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Garrett was sitting up on his bed by the time Jean could wake up. He was ready to go and do something, typical of a career soldier, but unfortunately there wasn't much that could be done, "Hey there, you got up kinda early."

"Jonathan hesitated."

Jean was confused, "What do you mean?"

"He didn't give the order, a team of surveyors was completely wiped out before the sweepers could get out there." Jean's heart skipped a beat. She didn't want to admit anything, but she had doubts and still thought that Garrett had panicked yesterday, "They all died. The radio recording is available upon request."

The others started to wake up, "Hey, Jean, can I sleep in?" Yuli wasn't able to sit up under her own power.

"No, everyone up and ready immediately, something happened." The others followed her order, "I want you at the ready at all times, understand."

Garrett left his bed, "Where are you going?" Greta was the first to notice.

"Punch Jonathan in the face."

Jean signalled and both Cassie and Lisa pounced on him, "Not today! Don't get thrown into a cell!" As dramatic as they were, they could only dangle from his shoulders. He was too strong to knock down, "Please?"

"Yeah! I'll uh... I have some whiskey! It's all yours if you don't do anything stupid."

Garrett kept walking, dragging the two scavengers with him, "He's expecting me. They sent me here to help you and keep an eye on him." He turned his head to look at Jean, "Or didn't you know? Jonathan is under investigation."

Lisa stood up, "For what?"

Cassie shook her head, "No he isn't!" It was her father, and the only reason she was put into a safe unit.

"Money has gone missing, promotions are handed to his friends, not those who deserve them, orders are slow to go out, you name it. He's useless in his position."

Garrett continued his march and opened the door. To everyone's surprise, someone was standing there. She bowed to Garrett, "A pleasure to meet you in person." Her black outfit stood out, as did her cross, "Allow me-"

"Sister. What do you want?" Jean and her crew were backing away. The only times a Sister was peaceful to be around was when they were in a cathedral. Any other time there was usually a more sinister purpose. Garrett's attitude did nothing to calm their nerves.

She smiled, "I believe I have a possession of yours, two to be exact." She handed over a long black bag and then a small mp3 player, "I share your taste in music it would seem." She walked into the room and examined the others, "I see. Not soldiers, just the others. A shame, you're wasting his talents."

Jean shivered, "And to what do we owe this pleasure? A knife needs to be in my gut? A head on a plate?"

"Silence!" Jean shut up fast, "I am here to watch over the facility and your new... addition. This man's claims are true. I personally disciplined Jonathan, he is confined to quarters without chance for communication."

Cassie felt a tear well up in her eye, "It's okay, at least it's not a cell." Yuli stumbled forward and put a hand on Cassie's shoulder, "Just relax, enjoy the peace and quiet. Besides, with that outfit I'm sure she has some interesting 'after dark' stories to tell."

The Sister glared at Yuli, "How little the people here know."

"A Sister is completely devoted to their beliefs and remain virgins throughout life. Any 'after dark' stories would play out closer to horror stories." Garrett responded as he unzipped the bag. He pulled out an old model rifle that was ash white, "So..."

The Sister smiled gently and looked at him, "I cleaned and performed all maintenance myself without affecting any functions. It will fire just like the last time it was used." She examined her fingers, "I took the liberty of focusing on your weapon and your weapon alone." There were no better weapon smiths than Sisters, "Think of it as a gesture of good will." She sat on an empty bed.

"You aren't here for delivery."

Jean agreed, "Garrett has a point."

The Sister's gentle smile didn't fade, "I'm here to monitor. Think of me as another member of the team, Garrett's supervisor, and unofficial leader."

Lisa made sure to make mental notes of everything that was occurring, "Well, are there any jobs yet?"

"The entire base is on lockdown, all units have been recalled." The Sister spoke quietly, "Jonathan's mistakes cost him dearly. When suitable leadership is found, missions will resume. I suggest you do monthly maintenance on your exoskeletons, I have much to discuss with Garrett."

Jean was in shock, as were the others. She knew deep in her thought that her friends wanted to act the same way she did, but that would be impossible and a fatal mistake. This Sister acted as though she owned the entire base and outranked everyone, and technically she did in a way. The Children of Iron owned all of the bases off of Earth and could do as they pleased with no repercussions. The petite woman was akin to a nuclear bomb in terms of power and ability, while Jean, no stranger to combat herself, was closer to a firecracker.

Greta leaned over to Jean's ear, snapping her back into reality, "Hey, didn't one of the Legatus recently retire?"

Jean's mind went a million miles a minute now. A Legatus was a person that ranked higher than a Sister, and often commanded no fewer than ten at any given time. Jean had only seen a unit led by a Legatus once, during the initial fighting on a different dead planet. They were only 11 strong, but they fought harder than a thousand trained soldiers, explained by the fact that they didn't need to concern themselves with friendly fire, "Lieutenant Jean, please report to the exoskeleton hangar immediately." An announcement came over the intercom.

"That's my cue to exit, everyone else, do whatever you want. Just don't end up crucified." She stormed from the room as fast and angrily as she could.

Jean was upset, she had recently been given the scavengers, and now they no longer belonged to her. Not only that, but every time she was called to the hangar, it was because some hotshot mechanic broke something valuable. Luckily there wasn't a war on this planet any more, so nobody would have faulty weapons.

The leers and whispered comments bounced off of her as she passed by the men of the base. Only 5% of the occupants were female, and since she stood out, she got the most attention. It's not like she would actually give anyone a turn though, she wasn't that easy. A few twists and turns later and she was in the hangar, just in time to see Garrett's exoskeleton being carried away by a forklift, "Is there a point to that?"

The lead mechanic gave her a salute, which she returned. He was older, and still had respect for those that earned it, "By order of the Sister, his exoskeleton is to be outfitted as a military unit. In addition, the others in the scavenger unit will all be equipped with a basic wave rifle and blade."

Jean looked over to the open door to her exoskeletons, and all mechanics were working hard, "I'm guessing this had to do with the attack."

"I don't think I can say for certain, but off the record, I've had suspicions of my own lately."

This was too good to pass up, "Off the record, what would those suspicions be?"

He looked from side to side, then gestured for them to go into his little office. They both sat down after the door shut, "First the General gets thrown into a cell after money and lives get lost. A Sister shows up and doesn't tell anyone why. Rumors of ambushes on the conquered dead planets, and now one here? I'm just a mechanic, but I know when something smells fishy."

Jean was leaning in, "You aren't the only one with those thoughts, Bill. Just to share a bit, the Sister came to speak with Garrett, the legend himself."

Bill sat back, "You were in battle for longer than me." It wasn't a secret to anyone that saw him, but Bill lost his leg in an attack years ago, thus making him ineligible for further combat duty, "But those things were pure evil, and they didn't come from nowhere."

After every battle, every scan, no trace of any transport ship was ever found. The monsters simply appeared on a planet rich in resources and friendly alien species, then within a year the planet was no more than a desert. No bones, no buildings, not even a few blades of grass, "I doubt that they're supernatural, but they do have methods that we don't know about yet."

The mechanic smiled, "Good to see someone around here has a good head on their shoulders. Most of the guys here follow orders blindly and don't think for themselves. It's a bit disturbing."

"Bill," If anyone would hear any good rumors and information, it would be the guy who worked on everyone's equipment, "Have you heard about any Legatus retiring?"

"Hmm... can't say for certain, sorry. I have heard that something big is happening with those Iron Children or whatever they call themselves, that could be it. Why?"

"No reason, just more information that lives in the gray area. Really wish we would be told things sometimes, you know?"

"Preaching to the choir ma'am, preaching to the choir."

...................................................

Garrett and the Sister were alone, "Such simpletons. I would think you'd prefer the company of true warriors, ones that have independent minds."

"You should know better, I killed them."

The Sister smiled, "No, but I am uneasy knowing that they let you think that." During the ambush a year ago, when the initial team lied about their duty, Garrett's team was slaughtered, and unlike the other times, a rescue crew arrived before all remains vanished. Garrett was bloodied and barely clinging to life, "Remove your clothing, I need to perform my own investigation."

"And if I refuse?"

The Sister had expected this, in fact it was welcome, "Then I'll have to remove them myself. I promise, I won't be gentle." Garrett stood up and removed his uniform, the Sister wasted no time, "The scars initially seem to be in the correct places, according to my report. The size and shape is consistent with their attacks." She leaned down and lifted his genitals, "No additional scars." She stood up, "Very good, you can redress."

Garrett did quickly, as he always did, "Was that necessary?"

"Yes, everything we do is necessary." She sat on a bed, crossed her legs and arms, "Are you unwell?"

"I killed my unit, what do you think?"

She sighed, "That will take time to erase, as it is your opinion, not fact. You are as capable as ever, but your mind denies you the right to be happy and the ability to display your true talents."

"Says a Sister, who experienced nothing but training since birth. Tell me, do you even feel emotion? Remorse? Pity? Empathy of any kind?"

She remained silent. Part of training was to eliminate all emotions that would tie one to another, but in the end she was still a person, "My name is Alice. I am a Sister of the Children of Iron. My secrets will live and die with me, is that clear?"

"Just another heartless witch."

She stood up and tried to throw a punch, just as she had done thousands of times before, but Garrett was able to grab her arm and throw her onto the bed before pinning her down, "How dare you..."

Garrett glared into her eyes, "I am probably the only man here not afraid of you. The worst you can do is kill me, that's it. Torture is nothing to me anymore." There was a strange glimmer in her eye, "Emotions keep us sane, separate us from them. Denying them will only harm yourself."

"Then tell me, why do you deny your own?"

Garrett loosened his grip and sat on the edge of the bed, "Because I don't deserve them."

"This brooding doesn't suit you, but a shooting range..." She smiled, "You have great potential, and I will not let it go to waste. Do not doubt me, I will drag you by your ears if I have to."

"Why the interest? You have no reason that I can see."

Alice sat up, "Oh, I have plenty of reason. For starters, it would appear that the soldiers we promoted to put in charge haven't been performing up to standards. The monsters aren't magic, they aren't supernatural, and until recently all we've been able to determine is that they are close to feral beasts with a pack mentality. But now we know... the Children of Iron sent out it's own team to investigate. We know everything, from their origins to their behaviors."

Garrett shook his head, "And why do you need me? You have plenty of others to do your own thing."

Alice stared at the cold steel ceiling, "You have potential, like I said. Whether you like it or not, you've been chosen. Before it's too late however, we will have much to do and many people to see. You are destined for greatness, do not shun me."

..............................................

"Jonathan, for crimes most severe, you have been sentenced to death." Back on Earth, Jonathan sat in the head cathedral, about to break into tears, "Your actions have caused many deaths, and your theft of moneys is unacceptable. You will be sent to the gallows tomorrow." The wooden mallet banged on a table, and the trial was finally over.

He had been secretly deported to Earth, though he was aware that they would say he was confined to his room to stop any sort of chaos. Two Sisters escorted him to a cell outdoors, where all may see. He stepped inside and a crane raised it high above the ground, "At the very least, it will be a merciful death."

A death sentence by the Sisters could last for years, the record was ten years. How any man alive could stand ten years of pure torture was beyond him, but they had their methods. Jonathan didn't want to think of that, no method of death was written in stone. Currently, he wanted to know how they found out about the money.

Sure, he knew that his actions were against regulation, but the punishment given was brutal. He looked into the sun, then a monitor disguised as cement flickered on, "Hello, Jonathan."

"Wait, I know you... you're that..." He was terrible with names, and even worse at knowing who was under his command. Yet another blow to his leadership abilities.

"You will be sacrificed for the greater good, a true leader is here now. Within a year, the invasions will stop and no planet will be subjugated to their plague."

Jonathan was in shock and curious, "Plague?"

"Oh come now, you didn't think that they ate all of the plants and rocks, did you?" The young woman smiled, "We see everything. We know everything. Regarding you, we know everything from your past and everything in your future. Every breath you take, we have predicted. But please, try to enjoy the sky Jonathan, it will be the last thing you see."

The screen flickered off, leaving Jonathan with more curiosity than ever, "Evil little bitch, she did that on purpose. But I know I've seen her, she's just a grunt... what was her name?!" His mind raced, her face was so clear, but unfortunately he only knew the names of important people. He would have never of guessed that the Sisters had spies in plain uniforms.

Suddenly it hit him. He was here, but his daughter was with them. She was in more danger now than ever, and he couldn't let that happen.

He was well trained, now it was time to see if he could use it to help his own.