Artificial

Rage

Operator Velox

I approach Shockwave, still standing in the crater. Reach has yet to remove himself from her arms, and shows no intention of doing so any time soon.
Shockwave doesn't seem to mind.
"Holy shit, Shockwave! How did you do that?"
"I don't know, I just... saw Reach in danger and... acted," she replies, not taking her eyes off of the man in her arms.
"That was some creative shit," Phoenix comments, hand to her chin in thought. "Kudos to you and Tremor."
"Thanks. "
The intimidating operator shifts her crimson gaze to Evo.
"And excellent job with your protégé. She's a regular chip off the ol' hard drive."
"Truth be told, she's a damn prodigy. I just happened to bring it out."
Phoenix smirks.
"Always so modest, Evo. Where is Wraith, anyway?"
The group turns to the trim, quiet infiltrator, inspecting the deceased enemies.
"What are you up to, Wraith?"
"Just trying to figure out who they are. You said you've never seen guys like these before?"
"Nope," Evo replies, then looks to Phoenix, who shakes her head and replies, "Never."
"That's odd," Wraith concludes, kneeling down to inspect one of the soldiers more closely. She reaches down to remove his helmet, and an audible click is heard.
"What was—" I'm interrupted by an explosion that sends Wraith flying.
"Wraith!" Apex cries, sprinting toward the blast. She lies in the dirt a considerable distance from where she was blasted from.
"Wraith? Talk to me, baby!"
She lies motionless, bringing back haunting memories of Evo lying in the wake of the EMP grenade.
"No..." I whisper, barely audible.
"Ronin, get me her vitals, now!"
"I'm trying, Apex, but Geist isn't responding!"
"Execute emergency override!"
"Overriding..."
A square health readout appears next to her on our HUDs. At the center is a heartbeat monitor.

It's flatlining.

"No!" Apex cries out, the abundant pain in his voice breaking my heart. He sprints towards her, and suddenly we can hear engines. I look up to see a dropship, filled with fresh enemy Special Forces.
"Apex, we gotta go," I warn, putting my hand on his shoulder.
"No! I'm not leaving her!"
"We can't stay. There's too many, and they clearly seem to know what they're doing."
"I've never left her side before, and I am not about to start now! They killed her, and they have to pay!"
"We'll make them pay, but not now."
"No!"
He slowly rises to his feet and deploys his armblade.
"I'm taking my payment now, in blood!"
"You're insane, we can't take them all!"
He laughs this low, faintly unstable, unnerving laugh that would put anyone on edge. He turns around and puts a hand on my shoulder.
"I never said 'we' would."
"What are you talking about?"
"I told you, they owe me," he replies, turning back around to kneel beside Wraith's corpse and speak over his shoulder. "They owe me more than they could ever imagine, and I'm collecting."
He closes her eyes, and rests his hand upon her chest. "I'm taking a life for every warm, gentle, perfectly-timed caress I'm never gonna feel again. A life for every witty, charismatic word I'm never gonna hear her speak. A life for every cold night I'm going to spend without her, and another life for every electrifying kiss we would've shared."
He stands, still with his back to me.
"And to top it all off, I'm taking a dozen more lives for every single thing I loved about that angel with every fiber of my being, and barely got to experience."
I let out a deep sigh.
"Well, you've made it clear we can't stop you. So here."
He turns around, and I place one of my stimulant injectors in his hands.
"What—"
"Jack it into your gauntlet. Tuck it into your bicep pouch. Ronin should find Boost has already configured the dosage for you."
"Thank you."
A single tear runs down his cheek, and he slides on his helmet before I can see any more. He plugs the injector into his gauntlet, then slides it into a pouch on his upper arm.
"Ronin, give me a taste."
There's a pause, and suddenly he stands up straighter.
"Holy shit. I feel invincible."
"You're not," I respond immediately. "Please, stay safe."
"I'll try," he answers solemnly. "Please see to it that she's given a proper burial."
"Of course."
"And, if it comes to it—"
"Don't say it."
"—give me a proper burial, too."
My breath catches in my throat, and I hold back a sob. I already lost my little sister, I don't want to lose Apex too.
"I—I will."
"Well, all right then. Ronin, let's do this."
He pauses, and sighs.
"Let's go avenge an angel."