Will clicked his tongue in frustration as he watched Damian chugging down a whole glass of beer.

"You going in there?" asked Becca tentatively.

"Hell no!" Will exclaimed. "He will be on my ass the moment I go in there."

"Yeah, he would," muttered Remy. "So, what do we do now?"

"I guess we wait," sighed Will. "We'll come back in an hour and see if he is still here."

They stepped away from the pub window and made their way down the street.

"Are there any other places of interest here?" asked Becca.

"I can't think of any," Victor shrugged. "Let's just have a walk around and maybe we'll spot something."

Will stuck his gloved hands in his jacket as they wandered aimlessly in the streets. The snow was falling heavily, and there were only a few people out and about. The pub was far behind them, and they walked by a low, squat building, oddly reminiscent of the fort.

"What's this place?" asked Will.

Becca craned her neck and took a good look at the fortified walls. "Maybe we could ask around here?"

Victor gave a nervous laugh. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

They walked past the guarded gates, manned by armed gunmen. Further up the driveway were several burly men engaged in some serious conversation. None of them had a coat or jacket on and sported the same classic buzz cut.

"Look at the way they walk," muttered Remy. "Those guys are clearly from the military."

"Former military," said Victor. "This is a private military firm."

"Mercenaries?" Remy exclaimed.

"Yup," said Victor, walking down the main road. "This area is littered with them. The largest one here is the SRG. They are one block ahead."

"What do they do?" asked Becca.

"The usual," Victor shrugged. "Security services, mutant extermination, and gate exploration. You quote the price, and they will do it. The SRG could probably fight a full-scale war."

"Speak of the devil," Remy muttered. A Humvee was coming down the road, and on its hood were the letters S.R.G. They had to step out of the way of the spray of snow the heavy vehicle kicked up.

The Humvee was followed by several heavier transport trucks. HETs followed those, carrying tanks.

"Son of a—" Remy cursed as they were pelted with snow.

"Come on," said Victor, and they stepped away from the main road toward a side alley.

Remy spat out a wad of snow. "Damn."

"That is quite a deployment," said Will. "Where do you think they are headed?"

"Could be any number of places," Victor shrugged.

The sheer amount of equipment and personnel being transported was staggering. The four of them watched the procession of troops for a few more minutes before deciding to leave.

Remy checked his slate. "What do you think? Has Damian left yet?"

"Let's give it a few more minutes before going back," said Will as he looked around. "Are there no other places of interest here?"

"We could try visiting that one," said Becca, pointing to a large fabrication store.

"Milton's," Will read off the signboard. "I suppose you want to get materials for the project."

Becca nodded and walked to the store. Remy shrugged and followed. Will took a close look at the shop. The place was locked up so tight that it looked abandoned. The only sign of life was a dim light coming from the window, but he was sure that wasn't from a light bulb.

Becca opened the door and stepped inside the store, and Will and the rest followed after her. The store was mired in darkness, and the mystery of the lightbulb was solved when they spotted the flickering monitor high up on the wall.

Sounds of cheers and boos came from the screen, which showed two mechs fighting melee in an octagon. Watching the match was an ashen-haired blonde who sat behind the counter with his feet propped up on the glass top.

Becca walked up to the attendant. "Hey, I would like some printed parts for a mech."

She waited for a reply, but the blonde kept his eyes glued to the screen, transfixed by the arena battle. "Come on! Quit pussyfooting and pin him!"

"Hello?" Becca called out again, and the attendant stirred.

"What?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on the match.

"I want some parts 3D printed."

"How many parts for how many units?"

"Three."

"Three?" He finally tore his eyes away from the match and took in the four of them. "I think you kids are in the wrong shop."

"What do you mean? Don't you sell printed parts here?"

"We do, but we don't need your business," he said, pointing towards the exit. "The door is right there."

The blonde went back to watching the match, and Becca stood dumbfounded at the response.

Will stepped forward and put his hand on the counter. "Our credit is just as good as anyone else's."

The blonde sighed and was just about to retort when a small chrome robot dog leapt onto the counter. It was a cute little thing and it fixed its front cameras on Remy. It gave a fierce yip at him with its tail standing on end.

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"What's wrong with your pet?" Remy asked, peering at the little drone with interest. The closer he got, the more fiercely the little dog yipped.

"Fido, you stupid mutt!" the blonde roughly took the dog off the counter and stuffed it in a box below the counter.

Becca gasped. "What are you doing?"

The guy rubbed his forehead. "Would you relax and keep it down?"

"What's wrong with you? What if you had hurt it?"

A thump came from further inside the shop, and the blonde sighed. A red-faced middle-aged bald man stuck his head out of the door behind the counter. "Marvin, what's all the ruckus here?" He turned towards Becca standing at the counter, fuming. "Who are these kids?"

"We came here to buy some printed parts, and he won't sell them to us," she pointed towards the blonde.

The blonde snorted and tilted his head towards the red-faced man. "She wants mech parts for three units."

The older shop owner grunted. "I think you should look into one of the smaller shops, little missy. We don't take orders less than twenty thousand credits," his red face got even redder. "You kids keep it quiet, or I will have you escorted out."

He turned towards Marvin and gave some instructions before slamming the door shut.

Marvin turned back towards the screen and started watching the match again. Eyes still glued to the monitor, he waved contemptuously towards the four of them. "Why are you still standing here? Bye!"

"You—" began Becca, but Will took her firmly by the shoulders and marched her out the door. Remy and Victor followed them.

"Why did you stop me?" asked Becca, looking annoyed.

"Because there is no point," said Will. "If they don't want to sell to us, it is their loss. Let's get back to the bar."

Sulking, Becca fell in beside Will as they circled their way back to the pub. The wind picked up, and they huddled in close. Snow fell in torrents, and they could barely see ten feet in front of them.

Remy cursed under his breath, but this time he didn't complain. A few minutes later, they were standing in front of the bar. Loud, boisterous cheers erupted from the pub as the patrons chanted in tune to a jaunty song.

"I left my home to join the army! Mama, Mama, don't you cry! Your lil' boy ain't gonna die!"

Even through the chorus, Will recognized his cousin leading the chant, and sure enough, he saw Damian raising a tankard in the air when he reached the window.

"Damn," Remy cursed. "I don't think they would be stopping anytime soon."

Becca checked her watch. "Our time is almost up."

Will grimaced as he stepped away from the window. "We'll be back tomorrow. It's not like he will be here twenty-four seven."

▼.▼.▼

"Dammit!"

It was the fourth day after their initial outing, and Damian was always present at the bar.

"Does that asshole live there?" Remy cursed. "We can't seem to get rid of him."

Will glanced back at the pub. Damian seemed to spend all his free time there. Sometimes they spotted their other instructors sharing a pint, and other times Damian met with people who had their faces covered. Will didn't know what shady deals his cousin had with them, but he was pretty sure that none of them were legitimate.

"I'm thinking of throwing a brick at the window. At least that will get them out of there," Remy suggested.

"What would even be the point of that?" Will sighed.

"It will make me—" began Remy.

"—feel better," Becca cut him off with a laugh. "You're as predictable as yesterday's news."

"No, I'm not," Remy shook his head with a suppressed smile. "So, what do we do now?"

"Whatever we do, we have to—" began Will, but he couldn't help himself from yawning. "I'm too tired to even think straight."

The yawn proved infectious, and Remy put a hand over his mouth. "I could use some shut-eye as well."

Their training sessions had been getting more intense as time passed, and they had barely any personal time. Even their visits out of the fort were getting cut short, and they had enough time to make it to the pub, find Damian there, and then report back to base. This cycle had been going on for four days, and they were getting pretty sick of it.

"What class is next?"

"Weapons and tactics," said Becca. "And it starts in twenty minutes. Come on."

They rushed back to class and spent their evening shooting big guns at long-range targets. Becca proved to be an excellent shot and received high praise from their instructors.

Weapons and tactics also involved the usage of drones, and this was where Remy shined. He was getting really good at controlling multiple drones and had the nimble little machines dancing to his tune. Will, on the other hand, specialized in close combat. He wasn't the best in class, but with the crystal's boost, he was steadily rising through the ranks.

It was around seven in the evening when they were done with all the lessons, but that wasn't the end of their day. They still had their project to finish, and they worked tirelessly through the night on their modified mechs.

Will's eyes drooped as he adjusted his spanner. He was done working on the internals and was just closing up the mech when he felt a sudden wave of exhaustion. Remy and Becca were already asleep on the warehouse floor, and Will decided to rest his eyes for a bit. Before he knew it, he was drifting off to sleep.

Incomprehensible sounds and images danced behind his eyes as he sank deeper into sleep. Through the dense fog of half-formed thoughts and repressed memories, he smelled freshly cut grass and heard the sound of laughing children.

Spring had come to Belgrave, and they were in a park.

"The evil princess Anya's going to getcha, Will! Run, run!"

Will squealed as he was chased by his older sister. He was in a cardboard mech suit and ran as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. He didn't get very far before Anya caught up to him and lifted him by the armpits.

"Put me down! Put me down!" Will kicked his legs in the air.

Anya put Will down and made him face her. "Don't you get tired? You have so much energy, kiddo," she said, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"You always catch me!" Will sulked. "One day I will make a metal mech and then run so fast that you won't be able to catch me."

"Oh? You think you can run away from your big sis?" Anya smiled mischievously. "Your next mech better not have this many holes in it."

Anya started tickling Will through the gaps of his cardboard armor. Will laughed and squealed in protest, but Anya continued to tickle him.

The memory faded, and Will woke up with a start, the laughter still echoing in his ears. He found himself slumped over beside their modified mech, resting his back against the warehouse wall. Becca was fast asleep and had her head rested against his shoulder. Remy was passed out a little further away with his slate at his side. Will felt his eyes droop, and within seconds, he fell back asleep.

Morning came in a rush, and the trio snapped awake as their alarm went off. Will quickly cleared off their tools while Remy and Becca packed up the electronics. After that was a mad dash towards their first classes.

Fifteen minutes later, they were running along with the rest of the class around the quad. They didn't have their mechs this time and were in their school uniforms. Will shook himself awake, last night's dream still playing in his head.

"You alright, Will?" Becca asked, concerned.

"Yeah, the shard has been itching again," said Will. "Now it's talking to me in my dreams."

Remy urgently tapped his ears, and they quickly connected with their CAD suits.

"Crap," Will cursed. "I'm so sleep-deprived that I'm losing it." He grimaced as he felt his inflamed right knee throb; his condition was steadily deteriorating. "I've had enough. I'm getting into that pub one way or another."

"What are you going to do?" asked Remy.

"I'll just skip class," said Will, "and visit the pub when he's not there."

"Will, don't," Becca pleaded. "You will be found out the moment they call the roster, and our outside passes would be revoked."

Will fell silent. She was right. He would get caught, and there would probably be an investigation. That was the last thing he wanted. Will shook his head. Even his ideas were getting dumber; he really was sleep-deprived.

"I'll think of something after I've had some rest," said Will, rubbing his forehead. "What's our next class, again?"

"It's funny that you should mention that," said Becca. "The timetable just got updated. We are having Combat Exercise Demonstration next."

"Demonstration?" asked Remy. "Who's demonstrating?"

"Cadets!" the drill master called from ahead. "Ease off! Drop the pace!"

They slowed to a steady walk as they entered their cool-down period.

"Remy! Will!" Victor called out in an excited whisper as he caught up next to them.

"What is it?" asked Will. "You're out of formation."

"Forget about that!" said Victor. "Combat demonstration!"

"Yeah, we were just talking about that," said Will. "Do you know who's going to fight?"

"It's the instructors!" said Victor. "They're going to have a live, full-on, no-holds-barred battle with a representative from the military."

"What?!"

"You're serious?" exclaimed Remy. "That's awesome!"

"Attention, cadets!" the drill master called again. "Head to the BUA training site for a combat demonstration. You have five minutes."

"Whoa," said Remy. "It's real."

"Come on," said Will, and the four rushed forward.

Metal against metal. Steel against steel. They were about to watch a real mech battle.