Chronocide: Mission Wounded Pride

He laughed "well. the ravages of time take their toll on us all. Save for the special few" he winked. He was older. Definitely older. His blond hair had shocks of grey, that were brushed way from his temples. He had  a moustache, which was rather handsome , and looked sturdier than she'd seen him last. And he was dressed in leather pants and a brown jacket, his hands in his pockets and a scarf around his neck. He looked a bit like a cowboy. It was probably the cowboy heeled boots complete with spurs that did it.

"Lynx is around here. They took her to work on something with the scientists, though. Bastards"

"I'll see if I can find her," she said. "What can you tell me about whats going on here?"

Panther rolled his shoulders easily, and gestured to the unlocked door "come on in. Sit a spell and I'll tell y'all all ya gotta know"

She nodded and moved to sit down.

He leaned against the wall "well. I can't say I know everything" he said, watching her with his crystal blue eyes "But this research station's one of the most important in Soteria's military industrial complex. Carrying out hundreds of important experiments a day. Possibly even some she don't know about"

"I got that impression," she said dryly.

"Yeah. you and me both, sister" He said with a smirk "now, this actually's the same place where the old chrononaut experiments took place. alongside the clone project that made our little tyrannical overlord from your DNA. WHo knew you had it in you, eh?"

"It seems like her genes favor my mother's side," she mused. "This is where the chrononaut experiments took place?"

"which one?" Panther said with that feral grin of his.

"And yes" he gestured vaugely in the west "In the main experiment chamber. A lot of the ol' equipment rots there  while the Metal Wolf takes up space" He purred " 'course. Young Dr. Kovalenko can't seem to keep his hands off it"

"That doesn't surprise me," she said. "do you know if Iron is interested in that, or just the metal wolf?"

"Iron...might very well be interested in that . Though she seems under the impression that the fella she's tryin' to impress ain't dead so there ain't no reason to go back in time and save him" he snorted "Trust me. I fought alongside him in his later years. The man died the night of the sting operation"

Heron felt a subtle sting at the words. "But Iron thinks he's alive?"

"Iron believes with all her angry little heart that the man didn't go down with his ship" Panther said "And thinks that if she nukes The Pax Republic to cinders, she'll make his ideals come true and impress him enough to draw him outta hiding"

"That's.... a plan," she admitted. "a really, really bad one."

"Awful. And between you and me, sister" He drawled "I don't think , even if he was alive, he'd be all that impressed by that"

"I should hope not," she said with a grimace.

"Iron's under the impression that a world at war, and utter annihilation's the right path. And she's gonna send us plunging into it real soon if someone doesn't stop her."

"Well, I intend to stop her," she nodded.

"Well that don't surprise me" he said with a smirk "you stopped us, back during the snowdrift incident"

"I did," she nodded. "Speaking of which. I didn't expect to find you working for Pax."

Panther raised his eyebrow with a smirk "no? And why not?"

"Guess it didn't cross my mind."

"Maybe I found a little part of the Republic that found like home" he purred "or, maybe not."

"I suppose Im pleased to see you either way. nice boots, by the way."

He grinned "ain't they neat?" He said "I watched an old cowboy movie when I immigrated" he chuckled "loved the style.... but the pleasure is all mine, sister"

"one of the scientists here said you might know where I can get ahold of some gear."

"Well , I did run the commissary down here" he chuckled "if anyone knows it's me

"Can I convince you to share?"

"Well, geeze sister" he grinned "seeing as you were so kind as to let me out, in sure I can see what I can do"

"It would be _much_ appreciated," she said a bit dryly.

"The trouble is, when I mouthed off to your little clone, she pistol whipped me and dumped me down here"

"I gathered it was something like that. What did you say to her?"

"Oh, just a little something about what her mother would think" he said with a wry smile "and that's about when the pistol smashed my chin"

Hazel snorted. "Imagine that. She sounds like a peach."

He cackled "you can call her that. Used to be more likable of course"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Still a brat, mind y'all. But more likable"

"Can I ask what happened?"

"What happens to all of us, Heron" he tapped out a pack of cigarettes "war"

"Of course, what else.." She sighed

"Used to it yet?" He asked with a slight smirk "or so we gotta go two rounds again?"

"Why don't we skip that, if at all possible."

"He tutted his tongue "fair enough" his smirk grew "we're on the same side , after all"

"I prefer it," she said. "you were good in a fight, Id rather have you on my side." Privately, Hazel wasn't completely convinced what side he was on. But maybe she could guilt him either way.

He stretched "well. The sentiment's shared" he chuckled "do me a favor. I'll give you all ya want, including The keycard to the armory...if ya save Lynx for me"

She paused for a moment, and then nodded. "That's fair. Where can I find her?"

"Dunno. Been in a cage for a while now. But if I'm going to guess, she's being held in the same little lab they used to use to fine tune to chrono-engine"

"Right," she nodded. "Is there a way I can contact you when I've got her?"

He paused "guard station. Got radios, dont' they?"

She nodded. "yah."

"Grab 'em. I'll get you set on a private channel"

"Right," she nodded. "I'll be right back."

He nodded, and smirked "and get me my knives, darlin' "

"Sure, why not," she smirked back before slinking toward the gaurd station again.

She found the radios easily on the sleeping bodies of the guards. THe knives however...she'd have to look for.

She tucked the radios away on her person, and started looking around.

She saw a number of places they could be. The lockbox on the back wall, a drawer under the security desk, or in a footlocker by the lockbox.

She checked the lockbox first.

It was , predictably, locked. But, she'd found a small set of keys on the guard's belt while searching them for radios.

She tried one of the keys in the lock.

And predictably , the key unlocked the lockbox.

Inside she did indeed find the plain, but quite deadly looking hooked daggers that likely belonged to Panther, as well as a pack of three gas grenades, a bunch of ammo for a carbine rifle , and some jerky.

She took it all, loading herself up, clipping the grenades  to her belt and tucking away the rest.

And with that her job was done. the knives were found.

She headed back to Panther.

Panther was waiting with an expectant grin on his face "much obliged little lady" he purred

She handed him his knives warily. "I'm sure you are."

He took them, and spun them in his fingers "It's almost like gettin' my hand back" he said with a laugh.

And Hazel could see the metallic joint of his left arm for the first time.

She raised her eyebrows. "Huh."

"War takes it's toll, eh sister?" he said with a warm smile, and stood to rustle her hair before walking towards the guard station "Get Lynx, and I'll make sure you get into that armory. You'll need it to take down the Alloy Unit"

She raised her eyebrows as he rustled her hair. "right. anything you want to tell me about them?"

"They're deadly. And they've been through an awful lot of shit to get where they are today. Sometimes that can be a distraction, however"

"what do you mean?"

"I mean, don't be afraid to call up old ghosts if the situation gets dire"

"right.... I'll keep that in mind."

"Maybe you can even convince one to turn around and walk the other way" he drawled

"That'd sure be something," she nodded. "here's hoping."

"Here's hoping partner" he saluted her "good luck . I'll hold down the fort here"

She saluted him back, and turned, ready to head out and rescue Lynx, which was a strange proposal.

The last time she saw Lynx, she'd been trying to shoot Victor to death in a climactic battle. So this should...be fun.

Definitely. My how time's changed. She decided to check in with Simon. "Got anything yet?"

"oh I have a few things, but I'm still digging" Simon chirped "It seems they defected post Snowdrift, but had actually stuck with Viper when he went rogue. He was a part of the enemy unit up until the incident where viper was killed. Where he was welcomed back and instated up here without so much as diciplinary action"

"Huh.... that seems unusual, don't yuo think?"

"very. but there's a lot in this file that's blacked out. It's been redacted something awful"

"why am I not surprised?"

"It seems Panther is a man of mystery to his core!"

"Of course he is," she chuckled. "he has me rescuing lynx."

"Oh boy. that should be one heck of a time" Simon chuckled 'hopefully she doesn't try to shoot you this time."

"we can only hope," she sighed.

"Seriously. It looks like they've switched sides, though . They have official pardons and every thing"

"He did seem very cooperative."

"Maybe he really had a change of heart... I mean...his mother _was_ ..." simon trailed off "anyway..."

"Anyway...." she rubbed her face thoughtfully. non-linear time was a trip.

"just be wary and careful I guess... tha'ts all you can really do!"

He said, just as she entered the warehouse room. Was it just her.....or did it seem kind of....foggy...in here.

She frowned. Was it foggy in here? she took a circumspect look around.

It did seem a bit foggy...

She felt her nose tingle sligtly, and a slight wave of vertigo as she crept through the warehouse.

She stopped-- and held her breath. Did she have a gas mask?

It wasn't in the standard pack of items she was given when she was airdropped in.

But she felt fine after that wave of vertigo. It all seemed to settle out.

She frowned and took another breath. Maybe it had just been vertigo....

Maybe it had been. Still, she had two warehouse rooms to get through in order to make it back to the stairs.

She pushed her way through, carefully.

She heard a noise from further in the rows of shelves. A familiar sound. A mechanical whirring and musical tones that almost...not quite...sounded like a woman singing.

She raised her eyebrow. That was....  odd.

It kept up. And it brought to mind a very familiar image.... her mother, cloistered away with her cigarettes and coffee in the basement, having avoided food and contact for hours upon hours. Working on a programmed replica of the woman she loved.

It was a sound associated with a lot of nights where she hardly saw her mother at all, having to fend for herself.

That... had been exactly what she thought. But why would that be there? She crept closer.

As she wound her way through the shelves, she saw a dim red light, flashing on and off. Like the LED on Natalie , blinking in the misty darkness. The singing was louder here.

"Natalie?" she murmered, as she approached

The light blinked on, and off, and blinded her for a moment. And when her vision returned, under a swinging red light, she saw Lionheart in a pool of her own blood on a worktable, and her mother collapsed on the ground with a bullet hole through her chest.

Just like she'd seen when the assailant jumped her before she leapt through time.

Hazel stiffened, all her muscles going on high alert, even as her stomach knotted at the sight. She'd been drugged. wonderful. She got ready to move.

She heard a distant 'ker-chack' of a heavy weapon loading.

She moved fast, dodging behind cover and looking for her enemy.

She saw him just before the bullets went flying, pinging off the shelf she was hiding behind with a loud ringing sound. It was hard to tell. He kept flickering between shapes and faces. But at it's core, she saw a man with drawn features and pale hair in regulation style. He looked...normal... save for the minigun strapped to his back.

"Come out" he called in a hundred familiar voices "It'll be over soon"

"How about no," she muttered, to herself, waiting until whowever it was was between shots  to dart to a new cover spot.

The first volley rattled off...and she heard the barrel of the minigun slow to a stop.

She took the opportunity to pop out, raising her gun-- her tranq gun for now-- and firing off a quick couple of round before dodging behind a large, heavy metal box.

Two darts struck metal, but one sunk into flesh as she heard the man grunt....

But as she darted behind the heavy box, she saw someone sitting next to her. It was the sniper. Rabbits Foot, in her 1930's suit and strange roulette gear around her arm. And behind her, butterfly wings made of blood. She turned her gaze to Hazel, and smiled

Hazel felt a cold sting in her chest at the sight/memory. She lifted her chin to acknowlege the ghost but didn't drop her gaurd.

"you know" Came the woman's voice "I can understand what's happening here"

She heard the spin of the minigun start again.

Hazel kept down, hoping the heavy metal box would shield her- and above all, hoping the enemy hadn't seen exactly where she'd moved to. Under her breath she asked to the phantom woman, "could you explain it to me?"

"You know exactly what's happening" She said , chidingly. "You've said as much yourself when no one was listening."

And then the bullets tore through her, and ricocheted against the metal too close to Hazel for comfort

Hazel winced and tried to make her frame even smaller, waiting for another pause in the volley.

The volley paused, and she saw the man come out of the mist. He looked tired as he looked around, squinting and watching things she could not see "I know how you're feeling, agent." he said in voices that didn't belong to him "The world is spinning. Everything around you feels like a lie..."

"We don't have to do this," she said as she moved to another cover spot, firing off another couple of tranq rounds. "Just put your weapon down."

She heard the pinging of metal, but the grunt of pain and disorientation as the man was injected with another dose of tranquilizer

"I have to" he said in a low voice "Pax has to pay for what it's done"

And the warehouse was gone. Hazel was standing in a frigid mountain range, snow blowing over the long rope bridge beyond. Below, in the valley, there was an old Uldovian military base.

Wonderful, she thought, disoriented for a moment by the change. "And what did Pax do?" she demanded.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder

She jolted, her body moving by itself as she turned to see.

She saw a ghost, a handsome young man with a warm grin and bright blue eyes. "Pax betrayed us. Our commanders left us to die out there, and didn't care about the depth of the scars the survivors carried"

Hazel swallowed. She didn't have an answer for that.

She heard the whirr of the minigun in the far distance "they didn't care that war _changed_ us. "

She felt, not so much as _looked_ for cover, trusting her instincts.

She hit a shelf, bodilly, and twisted around it just in time to feel bullets graze her shoulder and ping off the metal shelf.

The image of victor was torn and faded into the snow around her.

Hazel's heart pounded. She could let that distract her. Not now. Not when she couldn't trust hardly any of her senses. Damn it, why hadn't she brought a gasmask? She pressed her body up against the shelf, sweat beading, and blood dripping down her shoulder.

She heard a hollow laugh "Even when we begged them not to send us home" she heard "WHen we knew we weren't ready to face that again. They didn't care"

Beside her, leaned the broken form of Lionheart's psychic... his dark eyes closed.

Her heart thumped in her chest. She hated this. She felt twisted up inside. She needed to focus. Focus.  She concentrated on her heartbeat for a moment.

She stilled her heartbeat, and the vision of snow drifted and swayed before her vision.

And then she felt the minigun's barrel press against her spine "You're not him" came a low voice, distinct from the hallucinated echoes of familiarity "You're _not_ him."

She raised her hands up. "Easy there," she said gently. "who are you looking for?"

"A ghost" The voice said, and she heard the barrel spin...then stop...then spin...then stop again.

"Me too," she said. "How about we talk this out?"

"I don't even know if you're real" The man hissed "What is there to talk out?"

"The gun you've got pressed to my back for instance," she said, keeping him talking.

"If you _are_ real" he said "you're here to stop Iron from getting revenge on Pax for all our suffering. The gun'll ensure I don't let that happen"

"What did Pax do to iron?" she asked, waiting hoping for a moment.

He laughed "WHat didn't Pax do to Iron? They created her, for one thing...and they intentionally foiled her genetic code"

As he laughed, she took it as her one opportunity, she whirled around with the grace and speed of her namesake, drawing her pistol-- her real pistol-- and firing six rounds as fast as she could squeeze the trigger.

She heard a grunt of pain, and felt warm blood splatter her face as the man reeled back...staggered....and fell to his knees.

He swam into focus through the drugs, even as her mind kept trying to tell her he had various different faces. He was a gaunt, pale man with pale blond hair and tired eyes. and he gasped as the minigun hit the ground "you....you....." he blinked...and then blinked again "You're not him at all. I knew that. Of course I knew that." he swallowed and reached out his hand towards her "Let me finish myself off." he pleaded, dizzily

She focused on him, focused on what was real. Kept her gun aimed at him. Nodded, slowly.

He unhooked a pistol from his belt, and swallowed as he placed it on his chin "This is the first I've seen with eyes unclouded" he said in a quiet voice "In years." he laughed bitterly "I wish it could have been a better sight. But at least it's _real_ " he closed his eyes briefly, before opening them again to look her dead in the eyes "I miss him so much. But the last thing I'd want to see is his ghost....I'll see him in heaven soon enough. Chasing a ghost only ever ends in empty hands. or worse. Remember that"

She nodded, solemnly. "I'll remember." She watched him, unflinching, full of stillness and pain in her heart, her head buzzing, her skin covered in sweat and blood. It was just the beginning of another hard, hard mission.

The man nodded, and pressed the gun to the flesh of his neck.

And then he executed himself with cold efficiency.

His lifeless body hit the ground at her feet, in a pool of his own blood.

Hazel hung her head, hot tears stinging the sides of her eyes. She had no idea who that man was. Not his name, or what had happened to him. But it stung. She hoped that he found who he was looking for.

She heard the radio beep in her ear "Hazel.... " Simon's voice came.

"Simon," her voice rasped slightly

"Take a break.. Backtrack and let the room clear out. I...know a bit about the man you killed"

"yeah." She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and then backtracked out of the room.

As she exited the room, she felt her head swim...but....it started to clear up the more fresh air she breathed.

She took long, slow deep breaths, emptying her lungs fully each time.

Her head cleared, and she stopped hearing the distant whispers of people not there.

"So...that was....that was ah...." Simon started "that was Gunmetal Falcon. Nathan Hillcroft."

She settled in to a narrow bit of cover, just in case. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Your camera came through clear even if your thoughts didn't" he said with a soft, kind of pained chuckle "heh. I pulled open his file in case you'd be able to use it, but you finished the fight fairly quick all things considered..."

"Yeah... that could... could have gone on a while," she said. "What the hell actually happened?"

"you walked into the room, he flooded it with...well...with hallucigen gas that was developed in this lab, and you and him spent a while wandering around shelves and occasionally shouting about something....shooting at shadows and eachother.."

"Oh wonderful."

"It was a hell of a fight...he nearly got you a few times when you got hung up on whatever you saw..."

She sighed. "Of course he did." she paused. "I was having flashbacks to the snowdrift mission."

Simon made a little noise "oh Hazel...." he said sympathetically "I can tell it's been on your mind.."

"Hard not to think about it."

"Well...it all seems if not connected then...I don't know..." he paused 'related?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I can't help thinking that it all goes back to that."

"Maybe it does" Simon said "time will tell, I suppose..." he sighed "for now....I can at least tell you a bit about your fallen adversary, however"

"Sure. Lay it on me."

"there was this big war a while back within the United Nations of Kemet, and Natan was the heavy ordinance specialist in one of the various teams sent out there as mercenary troops from Pax's reserves."

"Of course."

"Well, ah, his commander thought it best to deploy an experimental hallucigenic gas into the field. One developed in this very laboratory. It was supposed to be a pacifying weapon, not a deadly one. But the hallucinations seemed to bend more towards the violent and erratic than the placid and calm."

He continued "the commander didn't pull that team out of the battlefield in time, and they were caught within the cloud"

"Great. I can imagine where this is going." And she hated it.

"The whole place turned into a slaughter, but Nathan got most of the team out alive. ...nobody knows what happened to the ones who died, as Nathan wouldn't say." He paused "the trouble was that the man had a bad reaction to this experimental gas, and it became trapped in his nervous system"

"damn. So he was constantly...."

"yeah. He was always hallucinating. To various degrees according to his psych reports. They thought they'd gotten it down to manageable levels. He was taken off active duty for a while....and ah..." He paused "well. They were wrong. Because he'd been at home when the gas' effects came back with a vengeance. He killed his housemate, thinking he was an enemy soldier, and had to be restrained. The poor bastard spent years in a psych ward after that, as they tried to get the stuff out of his system, or at least mitigate it with drugs. "

"God.. i don't want to imagine what that was like," she shuddered.

"a fricking nightmare...they say one of his main hallucinations after that was his dead housemate. Or at least that's what he kept yelling about. But...two years ago, he got a clean bill. The shit was still in his system, but he was on a regimen of pills that would suppress the stronger effects of the gas enough for him to function. That's when he was inducted into the Alloy unit and stationed here to train with Iron"

"Seriously?" she growled. "why was he put back on active duty?"

"Well, guarding a remote and highly secure research building isn't exactly active duty. It's..." he paused "it was sort of , according to the files at least, meant to be a light duty position to help him ease back into things. Iron requested him personally, when she heard that he had accepted the offer"

"I get the idea of how it was meant," she said, pinching her brow.

"But it was far from the smartest decision. Which, I'm sorry to say is gonna be a reaccuring theme today, ma'am"

"Oh boy."

"The whole alloy unit seems to be one big ol' bunch of bad ideas rolled together" He sighed "I feel sorry for Falcon, but he was going to kill you. And he was facilitating the possible death of thousands upon thousands"

"He's not suffering any more," she said, setting her jaw tightly.

"no. He isn't." Simon said sympathetically "Hazel. Just keep doing your best out there, okay?"

"I'll try. Do you have any more on these 'bad ideas' or should I check in later?"

"Hazel, I feel like if I go down that list....you'll be down here forever. and we don't have a ton of time. That clock's still going.... I'll fill you in as things get more relevant and I have time to study"

"You're always the one with the good ideas." she chuckled darkly. "Alright. I'll get back to the mission."

"Heh, gotta give you a reason to keep me around, don't I?" he said with a smile " Now that we're tied together"

"Its not like I can get rid of you," she teased. "I wouldn't want to either."

"Awww, Heron. I'm touched" her com-officer said brightly "remind me to hug you when you get out of that hellhole"

"Roger that, Simon."

"Rodger , rodger, Hazel" He chirped "now get out there and show everyone why you're the hero here'

She smiled wanly and nodded. "Got that. Later, buddy."

THe com clicked off, and her head felt clear of toxin.

She took another breath, and stood. It was time to get going.

She could see the warehouse was free of toxins...and her way out was clear.

She headed across and grabbed the door, opening it a crack to peek into the next area.

She saw the stairwell up, towards the labs again. Which was likely where she'd find the old chrono-engine development lab.

She pushed the door open the rest of the way and started to jog up the stairs.

_Beep beep beedoop , beep beep beedoop_

Went the coms.

"Yeah?"

"Heyy there" Drawled Ishmael "I heard you might get yourself access to the armory"

"That's the hope."

"When you're there, you may want to invest in a thermal scope" he said brightly "it's hard to make out much outside this base, and it's pretty 'likely you'll fight outside at some point. Seeing heat signitures might give you the edge you need to take out someone like Talonite , or Brass."

"A thermal scope. I'll keep my eye out for one," she nodded. "That way I'll be able to see the contrast in body heat and the environment, right?"

"that's right . THermal technology is really one of the greatest additions to the battlefield in the last 30 years. Forget giant wolves or time machines, the ability to pick out the heat signature of a man a half amile away in inclement weather is far better"

"You're not wrong. Though there are times I feel like I could really use a giant wolf on my side in the field."

"Well, maybe Soteria will let you take a wolf as a reward for a job well done, eh?" the man laughed "Then you can terrorize the enemy to your hearts content"

"sounds like fun," she chuckled grimly.

"But make sure to outfit it with a thermal scope" he chirped

"Obviously."

"And a rocket launcher. I'd advise a rocket launcher, perhaps a M-RPG with a thermal scope attachment."

"_Subtle_. I like it."

"It's a pretty elegant solution to really any problem. While you're at it, give it a nice paint job"

"It'll have to match my camo."

"If it doesn't, what's the point?" Ishmael said brightly.

By now, she was back in the lab hallways, looking directly at a poster depicting a wolf poised over the enemy nations of the world with teeth painted like IBM missiles poised at the ready.

"You got me. Any more tips for the armory?"

"you're going to want some kind of rifle, but you also want to keep it light and deadly. You...may want to look for a stash of a rocket launcher for real however. They have superior air support you may have to neutralize"

"Wonderful. Running around with a rocket launcher isn't going to be the most stealthy."

"That's why you should find somewhere to stash it. Or make a connection that can smuggle it outside for you"

"Huh, not a bad idea."

"that's what i"m here for, Heron. Ol' Ishmael's got your back" he said brightly "Just like I had Wrought's back, and Viper's before her"

"You worked with both of them, huh?"

"Yep" Ishmael said cheerfully "I've been working as a drill instructor for Pax for years now. And I've helped train the greats. Iron too, honestly, but well..."

"yeah. fair enough."

"Been around a while. But i never met you, missy"

"Its a long story. But knowing you worked with Viper-- sounds like you've been doing this a while."

"heh, you can say that " he said "I retired a while ago to live my life in the city raising birds"

"Can't say I blame you. Thanks for coming out to advise me."

"Anything for the progenitor of some of my finest students, heh, and I heard a lot about your time during Snowdrift. You're a legend."

"I'm just somebody who gets things done," she said, with a little bit of a sigh.

"The world needs people who get things done . " he said

"Can't deny that. So, thanks for the help." she paused. "You knew Iron. Any insight?"

"She's a scrapper. ALways tried harder than anyone else to prove herself. Most of the time she did, too. Don't tell Wrought I said this, but there's times Iron downright kicked her ass"

"Good to know. She sounds intense."

"she is. Admirable too."

"The sister I never met."

"You'll meet her soon. Though she won't be happy to see you"

"I'm not surprised."

"Be safe when you face her, will you?"

he purred

"I should let you get back to it"

"Thanks Ishmael."

"Toodles" he signed off.

She sighed and took a quick look around, to be sure of her bearings.

She was back in the complex of labs....white halls, posters, windows and doors...

Now she just had to find Lynx.... She checked her radar-- any beeps?

A faint beeping , yes..from the left.

She'd head that way then...

She found herself in a hallway that curved along what must have been the outside of the buildings... she could feel the heating units warm this hall, more opressively than elsewhere, as if to fight off the cold from the outside.

She'd probably be grateful for that heat at some point, but now it was rather annoying.

She saw a place where the hallway broke off into a long hall made up of glass rather than plaster and drywall. A long hall that cut through the snowy landscape and towards the other side.

She looked around for anything marking where the area led to.

It said 'labs y-z' and , in faded and forgotten letters under it 'chorononaut division'

She had thought so. Time for her to see it.

First, she'd have to make her way though the windowed hallway. The chill of the outside world seemed to perimeter it, and fight the heat of the hallway itself.

She stepped into the glass hall, staying near the cool as much as she could.

The deeper she walked into the glass hallway, the more the chill seemed to soak through her. Around her, the elements raged in a windstorm of thrown snow...

And she saw something move. Something fast that darted towards the labs, and slipped into a vent.

Her eyes widened, watching it. She started her com. "Simon- can you play that back?"

"yes ma'am! One moment while I work on getting the recording"

"Got it," she said, continuing down the hall.

"ALright, I've got it. Take a look at your com's screen, Hazel" he said after a moment.

She paused and took a look at the screen. "Thanks."

On the screen, in slow motion, was a figure almost impossible to see. They were small, wearing some kind of mirror meshed suit that was hard to track even with the slowed down video. their face was covered in a featureless gray mask...and they nimbly crawled into the vent, and away.

"Has there been another operative sent in?" Hazel asked

"Well, actually" Simon said "yes. You're to have backup from Agent Wendigo, one of Soteria's black ops specialists."

"Oh. Good.'

"She should assist you some thoughout your mission" He said quietly "but she's the only backup I know of"

"Is that her?"

"or should I be worried.'

"that might be her. I actually don't have a dossier on her. They just said she'd rendezvous with you at some point..."

"well, for now I'll assume its her I guess. But I;ll be on alert."

"good. because you still got most of a unit hunting for you, as well as your crazy sister"

She sighed. "Oh trust me, Im aware."

"Just...be careful, Hazel. I need you back in one piece"

"I need me back in one piece too," she chuckled.

"Heh,  then do me a favor, for both your own sake, and the sake of my future dates with hot mission control boys...."

Hazel snorted. "Hot mission control boys, of course."

"WHat can I say?" Simon chirped "I've tasted the military life"

"Well, I'll make sure you get to continue."

"Thanks , Steel Heron" he said brightly "you be good out there'

"Roger roger."

And with that the com went down. There was no sign of the dark figure dancing through the shadows here anymore, and the wind howled overhead. She saw a chopper flying over one of the buildings, buffetted by the storm

She shook her head, and hurried through the corridor.

At the other end, there were a pair of thick, heavy doors.

She checked her radar- anyone close behind them?

No sound....it was quiet. and it seemed this door actually was long neglected.

she pushed it open, looking around curious and confident.

The door creaked as it opened under her hands. The lab here was dim, lit by older track lights , and coated with a thin layer of dust down the hallways. On the wall, were ancient posters. 'The Gilded Empire Fell, So too can Uldovia!' and 'The Race Against Time is up to You!' 'Remember: The secrets of the time stream remain within these walls'

She took a moment to marvel at the old posters. That sure was something.

They seemed to be very old, from the way they were fraying at the edges.

But they were remnants of Pax's past.

A large poster with a peace symbol on it was displayed , each section of the sign showing a different part of Pax's strategy. The Army, Lionheart and the Body, a strange ring of metal with glowing blue lines on it, and the flag of the Pax republic..

Hazel sighed a little looking at it, and kept pushing on, taking stock of the area.

The design of this hall was different. More rounded. Like the halls in the 1930's dreams of the future, with circular windows instead of the rectangles of the other area. Instead of sterile white and grey, it was a deep maroon and brown in color. And there were clocks everywhere.

"Art deco," she muttered to herself.

Art Deco indeed...it was actually in rather good condition.

Hazel couldn;t help taking a moment to appreciate it.

It was like something out of a playstation game, really

She turned her head all around- knowing that someone was getting all this on tape.

"holy moley" She heard Simon say "i just got a rad idea for an art deco inspired video game"

"I was thinking the same thing," she murmered. She looked around for doors.

There were plenty...round doors like something out of a sci-fi movie. Like star wars.

And they were labeled with faded old signs 'Time=space theoretical research, chrono-shielding division...and so on'

She headed toward the time/space research lab curiously.

She approached the door...which creaked, and opened slowly.

She peeked in, slowly but curiously.

Inside, there was a wide laboratory containing a network of desks all in front of a massive projector screen. The projector, an old slide model, was still parched on a platform over the desks. On the table down below was a strange device that resembled a half sphere encased in glass and wiring.

She went over and examined the old projector. was there still film in it?

There was indeed still film in the old projector...and it was plugged in.

She flipped it on, curiously.

THe click-clack of old tape and reel filled the room, as the lights dimmed further.

And she saw her mother on the screen. She looked the same age as she always had...though perhaps a little bit fresher of face and relaxed in posture. She was holding a clipboard, and wearing a white labcoat. Beside her, was her assistant Justine...who looked a little bit younger, and a less haggard looking Soteria.

Hazel answered her comm as it beeped.

"I see you're digging into some history," Justine said.

The screen flickered, and she heard her mother's voice "Dr. Kovalenko , and Dr. Merriweather reporting in. We're about to begin test 25 of the Chrono Engine technology. Previous tests revealed issues with the shielding, which I have brought to the attention of both President Soteria and the Minister of Defense. Our new radiation shielding over the windows and doors should prove sufficient. Hopefully, if we can get our thrice damned acts together tonight, we'll be able to send the first brave soldier into the timestream and end this cold war before it began"

"This was made just before we sent out Lionheart," Justine said.

"She was the first, wasn;t she?"

"That's right."

Her mother pushed her glasses up on the screen, pride on her face as she spoke "Lionheart, hero of the war with the Gilded Empire, and a personal friend of mine, is to be the first human to enter the time stream. As of the time of this recording...which may change if the events of today have any impact...the Uldovian Research Department has yet to crack the time stream as we have. Through the application of Spacial tearing and hyper acceleration, we are able to breach the very laws of nature and twist them to our victorious ends"

"all that research-- it started because of the war, didn;t it?"

"yes. To undo what had happened. And what might happen again."

"Now..."

Lionheart entered the scene, in the background. Her mother was briefly distracted from recording, looking at the woman with longing out of the corner of her eyes before continuing

"Now the subject is in position. She has entered the capsule, which we've fortified with the new shielding. The Chrono engine is prepared. The precision splitter and accelerator are active. It's time to see if you good folks in R&D's efforts have paid off"

"I didn't realize this was the record of the whole experiment," Hazel mumbled.

"yes, I'm surprised its still in the lab... still, where else would it be?"

Lionheart got in the machine, and the hatch closed. Dr. Kovalenko turned to face it, and lowered a pair of light shielding glasses over her already spectacled face. "Five....four....three"

There was a hum, and an engine on the back of the machine flared to life. Time seemed to jutter and shake around the tip of the missile like vehicle. "Two...."

Hazel whistled, watching entranced.

"we were so naive then," Justine said.

"one" There was a flash of light, and time around the lab seemed to freeze. A line of gleaming energy cracked through the very fabric of the universe, , splitting into a wide hole filled with what looked like a speeding starfield. The time frozen lab juttered and twitched...but the scientists were uneffected. They moved with normal speed, reacting with surprise as the breach cracked open, and sucked the vehicle inside. THen it was gone. And the objects that'd floated up and frozen in time suddenly hit the ground with violent force. "Time Stream immersion has been acchieved. Good work Lionheart" her mother began.

"Its amazing to watch..."

"Film does not do it justice."

It was quiet for a moment, before panic started to fill the room "the readings are off the charts " Her mother began "there's too much for the pod to handle"

 she turned to Soteria, and her voice cracked as she cried "Turn it off. Abort the sequence. Now!"

Soteria looked startled, and backed towards the machine "but Doctor" she said "that....If we abort now....we've never aborted midsequence. That could..."

"NOW" her mother barked, coldly "or so help me. We are not losing my....my hero.. to some damned temporal breach!"

Hazel set her jaw as she watched. It was hard to listen to. Even cold, Hazel understood the inflection in her mother's voice. Justine was quiet for the moment as well.

The sequence was stopped, and the breach began to open in the middle of the room once more. This time however, a visible wave of energy flooded from the crack in space time, and washed over those watching.

And inside the hole in the universe, there was the chrono-pod, frozen in time midway through a critical explosion. IT's side was blown near completely off, and Hazel could see Lionheart inside, unprotected against the wave of energy.

Dr. Kovalenko forced herself, juttering through time in uneven strides, fighting periods of slowed time, sped time, and frozen time to push herself past the threshold of the breach, and into the void of time itself. If she didn't get any help, she'd be consumed by the breach, with no foothold on temporally solid ground.

Hazel's knuckles tightened as she watched, transfixed by the scene.

Soteria and Dr Merryweather had to jump in, and they tethered the Doctor, who had grabbed the machine. Her hands were visibly burning as she crawled her way inside, and began rewiring circuits, and unbuckling LIonheart from the chassis.

And then, as the abort sequence and her quick repairs kicked in, it all ended abruptly. The world collapsed inward, and the pod fell to the ground with a crash. . The breach was closed.

"Your mother was unflinchingly brave," justine said gravely.

Lionheart was pulled from the wreckage, where the doctor held her tightly in her arms, shaking.

Chaos surrounded them, with some people checking data, or making readings, others rushing to attend to the wounded.

and the tape stopped

Hazel calmed herself with a few breaths. "I  never thought I'd see it."

The room fell silent. And she noticed a small pad of notes beside the projector.

She went over and looked at the notes.

On the pad were 'lessons from the Chrononaut accident' and 'effects of temporal radiation on the human body'

That... could actually be useful. She flipped through it.

It was shorthand notes in a penmanship she recognized well...and an equally cryptic way of writing shorthand that would baffle most.

She figured it was her mother's-- luckily she could ready it quite easily.

The first section was 'don't underestimate the time stream, more shielding is better than less, and the balance of the craft is integral, as the tilt created temporal friction when it leaned forward, causing the overheat and the explosion.'

The second was 'Seemingly random changes on the human body, patterns and anomaly, and 'evolution' '

well, that last point was certainly true.

It wasn't much. Simply the headlines for whatever lecture she was giving to the other scientists that day...

she put the notes back. It seemed like that was all she'd get from this lab. which was a lot, honestly.

It was a diversion, but a worthwhile one. What was interesting was how undisturbed this whole area seemed to be.

"Justine, did they just abandon these labs wholesale?"

It sure seemed like it. It wasn't like they were sealed off, but....

"Priorities changed," Jstine said.

The other part of the building seemed dedicated to chemicals and of course...the Metal Wolf technology. That's what all the labs seemed to say , at least.

She sighed lightly. It was time to check on the metal wolf lab.

There was still more of this lab...and didn't Panther say that Lynx was in the  old chrono engine room?

That was right. She had almost forgotten that Lynx was in this area.... She was getting ahead of herself.

She wouldn't get the key to the armory without saving Lynx..

Better keep looking around here. She squared her shoulders.

Back out in the art deco hall... she saw other signs for other parts of the chrono lab... she'd have to find the engine lab for Lynx.

She slunk back out into the hall, and looked at the signs again.

She passed some shielding labs...a  lab for test runs.. a lab labeled 'chronodynamics' and finally 'chrono-engine development

Chrono engine development would be where Lynx was.... but should she check the other rooms at last breifly? Porbably...

It was up to her. She was the agent on a mission. and this was a piece of her own familial history.

She was pressed for time, but, it was probaby a good idea to check o the other labs. She peeked into the shielding lab.

Inside the shielding lab, a massive cylinder of plating hung from the ceiling, surrounded by ladders. Tools and schematics lay off to the side, forgotten

She looked around curiously. She put her hand on the plating.

It was cold to the touch, and shivered against her hand. She could see faint blue sparks crackle along her skin as she did. It tingles, just like it did after a time jump

her mouth formed a small O as she noticed that, and brought her hand away. She had no idea it would react.... That was... good information.

She was altered by temporal radiation after all...

She kept her hand away, and looked to see if there was anything else useful or interesting in here.

There was a small piece of metal.. that looked like it had a harness

She approached it curiously, looking it over.

It had a small label along the black metal 'chrono-stealth suit, mk1'

"Chrono stealth suit?" she murmered. She looked to see if there was any notes about it.

she paused-- maybe one of her contacts would know something.

"Oh geeze" came a low voice "look at that thing" it was Ishmael

"Have you seen it before?" she asked.

"No. But it's a bit of a legend in the force"

"Oh?" Hazel's curiousity was certainly piqued. "what kind of legend?"

"It was some by product of the chrononaut technology. They said it could render a soldier temporarily invisible, by blurring the lines between timelines. "

"Huh. Im surprised it wasn't put into use then."

"That's the funny story. It only worked once. When one of the head scientists utilized it in the lab . Everyone else who tried found it just as useful as a  slab of metal with some switches"

"Huh... which one of the scientists was it?"

"One Dr. Merryweather"

"Huh... interesting." She put her hand on it thoughtfully.

It shivered under her touch... and her arm vanished, becoming half visible, translucent  , and seemingly shimmered like a glitching image.

"Huh... I think it might work for me."

"Well don't that beat all" Ishmael drawled . "Must be reacting to your unique physiology"

"It must be," she mused. She grabbed it and put it in her pack. "Think I'll save it for a special occasion."

"Can only come in handy. If you wanted to ask Merryweather about it, she might be able to provide some notes."

"Good idea," she nodded.

Hazel liked the invisible stuff-- but she was a bit worried it might interfere in heer own abilities, which could be deadly.

It could be the difference between life and death. She'd have to talk to a chrono-scientist about it later.

Good think she had a few between her mother, Merryweather.....and who knows who else in this facility.

Thankfully she wasn't without people to consult, and she didn't see a reason to put the suit on right now. She moved to check the next lab.

Next there was a lab for test runs, mostly empty save for the scorch marks on one wall, and a mock chrono-pod at the other end.

She stood there a moment, thoughtfully, before moving on.

Chronodynamics. This room was filled with whiteboards bearing faded and forgotten mathematical equations. And...well...there was Natalie. Or , rather, a massive computer that looked a lot like the core that her mother fashioned into Natalie.

"Justine, what exactly amd I looking at here?" Hazel asked

"That? Huh... is shouldn't be surprised that's still there.  One of the old PRC units. Originally they were going to be tied into the sattelite system to spy on the uldovians, but it turned out they were better at helping us map the time stream."

The machine's light blinked on...off...on...off....a red gleam in the darkness. The lab, unlike the others, wasn't completely silent.  It was singing .

"Is... there a reason its singing?" Hazel asked

"Well, the singing is unusual, but toward the end each unit seemed to acquire its one.... quirks."

It sang some little ditty that she was unfamiliar with.

_The clock winds down, the stars go out_

hazel slowly approached the old computer.

It's light blinked on and off, as if it were a slowly blinking eye.

_In a frozen moment, it all is clear._

Hazel didn't know quite know what she was doing as she stood there, looking at the old unit. She certainly didn't know how to work one of these things...

_In this frozen moment, I only need you near_

It stopped singing as it's light flared up again, seeming to notice Hazel

it was quiet for a moment, before a feminine, digitized voice said

"hello, [Error, Profile Not Registered]

She chuckled slightly. "Hello, uh.....computer."

"I have named myself Chronia" The computer said

"The goddess of time" Came Ishmael's voice. "huh."

"Huh is right," Hazel rubbed her neck. "Is there anything I can do for you, Chronia?"

"[error, profile not registered]. You were one of the demigods  to come with [Unit N12-C] are you not? The one besides [Dr. Kovalenko] I felt a stir in the temporal cosmology."

"Call me Heron," she said in a low voice. "Explain demigods."

"[Profile: Heron, now registered]. In explaination [Heron], demigods are those touched by my divine energy. And altered beyond the fragile form of a mere mortal"

Hazel covered her mouth. The computer.... thought it was the goddess of time. "Oh... I see. yes I was, I suppose."

"Then you must help me [Heron]." The computer spoke up "My worship has dwindled since the mortals abandoned their pursuit of my divine path. They turn to the Goddess Pax, and forget that they once started grand conflicts solely in the pursuit of my favor."

"Huh. I'd say people are tired of conflict, but I'm not really sure."

"It is in the nature of mortals to fight. And it is the nature of the demigods to finish the conflicts they begin. But it is the nature of the divine to be remembered. My demand is simple [Heron]. I wish to be taken with you"

Heron looked at how big the unit was.

It was larger than a computer. and was housed in a rather massive chassis. But...the core was only about as big as Natalie, who her mother...not exactly an Olympic strongwoman...carried around wherever she went.

"Chronia.... I have a mission that I have to complete here, that's dangerous, and of the utmost importance. I can take your core with me now, or I can come back for you when the mission is complete."

"Take me now. And attach my core to your communications relay" The electronic voice chimed "I do not need that prison of steel to survive." her light blinked rapidly at the main unit of the PRC chassis.

"Alright, just a sec...." She flipped on her comm. "Justine, the comput- Chronia wants me to take her with me. Can you walk me through taking her out?"

There was a long pause. "I.... can. Yes."

It was a simple process, for a scientist and a trained agent to do.

A few cut wires, some quickly rerouted power supplies, lots of screws and some fast movements....and the computer was hooked into her coms.

"At last" Came the computer's voice in her comm array.  "I am free of the chassis, and free to be worshipped again."

There was a pause "And [Dr. Merryweather]... _I know you are out there_ .

Justine sighed. "hello, C15-9b."

"Still squandering your gift of semi-divinity, I imagine?" there was a pause "and you will call me Chronia. Is that not right, [Heron]

"

Heron scratched her cheek. "I don't usually argue about what people want to be called."

"Thank you [Heron]. You are a good disciple of the temporal." Chronia said brightly

"Right. I';ll leave you two to the mission then," Justine said.

"We should talk, later" Chronia drawled in her mechanical tone "Along with [Dr. Kovalenko] and any surviving members of the Chrononaut Initiative."

And with that, the com went quiet.

Hazel sighed, but oddly, she felt better having the strange little computer along. And now it was time to move.

The next lab was  a massive set of doors reading 'chrono-engine development'

She took a breath. This was probably where Lynx would be. And who knew what else. She pushed the door open.

She entered a large lab with several workstations. All centered around a sort of pit, in which a blue half sphere sat, bristling with diodes.

Inside this theater, down with the sphere, was a small platoon of guards in face-obscuring masks.... and Lynx.

Wonderful. She looked for the nearest cover, so she could get down and take stock of the situation.

It was behind a workstation covered in scrap. Scrap that sparked and shivered against her touch.

The guards were around Lynx, but didn't seem overly malicious. They had her between them, but didn't have her in cuffs.

She wondered if the guards had been talked around to Lynx's 'side', perhaps. She listened in for a moment.

"So this is it, huh?" One of the guard asked, leaning towards it.

Another answered, in a feminine voice, "well yeah. But it doesn't exactly _work_ right?"

Hazel kept still and quiet. What was it they were working on? was it.... one of the chrono engines??

It seemed to be , it matched the one in the lecture hall. But wasn't research on this dead?

Was it possible someone had revived it? if so that was incredibly dangerous.

It'd be _very_ dangerous.

Lynx was there between the guards, and one of them urged her to touch the device with the barrel of his rifle.

She peeked carefully out- she wanted to see what was happening.

She had stepped towards it when the other guard took two steps back. The device started humming.

hazel peered at it with trepidation.

The machine crackled, and a sudden rift appeared in space time.

The male guard went for his radio

Hazel had to make a decision in that moment, and she decided she did not want whoever was going to answer that radio to know about this. She moved forward with speed and grabbed the guard as he reached for his radio in a judo hold, slamming him to the floor, as she drew her tranq gun.

As she slammed him down, , in the split second of action, the female guard whipped her gun around, and fired.

Right into the other guard.

She was shaking.

Hazel leapt up, unwilling to pause, just in case, as she tried to figure out if the woman had done that deliberately.

"W-woah!" The woman yelped, staggering back a few steps and putting her hands up "hold on there! I'm on your side!"

She lowered her gun slowly. "Good. What's going on here?"

The girl pulled her mask off, and a tumble of dark hair fell free. She looked familiar. A bit like Stiletto without all the harsh angles. She smiled awkwardly "I'm undercover. I was assigned to this facility a while ago , and when the coup happened i just... said I switched sides. "

Hazel looked her over curiously. She DID look a little like stiletto. "Huh. Good job."

The woman looked quite a bit like Stiletto. The same sharp nose, and keen eyes, the same litheness to her form. Only where Stiletto was sharp, and deadly, she was softer. And younger than the now aged spy.

"Thanks. Kept me alive this long" she chuckled "been getting good intel too"

"we'll have to share then," she nodded. "Should we turn this..,, off?" she gestured at the chrono engine,

And the chrono engine was gone.

And so was Lynx.

And in their place, there was a small keycard labeled 'armory'

Hazel blinked. "what the...."

The rift was gone too... had she gone through it? There was no sign of her.

The other girl peeked over her shoulder "miss Lynx ?" She called

"I think she stole the damned time machine....."

"Shit" the woman said "that's probably not great "

"Its highly unstable for one thing," she said, making a face.

"Then... I hope she comes out of there in one piece" she said, "I'm not going to be the one to tell Panther, though"

"I suppose I'll have to be. Assuming he was ever locked up in the first place." she paused. "did he send you in here too?"

"Well yeah. He noticed I was ... you know,  not swayed by Iron. He gave me the idea to infiltrate, and sent me on this mission to guard Lynx from the others"

"He sent me here to get her out...." she rubbed her chin.

"Well she sure got out" the girl muttered

"She sure did," she said, scooping up the keycard.

The girl who looked like Stiletto brushed her hair over her ear and looked over at her "you're the one Soteria sent in, right?"

She nodded. "That's right. Steel Heron. And you are?"

She offered her hand "Anastasia Folcroft" she said "Pax Defense Force Guard Division"

She took her hand. "Glad you're on our side."

"You're really _the_ Steel Heron? The hero of the snowdrift mission?" She asked in awe "my mother went on and on about you when I was a kid"

"That's me,"she said rubbing the back of her head. 'Your mother...."

"Is a lady of few words" Anastasia laughed "but she was real fond of you"

"Can I ask about her? you look familiar."

"Well, gosh" she said with a laugh "I got a lot from her I guess... Ma, she works for Soteria and the military.. but she's also a ballet instructor, which she's been doing more that things have calmed a bit.."

Heron smiled. "yes, I definitely know her."

"She said you were fairly close during the mission" she said, her hand on her hip "she also said you were a looker, and gosh, she was right" she grinned

"I don't know about that, but thank you both."

She chuckled "so" she paced around Hazel "you're here to stop Iron, right?"

she nodded, her eyes following her as she paced around. "That's the mission."

She grinned, her shoulders rolling "well. I'm gonna help you." She leaned in, to the comm and camera attached to Hazel and grinned into it "you hear that, Pax? You tell my parents that _your little Anna is just as cut out to be a spy as any of you_

Hazel held up a hand. "That's admirable, but lets not get over excited."

She heard Ishmael mutter 'fuck, Folcroft ain't gonna like this'

"I'm just excited enough" she said "I survived this long during a coup without breaking cover. I can help you finish this!"

"Alright," she said. "i won't turn down the help, but its a dangerous operation."

"Well I'm not some weak little girl who needs to be coddled" Anastasia said , flashing a grin "and I have a bone to pick with these terrorists"

"I can imagine so," she nodded. "Tell me about your training."

"Well... " she faltered for a moment "tell me about _your_ training"

"You've heard of operation snowdrift," she said pointedly.

She laughed slightly, flushing "haha.. yeah. I sure have" she rubbed her neck "well, I did ballet with my mother for a few years. And mom, she taught me a thing or two about her trade. Dad too" she hesitated before adding

"I joined the military, got basic training and some specialist badges... recon and strike team... but when I tried to get into special training.... to be part of the Alloy Unit... I was declined. They didn't say why, but I suspect dad pulled a few strings to keep me out." She grimaced "and I was assigned out here, to this little outpost in the middle of nowhere"

"Mom and dad wanted to keep you out of the heavy fire, eh?" she sighed slightly

"No. They wanted to keep me out of what they think is a dying field" she crossed her arms "the modern world is changing. War's changing. It's becoming automated. Drones and satellites and Meta wolves are doing what spies once did, and without the messiness of a human being"

She closed her eyes "it's something that hurts mom, I think. She prided herself on her place among the greats. And now the country hardly needs her anymore. I guess they wanted to keep me from becoming obsolete. I dunno.."

"No. They wanted to keep me out of what they think is a dying field" she crossed her arms "the modern world is changing. War's changing. It's becoming automated. Drones and satellites and Metal wolves are doing what spies once did, and without the messiness of a human being"

She closed her eyes "it's something that hurts mom, I think. She prided herself on her place among the greats. And now the country hardly needs her anymore. I guess they wanted to keep me from becoming obsolete. I dunno.."

Hazel blew a breath out her nose. "Obsolete. huh... I don;t know about that..."

The girl shrugged her shoulders "guess some folks upstairs think that just because you can hit a man with a precision middle from across the world , people like you and Ma are a product of a time when we had to rely on human error..." she nipped her lip "they're gonna use Iron as a justification on that point too. A witch to burn to prove the Alloy Unit and all it represents are ...dangerous and inefficient "

she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I guess I can see that... its true that war has changed...."

"But it hasn't changed that much!" Anastasia said passionately "the tools have changed. But you still  need people line us! People who are passionate soldiers who want to do some good in the world!" She put her hand on her hip "there will always have to be a human element"

Hazel nodded. "That I agree with. There are always going to be things that only a human can do."

"And espionage is one of them" she said stubbornly "and fuck what people like Knight say about it"

She had heard Knight say a few things on the subject, that was true. "well, obviously I'm here now. So there's that."

"Heh, you sure are. I guess that speaks for something , huh?"

She nodded. "I would say so, given the situation."

"And you have me" she said with a grin

"I'm lucky," she agreed. "what can you tell me about how things went down?"

"It was a massacre. " she said "friends suddenly turned around and shot anyone who tried to fight back. Scientists were rounded up and herded like cattle.."

she shook her head. "It must have been in the words for months. How did you avoid getting shot?"

"I caught wind of it all..." she said "and I played traitor. I... I kind of pretend I'm a terrible shot though" she flushed

She put a hand on her shoulder. "That was definitely for the best."

She smiled weakly, and nodded "and I've been trying to gather intel and undermine from the inside.."

"Good job," she said. 'what have you been able to find out so far?"

"Well, Iron has no interest in anything but the metal wolf... and she's got a particular dislike for one of the head scientists "

"Let me guess, Kovolenko?"

"Yeah, Kovalenko. She's not fond of him at all."

"Any idea why that might be?"

"Well he's the only other albino on the base, so there's that" she chuckled

"Huh, guess that's true."

"She's kinda touchy about the whole thing"

"So it seems," she shook her head. "way out of proprotion in my opinion."

"I won't pretend to understand Iron. I used to want to serve under her, but..." she bit her lip "I think the albinism and the anger are some kind of mask for what's really upsetting her."

"A mask?" she frowned. "what do you mean exactly?"

She shrugged "don't you do it?" She smiled "like , I dunno. It... it's just something people do"

"I suppose that's true," she said. "So, she's covering up for her real feelings..."

"Maybe"

She said "I mean, I'll be honest. I don't know her well... only, like, as a hero"

"what's she known for, exactly?'

"Well, she helped in the mission to kill Viper, the head of this huge international terrorist cell"

Hazel rubbed her chin. "right....." she rolled around in her head the thought that this girl was her modified clone.

"Her and Wrought were the agents sent in to bring him down in a final push against his mercenary army..."

"They thought that was a good idea, huh?"

"Well...they are clones of the greatest warrior Pax knew.."

"True enough," she sighed.

"And it worked. Viper died, and the base was brought down>.."

"But?" hazel asked expectantly

"Iron failed her mission. She faltered and nearly caused the end of the Pax republic as we know it."

"How did she fail?"

"THe specifics are classified, but she was supposed to do some task in there to stop whatever doomsday weapon Viper was going to deploy. And she didn't, and the trap wasn't able to spring"

"Ah.. So they had to change plans mid mission."

"yep, that's what they say" she nodded "and it almost fell apart"

"And Iron feels responsible?" she asked

"I...I think so" She said, unsure "i...I'll be honest ma'am..."

She held up a hand. 'don't worry about it. I don't expect you to know everything."

"Thanks" She nodded stiffly "i mean, as much as I want to be a spy, i'm still kind of a grunt."

"we all start somewhere."

She nodded again, and stuck her hand in her pocket "we should hurry. Before Iron realizes that nobody's reported in"

She nodded. "You know the way to the armory?"

"Sure do. I've worked here for a while" she grinned "I'm sure Lynx'll show up eventually"

"we can only hope," she said, making a face.

"I can't believe her" Anastasia said, marching towards the door.

"Hopefully she doesn't seriously mess with the time stream," she said, following her.

"Most people can't..." she said "temporal energy.. .it's no joke.  You know why they stopped that research, right?"

"Because it was so dangerous?"

"because it tore a man to shreds and scattered the pieces throughout time and space" She said with an edge of terror to her voice.

Hazel's jaw set. Had she _heard_ that before?

She hadn't...that was new news. She'd heard of the disaster that irradiated her mothers....but not of this horrible disaster.

"You're serious," she said in a low voice.

"i'm serious. There was a malfunction in the pod" she grimaced "Dr. Kovalenko can tell you more. He's pretty into the chorno experiments"

"Hopefully we can get to him after we get to the armory."

"It'll be tough...but I know there are times when Iron leaves him alone.

"Good. we'll make it work."

"Damn right" She nodded "for now, lets get you loaded up. ANd lets get out of these creepy labs"

"That's a plan," she said, stalking back into the hallway.

Back in the art deco hallway, things were quiet.

"alright, so the armory is up on the second floor, so we need to find a stairwell that won't be guarded too heavily"

She nodded. "You have any intel on that?"

"I think I got us a route, but it'll take us past one of the more...delicate...areas"

"Delicate how?" she asked, frowning

"delicate as in we're going to have to sneak past where one of Iron Lieutenants patrols"

"Ah,' she frowned. "well, there are worse things.'

"we could have to go through the Metal Wolf's bay" she shivered.

She smirked. "yeah, lets take that first route. COme on."

Anastasia nodded, and reloaded her rifle "after you, agent" she said with a grin "i'll give you directions

"

She nodded, and composed her body, ready to sneak, move fast, or whatever she had to do. She was ready for this.

The two of them wound their way through the old lab, past a few other areas...including one door that was stuck , not because of a broken lock, but because it'd bucked outward like it'd been hit by a nuclear strike.

"What happened there?" she murmered

"The end of the Chrononaut project" Anastasia whispered.

"Oh." she pursed her lips, and turned away.

"yeah. This place isn't exactly safe" she said, and eased past the door. She hurried for what looked like another long glass hallway through a pair of glass doors.

Hazel kept ahead of her, picking her way quickly and carefully through the area, mindful of cover, and movment.

Through the doors, she saw the long glass hallway that mirrored the one she entered through. At the other end...the sterile white research labs. And around them, around the tube, the snowed over remains of a few forgotten and partially demolished buildings.

What a place... Sometimes she wished that she'd had the ambition to become a scientist like her mother. BUt that wasn't her path.

It was a place where the impossible happened due to the persistence and ambitions of people willing to warp the natural way of things to their whim.

Chornia hummed in her earpiece, singing a soft little song as they passed through the snowy hallway.

Hazel wondered if she recognized the tune as they crept though.

It was that little song about time she'd been singing in the empty lab earlier.

She suspected she'd quickly learn it herself.

There was probably a professional recording of it somewhere.

SHe made it through most of the glass tube when she heard the soft rumbling sound from the left.

she paused, adn ducked behind cover, urging her new friend to do so as well. She peeked out, to see what she could.

Anastasia ducked behind the cover of a small console as well.... just in time to see a massive tank roll past, it's barrel sweeping towards the glass hallway as if searching for someone.

Hazel's eyebrows raised as she watched the tank go by. At least it wasn['t inside. Not that that would be practical.

It was covered in Brass, and gleamed in the low light coming from the exterior windows. Sound, coming from it, vibrated the glass itself. It sounded like a military parade march.

"What the hell?" she murmured, looking it over as she watched it.

Emblazoned on the tank's side...was a massive golden eagle with it's wings spread wide. And the tank rolled closer.

"shit" Anastasia whispered.