The night was quiet, the star laden sky twinkling, the full moon shining its pale rays on the lightless road. Liv sighs, listening to the soft tune of crickets and frogs in the grass below. Everything had gone smoothly since they left the Beta branch, though she had been informed that calling someone’s voice a “noise” was not only improper, it was rude too. That had been an embarrassing revelation, but embarrassment was something she was used to by now. They were– at least– already on the road, the large semi truck pulverizing loose asphalt into gravel.

  The people who requested their help were nice enough; though, it was more the Beta branch requesting help from the Initiative itself. While the Initiative was the core beating heart of the metropolis, it wasn’t all the branch had to offer. Everything in the city was, by technicality, a part of the Initiative, even if the business itself wasn’t owned by the broader Hellfire entity. They served more as a protective agent against bandits and demons in return for a cut of their gross revenue. According to Charlotte, the Beta Branch was the only branch to not be picked for its population density, but for its strategic location at the heart of the continental United States. She had also named off the rest of the branches: those being the Alpha, the Zeta, the Delta, and the Epsilon. Liv had pointed out how strange it was that “Epsilon” when “it ain’t followin’ the namin’ rules”. That had fielded a chuckle from her friend, though not much else.

  The four sit between the gap in the cargo and the truck body itself, given enough space to be comfortable without being so lax as to slack on their job. Liv had been informed they were shipping this to another facility in Colorado where it would be further shipped to Zeta in California. That had raised the question on why they didn’t just go the full way. The answer, according to Anthony, was expense. It was simply cheaper to have Hellfire guard them through the more dangerous expanse of the Colorado mountains than to have them follow through the relatively safe Nevada desert. A shame, Liv would’ve loved to see what this Zeta looked like in relation to the Beta.

  The prairies hadn’t completely faded, though they had been rapidly replaced by jaggier mountains– the largest Liv had ever seen towering over the horizon. Bathed in the moon's pale glow, their snow topped peaks glisten in an ethereal light, near mystical in their appearance. She could see why there were people living here, though she didn’t know if she could withstand the frigid temperature.

  Through the long journey, the group had time to kill. When Liv wasn’t asking questions, they played games… At least, one of them did.

  “I spy with my little eye,” Donovan starts, a groan escaping Anthony’s lips as soon as he does, “something green.”

  “Is it grass…?” Anthony questions, though the underlying annoyance made it more a statement..

  “Correctomundo!” Donovan cheers, his hands clapping in mock celebration. “Our winner for the fiftieth time in a row!”

  “Truly a mind bending conundrum. We could’ve never pieced together what it would be.” Charlotte says idly, her hands working to polish Pierre. Synth weapons weren’t known for their fragility– to the contrary, in most cases. Still, it was sacred to her, and she would prefer it in the best condition it could be.

  “Alrighty, fifty-first for the win.” Donovan pesters, a hum escaping his chest. “I spy with my little eye… Something pale!”

  “The moon!” Liv calls first.

  “A new competitor enters the arena!” Donovan claps his hands once more. “Looks like Anthony’s gonna have some steep competition!”

  Anthony rolls his eyes, a soft sigh breaching his lips. Being out of practice this long was hard enough, and he forgot how boring the earliest missions could be. Better than danger, at least…

  “Alright, I spy with my little eye-,”

  “I think we’re done with this game.” Charlotte says, her blade sliding neatly into her sheathe. Though she wore the guise of calm, her true patience had run out about ten minutes ago. “Liv, why don’t you come up with our next game?”

  “Me?” Liv inquires. “Why me?”

  “I assume you had to entertain yourself in some way by yourself, did you not? It only stands to reason that we could do the same.”

  Liv hums, throwing the idea around in her head. She had a few ways to entertain herself she supposed, though most of her time was spent digging. There was one thing she could think of.

  “I liked to tell myself stories.” Liv says, a tittering smile spreading across her lips. “Reckon they won’t be any good to y’all. But that’s what I was doin’ for a while.”

  “Im interested.” Donovan pipes up, his back leaning against the cargo of the truck.

  “I concur.” Charlotte agrees.

  “As long as it isn’t eye spy.” Anthony responds, though a twinge of investment undercurrented his voice.

  “...Aight.” Liv mutters slowly, spelunking into the depths of her mind for one of the hundreds of stories she had told herself. In the end, she settles on her favorite, the one that had gotten her through the toughest of days.

  “Long ago,” she starts, her voice taking on a wistful tone, “there was a big ‘ol dragon. It lived on the edge of the world with all the food ‘n water it’d ever need. Ya’d reckon that’s all it’d need, but it wanted more. So it ‘n its brothers came to Earth to eat everythin’ they could. Uh… They get to eatin’, but nobody likes ‘em ‘cause they’re so greedy. They pray to heaven, ‘n God sends down one of his angels. They fight, and the angel dies so the world can be saved.”

  “That's… Morbid.” Donovan responds. “The angel just dies?”

  “Yeah.” Liv nods her head. “My Ma told me that story, but I liked to think ‘bout what would happen if somethin’ changed in the story.”

  “That could be fun.” Charlotte says, an encouraging lilt in her tone. “Why don’t you go first, Donovan.”

  The next hour is spent sharing their own versions of the story, infinite paths branching out from the stories inherit simplicity. Though the ending always differed, the essential makeup was always the same.

  The truck eventually stops for a reluctant rest, the drivers nearing collapse. The four pile out of the gap in the truck, resounding pops erupting from their bodies as they stretch. Charlotte shrugs her bag from her shoulder, Anthony and Donovan plotting off to find sticks for a fire. The camp comes together quickly, the flame sputtering, spitting embers into the night sky. They had offered a spot for the drivers, though they had been refused. They were given their own accommodations. Anthony sets one of his pots above the flame, the stilled water bubbling up with the heat.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Alright.” Anthony says, tossing an MRE to the three around the open flame. “Let’s find a schedule. Who wants first watch?”

  Silence all around.

  Liv looks around, the pensive faces on her team's face enough to inform her on their true feelings. Was it really that bad? With a shrug, she rips her MRE open, giving it a quick whiff. “I ‘spose I’ll go first. Ain’t no skin off my back.”

  Her response earns her two claps on the back, one more painful and metal than the other.

  “My man!” Donovan exclaims, his arm wrapping around her shoulder.

  “You’re truly the greatest friend I could’ve asked for, Liv.” Charlotte nods, her arm wrapping around Liv’s other shoulder.

  “Is it really that bad?” Liv questions, giving both of them a suspicious look.

  “Absolutely.” Anthony responds, producing a small metal cup from his bag, He scoops some of the now boiling water, pouring it into Liv’s MRE. Liv subconsciously mixes it, listening to his explanation. “The first watch has the highest chance of getting attacked, plus you’re staying awake the longest for an unbroken period of time.”

  Liv nods slowly, a thought bubbling in her mind…

  “Anyone wanna swap?”

  That was how Liv found herself alone at the fire, idly poking at the kindling with a particularly large twig. She could see why this sucked, she was already getting tired without the mental stimulation of other people, and Bruno wasn’t a riveting speaker in the slightest. She groans, pushing her knees close to her chest, her eyes locked on the crackling fire. It danced in the wind, a flowing dress of smoke swirling about its blazing body. It burned her retina, emblazoning its impression into her eye. She reaches her hand out, her fingers just a few inches away from the open flame. A dull glow cascades through the fault line of her gauntlets, crawling from her fingers to the center, falling all the way to where it ends near her wrist. What she wouldn’t do for something interesting-.

  Thump…

  Liv hears a soft curse carried by the breeze, the unmistakable sound of something dropping against grass preluding it. Her head whips up, her heart thrumming in her chest. She stands quickly, making sure to be as quiet as humanly possible.

  “Ya heard that too, yeah?” Liv questions, tugging on the mental connection between her and Bruno.

  “Yes, I did.” Bruno responds, its impassive tone ringing through her skull.

  Liv nods, breathing as soft as she can manage. Slowly, she pushes herself against the truck, her feet gliding across the grass as slow as they may permit. Eventually she just manages to peak her head over the side, her eyes locking on the would-be thieves.

  They’re dressed in all black, though the quality of the material made them easy to spot if you knew what to look for. There’s two, though one seems to be crouching, holding their foot in pain as the other one watches over. The hunched over one is clearly shorter, even with their prone figure. They carry small sheathes at their sides, most likely some sort of dagger.

  “Get up.” The taller one whisper shouts, his voice rough and urgent. “We don’t exactly have all the time in the world right now.”

  “I just dropped a fifty pound box on my foot, Jack!” They respond, their voice as low and harsh as his; though, hers is distinctly feminine. “I think I broke my foot…”

  “Walk it off, you’ll be fine.” The man known as Jack responds, sliding his arm under hers, propping her up on his shoulder. “We just need to nab some of the cargo and we’re gone!”

  “Thieves.” Bruno points out, as if she couldn’t piece that together herself based on their active thievery. “Be careful and alert your team. We wouldn’t want either getting away. The element of surprise will be key, though -.”

  “OI!” Liv calls, her hands slamming against her chest, an ominous orange glow cascading off her gauntlets. They light up the night, the fault lines full to bursting with energy.

  The two thieves turn their heads around, their eyes widening at the sight before them. The only thing they can see under the pale moon is two orange fists glowing in the night, said fists attached to what is possibly the buffest person they’ve ever met.

  The one known as Jack thinks fast, his dagger screeching from the small sheath at his side. Liv barely has time to think before it's hurled at her, the metal glinting off the pale moon's light. She sidesteps it, dashing forward with reckless abandon. If talking was ever an option, it was officially off the table.

  Liv closes the distance quickly, her eyes locked on the taller of the two. Her opponents had not been idle, however, each of them dashing toward her in kind. She sidesteps the female thief’s attack, throwing a jab directly at the taller mans face. He manages to block it, his leg wrapping around her own, locking her close to himself.

  Liv grunts, giving her leg a quick test pull. Wouldn’t budge. That didn’t matter. She narrowly slides her head away from his straight punch, pulling back before burying her face in his nose. He stumbles back, his lock completely forgotten as he holds onto his now bloody face mask.

  An arm suddenly snakes its way around Liv’s neck, her intake of oxygen robbed as a knife poises to strike her between the ribs. Thinking quickly, she grabs the knife with her gauntleted hand, the blade caught between the fault lines. The girl behind her was stronger than Liv would’ve thought, though she wasn’t stronger than Liv. Given some time, she would eventually overpower the smaller woman; unfortunately, her teammate was rapidly recovering.

  A sudden thought pops into her mind, said thought formulating into an actual idea. With her free hand, she grabs the arm locked around her neck, raising it just enough to be on an equal level with her mouth. Breathing deep, she opens her maw, digging her teeth deep into her would-be attackers flesh.

  She could hear the catch of their breath, their mental willpower momentarily diverted from killing her to suppressing the scream that wanted to escape their mouth. She doesn’t squander the opportunity, her locked hand, pushing the knife away, her hands clapping together. The subsequent explosion that rips from her gauntlets is enough to send them both rocketing into back, the night momentarily lit up.

  Liv quickly stands once more, her eyes locked on the now escaping form of this “Jack” fellow. She attempts to give chase, but stops as pain radiates from her foot. Looking down, she sees a distinct knife buried in her flesh, crimson blood leaking from her shoe. Her attacker looks up at her, most likely unable to stand given the way they hold themself. Liv gives them a swift kick to the face, their head flying back as they tumble across the floor. When she looks back to the other thief, however… He’s just gone.

  Liv swears under her breath, pulling the knife from her foot, the blade covered in her crimson blood. The wound was already healing, though she’d have to clean and fix her boots. Her team was in the process of waking up, the explosion enough to rouse them from their slumber. She had to explain how she lost… She just hoped nobody would be mad.