Unmei Force Shattered Heroes: Dark Day Tactics
Chapter 12: One Step for Hope
The allied force managed to find their way into a massive hangar, where the Great Owl had touched down in, as Cyrus helped to point the group towards a back entrance into the hangar itself.
"Isabella… The girl that you have been looking for… We knew her as Lutaria, as Mars had said before." Cyrus told the officers. "She lacked emotion or subtleness of any kind. She was a walking library with every conceivable military fact downloaded into her."
"Well, she's different now. Where can I find her?" Will responded back. "At least that explains how she knew so much about everything… She did save us several times before."
"She is presently inside the Great Owl. I can get you on board." Cyrus responded back.
"You seem to be fairly open to betraying your own father, even if he is only your creator, not your guardian…" Weiss stated. "We need to know what reason you would turn against your own parent, if we are to completely trust you."
"...Let me ask a question of you all, What is it that makes a human being?" Cyrus responded back. "Is it blood? Emotions? DNA? Is it heredity or memories or just their very environment? What decides if a human is good or evil?"
"...All of them." Keiji piped up. "And even more. A human consists of many parts, both scientific and non-scientific. You can't possibly truly understand emotion with the use of science, nor many non-tangible aspects of existence. To be more clear, a human is an enigma that we ourselves have not fully understood yet."
"I see. I am a clone of Dr. Caulder, built at a younger age." Cyrus stated. "He conducted experiments to see if he could transplant his mind into a younger body. For that reason… Mars and I were created, both to aid his quest for immortality. I was created to serve as a template for deceit, despite my nature, and Mars was created for a template as a mind solely dedicated to war itself, the 'perfect' commander. And yet, I feel that there is more to me than that. And I will prove it to him."
"That reminds me… what can you hope to do for Mars? And what has this got to do with relation to us?" Reisen asked back.
"...Believe it or not, Lutaria and Mars were very close to each other." Cyrus stated. "It was only a few months before I was created into this world. That time ago, Mars would have been as good of a young officer as he could. Despite his obsession over war itself, he was a decent human being who treated his peers with adequate respect, even though he could pass off as being slightly distant. He was the only source of comfort for all of us clones, even though Tabitha never wished to admit it, a proper brother figure to all of us, fulfilling a role that Caulder could never fill in his own volition."
"How close were Lutaria and Mars?" Ydine asked.
"As close as you might believe a standard brother and sister would. Mars always visited Lutaria, giving her gifts and kind words to try and help her break free of the emotionless shell that she was born with." Cyrus answered. "Bit by bit, he managed to teach her how to be human, if only slightly, with my help. Those were the only times that I felt like I had any material worth in my life, because it was the only moments where I felt I was truly satisfied and happy. But then the worst happened… Lutaria herself perished in an incident that was out of his control."
"She died… But then how…!?" Weiss exclaimed, before she then realized where this went. "Then what Caulder said about there being countless copies of Lutaria, Isabella being one of them…"
"That is right, Lutaria was remade from scratch from one of the clones." Cyrus stated. "Mars was mad with grief and anger. He snapped and almost ripped Tabitha apart in his rage, had it not been for Caulder sedating him and suppressing that memory from him. From then on, Mars became less and less close to the name 'Lutaria' with each passing iteration that he encountered. He could never love Lutaria again, because the original one was long dead, and when he eventually remembered, he let it go. Because of the loss of his loved sister, he became more pessimistic and more like a realist. He followed Father because it was his original purpose, and that's all that's left to him… And my only hopes to bring him back to how he was… is to use Isabella to help him recover what he had lost, and for you all to give him a better life."
"Cyrus…" Will stated.
"Come. Time grows short, and we must hurry." Cyrus stated, as he directed the group into the Great Owl's hangar, as it was desolate, save for automated robots performing the jobs required in the stead of humans. "The Great Owl is repaired and refueled by machines. There are no people here. All security systems and surveillance are computer operated."
"Because he doesn't trust humans at all with his 'masterpiece'." Weiss growled.
"Indeed. But machines, too, have their drawbacks. If I can hack into the system, we can board the Great Owl without detection." Cyrus stated. "We are very close. I ask that you all follow me closely."
The allied force immediately entered the Great Owl through one of its compartments, as they found themselves inside it, as it was large enough to store all of the force inside, as Cyrus stood by the doors.
"Cyrus… thank you for what you have done." Will told Cyrus with gratitude.
"To be honest, William… I am envious of you. Such companionship is an experience that will forever elude me." Cyrus admitted. "But that is not important right now. Remain still and do not act until you have reached the proper flight altitude. Once that happens, you will have the chance to take this compartment to reach one of the wings, and destroy the engines to take the Great Owl down. Don't lose this opportunity… you have people on the ground that count on your success."
The compartment then slowly closed, as the Great Owl began its flight preparations. Meanwhile, at the same time, Isabella was inside a small cell within the flying fortress, as she was on a small chair, bound on it by metal chains, as she could only look around listlessly, before the door opened, as Mars came into the room, followed by Tabitha, and a very young girl with short blue hair, yellow eyes, a long dark blue scarf with a white shroud around her blue skin-suit, and leather boots, holding a pink teddy-bear with stitches on its mouth.
"And how are we doing today?" Tabitha spoke with a glint of sadistic glee in her voice, only to get no response from Isabella. "I hear from Father that you will spend the rest of your life on board this plane! If you are lucky, he will find a use for you in one of his experiments. I can't wait to find out what it will be... Maybe he'll drop you out of the Great Owl with no parachute! How about that, hmmm?"
Isabella continued to stare back, as Tabitha stomped a foot to the ground with a pout on her face.
" Poo! You're so boring! Haven't you got anything to say after all this time?" Tabitha remarked, before she then walked over and tapped Isabella's head with a fist a few times. "Are you even awake? Hellooooooo! Hello in there!"
"Y-you are... Tabitha... You are my sister." Isabella uttered, before she then looked at Mars. "...And you are… Mars… my brother… and you…"
"Sister?! Your SISTER?! Me?! Ha ha ha! Oh, you do make me laugh!" Tabitha laughed, clutching the side of her head, cackling like a hyena.
"Why do you laugh? We are sisters." Isabella answered back stoically, as Mars looked away for a moment, with a expression of regret on his face.
"You are so very naive! You have no concept of how the world really works." Tabitha mocked.
"But you are my sister. We even look alike." Isabella replied back.
"People are so funny sometimes... You see someone who looks familiar, and you say to yourself, "Hey! She looks like me!" But did you ever stop to consider another possibility?" Tabitha scoffed. "Like, YOU look like HER! Get it? Like SHE's the original, and you're nothing but a copy? A fake?"
"I-I don't understand…" Isabella muttered.
"Huurrrgh…" Tabitha sighed like she bit into a lemon. "All right, let me try to explain this to you. I'll use small words, OK?"
Tabitha then lifted an open hand up. "Father had five children, Cyrus, Mars, Penny, Lutaria and Tabitha… That would be me!" Tabitha remarked. " Then Lutaria died when I went too hard on her in a training battle. All terribly sad... But it was fine, because there were lots of spare Lutaria clones stored on the Great Owl. It was all fine because…"
Tabitha then hesitated for a moment, as she placed a hand on her fore-head, as sweat began to pour from it, as her eyes lost focus, as if she remembered something terrible, before she then fell onto her knees, with both hands on the sides of her head.
"It's all fine… Nothing was wrong after that… Nothing was wrong at all…" Tabitha muttered. "Nothing happened after… nothing happened… nothing nothing nothing…"
As Tabitha went into a tizzy, Isabella heard the sound of bending metal, as Isabella raised her head, seeing that Mars's expression was indecipherable, although she could feel that there was a trace of animosity in it, and the creaking metal of the door in Mars's right hand proved that he was indeed disturbed.
"Brother is angry! Tee hee hee! Sister is going to get it!" The little girl exclaimed with innocent glee.
"SHUT UP!" Tabitha roared at the girl, who became silent, as the older girl pointed a shaking finger at Penny, before Tabitha herself regained her composure. "Now, where was I… Ah yes, as I was saying. Just another lab rat, which is what you are! A lab rat!"
"That was... That was me?" Isabella stated.
"That's why you have no memories, little rat. Because you were nothing! You have no life, no name, no feelings, no nothing! Just another rat raised in a tank of goo by Father." Tabitha scoffed.
" I always...wondered who I was. And now I know." Isabella remarked, before lowering her head. "I am nothing…"
" Oh, little rat! This is too much! Tell me, does someone who is no one feel sad? Do they fear death?" Tabitha remarked.
"I… I don't know." Isabella responded back. "...But I know this for sure… We're all miserable."
"Miserable!? MISERABLE!?' Tabitha snapped, as she was about to throttle Isabella. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT-"
Before Tabitha could finish her next sentence, Mars rushed forward, and grabbed Tabitha by the waist, before tossing her out of the room, as the girl was dazed against the wall.
"...Stay outside, if you know what's good for you." Mars growled, before he then smashed the door shut with all of his force, barely avoiding the fate of tearing the door of its hinges.
Isabella was stunned silent, before Mars then walked towards her, as she flinched slightly out of fear, out of the fear that Mars might harm her, only to feel Mars wrapped his arms around her gently.
"It's been so long… So long since I felt your warmth before… Lutaria… no, Isabella." Mars remarked. "...I'm sorry if this is so confusing for you… I just… simply want to hold you close, even if the moment is fleeting."
"Mars…" Isabella stated, before Mars released the embrace, and knelt before her.
"Don't let Tabitha's cruel words poison your mind. You're far more than nothing. You're a fortunate survivor. That can be more than said about the rest of the clones… they were truly automations in flesh, twisted in Lutaria's image." Mars stated, with a gentle smile on his lips. "...But you, you are the closest to the old Lutaria that I have come to hold so closely to my heart… To lose you, it has crushed me deeply, you must understand. Nothing could make me feel so warm in the heart than seeing that faint smile on your lips… But I guess even now… I'll never see it from you."
Isabella remained silent, before Mars sighed deeply.
"...If I can, I'll do my best to ensure that you will be able to live a proper life. Just a little more time… just a little more time and I'll have what I need to ensure that this sad chain of events will no longer happen." Mars stated, clenching his fists. "...Once the day comes… No longer does Penny have to cry in her bed about the countless miseries Father had inflicted on her. No longer does Tabitha have to deal with a toxic influence for her future… No longer Cyrus will have to be bound… and no longer will I have to suffer being a puppet on strings, to never fulfill the purpose that I was initially built for, before I too inevitably perish or become Caulder's vessel…"
Isabella noticed the sorrow in Mars's eyes, before she then felt a faint sensation in her, which felt familiar and made her perk up slightly, as she could attribute the feeling to someone.
",,,Will." Isabella muttered, as Mars heard the word, looking at her with intrigued eyes.
"...What was that?" Mars asked back. "Did you just say… Will?"
"Will… Will… Are you… there?" Isabella remarked, as her eyes wandered around, as if she was looking for the young boy.
"...The boy that you were with… Hm, this is peculiar." Mars stated, before turning to Penny. "Little Penny, would you kindly please tell me if you or Mr Bear can find anyone in the hangar?"
"Hold on! Let Penny ask Mr Bear!" The young girl, Penny responded back, as she placed an ear on her teddy bear for a few moments, before stopping. "Mr Bear says no! Mr. Bear says we are all alone… He also hates you."
"Of course, Mr Bear doesn't like brother much, doesn't he?" Mars chuckled lightly, before stopping. "That can't be right. Even if the IDS security machines cannot truly guarantee any signs of intrusion, they should have long been able to detect any disturbances that Mr Bear would have picked up. Unless… someone hacked the security, and I know only one person who could perform such a thing."
Mars then began to chuckle to himself, before he then went into uproaring laughter.
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! When I least expected it, the means to push my plans forward had made themselves clear and evident! Oh, Cyrus, you devious little brother of mine, you just gave me the stone to knock two birds out of the air!" Mars laughed. "Not only I can guarantee that the sole shred of Lutaria's personality doesn't die, but now, I can have them deal with the issue that I have spent years dealing with!"
After taking a moment to calm himself down, he then turned to Isabella. "You see, you hold value among the people who are about to rescue you. And because of that, you just helped your friends take the path to victory, because the pieces aligned for the way to be shown." He told him. "...I suppose that even if Cyrus left them the crumbs… the fact that they could deduce it and act swiftly upon it in such a short time-frame… It impresses me. I was right when I entrusted you to that boy… he has what it takes to secure your future."
Mars then turned to Penny. "Now, Penny." He told Penny. "A good little sister wouldn't tell on her big brother, wouldn't she? Penny is a very good girl, and she doesn't want to make Daddy mad. Brother only wants to ensure that this little secret is kept between us… Penny won't break a pinky-promise, would she?"
He then put out his pinky, as Penny looked at it for a few moments, before slowly wrapping her own around Mars. "...Brother is so fun to be with, and Penny doesn't want Brother to go away. Tee hee hee, Penny is going to be a bit of a bad girl and have fun with Brother~" Penny remarked, with a childish smile on her face.
"Good little sister. Now then, how about we take your big sister home, so that we can have a great reunion together?" Mars smiled back, as Penny nodded back, as the both of them left the cell, with Isabella all alone once again.
"...Will… Reisen… anyone… Somebody… Please find me…" Isabella remarked.
The Great Owl then finally took off, as it slowly climbed into the air, before finally moving above the clouds, where it leveled itself. At that moment, the group within the storage compartment noticed their chance to strike.
"We've reached cruising altitude." Weiss stated. "If we have a chance to strike, now's the right time…!"
"Alright, everyone, fight your way onto the Great Owl's right wing!" Will shouted, as the group announced their arrival, as Will's war tank blew a hole right through the gate connecting the compartment to the rest of the Great Owl, as they were destroying enemies left and right.
"Intruders! Intruders in Sector C! All forces, engage the intruders, before they damage the main sections of the Great Owl!" A female voice announced through the speakers aboard the flying fortress.
The group continued to push their way to the left wing of the Great Owl, as they blew right through the hull, before they landed right on it, although the velocity of the wind pushed a large part of the invading force onto the back of the wings, as they barely managed to stop themselves from being dangerously close to the far edge of the wing itself.
"It seems that we have shifted during our arrival here. And now we're all spread." Reisen commented on the current situation. "Fortunately, so are the enemies. As long as we fight defensively, we can push to regroup together and hunker down against whatever forces are present and push towards the cockpit once all enemies are confirmed down."
The indirect units began to fire upon any units that were within their range, as the anti-tank were put to heavy use to take care of the imposing enemy medium tanks and war-tanks, with their destruction giving other allied units the chance to bundle together and take down the enemy as a collective.
At the same time, Keiji's tank squad put their experience to full use, as their aim was deadly precise even in a windy battlefield, as the enemy squads were being wiped out one by one by direct hits. Reisen decided to hitch-hike on Will's war-tank, using a guided rocket-launcher to take care of the enemy forces, and Weiss was using a anti-tank vehicle to support the effort.
"Tee hee, Mr Bear! It's a Great Owl fight! Pschew! Boooommm!" Penny's voice was heard on the public channel.
"Of course it is, and they seemed to be fighting quite hard, despite having so little troops. Then again, they'll soon have the advantage of preparation. You might want to take this fight more seriously, Penny." Mars commented as well.
"Wait, the one who is leading the units to destroy us… is a child barely out of elementary school!?" One of the anti-tank operators exclaimed through the allied comms. "That's all sorts of messed up, no matter what the context is!"
"It doesn't matter. We can discuss her capture once we are sure that the enemy force is taken care of." Reisen stated. "There are only a few units remaining on the wing. All non-engaging units converge on Will's location, and prepare for a battle of attrition. The Great Owl certainly cannot have so few troops defending it."
The orders were followed quickly, as the tanks destroyed the remaining few enemy units present, and the rest hunkered around Will's position.
"Er… the enemy has wiped out all of our units, sirs. This isn't good." A female voice was heard on the other side.
"Boo! Get more units!" Penny stated.
"We're preparing more units to enter from the left and right sides, sir! But I fear that continued fighting may result in the plane losing-" The female voice continued.
"Stop questioning your orders, and follow them, agent." Mars stated. "Would you rather have them continue towards the cockpit unopposed? You may as well send everyone to take care of them, but that'll take time… time that is slipping away."
From several hatches beside the wings, more enemy tank squads appeared on the far side, while rockets were rolled out on the close side of the wings, creating a pincer attack on the allied force hunkered at the center.
"Good thing we have hunkered down." Weiss stated. "Prioritize the rockets! Let the enemy tanks come closer, before we tear them down with bombardment!"
The mobile part of the allied force moved towards the rockets, as cannons roared into action, taking out a large majority of the enemy rockets, before the enemy tanks made their move, although they were swiftly countered by the allied artillery, rockets and anti-tanks launching a merciless barrage that wiped them all off the wing, although leaving behind some damage on the wing that was worrisome.
"We can't hope to hold out a battle here. At this rate, we'll destroy the wing long before we can fight our way to the cockpit… there has to be a limit to their reinforcements…!" Ydine remarked.
"Then we'll have to sparingly use the in-directs and make sure each shot hits their intended target only." Reisen stated. "...All artillery and rockets, check firing coordinates before attacking. Avoid critical parts of the wing, we do not want to end up falling out of the sky."
The orders were followed, as the allied force mopped up the wave of enemy reinforcements.
"Er… Our reinforcements are being destroyed, sir." The IDS agent remarked.
"MORE! MORE!" Penny shouted with maniacal glee.
"Not enough. You heard Penny, bring out the next wave of reinforcements. The wing is still intact enough to keep us flying." Mars stated.
As the orders were conveyed, more enemy units appeared on the wing, as it was rockets on the far sides of the wing this time, and medium tanks on the close side, as the allied force were already close to the medium tanks approaching them.
"Looks like we are caught in a disadvantageous position." Reisen stated. "All mobile units, prioritize the destruction of enemy rockets! We need to limit indirect fire on both sides."
The tank squad immediately turned around, as they began to attack the enemy rockets, while dodging the bombardments, taking down some of the enemy rockets during their advance. The enemy medium tanks took little effort to take down, as Will's war tank blasted an entire squad right off the wing, as they disappeared under the clouds, falling.
The anti-tanks took down the enemy rockets from a distance, while the medium tanks moved into close-quarters to gun down the stragglers, as the Great Owl's wing was clear once again, although the damage had spread even further.
"OH NO! The second wave is going down, sirs!" The IDS Agent exclaimed with horror. "And the Great Owl is barely holding together!"
"More more more! Moooooorrrreee!" Penny giggled.
"Commander Mars, please, you have to convince your sister to stop ordering for more troops, we are at the risk of losing-" The IDS Agent pleaded.
"You still have units standing-by? Then you will call them to finish the enemy force right now. They could already have planned an invasion of the cockpit as we speak." Mars stated.
"But all we have are rockets, we can't possibly-" The IDS Agent argued, before there was the clicking of a gun.
"...Is that insubordination I hear? I would choose your next words carefully, Agent. This mission takes priority over your entire life, so if you want to live? Do exactly what Penny orders, no more questions."
"...Understood, sir." The IDS agent responded back with resignation.
The enemy rockets revealed themselves, as they began a final desperate offensive, as they were firing indiscriminately across the wing, resulting in allied casualties, and the wing suffering further structural damage.
"They're really cornered right now, if this is their only way to take us down…" Keiji stated. "...Squad, let's stop them before they succeed…!"
The allied force went into a full offensive themselves, as they split to attack both flanks, firing rapidly into the enemy ranks, as they managed to barely destroy them, before the damage could reach critical levels, and likely cause complications for the allied force.
"...All enemy forces confirmed destroyed." Weiss stated. "Looks like they're really out of any units to try and defend their cockpit. Now then, all units, assault the-"
Before Weiss could finish the order, one of the engines on the wing exploded, shaking the entire wing itself, shifting the mobile armor units aside slightly.
"...Alright, repeat that order, but we're doing it double-time…! All units, return to the interior! This wing is about to be broken off!" Weiss exclaimed with concern.
The allied force immediately rushed into the Great Owl's interior, as they made a rush for the cockpit, while Will split off with a small mobile force to find Isabella, as Weiss followed close to him. At the same time, Penny and Mars witnessed the aftermath of the fight.
"Sirs, Sector C sustained severe damage during the fight." The IDS Agent informed both Mars and Penny. "Um...yeah, we're in trouble. I don't think we're gonna reach the airfield. Suggest emergency landing procedures, sir.'
"NO! NO NO NO!" Penny stomped her feet. "Mr Bear doesn't want to land here! Mr Bear hates it here! Fly more! Fly more!"
"Um… but sir-" The agent stated with worry.
"You will fly this craft to the Nest, even if it turns to scrap." Mars told the Agent firmly. "Actually, that reminds me. All personnel are diverted to deal with the enemy intruders within the interior of the Great Owl, yes?"
"That is correct, sir." The IDS agent nodded back.
"And right now, all controls to the Great Owl are linked to this very cockpit, and you. Penny and I are the sole administrators of the flight system, am I correct?" Mars pressed.
"Yes, but I fail to see what importance that is, Commander. We are about to-" The IDS agent argued.
Mars then walked towards the cockpit controls, before he then fiddled with the console, before he then unlocked the doors to the cell where Isabella was held, much to the Agent's horror, as Penny was in her own world, not even caring about the current situation the slightest, dancing around.
"Commander!? What is the meaning of-" The agent was about to say, before Mars swiped the side-arm from her holster, and pointed it right at the agent, who froze up.
"Here's what you're going to do. You're going to find yourself a nice parachute, and you're going to jump off and leave the Great Owl." Mars ordered, as his gun never wavered off the agent's head. "If you try to do anything else, I will find you, and I will personally leave you to bleed out, and I have the entire surveillance system on me. You look like you want out on this situation, little agent. Now here's your chance, don't spoil it."
"You… Do you even know what you're doing!?" The agent argued. "If Caulder hears of this-"
"That's the thing, by the time you find him again, this will all be over." Mars stated. "Forgive me if I'm being a little treasonous, but I'm not letting the last vestige of the sister I cared about burn in the flames of this slowly-breaking fortress. She WILL be rescued, and it will be of no consequence to dear 'Father'. After all, she served her purpose to him, and it doesn't matter what happens to her next. So I choose life for her. Do you understand, agent, or do you need a motivator to help to get through your head?"
The agent could only nod shakily, before Mars flicked his gun towards the cockpit exit. "Now, off you go, agent. You should hurry up though, the invaders are sounding like they are about to make it here, and they'll likely have the entire place patrolled, so your window of opportunity is closing." Mars stated. "So, chop chop."
The agent immediately sprinted out of the cockpit, as Mars holstered the gun by his waist, watching as Will's little squad were almost at Isabella's cell.
Will broke through the door, as he rushed toward Isabella, with Weiss and the rest of the soldiers guarding the corridor to ensure no one stops the rescue.
"Isabella!" Will shouted, as he undid Isabella's restraints.
"Will? Why did you come...?" Isabella asked back gently.
"We're here to rescue you! Come on!" Will shouted.
"..No. You must leave me. I am not a human being. I am a clone. A thing. A little rat. I don't deserve to be rescued." Isabella turned away with a sorrowful tone
"What? No, you're one of us, and we're getting out of here now." Will exclaimed with disbelief.
"I don't even have a name…" Isabella denied.
"Your name is Isabella!" Will shouted.
"Since I came back, I... I remembered things. We were raised in this laboratory. All the Isabellas. All the same. Caulder created lots and lots of us and experimented on us." Isabella stated. "I saw...horrible things... I always knew it would be me someday. And somehow, I always see Mars's tears each time we were sent to the experiments, where we didn't come back."
"Listen, I know things were really bad, but you have to-" Will tried to convince Isabella.
"They meant nothing to me. They were spare parts, just like me. That's why I exist. I have no memory. I have no soul. I am nothing. You must leave-" Isabella tried to say, before Will grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.
"NO! STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" Will screamed, as hot tears leaked from his eyes. "Your name is Isabella! You are the first person I ever saved! You joined us and traveled with us and fought with us! You are one of us! I know you remember that! There are so many people who cared for you! Brenner! Weiss! Reisen! Ydine! Mary!"
"I-I remember…" Isabella muttered. "But...why do you help me? You know-"
"What, that you're a clone? So what? I don't care if you come from a mother or a tank!" Will declared. " Isabella, you're a person! A real living person with ideas and dreams and...and stuff like that! You have meaning and strength and beauty and...and I... I…"
"...Will... Oh, Will…" Isabella stated, as her voice shook slightly.
"Come on, don't let that freak Caulder decide how your life plays out." Will stated, reaching a hand out to Isabella. "You decide. Right now! What do you want? Come or go, you gotta decide."
"Will… I want to live! I want to live with you, Will! Forever!" Isabella remarked, as she took Will's hand.
"YES! I knew it! I mean... I hoped you would say that, but part of me really knew, and... Listen, never mind. We gotta run. Come on!" Will shouted, pulling Isabella up.
" I... I can't believe it!" Isabella remarked, as she began to cry in joy, with a small smile on her lips. "No one has ever wanted me before… Not after Mars…"
" Yeah? Well, I do. Now come on!" Will shouted.
"Oh, Will.." Isabella stated, before she then realized something. "Wait, Mars and Penny are still aboard the Great Owl! We need to head to the cockpit, I can persuade them to leave with us!"
"...Alright, I'll trust you, Isabella." Will stated, before the two of them left the cell. "Weiss, please take us to the cockpit, we need to get Isabella over there to convince some of her relatives to come with us!"
"If it'll help ensure that nothing bad happens… I'm all for it. Follow me, men!" Weiss shouted, as the group headed towards the cockpit, as Mars watched with a smile on his face.
"Ah, men of this kind of fiber are truly a rarity these days." Mars remarked to himself. "Hopefully, I can just hand Penny over to them very easily."
"Tee hee hee! Daddy will be happy! Daddy gets to watch the BOOOOM!" Penny giggled, as this caught Mars's attention.
"Wait, could you say that again, Penny? Great Owl is going to… go BOOOM?" Mars asked Penny with a worried expression.
"Yep! We all go big BOOOM!" Penny smiled back, as Mars choked for a moment, before gnawing his lip.
"Ah, I see. Thank you for being such a good girl to tell Brother." Mars stated, as his voice was slightly ragged. "Now, let's play a little game, Penny. I want you to cover your ears and close your eyes, and count to 60. If you promise to do that, Brother will promise to play with you with whatever game you like."
"Really!? Alright, Mr Bear likes that!" Penny stated, before she then did what she was told, as she was humming a childish tune to herself.
At the very moment that Penny closed her eyes, Mars walked towards one of the walls, as he assaulted with his fists, bellowing out in absolute fury.
"CAULDER, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Mars screamed, as he banged his fist against the wall over and over again, creating more dents on it. "Is this how you want to wash your hands of me!? All that talk about making me your damn vessel, and you throw me away like trash!? So much for fucking loyalty, you absolute disgrace of a DNA donor! How dare you drag Penny into this and poison her mind to think dying is a fun game! I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully! You'll beg me to die like your test subjects!"
Mars then began to pant heavily, as he shook his hands to loosen them, just as Penny counted to 60, and turned back around.
"Penny counted to 60! Brother, do you want to-" Penny stated, before she then saw the dents on the wall, as her smile disappeared. "...Brother, were you mad before because Penny wasn't good?"
"No no, Penny did what she was told and was a very, very good girl." Mars smiled back, trying to suppress his anger. "Brother is just a little bit angry that something didn't go the way that he wanted it, so he threw a little tantrum. I'm sorry for setting a bad example."
"Penny forgives you, and Mr Bear is laughing!" Penny smiled back. "Now then, what should we-"
Before the conversation could continue, Weiss and Will burst into the room, as the allied soldiers pointed their gun at Mars, who did the same. Isabella then pushed past the line of soldiers.
"Penny!" Isabella shouted.
"Who's there! I don't like you!" Penny growled with a scowl on her face.
"Penny, listen to me! I know you think you have to do what Daddy tells you. But you mustn't obey him anymore! He is evil! Do you understand?" Isabella tried to tell Penny.
"What is the strange girl saying? Mr. Bear doesn't understand." Penny stated.
"I understand you, Penny. We're the same. I want you to come live with us." Isabella stated. "Please, come to us. We won't hurt you."
"You're weird! Mr. Bear doesn't like you! And your jacket smells bad! Why are you saying these things to Penny?" Penny stated, before she then looked around with frantic eyes. "...P-Penny? Mr. B-Bear?"
Penny then clutched her head, as she dropped Mr. Bear.
" …EEEEEE! No one understands anything! I HATE ALL OF YOU!" Penny screamed.
"Please, Penny! Listen to me! I want to help you!" Isabella stated.
"B-but daddy told me to…" Penny stated, before Mars surged towards Penny, and chopped her on the neck, as Penny slumped to the ground. "...sleepy…"
"What did you do to her!?" Will demanded, as the soldiers eased their fingers on the triggers of their guns.
"She's knocked out." Mars explained, before hefting Penny up. "...If you want to have her, you want her unconscious… or she'll kick up a fuss. She's always like this. It doesn't take long for the wrong questions to send her into a identity crisis and make her break down like this."
Mars then shoved Penny over, as Weiss caught the little girl, before carrying her over her shoulder.
"Mars…" Isabella stated. "...I finally remember how much you have given to me, and how much you have lost because of me. Please, come with us as well. We can build back what we have lost between us."
"That's a touching offer to give me… and I was inclined to accept…. But I have unfinished business, and you know exactly what it is." Mars stated. "I'm going to declare my intentions simple and clean: I'm going to bail from the Great Owl, and then find Father, and have some strong words for using her as bait."
"Bait… so the Great Owl's destruction was on purpose…!?" Weiss stated.
"That's right. In fact, there were explosives rigged to destroy the Great Owl and everything in it." Mars stated, before he noticed something. "Oh, right, I should do something about that."
Mars then turned around, as he fiddled with the console behind him, as the soldiers were about to fire, only for Weiss to raise her arm to signal for them to hold fire, as Mars entered a few commands, before the screen showed that all explosives aboard the Great Owl have been defused safely.
"There we go, being Caulder's favored son tends to have its perks." Mars stated. "By the way, I also sent the Great Owl into a controlled descent, so you'll all land safely with all of your limbs accounted for and undamaged."
"Why did you do this? Cyrus told us where Isabella was, because he sought to defy Caulder. Are you doing the same?" Will asked Mars.
"Oh, my intentions are far more complex than that. But yes, ensuring that my undeserving Father dies, is my main goal at the moment." Mars responded back. "Unfortunately, you all lack the means to do so at the time being, so I'm going to make the finishing touches myself. You just finish off the IDS, and when that's done, you'll have defeated the last major enemy in this entire world to your path for peace and happiness for everyone."
"Mars…" Isabella stated.
"Well, Lieutenant Colonel. I kept true to my word by defusing the on-board explosives to save you all from an unsavory fate. Wouldn't it be fair to grant me safe passage to leave?" Mars asked Weiss.
"...As much as I hold suspicion for you… I do genuinely believe that you hold no current threat. You can do what you wish to leave." Weiss stated, before she then activated the comms. "This is Lieutenant Colonel Schnee. There will be someone escaping. I ask that you do not attempt to detain or harm this individual. Their sole focus is leaving the craft."
"...Understood." Was the reply from one of the squad captains.
"...Thank you very kindly." Mars stated, before he then leapt over the soldiers with a jump, landing behind them. "Now, if you mind, I'm going to take my leave. The rest of you should find some seat-belts, because it's still going to be a bumpy landing."
Mars then fled out of the cockpit, as Weiss and Will regrouped with the other officers in the storage compartment.
"It's done, the Great Owl is under control. We can only control its descent, which is going to be as near as we can to the allied base." Weiss stated.
"Hopefully we can make it in time to provide needed reinforcements to our allies…" Reisen muttered to herself, as the Great Owl continued to fall down through the air, as it was heading towards the ground.
On the surface itself, another battle was about to occur, as what remained of the allied forces were mobilizing for battle, as they had a disadvantage in numbers and fire-power, compared to the IDS force, as well as being in a disadvantageous position, due to the lack of ground to form a proper formation.
"Lin, status report!" Brenner exclaimed.
"The enemy has sent another wave to attack us. It is just as we thought. Caulder did not intend to honor his promise." Lin answered back. "With the main parts of the ground force transferred into the operation to track down Isabella and rescue her, we can only rely on our air units to hold out until their operation succeeds."
"I told you we couldn't trust Caulder! We never had a chance to begin with!" Tasha argued.
"So it seems." Gage steed.
"We mustn't lose hope yet. We still have enough to give the enemy a bloody nose at the least." Forsythe stated. "If we are to be lost here, then let it be said that we have fought to our damned best, and we have gone down fighting to the last man."
"All units, engage the enemy forces, but do not overextend yourselves." Brenner told the allied forces. "We cannot afford to lose manpower through a reckless maneuver."
The few allied units present on the battlefield carefully chose their targets, as they managed to cause significant damage to several units of enemy rockets, and take down a nearby enemy medium tank squads, although they were soon battered by anti-tanks, and even approaching war-tanks that took shots at them, rattling their entire formation.
"Gods above, please let our aid come swift…" One of the light tank squad members prayed, as his unit was being decimated by ruthless cannon fire.
"Engage! Engage! We cannot afford to allow the enemy to break through our defense line, or damage our ground capabilities further!" One of the battle-copter leaders exclaimed, as the squads of battle-copters were already firing into the massive ground formation, as they were being torn up by enemy missiles and anti-air, with only few survivors.
"The situation is rapidly getting worse…" Lin stated. "At this rate, the enemy will swarm the allied base. We have to keep engaging the enemy, or they'll break through and endanger everyone inside."
"We cannot give up, not while we are this far…" Brenner growled.
"Look, over there!" Tasha exclaimed, as she pointed at a shape falling down through the sky, as it streaked over the camp. "Is that… the Great Owl!?"
"So Will and the others managed to ensure that their main advantage was taken from them. And from the looks of it, they'll quickly arrive on the battlefield! All units, lure the enemy back, and stay alive! Our aid is coming soon!"
The allied units followed their orders, as they made a retreat, firing down on the enemy units as they pulled back, as it managed to delay the enemy slightly, before they managed to catch up, as the war-tanks lined up to annihilate what remained of the allied ground units.
However, the attack was interrupted, as a barrage of rockets flew right into the enemy vanguard, damaging the war-tanks and taking several armored units out, before bombers soared through the skies in a V-formation, dropping bombs onto the war-tanks, destroying them all, as the sight was enough to revitalise the spirit of the allied forces.
"Captain! Lin! Everyone!" Will shouted through the allied comms.
"Will! Holy cow, is it really you?" Tasha exclaimed.
"It seems that you managed to save Isabella after all. I'm glad." Brenner stated.
"The Great Owl has been destroyed, and we've managed to make use of the unused units on-board to provide some well-needed aid. You all managed to hold the line long enough for us to come." Weiss remarked, as allied reinforcements came in the form of war-tanks, fighters, bombers, rockets, rigs, missiles and anti-airs, as well as a whole line of medium tanks. "With all of this, it's time for the IDS to take their bow out of the fight. Without their fortress, their forces are almost done for."
"But this... This is impossible! I ordered Penny to crash the plane and kill everyone on board!" Caulder fumed through the public channels.
"You weren't thorough enough." Weiss mocked back. "You thought that by using Isabella as bait, you could have sacrificed the Great Owl to kill all of us, and ensure your complete victory. Unfortunately for you, we saw through your plan so easily, and not only did your plan fail, but you just gave us what we needed to finish this fight. It's time for your force to be the ones on the wane."
"Thank you, Penny! Thank you for listening to me!" Isabella told Penny.
"...Penny doesn't understand! Daddy told Penny to die, but you told Penny to live!" Penny remarked. "But then Mr. Bear said he didn't want to die and Daddy was stupid! Penny is confused… I want Brother…"
" It's OK, Sister. Everything is going to be OK." Isabella comforted Penny.
"Alright, let's do what we came here to do!" Keiji stated. "Everyone with me!?"
"YEAH!" Were the collective cries of the reinforcements.
"Then let's give that pasty fuck a taste of his own medicine!" Ydine roared.
The allied forces began to surge forward, as they were nigh-unstoppable, with the fact that the units were working together with great cohesion, with indirects raining fire on the enemy units ahead, and bombers raining down death from above, as what survived from the destruction were pursued and destroyed by the ground units that were relentlessly advancing.
"We're managing to push them back! I never thought that we might actually have a chance to-" Will remarked, before someone connected to his comms.
"Why do you care so much about her, little boy?" Tabitha snorted through the other side of the comms.
"You must be Isabella's-" Will stated.
"My name is Tabitha, and I am a true little girl!" Tabitha interrupted haughtily. "The one you call Isabella is nothing but a lab rat."
"You're wrong. She's a human being." Will argued back.
"She is nothing more than a mass-produced imitation. A cheap toy! She was created as a subject for my father's experiments. Nothing more. I suppose I should feel sorry for her, but that was her fate." Tabitha continued.
"You never had a chance, did you, Tabitha?" Will retorted back.
"Quiet, you! Such experiments benefit all mankind. Sometimes sacrifice is necessary in the name of progress. My father says so." Tabitha stated.
"And you are a sad little girl who craves the affection of an unfit father." Reisen interrupted the conversation.
"What!? How dare you!?" Tabitha seethed.
"From the tone of your voice, I only know that you're a spoiled brat trying to play favorites." Reisen coldly stated. "You think of yourself as the pinnacle of the world, above everyone, above even your own siblings. You'd do anything to be the star child of the 'family', even if it means terrible things. You'd nod your head along to your father no matter how deranged the garbage he spews is."
"Silence! I won't let you-" Tabitha growled.
"And what's even more sad?" Reisen continued. "...You abandoned your own family to die, just for that sole purpose. It's so pathetic that I can't help but pity a broken little marionette like you. You feel nothing, you understand nothing, and yet you have the gall to insult Isabella. Even if she is no commander, she has proven useful countless times, and unlike you, she is far more understandable and likable. Even your brother, Mars, who have proven to be a very strong mind, even in the single battle he led the attack against us, proved to be more human than you. Compared to human beings like Isabella and he… you're a failure."
"SHUT UP! SHUT UPPPPP!" Tabitha screamed with fury. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME THAT WAY!? I'M FATHER'S FAVORITE, NOT MARS! I HATE HIM! I HATE HIM SO MUCH THAT I'D KILL HIM A THOUSAND TIMES THAN CALL HIM BROTHER! HE'S NOTHING COMPARED TO ME! WHY DOES HE HAVE TO GET FATHER'S ATTENTION SO MUCH! IT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT FAIR!"
"Because he's far more perfect than you ever will be, Tabitha." Reisen scoffed.
"ARRRGHHH! I'LL SMASH YOU ALL INTO PASTE, EVEN IF FATHER TRIES TO STOP ME!" Tabitha screamed with rage. "OBLITERATE THEM, YOU RATS! OBLITERATE THEM!"
The IDS forces began to advance without any care for themselves, as they clashed against the allied forces, as the war-tanks and anti-tanks did a good job in blunting the enemy offensive, as the artillery flew over the heads of the vanguard, whittling down the enemy force.
The IDS forces were slowly being pushed back, as bombers and battle-copters went for hit-and-run tactics, as they weaved back and forth the battlefield, breaking away when the enemy AA was aiming upon them, and striking when there was a gap in the IDS anti-air defense network, as more and more IDS casualities occurred as a result of these swift attacks.
Eventually, the IDS forces were routed, as they were scattered to the four corners of the battlefield, as the victorious cries of the allied forces could be heard even from the base in the distance.
"We did it… the IDS have been pushed back. We might even win this war…" Will remarked with relief.
"Father, do something! This can't be happening!" Tabitha exclaimed through the comms.
"Failures… FAILURES!" Caulder seethed. "All of my children… Abject, useless failures! I must retreat to The Nest and plan my next move…"
"Quick, look for any wounded!" Will exclaimed, as the rescue forces began to search the entire area, as Will led the effort.
Will didn't take long to find someone nearby the battlefield, as he managed to find Cyrus on the ground, as he was on his back, spread-eagled, as the clone boy could barely turn his head to face Will.
"...William… Good to s-see you again…" Cyrus stated.
"Cyrus!" Will shouted, as he rushed over to check on Cyrus.
" ...Knew you would...survive…" Cyrus answered back.
"Help! Medic! Someone get Dr. Morris now!" Will shouted.
"Don't worry… I'm just… under paralysis… Can't move… that's all. Speaking… hard as well…" Cyrus croaked back. "Would have been… worse, if Mars… didn't swap… solution…"
"What? What happened!?" Will exclaimed.
"Caulder… figured out… my betrayal… had me thrown here… killed a man… then injected… poison in me…" Cyrus responded back. "Didn't work… as intended… thought it was… still poison."
"That's great! Then that means that Isabella won't have to deal with a dead brother!" Will remarked with relief.
"William… Have one...request. Please listen…" Cyrus wheezed.
"We owe you everything, Cyrus. I will do whatever you ask." Will stated.
"Defeat Caulder… Live in peace… That is my wish…" Cyrus answered back. " He is...north of here. His main lab...called...The Nest… There is the perfected… antidote to the Creeper… there…"
"Cyrus… thank you." Will stated.
"...Please… save Mars as well… he's… he's going to…" Cyrus was about to answer, before he lost consciousness.
"Cyrus!? Cyrus, hold on! The doctor's on the way!" Will exclaimed. "...He's out cold… It's a good thing he wasn't dead. That would have been terrible enough. But at least… we know where to end this."
A few hours earlier…
"I'm here as the civilian representative. We fulfilled our side of the bargain, Dr. Caulder." The mayor of Freehaven responded back. "Now we expect you to be true to your word and give us what we need."
"Of course, of course! I am a man of science, not some kind of despot." Caulder answered back.
"We need medicine! We need the antidote to that wretched virus." The mayor demanded.
"Yes, I understand. Without this antidote, you will surely die. But this is not easy to mass-produce. It will take time until I have enough for all of you. Right now I have just this single dose, which is surely-" Caulder stated.
"Give it to me!" The mayor shouted.
"But, Mr. Mayor, this is only enough for one person." Caulder clicked his tongue. "And without it, I may have trouble producing enough for the rest of your people."
"That's fine, that's fine! Just give it to me!" The mayor impatiently stated.
"Very well. Just press this against your skin to inject it." Caulder complied, pulling out a cylindrical syringe.
The mayor hurriedly snatched the syringe, before pressing it against his skin, as the needle pricked his skin and injected the solution into him, as the mayor threw the empty syringe away.
"That's it, right? Now I won't die from that terrible virus?" The mayor asked back with anticipation.
"That is correct, congratulations." Caulder smiled, as his smile seemed sly and malicious.
"Now, about food supplies. We require a large quantity of…" The mayor started, before Caulder turned to leave. "Ho, there! Where do you think you're going?"
" I'm sorry, I have an experiment that is about to begin." Caulder responded back, turning his head only slightly. "It involves those remaining soldiers from your battalion."
"Wait a second! What do you mean by that! You said that if we handed over the girl, you would give us what we needed!" The mayor exclaimed with betrayal.
"Hmmm? Oh yes, I'm afraid I was lying." Caulder sneered back.
"B-but...you promised! We gave you the girl! You have to help us! Help me at least! This will not… Not…" The mayor exclaimed, before he then clutched his heart with agonizing pain, and fell to the ground, as his face turned green, and he died in an instant, with his mouth frothing.
"Oh, and that medicine you took was not the antidote. Hello? Can you hear me? Mr. Mayor?" Caulder stated, as he inspected the corpse briefly, with a sick smile on his face. "Fascinating."
Caulder then rose up, before turning to Cyrus, who was on the ground always, as Caulder stabbed the traitorous son with another syringe, filled with intended poison, as Cyrus was paralysed everywhere, even his mouth felt sluggish.
"So, young Cyrus. It is your turn to die. Does my treacherous son have any final words? An apology perhaps?" Caulder asked Cyrus.
"I do not fear death. And I do not fear you." Cyrus defiantly responded back, doing his best to keep his words clear. "My death will not be in vain. They will defeat you."
"It is too late, Son. Your champions perished when the Great Owl crashed." Caulder responded back.
"I do not believe you! You are capable of nothing but falsehoods and lies." Cyrus retorted back. "And even if you have killed, there are still men of valor with-"
"No, I speak the truth. Your pitiful attempt at a rebellion was entirely meaningless. It doesn't matter who leads the scraps of the battalion, Tabitha will crush them swiftly." Caulder smirked. "I will live on, Cyrus. But this represents the end of days for you. Have you no desire to apologize for all the trouble you've caused me?"
"I'll never… urgh… apologise to you. They are… alive. And they… will defeat you…" Cyrus groaned, as the paralysis began to kick in hard. "And Mars… won't let you… throw him to his death easily… He'll… find a way… to end you… even if… you speak the truth…"
"Are those truly your final words? Oh, how you disappoint me. The end will not come quickly. That's not how this particular poison works, you see?" Caulder shook his head. "You will suffer terrible pain, and death will be long in coming. I must record it all, you see. But take solace though, your fate will be far less excruciating than Mars. It seems that both you and he are failures for succeeding my genius. It's about time that I instill him with the fear and respect he deserves to give me in his final moments. I do wonder how long he'll last with the deadly cocktail I have made specifically to end him."
"...They will… defeat you… William and Mars… both…" Cyrus wheezed, as Caulder walked away, as Cyrus could only watch.
Time passed, as Cyrus was left unable to even move a single toe, and yet, despite Caulder's threat, Cyrus felt like he was not in any form of excruciating pain, only just a numbness that permeated his entire body.
"...That's odd… If he truly injected poison into me, I should have long felt its effect." Cyrus stated. "...Could it be that… someone tampered with the poison before it was even used… and that someone could only be…"
Cyrus heard approaching footsteps, as he turned around to see that it was Mars walking towards him, as Mars seemed to be pleased that Cyrus was still alive and breathing.
"Hey, Cyrus. It seems that Father has made a terrible mistake that is going to cost him dearly." Mars remarked with a smirk. "I take it that you like my new brand of paralytic drugs? It should keep you down until the kid and his friend come to pick you up."
"So it was you who saved my life… You swapped the actual poison with a lesser one…" Cyrus stated.
"Exactly. I had a feeling that Caulder wanted to clean house with the both of us, especially with that little outburst, and your act of rebellion." Mars stated. "So I decided to lean towards the side of precaution, and do all of this. His obsession makes him so predictable. Trying to kill you by poisoning you. Hah, as if I would let that happen to my one brother."
"Then what… will you do now?" Cyrus asked back.
"...Finishing what I have started. Since Caulder already knows we both turned coat, for different reasons, I'm going to make sure that Caulder doesn't walk out of the Nest. Point the battalion towards the place, so that I can have a loud enough distraction to end Caulder with my own hands, as I have planned for all these years." Mars stated. "... And once I put him out of his misery… I'm going to do what I've been built for, for better or for worse."
"No… you can't! If you do that, then you'll…!" Cyrus exclaimed.
"I know. But it's not going to matter." Mars stated, before placing a hand over his chest. "You know how short our lives are, considering that Caulder made it so that we have to depend on him in order to ensure that we live as long as we can. You have the fortune of having a far longer natural lifespan than me. You'll live several years at least, long enough for whatever doctor finds you, to engineer a genetic cure to heal you. As for me… I'm going to drop dead by the end of the month. My life is going to come to a crashing halt before I even get to spend a proper moment with you all. So I may as well end my life on my own terms."
"Mars…" Cyrus stated.
"...Take care of yourself, Cyrus. Live on and carry the legacy of not the twisted doctor Caulder, but the works of the IDS, that could be the key to a proper future with hope." Mars responded back, turning to leave. "...The next time we will see each other… it will be on terms that you very much would not like. Don't try to convince me to come back… I must see everything through, before my life reaches it end."
"Mars… MARS!" Cyrus shouted, as Mars disappeared into the horizon, heading towards the Nest all alone.
Terms of the Chapter: Bombers
Bombers are considered to be the crux of the offensive side of the airforce for both the UGF and the UUF. The UGF has the Taiju-class bombers, which are capable of multiple forms of bombing, although its specialisation is in wide carpet-bombing of enemy forces. The UUF have the Storkland-class bombers, which possess air-to-air capabilities in the form of point defences, both ballistic and explosive, making it a flying fortress that can handle its own even in a dog-fight.