Partners

Minutes passed, and no one said a word. Only the steady drip of sludge from the ceiling of the tunnel could break the silence. In the initial confusion, Team A had panicked, but soon enough, they calmed, feeling only a dull sense of finality. Wilhelm trudged onward, his arm slung over Mathilde and Levin's suits. He could not walk on his own; as he fell, debris had damaged his cybersuit’s leg. Mathilde’s attempts at making conversation stopped, soon after they began.

Eventually, Rudolf’s silence broke. “...Those butchers killed their own people with that explosion. How many civilians were on that base? In the church, some, but… How many more?”

“Who knows? I doubt they care,” Levin said. “Guess we didn’t need to spare any Soviets, huh?”

“...It was the right thing to do, Levin. Would you have had us kill them all?”

“Maybe. Every second counts. If we hadn’t wasted time with them, Damian could’ve made it down with us. Instead, they’re all dead now. All your sympathy didn't do a damn thing.”

“There’s no point in discussing any of this, right now," Mathilde said. "Let’s just focus on getting back to base, safely, so that we don't lose anyone else." Then, she turned to Wilhelm, adjusting her support of his arm. "Wil… Can you keep going?”

…If I said no, would it matter?  “I’m fine.” Wilhelm choked out what he could.

“Just stay close to me, okay? You’re safe now. Everything’ll be alright.”

Next to Wilhelm, Levin kicked one of those strange rats away, sending it across the tunnel.

“Don’t bullshit him, Mathilde. Whoever shot that round could still come after us.”

“On that, I agree. Wilhelm, did you see…” Rudolf began. “No, forget it. That can come later.”

He fell silent, then continued. “I'm supposed to be the best exosuit pilot in our generation, and I didn’t even consider that they might have another contingency plan, waiting in the wings. I'm sorry, everyone. The fault lies with me for the loss of Damian and his squad, and no one else.”

“Well, no point in beating yourself up over it,” Levin said. “The Soviets are the ones to blame, and we’ve still got plenty of time to get even with them. We’re not stopping in Warsaw.”

Rudolf began to say something, but stopped. “Captain’s report. Team B succeeded, with minimal losses. I suppose we have something to be thankful for… He’s saying that the Republic's superior officers here have surrendered, now that we’ve got full missile capability.”

A dull ember lit in Wilhelm's eyes. “Any mention of the Red Reaper?”

“None. If he was here, then he must have slipped away.”

Nothing new there. The one spark of hope that Wilhelm felt faded away, and the silence over the group returned. When the solemn group of Cyberitters finally reached their base, Wilhelm immediately entered the transporter. As he passed through the common area, he ignored a lump in his throat and left for his room, laying down despite knowing he had no hope of sleep.

____________________________________________________________________________

A week later, Captain Joseph called another one of his meetings, but this time, it took place in occupied Warsaw, now EIF territory. Wilhelm had not left the complex that the military laid claim to, but he heard that the EIF soldiers had made the place their second home, and then some. Must be revenge for the deaths in the siege, he thought.

At the meeting, no outbursts broke out before the captain spoke; no tardiness to get on his nerves; no emotion of any kind at all. The captain himself appeared no different than usual. Wilhelm was unsurprised: no doubt, he had seen his soldiers die before. What's one more?

“Before our standard fare, I have… a quick announcement,” the captain said. All in attendance stood silent,  for once, so he continued uninterrupted. “The loss of Damian and Squad Six is keenly felt. Even though we met our objective, I understand that our victory may feel hollow.”

To the side, Florent nodded lightly. His eyes were red, lightly quivering. 

“And yet, we must move forward. Not only to complete the EIF’s objectives of retaking unjustly stolen land, but also, to honor his memory. With Damian’s passing, however… There’s an opening among us, in his place, and I intend to fill it immediately. Wilhelm, stand up.”

Wilhelm’s eyes widened, but he did as the captain said. Shouldn’t it be Bowie?  Storm’s partner, though somewhat of a coward, had placed higher than Wilhelm at the academy.

“Based on the testimony of your team members, Rudolf and Mathilde, along with that of Squad Azure, and my own judgement, you’ve shown what it takes to become a great cybersuit pilot. As it stands, I believe that you’re the best choice… But if you disagree, feel free to say so.”

“N-No, sir.”

“Good. Now, sit,” the captain said. “Our next target is Minsk, but telling you that is about all I had in mind for today’s meeting. We’ll be here a while, until more EIF forces come to relieve us, so our only duty for now is occupation. Take this time to recover, alright? Dismissed.”

As everyone left, Wilhelm saw Florent leave the room quickly, too quickly for anyone to catch him. Wilhelm wanted to say something, anything, but he didn’t know what. As he started walking back to his own room, he heard a voice call out to him.

“Hey, Wilhelm. A word? If you’re up for it, I mean.”

“Sure, Rudolf,” Wilhelm said.

“I just wanted to say, again… The blame for Damian’s death lies with me, not you. So don’t let it eat at you, Wilhelm. He wouldn’t want it that way.”

“I agree,” Mathilde said, behind Wilhelm. “At least he’s with Camila now… He can rest.”

“Yes, he can, and we can’t,” Rudolf said. “The higher-ups say New Moscow’s our final goal, right? Let’s take it and end this war: for him, and for everyone else who’s died fighting.”

“...Yeah, you’re right. That’s all we can do,” Wilhelm said. “Thanks, Rudolf.”

“Of course… Anyway, that’s all I had to say. Take care, Wilhelm.” Rudolf left, a silent fire in his eyes. Wilhelm envied that. Sorry, but I can’t be like you. Not when I failed, again.

Wilhelm and Mathilde walked back to the compound, with no words between them. After the meeting, the night came quickly. The same stars that Wilhelm saw only days ago shined dimly, barely illuminating the sidewalk. Tree leaves flew back and forth, riled by a sudden gale. The cool air chilled Wilhelm, but compared to winters in Berlin, it almost felt pleasant.

The new year had begun; spring would soon arrive. But Wilhelm’s mind clung to the past. It returned to the red glint he saw, and his fist clenched, envisioning the man that he knew stood there. His nails dug into his palm, nearly drawing blood only before Mathilde spoke.

“Wil… Did you see anything before you fell?”

Wilhelm's hand eased. “...What do you mean?”

“I told you that you couldn’t hide anything from me, remember? It’s obvious. You saw something, and it rattled you… Look, you can tell me anything, okay?"

“I…” Wilhelm trailed off. “I don’t know. It was far away, so I can’t be sure, but…”

“But?”

“I saw a single, red figure, at the top of a tall tower. Right over there, actually.”

Wilhelm pointed to the tower, illuminated by white lights.

“It was right before the explosion. The shell, it… it came from that angle. I’m sure. And… I went back to where it happened. The whole area was levelled… Nothing was left, Mathilde.”

Mathilde’s eyes narrowed. “What are you implying?”

“It’s just like… Just like Berlin, ten years ago. He… He’s the one who killed Damian. I know it. The Red Reaper… He was there. But why? Why wasn’t he somewhere else? I-”

“Calm down, Wil-”

“No! I know he was there. That bastard killed someone right in front of me, again, and I couldn’t do a damn thing! …Nothing’s changed. I’m the same as I always was: useless.”

“...Wil, come here,” Mathilde said, wrapping him in a hug. “Don’t ever say that, okay?”

“But I-”

“You’re definitely not the same as when we first met, Wil. Remember that?”

Despite himself, Wilhelm laughed, coarse and short. “I do. I was just a hothead, one who made the mistake of mouthing off to you during a practical exercise... It’s been a long time.”

“It has. Back then, I thought that you were an idiot, among other things. That you’d never make it anywhere but an early grave. And I told you as much. Guess what? You changed. You clawed your way up the ranks, no matter how hard it got. You’re… an inspiration to me, Wil. Really.”

“...I appreciate the kind words, but I did all that because I had a goal. One that I’ve failed to meet, again. And now, I don't know if I'll ever be able to see it through.”

“We all fail, Wil. What matters is whether we let that define us or not... I can’t tell you what you should do, but if you need someone to lean on until you can get back up on your own, I’m here for you... We're partners now, with you taking Damian's post. So you can rely on me, always.”

"I... Thanks, Mathilde. For everything." It was all Wilhelm could say, over the tears falling down his face. He gave up, surrendering himself to his emotions and Mathilde's embrace.