The Second watcher emerged from the mirror sea to a sight of chaos. A manilla colored building was burning fiercely as the sounds of battle raged within.
In front of the second watcher, hordes of Sirens: Explorers, Oceanas, Peace Breakers, and Strategists all bore down on the singular building.
"She lives for the moment… but she will not if there is no intervention…" The Second Watcher spoke as she activated her rigging. On her right sat a long flight deck, burned and battleworn from years of combat. On her right sat a control tower. Beneath her flight deck sat two odd additions. Two swords of Sakura origin. One wrapped in a torn and burned white cloth. The other had several large orbs hanging from the hilt, all of which had been burned black from their original white.
"Alright cranes. Let us see your worth." The Second watcher spoke as she slowly drew the cloth wrapped sword, the purple edge being the most unique feature of the sword.
With that sentiment, the Second Watcher jumped into the field below and began running towards the burning building, moving swiftly as if she had the wind on her back, slashing through any who got in her way.
"Yorktown, please get back. You're in no condition to fight." The corporal spoke as he poked his head above the rapidly built barricade within the medical building.
Yorktown stood firm, her miniature planes doing their best to swarm the incoming siren forces, droping bombs and straffing the hoard with machinegun fire.
"If I retreat, you all will die. I can't allow you all to die. I will not. I watched my crew go down with my vessel during the war… those memories are burned into my mind… and will be forever more. Just keep firing, Corporal. I'll defend your position until we can get reinforcements." Yorktown spoke as a stray plasma burst broke through her shields and struck her shoulder, causing her to fall to a knee and clutch her shoulder.
"YORKTOWN!" The corporal yelled as he jumped the barricade.
"NO! GET BACK!" Yorktown screamed as another burst of plasma flew past her and struck the Corporal square in the chest, tearing through his uniform and into his chest, burning away flesh and muscle until his ribcage managed to dissipate the remaining energy.
The Corporal fell to the ground, dropping his rifle.
Yorktown cried out as she forced herself to her feet, allowing her planes to disappear and putting all of her remaining strength into her rapidly regenerating shields.
She limped over to where the Corporal was barely clinging to life. His mouth opened and closed but no sounds were produced. A quick look at him, and Yorktown could tell that his lungs had been burned to an irreparable state, sentencing him to death in less than two minutes.
Yorktown swallowed her tears as she knelt down to examine him further.
"You're going to be okay, Corporal." Yorktown lied as the Corporal's frenzied eyes focused on her.
"You're… a horrible… liar." The Corporal spoke, his voice severely hoarse from the internal burns he had sustained.
Yorktown tried and failed to keep her tears in check.
"I can't take it… I watched my crew die… I see their faces when I close my eyes. I don't want to watch you die too…" Yorktown cried as her shields flared around them.
"Yorktown… I can't see you… my time is near… I have taken care of you... since your arrival here in 1942… I didn't have a wife or kids… due to my service to my nation… but in these three years… I feel as if I have found something… someone to love… I don't have a ring… but…" The Corporal's voice trailed off, life slowly leaving his eyes.
Yorktown took his hand, his reaction meant he could feel her. She then knelt down to his ear, his jumping at her breathing meant he could still hear.
"Yes. I accept your proposal, Corporal." Yorktown spoke as a soft blue light emanated from her eyes. Before her eyes, muscle began to knit itself back together. Burns disappeared from the Corporal's internal cavity. A light layer of skin covered the Corporal's massive burn before the healing light began to wane.
"Sadly… I don't think we'll be living happily ever after." Yorktown spoke as he hugged the Corporal lightly as her shields finally gave out completely.
"Three years you cared for me. Three years we met day after day. Each day, I felt something grow within me… hearing your words now… I realized it was love. Love forcing its way through the painful memories. You made me realize that just now… so now… you must live. I cannot allow the man I have allowed myself to fall in love with… to die here." Yorktown spoke as her body was assaulted by waves of plasma fire, the attack slowly burning through her uniform and into her back.
"Yorktown… please no." The Corporal spoke as his voice seemed to clear.
"Corporal...what is your name?" Yorktown asked softly.
"Timothy… Timothy Barnes." Tim replied as he tried to get to his feet, being kept still by Yorktown.
"Timothy, my love… please use these next few seconds to get to safety." Yorktown spoke as she stood, grunting in pain as Tim saw blood dripping from Yorktown's back.
"Please come with me, you're injured as well!" Tim yelled as Yorktown blew him a kiss.
"Live on for me… please. Remember me." Yorktown spoke as she turned to face the still advancing enemy. Sending more miniature planes down her rigging and into the air, she put everything she had left into attacking the Explorers up front, halting their barrage of plasma long enough for Timothy to scramble over the Barricade into the waiting arms of the surviving medical staff.
"Yorktown! Come on!" Timothy yelled as he watched an Oceana push its way through the Explorers and train it's main guns on Yorktown. Timothy cried out in rage as he watched a bolt of plasma pierce through Yorktown's chest, sending her crumbling to the ground as the last of her strength left her body.
"NO!" Timothy yelled as he struggled against the medical staff who had just injected him with morphine, slowly putting Timothy to sleep and allowing them to whisk him away deeper into the complex.
"Please… live on." Yorktown spoke as she felt her vision begin to wane. As her life flashed before her eyes, the sudden lack of plasma fire became apparent. She poured all of her remaining focus into moving her head to see what had happened. Much to her surprise, she saw another version of herself cutting down everything in her path.
"What?" Yorktown thought to herself as her vision went dark.
The Second watcher froze as her sword cleaved the head off of the last Siren in the hall where she stood. Looking to her left, she saw a woman laying on the ground with a hole in her chest and a pool of blood around her.
"Don't tell me I'm too late…" The Watcher spoke as she was assaulted with a massive headache, driving her to her knees.
"Corporal Timothy? Three whole years of bedrest after Midway. Love? Enterprise." The Watcher spoke softly.
The Watcher stood and walked calmly towards the woman, whose labored breathing was becoming more apparent.
With the sounds of battle fading, the Watcher knelt down next to the fading Yorktown.
"It seems I was too late." The Watcher spoke solemnly.
"Who… are you?" Yorktown asked.
"I am you… and you are me. We are one in the same." The Watcher spoke.
"So… you're another me?" Yorktown asked as a small trail of blood ran from her lips.
"I am… I come from a timeline where not only did I survive Midway… but I hunted down the Crane sisters and destroyed them… for what they did to my Enterprise and Hornet." The Watcher explained.
"So… you're alone too…" Yorktown spoke, her voice losing all base as she began to fade.
"I always have been." The Watcher spoke.
Yorktown put on a soft smile.
"Enterprise lives… in this world." Yorktown spoke softly.
"I know… I have seen her." The Watcher admitted.
"Timothy Barnes… an Army Corporal… please… stick with him… take him with you. I agreed to marry him… but it seems that is no longer possible." Yorktown lamented.
"I will. He will live on with me." The Watcher said.
That assurance was enough to allow Yorktown to release her hold on life without regret.
"I love you… Timothy Barnes… thank…you." Yorktown said as her body faded away, leaving only her cubes behind.
Without a second to spare, the Watcher picked up the cubes and held them to her chest. A flash of blue light filled the hall as the cubes were absorbed by the Watcher.
"My name is Yorktown. Survivor of Midway and the one known as the Crane Hunter. For the sake of your memories… I will stay here… and make this life my own." Yorktown spoke as she deactivated her rigging, closing her eyes and allowing the memories from this world's Yorktown to flood her mind.
Yorktown opened her eyes and looked down the hall past the barricades.
"Timothy Barnes. I will bring you with me." Yorktown spoke as she climbed over the barricade and made her way down the hall towards the medical wing.