Ultima Ratio

Chapter 13: Disaster Relief

Based on their first view of the city, what was left wasn't much.

They had landed in an elliptical patch of sand less than two hundred meters wide, surrounded by clouds of dust and a sea of skyscrapers in various states of disrepair. Most were heavily charred with shattered windows and portions of some levels crumbled or missing. A set of three nearly identical buildings seemed to be leaning on each other for support, one tremor away from sending the fifty-storied structures collapsing to the ground. Another looked to be partially caved in on itself, its rebar struggling to hang on to what remained.

The only sign of nature was a row of dead palm trees bordering one edge of the patch of sand, the brown fronds dangling from the tops like a mess of hair. On the opposite side was an uneven brick pathway, scattered with holes and cracks that were filled in with the same dust that clouded the air. Past that was a large shallow basin that extended at least three hundred meters into the distance, holding a tangle of narrow pipes protruding from mounds of sand.

Before the war, the city was a thriving metropolis, known worldwide for their constantly evolving architecture that other countries could only dream of replicating. In fact, it was this talent that caught Concordia's attention early in the war, specifically how the city's innovators had a knack for building on water. But when the city rejected their alliance, Concordia responded in a style that quickly became their modus operandi: if they couldn't have it, no one could.

"You can thank your Verus Rex for this," Jivan said over the comms, and while Akira couldn't see their face under their helmet's tinted visor, their tone was more than enough to convey their bitterness.

Surprisingly, Danya didn't say anything, nor react in any way. Instead, she simply stood beside Akira in a still silence.

A parade of military vehicles arrived just then, crossing a boardwalk that stretched across the basin, each with a bold red diamond printed on their sides. After they parked on the worn brick road, about two dozen passengers emerged, each wearing matching gray vests with the red diamond symbol over their ordinary clothes, typically long-sleeved shirts and jeans. While they were also wearing breathing apparatuses, their eyes were left exposed, and Akira retracted her own visor in solidarity, squinting as the dust, smoke, and sunlight burned her vision.

The aid workers had established a relief center in an old shopping mall across the basin, and the Aegis Squad helped them load the supplies into the vehicles. At first, Akira watched Danya carefully, not sure how she would act in such an unfamiliar environment and situation. But Danya behaved no differently than the rest of the team, even ensuring not to carry too many crates at once and going as far as greeting some of the volunteers with simple head nods.

Once the vehicles were loaded, the team split up: Quyen dragged Izzy back to the plane for her mission while the rest joined the aid workers for a ride to their temporary headquarters, clustering in the canvas-covered trunk of one of the vehicles.

"So what's the lemur's secret mission, Captain?" Danya asked, idly tapping a finger on the lid of the crate she was sitting on.

"Don't worry about it," Akira said as monotone as she could.

"Only a spy would ask so many questions," Jivan mumbled.

"Does it have anything to do with that Ex Deo thing the giraffe mentioned?" Danya continued.

"We'll focus on our mission, and Quyen will focus on hers," Akira said firmly.

"If you say so," Danya said in a singsong voice, and she thankfully didn't press the matter. Instead, she distracted herself by watching her helmet visor shift shades as she repeatedly tinted and lightened it.