Chapter 10: Battlefront Base
"Uh, yeah. I've said it once an' I'll say it again: who's she?"
"Not now, Cog!" shouted Weaver, "Just keep shooting! We might have a chance now!"
Grumbling, Cog poked out from behind the cover to unload her twin pistols at the monsters. The stranger's intervention had caused the horde to falter and as a result, they could attack with less fear of getting struck by laser blasts.
More monsters were gunned down in quick succession before Cog heard nothing but clicking sounds from her guns. Casually tossing them away, she pulled out bundles of explosives, throwing them wildly at the mass of whatever monster survived like a maniac throwing to a crowd free T-shirts that she had too many of and not enough time to give away in an orderly fashion.
A series of rapid-firing explosions rocked the road and meadows and as the dust and ash hung in the air, the Devs rose out from cover to push the monsters back. Like last time, Cog went to work indiscriminately spraying the monsters with bullets, Nitroplus and Weaver went to work at the forefront hacking away any monster they came across, and Bell and SPARK hung at the rear providing supporting fire. Meanwhile their new ally pitched in with support fire of her own, firing bursts from what now appeared to be some sort of assault rifle with an under barrel launcher.
"Yeah! How do you like 'em apples?!" Cog's taunts accompanied the fierce atmosphere of reinvigorated battle. With their chances now looking up, she couldn't help but let her emotions run high. "We're gonna pop all the caps in your ass and teabag you!"
"Shoot with your gun, not with your mouth," quipped Bell. Her remaining upgraded turret was still functional and already engaged, which was good news. With them no longer suppressed behind cover, the Devs could fight to their fullest and it showed, as the monster's numbers dwindled rapidly.
Weaver took point, slashing at every nearby monster. Ahead was a thicket of monsters all grouped close but it was too dense for Weaver to cut her way through. Nitroplus wordlessly joined her and cut down a bit that had snuck behind Weaver. Another monster that survived the onslaught of gunfire was also sneaking behind Weaver; Nitroplus put a stop to it with a quick burst from her pistol before finishing it off with quick slashes. It seemed that Weaver was neglecting her flanks, instead trying to force her way into the concentrated monster horde. Whatever it was that that was there, Weaver seemed committed to getting there.
A blow from a particularly large monster was blocked by Weaver which only sent her sliding a short distance back. Sighing in frustration, Weaver took a breath and performed her signature shout. Everything not nailed down was flung back like usual and some monsters in the dense pack stumbled back, but the tightly packed nature meant that monsters were holding each other in place. The pack held together despite the force that could send dragons hurtling like ragdolls.
Cog couldn't help but chuckle at the peculiar sight of monsters simply pushed back rather than be blown away by hurricane-force winds. And she would've continued had an abrupt tap on her shoulder not brought her attention. She turned to find herself looking up at the unknown soldier who was now in front of her. Up close, Cog could definitely see that whoever she was, she was all business front and back: thick durable-looking fatigue sporting a dull blue-and-grey camouflage pattern, black combat boots, and despite well-groomed brownish blonde hair beneath her garrison cap, the soldier's rather sharp green-blue eyes showed that she wasn't someone to fool around.
"You! Get your explosives prepped ASAP!" Cog, taking a second to figure out what was going on, looked at the tightly-packed monster horde, then back to the soldier as she immediately readied the underslung launcher strapped to her assault rifle.
Then Cog put two and two together and grinned. Tightly-packed group of enemies plus explosives equalled satisfactory carnage. And Cog had a self-proclaimed PhD on that particular subject.
Cog pulled out a particular explosive and primed it. "Now!" At the soldier's order, she pulled the trigger and at the same time Cog threw the bomb. The controlled explosion from the launched grenade paled in comparison to Cog's, as the whole nexus of monsters plus the immediate ground surrounding it vaporized in a flash of light, accompanied by earth-shaking thunder and shockwaves that knocked everyone off their feet. And in that instant, the world got a little more empty.
For the first time in about thirty minutes, the battle was quiet for once. Weaver pushed the motionless form of a horsebird off of her before it disappeared into light. She got up, her joints aching and her vision shrouded by the dust cloud. What she could see had a conspicuous brown tint thanks to the dust and at ground zero was a small mushroom cloud.
Also at ground zero lay BJ.
Weaver staggered to her as fast as she could. "BJ?... BJ!"
She got up close to where BJ was, presumably buried under the horde of monsters in the middle of the melee, and to her surprise, found her quietly laughing, as though BJ was completely oblivious to what had transpired mere moments ago.
Despite covered in soot and some of her clothes being singed, BJ simply laid on her back, even putting her hands behind her head without a care in the world. "That… that was freakin' amazing," she said once she found a moment to stop laughing.
Weaver could only give her a look of disbelief before prodding BJ's sides with her foot. "Idiot! Why weren't you listening when we tried to call you! We could've done for if they swarmed us!"
BJ continued laughing, except a bit harder as she sat up and lightly punched Weaver in her leg. "Pfft! You worry too much! Did you really think a bunch of monsters who were already dead could take me out? And besides," she paused as she gestured all around the devastated landscape. "You all didn't get freaking swarmed anyways, right?"
BJ hopped on her feet, to dust herself off and tending to her ahoge. "Was that bomb Cog's doing? I gotta ask her if I can have something like that; could make a kickass alarm clock."
"Well, I certainly think you're going to have to cut your beauty sleeps short." Weaver turned to see that the stranger who came to their aid had gotten back on her feet and was making her way to them. Like BJ, the stranger was covered in dust, the dirt masking the blue-grey fatigue she wore. Whatever sign of professional air the stranger had was muddied by the explosive carnage. She looked at BJ then at Weaver with her sharp eyes.
"Where was she this whole time?"
"Got too caught up in the thick of action to pull back when we needed to," sighed Weaver. The stranger glanced back at BJ with a look that was somewhere between concern and disappointment. "Why did that happen?" she asked.
"I dunno. When there's a bunch of asses to kick six ways to Sunday, a lot of stuff happens," answered BJ unapologetically, "Besides, I'm not the only one capable of dishing out ass-whoopin'. I'm sure the rest could've hold their own."
"Uh, no," interjected Weaver, "In case you hadn't noticed, we almost got swarmed."
"Oh c'mon! There's only one of me and a handful of you. It couldn't have been that bad!"
Before either one could speak, the stranger sighed in exasperation and took off her cap. As she did, Weaver saw that underneath that hat, the stranger was quite remarkable for anyone of her career; her brownish-blonde hair groomed and kept tied by a short ponytail As she dusted it off, the stranger ran her fingers through her blonde hair once before putting her cap back on, adjusting it with a disciplined, professional air. She faced BJ again with the kind of tense silence that only meant that "the talk" was about to follow.
"BJ, was it? If what she said is of any indication, you more or less decided to go off on your own. Not only did that endanger yourself," the stranger gestured at all the dirt and scratches that covered BJ. "But I think you also endangered your buddies." She gestured to Weaver and everyone else as they steadily got back up on their feet.
The stranger pointed her finger at BJ. "You might be strong, but that's no excuse to go AWOL on your team. You're part of a unit, aren't you?"
BJ brushed the stranger's hand aside. "Suck my unit," she growled.
The stranger shook her head and sighed. She turned away from BJ and as she did, something caught her eye as she strolled past Weaver. As Weaver turned to follow, she noticed that Cog was up and about on her feet, having untangled herself from Bell who remained on the ground. The stranger walked up to Cog who took in the aftermath of battle with incredulity.
"What kind of bomb was that?" the stranger asked.
Cog looked up at stranger who was at least a head taller than her. "Uh, a bomb? I mean, it's technically a bomb no matter how ya look at it," she replied sheepishly.
"Felt more like a MOAB. Well, whatever it was, you might want to tone it down next time. That was way too danger close." A small groan came right at Cog's feet and the stranger bent down to help Bell up.
"Ugh. Cog… have I ever told you... that I hate it when you blow me up? This must be what… the eighth time in my life?" wheezed Bell.
Cog sputtered a small laugh as though she was told a joke. "Nope! News to me!"
As Bell went to work dusting herself off, the dust of battle had settled and it was clear that the was no longer any monster in the area. More importantly, more of their companions were recovered and on their feet. Nitroplus was busy brushing off whatever soot covered Raw Meat, SPARK was preoccupied with tending to her antenna headband, and Gelb merely sneezed. Everyone was safe and accounted for; weary, but alive.
Bell took her glasses off and went to work cleaning the lenses as best she could. With the stranger still in front of her, Bell asked, "So, uh, thanks. Who're you?"
The stranger, in typical soldier fashion, gave her answer. "Name's Frost. I'm a Dev just like the rest of you." She even capped off her introduction with a quick simple salute.
"Frost? Well that might explain why I barely recognized you," replied Bell, "And don't tell me you just happened to be passing through. Not that I'm complaining."
Frost cleared her throat. "In a manner of speaking, yes I was. Besides, news of an incoming monster horde isn't easy to suppress."
Bell coughed as she slapped dust off of her pants. "Yeah, I figured."
Nitroplus approached Frost, having finished tending to Raw Meat. "I thank you for helping us," she said as she gave a quick bow, eliciting a curious look from Frost. "My name is Nitroplus. Nice to meet you."
Frost's eyes looked up and down, as if studying her and figuring what who she is or where she came from. "Nice to meet you too." Frost turned back to Bell. "So what brings a bunch of Devs here? I doubt you're all here for a vacation; I can't remember the last time we all came together like this."
'Actually, we were on vacation a while ago.' Bell adjust her glasses by the arms. "Long story short, Nitroplus here asked us to help her put an end to video game piracy that's been going on in the PC Continent. We've been traveling around and fighting the rats for a few days."
"Video game piracy carried out by rats?" asked Frost, "Huh. I suppose that makes two of us."
"You knew about the rats?" asked Nitroplus.
"Affirmative. In fact, that's why I was around the AO. Piracy activities, while small, are noticeable. I was given orders to find them and put a stop to them."
"Um," a quiet voice spoke. Everyone turned to see a disheveled Gelb simply standing in the open with one hand barely raised like a student who wanted to say something but at the same time didn't want to. Once everyone remembered Gelb's presence, she continued. "What about rats?"
"Oh, right. Basically, a bunch of guys who're going around pirating video games and distributing copies at prices cheaper than dirt," said Bell. Everyone but Frost and Gelb simply nodded as they were already well aware of the story. "Nitroplus and Raw Meat here have been after them and I guess most of us have nothing better to do than help her out. What about you?"
Gelb showed no reaction and stayed silent for about a couple seconds before she replied "... Sure."
"Wow, uh… that was easy," remarked SPARK.
"Hey, you alright?" Gelb looked up to see that Frost was talking directly to her. "That looks like a cut on your forehead."
Everyone glanced at Gelb and indeed, seeping underneath her black bangs was a small trickle of crimson. Surprised, everyone looked around for some way of treating the injury but before anyone could make the first move, Frost simply dug into one of her pouches and tossed Gelb a small packet of white gauze.
"Just apply it over the wound and just hold it there. It'll be healed before you know it," instructed Frost. She looked around at all the Devs who were present before facing Nitroplus again. "Anyways, since you're after the same thing, I think it'll make our jobs easier if we cooperate. So where should we start?"
Cog butted in. "Uh, yeah, you might be a little late on that. Like, we just wasted a bunch o' rats all the way over at Pedissia and plenty way back at Conderica." We're just kickin' back and chillin'."
Frost looked awkwardly down at Cog, clearly trying to think of something to say. "Well," she began, "I apprehended a few rats myself but we might have to compare notes later. I figure you might have some interesting war stories to share."
"Yeah, we do. You'll probably read about them once I publish my next book," said Weaver. She looked down at herself to see how the dust and dirt covered her jacket, tarnishing the silver decorations. "We could head back and really wash ourselves. Though, even without you space in my car was tight enough as it is..."
"It's alright, I got here in my own vehicle. It's parked nearby and should have plenty of seats." Frost gestured away from the battleground and towards the closest town.
"Well, that's certainly a comforting bit of news," Weaver quipped in high spirits. "So, uh, other than BJ who'll be coming with me so I can keep an eye on her, I guess we're all free to pick which ride you want."
Nitroplus stared out through the window in Weaver's convertible. Bell, BJ, and Cog all sat around the car, sleeping. From the corner of the rear-view mirror, Nitroplus saw Frost's car lumbering behind them. Although calling it a "car" would be a misnomer to describe it: it was bulky, a large durable box on large wheels that gave it a very rugged and feeling of endurance - essentially the complete opposite of Weaver's automobile. Apparently the behemoth of a "car" had served as Frost's personal transport as she was apparently a Dev who was also a career soldier of sorts who traveled the continent. Oddly fitting that someone as disciplined and utilitarian as her would have a vehicle to match.
That was Frost's story, and now Nitroplus wondered what the story was behind their earlier newly-acquired ally: Gelb. From what she remembered, Bell mentioned how Gelb was another Dev, but beyond that her reticence made it difficult for Nitroplus to figure out who Gelb was as a person. She could ask Gelb herself, but it may be unlikely that she would divulge anything; asking Bell would work if she wasn't busy snoozing.
Asking personal information of someone else felt wrong, but she couldn't help but wonder. Aside from her and Raw Meat, Weaver was the only Dev awake. If there was the opportune moment to satiate her curiosity, now was the time.
"Weaver, may I ask a question?" Weaver yawned as she turned a street as they drove back to their hotel. With such a battle in the middle of what was supposed to be their vacation, no one seemed to be in any mood for anything other than a good bath, a meal, and sleep.
Weaver's response came out sleepily. "Um, sure. Go ahead; might help keep me awake for a little bit longer."
Nitroplus paused to think about her approach to her question. She continued, "I know some things about everyone so far, enough to get a rough idea of who they are as a person. But I'm wondering who Gelb is; other than a Dev I don't know much about what she's done or why she's so..."
"Monotone? Apathetic? Or, whatever word you can think of that describes why she's like that? Good question," Weaver chuckled slightly. "It's rather a long and… not so happy story to say the least."
"How so?"
"Well, you know how we're all Devs and that we made our names by making certain games and such?" Nitroplus silently nodded and Weaver continued. "Well you see, unless she can publish them herself, a Dev's gonna need someone with the financial backing to help her out.
"Ol' Gelb was no different; she had a particular person - not a Dev - help her out. Together, they made plenty of successful titles which really gave Gelb all the Acclaim she could want. The two were close partners.
"... That is, until her partner underwent a string of misfortune and, uh… died." The occupants inside the car fell silent for a moment.
"... Sorry, I don't think there was any other way to say what happened," apologized Weaver, "Since then, Gelb found other people to help her sell her games but she hasn't been the same since. She wasn't always like that, I'll tell you that much. I think she used to be quite confident and loud and such."
Solemn silence fell upon the car, the only semblance of sound came from the streets outside. A second passed, then another. The awkward silence started to gnaw at Weaver.
"So, uh… yeah."
"I'm… sorry. Sorry that I asked," said Nitroplus, who partly regretted having divulged such personal information. "I… didn't know..."
"Nah," Weaver quietly reassured. "It's okay. Just, uh, try to keep that stuff to yourself, alright? That whole thing happened not so long ago so I think she still needs to get over it."
Nitroplus was puzzled. "But shouldn't we -"
"Help her?" interjected Weaver. "Uh, I'm neither a psychologist nor a psychiatrist, but I'd just give her her own space and time, ya know? Besides, she doesn't seem to want us to help her so -"
All of a sudden, the sound of what seemed like a fist-full of firecrackers being set off was heard. It came from somewhere down the street they were in. The loud cracking sound jolted everyone alert, as everyone who slept during the ride awoke with a start.
"What in carnation was that…?" Cog demanded. Weaver slammed the brakes and everyone waited for another sign. But none came; the air became quiet like before. Though it came from further down the road, the corner prevented them from witnessing what exactly happened that caused that sound.
"Meat! There could be trouble!" peeped Raw Meat. "We should investigate!"
"Story of my life..." Weaver inched the car slowly down the road and Frost's vehicle from behind did the same, no doubt she and her occupants have heard the same sound. As they slowly turned the corner, everyone waited for some sign of danger, whether it be a wild monster or some amateur arsonist.
Instead, they were met with the sight of an empty suburban street. Empty in the sense that whatever was on the receiving end of that small explosion was no longer around. Next to the road was a small quaint supermarket and by the front entrance was a small smoking crater. Everyone slowly got out to inspect the damage.
"I think someone lost an argument," commented Cog. BJ snickered in agreement.
Other than the sound from before and the crater that was before them now, there was practically little evidence of what exactly occurred or who caused it. No one, other than themselves, was present near the scene.
Well, not exactly. Further ahead down the road, Weaver could see someone casually walking - no, casually rolling away from the scene. It was someone - a woman from the looks of it - leisurely scooting away on a bulk-looking motorized wheelchair, apparently oblivious to whatever that may have happened mere moments ago.
"Uh, excuse me?" Weaver called out to the person, bringing everyone's attention to that person. But her call elicited no response. Weaver took a step forward; she didn't have a good feeling about the situation. For all they know, the wheelchair-bound person might have been responsible. But either way, her presence and obliviousness had to mean something.
But before anyone else made a move, Cog hollered out to the stranger. "Heyo, granny! We just got some questions to ask -"
She was unable to finish her request as a loud mechanical sound boomed out and Cog suddenly found herself lifted forward off her feet. Everyone was knocked back away from a massive thing that suddenly sprouted itself from the ground and expanded outward.
Cog groaned and rubbed the back of her head. The object shifted in shape and size until it resembled a small armored garage. Before she nor anyone could react, the garage shutters opened up and a burly-looking tank the size of van and armed with twin cannons rolled out right in front of Cog.
"Monkey on a stick!" Cog yelled as the downscale tank inched forward towards her. She scooched back in a mad futile attempt to outpace the advancing tank while everyone scrambled back on their feet. The tank rumbled and creaked as its hulk threatened to crush Cog underneath its treads. Another second and...
… The tank ground to a halt as Cog lay under its shadow. Although it stopped, Cog wasted no time marveling at her luck by scrambling away from it, only to hit her head against something. Grunting, Cog cradled her head in her heads and looked up to see herself looking at a pair of dull green eyes - actually, one eye as there was a black eyepatch covering the person's left eye. A lit stogie was seen between her lips.
The person grinded the cigar between her teeth and pulled it away, cooly blowing smoke that blended with her gray hair. "... That's grandma Grün to you, junior," she grunted with a scowl.
The scent of tobacco and smoke irritated Cog, who merely glared at her. A scurry of footsteps was heard and Cog found herself suddenly lurched up on her feet by Bell.
"Cog? Cog! You alright?" Bell asked, frantically helping her up and checking for injuries.
"I'm fine an' dandy Belly," Cog replied, trying to brush her off. "Though, granny here wanted me to be otherwise."
"Pah! Not only do you look like a kid, you squeak like one!" retorted Grün who waved her cigar disapprovingly. The tank that she used to threaten Cog had reversed back into the garage it came from and similar to how it constructed itself out of nowhere, it packed itself up smaller and smaller until it vanished. Other than the cracks on the pavement and the crater, it looked as though nothing happened.
Weaver stepped past Bell who dragged Cog away and approached Grün. She pointed at the crater. "I'm going to guess you had something to do with that, right?"
The embers lit up as Grün took a whiff. "Yeah. What about it? If a bunch of damn brats are gonna jump me, I'm sure as hell not gonna sit there and take it. Especially when I'm trying to shop for some freaking groceries..."
She took the cigar out to puff out the smoke while dismissively dumping the ashes on the ground (an act that was met with looks of annoyance from some of the Devs). Weaver could see that, though Grün looked to be about their age, her appearance certainly hinted a hectic life. "So what're you peeps doing out here, huh?" She gestured to everyone behind Weaver. "Isn't it past bedtime for most -"
Her words trailed off as Weaver saw Grün's expression turn into a mix of shock and anger. Curious, Weaver followed her gaze and found herself looking at one person: Frost.
The rest of Weaver's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Grün shoved her aside. "And why the hell is that bitch around?!" she demanded. She turned to Weaver with a glare. "I said why's she here!"
Weaver and many others looked confused. "Hey, look, we just ran into her near the city outskirts earlier today. I don't know what beef you have with her but, um, we have no idea."
Grün huffed another round from her cigar before angrily flicking it to Weaver. "I don't know what the hell you kiddos are gonna do, just leave me out of it. And don't you freakin' follow me, you goose-stepping bastard!" She punctuate the last remark by pointing at Frost. Grün turned around and immediately began rolling away.
Nitroplus looked at Frost, who despite the hostility, remained collected; even more, she looked almost as confused as everyone else. "Frost, do you know her?" she asked.
"Know her? That was Grün who was a veteran Dev who was quite legendary in the RTS genre," Frost replied. "She used to be one of the most famous - and some may say she still is - but time and circumstances haven't been kind to her."
"But how are you involved?" Nitroplus asked.
Before Frost could answer, Bell interrupted. "Frost is hired by the same person who used to hire Grün before screwing her over. It's kind of a sob story but it left Grün spiteful towards anything or anyone related to her former employer. Guilt by association, and all that stuff."
Nitroplus was baffled that anyone could think like that. She looked to the ever-shrinking figure of Grün rolling away without an ounce of respect. She couldn't possible imagine what it was like for a Dev to reach us heights only to fall to the point of disability. Yet, she didn't look old enough to be handicapped, still young even. And still quite young to live such a bitter life.
A ringtone shook Nitroplus out of her thoughts as Bell fished her cell phone out of her pocket. "Better not be some multi-level marketer..." she groaned. She glanced at the screen and immediately stopped. Looking up, she motioned for Weaver, Nitroplus, and Raw Meat to come close.
"Who is it?"
"It's Kreass. I think she's got something important to tell us."
"Good for being punctual with the call." Kreass's voice - as well as her haughtiness - came loud and clear over the phone's speaker. "No doubt even you would realize that I have something worthy to say."
"Oh, I figured you want to express how much you miss us already," chuckled Weaver.
None of them could see it, but they could tell Kreass rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Return to my library with due haste; it turns out there's still more to the rats than what we suspected."
Upon hearing this, Nitroplus leaned closer to Bell's phone. "How much more of them are there?" she half-asked, half-demanded.
"From what PING was able to ascertain, about one more major base of operation. And more importantly, the head of their operations."
All of them fell silent from the recent development. Bell had the sneaking suspicion that this somehow wasn't over with, but that didn't mean she was actually expecting it. Either way, they still had a job to do, even if it meant cutting their vacation short to help end piracy in this continent.
Kreass continued. "This revelation is very recent and I'm still receiving the details myself. Just meet me back in my library and I'll fill you in on once you return. Do not keep me waiting."
Bell held the phone close to her and took a second to reply. "Alright, we'll head back." Then she ended the call.
As Grün continued rolling down the street, she pulled out a small metallic case from underneath her military jacket, age having faded its green color and quality. Flipping it open, she stuck another stogie in her mouth and fumbled for the lighter when she heard rapid footsteps coming from behind her.
Grimacing in annoyance, Grün decided to pick up the pace. But the footsteps were getting closer. "Excuse me. Grün?" Grün didn't recognize the voice and she didn't care. She simply kept going back to her beat-down bungalow.
Yet the unwanted presence persisted. "Ms. Grün?"
Grumbling, Grün finally turned around to face some girl who's fashion sense didn't match with the rest of the PC Continent, with her white corset underneath her jacket, weird wing-like accessories, and a skirt of all things. "Do I look like a freakin' miss to you?"
"I was trying to get your attention in a way I thought respectful," the girl replied. Grün rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Respect? Huh, that's new. Nowadays, you noobies can't have fun without having to pay through your noses for something you should have. In fact, I was up and about being the Big Dev On Campus and taking names before you even learned how to move and look at the same time. Silly me, I thought I was back in the good old days!"
Grün sighed as she grinded the cigar between her teeth. "So whaddya want?"
"My name is Nitroplus," the girl spoke in a smooth voice. "For the past few days, I have been on a quest to stop a rat organization and their piracy operations. I have gathered fellow Devs who wish to aid me and today is the day we put an end to the rats once and for all."
"Cool story bro," Grün interrupted with disinterest in her voice. "So how am I involved in all of that?"
"Video game piracy affects this continent, however small the effects are," urged Nitroplus. "I believe this is a worthy cause to fight for but we still have an unfinished task at hand. With your help, we might be able to succeed."
Grün immediately spat out the cigar, coughing and wheezing. "Pah! And work alongside that asshat? Not a chance!"
Nitroplus sighed. "I understand you may have your own opinions of others, but -"
"Oh, do you now? You don't know me and I bet you don't know a thing or two about her! Well listen up, junior: you see this?" Grün slapped her non-functional legs. "In case you haven't realized, I didn't start off like this. People like us aren't easy to break, but we can still bleed. The bastard I used to work for years ago, well, she's a complete bastard through and through. Robbed me of my work and crippled me.
"Do you ever realize how much you take your own legs for granted?" Grün accentuated the statement by pointing at Nitroplus's limbs with her cigar. "To be able to do a whole lot of things you need or want. Take those away, and all of the sudden a solid chunk of life is locked away from you. Walking, running, climbing, jumping, everything you could do under the sun?" Grün paused to take another whiff. The embers lit up only to detach where they were indifferently extinguished into nothingness.
"... Just like that, half of what makes life enjoyable is locked away from me. And no amount of credits is gonna bring that back."
Nitroplus solemnly nodded, but was still confused about something. "... So where does Frost factor into this?"
"Her? Soldier girl's a freakin' yes-man, doing whatever someone tells her to do, never questions it. Didn't care who I was or the fact I was tossed aside, she jumped at the chance to work for that motherfu -" Grün suddenly sputtered out into unexpected coughing, ejecting the cigar from her mouth. Nitroplus immediately came to her side but as immediately as it began, Grün recovered and brushed her off.
"Ugh. Long story short, she makes herself happy working for the same guy who's the reason why I'm like this. And to this day, she acts as though it doesn't matter." Grün sighed before she realized that the cigar was no longer in her mouth. She pulled another one out from under her jacket, causing Nitroplus to frown.
"I think you should take a break from those."
"You ain't my nurse, so sod off. Worry about yourself, kid, and not someone who belongs in a museum..." Grün griped in response as she went through the motions of getting another smoke. But before the lighter's flame could reach the tip, Nitroplus quickly snatched the cigar from Grün. "What the?!"
Nitroplus immediately held her free hand out in front of her. "I understand whatever pains you went through but please, you don't have to let the rest of your life waste away like this. Cripple or not, you're still a Dev - just like the others.."
"Spare me the sappy hero speech and cut to the chase."
"What I'm trying to say here is that you can still do good. And right now, with the rat's piracy operations still going on, you have the chance to do just that instead of wasting away into nothingness. So please… will you help us?"
Silence fell, with the only sounds being the rustling of leaves. Nitroplus waited for a response while Grün simply glared at her. A second passed before she snatched her cigar out of Nitroplus's hand, but rather than put it back in her mouth, she jabbed it in Nitroplus's direction.
"If you're that desperate to get a geezer like me to do your work, fine. You made your point." Then Grün leaned in closer. "But don't expect this whole Pied-Piper charade crap to change my views on that Frost sonuvabitch. So don't expect me to like this or stick around once we're done. Clear?"
Nitroplus nodded. She had just managed to convince Grün to accompany them and she didn't want to risk anything that would undo it. But before she could stand up, she was lightly tapped on her head.
"And what hellhole did you come crawling out of? With that get-up and all… You better not be screwing with me on this thing."
"Of course she isn't! Because I'm the one who does the screwing here!" Both turned to see BJ and the rest coming up from behind. "Yo, she ready to go or does she need her rocking chair?"
Grün tossed the cigar at BJ (who dodged it, causing it to smack into Gelb instead) and without skipping a beat, her wheelchair buckled as everything but the wheels lifted a couple inches up. Then the seat leaned back and forth, creating a metronome-like motion on Grün who remained in her seat. For the first time, she cracked a grin.
"Got it right here, tough guy."
As BJ laughed, Nitroplus walked over to Bell and Weaver. "I've managed to convince her to come with us for the time being. With her at our side, the rat's defeat should be guaranteed."
The two raised a curious eyebrow. "Wow, really?" asked Weaver. "Didn't expect you to manage that. Well, more the merrier. Though, I'm afraid she's gonna have to tag along in Frost's ride. I reckon that thing's big enough to be a bus. I just hope she doesn't try to blow Frost's head off while she's with us."
In contrast to Weaver's enthusiasm, Bell merely yawned and checked the time. "Well, whatever. We should definitely head back and pack our belongings. Wouldn't want Kreass to be left hanging."
As Nitroplus turned back to check on Grün, she noticed that she seemed uncomfortable and diverting her gaze. Turning the other way, she realized that it was due to Frost who was busy answering Cog's request to ride aboard her military car (Cog insisted on nicknaming it "Truckasaurus Rex" despite Frost's protests) to pay Grün any attention.
"Meat! I certainly hope those two can stand each other..." quipped Raw Meat.
"I hope so too," replied Nitroplus. "We've come too far for us to fall apart..."
And as she looked beyond, she saw the late afternoon sun starting to settle behind the tall white smooth spires of Calipolis, as if to signal their departure from the past. Their mission was certain: to finish off the rats and bring the end to their evil. After that… she wasn't sure what came next.
A comfortable, well-defined past in exchange for an uncertain future.
