Their boots kicked up pale dust as they went through the mountains. AJ took lead, holding his unsheathed sword tightly. He’d glance back at Carter ever few moments or so. If their eyes met Carter would smile back at him. He didn’t trust Carter, felt he was trying to lure them away from the real problem. But what what could he do. This was his mission given to him by his commander.

Harlot stared down at the radioactive meter while they walked. She looked through her red visor as the arrow jittered in the left corner. The closer they got the more the arrow shook.

“Guys we’re getting closer to the radioactive zone.” she said.

Carter ran his hand against the jagged mountain side as they walked through the cramped pathway. The only way through the mountains that didn’t take them all around. The mountains around them rose high into the air and curved inward, casting the shadow down on them. Above them the clouds were grey that hid the even greyer skies above.

“You guys here that?” Carter asked.

“Here what?” AJ and Harlot replied.

“Exactly, I don’t hear any explosions,” Carter said.

“The reports said the explosions only happen in burst,” Harlot told them. “Maybe this is the time when the explosions are not happening.”

“If that’s the case then we should keep moving,” AJ said.

It took them an hour to pass through the mountains. At the end it opened up at the end to a cliff where they stood at the edge. They gazed out at the distance horizon. The desert was filled with craters, big to small, each had smoke still billowing from inside them. Ruins of what appeared to be a city lied flattened in the distance. Nothing stood taller than a story.

“What do you think happened here?” Carter asked.

Harlot took a black binoculars and used them to get a better view. There were remnants of the war scattered throughout the land. Aircrafts; bombers and fighter jets and sky fortresses were all destroyed. Their parts mangled and twisted and sprinkled across the desert. The ones that were still intact were riddled with bullet holes and left motionless to their decay

“Commander was right, there must still be an airfield still operational,” she said.

“We should get closer so we can get a better idea of what’s going on,” AJ suggested.

“Wait!” Carter said, grabbing AJ by the shoulder. He pointed his finger into the distant horizon where a what were seven squadrons. Each squadron contained seven aircrafts. They casted their ominous shadow across the dead world below. Their engines buzzed like a swarm of bees and their metal frames clattered because they were not bolted down properly. Some aircrafts billowed out smoke from their torso.

They flew for a moment and then the show started. The hatches under the body swung open and bombs, metal spheres with spikes fell from them. They fell fast and hit hard. Fiery explosions lit the area in a bright orange and yellow light. The booms rocked the cliff they stood on and the shockwaves threatened to knock them over.

One after another, big and small, the bombs fell. What they were targeting, AJ wasn’t sure of. Neither Harlot or Carter were sure either. The land had be destroyed beyond redemption and this was just overkill.

The bombing run lasted for only forty minutes. They watched for forty minutes. Then the aircrafts turned around and headed back to where they came from.

Harlot looked with her binoculars and saw a black figure, faded and fuzzy from the distance, sitting on the horizon. She guessed it would have to be the airfield the aircrafts all came from. They’ve confirmed the source of the explosions but now...now they wanted to go investigate the aircrafts’ origins. They had to know who was flying these aircrafts and what they were going to use them for.

“How about that for a show huh?” Carter remarked, clenched onto his rifle.

AJ nodded his head. “That was insane.”

“I agree,” said Harlot.

Carter clenched his chest and leaned back against the mountainside. “You know something, that reminded me of that war battle. The time when the canadians attacked.”

“What are you talking about?” Harlot asked, looking back at the worn out old man.

Carter just smiled. “The canadians had managed to get their hands on some explosive weapons. grenade launchers, RPGs, and flamethrowers. Little bastards attacked us during the night and almost wiped us out. I remember seeing explosions just like that one when I was evacuating the people. All be it they were smaller.”

“Will you be alright?” she asked.

He took a deep breath and slowly let it all out. “I’d like to thank you two for coming up here with us.”

AJ reached for his sword. “Aw hell...” He felt liquid build up through his throat and then iron taste of blood as it spurted from his mouth. He looked down and saw a blood stained blade, his blood, thrusted through his body. It tore his flesh as it was pulled out of him.

His legs went limped and he fell forward, hitting the cold hard ground. He glared up and saw Victor, the third man from before, stepping over his body. He carried a sword, AJ’s sword, in his hand. Victor was a spectre, someone quicker than most. Without AJ noticing, he grab his sword and used it to stab him.

“You bastard!” Harlot shouted, raising her rifle. Before she was able to point it fully at Carter, he had already raised his pistol. A silver studded revolver with a red scratched barrel. She stared deep into the blackness until a flash blinded her. The gun went off with a bang. The bullet hit her right through the visor and her head jerked back and she fell on backwards on her side.

AJ’s vision began to go dark and blur out of focus. He looked at Harlot's motionless body. Blood spilled from the hole in her visor like a stream of water he’d never seen before.

He saw Carter’s boot come down between him and Harlot. He kneeled down beside him and smiled.

“Sorry about this man but we couldn’t let you live,” he said, waving the gun along with his words. “The Gaia have a special plan for us. A way to end all of this. But if you go back the commander and tell her about this— well everything will be ruined. I hate to have killed your girlfriend and you…” He stared up at Victor who stood behind AJ then looked back down at him. “...Well Victor killed you, but details don’t matter. Just do me a favor and stay dead. You’ll get the best view of how the Gaia and I bring this world back to life.”

AJ’s eyes grew heavy until he found them closed. He was cold but didn’t shiver which was a bad sign. His hand stop twitching at least. Visions of his past started coming back to him. Visions he tried so hard to forget.

Visions of him in a white test room. The area was brightly lit and scientist stood behind bullet proof glass far from where he stood. He was but a child, only twelve years old at the time. Short hair and baby like cheeks. He glanced down at his hands and wiggled his fingers.

He wore a white shirt and pants made of thin cloth. His bare feet pressed down against the smooth glass floor. Below the glass was an long dark shaft that seemed to go on forever. He wasn’t afraid of heights, he was afraid of falling.

“You may now begin the test,” a female voice said.

The lights grew brighter and AJ shielded his eyes with his hand. Across the room three doors slid up and an android from each one stepped out. They were white droids with thin metal arms and a single cyan colored eye in the middle of their head.

“AJ, your job as a spectre is to destroy those droids using all your skills you’ve acquired. They’ll try and kill you so you must kill them first.”

AJ nodded his head.

“Now that you understand, pick up the sword behind you. The droids won’t wait for you this time.”

The androids ran at AJ with top speed. Their steps agile as they barely touched the ground with their heels in the air. They clenched their fist, ready to kill him with a single strike of their fist.

He swung out his arm, snapping his fingers. The path in which his arm went ignited the air around it. The flames roared and soared towards the androids in a wave of fire. The intense burning flames melted the first android as the other two dodged out of the way of the blast.

The second one continued its charged while the third one hung back. It cocked its arm back and the sent a bone crushing jab forward. He dove to the left at the last second, feeling the small shockwave when its fists grazed the side of his ear.

He leapt backwards, putting a huge space between the two. Swinging both arms outward, he snapped his fingers. Like before, the air ignited in the direction he aimed. This flame wasn’t a wave, it was sharp like a spear and quick. It pierced through the the second android's chest, knocking it back and leaving a perfect sized whole. The metal around the hole melted as its torso collapsed in on itself.

AJ turned his attention towards the last android. It hung back to scanned to scan his moves. It readied itself, raising its dukes and hunching over. It’s legs bent and eye turned from cyan to a brilliant red.

This is going to be easy, AJ thought.

The android bursted towards AJ with lighting speed, the glass floor below it cracked and shattered. It took huge steps as it closed the gap between it and him in four steps. Like a heavyweight boxer, it launched a series of destructive jabs.

He increased his speed, a skill only spectres could do, and weaved in and around all its attack. With it so close, he wasn’t able to use his fire combustion without burning himself. With each dodge the android got faster and faster. Its punches shattering through the air and inching closer to his face.

This android was unlike the others, it figured out how his ability worked. All it needed to do was stay close to him, keep inside his personal space and he wouldn’t be able to use his attack.

Moving backwards, AJ tripped over his own feet and fell back onto the floor. At the final glance, the android stood over him. It cocked its fist and sent a jab soaring down at him. He held his arms over his face and....nothing. He peeked over his arms and saw it was moving slower than normal. He scooted his butt back and then stood up, feet away from the robot that almost killed him.

Around him stood others like him. There bodies vibrated out of proportion and they looked like grey blurs moving around. They darted around, moving faster than he could keep his eye on them.

“Hey kid, good job.,” a voice in his head said.

AJ turned around and saw a man towering over him. He placed his rugged hand on AJ’s shoulder and stooped down so that they both were at eye level. He looked at AJ with his hazel colored eyes and smiled.

“Don’t say anything, just nod if you understand me,” he said. “Trust me, if you heard your voice you’d probably sound retarded.”

AJ nodded his head.

“Those figures you can kind of see that are moving around all over the place. Those are spectres using flash step. Allows us to move very fast.”

AJ nodded his head long to his words.

The man looked over at the android, it’s fist was still in motion. “You entered a lower form of flash step. Not as quick as ours so that’s why I had to slow down so you can see me clearly and so I can talk to you.”

AJ tried to speak but his words came out slow and slurred like the man said.

The man smiled. “See, I told you. Just listen for a bit. The world outside is a cruel place. Not as humble and safe as it is in here. Now that you are able to flash step you’re now considered a rookie spectre. Do you know what this means?”

AJ shook his head.

“It means you’ll live a life of hardship, self doubt and pain. You must also choose something to fight for. In this world those who live and fight for nothing become corpses.”

He patted AJ on the shoulder and stood up. “Flash step will eventually wear off so I suggest you hang tight. In the mean time I suggest you use it to your fullest. I won’t stop you if you decided to look up a few skirts.”

AJ watched as the man turned away, but not before got a look at the silver name tag on his shirt, Adam. The man’s walked away and his movement slowed. Hardship, self doubt and pain; this was not the attributes he chose for his life but are now the attributes he must work with.

He glanced down as his open hand that turned into a fist. He was too young to understand. He looked at his fist and just went with it. A choice he’d, like many others before him, will come to regret.

A sudden shake woke AJ open. He opened his eyes and lifted up. Withy heavy breathing, he felt around his chest and stomach. The wound had vanished. He thought he was dead but it seemed his healing ability kicked in. A chilled breezed rolled through and brushed against his face. The sun had gone down and the moon and stars took their shine. The bleak light made it hard for him to see. He looked down and saw a trail of blood leading away and Harlot’s body gone.

“AJ are you alright?” Sev asked.

AJ turned around and saw his friend Sev standing in the entrance to mountains behind him. He wore a black longsleeve turtleneck and dark jeans with two leather belts that crossed over his crotch. Smoke billowed from his lit cigarette that glowed a dim orange color.

After his girlfriend’s death, Sev went out into the desert to help aid AJ and Harlot on their mission. When he spoke with some of the locals in town they pointed up to the mountains. When he got into the mountains that's where he found Harlot’s corpse and AJ lying near the edge of the cliffs.

“Yo man are you ok?” Sev asked once more.

AJ nodded his head and struggled to get up. A sharp pain surged through his chest and his legs collapsed. Sev quickly caught AJ and wrapped his arm over his shoulder. He used his body to support AJ.

AJ’s feet dragged through the dirt as Sev carried his heavy body through the mountains while muttering how fat he was.

“What happened to you?” he asked.

“W-Where is Harlot?” was the first thing AJ asked.

“She’s dead so I took her back to town then came back here,” Sev said. “Now tell me what happened.”

“She’s dead,” AJ muttered under his breath.

“What?”

He pushed away from Sev and staggered back into the jagged wall. He slid down the wall and sat with his head held down, sulking away. AJ tried to fight back the tears but they rolled down his eyes. He thought of how weak he was. Harlot died because he was too foolish to see Carter was leading them into a trap. He should have cut the man down when he had the chance. Now she was dead and there was nothing he can do.

His sobbing soon turned into laughter. A grin stretched across his face and he looked up at Sev.

“Even with all the shit I’ve done...the shit I’ve seen, I can still shed tears.”

“Hey man it’s going to be alright,” Sev said. He didn’t believe that.

“No it’s not,” AJ said. “Even with all my training, all my experience I still can’t protect people. They always die and I can do nothing but cry about it.”

“You’re still just a rookie, this is only your like what...fourth mission?”

AJ slowly shook his head as he dazed out. “No, ever heard of the spectre combustion phenomena?”

The spectre combustion phenomena was an event that lasted five years. It struck fear into spectres and sent worries through the remaining nations who relied on spectres to fight. It was a phenomena where a spectre’s body turned into charcoal as if they’ve been burning for hours. Even spectres in flash step were not safe, they only burned slower.

“Yeah, I do but what does that have to do with anything?” Sev asked.

“That was me,” AJ said. “I’ve been on a five year mission, combusting spectres who were deemed too powerful by the United States, enemies or allies.”

“What do you mean?”

“They gave me some kind of experimental drug when I was younger. It enhanced my abilities and caused my body to produce adrenaline for long periods of time. I was faster than any spectre and even faster than those who were using flash step.”

AJ wiped the tears from his eyes and tapped the back of his head against the wall. The experimental drug caused his body to produce adrenaline which induced flash step. It then enhanced his flash step ability even further and allowed him to move even faster towards the speed unimaginable. He was even faster than those in flash step. Given only one mission he was told to eliminate spectres deemed too powerful by the United States. He used his combustion to light them on fire, killing them instantly.

AJ sobbed. “It was horrible man, those five years felt like five hundred….shit I don’t know anymore.”

Sev patted AJ on the shoulder. “Sounds rough but you can be breaking down on me right now. I know how you feel, I lost Shilah two days ago. The difference is that I couldn’t shed a damn tear because...because I lost too much.”

“That just means you're stronger.”

Sev shook his head. “No, it just means I’m use to it by now. I pretend to care about people dying but my body knows the truth. It won’t let me shed crocodile tears. But you still care genouilly about people.”

Sev grabbed AJ’s arm and picked him up off the ground. “Now tell me who did this to you so we can get him back for it.”

AJ took a deep breath and recollected his composure. “It was commander Carter. He killed Harlot and some guy name Victor stabbed me with my own sword.”

Sev’s eyes grew wide. “Shit, are you serious? I just saw that bastard earlier today. Come on we need to go kill him.”

“Wait!” AJ shouted, right at Sev started to run off.

Sev stopped and looked back. “What?”

“Victor is not an ordinary spectre. He managed to steal my sword and stab me without me sensing him.”

“Dude if you’re the one who’s killed all those spectres then he shouldn’t be a problem. Just combustion him and then kill Carter.”

“I was only that quick because of the drugs. They’ve worn out months ago and I’ve never been in contact with the overlords since then.”

“Then what do we do?”

“We need to get back to base and inform East about this. We need to tell her about operation pale rider and the Gaia.”

“The Gaia and operation pale rider?”

“Yeah, I’ll explain it on our way back to base.”

Sev spit his cigarette on the ground and smashed it with his the tip of his boot. “No, we can’t. I took Harlots body back to town. Carter said he’d call a military transport to bring her body back home, but I’m sure he just threw her in a ditch somewhere.”

“What about Victor?” AJ asked. “He’d kill us if he found out I was still alive.”

“Spectres can’t sense other spectres if they’re not flash stepping,” Sev said. “We’ll just have to sneak in the old fashion way and avoid them.”