STEEL LEGION LAKE DISTRICT, ENGLAND 24•08•2016 17:16PM
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Katherine grumbled under her breath as she gazed down at the imposing structure before her.
The sprawling green fields surrounding it were lush and vibrant, and for once, the weather was pleasant—a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing inside her.
Normally, returning to her home country would fill her with joy, but with her father still alive, those feelings were overshadowed by a heavy sense of dread.
Richard Harper, the enigmatic commander of Steel Legion, presents himself to the world as a self-proclaimed International Business Consultant.
However, beneath this façade lies a shadowy paramilitary organization. While Steel Legion touts its role as an international security and consulting firm, its true operations involve arms trading, mercenary work, and clandestine missions.
Behind closed doors, Harper orchestrates a complex network of covert operations, skillfully leveraging his connections to profit from chaos and instability.
His strategic alliances with groups like the White Masks enable Steel Legion to exert significant influence in global conflicts, allowing them to operate with a level of autonomy that renders them a formidable force on the international stage.
That was the environment in which Katherine was raised—a world devoid of warmth and affection. Her mother had walked away the moment she was born, leaving behind a void that her father never bothered to fill. In his eyes, love was a weakness, and kindness was an alien concept.
Instead, she was molded by the cold, unyielding grip of military discipline, shaped to be a reflection of her father's ruthless ambitions.
But for all his efforts to craft her in his image, Katherine had never been like him, nor would she ever be. She bore the scars of his upbringing, but they only fueled her determination to forge her own identity, to break free from the chains of expectation that had bound her since childhood.
As the plane descended, Katherine's thoughts drifted momentarily, captivated by the sprawling landscape below.
The landscape that felt like a cruel joke, a reminder of the freedom she longed for but couldn't grasp while being tethered to his legacy.
The plane touched down on the runway with a low rumble, the rotors winding down in a cacophony that filled the air. As Katherine stepped out, her feet met English soil once more, grounding her in a reality she had long evaded.
Up close, the compound loomed even larger, a monolith of her father's oppressive power.
The familiar sense of dread washed over her, a chill creeping into her bones as she braced herself for the confrontation that awaited.
Here, every blade of grass was manicured, every tree meticulously placed—an unsettling reflection of the control her father exerted over her life. It was as if the very landscape conspired to remind her of the constraints that would soon tighten around her once more.
Katherine hadn't been back in England for more than a minute when a voice she'd rather not hear cut through the air.
"Katherine Harper," he called out, his tone dripping with false cheer.
Katherine shot him a glare, her eyes narrowing as she recognized the man she despised: Albert Abel.
Known as Blaze in the field, he was the bane of her childhood. Growing up alongside him, she endured years of torment that evolved from childish teasing into lewd and unwelcome romantic advances as they reached adolescence. Despite his charm in the eyes of others, she saw through it—he was arrogant and insufferable.
His father, Adler Abel, had once led an allied paramilitary unit known as the Kampfgemeinschaft. The two men had maintained a strong relationship, working together on various covert operations that allowed their forces to ally.
However, everything changed when Adler was killed in action, leaving the Kampfgemeinschaft unit in disarray. Many of its operators, disillusioned and without purpose, had since transferred over to Steel Legion, further solidifying Richard Harper's grip on power.
As Katherine faced Albert, a flood of memories surged within her—none of them pleasant.
"How are you, princess?" he said, a smirk creeping across his lips. The expression widened as he caught Katherine rolling her eyes in response. She could hear the faint trace of a German accent beneath his otherwise polished British tone. "Long time, no see."
"Not long enough," Katherine muttered, her irritation palpable as a low chuckle rumbled from Albert.
"I hope you enjoyed your little vacation, Kitty," he said, the nickname rolling off his tongue with a smug familiarity that made her skin crawl.
Katherine shot him a glare that could slice through steel. "Katherine," she corrected sharply, her tone leaving no room for argument. Albert raised his hands in mock surrender, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"What happened to us?" he asked, feigning nostalgia as he wiggled his fingers together, intertwining them in an exaggerated gesture, "we used to be like this," he teased, Katherine scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief, refusing to engage.
"What?" He pouted, placing a hand dramatically over his heart as if wounded. "Did you meet someone else on your travels?" he teased, his grin infuriatingly wide.
"Piss off, Albert," she snapped, the anger boiling inside her as she resisted the urge to stomp away, realizing she had nowhere to go. Albert laughed again, shaking his head as if he found her frustration amusing.
"You haven't changed one bit, Kitty," he said, his rough, grimy hand landing on her shoulder.
"Neither have you, Albert," she retorted, brushing his hand away with a flick of her wrist. "It's nice to see some things don't change—like your insufferable need to remind me how little you've grown up."
A satisfied smirk crossed her lips as she watched him sigh in annoyance, his grip tightening around her arm as he began to pull her toward the dreaded compound. "Come on, princess," he grumbled, irritation evident in his voice.
