It was my sister's smile. My folks had said it was the smile of an angel, back when we had parents back, before the invasion. We were both evacuated when the Bane came for Earth, but we soon ended up separated.
I did try to find her, but well, there was this war on, and I ended up an infantryman, in charge of the newly minted squad, Squad 726.
The evil hum of a predator overhead kept our heads down, the screaming of my squad trying to work out what to do, I was their Lieutenant, so...
“Burke, get your ass over here with that launcher!”
Watching him scramble from cover to cover, trying to find the right position to fire from, I had wondered more than once if he was going to be spotted. But luck was with us that day, sort of anyway. Burke had gotten into position, given me the thumbs up, and with a scream of “COVER FIRE!!!” the squad opened fire, rifle and machine gun filled the air, and then the whoosh of the launcher, the fiery heat of the warhead exploding against the predator...
And then the dreaded targeting lasers, as the rocket had barely scratched the flying, killing machine. The lasers homed in on Burke.
“Get DO...” the yell died on my lips as with a ripple launch of rockets, he was engulfed in fire. Afterwards we couldn't even find his boots.
"God damn it. We don't have planes or the like how the hell do we fight these things?"
“Carter, Where the hell is out backup?”
“HQ says it should be here any minute, to hold on until she gets here.”
he replied
"She? Wait a sec one? Just one?!?"
“Hey there brother, I hear you need reinforcements.” her voice came from behind me, I hadn't even heard her approach.
“Sylvia! What in hell are you doing here? Where's the reinforcements?”
My mind had been a little slow on the uptake, I think I had been a little stunned by seeing my sister again.
“Oh, no squad, just me. Could you give me a moment?”
She didn't wait for me to respond, her actions were almost unbelievable.
I watched as she jumped up with inhuman speed, and then totally exposed to the predator, her hands began to wave in those strange movements made by those familiar with the power of logos, a 'receptive'. Even as the predator turned towards her, even as those lasers, precursor to explosive death licked at her feet, the lightning crackled from her hands. Like a storm in my helmet it sounded as it struck the predator, only to be subdued by the massive explosion of the machine being blown to pieces in mid air.
In the end all we could do was stare as she jumped back down to join us.
My sister was still smiling, but her eyes were changed, were hard. It only lasted a moment before she pulled me up, embraced me and then invited me, invited the squad to help her fight back. We gladly followed her, how could you not? Her smile was still the smile of an angel, but this time it was an angel of vengeance.
Author: Woodwhisper Stardancer