Steel followed Nash to the armory and filled him in on what was happening.
"No one's ever met The Source Steel. She's been communicating with us for years and no one knows who or where she is. That keeps her safe. She is part of a network of a few people just like her who can get anything or anyone."
"What do you think caused her to change her mind?"
"You did."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Steel, we know who you are. You're some kind of special operations super soldier used by the Republic. Yeah, you have amnesia or some shit. Maybe that chip wasn't completely destroyed. Just damaged enough for you to fight it. Steel, you know nothing about yourself but I guarantee you she knows everything about you. Why don't you think Bernard blew you away on sight? You disarmed him with your looks? No. Despite the fact you came tearing through the streets covered in blood looking like a fucking crazy person we were expecting you."
"How?
"Who do you think caused that explosion in the mine?"
"No."
"You bet your ass we did."
"There were innocent people in there!" Steel roared, grabbing Nash by the throat and slamming him into a wall.
"Steel... listen to me..."
"Their lives for mine... WHY?!" Steel tightened his grip. Nash kicked Steel in the chest sending him back several feet.
"YOU THINK IT WAS EASY?!"
"WHY?!"
"BECAUSE THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY!" Nash yelled, a tear forming in his eye. "I thought I would never have to hurt the innocent again.. Because of you I had to. I was like you once. Same program that the Republic used to make you, the Empire used to make me. It turned out I was on the winning side, but I'll never say I was on the right one." He slumped to the ground against the wall. "I killed who they needed me to. No one ever saw it coming. I'd hit them from miles away. Quick, painless. I only killed soldiers though. Never civilians. Ever. I had a rule. Any mission that went like that I'd stop. One day they ordered me to kill the family of a man who was opposing The Emperor. I refused. I don't do families I told them." Nash said quietly. "They told me doing this mission would shoot me straight to the top. I told them to fuck off I had my rules and I wasn't going to break them for a shot to be the Emperor's lapdog. I walked away. They told me if I walked through that door my career would be over. I didn't care. I hopped on the first shuttle home. I got there as soon as I could..." Nash almost couldn't continue through the tears. "I saw smoke in the distance as I came over the hill. I've never run so fast in my life. I heard my wife crying for help. The house was on fire. The doors welded shut. I didn't care. I smashed through the wall... I was too late, I-I held her in my arms one last time but... dead. She was dead..."
"Christ," Steel sighed
"I killed anyone and everyone who had anything to do with it. With the exception of the man who did it. She found him though. I made that bastard pay. I'm not proud of what I did to him but it was what I needed to do. She gave me a name and where he was. Then she asked me for a favor. After what she had done for me I was open to anything. She told me to find you and get you out of there by whatever means necessary. We wanted to free everyone. She told us that once those chips were implanted that the people were zombies. People like you and I could make a full recovery. Others would be vegetables. They're essentially dead with no hope of salvation. I'm not happy about it either but she told me freeing you would save millions more. With you we can change this war."
"Maybe once. I'm not that man anymore. Hell, I barely know my own name."
"That chip isn't completely gone. You're fighting it because you're strong enough but to get your memories back you're going to have to get it out of you're head. She can do it safely and that's one of the reasons why we're headed to meet her."
"And the other reasons?"
"She won't tell me but until you she never asked for anything in return or the intel she provided. I have a feeling it's about time she's going to have us pay our debts."
"Great. Now I need a weapon."