Chapter 3:

They are here

Alive


Rafael and Sophie just stood there for a while, perhaps waiting for him to come back, but both knew that it wouldn't happen.
"we should go" Rafael said
"Ah yes... I actually have a few things to do this afternoon, then we can see the launch, right?" Sophie replied while already walking back to the plataform, yet looking backwards.


"It's amazing how almost everything in this city is built in the underground, right?" Nicholas tried to break the silence in the elevator, but neither Marcos or Hayato replied. After the door opened, there was a woman waiting for them, tall, white long hair, determined and serious expression in her face, wearing the highest rank uniform.

"General Astrea" The three of them said while saluting.
"At ease" She answered "Captain Kouri, get your squad ready ASAP, we are advancing the launch, I want you out of the city at three o'clock" she now said directly to Marcos
"What? Why?" Marcos asked confused.
"The satellite which covered the lands where the train tracks are, went offline, and we still do not know why, neither is back online again" Astrea replied while walking further into the base.
"wouldn't that be quite dangerous?" Hayato suggested.
"indeed it is" Astrea quickly replied "but unless the skies are falling, the governor won't let us delay any further, the government reputation is really low for another problem to appear, specially one convenient like this" Astrea stopped in front of a door "Therefore, you are moving early so that the sunlight make it easier to avoid wild critters. Now go, they also want you to parade in the main avenue before going" Astrea entered, leaving the three behind.

"Okay..." Nicholas just accepted it and headed further the hallway.
"Hey Hayato" Marcos casually asked "What are the odds of the satellite go offline in this exact day?"
"Well, the satellite is more than two hundreds years old, but I'm no engineer" Hayato answered and started following Nicholas, and so did Marcos.


A few hours later, Rafael and Sophie were running up the stairs of the building where they lived.
"C'mon, we are late, what took you so long?" Sophie complained.
"It's not my fault they rescheduled the launch suddenly, my plan was to..." Rafael was in the middle of his answer when they reached the roof door.
"Fine, fine, just tell me you brought it" Sophie interrupted him.
"Of course, who you think you are talking to?" Rafael took from his pocket a lockpick and started to open the door.

"So this is what mechanical engineering is about" Sophie sarcastically said.
"Nope, but you meet all sort of people in college, and you learn a thing or two" Rafael replied, and then unlocked the door.

In the roof, they could see a sea of buildings, covered by the huge force field which wrapped the city, and it was snowing, like always, creating an unique and weird beauty that only this crowded metropolis could make.
"Here, have your binoculars" Sophie took one for her and for Rafael from her bag.
"They will pass trought the main avenue at any moment" Rafael said while getting a confortable position.
"There, there, there" Sophie said excited. "which one of them is Marcos?"
The main avenue of Promise, you could go anywhere from there, was simply blocked because of the military parade, the government showing off its power. A number of probably thirty mechas were crossing the avenue, alongside a few siege tanks, and also an exibition of the military planes.

"Do you see that there is six mechas among them which are a bit different? That is the Fenix squad, the ones who will take back Earth" Rafael said "So, the two really big ones, one of them is Marcos, I guess is the one with red details in it. Power Core is its name, the other I think it's Lightfade"

Rafael was trying to point out for Sophie "I don't remember the others, ohh and that dark one, regular size, it's Nicholas, Shadowbender, that one I remember for sure"

After a while, they vanished between the buildings. "Well, I have to go, the test don't wait. Just remebering that you might see the actual launch, will be at east in a few hours. See you" Rafael said goodbye and moved down the stairs, Sophie remained there seeing the sky.


Hours later, in college, Rafael was in the middle of the test, focused, after all, calculus is not an easy subject. Suddenly, the silence was broken by alarm sounds "Attention, this is not a drill, everyone must evacuate to the bunkers immediately"

It was the first time ever that the alarm sounded for a general evacuation, so a lot of people got desperate, disorder took place, yet it was controllable, trought the windows could be seen the army mobilizing itself to the east gate.

The hallway was a mess, there was more people trying to pass than it could support, Rafael was trying to make a way among other five hundred students, screams, the alarm, everything was chaotic, but then all stopped, the city stopped. In every single screen, it was shown the east gate opening, of everyone who left, only five mechas returned, seriously damaged.
"W-we are dead, the corruptions, th-they... they are here"