Mirror Sky. Part 1 - Blissful Nemesis

21 - Uninvited Guest

Outer Rim was a major street that separated the City of Libra from Vida Wall. It had many parts named after the adjacent districts, and it had been buzzing with activity: commerce, sports, competitions, and plays to entertain the leisure crowd.

The recent event did not change the level of activity on Outer Rim – only its nature. Now thousands of guardians from all branches were stationed there, turning the area into a boot camp for adults with all the boot camp's misery multiplied by ten: fire drills, courage drills, studies, and obstacle courses. Fireflies were popping from the ground all over, bringing guns, ammo, mechs, armor, and artillery from the factories of Utility Level below.

Sergey entered the Ithar portion of Outer Rim and walked through the organized chaos. Some guardians running about gave him salutes and then carried on with their duties. Others recognized him and stopped dead, only to get yelled at by Drill Instructors. Sergey, long used to it all, kept walking to Elpida Wall looming ahead.

It did not take long for Aeon Guard to nickname the wall blocking off the ruins of Gatehouse Area: behind it were the treacherous Elpida Gates they all hated, the flooded Elpida Plaza, and a portion of Elpida District that went down in the blast. As Zeina acutely noted, the half-a-mile-tall wall looked low, patchy, and pathetic compared to the perfection of Vida Wall. Still, it provided both guardians and civilians with a much-needed sense of certainty: it was easier to trust something you built yourself.

Since the invasion, Elpida Wall has had no military action. It served as an interim location for eager rookies who were fortunate to get picked out of the dull routine of Outer Rim below. A unit of such rookies was waiting for Sergey at an elevator where Vida and Elpida Walls met: thirty people in passive black armor and sniper rifles on their backs. The group leader took notice of Sergey approaching and greeted him.

"Sir, Sergeant Pilondroperzoglo reporting for duty," said a confident kid of eighteen years to Sergey.

"Pylon the Tongue Slayer!" Sergey shook his hand. "Long time no see. Sergeant, huh? Boy, I'd love to hear your unit saying your name and rank without choking."

"Yeah, they aren't ready to face the Lepers, but they can easily go against mid-grade rappers," said the sergeant. "I'm thinking about changing the name or shortening it..."

"Don't," said Sergey. "Let the world suffer."

Leroy smiled.

"How's Dan?" he asked. "I tried to visit him, and I wasn't allowed."

"Still alive," said Sergey. "Although keeping it that way may soon prove challenging."

"You and Dan can count on my support," said the sergeant, then leaned in and added quietly. "Including when things get ugly."

Sergey smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"I'll keep you posted," said Sergey. "So, you brought me some fresh meat?"

"Yes sir."

Sergey projected a holoscreen and verified the identities of the newcomers. They mainly were old-timers from PG, men and women thirty to forty years old. Yet, they were bossed around by an AG rookie half their age because he was the only one with combat experience. Since the invasion, Sergey vetted many groups like that, but he grinded his teeth every time.

There was, however, an odd one in the bunch – a girl that just turned sixteen.

"You," said Sergey. "Name."

"Sir, private Andor!" the iron voice answered.

"What're you doing here?"

"Sir, I'm here to serve!"