The initial push in Alexandria had been successful, but the surprise omnic assault on Firepoint Theta left them with a substantial number of casualties, slowing the pace of their advance. The troops rallied together nonetheless, solidifying their thinner ranks and marching on the scattered pockets of omnics lingering within the city. Their progress remained steady before hitting a major hurdle towards the end – the omnics had buckled down along the city's borders, forming sturdy firing lines that were difficult for the troops to penetrate, or even advance properly. They were caught in a standstill until the army's own omnic soldiers were able to sneak close enough to disable their turrets and other defenses, allowing the rest to break through the enemy formation much easier. No omnics ran this time – they stood and fought until the last body fell to the ground with ruptured chassis and inert systems.

After setting up along the edges of Alexandria, they were given a small window for respite, but there was little cheer. Fatigue accumulated from days of constant fighting left them quiet, and loss made some introspective. All looked solemnly to the east, where they would continue to fight from Tanta to Ismailia, in a bid to liberate the northern cities from omnic control. Their struggle to take just one city from the omnics proved that their campaign would be a long, arduous uphill climb.

And it was. Though they managed to take Tanta in a manner much like their Alexandria offensive, their push farther eastwards met with more and more obstacles. In Mansoura and Faqus, the omnic field factories were much more heavily guarded, the omnics having divined their prime objective in each assault. They took these two cities at a heavy blood price, then pushed relentlessly onto Ismailia – only to be punished for their fervour. It was amid gunfire that their engineers discovered their hacking devices no longer worked, as the factories had been modified to protect themselves against the intrusion. They were forced to retreat and regroup in the nearest city, waiting for reinforcements and their omnic engineers to build a new device that could counteract the factories' programming.

When the engineers proved their ingenuity and Ismailia was back under the army's protection, they were forced again to stop and consolidate their forces. Each battle had slowly whittled away their numbers, and they hadn't the soldiers to march southwards onto Suez without great risk. So the army tightened their defenses along the retaken cities, while Jaida and her associates were summoned back to Cairo again – Ana included.

With the success in Alexandria, their forces had been deployed to Aswan to secure similar victories – and from the reports Ana had read so far, it seemed they had an easier time in the beginning. Even when the northern offensive had been slowed, the southern forces met with resistance less fierce than what Ana had experienced. Only when they fought northwards to take Kharga and Luxor, did their pace slow due to a change in the omnics' tactics. Ana pondered over the apparent delay the omnics had experienced in rallying their southern forces, tracing her finger from the omnium's position on the map to Luxor. Distance still affected omnic communications, it seemed – though surely more effective than their human counterparts, it still gave the army time to breathe…and offered a possible advantage for future engagements.

Ana jotted down her observations as she studied the reports en route to Cairo, though she didn't bother bringing it up to her superiors just yet. Jaida and the other officers were drawn into an argument over the brass's intent to launch another direct assault on the omnium itself. They were emboldened by their recent victories at beating the omnics back, and wished to bring a quick end to the conflict – though they had obviously forgotten the first disastrous assault on the omnium, 'those blockheaded sacks of shit', Jaida spat. She spent the entire drive from Ismailia to Cairo both cursing her higher-ups, and formulating an argument to dissuade them from committing to a reckless endeavour before they were ready.

Ana and Mesi sat with her in the same armoured truck, helping Jaida build her case and biting down smiles when she let out another reflexive curse. They were barely given time to breathe after alighting from the truck, having been swept right into the command centre the instant they arrived in Heliopolis. Jaida and Mahmoud stood their ground, the generals refused to budge, and the captains were left trudging out of the centre at night, with aching heads and deep sighs. Ana straightened her shoulders though, after bidding goodbye to Mesi. She gazed in the direction of the residential district where she had made her home, a smile growing on her lips.

Time for a little surprise.

She entered the house as stealthily as a cat burglar, turning her key in the lock carefully, so its click would be soft. It was dark in the entryway, so was the living room and the rest of the first floor. Taking precise steps up the stairs to avoid an errant creak, Ana reached the lit hallway and found the nursery's door open, Kamilah's voice already audible from where she stood. Setting her bag down against the wall, Ana walked towards the door and peeked in to find both her wife and daughter facing away from her. Her brows rose as she leant against the doorframe, watching Kamilah meander across the play mat with Fareeha.

Kamilah was bent over, clutching under Fareeha's arms to help her balance on her own two feet. The girl's arms were extended instinctively on either side of her, her eyes fixed on the octopus toy sitting at the end of the mat. Ana could hear her giggles as she threw out one foot after another, tottering along the floor with her mother's guidance and sing-song encouragements. Kamilah let Fareeha take the lead, following the girl's winding path patiently, and only asserted control when Fareeha got overambitious and tried to run.

Ana pressed her fingers to her mouth to stifle a chuckle when Kamilah lifted the girl from the floor, Fareeha's flailing feet patting excitedly against the same spot on the mat.

"No, no, Fareeha. Slowly, remember?" Kamilah crooned, setting the girl back down when she had calmed, then let Fareeha resume the walk again. "See? One, two. One, two. Slowly. Go too fast and you'll fall down."

Fareeha cooed an extended 'da' in imitation of Kamilah's last word, before starting to totter forth again. She kept her path mostly straight, and soon reached her octopus plush on the mat, bending down with Kamilah's help to grab the toy in her hands. Then she squealed in laughter when Kamilah raised her high into the air – much like Ana did when playing 'airplane' with the girl – swerving her gently around before turning around to put Fareeha on the bed.

Kamilah glanced at the door for a fleeting second, then did a shocked double–take as she snatched the girl off the bed. She clutched Fareeha tight to her chest even as relief flooded into her expression, upon realising who the intruder was. Still, she appeared thoroughly annoyed.

"You scared me, ass–!"

"Ah!" Ana exclaimed as Kamilah clamped her mouth shut. "Ah-ah, what did you say?" A grin parted her lips as she strode into the nursery, looking pointedly at her wife. "Come on, Milah. Out with it. You already said the bad part anyway–"

"Asshole," Kamilah bit out, covering Fareeha's ears as she did so. Her annoyed pout vanished the instant Ana planted a kiss on her cheek. She turned her head to meet the asshole's lips for another kiss, then smiled when Ana wrapped both arms around her wife and child for a tight embrace. "You didn't tell me you were coming back," Kamilah said, handing Fareeha to Ana when the girl started babbling excitedly, reaching out towards her mother.

"I wanted to surprise you." Ana hugged Fareeha firmly when the girl clutched about her neck. "And it seems I did. You owe the jar two pounds, by the way."

Kamilah rolled her eyes. "You spend three months in the field, worrying me half to death, and you aggravate me the moment you come back."

"You love it, babe." Ana grinned, then winced when Fareeha's fingers gripped onto her hair and tugged. "Ow. Yes, it's mommy. Did you miss mommy?" she cooed back at the girl, who was still babbling her kiddy syllables. Ana grasped her chin, taking a good look at the four teeth in her mouth – two in the upper and lower gums each.

"Look at you! You've been busy, little one," she crooned. "And you've been keeping your mama busy too, haven't you? I can see the eye bags on her."

"I hate you," Kamilah sighed, circling an arm around Ana's back. "Fareeha," she sang, and the girl looked at her. Keeping eye contact with Fareeha, she pressed her lips to Ana's cheek. "Muah!" She repeated the motion again as Fareeha stared with round eyes, watching Kamilah kiss Ana until she caught on and giggled loudly.

Fareeha grabbed at Ana's jaw with her little hands, then smooshed her entire face into Ana's cheek and yelled, "Mah!"

Ana couldn't help but laugh as the girl yelled another kiss into her face. "You almost got it, darling," she said, smacking her own kiss on Fareeha's forehead. "Did you teach her?"

"No, she picked it up by herself." Kamilah ruffled Fareeha's hair lightly. "But she kept doing this chewing motion the first time she tried it. I thought she was trying to bite my face."

"That bad, huh?" Ana cackled even more. "Here, habibti. Mama and I will show you how it's done." She turned to Kamilah and opened her mouth, wagging her tongue as she leaned in, and was met with a sharp slap on her nose.

"Ow!" Ana jerked back with a snort, then cackled. "Come on, babe. We have to teach–" A smaller hand smacked into her nose this time, and she peeled it away to look at the innocent look on Fareeha's face. "Ow. Not you too, habibti."

"Mah!"

Time flew quickly that night, which Ana mostly spent lying on soft surfaces like the bed or play mat with Fareeha, deeply appreciating the comfort to be found at home. Though she did encounter a rather jarring change when she found out that Kamilah had started to let Fareeha sleep alone in her own room. She explained it allowed Fareeha to nab just a bit more sleep in the morning, as she wouldn't be woken by her mother's morning routine, but Kamilah still relented and slept together with Ana in the nursery anyway, after being subjected to her wife's best rendition of puppy eyes.

Ana did learn to let go after the first night though, and settled for hugging Kamilah to sleep – a true luxury, after spending months sleeping in a hard cot by herself. It was unbelievably relaxing just to hold Kamilah in her arms and stay still, so easy to drift off into an undisturbed sleep, but Ana fought to keep her eyes open for as long as possible each night. Part of her refused to let this peacefulness slip through her fingers too quickly. She was content to trace idle patterns on Kamilah's shoulder, to rub her back when she stirred in her sleep, to kiss her forehead gently and see that sleepy smile curve her lips before she fell asleep again. Such precious little luxuries, that were so easy to take for granted in peaceful times, she now cherished and kept close to her heart.

It was the same with Fareeha, whom she made sure to accompany at home each evening. Ana took over the baby duties enthusiastically – feeding the girl, changing her diapers, cradling her when she was bothered by her gums, and playing with her until she was tired and wanted to sleep. Fareeha had grown quite a bit since Ana last saw her in person – she was now a little taller and stronger, able to crawl around the house like a pro. Her eyes were sharp and alert, and though her fingers were still a little clumsy, she could hold her toys and bottles without dropping them often. Her hair was much longer, and Kamilah had taken to putting a headband on her, so that her fringe wouldn't block her eyes during her playtimes.

Ana smiled to herself as she watched Fareeha bring a donut-shaped chew toy to her mouth, her eyes looking up at the TV without difficulty, as her fringe was held back by a pink headband. Then Ana felt a pat on her hand, and blinked at Kamilah in surprise.

"You were saying?" Kamilah asked, still rubbing cream leisurely over Ana's hand. They had decided to lounge in the living room instead of the nursery tonight, bringing down Fareeha's play mat so they could all sit on the floor together.

"Oh. Right." Ana realised with a start that her attention had drifted off while telling her story. "Yeah, Jaida looked like she was going to murder me on the spot. Really scared me for the first time."

"Doesn't she always look like that?"

"Yeah. Kinda like you, come to think of it. Except she makes it clear when she's feeling murderous." She snickered when her hand was flung back into her face. Ana rubbed her fingers together as Kamilah took her other hand and started to apply cream on it as well. Apparently Ana's hands had become dry and rougher in her time away, which was judged unacceptable by her wife, who insisted on making her skin as soft as possible before she went away again. Ana had protested the futility of her efforts, but otherwise made no further arguments. After all, she would be the last person to complain about being pampered by her wife.

"Then you'd better feel lucky that you can't tell when I want to murder you," Kamilah groused, massaging her palm.

"Oh, trust me. I can feel it. I just take it as your little professions of love." She grinned when Kamilah clicked her tongue, and gave her grumpy wife a peck on the temple.

Kamilah snorted. "Say any more, and I'll murder you before the omnics can even get to you."

"I can think of no better way to go," Ana said. She held her smile for a little longer, before it disappeared with another involuntary sigh.

Kamilah tapped under her chin. "Stay home, amar," she reminded Ana gently.

"Mm. Sorry. It's…a little difficult."

"I know." Kamilah rubbed a thumb over her knuckles. "You spend enough time worrying about the war. Let go for a while."

Another sigh escaped Ana's lips before she could catch it. "Aren't you worried?"

"I am." Kamilah squeezed her hand gently, peering in concern at her troubled expression. "Want to talk about it?"

"Ugh, I'm getting a headache just thinking about it," Ana groaned. "We're all getting picked off slowly. Soon we won't have enough soldiers in the field."

"I know," Kamilah said, tilting her head. "There's talk about reassigning the academy trainers to the field."

Ana's stomach dropped. "What?"

Kamilah nodded. "Mostly the strategic and basic combat trainers. They're going to condense the cadet training even more, with larger class sizes. Less trainers will be needed, so it'll free up some manpower for the field."

"And you? The medics?"

She shrugged. "For us, it mostly means the hospital. In base."

"Thank god," Ana breathed.

"Yeah."

Ana kept quiet, thinking over what Kamilah said as her wife wiped off her hands, then opened another container and dabbed some moisturiser onto Ana's chin. "But the condensed training… It feels like they just want fodder."

Nodding again, Kamilah said, "I don't like to think about it."

"Sorry." Ana gave a wan smile as Kamilah dabbed by the corners of her mouth as well. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. I get really stressed sometimes, but I'm learning to compartmentalise."

"That's good."

"Mm." She rubbed over Ana's cheeks with two fingers. "Guess it helps that my wife is too important to be fodder now."

"Aren't you just proud of her?"

Kamilah hummed as she worked on Ana's other cheek. "Yes, but now I'm afraid she can't walk properly with a fat head on her shoulders."

"Hey–!" Ana paused when she saw Fareeha crawl over and pull at Kamilah's shorts. When her mother looked down, she stretched out a hand towards the coffee table, moving her fingers as if grasping something. Ana cocked her head in confusion, but Kamilah understood and reached for the sippy cup on the table, keeping a loose hold on the cup as Fareeha grabbed onto the handles. Ana felt tickled by how happy the girl looked, just from drinking water.

"Okay, sweetheart. That's enough." Kamilah tugged the cup away after Fareeha had taken a few more eager sips, prompting a short whine from the child. "Any more and you'll get too full."

But Fareeha continued to whine in protest, until Ana took the toy caterpillar from the floor and placed it between the girl's hands. Fareeha pouted a little, but the fun activity of squeezing the toy, then bumping it against the floor seemed to distract her.

"She really takes after you," Kamilah sighed.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"We'll see."

Nine days passed since Ana's return, and it was time for her to head out again. It was still difficult to leave her family behind, but not as painful as the first time. Her purpose was clear, and she was no longer heading out into an unknown. She knew what she faced, and knew that she would survive – it was the only outcome that she would accept. Kamilah seemed to take some comfort in her apparent confidence, and wasn't as fearful as before. It was easier to let go this time, knowing they would surely be reunited again.

Ana was much more grounded when she headed back to Ismailia with Jaida, whose mood was notably lighter, now that the brass had cooled their heels…for the time being. Without an impossible mission to worry about, they were free to devote their energy into tackling their next target: Suez. With their southern forces making their way northwards to omnium, taking this city would effectively surround the main factory with the army's troops, giving the omnics no leeway to wriggle from a final assault. Hopes were high after their recent victories, and Ana even spotted a few smiles as they rode into the portion of Suez already seized by the army.

She looked around, taking in the city with much interest, even in its wrecked state. This was Kamilah's hometown, where she had lived before being transferred to Heliopolis. Kamilah never talked much about the city and showed no interest in it whatsoever, but Ana fancied bringing her family here, even if just for a simple walk by the water. Perhaps after the war was over, and if Kamilah willing.

For now, she had business to attend to: the advance on Suez's omnic factories. They took a week to prepare, mostly to modify their tactics so they could counteract any new surprises the omnics had invented, after being left alone by the army for an extended time. One significant change was the focus on the army's omnic engineers in the next attack. Given that their omnic foes were constantly resisting any new hacking software they dreamt up, they had decided to let their own engineers shine – by connecting to the factories themselves, and disabling whatever defenses were present. It was risky – there was no guarantee the engineers could overcome the counterintrusion measures, but they were in the dark about their enemies' upgrades, so this was their best shot at taking the omnics down – by relying on the spark of ingenuity.

They launched the assault with feverish energy, knowing that this was one of the last few hurdles that stood in their way, before they could converge upon one final objective – the omnium. Their push was steady, and though many fell under the vast firepower from the omnic forces, they managed to fight their way towards the factories.

Then, chaos descended upon the battlefield.

Ana was in a prime sniping position that gave her a good view of the two omnic factories, and let her track battalion movements easily – for better or worse, she couldn't tell. All she could feel was a sudden chill running through her veins, when the army's omnics stopped dead in their tracks mid-battle. Most of the human soldiers carried on with the charge, while a few others stopped to check on their comrades. Ana swiveled her scope over their troops, scrutinising each static omnic body, until she spotted Layla's face peering up at Adofo's in concern.

It happened in a flash. Adofo's head snapped straight up, and Ana's breath caught in her throat when she saw red where his blue eyes should be. His hand clamped suddenly around Layla's neck, lifting her to the air. She dropped her rifle in shock, hands scrabbling at the cold metal of Adofo's arm as he squeezed his fingers tighter, causing her feet to lash out in a desperate bid for freedom.

Ana was acutely aware of the minute trembling in her fingers, as she focused her crosshair on Adofo's main processors. But she hesitated, trying to recall other vital spots in the omnic body, when a large blur slammed into Adofo's side. Layla dropped to the ground on her side, hacking and coughing desperately for air, as Ebo and Adofo landed just a few feet away. Ebo struggled to keep Adofo pinned under him, but even his heavy bulk was not enough to keep the omnic down for long – not that it mattered.

Adofo rammed his head into Ebo's face, and the man flinched backwards in pain, hand reaching for his bloody nose. The omnic grabbed the rifle Ebo had dropped to the floor, and AP rounds shredded through the man's chest armour before he could react. Adofo threw Ebo's limp body aside, unaware of a sniper's scope trained upon his chassis as he rose to his feet. He fired another round with the rifle as Ana squeezed her trigger, a single bullet ripping through the bundle of wires connecting his 'brain' to his main processor: the omnic equivalent of snapping the cervical spine. Adofo fell back from the impact of the shot, lying paralysed on the ground while his red eyes still shone steadily – not even a brief flicker to betray a strain of emotion.

Body feeling utterly hollow, Ana vaguely heard the urgent order of retreat blast through their radio. She turned her scope to find Layla, looking stricken as she hauled Hakim onto her back, the man screaming in pain from the jagged bone sticking out from his knee – a wound from Adofo's last rifle burst. They joined the mess of soldiers sprinting away from the omnic factories, picking their way through a ground littered with bodies. Ana took one last look at Ebo, his blank eyes pointed up at the innocuous blue sky. Then she jerked her head away from the scope, unwilling to linger any longer. A half-remembered prayer formed in the back of her mind, as she rose to her feet and made her escape.

Half of Layla's squad was gone. The survivors had visited their hospitalised squad mates, before leaving with stooped shoulders and heavy steps. Ana stayed with Layla in the Ismailia hospital, sitting by her bed while Hakim slumbered in another ward. The air in the hospital was akin to that of a graveyard.

They had beat a hasty retreat to Ismailia, only to discover that their field camp was in ruins, wrecked by the omnics that had turned upon their human comrades. The troops retreated farther into the city and, by some slim miracle, were able to hold their defenses long enough to gun down the last of the attacking omnics. The civilian hospital opened their doors to the soldiers, and it was near the hospital where they had set up a makeshift base.

News trickled in, and they learnt the omnic emergency hadn't been confined to their area of operations, but had taken place nearly country wide. From Alexandria to Asyut, most omnics – military and civilian – had turned red and killed any humans unlucky enough to be within their reach. Cities housing the army's major bases still held out fairly well, though with alarming casualties beyond the base's walls. Other cities – for which they had fought tooth and nail – fell into omnic hands once more.

The source of the chaos was identified as the God Program residing within the Temple of Anubis. The AI had apparently come alive and 'broken its shackles', necessitating an immediate lockdown of the area. Reports say that the AI was now contained, and with the way things were, Ana sincerely hoped that it was the truth. They couldn't take another blow of this magnitude, not in such a pitiful state.

She closed her eyes and took a slow breath, holding it until she felt steady, before she exhaled. Ana looked back at Layla, who was still lying in bed with hollow eyes staring up at the ceiling. She had taken a few bullets during the hasty retreat, but Ana doubted her wounds were the reason for her torpor. Ana grasped Layla's hand gently, but the woman didn't react.

They stayed in complete silence, until Layla broke it abruptly. "No scrolls of resurrection in real life."

Ana blinked, taking a while to understand her. "Too bad he can't resurrect himself."

"Yeah," Layla uttered, muscles in her neck working painfully. "Always told him paladins are fucking losers–" She bit her lip hard, and screwed her eyes shut. Her breath hitched a few times, but her eyes were clear when she finally looked at Ana. "Where is Mesi?"

"She's fine. Don't know where she went after the brief, but I'm sure she'll be here soon."

"Yeah." Layla turned her gaze towards the ceiling again, falling back into stupor. Then she whispered, "We don't deserve this."

Ana exhaled tiredly. "No one does."

Kamilah had been in her office at the academy, looking over a new set of proposed changes to training schedules, when the alarm was sounded. Her blood quickened when she heard yelling and gunfire from outside, and she looked out the window to find the guards shooting down omnic staff – all with red eyes. Her thoughts flew immediately to Fareeha, and she fired a text to the babysitter, telling Fatimah to 'Stay low at home. Emergency.'

As she rose and made for the door, a colleague burst through the doorway with an urgent look on his face, offering a loaded pistol to her. They made for the foyer and were joined by a few more colleagues along the way, shooting down any hostile omnics that came into sight. By the time they reached spacious hall, most of the staff had already gathered and were receiving their orders. The medics in Kamilah's section were to stand guard with the company of soldiers defending the hospital, and block off the main road leading to the residential zone.

The hospital was still in chaos when the medics arrived – soldiers were fighting off omnics trying to charge through the entrance, keenly aware that there were omnic staff still inside the building as well. Kamilah's squad and a few others were chosen to clear the hospital of hostiles, and she found herself fighting alongside an enraged Deyab, who kept yelling into his radio, 'Hurry up and hit the kill switch, you bastards!'

They had lost two wards and a squad before the battle came to an abrupt – but not unwelcome – halt. The light in the omnics' eyes went dark in an instant, weapons dropping from their hands as they crashed lifelessly to the floor. Kamilah's squad had frozen at the sight, an eerie silence sinking over the hallway before she came to her senses, and ordered her soldiers to perform a full sweep of hospital.

They kept on full alert even after the kill switch had been activated, as it only affected military-grade omnics, but not their civilian counterparts living on base. That knowledge kept Kamilah on edge, hoping desperately that no omnic had managed to reach her neighbourhood. Anxiety for her daughter nearly boiled over several times while she patrolled around the hospital, but she kept looking at the road block set up some distance away from the hospital, and took comfort in the fact that no one had breached it yet.

Guard duty dragged on for the entire day and spilled into the next, but Kamilah knew that none of the high-strung soldiers around her were even capable of taking a rest, not in this state. She heard no belly-aching or groans throughout her guard shift, which ended the next afternoon, when command had declared the emergency over. The reinforcements from the academy took their leave of the hospital and returned to their offices, taking stock of the trainers who had survived the ordeal, before addressing questions from their wide-eyed cadets.

Kamilah's duties kept her at the academy until night had fallen, when she was finally able to fly home and pick Fareeha up. Fatimah looked stricken yet relieved at the sight of her, pulling her into a tight hug. Kamilah waved away the woman's concern, wearing a tired smile at Fareeha's impressive pout as she sat in Fatimah's hold. The girl reached out for Kamilah, who took her immediately, clutching Fareeha firmly to her chest. After giving Fatimah her thanks, Kamilah walked home slowly, so she wouldn't lose her balance from the buzzing in her head.

Luckily, Fareeha seemed well-fed and cared for, and didn't fuss for attention. It gave Kamilah some space to breathe, and time to nip into the bathroom for a quick shower. She didn't have the energy for much else and, after laying Fareeha on the bed, crashed into the mattress right beside the girl. Kamilah gave a wan smile as she rubbed the girl's tummy, and Fareeha's hand landed on her cheek.

"Sorry to leave you alone for so long, habibti," Kamilah murmured. "Mama's been busy…"

Fareeha giggled lazily, fingers grasping at Kamilah's ear as her mother's eyelids started to droop.

Kamilah curled her arm around Fareeha in a loose hug, snuggling closer to the girl. "Mama loves you, Fareeha."

"Mah."