Lena entered Annette's house, trying her best not to peek from the window. Her best friend hadn't lived here since the attack, as the building was barely holding together, but she had packed the essentials before the departure. Now with the prospect of never returning, she had tasked the friend with retrieving a few sentimental objects. The girl regretted not bringing a hard hat, as the walls around were falling apart. She carefully went through the rubble, cursing the dust to flow. Her dress lost all her glamour, now properly resembling other damaged pieces.
Starting from the ground floor, Lena searched for the objects with the attention of an archaeologist. Any sudden movement would compromise the structure, so delicacy was advisable. After recovering what she could from the first floor, the girl determined that going any further would be way too dangerous, and she had found enough. Pleased with her findings, she put them carefully into the bag downstairs. Reminiscent of the memories made here, Vladilena Milizé said a final goodbye to the house, thanking for the warm moments it had provided. When she was about to exit the structure, Lena felt a shiver down her spine. All her senses started to ring the alarm about the upcoming danger, tensing her muscles for an escape. Was the Legion attacking? No, the sounds coming from outside were way too peaceful, and Shin confirmed earlier they were far away. A young woman cussed under her breath, angry for not taking her gun. The apparent tranquility during the outing dulled her senses, making her leave the weapon in the car. As the train of thought was speeding in her mind in a matter of seconds, when she tried to run, a big hand covered her mouth from behind.
"Gotcha, Princess. Missed me yet?" Nicolas's hoarse voice was unmistakable, even after the months apart. She hadn't seen him since the trial, assuming he had died during the offensive. Lena kicked and flailed around, but his grip was stronger. The man was double her size, but she couldn't see him in her current position. She smacked the remains of a window, hoping the noise would alert Shin. "Now now, why the animosity? From the two of us, you came out on top. Don't you think it's fair to compensate for that?"
Military training came in handy, as Lena managed to break free from the maneuver. She used it to get close to the doors, but seconds away the man slammed her into the half-broken wall, making her semi-conscious. The silver hair once again had taken on a red streak, this time painted with blood.
"W-why do you do this…" The speech was a bit slurred, as a result of a probable concussion. She knew, however, that stalling for a time was the best option.
"You've got some nerve, Princess. Your little conspiracy took away everything from me! Money, luxuries, status. Gone, with a snap of the fingers. After the attack, you were always surrounded by people and machines, but the fortune was bountiful today. Imagine my surprise, hearing you're back in our old rubble. Your corpse belongs to this shitty country, not in some faraway land. It's time for justice, Darling." Nicolas had gone insane, with no reason left in his eyes. Crazy with getting revenge, nothing aside from payback had mattered. He started choking her on the ground, with Lena using her last bit of strength to throw a small rock into a broken vase. Her vision went black, with her brain screaming for the oxygen needed to live. When she had awoken, the girl was lying on something rigid. Trying to open her eyes, the bright light made her flinch unwillingly.
"Oh thank God. Please, tell me where does it hurt?" Shin looked at her from above, with eyes filled with panic. It was then Lena realized, the thing she was resting on, was his thighs.
"What… What had happened? Where is Nicolas?" Oblivious to the severity of her injuries, she looked around the room, merely raising her head. She had spotted the pool of blood, and an unmoving body lying a few meters from them.
"Don't worry about that guy, please, tell me where you were hurt. I applied the first aid and made some bandages, but I need to know the scope of your wounds. Cyclops will be here any minute, we'll take you to Doctor Julienne." He did not remember the last time he felt such despair. The sight of her unconscious body under a man gripping his hands on her neck invoked Shin's deepest trauma. He knew well what it was like to vanish under the pressure taking the precious air away, gasping helplessly for another breath. Seeing Lena fading away in his eyes made him see red, with blinding pure fury taking over. He violently shoved away and beat him mercilessly until he no longer moved. Only then did he snap out of the homicidal rage, turning all his attention towards the fragile figure. He performed CPR to the best of his abilities, not tracking the time that had passed. When he felt a faint tickle of breath, the exhaustion caught up to him. Shin managed to call for Shiden and checked Lena's body for any lethal injuries. Luckily there were none, so the boy leaned his back against the wall, and put the girl's head on his lap, to monitor her breathing. Any longer break where her chest wasn't moving caused him to be worried sick. He gently stroked her hair, finding it to be the most calming. Shin could no longer deny what everyone was suggesting. The brief moment of losing Lena made his world collapse, depriving him of any hope for the future. If she weren't there, what was the point? He still hadn't found his goal, but being with her was enough to keep him going. Lena to him was like the drop of water to the parched plant in the desert. Getting a taste of her kindness ignited the feelings unknown before, with every conversation making him fall deeper. The unquenchable thirst to be with her in every meaning of the word made his heart ache, with the remedy always standing a few steps away. He tried his best to stifle those thoughts and feelings, believing the Reaper of the battlefield didn't fit in her bright world. But human nature didn't allow such decisions, making him yearn for her unwittingly. Studying every corner of her face filled Shin with warmth, making him accept his fate. He wanted to stay with her, even if being her friend was the only available position. Relationships were new to him, so he wasn't sure how to handle the discovery. Shinei Nouzen had fallen in love for the first time. The thing that pulled him out from the pondering was a sudden movement from below. A few sentences later, hearing her responding coherently filled him with relief.
"Head… I think. I feel a tad dizzy, but nothing seems to be broken." Lena tried to get up with her own strength, but Shin quickly put breaks on her fervor.
"Please, stay put until Shiden arrives. I was so scared you weren't coming back…" Shin admitted during the vulnerable moment, ready to say anything to make her remain seated.
"Was I...gone?" She asked puzzled, not realizing it had been more than a loss of consciousness.
"You weren't breathing when I entered. If I had been a moment late… shit, I don't want to even think about it. Who was this bastard?" The boy asked, partially out of disbelief that this vile man once could have been Lena's fiance. He felt stupid for what he suggested after learning about his existence.
"Yeah, my beloved ex-fiance. Is he still alive?" Lena asked, unsure what answer would make her happier.
"Honestly I'm not sure, he wasn't moving when I left him. I can't believe this son of the bitch tried to kill you. Fuck, I should've gone with you." He knew the blame was fully on the man in the pool of blood, but looking at bruises forming on Lena's skin made him shiver. After closing his eyes he automatically resumed caressing her hair, not realizing how awkward it might be. He stopped immediately upon becoming aware of what he was doing, freezing his hand in midair.
"It was… nice….you can keep going…" Lena mumbled blushing heavily, as she took great pleasure in the gesture. Shin, also blushing, resumed the activity, both avoiding their eyes. In the soothing silence, the wait for rescue felt like a blissful eternity.
August 25th Republic Year 368 (Stellar Year 2149)
The Day of Doom
The back of Uncle Jérôme had vanished behind the pillar, sent away with a solitary salute. Lena didn't have time to stall any longer, rushing towards the control room. To her astonishment, the door opened without any fuss, without the need for Annette's lock-picking device. The room was empty, with fire and smoke visible through the back window. She had to hurry. When Lena launched the control program, the logged account greeted her at the display. 'Jérôme Karlstahl' It was obvious someone had just logged in, as the system automatically signed out inactive for an hour. Her uncle had decided to support her ways, even before meeting Lena at the staircase. He opened every path previously refused by him, as an ultimate gift of acceptance. With nothing in her way, she used his clearance to deactivate the minefields and open the gates, keeping the Eighty-Six in exile. A single click demanding a definitive confirmation erased the decade-old barrier. It was that simple. There was no time for bitterness, as the smoke kept getting closer. Lena activated her Para-RAID, preparing her brain for the upcoming avalanche of stimuli.
"Bloody Regina to all Processors. Minefields are deactivated, go inside the open Gran Mur. Keeping the Gran Mur's front is improbable, if you want to survive, go to the First Sector, any person who'll respond to my call from now on will be regarded as cooperative." The answers flooded Lena's brain, overloading it with information.
" ?WHOAREYOU?Why? . .SCREWYOU!"The stream of blending responses made her instinctively shut off the connection. Giving orders to the huge crowd was manageable, but receiving any feedback made her want to rip the Para-RAID from her neck. If the whole battle were to be managed this way, the upcoming hours would be nightmarish.
"Cyclops, how is your position?" She switched to the one-on-one call to cool off.
"Shitty as expected. The explosion slowed them down a little, but the fuckers keep comin'. We are entering the capital, Queen, what are our orders?" Shiden was eager to fight, but she knew the energy would be needed later to survive the long siege. All her Squadron members had caffeine tablets to cover the sleep deficiency, but they were supposed to come in handy after many strenuous hours.
"I trust you, cover my back in the First Sector. If you're able to, do a little detour into the Fourteenth Sector, I'll give you the location. We promised to keep Sophia and Nathan safe, now it's time to return the favor. I've changed the settings on the Para-RAID, you can call anyone. Try contacting people you know to get them involved on our side. We desperately need all the hands we can get. Connect if something important comes up, I'll do my best to navigate all of you." Lena quickly gave her commands, counting on Shiden's buddies to join in with her persuasion.
"That doesn't sound safe. But hell, we're all probably dying today, no need for breaks, am I right? Got it, Queen, at your service." She obediently went to carry out the orders.
The girl used the giant display situated in the office to check the map and the deployment. Until the Eighty-Six reached the center, her main job was to forestall any ambushes.
"Street on your right a pack of fifteen Grauwolves coming from the east."
"Dinosauria one sector away, probably a Shepard."
"Skorpions are lining up on the rooftops south side, shoot them down."
"Löwe on your tail north."
"Street left dead end."
"Cluster Sixteen Sector fight the breach."
"Ignore the Ameise up North, Löwe coming south."
"Trap before you."
Her messages got shorter and shorter, choosing efficiency and trust in the Processors to make their own decisions. She tracked the movements on the screen, connecting to people shown on her map. There was no time for explanation, as Lena had to keep an eye on all the units. The names and numbers blurred into one, devoting whole attention to the perilous stratagems of the enemy. Lack of Shin's ability gave her a hard time, but hearing all the Processor made her understand how exhausting Shin's everyday life must have been. Her head had barely managed one instance of such overload, with each day consisting of such noise, the headache must have been unbearable. Not to mention the Legion's voices were way less friendly and coherent.
When she got the signal about units arriving in the upper sectors, she maintained a permanent connection with the leaders, assigning different strategic points to all Squadrons. The sudden shock combined with a flash knocked her to the floor, as the bombardment hit the headquarters.
"Evacuate, NOW! The Shepards figured out somethin' big is here and blasted the building with Skorpions. GODDAMMIT, RUN!" Cyclops pleaded, but Lena had no chance to outrun the missiles. She had chosen to get under the solid desk, to protect her head from upcoming rubble. When one of the explosions created a dent in the wall, the girl decided to run for it, bringing the portable screen with her. It might have been a riskier choice, but without it, Lena knew, she would be half-blind. If they wanted to have any chance in this battle, they needed all the aids they could get. She managed to get out of the burning building by jumping from the first floor and twisting her ankle in the process. There was no time to process the pain, as the adrenaline rushing through her veins took it away. Lena realized she was too preoccupied to listen, so she refocused on the external noises entering her brain.
"LENA! PLEASE, SAY ANYTHING. WHERE ARE YOU?" Shiden was yelling desperately, the girl neither responding to her words nor disconnecting.
"I'm out. But anyone who stayed inside must be dead by now." She looked at the burning remains of the place she was at seconds ago. The building was utterly demolished, crushing any hope of survivors. Lena had no idea if her uncle escaped before the disaster, but she sadly had no time to confirm. She knew that the proof of his death would only exacerbate her nervous breakdown, so she kept in check on her last strings.
"They got in most of the sectors, what do we do now?" Distress started getting to her.
"Now we go into phase two." Lena said grimly, as she had hoped to never make that decision. If the Legion had gone so far, most people in the further Sectors were already dead. She had hoped Annette and Charlotte did their best to redirect the civilians, but the time for hesitation was long gone. Lena had opened the control panel, and repeated steps done once before. After the moment that felt like an eternity, the outskirts of the city burst into unforgiving flames.