I stare into the blue.

They are coming for me. Dozens, hundreds, thousands. I wait, quietly. Their battle formation leaves much to be desired; they assume too much about me. If I had any emotions left, I would smile. I am frozen inside.

I stand silently and watch them approach. The first of the coherent energy slices the air, and I can move. I know that I am graceful, quick, lethal. They die as I move past them. My mission is to destroy this base. I will carry it out. No one who has seen me survives.

It is over quickly. Blood stains the snow, soot and ash darken what remains of the once-pristine white. In a few places, fire still burns fitfully. The ice that had held the river still cracked and shattered during the confrontation. It is slowly freezing once again.

I think that this is all I have ever known, those few seconds in the heat of battle, those few seconds when I am truly alive. When we are all truly alive. Those poor bastards who had the bad luck to run up against me felt it, too. Of course, the only thing alive down here now is me. I don't feel alive, though.

The sun is setting, and it is growing colder. I pivot and begin to move away. The ground shakes beneath my feet, a fitting tribute for my magnificence. It nearly wasn't mine. I had to stand up and take it when the opportunity unexpectedly presented itself. I will never regret doing that.

Between battles, between missions, I hide. I have to depend on myself alone. There is no one who will do that for me. Perhaps one person, but I don't want his help, his innocence, his gentle assault on my solitude.

I don't think I could refuse him.

My shelter is nearby. This time, I conceal myself from my enemy without the protective cover of others. It is more risky this way, but in this case it is necessary. I really don't want to cast suspicion on them; it would destroy any further use of that sanctuary.

Once my shelter has been reached, I restock my ammunition. I have a distressing tendency to run out of firepower in the middle of a fight, and I want to reduce the risk of that to a minimum. No damage was sustained – a fluke; normally some sort of repairs are needed. This time, I think, I was lucky. I begin to perform a few last minute checks when a spray of bullets surrounds me. I am once again lucky – I managed to avoid them until I am in the position to fight. Then, of course, nothing can touch me. Nothing except another like myself.

When that eventuality comes, I am prepared to die.

Until then, I ready myself for combat. Their long-range assault will give way soon enough. I could go after them, but this time I prefer to let them come to me. Keep them off-balance and guessing. I almost smile as I wait for them to reveal themselves.

Waiting once again, I stare into the blue.