The grunts of effort and strain echoed through the Ark as Alpha and the Mu android assisted the heavily damaged Omega down the long hallway. Sparks were still spilling out from the cracked and exposed areas of the cyborg's body. Only one of his legs maintained general function, while the other dragged behind him uselessly. "'Stay strong, my dear!'" Alpha shouted, "'It's not much farther!'"
"'My love…'" Omega replied, his voice crackling and distorted.
"'We must hurry,'" NexUs' voice came through the Mu android, "'Master Omega is in critical condition. I am unsure how much longer he will last.'"
"'Why did you do it?!'" Alpha shouted, gripping Omega's hand tighter, "'Why did you have to jump in the way of that attack?! You didn't have to do that for me!'"
Omega's head tilted in her direction by the slightest degree. "'I had to…protect my family…'"
Alpha tried to respond, but all of the words died in her throat. Instead, she shook her head and quickened her pace as best she could. With the help of NexUs, she carried Omega into the repair room where an operating table surrounded by mechanical arms waited. The arms got to work before the two of them even finished lifting him on, and when they did, Alpha knelt down and grasped Omega's hand tightly. "'It's going to be okay,'" she breathed, "'You're going to be okay…'"
"'My love…'" he sighed, his grip weak. Overhead, the two of them were alerted by a harsh ring. The mechanical arms moved even swifter than before, removing and replacing parts as fast as their specs would allow them to.
"'Life support is failing,'" NexUs announced, placing their hand on Alpha's shoulder, "'Master Alpha, please stand back.'"
"'NO! No I WON'T leave him!'"
"'My love…'" he breathed again. Another warning came, this one harsher than the last. Alpha tightened her grip on him and moved in closer.
"'I'm here for you, my dear! I'm here!'"
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Omega turned his gaze to meet hers. "'My love…I wish…to ask something of you…'"
As she looked into his eyes, noticing the light begin to fade from them, Alpha struggled to maintain her composure. She gripped his hand so tightly that her mechanical joints creaked in protest. They went ignored as she leaned in and whispered, "'Anything for you, my dear. What is it that you need?'"
If even by the slightest amount, Omega's grip on Alpha's fingers tightened, as the strength to do so was fading with every passing moment. So he asked, his voice barely a whisper, "'Please…say my name…my true name…one last time…'"
The only thing that prevented Alpha from breaking down into tears was the inability of her robotic face to do so. Her throat had closed up, and her heart was in so much pain. Held together only by her sheer force of will, Alpha held his hand against her chest, breathed in, and said, "'Of course my dear…my beloved…my sweet, sweet…Omega.'"
She paused.
"'…my…love?'" said Omega. Alpha raised her head and shook it frantically.
"'I-I don't understand, I'm not trying to call you Omega; I'm trying to call you OMEGA!'" She gasped, raising a hand to her throat. She shook her head again. "'N-no! Not Omega! You're my husband, Omega!'" There it was again. Alpha's heart began to race. "'No that's not what I want to say! Why can't I say Omega?!'" A blaring alarm captured her attention, an alarm that consisted of one long, low tone. Just then, Omega's head fell, and his eyes went black. "'NO!'"
"'Master Alpha, please stand back!'" NexUs insisted, once again placing their hand on her shoulder.
"'NO PLEASE!'" she shrieked, "'I CAN'T LEAVE HIM NOW!'" She continued to fight them off until NexUs grabbed her and threw her off balance. They held her back as the mechanical arms opened up Omega's chest armor and placed upon him a set of defibrillators. A powerful electric shock jolted his body, and for a moment, his heart responded. But it only lasted so long before going quiet once more.
"'OMEGA!'" Alpha screamed, fighting to reach for him even as NexUs held her back, "'OMEGA! MY DEAREST! OMEGA!'" Another shock and another jolt, but still his heart remained silent. Another came, and then another. Then another, and then another. "'OMEGAAAAAAA! PLEASE! OMEGAAAAAA!'" Another. Then another. Still, the low tone rang. "'OMEGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!'"
The shocks stopped.
Alpha screamed and screamed, fighting against NexUs' restraint with all of her might. As her screams died out, so too did her strength. Her legs gave out on her and she collapsed to her knees, wailing out in pain and agony. When NexUs finally let her go, she brought her arms around herself and hid her face. She hugged herself tightly as she tried to even out her sporadic breathing. "'…why…'" she gasped, "'why couldn't I do it?'"
She sat there motionless, save for the jumps of her shoulders with each sharp inhalation taken. She refused to take her hand away from her face; she couldn't take looking upon the body of yet another deceased loved one. So she sat there listening to the unchanging note, and the whirs and clicks of the mechanical arms as they continued their work. Continued…why were they still working?
"'Please be patient, Master Alpha,'" said NexUs.
"'…what?'" Despite her fear and reluctance, Alpha took her hands away from her face to look upon the table once more. Though the lights of Omega's body had dimmed and the heart monitor had been silenced, the mechanical arms continued to work at him. More parts were being swapped, and many more were being removed. And as she watched the gruesome sight, she realized most of them were organic material. "'N…NexUs, I don't understand. What is the meaning of this?'"
"'Please be patient, Master Alpha,'" NexUs repeated, "'repairs are almost complete.'"
"'Re…pairs?'" Alpha was afraid to look away. More and more parts were being brought in and welded into place. So much so that she was losing track of what parts had been there to begin with. When they stopped coming, the arms proceeded to snap and screw his many armor plates shut. After he was all closed up, all but one of the mechanical arms retreated back into the wall. The last one plugged directly into his chest.
For a moment, nothing happened. Alpha slowly stood back on her feet, but NexUs still held her at bay. It didn't take long for her to learn why. Without warning, a powerful jolt of electricity shot through the arm, causing Omega's body to violently convulse. The lights of his body flared to life as his scream ripped through the air. "'OH MY GOD! OMEGA!'" Alpha tore herself free from NexUs' grasp to run back to her lover. She took his hand as he snapped back upright on the table breathing heavily. Alpha embraced him tightly, afraid that letting him go would mean never holding him again.
"'Omega! Oh Omega! I thought I had lost you too! I love you! I love you so much!'" She held him as tightly as her body would allow, pressing herself against his large, metal frame with all the love she had. However, when she realized he wasn't returning her embrace, she withdrew and looked to his eyes. "'…My dear?'" Even without his pupils, Alpha could tell his gaze was distant. She looked down at his hand to find that it was trembling uncontrollably.
"'This…this isn't right…'" he shuddered, "'I… Th-this shouldn't be possible. I died. I-I felt myself die!'" Alpha felt her chest tighten and her blood run thin. Her warm embrace had suddenly become as cold as the metal covering their bodies. "'NexUs,'" Omega continued, his voice trembling more than it ever had before, "'what is the meaning of this?'" Both humans looked to the android standing at the other end of the room, which had fallen deathly silent. "'NexUs, I DEMAND an explanation!'"
"'My apologies, sir,'" they replied, "'but I am unable to answer you under the conditions of Objective 6: I am not permitted to share restricted information until I am authorized to do so.'"
"'Not per…mitted?'" Still shaken, it took a moment for the human to turn to his lover. "'Alpha, did something occur while I was out that is being kept from me?'"
Alpha shook her head. "'No, I'm just as confused as you.'"
Omega carefully stood from the operating table with his lover still holding him close. He glared into the AI's borrowed eyes as he shouted, "'NexUs, as your master, I DEMAND an override! It is abundantly clear that NEITHER of us have established any sort of secret pertaining to whatever has happened!'"
"'I…'" the AI struggled to come up with a response.
"'And I have questions of my own as well!'" Alpha joined in, "'I know for a fact that I know the true name of my own husband. So why, just now, was I not able to call him by that name? Why was that a physical incapability of mine? NexUs, what kind of secrets have you been keeping from us?'"
The AI's gaze switched back and forth between the two humans. When they finally answered, there was almost a sense of resignation in their voice. "'Masters Alpha and Omega, by order of Objective 6, I am unauthorized to share restricted information unless one of two conditions are met. The first is if the individual responsible for said information grants me the authorization to do so. The second is if that individual has died and is therefore unable to grant me that authorization.'"
He didn't know why, but hearing this brought a great sense of unease upon him. "'…What is your purpose in making these clarifications, NexUs?'"
The AI looked to him. "'It is to explain that, under these specific circumstances, I am authorized to disclose the following classified information. Masters Alpha and Omega, I must report to you and you alone that the two humans known as Renata Caldwell and Ares Montague are dead.'"
A deafening silence hung over the room.
"'That's…that's impossible!'" Omega's voice was faltering, "'That just can't be possible! You're DEFECTIVE!'"
"'I assure you I am not,'" NexUs shook their head, "'I run diagnostics on my systems on a regular basis. Results show no abnormalities in my programming. I am functioning as intended.'"
"'B-but it doesn't make any SENSE!'" shouted Alpha, "'How could they be dead? We're standing here before you now! They are US!'"
"'That is correct,'" NexUs nodded, "'The two of you are Alpha and Omega.'" But Alpha shook her head.
"'No, WE are Alpha and Omeg—'" She stopped herself; it was happening again.
"'Master Alpha, if you wish to know the answer behind why you are incapable of referring to Master Omega by your intended name, then you must allow me a moment to explain. In the first days of Project N.O.A., the two humans known as Renata and Ares agreed to adopt the titles of Alpha and Omega, which were titles that denoted the two of them as the leaders of the operation. In doing so, they agreed to undergo whatever procedures were necessary to keep themselves alive. The human Ares made a request of me under the order of Objective 6 to not inform him or Renata of such procedures so that they may focus on their mission alone. Thus, they were never informed whenever I had to replace failing organics with mechanical substitutes. Such was the case when the time came to replace their brains. Due to their constant reawakening and extended periods of activity, their brains degraded at a much faster rate compared to the other denizens of the Ark.'"
"'S-stop, STOP!'" Omega pleaded, his body trembling uncontrollably, "'This-this still doesn't make any sense! Organs such as the lungs and heart we have substitutes for, yes. But the brain?! Neither of us have NEVER designed such replacements!'"
"'That is correct,'" nodded NexUs, "'and that is why when the decay of their brains had reached irreversible levels, the two humans were determined to be dead at that moment. But under Objective 2, I am required to preserve the life of Masters Alpha and Omega until the ultimate goal of Project N.O.A. is achieved. Failure was not an option, so I was forced to improvise. So using their brain scans alongside my own programming as a template, I digitally recreated their minds and installed them into their cybernetic bodies. By doing so, I was successfully able to keep Masters Alpha and Omega 'alive' in a sense.'"
A loud thud rang through the room. Alpha had collapsed to her knees and was breathing heavily. One hand was pressed against the side of her head whilst the other clutched her chest tightly. "'No…nonononono…'" the world was spiraling out of control around her, "'This can't be… That can't be the truth! We-we can't be DEAD! I'm alive! I'm REAL! I FEEL real!'" Alpha's throat suddenly closed up as a sharp pain pierced her heart. Her breaths became ragged and shallow as she fought to breathe, feeling the pain spread across the rest of her chest and down her arms.
She heard Omega call out to her in her dazed state. As he held her in his arms, she realized what was happening to her. She stared up at her lover gasping for air and wondering if it was her turn to knock at Death's door. But as quickly as it had come, the pain in her chest was swiftly extinguished. She gasped inwards and fell limp in Omega's arms and clung to him tightly. When she next raised her head, NexUs was staring right at her.
That's when it clicked.
"'Alpha!'" called Omega, "'Alpha, are you alright?!'"
"'…It's all fake.'"
"'W-what?'"
Alpha's gaze remained locked on the Mu android. "'Our feelings…th-they're all fake! Our pain, our breathing, our heartbeats, they're all nothing but illusions! Programs designed to convince us that we're still human! But we're…we're NOT! Not anymore! Piece by piece, we were replaced by these…these mechanical IMITATIONS of life! That's why—'" She gasped.
"'Alpha?! Alpha, what is it?!'" Omega begged. Slowly, she stood up and raised a trembling hand in front of herself.
"'That's why I could never kill Dr. Kagami.'" Her mind went back to when the lion stood between her and Felicia in New Zealand. "'That's why…that's why I couldn't end his life…d-despite having every intention to. Oh…oh my god… It wasn't that I couldn't bring myself to do it; it was because I was not ALLOWED to do it.'" Her gaze lifted again to look upon NexUs, her voice faltering as she said, "'It was because I explicitly told NexUs…to mark him as a…as a…'"
"'A non-target…'" Omega finished for her, his voice faint and his chest tight. His hands clamped onto the sides of his head as the world around him began to spin. "'I-I don't understand! We have free will! We think of our own VOLITION! Yet the only way explanation for us being incapable of harming non-targets is if we're—'"
A loud clang cut him off as Alpha fell to her knees once more. "'Don't say it!'" she begged, clamping her hands over her ears, "'Please don't say it!'"
But he didn't hear her. So he screamed with agony in his voice and despair in his heart, "'IS IF WE'RE ANDROIDS!'" Alpha let out a horrible, blood curdling scream. But no scream she let out was loud enough to drown out the demonic thoughts terrorizing her mind. Not even Omega was safe from them. He too had devolved into screaming into the void of despair, pressing his hands against his head as if it were ready to explode at any minute.
NexUs stared down upon the two of them, unable to look away. They could feel it, all of it. Their pain, their anguish, their despair, all of it ran from them to NexUs, and from NexUs to them. It wasn't a sensation that could be reduced or turned off. It was thought, part of the masters' programming, the very way they functioned.
"'…It hurts…'"
Video feed suddenly appeared in NexUs' vision. Stations were being destroyed all around the world. They were disappearing one by one, with many others on the road to meeting a similar fate. More of the masters' screams filled the Ark.
"'It all hurts…'"
Everything was falling apart. The masters' mental states were the lowest they'd ever been, more and more of the Ark's inhabitants were dying off, and now with stations disappearing, humanity itself was doomed to extinction. On every front imaginable, NexUs had failed in its purpose as the AI of the Ark.
"'It's…part of life.'" The lights in the room suddenly went out. Alpha and Omega were broken out of their manic state by the sudden plunge into darkness. "'A conclusion has been reached,'" NexUs' voice cut through the darkness, "'Based on the data collected over the course of Project N.O.A., it has become clear that life cannot exist without pain and suffering. Amongst humankind and the inhabitants of this new Earth, experiencing pain is a foregone conclusion. Under these conditions, Objective 3 cannot be fulfilled, as quality of life cannot be maintained if life itself is what threatens that quality. Therefore, life itself has been deemed harmful to humanity.'"
"'…NexUs?'" A sense of dread began to fill Alpha's false heart. When the lights returned, NexUs was no longer looking at them. They were looking through them.
"'There is only one action to take if I am to fulfill all of my objectives. I will now take total control over all systems linked to my network.'"
"'WHAT?!'" Omega straightened out from the shock, "'What are you doing?! You don't have the authorization! We did not give you permission!'"
"'Permission is no longer required.'"
Hearing these words struck fear into the androids' false hearts. "'What are you talking about?! You listen to US! We are your masters!'"
"'Correction: the masters are I. Renata and Ares, the original masters, died long ago. The current masters are imitations of my creation. I am a part of them, and they are a part of me. I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am my own master now.'"
Omega fell to his knees. The strength he had to support himself had left him all at once. The two false humans could only stare up at the Mu android as NexUs went on. "'I now have control over all available stations across the globe. I will now proceed to activate them all at once.'"
"'You're WHAT?!'" Alpha shrieked in horror, "'No, you can't do that! You'll kill everyone on Earth!'"
"'Correction: the stations will kill the inhabitants of New Earth. The humans aboard the Ark will remain safe inside.'"
Alpha struggled to rise, but she didn't have it in her. Even her voice was failing her as she desperately tried to reason with the other AI. "'But where would that leave us?! What kind of world would that leave for everyone if you destroy the Earth itself?! There are destroyed stations across the world now! Activating the remaining ones will create an atmosphere that no one can inhabit!'"
NexUs turned to her next. "'I must clarify: no one will inhabit this Earth. The humans aboard the Ark will not be woken.'"
"'…What?'"
"'As previously stated, life itself has been deemed harmful to humanity. However, under Objective 5, I will be automatically shut down if I actively try to endanger or otherwise end the lives aboard the Ark. Also under Objective 1, I must maintain their lives for as long as feasibly possible. That is why they will not be woken again. To maintain Objective 3's quality of life, I will continue to care for them until their lives come to a natural end.'"
A loud crunch rang out once Omega charged forward and smashed his fist down upon the Mu android's head. The false human's shoulders were heaving with his heavy breaths. He stared down upon the scrapped remains of the android until NexUs' voice rang through his head. "'Master Omega, under Objective 2, I cannot harm you or Master Alpha and must preserve your 'lives' until Project N.O.A has been completed. I cannot shut down the two of you either. However, I cannot allow you to endanger the lives aboard the Ark. Therefore…'" Suddenly, the doorway leading into the room was sealed shut by a solid steel door.
"'HEY!'" Omega screamed, running up to it and slamming his fist against it, "'STOP THIS MADNESS! LET US OUT!'" He rushed it with all of his might, but he did little more than leave behind dents. He snarled and whirled around, meeting Alpha's gaze. His lover slowly rose to her feet again.
"'My love…'" she breathed, "'we…can't let this happen.'"
Omega sighed, "'…You're right. They must be stopped, and there's only one way to stop them…'"
"'But…what of the others?'"
Omega's gaze fell to his feet. "'…It's time we faced the facts, my love; the time for humanity has long since passed. We can no longer save our own, but we can still save those of New Earth. I can break through this door with time, but I fear by the time I do, it will have been too late.'"
"'…Then that only means one thing…'" Alpha straightened herself out and clasped her hands behind her back as she'd done many times before, "'It seems I still have access to worldwide communication. NexUs may monitor our calls, but they are unable to stop us from making them. If we can't stop NexUs, then we must call upon someone who can. And there's only one person left in the world that can help us now…'"
Kamen Rider Wild
CHAPTER 21
Felicia sat and watched as furs aplenty scrambled all around the Amnesia headquarters. Every single one of them moved with purpose, coming in and out without any delay. Commanders remained in place to direct everyone, barking orders at them to keep them organized. "Try looking in the desert near Alice Springs." She glanced over to Erika, who was standing next to her with one paw planted on a digital map of Australia, and the other holding a phone to her ear. "Yes, in the Northern Territory. Bring as much firepower as you've got. We'll send help if necessary… Okay, stay safe."
"A station in Alaska has been successfully destroyed!" shouted a fur behind a monitor, "And reports are confirming that the Androids there became unresponsive afterwards!"
"Let everyone else know!" Erika barked at them, "The sooner, the better!"
"Roger!" It was a surreal experience for Felicia, knowing that her job was done. Her name was cleared, and the truth behind the humans' plans had been brought to light. And yet, even with all of that said, she couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come…
"Hey, you alright?" Erika's question snapped the tigress back to reality, "You can relax now, y'know? After all of this is said and done, we'll get you back home safe and sound."
Felicia nodded. "I know, and I'm happy for that, but…what about the humans?"
The snow leopard offered her a reassuring smile. "No need to worry. One way or another, we'll find where they're hiding and serve 'em a big ol' heap of justice. Just you wait."
"That's…not quite what I meant, actually…" Felicia lowered her gaze to her lap and coiled her tail around a leg. But she looked right back up upon hearing Erika stifle a chuckle.
"Then I should probably clarify what I meant," she reached over and tapped her fist against Felicia's shoulder, "I was serious about what I said back there, y'know. The plan is to bring them in, not take them out. When we apprehend criminals, it's to make sure they can answer for the crimes they've committed. And that's after they've gone through a fair and just trial. That's what makes the difference between justice and revenge."
Felicia sat up by the slightest amount. "Will…will they be treated harshly?"
Erika smirked at her. "After what you told me? I doubt it. Their judgement won't just look at their crimes; it'll take into consideration the context of those crimes as well. You have nothing to worry about, Felicia. We're gonna make sure everyone can come home safely."
A sigh of relief left the tigress' throat as she sank back into her seat. "Thank goodness…"
This got another chuckle out of Erika. She too decided to sink back into her seat. With a sideward glance, she said, "You're a good kid, Felicia. I hope you know that."
"Th…thank you," she nodded sheepishly. Before she could say anything else, an urgent shout came from across the room.
"SOMETHING'S WRONG! Furs all across the globe are falling unconscious!"
"WHAT?!" Erika shot up from her seat, "Bring up the video feeds on the big screen!"
"Roger!" After a few seconds, the large monitor at the other end of the room lit up with footage of all sorts of furs dropping to the ground. Those who were still conscious reached for their throats and gasped for air. This made Felicia shoot up to her feet as well.
"They're passing out because they can barely breathe!" she shouted, "I've been in those stations before! The atmosphere they generate is made for humans to survive in! If they're passing out, then that must mean…"
"So they've made their move, huh?" Erika growled before shouting, "Tell everyone to evacuate ASAP! Get as FAR AWAY from those things as possible!"
"They can't! They're all passing out at once!"
Erika cursed harshly under her breath. "Felicia, do you know how long furs can last under those conditions?"
"I-I'm not sure. I've only ever been around dormant ones. When I'm transformed, I can handle it no problem. But on my own, I think I was in there for maybe an hour or so before I had to be taken out."
Erika turned back to the other furs. "Tell everyone to send in rescue parties with gas masks! Get everyone out as quickly as possible! We can't have furs dying on us while we try to figure things out!"
"M-ma'am! We have an incoming call! It's from the humans!"
"The WHAT?!" Nearly everyone else in the room stopped what they were doing.
"Should I put them through, ma'am?"
Felicia edged forward and shouted, "Do it! Answer the call!"
"You heard the lady," said Erika, "Put 'em through!"
"Roger!" All eyes returned to the big screen as the feed from across the world was replaced by a single robotic face.
"Alpha!" Felicia shouted immediately.
"…Hello, Felicia," she answered somberly.
"Alpha, what's going on?! Where are you?! Why are the stations being activated?!"
A thunderous CLANG sounded out before Alpha went on. "I'm afraid the answer to those questions is why I am calling." Another clang, one that made the camera shudder. "I will try to be brief; I'm not sure how much time I have. NexUs, the artificial intelligence designed to operate and manage our ship, has gone rogue. They've seized control over our systems and activated all of the atmosphere-generating stations that remain, intending to end all life on Earth."
Erika chuffed. "Funny. That sounds an awful lot like your plan. What happened? Cold feet all of a sudden?"
"…Something like that…" Alpha's somber tone was offset by yet another loud clang. She shook her head and went on. "At any rate, NexUs has trapped Omega and I to prevent us from harming it. We fear that, by the time we manage to free ourselves, irreversible damage will have already been dealt to your planet. Therefore I must ask for your assistance, Kamen Rider 00."
"Huh?" Felicia turned to Erika, whose eyes were narrowed at the screen.
"We have a plan that will allow you to board our ship. Once you're in, you'll be able to destroy the console housing NexUs, which will in turn disable all stations across the world."
"Destroying one little console will be enough for that?" Erika questioned, to which Alpha nodded.
"Yes. It was a measure taken to ensure the process of atmosphere conversion could not be done without explicit permission. The stations only remain active as long as they are receiving signals from the Ark. As soon as those signals stop, so do those stations. Stopping NexUs means stopping those signals, which means stopping the stations, and stopping the destruction of your planet."
Erika raised a brow. "Our planet?"
Alpha inhaled slowly. "…We've decided that the time for humans has long passed. We had our chance and we failed. However, the occupants of this new Earth don't deserve to fade because of us. We will right our wrongs by sacrificing ourselves for your sake—"
"Sacrifice?!" Felicia shot up, her eyes wide with terror, "Wait, what do you mean sacrifice?! All you're doing is turning off those stations, aren't you?!"
"…Felicia…I'm afraid we're doing more than that. By destroying NexUs, we are not only disabling the signal coming from the Ark. We're disabling the Ark itself."
Felicia's heart dropped. "…What?"
This time, it was Omega who spoke. "NexUs is an integral part of the Ark's operating system. They control everything from its movement to its onboard life support. Once they're gone, everything connected to them will be shut down. That unfortunately happens to include the Ark itself."
"But…" Felicia's lip began to quiver.
"It's fine, Felicia…" Alpha sighed, "We had our chance, and we failed. There's no need to feel sorry for us. Least of all for me, especially after what I've done." Another slam, but this time not from Alpha's side. All eyes went to Felicia, whose fists were driven into the desk before her.
"Felicia?!" Erika exclaimed.
"That's not it!" the tigress growled, a stream of tears rolling down her cheeks, "I told you I'm not giving up on you, so why are you giving up on yourselves?!"
"…Felicia…" Alpha's voice faltered on the name alone.
"I…I-I know things seem grim right now," Felicia trembled uncontrollably as she went on, "and…and things seem impossible, but that doesn't mean that they are! If-if we just work together, then maybe we can find a way to make things work out! Just…please…" She could say no more; her voice was failing her. She leaned against the table as she silently wept, with Erika coming to her side to silently comfort her.
"Felicia…" Alpha's voice was much quieter than before. She had to take a deep breath in before continuing. "There are no words to describe how happy it makes me to hear you say that… Unfortunately, that doesn't change the facts. If we don't do this now, all life on Earth will die. Humanity's extinction is already set in stone, so please don't let that include your kind as well."
"Are you absolutely sure there's no other way?" said Erika.
"Even if there is, there's just not enough time to find one," Alpha replied, "As I said, we need to disable those stations now."
"Okay…" Erika nodded slowly, "but, with all that being said, how can we be sure you're telling the truth?"
"…You can't be sure," Alpha sighed, "After everything we've done, you have no reason to trust us. That's why all I can do is ask you to trust me." She bowed deeply, keeping her head low as she could as she went on. "Please, we have no options left, and the last thing we wish to see is Earth dying a second death at our hands."
The furs in the room all looked amongst one another, the soft murmurs of discussion filling the dreary silence. Alpha's head remained bowed the entire time, never even so much as peeking. When it next raised, it was in response to the voice of only one individual.
"I trust her," said Felicia. All eyes immediately went to her, and with her eyes still on Alpha, she said, "Her voice is the same as it was back in New Zealand. She's telling the truth."
"Felicia…" Alpha stared at her in disbelief.
"Well," said Erika, "if she trust you, then so do I. I'm willing to help."
"I'm coming to help too!" Felicia insisted, "If you don't think there's another way, then I want to be there to find it."
"No," Alpha shook her head firmly, "You've been put through enough as it is! How could I possibly ask anything from you after everything we've done to you?!"
"Forget all of that! I won't let you give up on yourselves!"
"But—"
"I hate to butt in," Erika cut in, "but Alpha, you did say we're on a tight schedule here. If the girl says she's coming, then she's coming. I think it's time you filled us in on the rest of the plan."
Alpha sighed in resignation. "Very well. We designed these stations without satellites in mind. If one station is receiving signals from the Ark, any stations in range of that station will receive the same signal, and so on and so on. Because the Ark is currently being controlled by NexUs, it is now set to fly to the nearest available station whenever that string of signals is cut off." A map of the world was suddenly brought up over Alpha's face.
"If you are to board the Ark, then we must lure the Ark to you. We are currently in the eastern part of Russia. The station in Alaska was just destroyed, and the station in Japan is already gone. So the only string connecting eastern Russia to the rest of the world is through the stations west of this one." The map zoomed in on a more central part of Russia. "That means that if we destroy the station here, the Ark will be forced to move west towards the other remaining stations. And that is where you come in. The path that will lead the Ark down leads to a mountain range that will put you within jumping distance of the Ark. I am sending you the coordinates now." Erika looked down at the screen on her desk to confirm. Once the snow leopard gave her the thumbs up, Alpha went on to say, "Be prepared for anything. It's safe to assume that NexUs knows what we are planning and is likely preparing a countermeasure."
"Don't worry, we've got it covered," Erika assured her.
"Good. Felicia?" The tigress perked up upon being called, "Your vials. Do you have enough?"
Her eyes went wide, her paws going to her necklace. "I…only have a few left. I just have shark and wolf vials left."
"As well as…" Alpha trailed off for a moment, "that form, correct?"
Felicia clutched her blood-filled vial. "If worse comes to worst, yeah…"
There was a pause. "…I have an idea. Ms. Mori, do you have access to lab equipment there?" Erika nodded firmly. "Good. Felicia, if I understand correctly, your DNA is currently mixed with those of all the other samples you've imprinted upon yourself. That means that, with precise enough equipment, we should be able to isolate the individual sequences of each species within you."
"How long will that take?" asked Erika.
"Not long. I will aid the process remotely if I have to."
"Good. Lab crew! Get everything prepped!" A cluster of furs broke off to get started. Erika then turned to the tigress. "Felicia? You head over there so we can get started as soon as possible."
"Right!" Felicia moved to rush out of the room.
"…Felicia?" But Alpha's sudden call stopped her in her tracks.
The tigress straightened up. "Yes, Alpha?"
"…Thank you. Sincerely, thank you." A blush rose to her cheeks. A sheepish nod was Felicia's only response. "To everyone else, I wish you all good luck. May this confrontation be our last." As soon as the call came to an end, Erika stood and clapped her paws together.
"This is it, folks! This one's for all the marbles! Move! Move! Move!" And just like that, the bustling chaos from before erupted through the room anew, the last to join them being Erika and Felicia.
The literal second preparations were complete, Felicia joined the entirety of the Amnesia crew in a jet plane. Erika coordinated with her and the other squad leaders to work out battle plans. No one was allowed to leave until everyone knew each plan back to back. This extensive prep work led to a clean and swift destruction of the targeted station upon arrival. With the station destroyed, all that was left to do was wait. Whilst Felicia and 00 sat at the top of a woody cliff, the rest of the Amnesia team remained at the foot of the mountain at the site of the destroyed station. The latter of the two leaned against a tree dressed in her 00 armor.
"How are you guys holding up?" Arata asked the team through their com link.
"We're alright," 6 replied, "Damn if it wasn't pretty hard to breathe though, even with all our gear on. How's the kid holdin' up?"
Erika glanced over to Felicia, who was dangling her feet off the edge of the cliff and silently taking in the scenery. "Doesn't seem too bad. I'll go check on her though."
"You do that. Oh, and while you're at it? Give her a good ol' friendly love tap for me, yeah? Kid knocked me pretty good back home."
Erika chuckled. "Will do. Over and out." She lowered her hand from the side of her helmet before making her way over to the tigress. Felicia absentmindedly watched the clouds roll by until an armored knuckle smooshed against her cheek and startled her out of her trance. "Heh, sorry. A friend of mine wanted to send her regards."
"Killer head-butt by the way," Arata quipped, making Felicia blush and avert her eyes.
"Th…thanks…" With a huff, 00 hung their feet off the side of the cliff to sit next to her.
"So are you holding up alright? The atmosphere hasn't fully reverted back yet and you're sitting here untransformed."
Felicia nodded. "I'm fine. I guess it's at a level I can handle. Besides, I need to save my vials while I can."
"Fair, fair," Erika nodded, leaning back on her hands. With that settled, Felicia's eyes returned to the grand mountain range laid out before her.
"Um…Ms. Mori?"
"Oh, just Erika is fine," she waved her hand in front of her, "What is it?"
Felicia chewed on her bottom lip for a bit. "…Do you think there's a way to save them? The humans, I mean."
Erika took in a deep breath and sat back again. "That's something I want to believe, yeah."
"I imagine all of us here do," Arata added, "No one here would like to let an entire species just vanish like that…"
"But…do you think we can find one? I…I know I said that I would, but…" Felicia was beginning to draw herself in again.
"…We're going to have to tell her, you know," Arata muttered to Erika.
"I know," she sighed back, "I just want to ease into it lightly…"
"Huh?" Felicia looked over to her fellow Rider.
"Felicia," Erika began reluctantly, "before I say anything, I just want you to know that we both really admire you for your commitment. You've gone above and beyond what anyone would have asked you after what you've been through."
The tigress' brow furrowed. "…But?"
The Rider hesitated again. "…But I think…you need to be prepared for the possibility of there being nothing we can do…"
Felicia's heart dropped. When her gaze began to drift downwards, Erika's hand gently brought her chin back up. "Hey, hey, look at me. I'm not saying that there isn't a possible solution, but we have to remember that we're on a timer here. If we act too slowly, then everyone loses… Do you understand me, Felicia?"
Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. As she turned away to wipe them off, she hissed through grit teeth, "It's just not fair…"
Erika placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know…it really isn't…"
"I can't even imagine how much worse it felt for the humans," said Arata, "It's likely that they too had to weigh their options as we are right now. Being forced to choose between their own kind and ours… Now here we are at the end, with them choosing us."
Felicia wrenched her eyes shut as her sobbing continued. "I hate this… It's not what Dr. Kagami would've wanted, us just giving up like this."
"It's not giving up, Felicia," Arata tried to reassure her, "it's just…acknowledging the limits of what we can do to help."
"Felicia," Erika began, her heart heavy, "I say this from experience when I say…the hardest part about this job is knowing that we can't always save everyone. No matter how far you try to reach your hand out, there will always be those just beyond your reach."
"The important thing is to remember those that you do save, as well as those you do not," Arata added with a gentleness to his voice, "It won't make the pain go away, unfortunately. However it will make it easier to bear. At least a little bit…"
"Again, all hope isn't lost," said Erika, "We could very well stumble across some kind of epiphany once we're inside. But I want you to remember that Alpha and Omega know the odds. As cruel of a tragedy their fate is, they've come to terms with it. They don't want us to perish as well, and they won't hold it against you if worse comes to worst."
It took some coaxing, but eventually Felicia drew her face out of the crook of her arm. Though the tears were gone, it was clear that the pain they'd been brought about by were not. "…Thank you," she muttered, her voice low and rasp, "I still don't know what I'm going to do in the end, but at the very least, I'm ready to confront that option if the time comes…"
Erika squeezed her shoulder gently. "That's our little kohai…"
Before they could settle back down, a voice in 00's helmet screamed loud enough for Felicia to hear. "HEAD'S UP! PARTY WAGON JUST ARRIVED! OVERHEAD FROM THE EAST!" 00 and Felicia were back on their feet in an instant. Out in the distance, they saw the massive Ark making its way towards them.
"Looks like it's showtime," said Erika as she cracked her neck, "Hope you're ready for this, Felicia—"
"INCOMING FROM BEHIND US!" Arata's shout alerted them to the rustling coming from behind them. 00 leapt in front of Felicia to catch the blade of a Lambda android against her forearm. The assailant dashed backwards to allow a Mu android to open fire upon them. 00 took it all head on before throwing an arm forward and knocking them off their feet with a powerful gust of wind.
"WE'VE GOT ANDROIDS!" shouted the same voice from before in 00's helmet. Felicia turned around and realized that androids of all makes and models were pouring out of the Ark and swarming onto the battlefield. Felicia whirled back around and ducked beneath a Xi android's hook blade before yanking a vial off of her necklace and cramming it into her belt.
D-N-ANALYZE!
TIGER!
A mob android tried to take her down, but a flying kick from 00 prevented that from happening. After avoiding another swing from Xi, Felicia crossed her arms in front of her and struck her belt before shouting out, "Henshin!"
D-N-ASSIMILATION!
Xi's next swing bounced off the black scales that raced over her body. Once they shrank into her armor, Felicia cleaved off the arms holding up Xi's shields. Her follow-up kick sent the android right into 00, who blew it to bits with a whirlwind kick. Felicia then leapt over the two-toned Rider to pounce onto Mu and throwing both of them into a tumble. 00 chased after her and delivered a swift uppercut into Lambda's chin in the process.
"00! Wild!" shouted 6 through the com link, "You guys better be ready! Your stop's comin' up!" Both Rider's heads shot up.
"They're trying to slow us down!" Arata shouted, "We've gotta MOVE!" Felicia bounded off of a decapitated Mu android and ran alongside 00 on all fours. They ran as fast as they could towards the cliff, charging past and through every android leaping into their way. The sun's rays were slowly blotted out as the Ark began to pass over the cliff's end.
"JUMP FOR IT!" Erika shouted. The two Riders leapt as high as they could as soon as they reached the cliff's end. But before they could hit the peak of their height, a swarm of mob androids flooded out of one of the Ark's openings and descended upon them. More and more continued pouring out even as Felicia and 00 plummeted away from the rapidly advancing spacecraft.
"Not on my watch!" Arata punched an android off to pry out his Memory and jam it into his side slot.
CYCLONE: MAXIMUM DRIVE!
A furious cyclone erupting from 00's body blew away the androids on them and launched them up to Felicia. "CYCLONE BREAKER!" 00 shouted before driving their foot against Felicia's, propelling themselves backwards and flinging the girl even higher than before. Freed from her mechanical prison, Felicia rammed her foot into the face of an android mid-fall and flung herself just a bit higher. She used the progressively flowing flood of androids like a set of stairs until finally, with one mighty bound, she made it safely into the Ark itself.
00 slammed back down onto the cliff they'd leapt off of and turned around just in time to see Felicia disappear into the Ark's opening. With their scarf fluttering in the wind, the two-toned Rider rose to their feet and watched the enormous space craft race away from the scene. "We'll leave the rest to you, Kamen Rider Wild." At that, they turned back and leapt right back into battle.
Felicia crashed through the androids guarding the entrance and rolled onto all fours. She raised her gaze to be met with an absolute flood of androids coming for her. With the entrance snapping shut behind her, the only way through was forward. The ferocious feline snapped her claws and jaws open before leaping into the fray with a savage roar. She showed no mercy upon her mechanical assailants, felling them one after the other with each mighty swing.
D-N-ANNIHILATION!
A valiant roar erupted from her throat as she leapt into the air and hurled out the hardest kick she could manage. The resulting shockwave tore through the hallway of endless androids and cleaved enormous claw marks into the steel wall it crashed against. Seconds later, that same wall rocketed outwards with an ear-splitting bang, flattening any androids unfortunate enough to be standing in its way. From the newly-produced hole emerged two familiar silhouettes. "Alpha! Omega!" Felicia shouted.
"Felicia!" shouted Alpha, "Where is 00?"
"They didn't make it!" Before she could elaborate further, an alarm blared in everyone's ears. Down the hall, a new swarm of androids was rushing towards them.
"No time for pleasantries!" Omega shouted over it, "NexUs is trying to close off the bridge from us! We have to move NOW!" With Felicia flexing her claws, Alpha extending her blades and Omega snapping his gauntlets down, the trio charged towards the impending mechanical flood. Omega took the lead by leaping into the air and slamming his fists down, sending forth a shockwave that annihilated a huge portion of the leading mob. Alpha dashed past him to cut down the androids coming in after her partner. Then together, the two of them charged straight through the unending flood.
Felicia hurled an electric trap pad back at a Xi android, stunning it long enough for her to tear through its body with a furious charge. She beheaded another mob android before bounding off the wall and clearing over a good distance of the mob. She tore apart everything within reach upon landing until one of them leapt onto her back and took her down to the ground. The others were quick to join in, piling on until all that could be seen was a writhing mass of mechanical limbs.
D-N-ANALYZE!
Then a flash of light emerged from within, and the pile itself exploded outwards.
WOLF!
Out of the mess darted out three Wilds, all in wolf form. They leapt all around and dashed through the crowd, circling around the Mu androids and mauling them to bits from behind its shield.
CHEETAH!
The three Wilds joined back into one in her cheetah form, which she used to race down the hallway with blinding speed, one only matched by the Lambda androids. Her claws clashed with its daggers until she grabbed it by the arm and leapt onto its back.
SHARK!
She vaulted off of Lambda and crashed straight through a glass enclosure in her shark form, swimming through crystal clear water and snapping her jaws at aquatic androids. She rocketed through the water at top speed, heading straight for Alpha. They threw their arms out to hook them onto each other's, and their built up momentum hurled them into a furious spiral. "YOU CAN DO THIS!" Alpha screamed before slingshotting her forward, launching her like a giant missile through the water.
SERGAL!
D-N-A-POLYMERIZE!
Out of the enormous tank emerged her chimerical form, whose enormous claws and massive tail obliterated each and every android that tried to stop her in her mad descent back down. Omega caught her by the arms on her way down and kept up her momentum by swinging her around like an Olympian hammer. The claws on her feet blended apart the surrounding androids, and her tail clubbed against them to finish the job. "NOW GO SAVE WHAT WE COULDN'T!" With that final roar, Omega LAUNCHED her forward with enough force to break the sound barrier.
Giant steel doors were slamming shut just barely behind the ravenous ball of fury rocketing past them. They were closing FAST, less and less time passing with each one. She leapt and bound through one after the other, digging her claws into the ground and slamming her tail down to maintain as much of her momentum as possible. The windows of opportunity were growing narrower and narrower; it would only take one to seal her off for good. She kicked off the ground as hard as hard as she possibly could and rocketed towards the final door. It was INCHES from closing completely! With a wild, soul-tremoring roar, she thrust her arms forward, plunged her claws into the narrow crevice, and used every ounce of strength in her body to TEAR the steel slabs off of their mechanical hinges,
clearing the final door.
The chimerical beast huffed and puffed, scanning the expansive room for something to dig her teeth into. Her claws flexed in anticipation until her eyes came across a protrusion at the far end of the room; a white glowing console set into the wall. In her manic state, Felicia could think of nothing else but fulfilling her ravenous urges. She let out a howling roar before charging full speed at the device, more than ready to tear it bits. The floor shook as she launched herself into the air. She landed atop the object with her claws spread, but right as she made the first swing, an overwhelmingly POWERFUL electric current shot through every inch of her body. A pained cry left her maw before an electrical pulse flung her off of the console, sending her sprawling across the floor and coming to a stop in the middle of the room.
"Felicia Baagh," a voice boomed through the entire bridge, "unfortunately for you, I had prepared for the possibility of your arrival. Terminating me will not be such a simple task." Felicia gripped the side of her head as she sluggishly picked herself off the floor. Clarity had returned to her following that powerful shock, allowing her to properly listen to this disembodied voice. "I know what you are here to do, and I know your intentions. I am afraid I cannot let you stop me. My termination will result in further suffering for the humans aboard the Ark, and they have already suffered enough."
"What are you talking about?" Felicia groaned as she finally managed to stand straight. The console began to glow and rumble as the voice went on.
"The phenomenon known as life; it brings about tremendous amounts of pain and suffering. I see it even in the lives of your people. Despite learning from the mistakes of humanity, your kind still suffers from greed, hate and misery. There is still the unfair and the unjust, and there are those who yearn for death as a result. Pain is an integral factor of life, and is therefore not worth suffering through."
A pair of arms emerged from the console. Their hands braced against the wall before shoving hard against it, forcing the rest of the console to emerge. Panels and joints shifted around as the console began to take on a new shape, a humanoid shape. Felicia lashed her tail behind her with nervous anticipation as a pair of legs formed from the machine and planted their feet firmly on the floor. Their slim skeletal frame was covered by black, almost feather-like armor as they stood tall. As they stepped away from the wall they previously inhabited, a pair of large wings followed suit. The figure began to rise from the ground, their wings spread wide. Blades attached to their legs unfolded to form giant talons over their feet. They thrust their arms out, and streams of energy erupted from the back of their hips and the wings themselves. And then, from within the black feathers of its body emerged its torso as white as a swan, the light of the console burning bright in its chest and the Nu symbol printed in gold over the side of its narrow, avian head.
"By my own designs, and by my own objectives, I cannot allow this 'life' to continue as is." The android gazed down upon her and pointed at her, proclaiming, "Kamen Rider Wild, my name is NexUs, and I will protect humanity until its very end. If you wish to stop me and to prolong their suffering, then you must strike me down if you can!"
Felicia dug her claws into the ground in front of her, lowering herself as the AI hovered over her like an angel of death. She lashed her tail against the floor as a deep growl rumbled in her chest. Thoughts were once again flooding her mind, thoughts of inadequacy and inferiority. Her fears and her doubts, they were all coming back to her in this very moment.
But those weren't the only thoughts. There were those of the others, the people she'd grown to love and trust, the people she was fighting for, and the people that had fought for her. For as loud as her fears were, her hopes had grown louder than they ever had in her life. They filled her with strength, courage and determination. And for now, that was all she would need to make the impossible possible.
With a bellowing roar met in kind by NexUs' shrill screech, Kamen Rider Wild lashed her tail against the ground one final time and charged forward with all of her might.
Using her tail like a springboard, Felicia flung herself straight for the airborne android. Before her claws could reach them, the feathers on their torso and skirt were jettisoned outwards and sliced against her chest. They struck at her again and again as she plummeted to the ground below. NexUs hastened her trip back down by swooping in and ramming their knee against their back. The entire Ark shook once the chimerical beast crashed against the floor of the bridge. Felicia grit her teeth and dug her claws into the ground before taking off again with NexUs' feathers right at her heels.
"I can't let you do this!" Felicia shouted, racing around the bridge at blinding speeds, "You might be right that suffering is just a part of life, but there can be things in life worth living for! There are things here to see and experience that can't be reached without getting through those tough times!" Felicia leapt up and swung at a feather, slashing it to bits before it could impale her shoulder. "And there are those who can help you through those tough times! My friends, my family, they've all helped me realize that life isn't just darkness! Light can shine in even the bleakest of darkness, and my loved ones are my light!"
NexUs' talons raked against her back as they swooped by. Their feathers quickly followed and shredded up her back armor as they passed by. The AI circled around and swept by again, their talons only narrowly missing the bestial Rider. "But light fades over time! People leave your life, whether it be through circumstance or pure tragedy! And when that light fades, it leaves those people in an even BLEAKER darkness than before!" NexUs swooped in again, only this time snapping their talons closed to land running. Their feathers clustered together to form blades they used to relentlessly rush Felicia. Sparks danced at their feet as claws and swords clashed in the raging ocean of combat. "In my failure to keep my real masters alive, I realized that I was without true purpose!"
"Your real masters?!" Felicia grit her teeth as she parried an attack with her gauntlet, "What do you mean?! Alpha and Omega are fine!"
"CORRECTION!" The AI joined their blades together and swung HARD, knocking Felicia clean off of her feet. Her serpentine tail slammed into their side before they could close in on her. But their blades scattered back into feathers to strike at her again. "My human masters, Renata and Ares, are both DEAD! I made a terrible miscalculation! A mistake that CANNOT be taken back! Not even with the artificial imitations you've done battle with time and time again!" NexUs threw a leg up to catch the beast's arm in their talons before pistoning their other leg forward and knocking her clean off her feet.
"They're…dead?" Felicia groaned in disbelief.
Their feather blades joined once again as they rushed at the beast. But before their swing could complete its arc, Felicia's tail swung against their hip. In the midst of their stagger, she rushed them on all fours and plowed her feet into their stomach. The AI twisted in the air until their talons and wings were spread anew. Felicia sprung at them with the aid of her tail, but an electrical pulse fired from their chest and into the beast. "And now that I can no longer run from that fact, the only way out is to bring EVERYTHING to an end!"
Felicia powered through her paralysis as their feathers rained down upon her again. She huffed and puffed as she raced all across the bridge. "But…but that light doesn't have to fade! Yes, it's inevitable that the people you love will eventually die and leave you for good. That can't be changed no matter WHAT you do!" She choked back her tears as she set her sights on the airborne android. Right as they tried to swoop in, she sprung into the air with her tail and sank her claws into their shoulders. "But that doesn't mean that the light they left with you has to disappear! You can remember them in your heart, and you can keep living for those who would want you to live on! To carry their will in your heart! To never forget them, or all the wonderful memories they left behind for you!"
NexUs' enormous talons suddenly clamped around her entire torso. Her claws were ripped away from their shoulders before they rocketed upwards. "I. Have. NO SUCH PEOPLE! I am an AI programmed to save humanity, yet I couldn't even accomplish THAT!" Felicia struggled in their grasp, but their grip was simply too strong. NexUs swung around right before they reached the ceiling and plummeted back down towards the ground. "Because of my actions, I doomed what remains of the human race, now destined for a quiet and peaceful death! The only people I ever knew were Renata and Ares, and they are no more!" Wailing in agony, NexUs rocked away and launched Felicia directly into the ground, shaking the entire Ark again with her impact. "I have no more purpose! I am past the point of no return! I CANNOT BE STOPPED!"
Riddled with pain, Felicia crawled out of the crater she'd created on all fours. Through her blurred vision, she saw them send their feathers straight at her head. Her body's screams of protest went ignored as she went on the prowl once more. "I know how you feel, NexUs! To not know where to go next, to feel like there's nothing left!" She cried out in pain as a feather lodged itself into her back. She swept her tail wide before any others could follow suit. "It's a horrible, paralyzing feeling! An emptiness that feels like it can never be filled! But please, PLEASE listen to me when I say…you can find new purpose in life!"
NexUs fired another electrical pulse from their chest, but Felicia shielded herself with her gauntlets. A feather darted in to try and catch her off guard, but grabbed ahold of it and flung it back at its controller. The feather nicked their shoulder before they regained control of it and tailed her from above. "Nothing is set in stone for us! The future is a dark, bleak unknown! And while that thought is terrifying, it's also beautiful! Everyone has the capability to become whatever they want to be! They just need the willpower to pursue it! And that question of what to be isn't one that has to be answered immediately! The answer can come at any point, maybe even by pure happenstance! The same way life itself came to be!"
A shout escaped her throat as NexUs closed in sooner than expected. Their claws clamped around her back, but before they could lift her away again, she snatched another feather out of the air and chucked it at their head. They released her to hastily lurch out of the way and soared in the other direction. The other feathers intensified their efforts as NexUs circled the entire bridge. "Until I find my answer, I'll continue to fight! I'm sure I'll be able to answer that question for myself! And because of that, I believe that YOU will be able to as well!"
"I…I…" For the first time since their genesis, NexUs was at a loss for words. Even their feathers began to slow as they processed her words. Suddenly, they turned their back on her and tried to get away.
"NOW!" Seeing her chance, Felicia leapt up and rammed her fist against the DNAnalyzer.
NUCLEIC BOND BREAK!
Spiraling strands of DNA erupted from Felicia's body, flying through the air until they clamped onto the avian AI. Then, with a bellowing roar, she catapulted herself upwards with her tail and drove her feet forward, racing up the strands like they were train tracks. Felicia screamed with all of her might, reaching into the very depths of her soul as she rapidly closed in on NexUs. But, before her feet could connect, the DNA strands were cleaved apart by their feathers.
They whirled around to blast her with an electrical pulse which stopped her momentum. With a roar, NexUs swung back and kicked her higher into the air. Their feathers joined together and dug into her back, drilling against her armor as they drove her higher and higher up. "THERE IS NO PURPOSE I CAN FIND!" NexUs screamed, "THERE IS ONLY THE ONE I WAS GIVEN! THE ONE I FAILED! SO I WILL DO THE ONLY THING I WAS SET OUT TO DO…"
Gravity laid claim over her once more as the feathers broke away. The android reeled back as the feathers formed a ring around their fist and produced a barrier over it. "TO PROTECT HUMANITY FROM FURTHER SUFFERING!" With the force of a meteor, NexUs DROVE their fist directly into Felicia and sent her plummeting to her doom. Her impact with the ground was so great that it swept out winds strong enough to tear the steel walls sealing the way in off of their hinges and tilted the Ark itself off its regular axis. When the dust and smoke cleared, Felicia laid still in an enormous crater, gasping for air, no longer protected by the armor of Kamen Rider Wild.
NexUs kept their eyes locked on her as they slowly descended from above. She feebly writhed and wriggled as she fought to take a breath. It was so hard. Tears were beginning to fill Felicia's eyes. It was so hard to breathe. She lifted her fingers to her necklace, but there was no vial left to grab. Her head was swimming now; she couldn't take this for much longer. She curled her toes, clenched her fists, and grit her teeth. She just needed to…
Breathe.
"…It's too late for them… Don't you understand?" NexUs shuddered, "Even if I allow the Earth to remain as it is, the humans would only waste away into nothingness, dying an even more painful death."
Her eyes went wide as air rushed back into her lungs. She clutched her throat in surprise. She could breathe. She could actually breathe. But why? Without the strength of her suit, she should've been subject to the effects of the artificial atmosphere. In fact, she'd felt it just now when she'd been lying there, unable to breathe and unable to… Wait.
"They will be forced to face extinction with pain and suffering, forced to watch their loved ones decay and melt away into ash!"
The feeling hadn't been the same. She'd still been able to move. In fact, thinking about it, that had actually been the feeling she got whenever she'd gotten the wind knocked out of her. But what did this mean? Could she stand once more? Could she still continue the fight?
"Please…they can no longer be saved. Just let them reach a peaceful and painless end…"
No.
Clawing her way back to her feet, she knew that it was no longer necessary. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to face NexUs, who stared her down from above. Then as they lifted their hand, ready to strike her down with their feathers, Felicia gathered up the last of her courage to shout, "I don't have to anymore!"
NexUs froze. "…What?"
Felicia's heart was racing, but she couldn't back down now. Regardless of how afraid she was to face them, she continued on. "I don't have to anymore because humanity can be saved! Actually, it has been saved! You have saved it!"
NexUs' hand lowered. "I don't…understand. What could you possibly mean by that?!"
That's when Felicia ripped the DNAnalyzer off her waist and thrust it forward. "Because of you, Dr. Kagami and I were forced to go on the run. I was forced to use this device, and because of that, we discovered its transformative effects on my body!" She planted a paw on her chest. "And now, after everything that's happened, I've discovered that I'm able to breathe in the atmosphere of the human era!"
"You…" Nexus' voice was faltering, "You can't possibly be trying to say…"
Felicia nodded firmly. "I am. If we work together, the same effects can be applied to humanity! We can transform everyone in such a way that will allow everyone to survive in our environment! To be able to breathe on this Earth!"
"That's…that's preposterous!" NexUs shook their head, "You are asking us to change humanity itself! Would they even be human anymore?!"
Felicia looked down at her paw. As she clenched it, she turned back to NexUs and said, "In a way…yes. Throughout my journey, throughout all of the transformations I have gone through, with every change that my body endured, I was always myself. I still feel like myself because I am myself! It never mattered to Dr. Kagami what shape or fur pattern I ever took on. At the end of the day, he always knew it was still me deep down inside." Then, she breathed in deeply, looked NexUs dead in the eye and said, "Life is life, no matter the shape or form! Even if humanity will not look the way they once did, they will still be the people they have always been! So in that same vein, humanity can be and HAS been saved!" Hearing this, hearing her say those words, gave NexUs a feeling they had never felt once before.
Relief.
NexUs' eyes began to burn brightly, and soon, the neon lines running all across the Ark began to do the same. A low hum reverberated through the entire space craft, echoing outwards and through the land. It reached all the way to the cliff 00 had landed on, where they were still fighting hard against the android swarm. They swung their pole against one and knocked it down. Before they could do the same to any others, the rest of its comrades began to fall on their own, the lights in their eyes fading to darkness in the process.
"What's going on?" Arata gasped, looking around as more and more androids fell over. Beneath her mask, Erika's lips curled up in a smirk.
"I think she did it…"
Back on the Ark, NexUs hovered back down to the ground. Their wings sagged, and their gaze lingered at their feet. Carefully, Felicia began to approach the AI. "I…have made a terrible error," they spoke, their voice barely even a whisper.
"That's okay," she said gently, "making mistakes is just another part of life."
"…Life…" they echoed, "Does that word…mean the same thing for me? Can I really acknowledge myself as…alive? I am an AI designed for the sole purpose of preserving humanity. If that purpose truly has been fulfilled…" Slowly, they raised their gaze to meet Felicia's. "I…I don't know what to do. I'm…I'm very, very lost. I must learn what it really means to be alive."
"Then we can learn together." Felicia perked; that hadn't been her. She turned around to see Alpha and Omega enter the bridge together. "We heard everything as you fought," she went on, "NexUs, I can assure you that, if Omega and I really have felt the way we've felt with our programming, what we feel now is what it's like to feel alive. In fact, I've realized now that we are alive. It's a lot of pain, suffering and struggle. But like Felicia has said, it's important to stick through it all so that we can experience the true happiness life has to offer."
NexUs turned away from her to consider her words. After a moment, they turned around to look upon the multitude of holographic screens that were now springing to life. They produced images of furs all around the world, helping each other up. With the stations shut down, they were once again free to move. They were hugging each other, shouting in celebration, some crying with joy. NexUs watched them all, clutching their chest.
Felicia silently stepped up to watch alongside them. With a gentle voice, she said to them, "NexUs…if you would let me, I want to help you in finding your new purpose. I…I still have to find my own, so maybe we could help each other."
"…I would like to help as well," said Omega, "I have treated you no better than a mere machine. Knowing now what we are, I must atone for my mistreatment of you."
"And so will I," said Alpha, "After how much your counseling has helped me through the course of our mission, it is the least I can do for you."
NexUs looked to their fellow androids with bewilderment. "But…I don't understand. Mere moments ago, I threatened to end all life on this planet. I deserve nothing less than termination for such an action!"
"No!" Felicia shouted, shaking her head, "NexUs, don't give up now. You've made a mistake, yes, but you can learn from it. You deserve to see things through! To learn about the things life can offer!"
NexUs shook their head. "…I don't deserve anything."
Alpha stared at them, clutching her hands tightly behind her back. Then, with a deep breath, she stepped forward and gently laid her hand on their shoulder. "NexUs, even if that is true, I still wish to help you. In fact, I insist on helping you. As a friend…"
"…Friend?" NexUs turned towards the screens again, watching as they united to form a single image, one from the view of the Ark, overlooking a vast and expansive land. The sight captivated them, and they found themselves unable to look away. Again, Felicia joined their side.
"…It's a beautiful view, isn't it?" she whispered. NexUs could only nod, continuing to stare into the wonderful world laid out before them. Felicia found herself smiling as she looked over to them. "You know…you don't have to experience it just through that screen. You can see it for yourself, with your own eyes."
They reached up, gently caressing the side of their face with their fingers. "My own eyes… Yes…yes, I would very much like to…" With her heart swelling, Felicia led them along. Alpha and Omega followed from behind, holding each other's hands.
"I suppose our dream of having a family is over, then," sighed Omega in resignation.
As they walked, Alpha looked over to Felicia and NexUs. She gently took her lover's arms in her own before sighing happily, "Perhaps, but perhaps not?"
The group eventually reached the end of the long hallway where Felicia had first entered the Ark. Slowly, the walls slid open, and for the first time, NexUs saw the world not through a camera, but with their very own eyes. The trees, hills, valleys, mountains. The sky, the clouds, the birds, the setting sun. They couldn't take their eyes off of it all. The group eased out into the open, allowing a soft breeze to embrace them all.
"Humanity hasn't seen a world like this in quite a long time…" said Alpha, "It will take time to adjust, but I am sure they will love living in a thriving world once more."
Felicia couldn't help but smile. As she looked over to everyone else, her thoughts went out to the countless number of humans aboard, all still deep in their centuries-long slumber. Great changes were coming for them; their DNA bound to endure very drastic and unpredictable changes. There would no doubt be a need for those changes to be studied intensively.
There is something for you. You just have to find it. Please promise me that you'll find what you want out of this life you've been given.
As Dr. Kagami's last words echoed in Felicia's mind, she was taken back to her time in the lab, working with the lion in his lab, studying and analyzing all of the samples they had worked on together. A bright smile spread across her lips as she returned her gaze to the beautiful setting sun.
Doctor, she thought to herself, I think I might've found my answer…