– P R O X I M O –

"Dazz" I spoke clearly, masking the carnage we had left–the fusion round a few millimetres from my femoral artery.

"The rooftop artillery is still down." She confirmed.

I nodded to myself, tightening a wrap around my leg and pushing more clotting powder into it.

"I need a clear path down to the underground craft bay. It will be clear now they know what Scorpion plans to do up there." I grunted as I shifted to a limping stand. I finished shedding my burned Vanguard and started replacing it with the Imperial armour of a dead guard. Relatively clean given that my blade stuck out of his throat–

"There are units piling up those lifts to one place–she's causing a total mess."

"That was the point." I growled. "Focus on getting our own out for now–"

"Four of her personal guard are still in that ballroom as far as I can see and their cover has not been blown."

"Upload the route to the underground now. Do it quietly and inform them to approach the doors as quickly as possible. Octavius is in the lobby for back up."

"Forwarding now." She confirmed calmly. I saw my own holo lenses light up with the route and information. Good enough. "What about you?"

I glanced down at my full Imperial armour and hefted a fusion gun onto my back. I paused and glanced at the ID number on his right arm.

"I need a quick background on an Imperial unit number. Sending your way."

She remained briefly silent as she worked this over. I continued to re-equip armour with weapons and hidden blades. My window of time was fading. Dazz could only fault the lifts past this floor for so long before they took the damn stairs.

"Jacob Reece. Unit 13, resides in Sector 8 and is on shift tonight to reinforce security on the gala event." She informed me. I nodded and fixed his gloves into place before pulling a shining visor down over my head.

"That will pass for now. Let's make sure it doesn't come down to confrontation." I murmured.

"Get to the lift now, I will take you down." She ordered.

I moved as swiftly as burnt tendon and severed muscle would allow in one leg. The piles of bodies and remnants of smoke would be all they found of Division 52. If the Emperor was not dead already the war that followed would end in more of it. I shrugged the gun across my shoulder and sought thoughts of the task at hand.

The lift lit up before me and clouded doors swept back. Empty.

"I'm in your hands sister. Try not to kill me." I said flatly as the doors closed.

"A suspended glass box is hardly creative." She noted as it swept downwards quickly. Numbers flashing by in descent.

"You've never had to take a life. Your words hold no weight."

"You're holding all the weight, Prox. 110 kilograms of it–"

"As much as I appreciate your in depth analysis could we focus on the task." I snapped. "Besides muscle is denser than fat."

A snort over the comm. "You make it too eas–shit."

"What is it." I demanded.

"Lift request from the head of security on floor 95."

"Deny it–"

"He has his own personal override you simpleton, just play the part well." She said quickly as the lift suddenly slowed and pinged once. I tightened my hand around the pistol at my hip.

A balding man with crude and prominent veins running along his temples eyed me up and down in moments with guards at his sides before barking. "Don't just stand there! Identify yourself soldier."

"Jacob Reece, Unit 13, Sir. I've been transferred assignment to join unit 7 in the cargo floor–"

"I don't have time for this. Fall in with my unit. We are roof side for close protection on Blackbird. We have been infiltrated." He snapped as he didn't wait for my words and pushed into the glass box with half a dozen Imperial troops armed to the teeth.

I locked my jaw under the visor and took my weight off my leg.

The lift began to climb up the way I had come. Close quarters, a blade and a handgun could neutralise them before they even became a threat to Scorpion. But there were no guarantees my leg didn't compromise me now. I'd be of more use picking them off in the fray from behind when the time came.

The head of security slipped on his helmet and his voice suddenly sounded from within my own. "Make no mistake those that are on that rooftop are terrorists. You get a clean shot and shoot to kill." He said simply. "Blackbird is go for launch in 3 minutes."

3 minutes still... curious. Dazz had given me less time than that–she didn't make mistakes on numbers. What game is the Emperor playing.

When the doors finally opened we flooded out in what I assumed was an Imperial defence position. I fanned out with the rest and knelt on my uninjured leg–though the wound snarled in response.

I took in the surroundings quickly. What clicked into place before anything else was Scorpion. Stood on the edge of the bridge platform with a gun pressed into the Emperor's temple. A clean shot that would cost her severely if she took it now. No sign of Makayla Xavier. If she was dead, Scorpion would have already taken the shot.

Numbers were against her but not if I had a hand in it.

"HAULT FIRE!" The head of security roared as we levelled fusion rifles at them both. The sleek white shuttle loomed behind them, humming in preparation to launch. The winds raged at this height and would take you off your feet with a misstep. Scorpion had no such faults even with blood across her face and arms.

The Imperial unit could do nothing as she murmured something to him and then shot him through the foot. Our unit rushed forward a few steps in response but then the Emperor snapped out a shout to lay down arms. Adrenaline rushed me like liquid fire turning my focus sharper.

My eyes darted around the soldiers laying down fire arms. If there was a better time to seize control–now would be that time. I placed my rifle down with the rest. Ready to take any number of weapons out of their holsters. There was no option Scorpion could take here that ended with the Emperor dead and her walking away unless... now I noticed her steps were more purposeful than just a steady walk away from the unit–the shuttle.

In the same moment she threw the Emperor to the floor and whirled for the shuttle hatch. Men rushed to pick up guns and fire off at the metal where she had disappeared into. I kicked the gun into my hands waiting for the moment they tried to storm that door but the engines hummed to a burst of blue flame and the rooftop shook.

The thrusters ignited as the Emperor threw himself off his feet and out of range of the focused power of the fusion thrusters. Half his jacket had opened into flames and his skin scorched a hideous red down half of his face.

The cockroach isn't dead. She didn't finish it.

Our unit rushed to him as I moved like a shadow behind them. Waiting for a window to do what Scorpion had not–

But then I truly saw him... Saw the bodily reaction of something that sealed your death.

Black lines clawed up his neck as foam began spilling out of his mouth. His eyes rolled as he fell to the ground again and the security head started barking out orders for med packs. But all too late. Scorpion had not thrown him to the floor without finishing the job.

The familiar trace of Vanta fish venom had him now. There was no coming back from that in the time left. Maybe they had the facilities to handle this. But not in sixty seconds. All the time it needed.

As the soldiers piled in around him in a huddle I slipped back from the rooftop. As the Emperor choked on foamy breaths and took his last I fell in behind the glass doors.

"Dazz." They closed with a ding as the security head whipped his head back to me too late. The lift took me down with it.

Away from Merridian's dead Emperor.

* * * * *

When I reached the ground floor it was already filled with well dressed politicians and members of the upper class dripping blood.

They levelled guns at my head as soon as the doors slid open. I merely tore off the helmet and let it drop to the floor.

"Proximo." The first white haired man stuttered, before lowering his gun and dropping his face mask. Maccenzie looked back at me in shock. "Good to see you made it." Her voice morphed back into her own.

Others then dropped their nano skins until only the personal guard of Division 52 stared back.

"Scorpion?" Kartuga grunted out from under Octavius's arm.

"Has successfully assassinated the Emperor of Merridian."

He sucked in a breath and whistled low as others started up frantic murmurs of shock. I shook my head and snapped a gloved hand. Their attention flicked back to my eyes.

"We don't have time to sit here gossiping about it." I snapped. "Dazz is sending an armoured convoy from Sector 11 as we speak. We need to buy ourselves that time until we get in those crafts and get the fuck out of here. This whole Sector is about to blow sky high when they realise the Emperor has fallen."

The room sobered considerably at this before Kartuga shifted his weight and stood taller.

"Where do you need us?" He asked me steadily.

"I need you fixed somewhere hidden on the ground–with that leg you won't be of use on your feet." He nodded off the remark as I swept my eyes around the group. "Maccenzie, I want you near that lift. I assume your Vanguard is still operational?"

She gave me a dark smile under a short cut of black hair. "Not a scratch. I will take point on the entry–"

"Octavius will join you. You need another fast hand in close quarters." I said flatly. She gave Octavius a curious look as I spoke. They hadn't worked together so far but his technique was that of a seasoned fighter.

"The rest of you fan out through the tunnel." I said louder, letting it echo down the concrete network of craft passageways. "Anyone coming through those doors now is assumed hostile. Do not hesitate."

Nods followed over the fluorescent lights above. Which reminded me.

"You all still have functional thermal lenses correct?"

Confirmations filled the air in response.

"Good because they are useless again Imperial body suits. Switch to night vision only and for fuck sake avoid a crypto grenade unless absolutely necessary. I will have Dazz take out the lights–stay calm and careful. Back up is not far away." I said in finality.

We melted into a spread defensive position across the wide concrete tunnel. Two sets of lift doors were the only entry points we needed to keep at bay. When that convoy arrived we'd have all the cover we'd need to make our move...

"Dazz, kill the lights. Cargo level." I murmured softly.

The blackness was instantaneous. I tapped the side of my temple as did others in the tunnel. A deep green replaced the black and I made out figures crouched against the walls, Octavius and Maccenzie held positions close to the lift doors.

Now was the time we waited.

"Keep me updated on movement." I spoke calmly to my comm.

"Well, it's a shit show of course. Units pouring in from outside Sector 1. Comm feeds are blowing up with the news of his Greatness dying on a rooftop curtesy of another Great leader." She drawled.

"Your distain for Scorpion, is both useless to me and irrelevant. Keep focused." I growled back.

"Perhaps it is relevant when my moron of a brother gets left in the wake of her mad agenda. How many times have you pulled me in now to fix her stunts?"

"That agenda has just removed a tyrant–what have you done?"

"Kept you both breathing." She snapped. "As if she really doesn't believe another rich asshole won't just pluck up his place as soon as the dust settles." She said bitterly.

"This wasn't just about toppling a leader." I grit out through a locked jaw.

"Ah yes the precious daughter. You're a fan too?"

"Makayla Xavier, is important. You do not have to agree with that fact." I growled as I adjusted the laser sight on the fusion rifle.

"It's funny how I never saw it." Dazz commented thoughtful. "I instantly thought it was you banging her when really it was–"

"Would you shut your mouth before I find you and feed you to the organ snatchers." I said much more loudly than intended. I saw a few heads turn in my direction before focusing back on the lift doors.

Silence followed for a beautiful few seconds before– "Your taste has never been better. I think it's time you batted for the other team." She said laced with amusement.

My fist gripped the underside of the barrel tighter than a vice. If I responded it would only encourage this conversation which I had no intention of indulging. The minutes managed to tick by without further insult to my sanity. She knew exactly how to test it.

Knew full well that my taste never extended past one night. Never a true name. Never an after morning special. There was too much work to be done to flit around with a human target next to me. I had no concept of how Scorpion did it... the only refuge was that Makayla Xavier had both myself and the leader of Division 52 to train her into less of a sitting appetiser–

"You have a unit heading your way, brother dearest." She interrupted my thoughts. "Why don't you deal with her mess." She uttered far too sweetly, but I was already on my feet, pointing a series of hand movements and preparing the group to engage on my mark.

The room shifted in anticipation.

"How many?" I asked, focused.

"Five." She told me simply.

I smiled into the darkness. "How unfortunate for them."