A Distant Reverie

Chapter 96

The stampede of the salt suddenly stopped. The high-pitch wails of the high winds ceased.

Suisei watched as the screen of her Exo had cleared. Visibility returned. Everything in her immediate vicinity was covered in a glistening layer of white. Chunks of salt proliferated the area—embedded into every crevice, coated onto every surface, even slowly drifting in the lingering breeze.

The salt storm had ended just as abruptly as it stopped.

A warning flashed onto her screen. She turned to the mini map. The blob of red that represented the Incursion's positions was starting to move again. In the near distance, she saw an army of the mechanized legions slowly rise from their dormant state. Powdered salt flaked off and dispersed as the Incursions powered on.

The general voice channel turned on. Ame was in the midst of issuing retreat orders when an explosion suddenly went off nearby.

Smoke rose from a small section of the shopping complex from where the distress had come from. A moment later, a Type-A Exo emerged out of the ashen remains. Suisei recognized the frame. It was Marine's Exo.

She did it!

Relief swelled out of her chest as she beamed with excitement. Before she could celebrate—

"Ready the smoke salvos!" Ame shouted over the voice channel, "Create a veil to block off the Incursion's sensors!"

Incursions in the vicinity were already responding to Marine's Exo. Missiles soared into the air, only to be shot down by automated cover fire from Ame.

"Ready!"

"I'm ready!"

"Good to go!"

Suisei, Vesper, and Shiori all announced their status.

"Fire!"

She pressed down on the button. Several smoke canisters were ejected out of the Type-B Exo's compartment. The salvos flew skyward in a wide arc before plunging into the ground. The area was suddenly lit up with a deafening flashbang.

Suisei winced, not expecting the sudden influx of light. Once the effects of the flashbang had receded, the space before the shopping complex was shrouded in a dense profusion of smoke. The Incursions that were just a few hundred meters in front of them were completely obfuscated.

"Retreat! Head back towards the Alabaster Mines!"

***

The Exos screeched to a halt.

The Alabaster mines were back in view.

Ame immediately put Shiori in the rear on scouting duty. While their mini map didn't show any signs of the Incursions pursuing their tracks, it didn't hurt to be extra cautious. In the grand scheme of things, they weren't that far from the settlement.

Marine's Exo had brought to a halt. The frame was covered in grime and scratches. Hint of napalm had scorched the surface while various indentations arced into the hull. It looked banged up as if it had taken several explosive rounds and heavy fire.

The entire time so far Marine hadn't made an attempt to communicate back.

"Marine, are you there?" Ame called out over the general voice chat.

Silence.

Suisei narrowed her eyes, suddenly overwhelmed by a terrible premonition.

Is something wrong?

Before she could say something, a pop-up window suddenly appeared on screen. It was a request from Marine's Exo to broadcast its video feed. Confused by the notification, Suisei accepted.