A Cold World

An Empire Multiverse Tale


Author's note and preface:

In case you haven't read the previous installments, or forgot them, here's some context for the important stuff.

The Multiverse:

A branching web of different Earths and timelines, all accessible through various means.

Subhumans:

A race of genetically modified humans, they are considerably superior in strength and durability to the average man. They often resemble canines or felines.

Eval Lee:

The 19- year old protagonist; Shot and killed in previous installments, resurrected in another universe for ambiguous reasons.

As always, this is not going to adhere to Gundam canon. In all likelihood, it will be very different from the UC timeline, so please keep that in mind. Enjoy!


Eval Lee floats aimlessly in the ether, lights flashing before her dull eyes. From her cold fur to her limp tail, most would assume she was deceased. They would be right. The fox died on the wind-swept and frozen wasteland of Xyn, a bullet put in the back of her head in an act of mercy. Eval faces an endless plane of constellations and stars, intermixed with bolts of purple and blue energy. But the fact that she was dead didn't mean she couldn't change. She was being prepared for the final act. Her body had been refined, strengthened, perfected. Power surges through her dormant veins. It had been a long few months, but there was a promise to be kept. Her eyes open. They glow red.

Eval sucked in a massive gulp of air before rolling over and spewing out the contents of her stomach on the desert sands around her. She fell flat again, the harsh sun doing nothing to help her throbbing headache.

"Fuck.. Fuck me, where am I?"

Her mind was almost completely blank save for the knowledge of who she was, and where she was born. But this barren landscape didn't look like Manchester. Eval staggered to her feet and looked past the dunes and rocky ridges. In the distance were several high rises, some of them emitting what appeared to like smoke. She began to walk, her unsteady gait eventually evening out into something of a regular one. The raggedy flight suit she was wearing was soaked with sweat and stained with blood. Eval couldn't tell if it was her own or not. But she would rather not know. Over the next dune was the wreck of a car, windshield riddled with bullet holes. Through the open door was an empty driver's seat. Eval rushed over and leaned in, rummaging through the glove compartment until she retrieved a warm water bottle. Under any other circumstance, she would be repulsed, but necessity called. Eval unscrewed the cap and chugged the bottle in one take, water dripping from her mouth. In her haste she had failed to connect the smoking buildings and wrecked car.

Eval's sand covered boots graced the city highway as she limped forward. After a few hours on the trot, she still had no idea why she was there or what was even going on. A sign loomed over her up the road.

مرحبا بكم في طرابلس

Welcome to Tripoli

Tripoli? Eval's mind scrambled for more information. If she remembered correctly, Tripoli was in Libya. And Libya was in North Africa. Why the hell was she in North Africa? The streets were devoid of any activity, and little to no litter was present. Eval picked one side of the road to go down, trying each apartment and house door. Eventually she stumbled upon an unlocked residence, and she stepped out of the sun into an airconditioned room. A dinner table, still bearing lukewarm food, sat in the middle. Eval picked up a piece of chicken and munched on it before exploring further. A singular TV hung from one wall, displaying an emergency message.

Tripoli Sector C has begun evacuation procedures. Federation containment soldiers have been deployed to the area.

The Federation… Eval had heard of them before. She didn't know from where or how, but she did know they existed. And containment soldiers? What was there to be contained? It didn't matter, at least for now while the quiet lasted. What she needed immediately was rest. Eval heavily set herself down on a couch before tilting her head back, exhaling an exhausted breath.

The hiss of a truck coming to a halt startled Eval awake. Moonlight poured in through the singular window in the room, and the TV had fallen silent. She got up and pressed her body against the door, hand gripping the knob. People were talking outside.

"Rogers, McKay, take that block. Me and the rest will take this one. Remember, keep your heads on a swivel."

Eval pushed the door open just enough to peer out. Several men in tan and black fatigues were gathered around a truck down the street, rifles slung over their shoulders as they waved their flashlights around. The Federation! If anything, they could be the ones to help Eval. She exited the room and waved her arms.

"Hey! Hey! Over here!"

The soldiers spun around, rifles raised.

"Shit, there's a Taker!"

"Our orders are to capture one for the Doc. Go!"

There was no time to think. Eval took several steps back before bolting off into the streets, the Federal troops chasing after her. She ran past several more evacuation signs and empty cars. Gunfire could be heard from the burning skyscrapers. Eval ducked into some sort of vendor, sliding over the counter before bursting out of the back door. Her boots slammed hard against the clean pavement as she sprinted. The flashlights of the soldiers danced behind her.

"I saw her go in here!"

Eval's face went from being coated in light green to purple to red and back to green, the neon lights all around her humming. Ahead of her was an apartment fire escape, and she leapt onto the top rungs of the bottom ladder with one powerful jump. The soldiers followed, their gear clattering as they ascended the stairwell in chase. Eval ducked and dodged past several AC units and other utilities, her feet kicking up the gravel roof. She suddenly came to a stop.

"Shit."

The roof had ended, and there was at least a couple dozen feet between her and the ground. Eval could hear the soldiers approaching from behind.

"Fucking creepy monster bastard, she's not reacting."

"They're Takers, the lot of them are unpredictable."

"Aye, aside from going down-"

"Can the bullshit, Rogers. Knock it out."

The distinct sound of a baton extending sent shivers up Eval's spine. She had to act, but they would hurt her. Then again, vaguely knowing her luck, she would get hurt regardless. The baton began to swing towards her neck. Eval's eyes twitched, dilating as the world came to a stop. Her fists curled into balls and the muscles on her forearms tensed. She planted one foot behind her as her immensely powerful frame came into action, swinging around to kick the baton away. The shock in the soldiers' eyes was visible for only a split second before the world around Eval came back into full speed, the baton flying into the distance. She landed two punches into his gut before knocking him away with a jaw-breaker. The other soldiers backed away and began firing. Eval grabbed the nearest soldier and shuddered as several bullets thudded into him, then pulling out his sidearm. A soldier screamed into his radio.

"This is TriPatrol 6, we got a Class 7 here, my squad is being torn up! We need a Mobile Suit!"

He then screamed again as Eval blew out both of his knees with the pistol and stomped his face in. She knew what she was doing was wrong. But something had taken her by force, and she couldn't stop it. More soldiers came up the fire escape. Eval took cover as the AC units were blown apart by volleys of bullets. This was more than what she'd bargained for.

"Frag out!"

A grenade landed squarely next to Eval, its matte green surface ready to blow.

"You gotta be kidding me-"

A wave of deadly shockwaves and sharp steel blew threw her, snapping sinew and bone alike.

Eval once again floats in the ether, this time fully lucid. The bolts of light caress her body in slow strokes.

"I really need to stop getting knocked out.."

"That's right."

The fox twirled around.

"What? Who- Where are you?"

"Doesn't matter. Listen, you haven't got many more chances, this narrative is.. Is getting out of my control."

"What do you mean, narrative?"

"Nevermind. What I did should help you survive much longer than you would've on any 'regular' occasion, but if you keep on getting hurt this bad you're going to go under for good. This is your chance to make it right."

Eval could feel her body being dragged somewhere, all her bones aching tremendously. Her throat was dry.

"H-holy sh-"

An assertive but calm voice spoke behind her.

"Quiet. Save your energy, you're barely alive as it is."

Eval's eyes lost focus momentarily before she drifted off again, soundly unconscious.

She awakened laying flat on a couch, staring up at a leaky and mold-infested ceiling. A pair of blue eyes stared back at her.

"I'll be damned, you made it."

Eval could make out the person as some sort of subhuman female, perhaps a Wolf-class.

"Why'd you save me?"

The wolf paused.

"I wasn't meaning to save you, I was meaning to give you mercy."

Mercy?

Eval struggled to sit up, but the wolf gently pushed her back down.

"Mercy from what-?"

"Please, keep resting."

As she talked, Eval noticed her mouth didn't move. Instead, her voice came from a small speaker implanted in her neck. The wolf stopped before tracing Eval's line of sight.

"You noticed my modifications. I know they might appear disturbing to some."

Eval, her judgement still fuzzy, reached out to touch it. The wolf did not act at this.

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you have them?"

"An accident. Nothing more."

She retracted her hand.

"Oh, uh.. Sorry."

The wolf clasped her retreating hand.

"It isn't a problem. My ID is SH3455."

Bloody hell, this world was getting stranger and stranger. Eval pulled on SH's arm and sat up on the couch.

"Ok, 'SH'. I think I'm fine. What's next?"

"I was about to get out of Tripoli when the firefight you started caused the EFF to put the whole block on heavy lockdown and deploy Mobile Suits. Although that's maybe better than having the Sector lost to the Takers."

"What exactly are the Takers?"

SH stood to her full six-foot height, her intimidating form seeming to conflict with her soft-spoken personality.

"It seems like you've been 'living under a rock', as some like to say."

She picked up a pistol from a nearby desk and pulled back the slide, checking the chamber. It slid shut as she turned to Eval.

"It doesn't appear you have the mental or physical capabilities to survive alone out there-"

"Hey!"

"-But I have enough provisions to properly supply you as well as myself, so you might as well come along."

Eval stood.

"Why are you doing this?"

SH didn't speak as she slung on a hefty backpack, with what sounded like hydraulics hissing from somewhere in her legs. There clearly wasn't anymore info to squeak out of her, so Eval simply followed. The streets outside were still deserted, but the rumble of trucks and other armored vehicles sounded ominously close this time. SH crept to the edge of an intersection, making little to no noise despite the backpack.

"Stay low and make as little erratic movements as possible. Federation motion trackers are better now, but still inefficient."

Eval nodded as the wolf ducked into an alleyway, both of them scaling the chain-link fence at the end with ease. SH moved to exit into the next street, but she jolted back. One finger was raised to her dormant mouth. Sure enough, several Federation soldiers walked by, talking amongst themselves while they proceeded down the sidewalk.

"Jesus, did you hear about what happened to TriPatrol 6 a couple of hours ago?"

"No, what?"

"They got wiped by a Class 7, apparently. At least one guy lived."

"One guy?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck, man."

Eval frowned. She didn't finish them all off. Then she immediately scorned herself for thinking such brutal thoughts. SH continued, the moonlight above casting her form in a ghastly white. Above them was a sign.

TRIPOLI SECTOR B

Eval stopped and placed her hand on SH's shoulder, whispering.

"Wait, where are we going?"

The wolf turned back.

"The local port. There is little time, let's move."

She began to crouch again, but then spun around suddenly.

"And no matter what, avoid any people you see here. Because they aren't people."

They aren't people? Eval's mind churned while she followed SH. The wolf must've been referencing to the Takers the Feddies had mentioned earlier. An empty Federal APC sat alone on the road ahead, the rear hatch open. SH motioned for Eval to stop while she went inside the vehicle, methodically checking storage compartments and rucksacks. She came back out holding a bulletproof vest in one hand and two pistol magazines in the other. The wolf thrust the vest on Eval, tightening the straps.

"You'll need this more than I need it."

Sector B had a markedly different atmosphere than the surreal and calm Sector C, with smashed out windows and detritus spilled everywhere. Occasionally there would be a gun lying on the street. Hundreds of bullet casings surrounded them. SH stopped in her tracks, pointing into an alleyway.

"Do you see him?"

Eval followed her finger to the silhouette of a man standing still.

"Yes."

SH glanced at Eval.

"Those are Takers."

"But I don't see any difference."

The wolf cocked her head as the man seemed to vaguely notice the two across the street, stumbling out of the alley and calling out.

"Hello? Anyone? Helloo?"

Something twitched in his midsection before he collapsed, vomiting a black substance all over the street. Eval almost recoiled as he stood back up.

"Please, help me!"

SH pulled Eval into an empty shop and behind the cashier's stand, firmly gripping her shoulders.

"Do you see the difference now?"

"Y-yeah."

Eval could feel nausea of her own coming on again, but she repressed it.

"Just tell me, are there a lot of them with us?"

SH stared into space for a brief moment before talking again.

"Millions."

She produced a pocket knife, placing it in Eval's shaking hand.

"I'm going to do my best to protect you, but this is just a precaution."

"Seriously, why are you doing this? What's the end goal?"

The wolf slumped against a counter.

"I don't see any logical reason for secrecy anymore, so I might as well come clear. My job.. To put it simply, I'm a spy."

"Spy for who?"

"The Prussian Union."

Eval's ears perked up.

"You mean Germany?"

"Germany? You must be referencing the region in general.

But I digress. I was repurposed into a spy, my cover being a civil officer, to monitor Federation activities in Tripoli. Of course, that was before this all started."

Eval stared at her blankly.

"I'm sorry, that came out as too much. I know what the Federation tells its citizens about the Union, but I promise it isn't true."

SH waited for Eval to respond.

"So you're telling me you're a German Robot-Spy-Cyborg acting as a constable? That's pretty damn cool."

"I.. I don't understand how my profession is 'cool'. It's simply my duty to protect others."

She looked over the counter and out onto the street.

"All is clear. We have to hurry before the Federation cuts off the ports."

"You could've told me that earlier!"

"I wouldn't have needed to if we didn't have the encounter."

SH exited the shop and rounded the corner of the block, pistol held steady by both of her hands. Eval, however, flicked open her tiny knife and braced for the worst. A Federation helicopter passed by overhead, speakers booming.

"All survivors present, report to Bab al-Azizia for evacuation. Code: Flagger."

Eval looked up at the helicopter.

"What does Flagger mean?"

SH didn't look up, instead scanning her surroundings.

"It means the message is fake. The Federation is trying to draw the Takers to their base."

"Is it working?"

"For now. But you must be quiet now, they are much more alert than a few soldiers."

Eval obeyed, and the two continued down the darkened and burning streets of Sector B.

SH broke down the port gate with one powerful kick, the corrugated steel crumpling inward before snapping off the hinges altogether. Eval went in followed by SH, making sure no Takers were pursuing them.

"Is that.. The boat?"

She faced an empty dock, save for a rickety old fishing boat. Other than a cabin with controls and a storage chest, it was almost featureless. SH kneeled down and undid the moorings keeping the boat in place.

"Yes. I assume you don't have a problem with it."

"Sure."

The wolf dropped her bag and helped Eval on.

"It should be 'smooth sailing' from here, so to speak."

She took to the controls and keyed on the ignition. But instead of coming to life, the engines coughed and sputtered before making a snapping sound that was almost grating to Eval's ears. SH looked back.

"This wasn't accounted for."

Outside the port, dozens if not hundreds of voices could be heard, ranging from low murmurs to excited yelps. Eval instinctively cracked her knuckles, as if she could take them all on.

"I think they might've heard us."

SH handed over her gun, along with several magazines.

"Whatever seems to drive the Takers reside in their stomachs or the area around them, so I suggest you try to hit that area. I'll fix what's wrong with the engine."

Eval adjusted her grip.

"How do you know that?"

"Thorough examination of a corpse, another thing of note is-"

"Forget I asked."

SH went quiet and lifted up a panel in the middle of the boat, rolling up her sweater sleeves and plunging her arms into the mess of machinery below. The first Takers began to filter through the port gate, their sightless white pupils belying no sense of purpose of direction. Eval took aim and fired off several bursts. Black fluid burst from the leading Taker's gut, followed by others behind it. Casings plinked against the boat floor as the fox stood firm. But for every Taker killed, almost four more took its place.

"There's a lot of them, are you done yet!?"

SH was working with a mechanism hidden from view, although she delicately moved wires and cables as if she could see the whole engine from inside out.

"Almost."

Eval dropped an empty magazine to the floor and slapped in a new one.

"Good!"

Over the deafening roar of gunfire SH rushed over to the cabin, the silver fur on her arms slick with oil as she manipulated the controls. The Takers rushed down the dock, tripping over their own bodies to reach the boat. Eval dropped another mag.

"What the hell is taking you so long!?"

"We're almost out, hold on."

The boat lurched forward as the Takers overran the dock completely, making violent gestures at the end of the wooden walkway. Eval sat down and dropped the gun. As they left port, the burning city of Tripoli twinkled in the distance.

SH set down a lantern on one side of the boat, the warm electric light barely illuminating the waters around them. Eval breathed in some of the fresh sea air.

"So, what's the plan now?"

The wolf reached for something in the storage chest.

"I intend to sail through the Mediterranean and pick up as many survivors as possible. After that, we'll return to the Prussian Union through Italy."

"Why? Is Europe still 'safe?'"

SH pulled out a guitar, the strings loose and out of tune.

"I'm not sure. The Federation has imposed a communications blackout in the region, but the Union looked to be faring better than America or Zeon last I checked."

If Eval remembered correctly, the world should've been controlled only by the Feds, not by America or whatever the Prussian Union was. But she had since learned to curb her assumptions. She watched SH clumsily adjust the guitar.

"Whaddya got there?"

The wolf slowly shifted her fingers across the strings, playing somewhat broken notes.

"Every Operator is recommended to have a hobby, so as to keep their minds and cybernetics stimulated."

"Is that what you are? A Operator?"

"Yes."

Eval warily kept her eye on the black waters.

"Not to be blunt or anything, but you said you were in an accident. Is that how you became an Operator?"

"One becomes an Operator when their body is too damaged to be kept functional. I took a direct shot from an anti-tank gun in the Third Baltic Conflict."

"Oh, I'm sorry for asking."

"No problem."

They stayed silent for a few minutes, SH still attempting to play a tune on the guitar. Eval eventually found a comfortable position by the light. She stared up at the stars.

"How much of you is robot?"

SH stopped strumming the guitar and looked at her.

"What?"

"I mean, how much of your body is cybernetics and wires and stuff?"

SH paused.

"The majority of my organs were mutilated by the large caliber round. However, they were able to put the surviving ones under a composite shell layered with synthetic fur before adding augmentations. That's the short story."

"Oh."

Eval looked over and pointed at her chest.

"But why would the military put those.. 'gifts' on you?"

"You ask many questions. They're for emergency reproduction."

Eval stifled a bout of laughter.

"Emergency reproduction? Christ, this world is really fucked up."

SH tilted her head.

"This world? Do you come from afar? The colonies?"

"You could say that, yeah."

"Then it would be strange of you to visit a Federation territory at this time, especially considering their foreign relations with Zeon."

Eval didn't respond to her comment, so the wolf simply returned to strumming.

"They told me I could still serve if I wanted to when I came back."

"Who?"

"My commanding officers. They said I would be of better use as an observer."

Eval sat up.

"But it isn't fair. Your right to death is being taken from you!"

"I signed up for it."

"But.. Why?"

"As I said, it's my duty."

Eval couldn't tell if SH was simply brainwashed or just that determined. And with that, they fell silent for the final time, Eval simply listening to SH play as the night carried on.

Eval woke to a pure blue sky, the waves gently rocking the boat. She wasn't much of a maritime enthusiast, but she was pretty sure oceans were supposed to be a little more intense. SH stood at the controls.

"You're awake."

How did she know that? Her uncanny knowledge of her surroundings were slightly frightening. Eval got to her feet, leaning on the cabin wall behind SH.

"Where are we?"

"Several miles off the coast of Malta. We should be closer after breakfast."

SH went over to her backpack as Eval scanned the ocean waters.

"So we went from Tripoli to Malta in one night? That's pretty damn fast for a boat like this."

"Engines have become much more economical over the years."

"Not judging by the amount of guck that thing emitted yesterday."

The wolf handed over a MRE, the food packet already placed inside the heating bag.

"Eat. We have a high probability of encountering a higher concentration of Takers, so you need to be ready."

Eval took the bag and tore the seal.

"Is the Federation present there?"

"No, but several military contracting companies have maintained a continuous presence on Malta since the last war."

Apparently wars have happened everywhere by this point. Eval took a bite of the MRE before looking at the bag label.

"This is Chicken Tetrazzini? Never had it, but it's pretty damn good."

SH pulled a shotgun out of the storage chest, along with a belt of shells.

"I thought you would like it."

Eval observed as she loaded each shell in.

"Looks like you're packing heat."

"Comes with the occupation."

SH slung the shotgun over her shoulder, looking out to the horizon.

"Do you see it?"

"What?"

She pointed to a distant coastline.

"There. Malta."

The boat came to a halt at a mostly deserted port, the few pleasure craft and security craft remaining having been ransacked or damaged beyond repair. SH hopped out first with a rope, mooring the boat. She called back to Eval.

"It'll have to be in and out, so once we have enough people we have to set off again. Understand?"

Eval's booted feet hit the dock, her already raggedy flight suit now permanently colored like sand.

"Got it. What if somebody shoots at us?"

SH looked at her, as if the answer was obvious.

"We shoot back."

The wolf pulled her shotgun away from her back and cradled it in her arms, while Eval had the pistol at her side. The whole area was silent save for the wind and the birds hovering overhead. It was a shame that the circumstances were as they were, because between the beautiful shallow water and the gently warming sun Eval would've done anything to get at least a week's vacation here. Some sort of small coastal town lay before them, the path from the port leading directly to the square. SH briefly turned to face Eval.

"Stay close to the town square. Takers will most likely not be willing to ambush us there in the daytime."

"Most likely?"

"As far as I have observed, yes."

Eval frowned as the glanced to her sides, checking her surroundings. The numerous vendors and buildings, all completely deserted, seemed to be untouched. She stopped at one storefront, the sign of which more or less said it was a bakery.

"Hey, SH!"

The wolf glanced at her.

"Yes?"

"Can I go in?"

"No."

Eval crossed her arms.

"Why not?"

SH walked towards her, whilst also doing one final visual sweep of the square.

"Fine. I'll permit it, but I have to go in too."

Eval burst in like a child in a candy store while SH looked on, confused.

"I thought I had supplied all your caloric requirements for this morning.."

"Sure, I did like the MRE, but it was just one bag."

"One bag should be enough."

Eval turned to her, stick of bread in hand.

"Well, it wasn't."

"Noted."

The sudden rap of gunfire stopped both of them in their tracks. SH raised her shotgun.

"Someone's in danger. Let us move before it's too late."

She barreled out of the store with Eval close behind, loaves of bread crammed into the cargo pockets of her flight suit. Machine gun fire rang out in the air, interspersed with the occasional rifle burst. SH came to a halt and listened attentively. After only a few seconds, she pointed to the left and took off.

"This way!"

Whatever augmentations in her legs were working to their limits, and she easily outran Eval with great leaps and bounds. The rifle fire started to die out by this point. One could only hope whoever was there wasn't dead by the time they arrived. SH turned off the marked path, cutting through a swath of branches and other flora effortlessly. On the other hand, Eval felt the lower legs of her flight suit getting ripped and torn by the shrubbery. SH came to a complete halt, going prone on the ground. Eval came up beside her.

"Why did we stop?"

She pointed to a small bunker complex, visible through several yards of even denser trees.

"I reckon the fighting happened there, the bodies are fresh."

Eval realized she was right. There were numerous limp figures, some wearing civilian attire, while others wore tactical gear. All of them were leaking the black fluid.

"What now?"

SH crawled forward before getting to her feet.

"I'm going inside. Stay here."

"But-"

Her voice took a much firmer tone.

"There are no exceptions when it comes to life and death. Stay."

"G-got it."

SH3455 entered the tight and restrictive complex, shotgun raised as the Mediterranean sun was replaced by pale LED lights. Bullet casings, still extremely hot, were littered across the concrete floor. Gunfire still echoed from somewhere down below. There were still lives to be saved. SH rushed through the corridors, eventually arriving at a stairwell. Human blood was streaked across the walls. Her sneakers squeaked as descended through the flights. Soldiers lay strewn all over on each one, their uniforms corresponding to several different mercenary groups. The fighting intensified as SH reached the bottom floor. She crouched next to a wooden door, her enhanced ears straining to listen through the walls. The epicenter of the gunfire was here. SH stood back before ramming full speed into the door, breaking it into hundreds of pieces. Several armed men spun around in surprise, bringing their weapons to bear. Bullets glanced off SH's metal frame as she tore through the soldiers with the shotgun, deftly avoiding knife strikes and pumping lead into bodies. Another man approached with a menacing tomahawk. He swung, but SH was too fast, knocking away his weapon and pummeling his face into pulp with a flurry of punches. He crumpled to the floor, his head little more than a stump.

"Jesus fucking Christ, it's an Operator!"

SH swung around to face the voice, and the three helmeted heads peeking out from behind cover suddenly ducked again. She lowered her weapon.

"It's safe to come out."

After a few seconds, the first mercenary stood up, hands raised. The others followed shortly after. He sized her up.

"What's a civvy Operator doing here?"

"There's not enough time to explain. Who are the other parties involved here?"

The second mercenary, a woman, chimed in.

"We got ambushed by Takers during a firefight with the Italian contractors. I'm not sure about the situation right now."

SH beckoned them to the stairwell.

"That's fine. We have to leave now."

SH had retraced her steps, running out into the light outside of the bunker. The mercenaries were in tow as she came into the clearing outside the bunker, coming to a dead stop.

"Eval!"

The fox had been placed in a chokehold by an exo-suited hostile contractor, the signs of a fight evident on the ground. A gun was placed firmly to her head.

"Hey SH, I think I'm in a little bit of a spot right now-"

"Take one more step and I'll fucking drop her!"

SH, perhaps in a moment of human weakness, began to bolt forward. The contractor pulled the trigger, and a bullet entered Eval's temple. But instead of killing her, it simply evaporated as the impact hole regressed in time, blood flying back into her veins and bone coming back into place. SH's AI-assisted mind only partially processed this anomaly before she blasted several rounds into the contractor's chest, blowing his power armor apart with ease. Eval groaned on the ground, and SH kneeled over her.

"I believe I just saw you take a bullet to the head."

"Yeah, it's strange for me too."

"But how-"

Eval got to her knees, fists clenched.

"I don't know how, I just woke up one day in this hellhole! I don't know!"

Her eyes watered as SH watched, not knowing how to respond. Perhaps she did know when she was flesh and bone, but that part of her was gone. Emotions were one of the few things that algorithms and code couldn't solve. The mercenaries had arrived, leaning in behind SH. The first mercenary adjusted his field cap.

"Is she alright?"

Eval wiped her eyes and stood up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get out of here."

Eval Lee sat alone on top of the boat cabin, watching Malta fade into the distance. When that man had ambushed her, she was completely helpless against his mechanical strength. And when the barrel of the gun was digging into her skin the weight of it all sank in. This wasn't some adventure or quest or second chance. She'd been left to die in a world going off the rails, in a world that the Evals of the past would have certainly died horrible deaths in. How she knew this, she herself didn't know. Her only objective was to survive.

"I'm sorry if I caused you any emotional distress."

Startled, she turned to find SH sitting behind her, looking out at the same horizon.

"Oh. No, that's nothing. I'm just a little tired, you know?"

"I see."

SH stood to leave.

"I'm serving rations to our guests, feel free to join in when you are ready."

Eval nodded, but she sat still for a little while longer, soaking in the view.

Eval hit the boat deck, the first mercenary putting down his MRE and holding out his hand.

"I'm Sergeant May, pleasure to meet you."

She shook his hand.

"Same here."

May pointed to the two others.

"That's Anne-"

She gave a tiny wave.

"And that's Greene."

He nodded his head. Eval looked at all of them before pulling a piece of bread out of her stash, sitting down.

"So how'd you guys end up in Malta?"

May ran a hand through his jet-black hair.

"We were hired on behalf of the Federation to keep our territorial gains, at least before the Takers made planetfall."

"Planetfall?"

"Yeah, asteroids and shit. One landed a mile out, in the shallows."

Eval munched on her bread.

"Huh."

Anne, who had been staring blankly into space for a while, turned to SH.

"Are you sure you didn't check for any other survivors?"

The wolf was busy organizing her shotgun shells, but she replied.

"Yes, we took a look through the nearby town. But with the circumstances, it wouldn't have done us any good to stay around. That was my judgement call."

"Well.. Alright."

After the meal, SH produced a map of the Mediterrean, rolling it out on the deck. As the rest gathered around she drew a tiny red circle above Malta.

"By my thinking, we should be around here."

She drew a line to Sicily.

"Sicily will be the next stop, where we'll temporarily dock at Catania."

Greene pointed to Tunisia.

"What about the city of Tunis? If our goal is to pick up survivors, they must be there."

"They firebombed Tunis."

"They what?"

"Before the Federation comms blackout, I received word of it."

Greene sighed, clearly uncomfortable. SH continued.

"Then we sail back around Sicily and towards Cagliari. I ignored the smaller island chains as they are dangerously close to the Italian mainland. After that, we head to Elba and then disembark at Genoa, before going overland to Prussian territory."

SH put away her red pen and rolled up the map.

"Any suggestions?"

May spoke up.

"I'm assuming you're Prussian, right?"

"Correct."

"I thought you guys kept to yourselves. What are you, an Operator, doing out here?"

"We're in more places than you think. But it doesn't matter now."

The sergeant sat back down.

"I guess I'd have to agree with that sentiment."

Eval had been nibbling on the bread, but she decided to save the rest for later.

"What's up with the Prussians? What did they do?"

SH looked at her.

"In the early 20th century, what we know now as the Union engaged in a war with Europe, the second of its kind, in which it committed many atrocities and crimes, along with being responsible for inflicting massive loss of life. As such, a puppet government was installed after the war, with the nationalists of the previous eras taking power. Most of the subsequent history until recent times has been muddied, but today Prussia is an isolationist state alienated from most of the continent."

Greene shook his head.

"Muddied, my ass. Where'd you learn this, their propaganda courses?"

"I read history on my own accord. And I never said my nation is clean today. It's far from it, but we all have to live with the mistakes of our ancestors."

SH left to check on the controls, making sure the boat was on course. May chuckled to himself.

"Those Prussians are like Mormons, except they're constantly suicidal and valiant in addition to being kind."

The midday sun hung above the boat as Eval washed out her flight suit and boots in the ocean water, having borrowed a t-shirt, shorts, and underwear from SH. Spitting into a rag, she attempted to wipe her jump boots clean, but the sand and mud stains weren't coming out even then. SH leaned on the rusted railing beside her.

"I think it's a little ironic that you're staining your flight suit with salt in an attempt to wash it."

Eval looked at her in alarm.

"Wait, that's possible?"

"Very much so."

She picked up the suit, which had been tied to one of the railings, and examined it. White stripes of salt lined the entire suit.

"Dammit."

Eval sighed while SH continued to look out at the sea.

"You've never been sailing before, have you?"

"No. I don't really like water in general."

"Interesting."

The gentle ocean wind ruffled the wolf's fur.

"So I've avoided the subject for some time, but-"

Eval looked up at her.

"You want to know what happened back there."

"Yes."

"Well, I don't know how it works, I guess. I'm just impervious to death."

"Impervious.. To death?"

"Yeah."

SH seemed to process something for a moment before responding.

"This.. anomaly is very interesting. It certainly requires more study."

Eval smiled.

"Promise you're not going to dissect me?"

"No. Why would I harm you?"

"You really can't take a joke.."

She continued rubbing her boots.

"I did come up with a better name for you though."

SH looked down at her again.

"I thought my ID was sufficient."

"Come on. You used to have a name before you.. Became what you are."

"When I became an Operator, they stripped away all irrelevant memories from my mind. It better helps us focus on our tasks."

"That's really- Anyways, the name I came up with was Steel Heart."

SH looked confused.

"Steel.. Heart?"

"It's the same initials as your ID, and it kinda matches your personality. Because you're, uh, steel, and you care, so you have a heart."

"Steel Heart.."

The closest thing to a grin began to form on her mouth, but it quickly faded.

"I like it. Thank you."

Eval began to respond when she saw something approaching in the distance. Across the waves a tiny little dinghy limped forward with a comically oversized red flag, bearing a distinct crest.

"Hey Steel, you see that?"

Steel Heart nodded before freezing momentarily.

"It's the Zeon."

She backed away from the railing, rushing to get her weapon and tell the mercenaries. Eval stopped rubbing her boots and shoved them on haphazardly, not bothering to tie the laces. Sergeant May picked up his rifle and braced himself on the railway.

"Even now, Zeon means trouble."

Anne and Greene joined him and took their positions. The little dinghy came to a stop a few dozen yards away, and its four passengers were equally armed and ready. For a solid minute the two boats faced off, each crew staring the other down intensely. Then Eval stood on top of the cabin and hollered out.

"Guys, we don't have to fight each other! Come join us!"

Steel Heart shot her a concerned look before the someone on the other boat called back.

"You're wearing the uniforms of Feddie mercs! The worst kind of Feddie!"

"We're not going to shoot if you don't either, please, put down the guns! We could trade if you like!"

The passengers of the dinghy talked amongst themselves before replying.

"Fine, but not for long!"

May and the mercenaries watched with slight contempt as the dinghy came alongside the boat, one of the men aboard throwing a rope onto the deck. Steel Heart promptly knelt down and tied it before helping the first passenger off.

"Sorry for the hostilities. Who might you be?"

The passenger was not human, but sub-human. A particularly well-built Fox class. She took off her aviators, looking at the Operator in the eye.

"Alex. Lieutenant Alex."

"I am SH3455, or Steel Heart."

Alex cautiously observed the mercenaries before putting on her aviators again.

"So, 'Steel Heart', my craft here needs repairing."

She gestured to the dinghy's beaten and battered outboard, which was trailing oil.

"We're also short on provisions, but I hope that isn't too much of a problem."

The Lieutenant made sure to show off the imposing revolver holstered on her hip by subtly brushing aside her shirt. Steel Heart noticed this.

"There's no need for that. We were headed to Catania, but we can tow you and your ship until our services are no longer needed."

Alex nodded.

"Catania, huh? We were headed there too, so this little arrangement might just work out."

The skies had soured considerably as the boat chugged along, towing the dinghy with it. Steel Heart sat perched on the outboard, her clothes covered in oil and grime as she fiddled with the mechanisms, while Alex and Eval sat on the dinghy beside her.

"I think I should be able to get this fixed by the time we arrive at Catania, so let's see.."

She reached deeper in and reached around as the first raindrops fell.

"Oh.. The main shaft is broken at the junction to the propeller."

The wolf looked up at Alex, who seemed genuinely pissed.

"What does that mean? We aren't leaving anytime soon?"

"Yes. That is if we can't find a replacement outboard at Catania."

Alex looked back at her Zeon crew, which sat directly opposite of the Federal mercenaries, before sighing.

"They're going to kill each other, aren't they?"

Eval unsteadily stood up before beginning to cross the makeshift gangway between the two boats.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it."

With that, she left, only leaving the two in silence. Steel Heart closed the outboard lid, carefully setting herself down on the dinghy before assembling her tools into a metal container she had brought along. Alex, who refused to take off her glasses even in the rain, watched.

"You're interesting for an Operator."

"How so?"

"I saw you reading an hour ago. I thought your type were meant to be walking death machines or something."

Steel Heart closed the container, getting ready to leave too.

"That's a very one sided thing of you to say."

Alex quickly responded.

"I didn't mean to be offensive or anything, I just thought it was cool that you read books too."

"You read? As in read physical books?"

"I do. Well, sort of. I can understand most of the words, but I'm still figuring it out."

"Noted."

Eval Lee scanned her cards, looking up at May a short distance away. The combined effort of the Zeon and mercenaries managed to produce a stable rain tarp over most of the deck, but since then they had gone back to their respective sides. May perused through his own stack of cards, which was in reality only one.

"Do you have an ace?"

"No."

"Shit."

Eval, smirking, made her own request.

"King?"

He frowned before handing over the last card, Eval gleefully completing her massive card collection.

"Ha! I told you I'm better. Go Fish!"

The sergeant was about to laugh before he stared up with disdain at someone behind her. Eval turned to find one of the Zeon crewmates standing there, arms crossed.

"That's not how you play Go Fish. The one with no cards is the winner."

May was seething.

"Yeah? How about you go-"

Eval raised her arms.

"Hey, hey. The both of you keep your pants on, aye?"

She motioned to the Zeon.

"Come on, play with us. What's your name?"

He sat down in a cross legged position.

"Trent. If we're going to get stuck here, I figure we should make it count."

"That's the spirit!"

May simply scowled while Eval nodded and reshuffled the cards, dealing them out before creating a stack on the deck between them.

"Alright, looks like this'll be a three-way-"

"Count me in. I don't want a Zeke winning."

Anne sat down next to them, eyes locked on Trent.

"Then a four-way-"

Another Zeon crewmate dropped down a freezer from the dinghy nearby, flipping open the latches to reveal several ice-cold cans of beer.

"Looks like we're fully committed to fraternizing with the enemy, so I brought the good stuff we were saving."

A tiny cheer came from the members as they passed around drinks. Whatever rivalry these men had in wars, it seemed to be in name only and little else. Then again, said wars looked to be utterly pointless.

Steel Heart briefly looked back at the two crews laughing and drinking before returning to the boat controls, holding the wheel firm against the currents. In a tight space like this, survival absolutely depended on good relations between the crewmates. She checked the map propped up against the window for reference. By nightfall, which would be soon, the boats would be somewhere close to the Sicily coastline. But they'd have to hold off on actually docking there, as the threat of Takers at night was too much even for a group of around ten.

"You busy?"

Alex leaned on the wall behind Steel Heart.

"In a way, yes. You should be with your men, they're having a good time."

"I'm afraid it's against policy. A proper officer shouldn't get too close to her men, lest she show weakness."

Steel Heart glanced at her.

"That doesn't sound unusual for an inflexible group like the Zeon."

"Piss off, it's not as if I like this."

"So why are you here, with me?"

She frowned.

"I thought it would be a good idea to plan out what we're going to do once we reach Catania."

Steel Heart nodded.

"You'd be right on that."

Steel Heart sat on the small bow of the boat, gathered with Lieutenant Alex, Trent, and Sergeant May. She turned on a lamp and set it between them.

"So I'm going to assume we're dividing and conquering."

The light reflected off of Alex's glasses.

"Yeah. We were on a troop transport with the 54th Logistics Group, but it got sunk before all this happened, maybe a week ago. Our established rendezvous was supposed to be Catania."

"How'd you get lost from the rest?"

"Our lifeboat was blown off course by a storm. Case in point, we only need to find the 54th, and if we don't, we find an outboard."

Trent grinned.

"The Vixen has carefully planned her return!"

"Dammit, I told you not to bring that up."

Steel Heart was confused.

"What is the Vixen?"

Trent grinned even more.

"It's the 54's nickname for Alex here, because she magically became a junior officer after taking a trip with the CO to his quarters."

Alex fumed.

"It wasn't anything!"

"An hour is a long time for nothing."

Steel Heart had a relatively good idea of what he was implying, but she decided it wasn't her place to comment on it.

"And we will search for survivors as said. I think we have come to a consensus, correct?"

The others nodded before getting up and leaving.

The faint thumping of helicopter blades sounded out in the distance as Eval Lee sat up, her head pounding from last night. Drinking to the verge of inebriation probably wasn't a good idea. And strangely enough, she had a vague feeling that this had happened to her once before. The fox looked to the horizon. Gunshots and explosions could be heard somewhere out there.

"So you noticed too."

Steel Heart stood behind her, binoculars in hand.

"We're a few miles off of Sicily. Get ready."

The crew stood on the deck of the boat, all gripping the railings as land approached. The sprawling urban zone of Catania was visible now. Steel Heart guided the boat.

"We're close."

Eval nodded, her Kevlar vest strapped tight to her body. The high calibre rifles of the mercs and Zeon glimmered in the light of the early morning sun. There was no sound save for the crashing waves, the tension in the air running high. Catania embraced the small boat into its port slowly as Steel Heart turned off the ignition. While she moored the boat, the group filed off and secured the entrances to the nearby streets. Alex produced a handheld radio and held it high.

"Hello, hello, hello. Is there any 54th on this frequency?"

It only crackled with white noise.

"Shit."

Anne looked away from her rifle sights.

"It could be jamming."

"And it could have to do with the fighting we heard earlier. We have to head further into the city."

Alex motioned for her group to move forward, pulling her revolver from its holster. Steel Heart, having secured the boat, walked briskly towards them.

"Remember, if the situation goes bad in any way, regroup here."

The Zeon officer nodded before continuing on. Steel Heart turned towards Eval and the mercenaries.

"We'll take a different route. Follow me."

She went down one path, sticking to the middle of the cobblestone street. The sun stopped shining on Eval's face as she walked. On either side of the street were massive stacks of apartments and vendors, starting from the bottom with terracotta and wrought iron before transitioning to steel sheets and plastic further up.

"Bloody hell, this place is huge."

Greene covered the rear of the group, making sure nothing was following them.

"There's bigger places out there."

Eval suppressed that nauseating thought and kept walking. Steel Heart lead the group, head swerving from side to side as she scanned for movement. She abruptly raised a closed fist and motioned forward with her fingers. An empty sandbag position sat in front of an apartment door, the mounted machine gun behind it sitting deserted. Eval looked at the wolf and whispered.

"You think it's occupied?"

Steel Heart nodded before walking over the sandbags and trying the door, quietly applying more force until the lock cracked. She entered the breach with her shotgun, Eval behind her with a pistol.

"Hello? We're here to help!"

The lack of any response prompted the group to move inside. The small apartment lobby was empty, save for a few crates of ammunition and assorted magazines neatly stashed behind the reception counter. May surveyed them.

"Looks like someone was planning for a holdout scenario."

Steel Heart aimed up a nearby stairwell.

"But they left. Why?"

Eval closely followed the larger wolf, pistol ready. The next level was an open space, filled with more ammunition crates. Machine guns were placed at each window, belts full and inserted into their slots. Eval took a step forward and peered out of one of the windows.

"Oh, fuck!"

She was not ready for what she saw. Steel Heart came rushing over.

"What is it?"

The bodies of Zeon soldiers sat in a courtyard, dozens upon dozens laying upon each other as they covered the pavement. Eval almost regurgitated on the spot.

"Tha-That's the 54th, isn't it?"

A man wearing the Federation uniform strolled over the bodies, his gas mask hissing. Steel Heart bore a look of slight disgust.

"Whatever the Federation is doing here, they lured these men into a trap. And they lured us into a trap."

She looked at Eval.

"We have to warn the Lieutenant."

Lieutenant Alex slid behind the edge of a courtyard, revolver in trembling hand. She'd never actually seen combat on the ground before, and all the boot camps in the world couldn't truly prepare one for what he was to see. She turned the corner, group in tow, as she came across a set of large double doors. Trent took his position, ready to kick them in.

"On your word, boss."

Eval Lee flew out the apartment door, easily jumping over the sandbags.

Alex raised her hand.

"In five."

Eval's boots skidded over the cobblestone as she pulled a sharp turn.

"Four."

In the apartment, Steel Heart noticed several machine gun crews setting up their weapons.

"Three."

Eval's heart pounded.

"Two."

Alex took a deep breath and pulled the hammer on her revolver.

"One. Go!"

Trent bashed in the door as Eval came running down the street, screaming.

"No, stop!"

Overlapping machine gun fire laced the ground around Alex with bullets, causing her to fall over. Her aviators flew off and the world suddenly became blindingly bright.

"Shit!"

Trent was yelling from cover.

"Get up! Come on!"

Alex hugged the ground, hands desperately clawing for her glasses. Rounds caused dust and tiny fragments to cover her body.

"What are you doing!? Get up!"

Her fingers found the pair, and she thrust them on. The world came into focus, revealing numerous bodies in front of her. They were protecting her from the bullets. She turned to look at Trent, who was still yelling as he extended a hand.

"Get the fuck up!"

Alex took his hand and scrambled behind cover, breathing heavily.

"They're all gone. We need to get out, right now."

"They're all gone?"

She growled.

"Yes, they're all fucking gone. Let's go."

Eval Lee began backpedaling towards the apartment when something grabbed her by the neck, turning her to face it.

"I've finally caught you, little shit."

A metallic monstrosity of a man, half his face covered in steel and wire, bore down on her.

"You remember me, right?"

Eval gasped for air.

"C-can't say I do."

He tightened his grip by several magnitudes.

"I was Rogers. The man you broke and left for dead with that grenade."

"Wasn't my fault your guys are shit at throwing.."

"Shut up! I'm going to kill you, and I'll take my time-"

Steel Heart came out of the shadows, thrusting her body weight into Rogers and causing him to tumble backwards. She pumped her shotgun and fired a round into his head, but it was ineffectual.

"An Operator won't save you, fox!"

He threw a flurry of blows and jabs at Steel Heart, the wolf blocking each and every one of them with her forearms and legs. She skidded backwards.

"Run, Eval!"

Eval began to turn but couldn't bring herself to leave her.

"I can't-"

"Run!"

While Steel Heart was distracted, Roger lined up a gargantuan fist and connected it with the side of her skull, instantly throwing her across the street. Eval cursed at herself before backing away. Suddenly, several more bullets dinged against his armor, and Alex appeared. Her revolver was smoking hot.

"You gassed one hundred men, you goddamn monster! My friends!"

While she was reloading, a barrel protruded from Roger's arm and aimed at her.

"They were a drop in the bucket."

She ducked as he fired a grenade, the cobblestone street erupting into thousands of pieces. Eval looked at her, and then back at Steel Heart's crumpled body. She wasn't going to leave her. Eval rushed over and grabbed the Operator by the shoulders, attempting to drag her backwards.

"Shit, you're heavier than you look."

Up the street, the Zeon were in a firefight with Rogers, while the mercenaries could be heard dealing with the Feds in the courtyard. Eval grunted as she looked down at Steel Heart. Her blue eyes had rolled upward, which probably wasn't a good sign. Eval looked behind her.

The dock was close, with only a few yards to go. May and his team ran up to the two.

"Need help? We have to move."

"Yeah, could use some."

He bent down and lifted Steel Heart's legs, moving forward as Eval moved backward. Greene kneeled and fired off several bursts.

"Got Feddies on our asses!"

Eval and May unceremoniously dumped Steel Heart on the boat before getting on themselves, Eval igniting the engine. Alex and the Zeon approached, occasionally firing shots off at pursuers behind them before hopping on too. Trent cut through the mooring line with a switchblade and called to Eval.

"Go, go!"

She gunned the engine, and the boat sped off into the sea.

Lieutenant Alex cradled her head in her hands. Steel Heart, still unconscious, laid on the deck before her. It was her fault. She let the Feds and that horrendous Operator spring a trap on them, and it might've cost a life. Alex was way out of her league as an officer, the lives of others now on her shoulders simply because she'd fucked the CO for a favor. She thought it only entailed more pay and better quarters. How stupid she was to think that. Alex let out a heavy breath into the ocean air before looking at the rest of her men, also sitting in a similar mood. She had to say something to them. It was what good leaders did, right? She stood up, adjusting her aviators.

"Uh.."

They all looked at her, awaiting her next words.

"I take full responsibility for what happened today. It was me who wanted to go further in, and it was me who should've realized the situation. I-I'm.. I'm sorry."

Alex sat down and looked away, unable to keep her emotions in check. May leaned in.

"That's bullshit. It wasn't your fault, we all agreed to go."

Alex didn't respond.

"Look, they were gone before we even arrived. It wasn't our choices that killed them. It was the Feddies. Cry all you want for now, but you gotta learn to realize that fact and live with it."

She nodded before wiping a tear off her eye.

System damages:

Concussive trauma- Mitigated

Frame trauma- Mitigated

Organ trauma- Minimal

System Restart Initiated

10%..

20%..

30%..

40%..

ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!

Memory blockage- Partial

Emotion blockage- ?

AI Assist- ?

60%..

70%..

90%..

Restart Successful!

Steel Heart awakened on the dinghy, gently tossing aside the blanket that covered her. The cloud-covered sky was pitch black. The sound of something shifting caused her to spin around, finding Lieutenant Alex sleeping close by with a tiny light. Her eyelids were squeezed shut, and her general face expression spoke of pain. Something in Steel Heart's chest ached, and she rubbed her hand over it. It was something she hadn't felt in a long time. Pity. Her protocols must've been damaged when she took that blow to the head, which definitely warranted further investigation. But there was nothing Steel Heart could do about that at the moment. She crossed over onto the boat, retrieving her guitar before returning to the dinghy. Caressing the long neck of the instrument, she could feel indentations where her hands had gripped too hard and damaged the wood. That was during the long months of therapy she had undergone while getting used to her new body, the only pastime she was afforded between obstacle courses, live fire drills, and sleeping. Alex writhed again, whimpering. Steel Heart knew what she was seeing in her mind's eye.

"I hurt myself today.."

Alex emerged from the depths of her own hell, coming to Steel Heart's soft voice and the strumming of a guitar.

"To see if I still feel.."

She sat up. Steel Heart, singing? Odd to say the least.

"Is that Johnny Cash?"

The wolf stopped playing.

"Yes. It's Hurt. I thought.. I thought it would be helpful in some way."

"Oh. Thanks."

Alex ruffled her hair, her glasses still on.

"I guess I should've asked how you were doing. That was a pretty big hit you took."

"I'm fine. By the way-"

Steel Heart picked up the blanket.

"I appreciate the gesture."

Alex smiled a little.

"I'm not any sort of medic, so I did what I could."

They both fell silent, Steel Heart unsteadily finding her way back to the rhythm. Alex pointed at the guitar.

"You good at it? Playing the guitar?"

"Not really."

"Huh. I used to play before I got drafted."

Steel Heart nodded.

"I see. It's odd they drafted you with that condition of yours."

She pointed to Alex's aviators.

"I saw you during the ambush. You couldn't see without them."

Alex took them off, slightly squinting at the light.

"You're right. I got sensitive eyes from an accident. But the drafters just gave me these and assigned me to a non-combat unit."

Steel Heart nodded again before setting down the guitar.

"I.. I wanted to ask you something."

Alex was slightly disturbed by her suddenly more forthcoming personality, but it wasn't anything to remark about.

"Shoot."

"Is it true you had.. intercourse with your superior to gain officer status?"

Fuck. Alex, half blushing, half embarrassed, answered.

"Did that asshole Trent tell you that? Well, uh, yes.

Let me come clear. Life in a Zeon army base is an absolute hellhole. Shit rations, bad pay, nothing to do, and no supplies for weeks on end. And when I found that I could use my body to make a few extra bucks and eat actual food, I did. So my CO heard about my 'talents', and he wanted to arrange a deal. One night with me, and I get junior officer status and all the stuff that came with it. I took it."

Steel Heart looked on, curious.

"And? Do you regret it?"

Alex shook her head.

"I really don't know. On the one hand, I did it for necessity. Women in the Zeon army either get fed to the meat grinder or shanked in a fucking bathroom or something most of the time. But that's what I tell myself. The rest of the 54th probably saw nothing more than a bitch to ride."

"I don't think that's the case. You read. You like music."

She chuckled to herself and produced a book from what appeared to be her bag.

"Thanks. The only book I bought on the trip was some horny romance novel I snagged at the port."

"You seem to be obsessed with intercourse."

"Nah, I just brought it to.. well.. have good nights on the transport ship. It's the same way how the guys hav-had their porn mags."

She extended it towards Steel Heart.

"I don't need it anymore, though. You can have it."

Steel Heart took it, flipping through the pages.

"Very.. interesting."

"I hope you like it."

"It's very unconventional for a gift, but it'll do."

Alex gave a cheeky smile as Steel Heart read.

Eval Lee watched Steel Heart step onto the deck of the boat, appearing to have fully recovered.

"Hey, you're back!"

The wolf came up behind her in the cabin.

"I am. Which direction have you been taking the boat?"

"Uh.. I don't know a whole lot, but I think we rounded southern Sicily. Now to Cagliari, I think."

"Hold that thought. Those Federation soldiers, that Operator. They seemed intent on following us. As such, I don't think it's a good idea to keep island hopping, especially considering they trapped us last time."

Eval was almost shocked by her reversal on the plan she'd so meticulously thought out.

"What? I thought we were picking up survivors."

"With our luck, I don't think they'd be better off, even if they're alive. We need to get to Genoa."

"Oh.. Ok."

She wondered how she could accept that, especially with no questions asked. But judging by last time, Eval had a feeling Steel Heart made the right call. The people on the islands had a better chance of survival than on the mainland. The ominous sound of a foghorn broke her train of thought, and she turned. Far, far in the distance was some sort of ship, smoke billowing from a stack. It looked almost like one of those ships seen in the early twentieth century. Alex, still on the dinghy, pointed.

"It's a Feddie destroyer. They've been following us the whole time!"

It would've been comedic timing if not for the circumstances. Eval thrust forward the throttle, pushing the boat to its absolute limits as several sets of menacing turrets turned on the destroyer. May beckoned everyone to duck.

"Brace, it's about to get hot!"

The first shells flew out of their barrels, pummeling the waves around the boat. Water splashed on the crouching crewmates. Eval wanted to duck too, but she knew she had to man the controls. Another volley arced into the air before crashing down, heavily rocking the boat. It was still managing to outpace the destroyer, but not by much. Eval hit the steering wheel with her palm.

"Come on, come on, give me all you bloody got!"

One of the cabin side windows was blown in from a nearby impact, and she raised her arm to protect her face from the shards. Blood flew from her left forearm as she continued to hold on to the wheel. Trent, soaked, cried out.

"We've almost lost it! Keep going!"

The engine choked and guzzled fluid from the exertion, causing the deck to go slick with oil and water. As the destroyer was left further behind, the rounds lessened, and the waters were once again calm. Eval, still clenching the wheel, wavered. Steel Heart looked at her.

"You're bleeding."

"I'm what?"

"You're bleeding, we need to get it patched up."

Eval looked down at her arm, which was almost entirely coated in red, along with her shirt.

"Oh, I didn't realize that.."

Her legs buckled before giving out.

Eval woke up shortly after to Steel Heart wrapping roll after roll of gauze around her arm, stemming the blood loss.

"You're awake. That glass almost hit your ulnar artery, so consider yourself lucky."

The fox attempted to lift her head.

"Did we get away?"

"For now. We're close to Genoa, where we'll ditch the boats one last time."

"Huh.. I can't feel my arm."

Steel Heart waved some sort of injector in her hand.

"It's the healing agents, but what is odd is that the cut itself is rapidly healing, so I'm unsure to say the least. Do you think it has anything to do with your.. situation?"

Eval groaned and sat upright.

"Probably. I'm just happy I'm going to be on actual land again."

"Don't get too excited. The mainland is completely infested, so I've charted a route through the Alps."

She almost choked on her spit.

"The Alps? That's the big mountain range, right?"

"Right."

"I'm not so sure about that, Steel."

Steel Heart picked up a book.

"It's do or die any route we pick, I'd prefer the cold over Taken."

"You're a robot Steel, you can't feel the cold."

"I'm not a robot, I'm an Operator. Learn the difference."

Eval sighed and laid her head back, staring into the blue late afternoon sky. Whatever was waiting for them in Prussia had better be worth it. She looked over at what Steel Heart was reading.

Love under The Flares

The cover depicted a young couple making out in front of what appeared to be a city engulfed in war.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's a romance novel, Alex gave it to me."

"I don't think you're the type for romance."

"Not really, but the visceral depictions of lovemaking are fascinat-"

"That's enough of you nerding out for one day."

Steel Heart was silent for a few minutes before speaking again.

"What does 'nerding out' mean?"

"It means going on a tangent about something longer than needed. Like when you almost described the insides of a Taker to me, which I really would not have liked."

"I'm sorry for that."

"No problem. It's better than being completely stone cold all the time, even though you've been acting a little weird recently."

Steel Heart decided not to comment on that last part, instead picking up the book again.

As the sun began to set, the boat neared the rocky shores and low beachlines of Genoa. Eval and the others sat still, simply watching.

"It's beautiful."

May shook his head.

"There's few places like this still in existence. Now.. Now the rest are just bombed out holes."

Eval's red eyes glittered in the dusk.

"I just want to know something. Is Manchester still there?"

"No. It was wiped off the map several decades ago."

She looked down at the water momentarily before returning her gaze to the horizon.

"You guys.. You guys have had it hard. War after war. These empires from the history books just endlessly dueling it out.. It's horrible."

The mercenary took a good look at her.

"I'm no philosopher, but we refused to change our bullshit ways. And we paid the price for that refusal."

"Well said."

Steel Heart killed the throttle as the boat grounded out on the shallows, lifting up the engine panel.

"We're going to row the dinghy to shore after I leave a little surprise for that destroyer."

Closing the panel, she hopped in the dinghy where the others were waiting with their belongings. Eval watched as she cut the rope connecting the two ships before dipping the butt of her shotgun in the water.

"Row using your weapons or hands or anything you can find, we have to hurry."

The Zeon and mercenaries did so, pushing the dinghy along with their weapons and arms. In the distance, the billowing smoke of the Federal destroyer reached like a snaking tendril into the sky. And it was coming closer.

Lieutenant Alex stabbed the dinghy several times with her knife before wading the rest of the way to shore.

"It's done. Let's get going."

They had dumped the busted outboard back in the shallows, so the crumpled dinghy wouldn't be conspicuous. Steel Heart, her backpack strapped tight, pointed to a high outcrop looking over the beach.

"We're getting up there."

"Alright then."

The group trekked up the sandy beach, passing by the withered skeletons of former houses and buildings. Alex observed a partially buried body. It had been stripped to rags and bones. The calming ocean winds had ebbed as the sand became replaced by rich soil, the crew venturing into the depths of a forest. Eval batted at a fly that landed on her arm.

"Now I remember why I hate hot places."

Greene handed her a can of bug spray from a pouch.

"You'll get used to it."

The fox took the can and sprayed it all over her bare legs and arms.

"Not anytime soon, that is."

Alex smiled. Eval reminded her of a time that seemed so distant from the present, when she was blinded by the curtain of childhood. Such was the irony that she was almost half-blind physically now. Steel Heart effortlessly hopped up several rocks and boulders, nearing the summit of the outcrop. She crouched and beckoned the rest to do the same. Alex came by her side.

"What next?"

"I've rigged the boat to detonate. We simply have to wait for the Federation."

"You're telling me you had a bomb the whole time?"

"Never needed to use it."

She pulled out a detonator, the clunky device bearing a number of knobs and switches. Alex put her face to the ground.

"It's only going to get harder from here on out, isn't it?"

Steel Heart eyed the coast intently.

"I'd be lying if I said no."

The destroyer lazily drifted towards the coast, a number of smaller ships being winched down from the sides of the hull to investigate the boat. The wolf returned her gaze to Alex.

"But we'll make it if we stay together."

She touched the Lieutenant's shoulder, much to the surprise of the latter.

"I'll protect those around me, by any means necessary."

The smaller troop shuttles swarmed the fishing boat, soldiers shouting and tossing lines. Alex looked back at Steel Heart.

"You mean it?"

"Yes."

The wolf hit a switch on the detonator, and the boat and the soldiers around it were instantly evaporated in an incendiary ball of fire, debris soaring into the air. She stood up and left, leaving Alex to watch the charred remains of men float on the burning water.

Eval Lee shattered the SUV window with the butt of her pistol, reaching inside and unlocking the driver's door. The group had arrived in the small but deserted town of Montanesi, only a few miles away from the coast line.

"I think I got it."

Trent, surveilling the town around them with the other Zeon, lowered his rifle.

"Good."

He motioned to his men.

"Load the gear into the trunk. We're hitting the road."

Eval slid into the driver's seat, rifling through numerous compartments and cubbies for the car keys. She eventually found them in the glove compartment and slotted it into the ignition.

"Here goes."

The engine, after a momentary bout of sputtering, came to life as if it were brand new. Eval, smiling like an idiot, peeked her head out of the window.

"It worked!"

Eval frowned as she was crowded into the very back of the six-seater vehicle with ten others.

"I thought I was driving.."

May put the car into gear and hit the gas.

"You barely look old enough to drive, so no."

Bodies shuffled and pressed together as Steel Heart brought out another map of hers, this time displaying the Alps mountain range. She marked the southern end with her marker.

"We're here. Now, we still have Milan to pass through-"

She drew around the city.

"But we'll be able to mostly go around it using the A50 highway. Then we simply go through the E43, through Helvetica, and to the Prussian Border. I should be able to raise Konstanz Station after we cross the mountain ranges."

Eval scoffed.

"That sounds way easier than it should be."

"It won't be easy, I have no doubt we'll run into infestations."

"Thanks, sunshine."

The car had pulled over just at the Milan city limits, most of the passengers vanishing into the roadside woods to relieve themselves after a long ride. Eval laid down on top of the SUV while Alex watched the surroundings.

"Finally, some fresh air."

"You've had fresh air for the last few days, so stop complaining and suck it up."

"I beg to differ. None of us have showered in a while, so naturally the car smelled like a cesspit."

Alex spun the chamber of her revolver.

"Steel Heart doesn't smell. Well, she actually smells a little like a new car."

"And how'd you get close enough to tell? Hmm?"

She froze while Eval peered over her shoulder from the car.

"You naughty Zeke, you're so shameless you managed to please yours-"

"Shut up."

"-Right behind her. I saw you the other night, so don't deny it. Who's the better one now?"

Alex squeaked out a sentence.

"Please don't tell."

Eval rolled over and stared up at the sky, arms behind her head.

"That's what I like to hear."

The sound of footsteps echoed down the road, and a cry rang out.

"Hey! Help!"

Eval sat straight up while Alex slid in the revolver chamber.

"Takers. We're about to get fucked in the open."

The footsteps multiplied into several, and then a dozen after it. Steel Heart was the first to come back, shotgun ready. The rest came running after.

"Help!"

"Help us!"

"We need help!"

Up ahead, deformed humans and subhumans alike, black substances dripping from their mouths, marched on the car. Anne raised her weapon.

"Fuckin' blast them!"

The crew simultaneously pulled on their triggers, automatic weapons jerking and shotguns bucking. Eval hopped into the driver's seat of the SUV as Takers were ripped to pieces.

"Get in! Go, go!"

May, Anne, Greene, and the Zeon packed themselves in the backseats while Steel Heart landed in the passenger's seat, Alex practically falling over her. Eval stomped on the acceleration pedal and the SUV jerked forward. The vehicle plowed through the Takers, heads and limbs bashing against the windshield and grille. Eval peered through the black fluids at the road signs.

A50 Onramp

She jerked the wheel to the left and swerved onto the highway, wheels spinning and screeching for traction. Another Taker climbed up onto the battered hood, clawing at the car passengers. Something wriggled in its throat. Eval almost screamed as Alex raised her gun and put a bullet in its head, the windshield shattering as the Taker slid off the hood and onto the road. Wind buffeted Eval's face as she kept driving.

"My God, we almost died there. My God.."

Alex began to relax, only to realize she'd been sitting on Steel Heart the entire time.

"Oh, shit! Sorry."

Her face went red as Steel Heart sat still.

"I see this as fine."

The mood lightened slightly as the passengers let out a small chuckle, all in relief that they'd averted danger. For now.

Gravel shifted underneath the SUV tires as it came to a stop at Como, the lakeside town Steel Heart said would be right before the Alps crossing. Steel Heart hopped out and closed the door behind her.

"Grab everything you can. Supplies, jackets, gloves, anything that'll fit."

The group nodded and went their separate ways, eagerly entering the most promising buildings. Alex stayed behind.

"I'll just stick with you, if you don't mind."

"I don't see an issue with that."

Steel Heart walked over to the nearest building, entering through the unlocked main door. It was a cafe, and the meals and drinks were still on the tables. She lifted one plate and examined it.

"Looks to be maybe more than a week old. That means it would be around the same time when Milan went silent."

"Interesting."

The Operator knew Alex was feigning her supposed interest just by her tone of voice, but there was no clear reason as to why. Steel Heart moved on to a coat rack, the jackets and sweaters still in place. She browsed through them.

"Which color coat would you like?"

"Huh?"

Alex was staring into space, but quickly snapped back.

"I was asking what color coat you'd like."

"Oh. U-uh.."

She seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Black. There's probably a lot of black."

Steel Heart took the warmest-looking black coat she could find and took it off the hook, handing it to Alex. The Lieutenant seemed to be almost extremely embarrassed by something, but Steel Heart couldn't just figure it out.

"Thanks."

Steel Heart continued searching, Alex's eyes lingering on the wolf before she followed herself.

Eval Lee emerged from a building wearing a large blue kid's coat, the ends of it almost reaching her knees.

"I look positively stupid in this, isn't there something else?"

Greene came out of the building behind her, shrugging his shoulders.

"Nope. We searched the whole building, couldn't find anything else your size. Sorry."

She flashed him the middle finger as she awkwardly waddled back to the car.

"Asshole.."

May and Trent were already there, talking, when they noticed her. Trent immediately burst out laughing.

"It looks so good on you.. Ha!"

Eval stiffly climbed into the backseat and slammed the door shut.

After Steel Heart and Alex jumped back in, the group was on the move again. The massive mountains of the Alps lay before them, peaks shrouded in snow and fog. Eval gaped at them.

"I've seen them in the books, but goddamn.. They're huge!"

Steel Heart, who had the job of driving, nodded.

"Correct. I reckon there'll be mountaineering units still alive in there."

"Why are soldiers everywhere? Jeez."

"For the longest time there has been a four-way border dispute in the Alps between Helvetica, Prussia, the French Monarchy, and the Italians. It's been more of a secret war than anything."

"Of course there's people killing each other on bloody mountains."

May looked out of the car window at the mountains too.

"If we can reach a place, we fight on it."

"That's pretty nihilistic."

"It's the truth."

Day turned to night while Eval sat in the car, reading, staring out the window, talking with the others, or simply sleeping. Snow began to fall as Steel Heart, her extensive implants allowing her to stay awake for much longer than what was normal, drove carefully up the mountain road. Alex, snoring in the passenger's seat, was soundly knocked out. And while Eval knew they were possibly the only humans for miles around, she, kept warm by the others, never had felt alone. She opened her sleepy eyes to the snowfall outside. The snowflakes, glowing in the headlights, came by the dozens in all their crystalline beauty. Satisfied, she closed her eyes once again.

The sudden jolt of the SUV coming to a halt jarred Eval awake, nearly slamming her head against the seat in front of her.

"W-what's going on!?"

Steel Heart looked back from the driver's seat.

"Takers have clogged the roadway."

"Why don't we go around?"

"Look."

The SUV was stopped on a thin road, with barely enough room for two cars side by side. Eval strained her groggy eyes to see what was up ahead. Takers. And a lot of them. Alex, now awake, lifted her revolver.

"Not again."

She threw the car door open and took aim, the equally surprised Zeon and Mercenaries following suit. Steel Heart, perhaps brazenly, marched forward and fired her shotgun, crippling and blowing apart Takers with each round. May swapped magazines and motioned for the group to advance.

"Sweep forward!"

Eval did what she could with her tiny pistol, aiming for the guts of each Taker as she was told. Black sludge melted the snow around the Takers as bullets and pellets laced through their mutilated and bloated bodies. Trent unhooked a grenade from his belt and pulled the pin.

"Take some of this, zombie fucks!"

He lobbed the grenade into the crowd of Takers, the tiny metal ball lodging itself into a patch of snow. A sizable explosion cut down the horde, severing all of them at the knees. Eval stumbled backwards and fell.

"Is that it?"

A loud roar from behind startled them all, and they turned to find a massively mutated Taker. Its arms laden with extreme amounts of muscle and pumping black veins, it grabbed the SUV from behind and began lifting it.

"No, no no no!"

She rolled over and fired several bullets at it, but it was too late. The SUV crashed down on its side, perfectly balanced on the road edge as the Taker crumpled. Greene rushed forward.

"Help me get the supplies out!"

Trent, Anne, and May joined in holding the car back while Alex threw the trunk open, throwing out all the bags she could. The car teetered forward while the group strained to hold on.

"Come on, hurry up!"

"We can't hold it!"

Alex was reaching in deep for one of the last bags.

"I almost got it.. No, no!"

Steel Heart grabbed her by the shoulders and jerked her back as the car escaped the grip of the mercenaries, sliding off the edge of the road and down into the abyss. Eval wanted to put her head down and fall asleep once and for all.

"Does.."

She struggled to catch her breath.

"Does this mean we have to cross those mountains on foot?"

No one in the group answered that, the howling wind and snow filling in the void. They all knew the journey was about to get much, much tougher.

Steel Heart trudged up the snow mound, her spare shirts wrapped around her shoes to act as gaiters. Snowflakes buffeted her fur as she turned around.

"Keep going. We have to find shelter, preferably a cave."

Alex was the closest behind her, a light dangling from the fox's freezing hand.

"How much longer until then? "

"I.. I don't know."

Steel Heart was acutely aware of the collective weariness and pain among the group more than ever now, and Alex's expression from behind those glasses was beginning to bring home an immense weight, one the Operator could not fully comprehend. She waited for Alex to catch up.

"I hope the jacket is making the temperatures more tolerable for you."

"It is. Let's just find that shelter, alright?"

"Ok."

They had decided to diverge from the road and head to the Prussian border as the crow flies, or at least as close as they could manage. Eval tugged a makeshift scarf up her face.

"It's so cold.. And I can barely move in this fucking thing, Greene."

Greene was near the back of the group, rifle in his arms.

"I was serious when I said it was the only one. Besides, it's better than no jacket."

Somewhere in the nearby mountain ranges, artillery thundered and machine guns roared, lighting up the night sky with flashes of yellow and orange. Steel Heart almost had an inclination to stop and stare as she kept walking. Those soldiers, cut off from the outside world, were still fighting tooth and nail for the rocky peaks and jagged ice their respective countries claimed. But she moved on, the others following with.

Eval Lee sat down, breathing heavily as she removed her scarf. The group had found a sizable ice cave to stay in, and they were all eager to rest. Alex set her light down.

"How far do we have to go?"

May crouched, setting his gear on the floor.

"By my reckoning, we've only covered a few miles. Insignificant at best."

Eval, trying to forget the situation, reached into her flight suit and retrieved one of the bread loaves. It looked discolored, but it was better than nothing. She took a solid chomp of it and almost jumped.

"Christ! This thing is rock hard."

The Zeon and mercenaries around her showed faint smiles. Trent pointed to Steel Heart's bag.

"You got any more of those MREs?"

The wolf rummaged around in her pack.

"No, but I have several liquid food packets."

"Liquid food?"

The Zeon soldier looked disgusted.

"That's the stuff you Operators eat, right? Ugh."

"Correct. It contains only the absolutely necessary nutrients needed to sustain bodily functions."

"That doesn't entail it being good to.. Consume."

"You'll live."

Alex at last plunged into the realm of sleep, but it wasn't any sort of respite. It was hell. She saw the faces of her fellow soldiers in the 54th, their gassed bodies rotting in the courtyard. And although many were darker shades of gray, they were still human. Then she remembered that day not all that long ago. Zeon party members had stormed her apartment complex, and a flash grenade landed directly in her room. She couldn't see as she writhed on the ground. The men didn't even remark at her as they left with their suspect. She was in pain. She cried. And no one came, save for the recruiter the very next week.

"But I.. I can barely see!"

"When the Republic calls, all must answer. Take these."

In his hand was a pair of aviators.

Steel Heart opened her eyes as she heard someone abruptly sit up in the darkened cave. From their proximity, it was reasonable to assume the person was Alex. The distinct form of a Fox-class rose in the shadows, chest heaving. Steel Heart did nothing as she wanted to observe. Alex turned to the wolf, face partially illuminated in the slivers of light from outside. Her wet eyes glinted as she crawled closer to Steel Heart. Alex softly embraced Steel Heart in a hug, quietly letting out trembling breaths. The Operator, not knowing any other way to react, gingerly wrapped her own arms around Alex's waist, the fox not even reacting to the fact that she was awake the entire time. But Steel Heart was content with this. Something warm was starting inside of her, bringing life to her dull veins and circuits. And she craved for more of it.

Eval Lee yawned and stretched her arms, the morning sun gracing the mountains around them. Luckily enough, the snowfall wasn't too bad the night before, and ideally today would be the same.

"We'll need to leave soon if we want to make good time across those ranges."

Steel Heart was behind her, fully ready to walk. Eval nodded.

"Hold on, I just need to make some 'quality of life' improvements."

She flicked out a borrowed knife and took to her jacket, cutting at the lower section of the zipper. The Operator, curious, looked on.

"What are you doing?"

"Loosening up the lower part of the jacket, so I'm not waddling like a bloody penguin all the time."

She put down the knife and shrugged the jacket on, bending her legs.

"That's a lot better."

"Good, I guess."

Steel Heart walked out, shotgun slung over her shoulder.

Alex held a compass in her hands, hand pointed north under the partially frozen glass.

"We're still on the right heading!"

Steel Heart, who walked ahead of the group, gave a thumbs up. Alex smiled before putting the compass away. She still thought about the night before, and she wasn't even completely sure if it was real. Whatever it was, she felt good. Trent, who walked behind her, gestured to a series of smoke plumes from a valley in the distance.

"Looks like the fighting died down."

"I'd imagine so. They stopped at around midnight."

Steel Heart called for the group to halt.

"Stop! I got something."

Up ahead were a series of prefabricated structures and tents, a tattered flag flying above them bearing the distinctive eagle, red, white, and black of the Prussian Union. It was raised upside down on its thin pole. The sign of distress. Steel Heart pulled out her shotgun, and Alex tugged her revolver from her jacket. The steel was cold to the touch.

"You think this was from the Takers?"

Steel Heart brushed aside each tent flap with her weapon.

"No. It's too clean, they must've abandoned the camp."

She went over to one of the structures, a radio antenna. Alex approached the site.

"Is it operational?"

"I'm checking right now. Perhaps we can get Konstanz to respond."

Steel Heart picked up a receiver and punched in a series of passwords and coordinates, activating the antenna.

"Konstanz Station, this is.."

She looked at some information displayed on the antenna.

"This is Landwehr Summit Camp, numerical designation 0-7-3-3. Do you copy?"

The receiver crackled briefly, but almost to her surprise a voice came back.

"This is Konstanz Station responding to LSC 0-7-3-3. Who are you? We ordered your camp evacuated days ago."

"I am an Operator, SH3455. I have survivors with me, where can we evacuate to?"

"It's.. It's a miracle you're still alive, especially considering your former post's location. I digress. The Kaiser and his advisors have decided to enact emergency contingencies."

"Emergency contingencies? I was not notified of this. What do they entail?"

"I apologize for the confusion. I don't know what they are myself, nor any of us here. We only have a set of locations."

"That is?"

"The city of Vaduz, Liechtenstein, would be closest to your current position. But you must hurry, the city's defences are reporting extreme fighting."

"I'll handle it. Der Kaiser beschützt."

"Der Kaiser beschützt. Good luck."

Steel Heart set the receiver in its cradle and stood up.

"We have a new evacuation point. Vaduz. I don't know what's waiting for us there, but we have to move."

Alex was about to move when the drone of a plane could be heard not that far above, and the snow suddenly erupted into tiny plumes. May screamed.

"Get down! Get down!"

Alex dove to the ground as the radio antenna and tents were ripped to shreds, fabric and steel flying in the air. The plane overhead was a monstrous hybrid of a gunship and transport, as seen with the numerous men parachuting out of it. The anchor-like symbol of the Federation was stamped on the wing. These were the men of the destroyer, and they'd come in pursuit.

As soon as the plane passed, Alex aimed upwards and fired at the parachutes, with the others doing likewise. Eval took potshots with her little gun.

"These bastards don't know when to give up, do they!?"

The ground shook and trembled as a massive armored form slammed into the ground, unfolding itself to its full height.

"Thought you could get away, huh?"

Rogers, with even more motors and servos melded to his body, opened fire with his arm mounted guns. Alex, attempting to dodge them, tripped on a patch of hard ice and tumbled down an incline, backpack flying off. She looked up and saw Rogers cornering Eval with lethal intent. The fox discharged an entire pistol magazine at him to no avail.

"Why can't you just die, you freak!"

"I will not cease until the objective is complete!"

The barrels on his arms were replaced with two blades, their sharp steel shining. Alex, feet slipping and sliding as she ran back up the slope, pulled the trigger on her revolver. It didn't fire.

"Fuck."

She leaned forward and chucked the pistol at Rogers' head, almost knocking him off kilter.

"You have a death wish."

"You must have one too!"

Alex flipped out her knife and charged at the Operator. But Rogers was faster, and swatted the knife out of her hands before kicking her away.

Eval Lee watched the Lieutenant soar into the air before landing in the snow.

"Alex!"

Rogers turned to her again.

"Now, back to you."

He lashed out at her, his blades cleaving through the space she had previously taken as Eval shed her coat and leapt into the air. She came down hard, her two boots striking his chest, before she bounced back. Rogers, temporarily stunned, discharged one arm shot before taking another swing. Eval fell backwards as snow flew into her face.

"Dammit, you're tough."

Rogers lined up a metal foot to her face.

"They created me in only two days, faster than ever before. I am the evolved Operator!"

Eval rolled out of the way before he slammed his foot into the ground.

"Alright, buddy."

She got back to her feet and swung at his face, knocking a few parts loose. Another punch to the jaw knocked him back.

"How about that?!"

"Your strikes do not hurt me."

Rogers slapped her away, his metal hand heavily lacerating her cheek. Eval landed face-down in the snow.

"Son of a bitch-!"

He closed in for the final strike, but not before Alex hopped on his back, knife plunging into his chest multiple times.

"How many strikes will it take to get you to lay down and die!?"

Smoke and sparks flew from the apparati on Rogers' body as he grabbed the area behind his back, yanking Alex off.

"You're testing me.."

He threw her to a spot next to Eval before limping off, smoking. Eval scrambled over to Alex, the scars on her cheek vanishing by the second.

"Are you ok?"

Alex exhaled a breath, her aviators still secure on her face.

"That was close."

"Too close."

Steel Heart watched Anne gun down the last of the Federal paratroopers before standing, loading shells into her shotgun.

"Is everyone accounted for?"

After a collection of nods and acknowledgements she got ready to move.

"That Operator is still alive, and I'm certain he's going to follow us. We need to gain as much a lead on him as we can."

She turned to find Eval helping Alex along, struggling in the deep snow.

"Is she hurt?"

The Lieutenant shook her head.

"No. I'm fine."

She parted ways with Eval and came up beside Steel Heart, clutching her side.

"How did they jump us like that?"

"The Landwehr camp is very much visible in clear conditions, so I don't doubt they might've seen us."

"Let's not have it happen again, then."

"Agreed."

With that, the group set off. Through low valleys and high mountain sides they walked, the weather becoming progressively more savage as they went. It was by noon when the sun disappeared entirely as the clouds came in and snow began to fall again. Alex held on to Steel Heart's shoulder so as to not get lost, the same with Eval behind her. She shouted over the wind.

"I can't see shit!"

Steel Heart, snow coating her fur, didn't turn around.

"Do you have the light?"

"Yeah!"

"Use it!"

Alex unhooked the light from her pack with her free hand before flicking it on. It didn't do much good other than illuminate the snowflakes. Since that didn't work, Steel Heart called back to Alex.

"Just use the compass!"

"Got it!"

A momentary pause, filled by the wind, ensued before she responded.

"We're slightly off, we should.. We should turn a little more east!"

Steel Heart turned accordingly. If luck was in their favor, they could find a place to stop until the snowstorm was over. But luck didn't seem to smile upon them. A bright red flare shot up into the sky to the right of them, temporarily illuminating the land. Eval, squinting, looked up.

"What does that mean?!"

"It's an attack signal, they must've seen us! This place might become a battlefield pretty soon!"

To the left, a green flare launched into the sky. Alex firmly gripped Steel Heart's shoulder.

"It's definitely going to become a battlefield. Run!"

The group broke into a half-sprint as they slogged through the snow, whistles and shouts coming from both sides of the battlefield.

"Je les vois, ouvrez le feu!"

"Leur donner l'enfer!"

The cracks of bolt-action rifles sounded through the storm as the Frenchmen fired on the group. On the other side, men charged out of their concealed positions.

"Un'ultima spinta!"

"A casa e alla gloria!"

Eval Lee tried to hold on to Alex, but stumbled and fell into the snow. Her vision was practically non-existent by this point.

"Shit. Alex! Alex-!"

A French soldier suddenly plunged his bayonet into the ground next to her head before retracting it, noticing she was wearing civilian clothes.

"Qui êtes vous!?"

"What!?"

"J'ai dit, qui es-tu!?"

"I can't understand you!"

"Une perte acceptable."

He pulled the bolt back on his rifle before slamming it back in, aiming squarely at Eval. She leapt upwards and tackled him, pushing the man to the ground before pummeling him with several strikes. Her fists covered in blood, Eval stumbled away, trying to find the group.

"Alex! Steel!"

Both the deafening wind and report of guns drowned out her voice. The snow was growing ever more intense, and she covered her face.

"Alex! Steel!"

Somewhere out on the battlefield, several men dragged an artillery piece into position, loading a shell into the breach.

"Spara!"

The ground next to Eval erupted in a ball of blood and snow, and she was knocked down by the blast. She groaned as she tried to get up, her voice hoarse and legs exhausted.

"Alex.."

The fox, men falling all around her, began to crawl. Another shell landed close by, and her sensitive ears went deaf with white noise. Her ice-covered hands grasped for more traction.

"Fuck.. I can't do it.."

Eval went limp in the snow, her face half buried. She vaguely remembered being in a situation like this, perhaps in a different time and place. But she'd lived to see another day somehow. Somehow. A woman with golden hair flashed before her eyes, standing on an infinite plain on a distant world. And in that blue sky were massive ships, seeking a new home. Something about it was so familiar, just beyond Eval's recognition. The woman turned to her.

"You and I, we're one and the same. I know I can do it."

She held out a gloved hand.

"I know you can too. We're all with you."

Several more versions of the woman appeared, clad in a leather jacket and weathered white armor respectively.

"Get up."

Eval got to her knees, reaching out for the hand.

"Remember us."

She clasped the hand in her own. Suddenly, the flash was gone, and the snow was back. But Eval was filled with energy that wasn't there before. It urged her to run. The fox took off, darting through explosions and blood and fire. The two sides had come together in a violent clash of bayonets, sabers, and pistols. But Eval kept running. A massive, forty foot tall form emerged from the snow nearby, yellow eyes piercing the storm. The infamous mobile suit.

"Holy shit!"

Eval leapt sideways as it took its first steps, French soldiers fleeing by the dozens.

"C'est un piège! Battre en retraite!"

"Combinaison mobile!"

The Italian flag flying from one of its shoulder pauldrons, the mobile suit brought a massive cannon to bear, pounding away at the opposing side's fortifications with human-sized rounds. Another soldier accidentally slammed into Eval, knocking her down, but she scrambled to her feet and sprinted once more. The Italians were mounting a full-scale charge, untold hundreds of men climbing out of their foxholes and trenches with bayonets affixed. Blood coated the snow red as Eval ran for her life. In a way, she was glad this world was coming to an end. Even with the threat of the Takers, battles like this were fought along thousands of miles of trenches and wastelands. She wanted it to all end. The people she had come to know, the mercenaries, the Zeon, Steel Heart, Alex.. They knew nothing other than war. It pained her. But she couldn't change anything. What she had to do was survive.

Steel Heart had just noticed Eval was missing when the fox, coat splattered with blood and soot, burst out of the storm and fell to her knees. The Operator rushed to her side.

"Any injuries?"

"No. I'm fine."

Steel Heart looked around warily. The group had come across a break in the storm, but there was no guarantee for their safety. The time to process would come later. She lifted Eval upright.

"Come, and don't lose us this time."

Inexplicably, Eval pulled a small grin.

"I'll try."

After proceeding up the mountain range until nightfall, the group settled in an abandoned mobile command center, the air still warm inside. Steel Heart was attending to Alex, who was seated on a stool.

"I'm telling you, I'm fine."

"I still have to inspect the wound. If it's fine, it'll be quick."

Alex, who had a mixed expression on her face, unzipped her jacket and placed it on the floor before lifting up her t-shirt.

"Inspect away."

Upon immediate viewing there was a massive discolored patch of fur on her left rib, exactly where the Operator had kicked her. Steel Heart gently poked it, and she recoiled slightly.

"Shit, that stings like hell."

"You're lucky he didn't cave your entire chest in. A regular human certainly would've died upon impact."

"And? What about me?"

"You'll most likely recover, provided nothing else happens."

Alex let her shirt fall and sighed.

"Like that's a possibility."

Steel Heart made a move to leave her, but she gently touched the wolf's wrist.

"Hey, don't leave yet. I.. uh.. I wanted to talk about last night."

"What about it?"

"I want to do it again, if you don't mind."

"Likewise."

Alex's glasses almost fell off her face.

"What?"

"I enjoyed last night as well."

"Oh.. Alright then."

Steel Heart went over to her own corner of the command center, slumping against the wall. This warmth that she felt instantly lightened the weight on her shoulders. It was something the book called passion. Passion. How could a thing like passion, a pursuit of lust and desire, exist in a world where duty to fellow citizens and to the nation took priority? It sounded so selfish, but the prospect of it simply captivated Steel Heart. Alex walked over, sitting next to her.

"I never liked any of the men or women in the base. I never felt anything. It was just doing the act and moving on. Spreading the reputation of the Vixen. Doing the act again. Getting some money for it. Rinse and repeat."

Steel Heart stared at the floor.

"Maybe in another life I loved. I don't exactly remember."

Alex, a little offput by Steel Heart's blunt transition, continued anyways.

"I don't know what to think just yet. All I do know is that I'm glad I have you with me."

"Do you feel like being with me helps?"

She thought about this momentarily.

"Yeah. A lot."

Taking off her aviators in the lamplight, Alex looked at Steel Heart with her faded eyes.

"I need you."

Steel Heart struggled to process her own words, for what she was about to say defied every line of logic instilled within her.

"I.. need.. you."

Alex, lips trembling, leaned her head against Steel Heart's shoulder.

Eval Lee watched the both of them fall asleep, Alex holding on to Steel Heart. It brought a little warmth to her own heart. The others were sleeping too, but Eval simply couldn't close her eyes for long. The day's events were stamped into her mind. And the sheer amount of times she nearly died..

Even though she knew she would come back, it still had scared her badly.

Eval didn't belong in this world. That, she knew. But what about where she was from? Where, out in that infinite plain that she saw with her own two eyes, was she from? She wanted to go back, and take the rest with her too. It was the least she could do for them.

Eval followed Steel Heart down the rocky slope, the group managing their way down too. According to the Operator, they were getting very close to the Alpine Rhine Valley, where Liechtenstein supposedly was. Greene unzipped his coat as he descended.

"Hey, at least it's getting warmer."

Alex had tied her jacket around her waist.

"Thank God for that."

That was true. The high peaks and devastating storms were behind them now, and the snow beneath them slowly faded away into rock and grass. Eval herself had ditched the kid's coat a few miles back. They passed the bodies of several Landwehr soldiers, their uniforms riddled with bullet holes. May darkly chuckled.

"Now we know what happened to the guys from the camp too."

Eval bent down and picked up one of their spiked helmets, apparently called a Pickelhaube.

"Why would people go into combat wearing these things? They're just tin caps."

Steel Heart stopped and looked back.

"It depends on the tradition of the unit. Some use newer gear, others stay true. The same could be said of other armies."

"Ah, interesting. So theoretically a kitted out guy with a full-auto could be next to another with a bolt-action?"

"Yes, theoretically."

"Wow. You know, I did see a mobile suit back there."

May almost jumped.

"A mobile suit?!"

Noticing the reaction of the others, he cleared his throat.

"Back in America, we only hear about those beasts in the legends."

Anne chimed in.

"That's because America never has wars, they don't need mobile suits. The Second and Third Balkan conflicts over here used them heavily."

"Why didn't you tell me this on Malta?"

"Wasn't relevant."

Then they fell silent again. Eval kicked a rock along with each step, occupying herself during the walk.

"Hey, Steel."

The Operator called back.

"Hm?"

"How much more do you think we have to go?"

"I'm beginning to recognize this territory. We shouldn't be all that far away."

"Ok."

Eval put the Pickelhaube on her head just for fun, but was surprised at how comfortable it was. Alex playfully knocked against the helmet.

"You should keep it as a souvenir if.. When we make it out of here. Put it on a shelf at your home or something."

"Well, I actually don't have a home."

"Really?"

"No, not here. I'm from the colonies."

"The colonies? How cool, I was born up there. Wish I coulda stayed."

"Why didn't you?"

"Got caught in the draft, sent down planetside on the next shuttle. It was that or the firing squad."

Eval thought about that.

"Is every country that bad?"

"Yes. Some are worse."

She took off the Pickelhaube, turning it around in her hands. Prussia almost certainly wasn't clean either, and Eval needed to keep that in the back of her mind. She was about to drop it when Alex intervened.

"Keep it. I didn't mean to discourage you or anything."

She took the helmet and fastened it on Eval's head, briefly stopping to secure the chin strap.

"You look kinda cute in that."

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm serious!"

They both laughed as they walked.

The group had halted for a lunch break at around midday, all slurping their liquid food. Eval dangled her legs from a large boulder.

"This actually tastes pretty good."

Trent shook his head.

"No way, you're lying."

Eval hummed as she took an exaggerated sip of the food, while he looked on in horror. A couple of birds danced overhead, tweeting and chirping. Bees tended to their respective flowers. In the distance, rabbits roamed and squirrels darted. It was all so beautiful. Steel Heart consulted a map away from the group, drawing and scratching out lines with her red pen. Eval hopped down from the boulder and sat down next to her, idly sipping her food packet.

"What's the plan?"

Steel Heart paused.

"Vaduz is close, but we need to find a way to cross the Rhine."

"I thought you said you knew this area?"

"I do, but the river has been acting dramatically different in the past few decades. Rapidly enlarging and shrinking equally fast, so much so this map has most likely been outdated."

"So what do we do?"

"The Rhine is set in a valley. If we can climb the western edge, we'll be able to see potential crossing points. I've decided there's no real alternative."

"Cool, let's do it."

Steel Heart rolled up the map.

Alex huffed as she leapt from one rock onto the next. Despite being deemed unfit for combat service, which was fair considering her eyes, she'd surprised herself by even managing to come this far. That was even truer regarding Eval, who looked almost like a young teen. Alex stopped for a moment as she clutched her side, the wound aching from the climbing. Steel Heart, who was leading the group, turned around.

"Are you ok?"

Alex looked up and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She continued up the steep incline, using her hands to balance herself when needed. The group was headed up the western edge of the Rhine, where they would need to find a way down before crossing the river itself. Alex kept Steel Heart in her sights. The Operator was getting to mean a lot to her, and probably vice versa judging from the night before. She lifted herself over another ledge. If the Lieutenant wasn't invested in this journey before, she certainly was now.

Steel Heart was the first to reach the edge, surveying the Rhine below her. The river was running on a low tide, made apparent by the exposed sand that was normally underwater. Eval, breathing heavily, staggered beside her.

"Is that good?"

"Yes, very. We'll have an easy time wading through."

The distant rumble of an explosion directed their attention downstream, where smoke rose high into the sky. Steel Heart pulled out her binoculars.

"That must be Vaduz."

She put the pair to her eyes. Vaduz was a city of old castles and bombed out buildings, all surrounding what appeared to be some sort of military complex. Beyond that was a massive string of sandbag fortifications and artillery pieces lining the river bank, with gargantuan mobile suits sprinkled throughout. Despite her considerable time in the employ of the Prussian Landwehr, she'd never seen such amassed firepower. Eval pointed to the other side of the river.

"Look who they're fighting!"

Shifting her binoculars, Steel Heart caught sight of a multitude of flags and men, including Helvetica, France, and even overseas nations such as America and Britain, amassing for another attack on Vaduz. She put them down.

"I'll be damned. That complex must be very important."

Eval looked back at her.

"Did you just swear? Where'd you pick that up from?"

"Erm.. The book had led me to believe that was a common saying amongst Zeon and Federation citizens. Was I wrong?"

"No, that was just odd."

They both turned to watch the carnage at Vaduz, the others eventually reaching the top too.

Alex coughed violently before wiping her mouth with her hand. The tips of her fingers were slick with blood. Despite Steel Heart's diagnosis, something was wrong inside of her. But it would have to wait. She rubbed her fingers on the dirty and stained hiking pants she wore. The group had stopped at the edge of the Rhine, waiting for early morning to get into Vaduz without too much trouble. Trent, sitting beside his Lieutenant with the other Zeon, looked over.

"That's a nasty cough you got there."

"It's nothing."

"Alright then. Well, I wanted to ask you something."

Alex could see his concerned face through her aviators.

"Uh-huh?"

"What happens when this is all over? We can't go back to the colonies. The Takers are everywhere. So why does it matter if we even reach Vaduz?"

She paused. Trent had a point. None of them knew what was in Vaduz, or what would happen after. But they still were trying.

"What else can we do other than to try? Let ourselves get killed in some mountain range or on the side of a road? I can't take that, no way. This is our only shot."

Alex watched the light of a lamp reflect off the river.

"And if all of us die..

At least I would die beside Steel Heart, Eval, you guys and the rest. I'd die to fight for an actual objective for once. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Trent nodded.

"Do or die, boss. Do or die."

Alex picked up a pebble and tossed it into the river, the rock skipping several times before sinking.

Eval Lee sat next to Steel Heart and Alex on the shore, the others already asleep. They were all silent, contemplating the end of their journey and what lied ahead. But Steel Heart broke the reverie by pulling out her guitar, which looked worse for wear after the action it had seen in the mountains. Alex spoke softly.

"Play us a song."

"Any requests?"

She didn't skip a beat.

"That song you were playing on the boat. Hurt."

Steel Heart put her fingers to the battered strings, beginning to strum. A pure voice emerged from her speaker.

"I hurt myself today,

To see if I still feel."

Eval listened to her melodic yet rough tone, completely entranced.

"I focus on the pain,

The only thing that's real.

The needle tears a hole,

The old familiar sting.."

Alex took off her glasses and wearily rubbed her eyes.

"Try to kill it all away,

But I remember everything."

Something electric coursed through Steel Heart, guiding her fingers from one note to the next.

"What have I become?

She looked at Alex.

"My sweetest friend,

Everyone I know goes away in the end."

The wolf's voice raised itself to a powerful pitch.

"And you could have it all,

My empire of dirt,

I will let you down,

I will make you hurt."

Steel Heart abruptly stopped, her voice cutting out. Alex smiled and put her glasses back on.

"Holy shit, that was great! A little depressing, but still."

"I learned it myself while in Tripoli. It was pretty popular over there."

She hung her arm around the Operator's shoulder while Eval grinned.

The fog of early dawn hung over the Rhine as the group waded through the river, holding their weapons over their heads as water reached their torsos. Eval was up to her chin in water.

"Jesus Christ, it's cold."

May was the first to emerge from the water, soaking wet.

"We'll need to move if we want to warm up."

Eval made it over to the other side, dropping her pistol briefly as she shook her sodden fur.

"As if it were that easy."

They collectively stopped and stared into the mist, gunfire breaking the morning silence. Steel Heart primed her shotgun.

"Vaduz won't hold against that many nations for long, even considering the defenses."

Right after she uttered those words, something large detonated, the blast piercing the fog. Alex stumbled ashore.

"We don't need to move, we need to run!"

The group broke into a half sprint, gear and weapons shifting as they ran. Bugles and whistles gave way to numerous shouts and cries up ahead.

"Mann deine Waffen!"

"Avgift!"

"Seize the objective!"

Towards the far end of the Vaduz shoreline, where the group was headed, a squad of Americans sprinted over a makeshift pontoon bridge.

"Go, go, go!"

A flag-bearer led the charge, equipped with a hefty ballistic vest and helmet.

"Over the bridge, for the homeland!"

Eval ducked as a machine gun opened fire from somewhere out of sight, bullets slamming into the flag-bearer's vest twice before finally puncturing and killing him. More Americans reached the other end and took their positions. Three of them cornered the group with automatic rifles and revolvers.

"Stop! Halt!"

Steel Heart raised her hands, dropping the shotgun.

"We're civilians, no need to shoot."

"Why do you have weapons then?"

One of them looked at the other.

"Remember what the General said, no quarter."

He raised his rifle.

"I'm sorry-"

Another spurt of machine gun fire cut down the men, splattering Eval's face in blood. Steel Heart picked up her weapon.

"Keep running!"

Passing the dead hulk of a mobile suit, they approached an opening in the sandbags, manned by at least a dozen Prussian soldiers. More than five gun emplacements swerved towards the group.

"Identifizieren Sie sich!"

Steel Heart held out a hand.

"Wir sind bei dir! Wir sind hier für die Evakuierung!"

A brief silence came over the soldiers as they discussed their options.

"Gut! The Transporter is down the street. Move!"

The Operator motioned to the group.

"Come on!"

She charged down the nearest street, Eval, Alex, and the rest following as buildings were pounded to rubble and dust by severe artillery. On the river itself two mobile suits were duking it out, fists swinging and electronics crumpling. A distinct voice called out to them.

"I'm not going to let this happen!"

Eval recognized it, and stopped to find Rogers standing on the street behind her. In his hand was the body of one of the Prussians.

"Rogers. I thought you were gone for good."

"Not so, you idiotic fox. I'm going to kill you!"

Alex raised her fists.

"Like that's going to happen-"

Eval held her back.

"Go. All of you. This is my problem, and I have to solve it."

Steel Heart reluctantly stepped back, taking Alex with her.

"Good luck."

Eval nodded before cracking her knuckles.

"Come on, bring it!"

Rogers tossed the body aside and charged at her, arms outstretched. Eval dodged him with ease before coming in for a kick.

"Your tricks do not deceive me!"

He grabbed her leg and slammed her face first into a stone wall. Eval groaned as she hit the ground, the dent on her head rapidly flattening out before returning to normal. Rogers loomed over her with his blades.

"I'll finally get closure. Finally.."

Eval leapt up and headbutted him, causing the Operator to stagger backwards.

"What else could I do? Not kill you?"

Rogers caught an incoming punch from the fox and landed a devastating blow to her gut.

"I want to make you suffer!"

Eval spat out a mouthful of blood before he thrust one of his blades through her chest. Rogers' deformed mouth curled upwards.

"Now, the fun begins."

Eval sputtered and gagged as she gripped the arm blade protruding from her, hands bleeding as they closed on the sharp steel. She remembered that force that had overwhelmed her all the way back in Tripoli, she remembered that it was almost as if someone else had taken the helm. She remembered the woman saying they were one and the same. Eval called on that woman now. She needed her to give the strength and will to go on. She needed to see those fields for herself.

And from beyond the fabric of a dimension she could never hope to truly perceive, that someone answered.

Eval's eyes glowed a piercing red as she pushed herself out of the blade, falling to the ground while her wound regressed into nothingness. Rogers was stunned.

"What, how-?"

Eval growled before she lashed out with fists and legs. The machinery on Rogers' body shattered and fragmented as she bore down on him. His eyes bore that same surprise on the day she met him, wide and frightened. Eval tore a hose out of his chest and tightened it around his neck, arm muscles rigid. Rogers spasmed in her hold.

"No, this can't be.. No-o-o.."

Above them, one of the mobile suits slammed against an old tower, causing it to tilt. Eval yanked one last time before she began to bolt, but not before Rogers could grab on to her ankle. She fell to the ground and kicked at his hand.

"Get off!"

"I'm taking you with me!"

Eval kicked off his hand and scrambled backwards.

"Fuck you, Rogers. And never come back."

Rogers reached out as the tower flattened him in an explosion of debris and splinters.

Eval limped through the streets towards the complex, utterly exhausted from the fight. All across the streets Prussians ran to their defenses, whole groups of them being turned into paste by the intense shelling. Through the dust and smoke, Alex was at the facility entrance, waving her hands.

"We're here! Come on!"

Eval, her ragged assortment of civilian clothes and tactical gear burnt and torn, desperately staggered forward. The energy was leaving her body. She teetered forward before collapsing, the colors of the world around her fading to grey. As she rolled on her back she could see the smoke and flames reaching up into the sky. It was tragic yet mesmerizing. Someone grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Here, get her ankles."

"Got it."

Steel Heart crouched over her.

"You're not going to die now, you hear me?"

Eval mumbled incoherently as she was dragged into the compound, taken past several more Landwehr sentries, before going through several airlocks into some sort of cylindrical chamber. May stood above her.

"What the hell is this?"

Something sealed in the chamber exit. Alex pounded against the steel walls.

"Wait, no! No!"

Steel Heart grabbed her by the hand, backing into the center as a light spun above them, rotating ever faster. Eval watched the lights dance in her eyes. An entire lifetime revealed itself before her, filled with adventure and death and happiness and more. A field of particles encapsulated the chamber. She could see it now. The sunny Gold Coast, lined with skyscrapers and megabuildings. Where it all started. And then time bended and warped and shifted to the very end, Eval kneeling in a snow drift. She was cold and crying. She felt a pain so deep it threatened to break her. A group of men and women in dirty white armor stood around her, one of them holding a gun to her head. Eval stared up into the barrel. The armored woman was helmeted, but the sadness was visible in her body language.

"I'm.. Sorry, friend."

A bolt of light shot out of the gun and into Eval's head.

The vibrant grass swayed serenely on the plateau, colored a shade of pink by the setting sun. To the far south was a mountain range, peaks shrouded in clouds. An infinite ocean awaited exploration to the east. A desert laid barren to the west. And to the north were golden fields, stretching all the way to the horizon. Eval crouched down in a clearing and exhaled. The journey was over. And now, wherever she'd ended up, the next chapter would begin.

"Hey Eval, quit staring! We need your help with something."

She turned to find Alex calling from a distant campsite, the first tents beginning to be pitched. Luckily for the group, there were vehicles and supplies inside the Transporter. Eval stood up. This was the new start. And this time, she wouldn't be alone.