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Arrival of the Onslaught

(Wreckage POV)

I climbed off of Scavenger's hull as the soldiers went to do their own things. I regrouped with my team and the Apex Predators, Rumble and Venus following me. "That was one helluva speech, Epsilon," Mercury said.

"Thanks. I didn't think I did too bad, considering I didn't have too long to prepare it," I responded.

"Hunter! Front and center! Now!" Briggs stormed over to me.

"What the fuck did you do?" Kane whispered to me.

"I may or may not have introduced myself as Milo and not Epsilon. That and telling the soldiers that most of us are gonna fucking die."

"Explain yourself," Briggs ordered.

"This data knife has all the information you need. You'll find everything under Project: Lusus Naturae." I handed her Ash's data knife.

She walked away without saying a word.

"So... I talked to Slone," Kane said out of nowhere.

"She's here?" I asked.

"Yeah. In the armory right now."

"I'll be right back." I turned on my heel and made my way to the armory. Sure enough, Slone was there. She paid no attention to me, only to picking out a weapon. Noticing my presence, she turned around and a mix of emotions flooded her face. She walked up to me and hugged me. I hugged back. Suddenly, her warm smile shifted to a scowl and she slugged me in the non-metal shoulder. The one that can still feel pain.

"That was for leaving," she said coldly.

"I'm sorry. The Predators were falling apart at the seems. I wanted to visit home."

"We weren't falling apart. We fell apart when Ash killed Blisk. Do you know why she did that? Because you were out of her way. She had no qualms with killing him when you were out of the picture because she knew you would kill her if you found it."

"And that's what happened. I found out, tracked her down, and killed her."

"Did you really?"

"I did. Ask my Titan. You know she won't tell a lie."

"I do know that. How is Scavenger? I always found it weird that you named your Titan."

"She's fine. Still a badass killing machine. How's your Titan?"

"Ion's doing alright. At first, she had a tough transition to the Militia. But now that we've climbed the ranks and earned respect, she settling in."

"Good. I swear if their personalities and nose arts weren't different, I would not be able to tell the difference. And it's not weird to name your Titan. It just strengthens your bond with them. Scav and I are always in perfect sync. The same could not be said for Ash. Why? Because she saw Ronin as nothing more than another tool at her disposal. I see Scavenger as my best friend who will always have my back." I grabbed a data knife from the armory to replace the one I gave to Briggs.

Before she could speak, a grunt tapped my shoulder. "Sir, there's someone at the hangar door who wishes to speak with you."

"Thank you, soldier. I'll be right there. We'll catch up later, Slone." I waved goodbye to her and walked over to the massive door. It slid open to reveal a Legion class Titan and a burnt-yellow hologram-using pilot.

"I heard about this crazy stunt you're about to pull. Taking down the entire IMC? Count me and Predator in," he said.

"Thank you, Omega. I knew you'd have my back in the end."

"Save the sentimental bullshit for if we survive this onslaught. And speaking of this onslaught, you may want to look outside."

I rushed outside, shoving Omega out of the way. What I saw made my heart pound and filled me with fear: the entire IMC fleet.

I rushed back inside to my quarters to grab some spare ammo before telling the troops the news. I noticed something resting on pillow: a pack of burn cards. With them came a note. It read: If ever in war you are feeling rattled, use these to turn the tide of battle. -The Advocate.

I quickly pocketing the burn cards and rushed to the front of the room. "Everyone!" I yelled frantically. "They're here."