Ignoring Evan's repeated flirtations, I pulled the prince closer, cradling him in my lap in an attempt to shield him from the lifeless bodies strewn across the floor.
With time still left before Andromeda could override Freihat's failsafe's, I turned to Evan. "Why are you here, anyway? Andromeda identified you as part of the Rogue Raven Knight Battalion, but you're the only one I've seen."
"I was on my way back to base after a solo mission. Helios was just a stopover—until all this went to hell." Lifting his shirt, Evan revealed a set of bandages wrapped around his stomach. "Took a bullet when the insurgents first seized control. Managed to drag myself to the medical ward on the 76th floor before blacking out from the drugs and pain. Been picking them off since. One by one." He smirked, but the way he said it made me suspect he'd been laying low rather than fighting back.
"Hm." I let out a noncommittal hum, pretending to believe him.
"What about you?" He continued fiddling with a radio looted from one of the dead insurgents. "What brought you here?"
"I was tagging along with the Harmonic Pack Battalion. I'm supposed to pick a battalion to join in two weeks, but..." I hesitated. "I haven't decided yet."
Evan stilled. "Hold on. That means you're part of the fresh batch of knights and pilots that came out two months ago?" His eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "No wonder you look like a damn kid. What are you, twenty?"
I eyed him. He didn't seem much older himself—maybe early twenties, at most. "This 'kid' is the reason you're finally able to fight back. You're welcome."
Evan let out an exaggerated sigh. "You're never going to let that go, are you? Pettiest girl I've ever met. Pettiest, too."
I ignored him with a loud roll of my eyes.
As if sensing I wouldn't take the bait, he turned his attention back to the radio, clicking it off and on repeatedly. "Piece of advice—if you want an easy career, steer clear of Rogue Raven. It's a battalion full of criminals and drunks. People call us the 'Death March Battalion' for a reason. Do yourself a favour and stay away from its members." He flashed a grin. "Present company excluded, of course."
"That's not what I heard." I checked on the prince. He was still awake, gazing quietly at the stars beyond the observation window. "I did some research. Rogue Raven has the highest mission success rate. But... their methods aren't exactly well-received."
Evan scoffed. "You just believe everything you read, huh?" He leaned in slightly, voice dropping to something almost serious. "Listen, doll. You're pretty. I like pretty women. So for your own good, I'm telling you—never, ever get involved with Rogue Raven."
I tilted my head, considering him. Then, with a small smirk, I said, "Too late. You and I are already affiliated, aren't we?"
Evan blinked, visibly caught off guard. His mouth opened—
A heavy bang slammed against the door. We both froze. Another impact followed, shaking the entire room.
"Andromeda," I called. "What's happening?"
[Your location has been compromised,] Andromeda reported. [An insurgent with a knight has broken through lockdown barriers and is enroute to your position. Estimated arrival: two minutes.]
"Shit," Evan cursed, already checking his gun. "How much longer until we can send a signal?"
[One minute, twenty-three seconds. Captain Trey, place your radio on the terminal.]
"What?" He hesitated but did as instructed, setting the device down. Immediately, tendrils of data streamed from the terminal, linking it to the communications array.
[The failsafe's will be bypassed shortly. Once completed, you may contact the Faraway in Winter.]
"Take the prince and go." I handed the boy to Evan, sliding my pilot helmet back on over my head. "Right now, they only know someone is in here. They don't know who."
Understanding dawned on Evan's face. "You're gonna' distract them? What about you?! You can't take on a knight bare-handed!"
"Firefly, don't go!" The prince clung to me desperately.
"I'll be fine," I assured him. "Go through the ceiling and head up. It's the best option. I'll keep them off your trail."
"Fuck! Fine!" Evan relented. "You probably know knights better than me, so I'll trust you."
"Thank you."
"Boost me up, then pass me the kid." Climbing onto the tables, Evan leapt, catching the ledge above. I braced under his feet, giving him an extra push.
I reached for the prince, but he resisted. "No! I won't leave you! I—I don't want to lose anyone—"
"Prince Alexander!" My voice came out sharper than intended, but it got him to stop. "I promise you—I won't die. Trust me. Stay with Evan." I wiped a tear from his face as another violent tremor shook the room. "Evan!"
"I got him!" Evan yanked the boy up just as another impact rattled the walls. "You better stay alive so I can kiss you later!" Evan's voice rang out before his footsteps vanished down the corridor.
I dropped down from the table with a sigh. My body was slick with sweat, my heart hammering against my ribs. "How long do I have to hold out against the Knight before you break the failsafe?" My words were directed at the beetle-like device attached to the electronic and glass terminal.
[Perhaps twelve seconds. At most, thirty. You will have to use all methods at your disposal, Firefly,] Andromeda replied, his tone unable to hide the doubt creeping in.
I huffed inside my helmet. "We never trained for this, did we? Got any advice, Andy?"
[Do not get hit.]
A flat response. The kind that made me feel like an idiot for even asking.
[Most who have opposed a Knight without another Knight to protect them have perished. The lucky few who survive... live the rest of their lives crippled.]
Metal feet stomped closer. The sound of steel groaning and breaking beneath its weight made my stomach clench. Could I really survive for thirty seconds?
"Guess I'll have to drag out every ounce of potential just to make it through this."
[That would increase your odds of survival,] Andromeda noted, as if trying to keep my morale up. [Nine seconds until breach, pilot.]
A metallic fist slammed against the door, denting it inward. The reinforced steel groaned as fingers curled through the opening, ripping it apart like it was nothing. The Knight clawed its way in, a twenty-foot iron behemoth with jagged armour, like something forged from battlefield wreckage.
A monster. A predator hunting human flesh. But I had to survive. Andromeda had to finish breaking the failsafe. There was no other choice.
"I'll live," I whispered, gripping my weapon tighter. "I promise you, Andy."
With a final wrenching motion, the doors blew off their hinges, slamming into the walls.
I opened fire. Bullet after bullet spat from my handgun, the muzzle flashing in the dim room. The rounds barely scratched the Knight's metal shell, bouncing off like pebbles against a fortress.
"Hah! What's that little pea shooter going to do against me?" The pilot's voice boomed from inside the machine, thick with amusement. "Come here! Once I catch you, I'll play with you!"
The Knight pushed forward, forcing its shoulders through the too-small entrance. A giant hand stretched toward me, fingers flexing—then swiping with lethal speed.
I dodged, rolling aside. My fingers dug into my jacket pocket, yanking out an orb. A flick of my wrist. The device sailed through the air.
BOOM—!
A pulse of electricity burst outward on impact, washing over the Knight's frame. Sparks crackled across its body, disrupting its systems. "You... bitch!"
I didn't wait. Reloading in an instant, I moved as the Knight recovered. It lunged, thrusting its head forward, trying to ram me into the wall.
I ducked. Boots skidding against the metal floor, I ran toward the wall, boosting off it with my pack. The moment I reached the Knight's back, I rammed my gun barrel into the exposed neck joint and emptied the magazine.
"Ahhh! Get off me, you pest!" The Knight bucked wildly, slamming itself upward. My body hit the ceiling with crushing force. I choked on the impact, pain searing through my ribs.
It prepared to slam me again. I dropped, slipping free just before it could pin me but the pain in my wounded leg made me collapse as I landed. Struggling to put weight on it.
[Firefly, the failsafe's have been broken,] Andromeda's voice cut in urgently.
The Knight saw me beneath it. It dropped its entire body down, trying to crush me.
I rolled away. The impact behind me sent a tremor through the floor. My legs burned as I scrambled to my feet, sprinting toward the terminal. My fingers closed around Andromeda's form.
[Duck, Firefly.]
I obeyed without thinking. A metal hand smashed into the terminal where my head had been a second before.
Kicking off what was left of the terminal i turned around then boosted forward, weaving between the Knight's grasp. It swiped again—I jumped, vaulting over its outstretched fingers, landing in a slide that took me clean under its legs. I shot through the ravaged doorway and into the hallway beyond.
"Engage!" I commanded.
Andromeda, still in my grasp, began to glow. His metallic wings unfurled.
The Knight staggered backward, struggling to regain its footing in the wide corridor. When it finally looked up, it found itself face-to-face with Andromeda—now towering over it, standing a full three feet taller.
"...What?" The pilot barely had time to register what was happening.
Andromeda struck. One punch sent the Knight crashing into the floor. Before it could react, Andromeda stepped on its back, forcing its frame deeper into the metal plating. The pilot inside barely had time to scream before Andromeda's foot pressed down harder. A final, sickening crunch. Blood oozed from the ruined cockpit.
Andromeda turned. His teal visor gleamed as he faced the other cowering Knights who had just arrived. "...Who's next?"
***
"Is this thing working yet?! Hello?! Anyone?! Does anyone read me?!"
The space station trembled around me, metal groaning, explosions ripping through its structure. Carrying the prince in my arms, I sprinted forward, my breath coming fast. Behind me, steel screamed as something massive crashed through the floors below.
"The hell are you doing, Firefly?"
Static crackled.
"This is—read—hello?"
A response. My pulse leapt.
"This is Captain Evan Trey of Rogue Raven Battalion! Faraway in Winter, please respond!" Another explosion rocked the sleek floor beneath me, nearly throwing me off balance.
"Captain Trey, this is General Fenrir of the *Faraway in Winter*. Are you contacting us from Helios Station?"
"Yes!" I barked. "VIP is secured, hostages are safe in the Vivarium! The lady you sent—Firefly—she's currently engaged with a Knight! Get your asses over here now or she'll die!"
Fenrir chuckled. "Well, at least I told her to try and leave the station intact. Keep the VIP safe. We'll arrive at Hangar-6 within ten minutes."
My stomach twisted. "Didn't you hear me?! She's fighting a Knight all on—"
BOOM!
The floor ruptured like a bomb had just detonated. A silver Knight burst through the wreckage, tackled mid-air by two scrappy enemy mechs. They crashed into the hallway in a flurry of twisted steel and sparks. The silver Knight barely hit the ground before it was forced backward, metal screeching as its feet dug trenches into the floor.
Then, it retaliated. With a single, fluid motion, it reached over its shoulder—fingers closing around the hilt of an emerald sword. A molten slash tore through the first enemy. Steel severed like butter, the scrappy mech splitting in half before its remains clattered to the floor.
Missiles shrieked through the air. The second attacker fired three shoulder rockets—fast, deadly, locked on target.
The silver Knight lifted its other hand, palm outstretched. A magnetic shield flared to life. The missiles hung in the air, momentum stolen—before reversing.
The projectiles slammed back into the attacker, obliterating its head in a fiery blast.
Then with a finishing stride. The silver Knight closed the gap in an instant, emerald blade spearing through the last enemy's chest. The molten glow of the weapon vanished as the Knight twisted the blade free, letting the deactivated mech slump lifelessly against the wall.
I stared. Heart pounding.
Turquoise visor. Regal design. Gold-trimmed armour, painted in deep silver and green. It was her. "Firefly?"
The towering Knight turned, its gaze settling on me. Then—casually—it lifted a hand and waved.
The prince, still in my grasp, waved back.
"Head to higher floors," Firefly's voice crackled through the comms. "More are on the way."
I exhaled, barely processing what I was seeing.
"Pilot Firefly, do you copy?" Fenrir's voice came through the radio in my hand.
"This is Pilot Firefly reporting, General Fenrir." That soft yet commanding voice—it was her.
'That pretty girl is inside that thing...?'
"VIP secured, requesting immediate reinforcements. An ambush is waiting for you in Hangar-6," she continued.
"Good work, Pilot," Fenrir replied. "Pressure them on your end but keep station damage minimal. We're picking up speed now and will arrive within ten minutes. How copy?"
"Good copy." Firefly shifted, gripping her emerald blade tighter. The massive mech moved forward, each step leaving cracks in the floor. "Evan," she said. "Get the prince out of here. I'll find you both when this is over. The fighting is about to get out of hand."
I scoffed, shaking my head. "Heh. Alright. But I'm punishing you later for making me worry, you hear?"
As I turned, sprinting toward the stairs, I found myself grinning like an idiot. Feeling like a fool for ever doubting her.
"Good luck, Firefly."