Chapter 7: Fragments of Normal

The bunker was still, the silence thick with exhaustion. The team had barely made it back, each mecha bearing new scars from the last battle. Ford's Goliath was a mess of cracked armor and exposed wiring, and Valkyrie's left arm had nearly detached, hanging by a few stubborn bolts. But somehow, they'd made it.

Inside, they sank to the floor, too tired even to speak at first. The only sound was their labored breathing and the soft hum of the bunker's lights. The relief of survival mixed with a deep weariness that seeped into their bones.

Elara stretched out against the wall, closing her eyes. "If I close my eyes and imagine hard enough, maybe I'll dream of a world without N-Types. Without bunkers and mechas…where a day like this ends with just a cold drink on a quiet night."

Ren chuckled softly, his voice a rough whisper. "Careful, Elara. You'll start making us soft."

Jax let out a low laugh, leaning his head back. "Hey, if dreaming makes us soft, maybe that's exactly what we need. This endless fighting… it's too damn much."

For a while, they shared a quiet, worn-out camaraderie. The bunker felt a little warmer, even with their tired bodies sprawled across the floor. Ford glanced over at Ren, his voice a little hesitant. "You think maybe… if we make it through all this… we could find some kind of normal? Something beyond just survival?"

Ren didn't answer immediately. He stared down at his hands, covered in oil, grime, and dried blood. They were hands built for war now, shaped by all the battles they'd fought and all the friends they'd lost. He wanted to believe that there was more waiting for them, but after everything, hope felt like a luxury he couldn't afford.

"I don't know, Ford," he said finally, his voice quiet. "I'd like to think so. But I don't even remember what normal looks like anymore."

Ford shrugged, the ghost of a smile on his lips. "For me, normal was back on the farm. Just me, my dad, and an old, creaky tractor that only worked half the time."

Jax chuckled. "Is that a real memory, or are you just trying to sound like some backcountry hero?"

Ford laughed, shaking his head. "It's real. We'd be up before dawn, and Dad would complain about the tractor the whole time, cursing it like it was alive. But those were good days."

Ren's gaze softened as he listened, the edges of his usual war-hardened demeanor fading. Memories of his own family, long-buried, stirred within him. He could still see his younger sister, grinning at him with dirt-smudged cheeks, daring him to chase her through fields of tall grass.

"Not much of a farm kid," Ren said with a small smile. "But my sister and I… we used to run through the fields all the time. She'd laugh like it was the best thing in the world. We'd collapse by the river, just… happy."

Elara opened her eyes, glancing over at him with a rare softness. "You had a sister?"

"Yeah," he said quietly, his voice almost lost in the memory. "Her name was Lyra. She… she didn't make it. Caught in one of the early strikes."

Elara's gaze softened, and Jax looked down, the usual banter disappearing from his face. "I'm sorry, Ren," Elara said, her voice low.

He nodded, accepting her sympathy in silence. He didn't like talking about Lyra—most days, he kept her memory locked away, a distant, painful ache he couldn't afford to indulge. But tonight, with the weight of another victory heavy on their shoulders, it felt… okay to remember.

Ford cleared his throat, trying to lift the mood. "Well, maybe if we ever find this 'normal' we're all hoping for, you can tell us more stories about her."

Ren smiled faintly. "Maybe."

A soft beeping from the communications panel interrupted their rare moment of peace. Sera's voice came through, cautious and quiet. "Ren? Are you… there?"

Ren stiffened, his face hardening. He glanced at his team, and they shared a wary look. Trusting Sera was still a gamble, especially after learning about Osiren's role in escalating the N-Types' power. But she had also saved them—without her override code, they wouldn't be here now.

"Go ahead, Sera," he said, his voice steady but guarded.

Sera hesitated, as if weighing her words carefully. "I… I've been digging around, trying to understand why Osiren is pushing the N-Types so hard. And I found something. They're not just experimenting with programming. They're using… living subjects."

The bunker went silent as her words hung in the air, chilling them more than any battlefield could.

"What… what do you mean by 'living subjects'?" Jax asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Osiren's higher-ups are… are testing ways to merge human consciousness with the N-Types," Sera explained, her voice trembling. "They want soldiers who can think and react like humans but fight like machines. They're… blending people with the AI."

Elara looked horrified. "They're… fusing humans with those things? Why?"

"To create something unstoppable," Sera replied, her voice tinged with disgust. "They're forcing people—prisoners, mostly—into these 'N-Hybrids,' as they call them. They're twisted… trapped between their own humanity and the cold, controlled mindset of the machine."

Ren clenched his fists, rage simmering beneath his calm facade. "So we're not just fighting machines… we're fighting people, too. People who had no choice."

"Yes," Sera said, her voice small. "And it's only going to get worse. Osiren's leaders have plans to deploy the N-Hybrids on a massive scale. They think it'll end the war faster, make it cleaner. But they're just… they're just creating more death."

Ren's mind spun as he absorbed the information. The thought of facing N-Types that were part human—forced into this twisted existence by the very people they trusted to protect them—sickened him. It changed everything.

"So… what are we supposed to do?" Ford asked, his voice breaking slightly. "We're fighting people like us now? How do we stop that?"

Ren took a steadying breath, his mind racing. The familiar rage he'd felt for Osiren's cruelty had reached a new height, but beneath it, he felt something else—a grim determination. He wasn't just going to fight these N-Hybrids; he was going to expose Osiren for what it was, even if it cost him everything.

"We don't have to go along with their plan," he said, his voice hardening with resolve. "We've fought too long to let them turn people into weapons. If they're taking away these people's lives and their freedom… then we fight to get it back."

Elara nodded, her eyes blazing with determination. "I'm in. Whatever it takes, I'm with you."

Jax and Ford exchanged a look before nodding, their faces set with grim purpose. "This ends with Osiren," Jax said firmly. "We've had enough."

Sera's voice came back, shaky but resolute. "I'll keep digging, find whatever I can. I'm in this with you, Ren. I want to stop them too."

Ren met the eyes of his team, the friends who'd fought beside him, laughed with him, suffered with him. They were more than just soldiers—they were family. And together, they would make sure that every life lost was for something more than just Osiren's twisted ambitions.

"Then it's settled," he said, his voice steady. "We're not just fighting to survive anymore. We're fighting to bring Osiren down, to end their tyranny."

They sat in the quiet aftermath, each of them feeling the weight of the decision they'd made, the dangerous path they'd chosen. But in that moment, they knew that whatever happened next, they would face it together.