Maks sighed as she read over the briefing from Blivet. Aria was sitting next to her, head leaning against Maks’ shoulder as she rested her eyes. With her left hand she grabbed Aria’s right and squeezed. The action sent a sharp pain up her forearm. She’d need to change the bandage soon, but it could wait. It’s not like it was bleeding through yet. Her eyes trailed up from their clasped hands to the side of Aria’s head. The scars that radiated from her ARC had lost their intensely red color and had faded to duller ruddy brown, like roots under her skin.
“Can’t believe you survived that.” Maks sighed. “Even your scars are pretty,” she laughed softly.
It was surprising to her that Aria was already up for another job. While she didn’t take long breaks from the job, she’d usually at least spend a month or two relaxing until the emptiness crept back in and the cash ran out. Then it was time to hit up Jim’s for work, get the brief then set off to shoot people in new and sometimes interesting places. The last job was a little too special if she was honest with herself.
Maks turned her head to look out the window and watched Mittila pass by. The sprawling cityscape that shared a name with the planet covered one horizon to the other, maglev tracks criss-crossing over and through it. It was always a little jarring, seeing a city like this from space and then up close. Millions and millions of people all living their lives surrounded alloy, glass and concrete. Really, thought Maks, the only saving grace the planet had was not being owned by a single council corporation; that, and it had her Aria.
A notification blipped, and with a gesture she opened up the message. It was from Blivet. Maks scanned the print segment, picking out relevant info from the slurry of corporate speak.
“Majority of the facility is underground...” she mumbled, before scrolling further down. “That’s more like it.” Maks tapped the air where the still of a video file hung in her vision. It was footage from a drone, so far so standard. As the entrance of the target came into focus she chuckled and shook her head. “Always the same fuckin prefab bunker, I swear.” The footage continued with highlights being applied to point out defenses. “Gatling batteries, a couple spicy rail cannons and…” the drone rose to look down at the top of the bunker, “a vertical launch missile set up. Not the most common, could be an issue depending on approach.” Then the video ended as the drone was caught in a spray of 30mm rounds. “Great, so no idea what the internal security measures are and the ones outside are likely going to be beefed up.” Maks groaned. “Very cool, Blivet.”
Annoyed, she swiped the briefing out of view and leaned back. Wasn’t much left to do but wait for their stop, and the barest sliver of the sea had just come into view on the horizon.
After checking that she’d set an alert for when they were close, Maks closed her eyes. “At least the company’s good.”
______
Ben shivered as he, Sophia, Bruno and Vivien passed from real space into the Ginnungagap. The sensation of his skin turning to gooseflesh briefly distracting him from just how tight the fit inside the cockpit was. The three humans were confined to an oval cavity pressed against each other and the set of oxygen tanks they'd brought along. To say it was uncomfortable was an understatement, but it was the only way.
“How are you two holding up?” asked Ben, his voice strained from the pressure on his burns.
Sophia turned, tucking herself a little further into the curve of the cockpit. “Good as I can be. Ben?”
Ben wanted to speak, but his body wouldn't respond. The other two looked over at him, concerned. Sweat rolled down his face and dripped onto his shirt.
Bruno put a hand on his shoulder. “Kid. Hey, stay with us.”
Everything was wrong. It had been since the very thing he was now inside had been brought aboard. Ben choked and coughed, saliva leaking out from his lips. No, no things had never been right in his life. He heard Sophia say something, but the sound seemed to hang in the air, like scintillating ribbons. Then came sound that was not sound.
“Ben. Sophia is concerned. Are you okay?” Asked Vivien.
Ben shook his head, whining.
“Focus. We are nearly through. Look.”
Ben's vision fuzzed over, then revealed the outside. His eyes were now those of the Einherjar he was within. It was dark, things shifting in the black. Vivien forced his focus ahead, at a thin crease that shone with light. He could feel the machine's boosters fire hard as the seam ahead split wide open. It passed over the Einherjar, over him, then out into the sky over an expanse of forest covered by wispy clouds.
______
Aria and Maks stood outside the simple warehouse that had been Aria’s home since the Veles Police Action. In the time since they got off the train the sun had set and it had started to lightly snow, leaving a slight layer of it on the ground. Aria leaned against the side of the warehouse and exhaled heavily.
“A problem, babe?” asked Maks, joining her and setting the pair’s baggage down.
Aria shook her head. “Not exactly. Just not particularly looking forward to the lecture he’s probably got prepared.”
Maks blinked. “From Sirius?”
“He’s… He’s basically a father to me,” mumbled Aria.
“That’s… While I get dad’s can be like that, I’m still a little jealous you get to know him.” Maks sighed. “The footage from his jobs was part of what helped me decide to get into this line of work.”
“I’ve seen most of it. Unedited as well, gah.”
Maks grabbed Aria by the shoulders. “I need to see it.”
Aria chuckled nervously. “Well, I guess he’d be fine doing that. Maybe a little nostalgic?”
“I’m not going to make you watch with me, but I wouldn’t be opposed,” said Maks.
The intensity from Maks was a bit much, to the point that Aria couldn’t meet her gaze and instead looked past her. On a nearby landing platform she saw a shimmer as light reflected off recently formed ice. Someone had been here recently, probably the pair’s Einherjar along with Nimue.
“Then there was the mission on Lethe III where he–”
Aria pressed a finger to Maks’ lips. “It looks like we’re the last to arrive. We should head in.”
“I thought you were worried about a lecture,” said Maks with a smirk.
Aria lowered her hand. “Well, if I don’t get you in there soon I think you might go super critical, then we’d have a real problem on our hands.”
“Yeah, we should.” Maks leaned over and hefted their baggage back up. “In we go,” she said, walking toward the door.
Aria hurried behind her as she pushed the door and found it locked. Maks knocked on the door and then waited, her fingers drumming against the warehouse wall.
“It can take him a little to get to the door if he’s doing something else,” said Aria.
The door handle turned then pulled inward. Standing in the door frame was Nimue, her hair loose and catching the light from the eitr inside her. “Welcome home, Aria, Maks,” she said, stepping back and holding the door. “Rufus is involved with reading over a technical manual, but I’m sure he will be glad to see you.”
The pair stepped inside, into the section of the warehouse that had been renovated for habitation. The lobby was rather sterile in that professional way, clean with minimal personalization. Despite that two of the walls had large windows, one that looked into the hangar where the Einherjar were stored and another that led to the office section which was much more casual.
“You know, I didn’t really know what to expect, but it wasn’t this,” said Maks.
“It is perfectly serviceable, though the times we have had clients attend Rufus and Aria forget to put the blinds to the office down,” said Nimue with a slight hint of irritation.
Aria scoffed. “I’m not gonna make us look too corporate, Nimue.”
“Even if that has cost us a couple jobs?” she asked.
“Oh, it’ll be fine,” said Maks.
“I suppose,” said Nimue, opening the door and stepping into the office. “Rufus, Aria and her partner are here.”
Aria felt her cheeks flush and looked over to see Maks with the corner of her mouth turned up slightly. That just made her blush worse. From behind one of the screens at his desk rose Rufus, standing a little unsteadily, his red hair pulled back into a ponytail.
Aria pushed forward and embraced him, “You don’t need to get up…”
“I will do what I want, girl. I thought you had died for a few days,” Rufus said, squeezing her back.
“Sorry…”
He broke the hug then sat back down in his chair, taking the effort to preserve some pride. “You think I’d be upset that you brought someone back?”
“Maybe? I don’t know.”
“Use your head, Aria. This is how a mercenary company forms.” Rufus waved a hand. “Someone finds another pilot and they screw then start working together. Life’s cheap and eventually the job will kill you.” He made a point to meet both Aria and Maks’ eyes as he spoke. “It’ll get me some day too,” he said, head turning to look at his own Einherjar.
“That… there is something you and I need to speak about later,” said a message Nimue sent to Aria.
Aria glanced back at Nimue and gave a slight nod before looking back at Rufus. “A-anyway, this is Maks Suen–”
Maks stood straight and bowed. “It’s an honor to meet you, Sirius. I am Koschei, pilot of the Deathless,” she said, holding the bow.
“I know who you are, now stand up straight.” Maks immediately followed the order. “Nimue informed me that you’re why Aria survived.” Rufus exhaled. “Thank you.”
“We were on the job together, it was only the right thing to do,” said Maks.
Rufus waved a hand. “Cut the crap. I review all of Avalon’s footage and I know you two have spared each other multiple times.”
“I prefer not to kill other pilots if I can avoid it,” said Maks.
“How noble of you. Avalon does not.” Aria cringed. He was right, but it was a bit of a sore spot. “So, you had to have made a good impression on her, Maks.”
“If I remember correctly, it was because during their banter over an open comms channel Koschei said she ‘sounded cute’ before Avalon shot the Deathless’ head off,” said Nimue.
Aria glared at Nimue. “You’ve got a face now and I can see you smirking.”
“Then my comment had the intended reaction,” said Nimue, leaning against a nearby wall.
Rufus chuckled. “It looks like you caught Koschei in the shot too. Ever think of piloting, Nimue?”
“When needed, but the Caliburn is Aria’s first. Besides, I could never find work given what I am. That and I do not feel the same draw to the job,” said Nimue.
Aria looked out the window to the hangar, over to the Caliburn. “Nimue, there’s still something we have to do.”
Nimue cast her eyes down. “Yes, there is.”
“I’ve got the round.” Maks hefted the solid hunk of metal up out of one of the pieces of luggage.
“Who died?” asked Rufus, his voice soft.
______
Vivien scrambled to adapt as she exited the Ginnungagap and found herself in the upper atmosphere of a planet. The ruptured reactor from her fight in Nastrond spluttered as she forced as much as she could to the Einherjar’s thrusters, fighting the mounting speed of her re-entry. Inside the cockpit it was beginning to heat up. Whatever this mech had been made to handle, it wasn’t this.
Thrusters fought the pull of gravity and as the humans inside started to sweat the descent began to slow. As the heat from re-entry began to dissipate, Vivien sent out a ping to see if there was a Bifrost node she could connect to. It was clear they were no longer within Nastrond, but where they were was still an unknown.
“Unidentified Einherjar, this is Mobius Mechanized Task Force Captain Arngrim. You are in secure airspace. Exit immediately or you will be shot down,” said a man’s voice over a public channel.
______
Nimue guided the Caliburn out of the hangar and onto the edge of a nearby dock. Floodlights illuminated the area, reflecting off the snow and casting shadows across the Einherjar’s body. The shell inscribed with the name of her other self was loaded into the rail cannon, and the barrel swung up and over the machine’s shoulder. Maks adjusted her earmuffs while Nimue offered a hand to Rufus. The older man took it and stood shakily.
“I’m ready up here, everyone ready down there?” Asked Aria through a shared comms channel.
“I’ve got the weapons discharge cleared with port authority, you should be good to go, kid,” said Rufus.
“Nimue, do you want to do the honors?” asked Aria.
Nimue paused for a moment, unsure of herself. She’d recently reabsorbed another of her selves. Would she have done the same with Vivien? Her hand gripped Rufus’ a little tighter. She probably would have, it would have been the most logical recourse. Vivien would have agreed too, right?
“I will, Aria. Do you want to disconnect first?”
“I don’t mind, move me and the Caliburn as you wish.”
The Caliburn’s systems felt like home in the same way that an old sweater might for a human. She could feel Aria here too, her mind considering the Einherjar her body as well. An intimate connection inside of a machine made only to deal death. With a thought she adjusted the barrel of the rail cannon up so it’s projectile would vanish over the horizon. Not a difficult feat given the sheer power in the armament, but it meant something to her.
“Firing in three…”
On the ground Rufus and Maks saluted.
“Two…”
Aria raised the Caliburn’s hand to steady the cannon’s barrel.
“One…”
The weapon discharged, launching the round out over the ocean. It left a trail of brilliant plasma as it screamed through the air and out of sight.
______
“You might not have noticed but I am currently experiencing atmospheric re-entry. I cannot change course, Arngrim,” replied Vivien as she tried to put more force through her thrusters.
“Then there is no choice left to me,” said Arngrim.
A moment later Vivien’s sensor suite lit up with an imminent impact. At a speed beyond human capacity she swiped the air in front of her and tore a hole into the Ginnungagap once more. A railgun shot tore through the side of her torso before she was able to dive into the tear. She could hear Sophia and Ben screaming as her body spun inside the unreality of the void. Her body tore back through into real-space much closer to the ground. The Einherjar's thrusters just couldn't manage to slow her descent enough so she went crashing through several trees then coming to rest, mangled on the forest floor.
The Einherjar's systems flooded her mind with notifications of catastrophic damage, but her focus was elsewhere. She pinged each of her passenger's ARCs only to get two returns. Bruno was dead, blown apart by the shot that tore through her side.
oh f*ck