by C. S. Harte
“What?” Meomi ran to her side.
“The hand…” She pointed to it squirming on the ground. “It moved! Is that a Mimic?”
“If that were a Mimic, you would know.” Meomi kicked it away. “Let’s keep going.” She checked her mini-map. “We should be close to the team. 300 meters.”
They continued through the piles of disassembled robotic parts.
“I get the feeling the workers left in a hurry,” Roni said.
“Agreed. You would think a bankrupt company would try to sell off its remaining assets.” Meomi’s gut spoke again, telling her to turn around. “Something isn’t right.”
A disembodied pair of arms grabbed onto Roni’s ankle, pulling her to the ground.
“Help!” Roni screamed as the arms dragged her away.
Two red dots suddenly appeared on Meomi’s mini-map. Behind her. She spun around to see two Reapers shape-shifting from scrap droid parts. Before they finished their transformation, Meomi fired her Goobuster weapon at them.
Two shots, two kills.
The Mimics immediately lost their cohesion, pooling to the ground and remaining still as a black puddle of ooze.
“Roni!” Meomi shouted. “Where are you?” Roni’s transponder wasn’t registering on her mini-map. She sprinted in the direction the arms dragged the Entrent.
More red dots popped up on her mini-map.
Three.
Six.
Twelve.
Mimics flooded the room.
Meomi fired shot after shot while running away from the dots, making sure to never stand still.
Their numbers kept growing, multiplying at an alarming rate. The ones closest to Meomi launched themselves at her, slowing her down.
Through her HUD, Meomi saw her ammo count dwindling. She couldn’t kill them all.
One Reaper latched onto Meomi’s back. It viciously tried to stab through her Tempest suit.
The new Tempest armor withstood the assault. “Get off!” Meomi yelled, trying to pry loose her unwanted passenger before more Reapers swarmed her.
Too late.
Dozens more pounced on top of Meomi. She was smothered with Reapers. Their coiling tendrils cocooned themselves around her, suffocating her.
In the distance, Meomi noticed a massive Reaper, the size of a Drothee bull, slowly slithering over to her. “No... Not again...”
Crush warnings popped on her HUD.
The massive Reaper hovered over Meomi. It lowered its head-like limb over her visor, gazing into her eyes, antagonizing her.
Meomi waited for her skin to itch or some Aorgarian technological magic to save her once more. Precious seconds ticked by without any miracles. Rage swelled within Meomi. “If you’re going to kill me, just do it so I won’t have to look at your ugly face anymore!”
6
Suit integrity dropped to 54%.
Dozens of Reapers pounded against Meomi’s armor with their hammer-shaped pseudo limbs. The largest Mimic locked eyes on her with a taunting stare. Jet black ooze dripped from its mouth. Each drop merged with the writhing masses beating, crashing against their prey.
Warning messages flooded Meomi’s HUD.
Suit integrity plummeted to 32%.
Time was running out. Meomi disabled the Tempest audible alerts. The computer voice was somehow more insufferable than the constant pounding. At least the migraines went away. Meomi let out a hearty laugh. All it took for the headaches to disappear was a gang of Mimics drumming away at her face.
Suit integrity at 14%.
Breech imminent.
Ejection recommended.
A stark realization settled in Meomi’s mind. She could really die this time. No more Aorgarian miracle to save the day. Every muscle in her body relaxed. Exhaustion seeped into the marrow of her bone. Meomi was done. Done fighting. Done trying to live.
Mimics continued to wail at her Tempest suit, but the force of their blows no longer registered against her consciousness. Every ounce of rage poured out of her body along with all emotions and feelings. Emptiness pervaded. Meomi was numb to the world. No pain. No sorrow. No regrets. Her lungs released a long, held-in breath that seemed to have expired long ago. With the exhalation, her transformation to an empty shell of a human was complete.
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the ground, violent enough to shake and distort her visor camera.
Three more blasts followed in rapid succession.
Blue pulses of light traced through the air above Meomi, chased by wispy beams of white.
Every Reaper released their grip on Meomi. The giant Mimic taunting her earlier shattered into thousands of pieces. Slivers of thick, dark ooze rained over her. The surviving Reapers scampered away, finding shelter in holes in the ground and walls. One by one, red dots quickly disappeared from the mini-map.
“Captain Hana!” someone yelled.
“Rayfin?” Meomi blinked her eyes in disbelief.
“What did I say, Captain Barick… She’s a survivor!” Rayfin said while crouching over his former commander.
A second person wearing a yellow and white Obscura suit stood over Meomi. “Alyana Harrow.” She offered her hand and helped Meomi up. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard great things about you, Captain. Mainly because Rayfin won’t shut up about the ‘Great Captain Hana.’” Alyana used her hands to help wipe the sludge from Meomi’s visor. “I don’t suppose you know if his mouth has an off switch, do you?”
Meomi starred at Alyana with a dazed look. “Um…”
“You OK there, Captain Hana?” Alyana checked Meomi’s suit for breaches.
Death was a mere fingertip away from reaching Meomi. It had been chasing her ever since Gosi Prime, trying to settle an unpaid debt. For some miraculous reason, Meomi continued to elude its grasp.
“Hey! Captain Hana!” Alyana tapped Meomi’s helmet. “Do you need medical attention?”
“No… No…” Meomi waved her off. “I’m fine now. Thank you. And I’ve known Rayfin for over two years. You haven’t seen him when he’s really annoying.”
“Hey!” Rayfin’s face soured but quickly recovered. “I’m a delight to be around. Some would say an absolute treat!” He beamed a smile at Meomi. “You know what? This is a great day! Rayfin and Captain Hana back in action again, killing Mimics, saving the universe. Everything is as it should be.”
“Does he often refer to himself in third-person?” Alyana asked.
“That’s new to me.” Meomi shrugged. “Might want to check him for Mimic mind control.”
“If you guys don’t mind,” Jonas stepped into the conversation circle. “I would like to clear this room of Mimics.”
“Yes, Sir!” Alyana and Rayfin broke off to scan for Mimics.
“We’ll have a med team look at you when we get back,” Jonas said to Meomi. “Are you able to hold a gun and pull a trigger?”
Meomi nodded.
“Good. Then find something to shoot at.” Jonas handed Meomi a Goobuster.
“Wait…” Her eyes widened. “Roni… She’s missing. A couple of Reapers dragged her off somewhere.”
“Roni!” Jonas bared his teeth at Meomi. “Why didn’t you force her to go back with the engineers? Why did you let her stay when you were her only armed escort?”
“I…” It was another mistake. She had a feeling something bad would happen, and yet she allowed Roni to stay. She allowed Roni to convince her otherwise. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Jonas’ voice raised an octave. “I can’t believe I let you come…” He slammed his jaw shut. “I knew it was a mistake… No. We don’t have time for this.” Jonas’ eyes darted rapidly in his visor. “I don’t see her suit’s transponder.”
“They took her east.” Meomi pointed with her gun. “I’m sure of it.”
Jonas switched to squad comm. “Dragon Company. Change of priorities. One of our own is missing. Roni. We need to find her before our ride comes.” He turned to Meomi. “Captain Hana, you’re
with me.”
They broke into a grid by grid search for Roni. Falcon Company was due to arrive in 10 minutes. Their orders were to extract only. Jonas would have to convince them to help with the search.
“This is the most quiet I've had since Rayfin joined Dragon Company,” Alyana said.
“Don’t you worry, you’ll get plenty of me later!” Rayfin retorted.
“I have no idea what you mean by that, and I hope not!”
“Are we done clearing this warehouse?” Jonas said with an edge. “We must be if we’re joking around.”
“Jeez, Jonas.” Alyana scoffed. “You’re in a mood today.”
Jonas sighed. “What else can go wrong…” He looked at Meomi. “Falcon Company should be here any moment. We’re rendezvousing with them at East Gate,” Jonas said. “I’ll see about getting them to help us find Roni. This place is too big. We’ll need more people for a search and rescue.”
The team made their way to East Gate, being extra cautious as they passed by the piles of droid parts.
“I don’t understand where these Mimics are coming from,” Alyana said. “The shield never actually went down.”
“I don’t know either, Lieutenant,” Jonas said. “It’s also odd they ignored us and went straight for Captain Hana and Roni even though we’ve been here longer.”
“What are you saying, Captain?” Rayfin asked.
“He’s implying that I’m some sort of magnet for Mimics because, well…” Meomi shrugged. “Let’s face it, I kind of have been.”
“I read your file, Captain,” Jonas said. “You have alien tech embedded in your body.”
“But the good kind!” Rayfin quickly interjected. “It helped save the 5th Navy…”
“Let me be clear about something.” Jonas stood toe to toe with Meomi. “If I get one tiny sense, one tiny inkling, that you could be a traitor, I will end you without hesitation.”
“Captain!” Rayfin shouted.
“Jonas!” Alyana said with spite.
Meomi narrowed her eyes at Jonas. She didn’t choose any of this. She didn’t want to be embedded with alien tech, to no longer feel like herself or to sometimes lose control of her body. She didn’t choose for Roni to come and would have gladly switched places with her. Jonas never said the word traitor but he might as well have. He, better than anyone, should understand what it was like to be falsely accused of something. Still, the idea she could lose control was a constant concern. There had been times when the Aorgarian tech controlled her and not the other way around.
She looked down to see her hands curled into fists. Meomi walked away from Jonas. “It’s fine. Falcon Company should be here soon.”
The team made it back to the East Gate just as Falcon Company landed with their transport shuttle.
Major Raphael Lien exited first, wearing the same Mark V Tempest suit as Meomi. “Where is Captain Barick?” he asked Alyana.
“Right here,” Jonas said. “Glad you made it to the party.” He saluted.
“Good to see you still alive, Captain.” Lien returned the salute. “What’s the sitrep?”
“We neutralized a few dozen Mimic Reapers in the West Campus,” Jonas said. “No idea how they’re making it through the shields. There’s a leak somewhere, and we need to plug it, but we have another problem.”
“What’s that, Captain?”
“One of our squadmates is missing in action, an Entrent named, Roni. She’s a high priority retrieval.”
“Hmm...” Major Lien rubbed his chin. “I concur. I can spare a few men for the search.”
“Great, Major.” Jonas exhaled sharply. “If they could…”
“Captain,” interrupted the Major. “Dragon Company was given another assignment.”
Jonas stiffened up. “Sir, this is an Entrent we’re talking about. What could…”
Major Lien held up his hand. “The order comes from someone high up in Fleet Intel. There are reports of a facility holding a Spec Ops asset in Nanjing.”
“Nanjing?” Jonas raised his eyebrows. “Mimics have infested that city. There are no humans left to save.”
Alyana stepped forward. “If Fleet Intel wants to save someone there, well, that’s Fleet Intel’s problem. We’re not leaving anyone behind.”
Major Lien ignored the insubordination by Alyana, not even bothering to look her way. “The asset in question has information regarding a blood-testing procedure for detecting Mimic clones. She may also have a list of all compromised military personnel.”
“She?” Meomi said.
“You don’t think it could be Whisper?” Rayfin asked.
“Whisper…” Alyana punched Jonas in the arm. “Why didn’t you say so, Major?” Her expression softened. “We have to go if it’s her.”
“We don’t know if it’s Whisper,” Jonas said. “Major, do you have any more details about the asset's identity?”
“No, but rumor is she is a member of Whisper Unit.”
“Whisper Unit?” exclaimed Dragon Company in unison.
“Leave the finding of the Entrent to Falcon Company,” Major Lien flashed his teeth. “I can assure you, we have very capable soldiers. If your friend is still alive, we’ll find her.”
“It is crucial for us to have a way to detect Mimic clones,” Meomi said. “Look at what happened with the Fleet Marshall. We lost thousands of ships and millions of lives.”
“I’m well aware of the implications, Captain Hana,” Jonas said through the side of his mouth. “If I wanted your opinion, I’ll ask for it. There’s an important fact you all seem to be forgetting — Nanjing is overrun with Mimics.”
“I’ll go if you won’t, Captain,” Meomi said.
“If Captain Hana goes, so do I,” Rayfin said.
Jonas stared at Meomi for an uncomfortable amount of time. “This mission to rescue the Spec Ops asset, considering the dangers, will be voluntary. I will lead the mission,” he said with a sneer as he looked at Meomi. “A small team would be best. We are more likely to enter and leave without detection that way. I need three others with me.”
All of Dragon Company stepped forward.
“Lieutenant Rayfin,” Jonas said.
“Captain?”
“Is it your honest assessment that Captain Hana is fit for combat duty?”
“Captain Barick, with all due respect, there is no one I trust more in combat. Not to mention, she’s probably the best sharpshooter here.”
A warmth swirled in Meomi’s chest. At least one person still thought highly of her in this universe.
“Fine,” Jonas said. “Captain Hana, you may join my rescue mission so long as you accept my command and obey every one of my orders.”
“I will, Captain Barick,” Meomi said with a stoic face.
“Good.” Jonas nodded. “Don’t make me regret this.”
Rayfin turned to Meomi and smiled.
“Why does he look like a little kid when he smiles?” Alyana joked.
Jonas continued the rest of his briefing to Major Lien and Falcon Company on Roni’s disappearance and the Mimic infestation. Afterward, he huddled his team together around a small, metal ball — a portable holoprojector. “Nanjing is roughly 300 klicks from here. I would say nighttime isn’t the best time to face Mimics. The dark camouflages them too well. But then again, daytime makes us too visible. So we’ll just leave immediately. The sooner we get to the asset, the more likely she’ll be alive.”
“How are we going to get there without a ship?” Meomi asked.
“Remember when I said Tempest suits should have rocket packs?” Rayfin said. “Well, they do now!” He turned around. A panel in his back opened, exposing two small rocket engines. “I’m telling ya, once we win the war against Mimics, people will say my idea of adding rockets to exo suits is what turned the tide.”
“Honestly,” Alyana turned to Meomi. “How do you put up with this guy?”
Jonas coughed, refocusing everyone’s attention. “I went through the mission brief. Ther
e’s little in there, and the intel is at least a day old. Not ideal, but given the potential importance of the asset, everyone here agrees we have to give it a try.” He zoomed in on a collapsed building in the center of the city. “Her last transponder beacon appeared in this structure, the Nanjing Museum. Fleet Intel suspect she’s somewhere inside there.”
“Odd place to hold someone,” Rayfin said.
“Well, most of the city is in ruins,” Alyana said. “Maybe Mimics should’ve thought more clearly about which of our structures to destroy.”
“Last chance to back out,” Jonas said.
No one took the offer.
“We head out in five.” He tapped Alyana on the shoulder. “A word.” The two walked away.
“Just like old times, huh Captain?” Rayfin smiled at Meomi. “Saving humanity by uncovering some key information, like you did inside the Anchor back on Caelora. You still owe me the full story. Especially how you killed the Mimic Wraith back on the Harbinger.”
Meomi thought back to that moment on the decktram with the imposter Fleet Marshall. It seemed and felt like a dream — or a nightmare. She didn’t have control of her body then. Looking back, that scared her more than the Wraith.
“Jetpacks out,” Jonas ordered. “We’re heading out now.”
7
Meomi landed softly next to Alyana on a field five klicks away from the Nanjing Museum. Jetpack flying was chaotic initially. She had a hard time adjusting to the three-dimensional controls of the engine having never used one before. After a few moments, instinct took over, and she intuitively understood the steering. Meomi wasn’t sure if the ease was in the design of the technology or if there was something different about her. Lately, actions requiring strength, agility, and precision felt effortless somehow, innate.
Rayfin landed with a thud, falling flat on his belly.
“You’re getting much better Ray!” Alyana laughed. “I still remember the days of you landing on your face. The way you kept getting up after all those painful crashes, it was impressive!”
“Your words only fuel me.” Rayfin dusted himself off as he turned away from her.