I opened my eyes. I floated in a sea of nothingness. I looked around at the wreckage of the Eternal Legend.

“No.” I mouthed. No air to utter a sound. I looked around some more. I floated in the remains of the cockpit. I glanced at a floating body. It was a crew member. His face reflecting the fear he felt once the ship felt its first tremor.

“No.” I moved my body around. More body inhabited the chamber. I grabbed the remains of a console and pushed myself towards one of them.

It was Margarite. Her expression showed the rage she felt when the Alliance destroyed her ship. Multiple fragments of metal were embedded in her body.

“NO!” I mouthed. I looked down at myself. I cried out in pain. A metal fragment stuck itself through my middle.

“Its okay, Emma. Its okay.” I heard Steel speak. “Don’t worry. You’ll live through this.”

I looked at the frozen blood coating my hands. I felt waves of pain coming from every part of my body.

I glanced at another body. His face was turned away from me. I slowly turned the carcass over.

His mutilated face stared at me. I could only tell the identity of the body.

“WILL! NO! NO! NO!” My tears froze on my face as I wept.

I couldn’t do it anymore. I glanced back down the passageway. A motionless body in an EVA suit drifted towards me. Its entire left side of its body was gone. Frozen chunks of blood floated around him.

“HARRY! NO!” I screamed. I was overcome with grief. This could not happen.

“NO! NO!” I cried out into the darkness.

“Emma. You’re using up energy. You have ten minutes to live in the vacuum, and then you’ll die!”

With much difficulty, I controlled myself. I looked away from the bodies of my companions, and then looked out the broken cockpit. A ship floated in front of it. Not the battleship, but a different ship.

I looked around it for something to attach a name to. Then I found the name, painted on one side.

“Mercury.” I whispered.

“Quick. Get aboard and capture it. Then we can return to the Shackleton.”

I nodded dumbly. Suddenly a spot light glared at me. I blinked. Suddenly the cockpit was full of bullets. I pulled myself behind a console. Bullets flew everywhere.

The console slowly wore away from the barrage.

“Slow down time, Beta.” I ordered. Time slowed down. I reached up and grabbed a bullet flying towards me. I threw it back towards the Mercury. I reached for another bullet, and sent it flying back as well. A bullet lodged itself into my arm. I winced but continued.

Suddenly a railgun round flew into the cockpit. I leapt into the air and grabbed it. I kicked off it, and then rocketed towards the Mercury.

A horde of bullets flew towards me. Time slowed down even further so that I could redirect them, one by one. It took an hour for me, while only twenty real-time seconds I landed on the outside of the Mercury.

It was now covered in dents from the re-directed bullets. I grabbed onto the side, my arms and legs hurting. I drew my fist back, and then smashed the metal before me. A cavernous hole opened before my eyes. I dove into the Mercury.

Inside a group of chromes fired their clips at me. I slid underneath the barrage and took a couple of the bullets. I flicked these back at the Chromes. They floated away dead.

I looked around the interior. I stood in an armory. A rack of guns stood half-extended. This reminded me of the guns I still had on me.

I checked myself. The plasma throwers disappeared. I only had one pistol, and the assault rifle.

I unfolded the assault rifle, and then slung it over my back. I saw movement in the corner of my eye. I raised my pistol and fired at it.

An ear-break screech issued from it. The Arachnid emerged from the shadows and screamed.

“Die, you beast.” I ordered. It ran towards me. Armor glistened on its body. I threw myself sideways, firing the pistol further. The round bounced off its body as it scampered past. I assumed it had magnetic attraction to the floor.

Suddenly the main engine of the Mercury activated. I was firmly attached to the floor. I unslung my assault rifle and fired at the Arachnid, poised to jump. It screeched once more, and then leapt at me.

Time slowed down. I leapt up to meet it. I flew past its jaws, and then twisted my body around. Empty cartridges fell in a stream on the floor, clinking together in a metallic symphony.

Blood spurted from multiple wounds on the beast. It landed hard, its legs flaring out from underneath it. I replaced the clip, and then continued to fire. Finally, the Arachnid perished.

I turned forward.

“Where is the bridge, Steel?” I asked.

“Follow the path.” A virtual path appeared ahead of me. I ran down it. After a hundred feet a group of chromes stood in my path. I leapt up onto the ceiling, with my pistol in one hand, and my assault rifle in the other.

A rain of bullets fell upon the Chromes. When I landed on the floor once more, they all were dead. I raced down the pathway, reloading my weapons.

I ran through multiple chambers, not pausing to observe them. I had one mission. Find the bridge.

Finally, I entered one chamber. At the far end, a door stood with the words, “Bridge.” Written on it in large, orange letters.

I paused for breath. My body was worn out. Blood trickled down my arm. I watched as a drop of blood fell onto the floor and splashed. Then another.

“Emma. You look wounded. You have been through a lot, I know.”

I looked behind me. A woman stood behind me. I looked at her in horror. Both of her arms ended with some sort of blades.

“Yes. I am a monster. But this isn’t my natural form.” She replied to my look.

Suddenly her form shifted into a normal woman’s.

“Nanobots. That’s what I am made of. Now, want to get into the bridge?”

“Yes, indeed. Delta.”

“Well, you’ll have to go through me.” Her arms returned to their original form.

“Then let’s fight.” I lifted my gun and fired.

My bullets flew through her body. She smiled, “Looks like I will be harder to kill than you think.”

She ran towards me.

I dropped my guns on the floor, and then held up my fists. I punched where her head. I looked in astonishment as her face opened to allow my fist to pass through.

Then one of her blades stabbed me. I cried out it pain, leaping back. I clutched at my stomach. More blood dropped on the floor. I picked up my pistol and fired randomly at Delta. She laughed as her body absorbed the bullets.

“Good-bye, Beta. Looks like you are about to be killed by your subordinate.”