Chapter 13 After the Storm

Aria drove the tank mech toward the Beehive, the HQ. Hours blurred into days, or perhaps it was just a few hours. Time lost all meaning as her sole focus remained fixed on the closing dot on the map. Her mind functioned in short bursts, occasionally fading to black, dragging her consciousness into a nightmare before jolting her back to the present.

The suit's heads-up display flickered, its warnings escalating as the reactor depleted the last reserves of Vallen particles. All functions were offline. But she ignored the alarms blaring in her ears, pushing past the pain and exhaustion, her vision narrowing to the horizon ahead. The tank mech rattled and groaned, its broken arms dragging along the ground, wires snapping and sparking as they fell away, leaving behind a trail of scrap metal. 

With each passing moment, the mech crumbled further, its integrity failing as she wrestled to maintain control. Then, without warning, the tank mech sputtered, coughed, and finally succumbed, slumping down onto the barren field, lifeless. 

Aria, her body exhausted from the strain and the mutative toll, lost consciousness, leaving her and Ewan stranded in the desolate field.

In the depths of her sleep, nightmares twisted her reality. The horrors of battle replayed relentlessly, everyone’s final words echoing in her ears, the brutal sight of Raptor 01 standing over her, her limbs transforming into hideous replicas of the monsters she fought against. Each scene merged into the next until an unfamiliar voice pierced the darkness.

“Oh my god! Get back, everyone out! She’s waking up! Someone! Inform SMA Dyar, now! Tell him she’s waking up!” The voice was desperate, urgent, and laced with concern. Flashing lights danced behind her eyelids, their brightness seeping through her haze, pulling her back into reality.

Slowly, Aria’s eyes fluttered open, the blinding lights making her wince. She blinked several times, trying to focus. A cluster of monitors beeped erratically nearby.

Aria took in her surroundings - medical equipment, the sterile smell of antiseptic, and the faint sound of distant voices outside the room. The harsh fluorescent lights overhead hummed softly, casting a clinical glow over everything. As she weakly turned her head, the world spun slightly. 

Across the room, a nurse sat at a table, her eyes wide with fear. The woman was holding a particle rifle, staring at Aria as if she were a ghost. Aria attempted to move, glancing down to see herself lying on a bed surrounded by a massive metal frame. She realized her wrists and ankles were restrained by huge metal clamps, immobilizing her. She tugged at her arm, but the restraints held firm. 

But the most shocking realization came when she looked down at her body. Her limbs, while different, had returned to a human form. Her skin was metallic and smooth, devoid of the grotesque mutations that had plagued her before. Despite the changes, she could at least recognize herself, but a fresh wave of joy washed over her as she flexed her fingers, testing their mobility. She felt control over what was left of her body, mutation haven't robbed her control.

“What’s... going on? How did I... get here? Where is Elias? How is my squad? Ewan, Edd, and... and the rest of them? Please... tell me...”

The nurse hesitated, her eyes darting toward the door as if about to run away but managed to answer.

 “Y-You… you were brought in after the... the incident. We found you in a damaged mech. You had suffered severe injuries and... well, there were complications. Seargent Ewan! Yes! He... he is recovering. We managed to save him. But please, don't move. Please relax, t-try to r-rest. Seargent Major Dyar will be here shortly, he will tell you all you need to know.”

The door swung open, creaking slightly as it revealed a man in a crisp military uniform. Behind him, a few soldiers entered, armed with standard-issue particle rifles. 

“Welcome back, Command Sergeant Major Aria Lock. Are you still with us? Feeling anything unusual about yourself?”

Aria summoned her strength and managed to nod, her head heavy on the pillow.

 “It’s nice to be back, sir. It’s still me, Aria Lock.” The words felt like a small victory, a confirmation of her identity.

Dyar smiled weakly, his eyes flickering with relief.

 “That is all I needed to hear,” he said, taking a step closer to the bed, “I am happy to hear that it’s still you in there. Now, rest. Leave everything to me. We can talk later when you’re back on your feet.”

Aria wanted to ask, to demand more answers, but her body betrayed her, fatigue sweeping over her. The adrenaline that had surged through her earlier was fading, replaced by a profound weariness. 

A few days later, the restraints were removed, and Aria was finally granted clearance to leave the hospital. An armored escort escorted her to the military level to meet the Major. The walk to Dyar’s office was lined with nervous glances from the personnel she passed; some stared openly, while others quickly averted their eyes, whispering amongst themselves.

At the door to Dyar’s office, she squared her shoulders, trying to push back the memories and the questions that had haunted her since waking up. Taking a steadying breath, she entered, standing tall. Dyar looked up from his desk and, upon seeing her, stood up.

“Seargent Major of the Army, Dyar. Aria Lock reporting for duty, sir,” Aria greeted.

Dyar returned her salute.

“At ease, Aria. You can speak freely. No need for all that formality. I’ve known you since you were ten, after all.”

Aria nodded, but the weight of everything she needed to know overshadowed any comfort in the familiar words. She took a seat, hesitating only a moment before speaking.

“Thank you, sir… Major,” she started, her voice slightly uneasy.

 “You didn’t have to come here so soon, Aria. I expected you’d want a few more days. After all that you’ve been through, no one would question it.”

Aria shook her head, gathering herself. 

“I need to know what happened. I need… to understand. Staying in that room without answers wasn’t helping.”

Dyar took a breath, the weight of what he was about to say clear in his eyes.

“I’ll be honest with you, Aria - no sugar coating. You deserve that much.” 

“Let me take you back to that day, a little bit over two weeks ago, the day you and your squad went out to test the new tactical suits and Combelt IV. While you were in the field, all hell broke loose here. Mutants swarmed the safe point - a full wave, and it was unlike anything we’d expected. First, they tore down our antennas, then the communication towers. We were blindsided, Aria. Left with no eyes, no comms, no intel.”

He paused.

“We lost almost half of our forces stationed there, Aria. I don’t need to tell you what that means for Beehive or our future. It was a brutal hit. But the hardest blow, the one that cut deepest, was losing your squad and Ewan’s… our two best teams, gone. That’s 40 elite pilots - 40 of our best - wiped out, just like that.”