ERICK HELEN

  — Damn… damn it, I need more time.

  After Helena received a call, she became visibly shaken, pacing back and forth and cursing around the room.

  — What happened?

  Luna asked anxiously.

  — We’re out of time. I need to prepare everything as fast as possible. We’ll be under attack soon… maybe a Grade Two.

  — Grade Two? Are you sure? — Luna asked, fear clearly visible on her face.

  As a soldier, I was familiar with the classification. Everything we had faced so far were nothing more than small creatures, at most two meters tall. A Grade Two… we wouldn’t stand a chance.

  — We don’t know yet — Helena replied — but it’s something big…

  She looked more serious, more focused than usual. It was as if the urgency of the situation had completely suppressed her own madness.

  LUNA HELEN

  Things were about to descend into chaos again. I would never forget that thing. The memories still haunted me, and knowing that something like that was coming here again… I needed to act as fast as possible.

  Helena was in a hurry, organizing everything so we could begin.

  Erick still didn’t fully agree with this, but we had decided that we would support each other until the end. So he had stopped trying to stop me.

  GENERAL EDMOND CROX

  There was nothing left to be done. I ordered the children to be taken to a safe area — if such a thing still existed.

  I sat there, watching the panels flash red.

  PROXIMITY ALERT.

  That damn message again. I wish I could say that this time we were prepared… but the truth is, it’s impossible to prepare for something like this.

  I heard the sound of the door opening and turned around. It was Lucius. He was carrying a bottle of malt whisky and two glasses. He set them on the table, filled both, and handed one to me.

  — Have you finished the repairs?

  — Yes, sir. And the troops, are they organized?

  — Yes. All civilians have been relocated to the lower levels.

  We stayed there, reminiscing about our past adventures and how we had met, still in the midst of the chaos of the Fragmentation War.

  LUCIUS VARELA

  05/23/2041 — Belo Monte

  I was just one more among thousands of young people forced to serve in a damn war that had already lasted two decades. I worked in the repair and support sector. I had never participated in direct combat, until the day I was assigned to support a group of soldiers who had been attacked.

  On the way, the vehicle I was in was also hit. We had fallen into an ambush. As stupid as it sounds, the roles were reversed — we were the ones who needed rescuing.

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  I managed to take shelter inside a ruined house. The tension paralyzed my body and, to make things worse, I began to hear heavy footsteps approaching. My hands trembled as I held a pistol and a dagger — everything I had at that moment.

  The footsteps grew closer and closer, until a man in armor appeared in front of me. My entire body screamed for me to run… until I noticed the blue and green colors of the armor and the emblem on his chest: a yellow feline wearing a crown. He was from the platoon we had come to help.

  The man kept approaching and knelt in front of me.

  — Are you okay? How are the others?

  He was young, tall, with a wound on his forehead and blood running down. His armor was battered and his weapon damaged. Only then did I realize he was an officer, by the number of golden plates on his shoulder.

  — Y-yes, sir… I’m fine. I got separated from my unit.

  — I see. What’s your name, soldier?

  — Lucius Varela, sir. Support and repair unit.

  — Pleasure. Captain Edmond Crox, Black Araras.

  There was pride in his words, even in that situation.

  — So, repairs, right? You got your kit with you?

  — Yes, sir.

  He handed me the weapon. Its condition wasn’t great, but I could fix it. I had to fix it.

  — Sir, I’ll need a few minutes.

  — Do your best, soldier — he said, smiling, with a hand on my shoulder.

  I had no idea how someone could smile in a situation like that.

  As I worked, Edmond told me about his life. He talked a lot, the complete opposite of me. He said his wife and daughter were waiting for him, and that this would be his last battle on the front lines. He showed me pictures of the child — she was really adorable. I think that was when I began to understand the reason for his happiness.

  He was optimistic. He said he had to come back alive no matter what, or his wife would kill him. I didn’t quite understand what he meant by that.

  After finishing the repair, we began planning our next move. The options were few. Edmond wanted to contact the base to request reinforcements — only then would we have a chance to save more people. The problem was that the transmitter was in the transport vehicle, outside the house, and we would be completely exposed.

  I had an idea. Maybe it would work.

  I used spare parts from an electric flare to improvise a kind of flash grenade. I handed it to Edmond along with the weapon.

  — Load this into the grenade launcher and fire it toward the bushes. Then we run to the vehicle.

  He agreed, and we prepared ourselves.

  — Now!

  He fired. The grenade activated, illuminating everything around us and distracting the enemy troops. We ran toward the transport, but I realized there wouldn’t be enough time. My heart raced. I knew it… I had miscalculated.

  Then I felt my body being lifted into the air.

  It was Edmond, in his armor. He threw me toward the vehicle.

  All I heard before spinning through the air was an apology. And I felt that those apologies weren’t meant only for me.

  I hit the ground a few meters from the transport. My whole body hurt; I was sure I had broken a rib. The adrenaline, however, kept me moving. I climbed into the back of the vehicle and ran to the transmitter. It was damaged — I needed to make it work.

  I carried out emergency repairs, just enough to send a distress signal. When the green lights came on, my body relaxed… and the pain came back in full force.

  But I did it.

  When I turned around, I saw Edmond exchanging fire with two enemy combatants, leaning against the remains of a building. He looked at me, and I signaled that it had worked. I saw him smile from a distance.

  Then an explosion hit the building head-on. A cloud of dust rose, completely blocking my view.

  My heart pounded.

  I had known him for such a short time, but I knew his story. Somehow, I felt he was important to me.

  I couldn’t stay still.

  I quickly repaired more systems on the vehicle, activated the automatic navigation module, and pushed all thrusters to maximum, straight toward the enemy. The transport sped forward as I jumped out of it.

  The impact with the ground made me spit blood.

  I saw the vehicle crash, crushing one of the enemy soldiers while the other was thrown aside. I took advantage of the opening and ran to Edmond.

  Another explosion occurred, but this time on the enemy side. Air support had arrived.

  I gathered my strength and ran to him.

  His condition was terrible. There was no forearm left — only flesh and blood. The side of his body was burned, his hair singed, the cut on his forehead larger.

  I couldn’t let him die.

  — Come on, we made it… Edmond, wake up! Think about your wife, your daughter… you can’t die like this!

  I deactivated his armor, removed the chest plate, and cauterized the wound. But his heart had stopped.

  I saw there was still charge left in the weapon’s battery.

  Please… work…

  I dismantled part of it and placed the wires on his chest, generating a short circuit.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Three times.

  Until his heart started beating again and I could feel his breathing.

  My vision blurred. And I realized my hands were wet.

  But it wasn’t raining.

  — Cough… cough… — he said. — Why are you crying, soldier?