Chapter 44 To Stand in Her Place

Her voice softened, but her bitterness sharpened.

“And now, after all I fought for, my one hope - to one day fight alongside her, to join the squad of the person I admired - was taken from me. She’s gone. Aria Lock, Major Aria Lock, was killed by mutants in the city ruins along with her whole squad.” She looked up, locking eyes with Aria.

“But you wouldn’t know or care anything about her, would you? You’re not even from here.”

Sierra paused, her lips pressing together as if to hold back everything she felt. She looked back up at Aria.

"She was everything I ever wanted to be. And now... now I have nothing."

She looked down, her shoulders shaking.

"All I wanted was to be good enough to stand by her side."

Aria held her tighter.

"Well, she’s gone now. And with her, so is the dream you've held on to all these years. The only question that remains is, what are you gonna do about it?”

“Are you ready to stand in her place?” Aria continued, "To do what she did? To be the one people rely on, the one who pushes through no matter how hard things get? Or are you giving up, walking away because things are harder than you imagined?”

“Because if you’re serious about this, if this isn’t just a story you told yourself, then stop looking back. Step up. Be that person you admired. And if that’s what you want—” she paused, her voice serious, “—then I’ll help you. I told you before, you can get better. And I wasn't mocking you or joking. I saw you fight in VR simulation, you got what it takes to be an elite pilot.”

Sierra looked at Aria, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

 “What? Do you mean it? Or are you just making fun of me? After everything I said and did, you’re not even mad? And now you’re saying you’re ready to help me? I don’t believe it. You’re lying; you’re just saying things.”

Aria laughed, her smile warm and playful.

 “Aww, I would never lie to such an adorable girl like you, Sierra. I meant every word. And I’m willing to promise you some serious results if you’re up for it. How does a 150,000-point score sound? Just you and Jacob. By the end of the day.”

Sierra’s eyes widened. 

“But... we barely reached 75,000 with the whole squad last time. That’s impossible.”

“Not impossible. Just needs a different approach.”

 Aria tapped her finger on Sierra’s forehead lightly. 

“By the time I’m done showing you a few things in the VR room, you’ll see. I keep my promises, Sierra.”

Just as Sierra was about to answer Aria, a voice rang out, “Hey! Let her go! What are you doing?!”

Both Sierra and Aria turned, surprised, to see Jacob striding toward them with quick steps.

 “Liana, let Sierra go! I asked you to play nice just this morning, and you two are already at each other’s throats! What’s going on here?”

He then turned his attention to Sierra.

 “And you, Sierra! I asked you to try being nicer, didn’t I? Why do you always have to act so irritated with everyone? This isn’t like you. Save some of that anger for the mutants, not each other.”

Sierra’s face flushed. She stammered, “Jacob! It’s… it’s not what it looks like! We’re not fighting or anything, really, it’s just...”

Jacob’s skeptical gaze moved between the two of them.

 “If you’re not fighting, then why is your cheek red, and why is Liana holding you like that? And…” he paused, squinting.

 “Is that… blood on your face, Liana?”

“Oh, don’t worry! It’s not my blood.” Aria said while playfully wiping a smear from her cheek. 

Sierra jumped in quickly, trying to downplay the situation. 

“It wasn’t her, Jacob. Someone else did it, but it’s my fault. It’s… it’s already settled. No worries.”

Jacob looked at them, still suspicious but sensing they were both okay.

 “Fine. Just… maybe try helping each other, alright? We’re all on the same side here, and it’d be nice if everyone could get along,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head.

 "Oh! Speaking of help," she said, turning to Jacob and Sierra, "how about I help the two of you score higher in the VR simulations? Come on, it’ll be a blast."

She nudged Jacob’s shoulder, playfully adding, "I’ve seen the way you handle the basics, but trust me, I can show you a few tricks to take it up a notch. And you, Sierra,” she said, turning her focus to her, “how about we double that score you’re so worried about? It’ll be worth it, I promise."

 “You’re sure about that? I mean Sierra is quick to learn but me? I'm just a new guy, frankly if not Sierra I would be terrible.”

Aria just shrugged with a sly smile. 

"Please, it’ll be fun. Just imagine the faces of other classmates after your score skyrockets. That might raise the morale and they start getting results as well.”

"Alright, Liana," he said, “let’s give it a shot. We’re in."

They walked together toward the VR room, with Sierra glancing over at Aria as they entered. 

"So, how can I improve our score and hit that 150,000 you mentioned?"

 “First off, it’s just going to be you two in this simulation. Last time, Sierra, you were busy giving commands to your whole squad, which left you with less time to focus on your battle strategy. And you were also guiding Jacob here, which takes skill but can cost you in the heat of it. This time, with just the two of you, you’ll get to focus entirely on your moves.”

“Next up - the tank mech,” Aria continued.

 “You didn’t inspect or recalibrate it before jumping in last time. It only takes a moment, but checking the warnings could save you a lot of trouble. Make sure you’ve got everything fine-tuned. And don’t just rush in.”

Aria turned to the holographic console and showed a few quick commands.

 "Also, don’t waste your rounds spraying bullets around - switch to three-shot burst mode. It’s more efficient, and you’ll land more accurate hits. Aiming for the mutants’ weak spots will take them down faster than unloading randomly.”

“Oh, and turn off the aim stabilizer,” Aria added.

 “It’s great for long-range, but in close to mid-range, it slows down the CPU’s reaction speed. With that off, you’ll have a more responsive aim, perfect for staying on top of a swarm.”

Then Aria turned to Jacob. 

“And you - watch the terrain closely. Avoid flat surfaces that leave you open. Use the environment: buildings, debris piles, anything that could trip up the mutants. If you need to, crash into things to create obstacles. And always, always take the shortest route to your objective. Speed is key.”

She tapped on the screen, emphasizing her next point.

 “And when Sierra is about to take a shot, hold still just for a second. The moment she fires, start moving immediately, whatever it takes to avoid staying in one spot for too long. You’ll be swarmed otherwise.”

"Alright," Aria concluded, “that’s your starting plan for now. Give it a try, and let’s see if you can beat that high score. If you do, I will give you some more hints and tricks later.”

With a quick fist-bump, Sierra and Jacob took their position as they readied to dive into the simulation. Aria meanwhile looked at the monitor, her hand slightly trembling as she selected a level 5 scenario for herself. To face Raptor 01.