MOCHA // OMEGA: Lavender Kunoichi #1

Chapter 1 // Omega

Chapter 1 // Omega

Mocha sat on the mountain with her thighs crossed, warming her bare feet by a stick fire. She gently clutched the black saya of her katana, pushing the guard with her thumb like flicking a lighter in reverse, then let the handle drop back into the sheath. She repeated this action as her purple eyes alternated between the flames and the moon.

She intentionally avoided looking in the skyward direction of the Citadel, a 6-mile-wide breakaway civilization for the elite. It hovered above Earth as a constant reminder of the cruelty of this world. Mocha promised herself that one day she would grasp the opportunity to obliterate the Citadel, but for now it would subsist as an eyesore.

She stood up and dusted the rear of her black kimono. The hemline stopped four inches above her knees and had a slit on the side like a Chinese dress. The attire allowed her legs free range of motion; a non-negotiable for her fighting style. The kimono was stylized with minimal lavender trim and cloud patterns. It was sleeveless, exposing her powerful delts from swordsmanship. Elbow to wrist was covered by hanging diaphanous black sleeves that danced in the wind. Beneath the sleeves she wore fingerless gauntlets made of scales shaped like black pyramids. The beast they were made of was responsible for the scar running vertically across her right eye. Her fingernails were painted purple and matched her toenails.

She approached the edge of the cliff. Her drone companion floated alongside her. She brushed the black hair out her face, grabbed the drone and used it like a pair of binoculars. She focused on Omega, the biggest city in the world, and to its inhabitants, the only city apart from the Citadel. The interior of Omega was concealed by the obsidian walls circling it.

Military encampments were posted up all around the city. Despite the bright neons along the walls that lit up the dilapidated wastelands full of death, Omega itself was hell incarnate. It has been said that one should strive to die free rather than live as a slave. But what if you are unaware of your own imprisonment? What if you lived your whole life unaware of the shackles that bind you?

These philosophical musings were ghosts in the sea; in Mocha's mind she had a mission to accomplish, people to kill, and leadership to report back to. Nothing else mattered. This was only one of many steps in the redemption arc of humanity. Mocha dedicated her life to this cause. No person, beast or alien would stand in her way.

A roar like a dragon came from the pitch black of the wasteland. The drone activated night vision. There it was, a beast running on all fours while carrying a flesh-sack of living, squirming bodies on its back. Horns on a diamond-shaped skull, red eyes and claws the size of an adult human's legs. It slid to a halt and dragged up a cloud of dirt.

A cloaked craft one-mile-wide projected a blue beam and carried up the two ton, ten-foot tall monstrosity. It disappeared into the air and Mocha stopped spectating. It was a reminder that she did not have much time left. Who was it that just got collected? Were there any children?...

She looked into the fire once more, then ordered her drone with a wave of her finger to smother it with steam.

Mocha secured the katana to her back and her tanto blade in her sword-belt. She mounted her motorcycle encased in thick armor. These bikes normally left a neon trail behind them, but for covert operations she obviously kept this feature off. She rode down the mountain, utilizing only the moonlight to guide her path.

Onward to Omega.

A mile from the city she diverted into a mountain pass. A wall disguised as part of the rock opened up like an aircraft hangar and descended into a tunnel. Lights activated as the bunker doors shut. She parked the bike near the door and walked down the long tunnel that opened up into a spacious room. It was filthy; nobody had been here for quite some time. Cups and bowls full of gross stuff sat on a crusty wooden table next to a scattered mess of paperwork, MRE packets and bullet casings.