Painted in Red Pt. 3

The night is quiet, and all is still, but never have the gods chosen to allow this city a moment of peace. Darkness spread across the vast sky, shrouding what beautiful stars may lie beyond. For a moment, it seemed as though the pitch black itself was getting dimmer, as if shadows were cast upon shadows. There it was, a crack of lightning, spreading as far as the horizons would allow.

A single drop of water tapped on the ground, followed by another, until the tens became hundreds, and hundreds became thousands. The liveliness of the night was no more, replaced by a gloomy evening filled with rain.

Within the walls of the military outpost, all is well. Links were stable, morale was normal—no issues in sight, until there was. As sudden as the storm, the alarms went off, but what would've been a distinct blare was muffled by raindrops.

"Minerva, where are you?" Zephyr asked.

The gate of the vehicle depot was still open, allowing everyone to see the vicious downpour. Normally, on a night like this, they would be able to see all the lights of the street and beyond. But it was almost unnaturally dark.

Every so often, a flash of lightning lit up the empty lot, giving sight for just a second, before it was reduced to nothingness once more. If the watchmen were any more serious about their job, they might have noticed the silhouette of a hooded figure standing atop the edge of the building, overlooking the open depot.

"Taking a shower," Minerva replied. "Sounds like the others are going in loud. All the guys out here are scrambling around like a bunch of ants."

"What? Are you still outside?"

"Yep!"

"...Why are you like this?"

"Eh?! W-what do you mean?!"

"You're going to catch a cold. Our bodies may be augmented, but we're still human, at the end of the day. What are we going to do if you start sneezing during a stealth mission?"

"Oh, come on. I'm trying to look cool out here."

"No one can see you..."

"You don't know that..."

Zephyr's disappointment was made clear from the exaggerated sigh coming from the other side of the comms.

"Wait for the Captain's signal. If you need me, call me."

"Gotcha~"

While the others were down below in the underground facility, Zephyr remained on the surface, bolting from corner to corner. Finally, she made it to an empty room filled with computers. She ran over to one of them, turned it on, and plugged a small chip into one of the many sockets.

"The bug is in, Astrid," she said. "All yours."

"Got it."

Back at the Calypso's hidden base, Astrid cracked her knuckles with a confident smile.

"Cameras are down, servers are under my control, and browser search history! Wha... Ew. We'll leave that one alone. And finally..."

After working her way through the exclusive network, she rolled her chair back and readied herself to behold her own handiwork.

Her computer shuttered, before it spewed out a massive, three-dimensional image of the entire facility's structure. All of it was laid bare for her to see—every branching path and every vacant room, including a seemingly large warehouse area.

"Hah. I thought I shut this place down for good back then. Glad to see they made it bigger and better. Makes this all the more fun."

Just then, her eyes twitched when she noticed a circular room on the third floor of the facility. She tapped it with her finger, and from that holographic projection came a more detailed image of the room's interior.

"Bingo," she smirked. "Zephyr. Target located. Third floor, room B-9."

"Understood. Heading over now."

"Keep me posted. Boss, you there?"

"Copy. Send traffic."

"Zephyr is en route to the objective. But..."

Astrid tapped the largest-looking room that she noticed earlier, and what she saw made her freeze. This was something she couldn't ignore.

"I think it's best if you see for yourself. I'll guide you."

On the other side, Loki and Holiday continued to evade the patrolling guards. Eventually, they made it to a set of double doors.

"Is this it?" Loki asked.

"That's what Astrid said. The control room," Holiday replied. "Get ready. There are three hostiles inside. Take them out quietly."

"On you, Holly."

With a deep breath, Holiday quietly twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, drawing the attention of the three men inside. In less than a second, she and Loki silenced them with precise shots from their pistols.

"Well, that was easy," Loki scoffed, but her words faltered as her gaze drifted forward. "Now, what's so important that Astrid had... h-had to..."

Her voice trailed off, eyes widening in disbelief. A cold shiver ran down her spine, paralyzing her for a moment. Holiday moved beside her, and even she couldn't suppress the dread creeping in.

"What the fuck... is this...?" Holiday muttered, barely able to comprehend what lay before them.

Through the windows at the edge of the control room, they overlooked a massive hangar. The vehicle depot they had passed above ground now seemed like a mere toy collection compared to this. Row after row of weaponized vehicles stretched far into the shadows—more than they could have imagined. Some were three times the size of anything they'd seen before, their armored exteriors gleaming ominously. At the far end, a massive elevator loomed, undoubtedly designed to lift these war machines to the surface.

The scale was horrifying, but what really sank in was the realization: if these weapons were ever unleashed, there would be no turning back.

"Holly... I know I'm crazy, but... I'm not imagining this, right?"

"If you're imagining it, then I am too."

"I told you, Calypsos, didn't I?" asked a robotic voice from behind.

They both turned around with their guns drawn, but only Simon Barley was there to greet them.

"Doctor Barley... I didn't expect to see you again so soon after letting you go," Holiday muttered.

"Don't mind me," he said. "I'm merely a servant of the High Order... but that does not mean I entirely agree with their methods. You already know that, don't you?"

"Explain. You have one minute."

"Then, allow me."

With his hands behind his back, Simon stepped over to look out of the window, bearing witness to the illegal operation below.

"You know, it takes an absurd amount of resources to manufacture an iron cell," he said. "Besides here, there are a few other places capable of doing so. For example, one of the finest augmentation labs in the High Order's possession. That would've been much easier to infiltrate. Care to take a guess why I chose Sector Zero, of all places?"

Loki and Holiday exchanged glances, keeping their guns pointed at Simon.

"A war is coming, madams, one that may rival the scale of the Era of the Darkest Moon, spearheaded by the first defect, Nyx. In the backstreets of the undercity, defective gangs are gathering. What do you suppose will happen if they decide to storm the upper districts all at once? There would be too many for the High Order to contain. And when that happens... they'll turn to these weapons to wipe them out. If that day comes, hundreds of thousands will die, and this city will descend into chaos once again.

"...So what do you want us to do about it?" Holiday asked, her voice colder than usual.

Simon sighed, his metallic face betraying a flicker of regret. Yet, there was a hint of resolve in his eyes—a decision already made, one that he knew he couldn't walk back from.

"I know my time will come eventually, but I do not wish to witness another war. Not in my lifetime." He paused, meeting their gaze with a somber intensity. "This facility... I'm requesting Calypso to bury it."

Loki was the first to lower her weapon, her shock momentarily overriding her instincts. Holiday, however, kept her gun raised, her eyes steady and unblinking. She understood the weight of his words, but the enormity of his request wasn't something she could easily accept. Yet, after seeing the horrors within the hangar, the choice became clear. Two options... but she could only live with one.

Zephyr came in through the comms. "Captain. Package has been secured."

And so, Holiday lowered her weapon as well. "Understood. Prepare to head back up."

"Copy."

"Minerva. You reading me from down here?"

"Loud and clear, Cap'n," she replied. "What's the move?"

"Change of plans. Did you happen to see the vehicle depot on your way in?"

"Couldn't miss it even if I tried."

"We're taking it down."

"Eh? Wait, what?"

Holiday crossed her arms and stared off with a menacing glare.

"Loki and I stumbled across a hanger underground, filled with a shit ton more of what you saw up there. These weaponized vehicles can never be allowed to make it out of here. If the time ever came, the casualties would be limitless. As Calypsos... We will fight."

"Heh. You got it, Cap'n."

Holiday let go of her earpiece and looked back at the hanger.

"Thank you, madams," Simon bowed his head and said.

"Get out of here while you still can, Simon," she said. "And also... How's your daughter?"

"Hm? She is doing fine. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering. Say hi to her for me."

At that moment, Simon felt a sense of warmth in his eternally cold and metallic heart. It is a feeling he remembers all too well. 

"...Hah. Say hi to her yourself when you come out of this alive. We'll have a plate ready for you at the dining table. Just like before."