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They say that justice is the legitimate act of those who have suffered, but at what point does justice give way to vengeance?
A sharp gunshot shattered the silence, immediately followed by the dull thud of a body collapsing heavily to the ground.
"Lieutenant Colonel, you just executed an enemy soldier who was surrendering! That's a war crime!" shouted a man, his face pale with shock.
With the barrel still smoking, the figure turned slowly, revealing Mia. She had grown up well; her cold and ruthless gaze contrasted with her beautiful face sprinkled with droplets of blood. Her features, hardened by years of war, showed no emotion.
"Colonel Prat, shut up, or I'll execute you too. In war, there's no place for compassion, for pity, and even less for your precious rules."
Her voice was as sharp as a blade, icy. Her piercing blue eyes seemed to gauge the slightest weakness in her interlocutor's.
"You may have an entire squad under your command, but I am your superior. You owe me respect and obedience!" continued the colonel, his voice trembling with anger.
Mia took a step forward, indifferent to his rank.
"Your rank means nothing to me. Now, I have an interrogation to conduct."
She turned away, ready to leave, but he wasn't going to let her get away that easily. With a sudden gesture, Prat grabbed her shoulder, trying to stop her. In a split second, he found himself on the ground, his body hitting the cold earth. A second gunshot cracked through the air, brutally breaking the silence. The bullet pierced his knee, and a piercing scream escaped his throat.
"Ahh damn it! You'll end up in a court-martial, Lieutenant! Lieutenant! MIA!" he screamed in rage, lying on the ground.
My name is Mia Shafter, and it's the year 2236, caught in the bloody gears of a fierce war against the Empire. This war has only one goal: control of resources and absolute domination. We've lost everything in this conflict our honor, our families, and for some, a part of ourselves.
On February 7th, in France, a chilling order was given: kill men, women, and children. It was a merciless massacre. Rivers of blood flooded the streets as hundreds of thousands of French people desperately tried to flee their own land, turned into a field of death. The oppression of the Empire wasn't limited to France; its ambitions had already ravaged other nations. However, these attacks provoked global outrage, giving birth to a coalition resolved to end their reign of terror. Thus began an interplanetary war, where the Empire relentlessly pursued its dream of total domination.
Every morning, I stand in front of the mirror, my hands trembling, splashing cold water on my face to chase away the ghosts of the night. But no matter how much I scrub, the image reflected back is still that of a broken woman. I've lost everything. My family, my brother—the one who always watched over me, who sacrificed himself for me. With their deaths, my entire childhood vanished, my sweetest memories. Everything that reminded me of a bygone happiness. The Mia I once was died with them, and she will never return.
I spent two years hiding, surviving, until I became the leader of a small group of young survivors like me. Together, we eventually crossed the Atlantic to reach the United States. There, I made a choice: to enlist. Not to serve, no. To avenge. To find the Von Kaiser family, the ones who annihilated mine, and kill them with my own hands. Big brother, I know it's selfish of me to risk the life you protected until your last breath. But don't worry, I won't die. Not before making them pay.
"Vengeance is my sole and only goal now!"
A man who has had what he holds dear taken from him is the most dangerous of men.
In a vast room, many men in impeccable suits stood, the gravity weighing on their faces.
"Very well, the session is open, Mr. President." announced a man, giving the floor to the central figure in the room.
The president, a man with a cold and calculating gaze, rose slowly.
"Gentlemen, we have entered the decisive phase of this war after ten long years of horrors and suffering. We've all gone through difficult times. Sadness, pain, then hatred... That's what has marked these years. We've lost our families and orchestrated massacres. Let's not deceive ourselves: no war is ever clean, neither on one side nor the other. The blood on our hands isn't only that of our soldiers but also that of our enemies. Some will say this war is a human tragedy, that we're all human after all. But to me, an enemy is an enemy. We cannot tolerate their acts. Facing the adversary, there's neither compassion nor pity to have. This war was inevitable."
A heavy silence settled for a moment before the general spoke.
"You're right, Mr. President. Your words are always so accurate. After all, if you're at the head of this coalition, it's not for nothing."
The president nodded : "Thank you, General. Let's proceed to the agenda, gentlemen of the Council. Last night, at precisely 10 p.m., one of our best teams, accompanied by our best agent and several platoons, carried out a crucial operation. They attacked and captured one of the Empire's strategic points: a border base where several influential enemy members were located. These individuals were captured before they could escape. An interrogation, supervised by our best asset, has already taken place. The goal of this mission was clear: to obtain information on the whereabouts of the Von Kaiser family."
Contrasting with the large, bright room where these men stood, in thick darkness, only a faint nightlight cast a flickering glow on the walls of a small dilapidated room. The floor and walls bore macabre traces of dried bloodstains. The air was heavy, imbued with a metallic and suffocating odor. Amidst this morbid scene, sobs could be heard, faintly echoing in this sinister place.
"Oh no, please, stop! We've already told you everything!" implored a trembling voice, broken by terror.
"Snap!" went a pair of pliers tinged with red.
"Aaaaahhh! I have no more fingers! I have no more fingers!" screamed the man, his eyes bloodshot, snot running from his nose, foam accumulating at the corners of his mouth.
Mia, motionless, her impassive face, looked at him without a hint of emotion.
"Come now, show some composure." she said in an icy voice.
"You... you're a monster!" stammered the man, his voice strangled by pain.
"And who do you think made me a monster?" she replied with mechanical coldness, her eyes never leaving his, seeking to pierce his last defenses.
Mia crouched down slowly to his level, bringing her face closer to his.
"Do you know what they used to do to Black slaves back then? They castrated them."
She uttered these words softly, like a sinister truth, her eyes shining with an icy gleam.
"No... no, please! I'm begging you!" implored the man, absolute terror in his voice, his legs trembling beneath him.
Mia gave a cruel smile, straightening up with eerie calm.
"It's going to be okay. Don't worry; it's just going to... sting a little."
Her voice became almost gentle, as if promising minimal pain, but her gaze said otherwise.
"Eeeeek! No! Mercy! Kill me!" he screamed, his voice breaking into a desperate cry that echoed against the narrow walls of the room.
That night, screams and sobs tore through the darkness, rising into the night.
Back in the light-filled room, the president resumed speaking, his calm tone contrasting with the gravity of the situation.
"The Von Kaiser family is hiding in Romania, in a fortified castle equipped with a bunker hidden underground."
A murmur ran through the room before one of the officers, looking satisfied, spoke up.
"Well, all of this is thanks to that girl! The president had good instincts in taking her under his wing."
"Indeed." the president replied calmly, nodding. "Well, let's continue. Our initial target was Poland, as we thought it was the nerve center of all their operations. We believed they were holed up there, but thanks to recent information, we now have their exact location."
A slight silence, as if to mark the weight of this revelation, filled the room.
"As you know." he continued. "Many of the Empire's member nations have already fallen under our control. Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg... And especially Germany and the Czech Republic, which now offer us a strategic opening to access Poland and launch the final assault."
All eyes were fixed on him, the Council members' attention heightened by the scale of the ongoing campaign. He continued, unperturbed:
"We have also received the capitulation of other countries belonging to the Empire. The war in Africa is coming to an end, and in the Near and Middle East countries, our allies have emerged victorious."
"And which governments have sunk into anarchy?" asked one of the Council members, breaking the prevailing silence.
"Both Koreas, China, Russia, and a few others, but we've taken care of their populations, who were left to fend for themselves. We had to prevent a dictator from rising during the chaos. We imposed ourselves by force; these populations likely saw us as invaders at first. But by providing food and care, we managed to make them understand that we weren't their enemies." replied a general next to the president.
The general paused before continuing : "Thus, some of them even volunteered to fight alongside us for the common good."
The president, impassive, resumed speaking. "Now, gentlemen, let's address the essential: the strategy. I think everyone here has the same idea in mind."
He let his gaze sweep across the room, observing the focused faces.
"We will launch a major offensive to finish off what's left of the enemy army gathered in Poland. We'll send our elite forces there, including the one who located the Von Kaiser family."
A murmur of approval was heard in the room.
"Everyone here seems to agree. Today is April 5th; the operation will be launched in six days, on April 11th, at 7 p.m."
The silence that followed was heavy with gravity until a counselor spoke up, looking worried. "Mr. President, victory is near, but we can't ignore that we've lost nearly half of humanity. We'll need to start considering the projects we've discussed to ensure the survival of our peoples and, above all, to put a definitive end to these senseless wars."
The president nodded slowly. "Yes, it's a priority, and we're working on it."
As he was about to close the meeting, a voice rose in the room. "Wait! We need to discuss Mia Shafter. She shot a superior officer. What should we do?"
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A tense silence settled. The president retorted coldly : "We will do nothing. It's unnecessary to remind everyone here who Mia Shafter is."
A murmur of agreement ran through the room. "Indeed," continued a general. "Mia has been one of the pillars of this war. She's a war heroine recognized by all, and she's under the direct protection of the president."
Another Council member spoke. "She's led countless infiltration and assassination missions, all successful battles. We owe her the recapture of Paris, the attack on Berlin, and other decisive operations that have allowed us to retake many strategic points. The list of her exploits is so long it would take too long to recount."
Another agreed, adding, "Not to mention her talents as a strategist. She's sat at this table several times. If she hasn't risen higher in the hierarchy, it's simply because she refused any promotion that would take her away from the front. Just yesterday, she located the Von Kaiser family and simultaneously annihilated an enemy base."
The president nodded, his voice cold and sharp. "There will be no sanction against her. She will lead the assault against the Von Kaiser family."
"But... what if she decides to kill them instead of capturing them?" the man continued.
The president didn't lose his composure. "She won't do that."
"How can you be so sure?" insisted the man, skeptical.
The president turned to him, his gaze piercing. "Mr. Nolan, being new to the Council, it's understandable that you're unaware of the agreement made with Mia. This deal stipulates that..."
The president recalled the conversation he'd had with her, repeating what was said: "If I capture the Von Kaiser family, after their public trial, I can do whatever I want with them... and avenge myself."
"What were you thinking?" exclaimed Nolan, outraged.
"So you're denying our war icon the right to deal with those who started this conflict?" the president calmly replied, without batting an eye.
Nolan remained silent for a moment, hesitant, before the president added, "The Council has given its word. Between criminals and our war heroine, the choice is clear. Moreover, we all know their judgment is already sealed. This public trial will merely be a pretext to calm the masses and offer a new beginning."
"But she's going to torture them to death." protested Nolan, shocked. "Sure, she's a heroine, but among the soldiers, she's also called the Devil."
The president replied with implacable coldness : "They'll be condemned to death anyway. Whether she kills them directly or not, it amounts to the same thing."
"And the children? It's an atrocious war crime..." Nolan exclaimed, desperate.
A heavy silence settled before the president said gravely : "I ask you to keep this secret. May God forgive us."
A murmur swept through the room, and another Council member whispered, "Many of us have lost loved ones because of this war. This decision suits more than one here. I'm certain some will be in the front row to witness their end."
The president, in a curt tone, concluded : "Mr. Nolan, the decision is made. But if it can appease you, I'll speak to Mia to see if she agrees to change her mind."
"Very well." replied Nolan, resigned.
"The meeting is now closed. Victory will soon be ours."
Does vengeance heal wounds?
The sharp sound of someone knocking on the door echoed in the room.
"Enter."
The door opened slowly, revealing the president of the Council, Cristian, standing proudly before Mia.
"Ah, it's you." she said without surprise, as if expecting his visit.
"Aren't you going to give me a hug, Mia?" he said, opening his arms wide, a playful smile on his lips.
"Hmph, in your dreams." she replied, arms crossed.
"Oh, you're still as cold as ever." he complained with feigned exasperation, closing the door behind him.
She rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed by his casual tone.
"Stop your nonsense and tell me why you deemed it necessary to come here in person, Mr. President." she sighed, impatient.
"Well, I came to talk to you and give you the meeting's report. May I come in?"
Mia gestured toward the chair opposite her, inviting him to sit. Cristian sat down calmly, taking his time as if savoring every second.
"Thank you."
He leaned slightly forward, his face suddenly more serious.
"The meeting has reached a conclusion. This war is coming to an end."
Mia remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"In six days, we will launch the final assault. Your team and you will be responsible for capturing the Von Kaiser family."
She stared at him, her gaze hard and direct before speaking. "You haven't forgotten our agreement, have you?"
Cristian smiled slightly. "Of course not, Mia. A deal is a deal."
He straightened up a bit in his chair, his gaze lost in thought for a moment before asking, "Do you remember the day we met?"
She frowned. "Is that really important?"
He shook his head, looking almost nostalgic. "It was the day I took you under my wing. Please, don't be like that. To me, it feels like it was yesterday."
Flashback
"Mr. President, the rescue mission was a success. We managed to save a large number of French refugees. The information provided by this informant proved crucial."
The president, his gaze fixed on the horizon, squinted to see the silhouette of the approaching ship. "Is the ship already in sight? I'm eager to meet her. She insisted on hiding her first name and age... She goes by IMM."
On the quay, the atmosphere was tense, soldiers closely surrounding the refugees who were slowly disembarking from the ship. Some of them, their gazes still empty, were too shocked to realize they were finally safe. Others, their legs trembling, seemed relieved to set foot on solid ground after days of uncertainty. The children, too numerous for such a tragedy, held hands, forming a silent chain of little faces marked by fear and fatigue. Their eyes, hollowed by exhaustion.
"Please move forward slowly." requested a soldier.
"There are really a lot of children. It's a miracle so many survived... Well, where is this famous informant?" asked the president.
Another soldier approached, saluting briefly. "Sir, we've found the person who calls herself IMM."
The president turned his head, intrigued. "Well, what are you waiting for to bring her to me?"
The soldier hesitated for a moment, embarrassed. "Well, sir... it's just that... she's a child. She must be barely 12 years old..."
The president frowned, visibly surprised. "What? How is that possible?"
"Yet it's her. We'll finish disembarking everyone, and I'll bring her to you immediately."
"Very well." he replied, still perplexed.
One hour later
The president, hands clasped behind his back, observed the child standing before him. Small, thin, disheveled hair, but her gaze... her gaze was far from that of an ordinary child. There was a dark maturity in her eyes, a hardness forged by trials.
"When they told me that a 12-year-old child was this famous informant, I was more than surprised," he said, his tone still filled with doubt. "Do you confirm that you are IMM?"
The young girl raised her head, her piercing gaze. "I confirm, that's me."
The president stared at her for a moment, silent, then continued : "What is your name, but more importantly... how did you do it?"
"I am Mia Shafter, also known as IMM." she replied in a calm but firm voice. "About two years ago, I took the lead of a group of young survivors. We carried out several missions, then I made contact with you. To be credible, I hid my age and adopted the name IMM."
She paused, letting her words sink into the president's mind.
"Our first mission was simple: survive. But it wasn't easy, as you can imagine. We learned to fight, to organize ourselves. Then, an event came and changed everything. We decided that the only chance of survival was to leave France."
The president remained silent for a moment, observing this child who, through her words, seemed much older than her twelve years. A mix of admiration and sadness crossed his mind.
"After that, we started gathering important information about our enemy and got in touch with you. We provided you with reliable information so that you would trust us, and here we are today, evacuees."
"If you want the whole story, I can tell you." Mia offered, her tone detached, almost cold.
The president observed her in silence before replying. "For now, that won't be necessary. What surprises me most is that a child could save so many people."
Mia clenched her fists, her eyes burning with contained anger.
"I'm no longer a child!" she said in a trembling but firm voice. "I've seen hell with my own eyes. I've seen people die, families torn apart, friends, comrades falling before my eyes. I've fought for my survival, so I'd ask you not to treat me like a child."
A heavy silence settled in the room.
The president remained impassive. "You know who I am, don't you?"
Mia shrugged, her gaze hard.
"It doesn't matter who you are. You did your job. I owe you nothing, but you, you owe me everything."
One of the officers, visibly irritated by her insolence, intervened harshly. "Watch your words, girl! I'll remind you that you're speaking to the president of the Council!"
The president raised a hand to silence the officer.
"Mr. Scot, let it be. She's right. Isn't it shameful for us, adults, that she had to take up arms and accomplished more than we did?"
He turned back to Mia, a hint of respect in his eyes.
"Mia, you will be rewarded for what you've done. You will be fed, housed, kept safe. You've well deserved to leave that hell."
But Mia shook her head, her eyes shining with fierce determination : "No. I'm staying!"
The president frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm going to enlist as a soldier." she declared with unwavering assurance.
The president stared at her, perplexed. "Why return to that hell when you could leave it for good?"
Mia looked him straight in the eyes, her voice trembling with deep rage.
"The day I lost my family, the gates of hell closed, leaving me alone inside. Since that day, I've promised myself that I will avenge those who took everything from me."
The president remained silent, choosing his words carefully.
"You might die before that."
Mia raised her head, her eyes burning with defiance.
"That won't happen."
Back to the Present
"You know, that day when I met you, I immediately noticed something," said Cristian, his gaze piercing. "Your way of speaking, your gaze—they weren't those of a child."
Mia slightly averted her eyes but didn't respond.
"Well... and with everything you've accomplished, I was obliged to accept your request to kill the Von Kaiser family," he continued, his tone more serious.
A heavy silence settled, as if the weight of events was catching up with both of them.
"Who would have thought that the young girl I met that day would become a war heroine?" he said with a hint of nostalgia. "You told me your story, Mia. It might have been a story among many others, but it touched me. However, vengeance... It became your sole and only goal. It changed you. You've committed acts that will forever be etched in your soul. And what you're about to do to that family..."
Mia abruptly cut him off, her eyes blazing with determination. "They will get what they deserve!"
Cristian frowned. "And the children? What do you plan to do with the children? Are you going to torture them too? They're victims, Mia. Victims of their parents."
Mia clenched her fists, struggling against a flood of repressed emotions. "Shut up, Cristian. I'm going to avenge myself, do you hear me? If I leave the children alive, don't you think they'll resent me? That they'll want to avenge themselves in turn? There's a risk they'll become exactly like their parents."
Cristian sighed, his face marked by concern : "Or like you, Mia."
There was a heavy silence between them before Cristian continued : "Everything you said is just possibilities."
"I won't take any risks." Mia retorted coldly, her eyes burning with icy rage.
Cristian shook his head slowly.
"Very well, I see where you stand." He remained silent for a moment before asking more calmly, "By the way, you never told me... why did you choose the pseudonym IMM?"
Mia closed her eyes for a moment, as if plunging back into painful memories. "It was a manga my brother read, 'To Your Eternity.' It talked about an immortal, a journey, rebirth."
"So that's why... Mia, don't you think it would hurt your brother to see what you've become? Maybe he didn't measure the weight of his words at that moment."
Mia straightened up abruptly, her voice trembling with anger and sadness.
"Don't talk about my brother! I should have died that day, not him!"
Cristian observed her, his expression serious but without judgment.
"But that's not what happened, and if you hadn't been there, maybe we wouldn't be where we are today. What happened to your family... I know it's hard to hear, but your vengeance has, in a way, allowed positive things to be accomplished for many people."
He paused, letting his words settle into the silence. "But today, this vengeance has turned you into a monster."
Mia, her eyes hard, replied in a calm but chilling voice : "There's a monster in each of us, Cristian."
Cristian smiled sadly. "Hmm... It's been a long time since you've called me by my first name. Well, I think we're done with this subject."
He stood up slowly, having said the essentials.
"Also, avoid shooting at allied soldiers next time. It'll save us from filling out tons of paperwork."
As he headed toward the door, he stopped and turned one last time. "Oh, and Mia... You should start thinking about what you'll do after all this."
He left without another word, the door closing softly behind him.
Mia remained motionless, alone in the room, her thoughts haunted by painful memories.
"Ray... that's right, isn't it? You sacrificed your life to protect your sister, but I can't help thinking that the words you said to me that day were perhaps too cruel..." thought Cristian as he looked at the door, behind which he heard sobs.
I have carved this into stone, and my vengeance is written in the dust of the rock. Edgar Allan Poe
Days had passed, each bringing its share of tension and preparation until the fateful moment finally arrived. This day when everything would come to an end, when this war, with its procession of sufferings and sacrifices, was about to deliver its ultimate battle. Every moment had led to this point of no return.
"Ray, it's almost over," murmured Mia, staring at her reflection in the mirror. "I've been through so many trials... all those nights when nightmares gave me no respite, when I saw you die again, you, Mom, and Dad. Sometimes I heard your voices, and very often, I saw you appear before me. I talked to you, and you listened... even if you were just an illusion."
She closed her eyes for a moment, a tear gently sliding down her cheek.
"Maybe I've gone crazy." she added in a whisper. "Every time I looked at myself in the mirror, like right now... it wasn't me I saw, it was you. And you showed me what I've become."
Her voice trembled slightly as she continued : "Cristian isn't wrong. I've become a murderer, a real monster, obsessed with vengeance. But it's this obsession that allowed me to hold on, that allowed me to move forward all this time."
She clenched her fists, her gaze still fixed on her reflection. "I know that vengeance brings nothing good," she whispered. "But I also know that there are people, like me, who can't move on until they've fulfilled their vengeance."
She paused, letting her thoughts navigate through her pain.
"I think I've finally found the answer to my first question, Ray. Justice... is nothing more than a demand for vengeance. But vengeance... never brings back what is lost."
Maybe vengeance is worth justice?
Preparations for the final assault had intensified throughout the week, every detail carefully calculated, every weapon meticulously checked. The fateful day had finally arrived. The air was heavy with tension, those moments when silence precedes the storm.
"Mia, it's time. The whole team is waiting for you." said Matt in a grave voice, his head just peeking through the door.
Mia slowly turned her head toward him, her face impassive.
"Thank you, Matt. I'm coming." she replied, her eyes sliding one last time toward the mirror.
She took a deep breath, talking to herself. "Big brother, it's time." she murmured, staring at her own reflection. "I know you're watching me through this mirror... so, see you later."
One last look, then she turned away, ready to face what she had awaited for so long.