[Unitopia, Southern Archipelago]
The Crucible Frame was, to many, a symbol of invincibility. A silhouette that any across the known worlds would recognise at once. Towering monstrosities of alloyed steel, a heavy tank in a visage approximating that of a man. But closer to that of a god.
A god of War.
They had few equals in the realm of battle, though that did not mean they were truly unbeatable. Nonetheless, the sight of a fallen Crucible Frame was akin to finding the bones of a dragon laying solemnly in a chasm.
To see one felled begged the question of what could have brought down such a divine beast of war. Such thoughts coursed through the minds of the clean-up crew, though they were hidden under the mask of detached professionalism.
They slid down the crater, kicking up a small cloud of dust. Small, uneven footsteps were outlined on the ground by the tracking software on their HUD, leading to the figure of the motionless girl.
Whether she noticed the intruders, she made no indication.
"Prime the stun-net, Three", the Squad Leader's voice crackled over the comms. Three cocked the launcher, aiming it at the girl from his vantage point on top of the crater.
Briefly checking his position the Squad Leader nodded in satisfaction, turning to Two and Four just behind her.
"Get the drill out. Start with the chest-plate, it's got the highest alloy density. Then move to the visor. If we have time, we can salvage what rest we can. Is that clear?"
""Yes sir"", Two and Four chimed in response. Four let his Gauss-rifle hang by its strap from his shoulder, retrieving a pack strewn over his shoulder. He threw it on the floor and retrieved an unmarked drill bit from its contents. Checking it over smoothly with rapid motions ingrained into him through years of experience, he nodded to the Squad Leader.
"All functional. Charge will last a few hours at least."
"That's plenty. I don't plan on spending half that time here. We're too exposed."
The Squad Leaders vigilant gaze had never once stopped scanning the shadows of the rubble all around. Not afraid, but cautious.
Two and the Squad Leader took point position, Four just behind them holding the drill bit. Silence once again fell over that crater like a physical force.
By now, even the brief twilight had begun to fade, overtaken by the true darkness. The shadows grew deeper and darker, their depths just as impenetrable as the starless sky above their heads.
The thermal overlay on their HUD was their only reassurance against the blinding intensity of the dark. Still, they gripped their weapons just that bit tighter. The darkness alone was nothing. The formless pressure emanating from the titanic figure of the Crucible Frame was something else entirely.
Yet their awe, as powerful as it was, was overpowered by their detached attitude. And the inevitable kernel of greed and glory.
They were within several metres of the fallen Frame now, and the girl it seemed had just noticed their presence. Like four monsters bristling with fangs emerging from the shadows.
Her ashen face could not hide the blank exhaustion in her lifeless eyes. Only her white-knuckled grip on that torn bit of fabric belied her despair. Yet even that small spark seemed to sputter and fade as she glanced at the still motionless figure of Bane beside her. Whatever thoughts were going on behind her glassy eyes were unknowable.
And so she looked away from the figure of Bane and stared down at the approaching soldiers, the familiar shape of their armours, their weapons. Vague recognition appeared on her face before being buried.
The Squad Leader paused, Two and Four falling into step behind her on ingrained instinct.
"Launch the net", her voice crackled over the comms. At the same moment that Three's finger, already on the trigger, depressed the button, a crimson flower bloomed on the thermal overlay of all four of their visors.
For a moment, as the net launched through the air in slow motion, the four soldiers were frozen, their eyes refusing to comprehend what they saw. Their expressions then morphed into realisation. And its natural progression to fear.
The first to burst into motion was the Squad Leader, launching herself backwards accompanied by a spray of high-calibre rounds. They ripped through the air, echoing like thunder in the crater, muzzle flashes lighting up the surroundings briefly.
Yet the figure, so surely dead just moments ago, moved at inhuman speeds. Its glowing green eyes leaving a trail as it shot to its feet, crouching around the girl like a fortress, the bullets ricocheting off its armour fruitlessly.
Three and Four followed soon after, letting loose a hail of bullets.
Those few seconds stretched like an eternity, the net launched by Three arcing towards where the girl had been. Without looking, an arm snatched out like lightning, gripping the wire within a single gauntleted fist.
Their panicked firing died down, warnings flashing on their HUD of their overheating rifles. Two and Four cursed down the comms, but the Squad Leader was silent, simply staring at the figure before them.
As the shots died down, it slowly stood up and turned around. The shadows in the crater seemed to lengthen and twist in mocking gestures. It was nearing nine feet tall, almost enough to peer over the ledge of the crater. And yet it was not lanky, built like more like an armoured tank than a nimble assassin.
It was still clearly on its last legs, entire sections charred and joints that locked and seized. But the momentum of its presence was overpowering. They looked like children compared to it, their rifle rounds leaving only scorch marks on the Crucible Frame.
As it stood, it tore the net apart, snapping the high-tension steel cable fibres like spider webs. Its green eyes flickered, before glowing crimson. The same crimson that bloomed like a flower from the chest of the massive Frame on their HUD.
"Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. DAMN!" Two cursed under his breath. "It was dead! We saw it, dead as the rubble in this hellhole of a city!"
He raised his rifle, the barrel glowing dull red and screamed out.
"You should be dead!"
A deep rumbling bass resounded in response, deep enough to feel it in their bones. It was laughter. It continued for a few seconds before morphing into a hacking cough.
"I was certainly close," a metallic voice echoed from within the Frame, painted in shaded of fury and pain. A hint of sadistic humour leaked into his tone as he continued.
"But I am not dead yet."
Without warning, in a blur of instantaneous motion followed by a galeforce wind left in its wake, the titanic Crucible Frame disappeared from their vision.
Their minds raced to catch up with reality as they turned their heads to see, standing in the place the Squad Leader was moments ago, the colossal frame, staring them down with crimson eyes.