'Should we cut the horns?'
'The arm would be better'
'That scrap wouldn't make a good trophy.'
'Stick it over there'
'HA! Perfect!'
'Wait, let me take a quick one!'
I pause the video, a heavy sigh escaping me as I lean back in my chair, my mind still reeling.
The frozen frame captures a MaxTac grunt in a ridiculous pose next to my hanged desecrated body. He's sticking his tongue out like a stupid kid trying too hard to be edgy-cool.
Those damn bastards went all out with their suppressed depravity, even taking the liberty to livestream the entire thing to the world, finding sick pleasure in the sadistic spectacle. And as if my execution weren't enough, I had to bear witness to my own demise played out on screen not once, but twice. At the very least, death by a meteor strike was painless and fast compared to this one.
The tactic MaxTac employed to take down a cyberpsycho becomes painfully clear as I remember how my clothes were in tatters. Their method was deliberate, a slow and calculated process of rendering the target powerless before delivering the final blow, a bullet to the brain. In those moments, they exhibited a chilling efficiency, a cold-hearted , once the objective was achieved, their well-known psychotic tendencies bursted forth, and they reveled in a disturbingly morbid euphoria.
"Fucking bastards."
Without the [Body Tune Up] perks, my body would have been an absolute bloody wreck, incapable of even twitching a single muscle. And probably be ripped to pieces by wandering Squigs.
A head-on clash with them is nothing short of a death sentence; there's no room for doubt in my mind. They are not only chromed up with the latest technology the military has to offer like their original counterparts, but they also are trained with their Aura and not even counting with the strong possibility that they have their Semblances unlocked as well.
To make matters worse, every Kingdom has its own version of these augmented soldiers, with squads of these bastards waiting for their next hunt, especially Atlas. The biggest and most densely populated kingdom in Remnant, because of their size, they are riddled with cases of cyberpsychos.
I can't help but let out another weary sigh, my hand dragging down my face in frustration.
At the very least, I now have the answer to what transpired after everything went a blurry red, along with the rest of the connected world. No wonder Ilia was so devastated. Seeing your childhood friend being brutally killed on camera paraded for all to see in a sickening spectacle.
Ilia…
It took her hours to recover to see me alive and well, and I couldn't blame her for that reaction.
We grew up together in Menagerie along with Blake and played together.
Trained Together.
Learned together.
Fought together…
However, delving into memories that once held the joy of happier times inadvertently dredges up other recollections I'm not prepared to confront just yet. It's not the right time, and I'm not mentally prepared to face them.
I glance down at my robotic arm once more, extending it fully before clenching it into a fist, a mechanical echo of my unresolved emotions.
This cybernetic arm represents Ghira's final gift to me, and those bastards wanted to scrap it just for fun.
I will kill them, not now. But their days are counted, each and every single one of them will die by my hand.
"I brought tea."
Ilia's voice slices through my thoughts, drawing my gaze to her as she enters, carrying two plastic cups emitting a faint trail of steam.
"Thanks." I grasp one of the cups, blowing gently to cool the drink before taking a sip.
No sugar?
She attempts a smile, yet it fades as her gaze shifts towards the screen with the image paused on my corpse.
Reacting swiftly, I lunge for the keyboard and terminate the entire video.
"Where's everyone?" I inquire, making an effort to steer the conversation elsewhere.
She drags a chair over, settling into it and cradling her cup in her hands. Her expression is somber and pensive.
"They're gone, Adam. They all left once Atlas propagated the news of your... death." Her fingers tighten around the cup. "If you, with all your strength, couldn't stand against their forces, what chance did they have?"
Cut off the head and the body falls.
But how is Sienna managing to hold things together back at home?
I release a sigh, raising the cup to my lips for another sip of the hot drink. "I can't say I blame them. I might not like it, but I can at least understand."
I continue sipping my tea, pushing past the bitterness that clings to every drop.
"Adam..." Ilia raises her gaze, her eyes searching mine. "What really happened in Forever Fall?"
Damn it, of course she'd start with that question.
I place the nearly empty cup on the desk, crossing my arms as I contemplate how to approach this. After a brief moment, I gather my thoughts, attempting to find a way to explain it all to her. "Do you want the..."
"Short." she interjects, her tone firm.
I give a slight nod and take a moment to distill my response. I have to be careful, particularly about Blake's involvement. The world at large believes our entire cell was wiped out, with only a few stragglers arrested. So nobody knows of her betrayal, but myself.
It's up to me to say the truth or not…
And it is Ilia's choice to decide what to do, not mine.
"Blake betrayed us," I reply, the words causing my friend to gasp audibly. "And during her escape, she triggered a defensive mechanism to cover her escape. By the time it was over, everyone else was... gone. All I remember is a haze of red as Atlas forces closed in."
"SHE DID WHAT?!" Ilia erupts from her chair, her cup clattering to the floor. Rage contorts her features, her body taking a fiery red hue before turning quickly to an icy blue. "No, that's not possible. She wouldn't... couldn't do something like that after everything we've been through. No, I..."
She muffles her words with her hand as tears start forming at the corner of her eyes, then abruptly flees the room, leaving me behind.
I sigh, my hand reaching to rub my neck, a somber expression crossing my face. It was the right choice to tell her the truth. I'm beyond caring about what others might say, those who spew misguided notions about protecting her. The truth always emerges, regardless of the pain it inflicts.
But that doesn't make it any less agonizing.
Giving her space might be the conventional approach, but right now, I can't let her be alone.
Especially not in this place, where negativity attracts Grimm. Or being found by recon drones.
I leave my chair behind, its screech against the floor fading as I step outside.
At first, there's no immediate trace of her, and I take a moment to steady my thoughts. With a quick enhancement, my senses sharpen, allowing me to follow faint echoes of her presence and deduce a quick trail to follow inside the ruins.
Reaching a nearby building, I use the emergency ladders to climb to the rooftop. Which it becomes my vantage point, offering a broader view of the ruined city below. Amidst the eerie silence and lack of illumination, I catch a glimpse of her silhouette on another rooftop not far away from mine.
I give myself a bit of distance before I break into a run, leaping from one building to another, taking advantage of my agility, bridging the gaps until I arrive at her location.
With a last jump, I find myself on the rooftop she occupies. She's seated near the edge, her body drawn in, knees pressed to her chest, and her face hidden from view.
I close the distance between us, my presence known but not intrusive. Her body tenses as her skin transitions to a shade of gray. Illia's adept at controlling her faunus trait, so this explicit display tells me enough of her emotions.
"How…" Her voice quivers as she lifts her head from her knees. "How can you be so calm? After knowing what she did?"
I pause my steps briefly, letting her question sink in, causing me to consider my next words carefully.
"I'm not calm," I admit, my fists clenching involuntarily. "I'm angry, Ilia. Furious. But here and now isn't the right place or time for that." I force my hands to unclench, focusing on taking deep breaths to steady myself.
"Not the time?" Ilia gets to her feet, her voice growing stronger. "Not the place? Adam, you went cyberpsycho!"
I maintain my silence.
"Nobody, I mean NOBODY, ever comes back from cyberpsychosis!" Her anger returns, her skin flaring red once again. "And you're just fine?! Because of Bla-HER, you became a cyberpsycho!"
Ilia turns away, walking to the edge of the building. Her hand absently rubs her trembling arm, a way to deal with her emotions.
"Cyberpsychos get hunted down by MaxTac or rounded up to be thrown to the Grimm. And you think this isn't the right place to talk about this?"
She wraps her arms around herself, her head hanging low as her body shakes. "Those bastards livestreamed your fight. How they were laughing as they were brutalizing you, torturing you and using your… and…and…"
I don't hesitate; I move in quickly, wrapping my arms around her in a gentle hug, pulling her close to my chest.
She tenses at first, her body stiff in surprise.
"I'm here, Ilia." I murmur, my voice a soothing whisper against her ear. Gradually, her tense frame begins to relax. "You're not alone. Never will."
My friend's sobs resonate against my chest, her arms holding me tightly as if she's afraid to let go.
Time slips by unnoticed as we stand there, an empty dead city. It could have been minutes or even hours, but I know that it's very late. The darkness has deepened, and with it comes the necessity to find shelter sooner rather than later. The outpouring of negativity could attract those nocturnal Grimm and Ilia isn't in the best state to defend herself.
When her tears finally subside, I guide her gently into my arms, lifting her with care. She doesn't resist or say a word in protest; instead, she nestles against my chest. Without a word, I begin to make our way back to our base.
Gradually, the tension in her body eases, and as time passes, her breathing becomes slower and more steady. I sense her gradually succumbing to exhaustion, her grip on my jacket loosening as she drifts into slumber.
It's clear that everything she's been through has taken its toll; allowing her to finally rest is the least I can do.
Moving cautiously, I remain alert to my surroundings as I make my way to our abandoned base. Once inside, I navigate the dimly lit, chaotic interior, my steps deliberate among the overturned furniture and scattered debris.
There's no way I'll leave her in this wreckage; each of us has our own rooms, a small luxury afforded by our higher ranks within the group. I only need to cross the improvised mess of a hall and turn to the right, leading me to a series of individual rooms.
A sudden shiver races down my spine as I pass by Blake's room. A fraction of hesitation grips me, a momentary falter, before anger quickly takes its place that it is suppressed. I continue forward, focusing on the task at hand—bringing Ilia to her room, which is regrettably located right next to Blake's.
A quick knob twists and I enter Ilia's room. A modest place. A bed rests against one wall, a chest sits at its foot, and a small desk occupies the space near the opposite side. Humble as it is, it's not all that different from my own room in this base.
Comparing it to my own room in my house, the differences are striking, like night and day.
I move with slow steps, practically tiptoeing, ensuring that she doesn't wake up as gently lay her on her bed and tuck the quilt around her. For a moment, I find myself sitting on the edge of her bed, a quiet presence in her room. My thoughts seem to drift aimlessly, staring at nothing in particular.
When I finally stir from my trance, a subtle movement to rise, something catches my hand and tugs me back. My attention snaps to my friend, meeting her pleading gray eyes.
"Stay.Please."
I offer no words in response. My gaze locked onto hers. Slowly, our hands entwine, fingers interlocking in a shared connection. I ease myself onto the bed beside her, pulling her close to me in a firm but gentle embrace.
I don't need to say anything.
I promised to be with her.
And I intend to keep it.
"Thank you."
AN: No, I can't do it. I made a terrible mistake and I MUST end the chapter here. To continue would be in poor taste. It already felt horrible to continue writing in the same document and the mere idea of putting the whole thing together with the drastic tone shift is way too much, and I absolutely hated it. Very sorry if it is smaller than what I'm used to since this was entirely thanks to poor planning on my part. Now I noticed that it would have been better if I put it in the last chapter instead of a new one.
However, the second part will be posted in the following days since it's already halfway done. I will finish and publish the rest in two days, especially that my sub for editing tools is about to expire.
No amount of line breaks or extra scenes would work.
Anyway, thank you guys for the support, likes and comments. And hope you keep enjoying the story.
