I'm back! After a whole summer of putting it off, my writing mojo is slowly returning. Anyway, I felt so into it today I'm going to ignore our unhit review mark! I don't care!
Enjoy!
"Are...Are you going to make the cannon self-destruct?!" Nashi smiled as Ken reached the same conclusion she had.
"There you go." She praised. "You got it."
"Are you insane?!" ken shouted, making Nashi wince. He was going to give her a headache at this rate. "You're going to get yourself killed doing that! How are you even going to accomplish that?!" Nashi took a deep breath, preparing to explain her plan.
"The cannon is already in it's preparation sequence." Nashi said, making Ken mumble affirmatively. "With the system lacrima destroyed by Apocalypse, there is no longer any completely safe way to stop it. However, it's still preparing, so if I can find where it's preparing the Etherion and cause enough damage to it..."
"And make it explode?! You'll kill yourself!" Nashi sighed, her heart heavy from the same revelation.
"I know. I never said this was a way to end this without risk to myself." Nashi inhaled sharply as her side flared in pain. "Besides...If I don't, those people in Magnolia will die."
"And what about you?"
"If one life can save the lives of thousands, is that not amazing?" Nashi asked quietly.
"And what about the people who live here in Silverridge?" Ken demanded. "Are you going to substitute them for Magnolia?"
"That's where you and the others come in." Nashi replied, "I need you all to start an evacuation of the city. Given the fighting going on, I doubt it'll take that much convincing. Get as many people out as you can, that way the city will be the only casualty."
"Except for you." Ken said. "One casualty."
"Who says I won't be able to get out?" Nashi tried.
"Who says you will?" ken shot back, silencing Nashi's attempt at convincing him."Besides, no matter what I say, the others won't listen to this. It's suicidal."
"They'll listen." Nashi said with the utmost of certainty. "They may be reluctant given my situation, but even they have to realize the risks." Silence came over the Archive connection, before Ken sighed.
"I'll see what I can do." He said, clearly unwillingly to take this route. Nashi chuckled.
"Thanks Ken." Nashi said. "I'll make it out, I promise."
"Listen up Nashi." Nashi jumped at the authoritative tone Ken took with her. "There is no middle ground here. You make absolutely sure you can make it back, or come up with a better plan. I'm serious Nashi, I will not deliver that news to your friends." Nashi remained silent before she nodded curtly.
"Of course, I promise I'll make it out.." Ken severed the connection, and Nashi stood still, thinking.
She had no intention of making sure she kept her promise.
She didn't want to die, but if her life was the necessary cost to save the others, she was willing to pay it. if she could avoid it, she'd do everything in her power too, but she was by no means going to try something else was she not sure she could do it.
Sighing, Nashi looked back at the sign on the wall next to her, with an arrow pointing right of her.
Etherion Experiment Sector
Ken slowly leaned away from the console and looked at the roof. What was he going to do? There was no way the others would be even remotely okay with this.
"We're back!" Ken looked over at the door as Drake and Winter entered. They both looked damp, and given where they were Ken decided to stay far away from them. "What's going on?"
"Well, it's a little delicate..." Simon replied. Before Simon could continue, the door was once again thrown from it's hinges, Damien and Terra running in. Damien looked brazen, and Terra looked like she was freezing.
"Guys!" Damien shouted. "Apocalypse is shooting the cannon at Magnolia!"
"What?!" Drake and Winter shouted at the same time.
"Well..." Mami said, rubbing the back of her head. "yeah, that's pretty much it."
"What do we do?!" Drake shouted in a panic. "We didn't even think of that. he could fire at any minute. Ken slowly returned his gaze to the console, a rock settling in his stomach.
"We got to get out there and find him!" Winter shouted as Ultear joined them. "We have to stop him."
"There's no point, we have no way to find him." Elise shot.
"Gah!" Drake and Damien jumped back as they finally took notice of the short girl. "When did you wake up?" Drake asked.
"A little bit ago." She replied.
"How's Nashi?" Damien asked. The tension amplified in the room, and Ken slowly grabbed the fabric of his pants as Mami coughed.
"She ah...well." Ken heard Drake gulp.
"Say it." he told Mami. Mami remained silent, as did everyone else.
"She's not here." Ultear finally answered. Drake made a confused sound, and Ultear sighed. "Apparently she snuck out and went after Apocalypse on her own. Not only that, but she found him."
Silence fell over the group. Ken didn't have the heart to turn around and look. The next thing he heard was someone running across the room, and someone else stepping in their way.
"get out of my way Damien!" Drake shouted angrily. "I have to go find her!"
"How will you do that, exactly?" Damien asked, clearly angry himself. "If she's found Apocalypse and the cannon, your sound magic won't reach her through the magic proof walls. I'm willing to bet your sense of smell won't find her either."
"That doesn't mean I can just sit here!" Drake roared, getting desperate. "Move!"
"As shitty as this is." Simon said. "We have no choice but to place our faith in her. She's the only one close enough to stop him." Drake growled and once again tried to get past Damien, but was stopped by the sounds of it.
"get out of my fucking way!" Drake shouted, voice cracking. "She's way to hurt to deal with this herself! What's she going to do?!"
"We don't know, but..."
"I do." Ken spoke up without thinking, cursing himself." No one responded to him, so he took a deep breath. "Nashi's come up with a plan."
"...What is it?" Elise asked. Ken's stomach churned violently, but he turned in his seat and faced the awaiting group. What was he to say?
"Nashi's..." ken faltered at their facial expressions, all waiting for Nashi's 'fail safe' plan. It as far from that. "Apocalypse destroyed the only system lacrima for the cannon, so she failed to stop it. However..." Ken gulped.
"She's going to make the cannon self-destruct."
The words hung in the air as they left Ken's mouth, creating such a tension Ken could feel it weighing down on his shoulders.
"And how is she doing that?" Damien asked.
Ken had the audacity to shrug.
He could tell from Drake's prior reaction that if he said 'Attacking the Etherion in it's container until it starts to detonate' that it would only escalate the problem.
He had to lie.
"I don't know." He replied quietly, looking at the ground. "I honestly don't know. Maybe a button or something?" His words did not soothe anyone, not even Ken. After a while, Simon sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"So what do we do?" he asked.
"...Evacuate the city, I guess." Ultear said. "If the blast was meant for Magnolia, who knows how much of Silverridge will get destroyed."
"That's what Nashi said to do." Ken agreed quickly. "She had me run a comparison on the sizes on the city, it's pretty much the same."
"Then that's what we do." Terra said, speaking up from just shivering in the corner. Ken started to wonder why she was so cold. "Get the innocents out."
"Well let's get going!" Winter said, running to the door and looking back. "Ken! Send out an announcement with the loudspeaker!" Ken nodded weakly and everyone, minus Mami, left the Christina.
"M-Mami?" He asked.
"...You know what she's going to do, don't you?" Ken looked away from Mami's piercing gaze.
"...She's going to attack the Etherion during it's preparation faze, She doesn't know if she'll be able to get out." He replied. "But if I said that..."
"They'd have gone after her." Mami finished. "...I'm not going to lie Ken, it's a good thing you lied for them, but..." Mami shook her head. "Her blood will be on your hands this way." Leaving him with this words, Mami left the Christina.
Leaving Ken alone.
"Don't you think I know that?" ken hissed to himself, prepping the loudspeaker. "If I'm the only one aware of her true plan, it's my fault if she's gone..." ken stopped for a moment, a single tear leaving his eye.
"But I didn't want six people's blood on my hands..." Shaking his head, Ken took the microphone in his hands and spoke clearly.
"Attention people of Silverridge! An Etherion strike on the city is imminent! Please evacuate to a safe distance outside the city!"
After Ken's announcement, no one evacuated calmly. People where screaming in fear, holding various amounts of there belongings, and running for the exit.
"Please calm down everyone!" Simon shouted from above, using meteor to fly. "Just get to a safe distance marked by the flare! Hey, you! No pushing!" Ultear looked over at the marked area, which Taro had marked with a red smoke.
"Please remain calm!" Ultear tried, down on the street. "You will all be okay if you just get out of the city!" Getting shoved by a few people, Ultear cursed and moved out of their way.
"This is insane." Elise muttered from next to her.
"They're running for their lives." Ultear reminded her. "I doubt any of them are even thinking straight."
"Fair enough. But still..."
"And don't try to tell me you aren't scared right now." Ultear knew her words applied to her. She was doing her best to not freak out like everyone running. Elise shifted around on her feet uncomfortably.
"Of course I'm scared." Elise murmured, looking up at the sky. Ultear did so as well, but thankfully nothing was there. Then again, if the cannon was going to self-destruct, then the blast would come from below them. "I'm just...Trying to remain calm."
"How do you think Nashi feels, then?" Ultear asked. "She has to blow it up." Ultear wouldn't lie, every fiber of her being told her to run and find Nashi, but she had a job to do. These people were innocent, they came first. Nashi may have been hurt, but she could handle herself just fine. They needed to get the innocents out of harms way before they did anything else.
"I just hope she's alright." Elise whispered. "I'm worried she's not going to..." Ultear didn't need Elise to finish her sentence, the sentiment was shared regardless.
They both knew there was a chance Nashi would not return home with them. There was no guarantee she could blow up the cannon and get out all in time, but Ultear had to believe. She had no choice anyway. As the stampede of people continued, Ultear couldn't help but shake the sudden sense of danger.
She knew it was coming, just not when.
Nashi had reached a hard steel door labeled 'Etherion Experiment Sector.' Placing her hand on the door and pushing, she found it to be locked.
"Ah, damn it." She hissed. Heating up her hand, Nashi pressed it to the door and hoped she had enough strength to break it open.
Her hand barely glowed, and as such did not melt the door.
She was so much weaker than she had imagined. Cursing and try once again to push the door open, she also found that her physical energy was lower than her magical energy.
She had next to nothing left. Running on fumes.
"No..." Nashi breathed, sliding down to her knees. "Come on...I'm so close..." She slammed her fist against the door uselessly, but it was to no avail. She had no energy left. Nashi stared down at her hands, slowly clenching them against the floor. "I'm not done." She whispered, voice cracking from emotion. "I need to get in there, but I don't have any energy..."
Tap tap tap tap tap tap
Nashi seized up at the sound of footsteps, slowly turning her head and looking down the one way hallway she'd come from. Slowly, surely, he appeared from the darkness. Apocalypse laughed.
"Found you." he sang, coming to a stop. "How did you get all the way over here, Nashi?" Nashi felt tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at Apocalypse from her position on the ground, a few falling down her cheeks. Apocalypse looked past her at the door, and his smile grew. "And why are you going to the Experimental Sector?"
"...Please..." Nashi said in a whimper. "Don't...Don't let the cannon fire..."
"Oi, are you crying?"
"Please...If there's anything human about you...Don't let it fire..." Apocalypse remained silent as Nashi lowered her gaze. "If you have to kill me, do it. Just...if you have any humanity, if there's anything good left in you...Stop the launch." Nashi prayed, hoping Apocalypse would listen.
She was shattered as a cold laugh came from her opponent.
"Nah, I think I'll let it launch." He said. "As I recall, not even my old torture techniques broke you like this. I want to see you squirm Nashi, and watch as your home is obliterated." Another cold laugh escaped him, and Nashi slumped.
She had nothing left.
She couldn't defeat him.
She couldn't stop the cannon.
She could even open a door.
She saw a green magic circle appear on her stomach, but she did not react.
"Now," Apocalypse said. "Let's see just how much of a beating you can take!" The circle activated, and Nashi screamed in pain as the very Ether-nano in her body was once again set to explode. She flew backwards at the small explosion and, at the sound of crumbling metal, flew right through her obstacle. Nashi regained her sense of sight quickly and realized that Apocalypse had thrown her through the door.
She had gotten through.
Scrambling to her feet despite the raging pain in her abdomen, Nashi sprinted down the hall away from her attacker. She ignored the pain circulating through her system, running as if she was in perfect health. Her condition no longer mattered. All that mattered was she succeed in destroying the cannon.
"The longer you run, the more it'll hurt!" Apocalypse shouted from behind ignored him and took the first turn.
She had a mission to complete.
Oh, it's heating up! I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!