Lilith couldn't believe her bad luck. Her first birthday as an official Sentinel, and no one remembered. No one ever remembered.
She almost wished she'd been born on Christmas; everyone was glued to the TV on November 5th. The collective PTSD in the air almost made her sick.'Today is a day of remembrance,' the girls at the academy would say before rushing off to sit and watch the same gruesome investigation every year with their besties. They never invited Lilith.. or came to her birthday parties.
Well, they could piss off. Half those girls got sent to third-tier Teams. Losers.
What was it with people and serial killers, anyway?
To make matters worse, it turned out that Falco - her teammate - had been the killer this whole time. Lilith could absolutely believe Fatima's story. He'd been so aloof at the academy that no one ever really got a handle on his personality. No one other than Crocodile at least, and that guy was more of a stone wall than Rosenquartz, who was an actual stone wall.
Even after ending up in the same Strike Force post-graduation, Falco was still a mystery to her. She knew a little about his past, and it wasn't pretty. She could have taken his frivolous energy at face value like most people, but there had to be a deeper side of him than that happy-go-lucky joker mask he wore.
A rough jolt shook the orbital drop transport Lilith, Gabrie,l and Rosenquartz rode. With the dent her head made in the metal wall, Dr. Atomic might as well have shot them through orbit in a can of soda. She checked her WristPad and her live stream.
Four minutes to Munich.
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Not long after Falco had taken off to meet his Grandmother, the live feed had cut off. A black background with a red sickle replaced the broadcast along with the message:
"The Children of Retribution have come. We will have vengeance. Bring us Johann."
Dr. Atomic burst into the room moments later.
"Gamma! We have a problem." He gestured to the screen. "Run of the mill terrorist sect. They formed in the Russ Protectorate under the prime directive to avenge lost loved ones. Each member lost someone to Falco the day of the massacre. As you can see, they've taken the broadcasting building hostage."
"Doesn't sound like much problem. Ground and pound? Reinforce local troops?" Rosenquartz smashed his fists together.
Dr. Atomic smiled at the man's enthusiasm but shook his head. "That's not the problem." He waved his arm, and the tv display morphed into an advanced console. A few grainy satellite shots of a red streak flying through the upper atmosphere filled the screen. "She is."
Even Rosenquartz had nothing to say. Red Global's presence in the area was enough to destabilize the entire international balance of power. With the Sentinels detained and redistributed, Europe had been left without dedicated emergency response troops. If Red Global went on the offensive, it would take an army to stop her. One we no longer had.
"I've prepared," Gabriel said, breaking the solemn silence.
"Are you kidding? Gabe, I know you can beat her in simulation, but this isn't the same." Lilith prickled at the thought of Gabriel fighting Red Global for real. "We had thousands of Sentinels stationed along the Russ border to warn her off - not even to stop her - just to make an attack more trouble to her than it's worth."
Gabriel had been so distant since getting thrashed by MAD (a nuclear-based super) in a 1-on-1. Sentinel combat training was nothing compared to the simulations Gabriel had thrown himself into. With his constant tinkering in his lab, it had choked the nascent feelings before they could bloom.
It was his obsession with defeating Global in simulation that broke the camel's back.
Lilith held a tiny splinter of a sliver of hope that he'd come around and rekindle her fire for him someday, but he was clueless as a newborn baby. She wouldn't lose him to a maniacal dictator with no taste in fashion. Not before she had a chance to satisfy the perplexing pull on her heartstrings.
"40/60 chance her way if it comes down to it, that's why we just need to get Falco and his Gran out; we don't have this kind of jurisdiction anymore. The best we can do is hope the locals don't piss her off," Was all he had to say.
Lilith hated when Gabriel got so blunt. Before she could retort, Dr. Atomic agreed with him... "Yes, exactly. That's why I want you all on your top game out there. In and out. Leave the civilians for the local police. The Republic will be coming down on us after this. We'll need to meet back up somewhere safe. I'll send you the coordinates once I have everything set."
The scientist looked pointedly toward Lilith. She met his gaze. "What? Are you going to tell me I can't stream this mission? You don't really have that authority anymore, and I have a responsibility to my viewers."
Dr. Atomic sighed. "I was going to say: Please stream this mission as social protection for you all. The Republic won't mobilize against you in the open if the public is on your side. Just be aware the Republic is already trying to shut down your accounts. They're leaning on your father to talk to you on Net. You might need to stream this through Global's platform, however ironic that may be. Red Global remains the world's foremost advocate of free speech. If only her other qualities were as redeeming."
Her father?
If the government was trying to make The Paladin talk to his daughter publicly, they were fighting a losing battle. It would ruin his PR - the one thing the Paladin would not stand aside from miscarriages of justice was offending his conservative fanbase. He didn't touch things that didn't 'shine like a ray of hope' with a ten-foot pole - ugh, his catchphrase made her sick sometimes. No, The Paladin would never acknowledge his black-sheep illegitimate heir On-Net.
Off-Net was a different story. Lilith received a monthly text from him critiquing her moral choices. Like it might somehow make her run back home with her tail between her legs. "I'll take your advice, ex-mentor," Lilith ribbed a bit more playfully.
That got a smile out of the man. "Transport bay 7, if you will, team. One last Sentinel send-off before we're labeled international criminals?"
Lilith noticed Gabriel's face was paler than usual. He stayed white as a sheet the whole way to Germany. No doubt the Captain was worried about his team. It made sense. If the worst came to pass, he'd be the only one with a chance at steering that red menace away from the city.
Her gut told her he would take off to distract that leathered-up witch the moment they landed. Something made her sure things weren't going their way today, but it felt almost like deja-vu.
He didn't think she'd let him get away with facing Red Global alone... did he?
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The noxious fumes of the landing thrusters somehow made their way into the cabin, but at least they were a welcome reprieve from unhappy childhood memories. Lilith shoved the image of her father's tomato red face back into its little box.
She wasn't sure which argument was replaying in her mind. It was probably the time she accepted that risque centerfold the week after she graduated from the academy. Or it could have been any of the hundreds of other times she displeased him or besmirched his splendid public persona.
The Paladin could eat his heart out; Lilith's stream was already at forty thousand views, and the action hadn't even started. The chats were running rampant, a few hundred comments scrolled by every second. The main topic was about how Lilith had almost as many viewers as Global herself. After a second, the viewers in chat noticed the tiny camera in her helmet was watching them. They rushed to provide their favorite streamer with information.
Lilith's blood froze in her veins.
Jumping from the transport and into a deserted clearing, Lilith shared the news while Rosenquartz stretched his crystal limbs. She cleared her throat. "Global is live in Munich."
Gabriel was tapping his wristpad so quickly Lilith was barely able to make out the slight shake of his fingers. His hand paused, and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Do you know why she's here?"
"She's here in support of the Children of Retribution."
A slight tremor shook Gabriel's index. "As in 'here for a show' or as 'backup muscle'?"
"Global is guaranteeing safe passage back across Russ borders for the sect members and whoever would like to join them. She's also watching the news building from above. There's no chance Falco could get his Grandmother out."
Lilith hated every word she forced out, logic and training grappling against her emotions. There were only two options left: abandon Falco to the wolves; or confront a woman that could be (and sometimes was) referred to as a god. Neither option was acceptable. If things had been up to her, they would call off the mission and go home.
But it wasn't up to her. Already, Gabriel's fingers darted across his device's screen, now with more purpose and less trembling. Her gut feeling from before came back. Now, she was certain Gabriel would die tonight. She prayed she was wrong.
Rosenquartz placed his enormous palm on her shoulder gently, as if he was afraid to break Lilith. "What you mean? Falco faster than anything. He can outrun her, too. Faith!"
Lilith shook her head. "You don't get it, big guy. It's not Falco; it's his Grandmother."
Rosenquartz looked stressed. His face scrunched up, and he breathed deep the way he did when he was about to throw a tantrum because he couldn't make sense of something. Suddenly, his eyes shot skyward.
A rumble shook the Earth as a massive suit of power armor descended from the heavens and landed near them. It was Gabriel's new hardware, designed to punch up in heavyweight class, as he put it. Lilith could smell the energy coming off it, like ozone and jet fuel had a baby. Gabriel walked up to his suit and took off his outer layer of clothes, revealing the flight suit he'd hidden underneath (as if he hadn't just promised the team to stop wearing combat gear everywhere).
He stepped inside, and it closed around him, the silent engines glowing brighter. Cracking his neck theatrically, Gabriel grabbed Rosenquartz around the shoulders. It was an odd sight to see the 8-foot man dwarfed by anything, but the heavy black armor did just that, standing two heads taller.
Gabriel's voice was deepened by the suit. "You see, Fatima is Unpowered, Quartz. If Falco picked her up and tried to outrun Red Global, she would die. Her body would break."