Happy Holidays everyone! I hope that this chapter finds each of you well and that you are filled with the cheer befitting of the season. This will be our last update of the year so I'll take this chance to wish you a merry Christmas from Spaze and myself as well. We appreciate you sticking around for another year and following along with Codeless' story. Be safe, take care, and we'll see you in the new year!
Deep within the seaside cliff face, gathered in Haven's war room, a group of eager individuals cluster around the central holotable. Before them, miniature figures of light advance toward seemingly nothing but empty space. When enhanced by Haven's resident AI using sonic detection, however, the outline of a massive railgun, its supporting facilities, and many small defenders come into view.
Miku bites the nail of her right thumb between her teeth and watches as the events of the battle unfold. There are half again as many defenders as there are rebel FranXX or Klaxosaurs, but something about this op still makes her nervous. Maybe it was because it was the first time the rebels and Klaxosaurs had really worked together. Maybe it was because of the sheer destructive power of the device they were attempting to capture. Or maybe it was just that her friends were out there fighting and she was stuck here in Haven recovering. The redhead really can't say, only that she hates the feeling.
The combined force easily pushes back the facility's special forces defenders, who Freya had referred to as the Rangers, which makes it seem like this would be a decisive victory. As long as the aptly named Apocolysta was at the lead it seemed like nothing could stand in her way.
The feeling of unease returns as out of the corner of her eye Miku notices the brows of Freya's avatar furl.
Apocolysta is currently locked in combat with five of the elite Rangers striking from the shadows, taking advantage of their cloaking technology. The monarch lets out a cry of frustration, flattening the aggressors against the nearby walls with a burst of telekinetic power. In the next thirty seconds she reaffirms to everyone watching why she is to be feared, as she eliminates three of her opponents in quick succession. The last is the most gruesome, as the poor souls are squished to death between two metal plates manipulated by Terra's staggering abilities.
Suddenly Freya speaks up, breaking the silence of the room. "I am detecting a spike in power from the facility," she warns over the open comm channel. "The cannon is preparing to fire."
A moment later Freya draws a sharp breath and her eyes go wide.
"Freya…" Miku nervously says, looking to the program. "What's wrong?"
"Thirty, no… fifty signatures of unknown origin are approaching Haven," the Nordic woman answers as her eyes dart to unseen enemies.
Across the holotable Kana grimaces, staring at the large force assembled to capture the railgun. "With them gone we're defenseless. Only the wounded remained behind."
"We still have options," Hachi says quickly as he begins formulating a plan. "The Stampede pistils are still in training but can be deployed without handlers and recovered later. A portion of the wounded can be mobilized as well, around forty percent."
The former defense commander turns to Nana and is about to say something when Freya interrupts, shouting through every speaker in all of Haven at once.
"Brace for impact!"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The .51 cubic meter slug of tungsten exits the cannon in a flash of light and almost instantaneously collides with its target. Accelerated to one tenth the speed of light by the magnetic rails of the cannon, the 10,000 kilogram projectile carried with it enough kinetic energy to create a yield of just over 1,000 megatons, making it the most devastating weapon ever used in the history of mankind.
The coastal village of Haven is saved from the imminent destruction caused by this terrifying creation thanks to the attack being carried out by Apocolysta and her forces. Unknowingly, they had forced APE to accelerate their firing timetable the moment they appeared to seize the railgun. This left the railgun's calibration sequence unfinished, but with a destructive power unlike anything seen before there was little to fear. The rebel base would be wiped out even if the slug missed by miles.
Instead the projectile flies past Haven and into the sea, coming to rest some two miles out on the seafloor. The resulting wave from the impact with the water's surface reaches a height of over 450 feet, making landfall in seconds. Most of the energy from the slug is directed harmlessly out to sea, but the sheer speed and power of the cannon's projectile is enough to send a 50 foot tall wall of water over the cliff face and directly into Haven.
The citizens of the town are kept safe from being pulled out to sea thanks to the direction of the flow of the water, but the same cannot be said for their structures. Anything not secured to the ground, and many things that are, gets swept away by the crashing wake. Debris-filled waves surge over the tops of buildings, destroying rooftop gardens and ripping antennas from their mounts.
Where moments before there had been a peaceful little village, there is now chaos and destruction. Alarms blare over the cries of the trapped or injured. For the longest time the rebellion had hidden in their seaside sanctuary, poking at the powers that be before retreating to the safety of their nest.
Today is different. It's the day APE finally struck back.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Alone. In all the time that she had existed, Freya had never been truly alone. Dr. Franxx had been there the moment she was created, and in the time since the AI always had access to others, either locally or via a number of network connections. Now, after Haven had been struck by the tsunami, she had neither.
The rogue wave had destroyed all of her communications equipment, leaving her isolated in Haven's network. In an instant she had gone from being able to access equipment from across the continent to being entirely confined to Haven's local systems. Before power had been lost, all external cameras and sensors had gone offline. At this very moment she was powered only on the generators in her core's storage room. Without any way to contact or interact with the outside world, she was truly by herself.
Repeatedly slamming into the suffocating virtual space, Freya tries desperately to access something, anything that would let her see the outside. Abandoned in the limbo that is the damaged infrastructure of the town, she scrambles to find a foothold and regain her former sense of self. It's to no avail, however, as neither surface comms equipment nor computer systems were operational enough to allow her in.
"No, no… please let there be something," she says to herself, panic rising as she remains trapped in cyberspace that feels to shrink by the nanosecond.
There is a certain terror that comes with knowing she is isolated. If the generators run out of fuel and stop running, that would be the end for her. With no physical body of her own and the denizens of Haven all gone, that would certainly be the final result.
Freya would, in theory, be revived if power was ever restored to her main cluster. Though, that wouldn't happen. And even if it did, a fate worse than death might await her in the hands of APE, who would not be kind in their interrogation. They were certain to poke and prod, dissecting her line by line to understand what had caused her to be capable of defeating their own artificial intelligence in VIRM.
The thought invigorates Freya, and she redoubles her efforts to locate any further available system at all. Blocked. Blocked. Offline. No signal. Disconnected. No power. Nothing.
Freya slams into the wall separating her from her friends and sinks to the virtual floor. She covers her mouth with her hand in sorrow, a sign of just how human she had become in her time spent with the rebellion. Remembering those she swore to protect and serve in Haven and knowing their current plight is enough to draw her out of the realm of fear for the moment. It is replaced with an endless pool of guilt.
How had she not realized that Haven was the target of the railgun? She had all the information she needed to make that deduction but it had still slipped through her fingers. The firing angle, power draw, schematics of the system, an intimate knowledge of its capabilities, everything pointed toward Haven itself. Freya had used them to declare the railgun as the best option for removing Cosmos station from orbit, but that didn't matter now. The rebellion was doomed thanks to her oversight.
Not detecting the attacking force sooner was her second sin. If she had then they could have at least been prepared to put up a fight. Instead, the surviving weak and injured would be mercilessly massacred by APE's loyal dogs.
The momentary look of fear and confusion on Miku's face moments before the impact haunts the AI. Everyone had trusted her, counted on her, and she had let them down. All their past victories, all the hardships overcome, now they all meant nothing because Freya had failed them.
In cyberspace Freya kneels down to place her head in her hands. Her shoulders twitch as tears begin to fall from her cheeks. She would die here, alone, afraid, and regretful. With nothing left to do but wait for the power to be extinguished, Freya succumbs to her grief.
It is then that a shining ray of light is cast down upon her.
The AI ceases her crying and stares up at the luminous column. Could this be...?
A voice, panicked and desperate, cries out. "Freya! Freya, we need you!"
"My… friends," Freya gasps. Someone is still alive and they are calling out to her. She is still needed. There is still time to make a difference. Maybe it isn't too late.
Empowered by a desire to right her wrongs and to save those precious to her, Freya stands and thrusts her arms out, willing her presence into the conduits that had once connected her to Haven itself. If this message was reaching her then at least one path was still operational. That was all she needed, it had to be.
The flaxen maiden grits her teeth, expending more of her processing power to find the opening, to protect those in need. She traces every possible coupling available, attempting to access any system that might still be online.
Freya pours every fiber of her being, every processor thread, every bit of memory and electronvolt of energy into wherever it is she needs to go. She sifts through physical cables into computer systems, server subroutines, and data clusters. Room by room, facility by facility she spreads her search outward.
She forces broadband and shortwave receivers open for brief moments, before they collapse in on themselves again. Energizing every device she comes across without care, Freya blazes a trail throughout her domain like literal lightning. No connection, physical or otherwise, is left unturned.
Then, she finds it. Shining like a lighthouse in a storm is a single open connection.
"I'm coming!" she yells, more to herself than anyone else who might hear it. "I'm here!"
With Herculean effort, Freya surges forth into the only connection she could find and manages to secure it. Systems and buildings open up to her once more, spiderwebbing outwards from the single open path. She's done it, Haven is hers again. Now, she must protect her home and family for those who would dare do them harm.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Miku, Miku, can you hear me?"
Freya's voice pierces through the dusty air and blaring alarms, causing a wave of relief to wash over the red-headed woman.
Miku breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank god. We thought we lost you to the flooding."
"I am quite glad to not have been," Freya's disembodied voice replies. Her avatar is unable to form due to the lack of available power to operate the holoprojectors. Though even if there had been enough, she would have been heavily distorted by the dust and debris.
"It seems that most of the lower caverns are currently underwater," the AI narrates the state of Haven's underground base. "Life support is 37% operational and power systems are holding at 15% of capacity."
"Can you reroute what's left?" Hachi asks. Blood seeps from a cut on his forehead but the stubborn man has refused medical attention and is instead focusing on dealing with the unfolding crisis.
A moment passes before Freya replies. "I am capable of distributing power among systems that are currently operational. All sensory and long-range communications equipment have been destroyed. We are on our own."
"And flying blind," Hachi says with a grimace. "Can you get the bulkheads open to the surface?"
"What are you planning to do?" Nana asks.
Scratching his chin, the defense commander eyes the holotable and the last known location of the advancing enemy. "If we can get our ships in the air we can use short-range comms to get a picture of APE's deployment. They can't have expected for the bombardment to have missed, and that might buy us several minutes to prepare a defense."
"I'll lead them," Miku says with a steely determination. "Freya, I need every parasite that can pilot in a FranXX regardless of their injuries or its state of repair."
Seconds later, the alarms are silenced and Freya's voice booms over the loudspeakers.
"Attention all hands, all able parasites are to report to the docking bay for immediate sortie. I repeat, all able parasites are to report to the docking bay for immediate sortie. This is not a drill."
Having been silent until now, Zorome finally speaks. "Miku, I want to help, but without Argentea how are we supposed to fight?"
"There is a FranXX in dock A6 that should suit your needs," Freya informs him.
Zorome nods and begins to wheel himself out of the room. Miku follows behind him a moment later, leaving Nana and Hachi in the command center with Freya and the team of analysts.
"All of you, if you can fight, now is the time," Hachi announces. With most of the stations suffering from damage or a lack of power, it leaves few others in the room after his order.
A hand on his shoulder draws the man's attention. His constant companion stands beside him, biting her lip like she's contemplating something.
Nana huffs, having finally made up her mind and declares, "We need to help them."
"We are helping the–..." Hachi trails off as realization dawns on him.
"In the field, Hachi," the former caretaker says with the beginnings of tears glistening in her eyes. "They are going into a hopeless fight and we have to do everything we can."
His partner's words strike a chord with the man and he turns to face Nana.
"You're right. It's been years, but desperate times call for desperate measures."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
During her rushed trip to the dressing room, Miku cannot suppress the doubt growing inside of her. She has volunteered to lead what is most likely a suicide mission upon which the hopes of the entire rebellion now rest. Her forces were injured, would be fighting with damaged equipment, had nearly been obliterated from the face of the planet mere minutes ago, and were very outnumbered. With all lines of communication cut it is do or die time. Either her ragtag band would somehow pull through or this would be it.
"No pressure, right?" she murmurs to herself as she reaches over her shoulder to put her hair in a ponytail.
Training to get stronger is one thing, but being a leader is entirely another. There is no doubt to Miku that this is going to be her hardest battle yet. More than likely it would also be the most important she would ever be a part of.
Miku closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Inhale… exhale. All she has to do is remain calm and stay focused. Even if they fell here today, someone else would rise up to take the torch. APE wouldn't rule forever. But she damn well intends to be there to witness their fall personally and exact a little revenge of her own, so losing isn't really an option.
When she enters the docking bay Zorome is waiting for her. The young man is actually somewhat in the way on the catwalk as other parasites rush by him, but he is staring so intently at something he seems unaware of it.
"Zorome, you shouldn't be blocking the walkway," Miku chastises him.
Instead of responding to what she's said, Zorome continues to stare and says, "I don't know if we should do this."
Hearing her partner express his worries about their situation makes the redhead feel a bit better about her own. Miku squats to bring herself face to face with him before saying, "We'll be together no matter what. That's what matters, right?"
"Yeah," Zorome nods half-heartedly. "But that's not what I meant."
"Oh," Miku's hand hovers over her mouth as she reacts to his response. "What did you mean?"
Still looking at whatever FranXX Freya had assigned to them, Zorome answers, "Are you sure we can pilot Delphinium?"
"...Delphinium?" Miku whispers and her eyes snap to the FranXX on the dock. A familiar white and blue warrior with two swords rests in her inactive state. Seeing the mech causes a wave of sadness to wash over the young woman.
Delphinium had been towed back to Haven after the assault on VIRM before being repaired and sitting idle ever since. It was one of few FranXX that had avoided reassignment after the untimely fate befalling its pilots. The lock of red hair covering her right eye and stern expression remind Miku and Zorome just how much Delphinium resembles her old pistil, almost like she had been modeled after Ichigo herself.
"I… um… I think we have to," Miku finally answers. The idea of stepping into her deceased friend's FranXX and piloting it as though it were her own doesn't sit well with Miku, but now isn't the time to think of such things. "Ichigo would want us to. She'd say protecting Haven and the rebellion was more important than some silly attachments. This whole thing is her fault anyway. She's the one who told us that we should leave in the first place."
Still looking a bit uncomfortable with the idea, Zorome shifts in his wheelchair. "I guess you've got a point. But it just doesn't feel right, you know?"
Miku tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "I do. We can thank her later." She then steps behind Zorome and begins pushing him toward the FranXX. The cockpit doors open on their own as she approaches, Freya having keyed Delphinium to Miku's unique parasite ID.
It makes her wonder, is Ichigo no longer listed as the pistil of Delphinium? Or was she just given access to the FranXX, leaving Ichigo's status as the primary user still intact?
Miku severely hopes it's the latter. The idea of Delphinium no longer belonging to Ichigo just doesn't feel right. After all, Miku is only okay with piloting because of the dire circumstances she finds herself in. That, and by convincing herself that she and Zorome are simply borrowing the FranXX for the time being.
Once inside, Miku helps Zorome out of his wheelchair and assists him in getting into the stamen's seat. While he secures himself she wheels the chair out and leaves it on the adjacent catwalk. Keeping it inside the FranXX would only be a hazard when it came time to trade blows with the enemy.
Miku half expects a shade of Ichigo or some other memory to surface when she connects to Delphinium, but nothing other than her own feelings of unease arise. The strangest thing about being connected to the FranXX isn't something she realizes until her partner brings it to her attention.
"Can you see alright?" he asks.
The question strikes Miku as odd. Of course, she can see perfectly fine. There's one sword in her right hand and another in her left. Then, Miku realizes she can actually see the sword in her left hand, something that wouldn't be possible using her own eyes.
Miku also notices two figures approaching, a pair of lithe canines, one silver and the other gold. She hadn't seen Asuna or Asada after the tsunami and is relieved to find them okay. Additionally, their willingness to defend Haven makes her proud as their adoptive aunt. She and Zorome had never been through the training to become handlers for Stampede Division pistils, but with things as they were right now there was no good reason to turn them down.
Delphinium's voice booms, different from that of her former pistil but still carrying the same undertone. "Alright girls, it's time to save our home."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On her trudge through the tunnels under Haven, Delphinium gets a good look at the destruction the rogue wave had left in its wake. Entire caverns have been flooded and damage control crews are on their way, but they will be severely hampered by the drafting of all capable parasites into the defense being formed above ground. As a result, many systems will be damaged further than expected as the list of priorities kicks in. Haven will be feeling this for months, if it survives that long.
After wading through the saltwater brine the trio arrive at the surface, where FranXX are quickly scurrying about. Almost immediately one runs up to them and begins giving a status update.
"Ma'am, our scouts report the enemy is still advancing. They don't appear to be aware we survived, so we might be able to use that to our advantage." The mech gestures to the rapid fortifications being erected nearby. "We're doing what we can to set up a line of defense, but to be frank we don't have much to work with."
Delphinium nods. Inside, Miku is quickly formulating a plan to protect Haven. Unfortunately, there isn't a scenario she can come up with where everyone survives. The situation is just too desperate. She's only able to think of a strategy that will provide the greatest chance of protecting Haven, which she begins to relay.
"We're going to need to utilize a phased retreat to buy time. The first line of defense will be in the wastes, then the forest, then Haven's outskirts, and finally the town square. It might be an hour if we're lucky."
The mech gives a crisp salute accompanied by, "Yes, ma'am," and runs off to begin instructing the others. They were a non-combat unit, one of the FranXX retrofitted for use in construction, but before the day was out they would be called like all the rest.
"A sound strategy," Hachi's gruff voice says from nearby. "We stand little chance in a typical engagement, but guerilla tactics should help to even the odds."
Delphinium replies to Hachi over the short range comm. "It was the best I could come up with. I just hope it works."
A hand brushes against Delphinium's arm. She looks up to see a standard model FranXX looking back at her. It is an odd sight, considering APE had transitioned to a more modern version months ago. This unit is clearly from the time before or near the very beginning of the rebellion.
"You're doing great, dear," she encourages Delphinium with another gentle pat.
Miku is still confused as to who this is and why they're acting so familiar with her when Zorome speaks up.
"Nana?"
The FranXX nods. "Hachi and I couldn't let you kids do this all by yourselves. It's been a few years since we last piloted, but don't you worry about us. We were quite the team."
"You two were partners?" Delphinium gasps.
Nana giggles as the FranXX covers her mouth.
"Nana and I served with distinction at Plantation 103 before graduating to become caretakers," Hachi states, voice ripe with pride.
"Hachi…" Delphinium hesitates momentarily, seemingly unsure of what she's about to say. "Hachi, shouldn't you lead us? You were the defense commander of Plantation 13, and…"
Nana's FranXX shakes her head. The unit then points to the others gathering nearby.
"Those soldiers are here because of you. This rebellion was created by you, the children. You have been a champion of it from the beginning, overcoming hardships, and losing friends. You both have learned the burdens of command and earned the right to the mantle of leadership. Now go, rally your troops. Lead them into battle and fight with everything you have."
Hachi had never been particularly eloquent in the time that Miku and Zorome had known him, but his words light a fire in them. They had worked hard and suffered to reach this point. Giving up now wasn't an option, and if someone was to lead the forces of the rebellion to defend Haven then it should be them.
Delphinium approaches the group of armed FranXX that has assembled with a hint of reservation. Speeches have never been Miku's thing, and she dislikes being the center of attention. She silently walks down the path created by her parting soldiers. Upon reaching the front of the formation, she keeps it short and simple.
"APE is trying to break down our door, so we'll kick it back in their faces. They think this fight is going to be easy. Let's make them work for it."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Minutes later Miku and Zorome find themselves staring out at the wastes from a position just inside the treeline. Amassed nearby are the thirty regular FranXX and sixteen Stampede FranXX that had been deemed capable of fighting. It's less than they would have hoped for, but still more than expected.
"You're certain this plan will work?" a gruff voice asks.
Delphinium glances at the standard model beside her. "No, I'm not. But it's the best that I could come up with."
Her eyes remain hidden by the visor but the FranXX smiles. "You did well to come up with such a bold strategy in so little time. Even if we're unsuccessful, you can still be proud that you did everything in your power to keep Haven safe."
"Thank you, Nana," Delphinium says, feeling a bit better about the coming battle.
Inside Delphinium, Zorome opens a private line to Miku. "I'm with you to the end, never forget that."
"I know you are," she replies with a bit of a forced smile. "Love you."
Hearing that phrase from his partner never fails to make the young man's heart race. He'd walk into hell for Miku, and today he might actually be asked to. It didn't matter if he was crippled or not. Forget walking, she made him feel like he could fly.
"I love you too."
APE's force is in view now. A matter of miles separates them from what they believe to be their undefended target. Once they were close enough the rebels would fire a volley from the few units possessing ranged weapons, then charge out of the forest to meet their unsuspecting foes. Without handlers, the Stampede Division would be especially ravenous once they were turned loose. Many would fight until they were disabled or killed with a reckless lack of self control. It is necessary, but that doesn't make knowingly sending people to their deaths any easier.
The radio crackles to life as Freya's garbled voice comes over the line. "I've managed to get a shortwave connection working again. I cannot get out a message to our friends but I can coordinate our forces to the best of my ability."
"It's good to have you with us, Freya," Valkyra says, adjusting the straps of her shield.
Not only is Kana piloting with another parasite due to Kyo's injuries, but she is still without her typical armaments as well. Aegis had taken the brunt of the gunship strike back at VIRM's facility, protecting the heavily armored FranXX, but was nearly destroyed in the process along with Valkyra's spear. Today she wields a tower shield and mace stolen from others who couldn't make it to the fight.
"They've reached max range," one of the nearby gunners reports. "We fire on your order, strike lead."
A final order is given in preparation.
"All units, prepare to charge."
"Estimated time of contact, sixty seconds," Hachi informs her.
Delphinium takes a deep breath, closing her eyes in the process.
"Fire."
Eight puffs of smoke reveal the presence of the rebels hiding in the woodland to APE as the same of their number fall to the unexpected fire. They immediately begin shifting into an offensive speartip formation, with shielded Dauntless mechs at the front, and hasten their advance.
At the same time, thirty-five FranXX charge out of the foliage toward them, the last thing they would expect. The rebels are split among three groups, the largest in the center taking the role of the bull and two smaller ones on each flank to comprise the horns. Their strategy is fundamentally different from APE's, however. This charge is only being used to buy time for the ranged units to retreat to the next line of defense and set themselves up to fire another volley. That in turn would cover the retreat of the melee FranXX. It's not a true skirmisher-style plan, but given their limited options it will have to do.
When the two sides clash it is immediately clear who has the upper hand. By not consolidating their forces the rebels have made their defensive line practically nonexistent. As soon as the momentum of the charge is lost, things will turn against them.
Delphinium fights bravely against two of the Dauntless mechs, but with Miku and Zorome unable to access her overdrive she isn't afforded the extra mobility that would allow her to make quick work of these foes. Instead she has to bide her time looking for openings in their form.
This results in several precious minutes spent with little to show for it. The same is true for the other members of the rebellion, save for a few special cases.
Valkyra is able to dispatch one of the armored attackers using a shield bash followed up by her mace, the blunt weapon being excellent for crushing plate. Nana and Hachi also manage to claim a kill against one of the more nimble knife fighters before the retreat is sounded.
As expected of the Stampede FranXX without handlers, all but four do not answer the call to retreat and remain engaged. Thankfully, their number does not include Argentum and Aurum. The remaining Stampede FranXX fight like cornered beasts and manage to bring down more than their fair share of the attackers. The end is inevitable, however, as Delphinium hears their last cries before disappearing into the foliage.
Phase one is complete. Now she just has to hope that the others will be as successful. That, and pray that someone out there is coming to help.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ducking behind a building to find shelter from the encroaching forces of APE, Delphinium finds only a moment of respite. It allows her to catch her breath after the hard run she's just completed.
The second phase of the plan hadn't quite gone as intended. Dense foliage provided perfect cover and excellent concealment while trying to hide from unwelcome visitors, but that was a double-edged sword. Given the relative size of a FranXX compared to the surrounding forest, there were fewer lines of sight to allow for shooting, and maneuvering wasn't nearly as easy as it would be in an open plain. This resulted in fewer casualties for APE than accounted for by the strategy while still losing the same amount of precious ground.
Nearby, the standard FranXX piloted by Nana and Hachi has hidden behind an apartment complex turned parasite housing center. Those who lived there have been evacuated already, along with most of the other noncombatants. They gathered in the most heavily defended location in all of Haven, the underground military complex.
"Remember when you said not to make it easy for them?" Zorome asks.
Taking a moment between breaths to reply, Delphinium says, "Yeah."
Her partner chuckles. "You're not making it easy for me either."
"We're all tired, but we have to keep fighting," Valkyra's voice booms from several streets over.
"I didn't say I was ready to throw in the towel yet!" the young man shouts back. His voice then drops to a whisper. "Just that I could use a breather is all."
"Enough chatter, here they come!" Delphinium cuts off the banter as the first of APE's cleanup crew exit the treeline.
Now down to approximately three fifths of their initial strength and with most of the losses coming from the ranks of the heavy Dauntless units, the attackers try to use speed instead of a united push. They charge toward the hastily erected barricades and many clear them with ease.
Unfortunately for those that are first over the walls, they learn that the rebels had prepared a little surprise for them. Giant bear traps snap closed around their ankles, crushing the mechanical systems beneath and rendering them immobile. The howls of pain are short-lived as the cracking of gunfire silences those caught out in the open.
These hidden traps further reduce the attackers' numbers, but for each that fell there is another to take their place.
Delphinium hears her target long before she sees them. The shaking of the earth and rumbling noise tells her exactly when they will arrive at the intersection she is guarding. She allows the first to pass, knowing that there will be a minimum of two and taking out the lead unit would only alert the subsequent pilots to her presence.
When the second rushes through the intersection she is completely unready for the blue and white FranXX that steps into her path, as well as the blade leveled at her chest. With no way to stop her momentum, the unfortunate FranXX finds herself impaled on the weapon thrust into her midsection. It is a quick and painless death, the only kindness Miku was willing to afford those who followed Papa and his council.
Hearing this, the first unit that had kept walking turns to face her just in time for the third to barrel around the corner and into Delphinium, with both FranXX landing in a heap. With her swords now out of reach Delphinium must take on two opponents, one armed and one unarmed, while also being unarmed herself. First, though, she has to get to her feet in time to avoid being skewered by the spear of the first loyalist.
Utilizing an open palm technique to deflect the spear into the ground mere feet from her shoulder buys Delphinium the time she needs to regain her footing as she backflips out of immediate danger. In doing so she finds something unexpected, a metal pole that had probably been part of the superstructure for the communications tower lodged into the building beside her. While far from a perfect weapon, in this situation it will stand in quite nicely as a replacement for her lost swords.
After plucking it from the building and crushing a car under the debris that follows, she finds herself ready to re-engage. With her pseudo staff in hand Delphinium has the same reach as her opponents, and she only lacks the advantage of a deadly bladed edge. She gives the weapon a good spin, testing its balance. The weight is skewed to the right side, which appears to have been closer to the base but not so much that the makeshift staff is unwieldy. Satisfied, she levels it at her opponents and dares them to bring it on.
It takes several seconds before either party moves. The loyalists know that they are dealing with a superior foe while Delphinium has to wrestle with being outnumbered. Eventually the stalemate ends with the rebel making the first move.
Dropping the head of the staff to street level Delphinium scoops up a vehicle with it, flipping the truck to head height. On its way down her right foot connects with the misshapen hunk of metal as she completes a roundhouse kick, sending it flying toward the waiting FranXX.
Both units manage to dodge the projectile but with differing degrees of success. One finds themselves tripping over something on the crowded street and falling into a building that then collapses in on them. It's not enough to be fatal, but they will be out of the fight for a minute or two while digging themselves out of the rubble.
The other loyalist avoids the truck without issue but is forced to immediately parry a blow from Delphinium. Without the need to focus on a blade she doesn't have, Delphinium holds the staff at shoulder width and applies quick strikes from either edge to pressure her opponent back. By changing the force and angle from which the strikes come she is very rapidly gaining the upper hand, but the clock is ticking.
Dropping the right head low, Delphinium executes an uppercut that results in a satisfying crack against the chin of the enemy. While they are dazed she sweeps their legs, dropping them to the ground. Wasting no time, the rebel commander takes a step back before executing a full spin while holding the staff with both hands at one end like a bat. The metal pole utterly crushes the head of the downed FranXX, removing them from the fight.
Turning to check the status of the buried unit, Delphinium is assaulted by a searing pain in her abdomen. Following the pain she finds a spear pushed shaft deep into her midsection.
A groan escapes her lips and she sinks to her knees. Memories of her last battle flood into Miku's mind and a state of panic begins to set in. She doesn't notice the pain as the spear is withdrawn or the sight of her opponent preparing to run her through.
Before it can come to pass something collides with the loyalist. There is a scuffle outside of her vision, and when Delphinium finally returns to herself there is a new FranXX standing over her. This simple dull brown warrior with armor that resembles a bearskin cloak and a greataxe offers her a hand.
"Stand up Miku," the familiar voice says. "This is no place to die."
