Before Leon left her office, curious, Major Roshfield looked at the E Rank Mechanist and asked. "Where do you intend to commence your Trial attempt?"

"I've noticed that you only asked for a favor to use the subterranean ADE fortress in Leviathan Quay for your friend and not yourself".

"I have an alternative in mind". Leon answered truthfully.

"And you think it's better and more secure than commencing your Trial attempt in a subterranean ADE fortress?"

"Yes".

Major Roshfield was surprised as her eyes narrowed slightly. 'He has a closer relationship with the Freegrid Collective than I thought'.

The only explanation that fit Leon's choice in her head was if he somehow found an opportunity to commence his Trial attempt in one of the secure Data Vaults of the Freegrid Collective.

She made this connection because according to Leon, he was from the West. This was also why she ruled out a secure Data Vault of the Synth Order.

Despite being surprised, Major Roshfield did not ask Leon what his plan was. She simply wished him goodluck in his attempt before sending him off.

After leaving the Major's office in the Megabase, Leon didn't leave immediately, instead he rendezvoused with his friends inside the Megabase.

He already scheduled a get-together with Lieutenant Johnmark, Lieutenant Cormier, and Captain Ariande who for certain reasons delayed her return to Verdanthold after Leviathan Quay survived the disaster.

…

Clink! Clink!

The sound of glasses meeting each other sounded as the quadruple of soldiers toasted.

"To Captain Raveman!" Ariande said and the others echoed her.

"To Lieutenant Jones!" Cormier said and the others echoed her.

"To Lieutenant Levi!" Johnmark said and the others echoed her.

Leon followed the trend, toasting with them again as he said. "To Lieutenant Ryan!" The others echoed him.

Then Ariande ended it with a final toast. "To Lieutenant Piper!" The others echoed her one final time.

To the 4 of them, what connected them was just 1 mission but it was a life and death mission. Out of an elite squad of 9, they were the only ones who survived and that encounter built a bond between them that they could never forget.

They already saw each other as friends.

After toasting, they observed a moment of silence for their deceased comrades.

The next day after the disaster, all the soldiers who died during the way were laid to rest in a large burial ceremony.

They didn't manage to retrieve the bodies of their comrades who died in the mission to assassinate the terrorists, and it made their death even more poignant to the survivors.

Apart from during their night training, Leon didn't know them much but their deaths in such a gruesome manner against the terrorists affected him.

After observing the moment of silence, Lieutenant Cormier, the most socially adept of them all finally broke the silence as he asked. "So what now? What are you guys going to do after now?"

Captain Ariande answered first. "I'm going to return to headquarters and continue doing my job, hopefully I get a salary raise". She laughed.

All eyes focused on Lieutenant Johnmark next who shrugged. "What else? I'll simply revert to my normal life here in Leviathan Quay, I don't expect any significant changes in my life".

He sighed. "Being that close to death made me value family even more. I've neglected my family for a long time, I want to be more of a family man now".

Cormier chuckled. "I don't blame you, surviving that shit changes you man. I still have PTSD due to it, I really thought I was going to die".

Captain Ariande laughed. "Using my artifact to hide was not easier. Once the terrorist NetRunner isolated my range, I couldn't escape and a D Rank Artifact is a sucker for ADE".

"I was almost out of ADE at the end," she sighed. "I got lucky, we were all lucky".

"Not lucky, Thomas!" Cormier emphasized.

They all agreed as they smiled, then they turned to look at Leon.

Leon smiled back at them. "Unlike you guys, I simply can't acclimate to live a normal life," he chuckled in a self-deprecating manner. "I'm used to the exciting life".

They looked at him curiously and finally, he spilled the beans. "I intend to attempt my second Trial immediately after leaving Leviathan Quay".

"…"

The 3 soldiers took a moment to internalize what he just said, then they reacted as Cormier spit his drink out. "WHAT???"

Leon chuckled. "What? It's not like I'm committing suicide".

Captain Ariande didn't react to his question as she stared at him with shock on her face. "When did you become an Ascended?"

"Last year". Leon lied.

Still, it elicited an extreme reaction from the 3 soldiers. "Yet you want to attempt the second trial already???"

They felt like they couldn't follow his train of thought at all.

Their reactions amused Leon as he chuckled, but then he tried his best to reassure them that it was not an impulsive decision that he already planned it.

Still, they were stunned.

"Balls of steel!" Lieutenant Cormier muttered in a daze. "What a chad, no wonder you managed to kill all the terrorists alone".

"I guess it's normal for an abnormal guy like you".

Lieutenant Johnmark smiled. "This is why I like you, you're the most unique Mechanist that I've ever met".

As for Captain Ariande, she held back her comment.

The 4 of them took their time to reminisce, conversing about their night trainings that was supervised by the Major, they also spoke of how they felt during Lucian's execution, laying their hearts and fears out before comrades.

In front of his comrades was a rare moment where a soldier didn't have to act strong and could freely reveal his vulnerabilities and fears.

At the end, Lieutenant Cormier who was drinking like a Bear got drunk.

Lieutenant Johnmark helped him out of the bar inside the Megabase while Leon went to the balcony beside the bar, sipping from a glass cup. He was already beginning to feel tipsy too.

From this vantage position in the balcony in this corner of the Megabase, he observed the gradually recovering city below.

At some point, Leon felt a presence beside him and when he looked, he saw Captain Ariande who also seemed slightly tipsy.

She had a complicated look in her eyes.

She looked down at the city below, then she asked. "Do you love her?"

Leon blinked. "Huh?"

Captain Ariande inclined her head and looked into his eyes, then she forced a smile. "Nevermind".

Before Leon could object, she was gone.

Neural Projection!

'Huh?' Leon didn't understand what that was all about.

He stayed on the balcony alone, enjoying the view some more and then he finally left and returned back to his hotel room.

That night, before speaking, he called Mr. Dave and had a video call with the Engineman whose family was forced to retire after the invasion.

Mr. Dave and his entire family narrowly survived July 11th and after that, his wife and children insisted that he retire to spend more time with them.

The Engineman had no choice but to sacrifice his work for his family, he also realized that he needed to spend more time with them after being so close to dying twice within a short period.

Leon also spoke with Tyla through a video call, only after all that did he sleep peacefully for the night.

Tomorrow, he would enter the next phase of his life.

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