Chapter 21 Catullus 85
Rubicon IV C Octavia / Hadrian 31st, 3175 (R798) – Four Months Ago
In most systems with a habitable, Earth-like world, there was usually a grand director, an object worthy of the name of a king.
For the Rubicon system, this was Rubicon IV, the gas-giant Caesar. A super-Jupiter that, as the second largest object in the system, enforced the orbit of a rich asteroid belt, and protected Rubicon III from most potential impacts over it's billions of years of existence. The massive red-brown body covered in swirling, multicolored storms carried a long black scar across it's equator, a wound it sustained during the Fires of Ibis.
The third moon of Caesar, Octavia, was a rock and ice ball that, due to the gravitational influence of neighboring moons and Caesar itself, gave it a deep, subterranean ocean, a spinning molten iron core, and a natural magnetosphere. This made it a good spot for a sprawling station, one of many little colonized worlds across the Rubicon system.
Limping through the claustrophobic corridors at a steady pace, Handler Walter stared ahead, making his way down to cryogenic storage, and the man who operated the facility.
Entering the revival room, with harsh overhead lights shining at an angle, Handler Walter found The Collector, and a frozen, human corpse.
"You again?" The Collector sneered. "You know I'm not exactly craving company here."
"…" Handler Walter scoffed, slowly hobbling further into the room, putting much of his weight on his cane.
"So…what happened to 617 and the others?" The Collector wondered. "Fill me in, Handler Walter?"
"…" Handler Walter ignored the inquiry.
"Well…at least you're helping me clear my inventory." The Collector pointed to the frozen corpse. Already, the process for defrosting the corpse, bringing it back to life, was well underway. Limited brain activity already lighting up.
"…" Handler Walter remained stoic. Refusing to admit that he was so very desperate, for having to pull this asset out of storage.
"This one is…'functional', but don't expect much more." The Collector gestured towards the corpse flippantly.
"I'm not here to talk." Handler Walter hissed as he leaned on his cane. "Wake it up."
Medical machines slowly thawed the corpse and reinitiating it's circulatory system, it's vitals rose until, eventually, it's own heart was beating on it's own.
"Once something's alive, it doesn't die easy." Handler Walter told the corpse. The medical machines started to deactivate. A cluster of needles pulled out of the corpse's neck with sticky, elastic resistance, giving tiny, sticky pops as they pulled taunt and exited the body.
A corpse no longer, it breathed on it's own, pulling in sterilized air in it's unconscious state.
"621…I'll give you a reason to exist." Handler Walter honored a deal he'd made long ago, using the thing with no name as his personal Hound. "Let's get to work."
Rubicon III - Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars – Western Belius / Sunday, Claudius 2nd, 3175 (R799)
She couldn't afford to sleep, not as she spent the whole night cradling V close to her, softly stroking the machine girl's silver hair every time a night terror sent her into a panic. Her back hurt from sitting up, hunched over V's form. Her mouth was painfully dry, having refused to even move from her spot to get a drink. Various belts and tools pressed painfully against her waist and thighs, having not taken them off before she had begun cradling V.
Even so, she had refused to pull away from V for the entire night. Partly to keep her close, to make her feel safe. Partly because she was…apprehensive, about carrying out her hateful desires.
As an act of desperation, she'd written a report to Handler Walter, informing him of Stray Squad's condition, and requesting orders. She told herself that as his Hound, she couldn't just go out killing what she wanted. That she needed targets, orders, a mission to take lives. That Handler Walter would be too busy to send her a response, or order her to stand down, and she'd have no choice but to obey.
In less than an hour after she'd sent her report, she had a response. The shortest message she'd ever gotten from Handler Walter, and a set of orders.
Justice – Handler Walter / Reward Null
"Get your justice." Handler Walter demanded. "Make it pretty."
Included in the mission, were four names. How he had gotten their names…she didn't know, but she'd come to learn that Handler Walter was always quick with his information, especially when he wanted something.
She felt the thing with too many eyes in it's teeth smiling over her shoulder. That nightmare was just as hungry as she was.
Seeing as her worst desires were also the will of her master, she no longer had a say in the matter. Reluctantly, she slowly parted with V, turning to slip the machine girl into the sheets of the bed. Hesitantly, she hovered her hand over V's head, before greedily stroking her silver hair once again.
"…Setara…" 621 whispered down to V's sleeping form. "Setara mali."
"…" V fidgeted, but relaxed, feeling 621's hand on her head.
621 then reached over V, and grabbed Uzi. The other android girl had fallen asleep at some point, and was shaken awake by her master.
"Mmm!?" Uzi hummed in surprise at being awaken, but relaxed seeing 621. Then, 621 pulled Uzi into V's grasp, making the two girls hug. Though initially hesitant, Uzi felt V automatically wrap her arms around her desperately, holding on tightly. Uzi frowned, and decided to return the hug to the sleeping machine, holding her gently.
621 then stared down at Uzi, and softly whispered.
"I'll be back."
Stepping away from the bed, 621 gathered her kit. All of it. Every weapon, every knife, every grenade, and every bullet.
"Raven…" Ayre demanded, unusually coldly. "…Kill them all…"
"…" Then, she went hunting.
Justice – Handler Walter / Grid 086 – Subsector Industrial Zone / Sunday, Claudius 2nd
"…You…" 621 adjusted her aim, shooting a man in the kneecaps. Throwing him to the ground, she ducked under fire from some very angry Coyotes.
She'd been at this for a while, killing every living thing in her path, just to capture four men. Anything that wasn't those four, and held a weapon…was just in her way.
Taking only a moment to confirm that the next gunman was not one of her marks, she charged out and fired perfectly, right between the eyes. Coming up to a doorway, she slowed, taking her time to do this right, an enemy peeked, so she shot him in the knee, causing him to trip towards her.
"…You…" 621 found another mark, and grabbed him by the head, kicking him the face to break his nose. Then she shot him in the other knee.
There weren't many Coyotes left in this area. One by one, she had her fill, taking many lives and struggling not to enjoy it.
She found the last two working together. A bit of a problem, but not one that would take too long.
"Pretty ballsy of you goin after the Coyotes, bitch!" One of the men shouted out. "Ain't no way you going home! We gonna use you up good too!"
"…" Whatever.
Setting a grenade to flashbang, 621 cooked it for two seconds, before throwing it around the corner where her last two targets were. Even blinded and disoriented, they fired their guns where she'd have to go. So, she dived low, landing flat on the ground, and shooting straight ahead into their legs. Both men down, she disarmed them, and dragged them, kicking and screaming back to her other two marks.
Her four targets together, she decided what she was going to do.
"F-Fucking bitch!" The bald man shouted out. "Coyotes gonna fuck you up! You won't get away with this!"
"…You…you…you…" 621 was filled with so much hate, she could barely speak. "You hurt…mi setara mali…"
"…Fuck you mean…!?" The man hesitated a moment. "Oh…you mean that Jenson pashangwala?! Yeah! We had a good time with her! Made her scream nice and loud! Kept screaming for some bird to come save her, but no one ever came!"
"I'm here now." 621 smiled madly, hands shaking with terrible desire. "I promised myself I wasn't going to enjoy this. I guess I lied about that."
Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars
Uzi felt trapped. The big android girl she was stuck with had her in a vice grip while she slept restlessly. Every few minutes, V would whimper painfully, squeezing Uzi just a bit tighter. In response, Uzi would have to rub V's back and head to get her to calm down.
As uncomfortable and awkward as it was…Uzi felt responsible.
She was the one who gave the unlock codes to Doll. She'd been the most vulnerable one in that whole situation, forcing V and N to sacrifice themselves multiple times just to keep her alive. And, because of that, V was hurt in such a terrible way that she couldn't even begin to imagine, leaving the once proud and confident Drone a terrorized and incomprehensible mess.
"What…do you think happened to V?" N whispered quietly, sitting up behind them. He wanted to hug V to comfort her as well, but whenever he tried, she'd panic and cry out. One person…or Drone, was okay, but any more seemed to scare her.
"I don't know…" Uzi frowned, staring down at the top of V's head. "Maybe they tortured her? But…I don't know…while that would have hurt…she's scared. She's really scared."
"…Oh…V." N could only hug himself at the moment, feeling quite useless. He should have been more aware, or done more to fight Doll. He felt responsible in some way, for V being so hurt.
After a while, V woke up, unable to force herself to stay asleep. She noticed immediately that 621 was not there.
"R-Raven? Raven!?" V shouted, kicking fearfully.
"Hey! V! V. Calm down V. You're safe now." Uzi soothingly spoke, rubbing V's back.
Reluctantly, V settled down, continuing to hold onto Uzi tightly.
"V…can you tell us what happened?" N wondered quietly, worriedly.
"…" V started shivering and violently shook her head. "N-No! No!"
"H-Hey! Okay! Don't worry V. You're safe V." Uzi assured her. "It's just me and N here now. Raven will be back soon. She promised."
"…" V settled down, but started quietly crying. Fortunately, she wasn't crying oil again.
"V…I'm sorry." N reached out gently and held V's shoulder. "I…I should have done more…fought harder…this is all my fault."
"I…" Uzi hesitated, then held V a little tighter. "I feel responsible. If you weren't looking out for me, trying to protect me…maybe this wouldn't have happened to you."
"No…" V shook her head again. "There was…nothing we could have done to avoid that…we had no idea…"
"It's going to be alright V." N assured her. "Everything will be okay."
"H-How can we possible know that?!" V cried again. "I…I…I…I thought that I knew horror, I thought that I'd seen terrible shit, before we came to this world. But…every day we spend on this world is just some new horror, beyond anything we could ever have imagined! I'm afraid…I'm afraid of what tomorrow holds..."
"V…" N trailed off painfully, not sure how to help his friend.
"W-Where's R-Raven!?" V started crying again. "Where's Raven!?"
"She'll be back soon V! She promised." Uzi rubbed her back.
"I…I want Raven!" V shouted, shivering again.
"She'll be back soon V! She-" Then, Uzi had an idea. She reached into her pocket and grabbed those two pieces of metal. "V, look at these. These belonged to Raven, see!"
"…?" V calmed down enough to see what Uzi was showing her. A war medal with a black ribbon, and a name tag.
"I'm told this war medal is very special. Only the biggest heroes from Sol received these."
"Raven…is a hero?" V questioned curiously.
"Yeah, of course she is." Uzi nodded. "And this…this was probably her name, before she became 621."
"Her…name?" V considered these little pieces of metal, touching them reverently. The war medal with a black ribbon, and the tag etched with the name of Klein.
"Yeah…hey, why don't you have them V?" Uzi offered cheerfully. She pushed the name tag into V's hand, and then used both hands to hang the war metal from V's neck. "That way, you'll always have a part of her with you."
"…" V ran her thumbs over the name tag, and the black ribbon on her neck. "T-Thank you…Uzi." V calmed down a bit, and settled for laying against Uzi, her head pressed up against the smaller Drone's chest.
Uzi and N kept close to V for the entire time that they waited for 621 to return.
. . .
After just a few hours, the hangar door opened, and someone stepped in.
"Raven!" V was quick to jump up. She pushed her arms through 621's coat, and pulled it around herself, before she jumped with Uzi and N close behind, to see their master's return. "Raven is that-?"
Blood.
All they saw was blood. All there was was blood. It dripped loudly across the hangar floor as this thing made of blood slowly strode forward in boots that squeaked with every step. It had a shape that vaguely looked like 621, painted in a bright red sheen.
"R-Raven…?" Uzi stuttered out, stopped in her tracks.
"…Hey kids…" 621 answered tiredly.
That was enough for V. She didn't care that 621 looked so awful and repulsive. It was still 621, that nameless woman who made her feel safe. She rushed forward and tightly embraced her, not caring about the blood.
"…" 621 wasn't sure what to do about V. On one hand, she knew V wanted affection and care, and truly deserved it. On the other hand…it took so much of her. She gently held V's back, and pulled her along.
"Raven…what happened to you…?" N pointed at her worriedly. "Are you…okay?"
"…" 621 looked down at herself, and seemed only now to realize how much blood she was covered in. "Not my blood."
"What…What did you do Raven?" Uzi asked hesitantly.
"…The job." 621 answered simply. She took a seat on a crate, with V glued to her desperately.
Then of all things, "Cinder" Carla entered the hangar uninvited. She was smiling in an annoyed and tired fashion.
"Carla?" Uzi spoke up confused.
"Hey Sparky." Carla smiled a bit more honestly, and she reached out to rub Uzi's head affectionately. "Sheperd." She then grabbed N by the shoulder and patted him.
"Uh…hello…Miss Carla…?" N greeted uncertainly.
Carla strode over to 621, and sat on a crate opposite her.
"Hey Specter." Carla smiled down at the little Drone cuddled up to 621. "I need to have a word with your Hound. Is that alright?"
"Mmm…" V turned into 621, and just held her tighter.
"I suppose that's something I should have expected." Carla shrugged.
"…What can I do for you, 'Cinder' Carla?" 621 said her title and name, confronting the interloper quietly.
"I think you know why I'm here, tourist." Carla accused.
"I've honestly got no idea." 621 shrugged.
"Well, for your information, it has to do with your conduct during your most recent mission." Carla explained politely.
"Ah, I see." 621 said an octave too high to be respectful. "I didn't think you of all people would pity the Coyotes?"
"I don't." Carla quickly emphasized. "Coyotes are less than human. I won't shed a tear for any of them. Especially not those you killed today." She explained. "My problem is with your particular…imagination."
"Whatever could you mean?" 621 wasn't looking at Carla. She kept her eyes on the top of V's head. "What exactly did you have a problem with?"
"Well, maybe it was the fact that you skinned four men alive." Carla pointed out. "Or, maybe it's because you decided to crucify them." She started listing off casually. "It might have been stringing them up by their own entrails…" She trailed off, feigning forgetfulness. "Or maybe it's the fact that we can't find their goddamn genitals."
"Check their stomachs."
"Ah, thanks." Carla hissed, glaring at 621 through a smile. "And…therein lies my problem. I don't care that you killed those filthy Coyotes, I would have done it myself. My problem is that you didn't just tear them apart savagely, it's that you enjoyed doing it."
"…" 621 ignored Carla, and just kept rubbing V's back.
"There's already one too many butchers out there in the 'verse." Carla noted coldly.
"…" 621's eyes snapped up to Carla, regarding her intently.
"Yeah, that's right." Carla nodded. "I know who you are, Admiral 'Stonewall of Sol.'"
"Pfff." 621 scoffed at hearing her old rank and title. It had been far too long since it had been spoken aloud.
"That being said…I look at the way that little girl is clinging to you, and I know that you are not a heartless monster. That you have a soul." Carla acknowledged.
"Even monsters have souls." 621 argued. "Take it from someone who knows."
"…And you would know, wouldn't you?" Carla asked, honestly curious.
"…" 621 nodded, and held V a little tighter. "The good days were good, and I never noticed the darkness. It was only when I learned to look…that all I could see was black."
"…" Carla smiled, and leaned forward, rubbing her hands together. "Why did you do it? Help me make a good decision, tourist."
"…" 621 looked down, and rubbed V's head. "Imalowda hurt…mi setara mali."
Carla leaned back, eyes wide at that particular answer. The Hound could have just said "my property" or "my drone" or even "my girl." However, those last two words carried significant emotional weight. No one who said that kind of thing threw those words around casually. It was an intimate kind of phrase, and was never used lightly or conversationally.
The fact that 621 said it aloud…was almost a threat to Carla.
"Well…" Carla shifted, and closed her eyes. "Alright then. You should probably go clean up. You and the little one. We'll be in touch, tourist."
Without another word, Carla was on her way. She gave Uzi and N a pat on the way out, and then she was gone.
"…" 621 sighed. She was nowhere near done today. She was barely getting started.
"Stray-" She cut herself off. She'd already called them by their names, hadn't she? She couldn't go back. That wouldn't be fair. "Uzi, N. Go standby for now. I need to clean up…and I need to have a word with…this one."
"Uh…yes ma'am…" Uzi nodded, with N close behind. They'd all been listening to that conversation between Carla and 621. It left them with more questions than answers.
621 pulled V along to the other end of the hangar, towards the shower.
"I need to clean up now." 621 said quietly to V. "Can I have a moment?"
"Mmm…." V hummed unpleasantly.
"…" 621 sighed. "Alright. You can be close, but please give me some room here."
V reluctantly let go, and 621 went to work stripping off her blood-soaked clothes. As the Hound started washing the blood off her skin, V tried not to stare, but…
So…many…scars…
Each telling of some different, costly battle, and the Hound's unwavering drive forward. Two scars that stood out to her the most however, was the burn scar that extended from her waist and up to her face, looking the worst right around where flesh stopped and her prosthetic arm began…
And the low cut under her belly, that looked like she'd been gently disemboweled.
V had also been listening to that conversation. It didn't take too much thinking to know who 621 had killed. Why she killed them. But it left her with other questions. Why had an Admiral of Sol sold their name? Why did she care for Laconian detritus such as herself?
Exactly who was 621?
It took 621 a while to get all the blood off of her body, and V only noticed because she had dressed, then proceeded to clean the meager amount of blood off of the smaller android.
"Mmm!" V hummed, turning her head to allow the Hound better access.
With that done, 621 pulled V along to the side.
"Come on, sit for a moment." 621 sat V down, then sat across from her, rubbing her own face tiredly.
"…?" V remained focused on her Hound, watching the tired woman work through her thoughts. Eventually, 621 looked up at V, and made a statement that hurt and entranced V further.
"…You should know, that nothing I say or do will ever make what happened to you…okay." 621 declared honestly.
"…" V frowned, and looked down. She rocked herself back and forth, hugging her knees to her chest.
"It's especially hard on you, because it's something I know you never imagined. Something you were never designed for. Something you truly didn't deserve."
"…" V kept listening to the Hound, and tried not to think about the subject at hand.
"There is, admittedly, some terrible shit about humans sometimes. For me…I'm sometimes like my father. I…get excited by the next kill, and lose myself in the slaughter. You on the other hand saw one of the worst things ever about humans. That shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry V."
"…" V looked up at the Hound. It was the first time she'd ever heard her call her by her name.
"I was trying for quite a while to shield you from that knowledge, from that horror. I'm sorry that I failed you." 621 uttered shamefully.
"N-No…" V spoke up. "It was…a terrible set of circumstances. We were in a bad way, and way the hell out where we shouldn't have been. It was no one's fault."
"…I wish I could tell you that things will be okay, but I can't." 621 admitted. "Besides the fact that this is a world at war, you were unlucky enough to have been born Laconian, condemned to death or worse for the sins of your makers. I'll do what I can to protect you, and N, and Uzi, but…you've seen how few there are that would forgive you, let alone help you. Unfortunately…it is very much a case of you and yours against the whole 'verse."
"…" V shivered, feeling rather overwhelmed by the possibility.
"And…you deserve the kind of rest and safety that…frankly I can't afford to give you." 621 frowned. "And you can't let that pain fester either, otherwise, that pain will kill you. The only thing I can give you is a path forward, to bury that crime as just another filthy memory."
"…" V nodded reluctantly.
"But…know that your suffering was not in vain." 621 assured her. "If you hadn't thrown Uzi to safety…she would have died, screaming. You did your job exactly as you should have, and protected your squad mate."
"…!" It was a terrible thought that went though V's head. 621 was right. Uzi wouldn't have survived that. She would have died in the worst way possible. A part of her swelled with pride, knowing that she'd protected Uzi.
"…I still need you, Stray One." 621 declared. "My job's not done. I need a good, confident, and devoted scout. Will you help me?"
"…" V bowed her head, and considered the Hound's words. "I'm scared of being alone again. I'll follow you wherever, as long as it's together with you and my squad. Promise me we'll walk together, on whatever path this world takes us?"
"…" 621 sighed. She hated making promises. "As long as I am here, I'll walk with you as long as you want."
"Mmm!" V eagerly jumped and embraced the Hound, holding her close. 621 suppressed a hiss, and reluctantly accepted the hug. She brought her hands up, and rubbed V's back.
Until her fingers brushed against a familiar texture of fabric.
"Hmm? What's this?" 621 wondered, pushing V far enough away so that she could see what it was. Tucked just underneath her control collar and hidden by the coat, 621 found her old war metal, hanging from V's neck. "...Where did you get this?"
"Eh…!?" V panicked, feeling that she was somehow in trouble. Rather than ratting Uzi out, V made up an excuse. "I uh…I stole it!"
"…" 621 gently pressed her knuckle to the center of V's face, right around the area where she'd have a nose if she was human, and pressed into it roughly while spinning her wrist back and forth. It was only mildly unpleasant for V, as she leaned back from the contact, her eyes nearly crossed as they focused on 621's knuckle.
"Hmm?!" V hummed in confusion. It didn't hurt, but it was a strange feeling.
"Lying is unbecoming of you." 621 warned. "Mmm…it doesn't matter. You want it, you can keep it. Besides…under certain circumstances, it might even help you out in a pinch."
"Really?" V wondered, also asking if she was really allowed to keep it.
"Of course. Heh, it's ironic. A Laconian Drone, wearing the Order of Sol's Light." 621 laughed to herself.
"Oh thank you Raven!" V cheered, pseudo-electric tears in her eyes, as she hugged 621 even tighter.
"Yeah yeah…" 621 patted V on the back.
"…Raven, I have a question?" V asked slowly.
"Not-" 621 almost reminded her about that callsign, before dismissing the issue altogether. "…What is it?"
"What was…that word you called me? What does it mean?" V wondered curiously. "'Setara mali?'"
"…" 621 dreaded answering that question, but she did it anyway. "The exact translation is 'little star', but…" She trailed off for a moment. "It means so much more than that."
"What do you mean?" V wondered innocently.
"Well…for context, it's generally only used by older people when referring to much younger people, or girls. And while it might be okay for an older person to call a young woman 'setara' it would also be improper for them to refer to them as 'setara mali.'"
"Oh, why's that?"
"…Because it's a more intimate statement." 621 explained reluctantly. "Because it means so much more. It can mean 'I'll protect you', or 'You're safe now', or 'I-" 621 cut herself off for a moment, rephrasing that last meaning. "Or 'I cherish you.'"
V's tail was wagging happily as 621 explained the meaning of the word. "Then…would it be okay for you to keep calling me that? Please? I…I really like the way it sounds. How it makes me feel."
"…Alright." 621 rubbed V's head. "Mi setara mali."
"…!" V cried happily, and greedily held onto 621. It still hurt. Everything still hurt. But she felt it would be okay now, in the arms of her master.
"…" 621 felt herself being torn in half…emotionally that is. There was a part of her that was quiet and content, and happily stroked V's silver hair while she held the machine girl close to her. Her other half wanted to scream, to lash out, and to never be at peace.
As it was, 621 was not done yet. She still had things she had to seek.
"I need to go out for a bit, okay V?" 621 informed her softly. "So you and N and Uzi stay here while I'm out, okay? I just need to check something."
"Mmm…" V grunted unhappily. "Just come back soon, okay? Please be safe!"
"I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing." 621 assured her. Picking V up and holding her close, 621 brought her over to the bed, and set her down gently.
"You…" The voice in her head hissed lowly and darkly.
"…?" Curious, 621 listened to what Ayre had to say.
"You…you are the spark of war…a fire that haunts Rubicon." Ayre hissed more hatefully than 621 had ever heard, screeching painfully in her head. "Touched by the one who should not be named, inheritor of death's will. You…you reek of blood and violent death. First murder, seed for the gore."
"…" 621 scoffed. I know all that. What of it?
"And yet…" Ayre trialed off more familiarly, more conversationally. "In spite of all that blood deep in your soul, you can still find it in yourself to be kind and compassionate when it's needed. To be…human."
"…" 621 hissed, oddly offended.
"…I want to see what path you choose. Will you give into that hunger, and set your rage loose across another world…or will you find another path, one that will keep those little souls smiling and safe?"
"…" 621 did not have an answer for Ayre.
She then went over to N and Uzi.
"N, give me a moment to speak to Uzi." 621 requested.
"Oh…okay." N nodded. "And…thank you Raven, for helping V." He smiled painfully, before walking away.
"Uh…what is it, Raven?" Uzi wondered cautiously.
"…Earlier, you claimed to be responsible for what happened. Why?" 621 asked gently.
"Mmm!" Uzi averted her gaze shamefully. "I'm…I'm sorry okay! I had no idea-!"
"Stop." 621 requested calmly. "You're not in trouble. Even if you were…I think seeing the aftermath of what happened to V is enough of a punishment. Now please, just talk. Why do you think you're in trouble?"
"Ah…" Uzi calmed down somewhat, but remained shameful. "Do you remember that purple haired Worker Drone from my class? Doll?"
Grid 085 / Worker Drone Sanctuary
After passing on what Uzi had told her to Carla, 621 had a mission.
Apprehend Subject for Questioning – "Cinder" Carla / Reward 10,000 COAM
"I've got to say, I'm not entirely sure what to make of this report, tourist." Carla sounded intrigued and confused. "But it's definitely worth investigating. Go and apprehend the Worker Drone known as Doll for questioning. I'll send you four of my guys as back up. Just…if these outrageous claims are to be believed, then Doll might be a dangerous Laconian artefact of some kind. There are plenty of mysterious stories about Laconian tech, so be careful, and good hunting tourist."
"…" 621 sighed. Against the wishes of Stray Squad, she was taking this mission alone. While she didn't personally blame this Doll for what happened to V…she still wanted to have a "nice" chat with that little machine. As well, Tessa and J weren't here because this was a rather personal mission, and they were still on call to defend Grid 085 from external threats.
Her escort was a typical group of RaD soldiers. Young men between the ages of sixteen and thirty who either owed a dept to Carla, or really liked the wages she paid. They were also all Dosers, which made them naturally jumpy and red eyed. Not exactly the best set of soldiers she'd ever served besides, but certainly far from the worst.
"This the place, boss." One of the soldiers pointed to the door of a personal room. Around them, a few Worker Drones passed by nervously.
"How we gonna do this bosmang?" The youngest soldier asked eagerly, already with his gun up. "Loud and fast?"
"Carla just wants to talk to this Drone. Just look scary is all you have to do. Let me do the talking." 621 assured her escort. "Let's go nice and easy."
Another soldier used his hand terminal to force unlock the door, and the last soldier opened the door, allowing them entry.
"…This is Hound C4-621, under contract with 'Cinder' Carla! Doll! If you're in there, your master would like a word with you!" 621 shouted out. When no answer came, she entered the room, her escort trailing behind her.
The first thing that 621 noticed was not how dark it was inside, but the smell. The heavy odor of thick and viscous oil slowly drying in the air. One of the soldiers behind her reached for the light switch.
Piled in the kitchen of the little room, were the eviscerated corpses of several Worker Drones, stripped bare and exsanguinated, their corpses scattered across the counter or strung up across the ceiling. Their limbs filled cold pots of oil shimmering in dim light.
"…" The evidence that Doll was the mysterious killer was mounting. However, the little Drone could not be found.
"Looks like no one's home bosmang." On of the soldiers pointed out as he approached 621. She turned to regard him, only to notice a bright red glyph spinning around his neck. Then his head fell off.
"…!" Well that was new.
"Contact!" Another soldier shouted, opening fire with a submachine gun.
Doll stood there were she was not before, a bored and annoyed expression on her face, as she used one hand to erect a barrier of light, that blocked the bullets. Her other hand then summoned several dirty kitchen knives that floated in the air, before they launched at high speed into the man's face and throat.
The little Drone turned her attention to the youngest soldier, and with a flick of her wrist, he exploded in a cloud of fine red mist.
The last man turned tail and ran, as he should. But, then he looked back at 621. Involuntarily. His head had twisted around 180 degrees, his body still running forward, before he was squeezed into the floor in a fraction of a second, left as fine red paste across the ground.
There was a word for this in Belter, oddly enough. Mostly, it was just used as an alternative to "bitch", but it was extremely fitting in this situation.
Doll was a wupo. A witch.
"Fuck…" 621 hissed, her handgun half raised at Doll. The little machine was obviously bullet proof, so the gun was mostly just to make 621 feel better about her chances at this point. "Fuck! Doll! Just! Calm down a fucking second!"
"[You're V's master, aren't you?]" Doll noted coldly. She flicked her hand again, and 621 felt herself being dragged painfully by her prosthetic arm, her feet leaving the ground for a second. She smacked hard onto the closest wall, her right arm still firmly in the grasp of whatever unnatural energy Doll commanded. "[Then I know why you're here.]"
Doll pulled a knife from behind her waist, and made it float over her head with a spinning red glyph of a hexagon with three arrows, while her right eye also changed into that symbol. Flicking her hand towards the restrained Hound, Doll aimed for her throat with the knife, and shot it like a bullet.
"…?!" Doll flinched in surprise as 621 caught the knife in her left palm, the blade embedded to the hilt. Her mouth was left agape in shock.
That…fucking hurt. Even so, 621 was driven into action, biting the handle of the blade and pulling it out of her hand.
The thing with too many eyes in it's teeth leaned over 621's shoulder, and whispered just to her.
Your arm is a weakness. Cut it off.
Smiling madly, 621 twisted her shoulder, disconnecting her prosthetic arm, and used the knife to cut through her replacement coat and her shirt. From Doll's point of view, 621 had just broken and cut off her own arm.
Sneering, Doll settled for focusing her power directly on 621, intending to kill her as swiftly as she had killed those men-
-/ERROR absoluteSolver_trn
[ABOMINATION ENTITY non-interactive]
That…scared Doll. She'd seen a few error messages appear when trying to use her power. Murder Drones appeared with a "like object" error, which is why she'd been forced to come up with a plan to kill V instead of just…exploding her. On the other hand, Coral Tweakers and recently dosed up Dosers had a "Coral infused" error, which, given how their collars worked, it seemed that her power couldn't work on individuals with active Coral in their brains.
So what the fuck was an "Abomination Entity?"
Doll summoned another knife, and threw it at the one-armed woman, who blocked it with the one she was holding. 621 then slowly advanced on Doll, grinning hatefully.
Before Doll could come up with another plan, 621 broke into a run, throwing the knife to throw Doll off and confuse her. While Doll focused on blocking the knife, 621 grabbed Doll by the face, and slammed her into the ground.
Doll found that 621 was strong, her face caught in a vice grip as 621 pushed it against the ground, threatening to crush her head. The red eyed Drone tucked her legs in, and kicked 621 in the face, pushing her off. She then got up and ran for the open door.
621 was right behind Doll, grabbing her by the leg and flung her out the open door, into the hallway. Doll spun to get up, only for the top of her head to be grabbed by 621, her face slammed into the Hound's knee.
Her visor cracked, Doll held her face in pain, as 621 kicked her in the chest. The little Drone landed on her back, and 621 immediately pounced.
Holding Doll by the head, 621 settled all her weight on the Drone, trying to crush her head. Doll fought back, punching 621 in the face with her left fist. She managed three good hit's into 621's mouth, and split her lips.
As Doll landed the next punch, 621 bit Doll's hand in half. She spit the metal fingers and wires from her mouth, her lips painted in Doll's black blood.
"…" Annoyed, 621 picked Doll up by the face, and approached the nearest wall. Adjusting her grip on Doll's face so that she was holding the Drone by the right side of her head, 621 slammed Doll's face into the wall, and started running. Holding her against the wall, 621 grinded Doll's head down a millimeter at a time. Sparks and smoke were left in her wake as Doll's head was grinded into the wall. The little Drone's eyes were wide and terrified, as she lost herself and her head.
621 kept running until she'd grinded more than half of Doll's head away, then threw the half-headless body over the edge of a railing, and into a lower level.
"…Shit." 621 hissed. She reached for her hand terminal…then remembered she was missing her right arm. She didn't have voice controls set up, so she awkwardly used her nose to control the hand terminal on her left arm.
"Hey tourist." Carla noticed the state 621 was in. "I take it things didn't go well?"
"Your men are dead. I killed Doll. Uzi's report was accurate." 621 reported quickly.
"Well…that's disappointing." Carla sighed. "Thanks for checking that out though. Not sure what this all means…"
"[…You…]"
"…?" 621 turned around. Behind her, Doll was standing, part of her face still regrowing…just like the way Disassembly Drones did.
"[…What are you?]" Doll demanded. "[You…you monster…]"
"…" 621 grinned widely, baring her teeth. She took one quick step towards Doll.
"…!" Doll flinched, and disappeared, seeming to teleport away.
"…Correction." 621 said to Carla. "Doll is alive."
"That's…interesting." Carla was taken aback by that, but remained calm. "What do you want to do?"
"I need to have a chat with someone." 621 sighed.
It was getting late in the day, so Lizzy started to settle down for sleep. Or, she would have, if a mad Hound hadn't broken down her door.
"Ah! Oh! Uh…! Miss 621…?" Lizzy waved awkwardly.
"Tell me about your friend Doll." 621 demand, picking Lizzy up by back the of her clothes, holding her in the air. She'd gone back and retrieved her arm for this.
"Doll…? Did she do something…?" Lizzy awkwardly grinned.
"…" 621's hand terminal was open, so Lizzy heard her master, Carla, sigh over the connection. "We know about Doll, Lizzy. We also know you lured V out to the subsector so that Doll could ambush her. So talk."
"Mmm!" Lizzy seized fearfully. "I'm…I'm sorry okay! Way back on Copper IX, Doll used to be my friend, but in the last few months, I noticed her become more distant. Then she got weird powers and threatened me to go out and make friends with V! She wanted me to warm up to V so she would come to a prom event we had planned at school, where she would then kill her!"
"And you didn't think to tell me that your friend was a cannibal who can kill grown men with the flick of her wrist?" Carla stressed tiredly.
"Wait…she was eating them!?" Lizzy screamed. "I…I thought she was just trying to scare me!? Like a show of force!?"
"Why didn't you tell me, Lizzy?" Carla demanded again.
"I thought…I thought our control collars had suppressed her abilities! So that I wouldn't have to deal with her crazy, scary murder plans anymore! So imagine my surprise when she gets her power back and demands that I bring V out to the subsector to enact an improvised copy of her original plan!" Lizzy explained.
"I'm very disappointed in you Lizzy." Carla hissed. "Because of you, several of my contractors were severely injured, and a few of my employees killed. I'm cutting your pay by half for three months, and demoting you for the same period of time."
"Ah…!" Lizzy cried out, before she settled her head shamefully. "Yes Miss Carla."
Carla cut the line with a hiss, leaving Lizzy hanging in 621's grasp.
"…Is V…okay?" Lizzy hesitantly asked the Hound.
"…Do you remember your friend Emily?" 621 questioned calmly. "Because the same thing happened to V."
"Oh…! N-No!" Lizzy cried out. "No anything but that! I…! I didn't know that would happen! I'm sorry!"
"…Tell that to V." 621 dropped Lizzy roughly.
"I'm sorry." Lizzy cried. "I'm so…so sorry…"
Grid 086 - Independent Mercenary Hangars
"Raven! You're back!" V shouted out, pulling 621 into a hug. "You…you're bleeding! Are you okay!?"
"I'm fine V. I'm fine." 621 assured her. "Just…tired is all."
"You sure about that?" Uzi asked skeptically.
"…Picked a fight with something I've never seen before. Took a bit to get used to it. Took a few hits, but hit back just as hard." 621 explained.
"Ah…that's Raven for you!" N smiled. "Takes a tick but keeps on licking!"
"…You've got that all screwed up N." Uzi pointed out. "But…we get it."
"Oh, haha, oops!" N grinned sheepishly as he rubbed his own head.
"…" 621 sighed. "I'm going to bed."
"Ah…!" V held onto 621 tightly. "Um…can I sleep with you, Raven?"
"…" 621 wanted to say "no" in a wide variety of rude and crass ways, but…V's anxious and desperate eyes drove her over the edge. "F-Fine…"
"Hey…!" Uzi hissed, then awkwardly fidgeted in place. "Maybe I wanted to like…sleep near Raven…"
"…Maybe we could all just sleep together?" N casually suggested.
"…!" Damn these stupid, clingy, overly emotional little shells of vaguely human shaped metal. Each of them demanding affection and affecting her in ways they didn't even realize.
"…Just do it, Raven." Ayre demanded. "You need it just as much as they do. Don't lie."
"…" Fuck. "Alright, pile on."
Picking up V and holding her close, 621 sat in the middle of their bed, and laid down. N snuggled up on her other side, and Uzi settled in behind V. It was a tight fit, and almost uncomfortably warm, but…621 would be lying if she said it wasn't at least a little bit cathartic.
"Raven…" V asked, a little greedy. "Can you…sing to us again?"
"…" V really didn't know what she did to 621. What she looked like to the Hound. And how deeply that hurt the older woman. All 621 could do was tighten her hold around V, and reluctantly acquiesce. "Alright, setara mali."
. . .
After she was sure everyone was asleep, Uzi slipped out of bed, and exited the hangar. She walked for just a little bit, until she found a secluded and abandoned tunnel. Activating her hand terminal, she sent an unlock code to her own control collar.
/CEREBRAL CORAL CONTROL DEVICE: HIGHER FUNCTIONS UNLOCKED
"Okay…so how the hell did Doll do that…?" Uzi wondered, as she focused on some random scrap in the tunnel. Splaying her fingers in a wide pattern, Uzi eventually created a glowing purple glyph over her own hand, a symbol of a hexagon with three arrows pointed out.
"Oh…okay…" Uzi then refocused on the scrap. Another glyph appeared over the scrap, and Uzi…somehow managed to make it levitate.
"Okay…this is fucking weird." Uzi stared wide eyed at the glowing glyphs, barely noticing how her right eye changed to that same symbol. The hexagon with three arrows.
Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. I've been procrastinating on chapter 26 for a little too long. I'm still only about a third of the way done with it, but I am hoping to get a big chunk of that chapter done in the next few days. Also didn't want to keep this one waiting too long, especially with how badly things went last chapter.
V got hurt badly, in a very terrible way. Possibly more so because she was never "upgraded". It's an unpleasant thought and I don't like to think about it. But she's not alone either. N and now Uzi are her best friends and care about her deeply, and 621 is, very reluctantly, coming around to care for them all. As terrible as that was for V, she'll be okay, because she has close friends to rely on. That's the only way I could rationalize allowing that to happen in this story, and to a character I love. And why I don't plan for this kind of event to ever happen again. Not in this story at least.
There is still one more chapter in this mini-arc, just to wrap up before getting back to the events of AC6. No ETA on that because it depends on how I do chapters 26 and 27. It could be sooner, or later. Who knows?
No real citations in this chapter, but I will point out a few little things. The title of this chapter is something important, especially as a theme for the events in this chapter. One of the lines 621 says to V was inspired by a scene in the movie "Once Upon a Time in the West." And lastly, just a bit of language. The word "Imalowda" is literally just the "they/them" word of Belter Creole, as opposed to "Milowda", which means "we/us".
EDIT: OH! Just forgot. One of the lines Ayre said to 621 was from a Grim Salvo song "why do I still care?"
Also, I guess curiosity got the better of Uzi. Still, don't expect the events of episode 4 of Murder Drones for a long time.
Anyway, that's all for now. Till next time.
To magenta skelter: 621 comes from a long line of what can only be described as "generational war crimes" upon those that do them wrong. Hope what Carla breifly described was enough.
To ChimaTigon: Considering the events of Murder Drones episode 7, I found a good way to use Nori in a way that no one will expect.
To endo-of-reading: Just a character from a previous story. In all of my stories, there is only one character who is ever described as having "too many eyes in their teeth" or "a smile filled with eyes". I wouldn't worry about that too much. I'm sure that it will have no consequences.
To WarmasterXI: It's been something that's been on my mind for a while. I'll go into greater detail in the next chapter notes (probably) but basically I don't think any of the Drones, be they Workers or Disassembly Drones, would respond well to human sexuality. Except Rebecca, because as Lizzy said, she's already a slut. As for Allmind and the Solver? I have a very special, multi-chapter, multi-arc plan for that, around the middle, and again at the end of act 3.
To 42StoneGrindstheWickedtoDust: Yep, you caught that terrible implication.
To undead3: Because Murder Drones is only like 7 episodes, the events of those episodes have been spread out over the very long AC6 campaign. So don't expect "Ep4" until sometime in 2025.