A/N
I'm uploading a chapter early for once in my life! But only because I'll be away from my computer for the rest of the day and there will be no other chances for me to do it.
I must say, I found writing this chapter to be far more engaging than the previous few. I've never really liked writing fight scenes all that much… not in my Team MARS saga and definitely not in Tigress.
I'll try to plot out the upcoming fight scenes before I actually write them this time around. If you guys could see my chapter notes and the amount of changes I had to make for the last two to work… good lord…
Anyways...
Chapter 13…
"So… you're sure that I can actually eat this?"
'Scans indicate high levels of vitamins and minerals, in addition to no known toxins that may pose a threat."
Ashley lifted the small bulb she was holding higher up to view it critically. It was a fairly unpleasant looking piece of plant life that she had picked off its stem only moments before. The bulb looked… wrong. It was spherical in shape and covered in tiny holes and pores that made Ashley's stomach squirm in anticipation.
"One last time…" Ashley muttered, holding the bulb high over her head.
Only moments after she straightened her arm did the shining red light of a bio-scanner blink into existence. The light emanated from the optic of Cain's seer kit; the titan had crouched down to get a better view of the tiny object Ashley was holding.
It took five seconds for a full scan to be complete, Ashley waited patiently in place. Finally the red light emanating from Cain's singular "eye" faded out of existence.
"And?" Ashley yawned, pulling her arm back down to once again view the small bulb. "Can I eat it… or were you wrong?"
"I do not make mistakes, Ashley," Cain spoke in his usual grating tone. "This piece of plant matter is safe for human consumption."
Ashley wrinkled her nose. "It looks like shit…"
"Irrelevant," Cain chided. "The human body is capable of long periods of survival without food, but the effects of starvation will be a hindrance to your physical performance."
"You're acting like we've been out here for weeks," Ashley scoffed, wiping the bulb on her jumpsuit sleeve. "It's only been a few hours since we got left behind…"
"Fact: Low blood sugar can result in anxiety, chills, nausea, confusion, lightheadedness-"
"I get the point," Ashley growled, silencing the titan. "Here goes… wish me luck?"
"Definition of luck reads: success of failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions," Cain grumbled, his single red "eye" twisting to the side and narrowing, as if he was in deep thought. "There is no need to call upon luck in this scenario, you will be fine."
"Would it kill you to say it?"
"Clarify."
"Nevermind," Ashley chuckled under her breath, gently shaking her head from side to side. Cain was as straight-laced as they came… unsurprising, given that he was a computer. "Here goes…"
Ashley tentatively raised the bulb to her pale lips and took a quick bite, grimacing when a tide of sour fluid washed out from the object. She chewed the plant matter as quick as she could and plugged her nose with her free hand to swallow it.
"Fuck," Ashley coughed out, spitting whatever flecks and remains of the bulb back onto the ground. "Cain… could you get the water…?"
Cain's hatch opened with a hiss and the Ronin titan reached in to withdraw a small emergency ration pack, laying it gently onto the ground near Ashley's feet. The dark haired woman hurriedly opened the pack and withdrew a bottle of water. She uncorked the bottle and drained a quarter of the contents into her mouth to wash away the bulb's taste.
"Are you alright, Ashley?" Cain questioned, his solitary "eye" once again twisting in curiosity.
"Yeah," Ashley coughed. She crammed the rest of the bulb into her mouth, chewed it, then washed it down with another swig of water. "These bulbs taste like ass..."
"I'm afraid that I have no frame of reference with which to respond."
Ashley chuckled and slipped the half-full water bottle back into its kit. "Funny… very funny…"
"I'm afraid that I have no frame of reference with which to respond," Cain repeated.
Ashley scoffed and turned her head to hide the small smile on her lips. She closed up the emergency kit and picked her helmet up off the ground.
"Let's get going, Cain…"
Woman and titan stood up simultaneously to continue their hike North. Neither of them had any idea where their eventual destination would be. In their situation the smartest idea had been to put as much distance between themselves and their pursuers as possible.
Cain's long range scanners hadn't picked up anything out of the ordinary, which meant they had some breathing room.
Ashley walked on the ground beside Cain as they moved North. The titan's giant feet shook the ground and trees whenever they pressed down, scaring off the small bird-like creatures that had been roosting on the latter.
Ashley called them "bird-like" because of their wings… the six eyes the small creatures boasted dispelled the image of the birds she used to watch in her childhood.
All around them the strange alien forest bloomed. Upon first glance the trees looked quite a bit like pines, but they oozed a bright yellow sap. The soft ground was covered in patches of dark blue grass and large, fungal like growths. Other than the occasional chitter of the "bird-like" creatures and the whistle of the wind through the trees, the forest was silent.
No bugs so far, either… which was an added bonus.
Ashley kept a quick pace as she stumbled her way through the brush, not wanting to fall behind her titan. She knew that she could embark Cain at any time for a free ride; but his cramped chassis had left her longing for some fresh air. Her black and yellow helmet was dangling casually in her left hand. Her right hand was occupied by her data-knife, which she was absentmindedly twirling in her gloved palm.
How many people the previous night had died for the data in her knife? Ashley wasn't sure… she had never- ever kept count of the people she killed.
The IMC leaving her behind had been a strange choice as well…
Ashley didn't hold any animosity against them… the zone was only getting hotter by the second. Still, the amount of time, planning and effort it took to get this data… and they just left it planetside?
Not even she knew the full scope of the data. All Ashley had been told was "get in, copy everything in their database, get out". She could only assume it was tactical information like troop movements or titan specifications… nothing that couldn't be learned in a prisoner interrogation.
Weird… just plain weird…
"Ashley?" Cain's grating voice spoke, bouncing around inside Ashley's head. The sudden burst of noise gave Ashley a moment of pause.
"What is it, Cain?" Ashley asked, continuing her walk and turning her head to view the titan. Cain made no attempt to turn his chassis and look down at her.
"I have several questions for you, providing you are willing to answer them?"
"Questions?" Ashley scoffed. "What? There's something that the great computer doesn't know?"
"I believe that was an example of 'humor'," Cain responded. "I have made note of it for future interactions."
"And your question?"
"I had several questions regarding your history with the IMC," Cain elaborated. "First question, from studying your service records I understand that you were a member of Fireteam Osiris-"
Ashley's dark eyes widened and her pace quickened.
"-and it's only survivor?"
Ashley lost her balance and stumbled, nearly dropping her helmet as she did.
"Pilot, are you alright?" Cain's metal chassis whirled around to face Ashley.
"I'm fine," Ashley gasped, quickly straightening herself and patting off her armor. "I'm fine…"
"Scans show elevated hear-"
"I'm fine!" Ashley snapped, her dark eyes narrowing. "Shut up!"
Cain fell silent, the slight glow of his red optic making her dark eyes water.
"Ashley," Cain spoke in a lower, more cautious tone. "Did my mention of your past service record cause this distress?"
"I'm not in distress-"
"Scans indicate that you are lying."
Ashley's words died on her tongue. She looked back up into Cain's "eye" and tried her best to battle down the pressure in her chest. As the wind rustled through the trees, she could hear the faint whispers of a cacophony of voices…
"Lie?" Ashley turned away, taking a seat on the ground of the forest. "I'm fine…"
"When a human is being dishonest, physical signs may manifest," Cain explained, his chassis creaking and whirring. "I am equipped with multiple scanners that can monitor your life signatures down to the most minute detail… you cannot lie to me."
"Why do you care?" Ashley frowned. "You're a machine, Cain. Your job is to think… not to feel."
"My ability to 'feel' is limited," Cain conceded. "I cannot claim to understand the intricacies of human emotion… it is something that cannot be replicated."
Ashley frowned. She noticed a wispy black strand hanging in her left eye and reached up to grab it. Her suspicions were confirmed when she reached up and tousled her dark hair, finding that the tight braid she kept her hair in had come loose.
"I don't really want to talk about my past with the IMC…" Ashley muttered as she undid what remained of her messy braid. Her thick dark hair now hung free, falling down her back and tickling her neck. "I just don't…"
"I only ask because all known information will strengthen our link," Cain explained. The massive titan crouched down so that he was more or less on Ashley's level. "If I may…? Why are you reluctant to share this pertinent information?"
"You said it yourself… you can't understand how I think or feel," Ashley played with her thick hair, trying in vain to twist it back into the neat braid she had it in. "I don't want to talk about it…"
Cain was silent for a long moment. "Very well… I will not ask the same question again. However, there are other queries I would like to propose to you."
"About?"
"I would like to know more about your upbringing, familial ties and other information of that nature."
Ashley frowned and let go of her hair, allowing it to fall free again. She turned her head and peered into Cain's red optic, biting her lower lip as she thought.
"Fine," Ashley admitted. "But on one condition."
"Yes?"
"Let me go for a ride on top of your chassis," Ashley allowed a small smile to crawl up the right side of her lips. She reached out her arm to get a firm grip on her helmet. "We've been stopped for a while anyways… and I could go for some fresh air."
Cain wordlessly reached out and picked Ashley up. The titan set the dark haired woman atop his chassis and then slowly stood back up to his full height.
Ashley waited for Cain to reach a brisk walking pace before she answered his questions. The air near the top of the forest canopy tasted considerably fresher than what was on the ground.
"O-kay," Ashley clicked her tongue. She squeezed her helmet in-between her legs for safe-keeping and once again reached up to fix her hair. "First question?"
"Please tell me all relevant information about your life before the IMC," Cain answered. "There is little record of you before you began serving the corporation."
Ashley huffed and deeply inhaled some fresh air before responding. "I was born and raised in Japan… back on Earth."
"I possess extensive historical records of most Earth nations," Cain responded. "Can you describe your upbringing?"
"Not much to tell," Ashley mused, finally beginning to make some progress on her hair. "The place is one gigantic mega-city… lots and lots of people live there… if you can call it living."
"There is animosity in your voice…"
"You're good," Ashley frowned. "Yeah… I don't have many fond memories there."
"Noted," Cain spoke in his usual low tone. "What of your family? Do you have any relatives with past military service?"
"To answer your second question, no," Ashley carefully twisted the tips of her hair, running the dark strands between her fingers. "Family is a touchy subject for me…"
"Are you uncomfortable with continuing?"
Ashley was silent for a long moment as she considered Cain's question.
"No," Ashley finally answered. "My mother left not long after I was born…"
"Left? As in abandoned?"
"A harsher word, but yeah," Ashley sighed and twisted her torso to crack her back.
All around them the chittering noise of the bird-like creatures sprang up again. The six-eyed little monstrosities fluttered around the top of Cain's chassis, clearly taking interest in Ashley and her titan.
"I don't know why she left, my dad never liked talking about it. He was a good man… stressed and overworked… but he was still a good father, he tried his best."
"There is admiration in your voice."
Ashley chuckled in a low, dangerous tone. "He had the patience of a saint… judging from the way I acted as a kid I'm not holding anything against my mother for leaving."
Cain was silent for a moment. "You were a source of problems?"
"I was a little hellion," Ashley suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Don't give me the definition of that word…"
"Noted."
"My father tried his best, but he was trying to fill a motherly void that just… couldn't," Ashley spoke regretfully, flicking a stray leaf off the top of Cain's chassis and watching as it fluttered away. "I caused a lot of problems for him and-"
Ashley caught her tongue before she could utter the next few words. After a few moments of consideration she finally relented, releasing her tongue and continuing her speech.
"My sister," Ashley cleared her throat. "I had a sister… her name was Faith."
"Are you and "Faith" close?"
"I think you missed me saying the word 'had'," Ashley murmured to the titan. "Faith's dead… has been for years."
"My condolences," Cain offered, but his grating voice sounded hollow to Ashley. "Will continuing cause you distress?"
"I think… it would be best to leave it for for now," Ashley responded, carefully annunciating each word as she spoke. "Understood?"
"Affirmative."
The rustling of the wind in the trees caught Ashley's attention and she turned her head to face the breeze. A gentle wind ruffled the top of the forest canopy, rustling the leaves of the alien trees and scattering them into the air.
As Ashley watched the leaves descend an old memory came to mind.
In her vision she could see a smiling girl that had a face like her own… but perhaps a few years older. The girl's eyes were as dark as obsidian… just like her father's… just like Ashley's…
High above the smiling girl the beautiful pink blossoms of a Sakura tree bloomed, reflecting the cool light of the afternoon sun.
Oh, Faith… the one thing she couldn't do was live up to her own namesake...
