Homura led the way through the hall, discreetly conferring with her SoulGem to pick out the witch's location. She still had it embedded into her chest and hidden under her clothing. She had already revealed many of her secrets tonight, but regardless of the success or failure of her escape, the existance of her SoulGem is one secret she didn't want them to find out about.
She kept the fact that there was an armed guard behind her in the back of her head, and had a plan of action ready in case he tried to turn on her. She didn't think he would, though. The 'disappear and unload their weapons' trick was quite effective for making the point of how useless it would be for them to try anything.
She allowed him to have his weapon simply for the purpose of building trust. It was surprising that he was able to handle the familiars as well as he did. However, she doubted he would be much use against the actual witch.
These men were actually her hostages right now, but she wanted to create the impression that this wasn't strictly the case, and they were infact on the same side together. Doing that would lessen the possibility of them trying anything funny.
She was anxious about what would happen once the witch was defeated. She would have to rely on luck, that once the labyrinth disappeared she would find herself in the elevator room. Chances are this would not happen, and she would either be stuck in the hallways or another test room. That is when Kaiji would have to be used as a more obvious hostage. Would the other members of the staff be willing to give her up for the lives of one of their lead researches and three guards? She didn't know, but it's all she had and she hoped it would be enough.
She glanced back at them from over her shoulder. They were keeping their distance. They were afraid of her… Or at least, two of them were. Kotaro may have been keeping some distance as well, but she got the impression that this was more of a tactical maneuver than anything else.
Kotaro seemed to catch some hint of her thoughts, and he sped up his pace until he was right over her shoulder again. Perhaps his pride wouldn't allow himself to be mistaken for a coward. "So. Once we destroy this witch thing, everything is going to return to normal?" He asked.
"That is correct." Homura answered, looking forward again.
"If there are still a few metal doors between you and your freedom, what happens then? You use us as hostages, right?"
"That is also correct." Homura briefly glanced back at Kaiji. Kaiji might attempt to hide his fear, and she still couldn't deny that he was brave, however, she could see the slight shaking of his hand. He wasn't like Kotaro. She recognised Kotaro as a true warrior, with no fear of death. Kaiji, on the other hand, was just an ordinary man. "Mainly, I'll be using him. As I said."
"They won't give you up too easily, you know." Kotaro pointed out.
"I'm aware."
"You'll have to show them you're serious."
Homura didn't respond.
"That's where we come in. Isn't it?" Homura remained quiet and continued to lead the way. Kotaro cleared his throat. "There's a chance they would try to call your bluff, in a manner of speaking. It's a bluff you can't disprove without actually throwing away your bargaining chip, which would defeat the purpose of having him in the first place." Kotaro grinned. "If it comes down to that, I'd probably be the first to go, right? Since I'm the biggest threat to you?"
"I don't understand the point of this posturing. Do you just enjoy making yourself sound like a conceited ass?"
Kotaro's grin widened. "Well, that is one of my strong suites." Then he got a bit more serious. "You didn't have to save Murakami's life, you know. Two perfectly conscious guards would be enough for making a point and showing you're serious. You didn't need a third unconscious one. That's the only reason I'm not making a stand here and now."
"It would be pointless for you to try, you cannot defeat me."
"Still, I'd rather go out like a man than take the latter approach. That is, of course, if I thought you really were the cold murdering bitch that you would like us to think you are."
Homura shot him a narrowed eyed look.
"Pardon the language." Kotaro quickly added, although the grin was mildly reappearing on his face. "Whatever the case, I think you really do have good intentions. You just want to be free… Honestly, if I had any other job on the planet I'd definitely be on your side."
Homura raised her eyebrow at him… what was he trying to do? Befriend her? Like he just said, it was his job to keep her imprisoned. They could never be friends… He was probably just trying to gain her trust so he could catch her off guard later. She reminded herself to keep a close eye on this one, and not let herself underestimate him.
"There's something else about you." Kotaro continued, "You don't exactly carry yourself like a regular fourteen year old girl. Granted, the very fact that you are here in the first place means you're not regular, but there's something more to it than that. It's hard to put my finger on."
Homura raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't respond.
He lowered his voice. "It's the way you handle those weapons; you are too comfortable with them. Like pushing the gun into doctor's neck earlier. At first I was scared shitless that thing would go off on you accidentally, but that only lasted a second, because everything from your posture, to the way you held it, and the look in your eyes… It's like it wasn't your first time doing something like that. At your age, it's hard for me to put a grasp on how that could be."
Homura sighed, and looked forward again as she continued to lead the way. "There is something I desire in this life, and it would be difficult to convey just how deep my sacrifices have been to obtain it…" Her demeanor quickly became much more solemn "Just when I finally had it in my grasp, it was snatched away from me again."
"Is it…" Kotaro paused and thought it over, "Are you going to stick a gun in my face if I say her name?" He waited a moment to see if his charm would break through, but it didn't. "You know what I think it really is? I bet you lost something, or someone."
"What the hell are you trying to do?" Homura asked, "Why don't you stop talking and get focused."
"We're about to go to battle together, you know." Kotaro shrugged, "Figured we should understand each other…" He grinned, "Never thought I'd say something like that to a fourteen year old girl, though."
Homura was really tempted to just stick a gun in his face anyway. "No, we're not going into battle. I'm going into battle. This creature we are about to face is nothing that any ordinary human can stand up against. Merely being in its presence would be enough to break you, that is, if I were not there to distract it. You just have that gun as an extra safety precaution, to lessen how much I'll have to be distracted while I'm fighting it."
"You're probably underestimating me a bit. Either that, or you are overestimating yourself. I mean, if you were so good, then how is it you let this one thing you desire slip away from you so easily?"
Homura instantly turned and put the gun in his face, "That's it! Shut your damn mouth!" She shouted at him. Kotaro continued to grin, as if there was no gun in his face at all. He didn't try to move away or flinch or anything, instead he did just the opposite. He moved forward. She was shorter than him, so he had to bow down slightly, but he pushed his forehead right against the barrel of her gun. "Do it if you're going to do it." He said, calmly.
Homura felt her hand wanting to tremble, and she cursed herself for it. She quickly pulled the gun away before he'd get the chance to notice how unresolved her gesture truly was. "I'm sorry." She said quickly, although still staring at him with enough intensity to maintain her dominant position. "I… I'm a bit on edge right now. Besides, the drug I'm on doesn't quite have me acting myself."
"Drug?" Kotaro asked.
Homura glanced over to Kaiji, "Ask him."
Kotaro looked over to Kaiji who had clear guilt on his face. He gave his an employer a rather dirty look, apparently not too happy about with that revelation.
He sighed. "You know, I meant what I said before. If I had any other job in the world I'd definitely be on your side. It's not just that I think what they are doing to you is fucked up, you also kind of remind me of someone…" He paused, "She had that same kind of dominate disposition you carry... She was also about your age when…" There was no longer any trace of a grin on his face.
"It was winter, and our parents were away for the weekend, so my older sister was watching me. Our parents actually tended to be away from home a lot, so that's probably why the two of us were so close with each other. Anyway, I was only ten years old at the time, she was four years older than me, about your age."
Homura glanced at him, her eyes questioning what this was all about.
"There was a public swimming pool down the street from our house, and a few days before, when I was walking by I noticed that it was frozen over with ice. I don't know how it came up, I can't remember if it was my idea or her idea, but we decided to sneak in and go play on the ice. We had been warned before about playing on ice, by teachers, probably our parents too, but you know how kids are. If they are told not to do something, it just makes them want to do it that much more. Plus my sis never was the type to do what she was told, and honestly I wasn't much better myself."
"Anyway, when we got there, she tested it first, to make sure it was safe for me. She stomped her foot down pretty hard, then climbed onto the ice herself, being sure to stay in the shallow end. She even jumped up and down, and I'm telling you, that ice was hard as a rock; there was really no reason to be scared. So I got on too, and we started playing around. We were sliding around, and talking about buying ice skates and coming back later. She had a part time job at a local convenience store, so she had some money."
"Then… she walked over to the deep end of the pool. The ice was pretty solid there too, but she noticed a water bottle sticking out of the ice, just a few feet away from the diving board. I remember thinking to myself, that maybe she shouldn't go over there... it was just a passive thought, and I didn't think much of it… that is, until she kneeled down by the water bottle, and tried to pull on it."
"It happened so fast, if I were to blink I would have missed it, but I didn't blink… and I saw my sister disappear faster than I could register what was happening."
"You know that feeling you get in battle? Where it's like your body is acting on its own? There's no need to think about your actions, it's like instincts take over and everything is decided for you. I think that was the first time I ever experienced it. That feeling used to terrify me," He clenched his hand into a tight first. "Since then, I've learned to conquer it."
"I got off the ice, and ran to her. She was right on the edge of the pool, with her hands gripping the side. She was trying to pull herself up, but only managing to get her eyes just above the edge. There was a huge gash on her head, spilling blood out so fast it was turning the opening in the ice around her red. I guess she must have gotten cut by the ice when she fell through... I grabbed her hand, and pulled with all my strength, and at first I thought everything would be fine, because I just needed to pull her out. It should have been easy, right?"
"Well, it was winter time, and therefore she was wearing heavy winter clothing. With her clothing soaking wet like that, it must have added a hundred kilos. I was only ten years old, Homura, I wasn't strong enough. With her body freezing, her strength was failing too, and it felt like the more I tried the harder it was getting, and her face was falling closer and closer to the surface of the water."
"Why are you telling me this?" Homura asked, but he ignored her and continued.
"After five minutes of this, she no longer looked anything like herself. She was like a ghost, her lips were trembling, and she could barely even speak. I remember the look in her eyes; it's permanently etched into my brain. I hate it. Because even when I want to remember her, the good days we had together, the good days of being with my older sister. Every time I think of her. That's what I see, those last moments and watching her scared trembling face, and there was nothing I could do to help her."
"I didn't want to leave her, but she told me to find help. I did as she said, and ran as fast as my legs could carry me, screaming for help as I ran down the snow covered streets. Eventually, a neighbor driving by in his car saw me, and I led him back to where she was. It was too late by then, though. We saw her floating there, face down, her long blonde hair spreading across the surface of the blood-filled water."
"I'm… sorry…" Homura said, cautiously, not sure what else to say.
"Whenever I think about it, I feel the weakness of my ten year old self. I can never forget… I spent many nights wishing I could go back to that day. Wishing, if I was just stronger… strong enough to pull her out. She would have made it."
After hearing the story, and thinking about how proficient this man was in combat, Homura imagined if he wasn't born a male he definitely would have gotten the chance to make that wish. Ironically, he was probably better off not getting that chance. In most cases, making a deal with the rat tended not to work out in the end.
"Somehow, I think that event is responsible for me being the man I am today… As much as I would like to take it back. Anyway, I'm telling you this, because I see the same kind of thing in you. Something was taken from you, and rather than let it destroy you, you've chosen to fight. We have that in common… I think."
"You might be partly right…" The difference was, Homura could still get back that thing which she has lost… With Kotaro, it was gone forever, and it explained why he quite clearly had no fear of death. Because he truly had nothing to lose. Homura on the other hand, didn't fear much, but she did fear death. Because if she were to die, she wouldn't be able to protect the one she loved. "We are different in that you have accepted what you lost is gone forever. The day I accept it... will be the day I die."
Kotaro grinned. "I kind of respect that. Don't suppose you'll be willing to share your story?"
"No…" She said, coldly. "I doubt you would believe it anyway."
"After tonight, I'd believe just about anything."
"Either way." She stop, and everyone else followed her queue and did the same. "We are out of time… it's here." The hallway darkened. There was no clear source of what was lighting the hallway in the first place, but wherever the light came from, it was now like someone was slowly turning a dimming knob. As the walls darkened, they could see spider webs lining the corners of the hall.
Further down, the next threshold which they would have crossed had changed. The hallway distorted and twisted upward to make room for the much larger doorway. It was lined with a heavy oaken frame, and all they could see is a bright pulsing blue light coming from the other side.
"I was thinking." Kotaro said, "Wouldn't it be better for the others to wait out here?"
"No…" Homura said, "While it's true that the creature behind that door is the greatest possible danger to them, it's still safer for them to stay where I can see them, and protect them in case they are attacked."
Then she turned to him and put her hand on the barrel of his rifle. "Here, I'm not the best at this kind of thing, but it should help you." There was a bright flash of light which seemed to pull into itself and become solid before coating the outside of the gun. When it was done, the gun transformed. It's barrel had widened slightly, and there were now small diamonds encrusted around the length of the barrel, and larger gems of amethyst embedded into the handle.
Kotaro raised an eyebrow as he examined his new weapon.
"You did well against the familiars, but an ordinary gun wielded by an ordinary human would be useless against the creature we are about to face."
"So I guess this means you decided I'm not going to be useless after all." He said with a grin.
Homura rolled her eyes, "That's for defence… try not to draw too much attention to yourself."
Kotaro shrugged, "Not one of my strong suits."
"Then you will die a horrible and painful death, haunted by your failure to save your sister." Homura said matter-of-factly. "Just keep your head down and try not to die, alright?"
Without waiting for a response, Homura led the way into the threshold, and the others followed right after her.
"Looks like your attempts at sabotaging her escape are going to fail." His red eyes glistened, and his tail waved back and forth hypnotically.
"Perhaps. I wasn't expecting her to make it this far."
"What are you going to do?"
"It seems a more hands on approach will be required." The frowning face raised into something a bit more mischievous. "Imagine a street fight. One of the fighters is completely outmatched; face is bleeding, bones are broken, and being stomped to death by their assailant. Then when it's over, the assailant walks away, but out of nowhere a car comes skidding around the corner and strikes her. I imagine that's what it will seem like to Homura when this is over."
Creeeek… creeeeeek…
That sweet smell… flowers… spider lilies…
Homura raised her gun and focused her sights on the creature who sat on the other side of the web littered room. She tried to focus only on that creature. It wore a dress with the same flower design which covered the halls. The boney knees of it's unproportionally long legs pressed tight against the fabric of it's dress. It's face was veiled by a scarf, and only the red of it's eyes saw through. It's bony hands with their long fingers worked with thread and needles; it was knitting.
What Homura tried not to look at where the pictures scattered about on the wall behind it. There were some she didn't understand, but she knew they were making her uncomfortable… perhaps it was a side effect of the drug she was on? These were the pictures of red flowers, like the ones she had seen in the hallways. Others, she did understand, and they made her equally uncomfortable.
One of these were of a silhouette of a girl laying face down in a puddle of rainwater. The angle was from overhead, and even though it appeared to be a painting in all other regards, she could see raindrops falling within the picture frame. Another was of a cityscape, vaguely similar to the skyline of Mitakihara, but it had a silhouette of some enormous creature which didn't fit fully in the shot. It had a hand raised, as if it planned to knock the buildings over like a set of dominoes.
Usually, witches didn't attack Magical Girls in this way, with mental manipulation. Normally, that's something they saved only for their human victims. However, she normally didn't get to meet witches who were hatched from GriefSeeds. Specifically not ones that were spawned by her own grief. That relationship between Magical Girls and witches is something she tried to avoid focusing on… That reality has caused too much pain for her and her friends, and she tried to put it out of her mind for now. Right now, she had to focus on the fight.
The room was completely littered with webs, it would be impossible for her to walk through without getting caught on one. Even if she could easily break through them, some would still get stuck on her and cause her to pull the witch into her time flow if she tried stopping time.
Hitting the witch with her bombs would be ideal, because she wasn't sure how much damage bullets would do… She could always just attack from a distance, and hopefully lure it out, then…
"Homura!" Kotaro shouted, and pointed his gun towards her.
Homura noticed too late, but something had fallen in from above her and latched onto her head. She tried batting it away with the butt of her gun, but to no avail. She screamed and spun around.
"Quit moving damn it!" Kotaro yelled. She was snapped back to her senses and stopped moving, then heard a gunshot go off, and the claws released themselves from her. However, when she reached her hand behind her head she felt that she was now covered in webbing. "I thought you were supposed to be experienced with this stuff?" Kotaro sneered, focusing his sights back on the main target behind the webs.
She shot him a narrow eyed look and said, "Like I said, I'm not exactly at my best right now." She looked up, and noticed there were more of the smaller spiders laying in wait high up where it would be hard to get to them. However, if she tried just running through the webs, they would likely pounce on her. She pointed up at them. "Kotaro, can you pick them off if they try getting to me? I'm going to run through."
Kotaro grinned, and aimed his sights a little higher. "Yup, no problem."
Fighting along side a normal human in one of these godforsaken labyrinths, Homura silently mused to herself, never thought I'd see the day. There certainly is something different about this man.
Homura transferred her gun into her left hand, and retrieved a machete from under her shield. It wasn't her favorite weapon, but it would be the best choice for now. She had already been webbed, so her timestop was out the door and she would have to deal with this the old fashion way. If she still had some RPGs stashed in her shield, that would be ideal, but most of them had been used up on Walpurgis Night. She still had plenty of other explosives, though, she just needed to get close enough to use them.
She ran at the webs, keeping her gun in front of her whenever she wasn't swinging the machete to clear her way of the spider webs. One quick glance upward confirmed that the familiars were trying to descend on her, but as soon as she took note of this she started to hear the sound of shots being fired off from Kotaro's weapon. I'll just have to trust him, she thought. He had displayed impressive abilities with the gun so far, so she figured it would be ok.
As she suspected, the webs which were created by the actual witch were much thicker than the ones the smaller familiars could produce. Her machete still cut through them easily, but she could feel a level of resistance, and some remnants of the web tended to stick to the blade afterwards. If she had tried to just barrel through the webs with her body, there's no doubt she would find herself completely restricted of motion in no time.
The witch stood from it's rocking chair, letting the cloth it was knitting drop to the ground. The true length of its limbs had been hidden under it's dress when it sat down. As it raised to a full standing position, it's like it just kept getting taller and taller. In spite of it's freakishly long legs, it's equally lengthy arms hung low enough that it's long boney fingers dangled just below it's knees.
It's actual body was tiny. That would be it's weak spot. If she could just plant a C4 pack right on it's abdomen, this fight would be over. The problem would be getting there… She was making good progress so far, but she suspected this witch still had some tricks up its sleeve. Not to mention, this which stood at least three times taller than her and it would be impossible to get the C4 pack up there as it was now. Throwing another type of bomb probably wouldn't work either. Not only were there too many webs in the way, but those long arms it had could easily bat a pipe bomb right back at her. No… C4, was the best option… but how?
The witch's scarf suddenly loosened from its shoulders and fell away, revealing a grotesque face similar to it's spider familiars. It's arachnid eye's glowed red, its nose sunk into its face with two wide holes for nostrils, but the worst part was its mouth.
Four furry tentacles similar to the claws of it's familiars folded over it's mouth. When the tentacles opened, they revealed a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, and it let out a loud hissing sound. It was so loud, it felt as though it were shaking the entire fabric of the labyrinth around them. It made Homura's skin crawl, and she was tempted to cover her ears.
She raised her gun to fire at it's mouth, and hopefully shut it up, but before she could get the shot out, the witch tilted its head forward and spat. A glob of green spit shot forth from behind the hissing tentacles, and it was heading right for Homura. Her finger pulled the trigger of her gun, but she didn't have time to aim properly and the shot completely missed. She didn't have time to check her surroundings for a safe retreat. Getting caught on one of its webs right now would be an absolute disaster. So instead, she ducked down and tried to hide under her shield.
She batted the spit away with the shield, then rolled forward, slicing at the next layer of webbing as she dove. She finished the roll and landed in a crouch, then pointed her gun back towards the creature's mouth. Just as she raised her own gun, she heard Kotaro's go off, and the creature's head jerk backward with a pained screech, and dark green blood exploded away from the bullet wound.
Looks like he is turning out to be rather useful afterall. Homura thought, as she returned to her feet and continued to run at the witch. There were just a few more layers of webbing to go, and Kotaro provided her with enough of a distraction that she was able to break through easily. Now… she just needed to get the C4 on it's abdomen. When she took a better look at it's legs, the answer became obvious. It had two long legs under its dress, and they protruded outward from each other enough to pull the cloth tight against its knee joints.
Homura slid on her heels to a stop, and aimed. She could still hear Kotaro's gun going off, but he was no longer shooting at the witch. He must have had to change his focus to the familiars which were probably coming after his own group by now. The rate of the shots increased as well, and she realized Furuhata must have joined him in shooting.
Homura pulled power from her SoulGem and fed some magic into her gun. She focused her energy around the bullet which was currently housed inside the chamber, aimed, and fired.
Her aim may have been off all night, because of the drug that had been forced on her, but this shot hit its target perfectly. The witch stumbled, its leg buckled out, and it looked like it would have fallen over if not for it's long arms grabbing at the webs that surrounded the high ceiling of the room for support.
One more. Homura thought, as she aimed for the second knee while the witch was distracted with keeping its balance. She focused her magic, and fired.
This shot wasn't quite on point, but it at least skimmed the witch's knee and tore away the cloth of the dress as well as a bit of flesh. Luckily, it seemed that indirect hit would be enough. The witch started swaying around, and distributed more of it's weight to the webs it was hanging on to. It ended up being enough weight, that the webs could no longer support her, and the witch collapsed to the ground.
Homura ran, circling outward to avoid the falling limbs. Then, she turned on her heels and ran right for the the torso. She would have to watch the two arms, they were long and could easily swat her away if she didn't react quickly enough.
As she anticipated, one of the arms rose, and swung down at her in an arc. She was ready. She used a magic enhanced jump to leap over the witch's furry arm. She did a spin in mid air, and slashed at the arm with her machete as she passed over it. Now she was descending again, and the torso where she wanted to plant her C4 was directly under her.
She reached behind her shield. All she'd have to do is stick the C4 pack onto it as she landed, then make an escape. She would have to get just far enough away to avoid getting caught in the blast, and then this would be over.
She descended…At the angle she was falling she was really going to land right on it's abdomen like she hoped she would.
Almost… She thought, as she reached into her shield to retrieve the bomb.
Then, with just a few second before hitting her target, the witch's dress burst open. Four legs that had until then been completely hidden under the cloth sprang forward. She swung at them with her machete, and tried to spin away. However, since she was airborne and descending downward, she had very little control over her movement. Each of the four claws dove into her, two cut away some of her flesh, the other two grabbed onto her and hoisted her high up into the air. Her target, the creature's abdomen, was suddenly far out of reach, and she was suspended in the air, securely held in the creature's clutches.
Damn it! Eight legs! Of course a spider would have eight legs! You fool!
She glanced back to Kotaro. Both he and Furuhata were being overrun by the witches familiars. At a glance, Homura could see they were keeping up and holding the creatures back, but they wouldn't be able to stop what they were doing and help her. The witch planned it like this. Homura thought, gritting her teeth. This one is smart.
The witch was laying flat on it's back. It's wounded face hissed at her from afar, and two of it's incredibly long claws held her suspended in the air. One claw held her by her left shoulder, the other by her waist. She raised her machete and swung at the claw holding her shoulder, but from the awkward angle she couldn't get much force behind it. Then, as if in response to this escape attempt; she felt the claw twist, and pain shot throughout her body. Homura let out a painful cry which echoed throughout the witches layer even louder than the sound of the guards gunshots.
Idiot… how did you end up like this? You were careless! She winced at the pain in her shoulder. As a Magical Girl, she was able to block some of it out, but she wasn't like Sayaka who could fight on through even the most grotesque wounds and act like it was nothing.
Two of it's claws were wounded, two of it's claws held her. She saw the other four claws fold back and seem to tense up. It was clear what they were about to do. No! Homura started struggling, she needed to get away. If all four of those claws were to strike her at once, there was a good chance her body would be completely torn apart!
She dropped the machete, because without being able to get any leverage, it was useless to her. She got her gun into her right hand, and fed as much magic into it as she could, and started to fire. Before she could pull the trigger, the witch started shaking her around, making it impossible for her to aim properly. It's face continued to hiss, and she realized the hissing was starting to sound more like laughing.
Damn it! Damn it! There's no way it's ending like this! She thought, tears falling from her eyes. There's just no way! After everything I've been through, there's no way a regular witch is going to take me out!
Somehow, in her struggle, something caught her eyes. The pictures. She watched the falling rain, and the dying girl it was landing on.
Everything else in the room disappeared from her consciousness. The guards firing their guns, her own impending doom. And she only saw the picture.
Madoka… She thought. Just because Walpurgisnacht had been defeated didn't mean her Madoka was safe. Kyubey would still be trying to sink his clutches into her. And who knows what else could happen to her? It was a dangerous world after all. Madoka needed her. She needed Homura to protect her.
Yeah right. After everything I've been through? There's no way I'm dying here!
Homura let the gears in her shield spin, stopping time. She quickly reached under her shield and produced a sub machine gun and started firing at the witch. She was held firmly in its clutches, and thus the witch was in her timeflow. However, it seemed to get confused by the sudden change in its surroundings, and it's attack slowed. She continued to fire, letting the bullets burst forth from the gun just to become frozen in the air only halfway to meeting their target.
She focused on her SoulGem's power, ignoring the pain in her shoulder as the witch tried to twist her wound and distract her. She thought only of her magic. She felt it flow from her chest where the SoulGem was kept, up her arms, to the tips of her fingers. She felt a connection with the bullets she had just fired, and fed her magic to them, giving them a little extra explosive power.
Then she resumed time.
The bullets rained down on the creature. It was instantly hit by such a powerful barrage that it could only scream and try to shelter itself behind its claws. Homura was waved back and forth in the air, she could tell the creature wanted to let go of her so it's extra claw could assist in sheltering itself, but in the end it did no such thing. That was fine though, that move had bought her a few crucial moments. The move also damaged the remaining claws it used to shelter itself with, which took away some of the creature offensive powers as well.
She dropped the gun she had, no longer needing it, and produced another one. A desert eagle, a powerful impact weapon. She turned it to her shoulder, taking a few seconds to carefully aim. From the angle she was at, in order to get a proper shot at the claw that held her, she would have to graze her own flesh a little. She was being tossed back and forth through the air, and it was difficult to keep her aim steady. When she saw the opening, however, she fired without hesitation.
The claw instantly let go, and though she injured her own shoulder, it was worth it.
She aimed the gun back at the creature's body and fired a few times, just to keep it on the defense. One claw held her by the waist. She aimed at its joint, and started firing. It was a difficult shot, for any ordinary person it would be impossible. She pulled the trigger over and over again. This one shot is all she needed, once this leg was severed she would be free, and dropping the C4 on it would be simple.
Come on… focus! She thought, firing her gun over and over again. The fact that she was being waved around, and trying to hit a rather small moving target meant this wasn't an easy shot at all. There was also that drug which has had her operating at far less than a hundred percent all night. If it were not for that, she doubted she would have had this much trouble with the witch in the first place.
Focus! She fired again and again, untill she only heard a click, and was forced to toss the gun away and pick a new one. Maybe something that fires a bit faster? Something she could just pray and spray, and hope to hit her impossible target?
As her hand reach under her shield, she suddenly felt herself descending. She glanced down - What?
The leg had been severed, right at the joint she was aiming at. But how? Perhaps one of her shots grazed it enough to cause some damage? Then added with the way the witch was wildly flailing it's leg about could have been enough momentum to snap it off the rest of the way? Or perhaps Kotaro had managed to get a skilled shot off and help her? She didn't have an explanation, but it didn't matter. Her goal had been accomplished, and as she descended, her hand removed itself from her shield, holding the C4 pack.
Her feet landed atop one of the claws which were defensively curled into the witch's body. She reached past, and stuck the C4 right to it's abdomen. The claws tried to toss her away, but her mission was already complete. She used the witch's own defencive maneuver to increase her momentum, as the witch tossed her away, she jumped, and ascended through the air at an impressive speed.
She was heading right for the web littered ceiling. The web was covered by the witches familiars, and they would slowly tear her apart if she were to get stuck and become unable to move. She didn't have to worry about that though. This would be over before she even got there.
Her hand produced the remote from under her shield, and pressed the button. A shockwave ripped through the room, and she could feel the heat of the flames on her back.
As she descended towards a spider web, it became translucent, and she ended up passing right through it. The dark web ridden room she was in shifted, and became the familiar white tiled floors of the lab. She landed in a roll, and ended up with her legs folded beneath her,and her hand clutching at her wounded shoulder.
"Is… it over?" Kotaro asked. Peaking out from behind his arms, and glancing around. Indeed, the Labyrinth had completely disappeared.
"Homura, are you alright?" Kaiji asked, kneeling down infront of her and examining her wounds.. "You need to get that treated."
"I'll be fine…" She said scornfully, then glanced around… this wasn't a test room… it wasn't the hallway either…
"Freeze!" She heard someone shout from behind her, and she heard the metallic slides of at least three guns being brought to the ready.
She glanced over her shoulder… and her eyes widened.
She looked right past these three new guards, not caring much for their presence, but she focused on what was directly behind them.
A Metal box, with a small panel on the side which contained a button with an up arrow.
The elevator! She made it! She was in the elevator room!
Of course, it made sense now that she saw the much higher ceiling of this room. This witch seemed to build its labyrinth over an existing landscape, and since the witch itself was so big, by design, it needed a room like this to put it's own layer on top of.
Homura slowly raised herself back to her feet.
"I SAID FREEZE!" The guard shouted again, and all three of those guards at her back took a step forward.
Homura put her hands in the air and stood, then slowly turned towards them. She couldn't help the amused grin on her face. Do they really think they can stop me now? She thought sardonically. All I need to do is stop time and…
Something struck her back, and she was tackled to the ground. Her good arm was forced behind her back, as she was brought into a submission hold. She screamed as her arm was bent back far enough to tear at her shoulder socket. Her other arm had already been damaged in the fight, and wouldn't be able to offer her much in the way of resistance.
Her attacker pushed her face against the cold tile floor. She forced her eyes to their corners so she could see behind herself. She already knew who it was, but she couldn't believe it! "Kotaro!" She said through gritted teeth, "You fucking bastard!"
"Quickly!" Kotaro commanded the other guards. "Help me detain her! She is much stronger than she looks! I can't hold her forever!"
"I'll kill you!" She screamed, as she thrashed around, trying to break free from his hold. However, as she already knew, Kotaro was top notch. Even though, thanks to her magic, she could be much stronger than him; he accounted for that and put her into a hold which made it impossible for her to get any leverage. Her arms were completely useless right now.
His knees found pressure points at the back of her legs which also immobilized her there. She was beaten. That bastard had this planned all along, that's why he spoke so openly to her earlier. To gain her trust, so she wouldn't see this betrayal coming. And she fell for it… She fell for it!
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" Homura repeated over and over through gritted teeth. She would do it too. If he ever were to escort her to a test room again, she would stop time as soon as he was in her sight, and strangle him to death with her bare hands. This betrayal would not go unpunished. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Sorry Homura." Kotaro said, "Like I said, if I had any other job in the world I would definitely be on your side… as it so happens, however…"
She could picture that stupid grin on his face as he effectively sentenced her to death. How could she have allowed herself to trust him? She hated herself for being so foolish. She was so close to her freedom… how could this have happened?
Kotaro leaned forward. She could feel his breath just behind her ear.
I'll fucking kill you.
"Just proving a point." He whispered to her.
What!? She hadn't considered stopping time before, because that would only be revealing her secret to him. As long as he had her held down like this, she couldn't escape him even if time was stopped, so it would be pointless. What did he just say, though? What did that mean? She heard the amusement in his voice…. Could he possibly be?…
She stopped time, just as one of the guards removed a taser from his belt and started to kneel down towards her.
Kotaro gasped, and she felt his grip loosen. She could probably shake him off now that he was distracted, but she wanted a moment to talk to him first. "Kotaro… what you just said."
"H-Homura?..." He asked, looking around at the other guards who were now frozen in place. "What is this? What did you… wait…" His words trailed off as he started thinking it over.
"It doesn't matter." Homura said, "This is something you will never see again. The important thing to note is that no one can hear or see us while we are here, so you can talk freely… Now… would you mind getting off of me?"
"Heh, right." And with that he released her, but she quickly grabbed onto his hand again as she stood and turned to face him. He looked down at her hand clasped around his, then looked back to her with a raised eyebrow.
"I need to do this to keep you in my…" She searched for the right word, "Flow… so wipe that stupid look off your face."
"Oh, and here I thought you just liked me." He wiped his grinning face off on the back of his sleeve. "Well anyway, I've got my theories about what this is, but I'll let you have your secrets. And sorry about tackling you like that. I just had to keep up appearances, you know? Besides that, I didn't want to part ways with you thinking that you could beat me. I had to prove a point."
Homura's eyes narrowed, but she couldn't help letting her own lips raise into a humorous grin as well. "Alright, fair enough, but you did catch me off guard, you know."
"Then maybe we can settle it some other time?"
"Maybe… but it's unlikely." She glanced back to the elevator. "So, that will take me to the surface?"
"Yeah, but by now there could be a whole military force waiting for you up there."
Homura shrugged, "That won't be a problem. Once I make it to the top I can move right past them… I have to ask though… why did you let me go?"
"I already explained that, didn't I?" He laughed, "Well, mainly it's what you said. About refusing to accept the thing that you lost. My sister died, there is nothing I can do about that, but I thought if I could make myself stronger, I could become strong enough to not have to lose anything ever again. Still, no matter how strong I get, I can't change what happened that day. It's different with you though, I don't know what it is, but it's clear you still have something you can fight for. Whatever that is, I'm guessing it's the reason you are what you are, and that means it must be something really precious. There's simply no way I could stand in the way of that."
"Well… thanks." Homura said, her lips rose into the warmest expression she had ever since being brought here. "Anyway… I guess this is goodbye."
"Yup. Now hurry up and get out of here." Kotaro said, grinning.
"There's just one more thing, though." Homura said, still holding onto his hand. Kotaro looked at her with a confused expression. She shrugged and said, "Sorry about this."
Using Magic to enhance her arm strength, she pulled his hand down with a sudden jerk which made him stumble forward. Before he could react, she jumped up, leading with her knee, and knee'd him right in the center of his face with enough force to send him flying back in the other direction. Their contact ceased, and he was left suspended in mid air with a trail of blood leading away from his nose.
She only did that to keep up appearances. If his employers figured out he had let her go purposely, it could mean a lot of trouble for him. The injury she gave him would be bad enough no one would doubt it was a serious struggle, but at the same time it wouldn't be bad enough to cause any permanent damage.
Now, there was just one more thing she had to do. She went to each of the three guards, unloaded their weapons, took the spare bullet clips and tasers, and stored all of this in her shield space. She went back to Kotaro and Furuhata and did the same with their weapons, just to be on the safe side. Then, she went to the center of the room so she could give her last list of demands before making her departure.
She retrieved another pistol from her shield space, and held it up before resuming time. There was a series of metallic slides as all the guards, including Furuhata, readied their weapons. The guard who, from his point of view, was just moments away from tasing her jumped back in surprise.
Kotaro's back hit the ground, and he rolled over onto his side holding his face. "Ah! That fucking bitch! How'd she do it?" He screamed in a nasally voice as he rolled around and held tight to the wound. He may have been putting it on a little, but Homura had a feeling it wasn't totally an act.
"Quick! Get her!" One of the guards shouted, when they came to the realisation their guns were unloaded. All of a sudden, all three were charging at her. She stopped time, and gave each a relatively powerful blow with her fists, just enough to knock them down to their knees, then she went to stand by the elevator with her gun raised before resuming time again. One of them fell to the ground, the other two staggered, but managed stay on their feet by catching themselves on the wall.
"Doctor Kaiji!" Homura said. "Order these men to stand down. Opposing me now will only mean forcing me to cause them harm."
Kaiji's eyes were wide with surprise… or was that disappointment? Maybe the doctor wasn't so eager to let his test subject go free after all? Still, he complied. "Yes. Stand down!" He ordered the men. "It's as she said, there's nothing we can do now. Her power is not something that can be fought against."
"Now here is what's going to happen." Homura said, slowly, making sure they were all paying attention. "I'm going to need to ride this elevator to the top. I gave you all a free pass so far, but at this point anyone who tries to stop me will lose their lives." She looked directly at Kaiji, "Is there a way for them to cut the power to this thing while I'm in it?"
Kaiji thought it over, then shook his head. "It could be done from the control room, but as far as I know, no one is there. This elevator is powered by a generator which is located here on the lower part of the lab. If that were to be manually disabled, the elevator would stop, but it is unlikely that will happen."
Homura gestured her gun up at the ceiling. "I'm assuming there are more guards waiting for me up there. As I said, at this point anyone who stands in my way will die."
"Homura… Please just…" Kaiji started to speak, but was silenced again by the dark and murderous expression that came over Homura's face.
"You can reach them through your radio's, can't you?" She asked, "You have until I make it to the top to convince them to stand down."
"Homura…"
"We're done here." She started to turn away, but Kaiji had one more thing to say.
"Wait!" She glanced back at him from over her shoulder. "Listen… I know my apologies are meaningless at this point." Kaiji said. Homura brush him off, but somehow she could see the sincerity on his face. "I know it's a cruel thing we put you though, and mistakes were made… but we… or at least, most of us had good intentions. Good intentions aside… what happened to you was wrong. And I'm sorry."
Her eyes narrowed. "Goodbye… Doctor…" She said with a dry voice, then she stopped time, and turned back towards the elevator.
The door was open, and it was just a few steps away.
This is it… She thought. I'm free! Free!
Each step was slow and dramatic, each time she raised and lowered a foot, she was one more step closer to her freedom. Soon she would be inside the elevator, then she'd resume time and ride it to the top. Once at the top, time would be stopped once again, and she would keep it that way until she was far out of their reach. It didn't matter if there were guards up there or not, it would be impossible for them to touch her.
Free...
Tears started to roll down her cheeks. Free… I'm finally free…
Madoka… I'm coming...
After all her suffering, she finally had her happy ending. She would go find Madoka right away, and hug her, and kiss her. The thought put a smile on her tear stained face. She would hold her, her one true love, and never let her go again, never have to worry about losing her ever again. After everything she had been through, it was finally almost over.
It wouldn't be easy from that point on; they would still be searching for her. Madoka might become a target too, because she was the only person Homura was close to. Everything would be ok in the end, though, she knew it. She would continue to keep Madoka safe, and now that she was free she could keep her by her side and never let her go again.
She stepped into the elevator, and looked back at the frozen guards. This is it.
She took a deep breath as her eyes scanned the buttons on the elevator's control panel. Up. So simple. Just resume time and push this button that says 'up'. She smiled.
The guards couldn't do anything to stop her, they wouldn't even try. If someone else who was outside of her reach had the ability to stop the elevator, that wouldn't matter either. Worst case scenario, she could just stop time again and climb up the elevator shaft. It shouldn't be too hard, she was a magical girl after all… nothing could stop her now... Nothing!
She put her hand to her shield and prepared to resume time. She gave her prison one last doleful look. "Goodbye." She whispered, her lips pierced up into a joyful smile, her cheeks wet with tears of happiness. "Goodbye forever, assholes."
Then, she felt a pain on her scalp, and her head was forcefully jerked back. Something had pulled her hair!
Her hand slipped off of the shield and her head was slammed into the steel wall of the elevator. She gasped. The blow was hard enough that stars swam across her field of vision, and her ears started ringing. Her eyes darted behind herself. What?
Through the corner of her eye, there was some motion, but before she could fully turn to look, something struck her on the side of the face with enough force to turn her around. It ripped her cheek open, just under her eye. The unexpected blow caused her feet to retreat out of sequence, and she fell down into the opposite corner of the elevator.
Operating purely on instinct; her hand darted behind her shield and produced a handgun which fired three shots in the direction of the unknown attacker. The bullets simply floated to the opposite wall and stopped when their little tips touched the metal surface… But there was nothing in sight.
Homura got a hand under herself and pushed herself back to her feet. The wound on her cheek already stained the entire left side of her face with blood, and she could taste the warm metallic liquid finding it's way past her lips and resting on her tongue.
When she was only halfway to her feet, she felt that same sting on her scalp; Something pulled her hair again, and her head once again slammed into the side of the elevator. This time, she was quicker. She turned with a sudden jerk, a lock of hair was ripped from her head: but, she managed to get a hold of her attacker.
Got you!
There was an arm coming out of the wall of the elevator, it's fist clenched tightly around a lock of severed hair, but she had managed to grab it by the wrist. Homura pulled with all her strength and the arm came out far enough she could see the shoulder it was attached to. It's skin was incredibly white.
Then, another hand came out and grabbed onto the side of her face. It's fingers dug into her hair, clenched tightly around her temple, and it's thumb searched out her eyeball and started pushing. Homura grunted through clenched teeth and dropped her gun so she could grab this other arm. She grabbed it by the wrist and forced it's thumb away from her eye. It still tried to push into the delicate socket, but Homura managed to hold it back. Her vision was temporarily blackened, but the damage wasn't too severe. A battle cry escaped her lips as she wrestled with the two arms.
The first one dropped the lock of hair it was holding, and forced itself onto the other side of her face. Homura realized what it intended to do, and she screamed as she tried to pull away. The two arms pulled harder, however, and she was slammed face first into the wall with a sickening crunch as her nose flattened. Her battlecry turned into a scream of pain, and she pulled herself away, only to have her face slammed into the wall once again, and then again.
She let go, and instead of wrestling with the arms, she put her palms flat against the wall to give herself more leverage to resist the beating. Then something hit her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and forcing her to release all the air from her lungs. Her eyes glanced down to see a foot retreating back into the wall. The hands pushed her away, and let go. Homura's back hit the opposite side of the elevator, and her arms instinctively went down to her stomach as she tried to bring air back into her lungs.
From the wall she now had her back against; those hands grabbed her by the shoulders. She winced, expecting to have the back of her head slammed into the wall once again. Instead, she was pulled through. The metallic wall of the elevator was exchanged with the familiar white of the labs walls. She twisted and turned, trying to resist her attacker. She felt a knee drive right into the center of her back. A wave of pain went throughout her entire body as her nervous system was shocked right at the root. An ordinary person would likely have been permanently paralyzed from the blow.
She was flipped around in mid air as she was pulled through another wall. She got a brief glimpse of her attacker, but everything was moving so fast she only registered the white hair and light-blue eyes. Now turned around, that same knee came up and delivered another blow above her stomach, cracking the two lower ribs on the left side of her chest. Homura would have screamed if she could, but only a shocked gurgling sound came out.
She was pulled through another wall, and then thrown to the ground. She landed in the fetal position, her eyes wide, her mouth fully open and catching blood from the wound on her cheek. Her eyes darted back to her attacker, but she only caught sight of two legs disappearing into a wall.
She hugged herself tightly, pulling magic from her SoulGem and healing herself. Her spine realigned, her ribs started reconstructing and setting back into place. She choked for breath throughout the entire process, until she recovered enough that her lungs finally filled with a deep gasp of air. "W-w-why…" She croaked out. She was able to block out most of the pain, but her body hadn't finished healing, and she was still too damaged to move. Her horrified eyes glanced all around… she saw a mirror, cameras, and a metal door… she was in a test room. Her eyes glanced down, and she saw that she was laying atop a red X.
"No…" She croaked, still healing. Then "NO!"
She got her hands on the ground, and pushed herself up onto all fours. then crawled towards the metal door. "No… no…" She whispered, her wide eyes regarded the door as if it were some kind of eldritch horror. She reached the door, still on her knees, and touched it, feeling the cold metal against her fingertips. "No… This can't be… please…" Her nails dug into the metal and slowly scratched down its smooth surface, she pressed her forehead against it, letting silent tears fall from her eyes. "Please."
"Sorry I had to be so rough like that. I simply couldn't take the risk of you getting the upper hand."
Homura's teeth clenched together, every muscle in her body tensed. She felt an intense rush of hatred and anger coursing through her veins, the likes of which even she had never felt before. Her head slowly turned toward her assailant, her nails stills digging into the metal with enough force to turn her knuckles white. Her broken nose whistled in sync with her heavy breathing.
She saw a folded pair of legs lowering down from the ceiling, with the white and gold tail of a tunic preceding them. Then there was a bare stomach, every bit as white as the labs walls, and hands neatly folded in their lap as the girl lowered down into the test room. She had a long pointed nose, and narrow eyes. Her lips were blue, and pressed together in a curt smile which reminded Homura of a different kind of white-faced creature. She had long white hair with traces of blue at the very ends, it almost looked like frost, and light-blue eyes. Homura's own skin could be considered pale, but this girl was as white as a sheet of paper.
"I do feel bad about this." The girl said, "for what it's worth, I do respect you, Akemi-san, and I don't feel good about having to resort to such underhanded methods. If it's any consolation, I can offer to help you with healing your injuries."
"Why?" Homura said in an accusing whisper. Her own eyes were blazing with fire, every muscle in her body was tense and ready to strike. Who was this girl? And how was she in her time flow?
The girls head tilted to the side. "Why am I offering to help heal you?
"No! Why are you trying to stop me!" Homura spat at her.
Homura watched the girl's hands. Her left hand had its fingers pointing up at the ceiling. When Homura looked closer she was able to see that light was catching four very thin threads, or were they wires? Homura's eyes delicately traced the wire and realized that each of the four threads were connected to her, one around each wrist and one around each ankle. Damn it! You fool, how did you not notice that before?
"Because you were trying to escape." Her lips parted and a bit of tooth was shown in a mocking smile. "You know you're not suppose to leave your room, Akemi-san."
"So that's it…" Homura's eyes lowered, feigning a defeated posture. "They had another Magical Girl working for them this whole time…" Homura cautiously considered the wires, if she could cut them, then the girl would be pushed out of her timeflow and she would have the upper hand once again.
"Well… not exactly. Indeed I have been keeping an eye on you," She laughed, "I didn't imagine they would actually be able to keep a Magical Girl locked up in here forever, especially not one who is as powerful as you, Akemi-san. They are just ordinary humans, after all. But, they are not aware of my presence here… well, Mr. Kaiji sort of is, but he has never actually seen me and probably has no idea who I am or that I'm a Magical Girl like you."
Homura sighed, cautiously tracing the wires through her peripheral vision. "Quit messing with me. Why would you do that? Why are you trying to keep me here!" It would be hard to get the wires with one slash from where she stood, but they came closer together from where they were drawn on the girl's fingers. Homura picked out a spot which was about halfway between the two of them, and decided that would be the best place to go for it. She just needed a distraction...
The girls playful expression suddenly became much more serious. "Well… if they can continue to run his experiments on you, and learn about magic then… then…" Her eyes brightened up once again, and the smile returned to her lips. "Then maybe they can find a way to reverse the effects of SoulGems! And there will be a way to fix me! Kyubey-sama seems to think it's a possibility, at least."
Homura's mouth dropped open, "Kyubey… SAMA?" Of course, now it all made sense, the rat had been manipulating this poor girl into doing his bidding. "Listen to me… Kyubey is not what you think. He is not on your side, he wants me in here in order to pressure one of my friends into making a contract with him. That's all he cares about! The contracts! He is NOT your friend!"
"Does it matter? I just want to get changed back into a normal human again, Kyubey can't do it, but he said maybe they can."
"Maybe? Is that what he said? MAYBE?" The girl looked confused, "What were his exact words?"
"W-well, he said it was a possibility."
Homura shook her head and laughed, "To that creature, even if it was only a one percent possibility he would still use the word possibility as if it were a good chance. Listen to me, Magical Girls can not be changed back into humans. Even if they could, the only ones who would have that technology are the incubators themselves."
"Incubator? I don't know that word."
"That's what Kyubey is. He is part of an alien species that call themselves incubators. Their species are millions of years older than humans, they are far more advanced than us. If they don't have the technology to turn Magical Girls back into humans, than there is no way humans themselves would ever be able to do it!"
"But still, there's a possibility."
"Maybe one in a million, but Kyubey would never admit that. Don't you see? He's manipulating you! Listen, I have friends on the outside, they are all Magical Girls and we all help eachother out. You can pull me through the walls again, right? Then, help me get free, and you can join our team. Forget about Kyubey, and forget about becoming human again, because it's impossible! Instead, let us help you. That's your best option."
The girl's lips shrank into a stubborn frown, "Even if it's one in a million, there is still a possibility." Her eyes narrowed. "Sorry, but I'm not going to let you out of here."
Homura could see it in her eyes. The stubbornness, unwillingness to bend. There was no chance of her getting through to this girl. Her only option was to use force, and make the girl let her out. The girl's SoulGem was in the center of her hand. Homura just needed to get her out of her timeflow, and then hold a gun to the SoulGem, and force the girl to let her out. This wasn't over yet. She just had to cut those wires…
Homura resumed time.
In one quick motion, she pulled a throwing knife from behind her shield and tossed it at the girl. It was just a distraction. She sprang forward and produced a combat knife as the girl flinched away from the throwing knife. Homura found that spot where the strings were closer together, and with one quick swoop of the hand, she got all four of them within her grasp and pulled them tight. She raised her knife high in the air, and…
The first thing she noticed was the tips of her own fingers flying off. From her point of view, it almost seemed to happen in slow motion. Then, she was falling… Her eyes widened with horror as she looked down at her own legs, and saw her ankles ended in two bloody stumps. Her feet, still wearing the high heeled shoes of her magical girl costume, were scattered about on the floor behind her with their toes pointing in opposite directions.
Everything was slow for her as she reached under her shield and produced a gun. Her thumb flicked the safety, she turned her arm to aim, and watched as blood shot away from her wrist in a perfect circle, and her hand, still holding the gun, fell to the floor.
Homura laid on the floor, trapped in the horror of her dismemberment. She had lost three of her limbs, and only one thumb remained on her left hand. This… can't… be…
The girls shoes clicked against the tiled floor as she walked toward Homura. Homura looked up at her through the tops of her eyes, her facial expression begging for mercy.
"Oh, come on now. Why are you looking at me like that?" The girl said teasingly, "It's not like you can't just attach them again, you know. So cheer up." She reached down and picked up Homura's pinky finger. "Well, maybe as a punishment I'll keep this one. That way, in the future you'll know not to try something stupid like that again. Actually, this finger can be your punishment for trying to escape in the first place."
"P-please…" Homura whispered, tears streaming from her eyes. "Please…"
"Please what?" The girl asked, placing her foot atop Homura's head. She twisted her foot back and forth and pressed down hard, grinding Homura's face into the ground. "Please give you your finger back? Or are you still begging me to just let you escape?" She tilted forward, forcing more of her body weight onto Homura's face, and grinded her foot more violently. "Well? Speak up!"
Homura was silent, her eyes no longer saw anything. They just stared blankly.
Madoka… I'm sorry…
Then, from somewhere deep down in her own subconscious, a familiar voice whispered to her. What are you apologising for? It's not over yet. You know what you have to do.
That's right… Homura thought, and she cautiously glanced at her shield. I didn't know about her… but now I do… All I have to do is go back.
That was always the last resort solution to her situation. She didn't want to do it, because after dozens of failed timelines, she finally managed to do everything right and keep Madoka safe. She feared going back, because she worried that she might never get this result again. But now there was no choice. She would have to dive back into that endless maze, and maybe it would be another lifetime of struggling before she managed to defeat Walpurgisnacht again… but it's all she could do. This was her only option.
Somehow, she just needed to turn the shield… and go back...
The girl sighed and took her foot off of Homura's face, then went to gather the severed appendages. "Ok, so here is what's going to happen now. I'm going to reattach all this stuff using my own magic. I don't want you to end up using too much of yours." She laughed "You're going to need to save it for the tests. Anyway, once that's done, the guards will eventually figure out you are in here and then take you back to your room… or maybe somewhere else, who knows. The important thing I want you to get out of this is that no matter what, under any circumstances, you are NOT to tell them about my existence. Is that clear?"
"Y-yes…" Homura's broken voice whispered. That's it… for now she would just have to play possum, let this girl think that she had won. She was going to give her hand back, once that was done, and the girls guard was down, Homura would just have to turn the shield.
The girl laid Homura's limbs and severed fingers out in a neat row, then kneeled down and brought Homura's right hand over to the bloody stump where it belonged. Homura's whole body was shaking as she watched. In all of her timelines, even during her fights against Walpurgisnacht, she had never been so grievously injured before. She felt her body going into shock. It would be ok though, she told herself, just stay conscious and wait for your chance.
"Oh, wait." The girl stopped what she was doing and stood. Her eyes stared at Homura's shaking body, and Homura looked back at her through the tops of her eyes. Homura's face was completely pale, her lips quivering, her eyes begging.
The girl's eyes narrowed, and her blue lips lost their placid smile. "Can I trust you?" She asked.
Homura started nodding her head, eager to just agree with anything this girl said for now.
The girl seemed to be pondering something. "Are you sure…" Then, her foot raised up and stomped down on Homura's left hand which was missing every finger except for her thumb, and she started grinding her heel into the wound. Homura let out a long cry of pain, her body rolling and trying to pull her hand away, but to no avail. "Are you sure you weren't planning to get away by going back in time?"
Homura's eyes shot wide open, horrified, and her struggling ceased. She knows? But how?
The girl's lips parted, and her teeth bared in a sadistic smile. "Tricked yah!" Her voice almost sounded playful. "Based on that reaction, I guess it really is true. Kyubey-sama had his suspicions, but we didn't know for sure until now. Well anyway… since that's the case." She pointed her index finger to the ceiling, and a golden ring of light appeared around it, almost like a halo. The light tightened against her skin, and then shot a string which wrapped around Homura's forearm, above the shield...
"NO!" Homura screamed, trying to pull away. She already knew what the girl was planning to do. "NO! Please! PLEASE! Don't!" She couldn't escape, she couldn't fight back, she couldn't even stand, all she could do is beg. "Don't do that! I can help you! Let me out of here and me and my friends can help you! I swear it! I swear I can-"..."GHHAAAAAAAA!"
The girl's foot quickly kicked the severed arm away, the shield scraped across the ground as the arm turned and slid. Homura rolled onto her back holding the bloody stump in the air above her, as she let out a bloodcurdling scream. Any normal person would be struck by the sight, and shaken by the sound coming out of the dismembered girl. The blue lipped girl seemed unaffected, however. She simply kneeled down, watching Homura roll around in her own blood. With a completely emotionless gaze she listened to her screams.
Eventually Homura's heavy sobs gave way to shuttering, her voice was raw, baying with a hoarse tone as her eye stared at the ceiling in disbelief. How… how could this happen? It can't be real… It can't...
"I'll give you a moment to calm down... Don't worry, you'll feel better once I've healed you a bit. I've even got a GriefSeed for you, and you can have your hand and feet back, but of course, that shield arm of yours is mine now." She smiled, "It's a shame, they'll lose the ability to study your timestop magic, but I'm sure they will be able to find other uses for you."
The tone to her voice. It was so familiar. Calm, yet subtly playful in its cruelty. It sounded like…
..."Who… are… you…" Homura managed to whisper through her trembling lips.
The girl kneeled down infront of Homura, cradling the severed hand and feet under her arm. Her paper white skin was now stained with Homura's blood. She reached her hand down under Homura's chin and forced her to look her in the eyes. Her blue lips smiled, and with a soft tone of voice she said, "My name is Tsarina. Tsarina Endou."
END OF PART ONE
-Atomyst
