U.S.S.A HellField

Chapter 30 Death on Iron Wings

"Hey Alice, wake up. I've some good news to tell you." I said, nudging her shoulder. - "Mmm, what?" She asked groggily. She found where he is, Metis found him." I told her. Alice rose up, lucidity filling her eyes. - "You're serious? Damien that's amazing! Where is he?" She asked excitedly. - "Ask her." I opened my palm so Metis could tell her. - "Good morning Alice. I managed to find his stronghold 300 kilometers south of here. I discovered data transfers akin to that of a primitive internet connection, from there I communicated to them a message from one of their terminals. They know we are looking for them." Metis explained to Alice.

- "That's amazing Metis. I don't know where we'd be without you." Alice said, wiping the sleep from her eyes. That's all we needed, we knew where Af'Ziel was, and now we just had to find him. "I'll go wake Emily up, you just get a little more rest," I said to Alice, kissing her on the cheek. I got out of bed and dressed in some fresh clothes. I then walked over to the flat part of the rock Emily was lying down on in her sleeping bag. I crouched next to her, her sleeping bag rising and falling with each breath of hers.

"Hey, Metis came back with good news. She's found Af'Ziel." I told her, gently nudging her sleeping bag. The sleeping bag unzipped and she rose out from it, she was wearing the same kind of PT clothes I wore in the Marines. - "She actually did it huh? Can't say I'm that surprised, it's good to hear though." She said brushing her messy hair out of her face. It reminded me of when she was just a scared kid, and now, experienced and jaded. - "It's a good thing she doesn't need to sleep, or else I'd feel pretty bad about having her search for him all night. But she pulled through. I don't want to rush you but, when do you think you can be up and ready?" I asked her.

She searched herself for something but didn't seem to find it. - "What time is it?" She asked groggily. - "It's around ten hundred hours, we're not in a rush but, get ready as soon as you can." I told her and then left to make some breakfast. I made a firepit from some rocks and old dead wood. I used some flint and steel from one of Emily's survival kits to start the fire; soon, it should be ready to cook food on. I sat on a log I found, stoking the newly flickering flame. - "So that's what you've been doing this whole time? Do we still have anything left to eat?" Alice asked as she walked over to the fire. - "I'm sure we still have some dried meat and other food. Art...Emily might have some rations she could be willing to share." I said, mindlessly poking the flames more.

Alice tilted her head slightly and stepped past the fire, sitting on a log next to me. "Hey, is everything alright? You seem out of it." She asked me. There were so many ways to answer her question. What wasn't bothering me? The city that I had begun to grow accustomed to, was being assaulted by a surprise attack no one knew was coming. The bodies of innocent people I could've done more to save, littering the streets. If only I could've done something to prevent that from happening, and Ifra'Nyah. I hope she made it out of there, too many people died as is. I didn't want her life to be on my conscience.

- "I...don't know, not really, no." I breathed out heavily. "All I wanted to do was make enough money to get us off this planet so we could go home, i didn't sign up to be a revolutionary. And...don't get me started on finding Umbra'kesh here of all the places in the universe or whatever, that fucking monster has the gall to ask us to do anything! If I had still been in control of myself, I would've ripped him apart." I ranted progressively more angrily at her. The thought of working with Umbra'Kesh boiled my blood to the point that my hands were shaking with rage.

Alice straightened her posture and calmly breathed. - "Yes, I get it, you have every right to despise him. You have every right to despise him. God, I hate him for all the unspeakable things he did to me, to us. But I don't think he was lying to us when he said that our only way of returning home was by toppling the Alsha theocracy. When we go home, we'll never have to look back and see him ever again. We'd be able to live normal lives again." Alice passionately said to me, her hands gently holding mine. I looked into her loving eyes and hugged her deeply. I wasn't in my armor now, If she wanted to, she could crush me to death. - "Okay, let's do this." I said. I'll do it, for her.