Chapter 24
Tainted
I caught up with them quickly.
"Wren-san?" Kazuya asked incredulously as I approached, "Is that you?"
"It is," I grunted with a curt nod, "I've come to assist in the subjugation of this revolt. Just call me Wren, that honorific is idiotic." The three looked at one another,
"You want to stop it?" Satellizer asked, "What do you mean?"
"To annihilate the E Pandoras." Which was apparently the wrong answer seeing as they drew their weapons,
"Then we're going to stop you before you can." Satellizer snarled, Kazuya grabbed her shoulder,
"Wait senpai, violence won't solve this!" He looked up at me as Satellizer lowered her weapons, "Wren, what happened here was terrible. Chevalier used drugs to turn the women into Pandoras but instead they got turned into Novas! After that, all the remaining E Pandoras are revolting because of the inhumane treatment of them! Chevalier isn't treating them like people they're treating them like experiments, like weapons!" A wry grin crossed my face at his words,
"Inhumane," I spat, "You think yourself the better judge of morals when set against your commanders?" Rage began to build within me, "You arrogantly believe, within that small naïve mind of yours, that mankind can live without sacrifice? That it is possible to do things, the 'right' way? The 'humane' way?"
"Yes!" Kazuya yelped, "What are we without compassion? What are we wi-"
"DEAD!" I roared, "MY BROTHERS ARE DEAD! THEY LIVED AS WEAPONS, AS EXPERIMENTS! DID ANY APPEAR TO SAVE THEM?! NO! SO WHY SAVE THESE E PANDORAS?!" The walls shook, the three stepping back fearfully, as black fury scorched my body and drew a deep bloodlust from within me, "You think," I hissed, struggling to control myself, "You think you understand. You think you know." Satellizer and Rena stepped in front of Kazuya protectively ready for battle,
"I know," Rena said defiantly, "That you are a Son of Kunlun and that you are good incarnate – De Arimasu. You know in your heart what is good – De Arimasu." My hand twitched towards my chainsword, I wished to rip that mouth from her face, "You know that killing them won't solve anything – De Arimasu."
"I do not defy orders." I snarled, "Yet you do? Do not make me regret protecting you. I can easily turn the three of you into lumps of pain." I leaned forward threateningly, "Do not test me."
"Do you think killing these women will bring back your brothers?" I glared down at Kazuya, hands itching to peel the flesh from his bones, teeth gnashing upon his- I turned, smashing my head into the wall. Something was wrong with me. I had expelled the Demon, I had found the real me, I was free of my past I had let go. I could feel a deep hunger within me, body quivering as my blood ran hot with fury. I thirsted for blood, for their blood, I itched to rip them limb from limb. They would scream, they would cry, they would DIE!
You can never let go…
I tore my helmet off, throwing it down the hallway gasping for air. I was free, I was free, I was FREE! I had shaken off my shackles, burned my hate, purged the darkness; I was a hero, an Angel, a saint, A GOD!
You will never be free.
"SHUT UP!" I screamed, "SHUT UP!" Falling to my knees I pounded the floor, "I AM NOT A WEAPON!" I clutched at my skull, "I FEEL, I THINK, I QUESTION!" Voices screamed and monsters roared, begging for release, tearing and scratching my mind with their blind hunger,
BLOOD!
"NO!"
YOU NEED BLODD!
"I AM ASTARTES!"
"Wren!" My eyes flew open, Satellizer and Rena held my arms, Kazuya cradling my head, "Wren calm down, it's alright stop crying!" Tears poured down my cheeks in a flood. I struggled, the two women holding me down as Kazuya's grip tightened on me, "It's alright." He cooed, "It's alright." Why were my limbs so weak, why could I not smash the two Pandoras into a pulp and throw them off, the shred Kazuya on the end of my chainsword? Why did I allow myself to be treated as such?!
"Let go." I growled, Kazuya looking into my eyes,
"Will you stop?"
"This is an affront to my honor," I snarled, "I am no child, release me." Kazuya nodded to the Pandoras and the three stepped back. I stood slowly, hand to my forehead,
"Now will you change your mind?" Kazuya asked hesitantly.
Change my MIND?! I WOULD….
I had lost my mind. I had lost it long ago now set about the never ending process of piecing it back together. I was a fool to believe it was so easy to change myself. I would always be a dark existence of blood and death no matter how much I wished to change that fact. The world called me Silver Angel while I knew I was a demon tightly leashed to a pole, a monster kept alive to prolong man.
"I have." Killing the E Pandoras would change nothing, the cycle starting all over again with a new batch. If word got out, however, about the truth of the project it would devastate Chevalier's credibility, which would prove extremely beneficial to Dr. Aoi who'd frowned upon the program's launch. At least he had publicly, I'd never asked his opinion on the matter, and if he was so against it why did he want me to kill the E Pandoras? Why start the circle again? Why cover everything up? I yanked my helmet out of the wall placing it on my head, "I will help rescue the E Pandoras." My brothers had died but these E Pandoras would not. I would uncover the truth beneath the Doctor's actions. The three of them sighed with relief,
"Ok," Kazuya said with a nod, "Right now the E Pandoras are trying to escape the facility, we're not sure how, but we're going to find them and help them in any way they can. Are you with us?" I nodded, "Good," Kazuya grinned, "Then le-"
The wall exploded, a woman landing in the hall with us. Her hair hung in long drapes of white, a red patch at its front, and in her hand she clutched a volt spear. Her skin was criss-crossed with cracks, the very same ones I saw on the Pandoras that had been taken over in the 9th Clash. The woman glared at us,
"Get out of my way!" She shouted, charging. I deflected her spear with the back of my hand and stepping into her guard I slammed my shoulder into her with the force of an oncoming train. Falling flat on the ground she snarled at me, still conscious to my surprise. I firmly place a boot on her chest holding her in place,
"We are here to help." I grunted, "Do not test this kindness we offer you."
"Sir, contact right!" The computer yelled. I drew my sword, deflecting an energy beam with a slash,
"Stop!" A woman with two hovering contraptions and holographic images around her hands ran towards me, "Don't you dare hinder Amelia!" She shouted, "Or I will kill you!" Satellizer stepped between us,
"Miss Elizabeth!" The woman under my boot shouted,
"We've never intended to stop you," Satellizer snapped, "We want to help escape from here!" Elizabeth's jaw dropped,
"What?!" She gasped, "I've already told you that we don't need your help!" She swung a hand through the air, "You'll be considered rebels too!"
"You don't have to worry about that," Satellizer raised her chin high, "This was a decision made by myself." I twitched,
"Calm your fire child," I shot, "Do not think yourself my leader." Satellizer ignored me. I tightened my on the chainsword, biting back the anger,
"I also want to help them flee. You really don't have to worry senpai." She continued confidently. Elizabeth smiled after a moment,
"When did you start acting like such a big girl?" She chucked, and the two degenerated into bickering that I did not care for. I lifted my boot from the woman Elizabeth called Amelia,
"I fight by your side." I grunted, extending a hand, "Sorry about the shoulder." Amelia nodded, taking my hand and I pulled her up,
"I didn't expect the Silver Angel to be here." She smiled weakly, "I saw you on the news." I shrugged,
"Who hasn't?"
"Well, well," The Pandoras spun around with expressions of horror, "To think that such an intelligent person would do something so stupid?"
"Charles Bonaparte!" Elizabeth cried,
"Seriously," The girl called Charles scoffed, "I didn't think you were so stupid." She was short, blonde hair that stopped just above the back of her jaw and a large pair of headphones over her ears strangely enough, "Is your brain even working?" Charles shook her head, "Do you even know what you're doing? You're betraying the whole world!"
"It may appear we are traitors," Elizabeth argued, "But if you knew the truth-"
"Enough already!" Charles interrupted, "If-" I fired a shot into Charles' chest that punched a fist-sized hole through her. Everyone slowly turned to look at the smoking barrel of my bolt pistol, "Why yo-" Charles began. I fired again, her head exploding, body falling to the floor.
"Time does not wait for idle chatter." I growled, "We move."