"Valentina Octavia, this court finds you guilty of High Treason under the Treachery Act of 2024; you are hereby sentenced to execution by firing squad."

What?

Where am I?

Why death?

But... I want to live.

"Where are my parents? Where's my mother? My father?" I screamed.

"Your mother has been stripped of all ranks and charged with harbouring a criminal. Her execution is scheduled after yours."

"NO! You can't do this, I haven't done anything wrong."

"Your father died last week after having his medical access revoked due to your deeds."

"NO! Stop... please...."

"For associating with you, Cecilia Hadriana has been sentenced to execution by firing squad."

"Give... them... back..."

"For aiding you, Charles has been sentenced to execution by firing squad."

"Shut up."

"For aiding you, everyone you have ever cared about has been sentenced to execution by firing squad."

"I SAID, SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

"Why. Would. I. Do. That?"

"Who.... are you?"

"Your... Fear..."

"Please... leave."

"You cannot save them undecided."

"I know."

"Then choose."

"I can't, too many needless deaths."

"Walk the Line with a torch and you shall burn both sides."

"I can't. Think of how many will die."

"Your past. Will kill. Just as many."

"If you're my fear, then you should understand why I can't."

"You misunderstand us."

"Then tell me."

"The bomb does not care if the killed are soldiers or humans!"

"The flame has no concern if the flesh it burns is innocent or guilty!"

"The bullet does not weigh the lives of child and adult as it strikes!"

"Balance a life that is unbalanced and it shall fall to nought!"

"A side unequalled is a side unthreatened with a war unlosable!"

"Fear is an illness, yet overcome it is the weapon of the mind!"

"What can I do?" I asked.

"Overcome me, succeed over I; fear of your soul."

"How?"

"Choose Love... Over Regret."

"But what if I fail?"

"Trust me, trust us."

"Will they be safe?"

"Only if you choose them."

A loud beeping sound rang out within my head.

"What was that noise?"

"It's time to wake up..."

My eyes opened to a white hospital room, there were figures moving around me but my eyesight was too blurred to make anyone out.

One of them noticed that I was awake, they brought their face close to mine and opened their mouth but no words came out.

Something went into my arm and everything turned black.

I awoke much later on a metal bed, the sound of machines orbiting my body. Occasionally a robotic arm would brush by my head and move towards my torso to continue on with its chaotic work.

The third time I woke up, everything felt much more apparent. The details in my room popped out and the faces of the doctors and nurses that passed by my room were so clear that I could count their pores.

But I could not stay awake forever and gradually my slumber took me.

I was asleep for longer this time but it was worth it as the fourth time I awoke, the picturesque face of my mother came into view.

She noticed my movement instantly and embraced me.

Her arms awkwardly wrapped around my prone body. For some reason, I expected it to hurt but I must have been too drugged up on pain medicine to notice.

"You stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid girl. What in the world were you thinking?" She said, her grip on me not diminishing by a fraction.

"That a medal or two might look good on my résumé. How long was I asleep?

"Just under three weeks, Cecilia is already at the Academy, in case you were wondering. And yes, you will be joining her when you're ready."

"That's fine, what about dad, is he alright?"

"He's fine, still at Crossdon."

"I thought Crossdon would be closed down for repairs?"

"No, thanks to you, the 3rd Colonial Garrison was able to uproot the King's Guard before they could do anything serious to the hospital. The real damage is currently happening in Parliament as each side blames the other for the whole affair. Crossdon has always been high profile, so this attack has drawn doubt towards the Authority's abilities."

"So am I getting a medal or not?"

Mother laughed at that.

"Still too young for politics, I see. Maybe, is the only answer I can give you, Parliament is undivided in that you deserve a reward but in a more typical fashion, they can't decide what type."

"Why is that?"

"The issue is whether to give you a civilian or a military award. Until you officially enrol in the AGA Military Academy, you cannot be classed as military or presented with a combat medal. And as there is no civil reward for thwarting a rebel attack. The question becomes, do we create a new civil award for you? Or wait until you've enrolled and give you a military one?"

"Can't they just give me a new car and a couple million UPounds?"

"Well, they have given you something similar to that."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Valentina, maybe you should take a look at your arms, or new arms, as I should probably say."

I did as told and looked down. Two cybernetic arms came into view, they seemed almost the same as any other arm, the only difference was a few metal lines that allowed them to open up for maintenance. I tried to move them, but they refused.

"They... emmm... don't work?"

"They're not turned on yet. Specialist Jolna needs to run you through an orientation lest you hurt yourself."

"Right now?"

"Depends how soon you want to use your arms. I should also mention that these are the latest model and not available to the public, so be careful. Also, you've only been granted them on the condition you stay in the military after graduation, something to keep in mind for the future."

"Are you asking me to make the decision today?"

"No matter what your decision is, you'll still be able to use them during the Academy as you'll be considered active duty. It's only once that ends will you have to make the decision. After all, we can't have civilians running around with advanced military cybernetics, especially ones that house internal weapon systems."

"Stop for a minute. Did you say internal weapons?"

"Yes, but don't get too excited. They're currently empty. However, once you're in the Academy you'll be able to take your pick of weapons. I recommend you have at least one internal melee weapon at all times, I personally preferred the scythe blade, but you can pick whichever you favour."

Mother's phone beeped, she took it out her pocket, looked at it as her eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry Valentina, but I'm needed elsewhere. Will you be fine without me?"

"Huh, what's happened?"

"Remember that 'thing' I told you about last time we spoke?"

"That a lot of things are going to happen and I should stay out of trouble?"

"Yes, that's it. The attack on Crossdon has... well, caused that 'thing' to happen sooner than I expected. Don't worry, it's not your fault. You're more safer now than you've ever been, so you'll be fine."

"Oh, ok. Thanks, I guess?"

"Goodbye Valentina, and please, in future, be careful. I never want to see you like this again."

"Goodbye, mum..."

With that she left the room, closing the door behind her.

The meaning of my mother's words, even hidden under a veil of secrecy, were plain to see.

The attack on Crossdon Medical Centre has highlighted the severity of the rebel problem and considering it wouldn't have been possible without information coming from at least one government position. A crackdown was coming, it must be, else my mother never would have warned me to stay out of trouble.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that I may have been targeted. Having already associated with the King's Guard in the past, it wasn't a stretch to assume that I was still in contact and held rebel sympathies.

However, it seems all notions of that were dashed thanks to my instrumental work in repelling the attack on Crossdon. I won't lie or act coy, the single reason I took part in the defensive was to shatter the suspicions placed on me. It obviously proved effective, else I wouldn't have been awarded advanced cybernetics and offered what was essentially a fast track up the military ranks.

A nurse entered the room and interrupted my thoughts. She flashed me a smile and went to work fiddling with one of the many medical bags connected to me.

Soon after she left, I fell asleep taking me once more. I wasn't sure whether it was something she'd did or a result of my injuries but it was nice to rest again.

Hours and hours passed as I dreamt of new worlds and beautiful gardens of green and yellow. My very being felt energised as nectar wrapped around my body, instilling me with the most potent of essences.

The piercing sound of air venting shook me awake as my rest was disturbed.

A calming but oddly cold male voice spoke out.

"Good morning Valentina Octavia. I am Specialist Jolna, an expert in the use and manufacturing of cybernetics. Please relax and do not attempt to move, you are currently within a Rejuvenation pod, any unsanctioned movement could prove catastrophic to your motor functions."

I was inside a large open pod filled with a green gel that blanketed my body. The room was filled with nine other unoccupied pods and made with a silver coloured metal that I did not recognise.

"Where are we?"

"The underground cybernetics instalment sector of the Parkmon Research Institution in Londinium. Any other questions or can we begin? I should mention I have a timeframe to keep."

"Begin what?"

"Great, more questions. I have been instructed to run you through an orientation for your Xuven Model-13 cybernetic Arms and your X2-Shinxa Optics. And before you ask, no, I won't answer any more questions. Now, are you ready to begin?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Now hold still, I'm connecting a linking device to your Xuven cybernetics. You may feel a minor prick."

He then stepped forwards and painlessly plugged two black wires into each of my arms.

"Nope, nothing." I replied.

"Understood. Please try raising your left arm."

I did as instructed.

"Now the right arm."

Again, I follow his command.

"Good, diagnostics are all in the green. Please step out of the pod." He announced, removing the wires from me.

"What's next?" I asked, stepping out of the pod.

"Complete twenty jumping jacks."

"Okaaay?" I said with a tone of confusion.

Twenty jumping jacks later and I still felt fine. Which judging from Specialist Jolnas reaction, was a good thing.

"No presence of muscle fatigue, Rejuvenation pod is a complete success. Moving on to the next test. Follow me." He spoke out loud while writing down on a tablet.

He then led me to a sort of training area where weights, punching bags and other gym equipment were all neatly set up for my perusal.

Jolna pointed to a black punching bag on a conveyor belt and spoke.

"Please punch that with 100% of your strength."

I stepped up to the black punching bag, pulled back my arm and stuck. To my surprise, my fist went straight through and out the other side.

He noted something down, pushed a button and the conveyor belt activated. Soon after, the punching bag was replaced with another fresh one.

"Again please, let us try 95% strength this time."

This continued for a while, punch, replace and repeat with a lower power. I understood the purpose of it all, my strength had increased and my brain had to get used to it. After all, it would be a bit embarrassing if every time I reached for a door handle, my arm snapped it off.

The rest of the tests processed in a similar manner, I did an activity, learnt how to control my new found strength and speed, and we moved on. The only difference being the tests conducted with my X2-Shinxa eye cybernetic.

However, unlike my new arms, the eye was disappointing. It offered some basic improvements like zoom and night vision, yet as I only had one optic eye, it disoriented me more than anything.

The Shinxa felt more like a tease than anything. Specialist Jolna told me of all the amazing things it could do, but when I asked how, he simply said I lack the system framework for them to function.

As it turned out, all my cybernetics were meant to be paired with an Advanced Central Cortex Implant and if I ever wanted to showcase their full abilities, I'd need one sooner or later.

I'd have to ask mother the reason why I'm missing such a crucial component. However, I imagine she'll offer a vague answer about it or say it's too high risk for a civilian.

I never understood that myself, how she'll hand me a UXT Smart Pistol that's capable of punching right through light armour but then turn around and tell me somethings too high risk for a civilian. It didn't make any sense.

"Valentina Octavia, stop resting. You're needed upstairs." Jolna said, smacking me out of my thoughts.

"What am I needed for?"

"A visitor or something, they never tell me anything. So hop to it. Damn fools interrupting my research." He muttered.

"And how do I get upstairs?"

"Elevator on the left, down that hallway. Press the 4th button for the ground floor and don't you dare go breaking my elevator. I swear to God above, if a single button is broken, I'm having you arrested for criminal damages."

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say Dr."

"Dr? Seriously, I'll have you know I'm a Specialist, not some 2nd rate doctor tending to some half-dead nitwits. No respect from the youth these days. Now get out my sight."

"Alright, I'm going."

I entered the elevator and with expert skills the likes of which have never been seen before, I pressed the button to the 4th floor without breaking it.

A short trip later and I exited into a grey hallway with red carpets. And this is where I got lost, at first I went to the left, but that took me to a security door that I couldn't open. The right was no better and it wasn't long before security came, questioned me and then took me away.

Thankfully, they figured out who I was, so instead of being searched or beaten, I was taken to the main lounge where my visitor was waiting.

A man in his early forties stepped up to greet me. He had short grey hair that sat in a comb-over with a well-kept beard matching in colour. However, the most noticeable feature was his black suit and the Incendium Medicus badge attracted to it.

"Lady Valentina, I believe I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting you."

In typical noble fashion, he took my hand and kissed the top of it. It was an odd gesture, rarely done today. Yet him doing so informs me it is I who has the higher social status. Which isn't really that uncommon considering who my mother is.

"And you are?"

"Ah! I have forgotten to introduce myself, I do apologise. I am Septimus Acisculus, Praetor of the Incendium Medicus in Camulodunum."

"What is the Praetor of Camulodunum doing in Londinium?"

"Meeting you, my dear."

"Is that so? And what could someone like you need from little old me?"

"If I could offer, may we speak in my car, Lady Valentina? I should also inform you that I am to be your transport back to Camulodunum."

"And why would a Praetor, the leader of all Incendium Medicus in Camulodunum, be my escort?"

"I have a few... items that need to be discussed with you. So I volunteered to transport you, two birds with one stone as they say."

"Well then, please led the way."

"Of course." He smiled.

He led me outside the building where a convoy of five vehicles was waiting. Four black UL-APCs, each mounted with a remote control heavy machine gun. There were two APCs at the front and back of a black SUV with tinted windows.

Septimus stepped out in front of me and opened the SUV's back door for me. As I was climbing in, I commented.

"Is all this firepower for me, or you?"

He climbed in next to me, opened up the seat rest and began to pour two glasses of champagne.

"Would you believe me if I said it was for the both of us?"

"Perhaps..."

He offered me a glass and I accepted.

"Ulotuio Vevue, the best champagne money can buy. Exported from our friends over in Francia. Can you feel the explosion of flavours? The way the bubbles roll over your tongue like a pearl? Exquisite, isn't it?"

"Yes, an amazing drink. Now may we go?"

"I'm glad you like it. Driver, take us to the Octavia Manor."

The convoy began to move, quickly taking us on to the main road.

"I seem to remember that you had something to discuss?" I recalled.

"Yes, let us get down to business. Firstly, I have read your file regarding your disillusioned activities as Phoenix with the King's Guard. However, it seems your file must have missed a few items of note, considering what I read spoke of at length of how you avoid combat. Yet in my file of the Crossdon incident, you took down three Battlesuits, care explaining?"

"The Battlesuits were older models with a single weapon of low power and no energy shields. But I should remind you that I did not win with ease, my new arms speak for my hard-fought victory."

"I assume your training has come from your mother?"

"Correct. Could we cut to the chase, I'd quite like to avoid this game where you evade the question you so-truly want to ask."

"If you insist. You were the main component behind the discovery and destruction of the previous Camulodunum Cell. Their recent... dealings have shown that they are a threat again. Already we have seen an increase in attacks against our patrols, no doubt inspired by these... criminals."

"And you need me why?"

"I have reason to believe they may soon contact you. Nothing concrete, but my informant hasn't let me down before. And if they do, I want you to accept whatever deal or offer they give you. As you can probably work out, I desire to repeat your previous success in Camulodunum."

"What do I get in return?"

"I'll put in a good word for you, maybe get you another medal when you're enlisted..."

"No deal."

"And an Advanced Central Cortex Implant, I've heard yours recently went missing."

That bastard, so he was the reason I never got that Implant.

"It did, strange, isn't it? First stolen Battlesuits now implants, the rebels truly are getting brave."

"Your decision?"

"I'll agree, but I want a favour."

"And that is?"

"Nothing at the moment, I just want one for a rainy day."

"As long as it's nothing treasonous, I accept."

"Then we are in agreement." I replied with a smile.

"Excellent, this is my number. Do call me if the King's Guard contacts you."

"What if they don't?"

"Then we can leave it at this and forget this whole conversation happened. Oh, I do believe this is your stop."

The convoy rolled past the checkpoint of the gated estate and ground to a stop at the manor's doors. A guard hopped out of the SUV and opened my door.

"It does seem like it is, goodbye Mister Acisculus. Do have a pleasant night."

"You too, Lady Valentina. I will be eagerly awaiting your call."