An anonymous Hybrid

In the face of a world slowly absorbing dystopian values, some chose to side with those with utopian intentions, but end up in the same dystopia as before.

The lesser of two evils must also realize the true meaning of paradise.

25: Ragnarok Awaits
Racing Drones' HQ – The Holy Spire
Kurt Wylde

I was held thirty-feet in the air with my arms and legs bound to a t-pose, akin to being hanging from a crucifix. Of course, without the agonizing pain of having my hands and feet impaled by nails.

But something felt unnatural about my limbs. I could not feel any warmth, and every time I dug my fingers into my palms, the sensation felt more like a light electric current than a natural nerve. Turning my head right, I saw a skeletal black mechanical hand in place of my human limb.

It was at that point I knew what the Drones had done to me. I did not even have to look at my reflection on the glossy black floor to realize what I became.

I knew it was bound to happen. But at first, I felt shocked; in utter disbelief. I wished I could just punch myself and wake up back at the Silencerz' HQ, where Markie could have been fine-tuning Flathead Fury or sparring with Esmerelda.

The entire lower half of my body was replaced by the double-jointed, amphibious Drones legs that I had seen more than a few times. There were wires where my intestines were, and my breath felt cold and oily, as if diesel fuel was pumped into my bloodstream. Although I still had my orange goggles on (albeit cracked), I noticed a very slight green tint to my irises.

Heaviness filled the top half of my diaphragm while my lower half felt like I was emaciating myself. Guess they replaced pretty much all my internals.

When I took a breath, it felt like I was not in control of my lungs, or whatever they were replaced with.

Normally, I would lose it.

However, despite waking up to what I had become, I felt unusually calm. My likely mechanical heart was beating at a walker's pace.

This is my life now, I thought to myself.

Everything in my past life became progressively worse with each Realm or op the Silencerz took. I knew I would risk so much of myself, but I never expected the worst to happen. We risked life and limb to save Markie, only for him to die seven months later.

I felt like everyone died within that time.

They say that dreams are based off one's memory. And the dream I had was not that far of a stretch from what they became. Not one person besides me wanted to oppose Maila or the ESF. They're all complicit in the slaughter. Like actors playing their roles, and I happen to be Megan Fox getting fired by Michael Bay.

I didn't know if I should even grieve for Markie for wanting to stop me. Maybe he died long ago…?

This reality that I was forced in was more fantasy than a fucking fairytale.

I heard footsteps growing louder in volume, reverberating in this room. I felt more relieved to see whoever was coming than a monster like Maila Eiss.

It was her. Annette Christ.

Two Hybrid Drones walked by her side as her personal guards, though I did notice one of them slightly move his head in a slightly jagged manner. Was it a glitch in his cybernetics?

"Leave us," she told them, waving her fingers towards the door, to which the guards abided. She then turned and walked towards me. "Kurt Wylde, back to becoming one of us. Gelorum believed you were her most trusted associate. She would've been proud to see you again."

"I should never have betrayed her," I said. "You and the Drones were the true heroes all along."

"It's pretty sad in a way," Annette said melancholically. "We're on the losing end of this war. Humanity has rejected change… rejected evolution. All in favor of some imaginary friends in the sky that allow such atrocities to happen. All I wanted was happiness for that dismal, corrupt world. But I knew it was not worth saving."

"I don't know if anything is worth saving," I responded.

"Let's lift your spirits up for one moment," she said with a kindred smile, putting her hand on my shoulder. "We salvaged some of our kind who were suffering from that plague the Silencerz spread. We used your DNA and immediately cured them."

"That's… that's good," I said, suddenly feeling relieved.

"Come now." Annette released my restraints and personally guided me through several facilities across the city. The Drones had multiple factories creating new experimental weapons such as the RD-10 and the Strato-Thrusters. There was an underground facility where embryos were sustained in vats while developing children and adolescents (who aged five times as fast) had headsets that processed knowledge in their heads. Research labs where captured humans were used as experiments. There was even a recently rebuilt art museum; the same one Karma destroyed three months ago.

"Humans like you need to know that we're not just some experiments gone horribly wrong," Annette said. "We're a new race. We've cured cancer, ALS, and nearly all terminal diseases; we created technology that could extend our life expectancy to five-hundred years; we even found a way to reproduce without the pain of childbirth. Our race can thrive. We could make life worth living."

I looked across the city from the Holy Spire's balcony. The same place where Markie and Kadeem fought seven months ago.

"What about the Drone rebellion?" I asked her.

"They've been misguided," she said. "Wishing to keep the status quo and prolong conflict not just for our old world, but for this one. Humanity's problems are deep-seeded, and that part needs to die."

"I understand."

"With you joining the Realms and members of the Ragnarok program joining us, this could be our greatest chance at defeating the humans once and for all."

I did not even hesitate. "Give me the strength to kill her."

"The Valkyrie?"

"Her, her sister, the ESF, and anyone who supports her," I said. "Maila killed them. She killed my brother."

Annette smiled maliciously.

Behind me, I heard someone clapping. "You seem more willing that I expected you to be," he said in a gravely Russian accent.

Silencerz HQ - Garage
Karma Eiss

As I took off my headset after a simulation run, I saw Taro looking at the abandoned Spine Buster.

"Love?" I called as I walked to his side.

Despite the deaths of the Wylde brothers, Taro remained unfazed… from the outside.

"You thought your sister died before you two reunited," Taro said. "How did you cope at the time?"

I knew what he was building up to.

"I bottled it up for a very long time," I answered as I slightly rolled up one of my sleeves before looking at my scarred wrist. "I thought I could distract myself by further honing my skills. The last thing anyone would want to see is a broken woman crying her eyes out in one of the most notorious street racing teams in the West Coast." I chuckled nostalgically. "I remember our team becoming the laughing stock after people saw Tone crying in a restroom at a bar the day after we lost her. But I'm grateful she's still here." I looked towards Spine Buster. "It sounds like Wylde's not the only friend you've lost."

"My father died skiing down Mt. Everest," Taro revealed.

"Yet you did the same. Twice."

"Every time I drive, I am reminded of him," Taro said. "Who he was… what he wanted me to be."

I looked at my scarred arm again. "I tried to forget about Maila at the time; thought of only myself."

The alarm began blaring once more.

Nolo Pasaro

Startled from sleep, as the adrenaline wore off, I just wanted to dig my head back in my pillow. I don't know if I could bear any more of this…

The door opened; Tork stuck his head in the opening. "Nolo, you coming?"

I looked at one of Shirako's photos of the four of us (sans Vert) prior to our kidnapping. Before we were caught in Tezla's ordeal, we never really gelled as a team, unlike the Maniacs. We were largely self-centered, only caring for ourselves. We had a revolving door of members come and go; nearly everyone disagreed with me, and Vert even thought he would be a better leader than I would be. But after we rescued Wylde, we felt more and more like a family; probably the closest since Maila was the leader of the Teku.

But it seemed like we were fracturing once more. Only Shirako was the closest to me; Karma was more devoted to her sister, while Vert was more focused on being Maila's wingman.

I did not want our teams to go back to the way things were.

Things would only get worse if we did nothing about it.

"Yeah, I'm coming," I said as I grabbed my coat and followed Tork.

Shirako Takamoto

The steady 4/4 rhythm of the bass playing in my headphones suddenly faded into silence.

"WAKE UP, STINKU!" Porkchop screamed, accidentally spitting on my face, shaking my shoulders like I was a ragdoll.

"Not cool, man," I said calmly before yawning.

"At least you didn't squash him like you did to me," Monkey commented.

Vert Wheeler

"You alright?" I asked Maila as we got to our cars.

"I've been this way for a while now," she said, looking down on the ground with a solemn look on her face. "I'm used to it."

"Maila, something has to change eventually," I said.

"I've given up on believing this world can change," Maila said before she looked at Karma getting in Drift Tech. "All that matters are the people that live in it."

"Maila…"

"I'm fine, Vert," Maila said.

For the first time, I felt worried for her. I had this sense that we were going to have to help her rather than have her help us.

I hoped her bonds with both me and Karma would keep her strong. As much as I found her actions hard to stomach, the fact of the matter was that we needed her.

Nolo's words felt almost foreboding. Was there going to be another tragedy? Will we all make it this time?

Although the Drones were still losing, I knew they would not go down without a fight. I had a sense they were going to learn from all the losses they had so far, screaming for vengeance.

The Desert Realm made this war completely unpredictable. This was going to be the turning point.

"Vert…" Maila looked at me with her green eyes locked towards mine.

"Yes, Mai?"

"Nevermind," she said as she got in her car.

The first ring stopped, and the Blizzard Realm symbol illuminated.