Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction ❯ Zone of the Enders: Resurrection ❯ Equal and Opposite Reaction ( Chapter 8 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

"The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end."
-Leon Trotsky

Chapter 8: Equal and Opposite Reaction

"All in all, over thirty UNSF bases were attacked in the last three days due to massive uprisings among the Martian people, caused by the VANGUARD offensive." Taggart said, looking down his clipboard and trying to ignore the ten something men's intimidating glances. He was standing near the door way of the room, while the Generals, Commanders and Intelligence leaders all sat at a wood oak table. The room was a lot similar to that of the old United States White House, white marble walls, blue carpeting and white marble with pillars running between them and the ceiling, paintings, hanging lamps and other lavish items. High Command's oldest attempt at 'bringing Earth to Mars' was putting this room on Deimos when they made the moon their capital.

He continued before any comment could be give, "El Toro in Margaritifer, West Hellas Naval Base, Williams Air Force Base, St. Jose Air Field and Shadow Moses Test Field in Hellespontos County, the John Carter Academy in Nereidum and Washington Radar Base in Tarsis are among them. All bases have suffered armament losses, structural damage and pilot casualties. Over 60 billion Earth credits of ammunition were lost, including 342 LEV units, 185 unmanned fighters, 122 helicopters and over 3000 military officers, enlisted personnel and civilians dead."

He looked up, waiting for a response. There was none offered, so he continued. "As you all know, these are merely the latest hits in the last few weeks by these terrorists claiming to be the VANGUARD Weapons Development Corps., and compared to the earlier attacks around the world, the assault on those bases is very light, due to the attackers being civilian militias in origin rather than true military groups. That's all we at Aegis can report; the WIRED reports civilian riots in Nests X1 and X2 of Tharsis County, near the Olympus Mons area, X4, X7, X12 and X14 of Solis County, mysterious activity in Von Braun City and Artemis in Margaritifer, as well as loss of contact with the UNSF Testing facility in Amazonis and the disappearence of the Astral Tech Shipyards in the Orbital Zone. Survivors state that either men dressed as Space Force soldiers or in naval blue military uniforms that are similar to the Space Force's current wear and body armor led these attacks. Mecha have rarely been used, but there are reports of Raptor class orbital frames, as well as possible Type B orbital frames, one of which is believed to be Jehuty, have been used in some of these attacks. Same description follows the for the OF used on the Falcon Field and San Diego base assaults near Nereidum, since they were the only ones with survivors. Following..."

"No need to continue, General Taggart." Secretary General Vladimir Kerensky said with irritance, stopping the General in midsentence, which was probably about the current situation involving Zakat. As if everyone in the room needed to hear it again. "It's quite a lengthy list now, we can ignore the minor details. What is intellegence doing about these 'incidents'?"

"The Martian Bureau of Intellegence, MBI, is handling investigations in Margaritifer, Nereidum and Tharsis, but they answer to WIRED, which is handling investigations in the attacked counties as well as the reported space zones. Details are still coming in."

"That's not good enough, General." Fleet Admiral Paul Duke barked a little, "Is it apparent to you those details are needed now?"

"With all due respect, I said that details are still coming in." Taggart said abruptly, silently wishing he could say other things, "However, it will take time for intelligence, WIRED and smaller divisions alike, to fully analyze these findings..."

"Maybe if these smaller gnats would step away and let General Mason handle it, things would be solved faster..." another commander growled.

"Or maybe we should just get someone who can do half assed job like this one." Another seethed. After that little remark, the other commanders begin to gripe outloud with one another, some even putting their plights on General Taggart. Taggart sighed, and rolled his eyes. This was High Command. What he had to deal with. He cleared his throat again, stopping everyone in mid-sentence. "I assure you, Special Taskforce Aegis, the WIRED and all other groups involved in the VANGUARD investigation are working as hard as humanly possible to bring the truth to your light. However, this requires patience on your part, gentlemen..."

"PATIENCE?" Duke roared, "We are giving you our patience, General! We have also given you full authority. And you dare ask for more than what we are giving you? Tell me, what will keep VANGUARD from attacking your base at Margaritifer or better yet, the headquarters on Deimos? Or what about our orbital shipyards?"

Yeah, like you wouldn't just love that. Taggart thought, Then you can prove I'm 'too weak hearted' to run Aegis and put some loyalist idiot like Mason in command. Ha. Taggart continued, "Admiral Duke, you've only given my organization a division of captured Type-C orbital frames and so-called 'authority' on anti-terrorist activities. If we do have full authority, then why are you holding intelligence from us? If we knew VANGUARD was using Earth funds, then we would've acted upon them before the Battle of Nereidum could happen. In fact, the only valuable intelligence we have gained so far has come from Lenard Kapricon and captured VANGUARD officers."

"He does have a point." one of the commanders said, "We haven't exactly done anything upon this matter, have we gentlemen?"

"Are you calling us weak minded?" Duke launched at the man with full steam, "We do what we see fit, Admiral Campbell, or at least most of the group sees fit. Whatever action we make is right and just..." That launched a full debate with everyone in the table.

Taggart groaned at the other men in the room, seeing this more as a childhood playground brawl rather than world military leaders debating a plan of action. If there was one thing he hated more than politicians, it was a politician with a long speech or a dull personality. Or both, which Secretary General Vladimir Kerensky displayed, but Taggart was spared from his over winded speech. For now at least.. Behind him was a map of bases being struck during the apparent terrorist attacks. Taggart had noticed that the bases weren't of any real importance, they were merely garrisons for UNSF troops and LEV teams or testing facilities for new LEV concepts. No real command facilities, no testing bases for Orbital Frame prototypes, no command facilities. It was a shadow operation, indicating that VANGUARD still didn't have the strength to face up to the full Space Force, so instead they would strike without warning, taking out the smaller portions so the larger ones would be undefended. Or at least it looked like. Not only would it leave bases like Deimos without any surface support, High Command didn't feel any need to send in their forces because only small targets were attacked. Political bastards, all of them.

Nereidum was the only major target in this attack, raid, or whatever it was, Taggart himself couldn't figure it out. Still, Nereidum seemed to be hit the hardest and for good reason. Yuriko reported over a hundred orbital frames in that attack, five of which were Type B class frames, much more than what would've been expected from a terrorist organization. However, the major upset was in the fact that both Martian loyalists and Terran 'traitors' carried out this attack, at least from the information NUT President Kapricon gave to Aegis. VANGUARD, that was what the terrorists claimed to be, the weapon development branch in charge of adopting the orbital frame to Earth. Until that incident two years ago anyway, thanks to the Stalinists sitting in front of Taggart. In a way, he couldn't blame them from striking back for the oppression the UNSF had. If High Command called a mass execution order on Aegis' personnel, he would do more than just lead a coup against them. He would make them all suffer. All of them. The only thing he couldn't figure out was why Shale was put in charge of VANGUARD in place of Browning. Taggart assumed it was for symbolism, Wilhelm being the architect of Taskforce Acemos (under the alias Leon Shale), as well as having a seat in High Command and therefore the model officer of UNSF imperialism leading a band of 'terrorists' against UNSF.

"Gentlemen, GENTLEMEN! Please, we are leaders of a military organization, not a group of bullies in a private academy." Kerensky yelled, silencing everyone in the room, "If we turn on each other, the problem will never be solved. If what the Lt. General has informed us is true, then we must be cautious. VANGUARD may be some small terrorist organization, but it is a terrorist group nonetheless. Do you wish to repeat the events that happened in America on September 11th? Or possibly something of a larger scale, like Pearl Harbor..."

"Pearl Harbor was fought by a full navy!" one of them quipped, "You're suggesting a small scale militia could destroy our entire military in one swoop?"

"It is possible..." Taggart entered in, drawing full attention to the room. Some of that attention came in glares but he ignored them "They were established specifically to adopt new weapons technologies for the Motherland. They were the ones that brought Orbital Frame technology to our attention. Therefore, they most likely have developed their own forces using both the funds provided by NUT and the UNSF itself."

"That was then, General Taggart." Duke stated, "This is now. The UNSF's money has been put under a tighter lock since Fen confessed to Elena Weinburg's involvement. Without proper funds, there is no way they would be able to continue their crusade."

"Weren't you the one complaining about a possible attack on Deimos earlier?" Taggart questioned, silencing Duke immediately, "I know how terrorists work, Mr. Duke, they don't rely on funding or budget like a full fledged military force. But I don't want to discount the possibility that these attacks were caused by a fleet of a grand scale. Even if these bases are small, and not under the full control of the Space Force, they were still attacked. We cannot ignore a single terrorist attack, gentlemen, much less multiple attacks."

"'With all due respect', General Taggart, you are not a member of this Command. Do not overstep your bounds." another yelled, raising another feud.

"Enough!" Kerensky ordered, "While most of these attacks could be looked over, General Taggart has a point. Terrorism is only effective if it is ignored. Even if we are overestimating VANGUARD, they cannot be ignored." he turned to his aide, "Send this to Admiral Ferdinand. Have the Marduk Fleet at full alert and on search and destroy. If so much as some titanium freighter breaks into the Mars' atmosphere without authorization, it is to be destroyed. Same goes for the Martian based forces. For the four reported Zakats, I want all defense fleets on search and destroy."

That's not enough. Taggart thought but didn't say aloud. He had already pushed his reputation to the limits. This is a full war and these people are treating it like an enforcement operation. I guess it's up to me to convince them otherwise...

He silently prayed at that point, he was wrong...

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It had been only a few days since the Gustav Base attack. In these few days, General Taggart had been summoned to Deimos Station to give a full report on the VANGUARD attacks to High Command. This left Colonel Velasgo in charge of Aegis. News about the Zakats had gotten to General Ben Mason as well, and in fear of Margaritifer being attacked, he ordered all installations to be put on full alert and that the terrorist alert be elevated to orange. All bases were on full alert for possible terrorist attack within Artemis, and Aegis was to spearhead the defense force with their orbital frame compilement. Still, during the calm before the storm, Nadia decided it was time to measure Anubis' full combat capability, something that she and Taggart tried to do at the beginning but to no success. And now that the frame's runner, Lieutenant Raven Vostrikov, was a far more capable runner, Nadia had now fear of pitting him against an ace like Yuriko Ishikawa. That was why Raven and Yuriko were both deployed at near dawn. Despite the risk of terrorist attacks, everybody wanted to know what Anubis was capable of, and the only way to measure that was through combat.

From Raven's point of view, he saw the Sun begin to rise above the horizon, signifying that morning had come. Well, as far as the visor he was wearing could allow him. Aside from the black and red flight suit, he wore a black headpiece, which covered his entire head except for a visor around his eyes. His head's lower area was covered by a mouth piece that acted as a personal com-link when Anubis' communication systems were disabled. As well, it featured an oxygen tube that kept him from suffocating in deep space. The only other feature the helmet has was the visor, which acted as a miniature HUD or Heads Up Display system. Other than that, it just looked pretty damn cool. It reminded Raven of the helmet w/mouthpieces 21st century fighter pilots wore, and being a military guru, it brought him some content while running Anubis. In fact, it looked so similar, the tech engineers allowed him and Yuriko to put decals on them. Raven's black and grey headpiece sported a pair of 'demon eyes' on either side. Yuriko's orange and silver headpiece had two kanji characters, which in English meant 'wisdom' and 'strength', two of the four shikon signs. "Nemesis One approaching Op Point Alpha. Anubis ready for combat simulation." Raven reported back to Aegis headquarters. Anubis' tail whipped with anticipation.

"Nemesis Three approaching Op Point Alpha. Grafficane ready for combat simulation." Yuriko also reported.

"And... Lets get ready to rumble!" Esteraund yelled through the headset he wore. Raven couldn't see it, but he knew Colonel Velasgo was about ready to draw for her gun. "Uh hem." Nadia cut in, "One and Three, you may commence simulation."

"As ordered." Raven signed off, and turned Anubis' head sensors toward Grafficane. Bring it on, harpy. Anubis was the first to move, firing a barrage of red shots at Grafficane, which accelerated and dodged each one. Both frames seperated from formation and flew in opposite directions, both firing their own different homing lasers at eachother. Grafficane accelerated again and dodged Anubis' "slow" moving homing lasers with ease while Anubis activated its own energy shield and absorbed Grafficane's orange shots. Seeing that he was dealing with a speed oriented opponent, Raven activated his subweapons display. "Comet!" he said into his mouthpiece voice command system. Anubis responded by launching two red bolts at Grafficane before Raven strafed it to the right, beginning to circle Yuriko. However, again, Grafficane proved too fast for Anubis' weapons. Yuriko dashed and ascended higher into the atmosphere, the two Comet shots being unable to keep up. "Phalanx!" Yuriko ordered, firing a cluster of orange energy bolts from Grafficane's clamps in similar fashion to a Mummyhead. Raven zero shifted from her shots upward, firing two more comet shots at her, then following that up with a Gauntlet shot. Yuriko managed to dodge the comets again, but she failed to escape the gauntlet. In a vague attempt, she brought up Grafficane's shield, only for it to be shattered by the kinetic force of the gauntlet. Raven grinned at the praying mantis-like orbital frame losing altitude. He zero shifted again, this time in front of her. Anubis' scimitar appeared in hand, before it brought it down in a finishing move.

Unfortunately for Raven, Yuriko antipicated the attack and with lightning speed, crossed Grafficane's blades together, and forcing the scimitar's blade off of her. She activated her burst and moved to slash at Anubis' chest with a high powered burst strike, but Anubis zero shifted again. Yuriko sighed when she saw Anubis charge energy, preparing for its own burst attack. As if I don't know that strategy. she thought. Her opponent's arms and head flew back while its wings unfurled as energy began to collect around it waste in a flash of red and white. The bolt fired out at high speed, homing in on Grafficane. That's when Yuriko decided to add Grafficane's duplication abilities to the battle. In a split second, three more Grafficane's appeared and jetted away in all directions, each firing shots into the energy bolt and neutralizing it.

Raven grumbled and locked onto all four Grafficane's, firing another barrage of homing lasers. Again, all four Grafficanes dodged the shots with ease, then turning on him, charging and firing their own 'Flame Gale' burst attacks. The shots homed in, but since one was the real thing, Anubis wasn't as badly damaged as it could've been. Raven shrugged it off and zero shifted at the nearest Grafficane, bringing his scimitar around and slicing at its head to disable it. The attack was only to pierce Grafficane's headpiece to simulate a victory, but the scimitar came clear through and the frame dissimilated. That left three more frames. Anubis backflipped from three more flame gale shots, each from a different frame. The three frames surrounded Anubis and launched their own comet shots at Anubis, forcing Raven to zero shift again, away from the trio. This time, he descended under them, letting the three chase after his frame. He smirked, all three were now in front of Anubis as it flew back. "Wisp!" Anubis complied with its runner's command. Bringing its right arm out, and launched out purple energy orbs from its arm, spiraling at the opposing orbital frame. Yuriko obviously didn't expect this one, as only one of the Grafficanes ascended to avoid the shots, and the other two decoys dissimilated as the strands pierced. Raven silently patted himself on the back, thanking himself for taking the time out of his precious life to design that subweapon. It was impractical compared to wisp, but in the case of tracking multiple targets, effective.

Grafficane continued to shoot down at Anubis, now increasing in speed. Yuriko effectively dodged all the shots fired at her by Raven, until she was right in his face, gilius claws ready to stab right through the black frame. Before she could, Anubis brought its right hand up and grabbed Grafficane by the head. Then a curious thing happened. Energy began to travel upward through the energy lines in the frame's head, exiting the body in the form of red strands and entering Anubis' hand. Yuriko struggled, but she found herself losing power. She opened a vid window to Anubis' cockpit. "What the hell are you doing?" she seethed at Raven, the com device in her mouth piece taking none of the venom from her voice.

"Absorbing your energy." Raven grinned behind his facemask, "Or didn't you know? Anubis has the ability to process data or energy through its hand into a grabbed object, in this case your frame." he explained with glee. He had to admit; even he didn't remember this ability until his memory kicked in. Originally, it was to transmit the Slave Code into the enemy body and forcibly inject it into a frame that wouldn't recognize it, but since he didn't know how to activate the code, he just used the GRAB program to drain energy and data.

"End simulation." Nadia ordered. Raven complied, disengaged the program and let Grafficane off.

"Finish her!" Esteraund chimed in with a mock-sinister voice over Nadia, before cutting into deep, maniacal laughter.

Raven grinned insanely, knowing what Esteraund meant. Anubis' scimitar appeared again and before Yuriko could react, he swatted her with the long handle, sending her into the ground. He then zero shifted in front of her and slashed across Grafficane's cockpit, severing it and grabbing it with his left open hand. "What the-?" Yuriko started, as Raven thrusted the left arm in the air in a victory pose. "Anubis wins..." he continued from Esteraund's point. "Fatality."

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"Might I ask, Mr. Legato, what the hell was that about?" Nadia glared irritantly at Esteraund, as she, Esteraund and Taine walked down the hallway to meet with Lenard Kapricon in the cafeteria. Out of the blue, the President of Nereidum Universal Technology Ltd. had requested a meeting with Colonel Velasgo, probably to check up on how the Wraiths performed and gloat at Nadia. That's why she had Taine and Esteraund accompany her.

Esteraund shrugged, "Come on, Nadia." he said brightly, "It's just a bit of fun. Haven't you ever played a fighting game before? They're very entertaining, especially after a long day at the office..." he started to trail off purposely.

"May I remind you, Mr. Legato, this is a military base, and you're a civilian." Nadia snarled, "You shoved Seargent Tanaka from his post just so you could joke with your colleague?"

"Gotta admit though." Esteraund continued to ponder, "Raven did that pretty well. Reminds me of Scorpion's fatality in Mortal Kombat Underworld, where Scorpion sticks his harpoon into his opponent's head, and..."

"You shouldn't say such brutal things in front of a woman, Esteraund. Especially when she's a Colonel." Taine said from the back of the room, "Besides, Smoke was the one who did that fatality, and that was back in Mortal Kombat III, not Underworld."

"Right, my mistake." Esteraund admitted, slapping himself in the back of the head, "Of course, that was the same game when Scorpion turned into a penguin for his Animality, but..." he began to trail off again.

"That's because Shiva turned into a scorpion." Taine explained.

Nadia sighed, "Don't get him started Taine. I'd hate to send you to the brig with him." she meant as a joke, Taine knew, but her tone of voice was still harsh in order to make Esteraund think otherwise.

"I have no intentions of carrying on such a vulgar conversation." Taine said, smirking, "With an equally vulgar man."

"Touchee." Esteraund arched an eyebrow. They approached the cafeteria. As they entered, there was Kapricon, typing away on the laptop he always carried, with a bowl of spaghetti and clam sauce next to him, plus a can of Martian beer. The laptop, as Nadia had expected, displayed blueprints for his latest and greatest orbital frame design that he was going to sell to Aegis. At least Nadia knew he was hear on business rather than to gloat about the Wraith's being successful. She signaled Esteraund and Taine to stand by the door, to which Esteraund responded by crossing his arms like a bouncer at a night club. Taine kept his hand on his gold Walther P199 at his right, and his other hand close to his UN Enforcer to his left. Esteraund didn't move to his guns, but he kept a firm glare on Kapricon all the same.

Nadia sat down in front of Kapricon, watching as he typed away at his computer, giving him a cold stare like a school teacher would if she caught a student passing letters around class. It took a few seconds for Kapricon to notice this, but when he did, he cleared his throat and smiled. "My apologies, I know it is rude to keep your guest waiting, even in their own house." he said, looking around the room, then at Taine and Esteraund, "Are you sure those two are trustworthy? I don't do business with the UNIA."

"They are the least of your worries." Nadia said, "What business do you have?"

"Still straight to the point." Kapricon sighed, silently wishing that the Colonel would at least make small talk with him before he got down to that part. But, he understood why she was like that, so he went straight to business. "It has come to my attention that you are, Colonel, a frame runner yourself."

"How does that concern you?" Nadia asked skeptically.

"It doesn't. It's a shame that someone of your talent has been reduced to being a mere combat command officer, stuck back in a base while those of minor talents go out into the field." Kapricon said in a fake saddened expression.

"I appreciate your sympathy..." Nadia said with sarcasm, "But get to the point."

Grinning, Kapricon turned his laptop to face her. As Nadia expected, they were blueprints of a new orbital frame. And as Kapricon had hinted at a few seconds ago, they were blueprints to an AlterNeith. There were plenty of changes still. For one, the armor had been increased on with a pair of narrowed shoulder guards that housed large verniers and a breast plate that was modeled off a woman's chest like the Neith prototype. She also noticed the usual triple binder assembly had been removed and replaced with a pair of wing binders that opened and revealed a line of thrusters. There were several points around the frame that housed thruster assemblies, meaning the frame was built around speed and power over everything else. Armaments remained with the Neith's arm blades, but there were probably some energy manipulators in the arms and wings. Overall, the stats were impressive, but Nadia kept her guard up.

"Meet Athena." Kapricon said with pride, "The latest Type B incarnation of Neith."

"Beautiful..." Nadia heard from her side. Esteraund had come over when she was not looking, staring at the frame with a dropped draw. His eyes were fixated on the frame's chest. Nadia pushed him away out of annoyance. Then a thought came into Nadia's mind, which made her grin. "I'm starting to notice that whatever frame you sell to us, it's just some upgraded version of a previous model. Anubis, Wraith, now Athena... See a pattern?"

Kapricon frowned, "You forget, I was the one that invented the Type C Orbital Frame in the first place. And for Athena here, I designed Neith a long time ago, so why can't I modify my own design?" he sighed, recalling those days, "Lieutenant Viola was the only one that ever showed appreciation for the Type C frame. Everyone in BAHRAM valued the unmanned Type D models and the Type A units to relay commands, much like what VANGUARD seems to be doing, but only she and Ridley Hardimaan showed any appreciation to my beloved Neith. If only the UNSF were the same way..."

"Hey, don't get me wrong man, I like my Raijin." Esteraund said.

"But I don't believe that frame was designed by NUT or myself..." Kapricon said, "Now that I think about it, it was..."

"But it's based on the design of the original Neith, except more masculine." Esteraund cut him off, as if he said too much. He gave a thumbs up after the sentence.

"True, true." Kapricon nodded, "At least some people have some appreciation of fine art..."

Nadia grumbled, stopping the two. "How much do you want for this frame?"

Kapricon shook his head, "I don't want anything. This is my gift to your organization for its faith in NUT Ltd. However, there is a condition."

"That is?"

"I want you to use the frame." Kapricon grinned, "After all, it is made in the form of a Goddess, and it wouldn't look right if one of your regular runners used it."

Nadia continued to read the blueprints as he said those words, giving Kapricon much satisfaction. He could tell she was interested in it, even if she didn't admit it.

"Athena, eh? That statistics are very impressive, and I could use something besides a Wraith." Nadia said with a little bitterness, recalling her encounter with Psycho Vulture and his Leviathan. This frame would stand more of a chance against such a lunatic, and combined with her skills as a runner... "I'll take it."

"Excellent. My engineering team will begin modifications immediately. That is, if you provide an AlterNeith."

"But, you just gained permission to make a prototype."

Kapricon's grin increased, "It is our business at NUT to be prepared for anything, Colonel. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will be in your engineering bay." he closed the laptop and walked out of the room. Nadia stood up, and that very moment, Esteraund moved back next to her.

"I think it's fitting." Esteraund exclaimed, "A frame fit for a Goddess, given to a Goddess."

Nadia raised an eyebrow at him, "Is there something I should know about, Mr. Legato? I'm sure Lieutenant Faroh could help you with whatever problem you have..."

Esteraund straightened himself out at her words, his hands appearing to move at her sides. "Maybe you're right." he said, looking up in the air, "Maybe I do have a problem..." Nadia blushed intensely, as she felt his hand move down her back and onto her butt, starting to rub it with enthusiasm. As she always handled such 'situations' with Mr. Legato, she elbowed him in the gut, and he hunched over, gasping for air.

"Oh, I think just fixed your problem, Mr. Legato." she grinned dominantly, "But you may want to check into Lt. Faroh all the same." she said, walking out of the room.

Esteraund sighed, and got up. Despite his muscular structure, the woman had alot of stregnth to her. And that turned him on even more. "Pain, oh sweet pain." he murmered with a psychotic grin.

"Oh, I see." Taine observed, "She's not your type, Esteraund, trust me. You'll be dead before you could get that close to her again."

"Hey, one can try." he shrugged, reaching his hands into his pockets, "You up for the arcade?"

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It had taken Raven five minutes to strip out of his jumpsuit and back into his 'comfortable' Aegis uniform. At least, it was a lot more comfortable than the BAHRAM jumpsuit that the UNSF employed could ever be. After he changed, he walked into the base's shooting gallery, where Xander had requested his presence. It was kind of creepy to Raven that this guy was showing a bizarre interest in him, but as long as he didn't try hitting on him, he didn't complain. He stood across the room, holding a handbag which was slung over his shoulder and next to his left hip. Raven gulped as the blonde haired man took out a UN Enforcer, loading a clip of .45 rounds into the handle. "Don't tell me you want a gun battle now…" Raven taunted as he usually did.

Xander sighed and held out the gun, "How good are you with a handgun? Judging from what I've seen so far, you're rusty."

"I've been trained to use a handgun since I was five." Raven justified.

"Really?" Xander replied, "Then hold this for me." he said, taking the safety off the Enforcer and tossed it in Raven's hands. Naturally, Raven lunged for the firearm, grabbing it with both hands. But, like before, his shaking made him unable to hold it, and it dropped to the floor. Luckily, it didn't fire. "Why are you afraid of guns so much?"

"Pardon." Raven grunted.

"You're sweating and your hands are shaking." Xander observed, "That usually means you're afraid of something."

"And what about it?" Raven growled.

"Well, you can use a scimitar and severe limbs, but you're afraid to fire a gun?" Xander shook her head in disappointment. "You're in the UNSF now. And with the current situation, I think you're better off with a gun than your scimitar and fists."

"I'm fine with my scimitar." Raven growled again, turning around to leave.

Xander ran around him and stopped him by wrapping his arm around his neck and slipping a combat knife there. The action surprised Raven a little, but he kept his composure at Xander's narrowed, serious expression. For whatever reason, his apparent comrade was giving off a more threatening aura than usual. "If you haven't noticed at the movie theater, people don't use staves, swords and bows in this day and age, except those with Elemental abilities like you and me. It's either the gun or your fist, and you won't last long with your fists."

"Why should you care?"

Xander let go and slipped the knife back into his pocket, eyes still narrowed, “Let's just say you are a true magician, one who doesn't abuse magic like others do. I too, am a magician, so in a way we're like brothers…” he continued, “We have to look out for each other. Now please, move back to the shooting gallery.”

Raven sighed and did as he was told. He found himself a target and stood there, waiting for whatever else Yuriko would order. Before she said anything else, Yuriko reached down into the handbag and pulled out a pair of seethed handguns. Raven expected them to be the standard issue UN Enforcers the UNSF used, but instead, they were slightly larger and longer. Much more, it was a revolver, obviously made after the centuries Colt Anaconda. She placed one of the guns onto the floor and withdrew the other one from its seath. "This is a Colt Anaconda M2176, the latest and greatest gun used by the higher ranks." she explained, "However, some of us at Taskforce Aegis are allowed to use them."

"A revolver?" Raven exclaimed.

"According to Esteraund, you bend your elbow after shooting to absorb the recoil. That's more of a revolver technique. You should be grateful, these things are a lot better than the UN Enforcer that's standard issue." Xander continued, "For one, it's double action, making it easier for rapid fire. Another is the lightweight trigger here." she pointed to the guns trigger mechanism, "So it's easier to fire, even with a heavy round like the .45. Another is the automatic safety, so if you drop it, it won't fire. Like the UN Enforcer..."

Raven blinked at Xander after that comment, realizing he had lunged for the gun for no reason. The bastard knew I was going to do it, damn him.

Xander twirled the gun and grabbed it by the barrel mid-twirl, flipping it around and handing it to Raven. Raven reluctantly took the gun, his hand immediately shaking when he touched the handgrip. She then pressed a button on the side of the wall, and the target began to move in a circular pattern. "Now, if you would shoot that gun..." Xander said, point at the target at the other side of the shooting gallery. Raven sighed and stood in a testing position, in which he had both of his legs spread apart and both his hands on the handgrip. He looked straight ahead at the target, trying to ignore the fact he was holding a gun, but his hands wouldn't stop shaking. A few seconds past and he popped a shot that barely nicked the side of the simulated human body sketched on the target.

Raven grumbled, his poor marksmanship showing. Even with the red fingerless gloves he wore, he still had a hard time with the gun. Xander took note of this, and to Raven's surprise, he laughed. Raven tried firing again, but once more, he didn't hit the mark. “So I'm not the best marksman in the world, big deal!” he snarled at Xander.

”No, what's funny is you're the one holding yourself back.” Xander replied.

”What-?” Raven asked.

”You know how to hold the gun, and you're not afraid of the recoil. However, you don't concentrate upon firing, which is why you miss the target.” Xander said, in an all-knowing tone. This perplexed Raven a little, he was his age, and yet Xander seemed to speak out of years, perhaps decades of experience and knowledge.

"Forget the gun." he said, "Just look forward and see your target. If you focus entirely on your target, your mind will forget about the gun and it will work as instinct."

Raven's eyes narrowed as he stared right at the target paper. His grip on the revolver increased. "You must let the world fade around you." Xander said, "Time has no bearing here; the whole world outside your vision doesn't exist. Only two things exist here you and the target." Raven continued to gaze. His words seemed to echo around his mind, and the room seem to become darker. It was like he could no longer see the gallery; neither could he hear anything else above her words. The same relaxed feeling he had when Anubis healed itself began to overcome him again, when he was calm. From the back of his mind, he calculated when he his mark would be true, the target continuing to circle around like most of the fighters he had encountered would, as if it were trying to find some sign of weakness to strike at.

However, Raven wouldn't let it have that chance. He pulled the trigger twice, the last shot being a double shot. All three bullets landed true in the head of the silhouette, one of which was right between where the eyes would've been. Seeing this, his mind reverted back to reality and his hands shook again, dropping the gun on the floor.

Xander didn't say anything. No critism or sarcasm like Yuriko or Sage would make, he merely nodded like a teacher after seeing her student achieve something. He could see it wasn't fear of pulling the trigger or the fear of killing another human, as he fired shots into the head while most people usually go for the torso to disable. It had to do with something in the past, some point where Raven's sub-conscious would jump at the sight of a gun when the rest of his mind wouldn't. "Impressive." Xander said, smirking.

”How did you do that?” Raven asked.

”You had the skills to begin with; they just lied dormant inside of you.” Xander explained, “I won't ask why they were dormant, but I imagine it has to do with your past…”

”Eh?” Raven asked, confused.

”I've seen you fight, Raven. You have skill and finesse, but your somewhat relentless, like a man not afraid of death. Or perhaps, someone who wishes for death…” Xander said.

Raven sighed, looking down at the gun. “Let's just say I did something terrible a long time ago, something that I've tried to forget and forgive myself, but I know I never will. It's something I wonder if God would even forgive me for…”

Xander showed no expression, but for some reason, he knew what Raven was talking about. “Is that why you push yourself so hard? Forgiveness?”

”No, I push myself hard because in a way, yeah… I do wish I were dead.” Raven explained, “But at the same time, I want to survive so that one day, perhaps I can be forgiven for what I've done…”

Xander laughed a little at that, “In other words, you know you have a purpose, and you wish to serve it, but at the same time, you still are not afraid if death claimed you…?” he said, “That's certainly different than the average human being, whose afraid of death because it takes them away from all they own in this world…”

”I like to think of it in Egyptian terms.” Raven said, “Death isn't the end, but the beginning of something better. Not that you'd understand…”

”Actually, I can relate.” Xander grinned, “More than you know.” Before Raven could say anything else, he turned and walked out the door, “Keep practicing.” He told him, before leaving.

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The Vic Viper dove under Anubis at high speed, firing another gauntlet shot that sent the Nemesis orbital frame into a nearby crevasse. This was followed by a combo barrage of missiles and gauntlet shots from the Vic Viper and its options. Anubis, of course, as it usually did, teleported and appeared in front of the Vic Viper, lance armed. Immediately, the Vic Viper backed away and transformed into its humanoid form, arm blades readied, dashing right into Anubis. The LEV tackled the supposedly superior orbital frame, its arm blades impaled into the Nemesis's torso. A combination of slashes and cuts to the 'belly' came forth, as the Vic Viper scraped and slashed through the enemy frame's armor, revealing the red glow of its anti-proton reactor. Anubis swatted the LEV away with its lance and zero shifted away, charging energy and firing a homing burst.

However, the Vic Viper didn't roll over. Transforming into its fighter mode again, it jetted into the air performing a barrel roll, flying past the homing shot and banking. The shot followed, and the Vic Viper began to circle around the Nemesis frame, firing off a combination of ripple and straight lasers, as well as missile shots here and there. No matter how close the homing shot came, the Vic Viper out maneuvered it, and eventually, it dissimilated. That's when the Vic Viper pilot took the opportunity to transform again and fire a gauntlet shot in the large tear in Anubis' armor. The shot ripped through and hit the Anti-Proton Reactor, engulfing the orbital frame in a simulated explosion. The last thing Commander Leo Stenbuck saw was a flash of white light that covered the entire borderline of Margartifer. "Simulation complete." ADA confirmed, "The Vic Viper has suffered only 6 of damage to the armor. Overall, impressive Leo."

"Still not as good as Dingo Egret I suppose." Leo frowned.

"I have compared your current performance to that of Dingo Egret. By my estimation, you have a 40 superiority level." ADA said, probably out of a will to reassure.

Leo chuckled as he exitted the mock pit, still clad in a blue and grey VANGUARD uniform. "That will be all today, ADA."

"Yes sir." ADA said, transmitting herself out of the mockpit and back into Jehuty.

The Atlantis' hangar bay wasn't as busy as it usually was, with techs usually surrounding Jehuty and Ifrit, the two sole orbital frames on the entire ship. Though a small force compared to VANGUARD's massive armada, they had come a long way from the carrier sent to Antilia to retrieve Jehuty and Anubis. Before VANGUARD came along, the Atlantis was badly damaged from various encounters with the UNSF and other factions a like, only having Jehuty and a few captured Raptors for defensive measure. There was always the smell of death in the air that the next moment could be the ship and crew's last. Still, it was the only safe haven Leo could find with Celvice. He'd never forget what happened two years ago.

After Elena objected to UNSF High Command's decision to reoccupy Mars, an assassination was carried out by General Paul De Franz on her and everyone she was linked to, including Leo, Dingo and Ken. He was part of East Wind at the time, and he could rely on Dingo and Ken for support, so he wasn't afraid of being hunted, but he overlooked one factor: the man hunting them was a real psycho. De Franz was a UNSF officer that had ascended to the ranks because of his creative uses of genocide, and East Wind was to be his next assignment. However, instead of focusing on Elena, Dingo and Ken, the man saw Leo as the real threat and focused his entire attention him. After all, Leo was still a Commander in the UNSF at the time, so naturally he was a greater threat than former BAHRAM officers like Dingo and Ken. Ever since that point, Leo's life had been a living hell. The Atlantis was constantly being attacked by Space Force units and fleets, hunted like a wounded animal leaking blood.

Although at that point, Garrett Shatner had offered his services to Elena with his orbital frame Ifrit, they were still just one ship on Mars with a big bounty on it. Not even VANGUARD protect them with the support, until now. That was when General Browning of VANGUARD recalled a favor Elena owed him a long time ago, after he had his organization refit his Jehuty, Ken's Ardjet and Dingo's Durandal. He'd strengthen the Atlantis on the condition that Elena follow the orders of General Wilhelm.

Now here he was. He was against the decision of joining the ranks of Wilhelm, but because the Atlantis was the last safe haven he, Elena and Celvice could have, he went along with it. In return, VANGUARD refitted their ship into the assault cruiser it was designed to be, put many soldiers, technicians, engineers and officers under Vice Admiral Weinburg's command, and giving them all the supplies they needed, increasing their combat strength.

His thoughts were interrupted when his eyes met that of Garrett Shatner, who was leaning against the side of one of the mockpits. His eyes were narrowed, similar to that of a glare. Leo sighed, the guy was always like that. After a few moments, Garrett turned away and walked to the opposite end of the corridor, as Leo expected. Despite being a fellow OF runner, Leo had never bothered to get close to Garrett, his own anti-social nature still in effect. Life wasn't the same without Dingo, Ken, Angie or the rest of the Einherjar resistance group. He even missed the guys from the Entropy...

"6, eh? Not bad, maybe I shouldn't worry about you after all." said a voice that made Leo jump.

Leo turned ninety degrees to face his wife, Celvice, standing behind him with her arms crossed and an amused grin on her face. "That was only a computer simulation, Celvice!" Leo justified, almost stuttering, "The real thing is a lot more deadlier."

"If you allow me to interrupt, that simulation was based upon data from the current Anubis and its runner as well as the previous model." ADA interrupted, re-appearing in the mockpit.

"But it's still a computer, ADA." Leo argued back.

Celvice chuckled. She really enjoyed doing that to Leo, since she was the only one that could do it. Even though he was a warrior and a frame runner who had seen a lot of conflict in his lifetime, she was still the only one that could sneak up on him and throw him off balance. She patted him on the shoulder, "It's alright Leo, I was only joking. If it weren't for ADA looking over you out there, I wouldn't let you out of my sight."

"Right..." Leo rolled his eyes, earning a giggle from Celvice. In return, that brought a smile to his face, considering the hell they had been through for the last few year.

The first thing De Franz did was send a death order out for Celvice, who was still on Antilia in the year 2177, bringing a squadron of Phantomas to kill her. Leo would never forget that day, when he rushed to Antilia in the fully refitted Jehuty, no other thought in his mind but to save Celvice. He was successful, but now they were on the run. There was no way Celvice could take residency back on Antilia, and although he had temporarily linked back up with Dingo, internal conflict had set them apart. That's when he returned to the Atlantis.

Against every part of his greater judgment, Leo requested that she remain on the Atlantis with him as the ship's communications officer. And his wife. He smiled at the memory of their wedding in the Atlantis' chapel. Even Dingo and Ken, and the other Einherjar members had managed to join the celebrations before they headed to Earth. That was the last time he saw them, and he was thankful that it was during a happier time. In a way, it was both the worst moment of his life and the best moment of his life. He wished she were in a safer place, but deep down in side, he didn't want her to leave their new home. Not until all the fighting stopped anyway.

That's when another familiar face came up. Vice Admiral Elena Weinburg walked up the couple, looking over Leo's face with a grin of her own. "You know, it's nice seeing you with a smile once in a while, Commander. Especially in times like these" she commented.

"I'll take that as a complement, Admiral." Leo shot back, calling her by rank just as she did, but more towards a joke than following protocol.

Elena turned to Celvice, her smile coming down a little, "I'm sorry, Celvice, but I'm going to have to borrow your husband for a while. Something's come up."

"It's alright E... Uh, Vice Admiral." Celvice corrected herself, "I was going to the galley to make dinner. With your permission I mean."

Elena held back a laugh, "Neither of you have to call me Vice Admiral, we're not part of the UNSF anymore, remember?"

"Then why did you use my rank." Leo asked.

"It was a joke, but that's not important now." Elena said, "Now, if you'll accompany me, Commander."

Leo sighed. He really had hoped to spend some time with Celvice, but there were still some things to do apparently. Celvice patted him on the shoulder, physically telling him 'see you later' and moved past, heading for the nearest exit. Leo didn't wait to see her off, he followed Elena out of the hangar bay, and after walking through the ship's decks, they finally made it to the strategy room. It was a small, narrowed room just under the bridge, with only a conference table, a line of chairs and a view screen at the other end of the room, which displayed the black, inky depths of space and the stars flying past as the ship moved. In the middle of the table was a 3-D holoprojector, currently de-activated, used to plan operations. Locking the door and both taking seats, Elena fished out a remote control and aimed it at the holoprojector. It displayed a cube, each side displaying a gridline map of Margaritifer County.

"You know about Wilhelm's latest plan I presume." Elena said, with little enthusiasm.

"Yeah, the invasion at the UNSF capital of Artemis, Margaritifer." Leo said, "I have the basic details. I know it's going to be a major offensive, but I don't know what we're going to be doing there."

"Leo, are you familiar with the Trojan Horse?" Elena asked.

"Yeah, my Dad used to tell it to me all the time when I was kid. Back on Earth of course." Leo said.

"Good. Because that's exactly what this plan calls for, but more in a divide and conquer form." Elena explained, as course lines appeared on the maps, "Wilhelm's planning on unloading all of Olympus Mons' orbital frame forces into one final match strike to set Mars on fire. The force is roughly a couple thousand Raptor forces, plus Volkovo's Zakats and of course, Jehuty and Ifrit." she explained, "The plan is, basically, while the Raptors distract the UNSF forces, you and Garrett will sneak into Margaritifer with Jehuty and Ifrit. Of course, you'll have to wait a little bit for their forces to focus entirely on the frames outside the dome, but that shouldn't be a problem with you."

"Of course." Leo said, "The problem is, what my objectives are."

"They haven't disclosed that to us yet. You'll be given your objectives once we return to Olympus Mons, before Operation Crusader is launched." Elena said.

"Then why did you need to see me?" Leo asked. Usually, he'd be irritated at anyone who had called on him just to tell stuff he didn't need to know or already knew, but this was Elena. She knew not to waste his time.

"Because..." Elena began, a little hesitant, "At the first sign of trouble, I want you to withdraw your forces and head back to the Atlantis."

"Why?" Leo asked, curious. "There shouldn't be any trouble on this one."

"Just between the two of us, I don't believe Wilhelm knows what he's doing. Either that, or he's not telling us something." Elena said, "An invasion of Margaritifer would open a gateway to Deimos, and if it goes over well, inspire more resistance against the Space Force, but that's it. It won't relieve Mars of the Terran presence like he claims."

"...So either way, you don't trust him." Leo concluded.

"Yeah." Elena said, "But, there is another reason behind this..."

"You're not referring to Anubis, are you?"

"I am." Elena said, "NUT wouldn't waste their resources just to make a poor clone."

"That's all it is, though. A poor clone." Leo justified.

"But you said it resonated with Jehuty before you fought it." Elena said, stopping him, "And you also said the thing has the capability to heal itself at a phenomenal rate. I'm not an expert on orbital frames, but that shouldn't happen if it's only a duplication."

"Don't tell me you believe that thing is the real deal." Leo said, "That it's Ridley Hardimaan's ghost return from the dead like the rumors claim." he put his hand on the table, "I fought that thing, Elena. Even if it was the original, its runner is merely a novice."

"I remember you also being a novice when you got into Jehuty for the first time. When you destroyed three Type A orbital frames, the Neith prototype and god knows how many Raptors." Elena said out of concern.

Leo stopped again. He forgot about that part. "You think Raven Vostrikov has the same potential?"

"General Taggart seems to think so." Elena explained. "Or did you miss the Aegis patch on the frame's left arm?"

"No, I recognized it." Leo sighed, "And I was hoping it was a fake insignia until I saw Legato's frame and what it did to Ifrit. Still..." he looked up, "If something does happen at Margaritifer, none of us will stay to see it."

"Good." Elena nodded, "Oh and another thing. The UNSF is on high alert, so we can't launch the invasion right off. Yes, I still need you to check on our targets, but I want you and Celvice to have fun while you're at it."

"I appreciate it Elena." Leo said, and though he tried to hold it back, a small grin crept onto the side of his face.

"I knew you'd like that." Elena returned the grin, "Now, I believe your wife was making dinner again..."

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BANG BANG BANG. More shots echoed around the shooting gallery as Raven continued to fire round after round from his Anaconda. The .45 shots made a large bang, but the recoil of the guns weren't as bad as he thought. For revolvers anyway, the recoil was still a lot for him to absorb. He had now assumed a combat pose, turning his body to the side and aiming the gun with one hand like in some gentlemen's duel. When the first gun ran out of bullets, he turned and fired the second, shooting more holes into the target body. Inside, he felt very relieved. Whatever Yuriko had done, he was able to hold a gun again. Though he was in no way a sharpshooter like she and Esteraund were, he could atleast improve his skill over time. He stopped firing for a moment, deciding to reload the first gun with another clip.

"Finally." Mirielle Faroh said, entering the room, "I was waiting for you to stop shooting."

"I'm sorry, just it's been a while since I've shot a gun." he replied, "Spears are nice, but it's a good feeling to have one of these in your hand after such a long time." he looked over the Anaconda's black and silver frame, smiling at how it looked similar to a Colt Single Action Army.

"I know." Mirielle said, taking the gun out of his hand, "If I may..."

Raven didn't object, so she let out a shot, making a perfect bullseye. Raven's jaw almost dropped. Exactly, what was this girl pretending to be a medical officer and his housekeeper?

"Nice accuracy for a .45 caliber. They usually lose velocity and dip a little after a couple meters, but the Anaconda has enough power behind it to keep the bullet from dipping. And the six inch barrel is a clever touch to." she explained, smiling, "No wonder revolvers are still alive in this day and age..."

"How do you know about guns...?" Raven questioned.

Mirielle giggled, "I don't look like the type, do I?"

"No." Raven agreed.

Mirielle bit her lip, trying to find a way to explain, "It's a tradition in my country. In World War II, those who carry guns can still die in the hands of those they love, so woman were trained to use guns as well as men. My family believed in those words."

"'Believed?'" Raven asked, "You lost them?"

"I don't know." Mirielle shrugged, a little depressed at the thought, "I lost contact with them a long time ago. The last person I talked to in years was my uncle, and that was before I came to Mars. We went on hunting for pheasant back on the last day I was on Earth. He even brought his old M1 Garand for the occasion." she sighed, recalling the memories. "Makes me wish I were closer to him..."

"Will it hurt if I say 'I know the feeling'?" Raven asked.

"No, of course not. Misery loves company after all." Mirielle replied, "But I shouldn't be anything compared to you, with your father disappearing recently and all."

"I was never that close to him." Raven said, "To tell the truth, I always got the feeling he was afraid of me for some reason. Probably because of my power, probably because of my past I don't know." He looked at his arm, and felt purple energy lines run down it.

"Did he try to be close, despite that?" Mirielle asked.

"Sometimes. He was a nice guy, one the few people who treated me as a human being." he said, “Even though he's the guy that named me `Raven'…”

”What difference does that make?”

Raven took in a breath before he continued, “My original name was Adamsky, but my Dad changed it to Raven after Edgar Allen Poe's poem, about the bird that came to claim his soul. That was pretty much the relationship we had, I was the bird that came into his house, and he was the man that was afraid of it. The name's stuck on me ever since…”

"I can only imagine." Mirielle said, "But, cheer up, Raven, you're in Aegis now. These Terrans have a good reputation when it comes to looking out for each other, no matter the nationality."

Raven chuckled, "You don't believe that shit Garrett Links said a while ago. About Mars and Earth dropping arms and accepting each other, do you?"

Mirielle frowned, "I wish I could, but neither the Parliament or High Command are looking into peace right now. Not because they're at war, but because both sides resent each other's races. Such useless, barbaric people they are..." she made a soft smile, "But, who am I to say that? I come from one of the most racist and traditionalist nations on Earth."

"We both do." Raven said, making his voice deeper so he could show the Russian accent from his father's side, "You shouldn't dwell on that. So your own countrymen were 'gits'. Big deal. I come from the country that was run by men like Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. I don't regret any of it."

"I guess you're right." Mirielle said, feeling a little uplifted. This brought a smile to Raven's face, to which she blushed lightly. "You know, you're cute when you smile."

"What?" Raven said, trying to straighten his grim depression out again.

"I mean it." Mirielle said, "With all the depression either of us have been through, a smile is very relieving."

"Why is that?" Raven asked.

"Because..." Mirielle said seriously, "It means you're still human."

Human...? Raven thought. He was labled under many, many things, but 'human' wasn't one of them. Atleast, not the way she was referring. Usually, he hated it when people called him 'human', because it was usually referred as a form of inferiority, comparing him to the usual scum found in Nereidum and around Mars. Deep down, after all he had seen, he knew her version of the title could never apply, but just hearing her say it made him feel better inside. About his past and his present. Was this what inner peace was? Was the feeling he felt inside himself, the one that felt comforting, his own calm? Or was it something else...

"Hello." Mirielle said, waving her hand over his face, "Didn't I tell you people would..." she stopped in mid-sentence as his dark eyes turned to look into her own. Just by that very action, her breath became weighted and heavy, and her eyes were fixated into his own. His dark eyes didn't betray all the sadness he had felt on Mars, but for the first time since she had seen him, he looked soft and relaxed. And caring. As she stared deeper into his eyes, she could see small hints of violet in his pupils, like tiny quartz covered by black veil. She was fixated on those green specks, a feeling of wonder and bewilderment coming over her. However, she had returned to her sense before he did, and realized they were beginning to drift closer. A thick red came over his face. At that sight, Raven also came back to reality, and they both turned opposite directions.

"Ah, maybe..." Mirielle began.

"Yeah..." Raven concluded.

"I'll see you later, Lieutenant Vostrikov." Mirielle said, putting her hands in the pockets of her lab coat and walking out the door.

"Yeah...later..." Raven muttered. He seathed his guns and placed them on his right hip and under his scimitar. He didn't feel like firing guns now, he just wanted to get back to his room and fire up the Playstation 3000. He had a lot of catching up to do on the recently re-released Metal Gear Solid 4.

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TO BE CONTINUED...