Peggy "Pegi" Ace's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Pegi gripped the edge of the tactical display as red light pulsed across the map. The Titan energy spike locked onto the cliffside retreat where half her team had pulled back to regroup. They had maybe three minutes before the spike became a strike, and her teammates were still arguing about whether Hadie's intel could be trusted. She turned from the console and walked straight to the headquarters exit. The voices behind her rose louder, demanding she wait, calling for a vote. She didn't look back. The debate would take ten minutes they didn't have, and she'd already made the call. The doors slid open, and the morning air hit her face as she broke into a run. The cliffside launch point jutted out over the water, white stone streaked with green. Pegi morphed mid-stride, pink armor forming as she leaped. Her wings snapped open and she climbed hard toward the retreat. Below, black cracks spider-webbed across the hillside where the last Titan strike had scorched the earth. The energy signature was building again, same pattern, same burn. She reached the retreat ninety seconds before impact and pulled her team clear. The spike hit empty stone instead of Rangers. When the others caught up, they found her standing at the edge of the smoking crater, not apologizing, not explaining. Greece was still standing, and that was the only consensus that mattered.