"There is a time to take counsel of your fears, and there is a time to never listen to any fear." - General George S. Patton
"Sometimes the answer to your problems is a series of steps; one solution leads to another, and another, and so on." - Sigma Intervention R&D scientist Jeremiah Koss
Chapter 2: Fires of Hope
May 4th, 2955
10:40 p.m.
Lander Army base, 'McCrea', hospital
Private Stephen "Ratz" awoke in a daze. All he remembered before he went unconscious was the sound of the dropship crashing into the ground, shortly after the mercenary he was talking to bailed out. After his eyesight cleared, the new recruit realized he was in a field hospital, amongst other wounded Landers. Stephen felt a tingling sensation around his chest, and heard the fading hum of a leaving robot. The private figured a D-FIB unit shocked him back to his senses, and left to resuscitate others in the hospital. He strained to sit upright, but lacked the strength to do so. Stephen collapsed on his bed in a worn-out heap, and closed his eyes in frustration.
"Save your strength, son. You need some rest.", said a gruff voice. When the young private reopened his eyes, he found an old friend standing over him.
"Captain Michaelson? What're you doing here sir?", the young private questioned.
"At ease, private; let's drop the formalities here. Intelligence tells me we hit the Scrappers pretty hard. I also heard we lost some EVE probes; that's a shame."
"Can't they be repaired?"
"I doubt it. Those blasted wasteland junkies managed to get hold of some of our weaponry. I'm afraid the technicians can't repair a molten pile of metal.", the Captain sighed. There was a long period of silence after his response, as if Michaelson was hiding more information. The private heard his friend mutter something, but decided to remain silent. The Captain noticed Stephen's concern, but told him only a partial amount of what was on his mind.
"We lost Elizabeth, Stephen. I'm sorry.", Michaelson said carefully.
The news hit the young private hard. Elizabeth, or 'Liz', was one of EVE's sisters, and one of Stephen's friends. She had been around when his grandfather John, was still alive, and saved his father's life when the war began. Out of all of Eve's sisters, she was the most impulsive, and energetic. After Eve disappeared, Liz joined the special division of the Lander military, hoping to end the war quickly for her sister's protection. Now that she was gone, Stephen's chest felt as if a great weight was placed upon it. Eve, wherever she was, would be devastated. He closed his eyes a second time, hoping that the world he knew would become nothing more than a bad dream. Before Private Stephen fell asleep, the Captain could barely make out a faint plea from his friend.
"WALL-E, EVE, wherever you are, we need you...Now more than ever."
11:00 p.m.
Unknown Location
EVE stared at the starry night sky, restless in the moonlight. This feeling had plagued her since the war began, and since the beginning of her forced exile with WALL-E. She wanted to stay; no, needed stay, to fight for her friends and family. But Captain Michaelson had ordered her to relocate to safety with WALL-E, because he needed them to help rebuild when the war was over. That was fifty years ago. EVE began to sob softly, because every time she tried to think of the friends she had left behind, she could only wonder if they were alive or not. The mixed feelings of helplessness and frustration held her like a vise, never able to let go.
"Evah alright?" a voice called out to her, full of care and concern. WALL-E had been awoken seemingly by EVE's behavior, and this wasn't the first time. He took her hand in his, clutching it as if he held his own life in his hand.
"Alright.", Eve sighed in response, betraying the emotions she felt within herself. Wall-E gave her a spark kiss, to make certain that Eve was feeling better. Wall-E's presence had been Eve's sole consolation during these trying times, and the knowledge that he was safe with her seemed to be what made Eve sleep soundly at night. Wall-E released his grip on Eve's hand, and motioned for her to wait. He re-entered the abandoned warehouse that served as their temporary home, and came back with one of the trinkets he had brought when they left: the BnL lighter WALL-E had shown EVE when they had first met. He flicked it open, and turned the spark-wheel, producing a bright orange flame.
"H-...hop...", Wall-E tried to pronounce.
"Hope?", Eve replied.
Her companion nodded. Although Wall-E was incapable of articulate speech, Eve fully understood what he meant. The small flame that burned before them symbolized their hope for the future, and their love for each other. As long as the flames of hope burned within each of them, they would have little to fear. Needless to say, Eve finally slept soundly that night.
11:30 a.m.
Sigma Intervention R&D Laboratory
The Corporal took a sip of coffee in an effort to keep himself awake. The scene that was taking place behind the one-way window he was standing in front of was gruesome, to say the least. The captured Scrapper leader was placed on what appeared to be a large dissection table, and above him was a menacing apparatus that bristled with a wide array of scanners, saws, and needles, one of which was jammed into the right eye socket of the unfortunate commander. A small holographic display of the operation's progress appeared in front of the veteran.
"What's that thing doing to him?", Ryker asked while stifling a yawn.
"That thing is a mark two memory splicer, and it's currently searching through his memories. It's also making quite the mess while doing it. I feel sorry for the poor sap who has clean-up duty this time.", the Corporal responded before rubbing his tired eyes. A look of frustration fell upon other mercenary's face.
"Memories? We lost three of our guys for memories?! How does this guy's memories get us closer to finding those two robots and getting paid?!", Private Ryker questioned. Ryker expected a life of simplicity when he joined Sigma Intervention, and took the time to display that fact every chance he got.
"Relax, man. The machine sorts through all of the memories for us. Any useful information is filed into a convenient digital folder, while the rest is put into storage. Besides, it's almost done." the Corporal replied.
A bright, almost cheery chime signaled the end of the memory splicing process. The image of a folder designated, 'Category: Lander personnel', appeared on the window. After searching through each of the files, the Corporal came across something very intriguing.
"Well, I'll be damned. It's a hit list. This guy must've been a former Lander, considering all of the people and robots he has on here.", the Corporal said in astonishment.
"So the Scrappers were planning to capture any Landers that have ever been in contact with WALL-E and EVE?"
"Exactly. And now we're going to do the same.", the Corporal replied, realizing the irony of the situation.
"Well, who's first on the list?", Ryker asked, eager to finally get his share of the billion credit reward.
"Some cleaner bot; M-O unit 101."