So I discovered a bit of difficulty with simultaneously writing and working ten hour days. Lunch breaks are still a thing, though, so I'm managing.
One down, four to go.
Permafrost covered the ground. Six - no, eight inches deep, at least. Right? Yeah, right, right. Grass beneath, way down. So the explosion's heat vaporized the permafrost and revealed the grass.
Right?
And... but... the grass should be dead... and the vines... think, damn it, think!
"You've been staring at that image for the past two hours, John."
Didn't need this right now. Really didn't need this.
"Shut up."
"Listen to me."
Didn't need this, Jesus fuck, didn't need it at all! "Gabe, I swear to-"
"Listen. To me."
He dug his fingers into his eyes, rocked back against the chair. The Vice Chairman cut the feed.
"You want to know why it happened. I get it, okay? You're doubting. You're thinking there's a chance you got it wrong."
Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it.
"But that's just it - it's a chance. Nothing more. A chance, not a certainty. Our plan is a certainty, right? Guaranteed. We know it'll work, given enough time. We've done the math. Science is on our side. It may take a few hundred years, but slow and steady wins the race. We cannot afford to take risks."
Right. Right, slow and steady.
"And right now, down in that hellhole, there are thousands of your soldiers fighting to get us the time we need. Fighting to get us the magma energy we need to make that dream a reality! Look at me, John!"
His friend's face was resolute, his brown eyes shimmering steel.
"We're going to save Earth. We got this."
Shoulders slumping, Papa leaned his elbows onto his knees and sighed away the doubts plaguing his addled mind.
"Yeah."
Alpha did not consider life a particularly pleasant affair. Understandable, given how they'd been raised. Soldiers needed no comforts besides food, water and the occasional bit of shelter. The battle to save the planet superseded the discovery of any hobbies.
Well, on second thought, perhaps that wasn't entirely true.
"Niner Actual, this is Forward. Message, over."
'Iota's watchdogs' could be considered a hobby.
"Forward, Niner Actual. Send traffic, over."
But hobbies provided enjoyment - or so Alpha assumed - and the mitigation of their rogue sister's temper tantrums normally aggravated all parties involved to obscene degrees. So could it really be a hobby?
"Niner Actual, three mikes ago Sierra Zero Eight hailed Forward with reports of ten Gutenberg contacts. Thirty seconds after hail, their Franxx units dropped from the BLUFOR tracker. They were stationed along the western front, three klicks out. Team Niner is tasked with moving to their last known grid reference, identifying and eliminating any threats, then reporting to Forward. How copy? Over."
Alpha pondered the orders, frowning, and took a moment to massacre a Moho-class and its Conrad guards.
"Forward, interrogative. You said one zero Gutenbergs?"
"Niner Actual, good readback. One zero Gulf-Bravos."
Finally, a modicum of something resembling difficulty. "Forward, Niner Actual copies all. We are oscar mike, out."
Delta's eye rolled. "They're already dead, you know."
"Obviously. But it gives us something to do. That flank needs to remain secure until the next fodder group is sent to hold the line, or else the klaxosaurs will push to the plantations."
"Delta's right, though, Alpha," Gamma drawled over the comms. "They've kept us here for too long. This is friggin' boring. We should be looking for Iota and her toy."
"We haven't heard from Epsilon and Theta, either," Beta added. "And command's been oddly silent regarding their status."
Tch. "They're fine."
Truthfully, the blonde agreed. Sending them to the Grand Crevasse was a waste of time... even if the surroundings matched their mental hellscape.
How long had these fires raged? Weeks? Months? Years? Franxx and klaxosaur carcasses alike riddled the wasted lands. Mountains of ash and soot and steel provided ample cover for both enemy and ally. War's cacophony never abated.
Alpha knew the world to be dead, yes, but this battlefield remained unique. A testament to just how low humanity had fallen.
A scoff marred pristine features. "They sent us here in her place. She was supposed to clear the path, not us."
Gamma grunted. "And now the selfish brat is off traipsing through a field of flowers with some lowly no-name vermin she decided to fancy!"
Delta's violent huff warmed Alpha's back. "Shut up, Gamma."
"You know it's true. 'Oh woe is me! I'm Iota! I'm perfect in every way, but I'm miserable! Life sucks!'"
"Enough!" the leader barked. "Focus on the task at hand. Deal with the monsters. We'll handle sister dearest later."
The charred, blackened walls protecting the Grand Crevasse launch facility straddled the horizon. Beyond the scorched steel rested the last of the massive Hringhorni rockets, the automated launch vehicles designed to bring the magma energy to Papa and his Cosmos arc ship.
Indeed, it was that domed construct upon which Alpha focused. Not the obliterated ruins of the city surrounding it, not the blasted husks of the Franxx and klaxosaurs fighting for its control. Alpha knew the goal, knew the stakes, knew the mission to clear a path and usher in the salvation of the species. The parasites thought doing such would save them all, that the Hringhorni held enough space for all currently fighting on the battlefield.
Alpha held no such delusions.
Perks came with leading the special forces. The security clearances granted them access to myriad plans, doctrines and procedures governing the eternal conflict raging across the facility and its associated ruins. Alpha knew - the Nines all knew - that they would be left behind.
By the skin of his immortal teeth would Papa save humankind. The parasites were the sacrifices upon the rocket's altar. Some would live, most would die.
No governments. No guiding lights. No more orders, no more tasking. Every man, woman and child would fend for themselves while their hope for a better world departed to Mars. If they could study Earth's sibling, if they could undo whatever killed the red star...
Delta hissed. "That stupid bitch. That stupid, selfish bitch, making everything so complicated! Who would just... who would just..."
Terraforming: the next mighty beast they needed to tackle. But they were of Earth. No matter the cost. No matter the sacrifices. No matter who got left behind.
They - papa, the Nines, the parasites - would save the planet. They would save the last city.
Even if it meant being stranded on a dead world with the klaxosaurs, without food, water or a place to sleep.
Gamma loosed a weary chuckle over the comms. "We should've asked her how she found the fish."
"Gamma! Shut up, damn it! We - it's wrong, she can't just - not when we're..."
"Delta."
Delta's teeth clicked together, hands clutched the controls. Alpha empathized.
"We should've re-educated her. We didn't know about the fodder or his influence. We should've asked the doctor. Hindsight's twenty-twenty. We'll find her. We'll-"
The IFF's beeped warning silenced the monologue. Alpha's eyes followed the bearing and searched the distance for any signs of contact.
"Get... off... us...!"
One of Squad 8's Franxx stood struggling with-
Body tensed. The fires of retribution roared. The injustice, the injustice!
"Alpha," Beta warned.
The memories filtered through Alpha's mind. The vermin's struggles, the realization, the treachery.
"Is that the Gutenberg?" Delta questioned. "The signals match, but it doesn't look like a - Alpha?"
The sword pierced the cockpit, and the parasites' feed went silent. Alpha took a thunderous step forward. A hiss bubbled in the throat.
"Where is she?"
Its head twisted in the M9's direction. Posture shifted. A quick twist and yank, to free the weapon.
Recognition.
Alpha's lips curled. Delta readied the spear.
"Where is she?!"
It pointed the blade at the blonde's forehead.
Alpha charged. This time - this time, there would be no escape.
This time, answers.
"Where is Iota?!"
Betrayal.
He considered himself adept in the arts of emotional control. A prerequisite, a requirement, given his... unique upbringing. To let his emotions run free was to skirt the maelstrom of insanity, as that week of madness so readily demonstrated. Countless hours spent bracing for this moment, for the final removal of ignorance's veil, and yet...
"Mitsuru?"
Mitsuru knew his mistake. Allowing himself to grow close to the girl unintentionally added a new variable. He cursed his naivety - the Hiro situation, all over again. Idiocy of the highest order.
"I'm going to burn this place to the ground."
Betrayal.
So focused was he on solving the mystery of the boy and the girl, that he neglected to account for other actors. Other participants. Additional pieces of the puzzle.
Mitsuru understood, now. The lunacy spiraled ever outward. Hiro's unfortunate circumstances contaminated them like a plague. They were all involved. They were all infected.
"I don't think you should," the girl reasoned.
"It shouldn't exist. It's an affront."
"But it does, and... and we can't change that, you know?"
Why did she defend him?! Him - of all people, for his mentor, his teacher to be the cause! He expected the experimentation to be bad, that was one thing, but to include everyone else!
To include her!
"What do you see here?"
She followed his gaze to the clenched paper. A serene smile graced her features.
"It's just the truth, Mitsuru. That's all."
"I can't accept it!" he roared.
"I can."
Effort expended, he slumped onto his knees. "Why?"
"Because I volunteered for it. I wasn't forced."
"That's not excuse. You were a child. You didn't know what you were getting yourself into."
Her head rested against his shoulder; he felt his body stiffen.
"I don't think he knew, either."
"He knew enough. What he did, it's..."
"Monstrous? Irresponsible? Dangerous? Short-sighted?"
He shielded himself. He played it safe. He kept his secrets close to the chest. And yet this unassuming, oddly curious girl somehow managed to worm her way past his defenses, to the point where she could finish his thoughts and sentences.
Was the doctor the idiot, or was he? This relationship defied categorization.
"Why did he continue if he knew where it would lead?"
"People do strange things when they're scared, Mitsuru. They barge into unlocked offices and follow obvious paper trails and conspire with silly girls."
The claim electrocuted him.
"You're saying he knew."
"Why else would he conveniently grant you a master key? What genius keeps classified documents in unlocked drawers and computer terminals? Who leaves enough hints to lead you to the next location, yet saves the full story for the place where it all began?"
He... they... "He could've burned the files."
Kokoro rocked herself against his body with a benign smile. "I think he feels guilty."
"Then why not just... tell us?"
"Would you have believed him? Would any of us?"
"No."
She grunted in agreement. "Sometimes we - we need to see it, you know?"
This girl...
"Thank you, by the way."
"Huh?"
"I wouldn't have found my answers without you. You were a very good guide!"
...
"Kokoro?"
"Hm?"
"What will you do now?"
"The doctor did all this because they asked him to, right? I want to talk to them myself. See them again. Ask them things."
Truly, he did not understand her. After being wronged in such spectacular fashion, why did she wish to stay the course? Even Hiro and Zero Two, for all their strength and bravery, escaped at the first opportunity.
And so, Mitsuru did what he'd always done: he searched for clues. Stared at the picture long and hard. Traced his eyes over the child's form, seated cross-legged as she was in the titan's shadow.
One girl of four. The pistil sacrifices, thrown into the unknown, bonded to they who guarded the first of the klaxosaurs. But the picture told him the names and nothing more, so he found himself once again turning to that same girl.
"Why?"
GENIX AND STAVANI
Kokoro laced their fingers together. Overhead, the lights flickered.
"I want to hear their side of the story."
Oh, that's how they did it? Maybe if I calculate the-
No. No, that isn't necessary. I could do it. I know I could.
Five minutes. He would wait five more minutes, then he'd go find her.
...
Two minutes. He would wait two more-
"Hey."
The speed of Hiro's turn nearly broke his neck. "Are you alright?! I felt your emotions from all the way over here, I thought you two-"
"-were fighting?"
Aside from the dry tears scarring her cheeks and the puffiness of her eyes, nothing on her person caught his immediate attention. No signs of physical conflict, no bruises or scratches or lumps. His stiff shoulders relaxed, just a bit.
"Yeah."
Zero Two flashed him an exhausted grin. She lurched into his arms, groaning, and together they collapsed to their knees.
"It's true."
Not a surprise, if they were honest with themselves.
"She told you?"
Pink bangs brushed against his cheeks. "Not directly... but the implications were there. Two plus two, yup."
He shrugged. "I'm okay with it if you are."
"I'm more than okay with it!"
"Huh?"
She pulled back and shook his shoulders, beaming. "The guy I fell in love with was literally made for me! That's so cool!"
The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. A chuckle escaped his lips. "That means you were made for me too, right?"
"Duh!"
Um...
They twisted toward the treeline to find their klax companion half hidden behind the trunk of a tree, piercing Zero Two with a despondent, rejected glare. His partner's face curled into a sheepish apology and then she helped him to his feet. Hiro had a hunch but said nothing. Best let her take the lead on this one.
Zero Two tugged him over to the girl, who met them halfway.
"Right, right! Darling, this is Elistre!"
Ah, a name at last. Oddly familiar, somewhat recognizable. But from where?
"Elistre, this-" She coiled herself around his arm, proud as could be. "-is my darling, Hiro!"
...
"Nice to... uh... meet you?"
Elistre shuffled on her feet, refusing any kind of eye contact. Hiro understood. The complexity of their situation proved a hard barrier to overcome.
I'm - I'm sorry for licking you!
Uh.
Not... what he had in... yeah, right, that was a thing. He remembered now, though he didn't really want to.
"No... no problem. I, uh... did I remind you... of..."
How the hell was he even supposed to phrase something like this?
Yeah. Not... it didn't match fully, but...
He shot a sideways glance in Zero Two's direction. Her reassuring, exasperated grin helped a bit. Good to know he wasn't the only one awkward here.
"I... see. A-Anyway, no hard feelings? I'm sorry if I brought up memories."
The klax's shoulders slouched, though whether it was from longing or relief, he didn't know.
It's fine.
Deja vu's odd sensation surrounded him. This whole 'introduction' almost reminded him of-
Oh. Right.
"I'm here if you ever need someone to talk to. Zero Two says I'm a good listener."
Emerald eyes pierced him with a surprised half-glance. Did he say something wrong?
If Elistre appreciated the gesture, she didn't say. He saw her gears turn, some hidden thoughts tumble beneath snow white hair. Then, unseen decision made, she lurched back around the tree and paced back into the forest.
I'm... gonna go find more fish.
For a long moment the two of them stood there, watching in silence. She broke it first.
"You're a good person, darling."
He couldn't help but scratch his cheek, a tad bit uncomfortable. "She reminded me of our first meeting."
"I know. It's a reversal. I started with nothing and she had everything." A moment's pause. She bit her lip. "I think her situation is worse."
He grunted in agreement. "The fall's worse the higher it starts."
"You're that worried about her, huh?"
...
"Darling?"
Doubt clouded his mind. This whole time - were they wrong? Too cut off? Too aloof? Hiro turned and took her hands in his own.
"Do you think we're selfish people, Zero Two?"
Her eyes traced his features. Closing the distance, Zero Two pushed her nose into his neck and sighed.
"Yeah," she mumbled. "I think we are."
He loved her scent.
Did he focus on it too much?
Elistre smelled like her, just a bit. That was the brutal honesty. Or did she smell like Elistre? All they were, all they had...
The twilight surrounded them. Stars sparkled above the treeline; he half-expected a shooting star.
How much had they thrown away? Were the costs worth it? In their rush for their personal victory, had they sacrificed-
"I wonder if Ichigo and the others are alright."
"What happened next?"
They... she yelled something like 'Darling! Darling!', I think, but... but it was hard to tell. She couldn't really speak back then - and then... the guards hit him in the head..."
"Wait, really?"
"Y-Yeah! They knocked him out cold! They wouldn't stop struggling, so they just-" Ichigo punched into her palm. "-wham!"
She'd lost sleep over this. Too much sleep. The bags under her eyes, the slump of her shoulders, the way she stumbled against his weight, even as she tried to support his injury - it all told a story. The memories haunted her. For one faulty test run to have such lasting consequences...
"How often do you see them, Ichigo?"
Haunted her like her thousand yard stare haunted him.
"Uh... w-when I sleep? I saw them in Garden's snow, too. I heard them. Then I saw them in that building. My brain isn't mine anymore, I guess."
Post traumatic stress. Schizophrenia. Perhaps a combination of both, perhaps caused by the nerve damage. If APE knew before their escape, he would've woken one morning to find her disappeared.
Such a thought terrified him, more than anything else. What would've happened if Zorome never enlisted the aid of those soldiers? Did the ankle trackers still work? Was this place, this Asphodel, truly safe? Where could he take her? How could he best help her recover? What should their priority be? What would trigger her the least?
Goro thought hard, but found no answers.
"And it's just Hiro's side of things, right?"
"Nope!"
...What? His incredulous look coaxed an explanation.
"I see Zero Two's, too! The torture, the combat, the death of her stamen partners, all the years they forced her into combat, her descend into then climb out of insanity, her joy at finding Hiro again her-"
On and on, the girl rambled. He didn't understand.
"How?"
"Hm? How what?"
"You piloted with Hiro, not Zero Two. How do you have his memories, too?"
He wasn't prepared for this, Wasn't expecting the... severity. If anyone could recover from such trauma, it was Ichigo, but...
She chewed on her lip. "When I asked Zero Two about her birthday, back when I gave her the pistil uniform, she said she had his memories, you know? And they did that mind meld thing all the time. They piloted with each other before I piloted with Hiro, right? So maybe it was like... liiiike... second-hand?"
Even so, the ferocity of his resentment startled him. They scarred her. Unintentionally, yes, but her life was, in essence, ruined. She'd become a mere host, a vessel for things not her own. Three minds in one body.
Her life wasn't hers.
He needed training, or perhaps advice. Garden taught them how to recognize signs of mental illness. To solve the problems, they reported to their plantation's strategic coordinator, who would handle the situation from there.
That wasn't going to happen, for multiple reasons. What other solutions existed?
"Ah! Wait!"
He felt her weak tug on his sleeve and followed her eyes. She watched some small buildings, nestled in between two larger structures on the opposite side of the street.
"Let's - let's go inside!" she urged. "I gotta tell..."
They shouldn't. They needed to get her checked into the hospital.
But... those chairs looked awfully inviting...
The chiming of bells announced their entry. Ichigo helped him to a seat by a wooden table; he used the opportunity to look around. A library? Smaller than the one at Plantation 13, but quite a bit cozier. This was where she ran to first?
"Welcome back, miss."
An elderly fellow rummaged through a bookshelf in the other room. The owner of this place? A librarian?
"I... I didn't find the woman."
"I figured as much. Thank you anyway."
"But I think I saw her. But she didn't exist. I think. I don't know, it was scary!"
Brow creasing, the man shuffled back into the cafe. His cane clinked against the wooden floor.
"Think you saw her? Dear, we either see something or we don't. Which is it?"
Goro rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. Her free hand ran through blue locks and her shoulders tensed.
"I saw her. But I don't think she was real."
"Her soul, perhaps."
The blunt answer through them off. He voiced the question. "Soul? What's that?"
"Her spirit, consciousness, will. Her... essence, as it were. We all have one."
Huh? "We... we do?"
"Aye, lad. Humans are strange creatures. Strange creatures in a strange world."
"But how do you know we have one?" Ichigo asked. "Is there a way to see it?"
"Do you think your visions real?"
"Yes."
With a shrug of his shoulders, the man walked behind the counter. "Then they are real."
"But - but did I see her soul, or something else?"
A hand ran through his gray beard. "That is for you to decide."
...
"Do animals have souls, too?"
Goro's question gave the elder a moment's pause, and he beheld them with an unscrupulous eye. He grabbed a small book from the counter and approached their table.
"Different people will give you different answers. Personally, I believe they do. Others believe the opposite, and yet more have no opinion."
Ichigo rubbed at her eyes, exhausted. "What's the point of... of speculating on something like that, when its existence can't be proven?"
"It's about hope, my dear."
"Hope?"
He joined them in the cafe proper. "People fear death. They fear the possibility of it all being worthless. One moment you exist. The next, everything you are - everything you've experienced, everything you've accomplished, your desires, your dreams - gone forever."
"So they... they delude themselves?"
Somehow, her choice of words made him uncomfortable.
"Faith, belief, delusion - they are facets of the same coin. To believe in the soul is to believe in hope, nothing more. We hope for our experiences to mean something. We hope for second chances, for those taken too soon to, perhaps, finally take part in the adventure we call life."
His rambling struck Ichigo, and she leaned over the table, stunned. "They... those people, they never..."
"Aye. They existed, then they vanished."
Her head shot up. "You-"
"That field," he interrupted. "Do you believe it a natural thing?"
A rhetorical question. He wouldn't ask such a thing if...
"What is it?"
"Think about it. There is only one possibility, is there not?"
Dead grass and shattered dreams. Lost potential. A land of suffering.
Goro balled his fists on his knees. "You buried them."
The elder believed in the soul be cause he had no other choice.
"We buried them. Every single one."
This world, that doctor...
An urgent question spilled from Ichigo's lips. "Then - then why do you still search for her?"
"Because she should be buried, too. She deserves it. She earned it."
As simple a reason as any.
Her mind raced. He saw it in the shifting of her eyes and the way her knuckles clenched white against the table's grain.
"Why did she fight so much if her demise was a forgone conclusion?"
He slid the book in front of her, and with a jolt Goro placed its cover with the horrid fairy tale Ichigo described during their trek back.
"Why did you quest for the truth?"
"Because I didn't - they're - they're the same!" she blurted. "This whole time, they've always been the same! Always separated, always finding each other, always separated again. It's an ugly dance! Some wicked cycle! A... a b-bad joke! It's not - it's not real!"
To his credit, the librarian remained impassive to her crazed lamentations.
"That is who they are, perhaps, yes."
She pushed her forehead against the table.
"But, young miss, are they together now?"
His implications were a bucket of ice over her body. Ichigo lifted her head but an inch.
"Y-Yeah."
"Can those forces separate them now?"
Another inch.
"N-No, they... they ran away."
"Why?"
She didn't answer. The man faced the book to her.
"Who were they meant to be, dear?"
With haste, she flipped to the last page of the story.
When the prince awoke, the princess was no longer beside him. Instead, the bed was covered in jet-black feathers.
In profound sadness, the prince searched all across the land for her. But nobody had seen the princess.
That was how the story ended? He thought it downright repulsive. Who would create such a thing? Why?
"I don't like it."
"That is the point."
Huh?
But the man shook his head, warding off any further discussion. His spectacles focused on Ichigo.
"You believe that to be their purpose?"
Her hopes drained out through the whisper. Goro's heart clenched.
"Yes. They are no different from the others. They're experiments designed to obsess over each other. They're - they're m-mimics. Fakes. The original relationship happened long ago. It's all just a lie!"
He leaned forward, intent. "Then ask yourself this."
With great effort, she met his gaze.
"Assuming they know that same truth - who do they wish to be?"
She looked, but did not see. That glaze over her irises signaled her return to the memories. Her hand turned the pages, and the story ventured backwards in time.
A wedding ceremony was held soon after. The priest asked the princess, clad in a wedding dress of pure white, "Do you vow to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
"I do." The two exchanged rings, and when the princess said so, they sealed their vows with a kiss. And cheers rang out across the land. "Bless the brave girl who saved our prince's life!" The whole kingdom celebrated their marriage.
"Wait. The whole kingdom?"
His spine chilled at her soft question, though he knew not why.
"Ichigo?"
She was staring at him. Spoke the words to him.
"I will tell you two the same thing I told young Miku."
Their focus shifted to the elder. Ichigo grabbed his hand beneath the table. His heart warmed - or perhaps that was his 'soul'?
"Stories such as this, these fairy tales - they are meant to put our lives in perspective. They ground us by showing the highs we strive for and the lows we never hit. Their sadness contextualizes our experiences. Their tragedy reveals our joy."
She fought back, the idiot declared.
Ichigo shifted in her seat. "Why did you help her?"
"Knowing nothing, how would you describe our first meeting?"
"She... she asked you for help?"
"No."
"Then..."
"That woman, with a body frailer than glass, was felling a tree for firewood. I noted her struggle. I saw her rudimentary tools. I approached her, and she declared a child required warmth."
...
"And that child-"
"The horned girl."
Goro closed the book and pushed it away.
They didn't need it.
"Dear seeker, that is the story."
Save her.
"That woman lives through them, whether they know it or not. She embodies her people's potential. Her soul haunts those halls through sheer determination. Would you grant her rest?"
"I..."
They waited. They all waited. He waited, the elder waited. And she waited, most of all. On herself, on her questions and on her own answers.
"I would."
Her journey remained unfinished. This time, though...
The librarian, the simple old man, splayed his fingers across the table. His beard shook, his bald head perspired, his spectacles gleamed in the evening sun.
This time - like them, together.
"Then I ask you, child: who do you wish to be?"
You are running away.
I'm not.
You fear them, child.
I do not!
We see it in your frenzied pace, Elistre. We hear it in your breathing. You see yourselves in them. You fear opening yourself. You fear hope.
I am fulfilling my duty and nothing more!
You are attempting to fulfill Delphinium's duty.
They aren't awake.
Are you so sure? Open your mind. Listen. Do you not hear the rejoicing soldiery?
...
You need to guide them, Elistre. Teach them. Help them live. Help them survive. If you run now, they will only chase. We cannot afford such risk.
They won't. They don't need me. They'll be happier alone.
Your claims ring hollow, granddaughter.
Desperation pervaded every pore, every breath.
Please!
And so the snakes sighed.
...As you wish.
"Alpha!"
Hold it back! Hold it back! Brace the rear foot, they could use its weight against it!
"Alpha, what the hell is this thing?!"
The damnable monstrosity pushed down against the sword. Alpha hoped the spear's shaft wouldn't fracture under the pressure.
"It's-"
The ground splintered underneath, and the blonde's voice died. The time for explanations had long since passed. The M9 spun to the side; with nothing to support its weight, the klaxosaur tumbled to the ground. Alpha attempted a finishing stab, but it rolled away, onto its feet.
Its offense was cautious, its guard meticulous. Few openings and fewer chances to capitalize. It kept its distance and played it safe.
Their opponents were learning.
"Alpha? Bit of a problem here!"
The pause allowed a glance over to Beta and Gamma, who fought together against the second enemy. In their first engagement, with even numbers, the three M9s fought the three klaxosaurs to a standstill. Judging from the third's absence, Alpha and Theta may have managed a killing blow. Now, though, one of the beasts held its own against both Nines. Alpha knew their skills hadn't faltered in the time since, which meant-
"They're adapting."
Eyes narrowed. Focus returned to the blonde's enemy.
"They're adjusting."
"They're thinking," Delta concluded. "They aren't mindless. There's something in there."
Something dangerous flitted through Alpha's mind.
"Are they-"
The beast flicked its wrist, gestured with a hand. The ground beneath exploded upwards; the M9 found itself cartwheeling through the burning air. Alpha slammed on the thrusters with an indignant roar. One flip. Another stabilizing burn. They slammed into the ground, servos screeching, the velocity sliding them back a dozen feet in seconds.
Gutenbergs.
"They're coordinating!"
Such a realization left them no time. They could speculate later - now they needed action.
"Beta! Gamma! Disengage and eliminate the Gutenbergs! We need to report this now!"
The klaxosaur princess had yet to be spotted. Too many variables frolicked in this warzone. Were they her lieutenants? Her equals? Her superiors? How did the klaxosaur military hierarchy function? How many of them could think? How many existed as mindless beasts? What separated the two tiers?
This was not pest extermination.
The Nines slammed into the Gutenbergs, tore all eight to shreds. Stab, thrust, carve. One by one they fell. Alpha sliced away a leg and directed the spear into its torso, fishing for the core. But then a humanoid was upon them, and the M9 retreated to a safe distance.
"They... they didn't explode?" Gamma grunted, short of breath. "My aim was perfect! I should've nailed, like, three cores!"
Troubling.
"They aren't unique variants," Alpha postulated. "We've seen their kind before, so their cores should be in the same spot. No explosions means the cores weren't hit."
"Or there aren't cores at all," Beta countered. "I don't like this, Alpha. Something's off. I recommend we fall back, report and debrief."
Alpha shared Beta's concerns, but leaving the humanoid-types alive with no strings attached would be equally risky.
"One more skirmish. We finish the Gutenbergs before they repair, then we probe the two annoyances for any weaknesses we can exploit later. Make it fast and don't get surrounded."
"Roger."
"Wilco!"
The three sped in. Beta and Gamma moved against the downed Gutenbergs; Alpha focused on the humanoids. Separate them from the pack. Give the other two time. Spot any weaknesses, then fall back.
The enemies attempted a pincer. They moved as a unified force. Cohesion. Communication present? Probably. How? Radio waves to intercept? Light signals? Hand signs? Did the humanoids alone communicate? Could the others respond?
Too many unknowns. So much to research.
The M9 ducked beneath a horizontal swing. Delta watched it pass. Alpha shoved away its companion, then attempted a reverse sweep against the first's legs. Missed by a hair! Argh!
Mobility on a similar tier. Different style of movement; they tended to sway in and out. A focus on maneuverability, rather than raw speed. Evasion, not aggression.
Stylistic differences. Footwork. Probing for openings? If the Nines kept their distance and adapted a similar style, the advantage would be theirs. The spears offered longer reach.
Redirect the overhead blow from behind. Now! Maintain the distance, move with them, go for the-
"Alpha!"
Dodge!
The plasma scorched the sand. Wait, ranged weaponry? But these two never-
There, it came from-
...
"There's a third?!"
Alpha gunned the thrusters to gain distance. From the Gutenberg's body, that was-
"Fuckin' what the fuck?!"
Gamma's snarl drew their attention. The redhead's M9 kicked away another humanoid. Beta narrowly parried a battle axe emerging from a Gutenberg's back; the two Nines retreated to Alpha's position.
From the corpses. From the downed Gutenbergs.
"See, Alpha?" Beta sneered. "No cores."
Like zombies from a grave.
Ow ow ow ow ow owowowowowowow.
Her vision tilted ninety degrees. Something raunchy and utterly disgusting spilled from her lips. Ears rang.
Underwater? Above ground? Vision wouldn't... stop... swimming...
Oh Papa.
"Some... et... a mo..."
"Al...dy go..."
Oh fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck.
"Sh... ight?"
Huuuuuurk.
Ears ringing ears ringing body burning so hot too hot oh fuck oh fuck-
"Get... on... ed!"
Through drowned senses she became minutely aware of being lifted onto something flat and... somewhat comfortable? Her stomach turned in knots and wound around her intestines and Papa she needed to breathe and why couldn't she move her arms?!
"...ax! The..."
A weird sensation skirted her dazed mind. A hand shook her shoulder.
Wait, a hand?
Mustering all her strength, she tried opening her eyes. Muscles refused to cooperate.
"Theta! You need to relax!"
Another attempt. That voice sounded like-
Auburn hair. Soot gray walls. Iron bars. A horrid draft. An armed guard in the hallway.
The headache to end all headaches.
"Na...na...?"