Late M - Early Summer : Rid, Virginia | East Coast Uates(Back a few minutes)

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  - Corporal, Diana Hale ~

  *Tssss* *click-click* The loud hissing of hydraulid the stiff clicks of the cockpit's locks were usually sounds I more than weled. Typically, it meant that in the half hour or so, I would be fortable in the shower, bed, or dining hall. -But not today.-

  *Click* *Woosh* As the gss opy lifted and slid back, the pressurized air in the exploded outward, and the g-suit my Cardinal had ed around me opened up to let me out, revealing my very tightly fitting bck attire c everything from the down.

  For pilots of Cardinals, Blue Jays, and just about every hter I could think of, it was the ary uniform, fitting tightly and c every inch of you so that the g-suit's immense pressures would be distributed evenly and fortably when necessary. Some, like mine and most others distributed to pilots in the US, even had cooling capabilities.

  However, for the first time since I became a pilot, it didn't prevent me from getting soaked with sweat.

  -A..At least the system is online again...- Shakily opening the partmeh my seat, I moved my spare clothes and boots into my iory before promptly equipping my normal camoufge over my tightsuit, which had been inaccessible sihe System went down.

  *Beep* "Helmet disect permitted." *Click*

  Finally diseg several cables from the helmet, I stepped up out of the cockpit with it and walked down a few small steps on the fusege before hopping down to the ground and making my way outside of the hangar.

  *EEEeeeoouuu* As I approached the gate, the deafening screams of sirens began filling the air, not helping my all, before I eventually arrived in front of the dust-covered, a-looking white trud held my Cardinal's key fob up to it.

  *Click* It undid its locks instantly before popping open the door to let me inside. "Haah..." -Fuck...- There was no going baow.

  Trying my best not to think that the truck could end up as my coffin, I relutly stepped up into it, quickly pressing several buttons on the car's dash in a sequence as per Doctor Forna's instrus. -I hope this works...- *Beep-crackle*

  The moment I pressed the st button, the sound of statiy helmet filled the through the car's speakers before my helmet's AI spoke. "Holographic system's offline. Would you-"

  "Select low bandwidth audio only, and eernal trol rey."

  *Beep* "Adjustiings... plete. Attempting to reemunications el." There was a short pause as I closed the door and got myself situated before the massive s on the dash lit up with information I would typically only see in my helmet's hud.

  -Holy shit... It worked...- Thankfully, the car's systems that predated my grandparents were still w.

  But I wasn't sure whether to call it lucky or unlucky.

  *Beep* "unicatioablished with-"

  "Miss Hale, you hear me?" The voice of Doctor Forna, the researcher from the Magic Tower who had been instrug me since my nding, immediately filled the .

  "Yes, thankfully." His voice was like an angel's to my stress-ravaged mind.

  But there was no time to rex. Almost immediately, he began instrug the AI in my helmet, disabling all kinds of security measures on the car before releasing the pedals and opening the dash to reveal a steering wheel.

  Like nearly every other car made i few hundred years, it wasn't meant to be driven, but thankfully.. or unfortunately.. that car was made back when manual trols were still mandated, even if they were locked from public use. -To still have a steering wheel and pedals.. this car really is a...-

  I felt like I was sitting in an old relic.

  But rather than viewing it as an old hunk of junk, the doctor sounded very satisfied with it. "We were incredibly lucky the airfield still had one of these in service." He spoke somewhat distractedly while I heard the ctter of keys in the background. "It's got some really old equipment on board I use to spoof the facility's security; that way, I don't have to risk sneaking you in... The only issue is it will e at the cost of unications, so we won't be able to talk until you hook your helmet up to the facility's main sole. But don't worry, I'll expin all the details you need before I disect."

  *Ding!* As the steering wheel finally lowered into position, the dash updated with an old map and GPS.

  "Miss Hale, you see the map on the dash?"

  "I-I ." Swiping across the panel, I tried to get an idea of where the facility was iion to me before letting out a breath of relief. -It's secluded...- It was right on the boundary of the lower and middle districts, about ten kilometers from the airport, and about a kilometer from a main road, meaning I would be far away from people or traffic if the monster were to break in.

  "Unfortunately, it looks like you will have to navigate the city the old-fashioned way. Just like everything else unig from outside Rid to ihe GPS isn't w..." He lowered his toh agitation before mumbling to himself. "Could the may have really ged that much..?" But after a moment, he tinued as if he never asked the question. "In any case, the Sergeant Major and I trust you both drive and navigate there without a GPS, correct?"

  I felt the weight on my shoulders increase in an instant. "O-Of course!" -It 't be any harder than driving my jet on the runway, right...-

  Thankfully though, while I was nervous, pared to flying a jet, driving a car was nothing.

  Finally getting on the move, I swiftly made my way out of the airport, navigating through colossal crowds of people eared to have been evacuated there, before making my way down the pletely empty main roads while the doctor attempted to guide me through everything I was about to have to do on my own.

  It wasn't too bad, but it was a lot to remember.

  However, wheime for him to disect finally came, and the s went silent, my mind was slowly overtaken by fog.

  The longer I sat in silehe more time my mind had to pick apart the details of what I had seen.

  Finally taking note of the panicked expressions of people as they carried their loved ones coughing up blood toward the airport, I couldn't shake the idea that I was walking straight into the maw of a monster.

  But trying to ighat awful sensation, I drove for several minutes, eventually making it to roads that were pletely desote and clear of everyone, even thieves.

  But while my senses tinued screaming at me to turn around, when I was finally nearing my turn off the main road, I caught a glimpse of something that looked like a person in front of a store. "H-Huh?!" I hadn't seen anyone for several kilometers at that point. -I k was odd for not even thieves to stay behind...- But as I hastily looked back at the store, I saw nothing. -Huh? Where did they...-

  *G* "Emergency brake engaging."

  Getting thrown into the steering wheel as the entire car ulled toward the ground by a massive mag, my body stiffened in a panic.

  However, while I thought I had crashed, when I could finally look ahead of myself again, I found myself perfectly tered in the road with 'a person' casually standing in front of me.

  It was 'her'... The person we were tasked with resg before shit hit the fan. -B..but that wasn't even that long ago...-

  It was way too far for a human to travel so quickly, even if she somehow mao survive.

  Yet there she was, casually eating a bagel while looking me in the eyes through the dark, heavily tinted gss without a single injury on her.

  I didn't know what to even think, but as I instinctually tried to ping her with a system pao no avail, just as Eli had, I started questioning if I was looking at a ghost.

  However, as I had time to look at her armor from so close, another possible expnation crossed my mind...

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  - Evreir ~

  *Ding!*

  System Name: N/A (Native)Name: Diana HaleStatus: Fearful

  Race: HumanAge: 24 years

  [Titles]One Who Exceeded Sound , Native