Time: Two days later, morning.
Wire versus Wire
Yawning, Maki walked, or rather stumbled, across the room, aiming for one of the coolers Daichi still kept stocked. Should've went back to sleep, she told herself, blindly reaching into the cooler to pull something out. It was a box of raisins. Trying a second time she got a small tub of yogurt. Good enough, the girl decided, yawning again. Choosing the nearest chair she sat and tore open the packet of raisins which turned out to taste more like extra-sweet bits of orange. Shrugging, she tried the yogurt. It tasted like . . . . She shrugged again, not knowing exactly how to describe it, nor caring to.
"Wow, late night I see," Machi said, taking the chair beside Maki.
"I guess," Maki replied, wondering just what hour it'd been when she and Komo had returned to the hospital. They'd snuck out to make a trip to the beach. With all that'd happened the past few weeks had been long and tiring, and they'd wanted to forget about Kodama and Chizu and Knitting needles, as well as the way Kako had been so viciously persecuted. She and Komo had swam, playing on the large, plushie rafts, had hit the water slides nine or ten times, had eaten their fill of hamburgers, and then settled down on a blanket to feed the strange birds. Only when the artificial sun vanished beneath the horizon had they realized the time and started getting ready to leave. It was also then they'd discovered that movies were shown at the beach during the night. People had gathered around several campfires, or found a space away from the others, and settled down. With the entirety of the several square-kilometer area of the roof being the screen it'd been awesome. They hadn't left until dawn.
"Guess what I got that will wake you up." Machi held up a small, plastic container, rolling it between her thumb and index finger. Through the clear plastic four or five large pills could be seen.
Maki gulped nervously and glanced around. "What are those? I doubt these people are into drugs."
"Drugs?" Machi looked confused. "Oh," she added a second later, shaking her head with a small laugh. "So you're saying you don't want any?"
"No. Definitely not. We must already seem like hoodlums to these people. Let's not add drug trafficking to it."
"Not even if they're the pills that can save your baby brother?"
Maki blinked, eyes suddenly focusing on the bottle. She reached out and snagged the container to hold it up so she could more easily peer inside. 'Oh," she said, now fully awake. "How?"
"I'm not sure," Machi replied. "When Mirror told you to ask me about them I was clueless as to why she would suggest me. When it prompts for the access code to print them there're a billion trillion trillion combinations, and no one but Moji could hope to guess that." The girl shrugged. "I've been trying off and on ever since you asked, but this time I was getting frustrated so I actually screamed at it, 'What is the blasted access code you worthless piece of junk,' and it just filled in the code for me."
"Wow," Maki said, only half paying attention. She held the precious bottle between two fingers, staring at the five pills that could save her baby brother's life. On this Earth every child was given one before they were a month old. It conferred immunity to every type of cancer as well as numerous other diseases. When the person was twenty-three, and fully grown, they were given another dose. The girl closed both hands around the bottle, not knowing what to do with it. If she carried it on her then it might get lost, but if she hid it in her room then she might not have it when they got sent back to their own Earth, assuming they ever did. She gulped, trembling with excitement and fear.
Machi sat back, watching the girl, glad she could in some small way make up for the trouble she'd caused them. "We're halfway done," she told the girl when the silence had lasted ten minutes.
"Huh?" Maki glanced away from the bottle.
"The last fight was fight number eight. At most seven more to go and this place will be safe. Even if we win them all we're halfway through."
"I wonder where we'll end up next. Maybe it'll be back home?" Maki said, looking hopefully at the other girl.
"That would be nice," Machi agreed, wistfully recalling her parents and friends. "I hope so."
"But you don't know for sure?" Maki continued to study the girl who Mirror had talked to the most back when they'd lived in an apartment and not a hospital. The girl who claimed she was the ultimate leader of the group even if Waku led during the fights.
"It might be before then, but I don't know. Mirror and Sakura were pretty secretive about what they wanted us to do."
"It wasn't to save this world, and worlds like it?"
"I don't think so. They used that to rope us in, and I think this Earth is pretty special to Mirror, but their final goal is something other than that."
"Oh." Maki sat back, still wondering what to do with the bottle she clutched, afraid to let it go.
"An hour," Machi said, sounding a bit bewildered.
"The next fight?" Maki asked, looking up, feeling her exhaustion crash back down on her again.
Machi shook her head. "No. Was told to get stuff together and be ready in an hour." She pulled out her cell phone. "She told me to tell everyone not to leave anything behind that they want to keep."
"Oh." Maki gulped.
"Finally stopped trying to kill each other, I see," Mirror said, causing the entire group to jump.
Chizu blinked, then looked around. They were no longer at the Headquarters in the hospital but a room that looked a lot like their old apartment. Mirror was casually sitting cross-legged on the table in the main room, sipping a drink of some sort.
"Are we going to another world?" Maki immediately asked.
"What will happen to this world?" Nakama demanded.
"Will it be okay?" Komo spoke, voice radiating concern.
"We fought hard for it, and we won't go until it's safe," Machi said, trying to sound resolute and determined.
Mirror blinked, taken back by their unyielding, united front. "Hm. No, same old Earth as before," she explained. "Just thought if you guys were no longer trying to kill each other you might want to move back to the apartment."
"Oh," Maki sighed in relief, taking a seat.
"Won't the people here come to get us?" Chizu asked.
"They won't. They've always known you were here," Mirror replied, taking another sip of her drink.
"But we were told not to tell anyone," Waku complained. "If they already know why did we have to keep quiet?"
"To be more precise, their leaders know. Ordinary people like Cherry don't." Mirror held up her hand, pointing a finger at Waku and Moji. "And I know the next question from you two will be, how much do they know?" She shrugged. "They know that these fights will determine if their world continues to live or not. Sakura made the request that she be allowed to choose the pilots for those machines and that they not use weapons of their own design until told to do so."
"Weapons?" Kodama shook her head. "But they don't have weapons."
"That was something that puzzled me," Chizu said, interrupting. "These people have learned how to get along, but from their games it's pretty obvious they know how to fight. With their technology it wouldn't take them long to build something that could take out a mech."
"And they're busy doing that," Mirror added. "But Sakura asked, and they've decided to refrain from using them."
"Even if it means they die?" Waku asked.
"Even so."
"Wait," Machi said, practically yelling. "They can destroy a mech on their own world, yet they're trusting you to pick the pilots, and they're okay with us dumb kids doing the fighting? Are they stupid? I know Sakura is a god but . . . ." She stopped and looked around.
In sudden shock, Maki gulped, staring wide-eyed at Mirror. "We've all seen the pictures of you and Sakura on their buildings. But you're not just famous people or some leaders. You're the actual gods of these people. That's why they're allowing it. But when was that? How old are you really?"
"Hm." Mirror looked at the ceiling. "By their time I guess it was around nine-thousand years ago that we first visited. Actually, Sakura was born onto this Earth during one of her rest periods?"
"Rest period?" Waku asked, perplexed. "God?"
Machi shook her head again, trying to sort through her thoughts. "So she lived a human life here back then?"
"She did," Mirror replied, staring back at the girl, eyes dead serious. "Think what that means. Her children would've had children, and those children more children. Over more than three-hundred generations that would mean every child of this world is a direct descendant of hers. And this is what she's trusting you with."
The girl took a step back, gulping again. "But why? Why not just blast each mech out of existence when they come here? We've seen the images on those building, so she can do it. Why risk such an important world?"
"She could, with ease. And the leaders of this world know this as well. Yet she won't." The strange girl stood to walk close to Machi. "Remember what you were told the first day we met. Even if one has the power to do something doesn't mean it should be done. There can be a price to it that should never be paid."
Machi closed her eyes, recalling the names Sakura had recited, the names of her many many dead children. And the voice with which she'd spoke those names.
Mirror turned back to face the rest of the group. "But as I said earlier, you have stopped trying to kill each other so you've got a choice to make. Live here or back at the hospital."
"Here would make more sense," Waku said. "If we're still not supposed to let people know who we are then at the hospital we're restricted in what we can say. Here we can talk about ZEarth and MEarth openly, not just pretend we're playing a game." He looked around. "Let's take a vote. Who's in favor of the apartment?"
Anko, Kanji, Moji, Nakama, Kodama, Waku, Ushiro and Komo raised their hands.
"Eight in favor," Waku said, smiling. "Seems we're back home."
"Not quite," Mirror countered. "There are six who aren't in favor. Until their issues are dealt with the decision is still in doubt." She looked at Waku. "While voting is often a good idea it might be that the minority have problems that take priority."
"Oh." Disgruntled, the boy stared at the six who hadn't agreed. "Kako?" he said grumpily, making it a question.
"I prefer the hospital," Kako replied, not elaborating.
"We won't attack you anymore," Waku insisted. "That's a thing of the past."
"Even so, I prefer the hospital."
"Oh." Waku turned to look at Chizu. "I can see why you would choose the hospital. There you had the hospital staff if Kodama tried anything. But he can't pull the same trick twice."
"Even so, I prefer the hospital," Chizu said, echoing Kako.
"Oh," Waku sighed. He turned to Machi.
"I have no issue with the apartment myself," the girl explained. "I just can't vote in favor of it until I know why the others aren't." She turned to Kako. "I'm sorry for what happened. As leader it was my fault. I should've known things weren't okay and done something." She looked down. "Still not sure what though."
"It's not that," Kako replied, trying a casual smile to relax the distraught girl. "While being alone here with you all does scare the heck out of me, it isn't the only reason."
"My reason is simply the counseling I was getting," Kirie interrupted. "I will probably always be overweight, but Cherry was counseling me about it, and I want to continue with it."
"Same here," Chizu said. "I've had a lot of interesting talks with her. I want them to continue."
"Oh," Waku gulped, guessing at the issues the girl might want help with. "I see."
"And if Cherry was to stay here?" Mirror asked.
"Huh?" Waku looked at Mirror. "Can she do that?"
"Aside from the problem of you ogling her way too much, I don't see why she wouldn't agree to it." Mirror glanced away from the blushing boy. "Also, she's more than capable of handling a dozen or so unruly kids should things break down again. If nothing else she would be able to alert the authorities a bit faster than last time."
"Second vote," Waku said. "Who agrees with the apartment if Cherry stays here?"
The entire group with the exception of Daichi, Maki, and Machi raised their hands.
"You sure she can handle the entire group?" Maki asked.
"Pretty sure," Mirror replied.
"Okay then." Maki raised her hand. Daichi and Machi followed suit, both only having waited until the rest were sure of their decision.
"Okay then," Mirror said, smiling. "That's one issue dealt with. She'll be here in a bit once I've talked with her. Now, . . . ."
"One question," Kako said, interrupting. "You gave us vague warnings about the day being bad before all that went down. Did you know Chizu was being tortured by Kodama, and that the ever-so-nice kids of MEarth were going to go on a rampage?"
"I did," Mirror replied in a frank, matter-of-fact tone.
"That was my fault," Machi hurried to interject upon seeing the expressions of shock and anger on the faces of her friends. "I was told not to include Kodama, but I insisted on it. If I hadn't then it would never have happened."
"But you didn't know she was being tortured, did you?" Kako growled. "Mirror did. And I bet she didn't tell you why they didn't want Kodama included."
"Well, no, but . . . ."
"We ask that you remember that deal when today has passed," Mirror said, speaking over the others. "Yet you don't remember."
Machi fell silent. "I don't know what you mean," she replied, hesitant. "I was the one who insisted on his being resurrected."
"True, but what do you recall the deal being?"
"The lives of my friends from ZEarth in return for my piloting more mechs," Machi replied instantly.
Mirror tilted her head. "And," she prompted.
"And I would also get another wish for each mech I piloted. That was it."
Chizu shook her head. "On most worlds there are warnings about dealing with fairies and leprechauns and such," she said. "I would imagine that also applies to gods."
"Very true," Mirror admitted.
"So what did she miss?" Chizu asked, prompting Mirror.
"A god, if you wish to call them that, knows what's in a person's heart," Mirror explained. "The deal was not just her words, but what she most desired in her heart at the time she spoke those words."
"Oh," Chizu said, frowning. "I see."
"I don't," Machi said, looking between the two. "I didn't wish anything bad. I just wanted my friends back."
"You wanted them to fulfill their dreams," Mirror replied. "And what do you think the dream of Kodama was?"
Machi frowned, turning white. "I don't want to know," she said, refusing to look at the boy.
"I am the chosen, the one true God," Kodama said, sounding proud and confident. "My desire is to be forever worshiped by the lesser beings. In doing so I make them immortal within me."
"What he means," Chizu added, feeling queasy, "is that he makes them scream while killing them, and he remembers those screams." She looked down, nervously wringing her hands together. "But that's only half of it. What do you think my dream was?"
"I don't know," Machi said, trying to take in everything that was being said. Knowing Kodama's dream was already enough to make her feel faint. "I don't think I want to know," she finally added, looking at the floor. "Not if it's anything like Kodama's."
"To suffer," Chizu stated without emotion. "To pay for my sins for as long as I lived."
"That's crazy," Machi erupted, gushing the words. "You're a good person. Why would you want to . . . ." The girl shook her head. "That makes no sense."
"Yet that was my dream," Chizu replied, not looking at any of the others. "When Kodama started to torture me it was not just his dream he was fulfilling but mine as well. By the deal Mirror couldn't interfere."
"That's crazy," Machi repeated again, shaking her head.
"What's your dream now?" Mirror asked.
"To heal," Chizu immediately replied. "I know I have things in my past that I will always regret, but after a few days with Kodama I'm no longer sure I deserve to suffer forever. At least not like that."
"No child can ever commit any crime for which they should suffer like that for even one day," Mirror countered, eyes closed, face pale.
Chizu looked around the room. "And if anyone wants to argue that it was wrong of Mirror to allow it, then you should also know she allowed herself to be tortured the same way so that she could relate to me, so that she could convince me it was wrong. I won't tolerate anyone blaming her for what happened."
"Oh." Kako looked at the floor, feeling sick. "So she's the one who made you see sense?" he finally asked.
"She is," Chizu immediately replied.
The boy nodded, and when the silence had lasted too long, asked, "What was the next issue?"
"I do believe Maki has some pills she's hiding," Mirror said, looking at the girl. "No, I have no desire to take them away," she hurried to add, seeing the way Maki clutched the plastic bottle. "But it is part of the reason why I'm a bit more open with you today than before." She looked around the room. "The other part being that you now seem more like a team."
"Why are the pills important to you?" Maki asked.
"Not so much the pills as the fact that Machi was able to get them," Mirror explained. "Do you remember how you did it? And can you repeat it at will?"
"No. Was just a one-time thing," Machi answered.
"I see," Mirror said, sighing. "As a first task it was pretty good. The fact you were driven to help your friend certainly helped." She looked around the room, and then with a grin she snapped her fingers. "I know. Look at your phone."
Puzzled, and a little fearful, Machi pulled out her phone. There was a small, neon-pink, smiley face where none had been before. She tapped on it and a prompt came up asking for a password.
"Get the password and I will give the group a small reward," Mirror told the girl.
"What's the reward?" Machi asked.
"I'll let you all decide that as a group. It has to be something I can do without asking Sakura, but within that anything goes." Mirror glanced around the room. "Now, what was next?" she mused, looking at Moji. She beckoned the boy forward.
"I messed up bad when I said Kako was the person who hurt Chizu," Moji gushed, practically sobbing. "I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me too bad." He swallowed, knowing he was a white as a ghost, and in serious danger of becoming one himself very soon.
"Lesson learned, I see," Mirror said, eyebrows raised.
"Yes ma'am," the boy instantly replied.
"And what was the lesson?" Mirror smiled when the boy stood there, frozen in thought.
Moji gulped. "Um . . . ."
Mirror tapped her foot and glanced at her phone, checking the time. Then her attention returned to the boy.
Sweating, Moji felt faint, knowing the one lesson he'd learned was to never tell a god, or even the servant of one, that you'd learned a lesson when you didn't know exactly what you'd learned. "To be careful of how I use my gift?" he finally answered, making it a question.
"Nay," Mirror casually replied. "It's your gift so use it to get rich or see if a girl likes you." She shrugged. "Who cares? You're basically a good person, so you're not going to use it for evil, right?"
Crap, Moji silently cried, knowing he was about to become a ghost. "Never," the quavering boy answered. "I don't like hurting people. Not usually."
"Yet you did. Why?"
"Because I abused my gift?"
Mirror sighed. "No. If you were a judge then using it to decide guilt would be an excellent way to use that power. What did you do wrong?"
"You asked the wrong question, remember," Chizu said, taking pity on the boy.
"Spoilsport," Mirror muttered, glaring at the girl before turning back to Moji. "Always carefully considered the question you're asking your gift to answer," she explained. "First always consider if it's the right question to ask. In this case it wasn't. Then always consider what knowing the answer will mean, and always consider what not knowing the answer will mean. Look at it from every point of view you can think of, and then sleep on it. Or at least sleep on it if you have time."
"Okay," came the prompt reply.
Mirror sighed, still peering at the boy with a doubtful look on her face. "Let's see if you do understand," she mused. "Let's see, what question can I ask you?" She looked around the room, examining each of the group members. "I know." The girl turned back towards Moji. "You would never rape Chizu, would you?"
"Course not," Moji spluttered. "I would never do that." When the girl only stared back he knew he had to put the question to his gift. To his shock it came back 'yes.' "But . . . ." The boy shook his head. "I wouldn't."
"Not even if someone had a gun pointed to your head, or to the head of all of your friends?" Chizu asked. "The question didn't take into consideration coercion, just if you would under any circumstances." She looked around with a deep sigh. "I'm making sure my room door has a good lock," she firmly stated.
"Oh," Moji said, not knowing what else to say.
Mirror tilted her head, still looking at the boy. "Let's try this on for size then," she said. "Without being provoked or coerced, would you ever viciously attack Kako again without warning?"
"No," came a much less confident reply. "Not unless I was coerced in some way." The boy closed his eyes. "Yes? But I don't understand." He refused to look towards Kako.
"Seems I need a good lock on my door as well," Kako muttered, sounding disgusted.
"I can think of any number of ways you might end up attacking poor Kako again," Mirror told the stunned boy, "but I will leave you to consider it for a while."
"Man, this is crazy," Moji said, shaking his head.
"Indeed," Mirror smiled. She leaned over and tapped the boy on the forehead.
Moji blinked, rubbing the spot the girl had tapped. "You just restored all my juice?" he stated. "Why?"
"I have a feeling you will need it for the next fight," MIrror replied, looking at her phone. "Which will be in fifty-three minutes and twenty-two seconds."
"Okay people," Waku said, speaking up. "We've done it before, so let's think of a way to kill a near-indestructible beast without having any weapons." The boy frowned, looking seriously annoyed. "Not even a bloody slingshot," he added.
"I suspect this opponent will be a tough one," Mirror casually added, taking a seat. "If, as Machi has informed me, MEarth is becoming famous then there will be other mechs that will want to fight you."
"Can we hope that the selection is random?" Waku asked, almost pleading.
"No. Remember your first fight was with someone Penny had seen fifty-three times," Mirror reminded the hopeful boy. "Very unlikely to have been random."
"Crap," Waku muttered with a gloomy sigh.
"Anyway, I'm off to see if Cherry is dumb enough to want to look after fourteen and one-fourth crazy kids," Mirror said, vanishing from view.
"One-fourth?" Waku said, looking around. "Oh," he added with a blush when Maki pointed at Chizu's stomach.
"Good job," Kako exclaimed when the cockpit of MEarth appeared. "You were only off by fourteen seconds." He looked around the room. "I think this calls for a round of applause." He enthusiastically clapped and the whole group joined in.
Penny joined in on the clapping, eyes quickly glancing from one kid to the next. She let out a small sigh of relief when she failed to detect any signs of injury. "Morning," she said when Daichi sat beside her. "All healed?" she asked, looking down at his groin.
"All healed," he assured her, blushing a crimson red.
"Good." Penny smiled at him for a second before turning her attention back to the rest of the group.
"Let's paintole Snotty green?" Nakama firmly stated, holding up a tube of neon-green paint. "It'll fit his name."
"Snotball is a terrible name anyway," Komo said, shaking her head. "Let's go with purple." She held up a tube of purple paint.
"No one is painting me," Drop Dead insisted.
"Pink," Maki declared, "is so much cuter." In her hand was a tube of pink paint.
"Brown is the way to go," Anko said, showing off a tube of brown paint.
"No way," Maki and Komo said together, turning on the girl. "Then his name would have to be Turd," Komo added, "and people would call MEarth the Turd-Mobile. No way."
"But," Anko said, looking down as if she was about to cry.
"People," Chizu shouted, "let's not fight. I think we've had enough of that." She looked at the four fighting girls, looking relieved when they settled down. "Instead, why not decide in a way that's fun and fair?"
"My body, my decision," Drop Dead said, knowing he was going to be ignored.
"What's your idea?" Maki asked.
"We play a game," Chizu suggested. "First person to paint ole Snotty is the winner, and he stays that color."
"Insane," Drop Dead said, wondering why he let these kids get under his skin.
"Agree," Komo said, and the other three girls echoed her.
Machi let loose with a blood-curdling scream, dropping flat on the floor as she did so. The panicked girl pointed at the ceiling.
Fearful, Drop Dead looked up to see a spider looking down at him. "I'm not falling for it," he firmly stated, speaking to Machi. "You're just projecting one of those silly holo-thingies this world has."
Machi shook her head and crawled across the floor. Trying to hide from the dark, malicious eyes of the watching spider she crouched behind her chair.
"Hm," Drop Dead nervously mused, looking back up. Deciding it wouldn't hurt he flew across the room, making sure to stay away from both the kids and the spider.
"Eek." Maki, also dropping to the floor, let loose an ear-shattering shriek of her own. Another spider had appeared high on the wall beside her. Terrified out of her wits she crawled over to huddle beside Machi.
"They're just images," Drop Dead insisted, carefully moving away from the second spider. He equally made sure he wasn't near any of the mental-challenged girls.
"They're everywhere," Komo gasped, raising a shaky hand to point. She dashed across the room, crouching down beside another chair. Then, still shaken, she scurried over to join Machi and Maki.
"You'll draw them to us," Machi said, uttering the words in a low, timid sounding whisper.
"We'll both hide over there," Maki said, pulling at Komo.
"No, I'm sorry," Machi shrieked, petrified as she clawed at Maki to keep her from leaving. "Don't go. Please."
Drop Dead whirled around, looking at the girls and then at the spiders. He could have sworn their fear was real. But his experience also said the spiders weren't and that the girls knew it.
"Help. Oh God, it's got me," Anko bellowed, almost shattering what passed for Drop Dead's eardrums. The girl was plastered against a wall with another of the spiders crawling all over her.
Drop Dead quivered, whirling around as he tried to keep all four spiders in sight, especially the one that had the terror-stricken girl pinned against a wall. As he did so he moved, always trying to keep as far from them as possible, but never forgetting the insane girls as he sought one hiding spot after another. Eventually, skimming just inches from the floor he entered the spot that would've marked an 'X' if one were to draw lines between the four spiders.
Psst, poof, there came two sounds one after the other with a now glow-in-the-dark, neon-green Drop Dead desperately racing for the ceiling. Around him the entire group burst out in laughter.
"The winner is Nakama," Chizu exclaimed with a smirk on her face. "No offense, Anko, but even I got to admit I don't want MEarth renamed to Turd-Mobile."
"Woot," Nakama said, smiling as she punched the air in victory.
"But, . . . ." Drop Dead looked down, and then turned around and around. He hadn't gone near the girls or the spiders, but he most definitely had been painted the most awful green he'd ever seen.
"Oh well," Anko said with a deep, sad sigh. "Perhaps we can turn this into an event we play each time we fight?" She walked over to the floor and picked up a small, square piece of plastic whose color perfectly matched that of the floor. Around her the other three girls did the same.
"But . . . ." Drop Dead muttered again, wanting to scream, to cry, to do anything that would change what'd happened. Desperate, he vanished from MEarth to appear in the Pacific Ocean. The salt water didn't affect the paint at all. He tried some hot springs, but the green that covered his whole body didn't smudge even a little. Knowing his body was decently heat-tolerant, he even tried hovering over the lava in a volcano. Nothing.
"Nano-carbon based and chemically inert," Daichi said when Drop Dead returned to MEarth and stayed put. "Took me a full day to find that type of paint in the 3D-printer's database." The boy shook his head in disgust. "No one needs more than eighty-nine million types of paint. No one."
"Congratulations," Nakama told Drop Dead. "Now those bad parts are covered." The girl gave the pitiful creature a big smile. "And now no one can tell that you didn't come out quite right."
"There's nothing wrong with me," Drop Dead insisted. "Or at least there wasn't until you kids came along."
"You can think of the paint job as our thanks for being on time," Kako said. "Congratulations."
Looking around, seeing the spiders had disappeared, Drop Dead moved back up near the ceiling. "Perhaps you had best be less concerned with me and worry more about your opponent," the creature said, trying to maintain some of his dignity.
The group turned to view the enemy mech that waited nearby.
"Doesn't look very strong," Maki said, looking at the tall, slim robot that waited outside. "What level is it?"
"Eleven," Drop Dead crowed. "It's going to wipe us out in less than a second." He bounced around the room, not caring his fame would soon be over. His sole, all-consuming desire now was for the blasted kids who'd painted him this sickening green to die. Then there would be a new world where there were sane kids who would weep and fight between themselves when the time came to choose a pilot. They would sometimes even kill each other. It would be fun to watch and all would be right with the world.
"What makes it so strong?" Kako asked. The enemy looked to be made of copper wire like MEarth, but where MEarth was a cylinder that could only roll on the ground this enemy stood tall, reaching nearly six-hundred-meters in height. The main body, or trunk, appeared to be composed of a number of wires twisted together. At the bottom the main trunk of the mech split into twenty wire-like legs, while at the top it did the same.
"It's fast," Moji said, having been using his skill to divine the enemy's capabilities. "As fast as us. And we're in a minefield."
"What?" Waku whirled on Moji, feeling faint. "Then we can't run?"
"Nope," Moji replied, smiling grimly. "What makes it so fast though isn't the mech itself but the fact it has a pilot like us who knows how to push its limits."
"Damn," Waku said, cringing.
"So kids, going to panic?" Drop Dead begged. "Do something normal for once in your miserable lives." He dropped down to stare at Moji. "Just so you know, that mech has wiped out two level fifteen enemies. You don't stand a chance." He whirled around the boy, laughing hysterically. "At last I'm going to be rid of you brats."
"Can we win?" Waku dared to ask.
Moji nodded. "Of course," he replied, trying to sound positive and self-assured. "Thing is, if we get too far from it we die." He shrugged. "Not sure how we fight it."
"What weapons does it have?" Kako asked, curious. To him the enemy still didn't look all that strong.
"Each of those wires on its top end creates plasma bursts," Moji replied. He looked around the room. "The plasma has an impact equivalent to five megatons and it can rapid fire all twenty wires in less than a second."
Kako gulped. "How long to recharge?"
"One second," Moji said, giving the boy a grin that would have well suited a grim reaper of death.
"I see," Waku mused, looking at the enemy. "That's why we can't get too far from it. If we do it toasts us in an instant or we hit the minefield. We got to stay close where it can't fire least it damages itself."
"That's the way I read it," Moji agreed.
"But how do we stay close to something that's as fast as us?" Chizu asked, looking worried, "If it swerves then it takes time to compensate." She looked at Moji. "Unless you're the pilot and you can divine its movements?"
"You guessed it." The boy stood to take the pilot's seat. "Thing is, if I'm wrong even once we get hurt, bad. Wrong twice and we're dead."
"How're you doing on juice?" Chizu asked, frowning. "Don't waste too much before the fight even starts."
"I'm chock full. That top-up Mirror gave me was really something. Right now I'm trying to locate the cockpit but it's fizzling on me."
"Hrm," Chizu mused, leaning forward to stare at the enemy, lips pursed. "You know, it seems to be made up of twenty wires, but that trunk is way too thick to be just those wires. I bet it's hollow." She turned back to Moji. "Is it moving around inside that trunk?"
"That's it," Moji said, startled. "You sure you're not the seer here?"
"I'll stick with being the crazy girl," she replied.
"Look on the bright side," Kako said, casually leaning back in his chair.
The entire room turned to look at him.
"For once I bet we beat them in armor. They only got those twenty long wires. We got thousands of pieces of wire on this thing."
"True," Maki grinned. "For once in at least one stat we outrank an enemy. Woot. Go MEarth," she cheered.
"Don't you damn kids get it?" Drop Dead bellowed. "This is it. It's over. You're dead."
"If we're dead then we can't panic," Chizu solemnly informed the creature. "Who would know that better than us?"
Drop Dead came to a halt, knowing there was no counter to that. He sank to the floor with a sigh.
"I'm in no rush to die," a strange, female voice softly spoke, "but when do we fight?"
The group looked to see the screen connecting the two mechs had switched on. A girl of around sixteen sat watching them with a lopsided smile that spoke only of sadness. Her whitish-blonde hair was short, yet nicely trimmed in a very feminine fashion. The sadness of her smile was reflected in her vibrant, dark-grey eyes. Clothed in a pretty, pink shirt and blue pants she was elegant and graceful looking.
"You're beautiful," were the only words Moji gushed.
"Thank you," the girl said, clearly trying to hide a smile. She looked around at the entire group, head tilted as she studied them. "Only kids?" she asked, sounding tired. "And no weapons. A world of peace I assume?"
"I'm not a kid," Moji said, still gushing. The boy turned a scarlet red when he realized how the words must sound. "We're not that much younger than you," he insisted.
"He's thirteen," Chizu interrupted. "And way too young to have the fantasies he's probably having about you right now."
"It's not like he will get to have them when he's older," the enemy said with a slight shrug. "Let him have what he can while there's time."
"Sorry to make you wait," Chizu continued, liking the girl. "We were busy giving our mascot a paint job."
"Paint job?" the girl asked, looking curious.
"Stand up and show off your new colors, Snotty," Nakama ordered.
Drop Dead trembled, knowing it would be social suicide to show himself to any others like himself. Then his eyes met those of Kako. Slowly he rose from the floor. "I'm not a mascot," he firmly stated, knowing his color made a mockery of the words.
The enemy girl stared, rendered speechless. Then she broke down in laughter.
"We call him Snotty," Chizu told the girl, smiling as well. "I'm Chizu. What's your name?"
The girl, still giggling, shook her head. "None that's fit for the ears of children such as yourself." When she saw their confusion she explained, "I'm a slave." She paused. "In my work I have many names."
"You're a prostitute?" Chizu asked, frowning.
"A world of peace would have such a thing?" the girl asked. "I had hoped they wouldn't."
"I don't think it means the same as on your Earth," Chizu said. "No one is forced into it, but some few choose to make it their trade." She shrugged. "People have the freedom to decide for themselves what they want to do. At least within reason."
"Oh. That sounds nice."
"They trust a slave to decide the fate of their world?" Waku asked, unable to stop ogling the girl.
"I have family and friends. They wish to live, so I will do my best."
The boy nodded. "We might or might not like the world we live in, but family and friends make sacrifice worthwhile."
The girl nodded. "You understand then." She smiled. "Children, but wise ones. I am sorry for what I must do today," she explained, eyes becoming moist, "but that I will pay for with my life."
"Even if you win, we would rather you live," Chizu said. She tilted her head in reflection of the other girl's. "You do know the dying part after piloting can be avoided?"
"No. How would you know? And why would you tell me?" The other girl was still, eyes radiating just a hint of hope. It faded. "But even if I knew I don't think I would want to."
"It's not your fault," Chizu said. "And I like you." She looked around the room. "I think we all do, especially the boys." She shook her head. "Waku, stop drooling like that," she ordered. "You're embarrassing the name of MEarth."
"Mirth?" the girl asked.
Chizu shrugged. "It's a joke, isn't it? A sick, twisted one, so that's what we called our mech." She spelled out the name, correcting the spelling.
"Oh. This has to be your first fight, but you sound like you've fought before." The girl now stared at them with open curiosity.
"This will be our ninth time piloting MEarth," Chizu said, grinning at the shock in the other girl's eyes. "Not having weapons certainly pisses us off to no end," she admitted. "But even so we manage."
"How?" the girl asked, then shook her head. "Sorry, I know you can't answer that." She looked to her left. "Is it true?" she asked.
A mirror-image of Drop Dead before his paint job hovered into view. "It is," the creature replied, answering the girl while peering inquiringly at Drop Dead.
"These kids are crazy," Drop Dead replied, sounding like he was on the brink of tears. "I just want them to die but they won't. On one world they laughed off over two-hundred-thousand nukes and a level fifteen mech. It's insane. This whole situation is insane. This is a level one, for crying out loud. We're not supposed to win. It's in our contract somewhere. " He sank out of sight on the floor.
"The trick to not dying when you're a pilot is quite simple," Chizu explained. "The mech drains your life force, but it takes the human body some time to die. Ten to fifteen minutes. If you jump-start it before then you can survive. It won't always work, but most of the time it will."
"Jump start?"
Chizu nodded. "You just need to transfer a tiny bit of life force into the body. Then it will start working again. The sure way would be to save some blood before you fight, and then pump it back in after. Or even drink it. But even enough kisses will do it. The body will jump-start itself even with a fraction of its normal energy, but with just kisses you're looking at several minutes of pure, tongue in the throat, kissing. You might make it in time, but then you might not."
"Oh." The girl shook her head, dazed. "Is it really that easy? I've watched eight slaves die, all who were my friends, and the answer was so simple." She gulped, and started to cry.
"I only just figured it out myself recently," Chizu consoled the girl.
"Why tell us this?" another, older woman asked, stepping into view of the screen. Her body was scarred, yet she stood tall and strong.
Chizu studied the woman before answering. "We're forced to fight," she explained, not sure how to put it to words, "but we've decided we will do so with honor. Or at least honor as we see it. Without weapons we use traps and tricks to kill our enemies, but we don't let them think we're helpless kids. Most of us have not only piloted a mech, but some of us have done so twice. We will do whatever we must to save the Earth we fight for, but we won't sell our souls." She looked down at Drop Dead. "They wish to reduce us to animals for their amusement. That we will not allow. We keep our dignity." Her eyes flickered over to Kako who blushed and lowered his head. Chizu then turned to meet the woman's powerful gaze. "I'm not sure if that makes sense," she said sheepishly.
"To a slave it does. Thank you." The woman smiled and vanished from the screen.
The girl in the pilot's seat nodded at them. "I will do my best," she said. "It would dishonor you to do otherwise. But . . . ." She sighed.
"Yes," Chizu said, encouraging the girl.
"Upon our own world we faced a level fifteen mech that nearly won. It's armor withstood our first, second, and third attack. It had time to fire back and that nearly cost us our world. You've faced a level fifteen and won. If it doesn't give away any secrets can you tell us how?"
"Have you ever faced a level fifteen on its own turf?" Chizu asked, curious.
"No."
"If you do then beware of minefields." She looked at the land around the enemy and smiled. "Like the one you have set for us."
"How do you know?"
"But the answer to your question is simple. We ran away and it gave chase. When we move fast enough MEarth can stay afloat. The enemy fell into what we call the Japan Trench and its cockpit was destroyed. Just barely though."
"Ingenious," the girl said. She turned to look off screen again, then turned back. "We've fought two level fifteen mechs. While we don't see how you can win we will tell you about them." She immediately fell into a long, detailed talk on the enemies they'd faced, including their weapons and the location of their cockpits.
"Thank you," Chizu said when the girl had finished. "We can tell your mech is very powerful and very fast, though lacking in armor. And the trick with the moving cockpit is pretty nice. At least it's not out in plain sight like ours." She gave a sigh.
"How did you know . . . ."
Chizu waved the girl to silence and went on to explain the level ten they'd fought.
"Oh," the enemy girl gulped a minute later. "That sounds like it was designed solely to counter us."
"My thoughts exactly," Chizu replied. "We're very thankful for the information you've given us."
"We're grateful as well," the girl answered. "It was for us more than an equal trade, and as slaves that's something that's very rare in our world." She smiled at the enemies from a world she couldn't hope to comprehend, one where there was freedom, knowing in them she'd found soulmates.
"Wait," Moji interjected, knowing they would soon have to fight. "I can't just remember you as the most beautiful woman ever. Even if you don't have a name, choose one now. Something we can call you by when we think of you."
"A name?" the girl shook her head, then glanced to her side again, listening to the older woman. She paused in thought. "Arcadia," she finally said, having given it serious thought. "I like the name Arcadia."
"Arcadia," Moji repeated the name, smiling. "I like it too. I wish . . . ." He looked down.
"Me too," the girl said, also looking down. "I think it's best we start before I'm unable to fight."
Moji nodded and the screen disappeared.
"Are you okay?" Chizu asked.
"No. But in this crazy game is anyone?"
The enemy mech ran, needing to open the distance between them before it could fire its weapons. Fast and nimble, it reached the speed of sound in seconds. Moji, mind focused solely on the enemy, trying to predict its actions, actually threw MEarth into gear a fraction of second before the enemy moved. Then, a split second later, he made a sharp turn to the right just before Arcadia did. Though the enemy mech was the one trying to race away, it was MEarth who was always in the lead, never straying more than a few hundred meters from its foe's erratic path.
Everyone knew it wouldn't be enough. As focused as Moji was at the moment, as precise as he was in his power of prediction, he would eventually falter. Then the enemy would open fire with those balls of plasma it could throw, or the mines would kill them. All it needed was a few kilometers of distance between them so their weapons didn't tear them to shreds as well as MEarth.
Hand gently covering her stomach, Chizu quietly sat, watching Moji as much as she did the enemy mech. Unlike the other battles of MEarth's past, there was no question of how to destroy this enemy - with MEarth being the better-armored one they simply needed to repeatedly crash into their fragile foe, breaking off its arms and legs. But that wasn't as easy as it sounded. The girl studied the spasmodic path Moji and Arcadia carved through the desolate landscape of sand and stone beneath a seemingly endless, dark-grey sky. The enemy planned a move and Moji without fail read it, making the same change in direction fractions of a second before the enemy did. If he was to break from the pattern he might collide with the enemy mech and damage it, but the risk was near certain death. If he missed the enemy would open fire with twenty five-megaton blasts of plasma that would reduce MEarth to wreckage, assuming it didn't outright destroy them with a direct hit to the cockpit. And what if he did hit? The two mechs would impact with incredible force, damaging the enemy, but the odds are they would carry past each other; then again, the enemy would open fire, possibly killing them.
"We need a smokescreen," said Waku who was watching the fast-paced competition without blinking. "Even a small one and then . . . ." He sighed, knowing it wasn't in the cards. While MEarth might manage to throw up a cloud of sand from the rocky terrain it would take a fatal amount of time. The precious seconds it would require was suicide.
"Ironic," Machi added.
"Beautiful," Drop Dead said, sounding like he was giggling. "And ever so ironic indeed. No matter what the armor of your enemies you always beat it even though you don't have a single weapon. Now, faced with something that has no armor, you're going to lose. That's what you get for painting me green."
"Shush," Kako ordered the annoying creature. "We're thinking."
"I will not," the suddenly defiant Drop Dead retorted. "If my being a pest is what it takes then screw dignity, I want to be rid of you all." He went flying down to hover between Moji and the screen showing the enemy mech.
Machi felt a dark fear flood her veins as the mascot of MEarth dared rebellion. Without thinking, reacting on pure instinct, she reached out, touching the control center of MEarth and banished the creature.
Drop Dead froze in incredulity, turning around and around in shock. The sensation only increased, causing him to verge on a nervous breakdown, when he tried to return to MEarth only to fail. He, the master of the great mech, had been cast out with the door firmly locked behind him. Not possible, the creature thought, still whirling around and around. Not possible Then he realized where he was as the tall, beanstalk-like mech of the enemy came into sight, followed a second later by MEarth who tore up the ground as it traveled, ensuring certain death for any who stood beneath it.
Machi shook her head, feeling weird. She wasn't sure what'd happened but it seemed Drop Dead had decided he had other things to do. Focus, the girl commanded her overworked brain with her attention returning to the problem at hand.
"Help," Drop Dead frantically bellowed to the controls of MEarth, the mech that was supposed to see him as master. "Help." The block, or whatever it'd been, dissolved and he flashed back to the uncertain safety of the cockpit even as a hurricane of shattered rock hurled his way from the base of MEarth. Inside, though not feeling at all safe, the creature hid on the ceiling.
"Remember, interfering in a fight is illegal," Kako warned Drop Dead, finding it impossible to miss the neon-green blob as it tried to hide.
"Help," Moji said, voice sounding strained as he spoke low with his attention still entirely on the enemy. "Making decisions every second is draining me fast."
In alarm the group frantically looked around at each other, desperately seeking solutions. In each other's eyes they saw only the struggle, not the gleam of success.
Waku returned to studying the path they'd taken so far, and as chaotic as it was, he saw a pattern. "We're staying within the minefield," he told the group. "But it's thousands of square kilometers. It can't all be covered." He turned to look at Chizu. "You're good at spotting those things. Can you tell when we're not within range of any mines?"
Chizu looked out the screen, eyeing the blur of the landscape as it rushed past at the speed of sound. "Not a chance," she replied. "Heck, I can't even see the enemy most of the time."
"Frig," the boy muttered.
Kirie watched the enemy sway and zig-zag, turning every which way to evade the ever-present shadow of MEarth. In a machine which broke the sound barrier every few seconds, always changing course, it was far from easy. And the motion was starting to have an affect on him. Or, to be more precise, his stomach. Another reason to lose weight, the queasy boy muttered to himself, holding his rebellious stomach. Trying to ignore the motion sickness he kept his eyes on the constantly changing horizon. Yet, somehow despite the direness of the situation, his attention kept coming back to his roiling stomach. It seemed the queasiness came in very short, very powerful bursts that were around two seconds apart. That was how long it took to hit the speed of sound, then make an insane turn. Like the beating of his heart, Kirie found he could almost keep track of time by it. Only sometimes the beat, or pulse of sickness, was four seconds apart.
One, the boy counted.
Two, and here it comes. The boy viciously suppressed the need to barf.
One.
Two. And it's missing, the boy noted with a frown, deep in thought.
Three.
Four. I wonder where Daichi put the barf bags, Kirie gulped, face becoming greener and greener.
One.
Two, and . . . . Oh God, make it stop.
One.
Two. "Daichi, barf bag, please," the boy said, uttering the words as if his life, rather than his dignity, depended on it.
One.
Two. He threw up, wondering just how many calories it counted for, knowing it could never be enough.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four. This time, not feeling as sick, the boy saw what was different. The mechs, being massively tall, had no need to avoid minor obstructions, but the land around them was littered with small, barren hills. When the enemy mech changed course towards one it seemed to take it longer to position its legs, making the turn less abrupt.
After pausing to throw-up again, the boy quickly spoke, "If you're trying to ram them, they're slower when they turn towards a hill. And their legs are off the ground longer." He shrugged. "And I guess the hill might help keep them from rolling or sliding far enough away to get a shot at us."
A minute later Chizu nodded. "Way to go. I would never have noticed."
"Me either," Waku admitted.
It's now or never, Moji decided, throwing MEarth onto a direct collision course with the enemy. The two billion-ton giants met at a speed surpassing that of sound, creating a shockwave that lashed outward, causing minor, nearby rocks to shatter. In passing MEarth caught three of the enemy's legs in its wire covering, bending two of them back at an angle that caused something in them to snap. Then the two behemoths were past each other with MEarth frantically trying to reverse course as if its life depended on it; which, for its pilot, it did. Meanwhile the enemy mech fell on the hill, sliding over it at an insane speed that quickly carried it several hundred meters from MEarth. It's arms aimed to fire, yet it withheld the onslaught as MEarth closed the distance between them.
"How many legs does it need to keep running?" Waku asked, looking at Chizu.
"Wish we'd thought to ask that before starting the fight," Chizu admitted, eyeing the one person who was now way too busy to answer.
Moji divined the next path the enemy would take, noted the hill, and once again threw MEarth into reverse, putting it on a collision course. This time he only snagged one leg, and while it did bend back further than any of the others it didn't break. Unable to take the time to even think of a curse, the boy forced MEarth to grind to a halt and roll after its foe. The action took too long, allowing several of the enemy arms to open fire with the blasts ripping through MEarth, shattering sections of its wire covering, and actually slowing the machine down. Hands gripping the armrests of his chair in a death grip, Moji commanded all the power he could from MEarth and rolled into three further blasts, pushing the mech closer to the enemy. When the mech came suicidally close the enemy stopped.
"We can't take many like that," Waku said, clutching at his chest. "That girl is good."
"Perhaps too good," Chizu said, frowning at the screen, knowing there was no choice but the try to risky maneuver again and again until the enemy was slowed.
The next time also snagged a single leg, catching it tightly amidst the many strands of wire that made up MEarth. But this time it snapped, and the enemy was down to seventeen legs. Still, it was as fast as ever.
"Twelve," Chizu guessed. "It would need four to start running and four to stop running. Then to keep its balance there would have to be two to a side."
Amidst the minefield, each desperate to save a world, the mechs clashed again and again. More blasts ripped through MEarth, even blackening its cockpit, yet the machine held together. Meanwhile the enemy kept trying to run, to open the distance to something safe from where it could turn its massive firepower on a defenseless MEarth. As the long, tortuous minutes passed, shockwave after shockwave blasted across a barren land that was frequently lit by nuclear fire. Within MEarth a weary Moji felt the constant need to predict the enemy's path drain his 'juice' at an insane rate, while within the enemy mech Arcadia frowned with sweat running down her face. The older woman would at times mop it away with fearful glances towards the most fearsome opponent they'd yet faced.
At twelve legs Chizu was proved wrong as the enemy, while making fewer turns, still made the turns it did take just as fast. It was something a near unconscious Kirie was grateful for. He'd already thrown up eight times and could now only heave. With gratitude in his heart, he counted the turns as now coming once every five seconds. Then he dry-heaved again into a bag.
At eleven and ten legs the enemy still managed. The turns were no longer as sharp, nor were they as gracefully executed, but for MEarth the danger was over. From the time the wobbling enemy fell to the time it rose to flee, there was now at least one extra second for MEarth to come to a halt and return to shadow the enemy. The damage it took ceased while that of the enemy now rapidly increased.
The number of legs dropped to nine and then to eight. That was where MEarth nearly died. Moji, desperate to end the battle before his power of divination came to an end rolled over the enemy rather than slowing to match their course, and fourteen enemy arms - the other six having been broken during the fight - lifted MEarth into the air. Firing from below where the blast carried upward with nothing but a fragile MEarth in their path. Arcadia let loose, pounding the battered mech with megaton after megaton of power, quickly reducing it to near scrape in the space of less than three seconds. But, lucky for the crew of MEarth, while their mech was made of wire it had a lot of that wire. Holes were punched clear through it, allowing paths where the enemy fire could pass without harm. And, by some miracle, the cockpit was spared much of the damage. Still, to the shock of those within it, they could feel a draft where it was holed in three separate locations.
More blasts tore off more wire, and one of the hoops those wires used for structural support actually fell away. That was what saved them. In falling it knocked three of the arms briefly away from MEarth, allowing it to also fall. As it hit the ground Moji ordered MEarth into a spin, ripping through the arms that'd savaged them. The powerful limbs were viciously knocked to one side, or damaged, keeping them from trying the same trick twice. With more of its wire flying from it's ravaged sides to fly off over the horizon, MEarth kept up the assault. Then another of MEarth's hoops was sent flying, and Moji frantically brought them to a stop.
"Well," Maki said, lifting a sweaty face to meet the breeze that blew through the room. "Well," the girl said again, expressing exactly how they all felt. Of the dozen hoops that formed MEarth's structure only nine were left. On those nine at least eighty percent of the wiring was gone.
"Hm," Kako said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Doesn't matter if they shoot us now. We're so full of holes they won't hit anything anyway."
"They've only got one of those arms left working," Chizu said. "And somewhere along the way they lost two more legs. Six left." The girl turned her attention towards Moji. "As bad off as we are we got to destroy those legs and fast."
Moji nodded. Like they the enemy was in shock, trying to take stock and recuperate after the brief but fierce three-second fight that'd so severely crippled them both. If they waited too long Arcadia would put those legs to use tearing MEarth apart. Colliding at near supersonic speeds had prevented it before, but now . . . . He threw MEarth into gear and rolled down towards the legs even as they moved to attack. Spinning MEarth up again caused more wire to fall away, but the legs were knocked aside, and with several more spins they ceased to be a danger. MEarth crept off its fallen enemy with its structure wobbling.
"I think that last arm is pretty badly damaged," Waku said. "It keeps trying to track us, but it can't quite get us in range."
"Good," Moji replied, feeling faint, hands finally loosening from the armrests of his chair. "That was scary." He looked around, only then noticing the breeze that blew through the room and the three holes that clearly showed the outside. "Nice view," he added, swallowing.
Daichi made a dash over to Kirie to check his pulse. "Still alive," the boy announced a second later, 'All that puking must've dehydrated him." With Penny scooting over the to him, he wiped the vomit from the boy's face and took a drink container from his bag.
"About that," Komo whispered, sliding down from her chair to kneel on the floor. She hurled up the contents of her stomach, sending it to splatter over the floor and the legs of Nakama and Waku. "Sorry," she gulped a few seconds later. She turned to look at Moji with a weak smile. "Assuming we win, I'm pretty sure you won't want a kiss of life from me." Then she puked again.
"Lucky for us Moji doesn't get motion sickness," Chizu said. "That would've doomed us."
"About that," Moji said, blinking, face turning green. "I think I need a barf ba . . . ." Then he also sent a wave of vomit onto the floor. He followed it with three more before finally stopping. Still in his seat, he weakly looked up. "At least the holes will help with the smell," he noted. "But what now?"the boy asked asked, looking towards Chizu and Waku.
"I can see their cockpit," Chizu replied, pointing. "All the damage they took means it can't move back and forth to evade detection. And the main trunk has a split in it. If we had a slingshot we could attack them."
"That split also means they can't stand up," Waku added after carefully looking the enemy over. "No more running for them even if they had legs."
"Attack the last arm from behind," Chizu said, "and then we see if we can crush their cockpit. Do you have enough juice to see if it'll work?"
"Sorry, no," Moji answered. "Let's hope none of those other arms are playing possum." Slowly he maneuvered MEarth toward the enemy's last remaining weapon and rolled over it, bending it so that it was lying flat on the ground. There he paused, briefly closing his eyes. "I can't do it," he admitted. "I can't kill her." The boy looked around the room with a wretched expression on his face. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Maki said. "You did great. Better than great."
"Only he could've won this fight," Nakama said, speaking from where she was lying on the floor, face green.
"For sure," Kanji added.
"He saved our butts," Anko acknowledged.
"Which leaves someone with having to sit here to finish it off," Moji said. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you looking at me?" Kako asked angrily when everyone turned towards him. "It's not as though I'm the psychotic mob that wanted to kill someone just a few weeks ago."
"Sorry," Moji whispered.
Kako shrugged. "Good job with the piloting," he reluctantly admitted. "It's incredible the way you matched them move for move. I bet even ole Snotty here has never seen anything like it."
"I certainly haven't," Penny said as she carefully lifted a cup, letting an unconscious Kirie get a sip of some sugary, fruit juice.
The screen to the enemy mech flickered on, showing Arcadia who was sunk low in her chair, clearly tired. Her eyes turned immediately towards Moji. "What you did was impossible," she stated, managing a little smile with the words. "Amazing."
"He's our seer," Chizu explained. When the girl looked confused she added, "He can divine the answer to questions. But even for him what he did was impossible. Certainly beyond anything we've ever seen him do before."
On the screen the Drop Dead look-a-like popped up to peer at Moji. "And you won't die from this?" he asked.
"I hope not," Moji answered, eyes not leaving Arcadia's as he tried to think of some way to save her.
"Indeed, amazing," the creature said before dropping from view again.
On the screen Arcadia took a deep breath before pushing herself back up in her chair. Then, head lowered, she clearly intoned, "I hope you will allow me the right to choose my own path?"
"Huh?" Moji asked.
The older woman stepped into view. "We are defeated. We have no weapons and cannot move. While you are also badly damaged you are able to move. The outcome is clear. Arcadia is asking that she have the right to take her own life instead of being killed."
"That's insane," Moji hissed. "You don't give up, ever. We have three holes in this cockpit for crying out loud. We might just fall apart." He shook his head in disbelief.
"You know as well as we that won't happen," the woman calmly replied. "You have merely to stand atop our cockpit and crush it. The end is obvious." She looked down towards a trembling Arcadia. "While she was not meant for the games as I was, she is indeed a warrior." Her hand raised to gently pat the girl on the head. "One I am proud to have stood in battle with. That this fight was lost is not on her shoulders. As good as she is, we were just outmatched."
Moji nodded. "By far the best we've ever seen," he told them. "No one else has ever matched MEarth's speed. She was my match, and it was pure luck that decided this battle." He looked at the girl who still trembled. "It could've went either way. I'm sorry."
"Why suicide," Chizu asked. "Why not finish the fight?"
"That used to be the way it was," the woman started. "We fought and died as our masters commanded. Then, around four hundred years ago, a novice fighter amongst the slaves disobeyed. The one he fought was his brother, and he desired to spare that brother the despair of having to deliver the death blow, so he died on his own sword. Angry, the masters killed the brother anyway. Yet, having seen that, the next pair who fought in the fights did the same. And the next. And the next after that. It enraged the masters for it took from them some of their control, their power." The woman looked at Chizu and smiled. "In pairs we died by the tens of millions. One by suicide and the other by our masters' wrath. Yet we maintained the ritual, and the masters finally relented. They had no choice for our numbers dwindled and if not for the fights what would they have to amuse themselves with?"
"I see." Chizu swallowed. "Why not rebel?"
The woman pointed to her chest. "From the time we're born we are implanted with a device that will explode with the press of a button. If a master dies within twelve feet of one of us we also die. It is the way things are. Even if we were to succeed the masters now have biological weapons against which they are vaccinated. We are not. If there was a way to rebel, we would've found it. We live at their mercy, but we choose our own death."
"I see," Chizu said again. "If they can kill you so easily why allow you to commit suicide?"
"Because if they kill a slave that way it moreso alleviates any guilt their opponent bears." The woman grinned evilly. "But we started the ritual where if a slave is killed in such a fashion then their opponent then commits suicide in their stead. When our numbers had dropped almost to the vanishing point we were allowed the method of our death. Even now that we are once more numerous they fear to try such tactics again." The woman shrugged. "To those who are free I'm sure it must seem barbaric."
"No," Chizu disagreed. "It seems noble. Even in the face of overwhelming power you maintain your humanity. I'm impressed."
"As am I," Kako echoed. "When I first knew what it meant to sit in one of these mechs I went a little crazy?"
"A little?" Chizu teased.
The boy shrugged. "Okay, I went totally berserk. I was crazier than a mad hatter lunatic on a full moon." His eyes met those of the girl and he smiled. "Again. Sorry."
"As am I," Chizu said, smiling back.
Moji looked at Drop Dead. "Can we exchange places?" he asked, begging. "Let us change seats so she sits here and I there. She can live and I can die. Please."
"No," Arcadia shouted, looking up. "No."
"It's not possible," the enemy Drop Dead said, floating into view again. "Each of you is linked to the mech you agreed to fight in. It can't be changed." It flew closer to the screen to peer at the boy. "At least that is what I would normally say. But if you can survive being a pilot then you can be deregistered from your mech's database. Then you can transfer here to register and pilot." It looked at Arcadia. "If she can survive being a pilot then she can also deregister and transfer over there."
"We'll do it," Moji stated, feeling his heart swell with relief, with joy. Arcadia would live. Feeling exhilarated, he grinned at the girl.
"No," Arcadia stated angrily, refusing. "This is my place. And I won't buy my life at the price of yours. Never that." The girl smiled, grinning. "I never thought I would say that to a free person, but I prefer you to live over me." Then, with the smile becoming much more predatory, she turned to look up at the older woman. "Imagine the masters sitting, watching this. They must see we're defeated and they can do nothing. Their fear must be so sweet, so delicious. I wish I could see their faces."
"You can," Chizu hurried to interject, knowing the girl was about to die. She looked at the enemy Drop Dead. "Let her see the faces of those so called masters. Please."
The creature nodded. "A most interesting fight," it stated.
"So beautiful," the older woman said, eyes widening. Behind her several more people stepped forward. Their eyes also lit up from what they now saw.
"Arcadia," Moji said, wanting to plea with the girl, to beg. Instead he told her what she wanted to hear, the truth. "I love you."
The screen went dark as one of the shattered arms of the enemy mech fired. It couldn't aim but it happened to beingat the ground just beneath the cockpit.
'If nothing else it seems I'll be even more famous," Drop Dead said with a sigh. "Damn crazy kids."
"How's Kirie doing?" Kako asked.
"He seems to be okay," Penny answered.
Kako nodded, figuring the boy had woke up a while back, but was too happy lying on Daichi's lap to bother doing anything.
"Kiss of life for Moji?" Chizu said, looking over the group. "You wanna kiss another guy?" she asked looking at Kako.
"I'll pass. I think," he replied, peering at the girl, questioning her with a raised eyebrow.
"I'll let someone else," she replied, knowing the question. She continued to look around, knowning Penny, Machi, and Anko were hesitant because they liked a boy and figured someone else would step up. That left Nakama, Komo, and Maki.
"I'll do the honors," Komo said, standing. She quickly stepped forward to briefly kiss the boy on the lips. "I'm sorry about Arcadia," she added with a small, comforting smile before returning to her chair.
Moji nodded, looking dejectedly down at his hands, realizing just how little his power of divination meant.
Cherry stared into space and slowly blinked. A popup menu appeared on the contact lens she wore and she repeated the action. It was a simple process. You looked at what you wanted to choose and then closed the eye at a little slower than normal to select it. A normal blink of the eye was thus ignored, keeping it from interfering from normal day-to-day stuff. A practiced user could even type at a reasonable speed using a virtual keyboard that contained not just the basic letters but combinations thereof, and even full words. It was possible to use the hands and fingers to type, but that required the use of fake-fingernail add-ons that connected to the lens. She'd forewent that. The lens displayed the status of four, small, insect-like constructs that read as fully operational and ready to go. She hit launch and then exited the display.
The woman looked around the room, noting it was the same one as the children had been taken from weeks ago. Despite the strange conversation she'd had with an equally strange girl less than an hour ago, she was less than pleased to be here. Or, to be more precise, she was fervently pissed that Kodama would be living here as would Chizu. Why allow a person who showed such sociopathic tendencies to roam free, the irate woman fumed, tapping on the table she sat at. On the table's display was the image of a gigantic construct that almost rivaled that of a building. Composed of hoops connected by numerous strands of wire she was puzzled as to what it could be. But then kids these days did all sorts of things. Including artwork for comics and such.
Having been told the kids would arrive soon, Cherry leaned back in her chair, patiently waiting as she wondered at what level this whole thing was organized. That a transfer of duties would be timely handled was accepted in a society where computers did most of the work, but with this there'd been no waiting. Then the fourteen kids she'd been sent to supervise flickered into existence, startling her.
"Nice to have you with us," Machi said, greeting their new roommate with a smile. "We're a bit wacky at times, but we're all glad you agreed to this." Her eyes briefly turned towards Kodama. "Well, most of us anyway."
"I certainly feel safer," Chizu said, also greeting the woman with a smile. "And there would've been massive problems if you'd refused."
"Are you sure you can handle us if things get bad?" Kako asked, giving the woman a brief smile of welcome as well.
"All doctors who specialize in cognitive disorders are taught how to handle hostile situations," Cherry said, finally getting in a word. "So long as you stop doing these weird tricks, like appearing and disappearing, I'm sure I can manage. And I'm glad you all agreed to continue treatment. I would've worried otherwise." She looked over to Moji. "What happened?" she asked, becoming serious.
"He just saw a girl he likes die," Kako said bluntly. "There's nothing you can do to help her," the boy quickly added, seeing the woman was about to jump into action.
Cherry nodded, swallowing. "Just where and when did it happen? And how did she die?" she asked.
"Five-megaton nuclear explosion," Chizu answered. She glanced at Machi. "Nine down with six to go. Maybe something to mark it with?"
Machi frowned, thinking. "I'm worried about Moji," she finally said, "but that's what we got Cherry for." She looked at the woman. "Some of the things he might say will sound weird, but you should be used to that by now."
"Being able to accept it isn't the same as getting used to it," Cherry replied, knowing she was about to hear of more strange and impossible things. She nodded at the three and rose. "Time for me to get to work."
Machi nodded and, hesitating for a few seconds, hopped up on the table with a determined expression. "People," she shouted. "We've seen a lot since we came here, and despite it being impossible we've won all nine fights so far." The girl stared down at her friends, eyes piercing and resolute. "And we will win the next six as well," she added, bellowing out the words, radiating confidence. "While we all have wounds from these battles those wounds will heal, leaving scars that will be our memories of what has happened. That is all we can offer to those we kill. We will remember them and their worlds. We will remember their honor." She looked at Chizu. "The honor of a world that knew only war after futile war, yet produced good men." The girl took a deep breath. "Worlds where girls like Jenny loved blueberry cake. Who was far more innocent than any of us ever were." She turned to look at Moji. "And a world where slaves knew honor their masters could never hope to understand. Slaves who fought for the same thing we all do - for those we love and call friends. So different from us yet still the same. We will remember all of them and that they were all the same as us."
Machi took another deep breath, looking around. "Yet we're tired, and we're again near the breaking point, so tonight we will forget that we're monsters, killers beyond anything any world has ever heard tell of. We will just be friends at a campout and we will talk, eat and tell ghost stories. And we will sleep together beneath the stars." She turned towards Waku and Chizu. "You two will record the data we got from Arcadia." Her gaze next turned towards Daichi. "We need food suitable for a campout. We need marshmallows and weiners and sodas as well chips. Nothing but junk so forget if it's healthy for once." She smiled at the boy before looking over towards Maki and Komo and Nakama. "You three will get the 3D printer to make us sleeping bags. One for each of us. Make them colorful and have silly designs on them like unicorns or rainbows." She frowned. "You can put mean messages on the boys,' she added, grinning so they would know she was kidding.
She pointed. "Set the boys' sleeping bags out on this side of the room and the girls on the other." Then, wondering if it would work she frowned at the ceiling, using her implants to access the room's controls. Above them a crystal clear, night sky with a full moon appeared. Filled with bright stars it was a view one could only get when far away from cities. Swallowing as she concentrated, Machi focused on the walls. One turned into a dark ocean with small waves rippling towards the shore. The one opposite it became a bank of sand and grass that towered above them. On each end were rocky cliffs. The floor became sand. Thought all the scenes were only static paintings it looked vivid and real, and would've fooled anyone who didn't know the difference.
Taking another deep breath the girl looked down at the table she stood on. It lowered into the floor while six small pillars rose. "We'll need candles," she told the group. "Nine large ones for each pillar since they'll be the campfires. One for each of our victories." She grinned. "And for games we'll each have a chance to blow out all nine flames. Those who manage it will get a worthless 3D printed ribbon they can show off."
Machi studied the group, thinking, wondering what she'd forgot. "Oh yeah, the rest of you get to work looking up ghost stories we'll tell each other. I'm sure they have a million we've never heard of."
Cherry raised her hand. "Am I invited?"
"Of course." Machi stared at the woman's chest. "Since you're obviously a girl your sleeping bag will be on the girls' side. But unless you cover those things you might find it a cold welcome."
End of Chapter