Dear friend

William’s mind did not care he was in a fight, it has decided that now is the right time to relive a memory.

The first thing that came to him was the smell of blood, his friends blood.

They went through bootcamp together and for the past five years they were inseparable.

Willimas mind bended his perception of time, making the past and present be experienced at once.

William was flooded with memories of meals shared and jokes exchanged. Reminded of the way James would give him the morning’s hardboiled eggs and take his chocolate milk without asking.

He could not stop his mind from reminding him of what he lost. James and William were close. Really close.

‘We both met each other’s parents and befriended each other’s families for god’s sake, of course we were like brothers.’ William’s mind slammed into him.

The memories kept creeping up, each better then the last, making William’s skin crawl with fear of what was to come. It all culminated with a memory of a mission, one that William did his best to forget. A mission he was the only survivor of, where thirty B ranked mechs were all destroyed.

He could almost feel the fire of the buildings around him and the snow at his feet once more.

“Please. William. “ James said looking at his friend’s diaphragm, adorning a gashing stab wound.

“don’t make me do this. Please.” William cried

“They stabbed me with the red crystal, I can already feel it shredding my blood vessels, and I am starting to like it. Do it before it’s too late” James said taking the end of William’s rifle and putting it to his head, ribs already growing red crystals at an alarming rate.

***

In the present, William was by Louis’s side faster than the holy ghost.

His club dancing like the wind while his Cascade burned all of the Devourers who dared approach. He blocked all of them. Slowing their attack as he circled around Nomad.

“I got you Brother!” William yelled, turning his Mechs head towards Nomad.

Only then did he see the slice cleaving the mech’s head from the side, rendering the Cockpit relatively unharmed but exposed. “Brother?”

Nomad collapsed on its knees, sword falling as a wet sound was heard over the chat accompanied by heavy breathing.

“NO! “ William found himself screaming as his mind sent him back in time once more.

***

“There has to be another way! You are the better soldier! You are the one they call hero! I can’t do it without you!” William pleaded

“Promise me you will try. But quick! I don’t want … to…. ha HaHa haHAHAHA!” the crystals were all over him in a flash already morphing his body, rending his flesh.

“I Promise. Your… OUR dream is safe with me! For you, I will be a hero.” William said, a loud Bang sending him tumbling in to the present.

***

William was filled with rage but held his focus despite himself.

“Kaya , send jellyfish to check on Louis! All team, get to Louis as fast as possible, he is leaning on Eiffle tower” Ward said as he clubbed three more Devourers and grabbed a fourth who dodged in the wrong direction, expecting a hit that never came.

William barely remembered placing Nomad at the foot of the giant monument, but somehow, through all the frenzy he did.

It almost looked like a painting, as if the giant Mech was sleeping beside a monument that dwarfed it completely.

And just as William looked at the one-armed sitting Mech the last ray of sunshine faded, letting night fall over Paris.

“AHHHH !!” Kaya roared through the chat, making William turn his head with fear.

But in front of him Waterfall digging its way into the Giant’s skull through his eye, exiting through the mouth only to go back in through the soft part of the neck. She sounded pissed off screaming in Japanese what he could only imagine were curse words as she drove the now dead giant to the ground and slithered towards Louis.

In no time Both Kaya and Anya were next to Ward, using the safe zone the Oath’s Cascade offered to check on Louis.

“Captain Look” Kaya said, sending him a video through the Jellyfish.

William could only sneak a peak before his cascade ended, overheat sirens blaring while the lasers went out.

While the sound of machines powering down accompanied the renewed attack of the speeding monstrosities, William could see Louis in the video.

He was bleeding from his eyes and ears, his teeth were broken, and a huge pool of blood was at his feet. He was hanging in the air, twitching occasionally while suspended by his sophisticated cockpit, but otherwise motionless.

And just as the last laser fired, William could see Louis stop breathing.

With the Cascade gone the team were pushed back.

All of them started to get slashed as they desperately tried to keep up with their sharp and fast opponents. It felt like the enemy could read what they were about to do in advance, sending the team further and further into a defensive position to protect their cockpits from any hit before they were surrounded completely.

“Any plans?” Anya said as she deployed her shield to cover Ward.

Suddenly a sound pierced the night.

“Oy! Fucker! You owe me Soup!!” a deranged sound was heard throughout the open space.

Even the Fallen could not help but turn their heads to look at the origin of the sound.

Fire erupted in a moment, covering the trees and preventing escape.

And from the blazing hellfire stepped a small mech, about three meters tall, the same size as their enemies.

It looked like it was held together with duct tape, hopes and dreams but somehow it sewed out all hell.

The small mech ran headfirst into the monsters, slicing them in half with blazing light emanating from its sword. ”Where is the blue fuckface! Where is your leader!?” the deranged lunatic said as he sliced the tendons in the leg of one devourer and burned his skull.

“Is he talking to us?” Anya said, deploying her shield and covering both of her comrades.

“I don’t think so.” Kaya said biting the head of a burning Hivemind.

The team slowly got their footing while the Devourers seemed to not only burn but almost combust.

“I am not waiting another month in this shithole! Get me OUT!” the man screamed from his mech, amplified by speakers in a three-meter-tall mech with a picture of a giant chestnut.

Anya was the first to react and help the new guy, with Kaya not far behind her.

“Captain they are flammable, it seems their adaptation left leir skin vulnerable to heat.” Kaya said while shocking a few with her swarm of jellyfish that were hiding up until now.

With the fire surrounding the enemy, leaving them nowhere to run and ever shrinking room to maneuver, the Fallen were all eradicated one by one.