RACE AGAINST TIME

----------------------------------------

Will climbed into his mech and slipped his limbs into the metal frame. The chassis slung closed with a clang, and the helmet slipped on. There was a loud click as it latched itself.

'Welcome, Cadet William Dunn, establishing machine-human interface.'

The green text sprawled across the HUD as the screen flickered on with the external camera feed directly transmitted to it, providing Will with a full field of vision.

'CAD connection established. G-class prosthetic limb detected. Adjusting controls.'

A sharp clang reverberated through the mech as the protective plates shifted into place. The suit adjusted to his frame and tightened around him. It contracted until it fitted him like a second skin. A final clang rang out as the mech sealed itself.

The mech's engine rumbled to life and then gradually tapered off into a silent hum. Servo motors whirred as Will stepped forward.

Broken bits of debris crunched underneath his armored boots. Most of it was glass from the large floor-to-ceiling windows. Will ignored the crackling floor and stared at Remy and Becca, who had just finished suiting up.

The white and grey mechs came to life, and Will filtered his comms signal through his CAD with a few eye commands. He sent the invite over to both of them, and they swiftly linked up.

"Check, check," said Remy. "How do I sound?"

"You are coming in loud and clear," said Will. "Becca?"

"Signal is strong," said Becca. "We are good to go."

Will glanced at the clock on his HUD. It was quarter to four. He let out a nervous breath and shook his arms out.

"Attention base. Mission commences in 10, 9, 8..."

Will turned to Remy. "Just like we discussed."

Remy gave a thumbs-up. "Don't worry! I got this. You two keep the base clear and handle the rest."

"Becca?" Will glanced to the right, and she nodded.

"Come on, let's go!" She stepped towards the door, and Will fell in beside her.

"3, 2, 1, Begin!"

Will swung the door open and sprinted towards the stairs at the end of the corridor. He vaulted past the railings and launched himself down the gap between the stairwell. Will sailed through the gap, stepping off each passing flight of stairs, reducing his momentum until he reached the ground floor. His armored boots slammed into the ground, arresting his fall. A few seconds later, Becca landed beside him.

They quickly made their way to the front lobby and were out of the building right after. Snow fell in torrents, covering the abandoned city in a suffocating white blanket. Will gave a few hand signs, and they left the empty main road, sneaking into one of the side streets.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Will made his way forward, scanning the street with his rifle at the ready. His eyes darted about for any possible choke points while Becca guarded his six, occasionally glancing at the buildings in case of an ambush from above.

Will checked his HUD as he mapped the area, a digital one being reproduced by the onboard computer. It updated as they encountered each new street.

All was silent as they swept the streets. There was nothing except the howl of the wind. Will and Becca circled around the base, making sure to avoid the open main road. As they made their way forward, Will heard a creak of metal, and he paused.

He snapped his rifle towards the sound and found another mech in front of him. He almost pulled the trigger, but the blue highlight over its form gave him pause. A name tag floated above the mech - Victor Maxwell.

Victor, who looked equally tense, lowered his rifle and tapped the side of his head, indicating his earpiece.

Will nodded and added him to the radio channels. The comms handshake was completed without an issue.

"What's the sitrep, Vic? Run into anything yet?"

"Other than you lot? No one," said Victor. "Here, I'm sending a data package."

Will focused on his HUD.

'Requesting secure data transfer.'

Will confirmed the request, and his map updated. He gave the city layout a quick scan and found Victor's base. It was very close to theirs, just a couple of buildings over.

"This is good," said Will. "You don't mind joining us, do you?"

"Better you than Kade," said Victor. "Let's—"

He broke off mid-sentence as they heard another metallic groan coming from the street over.

"That sounded close," said Becca.

"Is it Kade?" Will asked Victor, who shook his head.

"Kade was headed northeast. This is no one on our side."

Will nodded and ushered them forward. Victor and Becca followed, guns at the ready. They rounded the corner and found two mechs highlighted in red. Both had their backs turned to them.

Will didn't waste any time and opened fire. Victor and Becca unloaded their mags half a second later, and both mechs went down in a spray of sparks. Their shields kicked in a second later, and they scrambled for cover behind a rusted car.

Will made a few quick hand signs and stepped forward. Victor came alongside him, with Becca trailing behind, sending sporadic bursts of fire towards the rundown vehicle, pinning the two mechs down.

Will reached for his shard as he rushed forward. The crystal buzzed to life, and the world vibrated as the skill was activated. Time stopped, and a rush of sensations assaulted him. Heat washed over him, and a blast wave tore into him, lifting him off his feet.

The premonition faded as quickly as it came. Will snapped back into reality, and time resumed. He was still rushing towards the car when he heard a faint metal clink of a pin. A grenade rolled towards him, and Will moved on instinct. He kicked it aside, and the grenade hit the nearby building. The explosive went off with a bang, blasting a hole through the wall. With ears ringing, Will came about the broken vehicle and opened fire on the two prone mechs.

Shields flickered as one of the mechs charged at Will, dagger at the ready. The blade came for his neck, but Will blocked it with his rifle and struck the mech in the head with the butt of his firearm. The mech staggered back, and Will pierced his rifle through the mech's shield and opened fire.

The point-blank shot was too much for the mech, and its powertrain smoked and sparked as it raced down its form. The mech fell dead, completely non-functional. Will stepped past the fallen mech and aimed his rifle at the second mech, who was staggering backward under Victor's onslaught. Just as he was about to open fire, he spotted a small blur fling towards him.

"Flashbang!" yelled Victor, and the two of them leaped backward.

The grenade went off with a loud bang, and they were blinded for a moment. Broken bits of aluminum peppered their armors from the rusted car. Will blinked as his HUD flickered on, and he spotted their earlier cornered mech sprinting away from them. Before he could give chase, there was a burst of machine gun fire. Will dove behind the car, and Victor followed suit.

Becca was slower by a beat as she rolled into cover, her armor smoking.

"Will, it's her!" said Becca. "She is here!"

Will glanced through the car's broken windows and saw Valerie Maxwell advancing on them with her rifle trained on them.

Will let out a breath. "Here we go."