Madeline sits across from Titan in the conference room, the pedestal between them. Green blood still streaks his chest armor. She is still in her armor, and she can feel it since the Sutures have worn off. She shivers slightly with the pain of supporting it all. Dried blood still flakes off her legs, and stains her armor plating. Titan draws a deep breath in, and it hisses slowly back out from his muzzle. "You lied to me."
Madeline cocks her head, curious. "What do you mean?"
Titan slams a curled fist on the table. "Don't give me that! You weren't ready to fight."
Madeline gasps, offended. "I'm doing well for someone who had their spine ruined! Doc said I might never walk again!"
Titan points a claw at her. "You shouldn't be, not yet! I trusted you at your word. You jeopardized our mission multiple times!"
Madeline's eyes moisten as she grips the table. "I fought hard, and I kept the nanotechs safe! I'm an Enforcer, that's my job!"
Titan growls. "I was seriously wounded twice, rescuing you!"
A single tear streaks down her cheek as she blinks, splashing onto the back of her armored glove. "Maybe you shouldn't have then!"
Titan shakes his head. "You would do the same for any of us."
She nods silently, sniffling as she regains her composure.
He stands suddenly, slowly walking over behind Madeline with his hands clasped behind his back. “I’ve always fought for a greater good, wherever I can find it. I trust we are doing the right thing. You need to trust me, and I need to trust you.”
Madeline ponders for a moment, then shakes her head. “We put civilians in danger during our last mission. We’re not supposed to do that as Peacekeepers. That’s not right at all.”
He places a hand on her left shoulder, and she pulls slightly away, disconcerted. “A few civilians’ lives are nothing compared to our goals. The world changes rapidly around these fanatics, and they’ll do anything to stop it. We can’t let them, lest your people end up like mine.”
“My people?' Madeline plays with her braid between her fingers, pensively. 'That's… the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."
Titan bares his feline fangs in what she assumes to be a smile, as he walks toward the door. "Go freshen up, I'll be doing the same. Meet us all back here in 2 hours for debrief."
------
Madeline strides confidently down the hall, in much less pain without her heavy armor or weapons on. In stark contrast to the military personnel filling the halls, she wears a bright white satin A-line dress, and a mid-length skirt overlaid with pink tulle. Pink satin lacing runs down from below her shoulder blades to the small of her back. The sweetheart neckline bears a pink satin heart sewn in over her chest and stomach, her muscular figure filling it out nicely.
No longer hidden by her armor, her milky white skin glows in the bright lighting. Her short nails are painted glittery hot pink with gel polish. The dresses’ short ruffled sleeves each bear a small pink heart jewel on the shoulder, a few centimeters across. Shiny pink leather zip-up boots adorned with pink leather bows on the bridge of the foot end mid-calf, heels clicking along the solid concrete floor. She wears light foundation to conceal her facial scarring, pink eyeshadow and lipstick, and her hair remains in her familiar tight shoulder-length braid ornamented by pink heart jewels.
She stops just outside the conference room and pulls a small tablet with a pink heart jewel on the back over the brand logo, from her small pink leather shoulder bag sitting on her right hip. She taps and scrolls, checking a few things before putting it away.
She opens the door and walks in to see Titan standing with his arms clasped behind him, a tablet laying in front of his seat. He doesn’t react at all to her entrance. The rest of the team sits in a semicircle facing him, away from the door.
The AI is projected on the pedestal, turning her camera and hologram over toward the door to face her. She squeals and claps in delight. “Oh, you’re even cuter without your armor!”
Doc looks back at her, eyes widening, and then looks hurriedly back at her hands on the table, fidgeting with her claws.
Madeline flushes, suddenly feeling very self-conscious as she realizes none of them have seen her in civilian garb. She takes the empty seat to Doc’s right, setting her bag down on the table.
The Captain enters behind her, grabbing the tablet and taking position next to Titan. He taps the screen a few times, then swipes toward the center of the room. A hologram of the burning building takes the place of the AI.
Titan shifts in place almost imperceptibly but says nothing.
The Captain clears his throat, daring Titan to say anything during the pregnant pause.
A few beats pass, but Titan says nothing.
The Captain finally shakes his head and starts. “This was a PR nightmare! I might have been better off sending the Ghosts in. What were you thinking?”
Finally, Titan speaks. “I made the decision that putting the fire out would force us to fight on two fronts, and endanger hostages in the basement.”
The Captain is livid. “Your team endangered civilians above, and we couldn’t do anything about it with those fanatics firing on our responders!”
Titan turns to face him. “We were directed to use whatever force was necessary to secure evidence, and I deemed it necessary.”
The Captain takes a deep breath and slowly exhales. “I trusted that with your prior military experience, you would know better.”
Titan startles everyone with a hearty laugh. “You don’t know the Zayl-Ych military well.”
The Captain curses under his breath. “So that’s what I’m supposed to tell the press, it was a cultural misunderstanding?!”
Titan speaks quietly, yet seriously. “Don’t tell me that any Enclave Citizens care for a moment, what happens to an office full of fanatics and Derelicts. Let alone us.”
Madeline and Doc gasp in horror, and Doc’s ears go back. Boomer stares at the hologram, bored. Hunter shows no reaction at all.
“Unfortunately for you, I do.” He is very unimpressed with Titan’s bluff.
“Our intel was wrong, again. We had to fight against Augmented infantry! How are these fanatics getting military-grade Augs?” Titan goes on the offensive again.
He taps on the tablet some more, swiping to the pedestal. Data flashes by, spreadsheets, purchase records, and finally a globe with glowing dots scattered across it. “Each of those dots is an NEC installation, according to the crystal you found. Nearly all of them were Aggus Andie compounds.”
Titan raises a feline brow. “So we need to come down hard on Andie. They stop supplying contractors, and these fanatics retreat to the fringes again.”
“It’s not that easy, Andie is pushing back politically against our actions. The UEG still depends on their services, so we must act precisely. That’s where your team will be coming in.”
The Captain taps and swipes again. A hologram of a massive warehouse replaces the globe. “Right in this Enclave, stands a warehouse that handles Andie’s shipments of Aug parts, among other things. We need you to hit it, so we can trace where all this money is coming from. Should be easy, and quiet.”
“This certainly seems like a police matter.” Titan remarks, dismissively.
“No." The Captain hands Titan the tablet and another warrant. "This needs to be one and done.” He nods and leaves the room.
Titan taps a claw against the screen, dragging and swiping to the pedestal. The AI fades back into view. “This should be simple. We get to the warehouse, spike their central computer bank, and leave.”
Boomer raises a hand, and Titan grudgingly acknowledges. “It’s not going to be simple. First mechs, then Augs? No way we don’t encounter something even worse.”
Titan scrolls through information on the tablet, claw clicking and sliding against the glass screen. “I’m expecting if there’s any resistance, it will be easy for us to handle."
Boomer rolls her eyes. "I'm calling it, a tank is gonna bust through the walls. Anyone wanna start a pool?"
Titan ignores her interjection. "I'd expect a light security presence.’ He looks directly at Boomer. "We should avoid violence if at all possible, since this is a civilian workplace."
Boomer scoffs, and Titan glares in response before shaking his head. “If there are no more questions, we will hit the warehouse tomorrow morning. Dismissed!” He opens the door, walking briskly out into the hall. One by one, the team files out behind him, except for Madeline.
Doc stops in the doorway, looking back at her. Maddy, you coming?
She shivers as she turns to face Doc, pain starting to catch up with her. “I just need a minute. I’ll catch up with you after PT.”
The AI turns herself and her camera to Doc. “It’s OK, I wanted to talk anyway.”
Doc’s ears droop, concern in her mindvoice. I will see you later, then. She follows the others out, closing the door behind her.
The AI turns back to Madeline. “I saw that shiver. How are you doing?”
Madeline sighs, reaching into her bag and pulling out three small egg-shaped pills. “They say I’m healing quickly.” She drops them down her throat, swallowing as she stares straight ahead at the AI.
“Not enough, though?” She rocks back and forth, on the balls of her feet.
Madeline’s body burns as she holds herself high, eyes moist. “It hurts.”
The AI suddenly holds still, her tone deadly serious. “You are brave, your suffering in this life will be rewarded.”
Madeline looks away, tears still in her eyes. “I doubt it. We killed civilians last mission. If I’m going anywhere, it’s not there.”
The AI stares at her feet, kicking at the projector lens while she considers her next words carefully. She looks back up, crossing her arms, resolute in her tone. “I’m sure you did the best you could. Romans 8:28, ‘And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.’”
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Madeline sets her jaw. “That just sounds like Titan, but with more words and religion.”
She picks up her cross in her left hand, twirling it in her fingers. “Maybe Titan is right.”
Madeline growls softly. “Titan would sacrifice anything to complete a mission. That’s not right.”
The AI sighs in frustration. “My suffering and work has its place, so shall yours and that of those around you.” She looks up at Madeline, smiling. “Please have faith. I’ll see you later, I need to focus on something.” She shuts down the projector, her image fading out.
Madeline exhales sharply through her nose, partly out of pain, and partly annoyance. She stands with a rather unladylike grunt from the effort, turns around and walks out the door, regaining her stride as the pills kick in. The fan inside the projector unit kicks on, cooling the AI’s chip as she toils at her task.
Madeline bounces forward in her seat as the van hits a bump, sending shooting pain down her spine. Titan sits opposite her, watching for a reaction, but she gives none. Doc fidgets with her tablet, claw clicking as she taps the screen. Boomer is loading storage crystals into a small padded yellow duffle bag bearing the Visceral Eye, ready to gather as much data as needed.
Hunter sits across from the empty seat, stuffing gray web gear loaded with SMG magazines into an identical yellow duffle bag. He wears a gray dress shirt with the top button undone, with a shoulder holster rig over the top with classic black slacks. He slides a heavy black pistol with an integrated suppressor into the holster under his left armpit, and two spare magazines under his right. He straps a submachine gun with a tight rapid-action sling and short magazine to his back. Finally, he puts on a loosely tailored black suit jacket to hide the gear.
Boomer raises an eyebrow at this spectacle. “Looks like someone’s expecting violence.”
He gives a thumbs-up.
Lili glances back at the team. “Change of plans, we’re heading in the cargo docks, I see a crowd out front.” She turns the van around, heading around the complex.
“Define crowd.” Titan growls.
“Looks like civilians. Might be a protest.”
Titan sighs. “We’d not be welcomed, in that case. Good idea.”
The team sits in silence as Lili shows the gate guard their warrant. He wears a blue shirt with a silver star-shaped badge on his breast pocket, the words “Aggus Andie Security” engraved into it and painted black.
The gate guard studies it for a moment, confused. “I didn’t hear anything about this, I’m going to have to call this in.”
Lili smiles. “Call the front desk, we were supposed to go in through there.”
“I will.” The guard rolls his chair across the shack and taps a screen a couple times. “Yeah, we’ve got someone with a warrant, what do…” He pauses for a moment. “Ok, just wanted to make sure. Thanks!” He rolls back and hands Lili the warrant, waving the van through as the gate slides open.
Madeline dons her quiver and clips her mace into her magnetic back rig.
Lili pulls into a parking spot, locking the front doors and rolling her windows up. “Be careful in there, looks like they rolled out the welcome mat for you.”
Titan opens the back door of the van, light flooding in. A tall man with a sharp and tailored black suit, short black beard, lanyard with a photo badge, and aviator sunglasses stands directly outside. He’s flanked on both sides by pairs of helmetless soldiers in light body armor with security badges and assault rifles. “Let’s make this quick,” he barks.
They step back as Titan disembarks, towering over them. “Of course.”
Madeline and the others follow Titan and the suited man, the security forces spreading out to surround them. Boomer glares at one to her right, and he grips his rifle harder, the polymer parts creaking. They move through the warehouse, workers and robots clearing out of their way.
Doc whispers in her mindvoice to Madeline. Someone is following us.
Madeline stops and turns, and the guards raise their weapons toward her. She ignores them, finding the gaze of a worker with his phone held up as if recording.
The suited man sighs. “What are you doing…?” His indignation turns to horror as he follows Madeline’s eyes. ‘Stop him!” He points straight at the man filming.
The worker taps his phone screen. “They’ll stop at nothing to silence us! Earn your free…” Two of the guards tackle him, and another stomps on his phone. They hold him down while cuffing him with a pair of zip ties with considerable difficulty. “Down with Nanomages, and their Enforcers!” He glares at Madeline with the last line. One pair of guards drag him off, leaving just the two with the suited man. They lower their weapons once again.
The suited man shakes his head. “Let’s go.” He leads the group through an office complex, workers busily typing on large holographic displays in cubicles. Shouting can be heard through the plate glass windows. He stops just outside a thick, armored door with a tiny bulletproof window on top. He swipes his badge on the keypad next to the door, and the group files in. The shouting is inaudible over the roar of computer fans. Computing racks and consoles span the small room, leaving little room for anyone else. “Take what you need, be quick.”
Titan nods. “Quick as we can. Boomer and Hunter, spike consoles. Everyone else, get ready. Just in case.”
Madeline shudders, only partly from pain.
Doc casts Aegis on Titan and Madeline.
Boomer and Hunter move between racks, copying data to crystals with the help of a specialty AI chip.
The PA crackles, an older woman’s voice playing over it. “Attention, all employees must make their way to shelter positions. Repeat, all employees to shelter positions. Do not interfere with Security or Law Enforcement business.”
The suited man sighs. “Wish these freaks would leave us alone.”
Titan watches the door with a steely gaze. “Are they here because we are?”
“They’ve been here for a couple hours, well before you got here.” He taps a phone screen, scrolling through messages.
A pair of gunshots ring out, audible through the building’s structure. He startles, as Titan activates his weapon pod and the guards shoulder their rifles toward the door. Madeline draws her mace, ready as she can be.
The suited man calls someone. “Was that security?” He listens for a moment, his face falling. “I’m getting out of here, you do the same.” He hangs up.
Titan gestures toward the door. “I won’t stop you.”
He calls his guards over. “Upstairs, on the double!” His guards follow him to a panel on the wall, where he swipes his badge and a set of stairs opens up behind the false wall. The three of them disappear upstairs, leaving the team without an escort.
Titan looks back at the Boomer and Hunter. “How are you two doing?”
Boomer sighs. “Working on it, sir!”
Three more shots, definitely from inside the building.
The older lady comes over the PA. “All personnel, please evacuate via the cargo docks. Security, set up defensive positions overlooking the docks!”
Volleys of fire ring out, intruders fighting with security forces. The shots draw steadily closer until they start to get dampened by the group’s active hearing protection. Madeline, Titan and Doc all glance at each other, knowing they’ve all realized the same thing.
Bullets ricochet off the door as the intruders try to breach it. Two louder shots echo as a massive slug breaks through the door lock. Titan replies with a Plasma Storm, melting a line through the door. Gunfire echoes around the facility, security forces defending dug-in positions against the attackers.
“There’s Xeno scum in there!” An angry male voice echoes through the new holes. The crowd roars in fury and smashes against the door.
Titan sighs bitterly, shaking his head.
The door bursts open, and Titan opens fire with Plasma Storms. The blasts melt through unarmored and lightly armored rioters with ease, and mangled bodies stack up until they start blocking the doorway.
A pale arm flings a Molotov through the doorway, smashing on the floor to Titan’s right and immolating his right arm and leg. He grits his feline fangs through the pain and steps out of the splash zone. Doc acts quickly, using her Swarm to extinguish the flames from a distance. She follows up with a round of Sutures, grainy red tendrils snaking around his burns.
Cheering erupts behind the doorframe. Madeline waits, on edge for whatever comes next. The same arm pops out again, throwing a smaller object. “Frag!” she calls, darting behind a nearby server rack. Titan and Doc do the same, barely escaping the shrapnel wave as her ear protection dampens the explosion’s audio.
Titan comes out from behind his rack firing, bursts of plasma searing through those out of Madeline’s reach.
Madeline charges into the streaming crowd, bludgeoning away to try and push them back toward the door. Her heavy mace makes short work of the unarmored intruders, crushing skulls and ribcages. More red filaments weave around her, healing the occasional blow that slips through her armor.
Survivors stream back through the doorway, and Titan holds his fire on those retreating.
Madeline stands stock still among a pile of bodies, her mace at low ready and covered with blood. Tears well up in her eyes, but she blinks them back. So much pointless death.
Doc’s ears perk up, swiveling to her left. She points to a spot on the wall, five meters to the left of the doorframe. They’re cutting through.
Madeline looks at Titan pleadingly, hoping he calls a retreat.
Titan considers for a moment. “Boomer, how close are you?”
“Only a handful of racks left.” She calls from the back.
Titan sighs. “Hunter, back up Moon. Boomer, work as quickly as you can. Doc, stick with Moon on the new door they’re cutting.”
Hunter comes jogging from the back of the room, sliding his web gear over his suit and loosening his sling to deploy his SMG. He takes cover behind a server rack, his SMG at low ready.
Madeline takes position in front of Doc and Hunter, covering the entrance being cut. The screaming of a circular saw can be faintly heard through the thick wall. More voices gather near the door, screaming slogans. “No more nanotechs!” “No more mind rape!” “Death to Xenos!”
Doc’s ears droop, and she precasts Sutures on Madeline as loud thumping starts echoing through the wall. Madeline fills her lungs, as the crowd cheers. The two-meter by two-meter chunk of wall crumbles, and collapses inward toward Madeline.
Hunter opens fire, taking aimed shots at those with guns. Madeline charges to meet the crowd before they can get close to Doc and Hunter, rapidly regenerating bullet wounds between the Sutures and her own Regen Aug. She crashes into the crowd, the heavy mace head smashing through civilians with horrific results. Doc throws her arm out, a cloud of rust-colored grains embedding themselves into those with guns left standing. She pulls it back, and the guns explode, maiming their wielders.
Hunter, Madeline, and Titan smash through and cut down the remainder of their attackers. No more shouting can be heard outside the doors. Sporadic gunfire still echoes through the building. A trail of dead and wounded are stacked through both entrances. Titan stands covered in blood, both green and red. He turns off his plasma longsword, relaxing his arms at his sides.
Doc casts Sutures on Titan, crimson cords weaving all over his body to heal him and his damaged armor. Hunter swaps mags, discarding the half-empty one. What’s left of Madeline’s wounds close up, as she tries to catch her breath. The team sits in silence for an agonizing moment, as Madeline glares at Titan.
Boomer calls from the back of the room. “Done, let’s get the fuck out!”
Titan ignores Madeline’s gaze and peeks out the door. “Agreed. We’ll take the door to the roof.” He points at Madeline. ‘Moon, you have point.”
Tires screech as Lili’s voice echoes over their earpieces. “I’m coming back in, see you outside!”
Madeline huffs in disgust, and leads the way to the false wall while clipping her mace into her back rig. She grabs the seam where the panel joins to the frame, and wrenches it free from the rails, dropping the panel to the floor behind her with a crash. She draws her mace and keeps it ready as she makes her way up the cramped spiral stairs, spear tip forward.
Madeline ducks her head low to avoid hitting the ceiling, as Doc follows her with a gritty carmine cloud centered around her right hand. Boomer and Hunter follow behind, each with their gun at ready and a yellow bag slung across their backs. Titan brings up the rear, listening for anyone following them. Madeline shoulder-checks her way through a red-painted metal door, breaking the flimsy lock and barreling straight through.
A helipad sits a few meters in front of the door, empty. The gravel and dust around the helipad are disturbed, and a rusty fire escape sits a few meters beyond heading down into the loading docks. Sirens ring out as the tide of gunfire begins to slacken. Madeline edges carefully towards the fire escape. As she descends the stairs, motionless armed civilians lay scattered all around the docks.
The guard shack they entered through has been turned into a makeshift fort, surrounded by vehicles acting as cover for the security forces. Corpses of security officers that tried to run lay beyond the shack toward the road, cut down when they left their cover. More guards, dead and wounded, lay fallen behind the poor cover provided by company vehicles. Madeline steps off the fire escape, onto the pavement of the docks. The shouting outside is replaced by stillness as the gunfire stops entirely.
The van quickly comes around the docks, coming to a stop next to Madeline. The armored panels are dented, and blood splattered on the wheels and front bumper. Madeline throws open the rear doors, and takes her place in the seats, discarding her quiver and mace. She sits wordlessly, burying her face in her armored hands as Titan takes the seat opposite her.
Titan reaches out and touches her shoulder, and she shoves him back into his seat with one venom-filled word. “Don’t.” She clenches her fists, but lowers them to her sides as the rest of the team boards. Hunter slams the door as he sits down last, and the van hits a few sharp bumps as it speeds from the compound.