Chapter 12: A Coming Storm
A new day had arrived, and it marked a grim heart-pounding event for the white-haired carrier. She had received a silent morning meal courtesy of Takao. The Sakura Empire woman hadn't had much to converse with the injured woman after hearing the harsh events that transpired from her sister and Nagato.
E-2 didn't care about the image that she painted. If they were finally starting to hate her, then she was more than happy to keep pushing it along. She stood on her bed in the silence of the warehouse that would make an occasional noise from the wind coming into contact with the old metal. Aside from that, she found the silence to be harmonious as her only source of sound played in her mind. It was at that moment; that she decided to become more proactive in the time that she had. At one point, she had an advantageous notion that she would regain her strength here while they considered her to be a pacified threat, only for her to forge her perfect counterattack when the time was right, and when they least expected it. The prior events had infuriated her to the point that she discarded her previous notions, and she didn't mind if her power wasn't fully operational. She now desired to get out of this place as soon as she could. Luckily, she still had an ace up her sleeve that harbored the element of surprise and that was her faithful eagle. Her eyes closed to establish the connection as she did before however, she failed to connect with the only companion she had. A sense of dread washed over her for a second, until she realized that she could still sense her eagle out there, even if she couldn't see what he saw or was able to communicate.
Her anxiety about the reasons for having this ability was not lost on her as it fortified fleeting fears that she continued to push deeper and deeper into the corners of her mind. For now, nothing else mattered to her other than fulfilling what her body, mind, and soul harmoniously agreed on, escape.
Half an hour went by, and the metal doors of the warehouse opened. The light bled through the opening, catching the injured woman off guard. Four figures emerged from the light with the infamous wheelchair that E-2 had begun to dislike.
"E-2, the time has arrived. Shall we meet destiny head-on?" Came the words of Takao. Her voice and face were both serious. The other three that were with her were Hornet, Zuikaku, and Atago. They all looked serious as well with worried expressions about what today would hold.
"Hmph. I wonder how long you stood awake last night thinking of that line. Destiny is outdated for me—I already know how my story ends." She cracked a broken smile that triggered all four of the women in different ways.
For Hornet, it was ultimate sadness. For Zuikaku, immense anger. For Atago, deep pity for E-2. And lastly, for Takao, another sadness much like Hornet's but different. This was someone she had hoped to fight against as a friend, but she started to accept that maybe it was a pipe dream not meant to be.
She was taken out of the docking area and toward a place full of cherry blossom trees. The smell in the air filled her with a sickly sweetness that made her want to vomit, probably because she had always associated these smells as the harbinger of battle with the Sakura Empire in the past. Her past came to focus, and she built up a solid conclusion as to what she was and where she had come from. It didn't provide her with any warmth but at least it was better than the alternative that she dreaded could be the truth.
The paved path of cobblestone broke her out of her deep thoughts when she started to feel the wheelchair fight back against the ground. She turned her head to the side and noticed that she was being taken over a stone bridge with a crystal-clear pond underneath it.
Once past that, a white building stood in the foreground of her vision. "I see. A secluded facility away from prying eyes. Deep into the trees for maximum privacy. Would anyone be able to hear me scream out here?" She said with playful mocking.
"I wish we didn't have to hear you—period!" Came the angry spat from Zuikaku.
"That's enough! It's too early for spats of anger," declared Takao. Her stern voice had forced Zuikaku to retreat her temper and brood in silence at the white-haired woman. She wished she could have spent another day at Azur Lane like she did yesterday with Enterprise, even if the maid had tagged along with them.
(Zuikaku's flashback)
Her memories of yesterday replayed with fondness. She and Enterprise had walked together toward the dock area to observe how the Eagle Union's strongest carrier ship was progressing. The ship looked better than it did before. A grand amount of work and love had been poured into it, not just by Akashi, but by other fellow shipgirls that knew their way around a blowtorch, hammer, and the like. The large carved indent was a thing of the past with fresh metal and concrete, expertly laid out on the platform of the carrier ship.
Seeing her ship brought a happy smile to the Eagle Union's face. While her ship was a representation of warfare that she disliked, it was also a part of her ultimately. It meant the same amount to her as it did to all her allies. It was all interconnected, to protect her friends she needed her rigging, and her rigging needed a reason to fight.
Their stay at the docks was short-lived when she unavoidably glanced at the inevitable progress of her counterpart's ship. That ship invoked a depressing aura to it, filled with untold destruction and doom. She tore herself away from the cracked mirrored version of her ship.
"I'm so proud of you that you're up and about today, Enty. You even look a whole lot better than before—ack! That's not to say that I was implying that you looked ugly—no, no, just that you looked healthier." Zuikaku had opened her mouth when they had left the docks. Her words stumbled all over the place which brought a burning red face to herself.
Belfast, who had been walking behind them with a silent brooding pout, sighed at the brown-haired woman. There were times that she wondered how that Sakura Empire could even be her love rival if she had a habit of shooting herself in the foot. The maid's pity look became a thing of the past when Enterprise found herself laughing at the nervous words of the other woman.
"Zui, I know what you were talking about, relax. It's odd for me to think of myself as beautiful anyway. I guess I never gave it that much thought," she said with a humble shrug and a fond smile that would make anyone weak in the knees.
Zuikaku and Belfast could see a golden moment before their eyes, and the one to capitalize on that moment was Zuikaku. "R-really? Because… you're quite beautiful…" she forced down a large blush that almost made her pass out, the only thing that kept her from doing just that, was seeing the outcome of her words.
Enterprise remained silent for a second, taking it all in, and then held a hand close to her face. "This is all so sudden. Well, thank you for those kind words, Zuikaku. While I don't ever take the time to think about that, it does feel nice to hear it from someone else."
"Don't feel bad about not noticing. If you ask me, the fact that you don't care about that kind of stuff just proves how humble and so not self-centered you are."
"But of course. Enterprise's charm comes from her selflessness and heroic nature to protect the ones she loves. She has more pressing matters than gawking at herself in a mirror," stated Belfast with harsh eyes at the brown-haired swordswoman.
"Yeah, thanks for that input, Belfast. I do have eyes," she said the last sentence with a whisper to the Royal Navy.
"Let's change the topic, you two. I feel uncomfortable being put in the spotlight when it comes to topics like beauty. While others might be into that sort of conversation, I'm a fish out of water in that." She walked past them with her intended course being the academy grounds.
Zuikaku stared daggers at the Royal maid when Enterprise had moved ahead. "So, what now- passing maid? Are you finally deciding on stepping up?" Her tone was bossy and assertive with her hands on her hips.
Belfast felt offended but made no move to ignore those harsh words. "At the risk of devaluing myself in this petty little competition with you, I have."
"Oh, what's so petty about fighting for the woman you love?" She mocked the maid with a school-yard smirk like a kid wanting to dare another to pick up a bug.
"It's not about that. It's the way we are going about it that feels so childish. Blowing up Siren ships for mere flexing, shoving each other to get her a drink, underhanded insults tossed around by us. That all needs to stop. She's not some grand prize that is waiting for one to finish this race first. Only she has the power to decide if she wants a relationship."
"You're right, but that's not going to stop me from treating her like a queen." The fact that she felt flushed and lightheaded by even talking about Enterprise in that way spoke volumes to the Crane sister.
Belfast closed her eyes to center her thoughts after hearing the passion of Zuikaku's words. "My, what a provocative claim. A queen is someone to protect and serve, but not one to intimately exchange sweet nothings with. I'll stick to the plain role of a lover without resorting to such titles.… my wish for this little… thing that's going on with us, is to be handled like grown-ups pursuing another would be like."
Zuikaku found a humorful pleasure in the maid's words. "And how would that be? Lacking in drama? Passionless? Robotic-like? A lot of romance novels always have that fire of competition with the drama always being pushed to the limit. Face it, passing maid. No love is pursued without accepting that you could get burned from it. That's what makes the journey of conquering the love of the one you like, so… explosive and lacking in common sense."
"Preposterous! Then why don't you shout it out loud right now and tell her how you feel? That would sure be explosive and filled with drama when everyone nearby catches your sweet words of declaration," said the maid.
"W-well… I'm waiting for the right moment. My actions will be what will make my words more powerful later. Besides, words are not my strong suit, so I rather let my actions carry me more before I form the right words."
"I see… a very sensible idea, Miss Zuikaku. There is always a place for discretion, after all. However, do prepare yourself for that competition that you speak so highly of. I will no longer idly stand by and let you advance what delusions you might have."
"And yet… you find yourself taking arms against these 'delusions' of mine. You see my potential in sweeping Enty off her feet as something real, that's all I ever wanted from you. Then fight, Miss Belfast. Show me that your undelusional love is stronger than mine." Zuikaku extended her hand out with a gentlewoman's agreement handshake to her love rival.
Belfast stared down the hand in front of her with deep thought. This was her point of no return. The moment where she had to fully commit what her heart yearned for. An unseen battle of love would soon take place, fueled by their tactics on how to approach their crush. One with discretion and cautious advances, and the other with burning, bold, and passionate moves. Of course, they weren't locked into these styles if they had better methods and had the freedom to mix it up as they desired. All's fair in love and war after all. "Very well. I hope there are no hard feelings when this is all over, and I'll try not to throw too much fire your way." She squeezed Zuikaku's hand, making sure that she held back her anger and didn't crush it, this was also the same for the other.
"Oh no, playing with fire is kind of my thing," she said with a smirk.
Their eyes never strayed away from each other. A new sense of respect formed in the brown-haired carrier toward the royal navy maid. They both now surged with the same level of unrestrained motivation to capture the heart of the Eagle Union.
"Hey, are you both okay?" Enterprise broke the intense fire in their eyes that only they could comprehend.
"You betcha! We were just having a chat about naval tactics," said Zuikaku.
"You were?" A sparkle of intrigue filled the Eagle Union's eyes. It was hard not to for one who had once surrounded herself with only combat details and fighting. She had a whole mind chamber of useful information that would interest any who was on the topic. At least now, she could provide friendly tips on a casual level without feeling like that was all who she was.
(End of Flashback)
The scene melted away from Zuikaku's mind, along with the smile that Enterprise had on her face when she started to talk about her combat tactics.
What replaced the smile, was the counterpart of Enterprise's glare and frown. "Do you have a staring problem?" Pierced the words of the injured woman that fully brought Zuikaku back.
She looked away with an annoyed blush on her face from being caught. "Pfft, like you're one to talk."
They reached the white building that stood imposing over the vegetation in the area. At the front of the building, Akagi, and Akashi stood at the door.
"Are we all assembled?" Stated Akagi, earning her a resounding nod from all the others. "Good. Let's begin the first stage of testing immediately," she said as she allowed them to enter the building.
"Where's Lady Nagato?" Asked Takao when they entered the main room that housed a metal operating-like table at the center. Aside from that, various kinds of machinery lined the walls, and at the back of the room, a large metal sphere with rotatable rings loomed. The perimeter around the center had metal railings as well.
"What the heck is that?" Asked Hornet to the sphere that remained motionless.
"Lady Nagato is busy with important matters, or that's what she claims. She almost sounded like she didn't want to be around our prisoner. As for that device, this is what will tell us how she operates inside of her. It will all be revealed once we place her on the table," replied Akagi.
They worked together to unstrap E-2 from the wheelchair but in the next instance, the white-haired woman made one last attempt to escape. She used her left arm to strike Takao on the side of the neck, rendering her to drop to the floor in pain. The wild-haired woman then headbutted Zuikaku in the forehead while the Crane woman was still processing her ally's sudden takedown.
Now on her feet, with the momentum she garnered from her two successful hits, she locked with the next target that stood between her and the door. Her left hand was already raised to deliver a strike when she made eyes with a stunned Hornet. E-2's body halted further action, as she was unable to deliver a cold strike toward the blonde woman.
This brief hesitation had allowed Atago to hit her with the hilt of her katana on the side of her neck, making E-2 quickly drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
"Sigh, forgive me, Enterprise. I hope that you weren't somewhere public at the moment," said Atago with a frown. She hoped for the scenario in which the Eagle Union had just woken up, changed to daily clothes, and only to be seamlessly knocked out from unknown pain at the back of her neck that made her drop back onto the bed.
"How bad was that strike!?" Roared Akagi. She had made her way to the sphere to double-check last-minute things when she saw the strike delivered to E-2.
Atago was already rubbing the sore spot on her sister's neck who still looked out of it with hazy eyes. "We're all okay, too… thanks for noticing." She paused and sighed heavily. "Relax, she must have known that some damage might be a given when she allowed us to study her. I assure you that my attack will not leave a mark," she said with stern brows.
"W-what happened?" Groaned Takao as she made sense of why her world was turned sideways a minute ago.
While the perky cruiser answered her sister's question, Hornet found the strength to move her body and make her way to Zuikaku. "Zui! That headbutt looked pretty nasty, are you okay? How many fingers am I holding out?" She held out three fingers toward the Crane sister that had trouble focusing.
"H-hey, I didn't know that Enty had younger twin sisters," she said with half-seriousness, as the other half was there to make light of the headbutt to calm Hornet's worried tones.
"Very funny but don't try to be a jokester right now. That hit really did look bad."
"I'm fine!" She didn't mean to yell out that part, but her wooziness got the better of her. "This one was focused more on the forehead compared to the last one that almost broke my nose. I think she would have broken it this time if she did aim for my nose. Ugh… she's like a pirate that would rather ram her vessel into another," she shook her head to rid the last of her dizziness.
Once everyone was back on their feet, they placed the still unconscious white-haired woman onto the metal table. Metal straps wrapped themselves around her wrists and legs to avoid further attacks being orchestrated.
"She seems to be perfectly centered. Now, Akashi, is the machine ready to be used?" Said Akagi.
Akashi was on the opposite side of the room with all kinds of levers and a screen in front of her. "It sure is, nya! Of course, I designed this device based on your specifications from an older machine that we had in storage— just modified for this occasion, nya!"
"Thank you for the summary, Akashi. While this is indeed my design, I do lack the engineering talents that you have honed perfectly. For that, please feel free to operate it as you see fit while considering my input."
"You got it, nya!" Declared the catgirl with enthusiasm for playing with a new piece of equipment.
"Good. Begin by turning on the machine to twenty-five percent to see how she fares."
Akashi did as she was told. The sphere's rings began to rotate slowly, gaining more speed as time went on. The metal table that E-2 laid on soon began to glow with symbols etched into the metal that could not have been seen earlier.
All the other shipgirls stood with their mouths open at the alien-like experiment that bordered on ritualistic due to the ominous green glow from the symbols.
"Akagi, what is the reason for this device again?" Asked Takao with added worry. It was not that she didn't trust Akagi to handle Siren-related matters. A good reason for her fears was the black mental cube that was misused by the brown-haired woman that ended up causing a lot of problems. She hoped that she didn't regret having Akagi handle this delicate Siren-related project.
"Hmph, your worries are noted, Takao. This device will not harm her in the slightest, so rest easy knowing that Enterprise won't feel any pain. As for the device, this sphere takes energy from the host on the table and mixes it with its own energy, which is Siren powered by an almost depleted power core of one of our mass-produced ships."
"You still had Siren energy cores from the decommissioned Siren ships?!" Shouted Hornet.
"Just this one, and it's not what you think. These cores are useless without the black mental cube consistently giving them their energy source. You could think of them as glorified water tanks that only hold what the black mental cube was providing for them."
"Then how is this device able to continue? Is it only going to be draining energy from the host? I can imagine the cores already tapped out power to have already died out by now." Questioned Zuikaku.
"True. It's because of her. Akashi and I decided to take a leap of fate on the fact that she was born from the black mental cube. She could very well have the ability to self-power the device and core, as well as to take over once the core's original energy is drained."
"Yeah, nya! The reason for this would give us a more in-depth look at her structure since it's piggybacking off her energy for the foreseeable future. It's harmless and will only make her tired for a bit after the session is done."
"I see. Then what information will this device tell us?" Asked Takao.
"Everything, all we need is to poke and prod until we can find anything that might clue us in on why Enterprise and she are linked and have a bond of shared pain," answered Akagi. Her eyes were then filled with hopeful anticipation that maybe she could find a way to free her sister from the mind singularity that the Sirens imprisoned her in.
"Okay, let's see what twenty-five percent gives us, nya!" Akashi typed rapidly from the connected computer that worked with the sphere. The sphere then glowed faintly with a light source that ignited at the center.
Everyone, including Akashi and Akagi, gasped at a projected manifestation of the black mental cube.
Akagi narrowed her gaze. "So, this is how she sees her heart? Do not be alarmed. This is only a projection and the black mental cube is gone for sure."
"Huh, nya! Nya! Rotate that projection a bit!" Akashi was so caught up in her discovery that she hilariously forgot that she was the one controlling the machine. She began to rotate the projection until everyone's gasps were heard for another round.
Only half of the black mental cube was blackened with the other half glowing radiantly blue.
"The other half looks like a traditional wisdom cube… and it even resembles our own," said Hornet with wavering eyes. It was odd but she could feel a presence emanating from that side of the cube, a presence that reminded her of her sister that only further solidified the thoughts that she already had for the white-haired carrier.
"Can we figure out if she is a Siren from this device?" Said Zuikaku.
"It will take time. This sphere works in the way that it uses her energy to read off everything that makes up her. Things like memories, experiences, desires, and fears are all searchable through this."
"Wow, that's amazing," said Takao.
"Don't be too impressed. Call this a convenient situation in which her energy has a familiar connection to the Siren core we are using. This is only possible with the aid of Siren tech after all. It makes things easier because of that, and having any other energy used to read her would be like sailing through a fog."
"If that's the case, doesn't that answer the question that she is a Siren?" Declared Zuikaku.
"Not necessarily, she can be a by-product of them, like that of a machine or a lab rat like she put it before. Regardless, the time for answers is now. Akashi, begin searching through her memories first."
"Yes, ma'am, nya!" Akashi rotated the sphere's various rings until the projection of the cube zoomed inside itself to produce another image. The new image was of a moonless night that was unidentifiable.
"Is the image messing up?" Asked Akagi?
"No, nya! This is an outer layer of her heart that she relates to, but I can't make tails of what we are seeing."
"Wait, I hear water. This feels like a nighttime image of a sea," said Takao.
"Zoom in, Akashi," sternly said the Omni-tailed Sakura Empire.
Akashi would immediately regret fulfilling the request when another image replaced the dark sea. This new image was various quick images that assaulted the eyes without stopping. Everyone gasped at the sight of gunfire, flames, metal swinging through the dark, and arrows being fired.
Everyone could see that a battle was being played out with shadowy figures filling the image. Everyone was too caught up with the scene that they all failed to notice the rapid panic breathing of the wild-haired woman that still laid fast asleep on the metal table.
Akashi modified the scene to make it brighter for them all to see. The image was clear now. It was E-2 donning the same outfit that she had when they first encountered her in the mirror sea with her bow in her hands. She ferociously fought off a large number of faceless attackers with her skills and strength alone.
The display of power was hard not to ignore as it reminded Zuikaku of the destructive potential this woman held when she was at her peak. Zuikaku felt a feeling of dread and confusion when she noticed a single shadowy figure squaring off with E-2. The way that figure moved and attacked resonated with her on an uncomfortable level.
"Hold it, please focus on the one that's fighting with her!" Roared Zuikaku.
Her request was approved, and Akashi focused the image on the shadowy figure. Zuikaku's heart dropped when her face appeared in the image. In the image, that version of herself looked tired and focused with a fear that invoked a need to survive against her opponent who appeared to be not all that there with vacant eyes.
"Why am I there? What are we watching!?" Declared the brown-haired carrier.
"These seem to be… memories?!" Shouted Akashi from the screen.
Zuikaku gripped a nearby metal railing that perfectly showed how anxious she was to see this outcome through.
In the image, her counterpart failed to keep up with E-2's speed. The white-haired woman moved her hands seamlessly until she captured the katana from the hands of her counterpart.
Zuikaku staggered back when she witnessed E-2 ram the blade into the chest of her counterpart. The look of horror and bewilderment painted the tired face of the carrier on the projection, and her eyes grew lifeless as she slumped onto the shoulder of her killer.
"This can't be right—that isn't me!"
Akashi was the first to notice E-2 thrashing around on the metal table with a terror-induced panic in her sleep.
"Akashi, end this projection now!" Shouted Akagi.
"I'm trying too, but it won't respond, nya." Blaring alien-like sounds roared into reality from the projection. A looming dark vessel emerged from the darkness with a cannon, ready to strike down anything in its sights.
"Is that…?!" Akagi looked fearful of the outlined ship that she knew all too well. The scene ended with a titanic blast that made contact with the white-haired woman that killed the projection feed.
"Ahh!" E-2 awoke from her unconscious state with a gasp of air, and wide frightened eyes. Her body began to spasm, forcing itself to break free from the restraints.
"Is she having a seizure?! Get her out of those restraints!" Yelled Akagi as she dropped down from the metal ledge, she had been monitoring things.
Takao had been the one to reach the white-haired carrier, who had stopped thrashing around. "Her face is pale and cold. Is she breathing?" She went in for a pulse check while Atago had already begun to work on the metal restraints.
E-2's eyes, which were open all along, came back to life. She yelled a piercing cry into the room. Her head turned in all manners of directions until they landed on Zuikaku. "You're supposed to be dead! All of you are supposed to be dead!" Her yells were mad and incoherent to all of them.
"No one's dead, can you relax and listen to me—ah!" Takao felt the force of the wild-haired woman push her aside with her uninjured arm. She tried to make a run for it, but her knees felt like jelly that rendered her unable to properly stand. She fell onto the cold concrete floor in a daze, with enough strength to get her to the nearest wall.
"Stay back! All of you stay back! W-what did you all do to me!? That nightmare… was real… so real. The pain… I could feel my lungs burst as they filled with water. The burning feel of flesh… just like Enterprise's arrow… that was no dream!"
"She's losing it! Nya!" Yelled Akashi.
Zuikaku shook off the dreadful vibes she had received from seeing herself get stabbed in the projection and jumped over one of the metal bars to get to the center of the room.
Everything in E-2's sight was distorted as she refused to stop for a second and collect her bearings. A hand came out of nowhere and landed across the woman's face, sending her meeting the cold floor.
"W-what was that for?" Urged Hornet with a winched face, knowing full well that her sister felt that in Azur Lane.
The force of the slap had caused Zuikaku to hold her hand out in pain. "Ugh! You really are thick-skulled. Pull yourself together, Miss… I'm awaiting my destiny. All that talking big earlier and a little flashback spook you?"
A small bruise could be seen on the white-haired carrier's face as she forced herself to look at Zuikaku. "Y-you're one to talk. The visible shakiness in your voice tells me that what you saw got you spooked. This all doesn't make sense… you're dead… I remember now… I killed you with your blade. Ugh!" Her head started to throb uncontrollably, making her spasm, as more flashes of memories that were no longer distorted soon began to enter her mind. An image of the brown-haired Sakura Empire dying in one of her aerial explosions flashed in her mind. Followed by another instance where she held her head underneath the water until she stopped moving. Another one was when she gripped her by the throat and allowed one of her planes to ram into her from the air. Her stomach betrayed her, feeling the urge to vomit on the spot.
"She looks like she's having a nervous breakdown," said Takao softly.
"We need to do something." Hornet pushed aside the others and kneeled in front of the injured woman. "Hey, please relax before your heart gives out," urged the blonde.
"G-get away from me. You're not helping!" She carelessly locked gazes with the blonde, resulting in another flash of pain. In the past, whenever she saw Hornet, she would feel a throbbing pain in her head that was like static on a tv channel. This rang true when she also heard Belfast's giggle and the shipgirls when she arrived in Azur Lane. However, this was the first time when she received a clear picture aside from the violent ones that she got from Zuikaku just now.
For a minute that felt more like two seconds to everyone in the room, E-2 received a different memory; a pleasant memory. She had just awoken from her sleep due to the intensive knocking from her dorm room door. The one knocking didn't even bother to wait for a response until the door opened to reveal Hornet. "Hey, sis. Get up already. Don't tell me that you're staying in the whole day now?"
Another voice filled the room and E-2 realized that it was her speaking, however, that voice sounded like a version of her that was naive and less harsh but still carried a sense of uncaring flatness that she had. "Hornet, I told you to not disturb me this early."
"Yeah, yeah, sorry… but I need your godly luck today—please."
The puppy dog eyes of her younger sister filled her with a reluctant joy to humor her at least. She had a feeling that they never did things together that often, and it was one of those days to make an exception. "Do I even have a choice?" She said with sleep-filled slurs in her voice.
"Nah, I'll get you your clothes ready," said Hornet as she opened the closet of her sister. That closet had a mirror that once it was opened, the angle reflected the face of Enterprise where E-2's point of view had been looking at. The memory ended, leaving E-2 silent with wide eyes. She gazed upon Hornet's worried face and felt a deep shame wash over her that made her look away for the first time that didn't relate to pain.
"Can I get you up on your feet?" Urged Hornet for a response from her. She received none from the white-haired carrier.
"Here, let me help," said Takao and both placed a docile E-2 back onto her wheelchair. Takao glanced at Akagi who remained silent with a deep look. "Akagi, this wasn't the conclusion you were hoping for, but we need to stop for today."
"It's fine. It's not like this session didn't bear fruit. We were able to learn new things about her."
Takao agreed and helped Hornet take E-2 back to the warehouse cell.
Zuikaku stood alone with Atago, the events from the projection still holding a lingering effect on her.
"Do you need to talk?" Asked Atago with concern for her fellow sister-in-arms.
Zuikaku shook the tension and frustrations away with a scoff. "No, I don't need to talk about this. That wasn't me she killed because I'm still here, obviously. It was nothing more than a dream," she said sternly.
"That was no dream." Both looked at Akagi who had overheard the words of the Crane sister. "Those were memories of a distant past she lived, and they were real to her by the look of horror she had on her face just by seeing you."
"How can that be! A-are you saying that she could be from another world or dimension!?" Said Zuikaku.
"That possibility isn't as absurd as you would think. In your report, Purifier stated that she modified the cube to an unknown extent if that was the real issue here. What's to say that the black mental cube could have been a gateway to somewhere else?"
"No, that can't be it. That Siren was all high and mighty proclaiming that she was going to take in the cube to gain Enty's power. I doubt she would make something like that then."
"Unless she was unaware of that possibility when she modified it and fate took its course afterward," remarked Akagi.
"Ugh, you're making my head hurt. I'm out of here." Zuikaku stomped out of the building with an unshakable stubbornness.
"Hmph, Atago… any input?"
Atago placed a hand on her chin to think about it. "I don't, I'm afraid," she said with closed eyes.
"Akashi?" Said Akagi to her other companion.
"Nya, I just work the device, don't know any of this scary Siren stuff. I've learned to keep my paws away from that stuff when I first saw that scary-looking cube."
"Yes, forgive me then," said Akagi with some shame to herself when the cat-girl brought up the past. Akagi glanced upward to silently lock eyes with Prinz Eugen, who had been leaning on a railing platform above them.
The Iron Blood ship had seen everything that played out with a watchful gaze. She shrugged her shoulders toward Akagi to express her thoughts.
The aircraft carrier silently nodded in understanding.
(E-2)
A short while later, E-2 had been placed on her bed in her glass cell. Her face still looked drained and she looked semi-aware of her surroundings.
"We should get some medical help to check up on her," said Hornet to Takao. The twin-tailed blond found herself grabbing a rag to clean the sweat from the woman's forehead.
"I made a call for assistance, and they should be getting here soon." Takao's face turned surprised when the white-haired carrier had taken a firm grip on her arm. "No… I had enough of your people's meddling. Leave me to rest… that's the least you can do for subjecting me to that torture."
"We're trying to help you, so please lie down," said Hornet.
E-2 didn't have the strength to continue defying them and found herself passing out on the spot. She lost all sense of time while she was asleep. Her eyes forced themselves to open and her first observation was that she was alone. Also, nightfall had covered the outside world, telling her that she had been out almost the whole day. Her body felt like lead, and everything ached to a small annoying degree. After rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she noticed a plate of food sitting on the nearby desk.
An appetizing sandwich stood in front of her with many layers that created a salivating mouth for the white-haired woman. She half-expected a low-quality meal due to her rudeness with Nagato.
The sandwich still felt warm due to it being toasted meaning that whoever made it had brought it in recently. It had two kinds of meats with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Aside from the sandwich, there was a bar of chocolate and an apple.
The chocolate bar was a dead giveaway to who it could be if only she cared enough. She had the urge to shove the food to the ground and scream into the empty room for them to stop treating her with so much kindness.
She knew it in her heart that she didn't deserve anything thoughtful or warm from them.
She played back the memories that had been sharpened due to the machine that they subjected her to. She was not going to play innocent with herself. She had been aware of all the dark atrocities she committed; they had all seen what she had been seeing whenever she closed her eyes. The dark sea, the countless bodies that were Sakura Empire in origin, and the murder of someone they knew dying continuously.
She paused for a second as her head throbbed. It didn't make sense. None of it made any sense. The biggest outlier from her whole ordeal that originated from her dark unknown past was the notion that she had killed the same woman again and again. The only other thing that could compete with that would be the fact that she had faced that massive cannon on multiple occasions with her death always being certain.
Her knees felt like giving out when her thoughts had shifted to more pleasant ones, that was to say, that they weren't truly pleasant but good enough compared to her previous ones. She thought back to the dream that had Hornet in it. The feel of the dream felt like one of nostalgia that never lost its luster. It felt like a time far away and a time that never happened. A world so far detached from the dark sea that she couldn't fathom that she was the one talking to Hornet.
It wasn't her, was the conclusion that she came up with. A fraction of her mind wanted to tell her to ignore this feeling of uncertainty but logically, she knew the reason. "That was a memory of her… the one I must kill." That was indeed a memory from Enterprise's mind that had wormed its way into her mind.
A small voice in her mind echoed to her that they were one and the same and that she should understand. That very echo also invoked a feeling of jealousy toward her Eagle Union counterpart for having a warm memory while she had nothing but despair. In a way, her warm memories should also be hers, but they didn't translate like that to the injured woman. They were worlds apart in outlooks on how they saw life. In the end, the woman she hated would never understand all the hardships that have started to sharpen in focus from her past.
Her fatigue washed over her along with hunger. While she desired to throw the food to the ground, she knew it wouldn't be the wisest of choices. She swallowed her anger and stubbornness; the sandwich soon followed the same route.
Halfway into her food, a giggling sinister voice spawned from thin air.
The injured woman acted quickly and grabbed a book that rested near her. It shot out of her hand toward the direction of the sinister voice that lay behind her. The book flew through the chest of the unannounced visitor that smiled back at her with yellow eyes and a pale face.
"It's you…" uttered the injured woman with a dumbfoundedness to her feeble attack. She tried not to show how stunned and horrified she was that the book had gone through her like some ghost.
The Siren that now stood within her cell walls appeared to be mocking her with silent laughs. This was the same woman that she had encountered twice during her stay here.
"Neat trick. I assume that's the reason that no one else can see you except me?" Stated E-2, her voice maintaining a leveled tone.
"Oh, I guess I could say you're warm but there's more to it than just that. Was I disturbing your meal?" She held back a laugh as if seeing the woman eating was the funniest thing she had ever seen.
"If you're here to kill me, then do it already. Being in the same room as you makes me a whole new kind of sick."
The sinister smile died out from the Siren, and she looked faintly insulted and hurt by the comment. Nevertheless, she repaired her expression with a challenging smirk. She began to walk closer to E-2 with her radiant yellow eyes hardly letting up. "Chill for a bit. Whatever intention you think I have is a fantasy. Besides, how could I hurt you when I'm not even here." She walked through the glass walls like a ghost passing through solid stone.
"And here I thought you had some sort of weird camouflage. Is it the type where you can only be seen from one direction because of lighting?"
The Siren playfully tapped her finger on her chin to give it some humorful thought. "What an active imagination. To be able to send a projection behind enemy lines while maintaining its visibility to that of something directional based. Ha, you think just like someone I knew, but you're getting colder. Don't try to force that pretty brain of yours into overdrive now. Just see me as a ghost that can only be heard and seen through you and you alone."
"Shove your vagueness and tell me what you want. Or are you here to share the same fate as Purifier?"
"No, I rather not act all dumb as she did. Pfft, the nerves of her stabbing us in the back for a half-baked scheme like that. At least she was able to provide something of use." Her eyes continued to stare at E-2 with intrigue and fondness.
"Then leave. I won't have business with you or any other Siren."
"You're so much different compared to that Eagle Union girl scout yet, both of you are like kindred spirits. That look you just gave me could kill anyone ten times over. She lacks that murderous look of someone that had spent her whole life fighting to survive or maybe, it's not that intense as yours… just yet."
"What did you say?" Replied E-2.
"Oh, I thought it was obvious. There's more than just that hard exterior you got going there. There's also that broken and jagged feel of someone who long ago discarded all that unity crap that these shipgirls are all so upitty about. Got to give credit to Enterprise who didn't fall into the same path as you, such a boring outcome. But you… yes… you're not a champion, you're a survivor. You never needed any use of that at all. All you needed was your wits, your strength, and your unwavering means to an end."
E-2 felt a coldness in her heart that slowly spread all over her chest. This Siren woman seemed to know a dangerous amount about her that put her on guard.
She placed a hand upon the glass in a sympathetic way. "Enty… can I call you Enty? I'm going to call you Enty. I get it that you might hate that name but right now, it's the safest name to use for you. I know that you have so many questions about yourself and your life. I've seen you have some intense nightmares that call upon those fragments from the past. You must be so scared and confused, but don't worry, I can help you make sense of all that."
"Why would you do that?" Coldly retorted the injured woman.
"Because I'm one of the good ones! The others would like nothing more than to erase you from our equation regardless of the fact that you're a considerable unit to face in a battle that would further push us. They see you as a loose cannon that paints an ugly reflection. But I owe it to her to see this through."
"Who? Stop being cryptic—who are you talking about?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know? Sadly, I don't want to say anything else. This layout of a place is no good for that. Why… we can't even feel the presence of each other in this state. So, meet me in these coordinates." She raised her hands and then a white flash of light pierced the eyes of the injured woman.
E-2 let out a cry of pain as she dropped to the floor.
"Seriously, that hurt? Hmm, it's worse than I thought. My bad, I'll tone it down next time… if there is a next time. Don't keep me waiting, Enty. I expect you to show up in a week's time."
"Khh! You must not be that bright if you can't grasp that I'm locked in here," venomously retorted E-2 from her place on the ground.
"Oh… that hurts, but that's why I gave you a week. Besides, you could get out of this place if you wanted it. All you need is the right motivation. One week from now, Enty! Don't keep me waiting and consider this your first test." She continued to the exit of the warehouse and ultimately disappeared halfway there.
The injured woman rubbed the stinging part of her left eye that had arisen from whatever she did to her eyes. All she knew was that a set of coordinates had bled themselves into the foreground of her mind. They were a set that she couldn't even try and forget as if they had been beaten into her like a novice undergoing countless hours of piano practice.
"Right motivation…? Tss… there's nothing else I need aside from hatred." She would have to give her credit for one thing, she did have a way to escape. However, it wasn't ready yet, she wasn't able to set it into motion, and even if she could, what could she do in her condition? She was forced to play this off for a bit longer until she fully recovered and strike again at Enterprise when the time was right. Thinking about it now, she feared that the clock had begun to tick down, and she desired no more of those sessions that they subjected her to today.
She closed her eyes to establish her connection with her bird and she received no feedback from it. A worried feeling entered her heart if her only companion was all right.
There you have it, folks, the story seems to be picking up now. In these few days, I concluded that I'll be focusing my time on this story more, as I want to finish this story. All scenes and plot are all there but it's the process of writing them all down that is the true challenge. The next chapter will show how Enterprise dealt with the shared pain when E-2 was connected with the machine. There will also be some Zuikaku and Enterprise in that one too.