A/N: Welcome back~ Ready to see Enty crack a little more~?
Enjoy~
Stardust
Chapter 15: Truth
Fighting inside of cities was always a danger.
The close quarters, the poor lines of sight, the inability to utilise one's rigging to their fullest – from a Destroyer to an Aircraft Carrier, every class of Ship-Girl struggled to fight in such an environment. Some fared better than others, but one class that always suffered the most was carriers. It cut out all of their advantages, and gave them naught but weaknesses ready to be exploited.
Such as Enterprise found out first-hand, clutching at her right shoulder with a wince. She ran through the ruined cobblestone streets, old buildings on either side of her stretching up high into the sky, forming a narrow corridor – until an explosion far behind her provided a new hole for her pursuers to chase her through. Thinking fast Enterprise twisted and shot an arrow, willing it to transform, but the street was too narrow for her plane and it detonated barely a second after manifesting, its wing tips hitting the walls and causing it to tumble into a cataclysmic fireball.
It bought her time however, which was what she wanted.
Drawing another arrow Enterprise twisted to her left, firing it. The projectile hit the wall and detonated, blowing a hole into the factory and allowing her to run through, eyes flickering. She spotted movements on the catwalks up above, her lips pursing as she ran under them. Metal feet clanked loudly on the catwalks but she didn't dare look up, keeping the monsters in her peripheral vision and no more.
Then she saw one lunge down, the sharp clank of its feet the only warning of its approach.
Enterprise reacted swiftly, lashing out with her bow – and cleanly severed the head of the wretched humanoid that lunged at her. Wide amethyst eyes stared at nothing as the head rolled, tumbling behind some boxes, but her foot came up and kicked the body away from her, already seeing it begin to swell up.
A wise move, as barely a second after it hit the ground the corpse detonated, blowing a crater in the concrete floor and kicking up a wake of dust.
Enterprise held her jacket up to her face, stifling the dust so it didn't' blind her. She didn't wait around to see if the explosion drew more attention, opting instead to run, shoulder-charging through a pair of metal doors and breaking into a break room of some kind. She saw a window and went for it, her boots thundering against the hard floor, before with little more than a grunt she leapt through the glass; shattering it.
She hit the ground rolling, sweeping her gaze around. A courtyard with several rusted, abandoned trains. She saw movement behind one of the trains and raised her bow, launching an arrow through the metal and piercing one of the monsters through the chest, pinning it to the opposing wall. It shrieked, its unearthly voice grating on her ears, but she ignored the creature and let it wail its terrible cry.
Instead she ran past it, leaping over the high stone wall and finding herself in a more open street. Her relief didn't last for long however, as she heard the telltale clank of metal feet, her eyes flickering up. Four, on the rooftops. One lunging down at her, three moving into a better position.
Enterprise side-stepped the lunging one, back-handing it with unrestrained force. She dented its skull and sent it flying into the stone wall, plunging halfway through the hard rock and getting stuck in the wall, worsened when some of the rock fell onto its mechanical body and trapped it. Not dead, but she didn't have the luxury to kill each and every one of the unholy creatures. So instead of attacking the three on the roof, she ran.
She went down a side-street. One lurked at the end, grinning. She shot it in the head and leapt over its corpse, feeling the heat as it blew up behind her.
She dashed into an alley. One tried to grab her, but she dodged it, running past it.
One smashed through a kitchen window, grabbing her arm and trying to pull her in. She overpowered it barely and shot an arrow into its head, sending it jerking back inside, detonating within the kitchen and sending brick and mortar through the alley.
No matter where she ran they were.
How was she to escape?
Where could she escape to?
''Nowhere. That's where.''
Tentacles of dripping black ichor burst out from a manhole cover just as she ran over it. They tangled themselves around her faster than Enterprise could react, her world a blur as they spun her around in a wide, wild circle – and then smashed her head-first into a house, letting go of her.
She went through it, her back aching as she smashed through one, two, three, four walls. She burst out the other end and skipped across the street, ending only when she skidded into the opposing house's garden wall.
''Mn...'' Enterprise clutched at her head, moaning in pain.
Ahead of her a petite figure walked through the dust and debris, a wide grin etched onto her visage. What was once Observer Alpha had become a twisted manifestation of her nightmares; her skin a greyish and her face nothing but a pair of gold circles and a wide, scrawled grin. Like she was drawn from pencil her frame flickered and blurred with every step, as if her figure was being redrawn with every step, only enhancing her aberrancy.
''You can't escape.'' The phantom spoke with a twisted rendition of Alpha's voice. ''You never can.''
''I will, I-I will...'' Enterprise coughed, stumbling to her feet.
''Liar.'' A tentacle struck her across the face, burning it.
It stung far more for some reason, eliciting a cry from Enterprise as she clutched at her face, acid searing her face and marking her flesh in a distinctly familiar way. The rest of her body burned, identical scars manifesting all over her, waves of pain coursing through her as she cried out.
''Everything will come to an end soon. You know it will.'' The phantom's voice resonated clearly in her skull, as if speaking directly into her mind. ''They're just trying to break you one more time.''
''I won't!'' Enterprise cried back, anguished.
Buildings began collapsing around them, explosions erupting in the distant. ''You won't survive if you do. You can trust no-one.''
''Shut up... shut up...!''
A tentacle coiled around her throat, tightening sharply. ''I never will.''
The tentacle coiled tighter-
''...prise...!''
Tighter-
''...Enterprise...!''
Tighter-!
''ENTERPRISE!''
Enterprise snapped awake with a jerk, gasping in a deep lungful of air. Her eyes were wide, staring at the youthful face hanging over hers, equally wide and frightened lavender eyes staring down into hers.
Saratoga.
It was just a nightmare.
The thought didn't quell the reflexive reactions within her. Enterprise pushed Saratoga off and dashed into the bathroom, barely making it to the sink before throwing up, hunching over the bowl. It burned on the way out, tears stinging her eyes as she felt weakening shudders lance through her body. The phantom lingered in her mind, the scene dissolving in seconds yet leaving an ugly feeling of dread hanging over her, wondering if there was any truth to it, or if it was just another manifestation of her mind.
Lifting her head Enterprise stared into the mirror. Whether it was just a trick of the light or her own delusions, but for a moment, only a moment, she could see the pencil-drawn phantom looking back at her, backed by countless numbers of those grinning abominations, all eager to pounce upon her with drooling maws and glowing eyes.
''...Enterprise...?'' Saratoga's soft, worried voice called out to her. ''Are you... alright...?''
Enterprise stared into the reflection, watching as the delusions melted away like sand in the wind. ''No...''
She hung her head, tears stinging her eyes. ''No... I'm not... I'm really not...''
The carrier sunk to her knees – and had barely done so before Saratoga swept her up in her arms. Despite being half her height Saratoga held her close, holding her head to her chest and whispering soft reassurances against her forehead, sitting back against the tile wall and letting Enterprise lean on her.
Enterprise did; burying her face into Saratoga's fluffy pyjamas, clinging onto her senior for dear life, not wanting her to leave. Saratoga didn't. She held her with equal tightness, silently promising she was real – that this wasn't the fake the delusions in her mind taunted her of, that this was the rug about to be pulled out from under her. This was real. Saratoga, was real.
The thought only brought more tears, and with a choked sound not unlike a sob, Enterprise let the dam within her crack a little more.
If Saratoga minded the wet spots on her shirt, she certainly didn't show it. ''Let it out, Enty...''
Enterprise did, the nightmares bleeding away with streams of tears.
X-x-X
Enterprise woke up at slightly past six in the morning.
It was far too early for Saratoga to be up, the idol sprawled across half of the bed whilst Enterprise shared the other half. Thus the silver-haired woman didn't move, patiently awaiting for her senpai to wake up – entertaining herself by just looking at Saratoga, sometimes envisioning doodling on her face to pay her back for all those pranks, but more often than not just savouring her presence. To some it might seem creepy, but to her... she just felt at ease, knowing that the person next to her was real, and not just a fake clone meant to abuse her emotions.
Hours passed like that, until eventually Saratoga began to stir at just past eight o'clock. The idol groaned as she awoke, rolling onto one side for a minute before rolling back over, facing Enterprise once more – her groggy eyes finding the more awake eyes of Enterprise. No words were shared but the displeased dip to Saratoga's brow told her that she knew the taller carrier had been awake long before her, seeming to want to scold her for it but not mustering the energy to actually do so.
Instead Saratoga just sat upright with a mewl. ''Mn... morning~''
''Morning.'' Enterprise softly responded.
Saratoga just smiled lightly, nudging her with a foot, prompting Enterprise to sit up as well. ''You wanna use the shower first? Your room, after all.''
''Alright.'' Enterprise felt a slight smile creep across her face, prompting her to look away to hide it. ''But... can you stay outside the door? Just so I know you're there?''
''Sure.'' Saratoga smiled slightly, poking her cheek. ''Now get going. Hornet should be dropping by soon, she can grab us some grub and we can all play some video games together. Sound good?''
''Mm.'' Enterprise slipped out of bed and approaching her closet, popping it open to withdraw a fresh uniform.
Though before she did so, she couldn't help but utter some words under her breath, remembering the night just hours before.
''...and, thanks, Sara.''
Saratoga heard them easily, humming a reply even as she set about booting up her games console. ''No problem, Enty~''
Enterprise just smiled; heart light as she slipped away into the adjoined bathroom, the hiss of the shower soon to be audible from within.
X-x-X
Later that afternoon Enterprise found herself back in the hospital. Back in the same chair as the day before.
''Alright.'' Vestal's soothing voice greeted her. ''How are you feeling today Enty?''
''Fine.'' Enterprise said softly, hands folded in her lap.
''Saratoga told me you're not sleeping well.'' The medic noted gently. ''That you've been having nightmares.''
Enterprise looked aside, guilty. Vestal was swift to reassure her. ''There's nothing to be ashamed of, Enty. Nightmares happen to everyone, regardless of rank or power. What matters if that you can address them and confront them before they become a problem.''
''...a bit late for that.'' Enterprise noted glumly.
''Then all the more reason to start now before they continue.'' The medic countered, offering her a tender smile. ''Now... why don't you tell me about what you see in those nightmares of yours? What are they about?''
Enterprise leaned back into her seat. It felt comfortable and she reclined into it, clearing her mind of all but the phantom that had haunted her, and of the many other nightmares that plagued her mind during the brief times she could get sleep.
''Usually the Sirens.'' Enterprise felt that was the best place to start. ''Sometimes they're just nonsensical. Blurs of what actually happened mixed with fake memories my mind makes up to fill in the gaps. Other times they feel much more real; as if I really had been taken back. Like I was back in another simulation.''
Vestal nodded, sympathetic. ''Are they lucid dreams? Can you exert control of it?''
Enterprise paused, thinking. ''I'm... not sure. I never thought to 'resist' the dream, I just went with what felt like the most normal path forwards; targeting the right opponent, running when encircled, so on...''
The medic hummed thoughtfully. ''Given your description it sounds like they might not be lucid. That's fine though; it just means we'll have to work on things outside your mind, as it were.''
The carrier nodded slightly, prompting Vestal to continue. ''How have you been feeling since yesterday? Perhaps something about the realisation has made you uncomfortable.''
Enterprise shifted slightly, guilt bubbling up within her. ''...I'm worried this world might be fake still. That I'm letting hope get the better of me.''
''That could be a cause of it.'' Vestal confirmed. ''You keep expecting the floor to drop out from under you, so you brace yourself in preparation. It's a natural reaction, and with any luck will gradually fade with time as you become accustomed to being in the real world again.''
Enterprise, however, was doubtful. ''...I've had it happen to me so many times, I'm not so sure...''
''How many times?'' Vestal then inquired.
''I've lost count.'' Enterprise confessed, hanging her head. ''It's happened too many times.''
''What did they make you do in those simulations then?'' Vestal tried another angle. ''You've mentioned a bit to me so far. Did the 'simulations' change a lot each time?''
It was a smooth, open-ended question, subconsciously encouraging Enterprise to answer it. ''Mm... sometimes it was a short one. I'd wake up on a battlefield, everyone was in danger, so I had no choice but to fight.''
''Even though you perceived them as fakes.'' Vestal noted.
''Even if they're fake, they're still my friends.'' Enterprise softly replied. ''I... always hoped, that one day I'd be free, so I never wanted to just ignore my friends and put them in danger, lest that be the time when I was actually free.''
Vestal nodded, gesturing for Enterprise to continue – privately touched that Enterprise still held onto her kind heart after all she'd been through.
''Other simulations were more complicated.'' The carrier continued as requested, hands beginning to rub together self-consciously. ''Sometimes everything would be quiet and peaceful, only to get chaotic later. Other times they'd stay peaceful for a long, long time. A war would build up gradually, and I'd inevitably become a part of it. I helped with propaganda, I gave speeches sometimes, I... I got involved. And when I didn't, disaster fell upon the Eagle Union as a result. All but requiring me to be involved, at threat of seeing the world burn.''
Vestal frowned. Enterprise had been gone for about a month; that was a lot of time, but from what she'd just hinted at she made it sound as if she'd been gone for a lot longer. At the same time however she'd implied that she'd been through many simulations, but also been through some that lasted a long while; far too long for it it to all fit within a month. The timeline just didn't add up no matter which way she framed it.
Then Vestal's eyes drifted up to the clock on the wall, and a startling thought struck her. A thought that gave way to cold fear, a spike of ice wedging itself down her spine. The Sirens could manipulate time and space. They'd done it in the past, from displacing ships during battle to locking them in pocket dimensions until the battle was over.
They could make minutes turn into hours.
And they had captured Enterprise for over thirty days.
''Enterprise.'' Vestal's voice trembled; a shaky, mounting terror building inside of her. ''How long did the Sirens have you?''
The carrier looked at her. Then looked away.
''Enterprise, please.'' Vestal closed the distance and knelt down in front of Enterprise, taking her hand in hers. ''How long?''
Enterprise tilted her head, looking back at her. Her lips pursed, trembling upwards into a fragile smile. And for the first time the carrier dropped her guard, the veil in her lavender eyes gone; revealing the agonising pain, the unfathomable sorrow, the throat-clawing loneliness that laid within her eyes. The raw, soul-crushing despair that resided within her for so very, very long.
And then with a whisper, Enterprise told the truth.
''Seven years.''
Vestal didn't know what to say. How to reply. How to even begin to comfort her. So, she defaulted to her most basic instinct.
She hugged her. She wrapped her arms around Enterprise tight, she held onto her, and cried.
''Oh Enterprise.'' Vestal tearfully whispered.
Enterprise trembled and hugging her back, and with soft gasps, the two broke into tears – clutching onto each other for support.
Seven years of pain.
Seven years of loneliness.
Seven years of seeing her entire world crumble away time and time again, of seeing friends become enemies, of lovers turning on each other, of entire nations falling to the endless bombardments of Siren warships and warplanes.
And finally, it was at an end.
Or so she hoped.
X-x-X
''Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. This meeting is, as you might surmise, of utmost importance.''
The calm but deep words of Admiral Arnheim resonated throughout the meeting room; a room filled with the top-brass of the entire navy. All of the admirals were present, sat around a wide conference table and gazing up at the dark-skinned man standing at the end of the table, his eyes firm as he swept his gaze across his peers.
Admiral Henderson sat amongst them. Posture straight and hands resting over the manilla folder sat on the fine-wood table in front of him he gazed back at Admiral Arnheim, awaiting the man's words. On either side of him sat the likes of Admiral Weston and Admiral McCaunery, the two more languid in their posture. Out of all the admirals in the room only Admiral Sanders seem to be taking it seriously, the dark-haired woman leaning forwards and with hands folded seriously.
''Recently a naval reconnaissance aircraft flew over the Northern Atlantic ocean, over the remains of Bermuda, on a regular scouting mission. During its flight the aircraft detected several Siren fleets, which were noted and catalogued as per normal.'' Admiral Arnheim explained, looking down at the manilla folder. ''If you'd all turn to page seven of the dossier, please.''
The shuffling of pages resounded throughout the otherwise quiet meeting room as all admirals, Henderson himself included, turned the page. The man in question leaned forwards in his seat, frowning down at the contents of the page. Or rather, the image upon it.
''During the aircraft's flight, it spotted an unusual figure lurking near the remnants of Bermuda's main city.'' Admiral Arnheim continued on, gazing at the page. ''As I'm sure you're aware, Bermuda has been abandoned for years now, though now it appears like the Sirens may be building up forces around it and using it as a staging ground. The reconnaissance aircraft was low on fuel so it couldn't afford to linger long, but it did manage to snap one good photo of what we believe to be a new type of Siren.''
''How did it react to the aircraft?'' Admiral Sanders inquired sternly.
''It only watched.'' Arnheim responded. ''It was clearly aware of its presence, but possessed no visible rigging or weaponry, and made no move to attack or alert its allies. Nearby Siren ships armed their guns, but did not engage. The pilot believes it was because they were too far out to be engaged, though cannot confirm that to be sure.''
''Was the aircraft armed?'' Henderson spoke up, leaning on his elbows. ''Perhaps it just didn't consider the aircraft worth the effort.''
''It was equipped with machine guns for self-defence, and carried two torpedoes in the event it came across a high-priority target.'' Arnheim informed with a nod. ''Prior encounters with other Sirens caused similar reconnaissance aircraft to be engaged, so the Sirens definitely do consider it a threat in other cases.''
Murmuring filled the meeting room, continuing on for little more than a minute.
''Do we have any details on it?'' Henderson broke through the murmur curtly. ''Weaponry, mentality, level of intelligence? Is this just a new Pawn we're dealing with, or something worse?''
Admiral Arnheim shook his head. ''We don't know anything, that's the problem. The only evidence we have that it exists is that one photograph and the accounts of the PBY's crew.''
Henderson grunted, staring down at the picture for another moment before continuing. ''Then when are we hunting it?''
''We need more info on it before we can do that.'' Weston murmured to him, sipping his coffee.
''Like hell we do.'' Henderson snipped back, agitated. ''We've got the Sirens possibly creating a staging area not far from the east coast. The longer we wait, the more time they have to fortify the island and enhance their defences. We don't need reconnaissance; we know where they are, what they likely plan to do, and a rough estimation of their forces.''
''We don't have a rough estimation of their forces.'' Admiral Sanders cut in, her voice sharp. ''We only know there's a new type of Siren there, and some regular fleets. The Sirens wouldn't leave just those to guard a staging area. They'd have at least one of their Elites there.''
''Then maybe that new Siren is an Elite.'' Henderson countered. ''Why pull it out now? Because they're planning something big and want to test it out. They'll expect us to be cautious, so we need to throw a curveball at them and smash them to pieces before they can react.''
''Henderson has a point.'' Arnheim backed him up, nodding. ''We've played to the Siren's tune for too long. If we want to overcome them, we need to act decisively, not labour about risk and reward.''
''Then what do you suggest?'' McCaunery spoke up, looking between them all. ''Send in the entire navy?''
''Don't be ridiculous.'' Sanders glared at him. ''A task force should suffice for the job.''
Henderson agreed with a grunt. ''A couple carriers, some Battleships to protect them, and a decently-sized escort to keep them safe. Should be enough to level whatever fortifications the Sirens are building.''
''And if it isn't?'' Weston inquired.
''Then we'll just sent in more.'' Henderson grunted, looking over at his colleague. ''If the hammer isn't big enough, then get a bigger hammer. Simple as that.''
Murmurs filled the room as the assembled officers talked – before coming to a unified conclusion.
''Very well.'' Arnheim spoke for them all. ''A task force will be hastily assembled and sent out tomorrow to bombard the island and eliminate any Siren presence present. Do you have anyone you'd like to include within the fleet?''
Henderson needed to think for only a moment. One that helped double as a diplomatic measure to prove to the troublesome Admiral Yoshinoya that yes, the Eagle Union was more than capable of both defending its shores, and attacking those that dared threaten to.
''Yorktown and Hornet. They can serve as the flagships for this operation.'' Henderson decided. The two were skilled after all; they'd suit the operation well. ''I could have Colorado and her sisters escort them?''
''No, hold them back.'' Sanders refused. ''We still don't know about this new Siren. Best not risk our sixteen-inchers yet. Not until we know what we're up against.''
''I can have California, Tennessee, Arizona and Pennsylvania ready to go by tomorrow.'' Arnheim remarked. ''I'll have them prepare, if there are no objections?''
None came.
''Alright, then what about escorts? I'm thinking primarily some Light Cruisers to help with any possible aircraft...''
''No, no, Destroyers should be more than enough. I say we send some subs in too to scout ahead...''
Conversation continued and Henderson contributed where needed, lighting a cigarette in the meantime and taking a drag of it, the nicotine calming him down.
Though his eyes, more often than not, strayed down to the picture upon the page beneath him.
Of a Siren with wide amethyst eyes, snow-white hair, and a wide grin, unnatural grin.
[END]
A/N: And thus the truth comes out; Enty was gone for far longer than a month~ She wouldn't break in just such a small amount of time after all; the Sirens needed years... the torture went on for far longer than anyone realised~ And yes, I was building up to that reveal for pretty much the entire story~
That said, whatever could the admirals have seen, one has to wonder~ Heh~
See ya next time in Chapter 16: Abomination~
Haven't finished the scene I wanted to share, so no preview this time either~