The patrol had stopped in a small village, right on the southern outskirts of town. The sweep was ordered to make sure no SDR forces had infiltrated back into the area after such hard fighting to clear it. While the focus of the main fight was to the north, vigilance was required.

The four IMA suits took up a defensive position on higher ground that gave them a good view. The PL (patrol leader), 2LT “Nubee” Michaels, called the others through their newly installed LINC (Local Infrared Network Channel) system. His voice came through clear, flat, and mechanical.

“Half hour break. Two and Four pop top. Three and I will overwatch.“

APL SSG “Ranger” Norris keyed his mic in acknowledgement, then watched his monitor as the other two did the same. He opened his top hatch, taking in the fresh air as it flooded in. Warm, muggy, and still thick with the smell of burning things… yet somehow much preferred to the cold, clinical filtered air inside his Mk. III Raptor.

After opening the suit up and climbing down, Norris stood on flat ground and stretched his arms up, leaning as far back as he could. The knots in his back began to slowly loosen. He looked around, stepping to the burned out trunk of a tree to relieve himself.

SP4 “Alien” Ahlen walked over to Norris, opening a ration can. Norris smiled. “That kid is always eating yet he’s as skinny as a Neuspotter.“

“Hey sar’nt Norris? Do your knees ever fully decompress from spending hours in the cans?”

Norris shook his head, pulling a protein bar from his pocket. “No, not really. Consider it the price you pay to be part of the fun.” Norris looked at Ahlen’s side arm. “And do me a favor, high speed. Make sure you have that side arm ready to pull when you’re out of the can, OK?”

Ahlen looked down, blushing, popping the holster retention strap that held his pistol in place. “Dang… sorry. I keep screwing up.”

Norris shook his head. “That’s not screwing up. That’s learning. You only screw up if you need it quick and forget to do it. Just remember to always check it – open when out, closed when in. Get in the habit of doing all your equipment checks every time you get in and out of a can. Make it second nature, and you won’t be able to screw it up, OK?”

Ahlen nodded his head. “Got it. How long… did it take you to learn all this stuff?”

Norris smiled. “A lot longer than it will take you to learn it, because I had an APL who didn’t know his backside from a hole in the ground and left me OTF¹ for half a dozen missions.”

Ahlen laughed, and walked a few feet away, stretching his back.

Norris looked over towards the village, still inhabited despite the fighting. A group of women and children had gathered watching, wondering what the purpose of the IMA patrol was. Even though this was an IMA friendly village, a fighting suit meant fighting. And they’d seen too much of that.

A little girl, barefoot and wearing a tattered sundress, walked slowly towards Norris. His eyes began to dart around, looking for other movement. He knew from experience that Strahl often used misdirection in ambushes.

“Ahlen, eyes open. Check that woodline.”

Keying his collar mic as he eyed the little girl, he said “LT, any movement? Anything on the scope?”

The mechanical reply came back, “No. All clear. See something?”

Norris replied. “No… just… if you see any blip, let me know.” A click of the mic let him know the LT was watching.

As the little girl got closer, Norris raised his hand slightly, motioning her to stop. She stood there, her dirty matted auburn hair in her eyes. Her smile though was unmistakable.

A woman who he assumed to be the child’s mom had walked out, halfway to them, but stopped in fear. Looking towards her, he smiled, and then looked at the little girl. He kneeled, and motioned her forward. She stopped a few feet away.

Ahlen was nervous. “Sar’nt… are you sure about this?” Before Norris could look back, the little girl began to sing in a soft, sweet, voice.

“A, B, C, D, E, F, G….”

Her voice trailed off as she stopped to think.

“A, B, C, D, E, F, G….”

She paused again, then looked at Norris and shrugged.

Norris began to sing, softly and slowly so she could join.

“A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K….”

The little girl joined in, his prompt helping her to remember. As they got to the end of the song, she laughed and clapped. Then she started again, Norris joining her.

“A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K….”

This time, she smiled a huge smile at him. Then, an idea struck him. He grinned and held up a finger. “Wait right there, OK?” The little girl nodded.

He hurried over to his can, and digging into the storage area, pulled out a section of a ration carton. Grabbing a marker, he quickly wrote on it, and walked back over, this time closer to the little girl. He motioned her over. She hesitantly walked up, but as he showed her what he had, she quickly smiled and stood right up next to him.

Pointing at his writing on the cardboard, he began to sing. As they sang each letter, he pointed to it on the ration box.

“A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K….”

By the third time through, Norris stopped singing, and the little girl was able to complete it on her own.

Looking at him, she smiled. “Thank you. Can I… keep this?”

Norris nodded. “Sure, sweetie. It’s yours. Keep practicing.”

The mom was now nearby, and realizing what had happened, stood by smiling, tears in her eyes. Norris smiled at her, giving a brief wave. She waved back.

“Tasha, come here darling.”

Tasha turned, but then stopped, and came back to Norris, hugging him around the neck briefly before quickly retreating to her mom.

2LT Michaels’ voice came through his headset.

“All OK? Time to switch.”

Norris stood, watching the little girl and her mom walk back over to the group of people. Tasha proudly showed off her new alphabet card.

“All good LT. Mounting up.”

Looking over to Ahlen, he twirled his finger over his head. They both began the process of climbing into their cans. Soon, the outside world was closed off, the fresh air gone. While the air conditioned environment was a relief, the sterility reminded him that this was war.

“Four up?”

The mic clicked once.

“LT, we’re up.”

The mic clicked once more.

Twenty minutes later, the patrol moved out to the next grid that needed checking. A drone overhead relayed a message down through the LINC.

“Possible contact on the ridge to your west.”

Looking down, Norris looked the imagery over. It might be something, it might be nothing. But it had to be checked. Back to the war.

2LT Michaels’ voice came through the headset.

“Three, echelon left on me. Two, go to the right and take overwatch. Four, echelon right on two. Watch behind us.”

The mics clicked in acknowledgement.

Norris briefly rotated his camera behind him, zooming in on Tasha and her mom. Tasha was holding the cardboard close to her. Norris snapped a photo, then rotated the camera forward.

Reaching up, Norris wiped a tear from his cheek. He then keyed his mic.

“Four, twist right just a bit, stay on the azimuth. Favor your gun arm that way.”

The mic clicked back in acknowledgement.

1. Out There Flapping – a common phrase from my military days. It meant to be doing something with little purpose, clue, or preparation. Most often done by lower enlisted troops, officers, and especially… legs. 🙂

“It’s Elementary” © 2026 by Jon Bius. All original characters, non-canonical mechanical concepts and designs, and narrative text are the intellectual property of the author. This is a work of fan fiction utilizing the Maschinen Krieger universe and intellectual property created by and © Kow Yokoyama. All Maschinen Krieger intellectual property rights are reserved by their respective copyright holders.