpkit, the flame jets sputtering as he carefully descended towards the muddy ground.
Once his feet touched the soil Barker peered up at the hovering Goblin dropship. He made a motion with his hand, spinning his finger two times in the air in quick succession. In response to Barker's signal the Goblin dropship ascended back into the clouds.
"Just you two!?" Barker shouted over the sputtering roar of the ascending Goblin's engines. "Where's Cadman?"
"He went out to scavenge!" Valentina called back as she stood up from her seat, her helmet dangling from her fingers. "Problem?"
"No!" Barker wiped his rain-splattered forehead with his hand as he approached Ashlay and Valentina. The man moved his hands down to his jumpkit, gently wiggling the device around to adjust how it fit. Barker wore no helmet, instead a wraparound headset and a special visor which was synced to his jumpkit. "No need… the two of you should be enough."
"Enough for what?" Ashley asked as she stood up from her own seat. The dark haired woman wasted no time in titling her helmet back over her head; she used her fingers to pinch the wire that connected her helmet to her jumpkit, just to make sure that they were still connected.
Stopping within five feet of the two female pilots, Barker took a silent moment to adjust his jumpsuit collar. Ashley could spot the silhouette of a flask shifting around in his breast pocket.
'Alcohol and personal jetpacks… always a winning combination…' Ashley silently thought to herself.
"Since you three did all of the heavy lifting I thought I'd extend the offer for you to accompany me…" Barker shrugged. "Cadman's not here right now, but that's alright with me…"
Ashley lifted an eyebrow at Barker's second statement, her expression hidden by her helmet.
"Where are you taking us?" Valentina asked, the woman quickly slipping her helmet over her head.
"Where else…?" Barker grinned.
The older man held out his arm, stretching out a solitary finger to point in a very certain direction.
Following Barker's outstretched finger, Ashley found herself staring at the massive fissure carved into the bottom of the quarry basin. Instantly, the dark haired woman felt anticipation coiling in her gut.
"We're going underground?" Ashley asked.
"You're a sharp one, 'Kara!" Barker gave the dark haired woman an infuriating smile. "Get your things in order… and make sure that your guns are fully loaded!"
Spinning on his heel, which was an easy thing to do in the muddy terrain, Barker narrowed his eyes at the fissure.
"I don't know about you two…" Barker gently shrugged. The man reached down to his thigh to pull a Wingman revolver from his holster; he flicked his thumb against the hammer, drawing it back to test the rotation of the internal cylinder. "But I'm eager to see what the IMC was digging for!"
