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It was another scalding hot day as the sun's rays burned the desolate wasteland. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but dirt, sand, and rocks. Far across the plains, heading towards a mountain ridge, was a small dust plume rising up. It was a small convoy of MRAP vehicles on patrol on a peacekeeping mission.

The desert wasteland of Khamsin was mostly populated by small local tribes outside the main cities, and the villages were few and far in between. This patrol was a joint operation of several different nationalities, heading from Shamal air base, around the valley and to the town of Habub. They had already passed through several villages and would pass through many more. They would meet with the locals, speak to them and receive news and situational updates in return for refreshments and protection. Far from everyone was friendly towards them, of course, but the route was also not overly dangerous compared to other areas such as the Death Valley to the east.

Inside one of the Wildboar MRAPs sat Valcyrie. She was a young but strong dragoness from the north, assigned squad leader for this mission. Therefore, she was positioned in the left-side backseat, squeezed in next to a translator. She had her comlink set up to coordinate with the other squad leaders of the convoy. The screen on her comlink was constantly updated with the latest information and satellite imagery, GPS locations of all vehicles, location of support, etc. So far, the day had progressed just as usual with nothing out of the ordinary, yet she was always vigilant. Something didn't feel right.

As they got closer to the rocky valley, she looked even more closely at the screen. Meanwhile, the MRAP's weapon station turned and scanned the area. The road was barely anything more than packed dirt here, with small sand walls from the plows after the sandstorms. As the rocks grew higher and threw their shades over them, the sunlight started flickering, making it hard to see. The heat from the sun rendered the thermal vision useless. The silence inside the MRAP was compact, fingers gripped guns. Val's tummy twisted into a knot. And then her entire world turned the brightest white. It felt as if she was flying, almost weightless. Then in the next moment, everything went black.

It was November 11th, 2052. Hanko, one of the other squad leaders of the patrol, was glancing out the window when he was thrown forwards in his seat. He struggled to breathe as his ears cracked from the rumble of an enormous explosion. He whipped his head around to look back. One of the MRAPs of the convoy had been hit by an IED. The explosion had sent all wheels flying in different directions while the body skidded to a halt on the ground. The entire frame was bent and broken, some doors half open. As his own vehicle came to a halt, he was already trying to contact the struck MRAP over radio, but no reply. He switched over to contact command and update them on what happened. Meanwhile, the weapon stations of the vehicles swung around and the heavy thumping of auto-cannons filled the air. As the vehicles came to a halt, everyone bolted out with their guns at high ready, searching for targets. Commands were shouted over the intercoms and soon they had the attackers spotted on a ridge. But as they returned fire, a hail of bullets came their way. The soldiers of the convoy fled the vehicles to take cover behind the embankment and rocks. Hanko ran back and forth between different positions, his eyes locked on the damaged MRAP. Soon he bolted for it and pulled the driver's door open. The driver was slumped over in his seat, groaning and bleeding profusely. Hanko bit his lip and took a step towards the rear door, attempting to pull it open. But the frame was damaged and it wouldn't budge.

Hanko was not just a normal wolf. Having been gravely wounded in another mission, he had been taken back home to the main base of the AFUR--Armed Forces of the United Republics. The doctor had given him two options: either he would be given permanent honourable discharge for medical reasons, or he could continue his service with the help of a brand new technology, the Mechina Mark I Cybernetic Enhancement Build. Not having much of anything to return to, Hanko chose the latter. He had been in and out of surgery for a month, with several more months' worth of recovery to follow. But when he was finally ready to return to service, he was an entirely new being. That was already a decade ago, but it was peak technology at its time. He had received an eye implant, providing him with basic night vision and improved aim. Several of his limbs were replaced by skeletal equivalents in black metal, which--through the help of pressurised liquid, batteries, and a small computer carried either on the belt or the back--provided him enormous strength. The left arm also had an integrated databank with maps, GPS, communications, and anything else he could need. By today's standards, the build was very crude. While it was integrated with his nervous system, it was clumsy and always required a lot of maintenance. A longer period out here in the sandy wilderness would most likely dry up the servo oil and damage parts to the point of decreased or even zero function. He was a walking power tool, but in turn needed continuous support and administration to work optimally in the field.

He placed one metallic hand against the steel frame of the MRAP and grabbed the edge of the door with the other. Then he focused and pulled, hard. His biological body protested, the few joins that carried the force from the metallic arms hurt and it felt as if they would pop out of their sockets. But this was not the time to stop. He was shaking from exertion as the door slowly moved and then finally gave in with a loud metallic creak. And there she was. The squad leader of the team after theirs, of northern blood, just like him. She was not moving, barely breathing. The explosion had launched her from her seat and crushed her head against the roof. Blood was seeping down her head and hair from under the helmet. The pressure wave had blown out one of her eyes that was now dangling over her cheek and completely shredded her wings. Her left arm had gotten stuck in the door and was badly crushed, twisted, and torn. Her right leg had been centred over the explosion and was ripped apart. And there was blood. So much blood. Yet she somehow still drew breath, albeit shaky and about to stop for good in a matter of seconds.

Hanko didn't have to make the call. Combat medics were already surrounding the MRAP, carefully extracting its passengers. Instead, he took a step back, opened the little databank on his arm and focused on communicating with command. MEDEVAC had already been scrambled and was on its way along with air support. His new orders were to secure the landing zone. Hanko lifted his assault rifle to his shoulder, scanned the ridge with his enhanced vision and started taking shots. Bullets flew past his head, sometimes gracing his ears, but he didn't mind them. Instead, he systematically switched from one target to the next as if he were solving an online logic test while counting backwards in his head, one for every bullet until the last shell loaded into the chamber. Mag out, into the mag dump pouch, new one in. Keep firing. Coordinate. The massive firepower from the weapon stations with their heavy machine guns and auto-cannons worked as excellent suppressors, and soon the disembarked squads moved over the embankment and flanked the ridge. They moved so swiftly and well coordinated, it was like watching a bizarre Dance Macabre. Eventually, the ridge and surrounding hills were secured, and Hanko could hear the welcome fluttering of incoming helicopters.

Val didn't know where she was or what was happening. She could hear gunfire, almost in the distance, but she had no idea what it meant. It felt as if she was flying again. Or rocking, it was hard to tell. She felt nauseous, but couldn't throw up and she didn't know why. There was a constant noise in her ears but she couldn't make out what it was or what it meant. At some point she thought she heard the familiar and characteristic sound of helicopters, and she felt a strong wind wash over her. Was she flying? Maybe falling? It was uncomfortable, scary even. She tried to move, but she couldn't. She tried to call for help, but she couldn't. Something was wrong. Was this a nightmare? She tried moving again, tried to scream, but suddenly everything hurt. It hurt insanely much. She had never felt such pain ever in her life. Someone grabbed her hard, and in the next moment everything went hazy, and then black.

Hanko watched in silence as the wounded were loaded onto the large black transport helicopters, from where they would be taken back to Shamal air base where a more properly equipped hospital waited. He hoped they would make it. All he could do now was gather the rest of his squad, have everyone report in and then make a new plan, one step at a time. He would return to Shamal eventually.

---

Time and space didn't exist as it had before. Sometimes in a moment of clarity, she thought that she was dreaming as her experiences didn't make sense. But then the haze would come over her mind again. It was confusion, but a kind of fuzzy, warm, almost caring confusion. Until one day when the spinning dream she was in suddenly cleared up and was replaced by a bright light. She could hear the sound of scurrying footsteps and low, rushed dialogue from unknown people. The light pulsated, blinding her and she closed her eyes several times before it faded and a room came into view. The walls were white, there was a window with shades, and several people dressed in white and blue stood around her. Her mind was hazy as if her thoughts had to trudge through a knee-deep sludge to get through. She realized she must be in a hospital. She wanted to ask where she was, what had happened, but her jaw didn't want to move. When it finally did, it was so stiff and hurt so much that she closed her eyes and grunted. When she finally tried to utter words, her maw and tongue were so dry that nothing but a coarse gasp left her. The dragon before her--who seemed to be the doctor--leaned in towards her.

"Would you like some water?"

She tried to nod and could feel her head tilt and bob. Small, painful movements, but it worked. The doctor nodded, and there was a glass of water at her lips with a straw. Her cracked, dry lips tried to seal around it. The water tasted strongly of chemicals, but it was still water. She closed her eyes and took several deep sips before the straw was pulled away from her. She tried to reach for it, but a hand gently pushed her back down.

"Only a little at the time, your body has to get used to it."

She opened her eyes again and saw the doctor taking notes before looking her in the eyes.

"I'm afraid you have suffered a very serious accident."

Val suddenly became more self-aware and tried to sit up. Moving hurt a lot and she was quickly pushed back down into the bed. She tried to raise her arms, but only the right arm would rise. She looked down at the bed where her left arm should have been, but there was none. She jerked and tried to flail her left arm and noticed that she had part of it, but it was cut off just under the elbow. Panic bubbled up inside her and she looked around trying to move, realizing that her right leg was also missing. Nurses rushed to her sides, trying to calm her down as she wiggled the little stump that was all that remained of her right leg. Her eyes brimmed with tears and the doctor came into focus again.

"I'm afraid you've lost an arm, a leg and an eye. You also had some severe head trauma, but we managed to patch that up."

With trembling fingers, she raised her right hand up to her face. It was extremely disfigured, and there was only sunken skin where her left eye should be. She shook and sobbed violently and saw in the corner of her eye how the doctor looked at the nurses and nodded. Soon the haze came back, coating her mind and lifting her away from everything.

A long night of troubled sleep and fever dreams would follow until she would wake back up. Soon after she did, the doctor came back into her room and looked at her.

"Can you speak?"

"I... think... so..." Her voice was coarse, cracked, and broken, but it worked.

"Very well. We have a few urgent matters that we need to go through."

Val looked at him and met his stern gaze.

"You were crippled during a time of service to the State. Thus you are eligible for an honourable discharge with full veteran's benefits if you wish to retire. A long period of recovery and training will be waiting for you. Or..." He put his clipboard down and leaned in over the bed. "If you wish, we have an alternative program for gifted soldiers who get mortally wounded on the front line. We could give you state-of-the-art prosthetic limbs, even restore your lost eye. But in return, we would ask another 8 years of service from you."

Val remained still, looking at him.

"Something to think about." He took his clipboard back up and stood up straight. "HQ would fund everything, of course. But we need to work fast before your nerves close up. You have until the morning to decide."

He gave her a nod, turned around and walked out. Val lay there staring after him as many different thoughts spun around in her head.

Should she take the discharge? Retire? She would have to live the rest of her life as a paraplegic, unable to work. She had no family that could step in and pay for prosthetic limbs for her, and even then they could never afford her a new eye.

But 8 more years of service? She would be similar to Hanko, she assumed. He seemed content with who he was and what he was doing, but the guy was also a lone wolf, literally. They had bonded well during their service time together, but there was something about him that made him a friend and not partner material, and that seemed to be the case for everyone he met.

So it stood between a wheelchair and back home to a dark, lonely apartment living off of goodwill and food stamps for the rest of her life, or becoming a literal war machine for 8 more years, back out into the very fiery chaos that put her in this position. She closed her eyes and cried until she fell asleep again.

When the doctor came the next morning with his clipboard, she lifted her shaky right hand. He took his pen and held it out to her and she grasped it. Then he turned the clipboard towards her and pointed at some blank fields.

"Sign here... and here... aaand here. There, all good. I think you made the right decision."

She looked up at him, her eye brimming with tears again.

"Don't worry, we'll have you set up in no time. And thank you again for your service."

And with that, he left her. Later that day, some old squad mates would come by to say hi and update her on how everything had gone. They had managed to save the driver and her, but the gunner and the engineer from her car had both perished in the MEDEVAC. The rest of the patrol had engaged the enemy and sent them on a retreat, during which air support had finished them off. They all paid the ultimate price for their actions. But no matter how many lives had been taken in revenge, Val felt a strange emptiness inside her. It didn't really matter if they had caught them or not, she had still lost everything. She would never be the same, just an artificial creation that vaguely resembled her former self. But it was probably better than to rot away in a wheelchair.

Later that afternoon, she was already being transported and prepared for surgery. The doctor stood over her as he prepared the narcosis.

"You're in luck. A Mechina Mark II unit has been prepared for you. You'll be a state-of-the-art example, perhaps one of the finest we've assembled here."

State-of-the-art... or art of the State. And with luck, I wouldn't be here in the first place, she thought to herself as the haze once more flooded her mind, and everything went black.

When she woke up again, it was with a thundering headache and it felt as if her brain was being electrocuted. She wanted to move, but couldn't. Electric flash after electric flash went through the inside of her skull and it slowly became less painful and more freaky. Soon she heard a soothing voice inside her own head as if she was thinking it.

"Unit integration started... running setup."

Despite her eyes being closed, images, lights, and sound flashed through her head in rapid succession. She couldn't make any sense of it. After a long time of waiting, unable to move and slightly panicking, she felt a jerk go through her body and she felt her muscles flex and move.

"Integration 80%..." the soft voice spoke again. "... Physical control established."

She felt herself move into a sitting position, legs dangling over the edge of the bed. More rapid flashes commenced and the headache returned, but now she could move and hold her head in her hands and grunt in pain.

"Integration 90%... senses and vital telemetry established."

Numbers and information flashed through her system. Small, smooth-sounding alarms rang inside her head, but they soon passed and she could now open her right eye. She was in a clinical hospital room with a team of doctors in front of her. She looked at them and they looked back at her.

"Integration 95%... cybernetic limbs powered up, status check..."

Suddenly it was as if her left eye slowly opened, as if fading from darkness and into light. It had a slight purple hue to it and instantly started hyper-focusing on different people and objects, sending such massive data streams to her brain that she felt dizzy and nauseous. She ended up bending over, lifting her hair to the side and throwing up on the floor. Then she realized that her hair didn't quite feel like hair, but different. She held it out in front of her, but her hair was there... only then did she realize that she was holding it with her left arm. She froze and stared at it. It looked like an absolute marvel of technology: a smooth metallic and composite latex texture that almost looked as if she was wearing a medieval gauntlet rather than the skeletal hand she had been expecting. But more than that, when she moved her fingers through her hair, she could feel it. This wasn't pure metal like the Mechina Mk. I that Hanko had. They must have come a long way already with the Mk. II.

"Battery at 100%. Vital telemetries within expected ranges for startup. Integration completed."

Val stood and looked down. Where her right leg has been before, there was now a massive steel and composite material leg with lights and what looked like massive black muscle fibres that were now relaxing. The new eye kept hyper-focusing on different objects and it made her so dizzy that she lost balance and sat back down on the bed.

"That will take a little while to get used to, almost as if you'd be wearing a new pair of glasses," one doctor said with a smile as he adjusted his own glasses. "You will have a lot of work to do getting to know your new body."

Val carefully stood back up and lifted her hands to her face. Not only was her face seemingly restored, but there were hot lines of some sort over her right cheek and metallic plates under her left eye. As she traced along them, her fingers touched upon a small metallic box protruding, and from it a small cable leading down towards her shoulder. She stretched out her wings and saw that, while they had salvaged one as she had wished, the other had been completely replaced by a slightly glowing hexagonal material, and parts of her wing fingers had been replaced by metallic prosthetics as well.

"Is... is there a mirror?" she asked.

"Bathroom right there."

She stumbled over, opened the door and was once more slightly confused. While her right eye told her that the room was dark, the new eye lit it up and could see well. Slowly but surely, both images merged inside her head until she saw one dimly lit room. She reached for the light switch and turned it on. For a split second, the room became blindingly bright. But the new eye was already compensating and darkened it to a comfortable level. She stepped in and looked in the mirror, stopped dead in her tracks and gasped. She stepped closer and looked at her new face up close. The hot lines on her right cheek was some sort of chipset, while the metallic plates on the left side seemed to be a restructuring of her face. Purple, glowing tubes emitted from her body here and there and connected to either other body parts, or to the cybernetic limbs. She looked half dragoness, half machine in a horrifying yet interesting way. But her body didn't hurt as much anymore, even if there was a dull ache present all over. She turned herself around, looking at her new body parts and how everything connected together. If she saw herself in a dark alley, she would probably run the other way screaming, at the same time she found it very fascinating. The doctors that waited outside now came to her and started pointing out details.

"This here," one said, pointing at the chipset on her cheek, "is your DCB. Datapoint Circuit Board. It will serve as your E-ID and quick integration with foreign systems. And this here..." He waved his fingers in front of her new eye. "This is the Mk. II cybernetic eye. Purely artificial for better performance than the biomechanical Mk. I eye. It will serve you with motion sensor, night vision, heat vision, zoom, rangefinder, laser guide and weapon sight if you have a compatible weapon. And this here..." He tapped at the box on the left side of her head with the tube connecting it. "That is your COMMS relay. It will serve as an encrypted phone of sorts through which you can access the internet, VoIP communication and much more. Instantly accessible via..." He tapped the metal plates under her left eye. "The Data Integration Unit. This here is a state-of-the-art microcomputer, directly connected to your nervous system. You can control it with your mind rather than flailing movements. Will also take some time to get used to. And these here..." He traced a finger along one of the purple glowing tubes. "These are cyberbiotic tubes. The liquid you see inside is actually your blood."

Val's jaw dropped.

"Oh, don't worry, there's nothing bad. Your circulatory system has been infused with nanocells that carry energy from the battery and around your body. Same sort of cell that was made to replicate your missing wing."

Val looked over at the slightly glowing blue wing while the doctor continued.

"That's an important difference you need to remember. While cybernetic is purely artificial replacement, cyberbiotic means its integrated with your own biological system and cannot be detached. And this here..." He took her cybernetic arm and showcased it. "Bullet resistant armour plating. Reinforced knuckles and fingertips. Touchpads on the inside still let you feel and control what you're holding. You also have small pockets here and here for tools or whatever you may need, and this here is your datapoint connector. You can connect it to virtually any computer and use your own data unit to navigate it. You could even connect it to a car and steer it with your mind. Isn't that fascinating?"

He smiled foolishly and Val blinked.

"I guess that is your idea?" she asked.

"Oh hardly! But well, yes, I worked on the team developing that. Anyhow, this here is your cybernetic leg. Big pocket here, small pocket here. Very thick armour plating. This here is your indicator, here is your battery pack--which is very powerful by the way... Retractable claws and touchpads. Quite the powerful killing machine!"

Val blinked and looked at the doctor who was now visibly panting and sweating a bit. "Are you, uh... are you getting off on this?"

"Oh, no! Hardly no!" he stuttered as he blushed. "I'm just excited about this technology and to finally see it in use! That said, it does look very good on you."

Val rolled her eye and he continued.

"Now, it will take some time getting used to it all. Entering sleepmode, when to eat, what to eat, drink, charging-"

"Hold up, charging?"

"Oh yes, your battery is very powerful, and so are the functions of your system. You cannot power it through bodily nutrition alone like the Mk. I does. While there is that option on the Mk. II system, it's only viable during emergency power saving mode. Instead, you have this charging mat." He pointed towards what looked like a small bedroll in her bed. "Just plug it into the wall and it will charge your battery. Which I really recommend you are very careful with handling, and only let replacement be handled by certified technicians."

As Val remained silent, he continued.

"Eh, in order to power everything, the battery cell in your leg is a Silicon-Lithium Carbon Nanotube battery, packing the same power as 100 lbs worth of C4."

Val stared at him in disbelief and he continued.

"That's why we've bullet-proofed that compartment. Wouldn't want that to go up in flames at the wrong place, hahah."

He laughed nervously as Val grew paler and paler. She was basically a walking bomb and was not very pleased with that. That would have been very nice to know before she signed the contract. Actually, thinking about it, why had they offered her such a contract in such a vulnerable and confused state? Her eye darkened.

"How... how many Mk. II's are currently in service?" she asked.

"Oh, just a few hundred, but they work excellent so far. Hardly any issues."

"Hardly? What issues?"

"Oh, mostly a ripped carbon nanotube in the leg, locked up joint, nanocell malfunction. Small things that seldom take more than a day to fix."

"Nanocell malfunction..?"

"Ah yes, they don't communicate or transfer power the way they should. Just needs a quick replacement."

"And what if they don't get replaced..?"

"That won't happen."

Val gave him a sharp look and he took a step back, looking nervous.

"I mean, ah, eh, technically if enough of them build up it would be similar to a bloodclot, but made out of, well, metal. But usually the other nanocells take care of that before that can happen. They are able to be powered through regular nutrition. Which reminds me, welcome to your new body, Victor Uniform Zero Five One Niner Charlie."

Val blinked, thought for a second, and then narrowed her eyes. "Y-you gave me a serial number? Like... a piece of inventory?"

"Well, technically it's a bit more advanced than that. But, I shall let you get used to your new body and functions."

He hurriedly stepped back, turned around and left the room, the other doctors shuffling out after him giving her nervous smiles. She looked after them, partially in disgust, partially in anger, and partially in I-don't-know-what-to-think-or-say. Slowly she repeated the serial to herself. Victor. Uniform Zero Five One Niner. Charlie. V-U0519-C. V-U0519-C.

---

It took her roundabout 9 months to fully learn her new body, its functions, and its limits. It was weird to lay down on a charging mat every night and feel the tingling sensation as it charged up the nanocells inside her. It was also very freaky at first to lay down, close her eye and relax, after which the data integration unit would recognize a sleep mode and shut off all external systems while the eye itself remained ever vigilant and would instantly wake her back up if anything happened.

About a full year later had she undergone elite training with special weapons, joint operations with other units, and extremely tough special forces trials. But finally she graduated as a cadet feeling oddly satisfied with herself and her performance. That very same evening came a letter with her first assignment: Recon mission in Khamsin. Just two hours later, she was sitting in the back of a plane together with a special forces unit and two other Mark IIs like herself. It was time for her Baptism of Fire.