E Pluribus Unum Chapter 2
Angels
Unknown Location
Two Hours before Displacement
It was like looking at the world through hell-colored glasses she finally decided.
The sky above appeared to be almost on fire. The not-so-distant sun gave it an almost blood-red hue as the day began to end. She tried to focus on the icy tundra beyond. The strong winds made it difficult to see much of anything beyond the snowy winds, but her ears did at least allow her to detect and distinguish varying sounds at long ranges.
At least, longer ranges than most humans.
Her cat-like ears twitched slightly and her eyes went wide.
Instantly she began to sink below the ground, floating down through snow, ice, dirt, stone, and steel before falling into the cavernous halls of the facility, men and women in old and tattered uniforms working around the large quarters, a silent urgency as they did. Armaments of many kinds were being set up, the lower she went, the heavier the weapons appeared.
What few we have...
She knew they wouldn't do much, but it should at least buy them time.
Assuming we have time, to begin with.
Lights became dimmer, the air became heavier as she continued to float down, unbeknownst to anyone around her. Once at the very bottom of the facility, entering a room with a large machine, she materialized, making eye contact with a slender man in a white coat, operating on a keyboard connected to the large machine. Most of the men working on the weapons there ignored her, but not him.
"Persica?" he asked.
She was quick and concise in her report.
"At least three aircraft. Transport planes. Heading from the south-west... maybe ten minutes."
"Probably less." the man sighed, hastily pressing keys on the machine.
"Probably..."
Persica turned to an old man in uniform. He rubbed at his neck, a worried expression in his eyes as he spoke, the single golden badge on his arm distinguishing him from the other men in uniform.
He spoke almost as matter-of-factly and mechanically as she did, but only just.
"If they're from the west, they'll likely be from the Eurasian divisions... even if they assume we're just some renegade rebels, they'll likely have at least one commander and his spirit."
A blonde girl that appeared to only just be out of her teen years said "We can take them..."
The pained expression Persica gave her was something that went unnoticed by her. The young spirit focused on her weapon, an ancient rifle with a massive blade on the end.
A short-haired girl next to her racked a bullet into her weapon, calmly adding "At the very least we can slow them down."
Persica said, "That's... sadly all we can hope for..."
The man in uniform said "We could try and ambush them at the entrance. They won't expect two spirits on-"
"No. They're going to detect them once they get close unless there's a lot of interference from thick walls around us. The entrance is, unfortunately not enough... maybe if we had some more explosives or some anti-aircraft weapons but... we don't."
"True enough... beggars can't be choosers..."
Persica glanced back towards the machine, noting the small fuse string protruding from a tiny indenture in the almost stone-like material.
"Someone has to light it first..."
"Yeah..." The man in uniform sighed before turning towards the heavy machine gun pointed at the steel door behind them and its single box of ammunition. A few tired men were standing by it, their old wooden rifles on hand, worn and almost as weary as the soldiers holding them.
Persica turned to the man in the lab coat, asking "How close are you t-?"
"Close... it seems the forerunner theory was about as close as we could have hoped. If we interfere with this properly, we might just-"
The shockwave of an explosion from up above reached them, dust falling from the ceiling as the floor shook just a touch.
The uniformed man said, "They're here... to your positions!"
The two men who had been by the machine gun gripped their rifles and quickly began moving towards the sealed door while the third one ran out, his footsteps echoing as he ran down the long corridor.
Persica nervously said "Lycoris..."
"I know! I just... I just need a little bit of time!"
The two girls stood up, the dark-haired one saying "We'll get you the time you need... just focus on your work."
"El-"
She interrupted her. With a calm and determined voice, betrayed only by the fear in her eyes, she said "We know our mission, you know yours. No need for sentimentalities."
Lycoris turned to her and said, "You know the weapon's story... you have the ammunition needed... you can do this."
Both girls only nodded as the man in uniform racked the slide on the machine gun.
…
The bombs were, of course, not meant to kill anyone, landing in the area around the entrance to the facility, not causing much external damage but certainly enough to rattle anyone inside and kill anyone unlucky enough to be outside the facility.
Like poking a hornet's nest...
He knew how deep the facility went. Staring out the aircraft's window, he continued to observe as the bomber dropped a few more standard bombs, the impact sending snow and dirt flying high into the air.
Hmm... they're likely shaken by now... any of them outside should be dead.
"Commander, are you sure I shouldn't just clear the area directly?" a skinny girl with jet-black hair asked him. Unlike the men around them, she was wearing a standard dark uniform.
The commander only shook his head, saying "These security forces are extremely inexperienced. We have to put their training to the test. Remember, Ouroboros, we are to assist and ensure the small rebel force doesn't get out alive... that is all."
She only nodded, a sly grin as the plane descended in tandem with the other three. The icy ground had been flattened to ensure any plane could land when it so pleased, which allowed them to simply land at once and disembark.
As Ouroboros hopped off the aircraft with her commander, she admired the young men doing the same before quickly securing the area and inspecting the entrance to the facility. Their carbines were shorter and far more accurate than the standard infantry rifles the Angelic Hosts allowed the human armies to keep.
Indeed, it is time to test them... who wouldn't enjoy such a show?
Her commander approached the captain of the security forces, immediately saying "Any sign of them?"
The man, clearly young, clearly inexperienced, only said "Negative... door's sealed shut."
He had added the last part with a glance at Ouroboros as if expecting her to do something. The commander only raised an eyebrow, an action Ouroboros mirrored. As the young captain had not taken the hint, the older man finally said "Then open it, captain."
The captain understood then, quickly turning to his men and yelling "Andrews! Jeffreys! Breach!"
The two men quickly got to the door and removed their backpacks, quickly placing the explosives on the sealed door and lighting them.
Her commander only sighed as the explosion blew the door off its hinges.
He quietly muttered, "They didn't even ask you to check if anyone was inside waiting."
"You did tell them to just open the door."
"Indeed, I did. He should know better assuming the rebels just captured the staff here, but oh well. A learning experience nevertheless."
Ouroboros felt her smile widen ever so slightly just as gunfire rang out from inside the facility, two shots, two bullets that flew by, causing the two men that had breached the door to duck to the floor, one round taking the man's hand clean off. She stared as the snowy ground below was briefly colored crimson with little care as the man was pulled away.
The captain peered with his carbine and fired several shots at once, yelling "Get him out of here! Go! Rest of you, with me! Move!" before charging in himself, followed by two others.
Ouroboros spoke then, recognition in her voice as more gunshots were heard inside.
"Standard infantry rifles... strange..."
"Not that strange, the rebels often have sympathizers in our armies..."
"But to get firearms without anyone reporting them gone?"
Her commander only said, "Move with caution."
Thusly, they followed the men inside.
There were five bodies on the floor, all armed with the old rifles, all bleeding from smoldering bullet wounds.
Her commander called "Don't bother taking any alive, captain."
Ouroboros saw the young captain and two other men had a young woman at gunpoint, a rifle had been tossed aside and she had her hands raised in surrender.
The woman cried out "I was dragged here against my will! I couldn't do anything! Please, I swear I didn't betray her excellency!"
The captain then said "They are wearing our uniforms, sir. Should we not interrogate her?"
Her commander said "She's only buying time. Kill her."
The woman yelled "No! Please! I can tell you what they're doing! They have a trap set for spirits down-"
The captain pulled the trigger on his carbine once, the woman falling silent as her not yet dead body collapsed to the cold floor.
She managed a gargled "W-why?"
The man ignored her, moving forward.
Ouroboros watched her commander kneel to observe the woman for a second, watching the life drain from her eyes.
He whispered, "She's not lying."
If she wasn't lying, that means the rebels downstairs either told her they had a trap for spirits prepared somehow or she had seen it herself. However, that meant that there were more up ahead, which was always expected, but... He eyed the narrow hall men walked down on, quickly turning to gaze at the half-open door that led further down the facility.
His eyes widened.
"Captain!"
Immediately after he said that Ouroboros grabbed him, yelling "Commander!"
Bullets flew past them then in a single destructive volley, cutting the young captain down alongside his men. The volley passed harmlessly through him and Oroboros as the girl ensured he was dematerialized before the bullets reached him. The gunfire came from the entrance to the stairs.
"Fire! Keep 'em pinned!" a man yelled from the stairs.
Oroboros huffed as the security forces ducked for cover, only one bothering to return fire as they ducked just out of the way of another destructive volley.
"So inexperienced..." Her commander sighed, then said, "Alright, get the captain, and then kill them all."
"Yes, commander!" she said, letting go of him and materializing again.
The captain was screaming in agony as Ouroboros stood up, grabbed him, and pulled him to cover, his crimson blood marking the floor as she dragged him to safety. Once there, she dematerialized and stepped out into the hall, bullets from another volley moving through her harmlessly as she did. She reached under her combat skirt, gripping her weapon and pointing it at the entrance to the steps.
With a vicious grin that was only emphasized by the glow of her weapon, she materialized and yelled "Die!"
…
Persica felt the distant explosion and tightly gripped the box of matches in her hand.
The man in uniform said, a faint shakiness in his voice, "That's our second line of defense... they'll be here soon."
The remaining men at his steadied their rifles, standing closer to the machine gun.
Lycoris said, almost pleading, "I'm almost done!"
Persica glanced nervously at the two girls; the distant crackle of gunfire suddenly going silent.
"Elisa... Ithaca..."
Both girls only lifted their weapons and pointed them at the shut door.
"Do what you must..." Elisa said.
Persica glanced at Lycoris then, the man visibly shaking as he whispered "I'm so sorry..."
"Target the spirit first. Remember, if we get lucky we might kill her with one shot." Ithaca said.
"Understood. I'll take the left side."
As they and the remaining soldiers got into positions, distant footsteps could be heard rushing down the steps.
Lycoris said "Persica... get the matches... when I tell you to light the fuse... do it."
She nodded, holding the small box as the footsteps drew ever closer.
If they have a spirit with them then...
…
In the dark hallway, Ouroboros's smile disintegrated and she froze where she stood, staring at the shut door at the end of the hallway. She lifted her hand and the security forces behind her paused.
"What is it?" her commander whispered.
She replied quickly and clearly.
"They have spirits with them."
No one spoke. The silence of the underground facility was palpable as the girl in front of them appeared to study the environment ahead of her in the darkness. After a few painfully long seconds, she spoke.
"...I sense three, but... it could be more. The door isn't allowing me to gauge the energy properly, commander, I-"
"It's fine... Atypical, but fine. They must be waiting for us if they haven't attacked yet. Alright, you two, blow that door off its hinges. The rest of you, ready what concussion grenades you have. Once that door falls you throw them in."
"Yes, commander!"
"Ouroboros, you kill the spirits. When you locate the anchor, you let us know. He must be captured... alive."
"Yes, commander."
"He must be in there... has to be... once he's located and his spirits are down... we take him."
They stood there for a moment, waiting, the explosives already set, their fuses lit...
The explosion shook the underground tunnel to its core.
"Fire!" a shrill came from beyond the smoke.
Instantly gunfire erupted from within the room, this time added to by a machinegun. The two men nearest to the door threw their concussion grenades at once, one's arm being caught by the gunfire, tearing it in two before he could duck for cover. The result was, however, noticeable, as the gunfire decreased immediately.
Ouroboros felt her eyes grow wide.
"It's three of them, commander! Their anchor is right there!"
"Good! Go!"
She lunged forward.
"Ithaca!" one of the spirits yelled then.
An ambush?!
The blonde shifted her shotgun and fired.
Ouroboros dematerialized barely in time, the physical slug passing harmlessly through her and removing the face of a man behind her.
She winced realizing her mistake.
Elisa fired her rifle in the same physical state that Ouroboros was in.
The de-materialized .30-06 round pierced the girl's head, spraying the room with metaphysical blood that quickly became physical as the girl collapsed to the floor, eyes wide with shock as the life drained from them completely before she hit the ground. Her body stayed in place, her fingers still gripping her weapon.
Her commander only stared in shock at the scene ahead of him.
Elisa gasped and quickly turned her fire to the security forces, materializing again.
She was about to fire at the enemy commander when bullets rained on her position. The security forces unloaded their weapons onto the room, using sheer excess volume to try and suppress them.
"Charge in! Charge in! Remember your training!" the commander shouted in a booming command.
Elisa shouted at Persica "We're out of time!"
"Just a little more!"
Elisa groaned, turned to Ithaca, and yelled "Over the top?"
The girl replied by racking her shotgun and saying "Yeah!"
Both girls hopped over their cover, their forms no longer physical. They quickly rushed past the advancing security forces and once in the middle, they materialized again, using both firearm and bayonet.
Shoot. Stab. Shoot. Stab.
The soldiers were quick to pull away from them, immediately focusing on the enemy nearest to them.
The commander kept his eyes on them while glancing at the box-like room the girls were so desperately guarding. His jaw clenched and he gripped his revolver, keeping out of view of the girls, appreciating that the security forces were holding their own, not allowing them a chance to do much except focus on them.
He glanced into the room and took a shot at the man working on...
Wait... what is he...?
He pulled the trigger before really considering what or who he was shooting.
Lycoris felt the bullet pierce his side and he could only yelp as he awkwardly moved a hand to it.
Persica saw and resisted the urge to scream for him, not wanting to distract the girls fighting for their lives just outside the room they were in. Another round slammed into the machine, sparks going off as Lycoris began to slump over, falling onto her chest.
He shakily said "It's... it's the most I can do... light the fuse... let's go."
Persica did as told immediately, noting that the man in uniform was still alive, hiding behind cover, one hand on the machine gun's trigger. He nodded at her and got on it again, firing another burst, causing the commander to duck behind cover.
Fuse lit, Persica managed to lift the wounded man and dematerialized, taking her with him. She glanced at the fuse for a few seconds, then turned to the girls fighting nearby. She blinked back her tears and carried him with her through a wall, vanishing.
The commander glared at the machine gunner as he reloaded his revolver.
He didn't bother with six bullets, placing one in and immediately firing at the man. The bullet pierced through his eye and knocked him to the floor, dead.
Ithaca fell immediately after.
It was the problems with spirits who didn't train with their abilities properly.
Oh, they could easily become ghost-like, immune to human touch... but in that state, they could only harm other spirits, not the physical humans they faced.
The girl with the shotgun had dematerialized at the right time to avoid a soldier who tried to stab her with his bayonet. She materialized again to shoot the man only to get stabbed by another soldier who had snuck up behind her. Then the other soldier took the chance and buried the knife in her neck.
The other girl was clearly on the losing end as well.
She was no longer shooting, clearly out of ammunition as she tried stabbing and slashing at his soldiers, moving through them and trying to stab them in the back, but by now they were aware of her and weren't stopping their frantic movements to give her the chance to hit them.
Worse for her, him being an anchor, he could see her even when she wasn't in a physical state, and once he saw that she was ready to attack another man, he lifted his revolver, kept her in his sights, and then, just as she buried her bayonet into one of his men...
-Bang-
The bullet pierced her chest, and the girl fell on her back, not moving as his men surrounded her.
He glared at her with hatred before turning to the room she had been guarding.
"What were you rebels guarding so desperately?" he muttered.
One of the men, visibly out of breath, said "Commander! She's still breathing!"
He glanced at her, blood seeping from the wound as her chest just barely moved up.
Surprisingly human, you spirits...
He walked over to her and grabbed her neck, saying "What were you doing here?!"
Shakily the girl mumbled "F-fighting..."
"What for?!"
"F-for... for a chance..."
"You're a spirit! Your chances are decided by the Angelic Hosts! What did that man do to the machine?!"
The girl's weak smile shook him then.
He glanced at the machine at the heart of the facility and saw the faintest trail of grey smoke fleeting from behind it.
"No!" he managed before the room was engulfed in flames as the lit fuse detonated the charges placed into the machine.
…
Persica felt the explosion below her feet and shakily turned to look behind her. She left no tracks on the snow as she walked through it. The tundra had fallen deathly silent, the only noise being Lycoris' strained breaths as she carried him on her back. Sound quickly returned. Above them, the sky was still a hellish red as she slowly walked towards the planes. The pilots now approaching the entrance having felt the shockwave, the soldiers remaining above ground only following.
None saw her.
Lycoris shuddered, saying "Take... their plane... if this worked, we'll be fine... but if it didn't, then-"
Tears streaming down her face, Persica said "Of course, it worked... I'll make sure it worked..."
"I'll stay alive... even if I can't tell any allies the story... someone has to."
Persica saw his eyes closing slowly, dully, as if he was just barely hanging on, barely able to string sentences together. She held him a little tighter before speaking.
"Yes... I'll tell them... I promise..." she said, materializing as she got into the plane, locking the door behind her.
The fiery sky above them suddenly became pitch black, and the world around them changed forever once again.
January 25th, 2017
Venice, Italy
8:34 PM
3 Hours After Displacement
The alarm continued blaring on the speakers, and all Calvin De Luca could do was stare out the window into the smoking city as the piston engine aircraft dropped bombs unopposed, their shockwaves even reaching him behind the safety-reinforced glass of the Cruise ship.
The black, starless sky above did nothing to illuminate the carnage below as the many fires were already doing a fine job of it, the aircraft dipping so close to the ground the illumination even made their attacks a sight impossible to miss. Down on the dock, he could see people rushing inside, all being ushered in by panicked police officers and soldiers trying to organize a half-baked evacuation as the city was lost.
Everything had been so peaceful earlier...
Another bomb fell, a nearby cathedral collapsed.
He could still faintly hear shooting within the city, but who it belonged to wasn't something Calvin was aware of as it was too far away to tell. He'd been told a military force was garrisoned in Venice, the 1st Lagunari Battalion, but the only ones he could see were at the dock's entrance. He saw a gunner on an MRAP fire at one of the attacking planes, successfully drawing attention onto his vehicle, getting strafed by the aircraft that flew off in its slow, methodical way. He wasn't sure what damage was done to it from where he was, but the Italian machine gun had gone silent.
Calvin kept glancing at his phone, hoping, praying it would ring. Yet another bomb fell on the historic city, but this one landed closer to the dock, causing part of the structure to erupt into pieces and collapse, dropping many onto the murky waters below. He saw several people stop, attempting to reach out to those that had fallen, some getting oh so close.
Then one of the smaller planes decided to begin strafing them.
Calvin saw the bodies fall dead on the ground and into the water, screams following as the gunners cared not about age, sex, or status. He finally couldn't bear to watch as he saw a woman running with a child fall into the water below. He wasn't sure if it was because of a bullet or if she had lost her balance, but he knew it didn't matter. He pulled away from the window, several other passengers, most still in their comfortable clothes staring in shock at the scene in front of them, unable to look away as they stared helplessly at the carnage. He shakily moved away from the window and sat next to the group of people listening on the radio for news.
Not much was coming through.
Suddenly an older man, British by the accent, said "Internet's back up!" and the message was quickly repeated among the passengers.
At once Calvin checked his cell phone, his parents having paid extra for the cruise's Wi-Fi. It was slow, but he quickly found an MSNBC Livestream and quickly pulled it up on his phone and, pressing his headphones into his ears. A reporter was talking about attacks on New York and several similar situations unfolding, and despite his terror, Calvin felt a soft sigh of relief well up inside him.
Home... we can still go home...
"Oh, Jesus... get back! Everyone get back!"
Calvin barely got to glance up before he saw what was happening. One of the piston engine aircraft had now decided the docked ship they were on was a decent target. The plane with symbols no one recognized had sluggishly circled back high above the ship and began to twist in the air. Its nose, right where the rotor was, suddenly began to spew smoke visible in the fire-illuminated distance.
Calvin took a breath, recognizing it for what it was.
Along with practically everyone there, he ducked down and covered his head and neck just as the safety-tampered glass windows that were there to keep people from falling overboard simply exploded, showering everyone who hadn't gotten far away enough with glass and punching holes on the floor as the rounds hit their mark.
People screamed.
Announcements were yelled over the intercom as the ship's crew tried, desperately so, to move people to safer locations, assuming those existed.
One thing Calvin was able to understand was "We're pulling anchor, if possible, return to your cabins..."
Then a bomb landed perfectly on the dock, the shockwave sending more people diving to the ground once again, most against their will; more glass shattered, more screaming. Down below the crowd of civilians and soldiers had essentially disappeared, either in the smoke from the bombs or hopefully onto the ship. Someone was crying, someone else was screaming for help as blood pooled on the floor.
Calvin tried to control his breath, desperately so. Unconsciously, he had dialed his parent's number. Instead of hanging up, he squeezed his phone a little tighter as a desperate distraction from the carnage around him.
Mom, dad... please... pick up.
No reply came after several rings and eventually, the line went dead.
"Young man, get up, we have to get away from there!" a woman said. He glanced at the crewmember, who was trying to usher him and several others as far away from the shattered windows as she could, wild panic in her eyes as she barely kept her composure. Under him, he could feel the cruise beginning to pull away from the now destroyed docks.
As he began walking away from the destroyed windows, he very briefly locked eyes with a girl in a plain white dress, the girl seemingly noticing him while no one else seemed to notice her. He didn't think about it as he rushed down the stairs away from the hell behind him, the Italian shore already dissipating in the distance from the view of the windows, the ocean set alight by the reflection of the fires and the lights of other ships doing the same as them. A few seemed to try and hold out a little longer, but they were already among the last to leave, and soon enough, the docks were empty of ships as they all followed a route away from the city.
Retreating...
Venice, Italy
4 hours after displacement.
The man stared out the window, watching the old buildings with a frown, noting that some were on fire, some were not, but many were. The flames reflected on his many medals.
He scoffed before saying "Honestly, why do these people build so close to the water's edge? It's insane."
The black-haired girl next to him was silent, following his gaze as the man spoke. He tugged at the mask on his military uniform, the medals an array of colors as more smoke filled the building. Still, with an ever-present frown, he turned just as another girl with sleek black hair nearly identical to the other appeared, dropping a panicked man who was wearing a suit with a now torn tie to the floor.
"Ah, I take it you're the ruler of this little city-state?"
The man on the floor was old, balding, his body language was panicked, the gas mask he was wearing only allowed a view of his terrified eyes as the smoke continued filling the room. The man in a military uniform smiled slightly, adjusting his mask so it was on tighter, moving over to the desk and sitting on the very edge, the two dark-haired girls dutifully moving to his sides, neither speaking as the gas in the room became a sickly yellow. At this, the man on the floor began hyperventilating, making odd signs as he seemed to be praying, clasping his hands, and seemingly crying now.
"Relax, the poison shouldn't affect you now that you have that mask on... of course, you may keep it on if you tell us where the rest of your forces ran off to."
"Ah?"
"The ships, the... illegal vessels you people have... where are they going?"
The man said "Going? I-I don't know!"
The officer's expression became somewhat confused.
"What accent even is that? What is wrong with you people? Are you all dull? Mentally damaged in some way?"
The man took a deep breath, saying "M-My English... not... good, I... Sorry. So sorry."
The officer frowned with disgust.
"English! Well, that explains quite a lot, actually... oh well... if you don't know, then you're of no use."
"Wait-" he tried, but the black-haired girl was already on him, tearing the mask off without a word.
The officer frowned as the man began choking on the poisonous gas.
He shook his head and said "Ugh... slow... Nymogin put him out of his misery, I need to think..."
The girl bowed her head. Then, placing her hand to the man's chest, she ensured he reached death quicker as an explosion engulfed the old man, leaving almost nothing behind on the charred linoleum floor.
Footsteps down the hall sounded as a regular soldier walked in.
"Message from the Second Army's Aerial Division, General Sirius... more resistance found in the island off the southern coast."
No one spoke for a moment, the fires continuing to burn.
The officer's frown deepened, saying "I do not like this situation at all... there is higher resistance everywhere, wholly unlike any we've seen before in the history books at least. Any word from the Angelical Body?"
"Orders remain unchanged, Commander."
He huffed, muttering "So no word then. No word at all... and many of those soldiers have also cut and run... Perhaps on those ships?" The gas was making it harder to look out the ruined building's window, the officer muttering, "Perhaps those ships are heading there... to that southern island... perhaps to boost resistance?"
He glanced at the girls.
An idea formed in his mind.
"Alright... you two, give chase, go on, hop to it. Use your wings if you have to. Force at least one of them to come back... we did too good a job clearing this city and I want to know more of it. Their weapons and tactics are... worrisome."
He glanced at the rifle on the floor, the weapon empty as the soldier, he could tell as the man wore a uniform, had been well trained to the point the man got through a magazine before falling dead when his Spirits politely relieved the weight of his head from the rest of his body. Compared to his men's weapons, however, it was sleekly designed, and... different.
Worryingly different.
"Well, get to it!"
At the order, his two spirits nodded, and ran through the walls, hopping onto the water, and running as fast as they could on its surface, not sinking into the depths, invisible to everyone but him.
He smirked.
Must be nice being able to shift in and out of the physical plain...
As the smoke got thicker, he shook his head, saying "Alright, clear out the building, and radio that this city is taken. At least we saw some victory today."
Adriatic Sea
Calvin sat, shaking on the bed in the cabin they'd been assigned to, the only other passenger an elderly man with a black cap that said "Vietnam Veteran: Army", left arm shaking as they stared at the television screen.
The BBC was already explaining what he already knew: the world they knew had almost entirely been replaced. Most of Europe was, put simply, gone.
The landmass was still there, no doubt about it, as the satellite images being played on the news showed, but the infrastructure, the cities, areas that had been wide open fields were now replaced with large cities or towns it seemed, and that was just Europe. Practically all of South America, Canada, and several other places were the complete opposite, with apparently most civilization there simply wiped out, and areas that had once been full of cities now held a few towns. As newer images from the African continent appeared to show a bizarre increase in cities and infrastructure, the realization that a large swath of the world had not only been invaded but replaced, Calvin only turned from the screen and glanced at his phone.
Nothing from his parents.
"Grandpa, anything from mom or dad?" he asked in a voice that was trying too hard to keep it together.
The old man only shook his head, not taking his eyes off the screen.
Calvin glared at him for a second, willing the 70-year-old to turn to look at him. After a moment of trying, the old man finally glanced at him, saying "Cal, if they were in the city when this happened..."
The teenager only turned back to his phone.
After a silent moment, the old man said "Look, I'm not saying they're dead, but right now you have to be prepared for any outcome..."
Calvin didn't say anything, his attention going to the phone once more, the news now coming in much faster. Sicily was apparently in serious trouble, but details weren't exact. Not that it mattered much. It seemed a fair chunk of the world had simply vanished and been replaced by something else.
Though it seems port cities weren't affected... and many countries are still intact...
The MSNBC host urged viewers that if they were overseas to try and put messages up on their social media accounts to send aid if possible, or, if anything, figure out better options by determining who was still there. He couldn't bear to think about it, so he looked away, noting the TV was still on, his grandfather watching a BBC News host say the same thing from a military base.
Then he glanced straight in front of him, the wall of the L-shaped room was decorated with a grey wallpaper with anchors and life preservers and other forms of oceanic memorabilia on them, but one thing now captured his attention in a way not even the madness of the present crisis could.
The face of a dark-haired girl was poking through the wall and staring right at him, as if she had phased through it, like something out of a horror movie.
Calvin stared wide-eyed at her.
"Ah-ha! You can see me!" the girl exclaimed before walking into the room through the wall, a plain white dress covering her shapely body as she seemed to phase through the objects between him and her. She stood somewhat triumphantly, hands on her hips with her right leg phasing through a drawer.
Calvin's mouth fell open as if trying to cry out, unable to do even that.
The girl only raised her hands, quickly, saying "Woah, Woah, Woah, I don't want to... scare you... kind of impossible to do given the situation, I know, but..." She forced a friendly smile, saying "You wouldn't happen to know we're going, would you? I figured this is a cruise ship somewhere near Italy, but..." she glanced past him, eyeing the television screen on the wall, appearing distracted by the images.
Calvin closed his mouth, looked her over, unable to look away from her ghostly leg, trying to take emotional solace in the fact the girl in white appeared harmless enough before he turned to his grandfather and said "Gramps... gramps, please tell me you're seeing this."
His grandfather turned to him, apparently failing to notice the ethereal girl in the room, raised an eyebrow and said "What?"
"Y-you don't see the girl?"
"What girl? On your phone?"
"N-no... She's right..."
The girl stepped past him and got right between him and his grandfather, startling Calvin as she suddenly yelled "Hello?"
The old man didn't even flinch.
She groaned, mumbling "Now how is that possible? Not being able to see me, I can imagine, but not being able to hear me... any ideas?"
"I... I think I'm losing my mind."
"W-? Come on, don't crack up on me now, I just met you!"
"Why are you losing your mind?" his grandfather asked at the same time.
Calvin said "There... there is a girl... standing right... here and... oh, God..."
The girl only sighed, glancing at the old man, raising an inquisitive eyebrow as she studied his hat.
Vietnam War Veteran...
"Say, what's your grandfather's name?"
He didn't reply.
Washington State
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Private First Class Kazimir Wozniak didn't consider himself a practicing Catholic, but the more news that arrived, the more he felt like crossing himself and praying for divine protection.
At this point, I might as well...
The United States Army Ranger instead shook his head, trying to ignore the screaming orders coming from officers that were barely holding it together themselves as more aircraft came and went, dropping off badly wounded civilians onto the airfield, medical crews rushing to take those too injured to walk towards ambulances while those able to move were taken to a triage set up near the outskirts of the airbase. Another plane took off, and Kazimir only focused on his right leg shaking up and down rapidly as he did very little other than stare at it. The other Rangers sitting around him in a similar state of unrest, all doing what they could not to reveal that they were in a state of unrest.
A dazed civilian was carried out on a stretcher, a skinny nurse holding something to his head as Kaz heard the man yell "What's happening?! What's going on?!"
Wish I could tell you, man...
A sergeant approached, Kaz quickly glancing at him.
"Don't ask. I don't know either." was the reply, though not necessarily directed at him.
Kaz still nodded as though it had been directed at him. The exact nature of the crisis would have to wait. The question was, assuming it was a global phenomenon, why had this only happened to some nations and not others? He rubbed his neck, trying to ignore the prickling feeling that something, somehow, was missing. He adjusted his plate carrier, glancing at his gear. Gloves attached to his belt, mags were in place, the Elcan on his M4 was zeroed in...
He checked his watch.
0750 hours...
He shook his head again, his knee springing up and down involuntarily as he, and the other Rangers around him, remained awaiting orders. As yet another MH-47 landed, dropping off civilians, a single figure in bloodied military fatigues was escorted by American officers.
"What do you think that's about?"
"Maybe what's left of the CAF? I don't know."
"Christ... think it's that bad?"
"What do you think, Miller?"
No one else spoke after that. Aircraft continued coming and going as fast as the tower could clear them. The American mountains in the distance reminded them that they were still, technically, home.
But it did little to alleviate the stress.
Finally, a call came from their officers.
The Ranger platoon moved inside one of the now-empty hangars, he could see the injured man in military fatigues had been bandaged up, his face still pale as he sat next to a board with a map west coast, the Company Commander observing, radio on hand, as a shockingly calm nurse tended the CAF officer. Kaz turned to their Platoon Leader, Lieutenant York looking over some papers before placing them down and turning to the Rangers.
"Alright, boys, listen up! Lieutenant Colonel Hill over there, Canadian Armed Forces, he was on leave with his wife in Vancouver when... whatever happened... happened. Gave us the info we need going forward."
A few worried glances from the men was the only sign the lieutenant needed to quickly say "I know you all have questions, so do I. All we know presently is that we are under attack, our allies are under attack, and right now Vancouver may be one of the only remaining unoccupied centers north of the border. Maybe one of the last. That's all we can confirm right now."
Kazimir swallowed, the severity of the words sinking in as he and the Rangers began jotting down the information on their notepads.
"Vancouver Island's reserves are already on the ground, organizing and helping the evacuation efforts but right now we're better equipped and close enough to the location to get a proper response force in. Coms are spotty but functional. Police are, as far as we know, still mounting resistance and trying to keep whoever's trying to take the city away. We have reason to believe whatever caused this also eliminated the infrastructure past the city limits."
Jesus...
"So... no support from other bases as it stands. Rest assured... the country isn't gone... not completely. We can confirm that several coastal towns and cities up and down the continent are still there, and will likely need to be guarded later, but right now Vancouver is our priority. Securing it is vital to pushing into the occupied parts of Canada."
The information didn't have time to sink in as Kaz suppressed the urge to frown.
Occupied... occupied implies that it's still Canada... for all we know it's all changed, top to bottom. Same for most of the world...
No one spoke for a moment, the organized chaos around them briefly subsiding before starting up again as another aircraft landed.
The lieutenant pointed at the photos that were placed on the table, depicting soldiers with equipment that appeared eighty years outdated.
"Enemy isn't well equipped as far as we can tell. Bolt-action rifles, some machine guns, few helmets. Enemy aircraft have already been taken care of by fast fliers. Not exactly high-tech, but areas of Vancouver got hit with chemical weapons, so we'll be operating under CBRN and assuming MOPP 4 status until told otherwise, triple check your PPE. CAS has been approved, the 16th CAB will be providing support and overwatch. We'll be wheels up immediately after our transports are cleared. Our chain of command is still up and running, currently, we rule the air, so this isn't some end of the world scenario!"
Kaz mentally nodded along with the others, taking the information in as much as he could as uncertainty had no place in their current mission, so better to operate on what was known and only that.
An almost child-like voice next to him said, "Hmm, not the most motivational speech I've heard, but I suppose that can't be helped."
Kaz turned to look right next to him.
A short girl wearing a plain white dress, a single pink streak across the right side of her long unkempt blonde hair in stark contrast to her almost ghostly pale skin, was curiously eyeing the officers. No one seemed to notice her then, but the second Kaz noticed her, she turned, glancing at him, making eye contact.
What the...?
"Hmm?" She took a step towards him. "Can... can you see me?" she asked, a glimmer of wonder in her eyes.
Am I going crazy?
He looked away, glancing at the other Rangers around him. Surely, they were just focused on the other details of the briefing, so much so they didn't see the pale girl right in the middle of them.
Wait... no, this is just pre-combat nerves, Woz, relax... relax...
"You can see me!"
His body wasn't responding to his mind's orders. The Ranger felt his heart rate skyrocket and a chill go through his spine at the realization. Her eyes were an unnatural shade of red, her pale skin was almost like that of a corpse, and the implication of that wasn't one he wanted to consider after what she had just said. His eyes darted away from her, still seeing her in his periphery, as well as the fact that no one else appeared to see her.
Come on, someone, point her out, God damn it!
"Hey! Don't look away from me!"
No matter how hard he tried, his eyes kept darting to her as she stood in front of him, trying to get his attention away from the briefing. His heart began to pound on his chest rapidly, his mouth went dry, he began to feel a cold sweat drip down the side of his face.
"Woz, you alright?" Lieutenant York asked then.
Before Kaz could speak, he saw the girl move to him quickly, a frustrated look on her face as she suddenly grabbed his M4 and said "Don't ignore me! If you can see me then... oh, I can touch you..."
There was a split second of silence where no one was quite sure what had happened, where they were unable to react to what had happened. Slowly, it dawned on them... A girl had simply materialized in front of them all.
"What...?"
"The-?"
Kaz cursed, stepping back.
"Hands up! Now!"
"Where'd she come from?!"
"Hands! Hands!"
To him, the girl had only been standing there, but to everyone else, she had just materialized out of thin air, holding the barrel of his rifle before he pulled away from her.
Weapons were loaded and aimed at the girl, safeties flipped off, rounds chambered.
"Who are you?!"
"I... um... hi?" the girl looked at all the guns aimed at her, she slowly raised her hands, giving a nervous smile as she stepped away.
The second she surrendered the yells came.
"Get on the ground!"
"W-?"
"On the ground! Now!"
"Hands up, God damn it!"
"I-"
"Identify yourself!"
"H-hey, come on now, I'm just..." turning to Kaz then she quietly said "Hey, back me up here... I don't know where or who I am!"
Kaz wanted to help her after the quiet plea, he really did, but he forced himself to stick to the facts.
"How should I know? I've never seen you before."
Kaz tried not to react to the betrayed look she gave him, the girl shutting her eyes angrily as she said "Well, how should I know anything?! I woke up in the fields over there and just felt that I had to come here! Like someone called me here!" The girl's shaky demeanor disintegrated as she yelled "A-and can you get those guns off me?! I'm clearly unarmed!"
"On the ground! Now!"
"But-"
"Kid, we're not in a stable situation right now, so get on the ground or we'll drop you!"
She stared, then, frightened, said "This is insane..."
She then lowered herself to the floor and let one of the larger men pin her hands behind her back and zip tie them together.
Kaz took a shaky breath, lowering his M4, his heart rate only relaxing a bit as several MPs walked over and escorted her away, she turned and made eye contact with him.
He forced himself to look away from those scared, pleading eyes.
Adriatic Sea
The ocean outside appeared dead and cold as the fleet of civilian vessels moved away from the seemingly eternally burning coasts, Calvin quietly staring out the window, doing his best to ignore the girl next to him.
"Hmm... reminds me of Rolling Thunder. Which was an operation in Vietnam, by the way... not sure how I know that but not my name. Then again, this whole situation seems kind of insane to me, and clearly, it's abnormal to you. But then again, what's the definition of normal?" she mumbled, looking out the window next to him.
"Shut up." he groaned.
"No, sir, I will not shut up, you can't make me shut up, and if you can hear me while no one else can, I might as well try and get you to believe I'm real!" came a very irritated reply.
"Then you picked the worst time possible, okay? My mom and dad are probably dead, the world around me just... vanished... people all over are dead and dying... I'm losing my mind, you're just proof of it!"
The girl got a sad look in her eyes.
"I didn't mean that..."
The door swung open, his grandfather walking in with a tired but steadfast gait.
"Here, I was able to wrangle some aspirin from one of the medics."
"Grandpa, I'm fine."
Just a little crazy...
"None of that, now, kiddo. Most of the injured are barely hanging on, we can't have you being a burden so take the damn medicine and then you can quit complaining."
With an ashamed look on his face, Calvin slowly took the small pill, popping it in his mouth and swallowing it without water. Ignoring the dark-haired girl eyeing him the whole time. There was a pensive look in her eyes as if the second the older man walked in her memory was jogged ever so slightly, not that he cared.
After a moment, she suddenly spoke.
"Say... this is going to sound weird, but... can you ask your grandfather if he's armed?"
Calvin didn't speak.
"Hey! Don't ignore me now, just ask him!"
He didn't look at her, shutting his eyes tightly as he said "Gramps?"
"Ah?" the old man asked.
"You have a gun on board?"
The old man huffed, saying "Maybe I do. Why?"
"I mean... we may need it. You brought your thirty-eight?"
The old man chortled, as he sat back down.
"No, actually..."
The girl immediately said "No... no way. I know he got it back! Tell him he picked up a weapon in Italy!"
Calvin did his best to ignore the girl next to him, but his grandfather noticed.
"Voice in your head?"
Calvin shakily said, "She's... she's saying you picked up a weapon in Italy."
The old man's eyes shone ever so slightly.
"Well, ain't that something?"
"Huh?"
Silence for a moment, the dull glow of distant fires reflecting on the darkened window.
"I did, actually..."
"Wait, what?"
"Yeah... had an old buddy of mine, a collector, up in Croatia. He heard of our trip and asked me if I wanted an old piece back. Flew over the day we took off, met him when we stopped in Messina." the old man sighed, standing up and moving to the door, making sure it was locked.
The girl stood up as the old man grabbed his suitcase. Unzipping it, he began pulling at a particular strap, revealing a loose flap that he began to peel away.
"No idea how he got his hands on it, but... I have my suspicions." He mumbled opening the whole thing to reveal an entirely disassembled rifle. "He set it up so I could take it back to the states... figured... why not? You never know if you're going to need it after these elections."
Calvin stood up and stared at the disassembled rifle, the barrel and its triangular grips were split into parts so that they could more easily be stored away, the lower receiver and pistol grip neatly fitting in place under the carry handle.
A single 20-round magazine nestled under it all.
The girl stared, quietly musing "That's an..."
"That right there is an original Colt Model 16A1... my service rifle. Original receiver, the grips are the same... I think he messed with some of the internals, but I'm pretty sure it's mostly my old gun. Poor guy... hope he's alright."
He began to unzip the area of the bag the rifle was being held in, asking "You ever assembled one?"
Calvin stared at it, then slowly he turned to the girl who appeared equally impressed.
"How... did you know?" he asked her.
The girl didn't respond, seemingly mesmerized by the weapon.
Grabbing the receiver, his grandfather said "You probably overheard me talking to him, or maybe about him. Nothing supernatural about-"
The dark-haired girl immediately reached for the receiver and placed her hand on it, her weightlessness suddenly vanishing as she could now feel the cold metal of the rifle and the air shifted out of the way.
The old man froze staring at her.
Calvin shakily took a step back, saying "Y-you see her now, right? Right?"
The girl only said "I... H-Hello."
Washington State
The girl in white had been zipped tied, placed in a hangar's corner, four MPs surrounding her, as the others gathered themselves.
Who am I?
Why am I here?
Where is here?
She stared at her dress, but it offered no answers. She then listened to the arguing voices in the distance.
"We're just going to ignore her?"
"It's unfortunately irrelevant to the mission at the moment, lieutenant!"
"What if more like her pop up? She appeared around my guys, captain!"
"Detain, hold, continue... we're wasting too much time, so get your Rangers ready to go!"
Rangers... why... why did I...? Where is he?
She looked around, seeing the Ranger gathering his things and moving awkwardly to a large helicopter, somehow recognizing him despite the distance between them.
Briefly, they locked eyes.
Kaz looked away from the Chinook, staring back at her. She looked at him, not unlike a lost child. It was an odd sensation, not knowing what she or any of them were dealing with. The weeks at RASP had certainly prepared him for just about anything and yet...
He eyed the girl and tried doing his best to wordlessly reassure her with a smile.
She eyed him back, now appearing to be studying him again.
What am I doing? Focus on the mission, not the... whatever she is...
"Rangers, move out!" the lieutenant called before he could mentally analyze the situation further. He pushed his feelings aside, turning away from her, and walking into the chinook.
The girl in white saw him getting further away from her until he disappear into the helicopter. She became distressed, the distance already bothering her plenty, but the fact he was about to go very far away caused her heart to begin racing.
Turning to one of her guards, she spoke rapidly.
"H-hey! Where is he going?" she cried out.
She was ignored.
"Hey! Please tell me where he's going!"
She was ignored again.
"I said please!"
"Sorry, kid. Can't tell you." one of the MPs replied.
"But-but I have to... he... he saw me before any of you, and... and I feel like... like something is... calling me to him!"
The MP calmly turned to her, kneeling so he was at eye level.
"Look. If you haven't noticed, we're kind of in the middle of an emergency. Until we know more about you, we can't have you running around. Meanwhile, he has work to do, and he can't stay here."
"But he could die!"
The MP said nothing. Nodding before stepping away again.
The girl looked behind her, eyeing her restraints with disdain before looking at the helicopter's closing doors, an animal about to eat its prey. Her jaw clenched and her eyes grew wide and panicked.
She said "I don't know what's going on... but I can't leave him alone, okay?!"
I can't leave him alone... if they couldn't touch me before then... then...
She sucked in a deep breath, seemingly on instinct.
The MP turned and said, "Look, kid, I-"
He blinked.
She was gone, the zip tie they had used to tie her up falling uselessly to the floor.
Adriatic Sea
"Any news?" the man in uniform asked in very good English, rubbing his neck, two soldiers flanked him, the Italian flags on their ashen uniforms somewhat discolored from the day's fighting.
The British crewman only sighed, as if ashamed he only had bad news.
"Unfortunately, we haven't heard any word from your men still in Venice. My apologies, captain."
The Italian captain only shook his head, glancing at the black sea around them, peppered by other ships accompanying them in their retreat.
"Uh... we do have some good news. Sicily is still standing, and-"
"We know Sicily still stands... we've known for the last half-hour, it's all over the news, and-"
"Y-yes, but a Destroyer gave us more good news! The bridge managed to get in contact with a British destroyer that's going to escort us and offer protection. We've heard that some parts of southern Europe have yet to fall or be attacked, so we're currently discussing with other ships where to go to take the wounded."
The captain sighed, saying "Good... That's good."
The British crewman noted the almost defeated and despondent expressions on the soldiers. He said, "The wounded are also doing quite well from what I hear."
The captain only said, "Under the circumstances."
"Yes... it's important to look on the bright side right now, is it not?"
The captain only glanced at the sea around them.
"Uh... I'll inform you once we-"
"Don't worry... we synched up our radios so you won't have to deal with us."
"Oh, it's no problem at all. We all have to stick together do we not?"
The captain nodded, but said nothing, turning around and walking away, his men trailing behind him, rifles at the ready.
"Well, you can't blame them for being so quiet..."
He glanced at the approaching fellow crewmate, saying "I suppose. We're all just human in the end."
She said, "Captain say anything else?"
"Not much. Non-essentials are and should remain in their quarters, crew and essential personnel must remain in pairs, four if possible but... we're stretched quite thin as it is, even with the police and soldiers stowed away."
"Stowed away, Sully? Stowed away?"
"Apologies, but what word would you prefer?"
"Uh... hmm... well, not 'stowaway'... sounds wrong."
"Hmm, fair enough... What about you? Any word from Spain?"
"Nothing. I'd rather not think about it right now if that's alright."
He nodded, saying "Right, what about the other crew? How are they dealing with... everything?"
Her lip twitched slightly and she was going to answer when they heard a splash by the ship's side. He froze, noting that it was different from the sound of waves crashing against the ship or into each other.
"Oh, good God, did someone jump overboard?!" he yelled, turning around and grabbing his radio.
He didn't get the chance to react as a girl appeared over the railing and landed in front of him, placing a hand on his chest. He froze a split second that felt like an eternity as he realized what he was staring at. He dropped his radio, raising his hands as he attempted to plea.
"Wait-"
She ignored him.
The captain and his soldiers froze at the brief scream and explosion before whirling around and looking wide-eyed at the scene on the deck.
"S-sully?"
He heard the other crewmate whimper, seeing her taking a step back from the bloody mess of dark sludge ahead of her, barely lit by the ship's lights that revealed the intruder.
"Get outta there!" he yelled, he and his men raising their ARX160s, orders to engage not necessary at this point.
She managed to whirl around, the pale girl turning to the soldiers as 5.56 NATO rounds began to fly in her direction at a speed of 3,100 feet per second. She vanished before they reached her, the bullets flying past where she'd been standing just seconds prior.
The captain had his hand on his radio and barked the order as fast as he could.
"Contact on the main deck! I say again, contact on the main deck!"
Then the man to his right exploded, his rifle falling uselessly to the floor in a bloody mess. The Captain and the second soldier were thrown to the floor by the explosion's shockwave the girl having materialized behind them.
...
Calvin glared at the wall, trying not to lose his mind due to the laughter in the room, the dark-haired girl, potentially, probably being a ghost of some kind as she could remember things his grandfather had witnessed as if the world wasn't burning around them.
All while the news continued to blare in the background of the room to remind them that the world was, indeed, burning around them.
"And when the sergeant Howard thought Johnny's hairbrush was booby-trapped?"
His grandfather laughed, saying "I had forgotten that!"
"I can't believe you..."
"What? Not everything in Nam was hell. I had a good time in... some parts of that hellhole." The old man chortled and coughed up slightly, before standing up and walking to the table where the M16A1 had been assembled.
As the two apparent veterans relaxed, Calvin finally asked "So... what exactly are you then?"
His grandfather turned to him, saying "Cal, come on, speak nicely to her."
"Grandpa, she's... whatever she is, it's not normal! No offense." He added quickly.
"Oh, I'm with you... I don't get what I am, either, but... it must have something to do with the rifle." The dark-haired girl mused out loud.
As the old man picked up the M16, handing it back to her, he said "Maybe whatever's happening has something to do with this. I don't really care too much. I lost contact with most of the guys after 1977... it's nice to chat with someone who was there... in some form, at least."
He sat back down and muttered "Who knows? Maybe you're my guardian angel."
The girl smiled slightly.
Calvin scratched the back of his head, considering it.
Then a loud crashing sound was heard in the distance, and the three people in the room turned towards the direction the sound had come from on instinct, all of them already recognizing the distant sound of gunfire.
"W-what is-?"
An equally distant but much louder explosion rocked the ship.
The girl stood up.
"Um... Irvin?" she asked.
"Hmm?"
She turned to the old man and asked "I don't suppose your friend gave you any ammunition?"
A shake of the head answered her question.
The girl frowned as the gunfire in the distance appeared to intensify, muttering "Well, there was plenty of soldiers and police on board when we left, I saw them tending to the injured... those rifles they carry... their ammunition is compatible, right? Ammo can't change that much in almost sixty years."
The old man shrugged, saying "Probably... doubt they'd give you any ammunition of course."
She nodded, turning to Calvin as she said "Probably, but... if I can go back so that only you can see me..."
Calvin said, "Can you?"
She shrugged, holding the rifle, saying "I think I can... worth a shot. Maybe I can sneak around, figure out what's happening... maybe help out."
Calvin got up, saying "I... I don't know if that's a good idea. It could be more dangerous, I mean, we don't even know-"
Another explosion caused the ship to shake once more.
The dark-haired girl said "Not exactly an option... stay safe, thanks for... helping me here... Irvin... Calvin..."
She shut her eyes tight, and after a second, the air around them changed slightly, as if something that had been there suddenly wasn't.
She locked eyes with Calvin and smiled reassuringly.
His grandfather sighed, mumbling "Can you still see her?"
He nodded.
"Thanks... I'll try to be back soon." the girl grinned, and ran off, moving through the door like a ghost.
After a moment, the old man smiled slightly, saying "Then maybe she's your guardian angel."
…
The Berreta AR70 fired a single 5.56 round that went wild, flying off into the ocean, the police officer going down in a mess of blood as the two spirits inspected the now very on-fire front bow of the ship.
Despite appearing near identical, one had yellow eyes, and she kept staring with confusion at the colorfully decorated pool and luxurious objects like quality towels, fancy glasses, ornaments that made it clear the ship had cost a lot to build. The bright colors contrasted terribly with their all-black dresses, and knowing such thoughts would only distract from the mission, she decided to push any thoughts aside and focus on the current objective.
Locate the leaders of this fleet.
She turned to the other girl; her purple eyes unblinking as the fire failed to spread like some kind of emergency measures caused small showers of water to fall on the ground around them.
The purple-eyed girl mumbled, "More enemies ahead, though it seems most of them are unarmed and cowering inside... they're trying to barricade the entrance."
Yellow Eyes nodded and pressed on, asking "Have you located the bridge?"
"I believe it is that tower up ahead, with the windows reaching to the sides."
"We could just go right for it."
"With all these enemies around... that may not work, even if they don't see us, they may try to sabotage us from outside; prevent the ship from functioning."
"True. Then we'll fight our way towards..."
She paused.
Quickly turning to look behind her, she maintained an unblinking glare as she watched the flames on the ship.
"Nymogen, do you see any humans left behind us?"
The girl with purple eyes turned and looked around, the eyes glowing slightly as she did so.
"No... none at the moment."
The girl with yellow eyes remained silent.
She slowly raised her left arm and an explosion lifted wood and metal from the deck's floor, extinguishing the flames and leaving a hole in the ship.
She frowned, saying "Keep an eye out... something feels off."
"I feel it, too... should we stop the mission?"
"No... no, not yet. Move."
With that, they walked ahead.
The dark-haired girl only clutched the M16, unsure of how the girl had sensed her, but if it had something to do with the supernatural nature of the current situation, she didn't have time to think about it.
She moved awkwardly through the deck's floor, unsure of how exactly she was able to climb on it when she wasn't exactly physical, she just knew it felt proper in a strange way as if thinking she could walk on it allowed her to do it. She glanced at the fallen soldier, the man had a massive wound on his neck that had been seared, leaving burnt flesh and skin, where bones hadn't been exposed or shattered. Several other bodies littered the deck, some soldiers, some police.
She ignored the gore, focusing on her mission, though another thought interrupted that.
I didn't see them carrying any weapons... how did they do this?
She then noticed the officer's vest had a magazine on it.
Glancing behind her, hearing sudden screams and more gunfire, in a nervous voice, she turned to the fallen and said "Sorry, officer... I promise I'll do what I can..."
She took a deep breath and suddenly found herself able to feel physical weight again. She grabbed the unused magazine and quickly began moving ammunition into her 20-round magazine, half eyeing the police vest and wondering if it might help her. It wasn't burnt or damaged, but at the moment she doubted it would defend her much.
No... speed is key right now... whatever they are...
She inserted the now-loaded magazine into the rifle and silently said "Lord, please let these bullets work... Amen."
Not twenty meters away, the scene was only pure chaos.
"Fall back, God damn it!" the Italian captain yelled, firing a burst before ducking into another room, pushing another crewmember ahead of him, glaring as several of the men under his command didn't hear him.
The remaining Italian police and soldiers were firing what weapons they had, the ship's crew desperately trying to pull the wounded away from approaching girls that killed anyone they saw.
The one with yellow eyes lifted her hand and an explosion rocked the room, a woman screaming as debris and glass fell on her, a crewmate barely pulling her out onto the next room.
Another soldier fired his ARX160 then, catching the yellow-eyed girl in the waist.
She yelped, falling to a knee.
"Mercurows!" the girl named Nimogen exclaimed.
With a breath, both girls seemed to vanish. The crushed bullet was pulled out as the yellow-eyed girl got an irritated glimmer in her golden eyes as she stood back up, glaring at the man responsible. The enemy that shot her winced, confused, before moving back behind cover, having lost sight of the girls, the other soldiers equally confused.
Taking advantage of the lull in the firing, she turned and spoke, "I'm fine... just a graze... let's handle their soldiers and find the ship's captain." she finished as she began to calmly walk over to the officer, standing next to him as the man eyed every direction, unable to see her.
For the briefest second, she glared at him with hate. Then she put a hand on his vest, her body gaining a physical form as she did so, the officer barely able to react.
The girl named Nimogen saw the corpse fly onto the floor, covering the expensive furniture in blood. Another round flew through her, not hitting her as she didn't have a physical form and shouldn't be seen, but it was curious how these men kept firing, sometimes guessing correctly where they were. Law of averages, it seemed.
Ultimately, that was the danger of being a spirit. If the enemy guessed where you'd manifest again, and they got lucky...
She lifted her arm for a moment, locating the two officers, one who used a handgun, another who used a larger rifle. She allowed herself to physically manifest once again and both men were blown away, but she frowned realizing one was still alive as she could see his still-beating heart. Mercurows quickly corrected her mistake, crushing the man's chest under her foot. Nimogen nodded and began searching for any survivors who hadn't immediately fled.
The other enemies were seemingly unarmed, all trying to get away except...
"Mercurows... two enemies, behind that couch there."
The dark-haired girl saw the turned-over couch and moved towards it. She heard the shaky breaths before seeing the young girl holding a child. As soon as she was upon them, the girl was quick to pull the small boy behind her.
The woman stood up, screaming "Wait! Please! No-"
"Silence." came the irritated reply as smoke continued to fill the deck.
The teary-eyed woman only barely managed to follow the order, the child was visibly frozen in fear, his watery eyes looking at her in an unblinking terror. The bandage covering his hands marked him as a nonthreat.
Mercurows studied the woman's clothes, noting that it appeared to be a uniform of some kind, and asked "Are you part of this ship's crew?"
Still shaking and struggling to breathe, the woman said "Y-yes."
"Where is your captain?"
"I-I... he is... upstairs. In the bridge..."
Such a massive ship... ugh...
"And this ship is the one leading this retreating fleet?"
"Huh?"
"This is the flagship, no?"
"I... n-no... we are all just... trying to get away... we were treating the injured here-"
"Then who is leading the fleet?"
"Lead-? No one, we-" the woman eyed one of the splattered corpses.
Mercurows didn't care, saying "We have orders to bring you back. We know there is fighting in that island to the south and we know that's where you're all heading... we cannot allow you to regroup with the rest of the enemy, understood? If you help us, we can guarantee that no one else will die in this-"
That was as far as she got.
-Crack!-
The woman only screamed as Mercurows fell to the floor, a hole on the side of her head where the 5.56 NATO round had penetrated; the main indication she had been killed with a single bullet.
Nimogen was visibly startled for the first time in a long time, whirling around only to freeze in place as her eyes locked onto another dark-haired girl holding a black rifle, a cold and uncaring glare in her eyes as she then pointed it at her. Nimogen swallowed and quickly lost her physical form, but to her shock, the girl was able to track her and fire, the bullet harmlessly whizzing through her as she moved but it was then and only then that a realization hit her.
"An enemy spirit?! Here?!" she shouted to herself, suddenly losing her cool and raising her hand.
"Run!" the dark-haired girl yelled at the woman, quickly running behind cover, as an explosion rocked the floor behind her. The woman quickly complied, picking up the child and rushing out of the hall.
Nimogen yelled "Who are you?! Why are you doing this?!"
The nameless dark-haired girl only said, "I think I can say the same about you!"
"You killed my sister!"
The girl checked the M16's magazine, saying "You attacked this ship! What-?"
Sensing something, she quickly ran out of cover just as the floor she was standing on erupted into a dusty explosion that sent wood and metal flying at her. On instinct, she sucked in a breath, and the shrapnel flew through her without causing any harm.
Okay... okay, this can work... I can do this!
She ran across the deck, sucking in another breath and once more feeling the floor under her feet, looking for her target, she saw the girl now phasing behind a wall.
"Get back here!"
She stopped running then, realizing her mistake.
The ship's wall exploded and flew right at her too quick to react this time. The nameless girl screamed in pain as the debris knocked her to the floor, the rifle sliding away.
Nimogen quickly raised her other hand, realization hitting her.
You've only recently found an anchor... good!
The girl screamed again, forcing herself up before the explosion sent her flying.
"Damn it..." she muttered, grabbing the M16 and taking a breath.
"Your powers haven't developed yet! If you surrender right now I can help you!"
She paused for a moment.
Powers?
She knew she could simply "cease" to be and suddenly move through walls while holding her weapon. Still, she wasn't stupid enough to just surrender to someone who knew she was currently weaker. The glare the other girl had given her was not one of arrogant contempt, it was one of pure hatred and intent to kill, her mind briefly shooting back to a dark jungle where muzzle flashes briefly allowed her to see the same hateful glare of an attacker trying to reach... someone else?
Her?
She had to force the thought aside as she moved behind a shattered table that would provide absolutely no cover, but she hoped could at least conceal her long enough to take a breath and sneak under the floor as she'd done prior, the other girl not attacking yet.
Now able to concentrate, she took a deep breath and quickly sank under the wooden floor beneath her, the sound of burning flames dissipating along with the smell of smoke. She found herself on the level below, a few now empty shops and an art gallery around her. She quickly checked her magazine, worried as the ship was now silent and she knew the enemy could easily follow her.
10 rounds left... damn...
She glanced above her, noting the attacker here could do the same as her, her bullets going uselessly through when the enemy "shifted" or "ceased" or whatever she could call it, but there was also clearly a chance to hurt them when they weren't in that non-physical form. The other one was dead, without question, so the other surely could be killed.
Feeling a chill up her spine, she gasped then and barely managed to move out of the way of the ball of fire that shot through the ship's structure.
Nimogen's figure materialized out of the smoke, wordlessly lifting another hand and sending the dark-haired girl flying out of one of the shattered windows, the force shattering the safety tampered glass with ease, also breaking several of her bones as she went crashing into the railing of the ship, the rifle sliding across the floor, her white dressed half burnt, a lot of her exposed skin charred.
Nimogen approached her, seeing the girl was still breathing, picked her up by her darker hair, lifting her so her eyes were level with hers, and said "Your anchor. Where is he?"
She shakily opened her eyes and despite her pained expression, she managed to smile as she said "I... really... wish I could tell you..."
"Who gave you that weapon?"
"An old man... but... what's an anchor?"
"You killed my sister even though you have no idea what's happening?"
Wheezing as she took a breath, she said "No... no, I killed your sister because you were killing civilians."
The girl was unconcerned by the accusation, calmly saying "We only killed enemy soldiers. If civilians got in the way, their safety is secondary to our mission. My sister was interrogating those civilians, so now I have to interrogate you. Who is your leader?"
Knowing she wasn't in a position to argue, she said "I... suppose his name was Abrams? That's the name I heard... back then."
"Word games? I don't mean the leader from the time when your weapon's memories formed, I mean the person who ordered you to attack us."
The dark-haired girl glanced at the rifle, then back at the girl holding her by the hair.
"Sorry, I guess you'll just have to kill me."
Nimogen glanced at the black rifle, the one that killed her sister. She read the inscriptions on the weapon, then turned back to her.
"Understood... Colt M16A1..."
She grabbed the dark-haired girl's face.
The girl that Nimogen had now named M16A1 whimpered as she felt the girl's hands begin heating up rapidly, and she shakily prepared herself for death. Memories of other soldiers wounded and dying in a dirty jungle were filling her head. She closed her right eye as her skin began to burn, using her left to glare at the girl in front of her.
Nimogen began to intentionally burn the girl away as slowly as possible with her ability, angry at the girl who had killed her sister and more than happy to make her final moments as painful as she possibly could. With this spirit gone, she could focus on taking control of the enemy fleet and force it back to the shores where her commander would welcome her. She wasn't sure what he would tell her for losing her sister, but perhaps, one could hope, this would bring them together. Perhaps, in some way, good could come from the situation she was in. Either way, the girl attached to an M16A1 would die. That was the one thing Nimogen was sure of.
Then her head was decapitated by a four-inched round fired by a MK 4 naval gun from ten kilometers away, the area around them erupting into a larger explosion that rocked the ship to its core.
Vancouver, Canada
The street was eerily empty as the United States Army Rangers moved through it. The sound of distant gunfire, familiar and unknown, was ever-present as they walked through the smoke-filled street. Cars remained abandoned
Kaz maintained his silent frustration, moving along in full MOPP gear, vision obscured, movement limited.
Easy... no problem... trained for this.
The Rangers got to the defense line if it could be called that.
There were Police cars and armored vans had been pressed together, blocking the street, some officers with bloodied bandages around particular injuries, but a few men in CBRN suits, rifles in hand. None fired their weapons as a rifle cracked in the distance, a single round slamming into one of the armored vans a second later.
An officer with an AR-15 glanced at them, somehow seeing despite his foggy gas mask as he silently waved them over before tapping a man in a green CBRN suit on the shoulder. The Canadian reservist turned around and stood up as the Rangers walked over.
"Hey... 75th Rangers?"
Kaz's kept his eyes on the surrounding buildings as Lieutenant York confirmed their identifications, other Rangers moving to watch the towering buildings above for any sign of the as-of-yet unknown enemy.
The Canadian said "There's about a dozen of them due north, down the street, about 700 meters... they take potshots at us, but haven't pushed forward yet... they tried dropping some of those gas bombs... up ahead... I don't think it's a nerve agent, but... it's taking its toll on the injured..."
"F-15s should take care of any incoming aerial attack. Apaches are also providing support... err... need a medevac?"
One officer, a younger one with an older but clearly still functioning gas mask asked "Not for us. You guys are going to get the civilians out first, right? Cause there's a lot of them in the-"
"Not our mission, unfortunately... right now we have to clear the enemy out of Vancouver."
"W-what about the civilians? We can't just leave them here. Hasn't the rest of the CAF-?"
Kaz didn't bother hiding his disdain as no one would notice.
Now's not the time...
York said, "We have no news to give you other than we're facing multiple invasions... Vancouver is one of the few places we have coms with north of our border, and I doubt I need to tell you what happens if we lose the city. Get your injured out of here if you can walk, otherwise, we'll get a medevac for your officers."
"Multiple invasions?" came the exasperated gasp from another officer, the man's face half-burnt.
Kaz felt his eyes shut tightly at the terror behind the words.
The world had been changed, permanently by the looks of it, and without any real rhyme or reason. He instead chose to focus on scanning the buildings above, if anything to distract himself and help secure the perimeter, staring down the Elcan sight on his M4.
Then he heard the voice in the distance.
"Found... you!"
He was startled when he turned around to see the blonde girl in a white dress from before running out of the smoke, grinning childishly as she simply ran through the obstacles around the street. Smoke, cars, Rangers, all ignoring her as she phased through them.
No... no-no-no- she's not here. Not possible. Just-
He shook his head, closed, and then opened his eyes, but the girl continued running closer, now smiling sweetly as she spoke, stopping near him, grinning. He could only stare at her in disbelief.
Staring at her, instead of keeping an eye out.
In a combat environment.
"I think there's some kind of link between you and me... it's almost like... it's like you're calling to me, you know?"
No!
"Right, boys, we have Apaches en route to clear out the enemy position up ahead. We keep our heads low in case they try throwing more gas. Our birds also located some armor so-"
"El-tee!"
"Yeah?"
"The girl is back... she's right here..." he said.
"What-? Don't ignore me!" she protested.
"What? Where?" York asked.
"She's right in front of me, el-tee!"
"I am right in front of you! Ugh! Why can't anyone else see me when I'm all... what's the word? Ghostly? Ghost... like? Hmm... am I a ghost of some kind? No, that doesn't make sense... does it?"
"The same one from earlier?"
"Yes, el-tee."
"God- just... just give me a minute..."
The girl frowned and crossed her arms, saying "I'm not letting them tie me up again."
He noticed the limping figures of the injured police, some gave him a side glance as if wondering what was wrong with him.
The girl seemed to notice his distress, saying "Hey, look, I want to help, that's why I'm here, so..."
"Woz, can you... I dunno, grab her?"
He turned to York.
"We can't exactly have her running around. We're clearing a city street for Christ's sake."
One of the Canadians asked, "Everything okay?"
Machine gun fire stopped the question as bullets slammed into the vehicles, sparks flying.
"Damn it! Just... keep her out of the way. I don't know!" York said, ducking down, and turning to his radio.
Externally, Woz nodded.
Internally, Woz screamed.
Huffing yet again, the girl said "Seriously why can't they see me? Ugh... let me try this again..."
Woz felt the air change before he noticed how she shifted ever so slightly in place as if she suddenly had weight, her white dress now moving with the wind and smoke and her long hair flowing in the breeze, all eyes turning to her sudden appearance in the middle of the ravaged street. Then she got a distressed look in her red eyes as she covered her mouth and began coughing.
Oh no...
"Don't breathe in the air! There are toxic fumes!"
She suddenly sucked in a deep breath, Kaz noticing the girl appeared to return to whatever state she was in that hid her from everyone but himself, the others staring in wide-eyed shock at the area she had been in.
She shuddered, muttering "That... would have been... nice to know... before... heh... though now that I can breathe again, it raises more questions... doesn't it?"
York stared at the place she'd appeared in, stunned silent.
No one spoke as another burst of enemy automatic fire slammed into their cover.
"Is... she still there?" York finally asked.
He nodded, pointing at her.
"Can't anyone else see her?" he asked, only getting uncertain replies.
His lieutenant only groaned, saying "I don't think we have time to consider those implications right now... if she can stay out of the way, then tell her to stay out of the way. Apaches are two minutes out. They're gonna clear that position up ahead and we will push forward."
The girl glanced at the man and yelled "I want to help!"
Kaz cringed at the girl's childish demand. Did she not understand what she was demanding? As for him, just what was he supposed to do, ignore her?
Is this what schizophrenics feel every day? No... can't because everyone around me can see she's real... damn it all.
She turned to him then and yelled back "Tell him I want to help!"
Well, that's one option.
"I... El-tee, she says she wants to help out."
The man glanced at him, asking "What the hell can she do? She has no weapon, and our birds are already providing support."
"Give me a gun, I can sneak past and flank them! No need to waste the heavier stuff." She said.
The lieutenant, while he couldn't have heard her, immediately addressed the point, saying "And assuming we give her a weapon that she conveniently knows how to operate, and send her out behind the enemy... there's too many of them and it would just be a suicide mission because she would eventually get hit and we can't get to her. We're already going to blow them up, no need for her to intervene."
Then, turning to where Kaz had said she was, he said "If you're there and if you can hear me...Stay out of the way! This is a warzone, not a playground."
The girl stared at the officer as the man turned to say something on the radio, a shot going off and another round shattered one of the car's windows, flying harmlessly through her. She stiffened for a second, hands balled into fists, and she quickly began looking around. Off in the distance, she could faintly hear the chaos of gunfights, and her mind began to race to come up with some way to assist.
Wait, why should I? I barely know these people...
She glanced at the M4 the Ranger, Wozniak, was holding, her eyes twinkling ever so slightly with faint, uncertain memories. She took a final glance around and settled on what she was going to do. Sucking in a breath, she materialized again, getting the attention of the soldiers around her again, but she didn't wait.
Kaz only felt her hands when she shoved him back, grabbing a hold of the rifle. The sling kept it attached to Kaz, a problem the girl quickly noticed but had an idea on how to solve.
"Sorry!" she said as fast as she could, and then dematerialized again, the M4 vanishing with her.
No one spoke at the realization that the girl had effectively stolen the M4 without so much as a struggle becoming visible and vanishing in less than a second.
"Damn it! Private, where is she?!"
Kaz was only looking behind him, past the police line.
"El-tee, she's charging at the enemy!" he said, not mentioning the girl was yelling something as she ran off at top speeds.
The man shut his eyes tightly before opening them again, groaning as he reached for his sidearm and handed it to him, saying "Damn it, here... carry a backup next time."
Kaz took the Glock 19.
Seconds later, rifle fire started up.
Faint screams of a girl shouting "Die!" were heard alongside gunfire from the enemy rifles and the distinct crack of an M4.
"What is she...? God damn it..." then, turning to his Tactical Air Control Party, said, "Hold on the Apaches..."
...
The girl lunged at the man, the strange soldier getting off a shot before she dematerialized, the bullet going uselessly through her as she just as quickly materialized once more and slammed the barrel of the M4 into the man's eye, earning a panicked scream before she squeezed the trigger and immediately went back into her dematerialized state with a breath, whirling around and selecting yet another target, this one fired a shot, the round flying past her hair before she squeezed the trigger on the M4, sending a single 5.56 NATO round going into the man's head, dematerializing immediately as she saw the round impact, causing someone she hadn't even sensed to fall over as they tried tackling her. It was almost a dance. Breathe, kill, breathe, kill. Her white dress felt heavier as it grew stained with dark red blood due to the proximity of the fighting, but it was exclusively enemy blood.
Not a problem...
Immediately upon seeing what was happening, one particular young man yelled "Fall back!"
Then the enemy soldiers started running, scrambling to get away from the area they had fortified just recently. She wasn't going to let them get away.
Don't waste shots... take the position before they... this should be more defensible, yeah? And it will impress them, too, yeah? Yeah!
She grinned seeing more men flee, firing off another shot, a man falling to the ground, followed by another shot and another body crumpling to the ground. She then noticed that one of the men had stuck somewhat behind, running to a box that she recognized as a radio, albeit she wasn't sure how she recognized it as such. It was just similar enough to the boxes she had seen before.
It mattered not.
She rushed over to him, noticing that no one was shooting her as she hastily approached him.
"Spirit! Spirit! The enemy has a spirit!" he yelled over the line.
She noticed then that the men had all retreated, none firing at her anymore or bothering to look back. Her smile widened, noticing the soldier hadn't seemed to realize what she had.
Oh-ho! You're all alone!
She aimed and fired at the radio, destroying the box with one quick burst of automatic fire, every bullet hitting its mark, the man recoiling to the floor. Tilting her head slightly and flashing a toothy grin, she said "Well, well, well... somebody speaks English! That makes this easier."
The man stood up in a defensive stance despite being unarmed, the rifle having been placed at arm's length, and no matter how fast the man was, bullets were faster, which both of them knew.
She stabilized the rifle she was carrying and said "Alright, what'll it be? You want to surrender?"
"Surrender? They'll kill me!"
"I'll kill you deader... that's a word, right?"
"W-why are you helping the enemy?"
"Why shouldn't I? Now hurry up, I want to give the all-clear so that we can take this position and kill whatever armor is coming down the street."
The man only stared at her.
She noticed it was an odd uniform. He stood out, his rifle appeared ancient and worn, and his helmet looked almost cheap and barely maintained.
The man raised his hands after a moment.
"I surrender... please... please don't kill me."
She grinned, lowering the rifle and hopping onto a turned-over car.
"Hey! Hey! Come over here! I took the position! I took the position!" she yelled with almost childish glee, an almost innocent grin on her face as she called.
Kaz paused, staring.
"Hey... you guys are seeing this too, right?" he managed.
From the other end of the street, she yelled "I even caught a prisoner! It's all clear come on!"
Jets screamed as they flew above her and into presumably enemy territory, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters not too far behind as they approached the area, the girl only waving at them like a child welcoming a family member home.
Vancouver, Canada
6:37 PM
The sun was beginning to dip as the city of Vancouver was officially "cleared" and friendly military forces began to move in. Civilians still in the city were quietly awaiting extraction in the docks, many listening to portable radios or on their still functioning cell phones as Blackhawks and Chinooks continued bringing men in and taking civilians out, the Coast Guard ships visible out in the bay.
Kaz listened to the officers discussing the available information from where he sat, enjoying the absence of distant gunfire despite the situation.
"Looks like they're pulling back to the mountains up north..." an officer with the maple flag on his sleeves sighed, staring at the images from satellites or drones, Kaz wasn't sure.
What he was sure of was that the girl next to him was a problem child. Said problem child was sitting around, blissfully ignorant as she sat on some rubble, kicking at the air like a bored child, watching the ocean. She would look like an innocent child if her white dress wasn't stained with now blackened and dried blood and her face wasn't darkened by smoke and ash. She appeared rather unsure of herself, her eyes staring off into space, studying everything around her.
A lost puppy...
He moved over, gripping his M4, saying "So... you really have no idea where you're from or... what you are?"
She glanced at him, her smile shrinking away in embarrassment as she said "I wish I could answer that... I keep seeing vague flashes of some kind of memory... but I can't make sense of it. Maybe I'm a ghost-like that guy we caught said."
"We?"
"Am I not part of your team now? Come on, didn't you see all I did with that outpost?! Those guys weren't able to shoot me even at point-blank range! Point blank range Wozniack! Point blank-"
"I-I did... I did, and believe me, we... appreciate it... but you're not technically part of any team right now. Honestly, awesome as that was... you kind of make me nervous."
She hugged her knees, muttering "Figures... I try helping you out and this is what I get... It's like everyone's mad at me."
"Hey, no offense but our world went from kind of messed up to FUBAR in a split-second today... Have you heard any news? It's like... most of the planet just vanished overnight and... we're just picking up what we can..."
"Well, yeah, but... it's not like you can do much about it other than mope around... and you're not really moping around."
Kaz frowned, saying "Yeah, I have a job to do..."
"A job I made easier! And now I'm part of that job whether your commanders want it or not, so..." she concluded by sticking her tongue out and making a face.
Kaz huffed, asking "Why are you following me?"
Her face lowered then.
She shrugged, saying "I feel like... it's weird... like I'm following a road, and it sort of leads to you? Like I said, it's almost like we're linked... not sure why."
"But... that doesn't make any sense. Why me? Why you? Who decided that? Is this just a random... occurrence?"
The girl only shrugged.
He noticed she shivered slightly as she did so, the white dress not exactly being the pinnacle of warm clothing.
He asked, "You cold?"
She perked up, saying "I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much!"
With a shrug, Kaz took off his ruck, placing it on the ground as he began to rummage through it.
"What are you doing?"
"We'll probably get you some better clothes once things relax a little more, until then try not to freeze to death." He said, grabbing a blanket and placing it over her shoulders.
As he did, he said, "Look... you killed people..."
"I killed seven enemies." She emphasized, snuggling into the warm thermal blanket.
"Right... you still killed them... you're good at killing, that's fine... but if you're somehow linked to me, then we're going to have to work together, and we do need to execute these sorts of thing properly, not just charge in and kill."
She stared at him for a second, clutching the blanket tightly.
He continued, "So... until circumstances change, you do as I say. I'll be your... superior, I guess."
"What about your commanding officer?"
"Chain of command. He orders me, I order you. You stay out of the way unless asked not to. Understood?"
She pouted slightly but didn't argue, noting that there was a degree of fear in his eyes.
"Understood?"
"Yes, sir..." she said with a sigh.
"Good. Don't call me sir, just... just affirmatives or negatives. Woz is fine."
"Um... Alright... Woz..."
"Good... now... what do we call you?"
Adriatic Sea
The sun was slowly rising when she was able to open her eye. She winced, realizing her field of vision was off, and tried to sit up.
"Woah, easy, easy! Doc, she's awake!" a familiar voice called, two arms quickly moving to her shoulders, keeping her from sitting up.
"Ugh... wait, Calvin, right? Where's Irvin?" she croaked, her voice hoarse and dry.
"Grandpa's, uh... next to you..."
"...where? H-huh?"
She lifted a hand to her face and winced as it made contact with the bandages covering her right eye.
"W-what happened?"
The old man said, "You're a hero, that's all... you stopped those monsters before they could kill everyone on the ship."
"I... did?"
"Yeah... you and the British Navy... you lured the last one outside and it got shelled. Direct hit, too."
"The British Navy? Wait, what the hell happened?" she asked, trying to sit up only to wince in pain.
The doctor and a nurse rushed in, saying in heavily accented English, "No, no, please lay down, lay down. Your injuries were extensive enough."
"I... my injuries... oh..." she groaned, lying back onto the bed, a pained expression on her face.
"You're lucky to be alive. That explosion... it shattered several bones and burnt you pretty bad. We thought you'd be dead when we found you."
The girl was silent for a moment, staring at the ceiling above her.
"What... happened?" she asked.
Irvin said "Miracle."
Calvin said "Pure stupid luck..."
The doctor said "A miracle is the best way to describe it... the captain of the Lagunari Regiment onboard had been communicating with a British Destroyer during the fight, it... it was going to help escort our little fleet to Uvala... it's still there and... safe... Uh... safer than some of the Italian port cities... when those... things attacked, and you intervened, the captain was begging for any aid possible, and when you lured the remaining monster to the west side of the ship... it was right within range of the Destroyer's gun and Captain Ruffo could see what was happening so he... coordinated."
"W-was anyone else killed?" she asked then.
"No, the area had been evacuated... the deck is badly damaged, but at least the ship is still safe... as are the injured... thank you."
She raised a hand, trying to wave him away but wincing at the pain, she lowered it.
The doctor quickly said "Just... just try to relax... we'll be on land soon."
She only let out a tired sigh as the doctor left, Irvin calmly moving closer, saying "You are damned brave for a girl your age and size."
She chortled mumbling "I think I might be older than I look... I remember Nam, don't I?"
Then, as if she had found something, she began to giggle childishly.
Calvin stood there, staring with a dejected expression.
Maybe she's your guardian angel...
He glanced at his phone for a second, more news alerts coming in.
No messages from his parents.
His grandfather was only nodding slowly as the girl's laughter subsided.
"Take a rest, kid." He said.
She nodded and then shifted on the bed, wincing as she attempted to get more comfortable.
She then said "Hey... Cal?"
"Ah?"
"That... thing? The one that attacked the ship? It... it said I was a... she called me a spirit and asked for my anchor... just... something she said."
Calvin nodded slowly.
"Thanks... get some rest, alright?"
She gave him a weak smile and closed her not bandaged eye.
His grandfather stood up and led him past the curtain dividing the girl from the other many wounded on the ship's makeshift hospital. Some were just lying on the floor, some of the British medical personnel from the Destroyer attending where possible, volunteer nurses, and what few medical personnel had been spared on board moved around them. Most were only somewhat maimed, not priority cases.
Those who were priorities were on cots, some behind curtains, likely just barely alive.
A grown man was heard bawling from behind a nearby
He put his arm on his shoulder and said "Can't let her get hurt like that again..."
"I know... I didn't think she could, I..."
"None of us did, maybe not even her. She still managed to save a lot of people, and... let's be real here, she's linked to you in some way. Not me, you... Tough as it may sound, you have to be responsible for her."
Calvin didn't argue, nodding slowly. Two armed officers were standing with their rifles slung, guarding the bed of the girl who'd saved many of them.
"What's happening now... what you do now... that's what matters. Just keep in mind your choice will affect her, too."
"Yeah..."
They both stayed silent for a moment, unsure of what to say.
Calvin finally said "How are we going to get home? We were supposed to get our flights at the Marco Polo... today..."
"Eh... I can probably talk to the officers once we get back, maybe they can arrange something. We're carrying a hero back there after all."
"Yeah... the question then is... how long until we get there?"
"We'll worry about that."
The two turned to look at the British and Italian officers, a girl walking barely in step with one of the British Marines.
"Mister De Luca?" the British officer called.
Both Calvin and Irvin said "Yes?"
The Italian captain sighed, saying "Yup. That's them."
"Thank you..." the British officer sighed, walking ahead and shaking Irvin's hand.
"Corporal Keys, Royal Marines... I take it one of you has encountered a similar phenomenon?"
"Uh... you mean the girl?" Irvin asked, glancing at Calvin.
"Indeed, sir."
Calvin noticed the girl behind one of the Marines appeared out of place.
He pointed to her and asked, "She with you?"
"You see her?" the marine she was behind asked quickly.
"Yeah."
The corporal said "Ah-ha... and you could see the girl that fought here on the ship? Defending it?"
"Yes, sir."
The girl then said "Ah! Then that must mean something! Right?"
Calvin ignored her, asking "This... So other people are encountering girls like this?"
The Corporal asked, "We've had some communications that suggest that is the case."
They fell silent then.
The corporal then lowered his voice to a whisper and said "We are in contact with an aircraft to take you home. Whatever is happening... you're part of it... and your people are going to want you back home."
Calvin nodded slowly but turned to the British Marine again.
"Uh... can I ask you what gun you use?"
The man said "An L85A2. You have a gun, too?"
He said "An M16..."
"Huh... interesting." both the Marine and the girl said.
Corporal Keys then said "Perhaps we should discuss it over lunch? You're still going to have to be here a while."
"Yeah... uh... do we know how long we'll have to wait?"
February 5th, 2017
Montana, USA
6:59 PM
Derrick O'Neal walked into the hospital, a Humvee driving off as he entered the building, the two visibly armed girls looking curiously at the hospital environment, noting the military personnel and that most of the staff was still tuned into the television, the news showing a city on fire, the headline reading "Destruction of Venice continues".
The girl he was now growing used to calling M4 turned away from the carnage seen on the television and spoke quietly.
"They said the room was... it was room three-oh-four, right?"
Shoving both hands in his jacket's pockets, Derrick quietly whispered "Yeah."
M4 nodded, keeping in step with him, no one noticing her let alone the fact she was carrying an assault rifle on her back, although the National Guardsmen eyeing Derrick did appear to know who was walking in.
If they didn't, the second the 16-year-old placed his identification on the counter they most certainly did.
The young man at the counter mumbled "Hmm... VIP... what do you do?"
Derrick said, "I can't exactly tell you, now, can I?"
"I suppose... go on up. Third floor, right on the left side. Sign here please."
Derrick took the pen and paper and began signing the attendance sheet.
As he did this, 1911 walked through the counter and peered over the man's computer before chuckling, M4 tugged at her hair and dragged her back through the counter.
"Ow! Come on! This is funny!"
"What's funny?"
The blonde pointed to the computer, saying "The comics on the screen. Made me laugh!"
M4 glanced at the computer as Derrick began walking away, seeing the soldier indeed had a comic on the screen. The top panel showed sad looking frog on the screen while a city burned. The second panel had the frog appearing happy about not having to pay taxes.
She raised an eyebrow.
"I don't get it."
"I just think it looks funny."
Derrick cleared his throat.
M4 sighed, saying "Come on..."
"Yeah..."
Once in the elevator, M1911 asked "So... um... how do you think he'll take it?"
Derrick shrugged.
"He hid that we had mom's service weapon... I don't know how he'll react to that let alone... well... you two existing."
"Just say we're angels. It sounds nicer." She replied.
"Yeah, until he asks to see your wings..."
"At this point, we might as well get some kind of wings..." 1911 mused.
M4 seemed intrigued by the idea, pensively looking at her back as if measuring how she would handle wings but said nothing.
The elevator doors opened then to a relatively busy hallway, soldiers and civilians being moved around, some on wheelchairs, the flickering lights above only added to the clinical setting as people were both tense and more relaxed than the previous week.
Derrick quietly whispered "Don't make a scene, alright? Let's go."
The girls nodded an affirmative and followed him as he walked over to Room 304, identified by black and faded numbers on its door. Before he could knock on it, it was opened by a tired-looking nurse, the older woman only saying "Go ahead inside. He's awake."
"Thank you." He managed, the woman walking off without a word.
Derrick swallowed, almost forgetting there were two girls behind him for a second as he saw the man on the bed, staring at the television with disdain as more news continued to pour in every hour.
He glanced at him and they made eye contact.
Ray O'Neal's eyes widened.
"Derrick." he only said.
The sixteen-year-old cautiously approached and hugged the older man trying not to cause any damage or worsen any injuries.
"D-dad..." he managed.
"Hey... hey... how've you been holding up?"
"I'm fine... I'm... fine..." he said, taking a deep breath before asking "W-what happened?"
The older man huffed, sinking back into the bed, saying "Madness. All of it. We were at the border, expecting a slow day since no one had driven through yet, and... a whole armed convoy just showed up... blindsided... a few of us were wounded, but they didn't kill us... they had this... girl with them... she disappeared and appeared... we couldn't hit her."
Derrick glanced at the girls behind him, both shifted uncomfortably in place.
His father concluded with "They didn't kill all of us... I think they were going to until the state police showed up and they realized something was wrong... seems whoever these people are they didn't expect resistance. Or at least a lot of it."
Derrick nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry." his father said.
"Dad... no, I... I'm alright, you... don't have to worry about me."
"What else am I supposed to do then? Look around you..." he said, motioning towards the news on the television screen.
"What's the estimate now? Practically all the other continental landmasses have... been replaced? Oh, except Australia, thank God! We lose pretty much all of Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, most of North America but at least the continent with snake-eating spiders can stay!"
"It's... uh... it's more than that."
"Of course it is! They're hostile, they attacked us-"
"N-no... dad..."
The older man glanced at him.
Derrick shut his tight before opening them again.
"Dad... why did mom have her M4 at home?"
At that, his father visibly paled as he sat up.
"How did you... find it?"
"...dad, the 25th... something else happened..."
"...yes?"
"Well... alright, I'll tell you first, and then if you don't believe me, I'll show you... okay?"
He nodded.
"Right... well... two girls showed up at home. I had never seen them before, they didn't really know me, but one seemed to... know... about the M4 and the other knew about Grandpa's 1911."
His father raised an eyebrow.
"Um... so... apparently, whatever... caused this... it... it also brought along these... girls... not just to me but a lot of other people... I seem to be some kind of anchor for them. Like... they're also attached to the weapons? The science is a bit... unclear..."
"Anchor?"
"Y-yeah... see, they're right here... you can't see them but they're standing right here. It's like they can dematerialize at will and move around kinda like ghosts... but only I can see them. That's what happened at the border. You were attacked by one of them that works with the enemy."
His father stared at him in uncertain disbelief for a second.
He then said, "And... they're here... right now?"
"Yeah."
"Well... can I see them?"
"Yeah... just... don't freak out."
"Alright."
"You won't freak out?"
"I promise I won't freak out."
"Sure?"
"Derrick."
Derrick turned to the girls and slowly nodded.
Both girls hid the uncertainty on their faces and took a deep breath, M1911 quickly brushing her bangs out of the way, and then both seemingly had weight.
The older man physically winced at the action.
"Oh, Christ... you weren't kidding."
"Yeah..." he sighed.
M4 nervously said "Hello... I... um... I suppose I'm attached to this?" she motioned towards the carbine on her back before stammering as she said, "W-was that an awkward way of putting it?"
1911 shook her head, saying "I think you did about as good as can be expected, right?"
Ray only said "I... don't know... H-hello anyway?"
Derrick sighed, saying "There is no right way of explaining this. It's all... up in the air... supposedly tonight's presidential address may explain some things."
"Ah... w-well... so... have they... you girls... been staying with...?"
"Yes, sir!" they both said, straightening.
"I-I'm M1911A1! I'm... I guess... attached? Attached to-"
"I... I gathered... and you're attached to Claire's..."
"Yes, sir!" M4 quickly said.
"Ah..." he sighed, rubbing his eyes, then saying in a small voice, "She was so insistent on keeping it... said it was owed to her..."
Derrick said "A DHS guy came by last week. Gave them some better clothes and paid me back for the ones I bought them... uh-"
"DHS?"
"Yeah."
"W-what did he say about...?"
"Them?"
"The illegally obtained automatic weapon kept in the home."
"Wasn't interested. Doubt we'll get in trouble given the offer we got."
"Offer?"
"Yeah, uh... Army career... their ability to... basically become ghosts... it has battlefield applications."
The man visibly paled at the words.
"Well, surely they don't need you to sign up."
"They do... anchors... people like me... it seems we have to be nearby in order for their abilities to work properly or at least, better. They can probably go off on their own just fine, but-"
"But that's insane!" he said loudly.
The door handle to the room jiggled and both girls immediately vanished from his sight, 1911 quickly ducking behind the bed, despite Derrick being the only one able to see them.
A nurse stepped in, gave an irritated Shush, and walked on.
Derrick didn't reply, eyeing his father as he covered his face.
"Dad, it's... um... it's a good idea, I think. My grades are fine and all, and... after these last couple of weeks, I don't think there's much of a better career path for me."
"The Army? The Army? Why not Law Enforcement? I'm sure their abilities would work great there!"
M4 glanced down. Sadness in her eyes.
Derrick said "Maybe, but... dad, they're both attached to guns with military history. 1911 remembers grandpa's time in Korea for Christ's sake!"
"Well, forgive me for having reservations about my kid signing up!"
Derrick was taken aback by the anger in his father's words.
"Dad-"
"Without telling me!"
"I couldn't talk to you when I got the offer!"
"So, you just said yes instead of waiting?!"
"Well, what was I supposed to do?!"
"Um... excuse me..."
Both turned to M4, the girl manifesting again, speaking softly and cautiously.
"I convinced him to sign up... both Nine and I... We wanted to fight so... don't be mad at him."
The older man only sighed, saying "I'm not... mad."
No one spoke. The news in the room continued in the background; the tension in the air being the only other distraction for the group.
Finally, he turned back to Derrick and asked "You're behaving, right?"
The 16-year-old frowned, saying "Of course I am."
"That Mexican kid isn't giving you any trouble?"
"No... school's still out. I doubt he or his entourage will try anything anytime soon."
"Alright... I see..." then, turning to the others in the room, he asked, "You girls are basically... human, right?"
"We think so..." M4 replied.
"Good... that's good."
The news switched to an image of the White House, and they fell silent.
Washington D.C
"God damn... noose..." Joshua Wright muttered as he stretched and pulled at his tie.
An older woman slapped the back of his head, sending his long hair over his eyes.
"Ah- why'd you do that for?!"
"Be quiet, for God's sake." the woman sighed.
He gave her a toothy grin, saying "Oh, what are you gonna do? Break my arm? The tie is too damn tight let me loosen it."
In response, his toe was nearly crushed by the girl next to him.
He sucked in a breath, then glared at her, muttering "Y'know, for an Angel you can be a real pain."
"You're in the nation's capital, in the halls of power. Stop acting like an unruly child." came the cold and almost robotic reply.
"Child?" he chortled, adding "You're one to talk."
Noticing the boy's eyes were drifting to her chest, the girl crossed her arms.
The older woman slapped the back of his head again, whispering "Listen, you little prick, I don't care if you're some chosen one or anything like that, but if you keep up that sass when the big man walks through those doors, I am going to personally break your arms."
"Yeah, I'm sure Social Services would love to hear that. Guys, come on, back me up here."
The secret service agents standing across the hall from them said nothing, continuing to stare silently at nothing.
The girl turned, saying "Listen, ass hat, we don't need you messing up this-"
The doors swung open and the girl immediately stood at rigid attention as several people in formal attire walked inside, led by a tall man with blonde hair. Seeing the American president, Joshua blew some hair out of his eyes and laid back against the wall, hands in his pockets.
The woman nervously stepped closer, saying "M-mister president, it's a pleasure!"
The man shook her hand, and said, "Thank you, Miss Wright I appreciate you and your son cooperating with us tonight."
Joshua only nodded at the man.
A different woman with greying hair and cat-like ears on her head stepped closer to the girl, asking "Are... are you...?"
The girl didn't speak, waiting for the woman to finish her question, but instead, the woman only smiled before saying "You are. I know those eyes."
Joshua asked, "Who's that?"
The woman didn't acknowledge him, passing a hand through the top of the girl's head, saying "I'm glad to meet one of you face to face..."
The girl only raised an eyebrow.
The woman turned to Joshua, saying "And you... you're just a common thug. Not sure why you chose him."
"Wait-?"
"I've been asking myself the same thing after reading your thesis... I like to think my I saw something in him before."
"Oh... the ghost scientist." Joshua huffed, keeping his remarks to himself.
The woman said, "There must be some good quality to him."
His mother then said, "I have tried my best, I like to think some of me rubbed off on him."
"As long as they do their job, I think we can overlook any behavioral issues... and arrests."
At the word "arrests" Joshua straightened up.
Now the girl huffed, saying "Changed your tune..."
"Shut up, Cotton Candy."
The girl only frowned at that statement.
The woman with pink hair smirked slightly, saying "Hmm, perhaps you two go along better than anticipated."
"Do we?" they both asked in unison.
The American president only rubbed his eyes, turning to an equally tired White House aide and asking "You have her gear ready, right?"
"Yes, sir..." came the reply from the brunette.
"Alright, let's set it up... we have to go live in... uh... too soon..."
Josh glanced at his mother, who said "Right, try not to cause a scene in front of the entire country, alright?"
"Yes, mom..." he replied.
The pink-haired girl glanced at the other woman.
"Persica... follow me, won't you, Star?"
She only nodded.
Josh watched both girls stroll through the white house wall and out of sight.
The president said, "Can't get used to that, honestly... vanishing is just unnerving."
Josh only said, "It's creepier when you can actually see them walk through walls... sir."
New Jersey
"Set... go!"
Calvin watched the girl as she quickly began to assemble the rifle, his eyes half focused on the living room's TV where a CNN feed was transmitting live from the White House, reporters being the source of any visible movement as they occasionally shifted from one end to another. He was more focused on the girl's still bandaged eye, however. Her sole functioning eye located each piece and slipped it into place as she assembled the M16A1 that, at this point, might as well be her namesake.
"And... done!" she said with a grin.
His grandfather tapped his cell phone and smirked.
"Thirty seconds. Not bad for a crippled vet."
The girl's grin only widened as she said "I bet can still shoot straight."
Calvin said "Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We haven't had the chance to actually check since getting back... honestly, aren't you all tired?"
Both replied with a nonchalant "Nah, not really."
Calvin sunk further into the couch.
His parent's home had been wholly unaffected as they all lived a fair distance from the city, though the New York skyline was still visible from the window. Even then, it did little to hide the abnormality of their living situation. Billions gone, replaced by something else, news of unaffected port cities falling completely as help failed to arrive on time as other port cities were prioritized by what forces were available.
He glanced at the newspaper on the nearby kitchen counter.
The city of Saint John holds off enemy forces. USS Nimitz among American vessels sent to assist retaking of New Brunswick.
The girl placed the rifle down and said "You think they'll let me help in the war effort?"
Calvin said "I doubt it. You're missing an eye."
"Well... it is an emergency. I'd be surprised if the draft wasn't brought back."
Calvin replied "Still, it's safer if you just sign up for law enforcement. If what they told us is true, then if we sign up, we're guaranteed to get shipped elsewhere."
The girl said nothing as a commotion was seen on the television screen.
"Oh, it's starting!" she said.
Calvin grabbed the remote and raised the volume a touch as the American president walked up to the podium.
Vancouver, Canada
"What I don't get is why they didn't call you."
"Shut up, Miller." Kaz sighed, eating the hot spaghetti as the rain continued to fall outside of the building the Rangers had set up in. The television showing the white house stream.
"I want more."
Kaz glanced at the girl, now wearing a proper Army uniform.
A uniform that simply had the nametag "SOPMOD" in place. A uniform that wasn't exactly comfortable as the girl sat happily on the floor next to him instead of on the chairs.
A uniform that was now stained by spaghetti sauce.
"You can't get anymore. We have to ration the good food so long as we have you."
She let out a groan but didn't verbalize any further complaints.
Kaz eyed the television as Miller said "Just saying. The area is secure, FOB's established... you could've easily gone home with her. Easily."
"Private Wozniak's not a non-Tab. He's here to perform and so far, he's performing a bit better than you Miller." York said.
Kaz said, "Plus, the kid they found was already in DC when it happened. Plus, if an enemy spirit attack happens, we need her."
"Kaz is just planning on climbing up the ranks, huh? Hey, SOP, how many guys you plan on killing?"
The girl's reddish eyes darted to him and she offered a toothy grin that showed off the remnants of the pasta.
"Psycho..." Miller muttered.
Kaz said, "Yeah... our little psycho."
"Oh, drop that commie-talk, she's your little psycho, not ours."
Kaz said nothing, eyes glued to the screen as the man began walking down the hall towards the camera.
"How much do you think he'll reveal?" he asked.
"Not everything..." York sighed.
"Hm? Why's that?"
"Cause it's probably classified." He replied. "Now hush. Commander-in-Chief is talking."
Washington D.C
The camera and lights were something he was used to, the reporters, the flashing cameras... he wasn't used to the worried looks on everyone's faces, the panic likely only barely held back by the professionalism that they likely felt would help them out of the situation.
Not unlike him.
It was a situation unlike anything seen in human history.
Still, he'd been elected to lead, so he would lead.
"Good evening, my fellow Americans. The... past week has been a difficult one for us all..."
Josh was staring at the ceiling, holding on to the girl's hand, no eyes on them despite standing right by the tall man speaking.
Ignoring that, he let out a deep breath and said "No use... I still can't figure out what we're breathing when we're like this."
"Shut up." She sighed.
"Oh, relax, they can't hear or see us right now."
"We're about to reveal to the world that we exist! First impressions are vital, so please keep your head straight."
He rolled his eyes, glancing at her rifle as the president continued.
"...and while most port cities were spared, many fell in these early days to enemy attacks. We still don't have a name for them. No authority has made contact or attempted to make contact through any official means. Most prisoners refuse to speak. Regardless, we, as well as the rest of the world, find ourselves at war with a powerful enemy, and we must give our all to defeat them..."
Josh's eyes slowly shifted from the rifle to the reporters, finally to his mother who was looking nervous as she stood by the room's far corner.
"You know... it's kind of eerie seeing how nervous all the adults are."
The girl said nothing.
"Like, I'm nervous about people seeing my face, but they're all terrified given what's happening... I don't know, it's weird to me."
"You don't remember 9/11."
"Of course, I don't!"
She fell silent then. Her eyes only looked forward as the man continued speaking.
Finally, she said, "Just don't say anything... they're not going to ask us any questions."
"I know, I know... just smile and wave." He muttered.
"You can smile if you want. Just look presentable."
"Aw, and here I wanted to tell everyone how screwed we all are and cause even more panic."
The girl said nothing for a moment.
Finally, she said, "I think they'll get that impression from seeing us."
Josh smirked, but she noticed he gripped her hand a little tighter as the president continued.
"...but a major discovery was made that day. One none of us expected I think."
Oh, of course. Who expected angels to actually show up?
"Over the many, many, many engagements these last ten days, our forces and agencies have uncovered individuals with what can only be described as abnormal abilities that are of great aid to our fight... so today, I present to the American people and the world..."
"Ah-choo!"
All eyes fell on the pair, Star shakily covering her mouth and nose with her hand, face beat red, Josh wide-eyed.
Next to her Persica appeared and said "I'm so sorry, I... uh..."
No one spoke, staring at the almost magic act that had happened right in front of them.
One particularly old reporter raised his hand and asked "Who are they, sir?"
The president turned, smiled as best he could, and said "We've labeled them Angels."
A camera snapped a photo, and the journalists and reporters present slowly regained their posture, raising hands and asking questions.
"Angels?"
"Biblical?"
"Sir, is this an attempt to calm the Christian community?"
"What exactly do you mean by Angels?"
"Are those cat ears real?"
"Who are they really, sir?"
"Mister president are you saying they are actual angels or-"
The American president raised his hand and said "Questions will be answered by Persica here. She and her... Anchor?"
"Anchor." Persica sighed.
"Well... she appeared not too far from our city of Eagle, Alaska... a wonderful place, and they were very helpful in getting her and her anchor to safety."
"What's an anchor?" someone asked.
"I should leave the questions to her... she's one of them, but she knows more than most of us. Miss..."
He stepped aside, letting Persica step to the podium.
Persica took one glance at Joshua and Star, noticing the young man had handed her a handkerchief, before smiling weakly and facing the many cameras.
"Hello... um... while your president has labeled us Angels, the term the people you're at war with utilize is... spirits. It is to distinguish us from the Angelic Body located in one of the planet's poles."
Questions again, but she was able to process them quickly and calmly began to answer them little by little.
She locked eyes with the reporter who asked the first question.
"Angelic Body? Or Angelic Hosts. They are the ones in direct command of the forces attacking this world. Who are they? Why have they failed to communicate? That's a question only they can answer... I believe they are still processing the situation."
She turned to a journalist, locked eyes, and spoke.
"What differences exist? Spirits are not entirely as powerful as the Angelic Body or its hosts. As demonstrated by the examples present here, we spirits require anchors. Angels do not. Spirits are closer related to humans. Angels are less so. Perhaps a simplified definition would be to label Spirits as a point between the Angels and humanity but that isn't entirely accurate as many of us can vary in strength and ability. No, invisibility is not one of the abilities, nor is it what happened earlier."
She turned to another reporter.
"How did this happen? That is a more complicated answer. To begin with, you need to understand how the Angelic Body operates and that is a process that isn't fully understood either. As far back as... as my anchor could confirm, the Angelic Body would leave the world they ruled and take their subjects with them. Usually, this is done by moving them all into one area that would not be carried along when the Displacement occurs."
More questions poured in but she proceeded calmly.
"The Displacement is an event where the Angelic Hosts move to another planet to rule. Usually, this involves destroying the life that existed on that other planet and replacing it with our own. Whole continents are destroyed in the process. Survivors are then either exterminated or forced to integrate into their society. Sometimes we see worlds that have more islands than continents, more resistance than acceptance, but usually, this resistance is stomped out by the second millennium of rule."
There was an audible gasp then.
Persica calmly said "That is, perhaps, another difference between humans, spirits, and the angelic hosts... the angelic hosts are, for all intents and purposes, immortal... not undying, but... immortal. We are not."
The people in the room stared in stunned silence.
Persica shut her eyes and continued.
"Why were so many parts of your world... your version of... Terra... Earth... Mundi... why did so many remain mostly unharmed by the displacement?"
She appeared to briefly struggle but pushed through.
"My Anchor was... is... a scientist that worked for the Angelic Hosts. He studied and ensured spirits were kept in order. Our kind has many differences from humans despite our close proximity in terms of biology. We... we cannot manifest physically without an anchor and we cannot be a person without memories. So, the only known way for us to attach ourselves to anything is, usually... as weapons."
She glanced at Star, saying "That is why she is carrying a rifle. Her memories are those of the rifle. Her personality is usually something that comes naturally to the spirit, but the memories are not her own. This is why many of the spirits watching this now will have conflicting emotions about who they are."
Star glanced at her rifle.
No one spoke.
Turning back to the camera, she said "In a sense, we were slaves. Any spirits born were kept without anchors. What are anchors? Anchors are humans who can form links with my kind. Few people born in all versions of earth can actually link to one, let alone two... it was a process of difficult control, but when eternity is on the table, they perfected it. Before birth, all pregnancies were tested. If they were an anchor, the mother was paid handsomely and the baby was taken to a military academy to be raised and trained with a specific weapon that would later be granted a spirit. If the mother objected, the child would be terminated. Thusly, even if a spirit that was born attempted to run and find a free anchor, it wouldn't happen... Lycoris... my anchor... I suppose he felt pity."
She turned back to the cameras and quietly said "So... when he knew the next displacement was upon us... he... broke the rules. We sabotaged the displacement from one of their facilities up north. A small contingent of troops helped us... he... succeeded more than we could have imagined."
"So, you're responsible for what happened?" someone interrupted.
"Negative... we were unable to prevent the displacement from one facility. But Lycoris was able to damage the process enough that much of your world was preserved when it happened."
"Billions are dead!"
"Indeed. But in doing so, not only were the spirits allowed to find anchors but... you have a fighting chance to preserve your world. A freer world."
The reporter appeared less than pleased but fell silent for a moment.
Persica asked "Any further questions?"
Another reporter asked, "Are you telling us the whole truth?"
Persica smiled softly, her left ear twitching slightly.
"Why would I lie?"
Geographic South pole
She watched the address with disdain, everyone could tell. The crystal screen on the wall was large enough to see the cat-like spirit lie through her teeth.
"Slippery harlot and her anchor... set us back millennia... and for what?" the Queen stood up, her wings stretching as she groaned out "The idea of liberty? Please! They just want to overthrow us and... and bring back those damned dead ideals!"
Apollyon shook his head, saying "It was unexpected... her and Lycoris bided their time."
Another Angel frowned before saying "He was always so loyal... so was she... what changed their mind so... drastically?"
"Rebellious ancestry perhaps. Humans are always so damn slippery when it comes to thoughts."
"Unfortunately."
The Queen said "Indeed. But worse, now the enemy has far more resources and far more supporters than ever before. It's a bloody nightmare. Crushing them isn't going to be enough, it will take far longer than the death of this sun to stamp out this level of resistance."
"Our forces are still plentiful, excellency."
"And yet our navy is shot, our planes can't catch up to theirs, the armor the human armies utilize can't even see the enemy before they are destroyed, and our infantry has only seen success where spirits are present or there is only a small number of the enemy! Sometimes not even then!" she said angrily, touching the glass screen, the image changing to a fleet of enemy ships firing their missiles from the safety of the ocean, far away from their targets.
She the screen again, watching the image switch to the picturesque view of the enemy capital. The fountain at the "White House" almost mocked her as it continued to splash water as if nothing were wrong.
"Look at them... Persica's people gave them all they need to believe they're the kindhearted victims. The unifying factors needed to give them righteous cause... damn her. She may have just killed us."
Apollyon winced at the sudden remark of defeatism.
"Excellency?"
"Our spirits are strong, but back then, human rebels getting their hands on an anchor was nearly impossible... now... now they have a chance at winning and they know it... they can taste it. Look at the room. Even if they don't believe her. Even if they don't like her kind. Even if they reject her... they will work with them because they can win with them."
The older Angel said, "Should we attempt negotiations then?"
"Yes, yes, a message requesting a ceasefire perhaps... not that they will accept... we've practically destroyed their world and they will not take this lying down."
"Indeed, but surely there must be something we can do in that case." Apollyon sighed.
She glanced at him, asking "What about our Angelic Legions?"
"They... they haven't been deployed in thousands of years, ma'am."
"True, but what choice is there should these people choose to keep fighting? The last time we faced an enemy remotely like this, we almost lost, General."
The Angel nodded slowly.
"So, we must select our target... with the northern half of the American continent already falling, we must secure our southern holdings."
"Of course, Ma'am."
"Send your forces there... discreetly. I have the feeling they will focus there first."
"What about the European continent?"
She huffed, saying "They can have it. It's never been very plentiful for anything except rebellious thinkers... but we desperately need to hold onto our people's breadbasket... otherwise they really will threaten our hold on the world. Starving people are the most dangerous, and I think they know it as well."
"As you wish excellency."
"Indeed I do... now, the next matter of business, please."
The older Angel nodded, sliding under the floor and disappearing below. The other members were silent. The Queen went back to the screen and passed her hand through it, retrieving the image of the spirit they had shown.
"ST-AR-15... Star." She mumbled, eyeing the image with further disdain. Others appeared on the screen, the enemy leadership already publishing photos of their spirits. "A silver-haired girl... H-K Four One Six... a gruff blonde... A-K Four Seven... a dark-skinned girl... Hmm. Enfield. That's a more acceptable name, I suppose. Wow, look at this one. Desert Eagle? Adorable."
Some of the angels there chuckled at the image of a small girl with what appeared to be a large handgun.
One said, "They're but children, are they not?"
"Indeed... indeed they are."
"Why do your people have such strangely named weapons? Some are labeled after people and others with numbers and letters. Oh well... Apollyon?"
The Angel appeared then, dropping the man to the floor.
The Queen clasped her hands together before sitting down, staring at the man groveling on the floor ahead of her.
"General Sirius... You know why you're here, yes?"
The man simply remained there, shaking.
She frowned, saying "Speak up, confess your sin."
"I... General... Reginald Sirius... am guilty of losing my... my spirits... in battle."
She only nodded, the room remaining silent as the images on the glass screen behind her continued showing pictures of the enemy's "angels".
"Why?" she finally asked.
"I... I ordered them to chase the enemy. I felt their deaths, it-"
"No, no, General... they didn't die. Spirits do not die. You still have their weapons on you, do you not?"
"Yes."
"Then another spirit can take their place... but the fact is that you lost both of them in one night. One night, general Sirius!"
The man shakily said "I... I am unworthy of the title."
"Indeed you are. This must be the first time this happens in our long history, no?"
Apollyon said "In fairness, during the displacement, we lost a Commander and his spirit as well. The one who responded to the rebels in that northern facility."
"Oh, fair enough, but it wasn't during a battle that we lost them. Or at least that we know. You on the other hand... were careless. Too careless."
"I... I was unaware of the enemy's spirits-"
"And that's an excuse, general?"
"No, your excellency! I... I swear I... I only wish to explain what happened from... from my point of view."
She huffed, frustrated as she said "Why should we not kill you, general?"
"I... I took that enemy city!"
"No, your men took the city."
"I've been a loyal officer since birth!"
Apollyon said "Your record shows several incidents of insubordination. Your teachers described you as brash."
"I... I was young, yes, foolish, yes, b-but I swear that I am not stupid! "
"You even went and massacred the population of... what was the city called? Venice?"
"They fought back! Their soldiers-"
"I've heard enough about their soldiers and their weaponry. I'm willing to give some leeway to failure, but General... you succeeded and failed. And odds are the enemy is going to want you to answer for your crimes."
"C-crimes?! I served the Angelic Body! I served you!"
"Your tone sounds desperate general."
"Of course, I sound desperate! Y-your excellency, you're threatening my life when I made but a small miscalculation!"
"You cost us two spirits."
"But I remain! And you can hand me two more!"
"No, I don't think so."
"What?"
"Apollyon, what do you recommend?"
"Well, the man who destroyed a valuable enemy city could make for a nice bargaining chip."
"No..." Sirius tried.
The Queen said, "Indeed, but..."
"But he is also an anchor... a rare one who can have two spirits attached to him."
"True... so his existence is a touch dangerous. He can give the enemy secrets before they kill him if we just hand him over."
"Wait, I would never-"
"Silence."
Sirius fell silent.
Apollyon continued.
"I recommend we record his execution. Hand The Nymogin and Mercurows weapons to another, more competent anchor. Then, if the enemy wishes for it, we can play off his worse actions as against our orders, which they partially were, and say we brought the victims justice."
"No!"
The Queen clapped twice, saying "Marvellous! Get the recording equipment... and uh... you said the other officer and his spirit were here, too?"
"Yes."
"Ah, good good. Bring them in as well."
"Queen!"
"Sirius, I wish for you to pay attention to Officer..." she glanced at Apollyon.
"Officer Hague, Madame. Executioner is his weapon."
"Yes, yes... Hague. Sirius... listen to how Hague deals with the unexpected."
After a moment, the spirit brought her commander into the room, both kneeling.
"Commander Hagues! I take it your journey here was safe?"
"The enemy is controlling the skies, excellency. I'm afraid if not for Executioner, we would not have made it here safe at all."
The queen noted the bandages on the spirit's side.
"You encountered enemy spirits?"
"Indeed. Two of them. Once we were certain, I ordered a full retreat to more defensible positions... the enemy has been bombarding us for days. Pushing us back... it's been difficult, ma'am."
The queen only nodded, saying "Indeed. But you have persevered. I'm glad about that. Now... Sirius... did you learn anything?"
Sirius stared in silence for a second before slowly nodding.
"What did you learn?"
"I... I won't take a needless risk."
"Good. Are you repentant of your acts in the city of Venice?"
"Y-yes... I am."
"Good. Then I pray your soul receives peace."
His features paled as he turned shakily to look at the large Angel behind him.
Apollyon only lifted a blade and swung it down, the weapon passing through Sirius harmlessly, not cutting or damaging skin or clothes.
Sirius shakily continued to stare as his body slowly began to convulse.
Hague and Executioner watched in silence as the man fell to the floor shaking as his eyes began to bleed, Apollyon glaring at him, unblinking, visibly frustrated.
He whispered, "Stop fighting it."
Sirius continued to convulse, small sparks of electricity emitting from his hair as his body stiffly continued to shake on the floor.
The Queen leaned in and whispered silently "Sirius... enough."
At that, his eyes fully reddened, blood poured out of them further.
Then the body ceased to move.
The Queen sighed, saying "They always resist when they know it's coming, don't they?"
Apollyon only shook his head.
Then, turning to the pair, she said "Colonel, you are to be reassigned to the southern continent of the Americas. We believe the enemy will be focusing there soon."
"With pleasure and diligence, your excellency."
"I believe you. Apollyon, activate the Angelic Legions and begin moving them there as soon as possible. Deliver what weapons you can, as well... we need to ensure the enemy doesn't drive us into the sea."
She glanced back at the screen.
A young girl with dark hair and a nervous smile stared at the camera, the label "M4A1" under her.
She huffed, saying "To war, we go."
Sweetgrass, Arizona
"I think your dad took it well..." M4 said as she walked down the town's street in step with Derrick.
The 16-year-old only replied with a tired "Yeah..."
1911 cut between them, saying "Hey, how come you look so down?"
He shrugged, glancing at a nearby shop, the owner nervously looking away.
M4 noticed, asking "Um... is something wrong?"
He kept his tired eyes staring ahead, finally saying "I don't know."
"O'Neal!"
He paused, sucking in a breath.
M4 said, "Should we deal with-?"
"No." He whispered, not turning around.
1911 said, "Um... they look kind of mad."
"Just let me handle this."
He finally turned around, seeing two individuals.
Dirt-brown hair and angry eyes stared back at him, albeit more tired expressions.
"It's weird your parents let you two stay out this late... Ramirez... Valery."
The boy said, "Look, man, I just want an apology."
"No, you want a confession. You're not getting it." He said, ignoring the concerned looks from the two girls standing next to him.
Ramirez finally said "I might fail the semester because-"
"Oh, please, you're not failing anything. This whole crisis just won you a scholarship with military honors."
"I'm a conscientious objector."
"Figures."
The girl said "I bet you're really happy, aren't you? The world is going to hell and everyone is going to be as miserable as you! That's all you can do, right?! All your mom and dad could do was make others miserable, right?"
M4 glanced at the young man's hands as they balled into fists.
"Derrick..." she whispered.
"Say whatever you want." He called. "I won't deal with you. I'm enlisting."
"H-huh?"
"Yeah. You heard me. I'm enlisting, so while you two can keep sucking off whatever nanny state remains, I'll be the one actually fighting the bad guys and keeping people like you safe!" he said, loudly, then turned and began walking away.
"W- hey! Y-you can't... you're sixteen! You can't enlist! You're bluffing!" the girl tried but was ignored.
He didn't reply, continuing to walk.
M4 and 1911 kept in step.
Finally, 1911 said, "I thought people would be more supportive..."
"Welcome to the 21st century." Derrick sighed.
They kept walking down the homes in silence. High above them, planes flew by, their engines still audible on the street.
M4 finally asked, "Are... are you really sure you want to enlist?"
"Yeah."
"...even after your dad said-"
"There's not much choice." he chortled.
"Huh?"
"You heard the cat lady... it's about ensuring our continued survival."
He glanced at both of them, tiredness in his eyes.
"I'm not like them... I can't... I can't complain about where I live. Who likes me or not... I just can't... I don't know what to call it. Maybe I'm just... I dunno, brainwashed?"
1911 huffed, saying "That's dumb..."
M4 offered a reassuring smile and said "You didn't seem brainwashed."
Derrick shook his head and said "Point is... I don't know... a sense of duty? I'll do what I have to cause... cause maybe I think it's worth it. Not just because dad needs it but..."
M4's smile saddened slightly.
"Because your mother believed it?"
At the words he paused, turning away as he said "Maybe it's just that simple... mom did it... maybe I want to follow after."
Finally, he said "I just can't stand by. And I guess you two can't either."
1911 smirked.
M4 looked away.
"Yeah... I guess we can't..."
"Then we're still going?" 1911 asked, excitedly.
"When they call us, yeah."
1911 took off, saying "Ah, I can't wait. I feel so bogged down in your house, honestly! I miss the army life!"
M4 sighed, walking past him.
"Think there's more to it?" she said.
Derrick didn't reply, turning and walking past her, the cloudless, starry night sky above offering no answers so far.
A/N: So... yeah, this chapter's a long, long time coming... too long.
I'm a bit split on keeping this as a fanfic, but I do like the idea of these being the girls from Girls Frontline, especially since the concept ultimately works... I think. I also decided to flesh out some more ideas here, like how affected other nations were (I don't want this to JUST be an ISOT scenario) and how much stuff is happening in the first days. I don't want people thinking this is going to be some curb stomp scenario where X nation is now able to push its will on a world they can dominate with greater ease, I want this to be a genuine war story with some... fantasy? Sci-fi?
...elements...
I also have to give some huge thanks to TopHatGuy as he literally gave me the idea of where Sopmod would be introduced for free. Her whole section and "Anchor" were basically his idea, so props to him. It's not the exact scene he practically wrote for me, but the concept of SOP II being assigned to a relatively green Ranger makes for an interesting scenario as the other guys are all wholly inexperienced. In a way, SOP herself is the most childish member of the AR team, so having her with someone who has some better training as a professional actually felt right.
So, let's recap:
Huge chunks of earth have been replaced by a hostile force.
There are "Angels" running around, some more powerful than others, some anchored to our weapons.
M4 is anchored to this kid from Montana.
M16 is anchored to a kid from New York.
STAR-15 is anchored to a kid from Alaska.
SOPMOD is anchored to the kid of Polish immigrants whose already in the Army.
Oh, and 1911 is there because... reasons...
I should also emphasize these girls are not the sole "angels" but they should be the ones in focus the most as this scenario is... massive when you sit down to think about it. Whole armies have been practically wiped out and their remnants have to fight an uphill battle to retake their homelands. International politics just went out the window as massive chunks of the planet are now on enemy hands. There are "other" forms of humans that can attach themselves to a specific weapon.
And now remaining earth-side armies are going to have to employ them to continue what is essentially another world war.
Other than that, bit of a lore dump, bit of action, and a bit of setup as to where this fic could potentially go... someday.
Thank you all for reading, if you have any thoughts, suggestions, or just felt that something was off, feel free to leave a review letting me know.
Thanks again for reading, and I'll continue this if you guys want to see more.
