Page 42 of Jump or Fall

Mara

S he checked her remote for nearby suits and found one sprawled on the ground. The man wearing it must have fallen when he died.

With a tap, she took control. The suit twitched, then clumsily rose to its feet. Clotted blood obscured the man’s ruined face. The sight sent a sharp pang through her chest.

Lukas.

She had spent years burying those memories, yet they forced their way to the surface now: nervous dates, her palm sweating the first time he’d held it, their first kiss, and their fumbling first time together.

Maybe they would have drifted apart. Maybe not. But Dawson had stolen that choice.

How many lives had he shattered?

It was impossible to know, but he would pay for every single one.

The suit she controlled was unarmed, but there was still strength in numbers.

It limped forward, each step stiff and unnatural. The way it lurched and staggered, as if the body inside still struggled to move, only made the sight more grotesque.

Beside her, Gordon checked his gauntlets. They hadn’t been able to bring their full suits on the motorbike, but the modified gauntlets fit into the storage compartment .

“There are about twenty guards in front of the gate,” he said. “What else can that mech do, Silva?”

Silva chuckled. “More than the one we took down.”

A couple more suits became available as she scanned the area, and she called them up. Their broken bodies dragged themselves upright, armor scraping against pavement. One was missing an arm, and Millon shook his head before retreating away from it.

Mara glanced at a street sign. They were close.

Her heart thudded in her chest as they walked, her fingers twitching.

Gordon took notice. “Nervous?”

“Yeah.” She exhaled sharply. “Did you check your power level?”

She couldn’t see it, but she had a feeling he was smiling. “Ninety-eight percent. Logan’s carrying extra lithpacks too.” He reached out a hand. “Stay close to me.”

She reached for his gloved hand.

“Always.”

They turned a corner, revealing a wall of Silvers stationed in front of Dawson’s house. So far, their incoming assault had gone unnoticed, but the mech’s heavy footfalls would give them away soon enough. It separated from the by turning down a side street.

Silva threw up an arm, halting the group. “Everyone take cover. Send out our army of undead as decoys. We should be close enough not to fall out of range until they get knocked. While they’re distracted, our big boy will really get things going.”

Everyone tapped their helmets to acknowledge. Mara ducked behind a low stone wall with Gordon, settling into a position outside a stranger’s house. She issued a command and watched on the screen as her three suits shambled forward.

On Gordon’s gauntlet display, the aerial feed showed their advance from above. One of the birds perched in a tree, its mechanical gaze fixed on the battle that was about to unfold, while the other circled high .

It didn’t take long. The Silvers spotted their army of the dead and opened fire. Suits jerked and contorted as bullets tore through them. The one missing an arm staggered until it lost connection, crumpling into a heap of gore and shattered plates.

Beyond, the mech lurked at the edge of the fight, unnoticed. The remaining suits pressed on, some still clutching weapons, firing in wild, erratic bursts.

Then, the mech’s eyes brightened—a cold, glowing blue that gradually darkened into the hellish red they had seen before.

It raised an arm, targeting a cluster of Silvers crouched behind a car. The end of its hand pulsed orange-hot before it unleashed a massive blast.

The explosion sent bodies flying, the car flipping onto its roof in a shriek of twisting metal. They hit the ground hard, their suits punctured and igniting from their lithpacks.

Their screams cut through the air, high and raw. One rolled frantically, but the flames only grew. Another crawled toward his comrade and reached out in a pleading gesture but there was nothing they could do.

Mara flinched. Silver or not, the sounds of their distressed cries sent an icy chill down her spine.

I wish I could make them stop.

The Silvers pivoted, aiming for the mech’s head. Their bullets pelted its metal body, but it barely flinched. Another blast erupted from its hand while a hail of gunfire spewed from the other. Mara’s last suit lost connection, vanishing into the storm of fire and bodies.

Silva’s voice came through the comms. “Let’s join the party.”

Keeping low, they opened fire. Mara unloaded on them with the Basilisk, the bullets slicing through the chaos. One of Millon’s guards set up a Titan-HM6, a heavy machine gun mounted on a tripod. The rounds burst through Dawson’s stone wall, but not enough to break it down .

A heavy went off nearby, the explosion launching a Silver backward and crashing into the mech.

The mech’s glowing eyes flickered downward and it aimed.

The Silver yanked a heavy from his belt and detonated it in a final, desperate act.

The blast rocked the mech and sent it reeling under the onslaught of enemy fire.

“I'm going to draw them away from the gate,” Silva said. “Get ready to move.”

The mech retreated, firing sporadically to hold their attention. Mara and the others crept forward, staying low.

Gordon checked the perimeter with a bird. “Only a handful inside the gate.”

The heads-up display showed a response coming from someone named Viktor. “Throwing heavies. Logan will aim for the front door.”

A deafening boom erupted where the mech had lured the guards, followed by a chain of smaller explosions behind the gate. Mara scanned the neighboring houses. There were no signs of movement.

“What’s the situation with the neighbors?” she asked over the channel. “Anyone we need to worry about?”

Millon answered, “They cleared out once hands and bodies started showing up.”

For some of them, having Dawson as a neighbor had probably been a selling point. The safety and prestige of living right next to the head of state security could only be matched by living next to the Archon.

A few more booms rattled the ground beneath her feet.

“Bringing the mech back to break the gate,” Silva reported. “Silvers that followed have been eliminated.”

Gunfire erupted from the house as the mech returned. A bullet struck Mara’s pauldron. She swore under her breath and pressed herself against a car for cover .

Gordon retaliated, but she couldn’t tell if he’d hit anyone. She checked her remote and found a suit still close enough to use. A quick command sent the Silver attacking his own.

The mech limped forward, each step grinding metal against pavement. Its body was covered in dents and scorch marks, but it was still going.

Silva’s order was swift. “Retreat.”

Bullets pinged off the mech, but it was unfazed—even by shots to the head. Silva must have reinforced it after seeing how easily they had taken down the last one.

“Take cover,” Viktor said.

Gordon reacted instantly, throwing himself over Mara even though they were already sheltered behind the car.

The explosion lit up the night, a burst of fire that seared the sky.

The fireball’s reflection off the damp road sent white-hot pain lancing through the left side of her head. She drew in a sharp breath through her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut.

Fuck. Fuck.

A low groan escaped her.

Gordon switched to a private channel. “What's wrong?”

“My eye. It was too bright.” The sharp pain faded, but was replaced by intense itching and burning around the scars on her face.

His voice softened. “What do you need?”

With a few deep breaths, she opened her eyes. Her vision had adjusted.

She flipped up her visor and tapped her forehead to test the thermal vision. A dull ache radiated through her head, but nothing like before.

She was about to test the synth-mind when Silva cut into the feed. “Gate path is clear. Moving in. Split up between the entry points.”

Gordon didn’t move, still waiting for her response.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Let’s go.”

He hesitated, then flipped up his visor. Dark eyes locked onto hers. “I love you. ”

Mara leaned in, tapping her helmet against his. She wished she could reach him for a kiss, to feel the warmth of his lips. “I love you, Gordon.”

They stood together, taking in the wreckage. The gate was obliterated—twisted metal and shattered stone barely resembling anything.

Armored figures swarmed the house. Gunfire. Shouts. The roar of another explosion.

The front door blew apart, the flash sending another pulse of pain through her head.

Protect your eyes.

They advanced, stepping through the rubble-strewn path.

With each movement, memories clawed their way in, shadows from the past reaching up, trying to drag her down. The weight of it pressed against her chest. She swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in her throat.

This was it. It would end tonight.

She would kill him.

And then, she could finally move on.

Gordon slipped ahead, clearing the way. Two shots rang out, then he turned back, nodding.

Mara exhaled a long, unsteady breath.

Then, she stepped inside.