The cold morning air stung Noah's exposed arm and neck as he waited for the train to arrive. It was still the early hours of the day, and the station was mostly empty. The few people waiting alongside him threw weird glances at his outfit. Unlike them, who covered themselves in layers of clothing, he clad himself in a snug T-shirt and jeans. The cold didn't bother him. Ever since he fused with the CAPE, a lot of things that inconvenienced normal people stopped troubling him.
Ignoring the looks, he enjoyed the music ringing in his ears while going over the information Gwen sent. It wasn't a lot and lacked quite a few details. Thinking about it gave him a headache. With neither the time nor the resources to assemble a concrete plan, he would have to play it by the ear and hope for a miracle. He bit the inside of his cheek and wondered why it always ended up that way. For once in his life, he wanted to taste the feeling of having a mission under his complete control.
The train's arrival interrupted his thoughts. Just like the station, it was mostly empty and had a lot of free seats. Instead of taking them, he leaned against the pole and gazed out of the window. The sight of the morning sun shyly peeking from between the high-rise buildings brought a smile to his face. His reflection in the window showed the sharp edges of his face relax into more comfortable ones. For a moment, it felt like he was gazing at Ava and looked away. Even after so many years, it hurt to think about her.
Noah shared an uncanny resemblance to his sister. They had the same black eyes, hair, and a matching set of features. It wasn't always evident as he lacked the easy smile present on her lips and the glimmer in her eyes. For her, they were a whisper away, but a genuine smile was hard for him. When it did appear, it reminded him of Ava without exception.
He clutched the crystal necklace hanging around his neck and felt the edges dig into his skin. It wasn't a happy memory. Never a happy one. The image of her injured self asking him to run and the cowardly kid who escaped to save his skin was seared into his mind. Many times, he wondered if things would have turned out differently had he stood up to her and forced her to escape with him. He would never know, and the thought haunted him.
A ping from his mobile dispersed the gloom settling over him. The sender's name made him smile. Despite all her anger, Gwen never left him high and dry.
He checked the contents and frowned. It was a simple message.
Usual target.
For such a small piece of information, he stared at it for a disproportionate amount of time.
Disappointment washed over him. It was his mistake for expecting something different. Time and time again, he had warned them not to get involved in shady business. But his effort went down the drain. He gripped the phone harder. Since they chose their path, they would pay the price for it.
He removed all distracting thoughts and waited for the station to arrive. By the time he reached it, the place was more alive with people moving around. He cut through the general flow of the crowd and arrived at the army's exclusive platform. The soldier guarding the entrance greeted him. "You're early."
"Couldn't sleep." He passed Ron the ID card that he scanned against the device on the wall. Behind him, a large number of soldiers were unloading crates. It was easy to guess their contents from the bullet and gun-shaped symbols printed on the side. "What's with all the weapons? Did something happen?"
"It's strictly need to know."
The device beeped, and the barrier slid open. After moving inside, he turned back and said, "That means you don't know it either, do you?"
Ron scowled and subtly threw him a middle finger before going back to his job.
Chuckling to himself, Noah walked past the soldiers and boarded the departing train. The base was a short distance away and took less than five minutes to reach.
Even before he arrived, he could taste the urgency in the air. The camp was a beehive of activity. From above, he could see the massive scale at which the undertakings were happening. The situation became evident as the train entered the station. Piles of crates occupied the area, ready to be hauled and transported.
He had only just stepped out before soldiers started loading the cargo. Despite the cold weather, sweat coated their faces, and their muscles quivered from exhaustion.
One of the soldiers knocked into his back and threw him off balance. He had to grab a pillar to break his fall. With a frown, he faced the offender to give him a piece of his mind but ended up swallowing his words.
A group of four soldiers were struggling to balance a metal case between them. Their arms shook under the strain and were about to give in.
Noah moved to help them. "Here, let me lend a hand." The soldiers nodded, and he moved to hold it in the middle. The moment his hand touched the cold metal, Noah felt the CAPE stir around his chest and a notification popped up.
[Initiate link?]
[Yes] [No]
He froze in position. They were transporting un-linked Beridium components and by the train no less? No one in their right mind would do that unless the more secure lines were occupied. It didn't take him long to guess what they were being used for. The question was why? Those things were only deployed for major battles.
Noah bit the inside of his cheek. Whatever's got the administration's trousers in a twist should be serious.
"Hey, are you going to move?" the soldier beside him grunted.
Those words snapped him out of his reverie. "Yeah. Sorry. Let's go."
Even with five people, it took some effort to move it. All five of them heaved and loaded it into the train. While Noah was okay, the others were out of breath and leaned against the walls for support.
"Thank you." The same soldier said while wiping the sweat from his brow." And sorry about walking into you."
"No worries." He pointed to the things they were loading. "What's all this stuff?"
"Weapons."
He rolled his eyes. "I can see that. I meant, what's it for and where is it going?"
"No idea. The higher-ups sent an emergency notice to transport weapons to the eastern border. Entire camp's been up since four. The machines weren't fast enough, so the commander wanted the soldiers to pitch in and help move stuff."
"I see." Noah checked his phone to see if the news portals and forums had anything. The army's movements couldn't have gone unnoticed. Sure enough, they were rife with theories, but none of them had anything concrete. He went through a few threads before putting his phone away. He didn't want to induce in speculations and decided to exercise some patience. It wouldn't be long before the truth came out.
"Anyway, I've got to go. I'll leave you to your job."
The soldier glanced at the piles of crates and sighed. "We had better get back to it. See you later."
Noah made his way towards the warehouse while weaving through the crowd of busy people and vehicles. The sound of machines combined with the voices in the air formed an unholy amalgamation that drilled into his ears. Adding in the lack of sleep, his head pounded like a drum. He wanted to get away from the place as soon as possible.
The warehouse was as busy as he had expected. With goods moving in and out, everyone was hard at work. He didn't see anyone who could register his gear for him. Fortunately, ECHO's had a separate counter, and it always had someone present. He went around the side and walked up to a free booth with a fifty-something guy slouched in his chair and dozing off.
Noah stared at the scene, wondering how anyone could sleep through the surrounding din. Shaking his head, he tapped the bell present on the counter, startling the other guy awake.
"Wha …. Oh, it's just you." Milton yawned. "Next time, can you not come so early. You're disturbing my sleep."
"I don't think 8 O'clock's that early."
"ECHO's may be different, but 8's too soon for normal people."
"What's not considered early?"
He thought for a moment. "12 should do."
Noah speechlessly stared at him. "I hope they fire you."
"Keep hoping." He yawned again and struggled out of the chair before walking to a two feet wide and waist-length metallic container. Holding the handle with both hands, he made a heroic effort of trying to pick it up but failed to even budge it.
After failing two more times, he faced Noah who stood with a smirk on his face. "The gear's in here."
"I noticed."
"Come inside and collect it yourself."
The lock on the door turned from red to green, and he proceeded towards the container. He lifted it using a single hand like it was a dumbbell; a heavy one for sure but nothing he couldn't handle.
"Stop showing off."
He ignored the comment. "Aren't you going to register this stuff?"
"Right. And here I was wondering what I forgot. Pass me your ID."
Noah put the card in his open palm. "For the life of me, I can't fathom why they don't fire you."
"If you're referring to the army, they can't. I don't belong to them."
Noah stared at him in surprise. How could anyone working in the army warehouse not be part of the army?
"The gear you're using doesn't belong to the army either."
"Really?" he asked.
"Don't look so surprised. It's not some huge secret or anything. You'll understand more after joining the training program."
Noah didn't push for answers either. He had more important things to take care of. The mystery would have to wait for some other time.
After Milton returned his ID, he walked to the changing room and donned the standard military uniform except for one small difference. The chest area held a badge with two concentric circles, the outer one black and the other white, enclosing a yellow spark. It indicated his status as an ECHO.
He had taken it for granted, never understanding the weight the emblem held. Only after he started volunteering did he get a first-hand impression of the prestige it held. Still, he never tried to actively show off. Being the center of attention wasn't a comfortable feeling.
Before unlocking the weapon case, he had one last thing to do. He reached out to the CAPE and called the system.
[Cybernetic-Augmented Parasitic Exoskeleton Suit]
[Initialising Interface]