Silent snowflakes fell over the mining town that was nestled in the mountain's breast. Outside the storm was raging. In angry gusts the wind screamed and howled its fury at the small town, flinging flurries of snow at the intruding settlement, yet the snow fell softly and gently onto the sleeping hamlet. The wind had no power here. Nestled safe in the mountain, the fury of the storm was kept at bay, but it could not be kept out forever.

"Nicolai... Nicolai!" A young guard wearing a heavy jacket and a warm head wrap shook the sleeping man next to him. His youthful eyes were anxious, fearful orbs. "Nicolai, wake up! Something's coming!"

It was the dead of night. Silence permeated everything and the young guards harsh whispers grated like gravel in the silence. The snow continued to fall lazily from the cliffs above. The stars shone like bright ice in the cold night air.

"Relax boy, you're probably just seeing some Darkwinds." Nicolai admonished as he nestled deeper into his heavy jacket trying to find more warmth. The boy had nerves; his first night out. No one dared attack Narshe. Even in this time of war, Narshe was and would remain neutral. No upstart empire was going to bother them up here. Narshe was one of the oldest mining towns around. Its location and history made it impossible to conquer, and the men of Narshe loved their autonomy with a fierce passion.

"Nicolai!" The boy's whine continued. Nicolai grunted irritably, and then pulled himself up. The boy pointed into the opaque bleakness of the Narshe plains. "There do you see them? I don't know what they are, but they look big!" Nicolai squinted and leaned on the railing of the lookout.

"Gods in heaven…" Nicolai whispered. He grabbed the boy. "Tell the Elder. Tell him that the empire's invading."

Terrified the boy ran down the stairs even as Nicolai grabbed the rope and rang on the lookout bell.

The clang of the bell pealed out its alarm ringing off the mountains into the ears of the Narshe miners. It rang, an impending doom. It rang around the whole world, warning everyone that the Empire was coming.

A woman stood at the gates of Narshe. Her body was encased and situated in a large metal suit that made her look frail and vulnerable. Two men in similar suits stood behind her whispering.

"There's no point in taking any risks let's put her up front." The first one said. The other looked at him reprovingly.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. She's a high ranking official. If something happens to her we're going to have to answer for it." Both men looked warily at the girl.

"Listen Biggs, I don't want her behind me. I don't care what they said about the crown, we all know it's a prototype. If something goes haywire and we're in front of her we're going to be fried." The other guard hesitated for only a moment then he nodded and walked next to the girl.

"You're ordered to take point. Comply." he said. The girl looked blankly ahead.

"Wedge, you have to use the radio. The crown can't compute you're order unless you use the radio. See, like this" Biggs pushed a button on the machine, "You're ordered to take point. Comply now."

"Order is valid." A computer generated voice emitted into the headset. The armor maneuvered obligingly and then walked under the archway into Narshe.

The town was silent. Doors were locked, lights turned off. The only sound was the howling of the wind, screaming and spitting at the unwanted visitors. Behind the houses waited the Narshe Guard. They watched in an abstract horror as the hulking beasts stalked through the town. Arvis grimaced at the situation. The machines were massive, twice as tall as any man; an unholy compound of pitch, metal and braided coils. Like snakes, he thought to himself.

"Get some gunmen on the roof." He whispered to soldier behind him. "We're not going to do anything to the machines, but if we can get the people inside then we might be able to stop them." The lead machine walked into view.

"What unholy trickery is this? Sending girls to do their dirty work now? The bastards." He watched the girl in the armor. Her eyes held straight ahead. There was no searching gaze, no weary glance usually associated with invasions. She wasn't even blinking. Then his eyes fell upon the crown. A mass of wires twisted into a grotesque circlet donned the girls head, pressing into her skull. An explanation to her odd behavior.

"Don't shoot at the girl." He said. The soldier looked incredulous.

"But Arvis,"

"Don't argue." The man nodded and headed off to tell the other gunmen. The two machines came into view carrying two men. Normal imperial soldiers, but why put the girl in front?

The first bullet flew, and missed. With a twang they flew off the armor and spun off. More bullets came pelting the snow and the machines.

Alert Alert! Biggs ducked as a bullet flew past his head and into the armor.

"Pull back, pull back!" He screamed into the radio. Wedge was already heading behind a stack of barrels but the girl stood her ground. Bullets whistled through the air around her. "Pull back! That is an order. Comply!" Biggs yelled. He heard a beeping in his ear and then the computer generated voice.

"Order invalid. Defensive tactics program begin." Biggs walked behind the building, cursing the machines mobility as more bullets bounced off his armor. There was no way she could reach them. They were out of range. The only thing she could do was set the houses on fire…" Biggs watched emotionlessly waiting for the first flame to fire from the machine.

But no flame emitted from the machine. A high pitched whine suddenly screeched through the air. The sound pierced the silence. Screams echoed from above him and he heard the sickening thumps of men falling from the roof onto the icy road. The rest of the guard sulked back behind the houses. Silence once again permeated the air.

"What the hell was that?" Biggs asked.

"I have no idea. I've never heard of that function before."

"That wasn't a function. There're no amplifiers on these armors.

"Don't be ridiculous. You think she made that sound herself?" Wedge asked. Biggs didn't answer. "Come on we need to get into the mines before they get more gunmen out here."

He pulled out behind the girl and followed as she walked forward.

"Warning. Hostile Units detected." The electronic voice said monotonously in his ear. Biggs surveyed the area. A host of Narshe guards, and lobos crept from behind the houses. Circling them and creating an ambush. Men were back on the roofs. Guns aimed and ready to fire.

"You are not welcome here!" A lone voice echoed out from the host of men. "Leave in peace and there will be no bloodshed tonight." Biggs looked sidelong at Wedge. The girl stood motionless.

"Warning. Hostile Units detected. Initiating offensive mode." Droned the computer.

"Wait no!" Wedge yelled into the radio. "Abort that command! Comply! Do you hear me? God Damnit. Comply!"

"Shut it Wedge" Biggs cut in. "We've got a mission to accomplish" he continued ignoring the horrified look on his comrade's face. "Initiating Offensive mode." He said into the radio. The girl's armor pushed itself into motion. The Narshe guard charged forward onto the girl's armor, but the blasts of fire coming from behind her made it impossible for the men to overcome her machine. The machines barreled forward heedless to the fallen men below their gigantic metal feet.

The guard, those that hadn't been incinerated by tongues of fire, were running chaotically toward the houses.

"Reform the line!" A Narshe guard called. Arvis grabbed a hysterical soldier and tried to drag him toward the line, but the man fought back viciously. He held a young boy in his arms. Arvis hesitated; he couldn't have been more than 15. His young face was half charred away by the beams of fire still smoldered and smoked in the cold air. The smell of burnt flesh was overwhelming. Arvis felt sick.

"Nicolai, come. We have to regroup!" But even as he spoke the girl in the armor approached them. Arvis looked fearfully at the girl. Her eyes were dead; as dead as the young boy's in Nicolai's arm. The machine stopped as a Lobo jumped onto the machine, snapping its jaws viciously at the girls face. The machine swung trying to throw the wolf off, but with a deadly tenacity the wolf hung on. The machine stopped, and a great sound of machinery rose in to challenge the wind, and the lobo turned as white as the falling snow around him. The machine reached its climax, and the wolf slowly faded away still snapping at the driver. Arvis watched in a fearful fascination as the girls face became clear. The lobo had not missed his mark. Her face was ripped and blood streamed down her face, yet still no emotion, no sign of pain. Her machine continued forward.

"Imperial bastards! Die!" Nicolai cried grabbing his sword and throwing it at the girl in the armor. The sword spiraled through the air and stuck firmly between the girls breasts. She slumped forward across the panels before her, and the drone of the machine whined to a stop. Breathlessly Arvis watched. She was dead. No way could she have survived that… yet he watched in abstract horror as her long fingers twitched a command into the machine. The power roared into the machine and a green light emitted from the inside. Arvis could feel the warmth emanating from the glow. The light receded and the girl raised her head. Her skin was perfect. She grabbed the knife and pulled it away from her. Again the green light and the wound healed, and the machine lurched forward. A shrill trumpeting cried followed by earth shaking footsteps. They'd set the Vomammoths loose.

"Nicolai come on! We have to get out of here." Nicolai looked one last time at the girl. A look of complete horror and disbelief.

"Gods and Goddesses protect us…"

"Come!" Arvis urged pulling on the man's arm. Four or five vomammoths were stampeding toward the line. They would trample the machine, the girl, and them if they didn't get out of the way. Arvis and Nicolai watched with bated breath.

The girl did not flinch, she did not budge. The vomammoths came pounding forward. "Move you fool!" Arvis muttered under his breath, but she did not move. Already her comrades had taken cover behind some houses. He saw one of them screaming into his headset and shooting fire beams at the vomammoths. He stopped when he realized it had no effect and when he saw the putrid yellow almost liquid cloud of gas eject from the girls machine.

The gas hovered in a dense cloud for moment then dissipated into the air. The Vomamoths cried out as the gas hit them, burning their eyes and choking them. All of them died instantly except for one that, though not stampeding anymore, walked up to the girl trying to complete its task despite it's poisoned body. The girl shot it dead in the head. It trembled then fell over. The winds moan mingled with that of animal and human alike, yet still the machines moved forward.

"They're going into the mines" Arvis heard someone shout.

"God let them!" Someone answered. There was silence and indecisiveness. Then hacking. Arvis looked down at Nicolai who retched into the snow. The gas was permeating the whole city. The vomammoths had taken the brunt of it and he felt sure that was was left wouldn't kill, but it would incapacitate the whole town if they didn't get out of there. Arvis covered his mouth and ran after the machines into the mines. He couldn't stop them, but he sure as hell could see what they were up to.

Inside the mines it was not hard to follow the imperial soldiers. The noises of the machines echoed noisily off the mine walls covering any sounds Arvis made as he followed. The men, all of whom weren't struck ill by the noxious gas, were gathering in front of the mine entrance. Arvis had slipped silently away from them and into the mine supposedly unnoticed he thought until a large hand snagged his shoulder.

"Nicolai!" Arvis whispered harshly surprised. Nicolai grunted.

"That witch killed that boy Arvis. I'm going to kill her. Me." He said pointing at his chest. Arvis looked wearily at Nicolai and the queer glint in his eye.

"I don't think that's wise Nicolai. She's not herself. Something's controlling her. I don't think we should kill her." Nicolai grunted again.

"She's from the empire. You saw her witchcraft. She's evil, and I'm going to kill her." Arvis said nothing to this, but a gnawing fear had settled into his stomach. He wanted the empire destroyed as much as Nicolai, but Narshe had done nothing to prevent this. They had sent no aid to other countries even when they had begged, and now with the news of Maranda...No, his loyalties lied with the Returners, and the Returners were emphatic that this girl, this witch, should not be killed. Captured, yes, but not killed. He only hoped he could do something about Nicolai before he got to her.

They walked stealthily behind the clanking armors through the mineshaft. Arvis could hear the two male soldiers' harsh whispers as he followed them deeper into the mine leading to the esper.

"I'm telling you Biggs this is a suicide mission. That girl is out of control. What are they doing sending her out on this type of mission anyways? Did you see what she did to those Vomammoths?" Wedge asked. Biggs looked sidelong at his companion.

"She seems to have some natural affinity with these machines." He said grimacing. "You were there when Kefka brought her out to the barracks?" Wedge shook his head. "Sick bastard…" Biggs muttered. Wedge hesitated.

"You were there? What did you do to get away?" He said swallowing hard. They were still following the girl deeper into the mine.

"General Leo was nearby. He stopped everything before it got anywhere near to me. I'd never seen him so livid. Severed the power cores to the magitek and then literally threw Kefka from his armor. I almost thought he was going to kill him, but, well, you know the general. He started leading the girl away till Kefka ordered her to attack him. She caught him off guard and they struggled a bit til he knocked her out and carried her inside. Didn't matter though. The next time I saw her she was under Kefka's command again." Biggs frowned and Wedge nodded.

"I heard he got off claiming it was a training procedure."

"That was no procedure that was a blood bath. 50 soldiers dead… " Both of the men got silent lost in their own thoughts. When they came to a fork in the mines the machinery noises settled to a low hum. Biggs looked down at his screen where text was scrawling.

"Intelligence reports that the esper was found in a new mineshaft. Maybe this one?" He said turning his armor toward the entrance straight ahead. Wedge nodded. "Ok, I'll take care of this. Stand back." Biggs said into his radio so the girl could respond. Her machine beeped and she backed up. The machine revved up and walked steadfastly straight through the barrier. Ropes and boards broke apart in a raucous clamor of crackles and snaps. The sound of coughing could be heard on the other side.

"What the hell?" The narshe guard said as the dust settled then recognizing the imperial armor he jumped back. "You can't… Can't have the esper." He stammered to the massive statues and their riders' illuminated faces. "Ymir…. Go!" He said and then ran farther into the mind. A guttural gurgle echoed in the mines and the machines backed out of the door way. A giant snail oozed its way into the entranceway blocking the way.

Initiating offensive mode…

"Wait! Wait!" Biggs called.

But it was too late. A burst of fire struck the slimy head of the snail and it recoiled into its shell. The girl's machine beeped and then sent a bolt of lightening at the shell. The shell hummed with the electrical current and suddenly regurgitated it at the girl. She took the hit without flinching, but it was obvious serious damage was done. Her armor powered down significantly, and the girl had crumpled onto the controls.

"Shit!" Biggs yelled frantically typing a command into his machine. A green light illuminated the girl and she slowly revived, but Biggs knew that her machine was damaged. Red lights flashed onto the girl's skin.

"What the hell was that?" Wedge yelled looking at the shell still blocking the way. Biggs turned to face the monster.

"This is a whelk. They live in the high mountains here. During storms lighting will strike them, but their shells protect them. It gathers the energy and discharges back."

Wedge nodded. "Ok, don't attack its shell. Got it"

"Right…"

Initiating offense mode attack beta…

The girl had righted her machine. "Abort that command. Comply." Biggs said as the machine struggled over in front of the monster. "Abort the command comply! Damn it!"

Order is invalid. The machine answered back. Objectives of mission: Destroy all obstacles. Retrieve Esper. The machine hunkered down and rumbled violently. Then suddenly jolted back twice as two missiles shot out and flew straight into the shell. The snail screamed horribly as the missiles exploded inside. The shell skidded erratically back into the mine out of site leaving a slimy trail of goo. There was a grim silence between the two soldiers, but the third armor walked forward and they followed silently into a vaulted chamber.

Scaffolds and mining picks were scattered all around the vast cave. Stalactites hung down threateningly from the ceiling and, all around, the room was illuminated by a faint blue glow from the center of the cave. Biggs visibly swallowed at the site of it.

"Shit…" Wedge said softly. The esper sat silently encased in its icy cell. It was some sort of reptilian bird, and it was the biggest esper Biggs had ever seen. He'd been in the labs before, he'd seen the monsters floating in their tubes, but none of these had struck the fear into Biggs heart as this one did. It was frozen in a pose of rage. Malevolent black beady eyes glinted in the eerie glow. Encased in ice, yes, but this esper was not like the others. It wasn't drugged. It was volatile, and Biggs was sure it was staring right at them.

The room lit with a sudden brilliance emanating from the esper in the center. It's glow had intensified scaring away the shadows of the vaulted cave, and lighting the magitek armor. Wedge maneuvered his machine back.

"Biggs, something is wrong here…" He murmered, panic creeping in his voice. Biggs turned to reply but didn't. Instead he stared in horror as Wedge's machine whined to a fevered pitch.

"What? What's this light?" Wedge cried even as his machine glowed brilliantly till it climaxed in a huge flash. With a loud zinging sound the light erupted blinding everyone. When Biggs eyes cleared Wedge's machine and Wedge were gone.

"What the hell? Wedge? Wedge, where are you? Abort mission." Biggs yelled into his machine. "Abort abort!" He yelled into the radio then threw the head set off, and stared at it fearfully. From the headset static, garbled computer generated voices, and unearthly wailing could be heard. "Gods and goddesses…" Biggs said backing his machine away from the girl who approached the esper steadily. She had begun to glow the same blue light of the esper. He knew it was too late. He heard his machine squeal he saw the light and with one last fearful glance he stared into the black malevolent eyes of the esper and then died.

Arvis and Nicolai, in any other situation, would have run from the cavern, but fear rooted them to the spot. That thing was alive and it was attacking. The light in the room was gathering inward toward the ice. It focused and in a bolt of energy attached itself to the girls head creating a connection of wriggling snakelike energy. The girl clutched her head and screamed even as the light intensified and small explosions erupted from her machine. The scream was the second thing she consciously recognized. The first was the fiery hot explosion of pain that erupted in her head from the vast nothingness that had been their previous. The third was a computer generated voice so garbled with static and strange wailing that she had no idea what it said. The last thing she recognized was that it was her own screaming she heard as she clawed at her head, and then everything went black.

The light faded leaving only the remains of the smoldering magitek armor and the girl inside it. The esper had resumed its faint glow and silent brooding. Arvis found himself staggering out from the boulder he had used as cover. My gods he thought running to her. She had to be dead. Prying her from the smoking metal wasn't easy, but somehow Arvis managed and soon he had her on the ground. He felt her pulse; faint. Breathing; even fainter. Nicolai approached breathing heavily.

"Is she dead?" his voice rumbled above Arvis. Arvis shook his head and looked up to see Nicolai's face. It was a horrible sight. A sardonic grin twisted his features. He pulled a knife from his belt and lunged at the girl.

"Nicolai, no!" Arvis said, grabbing his arm. Nicolai turned and swung at him thoroughly enraged now. Arvis threw a few well paced punches and a with a quick blow to the head Nicolai's knife clattered to the ground followed by the heavy thump of his body. Arvis gasped for breath his heart beating fast with the consequences of his actions. Then he gathered the girl in his arms and headed out of the mine even as the noise of the Narshe soldiers sounded behind him.