S1, 05 Trial By Fire (FB) (February 18, 2016)

08 January, 2096

Outskirts of London, England

Earth

Risa Donovan was floating. At least that's what it felt like, the feeling of weightlessness and calm. If only the light would go away. That bright bright light...

Her eyes snapped open as she sat up and looked around. She was in a prison cell surrounded by white walls and cold floors, the only light streaming in from the corridor. She was clad only in her thermal wear, the strong but stretchy suit worn under her standard shock trooper battle armour. Where was that armour? Where was she?

Suddenly, lights flicked on overhead and it all came back to her, memories filling her mind like water in a dam. The raid on Robertson's mansion, the ambushes, her dance with death and her rescue by Lieutenant Brock.

The betrayal by Havok.

The face of the traitor filled her mind as she shook herself out of the stun round. The man had cost them not only the mission, but her leader as well. How long had she been out? What had become of Trent and Jacob? Had their rendezvous shuttle already been and gone? There were so many questions, but no answers presented themselves.

Five minutes later, she heard footsteps echoing in the corridor. She turned to the door as it unlocked and three figures walked in. One was Havok, the swine dressed casually with a smug smile on his face and her rifle, HER rifle, in his hand. Another was a woman with long hair, clad in robes and with a face carved in a permanent scowl.

But the man in the middle took the spotlight. She recognised him from the grainy image the team had been shown before the mission. He was dressed well, wearing an armless tunic over a clean, well-maintained vest. His hair was neatly trimmed and curled away into intricate patterns at the back of his neck. A goatee surrounded a mouth curled into a sneer.

Overall, he was a man who walked like he owned the world and knew exactly how he was better than each and every one of its members. The mysterious Robertson they had been tasked to find.

Risa: "David Robertson, I presume." She said, keeping her voice controlled, letting no fear slip through.

In response, the man laughed, joined heartily by Havok beside him. He calmed down and spoke, his voice filled with authority and smug.

Man: "I can't *believe* that the Imperium really believed that. Come on, there's at least a hundred 'David Robertsons' out there. If it wasn't for security, I would've added some flair to it."

Risa shrugged. Brock hadn't believed the name to be true, so it came as no real surprise. However, his actual name did. Her curiosity piqued, she continued.

Risa: "So, what do I call you then."

The well dressed man smirked and gave a mocking bow, like a showman.

Uek: "Allow me to introduce myself formally. My name is Uek Ferris. Odd name, but as I said, much more flair don't you think? I've been called a dangerous man by many and merciful by few. Suffice to say, don't get me on your bad side."

Risa's eyes narrowed as she tried to recall the name, but gave another outward shrug she tried to make unbothered.

However, before she could speak, Uek was upon her. She had barely seen him move, hardly had time to see the knife slip from his pocket and touch her throat.

It had been like watching a force of nature, something unstoppable. She gulped again, her resolve wavering as the cold steel pressed at her throat.

Uek: "I *just* told you; dangerous man. Don't get on bad side, blah blah blah. Might want to remember that in future."

Risa: "Uh huh." was all she could manage without cutting herself on the blade.

As quick as it it had come, the dagger withdrew and Risa filled her lungs. Uek stood like a general defeating an enemy, his eyes drawn to her breathing body. He smiled wider, devoid of any real humour, and began speaking.

Uek: "Mr Havok here tells quite the story. I must say, you're extraordinarily young to be a sergeant of a shock trooper squad. I saw you take down my guards with perfect shots, and very fast, very fast. Skills like that are few and far between. My organisation is always on the lookout for new additions. Perhaps you'd like to join me on my little quest, follow your partner's example. Believe me when I say I can make it worth your while."

Risa was stunned. Not only did he have the gall to assault her, he was offering her a job. But she knew time was precious. She needed to stall as long as she could. Perhaps Trent and Jacob could get her out of here? She continued, feigning interest.

Risa: "Well Mr...Ferris, was it? What exactly do you do? Why do you need me so badly? Isn't one traitorous swine more than enough?"

Uek: "Well, the more the merrier." Uek shifted slightly, tilting his head to one side.

Uek: "I have an agenda to fill, one that will shake this system and be remembered forever. Tell me, Miss Donovan, have you ever heard of the Core?"

Risa shook her head.

Uek: "Not surprising, we tend to keep ourselves hidden. Or at least, we did. The Core was an elite assassination and espionge unit, operating at the highest level you can get. Goes back to 1941, the second great Earth war. The Allies needed a weapon to take down the enemy, discreetly and silently. And it was effective. After that, it was a silent watcher, popping up here and there throughout history."

Uek: "But when the Oh so peaceful Galactic Imperium was formed the Core flourished! 2087, the death of the Chinese dictator, and 2088 the loss of the leader of Korea! The massacre in Sydney that got rid of most of the Aurelian players in Australia. It was due to the Core that the Imperium even gained total control of the Earth. We were *that* important."

Risa stood dumbfounded. A secret assassination order? How could it even exist? Then, slowly, one date filtered into her mind, from an old news story she'd come across a few weeks earlier.

Risa: "Lana and Jeremy Foster. The police blamed their son. Was that you too?"

Uek turned away, as if brushing off the detail.

Uek: "Ah yes, that one. The assassin himself was an ex-Core member, but I believe he was acting for someone else. But the point I'm making is that the Core was more than a group. it was a way of life. I'd dreamed of running the Core, and that dream was more real to me than any other member. You see, my father, Adam Ferris, had led the Core all my life. It was my role to take over once he moved on; start implementing real change."

Uek began pacing the room, lost in the role of someone caught in a good story. Risa listened intently, trying to pick up as much as she could.

Uek: "But my father grew... soft in his old age, and there were...complications. However, when he left, I knew my time was nigh. My dream of making real change would finally be realised. It took time; the Shift certainly made things more unstable, plus I had to cut down a few ambitious Agents, but in last year I was finally, *finally*, granted command.”

Uek: "I had one mission within the Collective War. One. But my father, oh my father, used his weight with the Council to disband the Core once and for all. He told them I was too reckless, too ambitious. He wanted to keep the Imperium in the state it was in."

Uek: "And there I was, left to rot in history, no longer remembered for anything. I tried to take revenge, but my father went into hiding. So, I formulated my agenda to achieve what I needed to do. **Lead**. Stop this useless war, stop the senseless killing. Finally bring some damned order to the System. And no one will stand in my way.”

Uek turned to Risa, a smile on his face.

Uek: "So Miss Donovan, what do you say? Do you wish to join my little crusade? It will be difficult, I know. But I have many contacts and friends in high places, and my fortune is vast enough to fill even the biggest pockets. So? Do you want to end the bloodshed, fight for something proper? Will you join me?"

She was dead silent, still shocked at the turn of events the night had taken. But above all, she was repulsed by the idea that this man, this assassin, this monster of a human didn't even seem consider the lives lost as he went after this mad dream. Nothing would be worth losing the one organisation that had given her everything. Nothing.

Risa: "No, Mr Ferris. I am not 'in' on your agenda." She said it with more courage than she thought she had.

Uek shrugged, as if he had expected the answer and gestured to the mysterious woman on his right. Havok grinned in anticipation.

The woman whispered a word and her hand burst into flames. Risa jumped, shocked by the sudden light. She was Collective, and she was working for a power-hungry man like Uek. She hardly noticed that Uek was talking over the mysterious woman with the blazing hand.

Uek: "Wrong answer Risa. You realise now that I can't let you go. I only monologue to those I consider interesting, and Havok wanted to give you a chance. Said it would be...fair."

Havok spoke up for the first time, his voice still full of anticipation.

Havok: "Well, at least you offered sir, thanks for that. Risa, don't say I don't do anything for you. At least I gave you the choice."

Risa gulped down the bile that had risen in her throat at the drivel he had just said and was about to respond before Uek yelled out "Bring the other one."

The woman extinguished the flame and opened the cell door. A beefy mercenary, wielding a machine gun, flung a body into the room. Risa was by its side in seconds, staring at the cold, dead eyes of Jacob. The man had been shot twice in the back, Havok's work no doubt. Rage pulsed through her.

Havok was tearing her team apart.

Slowly she stood and stared straight at Havok, fueling her rage even further.

Risa: "How can you stand there smiling when you shot an innocent man in the back?!"

Havok slouched and considered the question before answering simply.

Havok: "C'mon Risa, it was his first field mission. If he hadn't died here, he would have been killed by someone else soon enough. Experience is the only guidebook in battle."

Uek broke in again, seemingly filling the room. Risa dimly noted the mercenary dragging Jacob's corpse out of the cell and locking the door, so focused in Uek's words.

Uek: "Well said Havok. Now Risa, Havok here tells me that you are, shall we say, hard as nails but soft as butter? Well, we don't want you to die uncooked, let's finish the job. Lets whittle your resolve further. Just know that this could have been avoided."

He gestured at the woman again and she opened the door and disappeared down the corridor.

Uek then turned to the wall opposite Risa and activated a projector screen hidden in the roof. The scene showed the courtyard they had assaulted only an hour ago, but it seemed like a lifetime. Trent stood there, looking at the mass of stunned bodies, firing an occasional shot at various forms. He was clearly bored, waiting for teammates that would never return.

The woman appeared at the doorway, barely visible in the night. That's when it hit Risa, what was going to happen, what Trent was about to go through. She sank to her knees as tears welled in her eyes.

Risa: "Stop this, STOP THIS! It's his first mission, he can't end like this!"

Havok: "He has too, I'm afraid. No witnesses. When you're ready sir."

Uek nodded and sent a signal through to the woman and all Risa could do was watch as the tears stained her face.

A blast of pure fire flashed from the woman's hand and Trent was flung backwards, a yell escaping his lips. The woman's scowl was total, devoid of any mercy toward the smoking figure.

Another word came from her lips and Trent was flung into the side of the courtyard, his helmet flying off, his armour losing pieces. He grunted as his body was crushed against the wall and then yelled again as he plummeted toward the ground.

Risa heard the snap as blood began pouring from a broken leg. Trent looked up as the woman stood over him, his whole body writhing in pain. He opened his mouth to speak, but the woman spoke first, a sentence clear enough for Risa to hear. She wasn't familiar with the language, but she thought she recognised two words. Words the Imperium had warned every soldier about at the start of the Collective War.

"An'kl Deja"

Fire Death.

Liquid flame burst from the woman's hands and poured toward Trent, engulfing him instantly. He writhed and screamed in agony and pain, keeling over and smacking into the ground, attempting to pat the fire out with his broken arms. But the attempt was useless and the young man became a husk, his living, breathing body blazing as the fire slowly died.

The woman slowly turned toward the camera, nodded once and walked away. All that was left was a remnant of the soldier that had once been, burning gently in the night breeze.

Risa curled up into a foetal position, panic racking her body. Her whole team was gone, everyone. Trent's yells tore through her very soul and her determination weakened. She knew now how she would end. She wasn't leaving this place alive. However, she still turned her tear-stained eyes to Havok, trying to ignite her courage with anger.

Havok just stood there, casually tapping her rifle. He didn't even care. She asked one question, her voice almost a whimper. She had to know.

Risa: "Why?"

Havok looked at her, his damned smile flaring up.

Havok:"Why Risa? Because the rulers who run this system are fools. Have you been watching the news? Aurelia is divided, civil war sparking up. The Mauraders have been running amuck without any real control, and the Council sit back and let it all happen. There's no peace anywhere."

Uek jumped in again, voice rising.

Uek:"Exactly. Only when this system, this universe, is led by someone with vision can there be any lasting peace. I *WILL* bring this system to heel, followed by any other system that gets in my way."

Slowly, Risa stood, her determination hardening. There would be no rescue party. If she was going to die, she wasn't going out crying. She locked her gaze on Uek, words forming and fueled with all the anger she could muster.

Risa: "Greater men than you have tried. Someone will stop you."

The door opened and the mysterious woman walked in. Uek waved his hand as if dismissing Risa's words.

Uek: "I doubt it, I'm very good at hiding. But even if someone tried to stop me, you won't be around to see it. Mr Havok, would you do the honours?" He gestured to the rifle in his hands.

Havok raised the rifle but paused, hesitating for a moment. Risa stared him down hard, and didn't miss the slight tremor that went up his arm. He covered it with a smile though, and brought the charm out again.

Havok: "Oh no sir, it wouldn't be fitting. Risa deserves a special end. Jez'na, you can take it from here. Goodbye Risa, it was fun while it lasted, but the world will be a funnier place without you in it."

And with that, the traitor spun, gave a little wave, and strolled out of the room, leaving Risa pulsing in rage.

Uek rotated to face Risa, the sneer in his face evident.

Uek: "Didn't think he could do it, but it will do him good to sever his last connection. I'll make it slow, so he doesn't hear you scream. He's done well by me - I owe him that. Still...such a waste, Miss Donovan. Those skills will die with you, as will all knowledge of this place. It was lovely chatting. Enjoy your brief life."

He turned and left the cell, his knife disappearing into his jacket, leaving only Risa and the woman, Jez'na, alone in the small room.

With another whisper, Jez'na waved her hand and a large fire began cracklings in the corner of the room. It had no fuel, but it still began to grow, like an explosion in slow motion. Risa stared at the woman, her eyes filling with terror as adrenaline began pumping into her veins.

Risa: "Please, don't do this."

The woman spoke, her voice terse and stern, devoid of any emotion. Her English was slightly broken, but she got her point across.

Jez'na: "Those with no belief burn. Burn now, Imperial rat.

She left the cell, locking the door behind her with a clang. Risa immediately looked around, desperately searching for some way out of this mess. She tried stamping out the fire, but it kept growing, almost living. It wanted only to fill the room, and didn't bother who was in it.

Risa grabbed the bars, furiously rattling them and screaming for them to open. But they held firm. Already the air was growing hot as the fire continued to blaze, moving slowly but surely across the room.

Risa stepped back from the flames and just stared, taking in the force of destruction.

There was no way out.

She was trapped. She would be joining her team very soon. Her life flashed by for the second time that evening. All of her lost squad mates stood out in her mind, reminding her that this was it.

She was going to die.

She lent against the white walls, but recoiled immediately. They were burning hot, though the fire hadn't reached them yet. She fought herself back to the moment, her survival instincts kicking in. If the walls were already hot, then the metallic door would be even hotter.

And so would the locking mechanism.

An idea formed in her head and she immediately began acting upon it. Quickly, she tore of the sleeves of her thermal suit and tied the two sleeves together, the strong material biting hard. She looked over the door once more, taking in its components. It seemed to be made of an iron and silver alloy for added shine.

Uek must have liked the look. She racked her brains remembering past chemistry lessons. Silver was relatively soft, so would react to heat by warping. That would make it slightly easier then.

She wrapped the sleeves around the door, careful not to touch the metal. Already, her bare arms began to bristle with heat. She grimaced as her wrist brushed one of the bars, scalding her flesh. But she kept at it until she had a secure handhold to pull on.

Her theory paid off. The metal was warping slightly due to the supernatural heat caused by the fire. It wouldn't make much of a difference on the large bars, but the small components within the lock...

Without waiting any longer, Risa PULLED! She pulled and tugged with all her might, her muscles burning from both exertion and the inferno behind her. Her skin was caked with sweat, but she kept going. She could almost feel the small components within the lock warping to the heat.

She started yelling, ignoring the burning pain on her arms, her neck, her whole body; burning

Risa: "Break, damn you, BREAK!!"

And it did. She heard the click as the warped components finally broke under the combined onslaught of her tugs and the blazing fire behind her. Without thinking, she swung the door open and bolted, embracing the cool air of the corridor. She was free!

She wouldn't die tonight.

She ran down the dark corridors, only concerned with finding a way out. Eventually, following hallway lights that hadn't been on before, she found her way into the large study where Brock had been killed. It was dark now, all lights off. The compromised mansion had been abandoned. The wolves had fled their den. Risa was confident she would be able to find her way out, now she had her bearings. She laughed as the adrenaline pumped through her bloodstream, numbing the pain of the numerous burns on her body.

She stumbled into the large desk, almost missing it in the fading light. A few documents lay discarded on its surface, including a list of some sort. Without thinking she grabbed it and ran, sprinting away from this house of horrors and traitors.

She didn't stop running until she was safe on the hill where they had first sighted the mansion. The last time the team had all been together. She stopped and caught her breath, coming in ragged gasps. She realised she'd been crying somewhere along the line, but the exhilaration of escaping certain death filled her. She laughed again, echoing in the night.

File:S105TrialByFire35.jpg

Slowly, she returned to the rendezvous position and used the stars position to check the time. It was around 2 or 3 in the morning. The shuttle would return at 4 am. She was going to make it. She would live!

Absentmindedly, she glanced at the list she had grabbed, the only thing gained from this terrible night. In consisted of a list of names, each written in elaborate cursive. Uek, no doubt. His words were as flowing as his voice. A few names were crossed out, others described by a single word. She saw words like 'terminated', 'unwilling' or 'threat'. Among others.

However, one name stood alone at the bottom of the page. A man's name, with the words 'Finally Dead' written beside it. A name that seemed unimportant, yet somehow connected to the whole thing. Risa didn't know what she was feeling, but somehow she just knew, like a subconscious thought pushing into her mind. She had to find him, she realised. Had to figure out where he fit in this elaborate galactic game of potential disaster.

He had to, for her sake and for the lives of everyone in the system. She stared at the name, one last time, locking it into her memory forever more.

Dustin Vorn.