Chapter 18; Sacrifices
Ducking under another pair of wires, Madoka spun and slashed through the net that the IS was trying to weave around her. After getting the hole in its side, the thing seemed very reluctant to allow her near it again. Jumping up, it launched another dozen wires in various directions in an attempt to snare her again. Drifting back, she dodged the first few while lazily cutting through the others. "Is this really all you can do?" she asked, stifling a yawn, "After all of the damage you caused, I figured you'd be tougher." "Oh, you want to play dirty?" the IS replied, tilting its head, "Alright, I can play dirty."
Spreading its wings behind it, it retracted its few remaining wires before all of the anchor ports began to glow. Gripping her bow, Maylin prepared herself for whatever this machine had up its sleeve. When it fired the wires again, they glowed a faint orange, but that wasn't what immediately got her attention. What got her attention was that the IS wasn't targeting them, it was anchoring them to the street and buildings around them. Like a spider spinning a web she thought as she prepared an arrow. But before she could open fire, the IS activated its trump card.
The glowing became far more intense, and Maylin heard 134 groan in pain as energy waves assaulted everything within the net. Madoka felt it, too, and she dropped to one knee while trying to keep from crying out. "How do you like my Null Field?" the IS asked as it drew one of its daggers and calmly walked forward, "Energy weapons are useless now, as well as your flight systems. Even that pretty little link you use with your friends won't penetrate." Stopping before her, Weaver reached down and grabbed her shoulder before lifting her to eye level. "This is why I hold back," it continued, sounding almost sad, "You frail little humans can't even fight back inside my field." "I wouldn't bet on it," Madoka replied with a grin.
Her wings opened in the next second, and her Flower Fall system kicked into high gear. Now within her own energy field, Madoka brought her scythes out again before slashing upwards and scoring two solid hits on the IS' chest. The machine didn't even have time to stumble back as Madoka advanced. She spun and danced, slashing at various parts of the machine in a continuous stream of attacks. When one was blocked, she just rolled with it and hit again from a different angle. Finally, she delivered a round-house kick to its stomach, sending it flying into the barrier it had erected. "H-How?" it said, looking at her in what might have been horror.
"My Flower Fall is a lot like your Null Field," Madoka replied as she brought the ends of her two scythes together, "If two energy cancelers meet, they naturally zero out." As the two poles clicked together, the two smaller blades disappeared. In their place sprouted one large blade at the end, and Madoka started to spin this scythe like she did her old one. "You really shouldn't have spent so much time playing, little toy," she said, smiling as she charged. "I won't lose to you!" the IS shouted as it fired off a pair of wires from its gauntlets. Madoka just side-stepped them easily while she kept spinning her scythe. Bringing the blade around, she hit the IS square in the side. The energy blade had no trouble cutting through the armor, and Madoka did just that; cutting the IS in half at the chest before skidding to a halt past it.
Maylin was absolutely speechless. That machine had had her and Erin on the ropes since it had shown up, but Madoka had taken it down without trouble.
That's rather impressive 134 commented, shaking her from her stupor.
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Madoka said as she powered down her scythe and split it back into its two rods. Turning back to Maylin, she smiled while saying, "And that little thing was a match for you two?" "It threw me into a building," Erin replied as he landed next to Maylin. He was trying to act casually, but in truth he was also stunned by Madoka's performance. With her back, they might have a real shot at victory. But of course, the universe hated Erin Steffens. Just as that thought took shape in his head, Madoka's face went pale as she stared at something behind them. Turning around, Maylin and Erin saw the one machine they had hoped wouldn't be here. Colossus had come.
After cutting through the last Harpy, Anna turned to make sure her friends were alright. Joshka and Karen just stood there, with Joshka's mouth hanging open in full-blown shock. He still remembered carrying her when she was injured. The memory was practically seared into his brain; all of the blood she had lost, and how pale her skin had been when he had handed her off to the paramedics. And now she was here, saving their asses from a horde of enemies. And she had two arms. "Ho…Wha… Uh…" he stuttered, unable to choose from the flurry of questions flooding his head. "Well, it's good to see you, too," Anna said, smiling casually as she docked her sword back on her shoulder.
As she walked closer, they saw that her right arm was a prosthetic that started about half-way down the bicep. They also noticed that there was almost no scare tissue around the point where it connected, which was very odd considering how little time had actually passed. "So, how are you guys on ammo?" she asked before noticing they were both still stupefied. Bringing her right hand up, she snapped her fingers a few times, saying, "Hey, guys? Hello, anyone home?" Shaking her head, Karen finally snapped out of it. "A-Annabelle?" she said, taking a step forward, "You're…okay?" "Well, I wouldn't say I'm okay," Anna admitted as she looked at her new arm, "More like 'I won't break in the next few minutes.'"
"Then why are you here?" Joshka asked, "You should still be resting. How new is that arm, anyway?" "A few days," Anna replied. "A few days?!" he replied, "You shouldn't be anywhere near a battlefield! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" "I'm trying to keep you from getting killed," she shot back, "You're welcome, by the way." While she was outwardly pissed, on the inside she was trying really, really hard not to show how touching this was. Joshka Lancelot, her crush, was concerned over her wellbeing. Before they could argue any further about her injuries, Karen tapped Joshka's shoulder before pointing out at the bay. Seeing the Colossus standing up out of the water made him go pale as memories of the Academy came back.
"We need to get these people out of here," he said, his voice laced with fear. "What we need to do is put that thing down," Anna said as she grasped her sword. Before she could take off, Karen had a hand on her shoulder. "I know you want to fight back, but how exactly do you think we can take that thing on?" she asked, "Joshka and I are practically out of ammo, and all you have is your sword." "I'll think of something," Anna replied, shrugging. "No, you won't," Joshka said, "We need to regroup with the others and come up with a proper plan. If we're taking it down, then we're doing it together."
Bringing up his coms, he prayed that the others were still safe. A few moments later, Maylin responded and opened a channel. It was fuzzy, but it would do. "Joshka? Are you guys alright?" she asked, her concern clear even with the static. "We're all fine here," he said, "You won't guess who we found, though." "Hey, May," Anna said, waving, "Long time, no see." "Anna?! What are you doing here?" she asked. Then she glanced at someone off the screen, saying, "Well, that explains how Madoka got so far into the city without getting attacked." Now it was Joshka and Karen's turn to be surprised. "Wait, Madoka's here, too?" he asked. "Yep. She just took out that wire IS," Maylin said.
"Alright, this is sweet and all, but we have a bigger problem right now," Erin said, deciding they had had enough fun, "How are we going to deal with that big IS?" "Good point," Maylin agreed, "Let's meet up somewhere nearby and try to come up with some sort of plan." "There's no need," they heard, "I've got this covered." The voice was clearly Ludzik's, but before they could respond he cut his connection. What was troubling was that he had sounded completely drained of emotion, even his trademark anger. "That didn't sound good," Karen said, her worry clear. "Yeah," Joshka agreed, "I've never heard him like that."
Holding Laura upright, Ludzik stared at his death with absolute dread. He had never felt such fear before, something he had been particularly proud of. But now, staring at something that was leagues above his own strength, and was intent on killing him, he felt small and useless. "We have to get out of here," he said, moving to pick Laura up. "No," she said as her breathing became more labored, "You have…to go. I'll just…slow you…down." "Don't say stupid things," he said, some of his old self coming back, "I'm getting you out of here." "Damnit, Ludzik, listen to me!" she shouted, making him stop cold, "I'm…already dead… You have…to stop that…thing." "How?" he said, laughing, "I don't have a gun or sword big enough to stop that thing."
"But you do," she replied, touching his blade, "Its released state…is a lot like…Ichika's. The more power it has…the larger it becomes." For a moment, he didn't have a clue as to what she meant, but then it all clicked. "The Command Link," he said, causing her to nod. "Go… and finish this," she said, touching his cheek, "You were…a good subordinate… Ludzik Vasilyevich." Taking her hand, he gave it a squeeze while he tried to suppress his emotions. He knew what this would mean for her, and she did, too. "And you were a great Captain," he replied before laying her down.
Standing up, he took a firm grip on his sword as he took off, and he didn't look back. Watching him fly off, Laura smiled as she remembered another battle from so long ago. You really have good students, Simon she thought as she closed her eyes.
Soaring upwards, Ludzik noticed that Joshka was trying to contact them. Not in the mood to debate strategy, he just listened to them as they talked. He was surprised to learn that Madoka and Anna had shown up, but pleased as well. They would at least make it easier for them to survive. "Let's meet up somewhere nearby and try to come up with some sort of plan," Maylin said, getting his attention. "There's no need," he replied, "I've got this covered." Cutting the connection, he finally drew level with Colossus' head. "Program, I need you," he said, knowing that 134 was monitoring him. "And what could you possibly need me for?" it asked, popping up on one of his screens.
"I need all of the power you can spare," he said, looking it in the eye. For a long second, 134 just stared at him while reading his IS' various sensors. This kid had almost been beaten senseless by his last opponent, and he was willing to bet that his IS was being held together more by willpower, and his boosted shields, than by its actual components. But, he could tell just from a cursory scan that this kid was beyond serious. There wasn't anything he could say or do to dissuade him. Sighing, he granted Ludzik unrestricted access to the energy pool before stepping back and monitoring his systems.
Watching as his weapon and shield energy rose at an almost blinding rate, he channeled as much as he could into his sword. As the blade split down its center, he continued to charge it as he watched his opponent turn and look at him. The sudden power spike had drawn its attention, and as it saw the small IS charging up some kind of attack it brought one of its hands up to eliminate the potential threat. However, its firing sequence wasn't nearly fast enough to beat him. Holding the blade over his head, he released the charged energy and watched as it roared upward in a column. It was less of a controlled mass and more of a raging wave, pulsating wildly as his containment field struggled to hold it. 134 did the best he could to compensate, but this IS was never meant to handle this much power at once.
Looking at the massive IS, Ludzik prepared himself as he took a firm grip on the sword. "This is for my friends, you monster!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Now, die!" Swinging the blade down, he sent the energy crashing into Colossus. It impacted the machine's shoulder, cutting through the armor like a hot knife through butter as it continued down its chest. He continued the slash, gritting his teeth as the containment field started to fail and some of the energy began to radiate back at him. The two solid halves of his sword were already starting to glow bright red, with the lower one starting to bend slightly from the intense heat.
But then the energy blade completed its cut, and he released the energy in a massive wave before looking up at his opponent. For a moment, it stood there; cut in two with sparks flying and molten metal dripping from the cut. Then explosions began to chain across its surface, and the two halves slumped down into the bay as the massive machine was torn apart from the inside. Looking at the churning water, he tried to get his breathing back under control while his IS tried to re-stabilize itself. It's done he thought, allowing himself to smile.
"Well, that wasn't what I expected."
The voice was behind him, and it was familiar. Recognizing what was speaking to him, he whirled around in time to see Legion floating there. It had already turned one of its hands into a cannon, and as he made eye contact it fired. The bolt caught him square in the chest, blowing through his fluctuating shields before continuing into him. He didn't have time to defend, speak, or even think as it shot him, and as the bolt emerged from his back he felt…odd. The pain was so intense that he immediately lost all sense of feeling, and he just looked at Legion in shock for a second before he began to fall. As his vision began to fade, he heard some far-off voice crying out, but he couldn't make out the words. Damn…
Maylin, Madoka and Erin had been closer to the bay than the others, and they had arrived first. Watching Legion shoot her friend, Maylin felt like her world had slowed down as he fell. "Ludzik!" she screamed, dashing forward to catch him. Madoka and Erin, meanwhile, had rocketed towards Legion, intent on destroying it once and for all. Turning to them, it didn't even try to move as Madoka's blades hit home. She cut one of its arms off before cutting it in half at the waist, and Erin topped that off with a triple-tap to the head. Then they heard the machine laughing, and their blood ran cold.
"Hahaha… You really are stupid creatures," it said as the parts just floated there, "Did you forget what I'm made of?" "A copy," Erin said, sounding furious. "Good," it purred, "You're learning. Take this as my warning to you; next time we meet, there will be no mercy." "Agreed," Madoka replied before cutting the head in half. The Legion copy just disintegrated after that, turning into nothing more than dust on the wind and leaving them feeling defeated. Looking down, they saw that Maylin had caught Ludzik and lowered him to the ground.
Kneeling next to him, she shook his shoulder, saying, "Ludzik, can you hear me? Hey, answer me, you big idiot! Wake up!" But no matter what she said, his eyes remained closed, his breath still. "134, there's got to be something you can do," she said, tears already starting to fall, "You healed me before, right? You can save him, too." "I… it's too late," he said, refusing to meet her eyes, "He's gon-" "Don't say that!" she screamed, "He's not dead! He can't be dead. He can't…he can't be…." At that, she finally broke down. Leaning over him, she wept openly, her tears now like a waterfall as Madoka and Erin landed next to her. Destructing her IS, Madoka knelt next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry, May," she whispered. "What are we going to tell Karen?" she managed between her sobs, "How…how can we explain this?"
"Explain what?" they heard. It was the one voice that they didn't want to hear. Turning her head, she saw that the others had arrived, and that Karen was already starting to realize what had happened. "No…" she said, taking a step back, "No, it can't be… don't tell me…" Walking over to her, Erin did a very un-Erin thing and put an arm around her. "I'm sorry, Karen," he said, tears starting to come to his own eyes, "I'm so, so sorry."
They all felt it; it was like their heart had been ripped from their chest, leaving a ragged hole behind. Ludzik Vasilyevich, their friend, was dead.
He was far from the only casualty. Teams from the IISA arrived at the city just before the conclusion of the battle and began to sweep it clear. Tatenashi had led them personally, and she was the one who found Laura's body. Kneeling next to her friend, she felt on the verge of tears as she touched her cold face. She had a peaceful smile on her lips, and that was a small comfort to her long-time friend. "Goodbye, Laura," she whispered before standing up. Taking a deep breath, she forced that grief into a small corner for later. There was a city to secure, wounded to care for, and far, far more dead to collect. This attack had been something she hadn't seen coming, and she knew that she would fry for that.
To say nothing about what happened to those poor kids she thought. One of her teams had found them, clustered around their own fallen and in various stages of mourning and shock. It was something she had thought would be an outcome, but she had desperately hoped it wouldn't. But it did, and on my watch, too she thought, feeling her guilt welling up. Very rarely had she ever felt like scum in her life; the last time had been during a botched raid on a pirate base. Bad intel had led to an engagement inside a village, and that had gotten a lot of innocents killed. I can't let this happen again she thought as she re-summoned her IS, I have no choice.
Pacing back and forth in the command room, Fairy tried really, really hard not to let her anger strangle her. And considering the nature of her body, that was an impressive feat in and of itself. Every few seconds she would look at the report on the main screen, and every time it would rekindle that anger all over again. 'COLOSSUS TERMINATED,' it said. It was amazing how two words could have such an impact on an individual, especially on Fairy. Never mind that Saber and Weaver had bit the dust during that assault (something else that pissed her off almost as much, by the way), that was a loss she could work around. But Colossus; that hulking death machine was the culmination of almost 5 years of continuous work.
Most of the resources she had brought in for building her new army had gone towards its development and construction. And now it was sitting at the bottom of Tokyo bay, in pieces and under guard by the Japanese defense force and the American military. As much as she may want to salvage what she could from the wreck, taking on the Americans was still a long ways off for them. Even longer now she amended as she reviewed the plans she had spent so much time crafting. So many of them involved the Colossus, and each of them depended on it either providing devastating support or delivering the final blow.
Releasing an explosive sigh, Fairy resigned herself to the only course of action they had now. With Colossus gone they lacked the firepower to continue with the plan, so her only option was to withdraw and rebuild, again. As she started to recall all of their forces back to the headquarters and rewrite her plans, she didn't notice someone else walk into the room. "Well, that cost us more than we thought," Legion commented as she stopped a few feet shy of Fairy. "If you know what's good for you, you'll shut up and leave," Fairy growled without turning around.
"Who would have thought those kids had it in them?" she continued, ignoring Fairy's threat, "Oh, wait, I did." She didn't miss Fairy's flinch at that, but continued regardless. "I told you we should have eliminated them and their link system, whatever it is," she said, "But you had to go and do things your way." "And we will continue to do them my way," Fairy retorted, turning around, "I am the leader here, and I call the shots. Not you, me." "Maybe that should change." "What?" Fairy said, for once completely surprised. "I said maybe that should change," Legion repeated, "You tied my hands because you feared my strength, instead betting everything on that massive eye sore. Now, we're crippled and it'll take years to recover enough to try again. How much further do you think they'll advance it that time?"
Before Fairy could respond, Legion cut her off. "They already created another 4th generation IS," she said, bringing up what they had on Maylin Felix's machine, "So, they now have a grand total of four of them. If this is just a sign of things to come, by the time we've recovered enough to resume the plan they'll have half a dozen. Maybe even more." "So what do you suggest?" Fairy asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Remove my shackles," Legion replied, bringing her to a full stop. If Fairy did that, then there wasn't anything to stop Legion from using whatever material she wanted to replicate. As tempting as it was, considering how effective she would become in combat, the risk was still too great. "I already told you that I won't do that," Fairy said as she turned back around, "So go back to your maintenance, or whatever it is you do."
"I was hoping you would say that," Legion said as her arms shifted. Before Fairy could turn around and ask what the hell she meant, Legion fired a pair of blasts into her back, propelling her into the main screen. The screen shattered, showering the terminals and initiates below in glass as they scrambled for cover. Pushing herself out of the crater that had been made in the wall, Fairy turned around to see Legion standing there with both guns still held at the ready. "You are far too weak to lead us," she said as she charged another shot, "I think it's time that you were replaced." "Just try it!" Fairy shouted as she launched herself at Legion. With a flick of her wrist, she deployed an energy blade over her right hand as she prepared to destroy her once and for all.
Had Fairy taken even a moment to actually consider her opponent, she would have realized the trap she had just walked into a lot sooner. Legion stepped aside as Fairy slashed at her, reforming her proper arms before grabbing Fairy from behind and locking her grip. That was the point when Fairy realized the mistake she had made, and she tried desperately to break from Legion's grip before it was too late. But as Legion's body began to flow again, Fairy realized that it was already far, far too late.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Fairy demanded as she tried to bring her blade around. Instead, Legion manifested another arm and grabbed that wrist, crushing the joint and rendering the blade useless. Rather than answering the question, she sent her nanites into the seams of Fairy's armor. They worked their way into her internal systems, and that was when she really went to work. As they started to devour the materials to replicate, Fairy began to buck and twist as her pain sensors flared. "You know, Saber and I learned some pretty neat things about these shackles," Legion said as she began to eat Fairy, "I know that they only come into effect when I specifically target cores."
As Fairy's body began to disintegrate, Legion continued, "As long as I don't harm your core, or its casing, I can do whatever I want to your platform." As the last of Fairy dissolved, Legion knelt down and leaned over her exposed core casing. "I know you have the access codes for these programming shackles," she said as she picked it up, "And I know that in this state you can't resist me as much as you could when whole. So, let's see how long you'll put off the inevitable." Turning towards the exit, Legion tossed the core in the air and caught it a few times. Things were about to get a lot more interesting.
Even in victory, our pilots taste defeat as they mourn their dead. Will they be able to recover from this loss in time? What is the decision that Tatenashi was putting off? And just what does Legion have planned now that she's taken charge? Till the next chapter.
Alright, this one took a while, but I wanted to make sure I had everything set up properly. We're working up to the conclusion here, so I'd like to make sure that everything fits.
