Once again, Zero's systems booted up. Damage was mostly minor, their helmet taking the brunt of the blow. After having sustained damaged before, the systems were surprisingly quicker to boot up. Their eye lit up, finding themselves looking at a ground of dirt.
They groggily pushed themselves off the ground as a sound caught their auditory sensors. They swiveled around to find the elevator, it's cage mostly a wreck, and to it's side, leaning on a support was Mokou, lighting a cigarette. However, what Zero immediately noticed that they weren't using a lighter, but rather their bare thumb.
"How?" Zero merely asked.
Mokou was silent for a few moments as they took a drag, blowing out a puff of smoke before looking to Zero.
"Magic." Mokou explained. "N' I should've guessed you'd be the first up."
Upon realizing this, they glanced to their side, finding the rest of the group. However, one of them was very notably bleeding from their skull. One of the rebels for whom they knew of no name.
"She died near instantly." Mokou offered with a somewhat more melancholy tone as they seemed to relax themselves with the nicotine. "Nothing I could do to save her. Other's injuries weren't as bad. Used that vial you gave me to supplement the rest.
"Did you know them?" Zero asked as they slid down the opposite wall, sitting down and using the chance to rest their legs.
"A bit." Mokou started. "Her name was Natalie. Couldn't have been more than 23. She helped supplement the escape from 17. Before you arrived, shit was escalating. Luckily that Freeman guy drew a large portion of their attention, but the response was still pretty bad. She was a good shot, and a quick thinker."
"You don't seem the most hurt by their death." Zero noted.
Mokou breathed in, giving out a sigh before narrow eyes met Zero's singular one.
"Look, 'Zero'. Do you realize how many people have died today? Something like well over 50,000, considering that explosion of the Citadel. Combine that with sleep deprivation, and you've got a huge broth of just not being able to give a fuck anymore." Mokou explained. "Can't bury them. Don't have the time, nor the room or supplies. Barely have time to mourn. As soon as we're all up, we've gotta' move."
"Understandable." Zero gave. "Though I believe you still owe me an explanation, especially considering what you did a minute ago."
Mokou rolled her eyes, a clear look of displeasure on her face. "It's gonna' be a long explanation. If you're wondering how I survived back there, and how i'm looking pretty pristine, considering all the shit that's happened… simple truth is that i'm immortal."
"Full immortality?" Zero asked, voice hinting to incredulousness.
"Yep." Mokou responded simply. "Can't fully die if I wanted to. Cut me down, rip me apart, atomize me, I still come back."
"How?" the Elite questioned.
"An elixir I drank a long, long time ago. Not exactly sure on the specifics, but I believe it was something similar to making me a fundamental law of reality or somethin' similar." Mokou elaborated.
"I would guess you're the one the AI referred to as Lazarus Subprime, then." Zero asked.
"Yep. Fuckin' stupid name, but it's fitting, I guess. Never read much into that Bible." Mokou replied.
"Who is the Prime, then?"
"There's three of us immortals. The one that'd probably be the Prime is the one who made the elixir." Mokou clarified. "Name ain't important, since you're probably not gonna' meet 'em."
"Is this… immortality also the cause for you to be able to sprout flame?" Zero correlated.
"I told you that it's magic, cyclops. I wasn't kidding or beating around the bush." Mokou started, sighing. "You Combine still keep tryin' to explain everything away as science though. Certainly doesn't help the few magic users left."
Zero was quiet for a moment, processing the information they were just given. "Because magic doesn't exist."
Mokou lit another flame on their finger, moving from her spot and sticking it right up to Zero's visor. "Explain this then, cyclops."
"Psionic capabilities." Zero fired back.
One of Mokou's eyes simply twitched as the silver-haired woman slapped her own face with a hand. "For the love of… fuck, you Overwatch are denser than the sun."
"Then explain in finer detail than just 'magic', because that explanation is not going to pass for me." Zero spoke in a lower voice.
Mokou's eyes narrowed before they heaved a great sigh, moving back to their spot on the wall before speaking. "Magic's a force based partially on belief, cyclops. The reason you don't see me castin' more than a few sparks is because I can't, since nobody out here believes in it. Used to be like that for a lot of things, 'till people started bringin' science into everything, thinking all this shit wasn't real or possible."
"Something akin to a collective consciousness?"
"Something like that? It's not hard to understand. No believers, no magic. Simple as that." Mokou quickly responded as they flicked away used cigarette ashes.
"And what of your friends? Do they possess this magic as well?" Zero asked.
"Yep. Well, they did, but it hit them harder than me."
"Why?" Zero's voice piqued with curiosity.
"Simple. The magic was part of them. I just learned it. When our home got exposed during the war, most died because of that. Like strippin' away someone's body parts, they just couldn't adjust in time." Mokou explained.
"Home?"
"Yeah. It was called Gensokyo. Land sealed behind a magic barrier to keep most people out and the magic and belief in. Was essentially a preserve for magic and creatures known as youkai."
"Yokai? You're now referring to demons?" Zero's incredulous tone grew even more obvious.
"Nah, too specific. It's a blanket term. Any shit you'd consider originatin' from myths or legends. Ghosts, yes, demons, along with werewolves, vampires, shit like that, you know?"
"That's insane." Zero's voice sounded a bit off from it's normal professional tone at that statement.
"Well, it would be if we weren't standing next to two of 'em."
Zero's optic glanced to the three who still lived, the two of which they were acquainted with assuredly standing out.
"I supposed that is the explanation for their strange features?"
"Yep. They'd shapeshift or somethin' similar on a normal case to try and blend in more, but they lost that with the lack of magic. I can do sparks at least, but them? Nothin'. S'why most youkai are dead now. Only ones alive are those who could adapt. Nitori and the rest of the kappa were always good with tech, so they were quick learners."
"And Yakumo?" Zero asked, optic focusing on the still unconscious woman.
"Complicated. I'll just leave it that she's old. Fuck if I know how much, but she's older than me and she's one of the founders of Gensokyo, and that happened something like 1,200 years ago. The loss of magic hit her really, really hard. Might've had a deeper connection than most. But she got out on pure experience and wisdom alone."
"Connection? You spoke as if this magic was based on faith alone."
"Firstly, I said partially based on faith. Secondly, going into magic theory would take us all day. That shit's way, way too complicated for my liking, and Yakumo would be able to answer you better anyways."
"Have you attempted to wake them up?" Zero spoke, shifting the subject.
"Yeah, but they weren't budging." Mokou explained. "And Yukari sleeps like the dead. Not as bad as they were before, but…"
Zero moved over, shaking Yukari's sleeping form, the sounds of grogginess coming from their person.
"An-another five… minutes, Ran…" they mumbled idly before Zero shook them even harder. A hand came over to weakly bat them away.
"Yukari. Up." Zero spoke near their head. Eyes opened slowly, blinking twice as they realized the red glow of the optics was above their head.
"Oh. Should have guessed that I was asleep." Yukari finally spoke as they rubbed their eyes, pushing themselves off the ground as they observed their surroundings.
"Bottom of the shaft?" Yukari asked, stabilizing themselves against a wall.
"Yes." Zero replied.
"Injuries?" Yukari asked as they got their bearings, a vague dizziness making things a bit blurry.
"One dead." Zero clinically spoke.
"One of the others we called with us?" Yakumo's voice sounded lower.
"Yes." the Elite flatly replied.
Yukari was quiet for a few moments, violet eyes finally catching sight of the corpse and holding position for a moment before shifting back to the two before them. "...And the other?"
"They're stable, but you all probably got a concussion or two." Mokou added from afar.
"Explains the blurriness… What else has happened since I was out?"
"I started to give 'em the explanation." Mokou replied.
"Oh." Yukari started, looking to the Elite. "I'm going to take a wild guess. You've heard what they've said, and believe them to be insane." Yukari guessed.
"With tinges of truth, but generally yes." Zero affirmed.
"How far did you get, Mokou?" Yukari asked.
"I talked about magic, youkai, and a bit on where we came from."
"Ah, the basics." Yukari replied. "What I can say is that yes, magic is real, and yes, me and Nitori are not perfectly human."
"If this is the case, then why doesn't the Combine know of this… magic?"
"Zero, who said that they don't? If they gave you the basics, then you know that magic's partially based on belief. Who's to say they don't purposefully spread the fact that it doesn't exist as a way to weaken those who have it?" Yukari explained. "That, and if they didn't know of magic, then they never would have been able to find Gensokyo."
"They tracked you via magic?" Zero sounded even more skeptical than before.
"Yes. Gensokyo's barrier was entirely made of it. It wasn't a physical barrier. You could pass in and out of it, but the effects allows it to be shrouded and disorient anyone who tried to get in. And if they did, some youkai would likely eat them." Yukari replied swiftly.
"So if they know of magic, then it's likely that they've destroyed or incorporated magical races within themselves." Zero spoke, their optic not exactly looking at the other two, simply trying to process all this.
"Possibly. I do not know on that front unfortunately. What I do know is that you've dealt with one other magical race on this planet."
Zero was silent for a few moments, before their optic focused right back onto Yukari, seeming even more menacing than previous as their voice lost all emotion again. "Vortiguants are not magical."
"Psionics can explain half of the shit they do, sure." Mokou spoke up. "But they can alter the flow of time when focused and in a group. That shit ain't psionics, no matter how you put it."
"Their Vortessence is what we call magic. It's connected to everything, but latent in most. The Vortigaunts have special kinds of organs that allow them to attune to magic directly. They can physically see it and interact with it." Yukari explained.
"Combine that with their devotion and belief in their Vortessence, and they've got some serious magical capabilities, even nowadays." Mokou finished.
"And their affinity for lightning is magic too, I would guess?" Zero filled in.
"Nope." Mokou replied. "That's almost all them."
"They have large amounts of excess electricity stored within their nervous systems. They have outputs within their hands to be able to release some of it. The magic can help shape it, however." Yukari continued.
Zero was silent for a time, head lowered somewhat again as their optic dimmed. "Does this even change anything? If it were science instead of magic, would it change the scenario?"
"Nada." Mokou started. "It don't change shit, unless we get our mojo back somehow. There's still Combine, there's still a big fuck-off hole in the sky forming to gods know where, and we're still in some kind of connection to a mineshaft."
"Then we leave it there for now." Zero's voice returned to it's standard cold nature, any curiosity or disbelief set aside as they finally got around to picking their rifles off the ground.
"Did you scout the surroundings at all?" Zero asked, optic brightening once more.
"A bit. Place is mostly tunnel ahead. If that fella was tellin' the truth, this is probably the way they used to deliver ore from the mine." Mokou theorized.
"That mine could be our way out." Zero added. "We need to wake the others. Overwatch are still possibly zeroing in on our location."
"Allow me." Yukari offered, moving between the remaining two unconscious rebels. They rubbed their hands together before a making a large clap between their heads. The two practically jumped at the sudden noise.
"Ugh…. Yakumo, I told you not to do tha'..." Kawashiro muttered while the other simply mumbled as they got up.
"Normally, I wouldn't, however, we're low on time. We need to move." Yukari spoke more seriously.
Nitori rubbed her eyes, looking around until her eyes settled on the corpse near to them. "We.. oh no."
"If it's any consolation, they likely died instantly." Mokou added.
"N...not reassuring, Mokou." Nitori spoke, uncomfortable with it in their presence.
"How fucked are we?" the other rebel finally spoke up.
"If the Combine find us, there is a reasonable chance we could be captured or die." Zero informed. "But I don't intend to let that occur."
"No shit, Sherlock." Mokou chuckled darkly, hefting their Immolator. "Now let's get moving."
On that, everyone gave a nod, curt and serious. The other body was left there, the last and soon to be eaten reminder of their presence in this place.
The five moved through the tunnels ahead of them, a mixture of natural cave and industrial supports, lit by a flimsy-looking set of wires and lights on the ceiling above.
It was eerily quiet, the only sound being their footsteps of the five as they moved through the increasingly less industrialized labyrinth before them. Mokou and Zero stood at the front, being the most heavily armed of the group.
The bends and corridors of the increasingly natural tunnels were numerous, seemingly endless. However, a distinctly different light was ahead. Some believed it to be daylight, for it's distinctive blue was tantalizing considering how long they had been down here.
However, Zero knew that their elevation had barely risen. They were still underground. The Elite rose a hand, the group stopping.
"Artificial,not natural." Zero spoke quietly to the other, moving around the corner to find the source.
Industrial floodlights sat on the ground. Zero quickly recognized them as Union-made. The lights flanked a large metal door, the standard for most installations. They were large, bulky, and known for moving in segments.
"Combine fortification. No mounts for cameras or turrets." Zero called back, and the rest approached the door.
"No defenses other than a lock? That's not like the Combine." Nitori noted.
"Real defenses and cameras are likely on the inside. We're in the Outland and underground." Zero explained.
"Antlions." Mokou answered. "Even with thumpers, you really wouldn't want to attract their attention down here. Risky move if this is a base."
"The base does explain the quick response and massacre above, however." Yukari noted.
"So, what do we do then?" the other rebel spoke. "You said our odds weren't good if they found us."
"Correct. Our chances are higher if we fight on our own terms, however. It's likely that this place has an exit through here. We can likely bypass any security measures they throw at us." Zero clarified.
"Still risky, but better than staying in these tunnels." Nitori spoke up, moving to the front as they dug a EMP device out, moving next to the lock.
"Ready?" Nitori asked. Zero's AR2 was at the ready, Mokou hefting her Immolator in position for quick firing as the Elite nodded.
Two prongs rose, an an electrical arc fried the lock. The multiple segments of the door opened, Zero and Mokou heading up the group as they headed inside, every person at the ready.
Inside was something Zero was used to, but surprised to see this far out.
The inside was completely converted to Union-make. Most outposts outside of the cities still had parts from previous owners. This level of industrialization meant they were dug in, and had been here for a while.
Yet even stranger was the continued lack of cameras or turrets. A simple entry room greeted them, the distinctive glow of Combine monitors lightning up the room.
Zero lowered their weapon for a moment, moving over to one of the consoles. Their fingers moved quickly across it's mechanisms as the monitor began to show data.
"What are you looking for?" Yukari asked as they looked over Zero's shoulder, her eyes still looking out for any incoming Combine.
"A map. I need to see where we are and where the quickest way to the surface is." Zero spoke. Screens flicked on and off until they found what they were looking for.
"Got it." Zero spoke, and the map covered the screen. Several sets of eyes widened. This wasn't an outpost.
This was a full-on Combine base. A large, mostly vertical thing, countless rooms for storage, for creation of weapons, armor, and even synths.
"Holy shit, this place looks bigger than Prospekt." Mokou spoke as they looked to the screen.
"But where's the security? Why haven't we been overrun or detected already?" Nitori seemed confused.
"I think I may have an idea." Yukari spoke. "Can you check how old this base is, and perhaps it's current population?"
Zero began working quickly again, and another screen came up. The base was only a month old, and the current amount of people in the base was around 300.
"They must've been making this during the Uprising... No wonder there's no turrets, they haven't had the time to get around to it!" Nitori realized.
"A rushed conversion. As for the population, with the size of this base, there should be many more personnel. This seems like a skeleton crew." Zero affirmed.
"Unless they're somewhere else right now." the other rebel spoke.
Eyes widened again.
"White Forest." several spoke up.
"Shit, shit, shit." Mokou swore. "What the fuck do we do?"
"The base is currently under low security and a skeleton crew. There may be only five of us, but this could be the chance to destabilize their control here." Zero spoke, flicking back to the map. A long central shaft ran through the entire complex, flanked by many production facilities.
"I see two options. One, we shut off the power to the Thumper systems, flood them with Antlions. That makes our escape dangerous. Or, the high-risk, high-reward option." Zero started, zooming in on one production facility in question.
Synth production. "We hijack their synth production line, and take the base for the Resistance. 300 is still a lot of forces, but those could easily be equalized with an entire production line of Hunters on our side. It also makes them trying to retake the base a nightmare in terms of resources needed."
"An army of Rebel-controlled synths? I knew they were bio-mechanical, but I don't think that's ever been done before." Nitori spoke up.
"Has it been tried?" Zero inquired.
"Considering the protection around something like that… no, no it hasn't." Nitori admitted.
"I believe between the two of us, it can be done. There's a central elevator in the center of the shaft. We take that right down to the line, and we could turn the tide." Zero confirmed.
"The central elevator is likely going to draw a lot of attention. And once the Combine know where we are…" Yukari noted.
"They might draw forces back here. That's why I said it was risky. But the central shaft is the fastest way down." Zero replied. "What are we going with, now that we know?"
The rest of the group seemingly thought for a moment. Mokou was the first to speak. "I'm in with the Synth plan. If it means flechettes going into people that ain't us, i'm all for it."
"I'm in too." Nitori spoke up. "The things we could do if we can manage this… it outweighs the risk, assuredly!"
"If you fellows are up to it, then i'll chip in too." the other rebel spoke, hefting their SMG with determination in their eyes.
Yukari made a hmph sound, her eyes meeting Zero's optic. "Though your last plan wasn't exactly the most successful, the implication if this can be done… Perhaps we could finally be on a full offensive. I trust in you."
Zero quickly downloaded the map to their helmet, shutting off the console. "Then we are in agreement. Let's see what kind of response we can stir up."
The rest nodded, the group beginning to move as Nitori opened the next door.
And the group began their journey to the base's dark heart.
Author's Notes
Oh god, it's been two months. Once again, my shittiness comes out, now in the form of time management, procrastination, rewriting, me being terrible at dialogue and just generally being distracted. This is why I try to do stories fast, because if I don't, my drive completely sputters and dies on me, even if I don't desire it to.
But I didn't lie last chapter. I WILL finish this story, and it's climax is soon approaching. I apologize for the wait, and will try to get the next chapter out sooner.
Once again, I apologize for being a terrible writer. I would've made this longer, but I felt the need to get SOMETHING out to you fellows. Stay tuned for action coming up. Lots of action. Might be almost the whole chapter, actually.
PS: To add to my terrible record, I actually forgot a section of the last chapter. So, maybe go back if you want more of my bad writing and an idea of the time-frame this is occurring.