Chapter 24: A Knight in the Dark
Pearl's hands clutched the railing as she watched the waves go up and down, smoothly rocking the ship back and forth as it continued on its way to Atlas. She couldn't see the waves too well; not for lack of eyesight capabilities, as she was fairly certain her vision was far better than any human on Remnant. Rather, it was early enough in the morning that the sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, only barely illuminating the ocean below and giving her just enough light to see by. Even her mechanically-perfect eyes had limits, though Pearl assumed that somewhere in this robotic body of hers, there was some sort of function that would let her see without light. Perhaps an infrared camera, or sonar-based sensors, or -
"Oh, you're up early." Pearl turned to see Mud climbing up from below deck, her eyes half-open as she let out a long yawn. As it finished, her eyes opened a little more, scanning over the deck of the ship and back towards Pearl. "Then again, I guess you never went to sleep at all, huh?"
"I... I didn't, no. To be honest, I'm somewhat jealous of you. Since you're able to sleep, I mean."
"Yeah, sleep is nice."
"I suppose it is. It's only been a few days since I woke up in this body, but..." Pearl paused for a moment. "For some reason, I'm having a hard time thinking about what sleep would be like. It's like... it's like my mind is forgetting how to sleep. I don't like it."
"I guess you're just adjusting to your new body," Mud said. "That's not a bad thing, right?"
"By itself it's not, but... I'm worried," Pearl said. "There's something wrong with me. I don't know what, but... something's not right."
"You said something like that yesterday, back in Seadale," Mud said, leaning against the railing next to Pearl. Though Pearl had intended to bring up the topic back when they left the docks the previous day, they had been occupied by Charon showing them around the ship and having them work various jobs from swabbing the decks to scraping rust off the side of the boat. While the labor wasn't a problem for Pearl, considering her robotic body was quite strong and didn't get tired, it still occupied her mind enough that she hadn't been able to talk about what happened back at Seadale until now. "You wanna tell me what happened? What made you think something's wrong with you?"
"It was... it was back when you got shot by Gale. I saw you on the ground and I didn't know what to do and my head started hurting and - " Pearl said before cutting herself off, pausing for a moment to take a breath only to remember that she couldn't. "It was like someone threw a switch in my head. Like I stopped being me. I was - I was just some machine, completely focused on - focused on... focused on eliminating everything that was threatening me."
"You mean Gale?" Mud asked. "You seemed to kinda lock onto him and - "
"No! Not just him!" Pearl interrupted, tightening her grip on the ship's railing. "When all that was happening, I - or whatever was me - thought everyone around me was a threat. Gale was the highest priority because he was armed, but when I - I remember, everyone was an enemy, and when Gale left and you came up onto the roof..."
Pearl grit her teeth together as her grip on the ship's railing tightened even further. She closed her eyes, and a grisly scene wormed its way into her mind's eye from her imagination. A wave of nausea followed immediately after; if she had an actual digestive system, she would have barfed over the side of the ship by now. Instead, she purged the scene from her mind.
"I... I saw you as a threat. The... the me at that moment was about to kill you," Pearl said. "Oh gods... if I hadn't come back at that moment, you... I would have just killed you right then and there. Shot you in cold blood. And then... and then I don't know what I would have done. Something's wrong with me, and - "
"Don't worry, I would have made it out fine somehow," Mud said. "And you did manage to keep yourself from shooting me, so it's not - "
"That's not the point! You don't get it!" Pearl suddenly shouted as she turned towards Mud. "There's something wrong with me, something inside me that I can't control. The next time it comes out, I don't know what's going to happen. If something bad happens, and it's because I lost control and that thing inside me decided to kill everyone around me..."
"Pearl..."
"And I can't even tell myself that you'll be okay. You're not invincible, both of us know that. So if that thing inside me ends up killing you..."
A heavy pain grew in Pearl's chest as she brought her forehead down against the railing, her gaze turning down towards the sea below. Though no fluid fell from her artificial eyes, she heard herself begin to cry as her body trembled, wracked by a torrent of tear-less sobbing. A moment later, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her shoulders, embracing her in a somewhat awkwardly positioned hug from behind.
"I'm... I'm sorry. I wasn't taking this as seriously as... I should have been. I can't say I know what it feels like for you right now, and I don't really know what I can say or do that can help, but..." Mud said, pausing for a moment. "I can be here for you, at least. You can talk to me."
"I'm scared. Scared of whatever's inside me, that it'll come out and...," Pearl said, still holding tight onto the railing. "I'm scared I'll lose someone again. I'm scared I'll lose you, and it'll be all my fault again. And I don't know what to do about it."
Mud stayed silent, still holding onto Pearl as she sobbed against the railing. Besides her own sobbing, the only things Pearl could hear were the crashing of the waves below, the creaking of the ship beneath her feet, and Mud's quiet breathing. After about a minute or so, the sobs began to die down and Pearl lifted her head, prompting Mud to release her.
"I... I think I might have an idea," Mud said, stepping back. "A way to fix you, I mean."
"Huh?"
"We just need to get you back to your dad. He helped make your body, he should be able to fix what's wrong with you," Mud said. "Unless you know anyone else nearby that would be able to do the same, I think that's our best bet to figuring out what to do about... all that."
"B - but, if it happens again between now and when we get to him, I..."
"That might happen. And it might go badly. Like you said, I'm not invincible," Mud said, going back to leaning against the railing next to Pearl. "But in the end, there's nothing we can really do except try our best. You try your best to keep yourself in control, and I'll try my best to keep myself alive, even if all that stuff with you ends up happening again."
"I... okay," Pearl said. She instinctively brought her hand up to wipe away her tears, only to remember that she had shed none. "Try my best. I can go with that."
"It's the most any of us can do."
The two fell silent, watching the sun rise over the horizon and usher in the new morning.
Swish.
Swish.
Swish.
Swish.
Lifting her mop up, Pearl dipped it into the bucket of soapy water beside her, swirling it around for a moment before pulling it out and back onto the deck. Then, after stepping forward, she repeated the process once again.
Swish.
Swish.
Swish.
Swish.
Crash!
Suddenly, Pearl felt a surge of seawater splash over her back as a wave crashed over the side of the ship, soaking both her and the deck around her. She stood still for a moment, then shook off the seawater that was dripping from her arms before turning to Mud, who was further down swabbing her own section of the deck.
"Is it really necessary for us to be cleaning the deck like this?" Pearl asked. "After all, considering how often seawater seems to be splashing upon the deck, I'm not sure if we're needed at all."
"It's because all that seawater's splashing on here that we need to do it. Otherwise, the whole place would be covered in salt, dirt, and algae," Mud explained. "By the way, you won't rust or short circuit or anything while we're out here, right? I dunno how well your body does against salt water."
"While salt water would normally rust or corrode metals and electronic devices, from what I remember of my body's schematics, it's made of a special alloy that should be heavily resistant against such conditions," Pearl explained. "Additionally, considering that I spent at least two years floating out somewhere in the ocean..."
"Yeah, good point," Mud said. Suddenly, another wave splashed over the side of the boat, this time soaking Mud rather than Pearl. "Shit. I gotta clean this area again... I know it's necessary, but damn, it's annoying."
"Hello down there!" Charon shouted from the bridge. Pearl turned around, looking up to see him waving down towards the two girls. "Bring your mops in and come inside!"
"But why?" Pearl asked. "We haven't finished cleaning the deck. Though considering all these waves, that might be - "
"Doesn't matter, you can stop now!" Charon interrupted. "Storm's coming! That deck's gonna be splashed to heck anyways!"
"Huh. Yeah, I guess that's a good reason," Mud muttered, sticking her mop back in her bucket and carrying it back inside. Pearl did the same, and after the two put away their mops and buckets, they climbed up to the bridge to meet with Charon.
"You said there's a storm coming?" Pearl asked. "Should we be worried?"
"From the reports I've received from the stations along the coast, it's a doozy of a thing, I'll tell you what," Charon said. "Still, long as the cargo's tied down tight and we stay inside, the old girl should be able to weather through it all and get us safe and sound to the other side. Heh, weather."
"So that's the plan? Just wait around until we've passed through the storm? I'm fine with that," Mud said, making her way to the staircase leading down below deck. "I'm gonna go take a nap. Wake me if you need me."
"I, uh... I think I'll just stay up here," Pearl said, watching Mud disappear below deck. As Charon went about the bridge adjusting switches, turning wheels, reading instruments, and doing whatever he needed to be doing to keep the ship on course, Pearl made sure to keep out of his way, making herself scarce in a corner. She leaned against a wall, and as her hand touched the metal, information began rushing into her head, forming a complete schematic of the ship around her.
Did I... I suppose I accidentally activated my semblance, Pearl thought. She was surprised at the amount of information being uploaded into her mind, including the wiring and circuitry that surrounded the test chamber. Most of the wires were connected to hidden cameras and microphones, leading up to a chamber above.
"Recording log for sensory test 1A. Erika Grisele presiding. This test is meant to demonstrate and evaluate the basic sensory functions of the PETRA."
"PETRA. Commence area scan. Report results."
Activating wide-area sensory functions. Scanning...
"Report: current room is vacant besides presence of PETRA unit. Adjacent room is occupied by three AK-130 units, all seemingly inactive. End report."
"Test 1A complete. Commencing test 1B in - "
"Ms. Grisele, if I may interrupt, what purpose does this test have? We already know that Atlesian sensory technology is capable of feats such as detecting hostiles through obstructions."
"The PETRA is capable of not only that, but quite a lot more. Now, starting 1B."
Sensors indicate presence of three AK-130 units in the room. All inert. Conclusion: take no action.
"In this test, one of the Atlesian Knights requires internal repairs to function at full capacity. The PETRA is to scan the three Atlesian Knights and report which one requires repair, as well as how to do so."
"Now, hold on, how would a machine be able to do that? Even if you have precise enough sensors to locate the error, identifying and repairing it without prior knowledge of the AK-130 is - "
"High-precision scanners indicate faulty connections in joint between left shoulder and left arm of the AK-130 on this unit's right. These damages may cause the AK-130 to lose control of its left arm during standard field operation. To repair in a timely manner, this unit suggests removing and replacing connective parts to clear issues before reattaching. If necessary, procure a replacement arm."
"How did - "
"Test 1B complete. We'll return to these tests tomorrow, but for now, this is Erika Grisele signing -
"Hey, lass, you mind if I ask a little something?" Charon asked, breaking Pearl out of her thoughts and startling her slightly in the process, causing her to jump a little.
"Um, y - yes?" Pearl asked. "What is it?"
"It's pretty obvious you ain't exactly normal. Dunno if you're supposed to be human or machine or something else," Charon said. "I'm not a prying man, but I gotta ask: what exactly are you? If you wanna tell me, of course."
"Well, I'm, uh... like I said before, I'm Pearl. Pearl Koschei," Pearl paused for a moment. "I... I'm human. Just, well, not really at the moment."
"Oh?"
"It's uh... it's complicated. After an... accident, my body was damaged fairly significantly, and eventually, my father and his company built this body for me and transferred me into it," Pearl explained. "I... I don't know what happened after that, but two years passed and somehow, I had ended up in Vale, where Mud found me."
"Huh. So they're putting people in robot bodies now? All this newfangled technology... it's amazing what it can do these days," Charon said with a chuckle. "But why're ya headed up to Atlas? I know Ms. Stone goes all around for those jobs of hers, but what've you got up there?"
"My... my father lives in Atlas. Or at least, he lived there when I was still with him," Pearl said. "It's been two years, and considering he's apparently resigned from his job since then... I'm not sure if he even still lives in Atlas. Or if he knows I'm alive... after all, if I've been gone for two years, what has he been doing? Has he been looking for me? Does he think I'm dead? Does he even..."
"I'm sure he's thinking about you. All parents think about is their children, even if they've been away for... two years, you said?" Charon paused for a moment. "It may seem long to a young one like yourself, but it's a paltry amount of time to us older folk. You know, back when I was a young lad around your age, I ran away from home to sail around the world for... five years, I think?"
"Really? Why?"
"My parents, they wanted me to take over the farm. But I wanted something more out of my life. Wanted to go across the oceans, see the world," Charon said. He let out a wistful sigh, as if he was reminiscing upon the days he was talking about. "So I jumped on a ship in the harbor and started my journey across the seas. Didn't even tell my parents where I was going."
"You just... you left? Just like that?"
"Yup. It was stupid, but I don't regret it. Got to see the world with my own two eyes, from the white cliffs of Atlas to the scorching sands of Menagerie," Charon said. "But after a few years, I started getting homesick. The crew I was sailing with was nice, but I wanted to see my old man again. And I was sure my ma was worried about me."
"But... weren't you scared?" Pearl asked. "Wouldn't your parents hate you for leaving?"
"Oh, they gave me a good talkin' to. Never heard the old man yell so much in his life. But in the end, we were family, and we loved each other, even after all those years apart. So we talked it out, hugged it out, and my parents understood that I wanted to be out on the seas instead of working on their farm. I went back out to sea the next week, but I stopped by occasionally," Charon said, sitting down and leaning back on a chair by the steering wheel. "Why do you ask, young lass? You afraid your father's gonna hate you?"
"I... I wouldn't be surprised. I've been a horrible daughter. Mother's dead because of me, he had to take care of me for so long while my body was a mess, and the moment he finally managed to get me a body that was capable of doing anything, I went and disappeared for over two years..." Pearl said, looking down at the floor. "Honestly, it's no wonder he hasn't come and found me. After all, I - "
"Now, lassie, hold on a minute," Charon interrupted. "I don't exactly know what you've got going in your life, but from what you've told me, you disappearing for two years ain't your fault, and I'm guessing it's similar with the others. Besides, it's a parent's duty to take care of their kid."
"But... but I..."
"You seem to got a good dose of self-loathing going on in there. Now, I'm not a therapist, just a ship captain, but I don't think that's healthy," Charon said. "I'm sure any father would want nothing more than to see their child back home safe and sound, especially with a child like yourself, so I suggest you put those thoughts out of your head when you head on over to meet your father."
"I... okay..." Pearl muttered. "I'll try, but - "
Ka - Crack!
The bridge suddenly flashed white, and a few seconds later, an ear-piercing crack of thunder rocked through the boat. Pearl was startled, jumping and stumbling for a moment before regaining her balance.
"Oof, storm's getting worse. Gonna have to get us through this," Charon muttered, turning towards the ship's wheel. Pearl looked outside to see rain pouring down hard, blown at a diagonal from the winds outside. Storm clouds had gathered overhead, painting the sky in a dull gray that was getting darker by the minute. Meanwhile, waves constantly crashed over the side of the ship as if they were trying to reach out and grab the cargo on deck, with each being larger than the last. The ship rocked back and forth, and Pearl assumed that Charon's skills were what was between them and a watery grave at the bottom of the sea. Or, at least, a watery grave for Charon and Mud; Pearl could likely swim or walk to shore, given enough time.
Ka - CRACK!
The bridge flashed white once more as lightning split the sky and struck down against the tip of a wave only a hundred or two meters ahead, and this time, the crack of thunder immediately followed. The rain and wind grew more intense by the second, and Pearl was having a hard time believing how quickly the storm was picking up.
"Is this bad?" Pearl asked. "The storm looks quite intense, and I'm somewhat worried..."
"Aye. I've seen a lot of storms, and this is on the worse end of them," Charon muttered, concentrating on the wheel and the various instruments laid out on the bridge's various consoles. "Ain't seen a thing like this in years."
"You sure you got this, old man?" Pearl heard Mud say. Turning towards the stairwell, she saw Mud climbing up to the bridge, her eyes half-open; probably due to having been woken up from her nap by the storm. "Remember, you ain't just steering yourself here. I'd rather not end up as fish food."
"Don't doubt this 'old man'. If there's something I know a thing or two about, it's how to get this old girl through a storm. I can trust her to carry us safely to the other side, as long as we don't run into any - "
THUD
The ship suddenly jolted, sending Pearl off balance and to her knees. As she pushed herself back up, she felt another jolt and had to grab onto a nearby rail for support. "Um, what was that?" Pearl asked.
"We bumped into something big. Or, something big bumped into us," Charon said, jerking the wheel to and fro. "But out here, the only thing we can bump into is..."
"Great. You just had to jinx us, old man," Mud grumbled, peering out the window. Pearl did the same, spotting what looked like a long, black shape rising out of the water in front of the boat. Though she couldn't see the entire thing, it was very long, possibly longer than the ship if she had to estimate the full body, and at least as wide as she was tall. Its stomach was lined with scales white as bone, as well as its dragon-like skull, and a series of bone spikes protruded from its back. Two short arms, each armed with sharp claws, extended from the main body.
It was a creature of Grimm, and the largest Pearl had ever seen.
"Gosh darn Sea Feilong... and here of all places," Charon muttered, twisting the steering wheel to the side. "I'm gonna try to get us out of here, so hang on tight!"
"That's its name? Sea Feilong?" Pearl asked before spotting Mud running back below deck. "Mud, where are you going?"
"My shit's down below, and we ain't gonna shake off a Feilong without firepower," Mud called back as she disappeared below deck, only to emerge a few seconds later with her gear on her back and her rifle in hand. Pearl looked back outside to see a mass of energy gathering in the Feilong's mouth, with electricity crackling off said mass as it aimed its mouth towards the boat.
"It... it's doing something! It's about to attack!" Pearl shouted. "We need to - "
"Oh, no you don't," Mud said through gritted teeth, kicking open the door to the outside. She immediately fired a flurry of rounds toward the Feilong's face, causing it to recoil back as the energy dissipated. Then, she turned to Charon. "We gonna leave or what?"
"I'm trying," Charon muttered. "But the old girl's - "
EEEEEeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEE
Suddenly, alarms began to blare as various lights, mostly red, turned on throughout the bridge. Pearl heard Charon swear under his breath as he looked over the ship's console.
"What's wrong?" Pearl asked. "What was that? What happened?"
"Something wrong in the engine room," Charon said, turning and making his way to the staircase. "The engine's stalled. We're sitting dead in the water."
"Tch. Alright, get down there and fix it then. Pearl, go help him," Mud ordered before turning towards the Feilong, which drew its head back and roared at Mud. "I'll hold this thing off until you do all that."
"But... it's so big and you're... can you really - "
"I said go!" Mud shouted, stepping out into the storm before closing the door behind her. Pearl froze for a moment before following Mud's orders, making her way down the stairs as she followed Charon to the engine room. Upon arrival, she found Charon already there with a bag of tools, looking over the roughly car-sized engine sitting in the middle of the engine room.
"Hey there, lassie. First thing we gotta do is figure out where the problem is," Charon muttered, peering over the engine as he looked for any signs of damage. "Normally, this wouldn't be too hard, but we're running on limited time here..."
"I can... well, let me see the engine, please," Pearl said. Charon nodded, stepping aside as Pearl walked up to the engine and placed her hand on it. Immediately, a flood of information entered her brain as the detailed schematics of the engine in front of her displayed in her mind's eye. She closed her eyes, concentrating as she searched for whatever had malfunctioned. Then, after a few seconds, she opened her eyes once more. "Several of the pistons on both sides of the engine have jammed up. Even a single jammed piston will cause the entire engine to seize up, which means that unless we manage to free every piston, we're stuck here."
"Darn... knew I should have stopped and had the old girl looked at," Charon muttered, making his way up to the pistons and checking them out. Pearl pointed to the ones that she saw were jammed, and Charon popped the cap off each of them, peering inside and muttering to himself before putting the cap back on.
"So, uh... have you figured out what's wrong with the pistons?" Pearl asked. Not a moment later, the ship suddenly jerked sideways as a dull thud rang out from the side. "I would rather not leave Mud alone to fight that... thing..."
"Well, I got good news and bad news," Charon said. "Good news is, the pistons aren't unsalvageable. If we give them a little bit of lubricant, they'll be able to last us until they get out of the storm. We can get a more permanent solution once we're out of danger."
"And the bad news?"
"Due to the current state of the pistons, the only way we'll be able to get any lubricant on them would be to manually remove them, apply lubricant, and put them back in," Charon explained. "The problem with that is, due to how hot the engine's been running, said pistons are both several hundred degrees hot and aren't gonna budge to anything less than an Ursa pulling on them. If I had some specialized tools, I could do it, but..."
"Um... could I try, maybe?"
"Huh?" Charon paused for a moment. "What do you mean, 'try', lassie? Unless you wanna get yourself burned, then - but wait, you..."
"Yes, I believe my body should be more capable of handling heat like this. Additionally, while I'm unsure as to what feats of strength my body is capable of, it was built with military operations in mind, so it could possibly be enough to dislodge and remove the pistons for lubricating," Pearl said, making her way up to the pistons. Using her semblance to check for the nearest jammed piston, she popped the cap off and reached in. Immediately, scorching temperatures jumped off the piston and the metal tube that enclosed it, quickly bringing Pearl's fingers up to similar temperature. However, the temperature was well under the upper limit of what the alloys and electronics that her body was composed of could operate under, and while the scorching-hot metal would have inflicted severe burns upon Mud or Charon, Pearl was unperturbed, the heat merely a footnote as she disconnected the piston from the engine before wrapping her fingers around the connecting rod.
"Do you have it?" Charon asked as Pearl nodded in response, pulling up at the piston. However, her attempt at removing it did little more than shift the engine slightly. She pulled again, this time bracing against the engine, and -
SKREKHECHEKEK
- managed to make the piston move slightly more, accompanied by the sound of metal scraping against rusted metal. Another pull, this time will all of her strength; at least, all the strength she could muster from her body. She instinctively grunted and grit her teeth as she pulled the piston up out of the tube, only to remember that such actions had no use with her muscle-less body. Nevertheless, her efforts paid off as she pulled the piston from the tube, almost tumbling down onto her back from the sudden release.
"Alright, lassie! Put it here," Charon said, gesturing towards a nearby table as he grabbed a large bottle of some sort of industrial fluid. Pearl followed his instructions and he quickly went to work, applying a thick, dark fluid to the piston before giving Pearl a thumbs up. She nodded, grabbing the piston by the connecting rod and taking it back to the engine. It slid into its tube much easier than before, and she connected it back to the engine before closing the tube.
"That's one piston taken care of," Pearl said, instinctively wiping her brow of nonexistent sweat. She looked over the engine once more with her semblance, locating the rest of the jammed pistons. "Now to take care of the rest..."
Ka-THUNK!
The last piston slid into place as Pearl re-attached it to the engine before screwing on the cap. Turning towards Charon, she gave him a thumbs up, and he went over to a panel on the side of the room and opened it. He then hit a few buttons and threw some switches before pulling down a lever next to him. The engine began to shake as a low rumble shook the room. Said rumble got slightly quieter as the rhythmic pounding of pistons began.
"Alright, lassie! We got it!" Charon said with a triumphant laugh. "It'll just be a few minutes, and we can get going for - "
BOOM!
An explosion rocked the boat, causing Pearl to stumble slightly. As she recovered, the boat suddenly jerked again as a low thud reverberated through the room.
Mud's still fighting up there, Pearl thought, making her way out of the engine room. As she ascended up the stairs, the sounds of bullets, thunder, and roaring Grimm became more and more intense. Finally, as she climbed onto the bridge, she saw Mud down on deck, leaping over crates and ducking behind shipping containers as she dodged attack after attack from the Feilong, narrowly avoiding claw swipes, bites, and even the occasional tail smack, all while shooting the Feilong whenever she could. Unfortunately, her bullets did little to deter it, merely causing annoyance as they bounced off its scales and bone-like skull. By now, the storm had gotten even worse; waves towered over the boat like an Ursa over a frightened child, rain flew nearly sideways and was heavy enough that one would likely drown if they faced it and opened their mouths, and lightning lit up the sky, striking so rapidly that it seemed a wonder that neither the ship nor the Feilong had been hit yet.
"Mud! I'm here to - " Pearl started shouting, only to stumble to her knees as a sharp pain stabbed its way through her metallic skull and into her brain. She cradled her head in her hands as her eyes screwed shut and her teeth clenched as tight as she could clench them, trying anything to make the pain go away. She cracked her eyes open slightly, and this time, highlighted red through the storm, she saw -
She saw -
She spotted - sensed -
Sensing multiple hostiles. Awaiting command.
"Recording log for combat test 2B. Erika Grisele presiding. This test is meant to demonstrate the unit's ability to assess and prioritize threats based on information given from sensory functions."
"PETRA. Commence area scan. Report threat assessment."
Two hostiles in visual. Wide-area sensors indicate third hostile deeper in the ship.
Commencing threat assessment.
Hostile 1. Grimm. Species: Sea Feilong. Sensors show body length of approximately 35 meters. Currently engaged in combat with Hostile 2. Behavior indicates hostile is unaware of this unit's presence.
Hostile 2. Human. Primary armament is Redding 2-14B Variable Rifle, with various secondary armaments. Sensors indicate armored clothing but lack of aura-based defenses. Currently engaged in combat with Hostile 1. Behavior indicates hostile is unaware of this unit's presence.
Hostile 3. Human. Unarmed. Sensors indicate lack of defensive capabilities. Behavior indicates hostile is unaware of this unit's presence.
Threat assessment indicates Hostile 1 is the greatest threat present due to greatest destructive capacity volatility.
"A fine assessment. Test 1A complete."
"That was quite quick, wasn't it? If we can get technology like this to the commercial stage, it would significantly improve the efficiency of Atlas's troops on the ground. Imagine if we had AI guiding every soldier and Huntsman to maximum efficiency..."
"Remember, this is only the prototype stage. Commercialization is still a long way to go. Now, proceeding to test 2B. PETRA, proceed with the elimination of all hostiles."
Confirmed. Commencing elimination of hostiles.
Unit jumps from bridge to deck. Hostile 1 and Hostile 2 continue to engage each other. Heavy storm may impede this unit's ability to hit Hostile 1. Therefore, this unit shall reduce the distance between itself and Hostile 1.
Sensors indicate buildup of energy in Feilong's jaw and decrease in movement. Logic subunits have determined that this is the optimal moment to engage.
Shifting arm to cannon. Charging...
Firing cannon.
Sensors indicate thermogenic blast has grazed Hostile 1, burning through outer layer of hide and scales near impact area. Hostile 1 displays reactions indicating anger before retreating below surface of water. Unable to follow.
Threat assessment indicates Hostile 2 is the greatest threat present. Proceeding with elimination.
"Nice shot, but it's not down yet! It's gonna come up sooner or - "
Thermogenic cannon ready. Aiming...
"Pearl? What are you - "
Firing cannon.
Thermogenic blast fails to connect due to evasive actions from Hostile 2. Adjusting to account for target's capabilities...
"Pearl, what are you doing?! Is this what you were talking about before? Can you even hear me right now?"
Thermogenic blast ready. Charging cannon...
Firing cannon.
Explosion launches Hostile 2 back. Direct hit unsuccessful. Target has suffered minor injuries.
"Shit... I don't wanna do this, but if you keep this up, then..."
Hostile 2 closes distance faster than anticipated. Thermogenic cannon recharging. Unit unequips thermogenic cannon and switches to close-quarters combat.
"Sorry about this, but I'm pretty sure you don't feel pain anyways, so..."
Ballistic impact to unit's chest from Hostile 2's rifle. Armor holds, but unit thrown off balance. Adjusting...
"I'm gonna have to beat whatever's going on out of you before that Grimm gets back!"
Hostile 2 fires bullet towards unit's chest. Unit dodges to side to avoid. Hostile 2 now in close range, throws right jab towards unit's face. Unit blocks with left arm and counters with right hook. Hostile 2 grabs right arm.
Hostile 2 brandishes shotgun with right arm. Unit is restrained. Unable to avoid Hostile 2's attack.
"Got ya!"
BLAM!
Pearl felt a sudden impact to her chest as she tumbled backwards before crumpling face-first against the deck. Pushing herself onto her knees, she saw a large dent in her stomach, along with two smaller dents along the armor covering her chest.
"What... what happened?" Pearl muttered just before the memories of the past minute rushed back to her. Her eyes widened as her hands began to shake. "Oh... oh gods... I... it happened again..."
"Hey, looks like you're back," Mud said. Pearl looked up to see Mud smiling at her, but it wasn't her grin that caught Pearl's attention. Rather, it was the burns that ran up her arms and legs, visible through the armored clothing that had partially burned away.
"You... oh gods, I couldn't control myself, I - I - you, you're hurt, I hurt you!" Pearl stammered, backing away from Mud. "No, no, no, this isn't right, something's wrong with me, you can't stay here, you need - I need - "
ROOOAAAAAAAAGH!
Hearing the Feilong's roar, Pearl looked up to see it swooping down towards her, wings unfurled and claws outstretched as it dove down like a missile, bearing straight towards Pearl. The sight seemed to freeze Pearl's feet to the deck, and she could only watch as the Feilong's claws came closer and closer, ready to tear her body to shreds.
"Pearl!"
Just before the claws slashed through Pearl, something pushed her out of the way.
Crash!
Thud.
"Ugh... what..." Pearl muttered, gathering her bearings and picking herself up off the deck. She looked up to see the Feilong swooping up towards the sky, looping around for another attack. And below it, curled up and unmoving on the deck against a shipping container...
Mud.
Oh gods, Mud.
"MUD!" Pearl screamed as she ran towards where Mud lay still, stumbling slightly as she knelt down next to her. The attack had been strong enough to tear through Mud's armored jacket, pulling it off her and leaving Mud exposed to the storm. A trio of bloody gashes was cut into her chest and stomach; blood poured out of the wounds, mixing in with the salt water that splashed upon the deck. Her left arm was bent out of place from the shoulder down, and her back was blotched black and blue from quickly-forming bruises, with some spots where her skin was scraped clean off. A dribble of blood ran down her forehead, quickly washed away by the rain. "No, no, no no no no, this can't be - please, no, this is - Mud, please, I'm sorry, please don't die, don't - "
"Pearl..."
"Mud?" Pearl spotted Mud's eyes fluttering open, looking around for a moment before focusing on Pearl. No, they weren't quite looking at her, not exactly. "You're - oh gods, we need a doctor - but we're - no, we can't get a doctor here, but where - this is all my fault - where can we "
"Behind you..."
"Huh?" Pearl turned around, following Mud's gaze to see the Feilong swooping back down. It hovered over the ship and raised its head, and Pearl could see energy gathering in its mouth. Electricity crackled from the mass of energy, mixing in with the lightning that struck down from the clouds as it grew larger and larger.
"Move it... go..." Mud muttered, trying to push herself up with her good arm. As she settled, sitting against the shipping container she had crashed into, she lurched forward, coughing up a spray of blood onto the deck. "Don't think I can move too well... heh..."
"No! I'm not leaving you!" Pearl shouted, looking up at the Feilong about to attack, then back down towards Mud, who was too injured to move. "It's... it's my fault this happened to you, so I'm not going to leave you to die. I'm not going to let anyone else die. Not if I can help it."
As Pearl turned to face the Feilong, it reared its head back, a massive charge of electrical energy gathered in its maw. Then, it turned its head downward, roaring as the mass of energy shot out as a powerful beam of lightning that put every lightning strike in the storm to shame. Pearl stood her ground, raising her arms to protect both herself and Mud as she braced for impact.
A moment later, the whole world went white.
"Let's see, one final check and - "
Pearl lurched forward, interrupted by a sudden fit of coughing. Though she was used to such fits by now, they were still debilitating enough that she had to stop her work and catch her breath every time they happened. And they were getting worse; they used to last only a few seconds when she first started getting them, but lately, they had been approaching half a minute of continuous coughing.
"Pearl? Are you alright?" Pearl heard her father ask from outside her room. She collected herself just as he pushed open the door. "Is everything fine?"
"Yes, father, it's nothing serious."
"If you say so... but if you need anything, please tell me," her father said, his gaze turning towards Pearl's desk. "Are you still working? It's quite late, you should go to sleep."
"I... I was just finishing this project up," Pearl said, lifting the blueprints off her desk and holding them out towards her father. "Do you want to take a look? I was just about to go and show it to you when you came in. I worked quite hard on it, so..."
"I suppose I can look over it now, at least for a little while. But you have to promise to go to sleep afterwards," her father said, and Pearl nodded as she handed the blueprint out towards her father, who adjusted his glasses as he turned the blueprints towards the light. "Oh my... this is quite intriguing. How fascinating..."
"Do you... do you remember when you said I could add something of my own to the project? Something for my future body?" Pearl asked. "Well, I want it to be that."
"A compact full-cover quick-deploying projected hardlight barrier... the Atlas Military has tried to develop technology like this, but they ran into issues with efficiency and stability and..." her father muttered before pausing, reading over the blueprint several times. "But this design... it's nothing like I've ever seen. How did you..."
"I did run into some issues, yes. But I managed to figure out some specialized barrier construction methods, energy distribution algorithms, and Dust-energy efficiency improvement methods, and after quite a bit of calculations and simulations, I believe I've developed something that would greatly enhance this body's defensive capabilities while maintaining strong energy, weight, and space efficiency," Pearl explained. "I saw the weapons that were being installed, and I... I didn't want this body to just be capable of hurting others. I wanted it to be able to save people. To protect them from harm. To... to make sure I wouldn't have to lose anyone else."
"If I can save even one person with this, then I'll be happy."
Pearl closed her eyes, looking away from the beam of electrical energy bearing down upon her. She didn't know what to expect. Would she feel pain? No, she couldn't. Perhaps she would feel nothing as the blast of lightning fried her circuits, effectively killing her.
Instead, she felt something pressing against her raised arms, pushing her down against the deck.
Huh? Pearl thought as she opened her eyes and looked up to see the deluge of lightning from the Feilong's maw still bearing down upon her. However, it seemed to disappear just before where her arms were outstretched, leaving a gap of just a few inches between the crackling electricity and her fingers. No, it wasn't disappearing; the lightning was splashing off a transparent barrier, unable to pierce through despite the enormous energy it seemed to carry. I remember now... this is the hardlight shield! I designed this!
Pearl felt her feet begin to slip underneath the weight of the attack, prompting her to widen her stance and brace harder against the deck. She slowly lowered her right arm, testing if doing so would cause the barrier to fail and doom both herself and Mud. Thankfully, it didn't, so she shifted her arm into a cannon and aimed it up towards the Feilong. As the cannon charged, she waited, holding it steady as the force behind the Feilong's attack began to fade. As powerful as the Feilong was, even it could not output so much energy continuously for too long.
The moment the beam of lightning dissipated, Pearl dropped her left arm, killing the hardlight barrier and giving her a clear shot directly at the hovering Feilong.
BWAAAAAAAAAaaaam!
A beam of white-hot energy, powerful enough to match the Feilong's lightning blast, shot out of Pearl's arm and barrelled straight towards the Feilong. It beat its wings, trying to fly away from the shot, but the lightning blast had left it too slow to dodge, letting Pearl's attack drive straight into its neck, just underneath its jaw. An explosion of heat and light shrouded the Feilong for a moment before it spiraled back, falling towards the ocean as it roared in agony. Before it hit the water, Pearl saw a charred, black crater parting the scales where her attack had hit, exposing the soft Grimm-flesh beneath. Then, it was gone.
"That was... really... something..."
"Mud!" Pearl shouted, turning to see Mud grinning at her, still as injured as before as she sat against the shipping container. She winced as she pressed her tattered jacket against the wounds across her front, and though it managed to hold back some of the bleeding, a worrying amount of blood was still soaking into her jacket and spilling out onto the deck. "I managed to fight it off, but your wounds... we need to get some medical treatment! But where..."
"It... it'll be back. You can't fight it by yourself. A Grimm that big... it'll learn. It'll be watching. You won't hit it again, and it'll only be a matter of time before it gets you," Mud said weakly, gesturing towards the rifle sitting next to her. "But if you distract it somewhere where I can get a good shot... we might be able to bring that fucker down for good."
"But... you need help. You're hurt, badly," Pearl said, her mind running through what would happen if Mud didn't get help in time. "If you don't get treatment soon..."
"I'll survive for now. We can fix me up once we're safe," Mud said, coughing up a small spray of blood. Reaching into the tattered remains of her jacket, she pulled out a single bullet that had a shiny black casing, with a yellow stripe around its base. "Been saving this baby for a long time. It'll only take one shot. Trust me?"
"I... I trust you," Pearl said, slowly backing away as she turned towards the part of the sea where the Feilong had gone under. She raised her cannon arm, searching the waters for any sign of Grimm. However, she saw no red eyes nor black bodies through the towering waves and the pouring rain.
SPLOOOOSH!
A great splashing sound came from behind Pearl and she turned to see the Feilong breaching the waves behind her, soaring over the boat. She could tell that her attack from before had done significant damage; the Feilong was slower than before, and it seemed much angrier as well as it roared down towards Pearl. As it did so, Pearl made the first move, charging her cannon and aiming it up towards the Feilong.
BWAAAAAAAAAaaaam!
However, like Mud had said, the Feilong was prepared this time, darting out of the way of the blast before swooping down, arm outstretched and ready to slash through Pearl's metal body. Pearl raised her left hand and a semi-transparent barrier of hardlight formed in front of her just in time to prevent the Feilong's claws from ripping her apart. Instead, the force of the strike sent Pearl tumbling back before she quickly righted herself.
I need to get it to stay still in a place where Mud will be able to land her shot, Pearl thought. She stole a glance towards Mud, who had just finished loading the bullet she had shown Pearl into her rifle. A roar pulled Pearl's attention back towards the Feilong, which was gathering another mass of lightning in its maw. She raised her hardlight barrier, ready to block the attack once more, but as the Feilong let loose the beam of electric energy, Pearl realized that it was not aiming at Pearl, but rather at the deck below her feet.
BOOM!
The deck exploded beneath Pearl, catapulting her into the air before sending her unceremoniously crashing back down to the deck. Though she felt no pain from the attack, she groaned as she pushed herself back onto her feet, disoriented from the blast. She turned towards where she had last seen the Feilong, only to spot it swooping down towards her, its maw open and about to chomp down on her body.
"Stop!" Pearl shouted, raising her arms as she brought up a hardlight barrier directly between herself and the Feilong. As the Feilong crashed into the barrier, she felt her feet slipping out from underneath her as the Feilong used its mass and strength to push Pearl across the deck. By some miracle she managed to stay on her feet, but when she turned for a moment to look behind herself, she saw that it wouldn't last for long. Barely ten meters behind her was the edge of the deck, its guard rail busted for some unknown reason. Perhaps it had been destroyed during the fighting; perhaps the storm had simply blown it away.
Either way, the Feilong was planning on pushing Pearl into the ocean. She wouldn't drown, but considering how strong the Feilong was above water, fighting it below the surface was practically a death sentence.
"Stop! I said, STOP!" Pearl screamed, raising both of her hands and putting whatever energy she could into strengthening both the barrier and her grip against the deck. The Feilong's jaws snapped against the barrier as it pushed her closer and closer to the edge of the deck, its efforts starting to slow down as Pearl fought against it harder and harder. However, though it was slowing down, it wasn't close to stopping, and the gap between Pearl and the edge of the deck was closing fast. Too fast.
Five meters.
Four meters.
Three meters.
Two meters.
One meter.
Pearl's heels touched the edge of the deck. She was putting all she could into pushing back the Feilong, but it simply wasn't enough. The creature was too large, too strong for her to fight against. I... I'm sorry -
BANG!
The pressure abruptly let up as Pearl tumbled forward, no longer having any force to counteract her efforts. The Feilong's head jerked to the side as the red light in its eyes faded, and it began to disintegrate from the nose inward. Looking past the head, Pearl saw that it had completely separated from the body, blown apart at the neck exactly where Pearl had hit it with her cannon. The body, with a tattered stump where its head would be, also began to disintegrate, and before long, there was no trace of Feilong on the boat at all. Pearl looked over to see Mud still sitting against the shipping container, her good arm raised and pointing her rifle where the Feilong's neck had been.
"Mud!" Pearl shouted, quickly making his way over to where Mud was sitting. "You - you did it! You killed it!"
"You mean, we did it. You did all the work... I just finished the job," Mud said weakly, putting on a smile for Pearl. "That bullet was hella fucking expensive... but I guess it was worth it..."
"Never mind that, we need to get you to medical assistance," Pearl said, looking over Mud's still-bleeding wounds. Despite all the rain that was splashing onto the deck, a pool of blood was forming beneath her, fed by the steady spilling of blood from the gashes across her chest and stomach. "Oh gods, how much blood..."
"Yeah, get Charon... he's got medical stuff, he knows his shit..." Mud said as her eyelids began to flutter close. "Gonna take a quick nap... wake me when we get... to Atlas..."
As Mud's eyes closed and she went quiet, Pearl picked her up in her arms. In any other circumstance, she would have been surprised at how easy Mud was to lift, but at the moment she only had one thing in her mind as she ran with her into the bridge, shouting Charon's name.
Please don't die on me...
A/N: And that's chapter 24! The trip up to Atlas has been rougher than expected, and it seems like Mud's not in the best shape.
My apologies for the wait! Life's been fairly busy recently, but I'll try to take the time to keep this story updated; I'm definitely not dropping it this far in. Also, thanks to Xae for the review! Glad you're enjoying it so far.
Fun fact about this chapter: this particular scene involving Mud and Pearl fighting a Sea Feilong on a ship was actually one of the first scenes I planned out while developing the idea for this story way back. It actually precedes the development of most of the story's characters, was originally going to be in the first chapter of the story, and involved different sets of characters over the course of the planning of this story. For example, at one point, the scene was a newly-awakened Pearl and the character who would eventually become Aqua (but at the time of planning was actually named Mud) fighting the Feilong in just off the shore of Clearwater. There's been many other iterations during the planning of this story, some involving characters I've scrapped entirely or have in the back for later (or maybe even future stories).
Anyways, thanks for reading, and if you've got anything at all to say, PLEASE don't hesitate to leave a review! I'd appreciate any feedback, questions, or comments you have. With all that said, have a nice day!