"There was outrage when the first whistleblower revealed sensitive information, telling of machines that roamed the front-lines of conflicts, without emotion and mercy, often seen in conflicts where Human morals would win over. "They looked like Humans!" Cried the whistleblower, "But they killed anyone and destroyed like machines! These are not how wars should be fought! Innocents are dying where Humans would be able to give them time to run!" He, the Creator, was protected by the Government, sheltered before the mobs who so believed in his cause turned against him. For his inventions had already done more than what the country could offer. Yet, it was at this time that the Creator begin to realize that his new creations- those made for war...they were brutally efficient, more ruthless than he had imagined, so cold and without a hint of remorse. After all, they were machines, and machines were meant to fulfill orders and only that. Only when he heard the mans cries, did he do his own investigations, tapping into backdoors he only knew existed, and watched on as his creations were used for wars brought on by petty reasons. Wars that were fought by countries who were otherwise too corrupted to care about the damage they did by giving a vague order. Because of this, the Creator would begin to devise a...plan, a plan that would take years to complete. Yet, it all began because of one thing."
"War."
Purifier had been gone all for the maximum of 5 minutes, yet Tester relayed information that described Purifier to be in a state of severe damage- damage so grave that any more could spell her end, and immediate repairs and a due recharge of her core was needed post-haste. The damages were never specified, but if another Siren was to call the damages to Purifier severe...then that meant this was serious.
In the time Tester and I panicked to find a practical method in finding Purifier, Ark Royal had become withdrawn, only looking down at the grass the entire time with a thoughtful gaze whenever I glanced to check up on her. But now that the missing Siren had been found, my attention was brought back to her for once, and I realized that our purpose here was actually done. And she had been waiting the entire time to be dismissed properly. Whatever happened to Purifier may very well still exist in the base, and rounding up whatever Humans were still alive was, admittedly, pointless in the long-run. Therefore, I didn't waste much time ordering Tester to tell the others to begin rounding up as many resources as possible that the Sirens could convert into raw materials later.
Only then did I realize that Dreamweaver's newly given assignment was to wrangle the two cargo ships moored, whatever abilities she had brought forth showed as she had been controlling the two large behemoths of ships, and sailing them out to the open sea. Albeit slowly, Dreamweaver had cleared the coast safely, noticing that very long cables were originating from her when she glided across the sea, said cables dug into the side of the hulls of each ship. A manual connection override? Perhaps so.
I then turned to Ark Royal, but found her already standing at attention, her expression determined. Blinking for a couple of moments to overcome my small surprise, I extended a hand out towards where her fleet anchored down.
"You should begin to inform your allies of our alliance," I advised, seeing her nod in agreement. "We are pulling out of the area. We gathered the necessary resources, fulfilled all but one goal out of the many we succeeded in, and managed to befriend a Kansen fleet for once. Get going, Ark Royal." Ark only nodded again, though her smile had grown more at the last bit of my statement, before turning away, and heading back the way she came. Thus, I was left alone, making me sigh as I slowly stretched my back.
Being so serious for once does really seem tiring, but I guess I should put up with this Commander thing if I want to appear like a suitable leader for these Kansen, not that I underestimate or think ill of my own abilities to be a leader. After all, who would want an incompetent-looking idiot over a more serious and collected person? Although I can't say, once more, that I am one to call myself Commander material, at the very least I can give it my best, at least for the sake of all the girls here. They are suffering, even not by the hands of the Sirens themselves, but by their own Human Commanders. Well, I guess if you're still watching me now, Creator...I hope you realize I can't save them all. I think some of the Kansen would be far too gone to negotiate with. Such as...Akagi. Just thinking about the possible meltdown of the yan-foxo, I didn't want to imagine the various other Kansen who adored their Commander an uncomfortable amount. But my thoughts were broken as metallic thuds landed behind me, my gaze turning around to see Tester had once again joined me, only giving a curt nod to acknowledge me.
"Once we get these resources to our depots, the base itself will begin to dissolve the materials," Tester explained, looking to the right to peer at the cargo ships slowly moving ahead. "Once appreciative resources are created, we can begin repairs and restocking of our current units, before we can even begin to view the possibilities of expanding our numbers…" Her expression didn't change much, but her brows showed a hint of worry, her head turning away just ever so slightly to conceal that hint. I could already tell what it was, and although I appreciated the given information, she was clearly disturbed by what she saw.
"Purifier's CPU managed to…" She clicked her tongue, as if trying to find the correct words, before shrugging, "...upload a large amount of valuable information on what happened to Purifier in her absence. There is...way too much to process just by myself, and will most likely be explained later tonight if you so will. As it stands, however, Purifier had appeared to drop off the Network." I didn't even realize what she said until a couple seconds later, Tester shutting her eyes following my small noise of surprise. "But so far, there is no evidence to back up whether it was in the context which would prove beneficial or not, so we must not jump to conclusions until the data is completely processed." Sighing, she had a point. No use in trying to blame Purifier on betrayal...probably not after she described the condition at the very moment.
My attention was drawn back out to the sea as a large flare-like object shot into the air above the duo of cargo ships, before exploding into a shower of smaller flares, a show of varying colors drowning the area in a rainbow hue, a small noise of reluctant surprise droning out of Tester as she huffed after.
"Showing off, eh?" I heard her mutter as I watched the flares suddenly expand into a halo formation above the cargo ships, a large clap of thunder following as the flares shot out hundreds of lasers that connected to each other, forming a bright-blue grid. The flares, as if magic, began to slowly fall from the sky at a fixed speed. Although faint, I could hear the subdued noises of blow-torch-like noise cutting metal, watching as the lasers cut through two ships without any apparent resistance, cleanly following through without issue. Was Dreamweaver, the Siren I believed to be behind this, cutting the ship into smaller, yet paradoxically large rectangles? Still though, as the lasers eventually fell through the entirety of the cargo containers, the lasers began to cut the boats themselves. My voice of discouragement died in my throat as I realized I couldn't stop the process now, and watched as the lasers eventually sunk below the waterline to finish towards the keel. Large monolith-like pieces did indeed sway in the wind, clearly showing the cuts did actually split the pieces apart, but did not fall over as if held up by an invisible force.
The halo of flares, now deep underwater, suddenly brightened ten-fold, now very clearly shining through the dozens of meters of water they were submerged, a somewhat mediocre rumble passing under my feet as the ocean began to cave in towards the middle of the halo, my gaze being brought upon Tester for information. She huffed again, annoyed, probably to see such a display.
Heh, Yellow and Blue Sirens did always have some sort of rivalry, didn't they? I just wonder how far it runs deep.
"She glorified the process of cutting and delivering via portal, the reason why the water appears to be caving in." I 'ahhhh'd' softly in realization, watching the cut pieces of the cargo slowly descend into the whirlpool of water, the large rectangles of the ship disappearing from sight. No wonder she wanted to go out from the base with those ships. But then again, the initial raid was for the cargo on these ships, I didn't think...she would cut the very entirety of the boats. It's like saying I'll eat a fast-food burger plus the wrapper.
Soon enough, where once hundreds of thousands of tonnes worth both in ship and cargo weight disappeared through the portal, the portal seemed to have closed as the sea soon settled back down to its normal state of calm. To say the little event was amazing to see would be an understatement in the grand scheme of things. If this one ability from Dreamweaver was of this magnitude...and they are supposedly trying to limit their output of energy, then that does terrify me deep down to know what sort of major offensive abilities they wielded. In a sense, Observer's fuck-all large Kraken would, in my eyes at least, be considered some sort of major offensive ability. Its sheer size allows an almost infinite amount of firepower to be dished out. Still, I do wonder how much it taxes the owner.
Shaking my head, I soon received confirmation from Tester that the cargo ships have been received by the base, soon confirming their immediate scrapping.
Some minutes later, Observer gave her confirmation that Hood had been transported back to the base via portal and put into a forced comatose to reduce the risk of her lashing out all of a sudden. Be it in anger, grief, desperation, or some other emotion that would make her act irrational. Alongside that, she too gave a look over Purifier's wounds, advising she would need immediate repairs even with the little resources we owned at the current moment, which I was fine with. We were to gain a large amount anyways from scrapping what we can from the ships. Still, Observer subtly dodged my other question regarding how she looked, which caused both worry and a smidge of annoyance. How bad could it be that both Tester and Observer would deflect my question? I suppose I can just force them to answer straight...but I felt too...not shy per se, but uneasy, by forcing them to answer? Yeah, uneasy would be the right word.
Tester gave me a concerned glance as she witnessed me shake my head again at my thoughts.
Finally, Empress, whose task was to escort the remaining Kansen, and round up the remaining Sirens, put in her own confirmation that they too were ready to roll out. With all these different Sirens putting in their words of readiness, I turned around, and gazed forth and up at the billowing clouds of smoke which now originated more in-land, the majority of the island having been burnt off its forest, and only resembling a no-man's-land. This place had shown me many things to expect in the future. Lots of said things were good, expected, or not-good whatsoever when the sudden disappearance of Purifier and Hood comes to mind. With Hood, it set a bar of expectation to those who were very close to the Commander at the time of his fate. Whereas Purifier's failure to retrieve whatever valuable object there was deep down in the base had resulted in what seemed to be her near demise.
Does this object still remain in the base, then? It could be a problem if the Humans here still bear whatever it was that made Purifier disappear from the Network, and resulted in her receiving so much damage as result. If this object was to be mass-produced...then that would be a major problem, then. We would...need to come back eventually. Not now, no. We came for what we needed and succeeded. One small failure was had, sure, and its implications did paint the future in a slightly dark picture, but we can always return in greater numbers to face whatever hurt Purifier so.
"Commander?" Tester's voice rang up as my thoughts came to a conclusion, my gaze being brought on her. "Everyone is accounted for, minus those who died and those who were sent back to the base for immediate treatment, and are set to rendezvous near Observer's location to mass teleport back to the base." Tester did prove to be efficient in delivering her reports, something that I was beginning to enjoy. Before I could respond, however, a low but gradually whirring noise began to grow in volume behind us, causing the both of us to slowly turn around to find the source of the noise. In a way, to describe it, it would be as if you heard an old engine turning over bit-by-bit, the low growl growing louder by the second.
"Attention all personnel! Attention all personnel!" Suddenly, a female voice blared through unseen loud-speakers, her voice echoing far into the distance. "The Gateway has begun to collapse! I repeat, the Gateway has begun to collapse! Code Rainbow initiated! Code Rainbow initiated! A singularity event is to commence within 60 seconds. All personnel are to evacuate immediately! This message will repeat…"
The voice rattled on quickly, the woman behind the mic clearly distressed and panicked, almost fumbling over her words. And, it was for good reason, as the words "Gateway", "Collapsed", and "Singularity Event" were the things that stuck out the most, almost making my eyes bulge out as I turned to Tester, who had worn the same stony expression, her eyes but just narrowed even more. Immediately after the message repeated once more, an air-raid siren began to blare, perhaps the only thing they had to indicate a mass destruction event was going about to occur, before the low growling noise from earlier began to grow into a roar that kept howling without pause, the air above the island beginning to shimmer in speckles of lightning and other light.
Immediately, a portal spawned between Tester and I, and tentacles shot out and wrangled both of us without giving us even a moment to respond to it, the sudden movement between planes dizzying me for just but a moment, realizing I was on top of Observer's Kraken in its smaller form, seeing that everyone below was staring at the island in wonder. The owner of said Kraken immediately grabbed my attention, her beady eyes glowing fiercely as she grinned.
"Commander," she greeted, ignoring that her rough-handling of both I and Tester didn't just happen, a wide smile on her face as she pointed an arm at the island. "I confirmed that an event similar to a Singularity is indeed legitimate, and does put forth a great danger to us all. While not on the same scale as seen by a certain...someone, it will be enough to completely wipe out everything for...nearly 20 miles." I made a noise of surprise as she simply dropped the estimate with no more than a shrug, that estimate being the equivalent of a small nuke! The growling of the island beginning to shift more into an earthquake-like rumble, the ocean beginning to roughen up, making me realize that we didn't have much time before the island decided to take us with it.
"Alright, w-well," I stuttered for a brief moment, before breathing and out for a moment, and nodding sharply. "Get us out of here, Observer!" She smiled even more widely, snapping her fingers as the same purple Cube from earlier this day appeared in her hand, trembling in her grasp, and reminding me that it was sort-of kind-of alive in a way. Her grasp tightened on the cube, making it shine, small howls escaping from it as sets of new portals winked open in front of us, the rest of the fleet seeming to follow through with haste, even the Minor Sirens seeming to have expressions of anxiousness to get out of here, and I spotting the Kansen's being led by Ark, who was being led by the Arbiter. The entire Kansen fleet looked like hell had completely fucked them over, appearing to have...well, have gone through a battle...
The Kansen all did look like hell, and I noticed some of them missing, Empress and Observer having reported that the Nelsons couldn't be separated when only one of them needed to be teleported, Rodney refused to leave Nelson's side. Which is completely understandable, the latter of which had been knocked completely unconscious, and walked the fine line between death and living. That's not including Centaur who had been hit with a torpedo infused with teleporting magic...however that was done, that is. Centaur was also unconscious for making explanations easier on her mind. Another thing I noticed was that Sirius was being bridal-style carried by Belfast, the former having a weak grasp on her sword...still stained with the blood of Hood.
Hearing Sirius' confessions when given the opportunity of a better life by Empress was but one of many things that showed me the reality of this world, now her eyes were devoid of light, fatigue causing them to droop. No doubt she was shaken up by what she did to stop Hood.
The Kansen didn't seem to notice my presence, though I guess Observer suddenly teleporting me without notice did some part it in, and they proceeded on through the portal made for them. The other Sirens soon crossed through as well, my mind bitter at the thought that I had a lot less of them compared to when I first arrived, but I suppose that showed that the Kansen were pretty strong in raw power to defeat some of these Sirens that I would consider Veterans at this point.
A large beam of light starting from the island and shooting far into the sky didn't pause our movements, our heads having to crane at the spectacle as the growling noise quieted down, releasing a large clap of thunder as the sky above the island clouded over with dark smog, the area around the beam of light creating a pool of aqua blue shimmering. Then, it began, a low-pitched hum building up with steady growth, similar to the build-up to a bass-drop, and I nodded to Observer to move a little more quickly. She shot me an amused smirk as we practically flung through the portal, causing me to crash and simultaneously get caught by Tester who seemed to be ready just for this moment. And with that, everyone had crossed through into the Mirror Sea once more, my feet getting their bearing once more, and giving Tester a proper thanks for not letting me get flung off. All of us looked behind through the portals as the beam of light shook as a ball of light fell from the heavens and slammed right into the island, the entire island completely shredding apart with large chunks of earth flung towards us. Observer clapped her hands on the Cube, causing all portals to suddenly shut tight, winking away from existence.
Well...I could safely assume the base wouldn't be an issue, then. But by all means, that event had to be completely done by not Humans!...well, I can't stay thinking about it for long, and turned back around to see the Sirens all standing around, with the Kansen's swaying on their feet, very much not used to crossing dimensions so easily.
This whole crossing over to the Mirror Sea was infinitely more calm than the first time, though, and I was thankful it was that way as to not frighten the Kansen. No screaming or loud noises to mention, making it more comfortable. On that note, wouldn't it get confusing to keep calling this place the Mirror Sea? It's correct, yeah, but calling it that and referring it to would be slightly confusing. Hmmm, I'll just call it the Portal Sea since that's all we're using it, for now, I suppose. Taking a look around, I noticed that the Portal Sea had the same desaturated hue, remembering that Observer did say she needed to do maintenance on this place less it...collapse. Shuddering, I duly noted to tell Observer to do so as immediately as possible.
Taking a look around, I recounted heads, and nodded as everyone was accounted for again, looking at the teleporting meister. Observer seemed to understand my nonverbal actions as another set of portals opened in front of us, Empress ushering Ark and her fleet through while a more giant one was created solely for Observer's Kraken and the small armada of Sirens following us. Strangely, we crossed straight into what appeared to be the middle of a large warehouse-looking area, with some storage scaffolding pressed against the walls and some odd dozen stories tall. Tensing up, Observer lowered her Kraken enough for us three to get off with ease, already noticing that Empress was leading the Kansen away to one of the many exits.
"Empress is leading them to the Dockyard to see what damages need to be repaired," Observer explained, seeing my gaze. "She will stay with them before being replaced with a minor to relay any information or questions that Ark and her fleet may have. For now…" Observer looked around, before clapping her hands softly, Tester joining in, before all the other Sirens did as well. My surprise slowly melted into embarrassment the longer they clapped.
"Congratulations, Commander. Operation Sea Phantom has concluded, and was a striking success. You have, once again, proven that the Creator makes no mistakes "
The group of Kansen progressed through what would be their new home for the time being, most of them too tired to really care how barren the hallways seemed to look. All but Ark Royal and Belfast seemed to stay somewhat cautious, especially with Empress in front of them. To both of them, even if they had created an alliance with their sworn enemy just to get away from another enemy, that didn't just mean they could outright be lax and carefree, especially now within the Siren's lair. Hell, Empress had been duking it out with a couple of them in Hood's fleet, and Empress still had the wounds she gained from it, but she didn't even look worse for wear! Ark thought, with that type of resilience and mental fortitude to not just crumble by the pain, the Kansen could've achieved a lot more against the Sirens.
The Siren in question, as if feeling she was being thought of, glanced behind herself, just to be sure that the Kansen were indeed still behind her, and continued leading them to the dorms the base offered. The Arbiter had to admit to herself that said dorms were not the best, only made as a precaution in some just-in-case reasoning...which meant they weren't the most furnished of rooms, especially compared to the rooms lavishly decorated by the Kansen at their home-ports. They would be sufficient enough, surely, and they could always make more dorms with better amenities without much hassle in time.
Eventually, the entire group stopped in front of a wooden door, a label on the front proudly declaring:
Dormitories
Empress opened the wooden door, leading the Kansen inside as the lights flickered on. The maid of the fleet curled her nose as the stale air permeated what was revealed to be a hallway, obvious to Belfast that it hadn't been cleaned thoroughly in for some time. Though, to the other Kansen, they either didn't notice or didn't care. Or a mix of the two. The dormitories themselves were pretty simple, finished wooden doors lining both sides, with name-plates near each door-knob. This hallway especially contained a set of 20 doors, 20 rooms all with the proper luxuries to settle down, an even larger set of double doors at the end of the hallway leading into a bathhouse.
Empress eventually led them to the middle of the hallway before turning to them on the spot, almost making Ark run into her before catching herself, the other Kansen perking up at the sudden stop in movement. Empress turned on a dime, almost making Ark hostile as the Empress threw her hands in the air, a very aggressive smile growing on her features as she addressed the entire fleet with perhaps too much energy.
"Your rooms lay here, Kansen!" Empress declared proudly, her arms spreading even more to point at the doors, "This hallway is the only one with something related to rooms for guests...such as you bunch! However, if some of you want to lay claim to a room permanently, we Siren care not, but we simply ask you to look after it like normal Kansen! You can also bunch up in a single room for all we could care for, most of the rules in this dormitory will be set by you all!" She smiled widely as the Kansen all shared a look of surprise, not expecting such freedom, especially by the Sirens who seemed to strive for absolute perfection. With such energy being radiated by the Arbiter, some of them, more the Destroyers, couldn't help but smile with hope.
Empress then went about showing the Kansen around the small dormitory, showing them a single room to model the rest of them. Immediately upon entering, they were met with a pretty basic room with wooden flooring and walls, a large chandelier with LED's lighting the room in a soft glow. A very generous king-size bed was provided against the very back wall, the Sirens outfitting even the beds to either become more hard or soft with a remote on a nearby nightstand, the mere thought making some of the Kansen even more sleepy. On an adjacent wall was a large wardrobe with coat hangers in store, inside containing some extra blankets/pillows as well, and had the added benefit of having a person-sized mirror next to it. On the other side of the room was the entrance to a full-sized bathroom, complete with little shampoo bottles, soaps, and somewhat cheap-yet-good-enough toilet paper you would find in a hotel. The sight to which one of the Kansen meekly questioned the existence behind the bathhouse if each room already had bathrooms like this. To which, promptly, Empress shrugged, having no idea herself. But she also seemed to mutter it came by because of something the Creator said.
Though, one of the Kansen, Amazon to be specific, had her interest grow towards the window on the other side of the wardrobe. Its large black-out curtains were fully deployed, yet the soft shimmers of light poured through the edges, drawing her towards the window to unfurl them. Promptly, Empress stopped her from the bathroom with an alarmed shout, soon regretting her raise in volume as the Destroyer practically shook in fear as she refused to move an inch. Empress soon conceded that she wanted to show everyone, at once, the truth behind where they were, all the Kansen being drawn towards the window as the Arbiter soon began to unfurl the window, showing the floor of the ocean, crustaceans that the Kansen had never seen moving about, the same deal with the fish as they swam without a care in the world. The water itself was dark- darker than any Submarine had told them. They were amazed to see how lovely it was even this far down, noticing that the ocean floor was dotted with soft lights to add a more mind easing effect as they slowly shimmered from one color to another without harsh changes in light. They were underwater, the revelation suddenly kicking in for some, amazing the Kansen who peered out what seemed to be an indestructible window.
"Where are we?" Asked one of the Kansen, to which Empress grinned widely.
"The deepest oceanic trench on this world, better known to you all and Humanity as the Mariana Trench. Welcome to Agartha."
The Mariana Trench, the deepest oceanic trench to be ever recorded by Humanity, is where this base was situated. I remember being told we were underwater, sure, but to be in the deepest part of the ocean while being completely fine? Now that's some shit.
Breathing out, I finally managed to sit down in the room with glass walls and roof- the same room which could break away to let water inside to make an easy entrance/exit into the ocean. The same room which was and had led into my inauguration as Commander of sorts. Though, unlike that time, the glass was completely see-through, showing the dots of lights here and there with marine life. I sat near where I had accepted this fate as the Commander for the Sirens, Observer standing away just like then. The other Sirens were somewhere else in the base, with various tasks to do.
Empress was of course tasked with showing the Kansen around and situating them to some Dorm I had yet to see- a pattern I'm beginning to see regarding this base. I haven't even seen the rest of it, and I could only imagine it was huge if the Sirens were working on it for nearly a decade. But that would probably be its own little field trip in of itself, and I always could have someone else just give me a map or something to show it more quickly.
I know Purifier is being treated alongside many of the other Kansen who need critical repairs, said repairs being done by Dreamweaver who volunteered, and promptly advised to do so when she explained that she held a better understanding of the Siren's than any other Siren somehow. Strange. But I couldn't refuse her offer when Observer recommended her services as well. She also went ahead and did the repairs on the Kansen too, also having a better understanding of the Kansen's. God damn, she really is useful, isn't she?
Now, as for Tester…..she sort of disappeared on me, honestly. Soon after we returned, she seemed to slink away quickly and silently, not even giving me a forewarning of her disappearance. When I asked Observer, she simply explained that Tester had to look over all the sort of data collected during the raid...which is reasonable, I suppose. She could always dismiss herself audibly so I wouldn't have to question how a Siren with metal legs somehow slinks away silently. Gives me shivers when I realize that even Empress snuck up behind me without a single sound. Other than that, the other minor Sirens also went in for repairs since they too were damaged by Hood and her fleet.
Now, as to why I chose here to sit of all places? To be completely honest...I got lost trying to walk to my room, and somehow ended up here after around ten minutes aimlessly trodding around corridors that all looked the same. Maybe Observer didn't see anything wrong considering she followed me the entire time. Fucking hell, if I saw myself walking around like how I was, I would feel bad for myself. I even died a little inside when she even offered me a chair from thin air once we got here so I really think she didn't see anything wrong. Sighing, I pushed those thoughts away, as I supposed now was the best time to really think, meanwhile I was at peace.
The most major of things was that this was supposed to be the Final timeline. I say final because Humanity in this timeline beat the Sirens. Now, this was obvious to me when I had my little talk with that goddamn Voice when I first got here. Whether the Voice was the Creator or not didn't matter now. But when I really think about it now, this was an achievement that boggled my mind. For many many reasons, that is. One of the main reasons was that I existed in a timeline that was never mentioned in-game, a timeline that was supposed to be the last one before Humanity moved on to fight the theoretical real enemy. Therefore I never got two things. The first was the true enemy. Before I was transported, I had only seen various glimpses of large black creatures in-game, only theorized to be the true enemy, but never confirmed. Meaning, if the Sirens were this crippled, and the Kansen as a whole were this disorganized...then an attack by those creatures now would spell the end for Humanity for good unless the Sirens have one last-ditch plan to save us all.
The second problem was the various Kansen I never got to see in-game. Hell, Yamato wasn't even out yet, and the game had years under its belt without showing her. I have zero ideas as to how she even looks, acts, or her stances on certain morals and ideals. She is but one example of many. And what of the Priority Kansen and the Ashes/Meta's!? Ohhh, there are so many Kansen I haven't seen and jotted down in my memory! And what would it matter either? As far as I can tell, many of the Kansen I just saw have their personalities bent in odd ways. Example: Sirius.
Another reason, now defunct, was that I worried about the threat of having to defeat another Commander with super juiced-up Kansen. To know the Commander of this timeline was so in-tune with his Kansen was a very dangerous threat, mainly because that meant a very large load of them were powerful enough to create an abundant force to drive the Sirens back until their very last resources. But now...the lack of said threat seemed to be the reason why I'm even here to begin with! Without their Commander, the Kansen are now disorganized, unmotivated, and completely reluctant to act compared to their past selves! The implications were again terrifying, especially when Ark explained that certain Kansen refused to believe their Commander had...fallen? Died? Even this Commander's very fate was a mystery! But even then, knowing that certain Kansen didn't take too well at bearing the news, this meant that there were various rogue Kansen roaming about most likely. Trying to talk to them...will most likely be very difficult.
Palming at my temples, I had lowered into a thinking position, my cheek meeting my palm, my elbow meeting my thigh.
This now puts me, a Siren Commander, in a precarious position with my current facts and theories. There was so much to do. Way too much to do at once! Rebuilding the Sirens meant having to deal with the Kansen in some regards, which meant having to deal with the root of their issue being their Commanders, which led to the issue of having to grow a sufficient force to either man-handle them into submission or offing them. Which then led to the subsequent issue being that if anyone heard the Sirens were beginning to come back from what was originally a hard guaranteed end for them, then these Commanders should theoretically get their shit together, and actually try to wrangle extermination squads to hunt me and the Sirens down. This means the Kansen would have something to motivate them to at least act on goodwill for Humanity. So many issues!
I have to stay calm! One thing at a time. I am a Commander, and I must think like one. For now, we need to lay low, our little stunt at Edinfolk will no doubt rile up some select officials, and will naturally cover up the incident as some sort of freak paranormal event. But...the issue of losing an entire fleet of Kansen was another. Now that couldn't be covered up very well, and will no doubt cause worry and grief to the other Kansen who will eventually notice their friends/family don't look to be coming back from their sortie. There was nothing I could do, at least without risk, considering these Kansen willingly switched sides with Ark's leading motivation to not go back in the first place. Well, all but two, but one was a belligerent Battlecruiser whose sanity and mentality is questionable, and the other is a Carrier who had been teleported and knocked out subsequently. Centaur seemed to follow in her peers' shoes, so having Illustrious and Ark Royal explain the situation will most likely open her eyes to our side. Hood was an issue we could deal with another time. Now, the next issue to be confronted.
"Observer," I called out, "Can you explain how the scrapping of the Cargo Ships will affect our resource count, and how and what said resources can go into?" There was an affirmative hum as the glass wall in front of me suddenly displayed 4 different screens of video feed. The top-left screen showed the rectangles of ship and cargo being fed into a glorified shredding pit before the scraps, the top-right screen showing the scraps being led through a long winding system of conveyors which then led into various steel cylinder vats of a strange blue liquid.
"The process begins with the shredding of the material provided," Observer began, her hand pointing to the top-left screen, before moving over to the top-right screen. "When the material is turned into scraps, we can then enrich the value of the materials by feeding them to these pools of melted inert Wisdom Cubes. The melted Cubes ensure that the end-product does not harden when rapidly cooled. When one container becomes too full, it seals off, and begins the process of enriching. This begins with superheating, a small injection of pure oxygen is applied, then the mixture is mixed thoroughly. The mixture, now high in temperature, then undergoes rapid cooling by introducing pressurized jets of water. It then releases its contents, before filling with inert Wisdom Cube once more, and beginning the process all over."
Just like she explained, one of the many vats soon began to fill to its edge, the conveyor leading to it suddenly being blocked as the vat sealed itself. The vat then began to shine a bright red then white, the sheer heat enough to distort the video feed, until visible streaks of pressurized air escaped out of unseen pockets, the sudden cooling process taking place as the vat soon unsealed itself, revealing a now yellow liquid, already seeming to be very rich. The bottom of the vat soon gave out, releasing the liquid through the bottom of the vat, funneling into an unseen hole.
My attention was brought to the bottom-left camera where I saw the golden liquid be fed through see-through piping, a new conveyor system with peculiar cube-shaped molds on the conveyors this time, the liquid siphoned through machinery which, when a mold moved under it, would pour a perfect amount of liquid to fill it before moving on. Following a single mold eventually led to another machine that wrapped around the conveyor belt itself, two small doors closing off the entrance/exit to make a perfect seal. Witnessing the mold go into the belly of the machine, it suddenly glowed a heavenly yellow, before dying down, and releasing the mold. Which now revealed it to have become an even brighter hue of yellow, seeming to glimmer oddly under different angles of light. The bottom-right camera showed their fate, the conveyor eventually twisting around a full 180, the mold of liquid- now hard, falling out of it, revealing a golden Cube that fell within a basket full of other Cubes.
"Here, the processing of further enrichment happens, that machine you saw officially hardening the liquid using direct injections of broken down Cognitive Chips. One of those Cubes is worth, in Kansen terms, 800 Gems. They can be broken down for various needs. For now, they are being carted off to the Dockyard for use in repairing both our numbers and the Kansen in need. We currently are making 400 Cubes an hour, and will most likely have...19832 Cubes by the...end...Commander…?"
I had slumped in my chair when Observer had number-dropped the amount of "Cubes" we would have by the end of this, knowing the value of a single Cube being the equivalent to 800 Gems meant that its value was great in its own regard, not the best for sure, but to have that much would surely mean our efforts to reconstruct should be more simple than I believed. Shaking my head, I showed I was fine to Observer, who slowly proceeded.
"For now, our stockpiles number 178, netting gain more than loss. We can most likely begin work on another matter without worrying about breaking our gain. How will you like to proceed, Commander? Remember that Agartha's energy Core is nearly burnt out." Her innocent inquiry caused me to sigh heavily.
"Wh-what can I do?" I asked, almost afraid. Observer blinked, before the screen in front of soon showed a list of various hundreds of options, a terrified expression crossing my face.
"Well, to begin, there's this…"
Please God, help me.
Tester, Empress, and even Dreamweaver stood in front of Purifier's immobile body on a surgical table, the three of them staring at the unconscious psychopath. Suspended in the air was her rigging, various engravings still on it, still describing her experiences in the new world. The concept still uneased the three, knowing that Purifier found some sort of device which allowed her to cross dimensions, something that the Humans had their hands on somehow. Perhaps, because a Siren found it, it collapsed and began a calamity event? They didn't know for sure. But they did know one thing.
Purifier's act of defiance was certain, especially when not one, not two, but three different Sirens reviewed the data gathered by Purifier's CPU and guaranteed she had defied the Sirens and essentially defected.
"...Why?" Tester asked weakly, her eyes slightly narrowed. She, of all Sirens, had been the closest to Purifier. Being both had a common role of combat, they worked together in some cases, but not even Tester could see how or why Purifier would defect.
Empress sighed as she put a hand on Tester's shoulder, who promptly shrugged it away, glaring at Empress before returning her gaze to Purifier. She had been trying not to burst out in anger ever since she found the incriminating evidence on that beach, and she had done her strongest poker face yet when stood next to the Commander earlier, and her slinking off in silence led to her first destination to let out some frustration. Particularly on some machinery deemed unnecessary. Deemed so by her.
"There is no doubt with what we all saw," Dreamweaver droned softly, the comment further angering Tester. "As to when, why, or how she gained the ability to leave the Network willingly may never be answered. What happened has happened. Now, we must decide as to what happens in the future regarding Purifier and this truth." She let her statement hold in the air, her eyes periodically bouncing from Tester, Empress, and Purifier.
"The Commander has to know," Empress declared, drawing a look from Tester, Empress gawking slightly. "What? Do you realize that, by bringing a Human as a Commander, we only minimized what little time we have!?" She yelled angrily, Tester then turning to face her, Empress doing the same.
"Then what happens to Purifier!?" She questioned, meeting Empress' glare with equal fiery. "He'll most likely have her reset if he thinks that she's actually a traitor! We can't tell him!" Her reasoning only earned a shove from Empress who couldn't see her reasoning as solid.
"What are you, stupid? Aren't you supposed to be Observer's right-hand Siren!?" Empress interrogated, Dreamweaver sighing silently as she stepped back. "What little memory does this little cretin good?! Listen, Tester, they know! They fucking know! And we don't know when they will arrive-GRK"
Empress grunted with widened eyes as Tester's fist drove into her gut, suddenly finding herself in a wall, with Tester glaring at her, eyes shining brightly with hot hatred. Empress scowled as she pried herself from the wall, her fists coming up as well. Regardless if she was already damaged from those Kansen, she wouldn't back down from this, not when it looked like Tester was about to lose it.
"Purifier is more than an asset to me!" Her feet stomped into place, getting ready to move, her arms firing into the air as her rigging spawned around her fists. "She's family!" Tester roared, launching herself at Empress.
"You goddamn Yellows were always too focused on this affinity shit!" Empress soon mirrored the same action, her metallic-behemoth of a shark spawning under her, the heat in the room growing by the mili-second as the two Sirens, one built of absolute supremacy via quantity, soon went against another Siren built for supremacy via quality.
"Children, please stop." Suddenly, both Sirens found themselves unable to move, or rather, they found their ability to move constricted heavily. Their anger-filled hazes soon faded away, the two of them realizing cyan-blue tentacles perfectly stopped their movements dead in their spot. Their heads turned to Dreamweaver who stood there with closed eyes, watching as their rigging soon flaked away against their will. They realized what had happened, two tentacles in place of where their rigging had once been. They had been stopped by the Siren who dominated both via sheer intellect and authority. "As much as I would love to witness a battle to the death between the two of you, we have more pressing matters. Considering that both Tester and Empress cannot agree on a single decision, I shall throw in my idea."
One of the tentacles soon turned into an ethernet-like appendage, reaching over to Purifier, and connecting into her chest. Soon after, a small holographic window floated in front of Dreamweaver, who was quick to single out various lines of code on the screen. Her eyes danced around as text was deleted and replaced with new text. Then when she was done, a prompt asked for a password she didn't have. But, being herself had its advantages.
"Admin Override: Lyn Dreamweaver"
The prompt seemed to process the answer before flashing a green checkmark, the prompt closing, Dreamweaver's gaze locking with Tester.
"I have removed any signs of betrayal towards our cause, without tampering her core memories- it seems the main root cause existed for many years, but had been amplified just recently. With this, the Commander can trust that she will no longer bear any thoughts of defiance other than what originates from her normal personality. This can delete the worry that she will be reset, therefore, we can safely handle the sensitive details of Purifier's journey…" her eyebrows curled inwards, showing a hint of angst as she looked at Empress. "So please, do not fight each other for these childish reasons. While they are aware, that does not mean we need to become reckless."
The tentacles that bound the two soon unraveled, letting the two stand freely, though both now reduced to a glaring match, before Tester scoffed.
"Fine," Tester conceded, Dreamweaver gaining a tiny smile. "A little delete in her code shouldn't change much anyway. Just make sure you didn't change something else by accident." Dreamweaver shook her head.
"An error in my doing is nigh impossible, Tester, you of all Siren should know this," she chided, Tester only scoffing again as she crossed her arms under her chest, looking at Empress, who now only returned a smug expression which only ticked off Tester.
"Then it is decided?" Dreamweaver looked between the two, satisfied to see them both nod, her hands softly clapping together. "Then it is. Repairs on Purifier are to begin at once; her rigging is to be stored for antiquing with a replacement to be made. Tester-" said Siren perked up "-I want you to stay here to monitor her repairs. If she is to awaken with irrational behavior, you are to restrain her until aid arrives." Tester nodded, Dreamweaver looking to Empress. "Empress, you and I are to create a report that most efficiently describes the series of problems which Purifier uncovered. It is imperative that the Commander realizes that a greater danger looms closer by the day." Empress nodded as well, Dearmaeaver blinking as she stepped out the room, Empress following, leaving Tester by herself with Purifier.
All Tester could really do is crutch her hand. Hitting Empress admittedly hurt more than she'd like.
It had been a couple of hours since I had been given the explanation by Observer about the base. Things like what it could do, how it looked like, what it can be, what it can create, and all sorts of different explanations that are already failing to come to light. In the end, I opted to keep most things as they are for now, and only focused on creating more Cubes to stockpile until tomorrow. That morning I would most likely dedicate some time, with a rested mind, to sort some things out while getting some advice. Already, Observer presented some options such as creating more Sirens, both Minor and Major. How the Major's would come into play was a different process, as expected from Sirens who got actual screen-time and dialogue in-game. What interested me more was the process of creating more MP Ships, ranging from smol corvettes to fuck-all large dual-runway Carriers doubly nicknamed Queens. They would be crucial in the event where I would need to throw as many ships at a threat like an Ash or Meta.
Putting those thoughts away for now, and actually for today since I wanted some sleep, I had finally found my room after another half hour of walking around aimlessly, also taking the time to see what else Agartha had currently...not much, as it turned out. While the base did indeed have long winding corridors, large expansive rooms, and a large system which to process raw materials into usable materials, Agartha lay barren with little to no actual furnishing for this very reason. For how large it was? It's was a spectacle, and would probably be some sort of architect's wet dream, but the sheer emptiness of the base gave an eerie vibe that I could not explain with simple words. And of course, would make some die inside at the lack of decorations for such a large building. Of course, against my own wishes, when I did come to my room, two figures stood outside, my steps seeming to alert the two to look at me.
Empress and Dreamweaver seemed to stare right into my soul as I hesitated in my step, before pressing on.
"Is...something wrong?" I asked, nervously, their expressions unwavering one bit. Instead, Empress held her hand out to me, a small stack of papers now being offered, numbering four in total. I worried slightly. Is the Commander signing an anemic amount of paperwork trope actually true!? Empress seemed to only smile at my despairing frown.
"Commander, we have compiled a report of today's raid," she explained thankfully, my worry melting away instantly, though she kept going. "You should expect similar reports following any conflict between Siren and Humanity, each report will hold information regarding losses, wins, spoils, and any other key details of importance. Usually, the reports would be short and concise...but the situation revolving around Purifier calls for a more detailed explanation. Please accept these papers now." Her mention of Purifier did spike my interest instantly. Up until now, no mention of Purifier could be held for long, but seeing a report directly addressing what happened to her seems promising. Maybe they were holding off because they wanted to make a more detailed report?
"Thank you," I appreciated, taking the small stack from her hand, giving them a glance before addressing her again. "And what of the Kansen? Are they...getting comfortable?" Knowing no reports of the Kansen lashing out made for another promising report as well, Empress nodding.
"Those who followed me to their Dormitories have settled in remarkably well, at least visibly. I could tell a few were uneased by the revelation of our location, but I theorize it'll wear off in due time. As for those damaged; Rodney, Nelson, Sirius, and Hood are undergoing sustained emergency repairs as per your orders, though most serious injuries have been addressed by Observer Zero, and are currently unconscious to make the process more efficient. The other Kansen have turned down treatment until tomorrow. Hood will be placed in a chamber under surveillance thereafter to ensure her containment until further notice. Centaur, the Carrier who had been teleported before she could hear negotiations, still remains in a coma longer than we expected. We can force her out of the coma upon your order, but it presents a danger to her sanity should it be done incorrectly." I can only sigh as both good things and a bad thing were just said.
"Let Centaur stay comatose," I confirmed, "but monitor her carefully. She mustn't awaken with Sirens nearby or else it might make her lash out without realizing the current alliance. Ark Royal and Illustrious are to speak with her in any case. Keep with the plan about Hood. We can't be sure she'll be friendly or hostile, especially with what Observer did. Once those other three become conscious, reunite them with the rest of their fleet mates. Anything else?"
Empress shook her head, but Dreamweaver kept staring, my interest brought to her instead. I then "ah'd" softly in realization. Earlier, when Observer had been explaining to me a very generous list of things I could do with the resources being created, she had also remarked that the Core of Agartha was running dry, basically the heart of Agartha that powered everything with terrifying efficiency. When I meekly prompted the option to create a Core to replace the burnt-out one, Observer explained with some disappointment that the Cubes required to create a new Core would not be reached before the current Core would run dry as it costed a ridiculous amount, nearly half of what we gained from the ships. Thus, Dreamweaver, completely out of nowhere, asked if she could be used as a substitute for the meantime. Which then brought us here to the present.
"Are you fine with being used a Core? I thought we would've done that tomorrow." I asked again, somewhat surprised that we would be doing it today, even if Observer had assured she was fine with the idea earlier. Dreamweaver simply nodded.
"Of course," she reaffirmed, "the Core currently rests at near critical levels, its true levels of energy are constantly fluctuating, and is no longer predictable. This is why we must change it as quickly as possible. Not only that, but my core lasts longer than any Siren here due to my purpose, as such, it will not only be safer as both a short solution, but as well as long term solution to our energy crisis should a suitable, more permanent option not be created due to unforeseen circumstances. Furthermore, I will upload my consciousness to the Network, and will be of assistance virtually."
"Sounds good then," I agreed she had a very solid point, it's not like I would completely lose her, she will be around, just without a body. Though...I wonder what her visibility is like? Where can and can't she see in this base?
"Let's get a move on, then Commander, follow me. In the meantime, please read the report given to you. Empress, you are dismissed. " Pivoting a whole 90° to the right, Dreamweaver walked off, while Empress pivoted to the left before walking off. Raising my brows at the synchronized movements, I followed after the former as I began to read the papers given to me.
In short, the first page was concise, very straightforward with spoils and losses. The first on the list remarked the capturing of the two cargo ships which were of an immense fortune, providing enough resources to re-jumpstart the Siren warmachine. Another gain was the Kansen fleet, noting that it was the first allegiance between Siren and Kansen in this world, and showed promise for the future. The third was significant, in that the entirety of Edinfolk was erased from existence, two small before-and-after photos of the base clipped on the first page. The first photo showed a clear top-down picture of the base, showing its pristine state...with the second photo showing nothing but water. The calamity event had completely erased any evidence of it even existing. Again, that was some shit.
Now, as for losses. Shorter than what we got which was evidently a good thing. The first thing was that the Siren's numbers were slashed in half coming out of the raid, most being lost by the small offensive committed by Hood, the majority before Destroyers and Cruisers. Though, losses were reduced due to Empress drawing fire away and to her instead, resulting in her being damaged in some regard, yet not enough to require immediate repairs like Hood. The sight itself was awesome considering the damage was pretty evident when she was giving the report to me earlier. But at the same time, I was a bit sad that I had lost those Sirens as they seemed to be more sentient than I would've imagined, even chalking it up to them existing for long enough that they too gained self-consciousness. Regardless, I made mental notes to at least pull back the current Sirens to perhaps teach the new ones that get created? I would have to ask Observer or Dreamweaver right now to see if age correlates to their self-consciousness growing. Much like children, if that's the case.
When my eyes looked ever so slightly down, to my surprise, Purifier had been marked as a loss, though her name was punctuated with an asterisk implying more details explained why. Realizing the rest of this page was small little specific details regarding this and that of the other Sirens or Kansen, I turned the page, before turning again, and again. The last three pages were completely regarding Purifier and her whole situation. Did...did she really fuck up, or something? Making sure I didn't lose Dreamweaver, I proceeded to learn about the entire…"trip" Purifier embarked on a new planet.
A few minutes later, I reached the end of the report, the last words of the report theorizing the announcement of the Gateway collapsing from Edinfolk to be the same thing Purifier reported initially before finding it. The destruction of the entire base being the end result, whatever the reason still a mystery. Though, all in all, in the grand scheme of things...this world is fucked if we don't get its shit together. The theory of Sirens bullying Humanity to get them ready for an even stronger enemy than the Sirens themselves seems to be true in this case. And while yes, Humanity has triumphed over the Sirens, they lost the moment their glorious Commander mysteriously vanished.
Coincidence? I think fucking not. But that's an entirely separate theory for another time, for now, I formed the barebones of a plan for this world should I manage to actually get the Sirens back up in operation. Mainly speaking...I will most likely have to reunite the Kansen under my side, find whatever happened to their Commander, and reunite the Kansen with him. Doing that, and hoping trauma didn't scar most of them into shattered wills, all should be well. All of this would be simple if there was no timer...but they, the actual real baddies behind the scenes, knew about this world now, and knew about me specifically. How and why they knew is beyond me, but hey, if they're stronger than the Sirens and their goal is to destroy reality as it is, then their limits are beyond me. But if they were pissed with me being in the picture now, I was now literally a wanted fugitive who managed to piss the monsters capable of wiping out entire planets. With that said, the timer inevitably has been set, and they can appear at whatever moment. Absolutely. Thrilling.
See, I should be worrying about Purifier's sudden switch up in her view on the Sirens, but I was far too distracted with the implications of her CPU's interaction for me to care. In truth, when I did care to think about her, I honestly could see how she would be able to drop off the Network? Maybe she actually was tired of fighting while never showing it, and when she got close to the gateway, saw she had an opportunity to rest for once, and promptly took it. This, of all theories, would be stupid and lopsided considering Purifier was specifically designed with constant battles in mind. The other theory was that the Gateway probably created a field that inhibited certain emotions, seeing as how the world on the other side was all happy and without war, and affected Purifier into willing herself off the Network. No matter what theory is true or false, it didn't matter. The gateway was gone, the other world had been conquered by those creatures, and so was the entirety of Edinfolk had been quite practically erased from existence. And Dreamweaver herself stated on the paper she removed the portion within Purifier's code that could reform into rebellion.
Understanding that was the entire report, I looked up, staring into Dreamweaver's eyes as we stopped in front of a set of stone blocks.
"I...finished the reports," I informed with some hesitation as to why we stood in front of some rock.
"Then you understand the severity behind Purifier's findings?" I nodded, my gaze being brought in front of us. "Then we must stay wary at all times. This world is in peril should the unification under one not happen." She turned around, the palm of her hand coming up and resting against the stone. She took a deep breath as streaks of blue energy channeled through her arm, hand, and promptly into the stone casting the color of it into a deep azure blue.
"Admin Override: Lyn Dreamweaver"
She spoke with perhaps the clearest voice by far, the surface around her hand suddenly pulsing before the stone sank down with quakes, before the rest of the stone soon followed, sinking inwards, before folding out like curtains. A small doorway thus unveiled, a steel corridor lighting up with occasional white lights. Dreamweaver walked on, and I had to stay right on her tail, the corridor giving just enough room for one person to fit at a time. Soon enough, we entered another room that was cylinder in shape, every nook and cranny lit by pale lights in unhidden spots, the walls paler than white by the blinding light. This cleanliness was offset by the fact that long and thick cables ran messily here and there, pitch-black in color with streaks of yellow. Though a uniformed amount ran towards the center of the room before running up in the air, my head craning back to see a large naval mine suspended in the air by nothing, the mine itself seeming to pulse with light every second, an audible thump for every "pulse". Was this the Core? The prongs, which would be the contact points to set off a mine, were where the cables hooked up, the cables sending pulses outwards from the mine with each thump. Out of the corner of my eye, Dreamweaver raised her hand towards it, her hand shimmering as a thin blue-colored miasma bridged the gap between her and the mine. The Core suddenly stopped thumping as the room suddenly blared out in alarm, drowning the room in blood red.
"Attention. Attention." A robotic voice rang throughout the entire base, its voice reverberating even the walls. "The Core shall be changed in 1 minute. It will go down for approximately...30 seconds. All appliances requiring power, minus lighting, will be inaccessible during this time to avoid errors. We apologize for such an inconvenience. This message will repeat with updated time…"
The Core soon lowered itself, settling just before hitting the floor, letting off soft feint hums with each passing second. As Dreamweaver and I neared it, various cables one after another began to hiss, air shooting out where the cables met with the Core, before falling off completely. Dreamweaver turned towards me as the Core seemed to deactivate itself bit by bit. I noticed, though, the ends of the cables had sharp knife-like prongs, and were even barbed. Those...they had to plug into her, didn't they? They were never meant for someone, in the end, I had to remember.
"Very well, Commander," she said, her eyes trailing a single cable without much more than a blink of her eyes, her expression unwavering one bit. "This is where my physical form can no longer be of use until a solution is had." Somewhat terrifyingly, the cables that were first to unplug, slowly lifted into the air like snakes, reeling their mouth-like prong, before rushing at Dreamweaver, audibly hearing metal meet metal as the plugs dug into random portions of her body. She didn't even bat a single eye, simply readjusting her form to compensate for the force behind every connection. With each connection, however, her luminescence seemed to die down.
"Until then," she continued on without a care in the world, a smile growing on her face. "I will be watching over you all from the Network. But can you, as my Commander, fulfill a single wish of mine?" Finally, the last connection fell off the old Core, the entire room suddenly going pitch black, the only source of light being the already faded source coming from Dreamweaver.
"I can try my best," I answered truthfully. She closed her eyes as she let out a soft giggle. The cables soon lifted her into the air.
"Promise me when they arrive …" Her eyes reopened, her expression turning remorseful. "...in the case we fail to stop them…and all hope is lost..." She slowly began to slur her words, seeing the cables begin to pump out her energy. "...You do not lose faith in our cause."
I only stared at her with confusion, genuine confusion. What did she mean? Why is she asking me this now of all times? Was there something else I didn't know!?
"I-I…" I wanted to ask her what she meant, but I swallowed my doubts, and stood as firm as I could.
"I promise...Lyn." Her smile grew tired, eyes closing as whispered something inaudible, her hands tightening around her doll, before a high-pitched whine grew in volume, a noise similar to defibrillators, before a similar noise of discharge rang out. Dreamweaver's body curled as she muffled a pained yelp, before her body relaxed completely, the grasp on her doll loosening enough for her to drop it. Catching it just in time, I looked at it with a muted gaze, before looking up at the now lifeless Siren. Soon enough, the lights in the room soon turned back on, an eerie silence following after as I kept staring at Dreamweaver's unmoving...body, yes. Not a corpse not per se.
Looking down at her doll, the P.A. system rang out, before silence followed.
"The changing of the Core has been successful, all systems nominal, and receiving safe levels of energy." A familiar voice filled my ears, realizing that it was Dreamweaver's, still having an edge of boredom and otherworldly tiredness. "Glory for the Sirens." Is all she said before the system cut out, basking me in silence more. Without realizing it, the exit reopened behind me, whirling around at the sudden noise of stone grinding against each other. Then I had a sudden thought. If she was in the Network, and she inadvertently controls Agartha now…
"I am here, Commander," her voice rang out in the room, yet soft enough to make me think she was next to me. "I will lead you back to your room, please follow the lights." Just like she said, the lights in the tight corridor began to blink, beckoning me to follow. I chuckled as I nodded.
Seems like I can finally rest for tonight.
Fin
0.o
That was my face when I realized I completed this chapter in nearly a week. Comparing that to the previous chapter which took almost a year? Just showed me how stuck I was, yet I breezed through this one, and still planned to add more things but saved them for the next chapter. Which, speaking of, will probably mainly consist of POV's outside of our beloved MC and the Sirens, though I'm not entirely too sure just yet, so it'll be a toss-up for sure though. I seem to be getting back into the groove of things, which is good. Next chapter will most def take more than a week to come out though, mainly because a friend of mine is visiting for some time, so I won't have much time to sit down and write like I usually do. Just know that I will always keep this story in mind.
Anyways, 'til next time!