The sun had begun to fall behind the fields of wheat; a calm in the air.
Margarete quietly cleaned the used dishes from the meal preparation, the "remade" Mac & Cheese placed within the oven to be kept warm.
Zuzuka was sound asleep within her room; for the best she thought, Daniel hadn't returned with the medication. She stretched out her arm to put a dish away when she winced in pain, "Tch..." The pain of the bruise she had received still pulsed from within her arm.
She sighed, placing her hands on the sink. Something was weighing on her mind; "Daniel, what's going on..."
She had known Daniel for years; but he'd never been like this, even during the fourth corporate war. Where she had served alongside him as a gunner in Militech's 6th basilisk company.
He was different back then, his eyes cold and lifeless, terrifyingly taciturn as he mercilessly made his assault on the enemy forces; she thought him more machine than man.
He was near unapproachable, usually keeping to himself. But she had been a loner too, even amongst her squad; being one of the few soldiers without much cyberware.
But as time went on, fighting on the battlefield together, as they shared in victory after victory, she begun to warm up to him. As he slowly opened up to her; he became her rock when there was nowhere else to go. But as she confided her woes and her worries, he would never do the same. As if he carried the weight of the world, one she couldn't help carry. In which how could one as broken as her, heal the pain of another even more so? No, that was a role she was never meant to play...
But, if she could be by his side, as she always had. Help him remember who he was and pull him back up when he falls down... Then that- That was enough for her.
Tomorrow they would sell the land and leave this place; all of them. She knew the corps had nearly bought up all the surrounding land, Her's wasn't long for purchase. Better to set the price herself then some greasy corpo.
But Daniel had to be taken care of first; they needed to figure out what was causing these episodes. There was surely something he wasn't telling her; he couldn't be suffering from Cyberpsy-
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye she noticed three black 620's driving down the path to the house. "What are..."
All alarms went off in her head as she saw a PLS (Projectile Launch System) aim itself out the window. "SHIT!"
She ducked for cover before the shell hit the house "BOOM!!" The glass windows shattered, scattering around the kitchen as the foundation rocked with the weight of the impact. Dusting off small debris from the ceiling she slowly lifted herself up; thanking the lord Daniel had chosen to renovate the house when he bought it, as most modern homes had been built as miniature fallout bunkers; a by-product of the fourth corporate war and its nuclear tendencies.
She arose to the sound of a phone; she rushed over picking it up. "Daniel is that you!?" she yelled.
A crackle came through the line meeting her ear's "Mar-ete wh- happened- Zuzuka -ay?!" Daniel replied.
"There was an explosion!" She said, "Men, vehicles with weapons!"
"-n't worry- be there so-!" he replied, "Hold- un- then-!" Then the phone went silent. "Daniel!? Daniel!?" She threw the phone; it came down with a smashing "Crack!" "God-damnit! Shit!" she yelled.
She looked towards the back of the kitchen, quickly running to where the house's defense system had been placed. "Wham!" She slammed her fist on the lock-down button. A loud "CLANG!" could be heard from the few entrances of the house as the blast doors shut.
She sighed a breath of relief, "That'll hold them for a while."
She went to the room Zuzuka had been sleeping in; the little girl looked at her sleepily "Mrs. Barnes...?" as if she had awoken from a pleasant dream. "What's going on?"
"Shh shh shh it's okay Zuzuka..." She said, brushing her hair aside. "It's nothing, just some thunder sweetie."
"Where's Papa?" She said needily. "I'm scared..."
A look of concern crossed her face, "He'll be back soon-" She replied, "Until then Auntie will protect you from the thunder."
Zuzuka held out her arms hugging Margarete's, "Please stay with me..." She said, terrified like a small animal.
Margarete sighed, "I'm sorry sweetie but I have to go..." she softly kissed her forehead, "But I'll be back soon." She smiled. "Promise."
She tucked her in, turning away. The lock made a "Click" as she closed the door. She moved towards the pantry taking a few stims they had on the counter; she shoved them in her pocket. Then she grabbed her bag pulling out her combat knife she had kept since her war days; "Never leave home without it!" She'd always tell Daniel, though she'd always wonder why she was never invited to the mothers' PTA meetings at the school.
She then found a small unity taped underneath the shelf, "Probably the only gun in the house." She thought, sliding it into the back of her denim jeans. But it wasn't nearly enough to- Then out of the corner of her eye she saw it, a Mrk.3 model Carnage shotgun wrapped neatly in a green bow. "Oh Daniel... You shouldn't have."
She lifted up the bulky weapon, which was surprisingly light. Opening up the tube she loaded a few shells in; then pulled back the action with a solid "Ka-chack!" She gave a slight smile as her finger rested on the trigger. "Heheh... Hm?"
She noticed a small tag lay itself over her finger, she picked it up reading: "Thank you for everything- Merry Christmas, From: Daniel-"
A tear ran down her face as she quickly wiped it away, dropping the tag, her heart welling up with emotion.
"Come out with your hands up and no one will be harmed!" Said a voice from outside. She shook off the feeling and steeled herself.
She walked to the window upstairs, peering out. There were three 620's parked out in front of the house; ten men standing amongst the vehicles, all of them wearing black combat gear. "A hit squad..." She thought.
"Good evening, Ma'am!" Said a single woman. She wore a black runner's suit, with a short red vest. High heels built into her feet. Her long hair came down into a ponytail around her waist, a single purple streak running the length of it. "We apologize for the inconvenience, there didn't seem to be a doorbell!"
"What do you what?!" Margarete scoffed.
The woman smirked. "Your friend has something of ours, we've come to collect!"
"I wouldn't know anything about it!" She replied, "But you're trespassing on private property!"
The woman almost chuckled to herself, she looked around, scanning the area. "Are you the only one home?" She asked.
"What? You lookin' for a party?" Margarete replied.
A man behind her moved to her shoulder; "Scans show two individuals within the home Ma'am."
"Shit." Margarete muttered.
"If you do not give us what we want we will be forced to "let ourselves in"." The woman spoke grimily.
Margarete spat, flipping them the finger. "I'd like to see you fucking try."