Chapter 10
Brothers
The boy fell through the blackest of night, monsters tearing at his flesh as he fell, his cries of pain only drawing more. He beat at them with his fists, kicking and screaming he fought desperately against the ferocious hordes that peeled the flesh from his bones. Consumed by terror the boy begged for rescue, someone or something had to save him from his fate and spirit him to safety. If not that, let death come swiftly.
As the boy tumbled through the dark barely conscious of the whirling fury of teeth that reduced him to nothing voices spoke,
We will protect you, they hissed, we will save you. The boy reached out pleading, First you must pledge yourself to us. Anything, the boy would give anything, Give us your blood, Fire seared his veins, Your soul, Thoughts that were not his own ravaged his mind, Your body, his limbs twisted, warping and mutating into black leather and bloody claws, Everything.
The Demon grinned.
My eyes were closed but I could feel the soft touch of cloth, the air was cool and a light breeze wafted over me tickling my skin bringing with it the smell of summer. Birds could be hear singing, likely from an open window, and I felt as if I'd just awoken from a long hibernation.
A weight rested on my chest that emanated soft warmth, I could hear the quiet breathing of sleep, the weight rising and falling with breath. I opened my eyes.
I lay in bed, to my left curtains drifted in the wind from an open window that gave way to blue sky and tall oaks. The weight upon my chest appeared to be a girl who sat sleeping in a chair, her upper body resting on me. I noticed her hair held unmistakable green of the woman who'd defeated me. A soft perfume wafted just beneath my nose, tickling my nostrils playfully with its scent. I sighed, staring up at the ceiling. After a moment I closed my eyes, waited, and opened them again. I wasn't dreaming. I had been dreaming though.
My eyes slid shut as I slipped back into the past.
I squirmed vertically up the tight confines of the air-duct struggling to move as quickly as possible, the metal banging loudly as I ascended despite my best efforts. It was easy early on, the vents horizontal and gravity simply a rule of thumb rather than an obstacle actively trying to pull me back down to the secret underground of the Astartes Project hidden beneath the Chevalier air base above. We'd never learned the exact location of the airbase so as to prevent escapees from the underground, much like what I was doing right now, from getting back to society and possibly compromising the entire operation. So, you could say what I was doing akin to treason since only a select few on the base above actually knew of our existence below and if I was found out I'd be treated as a spy regardless of age. The racket I was making in the vent had been predicted by 7 and I, however, so I'd taken the route that took was farthest from earshot of any rooms or hallways. I'd had to memorize the route perfectly as well, most of the journey would be made in the dark and a flashlight was too dangerous, the risk of dropping it, alerting someone, or it banging against the wall was too high and, seeing as I hadn't had the augmentations yet, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this in the first place, the odds were against me. I owed it to 7 for telling me about the Legendary Pandoras though. Dr. Aoi's lab was only a short distance from the main underground sectioned off to Astartes Project members, but I had to take a detour in order to acquire "The Stuff" as he called it, or plastic explosives known as C4, a white mineral that looked and felt like clay yet became highly explosive when charged with electric current. Otherwise, it was completely harmless.
7 said that he'd wanted to use it to express his "artistic talents." We'd once snuck up to the upper levels and overheard some people talking about something called "Art" while looking at a framed picture of a forest. The pictured smelled like oils mixed with some other chemicals we didn't recognize and ever since 7 had been fixated on this idea of "Art." He'd used gunpowder and wax to draw the faces of his myself and others on the floor once, but the instructor didn't agree with the fact that a soldier was spending his time trying to be artistic rather than a soldier, so he set off the gunpowder and partially destroyed half the room.
That instructor didn't last very long after that.
7 made all sorts of sculptures and etchings, his bed covered with strange symbols, pictures, and patterns. He'd even managed to filch a book of blank papers and several precious pencils. He hid them all in a secret panel within the barracks, spending nearly every night drawing upon each page until he filled the book, then erased all the drawings to start over, and he'd done this so many times that the paper was practically falling apart. So, he needed something else. A week ago we'd been practicing bomb-making while some of our brothers were given the surgery, and when 7 saw that white clay his eyes lit up like fireworks, but before he could sneak any to his room they gave him the surgery and he was out for a full week. He said he'd had to relearn how to use his body to be "artistic" almost all over again after he became Astartes and kept asking the few of us still human to sneak up and grab some C4 from munitions. Coincidentally every time he asked someone they got the surgery, almost like an omen. Brothers who were nervous of getting the surgery after hearing what would happen if it went badly avoided him like the plague.
A deep ache found its way into my hearts as the memory played out across the back of my eyelids. With a growl I opened my eyes, the Pandora, Cassie, still sleeping. I raised a fist over her head and brought it down viciously.
The fist stopped.
..you must prepare yourself for their deaths, which may not always be in the glory of battle, else you will eventually lose yourself in the depths of your own regret and sorrow….
I had not experienced that dream out of happenstance. The Commander's words echoed through the caverns of my mind, a strange guilt biting at my consciousness as I relived my first time speaking directly to the Commander. He was a superior being compared to myself, a hero. You remind me of myself...
I was no longer a weapon, no longer an Astarte. I had lost to this woman, along with my right as Dr. Aoi's right hand, now becoming her "partner." I glared, why was she sleeping on top of me anyway? Had I been demoted to pillow? What was the point of my life now? I sighed, studying the girl.
Her face and skin didn't have a single scar or scratch, her body seemed so delicate and frail, yet she had bent me to her will. I shifted beneath her, pulling my arm out from beneath the sheets, poking her,
"Awaken, Pandora." I rumbled. She mumbled something unintelligible, "I am not a bed." I grasped her shoulder and shook her. The Pandora, Cassie I believe, awoke with a start, looking around,
"Oh you're awake?" She asked smiling down at me,
"What could you possibly be doing here?" I grumbled, "And using me as a pillow to nap no less, am I so worthless now I must become your lapdog?" Cassie raised an eyebrow,
"No," She mused, "Not yet at least." The Pandora stood, "I expect you to honor our agreement you know. You're my subordinate now." I grunted, nodding,
"Yes but you still haven't answered my question. Why are you here in this hospital room with me?" She laughed musically, walking to the window, her hair blowing in the breeze,
"Are you attempting to instill affection for you within me?" I asked wryly, "If so you may stop." The Pandora glanced at me,
"Don't flatter yourself. I was just making sure you were up to snuff. I intend to use you to your full potential, Dr. Aoi tells me you take pride in yourself as a weapon to be used. You're too valuable to just be a sex slave anyway." I snarled,
"I refuse to be victim to your jokes! I have been defeated by you and you have taken my place as Dr. Aoi's greatest weapon. There is no longer a reason for my existence to persist." I sat up, back cracking loudly,
"You know," She said, "Just because you lose once doesn't mean everything ends." I swung my legs over the edge of the bed,
"Defeat means death." Standing stiffly I stretched. The Pandora looked away, ears red,
"You could stand to show some decency." I raised an eyebrow, looking down to see my body bare of clothing,
"Act your age," I growled, "Where is my uniform?" She pointed next to the door at a chair occupied by a pile of folded cloths. I took my time dressing deliberately, allowing myself a small pleasure in the Pandora's discomfort. She faced me when I'd finished,
"As of now you and I will be training together per orders of Dr. Aoi." I winced,
"Where is the Doctor?"
"Out."
"Out where?"
"That is none of your concern." She stated bluntly,
"Very well, what are your orders?" I asked flatly with a shrug,
"Follow me."
We walked a short distance, to the sparring fields from the looks of the Pandoras battling with one-another in the same outfits as when I'd killed the one Pandora and incapacitated those others back in East Genetics Academy. To my surprise I felt a stab of regret recalling how I had so thoroughly brutalized them. What had come over me? Was I going soft?
Cassie's clothing rippled, changing into a loose shirt and a pair of "athletic shorts" as they were supposedly called. She snatched a pair of sticks from a nearby stand, tossing me one. I looked at her,
"You defeated me already." She nodded,
"I know what about it?" I glowered,
"Are you trying to force your dominance over me? You have broken my spirit already." I dropped the wooden sword to the ground, "I told you I-" She vanished, her sword whipping across my face. I felt a trickle of blood drip down my cheek. My head turned slowly to glare at her, "Do you wish to train me like so dog?" Two blows landed on either side of my stomach, I resisted the urge to buckle, "You have won." She sucked her teeth,
"You know you're a real disappointment for an Astarte. I thought you'd be tougher you're an insult to the memory of your brothers you know. If you're as strong as them I'm not surprised they all died in-" I slammed a fist into the side of her skull and she skipped across the ground, rolling to her feet,
"You can walk all over me," I growled, removing my shirt, "You can taunt me," I snatched up the wooden sword, "You can do whatever you want to me," I raised the sword and took my stance, "But do not talk shit about my brothers you hapless bitch." She grinned, vanishing.
I closed my eyes.
Brothers, my strength was drained from my long stay at the hospital, I stood no chance against her, I will fight in your name, I could hear her approach, I will fix my wrongs, but without blood. My eyes flicked open, and I dodged her sword, instead caught off-guard by a spinning kick that hit me like a train and sent me flying across the field.
I picked myself off the ground gritting my teeth. Growling, I held the wooden sword at the ready. I have too much blood on my hands to right all my wrongs. She came again, spinning her sword and jumping into the air, But that does not mean I will not try. I ducked past her blow, caught again by another one of her kicks I sailed through the sky.
I will try dammit. Something clicked within my soul, jarring me as I plowed into the ground. Bleeding lightly from her blows and my time on the ground I cracked my neck, straightening to my full height.
I will try.