Chapter 12

Ciel's computer loomed before Iris, appearing even larger and more imposing than it usually did. She swallowed. Although she had been determined to keep Zero from going into a fight blind, she was beginning to have doubts. She would get into serious trouble if she was caught messing with the computer, and there was the possibility that she could cause some irreparable problem.

She grimaced as she drove out the negative thoughts. Zero was risking his life to save everyone. This wasn't the time for her to get cold feet. If that jerk could face down a giant Mechaniloid without backing down, then she should tackle this computer. She sat herself in Ciel's chair, and her body began to move of its own volition. She quickly found a spare headset and placed it on her head, removing her beret to make room for it. Her fingers danced across the keyboard in a practiced way, as if they had done this hundreds of times before. In no time at all, she established a connection with Zero.

"Zero! Zero, do you copy?" she asked.

She fought not to laugh at the strangled noise he made. "Iris? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me, you idiot. Quick gawking; we've got a job to do."

"But―"

"Shut up and listen to me for once," Iris growled, fingers flying across the keyboard again. The screen in front of her lit up with multiple windows. One held flashing dots that she instantly knew to be radar. A second showed a live video feed of the base's exterior. From it, she could see the Mechaniloid out in the distance.

"The Mechaniloid is approaching at a steady velocity. I'd say we have about five minutes until impact."

"Roger that," said Zero.

Iris stared at her hands in disbelief as they continued to move independently from her mind. This was spooky. She had no idea what she was doing, but her body was acting like this was a normal everyday thing. A third window popped up on the monitor, showing a skeletal outline of the Mechaniloid. It was a massive machine with a giant spinning wheel covered with drills on its front side.

"I'm detecting a large number of explosives onboard the Mechaniloid," said Iris. "It likely intends to self-destruct. Our shield generator won't stand a chance if it reaches it."

"I won't let it."

Iris believed him. She couldn't decide if it was due to his track record or if his confidence was contagious, but those four words eased her worries. She returned her focus to the monitor and saw small explosions surrounding the Mechaniloid. Zero must have begun his assault.

"He'd better not try anything stupid," she muttered under her breath. Keeping her eyes glued to the monitor, she cranked up the shield generator's power to the maximum. It would do nothing except buy them a little more time, but she had to give Zero every chance possible.

"The Mechaniloid's velocity has increased. It's not interested in fighting you," Iris noted.

"I noticed."

"Recalculating time until impact." She tapped a few dozen keys. "We've got less than three minutes. I'm going to analyze it and see if I can find a weak point."

Her fingers flew across the keyboard again. Numerous characters that she couldn't understand scrolled in front of her eyes, but her body kept going. She was all too aware of the timer in one corner of the screen and the image of the Mechaniloid rapidly approaching.

"I've got it!" she exclaimed at last, slamming her hands on the keyboard. "I thought it was remotely controlled, but it's being manually operated by a Pantheon! The cockpit is well-concealed, but it's located close to the top of the Mechaniloid."

Zero grunted his approval, and without being told, understood what needed to be done. Using the video feed, Iris watched his figure dart at the Mechaniloid's cockpit over and over, his Z-Saber a blur of green as it sliced through the protective armor. She snorted humorlessly. Zero was as tenacious with his enemies as he was with her, and with thirty seconds to spare, the Mechaniloid grinded to a halt. Her eyes widened as she saw smoke billow from the wreckage.

"Zero, get out of there NOW!"

Seconds later, the Mechniloid exploded violently, hurling fire and shrapnel in every direction. The base's shields held up, but the Mechaniloid was reduced to burning rubble. There was no audial or visual sign of Zero.

"Zero, come in! ZERO!" Iris shrieked.

A soft snicker came over the radio, and her face burned as she realized she'd been had.

"I never thought I'd hear you so desperate to see me," Zero teased.

"You… YOU JERK!" she screeched. "Don't ever do that again!"

She couldn't decide which was worse: the worry that he was dead, or the sound of his laugh. Both had nearly done her in.

"I didn't mean to worry you. The shockwave from the explosion briefly disrupted my communicator," said Zero.

"I-I knew that!" Iris stammered. "I was just making sure it was working fine again!"

"Has anyone ever told you you're a terrible liar?"

She growled. "Just get your ass back in here so I can kick it. Iris out."

She took off the headset and huffed. That was the most stressful thing she had ever done. If Ciel had to do this every day, it was no wonder she had gotten so ill. More importantly, Iris still couldn't understand why her body had moved on its own. What was going on with her?

She replaced her beret and stood up, only to be overcome by a sudden wave of dizziness. She clutched her forehead and tried to steady herself, but the feeling grew stronger. She pitched forward and knew no more.

The next thing she was aware of was a faint, steady beeping. She felt a cool, hard surface underneath her back and a slight pressure on her forehead. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt like they were glued shut. The rest of her body was similarly paralyzed. Panic coursed through her like lightning. Where was she, and what was going on?

"All systems are stable."

Iris wondered who was speaking. The voice sounded female and familiar, but it wasn't Rocinolle, Ciel, or even her conscience. She could only conclude that she was no longer in the Resistance base. Dread filled her stomach as she realized that she had probably been kidnapped. But how? When? And by whom?

"Initiating simulation."

A series of whirs and beeps filled Iris's ears, and her terror increased tenfold. Simulation? She was being used in an experiment? She felt a horrible cold sensation touch her chest and slowly spread to her core. Within seconds, the cold thing inside her burned as if it had caught fire. Alarms blared around her, and her body began to tremble involuntarily.

Then came the pain.

Iris woke up screaming. As she shot upright, she heard someone call her name and felt a pair of hands clench her shoulders. She gasped for breath as the fear clouding her sight slowly dissipated. She soon realized she was face to face with Zero.

"Iris, are you all right?" he asked.

She had never been so happy to see him. She focused on the feeling of his hands on her shoulders: solid, warm, and real. She was safe in an infirmary bed, not strapped to a table and being experimented on. She closed her eyes and let herself go limp.

"Ack, don't you dare faint again!" Zero growled.

Iris mumbled a weak apology but did not move. Her relief was overwhelming. She was afraid that if she looked at him again, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from crying.

"So, you've awakened."

Iris moaned softly at the sound of Rocinolle's voice before forcing herself to look at her boss. As she did so, Zero removed his hands from her shoulders. Rocinolle looked as cross as she sounded, but Iris wasn't afraid. Nothing Rocinolle did to her could possibly be as bad as what she experienced in her dream. Just the thought of that horrible pain made her shudder.

"Rocinolle, what happened to me?" she asked.

"Zero found you unconscious in Dr. Ciel's lab," said Rocinolle. "You overexerted your processor and nearly shorted it out. Why in the world did you attempt to fill in for Dr. Ciel?"

Iris closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

"Do you realize how foolhardy that was?!" shouted Rocinolle. "Not only did you put yourself at risk, but if something went wrong with that computer you could have jeopardized the entire base!"

"I know. And I'm sorry. But I couldn't just stand by and let Zero get hurt because he was fighting an enemy he knew nothing about."

"Wait, that's what this is about?" Zero interjected. "You didn't have to put yourself at risk for me!"

Iris scowled at him. "Idiot! If you're out of commission, then who will protect us the next time there's an attack? I'm replaceable. You're not."

"But―"

"That's enough, both of you!" scolded Rocinolle. "Zero, you are dismissed. Iris needs time to rest and recover. I will think of a suitable punishment for her later."

Zero looked like he wanted to object, but he grudgingly obeyed Rocinolle's command. Iris settled back into her bed, but even though she was tired, she was afraid to go to sleep. The memory of her nightmare was still fresh in her mind. The cold, the paralysis, the pain that wracked every inch of her body.

She frowned thoughtfully. According to her database, she wasn't supposed to feel pain in dreams. That meant that either her database was incorrect or she hadn't been dreaming at all. Neither explanation seemed plausible.

She forced herself to recall the voice from her dream. She didn't know many other females. There was Ciel, Passy, Aigel, Rocinolle, Alouette, Lumen, her conscience, and―

It was as if something clicked into place in her head. She had been too frightened to think properly before, but now she had no doubts. The voice in her dream belonged to her creator, Professor Dahlia.

Countless questions sprouted in Iris's mind. If that had really been Professor Dahlia, then it was possible that her dream was actually a memory. But she hadn't been activated until almost two months ago, so how could she have a memory like that? And even then, why had her creator performed such terrible experiments on her?

She shivered, unsure if she wanted to know the answers. The Professor Dahlia from her dream was much different than the one from the voice recording left in her database. Which message was she supposed to believe?

Fatigue caught up with her and she felt her eyelids grow heavy. She fought to remain conscious, but sleep dragged her into its dark abyss. She prayed she wouldn't awaken to find herself at the mercy of her creator.

Instead, she found herself at the mercy of her conscience.

"If I had a body of my own I would personally knock some sense into that stubborn head of yours. Now look at what your foolishness has wrought."

"Did you have something to do with that nightmare?" Iris asked.

"No. That was your own doing. When you tapped into functions your processor wasn't designed for, you unearthed something that was never supposed to come to light."

"Then that dream was―"

"A memory from when you were still in development. Professor Dahlia had placed you in a semi-conscious state to perform tests."

"But why? And what were those tests for?"

"It is not the time for you to know."

"Don't give me that crap! I have a right to know the reason why I was built!"

"It was the professor's wish that you not know your purpose until the time comes that you must fulfill it."

"But why?"

"You are just like a child, always asking why. Has it ever once occurred to you that maybe it is best that you don't know the truth?"

"What? What are you saying? And how do you know all this, anyway?"

"I will tell you when the time is right."

"Stop being so evasive!" Iris gasped as the whiteness signaling her imminent awakening started to appear. "Wait! Please, just tell me why I'm not supposed to know my purpose!"

An unseen force began to drag her away towards consciousness, but as the last bit of blackness changed to white, she managed to catch one last utterance.

"If you knew the fate that awaits you, you may wish you had never been built."

Short chapter this time. Sorry if you're a little disappointed, but this felt like the best place to stop. I hope that, despite the length, there was enough intrigue to keep things interesting. Also, thanks for all the favorites and follows! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it when I get an email out of the blue telling me about a new favorite and/or follower! I'll try to keep working hard at writing this story so I don't leave everyone hanging for months at a time again!