Naomi's eyes flew open darting back and forth, unable to focus on a single spot. She gasped, taking in deep, raspy breaths. Cold sweat trickled down every inch of her body. She blinked rapidly, shaking her head and trying to get her bearings. The blur in her eyes slowly cleared, and she realized she was staring up at the inside of some sort of animal skin tent, bathed in an orange flickering light. There was a hole in the top that she could see stars through, and she could hear the distant sound of rushing water. She tried to lift her head, and the movement was met with a sharp pain shooting down her spine. A deep groan escaped her lungs as the pain throbbed now, ever present. Her head fell to the side as she attempted to get a view of her surroundings. A small fire flickered in the center of the confined space. The floor was dirt with multiple animal skin rugs covering the surface. A small stone mortar and pestle sat by her side with some nasty smelling substance inside. She brought her head back and tried lifting it again, this time slowly and slightly. She was able to tilt it enough to see and study her body. She wasn't wearing her armor or plasma core, instead she was wrapped in animal furs and skins. Her stomach was exposed with a clump of something that looked like moss stuck to it. The same mossy substance was clumped on her left shoulder. A memory flashed across her mind. She had been fighting that monster, that giant praying mantis. She had been stabbed multiple times. Another memory flashed, and she moved her gaze from her stomach to her right arm. She lifted it up and stared in horror, her breathing increasing in speed again. The arm had been cut off halfway up her forearm. Her head fell back as she started hyperventilating, staring at the ceiling. A rustling sound came from her right, behind the fire. A hand came through a slit in the tent, pulling back a flap. A figure stepped into the small space, casting a flickering shadow on the wall behind it. Naomi's breathing only got faster.
The figure stepped past the fire, approaching her and crouching low by her side. The figure had an insect-like head, pincers protruding from its face and long antennae jutting up from its head. A long and deep gouge crossed the insectoid face. A mask, Naomi realized. Large beady eyes stared at her for a moment, then its gaze traveled down her body. She was frozen in terror, unsure what to do. There was nothing she could do she realized. A humanoid hand reached up, gripping the mossy substance on her stomach. Naomi tried to protest, but the words were stuck in her throat. It felt like she hadn't spoken in days. The person pulled up on the moss, resulting in a fleshy and wet squelch. Viscous fluid stuck to the moss in strings as it was peeled back. It was painful, it felt like her own skin was being peeled away. Naomi groaned as the moss finally came off. The relief was brief as the person reached down into the mortar and pestle, coating their fingers in the foul smelling substance and rubbing it into the wound on her stomach. It was too much. Naomi let out a scream of pain, jerking away from the figure's hand. The movement only brought more agony. She laid there, pained tears streaming down her face. The person held up their other hand in a calming gesture. Naomi gritted her teeth and nodded. They started again, rubbing the substance into the wound. She clenched her remaining hand, groaning from the intense pain. It was as if her stomach was on fire. The person finally withdrew its hand, reaching down beside it and revealing another clump of the moss. They laid it gently over the wound and pressed down lightly. They then moved up to her shoulder and repeated the process, and again with her severed arm. With its work done it seemed, the person stood and made its way to the opening of the tent. "Wai- wait. Where… where am I?" Naomi asked weakly. The insectoid face turned around, studied her for a second, then turned back and left.
Naomi laid her head back down, confused and hurting. Where was she, and who were these people? How long had she been here? How long had she been out? Judging from her wounds, it had been at least a week since her battle with the mantis. Fear and anxiety filled her mind at the thought. If she really had been out for a week, what was happening back at the compound with her friends? Were they okay? She had to get back there. Another rustling noise came from outside, then two more figures with the insect-like heads ducked into the tent, carrying a person between them. Naomi stared in disbelief. That blue and purple hair, the colorful clothing… "Sarah?" She said weakly. Her eyes were closed but she could see her chest slowly rising and falling. The two people carrying her set her down gently across from Naomi, looked in her direction, then left the tent. Sarah's clothes were dirty and torn, and her skin was covered with dirt, grime, and dried blood. What the hell happened? "Sarah?" She said again, louder this time. Sarah responded with a raspy cough and a deep groan, rolling onto her side. The tent flap flew open again and the same individual with the gouge across its insect face stepped through, approaching Sarah. They crouched down and started dressing her wounds, the same as they had done with Naomi. Sarah's eyes suddenly fluttered for a moment, then opened fully, locked onto the person dressing her wounds. She jerked away and screamed, "No! No, get away from me!" She pulled herself to a sitting position and pushed herself away with her legs. The person dressing her wounds just watched through their beady eyes. Sarah pushed herself backwards until her back hit the tent wall right by Naomi's feet. Her eyes were filled with terror as she stared back at the insectoid face. Naomi whispered once more, "Sarah. It- it's okay." Sarah's head slowly turned, disbelief and shock plastered to her face. "Naomi?" She said, tears welling in her eyes. "I- I thought you were…" Her gaze moved from Naomi's eyes, traveling down her body and to her wounds. Shock turned to anger as she whirled back towards the person still in the tent with them. They had their head tilted, staring at the interaction between the two women. Sarah shouted and stood, "What did you do to her!?" The person recoiled and got low, backing away slowly. Naomi coughed and said, "No Sarah, it w- wasn't them. They helped me." Sarah turned back, anger still present in her expression.
She calmed and sat back down, eyes locked onto Naomi's. "Naomi I'm so sorry, the old woman, she wouldn't let us out, wouldn't let us look for you. She-" Sarah stopped, her lip trembling and tears streaming. "Leonard and Tasha, they-" She stopped herself again, and sobbed. "She took them! She took them, and now I'm here and-" Naomi stared at her friend, confusion filling her mind. "Sarah what happened?" She asked, her voice trembling. Sarah took a deep breath, centering herself and wiping the tears from her face. "The old woman she… stole their minds. She injected some kind of parasite into them, and now she can control them. Leonard sacrificed himself so I could escape. Tasha… was already taken. She can make them sound like themselves, to act like themselves. Lisa was… Lisa was infected the whole time." Naomi's mind flashed back to the outpost she and the Fencers were tasked to check on. She remembered the research notes she had seen. "Is this what that was for?" She thought to herself. "Devil woman." A woman's voice came from behind the fire. Naomi and Sarah turned to face the person in the insect mask. "Devil woman take them. Devil woman control them." The woman said. "She took your people?" Sarah asked. The look on her face was of pity now. "She come, she take. Never see again." The woman responded. Naomi couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure she had thought that the woman at the compound was a bit eccentric. But to do something so vile, so evil. There was a moment of silence in the confined area, then Sarah added, "She said she sent you into the forest to die." Naomi looked at one of her closest friends in awe. That bitch knew what was out there, and she had sent her and four of her own soldiers out to die. This woman was truly evil. Anger swept through Naomi's veins like a raging river. She put her weight onto the hand she still had, then pushed herself up to a sitting position. Pain wracked every inch of her body but she didn't care. "We- we need to go back. We need to save them." She said through gritted teeth and agony. The woman in the insect mask put her hands up at the movement. "Stay here. Heal." She said. Naomi looked at her, "I can't just stay here and do nothing. Leonard and Tasha would already be on their way back for us." The woman tilted her head and responded, "not stay forever. Stay, heal, we help." As the words left her mouth the tent flap flew open again, and three more figures walked in.
The first two looked like the ones that had brought Sarah in. The third walked in behind, having to hunch over because of his immense height. The man was well over six and a half feet tall, had dark skin, and had a barrel chest and tree trunk arms. He also had a mask on, but this one had the shape of a spider. Eight dark and empty eyes sat where his forehead should be, and massive fangs protruded from his jaw. Thick bristles of hair covered his face. The mask went all the way over his head and draped down his backside. Eight hairy and spindly legs jutted out from his back, wrapping around him with two curling over his shoulders. The otherworldly eyes stared at the woman with the gouge in her mask. Then he spoke. His voice was deep, like a distant thunderstorm, and in a language neither Naomi or Sarah understood. The woman got low and backed away out of the tent with her head hung. His head then slowly turned towards the two Divers, and spoke again, seemingly at them. Then came a voice, in English, from behind him. "We helped you, not out of kindness, but because you are warriors. Our deed for you is done." Naomi and Sarah exchanged a look. Stepping out from behind him was a fourth person, a short and skinny man with light skin, messy dirty blonde hair and a short unkempt beard. He wore glasses on a small nose over bright blue eyes. The man in the spider mask spoke again, "You will heal, you will take your metal skin and wings, and you will leave." The short man translated. Metal skin and wings? "Our armor." Naomi assumed. "Let us return the favor." Sarah responded quickly, looking between the two men. The short man translated, and the man in the spider mask turned towards her and tilted his head quizzically. She gave Naomi a quick look and continued, "Your healer told us this woman takes your people. She has taken some of ours as well." The short man translated, and the bigger man approached Sarah slowly, keeping his mask glued to her, and crouched in front of her, "Continue." The word almost came out as a growl. Sarah straightened and continued, "She took our friends, stole their minds. We want to get them back." The man stared for a long moment, then spoke slowly, with the short man translating, "How do I know your mind is your own?" Sarah stared back defiantly, "You don't. But if you want your people back, we can help you. I promise you that." The man stood, towering over her and crossing his arms. "How?" He asked. Sarah stood, looking up at the man, "I was there for almost two weeks. I know how to get in, where their soldiers are, where they sleep, where they do their… experiments." The man tilted his head again, looking at the short man. "experiments?" He asked, unknowingly. "Where they steal your mind." Sarah replied. The man in the spider mask turned back and stared for another long moment. He then gestured to the two other men in the tent, then the three of them left without another word. With a confused look, Naomi looked at the translator who stayed behind. He had a small and ragged notebook out and was jotting something down. "What does that mean?" She asked. Without looking up he said, "He is deciding whether or not to help you." He then slammed the notebook closed, pushed his glasses up, turned towards the two women with a smile and held a hand out, "Easton Shultz." He said cheerfully.
Sarah shook his hand first and introduced herself, then he bent down a bit and shook Naomi's remaining hand. "Naomi. Where are we?" She asked as she shook his hand. "You're still in the Amazon, just south of the compound you escaped from." Easton said. "Just south? You mean we're still close by?" Sarah asked. "You are but don't worry, we're pretty well hidden." Naomi raised a brow, "The healer mentioned that that woman has been taking their people. How is she doing that when she doesn't know where you are?" She asked. "Well, we do have to send out hunting parties for food and medicinal herbs and such. She takes them while they're out there." Easton replied sadly, hanging his head. He looked up and said, "But she hasn't found this place yet." There was a moment of silence, then Naomi spoke up, "So what are you doing here?" She said, changing the subject. Easton visually perked up, pushing his glasses up again and saying, "Oh! I was sent in with the EDF for Project Rebirth!" Naomi and Sarah glanced at each other, then glared back at Easton. "No no, I mean yeah I was part of Project Rebirth when it first started all those years ago. Back when it meant the rebirth of our world. Not what it is now." The Divers relaxed a bit at the statement. Easton continued, "I was sent with them to settle relations with any indigenous people we found along the way. I found this tribe and learned their language and their ways. I reported back to command but I never did reveal their location. Not too long after that, my… Well, the lead scientist at the compound, started changing the course of Project Rebirth. Changed it into something sinister. You two know what I mean." The two women nodded slowly. "Ever since then I've been living here amongst the people. Zar'turic, the man in the spider mask and leader of these people, took me in as one of their own. But not without proving myself." Easton lifted his shirt as he said it, revealing a wide scar that traveled from his left shoulder all the way down to his right hip. He continued, "That's why he helped you two. He witnessed you battling that giant praying mantis." He gestured to Naomi, "he saw the whole thing from the ground." He then looked at Sarah, "He saw you fighting through the hordes of monsters. At first he had thought you were one of the soldiers from the compound because of your armor. But after seeing you fight and kill the beasts, he knew that you weren't. The monsters don't attack the soldiers from there. We don't know why." Sarah blurted in response, "I know why! I saw it." Naomi and Easton turned towards her. "They imprisoned hundreds of those frog looking aliens, using them as a sort of super computer to control the surrounding monsters. At least, that's what the woman said before she…" Sarah looked at the ground, her eyes getting glassy. She looked up, wiping her eyes, "Do you think this Zar'turic will help us?" She asked. Easton ran a hand through his hair, "It's hard to say. He's a generous leader, and an incredible warrior. They've taken many of his people, but he never had the power to fight back. Spears and bows only go so far against bullets and powered armor." He said. "Well now they have us." Naomi spoke up. Sarah looked at her, shaking her head, "Naomi you're in no shape." Naomi looked up at her, "You think that would stop Tasha? Or Leonard?" Sarah slowly shook her head. "We need to come up with a plan, whether these people will help us or not." Naomi added. Just then, Zar'turic ducked back into the tent, his spider mask studying each of them in turn. "Come with me." He said, then turned and walked out. The three still in the tent exchanged glances, then Sarah and Easton walked over and helped Naomi to her feet. The movement was horrendously painful, but she would do anything to help her friends. She put her arms around Sarah and Easton and they made their way out of the tent.
The group exited the tent, being bathed in the orange glow of flickering torches lining a dirt path. Along the path were many other animal skin tents and lean-tos to one side. Behind the tents Naomi spotted a cliff side running along in the moonlight. The trees and foliage on the other side of the path was thick, and she couldn't see anything beyond the vegetation. The group walked slowly behind Zar'turic, Naomi grunting in pain with every step. She spotted other people outside, but as they saw the group walking past, they would duck into their abodes. "They aren't used to new people. I'm the only outsider they've ever met." Easton said. Naomi couldn't blame them after hearing that the woman at the compound had been kidnapping their people. As they walked along, the sound of rushing water got louder. They came across a river with many wooden bridges built across it, and more tents and structures built along its banks. On the other side was another cliff with another path and more abodes alongside it. Zar'turic took a left, heading down another path running upstream of the river. The group followed, and Naomi realized that the cliffs were slowly closing in around them. These people had made their home inside of a sort of canyon. In the distance, she could see the cliffs come together, and a waterfall in the center where they met. The group followed Zar'turic all the way to another bridge built across the river just before where the waterfall crashed into the water. The bridge was adorned with the heads of giant insects, and there was a sort of throne in the center. Naomi stared at the scene in awe. Behind the throne and curling up and around it was a carcass of a giant praying mantis. The bladed arms hung over either corner crossing in the front and overhead. The beady eyes and face of the beast stood tall above it, staring down into the river below. Its wings were unfurled across its back, spanning over half the bridge. "Story goes that Zar'turic killed it with just his spear." Easton whispered, seeing Naomi's amazement. She couldn't believe it after battling one herself. Zar'turic sauntered to the throne and took a seat, gesturing for the group to approach. The woman with the gouge in her mask was there too, standing by his side. They stood in front of him and waited. He once again looked at each in turn, then spoke, "We will help." Naomi would have pumped a fist if she could. She looked over at the woman next to him and gave her a slight nod. Zar'turic gestured again, then two masked men approached from the other side of the river, holding something wrapped in animal furs. They set it down in front of them, then retreated back across the bridge. Zar'turic spoke in his native language, and gestured for Easton to translate, "You will need this if we are to fight." He said. Naomi took her arms from Easton and Sarah, struggling by herself. She crouched down, putting her good hand on the animal furs and sliding them to the side. Her fingers touched a cool, sleek metal surface. She removed the rest of the furs, revealing her plasma core. Her sister's plasma core. She traced her hand over the inscription on the top. 'Nishimura.' And the etched picture of two little girls pretending to fly. Laying next to it and wrapped up were her axes. She touched the handle of both, closing her eyes and feeling the etched words. 'Never without.' She stood back up, fighting through the intense pain and almost losing her balance but catching herself. She looked up at Zar'turic. "Thank you." She said, tears coming down her face. The man stood from his throne, reaching behind him and grabbing his spear, fashioned from bone and a spider's fang. He thrust it into the air, "WE FIGHT!"