Feet crashed onto the city streets, metal knees groaning in protest, while steam hissed out of joints as the legs cooled their boosters.

"Attention, people of Spirit City. Please remain indoors until the danger has passed. We are committed to avoiding any civilian casualties," echoed the calm voice from the mech's speakers.

A missile whizzed past the mech's unflinching head, striking a skyscraper behind it. "Well, shit," Lady Fae muttered to herself as Alessia clenched her teeth, unleashing a burst of person-sized rounds at the small mechanized unit in the city streets. Soldiers scattered to evade the gunfire, and the black and red tank attempted to dodge within the tight confines, but it was hit, tearing off a third of its structure and sending it spiraling into a wall where it burst into flames.

Lady Fae's supporting forces swarmed forward, a multitude of tiny white and green ants clashing with the black and red invaders. The lower streets illuminated with their exchanged gunfire, while neon signs reflected off Fae's green mech as she carefully maneuvered past the smoldering wreckage. She could have handled the entire patrol herself, but doing so would waste time and cause unnecessary collateral damage in the occupied city.

With her guns raised, Lady Fae advanced, seeking the next patrol. It didn’t take long to find them. They had two EM-12 ‘mechs-on-a-budget’ accompanying them, a miniature seven meters tall and operated by a single individual. This budget version of a mech posed little more threat to her than the surrounding ATVs. They primarily served as super-heavy rapid response infantry, but still presented a challenge that she couldn't leave solely to the infantry. These mechs were more than capable of holding their ground in a confined space, effortlessly decimating waves of ordinary infantry with their arm-mounted gatling guns.

She switched one over her weapons to shredder mode and unleashed devastation upon the street before her. Men screamed as death screamed from her weapons. One of the EM-12 mechs attempted to seek cover, but Fae swiftly redirected her firepower, tearing off its legs and a significant portion of the road beneath them.

Ignoring the screams, Fae systematically eliminated those who had survived the initial barrage, repeating her message over the speakers: "Attention, people of Spirit City. Please remain indoors until the danger has passed. We are committed to avoiding any civilian casualties."

The simulation was good, but it lacked certain ‘real’ elements. The streets were too pristine, devoid of trash, opportunistic gangs ransacking shops or VIPs desperately trying to escape. There were no terrified civilians caught in the crossfire, their screams echoing as bullets tore through buildings.

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A crackle came over the comms, and a voice spoke, "Hey, rookie. I see you're doing good work. There's one mech left, heading for the center. I think it's joining the remaining patrols. You take the left, I'll take the right." Seven's voice conveyed an excitement Alessia had rarely heard before, as if he were watching his favorite soaps on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

"Understood, Commander. Moving west now, over," she responded formally, though she could almost hear the eye-roll in his sigh that came over the comms.

Advancing through the post-collapse city, Fae appreciated the efficiency of the similar blueprints they shared. It didn't take long to find her way west and circle around toward the city center, an unusual location for a final confrontation typically reserved for government buildings and peacekeeping forces.

As Fae approached, she witnessed the red and black forces engaging a large triangular building fortified with defensive turrets and their own tanks adorned in white and green. On the other side of the square, Overkill kept pace with her, carefully aiming its weapons to avoid hitting friendly units. Fae joined the fight, briefly wondering where the last mech had disappeared to.

Before she could dwell on the thought, she was violently shoved from behind, her head colliding with the side of a building. Glass shattered and metal warped against her mech's impact. Alessia's vision was obscured by the broken structure as she tumbled, desperately attempting to catch herself but only causing more destruction. Rolling to the side, she activated her smaller side boosters to propel herself upward and away from her assailant.

As she did, her mech was jerked to the side, and she finally caught sight of her opponent. The slender gunmetal mech pulled her closer with one hand, struggling to extract a massive blade from the building above her. Alessia cursed inwardly. Kali. Why hadn't Seven mentioned it was Kali who had slipped away? Mech pilots were usually eccentric, but then there was Kali—an epitome of pure madness. The kind of person who sang to herself while cutting down enemies and laughed in your face if you dared show fear. The kind of crazy that brought swords to a gunfight.

Alessia's trained instincts kicked in. As an urban warfare specialist, Kali didn't take on many jobs due to her narrow skillset, but when she did, she wreaked havoc on a massive scale. Sending her to protect a city was out of the question. Kali was the perfect counter to Alessia in strategy, approach. . . and experience. Damn. She was fucked, wasn't she?

Her desperate struggle intensified as she kicked back at Kali's mech, trying to force her adversary away from the blade. Where the hell was Seven? Alessia reached for a weapon as she regained her footing, only to have it swatted away by Kali's free hand. Lady Fae countered with a punch, but overextended, her arm getting caught.

The two mechs grappled, Kali's nimble mech was no less powerful than Fae's, having been tailored to her unique combat style with ample time and resources. Alessia strained to prevent Kali's forearm blades from crushing her head. Amid the struggle, she caught a glimpse of a streak of white.

The comms crackled, and a voice spoke, "Sorry." It was the last thing she heard before the pod went black, and the simulation came to an abrupt end.