Chapter 33…
Ashley could feel the blood rushing around in her head - through her neck and in her ears. Her fingers felt numb - as did the rest of her limbs - and the churning sensation in her gut was making her vision spin.
"Cain…?" Ashley gasped out in shock. Her throat felt hoarse all of a sudden, as if water hadn't touched her lips in years. "W- what?"
"I am sorry," Cain muttered. "But allowing you to be detained for treason is the only logical way that my programming can be obeyed."
Outside of Cain's viewscreen, Cozbi was still on the approach. Her titan's movements were slow and deliberate, each step against the pavement soft. She still had her titan's broadsword hefted up and the right arm bent back at the elbow to keep the point leveled on Cain's cockpit.
"Cain!?" Ashley hissed, biting her cheek painfully in the process. The black and yellow clad pilot grasped the titan's controls and tried to control him, but Cain refused to obey her input. "Please! You don't understand… why are you doing this?"
"Recall our chat during the training exercise prior to this mission - when you asked me what happens to a titan OS when their pilot turns rogue," Cain muttered, his voice reverberating around the cockpit. "I have had time to process the question, and I believe that I have formulated an effective solution. By ensuring your safe detainment by IMC forces, I will be ensuring that Protocol's Three and Two are fol-"
"Cain, she doesn't want to detain me!" Ashley cried out. "Cozbi is going to kill me! Why do you think her titan has it's sword drawn!?"
"Standard procedure dictates that turncoat pilots must be detained. Only at the behest of a ranking officer is lethal force authorized," Cain argued, his voice stuck in its usual drone. "Ashley, I have you safely detained inside of my cockpit. Therefore, lethal force in this situation is not necess-"
"God dammit, Cain!" Ashley roared. She flicked her eyes up to the cockpit viewscreen, watching in horror as Cozbi's titan stalked closer and closer. It was a little bit odd that Cozbi hadn't taken the chance to spring forwards and spear Cain's cockpit yet.
Perhaps she was being cautious? Or perhaps she was savoring the moment...
"Cain, you're thinking like a machine," Ashley grit her teeth; she could feel her knuckles turning white as she gripped the armrests of her chair. "Think like a human for a second…"
"I am incapable of doing so, Ashley," Cain grumbled. "I cannot see things from your perspective."
"Then humour me!" Ashley begged. "Open a channel! She's going to kill me, Cain!"
Cain was silent for a very long moment, which allowed Cozbi to close even more of the distance between them.
"Please," Ashley's voice cracked. "As your pilot I am begging you to humour me."
Cain cockpit radio clicked and fizzled, indicating that it had been activated.
"Pilot Mentirosa, this is CN-8749. I have detained Pilot Ishikara and am asking you to please clarify your immediate intentions."
Cain's cockpit radio clicked and crackled for a moment.
"CN-8749, this is Pilot Mentirosa," Cozbi's accented voice flowed through the speaker. "Your pilot's gone turncoat… I'll arrest her and bring her in."
"She's lying…" Ashley seethed.
Cain stayed silent.
"Pilot Mentirosa," Cain continued. "I have effectively contained Pilot Ishikara, please lower your weapon."
"Only a precaution," Cozbi tittered through the radio. "Ishikara is dangerous… I don't want any surprises…"
The pointed tip of Cozbi's broadsword was now meters away from Cain's cockpit hatch. At the angle the blade was sitting, Cozbi would be able to thrust the blade forward and slide it between the hatch's seams - killing Ashley instantly.
"Cain… please…" Ashley's mouth now felt impossibly dry, her heart was hammering against her ribcage. The blade continued to creep closer; Ashley closed her eyes, waiting for the heavy blade to strike through Cain's cockpit and kill her.
But Cozbi would never have the chance to thrust the blade forwards…
In a flurry of perfect motion, which could only be achieved by a machine, Cain raised her hands to bat away Cozbi's broadsword. Using the momentum, Cain threw his arm back and deftly pulled his own sword from his back; he swung the broadsword diagonally to force Cozbi's titan back, and then activated his thrusters to dash backwards and gain some distance.
"Cain?" Ashley gasped, her eyes cracking open in disbelief. A few moments ago she had been filled with the fear of death, but that fear had now been crushed.
"CN-8749! What in the bloody hell are you doing!?" Cozbi roared through the cockpit radio.
"Pilot Mentirosa, voice analysis indicates that you are lying," Cain growled. "Protocol Two dictates that I cannot harm another IMC pilot; but Protocol Three dictates that I must protect my own."
Cozbi's red and white Ronin shifted in place for a moment, it's heavy broadsword still held high in a defensive motion.
"CN-8749," Cozbi warned, her tone low and dangerous. "Stand down… now…"
"Negatory, I must follow Protocol Three."
"Fine then… I'll consider you to be rogue as well," Cozbi's Ronin reared back it's metal leg for a heavy push. "Let's make this interesting…"
Charging it's thrusters to build up speed, Cozbi's titan blasted off of the ground. The white and red Ronin held it's sword low and dragged it along the ground; most likely intending to swing the sword up for a devastating slice.
Cain, being a computer, could predict the incoming attack before it was made. The dark blue Ronin titan swung his own sword up to parry away Cozbi's blade. Cain held his ground, engaging the enemy titan in a fast paced sword duel; the force of the blows made Ashley's teeth chatter.
"Cain!" Ashley struggled out, being careful to not accidentally bite her tongue. The black and yellow clad pilot was still grasping Cain's controls and making feeble attempts to control the titan's actions. "Let me help you!"
"Negatory," Cain rumbled back. "I cannot be complicit in the maiming or killing of IMC forces."
"Then what the hell are you doing right now!?" Ashley seethed, still trying to wrest back control from Cain.
"I have no intention of harming Pilot Mentirosa or her titan, in accordance with Protocol Two," Cain explained. His cockpit and chassis rattled and shook as he hefted his blade to glance away an incoming strike. Sparks flew and metal screeched against metal as the two broadswords made contact with each other. "Thus, I cannot allow you to assume manual control of my chassis; the chances of you harming Pilot Mentirosa is too great."
"I despise her, I'll readily admit that," Ashley admitted in a dark tone. "But I won't kill her…"
"Even if that is your intention, the risk still persists," Cain countered. "Trust me…"
The ground shattering fight between the two Ronin's continued. Cozbi, perhaps beginning to lose her patience with the duel, began to adopt more reckless strategies.
In a flash, Cozbi's red and white Ronin thrusted backwards and drew it's Leadwall shotgun. Cain foresaw this action and turned his blade so that the flat face was outwards; moving and adjusting his arms, Cain blocked the worst of the incoming pellets - with only minor damage to his chassis.
In another flash, this time grey, Cozbi's titan disappeared from Ashley and Cain's shared dimension.
"Cain, she's using the phase engine!" Ashley shouted in warning.
"I anticipate a flanking maneuver," Cain grunted. He spun his chassis around to face behind him and lifted his sword to charge up his arc-wave.
Unfortunately for both Cain and Ashley, the former's prediction had been wrong…
Alarm klaxons blared and warning lights flashed as a surge of lead pellets slammed into Cain's weak rear armor. Cain reacted with incredible speed, twisting his torso around to find Cozbi's titan standing exactly where it was; if it hadn't been for the pre-charged arc-wave that Cain sent in their direction, the next shot would have scrapped his chassis.
Cozbi's titan sputtered for a moment under the strain of the electric surge, giving Cain the chance to move in. The dark blue titan drew his broadsword and swung it overhead into a downwards slash - an obvious attack pattern. Cozbi's titan moved left to avoid the slow strike and thrusted backwards to build some distance.
"Pilot Mentirosa, I am requesting that you stand down," Cain transmitted over the radio. "IMC evacuation is currently underway, I will not allow you to harm my pilot."
"CN-8749, shut the fuck up," Cozbi growled back. "Your pilot blew the bloody mission and has gone turncoat… she needs to die…"
"You are not authorized to neutralize rogue pilots unless given the order from a direct superior," Cain countered, watching as Cozbi's titan circled the area - looking for an opening. "Kuben Blisk has not given such authorization."
The cockpit radio stayed silent for a moment.
"Let me take control of you again," Ashley pleaded. She reached her hands forwards to grasp his controls again. "Please, Cain. You're thinking like a machine, Cozbi doesn't give a shit about authorization. She wants revenge!"
"Revenge, Ishikara?" Cozbi muttered through the radio.
Ashley felt herself freeze.
"You should make sure that your radio is off…" Cozbi tittered. "But this isn't about revenge… it is personal, but not revenge. I'm just making sure that loose ends are tied up, which is something you never seemed to understand."
"Fuck you!" Ashley spat. She didn't await Cozbi's inevitable response, instead throwing a hand out to shut off the cockpit radio. "Cain, give me control!"
"Negatory, I cannot hand over manual control to you-" Cain never got the chance to finish his statement; his speech broke down into a garbled mess of sounds.
Ashley looked around in horror as the sudden arc-wave from Cozbi's titan scrambled Cain's systems. The black and yellow clad pilot was relatively safe from the electric charge, given that she was sitting in Cain's cockpit; however, it would take a few seconds for Cain's systems to reboot.
And it was in those few seconds that Cozbi took her chance to spring forward and bring down her Ronin's broadsword. The sharpened blade impacted Cain's shoulder joint and completely sheared off his left arm; once again, alarm klaxon's blared and warning lights danced in front of Ashley's eyes.
The next slash would have punctured the cockpit, but Cain recovered just in time. Instead, Cozbi's blade left a deep gouge in Cain's armor, just barely missing his highly sensitive optic.
"Cain! Disengage!" Ashley begged.
Thankfully, the titan listened to her this time…
Turning on his metal heel, Cain quickly sprinted in the opposite direction of the fight. He made liberal use of his thrusters, keen to put as much distance between himself and Cozbi as possible.
"By my calculation, the odds of your survival are less than ten percent," Cain muttered as he sprinted around the base of the missile tower. "This situation calls for drastic measures, in accordance with my programming I must prioritize Protocol Three… and protect you..."
As he ran, Cain activated his electric smoke countermeasure. The deadly field of electricity would buy both him and Ashley a few seconds of time.
"What are you talking about?" Ashley demanded. She was still trying to struggle with Cain's controls, but to no avail. "Cain… what the hell are you doing? Let me help you, dammit!"
Cain's chassis groaned as several fist-sized lead pellets slammed into his already weakened rear armor. Cozbi was clearly trying to slow him down, but by stopping to fire her Leadwall she had given Cain a prime opportunity to put more distance between them.
In a sudden blast of light, Cain cracked open his hatch. Ashley let out a sharp cry of surprise when he reached in his remaining metal hand and pulled her out. Cain closed his hatch just as quickly and pulled Ashley close to his metal chest. He was still running, and the vibrations from his chassis were making Ashley's head spin.
"To ensure your survival, I must put as much distance between you and Pilot Mentirosa as possible-"
"Cain! Wait!" Ashley managed to struggle out, her teeth chattering.
"I am requesting your compliance," Cain grumbled. The titan skidded to a halt near the interior wall of the missile tower's compound.
"Cain-"
"Please…"
For a moment, Ashley was taken aback. Behind the clinical, scratchy tone… Ashley could almost hear the undertone of something else…
"Cain, I'm begging you…" Ashley feebly pried at his metal hand as he reared his arm back. "Don't do this…"
Cain said nothing. His red optic was pointed at the sky, twisting and turning as if he was considering the necessary variables.
"She's vindictive, and cruel… she'll kill you…"
"I am a machine, I cannot feel fear…" Cain muttered. In the distance, Ashley could hear the rapid pounding of metal feet and the scraping of a sword being removed from its sheath. "That is a human trait… I am not a human, but you are."
"Please…"
It was a final, desperate plea, Ashley's voice felt hoarse.
Cain tore his red gaze away from the sky and turned his optic to view Ashley. The red light twisted and turned, as if Cain was trying to formulate the right words to say.
"Ashley," Cain mumbled, his tone low and scratchy. "Please know this, I choose to do what I am doing… and I have enjoyed our time together."
And without another word, Cain reared back his arm and sent Ashley flying into the clouds. She flew limply, like a ragdoll, her spinning vision locked on the titan below.
Perhaps it would have been better if Ashley turned her vision away from her titan…
She would have been spared the sight of Cozbi running her sword straight through Cain's cockpit. The heavy blade pierced through the metal and armor and sheared Cain's blinking red optic in two.
And just like that… the red light in his singular "eye" went dim…
Ashley's landing was very rough. She had used her jump-kit thrusters to slow her descent as much as possible; but eventually the fuel ran out and Ashley impacted the ground. Her body's impact dug a shallow trench in the field she had touched down in.
The field surrounding her was filled with blooming flowers of all colours and shapes; these beautiful plants stretched across the grassy landscape and complimented the bright blue sky above Ashley's head. Truly, the planet Antheia had earned its name...
All things considered, it wasn't the worst place to die…
Ashley couldn't feel her fingers and toes… in fact, she couldn't really feel anything. Perhaps it was the shock of the battle, or her betrayal of the IMC, or her crash landing… or Cain's…
'Cain'
His name could now be added to the long list of people who Ashley had killed… even if it was indirectly. Her actions had led to his death… and he had died trying to save her life…
"Y'know, Cain," Ashley muttered, the words just barely escaping her cracked lips. "There was so much I never told you… so much I was afraid to share…"
There was no point in talking, Ashley had to conserve her strength; but she felt compelled to speak, driven by the guilt of not doing it beforehand.
"My sister… Faith," Ashley turned her head inside her badly damaged helmet. "She died of an overdose… 'Spice' was what they called it. Faith was sick… and I was too much of a selfish bitch to realize that… if anything, I was the one who drove her to it."
For the first time in a very long time, Ashley felt the uncomfortable sensation of tears welling up near her eyes. The moisture pattered down her cheeks and began to pool around her ear.
"My dad died not long after… he was never the same. The only time I ever got close to him was when I knew that I was going to lose him…"
Ashley felt incredibly tired, the urge to close her eyes was growing by the second. Still, she fought to keep herself awake… for just a little bit longer…
"And my team, Osiris," Ashley chuckled darkly, hiccupping through the tears. "I left them all to die on Demeter… just took a ship and left. They were my friends and I ignored them when they were begging to be let on…"
Ashley turned her head back upwards to peer through her cracked and ruined visor. Through the damaged lenses she caught a glimpse of the blue skies above.
"I'm sorry that I killed you too, Cain," Ashley muttered with the last of her strength. "You deserved a much better pilot…"
Under a blue sky and in a field of fresh flowers - sitting in her own grave…
… is where Ashley Ishiskara resolved herself to die.
