//Report: Park, Taewon.

//Halifax, Nova Scotia.

//The fortress on Citadel Hill.

//Resume log.

It felt as though the entire fort shook as the ancient weapon unleashed its fury. The blast punched through the air, a shockwave of heat and pressure that sent debris skittering across the ground. My ears rang as the cannonball streaked through the sky, trailing smoke like a comet.

For a heartbeat, it seemed like the shot might miss entirely. Then the cannonball struck true, slamming into the left leg of the nearest unidentified mech with a resounding crash that echoed through the fog. The leg buckled instantly, the mech's joint crumpling inward like paper under the force. Sparks erupted in every direction as the wires twisted and hydraulics burst, spraying oil like arterial blood.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Sam exclaimed. "They got the bastard!"

The mech tipped backward, teetering on its remaining leg for a split second. The mech desperately attempted to retain its balance, but the damage was too severe for an IRON chip to counteract. With an almost serene stillness, the mech leaned backward more, slicing through the air, until a second, even louder crash sent a spray of dirt and stone shooting upward, and a command capsule rocketed away, vanishing from view.

But the empty mech didn't simply fall. Having stood at the crest of Citadel Hill, there was far too much momentum to bring it to an immediate stop. Instead, as its weight carried it over itself, the mech toppled down the hill. For a brief, surreal moment, the sight was almost comical—a massive, lumbering war machine reduced to an awkward sprawl, falling like a clumsy child down the grassy slope. But as it gained momentum, tearing into the hillside, the humor drained away.

The sound was immense. Each impact against the hill thundered like an avalanche, sending shards of metal flying in all directions. The mech's torso split open as it rolled, exposing a mess of wires and shattered components. One of its gatling guns was torn free, cartwheeling down the hill in a deadly arc before embedding itself into the dirt with a shuddering halt.

By the time the wreckage reached the streets at the hill's base, it was barely recognizable as a mech. What remained slammed into the nearest buildings with the force of a missile. Walls crumbled, roofs caved in, and glass shattered in an explosive spray. Dust and smoke billowed upward, blotting out the sunlight in a haze of destruction.

From where I sat, pressed against the cold stone of the outer wall, I could feel the shockwave of the crash vibrate through the ground. For a moment, silence hung in the air, broken only by the distant sound of the wind.

"Holy hell..." I breathed, my voice barely audible over the ringing in my ears.

"Good shot!" Calican hollered. His head popped up from behind the wall with a grin that was half pride, half disbelief. "Looks like the old girl's still got it!"

"I never should have doubted you!" Maria exclaimed. "Once they blast the other two, we're home free!"

"The other two?" Calican frowned. He stood, dusting himself off. "My dear, that was a cannon, and the only working one left at that. They aren't going to get a second shot."

"Wait," Sora frowned, "so you mean—"

All at once, the world seemed to snap back into motion again. Above us, the remaining two mechs lurched, torsos rotating in place as they readjusted, and the crack of gunfire filled the air. As I looked on in horror, the mechs opened fire, gatling guns filling the air with a hellish cacophony as they ripped into the fortress behind us. A blinding wave of carnage swept across the battlements, and the mercenaries that had once crowded the cannon were torn to ribbons by the attack, falling from the ramparts in droves.

"Run, dammit!" Calican exclaimed. "Run!"

He took off, his perfectly polished shoes slapping against the weathered pavement.

"Wh—that was your entire plan?!" Maria howled. With the effects of the EMP wearing off, she dragged herself to her feet, following Calican down the slope. "I take it back, I should've doubted you even harder!"

The roar of gunfire was almost deafening, a burst of noise unlike any I'd ever heard. Outside of a mech, I was suddenly, horribly aware of how exposed we were.

And then I heard it—familiar, distinct impacts, like the steady beat of a war drum.

"Oh, shit," Haneul breathed. He stared back through the entrance of the fort with a look of sheer terror plastered on his face. "Don't look, just run!"

I couldn't help it—with bated breath, I turned and glanced behind me, into the courtyard, and immediately wished I hadn't.

Most of the enemy soldiers were now in motion, their exoskeletons unlocked and ready for combat. They closed in on the central building, rifles drawn, as Calican's mercenaries fought back from cover.

Amidst it all, the soldier known as Eulogy strode through the carnage, sky blue shawl flapping in the wind. As I looked on in horror, they raised one gloved hand, fingers twitching like a puppeteer tugging invisible strings.

The sound of screaming filled the air. Instantly, three of Calican's mercenaries jerked upright from behind cover, their bodies spasming. It was like nothing I'd seen before—blood ran from their eyes and ears as they writhed in agony, toppling over one another in an effort to distance themselves from Eulogy's gaze.

But that wasn't what terrified me the most.

Across the courtyard, already in a dead sprint toward us, Cenotaph was a nightmare in motion. Despite the bulk of his massive, armored frame, he moved with a terrifying, unnatural speed. Each pounding step tore up the ground beneath his feet, sending shards of stone scattering. His cloak of dog tags seemed to shimmer under the pale, watery sunlight, his visor glowing a hellish red as he moved with all the intensity of an inbound freight train.

Gunfire erupted in a desperate cacophony behind him, the mercenaries firing wildly in a futile attempt to stop the monster. The shots pinged harmlessly off his reinforced plating, sparking against steel and ricocheting into the already panicked crowd. As I looked on in horror, the two MTT-clad mercenaries from the front gate leapt at him as he passed. One's fist connected with Cenotaph's helmet and the man's head snapped to the side, but he didn't stop running as he closed the gap, swatting the taller of the two aside like an insect. The man hit the ground and didn't move.

The second mercenary seemed to fare better for a moment—catching Cenotaph by the left leg, he moved like lightning, pulling the soldier to one side and breaking his stride. Cenotaph stumbled, shaking his armoured leg free, and for a second I believed that the remaining mercenary stood a fighting chance.

This only lasted for a moment, though, as seconds later Cenotaph's chainsaw came down with vicious intent, severing the screaming mercenary's hand at the wrist in a spray of blood and oil before kicking him aside.

"Move!" Sora screamed, tugging at my arm. I was frozen for a split second, staring in morbid fascination as Cenotaph closed the distance with horrifying efficiency.

The sound of Cenotaph's steps grew louder, closer, a steady beat of impending doom. His gaze locked onto mine, boring into me through the narrow slit of his helmet. It wasn't just the look of a predator—it was the look of something that enjoyed the hunt.

That was all it took to snap me out of my paralysis. My legs finally obeyed, and I shot to my feet, adrenaline surging through my veins.

"Go!" I bellowed, grabbing Sora by the arm as we bolted down the hill. Haneul and Sam were quick to follow, matching our pace with long strides.

Citadel Hill, as the name implied, occupied a large grassy hill at the center of Halifax, an expanse of open grass bisected by a strip of roadway that circled up the hill. A rusted old guardrail encircled the road, spiraling around the hill. Without any other visible cover, our only safe way down was also the riskiest—to follow the path of destruction wrought by the tumbling mech, and pray that we escaped the fighting before the enemy closed the gap.

Calican was already over the guardrail and on the mud-streaked grass below, lending a hand to Maria as she struggled to lift her bulky prosthetics over the barrier.

Behind us, the screams of the mercenaries filled the air, blending with the relentless growl of the chainsaw and the thunderous stomps of Cenotaph's pursuit. Each impact of his feet reverberated through the ground, an unrelenting reminder that he was gaining on us.

I glanced over my shoulder—just once—and saw the chaos left in his wake. Stalls overturned, bodies sprawled across the courtyard, and Cenotaph, charging through the front gate like an unstoppable force. Leveling Calican's golden pistol, I fired three useless shots in the man's direction, only succeeding in ricocheting them off his chestplate.

Haneul was ahead of us, the third to reach the guardrail, and he leapt over it, disappearing from view. Sora followed close behind me, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps, and Sam brought up the rear, his long strides quickly closing the distance.

As I turned to look at them, my fear only grew. Atop the fortress walls, some of the soldiers had taken notice of our flight and now levelled their rifles down at us, ready to cut our escape short.

"Stay behind cover!" I roared, my voice cracking with the strain. The first barrage of gunfire echoed out across the hill, and the snap of passing bullets had my heart in my throat. Planting one hand on the guard rail, I vaulted the metal barrier as quickly as possible and landed in the grass.

To my horror, the grass below was slick with rain and I felt my balance give way, but a firm hand prevented me from being sent sprawling.

"Oh no you don't!" Maria declared. She hoisted me to my feet with a grin. "Come on, guys!"

"Your encouragement isn't going to increase my top speed!" Sam barked. He was next to leap over the guard rail, and landed beside me. "I haven't eaten in two days!"

"What? But we fed you guys three square meals!" Calican gasped, incredulous.

"Your food tasted terrible," Sam retorted. "I have a refined palate."

As Sora cleared the barrier and landed in the grass below, I turned to the group.

"Everyone okay? Anyone shot?!"

"No! No, we're fine!" Sora called. "But those bastards have the hill covered now!"

Calican turned to me with fire in his eyes. "If you've got a way out of here, now is the damn time!" he roared.

The slope ahead seemed to stretch on forever, the gates to the city below still agonizingly far. But Cenotaph's steps grew louder, closer, each one hammering home the reality that we weren't going to outrun him for long.

But we didn't have to.

Maria brought a hand to her ear, listening to the small implant that resided there. She turned to me with a grin, and I knew that relief was on the way.

"Everybody keep going!" I declared. "Run in a single file line down the hill, and try to space yourselves apart by an arm's length! I'll provide covering fire!"

"Are you crazy?!" Haneul barked.

"Just trust us and run!" Maria shot back. "Prisoners first, Taewon and I will bring up the rear!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Sam smirked. Without another word, he took off down the grassy slope, taking short, rapid steps to avoid slipping.

"So you do have a plan!" Calican exclaimed. "Fantastic!" With his back braced up against the metal rail he reached into his robe and pulled loose a small, snub-nosed revolver, firing two shots at the soldiers on the wall.

"Wait, you've had a second gun this whole time?!" I shouted. "Why the hell did you give me this piece of crap?"

"I told you, that thing was a gift!" Calican exclaimed. "It's completely impractical, I just keep it around because it looks cool!" He placed his free hand on his hip, giving me a disapproving glare. "You think I was about to hand you my only weapon back in the basement? You're the one who accepted it without issue!"

"I'm trying to save your life, you dumbass!" I retorted. "You said it was my only option!"

"It was!" Calican snapped. "I'm sure as hell not giving you this one!"

With a quick snap of her wrist, Sora lashed out, striking the back of Calican's hand and knocking the gun from his grasp. In one fluid motion she caught the weapon and fired a shot—to my astonishment, I heard a muffled scream from somewhere atop the fortress walls.

"Hey!" Calican cried.

"You're a businessman, aren't you?" Sora panted, catching her breath. "Think of that as a transaction for your survival."

Peeking back over the guard rail, the sight that greeted me was less than optimistic—although the soldiers had ducked out of sight, Cenotaph was far closer than I'd hoped. The armoured soldier had clearly suffered some damage from his brief scuffle with the mercenaries, dragging his left leg with each step. His speed had been impeded, but he was still coming.

"Tio is almost here!" Maria informed me. "Haneul, go!"

"Who the hell is—never mind!" Haneul exclaimed. He began running down the hill, taking care to remain just far enough behind Sam.

Leaning out of cover, I caught a glimpse of one of the soldiers on the wall peering back at me in the distance. Lowering Calican's pistol, I braced my hands against the guardrail and fired another shot. The bullet struck stone harmlessly, but it was enough to buy my friends more time to run.

"I hope you know what you're doing!" Calican declared. He was next to break from cover, joining the line of escapees in their strange procession down the grassy embankment.

"Any second now!" Maria called.

Sure enough, the clouds above the fort seemed to shift, an almost imperceptible blur sweeping through the air. As I looked on with growing relief, the shape of Saci faded into view, the dropship's painted hull cutting across the canvas of the open sky.

A far older model of dropship than the ones used by SPEAR, Saci was nevertheless Maria's pride and joy. Saci was a relic of a bygone era, its patched-together exterior a testament to its enduring resilience and Maria's unwavering ingenuity. A compact and angular craft that had clearly seen decades of hard use, Saci's hull bore the scars of countless missions—scorch marks from old battles, dents and scratches that no amount of welding could fully erase, and a patchwork of hastily bolted plates that spoke to more than one near-catastrophic repair. A bold purple stripe ran along the length of the dropship, cutting through the dull grey of its body like a fabric sash.

The vessel wasn't sleek like the newer models—it was boxy, with a flat underside that housed its retractable gantry system. The arms of the gantry could be seen even now, folded snugly against the belly of the ship, each appendage equipped with a claw-like clamp for dredging up salvage.

The cockpit protruded from the front like the beak of a predatory bird, its reinforced glass windows reflecting the weak sunlight above. A scattering of mismatched antennae and sensors bristled along the roof of the vessel, some of them clearly aftermarket additions, others barely hanging on by rusted brackets.

At the rear of the craft, two thrusters jutted out at awkward angles, their casings worn but sturdy. Instead of the quiet hum I'd grown used to, Saci's propulsion system emitted a low, guttural roar that spoke to its age and inefficiency. It wasn't fast, it wasn't quiet, but it was dependable—so long as Maria was there to coax it into life. As the dropship descended toward the fort, its engines rattling the air, I couldn't help but feel a surge of relief at the sight of its worn silhouette.

As Saci skimmed across the hill towards us, the ship seemed to come alive—two massive gantry arms below the vessel stretched outward like the talons of a bird of prey, almost low enough to scrape the dirt.

The soldiers in the fort weren't stupid—an unidentified dropship uncloaking just outside drew shouts of alarm and hasty potshots. To my horror, both of the remaining two mechs began to swivel in place, turning to face the descending vessel. We had moments, at best.

"That's your escape plan?" Sora gasped, incredulous. "I can't believe that thing still files!"

"Hey! Saci is a national treasure!" Maria snapped. "Now get running!"

Sora emptied the barrel of her revolver, firing the remaining two shots in the general direction of the fortress wall before running after the others.

As Sora took off, Maria fixed me with a sly grin. "This is a pretty shit plan, though," she admitted.

"Believe me," I replied, "I've been through worse."

With that, we both broke from the cover of the guardrail and began sprinting down the hill together, bringing up the end of our strange, desperate procession.

The hill was as slippery as ever, and my breath hitched in my lungs as my balance was tested with every step. My track shoes weren't SPEAR standard issue—in fact, I'd bartered for them in a trip to Halifax a year prior—but now I wished more than anything for the reinforced tread of the boots that new pilots were assigned.

Beside me, Maria was poetry in motion. Although she'd been hampered by her prosthetics after the activation of the fort's EMP, on an open plane she was utterly unmatched. Every hydraulically reinforced step carried her further, faster, until I was left bringing up the rear all to myself.

Overhead, Saci seemed to turn on a dime, pivoting low over the crest of the hill. It swerved wildly around the side of the fortress, keeping the structure between it at the guns of the enemy mechs, until it was out of my peripheral. Directly behind us.

I tried to keep my breath as steady as my footwork as I half ran, half slid down the hill, as the roar of the dropship's engines closed in.

An incredible crash somewhere behind me made me turn, and I caught a glimpse of a metallic shape as it plowed straight through the guardrail, landing on the hill below.

Cenotaph.

That momentary distraction was enough—a sharp pain in my right ankle caused my next step to falter, before I knew it I was sprawling head over heels in the grass as the roar of a chainsaw drew ever closer.

The sky above me was filled with storm clouds, and all at once I was back in the snow on Mount Yamantau, staring up into the frozen sky as my life force ebbed with my body heat. Then a blur of purple swept past, the heat and force of its engines scorching the grass only a few meters on either side of me.

Focus. I had to focus!

Ignoring the protests of my rolled ankle, I hauled myself upright, willing myself to put weight on the leg. Fighting back tears, I put each foot in front of the other once, twice, again and again until I was sprinting down the hill once more.

Ahead of me, Saci swung even lower, its mechanical arms reaching out across the hill. Now perfectly in line with our running procession, the dropship's gantry hung low over the hillside—low enough to touch.

At the head of the pack, Sam seemed to grasp the intention almost immediately. With his extensive height, it was no effort for him to reach up and grab onto the rough metal of the gantry as he ran, holding it like a child dangling from a jungle gym. With careful slowness, the arm rose, pulling him inside Saci's waiting hangar bay.

One down. One safe.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to worry about the safety of others—behind me, the rhythmic impact of Cenotaph's footfalls grew ever louder. The armoured figure seemed to move like a dropped anvil—with every step, he grew in velocity, grew in force. He would plow through me and keep going—first to Maria, then Sora, until all my friends were annihilated, as Eulogy had promised.

I wasn't going to lose anyone else. Something had to change.

Sliding to a stop, I planted my good foot in the grass and pivoted on the spot, aiming Calican's ridiculous golden pistol at Cenotaph.

For a brief, surreal moment, I felt like some twisted version of a rodeo clown, staring down a charging bull. Squeezing the trigger, I felt the pistol leap in my hands, but the shot bounced off Cenotaph's leg, deflecting into the grass.

How many shots did I have left?

Another bullet went wide, and I almost kicked myself. It was like missing the broad side of a barn door!

Steadying my hand, I tried to calm myself, taking aim down the gun's ridiculous barrel. I fired again and again, but Cenotaph was seconds away, chainsaw screaming as he halved the distance between us again and again until—

—sound and motion. Just like that, he was gone.

For a moment I couldn't understand what had happened, but then I saw Cenotaph strike the ground farther down the hill, sprawling out like a discarded doll. The shimmer of dog tags flashed like the scales of a fish as he struck the dirt once, twice, then came to a violent stop, cratering the terrain.

I could've jumped for joy as Saci's massive mechanical arm lowered itself in front of me, gripping arm still flecked with the black paint from Cenotaph's armoured shell.

Everyone was aboard—I'd bought us just enough time.

Overhead, Maria grinned down at me, her arm extended in tandem with the dropship's. Ignoring the pain in my ankle and ribs, I clambered onto the metal gantry and felt my stomach lurch as I was carried off the ground.

As Citadel Hill was torn apart behind us, I was pulled into the darkness of the hangar bay.