We finally got an archive that not only shows past events, but the order they take place in relation to the rest of the story! That's the real Nikke Christmas gift this year!

  Also, Disiel being such a bad singer her burst throws off everyone's ain't is hysterical.

  Anyway, onto the chapter! As per usual, ‘’ is Sign language.

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  Firepower being a state of mind was definitely a Neon mentality. Somedays, she was a lot smarter than she looked. Other times? A bit less so.

  But I didn’t want to step into that conversation. Nor did I want to step in on Anis teaching Vesti the almighty power of sass. I was still burning a bit too hot, and would be a bit too mean in my advice.

  Which left me with three people I could talk to. Commander Johnson, Rapi, or Eunhwa. So I really only had two people I could talk to. I'm pretty sure Johnson was keeping an eye out for any further blow ups. Which really just left Rapi.

  She'd been left out of our shopping trip, but she was also the most serious of us. But while I had my own interests that were somewhat at odds with Neon and Anis’s, I still felt we talked regularly. Rapi was a bit different. She wasn't shy, but definitely more introverted, like I was.

  That and Eunhwa's words made me curious. Which wasn’t a great thing. Curiosity killed the cat and all that. But traitor? That was a word. A strong word with a lot of implications. Obviously, not a traitor against humanity, as there wouldn't be a conversation to be had.

  It couldn't be just against the squad, either. Otherwise, Emma and Vesti wouldn't be so calm. At least, I probably wouldn't be. Which really left a single explanation in my mind. That this betrayal was far more personal in nature. A slight frown formed on my face.

  Did they used to be an item? Like, in a relationship? Turn to each other for comfort because no matter how you looked at this world, shit is fucked? Traitor implied closeness, clearly in a way that the rest of Absolute simply wasn't.

  It would explain the hyperfixation on Rapi. Why Eunhwa seemed to be far more focused on her than just about anything else. Why her behavior was almost like that of a jilted or jealous lover.

  Maybe. After pondering it, I could potentially see it. Yuni and Mihara were a thing, something neither of the two let me forget with their unique displays of affection.

  But I wasn't getting that same type of vibe here. Not quite. Maybe it was because they were different people than Wardress. But.

  Yeah, this was going to bother me. And it was going to keep bothering me until I found out what exactly went down. Not like this was possibly a sensitive topic that I could be well off base for?

  I was either barking up the wrong tree, which could make Rapi upset. Or I was picking at a scab that still hadn't healed properly that would also make Rapi upset. Or I could be wrong about what happened, and it still being an emotional wound that Rapi hadn't recovered from.

  One way or another, I was very likely picking and poking at something I shouldn't be poking at. Or, at the very least, I needed to be careful with how I approached this. We were spread out enough that with a low volume, it would at least be a semi private conversation. Hopefully, that would be enough to at least convince Rapi to talk a little. Bottling up her emotions wasn't healthy, and if things were rough enough that someone involved was throwing around the word traitor?

  Then whatever happened probably wasn't a walk in the park for Rapi.

  So I kinda just fell in next to her, letting a silence settle over us. Rapi didn't react to my presence, her face fixed straight ahead. Which meant I was going to have to start this conversation.

  Well, here goes something, I guess.

  “So, do you want to talk about anything?” I offered, throwing Rapi both a bone and an out. If she didn't want to talk about it, that was fine. But if she wanted to get something off her chest? Heck, if she just wanted someone to vent at. I was down for that.

  There was a slight, almost imperceptible raise of her eyebrow at the question. “What do you mean by that?”

  Great, did she just miss the hints entirely? Or was this just Rapi trying to deflect away from the conversation entirely. I couldn't tell, and her facial expression left me with little way to correct myself.

  “Look, I know it's not exactly my business or anything like that, but if you need to vent about your former squadmate? But I'm more than capable of lending an ear if you want me too,” I decided to just push ahead. Really, it was about the only way I'd be able to figure out what was going on. I wasn't a mind reader. And my ability to pick up social cues was either the really obvious things or just when people showed more of their expressions than others.

  Which wasn’t Rapi.

  “It's nothing important,” Rapi said, looking away. Bullshit. Eunhwa would not be this worked up over nothing. I might not like Eunhwa, and I knew people could make mountains out of molehills. But traitor was not something thrown around lightly. It was a word too harsh.

  The question is, do I call it out? Even if her expression didn't change, Rapi turning her head away? That had implications as to why. About a half dozen of them. And of course, I could only guess. Including that Rapi just didn't want to talk about it.

  “Well, if that ever changes, I'm more than willing to listen. I doubt that I'm the only one willing to, either,” I offered, leaving the option open. She had an entire team that would hopefully be willing to give Rapi the emotional support she needed.

  Johnson certainly would be, and I didn't doubt that Neon or Anis wouldn't want to, either. I wasn't going to speak for them on this, but they should.

  Rapi didn't say anything to that, looking ahead once again as I resisted the urge to pinch my brow. Oh well, Rapi would open up when she wanted to open up.

  Nor did I know why Eunhwa was signaling us to halt. Rapi, despite the mess before, continued as I followed up alongside.

  Their signing was fast and efficient, shorthand having clearly been developed over time with practice. But I got the gist of what was being said.

  People. Three of them to be specific. They were plotting things out as I climbed up a nearby rock.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Eunhwa signed my way as I settled in.

  ‘Getting a closer look,’ I signed back, adjusting my scope. Eunhwa's weapon was simple. I couldn't fault her for that, at the very least. And while my old helmet was gone? The gun was still largely Missilis tech, if cleaned of bugs and made to take Elysion ammunition. But it still had a few advanced features.

  After checking to make sure that there would be no glint to reveal my scope, I lined things up. It was obvious the group of three were women. Meaning that they were most likely Nikke’s. The chance of unaccompanied humans was small but never zero.

  One had blonde hair, done long and in pig tails. Another had short hair that was kinda an orange-blonde. And the last had very short, silver hair.

  That was. Why did that particular combination of colors sound familiar?

  I pulled my head away from the scope, smothering a hiss between my teeth. Why was I asking that question, of course they were familiar! It was enough to make my blood run cold. For fear of just the sheer brain damage that that group of idiots would cause.

  ‘I'm pretty certain that's Matis,’ I signed, sliding back from my rocky perch. I was ninety nine percent sure that it was Matis. No idea why they were out here right now, but the fact that they were spelled some measure of trouble.

  ‘How certain?’ Rapi signed, beating Eunhwa to the punch.

  ‘And how would you know?’ Eunhwa's response came out shortly afterwards.

  ‘It's either them or body doubles, and I doubt Syuen had body doubles in the deep freezer,’ I frowned, the signs getting everyone else's attention. ‘And you aren't the only one that's worked with Matis in the past.’

  Matis was strong, but Maxwell was the only one that had a brain cell at any given moment. Laplace and Drake were just annoying. Strong, but annoying. Something I imagined Eunhwa would agree with. She probably found them just as grating as I did.

  ‘So if it is Matis, what do we do about it? And why are they here?’ Johnson stepped in, his signs showing improvement.

  “I should be able to figure that out,” Shifty said softly, starting to plug away at her computer.

  That was a good question. What do we do? I said that there were no enemies among humans when on the surface. No matter how much I wanted Syuen to get smacked with a cactus.

  ‘They are most likely after the same thing we are,’ Eunhwa signed, eyes shifting back towards where they had been spotted. That was the most likely answer. Syuen saw Absolute going towards the fragments. Sends Matis to try and beat them to the punch.

  The real question is what do we do with them? If Syuen was playing stupid political games right now? Then letting them know we are here was a detriment. There was strength in numbers. If all three squads were on the same page, nothing would stop us.

  But Syuen wouldn't allow for that. Commander Johnson would have a chance to at least get us all there peacefully. But things would break down after the fact. Which in the middle of enemy territory? Infighting was never good.

  “There isn't any record of what their current objective is in the system,” Shifty spoke up confirming that Syuen was playing g stupid games right now. “But they did go directly back to the surface without resupply, it seems.”

  Alright, Syuen was playing really stupid games. Johnson's mouth formed into a crease when Shifty gave that tidbit of information. A look of annoyance on his face. Likely because Syuen was continuing to prove to be a massive pain in the ass.

  She wasn't even directly doing anything involving us! She was just being stupid for the sake of wanting to get one over Elysion. And was risking her best and dumbest to do it. Well, second dumbest. Maxwell was part of Matis and she was smarter than Syuen on any day of the week. Even Laplace and Drake had more common sense.

  ‘Elen, see if you can require a visual on them,’ Johnson ordered. He didn't seem the most pleased, but I'm not surprised that was the call he was making.

  ‘And you want to help them, why?’ I watched Eunhwa sign as I made my way up the rock.

  ‘Just because Syuen wants to be stupid and waste her best being petty, doesn't mean we should piss away what strength the Ark has being just as petty,’ I signed back. As much as every part of me wanted to be petty, I merely disliked Matis. Using them as a means to get back at Syuen wasn't just unethical, it was stupidity.

  Syuen didn't care about Matis enough to lose any sleep if something happened to them anyway.

  I took up position, spotting the specs in the distance. Zooming in revealed.

  Huh. That was a problem.

  “If we're going to link up with them, we better be doing it quickly,” I slide back down, a frown on my face. Syuen was being monumentally stupid right now. Christ on a stick, how was she even in charge of Missilis as a company? “Shifty wasn't joking when she said they came up without resupply. Maxwell is currently being carried by Drake and Laplace right now. I think she's run out of power.”

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  By the time we managed to get to Matis, all three of its members were eating sand. All the spare batteries they had were completely tapped dry. Between getting to them, and finding a safe place to camp? Night had already started to settle in.

  If it wasn't for Matis finally starting to come to, I think Eunhwa would have requested everyone that wasn't Rapi to set up decoys. But with them being around? Eunhwa had to put on her straight face.

  Which left me dealing with the two and a half stooges.

  “Elen, you're looking better,” Maxwell said with her usual expression on her face. I was doing my best to do the same. But I couldn't poker face worth a damn. “Camo is a surprisingly you look.”

  “Thank you for noticing,” I grumbled, crossing my arms. I didn't want them to be here. Just because I was willing to save them, didn't mean I wanted to interact with them as much as necessary.

  “The belts are fun too!” Neon chimed in, forcing me to raise my eyebrow. Okay, I'll unpack whatever that was supposed to mean at a later date.

  “Yes they do look,” I raised my eyebrow even harder, glaring at Maxwell, hoping to convey that she needed to choose her next words carefully. “Well, good to know you're still your prickly usual self.”

  “Most days are usually better now. Not everyday you have to get confronted by memories of the roughest time in my life,” I may be willing to save them, I may be willing to work with them. But I wasn't going to like them. Far from it. Maxwell at least had the decency to realize that I still held some raw feelings.

  “Wahahahahaha!” Drake on the other hand, seemed to be taking far different lessons from the past while. “Please teach us your ways, defier of Syuen’s will! So we may not be sheep anymore!”

  “Is she okay?” Anis whispered in my ear as I shook my head. No, she was not okay.

  But as it turns out, I have a reputation now. As it turned out, my more or less rage quitting on Syuen like I did earned me a lot of attention. And rumors. Can't forget the good old fashion rumors.

  “Just tell her no. She's child shaped, you can easily kick her and be fine,” I shrugged. Both things were true. Really, telling Syuen no was probably the best way to deal with her. “Maybe a spray bottle for chastising?”

  “Children. Are. For. Kicking.” I don't know where Drake got that piece of paper, but I absolve myself of the consequences of whatever was going on inside her head.

  “What exactly were you thinking coming up without checking your charge?” Eunhwa huffed, glaring at the three with contempt in her eyes. And at least she was trying to get us on track.

  “We were sent back up right after a mission,” Maxwell said, not sounding pleased with the matter. “Syuen doesn't care too much about our safety, after all.”

  “We are sheep! Sheep I say!” Drake raised her fist in frustration.

  “You say something to Syuen then,” huffed Maxwell, rolling her eyes.

  “I did that. Regularly. She's a literal brat. You're supposed to tell them no, they can't become productive members of society if they think the world's supposed to bend over for them,” again, seriously. Who let Syuen get under charge of anything at all?

  “I mean, you also took the first chance you got to get out from Missilis. The rest of us have to deal with the consequences of that,” Maxwell gave me a look. “Giving you credit, you did it in the best, most embarrassing way possible, but we had to deal with the fallout.”

  “So you're saying I'm living rent free in the head of someone rich and powerful? Guess I can scratch that off the bucket list,” I shrugged. Again, tell her no, and tell her no often. Unionize, collaborate. There were far more Nikke's in Missilis than was Syuen’s.

  “For a while. She's more happy you're gone more than anything,” Maxwell's statement was met with another shrug. “I'm a bit surprised that's all you have to say.”

  “Living rent free in Syuen’s head is all well and good, but her not spending any time or effort in screwing me over?” I shook my head. “Either of those is a win in my book.”

  “Whats a bucket list?” Vesti asked, and I noticed that a few others were nodding their heads.

  “Old terminology. Usually it's a list of things you want to do before you die, aka, kick the bucket,” I explained. “Can't tell you where I came from though.”

  “Great, everyone, shut up,” Eunhwa snapped, as I leaned back, crossing my arms. She didn't need to phrase it like that. “Tell me, why are you Missilis lackies following us?”

  “Would you believe me if I said Syuen ordered us to follow and provide assistance as needed?” Maxwell tried.

  “Ha!” I couldn't help the brief laugh that left my lips.

  “Well, I've always been a terrible liar," Maxwell sighed, leaning back. “We're here for the Heretic fragments.”

  Well, that confirmed that, at least.

  “Seems like the information got leaked,” Anis huffed, clearly not pleased.

  “More like we uncovered it. Missilis has an entire intelligence department dedicated to Absolute. We came to investigate why you were heading in this direction and came to the conclusion you were going after the fragments. With the flames dying down, it was pretty obvious,” Maxwell explained as I frowned. Apparently there were other things living rent free in Syuen’s little head.

  “Don't you have anything better to do with your time?” Eunhwa wasn't pleased, not that I could blame her this time. Being stalked by a rival company wasn't something I'd be happy about either.

  “Hey now, don't sneeze at intel. It's the foundation of any solid plan!” Laplace exclaimed. That was sensical. That made too much sense.

  “Who are you, and what have you done with Laplace?” I muttered to myself, my eyes narrowing. That was too reasonable to be Laplace.

  “Look, let's just get some sleep. We've got a long hard search ahead of us tomorrow,” Maxwell started to lay down, letting out a wince of pain.

  “Don't act like you've joined us or anything,” Eunhwa growled out as the rest of us started getting settled in.

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  I had a feeling in my stomach. A very bad feeling in my stomach. I didn't entirely mind having Johnson go over first. Rapi was with him. By all accounts, he should be fine.

  But my history with Matis and bridges? Not exactly a great one. Still, nothing had happened. Yet. The key word was yet. Still, I kept my scope firmly on the horizon.

  Out of nowhere, a single Rapture emerged over the hill line, flying through the air.

  “When it clears the bridge, shoot it down,” Eunhwa ordered. But I was busy watching as Laplace raised her weapon.

  “Laplace is about to shoot it now!” I began to scramble upwards. Would I be able to make it to the other side? Could I push myself that fast?

  “What? She can't possibly be that stupid,” Eunhwa started, stealing precious moments of my attention to be cut off by a boom. The Rapture was now wreathed in flames, streaking towards the bridge.

  It crashed into the surface, causing a second explosion, sending the bridge crumbling into the abyss.