GLITCH

“To Jeff's surprise, it wasn't a persistent bladder that made Missy beg him to follow her outside so urgently. Once out of the door, she stared into the darkness, growling. Jeff's home was on the periphery of the settlement. Beyond it, there were only fields. He had decided to live alone after his wife passed away. Binding himself to another being so closely had been a wonderful experience he never would have thought possible when he was growing up. The downside was that losing someone that close to the heart could cause more pain than removing all the implants simultaneously. Missy started to growl louder, the hair on her neck standing up. She was staring into the darkness as if she could see something invisible to Jeff's human eyes. He licked his dry lips, becoming extremely nervous. Missy's behavior gave him the creeps. Something was wrong here. Very wrong. A suspicion came to his mind, so horrible he didn't dare to finish the thought. No, it could not be. They were so far away. So small, so unimportant, so well hidden. They were safe. Jeff looked up to the high chimney where the sentries stood on guard. He saw them moving. Everything had to be fine; otherwise, someone would have activated the alarm. Missy bared her canines and moved forward, into the darkness. "Missy! Stay!" Jeff commanded in a hushed voice. The dog did not listen. Jeff swore and followed her toward the highway bridge, trying to catch her. Then he suddenly froze in place.”
― Anna Mocikat, Behind Blue Eyes

“Missy seemed to grow more nervous with every second that passed. "OK, OK, I'm coming!" Jeff quickly put on his boots and slipped into a jacket. What time was it? He had no idea, but it was still pitch dark outside and sure as hell freezing cold. Missy let out a loud bark as if she wanted to tell him to hurry up. What was going on with her? She never behaved like that. Feeling increasingly uneasy with every second, Jeff grabbed his rifle and alarm device before he opened the door. Just in case. When he left the small house that he shared with his dog, he at first couldn't see anything. The night was extremely dark, and a cold wind blew into his scarred face.”
― Anna Mocikat, Behind Blue Eyes

“It was unfortunate that they had been spotted by coincidence and hadn't been able to take out the man before he alarmed the camp, but in the end, it wouldn't make any difference. The outcome would simply be delayed by a few minutes. "Proceed as planned," he instructed his units on the ground, "Strike." The command was what Nephilim had been waiting for. Her artificial muscles sprang into action, and she rushed forward. So did the rest of her squad. Coming from all sides, they raided the settlement like a pack of hungry wolves. Within seconds the first houses were stormed and cleared without much effort. Most inhabitants were still half asleep and didn't give much of a fight when the blue-eyed killers invaded their homes, putting bullets through their heads. Screams of panic and agony could be heard everywhere, so loud that they almost drowned the shrill alarm. People tried to flee, ran helplessly in all directions, but there was no escape from an enemy that could move ten times faster. Others fell to their knees and begged for mercy, even though it was futile. The Angels knew no mercy. But soon it turned out that the inhabitants of the settlement weren't as helpless as recon had initially indicated. After the first few minutes, which had indeed been like a walk in the park, Nephilim and her comrades encountered heavy resistance. As they approached the inner area of the former industrial facility, the enemy opened fire. Through the eyes of her drone flying above her, Nephilim spotted shooters taking position on the roof of an old brick factory”
― Anna Mocikat, Behind Blue Eyes

“Approaching target area," they heard the pilot say, "Ninety klicks to go, drop-off in one minute thirty-five seconds." However, there was nothing to be heard but the wind rattling against the plane traveling at high velocity across the stormy sky. The voice spoke directly into their heads. "OK, people, get ready," another disembodied voice said. To everyone in each of the three stealth combat aircraft, this voice was almost as familiar as their own. It belonged to Metatron, the commander. "Our scouting drones report no movement whatsoever and minimal security measures. Everyone is sound asleep. They have no idea what's coming at them. Exactly how we like it," he paused for a moment before continuing, and the condescending tone in his voice indicated that he would enjoy the things to come, "Stick to the routine, and this will be a walk in the park. I won't tolerate any casualties today." Nephilim prepared herself, running a final status check on her systems. Her neon-blue eyes were the shape of almonds. When she closed them for a moment, her delicate, pale face appeared to be that of a young woman in her early twenties. Anyone who assumed this, however, couldn't be more wrong. A second later, she was content. All systems were operating within specified parameters. She was ready. Opening her eyes again, she caught a look from Adriel sitting opposite to her. A slight grin flashed over his lips. His deep black skin contrasted with his unnaturally blue eyes, and they outright glowed in the half-dark. He, too, was prepared and agreed with the commander's words. This shouldn't be much more than routine.”
― Anna Mocikat, Behind Blue Eyes