Part 32: Hello again, Olson. I wondered when you'd turn up...

On the run from the authorities, heading for Rupidis for a showdown with the bastards who had orchestrated this war. Sounded awesome.

But Karen was with me, once again.

We were finally together and we were never going to be parted.

I could talk to her and it was like she could hear me. We had never been closer, she was always at my side whenever I fought.

I'd given up caring about who had betrayed me. I was just aware now that every step of this carefully orchestrated path had brought me to her.

And now it was time for one final act of defiance.

If Sakata Industries wanted to test the B-Device, then they could damn well see it in action.





On the way, we found a secret Trader encampment. They were prepared to sell us experimental weapons, including the Terra-class device. The TERRA was a secret weapon the OCU had developed which used a rudimentary plasma technology to make bullets obsolete. How eight prototype guns had made it into the hands of traders was a question that didn't warrant asking. I picked up a set for the three who had departed, in the hope they'd see sense.







It felt good to say that now we knew what we were fighting against. It turned out the guns were a plant designed to lure the PMO to our location. So we'd just have to wipe them out.












None of us wanted to fight Natalie or Keith. They'd been the longest-standing members of our unit. But if they raised arms against me I'd have no qualms wiping them off the face of the island.


I scored a good first hit, destroying the enemy advance guard.





Then it all went weird. Natalie's IFF changed from red to blue, and Olson began freaking out.







Back together, with the sole intent of wiping out everyone responsible for this war! Natalie tore Olson a new vent, but I warned her to leave him to me. This was personal.


Even their experimental missile quads couldn't hold against us. We barrelled into their lines, all differences forgotten. Karen and I, we were unstoppable!



Olson screamed and ranted as I burnt him alive with a napalm warhead. Blamed everyone but himself.



The other missile quad and the last few enemies were reduced to scrap as I reunited with my old friends in the middle of a battlefield.



It felt good. But there was one person who wasn't celebrating.







I couldn't be angry. We'd all made mistakes. Mine was to not be trusting enough. To abandon my friends.





What would Karen have thought of me, isolating myself for her?

She wouldn't have wanted that.

We were all together, how it should be.

Ready to wipe the scar that was Sakata Industries off the map.