The bastards! She thought in a mix of fear and rage, not able to comprehend why they just murdered an innocent local in cold blood. But when the shots she heard replayed in her head once more, an even more horrifying thought came to mind.

Those… those are the same sounds our standard issues make when silenced! That means…!

Unable to sit through the suspense any longer, especially knowing the approaching men were carrying a Hexa-issued pistol, she gripped her own with both hands, then pivoted and stood up in a single motion. It’ll be me before them! She held her arms out like she had always practiced, bracing with one hand, pulling the sights up to match her line of sight with the other, and squeezed the trigger at the first silhouette she made out by the parked car. She squeezed, and squeezed once more in rapid succession. It was as if she didn’t even hear the ear-drum piercing pops nor did she even determine if or how she hit her target.

The next reaction was just as much of an unprepared action, diving back into the corner from which she came from, now able to make sense of what she heard following immediately after. Silenced shots rang off the surface of the van she hid behind. Mind numb already, she couldn’t afford the luxury of calculated movement anymore. She turned as if to run, too afraid to return fire as things were. It was dark and there weren’t many street lights.

The jelly in her legs finally solidified, gathering the strength to take off, but in that very next second something sounded too close for comfort. She turned and aimed to see a figure seemingly diving for her. Both fired shots but were well off the mark. Bodies collided. Sam felt her grip on her pistol come undone as she hit the concrete below with a thud and a shout.

And as much as things had gone numb for her, by now it was something she would completely blank out on later on if she were to survive. It was raw, fear-driven instinct kicking in. The assailant’s body scrambled to stand up over her, giving her legs something to target as she flailed with both, striking his forearm he brought up. Following up her rolling motion, she was now frantically searching for her dropped pistol. Fortunately, it had not fallen far as she quickly re-established a firm grip on it and swung it toward the silhouette. Two bullets bounced off the concrete inches from her right shoulder as she squeezed the trigger again.

A painful scream quickly left the man’s vocal cords as he continued shooting. It then felt like something blindingly painful ripped along her right upper arm, but she didn’t stop, either. Her trigger soon stopped functioning after she emptied the small magazine. She thought she may have gotten the job done as the silhouette started to drop, but it only took a brief moment more to figure it was coming for her.

Something was unsheathed by the sound she heard next, immediately resuming her attempt to run. Her head and upper back bumped up against the fence, forgetting how close she fell to it earlier. With her back against the wall, she was left with no choice but to blindly roll over, plant her feet underneath her, and make a dash toward him in hopes to tackle him before he could strike first. The two careened to the ground once more, hearing the sound of dropped steel.

This time, it wasn’t anything of hers that fell. She pushed herself up over him and started swinging with the butt of her pistol at what she could make out to be his head. The first swing only hit somewhere on his shoulder with a thud as the man began to reach for her neck. She couldn’t miss this next swing as she regathered her strength.

With that next swing with a hand squeezing at her neck, she felt the sharp ringing of the metal contacting his skull. The hand slipped off immediately and she struck once more. He strangely hadn’t the strength to push her off of him as light as she was, allowing her to continue angrily swinging and bludgeoning the man’s head until she felt him stop.

There she would remain, furiously trying to catch her breath and re-establish her hold of reality.

Thoughts of relief, relishing the fact that she was still alive, and the slow backing-off of the adrenaline only lasted a short moment before her acts became more apparent to her. She felt the warm body underneath her, motionless. And despite the numbness in her right hand, she still could make out the wet stickiness coming from the grip of her pistol and the smell from the blood she spilled. She looked up to see the other motionless body laying across the concrete near the van she hid behind earlier. She then saw the slow gathering of a few of the locals, finally feeling safe enough to pop their heads out of windows and doorways.

It was too much. She dropped her pistol, trying to fruitlessly wipe her hands clean of the blood smears but eventually caved into the dizziness and panic that quickly set in. Her hands were now trembling mightily as she grew too weak to stay kneeling as she was. She ended up crawling away, retching near the edge of the fence, trying to keep her balance. It was only the shadows of that same fence cast by an approaching set of bright glows and roaring engines that helped her fixate back on reality for the second time. She caught her breath and found the strength enough to stand back up, leaning against the light pole nearby.

Those are Hexa drives. Those… are… definitely Hexa drives. They’re finally here.

Sam now made out the sounds of panicking neighbors behind her. The residents of course would have a fit after such a commotion. It didn’t bother her too much, however, unable to even begin to think of what to do next. Her eyes then soon returned to the nearing light spectacle approaching. Her foggy vision began to clear, revealing a pair of glowing lights to either side of the closer set.

That’s them. They both came-

“Hey! You’d better hide!” a woman’s voice firmly but quietly warned from behind through a similarly thick accent akin to the old man’s from earlier. Sam turned to see a younger woman in her twenties, or even younger, extending a hand. “You we’re with Tenshi, right!? Come on!”

It took more than a few seconds for the words to register, fighting off the fear her blood-stained shirt and pants were going to cause a fright or make her look a murderer. Tenshi… huh? … Oh, Devin! “Right, but, no! No!” Sam fussed with a hand to the sky. I just killed two people and this is what someone says? “That’s my-”

She grabbed Sam by the wrist and began to tug. “-He told everyone in the neighborhood earlier that Reaper was coming for you and him! You need to hide before more come!” Sam started to tug back in resistance as the lady continued: “You are lucky to be alive just now! We will take care of the story with the police later!”

She’s… on my side?! OH- Shit! That’s right! Sam felt more panic set in. She couldn’t just walk away after murdering two men and never even saw their faces. Debating with the thought of her having the gall to run and hide, she then remembered the gun Devin gave her. She now was gripped with the notion the police and CSI would have a field day with whatever history that gun had once they found it laying on the concrete. “Hold on! I need to go get something else from over there- I dropped it and need to find it!”

Just keep it together, Sam! You’re alive. Just get that gun back… … and while I’m at it, I should see if either of them has that Revenant guy’s face.

“Hurry, then!” the woman fussed back, following her with her arms crossed.

Sam paid her no attention, hovering over the area she left moments ago, unable to quickly locate it. There was a sudden flash of light flooding the area, causing her to turn to see the lady had turned her flashlight on using her mobile. “…Thanks!” she awkwardly replied, quickly looking back down to find her dropped pistol. She quickly tucked it away in the bag she managed to keep on her. But as she started to step away, the scene somehow reminded her of the last time she laid eyes on a corpse. Right… I need to grab something else to take back just in case.

Her hands, much to the shock of the woman behind her still helping her with lighting, started pilfering through the shirt pockets of the corpse. Her hands ran across several entry wounds along the way, noting there was no use of any kind of plates or vests. She withdrew her hands and turned back towards the van, finding the gun he dropped not far away. She picked it up to see that it was in fact a Hexa-issue model. She checked the chamber… empty. She then looked up to see the bloodied face. It was hard to tell, but he looked nothing like Revenant from what she could remember.

“One more second!” Sam pleaded to the woman as she hurried back toward the other side of the van. On her way to the second corpse, the one she shot first earlier, she found the gun still clasped in his hand. This guy doesn’t look like him, either. Damn. She also looked back at the open doorway from earlier, seeing no other body. Wait, where did the old man go? Her thoughts were cut off by the rapidly intensifying sounds of the approaching LTAC booster activity. With no more time to waste on the thought, she pulled the magazine from the frame, all the while thinking: Why the fuck not. My fucking prints are all over the damned place. She slipped it into her bag before running to the fence where she was waiting earlier.

“Where are you going?! Are you crazy!?” The woman scolded from behind, still chasing with her light.

Sam pointed once more to the now landing trio of LTACs about twenty-five meters out beyond the fence. “I have to go! That’s my ride coming!”

“Then take this!” she fussed back, holding out a small, round, black device. “Speak with us again before trouble finds you again!”

Something seemed incredibly enigmatic with not just the device offered or the words spoken, but also with the way she looked back at her with sincerity that seemed to match Devin’s.

“Thanks,” Sam again awkwardly replied with her hand extended, once more adding something to her bag before turning to the hole in the fence. “I have to run, now!”

But as she distanced herself more and more from the street, separated from the crowd that was alarmingly accepting of her running away, the flooding of relief started to take away her ability to keep pace with her feet, unexpectedly stumbling to the tall grass-laden turf. The queasiness too had started rushing back. It was another to her list of near-death experience, but the first she felt with her own physical body. And the fact she was able to escape was too surreal.

“Sam!” she heard, trying to lift her head back up to see a short figure running towards her. One of the LTAC’s had its spotlight on, flooding the area, preventing her from identifying who it was.

“Sam! It’s us! You alright?!”

That’s Kerry!

“Sam!!” Kerry shouted as she slid to a stop right next to her, tightly embracing her.

.

.

Andre felt a rush of relief wash over him as he watched Kerry help Sam back toward his direction, feeding the camera visuals to HQ. “Command, this is Nguyen. We have confirmations of Knight’s safety and is on her way to the Axiom.”

“Roger. Piloting status?” the operator’s voice spoke back.

“Stand by for scans.” He then thumbed his channel back to the squad radio just before he caught a flash on the radar. “Damn it… Ugh. Kerry, get her checked before you let her load up. L-Trackers telling us we might have company inbound from the West.”

“Got it, but I gotta say I’m seeing a lot of bloodstained clothing here,” Kerry answered back as she kept a firm hold around Sam’s shoulders as they neared the Axiom. “Hey,” she now spoke to Sam as they came to a halt. “What’s…” She paused upon noticing the blood droplets scattered across her face, shocked to find even more of it. Her eyes then moved back downward to the red streaks down her right arm. “Sam, whose blood is this? Yours or theirs?”

“I don’t even know,” Sam wearily responded, looking to her arm as well. “I think I got grazed. The rest is… from whoever that guy was.” She then took a second to straighten her posture, feeling a bit more composed. Maybe just enough to get up that ladder. Yes, just the idea of sitting back in the safety of the cockpit would bring some sense of security back to her even if just temporarily. “I think I’m good. Let me load up and let’s get the hell out of here.”

.

.

.

●　● Akkadia One, Eden Space Territories

Vincent reached over to his nearest holographic display over his desk as he unmuted a channel lighting up green around its borders. “Go ahead, Singapore.”

“In response to your request, sir,” the same operator who spoke to Andre started. “We have confirmed the successful extraction and recovery of Samantha Knight. She is clear to pilot and is preparing for return as we speak.”

Vincent leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and letting out a slow sigh of relief. “Was her holding location confirmed?”

“She seemed to have been attacked. End of Mary Drive off of Gladiola.”

“Send in a cleanup team on the double. I will contact local police myself right now to get them filled in.” The screen shrank away once the operator ended the connection. He then looked to another screen that connected to Al’s office. He waved his hand over it, bringing it up front and off mute. “Knight, they got your daughter back.”

“I was following. Now I am worried about those L-Tracker readings,” Al was quick to reply. “Are we going to go ahead and push for Kaylen Rodger’s launch? This shit is all hitting the fan way to quickly to just sit back and watch. It’s giving me Dhaka vibes.”

“Agreed,” Vincent nodded as he looked over to another screen showing a map of all Infinity LTAC deployment posts. “We got several Ai groups stuck with repairs and the other ones on duty are in bad locations for transfer. I’ll get Rodgers Earthbound by tomorrow.”

“Make sure she’s good and ready,” Al replied with a huff. “We have no choice but to move along with your little scheme, but don’t forget what happens with that cursed OS design of yours and a poor pilot prep plan.” There was a brief, difficult silence between the two before Al broke it up. “But it’s better than Sam being pushed beyond her limits again. I suggest we get her back to base and let’s let Rodgers handle whatever they throw at them.”

“I was going to suggest the same. Very well.” Vincent then ended that call as well, now closing all of the screens. “Alright, Mrs. Rodgers, on to you.” He stood up and made his way for the door, straightening his tie.

.

.

Down in Al’s office, he too had stood up but saw something on the last screen he left open that caused him to pause. It was of a route tracking map between Eden’s Space Nations. Several items were highlighted, but one in particular was flashing yellow. He stepped in to take a closer look, noting the label read “Status: Complete”. It was hovering next to a location labeled: “F.L. – Sumeria.”

He reached for a button on his earpiece, clicking it once and spoke: “Labman.” After a moment in waiting, the call connected with an operator on the other line.

“Yes, sir,” a tired voice picked up.

Al cleared his throat before proceeding. “I needed to ask you a favor but only after confirming the final checks had been made.”

“For which ones?”

“The Arondight and Curtana. Vrey needs the Galatine ASAP, so go ahead and ship that one out to Drop Station H1.”

“Then, I assume this favor you ask of is to do with that little mystery shipment you sent to me a few days back.”

“Correct. Migrate the old interface systems on those modules to fit the newer OS on those two LTACs. I know it’s a bold request, but if anyone can downsize and fit those modules, it’s you.”

“So… as I was afraid,” he continued with a sigh. “Playing with fire as always, sir.”

“Of course,” Al responded to that sarcasm with a mirthless chuckle.

“Very well. I will have those all moved to my place at the old Mugen Shipyard on the next shuttle out. My men and I can work under better conditions there. I will call when it’s completed- and no, if anyone asks, I won’t tell them you raided a war museum for these parts.”

“Right. Thanks as always,” Al replied as he rubbed his eyes, genuinely appreciative but still felt the weight of another project to keep a close watch on.

“Of course.”

.

.

▽　▽　▽

.

.

.

●　● In Transit, Eden Space Territories

A pair of shuttles floated closely by each other, neither with any systems active. Sebastian sat in the darkness in a full space suit minus the topmost helmet attachment; It had remained attached to the holding area under his seat. This whole time he had wanted to peer out the window to see what all was going on, but under orders, he had to leave them all shut. He let out another nervous sigh, looking back at his watch.

“That’s the signal,” Danielle called out from across the cramped shuttle, appearing from the boarding hatch area.

Sebastian could barely make out her figure from that distance, unbuckling himself to approach her. “Signal for what? I still can’t fully understand what is going on.” He grabbed a hold of the bulkhead wall as he pushed his momentum to a halt. “You said we were going to jump over Manila.”

“This is where we split up,” she replied in a more solemn tone.

“We!?” he spat out in more pronounced confoundment. “Where are you going?!”

“Remember what I told you?”

“Yes. That WE were dropping over Manila early this morning.”

Danielle took in a long breath, placing a hand over his. “You did the best you could and you grew up so fast as a combat pilot. But that’s why I did that. Where I am going- even I don’t know, but you go get your girl and find those Cloaks before they find her.”

“You’re going with that lady? Why? At least tell me that much.”

“That lady,” she said with a troubled pause. “That’s Sam’s mother,” she finally made herself to speak as she patted his hand before pushing off toward the hatch.

[What?! Her mother?!] “Wait! Ms. Norris!”

“I’ll see you on the other side at some point, Sebastian. Take care of her and yourself, you hear?” she said with a weak smile, closing the decompression chamber door, separating the two of them. She knew it might be the last time seeing him, urging her to keep the departure as brief as she possibly could. And not being able to see that last look from Sebastian kept her heart from hurting any more than it did.

Danielle had used a connecting tunnel to the other shuttle, and once she re-pressurized the boarding chamber, she made her way towards the lone passenger in back. “He’s ready. Are we?”

“Detach. Launch sequence A,” Amelie coldly spoke into her communicator as the engines of Sebastian’s shuttle started up.

Moments later, the shuttle began to accelerate, and once it moved out of the shadow of Jazira Station in the distance it was revealed to be approaching an incoming drop pod.

Sebastian noted that each of the windows had finally opened, urging him to rush to the nearest one. He saw the incoming drop pod but he couldn’t find the shuttle that Danielle transferred to.

“You will drop over Philippine Airspace in six hours, Navarre. Get seated and ready to transfer over to the drop station in thirty,” he heard the shuttle pilot’s voice over the shuttle’s speakers.