Chapter 1: Memories

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A harsh, merciless blizzard showered itself upon a military base belonging to the human army, seemingly blanketing the vast infrastructure with a pure white and nearly spotless covering. The structures of the military base were built with impressive precision, leaving no doubt to any observer, although none were currently present, nor would they be in the near future, that this complex was constructed by the ever-efficient forces of humanity.

The complex was an anomaly out in the war-torn landscape, a speck of unaffected territory positioned behind the frontlines within a devastated province. A province which had endured the full brunt of the war between machine and man. The machine lifeforms had been unable to come within any considerable distance to the base, let alone encroach any semblance of an attack upon it.

The reason for this aberration, as there was almost no base or outpost untouched by an attack this far into the combat zone, was not only due to the military might of the forces of humanity, who were fighting a war they were all but set to win (after the initial negative effects of the surprise attacks by the machine lifeforms wore off) but more as a result of a local agent.

The personnel operating from there included the elite special forces, with the Alpha team being commanded by one of the most skilled soldiers and leaders the entire army possessed; codenamed S, an extraordinarily accomplished Officer who had dealt with several battles, obliterating squadrons of machine lifeforms all by herself. Needless to say, the machines would have had to contend with her and her ever-vigilant elite squadron in case they planned any attack, if they were not, as most had been, already wiped out by operations conducted from these special forces.

Perhaps even more of an anomaly than this base which had gone unfazed by the war, were the ongoings within it, during this particular juncture of our story.

It was December 25^th, Christmas time, and the personnel, (these units being mostly young girls), had set up various festive decorations within the barracks. The result of this was the interior of the barrack being something that was almost entirely unseen during the war; a picture of warmth, in stark contrast with the death and destruction outside, perpetuated by the harsh realities of conflict. Still, being creatures of emotions, the lonely soldiers had to chase something resembling happiness every now and then, whatever the ironic implications of such a sisyphean endeavour may imply to the more cynical amongst us.

An even more surprising success than the effortless victories the elite squads had achieved over the machines was that of the jubilation they had somehow achieved, as they huddled up together for warmth, trying their hand at cooking Christmas dinners, or singing with eachother, making silly jokes, watching movies with the limited devices they had for playback, managing to almost forget their sorrows and lost comrades in these short, almost pitiable (but endearing) moments.

S’s righthand woman; an adroit and quiet girl codenamed M, was the one responsible for actualizing these holiday activities during the period of respite they had acquired after months of perpetual combat. Her goal was to provide a boost to the morale of her subordinates. A boost which was not openly asked for, but secretly and fervently hoped for.

She was not, however, taking part in the activities themselves besides an initial presence in order to jumpstart the others, despite planning these silly moments of comfort for her comrades.

M was in her office, a black winter cape draped around herself as she was seated in her chair in front of a large writing desk, gazing down on some material that she had been composing with speedy pen strokes just moments ago.

Perhaps the cold had finally started numbing her, at least enough to divert her focus from whatever she was working on. It was conceivable, although she would never admit it, that she had started yearning for some alleviation to her wistfulness.

The lone soldier from her squad who was still out in the warzone happened to be S. S and M, having served many years together and fighting countless battles with no one else to rely on but eachother, always side by side, were complimentary to each other. The loyalty and devotion M felt for her unit and the forces of humanity were naturally high, as she had a strong propensity towards values such as fidelity and diligence in ones duties. In comparison to the loyalty she had towards S, however, it paled. (Although, it could easily be argued that both loyalties overlapped.)

Such was the ardor of her dedication towards her superior officer.

“I didn’t notice just how cold it was.” mused M, gripping the ends of the front her cape, pulling them towards eachother in an attempt to further shield herself from the chill.

Various voices could be heard enthusiastically talking over one another from outside M’s door, giggling at each other’s jokes and silly antics.

“They sound like they are having fun.”

For a brief moment she considered putting an end to her seclusion and joining them. Instantaneously, she decided against it, primarily due to the reasoning that the only factor making her humour such an event was not on the grounds that she had an earnest desire to join them, since she was feeling particularly withdrawn, but from a feeling of not wanting her propensity towards solitude bring any sort of downpour upon the merriness the others were enjoying.

“It’s Christmas. I shouldn’t force myself to do something I don’t want to. They’re having fun without me, anyways.”

What was it that she wanted to do, she wondered? Sleep sounded like the most appropriate option. M was not one who could afford the luxury of rest very often (in truth, she frequently neglected herself regarding it) and if she would go to bed right now, that would mean that time would pass seamlessly, without her consciousness. Enough time till tomorrow, where she would be able to return to her duties.

“No, that’s not what I want, either.” she ruminated. “That’s too depressing. Just sleeping through Christmas like that. I should at the very least read a book before going to sleep.”

Suddenly, she was struck by an intense shock, almost as though she had been woken up from a dream.
”Why am I worrying so fervently about what I want? I’m alive, the others are enjoying--I should be more grateful.”

She straightened herself while remaining seated, taking her arms out of her cape and opening her desk, rummaging through her belongings before she got a hold of what she was searching for.

It was a picture of S. One M had taken as they were returning to base, right after the completion of a simple reconnaissance mission that the duo had conducted together. S was in high spirits; a warm, beautiful smile on her face with the soft light of the sun gently highlighting her features, a look of affection beaming from her countenance as she held her rifle in her arm.

“I’m so needy.” M thought, softly laughing to herself. Somehow, looking at this picture had caused any sort of melancholy she had been feeling to instantly wash away. “So you’re what I wished was here right now. My brooding is your fault.”

It was an answer that she may have had a feeling about from the beginning. She missed S. More than words or even her own emotions could properly convey.

Pressing the picture against her chest as a happy sigh escaped her mouth, she was once again reminded of what she was eternally grateful for.

M stood to her feet, stretching a bit, as she was about to head to her quarter, gripping the picture which she intended to utilize as a non-addictive sleep aid. Suddenly, her door began creaking open as if someone were trying to peer into her office, as the light from outside illuminated a considerable deal of it. This moment only lasted a few seconds, in which she had prayed the individual opening her door was S, immediately felt idiotic for such a hope, successfully subdued any such expectations and then questioned and offered. “Who is it? Come in.”