Chapter 10: Harbinger

Evening had fallen swiftly that night in Orange Star, the sky cooling rapidly through yellow and purple hues into the soothing indigo of dusk. The stars were just beginning to show themselves, faint glimmers of light in the darkening expanse above. Out in the vast Alara Range, far from any city and completely removed from the chaos of innumerable artificial lights, it was possible to appreciate the full majesty of the night sky as it was unveiled. Were it not for a stretch of empty highway threading its way through the mountains, the expanse of awe inspiring natural beauty would have gone on unbroken as far as the eye could see.

The starry blanket spread over the sea of pointed pines and rugged rocks was the last thing on Andy's mind as he raced through the forest at breakneck speed. He weaved around the trees with an uncanny sense, vaulting over logs and ducking under branches. Somehow he managed to dodge every obstacle even in the dark. Andy had a pair of binoculars in one hand and his com device in the other; it had not occurred to him to bring a lamp. Instead, the group of soldiers trailing behind him cast long beams of light from the torches mounted on their assault rifles. The soldiers were struggling to match Andy's relentless pace, and the illumination they provided was erratic, but Andy did not falter. He was not about to be slowed by something so trivial as being unable to see.

Andy emerged from the edge of the woods and came to a rise overlooking the deserted highway. Arms flailing he skidded to a halt, barely managing to keep his balance.

"Commander, sir, please, stop," one of the soldiers puffed, finally catching up to his CO.

It took him a moment to realise that his commander had already stopped running. Instead Andy was peering out along the empty road, searching furiously even though there was nothing there to find.

"Sir, this is insane!"

"I saw it!" Andy shot back. "I know I did! It was coming this way along the road and there's no other way a recon could get through the mountains, so it has to be around here somewhere."

Andy's eyes darted back and forth along the highway as he heard the faint rumble of a nearby engine. He put a finger to his lips and hurriedly gestured for everyone to keep quiet. Andy raised the binoculars and fixed his gaze to a bend in the road, holding his breath as the sound grew closer.

A collective groan went through all five of the soldiers as the source of the noise appeared.

"That's a truck, sir."

"That's not what I saw before," Andy said with a frown, lowering the binoculars.

"Commander… it's late. It's getting dark. Perhaps what you saw was nothing, just a shadow."

"I know what I saw," Andy insisted. "I don't know why everyone always thinks I'm crazy."

He was still frowning and staring at the road when his com device emitted a single beep. Andy's expression didn't change as he pushed the button to answer and lifted it to his ear.

"Andy?" Nell's voice said. "Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here, Nell. What's up?"

"We have a developing situation on the other side of the Blue Moon border. So far they're claiming it's just more troop exercises, but their movements will put the majority of their army in position to strike at central Orange Star. I've already rerouted Max and Rachel to counter a potential attack, but I want you to move south at once and be ready to offer support. Understood?"

"Can't right now, Nell, I'm busy." Andy's eyes were still scanning the highway with absolute focus.

"Busy?" Nell asked sharply. "Busy with what? Where are you?"

"I'm in the Alara Range. I saw a Black Hole recon out past the edge of our base, so I jumped in a copter to follow it. It was heading towards the mountains, and it could only make it through along the road, so we're just waiting for it."

"You're just waiting for it," Nell repeated, making no effort to disguise the scepticism in her voice. "Andy, this is serious! We've got far bigger problems than a single recon! If Blue Moon launches a full invasion, it won't matter if Black Hole gets a bit of intel on our current troop positions, because everything is going to change faster than we can possibly imagine!"

Andy said nothing. He was looking towards the bend in the road again, his concentration unbroken.

"Andy? Are you even listening to me?"

A lone Black Hole recon turned around the corner, driving towards them at full speed.

"I have to go!" Andy blurted out, switching the com device off before Nell even had a chance to reply.

"Sir… that's a Black Hole vehicle," one of the soldiers exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief.

Andy rolled his eyes. "Told you."

"What are your orders, sir?" Another soldier asked in a terse voice. "Should we follow it and see where it goes?"

"No way! I don't know what those creeps were doing, but I'm not letting them get away with it. Take it out!"

One soldier lifted a bazooka and took careful aim, waiting until they had a lock on the target. There was a burst of smoke and a bright flash as the round sped out and impacted straight into the recon, engulfing it in a geyser of flame. A moment later there was nothing left but a scattering of debris and a black stain on the tarmac.

"Target destroyed, sir."

Andy nodded, but said nothing. His elation at being proven right diminished slightly as he considered what had just happened. Destroying the recon had been too easy. It wasn't like Black Hole to send lone units deep into their territory; when they came, it was usually in force. Part of him expected enemy infantry to march out of the woods and open fire, or a squadron of planes to soar over the mountains, but nothing came. The night was quiet once again. The only noise was the heavy chop coming from the rotor blades of the transport copter that had deposited them in the mountains, growing louder by the second. The concern lingering on Andy's features began to fade as he reconsidered the situation. Perhaps the recon had been alone after all.

"I guess we should get back to the base, then," Andy said.

He glanced upwards as the massive helicopter flew by overhead, following the group like a loyal hound. Andy waved to the pilot and motioned for them to land on the highway. The pilot responded, the tone of the helicopter's heavy engines softening slightly as it came around and began to descend.

Andy smiled as he tumbled his way down the scree slope towards the transport. He squinted in an attempt to keep the dust from his eyes, but refused to slow down. He was eager to get back to the camp, but more than anything he was looking forward to calling Nell back. He couldn't wait to tell her how he had been absolutely right about the recon, and how it had been blown to bits. Andy's baggy red clothes and dark hair billowed wildly about as he reached the road, buffeted by the immense downforce of the copter's rotors. Undeterred he made it to the door and leapt through before the others had even made it down the slope.

If the world outside was a wonder of nature, then the one inside was a marvel of technology. Upon stepping though the door, Andy found himself facing an array of sophisticated equipment. This particular helicopter was outfitted as a mobile command centre rather than an ordinary troop transport, and as such one wall of the main cabin was lined with a set of computer stations, control relays, and a state of the art communications system.

For the moment Andy ignored the computers, giving them only the most cursory glance as he took a seat near the front of the cabin. With the recon destroyed, the only pressing concern was whatever it was Nell had wanted, and that, he decided, could wait until he arrived back at the base. He was still waiting for the five soldiers to file in when there came a single clear ping from one of the consoles.

Andy's attention snapped to the communications system. There was an incoming transmission. It was probably Nell calling again, considering how he had hung up on her earlier. A wide grin planted itself on Andy's face as he lifted a pair of headphones from the console and slipped them over his ears. Without them, he wouldn't be able to hear a thing over the roar of the rotors. Andy held his head up high, making no attempt to hide how pleased with himself he was, and with a single keystroke answered the transmission.

"So you're Andy," a husky voice greeted him. "I've been looking forward to meeting you."

"Huh?"

Andy blinked several times, his grin fading as he stared at the monitor. He was not speaking to Nell. Displayed on the screen was a woman with clear blue eyes and flaming red hair, riven to one side by a streak of pure white. Her full lips glistened with lipstick and her high cheekbones, slightly flushed, accentuated the vivid contrast of her cool stare against her hair and skin. As Andy studied her she barely even moved, everything about her so calm she might have been sculpted from marble. He felt a curious flutter, looking at this strange woman, at once so sensual and yet so otherworldly.

She was no one Andy had ever seen before, was like no one Andy had ever seen before.

He swallowed. "Um, who are you, exactly?"

"My name is Flare. I'm a CO in the Black Hole Army."

"You're with Black Hole?" Andy's eyebrows shot upwards. "Why do you keep attacking us? What do you want with Orange Star?"

"So many questions," the woman said. "A pity. I thought you might have some idea why things had to be this way, considering you were at the centre of it all."

Andy's eyebrows came down again and furrowed together. "What are you talking about?"

At that she pinned him with her gaze, her ice blue eyes eerily beautiful. "You were the one who set us on this path. It didn't have to be this way – these long conflicts, that brought so much destruction, so much death… all of this is because of you, Andy."

"But… that doesn't make any sense," he blurted out, more bewildered than anything. "I never did anything to Black Hole. We didn't even know you existed! You used everyone, you attacked my friends and you hurt all of us. If this is anyone's fault, it's yours, and I'm not going to let you get away with it!"

For the first time since the transmission began, the strange woman looked away. Andy could not help but think that there was something melancholy about the way she looked, but that made no sense to him at all. Had his outburst bothered her? Surely it would take far more than that to upset a Black Hole commander.

"You're so innocent," Flare said at last. "I didn't expect that, not after… Well. There's still time for you to learn the truth during what's to come."

"What's to come? What does that mean?"

"I think that's enough talk for the time being. Now, I want to see what you're capable of."

Andy let out an exasperated sigh. "Why is everyone always saying things like that to me?"

Those brilliant blue eyes narrowed. "You managed to best my predecessor, and that would have taken something extraordinary. I'm curious to see how much truth there is in what they say about you. I suggest you prepare yourself."

"Prepare for what?"

She paused. "Consider it a test of your abilities."

Andy shook his head. Every answer this woman gave left him more and more confused. "A test? You mean like an exam? I don't have a pencil."

Flare smiled at that, a modest, forlorn little smile that seemed like it belonged more on a ghost than anyone living. "Don't worry, Andy. You won't need a pencil for this kind of test."

"Oh." Andy wasn't sure if he was being mocked or not.

"All you need to do to pass this test is find me. If you manage that, I'll answer any one question you ask, seeing as you have so many of them."

"And if I fail?" Andy asked.

"Then you're not the commander I think you are."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

The connection cut off, and Andy was left with only the droning of the helicopter's engines for a reply.

"Commander, we're ready to take-off," the pilot shouted, sticking his head back into the cabin.

"Should we wait, sir?" One of the soldiers asked. "Who was that woman? What was that transmission all about?"

"I… I don't know," Andy said, feeling strangely lightheaded as he tried to process everything this new foe had told him. "That woman said she was a Black Hole CO and something was coming. She said…" He trailed off, trying to recall her exact words. "She said she wanted to test me because I beat her predecessor. Whatever that is."

Andy lapsed into silence, his eyes moving aimlessly about the cabin. It had been such a brief conversation, but his head was swimming with so many questions he felt almost dizzy. Was this Flare the one behind the attacks on Orange Star? And if she was, why? What could a stranger possibly want from them? And why did she seem so interested in him personally, and what he could do? It was all so surreal.

All at once Andy looked up, startled. It had only just occurred to him what Flare had meant when she was talking about testing him. The sudden realisation felt like he had been struck by lightning.

"We need to get back to the base now!"

The pilot nodded. "Understood, sir. We'll commence take-off right away."

Andy strapped himself into a seat as the transport began to rumble and lift from the ground, moving off through the night sky. He may not have understood most of what this new commander was talking about, but there was no doubt in his mind about what was going to happen next.

Whoever she was, and whatever she wanted, Flare was going to attack.

The return flight was quiet. Andy sent ahead a warning to the military base where he was working, advising them of the situation and ordering all troops to mobilise for combat. Once that was done, there was nothing left to say. Everyone in the cabin knew that a battle with Black Hole was imminent, and the mood was sombre as the grave. For his part, Andy was neither frightened nor unsettled by the knowledge of what was to come. On the contrary, he found it strangely reassuring. As serious as the situation was, battle was something he understood, and more importantly, it was something he knew he could handle. Knowing that the enemy was about to attack only instilled in Andy a fierce resolve to see them defeated. All the questions Flare had left him with were soon forgotten as he fixed his mind on the only problem that mattered now.

The copter had barely touched the ground when Andy ripped off his seat belt, flying from his seat like a demon. He threw open the door and leapt out into the open airfield, sprinting across the tarmac towards the base's control centre. He could hear tense chatter and the rumble of engines all around as the Orange Star forces stirred to action. A faint whine cut through the night air, and a moment later, several tanks near the base's edge were engulfed by fire. Andy's face set in a look of grim determination as he witnessed the explosion, but he did not slow down. If anything, he only ran faster.

"What's happening?" Andy gasped as he finally reached the control centre.

As he crossed the doorway, one foot caught on a loose shoelace, and he tripped and tumbled to the floor.

All eyes snapped to the commotion. Andy made for an unusual sight. An awkward boy with wildly messy hair and beads of sweat glistening on his brow was hardly the picture of a model military commander, especially when he was splayed on the floor. Most soldiers would have been anything from amused to downright contemptuous at the appearance of such a bedraggled youth in their midst, but Andy's awkward entrance provoked nothing more than a few discreet smiles. It didn't matter how clumsy he was, or how foolish the words coming out of his mouth were. Andy's deeds in recent years had more than earned their respect.

"Here, sir. Let me give you a hand."

An older officer with short-cropped grey hair helped Andy back to his feet, setting him upright with a pat on the back.

"Thanks," Andy said, unable to hide a sheepish smile. "So, uh, what's the situation?"

"We've taken heavy fire from enemy rockets and artillery, sir," the officer answered. "Moderate casualties. Multiple tank units have been hit hard."

"Do we know where Black Hole's troops are?" Andy asked.

"No sir." The officer couldn't help but grimace. "We have no line of sight on any enemy unit."

"That's not good."

Andy looked at the control room's main display, mounted on one of the walls. Several windows displayed footage from camera feeds located around the base, while another section showed an aerial graphic of the encampment. There was nothing on the surrounding area, or on the Alara Range. Andy couldn't believe it. How had they been caught so completely unprepared? They needed more information, and fast. He raced from the front of the room over to a desk where a technician sat monitoring the feeds.

"Can you show me a map of the area?" He asked.

She nodded in acknowledgement. "Just a second, sir."

As the technician typed a few short commands, she could not help but raise an eyebrow at her CO. One of Andy's sleeves was still rolled up, but the other had come loose and fallen to his wrist, and he was breathing heavily. The technician said nothing, but there was a slight smirk on her lips as she brought up the map.

As the map filled the main screen, Andy took a moment to take in the nearby terrain. The military base sat on the edge of the Alara Range, and the surrounding area was dominated by thick woods and mountains. Only to the south did the hills give way to flatland. The only real feature of note was the highway he had chased the recon along, making its way up from the south.

"Which way are those rockets firing from?" He asked the room.

"North, sir," an operator replied.

"So Black Hole's hiding in the mountains," Andy said. "That means we'll have to flush them out! Start sending our main force out into the woods, but have everyone stay close together." He looked back at the technician. "Do we have a better view of what's out there?"

"We didn't have any eyes looking north," the technician said. "I'm sorry, sir. We were focused on Blue Moon."

"That's okay," Andy said. "We'll just have to get some scouts into the mountains instead. Have our copters get teams deployed here, here, and… here," he ordered, pointing to several high points on the map.

Andy watched with a determined gaze as new reports began to come in from the battle raging outside. The enemy rockets continued to fire on the base and surrounding area, but they were exposing themselves in the process. Other Black Hole units emerged from hidden positions as well, moving to defend their long range weapons as the Orange Star vehicles began combing their way through the woods. Before long, small skirmishes erupted all throughout the mountains as the uneven lines met amongst the chaos of the night. Andy's attention darted from engagement to engagement as the reports came in, taking in everything at once and issuing new orders in response.

The initial fights were promising. Andy's forces had taken fire as they advanced through the woods, but they had also located and destroyed several units of enemy rockets and artillery. Better still, Orange Star's own rockets had made it through the initial bombardment unscathed. As the battle continued, Andy kept them in reserve, unleashing their firepower whenever an unexpected threat was spotted. Their progress was steady, marked by a series of intense clashes that ended almost as soon as they began. Andy didn't know what Black Hole was hoping to achieve. The fights taking place as the Orange Star troops moved through the rough terrain were all strangely disconnected from each other. Every group of enemies was caught and destroyed in turn, each one isolated and alone. As far as Andy could tell, they weren't even trying to support each other. It made no sense to him.

Something about the frequency of the fights and the sharp escalations and ebbs in the combat felt wrong. It was too regular, almost as if it had been planned. Flare's force was being steadily depleted as Andy's units moved further into the forest, but he was sure she must have expected this. If anything, she seemed to be letting it happen. As Andy watched the battle unfolding on the display, he only grew more convinced that the way the Black Hole units were deployed was deliberate. Every violent skirmish was another piece of the puzzle, a trail of breadcrumbs leading deeper into the mountains. Andy couldn't hope to articulate the pattern he saw forming in the enemy's movements, but he was certain it was there.

Worse still, Andy knew there was something he was missing.

"Hey, are our Md tanks ready to go?" He asked, the question directed at no one in particular.

"No sir," another operator replied. "They took heavy damage in the enemy's first strikes. One unit has three tanks ready, the other just one."

"Right." Andy nodded as the seeds of a plan began to coalesce in his mind. "Get those tanks joined up into a single unit, and send them out. Tell them to head for the bridge over that creek, but don't move out of the woods yet."

"Yes, sir."

The orders were sent. Outside, the sounds of combat had grown more distant as the Orange Star forces pushed the enemy further back. It was not long before they faded away entirely as the last few Black Hole infantry they had sighted pulled back across the creek. There were no further strikes after that. The pattern of short, intense fights was broken. Andy continued to stare at the main display, but no new information arrived. No new enemy units had been spotted, and there was no sign of a retreat or surrender. A deep unease settled over the control centre as the lull in the battle grew longer.

Andy ordered all units to take cover and hold position on their side of the creek, taking advantage of the break in the combat to better study what terrain lay ahead. A dirt road ran west alongside the creek until it joined a larger river, where it turned northwest and followed the course of a sloping valley. From that point onwards the terrain grew much more rugged. Based on their movements so far, Black Hole's forces were coming from that direction. Andy found himself paralysed by indecision. They had made good progress thus far, but beyond the creek they were blind. He couldn't decide what the right course of action was. He couldn't risk letting enemy troops escape to cause havoc in Orange Star, but he was fully aware that attacking into heavy terrain without any intel was a bad idea, especially in light of his earlier exchange with Flare. Andy was sure that she'd planned for all of this. Everything that had happened tonight was part of some sort of deadly trial, one whose rules he was still scrambling to learn.

Part of Andy could not help but wonder if Flare was somewhere out there in the mountains, watching the same battle. Did she feel as unsure of her next move as he did, or was she waiting patiently like a spider at the centre of its web? Her words kept echoing in his mind as he considered the dilemma. She was testing him, but how? Flare had said that all he needed to do was find her, but what did that even mean? For all Andy knew, she was waiting with more troops deeper in the valley, and all her talk of a test was just a ploy to lure him into an ambush. Flare had seemed oddly genuine during their conversation, but Andy had learnt better than to trust a Black Hole commander.

Whether she had been honest with him or not, the questions remained: what did Flare want from him? What did she expect him to do next? Andy thought back over the night, wracking his brain for any inadvertent hint Flare might had given. There had been time for her words to sink in now, but still Andy had no idea what most of what she said was even supposed to mean. The whole night had been a whirlwind of unexpected events, ever since he had first spotted the recon –

Andy shot up straight. The recon. Up until that moment, he had entirely forgotten about the lone recon he'd chased down. Its destruction had been completely overshadowed by the transmission from Flare, and the subsequent attack. Andy let out a giddy laugh. He was on to something, he could feel it. The presence of the recon so close to their base was surely no coincidence. It had to be a clue; he just needed to decipher its meaning.

He turned back to the technician, filled with newfound excitement. "Where does that highway through the mountains go?"

"I think it goes all the way to the north coast, sir."

"Okay, but where does it go before then?"

She stared blankly at him. "Through the mountains?"

"Right." Andy frowned. "So what's in the mountains, again?"

"Let me see… several towns, a ski resort, some old mines. That, and more trees than you can shake a stick at."

"That can't be it," Andy said. "Black Hole usually has somewhere safe to use as a base, somewhere that's not too far from the fighting. That recon had to be going there. But where could it be?"

He rubbed his chin and adopted his most serious expression. The technician raised one eyebrow. Even when he was trying to appear thoughtful, Andy came across as more perplexed than he did wise.

"Show me where that highway goes."

"The highway turns east after entering the Alara Range, sir," the technician pointed out. "The enemy troops are coming from the opposite direction."

Andy ignored her, looking back to the main display with an impatient twist to his lips. With an unimpressed sigh, the technician obeyed his instructions and pulled up a satellite image of the area. Andy was soon completely absorbed by the screen, watching as the aerial view of the landscape scrolled steadily along the highway. The image was blurry, and several years out of date; at such a small scale, the road was only a thin grey line winding through the trees. It wasn't the best intel he could have hoped for, but it was all they had.

"Stop!" Andy exclaimed. "What's that?"

He was pointing towards a clearing a short distance from the road. The poor quality of the image made it difficult to tell exactly what was there, but there was no mistaking the outline of an artificial structure built into the mountainside.

The technician stared at the picture, uncertain. "Hold on." She typed several more commands. "Looks like it's an old bunker from the conflict with Blue Moon. According to this it's been abandoned for twenty years."

"That's where their base is," Andy decided.

"But Black Hole's forces are coming from the valley, in the opposite direction…"

"Exactly!" Andy flashed the technician a grin. "It's a trick. Flare's trying to make us look the wrong way. Well, it's not going to work! I'm not playing her game any more. We're going to take that bunker, shut down the enemy troops, and put an end to this test!"

More than a few of the control centre's staff appeared unconvinced by that line of reasoning, but Andy paid them no heed. Every instinct told him that his theory was right, and he was certain it was the best explanation for the way the enemy forces were moving. He had no doubt that Flare was attacking so heavily from one direction in order to distract him from another. A sly smile came over Andy as it occurred to him that there was no reason why he couldn't pull the same trick.

Andy's eyes roved over the tactical display, accounting for every single unit as he planned his next move. Everything would have to be tightly coordinated for his idea to work. The only break in his concentration came when he paused to roll up his sleeve. He had finally realised that it had fallen down. Andy swallowed, suddenly aware of how dry his mouth felt. His plan was not without risk. The Orange Star troops were already battered, and if he miscalculated, the battle could easily turn into a rout. Andy soon dismissed the thought. He was sure that the force gathered in the woods was sufficient for his purpose, no matter what lay in wait ahead. The only potential problem that might arise was if Flare had units deployed to protect the bunker. Andy mulled that possibility for a moment, but there had been no indication that was the case. On the contrary, he suspected that Black Hole was relying solely on secrecy to protect their base of operations.

Andy clapped his hands together and began issuing new orders, making sure every one of his units knew what they had to do. Past the creek there was still no sign of the enemy. One way or another, he had to act. Andy watched on the display as the scouts he had sent into the mountains earlier began to move. He had no idea what was waiting at the abandoned bunker, but he would soon find out.

"Okay." Andy took a small breath. "Everyone, let's go!"

All at once Andy's forces began to move across the creek. They had barely crossed the water when the first Black Hole units were sighted. The response was immediate; the Orange Star troops opened fire with punishing force, small arms and heavy weapons working in concert to obliterate the waiting formation of enemy tanks and infantry. Meanwhile an artillery barrage blasted the area farther beyond, adjusting their targeting as more enemies were sighted. Andy watched the assault unfold with a determined light in his eyes. Any respite from the fighting was finished, and he knew it would not be long before Flare responded in kind.

"Sir!" An operator shouted. "We've got Neotanks incoming!"

Andy's gaze snapped to this new arrival in alarm. A squad of Neotanks had moved out of the forest and was advancing along the dirt road, spraying bullets at everything they passed. Andy's pulse quickened. There weren't many tools at his disposal that could deal with this new threat. Perhaps he wouldn't need to, Andy thought as he checked the position of the copters carrying the scout teams. Almost there.

"Have that recon unit pull back from the road!" Andy ordered. "Target those Neotanks with artillery, now, and get our Md tanks ready to follow up!"

Artillery fire rained down on the Neotanks, but it was not enough to stop them. Andy could feel his heart pounding in his chest. His forces were engaged by tanks and recon cars all throughout the line of battle, and the only thing standing between the armoured terrors and an entire flank was the under-strength squad of Md tanks. Again Andy checked the location of his assault team. The copters had arrived at the bunker and ceased moving. Elsewhere, the Neotanks continued to advance.

"Assault team, come in!" Andy shouted.

There was no answer, and the main display showed no movement at all near the bunker. Had there been Black Hole troops defending their base after all? Andy had no idea what the assault team's status was, and his forces were under too much pressure on the main front to wait for a report that might never come. He was out of time. There was no choice but to order his Md tanks to engage. Andy's expression was grim as he watched the display update, waiting for the clash to take place. His heavy tanks revealed themselves and began firing, but it was still not enough to bring the Neotanks down.

Andy braced himself for what was about to happen.

"Sir," an operator said, "the enemy… they've stopped."

No attack came. A wave of relief washed over Andy, tinged with tentative optimism. Reports began to flood in, each one telling the same story: the Black Hole tanks had simply fallen silent and come to a halt. The unmanned war machines were frozen in place, like puppets whose strings had been cut. For a moment Andy did not know what to think, uncertain if his strategy had actually worked, or if some other factor was involved.

A series of electronic beeps interrupted Andy's train of thought. A signal was coming through from one of the squads he had sent to capture the abandoned bunker. Andy gestured for it to be put on speaker.

"Sir, this is the assault team," the voice began. "Our mission was a success. We've secured the bunker and disabled the enemy's control network."

It was confirmation of everything Andy had hoped for. The tension that had lay heavy over the night ever since Flare first made contact evaporated in an instant. A loud cheer erupted throughout the room, and Andy pumped a fist into the air. The battle was won.

"Great job!" Andy said with a wide smile. "What did you find?"

"There's not much here, sir. A few generators, a standard Black Hole control array, and some supplies. Oh, and one other thing."

"What other thing?" Andy asked.

"It's… well, you'd better come out and see for yourself, sir."

That was strange, and not at all what he had been expecting to hear, but Andy accepted the report without question. More status updates coming in confirmed that the enemy troops had been completely disabled, and the battle was well and truly over. There was nothing urgent that needed his attention here, Andy decided, and there was no reason why he shouldn't go and see the enemy's base for himself.

For the third time that night Andy boarded the transport copter and waited as it began its take-off procedure. With the battle's end, any real trepidation regarding what was about to happen next had waned, leaving only a murky kind of unease. Andy couldn't begin to imagine what in the old bunker was so important that he needed to see it in person. Had the assault team found sensitive documents or plans? It seemed unlikely. In all the battles fought during the great wars, the number of times they had captured anything significant from a Black Hole base could be counted on one hand. But what else could it be? Andy's mind meandered from possibility to possibility as the helicopter drew steadily closer to its destination, each more unlikely than the last. The idea of simply waiting to see what he would find was perhaps the only one that did not occur to him.

At last the copter began to descend. Andy could barely manage to sit still as it landed; the closer he came to an answer, the more restless he grew. Andy felt a tide of frustration rising within as he undid his seat belt and got to his feet, still unable to come up with a satisfying explanation for why he needed to see the bunker. The battle was over, and Flare had lost. What could possibly be left to find?

Andy threw open the helicopter's side door and emerged into the cool night air. He could not help but shiver as a chill breeze ran through the trees, the rustle of swaying branches reaching his ears even beneath the sound of the helicopter's engines winding down. Overhead, the waxing moon was just visible at the crest of a nearby mountain, casting a sickly glow over the clearing. It was a world drained of colour, reduced to deep shadows and a dusting of pale light.

A waiting soldier waved to Andy as he moved towards the bunker. Andy ran to meet him, too impatient to walk.

"Sir!" The soldier saluted him. "We've secured the perimeter and made a sweep of the bunker. It's safe to enter."

Andy looked momentarily nonplussed as he received the status update. It had not even occurred to him that there might still be dangers waiting inside the old bunker. He had simply assumed that any threat had ended with the battle.

"Right." Andy dismissed the thought. "So what did you find, anyway?"

The soldier winced. "You, uh, really need to see it, sir. This way."

The lack of an answer only stoked Andy's curiosity as he followed the soldier out of the open. It was highly unusual for military personnel to be so tight lipped, and he wondered if they were unable to explain, or merely unwilling. Two more members of the squad were standing guard outside a weathered metal door. Andy had never been much good at reading people, but he could nonetheless tell that something had left them unsettled. Andy made sure to offer them a friendly smile as he passed, even as he became more convinced that something about this definitely was not right.

The bunker's interior was almost pitch black. A series of lamps had been set up along the corridor, providing some meagre light amongst the thick shadows. Andy slowed as they moved deeper into the building, unsure of his footing. The floor was strewn with dirt, and it crunched beneath his boots with every step. Apart from that the old bunker was deathly quiet. The abandoned complex was a relic from another time, a buried memory of all the wars that had come before. Walking through the maze of stained concrete felt like stepping into a haunted house, Andy thought. He would not have been surprised to catch sight of a ghost drifting through the shadows.

They turned a corner and Andy saw another stretch of empty, eerie corridor, identical to the one they had come from. Identical, save for a bright light spilling out from an open door. Andy's head whipped around to the soldier to ask what it was.

The soldier gestured toward the light, his expression grim. "In there, sir."

Andy had no idea what to expect as he moved towards the door, or any inkling why this room was well lit when the rest of the facility had been completely neglected. Everything about this felt wrong. The empty bunker was nothing at all like the Black Hole field bases he had seen during the great wars. Andy came to the door and with a deep breath stepped into the room. It was clean, well lit, and bare, save for a large television mounted on the far wall.

And there, displayed on the screen, was Flare.

"You found me," she said, bowing her head in respect. "I'm impressed."

Andy stared at her, dumbfounded. He'd been certain that by moving to take the bunker and disable the enemy troops, he'd been outwitting Flare. Yet here she was, perfectly at ease. She'd expected this. Everything that had happened tonight, everything that he had done, it had all been part of her plan.

"I don't understand," he said. "What was all this about?"

A bemused smile crossed Flare's lips. "I told you I wanted to see what you were capable of. And now I have."

Andy blinked several times. "This was all about me?"

"That surprises you," Flare said. There was honest curiosity on her face as she made the observation. "Strange. I wouldn't have expected that at all." She glanced briefly away. "Not that it matters now. I promised a single answer if you passed my test, and you have. Choose your question well."

He frowned. "How do I know you'll tell the truth?"

"You have my word."

Andy's head tilted to one side. "Why are you doing this?"

The question was tumbling from Andy's mouth before he'd even had time to think it through. It was the first one that came to mind, and only afterwards did it occur to him that there might have been something more important to ask. With a childlike curiosity, Andy had cut straight to the most fundamental thing he did not understand.

Flare went to answer, then paused. Her brow creased in confusion, and she glanced away. The simple directness of the question seemed to have thrown her off balance. After a short interval, she inhaled and looked back to him.

"Because I have no choice," she said in a curt voice. "Those like you, the people you trust… they haven't left me any."

"What kind of answer is that?" Andy asked.

Flare's expression darkened. "The only one I can give."

Andy opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He had no idea what Flare meant, and it was incredibly frustrating. Part of Andy had hoped Flare might actually be of some help, that she might be as genuine as she seemed, but she had only left him feeling more bewildered than before.

On the screen, Flare sighed, and with a toss of her long red hair appeared serene once more.

"Goodbye, Andy," she said. "We will meet again."

The television cut to black, and Flare was gone. Andy stared at the blank screen for a few moments longer, holding the afterimage of Flare in his memory. He almost felt as if he needed to convince himself that their conversation had actually taken place, that his fight with this mysterious new enemy was not just a product of his imagination. Everything Flare had said – everything about her – was so confusing and surreal, and Andy had no idea what to make of it.

He shivered again. There was nothing left to be done here. All he could do now was head back to the base and contact Nell. She needed to hear about this, Andy knew. Perhaps she would even understand what it had all been for. He certainly didn't; trying to make sense of all that had happened seemed to him an insurmountable task.

As Andy made his way back through the bunker and out into the open, Flare's parting words played again in his mind. He might not have understood most of what had been said that night, but he was certain they at least were true. They would meet again.

Whatever Black Hole was planning, this was only the beginning.