Chapter 18: 16.5 Intermission: Non-Negotiable
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Second Lieutenant Layx Haellen's POV
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A couple of minutes earlier, at a corridor in the Middle Deck.
Second Lieutenant Layx Haellen carried her heavy-class Ragnar-008 Bolt custom gunlance in her arms as she led a squad of soldiers in full, military-grade exosuits towards the Code Red areas downstairs at the Lower Deck.
Her Mermaid One squad was appointed as the temporary Internal Security taskforce, required to investigate and neutralise the source of the Code Red protocol activation.
"Mission Control, Mermaid One here, we have searched and secured the Medical Bay and the Bio-Aux Lab, we have seven confirmed casualties so far, over."
>"Roger that, Mermaid One. Mission Control have confirmed the Code Red is not an external source, so search for any missing personnel in the Lower Deck. First Lieutenant Dr. Arwin is currently presiding over the Cafeteria Safe Area and Sergeant Geral the Bunkroom, and we'll have the numbers from them soon. Mermaid One is to proceed sweeping the entire floor and begin the headcounts for the last Safe Area and report it back to Mission Control, over.""Attention to all units; we have multiple contacts. Hostiles are confirmed to be a split off from the Necrobiote Flood. Approximated to be fife hundreds meters and approaching. All units, brace for impact.""I say again; attention to all units; we have multiple contacts. Hostiles are confirmed to be a split off from the Necrobiote Flood. Approximated to be fife hundreds meters and approaching. All units, brace for impact."<
Layx was nearly done with the report, when barrages of metal slugs suddenly rained down onto the Bastion.
"HURRY UP, BOYS! SECURE THE AREA AND WE'LL JOIN THE REST FOR THE FIELD OPERATION!"
The female lieutenant commanded, her voice resolute and authoritative, barking above the deafening noise of clangouring metals.
"MA'AM, YES, MA'AM!"
That was then a muffled thudding noise sounded from the storage rooms at the other side of the spherically-damaged corridor.
"!!!"
Her deep, brown eyes behind the visor narrowed.
Something wasn't right, but her gut feeling was contradicting her logic by lowering the muzzle of her Ragnar gunlance down.
"Private Aren, Private Ken, prep up the injured soldier for retreat..."
"...the rest of you, make a sweep of all the rooms along this corridor stretch. MOVE, BOYS!"
"MA'AM, YES, MA'AM!"
Layx navigated along the corridor, her footsteps stomping louder than the rest of her fellow soldiers', though barely audible against the uproarous bombardment of numerous heavy shells outside, as if on purpose.
She reached the entrance of one of the storage rooms - Storeroom No. 3. - as she paused briefly, her hand rested on the door handle.
Another small thud followed by a muffled voice could be heard from behind the door.
Her eyes immediately widened.
She did not realised she had held her breath in when she pushed open the door.
The dimly-lit storage room were filled with arrays of scattered machine parts and broken equipments.
Her eagle eyes swept around the room - indeed someone was here! And that someone was-
...and that was when she saw him - Nuel, standing with a bent metal rod (most probably a makeshift crowbar) in his hand and another metal rod with an attached odd contraptions hanging at his waist - his helmet was visor open, revealing his face.
Layx's eyes widened with shock and surprise, a mix of emotions flickering across her face.
It was an instant recognition, and she could not deny the reality before her.
"You scared the f**k out of me! Layx???"
The startled young man shouted in a whispering voice, and that inadvertently tickled Layx's sense of hilarity.
Her lips curved slightly, when she realised he actually recognised it was her behind the helmet.
"What'cha doing here, pretty boy~?"
"..."
Despite the visor, she felt his eyes on her, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.
"You're not telling me~?"
"Uhh..."
Layx studied him for a moment, the young man she adored and flirted with a few hours ago was found near the area where a few injured and dead people were at.
But despite everything, her gut feeling was telling her that the pretty young man in front of her was not a threat.
"...Uhm, I... I... I want to go outside..."
"...?"
"...I have to go outside, Layx."
"..."
Her piercing gaze stayed on Nuel, then slowly moved onto the shabby, unmarked exosuit he was wearing, at the bent crowbar in his hand, at the weird staff hanging at his waist.
Then she surveyed the gaping hole in the ceiling above the young man as she raised an eyebrow.
*Sigh* "Through that?"
"Huh?"
He glanced up at the ceiling.
"Why?"
"Uhh, uhm..."
She let the handsome man before her sumbled for an excuse, finding a slight joy teasing him like this again.
"...I-I can't tell you that-"
Now she raised both of her eyebrows.
"..."
A moment of awkward silence ensued.
Her eyes turned once more towards the hole in the ceiling, guessing that the 'thud' noises she heard earlier were probably came from Nuel trying to pry it open, and probably using that shaky crowbar of his.
"The corridor, you have anything to do with what happened at the corridor outside?"
A pause.
"...I eliminated a Shadow, it was a Wraith. I'm sorry I destroyed the corridor-"
Her grip on her gunlance tightened when she heard that, but her body language showed nothing of her inner shock.
"-I couldn't save Private Nerid, sorry."
"...I see."
Another moment of silence awkwardly passed between the two.
Only the clanging noises of artillery shells raining down outside danced between them.
"I can't believe I'm actually doing this; you'll have five minutes..."
"...?"
"...and take this with you, and in return, I won't be reporting on you...for now."
She took out a small device from her hip and pushed it hard into Nuel's chest.
"???"
"If you're going to leave, then let me keep an eye on you."
"??!"
She was again tickled by the young man's dumbfounded expression looking at the device and looking back at her.
"A tracker-? This is a bit-"
"You want me to keep quiet about this? Then this, is non-negotiable."
"I-I mean, thank you...I'll b-bring it."
"I'll keep an eye on you, but I won't pry unnecessarily. Just know that I'm always watching."
The device was taken off from her hands as she watched him switching it on.
Then she nodded at him, before she finally turned to leave the room.
Holding back the urge to look back, she closed the door behind her.
Then, with her usual commanding tone, she shouted to her squad,
"Let's go, boys, this one's clear! Finish up the sweep in thirty seconds and gather at me, understood?!"
"MA'AM, YES, MA'AM!"
"Private Ken, you're with the injured soldier-"
"MA'AM!"
"We're returning to the Assembly Zone, boys! Private Aren, prepare to take point."
"MA'AM, YES, MA'AM!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone