Takes place in the beginning of Episode 15. The sixth united company has successfully deployed and engaged the Klaxosaurs. After meeting the Nine's leader in the field, a new threat arises.…

Chp.1

Awakening

The day was one of bloodshed as two species vied for tactical superiority before the looming view of the Gran Crevasse. And as the ground writhed with the endless clots of struggling combatants, their attempts to outmaneuver their respective foe sent up great clouds of dust that swirled and billowed forth, slowly gathering high above the battlefield until they were thick enough to choke the sun. It was beneath this dismal, blighted sky that the brave parasites of APE fought against the abominable and twisted forms of the Klaxosaurs- their sworn enemy, and ironically their sole reason for existence. And it was on this field that the members of Plantation Defense Squad 13 finally experienced their true purpose in life: to kill and to die in Papa's name.

Delphinium pivoted and struck, throwing out her arm with blade extended, slashing clean through her foe- a small, four-legged variant of a Klaxosaur that shrieked as it died. This kill was only one of many that she had made that day, and considering the hordes that still brayed about before her, it would certainly not be the last. She pressed forward, bringing her blades close to her torso before spearing out in deliberately controlled strikes that pierced the fallen beast's kin, their magma-cores rupturing with every violent thrust. Slowly, the Franxx pressed her way through the horde, slashing and piercing as she went, always careful to watch her flanks, but never once hesitating in doing what needed to be done.

The pilot of this mighty engine of war was Ichigo, and she couldn't afford to hesitate. Not with the multitudes of swarming Klaxosaurs that were slowly overrunning their lines. The company deployed before them was nearly gone already, its scattered survivors just distant echoes on the comm channels as they cried out for help. She did her best to tune them out, as they were kilometers away from her position anyways, and her squad, though combat veterans all, were in no position to provide immediate aid; though she dearly wished it was otherwise. The best option to them all was to win the battle, pressing forward until the Klaxosaurs themselves broke and run- not that it would happen anytime soon, even with the Nine's and their advanced Franxx units.

"Ichigo, incoming!" Came the strained voice of her faithful partner and Delphinium's stamen. She ducked just in time thanks to Goro's warning, and a stream of hissing energy rounds streamed overhead, splashing into the bloodied sand behind her and flash-vaporizing it to glass in an instant. She rose and thanked her partner for his well-timed warning, and then she began working her way to the towering Klaxosaur that had targeted her, its fanged maw glowing with effervescent energy as it collected more for the second salvo of concentrated fire.

She felt more than heard the Nine as he streamed past her, his form a crimson and white blur as he casually battered aside lesser variants of the beasts, leaving the field empty in his wake. She urged her Franxx forward, following the glowing thrusters as they gained ground quickly. She knew without having to look that Genista was following along the path as well, for a single blast sounded from behind and sent a round sailing overhead to impact upon the tower-class enemy, shredding through its armored hide with ease.

With the range threat briefly eliminated, the Nine stopped and turned about, the magma-weapon clasped in his hands twirling about with considerable skill as it laid low the Klaxosaurs about him, severing limbs and driving the glowing-tip through their cores. The wretched things burst like blisters as they died, coating their killers in that deep, abyssal-blue liquid that served as their blood. As the Nine sculpted a safe-area about him with his lethal skills, Genista pulled alongside Delphinium, standing shoulder-to-shoulder as she opened fire again and again, widening the gap. A squad of the mass-produced Franxx units poured into these cleared areas, seizing the open ground in the name of APE as they engaged the survivors of the fusillade. Now with a bit of breathing room, Ichigo was able to take a moment and quickly scan the battlefield.

A little more than three-kilometers distance, Argentea led a parallel attack, fighting at the head of Squads 26, 30 and 97. She lost her squadmates amid the sea of Klaxosaurs as the hot-pink chassis of their Franxx disappeared into a group of howling monsters. Ichigo could only lament the loss of the squad cohesion, but she could do nothing to rectify it, for they needed the battlefield-coverage if they were to win the day. Besides, Zorome and Miku were backed up by Chlorophytum, and Ikuno's cool temperament would surely see them to victory.

Ichigo didn't much care for victory at the moment. She only really cared about surviving and getting her squad out alive, but the best way to do that was to keep pressing forward and hoping that it would be enough; though she was beginning to wonder if it would ever be enough. A certain boy with an insufferable attitude seemed to think so.

"Come on now, my dear! I understand you're only human, but at least try to keep up the momentum! This isn't one of those pretty ceremonies your squad partakes in, this is a real war!" The voice came from the smug face of 9 Alpha, the leader of the vaunted Nines, and well-known to be one of the best parasites ever recorded. His Franxx was the Nine-model that had torn open a hole in the Klaxosaur line, and it was also him that would most likely be the one to secure the day in victory for Papa. It was also him that Ichigo couldn't stand to listen to, his voice grating upon her already-stressed nerves. But, what else could she do other than follow his lead?

With a persistent dislike of the Nine's best stamen burning in her gut, she willed Delphinium to follow him, punching deeper into the swarm of ever-increasing Klaxosaurs.

Hiro stood stock-still, watching from afar as his beloved teammates and fellow parasites fought tooth and nail against a numberless and merciless foe. His fists clenched tightly as his anger simmered just below the surface. He was truly and utterly powerless to help them, but his mind was unfocused and wondered little to any actual strategic information.

His thoughts were entirely focused upon her.

One of the many view screens within the control room displayed her in all her savage beauty as she tore through multitudes of Klaxosaurs, unstoppable and undaunted by their numbers, her jaws rending 'flesh' as easily and readily as her spear-tipped tail did.

She was alone, just like him.

Like he had always been.

Like she always was.

They were burdened by that loneliness. Two souls bonded together by their mutual isolation. That loneliness weighed them both down so heavily that neither of them could ever truly fly without the other's strength. But, for a brief time, he had flown with her, as she had flown with him, and they had flown so high together! They had been far beyond the grasp of the world, free to do as they wished when they wished. Freedom had not been beyond them: freedom from all the fighting, all the orders, all the tests, all the stagnation that dragged them down to the earth, and bound them to a life of pointless servitude. They had been free, and they had been free together.

Until they had crashed and their freedom had been taken once again.

Even now he longed to go to her, despite what had transpired. He longed to tell her that he was sorry for his actions and to beg for her forgiveness just as he forgave her actions. She had only just been afraid to lose him. And he could no longer blame her, for he might have done the very same had their positions been reversed. After all, when people were afraid they made foolish mistakes out of that fear- he saw the truth of that now. Without ever realizing the full extent of the matter, Hiro had condemned her and her actions, never once seeking to see the situation from her point of view. He longed to correct that, but he did not understand how he would do that. And so, his self-hatred simmered within him.

Hiro started in surprise as a shrill alarm pierced the relative calm of the control center and scattered his toxic thoughts.

Dr. Franxx appeared at his side, ghosting from across the room like an apparition. "Hmm. What's this now?" The good doctor idly tapped his chin with his hand, studying the new information that scrolled in on one of the many displays. "A new development indeed." He nodded as if this was entirely expected. Hiro wondered what the doctor could mean by that, but said nothing as the man continued to scan the stream of fresh intelligence. The expression upon the doctor's face changed from one of intrigue to one of grim realization. "That energy signature… it's... it's somehow familiar. And, it almost looks like… but no, no, it couldn't be." He stared intently at the screen as he seemed to ponder the unspoken possibilities.

"Doctor? What's wrong?" Hiro inquired, confused by the doctor's abnormal behavior and idle mutterings. He had never seen the doctor so… flustered before.

Dr. Franxx didn't immediately turn his attention to the boy, instead muttering something unintelligible beneath his breath. To Hiro, it almost sounded like a name. He looked up suddenly, his face- or at least, the remnants of his organic face- became animated as he spoke quickly. "It's nothing, my boy, I just have something to do now. Something I should have done a long time ago…"

Hiro didn't have time to ask the doctor to elaborate, the old man turning from him and disappearing into the communications room opposite from where he stood. He was left to wonder upon the doctor's strange behavior, but eventually, his attention returned to the displays of the battle before him as he resumed the distant observation of his beloved Zero Tsu.

Dr. Franxx entered the central communications room. Within the crowded room of important equipment: technicians, communications officers, logicians, strategists and other such essential personal busied themselves with their allotted tasks and assignments. Some coordinated Cerasus' defense- a thankless and rather pointless task- but the vast majority ensured that Squad 13's designated communications network was maintained and clear of unauthorized traffic. Here was the central-nervous-system for the battle, one of many nodes within the extended system that connected each plantation in a wide network. For one to go down would spell an interruption of service and the loss of communications as the network took precious time to compensate for the loss. Which is why what he was about to do was very dangerous, and could possibly be the cause of death for several squads-worth of parasites. Hopefully, Squad 13 would be resourceful enough to adapt to the change.

He cleared his throat loudly in an attempt to gain everyone's attention. A few personnel near him glanced his way, but he mainly went ignored. After all, he was just an old scientist long past his prime. How quickly many have forgotten the gift I gave to humanity. Hachi himself took notice of him, though, and nodded respectfully in his direction before returning to a conversation. Oh these damn youngsters, he thought scornfully.

He reached up, fingers searching just behind his ear for a small dial built into his augmetic lower-half of his skull. There it is. He spun the dial to its maximum setting. Then, he spoke once more.

"EVERYONE GET THE HELL OUT! I NEED TO MAKE A CALL."

His voice boomed from his mechanical mouth, the volume reaching an insanely, non-dismissal level. Several of the room's occupants nearest to him winced, covering their ears in agony. If he had still possessed biological eardrums, they would surely have come close to rupturing. It worked, though, and fairly soon everyone began to clear out with haste, reminded painfully that Dr. Franxx was still considered a high-ranking individual within APE. Some actually refused initially, choosing to remain at their stations. Hachi was helpful in escorting them from the room until at last only he and the doctor remained. Without a word he left as well, wise enough to know that his mentor required absolute privacy.

Finally, alone, Dr. Franxx entered his personal authorization code into the main communications console: priority red. His call could not be denied by the recipient- not that his contact would ever idly dismiss his concerns, but the doctor wished to make his point as clear as possible.

Upon the visual interface did his contact appear. The highly ornamental mask he wore shone a radiant gold and was trimmed in the blood of man. White robes, harking back to the archaic days of religious fanaticism, covered the man's impressively well-built frame completely.

"Werner, old friend." The masked figure said softly. "Why do you contact me at this time? I was under the impression that you were enjoying the show. Front row seat and all that. Is it not to your liking? I could spruce it up with a few well-placed orbital bombardments."

"I am calling because we may have a problem. Or, it could be an opportunity..."

The silent womb of endless night surrounded me. There was no beginning to it, and there was no end. There was no substance, no time, and no sense of being. It was the pure, utter darkness of non-existence that consumed me. I was not aware of it, but it was aware of me, for it shielded my consciousness, protecting and nurturing me until I was ready. Until I could answer the final song, the final notes in a grand symphony that spanned uncounted eons.

Hear me children, and listen well

The first glimmer of consciousness returned to me, gifted by the sing-song voice that shone brightly through the endless night. Her's was a voice as sweet as honey and smooth as silk, but far more ancient than I. Slowly, I uncoiled from my slumber, awareness rising with every passing second as neurons that had lain cold and dormant for years once again became pathways of conscious thought. And that is when I become aware that I was not alone, that there was a distinctly other presence that had shared my silent womb of eternal night. The song continued, addressing both of our minds.

Daughter of pain, and product of hate

You are bound together, tied to an earned fate

As the dream slipped away and reality set in, they and I became we, and no longer was there a distinctive divide. We now thought as one entity, and we acted as such. Limbs unfamiliar to me but familiar to the other uncurled from where they had locked long, long ago. Senses returned slowly but surely, and soon the sounds of battle drifted down from above, reaching our ears as they echoed through long-unused tunnels. But, with senses and movement came the energy required to use them, and with that came a hunger that was insatiable. And- perhaps the worst feeling of all- was the one of weakness that invaded our atrophied limbs.

I could not stand such weakness within my own form, and neither could the other. We needed to feed, and as we looked about the chamber which we had awoken within, there was only another of our kindred- a far-removed sibling of the other. It mewled and cried out, its body ravaged beyond repair by the battle from above. It was a miracle that it had made it as far as it had in its injured state. It was a testimony to the creature's strength and inner-will that it had clung to its life, unwilling to die forgotten and alone. But, it was rather unfortunate that it had stumbled upon us. Of course, it was just as likely that it had been led deep down here, driven to sacrifice itself by the same voice that roused us from slumber.

United you shall stand, but divided fall

Death to them, but salvation for us all

We approached the creature and it cried out for aid. It knew us by our scent as well as we knew it by the same, and its cry was that of an injured sibling crying out for kinship. It needed help if it were to survive, but we had not been awakened to provide comfort or mercy, for both were foreign concepts.

We had been awakened to slaughter.

The creature's call for help turned to a squeal of surprise as we grabbed ahold of it, forcing it to the ground and exposing its vulnerable belly. Without remorse or hesitation, we raked our claws through the creature's flesh, tearing away chunk after chunk of bubbling meat until the glowing gem of a heart-core was exposed. It was this that we ripped free from the beast before biting down into it, our jaws cracking the surface as we drained the orb of its energy. Without its power-source, the wretched creature moaned until its eyes went cold and dark- dead so that we might feed.

As the last of the energy was guzzled down our throat, I felt the power swell within us, bringing strength back to our weakened limbs. With a renewed body, we were ready to join the fight. The sing-song voice came again, urging us ever onward in order to fulfill our duty to her.

Lead our kin, in this righteous war

Death shall come, like the time before

And already we were moving, quickly dropping to all-fours as we sped through the tunnels, guided by scent-trails from our kin as much as we were by other senses utterly ineffable to my human mind.

There. A remnant of my old self, a clue to my past. I was, or at the least had been, a human. I grabbed at the strand of memory, but it slipped from my hold before I could follow the thread. It should have worried me that I could remember nothing, and yet, it didn't bother the other in a significant manner, and so it bothered me just a little. Perhaps, the only reason I even remembered I was a human was that our enemy was human in nature.

What better way to kill a human, than with another human?

With our bestial stride eating up ground, it wasn't long that I had to ponder my old existence anyways, as we soon entered into another chamber. It was here that the rest of our closer-siblings gathered. Like us, they prowled about on all fours and their bodies were sleek and hound-like. Unlike us, though, they were little more than beasts as their minds had been lost to the gradual entropy of the eons-long slumber, and only their instinctual urges and familial loyalty kept them bound to the greater collective I now served. But, even so, they respected only strength, and the largest of them challenged our approach, hissing and emitting a threatening growl.

We moved quickly.

Tackling the challenger, we utilized our greater size and speed to subdue the beast, driving its head into the ground in a show of dominance. We kept it there, pinned beneath a clawed-foot as we stood to our full height, towering above the others in bipedal fashion and unleashing a bellowing roar that seemed to quiet any dissent within the remaining creatures. A clear chain-of-command established with our new allies, we dropped down to all-fours again and resumed our hurried advance to the surface, the sing-song voice coming one final time before we left the relative safety of the tunnels.

Seek the key, and embrace clarity

Find the path, your reward: Purity

Code 090, leader of Squad 26, cringed as he braced his spear against the Klaxosaur's assault. Its hideous maw gripped his weapon tightly and pushed him back several dozen meters. He gritted his teeth and activated his rear-thruster pair, pushing the monster back into its fellows. He then struck out with a piercing strike, tearing through the bastard's core, and killing it swiftly, leaving only a dark-blue puddle. His second-in-command appeared at his side and struck with their weapon as well, ensuring that the other Klaxosaurs couldn't exploit the opening. "Thanks," he sent through his mic to his fellow parasite team. He only received a nod of recognition from the Franxx unit before they turned into the melee, stabbing into more of the monstrous foes.

He pulled back from the front-line to take stock of the situation. His squad was formed up around him creating a loose- but rather efficient- perimeter. Several more squads shared his immediate theater of battle. Their left and right flanks were secured by squads 30 and 97, respectively. And, of course, the two members of the illustrious Squad 13, whose heavily customized Franxx models Argentea and Chlorophytum made up for their lack of numbers through sheer combat-ability. The children were very unconventional with their tactics in the fight, killing several Klaxosaurs here and then jetting to apply pressure somewhere else. He silently thanked them for their unpredictable, but undeniably effective, assistance.

A bestial roar ripped across the battle-space, tearing his attention away from Squad 13 just as it tore through every other sound. It was powerful and savage, unlike anything he had ever heard before. It pierced his cockpit and he felt the vibrations within his very bones. What in the actual hell was that? He looked around the area, seeking the source of the disturbance. "What was that?" His partner asked, her voice shaking as she spoke; though from fear or the rush of adrenaline he could not say. He was experiencing the rush of combat as well, but he had to keep a level head, he was a leader after all and a calm, level-headed decision had to be reached. And so, he turned about, seeking the source of the bone-chilling roar that so obviously belonged to a new opponent.

And that's when he finally saw the source.

It was rather underwhelming to look at, if he were being honest. The cry had obviously come from the throat of a quadrupedal Klaxosaur that squatted near the entrance to the Gran Crevasse itself. Though it was a Klaxosaur for sure, there was nothing unique about it other than that terrible howl. Probably just an abnormal Moho-class, and that was being generous. He smiled at his weariness, inflamed as it was by the stress of battle.

The Klaxosaur's crimson-eyes fixated upon him, ablaze like braziers of freshly spilled blood. Those terrible eyes contrasted heavily with the azure plates of armor that encased its dark flesh. Unusual for a Klaxosaur. Average Klaxosaurs were black-armored with bright-blue internals and joints. It led a pack of lesser versions, each similar to the alpha aside from a few minor physical differences- size being the most apparent.

The alpha's eyes bore into his own, as if it knew him. As if it understood his role. Such a thing was surely impossible, though. The Klaxosaurs were just mindless beasts, nothing more. It was just his mind becoming overtaxed by the rigors of prolonged combat.

With another soul-scathing howl, it sped in his direction, the pack swiftly following in its footsteps. It moved faster than he had anticipated, bounding quickly across the battlefield. It crossed the gap between them in seconds, leaping the last few hundred meters. "Look out!" He cried to his second, still standing and holding the line of chaos back. The alpha-beast hurtled through the air like a missile until it impacted with the second of his squad in a sickening crunch, audible even over the cacophony of battle. Massive jaws clamped shut around the cockpit, fangs piercing the nanomagnesium armor with ease.

He launched himself forward, his spear poised to strike as he sought only to intervene and save his comrade.

His heart dropped as he realized he would be too late.

A sharp cry of pain resounded from the open comm channel. With a sickening crunch, the hull gave way to the immense jaws of the Klaxosaur, a wellspring of orange fluid gushing from the shattered cockpit, running like blood through jagged teeth. His cockpit was filled with that horrendous, dual scream that heralded the death of a parasite pair. He imagined he could actually hear them being crushed within their cockpit. Bones breaking. Organs popping. A brother and sister to him, gone from his life. Individuals who he had shared so much with. Broke bread with. Trained alongside with. Laughed and cried with. Gone. In an instant. Shattered and lost within the jaws of an inhuman enemy.

He yelled incoherently, in sync with his partner, and they raised their spear to avenge their fallen brother and sister. But the monster was faster. Far too fast. It leapt backwards and their spear missed, impaling the earth uselessly. One of its pack-mates exploited his momentary immobility and leaped upon him. The tactic was eerily similar to the one his team had employed earlier, though now turned against him.

His vision was filled with lesser, but no less deadly, jaws. He fancied he could already hear the metal giving away to the immense force. He had but moments to act. He and his partner acted as one, bringing their Franxx's arm up quickly and slamming the wrist into the creature's throat. He sincerely hoped the thing had a windpipe. He hoped even more that he had crushed it.

The monster was thrown to the side by the attack, jaws tearing free from his view. The creature landed nimbly upon all fours and it began to stalk in a circling motion, patiently waiting for another opportunity to strike.

He assessed the tactical situation as he moved to meet the beast. His squad was currently engaged with the rest of the pack, each Franxx pairing with a Klaxosaur. They fought tooth and nail against the creatures, human willpower and shaped-magma pitted against monstrous strength and savage ferocity.

The contrast between their two species only reinforced the nobility of their cause. He felt new resolve flood his mind. Strength returned to exhausted limbs. His squad would not fall here. His family would continue to live to fight another day, carried by their strength, unity, and shared purpose. And their purpose was to drive every last one of these demons to an early grave.

The enemy had not been prepared for our arrival. Within moments, we had engaged them, slaying one without trouble. Pulling away shortly after, we had let the rest of our siblings fight in our stead. And, as they fought, I studied the enemy.

I believed them to be of human origin. They certainly had the shape of my old species. Tall, long-limbed and covered in metallic skin, our foes were also distinctly feminine in design. They were highly-maneuverable as well, but their armor was lacking, as evidenced by the ease of the first kill. Each unit moved in coordination with their fellows, meaning that not only were they intelligent, but that they were trained as a team as well. Where one struck, another would cover their flank or follow up with a strike of their own. They were good, but not perfect as my experienced eye noted gaps in their defenses.

The enemy's leader, clearly identified by their bearing and heavy vocalization of barked orders, was simply a joy to watch. They spun about, twirling their spear to stab straight through one of the other's siblings that had tried to leap from above. Skewered by the leader, our sibling twitched before dying, losing control over its physical form and disintegrating even as the enemy leader slammed the corpse into the ground. No matter what the leader did, their allies swarmed around them in nigh-perfect coordination. To anyone else, they would have seen only strength, but to me, I only saw a lynch-pin upon which the enemy relied upon. A lynch-pin, which, if destroyed, could end the enemy's resistance.

The other agreed and adjusted our form accordingly.

Rearing up upon our hind-legs, I felt the ancient flesh-metal of our conjoined form groan as it re-adjusted. We became fully bipedal, our knee-joints cracking as they snapped into place to accommodate the new method of locomotion. Our chest, covered by a dense, inflexible breastplate since we had awoken, cracked straight down the middle as things expanded and re-arranged within our torso. The broad carapace split, thinning itself out as it adopted a more flexible configuration, and some of the residual mass flowed back along our body, striking out and re-forging into long, blade-like spines that twitched with our every movement. Massive pauldrons formed upon our shoulders, becoming thick things of chitinous plating. Our abdominal section was left relatively unarmored, only a layer of reinforced hide growing to protect it. Arm joints reformed, and all across our body, armor plates re-positioned to better serve as humanoid protection, for we now looked more like our foe than we did our screeching siblings. Even so, we were a gross parody of a man, as our hands and feet were still claws and talons, little more than lethal blades as our digits. Perhaps the oddest addition to our form was the growth and subsequent awareness of the maneuvering thrusters that sprung to life about our mid-section, enhancing our omnidirectional movements with bursts of powerful flame that could be triggered with but a thought.

We turned to face the leader just as they turned towards us. They launched themselves at us without hesitation, without fear or regard for personal safety. Admirable, but undeniably foolish, I thought. We braced for impact, the talons upon our feet gripping the earth. They flew at us with an incredible amount of speed and had we hesitated there and then it surely would have ended, but at the last possible instant, we moved. Newly-grown thrusters upon our left flank fired with tremendous force and we dodged out of their path, the burning-spear stabbing past us ineffectually. We pivoted mid-air by firing yet more thrusters, reorienting our bulk towards the enemy. The spines that struck outwards from our back flared skywards and engaged, a massive boost of forward thrust propelling us in a new direction. We hurtled forwards, arms outstretched, and slammed into the enemy with bone-jarring force. Our claws encircled the spear, gripping the shaft with our titanic strength.

I attempted to speak, but our mouth was not formed for man-speak, and so nothing came of it but a low, animalistic growl. So much for harsh language.

Our muscles flexed and we pried the spear away from them in a sharp, jerking movement, leaving them open to our next attack- a bite, one that saw our jaws unhinge before clamping firmly upon the enemy's left shoulder, just barely missing the neck as they attempted a desperate dodge. Clawed hands gripped the enemy's right shoulder and left hip, keeping them standing as we bit deeply into the shoulder. It almost looked like a passionate embrace of lovers, reuniting after an excruciatingly long time apart.

The screaming told an entirely different story.

His head slammed back against the seat, very nearly causing him to blackout from the pain. The entire Franxx unit rocked beneath him, shaking from the creature's assault. The strange variant of Klaxosaur had torn his weapon away from his hands with horrifying ease. Of course, what had come before had been even stranger.

The Klaxosaur had changed before his very eyes. He was used to seeing them reform and combine, but not like this. It hadn't simply changed shape. It had undergone a complete transformation from a beast-like form and into a fully-humanoid form in an instant. A horrible thought wormed into his mind: the blasted thing resembled a Franxx more than it did a Klaxosaur. As if it had evolved. But, surely that was impossible? They were just mindless creatures, nothing more. Right?

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, as well as to keep himself from blacking out. He could hear it roar at him. At least that hadn't changed.

It surprised him by lunging forward. He yanked hard on the controls in a vain hope of putting distance between them and it. It didn't work.

His partner howled in pain as the Klaxosaur's jaws clamped around their shoulder like a vice. His partner visibly writhed as the neural feedback assaulted her mind, sending her boy squirming. She arched her back and let loose with a scream, and her shattered voice almost brought him to tears, so struck-through with agony as it were. She held on with admirable strength, though, defying the suffering through sheer force of will. Both of them knew if she retreated from the pain now, it would only spell their doom, for her connection to the Franxx would be severed and they would be utterly defenseless before the creature. She would undoubtedly have nerve damage within her shoulder after this battle either way.

Code 090 made a silent vow that nerve damage would be her only concern after today. He wouldn't let her die.

"Hang in there!" He yelled encouragingly to her as he brought up a link with Argentea. Code 666's face appeared off to his right, the general current direction of Argentea herself.

"What do you want? Kinda busy here, man!" Code 666 exclaimed quickly as he saw who had contacted him directly.

"Code 66- Zorome," he corrected himself as he remembered the boy's 'name'. Such an odd bunch of parasites these children. "We need your help. There is a new Klaxosaur here. We can't handle it alone. We need your... specialization." He explained as tactfully and patiently as he could considering the rather dire circumstances.

"You want our help?" Code 666 asked incredulously. He chuckled. The bastard boy actually chuckled. "Yeah, man, we got you covered."

"Good, I'll prep the kill. You deliver the final blow. Just be swift."

His partner had reached the same conclusion as he had. This beast had to die. Now. They worked as one and their Franxx's arms reached up and wrapped around the beast's armored form. Working through the pain of the bite, his partner used all of her strength to hold onto the Klaxosaur, holding it to them tightly like long-lost lovers.

"Come on, Miku! We gotta save their assess!" The fool had left the channel open. He was willing to forgive them if they saved his partner's life though. He could hear 'Miku's' reply as well.

"Right, let's do it!"

I could feel the metal slowly giving away beneath our jaws, the armor rent by the diamond-hard fangs that filled our deadly maw. It would only be a few more seconds until we could rip the arm clean-off our enemy, and then it was all over anyways. It didn't matter who killed them at that point, whether it was us or our pack of lessor siblings, they were dead without an arm. After all, our first kill had bled a bright-orange liquid, and if that were possible, then they were all subject to death through bleeding, even if they had metal for skin.

Out of the corner of our shared vision, I bore witness to a desperate battle between one of our lesser siblings and a humanoid warrior. Our creature took a thrashing that ended with them skewered by the humming energy-blade of the enemy combatant, but the creature gave as good as he took. Screaming as he did so, our sibling fought through the wound, pulling themselves down the shaft of the spear and into range of the enemy. They launched out, grabbing ahold of the enemy's throat and tearing it free in a jutting spray of arterial-orange, killing even as they died. The two opponents sank to the ground as one- dead, by each other's hands.

How fittingly tragic. I thought to myself before I saw it.

There was something moving towards us, sailing over the heads of our mass-grown kindred that made up the bulk of our allies. It moved at an incredible speed, and I could only barely catch the sight of a hot-pink blur before it descended from above- descending directly towards us.

Realization dawned in our shared mind in that instant, and we desperately tried to pull away from our current foe less we be out-flanked so easily. But, we found that such a feat was impossible, for our enemy had wrapped their arms about our torso, ensnaring us and keeping us from turning to meet the new arrival. Panic threatened to rise up from within us, an instinctive remnant from both our distinct evolutions, but I was able to quickly crush it with my iron-hard discipline. As for the other, they worked to free us from our entrapment, re-routing power through our limbs and swelling our muscles in an instant. Bio-armor across our form struggled to contain the vast increase of strength.

We withdrew from the enemy's embrace, breaking their arms in the process and shrugging them away. They let out a piercing shriek, which was quickly silenced when we delivered a sudden kick to their face. I only had time to register their face carved inwards before we were turning to face the new-arrival, already forgetting the old-foe.

They slammed into the ground before us, rising quickly from a kneeling position. I studied them in the moment before the battle was joined. The arrival was slim, like the old-foes, but there the similarities ended. Its bone-white chassis was splattered with those vibrant hues found in only the rarest of exotic wildflowers, which made the humanoid warrior impossible to miss in any circumstance. The silhouette was clearly of feminine design, and for whatever reason that was I could only begin to guess. Twinned-fins upon 'her' head served no discernible combat purpose, and there wasn't even a reinforced visor upon the face to offer extra protection.

What fool had designed this abominable fusion between a war-machine and an art sculpture? It was like a clown had been allowed to sit-in on the design council.

The jester held their arms outward, and with a flick of their wrists, bright-orange claws extended from their knuckles. I instantly recognized the shining metal as the same material that topped the spears carried by their grey cousins. And that is when I realized that the new-foe served as a specialist of some sort and that their... 'unique' coloring must have been some way of identifying them at range. And, considering their claws, that particular role was most likely some sort of close-quarters combat expert.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

The other and I decided as one entity to take the initiative. We moved quickly, activating the newly-grown thrusters that lined our dorsal spines in order to produce a shocking amount of speed that propelled us directly at the enemy. Perhaps, it was a foolish move to engage a CQC expert in close quarters, but since we had the claws to match their own, I doubted a better decision could have been reached.

We clashed together, the enemy raising their limbs in-time to fend off our attack. Their gleaming claws were struck by our's and within seconds at least a dozen blows had been exchanged. They were much faster than the other enemies we had faced, and they seemed to at least match our strength. They swiped and we ducked and then we followed by slashing upwards in retaliation, but they simply flipped backwards, their stilted legs landing a kick to our chin and knocking us back a pace. Momentarily unbalanced as we were, we were unable to defend the piercing strike that gutted us. Looking down, the enemy had buried both of their claws into our abdominal region.

There was a sharp feeling of pain from the wound, and it only escalated as they violently twisted their torso to the side, wrenching the blade-claws free alongside a few chunks of flesh. I gasped, and it turned into a guttural growl. The machine looked up at us, and they held the oddest expression upon their face.

"The hell?! Why isn't it dead? Didn't we get the-"

We drove a fist into their face, sending them reeling back. We followed up the attack with another, and another, and another, each blow seeing them driven back another step as we turned their face to ruin; though for all our effort, their armor held far better than the other's we had faced. We ended our brutal assault with a gut-punch that lifted them off the ground and sent them tumbling. We weren't finished, however, and were already stepping forwards to deliver the final blow to their neck when the other sensed something amiss and cried out a warning to me.

I heeded it.

With much haste and far less grace, we pushed backward, narrowly avoiding the crunching impact of another mechanical-warrior. They slammed into the ground where we had stood but a moment before, preventing us from finishing their pink-clad ally, and then they turned to us, presenting a new and even stranger foe than the last.

Where the other had been obviously geared towards close-combat, this one must have been designed to fill some sort of niche role within the enemy's force. Their legs ended not in maneuvering stalks, but in great blades made of the same material that served as weapons for the others. They were also the same in that a bleached-bone chassis seemed to be the dominant color, but at least this one had only a few indigo markings across its form. It was by far the most oddly designed, however, as its arms were arrayed with long sets of metal tubes spaced evenly across the length of its arms. I could only guess at their fantastical purpose. They looked flimsy and fragile, completely unfit for a battlefield, but perhaps they served as some sort of specialized weapon.

I and the other decided to keep our distance for the moment, as the last one had been nearly a match for us. This turned to be a wise decision, as the jester had managed to struggle to their feet, and thus the tide had turned to a two-versus-one fight. But, that was okay in my mind.

It was an even fight.

At least, it would have been, but then the sing-song voice returned in full-force, paralyzing us with her words.