Chapter Eleven: Princess?
…
The night was colder than he last assumed, frost biting at him despite the hot crimson running down his left arm, throbbing with agony from its previous dislocation…his throat still felt raw from screaming out before.
Hades trembled in his right hand as he searched for a grip and steadiness that he had in cool, collected strides when marching up those steps to face Eve's captor…all his bravado was gone, and he felt pathetic.
Sven's thoughts seemed to be on par with his, as those light brown eyes stared eagerly at the unmoving young girl on the operating table behind the mad Doctor's silhouette, glowing faintly from the activity of nano-machine's within his new body.
Or rather his original body, after all: this wasn't Doctor, but rather a replica using nanotechnology. And it was this replica, he was sorry to say, was kicking their as…
"Train," a shuddering voice knocked him out of his self-loathing.
"What?" his voice was as dark as the tone Black Cat used, and he didn't bother conceal it, though they were both well aware that no amount of murderous aura would unnerve the uninjured Doctor.
"Let's try my foreseeing eye," Volfeid finished.
Train could feel Sven's hopeful and half-hearted stare on him. "Let's give it a shot."
"Sven, I don't think…"
"Damn it, Train!" he yelled suddenly, making Heartnet jump, "Eve is right within our reach and we're just going to sit here doing nothing?"
We can't afford to be irrational at a time like this, in our current position, with our current opponent…Train thought. But worst of all, we can't start conflictions within our groups. Yet at the same time if it costs our lives in vain…
He cursed aloud and steadied his revolver between both hands, regulating his weight on his toes as he prepared himself for action. "Why not?" he said with a wary smile, "Let's try it."
Sven sighed in relief and anticipation, and fueled his energy into his right eye. Lloyd, lend me your strength!
He was silent for a second, trying to sort out what he saw, but it remained the same. Nothing.
"Train, he's not there."
"Not the—?"
Train was cut off when he was sent crashing into one of the great room's walls, clouds of dust forming around his small crater and unmoving being among the dislodged bricks and lumps of concrete.
"Train!"
"Don't get me wrong, that was a reasoned out tactic," Doctor's voice came from beside Sven's ear.
Sven turned frantically, greeted by nothing but still cold air.
"The foreseeing eye which permits you to see, what was it?—two minutes in the future?" his voice came from the other side of the room, beyond the operating table highlighted in the bright spotlight gleaming on Eve.
"I'm sure it would have worked on any other fast moving being, but there's a flaw."
Sven's eyes flickered about the room as he searched for Doctor, uneasiness rising in his gut. "And that would be?"
Doctor's voice came from behind, too close for comfort: "Suppose the opponent was moving two minutes faster than your eye can predict?"
Sven felt a monstrous blow in his back that sent him flying across the floor and he hit the edge of the operating table, letting out a grunt as his spine ferociously knocked against bitter-cold steel.
If that's the case then my Glasper eye should have a chance! Sven thought as he stumbled to get to his feet. The evolution of his optical ability revealed itself, and Doctor frowned slightly in observation as he tapped his heel against the floor to attack again.
A flurry of attacks were slowed down from Sven's perspective; though still faster than the usual sluggish motion he anticipated, he managed to dodge every attack, and unlike Foreseeing eye, his energy remained steady. Slowly as his hope peaked his strength seemed to return, and he tried his luck to land a hit.
Swinging around his suitcase to Doctor's jaw he tried to accumulate all of his speed…he missed. And felt a rupturing blow to his abdomen. Stunned still from the impact he remained crouched and felt his consciousness freeze as pain flashed through his system.
"I was caught off guard by your ability," Doctor admitted, "and it was another well thought out tactic, however there's a difference between 'seeing the attack coming your way' and 'being able to dodge'. Although you could clearly anticipate my movement, because of your awkward position you wouldn't have been able to completely avoid the uppercut I had in store for you."
Sven dropped with a thud to the ground, hoarse sounds escaping as he tried to breathe normally. "I saw what you did to avoid a more fatal blow: you leaned forward at the last minute for me to hit slightly below the diaphragm rather than your ribcage, which would have no doubt broken, splintered or punctured something to lead to your eventual death."
"I'm sick of your monologue lectures," Train growled as he cocked Hades and fired. As anticipated Doctor dodged by crouching, giving him access to aim for Train's legs, ribs, lower torso. He brought in a swift kick and started when it was blocked by the shell of the Chronos' custom revolver.
Train smirked, his eyes half closed beneath his bangs. "You're not the only one who's been watching other people's moves," he said as he leaped and arched his back around another low kick, and landed on his feet to block a flash punch from the genuinely puzzled Doctor.
"I've noticed that with your speed, you've become ridiculously predictable," Train continued, dodging and blocking, hardly attempting to try to attack. "And once you've started to attack, it goes on a straight course, making it even easier to predict where the attack will fall. That's why curved attacks such as low kicks, drop kicks, side punches, are slower than running in a straight line or simply pushing someone down. Though with your speed that acts force to the impact, and it feels more like a punch from a bazooka rather than a simple shove, which in effect, is all you do."
Doctor gritted his teeth. Already, he's deciphered my movements this far?
"All that's left to figure out is how you do it," Train threw off an attack and pushed Hades forward directly towards Doctor's face who froze, staring at the hollow barrel that could punch his head full of lead in an instant.
"Like Eve, your nano-machines can manipulate your impulses, right? And if your nano-machines act on your will, that means that you can push your muscles to a new extreme, thus resulting in faster response, hence your super speed," Train grinned at the last note. "But if you control your movements strictly on will—that you and you alone control what you do—that cancels out your impulsive reactions. Your natural reflexes to flinch away, hence you didn't move when Hades was pointed at your head. Although your responses are faster, that doesn't necessarily mean that you think any faster, therefore even though you might have seen Hades coming your way, by the time you could process that action, it was already there."
Doctor remained silent, but his smile was gone, and for the heck of it, Train grinned further. He knew that the battle wasn't over, but having processed a large amount of what makes the doctor tick, he was at an advantage to be on par during their fight.
"That was splendid work, Train," Doctor, finally said, "I'll admit that I had pride in myself to be able to defeat you before I was figured out. But you've forgotten the big picture."
Train leaped back once an unfamiliar and irregularly shaped blade sliced through the air with a disturbing whip- like sound, as though the air was literally sliced in half.
"You're forgetting that I am a Bio-Mech, therefore I can transform any part of my body on will."
Train glared silently.
"Yet, that will end my speedy responses, but I gain points in the field of randomness. With the universal option of morphing into anything I choose, how do you intend to defeat me?"
Train hopped in one place for a moment, warming up his legs to run if needs be as he thought deeply. I've got a few ideas, after all I was exposed to nanotechnology for two years now, his eyes flickered to the trembling Sven. But in the end the most effective way to really defeat him is by shocking him into oblivion. Damn, how am I supposed to do that?
"How do you intend to defeat her?"
What?
Train looked at where Doctor gestured and saw Eve crouched on the table—literally crouched like a panther readying to pounce—and looking down at Eve with this kind of deathly playfulness, like a baby cub about to attack an unsuspecting grasshopper.
"Eve!"
She responded to her name at least. She looked up, first at Doctor, then at Train, no glimmer of recognition reflected in those dilated pupils.
"Time to play tag, Eve," Doctor said simply.
"With him?" she asked, eyes curiously scanning the wary, seething Train.
"Yes."
Her bare feet hit the floor silently as she stood beside Sven, never glancing at him a second time, and staring absently at Train. "I am the demon," she said in a chilling voice and hunched slightly before sprinting forward.
It wasn't actually a sprint: one minute she was there, the next minute she wasn't, but what frightened Train was the clap of thunder he heard right before he was knocked against the wall with a tremendous force. What was that?
"Sonic boom," Doctor said simply, "mass can move so fast that it forces air to move out of the way rather than slicing through it as a blade does, and the sound in regard to that air movement is known as the sonic boom." He grinned, "Frankly, Train, that's faster than me. How do you intend to fight her without harming her?"
In her current state Eve can do some serious damage, Train assessed, and if it goes too far, my instinct to survive will click in. Should I really be going up against Eve?
"Train, you deal with Doctor," Sven had gotten to his feet and was wincing as he stood. "I'll take on Eve."
"Sven, are you sure…?"
"I know Eve," Sven responded, "even in this state something must still remain and I'll wake her up with that."
"Good luck with that," Doctor said, sneering, "The N.S. serum is quite effective."
The serum! Train remembered suddenly, it's bound to take effect soon!
"Where are you looking?" a voice abruptly beside him asked.
"Don't worry about that," he growled and blocked the blade that struck orihalcon.
Though quick, no-one in this room was faster than the speed of sound, and for now Train could depend on that until he could come up with a better plan. He back flipped from a set of coils that sprouted from Doctor's individual fingers.
What to do…what to do…?
Train blinked with new inspiration, remembering when Trevaunne spoke about Tearju's opinion on the N.S. serum… "She said that the impulses more or less depend on the nano-machines, so once that's taken out…"
And the impulses are carried along the nerves… Train's second of hesitation cost him another injury in his left arm, and he gritted his teeth at the added pain and he flinched and retreated from another attack. He reloaded his gun in an instant and shot the organic cords that were slithering his way.
Doctor cried out in pain as what were extensions of his fingers dropped to the floor limply, yet still moving, much to his disgust. Train dashed forward and leaped, aiming as he tried to put his plan into action…
Sven wasn't doing as well. No matter what memories he tried to reinstall in Eve, none invoked a reaction, and she remained a blank minded doll striking in not-so-random movements that were driven by crushing momentum from her speed and the weight of whatever weapon she molded her appendages into.
"Eve! Snap out of it, it's me! Sven!"
She didn't respond, but rather concentrated on breaking the briefcase that he was using as a shield. A hammer caused pain to ripple through his arms and the second hit knocked his weapon out of his hand. As the third hit rose above her head to begin the blow Sven tried in vain again, and flinched when a gunshot besides Train's was heard, and Eve's attack went off trajectory.
"You won't get through to Eve until the serum has worn off," Trevaunne said as he strolled into the room, the smoking Hades in his left hand. "Until it has, only one idea is in her mind: 'I am the demon, I must kill'."
He raised his gun towards Eve, who now stared at him. "Will you play tag also?"
"With you least of all," Trevaunne retorted.
Eve frowned slightly.
"Trevaunne, what are you doing?" Sven yelled, "Are you planning on shooting Eve?"
"Eve has the reflex to dodge or block on short notice," Trevaunne announced, "if we drain her energy she'll knock herself out and we can take her with us."
He fired and blinked in surprise when the bullet was shredded in an instant before it hit Eve—before it could hit Eve. The metallic fragments of what was once a bullet fell at Eve's bare feet, and her hair that had acted as individual blades to cut the attack now rested around her shoulders.
He unnatural gaze remained on him as she prepared herself to dash forward.
No doubt she wouldn't be able to dodge railgun, Trevaunne thought absently, but supposing she ends up like Sephira or worse?
"Trev-chan! Dodge, Eve can…!" Train's warning came too late as the said girl ran forward and pushed Trevaunne down. The split air exploded behind her and the momentum crashed Trevaunne into the floor, Eve still holding him down at the neck. Her tendons popped to form into another weapon.
Short on air Trevaunne gasped and clawed at her strong grip that was crushing his thorax mercilessly. Dizziness was forming just as Eve's sword hit Sven's briefcase.
"Eve!" Volfeid yelled and she looked at him openly, somewhat questioningly. "Stop this! It's not like you, Eve."
Slowly it was a fragile hand that was resting on his case, and her eyes blinked several times before emotion flashed over her impassive countenance. Her grip on Trevaunne released and he coughed, rubbing his sore throat and watching Eve carefully.
"Sven…?" she inquired in a small voice.
Sven smiled with relief and nodded. "Yeah, it's me Eve."
She smiled and took in an abrupt breath before falling to the ground, unconscious. Trevaunne and Sven stared.
"Eve…?"
There was no response.
Eve!
…
Author's Note: Hello, good morning, good afternoon, good night, good midday or whatever time it is that you're reading this. I just want to say that I'm sorry that this took so long to get out; since my laptop is temporarily rendered useless the family of three is sharing around mother's laptop, therefore I get limited time to continue our little "Rebirth of Railgun".
I also apologize if this chapter was a little weak; I spent a lot of time thinking it out but it's still difficult to visualize this sort of battle though I know where it's going to end up. If you have any ideas, I'll accept them in either reviews or private messages, and if I'm lovin' it, you might just see it in later chapters.
I accept constructive criticism (I can't be an author if I don't get insulted now and then) so if you want to blame me, go ahead. Just don't make the flames too hot.
And thank you to those who favourite-ed (and I hope will do so in the future) my story! It makes me happy! Keep guessing for Trev-chan's mommy! I promise in the next two chapters tops there will be another clue. Just hold on while I get my stories straight! Thank you for reading, and please review!
