Welcome to the second chapter! This may seem more abrupt than usual, but let's just get right into it! Thanks again to Mew Shadowfang for the scenes she contributed!
ATLAS: EXCIDIUM
Chapter II
UPON THEIR SHOULDERS
Laura took a deep breath as the elevator door opened. She and her team were mere yards from the entrance to the bunker, ready for the procedure. Well, her team was, anyway. Laura didn't want to admit it to her team, but her decision to go with the procedure wasn't hers. She was supposed to be the leader, but here she was, following the lead of the rest of her team.
Maybe the new voice in my head will help me. Laura continued to mentally kick herself as the team stood at attention in front of General Ironwood, his gaze colder than ice. Laura could feel the shivers running down her back when the man's eyes landed on her.
"Miss Thrush, Miss Aulnoy, Miss Zaffre and Mister Laoch. You all truly wish to undertake this process?"
Laura stepped up.
"Yes, sir." She fought to keep her voice from wavering, digging her nails into the palms of her hands. It was all she could do to silently follow General Ironwood to the first pod.
As the five marched down the row of pods, the General thought back to a statement he'd made months prior.
"Do you honestly believe your children can win a war?" The general sighed at the memory. It looks like mine will have to.
As they convened around one of the pods in the room, Ironwood turned to face them for what might be the last time.
"Now, who out of you will go first?"
Nyan started forward, a dangerous light in her eyes. "I'll-"
"I'll go."
Everyone turned to the Bird Faunus, one of her wings extended to prevent Nyan from going anywhere. Her eyes held steely determination that wasn't there before. The general nodded.
"Alright. Step into the pod, please."
Laura felt her heart beat quicker as the glass cover of the pod clicked shut. The cold metal pressed against her back, and it felt suffocating in the limited space. Her wings didn't have the room to spread, and were instead partially curled around her like a feathery cocoon. Through the clear glass, she could see her three teammates looking on with interest and worry.
"Are you ready, Miss Thrush?"
She closed her eyes, swallowed her fear, and nodded.
"I need a verbal response, please." The general noted. He knew what the answer was, but it was a liability nonetheless.
"Yes." Laura said, albeit with a smidge less determination than before. The general nodded before pushing a small button.
The machinery around her started whirring. It vibrated lightly around her, doing little to help her nerves. With each little jolt, her heart pounded faster and faster. She clenched her hands into fists.
And then the power hit.
The pain was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Foreign aura was suddenly all around her, seeping into the only thing it could: her. Fire seemed to spread all over her body, feeling as though her own limbs were trying to tear themselves away. She hardly felt herself lurch as her body rejected the aura, trying to force the new soul out.
Pieces seemed to make its way inside of her, crowding around her mind and thoughts. New, but old, memories bombarded her head. Her own memories were attacked, something completely alien invading and picking through her brain. Dimly, she was aware of the frantic noises outside her pod, drowned out by the screams of her own mind. Or… was it?
A cold feeling gripped her chest as she suddenly couldn't breathe. Blood, it was dripping down from her mouth as she lay broken on a scarred battlefield. Flames flickered from the edge of her vision, soot and broken timbers shaping the background. Malicious red eyes burned above her, set in blood-streaked bone mask. Claws of death littered blow upon blow on her body, eliciting gasps of pain. Her eyes glazed over as three completely foreign but familiar names flitted through her mind.
My team... I hope they... made it out alive... She thought. In the distance, the sound of a gunshot could be heard. Her eyes cracked open to see a figure clad in an empty white mask standing above her. With a final, shaking breath, the world faded from her.
Laura's eyes snapped open, arising from the vivid vision with a hoarse scream. A bout of panic overtook her as frantic eyes failed to recognize where she was. Complicated machines. Fluorescent lights. A pod she was sitting in, with a large crack in the now-raised glass dome. Four blurry people that stood in front of her.
Her chest heaved heavily with each breath. She was just there. That battlefield, out in the wilderness. In, in where? Anima? She felt another panic attack coming on as she struggled to remember.
Hands settled around her shoulders. Brown eyes came into focus, looking steadily into hers. They were wide with worry.
"Laura! Laura, calm down. Calm. Down." A voice gently nudged. The girl guided her back to sitting. Laura hadn't even realized she had stood up and got off the pod.
Slowly, her breathing returned to normal, eyes locked onto the girl's. The girl. Her partner. Her partner was Naven. No. It was- it was… She searched her mind desperately for a name.
"Malina!" She gasped out. Malina nodded, her eyes still wide with fright.
"Are you okay? You- you were screaming, and then you started to hit the glass, and then the General told us your vitals peeked MIA, and oh god, are you okay?"
Laura's mind spun from the onslaught of questions. A dizziness hit her with force of a truck, and with it came the sudden feeling of pain. Her right hand throbbed dully, and there were four little slits from where her fingernails had clutched so hard they had broken skin. Her throat felt dry and hoarse. Her limbs and muscles ached terribly. For some reason, her aura wasn't working.
Why wasn't her aura working?
She put a hand to her forehead as the dizziness nearly made her fall over. Laura was shaking. Beyond the single familiar face in front of her, everything else was dull and muted.
Something else touched her shoulder and she immediately spun around, batting them away with her wings in her panic. Wha- wings? Someone stumbled to the ground, letting out a muffled yelp. Laura's shoulder's heaved with the fresh bout of panic. These people were familiar. She should know them. Her team. Her team was Team DMNT. Team Diamond. But they weren't Team DMNT.
She… she couldn't remember much else. Her head was a jumbled mess of thoughts, and her body still ached all over.
Something pricked her skin. Hardly a moment later, she had thrown whoever it was off with a snarl. The world spun with her, and she nearly tripped over the steps they had been sitting on. Just barely, she could see someone new holding something in their hand. A needle...?
"Her blood pressure is stabilizing. Poor girl went through a lot in there." The nurse informed the general. "If you don't mind, sir, might I ask why you chose to put the soul of someone who'd just about died, so horrifically, I might add, into someone so innocent as her?" The general sighed.
"They can learn a lot from each other. Their experiences." Ironwood replied solemnly. "One of them's seen the world at its worst, the other at its best. They both need this. We all need this."
"Have you checked on the others?"
"Yes. They're stabilizing as well. They seemed to take the physical aspect better than she did, but mentally, they took the same toll."
"Why are you waiting in here, then?"
"Laura underwent the procedure first, and she'll be the first to awaken." Ironwood said, looking towards the Faunus. "I want to be here when she does."
"Of course, sir."
Wh-what is this... this feeling...
Like there's someone in my head...
Who... who are you?
I could ask the same thing about you... what's going on?
I... don't know. Laura searched her head for an answer, as did the other voice.
Well, whoever you are, my name's Meadow.
Laura. It's a pleasure to meet you.
The pleasure's all mine, assuming you aren't a parasite.
Don't worry, I'm not. I'm just... It was then that Laura remembered. Of course! The procedure!
I beg your pardon?
The Atlas Academy scientists found a way to transfer aura from one person to another. When you were dying, they must have extracted your aura and stored it. Then they used that procedure to give it to me!
I don't remember that... but then again, that doesn't mean it didn't happen. So, that means...
That you and I...
share a body...
That's... incredible.
So, I get a second chance? At life, at everything?
Well, from what the scientists can guess, I'll still have all of the physical control, but don't worry, I'll make sure you're happy as well.
I'm- WE'RE, still a huntress, right?
In training. Is that a problem?
Oh, no, not at all. I always missed my glory days at Beacon. Was a shame when it fell.
Yeah. My sister went there.
What's her name?
Lavender.
...Thrush?
Yes! Did you know her?
Of course! She was two years down from me, but we were still best friends! How is she?
She's at Beacon, helping with the clean up. Once that's done, though, she'll be here, too! Maybe I could relay what you- oh.
What's wrong?
The procedure's top secret. You won't really be able to talk to anyone but my teammates and the general. I'm so sorry.
Don't be. What's your team like?
Well, it's Team LuMiNesCent. L, M, N, C.
So, you're the leader?
Yeah. Not quite comfortable with it, though...
Well, I wasn't a leader myself, but if you need some help, I remember that Dandelion did a pretty good job, so I might tell you to do what she did sometimes.
That would be great!
So, who all are you leading?
Malina, Nyan, and Conáilte.
General description of each?
Malina's smart and nice, Nyan's hyper and brave, and Conáilte... I don't really know how to describe him, come to think of it.
How long have you been a team?
Initiation was yesterday.
Alright, so you don't have to really know him quite yet. Have you been in any classes yet?
No, not yet. We start later today.
...Would it be cheating if I gave you some of the answers?
Probably.
Technically, you don't have any writing or communication device on you as you realize the answer...
Meadow, I'll be fine. I got in, didn't I?
Alright, but I'd be happy to give you some help if you need it.
Thank you. I can't wait to get out there with you 'by my side!'
Neither can I!
"Miss Thrush?" The general asked as the faunus stirred. The bright lights pained the girl's eyes as she started to wake up, causing her to shudder. Her eyes slowly opened, the figure before her becoming less and less of a blur. "I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?" The general paused for a moment before adding, "Both of you."
"Meadow and I are fine." Laura said with a smile. "Why did you knock me out?" Laura asked, remembering the needle.
"Well, Miss Thrush, you were suffering from temporary amnesia, and your body needed to stop fighting the foreign aura. The only way that could be achieved was by inducing an unconscious state. You seem to be doing much better now."
"Thank you." Laura looked at her arms, noticing multiple puncture wounds, as if she'd received a dozen shots. "How long before my- OUR, auras, heal this?"
"Well, your aura wasn't working before, due to the aforementioned rejection by your body. However, now that that's been taken care of, it should be no more than half an hour."
"Do I have to stay here until they're gone?"
"Unfortunately, yes. People will become curious if they see multiple students with a dozen shots on their arms."
"Of course, sir." It was then that Laura's eyes widened. "My team! How are they? Have they gone through the procedure yet?"
"Yes. You'll be glad to know that they all took the physical aspect of the procedure better than we'd dared hope. They're still unconscious, and Malina should be the next to wake up in a few minutes." The general smiled. "Take some time to relax. You both deserve it." The general said as he turned to leave the room.
"Thank you, sir." Laura said as she sat back on her cot and stared at the ceiling.
"Sir?" A nurse asked as Ironwood stepped out of Malina's room. "Something's... weird."
"Besides students with two auras?" Ironwood asked with a smile.
"Well, Conáilte's already up. We used the same dosage as the others..."
"Hm. Very well. Thank you for telling me." The general said, walking in the direction of Conáilte's room. As he left, the nurse entered Malina's.
"Hello, Miss Aulnoy. How are you two feeling?"
"I'm fine, thank you. Bell's a little bit hyper." The nurse smiled.
"She always was."
"That's what Ironwood said, too."
"Well, we chose you to get her aura because of your patience. Anybody else on your team would lose their mind, sharing it with her. I'm glad you can get along."
"Thank you. Am I looking good from a physical standpoint?"
"Well, you look as pretty as ever."
"As much as I enjoy the compliments, that's not what I was asking about."
"Of course, I know. All of your vitals are normal."
"Thank you. By the way, this procedure is confidential, correct?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Is my father to be made aware of this?" The nurse shook her head.
"No. This is a matter for the school's science branch, the General, and a few instructors. Your father might work for Atlas, but he doesn't have the clearance for this."
"Understood. Is Laura OK?"
"Yes, she is. Nyan's still unconscious, and Conáilte woke up sooner than we'd anticipated. Aside from that, everything is as planned."
"Is he OK?" The nurse nodded.
"Yes, thankfully. He and his 'second' have gotten along decently. It was more likely a matter of his physiology that made the anesthetic less effective."
"Of course. Tell him and Laura I said hello, and tell Nyan as well once she's awake." Malina smiled.
"You can tell them yourself once she wakes up. According to our numbers, she should be up and moving in no more than ten minutes." The nurse said, looking at a clipboard. "In the meantime, I'll let the two of you rest. My apologies for intruding."
"It's no problem. Thank you." Malina replied as the nurse left.
Yay, now it's just us again!
You know, if you wanted to tell her something, I could have relayed a message to her.
Yeah, but I just want to talk to you!
About?
I don't know! Say, what kind of TV are you into?
… What does he want with us NOW?
Bess, please…
I mean, seriously, he just comes in and interrogates us literally right after you woke up, and now he wants us to get up and walking ALREADY? Can't a gal get a break around here?
Conáilte could feel his briefly-alleviated headache come back with a vengeance. He never thought he'd miss silence so much. Bess-
I didn't go through with this just to be ordered around like one of your Atlas soldiers. I am a Huntress, I deser-
For the love of everything, can you PLEASE just shut up for one minute?
… well it's not like I'm doing it on purpose. We kind of share a mind now.
Conáilte stifled a sigh and settled for rubbing his temples instead. This new aura, person-in-your-mind thing was still a little odd getting used to, but he hadn't thought it would be like... this. This Bess person, well, she liked to complain. It was fine when they had woken up; he found they actually had some things in common. But when Bess realized they were in Atlas, well, her contempt was still fresh in his mind. Literally. He could feel those foreign emotions adding to his miniature soon-to-be migraine.
Maybe if she were actually physical and not stuck in his mind, he could have tolerated her, but having to listen to her every complaint about everything Atlas?
Conáilte was sure he wouldn't survive the next week, if only because he'd let himself be mauled by a Grimm.
Hey now, I heard that! Don't go dying on me now, it's hardly been a few hours.
Well I'm really starting to-
Conáilte abruptly cut the thought off when he realized everyone had stopped. The General had led them to a large room, immaculate and white in true Atlesian style. A large, marble desk took up the center of the room, a blue carpet trailing up to it. Pennants and tapestries hung on the walls, no doubt of great achievements of the past. Such decor made it immediately apparent that they were in the General's office, or rather, one of them, which seemingly had been built adjacent to the bunker.
Smart, he's got an office at the top and bottom.
The General himself turned to face them.
"Team LMNC. Each of you have chosen to undertake this process. Each of you now carries the soul of a former Huntsman, and with it a grave responsibility."
Out of the corner of his eye, Conáilte saw the other members of his team shake with nervous anticipation. Or maybe just excitement in that insane partner of his. Who knew what went on in her mind?
"Each of you now possess more power than many people could ever hope to imagine. It is your duty to control and use this power to better our future."
God, old man, get to the point…
"However, for now, I'd suggest you get used to walking around again. Especially those of you not fully in control."
Oh, great. Now he's talking directly to us, but sure, we can respond! ... Wait a second... he can't hear me! I GET TO DISS THE GENERAL AS MUCH AS I WANT!
"Feel free to explore the bunker while we wait for those marks on your arms to heal, and ask the scientists any questions you may have, provided of course the answers aren't classified."
Yeah, I have some classified answers for YOU! You absolute-
Bess! Life is suffering, but THIS is well beyond that!
Not my fault you have a soft spot for the General!
Not my fault I have a soft spot in my neck. Just soft enough for-
Okay, I get the point! Geez.
The team mostly left the General's office, heading separate directions as they started to explore. Malina, however, walked back into the office.
"General Ironwood, sir? May I... have a word with you, for just a moment?"
"Miss Aulnoy? Do you have a question for me?"
"No, sir. I may... have some information." The general raised an eyebrow, shifting back in his seat.
"Go on."
"During our assault on the factory, I overheard some White Fang grunts."
"Did they share any information regarding their future plans?"
"Not that I heard." Malina shook her head.
"So, what DID you hear?"
"Well, sir, to paraphrase, 'I wonder what else we'll find here.'" The general's face changed from slightly confused to contemplative, sitting forward in his chair once again.
"So, you don't believe the factory belonged to the White Fang."
"Not originally, no, sir."
"The factory was not property of Atlas." The General stood up now, walking to the front of his desk. Malina resisted the urge to take a step back as she responded.
"I could tell, sir. It was structurally sound, generally speaking, but not to the same degree as an Atlas building."
"So, you believe someone else built the factory, and the White Fang took it over?"
"That sounds correct. I copied the files on their system, and sent them to my father to decrypt." The general frowned.
"While I would have preferred you send them to the Military Intelligence Division..."
"Of course, my apologies."
"... Your father should be able to do the job quite well. Report back to me with any information he finds."
"Yes, sir. I still don't understand, however, who could have built those giant machines..." The General paused for a moment before responding, contemplating the nature of the information he was sharing in return.
"I received some reports of seismic activity in the area, following the factory's destruction. Do you think the White Fang built mechs after taking over the base?"
"I don't recall seeing their emblem on the machines. The machines may have been there before they were." The general turned away, pondering for a moment.
"With no White Fang insignia, anyone who comes across one of them may mistake them for Atlas."
"Riots would start within the hour, and the unrest could have disastrous consequences. That's forgetting to mention the damage caused by the mechs themselves." Malina noted, now more worried herself. The General turned back towards the brunette.
"Thank you for the information, Miss Aulnoy. I'll send a recon team to collect information on the mechs' locations. We may need to give your team a field test."
"Yes, sir. I will inform my team." The General thought for a moment.
"No, not yet. If needs be, I will be the one to brief them."
"Understood. Permission to join my team?"
"Granted." Malina left the office once again as General Ironwood sighed.
So much for the 'calm before the storm...'
After the wounds on their arms had healed, team LMNC was free to leave the bunker. The four returned to their dorm, and Nyan once again plopped onto her bed.
"Don't get too comfortable. We've still got class in a few hours." Conáilte chided.
"Conáilte's right. But I forgot to ask you all, do you know your secondary semblances?"
"Yeah."
"Yup."
"Uh, nope."
"Alright, so me and Nyan don't know ours. How did you guys figure out yours?"
"We asked." Conáilte responded bluntly. "I've basically got 'reserve strength' that'll let me hit faster and harder for a bit. Malina's got a 'hard read', but only on a single opponent at a time. I also asked about Nyan's, and already thought of at least a quarter dozen uses."
"Whoa, how many is that?" Nyan asked, wide-eyed.
"Three." Malina answered, bursting Conáilte and Nyan's bubbles.
"So, wait, what is my second semblance?"
"Well, figure it out when you get a chance. You should have asked them yourself."
"Conáilte, just tell her."
"Why? It's completely her fault she doesn't know, and this is the perfect opportunity to teach her to take some responsibility for herself."
"Conáilte, that's just mean!" Laura scolded.
"Can't say I agree with his methods, but he has a point." Malina admitted. "Though, she could just ask her second."
"Oh, crap, you're right." Nyan shook her head.
"He won't tell me."
"Well, tell him I said to tell you." Laura responded.
"He's still saying no." Nyan shook her head and smiled. "Never mind, let's just forget about it for now. We have to get ready for class!" The rest of the team raised an eyebrow each as Nyan started to get ready, but soon followed suit.
Several other combat teams trickled into the classroom as the clock struck eight. The members of team LMNC sat in several different spots, Conáilte in the back, Malina in the front, and Laura and Nyan in the middle, one at each third. The professor waited for a moment, to allow everyone to take a seat before starting.
"Welcome, everyone, to your first period class. I am Professor Sininen, and I will be your teacher in this class. For any of you who are somehow unaware of what this class is, precisely, it is Aura Management and Conservation. In this class, you will learn how to use your aura to its greatest potential, and become more capable of surviving a far greater array of attacks against people and Grimm."
"Now, many of you may be wondering: how, exactly, can we increase the value of our aura? Is it not a set amount that, once depleted, requires time to recharge? My answer is this: one's aura can be a set amount, but that amount can be increased, and the aura managed in such a way as to achieve maximum value. That is precisely what you will learn over the course of this year. Now, if you would all open your textbooks to page 3." As the students opened their books, they heard a knock at the door. "Come in." One of the school staff entered the room.
"I'm sorry, but a few of the students in your class have been summoned to the General's office."
"Oh? On the first day? And who would they be?"
"Miss Laura Thrush, Malina Aulnoy, Nyan Zaffre, and Mister Conáilte Laoch, professor."
"Four students? Almost a record. Very well. You four, you heard her. We'll have a make-up later, so don't think you've gotten out of class just yet."
The four looked to each other as they stood up and left the room.
"Any idea what's going on?" Laura asked Conáilte as they went along.
"No. I'm not aware of anything we did wrong." the boy replied.
"I might have an idea." Malina piped up. "I can't say I know for certain, though."
"Nyan's uncharacteristically silent." Conáilte noted. "What have you done?"
"Hey, don't blame her! She probably didn't even do anything!"
The four arrived at the General's office, almost identical to the one in the bunker save the addition of a large window, and the door closed behind them. The general was the first to speak.
"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. Well, one of you is, but not all of you." Everyone turned to Nyan as the general continued. "Miss Aulnoy briefed me a small amount on the mechs that emerged from the factory yesterday, which, for simplification, we are presently designating as 'Centaurs.' One such Centaur has been reported near Grauerstein. I'm sending the four of you to the area. You will observe the Centaur and its capabilities primarily, but if you have a chance, destroy it. Miss Thrush, I will be giving you temporary authority to call in airborne fighter units, should their services be required." Laura nodded. "I trust you will all perform admirably, though understand that may require some preparation. I will grant you one hour and no more. This is top priority, and many lives could be in your hands. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" The four sounded off.
Oh, so now he's making us do the dirty work.
Shut UP, Bess.
"Hey, Laura." Conáilte approached his leader as the team arrived at the dorm.
"Yes?"
"I was wondering if you could help me with a weapon real fast."
"Oh! What did you have in mind?"
"Well, it's less a weapon and more a thing to use in conjunction with it."
"That being?"
"A holster, but with an automatic reload." Laura raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, when I bring the gun to the right spot, it'll put in a new mag. Hands-free reloading- well, one handed, I suppose, but you get the idea." Laura nodded.
"Alright, I see what you mean. We better hurry though." The two made their way to the school's Fabrication Center, one running and the other flying.
It took Laura thirty minutes, five of which were spent adding an additional holster for a second pistol Conáilte had somehow acquired. Upon completion, it had a place for two combat knives, which Conáilte had bought as Laura had worked on the reloading mechanism; two pistols; and multiple magazines for each. Conáilte unloaded a clip at a target, and brought the gun his hip, releasing the magazine as it fell. The holster did the rest, putting a new magazine into the pistol and chambering a shot.
"Alright, that works. Thanks!"
"Any time! I'll go check on Malina and Nyan, see if they're ready yet."
"Yeah, I'll come too. Don't have any prep left to do myself."
The two headed back to the dorm, the two others turning to them as they entered.
"Where did you and Conáilte go?" Nyan asked the team leader, shining Comet to perfection.
"I helped him make a holster for his gun. Er, guns, now." Laura replied.
"Oh, that's right!" Malina remembered. "Can you help me modify mine once we get back?"
"Of course!" Laura beamed.
Look at us, being all helpful! We've got to be the nicest leader ever! Meadow 'said' with pride.
Yeah! Hopefully we're as good in combat as we are out of it...
Relax, you'll be fine! Just don't do anything too big. If it looks bad, don't be afraid to pull them out.
Are you okay?
Me? Of course! Why do you ask?
Well...
...Okay, you got me. Look, my team thought we were ready for the big mission. Just... don't make the same mistake we did and keep fighting, OK?
...Okay.
Promise?
Promise.
Laura finished gathering her things, Malina and Nyan having done the same, with Conáilte standing in the doorway. Laura took a deep breath.
"Alright. Team LMNC?" She looked to her teammates and smiled. "Let's go."
The dropship arrived at its destination 30 minutes later, and hovered a few feet above the ground in a clearing as team LMNC jumped out. The dropship flew away the second their feet touched the ground.
Geez, even their pilots don't want to be here. Bunch of wimps.
Bess.
What? It's true.
The boy rolled his eyes as he and three others walked towards the town, or at least where it had been on the map.
The team stopped as they saw what had taken its place.
One wouldn't have been able to tell there had been structures here without the occasional piece of debris. The cement that formed the ground was charred and broken, and on one of what few surfaces did remain, one could make out an ash silhouette, appearing as if trying to shield its face. What once had been the most populated town outside of the kingdom had become a desolation, surrounded by mountains on all sides. Laura's hand covered her mouth as her team looked on.
"Should we search for survivors?" Malina asked.
"No point." Conáilte replied. "Place's almost as flat as Nyan. If there were any survivors, we'd see them."
"So, what do we do?" The motorcyclist inquired.
"Same thing we were supposed to do before. Observe the capabilities. And I think they've been decently well-observed."
"Hold on. There are some empty flood canals within the town. Someone might've taken refuge there." Malina noted.
"Alright, the three of us will search those. Laura, get some height. If the Centaur's coming back, let us know." Laura nodded and took to the sky.
"See you both at the canal!" Nyan yelled as she sped off on her motorcycle.
"Think we're going to find anyone?" Conáilte asked as the two started towards the town.
"To be quite honest, I'm not expecting to."
"Me neither. Hope Laura finds what she's looking for, though." Malina nodded as they reached the bottom of the hill and began their search.
Are you seeing anybody down there?
No. Everyone's just... gone. What could have done this?
I know it's one or more of the Centaurs we saw. I thought they were just really durable mobile bases...
Looks like there's a bit more to them than that.
I just hope it took all four to do this.
Same here. If one of them could do this, imagine if they grouped up! The shared thought scared both of them as they both continued searching from above, their eyes in the same place but their focus separate.
There! Laura mentally shouted as she spotted a man waving both of his arms. She landed near him, and he rushed to her.
"A huntress! Are you a huntress?!" He asked, his voice filled with panic.
"In training, sir, but I'll do what I can. What happened here?" The man put his hands to his face.
"Well, this giant robot- it had to have been 50 yards tall at least- came over the mountain, and this light came out of it! It looked like it was scanning the town, but everything just exploded out of nowhere right after! I got into my bunker, but I don't think anyone else was so lucky."
"Alright, sir, please calm down..." Laura said with a soothing voice. "We'll get you to Atlas, and see if we can't find anyone else."
"Thank goodness... thank you."
"I'd recommend staying here. This looks like a good rendezvous point for all of the other survivors."
"Of course, of course!" The man said as Laura sent her team the same message.
"Alright, sir, can you get back in the shelter while I go look for more survivors?"
"Y-yes..." the man responded. Once he was inside, Laura took to the sky again.
Laura!
Yes, Meadow?
Do you hear that?! Laura listened for a moment. And what she heard sent a chill down her spine.
It was footsteps. Loud footsteps.
Mechanical footsteps.
"Guys!" Laura said as she put her scroll to her face. "Are you all hearing what I'm hearing?!"
"Hard not to. How's the weather up there, by the way?"
"I hear it too. I don't know why they'd come back though, there's nothing here!" Nyan shouted into her scroll.
"They must want to admire their work. Or they're headed somewhere else." Malina said. "One town gone, Atlas can still clean up and remain in semi-good graces with the public. Two, and there's chaos. You heard the General, here's our chance."
No, absolutely not. Meadow wanted to say aloud.
"I don't know guys. Meadow says we shouldn't do it." Laura said nervously.
"If Meadow's going to be a pansy about it, you can take her away from here."
"Conáilte!" Laura shouted, appalled.
"Hey, I sincerely doubt those things are invincible."
"He's right." Malina added. "I don't think they'd waste that beam on a small squad. That puts its main weapon out of commission."
"But the armor on those things looked pretty hard. I don't think anything we have would dent it." Nyan argued.
"Guys! Meadow isn't going to, so neither will I. That means none of us will." Laura metaphorically put her foot down, and would have done so literally had she not been 50 feet off the ground.
"Not necessarily. Just because you're the leader doesn't mean you have to participate in combat. Long as we have our scrolls, you can give us tips."
"Conáilte, I said no."
"Laura, I said I don't care."
"Come on, guys! Do you think we can take it down?" Nyan asked.
"Yes, and we'll look cool doing it." Conáilte said, knowing he'd strike a nerve.
"I'm in!" Nyan shouted.
"So am I. Now the question is how we do it." Malina commented.
"The only question is why you guys aren't listening!"
"Because your request that Meadow stays out of it and our request to take it down aren't mutually exclusive." Conáilte shot her down.
I'm sure we can figure something out... Bess added. We might not need her at all.
Laura, figure something out! Meadow begged.
"Guys, please-" Laura's mouth hung open as she was disconnected from the call.
"Alright, how are we going about this?" Nyan asked.
"I've got an idea. You guys see that mountain it's going to pass by?"
"Yes."
"Yeah!"
"Meet me there, I've got a plan." Conáilte said, before hanging up and breaking into a sprint.
Maybe Laura and Meadow will join us?
Doubt it. She seemed really intent on not doing this. Conáilte sighed. I really wish she could've convinced us, honestly.
I guess we'll have to do. Your plan's a little scummy, though.
Hey, results are results. I just hope she can do it.
I'd cross my fingers if I were in charge of them.
Don't worry, my luck's not THAT bad. Conáilte kept running for the mountain, noticing Malina and Nyan already there. The footsteps were louder than before, and from what he could tell, the thing was coming straight for them.
If this works, Laura's never going to hear the end of it.
Come on, don't be like that. I'm gonna be happy if we even slow it down.
Don't worry, we will.
Well, we better. If she doesn't do it, we're all basically dead. The boy smiled as he crossed the bridge at the mountain's base.
Let's not keep the devil waiting, then.
Malina rested on one knee, scanning the area through her weapon's scope, when Conáilte arrived at hers and Nyan's location. They could still hear the machine marching towards them, pebbles nearby bouncing as it took each step. The town's natural barriers had failed it, and it appeared they would do so again as the Centaur came over one of the mountains. As it practically jumped down to level ground, Malina and Nyan got their first good looks at the tank.
It was a steel grey color, and Malina could see that the legs were connected to almost separate bodies on either side of the main one. The legs themselves were wide as viewed from the front, but very thin as viewed from the side, creating blades that split the earth with every move.
The most notable feature, however, was the main weapon of the vehicle. It was carried by multiple supports on top of the vehicle, and was as wide as the main body of the vehicle. A joint manifested itself near the cannon, allowing it to swivel upwards and downwards, clearly designed to destroy a whole line of buildings with one firing. In addition, she saw a large laser weapon near the front, as if the vehicle didn't have firepower enough. All of that was, of course, neglecting to mention the sheer size of the thing, which Malina eyeballed to be about 50 yards even without the weapon or its supports.
The two girls' eyes went wide as they saw what they were up against, as did their leader's from where she was in the sky.
"Alright," Conáilte said, "do either of you have a plan?"
"I didn't know it'd be so big..." Nyan thought aloud.
"If we get on board, we'll have a shot. That exterior's not going to budge from anything we can offer." Malina offered.
"My thoughts exactly. Nyan?" Conáilte turned to his teammate.
"Yeah?" Nyan replied, with renewed awareness of the people beside her.
"This mountain we're on has a natural ramp there, see?" the boy explained, pointing to it. "What I need you to do is go halfway up the mountain, and then come back down and try to make the jump." Please don't see through it...
"Got it!" Nyan yelled as she revved the engine. Malina watched the Centaur, still in awe, as Conáilte watched Nyan make a u-turn.
This better work. Bess threatened.
"NYAAAAAAAAAN ZAFFRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE!" Nyan yelled as she raced down the mountain at full speed.
The girl expected to run up the ramp and catch what was arguably the most air she'd ever caught. She would land on the Centaur and find a way in.
That's what she thought the plan was, which was why she was surprised when Conáilte suddenly shot earth dust in front of her tire, causing her to come to a stop.
Her motorcycle, anyway. Nyan continued onward, flying without her weapon towards the tank. She obviously hadn't broken the sound barrier, as she could hear Malina's scream from behind her, but she was moving very quickly nonetheless. Given a little thought, it was almost bliss; flying through the air like she always had, but this time without Comet. Emphasis on almost, as she soon realized what she was going to hit head-on.
Nyan brought her arms up to shield her face, more out of reflex than strategy, preparing for the worst. However, as the inevitable approached; or, rather, she approached the inevitable, she suddenly felt very strange, as if a foreign power had decided to awaken inside of her. She watched as her body became surrounded with a glow, and she became completely paralyzed. What... is this?
That's me. A second voice in her head answered. Nyan would have replied, but she mentally flinched as she hit the Centaur.
And continued through it.
Like a bullet through flesh, Nyan went through the Centaur, creating a small hole in her wake. The glow disappeared as she emerged from the other side of the vehicle, though the paralysis remained. Nyan had a mere moment upon regaining movement before she hit the ground, bouncing before hitting it again. She eventually came to a stop, multiple craters in her path. What she'd also left in her path was a Centaur, with a hole through its midsection. While she hadn't hit anything important, she had brought the tank to a temporary stop.
One which Conáilte and Malina took full advantage of.
The team's two brunettes jumped onto Comet to make the jump that Nyan had attempted, jumping off the motorcycle to get a little extra distance as they fell short. Comet fell to the ground, but thankfully had been designed to be incredibly resilient. The two landed on the shoulder of the vehicle, and started to climb down to the hole their teammate had created as it began moving again.
"You're LUCKY she used her secondary semblance there. What even was that?"
"Momentum. If she's moving, nothing can stop her, and if she isn't, she stops everything. She IS paralyzed when she uses it, though, but not for terribly long."
"Okay, but you still lied to her."
"Something I'll teach Laura how to do. Though, now I think about it, I didn't tell her nothing would stop her. I told her to try, and she did, and I made her fail for the sake of stopping this thing for a second." Malina groaned internally as she realized he was correct.
The two arrived at the hole, and Malina stood by the opening, ready to breach.
"They definitely have interior defenses, people or not. Go in three. One, two, three!" The two jumped in through the hole, aiming their weapons in separate directions. As if on cue, two panels in the roof opened up, dropping a dozen robotic sentries. They looked similar to the Knight-130s, though slightly more bulky in design. They raised their arms, revealing machine guns, and began to fire.
Malina leapt behind a pillar along the wall, and fired at the robots on her side. Each went down in two or three shots, thankfully, and she took down six before needing to reload. Conáilte began firing with the gun in his right hand, taking down four before the clip was empty. As the magazine fell to the ground, he raised his left pistol, taking down another four before switching back to the now-reloaded pistol in his right hand. With the first two dozen robots down, Malina and Conáilte took a second, just to make sure no others were coming immediately after.
"They might be proximity-activated." Malina theorized. "I don't think there are any people on this thing, and with no one on board but them, anything alive is a target."
"Robots, lovely. Because I wasn't hoping to be able to use my primary semblance."
"Why weren't you?"
"Sarcasm."
"Oh. So, your semblance doesn't work on robots?"
"No, only people and Grimm. I can touch memory, but not a memory card."
"Well, then you'll have to be a bit more careful than usual."
"Don't worry. My semblance is an add-on to skill, not a substitute. I can do decently enough without it. Wish I could say the same for Laura."
"Hey, you should have seen her in the forest. She was mostly using her sword."
"Yeah, she's talented, but her semblance is her most powerful source of damage. I've had to learn how to fight when I can't utilize my semblance, and I'll try to teach her the same." Conáilte started walking down the hall. "Come on, let's go find what makes this thing tick." Malina reloaded her rifle and followed the boy.
Laura wasn't stupid.
She knew the Centaur had to be taken down. Meadow knew it, too. But so had he, that man in the white mask.
It wasn't our place. It wasn't our fight to win.
This wasn't their fight to win.
Which was why she'd done the only thing she could think to do.
"Miss Thrush, squadrons 17, 25, and 40, closing in on your position." A voice came over the faunus' scroll.
"Understood." Laura answered shakily.
She had called in backup, of course. There were now thirty fighters coming to their aid.
Stay out of it. If anything, the ships would blow you up along with it.
Laura nodded. While Meadow didn't have any experience as a leader, she did have experience as a fighter, and their instincts were telling them no.
That is, until the Centaur suddenly stopped. It was only for a moment, but Laura could hear the sudden lack of movement. That was when she noticed a green and blue blur hit the ground to the vehicle's side.
Oh, no...
Laura flew towards her teammate at top speed, touching down as the stunt devil got on her own feet.
"Nyan!" Laura cried. "What happened?!"
"Something super cool, that's what!" Nyan screamed. "Did you see me, El?!"
"Yes! You scared me! How did you even do that?! Are you okay?"
"I'm okay. For some reason, Conáilte stopped my bike when I was trying to jump, and I flew right at it!"
"Conáilte did this?!"
"Yeah! But it's cool! I used my second semblance!" Laura's eyes went wide.
Second semblance? What's she on about?
It's a side effect of the procedure... we have ours and your auras, so we have ours and your semblances, too.
Wait, really? That's amazing...
"How'd you figure out how to use it?" Laura asked.
"I... don't know. It just kinda... came to me." Nyan replied, looking at her arms.
"Well, I'm glad you're okay, but where's your bike?"
"Oh, Comet? Hold on." Nyan smiled as she pressed a button on her helmet.
In the distance, Comet's engine started as it used its kickstand to right itself. It raced towards Nyan, who jumped onto it as the two were about to collide, stopping her weapon with a short drift. Nyan smiled as she turned to her leader. "Here it is."
"Alright, where are Conáilte and Malina?" Laura's wings lowered, and her eyes widened again as she got a pretty good idea of their location. "Oh, dear..."
"Miss Thrush?" A voice came over the faunus' scroll again. "We're here!" Laura froze for a moment before grabbing the device.
"Wait! Don't attack ye-"
"All squadrons! In formation!" The voice yelled again, this time not directed towards LMND's leader. Multiple overlapping 'affirmatives' and 'yes, sirs' soon followed. Laura turned to the sky as the fighters came into view, the front line opening fire on the Centaur.
The large vehicle seemed unaffected by any of the shots, and didn't seem to react to them. It didn't seem to, until its main weapon opened fire. A red light appeared to shine over the fighters, almost as if scanning them. Laura and Nyan were swept off their feet as the fighters spontaneously exploded mere moments later, leaving thin air and thick smoke in their place. Laura picked up her scroll, having lost connection to the call. She fell to her knees as the Centaur continued its march.
"Whoa!" Conáilte cried as a loud noise shook the mobile battle station. "Do you think that was-"
"Can't have been..." Malina replied, though less sure of herself than usual. "There's no one to use it on, unless..."
"This stupid thing blocks scroll contact!" Conáilte groaned as he attempted to reach Laura.
"It's understandable. If I had something like this, I wouldn't want someone to sneak on and send pictures."
"Then we've got to hurry up and find something." The two left the room they had been in, filled with broken robots, to continue their search for a weakness. Malina entered the next room, which appeared to be an engine room. Large gears could be observed in various places, turning away as the machine marched on.
"Hold on." Malina turned to Conáilte. "Do you think we can stop it here?"
"Not likely. I'm sure the full drive controls are more secure than this. But..."
"But what?"
"Maybe we can slow it down. Force it to shift to a slower gear."
"A few of these gears look like they're part of the primary drive train. We take those out, we might force this thing into secondary drive."
"Will it buy us more time than it takes? This thing might be headed somewhere, and it'd be better if we stop it BEFORE it gets there."
"Most likely. Either way, it's worth a shot."
Conáilte walked over to a large gear.
"This one looks like a 'primary' to me."
"I'd believe it."
"Okay, stand back." Conáilte motioned Malina away. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The sudden surge of power almost made him stumble as he activated his secondary semblance for the first time. Conáilte grabbed the two knives from his holster and began hacking at the gear, which was, unsurprisingly, far more effective than it otherwise would have been. The broken pieces of the gear fell to the ground as Conáilte turned back to his teammate.
"There's one. I can't imagine they'd keep them all in one place, so let's keep looking for the others."
"I think that one's another primary, but after that I'd say we're done here." Malina pointed to another large gear on the other end of the room. Conáilte adjusted his grip on the knives as he walked over to the gear. As he neared it, however, he heard a panel open above him, and rolled to the side as another dozen of the robots dropped onto the spot.
As they raised their weapons, Conáilte, still utilizing his secondary semblance, ran towards them, each knife held in a reverse grip as he began to stab each robot in either a joint or the head. A few fell as he was about to stab them, courtesy of Malina, and after they fell, Conáilte went to the large gear, destroying it as he had the first.
So, wait. How long does this last?
Thirty seconds. So you should be coming off it right about... now. Exactly as Bess said this, Conáilte's strength returned to normal, and he had to prevent from stumbling once again. Don't worry, you should be able to use it again by the time you find the next gears for the primary drive.
Thanks.
Thanks for the kudos!
Don't get used to it.
"Alright, let's go search the rest. This thing might be symmetrical, so I'd say we loop around just to see." Malina looked out into the hall. "Still nobody but us and those robots. You think Nyan's going to find a way onto this thing?"
"Have you met her? She'll find another hill and make the jump there. Laura could join us pretty easily, provided there aren't any turrets outside that we don't know about." Conáilte responded as he sheathed the knives.
"Maybe. I still wish she was here."
"Don't worry, I won't let her hear the end of it if she doesn't get on eventually." Malina glared at her teammate as the two left the room, guns drawn.
"Conáilte, she's still your leader. You need to be more supportive."
"I'm going to be supportive by getting on her about the things she does wrong."
"And why's that?"
"Because she's our leader. She needs to be the best she can, and I'm going to make sure she is." The two turned another corner, and prepared themselves as two more panels opened in the roof. Malina was forced to kick at a 170 degree angle as one leapt at her, but the two shot down the rest with the same difficulty as the other groups. "Someone had a bunch of robots lying around." Conáilte commented as he stepped over some parts.
"They're like Atlas, but not quite."
"Now that you mention it, I see the resemblance. Wonder who these people are."
"So you heard it too?"
"I was right above them, of course I heard it."
If it's not the Fang, who could it be?
I don't know, Bell. My father's working on it.
The sooner the better! Malina sighed.
I couldn't agree more.
"Hey, Malina, you were right. Place IS symmetrical." Conáilte told his teammate as he entered the second engine room. However, as he entered, the panel in the roof opened immediately, and the two were forced to step to either side of the doorway as the hail of bullets made it impossible to enter. "Figures we do the harder side second. Does your semblance work on them?"
"No, I can't affect robots either. Got a plan?"
"You could say that." Conáilte replied as he pulled a grenade out of his pocket. "Let's see if they know how to deal with these."
The boy peeked into the room, throwing the grenade into the dozen-strong crowd. Seconds later, the explosion had halved their number, and knocked the other half to each side, forming an opening for the two to engage. Malina peered out into the hallway as Conáilte once again activated his second semblance, and after a few moments, both of the primary drive trains in the room were destroyed.
As if on cue, once the fourth gear was destroyed, it felt to Malina that the machine came to a stop. It continued again after a few seconds, but considerably slower.
"That did it. We should have some more time to find the way to shut this down completely."
"Well, let's head back to the opening we made and see if we can't get Laura in here."
"The machine's blocking scroll contact."
"So, step outside. I'll stay inside, just in case the robots aren't just activated by proximity." Malina nodded, and the two started for the opening.
"Laura?"
"Malina!" Laura answered over her scroll. "Where are you?"
"I'm on the Centaur, just outside. I have an idea, and I need you."
"Malina, I already said no. Didn't you hear what it did to the fighters?"
"Fighters? You called in fighters?"
"Yes! And the Centaur took down thirty in one shot!" Malina was silent for a moment.
"Laura. We need to stop this thing before it destroys anything else." Malina explained calmly. "Please. Me and Conáilte have already cleared out a decent part of it..."
"Meadow said no."
"Then ask her to reconsider." Malina shifted her weight as her tone harshened for a moment.
"Malina, if you can't do it without me, then get out of there. Bring Conáilte with you." Laura tried her best to order, tears coming to her eyes.
"Laura, please..."
"No."
"Laura, Meadow, both of you. We need this thing taken down..."
"I said no!" Laura barked, bursting into tears. "Please, Malina, this isn't our fight to win." She begged between sobs. Malina was silent for a moment.
"Why are you here?" she asked, her voice much calmer than before.
"What?" Laura sniffled.
"Why are you at Atlas?" Malina rephrased.
"To be a huntress-"
"What does a huntress do?" Malina interrupted.
"They help people, but-"
"No 'buts,' Laura. You came here because you wanted to help people. So help us help them." Malina urged calmly.
"I'm sorry, Malina, but I made a promise to Meadow. We won't do anything out of our league..."
"This was out of our league before. What are we now?"
"Malina, please..."
"How will we know what we can do if you don't let us do it? If you won't do it?"
"Malina, Meadow said no!" Laura yelled, her emotion betraying her.
Go. A voice came from Laura's mind.
Laura froze.
What?
She's right. That's why we're here. Maybe we lose, but we''ll have a least tried to do the right thing. Meadow replied somberly.
Meadow, we don't have to...
No, Laura. I was wrong. I've been selfish. I've made YOU make a promise to be selfish. But that isn't who you are, so that won't be who I am either. Your team needs us. Forget the promise, we need to do our job.
Meadow, it's fi-
No, Laura, it isn't. I was so afraid to die that I... I was willing to let everyone else. What kind of huntress does that make me? What kind of huntress would that have made you?
...I'm sorry.
Don't be. I'm the one who should be sorry. Besides, you guys are stronger than we ever were.
Laura sniffled before nodding. "On my way."
Malina smiled. "Thank you, Laura."
Nyan left the world of her semblance as she arrived at a hilltop. If she knew what the Centaur was doing, it would pass right by here, and she'd be able to jump onto it, this time making it. As the Centaur neared, however, she saw Laura flying towards it.
Looks like she finally decided to help out!
The joy was short-lived, however, as she saw multiple turrets emerge from the top of the battle station, shooting at Laura. It was all her team leader could do to not get hit. As she flew around, simply trying to dodge the fire, Nyan called her scroll, and she grabbed it with her free hand, keeping her attention on the turrets.
"Yes? What is it, Nyan?"
"El! I'm gonna try to jump onto the Centaur, but I'm gonna need the turrets disabled so I don't get shot down! Think you can do that?"
"What?! I'm having trouble enough trying to not get hit!"
"Use the other turrets as cover!" Nyan shouted after a moment of thought. "Fly by them! Maybe the other turrets'll hit them!" Laura took a deep breath.
"Worth a shot..."
Laura descended upon the Centaur, weaving through the sets of turrets and trying her best not to be hit. However, the sounds of explosions behind her confirmed that Nyan's idea was working. Laura made another run, just to weaken the defense even more, before landing in the opening Nyan had created earlier.
"Can you get on now?"
"Let's see!" Nyan put the scroll in her back pocket, the call continuing as she revved her motorcycle. "NYYAAAAAAN ZAAAAFFFRRRRRRRE!" The girl yelled as she sped along the hillside. Thanks to lack of resistance, she landed cleanly on the shoulder of the vehicle, and found her way into the opening.
"Nyan!" Laura ran to her teammate, giving her a hug as she dismounted the motorcycle. She then turned to her other teammates. "Did you two find anything?"
"We found and destroyed the primary drive train. The Centaur should be moving more slowly now." Laura nodded.
"I saw it slow down. Did you find out how to destroy it?"
"Not yet."
"Well, let's get looking then!" Nyan yelled, remounting her motorcycle and racing down the hall.
"Nyan, wait!" Malina called after her teammate. "She's going to trip all the defenses!"
"What kind of defenses?"
"The robot kind. Nyan doesn't know that, though."
"I'm going after her! You two just look for this thing's weakness!" Laura ordered as she flew after Nyan.
Maybe she doesn't need as much help as I thought.
Laura kept flying past piles of robotic debris, a clear trail showing where Nyan had been. When Laura had finally caught up to her, she was busy fighting even more robots, the last one falling just as Laura drew her weapon.
"Nyan!" Laura scolded. "You need to come back and stay with us!"
"Why? Isn't this helping?"
"Maybe, and even if it is, it's not the kind we need right now! What we need is to find out how to destroy this thing!"
"Well, you guys can do that. This is more fun!"
"Nyan, please."
"Why? Can't a girl have fun and beat some tin cans while you figure out which buttons to push?"
"Nyan!" The team leader yelled. Nyan, rather than responding, continued to ride down the hall, and Laura took flight to catch up once again.
As the two entered a room, they were suddenly knocked back as a new robot emerged from the ceiling. It differed from all the rest, being much larger in size- ten feet if Laura was a good judge of height- and much bulkier. It lacked the machine guns of the rest, but it did possess one hand, and for the other arm, what appeared to be a cannon. As it lifted the right arm, a chamber near the back of the cannon spun in place, locking in as the weapon fired a blast of lightning dust at the two.
Laura, though restricted in her flight due to being indoors, managed to avoid the blast with a quick burst of thrust, and Nyan rolled out of the way, bringing her motorcycle with her. The green-haired girl remounted her motorcycle and raced towards the automaton, as Laura landed to its right. Nyan swung her motorcycle at the robot, expecting similar results as when she had done so to other robots. However, the sentry raised its hand, catching the attack as it readied its weapon.
Before the machine could fire, a loud noise emanated from between itself and Nyan, moving the gun out of position while simultaneously sending Nyan backwards, causing the shot to miss once again. The robot turned to see Laura flying directly at it, Golden Fellwing in its khopesh form. As the strike made contact, however, a blue force field became visible near the point of contact. Laura hardly had time to gasp before the robot, having freed its left hand by dropping Comet, grabbed her by the head and threw her into the opposite wall. Laura tried to use her wings to generate thrust contrary to the throw, but could only slow herself down as much, and fell to the ground after contact.
"Hey!" Nyan yelled, having remounted her bike. She charged at the robot, which in turn placed its hand to stop the bike by its tire. However, as the hand stopped the bike, Nyan flew off it, grabbing the robot's gun arm and swinging behind the robot. As she swung towards the robot's back, she let go of its arm, and her secondary semblance activated once again. Instead of going through the robot, however, she knocked it to the ground as she kept moving towards the wall, her semblance deactivating just before she made contact. Laura flew over to her teammate.
"Nyan! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, but my second semblance isn't tearing a hole in that robot like it did in the big one!" Laura thought for a quick moment.
"Maybe it needs to be more stable!"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, have you tried putting a pin through a piece of paper dangling in mid-air?"
"So, we need something on the other side." Nyan thought as the robot stood up. "But it looks like it's just staying in the center of the room! How are we gonna get it to the wall?"
"Maybe we don't need the wall, just a force in the opposite direction!"
"Like your semblance!" The two avoided another blast from the robot's laser, their opponent thankfully lacking the ability to hear their plans.
"You get some speed, and I'll push it the other way!" Laura prepared herself as Nyan raced towards the robot once more. As the bike was stopped, and Nyan's body covered in a glow once more, Laura created a sizable noise behind the automaton. The hard-light dust was unable to stop Nyan as she pierced through the machine's main body, causing it to fall behind her, deactivated. Laura looked at the broken robot before looking to Nyan.
"Nyan, this is why we need to stick together! You couldn't have handled this on your own!" Nyan rolled her eyes.
"Sorry, Laura." The team leader sighed before turning her attention to the wall behind the motorcyclist.
"Wait, Nyan, is that...?"
"Looks like the power source!"
It was then that Malina entered the room, continuing her search for exactly that.
"Malina, I think we found it!"
"That's great! I'll go get Conáilte." Malina peered out into the hall, waving down the fourth team member. As Conáilte entered the room, Malina examined the power source.
"Well, do you see a way to destroy it?" Laura asked her partner.
"Well, that's the thing. There's a hard-light shield protecting the power core. I'm thinking maybe your semblance could do it."
"Alright, what do you need me for?" Nyan pouted.
"We need you for transport." Conáilte replied bluntly. "Laura might be able to carry one of us- Malina, specifically, she's lighter- but not two. That's where you and Comet come in. Speaking of, where's your bike?" Nyan pressed the button on her helmet, recalling the motorcycle.
"Alright. Once they're ready, could you use your semblance on the other side of the shield?" Laura nodded.
"I think so. We'll have to get out quickly, though."
"That's what you and Nyan are for." Conáilte mounted the passenger seat before turning to Laura. "Alright, whenever you're ready."
The team leader closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. With a sharp exhale, she used her semblance to its farthest extent. The translucence of the barrier made her less able to make as powerful sounds as normal, requiring the most of her to make her capable of doing the job.
The noise she created inside of the room was one that she remembered from when she was young; it was a sound that could activate dust crystals, one which she'd only occasionally used to turn the enemy's weapons against them. In this scenario, however, what happened instead a chain reaction.
As the dust started to rupture one shard at a time, Comet and its riders disappeared into the world of Nyan's semblance, as Laura grabbed Malina by her arms and flew out of the room. She escaped through the opening, and was barely ten yards away from the Centaur before an explosion rocked the earth, blasting the two of them away. Despite her vertigo, Laura kept hold of her partner as they collided with one of the many mountains in the area.
Laura's vision was a blur, before being replaced by sudden black.
"Master Rosso, sir?"
"Yes, Mr. Persimmon?"
"Are you aware of the fate of one of our mechs?"
"Please, Mr. Persimmon, Atlas is referring to them as 'Centaurs.' Quite nice, I must admit. But yes, I am aware. Team LuMiNesCent, I believe."
"Camera footage suggests so, sir. Are we considering retaliation now?" Grigio was silent for a moment.
"No. Quite the contrary." Mr. Rosso examined the camera footage once more, specifically the green-haired girl, noticing her hand twitch on the handlebars of her vehicle occasionally. "Keep notes on their locations." Grigio turned to his elder. "We may have a use for them yet."
Alright, chapter two done! For those of you keeping score, we didn't get to this point in the last version until chapter 5! Look at us go! Mew Shadowfang wrote the procedure scene, as before, as well as other scenes near the beginning of the chapter. I hope this version of the Centaur mission was more action-packed and overall well-executed! I also didn't do an intro for this chapter, and may not for future ones. If I do one for a future chapter, I suppose I'll have to revisit this one and give it one for consistency.
Also, the bigger robot that Laura and Nyan fight is supposed to look like a smaller version of Cordovin's mech. Hopefully that was decently clear.
Anyway, thanks a lot for reading, and I hope you stick around for the next chapter! See you then!
