Flashes of red blindingly filled the control room, and an alarm blared its deafening wail. Display monitors pulsed static through cracked screens. The space rumbled and rocked as Spritefall speared towards the ground like a fallen angel. Shay didn't have much time. She had radioed Mateo and Ada with the plan, and she came to terms with what was happening. She closed her eyes and smiled a bit, envisioning that bastard being crushed by her greatest creation. She sat down in the chair in the center of the display monitors and targeting screens. This was it, and she was okay with that. She flicked off all safety measures for the main weapon and took aim. The usual blue glow of death was replaced with a bright red as Spritefall drew as much power as it could muster. Shay smiled at the sight, and pushed the button. The smooth surface depressed, and hellfire was released. Shay fired salvo after salvo of the red beams, alarms and warnings blaring all around her. The smile on her face grew wider, and a bit manic. Laughter erupted as she fired death and destruction over and over again. The satellite suddenly shook violently, and Shay was thrown through one of the display monitors face first. Pain shot through her body but was gone an instant later with the loss of consciousness.
"Come on Shay, not like this." Where was she? Who was talking to her? Is that voice real? She tried to move her body but nothing worked. Was she awake? She tried to open her eyes but was struck with intense pain. She suddenly felt hands grab her, and she was gently flipped on to her back. Fear and terror ripped through her body as she struggled to fight the spell she was under. She tried to force her eyes open now, pain be damned. Her right eye opened but her left was clamped shut. There was a bright light spilling into the space from a hole in the ceiling. Crouched over her was a silhouette of an Air Raider. "Mateo?" She thought. She reached a hand up. The man took his helmet off. Long black hair fell from its confines. Shay felt her lips curl upwards. It was Mateo. He had come for her. How had he… She felt her consciousness fading again. She wanted nothing more than to be awake in this moment. Her hand slowly lowered. "No." She thought frantically. Her eye slowly closed, and her mind embraced the darkness.
Shay was suddenly ripped from her slumber as freezing water was splashed onto her face. Her right eye shot open and darted. Everything was blurry, the freezing water blocking her vision. She still couldn't open her left eye. A blurry figure in front of her was holding something. Probably a bucket. She tried to stand, but was met with the feeling of ropes digging into her wrists. Her feet were bound as well. Another wave of water smacked her in the face, drenching her body in the freezing water. She tried to scream but realized she was gagged. Laughing and snickering came from in front of her. "Ohoho! Little girly is awake!" The voice came from in front of her. It was Hispanic. Shay's vision started to clear as she blinked away the moisture. A man with a thick black mustache and tan skin came into view, and was holding a bucket. He was wearing a wide, maniacal smile with rotted teeth. He stared at her with hungry eyes. "Boss says we can't touch you." The words slithered through his black teeth. He took a slow step forwards and crouched, leaning in close to Shay's face. His breath smelled of decay and rot. Flecks of stringy saliva hung from his long mustache. Shay tried to turn her head to rid herself of the horrid stench. Filthy hands came up and grabbed her face, wrenching it back to face him. She let out a pained whimper at the movement. Shay felt the dirt and grit on the man's palms as he slowly stroked her face. "I don't care what the boss says." His evil eyes stared into her soul as he said it. The sound of a chair scraping and banging violently on the ground drew the guys attention to Shays right. His hands dropped from her face, and she let out a breath she'd been holding in since he grabbed her. She turned her head just far enough to see where the sound was coming from. To her right was a massive mountain of a man. He hung from heavy chains in the ceiling, the cuffs around his wrists biting into his flesh. He hung limply, his head to his chest. A small pool of blood had formed on the ground below him. "The mech pilot." Shay thought. She had requested Ryzhanov for the battle against the leader. To her knowledge, it hadn't taken much to convince him to join the fight. She admired that about him. She had to lean forwards a little bit to see past the hulking man. Beyond him was another man in a chair, hands and feet bound, mouth gagged. He had short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a lengthy goatee. His right eye was swollen shut and his face was bloodied. He was the one shaking his chair. There was no sign of Mateo. He stared up at their captor as he approached, defiance in his glare, fear nonexistent. "Sticking up for the little lady eh?" He crouched to meet the man in the chair's eyes. "You'd think you would've learned by now," he stood and turned as he said it. He turned back and slammed his fist into the guys gut. He cocked his hand again and smashed him across the face, sending flecks of blood across the room. Shay suddenly felt something she had never felt before. Seeing the guy that stuck up for her be beaten half to death made her feel… Rage and courage? The will to protect somebody else? She rattled her chair as fiercely as she could. The sound was deafening in the concrete room. "God dammit!" Their captor roared. He turned towards her, raising a fist and grabbing her by the throat. "Miguel!" A loud voice came from the entrance.
The man stopped his swing and turned towards the new arrival. It was a man, about six foot tall with an average build. He had deep tanned skin, and was much cleaner than the other guy. His face was clean shaven, except for a neatly trimmed, almost handlebar mustache. Dark brown eyes surveyed the scene in almost disgust. "What do you want, Francisco?" The filthy man snarled. "You will stop this and leave." Francisco said. Miguel shouted something in Spanish, and Francisco replied in a cool and calm voice. Miguel spat on the ground and stormed out. Shay made eye contact with Francisco for just a second. He looked away and then behind him, then turned and faced the captives. He took each of their gags off in turn, and turned back to the door. He stopped in the doorway for a second, then left.
Shay squirmed in her chair, old and painful memories surfacing for the first time in decades. The demons she had thought conquered came as if they were never gone. She sobbed and closed her eyes, trying to force the darkness away. Memories of the past flashed in her vision, begging to be remembered. The absolute terror coursing through her veins forced her thoughts back to her childhood. Hiding in the closet in her room in complete darkness. The heavy footsteps of her father approaching the small space. The door slowly sliding open. The sound of his menacing voice creeping into her ears. The things he would…
She grasped any other thoughts, anything. The flashes of the horrid past slowed, and a new vision crossed her mind. She was looking up at Mateo as he took his helmet off, letting her see him for the first time. She let out a breath she had been holding in, and breathed rapidly. She slowed her breathing and opened her eye. Slight trembles still convulsed through her body. She steadied herself in her chair. "Hey. Hey are you okay?" The words were barely a mumble. It was the man that had been beaten. Shay looked at the man, still shaking slightly in her restraints. He was looking at her through swollen eyes. She nodded her head slowly. "Thank you." She whispered. The man turned away and rested his head back. "Thank you." He replied. Shay felt the anxiety and fear creeping back to her as she surveyed her surroundings. How had she gotten here? She was in space… She saw Mateo… No memory of recent events came across her mind. They were being held captive, and she had no idea why. She had no idea where they were either. And it was terrifying. Shay laid her head back and let the fatigue in her bones take her. She slipped into unconsciousness, terrified of what her mind was about to conjure.