Major Mohun Dara could see Captain Keera kicking up dirt and loose rocks as she ran up the stone rampart. She ran so quickly in her white and yellow tech suit that for a moment he thought she might not be able to stop and slam right into him. Nevertheless, he was thankful at how quickly she had arrived. He was unnerved at the explosions he could hear beyond the walls of the town, fearing that if he took too long, the casualties would pile up.

“Major,” she said sounding just slightly out of breath, “I was told to tell you the com-communication tower will be contacting the Ka-Kashubian for aid.”

“Good. Get your rifle ready, we need to get going—”

An explosion, closer this time.

“Shit, rifles out, let’s go,” Mohun said as he broke out into a sprint towards the explosion.

They followed the black smoke and soon came upon a burning carter where the town’s dining plaza used to be. Windows were melting. The blast had uprooted metal chairs that were embedded into the sides of several brick buildings.

“What in the world could have done this?” The major thought aloud.

“Sir, I can’t see a thing, this ash is covering my mask,” Captain Keera said with a slight cough.

“Captain, is your air filtration system compromised?” Major Dara asked.

“No, I think I didn’t secure my helmet properly.”

“Fix it.” He said as he used his hands to wipe the soot of his mask.

Mohun's nose was hit with the metallic stench of blood as he made his way through the smoke. The smell was very heavy in the air and it was different somehow, like blood that had been heated to a boil.

He started scanning the area for bodies, but there were none.

Then he noticed it; streaks of blood splattering the pavement, so much blood, but still no bodies in sight.

It’s like they had been vaporized into, he thought as he looked at his hands, “ash.”

He felt nauseated as the thought struck him, how many people would it take to make a layer of ash this thick; there were no trees or no wooden structures in this area.

His feverous thoughts were interrupted by a figure in a sky-blue Tech suit running towards him, with a golden captain’s insignia etched into the suit.

“Douse the flames,” Mohun said.

“Roger, major.” A deep voice came called back.

Mohun felt the humid air become dry as the Water Technician drained the water vapor from the air and condensed it into a great ball of water.

“What is your name, captain?” Mohun asked as the Water Tech started to aim and strategically put out the flames.

“Captain Plaver, sir”

“This is Captain Keera, and I am Major—”

“Major Mohun Dara, I know, sir, not a lot of Trauma Techs around, hard to not know the only one in our garrison. A pleasure to finally meet you, wish I could say it was under better circumstances.”

“Same, captain. Any idea what is happening here?”

“No, I just got to the gate with my detachment of soldiers when I saw the smoke. My soldiers are evacuating the houses near the eastern gate. They have been instructed to rendezvous here to help search for and evacuate survivors. I don’t see any bodies, though.”

“There are no bodies. This is all that’s left of the people that got caught in the blast,” Mohun said holding up his soot-covered hand.

He could imagine the horror under their masks. The quiet was broken by a beleaguered voice calling out from across the smoldering plaza, “Major, please help me.”

Mohun ran towards the slightly familiar voice, then he saw the face of the hungry soldier from the mess hall.

“Soldier, are you ok? Where are you hurt?” Major Dara said holding the stumbling man.

“My thigh I got h-hit bad, sir. It's coming,” was all Henri could manage.

Major Dara felt the body of the soldier slump into his chest as he lost consciousness. The major laid the boy down as Keera and Plaver flanked his sides.

“You two,” Mohun said, “be alert, the boy said ‘it's coming.'”

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Keera brought her rifle up and scanned the area while Plaver extracted the little water that was left in the air.

The major noted the man’s name and rank printed on the soldier’s uniform.

“Alright, Private Henri, let’s get you patched up,” Mohun said

Mohun saw the blood from the soldier’s inner left thigh spreading and staining the green uniform. Mohun tore the fabric and saw the large laceration from the back of the inner thigh to the front. Unpacking his medical kit, Mohun used alcohol to disinfect the wound.

No point in saving the man now for him to just die of an infection later, plus I need to see if his femoral artery had been damaged.

Mohun used his Essence to slow down the gushing blood to a trickle, then delicately opened the wound to assess the extent of the damage. He saw the cut in the femoral artery. The wound was fatal if Private Henri had been treated by anyone else but a Trauma Technician. Mohun used his healing Essence to begin the mending artery.

“I can see something coming, major, from that alley between the two rows of buildings ahead,” Captain Plaver said.

Keera and Plaver moved in front of the major and Private Henri, shielding them from any potential threat.

“The kid’s artery is nicked, it’s a delicate procedure, so I need you two to buy me a few minutes. Deal with whatever it is, but be careful.”

A small green fireball erupted from between the buildings, but Plaver countered, forming the water ball he held into a thin wall of water barely wide enough cover Keera and himself. The water wall evaporated. Unusually, all three Technicians felt the heat of the now extinguished flame.

“That was not normal fire. I wasn’t hit by the flame at all, but I still felt the heat, even through my suit” Captain Keera said.

“Same,” Plaver retorted, “I think we need to be very careful not to get hit by those flames, I am almost certain it will damage our suits. Damn it, I need more water,” Plavar said looking around desperately.

Captain Keera, still aiming down her sights with one arm, used the other hand to quickly give her canteen to Captain Plaver, then extended the same hand behind her and said, “canteen, major.”

“This will help, but not sure how long it will last us if that thing bombards us with bigger fireballs,” said Plaver worriedly.

All three Technicians heard a yell erupt from between the two rows of buildings. It sounded so mutated and angry, but also full of immense pain. Then like a charging rhino, a figure rushed the Techs position. Captain Keera unleashed a hail of bullets, but to her astonishment, they did nothing to slow it down. It became apparent as the figure came into view through the smoke, why a volley of bullets at center mass had no effect; this thing was a Technician.

It leaped into the air, clenched both hands together into one big fist; the great fist was brought down like a hammer striking a nail. Keera braced herself, crossing her arms above her head, her own suit absorbing the blow. The assailant recovered and began to throw wild punches, as Keera defended the best she could. Plaver used his water like a rope and lasso to entangle the attacker’s hand, sidetracking it’s attention just long enough for Keera to go on the offensive and spear tackle the creature.

Only Technium can destroy Technium, with that thought Keera went to work.

Plaver used the rest of the water like shackles to pin the attacker’s arms and legs down. Keera was on top of the rogue Technician and bombarding him with hammer fists and coming down with repeated elbow strikes. Her intention was to break the rogue’s Technium made mask with her own Technium made suit, no matter how many blows it took, she was going to create a hole in the suit for her and her comrades to exploit.

Like an overheated ceramic plate, the mask cracked, a green goo began to ooze out from between the crack. Before Keera could take advantage of it, the rogue Tech engulfed his arms and legs in green flames, evaporating the water cuffs. The Tech grabbed Keera’s arm, stopping her attack, pivoted his hips, and before Keera could realize what was happening, the rogue was now straddling her.

With the other arm, still covered in the ghastly green flame, the rogue delivered a single devastating punch to Keera’s helm, causing several cracks, another punch breaking large chunks off Keera’s mask, revealing a part of her face.

The crack I made to his mask, that goo is sealing up, she thought just before the third punch broke the entire left side of her helm. Plaver grabbed the rogue’s arm as he went for the killing fourth blow and slung the beast as far as he could manage. Keera’s eye was swelling as she felt the cut on her brow open as the tinging pain set in and the blood began to trickle out over her blackened eye.

The rogue was back on his feet, and Plaver rushed him. Plaver tried to tackle the creature in hopes of pushing it further from Major Dara and Captain Keera, but the rogue braced for the attack and caught the captain in a guillotine choke. The rogue fell backward with Plaver and locked his feet behind the Water Technician. Plaver was at the rogue’s mercy. With his free hand the rogue conjured a flame, and like a dagger, slammed the flaming fingers in quick succession into the side of the captain’s Tech suit. The blue suit of Captain Plaver was stained red; a large pool of blood quickly gushed from a fist-sized hole under his ribcage. The rogue tightened the guillotine choke until the armor around Plaver’s neck cracked then snapped the Water Tech’s neck.

“You motherfucker,” Captain Keera screamed, readying herself to charge when she heard an unfamiliar voice in her head.

“Captain Keera, this is Major Durga, what is the situation on the ground”

“Really bad, we have a rogue Technician, powerful, I can’t get a frequency reading on him, many dead, currently engaging,” Keera spouted off quickly as she saw the rogue get up, throwing Plaver’s lifeless body aside, and walk towards her.

“I am going to make this quick, so listen carefully. We are coming through the Herald Forest, my maps tell me there is a flat plain just beyond the forest’s edge, lure the rogue Tech there, away from the town and civilians. We will be there soon.” Major Durga said.

“Major Dara, I have a transmission from the Kashubian. No time to explain, you need to follow me,” Keera said, feeling disgusted that she could not even take a moment to mourn her fallen comrade.

Before they could retreat, the rogue rushed them again, and as Keera braced for another fight she saw a movement, from the rooftop above.

LeGraad smashed down, both feet extended, onto the rogue, laying the attacker flat on the ground. LeGraad repeatedly slammed his foot down on the back of the rogue’s helmet causing small cracks. The green goo began to leak from the cracks again.

“LeGraad, follow Captain Keera,” Major Mohun Dara yelled as he hoisted Private Henri onto his shoulder.

I am sorry, Plaver. We will come back for you when this is all done, Keera thought as she took off, running faster than she ever had.

Enraged, the rogue got to his feet and followed.