Black Feather: Episode XXVIII
"Dove and Crow"
Uncharted Region LR-UR/74
6:31 p.m., 03/18
"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!" A blast from behind collided with Chaotic Ruby's back, nearly making it fall. Iris was ahead of Rose, boosting backwards and firing her rockets at a gargantuan creature four times the height of an AC, with a leg span of a football field. Iris drained the last of her rockets and switched to her sniper rifle, which proved ineffective when the bullets glanced off the abnormal exoskeleton. Another blast from the giant's mouth sent Rose to the ground.
"Rose!" Iris boosted forward and stood at Rose's side. In desperation, she fired her sniper rifle repeatedly at the tremendous arachnid. All of the bullets bounced off.
One more shot...
One more...
The giant was a gushing relic of fire.
Iris stared in disbelief. Had her rifle worked?
Far behind the burning giant stood two ACs. One was as white and pristine as fresh snow, while the other was as dark and elusive as night. They turned around.
"This is Angeline and Nera. Do you copy?"
"Huh... Y-yes... This is Iris. My comrade is injured." Iris staggered in surprise. She didn't expect any other ACs in this hellhole.
"There is a transport in the vicinity waiting for you. I suggest you move it." The dark one spoke.
"My comrade is immobilized... I need help." The white AC motioned its arm in the air in response to Iris' request. Two worker MTs appeared from behind a mound. They helped Rose up and boosted her to the transport, as her core's posterior was destroyed. Iris, looking on at the MTs, turned back to the duo. They were quiet.
"Thank you. How can I repay you?" If Iris were out of her AC, she'd bow to them.
"By answering this question." The shining one spoke.
"Where is our brother?" The two inquired together. Iris looked puzzled.
"Who? Your brother...? I'm sorry, I don't have a clue..." Iris found the ensuing silence intense. Suddenly, they fluttered off in the direction the MTs went.
"W-where are you going?" Iris watched the two sail ahead.
"We've lost contact with the MTs." Iris decided to follow them.
______________________
Rose found herself in a confounding position. Two smoldering heaps of metal lay beside her. Chaotic Ruby was immobile, lying weakly on the freezing earth. Her right side screen had shattered, its shards slept on the flat surfaces. Some of them were tipped with blood.
Her vision in a blur, Rose gave a last look at the HUD. Dark silhouettes of giant arachnids loomed in the distance. The titans crept closer and closer. Using every bit of strength in her ebbing body, she positioned the controls and pointed all of her weapons at the closest giant.
Bursting into clouds of flame, the giant fell back. Voices echoed in her head as she lost consciousness.
"...et...n...the......nsport!!! ......e'll... ld... m... ff..." Muffled cries beckoned Rose to awake, but the cockpit deactivated. The darkness comforted her; Rose couldn't tell if her eyes were closed or not, but she was too weak to care.
Black out...
______________________
"...Are you alright...? ...How are you feeling...?"
"...mm......wha..."
"...I told you..."
"...Told... me what...?"
"...That you have to be careful once you left..."
"...I know... Things happen..."
"...You should be recovering... It's a good thing your core had above-average shields... Just rest up and you'll be fine... Sayuri."
"...Who are you...?"
"...Don't you remember me? Yuka..."
"...Yuka... Is this a dream...?"
"..."
"...Well?"
"...My time is near... I must go..."
"...Wha... Wait! Don't leave me again! Yuka..."
...A name so familiar and yet, so strange and foreign...
...Yuka...
_____________________________
I no longer felt confined in the cramped space of the cockpit. Air freely swam around me. Was it all a dream?
"Rose...? Are you awake?" Iris' voice awoke me. I found myself in the transport again, lying on the bottom of a bunk bed located in the back. Iris sat on a chair to my right, while an on-board doctor shuffled around some spreadsheets. A warm towel was damp on my forehead.
"Yeah... I'm awake..." I was surprised that my voice was so quiet.
"Will she be okay?" Iris displayed genuine concern.
"She'll be fine. A few cuts from the glass are nothing to worry about. Absorbing all those shots must've knocked her out. Even in the cockpit, the pilot is not safe as long as he/she is in combat." The doctor stood up and exited the resting room. Iris looked back at me.
"Don't worry... We're almost home..." With that, she left the room also.
Home...
"Dove and Crow"
Uncharted Region LR-UR/74
6:31 p.m., 03/18
"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!" A blast from behind collided with Chaotic Ruby's back, nearly making it fall. Iris was ahead of Rose, boosting backwards and firing her rockets at a gargantuan creature four times the height of an AC, with a leg span of a football field. Iris drained the last of her rockets and switched to her sniper rifle, which proved ineffective when the bullets glanced off the abnormal exoskeleton. Another blast from the giant's mouth sent Rose to the ground.
"Rose!" Iris boosted forward and stood at Rose's side. In desperation, she fired her sniper rifle repeatedly at the tremendous arachnid. All of the bullets bounced off.
One more shot...
One more...
The giant was a gushing relic of fire.
Iris stared in disbelief. Had her rifle worked?
Far behind the burning giant stood two ACs. One was as white and pristine as fresh snow, while the other was as dark and elusive as night. They turned around.
"This is Angeline and Nera. Do you copy?"
"Huh... Y-yes... This is Iris. My comrade is injured." Iris staggered in surprise. She didn't expect any other ACs in this hellhole.
"There is a transport in the vicinity waiting for you. I suggest you move it." The dark one spoke.
"My comrade is immobilized... I need help." The white AC motioned its arm in the air in response to Iris' request. Two worker MTs appeared from behind a mound. They helped Rose up and boosted her to the transport, as her core's posterior was destroyed. Iris, looking on at the MTs, turned back to the duo. They were quiet.
"Thank you. How can I repay you?" If Iris were out of her AC, she'd bow to them.
"By answering this question." The shining one spoke.
"Where is our brother?" The two inquired together. Iris looked puzzled.
"Who? Your brother...? I'm sorry, I don't have a clue..." Iris found the ensuing silence intense. Suddenly, they fluttered off in the direction the MTs went.
"W-where are you going?" Iris watched the two sail ahead.
"We've lost contact with the MTs." Iris decided to follow them.
______________________
Rose found herself in a confounding position. Two smoldering heaps of metal lay beside her. Chaotic Ruby was immobile, lying weakly on the freezing earth. Her right side screen had shattered, its shards slept on the flat surfaces. Some of them were tipped with blood.
Her vision in a blur, Rose gave a last look at the HUD. Dark silhouettes of giant arachnids loomed in the distance. The titans crept closer and closer. Using every bit of strength in her ebbing body, she positioned the controls and pointed all of her weapons at the closest giant.
Bursting into clouds of flame, the giant fell back. Voices echoed in her head as she lost consciousness.
"...et...n...the......nsport!!! ......e'll... ld... m... ff..." Muffled cries beckoned Rose to awake, but the cockpit deactivated. The darkness comforted her; Rose couldn't tell if her eyes were closed or not, but she was too weak to care.
Black out...
______________________
"...Are you alright...? ...How are you feeling...?"
"...mm......wha..."
"...I told you..."
"...Told... me what...?"
"...That you have to be careful once you left..."
"...I know... Things happen..."
"...You should be recovering... It's a good thing your core had above-average shields... Just rest up and you'll be fine... Sayuri."
"...Who are you...?"
"...Don't you remember me? Yuka..."
"...Yuka... Is this a dream...?"
"..."
"...Well?"
"...My time is near... I must go..."
"...Wha... Wait! Don't leave me again! Yuka..."
...A name so familiar and yet, so strange and foreign...
...Yuka...
_____________________________
I no longer felt confined in the cramped space of the cockpit. Air freely swam around me. Was it all a dream?
"Rose...? Are you awake?" Iris' voice awoke me. I found myself in the transport again, lying on the bottom of a bunk bed located in the back. Iris sat on a chair to my right, while an on-board doctor shuffled around some spreadsheets. A warm towel was damp on my forehead.
"Yeah... I'm awake..." I was surprised that my voice was so quiet.
"Will she be okay?" Iris displayed genuine concern.
"She'll be fine. A few cuts from the glass are nothing to worry about. Absorbing all those shots must've knocked her out. Even in the cockpit, the pilot is not safe as long as he/she is in combat." The doctor stood up and exited the resting room. Iris looked back at me.
"Don't worry... We're almost home..." With that, she left the room also.
Home...