Steel Heart stared blankly at the ceiling of the shelter, her default stoic expression unchanging. Something shifted in the bed beside her.
"Come on, don't go yet."
Alex was holding on to her arm, still half asleep. Steel Heart slowly sat up.
"I have to. I'll be back before morning proper."
The fox relented and turned over, her unkempt hair sprawled all over the thin mattress.
"Mmph.. Ok. See you."
Steel Heart stood, slipping on her sweater and pants before tying on her shoes. Slinging her shotgun over her shoulder, she exited the shelter through a flimsy door. She emerged into the campground. Comprising a few fabricated shelters around a portable printer, it had been mostly self-sufficient during the month or so the group had been present in the land they dubbed 'Elysium.' Sergeant May was also awake in this early dawn, rigging something onto the Landwehr APC next to the camp. He gave a slight wave.
"G'morning. Going hunting again?"
Steel Heart nodded.
"Yes. I'll make sure to get more this time."
"Alright. Good luck."
She continued on, towards the eastern coast. Grass and meadow eventually gave way to sand and tall grass, and the horizon gave way to a dark blue sky and even darker ocean. An ethereal cry sounded out from the high tides in the distance. Steel Heart ignored it and settled down into a concealed location. At first, most of the group was spooked by these sounds at night. But as they presented no real threat, at least so far, they'd learned to live with them. Steel Heart dug into the sand, shotgun hidden by a patch of tall grass. All one needed to catch game in Elysium was patience. And Operators had a full stock of patience. And, as if it were inevitable, several tiny footsteps made themselves known over the crashing waves. Steel Heart raised her shotgun, slugs loaded in the chamber. The small forms of two lynxes padded through the sand carelessly. Their ignorance would be their deaths.
Eval Lee was already up and about when four cracks rang through the air. Alex, who was tending to a fire, chuckled a little before coughing.
"Steel still has that military mentality, shooting things twice."
Eval crouched next to her.
"Remember when she did that to those poor otters last week? Christ, there was nothing left of them."
"She's trying, though. That's what counts."
Eval sometimes wondered how Alex could see through those aviators even in early morning or late night, but she didn't seem to mind at all. The younger fox sighed.
"Do you think she's a little.. you know..
Fucked in the head?"
"She's an Operator, what do you expect?"
"Sorry, that was a dumb question to ask."
Alex prodded a twig into the fire.
"No, you're fine."
She waved away some smoke before continuing.
"She has her problems. I have mine. We just co-exist, if you will."
"Huh. Interesting."
"There's probably a better term for that, but I really can't be bothered to go on. It's too early."
The sky had brightened by the time that Steel Heart came back, two lynxes in her arms. She dropped them in front of the fire.
"I got bigger ones."
Eval could not help her morbid curiosity as Steel Heart took to the corpses with a knife, skinning them precisely.
"You sure we won't be eating lead?"
The wolf hung a piece of meat over the fire with her knife, rotating it slowly.
"I aimed carefully."
She pointed it at Eval.
"Want to try?"
"Uh.."
Fat dribbled from the piece, making it appear tender and juicy. Half enticed, half disgusted, Eval took the chunk and nibbled it. Steel Heart stared at her intensely.
"How is it?"
"It's.. It's actually pretty good. This might be our substitute for when the MRE's run out."
"Good."
Steel Heart went back to cutting, tossing loose pelts aside.
After breakfast, the members of the group went about doing their various tasks around the campground. Alex manned the 3-D printer, tapping away at a control console. Standing at a full seven feet, the printer was in the shape of an arm attached to a tank of material for use. The Transporter back at Vaduz was fortunately well-stocked. For the group, at least. She scrolled through several menus.
"Greene, what did you say we needed?"
The mercenary stood behind her, a bandana keeping his hair in check.
"We need two more 5x5 sheets."
"Alright, two sheets coming up."
An error message popped up before she could act on that, however.
Error!
Insufficient material!
Alex frowned.
"Shit. I guess I'll have to go back out to the site again."
She turned and walked past Greene towards the APC.
"I'll be back in a sec."
Eval, who was still by the dim fire, looked up.
"Need some help? I don't have anything to do."
"Sure. But you'll help with the digging too."
"I don't mind."
Alex clambered on top of the APC, dropping herself through the driver's hatch. Eval took shotgun beside her as she flicked switches and turned knobs. Despite being very bare-bones upon arrival in Elysium, the vehicle had been outfitted to the group's needs, with tools and gas tanks strapped to the side. Where the Prussian flag normally flew was instead that of the 54th's, given by Trent. Alex hit the gas, and the APC lurched forward. She peered out of a tiny slit that was supposed to be a window. The plateaus of the land around them were fairly pleasant to drive on, but the meadows were quite bumpy to cross. Eval fiddled with the vehicle radio, turning on a custom track. Alex briefly looked away from the slit.
"What's that?"
The fox bobbed her head to a fast-paced jazz track, smiling in the cramped compartment.
"A little tinkering with the radio, I downloaded some songs the other day."
"I like it."
The APC came to a slow stop in front of a shallow pit, an industrial light planted nearby. Eval popped open her hatch cover.
"I'll get the shovels."
Alex, already out of the vehicle, pulled out a rectangular scanner and waved it over the hole.
"Looks like the material we need is still here."
The printer depended upon a certain composition of soil for building material, and due to the apparent scarcity of that composition in Elysium, it necessitated the long drive out west. Eval shrugged off her sweater and planted her shovel in the ground.
"Dammit, I forgot how the heat sucks out here."
She looked up at the sweltering sun bearing down upon them. Alex put down the scanner and took a shovel for herself, going to the bottom of the pit.
"That's why we need to do it quickly."
She stuck the shovel into the dirt and flung it upwards while Eval did the same.
Several men approached the dig site, lying prone in the grass. A commander motioned forward.
Alex's ears perked up.
"You hear something?"
Eval stopped digging, wiping her forehead.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
The team stacked up against the APC. They each bore a strange pistol.
Alex put down the shovel and began to climb up the pit.
"I'm going to get something from the-"
The commander decided to act.
"Grab the target!"
A sudden electric shock seized Alex's limbs, her muscles spasming erratically. Eval yelped out.
"Alex!"
She began to follow her, but two men clad in black tactical gear tackled her, putting metal cuffs on her hands. Alex could only watch from her crumpled position. Another man walked up, his patch visible in the sunlight.
O.N.I.
The men dragged Eval to her feet.
"What do we do with the other one?"
"Knock her out, she's unimportant. Pop the tires on that APC too."
A baton extended, and with one painful strike Alex's world went black.
Steel Heart felt a strong tide of impulse rise up her throat as she held Alex in her arms. The Lieutenant had walked all the way back from the dig site, beaten and exhausted. Eval was kidnapped. Kidnapped. Even here, in Elysium, this could still happen. The peace they'd worked so hard for.. Her hands tensed and tightened as her methodical mind went into a blind storm of frustration and rage only for a moment. But a moment was enough. Alex looked up at Steel Heart.
"You're going to do it, aren't you?"
The Operator stood up, her mind dead set on an objective.
"Eval will be back. I promise."
Alex had a coughing bout before she could call after her.
"Please, don't! You're going to get killed out there!"
Steel Heart looked back at her, blue eyes betraying a deep-rooted pain that her cybernetics had suppressed for so long. She said nothing before picking up her shotgun and ammo belt, trotting off westward.
Steel Heart stopped at the APC. Its tires were slashed. Upon closer inspection, the cuts seemed to have been caused by serrated knives of a fine quality. Possibly military, as Alex had suggested. Next to the composite pit were several partitions in the grass, as if men had laid there. The ambush. Following the flattened and parted grass, it led up north. Steel Heart carried on, blood burning.
The sound of people talking and machinery whirring prompted Steel Heart to crouch just before a hill. The sounds were coming from the other side. She gripped her shotgun tightly. Her peace would not be disturbed. Her effort would not be made for nought. The threat was to be eliminated. Steel Heart charged over the hill onto a small outpost surrounding a structure much like the Transporter. Men and women looked up at the Operator.
"Hostile, shit!"
"Radio command!"
She pulled the trigger over and over, shotgun shells flying. Both armed and unarmed personnel were blown to pieces. Machinery sparked and flared. The thunderous roar of the gun drowned out the screams. The ugly, violent side of her was rearing its head, and she was powerless to stop it. A man with a crowbar slammed it against her skull, but she spun around and blew a hole in his own skull. And then the painful silence followed. Covered almost completely in blood, Steel Heart wandered around the outpost.
"Eval? Eval!"
She must've been taken through the Transporter. It was too late. Steel Heart was too late. The anger in her subsided, replaced by the dull nothingness that was the status quo. Seeing no reason to stay, Steel Heart slung the shotgun over her shoulder and began to walk back up the hill. A single handheld radio was left in the blood-stained grass.
"Expeditionary team 301, do you read?"
"Do you read?"
Part II: Trials of Elysium
Inspector Christine Hall put her booted feet on the desk, twirling a bullet in one hand.
"So? Cut the bullshit. What does Section Zero want from me?"
An embarrassed captain stood before her.
"Sorry, ma'am. I just thought that-"
"What did I just say?"
"S-Sorry, ma'am. We lost contact with Team 301 after seizing a target. Our department is worried that an armed paramilitary group she was affiliated with might try to access the Transporter. Here's the details."
He handed over a folder, which she promptly took. Christine stared at him.
"Anything else?"
"No.."
"Get the fuck out of my office then."
The captain scurried off, leaving her alone. ONI officers were always stuffed with red-tape and petty excuses, and there wasn't a single exception she'd found to that rule. Sighing, she put down the bullet and opened the folder, her trained eyes quickly finding the highlights.
301 Objective (Person/s) : Eval Lee
Prior actions:
Aided and assisted Eva Beckman's insurrection in parallel Skip timeline
Ah, the Beckman Insurrection. A disgruntled ONI pilot that defected and went on to revolt against the Federation, if she remembered correctly. And she usually did.
Potential Hazards:
Armed paramilitary group observed, tech is of unknown origin. One flag spotted indicated they were the 54th Logistics Group, but this is unconfirmed.
Christine smiled. Now this was a real assignment.
Alex washed off Steel Heart's face with a wet rag, her silver fur now a shade of maroon.
"You didn't have to do that, you know. Slaughtering them wasn't going to help anything."
For the first time since their journey in the Alps, Steel Heart stuttered.
"I.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
Alex took the wolf's head and pressed it against her chest in a sort of hug, stroking the latter's hair.
"I know.. I know.."
She often wondered what went on behind Steel Heart's calculating demeanor, but this was a terrifying glimpse. The Operator's muscles relaxed in Alex's embrace, and she resumed her normal tone of voice.
"We still have to get Eval. I saw a Transporter at their base that I could go through."
"No."
Steel Heart looked up.
"What?"
"You're not going alone. I'm coming with."
"You have no idea what's on the other side."
"You don't either."
Alex stared at her through the aviators, hammering home the point.
"I'm coming. And that's final."
Steel Heart nodded.
"Alright."
She paused, as if to compose herself, before standing up.
"We're leaving in a few hours."
Sergeant May sat atop one of the shelters, rifle cradled in his arms.
"We'll look after the camp for you guys. Don't die on me."
Alex, wearing a combat vest and loaded backpack, gave a thumbs-up.
"Promise. We'll come home."
She turned to leave, Steel Heart at her side. May watched them both before exhaling. Trouble followed the group wherever they went, even in another world. He could only pray they'd all make it out alive. Greene crossed his arms, expression mixed.
"I thought this was our new start, not the same shit all over again."
"Me too. Guess we were wrong."
Alex and Steel Heart grew smaller and smaller as they walked into the horizon.
Inspector Christine Hall watched Eval Lee struggle against her restraints, the bright light above bathing the fox in white.
"For the last goddamn time, I don't know who 'Eva' or 'Eve' are! I don't know!"
The ONI agents next to her looked at each other before gagging her mouth.
"Alright then. You like rock music?"
Eval uttered a muffled cry before one agent cranked a speaker to the max, leaving the room. Christine observed this from behind a one-way window, turning to Commander Reyes, her ONI liaison.
"There must be a better way to go about extracting information from her, don't you think?"
"She doesn't seem to remember anything, even though Federation records clearly show she was present before the Insurrection."
He ruffled his hair.
"Listen, the E.F.F. suits are breathing down our fucking neck to get this thing over with. We're getting a special shipment from the lab guys at Jupiter that might help, it'll be arriving soon."
Fortress Harden, formerly Staging Base Harden, was ONI's martian hub for all things related to Skipspace. Connecting multiple timelines, it had become a vital asset to trade and commerce. Reyes glanced at Christine.
"So why are you hanging around? We're perfectly capable of handling this."
The Inspector adjusted her riding gloves, brown hair covering a piercing stare.
"That's very much up to debate. And besides, I need proper context before I start any investigation."
As if he had been insulted, Reyes scowled.
Alex covered her nose as she and Steel Heart made their way through the ONI outpost, the bodies scattered throughout rotting in the sun.
"Steel, I know it was an accident.. But what the fuck?"
The Operator kept her eyes off the ground, wholly and completely focused on activating the Transporter. She pressed several buttons on an adjacent panel, and the Transporter airlock slid open.
"The controls are relatively simple. Good."
Steel Heart stepped inside the Transporter, followed by Alex. She looked down at the fox.
"We're going to meet resistance, wherever we end up."
Handing her a pistol, she loaded the shotgun. The Transporter airlock slid shut again, and a dancing light hovered above them. Alex checked the chamber of her weapon.
"This better be worth it."
"I promise you, it will."
She squeezed Steel Heart's hand as they were enveloped in a white light.
Inspector Christine Hall was almost ready to leave the interrogation room when a blaring alarm went off, coating the hallways in red emergency lights. A voice hurriedly gave notice over the intercom.
"Unauthorized Skipgate use in Bay 301, I repeat, unauthorized Skipgate use in Bay 301."
Commander Reyes pulled out a radio.
"SecCOM, tell me what the hell is going on?"
"We got armed hostiles in the gate Bay sir!"
"Keep them pinned. I want two squads to secure the incoming package, we can't fuck up now!"
"Aye aye."
Christine pulled out her service pistol and opened the door for the officer to leave. The dumbasses at ONI left the gate active, and now the 54th were in pursuit. Reyes sprinted down the hallway and to an elevator.
"This facility is massive. It might take a minute or two for us to get there."
The Inspector nudged her way in front of him, weapon raised.
"Tell me where to go. I'll keep you covered."
Steel Heart and Alex strolled out of the Transporter with guns blazing, wiping out the scientists and security personnel manning the controls around it. Alex ran out of the chamber behind her and went from computer to computer.
"We need to find a map or data chip or.. Something!"
Several more men poured in through the room door, and Steel Heart blew them back with multiple well placed slugs. She slammed the door closed and loaded more shells into her weapon.
"I agree."
The shouts and barks of orders increased as personnel surrounded the Transporter room, hitting the steel door with the butts of their rifles. Alex grabbed a computer monitor by the frame and pulled out its chip.
"I got something. Now we need to get out of here before they get in."
Steel Heart pumped her shotgun.
"I know. I have the solution."
She pulled a small tube-like object from her pack, pulling the pin on it. The wolf briefly forced open the door and tossed the grenade outside into the mass of men, closing it just as the device detonated. The resulting explosion rocked the chamber, and all fell still for a few moments. Steel Heart beckoned to Alex.
"It's clear, for now."
They filed out of the Transporter room past the charred and liquified remains of ONI security.
Inspector Christine Hall escorted several men carrying the Jupiter package, eyes darting across her dim surroundings. She had split up from Commander Reyes, the officer going to contain the threat at Bay 301. While it was her official task to address the 54th problem, SecCOM had jurisdiction over her in Fortress Harden. And thus she was saddled with the menial tasks. As per usual for CMA Inspectors. Several heavily armed contractors ran in a single file line past them, ammo pouches and gear swinging.
Steel Heart ducked into an equipment closet as several more ONI men approached, Alex hidden next to her. She pulled out her knife.
Christine felt a pure shot of adrenaline enter her system as one of the contractors was pulled out of sight, blood splattering all over the floor. The other men dropped the crate as gunshots rang out.
Steel Heart tossed the soldier aside as she brought her shotgun to bear, caving in another's chest. He slumped down the corridor wall. Alex screamed over the fighting.
"Watch out!"
A woman slammed into Steel Heart with her shoulder, throwing the Operator to the floor. Her shotgun skidded a few feet away.
Christine pistol-whipped the Sub-human with vicious force, but the wolf refused to relent and gave her a powerful kick in the gut. She flew upward and hit the corridor ceiling before slamming against the floor, trench coat in disarray.
Steel Heart stood up and approached the ONI agent, fists balled. The agent looked up and smiled.
"I think I've had enough fun for today."
She grabbed her pistol and put two shots into Steel Heart's center mass. The bullets tore through Steel Heart's sweater, but simply bounced off of her chest.
Christine almost stared in disbelief as the Sub-human stopped momentarily before continuing, grabbing her by the collar and lifting her in the air. Her pistol was yanked out of her hand and crushed in the wolf's own. Christine gasped for air.
"You're.. You're tough."
The Sub-human thrust her down onto the crate, shattering it.
Steel Heart watched the ONI agent writhe on the floor as she came in for the kill. The agent was desperately grasping for something inside. Alex fired down the hallway with her pistol, fending off incoming security personnel and soldiers.
"Come on, hurry up!"
Christine flung off a piece of crate and uncovered a rifle-like object, with numerous wires and tanks attached to it. She looked at the Sub-human, then back at the rifle. She didn't know what it was, but it was the only thing between her and a cruel death. Christine pulled out the gun and aimed.
Steel Heart leapt forward as she stared down the barrel of a rifle, bloody hands outstretched. Christine squeezed the trigger, and a brilliant bolt of rainbow lodged itself straight into Steel Heart's head, piercing through to Alex's body. The entire corridor then exploded in a burst of color, light, and sheer power.
Christine lifted herself off the floor, the mangled wreck of the rifle still in her hands. The 54th was gone. Commander Reyes stood behind her, eyes wide.
"The hell happened here? And the Jupiter package.."
"Ran into some trouble. And this-"
She dropped the rifle to the floor.
"-Might take some fixing."
The ONI officer watched incredulously as she walked off, fastidiously brushing off her coat.
Alex pulled Steel Heart into an open vent, closing the cover after her. She had no idea what that blast was, but it had scared off the ONI people. Alex crawled into the darkness, Steel Heart behind her.
"My head.. Something's wrong."
"I know. We'll find a hiding spot."
After several minutes of crawling, Alex peered into the gaps of a vent cover. It appeared to lead into some sort of unused room, with a whiteboard and several chairs scattered about. She put her hands on the cover and gave a solid push. The metal sheet didn't resist much, and it clattered to the floor. Alex pushed her backpack through and managed to squeeze her body through the vent exit. She laid flat on the floor.
"Shit.. We really fucked this up. Now the whole place is on lockdown."
Steel Heart dropped her pack and stumbled around the room, hands grasping her head.
"I know. I know. Why do I feel this much pain?"
She tripped on the leg of a chair and fell, not moving. Alex looked up.
"Steel?"
She scrambled over to the Operator, patting her shoulder.
"Steel!"
Something was pulsing from Steel Heart, like an invisible ripple of water. Alex could feel something inside her call back, matching the frequency. Her own head began to feel extremely light.
"Eugh.. Steel.."
Alex fell limp on top of Steel Heart, eyes rolling upwards.
In this cosmic limbo, time and space bended backwards, past universes and past voids, arriving at a certain Prussian staging ground somewhere in southern Austria. A young and bright Steel Heart stood in formation, helmet and ballistic vest as neatly fastened as every other soldier's. A sharply dressed officer paced before them.
"Man and woman. Human and Sub-human. The world does not care for what you are in life, but it does for what you do in life."
Gusts of wind stroked Steel Heart's clean fur.
"Every citizen of the Prussian Empire must prove their worth. Whether it be through virtue or might, it does not matter. Long ago, we endured a shame so great all others shunned us. They cast us out, ridiculed us. And their criticisms were valid.
But we have changed. We will atone for the sins we were born with!"
The formation echoed his last sentence.
"Wir werden für die Sünden büßen, mit denen wir geboren wurden!"
"Us sons and daughters of the Kaiser will gladly give our lives in service of others!"
"Wir Söhne und Töchter des Kaisers werden gerne unser Leben im Dienste anderer geben!"
"And in death we will have proved our greatness!"
"Und im Tod werden wir unsere Größe bewiesen haben!"
He thumped his chest, and the soldiers thumped their own. The officer momentarily adjusted his cap before addressing them again.
"The writing is on the wall. We are once again at war with the Balkan United Front, and this will be your very first action out of training.
I do not expect all of you to live. But this does not matter. What matters is that you die taking the objective."
Steel Heart, her adolescent frame standing upright, kept her eyes staring forward.
After the formation had concluded, the troops embarked on their trucks to the front line in Serbia. Steel Heart sat on a hard wooden bench with fifteen other Landwehr soldiers, their camouflage uniforms pressing together. She pulled something out of her backpack stowed under the bench. It was a white hand-knitted scarf, emblazoned with a cutesy Prussian eagle. Attached to it was a tag.
Prove your worth out there,
Mom
"Nice little scarf you got there."
It was the fresh-faced trooper next to her, the tip of his helmet hanging a little too low over his forehead. Steel Heart smiled.
"Yeah. My mom made it for me, but I think it looks a little dumb."
"I can't say it doesn't. But it's pretty cold, and anything helps."
She took off her helmet, revealing a set of perked ears and neatly cut hair, before wrapping the scarf around her neck. The cloth felt warm and comforting even against her fur, which was notorious for being irritated by wool and the like. Steel Heart chuckled.
"Heh. It's pretty neat."
The trucks trundled across road and dirt as the land around transitioned from hills and peaceful towns to craters and bombed out shells of houses. Ahead of them were hundreds upon hundreds of smoke plumes, flashes of gunfire and artillery occasionally piercing through them. And for Steel Heart, this maze of mud, trenches, snow, and fire would become hell on earth.
Alex's eyes straightened out, and she keeled over and coughed violently.
"What was that!?"
Steel Heart got to her knees.
"What was what?"
"I w-was seeing you.. But not you, like without the cybernetics and stuff-!"
The Operator attempted to calm Alex, who was edging backwards.
"Calm down, lower your voice. They might hear us."
Alex took several deep breaths.
"Ok.. I had a vision."
"Go on."
"I saw you, but younger. You were standing at attention at some place, where an officer was giving a speech. I think.. It was somewhere in the Balkans."
Steel Heart paused, as if someone had put a spear through her heart. Almost a million conflicting thoughts flashed through her eyes in an instant before she snapped back to reality.
"Yes. That was me, five years ago."
She stood up, almost perfectly composed.
"We'll have to move locations. Eval is still in danger."
Alex, almost hyperventilating, shoved on her glasses.
"But.. What about the visions?"
"Later."
Inspector Christine Hall walked down the central aisle of Bay 301, arms crossed behind her back. Growing up, like many, in the colonies, she had seen her fair share of carnage. But this was on another level. Crouching over the bodies of personnel, she observed finger sized rounds inside their guts and limbs. High calibre weaponry was present here. The wounds were consistent with the SRS99-AM Sniper Rifle, in use with UNSC and ONI forces in every Skip timeline. But no sniper rifle could effectively fire this fast, or at such close range. The weapons of the 54th were potent, as well as their personnel. And as at least two of them were still running about in Fortress Harden, she had to be careful. Christine moved on to the Skipgate itself, pacing around it. A complicated machine, it was dotted with wires and control panels for fine-tuning or minute adjustments. Someone entered the room behind her.
"The rifle will take some time to fix with guidance from Jupiter."
Commander Reyes leaned on the Bay doorway.
"And it was a situation that we could've avoided, if you didn't fuck it up."
Christine turned to him, eyebrows arched.
"Me? Me fucking it up? No. In my professional opinion it was your incompetence that left the Skipgate open."
"And this all happened when you came-"
"Don't even start with that. I'm taking control of this situation, and I'm going to do it the right way."
The ability to upbraid an officer of any branch was exclusive to only the Investigation CMA department and ONI, although the latter was slowly edging out over the former. Christine pressed an accusatory finger against his chest.
"I'm bringing in my men and my gear, and we're going to sort this out."
Reyes sheepishly stayed silent.
A backpack fell from the vent exit above the maintenance room, followed by a pair of legs swinging out of the exit.
"I hate this.. Ouch!"
Alex's midsection scraped against nuts and bolts as she dropped down. Steel Heart did the same, but with a significantly greater amount of grace. She surveyed the room.
"Do you see the computer you need?"
Alex plugged the chip from the Transporter room into a wall monitor, pressing random buttons.
"I don't need a specific type of computer per se, but I'm pretty sure this'll work. That or I'm an idiot."
"I'd prefer it to be the former."
She frowned as she scrolled through various menus and schematics.
"That better be your sense of humor."
After much swiping and confused button-pressing, Alex came upon a definitive map.
Fortress Harden, Mars
Steel Heart looked on over her shoulder.
"Mars? Interesting, I didn't notice a change in gravity."
Corridors
Cameras
Offices
Security [Locked]
Databanks [Locked]
Transfer Cells
Alex, by the virtue of an educated guess, pressed Transfer Cells. Several empty boxes appeared, but one was filled.
Transfer Cell 10
LEE, EVAL
Secured from Bay 301
Details are [NEED-TO-KNOW] status
Alex smiled before pulling out a small notepad.
"Alright, at least she's still here.."
She scrawled down Transfer Cell 10 on the first page before closing the notebook.
Commander Reyes paced back and forth in the command center, mouth contorted into a grimace. An analyst, attentively manning his computer, called out.
"Sir! We have an unconfirmed Transfer Cell inquiry in.. uh.. Sector 5!"
Sector 5 belonged to the original Staging Base Harden, and it was there that infamous ships like the Rendezvous were created. Reyes pounced on the chance.
"I want a security detachment to check it out, now."
Steel Heart tensed when she heard the distinctive crackle of a radio down the hallway.
"Should I wait until more arrive or.. Got it, sir. Going, over."
She firmly gripped Alex's shoulder.
"We have to move. They're onto us."
Alex nodded and grabbed her pack, tossing it up into the vent.
"Can you help me up?"
Steel Heart grunted and grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up high enough to reach into the vent. Alex scrambled inside and reached out with a hand. Steel Heart took it, using her own powerful frame to propel herself upwards.
The security officer, gun drawn, entered the maintenance room. There was no sign of any disturbance, save for an active wall monitor. He toggled on his radio.
"SecCOM, I got nothing here."
"Sector 5 has laser tripwires. Did any of them go off?"
"Negative. I have no idea how they got in."
"Keep us informed, then. Reinforcements incoming."
"Got it."
As soon as he turned off his radio, two gloved hands wrapped around his head and neck, turning them in opposite directions. Killed instantly, he crumpled to the ground.
Steel Heart dragged the guard into a locker, while Alex rifled through his clothes.
"A keycard.. This might be useful."
But after all was said and done, the two retreated into the vents for good, popping the cover back in place.
Inspector Christine Hall watched the troop transport descend through the gray, terraformed clouds of Mars. Stamped with the faded emblem of the CMA on the side, it was an older model than the ones in the employ of the UNSC or ONI, but it was still very much reliable. Christine backed away from the viewport and gestured for the guard on duty to open the main gate. Preceded by several warning alarms, the heavy gate slid to the side, and Christine was buffeted by a sudden gust of air. Despite only being 34 years old, she felt older for remembering a time when the air on Mars wasn't breathable. She leisurely walked past several landing pads before arriving at the CMA transport. A boarding ramp extended outwards from the craft, and a man in gray fatigues and a beret shook her hand.
"Long time, no see, Ma'am."
"Likewise, Mark. I trust the Io campaign was a success after I transferred?"
"Yes, but there's no better Colonel to lead us than you."
Christine let go of his hand as more CMA militia, all wearing battle-scarred armor and heavy rifles, filed out from the ramp. She turned to Mark again.
"I wish the circumstances were different this time. We have a situation inside Fortress Harden."
He gave a wry grin.
"You ask, we do, Ma'am."
Steel Heart traced the lines and curves of Alex's sleeping form with her eyes, the exhaust from a few generators nearby providing the only light in the vent shaft. Such was the curse of the inexhaustible Operators, only able to truly sleep when extremely low on energy. But Steel Heart was fine with this. The sight of Alex, an individual with much weight on her shoulders, sleeping peacefully soothed Steel Heart's own demons. Just as she was considering lying down, a piercing pain surged through her head, and she jolted.
"Not again.. No.."
Her world became brighter and brighter until it was a void of white, the two souls in the vent shaft being forcibly made into one.
Steel Heart trodded across the muddy flats with several other soldiers, an officer leading the way to the front lines. Artillery guns the size of buildings lurked menacingly in the horizon, and the rear trenches and encampments were chock full of tents and makeshift fireplaces. Steel Heart looked around. Men laughed and cheered on their stool or chairs, playing cards and exchanging different types of alcohol. Some of the men and women in the line chuckled too at the antics. But all fell silent when a column of soldiers from the front trenches returned. Their faces were blackened with soot, and the clothes they wore were torn and burned. Steel Heart felt a knot form in her chest.
"Excuse me, sir?"
The officer at the front looked back.
"Yes, private?"
"Where did those men come from?"
He waited until they were out of earshot before answering.
"They're from the Eastern line. But there is nothing to fear about, where we're headed will be much better."
Steel Heart, secure in her scarf, didn't see any reason not to take his words at face value.
The line of soldiers stared into the foggy, cratered land before them. According to the officer, the front was only across this stretch of land.
"Alright, this is your stop. Good luck, and best wishes."
Steel Heart was reluctant, but she was the first to go. Every Prussian citizen earned their true rights through service, and there was no better time than now. Her boots squelched in the half-frozen mud as she moved onward. Barbed wire, blood from past wars still staining the tips, lined the ground in clumps. Skulls peeked out from the ground. An immense aura of anxiety gripped Steel Heart, but she clung to the fact that Prussia had won the prior wars in the region. And if they won this time, and if she was lucky enough, she would live through it. Yes, she'd be safe among her brothers and sisters. They'd all make it out alive.
The rotting corpse of a Landwehr soldier greeted Steel Heart as she hopped into the trench with the others. There was an absolutely repulsive smell in the air, and several soldiers in various states of dishevelment looked up at them. Their eyes were faded. A NCO approached the fresh soldiers, clipboard in hand. He spoke with a rough voice, one that sounded like it had been fed through a grinder.
"You're the replacements? Good.."
He crossed off several names on his roster.
"Look, I'm no officer, and I won't sweeten it up for you. This was a bad time to arrive, the Serbians always attack at this hour."
The NCO apprehensively looked at each of the soldiers.
"If you survive, that's good enough."
Those words bounced around Steel Heart's head as she set down her marching pack, finding a relatively dry looking spot to sit down on. So she was surprised when something wriggled under her, a pack of mice fleeing out from under her pants. The veterans lingering in the trench looked at her with scorn.
"They'll eat you alive if you're not careful, Hündchen."
Hündchen was a derogatory term for Sub-humans, translating to 'puppy.' But Steel Heart figured she could put up with it.
The distinct sound of a whistle prompted Steel Heart to grab her rifle and jump to her feet. The NCO was going up and down the line, kicking and whipping any soldier who didn't rise.
"The Serbs are coming! I want every man on his ladder ready to fight back!"
Steel Heart turned towards the ladder closest to her. Almost twice her size, it was the only way to cross into the no-man's land beyond. Soldiers stacked onto their ladders, the topmost ones bowing their heads so as to not be seen. After pushing another man to his ladder, the NCO raised a pistol to the air.
"Go on, for the Kaiser!"
He pulled the trigger. Immediately after the crack, the soldiers propelled themselves over the top. And in a split second machine gun fire from beyond sight cut them down, spraying blood and guts all over the men below. Steel Heart took a deep breath before going over, sprinting out past tank traps and hedgehogs before hopping into a puddle. Serbians appeared in the distance, firing their weapons from the hip as they ran forward. Steel Heart edged her way forward to the edge of the puddle before aiming into the mass of men. She'd be a hero, just like her father and mother before her. The wolf pulled the trigger, and her rifle answered back with a deafening stream of bullets. Serbians fell by the dozen, their blood turning the puddles a shade of maroon. Another man roared over the gunfire.
"Affix bayonets!"
The Prussians slid back behind their respective covers and pulled the sharp blades out of their pouches. Steel Heart yanked the protective sheath off of her own, slotting it into a port beneath the muzzle of her rifle.
"Chaarge!"
She stood up and leapt out of the puddle with her rifle. The stale air of no-man's land rushed by her as she honed in on her first target, piercing through his coat and straight into his gut. Steel Heart ripped out the bayonet and ran head-on into the maw of machine guns and rifle fire. Her dirtied scarf floated in the chaos and violence.
Alex, in a departure from the previous vision, sat up slowly. Steel Heart was doing the same.
"I saw you again."
"I know."
"What?"
The Operator kept her eyes glued to the ground, as if she was unable to look at Alex.
"That rifle must've done something to us. It's retelling something I'm..
Not very comfortable with."
She began to shift away, but Alex pinned her against the vent wall.
"What are you-"
"You can't back out of this one, Steel. If you ever want to get over whatever you saw or did then, you have to do this."
Alex placed Steel Heart's hand in her own.
"And I'll be there with you, alright?"
They stared at each other for what seemed like an infinite amount of time, faces only inches apart. But eventually Steel Heart began to move again, and Alex was forced to back off.
"So what now?"
Steel Heart pulled the keycard out of her bag.
"We find Eval."
Eval Lee sat in her cell, her prisoner jumpsuit shifting as she rocked on the floor. Despite the audio torture she had been put through early on, she had made it out mostly unscathed. Mostly. She speculated that they had hit a brick wall with her, asking questions over and over again. But she had no idea what they were talking about. Eve? Eva? The Rendezvous? Eval genuinely didn't know anything about them, but if she thought hard enough there was a slight hint of recognition. Of course, that was probably from the interrogators drumming those same words in her head than actual memory. An object clattered in the distance. The guard positioned in front of her cell looked up, alert. He grabbed his radio.
"Going off-post for a second, just heard something."
Eval, not concerned in any way about the sound, leaned her head against the wall and sighed. Somebody better have come for her, because this was getting boring, and quickly at that. The vents shifted above her. Eval looked upwards to see a familiar face in the vent cover.
"Alex?"
Alex whispered back, dropping something through the cover.
"We'll be back."
A pocket knife landed next to Eval, and she quickly stored it in her jumpsuit.
The men in Bay 301 anxiously awaited their departure, gear neatly stored in their backpacks. Commander Reyes watched over them carefully. While that Inspector was tied up with hostiles inside the Fortress, he would one-up her by mounting an offensive on the 54th's home Skip timeline. Here was his chance to salvage the situation, and he would not squander it.
Sergeant May slotted the next APC tire in, fastening the bolts one by one. He gave a thumbs up.
"I think it's good to go. Try it."
Greene, who was peering out of his hatch, nodded and ducked back inside. He put his foot to the pedal, and the APC finally had moved from its spot next to the dig site. Trent whooped in joy.
"Hey! Now we don't have to walk anymore!"
Their collective cheer was interrupted when a light in the distance arced high up into the blue sky, almost like a flare. Greene popped out of his hatch again.
"That's from the ONI campsite Steel was talking about. What do you think that light means though?"
May packed up his maintenance tools and threw them in the back of the APC.
"Something's up, and I don't like it."
Steel Heart followed Alex through the vents, following the continual stream of soldiers headed for the Transporter room. While they had found Eval, they were unable to do anything about her due to the high security. But this might change things. The fox looked back at Steel Heart.
"They're going for the camp."
Steel Heart could once again feel a pulsating sensation within her, matching in rhythm to the one inside Alex. She could briefly perceive her feelings of tight-knotted dread and concern for her own men and the mercenaries, and of the dreaded sensation that time was running out.
Alex suddenly glimpsed a mind intent on completing the objective, but also of something lurking in the back, something emerging into maturity. Something completely alien to an Operator. She looked back at Steel Heart, but decided it wasn't the moment to comment on it. Alex snaked along the vent, observing the soldiers go into the Transporter in a single file line. Steel Heart spoke in a hushed tone.
"I'm sure the Zeon and mercenaries will be fine."
Her pinpoint accuracy at detecting Alex's concern at that moment was almost uncanny, even if the assurance itself was not extremely helpful. Alex nodded.
"Glad you have the same thoughts as I do."
Inspector Christine Hall headed up a sweep through the main corridor of Sector 5, the CMA militia checking every room behind her. After prying the information of a security breach from SecCOM, she was almost certain the 54th would be hiding in this mostly empty section of the facility. Christine kept walking, the bullet-proof vest under her coat limiting her waist movement. A strange smell was in the air. It wasn't very strong, but the sterile oxygen of the facility was gone. She called a halt to the patrol.
"Stop."
Mark, hand on his holster, walked up.
"What's wrong?"
"I need to check something out, stay here."
"As long as you need, Ma'am."
Unlike others of her status and position, Christine didn't find the idea of sending her men into a potential trap very alluring, instead preferring to go by herself. Whether this was her strength or weakness was up to one's discretion. She followed the conspicuous smell, the scent becoming more odious and powerful the deeper she went in. The only logical direction from where she was standing was a maintenance room. Tight. Confined. No cover. This screamed ambush, but Christine produced her pistol and went on. When she stepped through the breach the stench became totally overwhelming. Covering the lower half of her face with her arm, she stepped towards the epicenter of the smells, an equipment locker. Christine grabbed the handle. Her finger lightly placed itself on the trigger of her gun. Deep breath. She flung open the locker and aimed inside, but its only occupant was the rotting corpse of a half-naked security officer. Christine did not flinch before calling the militia forward. Mark scowled at the body.
"How'd he die? I thought SecCOM told us the tripwires hadn't been set off."
Christine looked around the room, eventually settling her eyes on an open vent duct.
"They were not set off..
Bring the canisters out."
Sergeant May crawled forward on the hillside, binoculars in hand. Trent squinted at the distant ONI camp.
"See anything?"
May put the pair to his eyes. Well armed and supplied men were coming by the dozen out of the Transporter, bagging their dead comrades and replacing broken equipment.
"They're retaliating, I'm sure of it."
He moved backwards, towards the parked APC.
"We need to head back."
Anne watched as May leapt out of the APC, rifle in his arms.
"Listen up, people. ONI has come back, and they've brought enough firepower to kick our asses twice over. We need to dig in."
He pointed to Anne and Greene.
"You guys print out enough mags and bullets to survive the night."
May turned to the Zeon present.
"You'll be in charge of digging a northwestern perimeter trench."
He finally came to Trent.
"We'll lay some surprises. Everybody got it?"
The group nodded and went their separate ways, scrambling for equipment and tools.
Two militia men hauled in a large cylinder on a trolley, a large spool of hose connected to it. On the steel side of the cylinder was a message scrawled in.
MAKE 'EM CRY
With the careful direction of Mark, they tossed the hose into the open vent duct in the maintenance room. Inspector Christine Hall strapped on a heavy gas mask.
"Masks on!"
The militia around her pulled out their own gas masks, each one decorated with shark jaws, personal quotes, or other symbols. Mark, his voice made tinny by his mask, gave a thumbs up.
"We're ready to go, Ma'am."
Christine nodded.
"Initiate it."
The men manning the cylinder turned a wheel loose, and a toxin came hissing out of the hose and into the vents. The 54th were hardy. But they weren't smart.
Alex slotted her remaining bullets into a pistol magazine, the cramped vent forcing her to crouch.
"Are you sure this is the right time?"
Steel Heart loaded her shotgun.
"Yes. Security is as low as it'll ever be. And I don't want to stay here forever."
"I hear you on that.."
The air temperature suddenly rised in the vent, and Alex looked up.
"What's that?"
A thick black mist came around the junction, wavering and shifting in the low light levels. Steel Heart put down her weapon.
"Gas. Get back."
Alex began to scramble backwards, but her head hit a dead end. Steel Heart joined her as the gas rose in height.
"Stay calm and take a deep breath."
When the gas reached her midsection, Alex began to keel over and cough.
"Shit."
Blood stained the floor of the vent. Steel Heart looked at the puddle, and then back up at her.
"It's triggering your injury, isn't it?"
"Maybe.."
For a moment, a look of passionate concern came over Steel Heart's face before she began to take off her sweater. Alex glanced at her incredulously.
"What are you doing?"
The wolf wrapped the sweater around her mouth and nose, tying it firmly.
"This is for your own good."
"What about you?"
"My implants will take care of most of the gas. Save your breath."
Alex looked deep into Steel Heart's eyes as the both of them were swallowed by the gas, the pulses inside both of their bodies beginning to synchronize again.
In a distant time and place, Steel Heart sat against a trench wall, staring blankly into space. Her equipment's camouflage was faded and torn. The scarf on her neck was a shade of brown. A messenger approached her trench, hollering out.
"I'm looking for the initials G.A. Anyone? G.A.!"
Steel Heart looked up, raising her hand slowly.
"That's me."
The messenger turned to her, his disheveled uniform stained with the same sort of soot that was pervasive all across the line.
"You've been transferred. Pack your bags and come with me, you're expected at your new post!"
New post? Steel Heart didn't remember asking about a transfer. But then again, sometimes battalions sucked dry by heavy fighting asked for replacements to fill in their ranks. She looked around. Her only possessions were on her back, and that consisted of little more than her rifle, a blanket, and her uniform. All else was lost in the shell-fire. Steel Heart stood up.
"I'm ready."
She followed the messenger through numerous supply and communications trenches, eventually arriving at her new station only a mile away. The messenger patted her shoulder.
"This is our stop, sister. You'll be required to report to the commander's bunker, which is down that way and to the left."
He promptly left Steel Heart's side, leaving her alone in this unfamiliar area. The Landwehr soldiers present were clothed in mighty trenchcoats and sturdy Pickelhaubes, their weaponry still made from wooden stocks. A torn unit flag was hoisted high above the entrance.
The Kaiser's Raiders
Steel Heart looked down and followed the messenger's slightly vague directions, her boots no longer treading upon haphazardly stacked wood on top of mud but instead touching a neatly paved concrete surface. Just as he said, a tunnel was present on the left junction, flanked by two extravagantly dressed guards. Steel Heart approached them and threw a still fresh salute.
"Erm.. I'm here to see the commanding officer?"
"Yes, he was expecting you. Come in."
Steel Heart descended down the tunnel, the murky daylight from above fading into a den of lanterns and candles. She was very much surprised that this was her new post, as the more traditional Prussian units were reserved to only the best soldiers. And she'd been a fairly average soldier in her own eyes. Walking past several clerk's tables and massive maps of the front lines, Steel Heart arrived at the commander's quarters, distinguished by a cloth veil. She rapped on a wooden pole nearby.
"Sir?"
A deep, but smooth voice called back.
"Come in."
Steel Heart brushed aside the veil and stepped forward into some sort of dim office, lined with guns, trophies, and medals. A conspicuously realistic skull sat on a shelf nearby. The commanding officer, a finely trimmed mustache sitting on top of his lips, stood up and extended a hand.
"Welcome, Private. I've heard many things about you."
Steel Heart took his hand and shook it.
"Excuse me, sir?"
"Ah, you can simply call me Spieck. We're all family here."
Spieck sat back down in his chair.
"Your regiment officer made note of your actions in a skirmish last month. Thirty-two confirmed kills, and that was your first engagement. Impressive."
Steel Heart swallowed. She'd never paid much attention to a kill count per se, but she didn't know what to think about killing that many men and women.
"It's.. It's just my duty, si- Spieck."
"No, no, no. You've gone above your calling."
He leaned forward.
"I knew men who'd come back from the frontlines and only have maybe gotten an enemy while potshotting into the fog. That can be called duty. But soldiers like you are special. And I like special."
Steel Heart didn't know how to react.
"Thank you, Spieck."
"There's no need to thank me. Now let's get that mess off-"
He gestured to her ragged clothing.
"-And replace it with a real uniform."
Steel Heart fastened the Pickelhaube on her head, a cloth covering concealing the elaborate emblems. The armourer nearby patted her on the back.
"A fierce uniform for a fierce soldier. Now, for your weapon."
He turned and presented her a weapon. It was a shotgun, the folding stock finely engraved with Germanic markings. Steel Heart, feeling almost overwhelmed, took it.
"Thank you, sir."
"Get out of here. I got a queue to deal with."
She stepped out of the makeshift tent and into the main trench. Clad in a simple tunic and knee-high boots of old, her dress was a far cry from Prussian standard BDU. As soon as she had gone several steps forward, several other soldiers flocked around her, one putting his arm around her neck.
"Ah-ha! You're the fresh recruit. Although.."
His grizzled face sized up Steel Heart.
"Women are far and few in between these parts, so this is an occasion!"
The Sub-humans and humans around her chuckled, so she attempted to laugh a little too before trying to slip away.
"I guess..?"
"No, come back here! We're going to give you a tour so you can get 'acquainted', like the officers say."
They tugged her away towards the supply trenches nearby, past several more entrances to bunkers.
"Those are the sleeping quarters."
Despite feeling slightly awkward in the soldier's company, Steel Heart could not help but feel amazed.
"How were these constructed? They're incredible."
"These were the first fortifications here, during the First Balkan war or something. It's neat, has heating, so on and so forth. But we've added a few modifications.."
As they passed several more men waved almost cheerfully. Their light mood unsettled Steel Heart. The soldier pulling her along pointed to a row of Serbian helmets, each dinged and scarred.
"There is our collection from the captured Serbs. We're going on a hundred."
"What do you do with the captives?"
"Oh, we put them in the Pit. Don't worry, it isn't what it sounds like."
He gestured to a darkened tunnel before continuing on. Steel Heart tried to get a closer look, but he tugged her forward with almost intense force.
"I'm serious. It isn't what it sounds like."
Another soldier from behind piped up.
"It's almost dark. Are we going to get the stash?"
"The stash! I almost forgot."
Steel Heart dared to speak.
"What's the stash?"
"More traditional groups like us have a certain.. freedom that others wouldn't possess."
The soldier let go of her neck and stopped at a partially mud covered crate, bending down to open it. He pulled out a dark bottle of alcohol.
"Munich's Finest. It's been made since our very inception, and every true Prussian soldier must try it."
"I thought drinking was banned?"
He slapped her back enthusiastically.
"Like I said, we have freedoms. We're a cut above, right?"
"Right."
The soldier motioned her towards an open area in the trenches, sporting a campfire and several cooking pots. He thrust the bottle in her hand.
"Come, drink with us tonight."
Sensing that she would be better off obliging, Steel Heart slung her shotgun over her shoulder and took a seat next to the campfire. The soldiers took their places around her, beckoning.
"Go on. Loosen up, take a sip."
She obediently popped the bottle cap and put her lips to the rim. The liquids inside had an almost entrancing scent, as if they were from a sweet homemade drink. Steel Heart tilted the bottle upward and drank.
The wolf lay on her cot in the corner of the soldier's quarters, sluggishly alternating between sobbing into her scarf and falling asleep. It had been mere months since she joined the Raiders, but it felt like years. The trench attacks increased in their frequency and violence. She came back to the lines empty of ammunition without fail. Her drunken nights became regular. Lacerations from shrapnel marred her face, back, and arms. Her morale had been sucked dry, save for the still surviving loyalty to her homeland, Prussia. Steel Heart abruptly fell silent as she lapsed into another bout of sleep, the dirty scarf slipping from her fingers.
Alex coughed into the sweater, the fabric slightly stained with her own blood. Steel Heart crouched over her.
"The gas has subsided. I have decided now is the time to act."
She wasn't even going to acknowledge what they both had experienced in those brief moments. Alex sat up.
"When this is over, some me-and-you time is going to happen."
"Looking forward to it."
Steel Heart brought her shotgun to bear, and Alex recognized the engravings on the stock. They were faded and worn, but they were there. She peered out of the nearby vent cover.
"Eval is near. Let's go."
Kicking in the cover, she swung herself out at full force.
Inspector Christine Hall adjusted the straps of her exo-suit, the mechanical limbs hugging her body tightly. During the many times she didn't have physical superiority in a fight, it was best to even the playing field. A technician patted her back.
"You ready?"
Christine, a full foot taller than him, nodded.
"As ready as I can be. We don't have much time."
Worrying developments had made themselves noticeable to her, including the fact that that imbecile Reyes was launching an attack through the Skip gate. She turned to Mark.
"Do the men have the loadouts I requested?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
In each militia man's arms was a specialist DGGR anti-material rifle, known to pierce even the toughest metals on the battlefield. Christine slid a bulky helmet over her head as the facility lights became red.
"Begin the sweep."
The group began walking forward at a steady pace towards the holding cells, split into evenly spaced rows of three.
Steel Heart slammed the holding cell guard's head against the steel wall, instantly knocking him out. She motioned for Alex to come close, holding the card in her hand.
"Take the keycard. I'll make sure the corridor is clear."
"Got it."
Alex swiftly took the card and proceeded down the cells. Counting down the numbers, she held her notebook out for reference.
"One.. Two.. Three.."
Christine stared down the iron sights of her DGGR as several rows of militia diverged from the main group into different corridors in a bid to encircle the cells. Her earpiece buzzed.
"Inspector, be advised. Security forces are headed to the cells."
Damn it. SecCOM was only going to get people killed.
Alex strained to read the cell markings in the dim emergency light.
"Four.. Five.. Six.."
She skipped down a few more, finally arriving at cell ten.
"Ten. Yes!"
The crouched form of Eval, very much alert, abruptly stood up inside.
"I knew you'd come back!"
Alex swiped the keycard in the nearby slot.
"It'd be a shame if we had to lose you."
"Damn right. Let's get the hell out of here."
Pocket knife in hand, Eval forced open the cell door.
Christine slung the DGGR over her shoulder as she approached the cell block main gate, forcing her armored hands into the seal. Mark and the others took cover on opposite sides of the gate.
"Are you sure about this? If they have a line of sight on the gate…"
"I'm fine. This will end today."
Using both her muscular and mechanical might, she pried open the gate.
Steel Heart turned around as an ear-shattering groan came from down the hall. She raised her shotgun and motioned for Alex and Eval to back away.
"We're going to have some company soon, I suggest you two run."
A massive, lumbering suit burst through the warped gate, with an equally large rifle to match. But Eval didn't flinch.
"No way. We're fighting together."
Alex held her pistol.
"I agree. It's all or nothing."
Even as she braced for combat, Steel Heart could not help but feel that warmth inside of her again. People really did care for her. The void in her soul was slowly healing. Slowly. Steel Heart began to walk towards the enemy at a slow trot, eventually accelerating into a jog, and then into a full on sprint. The sheer thrill from her first days on the line all those years ago surfaced. Wind rushing by her face. The sharp steel of the bayonet. Battle cries and pride carrying her forward. The pulse in and around her began to speed up along with her, and her sprint turned into a jog and then a crawl, time regressing for the final chapter.
Steel Heart sat in the trench along with the other Raiders, quietly sipping from her beer flask. Spieck was addressing them all, very much intimidating in his greatcoat and peaked cap.
"Soldiers of my beloved Raiders, I believe this is the end of our war. The Serbians are retreating all across the line. We have broken them soundly."
The men cheered briefly before listening again.
"The Kaiser himself has allocated armored vehicles for our use in the final offensive. We will be covering one mile of land in this attack, and if we get this right.."
His eyes spoke of a weary, but dogged and almost maniacal determination.
"You'll have proved your worth. All of you."
Steel Heart, her own eyes glazed over with that same mania, stood up and whooped with the others. A full year had transpired since her joining with the Raiders. And in that time, she was broken herself. She lost everything, even her identity being ripped and torn apart with every shotgun shell ejected. The idea of going home became foreign to her. Her duty trumped all else, including her life. Prussia had become Steel Heart, and she had become Prussia. Spieck continued.
"But the armored vehicles need someone to guide them to the Serbian lines. I know all of you would not hesitate to volunteer, but a massed group would be unnecessary."
Steel Heart, almost dropping her flask, was the first to stand among two dozen.
"Sir! I am willing to volunteer!"
Spieck grinned.
"I knew you would, that's my Wölfin."
Steel Heart did not feel any fear as other soldiers helped her into a set of rudimentary Raider armor, strapping steel plates onto her chest, arms, and legs. Fear wasn't in her vocabulary. Fear was for the weak. She took another gulp from her flask to bolster her nerves. Yes, fear was for the weak. Prussia was all she needed. A heavy Stahlhelm was placed on her head, and a pair of goggles were lowered over her bloodshot eyes. Spieck approached, with a classic Prussian flag in his arms.
"I'm so proud of you. You're the kind of soldier we lack."
"I know."
"Good. Always keep that in mind."
He fastened the flag to her back, fashioning a cape.
"Go out there and win our war. You'll be a hero."
"I'll do it. I'll finish it."
Steel Heart climbed up and out of the trench. Immediately before her was a V-shaped formation of imposing Leopard TA7s, their engines guzzling oil and belching black smoke. The tank commanders watched as she strode to the very front of the formation with her shotgun. The pads and steel plates of her armor clunking on the ground the Raiders had paid hundreds of lives for, Steel Heart took one last glance back at her trench. The men and women she had come to know all watched, waving their hands and helmets in joy. She turned back and fingered the flare gun holstered on her thigh. History was watching. Steel Heart loosened the holster latch and pulled out the flare gun, aiming it high into the air. She would go down a legend, and all the suffering and death and pain would mean something. She pulled the trigger and a brilliant light arced into the sky, illuminating the fog of war in a dazzling red tint. The tank commanders retreating into their hatches, gunning their vehicles. Steel Heart dropped the flare and surged forward. She began to run past deep craters and polluted puddles, faces she recognized peering out at her. They were watching too. The TA7s behind her rocked up and down as they traversed the broken land. In the distance, panicked Serbian men manned their machine guns while the terrifying armored advance came closer. But Steel Heart, draped in the flag of her homeland, did not falter. Shrapnel and glancing bullets scraped against her armor. Steel Heart's entire life leading up to this moment was being played in her mind's eye, from her playful childhood to her focused and dutiful teen years to this instant in time, on the very cusp of victory. Everyone wanted her to prove her worth. To contribute. And here she was. Sharp metal fragments found their way between her armor and pads, puncturing her hardened skin. She did not care. The tanks still followed her, main cannons blazing as they neared the enemy trenches. Steel Heart could see their frightened faces behind the machine guns. They wanted to give up. But Prussia only accepted total victories. She brought the shotgun to her hip's height. No mercy. As she closed within yards of the trenches, she fired while running, hails of bullets bouncing off of her armor.
"Beim Kaiser werde ich gewinnen!"
Steel Heart hopped into the trench and caved in a man's face with the butt of her weapon.
"Ich werde nicht fallen!"
A molotov cocktail splashed against her arm, and she spun and blew apart the soldier who threw it.
"Ich bin unbesiegbar!"
She sprinted down the trench line, chasing the fleeing soldiers while partially on fire. A woman who had her hands raised was killed on sight. The wounded and dying were fair game. No mercy. And as she turned the corner of the trench, she came face to face with the barrel of an anti-tank rifle. Steel Heart had no chance before the world suddenly faded away.
Alex, absolutely mortified by what she had seen, found herself in an open field. It was sunny, and the birds and the breeze danced in sync. The sound of humming prompted her to turn around. Steel Heart was there, spinning and twirling around in a beautiful dress, long braided hair floating in the air. Alex approached her.
"Steel?"
The wolf didn't respond. Alex reached out for her shoulder, her cut and dirty fingers outstretched. They touched her shoulder. The sun instantly vanished behind a vast cloud of smoke, and the land around the two turned into the wasteland of the battlefield. Steel Heart transformed into a mortally wounded soldier, alone in a trench. Alex, unfazed by the change in scenery, still tried to approach.
"Steel!"
The wolf's lower body was simply gone, decimated by the anti-tank round. Her shattered helmet lay off to the side. Alex bent down and tried to help in any way she could.
"Steel.."
Steel Heart tilted her head to look at the fox, what was left of her hand softly gripping the latter's.
"Can you see now? I'm.. a monster."
"No, no you're not. That's not you."
"Damn it, it was me. I'm glad they killed me before I could do any more damage."
"Please don't say that. Please."
Alex's face contorted in a restricted outburst, trying its hardest to contain the emotions inside. Steel Heart fingered her scarf. The tag was still attached, albeit soaked in blood.
"My mom wanted me to go out here. Everyone did. They wanted me to die alone out here."
"I-I'm sure they didn't."
"They aren't my friends and family. They're just a machine to feed us into the grinder. They betrayed me, I wanted to go home. I wanted to start a family. I wanted to live in peace."
Her crushing words decimated Alex's resolve.
"Alex.. You're the closest thing to a mother I've ever had. You truly care about my life. You're always there. You don't see me as a killing machine. I know it's a lot.."
She writhed on the ground, struggling to speak.
"But.. could you be my mother?"
Alex stuttered as tears came out.
"Any-Anytime. I'll always love you, no matter what."
She pressed her head against Steel Heart's cheek as the world started to fall apart again, crater by crater.
Steel Heart skidded to a stop just before the exosuit, falling to her knees.
"No more.."
The suit stopped in its tracks, confused.
"What?"
"No more!"
The ONI agents looked at each other. Then they raised their rifles, about to fire. The suit raised a hand.
"Stop! She's surrendering. And you two-"
It pointed to Alex and Eval.
"Drop your weapons."
Alex did so without hesitation, looking equally exhausted. Eval followed suit. The exosuit knelt before opening up, revealing the same female agent from before in a combat underlayer. She stepped before Steel Heart.
"You made the right choice. We were about to shoot."
Steel Heart looked up, eyes drained of energy.
"What happens now?"
A set of angry footsteps sounded through the hall as a burly man approached the agent, along with several security personnel.
"What the hell is this?! Execute them!"
"Sir, they've surrendered. It's against regulations."
"Screw regulations, just fire!"
"You can't just kill them Reyes-"
He put his hand on a holster.
"Then I'll kill you if you don't!"
"Sir.."
Reyes shouted, spittle flying from his mouth.
"Fire at them!"
"No."
He began to pull out his pistol, but the agent was quicker, already aiming at his head. She put a bullet through his skull without a moment's notice. The security team, stunned by the murder, began to move but were swiftly put in zipties but the ONI agents. Steel Heart was almost in shock.
"Who are you?"
The agent brought her to her feet.
"Inspector Christine Hall. Me and my men were brought in to deal with you, but it appears the circumstances have changed."
Steel Heart nodded. So they weren't ONI. Christine picked up the shotgun and thrust it in her arms.
"Go. Leave now, I made a grave mistake. We'll be swarmed."
She regarded the shotgun, but dropped it.
"Sure, but my gun's broken. Can I borrow that rifle?"
Christine briefly looked back at the anti-tank rifle in the suit's hands.
"Fine. But I also want to ask for something in return."
Steel Heart took the rifle and adjusted her grip.
"What?"
"It may seem cowardly of me, but I want to go through that Skip gate with you. My men will certainly die here if we stay."
"And? ONI is on the other side too."
"I'll take the risk. I've got nothing to lose now."
Steel Heart grasped Christine's shoulder.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
As the militia and the rest fled through the Transporter, Alex scrambled to pick up Steel Heart's shotgun. Perhaps the wolf had forgotten it. But as she dashed through the corridors and passageways, she thought about the promise she'd made to Steel Heart. Was she ready to accept such a burden, especially when she had her own problems? Yes, she told herself. Yes. She and Steel Heart had become one and the same. Alex rushed into the Transporter, the cylindrical structure packed tight with people. ONI was on the other side, probably attacking the camp. She didn't like having to fight constantly. But she was doing it for the ones she loved. The Transporter lights glanced off of her aviators, spinning faster and faster. Alex gripped Steel Heart's shotgun, her smaller hands becoming accustomed to the grips that the soldier had held onto through the blood and fires of the battlefield. The Transporter airlock slammed shut. The flashing lights blurred into one solid circle. Space once again bended to the might of human engineering, and every single one of the occupants disappeared in a blinding surge of light.
Steel Heart dropped the anti-tank rifle at the door of the shelter, barrel still smoking. Together with the militia, the camp had fended off the ONI agents. And not a single one of their own had died. Steel Heart looked back at a distant hillside. It was crowned by several makeshift barriers and bullet-riddled covers. It was where she had laid prone for over five hours, continually firing away at agent after agent. She slowly pushed open the shelter door and entered the breach. Alex laid on the bed, propped up by a pillow.
"Are the mercs on night watch?"
"Yeah."
Dropping her heavy vest and gear on the floor, Steel Heart fell onto the mattress. Alex had played her part too, jumping and blasting her way through hostiles with the former's shotgun. It wasn't like Steel Heart minded though. She needed to let go of that part of herself, physical or otherwise. Alex ran her hand through Steel Heart's hair.
"You did a good job out there."
"Likewise."
The fox pressed her body against the wolf's, their pulses synchronizing.
"But now it's time it's time for you to rest. You didn't sleep the entire time we were away."
Steel Heart could feel the love, affection and care flow effortlessly between their connected minds. It was almost intoxicating.
"Ok, I guess so.."
She indeed felt her eyelids slowly falling shut, the warmth of another person warming her own heart. And for the first time in years, she fell asleep completely and wholly at peace.
