It’s five am in the morning, Scarlet and I have set up the fifty-millimeter rifle and set it two feet and five inches from the opening in the wall we crafted. The target is sitting at a distance of twenty-six thousand, four hundred feet that’s at least five miles, or eight thousand and forty-six point seven, two meters. My position in district 141 to the central tower of FNH2 is in the South elevation is at least five or ten degrees, depression can not go above negative three, or I’ll be hitting unnecessary objects decreasing the bullet’s travel time.

Using my custom scope and enhanced eyesight, I was capable of seeing the words on a paper on his desk. “How long do I have to stay prone staring at the building?” I asked.

“He’ll be there in the next five minutes, so be patient,” Scarlet answered as she observed the target through her binoculars.

“Have you thought of an escape plan? You know Ravent, Lisa, and SHUNNF would be on my ass after taking this shot.”

She peered her eyes to me and said, “I know that’s why you are talking to a hologram while the real me is in your core, so it would be easier for us to escape and meet up with Sasha.”

“Basically you left the escape plan to me, and MacMiller?”

“Of course, I trust you to deal with the issue after all,” she smiled and disappeared.

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered.

“Scar, can you hear me?” asked MacMiller.

“Yes, sir, I can,” I answered.

“Remember what I’ve taught you when you were practicing with Sasha in firing from a long-range. Taking everything into account is extremely recommended; wind speed, humidity, earth’s curvature, and the Coriolis effect. For all those, what I have listed shall affect the bullet’s flight path even if it’s going MACH eleven,” he stated.

“I already took those into account I haven’t forgotten your teachings. You were like a father… I never had to be frank with you, sir,” I said, tightly holding onto the gun’s grip.

“Hmph, that’s great to hear, but we are all now counting on you to pull this off, so best of luck to you,” he said before disconnecting.

“I just hope nothing goes wrong for us to try again,” I murmured to myself.

Five minutes had passed, Mr. Zone stood outside his office, talking to his wife, business associates, and Lisa.

Lisa must be his personal guard or something, I thought as I zoomed to her face.

Even in military uniform, she’s beautiful as she stood proudly with her hands placed behind her.

“Scar, I’m now waiting for you to take the shot,” Sasha whispered through the mental link.

“Wait!” yelled Scarlet.

“Why wait, we can end him right now!” I shouted as I hesitated.

“Listen to me; there is a ship flying overhead,” Scarlet stated.

“What-”

A couple of airships flew overhead, and others began to fill the skies as I zoomed out from the target.

“What are you doing? Keep an eye on, Mr. Zone!” Scarlet shouted.

“I don’t like staring at molecules of coated paint on a SHUNNF’s airship, okay…”

“Stop whining and do as I say!”

“Just wait a little more before firing,” Sasha said.

“If we take too long, he’ll move…”

“If you take the shot right now, they shall know our position,” stated Scarlet.

“Then it’s a risk, I’ll have to take. I’m firing three rounds,” I said, placing my finger over the trigger.

“Well, it’s your choice for you’ll be handling the escape plan,” Scarlet scoffed.

Before the airship can completely move out of the way, I fired the first shot. The round obliterated the airship, but it missed Mr. Zone and instantly killed his wife instead. Bear witnessed his wife dying in front of him, he stood there shook.

The look on his face was priceless as it was filled with fear and despair. I wish I could cherish that moment, but I have to end him, I thought before squeezing the trigger again.

I fired again, and the second round sliced his arm off and the impact of the round threw him to the ground like a ragdoll. “The shot was off due to the turbulence from my previous shot,” I grumbled. For the third shot, I steadied the scope and gun onto my target again while taking my errors into account. Everything checked out from the information that was fed from my computer, so I took a deep breath before firing. In that moment, Lisa jumped into the bullet’s flight path and casted her dimensional field in front of her, but it wasn’t enough for my third round was special and designed for a moment like this. It was horrifying for me as I watched the round impact her right arm and kill Mr. Zone behind her.

The airships that were in the sky protrolling saw what had happened and began a citywide search for the person who killed Mr. Zone. Three airships flew towards district 141 as they saw the first airship was shot down.

“They are onto us! Scar, we have to move!” Scarlet shouted, but I was unable to hear her.

My eyes were glued to the image of watching Lisa holding onto her arm. Was I really prepared to do this? I thought, staring endlessly at her.

MacMiller came upstairs and pulled me away from my rifles, “Scar, can’t you hear us! We have to move quickly!”

I snapped out of my trans and eyed him. As we stared at each other, time felt like it stopped and it was like he saw himself in this same position before.

“Scar, you must go now!” he shouted.

“I can’t,” I mumbled.

“Then, I’ll just have to carry you,” he said.

One of the three airships triangulated our position and hovered three kilometers away before firing a missile. MacMiller heard it and quickly grabbed onto my shirt. Before tossing me out of the window, he said, “I know you feel guilty about what you have done, but remember: this was your decision. Blaming yourself wouldn’t get you anywhere, so before you start beating yourself up remember the people who want to see you thrive and prosper. If you can’t live for yourself, Scar then live for others instead!”

The roaring sounds of the missile as it flew closer and closer was like a banshee. The sounds of glass shattering reminded me of the marbles colliding with each other as we played in the dirt outside of the house. The adrenaline pumping through my veins caused my heart to pound my chest like a drum and the shards of glass were like stars as I slowly flew through the window. Staring at MacMiller for the last time was the most traumatizing thing I have ever experienced. These sounds, this feeling, his face and that very smile within this very moment, could never be forgotten for the person. That is sacrificing himself for me was someone that I looked up too. “I don’t deserve to carry such a burden for I am nothing, but a long lost dead child,” I murmured before time resumed back to normal.

The building exploded as the missile impacted the room where MacMiller was. I fell from six stories and landed in the streets. I felt like I was just thrown out of the house by my mother for doing something stupid and unforgiveable. As I laid there in the crater, I rolled over to my side to watch the burning building and wish that I was there instead of him. The flames were bright red mixed with orange as it spread throughout the building, pieces of the building's structure collapsed on itself as the fire grew. The flashback of my village being engulfed in flame came to me, I quickly shut my eyes as it was too much to bear.

“Scar, this isn’t no time for you to feel bad for yourself. You have to get up and meet up with Sasha in district 50 before we can leave,” Scarlet implied.

“Sasha is capable of completing this mission without me and the same goes for you Scarlet,” I replied. “Just leave me and go get her!”

“Urgh! I’m taking control of you. We can’t get ourselves captured or MacMiller’s death would go in vain,” Scarlet pointed out as she held onto the switch.

MacMillers quote, “If you can’t live for yourself, Scar then live for others instead!” Hit me like a jolt of lightning for I understood what he meant. My armor began to form around me covering me from head to toe, “Don’t worry… I wouldn’t get captured… for they’ll have to kill me first.”

“Then prove to me that you wouldn’t be captured!”

For once in my life, my smile didn’t display something positive for this smile meant something far from that. Police officers, military forces and a few armed civilians proceeded to attack me as I ran through the streets towards district 50. Running through the streets going at least thirty-five miles per hour was suspicious and dangerous, but I have to find Sasha and secure that briefcase she is carrying.

Civilians helped the police that were assisting the military in capturing me by ramming their vehicles into me to slow me down. I was forced to either fire onto them while moving or ramming through them.

“You know jumping over them is more efficient than running through them!” yelled Scarlet.

“I’m just testing the limits of my armour and showing them that I’m a force to be reckoned with!” I shouted before firing a laser at a truck they used for a roadblock.

“Target seems to be going to the city center! Evacuate all civilians to then allow the gunships to fire upon him and deploy the tanks!” commanded an officer over the radio, I intercepted.

“Seems like they mean business,” I commented after overhearing it.

As I slid across the street to make my turn, a tank fired at me and caused me to crash into a nearby shop. “Damn, even with armor… those rounds hit like a truck,” I complained.

“It’s preparing itself to fire upon you again,” Scarlet said.

“Guess I’ll have to destroy it.”

I pushed the objects out of my way, and jumped back into the streets. The tank fired, but I intercepted it by using my trophy system. Before the smoke could clear, I transformed myself into a T95 and fired my custom one hundred and five millimeter gun. The shell penetrated the tank’s frontal armor, killing the crew and causing the tank to explode.

“When did you get information on this tank to transform into it?” Scarlet questioned.

“I downloaded a World War two documentary while we're on a break, I am a nerd after all,” I smiled.

“I see then step on it!” she shouted while grinning.

“Roger!” I yelled before slamming my feet onto the pedal causing the tank’s engine to rev up.

Once the engine began turning, the tank was quickly launched forward. Pushing ninety-five tons of mass throughout the streets of FNH2 at a speed of sixty-five miles per hour: demolished the pavement. We were truly leaving a trail of destruction in our wake. Two gunships spotted us and began to open fire with their mounted machine guns. As they rain a storm of bullets onto the roof of the tank, I asked, “Mind getting on the fifty, Scarlet?”

“Thought, you’ll never ask!” she cheered.

Scarlet, got onto the fifty caliber machine gun and began to return fire. She also added a mini-SAM (Surface to Air Missile) to her shoulders to help push them back. During that confrontation, Scarlet asked a question over the mental link, “Sasha, where are you now?”

“I’m one of the manholes that leads to the city main sewer, if you can stop the tank over the manhole. I can enter the tank without being seen or shot at. I’ll transmit a small electrical burst for you to pinpoint me,” Sasha answered.

Scarlet instantly found her exact location, “Take a left!”

The tank drifted as I took the sharp left, and collided into the closest building to the right. Bystanders were either killed or injured from the flying debris caused by the tracks coming incontact with the sidewalk, streetlights, electrical poles, and the building. Turning my attention to what’s ahead of me, I saw another roadblock, but this time they came more prepared. They hesitated on fire as the civilians disbursed themselves from the scene. After they were all cleared of civilian casualties, they fired upon us. Scarlet swiftly ducked into the tank and waited for an opening.

“Scar, I’m going to transform myself into a missile barrage tower. I need you to fire that gun again.”

“Don’t worry… I’m already ahead of you,” I grinned.

“Hmph,” she smirked before popping herself out of the hatchet, T-posing.

I saw them turn their attention to her, so I took that opportunity and fired a round aimed at the tank’s neck. The round penetrated the tank causing it’s turret to fly into the air as the tank’s ammunition was ignited. The explosion pushed the men standing outside the tank to the ground and shook the tanks beside it. Scarlet completed her transformation in time and fired a barrage of missiles at the roadblock, clearing our path.

“There is our opening!” she pointed out with a laser.

I drove the tank through the opening and headed to the manhole that was at least one hundred feet ahead of us. “Sasha are you in that manhole ahead of us?”

“Yes, but remember to be right over me so I can enter,” she recommended.

“Understood,” I replied.

I pulled onto the left brake and caused the tank to swing around to face the way we came from and drove backwards. I continued to reverse until Scarlet shouted, “STOP!” and I slammed the brakes as hard as I could. Once the tank halted, I lowered the tank and opened the floor for Sasha.

Sasha threw the briefcase into the tank before entering and said, “I know you trusted Scar with the escape plan and all, but I think it was a bad idea.”

“Yes, it might have been a bad idea, but he completed the first part of the mission, so that’s all that matters. Our real mission is in that briefcase and escape should be easy once we get outside of the city,” stated Scarlet.

“I guess so, however, Scar do you approve of me merging with you? Even though I am dirty,” Sasha asked.

I turned to her and said, “I don’t care how you dirty you are Sasha… You’re always clean in my eyes.”

She then crawled up to me, hugged me and infused herself into my core. “Now we are one,” she whispered.

“Yeah, now… let’s get the hell out of here!” I yelled before smashing the gas pedal.

The tank took off and we headed to the outskirts of the city.