“Parley,” Maraline said, holding up her hand. “I have not come to do battle.”

  “Funny way of showing it,” Grace said, her helmet shifting to regard the automatons.

  Maraline chuckled, the sound every bit as melodic as Nicole remembered. “A distraction, should you prove hostile to my overtures.”

  Nicole didn’t buy that for a second. “What gesture of trust do you offer to back your words.”

  “Guiana remains in hibernation,” Maraline said. “You shattered her defensive field and nearly cleaved her in twain. She will not see action for some time, but Commander Bartran has finally awoken.”

  Nicole picked up several sharp intakes of breath, but paid them little attention, her focus was focused on the woman before her. Maraline was looking her over with a level of scrutiny that should have felt inappropriate if it hadn’t been for the growing expression of melancholy on her face.

  “You have not repaired your morpher.”

  Nicole shrugged, refusing to show how much the statement and admission hurt. “These things take time, you know how groundbreaking research goes.”

  “If you fight in the coming struggle, you will fall.”

  The blunt statement hit hard, but Nicole refused to cower in the face of the coming end. She might not have wanted the responsibility, but now that it had come her way, she would own it and everything that came with it, power or no.

  “If you truly believe that, then get it over with already,” Nicole said. “You brought the same class of machines that Bartran deployed to kill children. I’d like to think I’m a more difficult target.”

  “So be it,” Maraline said, raising her arm at the Rangers. “Go, my machines, kill them all.”

  Nicole reached behind, pulling the twin daggers from their scout carry and brandished them in reverse grips. One of the machines came right for her while the rest split off to fight her team. That was fine by Nicole, she had been eager to see how she could compete with the machines now that she was limited.

  There was no probing, the automaton simply moved in for the kill. The bladed arm came for her throat in a move that no normal human would ever hope to see, let alone stop. Nicole wasn’t normal, and despite losing her Ranger powers, she was still far above human limits. Her arm moved in slow motion to her own senses, yet it still caught the Sylan machine’s attack with her own blade.

  A grin spread beneath Nicole’s helmet as not only did the blades that Grace forged for her hold up, but her counter slash slid across the drone’s own armor plating before it bit into a joint. Her grin immediately dropped into a frown as she saw how shallow the cut was, but it was still a cut. She could compete with the Sylan’s best.

  The machine’s eyes flashed and the pair dove into their dance of death. Steel deflected deadly strikes and Sinclair’s armor proved its worth as it sparked against metallic limbs. Sure, Nicole had dominated the exchange as a Ranger, but being able to hold her own was more than she could ask given she no longer had her abilities.

  She was forced to dodge a strike she would have once phased through, caught a kick on both arms rather than one, and was panting for breath less than twenty seconds into the exchange. The Orange banded automatons were deadly, she knew that given how they were keeping up with her, yet the mere fact that she wasn’t powerless spoke volumes.

  “I retract my concerns,” Maraline said, circling outside of the battle. “You very well could win in a battle with this machine, were it alone.”

  Nicole’s eyes widened as something pricked at her neck. She dropped forward, metal scraped against her helmet with a screech that she somehow felt in her fucking teeth. Hitting the ground, Nicole immediately rolled to the side, away from the coming strikes, then sprung back to her feet in a practiced motion.

  Two more orange banded machines had joined the damaged one, putting Nicole at a clear disadvantage. It almost felt as if Maraline was attempting to show Nicole that she wasn’t up for this fight, which only served to push Nicole to fight harder.

  Darting forward, Nicole feinted a blade towards the damaged machine, their programming pushing them to defend their vulnerable member to preserve their numerical advantage. A smirk came to her lips as Nicole slipped her blade through the guard of one of the fresh machines and struck..

  There were perks to having a roommate working with Sinclair Industries, and Rebecca was making sure Nicole knew all the vulnerabilities of each Sylan model recovered so far. The orange models were more durable, with higher output than any other model, but that output required certain joints to be unobstructed in any way, and that was something she could punish.

  Grace might not have made her blades with Sylan steel, but they were still tough as hell by any metric, and they cut deep into the machine, severing the primary cooling line. She took a blow to the ribs, her armor absorbing the worst of it as she bounced off the ground and hit a nearby wall. The impact drove the air from her lungs, but she had taken one of them out, which meant it was now two on one instead.

  “Who’s next?” Nicole asked, pushing herself back to her feet.

  “Ever the fool,” Maraline said. “Yet I will commend you for damaging one of the machines. It seems the Source changed you more than our models predicted.”

  Nicole frowned under her helmet. Had the Sylan been tracking her despite the lapse in attacks? That sent all sorts of chills through her that they were able to follow her accurately enough to know that she was still enhanced to any degree. No, she was not happy about that at all.

  “I’m getting hella stalker vibes right now, you know that?”

  Maraline chuckled. “I’ll admit to having an interest in your well being, my friend, but this was just business as your people say. I was ordered to keep an eye on you while preparing for the continuing invasion.”

  “Let me guess,” Nicole spat. “This is the big pronouncement that it’s back on and soon we’ll be swarmed by mutants.”

  “You are essentially correct,” Maraline said. “Now, finish these two machines quickly, if you can.”

  And with that order the pair bounded forward, blades at the ready. Her teammates were still fighting their own machines, and doing fairly well, but it didn’t escape Nicole’s notice that more were arriving to keep the pressure up. Maraline obviously wanted Nicole kept apart from the others, which only served to strengthen her resolve to finish the fight quickly, despite Maraline’s goading.

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  Nicole attempted the same feint, and sure enough, the machines adapted, which was the only reason why it actually worked. She didn’t feint, and struck true on the damaged machine. Green fluid gushed and Nicole spun, lashing out at the intact automaton with a kick. It connected, forcing the machine back as she increased the pressure as she focused on using her blades for control and her feet for actual hits.

  Each kick was like hitting a steel pillar, sending shocks of pain up her bones, yet the metal deformed with every impact. Nicole kept her pace, switched up her tempo just like her instructor had taught her, then once the machine realized the blade strikes were a distraction, they weren’t. Steel bit into the coolant line and Nicole jump-kicked the now failing machine away before landing at the ready to face whatever Maraline had in store next.

  Blades flashed and Nicole’s eyes widened as she leaned back just as twin swords scraped across the armor protecting her neck. Maraline didn’t give her a moment to rest, pushing her assault at the same level she had two months prior when fighting Nicole’s entire team. She hadn’t been able to win that fight, but it had been five on one and she absolutely came out the better among those that walked away.

  Even pushing herself in an attempt to match the viciousness of the attacks wasn’t enough.

  “Come now!” Maraline said, her swords moving as a blur, forcing Nicole onto the backfoot. “If this is all you can manage, then you have no hope of defying us as you are!”

  Nicole grit her teeth, a touch of warmth rising in her that slipped through her fingers the moment she reached for it, so this time Nicole left it alone. Whatever connection she still held to the Source, it wasn’t something that she could rely on at the moment. Despite all her attempts to harness that power, it remained elusive and tenuous.

  So, Nicole let it simply happen. She continued to defend, giving ground each time Maraline pressed an advantage, and there were plenty of those given how much Maraline outclassed her at the moment. Blades continued to scrape against her armor, and she swore to give Kelly a gift basket for getting the stuff fast tracked for her.

  The warmth was slowly growing, and Nicole tried to give it some attention without actually doing anything with it. Even during the most intense training it never grew to anything more than a slight heat that she could miss if she hadn’t learned to recognize it from when the power nearly tore her apart.

  Yet now it was pulsing in time with her heart, growing stronger with each frantic beat. There was a fear that it would burn out of control if she didn’t push it away, but she couldn’t let fear rule her, not when learning to harness such power could prove vital for the coming battles.

  Maraline’s eyes narrowed as Nicole deflected a strike, breaking their tempo as she turned to press the offensive. It was a slim opening, and one that would be all too easy for Maraline to reverse if she so chose, yet she seemed content to let the fight continue as it was. Nicole couldn’t guess as to what game the Sylan general might be playing, but the longer she held out, the more likely it would be for her team to ride out the assault and join the fray.

  “You are adapting,” Maraline said, then broke away. She peddled back faster than Nicole could follow so she just adopted a defensive posture instead as the General eyed her critically. “More than that, you’re improving with every movement. Another theory confirmed.”

  Nicole’s eye twitched at the statement, and she decided it was past time to get proper answers. “What the hell is with the Sylan seeking data on Rangers? Is humanity nothing more than an experiment for you?”

  Maraline sucked in a breath, taking a step back as her eyes widened and drifted towards the machines currently doing battle with Nicole’s teammates. Something about that had put her on edge, yet it shouldn’t have been a surprise that everyone knew after Guiana said as much. Data was what drove their actions, right up until Nicole exceeded their expectations and injured two of the three leaders.

  Now, only one still stood, and she was there to fight. At least, that was how it seemed on the surface. The way she fought wasn’t nearly to her full potential, Nicole could tell that much, so she needed to test that hunch, and had to do it in a way that wouldn’t put her supposed friend at risk.

  Nicole took a deep breath, the warmth surging with it, then she rushed forward. All of her focus was on Maraline, ready for whatever the woman might try. Nicole needed to make it look convincing, if only long enough to get an answer out of her.

  Blades sparked as steel rang out. Maraline wore a determined expression, but Nicole knew that she was still being toyed with, but that was fine. That was the only reason Nicole even considered her plan, because Maraline had no need to lull her into a false sense of security, not when she could completely dominate the fight on a whim.

  “You know,” Nicole said, the point of a blade passing a hair’s breadth from her visor. “It’s probably a bit fucked, but I’ve missed this.”

  “It pleases me that I can bring you such pleasure,” Maraline said, just a bit breathless.

  “Phrasing,” Nicole muttered.

  Maraline tilted her head. “What was wrong with my phrasing?”

  Nicole paused, her mouth opening before clamping shut. “You know what? Stay innocent, it’s kinda cute.”

  Despite the confusion evident on Maraline’s face, their dance continued even as more machines arrived and she cursed herself for flirting with the General. Nicole caught a hint of blue along a shoulder of a lunging automaton just before Grace cleaved it through and all she could do was grin. They weren’t sending their best anymore, and likely hadn’t been for some time. Soon her team would be able to back her up, but something told her that she needed to take advantage of the situation before it slipped through her fingers. This time, Nicole locked blades with Maraline, then hooked them so she could shift close and slammed her shoulder into the Sylan’s sternum.

  “Talk fast,” Nicole whispered.

  Every muscle in Maraline’s body tensed, the woman looking into Nicole’s visor with intensity. For a moment Nicole worried that she had misread the situation, that she was about to be cut down or run through as Maraline’s expression shifted to anger.

  “You dare!” she cried out, then headbutted the helmet.

  Nicole barely felt it, and Maraline seemed unaffected as well. Before she could question just what that had been, the woman broke away, shifted, and hooked Nicole under a leg before sweeping her off her feet and driving her not just into the asphalt, but through it and into the concrete beneath it.

  The breath was driven from Nicole’s lungs even as the warmth within surged as if in defiance of the attack. That was when Maraline stood over Nicole, pressing a blade to her throat as she kneeled down, looming over her even as Nicole didn’t dare twitch. Was it wrong that the situation was a touch thrilling? The thought fled the moment it had crossed her mind, and she hated that it had even happened.

  “I will seek an opening in the coming days,” Maraline said, her voice barely a whisper. Nicole’s eyes widened as the General continued. “When we meet again, do all you can to take the item I am attempting to safeguard.” She then stood as Nicole finally sucked in a breath. “I have learned enough. You continued to prove an interesting specimen. Do try to continue to survive.”

  A flash of green followed and Maraline was gone. Nicole took a moment to catch her breath as she took in everything that had just transpired. She was going to feel that final attack in the morning, there was little doubt of that, but it had been worth it just to get the promise of something from the enigmatic General.

  Nicole pried herself from the damaged parking lot with a groan, bits of stone falling free as she stood. Her team were still dealing with the automatons, but they were down to the regular models at this point, and they were falling in droves to the empowered Rangers. Nicole envied that, despite her own abilities being nothing to sneeze at, but it was still a gap she hadn’t been able to close, and likely would never.

  Not until she got her morpher repaired.

  She could only hope Rebecca would have an update, but it was the rare night that she returned to the dorms and they kept their conversations over text to things not related to work. Well, not the work they did off the open books. Nicole had already sent Becca a text with a picture of the party being thrown for her after passing the obstacle course.

  Cracking her neck, Nicole moved to join her team in finishing off the remaining machines when another flash of green followed. Nicole barely had a chance to turn as it let out a deafening road and her eyes widened.

  Maraline had sent a mutant after them, a quadruped with silver scales and a hound like mouth. Compared to some of the prior monsters, it wasn’t all that special, but it was the tails that had her gaping. Six of them whipped and coiled as the monster took in the new scenery, each tipped with a sharp barb that dripped something that caused the asphalt to sizzle.

  “Oh that bitch.”

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