The sound of construction echoed across the base as Jack pulled the small pewter coloured sedan into the compound and put it in park. The pair slowly exited, groaning and muttering about cramped conditions and sore limbs.

Stretching high toward the sky, Flitter groaned loudly, before letting out a squeak as her back popped just right. “Fuuuuuuck~ I think I would have gone crazy if I’d been stuck in there any longer!”

“Oh god…” Jack planted both hands on the door, and slowly pulled himself free. “I’m with you… ow… fuck…”

Looking over at him, Flitter smiled softly as he stretched slowly. “You gonna live over there, old man?”

Finally standing straight, he shot her a very mild glare. “Old Man? What, so now that we’ve become an item, you think you can be mean to me? I’ll spank you, woman.”

“Ehehehe~” With a nervous giggle, Flitter rounded the car and went to his side. “I-is that a promise?”

Letting his head fall back with a groan as her cheeks went bright red, Jack couldn’t help but laugh. “Is that a promise? What happened to the innocent girl I used to know?”

“She got left behind in a gangster hideout.” Pushing in, Flitter wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him tightly. “I’ll be around. If you need anything, and I mean anything, please come and see me, okay? I don’t want you going through any of this alone anymore.”

Nodding, he pulled her in close and embraced her as tightly as his body would allow. “Thank you. I’ll do what I can to help you and JSOG train. I can’t exactly… fight, anymore. But, I’ll do my best. I’ll try and source some new guns and armour for you guys. With our bankroll, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Okay.” She lightly nuzzled his ear, before releasing him. The pair stood there for a moment, holding each other’s hands.

With his twisted lips, Jack smiled as softly as he could muster. “Go on, go see your boys and make sure they haven’t set the washing machine on fire.”

Nodding slightly, Flitter released his hands with hesitation, before heading toward the hangar. Turning toward the barracks, Jack began his slow limp back to his room, with his items and bag in tow.

Entering the hangar, Flitter took a moment to take in her surroundings. The inside of the hangar was full of lumber, and resonated with the racket of construction. However, she didn’t see much progress. Sighing to herself, she began to march toward the mess. It didn’t take her long to find somebody.

Baron immediately perked as she neared, though the woman was facing the wrong direction. She made a show of sniffing the air, before turning and starting. “Gah! Captain! You’re back!” Baron smiled as she stood. “You- woah, you smell like-” The changeling suddenly paused, her expression going from confusion to shock. “No way. You finally went through with it?”

Running a hand through her short crop of hair, Flitter smiled sheepishly as she nodded. “Yeah… I told him…”

“And how did it go?” The normally reserved corporal practically buzzed with anticipation.

“It was…” Flitter trailed off for a moment, before smiling softly. “It ended well. We’re gonna see where it goes for now. Anyways, how were things while we were gone?”

Wincing a little, Baron set her hands on her hips while rocking on her heels. “Welp. I can tell you one thing for certain. Not one of us has a construction based cutie mark.”

Blowing air lightly, Flitter looked over the ramshackle set up. “...I can tell.” Pinching the bridge of her nose, Flitter groaned quietly as Walter ambled over.

“Good morning, Captain. How was the trip?” He smiled amiably as he adjusted the heavy toolbelt set around his waist.

“It was… good. Cramped, but I think it went pretty well. How have things gone here?”

“I… I want to apologize.”

Flitter cocked a brow at the man, who was now looking down. “Whyyyy? What did you do?”

Walter cringed deeply as he shifted on the spot. “Not for myself. But um… my sister.” At Flitter’s raised eyebrows, he pressed further. “She um… may have… convinced some of them that… skinny… dipping… in the hot springs…” Flushing hotly, Walter pulled at his collar, before looking down in shame.

Glancing over at Baron, all she got for an answer was a brief shrug. Rolling her eyes, Flitter laced her finds behind her back. “So long as it doesn’t bother any of the locals and nobody gets hurt, it’s fine. I’m not even sure what skinny dipping is, so-”

“Oh! It’s naked swimming.” Walter filled in, which only served to further confuse the pair.

“I thought humans bathed naked anyways? I.... ugh, Human taboos are weird.” Shaking her head, Flitter rubbed at the bridge of her nose.

Smiling weakly, Walter could only shrug, before speaking again. “I forgot to mention before you left, I have some friends that usually meet me here for Martyr’s Day on the seventeenth. We usually all hang out for awhile, get some work done around the base, drink beer and talk. Will that be an issue? Should I-”

“No-no, it’s fine. We’re masters of disguise, see?” Flitter smiled toward the big man. “It shouldn’t be a problem. Just… out of curiosity, what is Martyr’s Day?”

“Hah!” Walter laughed proudly as his smile returned threefold. “It’s only my favourite holiday of the year! It’s where we celebrate the birth and gallant death of… the… mar-Oh shit.” Walter’s eyes went wide with realization as Flitter was galvanized into action.

Clamping her hands on his cheek, she practically screamed in his face. “You mean to tell me Jack’s birthday is in less than a WEEK?!

“I JUST REALIZED IT TOO! NAAAAAAHHH!” Walter set both hands to his head, and screeched. “There’s so much I need to do!”

Flitter was equally vocal as the rest of the platoon stared in confusion. “I haven’t gotten him anything! Fuuuuuuuck!”

Grasping her by the shoulders, Walter shook the captain. “The mall is still open, we can make it if we hurry!”

“Then let’s go! GOGOGOGOGOGO!” Pummelling the bigger man with her fists, the pair swiftly exited the building, leaving behind bemused and confused rangers.

As Mythic approached, Baron looked over her shoulder to him. He smiled weakly at her as he came to a stop at her side. “So… what was that all about?”

“It’s Jack’s birthday in a few days apparently.”

“Oh, that’s nice. What do you think we should get him?”

“A stress ball.”

“Hah.”

Slowly lowering himself into his bed, Jack let out a soft groan that was quickly followed by a knock at his door, which earned a lower, far less approving groan.

“What?” He muttered as he covered his eye with a forearm to protect it from the soft glare of the ceiling light.

Taven cleared his throat as he opened the door a little more. “Hey Jack. How was the roadtrip?”

“Painful.”

“Uh huh.” The door clicked closed as Taven stepped inside the small room, and sat backwards on the desk chair with his arms crossed over the backrest. “When you left so quickly, I didn’t exactly expect you to be coming back. What happened?”

“Flitter happened…” Jack mumbled softly. “She said the word.”

“Oh? And what word was that?” Jack didn’t need to open his eye to see the smarmy smirk Taven was wearing when he could hear it dripping from every word.

“The cruelest four letter word I know.” He slowly sat up, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know what she sees in me, to be honest.”

Chuckling mildly, Taven relaxed in the chair. “I’m not surprised you can’t, considering the weapons grade self-loathing you radiate at any given time. You’re a really lucky man, finding a girl like Flitter who can see right through the ugly onion layers you’ve poured over yourself to keep others away.”

“Layers? Really?” Jack muttered as he felt around for his cigarettes.

“Oh yes. You are a grade A asshole.” Taven dusted his chest lightly as Jack slowly lifted a glare his way. “Don’t you glare at me. You’re an asshole to just about everybody and you know it. Of course, it tends to catch people off guard when you’re an even bigger asshole to yourself than you are to them. You have more self destructive tendencies than I have hooves-”

“Are you going anywhere with this?” Jack grunted. “Or are you just riding my balls?”

Grinning as he slid the pack of cigarettes out of Jack’s reach, Taven continued. “A little bit of both. Think of it as the ego check before I tell you that I’m relieved you came back. Relieved. Despite your often shitty attitude, you’re somebody I’m genuinely glad I can call friend, and I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”

With all his might, Jack fought back the long, painful winge that grew in his chest. No matter how hard he fought though, he couldn’t keep the soft, sad smile from his lips. “Thank you. That uh… means a lot to me. I’m glad you’re my friend, Taven.” With slow, deliberate motions, Jack reached forward and hugged the black man tightly.

Taven smiled as he patted Jack’s back. “Yeah yeah, I know, I’m the best.” As Jack released, Taven began to fiddle with his hair. “So, what’s next?”

“Finding out if Cabelas sells milsurp.” Jack muttered as he looked over at his laptop, and felt trepidation wash over him like a crashing wave. “I need to… make some calls. Put out feelers.”

“Ah, adding the human touch to the party. I’ll leave you to it. Just-ah… let me know if you need anything. I may not be your batman anymore, but I’ve still got your back.”

“I think it’d be for the best if you looked after Flitter instead.” He murmured back as he rubbed his scarred cheek idly, trying to elicit any sense of feeling from the shrapnel blunted nerves.

Taven’s laugh caught him off guard, and drew him back into the present. “Honestly Jack-” Taven grinned as he shook his head. “-out of the two of you, I’m far more worried about you than I am about Flitter. She’s tough as nails and sharper than a razor. Besides, she’s got a whole platoon ready and willing to sling lead at a moment’s notice. She really, really doesn’t need me. You do.”

Lifting his hands to feign defeat, Jack couldn’t keep himself from giving Taven a twisted grin. “She really is something, isn’t she?” He sighed wistfully, before slowly letting himself fall back to the bed. A soft groan escaped his lips as he stared at the ceiling. “Could you get the light?”

“Sure thing, Old Man.”

“I will kick your nuts up into your throat if you call me Old Man again.”

“If you could even catch me.”

“I know where you fucking sleep, Taven, you’re cruisin’ for a bruisin’.”

Chuckling mildly as he went to the door, Taven flicked off the light and closed the door before he could rile Jack up any more. Pausing for a moment as he stood by the door, Taven set his hands on his hips and shook his head in disbelief. “The girl finally did it, huh? Well good for her.” His fanged smile was true and honest as he strode down the halls toward the hangar.

Staring at his laptop, Jack was in the middle of a long, hard consideration of his next move. His body ached from the sleep he’d awoken from mere hours ago; the pain a constant reminder that he was alive, if only by the grace of God. He reached forward toward the mouse, before hesitating. Quickly shaking his head at his own trepidation, he opened up his saved files, and plugged in the thumb drive given to him by Blackburn. Ignoring the intel folders, he coaxed the cursor toward the loose file. He hesitated once again, and pulled his hand away from the mouse.

Are you really considering making a deal with the devil, Jack?

The words teased him as they swirled to form in his mind, though all they succeeded in doing was forcing him to scowl at nothing in particular. “He’s got everything we would need. Guns, armour, trainers, vehicles, everything.”

It’s the easy way out, isn’t it though? One phone call, two little words, and the good doctor would hand you the world. He looks at you how a cat stares down a one winged songbird. We both know that if you make the call, it’s the end for things as they are.

“If it gives JSOG the edge they need to win this, then Blackburn getting his hands on me again is a price I’m willing to pay.”

Oh Jack, my little lovebird~ All it took was three words and she has you doubling over backwards. How pathetic.

“Do me a favour and fuck off back to the shithole you crawled out of.”

Riddle me this, Jackie boy~ If you’re really willing to do whatever it takes, why the hesitation?

His scowl turned to a hateful glare as he ran a set of fingertips down the rough flesh of his ruined cheek. To spite the voice in his head, he grasped the mouse once again, and opened the file. Inside was Blackburn’s contact information, as he’d expected, but there were additional details, which he hadn’t expected. First off was a simple set of instructions for the injector, though he was hardly interested in that when his eyes fell upon the next contact in the list.

Jack’s eye went wide in shock as he leaned forward, as if getting closer to the screen would distort the second name away from what it was. Slowly leaning back as his mind raced, Jack could only mumble. “Holy shit.”

Flitter was lost. She was lost, tired, and almost completely overloaded by the constant barrage of advertisements. She wasn’t even sure what day it was; if she was going to be completely honest with herself, she felt like she was going to go insane if she was forced to navigate the gargantuan Mall any longer. She’d run out of credits hours ago, that she was certain. She’d last seen Walter an hour prior to that as his sister had dragged him off to help her with her own shopping. How his sister had found them in the crushing throngs of humans, Flitter would never know.

Stopping at a clear bench, Flitter set down her load of bags before sitting down with a heavy thud and an ensuing groan. Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back as she relaxed. Failing to tune out the near deafening din of human life, she slowly opened her eyes, only to become startled at what she was staring at.

The stars, unimpeded by light or atmosphere twinkled above merrily like guiding lights. A small smile spread across her lips as she found herself staring. Somehow they felt… closer, than what she was used to.

“There she is! Captain!” Walter’s voice was an unexpected distraction from the dancing black canvas above, but it certainly wasn’t an unwelcome one.

Sitting up, Flitter craned her neck toward the large man and smiled at the siblings as they approached. Walter pushed a cart heavily laden with cases of beer and snack foods, while Jessica held several mixed bags, one of which was pitch black with pink print. ‘Sensual Secrets’ was emblazoned upon it, causing Flitter to lift a brow. Deciding to ignore their bags for the moment, Flitter stood and spoke with an annoyance close to what she actually felt. “Stars above, you two had to just up and disappear on me! I’ve been wandering for hours!” She’d long since finished her shopping, or at least, she hoped she had.

“Sorry!” As usual, Walter was the first to offer a sincere apology. “I didn’t notice you weren’t behind me until two hours ago, I tried calling, but I think your omnilink is dead?” The big man smiled weakly as he apologized for a mistake she was on her own in making.

“That’s what I forgot to do.” Flitter sighed in annoyance, though it was all focused toward herself. “I’m just glad you found me, I thought I was going to go crazy trying to find my way through this maze.”

As the two talked, Jessica idly rifled through her assorted bags. “Let’s go get something to eat, I’m starved!”

The moment the words left the butch girl’s lips, Flitter’s stomach turned in protest to it’s lack of sustenance, causing her to nod quickly in agreement. “I could eat. Where can we go?” In her mind, Flitter recalled the highly detailed floor plan for the massive eight story mall, though all of the names meant nothing to her.

“There’s a Taco Bellvue in the fifth level Bourbon Street.” Jessica snagged Flitter’s hand without warning, and quickly began to tug her along. “Come on Captain, I don’t want to hear Walter cry anymore if we lose you again.” As Flitter opened her mouth to protest about her bags, a quick glance over her shoulder saw Walter quickly gathering them and adding their bulk to his already loaded cart. Mild relief pressed into her mind, if only for the fact she wouldn’t have to carry the bags any further herself.

The walk to the mass conveyors was a long one, though not as long as it could have been as Jessica weaved through the crowd with uncanny skill, and Walter’s heavy load saw most people moving out of the way anyways. The huge multiplatforms awaited their occupants with the cold indifference of machines disguised by ornate trappings. The ride down to the fifth level was certainly quicker than walking, which is what Flitter had done prior, and deeply regretted. The level was just as packed as the others had been, but the space held less clothing stores and more food shops than Flitter had ever dreamed of seeing. Scents from a million different dishes played in the air, adding to the mayhem the human mall struck all of her senses with.

The small shops displayed themselves with vibrant signs, though each one was unique unto itself. Some favoured bold colours and lettering, while others danced before the eyes on hardlight and LED. A few still held on to softly humming neon, while the more reserved simply used pleasant palates and quiet colours that seemed flat and subdued by the commercial warfare of the others surrounding them. Jessica all but ignored them all, while Flitter couldn’t seem to stop herself from rubbernecking. Her eyes flicked from greasy burgers to noodles, from noodles to sushi, from sushi to pizza, and so on and so forth. It was all so much to take in, Flitter found herself honestly grateful the shorter woman had snagged her hand. As they passed by the small food shops clamouring for space in huge courts, Flitter began to notice the shift in lighting. Gone were the dazzling spotlights that illuminated everything with a brightness only the sun itself could rival, replaced by dimmed floor lighting strips that gave the ‘street’ a considerably more calm, pleasant tone filled with warmth. Though the crowds were no less thick, the noise was markedly less violent.

Without a word of discussion to her group, Jessica pulled Flitter toward a large, proud establishment that seemed to favor warm lighting and a relaxed atmosphere. Flashing three fingers at the server waiting at the door, Jessica pulled her inside as Walter stowed their purchases in a security corral. The change in atmosphere was almost as violent as a gunshot, going from the hectic crowds and deafening roar of a hundred thousand conversations to a quiet place with pleasant music and conservatively dressed staff. The server leading them weaved through the aisles of booths and tables, before waving an arm to an unoccupied booth. The trio sat, and drinks were ordered as menus were placed down. Walter immediately began to skim through the provided menu, while Jessica seemed happy enough to just sit back and sip at her drink. Flitter sank into the soft cushion with a low groan, and began to stretch her feet out under.

“This place is… nice.” Flitter murmured, after modifying her volume to match that of the quiet restaurant. The place certainly seemed nice, compared to the greasy atmosphere of Founding Mares.

“It’s the best for the price, that’s for sure.” The elder sibling smirked from behind her glass as she watched Flitter in the low, warm light.

“Right!” Walter exclaimed. “We used to come here all the time, but it’s a little pricey to come to with a budget. Typical fancy sit-down.” He grinned brightly from over his menu, before clearing his throat and quickly busying himself with it again.

Opening up her menu, Flitter began searching for words she recognized. The foods on the menu jumped out at her, nearly startling the tired pony as a 4k image of a quesadilla sprung up in her face. “I don’t even know where to begin…” She muttered as she waved a hand through the holographic image.

“Try the Carne Asada, it’s amazing!” Walter chirped cheerily as he plugged his long order into the table mounted console.

“So, Knight Captain. You look a little cold.” Jessica spoke with a smirk that bordered on breaking into a lecherous grin. The sight and question only caused Flitter confusion.

“Erm… not really?”

“Eheh… sure, and you’re not a fan of bras either, huh?” Jessica leaned until she was supporting herself with an elbow.

At the statement, Walter squawked shrilly as he turned bright pink. “J-jessica!”

“Wuh-wuh-Walter!” His sister mocked his embarrassed stammer right back at him as Flitter quirked a brow in confusion.

“You can’t-!”

“I just did~”

Shaking her head, Flitter prodded the screen, and slowly punched numbers for the meal into the screen. “I have no idea what you two are talking about. I have no idea what a bra is.”

The argument that was starting died in an instant as the pair stared at her with incredulity. Sharing a look between each other, the siblings looked back to Flitter. “You… what?”

As Jessica posed her shocked question, the server arrived, setting their food down before them. Smiling thankfully to the woman, Flitter tucked into the food with quiet gusto. Across from her, the siblings quietly argued between each other as if she couldn’t hear them.

“Jessica, she’s an alien, she doesn’t know about bras!” Walter hissed sharply at his sister, who in turn threatened him with a fork.

“She’s got tits, alien or no, they should- they should…!” Jessica slowly trailed off, before snapping to a suddenly realization. “Nudists.” She murmured quietly, before grinning brightly as Walter buried his face into his hands.

Shaking her head as she ate, all Flitter could say toward the argument was “Humans are weird.”

Taven watched as Jack paced back and forth, limping as he went around and around, muttering softly.

“You are a weird human, Jack. Why don’t you just call him, instead of pulling your hair out?” Taven sat backwards on Jack’s desk chair, his arms crossed under him as he watched.

“Because he shouldn’t be alive, Taven! I can explain me, and I can explain Blackburn, but I can’t even begin to explain this! What the hell am I even supposed to say!? Hi Hans, it’s Jack, yeah, I know, I’m supposed to be dead, but how have you been these last eighty five years?”

“...You could try that.” Taven offered lightly.

“I am not going to try that!” Jack swiftly snapped back, before sinking into his bed and groaning. “Fuuuck. Fuck my life. Here goes.” Opening his omnilink, Jack plugged in the number, and sucked in a breath meant to steady his thumping heart. As the link on the other end rang, his breathing did nothing for his anxiety. The link call clicked, and all Jack got was dial tone. Pulling away from the device, he blinked in shock. “That Kraut bastard didn’t even take the call!” Anger flared in his mind as he redialed. “Mother fucking German sonnuva bi-”

“Hello?” Hans’ voice came through as a gruff scratch with a mild electronic drone.

For a moment, Jack froze, recognizing the voice, though it lacked the accent he’d remembered fondly. Hans repeated his greeting, though he sounded annoyed. Fearing the man on the other end would hang up again, Jack all but yelled. “Hans!”

“Yes, that’s me. Who is this? How did you get this number?” The sound of a rumbling vehicle cropped up, along with background conversation.

“Hans Drescher, you were a battle frame pilot in the invasion, Panzer Elite, Oberfeldwebel. Your frame’s name was Irma, after your daughter.”

There was a long pause, and the background conversations had ceased. “...Who are you?” The man asked in a growl. “Explain yourself.”

“You…” Jack started, before running a hand down his thickly stubbled face. “Are you on earth?”

“Yes.”

“Could you meet me at the Washington war memorial?”

There was another pause, followed by someone saying something in the background Jack couldn’t quite make out. “Yes. I can be there tomorrow. If this is a trick, you will sorely regret it.”

“No tricks, I just… I’ll see you there. You’ll know who I am, code phrase thunder, flash.”

“As you say.”

The call terminated, leaving Jack feeling drained. “This might get interesting.”

“Define interesting.” Taven spoke quietly from where he’d remained seated. The former batpony watched him with sharp amber eyes.

“I’m not certain yet… would you-”

“mhm.” Taven stood and stretched out. “I’ll come with, if it means getting off this base for a little while. There’s a whole world out there I want to see, and instead I’m stuck camping in the woods.” He turned a fanged grin toward Jack. “Seems to be a running theme with you.”

Pressing a hand to his own chest, Jack tried to appear as haughty as possible when he spoke. “I happen to like camping, thank you very much.” He winced immediately after, the hand on his chest clutching against the flare of pain.

“Right. Just tell me when.” Taven stood, and patted Jack’s shoulder. “Try not to die in the meantime.”

“Might not have a choice…” Jack swallowed the fiery lump of pain that sat heavy in his chest, before rising as well. “Where’s Flitter?”

“Hmm?” Taven paused, looking over his shoulder at Jack. “She went out with Walter and Jessica. Something about shopping.”

Cursing under his breath, Jack rose from the bed. “Get yourself a kitbag. Bring a pistol. We’re gonna go tonight.”

“Tonight? Are you certain?” Taven had paused at the door to look back.

Nodding, Jack began to pack his own small bag. “Yeah. I don’t want to be late, and we should scope the area first.”

Accepting the explanation, Taven nodded in return. “Right. Anything else?”

“Prod Aurora and make sure she’s eaten.”

“Right. See you in twenty.”

The train ride back to Cascadia was a long and quiet one for Flitter. Her mind was still racing as to what she was going to do for Jack’s birthday. She’d bought him a number of gifts, but now as she sat there, quietly considering them, they all fell short of what he’d provided her. While Flitter was certain that Walter and his coming friends could throw a party, she was painfully out of her element.

“Give me a rifle and I’ll field strip it blindfolded. Give me my love, and… ugh.” Sinking into her seat, she idly fiddled with the portable charger she’d bought. Across the aisle sat the siblings. Walter defended his stack of beer and snacks like a furious mother bear, while Jessica continued to prod his defences, like a hungry wolf smelling an easy meal.

Letting her head loll back, Flitter closed her eyes for a quick catnap. After her adventure in the mall, she was right bushed.

The darkness greeted her momentarily, before splitting open with blinding white light as a star shell burst above her fox hole. The snow that covered the ground was thrown into upheaval by shrieking shells and stray bullets. Tracers lit the night before her eyes, the brilliant green and red fireflies cut bright lines across her vision as they snapped and hissed overhead. Shrieking filled the air in her ears, causing her to look up.

Falling upon her, the progeny howled as it ripped and tore, it’s monstrous grip breaking bone and ruining muscle before it-

*Ding* Welcome to Cascadia station, please ensure you have all of your belongings as you depart the train.

Lurching awake with a stilted gasp, Flitter found herself not nestled down in a snowy foxhole, but sitting on the soft seat of a human magrail. Her mechanical hand gripped the grab bar next to her seat, her momentary terror having seen it squash the aluminum. Slowly lifting her fingers free, she fought a shudder as her stomach lurched in rebellion. The bitter stench of the progeny burned her nostrils by memory alone, and it took all the willpower she had to stand on firm legs and pick up her bags.

“Ready, Captain?” Walter smiled amiably at her, unaware of the horrors she’d just inflicted upon herself.

“...Yeah, let’s go.”

With the small hover dolly in tow, the trio set off for Walter’s truck, which sat in a nearby parking garage. As they loaded the bed with supplies, Jessica tilted her head in confusion.

“Isn’t that my car?”

It most certainly was. The pewter sedan sat nearby, awaiting its driver.

“Looks like Jack had to run an errand.”

“He could have asked first!” She quickly pulled up her omnilink, clearly planning on calling the man and giving him an earful. As she started the device, Jessica paused. “Oh. He texted me. Borrowing car, left two coins in glove compartment. Ohoh! Well, consider yourself excused!” Lowering her link, Jessica happily skipped to the vehicle, where a day's wages awaited her.

The drive back was as unassuming and uneventful as anybody could ever hope for, though as they parked and began offloading, Flitter’s eyes fell upon Jessica’s bags. Spotting her gaze, the shorter woman smirked.

“It’s lingerie~”

“Oookay?” Flitter quirked a brow. “Wh-”

As she began to speak, Jessica continued as if she hadn’t paused at all. “I figured, since it’s the big guy’s birthday, I’d give him a sexy dance.” Her eyes flicked to Walter, who’d gone red at the mention, and looked miserable. “I mean, he’s the Martyr, right? Even if he looks like a Harvey Dent ripoff-”

“Jessica!” Walter yelled shrilly with embarrassment. “You can’t-” Walter’s words died on his tongue as he stared at Flitter, his eyes slowly filling with fear.

“I can’t what?” Jessica asked with a voice edging on laughter. Slowly, Flitter reached forward, and tapped the human’s shoulder twice. Turning, Jessica was already speaking. “Yeah, Flits? Whaaauuuuhhh…” Jessica’s eyes went wide as she found herself nearly engulfed in Flitter’s full wing span. The stare Flitter was giving her was more akin to a forced perspective from the business end of a double barrel shotgun.

Towering over and nearly engulfing the human woman with quivering feathers, Flitter leaned in close. “If you try and take Jack from me, I’ll drop you at cruising altitude and see how well you fly.” Her normally soft voice came through as a furious growl while her eyes burrowed holes into her target.

Having gone completely silent, Jessica stared back at Flitter, until Walter moved forward and grabbed her arm. “Jess, I think you should leave Jack alone, and apologize to the Knight Captain.” While the huge man normally held a higher tone of voice while dealing with his sister, he now only spoke with a low, calm timber.

“Right. Yeah.” Jessica’s voice, usually cool as ice and confident as hell, shook slightly as her gaze wavered, and fell. “I didn’t know you two were bumping. That’s…” She awkwardly rubbed at the back of her neck as she looked everywhere but at Flitter. “That’s my bad. I’m sorry.”

Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, Flitter slowly withdrew her wings; the massive feathered appendages slipping back into their magical trappings under her tank top. “Thank you. I apologize for the threat, but the thought of having him stolen out from under me again just- urgh.” She shook her head, before offering a weak smile that was easily reciprocated by the stocky girl. “Guys, am I right?”

Walter only allowed himself to relax when Jessica chortled and slapped Flitter’s shoulder playfully. “You’re a bad bitch, I knew I liked you for a reason! And those wings! Goddamn! When you said your type could fly, I didn’t think you had giant wings!”

Sighing wistfully as Flitter adopted a confused look, Walter shook his head as he finished loading the rest of the supplies onto his dolly. “I’ll be inside, try not to kill each other, okay?”

“Sure Walter! So, what’s he like?”

Quickly fleeing the impending conversation, Walter entered the barracks, and began unpacking for the gathering. His mind wandered for a moment to Jack. “Bah, I’m sure he’ll be fine. What kind of trouble could he get up to?”

“This place is huge…” Taven murmured into his omnilink as he gazed over the massive mall. The entirety was under cover by a shimmering hardlight canopy; the cylindrical cover distorted by the current rains. In among the old monuments and memorials were packs of people milling to and fro, though they were only in the way as far as Taven was concerned.

“We’re in the capital of Old America, of course it’s big. Everything they did was big.” Jack’s eyes ran along the memorials. He’d known a good few prior, but now the mall was almost all memorials. Currently, he was standing before a massive bronze statue of a man wearing Longbow Class Titan armour, carrying the Arm-Can Federation’s standard over his shoulder. Several screens along the base contained impossibly long lists of names. The names of those who’d lost their lives when humanity fought for its.

Softly grunting in acknowledgement, Taven continued to keep an eye out for the supposed contact. “What’s he look like again?” With the crowds, it felt impossible to tell one human from another.

“Honestly, I have no fuckin’ clue anymore.” Jack sighed, before wincing and touching his cotton eyepatch in an attempt to soothe the pulsing agony that cut like a knife into his brain. “I wonder if he’ll even recognize me.”

“Heads up, some woman-”

“Hello, handsome~” Jack tilted his head ever so slightly to look at the woman who had slipped in beside him. She was average in height, but that’s exactly where the term average ended in use. Her shock of auburn hair was styled wildly, while a pair of predatory yellow eyes stared back at him. While he couldn’t gauge much of the rest of the woman thanks to the huge fur collared parka she wore, she’d made a clear and conscious effort to showcase her large tits. An unprofessionally short pencil skirt ended just before a pair of dark black stockings started, and ended in a pair of heavy combat boots. The look screamed street walker, but the way she’d slipped up behind him almost soundlessly certainly didn’t.

While his look over her had been instantly brief, it caused the woman with the thick Russian accent to smile ever so larger as Jack returned his eyes to hers. “Hey there. Odd clothes for the weather. I hear we’re supposed to have thunder and lighting.”

“Oof, I am not likink da flashes, will you keep me safe?” She pursed her lips in a pout, but failed to hide the playful smirk that lingered.

He’d been right in his guess. Or at least, he hoped he had been. “Wish I could, but I’m taken, and I’m waiting for a friend. Maybe you know him.”

Lacing her arm through his and around his back, the fiery woman leaned in close, pressing her chest against his. “Are you so certain, handsome? I am needinks da protection~ We can walks, and maybe meet your friend.”

Finally turning so she could see his full face, Jack took mild comfort in the natural recoil the woman suppressed. “I’m not all that good at protecting anymore, Krasivaya, but I think I can walk.”

“Da, gud.” With her arm laced through his, the girl began to walk with him, back towards the nearest street. “What is your name?” She was lacing her voice with honey, still keeping up with the act, but now he knew it was an act through and through. Or at least, he sincerely hoped it was, as when she’d pressed up against him, he’d felt the undeniable prod of a pistol grip in his ribs.

“Jack.” He replied lightly as he let her keep her arm around his. “And yours?”

“I em Wiktoriya, but you may call me Wikki~”

“Vikki, hmm?” He guess lightly through her brutally thick accent, and earned a nod of approval from the attractive girl. “How do you know Hans?” He didn’t bother to check if Taven was following, as he already knew the batpony was stalking them both from the shadows.

Viktoriya slowly traced his side with her fingers as they walked. “We are workink friends. And you, Jak?”

“We were soldiers together, a long time ago.”

To his surprise, the buxom redhead pouted. “I em sorry, I do not like hurtink such brave, nice man, but~” Jack jerked in surprise as the hypodermic needle jabbed into his side and swiftly injected its contents into his bloodstream. For a moment, Jack was back in Hunter’s perch, having metal needles shoved into his skin and under his nails. Thanks to the paralytic compound quickly overloading his body, all he managed was a surprised grunt. Holding him to her side, Vikki smirked as an unmarked van pulled up, the side door getting opened by the occupants. As they hauled his frozen body inside, Viktoriya finished her sentence as a sultry whisper in his ear. “If we are not killinks you, then I will make it ups.” She gave him a wet kiss on the cheek as the door closed and the van pulled away.

“Nightmother fuck me running…” Taven ran both hands through his steel mohawk as he watched Jack get spirited away by the prostitute and the unmarked van. He had to think, and fast. “Mouth always writing cheques his ass can’t cash-” Setting off at a sprint, Taven ran through a dozen possibilities as his boots slapped pavement loudly. He covered the ground quickly, as if he’d had four legs instead of two. Sliding into the street, he cursed bitterly as the van made a left, and carried on out of sight.

They weren’t going to lose him that easily. Growling and baring his fangs, Taven set off through traffic, leaping over low hoods and sliding across roofs. He earned more than a few curses and honks in his direction, but he paid them no mind as he entered an alleyway and continued his mad sprint.

“Jack, Jack can you hear me, what’s going on!?” Taven yelled into his earpiece as he leapt over dumpsters and the occasional bum box, scattering trash in his wake.

“Turn around and go home.” A gruff, unfamiliar voice answered his call, before the line went dead.

“Like hell!” He snarled as he exited the alley, and looked around frantically. Cars and other vehicles of all makes, shapes, and sizes buzzed by on quiet electric motors, obscuring his sight lines and threatening to throw him off the trail. Then, as the light turned green, he spotted the van, and grinned. “Found you, mother fucker.”

Taking off again, Taven cut into another alley, only to find it blind halfway through. “DAMMIT!” He spat as he skidded to a stop, his eyes following the building up six stories. A fire escape was riveted to the wall, but was locked off and out of easy reach. Backing up, he shook his head. “The shit I do for that human.” Surging forward, Taven leapt, his boots scraping the wall as his massive leathery wing unfurled. Snapping it gave him an immediate, if awkward burst of vertical momentum, turning him from the wall, to the fire escape. Grunting in exertion, he flapped again, going hand over hand on the outside of the fire escape until he crested the peak and sailed over top. Startled pigeons fled with coos and rustling wings in his wake as he rushed to the other side, and peered over the edge. Spotting the van, he grinned savagely, and turned, taking off across the rooftops.

In the van, Jack’s world had turned dark when a bag had been thrown over his head. He could feel the van lurching underneath him, the change in pace, but he couldn’t move a muscle.

“Take that bag off him, what’s the point of confirming an ID if we can't see his damn face?” Jack didn’t recognize the voice, it belong to what sounded like a large, gruff man.

“First it’s bag em, and now it’s don’t bag em, make up your mind, PW.”

“Boys, pleaze, no arguink in front of guest!” He recognized Viktoriya’s voice at least, before the bag was pulled off his head, and a bright light dazzled his eyes.

“Alright Bud, who the hell are you, and what do you want with Hans?” The man who’d spoken first was most certainly the large man Jack had pinged him for, in fact he looked like a shaved gorilla in a two piece business suit.

A second man sat next to him, thumbing a shotgun that rested between his knees. The wild haired ginger grinned and shot Jack a peace sign. Viktoriya had slipped into the front passenger seat, next to a woman wearing a black jacket and a black baseball hat that covered a thick mop of brilliant orange hair. Upon sitting in the passenger seat, Viktoriya immediately began to badger the driver to let her take over. Between them sat a heavy metal drone with four legs, and four manipulators.

Groaning quietly as he struggled and failed to lift even a finger, his lack of answer earned him a swift kick in the gut from the gorilla man. “Answer the question.” He momentarily lifted what Jack could only assume to be his earpiece, and spoke “Turn around and go home.”

“Jack Kessle. Maybe you’ve seen me around.” He wheezed a laugh, and earned one in return from the ginger wielding the shotgun.

“A funny man, great. Alright, we’ll do this the hard way.” The large man reached into his suit jacket, and withdrew a pair of pliers.

“Oh christ, not this again…”Jack muttered quietly. “Are you lot even with Hans? Middle aged guy, salt and pepper hair, pilots a battle frame, sings Hasselhoff when he’s drunk?”

As the big man leaned in with the pliers and Jack quickly shut his mouth, the drone reached forward, and stopped the incoming violence with a light touch. The big man looked aside at it, before stowing the implement and sitting back. The drone slowly rose, and skittered over to where Jack was flopped gracelessly. Its camera eyes focused on Jack’s face as it gripped his chin, manipulating him like a doll. “Who are you?” Hans asked. “Really. You can’t be Jack, he’s a very dead man.”

Blinking slowly, Jack stared at the drone. “I could say the same for you, Hans. I can’t blame you for not coming personally, but a drone and a crew? I’m a little hurt. Or… I would be if I could feel anything. I’m surprised I can even talk, that’s some effective shit...”

“Who-”

“I’m me, goddamit! We fought the Corvellans together, we wiped out a supply base in Tokyo, fought in the Caucuses! We fought in Russia, then Germany, then North America! Christmas morning, twenty thirty three, we got shitfaced on Bulgarian box vodka and played soccer in thirty below! We were fucking skins, and we both got frostbite!” The drone had pulled away, it’s graspers clicking softly like a man tapping at his thigh. The others had gone silent. “We fought, and we bled together!” Jack cried out. “You had to carry me out of Tokyo because I’d been hit so many times I couldn’t walk! You saved me, Hans!” Jack hissed through his teeth as his body refused to move an inch. “You were the only friend I had on this fucking planet…”

“And then you died.” The drone responded quietly. “What happened?”

“A… a lot of really crazy shit… Can we stop the van? Maybe gimme some antidote so I can feel my dick?”

“Yes, Vikki, get-”

“What the fuck-!?” The woman in the driver seat cried out for the first time, before Taven smashed through the front windscreen, his wing crashing into her face as tempered glass rained across the cabin. Taven careened passed the driver, across the cargo bay, and into the back doors with a loud, metal denting slam. The ginger jumped and yelled in shock as the shotgun was ripped from his hands by the winged intruder, Hans’ drone had been bowled right over, and the big man was reaching into his coat again. Taven bared his fangs as he racked a shell and aimed the shotgun at the occupants of the van.

“EVERYBODY BACK THE FUCK AWAY FROM THE CRIPPLE!” His unfurled leather wing quivered, ready to strike as the team in the van stared in shock. The driver groaned, just as Viktoriya took the wheel and kept them on the road.

“Hey Taven. Nice dynamic entry.” Jack spoke with a pained grunt from his slumped position against the van wall. “It’s alright, we’re cool.” His eyes flicked to the downed drone, which was picking itself back up with ease. “Are we cool?”

“...Yes, we are cool. Naomi, are you alright?” The drone turned toward the driver, who was coming to and rubbing at her bleeding nose.

Pausing in shifting the gun barrel from human to human, Taven looked to Jack with confusion. “What the fuck were you thinking!? I thought you were going to get your stupid ass killed!” His confusion was quick to give way to anger as he shifted over the pebbles of broken glass.

Sighing, Jack rolled his eyes, as he couldn’t do much else. “Thank you for saving me, Taven.”

“You’re welcome, you giant pain in the ass.”

With his eyes flicking between everything, the Ginger man seemed about ready to come apart at the seams for all the vibrating he was doing. Leaping off the floor, he pumped a fist and struck the roof with a clang. “THAT WAS FUCKIN AWESOME!”

Next to him, the gorilla man could only groan, and rub at his tired face with a coarse hand. “Why couldn’t this be a normal assignment…”

With the van parked somewhere quiet, and the antidote administered, Jack was rolling out and stretching his sore limbs, while the team inspected the damage to their van. Taven had gone feet first through the window at twenty miles an hour, and yet he seemed no more worse for wear.

“So.” Hans’ drone started as it skittered over on pavement. “Let's start from the top, shall we?”

“Mmhf.” Jack simply grunted as Taven stayed by his side with the pilfered scattergun.

Hans sighed quietly through electronic speakers. “How are you even alive? This should not be possible.” By now, most of what Jack could only assume to be his team had gathered around, and stared at the odd pair.

“Taven?”

“Yeah Jack?” Taven turned slightly toward him, though clearly still didn't trust the others, if the shotgun held at low ready was any indication.

“You got your amulet?” Jack rubbed at the back of his neck, finally feeling the returning agony that plagued him. At Taven’s nod, Jack held a hand out. Muttering quietly, Taven dug it out, and presented it to him. Without much flair, Jack triggered the second chamber, and the team before him recoiled in surprise and horror as the black man was engulfed in green flame.

The flames died off nearly instantly, leaving behind faint purple smoke that caused Taven to cough, and cover his mouth with a hoof. “Could have warned me-”

Not pausing, Jack gestured to the batpony at his side. “These furry motherfuckers happened.”

The silence within the alley was palatable as the crew standing before the pair stared at them. The shock was quick to wear off as the drone’s manipulators slumped.

“What the fuck, Jack.”

Grunting softly, Jack handed the amulet back to Taven, who quickly reverted back to his disguised form. “Yeah… that could sum things up pretty well.”

“Soo…” Vikki peered at Taven, who quirked a brow at her as he held the shotgun by its receiver. “The cyoot black man is secretly talking horse?”

“They find the term offensive.”Jack was quick to iterate. “And uh… They’re aliens.”

“Oh. How wonderful.” The large man looked up with a sigh as he spoke with a deadpan voice.

The ginger grinned back at the big man. “Don’t be such a downer, John. It’s not every day you get held at gunpoint by an one winged alien bat pony.”

“Alright, Jack. Let’s get some lunch and catch up.” Hans had clearly had enough with the situation already, as his drone skittered slowly toward the back of the van.

Jack was quick to follow, though the crew and Taven weren’t so fast. “Speaking of, are you going to come see me in person, or stick with the drone?”

“...Jack, this is all the flesh I have left.” The drone idly gestured to itself as it clambered into the back of the van. When Jack didn’t answer, the camera eyes swivelled back and fixed him like crosshairs.

Jack stared at the drone both shock and confusion etched on his face. “What? I… I don’t follow…”

“Then we both have a lot to tell each other.” The drone peered passed Jack, toward the others. “Are you coming or what? This isn’t a fucking kinderparty, get a goddamn move on!”

“So… that basically sums my last two years up. Kidnapped by a god, shot, stabbed, blown up, press ganged… Tortured, man handled, and mostly sober. Or at least attempting to be.”

Sitting in a quiet restaurant, Hans’s unerring camera gaze burrowed into Jack, beside the crew’s own curious stares. “Well, Jack.” Hans started as his manipulators drummed across the table. “That is possibly, the most utterly insane thing I have ever heard anyone say.”

Jack’s features sagged ever so slightly as those at the table, save Taven, nodded in agreement.

“I’d suggest seeking out a therapist.” The big man spoke lightly.

With an electronic sigh, Hans idly tapped at the table. “If it weren’t for… everything, I’d call you a liar and a fraud. But, you know things nobody else could, and you have… physical proof. So. I’ll suspend my disbelief for now, and take you at your word. That said, I should not be surprised that most of what you’ve told me so far is all your fault.”

“Hey! I-”

“Didn’t use your damn head.” The panzer pilot shot back before Jack could squawk his excuses. “If you weren’t so caught up in the power fantasy, you might have thought about your actions before you moved. But, you’ve always been like this, so I suppose I cannot give you too much guff.”

“I have not-”

“Jack.”

Scowling hard, Jack felt the first nigglings of shame in the back of his head, which caused him to reach back and scratch. “I wasn’t at my best. I’ll admit that…”

“You started a fistfight with their ruler, who, by your own words, sounds like the most literally benevolent politician I’ve ever heard of. And yes, before you get offended, I realize she used you as a pawn, but compared to many of our own kind, I would say she did a very good job of keeping your idiot, cowboy ass alive.”

“If she hadn’t bullshitted me, I could have-!”

“Done what, Jack? Left them to the machinations of this… Carolus creature? Seen your parents die with your own eyes? Lived a life in hiding with that girl? Gotten press ganged into a human war instead? What is done, is done. She was making the best choices to keep her people and land safe.”

Gesturing toward the drone, Taven spoke. “Thank you! Gods, why couldn’t we have gotten you instead…”

Recoiling as if struck, Jack looked to Taven with a clearly wounded face. “...What the fuck, Taven?”

Taven looked back over toward Jack, his expression unmoving. “Sorry, but this is probably the most forward thinking human I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. You’re… bipolar, at the best of times.”

Before Jack could fire back with vitriol, Hans spoke again. “You do seem very different, Jack. Your actions also hardly strike me as those of the man I fought with before. Granted, you always approached situations with a lack of self preservation, sideways, ass toward the enemy.”

“I… fucking Christ, if I’d known I’d be in for a fucking roasting I would have stayed back at the barracks… I ran out of my med battery on my second week, I… I guess I’ve been a little imbalanced since…” Jack lowered his eyes as he rubbed at the back of his head.

“Ah.” Hans tapped the table as Taven quirked a brow.

“Your med battery? What the hell is that?”

Wincing, Jack pinched the back of his neck as he avoided his friend’s gaze. “Medical pills. I’m… you know. They were supposed to make me normal. Normalish. I didn’t go insane, so I figured I’d be alright without them.”

Leaning back, Taven shook his head, before sipping at his drink. “So you filled the gap with alcohol, morphine, and bent anger.” His sigh turned into a groan. “That makes sense, I suppose.”

“Thanks. So glad you understand.” Jack growled toward Taven, before turning his attention back toward the crew before them. “Alright, you’ve heard my shit show of an adventure, what the fuck happened to you, and how did you end up with these people?” He gestured to the crew, earning a myriad of different looks for it.

“Well.” Hans started as he gestured to those sitting next to him. “I do suppose some introductions are in order. The man to my left here-” He gestured to the shaved gorilla in a business suit, who glanced slowly at the drone, then back to Jack and Taven. “-Is Mr. John Chambers, ex-SWAT and HRT. To my right-” He gestured to the ginger man with the persistent half grin. “Is Nate Bellewood, ex-Army Hellhound. The woman beside him is Miss Naomi, a Cleaner. You’ve already met Viktoriya Sokolovskia, ex-russian crime lord and pain in my metal derriere.” The driver of the van simply lifted her head in acknowledgement, while Vikki did a pleasant little wave. Jack and Taven nodded to them all, and exchanged quiet, proper greetings. “As for myself-” Hans’ mechanical body sank back into the booth seat. “I lost my body fifty two years ago. Irma suffered a direct strike from an AGM, just below the cockpit. I woke up to find that I’d survived, but my body had not. The field doctors had cracked my skull open as my body failed, and sunk my brain into a life support box to keep me alive.”

“Jesus Christ, Hans…” Jack flinched in sympathy for the man, though it seemed unneeded.

“It isn’t so bad, once you get used to it. It’s not even that uncommon, being one of the few ways field doctors can save critical condition casualties. Thanks to rejuv treatments, steroids, and a titanium sarcophagus, I’m effectively immortal.” The drone’s manipulators waved lightly, as if waving off the notion of being stuck inside a box forever was a bad prospect.

Jack leaned back, trying to process the information. “And now you’re… what, running some sort of crew? Stuck in a… tiny ass metal spider body?”

“They are coworkers, we work for Voronin Logistics Intergalactic. VLI for short. As for the body, I can have my brainbox plugged into a myriad of war machines; bipedal warforms, superheavy tanks, quad walkers, spacial supremacy fighters, et cetera. This is just my ‘civilian’ body.”

“And what is it that VLI does, that requires a crew like this?” Jack gestured to the group.

“Well, since you asked so nicely. Our employer, Olivia Voronin, procures, transports, and sells all manner of military equipment, arms, and munitions.”

“The Lord will provide…” Jack murmured, and Hans went quiet, as if to let Jack explain himself. “That… is pretty ironic. I find myself in need of an arms dealer. Can I meet her? Get a catalogue maybe?”

Mr. Chambers turned himself slightly toward Hans, before muttering something so softly Jack couldn’t hear it. Immediately, Jack looked to Taven, but found the batpony eagerly paying attention to his drink, and not the mischievous Russian woman across the table from him. Hans spoke in return, though he did not whisper, and Jack knew he was supposed to hear what had to be said. “Yes John, I’m sure. Besides, if he is not, I have faith in all of you to do what needs to be done.” As Jack raised a brow, several of the crew before him smiled with dark intentions. Before he could question exactly what Hans had meant, said cyborg turned his cameras back toward Jack. “Our Employer is meeting a number of others in Seattle, on the seventeenth. That will be the last day we’re on earth for a few months, so if you want to talk turkey, I can arrange for your name to be on the list, plus two guests.”

“Seems I don’t have much of a choice anymore. What kind of meeting are we talking about here?” Jack settled a little more in his seat.

“A meeting for the Lords of war. Arms Dealers, Mercenaries, that sort.”

Grinning brightly, Viktoriya idly twirled her straw, flicking Nate with vodka. “Wear something sexy, and bring cyoot friends.”

With a roll of her eyes and a grunt, Naomi shook her head as Nate rubbed flecks of vodka off his face. “Send him the co-ords?”

All eyes seemed to fall on John, as he slowly activated an older model of omnilink. “This is going to go poorly. What is your number, sir? I’ll send you the location and time.” As Jack shared the information, and got what he needed in return, the big man fixed him with a hard stare that brokered no argument. “We take the protection of our employer very seriously. If you try anything, tell anyone about the meeting, you’ll suffer the full consequences.”

“I understand.” Jack responded quickly and crisply as he memorized the details of the meeting. “And if it helps you sleep at night, if I ever did contact whatever alphabet soup agencies that are left on earth, they’d be far more interested in me and mine than you and yours. Avoiding attention is what I’m aiming for.”

The big man nodded in return, before sitting up straight and paying for his water at the automated payscreen. “We’ll see soon enough.”

“Three days. See you then.” Jack nodded to them as the team all paid for their drinks, and slowly filed out of the booth. “Be seeing you, Hans.”

“Don’t get dead, Jack.”

“Rah.”

Author's Notes:

Slowly working at it! First chapter uploaded dorectly from my phone, so we'll see how it goes. See y'all at the next chapter