The Collapse

Chapter 7: New Pilot

Alder cautiously approached the fallen pilot, scanning for any hidden weapons. Upon reaching the pilot, Alder knelt, firmly clutching the man's hand as the latter struggled in his fatal pain. Suddenly the helmet's face shield receded, revealing the occupant as an older man with graying hair and steely-blue eyes. The pilot clenched his eyes shut as a hacking cough ripped itself from his chest, then rasped out a command to his damaged machine.

"Transfer...authorization: November-Oscar-Victor-Alpha."

The steely orbs locked onto Alder's face as the pilot breathed his last words, "Take...care...of her....". Then his head fell backwards, and the man was no more.

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Alder left his shovel laying on the mound of dirt covering the aged pilot's remains, his grimy outfit lying next to the tool. In its place on Alder's body was the worn suit from the pilot. A stormy grey, military-quality long shirt and combat pants, black steel-plated gloves and boots, a steel-grey breastplate and shin guards, and a combination grenade-ammunition bandoleer covered him from his chest to his feet. In his hand he held the helmet, now with the face shield closed, and after a quick once-over to find any damage, Alder slid the advanced piece of equipment onto his head.

After fitting the helmet onto his head properly, a message appeared on the holographic screen inside. "Greetings, Pilot Alder Ward." The name shocked Alder, as he hadn't uttered his full name in years, let alone to a dying stranger. Shrugging the sting of an unwanted surprise away, Alder refocused as another message popped up onto the screen, this one reading, "Caution: Iapetus power levels insufficient. Scanning for viable power sources." Several red bubbles consecutively appeared on the now-clear viewing port, before a light blue variant dinged into existence.

Alder's eyes drifted to the new indicator, setting his sight on the fallen Themis, where the blue bubble lay. The weeds crunched beneath the worn combat boots as Alder made his way to the metal brute, vaulting the tremendous left leg with little trouble. Hitting the ground, Alder tapped a small button on the left side of the helmet, releasing the neck wrap and loosening enough for him to remove the headpiece. Approaching the top of the legs, Alder placed the helmet on the joint of the leg, then gripped the rightmost battery, placed a foot on the metal 'hip' and heaved with all his might. The battery slid out of its socket with a groan, causing the man to lose his balance and almost collapse backwards, casting the same light blue as the bubble onto the ground and upper leg area. A small chuckle cause Alder's head to turn slightly.

Ember sat cross-legged on the rusting right leg of the Themis, watching the man with curious eyes. A grin sat on her small mouth, the source of the cute giggling. Cute? The thought surprised Alder. He had only thought of one thing in his life as cute, precious, or beautiful; something he had cut off from his thoughts to retain his sanity. Alder unconsciously shut the thought down before it could take over.

Something as small as a laugh shouldn't have caused the bubbly mirth in his chest to gain precedence, but it did. A genuine smile crossed his face as he made eye contact with the girl, stretching his mouth farther than it had gone for years.

Then Alder's beaming face dissipated as rapidly as it had come about as his attention returned to the task at hand-getting his Iapetus back up and fighting.