《Entropy》


 Chapter 1: The Vigilante Called Red

    Detroit, Michigan. 1961


    The sound of hail tapping against the glass broke him out of his daze. Through the dimly lit atmosphere of the police station he made out the time displayed on the wall; 11:38. He cursed at himself for letting himself stay so late again as he gathered his things. Staying late was becoming too much of a habit for him, but he couldn¡¯t seem to bring himself to break it. His home just seemed like the place he went to sleep and eat, and sometimes he didn¡¯t even do that. His house just seemed emptier than usual and he hated the weight of the silence. The quiet of his house made him hear things--it made him hear the sweet voice of his son and wife welcoming him back home after his long day. Their voices would often wake him up in the middle of the night and he would go through fits of rage and sadness trying to find them in his small apartment, but he never could. All the counselors and therapists the station assigned to him after their passing told him that time would heal his wounds and that he should move on, but ten years did nothing to dull the pain. And now his empty house was a constant reminder of the life and love he could have had.


    ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡±


    Roger looked up to see his colleague, John Sato, standing in the doorway.


    ¡°Yeah, just finishing up some reports before heading home.¡±


    ¡°Jesus. I¡¯m beginning to think the only reason I was hired is to remind you to go home. As much as we love your can-do attitude, methinks you should take some personal time once in awhile. You know, like actually taking days off would be a great start!¡±


    Roger scoffed at the younger inspector¡¯s remarks. If he and John hadn¡¯t known each other for nearly a decade he would have been offended by his comments on his social life. John was a great guy and a better officer, and besides his being a ladykiller, Roger had no qualms with him.


    ¡°I promise you I¡¯m heading home right now.¡±


    ¡°And you remember that your day off is tomorrow, right? I¡¯m not going to find you here working your ass off?¡±


    John looked expectantly at Roger, waiting for his response. Roger merely shrugged, grabbed his coat, and wished John a good night, escaping the room before John could say anything. He quickly walked through the station, not wanting to run into anyone else who would provide a probing commentary on his work ethics.


    The wind outside the building bit through his coat and he was grateful the hail had stopped, but it was snowing heavily. His heart sank when he realized that he had forgotten to put on snow chains on his tires when he left for work that morning. Snow drifts had already piled an easy six inches on the road, so he knew that there was no way he was going to be taking the main roads home. He sat in his car while his windshield defrosted, contemplating what roads would be least treacherous to take. After a few minutes, he turned his engine over and started his commute. Luckily, midnight traffic was very light and he only got honked at once before turning onto the more residential streets to get home. Ten minutes into his drive he was feeling in the clear.


    A figure suddenly dropped into the road ahead of him. Caught by surprise, he quickly turned the wheel, skidding on the icy road for a few feet before stopping. Shaken, he grabbed his badge and weapon and rushed out of the car.


    ¡°Police, stay where you are!¡±


    His voice was steady and practiced despite the fact his heart was beating uncontrollably. The figure that had suddenly dropped in front of him was illuminated by a single streetlight. Clad in black, the figure was motionless in the snow. From what Roger could tell, the person was wearing combat boots and some sort of combat uniform. He¡¯d only been in the army for four years before being discharged, but whatever they were wearing escaped his military knowledge.


    ¡°Turn around with your arms raised!¡±Stolen story; please report.


    No response from the figure.


    ¡°I said turn around! Raise your arms!¡±


    Their arms twitched and started moving upwards.


    ¡°Now turn towards me slowly! No funny business or you eat lead!¡±


    The figure slowly turned towards him. Roger¡¯s breath caught in his throat. The figure¡¯s head was completely covered with a black mask, but the eyes behind it were a bright red. It was so unnatural that Roger¡¯s finger nearly pulled the trigger, but his senses returned in time.


    ¡°You will state your full name and explain why you jumped in front of my car! Any quick moves I will not hesitate to shoot!¡±


    The figure simply stood there for a moment, hands raised, not saying a word. Before Roger could shout at the assailant again, they spoke.


    ¡°My name is Red. The reason I jumped was that I need a favor. I apologize for the unconventional method.¡±


    The voice that came from the figure was tinny and mechanical as if it were coming from a machine. Roger was caught off guard again, both by the inhuman voice and by the message it spoke.


    ¡°Why would I ever want to do that? Are you a lunatic?¡±


    ¡°I have information you want to get your hands on.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that. Walk slowly towards me with your hands raised.¡±


    Roger was feeling a bit more confident now that he knew the person was crazy. He was still a little thrown by the fact that this person had jumped off an apartment building and landed on the road without their legs being broken, but he figured the snow could have proved some cushion. The fact that they were out in such cold temperatures without a coat also threw him, but he decided the person was on some sort of drug and couldn¡¯t feel the frigid temperature. Just one more crazy off the street once he brought them in.


    ¡°I think you¡¯d want to know who was behind the death of your wife and son.¡±


    His blood froze. How did they know about that? Clearly, they had some sort of contact in the station that leaked the information or they somehow stole his file. Thousands of possibilities ran through his head, but he shoved them all away. This person was insane, they had to be. He was going to bring them in and his night would go back to being normal.


    ¡°I know you know it¡¯s not an accident. You¡¯re not stupid. I have a name.¡± The figure spoke with complete confidence.


    Roger¡¯s whole body was numb. He had fervently chased after a multitude of suspects after his family¡¯s death. At a certain point, he didn¡¯t know if it was for closure or just to find someone to blame and beat them to death. And now, ten years later, this loony was bringing it up again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a name of someone involved tonight. If you do me the favor, I¡¯ll give you get the head of the snake. I¡¯d be happy to serve him on a silver platter. But first, the favor.¡±


    The chance was so tempting. Roger licked his lips and debated agreeing to the favor despite not even knowing what needed to be done.


    ¡°Tell me what the favor is first and then we¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°I simply need something picked up. I¡¯ll give you the location, time, and anything you need to bring. Simply pick it up, keep it for me, and then drop it off when I tell you to.¡±


    ¡°Drugs?¡± Roger asked. He was slowly coming back to his senses. The whole situation was insane--a person literally jumps off a building and offers an exchange of information as long as he holds drugs for them? How much of an idiot did this ¡®Red¡¯ think he was?


    ¡°No drugs, I promise. I can¡¯t tell you what it is otherwise you¡¯re not going to pick it up, but I can promise you it¡¯s not anything illegal .¡±


    Roger could hint a sense of humor in the voice but wasn¡¯t completely sure since it was so robotic. The deal was seeming too sweet to be real.


    ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    Red went silent. They sighed before they spoke.


    ¡°The package you¡¯re picking up is cursed .¡±


    Roger let that sink in. After a moment he burst out laughing, catching Red by surprise.


    ¡°What the hell? You¡¯re not picking it up because it¡¯s cursed? What in the actual hell is going on?¡± His fit of hysterical laughter lasted a few minutes and he wiped away the tears from his eyes.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll pick up this ¡®cursed¡¯ item for you. Where and when?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact you when it needs to be picked up.¡±


    Red turned around and began walking away into the darkness.


    ¡°How can I trust you?¡± Roger shouted before losing Red from his sight. Red stopped and turned slightly toward him.


    ¡°Edgar Hamilton.¡±


    And in the blink of an eye, Red was suddenly gone.

 Chapter 2: Edgar Hamilton

    He came into work the next day despite it being his day off, last night¡¯s events seeming like a dream. John was leaving when Roger was arriving, but Roger managed to get away with not coming in contact with him.


    ¡°Roger, what are you doing at work? Take your day off!¡±


    Roger winced when he forgot about avoiding the secretary, Mrs. Lawrence.


    ¡°Good morning to you too Stacey. And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll only be here for a bit and I¡¯m off.¡±


    ¡°Roger Jason Smith, I¡¯ve heard that line too many times to believe you. You are going to march out of those doors and I will not see you until tomorrow, understand?¡±


    Heads turned at the tone of her voice. Most of the workers at the station knew that when Stacey used someone¡¯s full name, no one was going to have a good day if they got in the way of her wrath, so everyone walked just a bit faster to avoid getting nagged at.


    ¡°I promise that I¡¯m only checking something fast and then I¡¯m off. I swear.¡± He put his right hand over his heart and raised his left palm toward her. Stacey wasn¡¯t going down that simply though.


    ¡°You are getting too old to be pulling these stunts. I have never met another fifty-year-old who is as stubborn as you! Do you even eat? You work from nine in the morning until midnight and don¡¯t take days off. I can¡¯t imagine what a sorry state your kitchen¡¯s in! And your shirt is untucked! Your mother would be so disappointed! You even missed a spot shaving!¡±


    ¡°Two hours, I promise.¡± He quickly walked away before Stacey could retort. He could hear her chastising another officer about their untidy appearance while he escaped.


    On a mission, he went to the case filing cabinet and found the file he was looking for and sat at his desk. ¡°Edgar Hamilton¡± the tag read. If this so-called ¡®Red¡¯ was telling the truth, then there should be some sort of link between this person and his family¡¯s death. He was incredibly skeptical considering last night¡¯s incursion felt more like a crazed hallucination rather than reality, but the hope that this name would bring him closer bringing the people who killed the loves of his life to pay for their crimes was too good to pass up. He opened the file and started reading, but a sudden commotion seemed to strike up in the office. Officers were running around grabbing their equipment left and right as radios went off.


    ¡°Explosion on Rivard and Atwater. twenty-one armed and dangerous. Approach with extreme caution.¡±


    Roger dropped the file and grabbed his badge and gun. Edgar was going to have to wait a bit longer. He got into a police vehicle with the nearest officer he could find and gunned the engine.


    ¡°Glad you chose me to be your partner for the day, sir.¡±


    Roger turned to the officer in the passenger seat. He groaned internally--he had chosen the newest recruit, a doe-eyed boy straight out of the academy who clearly hadn¡¯t seen any action.


    ¡°I¡¯ve followed your work, sir. You brought down the Mendez brothers and the Jackson gang. Impressive work, sir.¡±


    ¡°Listen¡­¡± Roger started.


    ¡°Patricks. Henry Patricks ¡±


    ¡°Listen Patricks, I don¡¯t remember what they teach you at the academy, but this is a real-life situation, alright? One rule; don¡¯t get shot. Don¡¯t start getting trigger happy either. The last thing we need is an officer killing suspects just because they can. A gun doesn¡¯t make you invincible either. Anyone can shoot a gun, but not many can use it for a purpose. You know what a gun¡¯s sole purpose is?¡±


    ¡°To...shoot?¡± The officer said hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes, but our purpose is to protect the public. Can you do that son?¡±


    The officer nodded, remaining silent for the rest of the ride.


    When they got to the site, there was already a group of bystanders trying to get a better look at the explosion and the firefight. Reporters pushed against the police officers guarding the scene.


    ¡°Help them keep the reporters out,¡± Roger told the young officer.


    Patricks looked disappointed but immediately jumped into action, pushing back a reporter that was about to break through the caution tape. Roger was glad the young boy was so eager to please--it made his life much easier since he had one less variable to worry about. He walked up to the Lieutenant who was barking out orders.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Roger asked.


    ¡°Three wounded on their side, but it¡¯s making them feisty. Two officers down with minor wounds here. Luckily no one was injured in the explosion. Still trying to figure out what triggered it. Isn¡¯t today your day off?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Roger ignored that last bit.


    ¡°Do we have eyes inside?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. Trying to get a team together to figure out their arsenal.They¡¯ve been shooting at us for ten minutes and not running out of bullets. We suspect they were running a weapons smuggling ring with this building as their headquarters. Hate to say this, but that explosion really did us a solid. Didn¡¯t even know they existed until now.¡±


    All of a sudden a dozen shots rang out from inside the smoking building and everyone dropped to the ground.


    ¡°That¡¯s been happening too.¡± The Lieutenant said as he rose to his feet. ¡°Can¡¯t explain it, but every time that happens we have one less gunman to worry about. My guess is an internal quarrel and they¡¯re shooting themselves, or we have a ghost officer inside taking everyone out. I¡¯m holding back on sending anyone in until I this pattern stops. If they shoot each other rather than shooting at us, I won¡¯t complain.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that makes a bit of sense, but why is it happening?¡±


    ¡°My goal is to protect all these nosy people around this goddamn building. Your job is to assemble a team to raid the building on my signal.¡±


    Roger called out to ten officers he had worked with before to join him. Another dozen set of shots rang out, but the Lieutenant still gave them no signal to go ahead. Glass exploded overhead as one of the rooms on the upper floor of the building gave way to a grenade. They were given the signal and raided the building.


    Adrenaline pumping, the officers slowly made their way into the building. The building was constructed much like a warehouse; a massive open area with only pillars supporting the ceiling. The rest of the first story was littered with partially cracked open crates, their contents spilling out. Rifles, pistols, and a few grenades were littered across the floor. One officer called out to the rest to follow. To Roger¡¯s surprise, an assailant was bound and gagged on the floor. He undid the gag.


    ¡°Please, I¡¯ll tell you everything, just don¡¯t let the demon get me!¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The explosion, and then the demon came after us. I was only following orders and got caught up with this. I¡¯ll tell you everything as long as you protect me from the demon!¡±


    ¡°What demon are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The short man with the red eyes. He¡¯s a demon. So fast, just took us all out. There are twenty-five of us. None of us got away. Upstairs got weapons, but I heard the demon take them all out. They¡¯re all gone. All gone.¡±


    Roger told one of the officers to get the guy out of there and to send another team in to help them sweep the area for bodies. They found eight more on the first floor, tied up just like the first one, all pleading for mercy. Red was behind this one hundred percent, no doubt about it. A sudden thought hit Roger and he ran to the nearest tied up offender and ripped off their gag.


    ¡°Who is your leader?¡±


    The member whimpered in fear and Roger was afraid they were going to soil themselves right then and there.


    ¡°Who is your leader!¡±


    ¡°Edgar! He¡¯s our leader! It was all him, I didn¡¯t do anything!¡±


    Roger put the gag back on the assailant. Without backup, he charged up the stairs, knowing full well that Red had already taken care of everyone. On the second floor, he found seven more people bound up. On the third floor, he found eight more bound on the ground and a single man tied up to a chair. The man¡¯s face was bloody and beaten to a pulp and his breathing was ragged. Taped to the chest of the man was a manila folder. Roger pulled it off and looked through it. Inside was a written confession of ownership to the building and all its contents as well as a list of all persons associated with his business. Inside, he also found an article about the rising crime in the city of Detroit, and a handwritten note saying Now it¡¯s your turn. Rosa Parks Blvd, Riverwalk. Tomorrow, 7:15 am. Bring two hot water bottles and a towel.


    Well, Red certainly held up their end of the bargain so he was going to hold up his. He didn¡¯t expect Red to do this much, but he was grateful. His process of investigation would have taken much longer than literally bombing the shit out of Edgar and beating up his goons. As extreme as Red was, his respect for the masked demon rose. He just hoped the court would uphold the signed confession.


    He walked down the flights of stairs and told the officers it was safe to go further into the building. Roger handed the Lieutenant the folder, already having tucked away the note addressed to him in his pocket. And true to his word to Stacey, he went grocery shopping and cooked himself a hearty meal. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure how Edgar Hamilton played into the murder of his family, but he had no doubt he would find out soon enough. Roger slept like a baby for the first time in ten years that night, dreaming of what he would do when he found the head of the snake.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Rogers was second guessing agreeing to this deal. It was seven in the morning and the sun still wasn¡¯t up, meaning that he was freezing his balls off in the cold. He had remembered to put chains on his tires which made driving easier, but traffic was incredibly light considering he was up before the ass-crack of dawn. He was currently sitting on the still-warm hood of his car to stay warm, but that was quickly losing its heat. The interior of his car was beckoning him, but he wanted to be sure he didn¡¯t miss the package Red wanted him to pick up. Rogers had no idea why the hot water bottles and a towel, but if Red expected him to take a dip in the winter Detroit River, they had another thing coming. He had agreed to hold on to a package, not swim for it. He glanced at his watch for the fiftieth time. 7:13. Two more minutes and he¡¯ll do his part.


    The sun peaked over the city across the river, casting deep blue shadows over the water. If anything, he at least appreciated watching the sunrise. He wasn¡¯t a morning person, but his wife had often forced him out of bed to watch the sunrise. A pang of sadness hit him when he remembered Lisa¡¯s face. And little Tyler wanting to constantly be picked up even though he was getting too big. Shaking his head clear of the thoughts, he looked at his watch again. 7:15. Looking around, he saw no sight of Red.


    Cursing under his breath, he slid off the hood of his car and opened his car door in the hopes of sitting inside and warming up since the engine had cooled. He took one last look at the river for keepsake when he noticed something out of the ordinary. Was that?


    Jumping into action he grabbed the towel from the passenger seat and rushed toward the river¡¯s edge, hoping he wasn¡¯t too late.

 Chapter 3: The Girl Who Fell From The Heavens

    Fear and confusion were the first things she felt when she fell. When the bubble of her old world popped, she was being suffocated by icy water. It dragged her down into its depths, throwing her like a rag doll wherever it felt. Right before she ran out of breath, she slammed into a pier support, nearly knocking her unconscious. Gripping the pier, the used the last of her strength to crawl up (or what she hoped was up) until she broke through the surface of the water, only to be knocked under again. Still maintaining a fierce grip on the beam, she inched back up again and gasped for air. She couldn¡¯t tell if the water was colder than the air as her lungs prickled with icy thorns. Her limbs were heavy and her mind muddled, but all she knew was that she needed to stay above the water. Her eyelids drooped, but she remained clinging to beam, whether by the last of her strength or because her arms were frozen in a position she didn¡¯t know, but she didn¡¯t get submerged under the black waters again.


    When her eyes peeled open, the sky was still dark, but it was slowly lightening up. The water around her was much calmer than before but still had a strong current. She couldn¡¯t feel anything below her neck, but her face was burning from the cold. Her limbs detached themselves from the beam and she felt herself sinking into the water. Fear coursed through her system again, making her non-existent limbs move. She really hoped she still had arms and legs--she couldn¡¯t feel them and her neck was too stiff to look down. Apparently, she still did because she broke the surface again, though this time she was bobbing down the river.


    She forced her body to move towards the shore, urging her burning lungs to just make it a few more seconds, and then a few more, and then a few more, until she finally felt something hit against her numb legs. Struggling out of the water, she crawled out onto the crunchy snow along the water¡¯s edge. She lay there, her mind slowly fogging over and sleep whispering sweet things.


    Her body was suddenly lifted into the air by a pair of arms, but she couldn¡¯t tell whose. She didn¡¯t care; she was just so tired. If she just slept for a little bit, she¡¯d feel a lot better.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare close those eyes!¡±


    The voice seemed so far away and sleep seemed so close.


    ¡°Dammit!¡±


    Her eyes drifted shut. She was already feeling so nice.


    Fire suddenly flared in her torso, and then in her legs. She screamed for it to stop, but the hands that carried her were putting molten lava on her. It was too hot, too hot! She liked it better when she couldn¡¯t feel her arms and legs, now she was in pain! Hadn¡¯t she felt enough pain?


    ¡°Just hang on, just keep those there until I get you to the hospital.¡±


    Why was the voice doing bad things to her? Didn¡¯t they know they were hurting her? She struggled in the arms of the voice. She heard it curse, but didn¡¯t care. They were making her feel like she was on fire and she didn¡¯t like it. She screamed until they let go. They were in a small space so she couldn¡¯t escape, by the voice grabbed her and held her roughly, stopping her movements. The voice raised her out of whatever they had been in and ran her into a building. The building was made out of fire!


    She kept screaming that it hurt, but other voices took her arms and legs and held her down. They put her in a bed and strapped her down, covering her in things that made her burn even more. She hated the voices and what they were doing to her! Her lungs and stomach and chest were too hot! She struggled and struggled, but no one came to her rescue.


    ¡°Are you sure this is the easiest way?¡± The first voice asked. ¡°She was screaming the whole way here. Can we just ease her into regular temperature using a bath?¡±


    Another voice, a lighter one, responded.


    ¡°We¡¯re using the room temperature patches to get her to normal temperature, but considering her state of hypothermia she¡¯s lucky she¡¯s alive. What exactly was she doing?¡±


    ¡°She crawled out of the river.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Crawled right out of the river. I just happened to be watching the sunrise when I saw her there.¡±


    She was feeling a little better now. The burning was better, more like being too close to a fire rather than actually on fire. She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, but the straps restrained her. The voices seemed to have noticed and came to her.


    ¡°Hey honey, my name is nurse Katy. Are you feeling better?¡±


    She nodded. The liked Katy¡¯s voice. Katy untied her limbs from the bed too. She really liked Katy.


    ¡°Can you tell me your name?¡±


    This voice came from the person that took her out of the river.


    ¡°My name is Inspector Roger Smith. I¡¯m the one that took you here. What is your name?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t a bit fan of the Inspector¡¯s voice; it was too gruff and not nice at all like Katy¡¯s. She tried to open her mouth, but only a squeak came out. She tried again, but a louder squeak escaped.


    ¡°Let me get you some water honey. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Katy strolled away quickly, whispering under her breath ¡°poor thing.¡±


    ¡°Are you the package?¡±


    A look of confusion passed over her face. Package? Her? What was that supposed to mean?


    ¡°Do you know someone called Red?¡±


    Red, like the color? Were people actually named after colors here? Where was here anyway? Everything was so foreign to her. It dawned on her that she couldn¡¯t recall anything. She had suddenly found herself in water and then she was surrounded by fire, not giving her much time to think about where she was, or who she was. Try as hard as she could, she couldn¡¯t remember a single fact from her life besides whatever she had just lived through. Apparently, she could understand whatever language Katy and Inspector were speaking, but she didn¡¯t know anything else. She looked down at herself. Well, she knew she was female, but nothing else came to mind. Her arms were dark, not incredibly dark, but darker than the man standing next to her bed. Speaking of, what did he want again?


    ¡°I guess this is why Red didn¡¯t tell me what the package was. I probably wouldn¡¯t have agreed if I knew I was going to be taking care of a kid until they said so. Jesus, I¡¯m such an idiot, there was obviously a catch. You goddamn idiot, you should be smarter than that. Fucking idiot.¡±


    She didn¡¯t really know what a few of those words meant, but she guessed they weren¡¯t positive considering the look on his face. Oh, well. Her goal now was to regain some memories and figure out what she was doing there. She hoisted herself off the bed, but before her feet could even touch the ground, the man had his arms under her armpits, holding her up in the air.


    ¡°You are much heavier than you look.¡± He put her back on the bed. ¡°Ouch, I may have thrown out my back.¡±


    She attempted to get off the bed again, but he held her arm down.


    ¡°Oh, no, you¡¯re not going anywhere, not until I get some answers.¡±


    As if on cue, Katy came in holding a paper cup with water.


    ¡°Sorry it took me so long, I had two doctors have me do some quick errands for them. Can¡¯t say no to doctors around here...Anyways, drink up.¡±


    She cautiously took a sip of water and felt much better. Downing the small cup, she cleared her throat.


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t remember what, sweetie.¡± The nurse asked.


    ¡°Anything. I don¡¯t know anything. No memories at all.¡±


    That seemed to catch everyone off guard.


    ¡°Excuse me, what?¡± Roger asked, incredulously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how old I am, but I guess I can speak this language.¡±


    ¡°English? Well, that¡¯s hardly a feat if you¡¯re raised here. But then again, you don¡¯t remember anything do you?¡± Roger¡¯s voice was sharp and he ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. She didn¡¯t know what she had done wrong, but Roger didn¡¯t seem to like her very much.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s okay honey. Sometimes when you experience something traumatic like what you went through you can suffer memory loss. It¡¯s usually not your whole lifespan, but you may be a rare case. Let me get a doctor to sort this out.¡± She shot Roger a dirty glare before she walked out, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice or care.


    ¡°So you seriously don¡¯t remember anything?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°If I say it a few more times then will you believe me? I don¡¯t remember, I don¡¯t remember, I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    The Inspector stood there with his mouth agape.


    ¡°Clearly someone never learned how to speak to their elders.¡± He retorted.


    ¡°For all I know, I could be older than you.¡± She replied quickly.


    ¡°Listen here you little--¡±


    Just then the doctor walked in and Roger shut up. She turned away to smile since she had a feeling it would piss him off.


    ¡°Alright, miss. I hear you don¡¯t remember anything. What is the earliest memory you have, I¡¯m just trying to get a picture of how severe this is.¡±


    She tried to explain simply waking up underwater, but she did a poor job expressing the feeling of panic and pain she felt using words. The message did get across to her audience, however, because she saw the expression of anger fade from the Inspector¡¯s face and one of surprise mask it. The nurse and doctor had expressions of pity painted on their faces, and she hated it. She¡¯d even prefer Roger¡¯s anger over those looks.


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯re looking at an extreme case of amnesia here. To be honest, I¡¯ve never faced such an extreme case in someone so young. You look seven, which falls under our pediatrics sector. I¡¯ll contact them and see if they have any idea how to treat it. In some cases, the patient regains all their memories, in others, none. Just try your best to do whatever comes naturally to you since it¡¯s probably your subconscious guiding you even though you may not be aware of it. I¡¯m going to discharge you since we are running low on beds and your vitals are looking much better. Inspector, a word please?¡±


    Roger and the doctor walked out of the room, but she could still hear them. They weren¡¯t exactly being discrete.


    ¡°How did you find her?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I was at the riverfront when I saw her literally climbing out of the water.¡±


    ¡°Well, considering her condition I feel that she needs to immediately go into the foster care system before she gains the illusion that you are her father. You are the first person she saw, and considering the trauma she endured, she could very well think you are her father. I suggest that whatever you do, you do it quickly.¡± The doctor¡¯s footsteps pattered away on the tiled floor.


    The Inspector trudged in, his hands in his pockets, a muddled expression on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to leave you two alone. The room will only be available for another ten minutes though since a patient just got out of surgery and is needing a room.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving now, don¡¯t worry. Let the surgery person have his room.¡± She said while jumping off the bed.


    ¡°We are?¡± Roger asked, amazed at the gall of this little girl who was slightly over half his height.


    Not warranting a response, she strolled out of the room with Roger nipping at her heels.


    ¡°You are taking this whole amnesia thing very well. You seriously can¡¯t remember anything, you¡¯re not just pulling all of our legs?¡± Roger just couldn¡¯t believe that this child was handling the fact they couldn¡¯t remember anything in such stride.


    The little girl didn¡¯t say anything. She simply picked her stride down the white hallways, clearly on a mission to get out of this place. Bursting through the doors, she ran into the street with her arms outstretched. Breathing in the crisp, cool air was the perfect medicine. The warmth of the sun to her left was seeping into her pores, rejuvenating her energy. She felt light, but a twinge of sadness pricked at her heart. The euphoria of getting to rediscover things around her shoved the feeling of loss down deep. For some reason she had the elated feeling of starting anew; her past was behind her and would never touch her again, not as long as she kept moving forward. The curiosity of her past was nagging at her mind, but she refused to focus all her energies on finding out who she was rather than identifying herself as a new person.


    ¡°Hey, girlie, you need to slow down before you get hit by a car.¡± Roger¡¯s hand had shot out and grabbed her by the shoulder, stopping her in her walk through the parking lot.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what you took me here in. Can you show me?¡± Her expression lit up as if the sun itself were shining through her eyes.


    ¡°You mean, show you my car? Have you never seen a car before?¡± Confusion wrapped around Roger¡¯s brain.


    Was this little girl really the package Red wanted him to pick up? All the pieces lined up, but why in the world would Red not have been able to pick her up? The girl certainly didn¡¯t seem cursed, if anything she seemed like the brightest ball of energy he had seen in a very long time. It reminded him too much of Tyler and he hated it. No, this girl was Red¡¯s package and he just had to deal with it until he could get rid of her. A thought occurred to him; did Red know about the girl¡¯s amnesia? Did Red somehow cause the trauma that lead to the amnesia? That may explain why Red had him pick her up in case something in the girl¡¯s mind broke loose when they saw Red.


    ¡°Is this one it?¡± The girl¡¯s voice drew him out of his vortex of thoughts.


    ¡°No, two more down.¡±


    The little girl was so excited to experience this new world. New world? Well, everything seemed new to her although some things were familiar. Maybe she would have to find out about her past after all, but only a little, just to get some answers as to why she could identify some things and speak this language, not enough to dirty her new life.


    Roger watched in silent amusement at the little girl who was running around his car, tapping at the headlights, running her hand along the metal, and looking at her reflection in the mirror. It dawned on him that she wasn¡¯t wearing a coat in near zero degree temperature. He quickly shrugged off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. How could he have been so stupid to let a small child who had just suffered severe hypothermia run out in this temperature without a coat?


    ¡°I think you need this more.¡± She said and took the coat off, handing it to him. He was clearly shivering, but she didn¡¯t really mind the cold air. Being submerged in icy waters most definitely affected her, but the air was fine.


    ¡°Just get in the car. Keep the coat.¡±


    He fumbled with his keys and unlocked the car doors. Running around to the passenger side, he opened up the door for the little girl before getting in himself. He immediately cranked up the heat and relaxed when he could stop seeing his breath mist in the air in front of him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t keep calling you, well, you. I need to call you something. I just can¡¯t believe you don¡¯t remember anything, let alone your name.¡±


    The girl breathed onto the glass on the passenger side window and drew a little sun, tracing the sun over the horizon.


    ¡°Can you come up with a name for me? I don¡¯t really know what a good name here is.¡±


    Roger wasn¡¯t expecting that request. Racking his brain, he tried to come up with a name. Susan? Gertrude? Molly? He wasn¡¯t good at names, which is why his wife was in charge of naming Tyler. The thought of naming her Lisa crossed his mind, but he refused to give this small child his precious wife¡¯s name. Well, he found her crawling out of a river, so would River be a good name? Probably not. Frost? Snow? Now he was just grasping at straws.


    ¡°How about Sun?¡±


    ¡°I like it! Does this place only have one?¡± The question was so innocent, yet so odd.


    ¡°Yes, we only have one sun. I think we¡¯ve always had one sun last I checked. Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡±


    The girl nodded, her face scrunched up as if she remembered something unpleasant.


    ¡°How come you¡¯re not giving me to foster care? I don¡¯t really know what that is, but that way I won¡¯t think you¡¯re my dad? I already know you¡¯re not, but I guess foster care will make me not think that at all?¡±


    The Inspector groaned and ran his hand through his hair. He started the car and figured the car ride to his apartment would be long enough to answer questions on both sides.


    ¡°So you heard that huh. Well, the thought crossed my mind, but I don¡¯t want to put you through the system. I was in foster care when I was ten until I was eighteen. Went to six homes in eight years and always came back with a fresh set of bruises. And I have to keep a promise to someone and hold on to you.¡±


    ¡°But what is foster care? You get to travel around home to home? By why do you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s where they put kids whose parents aren¡¯t alive anymore or don¡¯t want them. They try to help the kids by putting them in other families that want them, but most of the time it doesn¡¯t work out.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She went silent. The atmosphere was palpable in the car. ¡°Who¡¯s the person you kept the promise to?¡±


    ¡°Red.¡± Roger turned to gauge her expression, but there was no sign of recognition. She really was telling the truth in that she didn¡¯t know Red.


    ¡°Why did you make a promise to Red?¡±


    ¡°I struck a deal with them. Anyways, are you hungry or anything? I¡¯ve already eaten, but I suspect you haven¡¯t.¡±


    He pulled over at a diner and they both got out. They must have looked a little ridiculous, a little girl wearing a heavy coat and a grown man without one because the waitress who took their order gave them a funny look. Not until partially through their meal Roger had the chilling realization that he had a shift that day and was already two hours late. Asking the diner to borrow their landline, he dialed the station. Mrs. Lawrence picked up.


    ¡°Detroit police station, how may I direct your call?¡± Her voice politely stated.


    ¡°Hey Stacey, it¡¯s Roger. Something came up and--¡±


    ¡°Roger Smith! Where in the blazes are you? I called your house four times! I almost called a search party for you! This is so unlike you!¡± He heard her take a deep breath before speaking. ¡°Are you alright? Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alright and everything okay. I may have bitten off more than I can chew here though.¡± He tried to explain the situation to Stacey, leaving out the parts about Red and their deal.


    ¡°Poor thing! Take good care of her, alright Roger? If you need any help taking care of her, just call me. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re making this decision to adopt her, you need someone else in your life.¡± She hung up before he could counter. Adoption? He never said that at all! Stacey always took it one step too far. Sighing, he thanked the waitress, who seemed to have heard his entire conversation and was now looking at him with glowing eyes, and sat back down.


    Sun had had a ball eating her pancakes and eggs--she was wearing most of the items on her plate now and syrup had somehow managed to get caked in her hair. A napkin clung to her forearm, glued there via syrup. Her fork was absolutely untouched. All in all, she was quite the sight to behold. Holding back his laughter, he wet a napkin and tried his best to clean her face, but he knew she was going to need a bath as soon as he got to his apartment. Although she had the maturity of an adult, she was at toddler level when it came to eating. He paid his bill and left for home, curious to what else she had to learn.


    On the drive there she had her face pressed against her window staring at all the passing buildings and asking what they were for. He was glad she didn¡¯t know how to roll down windows yet otherwise he would have had to worry about her jumping out just to get a closer look. Besides her impeding curiosity, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to take care of Sun until Red needs her. From what he could tell, Sun was just an odd little girl suffering from amnesia. It wasn¡¯t until she stripped and got in the bath that he noticed something out of the ordinary.


    On Sun¡¯s back was a large scar stretching from her right shoulder blade to her left ribcage. He¡¯d seen large scars before, but this one was pitch black as if the wound itself were a tattoo. He leaned forward, trying to get a closer look. The skin itself was crystallized as if the scarred tissue were made of stone. Perhaps this was the curse Red was talking about. As if sensing his realization, Sun turned around. She was smiling, but her blue eyes had turned pitch black.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She asked, her eyes suddenly turning blue again.


    He merely smiled back by instinct and told her everything was fine. His insides were screaming to get out of that bathroom and leave the city as fast as he could. Those black eyes had wanted to devour him. Not just him, he realized, but everything. There was something unnatural inside that little girl, something that threatened to lash out and destroy everything.


    That was most definitely a curse.

 Chapter 4: Alter

    When Sun opened her eyes again, she had a faint feeling of deja vu. This was the second time in less than twenty-four hours that she didn¡¯t know where she was. The last thing she remembered was lying down in the spare bedroom in the Inspector¡¯s house, and now she was...she had no idea where she was.


    The space around her seemed endlessly black, but there were floating orbs around her, some drifting around at fast paces, others remaining static. They continuously changed colors, some constantly shifting shades of red and blue, while others were ranging across the entire spectrum. She attempted to reach out to one, but it drifted away from her too quickly. Sun tried again with other orbs, but they all floated away when she was about to make contact.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t touch those.¡±


    Sun quickly turned around, searching for the origin of the voice. She was getting pretty sick and tired of not knowing anything and having to identify people solely based on their voices. Not finding the culprit behind her she frantically scanned all around her, still finding no one.


    ¡°Hey, Sun, I¡¯m down here.¡±


    She looked down. The surface of her feet seemed to be standing on some sort of reflective surface. Echoed black laid out before her, showing her the bottoms of the orbs she had chased as well as her own reflection. To her surprise, her reflection waved at her.


    ¡°Do you mind pulling me up so we can talk face-to-face. I¡¯ve never been a big fan of being looked down on.¡±


    Hesitantly, Sun reached down to the reflective surface. Her palm hit the cool surface, but instead of stopping, her hand pushed through the membrane of the mirror, feeling her reflection¡¯s hand grab hold of hers. Hoisting her arm up, her reflection came through the membrane, leaving an empty darkness in its place.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    The other girl shook herself off, plucking off bits of goo and throwing them on the ground, where they were absorbed back into the mirror.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Sun asked. She was convinced she was having a strange dream. At least that meant she was still in bed at Roger¡¯s place--just one less thing to worry about.


    ¡°I go by many names, but you named me Alter a long time ago. Pretty unoriginal name considering who I am.¡± The other girl said, picking out the last bits of the mirrored surface from her hair.


    ¡°And who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m you, but not. All the memories you had stored up in your noggin are mine now. And before you ask, I¡¯m not giving them to you. You made a choice to give them to me and you¡¯re going to have to live with it. In short, I¡¯m your alter ego, hence the incredibly creative name, Alter, that you gave me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember ever choosing to give you my memories! And I never named you either. You¡¯re not me, so give me back my memories!¡±


    ¡°Wow, feisty one this time. Sometimes you can be so boring. At least this time I can tell it¡¯s going to be a bit more exciting.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°What in the world are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say ¡®in the world.¡¯ More like, next to it. Next to a bunch of worlds to be exact. I¡¯m honestly surprised you haven¡¯t asked where you are, normally that¡¯s the first question you ask.¡± She outstretched her arms and all the orbs near her flowed towards her, nuzzling her neck and orbiting around her. ¡°Welcome to the Void. Welcome home.¡±


    Sun was flabbergasted. Home? Here? No way.


    ¡°Just tell me who I am.¡± Sun pleaded.


    ¡°And miss all the cool adventures we¡¯re going to have? Hell no! Even though this is home for us, you hardly stay here for very long. You have to find your home away from home to figure out who you really are. And even if I told you where that was, you wouldn¡¯t believe me anyway. Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Try me.¡±


    Sun stared directly into Alter¡¯s eyes. She was surprised to see that Alter had pitch black eyes, versus her blue ones.


    ¡°Why are your eyes different if you''re supposed to be my copy?¡±


    Alter gave her a mischievous smile.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m you, not a copy of you. Plus, sometimes we¡¯ll look different even though we¡¯re the same person. Oops, seems like our time is up. I¡¯ll come see you when you get to know yourself better.¡±


    Sun wanted to keep asking her own questions since Alter kept brushing her off, but before she could open her mouth, she felt herself falling. The dark but beautiful world dissolved around her, turning into the interior of the guest bedroom in Roger¡¯s apartment. She sat up, half-convinced she was still dreaming. A sudden feeling of claustrophobia hit her and she knew she would explode if she didn¡¯t get some fresh air.


    She didn¡¯t know what time it was, but light was still seeping from under Roger¡¯s room. Sneaking by on her tiptoes, she crept into the living room. Figuring the door would be noticeably loud and alert Roger to her sneaking out, she opted for the living room window that lead out onto the fire escape. To her luck, the window didn¡¯t make any noise and she slinked out no problem. In the clear, she rushed up the steps of the escape to the roof of the apartment building.


    If not for the stark white hair, Sun would have completely missed the person decked in black standing on the far side of the roof. They exuded an a predatory air and seemed to blend in perfectly with their dark surroundings. The figure¡¯s arm raised in her direction, palm facing her, and she felt herself fly towards them, catching and holding her up by her collar. Sun was stunned by the action that she couldn¡¯t react at all. The figure¡¯s head whipped to face her. Bright red eyes bored into her blue ones.


    ¡°Memorize this face very carefully because it¡¯s the last time I show you.¡± The figure demanded.


    Fear coursed through her veins while she did as the person said. The bright red eyes, the short white hair sticking out in all directions, she wasn¡¯t going to be forgetting anytime soon. She made a mental note that this person was most definitely female judging by the stature, facial structure, and voice. After what seemed like an eternity to Sun, the figure dropped her. Sun landed on her butt and let out a cry of pain. She watched as the figure stepped back and pulled on a black mask that covered their bright head of hair, revealing only their vivid eyes.


    ¡°Learn to fight so other people don¡¯t do it for you.¡± A mechanical voice spoke this time and Sun wondered how they could change their voice like that. And why did she need to learn to fight? She wasn¡¯t planning on going into any battles in the near future. The figure stepped off the building and plunged to the ground. Sun cried out, but when she went to the ledge she saw no body lying crumpled on the ground below.


    Sun decided that she had had her fill of fresh air and snuck back into Roger¡¯s apartment. She crawled into bed, trying to wrap her brain around the two new faces she had met today. Alter had all the answers to her questions but refused to give them to her, and she hoped never to see Red again. Her first sleep in that world was restless and plagued with thoughts of mysterious beings with red eyes hunting her through the darkness.

 Chapter 5: Hunt For The Snake

    The sound of glass breaking woke Roger up. Still delirious from sleep, he grabbed his weapon from his nightstand and slinked out into the hallway. It took him a few seconds to register the seven-year-old sheepishly standing on the kitchen counter as a threat he didn¡¯t need to shoot. He did need to watch where he was stepping, however, as the curious little girl had dropped one of his coffee cups on the linoleum floor, shattering little bits of ceramic everywhere.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll get the broom.¡±


    His voice came out harsher than he intended, but he was a little peeved at the early morning wake-up. This was not how he had planned to start his day. Plus, he was sure he was going to find bits of ceramic lodged in his feet for the rest of the week since he could never get all the bits the first time. He hadn¡¯t even had a good night¡¯s sleep to begin with since he was up all night trying to figure out how he was going to find a daycare center that would take Sun on such short notice. He clearly couldn¡¯t just keep skipping work because he now had to take care of a child for an undetermined amount of time, although he was sure Mrs. Lawrence would somehow cover for him, and he couldn¡¯t bring her to work for various reasons. He had grabbed his phone book and written down a list of potential child care centers, but he couldn¡¯t very well call them in the middle of the night. Grumbling to himself, he searched for the broom and dustpan in the hallway closet. When he came back, Sun was on all fours picking up the broken pieces of the cup by hand.


    ¡°Jesus!¡± He cried and motioned for her to dump everything into the trash can.


    He inspected her hands closely to make sure there were no cuts. To his surprise there were none, but there were harsh black lines on her palms that he hadn¡¯t noticed before. In amazement, he watched as the black faded away, blinking a few times to make sure it wasn¡¯t a trick of the light.


    ¡°Sorry. I really wanted something to drink but I couldn¡¯t reach so I climbed up and bumped your cup and it fell and then broke and I¡¯m really sorry and I¡¯ll pay you back.¡± Sun said, rambling, but he was so amazed by what he had just witnessed that her words fell on deaf ears.


    His alarm broke him out of his trance and rushed to his room to turn it off, walking straight through the pile of broken shards. Cursing loudly, he limped into his room and turned it off. Grabbing a pack of band-aids from the bathroom, he nursed his wounds. His day was going absolutely splendidly so far. Luckily for him, he didn¡¯t have to head to work until noon, which did give him some time to sort things out with Sun.


    What was that thing he had seen on her palms? His brain was refuting the what his eyes had seen, trying to convince him that he was just seeing things because of a lack of sleep, but the last twenty-four hours proved that he needed to believe in the unimaginable. An idea hit him just then. He strolled out into the kitchen. Sun had already swept up the broken remains of his cup and dumped them, so at least this time he didn¡¯t need to worry about his feet getting torn to bits.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to try something.¡± He announced to her.


    She nodded, knowing that she was already in his debt. Roger grabbed a steak knife from the cutlery drawer and motioned for her to come over.


    ¡°Umm, I know I owe you a cup, but I don¡¯t think cutting me will solve the problem.¡±


    ¡°Just, go with me on this.¡±


    Sun hesitantly came over. He gently grabbed one of her hands and pressed the knife to it.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry if I¡¯m wrong.¡± Roger really hoped he was right otherwise he might turn himself in for child abuse.


    Before she could react, he jerked the knife across her palm. Squealing, Sun reeled backward clutching her hand.


    ¡°What did you do that for?¡± She yelled.


    ¡°Let me see.¡± He demanded.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Let me see your palm.¡±


    Sun gingerly held her palm out for him to see. She didn¡¯t know who was more surprised. Instead of the bleeding gash they were both expecting, black crystals coated the skin that had been exposed to the knife. They watched in awe as the crystals dissolved into her palm, revealing a perfectly in-tact hand.


    ¡°How did you know it could do that?¡± She asked with her mouth still hanging open.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± he confessed.


    Sun shot him a look, but couldn¡¯t muster up much anger considering she had just discovered her hands were immune to knife wounds. Curiosity prickled her skin and she knew there was no way she wasn¡¯t going to figure out the extent of this strange happenstance. Without warning, she snatched the knife out of his hand and literally stabbed her forearm. Roger cried out in alarm, but Sun stood there proudly holding her arm out for him to see. A larger accumulation of crystallized skin marked the spot he had stabbed. It took a little while longer for the oddity to dissolve but Sun¡¯s forearm was in perfect condition.


    Roger noticed the mischievous gleam in her eye and knew she was most likely going to be stabbing herself repeatedly with a knife, and as much as he wanted to also find out the extent of her strange defense mechanism, he didn¡¯t want the seven-year-old he was tasked with taking care of accidentally killing themselves. If Sun really was immune to all physical trauma, at least he didn¡¯t need to worry about her getting hurt before he returned her to Red. He stopped her arm in mid-flight to stab herself in the stomach.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop there.¡± He took the knife out of her hands and placed it in the sink.


    ¡°But why?¡± she whined. ¡°I¡¯m not actually hurting myself.¡±


    She had such a disappointed look on her face that Roger almost gave her back the knife. He kicked himself mentally for even experimenting in the first place. If he had been wrong¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ll play around later, alright? Right now we need to eat, change, and try to find somewhere for you to stay while I¡¯m at work.¡±


    ¡°Work?¡±


    Roger had to remind himself that she had amnesia, though the irony did not elude him.


    ¡°I¡¯m an inspector for the Detroit Police Force. Kids really aren¡¯t allowed, so most of the time parents drop their kids off at daycare. I guess at your age it would be school, but I can¡¯t enroll you on such short notice.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I come? I promise I won¡¯t get in your way.¡±


    He could see tears forming in her eyes, but he steeled himself to them. After all, he shouldn¡¯t get attached; he would have to give her to Red in the future and it would make it easier on the both of them if they kept a sense of distance.


    Explaining to her that the police dealt with cases that children shouldn¡¯t be around, he started breakfast, hoping that would distract her from the topic. He went on to explain she would be around kids closer to her age and she brightened at the thought. They ate and stuck their plates in the sink, leaving the dining room to change into different clothes. He had to dip into his son¡¯s clothes to dress her after her bath yesterday and had to do that same that morning. Sun dressed in blue shorts and a green t-shirt, both slightly too small for her size, but fit nonetheless. Roger made a mental note to ask Mrs. Lawrence if she had any spare clothes for Sun.


    It was nearing noon and Roger still hadn¡¯t been able to contact any daycares that would take Sun that day without having to fill out paperwork and he was beginning to panic. Would Mrs. Lawerence mind watching Sun in the lobby while he worked? Most definitely. He paced on the floor of his apartment trying to find out what the best course of action was. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small piece of paper sticking out from underneath his front door. Distracted, he grasped at it, having to use his fingernail to get any sort of grip. On his second attempt, it came through. On the small piece of paper were two lines of text:


    Bright Beginnings, 1401 Broadway St. LO-3517


    Mitch Gretton


    Red was probably behind this since he recognized Bright Horizons from the phone book; it was a daycare within his area that he hadn¡¯t called yet. He didn¡¯t recognize the name, but he figured it was a contact at the daycare he could talk to. Giving them a ring, a friendly voice immediately picked up.


    ¡°Bright Beginnings, this is Leslie. How may I help you?¡±


    ¡°Hello. May speak to Mitch Greton?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but no one works here by that name. You may have the wrong number.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Roger said, thrown. ¡°Aside from that, is there any opening to take on another child for the day? I¡¯m a bit in a rush to get to work and haven¡¯t had time to figure out the child situation. I¡¯d be happy to pay double and fill out the paperwork when I pick her up but is there any way you can take her on short notice?¡±


    ¡°Of course! What¡¯s your name, sir, and we can streamline the paperwork and get her in immediately.¡±


    Roger released the breath he had been holding. Relief surged through his system as he gave Leslie his information, explaining as much about Sun as he could provided the circumstances. The woman on the other line was courteous and completely understood, reassuring him that he didn¡¯t need to pay double and that he could fill out the paperwork at his leisure. When he hung up the small voice in his head was telling him that it this place was too good to be true, that he was going to find a child smuggling ring tucked away in their basement. However, when he got there to drop Sun off he was greeted with smiles and saw no signs of any illegal activity. Besides a few sniffly noses, he saw nothing wrong with the daycare.


    Although Sun was hesitant to be dropped off, she quickly left his side at the beckoning of other children playing tag. He noticed that she was the oldest in the group and hoped she didn¡¯t mind being around the younger children. Roger handed his work information to Leslie in case of an emergency and pulled Sun away from the other kids for a moment to bid her goodbye.


    ¡°And no hurting yourself either.¡± He told her, remembering their adventures that morning. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get a call from anyone saying they found you stabbing yourself with a pencil or some shit like that, alright?¡±


    Sun nodded vigorously, clearly wanting to get back to running around like a maniac. Roger couldn¡¯t help but worry when he let her go. He mentally prepared himself for the call anyway.


    When he got to work there was no time to worry about Sun anymore because there was a huge commotion and officers were leaping into their cars, sirens blaring.


    ¡°There you are!¡±


    Roger was just getting out of his car when John intercepted him


    ¡°Perfect timing, I thought I was going to have to go with a newbie.¡±


    John pointed to the patrol car that paired with the keys and motioned for Roger to get in. He didn¡¯t even have a chance to buckle himself before John pulled out and started speeding down the road, following the caravan of other cop cars.


    ¡°Another explosion, but this time on the pier. No witnesses or injured, but a whole lot of smoke and fire, and people love smoke and fire. It¡¯s a warehouse used to store foodstuffs, so we¡¯re unsure why it was targeted. I know the last one had smuggled weapons hidden in crates, but this one is literally just rice and flour, no glamour in it at all.¡±


    Roger¡¯s gears were spinning. It was too much of a coincidence for a note to appear with a name he didn¡¯t recognize and there just happens to be another fiery incident. Red was most definitely behind this attack, which meant that Mitch Gretton, whoever he was, was involved with his family¡¯s death.


    ¡°Do we know who the owner of the warehouse is?¡±


    ¡°Some local leasing company, but they just rent out the buildings. They don¡¯t own any property inside the warehouses. Apparently, it¡¯s a no-questions-asked business and there¡¯s not even a paper trail since the people renting the building pay the rent in cash by mail. I¡¯m sure your eyes can find more at the location.¡±


    Roger could see a thick plume of smoke rising from the riverfront. This explosion was ten times bigger than the other one. Red was good at getting explosives it seemed, but they were also good at not littering the ground with bodies.


    When they got to the pier there was a swarm of bystanders trying to get a closer look at the explosion. John and Roger had to push their way through the bodies to get to the scene despite calling out that they were there to investigate. The Lieutenant was speaking with reporters but cut his conversation short when he saw the pair heading over.


    ¡°Welcome to the scene boys. None injured, just a bunch of food on fire. Apparently, that deserves more coverage as our boys in blue get shot at last time. No idea who decided to bomb this place because they wasted a lot of explosives on it. Good luck trying to find a reason behind it.¡±


    With that, the Lieutenant left to deal with reporters once again. Roger approached the scene, but couldn¡¯t get near enough to actually investigate the area because of the flames. Along the pier were dozens of warehouses all looking identical to the one in flames. So why did Red choose this one? To get a clearer picture of the area, Roger asked the owner of the warehouses for permission to check out the other warehouses. The owner shrugged and angrily muttered something under his breath before handing over a few of the keys to the other warehouses. He and John entered the warehouse closest, finding it filled with crates. The smell was what hit them first, the stench of feces and urine, alerting them that something was clearly out of place. Grabbing a crowbar from the trunk of their squad car, John pried the top crate open.


    ¡°Holy fuck!¡± John exclaimed, leaping back in alarm.


    Inside was the largest snake Roger had ever seen, easily twenty feet long if it stretched out. It was tightly coiled in its crate and Roger quickly slammed the lid over the mouth before it could escape.


    ¡°Get more officers to open these things up!¡± He barked at John, who was coming back to reality.


    With more officers helping him, dozens of crates were opened, each holding their own treasure. By the end of the day, they had uncovered six anacondas, two leopards, fifteen macaws, twenty-six monkeys, five giant guinea pigs, three warthogs, and an assortment of multi-colored frogs. The other warehouses were checked as well, but they only contained food; this was the only one that had animals. The thing that was most confusing to Roger wasn¡¯t the fact that there were Amazonian animals stuffed in crates in Detroit, it was the fact that they made no noise. Even the birds were silent.


    ¡°How are they so quiet?¡± John asked, clearly wondering the same thing.


    ¡°Drugs maybe?¡± Offered Roger, though, in reality, he had no clue.


    Red had obviously led him to this location for a reason, but how did these animals link back to his family¡¯s death? He stared at the snake¡¯s crate and watched it get carted away by some officers.


    And who was Mitch Gretton?

 Chapter 6: Combat For All Ages

    Although she was disappointed to be dumped at the daycare, Sun found that she really enjoyed the company of all the other kids. None of them asked any questions besides what her name was and what color she thought was best, which meant there were no looks of judgment from any of them. She didn¡¯t need to know how life worked here since everyone else was still trying to figure out the rules too.


    The jungle gym was by far her favorite thing in the daycare. She loved seeing the horrified faces of the adults supervising when she gained some momentum and let go, sending her flying through the air. Some of the younger kids tried it, but couldn¡¯t reach the top bar. Most of them stopped when one of them fell and bumped their head, yowling loudly until a teacher scooped them up and brought them inside. Sun felt a little bad, but she was overtaken by a swarm of kids playing hide-and-go-seek and immediately forgot the feeling.


    ¡°Sun!¡±


    She turned her head to see who was calling her. It was Leslie, the person who had talked with Roger and settled her in. Leslie motioned her over to talk.


    ¡°How do you feel about becoming a secret agent?¡± Leslie whispered in Sun¡¯s ear with a smile.


    Sun didn¡¯t really know what that meant, but Leslie¡¯s expression was so light that she nodded immediately. It did sound pretty cool anyway, whatever ¡®secret agent¡¯ meant. She followed Leslie inside and down a corridor to a locked room. Sun walked in, eager to find out what her task was. Everything in this world was so exciting!


    ¡°Okay, what I¡¯m going to show you has to remain super-duper top secret, alright? That means you can¡¯t even tell Roger. It has to remain a secret between the two of us. Capisce?¡±


    Sun rolled the thought over in her mind. Not telling Roger something was going to be challenging since she did have a mouth on her, but she really wanted to know what secrets Leslie had in store for her.


    ¡°Yep!¡± She answered enthusiastically.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to hold you to that. Remember, a secret between me and you.¡±


    Leslie shifted the rug they were standing on to the side, revealing a trap door. A set of iron rungs lead down into a dark hallway. Leslie led the way down, flipping a switch at the bottom that lit up the darkness. Sun was beginning to question her choice to become a secret agent but, as usual, her curiosity outweighed her sense of fear. Plus, if for some reason there really was a trap down there, Sun was immune to everything.


    With a newfound sense of courage, she jumped down the opening, landing nimbly on the balls of her feet. Maybe in her previous life she was a gymnast? She remembered shattering the cup that morning and cringed. Maybe a clumsy gymnast?


    Sun continued to follow Leslie down the dank corridor until they came to a large room decked out in an arsenal of every weapon imaginable. She gaped all the different swords, guns, and various other tools that lined the walls. All this was under a daycare?


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget our promise.¡± Leslie reminded her. ¡°Secret.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°What is all this?¡± Sun asked when she found her voice.


    Leslie gave her a knowing smile and gestured to the many weapons around them.


    ¡°This is a secret base for heroes. We¡¯re going to train you to fight. Not to kill, but to protect. We know about your power and its extent. There is a lot you need to learn. A lot.¡±


    Leslie strolled over to the corner where a punching bag stood on a portable rack. She rolled it into the center of the room.


    ¡°This is going to be your friend for the next few weeks. Your job is to protect him from me whenever you¡¯re not practicing on him. Go ahead, try out a punch.¡±


    Leslie stepped aside. Sun was eager to prove herself to Leslie, who trusted her enough to show her a secret base. Using as much strength as she could muster she threw her arm at the bag, hearing a satisfying pop when she made contact. She glanced over at Leslie for approval but found none. Although Leslie¡¯s mouth was smiling, it didn¡¯t meet her eyes. A little surprised at the cold reaction, Sun tried again and punched the bag, but it didn¡¯t change Leslie¡¯s expression a fraction. Not even a twitch.


    ¡°I can see I¡¯ve got a lot to teach you,¡± Leslie stated.


    Not bearing her frigid demeanor any longer, Sun tried changing the subject.


    ¡°What heroes use this base?¡±


    ¡°Right now, only you. This is just a training base, our real base is out in the city. And before you ask, I¡¯m not telling you where it is otherwise you¡¯ll go looking for it. Just know that we¡¯re out there fighting for the greater good no matter the cost.¡±


    Leslie shot Sun a genuine smile and Sun relaxed. She liked this Leslie a lot more than the one that faked her smiles.


    ¡°Now back to you. Your form is awful.¡±


    Sun watched as Leslie gently moved her out of the way so she could show her how to do it correctly.


    ¡°Make sure you stay light on your feet and keep them under your shoulders. Your shoulders should naturally face your opponent. Don¡¯t keep them squared up otherwise you lose all your power. Keep your guard up at all times like this.¡±


    Sun mimicked Leslie¡¯s stance, this time getting a nod of approval.


    ¡°When you throw a punch, make sure your hips follow through since your legs do the majority of the power.¡±


    Leslie suddenly threw a punch at the bag, knocking it back a few feet and releasing a wicked-sounding boom from the impact. Wide-eyed, Sun absorbed the rest of Leslie¡¯s lesson, though she got nowhere near as much power as Leslie had. For an hour Sun threw punch after punch at the bag with Leslie supervising and critiquing. Even though Sun wasn¡¯t satisfied with her progress, Leslie pushed her out of the room, saying that they would only practice an hour a day whenever she was there otherwise people would start getting suspicious.


    When Sun got to step out on the play yard again, she found that the games the other children were playing didn¡¯t sate her hunger for approval from Leslie.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush yourself,¡± Leslie told her when she saw what was running through Sun¡¯s head. ¡°It takes a lot of practice to get strong enough to protect someone. We¡¯re only touching the tip of the iceberg. For now, focus on literally strengthening your muscles, like swinging on the jungle gym and running around. Take a page from their books and enjoy yourself.¡±


    Sun had the sudden realization that she was getting frustrated over something she couldn¡¯t control. Leslie was obviously bigger than her and had bigger muscles, so of course Leslie would be stronger than her! Plus, Sun couldn¡¯t get hurt by anything so there was no reason for her to put so much effort into something that wouldn¡¯t let her enjoy her new life. In a huff, she ran towards the other kids in the hopes to forget the feeling of frustration she had felt that past hour. By the time Roger came to pick her up, she had practically forgotten her hour of training.


    True to her word, Sun didn¡¯t tell Roger about the secret base.

 Chapter 7: A Dangerous Game

    Roger was relieved to see all the paperwork had already been taken care of when he went into the office the next day. He had spent hours yesterday filling out forms for all the animals they had found in the warehouse, leaving with them not fully completed since he still needed to pick up Sun at a reasonable time. At least with the paperwork done he could focus on the name Red had left him.


    He searched through the file cabinet that held all the names of recent offenders, but couldn¡¯t find the name Mitch Gretton anywhere. After asking around to be sure no other officers had the file, he headed down to the archives. After a quick search, he found the file he was looking for. A quick glance revealed that Mitch was a drug addict, but had dropped off the grid years ago.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Roger nearly jumped out of his skin although he could tell right away John was the one behind him.


    ¡°Just following up on a hunch. I think this guy might be somehow related to the warehouses.¡± He handed John the folder, hoping his face didn¡¯t give anything away.


    ¡°Who¡¯s your source?¡±


    ¡°Just overheard the warehouse manager mumble this guy¡¯s name and thought it would be good to check him out.¡±


    Roger hated the feeling of lying to straight to John¡¯s face. John had joined the force a year after Roger¡¯s family had been killed, and Roger had not been kind to him at all. Already having been through two other partners who refused to work with his attitude, John surprised him by biting the bullet and helping Roger get his life together again.


    ¡°Well, if there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve learned from being around you is to always go with your instinct. I¡¯ll come with.¡±


    John smiled and handed Roger back the file, already heading up to grab the patrol car keys. Grateful, Roger followed closely behind, glad to have his partner working alongside him again. He hoped that one day soon he would break it to John that he was still searching for his family¡¯s killer, but he wanted some substantial leads first rather than the assortment of names Red was giving him. Plus, he would have to tell John that he was working with someone outside the law to solve the case, and he didn¡¯t feel comfortable enough admitting to it yet.


    They both got into the patrol car, Roger driving this time, and headed to the last known address on file for Mitch, arriving at a rather hostile part of town. Passing by a few abandoned storefronts, they stopped when they reached the run-down apartment complex that matched the address on file. He and John had to step over a man sleeping on the stairs before reaching Mitch¡¯s place.


    ¡°Police, open up!¡± Roger yelled when he pounded on the door.


    When he received no response he did it again, this time hearing some footsteps stumbling from on the other side of the door. It opened a crack before stopping on a chain latch and a set of tired looking eyes met his.


    ¡°What you want?¡± Their voice was scratchy as if they had a cold.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Is there is Mitch Gretton living here?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡±


    ¡°There was an incident at the pier yesterday and we think Mitch can provide some answers.¡±


    The other person grunted and then called out to into his apartment.


    ¡°Bitch! Police have questions! You better not have pulled any shit this time ¡®cuz then you¡¯re playing all the rent!¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up man, I¡¯m sleepin¡¯!¡± Roger assumed that was Mitch.


    The door shut in his face and he heard more yelling and shuffling of feet from inside the home. Thirty seconds later the door swung open to reveal a man in his late thirties. It was clear to Roger that Mitch had seen some better days considering his current state of being; ragged clothes, untidy hair, blood-shot eyes, the list ensued.


    ¡°I¡¯m InspectorSmith and this is Inspector Sato. We need to ask you a few questions about a warehouse at the pier.¡± Before Roger continued, Mitch interrupted him.


    ¡°Listen, man, I just get a packet of money every month with the instructions to mail it to the warehouse owner. I get a nice cut, but that¡¯s all I do. I don¡¯t ask questions.¡±


    Mitch tried shutting the door on the inspectors, but Roger stuck his foot in the jam.


    ¡°Not so fast, slick. We still have more questions. Where were you yesterday afternoon?¡±


    ¡°Work. We done now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to come to the station for further questioning.¡±


    ¡°Nah, man. Am I being arrested or what? I¡¯m not going to no station.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not under arrest, but will be charged with obstructing justice if you¡¯re not truthful with us.¡±


    ¡°I have been truthful man! Just because you¡¯re cops doesn¡¯t mean your walkin¡¯ lie detectors. Ask your damn questions so I can get back to sleepin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°When did you start mailing the money?¡±


    ¡°More like when did I get sucked into doin¡¯ it. It was over ten years ago. A package literally showed up at my door full of money. I spent it all, but then a man showed up at my door and threatened to kill me if I didn¡¯t send in a new pack of money every month. Didn¡¯t see the guy again and I get paid for it, so I didn¡¯t ask any questions. Now leave.¡±


    ¡°What did the man look like?¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ hell man, it was, like, eleven years ago. How the fuck am I supposed to remember what the man looked like?¡±


    ¡°Any description at all would be incredibly helpful and we¡¯ll be out of your hair.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Mitch scrunched up his face, attempting to recall what the man looked like. ¡°Uh, I think he was wearing a coat. Like a nice coat, expensive, that went down to his knees. And nice shoes. Oh, and he had on this sweet gold watch that really showed he was big money. Hat I think too. Had a real Zerilla family vibe to him.¡±


    Roger looked at John and saw his expression mirrored on his partner¡¯s. If the Zerilla family were involved in this it...what had Red gotten him into? Seeing an opportunity, Mitch shoved Roger¡¯s foot away and slammed his door shut. Roger had gotten enough from him to move on, and he knew where Mitch lived in case he needed to ask more questions.


    ¡°Shit,¡± John muttered. ¡°Maybe he was just trying to be colorful in describing the guy and the Zerilli¡¯s aren¡¯t even involved.¡±


    But Roger knew better. Red had given him Mitch¡¯s name for a reason, which meant that the man that threatened Mitch had something to do with his family¡¯s murder. Unless Mitch was lying, but Mitch didn¡¯t look like he cared much for anything besides himself and had no reason to lie to him. Roger was going to get to the bottom of it all, it was just a matter of time.


    All thoughts of bringing the people who killed his wife and child to justice flew out the window. The Mafia was involved now, and they didn¡¯t play nice with the justice system. No, Roger was out to deal his own retribution, and there was going to be blood.

 Chapter 8: Looking Back

    She was running down a grassy knoll with a huge grin on her face. The sky above her held two brilliant suns that lit up the flawless blue sky, framed by dark green trees that whispered secrets when the wind passed through. Sun stopped running to admire a bundle of purple flowers that were growing out of a patch of orange grass, kneeling down and breathing in deeply to absorb the flowers¡¯ sweet aroma. Digging her hands into the soft soil, she scooped a coupled flowers up, roots and all, to show her father. They would add them to their indoor garden back at the center.


    ¡°Take it easy on me Flora, you know I can¡¯t run as fast as you.¡± A breathless male voice called out from behind her.


    Turning around with a huge grin on her face, she launched herself at the man, eager to show him her find. To her joy, his blue eyes lit up and he tousled her hair.


    ¡°A rare find. I haven¡¯t seen a Columbine in ages. Good thing we decided to take an adventure and check out a new sector this time. What do you say we head back and get this baby planted?¡±


    She nodded enthusiastically, clutching the mess of dirt and plants to her chest so she could latch onto the man¡¯s hand. He gave her hand a squeeze, not minding the vast amount of soil her hand was coated in. She let go of his hand only to pet the moss on fallen trees or to gather more earth for the plant she was holding, only to return to his warmth as soon as she was done. When she spotted a large beetle on the upper trunk of a tree and couldn¡¯t get a closer look, the man scooped her up and put her on his shoulders, unaffected by the amount of dirt raining down on his head.


    Something nagged in the back of her mind, but she ignored it. She just wanted to live in the moment with her dad. A feeling of happiness welled up in her chest at the thought and her smile grew even bigger.


    She and her dad would go back to the center and plant the flower in their garden, and then they would eat sweet cakes and drink chocolate milk together like they did every night before settling down to recharge. They would get up the next day to watch the first sunrise like they always did. By the time the second sun would rise they would be at the research facility her father worked at and she¡¯d help him with his experiments. They¡¯d go on a lunch break and wander the halls often toying with the other scientists by hiding around corners and jumping out when they least expected it. When the first sunset they would head back home to settle in for the night. Because it was what they always did.


    She found herself standing in a world of darkness surrounded by floating orbs. In front of her stood the reflection of herself, the one she called Alter.


    ¡°How did you enjoy that memory?¡± Alter asked, mockingly, as if she already knew the answer.


    Sun was at a loss for words. She had experienced absolute happiness resting on the shoulders of her dad, but it had all just been a memory? Her knees collapsed from under her as the feeling of utter despair hit her like a brick wall.


    ¡°Why are you doing this to me?¡± she choked out.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that made the choice. Blame yourself, not me. Well, I guess you could blame me since I am you, but I don¡¯t like being a scapegoat.¡±


    Had Sun chosen to forget? Why would she ever choose to forget her father and the world with two suns? Alter was tricking her, Sun was sure of it. Letting out a feral cry, she launched herself at Alter in the hopes of hurting her like she had hurt Sun. She¡¯d been in that new world for a week now and was feeling pretty confident in her ability to throw a decent punch. If she could just punch Alter a few times she would feel much better.


    Alter easily moved out of the way, grinning when Sun threw more punches at her and they all missed. Sun grew increasingly frustrating, flashing back to her first session with Leslie.


    ¡°Fight me!¡± Sun screamed.


    It just made Alter¡¯s grin grow even larger.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you want me to do that. We can be quite scary when we¡¯re fighting.¡±


    ¡°Damn you!¡±


    Sun tried to throw in a few kicks but only ended up losing balance and falling.


    ¡°I hate you!¡±


    ¡°Oh, believe me, I know.¡±


    A sob racked in Sun¡¯s chest, attempting to break out. She shoved the feeling down and let anger consume her as she threw herself at Alter again.


    ¡°As much as I love a good quarrel, you¡¯re only going to get yourself worked up and worn out if you keep at this. This is kind of a one-sided fight¡± Alter stated while dodging a few more Sun¡¯s punches.


    ¡°Then fight back!¡±


    Alter shrugged and suddenly Sun felt a blow hit her square in the solar plexus, leaving her struggling for breath. Gasping for breath and with spots danced in her vision, Sun collapsed again while her lungs attempted to restart themselves.


    ¡°Aim where it really counts,¡± she heard Alter breath into her ear.


    Lungs working again, Sun attempted to uppercut Alter now that she was within proximity, but still hit the air. She could tell Alter was getting annoyed but continued her barrage of attacks, knowing that if she stopped she would break down crying. Sun wanted to be able to blame Alter for making her relive a happy memory she couldn¡¯t have anymore. If she could just make contact once!


    Sun felt her strike hit Alter and she looked at her opponent to see what damage was dealt. Alter was unmoved by the punch that hit her in her shoulder, looking at Sun with a look of mild irritation one would dedicate to watching an ant attempting to find food on a picnic blanket.


    ¡°Are you done now?¡± Alter asked, clearly having had enough. ¡°Because we can go at it like dogs if you really want. I¡¯m sick of this already, but since you¡¯ve so obviously stated that you want a fight, I¡¯ll give you one. Say mercy when you¡¯ve had enough.¡±


    Before Sun could react, the black reflective surface that surrounded Alter rose up and formed around the girl. Staggering back, the black goo rose above her and started stretching in different directions. Long spindly limbs formed and a glowing orb sank itself to a spherical protrusion in the mass, two holes appearing on the face giving it the illusion that two eyes were watching Sun. She watched in horror as it rose above her, legs frozen in place.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have us a good fight now shall we?¡±


    The voice boomed in the dark area, rattling through Sun¡¯s very bones. An arm shot out at her, and by pure instinct, she shifted out of the way. The claw landed on the black mirror of the ground was a crack and Sun watch in fear as the very surface shattered upwards with the force. She felt the air whoosh out of her lungs as the other arm pinned her against the broken ground. The demonic face grew closer to her, the eyes shifting colors from red to blue at an alarming pace.


    ¡°Given up already have we?¡±


    Sun tried to find the words, but she had no breath.


    ¡°What was that? You want to fight some more?¡±


    ¡°Mer--mercy,¡± Sun choked out.


    In an instant the black creature was gone, replaced by a very innocent looking Alter, her arm outstretched to help Sun up from the floor.


    ¡°I told you we can be scary when we fight.¡±


    Sun woke up to Roger shaking her awake.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± He asked in an urgent whisper.


    She tried to nod and reassure him that everything was okay, that everything was okay, but she couldn¡¯t. The sob that she had shoved down pushed through her body with vigor.


    Roger wrapped his arms around her, unsure of what she was crying about but wanting to comfort her all the same. This was the first time since he¡¯d seen her so emotional about anything; most of the time she was running around asking questions while he attempted to provide explanations as to how cars worked or why the snow was cold. He¡¯d been so absorbed in his case that he¡¯d forgotten that she was a little girl who lost her memories and needed support even when she didn¡¯t vocalize it. Pangs of guilt hit him when he realized that all he¡¯d been doing up until now was to fulfill his own needs so he had pushed her onto other people. He had done what his parents had done to him. He clutched her tighter to his chest as if to protect her from the unknown.


    Sun didn¡¯t know what exactly she was emotions she was feeling, but she felt like shit. The memory of her father and her home still lingered in her mind, leaving her with the bitter aftertaste of loneliness, but the creature that had nearly destroyed her made her want to crawl into a corner and never leave. She was crying over the precious things she had lost and for the terror she felt knowing Alter was a creature that could kill her whenever she wanted. Her sobs died down into sniffles before Roger unwrapped his arms from around her body. She pushed away from him, immediately missed his warmth but needed to regroup in the bathroom before attempting to do anything else.


    Sun found that she couldn¡¯t face herself in the mirror because the eyes that were looking back at her were Alter¡¯s.

 Chapter 9: Blood And Iron

    ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±


    He could already see the answer written on her face before he could even ask the question, but he wanted to help somehow. Sun had been poking at her pancakes for the past ten minutes not saying a word and not eating either. Her eyes were red and swollen from the cry she had and she seemed like a shell of her previous self. He wondered what kind of nightmare she witnessed if it made her do a complete one-eighty on her personality like that. As if sensing his worry and discomfort, Sun made a show of taking a bite of the food in front of her to ease him of his conscience. It only made him feel worse since she was being so considerate about how uncomfortable he felt while he should be the one trying to comfort her.


    ¡°Listen kiddo, you can talk about anything to me, alright? I¡¯ve seen some shit and know that sometimes it¡¯s better to get someone else¡¯s help rather than trying to do it all yourself.¡±


    The instant those words came out of his mouth he knew that he needed to come clean about everything to Sun otherwise he would be painting himself a hypocrite.


    ¡°I had a family ten years ago, Lisa, my wife, and Tyler, my son. We used to live in a small town in Minnesota, but we moved because I got hired by the Detroit Police Force. My wife stayed at home to take care of Tyler while I was off at work. We lived a happy life; we never worried about where our next meal was coming from and our bills were always paid on time. But I wanted more. I had been at the station for about five years working under a few of the inspectors there and I wanted their lives. They didn¡¯t have to worry about pulling people over for going ten miles over the speed limit or responding to calls about a neighbor being too loud. I wanted my own cases, my own desk, my own partner.


    ¡°So when I got word that there was a new gang that was taking over the streets I jumped at the idea to prove myself. I followed up on leads to get some names of the head members and tried to find the places that they met. They got word of my snooping around and threatened my life. The other officers told me to back down because I was getting too close, but I thought they were just trying to get a promotion themselves. I ended up going to the Lieutenant at the time and giving him everything I had so the force could go arrest the members. All of it was enough for arrest warrants so we went ahead and arrested every one of them.¡±


    Roger¡¯s voice cracked as he continued, hating that talking about it felt like it was happening again. Up until now everything in the past could still be changed if he never talked about it, but now that he was listening to his hollow voice tell another person what had happened ten years ago, it was as if he were admitting defeat and now he really couldn¡¯t go back and get his family back. Clearing his throat so Sun wouldn¡¯t catch the sudden wave of emotions he was feeling, he continued.


    ¡°That same day I came home to a broken family. Tyler was only six.¡±


    He remembered the stink of iron in the air and the vast amount of blood on the floor. Roger had stood there for a long time needing to process what he was seeing since it seemed so surreal. His wife should have been smiling at him and welcoming him back home and his son rushing up to him to show him the latest picture he drew. What were they doing on the floor?


    Roger shuttered at the image in his mind, locking away the images of the people he loved most in the world lying lifeless on the hardwood into the deepest recesses of his brain where they belonged.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hunting down the people that did this since then. The gang members claimed they knew nothing about it, but it¡¯s the only thing that makes sense. The trail went cold and I fell into depression. Luckily, I had people that cared about me to help me to make me think clearly before doing something I couldn¡¯t come back from.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t touched the case for years but then I ran into Red a week ago. They made me promise to do a favor for them and in exchange, they¡¯d lead me to the people that destroyed my life. It turns out that you were the favor.¡±


    He tried to gauge Sun¡¯s reaction, but her face was still a little cloudy from the morning¡¯s event.


    ¡°Did you get revenge yet?¡± Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper.


    ¡°Not yet, but I feel closer to the answer than ever.¡±


    ¡°Will it make you feel better?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    His answer was immediate. He¡¯d read his fair share of revenge dramas and usually the main character would back down before taking his opponent¡¯s life, spouting out some nonsense about how if he killed someone now it would only continue the cycle of hate. Absolute bullshit. He couldn¡¯t wait to pull the trigger on that cold-blooded son-of-a-bitch that killed his wife and six-year-old. They deserved to burn in hell, and if he was going to hell because he wanted revenge, then so be it.


    Sun stared down at her plate, floored by Roger¡¯s history. Her problems felt so small now in comparison with his that she didn¡¯t want to admit what had her broken down inside. She knew she had to otherwise it would just fester inside her and she might see the evil creature again.


    ¡°I remembered my dad and my home. I was so happy there, but now¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you remember what your father looked like? Maybe we can find him.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Roger was already across the room grabbing his notepad and pen, ideas coursing through his head. Did Red kidnap this girl? Would Red come hunting after her if she were somehow reunited with her family?


    A laugh slipped past Sun¡¯s lips, surprising him.


    ¡°Unless you know a nearby colony that has two suns, I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to find him.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Roger asked, incredulous.


    ¡°In my memory, there were two suns in the sky. And some sort of purple flower and orange grass.¡±


    Roger shook his head, shaking it free of cobwebs; clearly he heard wrong. Either that or Sun had such a vivid dream that her mind convinced her that it was a memory. Sun must have read the disbelief in his eyes because her face fell.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    The disheartened expression on her face plunged a knife into his heart. But there was no such thing as a place with two suns. But then again, he recalled, Sun was immune to physical trauma which definitely didn¡¯t happen in real life either. Ignoring his better judgment, he forced himself to believe in her words.


    ¡°No, I believe you. But how did you get here if you¡¯re from a different planet altogether?¡±


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine. I only remember waking up in the river, nothing before. Well, besides my home now, but I have no idea how I got here.¡±


    Sun decided against telling Roger about Alter since that may be too much information to take in at once. Sun only partially believed herself now. Her eyes told her that this world had one sun, but her memories showed her two. Could Alter be manipulating her memories? The image of the creature Alter had morphed into slid into her mind. Fighting back the urge to cry again, she cast it away. Telling Roger about that nightmarish being was going to have to wait too. She did admit that she did feel better talking about what she had seen last night and her appetite was returning.


    Wolfing down the pancakes on her plate, she starting getting ready for the day. She could feel Roger¡¯s eyes inspecting her to see if she was really okay, but she was honestly feeling better. Plus, getting some one-on-one training with Leslie would really help her unwind.


    Satisfied with Sun returning to her normal self, Roger got ready for work. When he dropped her off at the daycare he made a personal vow to do something fun with her on his next day off. Even though taking care of Sun had been forced on him, he felt that he should take some responsibility and teach her things about this world. Because apparently, she came from a different one. Nope, that one was going to take much more time before his brain fully accepted the fact Sun wasn¡¯t from Earth. All of a sudden he was amused by the name he chose for her, still wearing a grin when he stepped out of his car and was greeted by John. John¡¯s typical smile was gone, however, which was never a good sign.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got bad news.¡±


    Roger braced himself. Whenever John prefaced something by saying there was bad news his day usually didn¡¯t end on a positive note.


    ¡°Is there good news first?¡± Roger asked hopefully.


    ¡°I have a hot new girlfriend if that counts for anything.¡±


    It didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Alright, lay it on me.¡±


    ¡°Mitch Gretton was found dead this morning. An apparent suicide, but that¡¯s too much of a coincidence. Officer Davies found him next to a dumpster just a few blocks from his apartment, needle still in his arm. The lab is testing the liquid they found in the needle, but official COD at the moment is OD.¡±


    Roger was at a loss for words. His only solid lead in ten years, dead. He had hoped to ask a few more questions regarding the warehouse payments, but clearly that wasn¡¯t possible anymore.


    ¡°Does his roommate know anything?¡±


    ¡°Missing, presumed dead. When I went to check on him there was way too much blood for him to still be alive. I assume you still want to check out the scene?¡± John dangled the patrol keys in front of Roger. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m driving.¡±


    They spit-fired possible scenarios for Mitch¡¯s death on the drive over, reaching the conclusion that someone must have tipped someone else off. It was a very short list; the roommate. If the roommate had reached out to the culprit they were after with information, it could have easily gone sideways if the culprit were armed and the roommate wasn¡¯t. But they didn¡¯t find a body which meant there was a possibility he was still alive.


    When they arrived, Roger¡¯s hope of finding the roommate breathing was dashed. John was right to assume they were going to find a dead body considering how much blood had soaked into the carpet.


    ¡°Blood is completely dry and starting to chip off at places, so this probably happened a few days ago. No sign of forced entry but clear signs of a struggle.¡±


    The sour tang of iron filled Roger¡¯s nostrils and he felt like keeling over and vomiting then and there. This scene reminded him way too much of his family; it seemed like lately there were more triggers than usual. He hoped that was because he was getting close and not because he was going senile. Forcing down the bile he snapped on some gloves and started rummaging around searching for anything that would give him a new lead. The living room provided no promising clues so Roger moved to the bedrooms; Mitch¡¯s first.


    The thing that stood out to him most was the mess and he wondered if there had been a struggle in there too, but after finding a few pairs of dirty boxers and stiff socks lying around, he knew it was because of its nasty inhabitant rather than a fight for life with a ruthless killer. Not finding anything in Mitch¡¯s room, he moved to the roommate¡¯s.


    Luckily in this room he could see the floor, which made it a bit easier to navigate, but finding anything was difficult considering how every furniture surface was covered in receipts, bills, and miscellaneous paper. He found a wallet on the bed, discovering that the occupant¡¯s name was Leland Jackson. At least now Roger knew the identity of the body they were going to find in the future. He deemed the room fruitless and planned to start interviewing neighbors when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. There was a small bright red box hiding under a pile of papers under what Roger assumed was the desk.


    Pushing the stack aside, he lifted the box into his hand, examining it. This couldn¡¯t be a coincidence. He lifted the red lid and inside was a piece of a brown envelope and a note. The brown paper was a return address cut out from the face of a package;


    Miss. Cassidy Jones


    77 Culvern Street


    Asheville 29, North Carolina


    The note read:


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill this one.


    -R¡±

 Chapter 10: Set Into Motion

    Sun was bouncing up and down in her seat in the car. To Roger¡¯s amusement, she just couldn¡¯t sit still. When he had told her they were going to be flying, Sun didn¡¯t even know what a plane was until he showed her a picture and explained that people sit on this giant bus and get launched into the sky, only to arrive at a different part of the world. When he parked the car she bolted out, evidently excited about the airport.


    Roger felt guilty that he had lifted Sun¡¯s spirits so high. He was going to Asheville to follow up on a lead but didn¡¯t feel comfortable letting Sun out of his sights for two reasons. One was the fact that she was only seven and he was supposed to be her temporary guardian, and if anything happened to her he would never live it down. The second was that he knew Sun was keeping secrets from him. Although they had a heartfelt morning a few days ago, there was something in Sun¡¯s eyes that lead him to believe she was concealing the truth about something. He hoped it was just his annoyingly paranoid cop senses tingling that made him suspect this little girl who was currently running around the parking lot yelling at him when she found a car that looked like his.


    Grabbing the two suitcases, he walked to the departure terminal at Detroit-Wayne, trying his best to keep up with the energetic child with him. He had to admit, it was a little difficult to not get catch some of her enthusiasm and he found himself smiling in her direction more than once. He couldn¡¯t remember his first trip on an airplane, but he was certain she wouldn¡¯t forget hers considering just how invested she was at gazing at the interior of the terminal. It wasn¡¯t an incredibly impressive display, but for someone seeing it for the first time, it left an impression.


    By the time they got through the line, there was only half-an-hour left until boarding for Pan Am started. Glad he overestimated the time it would take to get through the line, he got his boarding ticket from the receptionist and handed her their bags. He and Sun practically strolled right through security since he looked like anything but a threat with Sun at his side. Roger confessed that taking Sun with him to appear less threatening was a motive for taking her along as well.


    They walked out onto the tarmac hand-in-hand mainly because Sun kept trying to run away to get a closer look at the airplane they were about to board. Once inside the cabin, he breathed an air relief as she shrugged off his heavy winter coat as Sun ran to find their seats.


    It had been a while since he¡¯d been on a plane and he was glad he had saved up so much the past few years because the tickets cost a pretty penny. Relaxing in his seat, he leaned back and hoped to catch a good nap before arriving at Douglass Municipal since he had to drive to Asheville. Sun, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t seem to stop rattling off questions at him.


    ¡°How to airplanes work? When do we take off? When do we land? How long will it take? Why is everyone dressed so nice? What is an airplane made of? How come that girl has a dog? How many people are on board?¡±


    Roger was tempted to stick in some earplugs and let her wear herself out, but he got shot a nasty look by another passenger. Not even up in the air yet and Sun was already causing a disturbance.


    ¡°Sun, you need to quiet down. There are other people on the plane too.¡±


    Sun immediately quieted down.


    ¡°I need to use the bathroom.¡±


    Roger groaned and got up, leading Sun to the plane bathroom.


    ¡°Just come back to where we¡¯re sitting when you¡¯re done.¡±


    Sun closed the door and heard Roger shuffled back to his seat. When she was sure he was gone she climbed into the sink and sat cross-legged on the counter.


    ¡°Leslie was right. What do I do? If we go to Asheville the evil people will come chasing us and try to kill Roger.¡±


    Two days prior, before Roger had announced they were going on a trip, Leslie told Sun in confidence that Roger was in danger if he took the trip. Sun didn¡¯t even know what Asheville was until Roger had explained it to her at great length. She shut her eyes and tried to recall exactly what Leslie had told her.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Pack accordingly,¡± Leslie said. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you a couple smaller weapons to take care of the problem. You¡¯ll be going on a trip soon, and on the way there you¡¯re going to need to pay attention to the people around you. Keep track of who looks suspicious. If they follow you for more than two blocks, memorize their face. If they avoid eye contact, memorize their face. You can¡¯t afford to stop paying attention. Don¡¯t you dare tell Roger about it because he will turn the car around. He needs the information that woman in Asheville has to catch the person he¡¯s chasing.¡± Before Sun could ask any further questions Leslie had already started a lesson on the art of falling.


    Sun was beginning to panic. What was Roger doing that was so dangerous? Why were they really going to Asheville? Who was ¡®that woman¡¯ and why did she have information? Why was she, a seven-year-old, tasked with protecting him? Couldn¡¯t Leslie do it? So far she¡¯d only learned how to punch correctly, hit a target from far away, deflect a blow, swing a sword, and fall, hardly training meant to shield someone from death.


    ¡°So are you up for it or not?¡±


    Sun looked up at Alter staring back at her in the mirror. Ever since her little episode, she was seeing Alter on every reflective surface. At first, she ignored her, but Sun got used to constantly having company.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. What if I just don¡¯t do anything?¡±


    ¡°Roger most definitely dies. But he¡¯s going to die eventually, so if you think about it, you¡¯re just going to prolong the inevitable.¡±


    That didn¡¯t comfort Sun at all.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just tell me who it is out to kill him?¡±


    ¡°And ruin the suspense? I don¡¯t think so. I hardly get any fun so I¡¯m taking what I can get.¡±


    ¡°Maybe just a hint?¡±


    Alter thought about it for a second, then gave a slight nod.


    ¡°You don¡¯t really need to worry about them making any moves until the drive.¡±


    ¡°What drive? I thought we were flying?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no direct flight to Asheville so you¡¯re going to Charlotte first, then driving. That¡¯s when they make their move.¡±


    Sun breathed a sigh of relief, at least she didn¡¯t have to act immediately.


    ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t get so relaxed. The culprit¡¯s on the plane with you so check out everybody¡¯s face otherwise you won¡¯t know who it is until it¡¯s too late.¡±


    The weight on her shoulders was back. She wasn¡¯t ready for this, she didn¡¯t want the weight of a life in her hands. And if she failed¡­


    ¡°Sun, come out. The plane¡¯s about to take off.¡±


    Sun was startled out of her stupor, nearly falling off the counter. Alter gave her one last thumbs-up before retreating back into the mirror so Sun''s own eyes stared back at her. Shakily, she got down and left the bathroom, trying to look at as many faces as she could before getting back in her seat. Sun even debated telling Roger he was in danger, but then she¡¯d have to reveal Leslie¡¯s secret, and there was no way she was breaking that promise.


    The plane around her jolted and she grabbed onto Roger¡¯s hand. Was that normal? Maybe Alter lied to her and the culprit was going to take down the whole plane to get to Roger. What had Roger done that warranted her needing to get involved? He had confessed that his family had gotten killed because of a case he was working on, but now his life was in danger. Did he even know? Judging by his expression, he had no idea.


    The plane jolted again, this time moving forward slowly. Was this how a plane worked? It would be faster just driving, wouldn¡¯t it? The plane stopped again, and her look of confusion must have read volumes since Roger felt the need to pipe in.


    ¡°This is when it gets exciting.¡±


    Roger wore a careless smile that split his face in two, his eyes gleaming with mischief. All of a sudden the plane¡¯s engine roared to life, deafening Sun. There was no way that was normal! It accelerated forward faster and faster until Sun felt her stomach twist and her internal organs shift back while the ground pulled away. They were in the air! She felt Roger untwist his hand from hers.


    ¡°You have got an unnaturally strong grip for someone your size,¡± he said, shaking out his hand. She noticed sheepishly that there were red imprints where her fingers had gripped his.


    Remembering she had a mission, she stood up with the claims to want to look around. Roger shrugged and allowed her to go as long as she didn¡¯t bother the other passengers. She moved to the front of the plane and worked her way back. All the faces she made eye contact with looked away, so her list was pretty long. There were about forty people in the aircraft, all of which were suspects in her eyes. Well, there were some kids and a dog, so she counted those out. Unless maybe the kids had been trained at an early age to assassinate a target. The kids were back on her list.


    ¡°Are you lost, sweetie?¡±


    She turned around in surprise, but she was greeted by a smiling face.


    ¡°No. This is my first time and I got excited and wanted to see everything.¡± Sun hoped her look of enthusiasm was convincing. Apparently, it was because the stewardess brought her to the front of the plane and introduced her to the captain and his first mate.


    Great, just more people to add to her list.

 Chapter 11: A New Coat Of Arms

    Something was up with Sun. She was pretty quiet for most of the trip and kept walking up and down the aisle of the plane. Eventually, she got asked to sit down, but she kept looking around as if she were trying to find someone. Now that they were an hour into their road trip she seemed even more on edge than ever.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    That was the fourth time he¡¯d had to ask, but he was answered by a panicked set of eyes and a quick shake of the head.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Sure doesn¡¯t seem like nothing.¡±


    She went silent for a bit, tossing a few ideas around in her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re in danger,¡± she finally said, the words lingering in the air. ¡°Someone is out to kill you.¡±


    Roger¡¯s eyes went wide. What? What did she know that he didn¡¯t? Could she tell the future?


    ¡°How do you know someone¡¯s out to get me?¡±


    ¡°Um, it¡¯s a secret.¡±


    That didn¡¯t provide any sort of reassurement to Roger. If someone was out to get him, then Sun was in danger too by default. He regretted bringing her on the trip and wondered if it was too late to turn back.


    ¡°You need to tell me otherwise I¡¯m just going to turn this car around and we¡¯re going back home. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m risking your life to get some intel.¡± He pulled over suddenly on the road, receiving a well-deserved honk behind him. ¡°Who told you my life''s in danger?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just believe me? I promised them I wouldn¡¯t tell.¡±


    Roger thought for a minute.


    ¡°Was it Red?¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know who Red is you know.¡±


    ¡°Why did you wait so long to tell me?¡± He angrily said, already back on the highway looking for an exit ramp so he could turn around.


    ¡°I just...¡± she fiddled with her seat belt buckle. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Her voice was remorseful and she tried to sink into her seat. She didn¡¯t know he would get so mad at her. Leslie had told her not to tell Roger but she thought that if Roger knew, then he would just play it safe until they got to Asheville. Sun should have just followed Leslie¡¯s instructions and stayed quiet, but then Roger wouldn¡¯t know someone was after him and all the weight fall would have fallen onto Sun¡¯s shoulders. She didn¡¯t know what to do anymore.


    He was fuming when he found an off-ramp. Sun had kept the slight detail of someone wanting his life hidden from him for god-knows-how-long and didn¡¯t bother sharing the information with him until they were an hour away from his destination. What really flared up his temper was that he should have pushed her to explain why she was acting so dodgy and not just wait until she felt the need to share voluntarily. He really needed to listen to his gut more. The fact that someone had told Sun that he was in danger piqued his interest since he was sure it was related to Red somehow, but if he pushed that topic she would just seal up. His grip on the steering wheel turned his knuckles white. How long had she known and why did she choose to come with him if his life was in danger? He wouldn¡¯t ask the question because something in the middle of the road required his full attention.


    About five hundred feet ahead of him in the road a person was walking down the road towards the moving car. Snow coated the heavy coat they wore and Roger couldn¡¯t make out a face from so far away. Roger honked the horn lightly to get them off the road. The honk drew Sun¡¯s attention away from her pity party and to the person in the road. She immediately recognized the person; he sat a few rows behind them on the airplane. He was one of the people that gave her a little smile before looking away.


    ¡°Back up! Back up!¡± Sun screamed at Roger.


    He put the car in reverse and did as she said.


    Sun watched as the man shook off his coat and removed a large black crystal from an interior coat pocket. The crystal suddenly grew and enveloped the man whole. Bubbles appeared on the surface of the man, elongating his features and body. Horrifyingly long claws formed at the ends of his arms and legs and a long black tail protruded from his backside. His eyes were sunken in but were still human. As if knowing Sun¡¯s eyes were on him, his face split in a smile that revealed dozens of sharp teeth. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°What the fuck is that thing!¡± Roger yelled when he turned around for a moment from his reverse driving.


    Sun was reminded of the creature Alter had transformed into. It was similar, but Alter¡¯s was much more frightening and larger; this one was about eight feet long. Still incredibly frightening, but seeing Alter¡¯s monster first had taken an edge off seeing this one. She crawled into the back seat and shoved down one of the seats to gain access to the trunk. Acting quickly she dumped out the contents of her suitcase in the back and ripped open the interior lining of the case, grabbing one short sword with a black blade and a hand crossbow with 20 arrows. Roger¡¯s mouth hung open.


    ¡°You had those in there all this time?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know if he should be angry or surprised. At the moment he felt pretty afraid of that creature in the road.


    The car came to a halt as the creature closed the distance between them and plunged its clawed hand into the engine. It removed its arm and lunged at Roger, the windshield shattering into pieces. Sun brought the sword down on its arm, sinking it to the bone before it got caught in its hard flesh. It screamed in pain and drew back the bleeding limb, sending Sun flying through the air as she still clung on to the lodged sword. With its other arm, it swatted Sun away onto the snowy concrete road. Sun quickly rose to her feet, her right arm coated in protective black crystals from the impact. She wasn¡¯t quick enough as the creature¡¯s tail hit her full-force and knocked her against one of the trees that lined the road.


    Struggling for breath, she lifted herself up and fired a shot from her hand crossbow, landing it on the side of the creature¡¯s face. She found that the black crystals that had helped aid her before were inhibiting her movement and reloading was more of a struggle. The creature leaped towards her. Gripping the sword with her left hand, she lept towards the being and dove under it, swiping at its belly with all her might. She felt splatters of warm blood hit her face, but she paid no attention to it. The tail once again posed a problem and she felt it catch the side of her right leg as she tried to steady herself from her tuck-and-roll. The creature leaped on top of her, pinning her to the ground. It¡¯s face lowered and a smile reappeared in its sickly features.


    ¡°We will have you. So much power¡­¡±


    Its breath was atrocious! A tongue flitted behind its serrated teeth as it looked at her like it was about to consume the first meal in ages. She kicked at its open wound on its abdomen and it hissed at her but didn¡¯t let her go.


    A sudden succession of gunfire came from the direction of the car and the creature backed away, clutching its face and reeling. Sun took the opportunity to fire a shot at one of its eyes, and swung her sword at its ankles, almost leaping for joy when she heard the satisfying sound of the creature¡¯s screaming in pain as it ran away. Sinking to the ground, she breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the distorted creature fade away into the snowfall. If she really wanted to end it, she could follow the trail of black blood that spotted the road, but she needed to make sure Roger was safe.


    Roger was safe, but most definitely not okay. What was that thing? Why did it try to kill him? Did this still pertain to his family¡¯s murder, or was he in deeper than he thought? Was the creature really after him or Sun? Hands shaking, he opened the driver¡¯s side of the car in the hopes of sitting down, but glass was scattered everywhere. He dropped his gun on the seat and moved to the back. Almost hyperventilating, he laid down on the seats to calm his breathing. What exactly had he just witnessed?


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He heard Sun¡¯s soft voice ask him.


    Roger looked up to see a blood-soaked Sun standing in the sun with ¡®worried¡¯ written all over her face. Her clothes were ripped and he could see black crystals coating her arms and back, taking their time to fade away. She literally looked like she had been to hell and back while he was having a panic attack from even seeing the creature. How was she so calm?


    ¡°I¡¯m not okay, honestly,¡± Roger said while sitting up. ¡°But I¡¯ll manage. Did you know this was going to happen?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. I was expecting someone coming at you with a gun or something, but now I know why Le---um, why I¡¯m glad I over prepared and packed this stuff.¡± She motioned to the sword and crossbow.


    Over-prepared his ass! Over preparing was packing too many underwears or packing something ¡®just in case¡¯ even though it would never be used, not just happening to pack a sword and crossbow! And he didn¡¯t miss the fact that she wasn¡¯t the one who packed the equipment--she was about to let a name slip. His eyes narrowed; what else did she know that he didn¡¯t?


    A moment of dead air passed between them before Roger spoke up.


    ¡°So how did you know how to fight that thing?¡±


    ¡°I told, you I knew that something was coming for you but didn¡¯t know what.¡±


    ¡°I mean, how did you fight like that in general? I sure as hell don¡¯t remember signing you up for kung-fu. Did you remember that from your past world?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yup. I must have been a karate master or something. Or maybe a knight?¡±


    He could tell from her expression she was bullshitting him, but let it slide; she did save his life after all.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk later. Let¡¯s just get all this cleaned up and see if we can hitch a ride to town.¡±


    Sun cleaned up her clothes and stuck them back in her suitcase while Roger carefully wiped the glass from the interior of the car. He hoped the rental agency¡¯s insurance covered this, whatever this was. He couldn¡¯t wait to have that conversation.


    Once satisfied with their job cleaning the car, Roger and Sun started trudging towards the highway. Sun noticed Roger¡¯s hand was trembling, remembering the first time she had seen that creature in her dreams. Roger had been there for her and she wanted to be there for him. Cautiously, she put her hand in his and gave it a tight squeeze as if to say ¡®it¡¯ll be alright,¡¯ even though she knew it may not be. They walked hand-in-hand through the snow together, a fresh coat of snow already beginning to hide the evidence of what they had experienced.

 Chapter 12: The Price For The Truth

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    They were both standing in front of the small house that, according to Sun¡¯s intel, held the rest of the answers. If all went according to plan, he would finally a ten-year-old grudge to rest and take the revenge that was rightfully his. Steeling himself, he nodded and he and Sun walked to the front door.


    Roger and Sun had managed to hitch a ride from the highway to Forest City. Their driver, a young twenty-one-year-old, couldn¡¯t seem to stop asking questions along the way, rivaling Sun¡¯s curiosity. Roger settled on telling them that he and his daughter were on a trip to Asheville and their car suddenly broke down. Sun seemed to roll with the punches and went on to enthusiastically tell him they were on a vacation and asked what was interesting to check out. That kept their young driver occupied for a bit while Roger struggled to come up with a game plan.


    They were dropped off at the center of town, so they headed into a diner to catch a quick bite to eat and to ask if Roger could use their phone. He called the rental company to get them to tow his car because a ¡®bear¡¯ had totaled it. The person on the other line did a double-take and needed to be told again, then commenting that a bear attack had never happened before and that it would be one for the history books. Roger didn¡¯t feel as chipper as the other person, his humor dried up by the fact that Sun¡¯s life was still in danger because of him.


    Unfortunately, there were no rental agencies in the area, so he had to call a cab to take them to the Waynesville, and then another cab to take them from Waynesville to Asheville. His savings were starting to look slim now, but if this trip ended his ten-year-torture then it would be worth it. He and Sun even played a game on the way to their destination; they had to guess what the woman they were meeting looked like. Sun guess she was a young gypsy who could see the future while Roger hypothesized she was an elderly lady who was on the run from the law. Sun had laughed very heartily at the thought of a woman in her eighties armed with her walking cane fighting off police officers.


    The door opened before them to reveal the woman they had been lead to see and were disappointed. The woman was in her early thirties with tired looking eyes that were hidden behind thick spectacles. Her hair was done up as if she were going out and she wore a blue dress that fell to her calves. This was the woman with all the answers? Roger and Sun looked at each other with eyebrows raised.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my name is Inspector Smith and this is my er-daughter, Sun. We¡¯re following up on a lead from a case ten years ago. Mind if we ask you a few questions?¡¯


    ¡°Of course, ¡° She looked down to Sun, a smile suddenly appearing on her face. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a cutie, wearing pants when you¡¯re a girl. Come in, come in, get out of the cold.¡±


    Exchanging glances once again, the two shook the snow off their shoulders before stepping into the warm house.


    ¡°My husband¡¯s out of town right now, but he¡¯ll be back in half-an-hour if you want to wait for him to ask your questions. Can I get you anything? Some water? Hot chocolate?¡±


    Sun¡¯s eye¡¯s lit up at the thought of hot chocolate and the woman emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later carrying steaming mugs of liquid chocolate.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so rude, I never introduced myself. My name is Gertrude Williams, very pleased to meet you. Is there anything else I can get you while you wait?¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am. We¡¯re actually here to ask you a few questions.¡±


    The look of surprise that replaced Gertrude¡¯s features shot an arrow of doubt into Roger¡¯s heart. She did have answers, right?


    ¡°Ten years ago, did you know a man named Mitch Gretton or Edgar Hamilton?¡±


    ¡°How did you know where to find me.¡±


    The woman¡¯s demeanor suddenly changed and she backed away from them, all traces of hospitality gone.


    ¡°I need you to leave, now.¡±


    ¡°I--¡±


    ¡°NOW!¡±


    Roger got on his feet, hoping to think of something that would help Gertrude calm down.


    ¡°Someone tried to kill us earlier today, but we took care of them. We¡¯ve come along way for answers and I think we deserve them.¡±


    Both the adults in the room turned to look at the little speaker who had just downed an entire mug of chocolate. Roger fought the urge to crack a smile--although she had just uttered a very dramatic line, she had a thick ring of chocolate on her upper lip.


    The sound of something rattling gathered all their attention; it seemed to be coming from one of the bedrooms.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Are you alone in this house?¡± Roger asked urgently, drawing his gun.


    ¡°I thought I was,¡± Gertrude¡¯s eyes were saucers behind her thick glasses. ¡°Unless¡­¡±


    She motioned for Roger to put down his weapon and strolled to her bedroom. Roger and Sun awkwardly stood in the living room, unsure to follow her or not. Gertrude came back quickly enough that they didn¡¯t have to stand there for too long.


    ¡°Someone I owe gave me this long ago. Forgot about until now. Never knew she meant I¡¯d have to hold onto this for so long.¡± She handed what she was holding to Sun.


    A small glass cube held a clear crystal that was vibrating. As soon as Sun¡¯s hand touched the container, it shattered and the crystal dropped into her outstretched palm, and Sun found herself sitting on a tree stump that oversaw a valley.


    On the floor of the valley stood a gleaming city that looked like it was made of pure diamond. When she looked up, she saw two suns in the sky. Hope surged like a wildfire and she rushed forward to get home but felt herself run straight into a wall. Confused since she couldn¡¯t see anything obstructing her path home, she followed the wall down until it came to a corner. She went the other way and found another corner. She was somehow trapped behind a wall and couldn¡¯t get home. Frustration turned to anger and she started bashing her fists against the wall holding her back; if she could just break down this barrier she¡¯d be home free and get to see her dad again!


    All of a sudden she found herself back in Gertrude¡¯s house pummeling a wall. Roger had pried her fist open and took the crystal out of her hand, breaking whatever hallucination Sun had been sucked into.


    ¡°Are you okay? What the fuck just happened?¡± Roger spun Sun around to get a good look at her face.


    When the crystal had touched her palm, her eyes had turned glossy and she had started walking around the house, and then suddenly sprinted into a wall. Before he could grab her, she walked the length of the wall and started punching it with all her might. Now she just disheartened and confused.


    ¡°I think that crystal holds my memories.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the woman said too.¡±


    Roger and Sun whipped their heads in Gertrude¡¯s direction, almost forgetting that the whole reason for their trip was to come meet this woman.


    ¡°Her name was Lisa, I think. It was so long ago I don¡¯t quite recall.¡±


    ¡°Lisa?¡± Roger asked, the blood draining from his face. ¡°Lisa Smith?¡±


    ¡°Maybe? African American, long black hair, very beautiful.¡±


    That was her, that was his wife. Roger tried to make sense of it all. What was his wife doing talking to Gertrude? What was she involved in? What exactly was going on? He felt like he was just a pawn pretending to be a knight in a game controlled by Red.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a long of questions. Sit down and I¡¯ll tell you everything I know. We¡¯ve only got twenty minutes until my husband gets home, so we have to do this quickly.¡±


    Roger obeyed and Sun followed suit, sinking into the couch across from Gertrude without a word.


    ¡°Ten years ago I lived in Detroit and worked as a cleaner for the Zerilli family. As you know, they¡¯re not exactly the most loved people in Detroit, but they were powerful. Not as powerful as they are now, but they were making a mark. Luckily most of the cleaning staff are ignored, but we like to listen in. I was out shopping one day and Lisa runs into me by accident.


    ¡°We get to talking and find out that we have a lot in common. She confided in me that she wrote articles for the Metropolis area about crime and corruption. I really wanted to show off to my new friend, so I told her that I worked for them and could give her a scoop. I told her that the Zerilli family was looking to gain investors with deeper pockets, in places that the United States stopped doing business with. It turns out that she had already done more research than I had imaged and new that the family was illegally trading militia for exotic pets, which they would then auction off to the highest bidder. She showed me the article she meant to release within the week and promised me protection even though I wasn¡¯t named.


    ¡°She bought me this house and gave me a new identity, promising me that no one that meant me harm would ever find me. The last thing she asked me to do was hold on to that crystal box thing and to give it to a very outspoken young girl because it contained memories. ¡®I¡¯d know her when I saw her¡¯ was what she told me. I almost gave it away a few times, but then hid it when I got married because I wanted to forget about Detroit.


    ¡°When I tried contacting her again I couldn¡¯t reach her. I was so heartbroken when I learned she had passed. I knew it wasn¡¯t an accident but was too afraid of speaking out. I mean, they killed Lisa, the strongest woman I knew, so they wouldn¡¯t even hesitate to track me down. Angelo Meli, Joseph Zerilli¡¯s right-hand man, is the one you¡¯re after. He¡¯s even more bloodthirsty than the big boss himself and would do anything to get to the top. I¡¯m surprised he hasn¡¯t murdered Zerilli in his sleep honestly.¡±


    It was too much for Roger to take in. All this time he thought his involvement with stopping crime had been the reason why his family had met their end. He didn¡¯t even know Lisa was an investigative reporter; he¡¯d seen her writing on multiple occasions but she always claimed it was because she was going to publish a novel one day. How could he not have noticed?


    ¡°I need some air.¡± Roger grabbed his coat and rushed out into the snow.


    How had his life turned out like this? Why couldn¡¯t his wife just stay home and care for Tyler like he thought she was doing? Why did Angelo Meli personally take care of Lisa? Was he the culprit behind killing Mitch too? And the possible murder of Mitch¡¯s roommate, Leland Jackson? If Red knew where Gertrude lived, couldn¡¯t Red just have given him the address to begin with, why did he have to go on a wild goose chase? And how did Sun play into this? How could she get back home? How did she get here? What was that creature that attacked them?


    Roger breathed in deeply, trying to relieve the building tension in his chest. Life had been so much simpler before he made that deal with Red. He wanted to return to how things were; he would continue being a workaholic, have no social life, and keep a grudge close to his heart. There would be no monsters coming after him, no little strange little girl to take care of, and no need to doubt the love of his life.


    At first, all he had ever wanted in life was happiness, but that was taken away. Then all he wanted was revenge, but then it revealed truths he didn¡¯t want to hear. Now all he wanted was for life to return to normal.

 Chapter 13: When The Cards Fall

    Sun didn¡¯t know how to comfort Roger and it was eating her up inside. The way he glared at her with accusing eyes made her feel like everything that happened was her fault. Although her mind told her it wasn¡¯t, some deep feeling in her gut told her that this was all her doing.


    Their trip home was much less eventful than the trip to Asheville. No secret mission, no monsters, no sudden confessions of the truth that turned Roger¡¯s world upside down. But now they had a name to follow up on and could finally get revenge! Sun thought that Roger would be happier now that he knew who was behind his family¡¯s death, but his eyes were so devoid of anything it was difficult to look at him.


    When they had arrived home he retreated into his room and hadn¡¯t come out. That was six hours ago. Sun wished she could do something to help, but didn¡¯t know where to start. So she went to the bathroom and sat on the counter to talk to the only person who would have answers.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Roger excited to finally have a name?¡± Sun asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s experiencing something called ¡®biting off more than you can goddamn chew.¡¯ I think that¡¯s the technical term. All you can do at this point is sit back and watch the fireworks. That¡¯s my plan anyway.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s gotta be something I can do to help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. You don¡¯t need to anything. The ball¡¯s in his park now and it¡¯s up to him to decide what to do. Your job is to just sit there and stay alive, which I guess can sometimes be a struggle in your case.¡±


    Sun narrowed her eyes at her reflection.


    ¡°Was that creature really after Roger?¡± Sun asked, remembering what it had said to her while it had her pinned.


    ¡°Awww, you got me. It was actually after you. Congratulations, you figured it out!¡± Alter clapped soundlessly on the other side of the mirror. ¡°In my defense, would you have gone on the trip if you knew you¡¯d be putting Roger in danger? You needed to get that memory, otherwise, this entire thing would have been a huge waste.¡±


    ¡°You risked Roger¡¯s life just so I could have that rock? I can¡¯t even do anything with it! Every single time I use it, it just puts me back in the same place and I can¡¯t get any closer to the city!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s a memory, dumbass. It¡¯s not really something you can interact with since it¡¯s already happened.¡± Alter replied, exasperated.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do with it then if I¡¯ve already seen it?¡±


    Sun didn¡¯t get the point of having to carry around a crystal that only showed her one thing.


    ¡°Well, would it please you to know that if you collect enough, you can find out who, and what, you really are? It¡¯s like a game! The more you collect, the more points you get. And these points just happen to unlock some of the greatest mysteries known to all. If they¡¯re used incorrectly though, they become corrupt.¡±


    ¡°Was that what that monster was?¡±


    ¡°Gimme a round of applause, you are a genius. Clear crystals hold the keys and can be used in a lot of different ways. You¡¯ll learn them eventually. Corrupt crystals can be purged, but you¡¯re the only one that happens to have the magic touch, so there may be more baddies after you.¡±


    ¡°What? Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this earlier?¡±


    ¡°Never asked. Plus, you weren¡¯t a target until you came into possession of one. Whatever you do, don¡¯t lose it. Do I need to remind you what we had to fight to get there?¡±


    Sun shuttered at the memory of that giant creature. She would be perfectly content in life if she never saw one again.


    ¡°Why should I even try to find them if I¡¯m just going to be put in danger? I mean, I still don¡¯t remember much anyways and I actually like my life here. I mean, Roger does have his ups and downs, but I really do enjoy living here in this world. Plus, you seem to have the ability to give me back my memories anyways, why even bother getting the rocks?¡± Sun patted her pocket where the rock lay hidden.


    Alter¡¯s face fell and Sun was surprised to see a look of sadness pass over her mirrored self. Even in those black eyes, Sun could most definitely see a pool of sorrow tucked away behind all the sarcasm and snide remarks.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s at the door,¡± Alter said with her eyes downcast, and then she disappeared.


    Just then Sun heard a soft rapping of knuckles on the door. When no one came to respond, the knuckles tapped the wood again. Sun passed by Roger¡¯s door and saw no light from under the crack, so she assumed he was asleep. It was only seven, but she supposed he was tired from the trip and didn¡¯t want to bother him. When she opened the door, she met a man she didn¡¯t recognize. A look of surprise crossed his face, then a look of recognition, and then a smile blossomed, revealing perfectly straight teeth.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Hello, sweetie. You must be the girl he adopted. My name¡¯s John Sato, I work with Roger. Is he home?¡±


    Sun was disarmed by him; Roger had never talked about work at home or the people that worked alongside him, so she didn¡¯t know if this man was really telling the truth. As if reading her hesitation, he pulled out his badge and showed it to her.


    ¡°See? I¡¯m friendly.¡± John said while tucking it away again. ¡°I heard that Roger came back from his trip today and was hoping to talk to him.¡±


    Still not a hundred percent sure this man was telling the truth, she turned to yell for Roger to come to the door. All of a sudden she felt a wet cloth cover her mouth and was pulled backward out of her house.


    Caught by surprise, Sun tried to wrap her legs around the door frame and make as much noise as she could, but the man had pulled her away from anything she could topple over and had a firm grip over her mouth so it was all fruitless. She heard the man chuckle lightly in her ear.


    ¡°Who knew that my partner would be the one who had her? Finally, all those years. Finally.¡±


    Sun felt her vision getting blurry and her limbs were getting heavy. She felt herself being carried down the stairs before everything went dark.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Roger groggily got up from bed. He hadn¡¯t planned on falling asleep, but a wave of exhaustion had hit him and he couldn¡¯t fight it. The thoughts in his head weren¡¯t sorted yet, but he knew Sun was probably she had done something wrong because of his current behavior. He¡¯d not spoken a word to her on the way back despite the clear dejection glistening in her eyes. His plan was to make pancakes for dinner and hopefully soothe things over with her before thinking of what his plan was regarding Angelo Meli. Of course, he still wanted that bastard to pay for what he had done, but now Roger was feeling his age catching up to him and was worrying about what he would do after he did the deed. Would he get caught and go to jail? Would he even be able to successfully kill Meli? He groaned and reminded himself to take one task at a time, and his first task was to apologize to Sun.


    He walked out into the hallway, the house eerily silent. Roger went to Sun¡¯s room, but she wasn¡¯t there. Worry starting setting in; she wasn¡¯t in the bathroom, living room, kitchen, or dining room. That¡¯s when he noticed the front door was slightly ajar. Taking a closer look, there was no splintered wood or signs that someone had broken in, so maybe Sun had left?


    Grabbing his coat and gun he stormed out, only to be taken by surprise by a figure standing right beside his door. A person he immediately recognized.


    ¡°Your duties as a caretaker are over,¡± Red spoke into the air, not even looking at him.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You are hereby absolved of guardianship.¡±


    Roger didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    ¡°Did you already take her?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then where is she?¡±


    Red finally turned to look into his eyes.


    ¡°If you try to find her, you will die.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me? What have you done with her?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything. I will take care of this situation later, but I¡¯m offering you a choice. I am going after Angelo tonight. Will you come end this once and for all or have you gotten cold feet?¡±


    He was astounded at Red¡¯s cold demeanor. Roger didn¡¯t give two shits about Meli then, he needed to know where Sun was!


    ¡°Listen, you asshole,¡± Roger grabbed Red by their collar and shoved the muzzle of his gun under their chin. ¡°You better tell me where she is or I¡¯ll blow your goddamn brains out.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat or a promise?¡±


    ¡°You better fucking believe it¡¯s a promise.¡±


    Red just hung there by their collar for a moment before responding.


    ¡°He¡¯s taken her to the rail yard beside the river.¡±


    Roger let go and rushed down the stairs.


    ¡°You will die!¡±


    He simply flipped Red the bird and kept jumping down the stairs. He didn¡¯t know who had taken Sun, but it was a wrong move on their part. A small part of him hoped it was Angelo so that he could kill two birds with one stone, but he knew life wouldn¡¯t reward him like that.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Sun had regained consciousness a few times only to fall back under. He hated that whenever she opened her eyes again there were different lights around her and she didn¡¯t know where she was. Her limbs refused to listen to her pleas and hung limply at her sides, even when John had lifted her from the car. Throwing her like a sack over her shoulder he strolled confidently to a barbed fence, flashing some ID to a guard to let him through, and continuing onto what looked like field a bunch of train tracks diverged. Everything was still a little hazy, but Sun was slowly coming out of the darkness.


    ¡°Finally awake are we?¡± John asked when he felt her limbs twitch. ¡°Perfect timing, I¡¯d hate for you to miss this.¡±


    Sun felt John walk up the stairs to some sort of building and enter after he¡¯d unlocked the door. The temperature dropped considerably, making Sun shiver despite the fact she was usually very good at dealing with cold weather.


    ¡°We have to keep it at -35 degrees Fahrenheit to keep it dormant. Even a degree higher than that and it wakes up. But with you here it¡¯s going to wake up for sure.¡±


    Sun still couldn¡¯t form coherent sentences since her tongue was numb, but John seemed to read her mind.


    ¡°What am I talking about? This...¡± he dumped her on a chair on one side of the room and turned her around. ¡°...is what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    She gasped when she saw a black crystal suspended in some sort of liquid in the center of the room. It was easily five feet tall and three feet across and had jagged crystal edges pointing out in all directions. Considering the size of the other crystals she had encountered, this one took the cake in size.


    ¡°She¡¯s a beauty isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Straining herself, Sun managed to turn her head to look at John. His expression was one of complete euphoria and he seemed lost in staring at the crystal. He looked down at her and smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to purify it so I can get my wish.¡±

 Chapter 14: The Window Of Opportunity

    Roger sped all the way from his apartment to the railyard. The yard itself was quite a large so he ended up having to park in an alley and walk around the fenced area until he found an entrance. Blocked by two armed guards, he knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to get by even on the pretext that he was with the police. Unable to find another entrance besides coming from the riverside, he shrugged off his coat with the intention of draping it over the barbed wire and climb over. He was about to throw his coat when he heard something whiz past his ear and get caught on the fence. Fearing the guards had somehow seen him, the fell to the ground to make himself less visible. After nothing else flew at him, he rose to see what was clinging to the fence.


    Attached to a protruding arrow was a small bag that had the words ¡®Open me¡¯ written on the front. Cautiously he did and found something that looked like an earplug in it and another little note.


    ¡®Put it in your ear.¡¯ He read.


    Examining the small device and dubbing it not dangerous, he did as instructed.


    ¡°Hey, you got it on the first try!¡± A female voice stated.


    Roger jumped, looking around to see where the voice had come from.


    ¡°Aww, you scared him. Look at him now.¡± A male voice joined.


    Roger looked around frantically, still not finding anybody that could have spoken to him so clearly, as if they were standing right next to him. He had the realization that the thing he had put in his ear somehow had two people¡¯s voices in it. Maybe they were incredibly tiny? He shook his head, bringing himself to reality. There was no such thing as people small enough to fit in his ear, so what was allowing him to hear these voices?


    ¡°What you just put in your ear is a receiver. It lets us talk to you, but you can¡¯t talk back. Come around the corner to meet part of the team that will help you infiltrate that base of operations.¡± The female voice explained.


    He looked at his surroundings trying to see what corner they meant. In the distance, he could see a figure waving their arm. Roger debated just jumping the fence and dealing with the problems as they came, but it seemed like these people had high tech and a plan. Choosing the most obvious option, he ran to the corner where he met a familiar face.


    ¡°Hold still, I¡¯m just putting this on your throat. It reads the vibrations and relays the information to our receivers. In other words, it lets us hear you talk. I don¡¯t think I need to introduce myself again, do I?¡± Asked Leslie.


    Roger simply shook his head.


    ¡°And the handsome gentleman on this line is Patricks, I¡¯m your sharpshooter. We¡¯ve also met, remember? ''A gun is meant to shoot'' and something...something...something... Don¡¯t remember your exact words, but it went like that. Leslie¡¯s our tactical force. Don¡¯t get on her bad side or she will literally kick you in the ass, and it hurts like hell. Seriously, she¡¯s hella strong.¡±


    ¡°Red asked us to help you get in, but that¡¯s where our task ends. Something about you having to make the choices yourself otherwise the future would change, so we can¡¯t get involved once we get you in.


    ¡°We¡¯ve rigged the buildings with explosives, so if it comes down to it we can just blow everything up, but the choice will be yours.¡± Leslie handed Roger a trigger, showing him where the button was. ¡°Press this and there will be pretty fireworks for the whole city to see. I¡¯ve always been a huge fan of explosives, you¡¯ve seen my work. You can even press the button now if you want since Sun technically is explosive-proof. But then you¡¯ll be left with a bunch of questions and I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the type of person to let questions lie unanswered.¡±


    ¡°We should tell him about the key players now since we might not get another chance.¡± Patricks chimed in.


    ¡°Good call. You already know that Angelo Meli is the head honcho in your family¡¯s death. Were you curious how he kept all those animals quiet and knew what loose ends to tie up?¡±


    Roger had already forgotten about the animals that had been silent in the warehouse. Granted it had been unnatural, but there were more pressing matters at the time, and it was still one of his least urgent questions.


    ¡°A decade ago he put another person on his payroll. This person could cut off the ability to speak in any creature if he touched them even once. This person needed a space on the riverfront to store an item, so a deal was struck between Meli and him. He would make sure all the animals stayed quiet and keep Meli posted on any pertinent information that dealt with Meli¡¯s organization and he would receive a top facility to hold this item.¡± Leslie explained.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just tell me who this person is? It would make this whole thing a lot easier.¡± Roger insisted.


    ¡°It¡¯s not our place to tell you because it¡¯ll affect your decision.The last thing we¡¯ll tell you is that in the main building where Sun is being held is the item that is being stored. It¡¯s being kept in a casing of ethanol, so it¡¯s incredibly flammable. I¡¯d avoid being in that area if you do decide to blow the building. Give me a heads up too since I¡¯ll be near the building and don¡¯t want my hair catching on fire again.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! You should have seen her running around!¡± Patricks verbalized.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, Henry, or I¡¯ll set you on fire.¡± Leslie threatened, and Patricks¡¯ line went silent.


    ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± Leslie asked Roger.


    ¡°As I¡¯ll ever be.¡±


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Sun didn¡¯t have any idea how she was supposed to ¡®purge¡¯ the dark crystal. John seemed to have some sort of plan though since he had strapped her to the chair and scooted her forwards so she was sitting right in front of the crystal. He stepped into a smaller room with a window that faced her and gave her a thumbs up.


    Still not sure what to do, she sat there and watched her breath form clouds in front her face. Minute after minute passed and nothing was happening. The feeling in her fingers and toes were coming back as her blood grew warmer. The crystal twitched.


    Alarmed, Sun watched wide-eyed to see what was happening. The rock¡¯s face started bubbling, the solid crystals turning liquid and swirling around in their container. The black liquid spread along the glass holding it back as if trying to find a way out. It suddenly shrunk to half its size, forming back into a rock. It burst forward, the tip of the crystal breaking through the glass and sending shards of glass in all directions and dumping the contents of its tank on the floor. The stink of alcohol burned Sun¡¯s nose and she struggled to get out of the chair, but the straps dug into her wrists and legs, refusing to let her go.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The crystal turned back into liquid and pooled around Sun¡¯s feet. A black figure rose from the pool, gathering up the liquid to create a humanoid presence. Sun found herself staring into Alter¡¯s eyes, except this Alter was different; she was entirely onyx. All her features, including clothes, looked like they had been chiseled from a large slab of black marble.


    ¡°Alter?¡± Sun tried, though no sound escaped her lips.


    Dark Alter reached her hand out to caress Sun¡¯s cheek, and the contact caused a flurry of visions to pass through Sun¡¯s eyes.


    People were screaming as the sky turned red from the smoke. A mother held her young son to her chest as a wave of heat and fire burnt her alive. Shadows showed the imprints of people who tried to get away. Buildings were torn from their foundations and consumed by the bright light. There was no mercy in the face of the light.


    Sun tried to scream, but no voice came out. Tears streamed down her face when she had felt the emotions of hundreds of people dying. She needed to stop it from happening, but the burning pain in her body because of the light was too overwhelming. The light couldn''t be stopped.


    Alter¡¯s dark hand let go of Sun¡¯s cheek. Sun blinked away the tears, trying to recall where she was. She noticed that the arm that had touched her was clear like glass now. Was this the ¡®purging¡¯ John was talking about?


    The other Alter reach out its hand again and Sun tried to pull away, but it was no use. She touched Sun¡¯s face and another barrage of visions hit her like a train.


    The white heat seared into her skin, cooking it instantly while she was still conscious. Her insides were boiling and she could feel something burning down her cheeks; she knew her eyes had melted. Her brain was cooking inside her skull and her fingernails fell off while all the bones in her body all cracked from the heat.


    Alter removed her hand again, as Sun screamed silently. Sobs racked her small body and she wished everything would end. Death would be a mercy for her and she wished John could just kill her rather than making her suffer. Her body ached and she weakly tried at the restraints again. Alter¡¯s body was only half transparent now. She yelled at the girl in front of her, to John, to anyone who could hear her silent pleas for death. Alter stretched her fingers out and grazed Alter¡¯s skin.


    Someone was stabbing her with a thousand needles. Her arms bled as the needles dug into her marrow. Her heart was beating faster and faster until it exploded from her chest. Her stomach imploded and she vomited blood. Sun¡¯s eardrums burst and felt her throat swell so she couldn¡¯t breathe.


    ¡°Sun!¡±


    Despite Alter¡¯s hand still on her cheek, she was able to weakly look up and see Roger burst in through the door, gun drawn. Her lips turned up slightly in a feeble attempt at a smile. A spark of hope flared in her chest. Maybe Roger could end the misery.


    At an alarming speed, the rest of Alter¡¯s body turned to glass, collapsing into itself and turning into a small, clear crystal that fell to the ground.


    Roger ran forward to free Sun from her restraints, but a gunshot ran out and Roger crumpled to the ground, dropping his gun and clutching his side.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare get in my way!¡± Hollered John as he left the viewing room, gun smoking in his hand.


    Roger¡¯s face paled when he saw who was behind it all.


    ¡°Why, John?¡± He asked through gritted teeth.


    John didn¡¯t answer him, but instead walked to a corner of the room and picked up a duffle bag and then started walking towards the fallen crystal.


    Roger¡¯s vision was blurry and everything seemed to be going at half speed. He groggily checked his wound and knew that if he didn¡¯t receive medical attention soon he was going to die. The ground was wet around him and he could see his blood spreading like a disease over the surface over the ground. Sun was only a few feet away; if he could just reach one of her arms and release her, she could get away. He clenched his jaws and crawled towards her trying to ignore the intense pain in his abdomen. His hand stretched towards hers and managed to find a clasp. With the last of his energy, he released his wound and used his other hand to undo the strap.


    Sun watched in horror and tried to scream at Roger to get away, to tell him to stay still and put pressure on his wound, to get away and save himself. No words escaped her mouth and tears streamed down her cheeks as the light started to fade from Roger¡¯s eyes as he undid a restraint. The instant her arm was freed she unbuckled herself from the chair and rushed to his side. He fell onto his back and she pressed her palms against his wound, trying to tell him that he was going to be okay but her voice didn¡¯t make a sound.


    Roger¡¯s wheezing came less frequently and he when he coughed, blood trickled from his nose and mouth. Everything was getting farther and farther away, but he could clearly see Sun crying in front of him. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her that he came to save her and that it would be alright. What was he doing on the floor? He tried lifting a hand, but his body was too heavy. Behind Sun he could see John picking something up off the ground. That¡¯s right, John had shot him. Why? He thought John was his partner, but now he was the reason Roger lay dying.


    Oh, was that what was happening? The chill that had crept into his bones suddenly felt so warm and inviting. Was he finally going to join his family? If that was the case, death didn¡¯t seem that bad. But if death wasn¡¯t a bad option, why was Sun so sad? He was going to see his son and wife again, and he didn¡¯t want Sun¡¯s crying face to be the last thing he saw.


    Sun bent down and put her ear next to Roger¡¯s lips when she saw he was trying to say something.


    ¡°Smile,¡± he uttered.


    Biting her lip, Sun smiled, tears still raining down because she couldn¡¯t stop them. Sun let go of his wound and grabbed onto his hand, giving it one last squeeze before the sparkle in his eyes faded. She sat there, staring into the shell of Roger, hoping that maybe he would return. He didn¡¯t.


    She could hear John behind her getting frustrated over the crystal in his hand, but she didn¡¯t care. She didn¡¯t even care when he grabbed her by the hair and screamed in her face. Sun didn¡¯t even know what he was screaming about, it all just melted into one thing.


    ¡°My only chance to get home and it¡¯s not working! Why isn¡¯t it working!¡±


    Sun could finally make out his words from the strange buzzing in her ears. The tears stopped but Sun continued wearing her smile. Roger hadn¡¯t left her truly alone. Grasped in one of his hands was a device with a small red button, written on the side ¡®The choice is yours.¡¯ Sun wrapped her small palm around it and pushed the button.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Snow and ash gently drifted from the heavens as Leslie and Patricks stood silhouetted in the fiery aftermath of the explosion, grim expressions on their faces. They had given Roger the option but none of them knew he was actually going to use it.


    ¡°You did your jobs like I asked you to, thank you.¡±


    They both turned to see a figured decked in black emerge from the shadows, their red eyes and white hair blazing brightly against the dark.


    ¡°As mysterious as ever.¡± Leslie scoffed, turning back to the blazes. ¡°Did you know this was going to happen?¡±


    Red remained silent, giving Leslie the answer she was looking for.


    ¡°Why lie to him? If you knew he was going to die, why not tell him the actual truth and not the fabricated shit we fed him?¡± Patricks said through gritted teeth. ¡°We could have stopped this! He was innocent in all this!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t change things that have already happened. But with this, I¡¯m finally free.¡± Red let out a breath and removed their mask, letting it drop to the ground into the snow.


    ¡°I hope your freedom tastes fucking great because I¡¯m done working with you! I¡¯m tired of all your cryptic bullshit and not telling us what¡¯s actually going on! We just killed a clean man, and..and for what?¡± Patricks unslung the gun from around his shoulder and the receiver in his ear and threw it to the ground at Red¡¯s feet. ¡°Fuck you and your freedom! See you in hell!¡±


    He stormed off, leaving Red and Leslie still staring at the flames rising from the warehouse.


    ¡°When I joined you you promised I would never have to take a civilian¡¯s life again, and I believed you.¡± Leslie turned to face Red. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Leslie removed her earpiece and crushed it between her fingers before throwing the remnants at Red¡¯s chest and walked into the shadows without another word.


    Red stared down at the discarded equipment gathering snow and ash and opened their fist, revealing a clear crystal in their gloved palm. They lifted their red eyes and gave the heavens one last smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally free.¡±

 Chapter 15: Wash, Rinse, Repeat

    She was standing in the Void again, a few orbs floating around her serenely. The tears had dried, but her heart still ached. The instant she had pressed the button fire and light consumed here and she found herself back in this dark place. Alter was nowhere to be found, but she didn¡¯t want Alter around her. Sun just wanted to be alone.


    Her voice present again, she¡¯d cried and screamed at the nothingness. She¡¯d swung out at the orbs to try and hit something, but they floated away before her fist could make an impact. She¡¯d pound her feet on the reflective surface of the ground, yelling at her reflection and at Alter. Her voice had gone hoarse long ago, but she¡¯d continued yelling into empty air.


    Now she was curled up in a ball with no tears left to shed. She was alone in the dark world and she knew she deserved it. If she had reacted properly John would never have gotten hold of her. If she could have just willed the fogginess away and gained movement of her limbs before she got tied up she could have escaped. If she were stronger, Roger would still be alive.


    She wondered if he ever got to avenge his family. There were still so many questions left unanswered and she needed Roger¡¯s help to get them. A new wave of sadness hit her, but she was so exhausted she just let it wash over her.


    ¡°Are you done with your pity party? I¡¯ve been so bored here, let¡¯s do something!¡±


    Sun turned to see Alter juggling some orbs in the air with her feet. A fresh surge of anger lifted her from the ground.


    ¡°Why did you hurt me?¡±


    ¡°You mean that crystal that turned into a mimic of you? I didn¡¯t do that. I have no physical body in the real world.If you do see me, I¡¯m just a hallucination. What you saw was a crystal wanting to get purged.¡±


    ¡°It hurt me, really bad.¡± Sun wished he had better words to describe the pain the crystal had put her through, but no words seemed to fit.


    ¡°No one said purging was going to be easy. It calls for an incredibly high emotional peak. Pain is the default setting for purging a crystal, but you¡¯ll find the rare one that uses sadness or heartbreak to elicit a high response.¡±


    ¡°But why does it have to be me!¡± Sun screamed.


    ¡°Because we are a curse. Our life is a curse. Everything we touch will be cursed. There will never be a happy ending.¡± Alter¡¯s eyes were heavy with melancholy. ¡°Knowledge is a curse.¡±


    Sun didn¡¯t know how to respond to Alter¡¯s sudden change in attitude. She wanted to blame Alter for everything, but she knew it was all her own fault. And if Alter were speaking the truth about being a curse, then there was no doubt about Roger¡¯s death being entirely on her.


    ¡°So what do I do next? I think I blew up a building.¡±


    ¡°You sure did!¡± Alter¡¯s bright smile was back. ¡°That was fucking incredible too! Here you were, crying like a baby, and then you just turn to John and press that button and BOOM! You should have seen the look on his face!¡± Alter fell into a fit of laughter, clutching her stomach. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°What happened to the crystals?¡± Sun asked, annoyed at Alter¡¯s outburst.


    ¡°Oh, Red grabbed one from the rubble of the building and the other one granted John¡¯s wish, which is where we¡¯re going. Have fun starting from scratch!¡±


    The world around Sun suddenly dissolved.


    Hot sand greeted her palms and knees as she chucked forward trying to regain her balance. Sand started flowing towards her from all directions; she was in some sort of sinkhole. Scrambling, she tried getting on top of the rising sand, but her limbs started burning from the exertion. Getting on her belly, she pushed herself on top of the flowing sand and crawled to the rim of the hole. Once she was safe from getting buried alive, she laid on her back and tried to catch her breath.


    She gasped when she saw two suns in the sky, but frowned when she saw that one had a reddish tint and was slightly larger than the other sun. If her memories proved correctly, the suns from her home were the same hue and size. Great, now she was on a different planet altogether.


    ¡°Alter, you bitch!¡± Sun yelled at the suns.


    Sun was getting so frustrated at Alter¡¯s constant misdirection. Questions kept piling up faster than answers were coming and she knew Alter had what she was looking for but just kept distracting her somehow. Knocking her on a different world would definitely keep Sun busy. Groaning, Sun stood up and wiped as much sand off of her as possible. Her pants were still dyed red from Roger¡¯s blood, and images of his hollow eyes echoed in her mind. Shaking her head free of the haunting, she looked up to see exactly where she was. Golden dunes lined the horizon ahead of her while scraggly orange rocks lined the horizon behind her.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m not drowning,¡± Sun said dryly to the sand.


    Not knowing exactly where to go, she turned around and started walking towards the rocks since she figured it once she reached them getting a foothold would be easier and she would be able to cover more ground.


    She quickly started wishing that she was drowning again because the suns were unmerciful and the sweat seemed to roll of her body. The suns had been tolerable when she had arrived in this new world, but now that she had been trudging along in sand for miles it felt that her hair might spontaneously burst into flames. Even when she had collapsed, the sand burned through her clothes and it was less painful to keep walking than to stay in one place and bake. Whenever she looked up she expected to see the orange rocks a little bit closer, but they seemed to keep their distance no matter how far she walked.


    Off in the distance, she saw a small orange cloud over the sand dunes. As she continued to walk, it started growing larger, until she could make out some sort of vehicle kicking up dust, driving in her direction. Hope and fear conflicted in her chest when she saw a reprieve from the heat but didn¡¯t know if foe or neutral party was coming. At this point, anything that got her out of the suns would be an improvement.


    Waving her hands, she called out to them, but they were still too far away to hear her. Even without her encouragement, the vehicle was heading towards her, so Sun just shifted back and forth on her feet to keep the sand from burning her toes too harshly. The vehicle got bigger and so did the cloud behind it. To her dismay, the cloud wasn¡¯t as small as she thought it was and watched as it was spreading across the sandy horizon. Maybe the vehicle wasn¡¯t traveling towards her, but running away from the cloud? Her thoughts were confirmed when she heard a booming voice come from the oncoming vehicle.


    ¡°Run, you idiot!¡±


    So she did, despite knowing there was no way to outrun a cloud. Tripping over her own feet, she ran across the dry desert sand as fast as she could. She could hear the roar of the vehicle¡¯s engine and the rumble of the dust storm behind her, approaching closer and closer. A hand abruptly grabbed her by her waist and hoisted her onto the vehicle. Sun followed the arm up and saw a smiling face.


    ¡°Welcome to the Rebellion.¡±

 Chapter 16: Little Rebel

    Hayland City, Northern Empire. 416 P.A.


    Once again, Sun found herself in a place she didn¡¯t recognize. At least this time the faces around her seemed friendly. And, in their favor, they did rescue her from the impending dust storm. It took an entire hour of driving at a hundred miles an hour to finally get them far enough away from the storm, and once that storm became a recollection in the distance everyone¡¯s faces relaxed. They ended up driving past a small desert town that gradated into a metropolis of technology and buildings. Even Detroit paled in comparison to the grandiose size and wealth the city displayed.


    Vehicles around here imitating bubbles rose carrying passengers into the sky, propelled by some sort of mechanical device stuck at the bottom. A large metal ring floated in the air around the main central hub where all the larger buildings were located, but Sun had no clue what it was for. Other larger vehicles, like the one she was in, glided gently a few feet off the ground, but not floating as high the bubbles. Large circular semicircular rings were plunged into the ground on one side of the road and wrapped to the other side, making it seem like the road were a fancy garden pathway with overhanging vines. There were giant moving pictures in the sky at that advertised things like ¡®Tonin, the only auditory surgery you¡¯ll ever need. Get yours today¡¯ and ¡®Apply to Hayland City College and land yourself a job in the Capital. Apply now!¡¯


    The floating car Sun was staring out the window it took a sharp turn down another road, her view of the main hub and the advertisements hidden by the larger buildings around her. Two more turns later, the car came to a halt in front of a very unappealing apartment building. Unlike the rest of the city that boasted architectural achievements, the building she stood before simply looked like a brick box piled unceremoniously atop each other.


    ¡°Come on, this way.¡±


    Sun turned to see ushering hands guiding her towards the side of the building. Who were these people anyway? She¡¯d been so caught up in the relief of not getting caught in the dust storm and then so absorbed in absorbing as much of the city as she could, that the fact she was in the company of strangers seemed to had slipped her mind. She followed their beckoning hands into the building in the hopes of finding more information. They could have easily just left her in the desert to face the heat and storm, but they had picked her up and rescued her, so if they had any plans to hurt her they hid them very well.


    There were five people in the group, but a sixth joined them inside the building. They all looked generally in their late teens with just a few years difference here and there. The two females of the group were taller than the rest of the males and seemed much better built than the others. The males still rose a few feet higher than Sun, she found to her disappointment. She wanted to hurry up and grow up so she could face someone eye to eye.


    Looking around the room she saw a bunch of new devices she¡¯d never laid her eyes on again. On the far wall were six glowing screens that displayed weather patterns and building schematics. A few tables lined the walls, some littered with chip bags and trash, while a few others were covered in miscellaneous wires, soldering sets, and odd looking guns. A larger computer stood in the right corner with a single keyboard and there was a set of stairs that led to an unopened door across the room from her. The walls that weren¡¯t laden in screens were covered with posters of people and colorful figures she didn¡¯t recognize. In her defense, this was a completely new world so there was a lot she didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°What took you guys so long?¡± Asked the male that had already been in the building. ¡°I told you guys that there was a disturbance in the atmosphere and that you needed to get out before something bad happened!¡±


    ¡°We did, but we picked up a signal on our radar, so we turned around and followed it.¡± A female piped in, the one that had been behind the wheel.


    ¡°Good thing too because we found another one.¡± The male that had picked motioned to where Sun was standing near the doorway.


    Everyone turned to face her, then fell into a huddle to talk to each other in confidence. Sun rolled her eyes since she could still hear them, she didn¡¯t even need to strain her ears they were still conversing so loudly.


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s the one?¡±


    ¡°Sure hope so, I¡¯m tired of these trips to the desert.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°How many does this make now? Fourteen?¡±


    ¡°Fifteen if you count the boy.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one way to find out.¡±


    They all dispersed and lined up in front of Sun. The door was to her immediate right, so if they all attacked her she could just bolt.


    ¡°My name is Podinal, I¡¯m the one that picked you up.¡± Podinal gestured to the person next to him. ¡°This is Roip, our driver. Next to her is Dexai, Beiwot, Unter, and the one who likes to stay home is Vazerio. We¡¯re part of a group that calls themselves ¡®The Rebellion.¡¯ Why get the help of a bunch of teenagers, you ask?¡±


    All of them suddenly struck a pose and their clothes shimmered, in an instant replaced with a colorful set of uniforms with weapons attached.


    ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯re superheroes!¡± Podinal yelled into the space, pointing a sword that had materialized into his hand.


    Sun was dumbfounded, and the sound of laughter startled her. None of the people in colored costumes were laughing, they were wearing masks but the sound wasn¡¯t coming from their direction. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flicker of light and she could see Alter having a laughing fit in the mirror.


    ¡°I did not see that coming! I love these guys!¡± Alter squealed in the spaces between laughing. Sun strolled over to the small mirror sitting on a desk and flipped it around so she didn¡¯t have to see Alter. She was still pretty pissed for having dumped her onto this world for no reason.


    ¡°I think she might be the one we were looking for,¡± stated Vazerio. ¡°Now can you get me out of this purple thing? I don¡¯t even go into the field so I don¡¯t need one.¡±


    Everyone else seemed taken aback at Sun¡¯s lack of enthusiasm towards meeting superheroes and ignored Vazerio, but Podinal cleared his throat and continued introductions when Sun had turned to face the group again.


    ¡°My power is to materialize things. I take care of all weapon needs and uniforms.¡± To show off his skills, the red sword in his hand transformed into a dagger, then a bow, then a gun. Sun had to admit, that was a pretty useful skill.


    ¡°I have super speed,¡± Roip said, continuing the line of intros. ¡°My brain works a bit faster than everyone else''s, so I can make snap decisions and do other stuff really quickly.¡± In a blink, she was standing behind Sun, and then she was in line again, a blur of blue in Sun¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I am incredibly strong.¡± The yellow costumed Dexai, the smallest male out of the group, stepped forward. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to take my word on it since Vazerio gets mad whenever I mess this room up.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m Beiwot. I like long walks down the ocean sim and I¡¯m looking for the one. I¡¯m beautiful...¡± the female in green flipped her short hair in the air. ¡°...smart, and have the ability to cast illusions.¡± He pointed in one corner expectantly. ¡°See?¡±


    Sun didn¡¯t see anything. She squinted, but there was nothing in the corner to see. She gave a short shake of her head to indicate that she wasn¡¯t seeing whatBeiwot wanted her to see.


    ¡°Do you guys see it?¡±Beiwot asked the rest of the group with a flummoxed expression.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Nada.¡±


    ¡°No. Maybe you¡¯re having performance issues. I don¡¯t see any giant hamster in the corner.¡±


    Beiwot smacked Roip, who just giggled.


    ¡°If you could see what I cast, there¡¯s supposed to be a giant hamster eating a strawberry. Everyone is just a dick and made me think that I lost my powers. They¡¯ll be seeing spiders everywhere for a while as punishment.¡±


    Everyone groaned, and Sun was almost jealous that she didn¡¯t see the creature in the corner. What was a hamster anyways?


    ¡°Moving on, my special power is pyrotechnics. Anything I touch can become an explosive if I want it to.¡± Unter spoke, a small male wearing a pink outfit. When he didn¡¯t offer a demonstration the introductions moved on to Vazerio.


    ¡°I can see a few seconds into the future if I focus on exactly what I want to see. But there are limits to everyone¡¯s power that they just so casually happened to not mention.¡± He shot them all a look. ¡°We can only use them for an hour total a day when they¡¯re engaged. Unter can only cause three things to explode per day while I can only have five visions. We¡¯ve got timers on all our watches to keep track of our time because we¡¯ve had a few instances we ran out and barely made escaped with our lives.


    ¡°But enough about us, do you want to tell us a bit about yourself?¡±


    The group looked at her as if they expected her to burst out in a costume and provide an elaborate explanation as to why she was standing before them. Was she auditioning for something? She didn¡¯t really know what to say to this group of strangers who gave her so much information when she didn¡¯t even ask for it.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Sun started.


    For some reason she didn¡¯t want to use the name Roger had given her; it felt wrong. If other people started calling her by that name she would constantly keep remembering his face in his last moments. Her heart felt like lead when she made her decision.


    ¡°My name is Terra.¡±

 Chapter 17: Smile

    Sun, no Terra, fidgeted with the hem of her dirty shirt. She wanted to ask these kind strangers for a change of clothes, but she still didn¡¯t know what they wanted or what ¡®The Rebellion¡¯ stood for. All she knew at this point was that a group of teenagers had powers, they¡¯d dressed themselves up in corresponding colors, and claimed to be heroes. So in the end, she didn¡¯t really know anything.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Terra. I bet you¡¯re wondering why we rescued you or why we were out in the desert, to begin with, right?¡± Podinal declared, not even waiting for her to respond before continuing. ¡°Our leader said that we would find a girl in the desert and we had to make her feel at home. Super vague, I know, but we did it anyway. Been at it two weeks now but still going strong. Don¡¯t feel bad if you aren¡¯t her since we¡¯re heroes and we refuse to give up.¡±


    He gestured for her to sit down on a chair. Vazerio stepped up and continued where his comrade had left off.


    ¡°We just need to run a small test, if you¡¯re willing. You can always say no and we¡¯ll just let you go home, but so far no one has passed so you¡¯ll probably be going home anyway.¡±


    Terra didn¡¯t feel any malice coming from any of them, so she nodded her head to take whatever test they had stored for her. Plus, she didn¡¯t have a home to return to so if she did somehow pass maybe they¡¯ll offer a place. If she didn¡¯t pass, she wondered if they would still offer her some housing. Unter strolled forward something hidden by a piece of dark fabric and handed it to Vazerio.


    ¡°What we need you to do is describe this item.¡± Vazerio pulled off the fabric, revealing what was underneath.


    Terra couldn¡¯t seem to back away fast enough, toppling over the chair she was sitting on and rushing to the back corner of the wall, hoping to find a way out. The door was near the group and she wondered that if she booked it she could make it before anyone stopping her. Everyone seemed genuinely surprised by her reaction, which did give her the advantage.


    Sprinting forward she grabbed the door¡¯s handle and pulled, but it shut in her face immediately. Damn Roip and her superspeed! Terra tried running to the back of the room again, but, Roip grabbed her arm before she could escape.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± She screamed.


    Memories of the horrible pain she had felt when she had been forced to purge the back crystal resurfaced and she fought harder to get away from Roip¡¯s grasp.


    ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s just a black rock.¡± Beiwot tried, but Terra refused to listen.


    This group just wanted to use her like John had; they wanted some sort of wish granted and would do anything to get that crystal cleaned. She was going to fight this time though, she wasn¡¯t tied down like before and had more than enough energy. Terra grabbed Roip¡¯s thumb and ripped Roip¡¯s hand off her arm and turned around and delivered a roundhouse kick to the back of her opponent¡¯s knees. Roip was surprised, but quickly recovered and lunged at Terra. Terra used the door to jump over Roip, but found herself in a new predicament; now Roip stood before her and her exit.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Vazerio wrapped the black crystal up and shoved it away in his pockets, showing his hands up for Terra to see. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to startle you. I don¡¯t know what about that rock makes you so scared, but you don¡¯t need to see it anymore. If it¡¯s any consolation, you passed, so... yay¡­¡± His hands shook in the air theatrically for effect.


    ¡°So what do we do know?¡± Dexai asked.


    ¡°I guess we move onto phase two.¡± Podinal chimed.


    ¡°She already seems strong enough, is phase two really necessary?¡± Roip remarked, rubbing the backs of her knees.


    ¡°We all had to go through the training sims and she¡¯s no exception,¡± Unter added in a quiet voice.


    ¡°We should probably first ask her if she wants to join our cause before we start getting ahead of ourselves.¡± Vazerio turned to Terra, who had calmed down and come to the conclusion that the group really didn¡¯t know what the crystal was. ¡°Terra, will you do us the honors to join the Rebellion?¡±


    All eyes turned to her expectantly.


    ¡°Not until I know what the Rebellion is,¡± Terra announced.


    ¡°Well, the pigs at the Capitol think that we all work for them.¡± Podinal started. ¡°The people on the outskirts literally aren¡¯t getting water and food while the heads at the Capitol throw charity balls to honor the election of a new corrupt leader.¡±


    ¡°We joined pretty late in the game and the Rebellion has been going on for a long time now. The other empires don¡¯t seem to be having the problems we do with our Capitol.¡± Dexai mentioned.


    ¡°Our goal is to create a more even societal system by spreading the wealth the Capitol makes off labor to the lower tiers,¡± Unter commented.


    ¡°We¡¯ve even tried reaching out to the other empires for aid, but if they did supply aid it would be like declaring war. Everyone is so afraid of conflict that they¡¯ll let millions suffer as long as it doesn¡¯t affect them directly!¡± Beiwot angrily voiced.


    ¡°Which is where we come in. We supply aid to the outskirts by delivering the goods to them once they¡¯ve passed through the channels. A lot of the times the Capitol will hire mercenaries to chase down the stolen goods, but luckily we¡¯re not like other people.¡± Vazerio rejoined. ¡°So, what do you think? Would you like to help the less fortunate and be heroes like us?¡±


    ¡°Do I have to wear a costume?¡± Terra questioned.


    ¡°Uh, I guess you don¡¯t,¡± Podinal replied, a little disheartened.


    ¡°Then yes, I will join you.¡±


    ¡°Do you need time to settle, or do you want to start immediately?¡± Vazerio asked her.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to settle, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Vazerio shrugged his shoulders and let her up the set of stairs and through the door. Terra had thought the living quarters would be behind the doors, but it was a spacious room that was made entirely of grey metal.


    ¡°We call this the sim room. All of our training is done here. You¡¯ll need to put on this suit so we can read your movements and vitals so we can enhance your performance.¡±


    He handed her a black suit with a bunch of blue dots all over it and then walked over to one of the walls and pressed his hand against it. A warm white light glowed where he had pressed his palm and an outline of a door appeared, the panel popping out and sliding out to reveal another set of stairs. She followed him up and found a large room filled with beds and bookshelves and personal items.


    ¡°This is where we stay since we¡¯re all away from home. I take it since you didn¡¯t give us anything besides your name you¡¯ve run away from home?¡± He took Terra¡¯s silence as confirmation. ¡°You¡¯re safe here. Think of us as your family and we¡¯ll get along swimmingly. We already have a bed and everything for you.¡±


    He stopped at the furthest bed from the door, indicating it was hers.


    ¡°Your dresser is fully stocked with simple clothes. We do get a small allowance every week to spend at your leisure. Most of us spend it on games and equipment, but you can spend it on whatever you want. You don¡¯t even need to worry about food since we get it delivered. Kitchen and lounge are upstairs. You can change in the bathroom there,¡± he pointed to a door next to the set of stairs they had come up. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the sim room pulling up a beginner module, so just come down when you¡¯ve changed.¡± With that, he turned on his heels after giving her an encouraging smile and left.


    Terra walked across the room and shut the bathroom door behind her. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she was surprised to see her reflection staring back. Maybe Alter had gotten the hint and decided to leave her alone. Something was wrong with her reflection though, she looked much older than she remembered. Her eyes were a tired blue and she seemed to have sprouted a few inches. When did that happen? She looked closer at herself and saw that her facial features looked slightly elongated as if she stretched since the last time she¡¯d seen herself. Her hair had a slight green tint to it as well, was that always there? If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She shook her head of cobwebs and started removing her clothing. Blood had caked on her shirt and pants and she deemed them unusable. Despite her growth, the suit she had to put on was incredibly loose. Terra had to hold the waist of the suit in order to not trip while walking. Sucking it up, she strolled down the stairs, proud that she didn¡¯t even stumble. She did feel ridiculous, and the fact that Vazerio was failing to hide his grin didn¡¯t help her self-esteem.


    ¡°I take it you¡¯ve never used one of those before.¡± He commented.


    ¡°What gave that away?¡±


    He walked up to her and pressed and held something on her collar. Terra could feel the suit shrinking until it fit snuggly against her body. She tested her limb movements and was pleased to find no restrictions.


    ¡°The first simulation we¡¯re running is just basic technique. How to punch, how to block, how to kick, the whole beginner package. It¡¯ll increasingly get harder and harder once you pass basic training since it adapts to your movements and brainwave patterns, and it¡¯ll keep going until you lose. Roip holds our current record of three hours, twenty-six minutes, and fifty-two seconds. She says we should round it up, but numbers are numbers.¡± He put a small cylinder in both of her hands and placed some sort of goggles on her head.


    Terra found that she could see her hands and body, but she couldn¡¯t see Vazerio anymore.


    ¡°The option for the session will pop up in a moment. Keep holding on to those sim sticks because they measure the force you put in a punch. Plus, if you manage to get through the beginning training today, those sim sticks will act as weapons in the fight simulators. Whenever you choose a different weapon, they adjust their weight accordingly so you have a more realistic feel for the weapon. Give me a moment to get out of the room and I¡¯ll send you the notification.¡±


    She heard him close the metal plating behind her, leaving her in complete silence. In the corner of the goggles, she could see her vitals displayed. A line of text appeared in her line of sight.


    Training Sim: Beginner.


    Begin?


    Y/N


    Terra didn¡¯t know how to select and was going to holler at Vazerio for help, but she found simply looking at the choice she wanted to make would make it happen.


    An instructor appeared in front of her, smiling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with stretching. You don¡¯t want to hurt yourself before you even start.¡± The chipper robotic voice said, and they spent fifteen minutes stretching out Terra¡¯s muscles.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s get started!¡±


    A punching bag floated in front of her as the instructor explained how to throw a proper punch. For the next two hours, Terra breezed by the lessons since she had already been trained by Leslie what seemed ages ago. Finally the option she¡¯d been waiting for popped up.


    Congratulations, you passed!


    Continue Training?


    Y/N.


    She chose Yes.


    Training Sim: Continuous.


    Begin?


    Y/N


    Yes again.


    Weapon:


    You may change this at any time during combat.


    Sword


    Short-sword


    Gun


    Rapier


    Dagger


    Nun-chucks


    Staff


    Crossbow


    Hand Crossbow


    None


    She chose short-sword and hand crossbow since that¡¯s what she had used to fight off the giant creature back to protect Roger. Terra wanted to stay away from guns for a while.


    A figure materialized in front of her. It was entirely light grey, had absolutely no facial features, and held a sword in front of itself. Her screen counted down from three, and the instant the number one faded, the figure ahead of her attacked.


    Terra merely sidestepped and plunged her sword into its chest. The figure dissolved, and two more figures appeared, her screen indicating round two had begun. The figures kept multiplying until the number reached ten, and then their attacks got more coordinated, some using others as shields so they could attack at Terra.


    She felt as if she were finally in her element. These figures were out to get her and she needed to destroy them all before they did; simple as that. No mysteries, no conspiracies, no having to fly around or drive around hunting for answers. No one but she could get hurt here.


    Her small body worked to her advantage as she dodged and ducked past the figures rushing at her. She had to admit she was getting a little tired, but as long as the figures kept coming she was going to keep fighting. The simulations were getting faster, she noted, and her hits weren¡¯t landing as often, plus now she was having to hit a target multiple times before it dissipated.


    The figures ahead of her flickered and were replaced by black obsidian creatures that looked like her. Terra¡¯s blood froze when she saw the black crystal beings; was this part of the simulation? That version of Alter was what haunted her when her eyes closed. Their heads snapped to her and they all attacked her at once. Refusing to fall to the black crystal, Terra screamed and methodically dodged each attack and countered.


    Warning:


    Elevated Heart Beat


    Suggested Course of Action:


    Pause Training and Rest


    She ignored the warning and kept fighting. If she could just stop the Dark Alter from reaching her, then everything would just return back to normal. This Alter had frightened her once, but that was when she tied up; this time was going to be different.


    Breathing hard, she struck the last Alter down and watched as it disappeared and then raised her weapons to ready herself for the next battle.


    Congratulations!


    You have successfully completed Continuous Training.


    Continue Training?


    Y/N


    Terra had too much adrenaline and energy pumping through her body to stop now--of course, the answer was yes.


    Without warning, a black creature appeared in front of her and attacked, its claws outstretched and mouth open, revealing its dozens of sharp teeth. She recognized it as the creature she had fought in the snow and wondered how the simulation had gotten this prepared. Vazerio had mentioned the simulator adjusted itself to the user, so perhaps it had somehow read her fears and this ended up being one of them.


    She dodged an arm and jumped over the tail that swung right after it. A claw rushed at her and she sliced at it with her sword. Its face lunged at her and she kicked it in the jaw, knocking a few teeth out, and then shot an arrow in its eye like she had done before. The creature kept charging and she had to stay on the defensive to stay out of its grasp. Eventually, she found an opening by rolling to the side after it swiped at her with a claw and swiping up, relieving the creature of its right arm. It screamed in pain and tipped over, and she took the opportunity to decapitate it.


    ¡°Pause.¡± She muttered, finally tired.


    She removed the goggles and looked around just to be sure there were no creatures lying in wait. Terra let out a sad sigh, knowing that all the figures and Dark Alters she had fought were just illusions and didn¡¯t change anything in her past. She was about to walk down the stairs to let Vazerio know she was done when the door burst in.


    Terra jumped back and raised her arms in front of her to fight back the oncoming figures that surprised her.


    ¡°Oh my god! You so were awesome!¡± Podinal yelled in her direction, lifting her up in a bear hug and spinning her around before she could react.


    ¡°How did you learn to do that?¡± Beiwot asked, her eyes glowing.


    ¡°Yeah! Normally I¡¯d be pissed at you for beating my record, but you totally deserved it!¡± Roip declared, clapping Terra on her back.


    ¡°Choice of weapons was odd, but you were pretty cool,¡± Unter added.


    ¡°You¡¯re like a one-man army! I don¡¯t think we even need to fight anymore, just send you in.¡± Dexai commented.


    ¡°Are you doing alright?¡± Vazerio asked, a gentle voice amongst all the other loud ones. ¡°You fought for seven hours, forty-five minutes, and thirty-six seconds. That goes way beyond anything I¡¯ve seen, and I like to read the stats from the Capitol¡¯s military training. You must have been some sort of universal record or something.¡±


    He walked away mumbling something about brain waves and force impulse, but Terra couldn¡¯t hear him since everyone else was busy fawning over her. Podinal wrapped his arm around her neck and used his other hand to muss up her hair. Although she should have been annoyed, there were too many smiles and glowing faces for her to be upset.


    ¡°We¡¯re glad you decided to join our cause,¡± Podinal remarked.


    Terra was glad to have so many new people in her life. A small voice in her head told her that she didn¡¯t deserve it and that she was going to be a curse that would somehow destroy all they fought for, but she ignored it. For the first time in what felt like years, a genuine smile appeared on her face.

 Chapter 18: One Answer Forward, Two Questions Back

    ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve made some friends.¡±


    Terra looked up to gaze into Alter¡¯s dark eyes. It had been a week since she¡¯d seen last seen Alter in the small mirror when she¡¯d first arrived in this new world, and she had to admit that she felt a little lonely without her companion. Not that she didn¡¯t have any new friends to keep her company now that she had started growing into her role in this new life, she had missed having someone around that had solutions to her problems.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Terra harshly whispered, not wanting to wake the sleeping bodies in the next room.


    It was  5 in the morning and everyone was exhausted from a long training day. Plus, the hours worked differently in this new world; the reds sun seemed to sit lazily in the sky and only set every fifty hours, while the smaller sun zipped around twice. By pure luck, they set at the same time, but that meant that days were fifty hours long and nights were twenty-five hours. It really threw Terra for a loop when her internal clock struggled to adjust. Now, standing in the bathroom, she had only slept for four hours after being awake for the majority of the daytime, making her sleep deprived and snappy.


    ¡°Awww, did our little princess not get enough sleep? Don¡¯t you hate it how such a small part of your body controls when you wake up and need to go pee?¡± Alter¡¯s eyes shone in amusement, contrasting Terra¡¯s dark and weary irises.


    ¡°Shut up. Why am I here?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a question we all ask ourselves, why are we really here? Maybe it¡¯s to fulfill some sort of cosmic purpose or find happiness. We¡¯re talking about the meaning of life now.¡±


    ¡°Stop avoiding the subject. Why did you send me here to this place.¡± Terra¡¯s was slowly waking up and her anger at Alter¡¯s rambling simply added fuel to the fire.


    ¡°Ohhhh, that¡¯s what you meant. I didn¡¯t send you anywhere. Honest! You were already going there, but took a detour and stayed in the Void. I simply gave you little push out. You were in there for two years you know! Jesus, talk about a pity party.¡±


    Two years? Had Terra been in the dark place for two years? How was that even possible? She couldn¡¯t deny that she looked older in the mirror, but how could she have physically been in that place for such a long time without starving or sleeping or eating? It didn¡¯t make any sense. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°I know right?¡± Alter continued speaking after reading volumes on Terra¡¯s face. ¡°Two years lost in that place because you just couldn¡¯t get over yourself. Yes, Roger¡¯s death was your fault. Yes, more people than you know died because of you and yes, more people will die because of you. Now get over it because I¡¯m sick and tired of you sitting around doing nothing but moping and crying as if you were the only one who¡¯s ever hurt. Fucking do something about it!¡±


    Alter¡¯s aggravation and irritation hit Terra, and she felt some of her own annoyance rise to the surface.


    ¡°Then you should tell me what I¡¯m doing here! And why do they have a black crystal? I thought it got used up to fulfill John¡¯s wish. And what was his wish and why did it dump me here?¡±


    ¡°John simply wanted to go home, and this was home for him. I suppose we can all relate to that feeling. And didn¡¯t it ever occur to you that there may be more than just two crystals in the universe? Plus, that crystal is dead, so it can¡¯t be purged. Which is actually why I¡¯m here.¡± Alter sat down on the bathroom counter and settled in and motioned for Terra to do the same.


    ¡°When a crystal gets used, it dies. It¡¯s a one-time use thing, although if you gather up enough you can create an unlimited one, but that¡¯s another story. This black crystal is used, so it can easily be manipulated. Remember that creature thing that we fought in the snow?¡± Terra nodded--as if she could ever forget. ¡°That was a corrupted crystal, so anyone can manipulate it. Only you can manipulate the dead ones.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Was all Terra could mutter out at this new information.


    ¡°Why can you control dead crystals? That, I¡¯m afraid, is something I can¡¯t tell you just yet. I think in a few more world I can finally break it to you, but right now it¡¯ll be too much of a shock to your system. Plus, someone needs to use the bathroom, so I don¡¯t have time to explain all the mechanics of it. You need to learn how to manipulate that black crystal downstairs because your new friends¡¯ lives depend on it.¡±


    A knock on the door brought Terra out of her conversation with Alter, and when she turned back to the mirror, Alter was gone.


    ¡°Are you done? I don¡¯t think I can hold it much longer.¡± Dexai insisted, a clear strain on his voice.


    Terra jumped from the counter and opened the door. He was already going pee before Terra had a chance to close the door behind her. Crawling into bed, she wondered if she¡¯d be able to fall asleep with the new questions that formulated in her head. Alter had said that she wouldn¡¯t be able to a question for a few more worlds, did that mean there would more after this one? How many more? What was the deal with the crystals? An unlimited crystal? Dead crystals? Why couldn¡¯t Alter just explain everything to her in one go and just be done with it?


    Sleep must have taken hold of her sometime because she was woken up to Beiwot shaking her gently to get up.


    ¡°Wake up Terra, we¡¯ve finally got a mission.¡±

 Chapter 19: Under The Watchful Eye

    The group had met downstairs to be briefed on their mission. It was nine, but the night sky shone vibrantly with stars since it was during the lapse where no sun rose for twenty-five hours. There was a light ring in the sky surrounding the planet were a field of rock and debris orbited. Terra hadn¡¯t spent much time outside since her adventure in the desert, but she found the night sky to be more pleasant than the daytime. Something about how the stars watched over her but couldn¡¯t interfere with her life was soothing and the night air always dropped to a comfortable temperature. She wondered if it snowed on this planet.


    Breaking herself out of her night air daydream, she meandered back inside where Vazerio had finished pulling up a city schematic on the screens and everyone had settled down into their respective chairs. She settled in on a chair in front since she was two heads shorter than Dexai, the shortest one there.


    ¡°Alright guys, the Rebellion managed to get their hands on a medicine shipment headed to the Capitol. It¡¯s filled with vaccinations and antibiotics to bandages and anti-infection cream. There are eight crates total that we¡¯ll be picking up here,¡± He used his pointer to show the rendezvous point. ¡°In Peterian City.¡±


    Everyone let out a groan, so Terra asked why.


    ¡°We¡¯re not the only ones with abilities. There¡¯s a group of mercenaries the Capitol keeps on retainer there and they don¡¯t mess around. If we slip up even once, it might be the end of us.¡± Podinal stated, his shoulders sagging.


    ¡°Needless to say, the shipment will be waiting for us if we¡¯re there or not and thousands depend on it. We¡¯ll be taking it out of the city and dropping them off in six outskirt cities. This will be the first time in six years that such a large shipment of medical aid will be distributed to the outskirts, and they are in desperate need of it. There are a total of four shipments they managed to steal, and the people in our sector are depending on us to get it out to them. Is everyone still on board?¡± Vazerio looked at the group of unsteady faces, but they all gave him a weak nod to indicate they understood.


    ¡°Alright. We move out in six hours, so get ready. Roip, I need to discuss the route with you.¡±


    And with that, the meeting was dismissed. Terra fidgeted in her seat for a bit, remembering Alter¡¯s words that she needed to learn how to use the black crystal otherwise the group would be in danger. Well, they already would be in danger, but even more so. She needed to talk to someone about getting that crystal so she could practice. Fear still coursed through her system about the corrupt crystal she needed to purge, but she shoved it down.; she needed to trust Alter regarding the dead crystal.


    She heard Vazerio and Roip finish up and stood at attention next to his desk.


    ¡°I need to see the black crystal.¡± She announced.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Vazerio asked, remembering the last time she had seen it. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we can handle Roip getting injured right before a mission.¡± But he brought it out anyway.


    When he lifted the fabric, the black crystal just sat in his hand, unmoving. Hesitantly, Terra reached out and grasped it in her hand, feeling the cool rock nestle perfectly in her hand. A wave of calm washed over her and she felt as if the rock were absorbing all the turbulent feelings she had been bottling up. Despite it being just a rock, her mind felt calm with it in her hands.


    ¡°Are--are you okay?¡± She heard Valerio''s voice pierce her serenity.


    She gave him a gentle smile and nodded, too lost in the calmness to give a verbal response.


    ¡°You say that, but you seem really out of it.¡± He clasped her chin with his forefingers and brought her eyes up to meet his. ¡°And your eyes are black.¡±


    He ripped the crystal from her small fist, uncomfortable at this sudden change in demeanor. Terra retorted, trying to reach for it again, but he was much taller than her and there would be no way unless she hurt him somehow, but she had too much self-control for that option. For now.


    ¡°Hey, Terra! It¡¯s time to test out a uniform for you!¡± Podinal came down the stairs excitedly, catching the sight of Vazerio playing keep-away with Sun. ¡°Woah, what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°I want to hold onto the crystal but Vazerio won¡¯t let me.¡± Terra pleaded, trying to get Podinal on her side.


    ¡°You mean that crystal that made you go berserk? I might be a bit against that too.¡± He said, siding with Vazerio. ¡°You do realize Roip is our driver, right? Shouldn¡¯t hurt her any more than you already have.¡±


    Terra turned to Vazerio, hoping to play on his logical side.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Can I just keep it on my person? I won¡¯t even touch it, promise.¡± And she meant it. Well, whenever Vazerio was around she¡¯d keep in the pouch, the other times she¡¯d try and ¡®manipulate¡¯ it or whatever.


    Vazerio must have seen a hint of deception in her blue eyes because he tucked it away.


    ¡°You know what, I¡¯ll hold on to it. Stay close to me and you¡¯ll be near it, but you won¡¯t be able to touch it.¡±


    Holding back a wave of annoyance and needing to get away before injuring Vazerio, she stormed upstairs to the bathroom to have a chat with Alter.


    ¡°You really should just get a portable mirror or something,¡± Alter said when Terra entered.


    ¡°Vazerio isn¡¯t giving it to me.¡± Terra pouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame him. I told you that you needed to learn to control the crystal, not let the crystal control you. Even though it¡¯s dead doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t dominate you, it just means that its power was used up. It¡¯ll feed on emotions and energy until there¡¯s nothing else to take. Don¡¯t let yourself get sucked into its void of energy, you need to take charge. Keep Vazerio in your sights. You¡¯ll know when you need to use the crystal.¡±


    ¡°Hey Terra, I know you¡¯re upset, but we do need to get you a uniform and some weapons,¡± Podinal told her through the bathroom door.


    Terra swung the door open and followed him upstairs where the rest of the group minus Vazerio was getting suited up. The bright colored costumes they had worn the day they¡¯d met were gone, replaced with a matte black suit similar to the one she had used in the training simulator. She stripped to her underwear and put on the suit, pressing and holding the button until the suit felt like a thick second skin.


    ¡°Hey, Terra. Next time you dress, there is a bathroom right over there.¡± Beiwot pointed out.


    Terra shrugged, not really getting what she was hinting at, but Dexai was bright pink, Podinal had turned away, his ears were flush red, Beiwot and Roip looked amused, and Unter just looked uninterested.


    ¡°What was that on your back anyway?¡± Roip chimed in.


    ¡°My back? Is there something on it?¡± Terra questioned, trying to feel around but not quite reaching.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like a giant black scar or something. How¡¯d you get it?¡±


    Black scar? Terra had no clue what Roip was talking about. Roip read the look of confusion on Terra¡¯s face, dropping the issue and telling Terra not to worry about it. But how could Terra not worry about it now since she¡¯d never even seen her own back?


    ¡°Alright guys, we¡¯re rolling out in four hours,¡± Vazerio stated while coming up the stairs. ¡°Does anyone have any questions before we head out?¡±


    Terra¡¯s eyes immediately fell to Vazerio¡¯s pocket where she could see the outline of the crystal.


    ¡°Yeah, ¡° Dexia piped. ¡°Are you coming with us mister stay-here-where-it¡¯s-safe?¡±


    ¡°Today I¡¯ll be joining you. It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve been out, but I¡¯m confident my powers are still working.¡±


    The group around Terra cheered. Was Vazerio really that good of a fighter that it lifted their spirits up that much? He left to put on his uniform while Podinal materialized an assortment of weapons on the table for the group to pick out. Terra immediately went for a short-sword, but the instant she grabbed a hold of the handle it dissolved.


    ¡°Wha--?¡± The group said in unison.


    She tried grabbing the handle of the staff, but it, too, disappeared under her touch. Podinal summoned up more swords for her, but they all vanished the instant she made contact with them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on, but I think Terra might need an actual weapon,¡± Roip stated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have actual weapons,¡± Podinal replied, ¡°We never needed them since I could just make them instantly.¡±


    ¡°So what should I use?¡± Terra asked. She wanted to go into a battle situation with a little more than just her fists.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve got a prototype gun downstairs she could probably use,¡± Unter commented.


    ¡°That thing? Last time we used it I nearly blew my arm off!¡± Roip revealed. ¡°Considering she¡¯s pretty skilled with a sword, I think we have a crowbar around here somewhere.¡±


    Terra followed Roip down the stairs where they hunted for the elusive crowbar. It took them an entire hour to find it hidden under a pile of chips tucked behind a box of old DVDs. It was heavier than the sword she was used to swinging around, but it would have to do. It definitely looked like it could deal some damage, and that¡¯s what she was there for.


    Three hours flew by. The group had swapped stories and anxiously tried to calm their nerves, but the quiver in their voices as the time counted down was noticeable. In that time, however, Terra started making astute observations about the people she was surrounded by.


    Podinal was the most energetic and outspoken of the group, so when he stopped talking the group typically fell silent. Roip and Beiwot were snuggled together on the couch, and they would more often than not hold conversations between the two of them rather than with the group. Dexai seemed to exude energy and was constantly in the kitchen making snacks and munching on things in the fridge. Unter was quiet and reserved, usually curled up on an armchair reading, but when he thought no one was looking he¡¯d sneak adoring glances at Podinal, his eyes sparkling and cheeks flushing a slight pink whenever he did. Vazerio was the team leader and seemed to love giving orders, and despite his bossy behavior, she could see a veil of doubt behind his eyes, as if he was wondering if he was making the right call. It was interesting to see the group¡¯s dynamic nearing the time of reckoning.


    ¡°Alright, guys. It¡¯s time to go.¡± Vazerio announced with a slight tremor in his voice.


    They all silently walked down the stairs and exited the building, squeezing into the vehicle and driving into the night. The night air Terra had found so calming before had a bite to it that sent buds of cold down to her bones, while the stars that had watched over her without judgment seemed to be scrutinizing her every move.

 Chapter 20: Battle Of The Minds

    ¡°Shit shit shit!¡±


    Podinal cursed, firing off a few rounds into the darkness and then ducked back into the speeding vehicle.


    Looking out the window, Terra could see dark figures running on the rooftops alongside them despite them going over eighty miles an hour on the road. Roip was expertly maneuvering her way through the floating car highway, coming dangerously close to clipping the other vehicles but never making contact.


    The trip to the rendezvous point was uneventful and quiet, but things changed dramatically once they switched transports. Within minutes of Roip driving the shipment, hooded figures jumped out from the shadows and began firing at the group. Terra had wanted to bail at that moment and let out some steam by fighting with the mysterious people, but she was under the watchful eye of Unter, Dexai, and Beiwot in the back. Plus, if she had opened the back cargo doors there lay the possibility of the crates of medicine falling out, and she wasn¡¯t going to risk it. For now, she just had to wait and see if the group could get out of the predicament by themselves before she could part in the action. She didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    Roip made a sharp turn to get off the populated road, but the car came to such a sudden halt that everyone not strapped in flew forward. Terra heard the sharp crack of a skull against the windshield, and all the passengers in the back, including her, pitched forward. Immune to the trauma, but feeling part of her face get coated in black crystals, she looked around at the damage. The medicine crates were unharmed, but Unter and Dexai were out cold from having hit their heads against them, while Beiwot was groaning on the side clutching her bleeding shoulder. She could hear some more groaning and shuffling from the front, but couldn¡¯t make out who was still conscious. The back doors sprung open and by instinct, Terra grabbed her crowbar to defend the group.


    The first figure lunged at her and she easily deflected them away, landing a solid hit on the back of their neck with her weapon and effectively knocking them out. She jumped out of the floating van to face her opponents.


    One tried to catch her unaware by using the roof of the van as a surprise tactic, but Terra could hear their loud footsteps coming a mile away. Just by stepping to the side and swinging her crowbar up at her opponent¡¯s chin rendered another one unable to battle. She heard something whistle past her ear and saw a small metal cylinder poking from the frame of the vehicle behind her.


    Catching a glimpse of silver flying at her, she dodged out of the way and then knocked another out of the air that followed directly behind it. More flew in her direction, but she cartwheeled out of the way, leaving a trail of metal rods on the ground behind her. Another dark figure jumped out at her, but she was ready; knocking more flying metal to the ground before using her attacker¡¯s leverage against them, kicking their feet out from underneath them and smashing their face into the pavement.


    A silent wind abruptly sent her flying into a nearby wall, concrete crumbling from her impact. She gasped for air when her breath was knocked out of her, but the unseen assailant sent her flying into a pole that lined the road. Not bothering to catch her breath, she swung out her arm in the hopes of somehow hitting the invisible person.


    ¡°To your right!¡± Vazerio called out.


    Terra swiped her crowbar to the right of her, catching the culprit somewhere in their torso judging from the grunt of pain she heard. She grabbed an arm and brought them down to meet her knee, hearing them crumple and then visibly see them lying on the ground. From down the road, she saw a dozen more opponents and she readied herself, staving off a few more flying metal bits. Before they could reach the van, however, she saw something fly past her and the small army ahead of her was tossed in the air as an explosion burst near their feet.


    Unter was carrying pieces of debris in his hands and looked incredibly pissed off. He gave Terra a nod of approval before chucking another piece of rubble at the attackers who were too stubborn to turn back, causing more concrete and debris to scatter around them as it exploded.


    ¡°The car still works guys!¡± Roip called out from the vehicle. ¡°Get in!¡±


    Terra was curious as to why they had come to such a sudden stop to begin with but jumped in the van so they could move the medicine. After all, that was their number one priority. She heard Vazerio curse in the front seat and then yell at the back seat crew to close the doors. The now-conscious Dexai quickly shut the doors, and not a moment too late.


    A metal claw attached to a wire lodged itself in the hood of their van with a thunk and blue lightning streaked down its length. Electricity sparked from the dashboard, short-circuiting the control panel, causing the van to drop from its height. Terra looked around to see the blood draining from everyone¡¯s faces.


    ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± Podinal announced stoically, a large gash on his forehead from ramming into the windshield.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Dexai asked, panic evident in his eyes. ¡°Last time--¡± his voice cracked. Beiwot hugged him to try and calm him down, but Terra could tell that she was just barely keeping things together herself. Even Unter looked alarmed.


    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®he¡¯?¡± Terra inquired. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°This guy is a fucking force of nature. He controls electricity, and believe me, it hurts if he ever touches you.¡± Roip stated, pushing up one of her sleeves to show a scar that crisscrossed all the way up her arm. More rays of lighting jumped around them and the hope seemed to drain from everyone¡¯s eyes. Vazerio turned around and faced Terra.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose yourself.¡±


    He tossed a small item in her direction and she caught it easily.


    A calm serenity washed through her the instant the black crystal was in her hand and she knew what she had to do. Leaving her crowbar on the cargo floor, she tightened her grip on the crystal and watched as it extended into a sword, the weight and length made perfectly for her. Kicking open the doors, she felt electricity hit her body, but wherever it hit it simply left black crystallized scars; it didn¡¯t actually cause any pain.


    She shut the doors behind her just in case the lightning jumped to the passengers inside, and then calmly walked to the front of the vehicle where the metal claw was lodged. More silver blurs came flying at her, but she just knocked them out of the air with her sword. Time itself seemed to favor her as it slowed whenever a metal canister got near enough her striking distance.


    Taking a firm grip of the wire that ran from the claw, she allowed the electricity to harmlessly ground itself on her rather than striking the car. Black crystals quickly formed around her hand, consuming the wire and welding it to her arm. Making sure it was secure, she sliced the wire attached to the car, cutting the link that caused the car to short-circuit.


    With the wire still attached to her hand, she started pulling the culprit towards her. At this point, she was just playing tug-of-war with the person on the other line, and she didn¡¯t plan on losing. Needing both hands free to handle the wire, her sword melted around her hand, creating a black crystal gauntlet that covered her fist. She could hear the others scrambling to get the vehicle started again. Once the engine was running again, she could hear the others urging her to get in the car so they could complete their mission, but she ignored them. Nobody threatened her and her new comrades and got away with it.


    With one last tug, she saw the figure on the other end finally come into sight. She sprinted towards them, never letting go of the wire just in case they decided to run. More metal rods came flying towards her and she realized this man was not unarmed; he had been the one shooting at her from the beginning.


    She dodged the flying bits and circled around theperson who was too focused on not getting within her striking range that he didn¡¯t realize that she was still holding onto the wire that was linked to his arm. Tugging up, Terra smiled when the male¡¯s arm snapped across his chest and he was completely bound. She watched in amusement as fear crept into the guy¡¯s eyes--the same fear that she had seen dig into her friend¡¯s eyes when he was the one in control.


    The gauntlet shifted into a sword again as she calmly made her way to the boundmale who now looked like a caterpillar trying to escape a hungry beak. She nestled the sword against his neck, a warmth spreading across her chest when she knew she could easily get rid of one of her enemies so easily.


    ¡°Terra!¡±


    She heard a voice call out to her in the haze. Looking up, she saw someone pointing a gun at her. Vazerio? Was that his name? He was a friend, so she simply looked back down at the man crying for mercy at her feet. She heard a shot ring out and something hit her leg, the bullet bouncing off and black crystals tearing her uniform. Had her comrade shot her? Deciding theperson on the ground wasn¡¯t going anywhere, she turned her attention to the person who she thought was on her side. His eyes had gone wide and he scrambled backward.


    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t realize just how weak you were.¡±


    Terra turned her attention to the voice that had insulted her. To her surprise, she saw Alter standing right next to her without the help of a mirror.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just a hallucination. Or maybe you should worry¡­¡± Alter pondered. ¡°But you¡¯ve gone too far. Do you even remember your name?¡±


    Terra scoffed, of course she did, it was T...Te...Ta¡­? What was it again?


    ¡°I thought so. You should probably let go of that crystal, you¡¯re not ready for it yet.¡± Alter touched the sword Terra held, and it transformed back into a rock. But Terra didn¡¯t want to let go. It made her feel invincible. It took away all the problematic thoughts in her head. It was made for her.


    She felt a hand reach down and grab the crystal from her hand. Alarmed, she looked up and saw Vazerio¡¯s concerned face looking down at her.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    She nodded, feeling embarrassment at her behavior creep up her neck. Had she really considered him her enemy when he¡¯d shot at her? Well, the fact that he pulled the trigger did surprise her, but at least it helped bring her out of that state-of-mind.


    Terra hung her head low and didn¡¯t want to make any eye contact with anyone because of how mortified she felt.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± she heard Podinal call from the front when she had crawled in the van. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever gotten chills like that before! That was incredible! You totally showed him who¡¯s boss. Is he still there?¡± He squinted through the windshield to see if he could spot the electric-user.


    Terra shrugged her shoulder. He probably was unless his colleagues had already untied him. She tried to push it out of her mind since she was still horrified at herself for nearly slitting the man¡¯s throat and enjoying it.


    ¡°How did you warp that rock?¡±


    ¡°How come you¡¯re immune to everything?¡±


    ¡°Why are there black crystals on your face?¡±


    ¡°Is that your power?¡±


    ¡°Why did your eyes turn black?¡±


    ¡°Who were you talking to?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Vazerio shouted, quieting everyone down. ¡°Let¡¯s just drop the topic for now. We still have to stay alert since the mission is to deliver the medicine, remember?¡±


    Everyone reluctantly nodded and watched the windows in case another attack came. It never did. When they had delivered the crates to the six different cities, the suns had begun rising over the peaks of Hayland City, indicating the start of fifty hours of daylight. Exhausted, they all collapsed on their corresponding beds and passed out. Terra lay in bed wondering if she would ever gain control of the crystal or if the crystal would one day take her mind.

 Chapter 21: Guilty Conscience

    Ever since everyone had recovered from their mission, the entire group had been taking turns helping train Terra to control the black crystal. Well, at first it was legitimate training where she¡¯d be handed the crystal and then she¡¯d fight in the simulator and then have to give up the crystal voluntarily. Two days in and there were already improvements, but Terra wanted to be sure she would never succumb to the crystal¡¯s will again, so she urged her friends to keep training her. That¡¯s when they started passing it amongst each other and poking her with it during random times of the day, to the extent of creating a point-system game based on her reaction.


    If her eyes turned black, no points were awarded. If she got annoyed with them, it was one point. If she didn¡¯t even notice them poking her, it was three points. The rules were that there had to be crystal-on-skin contact and it had to be announced immediately after she got jabbed, otherwise it didn¡¯t count. Initially, Terra had been glad they were so adamant about helping her, but after she had gotten surprised in the shower she was less amused by their tactics. She had to admit that it was an effective method and by the end of the week, she had barely felt the calmness the crystal offered, feeling more agitation than anything. By the end of the second week, she had perfect control over the crystal and carried around a chopstick to stab at anyone who dared try to poke her.


    Despite the new danger she posed with her thin weapon, the group kept playing the game since whoever won for that week got to be ¡®ruler¡¯ for a full twelve hours. Podinal had won the first week and ordered everyone to wear their costumes and reenact the movie ¡°Lost in Space.¡± Even Terra had been submitted to the punishment even though she was unable to gain any points. When she mentioned she had never seen the movie before, they all had to watch the three hours of bad jokes, cheesy lines, awful visual effects, and a subpar plot that made up ¡°Lost in Space.¡± Then they spent the next six recreating it line by line. Terra vowed to run away whenever Podinal had the crystal in his hand so he wouldn¡¯t get points.


    Although everyone had dropped their questions regarding Terra¡¯s fighting, a rift had appeared between her and Vazerio. At first, she thought she was imagining it, but whenever they made eye contact he would shift his gaze away. A heavy pit formed in her stomach whenever this happened, and it only seemed to grow. She knew she needed to apologize to him for turning on him when she had been under the crystal¡¯s influence. Terra saw her chance to have a one-on-one conversation with him when the group was busy arguing about whose turn it was to wash the dishes and Vazerio wasn¡¯t present.


    Slinking out, she walked down the stairs and found Vazerio planted at his desk staring intently at his computer screen. When he saw her walking down, he got up with the intention to leave.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Terra said when she reached the bottom. ¡°I need to talk to you.¡±


    Vazerio sheepishly sat down and stared at the ground.


    ¡°Sorry for doubting you about that rock, I should have listened to you and just avoided it altogether. I could have killed you and that man and I¡¯m sorry. Thank you for stopping me.¡±


    Vazerio had a puzzled expression on his face and Terra wondered if she had said something wrong.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m the one who was wrong.¡± He started. ¡°I should have let you practice with it first so you wouldn¡¯t be consumed. I shot you with a gun fully intending to stop you, which is unforgivable. My job is to protect the crew, but I could have killed you!¡±


    Silence sat between them until Terra burst out laughing. What that what he had been worried about? That he could have killed her? Vazerio looked hurt, so she stopped. Figuring it was easiest to show him rather than try an explain her situation, she grabbed the prototype gun lying on the table near her and aimed it at her arm.


    ¡°Stop!¡± He screamed as she pulled the trigger.


    The gun practically exploded in her hand as a burst of light traveled from the muzzle to her arm. Vazerio jumped forward in alarm to come to her aide but stood with his jaw hanging when he saw the smiling Terra holding up a crystallized arm. The hand that held the gun had a light powdering of black on it but it faded quickly. Vazerio gingerly touched the arm that had received the brunt of the force and watched in awe as the peaks receded back, revealing flawless skin.


    A thundering of footsteps was heard coming down the stairs.


    ¡°Are we under attack?¡± Podinal asked, gun already in hand.


    Vazerio was at a loss for words and simply pointed at Terra¡¯s arm that had already recovered. Everyone looked confused at what they were seeing, so Terra pulled the trigger again on the same arm to save time, and the whole process repeated again, this time resulting in four more shocked faces rather than just the one.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s even fair!¡± Podinal finally said after he had regained his wits.


    ¡°We should just take the Capitol head-on with her running point,¡± Unter commented.


    ¡°Hey, the gun works!¡± Roip and Beiwot said in unison, then punched each other in the arm playfully.


    Dexai was still speechless and just opened and closed his mouth like a fish.


    Vazerio looked lost in thought and walked to his computer. After typing rapidly for a few moments, he stood up and faced the group.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just contacted the other squads.¡± He turned to Terra with a smile on his face. ¡°I think you may have just turned the tides.¡±

 Chapter 22: Slow Road To Victory

    Terra nervously played with her hands as she sat in the passenger seat of a smaller vehicle. Yesterday, Vazerio had contacted the other Rebellion branches with information about her skills and the head of the Rebels had wanted to meet with her personally. Although Terra was confident in her fighting skills, she had really only been in two real battles, and never on such a grand scale. And if they were actually going to war against the Capitol just because she could take some physical damage...


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous,¡± Vazerio told her when he had glanced over and seen her worried expression. ¡°The Captain will love you, she¡¯s always been a fan of small things.¡±


    If Vazerio had been trying to ease her mind, it wasn¡¯t working. Terra took a deep breath and focused on the things outside the window.


    They were out in the desert again driving to the Rebellion outpost and she could see Hayland City disappearing into the distance. She wished that she had Podinal or Beiwot to help break the silence and distract her, but Vazerio claimed that it was much faster and less expensive to travel with just two people since it was a two-day trip. Terra was only twenty minutes in and already bored out of her mind, regretting not having taken a book, and Vazerio wasn¡¯t exactly the easiest to talk to. She could feel his eyes on her when she was looking out the window, but whenever she turned to see what he wanted, he turned away and shut his mouth. Eventually, she called him out on it and he finally spoke.


    ¡°Where are you from?¡± She could tell that he was uncomfortable asking, but didn¡¯t know why. It was a perfectly reasonable question considering her defense mechanism and affinity to manipulate a black crystal.


    Knowing they had a lot of time on their hands, she went ahead and started her story from the beginning; the river. She went on to tell him all about Roger and his family, and about the quest they went on to find out who was responsible, leading her to find her crystallized memory tucked away. Terra surprised herself by remaining stoic throughout the entire story, even when she described how Roger had tried to save her and died in her arms. When she looked over to Vazerio, she was glad to not see a look of pity in his eyes.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a lot.¡± He stated, staring back out at the road. An awkward silence passed between them.


    ¡°So there are other worlds?¡± He finally asked, eyebrows raised. She nodded and another silence filled the car.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Terra questioned.


    ¡°What about me?¡±


    ¡°Where are you from? Why¡¯d you join the Rebellion besides the obvious reasons for fighting the bad guys?¡±


    Vazerio thought about what he wanted to say for a while, so long that Terra thought he¡¯d just ignored her question.


    ¡°I was raised in the Capitol,¡± he began. ¡°My father was General of the Southern Sector, meaning he governed pretty much everything from Yanos to Frentel, so I was raised to take over. I was a pretty spoiled brat, even though that was only a few years ago. One night I heard a commotion in the ballroom in my house and saw my father being held at gunpoint. Some person dressed in black had a crew behind them was making a fool of the one person I looked up to. I was too scared to do anything so I just stood there watching this whole thing unfold. They gave my father an ultimatum; give control up to them or they would take over by force, starting with killing my family. That¡¯s when I saw my father break down, telling them to have mercy on him and to take whatever they wanted, including me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to do and was too frozen in fear that one of them came up behind me, but instead of hurting me or capturing me, he whispered in my ear; ¡®If you want to stop us from taking over the world, join the Rebellion,¡¯ and then he gave me a slip of paper with an address. I ran away that night and found the place we¡¯re going to after a week of wandering around. The leader informed me of all the corruption that was really in the Capitol and I knew I needed to make a difference. They gave me that building in Hayland and told me I needed to find at least two other recruits for the cause by the end of the month otherwise they would take it away. I found five others. We¡¯ve been together ever since.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Terra let his tale sink in and did some calculation in her mind. Five others? Who was missing?


    ¡°Who was the other member?¡±


    He hesitated before giving in.


    ¡°You¡¯ve met him. His name is Nighet and he controls electricity.¡±


    Oh, so that was him. No wonder Vazerio was so against her killing him. She stared at her feet, suddenly interested in how scuffed up her shoes were, wishing she hadn¡¯t brought up the topic. But since it was already in the air...


    ¡°Why is he fighting us now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. About two months ago he defected without so much as a goodbye. We all thought he had been kidnapped, but then we ran into him on the field. You saw Roip¡¯s scar. I don¡¯t know if its naivety, but I still think that the Capitol took someone hostage and is blackmailing him into working for them. But if he went as far as to hurt Roip then I have to treat him as an enemy.¡± His tone hardened and Terra knew she wouldn¡¯t get any more answers on this topic.


    ¡°If you¡¯re from another world, how come you¡¯re fluent in Lorentian?¡± Vazerio asked.


    Lorentian? Terra thought she had been speaking English this entire time; she¡¯d have to ask Alter about that later.


    For the next six hours, they discussed the logistics of there being other worlds and dimensional travel. Vazerio still couldn¡¯t seem to be able to wrap his mind around the fact Terra had been on a planet with only one sun and a moon, but there was no solid proof Terra could muster up beside the clothes she had been wearing when she had come, and she had burned those weeks ago. He also couldn¡¯t believe that there were magic rocks that could grant wishes and give her back her memories. She pointed out that the fact that people here had special powers and they were unexplained, so why couldn¡¯t he believe in magic rocks?


    They ended up stopping in a small oasis town called Eveahim and found a small inn that was practically empty. Apparently, they didn¡¯t get many guests this far out into the desert. They settled down in a room with two beds, Vazerio knocking out almost immediately. Terra grabbed a few credits and went into town in the hopes of finding a general convenience store was was open. The suns were setting, so she wanted to make it back to the inn before it was completely dark and Vazerio noticed she was missing. At the end of the street, she finally found a bright neon sign that read ''Open'' in big purple letters. She found what she was looking for, paid, and rushed back to the inn.


    She opened her brand new compact mirror and gave Alter a little hello.


    ¡°About fucking time!¡± Alter vocalized. ¡°And I¡¯m glad to see that you¡¯ve mastered the art of the black crystal. It gets way more interesting later on when you get more.¡±


    Terra ignored Alter¡¯s comments since even if she tried asking about them, Alter would just claim that she that she wasn¡¯t ready yet and would find out later.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to meet the Captain of the Rebellion tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I know. Prepare yourself since she is a lot to handle. You really need to prove yourself to her since she¡¯s probably not going to let you fight. Oh, and you should know that you can call out for your crystal even when it¡¯s not near you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°That means you can throw it up to five meters away and just call it back. It¡¯ll literally fly back at you. Keep in mind that black crystal is the only thing that can hurt you, so just don¡¯t stab yourself if you miss catching it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t noticed? Black creature? Dark Alter? Both black crystals, although one was physical and the other mental, so I guess I can¡¯t really blame you. Try it out if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Ducking into an alleyway to avoid prying eyes, Terra cautiously drew the black crystal from the pouch at her waist and transformed it into a dagger. Carefully, she drew the blade against her index finger and winced when a line of blood appeared. She was about to stick it in her mouth to stop the bleeding, but she noticed something odd. Thinking it was just the lighting, she raised her finger to a nearby lamppost, but there was still no change.


    Sprinting to the inn she quietly eased into the room and held her bleeding finger up to the light next to her bed. It wasn¡¯t just a trick of the light; her blood was black.

 Chapter 23: Rebellious Mascot

    The city they had driven into, Denon, was bustling, but there was little sign of technology around, which made it difficult to navigate on unlit roads under the night sky. Vazerio explained that the Capitol often tagged any piece of tech they sold, so until it was screened and taken off the grid, there was no tech in this place. Their car had already had the tracker removed, so they could enter at their leisure. He went on to explain that the only reason this place hadn¡¯t been attacked by the Capitol already was in regards to the city was on the border of the Groatian Empire, and the Groatian Empire didn¡¯t take to kindly to an army a mile from entering their territory. Vazerio spoke as if from experience, but he explained the Capitol had tried long before he was born to attack the city of Denon and failed miserably because the Groatian Empire sent troops to defend the small city, claiming it was self-defense.


    By the time Vazerio had explained the tense history between the Northern Empire¡¯s Capitol and the Groatian Empire, they had arrived at their destination. Terra was surprised it didn¡¯t look more...military-like. They were parked in front of some sort of round stadium that rose ten stories into the air all around. Vazerio strolled up to the entrance and flashed a badge at the guards, who let him in without a word.


    When they entered the stadium, the entire area was illuminated by ten blinding sets of lights that lined the rim. Seats rose from the center arena to the full height and Terra could see people running up and down the stairs. She wanted to ask Vazerio why they would ever want to run such a meaningless course, but he was already thirty feet ahead of her greeting the generals.


    The warning Alter had given her last night did little to prepare Terra for the Captain; she was easily six feet tall and had the widest shoulders Terra saw on anyone. Her arms seemed to want to burst from her shirt and her legs looked like they might do the same to her pants. Were all the women on this planet big?


    ¡°Vazerio! It¡¯s been too long!¡± The Captain boomed, her hulking figure standing over the teen, wrapping him up in a bear hug.


    ¡°I agree, Captain,¡± he managed to squeeze out as he was crushed. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re doing well.¡±


    The giant woman¡¯s eyes fell on Terra and she braced herself.


    ¡°And who is this cutie!¡± The Captain squatted to Terra¡¯s height and pinched her cheeks, cooing over how pretty she was. ¡°Did you adopt a little sister Vazerio?¡±


    ¡°No, er, this is the recruit I was talking about. The one we saved from the desert.¡±


    The Captain¡¯s demeanor suddenly changed. She stood up to her full height and turned to Vazerio, towering over him menacingly.


    ¡°I thought we agreed the minimum age for recruits was thirteen. Did you go behind my back and train a ten-year-old?¡± The way the Captain growled at Vazerio made Terra cringe. Vazerio was stammering and couldn¡¯t seem to find the right words to speak, so Terra tried to come to his rescue.


    ¡°The group rescued me and I joined their cause on my own. He didn¡¯t force me to do anything.¡± Terra declared, turning the Captain¡¯s head towards her.


    The Captain¡¯s bright green eyes pierced her own blue one and Terra felt a chill run down her spine. This person was seriously intimidating! The minute she thought that the Captain lifted Terra into a hug.


    ¡°You¡¯re so cute! I just want to keep you forever!¡± She turned to Vazerio while still holding onto Terra. ¡°You get out of it this time just because she¡¯s so adorable.¡±


    When Terra¡¯s feet were set on the ground again, her knees were shaking but she managed to remain standing.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be our official mascot!¡± The Captain declared with a huge toothy smile.


    ¡°Captain, that mascot completed Continuous training in the simulator.¡± Vazerio tried having gained his wits back.


    ¡°Preposterous! No one has ever finished that before. I didn¡¯t even know there was an end! Plus, there¡¯s no way that little ball of cuteness could have completed that.¡±


    ¡°But Captain, she fou--¡± Vazerio attempted.


    ¡°Quiet. I still haven¡¯t forgiven you for training an underage. We¡¯ll talk about the consequences later.¡± The Captain¡¯s icy glare turned soft when she met Terra¡¯s eyes. ¡°Come with me, I¡¯ll introduce you to the leaders of our cause. Your adorableness will inspire all the troops to fight even harder!¡±


    The Captain turned on her heels and grabbed Terra¡¯s hand to bring her over. Terra shot a frantic look at Vazerio¡¯s direction, but he just shrugged and mouthed ¡®good luck¡¯ in her direction, leaving Terra to deal with the Captain by herself. As soon as she got to the table and the Captain introduced her as ¡®a sight for sore eyes¡¯ all the generals groaned and shot Terra looks of pity.


    ¡°Captain, this makes the ninth mascot this week. You can¡¯t just keep dragging kids in from off the street and calling them our mascot. I don¡¯t want to have to fight off another mother again.¡± The general that spoke leaned down to Terra.


    ¡°My name is General Shautine. Let me take you from this gorilla that can¡¯t help itself and take you back to your parents.¡± He offered him her hand.


    Terra frowned. She was getting nowhere with these people. If anyone else treated her like a small, lost child, she might scream. Looking around, she tried to find something that would demonstrate her worth since words didn¡¯t seem to do any tricks. Spotting a group of soldiers huddled and cheering, she found her chance. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± she told the officer and walked towards the group, leaving behind a very confused general.


    ¡°Sweetie, come back!¡± She heard the Captain calling, but she walked faster hoping to reach the group before the giant woman could grab her. She squeezed in between the tightly packed knees to see two soldiers brawling on the ground.


    ¡°I call fighting the winner!¡± She yelled at the top of her lungs.


    Everyone in the ring turned to face this little girl who had burst through, even the two who were mid-brawl paused to stare at this little girl. Terra could feel a blush coming on with that many eyes on her, but she insisted.


    ¡°You heard me! I can take anyone of you on and win!¡± She fished into her pockets and drew out an accumulation of the allowance she¡¯d been saving up.


    The men and women in the group chuckled as if a joke had been played on them.


    ¡°Cutie pie, what are you doing?¡± The Captain had pushed through the crowd and reached out to grab her arm.


    Terra nimbly dodged and continued urging the other soldiers to find someone to fight her.


    ¡°Are you all chickens?¡± Terra taunted while continuing to dodge the Captain¡¯s outstretched arms. ¡°Bock, bock, bock!¡± Come to think of it, where there chickens on this planet?


    ¡°None of you cowards will fight me?¡± She yelled, noticing that everyone was dodging out of her way since the Captain kept lunging for her. An idea unexpectedly hit her and she planted her feet on the ground and squared her shoulders against the hulking woman coming up from behind her.


    ¡°Captain, I challenge you to a duel!¡±


    The crowd around them gaspedas if Terra had committed some sort of blasphemy by challenging the Captain. The Captain stopped in her tracks, staring at Terra in disbelief, and then began laughing. Well, that plan backfired.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re funny too! You¡¯ll be our perfect mascot.¡± The Captain said, wiping away a tear.


    Terra was growing irritated. What was up with the Captain and wanting her as a fucking mascot? Did she have some sort of obsession with mascots? Tired of all the bullshit, Terra reached towards the nearest officer and pulled out their gun, firing it in the air. That certainly did the trick. Terra pointed the gun at the Captain.


    ¡°I said that I challenge you to a duel.¡±


    The Captain went silent, the humor completely faded from her face.


    ¡°Terra! What are you doing?¡± Vazerio called out to her, grabbing the gun from her hand and giving it back to the officer it belonged to.


    ¡°Step away from the girl Vazerio.¡± The Captain growled.


    Terra felt a chill go from her head to her toes and she suddenly wished she had challenged the general that had talked down at her; he seemed much easier to fight against than this muscular woman nearly twice her height. But she made her bed so she was going to sleep in it.


    ¡°One weapon, first to call out mercy wins.¡± Terra declared.


    The Captain squinted her eyes and gave a slight nod. With a flick of her finger, she ordered a soldier to grab her weapon. Terra waited anxiously to see what it was. She hoped it wasn¡¯t anything with a long reach otherwise Terra was really going to struggle to get in close enough to deal any damage. The soldier returned with a set of silver gauntlets and Terra let out a breath; just one less thing to worry about. Terra reached into her pouch and removed the black crystal and all the anxiety she had felt disappeared. The cool touch of the rock soothed her nerves, but she still felt fully in control of it.


    One of the generals she hadn¡¯t been introduced to stepped into the center of the makeshift ring of people.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have a fair fight.¡± He walked to the edge, out of the way. ¡°Begin!¡±


    At first, they both just stared each other down, and then the Captain rushed forward. Terra jumped out of the way, surprised at the large woman¡¯s speed, but the Captain kept rushing in. Terra continued to jump out of the way, wondering how she could get the Captain to say mercy without severely hurting her. The Captain really wasn¡¯t pulling any punches, literally, and bits of grass and dirt rained onto Terra every time the Captain missed Terra and hit the ground.


    Trying something out, Terra changed the black crystal into a solid round ball and chucked in at the Captain¡¯s head. The Captain dodged but lookedhesitated when she realized Terra didn¡¯t have a weapon anymore. Spotting her chance, Terra charged and recalled the ball, landing it right on the back of the Captain¡¯s head, catching her by surprise and she tipped forward. Crystal back in Terra¡¯s hands, she transformed it into a sword and lunged forwards, stopping mere millimeters from the Captain¡¯s throat. To Terra¡¯s surprise, the Captain smiled proudly.


    ¡°Mercy,¡± she said, raising her hands in defeat.


    Terra heard guns caulking all around her and when she turned her head, she saw every recruit, officer, and general with a gun set it back in their holsters. If Terra had actually killed the Captain, she wouldn¡¯t be escaping the arena very easily.


    ¡°You¡¯ve proven yourself ballsy, I give you that, but a good fighter won¡¯t win a war. I don¡¯t know why Vazerio wanted to show you to me personally, but I think you may have wasted a trip.¡± The Captain told Terra, shooting Vazerio a look.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but I guess it might have something to do with this.¡± Terra held out her hand and Vazerio gave her his gun.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± The Captain questioned, and Terra could hear guns caulking all around her again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not trying to kill you,¡± Terra said and held the gun up against her temple.


    ¡°Holy--¡± The Captain lunged to try and stop Terra.


    She pulled the trigger. The blow was more powerful than she thought it would be and she fell to the ground. Terra figured it was more dramatic than shooting her arm, and boy was she right. The Captain had rushed to her side with tears in her eyes and a medic had already been called. Terra waved them all off, laughing. Half her face was coated in dense black crystals, but besides her not being able to see out of her right eye she was perfectly fine. It was amusing to watch the faces around her try and absorb what they had seen and continue watching as the crystals retreated. Within two minutes she had wowed an entire audience and gained visibility in her right eye.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this changes things, but I really hope we haven¡¯t wasted a trip,¡± Terra spoke to the Captain.


    ¡°No, no trip wasted. This most definitely changes things.¡± She turned to the generals. ¡°Assemble all troops, it¡¯s time to initiate Plan D.¡± She turned back to Terra. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you realize this, but you are, by far, the best mascot we¡¯ve ever had.¡±

 Chapter 24: Oh How The Tides Have Changed

    Sweat rolled off Terra¡¯s body in waves and she struggled to keep wiping it off her face before it fell into her eyes. Her body was burning from exertion and had to keep muttering to herself to keep moving forward. There was no way she would return to the Rebellion headquarters empty-handed because she was too tired from crawling through the duct system. She felt as if she had been inching forward in the cramped systems for hours and claustrophobia had kicked in within a few minutes of sneaking into the vents.


    Trying to distract her mind from the space that squeezed at her shoulders, she released a folded paper from her wrist and observed the blueprint of the building. According to this, she had fifty meters left until she reached the surveillance room. She wished she had someone to keep her company, but would both distract her and possibly alert anyone below of her presence. The Captain and generals were depending on her installing the software on the Capitol¡¯s main surveillance monitors so they could sneak in unnoticed.


    Putting the blueprints back in the socket in her wrist she gritted her teeth and crawled forward through the dark and hot ducts. Sweet relief cooled her body when she saw a glimpse of light ahead of her. Pushing forward, she came to a grate on the side of the surveillance room, eight feet up on the side of the wall. Terra frowned. If she made the drop and loaded the software, there was no way she¡¯d be able to make the jump back up to escape via the same vents. Plus, if there was even a suspicion of her interfering with the monitors then the Capitol could simply reset the computer system and all her hard work would have been for naught. Pulling out the blueprints, she noticed another selection of grates on the map and mentally marked them, hoping that at least one of them was within her height range.


    Steeling herself, she pushed the grate out and caught it before it fell. To her surprise, no one was in the room so she hopped down, landing lightly on the balls of her feet. She quickly snuck forward and plugged in the device she had been handed into a slot. The screen quickly downloaded the program and she saw a slight glitch pass through all the screens before it said it had been successfully installed. Removing the device, she crouched-walked to a potential opening into the duct system and cursed when it, too, was too high up to reach.


    She heard the far door open and dived under a desk, hoping that all the stealth training she¡¯d undergone at the Rebel¡¯s base would pay off. Terra silently thanked the Captain under her breath for not letting her rush into this mission without first being subject to ridiculous trails like stealing a general¡¯s sword without him noticing or jumping on the nearest riding horse from behind without it kicking her in the face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe the Rebels are going to launch a full-frontal soon. I wonder what changed?¡± A male voice stated humorously.


    Terra clasped her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. How did they know that? Hell, only she knew a few days ago, so how could the Capitol know already?


    ¡°Well it¡¯s no surprise, they¡¯ve been building up their troops for some time now. First time I¡¯ve seen them gather this many at once though.¡± A female voice responded.


    Terra relaxed; these people were simply drawing conclusions from what they had been observing. Shame filled her system when she realized she had contemplated the thought of a Rebel defecting to the Capitol, but it was ground in the fact it had happened before.


    ¡°Too bad they don¡¯t know our real purpose.¡± The female said, exasperated. Terra could hear the conflict in her words. ¡°One of these days I hope they will come to understand what we¡¯re trying to achieve.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°The whole reason we¡¯re doing this is to prevent our real intention from being found out. The war will happen, I promise. Everything will go as planned.¡± The male¡¯s voice softened, trying to soothe the female. ¡°Come on, the meeting is still going on and the Council is waiting. Follow me?¡±


    The door opened and closed again, the footsteps and voices fading off into the hallway. When she deemed it safe, Terra lifted herself from under the desk. The meeting explained why the surveillance room was so deserted. If she snuck into the ducts and listened in on the meeting¡­


    Resolve set, she carefully moved into the hallway to find another potential duct opening. This one was right on floor level and she made quick work of it, squeezing into the tight space again. Following the map, she spent the next half-an-hour trying to navigate her way through the vents as quickly as she could so she could catch as much information as possible.


    Terra saw a hint of light ahead of her and saw that she could make out a sort of throne room laid out. At the head of the room was a large black chair that held a female with long white hair. To her right and left were a crew of four people armed to the teeth. She recognized Nighet immediately, but couldn¡¯t make out who the other three standing at the Queen¡¯s sides were. The room was completely packed with people though, all sitting uncomfortably in their chairs. She suspected they were the people that manned the things deemed unimportant by those higher up than them.


    ¡°They¡¯re amassing their forces, Your Majesty. If we don¡¯t act now--¡± A stern male voice said. Terra saw a man standing in front of the Queen decked in red and gold robes.


    ¡°Then the Groatian Army will come to their aid if we attack. We will suffer more losses then they. Is that what you were implying General Joersie?¡± A Queen¡¯s voice rang out.


    ¡°I do not deny the fact the Rebellion is growing in strength and numbers, but it would be premature to act now. I have already informed you of our plan here and we will follow through to the end. If you wish to forfeit now, leave, but keep in mind the cause we are aiming towards. Are your lives really worth millions? You all chose to join our cause for a reason and I hope that reason still drives you. Please trust in the plan and know that you will all live a much happier life afterward.¡± The Queen¡¯s eyes seemed to flicker to the duct Terra was peaking out of. The Rebellion has just made their starting move, and it is our turn to counter.¡±


    With the wave of her hand, the Council was dispersed and the Queen sank into her chair when everyone had left.


    ¡°Was that really the right move?¡± A male voice rang out. Terra recognized it from the surveillance room. ¡°General Joersie provided the most aid out of everyone when we were rising and you¡¯ve just pissed him off.¡±


    ¡°Please stop questioning my plan, I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± The Queen said in a huff. ¡°Plus, there¡¯s a mouse in our walls that we need to get rid of, or can¡¯t you tell?¡±


    The male went silent, sniffing at the air, then sighed and ran his hand through his air.


    ¡°Is that who I think it is?¡± He asked and the Queen responded with a devious smile and a shrug. ¡°So what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. The little mouse is simply confused and scared, so we should just let it run back home of its own accord.¡±


    The Queen stood up and walked past the grate Terra lay hidden in, followed by her entourage. Terra tried to shuffle backward, but the space was too cramped for backward movement. The Queen''s eyes flickered to Terra''s but continued walking. It wasn¡¯t until the throne doors shut closed that Terra could breathe again.


    With a shiver, she suddenly recognized the Queen''s face; it was the same as the person''s on the rooftop back in Detroit. The Queen''s hair was longer, but Terra would never be able to forget those red eyes in a million years. Terra put all the context clues together and almost kicked herself for not realizing it earlier; the person with red eyes was the notorious Red Roger had kept mentioning, and somehow Red had followed her into this universe. For what, Terra didn''t know, but she prayed there wouldn''t be any corrupt crystals involved.

 Chapter 25: Confessions From A Mirror

    Terra had made it out of the castle¡¯s air ducts in record time, sprinting through the back garden instead of using the sewer system like she had to get into the castle. Running on adrenaline and fear she vaulted over the back walls like it was nothing, not even bothering to check behind her to see if anyone was chasing her. The Queen had no doubt seen her yet had done nothing for some reason, and Terra worried she had somehow walked into a trap. Not until made it to the parked vehicle hidden down an alley that she started relaxing, still not fully convinced the Queen hadn¡¯t sent a hit squad after her. Although Terra couldn¡¯t be physically harmed something about those piercing red eyes made her feel as if she could be killed at any moment.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Vazerio had asked her when she had come barging into the van after sprinting the entirety of the course, turning to the driver and telling him to the safehouse.


    ¡°The Queen knows,¡± she said, shaking. ¡°She knows we¡¯re attacking soon and has gone some sort of trick up her sleeve.¡±


    ¡°Tell me everything.¡±


    And she did. She told Vazerio about plugging in the program into the system and about the meeting. She told him all about this ¡®plan¡¯ that the Queen and her minions were following and tried her best to describe those who were standing beside her. Vazerio cringed when she told him Nighet had made an appearance but listened quietly when she told him her suspicions of the Queen having followed her through the worlds.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. The Queen started taking over the Capitol many years ago, and we just picked you up a little over a month ago. Are you sure they¡¯re the same person?¡± He asked inquisitively.


    Terra thought about it. Back in Detroit, she had met the person with red eyes on a rooftop at night, so the lighting wasn¡¯t spectacular, but Red had gotten very close when she had told Terra to memorize her face. No, Red and the Queen were the same there was no doubt about that. So how had Red gotten to this universe before Terra?


    Vazerio sighed, pulling Terra out of her thoughts.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re back to square one then. The Queen saw you and even though she, for some reason, didn¡¯t try to capture you, it still means that they probably reset their surveillance monitors.¡±


    Terra felt guilt creep through her gut. She wanted to bring up the fact that no one saw her in the monitoring room, but she knew that she couldn¡¯t make up for the fact that the Queen had noticed her and she had failed her mission.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright. We wanted you to disable the surveillance so that we could move all at once, but we had a backup plan just in case. It¡¯ll just take a little bit longer, but we¡¯ll be moving in anyway. You did manage to sneak into the castle, plant software, attend a secret meeting, and still make it out alive, so you¡¯ve already surpassed a lot of the agents we have already.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Terra gave him a weak smile, but she knew that his words of encouragement did nothing to change the fact she had failed. The rest of the trip was spent in an awkward silence once again until they reached a small apartment complex at the Capitol.


    While Vazerio went to a separate room to debrief the Captain and generals of the mission while Terra went into her room and cracked open her compact mirror.


    ¡°Stop sulking, seriously.¡± Alter chastised. ¡°It¡¯s no fun to anyone and there¡¯s no point. So what the Queen saw you? Whoop-dee-fucking-do. Move on and let¡¯s focus on honing those skills when you have to fight her.¡±


    Terra was taken aback.


    ¡°I have to fight her? Why?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think idiot? Oh, wait, I forgot to tell you. Red is sort of a sentient corrupt crystal.¡± Alter shrugged as if to say ¡®well what can you do?¡¯


    ¡°Excuse me? Crystals can become sentient? What are they made out of if they can suddenly get themselves a brain and take over a country?¡±


    ¡°Wow, someone¡¯s a little snarky today. I don¡¯t think I want to answer now.¡± Alter crossed her arms and pouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of your bullshit Alter, just give me some answers!¡± Terra fumed, her eyes glowing with anger.


    ¡°Whatever doesn¡¯t change the fact you still have to fight her. Crystals are the accumulation of balance in the world. Yin and yang, light and dark, you can call it whatever you want, but in layman''s terms, it''s concentrated energy. Black ones are corrupt energy, clear ones are pure energy--pretty simple to wrap your mind around. But the universe likes unbalance and likes to throw curve balls into the mix, hence a sentient black crystal.¡± Alter explained. ¡°Black crystals crave chaos, but they¡¯re not necessarily evil. Clear crystals can be used for evil and black crystals used for good, it all depends on the user.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying the Queen, who has established a tyrannical rule over a nation, is doing things for good?¡± Terra asked in disbelief.


    ¡°I never said that. I just said that you¡¯re staring too closely at a grain of sand and not enjoying the beach.¡± Alter stated in her defense.


    ¡°Enough with the cryptic shit; why is Red in this universe when they were in Detroit too?¡±


    ¡°Ooh, can¡¯t answer that one, sorry. Thank you for trying and please come again and try later!¡± Alter said in her best game show host voice, already fading into the mirror. ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t forget that only a black crystal and defeat a black crystal!¡±


    Alter disappeared, leaving Terra to stew in her anger and unanswered questions.


    Vazerio abruptly burst into her room.


    ¡°Good news Terra, our plans weren¡¯t delayed at all. The Rebellion strikes in a week!¡±


    Terra tried her put on her best smile, but she was still so annoyed with Alter that it probably came out more like a sneer, prompting Vazerio to ask if she was fine. She tried to play it off that she was tired, but Vazerio still looked uncertain.


    Changing the subject, she told Vazerio she needed to spend some time in a simulator; Terra needed to let out some steam and, apparently, stay polished for her fight with the Queen.

 Chapter 26: Hey, Ho, To War We Go

    It was the air raid sirens that marked the beginning.


    The Rebellion army had managed to get the majority of its troops into the city under cover of darkness before they went off. Terra was outside talking with the rest of the crew--Roip, Podinal, Beiwot, Unter, and Dexai-- since they had arrived earlier that day and needed to be briefed about the attack plan when utter pandemonium struck.


    The sirens came first but they were forgotten when the bombs began striking. A building beside Terra had exploded, throwing shrapnel and concrete in a thousand directions. Ears ringing, she picked herself up and ran to the aid of her comrades who were now strewn around on the ground. Terra watched in horror as the entire city around them seen to burst into flames.


    ¡°Move to the castle!¡± she heard the Captain yell from the distance. ¡°They¡¯re bombing the city, not the castle!¡±


    When she made sure those around her were conscious and cared for by the army medics circulating the perimeter, she followed the wave of Rebellion fighters headed towards the fortress in the center of the city. The Captain was right; the main Capitol building was untouched despite the burning city. Would the queen really have sacrificed her city just to qualm the Rebellion? Terra tried to find the sense in it all but kept running around in circles in her mind so she stopped. The queen was her enemy and that¡¯s all she needed to know.


    The Rebellion burst through the doors with the help of the Captain sledgehammer and Dexai¡¯s strength but were immediately met with a courtyard of finely trained Capitol soldiers. Terra recognized the general in the front; General Joersie, the one that had been upset with the queen in the throne room.


    There was no time to stop and think as the army ahead of them unleashed a flurry of bullets. Terra watched as dozens of Rebels fell, inhibited by the bottleneck entrance to the castle courtyard.


    ¡°Destroy the walls!¡± She heard a general call out, and almost immediately the walls surrounding the front entrance were gone.


    Despite the ability to send in more soldiers, the Rebels were clearly losing more people than the Capitol was, and Terra wondered if all the fighting was in vain. An explosion rocked the army ahead and Terra realized that she and the other Rebels had been bait; there was a larger group with more firepower coming in from behind the opposing group¡¯s soldiers.


    She charged forward in the hopes of cutting down General Joersie, fighting off any opponents that got in her way. She felt an eerie calmness enter her system as she continued swinging her sword; she was a machine and nothing could stop her. Nothing would stop her. A smile crept onto her face as she watched soldier after soldier fall before her and she hoped the fighting would never stop.


    ¡°You¡¯re losing yourself again,¡± Alter said from above Terra.


    Terra looked up and was surprised to see her twin floating above her.


    ¡°Save your strength for the Queen.¡±


    ¡°Kind of difficult to,¡± Terra grunted while blocking a swing from an opponent. ¡°We¡¯re at war here so I don¡¯t really get to be picky about who I fight.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re the only one who can defeat her, I might just retreat a bit and let everyone else take care of the pawns. Or you could just charge forward and find those ducts you¡¯re so fond of.¡±


    Even though Terra didn¡¯t want to admit it, it did make sense to land a surprise assault on the Queen if she got in through the ducts. The Queen wasn¡¯t going to be making an appearance out on the battlefield, so Terra would have to go to her.


    Seeing an opportunity, she sprinted forward towards the castle, jumping through the mess of legs and limbs and fallen bodies to get through. Luckily everyone was so absorbed in fighting the main battle that no one saw her pop open a grate and crawl inside the duct system.


    Her heart hammered in her chest when she continued to hear the battle raging on outside while she was safely tucked away in the dark ducts. She winced whenever she heard an explosion but continued crawling forward, reminding herself that if she won against the Queen, then this whole war would be over. Terra paused.


    Wait, would it? If the Queen fell, would the army simply surrender and hand over the right to rule to the Rebels? That didn¡¯t seem plausible considering the Capitol¡¯s history of ruling. Would it all really end that easily? And Terra didn¡¯t really have a plan for fighting the Queen either. And the Queen had her retainers by her side too, did Terra have to fight them as well? And would she have to kill the Queen? Even though she had cut down a multitude of soldiers outside, Terra felt there would be more weight on her shoulders if she did kill the Queen. Maybe the Queen would just surrender peacefully and this whole thing would end? Terra mentally chastised herself for even giving herself that small glimmer of hope of a peaceful end.


    What she needed to do was find out how to separate the Queen from her retainers so there would be a one-on-one fight, and even then Terra wasn¡¯t certain would transpire. Since the Queen was a corrupt crystal, did that mean there would be a giant monster? Or maybe she could warp black crystals like Terra could?


    Terra continued imagining the possibilities of the Queen¡¯s abilities while wandering through the maze of ducts until she found the throne room. Her heart pumped faster as she neared the grate that would let her see what the Queen was doing. Peeking through the slats, she saw the Queen was leisurely lounging on her black throne without a care in the world.


    Taken aback, Terra had no idea what to do. Her retainers were nowhere to be seen, leaving her completely vulnerable. If Terra fashioned her black crystal into multiple arrows, she could throw them at the Queen and then quickly recall them back, hopefully catching the Queen unaware. But if the arrows missed, and at this distance, they would, then Terra would be a sitting duck since moving through the ducts wasn¡¯t a quick process. If she dropped down on the Queen with her weapon drawn, that would give her the element of surprise, but there would be the chance of the Queen having quick reflexes and killing Terra in one stroke.


    Only black crystals can harm other black crystals, she remembered Alter telling her, so it was all down to Terra to make up her mind and attack. Before she could do anything, the throne room doors burst open and the Queen¡¯s retainers barged in.


    ¡°You told me my friends would be unharmed!¡± Nighet screamed as he walked the length of the room. ¡°That was our deal!¡±


    ¡°My family was still in the city! How dare you bomb them without evacuating first!¡± One of the other male retainers yelled.


    ¡°Citizens are in a panic and one of the power grids lost power. There was a hospital there!¡± The female retainer yelled, tears running down her face.


    The last retainer was silent, but Terra could see him fuming, so angry that words just didn¡¯t come to him.


    The Queen simply glanced over in their direction, then leaned back even further into her chair with a malicious smile plastered on her face.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you guys to follow the plan?¡±


    Her retainers seemed to all explode in anger at the same time and charged towards their Queen. Hoped surged through Terra¡¯s system when she saw the Queen¡¯s trusted companions turning against the tyrant. Maybe she wouldn¡¯t have to fight after all!


    The instant before her retainers were within striking distance, the Queen rolled off her chair and jumped to the side, dodging everything that came her way. Terra¡¯s eyes could barely keep up with the flurry of strikes from a sword, a mace, twin daggers, and a staff, and yet the Queen was swiftly avoiding them all. Terra¡¯s hope sank when the Queen began her counter attack.


    The Queen¡¯s arms shifted shape, becoming oversized claws. Terra expected the rest of the Queen¡¯s body to shift too, but only her arms had transformed. She had no time to think about why there was only a partial transformation because the retainers were fighting a losing battle and they knew it.


    Nighet didn¡¯t seem to be using his electricity for some reason, but Terra suspected it was because he was close-quarters with everyone else and didn¡¯t want to harm his comrades. Not knowing anyone else¡¯s powers, or if they had any, Terra watched as one of the Queen¡¯s claws sliced through a sword, spilling blood where the male had attempted to block the blow. The female jumped to his aid, dragging him out of the way, stripping off her coat and using it to apply pressure to the wound. The two others seemed to fight more furiously to avenge their partner, but the Queen took them down with a single swipe of her claw, digging through metal and bone. Terra watched in horror as blood spilled from the two, and then in surprise when it completely stopped.


    The female that had been aiding the first fallen male had her arms outstretched to the newest victims, her brow furrowed in concentration. The Queen let out a hearty laugh.


    ¡°Do you best Grace, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to save them all. Even if you stop their time, you can only hold it for so long.¡±


    ¡°Just watch me,¡± Grace said, but her voice wavered and Terra knew she was struggling to keep time paused.


    Terra made the snap decision to jump down to join the battle right then otherwise she knew the lives of those three would be on her conscience. She landed right in front of Grace and charged towards the Queen, sword drawn.


    ¡°I see we have a new player. About time you joined in. It¡¯s never fun just watching a fight from high up above. We almost have all the pieces set.¡± The Queen calmly stated as she dodged one of Terra¡¯s strikes.


    The Queen was just playing with her, the hint of amusement never leaving those red eyes even when Terra managed to land a strike on one of the clawed arms. Terra¡¯s sword had left a groove in the black crystal material of the arm, but that was all the damage that was dealt.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to do better if you want to beat me. Here, I¡¯ll even give you a hint; aim for the mask.¡±


    What mask? Terra was getting irritated at the Queen/Red¡¯s behavior; it was really starting to piss her off. About as much as Alter pissed her off, which was really saying a lot. Wait, was there some sort of correlation between Alter and Red? Alter did seem to have a vast amount of knowledge about crystals and the like, and Red was some sort of sentient crystal. What did it all mean? Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Momentarily distracted by her mental conspiracy web, Terra felt something hit her right side and she felt herself fly through the air, landing on the hard tiled floor twenty feet away. Something warm and sticky ran from the side of her arm down to her stomach and pain overwhelmed all of Terra¡¯s senses.


    She looked down and saw four long gashes; one ran down her bicep while the other three stretched along her ribs. Black blood flowed from the open wounds and Terra knew that she should try and stop the bleeding, but it hurt to simply exist much less do anything to help prevent her death. With a shaking hand, she tried to cover up the gashes on her ribs with her uninjured arm, but there was just too much damage and the blood simply kept pumping out of her. Her vision was already darkening. Was this the end?


    The Queen wasn¡¯t done with her yet it seemed, and she used her foot to push Terra¡¯s chest cavity flat on the ground.


    ¡°What did I tell you? You¡¯re no match for me.¡± The Queen spat at her, anger replacing the humor in her red eyes.


    The throne doors blasted open and Terra could make out the Captain and General Shautine leading the Rebels through the door but couldn¡¯t recognize anyone else.


    ¡°All the players are finally here it seems.¡± She could hear the Queen say, but everything was starting to fade away.


    A barrage of gunshots rang out and Terra watched in shock as the Queen fell, landing on her back near Terra. Her red eyes seemed to stare at something far away in the distance and Terra noticed that a black pool of blood was forming under the Queen. Arms scooped Terra up and pulled her away from the dead body.


    She saw the Captain¡¯s worried face above hers and something in her eyes told Terra that there was no hope for her. A soldier joined her side and quickly wrapped a thick white cloth around her wounds. Terra was already so weak that she couldn¡¯t comfort the Captain and tell her that she would be fine. In truth, Terra didn¡¯t know if she would be.


    ¡°You sure like your pity parties don¡¯t you?¡±


    Terra shifted her eyes to her left since her head was too heavy and saw Alter sitting beside her.


    ¡°You get hurt once and you¡¯re already at death¡¯s door. The Queen still isn¡¯t dead you know? If you die, literally everyone else will die too. Unless you don¡¯t give a shit about Vazerio, Roip, Beiwot, Unter, Dexai, the Captain, and everyone else who fought in the battle. They already fought in a war, but now you want to kill them because you¡¯re too tired to get up? I knew you were selfish, but this is taking it to the extreme.¡±


    Terra felt so tired, but something about Alter just wanted to make her get up and punch the living daylights out of the smart-ass reflection. She tried lifting her arms, but she could only muster up the strength to cause her fingers to twitch a bit.


    ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll give you temporary hand. I guess you have lost a lot of blood.¡± Alter conceded. ¡°After all, the Queen is about to wake up and she¡¯s not going to be happy.¡±


    Alter¡¯s hand reached towards Terra¡¯s wounds. Terra watched in amazement as the blood stopped and hardened black crystals closed the wounds, tearing through the rags that bound her together. She bolted up and grabbed her weapon.


    Everyone around her was focused on the ten-year-old who had been at death¡¯s door and was spontaneously alright, while Terra focused on the Queen. Nobody was watching the black blood oozing from her body, staining the tiles. No one even seemed to realize that the throne was deteriorating into a black puddle that was flowing towards the Queen¡¯s dead body. No one saw the black blood rise up and consume the body lying on the floor. No one but Terra, who was fighting the hands that ushered her to lay down and receive medical treatment.


    ¡°Run!¡± she screamed at them, but they all stood frozen in their tracks, mouths gaping at the monster that rose before them.


    Time seemed to stand still as limbs emerged from the black mess that had risen. And there, protruding from the top of the mass, was an elliptical mask with human-like features on it. A roar burst from the mouth that formed below its mask, finally breaking everyone out of their trances.


    Terra sprinted forward and sliced at the creature¡¯s leg, and it passed straight through its liquid interior, effectively drawing its attention to her. A claw struck out at her, hardening at the last moment before striking her. She blocked it with her weapon, but the sheer force from its blow drove her to her knees. Terra figured that if she could just distract it for a long enough time, everyone from inside the throne room could evacuate, including the fallen retainers.


    The creature¡¯s arm liquified and Terra could feel it showering over her, drenching her in cold black goo. A few seconds later, she felt herself being lifted into the air, wrapped in a cocoon of black liquid, her weapon dissolving in her hand. Wide-eyed, she struggled in the liquid to break free, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn¡¯t seem to find open air. Lungs burning, she flailed around in the hopes of finding oxygen.


    ¡°Christ, again with the drama. Just breathe in.¡± Alter appeared in front of her.


    Terra shook her head, there was no way she was going to breathe in black ooze! Alter rolled her eyes at her double¡¯s stubbornness. Stubbornness doesn¡¯t provide oxygen to starved lungs, so Terra did end up gasping for air submersed in the black liquid. She stared incredulously at Alter when she was absolutely fine. Alter held up her hand to silence the questions Terra was about to start spouting.


    ¡°Time is a bit of a factor here since, even though you can¡¯t see the creature, it''s creating a bit of havoc out in the real world. Long story short, you¡¯re also a crystal gone sentient, I figured the black blood kind of gave it away, and you have to stop that rampaging thing out there. If you purge that mask, then the creature will disappear and whoop-dee-do you¡¯re a hero. You are on a time limit since those first aid crystals don¡¯t last forever.¡±


    ¡°I have no weapon!¡± Terra interrupted.


    ¡°Just look around you, you are literally surrounded by dead black crystals. Anything you imagine is possible now, time permitting.¡±


    ¡°Anything?¡±


    Alter smiled as the glint in Terra¡¯s eye returned.


    ¡°That¡¯s better. You¡¯ve been so caught up in your little bubble of despair and self-pity that you¡¯ve forgotten how to have fun. Break out already.¡±


    For the first time, Terra agreed with Alter. Maybe it was the fact she had just breathed in black crystals, but a joy welled up in her chest when she thought of all the different things she could make with the liquid around her. Should she stick with her sword? No, she was only using a sword because the black crystal she had access to was so small. A thought popped into her mind and she grinned.


    Outside, soldiers struggled to find the will to keep fighting the monster that had emerged from the castle walls. What had once been a war between those at the Capitol and the Rebellion turned into a war against the strange creature that seemed immune to all attacks. Capitol and Rebel fought side-by-side for the first time in over twenty years, and yet it did little good against the demon that stood before them.


    It ran rampant through the castle courtyard, clawing at anything that moved. When it roared, soldiers fell to their knees in pain, ears bleeding from burst eardrums. Medics couldn¡¯t move fast enough to aid fallen soldiers and the distinction between the Capitol and Rebel blurred.


    ¡°All troops fall back!¡± General Joersie yelled out across the field.


    ¡°You heard him, fall back!¡± The Captain voiced.


    All the soldiers scrambled to escape, streaming through the broken courtyard walls in a mass.


    ¡°Truce?¡± General Joersie said while wiping his longsword clean of Rebel blood.


    ¡°Only temporarily, until that gets solved.¡± The Captain stated, tilting her head towards the creature who was heading straight towards them. She lifted her sledgehammer over her shoulder and stood beside her sworn enemy.


    At least they both understood what needed to be done in order protect their soldiers. A silent agreement passed between them and they both knew they were most likely not going to make it out of the courtyard alive.


    As the creature bounded closer a small blur of black shot through their vision and slammed into the creature. To their dismay, the creature actually staggered back but it reflexively countered with its whip-like tail, hitting whatever had just attacked it. The blur flew towards the two commanders and they readied their weapons as it landed in the dirt ahead of them.


    ¡°Hey, Captain!¡± Terra¡¯s smiling face appeared from the dust cloud that had risen.


    ¡°Wha--Wha--How--¡± The Captain was at a loss for words. Terra had been consumed by that black thing when the Captain had last seen her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, but I need to get to that thing¡¯s mask. When it attacks its body hardens, so strike then.¡± Terra told them, and before they could respond she ran off to distract the monster from the two leaders.


    The General and Captain didn¡¯t hesitate though, and they charged at the monster.


    Terra watched proudly as the two officers baited the creature into attacking one of them as the other landed a blow. Their attacks did little to deter the creature¡¯s strength, but it distracted it.


    When she had left the bubble, she had formed a creature-like body around herself to mimic the monster¡¯s. Her arms were coated in black crystals and her hands had changed into claws. She had encased the rest of her body in a thick layer of the mineral to protect against blows and a horned helmet grew from the crown of her head.


    The creature howled and the two humans dropped to the ground, clutching their heads in pain. Well, it was now or never.


    With the creature¡¯s head reared up, Terra sprinted forward. She felt the crystals around her body shift liquify and transfer themselves to her hands. Forming the liquid into a bow, she fired an arrow with a chain attached to the creature¡¯s mask. Although she had hit the creature¡¯s neck instead, the arrow had plunged deep into the soft liquid of its body, staying merged with the chain.


    The creature stopped its auditory assault and brought its claw down on the recovering humans still kneeling before it. Terra gripped the chain and tugged it towards her, just barely allowing the leaders time to dodge. The creature reared on its hind legs, lifting Terra with it.


    Terra used the momentum from being abruptly lifted to form a sickle and chain and chucked it at the creature¡¯s head, this time landing a few inches from the chain. She tugged herself forward in mid-air to get closer, but a claw caught her side. She could taste blood when she impacted the ground, but she never let go of her chains.


    Dragging herself out of the dirt before another claw could put her out of commission, she pulled at the chains. The creature flung its head up in response to the tugging, making Terra fly through the air again, this time flying right above the creature; the mask was in her sights.


    Pulling at the chains in the air, she flew towards the creature¡¯s face, its red eyes lighting up her face. Its mouth opened wide as she dropped, her arm outstretched in the hopes of reaching the mask. She could feel the pressure of its teeth on her chest when she finally made contact.


    Her side split open and she was skewered in two. Her blood crystallized and tore through her skin like paper while her tongue swelled and was shoved down her throat. Pressure built in her ears until her eardrums melted and leaked down the side of her face. Pain racked her body.


    And Terra found herself laying on the dirt staring up at the sky. She turned her head and saw a clear mask in her hand. Smiling in triumph she turned back to look at the sky. Red smoke tinged the cloudless sky, but it only added to its beauty. Both suns wordlessly stared down at her, and for a moment Terra was at peace.


    She thought of the new friends she had made back in Hayland City and hoped she would be able to see them again. Terra found that she enjoyed their company and wished she could spend more time with them rather than training in the simulator. What would all of them do now that the crisis was over? What was going to happen to the Capitol and the Rebels anyway? Terra hoped to check out the entirety of the Capitol and play around with the flying cars. There was such nifty stuff in this world! Now that the fighting was over, Terra was excited to go exploring again and find small joys in life rather than dwelling on the past.


    Alter stood next to her, looking down at the lounging Terra.


    ¡°Your time is up.¡±


    A sudden pain hit Terra on her side as the black crystals which had held her wound closed vanished. Her chest seized and wet coughs racked her chest, causing her to spit up blood. She could feel her heart struggling to keep up with the amount of blood draining from her body. As her vision darkened she could see two figures silhouetted against the suns and she could just barely feel hands press on her side to prevent the bleeding. If she really was dying, Terra was glad to have so many people in her life that cared for her.


    As she shut her eyes for the final time, she wished she could be with the ones she loved. She wished she could go home.

 Chapter 27: Through New Eyes

    Eldern Landfill, Wivern. 67K 23N.E.


    Only a blink seemed to pass when she opened her eyes again. Opened wouldn¡¯t be the correct term, however; her vision seemed to flicker into existence. There was no more open sky filling her vision but instead the face of an older man wearing glasses.


    ¡°Huzzah! Petri, come look at Fishy!¡± The man yelled to his side, rolling backward on a chair.


    Well, she certainly wasn¡¯t expecting that. She tried retorting and asking where she was, but for some reason, she couldn¡¯t move her mouth. Now that she was coming to, she couldn¡¯t feel any part of her body at all. Glancing around the room, she took in her surroundings to get a better grip on what was going on.


    On the far wall was a long table with robotic arms and chips tossed around atop it. Hardware tools hung on the wall itself, decorated with signs of wear and usage. An arsenal of wires ran along the ceiling, but she couldn¡¯t turn her head to look where it ended. It frightened Terra that she couldn¡¯t move even her neck, but she tried her best to stay calm internally. The last thing she remembered was bleeding to death in the castle courtyard, and now she was here. Wherever ¡®here¡¯ was. And now she couldn¡¯t even do her signature move of asking questions since she had no mobility whatsoever.


    A young man entered her vision from the left.


    ¡°That does look a little better, but that mask is a little freaky. Where did you find it again?¡± the young man called Petri asked.


    ¡°Southern section. That little girl in the stasis chamber was clinging to it for her dear life. Poor thing.¡± The older man shook his head and turned from Petri to Terra. ¡°But that mask was a perfect fit! Now we don¡¯t have to worry about Fishy¡¯s wires getting caught on anything when he bumps into things. Right, Fishy?¡±


    The man smiled at Terra expectantly. She was more confused than ever. She already suspected the name ¡®Fishy¡¯ was her name, but why? Had she already made a mark in this world and named herself Fishy and then suddenly forgotten her memories? And why was she being referred to as a male? And where was she and who were these strangers who acted so familiar with her?


    Pretending she could feel her limbs, she imagined an arm and lifted it, surprised when she saw an arm rise in front of her. She didn¡¯t know which shocked her more; the fact that she could actually use her limbs but not physically feel them, or the fact a robotic arm rose in place of her arm. Flexing her fingers, she confirmed it was, in fact, responding to her.


    ¡°Uh, is Fishy alright?¡± Petri asked.


    Terra lifted her other arm, getting used to the feeling, or lack of feeling, that was required to moving her limbs. She turned her head around and got a better understanding of her surrounds.


    She was sitting on a metal table in the center of some sort of windowless hardware lab. Broken robots sat in a corner and a large generator sat in another, a massive amount of wires running from it. Well, that answered one of her many mysteries at least. Terra pushed herself off the table to a standing position. From what she could tell, she still had two legs, two arms, a torso, and head, but was completely made of metal and wires.


    ¡°Fishy,¡± the man sitting in the chair rose above her. ¡°Status report.¡±


    ¡°All operations functional. Invasive substance detected. Operating at a hundred percent.¡± A computerized voice she didn¡¯t recognize came from her.


    ¡°Elaborate on invasive substance.¡± The man¡¯s brow furrowed.


    ¡°Unknown.¡± the robot replied.


    ¡°Petri, you haven¡¯t been messing with the settings have you?¡± the man turned accusingly to the boy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, I haven¡¯t touched Fishy since you put that mask on it,¡± Petrie said, arms raised in surrender. The man did not look pleased.


    ¡°Fishy, scan for any trackers.¡±


    ¡°No trackers detected.¡± the voice replied.


    ¡°Software report, then.¡± the man ordered.


    ¡°Efficiency model seven operating system functioning at full capacity. No foreign software detected.¡±


    ¡°Doctor, I think Fishy is fine. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s just a bug or something crawling around and it doesn¡¯t recognize it. And I mean like a live bug, not a computer bug.¡± Petri tried, but the older man still looked concerned.


    Terra was just uncomfortable. For some reason, her limbs refused to work again no matter how hard she imagined moving them. Internally sighing, she just went along for the ride until she could piece together what was going on. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The doctor rubbed the back of his neck, still looking unsure about the status of his robot.


    ¡°Alright. Petri, let me know if you notice anything different about Fishy, alright? I really don¡¯t want to reset him, but if they somehow managed to plant backdoor software on him then we¡¯re going to be in a heap of trouble.¡± He turned to Terra. ¡°Fishy, report over.¡±


    Terra could hear the limbs of the robot unclick and she was able to move her arms around again. She stretched out her arms and legs one at a time to be sure she could fully move them again. Glancing around, she spotted a few scattered scraps of paper on the ground and a pen in the older man¡¯s breast pocket. Terra reached for the pen first in the hopes of writing down her confusion and getting some answers.


    ¡°Fishy, stop.¡± The man¡¯s voice ordered, and Terra¡¯s arm paused in mid-air. ¡°Dammit, there is something wrong,¡± he muttered to himself, then ordered the robot to sit back down on the table.


    He picked up a screwdriver and walked to the back of the table, out of Terra¡¯s sight. Petri¡¯s face showed signs of pity as the doctor did something behind the robot. Terra couldn¡¯t feel anything, but from the look the younger man had plastered on his face, it wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry Fishy. It¡¯s been a great twelve years.¡±


    Terra¡¯s vision flickered to black, but then reappeared again. The doctor had moved in front of her and Petri was standing at his side. How did he move so quickly?


    ¡°Thank you for choosing Efficiency model seven, the right choice for your everyday needs! I come fully equipped with cooking and cleaning modulators and will do everything to make your life easier. To begin, what would you like to name me?¡± A chipper robotic voice rang out from Terra¡¯s body.


    ¡°Fishy.¡± the man replied with a solemn tone.


    ¡°You said, Fishy. Is that correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, my name is Fishy. You can change my name at any time by saying the phrase ¡®Fishy, name change.¡¯ What do I call you?¡±


    ¡°Indo. This is Petri.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you Indo and Petri. If you would like me to download any other--¡±


    ¡°Skip intro,¡± Indo muttered.


    ¡°What may I help you with?¡±


    ¡°Status report.¡±


    ¡°All operations functional. Invasive substance detected. Operating at a hundred percent.¡±


    Indo sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Petri stood uncomfortably next to him, looking like he wanted to comfort the doctor but instead of using words just crossed his arms and made himself small.


    ¡°Go into the city and find me a Type 1 Rebar Button Head Coupler. Use this map, do not go online.¡± He laid out a map. ¡°Shop at Discount Counter, the owner will recognize you.¡±


    When Fishy looked at the map, Terra could feel her mind memorize the map. It felt like cold water running through her brain and she almost jumped at the feeling, but since her limbs were still stuck in the position she mentally flinched.


    ¡°Is this a good idea?¡± she heard Petri ask Indo as she started walking out of the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s the only way to make sure Fishy wasn¡¯t hacked. If he comes back, we¡¯re safe. If not, then I have to format another one and discard him.¡±


    Terra/Fishy was already walking through an open space that resembled a living room by the time they finished conversing. A large screen sat in a corner; the largest one she had seen yet. A semi-circular couch lay in front of it with a coffee table sitting a few feet away, littered with mugs and forgotten magazines. To her right, there was an open kitchen with pots lying scattered on the counter and plates stacked high in the sink. Her legs brought her to a metal ladder screwed into the side of the wall and pushed her up to a hinged door. Turning the wheel to unlock the door, Fishy pushed through to meet her new world.


    Her first world was a snow-covered Detroit. Her next world was a desert with two suns. This world looked like it was burning.


    The sky was hazy and red and she was completely surrounded by trash. She literally had to crawl over a mountain of shopping carts, old washing machines, plastic bags, stuffed animals, broken fans, worn mattresses, and clothes to be able to see the horizon, and even that was a stretch. While the sky was red, the places it touched the earth had a disgusting dark yellow tint. She could see the city Indo had told her to go to in the distance, but it had a grey cloud coating the tips of the buildings, making it difficult to judge just how large it was.


    Terra had told herself to try and find the small joys in life and not focus on the negative, but this was too much. Even an optimistic mind would struggle to find anything positive in this world. Her body moved on its own, and she was pretty much forced to walk through mounds of trash for a mile before reaching something that remotely resembled ground. Even that was a stretch since it reminded Terra more of the desert she had been stuck in, minus the clear sky and golden ground. Her body walked through this field of dust and Terra was glad she couldn¡¯t feel the particles of dust pelt against her skin.


    As the city inched closer, the grey haze that served as a bad ceiling stretched towards her. Terra wanted to get off this planet, but first, she needed to learn how to control this metallic body of hers and find where her organic one went. She needed Alter to brief her, but she was nowhere to be found.


    A cracked pavement reached out into the dusty wasteland she had walked through, beckoning her into the city. Smaller buildings lay abandoned at the entrance, their windows smashed and dust filling up their interiors. Terra turned when she caught her reflection in a window not completely coated in dust. Forcing her limbs forward, she wiped the window with her robotic hand.


    The mask that the creature had worn adorned her face down, the clear crystal turned black. But that meant the crystal mask she had purged had been used somehow. Terra thought back to the last moment she could remember at the Capitol. She had been laying on the ground reminiscing about the good times she had and...Terra internally slapped herself. She had wished to go home! Terra¡¯s heart dropped when she came to a realization; if the crystal had really granted her wish, was this her home?


    As if in response to her dread, her body automatically moved forward towards the dark interior of the city.

 Chapter 28: A Voice For The Silent

    She was going insane. Terra had been stuck in that robot¡¯s body for a few weeks now and there was no sign of being able to have full control. Plus, she hadn¡¯t seen Alter since she arrived so she didn¡¯t have anyone to talk to, so she¡¯d resorted to holding mental conversations with herself. Being stuck in the robot¡¯s body wasn¡¯t doing great things to her psyche.


    All Fishy was in charge of was cleaning the house, doing laundry, cooking meals, and walking into the city to get materials. Although Terra was glad there wasn¡¯t some sort of impending war going on, her world was limited to the trash heaps, her dusty walk to the city that always required a thorough cleaning afterward, and the hardware room, living room, and kitchen. Terra actually started hoping some sort of conflict would break out just to make things interesting.


    It wasn¡¯t until she had been there a month that she could start feeling some sensations. At first, she had thought it was just a glitch in the robot¡¯s head that had caused her to feel a twinge in her imaginary hand, but when it was recurring she knew somehow she was finally connecting to her new body.


    When Indo and Petri went to bed at some unknown hour, Terra would move to the hardware room and poke her robotic limbs with a screwdriver until she would feel a trickle of ice water pass over her brain. The days blurred together and Terra lost track of how long she had been there by the time she gained full control. She was glad robots didn¡¯t require sleep otherwise the process would have taken twice as long.


    From the conversations she had overheard between Indo and Petri, the body of the girl she had once inhabited was held in stasis just behind the locked door at the end of the hallway. Terra had constantly tried to get in, but her legs would lock up at the entrance of the hallway. But now that she had full control of her robotic body, maybe she would be able to pass through and get in.


    Terra stretched out her limbs, making sure she had full mobility and left the hardware room. The entire living space was small, so it only took a few steps before she reached the hallway. Pausing, she started down to the door that had been taunting her all those months and vowed to reach it. Bracing herself, she took a step forward and was overjoyed to find no resistance. She quietly slinked down the hall, passing by the doors to Indo and Petri¡¯s rooms along the way. The lock had a five-digit numerical code on the side panel, but that was quickly cracked with Terra¡¯s robotic fingers tapping away rapidly at the locks. 02-764.


    The door unlocked loudly with a hiss and retreated into the wall. Terra stepped forward into a dimly-lit lab illuminated by plants hanging from the ceiling and lining the shelves. It was a circular room and two large stainless steel tables sat slightly off center, a microscope and stacks of files and books on one and a multitude of test tubes and Petri-dishes stacked neatly on the other. A cylindrical canister lay near one of the walls with the label ¡®Subject 4.¡¯ Seeing that was the only thing large enough to house a body, Terra strolled over and peaked in. Initially, she thought she was seeing Alter, but she had to remind herself that Alter was just a hallucination of hers. It felt odd to be staring down at her own body.


    ¡°Fishy, stop.¡±


    Terra¡¯s limbs froze up and she cursed to herself; the door had probably woken up Indo. The lab lights flickered on, revealing Terra/Fishy staring down at the canister containing Terra¡¯s body.


    ¡°Fucking hell. Fishy, go to the hardware room for reformatting.¡± Indo¡¯s voice growled from across the room.


    Terra cursed again. If her body was reformatted, there was no guessing if she would still be able to move around. Plus, they would probably switch to a different robot and not even bother with this body anymore. She still wasn¡¯t a hundred percent sure why her consciousness was even transferred to this new body, but she suspected it had something to do with the mask. Needless of how her bodies were switched, she wasn¡¯t going to let all that time spent training her limbs go to waste!


    Fighting her body¡¯s urge to turn around and head back to the hardware room, she focused on standing still. After a few seconds, the urge faded entirely.


    ¡°Fishy, go to the hardware room.¡± Indo repeated, a hint of curiosity and irritation creeping into his voice.


    The urge hit her again, but Terra kept mentally telling her body ¡®no,¡¯ remaining locked in her position until it was gone again. When the impulses passed, Terra rested her hand against the pane on the tube that held her body, her metal fingers creating light tings against the glass. There must be a way to get back.


    ¡°Fishy?¡± Petri¡¯s voice echoed in the room.


    Terra whirled around and faced the two others that stood in the room. She ambled over to the desk covered in papers and found a pen. In big letters, she wrote My name is Terra and held it up for them to see.


    ¡°What? Fishy, what¡¯s going on?¡± Indo asked.


    If you call me Fishy one more time I will literally burn this place down. Terra wrote.


    Indo and Petri stared at her wide-eyed, afraid to open their mouths.


    ¡°Alright...Terra...what is going on?¡± Indo inquired again.


    Difficult to explain. Want to talk. Terra pointed to her throat. Writing everything down would be such a pain in her ass and she¡¯d much rather prefer being able to talk again.


    ¡°First, what company created your software?¡± Indo insisted.


    Terra gripped her pen and repeatedly circled the word ¡®talk¡¯ on the piece of paper so Indo could get the message. Indo and Petri¡¯s eyes were wandering towards the equipment near them and Terra knew that if she didn¡¯t somehow gain control of the room they were both going to come after her with scientific instruments. She pondered the thought since the closest things near them were a trowel and potted plants, so they wouldn¡¯t be much of a threat and would be easy to subdue. But she wanted them on her side so they could program her a voice.


    I am her she wrote and pointed to her body in the tube.


    At least they weren¡¯t looking for weapons anymore since now their eyes were exchanging glances, nonverbally saying ¡®that¡¯s a loony, no doubt.¡¯


    Voice now


    Terra was getting impatient with these two. She¡¯d been working as a slave for them for months and now that she was finally free to move around as she pleased, she couldn¡¯t even get answers because she didn¡¯t have a voice. Frustrated, she turned and walked to the stasis chamber that held her body. Maybe if she got her body out her consciousness would automatically switch over? She really wanted to know how this whole thing worked because there was no way she was going to spend the rest of her life underground under a junkyard serving those two people. Gripping one of the tubes that ran from the wall to the tube, she gave it a good tug but it stayed put.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Indo cried out.


    Terra turned to him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll program a voice simulator if you just leave her alone.¡± His eyes were wide with terror. ¡°Just step away from her and I¡¯ll do whatever you want.¡±


    Well, at least Terra knew that her old body was in good hands considering this old man was willing to do anything to protect it.


    She stepped away, arms raised.


    ¡°Petri, go grab me the mod creator.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Petri returned shortly carrying a rectangular box. Indo grabbed it and sat down on the ground, opened up the box, and began furiously typing. About a half hour later, he plugged in a small cube into the box via cord and waited for a few seconds, then unplugged it and tossed it to Terra.


    ¡°Plug it into the panel on the back of your head and download its contents. That should let you speak.¡± Indo summarized.


    Terra felt around on the back of her head, finding a slot that matched with the cord attached to the cube. Mentally preparing herself and hoping the old man wasn¡¯t tricking her, she plugged the cord in. Icy water flooded her brain and she was almost overwhelmed with its cold grip.


    Indo and Petri jumped at her, raising an empty planting pot and trowel respectively in the hopes of knocking her unconscious. Terra had already suspected this attack coming and swiftly dodged both attacks.


    ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± she asked. When a robotic voice came out, she was pleasantly surprised and did a quick fist pump before focusing her attention on her two attackers.


    ¡°That should have flooded your system!¡± Indo cried out. ¡°I downloaded the entirety of all our world¡¯s languages on that. Your CPU isn¡¯t meant for that!¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m special then,¡± Terra said, still elated that she could finally speak her mind. ¡°And to answer your question, I don¡¯t have special software. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯ve been so paranoid all this time, but I¡¯m not a spy or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you?¡± Petri chimed in.


    ¡°Black crystal extraordinaire at your service.¡± Terra mockingly gave a bow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means, but what do you want with Subject 4?¡± Indo questioned, scooting closer to the stasis tube.


    ¡°That¡¯s my body, and I¡¯d really like to get back to it. Don¡¯t exactly know how yet, but it¡¯ll come to me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t fully understand, but we found that girl dying in a crater half a mile from here. She¡¯s in the tube to keep her alive, and she¡¯ll probably die if you take her out. She sustained major injuries!¡± Indo stated as if Terra didn¡¯t know the condition her own body had been in.


    ¡°Why help her then?¡± Terra wondered. It was intriguing as to why these two were even bothering to keep her vegetating.


    ¡°She holds the answer to our world¡¯s problems.¡±


    Terra was taken aback.


    ¡°Excuse me, what?¡±


    ¡°This girl¡¯s chemical and physical compounds are fascinating, I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. Her hair is actually alive. It had a green tint because of the chlorophyll, and her body takes in carbon dioxide and releases oxygen. Her body acts just like trees do!¡±


    Well, that was news to Terra.


    ¡°If we could unlock the key to why she exists then we can solve our environmental problems. She is the key to saving the world!¡±


    Terra was at a loss for words. Of all the explanations she was expecting; being good samaritans, saving her body to sell to the slave market, trying out different drugs on her to see how she¡¯d react, this wasn¡¯t even on her list.


    The banging of metal on metal broke her thoughts and she turned to Indo for answers. His face had paled and dread seeped from his every pore. Petri was in a similar state.


    ¡°They¡¯re here.¡±


    Indo jumped forward and Terra brought up her guard, but he sprinted past her into the hardware room. Petri had jumped into action as well, running to the kitchen and grabbing a pack full of food. Indo and Petri frantically scrambled gathering materials and bringing them back to the lab as the banging continued.


    Terra walked out into the living room to the origin of the banging. The door to the outside world was showing dents from something large impacting it.


    ¡°You idiot, get in the lab!¡±


    Terra felt Petri grab her arm and try to drag her back into the room that held her body, but she held firm.


    ¡°Who are ¡®they¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, just please get in the lab!¡± Petri cried.


    Terra sighed and started walking down the hallway while Petri pushed her back to walk faster. Instead of going back to the lab, she went into the hardware room and picked up a crowbar.


    ¡°Hello, my old friend.¡± Terra adoringly told the piece of metal.


    Petri looked at her with horrified eyes and sprinted to seek shelter in the lab. He probably thought Terra was going to beat the shit out of him for pushing her, but she had other thoughts. It had been a ridiculously long time since she had been able to properly let out some steam.


    She took a few minutes to stretch out her robotic limbs and made sure everything was responding properly before she walked out into the living room. She heard the lab door swing shut and lock, but she didn¡¯t care. Whoever the people on the other side of the hatch were, they would be in a world of pain.


    If she had facial muscles, she would have been grinning ear to ear. She was going to have fun. Climbing the ladder she spun the wheel, unlocked the door, and poked her head out.


    A large mechanic beast nearly took her head off as if swung one of its heavy legs down on the hatch. Rolling out of the way, she watched as the four-legged robot continued pummeling away and the closed hatch.


    ¡°Who do we have here?¡±


    Terra turned and saw a man and three robots strolled in her direction, trying to look calm and composed but the trash piles were making it difficult for them to find their footing. Terra watched in amusement as the man struggled to keep his calm facade while one of the robots ended up getting caught on something rolled the rest of the way.


    ¡°I¡¯d ask the same thing, but I can see you¡¯re obviously compensating for your lack of friends with your robot posse so I¡¯d rather not. I¡¯d like to know why you¡¯re attacking my house. I just finished cleaning it.¡±


    The man seemed caught off guard by Terra.


    ¡°Wha--Oh, I see. I must be speaking with Indo. From the reports I¡¯ve gotten, I always thought you were a quiet old man. I almost decided on capturing you alive, but given the glib, I¡¯ll just go ahead and kill you once and for all.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m that old guy? Are you fucking blind?¡± Terra was honestly wondering. Why would this stranger think she¡¯s Indo?


    She wanted to keep berating this easy target, but the mechanical monster nearest to her kept banging on the hatch and it was really getting on her nerves. Every three seconds it hit the metal door. Bang¡­.Bang¡­.Bang¡­.Bang¡­.Nope. Terra needed to deal with that first before focusing on the man and his robot friends.


    The machine must have been solely programmed to bang on doors because it didn¡¯t pay attention to her when she walked right underneath it and plunged the crowbar into its gears. She ripped it out again and swung at the legs, knocking them out one by one, and then beating at the joints until there was no way it could move anymore. She used her crowbar as a cane and leaned back, admiring her work.


    ¡°You asshole!¡± She heard the man cry out from the other side of the robot mound.


    The three robots that had been at his sides sprinted at her. Terra smiled when she saw they had no weapons in their hands and only came at her with fists. In this age of robots and technology and yet the robots themselves had no weapons. She chuckled to herself while dodging the robots¡¯ fists.


    A bullet pinged off her mask and she turned her attention to the man who held a gun to her. Well, since he started it¡­Terra began her counter attack.


    She swung the crowbar at the nearest robot¡¯s knees, knocking it down and causing it to fall into the path of an oncoming robot kick. Terra ducked as a robot¡¯s fist whizzed past her head and used its momentum to grab its outstretched fist and launch it over her shoulder, knocking it into the other two. With all three of them in a heap before her, she made quick work of bashing their heads in with her weapon. She turned to the lone male and started sauntering towards him.


    She could see his hand shaking as he kept pulling the trigger and only two out of the six rounds he shot had landed, but it didn''t affect her whatsoever since she was made of metal. Terra wondered if she was still able to manipulate black crystals in this body since her other one was out of commission because then it would really be like she was back; body immune to physical attack (minus black crystal attacks) and whatever weapon she wanted in her hand.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt me!¡± The man cried as she approached. He tried backing up, but he slipped on garbage and he fell onto his back. Terra stood over him triumphantly and pointed her crowbar at his throat as if were a sword.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to join me in my bunker and you¡¯re going to give me some answers.¡± She said, crouching down and putting some pressure on his neck.


    The man was sobbing hysterically at this point and Terra wondered if she was going to get any answers from him before he had an embolism. She stepped away from him and gestured for him to lead the way. All of a sudden some sort of shock burst from her body and she fell to her knees. Luckily the man was in too messy of a state to react fast enough before she regained her senses.


    ¡°Tracker disabled.¡± Her robotic voice called out automatically.


    Terra was surprised she could send out EMP pulses from her body to disable trackers but hoped it wouldn¡¯t automatically do that. She could imagine herself facing someone with actual combat skills and crippling herself when her body decided to disable a tracker. She would speak with Indo about it.


    The man practically fell down the hatch and Terra quickly followed behind. Indo and Petri had hesitantly left the lab when the banging on the hatch had stopped and stared in dismay at Terra leading a scouting officer through the living room towards them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a present for you guys!¡± Terra said cheerfully as she prodded the man forward.


    Man, she was glad to be back.

 Chapter 29: Scout 895G

    This had not been part of the mission parameters Scout 895G had agreed to. He was so excited to finally get to work with the robots and prove to the higher-ups that he was qualified for more important missions, that he had gotten cocky. Plus, what was up with that Efficiency model?


    Efficiency robots were household robots whose sole duty was to clean and tidy, but this robot was nothing like he¡¯d ever seen before. It looked like one of the first models to have been released, making it over twenty years old, and yet it somehow had managed to take out one mid-sized Breacher and three model 10 Combatants. At first, he had thought the sass coming from the robot¡¯s speaker was a voice intercom and Indo was speaking through the robot, but whatever code Indo had installed into that Efficiency model made it like nothing he¡¯d ever seen. And now this robot was sitting in front of him with that unnervingly human mask on staring at him while he squirmed under restraints.


    He was ashamed to admit it, but he was scared shitless. 895G had signed up to be a scouter, and Scouters rarely saw any action. All he was supposed to do was find out why Indo¡¯s computer had decided to download the entirety of the world¡¯s languages and then fall off the grid again. Indo had been missing presumed dead for almost two decades, so the head Scouts sent 895G to see if there was any merit to sending in Detainers because for all they knew someone had scavenged Indo¡¯s computer from the landfill of Eldern and wanted to learn every language ever created. Well, it was too late to change his decision now, although he wished he had been taken captive with more grace and not sobbing so hard that Indo¡¯s assistant, Petri, had needed to comfort him while he was getting tied up.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± the robot asked him.


    He remained silent, mostly because his mouth was so dry from fright that he couldn¡¯t even muster up the saliva to respond. The robot merely lifted its crowbar and poked him in the chest. He nearly pissed himself when he remembered seeing the robot bashing in the heads of his crew without blinking. How could 895G be so afraid of something that barely came up to his shoulders?


    ¡°I¡¯m asking very nicely here and would really appreciate some answers. I¡¯d hate to do something we¡¯d all regret.¡± The robot twirled the crowbar around its wrist with ease.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything.¡± He choked out. Where were Indo and Petri? Shouldn¡¯t they be monitoring this crazy robot?


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that answer.¡± The robot leaned in and got within a few inches of his face. He could make out the slight scratches on the human-like mask the robot was wearing and tried his best to stare at the robot¡¯s glowing blue eyes without looking intimidated.


    ¡°Let me tell you a bit about my situation. I¡¯ve been stuck in this body and haven¡¯t been able to talk to anyone but the little demons in my head  for a very long time, so when I ask you a question I want an answer I like, because if I don¡¯t get the answer I like sometimes the little crazy bits of me like to come out. Would you like that?¡±


    He swallowed dryly and gave a slight nod, having to look down from the robot¡¯s intense eyes. 895G concluded that either Indo was a genius that had created an AI program that truly believed it had its own entity, or that he had somehow transplanted a human consciousness into the robot. Either way, 895G needed to escape and let his managers know what was going on with this new type of creation.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to ask again really nicely. Why are you here?¡± The robot asked again, backing up and sitting down on the metal table in front of him.


    ¡°A computer went online to download languages and we tracked it here.¡± He told the robot. If he provided it with vague information, maybe eventually he¡¯ll find some sort of tool to release himself and then escape this bunker.


    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®we¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Oh, um¡­. The group I work for.¡±


    ¡°And what kind of work does your group do?¡±


    ¡°Monitoring online access and intervening when something strange appears.¡±


    The robot went quiet and 895G hoped it was second-guessing its decision to take him captive.


    ¡°My group will expect me to check in within the hour. If they don¡¯t hear from me they¡¯ll send others, so I should check in.¡± He tried.


    ¡°And exactly how should that benefit me?¡± The robot stared down at him, its eyes not even flickering for a second.


    ¡°I could call them off so you don¡¯t have to worry about Combatants and more Scouts coming after you. Plus I¡¯m sure Indo and Petri would like to live through this.¡± 895G was trying his best to sound in control, but his voice cracked partway through. The robot seemed to be pondering his request though, so he felt a spark of hope light in his chest.


    ¡°Alright, but anything fishy¡­¡± The robot let out a laugh for no reason. ¡°Fishy¡­¡± It whispered under its breath and laughed a bit more.


    895G watched as the robot removed the comm from his belt and held it up to his mouth.


    ¡°This is 895G, checking in. Respond.¡±


    Within seconds a voice responded.


    ¡°895G, this is Receiver 642A, what is your status?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Location checked and no dice. Robots destroyed under landfill accident, but everything is fantastic.¡±


    ¡°Understood, 895G. Report back to HQ number 3 to receive compensation.¡±


    The line went silent and the robot moved back to its seated position. It began playing with the comm device in its palm.


    ¡°So how many are coming?¡± The robot turned to face him.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± 895G asked, trying to act innocent.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡± The robot growled, crushing the communicator in its fist. ¡°I¡¯m asking how many reinforcements are coming to save you?¡±


    895G¡¯s heart sank. How had the robot picked up on the single cue word that indicated his trouble? Back in training to become a Scout everyone was taught the safety words that meant they were in trouble and needed extraction. ¡®Okay¡¯ meant a few reinforcements were needed. ¡®Good¡¯ meant at least a dozen were needed. ¡®Great¡¯ meant two dozen, and ¡®Fantastic¡¯ meant three dozen. Considering how he¡¯d seen this small robot fighting he¡¯d assumed three dozen were fine. But the robot had caught on to the word and all hope of being rescued vanished. 895G hadn¡¯t contemplated his mortality realistically since he had pictured himself getting promoted after a few years, working as a Head Scouter, and then retiring on a well-earned salary. Only a few missions in and he was going to die. The weight of his death drained him of his energy.


    ¡°I asked how many are coming!¡± The robot stood in front of him.


    ¡°Three dozen.¡± He muttered, defeated.


    ¡°Perfect.¡±


    He jolted in his seat in surprise.


    ¡°Why is that good news?¡± He asked incredulously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever gave you permission to ask questions.¡± The robot tapped 895G¡¯s leg with its crowbar. ¡°But have you ever wondered why Indo and Petri live underground?¡±


    ¡°Uh, because they want to avoid detection?¡± What was up with that question?


    ¡°Yup. And it provides protection from anything that happens above ground.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be able to break through the hatch no problem!¡± He countered.


    ¡°You sure had some problems. How long do you think Indo and Petri have lived under this garbage heap?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± He cried out. What did the robot know he didn¡¯t?


    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that they¡¯ve got a pretty solid defense system. They weren¡¯t expecting you to come strolling in, so it wasn¡¯t engaged, but now that we¡¯re getting company it is.¡± If robots could smile, 895G swore that the robot in front of him had the widest smile he¡¯d ever seen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± His voice quivered.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that those three dozen people you called in are probably going to die from burns and garbage avalanches if they step foot on the landfill.¡±


    He felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over him. It took a little while for him to process exactly what the robot was saying, but if it was telling the truth the people he had called in were going to die because he made a mistake and got captured. All he wanted was a simple mission to move up in the ranks and now he was going to be at fault for almost forty deaths! His breath rattled in his chest as the weight of his actions set in.


    ¡°Please, let me tell them to not come!¡± He pleaded, tears beginning their descent down his cheeks again. He hated himself for being such a coward but would hate himself more if others died because of him.


    ¡°Oh, my bad.¡± The robot lifted its fist and let bits of his communicator fall to the ground. ¡°Did you need this?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to have a communicator around here somewhere!¡± He frantically glanced around the room, spotting only bits of robot and wires, but not the device he was looking for.


    ¡°Please! Please!¡± He sobbed into his chest.


    ¡°Awww, you¡¯re so noble it hurts. I remember that feeling.¡± The robot leaned in and used its crowbar to lift his head to face it. ¡°How about we strike a deal?¡±


    ¡°What kind of deal?¡± He questioned through hiccups.


    ¡°I get Indo to call off the reinforcements and you work for me.¡±


    He stared into the robot¡¯s unwavering gaze. Was it being serious? There was no possible way he was going to agree to that!


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± He spat at it, hitting the robot¡¯s mask with tears and snot.


    The robot backed away, wiping off the mess with its free hand. Its cold eyes snapped to meet his and chills ran down his spine.


    ¡°You have ten minutes to decide. After ten minutes, I will personally be sure to bring you the heads of the Scouts that come for you.¡±


    It turned on its heels and strolled out, leaving him in the hardware room alone with his thoughts.


    Why had the mission taken such a turn? All he wanted was to go home and rethink his career choice over a hot cup of coffee. Was HQ really sending in reinforcements? Maybe they didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be worth it and decided to just let him fend for himself? He shook his head and he knew he was just kidding himself. If there was one thing HQ was good at it was having agent¡¯s backs, meaning that there was no doubt they would be sending 2 Breachers, twenty-four Combatants, and eight Scouts after him. Maybe the robot was bluffing and there really weren¡¯t any defense mechanisms on the landfill? Even so, that robot had made such quick work of him and his robots that it had the possibility of beating all thirty-six reinforcements.


    The choice was clear but he shivered at the thought of having to work under that sadistic robot. If he agreed would the robot even follow through on its promise? What would he even have to do? Indo, the environmental extremist, was involved so 895G suspected he would have to infiltrate the GreenHouse, but the robot was the one that scared him more. He came to the conclusion he would take the deal and save his companions, but at the first sight of escaping, he would take it. Although he would be working under the robot, it didn¡¯t say anything about running away.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve come to your choice.¡± The robot stood in the doorway, arms crossed and holding some sort of circular device. The crowbar was gone, but that robot itself was a weapon so it did little to quash 895G¡¯s nerves.


    ¡°Yes. In exchange for calling off the reinforcements, I¡¯ll join you and your band of misfits.¡±


    ¡°Good choice. But you¡¯ll be working for me, we¡¯re not partners. And I don¡¯t sleep, so please get rid of all plans of escaping.¡± The robot approached 895G and snapped the circular thing it had been holding around his neck. ¡°This will help me keep track of you. Plus, it¡¯ll help me train you since it delivers ten thousand volts whenever I flip this switch.¡±


    The robot lifted its hand and revealed a small box with a switch on it. It then grabbed the cords binding 895G to the chair and ripped them apart with its robotic hands. When he was free, it stood back.


    ¡°My name is Terra. I hope we get along.¡±


    895G had never been more afraid of anything than the short robot standing before him.

 Chapter 30: Bid Farewell To Staying Still

    So this is what it felt like to have power. Terra grinned to herself although her robotic face wouldn¡¯t show it.


    When she had pushed the cowardly Scout into the bunker, she¡¯d asked Petri to tie him up while she and Indo talked. It took a bit of convincing to get Indo on the same page as her, but she managed to convince him to bug the Scout¡¯s comm device so it would divert his call to the HQ receiver to the receiver Terra knew he had in the lab. She left the dialogue to him since she didn¡¯t really know much about the whole Scout and HQ system, but she¡¯d lived with him for months and knew that he¡¯d spent some time working for some company called GreenHouse by overhearing him. She was pleasantly surprised when Indo had been so convincing about protocol and code words that the Scout had broken out crying.


    Terra had initially just wanted him to answer her questions truthfully, but when she saw that she was going to be getting almost nothing out of him she initiated the plan. And boy did it work wonders! He practically became pudding in her hands when he thought he would be the cause of so many deaths. Terra could relate a bit, but that was a long time ago. Before she had someone die in her arms after she had been tortured. Before she had actually died. Before she had spent months living in her own mind with only her own voices to talk to her. She was tired of caring about people¡¯s feelings; she was going to twist things to work for her from now on. And if it didn¡¯t bend under her will, then she would break it all.


    ¡°So what do I have to do?¡± 895G asked while walking behind her, fiddling with his new collar.


    ¡°Nothing yet. I¡¯m sure Indo has some questions for you, which you will answer in length, otherwise,¡± she held up her new favorite toy; the little button.


    He seemed to get her message and shut up. They walked into the lab where Indo and Petri were waiting anxiously. Indo had covered up the receiver with papers just in case 895G saw it and got suspicious. At this point, it didn¡¯t really matter if he knew it had all been a ruse since the collar would paralyze him if he tried anything funny.


    ¡°Does GreenHouse know I¡¯m here?¡± Indo started.


    895G looked down at his shoes trying to determine what information he should give away before being declared a traitor.


    ¡°No. At least not yet. They sent me to see if it was a false alarm.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Indo leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes while massaging his temples.


    Petri left the room for a few minutes and the remaining three stayed silent until he returned, carrying a tray with a tea kettle and cups. He poured the hot flavored water for everyone except Terra. 895G was surprised to be treated humanely and gratefully accepted the cup, relaxing as he felt the tea fill his belly and warm him up.


    ¡°Alright, this is what we¡¯re going to do,¡± Indo spoke up. ¡° Petri, you pack the clothes and non-essential necessities. Terra, you pack food and water. I¡¯m going to pack up the lab and grab anything else we need. Do not bring more than you can carry. Fis--Terra, I trust you can still watch 895G while packing?¡±


    Terra nodded and pushed 895G out of the lab.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s going on?¡± 895G asked as Terra guided him to the kitchen.


    ¡°Guess, genius. If you were able to find us, then don¡¯t you think others can too? Even though the reinforcements were called off doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re not suspicious.¡±


    895G shut his mouth; the robot had a solid point. As he watched the robot pack, his curiosity got the better of him and he opened his mouth again.


    ¡°How were you able to take down those Combatants?¡±


    Terra stopped stuffing cans of beans in a pack and looked up at him.


    ¡°Combatants? Is that what those robots were called? It really wasn¡¯t that difficult.¡± The robot continued with its task.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°But they were just released within this past year. Your model is incredibly old in tech-time. How can your processor run the program necessary to move like that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re starting to get on my nerves. I don¡¯t need people constantly reminding me I¡¯m stuck in this body.¡± Terra growled from inside the cabinet.


    ¡°Does that mean Indo has perfected human consciousness transplantation? I read a file about him from twenty years ago about being able to move--¡±


    The collar lit up with electricity and 895G felt his muscles lock into place. He couldn¡¯t breathe or speak, he just had to wait until the sensation passed. Gasping for breath, he looked to Terra who held up the button for him to see.


    ¡°Oops, your talking made my finger slip. Make yourself useful and grab one of those bags and drop it off near that ladder. You should remember it from the time you almost pissed yourself from fear and were crying like a small child.¡±


    895G gritted his teeth and bit back the remark that threatened to leave the tip of his tongue. Apparently, he couldn¡¯t even ask questions around here without getting electrocuted, but he wasn¡¯t stubborn enough to keep sating his curiosity at the expense of his well-being. Begrudgingly, he grabbed the bag nearest to him and dragged it over to the ladder. He hoped he wasn¡¯t stuck carrying that pack since it felt like it was being weighed down by bricks.


    The whole packing process took about an hour with all of them working. Terra was done faster than anybody else, so she helped Petri finish packing everything else. Indo had been running back and forth from the lab to the living room, carrying scientific equipment and papers each time he cycled through. The last thing the doctor brought from the back was a small stasis cube wheeled out on a cart.


    ¡°Are we really bringing her?¡± Terra asked.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be the most adamant about it since it belongs to you. We still need to learn the secrets of her genetic code.¡± Indo clarified.


    ¡°I was talking more about mobility. As much as I¡¯d love to lug around three hundred pounds of metal, I don¡¯t, so unless you¡¯ve got a trick up your sleeve on how to carry that thing around besides that cart I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    Indo shot the robot a little smile and pressed a button on the face of the stasis tube. The tube vibrated and then floated up a foot off the ground. The robot jumped forward and started pushed the stasis tube around the living room, making it bounce into furniture and laughing when it knocked over the cups on the coffee table.


    895G was more than confused with the robot¡¯s odd behavior. First of all, it was common knowledge that stasis tubes could float off the ground, so why was this robot named Terra making such a big deal out of this small fact. Had it really never seen something like this before? Maybe the human soul inside the robot hadn¡¯t seen it? That is if that is really was a human inside the robot body.


    Terra, on the other hand, was having a blast. She¡¯d regretted not fawning over the floating cars in her previous life, so she was going to do just that with the floating tube. It, unfortunately, couldn¡¯t hold her weight while floating, but she still had fun pushing it into walls. Indo stopped her after a few minutes of playing around.


    ¡°We need to preserve the battery since we only have two more power cores after this one runs out. Whenever we reach flat ground we¡¯ll push it on the cart. We can restore power in the cities. Our goal is Tinyon. There we¡¯ll sell our old supplies and equipment to buy passage to Varuit and just hope GreenHouse stops looking for us.¡±


    Indo handed Petri and 895G respirators and thick coats.


    ¡°Put those on.¡± Indo turned to 895G. ¡°You won¡¯t be getting any more atmosphere injections like you do at HQ, so you¡¯re going to have to suffer through the air the old-fashioned way. Make sure the mask is snug otherwise the respirator won¡¯t work.¡±


    895G did as Indo said.


    ¡°And Terra, you¡¯re going to have to remain quiet. Anything out of the ordinary for that Efficiency model will just draw unwanted attention. Understand?¡± He shot Terra a knowing look and the robot just crossed its arms and pouted.


    895G wanted to laugh at the sight of the robot who took down a squadron of armies sulking, but he didn¡¯t want to be electrocuted again. Plus, now that they were going to be passing through cities there was the possibility of him running into one of his comrades and getting out a message that he needed help escaping. He just hoped the robot wouldn¡¯t catch on and foil his escape before he could even set it in motion.


    Once everyone but the robot was bundled up safely in layers of clothing, the four moved the packs of items out of the hatch and then one by one left the bunker. Terra was last to go as she was tasked with turning out all the lights and shutting down power to the bunker once and for all. When she locked the bunker behind her, she kicked a mound of trash over it to hide the hatch and bid good riddance to that stuffy old life.


    Turning around, she glanced up at the eternally red sky and the dark city past. The world didn¡¯t seem as horrendous as it had the first time she¡¯d laid eyes on it. Maybe it was because she was finally in control of her body to an extent. Maybe it was because she was finally going exploring into something unknown. Maybe it was because she had some companions she could talk to (although one hated her). Whatever the reason, she was glad to finally learn more about this ominous world and what it held in store for her.

 Chapter 31: Shed Some Light

    The dark broken down city loomed closer as they made their way past the abandoned buildings. The group was plunged into darkness and had to guide their way through the streets by fumbling over rubble and helping each other up if they fell, focusing on the distant city center. Once visible light was readily available by the lights of neon signs and floating lamps dangling above the sidewalks, the entire city seemed to transform.


    Terra had been to this city before and knew where the Discount Center was, but never had the chance to fully explore the entirety of the bustling city-life. Although the sky was dark grey, the artificial lights never dimmed so the city never slept. There was no set unit of time-keeping since there were no night and day, simply dark red sky and artificial lights at all times. In order to have everyone using the same unit of time, people wore horizontal bands around their wrists that determined the time left until the next ¡®day¡¯. 50 hours in a day, 50 days in a month, 8 months in a year. At least, that¡¯s what Terra could determine.


    Indo stopped at a booth and exchanged some tools for three tickets. Wenindal Inn read the neon lights that hung on the side of the building. Ushering everyone to follow behind him, he stepped into a building and pushed open the doors. Terra followed, surprised when she felt cool air pass over her and had to travel through another set of doors to get to the interior of the building. There was already a multitude of people in the lobby, but a good majority of them turned to watch the newcomers trudge in. The air was cleaner inside, but a purple haze rested over the room, giving it an ominous feeling.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± A man dressed in a bright pink jumper asked them as they all passed through the second door.


    Indo handed him the three tickets.


    ¡°Thank you for staying with us, if you¡¯ll follow me I¡¯ll bring you to your rooms.¡± They walked past the gawking people in the lobby and reached an elevator where they all crammed in their things. It was a little difficult considering they still had to carry around the stasis tube on a cart.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how did you get such an old Efficiency model? Those are very difficult to come by since they¡¯ve been long since discontinued.¡± The man in pink asked.


    ¡°Found it in a junkyard and fixed it up. Got lots of bugs, but it¡¯ll cause no problems.¡± Indo explained, giving Terra a look.


    Terra took the hint and tried her best not to roll her eyes and make a snide comment.


    They arrived at their floor and the concierge showed them to their rooms, giving them each (excluding Terra) a keycard that would allow them access. With a quick wave goodbye, the pink man was gone and the group piled into the room and released all their things into a giant pile on the floor.


    ¡°Damn. That was way worse than any training I¡¯ve had to go through!¡± 895G commented as he tried to massage his sore shoulders. He had been tasked with carrying the canned foods.


    ¡°Oh shut up. I had to carry the water, cans, and push the cart.¡± Terra complained.


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re a robot.¡±


    ¡°So you keep reminding me.¡±


    ¡°Alright guys,¡± Indo interrupted. ¡°Get some rest since we¡¯ve got a long trip ahead of us. If you thought today was tough, you¡¯re going to be in a world of pain tomorrow. We can¡¯t afford to stay in places like this often, so enjoy it while you can.¡±


    Indo unloaded some computer equipment and began typing away, immersed in his own world. Petri had already changed into sweatpants and gotten under the sheets of one of the beds, so 895G stripped down and did the same. Terra grabbed the clothing bag and dug around in until she found pants, a shirt, and an overcoat, putting them on to hide her mechanical exterior.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± 895G called out from his bed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to sit around watching you guys sleep for the next ten hours. I¡¯m going to do some exploring of my own.¡± Terra grabbed one of the key cards and slipped it into her pants pocket.


    ¡°Be back by eighth after day-start,¡± Indo called out as she opened the door to leave.


    Terra gave him a short wave to indicate she had heard and shut the door quietly behind her.


    ¡°Is it alright for the robot to leave like that?¡± 895G asked Indo.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Indo stated, delving back into his computer project.


    ¡°What does that mean? Didn¡¯t you create it?¡± 895G was in disbelief.


    ¡°Up until yesterday that robot was my creation. Its name was Fishy. Something changed on its CPU and I want to know what, but it protected us from you so it can¡¯t be all bad.¡±


    895G pondered this for a bit and then realized that with the robot gone, there was nothing threatening his life to say with the other two men. He jumped out of bed and grabbed his clothes.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t try and get away if I were you. We made copies of the switches, we¡¯re not idiots.¡± Indo calmly added, lifting up a small box with a little red switch on it. ¡°Petri has one too, so don¡¯t get any funny ideas.¡±


    ¡°The robot is heartless, but I don¡¯t think you have the guts to flip the switch.¡± 895G stalled as he tried to think of an escape route.


    ¡°You¡¯ve read my file, you tell me if I have what it takes.¡± Indo hardened eyes glared at 895G, and he knew any pleas he made would fall on deaf ears.


    The Scout felt a chill cascade down his spine. No, this old man most definitely had what it took to hurt someone. Indo had become somewhat of a legendary story back at the training academy and the newer recruits would often joke about taking things to the extreme like Indo had.


    Indo had been raised as a Scout, but quickly moved up ranks and became interested in the robotics field. He worked as an assistant to the head roboticist at the time when the first Helper model was created. The Helper¡¯s main objective was to help its user with any small monotonous task like washing dishes or doing laundry. Two models later, the name was switched to Efficiency.


    By the time the third Efficiency model was released, Indo had risen to lead roboticist after the previous one retired, making him the youngest leader of the robotics division. The government eventually bought out the company and ordered him to make Combatants. Indo gladly complied since he held no quarrels with creating machines made to destroy; as long as he got to play with robots. In order to create even more sentient robots that could predict attacks and react accordingly, Indo began experimenting with transferring human-like behaviors into the robots themselves. He managed to get government funding by hiding it under the prosthetics field, where he used voluntary subjects who wanted a new limb. It was a painful experience and it yielded few results, so Indo was forced to stop. Entranced by his idea, he started kidnapping live subjects from the pharmaceutical division to test mind-transfer. When the higher officials found out about this, they send a squad after Indo to arrest him, but he had already fled, taking one of the human lab rats with him.


    Nothing was heard from him for a few years, but he came back with a vengeance and a different agenda. He would hack into Efficiency models inside government facilities remotely and make them self-destruct near the main power sources, causing massive blackouts to those facilities. He mostly aimed for the pharmaceutical buildings and alternative energy research buildings, never the robotics labs. Indo went on to destroy billions of dollars of equipment and research, killing thousands of lab rats in the process, before he went into hiding. Nothing was heard from him for nearly twenty years, but here Indo was, working on some secret project in a shady inn. 895G wondered what had changed, what had caused Indo¡¯s life to dramatically turn around. Maybe it had something to do with Petri? Or the robot?


    A wave of sleepiness washed over the Scout and he laid back down in bed. He would find out what Indo was up to, escape, and then get a promotion and go back to his old life. There had to be a reason they were keeping him around so he wasn¡¯t going to push his luck any further that night. As soon as he found an opening, though, he would bolt.


    His eyes sluggishly closed. Yep, any day now he was going to escape and be hailed a hero when he caught Indo and his robot and turned them in. Any day now.

 Chapter 32: No More Efficiency

    When everyone woke up Terra had scrounged together a makeshift breakfast with canned meat and mashed potatoes. Terra had arrived an hour earlier, tired of walking around under the dark sky, and figured a meal would lift people¡¯s spirits. Jealousy of their meal, although it didn¡¯t look appetizing, hit her as she watched them eat. Being a robot did have its perks, but everything was numbed through her eyes since she couldn¡¯t feel anything. Sighing to herself, she cleaned up the room and repacked all their materials while they ate, wanting to do something to distract herself from those depressing thoughts.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t call attention to us?¡± Indo asked in between bites.


    ¡°If I caused trouble, we¡¯d already have left. I know how to lay low.¡± Terra sniped back.


    Indo shrugged and set his plate down, walking to the bed he had laid in and pulled out a little cube, similar to the cube that Terra had used to download her voice.


    ¡°I worked on this last night. Download it and you can have a more human voice. From now on we¡¯ll be treating you as a person rather than a robot.¡±


    This caught Terra off guard and she accepted the cube.


    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to overload my system again, right? Last time it didn¡¯t work and it won¡¯t work now, but I¡¯ll remember it.¡± Terra warned as she plugged the cube into the nape of her neck.


    Icy water trickled through her brain and opened her mouth. A deep voice came out, so Terra adjusted the pitch until it sounded more like the one she remembered.


    ¡°Thanks, Indo,¡± Terra said, finally glad that she could use inflections and not have to hear that annoyingly monotone robotic voice say everything she wanted to say.


    ¡°Wow, I always thought you were a guy,¡± 895G called out, licking his plate clean.


    ¡°And I thought you were a pussy. Oh, wait, you still are.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have one of those things to make her nicer?¡± 895G asked Indo. ¡°Or maybe turn her entire personality down a notch?¡±


    Indo laughed heartily and Petri cracked a smile.


    ¡°I asked this before,¡± 895G started. ¡°But exactly why am I being held captive? I¡¯m just another mouth to feed and I¡¯m just a Scout, so I don¡¯t know top-secret information.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying I should just kill you then?¡± Terra spoke up. ¡°After all, you are just another mouth to feed.¡±


    895G stammered, trying to come up with an excuse, mentally kicking himself for even bringing up the topic.


    ¡°Terra came up with the idea to keep you as a hostage, I was for getting rid of you once we got our answers. Hell, even Petri wants to get rid of you. You¡¯re Terra¡¯s pet for the time being until you do something stupid, and then you get put down. For now, you will just warn us where new HQ buildings are being constructed, high areas of Patrols, and inform us if you see any hidden Patrol agents lurking around. Understand?¡±


    895G nodded meekly. Identifying undercover agents and revealing Patrol locations was an act of treason, automatically labeling him a criminal. But there was no way of this group of outlaws to prove what he said was true, so he could probably lead them straight into a trap without them even knowing.


    Indo unrolled a map, pointing to the city of Eldern.


    ¡°This is us. We have to walk twenty clicks southeast to Yunto. There, we¡¯ll catch a ferry to Hollindayse, and then it''s another thirty clicks east until Tinyon. Here are all the bases I remember from my youth,¡± Indo circled four small cities along the way and then handed the marker to 895G. ¡°Mark the rest.¡±


    With a shaking hand, 895G marked two bases on the map. Only one of them was correct, the other he hoped would push the group to walk through the Patrol area of the other one, giving him the opportunity to bump into a Scout and gaining freedom.


    ¡°You do realize that collar reads your heart palpitations. I can tell you¡¯re lying.¡± Indo frowned, disturbed by how naive this younger man was.


    ¡°Yup. Doesn¡¯t help that I¡¯m also a robot and don¡¯t need that collar to tell.¡± Terra chimed.


    ¡°Anybody with eyes can tell you¡¯re lying,¡± Petri spoke, turning everyone head.


    Indo tried to stifle his smile but absolutely failed, his pearly whites beaming at his assistant. Clearing his throat, he covered his mouth and continued.


    ¡°Exactly. Now tell us where the real bases are otherwise zap-zap.¡± Indo stared down at the lying Scout, finger playfully grazing over his switch.


    895G didn¡¯t want to get electrocuted again, but he refused to give into these extremists. He stubbornly set his jaw and released the marker in his hand onto the table, signaling that he was done giving up information. Indo¡¯s eyes narrowed at the challenge. Before Indo could press the switch, Terra jumped in. ¡°Hold on, he¡¯ll tell us.¡±


    Without another word, she pointed at the first base 895G had drawn and stared at the Scout. After a few seconds of silence, she pointed to the next one and stared at the confused Scout.


    ¡°First one is real, the second one is fake.¡± She announced.


    Indo turned to 895G.


    ¡°She just saved your ass. Alright everyone, grab a pack, put on your respirators, and let¡¯s go.¡±


    While Indo and Petri grabbed packs and struck up their own conversation, 895G pulled the robot aside.


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Are you serious? I just told you I could tell if you¡¯re lying since I¡¯m a robot. Do you have ears?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± was the Scout could say, feeling like a complete idiot.


    Terra ripped her arm out of the Scout¡¯s grip and grabbed her two packs and pushed the stasis tube to the door. 895G was the last to leave the room. They took the elevator down to the lobby and dropped their keycards off at the front desk. The bright man in pink was coincidentally there as well.


    ¡°Such a short stay, you wouldn¡¯t want to stay a night longer?¡± The man pasted on his best salesman smile. The man looked around at all the faces and his own face twisted in befuddlement. ¡°Where¡¯s the Efficiency?¡±


    ¡°Afraid not, we¡¯re on a tight schedule,¡± Indo stated curtly, not bothering to offer the second question a response.


    ¡°Safe travels!¡± The pink man said, and Terra saw his grin shift as soon as they turned. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Terra recognized the greedy look in his eyes and told herself to stay extra vigilante on their travel through the city.


    The sky was an ugly mixture of grey and bright red when they left the inn, giving the ground and the air around them an otherworldly feel to it. Well, to Terra it felt otherworldly, to the others it was probably perfectly normal. It wasn¡¯t until they were about halfway through the city that Terra noticed someone following them.


    The person with a blue respirator had been following them for the past four blocks, eyes trained on their group. A minute after she noticed that one, two more joined the person, spread apart in a way not meant to draw attention. Indo stopped all of a sudden, bringing the group to a halt.


    ¡°Can we help you, gentlemen?¡± Indo¡¯s voice didn¡¯t shake as a large man stood in front of him.


    The man was dressed in brown leathers and covered head to toe in light armor. His respirator had a skull drawn over it, most likely drawn to intimidate everyone who wasn¡¯t already intimidated by the bulky figure carrying a gun.


    ¡°Hand over the Efficiency.¡± The man growled, uncrossing his arms so one of his hands grazed against the handle of his gun.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to,¡± Indo said. ¡°Efficiency, would you go with these men? Just wait until we¡¯re clear of the area for you to do what you want. Try to lay low at least.¡±


    Flinging Terra a wink, Terra handed her packs to 895G and almost laughed when his knees buckled under the weight. Petri took the cart that had the tube on it. They walked around the corner, out of sight.


    ¡°That was surprisingly easy. I thought they¡¯d at least put up a fight.¡± A man said. Terra turned her head slightly and saw the voice came from the first man she had spotted.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t need this many people then. I even called out Urie and Oui and now we have to pay them.¡± The large man who had stopped them grumbled. ¡°Classic Efficiency models sell for more than all of us put together, so it doesn¡¯t matter in the long run. Efficiency,¡± He turned to Terra. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    If Terra could raise an eyebrow, she would. She didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Efficiency,¡± the man said again with more force. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    ¡°Is it broken? Would they still pay for a broken one?¡± Urie asked, joining the other two.


    ¡°Shut up, it¡¯s a collectible so the buyers wouldn¡¯t care if it worked.¡± The blue-respirator one snapped at them.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be such a pain in the ass to have to carry it though. How was it following the other crew?¡± Oui added.


    ¡°Are you guys finished?¡± Terra asked, annoyed. Nothing was happening and she didn¡¯t want these people to keep talking about her when she was standing right there.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get--What?¡±


    The four bandit¡¯s heads turned to her and she crossed her arms and leaned her weight onto one leg.


    ¡°It¡¯s really rude to talk about someone right in front of them. Oh, and I¡¯m not going with you, just thought I¡¯d let you know.¡± Terra was trying her best to provoke them; she really needed to let out some steam.


    ¡°Hold on, this is an Efficiency model right?¡± The largest man turned to the man with the blue mask.


    ¡°Yeah, my intel was solid. Definitely Efficiency.¡± He defended.


    ¡°Then why the fuck is it talking back to us? That isn¡¯t an Efficiency model!¡± The large man grasped the smaller man by his collar and lifted him off the ground.


    Shrugging off her coat to reveal her metallic arms, she rolled her arms back to loosen up her limbs.


    ¡°Guys, seriously. I¡¯m standing right here.¡±


    She could tell the large man was deliberating whether to believe what his eyes were telling him or his brain that was screaming something entirely different. The skull-respirator man dropped the other man to the ground and pulled out the gun from his waistband.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on here, but I¡¯m going to get my money. Come with us or else.¡± He threatened.


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± Terra said cheerfully. The drama queens were finally over their squabble and were going to come at her seriously. She hoped this fight wasn¡¯t going to disappoint her too much.


    Urie was the first one to shoot his gun, but it bounced right off Terra and ricocheted off and his Oui in the leg. Urie dragged Oui away in a tizzy.


    ¡°Already? Seriously?¡± Terra asked in disbelief. She should have tried to avoid the bullet so she¡¯d still have two more opponents.


    Learning quickly, the larger man holstered his weapon and tried to grab her arm. Terra easily avoided his reach and was pleasantly surprised to see that he recovered quickly and spun around with a side-kick that came within millimeters of her torso. It seemed that he had true combat experience. Changing his strategy, he grabbed his gun again, but held it by its muzzle and came at her using it as a club.


    She heard something ting against her head and saw the smaller man holding a gun in her direction. Rolling her eyes, she held her hand up in the path of the next bullet and caused it to ricochet back at the man¡¯s foot, leaving him clutching his foot and crying on the ground. She wanted to focus all her attention on this man that was better than anyone she¡¯d seen in a long time.


    Keeping her hands behind her back, she swiftly dodged the man¡¯s oncoming attacks. He was moving a little slower than before, but his swings were all very close to hitting Terra. She debated letting him get a few hits in to encourage him, but she felt it was wrong.


    ¡°Make a fucking counterattack!¡± The man yelled.


    Terra flashed back to the first time she had gotten angry at Alter in the dark world that was theirs. She had flailed her fists at her twin, demanding that Alter fight back. The dark creature that had emerged had haunted her dreams after that, but she never dreamed anymore and had completely forgotten about the whole monster epidemic. She sighed and thought about where Alter was now since Terra could now relate to Alter¡¯s point of view.


    A blow landed on her shoulder, knocking her out of her distracting reminiscent thoughts. Instinct kicked in and she punched his wrist away. Grabbing his hand and elbow, she used his own momentum against him and flipped him over her shoulder, making him land with a grunt on the ground ahead of her. She grabbed the gun from out of his hand as he struggled for breath and held it up against his temple while stepping on his chest.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± The man coughed out.


    Terra thought for a moment. She wanted to go home to that place with the two suns in the sky and meet the man she had seen in her memories. She wanted to go back to Detroit and redo everything with the knowledge she had. She wanted to tell everyone in Hayland City that she was alive and well.


    ¡°I want your respirator,¡± Terra stated.


    ¡°Will that spare my life?¡±


    ¡°I never planned on taking your life, to begin with.¡± She tossed his gun on the ground just out of reach. ¡°You just asked me what I wanted so I told you.¡±


    Terra stepped off his chest and picked up her coat, shaking off all the dusk before putting it back on. The fight had been disappointing, but it was nice to move around again and forget about the numbness her body ensued. She started walked away but heard something hit the ground behind her. The large man was on his feet, pulling up his shirt to cover his nose and mouth, pointing at the respirator he had thrown at her feet.


    ¡°I owe you nothing! When we meet again, I will be prepared and take you down!¡± He yelled out at her, fighting back a fit of coughing.


    ¡°I look forward to it.¡±


    Terra grabbed the respirator and strapped it on her face, drawing up her hood to cover all her robotic parts. She didn¡¯t turn around again but could hear the two pairs of footsteps running away to the nearest building.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with the mask? New fashion statement?¡± 895G commented when Terra caught up with the group.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it looks half bad,¡± Petri said. ¡°Reflects your nature.¡±


    ¡°Did you draw a lot of attention?¡± Indo asked, a worried expression on his face.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Terra admitted. ¡°But they were the only ones on the block. Don¡¯t think that big one is going to forget me anytime soon though.¡±


    Indo sighed and ran his hand through his hair, mumbling something about only having one job.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll face the problems when we come to them. For now, try and be more discrete.¡± Indo clarified.


    ¡°They came after me, I was as discrete as I could be. You were the one who left me behind and told me to do what I wanted.¡±


    Indo sighed and left the topic alone and went back to chatting with Petri.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill them did you?¡± 895G asked, eyes wide.


    Terra sighed and grabbed the two packs that were hers off his shoulders and sped up to grab the cart from Petri.


    ¡°Still doesn¡¯t answer my question!¡± He called out to her.


    Terra continued to ignore his questions about how she beat the bandits and walked faster, practically leading the group though she didn¡¯t know where she was going. Passing by a window, she caught her reflection.


    None of her metallic robotic parts were visible anymore with her heavy hooded overcoat, shirt, and pants. To a normal onlooker, she looked human. Her grin was reflected in the smiling skull drawn on her respirator. All she was missing now was her human body.

 Chapter 33: Hope On The Horizon

    895G was surprised to see so little Patrol agents on the way to Yunto, making him doubt whatever hope you had left on escaping, but there were still a few large cities on the last leg of their journey that would allow him to make contact with someone.


    Yunto was a prominent trading route because of its location on the river and was a major trading hub, drawing many merchants and sellers there. It had a booming market that sold everything from common respiratory masks to artwork to the rare live animal. Those with big purses mingled with those who lived on the streets, making Yunto one of the most liberal cities in the Wivern country. This meant that their group of four carrying packs and pushing a stasis tube wouldn¡¯t seem like something out of the ordinary as they would most likely be assumed to be merchants carting products around.


    ¡°Keep your heads low and don¡¯t draw attention to yourselves,¡± Indo announced before they reached the densest part of the market. ¡°Especially you Scout. If you so much as make eye-contact with someone I will shoot you. Not electrocute you, shoot you.¡±


    He did as he was told and focused on Petri¡¯s feet walking in front of him to draw suspicion away from him, fiddling nervously with his fingers, hoping his heartbeat didn¡¯t betray the small note he had written that was tucked away in the palm of his hand. ¡®Scout 895G, Taken Hostage, Tinyon Destination¡¯ was what it read.


    Keeping his head down proved difficult as they merged with the moving bodies in the market. Although there were more floating lanterns lighting the road, with thousands of bodies crammed on streets and squares, the ground proved difficult to keep track of and 895G kept stumbling into random strangers and bumping into Petri¡¯s back. He occasionally glanced up to grab his bearings and once he made eye contact with Indo. Indo gave him a dirty look but seemed to be struggling himself, attempting to push through the crowd in an efficient manner.


    895G saw an agent he recognized from the academy dressed in an informal manner walking towards them. He had found an undercover Patroller! Taking a deep breath, he calmed his heart rate so the others wouldn¡¯t tell something was up. As the Patroller got closer, his eyes flitted up to try and catch the agent¡¯s attention. The distance between them was getting closer, but 895G¡¯s frantic attempts at nonverbally grabbing the Patroller¡¯s attention proved fruitless; he was going to have to come up with another strategy.


    The Scout tripped over his own feet and crashed into the Patroller, bringing them both down and pushing other people to their knees around them, eliciting a lot of cursing in their direction.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± The Scout apologized and grabbed the Patroller¡¯s hand, shoving the slip of paper with his message into the other¡¯s palm.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just watch where you¡¯re going.¡± The Patroller said gruffly and let go of his hand, taking the note with him.


    ¡°Klutz.¡± Terra nudged the cart into the back of his calves when the Patroller had blended back into the crowd.


    895G shook off the comment and hoped the Patroller received his message. His heart was beating uncontrollably in his chest as the weight of his action struck him. If the Patroller did read the note, in just a few days he would be freed! A smile formed on his face and he was glad he wore such a large respirator otherwise the others would want to know why their hostage was grinning ear to ear. His newfound hope drove him to keep his head down the rest of the way to the docks.


    The ferry they boarded was much larger than 895G thought it would be. Its three stories were covered in blue lights, contrasting the dark waters and the red sky above. He figured Indo had splurged on the purchase since when they boarded, they were met with dirty glances from the well-dressed passengers. A crew member went up to them and led them to their cabin where they would spend the night. Although they were on a luxury ferry, Indo had only bought one cabin with one bed and no private bath for the four of them, or three since the robot never slept. With all their packs and luggage, it proved a tight space even if all of them were able to sleep on the bed. It was decided that Indo and Petri would share the bed while 895G would do his best and find room on the floor to curl up on and attempt to sleep. It was still early evening though, so Indo and Petri left to find something to eat while 895G tried to find a bathroom--he had needed to go for the past hour and would explode if he didn¡¯t find one soon. He shot Terra the look she was very familiar with at this point.


    ¡°Fine, go. I¡¯m still tracking you and if your heart rate gets elevated I will hunt you down since I¡¯ll assume you¡¯re escaping.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    895G burst out of the room, glad that Terra was letting him go alone this time. The first few times he¡¯d needed to go to the bathroom when he had been taken hostage were incredibly awkward since Terra insisted on following him in. The past few days, however, Terra had granted him more bathroom freedom and didn¡¯t even walk him to the toilet, instead of doing her own exploring in the surrounding area while he did his business.


    He could hear Terra¡¯s footsteps casually walking behind him as he ran to the end of the hallway and found the lavatory. He blasted through and entered one of the stalls, quickly releasing himself of his pants and relieving himself.


    ¡°I got your note.¡± A gravelly voice came from the stall next to him.


    895G nearly slipped and pissed down his leg, but caught himself just in time. Sucking in a breath, he tried his best to calm his beating heart as to not alert Terra.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were following me.¡± The Scout confessed.


    ¡°Who are the perpetrators?¡± The Patroller asked.


    ¡°Indo and his crew.¡±


    ¡°The Indo?¡± The other man questioned in disbelief.


    ¡°The very one. He¡¯s produced a special type of Efficiency robot that took down a Breacher and three Combatants. I¡¯m guessing he transplanted a human mind into it. Just take my word for it, I know how ridiculous it sounds.¡±


    ¡°Alright. But how are you a hostage?¡±


    ¡°Some sort of collar. I¡¯ll need it removed if I can hope of escaping.¡± 895G told the Patroller to peek over the stall since he was done to see what he was talking about. ¡°Delivers ten thousand volts whenever they flip a switch. All of them have a switch, so either the collar needs to be removed or their devices need to be taken or disabled.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± The Patrol agent agreed. ¡°Tinyon is the final destination, correct? We¡¯ll have extra patrols there with your party¡¯s descriptions. We¡¯ll ambush them when the time arises.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea. That robot I told you about, you shouldn¡¯t underestimate it. If you do, it¡¯ll be the end of you.¡±


    The Patroller went silent, thinking for a moment.


    ¡°We¡¯ll set up the area beforehand to our advantage. Trust me on this, the HQ never leaves a Scout behind. Tinyon will be your freedom.¡±


    A light bubbly feeling filled 895G¡¯s stomach at those words. He was going to be free. He was going home.


    After washing his hands, he left the restroom, leaving the Patrol agent behind. He assumed they didn¡¯t want to risk being seen so they stayed in the bathroom. Good thing too since 895G ran right into Terra outside the bathroom.


    ¡°What were you doing in there?¡± she asked, glowing eyes full of suspicion.


    ¡°Going to the bathroom, what else?¡± He answered back nonchalantly.


    ¡°Your heart was doing some crazy things in there for it to be a simple bathroom visit.¡±


    ¡°Uh, it was diarrhea. Must have been all that imitation meat.¡± He gave her a sheepish smile, hoping she believed his, literally, shit excuse.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Terra added, eyes still wary.


    ¡°Been having some stomach problems since I¡¯ve started eating canned garbage three meals a day.¡± He tried again, mixing in this partial truth to hide his lies.


    After an intense staring battle, Terra shrugged and pushed 895G down the hallway. The Scout thought they were headed back to the room, but Terra pushed him right past it.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± 895G asked, slightly panicked that maybe the robot didn¡¯t believe him and was going to finally pull the plug on his life.


    ¡°Getting you some food that isn¡¯t garbage,¡± Terra said as she pushed him up the steps to the main deck where a large table filled with food stood in the open.


    Without a word, she grabbed a plate and loaded everything on it, then placed it in his hands.


    ¡°Eat,¡± the robot said, irritated for some reason.


    His first bite was like nothing he had experienced; the meat he had put in his mouth seemed to melt on his tongue. Maybe it was because all the things he had eaten for the past week had no flavor or because he was actually hungry, but this was the greatest meal he had ever eaten. When he finished his plate, he went to get seconds, ignoring the looks the other passengers were giving him.


    ¡°That good, huh?¡± The robot commented, and he could hear a smile in its voice.


    ¡°Words can¡¯t even begin to describe it.¡± He gushed. ¡°Want some? Oh, right. Robot.¡±


    Terra sighed and the Scout could tell that it was disheartened by the fact it wasn¡¯t able to eat. He was too busy eating to worry about hurting a robot¡¯s feelings and finished his second plate in record time. The Scout thought about getting a third plate, but he was already on the verge of vomiting, so that would have to wait until morning. Terra pushed him back to the cabin, where Indo and Petri were already knocked out and spooning on the small cabin bed.


    895G curled up beside the bed, using a spare shirt as a pillow and coat as a blanket. He dreamt of being back home and eating real food in his cot. It was the best night¡¯s sleep he¡¯d had in months.

 Chapter 34: Heart-To-Heart With A Robot

    ¡°Where exactly are we going after we get to Tinyon?¡± 895G asked.


    ¡°So you can tell your buddies? I don¡¯t think so.¡± Indo curtly replied, signaling the end of that conversation.


    The Scout walked in silence next to the robot who was pushing the floating stasis tube over some rocky ground. He wondered what was going through its head, if anything; it was a robot after all. 895G thought about his escape plan being put in effect in Tinyon. Would the Patrol agents kill everyone or take them captive? They would probably take Indo captive and the robot, but Petri would probably die since he didn¡¯t have any information worth the effort. He had been Indo¡¯s assistant for a good part of two decades, so there was a chance Petri might know about Indo¡¯s projects and would give up details faster than the doctor would. Although these people had taken him captive, it didn¡¯t sit right with him to have unnecessary deaths on his conscience. Even though they had constantly threatened his life, they hadn¡¯t electrocuted him since they had left the bunker, so that should count for something.


    They stopped when Indo¡¯s ticker went off, signaling the end of a day although the sky remained a bright red. The group quickly set up some tarps to protect them from the atmosphere, but they would all have to sleep with their respirators on and remain fully clothed if the didn¡¯t want to asphyxiate or get atmosphere poisoning, calling for a very uncomfortable night. Indo and Petri shared a tarp while 895G got his own. He as beginning to think that the two shared some history together and were potentially a couple, although they hid it well. Laying on his back, his mind refused to calm itself so he left his tarp in the hopes of walking it off.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    895G stopped partially out of tarp when he saw the robot laying on its back next to the stasis tube, talking to it. He felt bad eavesdropping, but he consoled himself by telling himself the robot was the reason he was in this mess, so what if he overheard a conversation not meant for his ears?


    ¡°I should have never made that wish. I fucking hate this body and I hate this world. Nothing exciting goes on and I can¡¯t feel anything. And Alter¡¯s gone so I can¡¯t talk to anyone besides you, and you don¡¯t even talk back. Seriously, body, how do I get back. I hate not sleeping or eating. And there aren¡¯t even good fighters here to beat the shit out of either! I hate this world!¡± The robot screamed at the air. ¡°Where is the sun! Where are the stars! You asshole sky!¡±


    The robot rose up and started picking up rocks and launching them into the air. 895G watched as the stones disappeared into the hazy sky and hoped they didn¡¯t hit anything important on their way down. That robot certainly had an arm.


    ¡°What the fuck do you want?¡± The robot turned around and saw him listening in. ¡°You want to remind me that I¡¯m a goddamn robot again?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­¡± 895G spoke, but couldn¡¯t finish his sentence.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought.¡±


    The robot twirled back around and kept launching rocks into the horizon, screaming obscenities to the atmosphere. The Scout stayed there for a good few minutes, half his body in his tent, half his body out, until he fully removed himself and started launching rocks into the distance with the robot, though he got nowhere close to the length the robot¡¯s went.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with the girl?¡± He finally asked.


    The robot sighed and deflated as if it had given up.


    ¡°I guess since you¡¯ll be sticking with us I might as well tell you. It¡¯s my body. Apparently, it holds some genetic marvel that can save this world. This world has already gone to hell and there¡¯s nothing worth saving. What kind of world doesn¡¯t have a sky?¡± The robot looked forlorn when it looked up at the red. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Does that mean Indo successfully transplanted a human conscience into a robot?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your question?¡± The robot laughed, the sound genuinely sounding human after the voice modulation. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think Indo did this. If anything, this is all somehow my fault. It always is.¡±


    The robot¡¯s arms suddenly smacked itself on its cheeks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall into the hole again! Look on the positive side!¡± The robot stopped slapping its mask and stared at it¡¯s gloved hands. ¡°This would be more effective if I could feel it.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± 895G asked, concerned over the robot¡¯s self-destructive behavior.


    The robot stayed silent for a while and 895G wondered if something in its code had gone wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed you never call me by my name.¡±


    ¡°You mean Terra? Why is that so important to you? It¡¯s just a name.¡±


    ¡°I guess it is.¡±


    The robot went silent again, this time staring at the body in the stasis tube. Did that body really belong to the mind inside the robot? It seemed plausible that Indo had taken this girl¡¯s mind and placed it in whatever robot he had available, but Indo had claimed that he hadn¡¯t done it and now the robot itself couldn¡¯t explain how it had transferred, so 895G was beginning to doubt whether this was a scientific marvel and more of a fluke of nature.


    ¡°So you¡¯re that girl?¡±


    ¡°And he finally gets it! Let¡¯s give him a hand everyone!¡± The robot applauded for him mockingly, but he was too curious to care.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± Looking closely at the girl in the tube, 895G realized that the girl was very young, probably only half his age.


    ¡°Last I remember I was ten, but I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve been here. It feels like I¡¯ve been here for years and I¡¯m so tired but I can¡¯t sleep. I hate this body so much.¡± The robot¡¯s voice cracked and the Scout was surprised to hear the raw emotion in its voice.


    ¡°What does it feel like to be in that body?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like anything. I¡¯m controlling something I can¡¯t feel. It¡¯s something I wouldn¡¯t even wish on my worst enemy.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t need to eat or sleep and you don¡¯t get hurt even when you get shot. I can imagine that can be pretty convenient.¡± 895G defended. Having a robot body didn¡¯t sound too awful in his opinion. He¡¯d be stronger than a human and didn¡¯t have the vulnerabilities others would have. Plus, if he ever lost a limb, it could easily be replaced.


    ¡°Trust me, it¡¯s not a life worth living. I need to find out how to get back in my real body before I go completely insane.¡± The robot touched its mask. ¡°It probably has something to do with this, but I can¡¯t remove it myself. I¡¯ve tried.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to take it off for you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and then what are you going to do with a mask and a robot who is useless when Indo and Petri wake up. Do you think they¡¯re as merciful as me?¡± The robot¡¯s eyes had a humorous gleam from the scenario.


    ¡°That probably won¡¯t work in my favor would it?¡± He realized, feeling ridiculous for offering.


    ¡°Go to sleep and have some good dreams. We finally get to Tinyon tomorrow and we¡¯ll be free of GreenHouse, who is apparently some evil corporation responsible for the skies turning this way and is hell-bent on people not finding out. Anyways, have a good night!¡± The robot sat down and leaned against the stasis tube and gave 895G a little wave.


    895G robotically returned to his tarp covering and laid down, trying to process the last few words Terra had just told him. GreenHouse was the parent company of the Scouts and Patrollers and manufactured robots and respirators. GreenHouse kept them safe from threats. There was never anything bad said about GreenHouse, ever.


    But the seeds of doubt were planted in 895G¡¯s mind and he dreamt a giant red monster was chasing him down a street, swallowing the light from a blue sky and growing until it suffocated everyone on Earth. Terra was there too, but as a human, screaming at him to run as far away as he could from the green shadows the red monster was creating. But he couldn¡¯t get away and was snatched up between the teeth of the red creature, sliding down its throat and landing on a couch in his apartment. He grabbed his screen remote and switched it on, jolting himself awake when he saw a world on fire.

 Chapter 35: Blind Purpose

    Terra was glad to have been able to talk to someone about her problems, although she wasn¡¯t able to reveal all her secrets. She did feel bad that she hadn¡¯t tried to learn more about him since she did take him captive but figured they¡¯d have more than enough time to learn about each other on the trip to...wherever they were going. Indo hadn¡¯t even told her, which annoyed the hell out of her, it wasn¡¯t as if she had anyone to tell. She reflected to her weak moment the night before and cringed, maybe Indo was right to not have told her.


    She turned to the silent 895G who was keeping his head down obediently as they passed by people on the way to Tinyon. A guilty feeling hung in the pit of her stomach when she put himself in his shoes. He probably had a home and friends who were worried about him, and she had taken that away from him like it had been taken from her. Hell, the only reason she was caught in this mess was because she had made a stupid wish to go home, and now she was involved in a government conspiracy and her other body was the key to solving some problem, and she had inadvertently involved another innocent person just so she could feel better about herself.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to get rid of 895G.¡± She called out to Indo.


    He turned around, surprised, but gave her a very eager nod.


    ¡°Please! We can¡¯t spare any dead weight on this trip, and he¡¯s more than his share. Should have never let you keep him. Do you need this?¡± Indo shuffled through his pack and drew out a crowbar, offering it to her.


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯ll make it quicker.¡± Terra grabbed the crowbar and pushed the pack off 895G¡¯s back.


    Trying not to let her amusement at his horrified expression show, she pointed to an alley down the street, far enough away from Indo and Petri¡¯s earshot that their exchange wouldn¡¯t be heard. Tears started cascading down the Scout¡¯s face and he pleaded for his life while Terra poked his back with her crowbar to make him move forward. She did feel pity for how much fear she saw reflected in his eyes as she prodded him down the unlit alleyway.


    ¡°Please, I¡¯ll do anything! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± He cried and turned around, dropping to his knees and grabbing the hem of her coat.


    ¡°Get yourself together man! I¡¯m not going to kill you!¡± She shook off his hands in disgust.


    ¡°What?¡± His tears stopped and he stared up at her for a few seconds processing her words, then rose and backed away.


    ¡°Just scream a bit while I make a big racket and then shut up. Ready to scream and cry some more while I beat the ground?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡± He said.


    Terra held back her laughter while he screamed in terror when she swung the crowbar past his head and hit a garbage bag. After a few more screams and broken trash cans, Terra felt it was convincing enough to anyone who had overheard that she had just beaten 895G to death.


    ¡°Hold still while I get that damn collar off.¡± She tugged him down and gripped the collar with her hands and pulled as hard as she could. With the sound of circuits popping and wires snapping, the collar was off and 895G was officially free.


    ¡°But why now?¡± He asked with a quivering voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s a thank you for listening to my rank last night. And I¡¯m sorry I held you captive, I know it¡¯s never fun. At least you didn¡¯t get tortured, right? Just wait a few days before you report us otherwise I¡¯m really going to regret it.¡±


    She traced the smile on the drawn skull on her respirator to indicate she was smiling. Although he looked relieved he was freed, 895G still looked frightened, and there was something she couldn¡¯t recognize tucked away in his eyes. Before she could investigate further, she heard a commotion behind her in the main street.


    ¡°Terra, run!¡± She heard Petri¡¯s voice call out.


    She ignored his warning and sprinted out to the street, gripping her crowbar tightly. A few meters ahead of her Indo and Petri were surrounded by Patrol agents who were pointing guns at them.


    ¡°That¡¯s the robot!¡± Terra heard a male voice ring out, and then a small army of Combatants charged after her from the shadows. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    She swung down on the arm of the nearest one, hearing a satisfying crunch of metal when she saw the arm fall to the ground. Terra jumped over the leg of another robot who tried to sweep her leg and simultaneously twisted in the air at two others swung at her head, grabbing their wrists and pulling them down with her. With her hands occupied, she kicked out the torso of another bot and used the two in her hands to block an oncoming hit from a Combatant.


    Terra launched herself off the shoulders of a robot who had over-timed its lunge at her, swinging her crowbar at head level, permanently taking down two more Combatants. Her vision lurched forward and she realized a Combatant had jumped on her back. Using its momentum, she curled into a ball so the two would land on the opposing robot¡¯s back, driving the crowbar into the engine in its chest. With no time to recover, she lifted bottom half to avoid getting her legs removed by three Combatants and pushed herself into the air with her arms, bring her weapon down on one of their heads.


    The stream of robots was endless, but for the first time since coming here, she felt exhilarated by the experience, completely forgetting what her real purpose was and just living in the moment. When the last Combatant fell, she looked around expectantly, thinking more were hiding in wait to ambush her when she let her guard down.


    ¡°Wow, you weren¡¯t kidding when you told me this robot was something else!¡±


    Terra turned to see a man in uniform facing someone to her right. When she turned to follow his sight of vision, she saw that he was taking to 895G, who was uncomfortably avoiding her gaze as he crept towards the Patrollers.


    ¡°Listen, robot, if you want your owners to live, you¡¯ll have to drop your weapon and lie down on the ground with limbs spread out.¡± The man said while pointing at Indo and Petri.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t my owners, jackass! And my name is Terra!¡± She spat out at the man, raising her crowbar at him. Oh, she was going to have fun playing with this one.


    ¡°So be it.¡± The man waved his arm and a sharp pop shattered the still air. Petri suddenly fell to the ground clutching his stomach.


    Terra watched in horror as she watched Indo leap to his side and press his hands to Petri¡¯s wound. Red blood crept onto the dusty ground, bringing Terra to earth when the reality of her situation set in. There was no way she¡¯d make it to their sides faster than a bullet could hit the two. She could run, but Indo and Petri would most definitely be killed. Terra tried convincing herself that she didn¡¯t owe them anything and that she should just run, but for the past few months, she had grown accustomed to them always being around.


    ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not going to harm them if I surrender?¡± She announced, glaring daggers at 895G who was looking down at his feet.


    ¡°You don¡¯t.¡± The man lifted his arm again and started bringing it back down, a motion that mimicked what he had done when Petri had been shot.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Terra screamed and threw her crowbar a few feet away from her, lifting her arms in surrender.


    Slowly, she got down on her knees and put her mask on the dirt, spreading out her arms and legs to show she was no threat. She couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s face anymore, but she knew he was probably gloating nonverbally. Gritting her jaw, she remained still as a group of Patrollers hesitantly made their way to her and bound her wrists together. They bound her legs together too and rolled her onto a flat metal board. Once they strapped her to the board, she was completely immobilized.


    The man sauntered up to her and snapped something around her neck.


    ¡°There. Now we¡¯re even. You put a collar on a Scout, and now you get a pretty collar of your own. Too bad we¡¯re not as nice as you.¡± The man revealed crooked teeth when he smiled and Terra was sure that if she could smell anything, she would be gagging on his breath.


    The man turned back around and barked more orders at the Patrollers.


    ¡°Bind them up. Make sure Petri doesn¡¯t bleed out, he goes back to the pharmaceutical lab where he belongs. Indo gets taken to interrogation. The robot goes to robotics for experimentation. Take that stasis tube to biological research.¡±


    The Patrol agents jumped into action as soon as orders were vocalized.


    Terra could see Indo being torn away from Petri and was shocked to see ghosts of tears on his cheeks, screaming at the Patrollers to let him go so he could help Petri. Petri was pale and unconscious on the ground and Terra was worried he was already dead. Her doubts weren¡¯t countered as agents bounded Petri¡¯s chest with gauze and strapped him to a board where he was so still Terra was certain he wasn''t breathing. Indo had managed to break free from his captors and rushed to Petri¡¯s side, grabbing his hand and giving it a tight squeeze before a Patroller struck him on the back of his head with the butt of their gun and Indo fell limply to the ground.


    Terra wanted to scream and cry, but nothing came out of her throat. It was her fault Petri had been shot. Her fault Indo was being shoved and strapped to a metal bed. If only she hadn¡¯ttried to let that bastard go and paid closer attention to her surroundings they wouldn¡¯t be in this mess!


    ¡°I will get you!¡± She screamed at both the man who was causing her torture and to 895G. ¡°I will make you pay for what you¡¯ve done! I swear on my body I will destroy all you care for!¡±


    ¡°Well, robot, keep up that energy since you¡¯re going to need it for the tests the robotics team is going to run.¡±


    ¡°My name is Terra.¡± She spat out, wishing she could actually spit in his face.


    ¡°Not for long it¡¯s not.¡± The man said with a leer.


    He lifted his arm and revealed a small box with a switch on it. Using his free hand, he flipped the switch and Terra could feel an overwhelming burning in her head. It didn''t last long as the darkness consumed her.

 Chapter 36: Relaxation Is Not An Option

    895G straightened out his uniform and stared back at the pained eyes that reflected back at him in the mirror. Quickly looking away from his own accusing eyes, he looked around his apartment and found everything perfectly in order. His kitchen was spotless as usual, his bookshelves organized by serial number, and his living room was untouched by the lack of visitors. He was home where he had wanted to be for the past week, so why did he feel so awful?


    He recalled the shot that brought down Petri and how Indo had raced to his side to stop the blood from seeping into the dry ground. How the robot had fought over two dozen Combatants and could have walked away without a scratch, but had given themselves up to keep the other two alive. 895G had no reason to feel the burden of guilt since he had been the one captured in the first place, he was just trying to live!


    Straightening out his collar, he confronted his reflection and gave himself a second look-over before finding his confidence. Yes, he was the one on the right, those three were the ones in the wrong and he should be proud that he helped bring down a criminal the GreenHouse had been hunting for two decades.


    Shoving his key card into his breast pocket and wrapping his HQ-issued ticker around his wrist he left his apartment and walked down to the third floor and walked down a hallway tinted with blue glass that bridged to its neighboring building.


    The HQ was known for being efficient and had officer apartment complex built alongside their main building with walkways built between the buildings so Scouts, Patrollers, Scientists, and whoever was on the payroll didn¡¯t even have to risk going outside to report to work. Troopers were the lowest rung of the hierarchy and were responsible for paperwork for Scouts and Patrollers. Scouts were next, carrying out reconnaissance missions and determining if action needed to be carried out on a location/persons. Patrollers were in charge of the majority of tactical missions and were constantly out in the field making sure the law was being upheld. Each field had a ranking system of their own consisting of Grunts, Active Duty, First Commander, Second Commander, Third Stripe, Star Admiral, and then Head.


    895G¡¯s goal in life was to work through the system and become a head Scout, but after years of training in the academy, he had been stuck on Active Duty for five years. Now that he was headed back to work for the first time in over a week, he wondered what the response of him being absent from work would play out. Would he be demoted back to grunt Scout? His palms grew sweaty from the very thought of having to fetch coffee and kiss the asses of the officers above his pay grade.


    As he meandered through the maze of hallways and elevators to the head Scout¡¯s office, he nodded hello to a few faces he didn¡¯t recognize along the way and it made him even more nervous when he read an expression he didn¡¯t recognize painted on their faces. Wiping his sweaty palms on his red uniform pants, he grabbed the doorknob and entered the large office. The head Scout was talking to someone on their transmitter, but as soon as he saw 895G enter he hung up, not even offering a goodbye to the person on the other line.


    ¡°5G, my boy! How are you feeling?¡± The older and larger gentleman rose from his leather chair and gave 895G a bear hug, patting him on the back a few times.


    ¡°As good as I can get considering the circumstances.¡± He said with a shaking voice. ¡°How are you doing sir¡±


    The Head pulled away from him and beamed a smile at him, not bothering to reply to the question asked out of courtesy, offering him a seat while he went back to sit in his plush leather chair.


    ¡°You stirred up quite a ruckus yesterday. Trapping Indo after twenty years and his assistant, plus a sentient robot? Never would I have guessed I¡¯d ever see that happen during my time here.¡± The Head stated once 895G sat down in front of his desk. ¡°You should have seen the Troopers scrambling to find Indo¡¯s files from the archive! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen so many of them in one place at a time before. Needless to say, you¡¯ve impressed the GreenHouse board and we¡¯ve decided to promote you to Second Commander.¡±


    895G felt his jaw drop.


    ¡°The board wanted to acknowledge your loyalty even while you were captured, and the effort and dedication you performed in order to orchestrate the criminal¡¯s capture. We have Indo in custody because of you, our most viable lab rat is back in the pharmaceutical division, and Robotics Research loves us for handing over that new type of robot. And we couldn¡¯t have done it without your bravery.¡±


    The Head opened a desk drawer and plucked something metallic out of it, placing it in front of the Scout. When the Head removed his hand, 895G could see that it was a pin with two long silver horizontal bars on it. The Scout was grounded and had to pinch himself in the arm to make sure he wasn¡¯t dreaming. Cautiously, he took the pin in his hand and rolled it around between his palms, letting the news sink in.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Go on, put it on. You deserve it.¡± The Head urged.


    895G carefully stuck the pin through his breast pocket and felt the weight of the metal tug down on his pocket. The Head stood up with his arm outstretched.


    ¡°Congratulations Second Commander Scout. A Trooper will guide you to your office and get started on your paperwork. You¡¯ll receive your first assignment tomorrow when you¡¯ve settled in. The key card to your new apartment is sitting at your desk and your things are being moved as we speak. I suggest you use today to contact anyone close to you to inform them of your new address and position. The case file for your priorities for tomorrow is already on your desk if you want to get a jump start. Once again, congratulations. Welcome to the higher levels.¡±


    895G left the Head¡¯s office in a daze and almost jumped out of his skin when a Trooper was waiting for him right outside the door. They soundlessly walked him to the elevator and went down a few stories before stopping at the fourteenth floor and guiding him down another hallway, coming to a stop at a door. The door already had a placard with his name engraved on it. Second Commander Scout 895G.


    The Trooper opened the door for him and he entered his new office. Up until now, he¡¯d had a cramped cubicle where he¡¯d constantly get yelled at for bumping elbows with the person in the cubicle next to him. Half the size of the Head¡¯s office, his new office boasted a large glass pane on the entire wall that displayed a new variety of colors and shapes he¡¯d never seen before.


    ¡°The bathroom is just down the hallway and there¡¯s a new change of uniform hanging in that cabinet over there.¡± The Trooper pointed out. ¡°Let¡¯s get started on paperwork so we don¡¯t have to stay here overnight.¡±


    895G sat down in his new chair while the Trooper sat across from him, telling him where to sign and initial. After what seemed like hours, the stack of paperwork had been diminished and the Trooper left the room, leaving 895G alone with his thoughts. Not knowing what to do, he checked out the cabinet with his new uniform. A clear plastic bag kept it preserved, but he could see the gold trim along the cuffs and lapel and the two horizontal silver bars sewed on the breast of his uniform that indicated that he was indeed a Second Commanding Scout officer. The red of the uniform was darker than the red of his active duty Scout uniform, resembling a color closer to blood than anything. Flashing back to the blood that coated the ground as Petri was shot, he shut the cabinet and tried to distract himself from yesterday¡¯s events by opening up the case file on his desk.


    The first page was a summary of everything the HQ new about Indo along with his picture from his ID when he worked for GreenHouse. Caught off guard, 895G slapped the case closed and backed away, pacing the room until he mentally gathered himself together. Why was he in charge of investigating Indo¡¯s actions for the past two decades? Weren¡¯t there other agents for this? Maybe someone who wasn¡¯t so emotionally involved? But 895G knew it was because he had been involved with the group that they were having him investigate the group. Not wanting to disappoint the GreenHouse board that had given him such a hefty promotion, he opened the file up again.


    Everything written for the next few pages were things 895G already knew about Indo. He¡¯d been a scientist who revolutionized the robotics field but took things too far when he started embezzling funds to put towards his own project. Apparently, Indo had been stealing pieces of robots to build his own personal robots in his own apartment and HQ ended up finding half a dozen robots made from spare parts in his apartment when he went on the lamb. The Scout concluded that the Efficiency model who called itself Terra was probably a hand-made robot Indo had taken with him when he was on the run. 895G continued to flip through the pages of the file and found himself staring at a picture of Petri along with a summary of everything known about him.


    Petri was a lab rat created by the pharmaceutical division in order to test new drugs. Hundreds of years ago there was a ban placed on animal testing, so scientists resorted to creating test-tube babies that ¡®felt nothing¡¯ so as so deem their experiments weren¡¯t tested on the children cruelly. The fact that the lab was experimenting on children was unknown to the public otherwise there would have been an outcry, so the children were labeled as lab rats. Petri had outlived his life expectancy thirty years ago, being the strongest subject the scientists had, therefore testing more drugs on him. Somewhere along the way, Indo had come in contact with Petri and must have struck up an arrangement since Indo took Petri when he ran from the organization. They then bombed multiple HQ labs with lab rats in them, causing hundreds of fatalities.


    895G shut the file, sick of reading about the two. He thought he¡¯d finally gotten away from his captors, but now they were back to haunt him and he would be the one investigating their past dealings. They had been living under the radar for twenty years, and extremists like them were most likely working on something large considering how much time they had to themselves. And the robot somehow fit into the mess.


    Groaning into his hands, he rose from his chair and grabbed his the key card to his new apartment and left his office in the hopes of getting rid of some of the exhaustion he felt. The joy of his promotion had worn off the instant he opened the file and he knew he would be making a trip out to the Eldern landfill for the second time in order to uncover what they were working on.


    When he got to his new apartment, he stripped and got into bed. This new place was much larger than his other place but was similarly structured so the movers had been able to put everything in its respective place. It took him a long time to fall asleep and he found that this new apartment was too empty for just one person.


    Shadows would move just as his eyes would droop shut, causing adrenaline to shoot through his system and immediately waking him up, only to repeat the cycle until he passed out close to the start of the new day. For the positive day he had just had, his sleep was less than extraordinary now that he knew he would need to go back to the bunker where he had gotten captured. He hoped this time there would be no robot scaring the shit out of him.

 Chapter 37: Trouble Keeping Silent

    It was a mere second from when Terra¡¯s vision had seen the leering face of the man who had bested her and when it flickered back to a new face entirely. To the rest of the world, it had been two days.


    The man in front of her was even older than Indo, ranging in age between his late fifties and early forties, but his expression was soft and inquisitive. He wore a grey lab coat that fell mid-thigh and had his hair cropped neatly on top of his head. Sporting large spectacles, the man¡¯s eyes seemed larger than they should be while his face wore years of experience that revealed themselves in his leathery skin.


    Others wearing grey lab coats were focusing on their own assignments in the vast room he was in, but Terra was too far away to see what they were working on. Considering just how many limbs composed of metal and wires were scattered on tables and attached to partially-made robots, she assumed she was in the Robotics Research Lab.


    ¡°Are you working?¡± The elderly man asked carefully, his large green eyes shining with excitement.


    Terra ignored him, letting her brain catch up with her current situation. The last thing she had seen was Petri and Indo being carted away, and then getting electrocuted and everything going dark. She was getting fed up with only being given an instant to gain awareness in this body because it seemed like whenever her body was put out of commission, her mind was too, meaning she would immediately wake up in another area the second her body was functional again and deal with whatever was going on. What a pain in the ass.


    ¡°Did I hook up the wires properly?¡±


    The man grabbed Terra¡¯s head and lifted it up and flipped it around. Terra was shocked to see that she had no body; she was just a head.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my body?¡± She practically screamed in surprise.


    The man nearly dropped her but managed to gently set her down on the metal surface he was working on.


    ¡°Right over there.¡± The man pointed, turning Terra to face the direction he was pointing.


    Suspended on the right wall was her body, although it was missing an arm and a leg. To her astonishment, it still had its head, but its face was a tangle of exposed wires and circuits.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been working around the clock to find out what makes you so unique, but even our team of top mechanics can¡¯t seem to figure you out. I came to the conclusion that it was the mask that held your conscience since the Efficiency model returned to its factory settings as soon as we removed the mask. I don¡¯t suppose you could explain this whole thing to me?¡±


    The man beamed his best smile at her in the hopes of getting a clear and concise answer to the question Terra had been wondering since she arrived. Although she was glad to have been right about the mask somehow storing her mind, she really disliked being just a head. It was difficult enough not being able to feel her limbs, but at least she could move something other than her mouth. Now she was absolutely helpless.


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± She hissed at the scientist.


    ¡°That escalated quickly. Mind telling me why you''re peeved off at me? I don¡¯t recall doing anything to warrant that language.¡± The man looked slightly amused as if Terra had said a joke that didn¡¯t quite land.


    ¡°The two people I¡¯ve been with for longer than anyone are in custody, and I don¡¯t even know if they¡¯re alive. Why the fuck should I tell you anything?¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you talking about Indo and Petri? Petri received medical attention and is still recuperating. Indo is being held in a cell and is constantly being interrogated by the higher Patrollers. I still don¡¯t recall my involvement in this.¡±


    Terra was thrown off by his transparency but still pissed off that she had no body, although the news that Petri was okay lifted a burden off her shoulders. It felt as if it had only been minutes ago since she saw him being shot, and she didn¡¯t want to see another person die in front of her. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Were you the one that took away my mobility?¡± She asked sourly.


    ¡°I admit, I am. That old body you were using had short-circuited because of that brute Patroller electrocuting you. When I get my hands on him I¡¯m going to wring his filthy neck.¡± A shadow passed over his eyes, but the shine was back within a second. ¡°So I gave you the head of a prototype that we¡¯ve been working on. I¡¯m also holding off giving you a body to first make sure you won¡¯t murder every last one of us when you get one. The faster you cooperate, the faster you get a brand new body!¡±


    The man¡¯s smile grew even wider and Terra was starting to believe this man was either insane or loved robots too much, or maybe both. He had been very straightforward with her and was even offering her a body if she didn¡¯t fight him. She was still wary of him since, in her mind, she had just been strapped to a board and shot with ten thousand volts.


    ¡°If I answer your questions, you¡¯ll give me a body?¡±


    ¡°Of course, as long as you promise not to hurt me or my assistants. I saw what you did to those Combatants and hate to see that happen with us.¡±


    ¡°Fine. What are they?¡±


    The man looked overjoyed and practically leaped into the air when she agreed. Terra grimaced and hoped she would stay true to his word, especially since she was on the hunt for answers as well, and if she could find out more information about the world she was living in by striking up conversations she would be the overall winner of this deal.


    ¡°How does that mask work? How does it hold your spirit? What is it made out of? When did you come into existence? Can you only transfer to non-living things like robots?¡±


    Terra waited patiently for him to finish asking his barrage of questions, only catching a handful of them as he kept rattling them off. She really wanted to hold up her hand to stop him, but she had no arms to do so. She heard an assistant yelp in surprise to her right, but she couldn¡¯t see what had happened.


    ¡°That arm just moved! It just moved, I swear!¡± A scared female¡¯s voice yelled out.


    A few others went to her aid, disappearing out of her field of vision, but she suspected they were examining whatever that girl was talking about. Unless¡­


    The elderly man was still spouting out questions and paid no attention to the commotion. Terra tested out her theory and tried moving her fingers around, raising a few shouts of surprise from her right. She wished she could see exactly how her body was responding to her mental commands but decided against experimenting more since the elderly man would try to put a stop to it. When the scientists cleared out she would practice trying to control her body remotely.


    ¡°So, any responses?¡± The man looked expectantly at Terra, who had been more focused on her recent discovery that she had tuned out his lengthy string of questions.


    ¡°How much time do you have?¡±


    ¡°All the time in the world my dear, I¡¯m in no rush to go anywhere.¡±


    Terra decided against her better judgment and told him everything. After all, what could this harmless old man do to her that would put her in a worse situation than she already was? By the time she had reached the present, the man was sitting in a chair with his elbows propped up on his knees and leaning forward to make sure he didn¡¯t miss a single word. He hadn¡¯t interrupted her once during her tale and seemed to absorb everything.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say. The scientist in me needs solid proof of dimensional travel, but the fact that you exist is a marvel enough that I¡¯m beginning to believe it. It does explain a few things¡­¡± The man trailed off and looked to be lost in thought. ¡°Maybe...No...But maybe¡­¡±


    He stood up abruptly and walked to a desk on the left wall, shuffling through papers. He seemed to have completely forgotten about Terra¡¯s existence since he rolled his chair to the desk and sat there without saying a word while searching for something on the computer.


    ¡°Hello? I answered your questions, can I get my body back now?¡±


    The man jolted in his chair as if surprised to hear from the talking robot head sitting a few feet away.


    ¡°Oh of course, but later. I¡¯m going to need more time to finish the body anyways since its still under construction.¡±


    The man gave her a smile and walked over to Terra, but there was something sinister behind his eyes. He lifted her head up and twisted her around.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing! Put me down!¡± Terra insisted, but she was powerless without limbs.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need to put you to sleep while I work. Just playing it safe until I find some answers, and then I promise I¡¯ll get you your body.¡±


    Terra could almost feel his fingers playing with the wires connected to her head and hated her naivete to believe anyone on the side of those who had taken her captive would stay true to their word. What she hated most was that she wouldn¡¯t know if she¡¯d still be in this room when she was rebooted or if she¡¯d be in a completely different location. And now she couldn¡¯t even practice remotely accessing her body¡¯s functions while the scientists were away.


    The next time she woke up she would keep her mouth shut no matter what that nameless old bastard scientist said.

 Chapter 38: Red Monster In The GreenHouse

    895G shuffled through the vast piles of garbage to find the hatch that led to the bunker. He¡¯d been at it for the past two hours and still hadn¡¯t found any sort of identifying landmark that he recognized. They didn¡¯t call Eldern City¡¯s landfill the biggest landfill in all of Wivern without a reason after all. After accidentally stepping in an unknown green substance, the Scout sat down on a broken stroller and took a breather, wondering if there was some sort of magical stain remover to take out the new decorations he had inadvertently added to his new uniform.


    He¡¯d made the trip to the landfill alone, the Scout company issuing him his very own vehicle. At first, he¡¯d been exhilarated that he was really being treated as a Second Commander, but his colleagues seemed less than welcoming when they had announced his promotion at the morning gathering. No one had volunteered to go investigate with 895G so the Head attempted to issue an order for a team to gather to aid the new Second Commander on his first investigation, but 895G didn¡¯t want to upset anyone anymore so he made the decision to go alone. He was regretting his choice now and wished he had more hands to help him dig through the mess to reach the surface of the ground. The landfill was still in use, so there lay the chance the hatch had been completely buried under a new delivery of garbage. Holding onto the hope it wasn¡¯t, 895G got back on his feet and decided to try looking for the discarded remains of the crew he had taken to apprehend the suspects over a week ago.


    Attempting to retrace his steps, he found himself standing near a heap of trash that seemed familiar, but then again he could have been experiencing deja vu after traversing through the sea of garbage. He kicked around some discarded shopping carts and debated going back to the entrance and seeing if he could jog his memory there when he spotted a metal hand poking out from underneath a bag of compost.


    It took him another hour to uncover the three Combatants and Breacher from the new pile of trash that had formed above them, so he knew he was close to the hatch. With a rush of adrenaline, he spent the next half hour pushing aside anything in his path to the place he had last remembered the door being. He almost collapsed in elation when the rusty metal of the hatch¡¯s wheel made its appearance from under a partially eaten pizza.


    Breaking off a piece of the Breacher¡¯s arm 895G used leverage to turn the wheel and open up the door. He laughed aloud when he realized how ridiculous it was to bring a Breacher in the first place to open a door like this; if he had just done it himself rather than letting the robot do it and maybe he wouldn¡¯t have gotten kidnapped in the first place.


    He eased himself down into the darkness, fumbling around the wall to try and find a switch to light up the underground house. Cursing loudly as his shins rammed into the corner of the coffee table, he continued to wander along the walls until he found the switch he¡¯d been looking for. Switching it on, the fluorescent lights of the bunker flickered to life. Now that he was getting a better look at the place and his life wasn¡¯t in danger, the place looked quite homely.


    Starting his search in the lab he found that the plants that he had once seen living vibrantly under the lights were withering and beginning to die. Curious about the plants he¡¯d only seen in his textbooks, he could identify a few, but the majority of them were beyond his recollection. Feeling bad, he went to the kitchen and tested the faucet. He was pleasantly surprised the water worked and filled it up to water the plants. It took six trips to give the plants a minimum amount of water and all the while 895G was wondering how water even fed through to the bunker¡¯s base. In fact, how were they even getting electricity?


    Everything was supposedly carefully monitored by the GreenHouse Energy Council, which meant that there had to be some report of their usage somewhere unless they were somehow creating their own, which seemed highly unlikely. But in order to be able to access water and sewage pipes, Indo and Petri would have had to dig miles of tunnels and lay down pipes that attached to GreenHouse¡¯s pipes, which would raise flags as well.


    Once he had fulfilled his personal desire to water the plants, he began digging around in the papers Indo had left behind on his lab desk. Most of it was hand-written notes about the plants around the room and logs of how much light they received and whenever they were watered. There were other books about bioluminescent flora and their impact on the wildlife along with literature about the changing climates. 895G was surprised to find such ancient writings tucked away in the bunker; they were written before GreenHouse had become a powerhouse company that monopolized every major field of technology and science. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Grabbing the book about climate change, the Scout flipped through it until he found a picture that struck him odd. It was a picture of a city, but the sky above it was bright blue with a mixture of white and grey clouds resting statically in the sky. He took a closer look seeing if he could see the tampering in the image but found none. Admittedly it did look more relaxing than the red sky outside, but it was unnatural; the sky had always been red, so where did this image originate from? He tried to read the text, but there were too many technical terms that his eyes glossed over the majority of the page and he got nothing out of it. Tearing it out, he stuffed the page in his pants pocket in the hopes of learning more about it. Not finding anything about any secret plans or where Indo and Petri got the water and electricity to power their bunker, he left to visit their rooms.


    He waltzed into Peri¡¯s room and was thrown off by the lack of a bed and doubled back, peeking his head into Indo¡¯s room. A large bed filled up the majority of the room, much too large for just one person. 895G could feel a blush rush up his neck when he realized how unobservant he had been while watching the two. Shaking his head clear of inappropriate thoughts, he searched through Indo¡¯s dresser and file cabinet but found nothing noteworthy regarding their source of energy. Instead, there were more articles about GreenHouse¡¯s rise in power and what it meant for the economy and environment. 895G had sworn that he had known everything about GreenHouse since they taught its history at the academy but he¡¯d never been taught of the times before GreenHouse.


    Flipping through the pages, he found a map of the world that looked odd. The geography of the land was much larger than it was now; cities that didn¡¯t exist spotted the map on coasts he didn¡¯t recognize. What was going on? He continued flipping through the pages and found more images of blue skies and waters, convincing him that the pictures were indeed taken and not fabricated. Tearing out a few more pages of the oddly-colored sky, he continued his search for more information by looking through Petri¡¯s room but found nothing of importance in there besides a few drawings of odd animals and trees.


    His ticker beeped, letting him now that it was early evening. Stretching out his limbs from sitting on the hard floor with whatever papers he had found splayed out around him, 895G called it a day and told himself that he would return later that week to search some more. What he really needed to know what how they were powering their bunker. If someone in the GreenHouse Energy Council was turning a blind eye to the unnatural energy consumption for the landfill, there was a possible conspiracy in his hands. He hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to that, but he couldn¡¯t think of no other explanation.


    Lost in thought his foot slipped on the vast amounts of papers and he came crashing down onto the floor of the room, catching himself painfully on his elbows and knees. A resounding echo came from below him and he remained on all fours perfectly still. Rapping his knuckles against the ground, he heard the hollow sound bounce back at him.


    He kept knocking his knuckles against the ground until he found a loose metal plate hidden under a bookshelf. Leaning his weight against it, he revealed the plate and pried it open. 895G couldn¡¯t see anything past ground level and he didn¡¯t feel confident jumping down the dark opening without first knowing how far down it went. He felt around on the inside of the entrance and found a metal ladder about a foot down, completely engulfed in darkness.


    The Scout set out to search for something to light his way and found nothing electronic but found that the plants he had watered were letting out a slight glow. Grabbing some wire from the hardware room, he tied one of the plants to the end of the wire and lowered it into the dark basement. He ended up lowering four plants to give him enough light on to reveal the area around the ladder. Sucking in a deep breath, he lowered himself down.


    Grabbing two of the plants in each hand, he began exploring the dimensions of the room hidden below. It was small, only about ten by ten feet, so it was a very quick exploration, but there was a large canister that stood in the center of the room. He held the two plants closer to the canister and leaned in to read the small print on the large canister.


    Aerial Contaminant #36


    Highly Toxic


    Do Not Store in Confined Space


    Must Wear Protective Gear to Handle


    Danger of Death if Inhaled

 Chapter 39: The Blue Sky Mystery

    He was shaking when he got back to HQ. He¡¯d seen canisters like that from his history classes, used primarily in biological warfare half a century ago, so what was Indo doing with it?


    From what he¡¯d studied, one of those containers could wipe out a small nation and contaminate the very soil so no crops would grow for decades after, but they had been banned before 895G was born and were only mentioned in history classes as a ¡®mistake of the past.¡¯ GreenHouse had become a large conglomerate by then and helped preserve the peace by sending out Scouts to decommission all canisters around the world by removing their gas cartridges, therefore rendering them useless. But the gas contained had been so potent that the majority of the Scouts sent to recover the weapons reported to the hospital with signs of stomach ulcers, internal bleeding, and tumors. 895G hoped the concentration of the gas lost its effect after fifty years otherwise he was going to be in a world of suffering.


    Practically running down the hallways to the medic center, he checked himself in and had as many tests run as he could in order to prevent falling victim to the gas¡¯s effects. His results came back almost immediately, proving that there was nothing wrong with his system, although the doctor attending him offered psychiatric help because of how frightened the Scout appeared. 895G turned it down, relief rushing through his system when he was given a clean bill of health. Before the doctor could insist on him having therapy, he left to his office to try and make sense of everything he had seen in the bunker.


    Sitting down in his soft chair, he reached into his pocket and laid out the pictures of the oddly colored sky on his desk. However, no matter how closely he looked at the images, he couldn¡¯t seem to find a reason how or why the pictures had come to be. Getting nowhere, he decided to write his report to the Head around the plants and canister, not mentioning the articles and images he had found. It only took him an hour to write, and that was mostly because he struggled with correctly formatting his report so it looked more official and ¡®Second Commander¡¯-ly. Of course, he¡¯d written debriefings before as an Active Duty Scout, but he wanted to be sure he lived up to the Council¡¯s expectations of him since they were the ones that promoted him so suddenly.


    Leaning back in his chair after sending his findings to the Head, he stared at the images once again strewn out on his desk. On a whim, he typed in ¡°Blue Sky¡± into his search bar. Articles about a designer electric company known for creating ceilings that changed colors popped up, but there was no record of what he was looking for. He typed in ¡°Old World¡± to change things up.


    Only a few selected articles appeared, all praising GreenHouse for their efforts in robotic technology that raised people¡¯s standard of living and their efforts in creating injections that lead to people not needing respirators if taken daily. There was nothing about a time before GreenHouse existed besides mentions of the destruction the war caused and the valiant efforts of GreenHouse to aid the people. 895G had been raised to worship GreenHouse like a god, but all these articles struck the wrong cord and he knew there was a dark side to the company and yet there was nothing but praise on public forums. Not even a single conspiracy theory showed up regarding the company, and if the free speech the nation of Wivern proudly sported was in effect, there was no way there wouldn¡¯t be a handful of rumors thrown around about the giant called GreenHouse that rose during the war.


    As he delved deeper into the pages shouting nothing but endearment to the company, his mind continued to wander down the path society had trained him not to travel down. Every bone in his being was telling him to just accept the fact GreenHouse had dark secrets and just ignore them, but his brain shouted at him to continue to doubt GreenHouse and build his suspicion.


    ¡°The Head would like to see you in his office.¡±


    A Trooper peaked into his office and 895G nearly crapped himself at the sudden head poking through his door.


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll head right up.¡±


    When the Trooper left, 895G quickly shifted the images of the blue sky into the drawer of his desk before straightening his uniform out. He had changed since his trip to the junkyard, reverting back to his older Active Duty Scout suit rather than the nicer Second Commander one he had destroyed. Pushing all thoughts about the secrets GreenHouse was hiding, he left his office and took the elevator up four stories and exited into the hallway of the fourteenth floor, all the while nervously fidgeting with the hems of his uniform as a growing feeling in his stomach told him that he had done something wrong and the Council had decided to fire him. Had he written his report correctly? He braced himself for bad news as he pushed the door to the Head¡¯s massive office open. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°My boy! Sit down, sit down,¡± The Head greeted him enthusiastically when 895G entered the room. He seemed to have read the Scout¡¯s discomfort and tried to set the younger man at ease.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ve done nothing wrong. Quite the opposite actually. I just finished reading your report and want to know in more detail about the old world relic you found in the bunker. Was there anything important written on it?¡±


    ¡°No sir, just a warning about the toxic levels. I¡¯ve already checked in with the medics and there are no signs of gas contamination, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s leaking if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about.¡±


    ¡°I see, so there was nothing else written on it?¡±


    ¡°No, it was very dark and I was using plants to light the area. As soon as I saw the warning I left.¡± 895G wondered what was so important on the canister that the Head was so intrigued about. ¡°Would you like me to visit the bunker again and observe the canister more thoroughly?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    895G jumped in his chair at the abrupt response, but the Head calmly regained his composure.


    ¡°I mean, no, that is not necessary. You¡¯ve done a fantastic job completing the first portion of your investigation as a Second Commander; the board was right in choosing you.¡±


    895G shifted in his seat, uncomfortable by the words of praise coming out of the Head¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Sir, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, why was I offered the job? Surely there are more qualified candidates than me.¡±


    ¡°Because you showed astounding loyalty to GreenHouse even when you were taken hostage, not all Scouts can say that. Plus, the position was vacant due to some unfortunate circumstances regarding the previous Second Commander.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunate circumstances, sir?¡±


    The Head grinned at 895G, but the Scout could tell it was forced and there was something sinister behind his face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that Second Commander 390A found some sensitive materials pertaining to GreenHouse and refused to let a case go, so he had to be forcibly removed. I hope we made the right decision in hiring you and won¡¯t see that behavior repeated in this station.¡±


    A chill ran down 895G spine at the Head¡¯s words and at the dark shadows that passed over his commanding officer¡¯s eyes. The room seemed to have dropped a few degrees in temperature since the time he had walked in and 895G didn¡¯t feel safe in the same room as this larger man.


    ¡°No sir, no problems here.¡± He squeaked out, fighting back his urge to curl up into a ball and cry and hating himself for even having the inclination to do so.


    Wordlessly, he stood up from his chair when the Head dismissed him with a wave of his hand and wandered down to his office, closing down his computer and shoving the images back into his pocket before making his way to his apartment. He ignored the stares the others gave him as he made his journey home, more focused on theories as to why the Head had wanted to know what was written on the canister while voraciously disagreeing with him visiting the bunker again.


    The instant he got home he stripped and threw all of his clothes into the laundry basket and then proceeded to vigorously rub a solid three layers of skin off while standing under scalding hot water. Eldern Landfill¡¯s smell clung to him no matter how powerfully scented his soap was and he gave up his losing battle against the stench after twenty minutes. When he wiped away the steam that had fogged up his mirror, bloodshot eyes and a gaunt face stared back at him. In the two days since he¡¯d escaped captivity, he¡¯d felt as if he¡¯d aged twenty years. In fact, he was more frightened back under the HQ¡¯s roof than he had with Indo, Petri, and the robot, and considering he had bawled his eyes out when he¡¯d first been captured that was saying volumes.Maybe he should just forget about the canister and the blue sky and find out about Indo¡¯s plans like he was supposed to rather than investigating the company that paid for his everything.


    Gas canisters from the old world, GreenHouse¡¯s involvement with the war, no negative articles written in the past century about Greenhouse, the Head¡¯s words about his predecessor; there were too many things stacking up against the company to be a coincidence.


    No, he wasn¡¯t going to forget anything. Fighting against his flight response, he glowered at himself in the mirror and vowed that he would get to the bottom of this mess. He was going to learn about the old world and the secrets GreenHouse held close to its chest, and he had a good idea of where to start.

 Chapter 40: Ambrosia

    Terra barely had times to register the time lapse when the old scientist bombarded her. It wasn¡¯t just him this time either, there seemed to have formed a cluster of grey lab coats in front of her all staring at her with wide eyes and open mouths.


    ¡°Try it out!¡± The old man said cheerfully.


    She wanted to curse him out for turning her off and scream at the group, but she noticed that she was standing eye-level with the head roboticist. Tentatively to not raise her spirits, she glanced down and almost fell down in shock from the scientist keeping his promise; she had a body.


    Lifting a hand to her face, she wiggled her fingers and then shifted from side to side on her new legs to see just how stable the body was. A clamor of excited shouts rose from in front of her and she remembered she had an audience.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± The face she recognized asked.


    Not finding the words to express her joy at being able to move around she nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of me running off or beating the crap out of you?¡± Terra finally asked when she found her voice.


    ¡°We obviously have backdoor trigger words in case you get out of control, but we¡¯re all too interested in finding out how to you came to be and your capabilities than what harm you could do. Nothing without a risk is worth reaching for. Anywho, I did promise you a body if you cooperated, and you did, so I had to follow through on my word. You may have had a negative experience initially meeting some of my colleagues, but we¡¯re not all like that. And this may be very late in the game, but my name is Doctor Neiman. This lovely lady to my right is Yola, the one next to her is Irdis, behind him is Reytoib. Those three are the ones that created the body you¡¯re in. The man to my left is Creedus, the girl next to him is Pil, and the guy next to her is Frez; they¡¯re the main research team figuring out what you are.¡±


    Neiman allowed the younger scientists around him to step forward and properly introduce themselves to Terra before continuing his monologue.


    ¡°The last time you were conscious was three days ago. In that time we¡¯ve finished up the prototype body, as you can see, and would like to run some tests to see what capabilities you can draw from it. We''ve already ran our own tests on the body itself but would like to see if adding a conscious mind will affect the results somehow. With your permission of course.¡±


    Terra was floored by the fact that he was actually asking for her approval before running whatever tests they were going to administer.


    ¡°Since you asked so nicely I¡¯ll contact my secretary and clear my schedule.¡± She agreed snidely, not wanting to let the newfound kept promises deter her from the fact that she had been taken against her will to this laboratory.


    ¡°Please follow me then,¡± Yola spoke up, a smile lighting her face.


    Yola lead Terra through a door that led to a large room with markings and colored tape on the floor.


    ¡°Stand on that red X. The first test we¡¯re going to run is a field test. The metal alloy we used in your frame is Illicon and can withstand over two thousand megapascals of force in six hundred degrees Kelvin over a square centimeter, so we know it can withstand incredible forces. Considering it is still a prototype metal and body, we don¡¯t know if anything will malfunction when it needs to be put to use. Because this is going to be the next Combatant model, we need to be sure it won¡¯t fail because it could be someone¡¯s life on the line. We will send in one Combatant at a time until the integrity of the body is compromised, so please don¡¯t hold back. We¡¯ll all be observing you and gaining data in that room back there.¡±


    Yola pointed to a glass pane separating the testing room and the observation room where the six others were already waiting for the test to begin. When Yola began her walk to join the others, Terra took the time to admire her new body. She hadn¡¯t expected Neiman to actually follow through on his promise and was too caught up the moment to take a closer look at the body he had given her.


    No wires were exposed anywhere as a dark grey metal covered every inch of her body. She was about a foot taller than the perspective she was used to, her new height rising up six feet in the air. A spark of pride rose in her chest when she thought about never being looked down on again unless her opponent was a giant.


    ¡°We¡¯re beginning the first test now. Combatant number one entering the field.¡±


    Yola¡¯s voice echoed in the testing room and a metal panel slid aside on the opposite side of the observing room revealing another robot. The Combatant was a slightly different model than Terra had seen before, but it made no difference; she needed to let off some steam.


    Before the Combatant could even turn in her direction, Terra sprinted forward at a breathtaking speed and plunged her fist into its head, watching in satisfaction as its body dangled from her outstretched arm.


    ¡°Uh, I think that might be enough.¡± Yola¡¯s shaky voice spoke over the comms.


    ¡°Why?¡± Terra yelled, spinning around in a blur--she needed at least a hundred more Combatants to destroy to let her pent-up frustration run its course.


    ¡°At this point, the Combatants don¡¯t have a fast enough CPU to handle combat with you and we¡¯ll be losing perfectly good robots for nothing. We¡¯ll run the test when we¡¯ve added better programs to the Combatants. Please exit the training and we¡¯ll debrief on you on what we¡¯ve uncovered about what you are.¡±


    Terra stared at the Combatant that was still attached to her fist and considered her very few options. She could book it and hope Neiman was bluffing about the verbal fail-safes, but she knew that he probably wasn¡¯t. Indo had stopped her with two words back when she was in the Efficiency model and she hated the feeling of her body not following her directions, so she didn¡¯t want to even chance it in this situation. Her body was incredibly fast, however, so there was the chance that she could get out from wherever she was before anyone could say anything, but she wasn¡¯t even sure where she was. Plus, she was incredibly curious about how the mask was allowing her to jump from body to body and if these people could offer her some answers she wasn¡¯t going to object. Without Alter, Terra was completely in the dark in this world. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Terra removed the limp Combatant body from her arm and exited the room, eager to get some answers. The group was already waiting for her, a mix of fear and awe painted on their faces.


    ¡°We noticed that your older body reacted the last time we spoke. Yes, I did notice.¡± Neiman began. ¡°To the naked eye, the Efficiency looks completely normal, old but normal. It wasn¡¯t until we started taking apart the metal itself that we noticed something out of the ordinary. A strange black metal had eaten the core of the metal and its surroundings, leaving only the exterior untouched so it seemed like the original. Under the electron microscope, the metal had a crystal-like composition identical to the one the mask is made of. These past few days the research team had been painstakingly removing every foreign metal piece in the Efficiency and putting it in a vacuum chamber.¡±


    Neiman led Terra and the rest of the group to a large machine in the back of the lab.


    ¡°Things got really weird!¡± Creedus chimed in, his enthusiasm getting the better of him. ¡°We got nearly 3,200 grams of it from the Efficiency and figured we might as well run some tests since the robot people were having their own fun. Keep in mind this is a vacuum chamber, so there¡¯s nothing else but the black crystals in it so it¡¯s a foolproof method of getting proper results. Anyways, we thought we should test the melting point since its pretty standard, but it refused to melt at six million degrees Kelvin. We don¡¯t have the proper equipment here to raise the temperature even higher so we had to give up for the moment until we get permission to use the nuclear team¡¯s vacuum chamber.


    ¡°So we figured let¡¯s run a stress test on it, right? Turns out that black stuff can withstand forces of over three thousand megapascals without so much as a crack. At this point we had just accumulated a bunch of black powder and had it separated and were testing it a few grams at a time, but one of us,¡± Creedus shot a dirty look at an embarrassed Pil, ¡°accidentally left open a few canisters of the black crystal and they sort of all just...flew together. It was as if they were magnetically attracted to each other.


    ¡°We had to run away with the rest of the samples since the larger the crystal got, the bigger the attraction to the other samples and the black crystals would break through the metal container to form a larger mass. It got to 1600 grams by the time we got the pieces separated enough so they wouldn¡¯t all create a mass. We tried cutting it with a laser but that wouldn¡¯t make a dent in it, but when we coated a scalpel with black powder we could chip away at the crystal. It¡¯s seriously the trippiest thing ever!


    ¡°And that wasn¡¯t even the end of it. We figured we should keep testing our remaining samples in the vacuum chamber to see if it was conductive or not. As soon as we ran a current through our first sample, it turned into a liquid! When we stopped, it returned back to its solid state, so we ran the current through it again and there was no effect. Keep in mind, this is a vacuum chamber so there¡¯s nothing that could affect the samples besides what we do. We ran about fifty tests and it ended up being fifty-fifty when it became a liquid and when it would remain crystallized.¡±


    ¡°Which is why it wasn¡¯t until your contribution that we couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on with the crystals,¡± Neiman added.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Terra asked; she didn¡¯t recall saying anything of importance the last time they¡¯d talked.


    ¡°You told me that you¡¯ve been to other dimensions. I was completely convinced you were delusional at first but thought about how little we know about the universe. I can¡¯t pretend to know everything about the world, so I shouldn¡¯t doubt your words no matter how far-fetched they sound.¡± Neiman confessed.


    ¡°Which is how he came up with the theory that the black crystals might be a version of dark matter we haven¡¯t discovered yet!¡± Frez inputted, beating his bosses to the punch line. ¡°I mean, what else could it be?¡±


    ¡°Dark matter?¡± Terra questioned, having absolutely no idea what they were talking about.


    ¡°Yeah. Do you seriously not know what it is?¡± Frez inquired with wide-eyes and Terra felt as if her intelligence was being questioned.


    ¡°Have you ever wondered what space is made out of?¡± Neiman piped up. ¡°Using satellites we¡¯ve taken images of space in order to get a better understanding of our position, but ended up getting more questions than anything else; the biggest being why the empty space between stars and planets is black. Exactly what is giving space its darkness since space is a vacuum? So we¡¯ve called that space ¡®dark matter¡¯ and practically everything we can¡¯t explain falls under that category, including whatever your mask is made of. We¡¯ll run more tests once we get access to the nuclear division¡¯s better equipment so we¡¯ll give you a definitive answer once that happens, so, for now, we¡¯ll just put you back to sleep and wake you when we have more answers.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Terra exclaimed, not wanting to be put back down. ¡°Why did you even need me today? You said you already ran tests on the capabilities of this body, so why did you wake me today?¡±


    ¡°Well, we did want to see if the body worked with you in control and had planned on sending in about ten Combatants to face you on the testing grounds, but after what you did to the first one it was just going to be a waste. I also believe that you are a human trapped in that body and wanted to offer you the courtesy of telling you all we know so far about how you came to be.¡±


    Terra didn¡¯t know how to respond. Neiman actually thought she was human? She studied his face to see if he was lying but couldn¡¯t tell. His face did contort when something dawned on him.


    ¡°Oh my god! We¡¯ve all introduced ourselves, but we don¡¯t know your name!¡± Neiman looked horrified at his sudden realization. Terra laughed, temporarily forgetting about her grudge against the people that shot Petri and took her and Indo captive.


    ¡°My name is Terra.¡±


    ¡°Well, Terra, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you and we hope that we can benefit from each other in the future. If you would please step towards that table we need to turn you off so we can run more tests.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just run the tests with me awake? I don¡¯t like falling ¡®asleep¡¯.¡± Terra pleaded. She hated not knowing when the next time she¡¯d wake up would be. She hated not being in control.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry my dear, but we can¡¯t allow that,¡± Neiman said regretfully, and Terra found it hard not to feel as if he was being sincere. But she wasn¡¯t going to be put to sleep again, especially now that she had a body.


    Before anyone could stop her, she sprinted across the room to the door that didn¡¯t lead to the training hall and grabbed the handle.


    ¡°Ambrosia!¡±


    Terra¡¯s arms fell limply to her sides and her legs locked in place. She stared angrily at the handle to freedom as her arms refused to budge, practically tasting her freedom and yet it was so far away. It seemed that Neiman wasn¡¯t a bluffing man, so she¡¯d have to either escape without him around or wait a few months in the hopes of gaining control over the trigger word like she had with Indo in her Efficiency body.


    Terra heard footsteps walking towards her and she suspected with was Neiman going to gloat in front of her about stopping her attempt at escape, but the footsteps stopped when he was still out of her peripheral vision.


    ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry about what you¡¯ve been through, but I¡¯m only trying to help. Sleep, Terra, and when you wake things will change.¡±


    She heard a click and those words clung to the air as she fell into the darkness.

 Chapter 41: Rabbits Hole

    It took nearly a week for 895G to muster up the gall to return to the site. He¡¯d been attempting to research more about the strange sky, but the Head had given him two new investigations; one was about a gang of bandits that was growing in Eldern and moving eastward and the other was about a strange signal trying to access GreenHouse¡¯s net at Iaeplor, ten clicks south of Tinyon.


    He¡¯d been investigating what crimes were caused by the bandits in Eldern when he chose to drive just a bit farther to visit the bunker. The Head¡¯s words still echoed in 895G¡¯s brain but he chose to finally continue pursuing his first case. He¡¯d left in such a hurry the first time he¡¯d visited that he knew there was a lot of evidence of their activities left, and 895G couldn¡¯t access what the Patrollers had confiscated when they¡¯d taken Indo and Petri into custody.


    Shuffling through the trash, he found the bunker hatch reasonably easily since this was his third time coming to the location. His heart dropped when he lifted the hatch and saw the grey rock. It took a moment to register what he was seeing but it hit him that someone had poured concrete into the entrance until the entire bunker had been engulfed. When the news of his sudden loss of evidence set in, he grabbed a pipe iron from the nearest pile of trash and cracked the metal against the cement until the pipe snapped.


    Breathing heavily, he screamed into the air from frustration and grabbed another pipe until that one snapped into two too. He started reaching for a third pipe when he noticed a set of tire tracks hidden under some discarded clothes. Using a newfound pipe, he shoved aside the piles of trash to reveal more of the tracks. He continued shoving aside trash for the next hour until he reached the edge of the landfill, where the tracks dissolved in the dust back towards the city of Eldern. He jumped into his vehicle in the hopes of finding where the tracks led but the wind had completely worn down any depression caused by the mystery truck. 895G already had a good idea who was behind the destruction of the bunker; the Head made it clear 895G shouldn¡¯t be sticking his nose any further into Indo¡¯s case.


    Investigative spirit riling up, the Scout drove back to HQ and parked near the Pharmaceutical division rather than the Scout¡¯s--he knew of one person who might reveal something about the strange pictures of the blue sky and canister from the old world. Flashing his ID, he gained access to the hospital ward and walked down the white hallways until he found the room he had been looking for. Two guards were posted outside the room as a precaution but as soon as they saw 895G¡¯s rank they stepped aside and let him through.


    Petri looked surprised when 895G strolled into the room and said nothing, offering the Scout a sad smile rather than a welcome. He looked worse for the wear; eyes sunken and dull, cheeks gaunt, and all the color seemed to have been drained from his face and for some reason, there was a bandage around his neck. Soundlessly, 895G grabbed a nearby stool and dragged it to the man¡¯s bedside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cut right to the chase. What were you and Indo doing for twenty years in hiding?¡±


    Petri shook his head and pointed to his neck. 895G didn¡¯t know what to make of the motion so Petri made a writing motion in the air and the Scout handed him his notepad and pen.


    I¡¯ve already been silenced. Petri wrote and then opened his mouth as if to speak but nothing but a soft whoosh of air could be heard.


    895G shuttered when he realized the doctors had removed Petri¡¯s vocal cords and rubbed his own throat as if to make sure his were still there. Curiosity hit him like a wave when he weighed the reasons why GreenHouse silenced Petri. Petri was a lab rat and Indo¡¯s assistant, so why remove his voice when he clearly had information to share about Indo?


    ¡°Alright, why was there a gas canister in your basement?¡± 895G questioned, whispering the inquiry so the guards outside couldn¡¯t here.


    Petri¡¯s eyes widened and his jaw dropped and then furiously scribbled on the pad.


    What did you read? Petri practically shoved the pad into 895G¡¯s eyes for him to read.


    ¡°Just the warning label. What is so important on there that I needed to read?¡±


    Who knows?


    ¡°The Head and whoever he told. Look, why was there a canister from the old world in your basement? Give me a straight answer.¡±


    In this case, the less you know the better. If you know more, you...Petri flipped the page...might get yourself killed.


    895G thought about pursuing the case more but didn¡¯t want to waste time going back and forth pointlessly, so he changed the topic, pulling out one of the images he kept on his person off the oddly-colored sky.


    ¡°Tell me about these pictures.¡±


    Petri picked up one of the images with a trembling hand and bit his lip as he pulled it closer to him, tears cresting in the corners of his eyes but never making the journey down his cheeks. Perking his ears, he went very still and in a flurry of motion scribbled something down on the notepad, ripped it out, and then shoved it and the image back into 895G¡¯s palms. The Scout was about to retort and ask what the images meant but shoved the contents of his hands in his pockets when he saw the Head Scout stomp up to the room door.


    ¡°Second Commander, a word?¡±


    By the way the Head growled the words, 895G knew he didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter and didn¡¯t even bother taking the time to take his notepad back from Petri--he had more at home anyway. He cautiously walked behind his commanding officer, past the guards at the door and down the hallway where the Head turned on his heels to face 895G.


    ¡°What in the hell were you thinking!¡± The Head screamed. ¡°I thought I warned you about sticking your nose in where it doesn¡¯t belong! Imagine my surprise when my Second Commander is seen entering 021B¡¯s hospital room without the proper clearance. And I repeat, what the hell were you thinking!¡±


    ¡°Sir, I was just following up leads on my first investigation, I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve done anything wrong. I¡¯m just trying to understand what Indo and Petri were doing for twenty years, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The Head¡¯s jaw clenched and 895G saw fire in his eyes but his tone cooled down when he spoke again.


    ¡°What they¡¯ve been doing for twenty years? That¡¯s all your investigating?¡± The Head asked, clearly not falling for 895G¡¯s deflection.


    ¡°Yes, sir. This is my first case as a Second Commander and I want to live up to the expectations expected of me, but if you don¡¯t think I can complete this case in full completion then I¡¯ll gladly hand the file over to you and you can catch up the next investigator about the contents of the bunker. I¡¯m sure there are a lot of eager Scouts wanting to know more about Indo and what he¡¯s been up to.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    895G wanted to shrink up into a ball under the fierce glare of the Head¡¯s eyes but his need to find out more about what made Petri so nervous about the canister drove him to stand his ground. He hoped the Head would keep him on the case in order to prevent more people getting involved in this case, but he was shooting in the dark and gambling this case on a hunch.


    ¡°Fine. You can stay on the case as long as you only investigate Indo and Petri¡¯s actions and nothing else. Even if certain items are involved you will forget about them and not even include them in your report. I hope I don¡¯t read about said certain items in reports otherwise the Second Commanding position might be vacant again.¡±


    Not even waiting for 895G¡¯s response, the Head spun around and marched down the hallway and disappeared around a corner. The Scout deflated and almost fell to his knees in relief; he¡¯d stood up to the Head and not cried once! Smiling at his personal victory, he took a moment to calm his heartbeat and then walked to his apartment.


    Taking a short breather there to change out of his dirtied uniform he emptied out his pockets and recovered the note Petri had shoved into his hand. It was crumpled and written quickly, but the words were legible.


    12. 32


    Trent¡¯s Warehouse


    895G had no idea what it meant but committed it to memory since it was important enough for Petri to give to him. Sitting at his table he debated about what his next move was. He had started his day attempting to chase down a group of bandits but now he was deeper in the mystery of the old world than ever before. Resolving himself he grabbed his coat and put on a new set of his uniform to visit the other person who would have answers.


    He received odd glares from Patrollers walking down the hallway when he made it to the Patroller¡¯s precinct and was stopped more than once on his way to the interrogation room.


    ¡°I see they promoted you too!¡±


    A large hand clapped 895G on his back when he was about to reach his destination room and a familiar face greeted him; it was the Patroller that helped him create the plan to bombard the group that had held him hostage.


    ¡°Long time no see,¡± 895G politely replied, uncomfortable at the man¡¯s familiarity with him.


    ¡°Second Commander? Looks like they¡¯re giving them out to everyone these days! I should start telling my comrades that if they get themselves kidnapped they¡¯ll get instantly promoted. Weren¡¯t you Active Duty? That¡¯s a big jump. I only made First Commander, and I did the majority of the work don¡¯t you think? You should tell that Head of yours to promote me another step.¡± The Patroller said but something about his tone read that he was only partially joking.


    ¡°I¡¯m currently working on my first case and would like to have a chance at asking Indo a few questions.¡± 895G started but was cut off by the Patroller.


    ¡°Are you saying we¡¯re not doing our job?¡±


    The Patroller¡¯s smile vanished from his face and his eyes turned darker. Although this man wasn¡¯t as intimidating as the Head, 895G was still afraid for his life.


    ¡°No! It¡¯s just that I¡¯m sure he¡¯s giving you a hard time and maybe I can push Indo¡¯s buttons a bit. You¡¯re doing a fantastic job and I¡¯ll talk with my superior about giving you a higher promotion since like you said, you did most of the work.¡±


    895G¡¯s words diffused the Patroller¡¯s fuse and he slapped him on the back again.


    ¡°See that you do. I¡¯ll call my boys out from interrogation and you can go in a minute.¡± The Patroller walked ahead of 895G and knocked on the door labeled ¡°Interrogation 5.¡± Two other Patrollers came out within thirty seconds and 895G tried to hide his surprise when he saw their fists were bloodied.


    ¡°He¡¯s all yours. No one will blame you if you need to let out some steam. Cameras are already off.¡± The Patroller gave 895G a wink and the Scout shuttered, getting into the room as quickly as he could.


    His mouth went agape when he saw Indo sitting in a solitary chair in the center of the room with his legs and arms bound to it. Indo¡¯s face was completely unrecognizable from the discolored mounds of swelling covering his face and blood was dripping down from his hair, mouth, and nose, dying his shirt permanently red. Some parts were dry and crusty while others were fresh, showing that the ¡®interrogating¡¯ the Patrollers were doing had been going on since Indo had been admitted.


    ¡°Like what you see?¡± Indo cracked, his voice raw and worn. ¡°If you¡¯re here to use me as a punching bag, I¡¯m afraid the gentlemen that just left already did but I¡¯m sure you can find some part of me they haven¡¯t pulverized if you look hard.¡±


    895G didn¡¯t know what to say. He¡¯d come in wanting answers but the weight in his stomach created by guilt ate his words. For some reason, he recalled the robot¡¯s voice the night they had let him go: ¡°At least you didn¡¯t get tortured, right?¡± Looking at Indo now beaten and bloody showed 895G what could have easily happened to him but never did.


    ¡°Are you just going to stand there or are you going to do something? At least those two talked and didn¡¯t just stand there like a dumbshit.¡±


    895G walked over and stood in front of Indo trying to come up with the right words.


    ¡°At least your legs work. Do your arms? Or maybe your mouth? Seriously man, do something!¡± Indo screamed at the Scout.


    ¡°Petri is alive and healthy.¡± 895G squeaked out.


    Indo went silent, shock clearly written on his face, but he quickly recovered.


    ¡°So what? You come here just to tell me something that¡¯s probably a lie? I¡¯m not stupid and I¡¯m not falling for that.¡± His voice crackled with emotion but he tried hiding it by clearing his throat.


    ¡°I spoke with him earlier today. He gave me this note,¡± 895G whispered to Indo and subtly checked where the cameras were just in case they were secretly on.


    Indo didn¡¯t even try hiding his slack-jaw emotion this time, glancing from the note to 895G and back to the note.


    ¡°So you know about the canister? And you¡¯re not dead, so you were either smart and didn¡¯t tell anyone you saw it or you didn¡¯t see the important part. Which is it?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t read the important part,¡± 895G confessed.


    ¡°You¡¯re still alive, so that¡¯s a positive sign, and if you want to keep living you should just stop whatever you think you¡¯re doing. I¡¯m sure your commander wants you to find out what we¡¯ve been up to but if you go down that path you will die. I¡¯m not telling you any more than that, you¡¯ll have to go to that place to find out more yourself. Your death will not be on my hands no matter how badly I want it.¡±


    895G felt like he was simply going through the same steps he had with Petri but with a longer road. Indo liked to talk it seemed but didn¡¯t give any useful information, so he went ahead and continued to see if he could continue his line of questioning like he had before.


    ¡°What about these?¡± 895G held up the images of the blue sky.


    Indo smiled mischievously though it was difficult to tell under the deformations from the beatings.


    ¡°That was the old world, before GreenHouse. We¡¯ve all been raised to glorify this company, and I did for thirty years, but they were the real culprits of our entire world turning to shit.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean that a centuries ago, this world looked like that.¡± Indo used his head to motion at the picture. ¡°But the GreenHouse came into the picture. I¡¯d love to go into a detailed history of GreenHouse but I¡¯m sure our time will be cut short by those lovely people standing outside the door. It¡¯s on you to go to the location and find out more on your own. You should go now before they start getting suspicious. Wipe some of my blood on your knuckles to pretend you¡¯ve been punching me, or just punch me.¡±


    895G opted for the less violent option and was about to walk out the door when Indo¡¯s voice stopped him.


    ¡°Thank you for telling me Petri was alive.¡±


    895G turned and saw tears leaking from the cracks of Indo¡¯s eyes and a slight smile was painted on the canvas of snot and blood that was his face. The guilty feeling in the Scout¡¯s gut twisted and he fought back tears of his own knowing he was the reason the two were separated. Not wanting to overstay his welcome at the Patroller¡¯s vicinity he left the room.


    Although he had wanted to head straight home, the Patrollers drew him into a quick conversation and 895G had to proudly boast at the beating he had given Indo and how he felt a lot better after reallying laying into him. He cut off their growing conversation by telling them he was going to talk to the higher ups to see if everyone could get a promotion for doing such great word and they finally let him go.


    He power-walked all the way back to his apartment, wondering when his life would ever get back to normal. 895G had thought his life had gotten too complicated for his liking when he was taken captive, but now he felt like he had accidently stepped in a rabbit¡¯s hole and he was still falling.

 Chapter 42: A Chance To Erase It All

    895G didn¡¯t know exactly to do with the information Petri had given to him. Indo had made it clear that it identified a location but the Scout couldn¡¯t figure out what the note meant. He¡¯d thought the digits were a set of latitude and longitude for somewhere on Earth, but it the location that popped up was in the middle of the ocean nowhere near land and there were no notifications of an island being there either. He¡¯d tried searching ¡°Trent¡¯s Warehouse¡± in his search engine, but the only things that appeared were records of the five people named Trent in Eldern and the twenty-six others who lived in the surrounding areas, none of whom owned a warehouse. A knock on his office door broke him out of his slump and he quickly shut his screen down.


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    A Trooper came in followed by an old man 895G recognized but couldn¡¯t place from where.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a Doctor Lecolds to see you.¡± The Trooper left with a curt bow as the man stepped forward.


    ¡°Pleased to meet you Second Commander, I¡¯ve heard great things about you. And please call me Neiman, I hate being called Lecolds.¡±


    895G grasped Neiman¡¯s outstretched hand in a handshake and he finally placed where he knew him.


    ¡°You were the head roboticist when Indo was working for GreenHouse!¡± The Scout proclaimed. ¡°You helped develop the first set of robot models and was the only one who supported Indo in his initial stages of human transfer. I thought you were in retirement?¡±


    ¡°I was but when I heard about the specimen you brought in I couldn¡¯t bear to live with the thought I let retirement stop me from discovering another of the world¡¯s secrets. Thank you for bringing her in, she¡¯s taught me so much.¡± The old man said through his smile.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± 895G asked in wonder. What specimen had he brought in that caused the founder of robotics to rejoin the field?


    ¡°Terra of course. Although I¡¯ve been speaking with the biology department and they¡¯ve not slept since you brought Terra¡¯s real body. Which is why I¡¯m here, in fact, I¡¯ve come to deliver some things you¡¯ll need on your journey.¡±


    895G was taken aback. He had already been thrown off by the appearance of a character he¡¯d only read about in his history books, but now Neiman was talking about the robot, whom he¡¯d completely forgotten about, and about some journey? Had this man gone senile?


    ¡°I think you might be mistaken,¡± 895G stated. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on going on any journey anytime soon, I¡¯ve already had more than my fill of adventure.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. That must be why you¡¯re researching something banned from history by GreenHouse, because you want a relaxing life. I suppose your search for answers in the old world is just to satisfy your curiosity although it will cost you your life. Is that it?¡± Neiman said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything of the sort!¡± 895G retorted. ¡°I need you to leave right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that since I¡¯ve already set things in motion. You should get to your apartment immediately in order to escape with your life. There is a bag there with everything you¡¯ll need in order to get to travel to Onto. When you get there, you¡¯ll know where you need to go next. In that bag, there is also a container full of vials much like this.¡±


    Neiman pulled out a small glass tube filled with dark green liquid and placed it in front of 895G.


    ¡°This is called Ambrosia. The biologist team I¡¯m close with entrusted me with this as they are most likely being killed as we speak. If placed in the proper vestibules, it can turn back the time to an era before GreenHouse polluted our air and destroyed our homes. Go to Onto and discover the truth.¡±


    Neiman stood up and walked to the door, 895G too perturbed by this onslaught of information to process his leaving and demand more answers.


    ¡°The choice is entirely yours to make, but if you don¡¯t leave now you may never live to see another day. This is not a threat, it is a promise. GreenHouse is in the process of erasing anything that may harm it, and your name is almost up. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I believe my name is almost up.¡±


    Neiman left the room, and despite the urgency in the content in his voice, 895G detected no panic or fear in the doctor¡¯s voice. The Scout was left in an empty office, contemplating how to take the news of GreenHouse¡¯s actions. Although 895G was raised to trust GreenHouse with every fiber of his body, he wouldn¡¯t put it past them to kill anyone in their path. He didn¡¯t feel as if he had broken ground on new information that would threaten GreenHouse¡¯s wellbeing, but the Head¡¯s words about his predecessor echoed in his mind.


    Grabbing the pages of possible theories he¡¯d written about the gas canister, odd images, the articles he¡¯d read in the bunker, and the note Petri had left him, 895G tried his best to calmly rush to his apartment. He shuffled down the hallway to get to the elevator and was almost in the clear when a Trooper stopped him.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°The Head requests your presence in his office.¡± They stated, then walked away.


    895G¡¯s heart was pumping out of his chest and his palms turned clammy with sweat. If he followed his directives he should report to the Head¡¯s office, but if what Neiman said was true there was the possibility of his immediate termination. But if Neiman was wrong and 895G didn¡¯t go to the Head¡¯s office, that would also mean immediate termination. Gritting his teeth to focus, 895G weighed the two bad options against each other.


    ¡°Crazy about the biology team right?¡± A Scout asked.


    ¡°Yeah! A new strain of virus that wiped them all out in a few minutes. I hope it¡¯s not airborne, I still have debts to pay off!¡± Another Scout answered.


    ¡°But if you die, then no more debt. I say it might be a blessing in disguise.¡±


    ¡°Are you seriously trying to kill me? You almost shot me the other day in the simulation. I¡¯m watching you, buddy.¡±


    895G jumped at the voices coming around the corner and hid behind a pillar until they faded away as they turned down another corridor. A virus killing the biology team when Neiman said they were being erased by GreenHouse? Too much of a coincidence. 895G steeled himself and found his answer; he was going to his apartment.


    Once he made it in the elevator and back out into the hallway, he sped down the walkways until he made it to his apartment. Flashing his ID in front of the door, it popped open and he pushed his way inside. Sure enough, there was a black back sitting at attention in the center of his living room. He crouched down and was about to examine the contents when the overhead speaker of the apartment complex relayed a transmission.


    ¡°Attention residents. Code 78. Due to an incident in the Biology Department, we ask that everyone stay inside for their own safety. We will be going on lockdown in ten minutes. This is not a drill.¡±


    The message continued to replay and 895G could hear panicked footfalls outside his door as people rushed to get to their housing situations. Quickly removing his Second Commander uniform and replacing it with an oversized coat and thick pants, the Scout grabbed the bag and ran out of his apartment. Using the uncommon volume of people in the hallways to his advantage, he pushed through the crowd until he made it to the elevators. He stuck out like a sore thumb wearing non-uniformed clothes in the Scout¡¯s division, but everyone was so concerned with their own wellbeing that they paid him no attention.


    ¡°5G, what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    895G¡¯s blood froze as he heard the voice he feared most behind him. He slowly turned around but it did nothing to lessen the impact the anger painted on the Head¡¯s face did to the Scout¡¯s spine.


    ¡°No-no-no-nothing, sir, just ge-ge-getting some air.¡± 895G cleared his throat, knowing his excuse fell on deaf ears.


    ¡°Like hell you are.¡± The Head¡¯s eyes fell to 895G¡¯s side. ¡°You disobeyed direct orders from me to drop your investigation into the gas canister and now the new formula of gas vials have been stolen from the biology division, and I¡¯m guessing that if I look in that bag I¡¯ll find them. You are officially terminated from your post and no longer have a place in GreenHouse.¡±


    The Head lifted his arm and revealed a gun, pointing it straight at 895G. The Scouts around them had all cleared out to their apartments, leaving only the two standing in front of the elevator.


    ¡°Listen, I can explain...,¡± 895 started.


    ¡°That time has long gone. I¡¯ve already received orders to erase you and the Council will have my head if I don¡¯t.¡±


    The Head cocked his gun and leveled it at 895G¡¯s head. The tears the Scout had been holding back broke the dam and he found it difficult to focus on the figure about to kill him. So this was how it was going to end.


    895G regretted having spent all his energies trying to rise up the ranks of the Scout hierarchy. He regretting not taking up the offer to get coffee with a girl he¡¯d been interested in because the Scout exams were the next day. He regretted not bonding with others since he¡¯d been so focused on using others as stepping stones to move up in the world. Now that he was staring down the barrel of the thing that would end his entire existence in less than a blink of an eye, his life seemed like a lost cause; he¡¯d done nothing noteworthy and made no mark on the world. His heart dropped and his tears stopped when it dawned on him that his life would mean nothing in the cogs of the world--perhaps this is what he deserved for living such a pathetic life.


    A large boom shattered the windows down the hallway and the building around them shook. Even though 895G had come to the epiphany that his life was pointless, he still didn¡¯t want to die. He lunged forward and tackled the Head, bringing them both down onto the hard carpet.


    The Head didn¡¯t expect to have the smaller man knock him down and it took him a few seconds to process what was going on. 895G pried the Head¡¯s fist open and got his thumb on the trigger when the Head wrapped his large fingers around the handle of the gun.


    The Scout cried out in pain as his hand was crushed and the Head brought his fist into his face. Choking on his blood, the Scout used his other hand to swing the black bag up into the Head¡¯s chin, hearing a satisfying crack as the larger man¡¯s head snapped back.


    895G grabbed the barrel of the gun and pointed it at the Head and pulled the trigger. His ears rang from the pop and the hand that had grabbed the barrel was bright red and burnt but none of it mattered as he watched the Head drop lifeless to the ground, a pool of red staining the floor as brain and blood leaked from the single bullet wound in his forehead.


    The Scout was shaking but he grabbed the black back and gun and sprinted down the hallway to the stairs. By now everything would be locked down and he didn¡¯t want to get caught near the Head¡¯s dead body. Tears pricked the backs of his eyes and 895G didn¡¯t know if it was from shock, fear, or pain that they threatened, but he wiped them away since he didn¡¯t want to lose his step going down ten flights of stairs.


    The door to the outside was locked but two bullets to the lock mechanism did the trick. He ran outside, grabbing the nearest car and starting up the engine. He didn¡¯t turn around once as he drove out of Eldern and away from GreenHouse¡¯s grasp, although he did see pillars of red and black smoke rising from all the main division buildings.


    Once the city was behind him, he felt as if he was given a second chance at life--and he wasn¡¯t going to squander it this time.

 Chapter 43: Getting In The Final Word

    As soon as Neiman heard the explosion he knew he¡¯d pressed the wrong button.


    ¡°I really should have labeled these,¡± he muttered to himself and stuck the remote back in his pocket with the five others.


    It had served its purpose though and he heard the alarms blaring overhead, beckoning all available agents to the Scout¡¯s division to help with casualties and first aid. Neiman had been careful to put the bomb in the underground garage so that there would be no fatalities and minimal damage to the facility itself, he couldn¡¯t bear the thought of harming anyone for the purpose of distracting everyone from his true purpose.


    He hadn¡¯t planned on setting his plan in motion this early in the creation process but the circumstances were dire. It was only yesterday that he¡¯d met with his friend Professor Homin in the Biology department to discuss the team¡¯s recent findings regarding the body in the stasis tube. Neiman had been meeting with Homin on a daily basis to learn about the condition of the body considering that, according to Terra¡¯s tale, it was the robot¡¯s original body. Although his original purpose had been to negotiate with the biology team on releasing the body so Neiman could attempt to put Terra back in her original body, he¡¯d quickly agreed to let them keep taking samples because of the wonderful things they had discovered about the scientific marvels it held.


    The little girl¡¯s body could process the nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and convert it almost immediately into oxygen. It could also produce its own nutrients simply by being exposed to ultraviolet light, living solely on light and air. Apparently, the biology team had been so shocked on discovering these two seemingly simple facts that they ran a total of three tests all on different computers, all proving that the data they collected was correct and not an error caused by faulty code.


    Neiman had conveniently been at the lab to witness the final results of atmospheric readings in the stasis tube that proved the girl was an anomaly, which is when Homin promised Neiman to keep him updated on progress if he didn¡¯t release the news of the discovery since GreenHouse was notorious for a high staff turnover rate.


    Neiman sighed, wishing he hadn¡¯t gotten involved with GreenHouse at all. What had first seemed like a great opportunity to help better the world technologically had left him wondering if anything he had ever created ever benefited anyone other than the large company he worked for. It was nearly sixty years ago that he¡¯d first joined, eager to please his bosses with his incredible ideas and inventions. That was before he had learned the truth about GreenHouse and their hand in the destruction of the old world. But Neiman had promised himself that he would keep his head down and play by the rules in order to keep his life.


    That was before he took Indo under his wing. Neiman had been passed the prime of his life when he¡¯d hired Indo as his assistant thirty years ago and had instantly felt the need to protect this young man from what his job resulted in. Things had been going swimmingly for years, the first Efficiency prototype had been released and the Council gave them funding for even more evolved robots. Indo had wanted to experiment with allowing human consciousness to transfer to robot bodies in order to allow soldiers to work from the headquarters rather than having to go out in the field themselves. It was a long and fruitless process since commands couldn¡¯t be transferred more than a mile away from the robotic body without getting other interference, so the project was scrapped. It was around that time that Indo met 021B, the oldest and most resilient lab rat known, and Neiman had watched from afar as the two bonded, often spending countless hours in each other¡¯s company.


    Knowing that the robotics division was in good hands, Neiman retired at the age of sixty-three, leaving Indo the role of the head technician. It was just a mere year into his retirement that he received news that Indo had destroyed his research and bombed several buildings and then fled with a lab rat in tow. Neiman suspected that Indo had learned the unadulterated history of GreenHouse¡¯s dealings and escaped, no doubt rescuing 021B from his life of torture as a lab rat in the pharmaceutical division. He was glad to know that they had successfully escaped; something he could never bring himself to do.


    Having nothing but time on his hands, Neiman started building a shelter for the two in case they ever came to him in a time of need. In order to remain concealed in case GreenHouse was tracing him even in retirement, Neiman would reroute his tracker to show that he never left his house while in reality, he would make frequent trips to the Eldern Landfill in order to build a makeshift bunker.


    When Indo and 021B never reached out to him, Neiman wasn¡¯t discouraged and instead used the extra time to build a water-purification system hidden under a mountain of trash that would collect water from the air and filter it. When there was still no word from Indo and his companion, Neiman experimented with creating an energy source so that he wouldn¡¯t have to reroute GreenHouse electricity to the hidden bunker. It took several years to complete, but Neiman had created an original mechanism that relied on the discarded waste from the water purification system and ignited the molecules to create a miniature sort of combustion that powered pistons which then relayed to coils that gathered the charges created by the pistons, much like how their vehicles ran.


    Under the pretext of wanting to check on the robotics teams progress in his absence, Neiman often visited the lab and swiped spare pieces of metal and equipment that wouldn¡¯t be missed and would covertly visit the location GreenHouse used to keep the items Indo left in his apartment and gather up the items Indo had swiped for himself when he thought Neiman wasn¡¯t looking. It was a slow process but Neiman recreated something that resembled suitable living quarters in the bunker, even creating a lab for Indo if he ever came back.


    It took fifteen years of waiting but Indo finally reached out to Neiman, desperate when ¡®Petri,¡¯ 021B¡¯s new name, had been heavily injured when Patrollers had caught wind of their location and hunted them down.


    For the past five years, Neiman occasionally visited Indo and Petri in their new bunker and was pleasantly surprised when Indo had quickly assembled an Efficiency model out of the pile of miscellaneous materials Neiman had stored in one of the rooms. Indo looked worse for wear but Neiman was glad to see his prodigy was faring well under his circumstances. It didn¡¯t take long for Indo to enlightened Neiman on what he and Petri had been doing for the past fifteen years and it truly shocked the older scientist, and there was little that shook him. He¡¯d tried to discourage Indo from taking action on his plan, to tell him that there would be others that could execute the plan, but Indo insisted on following through. It had been many years since their last discussion of Indo¡¯s master plan to take down GreenHouse, but no action had been taken yet so Neiman thought the man he saw as his son had come to his senses and would allow others to take his place. But now Indo and his significant other were taken captive by the very company they had vowed to destroy.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Neiman left retirement as soon as he heard the news of his ex-assistant being taken in, and the Council gladly placed him back in the head role of roboticist in order to research the sentient robot. Although Neiman had planned to somehow break Indo and Petri out of their prisons, he¡¯d been instantly enamored by the odd robot they showed him and couldn¡¯t bear not discovering more about the robot¡¯s behavior before rescuing Indo.


    After hearing Terra¡¯s story, Neiman left to the biology lab to negotiate to get her body back mostly out of pity for the soul trapped in the numbing metal body, which is where he learned of the girl¡¯s ability to change the chemical composure of the atmosphere itself and he found himself in another predicament.


    Homin was hiding the facts from the Council since if word got out that the secrets the girl held in her genetic code could undo what GreenHouse had been striving for the past century, all their research would go to waste and there would no hope left for anyone. Neiman promised, siding with Homin¡¯s actions considering their long history together, and understood that he couldn¡¯t give Terra back her body just yet; not until the biology lab discovered how the girl was stripping the very atoms of the air apart in her lungs to create pure oxygen and living off of it.


    It took a week of no sleep for the biology team when Homin contacted Neiman of their discovery; Ambrosia. They had compacted the dark green gas into vials, mass-produced a hundred of them, and put them all in a small container and asked Neiman to keep it hidden. He complied, not asking any questions, but somehow the higher-ups had gotten word of the creation.


    Acting quickly, Neiman rigged small bombs and hacked into the security feeds so that he could wander the halls between divisions inconspicuously to plant his explosives. Not long after he¡¯d headed back to the biology lab to see if there was any word on what the updated status of the research, but men in biohazard suits had stopped him, claiming that there had been a mass leak of a new virus that had killed everyone.


    Noting GreenHouse¡¯s work, Neiman quickly packed two bags; one for him and one for the man who had caught his attention; 895G. It seemed that the Scout was interested in learning the truth behind GreenHouse according to the man¡¯s search history and Neiman couldn¡¯t help but think that Indo had somehow swayed the Scout to open his mind up to the possibility that GreenHouse wasn¡¯t the god everyone had been raised to worship.


    He¡¯d dropped the bag with the vials off with 895G since Neiman¡¯s work still wasn¡¯t done and he knew the younger man was more limber and agile than his eighty-four-year-old-self and would have a better chance at acting on the instructions Neiman had left in the bag.


    His first bomb had gone off without a hitch, leaving him alone in the hallway leading to the evidence the Patrollers had confiscated when they¡¯d taken the fugitive group captive. Opening the doors using his ID he shuffled towards the tables that had the materials laid out and labeled in an organized manner. Grabbing a pack from off the table, he shoved three sets of clothes and the respirator with the skull painted on it along with any rations he could find. The bag he was packing was meant for Terra and he knew that she wouldn¡¯t need to eat but if he was going to come with her he would make use of her strength and have her carry all the heavier things.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Neiman slowly turned around although he was surprised, hoping that a smile would disarm whoever was standing behind him.


    ¡°I was just checking if there were was any valuable equipment the criminals had and see if I recognized it. It¡¯s possible someone was supplying them was materials.¡± Neiman said, trying to be as rational as he could to appeal to the Patroller.


    ¡°This room is off limits. Please leave everything on the table and exit the room otherwise I will be forced to take action.¡±


    The Patroller rested one of their hands on the gun resting on their hip and Neiman knew nothing he would do would deter the Patroller from protecting the room. Neiman turned to exaggerate dropping the bag back on the table while one of his hands wandered in his pocket and felt for a remote trigger. Not knowing which button went where he pressed one at random in the hopes of the Patroller attending to the imminent threat and not Neiman.


    An explosion rocked the ground they stood and the wall behind the Patroller exploded, launching the two men in the air several feet. The Patroller smashed his head against the edge of a table while Neiman felt the wind knock out of him as his body smacked against the wall behind him.


    It took him a minute to recover and he got to his feet and dug around in the rubble for the bag full of the things he had packed and ran out of the room after making sure the Patroller was alive.


    Alarms were blaring and Neiman had to traverse over broken bits of pillars and walls in order to make his way out to the main hallway. He tried blending in with the rest of the people fleeing for their lives but he still looked suspicious since he was the only one dressed in a grey lab coat among all the Patrollers in their stark blue uniforms and it didn''t help that had a thick layer of dust and debris covering him from head to toe.


    He gave up trying to look composed and settled for sprinting through the crowd rushing to see the explosion site and hoped no one followed him. Just as a safety measure, he went ahead and pushed another one of the buttons in his pocket and heard a boom far away; it was most likely the Environmental Impact and Educational Outreach offices.


    With absolute mayhem in the walkways, Neiman pushed through the people as he trekked his way back to the robotics division to wake Terra up. Luckily nobody stopped him this time and he managed to enter the lab without issue.


    He dropped the back he¡¯d prepared for Terra at her feet and rushed across the room to grab the back he¡¯d prepared for himself when he heard a familiar voice call across the room.


    ¡°Doctor? What are you doing here?¡±


    Neiman turned and saw Creedus standing in the doorway with a look of confusion on his face.


    ¡°Nothing much just wanted to make sure all our machines are unharmed from the explosions.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright.¡± Creedus turned to leave the lab but hesitated. ¡°And here I was thinking you were making GreenHouse your enemy by destroying their facilities and then trying to escape, but I clearly don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    Neiman felt his blood run cold as Creedus opened the door and instead of leaving, three Patrollers and Combatants entered.


    ¡°The Council has been suspicious of you of late and had me monitor you. At first, you seemed like a senile old man but you hid your true intentions very well. I¡¯m good at my job though and did some digging. Did you know that a software was created that recovers discarded footage on security cams? You made a mistake making us your enemy.¡± Creedus turned to the Patroller at his left. ¡°Erase him.¡±


    Neiman couldn¡¯t move as the Patroller raised his gun at him. He body ached from being rattled around by the explosion he¡¯d caused and the air in his lungs was trapped as he faced his mortality. He wished he had had the strength to do what Indo and Petri had done decades ago and regretted not being able to help them see each other one last time. Well, maybe there was still something he could do before he was killed that could help Indo and Petri escape.


    ¡°Ambrosia.¡±


    The Patroller fired his weapon and Neiman fell to the ground, his last words still clinging to the air as he was finally laid to rest in the place he cherished most.

 Chapter 44: The Remnants Of Those Gone

    ¡°Welcome to your new interface, Terra.¡± Neiman¡¯s face smiled back at her when she came to.


    Anger flooded through Terra when she awoke again and had prepared to talk his ear off about the unfairness of turning her off whenever it was convenient for him but she wasn¡¯t fast enough before he started talking again.


    ¡°Before you start yelling at me, please note this is a recording and I¡¯m not actually here,¡± He began. ¡°If you truly are that girl stuck in a robot¡¯s body, I went ahead and prepared an interface more user-friendly for you. Because the robots we create in this lab are all produced using code, it would be difficult to truly access all the benefits of being in a robot¡¯s body if you aren¡¯t programmed to already know. I made this video as a quick tutorial and you can ask me any other questions when you wake up.


    ¡°To the top right of your vision, you should see a small bubble. If you glance up at that, a menu should pop up about what kind of vision you would like. There are options like the typical night and infrared, but I created a fun one called ¡®Dreamscape¡¯ where the program will randomly generate colors and patterns and match them to surfaces it can identify. There are other boring ones but you can play with those yourself since I don¡¯t want to talk about them.


    ¡°Down in the top left corner there are the vital records. Even though you¡¯ve already been able to somehow interpret the vital signs of the life around you, this will give you a list of all the important life signs of anything in your sight. The color green means the data is a hundred percent correct while red means there could be an error somewhere. It will also help identify any figured behind you since the prototype has sensors all over and can sense anything from about a hundred meters away.


    ¡°When you get awakened you¡¯ll be testing out our newest tracking feature too. In a hidden slot in your right upper arm and thigh are tracker storages. You have a total of twenty trackers, ten and ten, that automatically turn on the instant you remove them from their casing. There are buttons on them as well if you give them to an ally and they need assistance, relaying the message to you that they need help. The main reason I¡¯m telling you this is because things have been set in motion and a tracker has already been placed, so don¡¯t be alarmed when you get the notification.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have to act this quickly but GreenHouse has made the first move and I can¡¯t let my queen be taken. When you wake up I¡¯ll give you more details about our plan, but the current goal is to move as quickly as possible and rescue Indo and Petri and get to Onto since there¡¯s an abandoned robotics lab hidden amongst storage containers. I planted a tracker on the vials with the Ambrosia since I can¡¯t tell you who¡¯s carrying them since you probably won¡¯t want to go to Onto if you know who it is. Oh! I went ahead and removed the limiter word since it¡¯ll get complicated if the people around you keep saying ¡®Ambrosia.¡¯


    ¡°Anyway, please don¡¯t punch me when you see me since I won¡¯t be able to stop you this time. I swear I¡¯m not trying to hurt you and if everything goes to plan we¡¯ll be able to get you your body back, even though I won¡¯t really know what to do with it when we do but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll feel better when you have it. So please, please, please don¡¯t hit me when you wake up. I¡¯m really sorry about constantly putting you to sleep but I swear this last time was the last time.¡±


    Neiman gave her the biggest smile he could and pressed his palms together to ask for forgiveness.


    ¡°Again, I¡¯m not young, so you might break something if you hit me.¡±


    Terra¡¯s mind was swimming with information when the old man¡¯s face flickered out of her vision and a dark lab greeted her. She was partially prepared to see his smiling old face since it had practically become a habit at that point and he had pretty much promised her further explanations when fully awoke, but there was no spectacled man waiting to meet her. In fact, there was nobody directly in front of her although she could make out the silhouettes of seven figures near the lab entrance, three of which she could tell were robots. Testing out her newest vision features, she switched the setting to ¡®Night¡¯ and a pale blue filter fell over the darkness, letting her make out her surroundings. Which was when she saw the body on the ground to her left.


    At first, Terra couldn¡¯t quite process why someone was lying down on the ground in the dark so her mind immediately thought the person was sleeping, but the vitality monitor in her vision gave her a solid green reading of someone without a pulse.


    ¡°Our sleeping beauty awakens!¡± A voice called out to her, startling Terra out of her staring contest at the dead body.


    When she turned she could identify Creedus immediately but had no idea who the three Patrollers pointing their guns at her were. Even though she should have been threatened by the presence of the seven figures grouped tightly less than twenty feet from her, she was more focused on the figure lying on the ground.


    Images of Roger flashed in her mind as she knelt by the frail figure and she was surprised by the sudden nostalgia--she hadn¡¯t thought about Roger in what seemed like ages, but the pool of blood that slicked Terra¡¯s knees and palms as she got down on the ground triggered the memories.


    Neiman looked peaceful as if he had simply laid down on the cold lab floor and decided to take a quick nap. Terra was confused as to how she had just seen him fine and well only a few moments ago, from both the recording and from right before she had been turned off, and now he was dead on the ground. She hadn¡¯t been his biggest fan or anything but it was disconcerting how he looked as if at any moment he would jump up and tell her he was just messing with her and then run more tests.


    ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re ignoring the people who have weapons?¡± Creedus asked in disbelief.


    Terra turned her head to face the person she had just seen a few moments ago excitedly explaining to her about the strange powder the team had removed from her old body. What was going on?


    ¡°Please cooperate with us or we¡¯ll have to use force. And these Combatants are the same model as you, so don¡¯t think about trying to fight back. Well, you were supposed to be a prototype, but GreenHouse was already working on the newest model even before Neiman came back. They don¡¯t--didn¡¯t--trust him very much.¡±


    Terra¡¯s mind was reeling. Only ten minutes ago her time she was in the brightly-lit lab room with the small crowd of eager roboticists inquiring about black crystals and trying to find the answers to the universe and Neiman apologizing about turning her off, and now Neiman was dead and Creedus was involved with the people who killed him? Terra was so fed up with always playing catch-up with the events happening around her; why couldn¡¯t everything be straightforward so she didn¡¯t have to keep guessing with what going on all the time?This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    She rose to her feet and faced the hostiles in front of her. The Patrollers were still holding their guns level at her but Terra knew bullets would have no effect on her. The Combatants at the human¡¯s sides concerned her since they did look more formidable than any others she had seen before. Like her, there were no exposed wires or interior structure as Illicon coated their entire metallic bodies, meaning that they could prove to be tough to break if she needed to fight them.


    ¡°Why is Neiman dead?¡± She bluntly asked.


    ¡°My superiors noticed odd behavior coming from him so I was told to keep close tabs on him. He didn¡¯t even suspect me the poor guy. Anywho, he planted a bunch of explosives and blew up three buildings so far and stole some important samples or something, so he had to be dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? Neiman bombed three buildings? Neiman?¡± Terra asked, flabbergasted. Who knew the old man had it in him? She felt like laughing since it was so ridiculous to think of that old man with the large glasses and the smile planting bombs like they were flowers and setting them off.


    ¡°I know, right? I thought my bosses were just being super paranoid but now I¡¯m in a shit-ton of trouble since he planted the explosives under my eye and caused millions of credits worth of damage. So it was him or me. And now it¡¯s you or me, and you know I¡¯m going to chose me, so I¡¯d much rather prefer you coming with us peacefully but I¡¯m not afraid of getting my hands a little dirty if I have to. Your choice.¡± Creedus said smugly with a gleam in his eye.


    ¡°Tempting offer, but I have to pass,¡± Terra stated.


    ¡°Well, I tried,¡± Creedus returned and motioned for the Combatants to move forward.


    Terra waited a few seconds as the robots got closer of their own accord before jumping into action. Neiman had turned her off by switching something in the back of her head so she was betting on the fact there may have been something similar implanted on these Combatants. Unfortunately, these robots were just as fast as her and one of them caught her in her torso while she was in thought.


    Terra flew back a few feet and had to use her hand to balance herself in a crouch before turning her attention to the bots again, and that was all the time it took for another one of the Combatants to land a hit to her knee while another circled around and pinned one of her arms behind her. To her shock, within the span of a second Terra was already disabled.


    ¡°They were made specifically with you in mind,¡± Creedus said while walking towards her. ¡°Up until now, there¡¯d been no reason to improve Combatants since there was no threat the current model couldn¡¯t handle. Once you came along, the other robot¡¯s teams finally had a purpose in life and got to have fun adding new improvements to the program and making the body itself sturdy enough to withstand attacks made by you. It didn¡¯t even matter that you got a special new body since everyone else did too.¡±


    Terra was still too surprised to comment back. To her memory, there wasn¡¯t a battle she hadn¡¯t lost. Well, besides that Alter monster ages ago, but that was two lifetimes ago and seemed irrelevant at the moment. She chastised herself for getting too cocky and not focusing all her attention on the improved robots and tried to look around for some sort of opening, but with all three Combatants pinning her to the ground there was no way for her to gain leverage to break away.


    Fear finally started setting in and she tried to struggle away from the robots holding her, causing Creedus to break out in laughter.


    ¡°You never stop do you?¡± He turned to the Patrollers near him. ¡°Turn her off so we can bring her to the main lab.¡±


    With the snide smile gone Creedus turned on his heels as the three Patrollers cautiously approached Terra with their guns still raised. Terra struggled harder as they got closer. There was no way she was getting turned off again!


    The sound of glass shattering from the back of the lab caused the Patrollers to nearly jump out of their skins and they shot into the darkness. A cloud of black dust flew directly at Terra and before she could react the cloud reformed into a dense mass and then dropped to floor in front of her. The Patrollers looked like they all wanted to shit themselves and leaped away from the object on the floor but Terra knew what it was.


    Seizing her chance, she ripped herself away from the Combatant gripping her arm and punched out the knee of the one holding her shoulder in place, giving her enough time to grab the black crystal at her knees. Not completely sure if it would respond to her she swung out to the robot who had still kept a solid grip on her left leg.


    At first, Terra didn¡¯t think she had managed to turn the crystal into a sword since the Combatant was still standing there gripping her leg, but she could clearly see the black sword in her hand, so then she worried that even the crystal couldn¡¯t cut through Illicon. Her hoped were lifted as the robot¡¯s body slowly slid apart at the torso, revealing a clean cut through the entire system.


    If Terra could smile, she would have been grinning ear to ear. She quickly turned and swung at the two other Combatants, effectively ending their reign over her--it felt good to win. When they both fell, however, she noticed one of them holding a robotic arm in their grasp and it took a moment for her to register that when she¡¯d broken free from the Combatant pinning her arm to her back, she had literally ripped her arm from its metal socket.


    Not entirely sure what to do, Terra grabbed her arm from the other robot¡¯s grip and held onto it awkwardly since now she was having to carry a sword and an arm. Fumbling with her arm she noticed that the Patrollers were long gone, one of them even leaving behind his gun.


    Terra tried grabbing the gun too but couldn¡¯t carry three things so she opted for trying to find some sort of bag to put everything in. The elation she had felt from winning a fight she was sure to lose if not for the help of the crystal wore off when she saw Neiman¡¯s body laying a few feet away.


    ¡°Oh, dear. I appear to have died.¡±


    Terra jumped at Neiman¡¯s voice and whipped her head around trying to find its source.


    ¡°Calm down, I installed an AI program that I¡¯ve been working on for decades. I had a lot of time in retirement to play around so I created it. Good thing too since I guess I died before I could really do anything in my plan. Speaking of, you should probably grab those bags over there and get a move on since those Patrollers will be coming back with more Combatants. Cool sword by the way.¡±


    Terra was at a loss for words so she just did what the voice in her head told her to.


    ¡°Oh, and search my pockets since I¡¯ve still got a few more buttons to press.¡±


    ¡°You want me to search through a dead man¡¯s pockets?¡± Terra asked incredulously.


    ¡°It is my body.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and mine is in a tube somewhere but I don¡¯t see anyone digging around in my pockets.¡±


    ¡°Believe me, the scientists have dug around in your genetics rather than your pockets, and I¡¯m at least giving you my consent.¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to argue anymore with the discombobulated voice in her head so she quickly stuck her hand in Neiman¡¯s pockets until she heard the sound of metal against plastic and she carefully drew out a handful of switches and dropped them into one of the bags along with her detached arm.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s get this show on the road!¡± Neiman¡¯s voice cheerfully said. ¡°Let¡¯s go rescue Indo and Petri and get you your body back!¡±

 Chapter 45: Glowing Cloud In The Sky

    Terra peaked around the corner but immediately stayed at the lab doorway when she saw two Patrollers sprint down the hallway, most likely meaning there were others around.


    ¡°If we¡¯re sharing the same body, why can¡¯t you reattach my arm?¡± Terra asked the Neiman AI.


    ¡°Have you ever tried to do surgery blind? Making robots isn¡¯t easy, much less trying to reattach wires and running diagnostics from this perspective and with only one arm. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a body for me here somewhere but there¡¯s no time. In Onto there¡¯s one, so, for now, you¡¯ll just have to make do with me in your head and dealing with one arm.¡±


    ¡°Look, I can¡¯t do much with one arm. I¡¯m carrying two bags, one of which has my other goddamn arm, and a weapon. We run into any trouble and we¡¯re screwed.¡±


    ¡°I have taken that into account,¡± Neiman stated. ¡°Luckily for you, I am fully programmed and am not limited by human capacities. I have infiltrated the security monitors, so if you simply act when I tell you to, we won¡¯t need to run into any unnecessary action, although it is entertaining to watch you beat the crap out of people.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t enjoy it,¡± Terra admitted. Her new body was pretty cool, despite the evident lack of one arm.


    ¡°When I get transferred to another body, I desperately need to run a psych eval on you because you clearly have issues.¡±


    Terra was about to make a snarky remark back but a handful of Scouts and Patrollers ran past them so she kept her mouth shut.


    ¡°Go straight now and make an immediate right and tuck behind the pillar.¡±


    She rushed forward and did as she was told, narrowly being spotted by a person in an orange uniform.


    ¡°That was close, Neiman,¡± she hissed quietly.


    ¡°I never said it wasn¡¯t going to be. I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but there are a lot of people running around, so it¡¯s going to be tight getting to Petri.¡±


    Terra sucked up her pride and her words and followed his orders to the dot since she was not in fit fighting condition at all. Not that she couldn¡¯t if it came down to it but it would be messy since she still felt as if she had her left arm and kept catching herself off balance. At a certain point in their traveling through the hallways, a set of Patrollers had gotten a glimpse of her and she was forced to push one of the switches she had swiped from Neiman¡¯s pockets, which distracted them as a distant boom was heard and another set of alarms erupted.


    ¡°Alright, the hallway is clear. Two guards are in the room with Petri, but if you catch them by surprise you can easily take them down. Or you could just pretend you¡¯ve come to take him away since you are a Combatant and no one suspects you, but I can already guess what option you want to take.¡±


    Terra nodded and ran down the hallway as quickly as she could, stopping right in front of the door that read ¡°Reserved for Pharmaceutical Property.¡± She swallowed her questions and dropped the two bags on the floor, leaving her hand free to carry her black crystal sword. Staring at the sharp weapon, she warped the crystal to a baton since she would feel bad slicing people in half just for doing their jobs. Plus, it would be really messy and she felt a blunt object would be a little safer to carry around anyways. Steeling herself, she went for the doorknob with her other hand and ran directly into the metal door, completely forgetting, not for the first time, that she only had one arm. Awkwardly fumbling with the knob since she had her baton in her hand, her element of surprise was lost when one of the guards opened the door for her.


    ¡°What is a Combatant doing here?¡± The guard threw the question in the air in no direction.


    ¡°Pharmaceutical Division has recalled Petri to the labs,¡± Terra said quickly, changing the sound her voice to match what she thought a robot would sound like.


    ¡°What the shit? That Combatant can talk!¡± Both guards¡¯ hands fell to the guns at their sides.


    ¡°So much for the element of surprise,¡± Neiman said and Terra just struggled in agreement. She should have just kicked the door open like she had originally wanted to but had wanted to prove Neiman wrong about choosing the less violent option.


    Not wasting any more time, Terra swung her baton at the torso of the guard closest to her and was surprised when she heard something crack and saw his body fly against the wall where it crumpled into a pile. Up until then, Terra had only fought other robots in her new body and had to go all-out to be on equal ground, but against actual people, it was too easy. She turned and saw the other guard literally faint when their eyes met, making her job even easier.


    Terra turned and saw Petri was sitting up in his hospital bed, eyes wide with fear as he saw the large robot easily take out both of his guards. He broke eye contact and leaped out of bed, wincing in pain and gripping his side as he grabbed the gun of the guard that had fainted. With a shaking hand, he lifted the gun at Terra.


    ¡°Petri, it¡¯s me,¡± Terra said after altering her voice to sound more like her original one, internally smiling at the gusto Petri was showing.


    His eyes reflected his confusion and using one of his hands to tell her to keep talking.


    ¡°Terra. It¡¯s Terra,¡± she said. ¡°Do you like my new body? It¡¯s super cool. I totally took out a bunch of robots to get here which is why I¡¯m missing an arm. Ohh, can you help me carry the bags? It¡¯s really hard carrying all this stuff with one hand.¡±


    Petri¡¯s arm lowered and a smile broke out on his face and he sprinted forward and gave Terra a hug. He quickly broke it off and reached into his pocket where he drew out a pen and notepad.


    Vocal cords removed. Can¡¯t speak. Where¡¯s Indo?


    Terra was dumbstruck. Petri¡¯s vocal cords were removed? Why? Who would do something like that? She wanted to ask, but Petri urgently pointed to his own question written on the notepad and she was brought back to reality.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to rescue him now.¡±


    Petri nodded and knelt by the fainted guard and stripped him of his uniform, quickly donning it himself. It only took three minutes for Petri to get fully changed but he looked entirely believable when he was done.


    ¡°Alrighty then, let¡¯s get moving!¡± Neiman¡¯s cheerful voice said, but Petri made no indication of reacting to it. ¡°Go down this hallway until you reach a set of elevators. You¡¯ll need to go up eight stories and then just walk down the hallway until you reach the Interrogation room. They never moved him since he was a low priority in comparison with the safety of the Patrollers.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Terra said, drawing a confused expression from Petri but he followed her nonetheless, gripping one of the bags in his hands while Terra carried the other. A few Patrollers were already waiting for the elevator as they approached them.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Terra whispered in a panic to Neiman.


    ¡°Nothing. A Combatant carrying two bags by itself is suspicious, but a guard and Combatant with bags of equipment is completely natural. Just don¡¯t talk and you don¡¯t need to do anything.¡±


    Terra and Petri stood by the group who were busy chatting amongst themselves. A few of them gave them odd looks as they all boarded the elevator together.


    ¡°So who exactly are you going to escort if you get your own Combatant? Is it someone dangerous? Maybe that crazy old scientist from the junkyard?¡± One of asked Petri in the elevator.


    Petri grimaced at the questions but kept his eyes focused on the doors ahead of him, ignoring the inquiring mind. The Patroller wasn¡¯t taking the silence as an indication of stopping though.


    ¡°They say the virus that got released was created by that old guy and the bombs were planted by that gay guy he lived with at that trash yard. I hope they both pay for their crimes against GreenHouse. Actually, we¡¯re going to beat the shit out of the scientist right now if you want to join us. I¡¯ve been going there every afternoon. It¡¯s extremely therapeutic.¡± A chorus of nodding heads and mumbles of agreement rose from around the two from the other Patrollers. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll take it into our own hands to finally end that miserable son-of-a-bitch¡¯s life and end his reign of terrorism over us!¡± A louder chorus of whoops and hollers rose around them but was silenced when Petri drove his fist into the Patroller¡¯s nose.


    The Patroller didn¡¯t have any chance to recuperate since Petri continued to throw a barrage of punches at his face. Terra peeled Petri off the limp Patroller¡¯s body just as the elevator door dinged open and dragged him away from the shocked faces of the others, struggling to handle Petri and all the luggage at once.


    ¡°Wow. I didn¡¯t know he had it in him.¡± Neiman said proudly. ¡°I¡¯m glad Indo had him.¡±


    Petri broke away from Terra¡¯s grip and straightened out his uniform and wiped away some of the blood that had flicked up on his cheeks, making a beeline straight to the Interrogation room.


    He burst through and stood with mouth agape for a few seconds before rushing to Indo¡¯s side. Terra simply stood there in the doorway in disbelief of the condition Indo was in. According to her vitality monitor, Indo¡¯s heart rate was half what it was supposed to be and there was a massive amount of internal hemorrhaging in his abdomen along with a burst eardrum and four broken ribs and two fractures in his right upper arm. His face was too swollen and bloody to recognize, his hair matted a dark red with congealed blood as his head hung limply against his restraints.


    Terra helped Petri undo the rope around Indo¡¯s arms and legs.


    ¡°Pe..tri?¡± Indo choked out as a glob of blood fell from his bleeding mouth.


    Petri cupped Indo¡¯s head in his hands and tried to wipe away the blood that prevented Indo from seeing anything. All the blood that he wiped away revealed a discolored bruise which contorted Indo¡¯s face in pain, so Petri ended up giving up his task and settled on planting a quick kiss on the scientist¡¯s forehead before trying to help him to his feet. Indo collapsed as soon as his bottom left his chair so Petri draped his arm under Indo¡¯s armpit to help support the larger man.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to get your body this way,¡± Neiman stated. ¡°We might be able to escape without retrieving your body, but it¡¯ll still be tight.¡±


    Terra looked at Indo and Petri struggling together to move forward. As much as she wanted to feel the wind against her skin and taste eggs, she wasn¡¯t going to sacrifice those two to get it.


    ¡°We can always come back for it,¡± Terra said hopefully although she knew this would be the only chance to get it back. ¡°What¡¯s the new plan?¡±


    ¡°The Patrollers in the elevator are about to reach your door. Taken them all out and steal their security badges, that¡¯ll let you get a vehicle. You need to go down the stairs since word has already spread about a rogue guard and Combatant so they¡¯ve shut down the elevators. Patrollers coming in three...two..¡±


    Terra dropped the bags and gripped her baton, ready for combat. The instant she saw the doorknob turn, she kicked the metal door forward, taking down three Patrollers in the process. It was incredibly satisfying seeing the surprised faces of the blue-uniformed officers as her six-foot-self rose from the door she had blown off its hinges. Two ran away while two stayed. She barely had to swing her weapon at all to decommission them from the ¡®fight¡¯.


    ¡°Alright, now others are coming. Either get out now or face the entire GreenHouse Combatant squad by yourself. Need I remind you that you only have one arm and you are now responsible for two others?¡±


    That sudden realization broke Terra into action and she ran towards the two slowly made their way forward into the hallway, having to step over the fallen bodies of Patrollers. Terra grabbed one of the bags and scooped Indo up and slung him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.


    ¡°Grab the other bag and let¡¯s go!¡± She cried out to Petri as she started running down the corridor.


    Petri did as he was told and followed at Terra¡¯s heels.


    ¡°Change of plans.¡± Neiman suddenly said. ¡°Turn left here.¡±


    Terra did as she was told. They made a few more turns and run down a few flights of stairs before Neiman¡¯s orders stopped coming. She was about to try and goad him out and ask why he¡¯s stopped, but Petri started leading the way.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Terra questioned but still followed.


    ¡°He¡¯s...been here longer...than anyone.¡± Indo wheezed. ¡°He knows...what he¡¯s doing.¡±


    Terra was still skeptical since the corridors Petri was leading them down had incredibly dim lighting and were looking more grimy and gritty than the fluorescent-lit hallways that seemed to line the interior of the buildings she had been in. But then again, she hadn¡¯t really had a grand tour of the place and had to trust Petri¡¯s judgment in this condition.


    They stopped in front of a large metal-bolted door. Petri looked at Terra expectantly and pointed, but Terra wasn¡¯t sure what he wanted. Finally, Petri made a kicking motion and Terra felt stupid for not getting the gist earlier. It took two kicks to bust through and the freedom Terra was expecting was shot down as they entered an even dimmer room with machines and equipment in it. Petri ran to one of the control panels and started furiously typing away.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Terra asked. ¡°I thought we were escaping?¡±


    ¡°Sorry to disappoint,¡± Neiman said. ¡°I heard Indo and Petri talking about this place so I rerouted us.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t get it. I thought we were getting out?¡±


    ¡°That was the original plan, yes, but even if we do get out Indo isn¡¯t going to make it by the time we get somewhere we can apply first-aid,¡± Neiman said sadly. ¡°This is his last stand.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Terra said in defiance. ¡°Where¡¯s the exit? I can run really fast to the hospital or something and fix him! Indo and Petri can go back to the bunker and I can draw attention away from them and then they can live together until they get old. For all I know I could live forever in this robot body so I can just keep all the eyes on me so people forget all about them. Just tell me where the exit is so we can help Indo!¡± Terra screamed at the voice in her head.


    ¡°Help me...there¡­¡± Indo coughed and weakly pointed at the central control where Petri was at.


    Terra fought back the urge to keep him on her shoulder and run away to find an exit by herself but the longing look in Petri¡¯s eyes kept her in the dark room. With help from Petri Terra gently nudged Indo off her shoulder and rested him on a stool and scooted him in front of the console.


    As soon as he was in front of the panel, he typed away at the screen, focused on the strange language Terra didn¡¯t recognize on the console. After less than a minute typing, a red alarm starting blaring throughout the room.


    ¡°Warning. Imbalance in cooling systems. Switching to backup systems. Switchi---Danger. Backup system disabled. Manually engage systems otherwise melt-down is imminent. Danger. Manua--All systems failed. Danger. All systems failed. Melt-down eminent. Evacuate. Evacuate.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Terra yelled, tearing away Indo¡¯s hands from the keyboard, but the damage had already been done.


    ¡°Green...House...pay...back.¡± Indo said, his cheek twitching in an attempt at a smile.


    Indo fell from his stool but was caught by Petri. Petri gently cradled Indo¡¯s shoulders and head into his lap and sat down with his back leaning against the main panel.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Terra hollered at Indo, but he had already closed his eyes. Terra looked pleadingly at Petri in a hope for answers.


    Tears rolled from Petri¡¯s eyes and dropped onto Indo¡¯s bloodied face but he adorned a smile that spoke volumes. His smile spoke of the times before Terra had entered their world, the struggles they faced together, and the fleeting moments of happiness they had felt.


    Petri seemed to have read Terra¡¯s intention to scoop him up against his will to drag him away from the room and drew out the notepad he had kept and handed it to her. She took it in her hand and found that the majority of it had been filled in Petri¡¯s minuscule handwriting, telling of stories during his time at GreenHouse and about his travels with Indo.


    Terra looked back at Petri and saw that blood was running down his nose and was leaking from the corners of his eyes. He gave a slight cough that soon escalated to vomiting on the floor next to him. Petri didn¡¯t move, however, and continued wiping away the blood from Indo¡¯s face with a smile on his face.


    ¡°We need to move. Now,¡± Neiman said.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t leave them!¡±


    ¡°They made this choice many years ago. If you truly cared for them, leave them be and get out so you can finish what they started.¡± Neiman stated. ¡°Please.¡±


    Terra turned away and grabbed the bags in her hand, fighting the urge to turn back because she knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to leave if she did.


    Following Neiman¡¯s instructions she passed back down the hallways she had come from and went up a few flights of stairs before reaching the ground floor. People were vomiting blood and running around like maniacs when she reached the Patroller division¡¯s lobby, everyone too concerned about what was going on than paying attention to the one-armed robot carrying two bags and a baton.


    Nobody paid her any mind as she casually strolled out the front doors past fallen bodies that had succumbed to radiation poisoning. She debated stealing a car but found that running away from the building let her focus on the obstacles in front of her and kept her mind off the two people she had abandoned in her attempt to escape.


    She used to hate both of them with a passion when she had first entered this world but had grown used to their mannerisms. It hurt her chest to think about them, and that was the first time she had felt pain in ages. She didn¡¯t like it. She preferred the physical torture over this pain any day.


    A sudden white flash accentuated her shadow in front of her and a hot whoosh of air flew past her. She turned and saw a white mushroom rise in the distance right where the lab had been. Her knees gave out and she fell to the dusty ground and watched the cloud rise to the red sky like a bird as red flames licked at its base. A small part of her had hoped that maybe a crew had been sent to investigate the sudden meltdown and had found Indo and Petri and had taken them into custody but gave them medical attention and Terra would be able to rescue them again.


    She had lost the people she had cared about. She had lost her body because she had made the wrong choice. She was just a one-armed robot looking for a place to fit in. The world seemed to have different plans for her made apparent by the glowing cloud in the sky.

 Chapter 46: Two Weeks

    895G was driving as fast as he could down the road when the tires of his vehicle suddenly locked and he came to a heart-stopping drifting stop on the loose dusty road. Had there been any sort of obstacles around him he surely would have plowed through it but luckily there had been none. Unfortunately, it also meant that he was alone in the middle of the dusty plains in between cities and there was no one to aid him.


    He pushed open the door cursing and popped open the front hood, pondering what all the mechanics did for a frustrating ten minutes before kicking one of the tires and scooping out the bag from the passenger seat to make the rest of the trek on foot. The Scout had been trained in basic mechanics but had forgotten much of the technical materials over the years of not using the information, although he did know that either something had gone wrong with the vehicle itself or the headquarters had found out that he had stolen the vehicle and cut the connection, therefore stopping the car in its tracks. If that was the case, then the rest of the Scouts and Patrollers would know that he killed the Head Scout and would be on a search for him so he needed to get moving as quickly as possible to Onto.


    He grumbled the entire three hours walk to Yunto, having flashbacks to having to walk there with Indo and Petri and the robot. Granted, he was glad he didn¡¯t have an electric collar binding him to them, but he did miss the company since the only thing he could entertain himself with were dark thoughts of what GreenHouse would do to him if they ever caught him.


    After what seemed like ages, he made it to the outskirts of Yunto and was glad to see no Patrollers around. Ignoring the nagging thought of the undercover agents whom he didn¡¯t recognize may be wandering the streets searching for him he continued walking into the bustling heart of the city. His goal was to buy passage to Hollindayse but he doubted he would get the posh accommodations he had gotten before with the group he had traveled with before. No, he would most likely need to find a smuggler in order to make it on any sort of ferry.


    With a goal in mind, he passed through the center of the city until he found a less than favorable neighborhood and entered a hole-in-the-wall bar that read ¡°Broken Sun¡± in neon lights where the ¡®e¡¯ and ¡®u¡¯ were broken, adding to the vibe of the place. Steeling himself, 895G entered the bar, clutching the bag even closer to him as the dark interior sent shutters down his spine. Although he had just committed murder a few hours ago, the faces that growled at him through the dimly-lit decor proved to him that he would never stop being a coward.


    Gritting his teeth he took a seat in the back corner of the bar under a broken light, hoping that the lack of light would hide the fear he was attempting to conceal. It seemed to work as the characters in the bar ignored him and nobody approached him, granting him a small victory. Looking around, he tried his best to spot the seediest person he could find and hope that if he somehow managed to muster up the courage to talk to them that he could gain passage on the next ferry to Hollindayse. After a few minutes of searching among the faces, he postponed his mission to sate his curiosity as to what the bag the old scientist had given him held.


    Unzipping the bag he dipped his hands into its contents and brought out a few things at a time as to not draw suspicion from anyone and goad anyone into mugging him. To his pleasant surprise, there was a gun at the bottom which he dutifully tucked into the inside of his jacket pocket. There was a steel respirator on top which he would put on once his atmosphere injections wore off, a portable screen, a small beeping cylinder with an orange light flickering on its face, the black container housing the vials of Ambrosia, a few sets of clothes, a box of bullets, three bottles of water, a week¡¯s worth of dry rations, five mid-sized charged power cores, a set of metal keys, and a map.


    He opened up the map first to check out just how far he had to travel to get to Onto. He¡¯d never had to leave the continent of Wivern so he didn¡¯t know what lay past the ocean so he was unsure just how much farther Onto was once he somehow gained passage from Tinyon. A pit of doubt settled into his stomach when he saw that Onto was fifty clicks from the coast of Payal; it would take at least a few days of travel just to get to Tinyon, a week of travel on the ship to Payal, and then another few days walk to Onto. 895G groaned at the thought of the next two weeks of spending time on the road, every second outdoors meaning there was a chance a Patroller could spot him and turn him into GreenHouse. Unless maybe the security footage had been somehow destroyed and no one knew that he had killed the Head? The Scout shook his head of the hopeful idea and went back to investigating the contents of the bag.


    The power cores meant nothing to him and he tucked them back into the bag; if the old man had packed them there must have been a reason although he didn¡¯t see it immediately. He twirled the blinking cylinder in his fingers before packing that away as well since there didn¡¯t seem to be anything special about it.


    Pressing his hand on the portable screen 895G watched as the welcome menu came up as the computer booted up for, apparently, the first time. Waiting a few minutes as the thing booted up he scanned the bar to find the right seedy face, landing on a face he thought was familiar. Squinting through the lack of light he tried to place the guy¡¯s face but couldn¡¯t quite get his finger on it. If anything he may have just flipped past the guy¡¯s mug shot during the Scout¡¯s weekly memorization meetings when Scouts and Patrollers would have to sit for however long it took them to memorize the newest faces of those they had to search for. 895G wished he had paid closer attention rather than just storing the information in his brain long enough to get out of the annoyingly long meeting. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The computer¡¯s screen popped up and immediate notifications caught his eye. The most immediate update took over the viewing window and the video started playing.


    ¡°-rrorist attack on Headquarter Three leaving two-thousand dead and the number still rising. It is still unsure as to what happened but there is no doubt the nuclear reactor did not malfunction and foul play is involved.


    Recent security footage was recovered from before the accident showing a Combatant running from the building clutching bags. We suspect someone has hacked into the prototype machine and is using it to satisfy some desire to cause as much destruction against GreenHouse as possible. No organization is claiming responsibility but it is speculated that the Old World Force is behind the attack because of their recent increase in radical action against GreenHouse organizations and cities. If you see any suspicious activities, please report to the nearest Patroller station.


    These attacks also resulted in the loss of a legend. Neiman Lecolds, the Head Roboticist when the first Efficiency models were released, perished in the attacks today. Nearly sixty years ago he released the first robots and since then our technology has improved year after year exponentially. Retirement couldn¡¯t stop him as he often visited the labs and oversaw prototype production. The newest Combatant model was being finalized when the explosions occurred and Lecolds, the father of robotics, was killed. We will never forget him and the impact he has had on all of our lives.


    In response to the recent threat, GreenHouse has pushed the production of Combatants and is releasing the newest models tomorrow. Stay tune--¡±


    895G¡¯s ears were ringing when he forcefully shut down the screen. The images that had flashed by while the voice was talking were striking cords. The entirety of headquarters had been completely vaporized by an explosion and there was nothing left. The academy was gone. His apartment was gone. The Scout division was gone. Everything that he thought would always be there had gone up in flames and it shook him to the core. A small part of him told him he should be relieved since there was little chance of anyone looking for him after this incident; he was a small fry in comparison with the Old World Force.


    Taking in a shaky breath he looked up from the screen, needing a distraction from the despairing update he had just received, and almost pissed himself when three men were standing at his table glaring at him.


    ¡°I know you.¡± The largest man stated.


    ¡°I--I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met,¡± 895G said, trying his best to not let his voice crack.


    The man slammed his fist down on the table and the Scout fell backward, catching himself on the wall and shoving his hand into his jacket to grab his gun. The two men standing at the largest man¡¯s side had already drawn their weapons at the sight of 895G reaching for his own and the Scout was forced to show his hands in order to avoid getting shot.


    ¡°I don¡¯t forget a face.¡± The man growled. ¡°You¡¯re one of the three with the robot. You split up with your buddies?¡±


    It took a moment for 895G to realize what this guy was talking about, recalling the time the Efficiency model had beaten the crap out of three thugs who had tried to steal it for their own gain. It seemed like years ago but in all reality, it had been less than three weeks ago.


    ¡°N-no. They...umm¡­¡± 895G didn¡¯t know how to explain the last couple weeks in a sentence to sate the anger the man was feeling towards him.


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯ll strike up a deal with you. Bring me the Efficiency and we won¡¯t kill you. Sound alright to you?¡± The man said in an even tone, somehow sounding even more menacing than when he was raising his voice.


    ¡°You don¡¯t ge--¡± 895G started, trying to explain his situation.


    ¡°And here I thought I made it simple enough for someone like you to understand. Either you get the Efficiency or you die. I think the choice is pretty simple unless you¡¯re trying to hide it for some reason?¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s complicated. I don¡¯t even know where it is!¡± 895G yelled, drawing a few curious glances his way. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing right now. You saw that Efficiency was different, right? Well, it escaped and we¡¯re hunting it down. We split up to cover more ground but can¡¯t contact one another because we¡¯re wanted by Patrollers.¡±


    A trickle of sweat ran down the nape of the Scout¡¯s neck as he tried his hand at lying his way through the situation. The three men narrowed their eyes in suspicion and seemed to be contemplating his words, giving the Scout a string of hope to hang on to.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re stupid or a bad liar but you¡¯re not fooling anyone. But in case you are telling the truth, there¡¯s no way we¡¯re going to pass up the chance to make double and let the Efficiency slip through our figures. I¡¯ve got a bone to pick with it.¡±


    The large man straightened up to his full height and cracked his fingers, dashing whatever hope the Scout had to get out of the situation. There was no way for him to make a break for it either since he had backed himself into a corner and the three men left no openings large enough for him to squeeze through. He was sure that if he tried they would show no mercy in beating the shit out of him and he knew that none of the patrons at the bar would stoop so low as to help him either.


    ¡°Fine, I guess I can take a few more guys on my crew, but you better not slow me down,¡± 895G said in the toughest voice he could muster.


    This caused the men to laugh heartily.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t find it within a week we¡¯re killing you.¡±


    ¡°Two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    The man stepped aside and made a grand sweeping motion with his hand to tell 895G to lead the way. Shoving everything back into his bag the Scout walked ahead of the group and tried to cover his fear with a look of confidence.


    His hope now was to convince these scary men that the Efficiency was in Onto and hopefully an idea would come to him as to how to escape from the watch of the men. It was either that or find the Efficiency model that had been most likely been destroyed in the explosion in the labs. No matter the option, it seemed like in two weeks he was going to die no matter what.

 Chapter 47: Renewed Hope On The Horizon

    ¡°We need to keep moving if we don¡¯t want to get caught.¡±


    Neiman¡¯s voice echoed in Terra¡¯s head but it barely registered as she stood in the light of the cloud. Her mind had gone completely numb along with the rest of her body, but then again she never felt it in the first place.


    ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re not going to move then I will.¡±


    Terra watched from her perspective as her body started moving without her consent, turning her around to face the dusty plains and her elongated shadows that pointed towards the nearest city on the horizon.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Terra cried in alarm as she realized Neiman had somehow overridden her will to stand still.


    ¡°No, what are you doing? We can¡¯t stay in one place for multiple reasons. One, there¡¯s no reason to keep staring since there¡¯s nothing we can do. Two, the longer we stay the quicker GreenHouse agents will catch us and need I remind you that we were the ones that did that? Three, there¡¯s a reason why things went down the way they did and we shouldn¡¯t take Indo and Petri¡¯s sacrifice in vain.¡±


    Terra¡¯s body bent down and unzipped one of the bags and removed a set of clothes meant for someone shorter than a six-foot robot and clumsily put them on. As a finishing touch, the respirator with the skull painted on it was placed crookedly on her face as to cover her odd mask.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I just have a moment to take a breath? I haven¡¯t had a chance to get my thoughts together since I was captured and forcefully turned off constantly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have lots of moments to think on our way to Onto. Oh, and four, we don¡¯t run on unlimited energy like the Efficiency did, so we need a power source otherwise we may have all the time in the word when we shut down in the middle of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Terra could feel Neiman sighing exasperatingly and suddenly felt self-conscious about knowing so little about how the world worked and about the body she was in.


    ¡°The Efficiency body you possessed had been modified to absorb any and all light and convert that into energy but that was because Indo worked his magic and Efficiency bodies use little energy and are small. Combatant bodies are meant to exert a large amount of energy in small spurts and have large, inefficient bodies that are meant to quickly subdue an enemy and then get recharged. I modified your body so you use half the amount of energy needed than others but it still means you need fuel cells, which are in the bag ahead of us.¡±


    Before Terra could ask about what bag he was talking about, Neiman turned on her tracker display and began explaining how it worked.


    ¡°That red line in the far distance is where the bag is currently. We know that the end goal is Onto but we don¡¯t have enough power to make it there, we have thirty hours maximum before systems fail. We don¡¯t have any backup power, so when those thirty hours are up, they¡¯re up, unless we can procure another cell along the way. Our best bet is to intercept the bag and replace the cells then. According to my calculations the bag should be twenty hours away if it remains in place, which I know it won¡¯t, so we need to get moving immediately.¡±


    Terra just wanted to give up and forget about everything. Where was Alter and her dark world when she needed it? The idea of simply staying still until her power drained was tempting but Neiman clearly wasn¡¯t taking no for an answer and Terra disliked the thought of being forcefully moved around against her will more than the need to stay put.


    She turned around one last time and said goodbye to her two companions and then ran towards the red beckon in the sky.


    It was made clear very quickly that traveling at high speeds was exhilarating for a few seconds, and then boring the next hundred. Neiman wasn¡¯t a very good conversationalist either as he spoke mostly in technical terms and was entirely too pedantic for Terra¡¯s tastes. She tried finding ways to occupy her mind while she ran but there wasn¡¯t anything other than the faces of Indo and Petri when she left them in the reactor room. After too long in silence and with the snapshot images of the death of the two people she¡¯d known the longest in her short life constantly flashing before her eyes, she recalled the small notepad Petri had shoved into her hands right before she¡¯d left.


    While still running at top speed, Terra managed to somehow hook the two bags in the nook of her elbow while fumbling around in the interior of the bags until she found the notepad and drew it out. She flipped it open and zoomed in on the small handwriting, eager to learn more about Petri and Indo while they were alive than focusing on the moment of their deaths:Stolen story; please report.


    I hated Indo when I first met him. Not the sexual tension will-they-won¡¯t-they hate, but actual I-want-to-burn-his-face-off hatred. He was such a cocky bastard when he walked into the Pharmaceutical division asking for some lab rats because he was running ¡®important research.¡¯ He put up such a fuss when his request was denied since everyone claimed they had important research they needed us on and he wasn¡¯t going to be an exception. You should have seen his face! Priceless.


    Well, he came back every day for the next week demanding he got test subjects and each time he would raise such a fuss that one of the newer lab rats would end up crying because they couldn¡¯t handle the stress of a grown man screaming at the head lab assistant. I finally cracked and slapped him across his pretty little face and he stopped coming after that. Looking back it wasn¡¯t my proudest moment since it turned out I was ten years older than him, but I felt pretty proud of myself.


    As the oldest lab rat, I was given certain freedoms not granted to the others since I had such a high immunity to so many toxins and viruses that the scientists let me wander the buildings whenever I wanted so long as I get back in time for my testing times. Indo had peaked my interest since he¡¯d been the most interesting thing to happen in the lab in a very long time and I really wanted some sort of release. I figured that if I riled him up I could get into a nice fighting match or something.


    I guess it was then when our friendship started up. I ended up sneaking into the robotics labs whenever I had free time since I knew he was almost always there and we¡¯d just talk. I apologized after the fifth time visiting him since I it was then I saw that the guy was just really passionate about his work and not just some asshole wanting lab rats for their own purposes.


    I guess it just became second nature for me and Indo to be together since we were referred to as the ¡®wonder duo¡¯ around the labs. I even helped Indo try out his robotic remote controls, which people misconstrued and the rumor that Indo was transferring human minds into robots was started. There was no mind transferring or whatever they called it, Indo was just trying to remotely control robots out in the field. People will seriously make rumors out of anything.


    Probably a few years into getting to know one another I was injected with a human-created super virus to see how I¡¯d fare, and all I can say is that I survived, but just barely. I guess I was in a coma for two months but I don¡¯t remember a bit. When I woke up, Indo was there and he looked even worse than me. I think that was when I knew I was in love with him, but I didn¡¯t want to risk my friendship with Indo for something trivial like that.


    Apparently, Indo had fought to keep me under until they found a cure since usually they just dispose of lab rats if something bad, like a coma, happened. Lucky me I guess. Indo was different after that. He was more distant and reclusive and sometimes didn¡¯t say a word when I went to meet him. When I confronted him about it, he led me to the nuclear reactor and showed me how to operate it, and then explained that he had a plan to escape from the place since he¡¯d learned its dark secrets.


    He refused to tell me exactly what it was and only told me that GreenHouse is the enemy and should be stopped by all extents and purposes.


    At first, I refused since I¡¯d never even taken a step outside, but I could tell that he was completely serious and I had nothing to lose, so I told him I¡¯d follow him.


    It took us a year to get the necessary connections to leave, but we finally did, and it was dramatic. I¡¯d talked with my fellow rats and learned that the majority of them wanted death over the medicinal torture they had to endure, so per my request Indo¡¯s contact dutifully destroyed the lab rat facilities and incubation centers. Their deaths are on my hands, not Indo¡¯s. We were never able to set off the nuclear reactor though, and I¡¯m glad we didn¡¯t. Lab rats are tortured and longed for death, and we didn¡¯t want to kill people who weren¡¯t ready to die.


    We stole an untraceable Patrol vehicle and went on to explore the world. Or I thought we were out exploring the world since I thought that was our number one goal once we¡¯d escaped, but Indo had other plans. I won¡¯t bore you with the details and I¡¯m running out of space, but we went out hunting the old world gas canisters. It turns out that GreenHouse hadn¡¯t actually decommissioned any of them and they were all still armed and ready to explode at the push of a button. I think the button is at the GreenHouse Central Building, but that¡¯s only a guess. It took us fifteen years but we disarmed whatever ones we had access to and marked them on a map. We ran into some problems along the way regarding the politics of border crossing between countries while being fugitives of GreenHouse, but we did find a few allies on the way.


    Whoever finds this, whether ally of GreenHouse or not, GreenHouse will fall. There are people like Indo and me who will keep fighting to end their reign and bring about a new world. One where children aren¡¯t brought up to be experimented on. A world where we can all breathe the air around us without having to get injections or wear a mask. One where---


    Petri¡¯s writing tapered off into a scribble although there were still a few pages left in the notepad and Terra guessed it was from when she burst into the room and took out the two guards assigned to him. She wished he had written more details about...well anything in general. After reading the excerpt she had more questions than before but now there was no one to answer them. Where had they traveled to? What other countries were there? Where was the map that they marked the gas canisters on? What were the canisters and why would they explode? Who were their allies? What had GreenHouse done that was so bad that Indo and Petri had died to destroy one of their facilities? How many facilities were there in total?


    Her mind flashed back to Petri holding Indo in the darkened room and instead of the gaping sadness she had felt mere minutes ago, she felt a resolve build within her. She was going to finish what they started.


    Dropping the notepad back into one of the bags, Terra set her sights on the red line of light in the sky ahead of her.

 Chapter 48: May The Gods Be Ever In Your Favor

    895G shifted uncomfortably between the two smaller bandits stuffed in the back seat of the vehicle clearly meant for only two passengers. The larger bandit was sitting up front with no one sitting in the empty seat next to him and the Scout wondered why not even one of his partners sat with him since they weren¡¯t exactly happy sitting in the tight space with him.


    ¡°Come on Brit, can¡¯t I sit up front?¡± The bandit to 895G¡¯s right piped up.


    ¡°If he gets to sit up front then why can¡¯t I?¡± The one to the left retorted.


    ¡°This is exactly why no one gets to sit up front,¡± Brit spoke up from the wheel. ¡°And I don¡¯t trust our new companion to not jump out of the car if he sat up here, so you just have to deal with it ¡®til we get to our ship.¡±


    The two bandits in the back grumbled and cursed under their breaths but didn¡¯t fight back.


    ¡°So why exactly are we having to make the long-ass trip to Onto?¡± Brit asked gruffly.


    ¡°The tracker we had installed in the Efficiency went online momentarily in Onto and it¡¯s the only lead we¡¯ve gotten in a week so I was ¡®volunteered¡¯ to go there.¡± 895G tried his best to sound as if he was annoyed by the imaginary partners he had to sell the story he was still in the process of weaving.


    ¡°So it might not even be there.¡±


    ¡°...Yes.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re risking your week of life left in the hopes that the Efficiency is in Onto since it¡¯ll take an entire week to get there.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Ballsy. We might get along.¡±


    The Scout nearly let out an air of relief but caught himself.


    ¡°So what do we call you?¡± The bandit to the right asked. ¡°I¡¯m Regal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Jeringy.¡± The one to the left chimed.


    ¡°Eigh--,¡± 895G opened his mouth and almost automatically stated his name when he suddenly remembered that his name gave away his affiliation with GreenHouse.


    Naturally conceived children were always given names since it was tradition, but all those created in the cloning process was given a numerical and alphabetical mix of digits, and the only ones that used the cloning process to created humans was GreenHouse. He doubted that these three bandits would be keen to know that the person they had in their midst was involved with GreenHouse in any way.


    ¡°Eimose.¡± He said after clearing his throat.


    ¡°Alright Eimose, I¡¯m sure I speak for all of us when I say that I hope we all get along and make the most of this last week you have left to live,¡± Regal said cheerfully. ¡°Maybe we can all get matching tattoos or something.¡±


    ¡°If you get any more tattoos you¡¯re going to get poisoning, you know that right?¡± Jeringy said jokingly, although there was truth behind the words.


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t happened yet so I¡¯m not stopping now. My artist says I¡¯m the best canvas she¡¯s got so you aren¡¯t going to stop me from getting more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised you haven¡¯t run out of space on your skin. I don¡¯t know where you¡¯re putting the new ones and I¡¯d rather not know.¡±


    ¡°Meghan knows me very¡­intimately,¡± Regal stated with a coy smile on his face, and Jeringy just rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Thank all the gods we¡¯re finally here,¡± Brit mumbled and pulled the car off the road. ¡°Always getting stuck with children¡­¡±


    The three practically fell out of the vehicle when the door was opened and 895G--Eimose--was relieved to not be sandwiched between two grown men who acted like children. He looked around at his surroundings and saw that they were at a section of the Yunto docks he didn¡¯t recognize. The air was heavy with smoke and he was glad he¡¯d already put on his respirator otherwise he would be feeling it in his lungs. His eyes were watering and he could only squint at the others in order to not have tears stream down his face from the irritation.


    ¡°Our ship is right over there,¡± Brit said while giving Eimose a push.


    They all walked towards the section of the docks with an exceptional amount of ships tethered to it. Regal and Jeringy walked much faster that Brit and Eimose and had boarded before Eimose could even see the hull of the ship that would be his home for the next week. When he did get in eyeshot, he could say that he wasn¡¯t disappointed but he was far from being impressed.


    It was a mid-sized passenger ship that had been crudely reinforced with steel and had two harpoon cannons on the deck. Written in black ink on the side of the hull was a cursive ¡®Nostalgia¡¯ along with an image of a generic extinct hawk silhouette.


    ¡°She¡¯s not impressive but she¡¯s what a lot of our crew call home, so be careful what you say about her or you might find that a week was generous.¡± Brit elaborated as they boarded.


    Eimose made a mental note to not say anything about the ship in case he unintentionally said something negative about it, but in comparison with the raggedy boat he had pictured in his mind when Brit had said they had their own ship to travel all the way to Onto on, this was a dream. It actually looked like it could survive a storm or two on the high seas since it looked like it had already been through quite a few.


    A gruff-looking man with a dense beard met them as they touched the deck.


    ¡°Tubrit! It¡¯s been too long!¡± The man exclaimed as his weathered face broke out into a wide smile as he went to embrace Brit.


    ¡°Two years isn¡¯t that long,¡± Brit said defensively but smiled as he hugged the older man back. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Lin.¡±


    ¡°Is this the fellow that¡¯s taking you to the robot?¡± Lin said as he pulled away, staring down at Eimose with piercing green eyes.


    ¡°Or he loses his life,¡± Brit growled.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Lin called over the bandit that had been mopping the deck. ¡°Take this gentleman¡¯s bag to cargo holding.¡±


    The bandit nodded and reached for Eimose¡¯s bag but he clutched it against his chest before the man could take it away from him. This wasn¡¯t the response the bandits wanted and hands fell to weapons.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Lin asked in a threatening tone.


    ¡°N-no. It¡¯s just that I prefer having this on hand in case there¡¯s an emergency.¡±


    ¡°Are you accusing my crew of thievery?¡±


    ¡°No! There¡¯s just some really important things in here I don¡¯t want out of my sight.¡±


    ¡°Just hand over the bag before Lin kicks you overboard, Eimose,¡± said Brit, exacerbated. ¡°We¡¯re not even undocked and you¡¯re already stepping on everyone¡¯s toes.¡±


    Eimose hesitated before extending his arms out with the bag held loosely, wincing when the bandit assigned to bag duty yanked it from his grip roughly. Brit shook his head and rolled his eyes before turning from the troublemaker.


    ¡°When are we departing?¡± he asked Lin, who was still shooting daggers at Eimose.


    ¡°Always business with you. Two hours. The supply crew will be back shortly but I want to be sure we¡¯re fully stocked food-wise and weapon-wise. Piranhas have been attacking more frequently and I¡¯m not risking the lives of my crew for the bounty.¡±


    ¡°When was the last attack?¡± Brit asked in concern.


    ¡°Two weeks ago. Hit a Yunto supply vessel and a week before they hit one of my other ships. I lost eleven men and won¡¯t let it happen again.¡±


    Eimose shifted uncomfortably at the sudden shift in tone in the conversation and the fact that he didn¡¯t know what a Piranha was, but he kept his mouth shut as he didn¡¯t want any attention aimed his way anymore since apparently, he was prone to saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.


    ¡°What do you think our odds are running into them?¡± Brit questioned.


    ¡°Eighty-five percent. Our path crosses very closely to the area they were spotted last but it¡¯s the safest and most efficient path to Onto.¡±


    ¡°Those odds are brutal. Use me and the two others if you need to.¡±


    ¡°I was planning to anyway. But I¡¯m probably sending in this scrawny thing in first before I sacrifice you men.¡±


    Eimose grimaced under Lin¡¯s mention of him but it was quickly passed over as Regal and Jeringy came trodding towards them.


    ¡°You have to see our cabin!¡± Regal shouted with enthusiasm.


    ¡°They totally gave us the best one on the entire ship!¡± Jeringy said with mirrored excitement.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already called the top bunk on my side,¡± Regal stated proudly.


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I just did.¡±


    ¡°You asshole, I told you I wanted the top one! You always fart on purpose when you have the top bunk!¡±


    Jeringy swung at Regal, but the tattooed one nimbly ducked and ran away. Brit grabbed Jeringy by his shoulder before he could run after him, holding him in place with his grip and the stern look on his face.


    ¡°Enough. For the love of the gods, act your age. You¡¯re the older one, so act like it. He likes pushing your buttons because you let him. Calm down and show Eimose to the room. Don¡¯t let him out of your sight.¡±


    Brit released his hold and Jeringy rubbed at his sore shoulder, and although he still looked irritated from Regal¡¯s behavior motioned for Eimose to follow him to the cabin. Eimose jumped at the opportunity to get away from the two older men and be around people his own age for once.


    ¡°So I heard your robot beat up Brit so bad Regal had to drag him away.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Brit, Urie, Oui, and Regal were the ones that went to retrieve the Efficiency the first time. From what I hear, that robot is unbeatable! Regal was complaining about his pinky toe getting shot off in his fight with the robot. He said it was because he jumped in front of Brit and took the bullet for him, but how do you get shot in the foot protecting someone? Oui¡¯s still in medic bay back at base for his leg since I guess he got nerve damage. How did the fight actually go?¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Uh, I wasn¡¯t there to witness the fight. Sorry to disappoint.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cool. Still pretty awesome you got to hang around a robot that kicked ass. Any cool stories?¡±


    Eimose tried to make up a story on the spot but came up blank. He¡¯d been so focused on escaping from the incredibly strong robot that he didn¡¯t really have anything to base his stories on besides the fights he witnessed when he was on the opposing side.


    ¡°There was this one time the robot took out two dozen Combatants because some Patrollers were after us.¡± Eimose started, recalling from the ambush he had set up. ¡°They caught us by surprise on the border of Tinyon. We were completely surrounded.¡±


    ¡°And it beat the shit out of them all!¡± Jeringy finished the story excitedly.


    ¡°To make a long story short, yes.¡±


    ¡°Why were you going to Tinyon?¡±


    ¡°Umm, I¡¯m honestly not sure. I recently joined the gang and then there was a bit of a falling out and now we¡¯re looking for the robot.¡± A robot that didn¡¯t exist, he thought to himself bitterly.


    ¡°Maybe you guys were going to Onto? If you were taking a ship from Tinyon to Onto that would explain why the robot¡¯s signal showed up there.¡±


    Eimose was shocked at the sense that conclusion made despite him making up the fact about the robot¡¯s signal appearing. It was Neiman¡¯s idea to go to Onto and Eimose hadn¡¯t questioned it at all since he¡¯d been in such a rush to put GreenHouse behind him and start living a new life, so what exactly was waiting for him there? If Indo and Petri had in fact been planning to travel across the sea to Onto from Tinyon when they had first met, then there was a grand picture hidden somewhere that Eimose was stuck in.


    ¡°There¡¯s probably a secret base or something there.¡± Jeringy pointed out with a devious smile. ¡°Why did the robot leave anyways? I heard that it was faulty from Regal since it was a fighting machine rather than a regular old Efficiency but that¡¯s what makes it so cool. I hope I get to meet it.¡±


    Jeringy was visibly shaking in anticipation of meeting the robot and Eimose felt guilty for raising his hopes up. They reached the room and Jeringy unloaded even more questions on Eimose and he had to make up a lot more stories regarding the Efficiency to sate the younger man¡¯s curiosity. Regal eventually joined them and joined in on the questions. Eimose ended up having to excuse himself from the conversation since he couldn¡¯t keep up with the inquiries and needed to take a breath. When he left the room he quickly realized that he must have been in the room longer than he had thought since the vessel was already treading water and was traveling down the Gerengies river, the city of Yunto lost in the haze behind them.


    ¡°They wear you out?¡±


    Eimose turned and saw Brit approaching him from the deck and went out to get a better bearing on his location.


    ¡°If you¡¯re thinking of jumping I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll make it to shore. And we have your oh-so-important bag.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not running away,¡± Eimose said sternly, and for the first time in a long time, he spoke the truth.


    The two men leaned on the rails and gazed out ahead of them, a knowing silence passing between them.


    ¡°What was the ¡®falling out¡¯ you had with your companions?¡± Brit finally asked.


    ¡°The other two in my crew refused to tell me where our heading was so I left. I ran out of money so I went back to them hoping they¡¯d take me back and they told me that if I found the robot they would.¡± Eimose said with a practiced tone. Jeringy and Regal had already asked every question under the sky so he was finally feeling confident in his answers.


    ¡°Because I learned recently from a reliable source that it was actually Indo and Petri that had the robot to begin with and they had taken a little Scout pet as a hostage, but then were ambushed and are presumed dead. How interesting to hear your side of the story. How do you know Indo and Petri?¡±


    Eimose felt his blood run cold as Brit confronted his story with truth and he scrambled to come up with something fast enough so it would sound natural.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been what? Where were they taken?¡±


    Brit narrowed his eyes and looked at Eimose as the Scout tried his best to sound convincing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been searching for the Efficiency for a while now and have lost track of the time. I assumed they weren¡¯t responding because they were out of range so I kept with the original plan of searching in Onto.¡±


    ¡°And here I thought you told me you¡¯d met them a week ago.¡± Brit tested.


    ¡°I got a message from their comms a week ago telling me where to go and I just followed orders. But if they¡¯re in trouble then I have to go help them. Do you know where they were taken?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the Scout they had captive would know. Who knows, maybe you know them. It¡¯s a small world.¡±


    Brit¡¯s eyes turned dark and Eimose was completely sure he knew his true identity. But if that was the case, then why wasn¡¯t Brit acting on this new information? Or maybe there was already something else in play that Eimose wasn¡¯t aware of that was prompting Brit to not kill him. Was the thread¡¯s chance that Eimose might actually lead them to the robot the only thing keeping him alive? And how did Brit even get that information? Before anyone could do anything rash, a voice on the intercom system blared from every direction.


    ¡°Grub time! You snooze you lose!¡± the voice called out and an onslaught of feet pattering resonated. Even Brit seemed to lose interest in Eimose as he rushed away from the deck and towards the main body of the vessel.


    Eimose followed the remaining people rushing towards the dining hall and quickly learned why everyone had sprinted to get food. He was the last person to serve himself and all there was left was an odd-looking brown sludge, some chunks of mysterious pink meat, and some green things that reminded him of something he¡¯d seen in a horror movie during the grace period in the commons at GreenHouse when he was younger. Looking around he saw that others had plates piled with potatoes, spinach, and identifiable foods. Grimacing at the sound the brown sludge made as it plopped on his plate Eimose sampled a bit of the limited choices he had before finding a seat across from Regal and Jeringy. From now on Eimose was going to avoid Brit like the gas plague since he clearly knew more than he let on.


    Mindless chatter filled the dining room and Eimose was surprised to see how many people made up the crew. There were at least thirty people in total and he wondered why there was such a surplus of people since it only took ten people to run a mid-sized ship like the one they were on.


    Everyone finished relatively quickly and even Eimose found the food enjoyable despite its appearance. He still had no idea what he was eating but it filled his stomach and that was more than he could ask for. Regal and Jeringy led him out after he had dropped his plate off and gave him a quick tour of the vessel since he¡¯d still not gotten one. The cabins were on the second and first floors while all cargo and supplies were on the bottom floor. He was relieved to see his bag still intact sitting amongst the other¡¯s bags.


    The rest of the night was uneventful although there was a battle of wills between Regal and Jeringy about who really got the top bunk. The cabin had two sets of bunk beds which gave a generous amount of floor space, giving the impression that the room was larger than it really was. Brit refused to sleep on the top bunk, claiming he liked to be alert and like to roll out of bed at a moment¡¯s notice and not have to worry about falling, leaving Eimose to take the top bunk. Not entirely enthusiastic about sharing a bunk bed with Brit, he offered his top bunk to Jeringy who gladly accepted, leaving Eimose to share the bed set with Regal. It turned out that Jeringy had been speaking the truth about Regal¡¯s gaseous nature since after the third gag-inducing gas bomb drifting down onto Eimose, he had to put on his respirator if he hoped to make it through the night.


    The boat suddenly jolted, knocking Eimose off his bed, Regal quickly following. Brit was already up and had his gun in hand and out the door by the time Eimose managed to push Regal off of his sore body and grabbed his own weapon. He heard shouting coming from the deck so he rushed to aid in any way he could.


    It was dark red outside and the water around the boat was inky black, giving the entire set an ominous scene. Crew members were shouting at each other, but Eimose was still groggy and couldn¡¯t catch a word of what they were saying.


    ¡°Look out!¡±


    An arm shot out and pulled Eimose down just as an arrow skimmed the top of his scalp.


    ¡°You idiot!¡± Brit said angrily as he shot in the direction of the shot but hit nobody. ¡°What are you doing out here!¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯ve got a gun and a hand I can help.¡± He said defensively.


    ¡°You need common sense too. Get back to the cabin before you get yourself killed!¡±


    Eimose rose to his feet, fully aware now, and raised his gun in readiness.


    ¡°First tell me what¡¯s going on!¡±


    ¡°Piranhas!¡± Brit screamed as he shoved Eimose towards the cabin rooms. ¡°You still don¡¯t know everyone well enough to not shoot anyone by accident. Just hide in the room!¡±


    Brit shot at someone around the corner and sprinted off to aid his helmsman, leaving Eimose standing aimlessly in front of the door that led to the cabin hallway. He knew Brit was right--he didn¡¯t know the crew well enough to shoot anyone with confidence--but he didn¡¯t want to just stand around and let others fight. Above all the yelling and gunshots Eimose heard a voice cry out for help from the cabins.


    He quickly turned on his heels and rushed down the hallway. There was already someone standing in front of one of the rooms and Eimose struggled to pinpoint if he had seen their face in the dining hall or not. His question was answered when they raised their gun at him. On instinct, Eimose fired his gun and heard a satisfying thump as the body in front of him fell lifeless to the ground. A sickening feeling threatened to overwhelm him as the weight of killing a person fell on his conscience.


    ¡°Help!¡±


    He was brought out of his daze and he rushed towards the open room. His eyes fell on a female clutching her bleeding side and reached out to aid her but she raised her gun at him.


    ¡°Friend or foe!¡± She cried out, her voice still strong despite her wound.


    ¡°I¡¯m with Brit so I hope you¡¯re on whatever side he¡¯s on or this might get awkward,¡± Eimose stated, his gun quickly rising to match her aggression.


    She seemed to deflate as she dropped her gun and used her other hand to press against her wound. Eimose took the initiative and tucked his into his waistband and grabbed the bedsheets from one of the cots and used it to bind her side up.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the first aid kit?¡±


    She weakly pointed towards a cabinet near the door and he quickly found it. He gently removed the blanket while still keeping pressure on the gunshot and carefully peeled her shirt away from the wound.


    ¡°This is going to hurt,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°I¡¯m female, I know pain.¡± She said through gritted teeth.


    To her credit, she didn¡¯t cry out when he poured the disinfectant on her wound or when he expertly used a set of tweezers to remove the bullet that was still lodged in her abdomen, although Eimose could tell she was fighting a scream.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, I¡¯m going to get better help,¡± Eimose said as he stood up.


    Her hand reached out and grasped his.


    ¡°Thank you. And go help other people, I¡¯ll be fine. Name¡¯s Henarie by the way.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Eimose. I¡¯m keeping you to your word that you¡¯ll be fine. I come back and you¡¯re dead I¡¯m going to hold it against you.¡± He teased, gathering up the first aid supplies he had scattered in his rushed process.


    ¡°Gods forbid,¡± Henarie said sarcastically and shooed him away once he¡¯d gotten all his materials gathered.


    He left the room in a rush, hopping over the dead body he¡¯d created, keeping his ears pricked up at the slightest noise. From inside the cabin rooms, the sounds were a bit more muffled, but he found two others who required aid to which he promptly applied quick fixes. Mustering up his guts, he found his way out on the deck when he found no one else in the cabins that needed help.


    There were quite a few injured on deck and he lost count how many he gave rushed treatments to but it felt as if he were getting pulled in all directions. Even when he ran out of supplies someone had already had one on hand to give to him so he could continue.


    ¡°So you were secretly a doctor?¡±


    Eimose blinked as Jeringy appeared in front of him, blood caked on his scalp and running down his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually secretly a superhero,¡± Eimose said as he found the wound and wiped it clean.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know since I¡¯ve always wanted to be a heroine in a superhero drama.¡± Jeringy joked, giving Eimose a wink. ¡°Am I pulling off the damsel in distress?¡±


    ¡°Truly. I think I¡¯ve already fallen for you. Alright, you¡¯re all set.¡±


    Eimose gave Jeringy a pat on the back when he finished bandaging the wound. They both jumped when the intercom system blared at them.


    ¡°The Piranhas have retreated. All those who need aid find that guy we just got today. You¡¯ll find him if you look hard enough.¡±


    Jeringy broke out laughing at Eimose¡¯s face when he realized that he probably wasn¡¯t going to get any sleep that night. As if on cue three more patients came from around the corner, surprisingly spry for a gunshot wound to the arm, an arrow to the calf, and a large cut to the chest. Eimose swore that he ended up treating everyone for minor and major injuries, surprised that there was no one else who was even attempting to apply first aid. After what seemed like hours of work, the line for aid was gone and Eimose slumped against the nearest steel wall.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Eimose was too tired to turn his head to see who it was but he could recognize the voice.


    ¡°Lin.¡± He said in acknowledgment.


    ¡°That¡¯s Captain to you, boy. Don¡¯t think you¡¯ve gotten on my good side because we didn¡¯t lose anyone today.¡±


    ¡°Apologies,¡± but Eimose was too tired to truly care. The idea of being scared of anything at this point seemed a distant past.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come to praise you.¡± The Captain began. ¡°The Piranhas got what they wanted.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly did they want?¡±


    ¡°Our cargo.¡±


    If the Piranhas, whatever they are, had aimed for the cargo, then why was he telling Eimose; he had nothing in the cargo--it took a moment for the news of what the Captain was really saying to settle.


    Eimose jumped to his feet and sprinted through the hallways and down the stairs before the Captain could stop him. He burst through the cargo doors and found Brit and a handful of others already surveilling the damage. The majority of crates and larger items were still nestled safely in their nooks and crannies, but all the bags and lighter objects were gone.


    Eimose¡¯s bag was gone.

 Chapter 49: Countdown To Survival

    ¡°Why is it moving away so quickly!¡± Terra screamed as she sprinted through Yunto.


    ¡°Perhaps the person carrying the baggage has gotten a faster mode of transportation,¡± Neiman responded, although even his AI voice sounded unsure.


    For the past twenty-eight hours Terra had been running at the pace of a car and she had been making slow progress moving towards the red beckon but progress nonetheless. However, an hour ago the pace suddenly picked up and was moving away faster than she was gaining. With less than two hours left and the light moving speedily farther away panic was beginning set in.


    ¡°You¡¯re not winning my vote of confidence right now.¡±


    ¡°There is very little that can move faster than you at this speed.¡± Neiman clarified. ¡°But much of the technology was lost after the war. Lost, mind you, not forgotten. If someone had found an Old World relic and knew what they were doing, they could have renovated it. The only thing in my records that indicates a speed faster than you is an air vehicle or the water-propulsion vessel. Considering we just passed Yunto, it is most likely the latter.¡±


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t really help me catch up to them. Who exactly did you give the bag to and how did they find such a fast boat?¡±


    ¡°The water vessel is not a boat my dear, but a vessel that travels under the surface of the water. Subaquas, I believe they were named. And I¡¯ve got a bad feeling the man I entrusted the bag to may not be in possession of it anymore.¡±


    ¡°And why is that oh wise one?¡± Terra asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.


    ¡°There are groups on the water that target cargo vessels and raid them. Considering the sudden change in speed, my best bet is that a piranha group stole it.¡±


    The ETA timer on Terra¡¯s screen started counting back down as the red beckon in the sky slowed and then came to a stop.


    ¡°It seems like we may still have a chance to both survive this ordeal,¡± Neiman stated hopefully.


    Terra did feel a spark of hope spark in her chest as the ETA timer dipped below the timer counting down the amount of battery she had left. It was going to be a close one, but if Terra continued at the same pace until she reached the fuel containers she might make it with a few minutes to spare. She tried picking up her pace but she was already running the fastest she could along the riverside. A few times she was grateful that she didn¡¯t need to sleep or rest because of her robotic body. Those thoughts were shoved down in her unfeeling chest when she remembered the whole reason she was even needing to run for thirty hours straight was because of her body. Talk about a double-edged sword.


    ¡°Uh-oh,¡± Neiman whispered.


    ¡°What¡¯s ¡®uh-oh?¡¯ I don¡¯t need an ¡®uh-oh¡¯ right now Neiman!¡±


    The timer had ticked down to the last half-hour mark and the ETA was reading twenty-five minutes. Whatever this ¡®uh-oh¡¯ was that Neiman had felt the need to express needed to take less than five minutes to solve if they wanted to make it out alive.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be alarmed but we have four people chasing us and they¡¯re probably not friendly.¡±


    ¡°How am I not supposed to be alarmed by that?¡±


    ¡°I propose we attempt to outrun them for the moment. They are far enough away they pose no problem for the next ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°And after ten minutes?¡±


    ¡°We should have already arrived at whatever facilities the people with the bags stopped at and take refuge there.¡±


    Terra sighed and continued running towards the red light that was slowly approaching. As she got closer to her destination she grew more nervous since she couldn¡¯t spot a single building or any indication of a resting point for pillagers. In fact, when she reached the red light the timer on her display still read nine minutes and forty-three seconds left.


    ¡°Neiman, where¡¯s the bag?¡± Terra asked in a shaky voice.


    ¡°Just a theory, but it might be--¡±


    ¡°FREEZE!¡±


    Terra nearly jumped at the voice that boomed out at her and turned her head in time to see four figures jump off their motorcycles and point their weapons at her. Were those nunchucks?


    ¡°Drop your bags and raise your arms!¡±


    Terra didn¡¯t know what to do and watched in horror as her time continued to drop. She didn¡¯t know where the bag was and now there were four hostiles. Granted, she could easily deal with the hostiles in less than a minute, it still didn¡¯t mean she knew where her power cells were.


    ¡°I suggest following their orders as quickly as you can. I believe they¡¯re part of the piranha group. They may lead us to their base, which I suspect is underground. We¡¯re running out of time so you should do as they say.¡± Neiman said in a hushed tone.


    Terra didn¡¯t need any additional encouragement since she was out of options and running out of time so she dropped the bags on the ground but made sure to warp her black crystal to coat the surface of her hand and give the appearance of a glove. There was no way she was going into a lion¡¯s den unarmed.


    ¡°Both arms!¡± The voice called out.


    ¡°I only have one dumbass!¡± Terra yelled back, making her voice deeper to sound more intimidating.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get smart with me! We¡¯re the ones with weapons! Kneel down!¡±


    Terra fought the urge to roll her eyes and dropped to her knees, willing herself to shut up so that this whole process would go faster so she could find her bag. She heard the crunch of footsteps walk towards her and fought her curiosity to put a face to the pair of green boots to her right. Although she couldn¡¯t feel the person handcuff her hand, she nearly broke out laughing when she heard the click of the metal ring around her wrist and the person fumbling around with the other half not knowing what to do with themselves. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°State your intent!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to find something you may have!¡± She hollered back.


    ¡°What makes you think we have it?¡±


    ¡°Tracker.¡±


    That shut the voice up and she could hear three of them mumbling to each other about what they would do while the one nearest to Terra shifted from boot to boot while awkwardly holding on to the metal handcuffs. A new pair of boots appeared and they squatted down near her bags, shuffling through the contents. She bit down her yelp of surprise when she saw that the newest set of boots belonged to a girl no older than Terra would have been if she were in her original body.


    ¡°They got some goodies in here Pon!¡± The girl called out.


    ¡°There¡¯s more where that came from,¡± Terra started, hoping to hurry up the charade. ¡°Take me to your leader or whatever and we can come to an agreement. I¡¯m on a strict time schedule and need to get this done as quickly as possible.¡±


    A heavy set of footsteps approached her from behind and she heard the sound of metal hit the fabric cushion of her hood, indicating that there was most likely a gun pointed at her head.


    ¡°Or what?¡± The man threatened as he nuzzled the muzzle of the gun closer to Terra¡¯s nearly impenetrable metal skull.


    ¡°I only have eight minutes left in my patience,¡± Terra growled. ¡°If you¡¯re going to shoot me, do it before--¡±


    She lurched forward and fell face-first to the ground before she heard the gunshot ring out in the stale red air.


    ¡°Pon!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Gods--¡±


    She heard the other three companions cry out in surprise as the man named Pon holstered his gun at his waist and stepped over Terra¡¯s supposedly-dead body to grab the two bags at her side.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just kill anyone who annoys you, Pon!¡± The youngest girl cried out.


    ¡°Try me,¡± Pon stated in a low tone as if inviting the girl to taunt him so he had an excuse to draw his weapon again.


    Terra was tired of this farce. She had less than eight minutes left and she wasn¡¯t going to waste it listening to a trigger-happy douchebag. Pushing herself up with her single hand she stood up and brushed off some of the dust on her coat and whipped around to get a better look at the people who were threatening her.


    The little girl was short and had bright red hair that curled out in all directions, dropping down to her shoulders before stopping. A slender male stood next to her with a head of stringy black hair that ran down to his waist and was clutching a set of nunchucks like they would repel Terra. The one closest to her was the one in green boots; a teenage boy a few years older than Terra who had short brown hair and was covered in freckles everywhere. Pon was middle-aged and much heavier than the rest and Terra suspected he probably stole the other three¡¯s meals from time to time.


    ¡°Close your mouths and just tell me where you¡¯re keeping my bag. I swear I¡¯m harmless when I want to be and I don¡¯t want to harm anyone, just give me my bag.¡±


    Pon didn¡¯t even hesitate in unloading the rest of his clip at Terra who didn¡¯t even flinch. The others had looks of pure fear painted in their eyes, so much so that it apparently affected their tongues.


    ¡°SEVEN MINUTES. I NEED MY BAG.¡±


    Even Pon flinched at her booming voice but at least he lowered his weapon.


    ¡°Seriously guys, I don¡¯t want to hurt you. Just point or something!¡±


    Terra was starting to get desperate. She didn¡¯t run thirty hours to let the chance to keep surviving slip through her hands. When no one did anything she decided to get extreme. Grabbing the bags in her hand Terra sprinted forward and scooped the girl her age in her arm and sprinted a dozen feet away before stopping. Concentrating on the black crystal she manipulated its shape so it floated near the girl¡¯s throat. From the other¡¯s perspectives, it seemed as if there was a knife pressed to the girl¡¯s jugular, but Terra made sure the edge was dull and no skin contact was actually made.


    ¡°Point in the direction of the base!¡±


    Finally, the teenage boy lifted a finger and pointed at an angle from where they had come from, and Terra charged in that direction with the girl still on her shoulder.


    ¡°I dare say that was a huge waste of time.¡± Neiman chimed in.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me. I don¡¯t know if they were just loyal or stupid but that was a dumb idea going along with them. I should have just taken them all out, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°D-don¡¯t hurt me. Please.¡± The girl said through the tears streaming down her face.


    ¡°I never planned to,¡± Terra confessed, changing her voice back to her original one. ¡°I was tempted to punch Pon though. Point where the entrance is.¡±


    Following the girl¡¯s finger, Terra pushed her limits until the girl told her to stop. She had five minutes left as she knelt near a metal hatch near the riverbank.


    ¡°I¡¯d suggest using caution when opening the door, but I say throw it all to the wind as we are running dangerously low on power.¡±


    ¡°We finally agree on something.¡±


    Terra dropped the bags and girl to her side and grasped the hatch door with her hand and ripped it from its hinges, throwing it to the side effortlessly.


    ¡°What are you?¡± The girl asked with eyes wide with fear and amazement.


    ¡°Still trying to figure that out,¡± Terra stated as she grabbed the bags and entered.


    ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± The girl asked, for some reason following Terra.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You just started talking to yourself. Something about us being loyal or stupid and dealing with us. And then agreeing on something.¡±


    Terra didn¡¯t quite understand what the girl was asking but Neiman chimed in.


    ¡°I should have mentioned only you can hear my voice.¡± He stated calmly.


    ¡°You mean when I respond to you no one else can hear you?¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    ¡°Of course I can hear you. And other people too.¡± The girl said.


    Terra shook her head and was about to elaborate on the voice in her head when two armed men rushed out around a corner. She saw surprise flash across their faces and she quickly punched them both in the solar plexus before they could react, effectively knocking them out.


    Four minutes left.


    Now that her tracker was working, she ran forward, following the indication on her screen since now she couldn¡¯t tell where the red beckon was. After running into six more guards and two dead ends Terra wished she hadn¡¯t left the girl behind since the maze of corridors was disorienting and the tracking notification only told her where it was in relation to her and not what route to take. A map would have been very handy.


    ¡°Take right here!¡± Neiman shouted.


    Terra did as she was told.


    ¡°Left, straight and then turn right after the fourth door. Down the corridor!¡±


    One minute, twelve seconds left.


    Terra sprinted down the corridor and didn¡¯t even bother using the door handle, simply tearing the door off its hinges and flinging it towards the wall, which apparently housed some important breakers and wires since the entirety of the hall was plunged into darkness. She quickly switched to night vision and jumped towards the pile of bags sitting in an unorganized pile near the back of the room. The red light was back and she could see the back she was aiming for buried under several others.


    Thirty-three seconds left.


    Her vision started flashing warning signs about system failure and she tried her best to not let them get her to panic, although she was feeling very panicked indeed. She plunged her hand into the pile and removed the bag, unzipping it and grasping the cylindrical thing that resembled a fusion cell.


    ¡°How do I change it out?¡± Terra hurried.


    Instead of explaining it to her, Neiman took over control of her arm and pushed a button on her torso, revealing a grid of squares that he quickly pressed in a coordinated sequence, which then opened a panel that housed their exhausted cell. Terra felt a surge of hope as Neiman grasped the new cell and reached to change them out in a single motion.


    System Failure.


    The prototype Combatant¡¯s body fell lifeless to the metal ground with a clunk as the last of its energy was sapped.

 Chapter 50: Im Being Threatened, Again?

    Eimose clutched his hands behind his back and continued his rapid pacing on the metal deck of the ship.


    ¡°Seriously man, you have to calm down or you''re going to wear a hole through the floor,¡± Jeringy said while slouched against a railing. ¡°You¡¯re only giving us all anxiety and not actually doing anything.¡±


    ¡°Why am I out here? I should be in there with them!¡± Eimose angrily shouted, pointing at the Captain¡¯s cabin where the heads of the boat were meeting.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re upset but we need to have time to discuss what our next course of action is,¡± Regal piped up. ¡°The Piranhas are a secretive group and we don¡¯t even know where their headquarters are otherwise we would have attacked them a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we need to leave now before their trail gets cold!¡±


    Eimose wanted to yell and scream and punch at something. Why wasn¡¯t anyone listening to him? First of all, it was their fault for forcing him to hand over his bag in the first place. Secondly, he technically only had about twelve days left until he had to hand over the Efficiency that didn¡¯t exist and wasting his time arguing with people wasn¡¯t elongating that time whatsoever. Thirdly, that bag was left under his protection, tasked to him by a man who was most definitely dead after what Eimose saw happened to Headquarter 3, and he needed it to find out what he needed to do in Onto. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets to prevent his fist from flying.


    ¡°So where did you learn those medical procedures?¡± Jeringy asked, trying to lighten the tension in the air.


    ¡°That was a basic first aid. Everyone should know it.¡± Eimose said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Yeah we all know how to set up bandages and put patches on cuts and stuff, but what you did was pretty awesome. I mean, you stitched up gods-know-how-many bullet wounds and helped set two broken limbs, which is more than just ¡®basic first aid.¡¯ What¡¯s your secret superhero?¡± Regal questioned.


    ¡°I was taught.¡±


    ¡°Ooh! By who?¡± Regal and Jeringy asked in unison.


    ¡°No one special.¡±


    Eimose needed them to shut up so he could figure out how he was going to get his bag back. His best option was to somehow steal a small boat and guess as to where the Piranha¡¯s base was. Truth be told, he hadn¡¯t laid eyes on any of them besides the one he¡¯d shot, so he didn¡¯t know how big their crew was or what they had in their arsenal. Based on the injured he aided, they had weapons ranging from the barbaric bow and arrow to a missile launcher that had done quite a number on the back upper deck. He had no idea who they made it on the boat in the first place or how they escaped since he¡¯d seen no boat or ship around them as he ran around the perimeter of the boat when he¡¯d discovered they¡¯d taken the bag. The very fact that GreenHouse didn¡¯t know these bandits existed was alarming, or at least he suspected they didn¡¯t know since Scouts were constantly updated about all threats to the societal norm even if it didn¡¯t relate to them, and he¡¯d never even heard a whisper about Piranhas until now.


    He heard the door of the Captain¡¯s quarters open and watched with expecting eyes as Lin, Brit, and three others he couldn¡¯t identify strolled out with grim faces. Eimose almost burst into questions but Brit gave him a look that shut his mouth.


    ¡°All personnel to center deck immediately. If you¡¯re not here in two minutes we¡¯re throwing you off the boat.¡± The loudspeaker announced, followed by a rush to get to the deck.


    It only took one minute and twelve seconds for everyone to be assembled and then Lin stood on a makeshift stage made of crates and addressed everyone.


    ¡°The Piranhas have attacked us once too many. I have alerted the other vessels in the area of this recent attack, and one other has been hit as well, their casualties numerous. We have allowed these scum to steal from us for far too long and it is time to retaliate. We will be sending three reconnaissance crew immediately to find their base¡¯s location. When we receive that information we will have the aid of any ship that so chooses to join us. Brit and your team will man the seaward side of the river, Gino and your team man the civil side, while Prew and your team will look for any evidence in the surrounding area. For all those left on the ship gather every weapon you can and prepare for battle. Dismissed.¡±


    Everyone scrambled to do as they were told, the three teams assigned to recon holding back. Eimose assumed he was on Brit¡¯s team and planned to do so until someone forcibly kicked him out.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re taking motor number 2,¡± Brit began, addressing Regal, Peringy, and Eimose. ¡°You get a small bag to carry. Be sure to pack weapons and a day¡¯s worth of clothes. Eimose, a word.¡±


    Regal and Jeringy left, racing to see who could get to their cabin faster, leaving Brit and Eimose alone.


    ¡°What¡¯s in the bag?¡± Brit asked sternly.


    ¡°Tracking supplies and personal belongings.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me, I know who you are, Scout. What¡¯s in the bag?¡±


    ¡°If you know who I am why haven¡¯t you done anything about it?¡±


    ¡°I will if I need to, but if there¡¯s even the slightest chance you can lead us to the Efficiency I¡¯ll take it. Last time I¡¯ll ask, what¡¯s in the bag?¡± Brit rested his hand on the butt of his gun to prove to Eimose he was completely serious.


    ¡°I can only tell you that someone trusted me to keep it safe and risked their lives doing it, so I need it back.¡±


    Brit studied Eimose¡¯s face for a bit and then visibly relaxed, hand falling off his weapon.


    ¡°That¡¯s the first honest thing you¡¯ve said since we¡¯ve met,¡± Brit confessed. ¡°You¡¯ll be given a gun that can only send enough currents into a hostile to temporarily paralyze, so don¡¯t you dare think about turning against us. The only reason you¡¯re alive is that I know I can kill you faster than you can kill me. Go to the room and ask to borrow some of Regal¡¯s clothes since he¡¯s about your size. We regroup in ten minutes.¡±


    Brit walked away presumably to talk to Lin so Eimose left to the cabin to scrounge together a bag using other people¡¯s things. Regal was kind enough to give him two sets of clothes to borrow and they all walked to the lower deck to get their smaller water vessel. Brit had already beat them there and somehow had a bag ready despite Eimose not seeing him visit the room once to get his supplies.


    The first group left first, leaving a small wake heading towards the waters the ship had already traversed. Eimose watched them fade off into the red fog and hoped that his group would be the one to find the hideout first. He knew the Captain had given strict orders as to what the plan was, but Eimose needed to find the bag and get away from these bandits. Despite their easy-going nature, he would need to escape from them eventually and this situation may provide the perfect one. If he saw no window of opportunity to ditch the other three he wouldn¡¯t take it, but if even the slightest chance arose he would be leaving them behind to pursue his greater mission on his own. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Brit¡¯s team loaded the boat and started the engine and then slide out into the murky waters. It only took two minutes of travel before the larger boat had all but vanished behind them and they were completely surrounded by red mist, the only sounds heard were their occasional chatter (supplied by Regal and Jeringy arguing), and the engine purring quietly behind them. Eimose was unnerved by not being able to see further than fifty feet ahead of him but Brit seemed at ease for the moment so he figured he didn¡¯t need to remain paranoid.


    Time seemed to ebb by slower than usual as their mission didn¡¯t require them to travel to a specific location and instead find one. Brit would occasionally turn the engine off and they would just glide along the water, listening as carefully as they could for any voices or sounds of boat engines to indicate a base nearby. Eimose suggested that they head towards the shore to get within better earshot, but Brit countered with the fact that they had to cover both sides of the shore at once. They would first scale the length of the river and if that proved no results than they would double-back along one shoreline and then again with the other. Eimose hoped it didn¡¯t come down to that since this was incredibly boring and the entertainment of Regal and Jeringy¡¯s conversations had begun dwindling down into nonsense, like whose weapon was longer despite them both having the same model caliber.


    Brit cut the engine and informed everyone that they would start taking sleeping shift since they¡¯d made no progress in the past six hours and everyone hadn¡¯t fully recovered from the attack. The two younger men fell asleep almost immediately and Eimose¡¯s eyes were drooping shut.


    ¡°Sleep. You¡¯re no use to us if you¡¯re going to collapse.¡± Brit said dryly. ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡±


    Eimose was too tired to fight the man so he laid down on the little metal surface still left on the boat and sleep overtook him almost instantly.


    It felt as if he had just laid down when someone was nudging his shoulder urgently.


    ¡°Wake up, we hear something,¡± Regal whispered, his gun already out and at the ready.


    The others were crouched low and also had their weapons out, making Eimose feel vulnerable. Although Brit had told him he¡¯d be getting a gun, he hadn¡¯t actually followed through on the promise. As if reading his mind, Brit plunged his hand into his bag and drew out a gun and threw it at Eimose, who nearly dropped it in the water before safely cupping it in his palms.


    The voices were faint, meaning they were coming from the shore somewhere and deeming it safe for Brit to set the engine to the lowest setting that let out an almost imperceivable hum. It was a slow moving trip but the boat gently rocked when it scraped against the sandy shore. After laying low for a few minutes to make sure the voices they¡¯d heard hadn¡¯t heard them, the four stealthily jumped out of the water and cautiously walked towards the sounds.


    ¡°How much longer is this going to take?¡± A voice whined from a good distance ahead of them.


    ¡°Why do you keep asking me that. I don¡¯t fucking know!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a friend who works in electrics?¡±


    ¡°Oh my gods, how could I have forgotten my friend who works in electronics. Let me just buzz them here so they can let us know when they¡¯ll be done fixing the power. Oh wait, we have no power! Wait, maybe I¡¯ll just use my hidden telepathy skill I just realized I had and talk to them.¡±


    ¡°No need for that much sass¡­¡±


    ¡°There is very much a need for that much sass ¡®cuz that was the fourth time you asked that question and I¡¯ve been standing next to you the entire time. Seriously, do us all a favor and shut the fuck up.¡±


    Muffled laughter followed along with some words of encouragement to the speaker, indicating that there was a good group forming ahead. Eimose was tempted to call out to them so that it could create a distraction and he would have the possibility of getting away, but he would most likely get caught in the crossfire and he still didn¡¯t have his bag back yet.


    ¡°Is this enough evidence?¡± Jeringy whispered to Brit who just nodded and motioned for them to head back to the boat.


    ¡°Tiny, what was that story you told us about what happened to the base?¡±


    ¡°An immortal!¡± A small voice cried out, clearly from a younger girl. ¡°This person with a skull respirator carried me all the way from Pon¡¯s here in a minute and then started destroying everything!¡±


    Eimose froze. He recalled the skull respirator quite clearly since he¡¯d teased the Efficiency for wearing it ages ago. Granted there may be another person with bad taste who¡¯d painted a skull on their respirator, but if there was one thing Eimose had learned in the past month it was that coincidences just didn¡¯t happen. Could the Efficiency really be alive? If it was, how did it escape and why was it here?


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait for Pon to get back and tell us his side of the story.¡± A voice said, amused. ¡°Tell us again the full story so we can rub it in his face. I want the smallest details.¡±


    ¡°It was totally badass,¡± the smaller voice elaborated. ¡° Pon shot it point-blank and it just got up and dusted itself off. He was so scared that he spent the rest of his bullets on it! Anyways, they kept talking about some bag they needed to get and Que ended up giving up the location since it had picked me and threatened to kill me. It carried me in its arms all the way over here, and then just ripped that door off like it was nothing. Do I need to remind you that they only had one arm? I¡¯m swooning.¡±


    Ripples of laughter rose from the growing group as the smaller girl pretended to faint. At least that¡¯s what it looked like from Eimose¡¯s perspective. The figures were all very blurry but he could make out about two dozen people now that his eyes had adjusted to the amount of fog around him. He was so absorbed in focusing on what the girl was talking about that he nearly jumped out of his skin what a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.


    ¡°What are you doing? Get back on the boat.¡± Brit hissed.


    ¡°Wait, I think the Efficiency is in there.¡± Eimose tried. ¡°I overheard them talking about someone who took a round of bullets to the head and walked away unscathed. Plus they were wearing a skull respirator. Ring any bells?¡±


    Brit gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Of course I do. I owe that robot a good beating for taking that away from me. Painted it myself. Do you have any proof besides your word of mouth?¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s a high chance its the Efficiency. If we could ju--¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Brit said curtly, cutting Eimose off. ¡°We¡¯re regrouping and coming back with an army. I¡¯m not going to risk getting rid of the Piranhas once and for all because of a bounty.¡±


    ¡°But if the Eff--¡±


    ¡°No, and that¡¯s final. Get in the boat.¡±


    Brit was already holding his gun so all he had to do was point it at Eimose and he moved towards the water. He doubted Brit would actually shoot him since it would alert the enemy to their position but Eimose would prefer to not get shot anytime soon. Doing as he was told he loaded himself on the boat and Brit pushed them off, keeping their engine at a creeping hum. The voices faded into the distance and Eimose wondered how long the return trip would be now that they wouldn¡¯t have to keep stopping to test the waters and listen for sounds.


    Their boat came to a sudden halt although they could hear the slow engine working. A look of panic flashed across Brit¡¯s face and Eimose felt fear stab him in the gut.


    ¡°Draw your weapons!¡±


    Brit called out, but it was too late.


    A massive jolt from below the boat pushed everyone overboard and overturned their water vessel. Eimose broke through the black waters trying his best to tread at the water and figure out what had just happened when he was looking at the muzzle of a gun and the tip of an arrow pointed at his head. Some sort of metal cans had risen from the water and now had people with weapons standing on them, looking over at the people attempting to stay afloat.


    ¡°It seems like we have some sea-goers here.¡± A man dressed in blue and green leathers spoke up. ¡°We don¡¯t take kindly to you folk. We¡¯re going to have a little fun, aren¡¯t we men?¡±


    The men and women with the weapons cheered, sending waves of despair through Eimose¡¯s body. It seemed like his life now was just a compilation of which life-threatening episode he had to deal with first, and this one just topped the list.

 Chapter 51: Poltergeists Of The Past

    It was a cold and awkward journey attempting to swim through the heavy waters at gunpoint but the four crawled out into the fog where they were surrounded by more Piranhas and immediately relieved of their wet weapons. Eimose was surprised at how young the majority of them were, most likely in their teens, and wondered what life choices led them to this point in their lives. In his teenage years, he was shadowing Scouts and Patrollers to see what field he would go in and his life was preplanned for him. Although he was envious of their freedom he couldn¡¯t help but notice how gaunt and skinny a lot of them were.


    ¡°Keep moving!¡± A rough voice ordered.


    Eimose nearly fell forward when the man behind him unceremoniously shoved him forward towards the side of a plateau. He held his tongue for everyone¡¯s sake considering his special superpower of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and instead kept moving forwards towards the wall of rock, wondering where the entrance to the base was. His unasked question was answered when he saw a warped metal door lying a few feet away, drawing his eye to an opening built in the wall of the earth itself.


    They were led into the dark interior of the base, pitched into complete darkness. In the fading light from behind them, Eimose saw as the people leading them down the corridors put on goggled which he assumed allowed them vision in the blackness since they didn¡¯t bump into anything while the four had found every object that was at shin-level and run into it. There were too many turns to keep track of in case they were thinking of escape, and that was if they could find a way to see through the suffocating dark that encompassed everything. With one final turn down a hallway and the click of a door, the four were left alone in a room. Eimose was still hoping that his eyes would adjust to the darkness, but there was absolutely no light in the room so it made no difference.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Jeringy¡¯s asked softly.


    There was a moment of silence before Brit finally spoke up, the tiredness in his voice making him sound older than he was.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He confessed.


    Eimose heard someone, who he assumed was either Jeringy or Regal, walking around the interior of the room to gain a better understanding of the size. Someone sat down on the ground whom he assumed was Brit since that had been the general direction of the origin of his voice.


    ¡°So it might be a little late to ask this, but what are Piranhas?¡± Eimose tentatively questioned. ¡°I mean, I figure they¡¯re outlaws that steal from ships, but what are their motives and why wait until now to take them out?¡±


    Regal broke out in laughter, quickly inciting Jeringy to do so too.


    ¡°You joined us on our mission and you didn¡¯t even know who these people were?¡± Regal stated in disbelief. ¡°What cloud were you raised under?¡±


    Eimose wanted to retort, but everything he would have said to counter would have outed his being raised by GreenHouse and one person was one person too many already knowing his secret.


    ¡°To answer your question, they are an outlaw group that raids ships. They formed about a decade ago out of the blue and had old world technology. You saw their ships, they can travel underwater. For a while ship captains simply thought they were ghosts from the war, but eventually, it was discovered that they weren¡¯t inhibited by above-water travel. Their initial attacks left no casualties and only non-valuable luggage was stolen so no one went after them. Their attacks got worse as more people joined them and they attained more ships, attacking bigger ships. Up until a month ago, they were just an annoyance, stealthily raiding ships for carriable luggage and leaving no casualties, but they¡¯ve stepped up their game. They must have found a ship with weapons since their firepower is no joke anymore. Our team isn¡¯t the first crew to go out and try and find their base. I guess this is why people aren¡¯t sent out on small boats anymore.¡± Jeringy said, rapping his knuckles against a metal wall.


    ¡°What do they do to people like us?¡±


    ¡°Well, I doubt they¡¯ll let us go,¡± Regal replied, voice heavy with the defeat while still keeping a light tone.


    Eimose slumped against the wall and wondered if there was any chance of escape. It was times like these that he wished he¡¯d just kept his head down and never jumped at the chance to investigate the strange signal coming from the Eldern landfill. Maybe he would still be working his way through the chain of command at the Scout division. Or maybe he would have just been part of the casualty statistic when it blew up. Either way, he was stuck in a cell devoid of light with three others, one of which was a trigger pull away from ending him. In other words, life could be better.


    ¡°So there¡¯s no hope then,¡± he concluded out loud.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Brit said with a stronger gusto in his voice. ¡°I doubt they¡¯ll do anything to us while their power is out.¡±


    As if on cue the lights came on, temporarily blinding all of them.


    ¡°Alright, can I give up hope now?¡± Regal asked innocently.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know our way around the base well enough to ambush whoever comes for us, so we have to just do as they say for now. Let¡¯s hope they don¡¯t kill us immediately. Our number one priority is to alert Lin to our location and hope he gets here fast enough. Just follow my lead and don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°So all we need is a communicator to get out of here?¡± Eimose summarized.


    ¡°In layman¡¯s terms, yes.¡±


    ¡°If we can make it to the cargo bay and if they haven¡¯t gutted the bags yet, I have a screen in my bag. If we could find a map and--¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too many if¡¯s,¡± Brit interrupted. ¡°We have a higher chance finding it on someone than finding your bag. I highly doubt they¡¯ve drawn maps of this place.¡±


    Eimose fought to come up with a way that resulted in him getting his bag back, but every scenario ended up with all four of them dead. If they ambushed the next person that came in through the door, they would have a chance at escape, but they were all unarmed and shivering from their damp clothes; that fight would be a short one. The highest chance they had at survival was just waiting for their captors to decide their fate and hope it was in their favor. As much as he disliked the idea, he agreed with Brit that the best option for them was to lay low and follow his lead.


    They sat silently in that room for another ten minutes before they could hear multiple sets of muffled footsteps coming towards them through the walls. They all got to their feet and straightened up, trying to become as stony-faced as they could to hide the fear. The door burst open and a teenage boy with freckles and bright red hair walked in with a large gun strapped around his shoulder, holding it at the ready.


    ¡°Boss wants to see you.¡±


    He pointed the nose of the gun at the group and motioned for them to step through the door. A group of older men and women holding weapons ranging from hunting knives to sub-machine guns stood at the entrance. All thought of the potential of overpowering the teen near them vanished from Eimose¡¯s head as he knew these people wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill him the instant he sneezed in the wrong direction.


    The four were wordlessly herded down the corridors until they reached a much larger room that was adorned with flags and bent pieces of metal with odd names on them. Gertrude, Harvin¡¯s Heckler, Unsinkable Glory, Poor Man¡¯s Home, Interest, and Nostalgia III  were just a few Eimose spotted before one of the women poked the sharp end of a spear at his back to get him to move to the center of the room. At the end he was being forced towards, Eimose saw a large metal chair with ornate decorations carved into the side panels. On the wall above it were two large crowbars with blades welded to them. They seemed comically large for actual usage so he deemed them part of the decoration.


    ¡°Wait here until he comes out. He seemed quite interested in you.¡± The teens spat out, glaring at Brit. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Brit didn¡¯t seem to notice the hostility, or he didn¡¯t show it on his face, continuing to stare forward without even a glance around him. Regal and Jeringy had a thin sheet of sweat on them despite the chillier temperature, but their faces were emotionless as well. Eimose wondered if this was a common occurrence since they seemed to be keeping their composures quite well if it was their first time held captive, turning red when he recalled how much of a blubbering mess he¡¯d turned into at the first sign of someone threatening his life.


    The people that had lead them to the room got into position on the perimeter of the room as a tall man with dark brown hair pulled up in a tight ponytail emerged from a metal panel Eimose hadn¡¯t realized was a door and strolled to the large chair before them and sat down. His blue eyes shone with amusement and a smirk was painted evidently on his face as he crossed his legs and leaned onto an elbow.


    ¡°Brit, I didn¡¯t expect to run into you. Funny how things work out that way.¡±


    Brit¡¯s face paled and Eimose was suddenly fumbling with the last string of hope he¡¯d had.


    ¡°Ahhh, at a loss for words? I guess no one ever guessed I would become the leader of the Piranhas. I¡¯m the one in power now.¡±


    Eimose felt a shiver run down his spine as the leader¡¯s eyes turned dark as he growled the last phrase. Brit still looked shaken, opening and closing his mouth without saying anything. If the strongest man in their quartet was in this condition, what did that mean for everyone else?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m a very forgiving man and won¡¯t hold the past against you, dear Brit. Let¡¯s start fresh and forget everything. In fact, to show my merciful nature I will even allow you to choose one other person to survive with you.¡±


    The words took a second to sink into everyone¡¯s skulls.


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t make me choose who lives and--¡± Brit exclaimed.


    ¡°CHOOSE OR YOU ALL DIE!¡± The leader screamed.


    Regal pushed Jeringy towards Brit and took a step backward to stand next to Eimose.


    ¡°Jeringy lives. I¡¯ve always wondered what the other side is like anyways.¡± He stated with a smile.


    ¡°Wha--¡± Jeringy and Brit said in unison.


    Eimose stared in shock at Regal condemning them both to death. He didn¡¯t want to die! He¡¯d done too much to get to this point and now this stranger had volunteered someone else? Well, he didn¡¯t want any of them to die since they¡¯d all grown on him, except Brit, but he certainly would like to prove his case to keep living!


    ¡°Seems like your comrade has more balls than you.¡± The blonde said and then turned to an aid by his side, whispering something in his ear.


    The aide nodded and went into the hidden room, coming out moments later with two pistols. They walked up to Brit and Jeringy and set them into their palms and then walked away, leaving four very confused people in their stead.


    ¡°Kill those two.¡± The leader ordered with a grin.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Brit asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like repeating myself. Kill the two you didn¡¯t choose or I kill all of you.¡±


    As if orchestrated, the people standing at the ready at the sides of the room raised their weapons at the small group huddled at the center.


    ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to kill my own crew!¡± shouted Brit.


    ¡°Oh yes, I can.¡±


    The leader raised his hand and the sound of guns being cocked filled the deafening silence.


    ¡°Kill, or you all die,¡± The leader stated in a soothing voice.


    Regal slowly took a step forward and took the gun from a wide-eyed Jeringy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make it easier for you.¡±


    Regal wrapped his mouth around the mouth of the gun and Eimose barely had enough time to register what he was doing and shove the gun away just as Regal pulled the trigger.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing!¡± Eimose yelled, completely forgetting where he was and focusing on the suicidal boy in front of him.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t do this, then they¡¯ll die, it¡¯s pretty straightforward,¡± Regal stated calmly. ¡°And if Jeringy actually has to kill me that would traumatize him more than me doing it myself.¡±


    ¡°My gods, do you even hear yourself? You just tried to kill yourself in front of your friend! Are you insane?¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t many options right now if you haven¡¯t noticed,¡± said Regal, irritated. ¡°This option results in only two victims rather than four.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just decide to--¡±


    ¡°SILENCE!¡±


    Eimose jumped when the voice brought him back into the reality he¡¯d momentarily forgotten about.


    ¡°You have five seconds to kill otherwise all this drama would be pointless.¡± stated the leader, a look of annoyance distorting his features.


    ¡°Five.¡±


    Brit raised his gun to Eimose.


    ¡°Four.¡±


    Eimose grabbed the gun from Regal¡¯s hand and pointed it right back.


    ¡°Three.¡±


    The Scout was tempted to pull the trigger, but Brit¡¯s eye¡¯s seemed to be telling him something he didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°Two.¡±


    Brit cocked his gun and shot his weapon, the bullet flying past Eimose and hitting one of the guards on the perimeter. Eimose didn¡¯t need any more encouragement and began firing expertly at the people caught by surprise by the sides of the room, rushing towards one of the fallen figures that sported a much higher caliber weapon. The room was filled with a flurry of bullets and chaos, the group of four against twenty.


    Eimose glanced up to see if he could see where the others were, but the teenager that had escorted them to the room chose that moment to begin his barrage of bullets. The Scout dropped to the ground and quickly retaliated with his new gun, pleased when the bullets stopped trying to end his life. He didn¡¯t have much time to bask in his small victory as a female swung her spear down on him.


    He blocked it with his gun and rolled away, swiftly pushing himself up with his free arm and aimed fired a round of shots at the female, but she was surprisingly agile and cartwheeled around him, using her spear as leverage and launching herself at him. Dodging out of the way, he finally managed to get a shot in her calf, which slowed her down, and then one in her chest.


    ¡°Eimose! Over here!¡±


    He turned and saw Jeringy beckoning for him to follow him through a doorway. Eimose quickly grabbed another gun from a corpse as a man with throwing knives nearly sank his weapons into his back. Brit and Regal were already leading the way through the hallways, cutting down anyone in their path. People were shooting at them from behind, so they had to turn a corner where they met more hostiles with guns and arrows. Eimose used the last of his round getting rid of the ones ahead of them and he could tell his other gun was running low. Whatever they were trying to accomplish, they had to do it fast.


    ¡°Goddam Pliancie, making me do all the heavy lifting. Fucking robot. Fuck this job.¡±


    Eimose stopped in his tracks and narrowly missed a chucked spear sinking into his abdomen. After dealing with the spear-thrower, he saw the origin of the complaining voice coming from a thick metal door to his left.


    ¡°Hurry up!¡± Jeringy called out to Eimose.


    Just then a swarm of hostiles blocked the route the three others had been taking and another dozen came around the hallway where Eimose had come from. Both escape routes were blocked.


    Eimose used the last of his bullets to shoot at the panel of the door and pried open the door, nailing someone in the head when he chucked his gun. The others had already caught on and were fighting their way into the room. Brit shoved the metal door shut and pushed all his weight against it to prevent anyone from opening it. A series of pounding and grunting could be heard from the interior.


    ¡°Alright genius, now we¡¯re all going to die in a room instead of just two of us before. You¡¯re totally right, this was a much better solution.¡± Regal said sarcastically.


    Eimose didn¡¯t bother responding because he was in a state of surprise when he saw the large robot laying on a table with a very shocked man in a grey lab coat staring back at him.


    ¡°Can I help you sirs?¡± The man asked timidly.


    Eimose answered by delivering a swift uppercut to the man¡¯s jaw, effectively knocking him out. He stared at the robot and felt his heart sink. This wasn¡¯t the Efficiency. This wasn¡¯t the robot he¡¯d seen kick a ridiculous amount of ass when he¡¯d set up the ambush. But it was still a Combatant, so perhaps he could still use it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hold them much longer.¡± Brit expressed, his voice still strong but the underlying defeat he felt was evident.


    Eimose started inspecting the robot, trying to find some sort of way to turn it on. This wasn¡¯t a model of Combatant he recognized, but the majority of them had their power switches in the back of their skull, but when he went to observe the robot it was already set in the ''on'' position, meaning that there was an issue somewhere else in the robot. Scrambling for anything at this point, he fumbled around lifting up any piece of clothing on the robot he could find to see if there was anything obviously wrong he could fix. He noticed a panel slightly raised in the stomach region just as the pounding at the door grew silent.


    ¡°Why did they stop?¡± Jeringy asked.


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ve decided to let us go,¡± said Regal hopefully.


    ¡°Shit, they¡¯re probably going to throw a bomb and clearing the area. You should all get back.¡± Brit said in a dead voice.


    Eimose opened up the panel and saw the remains of a used power core. He quickly removed it and glanced around the room, hoping there was another one lying around. He¡¯d never seen a core like that before either, so it was easy to spot on the counter just an arm¡¯s length away. The Scout grabbed it and placed it haphazardly in the slot, closing up the hatch and hoping his last efforts would result in something, anything.


    The Combatant¡¯s eyes flickered on and it sat up at an alarming speed, then turned to Eimose. It stared at him for a moment and its glowing blue eyes flickered red.


    ¡°You.¡±

 Chapter 52: Karma, In A Nutshell

    Terra felt like she was looking at the world through a thick puddle. She couldn¡¯t feel her body, but that was a sensation she¡¯d grown accustomed to. Sometimes she¡¯d be able to make out a bright light or glimpse an arm, but most of what she could see was a garbled mess of colors. She tried calling out to anyone that would listen, but not even Neiman responded to her. The sinking sensation of being truly alone sank in but she had no outlet. She couldn¡¯t cry or scream or curl up into a little ball. She simply existed.


    Her vision suddenly flickered into focus and it took a moment for Terra to find her way out of her daze and into reality. She sat up abruptly, making sure her arm was still there and that she was, in fact, not drifting away into nothingness. And then she saw him. The last face she¡¯d ever thought she¡¯d be seeing; the face that had caused her world to turn on its head and killed Indo and Petri.


    The rage that filled her was unmistakable and she could only utter a single word in response to seeing 895G again.


    ¡°You.¡±


    She wanted to kill him, to make him pay for inciting that ambush, to make him feel the pain she¡¯d felt when she saw the life leave Indo¡¯s eyes as Petri held him, and cause him the same heartbreak she¡¯d endured when she left Petri to die to save herself. So why was she hesitating from lunging at him and snapping his fragile human neck and ending her torment?


    ¡°Incoming explosive, one second.¡± Neiman quickly informed her.


    Terra snapped out of her daze and jumped off the table she¡¯d been laid on just as the far wall exploded, causing a very large man to come flying at her. Still disoriented from being suddenly woken up, Terra didn¡¯t react in time to avoid the flying body and ended up on the floor with him. Shoving the groaning man off of her, she flipped the nearby metal table on its side just as four armed figures entered through the dusty remains of what used to be a doorway.


    ¡°Four hostiles, each with automatics and heavily armored. Two unconscious friendlies, I think, near the doorway. 895G is unconscious as well, to your right. Minor concussion. The man next to you is conscious and may of use. Black crystal still intact.¡± summarized Neiman. ¡°The explosion opened up a panel in the wall that may have been a passageway before the renovation.¡±


    Terra turned to the man she¡¯d served as a cushion for and vaguely recognized him from somewhere, but pushed it out her mind until she didn¡¯t have to worry about people attacking her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll distract them, you get those three into that section of the wall. I¡¯ll meet you there when I¡¯m through.¡±


    Without waiting for a response, Terra jumped out from behind her makeshift shield, immediately inciting gunfire from the four who¡¯d entered the room. She could see two young men laying on the ground near each other, partially covered in concrete and dirt and metal, and although their vitals showed they were simply unconscious and not majorly wounded Terra couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of worry. An arc of electricity leaped across her vision, bringing her back to the bigger task at hand.


    ¡°They seem to have use of old world tech. Faraday¡¯s armor, equipped with electric batons and EMP bullets. Don¡¯t get hit with too many otherwise your systems will shut down. We are a robot after all.¡±


    ¡°What are EMP bullets? How many are too many?¡± Terra asked in shock, jumping out of range from a swinging baton, already regretting her choice to save the first people she saw.


    ¡°Just like in the name, these are miniature versions of the EMP disablers the Scouts and Patrollers use when they are faced with a technological threat. EMP bullets will disable small portions of your circuitry. Your own body repels all bullets, but these don¡¯t need to break the surface in order to work. Get hit with enough and they may short-circuit you, which will permanently immobilize you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great, thanks for telling me know now,¡± Terra said sarcastically, hearing the sharp metal tings of bullets ricocheting off her chest as the two of the four opened fire at her.


    Terra jumped over a table, but instead of tipping it over and using it as a shield, she curled her metal fist around an edge and chucked it at the four. She managed to nail one right in the jaw and watched them go down and used that distraction to fling herself at one of the armed members of their team, swiping the gun out of their hand. They were completely prepared for that it seemed and they immediately drew out their baton and swung it down on her. Terra used her arm to block her head, caught in surprise when her black crystal suddenly spread out into the air and stopped the baton in the air before it impacted her arm.


    Time seemed to stop for a moment as everyone took a second to figure out what their eyes were telling their brains. Terra could see the gears whirring in their heads as they were all trying to make sense of what that strange black thing that had emerged from Terra¡¯s hand. Using this to her advantage, she swept the legs out from her current opponent and snatched the baton out of her hand. If they were using electrified weapons, then so would she.


    ¡°Aim for the joints where there¡¯s no armor otherwise your attacks will be ineffective,¡± Neiman informed.


    ¡° Yessir, whatever you say, sir.¡±


    The other two snapped out of their daze when Terra had taken out yet another one of their compatriots, jumping into action and coming for her.


    One quickly circled around to her left side, the one without the arm, and swung their baton at her torso. Although she blocked it with ease, she was surprised when she saw their other arm suddenly have some sort of clawed attachment that seemed to radiate energy lunge right below the place she¡¯d blocked. Knowing she wouldn¡¯t be able to block two attacks at once, she jumped backward, forming her black crystal into a ball and flinging it at her attacker and then recalling it, trying to catch them in the back but they managed to dodge out of the way at the last second.


    Her attention was quickly diverted by the ringing of bullets against her back and she could literally hear sparks fizzling inside her chest and suddenly there was a lag between when she tried moving and when her body actually moved.


    ¡°Environmental echolocation malfunction. Temperature regulation malfunction. Spinal control running at 95%. We can¡¯t take much more of this.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that?¡± Terra commented as she dropped to the ground and rolled, a spray of bullets following her.


    She ducked behind the table she¡¯d thrown but had to quickly jump out of the way as the first assailant brought their baton down right where she¡¯d stood, although she couldn¡¯t avoid getting swiped in the ribs with the clawed mechanism.


    ¡°Spinal control at 74%. Power failure. Suggested course of action; enter sleep mode.¡± A robot female voice stated.


    Terra didn¡¯t have time to wonder what had happened to Neiman since she was too busy trying to get her body to move. The lag between her mind and body had gotten to two seconds now so she was having to guess where her attacker was aiming and dodge before the action even happened, which was impossible. She made it all of five seconds before her knees were knocked out from below her and the final blow from the baton to her left side caused her controls to shut down altogether.


    ¡°Spinal control failure. Immobile. Would you like to enter sleep mode?¡± The female voice asked.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Terra tried to look up at least get a look at the human who had taken her down but her neck was locked in position and she could only look at their black metal-plated boots. She chastised herself for getting cocky since she¡¯d been transferred to this new body and wondered what was going to happen to her. If she was going to be shut off, would she ever wake up again? Was this moment of defeat going to be her last memory? Was this short life really all she was going to get?


    The feet that stood before her didn¡¯t move, but to Terra¡¯s surprise, the body that belonged to the boots suddenly crumpled to the floor like a ragdoll.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    895G¡¯s face popped into her vision, his eyes full of concern, making it difficult for Terra to muster up the rage she normally felt when it came to him.


    ¡°Can robot¡¯s get hurt?¡± A voice just out of sight asked. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like they can feel anything.¡±


    ¡°Stop yammering and help me carry it to the pathway. Who knows when the next round is coming in.¡± A gruff voice called out.


    Terra saw the ground pull away as her body was lifted by two men. From her height now she could make out people¡¯s faces, and the Scout was one of the ones carrying her along with the guy that was familiar somehow but she couldn¡¯t place.


    ¡°Working on getting vocals back,¡± said Neiman as he popped back into her head. ¡°Those batons in particular really did a number on you. I¡¯m diverting full power to getting systems back online, so your vision might go black for a bit and you won¡¯t be able to sense anything.¡±


    Terra was immediately plunged into darkness. She was reminded of the place she and Alter once shared, but devoid of the floating lights. She tried looking around but she didn¡¯t even know if she was since she could feel anything and all around her was the same shade of darkness. This was worse than not being able to mingle with the world of colors she¡¯d been drifting through before. The darkness wanted to suffocate her. She was falling while not moving in an endless pit of black. For a moment Terra thought that maybe she had died and this was the thing that she¡¯d somehow avoided when she transferred into the Efficiency body. Was death finally coming to take her back?


    And the world was back again, although Terra found herself propped up against a dusty dirt wall instead of being inside a completely metal lab.


    ¡°Power is fully restored and all systems are back online,¡± Neiman said cheerfully.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever do that to me again,¡± Terra muttered.


    ¡°Do what?¡± He asked innocently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever leave me in the dark again.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking to us?¡± The Scout asked.


    The four males had gathered around Terra and were staring at her with concern. Terra took the time to finally get a good look at her surroundings.


    The passageway Neiman had pointed out had irregular walls and was lit only by the sliver of light that passed under the metal panel they¡¯d replaced to hide the entrance to the tunnel. Even with Terra¡¯s night vision, she couldn¡¯t tell how far down the pathway went, and she suspected the reason the four chose a place this close to the lab was because they couldn¡¯t see anything further than where they were now.


    ¡°Four more hostiles entering the room. I highly suggest you collapse the area near the entrance otherwise this place will be found relatively quickly.¡±


    She got up wordlessly and the four men moved out of her way.


    ¡°What are you doing, we have to go that way!¡± One of the younger ones called out, pointing down the dark tunnel.


    Ignoring him, Terra stood a few feet away from the entrance and looked for a weaker area of the wall. Neiman pointed out a small crack that had already formed from the weight of the rock itself and Terra pressed her palm against it, coaxing her crystal to melt into the small area. Once she was satisfied she had gotten the full extent of her crystal in the small crevice, she took away her palm and watched as her crystal solidified without her touch, causing the crack to widen just slightly and web out into different directions.


    Pulling her arm back, Terra punched the weakness and heard a satisfying rumble as the cave around her began crumbling. Running away from the entrance, Terra watched from a few feet away as the rocks crumbled, plunging the cave into complete darkness. Well, for the humans at least, Terra¡¯s night vision was working perfectly well so she could relatively well. Satisfied with her work, Terra recalled her crystal back into her hand and turned around to face the group to figure out the game plan.


    ¡°Uhh, did you do that on purpose? Did you seriously collapse the entrance on purpose?¡± The other younger male asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Oh, so you did want to get discovered by the four new fighters that were on the other side of that panel? My bad, let me start digging now so you can go meet your friends.¡±


    ¡°No! That¡¯s fine, I think I just got over my fear of the dark anyway so there¡¯s no need to dig or anything.¡± He laughed nervously and fumbled around with his arms outstretched ahead of him.


    ¡°And before we get any further in whatever this is,¡± Terra started, ¡°I need to say something to 895G.¡±


    At the sound of his name, his face froze and his eyes widened as if he was surprised to hear it. Terra walked right up to him and punched him square in the jaw, and although she made sure she adjusted the strength so that she wouldn¡¯t actually break his bone, she was a little disappointed it didn¡¯t knock him out.


    ¡°That¡¯s for Indo.¡±


    She punched him in the gut next, making him collapse to his knees.


    ¡°That one was for Petri. I will never forgive you for what you did to them.¡± Terra spat out. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to kill you yet because I just don¡¯t feel like it.¡±


    There was a moment of silence as the words hung in the air over 895G like a cloud.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on?¡± One of the younger males asked. ¡°Jer, did you just hear what I heard?¡±


    The other called Jer could only nod and stare into the darkness.


    ¡°I think I owe everyone an explanation.¡± 895G wheezed, groaning while he tried standing up.


    ¡°We can wait for the story,¡± the larger man said. ¡°We need to focus on getting out of this place first. Combatant, I take it you can see in the dark. Please lead the way. Jeringy and Regal, grab onto each other and follow my voice, it¡¯s best we don¡¯t get separated.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re not going to talk about a freaking talking Combatant and 895G, whoever that is? And whoever Petri and Indo were? At all? You''re leaving us in the dark, literally.¡± Regal retorted.


    ¡°Yeah, for once I¡¯m with him on this one.¡± Confessed Jeringy. ¡°Brit, you know I always side with you, but this time I need to have answers before I move on. We¡¯ve almost died way too many times to count and we seem safe now that there¡¯s no entrance. Let¡¯s just listen to what Eimose has to say.¡±


    ¡°How about you listen to what this Combatant has to say? You guys did save my life once, but I¡¯ve technically done it twice already and I¡¯ve only known you for about twenty minutes, and no one asks my name? Rude.¡± Terra said, annoyed.


    ¡°Alright then, what¡¯s your name Combatant?¡± Brit asked in an exasperated manner.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like telling you now.¡± Terra pouted. Just once she wanted someone to ask her for her name and not have to forcibly tell them. Was it really that strange for a robot to have a self-identity? Or for people to believe that she was just a girl trapped in this body without people thinking a faulty program was written?


    ¡°Alright, so we¡¯re not getting the Combatant¡¯s name then,¡± Brit concluded with a sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s just get a move on and let Eimose talk.¡±


    A bit of fumbling around ensued as Regal and Jeringy first tried finding 895G in the dark in order to get a good seat, but they ended up sitting by the wall farthest from the Scout since they kept circling around into the walls. Brit just remained standing, leaning up against the wall nearest to him.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that I beat up and took the skull mask from! I remember you now!¡± She exclaimed, glad to finally place his face to the memory--it was just one less nagging thought in the back of her mind.


    This seemed to catch everyone but the Scout off guard.


    ¡°What are you talking about. The one Brit fought was an Efficiency.¡± Regal claimed.


    ¡°Was being the key word there. Some complications ensued, which I¡¯m sure 895G will tell you all about, and now I¡¯m in this body. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll tell you all about how he set up an am--¡±


    ¡°Terra.¡±


    She whipped her head around at the calling of her name and was confounded to see that 895G was the one that had called her by her name. He¡¯d never called her by her name when they traveled together and was floored to know that he¡¯d actually remembered it.


    ¡°Terra, please let me tell the story. I promise I¡¯ll share everything.¡±


    The pain in the Scout¡¯s eyes showed the truth; he was going to tell every detail of his story. Terra quieted her vocals and sat down on the floor in front of the Scout, glad to have a moment to sit and listen rather than running or fighting for her life.


    The Scout opened his mouth and began telling the story of how he found himself at a landfill and how his life had taken a turn down a road he didn¡¯t know existed.


    Terra clung to his every word.

 Chapter 53: The Logistics Of Darkness

    Eimose kept his eyes on the dark ground ahead of him, fearing that he would be able to feel the change the others felt towards him after he confessed everything he¡¯d done. How he¡¯d gone searching for a fugitive under GreenHouse¡¯s orders and then led to three innocent person¡¯s captures (counting the robot). How he¡¯d shot and killed a man, albeit in defense, and ran when the world around him burned. But the weight on his shoulders lifted once he gave tangibility to the words hanging over her head and if he wanted to somehow balance out the scales of right and wrong in his life he needed to start with a slate cleaner than the one he had.


    When he¡¯d seen the Combatant¡¯s accusing eyes, horrifyingly human mask and the skull respirator, he¡¯d had an inkling of recognition to the Efficiency he¡¯d spent time with. Once he¡¯d seen it in action and talking back, there was no doubt in his mind that this was the same robot, though strangely in a different body. Brit had pushed him to help carry the unconscious Regal while the larger man tossed Jeringy over his shoulders, rushing to the panel of the wall the Combatant had pointed out to them. After replacing the panel and safely in the enclave, they worked together to get the younger men awake, which didn¡¯t take too long as they woke up with a start when an array of bullets sprayed the panel protecting them.


    Eimose peaked out from behind the panel despite Brit¡¯s warnings to remain wary, watching the Combatant fight the four trained and armed assailants. He¡¯d never tell the robot this, but he¡¯d been entranced by the way it fought the first time he¡¯d laid his eyes on it, and he wasn¡¯t going to miss watching it in action.


    He didn¡¯t know exactly what entice him to leave the safety of the tunnels, but something in him stirred when he saw the robot fall to its knees with two opponents still standing. His brain shouted at him to just leave the robot and escape with the three other humans so that all the evidence of his past would lay buried under the framework he¡¯d built. So when his body carried him out into the open to grab the gun from a fallen warrior and consecutively take out both hostiles with well-targeted shots to the head, it was a surprise to everyone, including himself.


    Which led to the current moment where he was awaiting the aftermath of his story, letting the last few words linger in the darkness while the others soaked it in.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that you were a Scout and you killed a man and then ran away?¡± Jeringy summed up in less than eloquent terms. ¡°That¡¯s nothing, do you not remember all those people we all just killed. And before he became part of our crew, Regal was a--¡±


    ¡°Not another word,¡± Regal growled. ¡°I told you that was off-limits.¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is that we all have a past we want to forget, but it¡¯s part of the thing that defines us and we¡¯ll never really get away from it. Do you want to go back?¡±


    ¡°Go back to what?¡± questioned a confused Eimose.


    ¡°GreenHouse. Do you want to go back to them?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s just go from there. Would you like us to keep calling you Eimose or do you prefer 8...9...whatever your name was?¡±


    ¡°Eimose, please.¡±


    A moment of silence followed before Brit spoke up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect to get off that easily with me. I¡¯ve been around people who¡¯ve claimed to have renounced GreenHouse and they have a bad habit of betraying me when things get sticky.¡±


    Eimose expected Terra to say something, but the robot remained silent, leaving him uncertain about whether his version of the story dampened the hate they felt towards him. The heaviness of the silence was finally broken by Brit once again, asking everyone if they were satisfied with their level of information so they could get a move on. It only took two minutes of fumbling in the dark before Regal and Jeringy started arguing with each other after bumping into one another too many times to count, almost resulting in a fist-fight if Terra hadn¡¯t stepped between the two and there was a sickening crack when their fists smashed against her metal exterior. A multitude of cursing ensued, most of which Terra hadn¡¯t heard before.


    ¡°So what¡¯s your deal anyway? I¡¯ve never heard a Combatant that can talk before. And I guess you were an Efficiency before? How does that whole thing work? Like, the whole body transfer thing.¡± Regal asked.


    ¡°Mind taking this one?¡± Terra asked Neiman.


    ¡°Taking what?¡± Regal asked just as Neiman agreed.


    ¡°The entire science behind what Terra is and her situation is still vague at this point in time. I did, or rather my programmer, all I could to investigate in every way imaginable from vacuum chambers to extreme heat and cold to electrical impulses, and nothing would give me a straight answer. Although I pride myself on my ability to produce results and find answers to the questions of the universe, what Terra is has left me absolutely baffled. You see, what me and my team fig--¡±


    ¡°Hold up, hold up,¡± Regal interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m more confused than I was before. Do you enjoy talking in the third person or are you someone else?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should change out of my voice when you¡¯re talking,¡± Terra suggested, smiling to herself when she realized the elderly man was speaking with the voice of a young girl.


    ¡°Good point,¡± he admitted. ¡°Is that better?¡±


    ¡°Woah! Who the fuck?¡± Jeringy and Regal cried out while Brit and Eimose¡¯s faces contorted in surprise at the lower, deeper, and elderly voice that came from the robot.


    ¡°My name is Neiman. I believe my programmer was featured in your tale, Eimose. I would prefer you call me by my creator¡¯s name since he integrated his personality in with my code and I am a copy of him. Terra and I will be sharing this body until we get to Onto and I can create my own if there is not one there already. It is a pleasure to meet you all.¡±


    ¡°So there are two of you in there.¡± Jeringy summarized.


    ¡°I believe I made that very clear, but yes.¡±


    ¡°Can you read each other¡¯s minds? Do you talk to each other? How come you can switch voices? How is that even possible? Won¡¯t your codes or whatever conflict?¡± Regal inquired.


    ¡°With any other program hosting the same body we would have issues, but Terra is not a code or program, she is something different altogether. How she was able to transfer her consciousness from an organic body into a mask, only to be transferred to a robot is beyond my knowledge. We cannot read each other¡¯s minds nor would we want to. I have already gone through puberty and do not wish to relive the mindset I had during that time. And only one may use the voice at any point in time, though control is usually Terra¡¯s since she uses less power than I do when functioning. If she talks to herself, it is her talking to me, so please refrain from responding unless you know what she is saying is directed at you.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Wait, did you just say something about puberty? How old is Terra?¡± Eimose blurted out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really remember and years are different everywhere I¡¯ve been, but I think eleven or twelve?¡± Terra took over the voice.


    ¡°Years?¡± Eimose said, incredulous.


    ¡°What else would it be?¡±


    Eimose was a loss for words at the thought of a twelve-year-old taking down a small army of Combatants. She was a child! When he was twelve he remembered running down the dorm halls naked because the friends he¡¯d had at the time dared him to do it, yet this girl had somehow gotten herself trapped in a robot and was kicking ass and taking names.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way there¡¯s not a story behind that,¡± Regal stated.


    ¡°Oh, no, we¡¯re not stopping for story-time again,¡± Brit announced. ¡°I would have thought everyone wanted to get out of here alive first, but I guess I¡¯m the only one.¡±


    Eimose was still hung up on the fact that a child was residing in a robot¡¯s body as the group continued to fumble forward in the darkness. If it--she--was really eleven or twelve that meant he was over ten years older than her and yet the first time they¡¯d met he¡¯d been sobbing like his life depended on it. A deep shame crept up the back of his neck when he thought back to a mere twenty minutes ago when he¡¯d contemplated ditching Terra to the mercy of the armed enemies even after she¡¯d saved all their lives.


    He wondered if he would ever be able to truly turn his life around.


    -----------------------------------------------------------------


    ¡°In eighty-five meters we will be making a right turn, which leads us to inclined ground, where we will hopefully reach some sort of exit,¡± Neiman spoke to only Terra.


    ¡°Have you been here before? How do you know so much about hidden tunnels and stuff?¡± She asked.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t been here before, what are-- Oh right, ignore the robot talking to herself,¡± spoke Regal.


    ¡°Echolocation. I¡¯ve been running it since we started running around in the tunnels it has proven quite useful. I can only read out about a hundred meters depending on how much power I funnel into the sensors. It seems very much likely that we will be able to safely get these people to safety and we can stealthily retrieve the bag without them hindering us.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that,¡± Terra admitted, bringing up the tracking beacon to appear on her display.


    The red light took a moment to find as it was now just a singular point in the floor behind them. Terra suspected it meant that the tracker had traveled even further underground, meaning that this place most likely had an even more elaborate maze of networking tunnel systems besides the level they had traversed. Running on full power meant that the echo-whatever thing could run at full capacity and she wouldn¡¯t get lost anymore searching for the bag.


    It took a few more minutes before the group turned down a more narrow tunnel that had a gentle ascend upwards and gradually grew brighter. By the time they reached the dead end, Regal and Jeringy had stopped bumping into each other and instead focused on complaining to how dusty their clothes and regulators had gotten.


    A rusted hatched was the only thing keeping the five from the outside world, and Terra made quick work of it by swiftly tearing it from the bedrock itself when it refused to budge. She tossed the useless bunch of metal out of the hole and jumped out, offering a hand to the others to help them out of the darkness and into the red sky.


    ¡°So, where is the river from here?¡± Jeringy questioned, looking around at the dusty plain.


    ¡°Just follow me, I know how to read the clouds,¡± Brit sighed as if it was common knowledge for everyone to be able to somehow ¡®read clouds.¡¯ ¡°We need to relay the location of the base to the rest of the crew so we can finally rid ourselves of these damn Piranhas once and for all.¡±


    ¡°Alright, maybe we¡¯ll run into each other in the future,¡± Terra said as she jumped back into the hole to get back to her original mission of finding the bag with her power cores in them.


    ¡°Wait! What are you doing?¡± Eimose cried out, getting on his hands and knees to peer down through the hole at her.


    ¡°I forgot something.¡±


    She didn¡¯t even bother looking back to see the gears working in his head and plunged back into the darkness, following the red light. Terra did, however, turn around when she sensed a heat signature following her. Low and behold, Eimose was struggling to keep up with her and there were clear signs on his knees and palms that he¡¯d fallen a few times to keep up with her.


    ¡°What are you doing.¡± She demanded.


    ¡°I think I forgot something too,¡± said Eimose, winded. ¡°I promised that scientist Neiman that I¡¯d take care of something for him and I don¡¯t intend on breaking it.¡±


    ¡°Neiman, what exactly haven¡¯t you told me?¡± Terra questioned.


    ¡°I may or may not have entrusted the safety of your power banks and an incredibly important chemical along with classified blueprints and documents to him. In my defense, he was literally the only one capable of getting it out of the GreenHouse facility who¡¯d actually try and follow my instructions. There have been more before him, but he was a last-ditch attempt since no one else has acted on my guidelines.¡±


    ¡°I can see he¡¯s working out great too.¡±


    ¡°You must admit, he has proven he has gusto. He¡¯s still alive, and in his defense, if you were human you¡¯d be dead considering how many bullets have already hit you.¡±


    ¡°The only reason they hit me is that I let them! I mean, if I had my original body then bullets wouldn¡¯t be an issue anyways! Maybe if I was really truly human I would die, but I don¡¯t want to live through that again.¡±


    ¡°Have you died before?¡± Eimose asked in alarm.


    ¡°Yeah, and it brought me to this place.¡±


    ¡°Oh. How...what...happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long sucky story which is made even suckier because it¡¯s lead me to this conversation.¡±


    Eimose shut his mouth and kept attempting to follow Terra into the dark cave.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°For what? Turning Indo and Petri to GreenHouse so they would die in front of me? Or for the fact that I have to share a body with the person that created me? Or for the fact that the one thing you were supposed to keep safe is in this god awful place and we have to look for it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m technically not really Neiman but a prog--¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Neiman!¡± Terra yelled in frustration.


    She picked up her pace until she was standing directly over the glowing red dot. There were no fissures in the ground already, so she decided that the fastest way to get to the tracker would be through brute force focused on a single area. Terra formed her crystal into a pyramid and made a groove in the ground where she balanced the pyramid point-down. Letting go, the pyramid formed jagged points all around it, balancing it more securely in the ground. Winding her arm back, Terra unleashed all of her pent-up emotions on her crystal, watching in satisfaction as a crack began forming after only three hits, growing larger and larger as she continued punching.


    ¡°Warning, tunnel collapse imminent. I suggest you stop and focus on creating a smaller opening as the entire system may give out. Need I remind you Eimose is in the vicinity and may not survive hundreds of pounds of rocks falling on him.¡±


    Terra ignored him, not breaking pace with the rhythm she¡¯d created.


    "You need to stop," Neiman urged.


    Strike. Crack. Strike. Crack. Strike. Crack. Strike. Crack. Crack. Crack.


    The floor suddenly crumbled and she and Eimose both fell into the unknown.

 Chapter 54: Hunting For A Star

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s alright to just leave Eimose behind? Aren¡¯t we supposed to turn that Efficiency-slash-Combatant in for the reward? There¡¯s still a reward, right?¡± Regal asked as he trotted to Brit¡¯s side to keep up.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to get our reward, that¡¯s a guarantee,¡± Brit replied. ¡°Boss will get what he wants even if we¡¯re not the ones to give it to him. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he¡¯s sent out multiple teams to get it. We have the advantage since we know where that robot is.¡±


    ¡°But then why did we leave them behind?¡± Jeringy piped up.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to be with them to know where they are.¡±


    Brit pulled a small black square out of his pocket and pressed a button on the side and a bright blue screen lit up showing four dots clustered together and two separate from the others.


    ¡°Uh, am I the only one that doesn¡¯t know what that is?¡± Jeringy asked.


    ¡°Any dumbass can tell that Brit planted trackers on them when, apparently, no one was looking.¡± Regal turned away from Jeringy¡¯s red face to Brit. ¡°When did you find time to plant those?¡±


    ¡°When we were carrying that robot into the tunnel. Two on the robot and two on Eimose.¡±


    ¡°What about those two?¡± Regal asked, pointing at the ones apart from the main group.


    ¡°I planted those in the bag they¡¯re hunting. There must be something more important in there that Eimose didn¡¯t tell us about.¡±


    ¡°He told us about those vial things that the old scientist gave him for safe-keeping. Do you think they¡¯re worth something?¡± Jeringy chimed in.


    ¡°¡®Eimose¡¯ is still part of GreenHouse, I¡¯m sure of it. You can never trust anyone involved with that company. We need to focus on getting to shore and finding a boat and getting back to the main crew and finally give the Piranhas a taste of their own medicine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just remembered I have to tell you something Reg! Hold up for a sec.¡± Jeringy cried out.


    Regal stopped and turned to Jeringy and was immediately sucker-punched in the face, hard.


    ¡°What the fuck man!¡± He yelled at Jeringy while he clutched at his already-bruising face.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to decide when you die, alright! You don¡¯t make that choice! Especially when I¡¯m standing right in front of you! Either we go down fighting together or we don¡¯t go down at all, capiche? No more of this shit with you trying to be noble and giving up your life for mine. It doesn¡¯t suit you and it never will!¡±


    ¡°You dick! I was just trying to be nice to you and this is how you repay me? Fine, wish granted, I won¡¯t be diving in front of any bullets for you. I¡¯ll fucking use you as a human shield next time!¡± Regal screamed out, a fine purple painting his cheek from behind his respirator.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the best shield ever anyways, way better than you! Speaking of, how many times did you get shot? I bet you a smoked squid I got more than you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on,¡± Regal smirked, lifting his shirt to reveal a thin chained shirt with small bits of metal lodged between the chains.


    They both shook out their chained shirts and got down on the ground to count the bullets that fell, smacking each other¡¯s hands away from stealing from the other.


    ¡°Stop acting like children and keep walking!¡± Brit yelled out behind him when he realized their annoying voices had fallen behind.


    ¡°Suck it, I got two more than you plus a graze on the arm!¡± Regal cried out.


    ¡°You stole those from my pile and you know it. I¡¯m keeping my squid.¡± Before Regal could respond in a flurry of punches, Jeringy aimed his next question to Brit. ¡°So who was that crazy guy who loved you so much?¡±


    A shadow passed over Brit¡¯s face at the mention of him and Jeringy almost regretted asking the question. Almost.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather leave that part of my life buried.¡± Brit finally said, barely above a whisper.


    Regal and Jeringy exchanged looks to not further push the topic for the moment, but definitely find out about it later once they¡¯ve put a good amount of alcohol in Brit. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time either and it was one of the rare moments they¡¯d work together. So far, they¡¯d learned that Brit was once married, had thrown up over Captain Lin before, and that he loved the color blue. Those were only the ones they remembered since if Brit was drunk enough to spill life stories, they were most likely drunker.


    ¡°There¡¯s the shore. We¡¯ll walk along the edge of the plateau until we spot a boat. If you spot one of those tin cans the Piranhas use underwater we¡¯ll use it too. We have the advantage of surprise on our side so let''s be sure to use it, which means both of you need to shut up until we get on the water.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The two younger men reluctantly agreed, creeping up to the edge of the ledge to avoid being seen. There were only a handful of people still outside the entrance to the headquarters and they were all focused on the repairing the main door, so it was easy remaining under the radar. Finding a boat was a little more difficult as the subaquas they rode on didn¡¯t submerge near their base, meaning that there was most likely some sort of underwater entrance for those, but after walking along the edge of the plateau for a hundred meters, they found a hidden enclave where the top-water boats were kept and made quick work of the two guards posted at the entrance.


    They quickly worked together and pushed the stolen boat onto the water and climbed on, getting as far out into the fog as they could so no Piranhas would spot them and try to blow them up. Once was more than enough.


    ¡°How do you turn this thing on?¡± Regal whispered loudly, smacking Jeringy when he shushed him.


    ¡°Check the front and sides. I don¡¯t recognize the tech, or lack of, on this boat,¡± confessed Brit.


    ¡°What are those pedals for?¡± Jeringy asked as he pushed on one of them, causing the boat to turn sharply to the right, almost flinging Regal off the side.


    Brit examined the pedals once everything was situated again, testing the pedals to see what they did. There were only two and they propelled the boat through the water according to which was used, so Brit was a masterfully cutting through the water in no time.


    ¡°This thing is so quiet!¡± Regal exclaimed, and Jeringy and Brit both smacked him into silence.


    It was, indeed, silent, which explained how the Piranhas were able to approach their ships without being detected and get away so stealthily. Whatever technology they were using, Brit had it now and he was going to use it. He hoped Lin¡¯s engineer was good at replicating things as this would be a total game-changer in the war against the Piranhas. Plus, it seemed to be traveling twice as fast as their boats, so the trip up the river was cut in half. In the fog up ahead the small crew could make out the ghostly image of a ship, and soon the word Nostalgia could be seen on the hull.


    ¡°Friendlies approaching! Don¡¯t shoot us!¡± Jeringy cried out, waving his arms in the air to grab the attention of anyone on the deck.


    All three of them jumped when they heard the pop of a gun and the sound of a harpoon striking the water a foot from them, fearing that maybe their crew had mistaken them for the enemy, but equipment for hooking the boat¡¯s ends was slung down the line of the harpoon for them to connect. After a few minutes, they gave the line a tug and they felt the boat slowly lift from the water. The three jumped off and landed safely on the deck of the boat, glad to be back in their element.


    ¡°My friend, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alive!¡± Lin gave Brit a huge hug. ¡°I take it from your change of vessel that you encountered the Piranhas. I¡¯m glad you three are alive, and condolences for your loss of that other one.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately he¡¯s still alive,¡± Brit admitted. ¡°He stayed behind because he felt his bag was more important than his life. I¡¯ll tell you the tale over dinner, but we have to gather the other ships and tell them we found their headquarters.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain you have found their headquarters and not a simple base? I don¡¯t want to call upon the other ships only to discover we hit the wrong base.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve never been able to get the location of a single base before, so even if this isn¡¯t the headquarters it will hit them where it hurts.¡± Brit quieted his voice and whispered to Lin. ¡°Kijon is their leader.¡±


    Lin¡¯s face paled and he looked at Brit with the whites of his eyes showing, hundreds of questions displayed on his face. Shaking his head he pushed his hair back and addressed the crew standing on the deck.


    ¡°Tondo, alert the surrounding ships we have the Piranha location and we strike in an hour. Crew, sharpen your weapons and be ready to spare no one. They have taken the lives of our crew and so we will do the same to them! They will feel our pain!¡±


    A war cry rose from the twenty crew on the deck and they sprinted away to get ready and alert the others working in the engine room about the news. Lin called for his head mechanic to come on deck and figure out as much as he could about the tech behind the silent pedal boat Brit¡¯s crew had stolen.


    ¡°How¡¯re Terra and Eimose doing?¡± Jeringy asked Brit once the deck was clear.


    Brit pulled out the black screen and showed him the trackers. All six were clustered together now, although they were unmoving.


    ¡°Does that mean they found the bag? Maybe it got stuck or something and they couldn¡¯t move it?¡± tried Regal, although he sounded unconvinced.


    ¡°Either that or they¡¯re all dead. The trackers only have a lifespan of eight hours so we need to find them before they die. The trackers and the robot I mean, I don¡¯t give two shits about Eimose.¡± Brit stated.


    They all jumped back when a figure suddenly landed next to them with a loud thump having jumped from the crow¡¯s nest onto the deck.


    ¡°Did you say Terra?¡±


    ¡°Hey Henarie, doing crazy stunts like that again. Weren¡¯t you shot literally a few hours ago?¡± said Jeringy.


    ¡°Old news. Terra. You said Terra. Where is she?¡± Henarie¡¯s bright brown eyes glowed with hope.


    ¡°How do you know about Terra? Maybe you¡¯ve got the wrong Terra because I don¡¯t think anyone would be looking for this Terra considering her...situation. Well, except for us, but we¡¯re an exception because we¡¯re doing it for the money.¡± Summarized Regal.


    ¡°Believe me, I know Terra and she¡¯s close, I just don¡¯t know from what direction. Point.¡±


    The three males exchanged uneasy glances and Henarie knew she wasn¡¯t going to get anything out of them. She lifted her arms and began pointing in all directions, pausing when she noticed Jeringy¡¯s eye shift to the side when she pointed down the river. Before anyone could react, she sprinted to the boat that Brit and his crew had stolen and jumped in it, swinging it over the edge and swiftly slicing the cords that held it up in a single motion.


    ¡°I promise I¡¯ll bring it back with interest!¡± She cried out behind her at the cries of Lin and the others calling her back and cursing her name.


    Henarie stared straight forward into the fog, feeling the familiar tug at her chest whenever she was near to Terra. She¡¯d finally found her. She¡¯d found her Terra. This time she wasn¡¯t letting go.

 Chapter 55: A Game Of Survival

    Eimose bolted up and vomited up contaminated water, grimacing when he put his respirator back on without being able to rinse the taste out of his mouth.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± he managed to groan.


    ¡°No ¡®thank you¡¯? See if I try to save your life again.¡± Terra muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re the reason why we fell in the first place! What happened after that anyway, I can¡¯t remember. Seriously, where are we?¡± Eimose clutched his chest in pain. ¡°And why do I feel like I was punched a hundred times?¡±


    ¡°Probably because you were.¡± Eimose glared at Terra. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I had many options! You hit a beam coming down and were knocked out by the time you hit the water, and robots don¡¯t exactly float so I had to find a way to the surface somehow.¡±


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain why my chest hurt so much.¡±


    ¡°You looked like you were dead and I didn¡¯t know what to do so I kept punching you. I lost count after fifteen.¡±


    Eimose looked at Terra in disbelief.


    ¡°Hey, it worked didn¡¯t it?¡± defended Terra, raising her arm in defense.


    He shook his head trying to remember exactly what happened but his memory was blank from after he fell until now, so he had to believe Terra. Looking around he couldn¡¯t deny that he was in some sort of subaqua considering how many pipes there were running along the length of the wall and how musty the air tasted. Although that may have been caused the remnants of getting sick earlier.


    ¡°There are two life signs on board at the helm of this thing and they haven¡¯t moved, so I doubt they realized we snuck on. We should hurry and get my bag while we¡¯re unnoticed.¡±


    Eimose couldn¡¯t fight that logic and followed beside Terra as they walked down a narrow corridor. He was glad to see that all the anger Terra had been emitting earlier had abated and she was actually treating him like a person and not a parasite. Maybe this was her way of apologizing for nearly getting him killed? Whatever it was, he was glad she hadn¡¯t left him to die in the water, although his chest was already blossoming with deep purple bruises and breathing felt like his lungs were being squeezed. Nonetheless, he was alive, and at this point, he just needed to work with what he was given.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the two to make their way down a ladder and through a few more corridors until they reached a room tightly packed with crates and canvas bags. There were shelves on the walls, but they were overflowing with luggage and the ground was non-existent due to the vast amount of boxes and miscellaneous items scattered throughout the room.


    ¡°So is there an easy way to find the bag or do we have to do this the hard way?¡± Eimose tried.


    Terra stayed silent for a bit, thinking.


    ¡°The tracker tells me the bag is at the bottom of that back shelf over there.¡±


    Eimose followed the line of her finger and saw that she was pointing to the densest area of clutter. Using the partially exposed corner of a table, Eimose clamored on top of the mountain of stolen goods until he reached the corner. He grabbed at crates and bags and threw them over his shoulder, cursing when more junk flooded the area he¡¯d cleared.


    ¡°How far down is it?¡± He called out over the piles of luggage.


    ¡°You¡¯re almost there. Just a bit farther.¡± Terra replied.


    He kept throwing his obstacles out of his way, trying to spot the dark fabric of the bag. His frustration grew as he found a third bag identical to his own yet wasn¡¯t. When he bashed his chin against the edge of a crate for the fifth time, he finally snapped.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s here? I can¡¯t find it. Am I close?¡± He cried out after he¡¯d let a long string of expletives out.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Terra yelled out. ¡°Oh wait, silly me, it¡¯s right here.¡±


    Eimose jumped up to see Terra stroll over to a nearby shelf and pluck out a bag that was on top of the mess. She¡¯d been messing with him the entire time. A wave of anger washed over him, but he shoved it away. Taking a deep breath, he pushed his way back to the top of the pile of goods and made his way back to level ground, sweating and covered in more bruises than when he started.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Eimose said in a huff.


    ¡°Not yet. You need to carry this bag while I hunt for the bag with my arm. Wait, nevermind, it¡¯s right next to it.¡±


    Terra grabbed a second bag and opened it, revealing a matching pair to the arm she was currently using.


    ¡°Any way you can replace my arm now or do we still have to wait until Onto?¡±


    ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m qualified for that,¡± stated Eimose, caught off guard.


    ¡°Not talking to you. There¡¯s so much stuff around here that you could probably find the equipment you need.¡± Terra paused, listening to Neiman explain to her the mechanics of assembling a robot. ¡°Fine, fine, Onto it is.¡±


    The metal around them suddenly shuttered and a loud humming noise reverberated the very walls around them as it lurched forward. Eimose caught himself on the edge of the table before he landed on the corner of a box while Terra¡¯s stability systems kicked in and she barely had to take a step to right herself.


    ¡°Stupid question, but why are we moving?¡± Terra¡¯s voice shook.


    ¡°Well we are in a subaqua,¡± stated Eimose.


    ¡°Do I look like I know what that is?¡±


    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s a ship that travels underwater. The tech was lost a long time ago but I guess someone found it and made it.¡±


    ¡°What happens if something goes wrong? What if there¡¯s a leak? Aren¡¯t people afraid of drowning? Why are people doing this?¡±


    Terra¡¯s eyes glowed more brightly than usual and she looked around as if the walls around her were going to collapse inwards on her. She bolted out of the room and Eimose quickly grabbed the two bags and followed as quickly as he could. He lost sight of her within seconds, but the frantic pounding of her boots against the metal interior of the subaqua made it easy to follow her path. When he finally caught up with her, she was where he¡¯d come to trying to pry a hatch open on the ceiling he hadn¡¯t noticed.


    ¡°Gods! Stop or you¡¯ll really kill us all!¡± Eimose cried out, dropping the bags and grasping at her arm to pull her away. Even though she only had one arm he was confident she had the strength to release the pressure seal and fight the weight of the water above them to escape.


    ¡°I need to get out of this death trap! I don¡¯t want to drown!¡± She cried out.


    ¡°You can¡¯t drown! You¡¯re a robot! You were just in the water!¡± Eimose yelled as he struggled to pull back Terra¡¯s arm.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The words sunk in and Terra stopped trying to pry the hatch open.


    ¡°I can¡¯t drown. That¡¯s right, I¡¯m safe. I can¡¯t drown. I can¡¯t drown.¡± She chanted to herself, caught in a trance.


    Eimose waved his arm in front of Terra but she was still reciting her mantra and not registering anything. In the distance he could hear a set of footsteps echoing down a corridor--he needed to snap Terra back into reality or they¡¯d get caught! He waved his hands and snapped his fingers, even slapped Terra in the mask, but that only resulted in a very sore hand and no progress.


    ¡°AI override." Neiman¡¯s voice came online. "Alright, Eimose, let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Neiman grabbed both of the bags in his hand and sprinted down the corridor, taking a different route than before. Eimose ran after him and was glad to see that Neiman was taking his speed into consideration and slowing down so Eimose wouldn¡¯t be left behind.


    Neiman came to a stop in front of a door and dropped the bags, using his hand to push buttons very rapidly and systematically into a number pad to the side of the entrance. The footsteps got closer and Eimose was beginning to wonder if Neiman would be able to get them in, but just as he thought the owner of the footsteps was about to turn the corner and spot them, the door slid open and they both jumped in, quickly sealing the door behind them.


    Eimose stood at the side of the door holding his breath as he heard the footsteps pause for a moment outside the door, letting it out when he couldn¡¯t hear them anymore.


    ¡°What the fuck just happened out there?¡± Eimose asked angrily. ¡°Terra just panicked and then froze! She could have killed everyone and gotten us spotted!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame her. According to what she told me about her life before she got trapped in this body, her first memory is drowning. She¡¯s unsure as to why she was in the water in the first place, but as you can imagine it is a very traumatizing experience for someone as young as she is.¡± Neiman defended.


    ¡°But she was just in the water! She was in the water when we fell just fifteen minutes ago!¡±


    ¡°I admit, I had to force control much as I am doing now when we fell to the bottom. She began chanting like you saw and refused to move. I exhausted over half our battery magnetically charging this body so it would be attracted to the subaqua and I could reach you. As soon as we entered the subaqua she came to and proceeded to save you. She was never aware she was on this machine.¡±


    ¡°Remind me why you''re not the one always in control? It makes way more sense for someone meant for a robot¡¯s body to be controlling the robot than an eleven-year-old.¡± Grumbled Eimose.


    ¡°Powering an AI system requires much more battery as the super coolant systems must be engaged. When Terra is in control there is no fear of overheating and the only battery consumption she uses is for purely mechanical reasons like movement. A Combatant¡¯s body is not made for energy efficiency so we need to be careful of power levels. Fortunately, we have four more power cells in this bag here, which will last us until Onto if we conserve. Speaking of, Terra is coming to.¡±


    Eimose tried to find something to say to make Neiman stay but the logic of his argument was solid so Eimose was just going to have to be a young girl¡¯s companion for a while longer.


    ¡°Are we still on the subaqua?¡± Terra asked quietly.


    ¡°Your attempt to kill us all failed, so yes.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Terra sat down on the floor and hugged her knees.


    This time, before Eimose opened his mouth again to chastise Terra, he saw an eleven-year-old stuck in a six-foot robotic shell.


    ¡°Listen, I know you¡¯re afraid of the water, but there¡¯s no way you¡¯re going to drown. I love reminding you that you¡¯re a robot, and this time is no different. Plus, this ship looks like its old and made a lot of trips and it¡¯s still functioning, so it¡¯s probably not going down just because you¡¯re on it. I promise you that even if somehow this super-sturdy subaqua breaks and you start sinking, I¡¯ll grab you and do everything in my power to get you to safety.¡±


    Terra mumbled something into her knees and Eimose asked her to repeat what she¡¯d said.


    ¡°That¡¯s rich coming from someone who almost drowned a few minutes ago,¡± she said, a lighter lilt to her voice.


    ¡°Alright, so maybe I¡¯m not the best rescuer you could get, but I promise you that I will come after you,¡± he said with a smile, hoping to keep Terra talking and get her moving. They needed to figure out where the subaqua was heading and somehow divert it to land so they could escape. Or did they?


    ¡°How are you feeling, because you might not like what I¡¯m going to say next.¡± Eimose started, giving Terra a nervous smile as he proposed his idea.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Henarie stepped over a bloodied hand as she approached the quivering male blonde pointing a rifle at her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take a step forward! I swear I¡¯ll shoot!¡± He yelled out. ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am! I am all-powerful here! I can make you rich!¡±


    His gun shook and his sweaty fingers slipped over the trigger, eager to pull and end his nightmare. How had this woman gotten past all of his security and his elite pillaging team? There was no way an army could defeat his forces, and yet this lone woman had done it within an hour. This was no woman, no, this was the devil. When she took another step toward him he didn¡¯t hesitate to pull the trigger this time.


    The bullet tore through her heart and she fell to the ground, blood pooling out of her open wound. The blonde¡¯s face pulled up in a taut smile when he saw that he¡¯d single-handedly killed the devil.


    ¡°Ha! You see that you bitch! You can¡¯t take down a king!¡±


    But she rose once again with a grin as she watched a floating black substance cling to her bleeding wound, sealing the wound and healing her, leaving only a torn hole in her shirt.


    ¡°Now that we got the fun part out of the way, how¡¯s about you tell me where you took her?¡± Henarie said while flicking away bits of blood that had landed on her chin.


    The blonde was at a loss for words. He had killed her, hadn¡¯t he? He¡¯d pulled the trigger--seen the bullet travel through her chest. So why was she standing? His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground.


    ¡°Oh get over it, just tell me where she is. I know she¡¯s nearby since it took a way shorter time for me to come back this time than usual. So, whatever your name is, where is Terra?¡± Henarie closed the distance between them and roughly grabbed his hair and forced him to look up at her. ¡°Tell me now or I stop being nicey-nice-pants.¡±


    ¡°M-mercy!¡± He coughed out, flashes of his life passing in front of his eyes as he saw the face of death smiling down at him.


    ¡°Did I tell you I was merciful? No. Just tell me where she is and this will all be over so much faster,¡± she groaned with impatience.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone named Terra. I swear!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± Henarie snapped his neck without a second thought and let his body crumple to the ground. How did no one know Terra? She was just going to have find her the hard way.


    She sat down on the ground with her legs crossed and closed her eyes, focusing on the trail of concentrated black crystal energy. The trail was faint, but the remnants of the power it left behind made Henarie radiate with energy. Keeping her eyes closed, she followed the trail through corridors, not being stopped by any opponents since she¡¯d dealt with nearly all of them. She hoped she frightened off anyone who dared think of stopping her--she wasn¡¯t going to be interrupted this close to finding Terra.


    The trail got stronger when she entered a room that had been obliterated. The energy in the air was full of stress and anger and fear, meaning there had been some sort of fight. She walked to the wall the energy was leading her to and removed a loose metal panel, revealing dense packing of fallen rocks.


    ¡°Oh, so you think you¡¯re so clever, huh. Think again.¡±


    Henarie squared up her feet to the rocks and took a deep breath and slowly released it, letting her energy settle in her body. She twisted her body and focused all her energy on her fist, bringing it down on the largest cluster of rocks. What happened next could only be described as nothing short of an explosion of dust as all the rocks within the impact zone of her fist were obliterated into near nothingness.


    Henarie ran out of the tunnel, coughing and sneezing.


    ¡°Wow, I did not think that one through. Got the job done though.¡±


    When the rocks and dust had settled enough for the respirator to stop intaking vast amounts of dust, Henarie stepped through the opening and into the dark tunnel. The pitch black didn¡¯t deter her from her mission as she had closed her eyes to focus on the trail of energy. She had to crack her eyes open when the trail vanished into the distance and yet had a more concentrated cluster in front of her. Luckily she¡¯d opened her eyes on time otherwise she would have been at great risk of falling through a large hole that led to a cavern.


    ¡°What are you doing Terra?¡± Henarie asked into the air.


    She jumped down the hole, landing gracefully on an exposed beam. There was an odd fluctuation in the air that made Henarie hesitate before jumping down into the dark water below. Sitting on the beam, she closed her eyes again and focused on the oddity of the energy, carefully following its trail along the beam. There!


    Henarie smiled as she picked up a small black crystal.


    ¡°Terra, Terra, Terra, how could you leave this behind. Someone bad might take it and use it for wrong.¡±


    She smiled and stuffed it into her pocket.


    ¡°Terra, ready or not here I come.¡±


    Her feet left the beam and she plunged into the water.

 chapter 56: A Toast To The Ashes

    Sweat trickled down his back as he finished up mopping the last patch of floor left in the laboratory. Apparently, a new test subject was arriving in a few hours and the Head wanted the lab cleaned from top to bottom in preparation. 7124 had repeatedly told him that if the people who used the lab on a regular basis cleaned up after themselves then the room wouldn¡¯t have to take so long to clean, but nobody listens to a janitor. A degree in biology and molecular sciences did him no good when it came to cleaning floors.


    Cleaning up his supplies he loaded everything into his cart and left the lab, waving hello to some of the lab rats that walked by him; they were the only ones that paid him any attention. A few years ago when he had started this job he¡¯d hoped that he might have been recognized as the scientist he was, but Greenhouse was incredibly picky about who they hired and the best he could do to work at the prestigious company was get hired as a cleaner. The pay was better than he could have done outside the company, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that he was stuck in that job.


    ¡°What are you doing standing in front of the entrance?¡±


    A rude voice brought him out of his thoughts. 7714S hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d zoned out staring dreamily out the window.


    ¡°Pardon me,¡± 7714S apologized and moved out of the way.


    ¡°The gall of you people sometimes. Know your place.¡± The scientist sniped and slid the door behind him.


    7714S waited until he was halfway down the hallway before mimicking his superior.


    ¡°Know your place.¡± He said in a whiny high-pitched voice. ¡°I¡¯m a scientist and I¡¯m more important than anyone else. I¡¯m the best and everyone should worship me. Mlah mlah mlah.¡±


    ¡°Amusing impression. Might I ask who that was?¡±


    7714S jumped out of his skin and whipped around to face the Head of the biology department.


    ¡°I..uh..¡± he stuttered.


    ¡°Be sure you know who¡¯s around you next time, other people may not be as amused at your impression of them as I am. Spot on if that was Miloy.¡± said the Head, a smile lighting up her face.


    7714S rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.


    ¡°Do you chase after janitors often?¡± he asked, trying to move on from his blunder.


    ¡°When I¡¯m not waiting around the corner stalking them, yes. Luckily I ran into you before I had to start hunting for you. How would you feel about changing your route? Nothing major, but I¡¯m sure a change of pace would be nice now and then.¡± The Head offered.


    ¡°I suppose that would be nice. Permanent or temporary?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully permanent but it all depends on the lab¡¯s findings. The only room you¡¯d need to clean would be the main lab room. All your other rooms will be assigned to others. You will have a pay increase as well if that sounds enticing.¡±


    He squinted suspiciously at the Head¡¯s innocent expression.


    ¡°This deal is getting awfully sweet. What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    ¡°You got me.¡± The Head admitted. ¡°There is utmost secrecy involved with this specimen so you wouldn¡¯t be able to use the interweb, go outside, or contact any members outside the scientific team and those already cleared for discretion.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll practically be living in the lab and then cleaning up after everybody that¡¯s used it.¡± 7714S summarized.


    ¡°Correct. There is an apartment built into the lab so all your necessities will be at your fingertips.Groceries will be delivered once a week and there is an entertainment and recreation room as well.


    ¡°So I¡¯ll be isolated for an unknown period of time in an apartment five times better than the one I have, have a pay raise, and don¡¯t have to buy groceries? When was this six years ago?¡±


    The Head seemed a little surprised at 7714S'' enthusiasm but decided not to question it.


    ¡°The specimen arrives in three hours. Please get all your things in order and be moved in by then. After that specimen arrives you will not be allowed to leave until all tests are run and a conclusion has been drawn regarding its results. Understood?¡±


    The janitor nodded with gusto, eager to get to his minuscule room and pack up the little he had.


    ¡°Wait, why did you choose me?¡± He asked before he took off.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°You are the only cleaner with a background in the sciences. I believe that you may prove crucial in observing the subject. I will be heading up the main team, although other teams will be aiding us in tests. There will be periods of time that no team will be available and I will call upon you to run a test or observe samples. I trust you are up to the task?¡± she rose her eyebrows in expectation.


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Just leave it all to me! I can do it!¡± he replied. This was the shot he¡¯d been waiting for! Maybe the past six years cleaning up after people younger than him wouldn¡¯t have been for naught.


    Before the Head could fit in another word, 7714S sprinted down the hallway with his cart, discarding it in the cleaner¡¯s closet before running to his room, nearly barrelling down several other cleaners on his way. Despite their exclaims of protest and rude slurs directed at him, nothing could bring him down from the euphoria he was feeling at finally being granted his shot at doing what he¡¯d dreamed of doing since he was a child. After all, Greenhouse had raised him as a scientist but then deemed him unqualified for the field and demoted him to a cleaner. When Greenhouse demotes someone, they typically never get a chance to rise back up.


    Grabbing the duffel bag he¡¯d used six years ago to move into his one-bedroom housing situation from under his bed, he quickly shoved the contents of his dresser in them, not bothering to neatly stack them. Screw neatness, he was getting out of there!


    It only took him thirty minutes to pack up his toiletries, clothes, books, and other essentials, and then he was out the door. He was at a bit of a loss when he left his room since he¡¯d left in such a hurry that he hadn¡¯t bothered asking the Head any questions regarding details. Luckily, the Head was a forward thinker and had sent a Trooper grunt to guide him to his new accommodations. Considering it was the lab room he¡¯d just spent three hours cleaning he knew the direct location but he didn¡¯t know where the room he¡¯d be staying was.


    The Trooper led him into the lab room where 7714S tried his best to give a polite smile to the asshole scientist who¡¯d told him to ¡®know his place¡¯ when he saw them, but they paid no attention to him. The guide showed him an odd set of paneling on the wall with a shelf built into it. With a swipe of a card over a black box to the right, the panel swung open, revealing the largest apartment 7714S had ever seen.


    ¡°You have the freedom to come and go as you please until the specimen comes with this key card.¡± The guide motioned to the card in their hand as they set it down on the coffee table. ¡°After that time, that card will only open the panel to your apartment and nothing more. Please do not exit this room until a quarter into the new day as the scientists will be situating the specimen and conducting an orientation of sorts. Cleaning supplies are in that closet,¡± the guide pointed to a closet near the door. ¡°Be sure to clean as best and quickly as you can as the new shift of scientists will be arriving an hour after the first batch leaves. Do not touch anything in progress otherwise, you will be reprimanded and your position here reevaluated. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask me directly using the phone line in the kitchen. It is the only phone in the area and only has two numbers preset; mine and the Head Patroller. If it¡¯s an emergency, contact him, but ONLY if it¡¯s an emergency. Anything else, contact me. Have a nice day.¡±


    The guide left 7714S to revel in the vast amount of information he was just dealt. He felt a little overwhelmed, but he remembered the important things; only come out after quarter into the new day and that he only had an hour to clean. He would ask the Head what they wanted him to do regarding the specimen when they saw her next. For now, he was just going to explore the amenities his new life held for him until he had to go out. After dumping his stuff out on his bed he found his way into the kitchen and made himself a quick butter and jam sandwich and went to his entertainment room.


    Books lined the entirety of the right wall and there was even a ladder to reach the topmost shelves as they went up higher than his arm¡¯s breadth. On the left wall was a large television with a plush couch directly in front of it. A treadmill lay right behind the couch also facing the television and a rack of weights adorned the center wall. Those would most likely end up collecting dust as he wasn¡¯t known for exercising on purpose, although he could see the benefit of watching movies while running.


    Time flew by as he watched several movies and even tried out the showers. By the time quarter into the day came around, he was fully dressed with cleaning supplies hanging from both arms and the key card poised over the black box. The box beeped and granted him entrance into the lab room where he quickly set his stuff down on an available table and got to cleaning. He was surprised to see how quickly the room had turned disastrous considering it had only been a few hours since he¡¯d cleaned the lab, but he was still riding a joy wave that it didn¡¯t bother him as much as it normally did. He had been so focused on cleaning that he got done in record time, with fifteen minutes to spare before the next team came in and destroyed his handiwork. 7714S was more than caught off guard when he finally saw the specimen everyone had been so seclusive about.


    In the center of the room was a tube that appeared to be a stasis tube, but it was covered in large black crystals so that it was difficult to tell whether there was someone inside or not. Circling the tube, 7714S found a small gap between the crystals that allowed him to peer inside the window panel. He couldn¡¯t hide his gasp when he saw a little girl, no older than twelve, lying dormant in the tube, crystals covering the majority of her body as well, leaving only part of her face and bright green hair revealed.


    ¡°She¡¯s a beauty isn¡¯t she?¡±


    7714S¡¯s heart leaped out of his chest and he turned to the familiar voice of the Head standing behind him.


    ¡°Do you not make any sounds when you walk? My gods! You¡¯re going to kill me one of these days!¡± he said while gripping his frantic heart.


    ¡°I figured you would have heard the door opening but I suppose not.¡± The Head defended, turning her attention back to the girl in the tube. ¡°Found her in the ruins of Headquarter 3. Don¡¯t know how it survived the explosion or fallout but we have a hypothesis it has something to do with the surrounding crystals. Rumor has it that the Old World Force destroyed Headquarter 3 because the specimen was in our hands, so we must find out why the Old World Force doesn¡¯t want us to have it at all costs otherwise we may be the next casualties.¡±


    7714S turned back to the tube and wondered what exactly the scientists would find that cost the lives of the thousands that died in Headquarter 3, shivering at the thought of something like that happening at that base because someone let it slip the specimen was in their hands. He silently rooted for the scientists to finish their research as quickly as they could so 7714S could rest easy without fearing a nuclear explosion. For now, he would do all he could to support the scientists in their endeavor for the answers and hope that he could help aid them in the future.

 Chapter 57: Unsuspecting Victims

    Any thought of sleep was overshadowed by the decapitated bodies imprinted in the back of his eyelids.


    Brit groaned and got up from his dimly lit cot, noticing that Regal and Jeringy¡¯s beds were devoid of their sleeping selves. Everyone who had seen the results of the massacre back in the Piranha''s headquarters seemed to have difficulties getting any sort of rest, leading to a very irritated yet silent crew. As Brit strolled out of his room and onto the deck he wondered what could have led to the bloodbath that used to be a crew of scavengers. In truth, he already knew what had happened, but his brain was still trying to understand how someone he¡¯d known for over five years could have caused so much deadly destruction.


    He¡¯d seen the boat Henarie had stolen floating amongst the wreckage of the remaining Piranha boats, and there had been a clear set of footprints belonging to someone the size of Henarie, but there was no way someone he¡¯d never seen engage in battles before cause that vast amount of gruesome carnage. Right?


    The two boys were leaning against the railing of the ship staring out at the red horizon of fog when Brit joined them. They spent the next few minutes wordlessly gazing into the nothingness before Regal broke the silence.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°How what?¡± Brit asked.


    ¡°How could Henarie have killed so many people?¡± elaborated Regal.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. They say you lose your humanity when you kill someone, so Henarie must not--¡±


    ¡°Not about that,¡± Regal interrupted. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve never seen Henarie even participate in combat training since she¡¯s always in her room sulking. How did she single-handedly kill so many people without getting killed?¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold on, we don¡¯t know Henarie killed anyone.¡± Jeringy piped up.


    ¡°Oh shut up, Jer, I know you have a crush on her so your opinion doesn¡¯t count.¡± retorted Regal. ¡°One set of footprints, the boat she stole, the placement of bodies in the corridors, the repeated set of strikes indicating a style of fighting belonging to a single person, and her body was nowhere to be found. Hmmm, I wonder who could have done it? Could it be the same person who we literally know nothing about? Naw, that¡¯s too easy!¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to start something because you¡¯re really starting to get on my nerves.¡± Jeringy pulled up to his full height. ¡°You know what, you¡¯ve always been a dick and you piss me off! You always do things without thinking about how they¡¯ll affect other people and you constantly fuck with me because you know that¡¯s the only way anyone will ever pay attention to you. You try and pretend that you¡¯re this funny, happy-go-lucky person but you¡¯re just trying to escape. News flash, you can¡¯t get away from yourself so go play your games somewhere else because I¡¯m sick and tired of dealing with you and that past you carry around!¡±


    Regal¡¯s eyes narrowed and darkened as if a switch had gone off, causing Jeringy to flinch back.


    ¡°Alright, guys settle down.¡± Brit stepped in between the two. ¡°We all just need to take a rest. Jeringy why don¡¯t you go back to the cabin and catch some shut-eye. Once we¡¯re all rested we can talk like proper adults.¡±


    Conflict flashed over Jeringy¡¯s face but after he took a look at the murderous expression on Regal¡¯s face he quickly turned on his heels and marched to the cabin area.


    ¡°You know he didn¡¯t mean to bring that up, right?¡± Brit tentatively said once Jeringy was out of sight.


    Regal¡¯s shoulders deflated and when he leaned on the guardrail it seemed like that was the only thing supporting him.


    ¡°I know,¡± he stated, ¡°but you know how I get when anyone brings up that topic.¡± He rubbed his hands over his face as if trying to wipe away the lingering expression. ¡°Jer¡¯s right but I didn¡¯t want to hear him say it. I¡¯ll apologize when I see him. For now, what¡¯s our next move?¡±


    Brit stared out at into the murky red fog and took out the little black receiver displaying the remaining two dots indicating the trackers. Four of the trackers he¡¯d placed on the Scout and the robot had been decommissioned somehow, but because they didn¡¯t find their bodies anywhere at the Piranha base he assumed they were still alive and had somehow escaped and were heading to Onto. All of Brit¡¯s plans were riding on an assumption, but if they couldn¡¯t find the two at Onto they would track down the bag and sell its contents--if Eimose was willing to risk his life for it there must be something valuable in it.


    ¡°A weeks time will get us to Onto. If we¡¯re the only ones on the robot¡¯s trail we shouldn¡¯t run into any trouble retrieving the bot.¡±


    ¡°And if we¡¯re not?¡± asked Regal.


    ¡°Then we better pray to the gods we have more guns than the others.¡±


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about this plan,¡± Terra said nervously.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re not sure about. I¡¯ve seen you take out a small army of Combatants, and those things can take down small countries. Just trust the plan.¡± Eimose defended, his breath coming out short since he was squeezed snuggly between two crates.


    ¡°The thing is, Neiman has been telling me that something on this ship doesn¡¯t feel right. Even though he can read two human lifeforms, his readings didn¡¯t sync up to when the guard was walking down the hallway. According to him, the human readings haven¡¯t moved from the helm of the ship, so how could there have been someone walking in the corridor at the same time?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it was just a mistake. Plus, you were kind of having a meltdown so maybe you just didn¡¯t hear his warning.¡±


    Terra tried to give him a dirty look, but even if her robotic face could make expressions her mask was still firmly in place. She did feel a hint of amusement seeing Eimose struggle to get through the crates, so at least that made her feel a little better. After a bit of quiet grunting to get through, Eimose squeezed his way back with an object in his hand.


    ¡°I-9 720. Holds nine rounds and looks really intimidating.¡± He stated proudly, holding his weapon up so Terra could admire it.


    ¡°What happened to the plan of me just barging in and ordering the ship to change its course to Onto? Don¡¯t you trust the plan?¡± she mocked.


    ¡°Always have a backup plan handy. Plus, don¡¯t I look cool?¡± Eimose posed with his gun and put on his most serious expression, eliciting a laugh from Terra.


    Terra had noticed that after she¡¯d calmed down from her moment of weakness Eimose had been making an obvious effort to crack more jokes around her and do things he thought would lift her spirits. In fact, it was almost as if he were actually treating her like a human. No, this was the man who¡¯d refused to call her by her name until just a few hours ago, and that was only because of the threat of death. His acting nice towards her was so that his plan would work and they would go to Onto, she shouldn¡¯t assume that he was trying to be her friend.


    Eimose motioned for Terra to follow him down the cramped corridor, where they turned and went up a set of ladders, where they found an unlocked door and squeezed inside the tight space.


    ¡°Alright, the doors are about twenty feet ahead. Neiman is still getting two life signs?¡± Eimose asked.


    Terra nodded.


    ¡°Okay, so let¡¯s just assume there are three people and play it safe since there was that odd reading. You barge in through that door and do some cool robot ninja move to scare the shi--crap out of everyone, then I come out showing off my cool weapon and demand the ship be redirected to Onto.¡±


    Terra waited to hear more but it appeared Eimose had finished speaking.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not robot science. We just need to get to Onto and we¡¯re already in a ship, so it¡¯s already pretty self-explanatory.¡±


    ¡°What if something goes wrong? What if they are armed with EMP guns? What if you accidentally shoot a wall and then the ship explodes? What if something breaks and we sink on our way to Onto?¡±


    ¡°You really like looking on the bright side of things, don¡¯t you?¡± said Eimose sarcastically. ¡°This plan is going to work out fine. They might outnumber us three to two, but you¡¯re pretty much invincible so I think the odds are in our favor.¡±


    Eimose went silent and quietly snuck out of the room, letting Terra ahead of him so they¡¯d be in position for their surprise attack. Terra paused at the door, an odd feeling of uncertainty striking her system. Neiman still couldn¡¯t find what was wrong with the detector as to why it didn¡¯t notice the guard earlier but at this point, it was too late to turn back now.


    Terra kicked open the door and the last thing her retinas picked up were a dozen females armed to the teeth crowding around consoles looking up at her with wide eyes.


    ¡°By the order o--¡± Eimose¡¯s voice trailed off when he jumped from behind Terra and noticed that there were more than three people at the control center. ¡°Terra, you should do your thing now, we¡¯re skipping to plan F.¡±


    He was tackled to his side and his weapon was swiftly taken from him in less than a second.


    ¡°Terra!¡± He cried out, but Terra¡¯s body didn¡¯t move. In fact, her eyes weren¡¯t even lit with a soft blue light.


    ¡°If you¡¯re referring to that piece of machinery you brought with you, it doesn¡¯t work in here.¡± A woman in makeshift dark armor approached him with a cocky grin on her face. ¡°Now begs the question, what should I do with you? Ladies, any suggestions?¡±


    ¡°Dump him in the ocean!¡±


    ¡°Scoop out his eyeballs!¡±


    ¡°Cut off his dick!¡± That one elicited a few laughs.


    Eimose cringed at the dialogue, chills of fear shooting down his spine now that the whole situation was registering. He was going to die. It wasn¡¯t even going to be a short death either, to these women he was a toy they could torture. And what had they done to Terra?


    The whistle of metal and the sound of something heavy dropping to the ground brought him out of his momentary panic, but what he saw filled him with more emotion than he could handle. Terra¡¯s head had been chopped clean off her robot body, oil dripping from her neck.


    ¡°What the fuck are you doing!¡± He screamed, forgetting his fear. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare fucking touch her!¡±


    The woman in the armor slammed her boot down on Eimose¡¯s face and he heard the crunch of his nose breaking and could taste the copper of his blood pooling in his mouth.


    ¡°Worry about yourself, pig. When we¡¯re through with you, you¡¯ll be wishing we cut your head off.¡±


    Eimose spat out some blood and looked through his hazy vision to Terra¡¯s motionless, headless body and knew it was his fault. If only he¡¯d listened to her doubts she¡¯d at least be alive on the ship. They could have just waited until they¡¯d reached the shore, any shore, and escaped on foot with the bag from there. But now Terra was gone and he was about to be tortured all because he didn¡¯t think things through.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, look,¡± the voice belonging to the female holding Terra¡¯s head said.


    A collective gasp filled the cabin and the female wearing the dark armor looked at Eimose with a mixture of awe and revulsion painted on her face.


    ¡°You are the owner of this mask?¡± she asked, although it sounded more like an accusation to Eimose¡¯s ears.


    ¡°I¡¯m not an owner to anything. She was her own owner.¡± He choked out, blood dripping down the back of this throat.


    ¡°I see. It may seem as if today is your lucky day. I¡¯ve decided to spare you.¡±


    Then she kicked him again and he sank into darkness.

 Chapter 58: Blood Sacrifice

    7714S groaned and covered his ears with his pillow, trying to stifle out the berating sounds of the saw piercing his eardrums and refusing to give him sleep. The technicians in the lab next door were in the process of cutting away the metal and glass preventing them from gaining full access to the girl in the stasis tube. The squeal of metal against metal was jarring, so when the reprieve of silence filled the air 7714S would try to force his brain to shut down, only to be woken up again a few minutes later to the high-pitched screaming of the saw.


    He gave up on getting some shut-eye when he looked at his clock and saw that he only had an hour before his shift started, dreading the damage he would have to clean up when he started. His first week had passed in a blur and the Head hadn¡¯t asked him to complete any tasks not relating to cleaning solutions so he hoped her words of scientific inquiries weren¡¯t a lie meant to lure him into a secluded life of cleaning. He didn¡¯t miss going into town, but he was starting to get a little stir-crazy not being able to look up and see an open space rather than the pasty grey ceilings decorating the lab and his living quarters. To distract him from letting claustrophobia overtake him, he started a journal documenting observations and hypothesis regarding the girl in the tube.


    The observations didn¡¯t change much from day to day, but he¡¯d drawn pictures of the girl since he couldn¡¯t physically measure how much of her he could see. Looking back to his first drawing, he noticed that there was a subtle change--he could see a few more millimeters of her face. He made a note of that in his journal and concluded that it was either an error on his part or the black crystal was retracting at a very slow pace. In a week¡¯s time, he¡¯d be able to draw a more solid deduction.


    He shoveled some food in his face and got his supplies ready, relieved when the sound of buzzing died down and the air was still. At least they had the courtesy of leaving the room and not continuing their work while he cleaned up after them. Steeling himself for the amount of work that awaited him, he opened the door.


    What caught him by surprise was the lack of utter destruction he assumed had occurred by the hours of sawing he¡¯d heard. In fact, besides the pile of scrap metal near the tube, there was very little to scour down. Approaching the pile, he realized that the majority of it was warped blades from the saw. Examining one, he saw that the teeth were completely worn down and the blade itself had been bent near the edges, making it unusable. There were easily fifteen blades in that pile, all deformed in some way or another.


    The stasis tube looked no better. All the metal and glass that wasn¡¯t covered by the black crystals was torn away crudely, leaving sharp bits of metal poking out in all directions, a future injury waiting to happen. But the girl¡¯s face was now exposed to open air and 7714S could see her without that pane of glass in the way. He quickly got out his journal and sketched out an image, then shuffled through some drawers until he found a measuring stick and awkwardly took the exact units of her face that were uncovered by the rock. Now that there were actual measurements involved he would know for sure if the crystals were retreating or if it was him grasping at imaginary straws. A set of knuckles rapped on a table behind him and he shoved his journal in his pocket and whipped around.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t want to startle you again but I see I failed. You¡¯ve become absolutely smitten with our specimen.¡± The Head said with a coy smile. ¡°I think you may a little too old for her. Should I be concerned?¡±


    7714S cracked a smile and relaxed when the Head hadn¡¯t seen his journal.


    ¡°I take it this isn¡¯t a social visit?¡± he responded.


    ¡°Afraid not. I do believe I have a task for you, aside from cleaning up after the teams. I am aware that these walls aren¡¯t the thickest and by the bags under your eyes, the excursion the teams had today have kept you from sleeping. I would like you to undertake the task of discovering how to get rid of the crystals.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to get one of the teams to take care of it? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be much help on that aspect. Plus I¡¯m only one person, a team would find a solution faster than I would.¡± he countered. He wanted to punch himself as soon as the words escaped his mouth--he was getting offered a portion of this scientific undertaking and he was letting his logical brain take over. Why didn¡¯t he just say yes?If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°You see, two teams have tried to get rid of the crystals with brute force and have gotten incredibly frustrated with the project. Keep in mind these teams have always gotten immediate results in whatever they do, so this has thrown them off their game, and when they¡¯re discovering something groundbreaking I don¡¯t want them to be broken. Bringing in another team will increase the chances of this leaking, and that¡¯s not something I¡¯m willing to take yet. This will also allow you to sleep in silence as you¡¯ll be the one making the noise. You will be granted full access to the lab, of course, and have an extra hour to do what you need to.¡±


    ¡°What will the teams do while I figure this out? Don¡¯t they need to take samples or something?¡±


    ¡°Relax, you are not racing against time. They will be taking tissue and blood samples from what they can currently access, but with more area, they can take more samples and discover just what is so special about this girl that caused so many deaths. Please submit a report by the end of the week regarding your findings. If you need more equipment or time, please contact me and I will make it happen. If you do need a team of people, that will be more difficult to do.¡± The Head took a breath and looked into 7714S'' eyes. ¡°I am still waiting on your answer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, yes,¡± 7714S stated, glad he hadn¡¯t destroyed his chances for jumping on the project with his concerns.


    ¡°Great, you start immediately.¡±


    With that, the Head strolled out of the room, leaving 7714S alone. When he was sure she was out of earshot he jumped up and down and fist-pumped the air, whisper-screaming from joy. Finally! He was finally going to play around with state-of-the-art equipment and do something more productive than play with the chemicals in his janitorial kit. He gingerly carried the scrap metal to the incinerator in the back and loaded it all in and waited until everything had melted and cooled into cubes, then carried that to the shelf with metal used to make quick casts of equipment. Once he¡¯d given everything a quick wipe down he packed away his supplies and stood in front of the remains of the stasis tube, wondering where to start.


    Brute force was going to do nothing but agitate him, so that was already off his list of possible solutions. He placed his hand on a flat area of the crystal and felt the cool exterior. It looked like obsidian but had the jagged surface texture of quartz clusters and was completely opaque. Even though he had no idea what the material was actually made of, 7714S reasoned that the portable laser cutter meant for slicing apart Wurtzite Boron Nitride, the hardest known material, then it would be able to cut through these odd crystals. If that was the case, then had the other scientists already tried it and failed? 7714S wished he¡¯d asked more questions so he wouldn¡¯t be grinding his gears like the others before him.


    Shrugging his shoulders he found the laser cutter and brought it over, sweating a bit from carrying the large mechanism. He adjusted the temperature accordingly, positioned it above a certain crystal that was jutting out more than the others, and started the process. Normally it would take about two hours to cut a square inch of the strongest material in the world, so he guessed it would probably take at least ten minutes to at least show some progress in cutting the odd mineral. If he was lucky his first attempt would go swimmingly and, although it would be an incredibly laborious project getting rid of the entire body of the crystal, he would prove his worth to the Head and maybe get a promotion to a team. But when he waited twenty minutes and there wasn¡¯t even the slightest indication of the strange rock wearing down he gave up.


    Finding a heat gun he noted that the temperature of the rock at the laser¡¯s point of impact, which was surprisingly no different from the temperature of the rest of mass, a constant 294oK at every point he measured. So from his experiment, he managed to conclude that this odd rock was now in first place for the strongest material discovered and that it remained the same temperature even when exposed to temperatures of over 2273oK of concentrated light. What exactly had he agreed to?


    With the easiest solution not being the functional one, he wandered around the stasis tube, feeling around for any cracks or weakness in the crystal, forgetting about the sharp pieces of metal that surrounded the edges of the tube until he accidentally opened up a considerably large wound on his hand. Cursing at himself for the stupid mistake he rushed to the first aid station before he made a huge mess. He still had an hour left so he didn¡¯t have to worry about scientists entering and finding a huge pool of blood. He carefully wrapped his wounded hand and turned back to the tube to figure out what his next step was. The first aid kits dropped to the floor and its contents were scattered in all directions. 7714S didn¡¯t care, in fact, the mess he¡¯d created was the farthest thing from his mind.


    The girl¡¯s exposed eye had fluttered open and was staring at him.

 Chapter 59: Blood Sacrifice Part 2

    ¡°It¡¯s your fault we got ourselves in this mess you know.¡± Terra chastised him from the far corner of his small prison.


    Eimose rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I know, you¡¯ve told me that repeatedly. I get it. All my fault. What you fail to tell me are any ideas you have of escaping.¡± He responded snidely. He didn¡¯t remember Terra being so annoying, but then again she was eleven or twelve according to his memory. Was it possible to strangle a robot?


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that got us in this mess, you think of something! I can¡¯t keep constantly being the muscle in your plans. Learn to live with your consequences. Don¡¯t expect people to bail you out or rescue you.¡±


    ¡°I realize that, but that still gives me no clue how to formulate a plan. I¡¯m just saying that you could easily punch through that door and free us both and all our problems will be solved.¡± Eimose countered, hoping Terra would succumb to his pleas.


    ¡°I can¡¯t bail you out of this one and you know that it¡¯s your fault I can¡¯t.¡±


    Groaning, Eimose slunk into a dirty corner of the room he was locked in and sank to the floor, tired from his constant pacing. Why wasn¡¯t Terra helping him? Granted, it certainly was his fault for jumping the gun and allowing them to both be captured, but she could at least give him a hand with their escape.


    After being battered, Eimose had been dragged down the length of the subaqua very unceremoniously and dumped in a vacant dormitory. Clearly this subaqua wasn¡¯t meant to house prisoners since his current cell was equipped with a toilet and cot, which was quite a luxury in itself, much less in a ¡®prison¡¯. The first day consisted of him lying on the floor and trying not to move his facial muscles in an attempt to jump-start the healing process. He¡¯d fallen asleep a few times from boredom, so he had no idea what day it was, but judging by the waves of recurring hunger pangs, he was most likely on his fourth day without food. On the positive side, the right side of his face was recovering nicely and he could finally open his eye that had been swollen shut. The fourth day was also the day Terra had suddenly appeared in his cell without warning.


    He¡¯d bombarded her with questions but the only things that came out of her mouth were accusations about how everything was his fault, starting with the bunker, which at that point he¡¯d already forgotten. Terra continued upturning his heavy memories, even about murdering the Scout Head, which he didn¡¯t realize she¡¯d known about. Her appearance was odd, indeed, but he was glad to have the company since he thought he was about to go insane from boredom and silence.


    The subaqua shuttered and Eimose smacked his head against the metal wall as it came to a sudden stop.


    ¡°What was that?¡± he exclaimed, lurching clumsily to his feet.


    ¡°How the hell am I supposed to know?¡± Terra snapped. ¡°I¡¯m in the same exact cell as you.¡±


    The ship went quiet. Eimose didn¡¯t realize that he¡¯d been hearing the sound of the engine hum until it was gone, and this silence was much more foreboding than the one he¡¯d gotten used to. Footsteps clanged against the metal grated floor and he couldn¡¯t tell how many there were but he knew one thing; he was ready this time and was going to fight them with everything he had the instant they opened his door. He posed himself at the ready at the frame of the door, counting down the seconds until he would launch himself at his attackers.


    A small panel popped open and a hand whipped out and before Eimose could react, a trigger was pulled and there was a dart poking out of his chest. He quickly ripped it out as his knees dropped to the ground. Within seconds, he was completely immobile lying on the cold metal ground, eyes drooping shut.


    Feet appeared within sight of his increasingly blurry vision and get could see the ground begin to pass him by although he couldn¡¯t feel his body being picked up.


    ¡°Do you think we broke him?¡± Eimose could hear through the garbled sound his blood made in his ears as it pounded through his skull.


    ¡°Probably. Hallucinating is a symptom of drugs, tumor, or mental disorder, and we¡¯ve already ruled out the first two.¡±


    What were they talking about? Eimose tried to form coherent thoughts through the fog of the drug but as soon as he reached for an idea, it flew off into the distant corners of his mind.


    He never quite succumbed to the full effects of the drug, but there was a lot of fading in and out of reality. There would be periods he¡¯d be on the ship, then he¡¯d suddenly be outdoors, then he¡¯d be rocking on a cart. It was all very disorienting and the drug didn¡¯t seem to be fading anytime soon.


    When he opened his eyes again, the world around him was pitch black. Fearing he¡¯d gone blind, he fumbled around, only to find that his arms had been bound behind his back while his legs were bound with his knees still bent, preventing him from even standing, and in his mouth was a very sour-tasting rag that muffled his cries for help. He struggled with his bindings but they only seemed to dig into his skin even further.


    ¡°My gods, calm down, will you? I was in the middle of a very pleasant dream.¡±


    Eimose tried to turn to face the voice, but his entire world was dark and all he could muster was a weak scream dampened by the dirty cloth in his mouth. He heard the other person groan and was certain there had been an exasperated eye-rolling that followed.


    ¡°Scoot toward my voice and I¡¯ll help you.¡± A multitude of incoherent expletives was said shortly after but Eimose was too busy struggling to move across the floor to let it affect him.


    A flood of relief hit him as he could feel the stranger¡¯s nimble fingers undo the bindings on his arms and soon he was feeling the uncomfortable prickles of blood rushing back into his fingers. Within he was minutes he was completely freed from the rope binding him as well as the sack that had been covering his head and the nasty gag in his mouth, but his heart sank when he saw he was still in a small confined space. What did he expect would happen to him? That they would simply deposit him in some market somewhere after they¡¯d taken him captive? Besides the information regarding some strange liquid in vials and their hidden location on the subaqua, he had nothing to offer them, and he highly doubted these...whoever they were...would care for such data. Which meant that there was no way out for him.


    ¡°Wow, so you don¡¯t even thank the person who just freed you. Typical.¡±


    He turned and apologized to the cross-armed male--no female--that stood behind a set of pars equivalent to his. Her head was completely shaved, and he was embarrassed for a moment he¡¯d thought she was male simply because of that feature, but her voice clearly indicated that she was, indeed, of the female gender. Black ink ran across every square inch of exposed skin in intricate patterns, leaving very little color of her original tan skin unaffected. Her eyes were a reddish brown and seemed to change with the lighting. She was wearing some sort of steel armor from her neck down, complete with gauntlets and foot guards.


    ¡°You going to stare all day or what? I take it you don¡¯t get out much since your people skills need major work.¡± She scoffed, leaning back with a smirk on her face.


    Eimose fumbled for words.


    ¡°Uh, where am I?¡± He managed to spit out, seeing no windows or doors in sight. How was he even in this cage if there were no doors to deposit him in?


    ¡°You¡¯re not getting the usual welcoming party, so I¡¯ll have to do. Welcome to Oasis, the shining light of prosperity in this wretched world!¡± She extended her arm dramatically, staring off into the distance. ¡°Where those who have been forgotten have a home and those who are shunned can thrive! But only if you¡¯re female. I think you may be the setting a record for staying alive in Oasis for so long. You are a male, right?¡±


    ¡°Last I checked, yes,¡± Eimose responded, a new set of worries weighing on his shoulders. ¡°Why is it that only females are allowed?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like a history instructor to you? It doesn¡¯t matter if I tell you or not since you¡¯re going to die anyway. Why waste my breath?¡± The girl slid down the length of the wall to sit on the cold stone ground. ¡°It¡¯s almost time.¡±


    ¡°Almost time for what?¡± He asked, but as soon as the words left his mouth the walls shook around him and he could feel his stomach sink as if he were on an elevator moving upwards. The ceiling slid open and the bars were lowered as he reached the surface, exposing him to the brightest light he¡¯d witnessed. When his eyes adjusted, he couldn¡¯t help but gasp.


    The sky was blue. Two suns hung separated in the blueness, brightening the entire world around him. There was no red fog in sight and he could breathe freely despite not wearing a respirator.


    ¡°Duck!¡±


    Eimose felt himself being pushed down, leaving only inches between his eye and the spear that had appeared out of nowhere. Reality rushed back to him and he noticed that was in in a circular arena with spectators surrounding him. The height between the ground and the first row of spectators was much taller than him, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape that way. He tucked and rolled out of the way just as a large boulder came barrelling toward him. Where were these things coming from? Looking for answers, he searched for the girl who¡¯d just saved him and saw that she was already on the other side of the field, with a sword and shield in hand (he had no idea where she¡¯d gotten those) fighting a large monster. Monster?


    The boulder that he¡¯d just avoided unfurled and an arm shot out, catching him in his side and sending him careening towards the center of the arena. Instincts kicking in, he managed to get his footing in time to avoid a very large arm coming down on him, feeling small bits of rock splatter against his face as the very ground beneath the fist splintered and flung debris in all directions. He sprinted toward the edge of the arena to where the spear that had been first launched at his head was lodged.


    An odd sensation filled his body the instant his hand made contact with the cool black metal. It felt as if electricity was coursing through his body, granting him power beyond his wildest imagination. He felt as if everything that had happened in his life was insignificant, that this spear had been the answer to all his problems. What happened next he couldn¡¯t quite understand, as the spear took control of his body and dodged an incoming attack, quickly slicing the monster¡¯s arm clean from its body. He could hear its roar of anger and pain reverberate in his bones, and it filled him with joy. He needed more. More. MORE!


    The spear was ripped from his hands and Eimose¡¯s mind came back to the foreground.


    ¡°Are you insane!¡± The girl from the cage cried out, chucking the spear at the monster she had run from.


    ¡°What did you do that for?¡± Eimose cried out just as the crowd around him booed.


    ¡°Look around you.¡± She cried out as she ran towards the black creature.


    The frustrated Eimose wanted to run after her and take back the spear that was rightfully his, but his curiosity won the best of him and he looked down. He was standing in a grotesque puddle of the remains of the monster he¡¯d been fighting. His clothes were soaked in black ooze and he could feel something warm and sticky run down his face. Eimose reached up to wipe it away and reeled back when he saw that his arm was covered in a black rock, resembling the monster he¡¯d been fighting. He tried his best to tear away at the oddity on his arm but to no avail. The crowd booed in dissatisfaction and he looked up to see the girl behead the monster she¡¯d been fighting with the spear he¡¯d used.


    ¡°You wanted to know why no men can survive here!¡± She hollered over the sound of the ambient crowd. ¡°This is why no men can survive here!¡± The girl flung the spear down into the remains of the creature.


    For an instant, Eimose thought she¡¯d been insulting him for being so weak, but then he made the correlation between his arm and the creature. Holding on to the spear had changed his arm into...that. Perhaps others before him hadn¡¯t been so lucky and those monsters were what they became. But why were females immune to the spear and the power it possessed? Did it target only men, or what he just weak to its promise of power? What exactly made them--him change like that? What it a virus? Would his arm revert back to normal or would it continue spreading? Would he turn into one of those monsters?


    The roar of a new monster filled the stadium and the cheering from the stands reached to a painful decibel. Eimose searched around in a panic, searching for the origin of the cry and saw nothing around him besides the two remains of the two previous monsters and the girl who still remained nameless. He was surprised to see her by his side considering he¡¯d seen her across the field just a moment ago.


    ¡°Big one¡¯s coming. I suggest you run around and try not to get hit.¡± She smirked, smile growing wider at the thought of her challenge. Eimose nearly jumped back when he saw that her eyes had turned totally red. ¡°Just stay out of the way and you¡¯ll live.¡±


    She sprinted away to the center of the arena despite there not being a monster anywhere near. Suddenly the ground burst open and Eimose had to shield his eyes from getting blinded by the dust and rocks, noticing that the girl had somehow predicted where the monster would emerge and had proceeded to cut off three of its fingers already. He sprinted away to the edge of the arena and took a moment to examine the creature engaged in battle.


    It was covered from head to toe in some strange black substance that seemed to be both a liquid and a solid simultaneously. Easily twice Eimose¡¯s height, it had no identifiable facial features except for two holes that were sunken into its skull, which he assumed were its eyes, and a mouth that seemed to unhinge itself from the rest of its jaw, revealing a set of unnaturally sharp teeth. Horns created a ridge down the creature¡¯s spine, preventing any sort of sneak assault from the back. A tail swung around with a life of its own, further deterring any thought of an attack to the monster¡¯s blind spot. As if sensing Eimose¡¯s eyes on it, the creature¡¯s head snapped to face him and it began galloping in his direction.


    Eimose ran along the side of the arena but because the monster had come from the center, it all it had to do was make a quick adjustment in its path and it would still be heading straight for him. Its clawed hand lunged at him and he narrowly missed being impaled by ducking underneath it. The creature stumbled backward as the girl sliced at one of its back legs while it was distracted with Eimose, giving Eimose enough time to get out from the monster¡¯s range of motion.


    The monster roared in anger and Eimose turned around to get a better scope of where his adversary was, tripping on his own feet in the process, but also avoiding the sharp edges of some sort of projectiles coming from the monster¡¯s open jaws. Great, now the thing could shoot him, as if the large claws and barbed tail weren¡¯t enough.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He launched himself forward just as another onslaught of projectiles sprayed the ground behind him. Looking around, the only sort of protection that would allow him to catch his breath while not meeting instant death via deadly monster vomit was the corpse of the creature the girl dispatched. Although macabre, he would have to take a chance and hope the corpse would be enough to grant him a few moments of reprieve as his legs were already getting heavy and his lungs burning. If he lived past this experience, he would be sure to get in better shape; not even his physical training at the Academy prepared him for this.


    Jumping behind the dead body, he winced when he landed on the jagged rocks that lay around the creature. He could hear the thumping of the bullets against the body of the dead creature, gulping down as much air as he could before the creature decided to charge at him again. Eimose heard it roar again and it stopped its constant berating of projectiles, so he risked peeking over his barrier to see what was going on.


    The girl had hacked off its tail and left a great gash on its back right leg, causing the monster to stumble. When the creature tried grabbing her, she nimbly skirted away, slicing off two more of its clawed fingers. Eimose silently cheered her on from a safe distance away, feeling useless but knowing that nothing he would do could possibly harm that beast. Unless¡­


    He looked around him until he spotting the odd black metal sticking out of the dead monster¡¯s body. The spear. Eimose didn¡¯t grab it because he knew he was risking turning into one of those things, but at least now he had the option of aiding the girl with the fight. As long as the girl remained hacking away at the large creature, then he wouldn¡¯t have to join the battle and chance whatever was going to happen to him. If it did come down to him fighting with that weapon, would he be able to muster up the willpower to drop it before he became a monster? Just exactly how had he ended up in a situation like this? A few minutes ago he didn¡¯t even think creatures like that existed and now he was debating whether or not to risk becoming one!


    He looked down at his arm, disgusted at its sudden appearance. From his shoulder down his clothes had been shredded by whatever black substance surrounded it. His hand had become clawed and was three times larger than his human one, although it did react properly when he moved it, so at least it didn¡¯t have a monstrous agenda to bring about his death. Wait, if his arm was made of the same material as his barrier, wouldn¡¯t it be able to stop the projectiles as well? Perhaps even block an attack? If he was going to be stuck with this thing, he was going to use it.


    An overwhelming ¡®ooh¡¯ sound emanated from the audience and Eimose stuck his head above his barrier, cringing when he saw the girl struggling to pick herself up from a heavy blow to the torso. The monster reared up and roared in triumph and Eimose could see its arm preparing to deal a final blow to the girl below it. Figuring now was as best of a time as ever, Eimose summoned as much willpower as he could and grabbed the spear with his monstrous hand.


    It coaxed him with the promise of power and laying to waste all his enemies, but Eimose was having none of it. For all he knew it could have already started spreading--he had no timetable of knowing how fast the thing would spread. Instead, he chucked it at the monster. He had no time to revel in the roar his mark produced as it forgot all about the girl and turned its attention to him.


    ¡°Shit, bad idea,¡± he muttered as the reality sunk in.


    He started running away from the monster, but the only weapon he¡¯d had he¡¯d thrown away and there was no way he would be able to run away from this lumbering being. Despite the multiple deep cuts on its limbs, it ran as if it were uninjured, so it caught up to him within the minute.


    Eimose slammed to the ground as the beast¡¯s hand heavily swung down on him, knocking the air out of his lungs. After all, this, after he¡¯d finally found a place that could answer his questions about the blue sky, his death would be by the hands of this thing. As he struggled to breathe while being crushed, the monster¡¯s head lowered and he could feel the hot air of its mouth on the back of its neck. Was he going to be eaten?


    ¡°H-help me,¡± a gravelly voice whispered in his ear.


    Eimose heard metal sing through the air and suddenly the monster¡¯s head had fallen beside his. Its eyes were wide with fear, it¡¯s neck dripping with black blood. The weight of the beast relieved itself from his back and he was able to take a full breath of air.


    ¡°Seems like today¡¯s your lucky day.¡± The girl said after she¡¯d pushed the dead carcass off of him, offering a hand up.


    ¡°Yeah, real lucky.¡± He looked down at the monster¡¯s head. Had that thing really spoken? Chalking it up to delusions of fear and lack of oxygen, he pushed the thought aside until he had a better understanding of what was going on. ¡°So, what happens now? Can I go?¡±


    The girl snorted in amusement.


    ¡°Let you go, are you serious? You¡¯re the first man to have ever survived a trial, and you want to leave? Are you insane? Look at this place, who¡¯d want to leave this?¡± She gestured toward the sky and to the surrounding crowd, who were now throwing confetti. ¡°Glory, riches, and an atmosphere you can actually live in. I¡¯ve seen the outside world and it¡¯s a pile of shit compared to this.¡±


    Eimose had to agree, but he still had a promise to fulfill; his mission was now to find Terra and the bag and get to Onto.


    The girl¡¯s shield and sword somehow snapped to her forearms and formed her gauntlets as she walked towards the edge of the arena where a door had magically appeared.


    ¡°There was a robot with me on the subaqua. Where did they put her?¡± he urged, chasing after her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about a robot, but you might want to speak to the merchant crew. They¡¯re the ones that deal with the outside world matters. They¡¯re the ones that brought you in.¡± She walked through the doorway and into a dark corridor embedded in the arena¡¯s wall. ¡°I suppose I do owe you for saving my life, so I¡¯ll take you to them. I hate owing people. Name¡¯s Yismin by the way.¡±


    ¡°Eimose.¡±


    It was a short stroll through the hallway and they were met with sunlight and a group of cheering fans at the exit. The fans parted when they came through only because large females wearing black suits pushed them away.


    ¡°Yismin, I love you!¡±


    ¡°Can I have your autograph!¡±


    ¡°Take a picture with me!¡±


    ¡°I waited ten hours to see you!¡±


    Eimose could tell Yismin loved the attention as her smile split her face in two and she took a ridiculous amount of time signing posters and skin and taking photos. He couldn¡¯t leave without her since he was still oblivious to the area and needed his guide. After what seemed like eons, Yismin took him across the square and ushered him into a vehicle he was unfamiliar with.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you love this place.¡±


    ¡°Awww, is the man jealous?¡± Yismin said as he leaned back in her seat and began unassembling her armor. ¡°I¡¯m the number one champion in the arena. Here, strength is key.¡±


    ¡°What exactly were those things?¡± Eimose asked, recalling the cry for help the monster had whispered. ¡°I¡¯m guessing they were men at one point,¡± he raised his blackened arm, ¡°but what I don¡¯t understand is why.¡±


    ¡°Why what?¡± she said after a second, thinking he would continuing his sentence.


    ¡°Why does it only target men? What is this black stuff? Can we remove it? Why were the people who took me so interested in Terra¡¯s mask? Why is the sky blue? Why have I never heard of this place before?¡± The questions were pouring out now and Eimose was feeling more confused than ever. At Greenhouse, he¡¯d never learned about any place like this.


    ¡°My goddess, does your mind ever get tired?¡± Yismin cocked her head, thinking. ¡°I guess it¡¯s inevitable I give you a short history lesson. Alright, listen up.


    Oasis was founded before the great war that destroyed the world. A group of female slaves killed their masters in their sleep and escaped out into a desert with nothing more than the respirators in their mouths and the clothes on their back. After three days, half of them had died and the other half was losing hope of finding food and water. That was when the Priestess found them and guided them to this anomaly, where the air was pure and the water untainted. She taught them how to protect themselves against anyone who would wish to harm them. Messengers were chosen to gather more women to Oasis, particularly those adept at the sciences and mechanisms. Within a few years, we¡¯d established a solid foundation for reproduction without the need of men as well as a fast way to build the city.


    It was after Oasis was flourishing that the Priestess told everyone that the borders needed to be sealed as she¡¯d been told of the war by the Goddess. That was when she showed us how marking our skin would infuse the Goddesses'' power with us.¡± Yismin raised her arm and lifted her sleeve to emphasize her point. ¡°Since then we¡¯ve been closed off from the rest of the world to enjoy our paradise. If others discovered of this location, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have to fight to keep what is rightfully ours.¡±


    ¡°But how do the markings make you powerful? They¡¯re just tattoos,¡± asked Eimose as he tried to wrap his mind around this civilization that had remained untouched by the war. Do they even know about Greenhouse?


    ¡°Our Priestess created a special ink from the stone touched by the Goddess that lives in the center of the city.¡± Yismin pushed a button and the door became transparent, revealing the buildings and life passing by. She pointed at a large spire that rose above all the other buildings. ¡°That is the temple of the Goddess. Because we won, we get to go there and get blessed by the Goddess. Not sure I have much room for another blessing though.¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t everyone have tattoos then?¡± Eimose questions while staring at the people they passed by.


    ¡°Blessings have become scarce, granted only to the best. It¡¯s a yearly occasion to have the best fighter, mathematician, biologist, physicist, you name it, compete to be the best in their field so they can be granted a blessing. I doubt they¡¯re going to give you one since you just appeared. You were supposed to be a liability so I would lose, but you showed them. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t leave you to die.¡±


    ¡°Are you running out of blessing? Is that why only the top can receive blessings?¡± he inquired, becoming more curious about this Goddess being the more it got mentioned. He¡¯d been taught of the gods of old during the Academy, but never about this Goddess. Eimose didn¡¯t consider himself religious in the slightest, yet this new being had piqued his interest.


    ¡°Our Priestess was the only one who could make the formula for blessings, and she left a long time ago. She said she was going on a quest of discovery. That was shortly after the war. No word has been heard since, but there have been rumors that she is still alive.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. If she¡¯s still alive then she¡¯s got to be at least¡­¡± Eimose quickly calculated some numbers, ¡°sixty years old! People don¡¯t live that long, at least not anymore!¡±


    ¡°And exactly how old do you think I am?¡± Yismin asked with a coy smile on her face.


    ¡°Uhh, twenty?¡± Eimose guessed, rounding up.


    ¡°Really?¡± Yismin¡¯s eyebrows rose in question. ¡°Wow. I look good for a forty-year-old then.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Eimose¡¯s jaw hung open.


    ¡°Now you see why we still believe our Priestess is alive. We¡¯re here. Save your questions until after the ceremony as you are still a slightly unwelcome guest in the temple. I will guide you to the merchant in charge of subaqua travel but that is where our paths split.¡±


    Yismin smoothly got out of the vehicle and Eimose stumbled out of the car trying to keep up with her. Hoards of people surrounded the path to a brightly lit temple, calling out to Yismin, and Eimose was afraid that she would spend hours signing autographs and taking photos again, but she swiftly continued walking down the pathway with her head held high. He had to admit, even without her armor she was a sign of power and confidence and he was tempted to kneel for some reason, but he stopped before he made a fool of himself.


    Females dressed in ornate clothes were standing near the doorway of the temple¡¯s entrance trying to hide their rapid glances toward Eimose and failing. He looked down at his own attire and grimaced. He was still covered in dirt and monster blood and his arm had torn apart the sleeve of his left arm and the tatters hung like limp rags against his body.


    ¡°You coming or what?¡± Yismin called out from ahead of him, already entering the temple.


    Eimose wordlessly put his head down and passed by the women staring at him, trying to ignore the eyes that judged him. Yismin must have picked up on his uncomfortableness as she playfully punched him in the shoulder to break him out of his stupor.


    ¡°Calm down, it¡¯s their first time here and they¡¯ve never seen a man before. They¡¯re just curious.¡±


    He cleared his throat in embarrassment for being so transparent and straightened up.


    ¡°So where is the merchant?¡±


    ¡°It seems they haven¡¯t made their appearance yet. I will let you know when they do, so until then let¡¯s enjoy ourselves.¡± Yismin pushed him through the crowd of females until they reached a table filled with an assortment of colorful things he didn¡¯t recognize. Yismin grabbed a plate and started piling things on her plate, so Eimose imitated her, wondering exactly what the purpose of the things was. His eyes widened when she saw her grab something from her plate and take a large bite from it. Was this stuff edible? He curiously sniffed at the items on his plate, cautiously grabbing something yellow and plopping it into his mouth. The flavor was exquisite! Within minutes he had cleaned off his plate and was going in for more. The blaring of trumpets nearly made him drop his plate of food and he looked at Yismin for an explanation.


    ¡°Our leader is here. Follow my lead.¡± Yismin whispered as she moved to the edge of the temple. Soon there was a pathway cut through the crowd of females. When a female wearing a black crown entered the room, the entirety of the crowd lowered their heads in unison so that she was the tallest figure in the room. Eimose did as he was told and followed Yismin¡¯s lead. Sweet relief cut through his stiff neck when the woman crossed the room and sat on an ornately decorated marble throne and he saw others raising their heads.


    ¡°Greetings chosen few. You are here because you have shown competence and innovation in your fields, giving us a brighter hope for the future and guaranteeing that Oasis will be a shining beacon for our kind for many more generations to come. We will be presenting blessings in a moment, but first, there is a word from the merchants, who have made a remarkable discovery.¡±


    A group of females entered and Eimose recognized the woman leading the charge; it was the one from the subaqua that had beaten him to a pulp. One of the females in the back was carrying something swaddled in cloth. His first thought was that it was Terra¡¯s head, but he¡¯d spoken with Terra in his prison room, so it couldn¡¯t be her. A sharp pain ran through his head as if someone had driven a nail in his brain and it took all of his willpower to remain standing. Terra wasn¡¯t dead, her head wasn¡¯t in that cloth. Terra was fine. Terra was fine.


    ¡°We come across this relic by coincidence, but we all know the Goddess works in mysterious ways.¡± The female holding the bundle gave the package to the lead merchant, who dramatically unveiled it and lifted it so everyone in the crowd could see.


    The crowd gasped in surprise. Eimose wanted to puke. Terra¡¯s head was being displayed like a trophy. She deserved better than this!


    Eimose pushed past the females, lunging at the merchant holding Terra¡¯s head. His clawed hand was a mere inch away from the merchant¡¯s smug face when he was knocked to the ground from behind.


    ¡°Are you an idiot!¡± He heard Yismin cry from his back.


    ¡°This man was the one who had the Goddesses'' relic in his possession.¡± The merchant stated, pointing an accusing finger to him. ¡°His mind is carefully guarded, however, as even with our methods of interrogation we were not able to get in pertinent information as to where he received the item.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the ones that killed Terra you assholes!¡± He cried out. His brain hurt and his mind was rejecting the fact that Terra was, in fact, dead. Who had he spoken to in his cell?


    ¡°This...man...had a Goddess artifact?¡± the woman atop the throne summarized.


    ¡°Yes. And if I may be so bold as to suggest a swift execution to this heathen as he refuses to cooperate with us.¡± The merchant offered. ¡°We attempted to make his death a spectacle earlier, but our champion Yismin is clearly much too powerful to let even this man die in battle.¡±


    Yismin¡¯s grip on Eimose¡¯s shoulder tightened in response, eliciting a cry of pain. The Leader pondered the thought for a moment before opening her mouth again.


    ¡°The options are this my blessed ones. We let this man live amongst us as we cannot let him spill his secrets outside our realm, or we kill him now and rid ourselves of an impure being.¡±


    A cry for blood and death rose from the audience and Eimose could see the merchant stand up straighter. With a single nod from the Leader, one of the guards by her side unsheathed her sword and tossed it to the merchant, who expertly caught in with one hand. Eimose could see the joy that sparked behind those cold eyes and struggled to get out from underneath Yismin, but even with his larger stature, he couldn¡¯t wriggle away from the champion¡¯s grasp. The cool feel of metal stopped his struggling as even a swallow could result in a cut.


    ¡°I have been waiting seven days to do this.¡± The merchant said with a grin, lifting her arm above her head and bringing it down with all her force.


    Eimose braced himself, wishing he could wipe away the tears that were dripping down his face. He couldn¡¯t even have a dignified death.


    Something whistled through the air, knocking the sword out of the merchant¡¯s hand and across the room.


    ¡°Who did that!¡± The merchant cried out in fury, but her face paled when she saw who it was.


    The crowd gasped again, including the leader. Eimose turned to see who it was and was shocked to see a familiar face walking toward him.


    ¡°Henar--¡± he started to call out, looking behind her to see if perhaps she¡¯d brought Brit and the crew as the backup, but his voice was overpowered by the sound of everyone falling to their knees.


    ¡°The Priestess, she¡¯s returned!¡±

 Chapter 60: Blood Sacrifice Part 3

    Henarie fought the urge to slap whoever was within arms reach for the crowd calling her ¡®Priestess.¡¯ She¡¯d left the city up to their own devices half a century ago and hadn¡¯t returned since then, so she had been expecting some changes, but seriously? A religion? Maybe Henarie should have stopped by at least once to talk some sense into them. What did they even worship? Why the hell was she a Priestess? The hall was staring at her with awe in their eyes, so she would roll with the whole Priestess thing for now, as long as it didn¡¯t require chanting some mantras or singing.


    She strolled over to that boy that was lying on the floor, what was his name? Henarie racked her brain to remember but the name didn¡¯t surface. His face she did recognize though, and since he¡¯d ¡®saved¡¯ her once she owed him at least one life-saving moment as well.


    ¡°You,¡± she said, giving up on remembering the boy¡¯s name. ¡°What in the living hell are you doing here? Wait, don¡¯t answer that, I don¡¯t care.¡±


    The girl covered in tattoos that had been pinning the boy down quickly pushed herself off his back, letting him stand up. Henarie paid little notice to his crystal-encrusted arm.


    ¡°Where are rest of the crew?¡± He asked, looking around in confusion.


    ¡°Who the fuck cares? Move over, someone is waiting for me.¡±


    Henarie roughly pushed him aside and knelt near the kneeling merchant. There was a mixture of fear and joy in the merchant¡¯s eyes when Henarie got near, but Henarie didn¡¯t give two shits about her. Terra¡¯s signal was coming from her hand, but all she saw was a robotic head and a mask. The correlation clicked and Henarie felt pity and anger well up in her stomach as she gently cradled the head in her hands.


    ¡°My lady, we are pleased you are back and in time for our annual ceremony.¡± The Leader spoke up after a considerable moment of silence. ¡°Now that you are back can we assume more quantities of blessed ink will be produced? The percentage of those blessed in our population has been in great decline since your leave. We wish to please the Goddess by blessing many, but we run low with the Goddess¡¯ ink.¡± The room was silent as Henarie slowly stood up and wordlessly walked up to the front of the room to where the Leader stood.


    Eimose felt uncomfortable being the only one standing beside Henarie and pondered kneeling as well. In all truth, he wanted nothing more than to get out of that place. Out of all the places he¡¯d been on his journey, this was perhaps the most dangerous considering he¡¯d had two major faces with death in less than twelve hours, and he feared that staying any longer would risk any chances he had of survival. Promises be damned, if he wasn¡¯t around to live, then what was the point of finding a purpose in life? Eimose shook his head, clearing his mind of his instinct screaming at him to run while he could. No, he needed to find that bag and get to Onto. But in order to do that, he needed someone who knew their way around the city so he could get to the merchant¡¯s storage area. Terra had had that tracker in her head, but with Terra gone Eimose would have to find a way to uncover the bag on his own.


    ¡°Who here has the most ink?¡± Henarie¡¯s voice cried out over the crowd, starling Eimose out of his thought process.


    The hall murmured in unison and one woman stood up. She was dressed in a three-piece suit and had long flowing red hair that reached her waist, which did nothing to distract from the striking contrast between her pale skin and the black tattoos that drew patterns across her wrists and neck.


    ¡°I have many blessings, Priestess.¡± She announced, bowing to Henarie before standing up straight. Henarie¡¯s eyes narrowed in suspicion.


    ¡°I see others with more tattoos than you,¡± Henarie retorted.


    ¡°That may be true, but out of the general populous, I am in the top five percent of the most blessed. Whatever task you have in mind I can assure you I am more than qualified to complete.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Something in her words incited others to stand as well, four in total, all revealing as much skin as they could to show that they had more markings than the others. Henarie glared at all of them, then motioned for them to come forward. Once the kneeling crowd parted for the women and they all arrived at the head of the room, Henarie raised Terra¡¯s head above her own.


    ¡°This is a pass or fail test. If the person in front of you passes, then the test is over. If you are afraid, you may leave. But this test will continue until someone passes, even if they are not standing in front of me now.¡± Henarie glared past the women at the female that had been pinning Eimose down, who immediately averted her gaze. She lowered Terra¡¯s head and gripped the mask, hearing a satisfying crack when it parted from its robot counterpart.


    Eimose gasped when he saw Henarie take off Terra¡¯s mask. Had that always been an option? He always thought it was weird that there was a robot wearing a mask meant for a human, but he figured it was because Terra had believed that she was trapped in that body and was originally an organic being. To be honest, the mask really creeped him out and would have liked to have taken it off her head a long time ago.


    ¡°Are you certain you want to test out your compatibility?¡± Henarie asked the red-headed female. The female nodded, although her eyes were now a bit warier. With that confirmation, Henarie placed the mask over the female¡¯s face.


    At first, nothing happened. After a few seconds, the mask stretched to form to the new face, and then it stilled again.


    ¡°Did...I pass?¡± The female asked.


    Henarie gave her a faintly amused smile.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even started yet.¡±


    Those words were immediately followed by an head-splitting scream as the red-haired female dropped to the floor, attempting to pry off the mask. Within the next second there was a clang as the mask fell to the marble floor, then all was quiet again as the body of the woman had been completely engulfed by a pillar of black crystals, rendering her silent forever.


    The three other women ran back into the crowd, disappearing once they knelt with the others. How they even managed to move was a mystery to Eimose as his knees were locked from shock. His brain was taking its time processing the ordeal as it couldn¡¯t comprehend the fact that a woman had erupted in that strange mineral without warning.


    ¡°Who is next?¡± Henarie called out. ¡°No one will be leaving until someone passes the test!¡± When the room remained vacant of volunteers, Henarie turned to the girl with the most black markings. ¡°You there, come forward.¡±


    Eimose could see the fear in Yismin¡¯s eyes and he felt pity for her despite her tackling him to the ground earlier. Henarie¡¯s eyes bore down on Yismin and Eimose was glad he wasn¡¯t the object of her attention. Yismin suddenly got up and sprinted to the door, shoving Eimose to the floor. The guards posted at the doors reacted in time and shut the doors, but Yismin was incredibly nimble and knocked one of them out by hitting them in the solar plexus and was already in combat with the other. In the blink of an eye, a sword was protruding from the door, a mere few inches from Yimsin¡¯s nose.


    ¡°Someone restrain her or we will have to test everyone one by one.¡± Demanded Henarie.


    The crowd surged at Yismin, and as good of a fighter she was, she was no match for the dozens of women that grabbed onto every one of her limbs, completely immobilizing her. Eimose scooted out of the way of Henarie who strolled across the hall with determination, clutching at the mask.


    ¡°Let go you me, you bitches!¡± Yismin cried out, still struggling against the many arms holding hers.


    Henarie stood directly in front of Yismin and roughly grabbed her face with a hand to keep her steady as she placed the mask over her features. The instant the mask was completely over Yismin¡¯s face, she stilled. Henarie flicked her wrist to indicate to everyone to let the female go, as she wouldn¡¯t be struggling anymore.


    Eimose watched in horror as he expected Yismin to start screaming and burst into black crystals, but she just stood there with her eyes blank. He crept closer to get a better look, noticing that there was, in fact, something odd going on. Yismin¡¯s skin seemed to be rippling, rising and falling with sharp shards of crystal where her tattoos were. The mask suddenly fell off and Yismin¡¯s legs gave out, Henarie barely catching her before she collapsed to the ground. Her body was still intact, which was more than Eimose could say about the first girl the ¡®test¡¯ was administered on. He watched in awe as the tattoos on Yismin¡¯s body faded to nothing and as if on cue, she groaned and blinked slowly, as if it took great effort to do such a simple act.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± Yismin asked, looking around. Her eyes widened when she saw her hands, leaping to her feet while running her hands over her face and body. ¡°Is this real? This isn¡¯t a dream? Is this really, really real?¡±


    Henarie¡¯s face broke out in a joyful smile, an odd thing to see after such a bout of intimidation.


    ¡°Welcome back Terra."

 Chapter 61: Wavering Uncertainty

    He didn¡¯t know why he didn¡¯t tell anyone that the girl had regained consciousness, perhaps he wanted to feel special in some way, like maybe the girl had been waiting for him to be alone and then come to. Perhaps he wanted to feel as if he were chosen, that the girl would have only come back because he was there, that maybe he had a greater purpose than what his life was at that point. 7714S knew in his heart that he was just making things up to make his new life more bearable, but the thought of being unique from the rest uplifted his spirits. Of course, the girl had never actually said anything, so maybe he wasn¡¯t so special after all.


    When she¡¯d awoken, he could tell that she was panicking as her eyes couldn¡¯t stay in one position for very long and he saw more of the whites than the actual pupil. 7714S had rushed forward and used his hand to cover her limited line of sight so she¡¯d only see his face.


    ¡°Calm down, you¡¯re alright. Take a breath and calm down.¡± He chanted, hoping she¡¯d actually be able to breath considering the crystals were covering her nose. It seemed that she could as her eyes locked onto his and her panic subsided. He slowly pulled away, letting her see the lab and absorb her surroundings. ¡°Can you understand me? Do you know what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    All she could do was stare at him. He felt like an idiot, her mouth was engulfed in that black stuff, how could he expect her to answer him back? Racking his brain, he thought about how he could get her to express her thoughts without defaulting to the simple yes or no questions answered by blinks method. It took a few minutes but he came up with one, rushing into his room to grab his portable screen and loaded up the document program on it.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to run my finger across our characters. Blink once for me to stop and click it. Yes is one blink, No is two, got it? Blink a lot if you just need to regular blink.¡± He truly hoped that all made sense.


    She blinked once.


    ¡°What is this black rock you¡¯re covered in?¡±


    D-O-N-T---N-O.


    ¡°Do you know how to get out?¡±


    N-O.


    ¡°Anything at all can help me.¡± He insisted.


    T-R-U-S-T---U-?


    ¡°Yes, of course, you can.¡±


    N-A-M-EThis narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°7714S. Sorry, I probably should have introduced myself sooner. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± He smiled warmly, but her eyes had gone wide with panic and were flitting around again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re safe here. Nothing can harm you. You¡¯re in Greenhouse¡¯s most secure lab, whatever happened to you can¡¯t happen again.¡± Although his words were meant to comfort her, it only seemed to drive her into an even more fervent state of alarm.


    The crystals around her began to shift and move, the peaks of the rocks growing larger and sharper. 7714S stepped away in alarm, watching as the mass grew. He didn¡¯t know what to do, but he knew he needed to calm the girl down as the crystals were reacting to her stress. He flipped his screen to his latest browser window and shoved it in her line of vision. The effect was not immediate, but the crystals did start retreating back to their original size.


    ¡°Alright, so flowers will calm you down.¡± He stated after taking a quick look at what his screen was displaying. ¡°You know, most of these flowers are extinct now. A long time ago scientists decided to take samples of each one of the species but the war wiped them all out. If we¡¯d had the technology we have now back then, we would have been able to clone them and save them all from extinction. Now, all we can do is try and replicate the miracle of nature to make up for everything we did in the past.¡±


    The girl stared back at him, the nodes of terror erased and instead replaced with inquisitiveness. Taking the cue, 7714S started reading the records of random flowers. They¡¯d gone through a dozen of them before the crystals shuttering again, this time only lasting a second, but the girl¡¯s eyes had closed.


    7714S tried to shake her awake but the crystals were too heavy for him to physically move, so he settled to poking her cheek. Her eyes wouldn¡¯t react to light as well when he shone a light in them, indicating that she was back under. He wished he¡¯d asked her name; he¡¯d do that the next time she opened her eyes.


    Checking the time, he saw that he still had half-an-hour left until the next shift of scientists came in and he was still nowhere near discovering how to get the girl out of the stasis tube. The crystals seemed to react to her emotions, so perhaps the crystals had become a part of her? Or maybe they were a parasite that reacted when the host body¡¯s chemistry became unbalanced? Could it by a symbiotic relationship? Exactly how did it all work?


    He spent his remaining time attempting to examine the crystal structure themselves, which proved quite difficult since the material was too tough to scrape a sample from. Eventually, his wrist ticker beeped, notifying him that his services were done and that he should retire before the group of scientist came in; that was when he decided he would keep his mouth shut. Although 7714S desperately wanted to be a scientist, he¡¯d walked through the Pharmaceutical section before and witnessed what was done with the lab rats. If the scientists had caught wind that the girl could understand their speech and communicate back, tests would be run just for the sake of running them just because she could tell them exactly how she was feeling. Plus, she only had a small patch of her face exposed, meaning that all tests and sampling would be done from that area--there was no way he would let her be subjected to that torture.


    Before finally settling down and getting the rest he was unable to get the day before, he saved more documents about the extinct plant and wildlife Greenhouse had on record to show the girl when she awoke again. He went to bed wondering why the girl had reacted so negatively when he¡¯d told her she was in a Greenhouse facility. They were the ones making a change in a destroyed world. They were the good guys. Right?

 Chapter 62: Twisted Perceptions p.1

    Terra still couldn¡¯t believe her eyes as she stretched her hand outwards towards the blue sky. For so long she¡¯d dreamed (well not really since she couldn¡¯t sleep) of having weight and sensation, to be able to feel the wind against her skin and her lungs as they burned from exertion, that she had felt overwhelmed when she¡¯d come to.


    After running around for a bit in her body she¡¯d come to the sudden realization that she was surrounded by strangers and she didn¡¯t know where she was, so she did the only logical thing she could think of at the time and ran away. It had been dark when she¡¯d escaped the building but now the sun had risen and brought the bright sky with it, lighting up the city below her as she rested on the rooftop of a structure. Terra signed in both relief and disappointment at the clouds that floated aimlessly well above her head.


    ¡°Why so sad?¡± A familiar voice asked from beside her. Terra whipped her head to her right and nearly burst out in tears.


    ¡°Where have you been!¡± Terra cried as she hugged the girl beside her.


    ¡°Wow, you seriously need more friends if you¡¯re happy to see me.¡± Altar commented while she was crushed by Terra. ¡°Got that out of your system?¡± Terra nodded as Altar pushed her away. ¡°Good, because you¡¯ve fallen behind in the whole scheme of things and need to be caught up.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Terra¡¯s eyes narrowed as she remembered the cryptic antics Altar was so keen on using. ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s been gone this whole time, I should be catching you up.¡±


    ¡°Really now?¡± Altar¡¯s eyes widened in an exaggerated manner. ¡°Alright, you have the floor. Catch me up on what you think is happening.¡±


    Terra fell into a monologue that lasted half an hour explaining her journey from being in an Efficiency robot with Indo and Petri and how everything changed when Eimose barged into their lives. About how Greenhouse was an evil corporation hell-bent on some unknown purpose and how Indo and Petri died blowing up one of their facilities, and then Terra had to go hunting for a bag, where she ran into Eimose, and then how they¡¯d ended up at the Piranha headquarters where they stowed away on a subaqua and tried to take it over.


    ¡°So what exactly do you think happened after that?¡± Altar urged when Terra stopped.


    ¡°I think I died and wound up in a new place.¡± Altar burst out laughing at Terra¡¯s hypothesis. ¡°I¡¯m in a new body and the whole place is different! The sky isn¡¯t red and all these buildings are different from what I saw before!¡± Terra shouted her defense.


    ¡°This is why you need me around.¡± Altar choked out after she wiped away the tears that had formed. ¡°No more turning yourself into a robot, alright.¡±


    ¡°Not as if I could help it,¡± Terra mumbled as she crossed her arms and pouted. After a moment of silence, she added, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I see you while I was a robot?¡±


    ¡°You have to have a brain to hallucinate; robots have processing units. You do remember I¡¯m not real, right? Because I¡¯m getting tired of saying it.¡±


    Terra wanted to open her mouth and make a snide comment, but in reality, she was still glad she could see Altar again. Not because Altar had answers and could help her out when a situation got sticky, but because Altar had been with her since the very beginning. If she lost Altar Terra may very well have gone insane.


    ¡°So if I¡¯m not dead, then where am I?¡± she finally asked.


    ¡°Do you remember the last world?¡± Terra nodded. ¡°What was your wish?¡± Terra had to think for a moment as it felt like a lifetime ago she¡¯d been in a different world altogether.


    ¡°To go home,¡± she replied. Altar¡¯s eyebrows raised and her eyes urged Terra to make the conclusion herself. ¡°Wait, this is my home?¡±


    Terra looked around in disbelief. She looked up and saw the twin suns in the sky, recalling a memory that was practically a ghost now. The man with the blue eyes and the slopes of green pastures. The purple flowers she couldn¡¯t remember the name of. The city in the distance and her daily routine. Could she really find answers here? Could she find her father here? Could she really return to where she belonged?


    ¡°I see that look on your face and no, I can¡¯t tell you where to find that guy in your memory.¡± Altar butted in. ¡°I can tell you that you are in the right place. Well, not in the right, right place, but you¡¯re in the right world.¡±


    ¡°So how can I find him?¡± The word tumbled out of Terra¡¯s mouth, excitement bubbling inside her.


    ¡°Won¡¯t tell you. I haven¡¯t been able to mess with you in a while, and I think you deserve to go the long way around.¡± Altar shrugged while saying this, striking a chord within Terra, rendering her speechless for a moment by Altar¡¯s sheer indifference to her situation.


    ¡°Are you kidding me! This past year has been hell on earth and now you won¡¯t tell me where he is!¡± Terra was so angry that anything else that fell out of her mouth was indecipherable, though her point got across.


    ¡°Why exactly do you want to find that man?¡± asked Altar. ¡°Will it change your life? Are you going to tell him that your his daughter and everything will just fall in place? You don¡¯t belong anywhere. You¡¯re a curse and you bring death and misfortune to everyone you meet, or do you not remember Roger, or all those nameless people you killed in the war, or Indo and Petri? You¡¯ve killed and will kill so many more and don¡¯t even realize it.¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Terra¡¯s anger melted away and guilt sank in. But she wasn¡¯t a curse. She was just Terra and she wanted to find somewhere she belonged. If she could, she would turn back time and go live with Roger and they would eat eggs and bacon every morning. Why did Altar hate her so much that she won¡¯t even tell her where her dad was? She couldn¡¯t shy away from the fact that she had killed people before, but Indo and Petri were killed by Greenhouse, not her. And Roger was killed by John, and she was fighting for the Resistance when she¡¯d killed people in war; it wasn¡¯t her fault.


    ¡°Look, you¡¯re even coming up with excuses for yourself so you don¡¯t have to face the consequences of your actions. Whatever.¡± Altar laid down on the tiled roof and put her hands under her head.


    ¡°What if I promise not to kill anyone, will you help me then?¡± Terra negotiated.


    Altar immediately burst out laughing, but it sounded bitter to Terra¡¯s ears.


    ¡°You make it sound as if you¡¯re an ax murderer. The thing is that even if you do stop killing, whether for self-defense or war, anyone you involve in your shenanigans will end up dying somehow, and their death is on you even if you don¡¯t pull the trigger yourself.¡± Altar gazed up at the clouds, lost in thought. ¡°But you know what, that will prevent a few deaths in the future. When you do choose to break that promise, I hope that you¡¯ve weighed all your options.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t break that promise,¡± Terra stubbornly stated, squaring herself so Altar could see her conviction.


    ¡°Believe me, you¡¯ll have to.¡± Altar¡¯s sad voice hung in the air until the wind carried it away.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t!¡± Terra insisted, lifting her hand and extending her pinky finger.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked Altar, amused.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know, but I saw a kid when I was in that daycare center do it and I think this is how you¡¯re supposed to make promises. It¡¯s a rule or something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not making a promise that I know you¡¯re going to break.¡± Altar smacked away Terra¡¯s hand and then stood up and stretched.


    ¡°Then how can I get you to help me find my father?¡± Terra screamed, fed up with Altar¡¯s antics.


    ¡°You don¡¯t. Find him yourself.¡±


    Terra felt herself deflate and suddenly Altar was gone. She thought about looking around for her but Terra knew that Altar would only appear when she wanted to. Laying down she looked back up at the blue sky, mind straying away from Altar¡¯s words. Terra was going to keep her promise, she was going to show Altar that she was wrong and that Terra deserved her help. With the conviction set in her heart, Terra stuck the conversation in the dark corners of her mind and allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of being in a body again.


    Her hands were older than she remembered them to be and her height was completely different too, much taller than a twelve-year-old¡¯s should be, but her original body had been obliterated in the facility that Indo and Petri had died in so there wasn¡¯t much she could do on that front. It was odd to think that she was possessing someone else¡¯s body, moving their arms, using their eyes, listening with their ears, and she wondered how the entire exchange happened. If she hadn¡¯t had died, how did she get this body? She wondered if other people had to deal with the issues she was running into. Did everyone get a new body when they died?


    ¡°Terra!¡±


    She bolted up and got in a fighting stance at the sudden calling of her name, her instincts calling out to the black crystal that she¡¯d used when she was in her original body. The stranger that had been cradling her when she¡¯d regained consciousness stood at the other end of the roof, an elated expression on their face despite the thin sheen of sweat coating their body.


    ¡°Who are you and what do you want with me,¡± Terra called out, arms up in case the person tried anything funny. Dejection made their face fall and their eyes swam with confusion.


    ¡°Terra, it¡¯s me. Henarie. Remember?¡± They responded, taking a step forward.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anybody named Henarie.¡±


    ¡°But, I waited. I waited for you. You told me you¡¯d come back for me so I waited and I searched and now you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t know you!¡±


    Henarie¡¯s face fell and Terra could see her eyes moisten with tears. As if a switch had gone off, Henarie roared and sprinted at Terra.


    ¡°Who are you and what have you done with Terra!¡± Henarie grabbed her sword and swung it down towards Terra.


    Not quite used to the body yet, Terra moved to dodge, but her foot slipped and she fell on her knee; all she could do was raise her arms to protect herself against the sharp blade.


    When the strike never came, Terra cracked her eyes open (which she never realized she¡¯d closed in the first place) and saw that black crystals had erupted from the impact point on her forearm where the sword had struck. Henarie backed away, face as pale as a ghost, and fell to her knees.


    ¡°It¡¯s really you..so why¡­¡± Henarie broke down sobbing. ¡°Why...don¡¯t you remember me?¡±


    Terra felt incredibly awkward in her position. She was still kneeling with a sword attached to her arm because the crystals had grown over the metal and know there was a grown woman bawling her eyes out in front of her. Exactly what was going on? Not knowing what to do, she cautiously approached the woman who¡¯d attacked her and patted her on the back.


    ¡°Umm...Henarie?¡± Terra attempted, not really know what to say to calm the woman down. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry I don¡¯t know you, but maybe I knew you from before I lost my memory?¡±


    Henarie¡¯s head turned up, her tear-stained face showing signs of hope.


    ¡°So I just have to make you remember me.¡± The woman summarized.


    ¡°Well, maybe not make me remember, but perhaps something to jog my memory?¡± Terra corrected, not liking the way the woman¡¯s eyes lit up at the prospect of returning her memories.


    The woman recovered almost instantly once the idea was planted in her head and she straightened herself up, wiped away the tears, and grabbed her sword which had fallen from Terra¡¯s arm once the crystals retreated.


    A wave of nausea hit Terra like a train and she doubled over. The world around her spun and she struggled to focus on her footing, stumbling when the sky appeared below her and colors swirled together. A high-pitched whine filled the air around her and she struggled to plant herself to the ground. She was certain Henarie was holding on to her to make sure she didn¡¯t fall off the roof, but she wasn¡¯t certain as a darkness seemed to lurk at the edges of her vision, threatening to overtake her senses. Terra felt a sudden pain at her side and she was lurched out of Henarie¡¯s arms and thrown into open air.

 Chapter 63: Twisted Perceptions p.2

    When Yismin had bolted from the hall Henarie had sprinted after her, leaving the hall filled with a mass of confused females, Eimose decided that it was a good of a moment as any to get away from the immediate area. While everyone was left in the wake of what had occurred, Eimose quietly got to his feet and backed his way down the grand hall, stopping when his foot hit Terra¡¯s robotic head.


    Guilt pinched at his stomach and he picked it up, hoping that maybe if he carried it with him he could find a mechanic who could put her back together. With that cradled in the nook of his elbow, he looking around, hoping to find any other exit than the one where the majority of the people were still amassed. He spotted a rectangular groove near the back wall of the hall, either meaning the person designing the building had an odd sense of decorating, or that there was a panel that most likely revealed an exit.


    Something glimmered in the corner of his eye as he moved towards the back right wall and he couldn¡¯t help but stop. There, laying near the throne, was a small bit of black crystal. How did it get there, he wondered, as he bent down to pick it up.


    ¡°The man! Don¡¯t let him get away!¡± The merchant cried out, bringing the others to their senses.


    Eimose cursed his ability to get easily distracted and shoved the stone in his pocket, pumping his arms to get to the hidden door. He practically ran straight into the thing as he had no idea how to open the panel, fumbling around and pushing and prodding every stone near the outline until it finally gave way. Hearing the stampede of footsteps resonate against the walls fueled his run down the dark hallway the panel had revealed, not even bothering to look back to see if anyone was still chasing him. When his heavy steps and labored breathing were the only sound that filled the corridor did he finally slow down enough to catch his breath and gather his bearings.


    Stretching out an arm, he tried to find a wall but stumbled as he reached for something non-existent. There were no gaps of light anywhere so the darkness remained unperturbed, leaving him to try his best and keep moving forward otherwise he could have easily turned himself around and began walking towards those chasing him down. He continued waving around his unencumbered arm in the hope of finding a solid structure so he could mentally create a map of the area but he had no such luck. Eimose felt his weight pitch forward and he tried to recover his footing, missing the invisible step below him, launching him down the flight of stairs veiled by darkness.


    By the time he made it to the bottom Eimose couldn¡¯t find any part of his body that wasn¡¯t sore and tender. Only his disfigured arm was fine, though his torso spoke volumes of bruises from landing on that same arm. Taking a moment to make sure nothing was broken, Eimose was more careful walking forward, this time sweeping his leg out to test the level of the ground before taking a step. It was a long and tedious process but it beat the consequences of repeating another fall down a set of stairs.


    It was eerily silent in the darkness. Except for the scuffling Eimose made, the entire space was vacant of activity.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Eimose called out in order to break the rushing the quiet brought to his ears.


    He didn¡¯t expect a reply back, nor did he receive one, but for a moment he felt a bit more secure by talking. Eimose began humming to himself, at first a light whisper under his breath, raising volume until he was practically belting out a hymn that had no rhythm. His journey into the darkness was beginning to feel like a mistake as there was no sight in end and he had yet to find any wall to rest his hand on to gain some sort of bearing.


    When even his voice did nothing to quell the sense of unease the blackness created in him, Eimose debated turning around, though at this point he may have been walking in a circle and not even realized it. He felt tears of despair and fear roll down his face and he quickly wiped them away; he wasn¡¯t going to break down now. He¡¯d faced too much to panic and perish in a place like this. One day he hoped to look back on this moment and laugh at how ridiculous he was for shedding tears over nothing, yet a little voice in the back of his mind reminded him that something could be lurking right in front of him, enjoying watching him squirm before brutally tearing him to pieces, or perhaps Eimose had gone blind and he would be living the rest of his days like this. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Breathing coming quick and rapid a wave of crippling hysteria brought Eimose to his knees. His hands were slick with sweat and the drop caused Terra¡¯s head to tumble from his arm and into the thick black of his surroundings. On all fours, he crawled around and tried his best to feel for her head but it was no use; he¡¯d lost her. Curling up into himself Eimose struggled to get his breathing under control, shutting his eyes as hard as he could so he could see colors flash behind his eyelids. Time slipped by and eventually, he had to open his eyes again, though in the darkness it made no difference if his eyes were open or closed.


    He began humming again, creating an actual melody this time. He hummed to ward off insanity, to apologize to Terra, to stop Greenhouse, to bring back everyone who died in Headquarter 3, and to create something that was his own in the hopes that maybe the walls of this dark place would remember him.


    Unexpectedly, his crystalized arm began giving off a glow, nearly imperceivable, but in complete nothingness, it seemed like a beacon. Eimose observed in awe as a chain reaction arose around him, the ground slowly pulsing a dim glow, brighter and brighter until he could see everything.


    The area he was in was immense; so much so that he could just barely make out the walls in the far distance despite the entire ground being illuminated, and the ceiling still wasn¡¯t visible to his eyes. Spotting Terra¡¯s head a few feet away from him, he scooped it up and tucked it back in the nook of his arm, the comfort of a soundless companion easing his tensions to non-existence. Looking around him, a slightly brighter glow indicated the destination he didn¡¯t realize he¡¯d had. Now that he could see ahead of him, he ran in the direction of the brighter light, picking up his pace as he went.


    A crystal, larger than the temple itself, filled the area, and Eimose could see that it there were fissures on the ground near it, indicating that he was only observing the top portion of the massive rock. He gasped at the sheer immensity, jaw at a slack as he meandered around its perimeter.


    The crystal itself was a milky color and it pulsated a blue-white light that seemed to fill Eimose with newfound hope. Even though he was still caught in the darkness, just being in proximity with the crystal quashed every fear and doubt from his system. Gazing at it, a silly idea burst into his mind.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t,¡± Eimose tried to talk himself out of it as he stared at the pulsating light. ¡°But it¡¯s here, and I have nothing to lose. But it is a weird rock¡­.Oh fuck it, what¡¯s the worst that can happen?¡±


    With his mind made up, he placed his crystalized palm on the crystal, watching intently as...nothing happened.


    ¡°See, it was totally okay.¡± He stated to himself as if to prove himself wrong. However, when he tried removing his arm from the crystal it was stuck. ¡°Awww, and there you go again making bad choices. It¡¯s a miracle you haven¡¯t died yet.¡±


    Struggle he might, there was no removing his arm from the crystal. He debated putting Terra¡¯s head down so he could use the aid of his other arm to pull away, but he¡¯d already almost lost her once and wasn¡¯t going to chance it again. Glancing at his arm to see if he could somehow get something wedged in between his palm and the crystal to dislodge himself, he saw that his arm had completely welded itself to the crystal. No, it hadn¡¯t welded itself to it, his arm was being consumed.


    All of the fuzzy warm feelings in his stomach were gone and replaced by the need to get away, but unless he could cut his arm off with his willpower alone there was no way of getting away. Wait, Terra¡¯s head! Turning her head around so the neck was facing his, he noticed that there were some sharp edges of metal exposed. Gripping the base of her head as best as he could, he brought the sharp ends down on his shoulder where the black crystal began.


    He cried out in pain as the metal sank into the soft flesh of his shoulder. As if realizing the lengths Eimose was going to get away from the crystal, his arm sank into his wrist. Fighting back the urge to stop inflicting self-harm, he brought the head down on his shoulder again, and again, and again, each time digging deeper into his tissue. Tears of agony streamed down his face as he chipped away at the muscle, nearly blacking out when he finally reached the bone.


    By now, his arm had sunk to the elbow; if he didn¡¯t keep up the pace he was going to be eaten. A large part of him wanted to just laugh at the absurdity of the situation and just accept his fate; exactly how many times was he going to face his mortality and be expected to get up and walk away with a smile on his face?


    He brought the head down again, tearing through ligament but not slicing all the way through. The pain was too much for him to handle and his knees collapsed, but because his arm was stuck in place it only tore at the already exposed muscle fibers. His vision blurred as he struggled to stay on his feet, his dark blood flowing onto the white crystal. This was enough. He was tired. In a flash of light, the crystal extended odd tendrils of glowing rock that wrapped around Eimose and brought him into its pulsating core.

 Chapter 64: An Ever-Changing Situation

    ¡°My gods  I can¡¯t see anything!¡± Jeringy cried out while swiping at the fog around him.


    Regal groaned as his partner mentioned the fog for the hundredth time within the last hour. Brit just ignored Jeringy, having learned to tune out incessant chatter from the two younger men.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just turn around and find another route? I don¡¯t like this fog at all.¡± Jeringy continued to whine as he looked around at the opaque density around him.


    ¡°Enough Jer,¡± Brit finally spoke up. ¡°This is the fastest way to get to the signal. We¡¯ve already wasted a week on the water and it took us too long to get inland that we almost lost the beacons.¡±


    ¡°But we passed Onto a few miles back! Why are the trackers showing up here? Could they have found out about them and tried to throw us off our tail? I say we should just check out Onto and get out of this place.¡± Jeringy defended as he stopped walking.


    ¡°We¡¯re not turning around now. The tracker is stationary and hasn¡¯t moved in twelve hours. This is our best bet on finding that robot and getting our reward. Lucky for us there¡¯s been no word of other hunters going after the same bounty so we may finally have an easy run this time.¡± Brit replied while he checked the screen displaying the two remaining red dots on the gridded layout. ¡°Almost there, five more clicks and we should be within range of hypersight.¡±


    Jeringy quieted down, though Regal should see him shifting uncomfortably and slowing down his pace so he lagged a good deal behind the group. After an hour of silence, Regal himself started feeling very uncomfortable. Had he grown accustomed to Jeringy¡¯s ramblings so much so that he preferred that over awkward silence? Things had been tense between them since Jeringy had blown up at him with truths Regal didn¡¯t want to hear, and although they had both apologized to one another the next day, things hadn¡¯t gone back to the way they were. Regal had already lost a lot of people in his life and he didn¡¯t want to lose his closest friend. For now, the best option was to give him some space.


    The fog was getting denser and denser as they approached the tracker point, making it increasingly difficult to make out what was ahead of them. When Regal tripped over a discarded shell of a vehicle partially submerged in the dusty ground he realized that he couldn''t see Jeringy behind them anymore.


    ¡°Jer! I swear to the gods, Jer, if you get lost here I¡¯m going to shoot you myself!¡± Regal screamed into the fog. ¡°Jer! Where the fuck are you!¡±


    Brit stopped in his tracks when he heard Regal screaming, but something else in the distance caught his attention.


    ¡°Jer! You son of a bitch! Jer!¡±


    ¡°Shhhh!¡± Brit said as he shook Regal¡¯s arm to shut up. ¡°There¡¯s something out there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s probably Jer being a pussy.¡± Regal took in a deep breath to scream out for Jeringy again but Brit clamped his hand over the young man¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Shut up and listen.¡±


    Regal pushed Brit¡¯s hand off his face but complied, hoping that he could hear Jer¡¯s footsteps nearby so he could stop worrying about his friend. He was going to tear him a new one once he got his hands on him. After he punched him a few times.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± whispered Brit.


    Regal strained his ears to hear what his superior had heard but it was to no avail. He shook his head just as a low rumbling rattled the fog around him.


    ¡°Alright, I heard that one,¡± Regal stated as a chill shot down his spine.


    Brit brought out a set of large goggles and snapped them to the top of his respirator so they sat in line with his eyesight. Looking around he cursed and shoved the goggles back into his pack.


    ¡°Hypersights are no good. Fog is giving back too much feedback.¡±


    A roar pierced through the air but they couldn¡¯t tell which direction to run as the sound seemed to come from all around them. A force suddenly pulled them both from behind and Regal nearly shit his pants.


    ¡°Follow me!¡± Jeringy cried out as he tugged on the other men¡¯s jackets.


    Regal wanted to hug and punch Jer at the same time but he was already running with Brit in tow. His legs automatically began moving forward, slowly catching up with Jer, as another roar sent quakes through the ground.


    ¡°Is there a plan here?¡± Regal screamed in between breaths when he¡¯d gotten within earshot of Jer. Had he always been this fast?


    ¡°Trust me!¡± Was Jer¡¯s only response.


    Brit nodded at Regal, indicating that this was the most viable plan at the moment and to just continue following Jer into the bowels of the fog.


    The running soon became torture as Jer didn¡¯t seem to be slowing down and the roars didn¡¯t seem to be getting any quieter. On a positive note, they weren¡¯t getting louder, so at least they were keeping pace with whatever was chasing them. Running without an end goal wore on Regal as his lungs burned and his legs became numb. He eventually lost sight of Jer and Brit but he could hear their footsteps, so either he couldn¡¯t seem to catch up with them or the fog had gotten so thick that he could barely see a few feet ahead of him. Jer suddenly came into sight as he was kneeling down and fiddling with something on the ground, Regal not having enough time or energy to avoid crashing into him.


    ¡°Seriously, man?¡± Jeringy groaned as he pushed the sweaty Regal off him.


    ¡°Someone needs to take his endurance training more seriously,¡± an amused Brit stood at the edge of whatever Jeringy was working on. All Regal could do was wheeze a curse in response.


    After catching his breath Regal pushed himself up to kneel beside Jeringy who was running his palms on the ground as if searching for something.


    ¡°Can I help?¡± Regal offered as he started feeling around on the ground.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re looking for,¡± Jeringy asserted. ¡°You¡¯ll only get in the way.¡±


    A roar split the air and Regal could feel the ground shake, not by the roar, but with the heavy steps their pursuer took. Brit had whipped out his guns and was standing in front of the two younger men.


    ¡°What¡¯s after us?¡± he called out to Jeringy.


    ¡°Guns won¡¯t work, it¡¯ll only get angrier.¡± He replied, still focused on the ground.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan exactly then if we can¡¯t fight back?¡± Regal said as he drew his gun and stood next to Brit. If bullets made the thing angry, then Regal was going to end up having an extremely angry creature on this hands.


    ¡°Just have to find...the thing¡­where is it!¡± Jeringy cried out as he continued feeling around for it.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re so screwed,¡± Regal declared just as another low cry came from a lumbering opaque being off in the distance.


    ¡°Found it!¡±


    The two men lurched as the ground behind them collapsed. Regal watched as a black claw reached out from the dense fog and narrowly missed his throat by mere millimeters.  Regal was left gasping for air as the wind was knocked out of his lungs when he hit the solid ground below. To his surprise, the ground he¡¯d fallen through didn¡¯t come tumbling around him, to which he would have easily been crushed by, nor did the creature come after them from the sudden gap, but closed up the instant they fell through. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Wha--wha--did you see---what?¡± Regal stuttered as he pointed up to the ceiling.


    Brit seemed to be at a loss for words as well but he wasn¡¯t fumbling for words like Regal was.


    ¡°An explanation would be appreciated before we continue,¡± Brit demanded once he¡¯d cleared his throat and gotten his words unclogged.


    ¡°Would you believe me if I told you I was raised by mutants in these tunnels?¡± Jeringy tried.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s the best I can come up. Take it or leave it. Oh, and you should follow me if you don¡¯t want to get lost down here and die a horrible death.¡± Before anyone could respond, Jeringy straightened up and began walking down the mysteriously-lit tunnel.


    ¡°Hey, wait up. Just tell us the truth.¡± Regal voiced as he caught stride with Jeringy.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to keep some secrets you know. I don¡¯t bring up your past unless I¡¯m angry with you, so you should too.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m pissed off right now?¡± yelled Regal. In all honesty, he was more confused than angry, but if anger would allow him to get some answers he¡¯ll boil his blood all day. ¡°We barely survived just now! What the fuck is that thing and where the fuck are we?!¡±


    ¡°Listen, learning what that thing is or where we are or how I know about this place doesn¡¯t help us at all. What does help is if you shut your trap and follow me. And don¡¯t touch anything or you might die.¡± Jeringy glared at Regal as he continued walking down the corridor.


    ¡°This is exactly why we need to know these things! Why will we die if we touch anything? I think that¡¯s a pretty important fact you¡¯re just glossing over!¡± Regal looked over to Brit to get some back-up but he just gave him a ¡®what can you do¡¯ shrug and brought out his screen to check on the trackers.


    ¡°Mind if I take a look at that?¡± Jeringy asked Brit.


    ¡°Sure, just don¡¯t touch any other buttons.¡±


    Jeringy grabbed the screen and rotated it around to orient himself, then showed it to Brit.


    ¡°We¡¯re here now,¡± he pointed at the screen. ¡°The tunnel will deposit us here, only two blocks away from the trackers. If I remember correctly, this entire area is a warehouse district, which means it¡¯s more likely we¡¯ve been tracking the bag than the robot or Eimose.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve convinced me, I¡¯m on board.¡± Regal chimed in. ¡°Any fortifications we need to know about? Guards? Security clearance?¡±


    ¡°From memory, no. There¡¯s probably a crew that remains at the warehouse at all times for inventory and such, but there¡¯s no designated security. Everyone is trained for combat though, so don¡¯t take anyone lightly. Best case scenario, we¡¯re in and out without being spotted.¡±


    ¡°Worst case?¡±


    ¡°Hmm...probably death, and not a quick one.¡±


    ¡°When we get out of this, I¡¯m going to beat the shit out of you.¡±


    ¡°Just try it and see what happens.¡±


    Grins appeared on their faces simultaneously; their version of making up.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad both of you finally made up, now if we could get back to the mission at hand that would be much appreciated,¡± Brit spoke up. ¡°Tell us all you can about what to expect.¡±


    Jeringy continued retelling as much as he could about the warehouse area and the layout of the area, pointing out where the entrances were in case they got split up and what walls were weaker than the others in case an exit wasn¡¯t a viable option. By the time they reached the exit point, Regal and Brit knew practically everything about the structure of the warehouse district.


    ¡°Alright, before you guys go up, I have to warn you that you¡¯re going to see some strange things,¡± Jeringy stated before he opened whatever magical portal got them up there.


    ¡°Stranger than that monster thing we almost got decapitated by?¡± Brit asked in amusement but his smile dropped when he saw Jeringy¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Uhh, just...prepare yourselves and don¡¯t freak out.¡± Jeringy placed his hand against the wall and the three were suddenly pushed up through the ceiling as if it were made of liquid. The ground below them hardened the instant they made it through, making it completely solid again. But it wasn¡¯t the ground Regal and Brit were so awestruck of--it was the sky.


    ¡°Oi, snap out of it guys, I told you to be prepared. Mission, remember?¡± Jeringy spoke up as he clapped his hands in their faces.


    ¡°But...the sky¡­¡± Regal trailed off.


    ¡°I think you should have been more specific about what to mentally prepare us for,¡± Brit said as he stared wide-eyed at the sky.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s blue, get over it. Now, mission. Wow, I never thought I¡¯d be the one saying that.¡± Jeringy shook his head in disbelief.


    ¡°Uhh, Jer?¡± Regal inquired.


    ¡°Yeah? What now?¡±


    ¡°Is that supposed to be up in the sky?¡± Regal pointed up into the blue expanse, to something he saw amongst the clouds.


    Jeringy¡¯s eyes widened at the sight and his limbs froze.


    ¡°No, that is not supposed to be there. Not at all.¡±


    Up in the sky, a large mass was forming. Black streaks flew through the sky and joined the growing mass that seemed to be suspended somehow against the forces of gravity. It writhed and wiggled, its form constantly changing so it didn¡¯t resemble anything in particular.


    A woman screamed from around the corner and Jeringy watched in horror as the tattoos painted on her body seemed to rip off her body and fly towards the giant mass, leaving her a crying bloody mess on the ground nearby.


    ¡°Is that normal here?¡± Brit asked as he cautiously approached the woman.


    ¡°We need to leave now!¡± Jeringy cried as he fumbled on the ground to find whatever switch he needed to activate to get back to the underground area.


    Brit launched at Jeringy and grabbed his arms, pinning them behind him.


    ¡°We¡¯re not leaving until we get the bag. Lead the way and we¡¯ll get out of here faster,¡± demanded Brit.


    Jeringy seemed to contemplate the thought of fighting back against the larger man, but he looked back up at the dark mass in the sky and figured the latter would be a quicker method.


    ¡°Fine, but we need to move if we want to get out of here alive!¡±


    Jeringy was freed and he immediately sprinted down the street, leaving Regal and Brit scrambling to catch up against the surprisingly quick young man. They made it to the warehouse in record time but instead of taking the precautions Jeringy had warned them about, he¡¯d burst in through the front doors. Throwing caution to the wind, Regal and Brit drew their weapons and quickly followed behind, glad when they weren¡¯t met with any resistance. In fact, the entire place was abandoned, which proved convenient for them. With the tracking screen open, it only took them a couple minutes to find the bag and snatch it from the pile of other loot that rested in the depths of the storage containers. Regal helped himself to a bag with weapons and ammo as he was sure no one would miss it.


    ¡°Alright, now we need to get out of here!¡± Jeringy cried out in panic and he sprinted back into the streets.


    They ran through the streets again until they reached the area they¡¯d arrived at. Jeringy fumbled around on the ground trying to find the switch, eventually finding it and activating it. The ground gave way and the three dropped through, at least that¡¯s what initially happened.


    As the three fell, Jeringy felt a sharp pain shoot across his back. Regal watched as dark matter shot from Jeringy¡¯s back and floated up to the sky. Jeringy¡¯s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he dropped like a stone onto the hard, unforgiving tunnel ground.


    ¡°Jer!¡± cried Regal as he rushed to Jeringy¡¯s crumpled body. ¡°Wake up you jerkwad!¡±


    ¡°Still alive, but his pulse is weak. We need to patch  him up before loses any more blood.¡± Brit summarized as he checked on Jeringy.


    Regal hadn¡¯t even noticed the blood that leaked from Jeringy¡¯s back. What had happened? What was that dark stuff? Had it come from Jeringy? Pulling himself together, he grabbed his pack and unloaded the scarce amount of medical equipment they had. Pushing Jeringy onto his stomach, Brit cut open Jeringy¡¯s shirt and used a spare shirt to keep pressure on the wound. Jeringy¡¯s back was a rash of open gashes, but laid out in an intricate pattern, as if it had been purposely drawn that way.


    ¡°Hold his torso up so I can bandage his entire back,¡± Brit ordered Regal, who quickly complied.


    Which was when Regal noticed something odd. First of all, Jeringy was at least a foot shorter than he normally was, and secondly, were those breasts?


    What? What? What? Jeringy was a guy, he didn¡¯t have breasts. Regal had even seen Jeringy naked on occasion when he didn¡¯t knock on the cabin door before entering. Jer was definitely a guy. So what the fuck was going on?!


    Brit didn¡¯t even blink when he wrapped Jeringy¡¯s torso, but Regal turned bright red and had to turn away.


    ¡°That¡¯ll have to do for now. Grab the bags and I¡¯ll grab Jer. I don¡¯t know how to get out of these tunnels, but it won¡¯t hurt to get a head start until Jer wakes up.¡± Brit announced.


    Regal nodded, mind still reeling and stricken dumbstruck, and grabbed the bags and followed Brit. Well, Jeringy wasn¡¯t lying when he--she said they would see some strange things when they¡¯d crossed into that other place.


    After about half an hour of walking, Jeringy shifted and mumbled something into Brit¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Heard. Regal, up ahead is our exit.¡± Brit quieted as Jeringy mumbled something else. ¡°We should be clear of the territory of the creature, but be prepared to run just in case.¡±


    ¡°So...there¡¯s a plan?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We need to give Jeringy better medical attention, and there¡¯s only one place that¡¯s close enough. We¡¯re going to Onto.¡±

 Chapter 65: Sucker Punch

    Terra crossed her arms and closed her eyes and tried to summon Alter. She groaned when the girl hadn¡¯t magically appeared in front of her, even when she screamed and cursed her name. Signing in defeat, Terra recalled the last moments before she got stuck floating in the black void she¡¯d been in once before when she¡¯d fought that Queen that was actually Red from the other world.


    She¡¯d been on the roof consoling that strange woman who called herself Henarie (after that woman had attacked her out of nowhere) when she was hit with that sudden wave of nausea and then by some unknown object. The impact had been so great that it sent her sailing off the roof, and even though she knew she was a good twenty stories off the ground, Terra knew that her skin crystal things would shield her from the fall. Man, she really needed to figure out what she was so she could assign technical terms to her odd defense mechanisms.


    One minute she was falling to the ground, the next she was in this space devoid of exterior light. She could clearly see her arms and legs and such, so there was light, but from where she didn¡¯t know. What she did know was that no matter how hard she tried to the manipulate the stuff like she¡¯d done before to create that awesome exoskeleton, nothing happened. Which was when she resorted to calling out to Alter, but that didn¡¯t seem to be working either.


    Was Alter pissed about something? She had seemed more emotional than usual during their previous confrontation, but the girl disappeared as quickly as she¡¯d come, and then Terra had to deal with Henarie, who¡¯d randomly jumped into the picture. What Terra desperately needed was an entire day to just sit and watch clouds. Just one day to enjoy the sensations her new body promised her like a full stomach, prickly grass, the cool chill of rain--was that too much to ask for? No missions, no need to run for her life, no more unanswered questions. Apparently so because she was still stuck inside the black pod with no Alter in sight.


    ¡°Yismin?¡±


    Terra¡¯s head whipped around and she nearly screamed in surprise.


    ¡°Eimose! What are you doing here?¡± Terra squinted at Eimose¡¯s figure, which was drifting toward her upside down. ¡°Is that a robot head? And why is your arm like that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that.¡± He lifted it so he could also take a look at it. ¡°That was--what the?!¡±


    His arm was completely encased in crystals, but not in black ones like Terra had grown accustomed to; white ones. Well, the base color of the crystal was white, but a light of all wavelengths sparkled through the arm, emitting a soft glow, lightly illuminating the left half of Eimose¡¯s body. Terra felt a pang of jealousy as she thought about the boring black crystals that seemed to dominate every aspect of her life. Why couldn¡¯t she get something as beautiful as that white crystal? She didn¡¯t even realize there could be options.


    ¡°Okay, I swear it wasn¡¯t like that the last time I checked. Are we dead?¡± Eimose asked as he felt around the upper part of his shoulder as if checking if his crystalized arm was still attached to his body.


    ¡°Not sure, but I¡¯m leaning toward no. How are you still alive? I mean, when I last saw you we were trying to take over a subaqua. What happened?¡±


    Eimose shot her a confused look as he waved his arm around to make sure it was, indeed, his arm. This motion gently rotated him so he was speaking eye-to-eye with Terra.


    ¡°Ummm, in case you forgot, you almost killed me yourself when you pinned me down at the party. Seriously? And then Henarie put that mask on you? How do you not remember this? It happened less than a day ago.¡±


    ¡°I did what?¡± Terra asked, befuddled. ¡°Wait, who do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°Yismin.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty, well that¡¯s your problem there. I¡¯m Terra.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Terra. Whoop-dee-doo, I¡¯m not a robot anymore.¡± She shook her hands in the air.


    ¡°Wait, back up. You¡¯re who now?¡± His eyes widened in disbelief as he tried to process her words.


    ¡°Terra.¡±


    ¡°No. This is Terra.¡± Eimose held up the head of the robot he still had cradled under his right arm.


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what that is. You really carried that thing around because you thought it was me? I--I don¡¯t know what to make of that.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Yismin, what stunt are you pulling right now? Does this have anything to do with that relic you guys were going crazy for?¡± He looked around at his surroundings. ¡°Is this like a tribute thing or a ritual?¡±


    ¡°Again, I¡¯m Terra. Do we seriously have to go through this again? Bad enough you didn¡¯t call me my actual name as a robot, now when I¡¯m an actual person? Just fill me in on what happened after the subaqua stuff so we can make sense of this all.¡±


    Even though Eimose¡¯s mind was reeling, he summarized his week of near-death encounters to Terra, who didn¡¯t say a word as he recanted his tale.


    ¡°Okay, first of all, what the fuck. You really tried cutting your own arm off? Who does that? Are you insane? Secondly, I need to know more about the Henarie person because I just met her and she tried to kill me, then she started crying, so there¡¯s that. We need to go back to that glowing rock place since it sounds like something important.¡±


    ¡°Oh hell no! I¡¯m not going anywhere near that place!¡± Eimose cried out as he scrambled backwards as if Terra had the magical ability to teleport him there. For all he knew, she could.


    ¡°Calm down glow boy, I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but we¡¯re both a little trapped at the moment.¡± She motioned to the space around them. ¡°Unless you know the way out, we¡¯re staying.¡±


    ¡°About that, where exactly are we?¡±


    ¡°Wow, I was wondering when you were finally going to ask that questions=. Been waiting here for ages to finally pop out.¡± Alter¡¯s voice rang out from above the two.


    ¡°Alter!¡± Terra screamed. ¡°Where the hell have you been! I¡¯ve been calling you for...well I don¡¯t know how long, but a long time! Get us out of here!¡±


    ¡°Who is this now?¡± Eimose asked.


    Terra¡¯s eyes widened and she stared at the man.


    ¡°You can see her too?¡± she questioned, bewildered.


    ¡°Am I not supposed to? Oh, shit. Is she going to kill me because I saw her face?¡± His pupils darted to the bemused Alter. ¡°Wait, unless we¡¯re already dead and you¡¯re a spirit or a god or something. Someone, please explain this to me or I¡¯m going to lose the last bit of sanity I have left.¡±


    ¡°Would you rather learn about who I am and what I can do, or do you want to get out of this space? I¡¯ll leave the choice up to you.¡± Alter replied with a cool expression.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain who she is and stuff if we get out here. Promise.¡± Terra stated.


    ¡°Fine, tell us how to get out of here,¡± Eimose demanded as he turned up to Alter.


    ¡°Your loss, Terra knows very little about me. Oh well, it¡¯s your decision. Alrighty kiddies, get closer and stretch out your left arms.¡± Alter declared as she floated down beside them. When she was close enough she grabbed their extended wrists and positioned them so that Eimose¡¯s crystalized hand was poised a foot above Terra¡¯s, their palms facing the others. ¡°Okay, now close your eyes. Especially you, Eimose, you might get a little freaked out. Terra, pull the crystals toward your hand.¡±


    ¡°I already tried this,¡± stated Terra while she rolled her eyes. ¡°Literally the first thing I did.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but now we¡¯re doing it right. There¡¯s going to be a little kick at the end that you won¡¯t like, but I think it¡¯s well-deserved.¡±


    ¡°What kickba--¡±


    ¡°You want to get out here?¡± Alter interrupted. ¡°Then concentrate.¡±


    Terra clamped her jaw shut and shot Alter a glare full of as much spite and malice she could muster. Letting out a breath she¡¯d been storing she focused her attention on her palm, still unclear as to what the desired outcome was supposed to be. Eimose had already closed his eyes so she did the same, concentrating on trying to bring her crystals to her palm like she¡¯d done before without success. To her amazement, she could feel something forming in the palm of her hand, so she peeked one of her eyes open just a sliver so she could see exactly what was going on. It took all of her willpower to not flinch her arm back and scream at Alter until the girl spilled some answers.


    Eimose¡¯s hand didn¡¯t look remotely look human anymore; his fingers had elongated to form a circular cage, meeting at a point at the bottom. Terra¡¯s hand was at the center of the contraption with a dark crystalized rock floated above her skin that was no larger than an egg. As she observed the stone further, she noticed that it was getting bigger by minuscule proportions. What that thing an accumulation of the vast amount of crystals around them? How was it so small? By the time the rock got to the size of a large fist, the space around Terra and Eimose had dissolved away, leaving them floating in red fog.


    ¡°Is it working? The air got weird. Can I open my eyes now?¡± Eimose asked.


    ¡°Not yet, ten seconds.¡± Alter promptly answered.


    Terra quickly shut her eyes in case Alter decided to check on her. The feeling in her stomach revealed that she was being slowly lowered to the ground and she had to bite back the cry of relief she felt when her feet were back on solid land. When she sucked in a breath, however, she found that even when her lungs were full it didn¡¯t feel like her body was satisfied with the amount of oxygen it was getting. Was this body faulty?


    ¡°Alright, you can open them. Terra, here comes the kick.¡±


    Terra¡¯s eyes snapped open and she opened her mouth to question alter, but the black stone that had been floating above her palm suddenly remembered gravity and the sudden weight caught Terra off guard.


    Time stood still as she felt herself age within seconds. Her bones turned brittle and snapped, shattering sharp shards of calcium into her soft muscle and tissue, ripping her body from the inside out. Her skin flaked away layer by painful layer until there was nothing protecting her broken interior from the outside elements. The slightest breeze lit a fire around her as acid coursed through her veins. She wanted nothing more than to make it all stop, but when she tried to scream her teeth cracked and her tongue swelled until she couldn¡¯t breathe. No one could hear her cries of blood and agony.


    Suddenly she was back, covered in dust and dirt from having collapsed, Eimose by her side with fear in his eyes. Terra blinked a few times as reality set in and she unfolded herself from the fetal position she¡¯d unknowingly curled up into. In the palm of her hand there lay aa small black stone and a clear crystal the size of a heart.


    ¡°So that was the kick Alter was talking about.¡±

 Chapter 66: Futility in Desperation

    Brit and Regal stumbled through the dark tunnel, their hypersights no use to them in the pitch black that suffocated them. Whatever magical flow that tunnel had once had when they had first entered the premises faded away spontaneously, leaving them to both wonder if Jer could still guide them out, especially in her current condition. After a few tense minutes in the dark and only the sounds of their boots scraping against the ground, Jer finally whispered the words that caused Brit to stop in his tracks, wherein Jer began searching for the switch that would grant them freedom. The gods of luck must have been on their side at this particular moment as in the blink of an eye the ceiling opening up and the tunnel spew them out, leaving them shaken, but under a familiar red sky.


    Regal felt a surge of relief wash over him when he could see his surroundings again, though it was quickly squashed when he glanced over at Jer¡¯s limp state. Their bandages were drenched through, dark streaks of blood dripping down the exposed areas of Jer¡¯s back and staining their pants. Brit¡¯s coat was beyond saving as its cuffs were lined with blood from when he¡¯d administered a hasty first aid, and his back coated in whatever excess leaked from Jer¡¯s bandages. Their breathing was labored and shallow and it seemed like they were shivering. Regal quickly stripped his own coat off and draped it over Jer¡¯s shoulders, tightening up their mask so that no harmful air could make its way in.


    ¡°Reg, scout Onto up ahead,¡± Brit grunted as he trudged forward. ¡°See if you can''t find any medical supplies or a sealed room. It¡¯s been deserted for decades, but be alert. Send word of a location via hypersight since I can¡¯t spare hands for my screen.¡±


    As strong as Regal knew Brit was, carrying a fully-grown person over a mile was no easy task, and even though Brit¡¯s expression was blank, there were beads of sweat dripping down his forehead despite the cool temperature. Although Regal didn¡¯t want to leave Jer¡¯s side, he was doing nobody any good hovering and he knew the best plan of action was for him to leave the two. Tightening the straps on his pack and the grip on the bag he¡¯d been tasked to carry, he brought out his screen and began running, bringing up the actual directions to Onto on the way.


    In quick time he made it to the outskirts of the town, dust clinging to his clothing the closer he got. Deserted was the understatement of the century; the entire city was practically buried in sand that seemed to grown from the ground. It shifted under his feet, making him unsteady as he traversed the roads, the exposed windows watching him with vacant eyes. The voice in his head was telling him to turn away from this cursed place, the hands would stretch from the empty buildings and eat him whole. Without the others around him, he was vulnerable, he was weak.


    As he climbed a mound of gritty sand that clogged the filters in his respirator, he thought about if Jer was still alive. No, of course Jer was alive. Barely, but they were a fighter and would stay alive until Regal came back with medical equipment. And a sealed room where they could administer proper aid. And then enough food and water for them to wait until Jer recovered.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Regal looked around at the buildings, dread soaking into his bones when nothing but cracked doors and glass looked back at him. He would be lucky if he found a clean scrap of gauze in this place, much less a room unadulterated by the environment. Using his hypersight he mapped the areas he¡¯d already passed by--Onto was not a small city, too much for only one person--there was no way he could find anything in time. If Jer were here talking sense into him, what would they say?


    He whipped out his screen and pulled up the most recent map of Onto, which was over fifty years old. According to this, there was a medical center about a quarter of a mile from him, as long as the roads provided him a proper route. And raiders hadn¡¯t already looted the place. And the building was still standing.


    Shutting out the negative thoughts Regal sprinted ahead, ignoring the little grains of sand that bypassed the respirator filtration system and grated the back of his throat. When he¡¯d glanced at his screen, Brit and Jer were less than an eighth of a mile away, so Regal needed to find something, and fast.


    He tore through the soft surface, his screen guiding him past the buildings with no names, the billboards with illegible words, several vehicles that had lost the battle against the elements. At last, there was only one large sand dune about fifteen feet high ahead of him; his last obstacle before he reached his destination. As he flung himself atop the mound, disappointment hit him hard in the chest. There was a ring of sand and rubble around a three-block radius as if an explosion had gone off and pushed buildings and vehicles out of the way, and in the center were the skeletal remains of the medical center.


    ¡°Reg, any luck?¡± Brit¡¯s breathless voice came from the screen.


    Brit had a sheen of sweat coating his face and was crouched in order to free up his hand to manage the screen while simultaneously keeping Jer securely on his back. His eyes had a glimmer of hope in them and Regal fought to keep his face composed, trying to think of a quick solution to this very large problem.


    ¡°No, I...I couldn¡¯t find anything.¡±


    Brit¡¯s face fell and his eyes dulled.


    ¡°But I¡¯m sure there are more places in the city. Just keep walking in my direction and I¡¯ll find something.¡± Regal tried, refusing to accept what he could not do.


    ¡°Reg, I know you--¡±


    ¡°Listen, just give me a few more minutes, I¡¯ll find something!¡±


    ¡°Regal, it¡¯s no---¡±


    ¡°Look, just half a mile away there¡¯s--¡±


    ¡°Regal!¡± Brit screamed, startling the younger man. ¡°Just get to our location. Jer might not last any long--¡±


    Regal shut off his screen before Brit could finish his sentence, tears pricking the back of his eyes. No, he was going to keep it together, Jer needed him right now. He turned his screen back on and traced the other¡¯s locators, fighting away the thought of never seeing his best friend again. As he ran, memories of him tormenting Jer popped into his mind--he¡¯d do anything to go back. They¡¯d known each other for the majority of their lives that the very thought of Jer not having his back was inconceivable, and yet it was very much a possibility now. There was no way he was going to be saying his final goodbyes to Jer this early in life; Regal was going to kill that bastard if they died like this!

 Chapter 67: Petris Haven

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Terra asked as she struggled to suck in a breath.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s hope for a miracle and that the little girl dropped us off near a city. We¡¯ve got about fifteen minutes left before the atmosphere does permanent damage.¡± Eimose replied, his stomach already roiling from the chemicals he was breathing. ¡°If it hasn¡¯t already. You¡¯ve asked me that question three times now.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    They walked in silence, not from lack of conversation but more so because whenever they opened their mouths they would vomit. They were covering their mouths and noses with the collars of their clothing, but it was not a proper substitute for a respirator. Eimose wished that the girl, Alter was it, had at least left them with supplies. Or a map. Hell, even just pointing them in the right direction would have been incredibly helpful. The robot head he was carrying did little but weigh him down. Should he even still be carrying it? What was his end goal here? Maybe it was stubbornness, maybe it was attachment; it felt weird throwing it away at this point in his journey.


    Images of Terra writhing on the ground flashed into his mind. Had she suffered a seizure? How exactly did that entire dark space disappear? Why was Terra holding those two crystals and where had she gotten them from? Seriously, what the hell was going on right now?


    He glanced to Terra with the intention of getting answers, but she seemed to be in more pain than he was in according to the way her face was twisting and how her legs dragged through the dirt, leaving a very odd trail behind. It looked as if she would fall over at any moment, yet she hadn¡¯t complained once, although he did admit her asking where they were going on more than one occasion was testing his patience.


    Trudging ahead he prayed to the gods for some sort of sign to indicate where they could find fresh air to breathe. His foot abruptly sank further into the ground than he¡¯d accounted for and he pitched forward, landing on all fours.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re committed. Are you going to sniff our way to safety like a dog?¡± an amused Terra asked, coughing a few time when her lungs didn¡¯t agree with the atmosphere.


    Eimose stared at her as if she¡¯d lost her mind as he rose and shook his clothes free of sand.


    ¡°What the hell is a dog?¡±


    Terra stared at him in disbelief.


    ¡°You know what it is. It¡¯s an animal with four legs and fur and stuff. Super friendly?¡± She described, her forehead furrowing as she tried to recall what it looked like.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. Is this some sort of foreign creature? Was it back in that zone with the blue sky?¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± Terra racked her brain. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve actually seen a dog in person now that I think about it. I think I saw it in a book a really long time ago. I still don¡¯t know what a hamster looks like though.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is a--never mind.¡± Eimose looked to the horizon, spotting opaque shapes in the red fog. Well, it may not have been fog but merely his sight growing hazy from inhaling too much atmosphere. ¡°I think that¡¯s a city. Let¡¯s see if we can get someone to help us or if we can get some respirators.¡±


    Terra was more than happy to comply and she followed Eimose like a puppy.


    It didn¡¯t take as long as Eimose thought to get to the border of the city, but all thought of getting help escaped his mind as the state of decay the city was in came into focus. The buildings were in such a distraught condition he was surprised to see so many standing, and sand overruled every aspect of aesthetic. He doubted that the interior of the city would be in any better condition than these buildings on the outskirts.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Terra choked out.


    Eimose squinted at a blurry rectangular shape that looked like it was floating above some buildings near a very wide road. He ran toward it with the hopes it would reveal a city name or a clue as to where they were. For all he knew, he could be on the lost continent of Avios and the entire area was radioactive. Crossing his fingers, he stopped several buildings away as the words come into clear focus.


    Lots 4 rent. May¡¯s Expressway Next Exit.


    Apartments and Houses Available!


    Eimose groaned when the billboard did little to solve his location crisis. Plus, the billboard was so filthy that he could barely piece together the words. In reality, less than half the words were legible, leaving behind only a ¡®t¡¯, the word ¡®rent¡¯, the apostrophe ¡®s¡¯, ¡®w¡¯, ¡®ar¡¯, ¡®e¡¯, and ¡®house¡¯. Getting a closer look, it seemed like the letters around these certain ones had been purposely dirtied and the exposed letters kept revealed. And then it hit Eimose.


    12. 32


    Trent¡¯s Warehouse


    The final note Petri had left him. The cause of sleepless nights as Eimose struggled to come up with a solution. Was this it? There was no way it wasn¡¯t, a coincidence this great didn¡¯t happen.


    Eimose felt a burst of energy send tingles down his spine and everything was momentarily okay. He needed to find May¡¯s Expressway and discover where those lots were. Or was he supposed to go to the billboard and find his answers there? His stomach churned and he was reminded of the current situation he and Terra were both facing--he needed to make his decision fast.


    ¡°Eimose, is that you?¡±


    When he turned to the voice, Eimose was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Regal, what are you doing here? Where are--¡±


    ¡°No time!¡± Regal interrupted. ¡°Where in Onto is that place you were planning to take us to?¡±


    ¡°Onto? Oh, is th--¡±


    ¡°Just take me to the place!¡± Regal screamed.


    Eimose pointed to the billboard. Regal practically dropped the bag he was carrying to put out his screen.


    ¡°Thank gods, they¡¯re practically on top of it.¡± He muttered under his breath, then turned to Eimose. ¡°Show me the way. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some security system installed and you¡¯re going to get me past it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, but I don--¡±


    Regal pulled his gun from his holster and pointed it at Eimose, effectively shutting him up for the third time.


    Eimose glanced to Terra and saw that she was at attention, poised to attack, but her skin was taking on a green hue and her eyes were unfocused. He knew she had fight in her, but they both needed to get indoors as quickly as possible, so perhaps this was a sign urging them in the right direction. As long as Eimose was interpreting Petri¡¯s message correctly.


    Urging them to a job with his gun, Regal fell in behind the two others as Eimose and Terra ran side-by-side.


    ¡°You know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Terra coughed to Eimose, nearly bringing up her lung doing so.


    ¡°No clue.¡± He confessed, praying Regal hadn¡¯t heard their short transaction.


    As the billboard loomed closer, Eimose dreaded what would happen if they found nothing. Would Regal really shoot them both? Perhaps Eimose could distract him while Terra found a way to run away without getting hurt; he¡¯d already lead her into one trap before and he was not going to again. It seemed like there was something special about her--the mask, that odd little girl in that dark place, all that stuff with the crystals and what-not--if anyone should live it should be her.


    In no time at all they reached the base of the billboard, cutting off his train of thought as his fate drew near. Apparently, his fate had also planned for him to cross paths with two more familiar people as Brit and Jer were waiting near the concrete pillar. Actually, it was more like Brit was holding up a limp doll called Jer thank anything else.


    ¡°Alright, where¡¯s the base?¡± Regal yelled as he dug the muzzle of his gun into Brit¡¯s back.


    ¡°Ummm, it¡¯s underground so there''s a panel or door around here somewhere?¡± Eimose fumbled, looking around for anything out of the ordinary like a hatch or an arrow pointing them directly at the entrance.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know where it is?¡± Brit asked incredulously. ¡°It¡¯s your base!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not exactly mine, per say. More like the information was handed to me and I had to figure it out?¡±


    Eimose couldn¡¯t tell the way Regal reacted since he couldn''t see his face, but the gun prodded even deeper into his spine and Eimose was sure he was going to pull the trigger. Then the gun was gone and a deflated Regal walked to Brit¡¯s side as Brit gently lowered Jer to the ground.


    His veins froze when he saw how much blood was caked on Jer¡¯s back and how white the parlor of his skin was. Wait, her skin? He¡¯ll ask about that later. Nonetheless, unless Jer received a blood transfusion within the next few minutes there was no way they¡¯d be able to make it. Terra and Eimose only had a few more minutes left as well, overexposure a very real threat now. First, they¡¯d lose consciousness, then their lungs would seize, their kidneys would start to fail, next their nervous system, and then all muscle function. Best case scenario they¡¯d either be brain dead or they¡¯d be paralyzed.


    Out of desperation, Eimose approached the pillar that held the billboard, running his hands around it to feel for any irregularities, having difficulty sensing with his left hand so it took even longer than it should have had. When he found none, he stomped on the ground around the area in case there was a hollow area, indicating the location of an underground lair but the sand dampened any sounds he made. Cursing at his uselessness, he went back to the pillar and visually inspected the cylindrical object. There!


    At the base of the concrete tube, where it intersected the ground, partially buried by sand, was a crack too straight to be naturally created. Using his hands like shovels he scooped away the sand and pried the crack open, revealing two small metal panels, each with a number pad. Recalling Petri¡¯s clue, he typed twelve into the first one, then thirty-two into the other. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then the ground around the pillar sank down in an incremented pattern, creating a spiral staircase leading down.


    The others heard the commotion and turned to Eimose with hope reflected in their eyes. Brit quickly scooped up Jer as they all rushed to the base of the billboard where stairs had formed.


    Eimose jumped down first; if there were any obstacles in the way he¡¯d get be sure to clear them by the time Brit got down. Not to mention black spots were doing little dances in his line of vision, meaning that unconsciousness would be approaching soon, so whatever was down this rabbit hole would be better than the alternative.


    At the bottom of the stairway was a large steel door, dully illuminated in-between the shadows of those seeking refuge. Eimose pushed the metal, thinking it would swing forward as there was no apparent handle on the exterior. It didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°What holding you up?¡± Brit impatiently asked when he nearly crashed into Eimose.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to enter.¡±


    ¡°Find a switch or panel or something.¡± Regal pitched.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of that. Oh, wait, I did!¡± Eimose replied, annoyance laced in every word.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this,¡± Brit bellowed. ¡°Open the goddamn door!¡±


    ¡°Move,¡± Terra urged, barely a whisper.


    She pushed past Regal and Brit and stood beside Eimose in front of the door. Eimose saw her move the clear crystal into her left hand, keeping the dark clenched in her right. When she motioned for Eimose to move away, he could see from her unstable form that she was bearly keeping it together. He moved away knowing that despite looking sick and weak, Terra was a force to be reckoned with.


    Terra straightened her back, squared her feet slightly further than her shoulders, and raised her hands up as if she were about to fight several men. From her right first burst a dark form that wrapped itself around her arm, encasing her arm in a form similar to Eimose¡¯s left side. With a quick twist of her hips, she jammed her fingers in between the steel door and the metal door frame, the shriek of metal nearly overwhelming as she curled her hand into a fist and swung the door open using brute force.


    Eimose had never been more afraid of anyone than her at this moment.


    ¡°There, it¡¯s open,¡± she mumbled, and then she collapsed.


    He rushed to her side, clumsily draping her arm over his shoulder and hoisting her up while he continued to hold onto that dastardly robot head; Terra was heavier than she looked. Stumbling in, Eimose desperately sucked in breathes of clean air before the outside contaminants could enter.


    Lights flickered on as he entered, lighting up a large hallway covered in wires and pipes. This, however, also allowed him to stare dumbfoundedly at the multitude of figures pointing a variety of weapons, mostly overly large guns, at the intruders.


    A large man with a shotgun stepped forward and Eimose nearly pissed himself. The man¡¯s bicep was as big as Eimose¡¯s head and he had burns and scars covering his exposed skin. Eimose was certain this man could literally rip him in half without breaking a sweat, and almost laughed at the sight of the man even bothering to carry a shotgun. Talk about overkill. Literally.


    ¡°State your business within the next five minutes or die a quick death,¡± The man stated calmly, though the sound was deafening to Eimose¡¯s ears.


    It was at this moment that Eimose¡¯s body shut down and he sank into a darkness that promised rest and escape.

 Chapter 68: Deal with the Devil

    It had felt like eons before the girl had opened her eye again and 7714S was beginning to think it had been a figment of his imagination. It wasn¡¯t, of course, he was confident of his ability to discern between fiction and reality, yet doubt lingered in his mind as the girl¡¯s eye hadn¡¯t even twitched since they¡¯d last had their exchange.


    A few days after 7714S had spoken at the girl he¡¯d come to the realization that all of Greenhouse¡¯s labs were monitored with surveillance cameras so during his next shift he stealthily checked every nook and cranny to find them. To his surprise, he found none, which meant that Greenhouse had hidden the cameras so discreetly he simply couldn¡¯t find them, or that the Head wanted no proof that this girl existed. After all, security tapes could be accessed remotely, and even though Greenhouse boasted the best encryption software, people from the Old World Force were known to be able to bypass it, so if this lab were under surveillance there was a possibility of the girl¡¯s survival from the Headquarter 3 meltdown could be leaked. Finding out what made this girl so special was already a difficult task in itself, much less having to worry about what drastic measures the OWF would take to get their hands on her.


    From his observational journal and from the daily measurements he¡¯d been taking, 7714S could detect that the black crystals were receding, though at a sluggish pace. He estimated it would take years, if not decades, for the crystals to be fully exempt from this picture, and as much as he liked the setup he had, he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to mentally handle being trapped indoors for that long; he needed a way to speed up the process.


    His wrist ticker indicated that his shift was nearly over and that it was time to gather his cleaning equipment and put away any machinery he¡¯s used in his latest attempt to forcibly remove the black crystals. Well, more like lack thereof since all of the heavy-duty equipment he¡¯d tried had no effect and he was tired of disposing of broken blades and machines. Whatever that black stuff was, it was putting up quite a fight. He had no idea what to do; clearly, none of Greenhouse¡¯s machines were equipped to handle this substance. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he rapped his knuckles against the crystals.


    The girl¡¯s eye opened slowly and she blinked a few times as if coming out of a heavy sleep. 774S froze as the girl looked around as best she could, finally landing on him. He sprinted to his bag and drew out his screen, bringing up a writing program that tracked the eye¡¯s movement and read the sentences it created out loud--this would help immensely in their speed of communication.


    He practically flung his screen in her face, knowing that within a few minutes the next crew of scientists would enter the room. 7714S needed to talk with her as much as he could before the others came in and discovered her consciousness. Should he tell her to pretend to be unconscious again when he left so none of the others would know? Was he trying to protect her or was he just being selfish?


    ¡°Hello 77114S,¡± she wrote.


    ¡°Hello to you too. What¡¯s your name?¡± He blurted out.


    Her brow furrowed and he could tell she was having difficulty remembering.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool, a lot of people don¡¯t have actual names. Like me. I¡¯m just a clone of some guy in the past so I don¡¯t get a word name, but if I become someone important or get a better job then I can.¡± 7714S rambled, clearing his throat to make himself stop. ¡°We¡¯ll just come up with a name for you later. I¡¯ve been trying to free you but that stuff is very strong. I know I asked before, but is there anything, anything, at all you can remember about it? The littlest thing might help.¡±


    ¡°It...protects me. I think,¡± she wrote. ¡°My head hurts.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I think I can work with that,¡± 7714S hurried. ¡°Now in a minute, strangers will walk through that door. If you want to talk to them that is your choice, but if you don¡¯t just pretend you¡¯re still asleep.¡±


    Her eyes went wide with the news.


    ¡°Bad people? I don¡¯t want to be in pain anymore!¡±


    The crystals shuttered and 7714S cried out a second too late as she was consumed by the mass once again, leaving no part of her body exposed anymore. He cursed as he lost his only means of communication in this prison of a lab. Granted he¡¯d only spoken with her twice now, just looking forward to seeing if she would awaken each day drove him to get out bed in the morning. He desperately wanted to know more about her and what made her so special that Greenhouse would spend so many resources on her. Now his source of answers was trapped under several inches of indestructible crystal formations, hidden from the world.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The hiss of the lab doors opening caused him to jump and he swung around, catching the Head as they entered the lab leading a pack of scientists on time for their shift.


    ¡°Perfect, just the man I was hoping to catch,¡± she exclaimed, her eyes wrinkling in a smile behind her large spectacles.


    ¡°The girl, she¡¯s back under the crystals!¡± He ejected. ¡°I don¡¯t know how it happened!¡±


    ¡°Oh, how unfortunate.¡± The Head said she as peered around him. ¡°No matter. We have a new assignment for you.¡±


    7714S was caught completely off guard since he¡¯d been expecting to be reprimanded for not just failing, but for worsening the situation, so he just nodded and let her elaborate.


    ¡°You see, we¡¯ve taken the necessary samples from the girl already and have created duplicates for further testing, I¡¯m sure you know the procedure. However, we would like on duplicate to be under your care for behavioral observation. This is to test how different environments play into the girl¡¯s development, and because you have already been given full disclosure regarding this manner, we will be assigning you care of specimen 2. We believe that this will lead to us discovering why the OWF killed so many of our own to keep her out of our hands.¡±


    The words rattled around in his brain for a few seconds before he could fully compute what she was saying.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve cloned the girl and want me to take care of one of them?¡± He summarized.


    ¡°If you prefer it in layman¡¯s terms, yes. Others will be subjected to different environments and one will be kept in stasis here as a control specimen. We no longer require your services at this lab but I do believe you are an asset that should be used rather than terminated.¡±


    ¡°The thing is, I¡¯m not qualified at all to take care of a child. I¡¯m a glorified janitor. Surely there are people who are trained to take care of children.¡±


    The Head¡¯s demeanor changed as if a switch had been flipped. Her smile disappeared and her bright eyes turned to steel. 7714S joints stiffened when he saw a side of her he¡¯d never once encountered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand 7714S,¡± she stated with ice in her voice. ¡°This is not a request. You are Greenhouse¡¯s property and have no say in any matter poised to you. You will pack your things and meet here in one hour.¡± She turned on her heels and strolled out, leaving 7714S in her wake.


    After an eternity he managed to unstick his frozen legs from the ground and stumble into his room in a state of shock, barely remembering to grab his cleaning equipment along the way. Packing was a daze and he couldn¡¯t be sure what he¡¯d put in his bags--all he could think about was how odd this entire ordeal was.


    First of all, if they had created clones of the girl, why had they assigned him to spend such a long time attempting to remove those black crystals from the original? Secondly, why was he being assigned to care for clone number two when there were others who¡¯d jump at the opportunity to care for a child under the Greenhouse corporation? Facing facts, 7714S was a janitor who¡¯d gotten swept up in the moment and agreed to something he didn¡¯t fully grasp. Where was he going anyway? Another facility? Perhaps it was just a quick move down the hallway.


    As he exited the room and out into the lab, he couldn¡¯t help but pass by the girl still entombed in the crystals. Would he ever discover her secrets or was he doomed to care for her clone? Memories were never passed onto clones, so he¡¯d get nowhere questioning the girl he¡¯d be assigned to.


    How old would the girl be? If samples were taken the day they¡¯d pried open the stasis tube, that would mean the clones would have had nearly two weeks of incubation. With the accelerated growth, that would put the clones at several years old. 7714S suppressed a groan when he thought of having to teach someone how to use a toilet. He was not cut out for this; he¡¯d signed up to be a scientist, not a babysitter. But the Head was right--he was Greenhouse property and if they told him to jump, he¡¯d have no choice but to jump.


    As he waited anxiously for the Head to arrive, he noticed that he recognized none of the scientists currently on duty. Then again, he was usually out before the crew came in, however, he prided himself on never forgetting a face, and none of the faces around him seemed remotely familiar. He shrugged off his paranoia as his ticker hit the hour mark and the doors revealed the Head strutting in right on time.


    ¡°Right on schedule. That¡¯s what I like about you 7714S. I do truly apologize for this next unpleasantry, but it¡¯s for your own safety. You¡¯ll understand in time,¡± she calmly stated.


    Before 7714S could say anything he heard the scuffling of feet quickly approaching him from behind. He turned in time to have two scientists clasp onto his arms as another prodded him with a needle. Dizziness set in immediately and he lost all mobility, falling to the cold tiled floor. Through the buzzing in his ears he could hear the Head speaking:


    ¡°It¡¯s time we find out the connection.¡±


    Fight he might, 7714S succumbed to the drug and to the whim of whatever Greenhouse had in his future.

 Chapter 69: Grasping at Redemption p.1

    His eyes shifted from one side of the room to the other, unsure of the company he was in. Eimose had awoken not too long ago to a cold floor and a wave of faces peering down at him that all backed away as if he¡¯d contracted influenza. Any attempt he¡¯d made to communicate with them was met with stares and a garbled mess of words he couldn¡¯t understand spilling from their mouths. He was unnerved as the eyes continued to gaze at him wordlessly, and his current environment wasn¡¯t soothing his nerves any.


    Eimose was standing in a hallway similar to the one he¡¯d burst in on, but the door behind him was different and the walls were a slightly lighter color of slate metal than he¡¯d originally seen, meaning that he was in a different hallway altogether or he¡¯d simply distorted the events in his mind due to overexposure. No matter the causation of his predicament, he was now under the watchful supervision of a mass of people he knew nothing about.


    Terra lay a few feet away from him, surrounded by her own group of strangers, her breathing even and Eimose couldn¡¯t hear any oddities in it. His own lungs felt like they¡¯d been exposed to flames and then crushed, making every breath feel as if he was breathing through a straw.


    ¡°Ahh, the brave one awakens!¡± A voice bellowed out from beyond the hallway they were crammed in, creating a split through the crowd that revealed the large man covered in scars Eimose had first met before he¡¯d collapsed. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    Eimose swallowed the lump in his throat. ¡°F-Fine. You?¡± He cringed as his automatic response to the question resulted in an opening for small-talk.


    The man laughed heartily and said something in the throaty language unfamiliar to Eimose and the people around laughed with him.


    He didn¡¯t know how he was able to pinpoint her groan of coming-to amongst the laughter, but Eimose heard Terra as her eyelids pried open and her elbows knocked on the metal floor as she attempted to get up. The crowd dispersed from around her, giving Eimose a clear path to her side.


    ¡°Wha--?¡± She rubbed the back of her head and looked around her. Eimose offered her a hand up, which she took, raising her arms in a fighting stance. ¡°Okay, we''re not under attack. Care to explain?¡± she whispered to Eimose.


    The large man approached them, pausing a few feet away to make another comment that Eimose couldn¡¯t comprehend, leading to the crowd laughing again. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Terra yelled at the man in the odd language, which led to a collective ¡®oohing¡¯ from their audience.


    ¡°You can understand him?¡± Eimose loudly whispered at her.


    ¡°Of course I can. Can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No! I have no idea what language they¡¯re speaking. How do you know it?¡± He asked incredulously.


    She shot him a look of bewilderment but then focused her attention on the man who was approaching them again.


    ¡°It seems this young one has spirit. We may make use of you. Boy, what purpose is your hand?¡± The man asked, his voice commanding but hesitant as if he had to think about choosing the correct words.


    ¡°My han--oh right. The strange rock thing that is now my left arm. Uhhh, I don¡¯t really know to be honest, but it could be of use to you?¡± Eimose offered, hoping to get on the good side of this man who was clearly in charge.


    ¡°Perhaps. Come, your companions are in the treatment room.¡± The man motioned for the two to follow him through the sea of people.


    Terra and Eimose obediently followed, trying to keep pace with his long legs, nearly jogging to keep up. Eimose was was glad to see that the people that had surrounded them weren¡¯t following them, dispersing as soon as their leader beckoned the intruders away.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t out for long this time, right?¡± Terra quietly asked Eimose.


    ¡°I woke up just a bit before you so I don¡¯t really know.¡± He confessed. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just tired of waking up in places I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You and me both.¡±


    Terra snorted and Eimose was surprised to see a grin on her face.


    ¡°Why are you smiling like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of nice to have someone who¡¯s kind of going through the same shit. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been able to relate to anyone on this level.¡± She turned to Eimose with a sly twinkle in her eyes. ¡°And here I thought I would be able to keep you as a hostage forever.¡± Her smile faded as she remembered Indo and Petri, but the sadness she¡¯d once felt was replaced with determination.Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Well, I wish I could say I¡¯ve changed but I don¡¯t think I have.¡± He whispered back as he saw her expression fall. ¡°I swear that I will right my wrongs and fight back against Greenhouse. I¡¯d like to say I¡¯ll fight until my dying breath, but at the rate, I¡¯m going that¡¯s probably going to be tomorrow. I guess I can only promise that I¡¯ll fight for the tomorrow that may never come.¡±


    A pair of hands clapping interrupted Eimose¡¯s monologue. He glanced up, startled, and was glad to see Brit and Regal standing a few feet away. Eimose noticed a stasis tube propped upright attached to the wall and through the small window he could make out Jer¡¯s face. There was also an older woman standing near the tube as well, but Eimose suspected it was the standing physician of the ¡®treatment¡¯ center they were in. Truth be told, it looked as if someone had plucked whatever equipment they thought looked medical related and stuck it in this dimly lit area. It did little in comparison with the facilities Eimose had grown accustomed to as a Scout, though he did spot a few Greenhouse-built machines on the walls, particularly two of the five total stasis tubes propped up against the far wall, the MRI machine, the centrifuge on the largest table, and the surgical machine to the right. His curiosity was piqued as he wondered how they were able to get Greenhouse¡¯s large machines in this makeshift medical area without raising alarms by the large company.


    ¡°Heart-wrenching speech, really.¡± Regal sarcastically droned. ¡°Here I thought we were having a moment earlier and you go and have one with this random girl? You wound me!¡± He fell to the floor, dramatically clutching his heart and draping his other over his face. Brit slapped him across his face without hesitation.


    ¡°Ignore him, he¡¯s just happy that Jer¡¯s going to be fine. Aitaz was generous enough to accommodate us even though we destroyed his front door and intruded on his base.¡± Brit summarized, gesturing to the large man. ¡°As compensation, I have volunteered us all for labor around the facility. Yes, even you Regal, don¡¯t give me that look, you were there when we agreed. Aitaz, why don¡¯t you take it from here?¡±


    ¡°My pleasure.¡± The man joined in. ¡°First a tour of where you will be working. Follow me.¡± Aitaz left the room and the three followed, though Regal had to be dragged out. ¡°This base consists of six floors. The top and middle floors are defense and weaponry. The second floor is food and water production. The third is the recreation room and information center. The fourth is the generator and laboratory. Finally are the barracks. We are low on space, however, so you will be sleeping in the defense center. Each defense floor also consists of a treatment center, which we were just in.


    ¡°We are on the middle defense floor, where you will remain under supervision. You must ask one of the officers in charge if you wish to eat or go to the rec room. If you feel you are better suited for a different position, you must pass a test. All recruits start at the defense floor, and those who excel will join above-ground missions determined by the Information team.¡±


    The four walked through the hallway they¡¯d come from, which was now sparsely populated by several people, making it much easier to navigate than before. The walls of sleet grey metal blended together as they crossed through a doorway and entered a much larger space with slits on the floors and ceilings that allowed for walls to be moved to accommodate different training exercises. He led them through, passing by the recruits training in marksmanship via rifles and pistols, to a door.


    ¡°This is where you will be staying until you have earned our trust and prove you are no enemy of the last uncorrupted few. Change into your uniforms and meet at the weapons cage where an officer will guide you through the rest. I must go, do not cause trouble or we will end you.¡±


    Aitaz left with a surprising quickness for a man of his size, shutting the door and leaving the three with the threat of his words hanging over them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I think he likes me.¡± Regal quipped.


    Eimose didn¡¯t even bother responding to the other man, scoping out the room they would be sharing. He was unimpressed. It was dimly lit, had dark grey metal walls that seemed to absorb all light, and had three thin mattresses that seemed to have been thrown in along with a pile of blankets he¡¯d first assumed was the corpse of an unfortunate animal. A desk with a pile of clothing on top of it and a rundown chair was shoved in the corner, making for much less floor space. There was hardly enough room for a single person to be comfortable, much less three.


    ¡°I call the clean mattress!¡± Regal cried as he lunged for the one that partially lay atop the others. ¡°Eww, it¡¯s actually not that clean up close.¡±


    Eimose straightened out the other two mattresses as Regal tried to cover his up with a blanket to make it more presentable. When Eimose was satisfied with his maneuvering he turned to Terra who had headed straight for the clothes. His face flushed red and he quickly turned around when he saw that was completely naked.


    ¡°My gods do you have any decency!¡± He screamed, starling Regal, who opened his mouth to retort but then quickly turned around when he saw Eimose¡¯s comment was not aimed at him.


    After a moment of silence, Terra finally responded.


    ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± she asked as she zipped up the oversized jumper with the letters UC on the back.


    ¡°Yes, you! You¡¯re in a room with two other men and you stripped without a second thought!¡± He cried out.


    ¡°Yeah, and your point? Aitaz told us to get in the uniforms, so I did.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t strip in front of men is what I¡¯m getting at!¡±


    Terra rolled her eyes and walked past the others and stood in front of the door, facing the boys. ¡°Where the hell am I supposed to change then? I really don¡¯t get what the big deal is. I¡¯ll see you at the cage.¡±


    A moment of silence hung as she left the room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I think she likes me,¡± Regal stated with a coy smile.


    Eimose slapped him across his face without a second thought.

 Chapter 70: Grasping at Redemption p.2

    Terra roughly shut the door behind her, still perturbed by her exchange with the boys. Seriously, what was their problem? She looked down at her oversized suit and wondered if there was a button that would shrink the suit to fit her body as she¡¯d done before. Well, like she¡¯d done before in that other world. Considering the odd stares she was getting from the others in the room with her as she ran her hands over the fabric of her suit searching for the button, she suspected there wasn¡¯t and continued on her path to what she suspected was ¡®the cage¡¯.


    This entire situation was strange. From what she could recall in her last moments of consciousness before she woke up, she¡¯d practically torn a steel door off its hinges. What exactly happened between then and now that these people were giving the asylum? Even stranger was that they were being put through training. For all these people knew Terra was an assassin sent to kill every single one of them, and they simply gave her a set of clothes and told her to go to where all the weapons were stored. Did they have any common sense? If anything, they should all be kept in a cell under heavy observation considering they were intruders. She shifted uncomfortably as she realized all eyes were on her as she reached the opposite side of the area.


    She leaned up against a grated wall and stared back at all of those who were eyeing her, challenging them to do something about her being there. Only three of the twenty or so that were in the room looked like a legitimate threat to her considering their body size. Then again, she was practically indestructible, so what did it matter that these people were suspicious of her? What could they do to her that was worse than what she¡¯d already been through? Speaking of awful things that had recently happened to her, where had the clear crystal gone? She¡¯d gotten swept up in the new environment that she¡¯d completely forgotten about the very fact that could end this charade of a year. Wait, didn¡¯t she also have a black crystal as well?


    ¡°Hmmm.¡±


    Terra turned her head to her right, pretending that she hadn¡¯t nearly jumped out of her skin by the sudden appearance of this stranger.


    He was taller than her by at least a foot and had a scar that cut through his dark skin from his left temple down to his jaw. His eyes were an electric blue that bored a hole straight through her. She guessed this was the officer she was supposed to be meeting with as he was dressed in a cargo jumper made to fit him, much opposed to her own.


    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed.¡± He stated as he looked down at her.


    Terra already hated him and had to fight the urge to rip his throat out. She calmly took a breath and could picture Alter¡¯s smug face as Terra felt the rage filter through her body.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you feel that way.¡± She said through gritted teeth. ¡°Good thing I don¡¯t really care what you think.¡±


    His eyes narrowed and he took a step forward, towering over her. If she was supposed to feel intimidated, it backfired as Terra squared herself up in front of him and crossed her arms, a smirk growing on her face as she pictured herself strangling the large man. First, she would kick his legs out from beneath him, then break his wrists if he tried grabbing her, finally pinning him to the ground as she used the collar of his uniform to cut his air off.


    Terra blinked the images of torturing him away, wondering where they came from. She didn¡¯t recall having such a dark imagination, but the urges to hit something or kill something was incredibly strong. What was wrong with her? Did it have something to do with her new environment, or perhaps her new body?


    Just then Regal and Eimose appeared, dressed in their own jumpsuits. Regal opened his mouth to speak but the officer cut him off.


    ¡°You will refer to me as Colonel. Before we begin with anything else, it seems like some of you have difficulties dealing with authority, so you will be picking up discarded casings and cleaning weapons for the remainder of your day. You will receive two bathroom breaks. Begin.¡±


    Regal and Eimose looked at each other in confusion and Terra raised her eyebrows, not budging from her spot.


    ¡°So...if I use my bathroom break now, will it count as one of my breaks?¡± Regal quipped. ¡°Because I haven¡¯t gone in ages and I have no idea where a bathroom is.¡± Colonel shifted his gaze from Terra to Regal but Eimose was the one who shrunk back. ¡°See, you¡¯re not responding but this is a legitimate bathroom concern. These uniforms aren¡¯t waterproof are they because we¡¯re a few minutes from finding out.¡±


    ¡°Amir!¡± Colonel cried out.


    A skinny man in his early twenties dropped his weapon in surprise but quickly picked it up and placed it on a stand at his shooting station before running over to the Colonel¡¯s side.


    ¡°One of these men can¡¯t control his bladder and needs to be escorted to the bathroom.¡±


    Amir nodded and ushered Regal to his side. Eimose sheepishly slunk to Amir¡¯s side as well and Terra could see a vein popping out of the Colonel¡¯s temple. She crushed down the urge to smile as she joined the other three on their quest to the bathroom. Honestly, she did need to go, which was an odd feeling after spending so much time in a body that didn¡¯t require food, sleep, or sanitary needs to be met to function. It wasn¡¯t until they were all out in the hallway with the door shut firmly behind them that anyone decided to speak.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Regal asked no one in particular.


    ¡°I¡¯m a soldier in the U--¡± Amir began but was interrupted.


    ¡°No, you.¡± Regal stopped and faced Terra. ¡°Are you and Eimose a thing or something? Where the hell did you pop out of and what¡¯s wrong with you that you prefer this,¡± he pointed at Eimose, ¡°over this.¡± He swept his arm down his body.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Terra started.


    ¡°No, she¡¯s not ¡®with¡¯ me.¡± Eimose groaned. ¡°Believe me or not, but this is Terra.¡±


    ¡°You named your robot after this girl?¡± Regal asked, aghast. ¡°Dude, that¡¯s a little creepy.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°No, I mean this girl is Terra, the robot.¡± Eimose clarified, but the contorting in Regal¡¯s face indicated that he still didn¡¯t get it. I took several minutes for Eimoise to get through the incidents that led up to Terra¡¯s changing of bodies, including how his arm got to its current state. He lied about how they got away from the city, omitting the fact that they had somehow ended up in a black void and the stuff about Terra turning rocks into clear crystals. When he was done, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure Regal fully understood, but to his surprise, the other man nodded in thought.


    ¡°So you guys were at the same place we were. That place with the blue sky.¡± Regal stated and went on to explain how the three had successfully gotten Eimose¡¯s bag when Jer had somehow transformed into a female after a large black mass sucked something out of them, nearly killing Jer in the process.


    Terra and Eimose exchanged glances, realizing that they were the ones at the center of that mass. Where they the ones that created that catastrophe? Eimose felt his spirits lift when he learned that his bag was nearby, though he did feel bad that it was probably him and Terra¡¯s fault that Jer was in their current state.


    ¡°Who the hell are you guys?¡± Amir asked in a thick accent. ¡°None of what you say makes sense, but it¡¯s so cool!¡± The three glanced at their audience, completely having forgotten he was there. ¡°Oh, and we¡¯ve been at the bathroom for the past ten minutes.¡±


    Amir continued to berate them with questions about who they were while they went, his eyes lighting up when they answered. Regal ended up making up a bunch of stuff, including how he had single-handedly destroyed the Piranha headquarters and taken down several raider groups before they reached this location. By the time they got back to the weapons training center, Amir¡¯s head was filled with mostly fallacies created by Regal.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d forgotten how to use the facilities by the time spent at the bathroom.¡± The Colonel¡¯s voice boomed across the room. ¡°Did one of you fall in?¡±


    Terra rolled her eyes but Regal and Eimose shut up while Amir practically sprinted back to his training station and picked his firearm back up. The Colonel strolled to them, well aware of everyone shrinking against his stature as he made his way across. Terra regretted not questioning Amir about the place they were in and why the Colonel was such an asshole.


    ¡°Small one.¡± The Colonel said to Terra. ¡°You will be coming with me. The other two will begin with their tasks. The bags are over there.¡±


    The two sulked off to the corner and grabbed two canvas bags and began picking up the discarded shell casings. Terra wondered why they didn¡¯t simply refuse, but the Colonel was departing from the room and she didn¡¯t want to get stuck with the job presented to the other two. Maybe she was going to get to fight something? She hoped she was going to get pitted against the Colonel in a no-holds-barred battle.


    They walked up two flights of stairs and then entered a large room with a white linoleum floor and stainless steel walls. Immediately she could tell this was not a combat arena nor a weapons center; it was an empty cafeteria.


    ¡°This is where you will be working for the duration of your stay. Report to Kera in the kitchen for your duties. Your dorm will remain in the weapons sanctuary.¡± He turned on his heels and opened the door to leave, looking back to see that Terra hadn¡¯t moved. ¡°Oh, did I forget to mention this is not a request, but an order?¡±


    Terra watched as he drew something out of his pocket and swiped at the screen. All of a sudden she felt a course of electricity rush through her body, paralyzing her muscles and causing her to drop to the cold floor. She lost control of her lungs and she saw double as the Colonel smiled widely and left the room, after pointing to several locations in the room she could see from her position. It took a few minutes before the effects of what had just happened faded and she could pull herself to her feet, flitting her eyes to the locations the Colonel had pointed out. They were cameras.


    She wiped the grit from her cheeks and uniform, then flipped her middle finger up to one of the cameras. She hoped he saw it.


    Gritting her teeth, she vowed she was going to kill him. Wait, no. Terra wasn¡¯t going to kill anyone, no matter how annoyingly stupid and petty they were. She managed to calm herself down completely by the time she pushed the doors of the kitchen open.


    There were about fifteen women there, some washing dishes, some coated in flour, others busy chopping up something that looked like a dark red brick. Only about five of them looked up to see her, but they simply went back to whatever task they had been doing. There was a mixture of smells in this room, of savory meat and sweet bread, and Terra found herself breathing in deeply. How long had it been since she¡¯d had a meal? Her stomach growled in response.


    ¡°You must be the new girl. What¡¯s your name dear?¡± A woman Terra suspected was Kera asked.


    She was large in stature and was about twice as wide as Terra. Her hair was dark brown and curly, bouncing every time she took a step, and Terra was relieved to see her eyes were a warm brown rather than a piercing blue. Kera wore a blue jumper that flared at the ends of her feet, making it appear as if she were wearing a dress, and a grey apron covered in bits of dough and flour.


    ¡°Terra,¡± she replied, taking another deep whiff of the aromas.


    Once she¡¯d been introduced to everyone and immediately forgot all their names, she was given a quick tour of the kitchen, the walk-in freezer, walk-in fridge, ovens, and water converter, she was put to work cleaning the floors of the cafeteria as it was a couple of hours away from mealtime. She went back to the kitchen just as mealtime began and she watched in horror as dirty shoes and food dirtied what she¡¯d spent hours cleaning. Kera had her wash dishes afterward.


    Terra as in hell. She wished she had been locked up in a cell after all, not put to work in such menial labor. There should be a sword in her hand, not a scrubber.


    After an eternity, Kera served the staff their meals and Terra felt a relief from the pangs of hunger that threatened to make her lose her barely bottled anger. When all the plates had been cleared and cleaned again, Kera dismissed everyone but Terra for the day. When they were alone in the kitchen, she led Terra into the walk-in-freezer after bundling themselves both up against the cold.


    ¡°I saw you when you tore open the door,¡± Kera spoke. ¡°I know that Colonel can lose his temper, but I can see that you are not meant for this life and he¡¯s made a mistake confining you here. Believe it or not, I was just like you. I was a soldier, not a cook, but I spoke out against Colonel one time and he sent me here. I refuse to let that stubborn man control how your life turns out as he did with mine.¡± Kera turned and moved several boxes from the shelves in search for something. ¡°I was one of the people up front when you came through and I managed to swipe this. I believe it¡¯s yours?¡±


    Kera held up a black rock and Terra¡¯s heart soared. She quickly took off her gloves and grabbed the stone in her palm, feeling its weight in her hand. It felt as if she¡¯d gotten a piece of her back despite the fact she¡¯d only had the stone for a full twenty-four hours. She wanted to morph it into something, but there was no reason to change it into a weapon, so she let it melt around her hands and up her elbows, letting them rest on her upper arms; this way there was no way anyone could take it away from her.


    ¡°This is one of the only places that doesn¡¯t have cameras,¡± Kera explained after she wiped the look of awe off her face. ¡°That and the bathrooms. This is where me and the other women train since the Colonel doesn¡¯t want us to receive proper training. Because you¡¯ll be staying in the weapons center, I want you to swipe equipment if you see the opportunity to do so without getting caught on camera. Do you think that¡¯s possible?¡± Terra nodded and grinned at the thought of stealing weapons under the nose of the Colonel. ¡°Good. Don¡¯t start immediately since that man will be keeping a close eye on your for a while.¡±


    Kera led Terra out of the freezer and shrugged off her coat.


    ¡°Oh, and if it hasn¡¯t been said yet, welcome to the Uncorrupted Coalition,¡± Kera added, her eyes matching her smile.


    Maybe this place wasn¡¯t going to be completely awful.

 Chapter 71: The Ambitions of the Crazed

    When Henarie awoke, the sky above her was littered with stars. She jumped to her feet, looking around for any sign of Terra.


    When Terra had been suddenly launched off the roof by that mask that had kept her entrapped, Henarie had scrambled to grab her hand but missed, landing painfully on the ground. It had only taken her a few seconds to recuperate, but in that short time, Terra was suddenly cocooned by an enormous mass of crystals, both corrupt and dead.


    Henarie had sprinted into the nearest building and ran up the stairs as fast as her legs would take her, jumping from a window to land on the roof of the building next door. By then, Terra¡¯s prison had risen into the air well above her head and there was no way Henarie could reach her, even with a good leap from the tallest building in the city. As she calculated how to get to her destination, a mass of black crystals zipped by her head. She instinctively grabbed at it, lifting into the air as it approached the growing mass.


    Once she was inside, she¡¯d bring Terra to her senses and they¡¯d get out of this hell-hole together. This wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d had to get Terra out of this certain predicament, and this time around at least she knew what to do. Which was why Henarie was caught by surprise when she slammed into the side of the crystal mass despite the crystals in her hand being absorbed.


    Henarie rubbed the back of her neck and groaned. She must have landed on her neck and shattered her spine; those ones always took forever to heal. Judging from the time of day it, she¡¯d been out for a few hours at the least, which meant Terra could be practically anywhere. She grabbed her sword and sliced a small cut on her forearm, counting the seconds it took for it to heal. 72. Cursing, she replaced her sword and glanced around, hoping to find a vehicle she could steal and begin her hunt once again--if it had taken that long for a small inch cut to heal Terra was within a fifty-mile radius. In which direction she didn¡¯t know but she¡¯d best start figuring that out now otherwise she¡¯d lose Terra again.


    She paused, remembering the blank look Terra had given her when she¡¯d announced herself. How had she lost her memory? Could she get it back in tact? Exactly how much did she remember? Did she know who she was and what she could do? What if Terra herself had been the one to erase her memory? For the time she¡¯d known Terra, there had always been a weight on her shoulders and, although it was never explicitly mentioned, Henarie was certain Terra would have erased her memory if given the opportunity. If that was the case, then should Henarie even try and jog her memory? Henarie¡¯s head hurt from her conflicting thoughts, though it could have also been from a skull fracture.


    ¡°Priestess!¡± A woman cried out. Oh, right. The women here were still calling her that. Henarie turned to see a woman barely illuminated by starlight walking with purpose towards her, the ghost of tears on her face. ¡°How could you do this to our people! We worshipped your god and followed all of your commandments, and yet you bring destruction to our city! All those who are blessed, even with small blessings, are dead!¡±


    ¡°Uhhhh,¡± Henarie floundered, unsure what the woman was talking about. ¡°My god was angry and believed too many blessings were dispersed, so she removed them.¡± Perhaps if she played along this woman would go away.


    The woman¡¯s eye twitched and then she released a guttural scream, lunging at Henarie. Without blinking, Henarie withdrew her sword and decapitated the woman, kicking away the head as it rolled toward her. Well, now that she was paying attention to her surroundings, there were an awful lot of bodies on the street. She was ninety-five percent sure they hadn¡¯t been there when she¡¯d entered the city, but then again, she was never the most observant person.


    She meandered through the streets, stepping over the bodies she could see and tripping over the ones she couldn¡¯t, running into only a few survivors. Luckily, none of them recognized her so she was able to move along without any more interruptions on her hunt for a mode of transportation.


    It was discouraging coming across so many aesthetically pleasing vehicles that would be absolutely rubbish on the dusty roads outside this haven, one, in particular, Henarie felt inclined to take; a bright red, sleek thing that was low to the ground and was clearly made as eye candy. However, she was sure it would have broken down less than a hundred miles into the desert and she doubted she would find anyone to fix a car that technically didn¡¯t exist except in this area. In the end, she settled for a motorcycle that had beautiful suspension and looked like it could hold its own during a fight. She was incredibly pleased to see that it went up to two hundred miles an hour and even provided an attached respirator that fed her oxygen and protected her eyes. Judging by the treads, it had been used minimally and only used speeds that would have disappointed her. After throwing away the helmet, she mounted the biped and thought about what she would do if she found Terra.


    Henarie had been hunting Terra for so long that it hadn¡¯t occurred to her what would happen if she found her, especially now that Terra had lost her memory. Did Henarie want to continue chasing after someone who didn¡¯t even remember her? Hell yes. She wasn¡¯t going to stop her fifty-year search just because the girl had lost a few key moments in her life.


    She revved the engine and burst through the night, using a pile of bodies and a vehicle as a ramp to speed along the rooftops of the buildings, just high enough that when she gripped the accelerator and propelled herself off the last building she managed to clear the large fence that ringed the edge of the Oasis. As she burst into the red foggy exterior she grinned to herself.


    If this was the same Terra she¡¯d followed for all those years, she knew exactly what to do to draw her out. A smile cracked her stony demeanor as she formulated a plan. Henarie was tired of chasing down a ghost; Terra was going to come to her.


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    7714S shifted uncomfortably as the walls closed in around him. No, not really, but with three much larger men crammed in the tight quarters with him, they may as well have been. By this point, all the air in the compartment had passed through everyone¡¯s lungs and it was tasting stale. He could tell that the man sitting directly in front of him had forgotten to brush his teeth this morning.


    He¡¯d awoken with a stiff neck and sore limbs to the stares of three other strangers, none of which looked like they¡¯d voluntarily give up any information regarding his kidnapping. Well, considering he was Greenhouse property this technically wasn¡¯t kidnapping, but that didn¡¯t dampen his pounding headache. Were drugs really necessary? Where would he even go if he attempted to run?


    His stomach pitched as the container he was in came to an abrupt stop. Was he where he needed to be? He began standing up when the room suddenly began rising. Wait, did he hear an engine? As he unsteadily sat back down again he strained his ears to hear anything from outside the container to at least give him a clue as to what was happening. Yup, those were the engines of the Greenhouse freight plane. His stomach churned at the thought of being miles up in the sky going hundred of miles an hour; it took all of his concentration to not upchuck on the lap of the man ahead of him. As if the man could read his mind, his eyes narrowed and he bored holes in 7714S, issuing the threat that if he threw up, it would be his last act as a human.


    The flight took too long for 7714S'' taste and he was sure he had blacked out part way through, coming too when the freighter he was in landed roughly on the tarmac. But they had landed, and that was the best news 7714S had gotten all day. However, the container began moving again, this time clearly on a ground vehicle. How far away was his new job? He had no indication as to how long he¡¯d been knocked out previously and he¡¯d been seated for a good few hours (at least if felt that way), he wasn¡¯t even sure if they were still on Wyvern. Would they even tell him where he was when he landed or was that supposed to remain confidential as well?


    He thought about the girl encased in crystals. What would they do to her? Considering she was shielded in impenetrable material, they wouldn¡¯t logically be able to do anything to her, but the nagging thoughts in his mind reminded him that he¡¯d been able to converse with the girl when she¡¯d had a single eye exposed. For her sake, she should stay hidden. The voice in his mind told him that they¡¯d found out that he hadn¡¯t reported their conversations and that this was an elaborate scheme to get rid of him. But Greenhouse wouldn¡¯t spend this much time, resources, and manpower to simply kill him, so either the girl he was supposed to be observing was a freaking miracle, or this was a wasted effort on everyone¡¯s part.


    7714S suppressed a sigh of disappointment when he remembered his new job. All of his education in the sciences wasn¡¯t going to be much use taking care of a kid unless they wanted him to teach her how to identify the different parts of the cell and clone them using synthetic chemicals. Whoop-dee-doo. He was sure a young child would love that, right after picking their boogers and licking walls. Dread flooded his innards as he pictured a screaming child with tears and snot running down their face. Oh man, he was not cut out for this.


    With his stomach upset of the thought of the task ahead, the container stopped, sending even more waves of unease over him. Where they finally at their destination? As if to answer his question, the men around him stood up, making the cramped quarters even more claustrophobic, though they didn¡¯t seem troubled breathing in each other¡¯s faces. Come to think of it, their faces looked awfully identical, the only variations in a few scars and different length hair--they were all identical clones. 7714S felt his ears go red when he finally looked at their faces, ashamed it took him so long to realize this blunt fact. Some scientist he was.Stolen story; please report.


    The wall to the right slowly lowered so that it provided a ramp to those exiting the box. 7714S was eager to leave the close quarters and leaped up after the others, pausing at the mouth to let his eyes adjust to the sudden influx of light.


    The stepped out into a much larger room with light brown ceramic tiles covering the floor and pale stainless steel walls. A large pane of dark glass covered the entirety of the south wall with a small audience of chairs in front of it, and bookshelves covered in literature lined the one to his left. To his right was the door he assumed led to the rest of the facility. The screeching of metal against metal caught his attention and he whipped around, catching the wall behind him closing shut on the container he¡¯d spent a good portion of the day with the three other men. Speaking of, the men stood wordlessly around him, not even bothering to make eye contact with him. 7714S wanted to explore the room a bit and take a look at the books, but the men who stood directly next to him both whipped their arms out in front of him, blocking his path. Was he seriously supposed to just stand here until something happened? Luckily for him, he didn¡¯t need to wait very long as the door to the right slid open and a man with a coat strolled through.


    ¡°Sorry about the wait, we¡¯ve been a little busy.¡± The man spoke. ¡°My name is Dr. Jamir and I¡¯ll be guiding you through your initial process. Please approach the screen and take a seat and we¡¯ll get started.¡±


    7714S cautiously took a step forward, half-expecting the men to stop him again, and sat down at the center of the aisle. The men removed the chairs around him so they could continue standing at attention.


    ¡°Just ignore them,¡± Dr. Jamir said with a sigh after noting 7714S'' discomfort. ¡°They¡¯re just here to make sure you don¡¯t do anything stupid. First things first, you¡¯ll be assigned a name. Please choose from one of the names ahead and we¡¯ll continue.¡±


    On the surface of the dark glass, a large block of names appeared and 7714S had to squint to get a better look at it. He had to stop his legs from shaking from excitement as his eyes glanced down the list. He was finally getting a name! 7714S didn¡¯t actually believe he¡¯d even get the right of a name, but here he was! With a shaking finger he pointed out his name--he was certain his voice would shake if he attempted to speak at this moment in time.


    ¡°Not much of a talker are you? Alright, Pater it is. If you direct your attention to the screen, you¡¯ll see the layout of our facility, Center 7. We are currently here, in the orientation room. In a few minutes, we will guide you through our research labs. Please do not touch anything. We will not stop by the chemical research area as it would require a full hazmat suit. Do not venture any further than your designated floor otherwise it will trigger alarms and may result in an accidental death, presumably yours. There is no reason for you to explore any further anyhow as your job will keep you on the first floor and occasionally going outside. Our doors are all biolinked so whenever you pass through a doorway, the data is stored, so be cautious about where you travel. In addition, the biolink chip has enough power to paralyze you permanently if you somehow find yourself speaking to someone without clearance. If you¡¯ll please follow me, we¡¯ll begin our tour.¡±


    Pater followed, prickles of fear poking at his skin at Dr. Jamir¡¯s words. By the way the man was talking this chip monitored his movement and speech. Was there a way to avoid this invasive breach? Wait, had they already installed the chip? His head pounded in response.


    ¡°As you can see, there are no cameras as our surveillance software will detect where you are in a moment¡¯s notice. We do want to provide some sense of privacy here after all.¡±


    Exactly what part of this is private? Pater wondered if his small loft hidden in the scientist lab provided more privacy than this with its semi-soundproof walls and lack of constant monitoring.


    The tour was over before he managed to pay attention, although Pater did note that there were no windows at all. He¡¯d already grown accustomed to living in a place isolated from the outside, but he¡¯d at least hoped to get a glance at something that wasn¡¯t illuminated by fluorescent lights.


    They ended in a small apartment that looked like it had been recently added to the building as it still smelled faintly of paint and plaster. At least this room wasn¡¯t muted colors of grey, white and brown like the rest of the hallways and rooms he¡¯d been on that day. The walls were a soft blue, and although the floor was still light brown, it at least complimented the rest of the room. He wondered if his minuscule amount of personal items were brought ahead of him. Probably not.


    ¡°Our tour isn¡¯t over.¡± Dr. Jamir cut in as Pater started wandering the kitchen. ¡°You still haven¡¯t even seen where you¡¯ll be working or who you¡¯ll be working with.¡±


    Pater sheepishly walked through his three guardians and fell in behind the doctor as he guided him to his task. He¡¯d honestly been hoping they¡¯d forgotten he was going to be taking care of a child and instead transferred him to the labs he¡¯d passed through. It¡¯d taken all of his strength to keep his fingers off the large laser that called for him in the robotics lab or the atomic microscope in the bio lab. That¡¯s where he belonged, not with a little kid.


    The next room he entered reminded him of the aftermath photos he¡¯d seen of Headquarter 3, minus the dead bodies. Books were strewn around carelessly and there were remnants of, what Pater assumed were, toys underfoot. The walls were splattered with paint and food. The lone table that sat in the center of the room was upturned and the chairs were broken in pieces in the corner. Considering the chairs were make of hard plastic and metal, he hoped it was a large man that had lost his temper and thrown the chairs, and that Pater wasn¡¯t suddenly supposed to care for a superhuman child.


    ¡°As you can see, she¡¯s been keeping us very busy.¡± Dr. Jamir stated, the tiredness weighing in his voice. ¡°She only calms down when she¡¯s outside, where I assume she is now. It takes ages for us to catch her when she is outside, so we don¡¯t let her out often. She cannot speak despite having the brain of a five-year-old due to our rushing the growth process. In reality, she is only a few weeks old. This is her file. Please review the information before continuing.¡± He handed Pater her file.


    ¡°Oh, you want me to read it now?¡± Pater asked after a brief few seconds of staring.


    ¡°And here I thought you couldn¡¯t speak. Glad to see you still have your tongue.¡± The doctor commented.


    Pater opened up the thick file and saw a few phrases stick out immediately, mainly because they were written in bold letters. Little monster. Ball of chaos. Child devil. The rest indicated her lack of response to orders and her name. Considering they were calling her ¡®specimen 2,¡¯ he didn¡¯t really blame her. At least his number identification had been unique. What were they going to do when she found out what the word ¡®specimen¡¯ meant?


    A high pitched scream broke him from his file and he heard the patter of small feet running down the hallway behind him. He turned just as he saw a small girl holding something barrel through the doorway between the legs of the men that crowded at the mouth, slamming into his own.


    He hid his surprise when he saw that the girl was a spitting image of the one he¡¯d secretly been conversing with. Well, of course, she would be; she¡¯s a clone. It would have been odd if she weren¡¯t identical. Pater kicked himself mentally all the while wondering if this girl would have any answers regarding those odd crystals.


    She quickly hid behind him as two men coated in a thin sheet of sweat followed close behind.


    ¡°You little!¡± One of them cried as they went to grab her arm.


    She squealed and dodged, right into the hands of the other, making her drop the thing in her hands. Squirming, she screamed as she struggled to get out of the man¡¯s grip, unable to use words to demand what she wanted.


    Pater knelt and scooped up the dirt and roots from the plant that had fallen from the girl¡¯s small hands.


    ¡°This is a Copper Amethyst Daisy.¡± He said in disbelief. ¡°These are supposed to be extinct.¡± He glanced over to Dr. Jamir for an explanation.


    ¡°This moves us to the next portion of our orientation. You see, Center 7 is unlike other Greenhouse facilities. Throughout our search¡­Can someone please shut her up?¡± He angrily shouted over the girl¡¯s incessant screaming.


    The men both roughly grabbed her arms and lifted her with the intention of moving her to a different room and let her scream until she grew hoarse.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Pater called out, surprising even himself. He placed the handful of dirt and flower in a cup he found and placed it in one of the girl¡¯s hands. She immediately quieted down as she stared intently between Pater and the flower.


    ¡°Throughout our search for any remaining weapons of war across the continent, we stumbled across an oddity. We have yet to fully explain why this abnormality has come to be, but we found several across the globe. There are nine in the total of what we know. It¡¯s...hard to explain. Follow us outside.¡±


    Intrigued, Pater followed. As they walked down the hallway he heard the girl screaming behind him again when she was held back to stay in the room. He felt guilt well up in his stomach for an unknown reason even though it was no fault of his she was upset.


    As they approached the door, he wondered if anybody was going to put on a respirator. Perhaps they¡¯d forgotten? He opened his mouth to ask, but Dr. Jamir was already opening the door. Well, as long as he didn¡¯t breath in more than an hour¡¯s worth of air he wouldn¡¯t succumb to atmosphere poisoning.


    His jaw dropped when the door opened.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s everyone¡¯s first reaction.¡± Dr. Jamir laughed.


    As far as he could see a lush forest stretched, matched only in majesty by the blue sky above him with clouds floating lazily through it. His brain didn¡¯t compute what he was seeing and he feared he¡¯d been drugged.


    ¡°In order to go outside, for personal or educational purposes, you must have approved permission. Granted, if the girl escapes your grasp and you have to chase her outside, you will be permitted to leave after first reporting it. Don¡¯t worry, our bureaucracy is nearly immediate as we have real-time vocal recording, so all you have to do is verbally ask permission. All you have to do is say your name and then your request. For example, ¡®Dr. Jamir requesting the girl be put in stasis in five minutes.¡¯ Please remember that there can be grave consequences if you don¡¯t ask permission to leave.¡± The doctor lifted his arm and tapped the base of his own skull.


    Pater unconsciously mirrored the man and touched the area the implants that recorded his location, audio, and had the power to paralyze him, feeling the scarred area. To his surprise, it wasn¡¯t tender in the slightest. In fact, judging by the minuscule amount of scarring in the area, it had to have been implanted years ago. He shivered at the thought of Greenhouse implanting such a thing without his consent. Then again, he was technically their property, so they could do whatever they please with him. Wait, they couldn¡¯t have implanted it at birth, could they?


    ¡°This ends our tour. Please follow me back to the orientation room to have an overview of your duties and Center 7 etiquette.¡± Dr. Jamir turned on his heels and strode back inside.


    Pater was practically pushed back in by his escorts. It was disheartening not being able to get one last look at the strange world outside. Even more disheartening was the fact that he had to pass by the girl¡¯s classroom and happened to look in as the small screaming child was forced into a stasis tube. Her cries were abruptly cut off when he was partway down the hallway; the weight of guilt in his stomach was heavier than ever.

 Chapter 72: The Ambitions of the Crazed p.2

    It had been a month since their initial arrival at this underground community and Eimose had learned how to say every curse in the Medhish language.


    Unbeknownst to him a month prior, there was more than one spoken language on the planet, just another fact Greenhouse had failed to divulge. He¡¯d been brainwashed to believe that Greenhouse had complete control over all cities and economies, therefore mandated a universal language that everyone speaks. However, as it turned out, Greenhouse wasn¡¯t omnipotent and there were still civilizations that retained their native languages, living on in hidden, undisclosed locations like the one he was currently in. From what he could gather from the very little conversation spoken in Enozish (the language he¡¯d believed was the universal constant), the communities very rarely contacted each other and never revealed where their settlement was in case the other communities position was compromised and people were interrogated.


    Eimose inspected the weapon he was holding and set it down on the table to grab cleaning supplies. The training area had scarcely a few people in it at the moment as mandatory training was over and people were allowed to do whatever they wanted. Well, except for him and Regal who was stuck within eyeshot of the officer running the cage. Clearly, a month under supervision wasn¡¯t enough and they were still under suspicion of running away or killing people, or whatever those who were higher-up believed they would do. Eimose wished he could at least go to the bathroom without an escort. He checked out the cleaning kit and sat down at the table, disassembling the gun with expert efficiency.


    For the first week, he and Regal had run around cleaning up empty shells deposited by the weapons, and then thoroughly cleaned every weapon in the cage. The Colonel must have had a change of heart or seen how diligently they were doing their mindnumbing tasks that he allowed them to observe in training, and then participate.


    Basic weapons training was a breeze for Eimose as he¡¯d always had excellent marksmanship during his own training as a Scout. Hand-to-hand combat had always proved to be trying, but he wasn¡¯t allowed to practice with anyone here because of his unfair disadvantage. Though his skills were lacking, his newly crystalized arm was completely impenetrable (a discovery revealed when the Colonel had abruptly shot Eimose in the middle of a combat session) and only resulted in bloody knuckles since he¡¯d use it to block anything. Instead, he¡¯d just watch the different match-ups and hope he could visually learn something new. If Terra were here this wouldn¡¯t have been a problem.


    His stomach twisted when he thought about her. He¡¯d only seen her in passing glances since her excommunication to the cafeteria. The only evidence he¡¯d had of her sleeping in the same room as he were that her bedsheets were crumpled differently every day. She always got back when he was already asleep and left before he arose. Regal had once made a passing remark that she looked like she was on the very of passing out or killing someone, and Eimose had been worried for her sake since. Because of his escorted trips the bathroom he hadn¡¯t had gotten a chance to talk to her for an extended period of time and figure out what was going through her head.


    Alter¡¯s face popped into his frame of vision, nearly making him drop the trigger he¡¯d been cleaning. Despite his obvious acknowledgment of her, he tried ignoring the girl.


    ¡°Awww, don¡¯t be like that. You know you¡¯re my favorite, right? That¡¯s why I gave you that gift.¡± Alter pointed to his left arm.


    Eimose continued to ignore her, hoping the annoying child would leave of her own volition. He¡¯d only seen her in his dreams at first, but over the past two weeks, he¡¯d been seeing her in reality. At first, he¡¯d spotted her out of the corner of his eye during target practice but he¡¯d chalked it up to a loose shell from his neighbor¡¯s gun. The second time he saw her was when the Colonel was giving everyone commands and she¡¯d stuck a finger in the man¡¯s eyeball. Eimose had almost fainted from surprise, but when the Colonel kept talking without a break, Eimose realized that it was all in his mind. He was going insane and for some reason, this girl was the cause of it all. Yet another reason to need Terra¡¯s interference.


    ¡°Stop ignoring me, I¡¯m bored. I don¡¯t like Terra and I know you can see me.¡± She poked his cheek, though he couldn¡¯t feel anything. ¡°Come on, you know you need to talk to someone about that arm.¡±


    He continued to clean his gun.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you already got used to it. Usually, it takes much longer for someone to get acclimated to their new center of gravity. Plus it looks like you¡¯ve got complete control over it, sometimes it can get a little out of hand. Get it? Out of hand? Because it¡¯s---nevermind.¡± She paused to observe Eimose cleaning the barrel. ¡°Did you think about what I said?¡±


    Eimose paused for a moment as he contemplated responding to this figment of his imagination.


    ¡°You are not real. You don¡¯t have any power over me. You can¡¯t tell me what to do.¡± He calmly stated and continued cleaning his weapon. He could see Alter crack a smile and it made him uncomfortable; nothing he said was remotely funny.


    ¡°Do you remember who the creator of the Hydrogen bomb was?¡± Alter asked him.


    He didn¡¯t respond, though he knew the answer. Cecile Tontine, a Greenhouse chemist who had accidentally discovered the destructive powers of the first element. The discovery wasn¡¯t made public until Greenhouse had amassed an arsenal of Hydrogen bombs and placed them strategically around the globe. Nearly half of them had been denotated, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, possibly millions.


    ¡°Alright, now imagine if you had to power to kill that man. Would you do it? Would you kill one man to save everyone?¡± She questioned. And before you start coming up with scenarios where another chemist discovers the power of hydrogen, the secret would die with Cecile. And don¡¯t sprout that bullshit about ¡®oh, but he only discovered it, he didn¡¯t actually do anything wrong,¡¯ alright? He¡¯s the reason why those millions died, there¡¯s no skirting around the issue. If we have no Cecile, people get to live. Would you kill that man if you had the chance?¡± Alter demanded.


    He knew the answer she was looking for but didn¡¯t want to say it out loud. If he responded to her, she¡¯d then bring up the topic he dreaded. The topic she¡¯d brought up when he¡¯d seen her in his dreams for the first time. The thing was, logic was against him and his rejection of Alter¡¯s proposal. If what she was saying was actually true...no. This girl was a figment of his imagination, nothing more.


    ¡°You know the answer.¡± Alter cooed in his ear.


    ¡°You are not real.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°Killing one person to save the world.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any power over me!¡± He said a little louder.


    ¡°You have to kill Terra.¡±


    ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!¡±


    His gun clattered to the floor, drawing the eyes of everyone not completely immersed in weapons practice. Eimose quickly picked up the pieces and at back down, his face burning. Less than thirty seconds later Regal made his appearance. It seemed like whenever Eimose embarrassed himself, Regal was not too far away.


    ¡°Geez, tell me how you really feel,¡± commented Regal. ¡°I think Amir is our escort. What stories haven¡¯t we told him yet? I don¡¯t want to disappoint our biggest fan.¡±


    True, during their month Amir had relentlessly followed them, insisting they tell him another tale of adventure. Regal had been the one to tell the majority of them as Eimose had only stumbled onto tale-worthy instances less than a few months ago, yet Amir had latched onto them both. Eimose was glad of his company, all truth be told, since the young man was one of the few that didn¡¯t stare at his arm.


    ¡°What does Amir have anything to do with us?¡± Eimose asked.


    Regal stared at him, puzzled. ¡°Did you not just hear the announcement for us to go to the lower Power lab? Isn¡¯t that why you yelled?¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Oh, um, yeah. I must have done that without realizing it.¡± Eimose fumbled, nervously laughing.


    ¡°Dude, something is seriously wrong with your head. Quick, make up a story, I see Amir.¡±


    The young man burst through the doors of the training hall, his eyes gleaming from the promise of a new story gracing his ears. He stopped inches from seriously injuring himself on the table Eimose was still assembling his gun on.


    ¡°I have been requested to bring you to the lab on urgent business. Everyone else is being summoned and will convene at the lab. I was told you should drop whatever you are doing,¡± he looked at Eimose¡¯s project, ¡°and follow me.¡±


    Eimose shrugged and draped a rag over his still disassembled weapon. If the cage gave him grief about not turning in his weapon, he¡¯d just argue that it wasn¡¯t his fault.


    The journey to the labs wasn¡¯t an exciting one nor was it long, but Eimose lost count of how many people were visibly startled by his walking amongst them. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because they weren¡¯t expecting him, still a stranger to the community, or if it was because of his damn arm.


    As they exited the elevator, Eimose already saw a significant difference in the layout of the power/lab room. There were no walls so the entire place was open. The floor seemed to vibrate slightly, the culprit a large machine to his right which he suspected was the power generator. The entire area near the machine was covered in pipes, which made Eimose curious as to how people performed maintenance. The rest of the room was in much more orderly condition, with a large 3D printer laboring away at a task, a mechanical arm welding something together, and several other machines Eimose couldn¡¯t recognize placed near the walls, leaving the majority of the space devoid of obstacles to walk into. Near the back end of the room was a collection of tables and monitors and lab equipment organized neatly despite the number of people in the lab.


    There were about thirty people in total, most huddled around tables talking about the things they had pulled up on their screens. Those that weren¡¯t arguing about things Eimose couldn¡¯t even understand were either welding, soldering, or inputting data that appeared on the large monitors. Eimose couldn¡¯t make out anything from across the room this place was so large, though he doubted he would be able to make any sense of what he saw.


    ¡°Ahh, there you are!¡± Brit¡¯s voice boomed from across the room, making a few people jump. To nearly everyone¡¯s surprise, he gave Regal a hug, the boy¡¯s feet lifting from the ground momentarily before Brit set him back down again.


    ¡°Did you get lonely without your favorite son around?¡± Regal asked with a sly smile.


    Brit¡¯s expression turned sour for a flash but quickly neutralized. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret calling you here. Everyone else is over there. Don¡¯t get distracted by all the screens.¡± He turned and strolled to where several others stood around a large table, Regal and Eimose close behind. Eimose only recognized Aitaz in the group they joined, though the faces that surrounded him became moot when he saw when they were all gathered around.


    Terra¡¯s head. Well, her robotic one. The one that he¡¯d stubbornly held onto during his trials and then completely forgotten about. Now it sat on a small stand, wires protruding from its neck and running to nearby screens.


    The people around Eimose were currently involved in a riveting conversation he couldn¡¯t understand due to it being spoken in Medhish, but he did pick up a few curses coming from a small woman in a white jumpsuit. An older woman held up her hand and said a few words and the group quieted down as she started up a program on her screen. After a moment the monitor above the table everyone stood around changed from showing fluctuating data to a black screen. The woman spoke again but this time Eimose was able to understand what she was saying as whatever she said was immediately translated into Ezonish text.


    ¡°Pardon our rudeness for bringing you here without proper notice. My name is Doctor Achie. Our dear friend Britanomew informed us this Combatant once belonged to you. Is that correct?¡±


    It took a moment for Eimose to realize Britanomew referred to Brit but quickly nodded. That seemed to satisfy the woman and she continued speaking.


    ¡°Where did you get this model. It is unlike the others we have previously intercepted.¡±


    ¡°Uh, we were in a city near a Headquarter and were attacked by it,¡± Eimose said, fumbling for something that didn¡¯t sound like a blatant lie. ¡°Terra, that girl that came in with me, was the one that took it down.¡±


    ¡°But why carry it with you all this time? It is quite heavy and quite a burden, I am sure it was not simple to handle during your travels. What is the reason for doing so?¡±


    ¡°Well, to be honest, I¡¯m not really sure. Maybe sentimentality?¡± He responded, glad he didn¡¯t have to fib again. ¡°I think I kinda got attached to it so I just kept on holding on to it? That¡¯s all I got. Sorry if it¡¯s not the answer you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    The people around Eimose simply stared at him, looks of befuddlement crossing their faces as they read the translation. Regal raised his eyebrows while Brit just shook his head and rolled his eyes. Eimose shifted uncomfortably as silence overtook the group. Did people just not hold onto things here? Was it really that odd of a concept to these people? Should he elaborate about how a dear friend of his was trapped in that robot¡¯s body and confess he thought he¡¯d be able to bring her back if he found her body? Wait, no, that would bring up a lot more questions he didn¡¯t have the answers prepared for. Was anyone going to speak up? Sweat trickled down his back as he nervously glanced from face to face, gauging whether or not he should run. Just then, Doctor Achie burst out laughing, prompting the rest to chuckle politely.


    ¡°That was not a reason we were expecting! Regardless, we are grateful as we have gained valuable information regarding the contents of your bag as well as vital information regarding our enemy. This has greatly improved our war efforts, so we are pleased. Now, onto a topic that will not make you look like you will faint. Are you satisfied working in weapons training?¡±


    ¡°It''s...fun?¡± He said cautiously. What was the right answer here? ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot but can¡¯t participate in basic combat because of...you know.¡± Eimose lifted his arm for good measure. ¡°It would really be helpful if Terra could be--¡±


    ¡°So you are not satisfied. Perfect. We would like you to report here instead of training from now on to observe that arm of yours. This month has been a trail in case you turn into a monster. You would have been quickly put down by the recruits but it is good you did not since you may be more helpful yet. As of now, you are to be considered a proper member of the UC and will be staying in the barracks with the rest. You are dismissed.¡± With the flick of her wrist, the screen turned back to displaying data and Eimose and Regal were practically pushed away from the huddle of very important people.


    ¡°Wait, is Terra also being transferred?¡± Eimose asked hopefully. Perhaps if she was also moved to the normal barracks he¡¯d have a chance to talk to her.


    The Doctor flicked her wrist again impatiently so he could read her translation.


    ¡°No. We have seen what that woman is capable of so we will keep her where she is. She is a monster. It is only a matter of time before she exposes her true nature. We only keep her here because it is best to keep a monster in a cage then let it roam free.¡±


    When the Doctor jerked her wrist again to indicate the end of their conversation, Eimose knew if he spoke up again it may be his last time, so he remained silent. He didn¡¯t understand why they were calling Terra such a monster but he was too much of a coward to speak up on her behalf if it threatened his own. Sure, she could rip steel apart with those monster arms of hers, but it wasn¡¯t as if that defined her.


    ¡°That was a productive meeting. Why did they even call me too?¡± Regal chimed up as he guided Eimose back to the elevator. ¡°Hold on, does that mean I¡¯m going to be sleeping alone with Terra? Yes!¡±


    Eimose¡¯s head snapped up and he almost punched Regal but Brit rushed in and intercepted.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re going to be in the regular dorms too. Terra¡¯s still assigned to the room and will remain under observation until we figure out what to do with her. Before you say anything, I also believe its a waste to not use her skills, but we¡¯re not the ones in charge here. Just forget about her and move on for all of our sakes.¡±


    Brit remained in the lab while Regal and Eimose loaded onto the elevator. Amir scared the hell out of them both when it had turned out that he¡¯d been waiting for them in the compartment the entire time. Eimose was in no mood to entertain the man so he let Regal take the reins to their ride back up to the training area to gather the little number of things they had and relocate.


    It frustrated Eimose to no end that Brit had just told him to ¡®forget her and move on.¡¯ And why did the man assume he was upset because Terra wasn¡¯t being used as a weapon properly? She wasn¡¯t a fucking weapon or a fucking monster! She was that robot huddled in fear at the thought of being underwater. She was that robot that had kicked the asses of Brit and Regal and Jer ages ago. She was just a girl trying to figure out who the hell she was.


    Eimose wasn¡¯t sure why he felt protective of her, possibly because it was because of him that things had changed so drastically for her, but she was his responsibility now. To hell with this place.


    In the corner of the elevator Alter suddenly materialized, wearing her typical grin.


    To hell with her too! He was going to get Terra out of here no matter what. Fuck his previous promises to that old man. Fuck everyone else and their hidden agendas. Fuck Alter and Greenhouse and the bullshit.


    With his resolve steeled, he entered the training room a plan whirling in his mind. The cage was closed, which meant that they¡¯d already taken inventory and there would be no more weapon exchanges for the rest of the day. The training hall was completely empty except for the three men.


    As Regal hurried to their sleeping quarters in the hall, Eimose dragged his feet, stealthily making sure Amir left before rushing over to the table he¡¯d been cleaning his weapon. He lifted the rag and sure enough, the disassembled gun was still there. He smiled and quickly put it back together, tucking it into his shoe and covering it up with the excess material of his jumpsuit.


    He was going to set Terra free.

 Chapter 72: The Ambitions of the Crazed p.2

    It had been a month since their initial arrival at this underground community and Eimose had learned how to say every curse in the Medhish language.


    Unbeknownst to him a month prior, there was more than one spoken language on the planet, just another fact Greenhouse had failed to divulge. He¡¯d been brainwashed to believe that Greenhouse had complete control over all cities and economies, therefore mandated a universal language that everyone speaks. However, as it turned out, Greenhouse wasn¡¯t omnipotent and there were still civilizations that retained their native languages, living on in hidden, undisclosed locations like the one he was currently in. From what he could gather from the very little conversation spoken in Enozish (the language he¡¯d believed was the universal constant), the communities very rarely contacted each other and never revealed where their settlement was in case the other communities position was compromised and people were interrogated.


    Eimose inspected the weapon he was holding and set it down on the table to grab cleaning supplies. The training area had scarcely a few people in it at the moment as mandatory training was over and people were allowed to do whatever they wanted. Well, except for him and Regal who was stuck within eyeshot of the officer running the cage. Clearly, a month under supervision wasn¡¯t enough and they were still under suspicion of running away or killing people, or whatever those who were higher-up believed they would do. Eimose wished he could at least go to the bathroom without an escort. He checked out the cleaning kit and sat down at the table, disassembling the gun with expert efficiency.


    For the first week, he and Regal had run around cleaning up empty shells deposited by the weapons, and then thoroughly cleaned every weapon in the cage. The Colonel must have had a change of heart or seen how diligently they were doing their mindnumbing tasks that he allowed them to observe in training, and then participate.


    Basic weapons training was a breeze for Eimose as he¡¯d always had excellent marksmanship during his own training as a Scout. Hand-to-hand combat had always proved to be trying, but he wasn¡¯t allowed to practice with anyone here because of his unfair disadvantage. Though his skills were lacking, his newly crystalized arm was completely impenetrable (a discovery revealed when the Colonel had abruptly shot Eimose in the middle of a combat session) and only resulted in bloody knuckles since he¡¯d use it to block anything. Instead, he¡¯d just watch the different match-ups and hope he could visually learn something new. If Terra were here this wouldn¡¯t have been a problem.


    His stomach twisted when he thought about her. He¡¯d only seen her in passing glances since her excommunication to the cafeteria. The only evidence he¡¯d had of her sleeping in the same room as he were that her bedsheets were crumpled differently every day. She always got back when he was already asleep and left before he arose. Regal had once made a passing remark that she looked like she was on the very of passing out or killing someone, and Eimose had been worried for her sake since. Because of his escorted trips the bathroom he hadn¡¯t had gotten a chance to talk to her for an extended period of time and figure out what was going through her head.


    Alter¡¯s face popped into his frame of vision, nearly making him drop the trigger he¡¯d been cleaning. Despite his obvious acknowledgment of her, he tried ignoring the girl.


    ¡°Awww, don¡¯t be like that. You know you¡¯re my favorite, right? That¡¯s why I gave you that gift.¡± Alter pointed to his left arm.


    Eimose continued to ignore her, hoping the annoying child would leave of her own volition. He¡¯d only seen her in his dreams at first, but over the past two weeks, he¡¯d been seeing her in reality. At first, he¡¯d spotted her out of the corner of his eye during target practice but he¡¯d chalked it up to a loose shell from his neighbor¡¯s gun. The second time he saw her was when the Colonel was giving everyone commands and she¡¯d stuck a finger in the man¡¯s eyeball. Eimose had almost fainted from surprise, but when the Colonel kept talking without a break, Eimose realized that it was all in his mind. He was going insane and for some reason, this girl was the cause of it all. Yet another reason to need Terra¡¯s interference.


    ¡°Stop ignoring me, I¡¯m bored. I don¡¯t like Terra and I know you can see me.¡± She poked his cheek, though he couldn¡¯t feel anything. ¡°Come on, you know you need to talk to someone about that arm.¡±


    He continued to clean his gun.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you already got used to it. Usually, it takes much longer for someone to get acclimated to their new center of gravity. Plus it looks like you¡¯ve got complete control over it, sometimes it can get a little out of hand. Get it? Out of hand? Because it¡¯s---nevermind.¡± She paused to observe Eimose cleaning the barrel. ¡°Did you think about what I said?¡±


    Eimose paused for a moment as he contemplated responding to this figment of his imagination.


    ¡°You are not real. You don¡¯t have any power over me. You can¡¯t tell me what to do.¡± He calmly stated and continued cleaning his weapon. He could see Alter crack a smile and it made him uncomfortable; nothing he said was remotely funny.


    ¡°Do you remember who the creator of the Hydrogen bomb was?¡± Alter asked him.


    He didn¡¯t respond, though he knew the answer. Cecile Tontine, a Greenhouse chemist who had accidentally discovered the destructive powers of the first element. The discovery wasn¡¯t made public until Greenhouse had amassed an arsenal of Hydrogen bombs and placed them strategically around the globe. Nearly half of them had been denotated, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, possibly millions.


    ¡°Alright, now imagine if you had to power to kill that man. Would you do it? Would you kill one man to save everyone?¡± She questioned. And before you start coming up with scenarios where another chemist discovers the power of hydrogen, the secret would die with Cecile. And don¡¯t sprout that bullshit about ¡®oh, but he only discovered it, he didn¡¯t actually do anything wrong,¡¯ alright? He¡¯s the reason why those millions died, there¡¯s no skirting around the issue. If we have no Cecile, people get to live. Would you kill that man if you had the chance?¡± Alter demanded.


    He knew the answer she was looking for but didn¡¯t want to say it out loud. If he responded to her, she¡¯d then bring up the topic he dreaded. The topic she¡¯d brought up when he¡¯d seen her in his dreams for the first time. The thing was, logic was against him and his rejection of Alter¡¯s proposal. If what she was saying was actually true...no. This girl was a figment of his imagination, nothing more.


    ¡°You know the answer.¡± Alter cooed in his ear.


    ¡°You are not real.¡± He muttered.


    ¡°Killing one person to save the world.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any power over me!¡± He said a little louder.


    ¡°You have to kill Terra.¡±


    ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!¡±


    His gun clattered to the floor, drawing the eyes of everyone not completely immersed in weapons practice. Eimose quickly picked up the pieces and at back down, his face burning. Less than thirty seconds later Regal made his appearance. It seemed like whenever Eimose embarrassed himself, Regal was not too far away.


    ¡°Geez, tell me how you really feel,¡± commented Regal. ¡°I think Amir is our escort. What stories haven¡¯t we told him yet? I don¡¯t want to disappoint our biggest fan.¡±


    True, during their month Amir had relentlessly followed them, insisting they tell him another tale of adventure. Regal had been the one to tell the majority of them as Eimose had only stumbled onto tale-worthy instances less than a few months ago, yet Amir had latched onto them both. Eimose was glad of his company, all truth be told, since the young man was one of the few that didn¡¯t stare at his arm.


    ¡°What does Amir have anything to do with us?¡± Eimose asked.


    Regal stared at him, puzzled. ¡°Did you not just hear the announcement for us to go to the lower Power lab? Isn¡¯t that why you yelled?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Oh, um, yeah. I must have done that without realizing it.¡± Eimose fumbled, nervously laughing.


    ¡°Dude, something is seriously wrong with your head. Quick, make up a story, I see Amir.¡±


    The young man burst through the doors of the training hall, his eyes gleaming from the promise of a new story gracing his ears. He stopped inches from seriously injuring himself on the table Eimose was still assembling his gun on.


    ¡°I have been requested to bring you to the lab on urgent business. Everyone else is being summoned and will convene at the lab. I was told you should drop whatever you are doing,¡± he looked at Eimose¡¯s project, ¡°and follow me.¡±


    Eimose shrugged and draped a rag over his still disassembled weapon. If the cage gave him grief about not turning in his weapon, he¡¯d just argue that it wasn¡¯t his fault.


    The journey to the labs wasn¡¯t an exciting one nor was it long, but Eimose lost count of how many people were visibly startled by his walking amongst them. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because they weren¡¯t expecting him, still a stranger to the community, or if it was because of his damn arm.


    As they exited the elevator, Eimose already saw a significant difference in the layout of the power/lab room. There were no walls so the entire place was open. The floor seemed to vibrate slightly, the culprit a large machine to his right which he suspected was the power generator. The entire area near the machine was covered in pipes, which made Eimose curious as to how people performed maintenance. The rest of the room was in much more orderly condition, with a large 3D printer laboring away at a task, a mechanical arm welding something together, and several other machines Eimose couldn¡¯t recognize placed near the walls, leaving the majority of the space devoid of obstacles to walk into. Near the back end of the room was a collection of tables and monitors and lab equipment organized neatly despite the number of people in the lab.


    There were about thirty people in total, most huddled around tables talking about the things they had pulled up on their screens. Those that weren¡¯t arguing about things Eimose couldn¡¯t even understand were either welding, soldering, or inputting data that appeared on the large monitors. Eimose couldn¡¯t make out anything from across the room this place was so large, though he doubted he would be able to make any sense of what he saw.


    ¡°Ahh, there you are!¡± Brit¡¯s voice boomed from across the room, making a few people jump. To nearly everyone¡¯s surprise, he gave Regal a hug, the boy¡¯s feet lifting from the ground momentarily before Brit set him back down again.


    ¡°Did you get lonely without your favorite son around?¡± Regal asked with a sly smile.


    Brit¡¯s expression turned sour for a flash but quickly neutralized. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret calling you here. Everyone else is over there. Don¡¯t get distracted by all the screens.¡± He turned and strolled to where several others stood around a large table, Regal and Eimose close behind. Eimose only recognized Aitaz in the group they joined, though the faces that surrounded him became moot when he saw when they were all gathered around.


    Terra¡¯s head. Well, her robotic one. The one that he¡¯d stubbornly held onto during his trials and then completely forgotten about. Now it sat on a small stand, wires protruding from its neck and running to nearby screens.


    The people around Eimose were currently involved in a riveting conversation he couldn¡¯t understand due to it being spoken in Medhish, but he did pick up a few curses coming from a small woman in a white jumpsuit. An older woman held up her hand and said a few words and the group quieted down as she started up a program on her screen. After a moment the monitor above the table everyone stood around changed from showing fluctuating data to a black screen. The woman spoke again but this time Eimose was able to understand what she was saying as whatever she said was immediately translated into Ezonish text.


    ¡°Pardon our rudeness for bringing you here without proper notice. My name is Doctor Achie. Our dear friend Britanomew informed us this Combatant once belonged to you. Is that correct?¡±


    It took a moment for Eimose to realize Britanomew referred to Brit but quickly nodded. That seemed to satisfy the woman and she continued speaking.


    ¡°Where did you get this model. It is unlike the others we have previously intercepted.¡±


    ¡°Uh, we were in a city near a Headquarter and were attacked by it,¡± Eimose said, fumbling for something that didn¡¯t sound like a blatant lie. ¡°Terra, that girl that came in with me, was the one that took it down.¡±


    ¡°But why carry it with you all this time? It is quite heavy and quite a burden, I am sure it was not simple to handle during your travels. What is the reason for doing so?¡±


    ¡°Well, to be honest, I¡¯m not really sure. Maybe sentimentality?¡± He responded, glad he didn¡¯t have to fib again. ¡°I think I kinda got attached to it so I just kept on holding on to it? That¡¯s all I got. Sorry if it¡¯s not the answer you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    The people around Eimose simply stared at him, looks of befuddlement crossing their faces as they read the translation. Regal raised his eyebrows while Brit just shook his head and rolled his eyes. Eimose shifted uncomfortably as silence overtook the group. Did people just not hold onto things here? Was it really that odd of a concept to these people? Should he elaborate about how a dear friend of his was trapped in that robot¡¯s body and confess he thought he¡¯d be able to bring her back if he found her body? Wait, no, that would bring up a lot more questions he didn¡¯t have the answers prepared for. Was anyone going to speak up? Sweat trickled down his back as he nervously glanced from face to face, gauging whether or not he should run. Just then, Doctor Achie burst out laughing, prompting the rest to chuckle politely.


    ¡°That was not a reason we were expecting! Regardless, we are grateful as we have gained valuable information regarding the contents of your bag as well as vital information regarding our enemy. This has greatly improved our war efforts, so we are pleased. Now, onto a topic that will not make you look like you will faint. Are you satisfied working in weapons training?¡±


    ¡°It''s...fun?¡± He said cautiously. What was the right answer here? ¡°I¡¯ve learned a lot but can¡¯t participate in basic combat because of...you know.¡± Eimose lifted his arm for good measure. ¡°It would really be helpful if Terra could be--¡±


    ¡°So you are not satisfied. Perfect. We would like you to report here instead of training from now on to observe that arm of yours. This month has been a trail in case you turn into a monster. You would have been quickly put down by the recruits but it is good you did not since you may be more helpful yet. As of now, you are to be considered a proper member of the UC and will be staying in the barracks with the rest. You are dismissed.¡± With the flick of her wrist, the screen turned back to displaying data and Eimose and Regal were practically pushed away from the huddle of very important people.


    ¡°Wait, is Terra also being transferred?¡± Eimose asked hopefully. Perhaps if she was also moved to the normal barracks he¡¯d have a chance to talk to her.


    The Doctor flicked her wrist again impatiently so he could read her translation.


    ¡°No. We have seen what that woman is capable of so we will keep her where she is. She is a monster. It is only a matter of time before she exposes her true nature. We only keep her here because it is best to keep a monster in a cage then let it roam free.¡±


    When the Doctor jerked her wrist again to indicate the end of their conversation, Eimose knew if he spoke up again it may be his last time, so he remained silent. He didn¡¯t understand why they were calling Terra such a monster but he was too much of a coward to speak up on her behalf if it threatened his own. Sure, she could rip steel apart with those monster arms of hers, but it wasn¡¯t as if that defined her.


    ¡°That was a productive meeting. Why did they even call me too?¡± Regal chimed up as he guided Eimose back to the elevator. ¡°Hold on, does that mean I¡¯m going to be sleeping alone with Terra? Yes!¡±


    Eimose¡¯s head snapped up and he almost punched Regal but Brit rushed in and intercepted.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re going to be in the regular dorms too. Terra¡¯s still assigned to the room and will remain under observation until we figure out what to do with her. Before you say anything, I also believe its a waste to not use her skills, but we¡¯re not the ones in charge here. Just forget about her and move on for all of our sakes.¡±


    Brit remained in the lab while Regal and Eimose loaded onto the elevator. Amir scared the hell out of them both when it had turned out that he¡¯d been waiting for them in the compartment the entire time. Eimose was in no mood to entertain the man so he let Regal take the reins to their ride back up to the training area to gather the little number of things they had and relocate.


    It frustrated Eimose to no end that Brit had just told him to ¡®forget her and move on.¡¯ And why did the man assume he was upset because Terra wasn¡¯t being used as a weapon properly? She wasn¡¯t a fucking weapon or a fucking monster! She was that robot huddled in fear at the thought of being underwater. She was that robot that had kicked the asses of Brit and Regal and Jer ages ago. She was just a girl trying to figure out who the hell she was.


    Eimose wasn¡¯t sure why he felt protective of her, possibly because it was because of him that things had changed so drastically for her, but she was his responsibility now. To hell with this place.


    In the corner of the elevator Alter suddenly materialized, wearing her typical grin.


    To hell with her too! He was going to get Terra out of here no matter what. Fuck his previous promises to that old man. Fuck everyone else and their hidden agendas. Fuck Alter and Greenhouse and the bullshit.


    With his resolve steeled, he entered the training room a plan whirling in his mind. The cage was closed, which meant that they¡¯d already taken inventory and there would be no more weapon exchanges for the rest of the day. The training hall was completely empty except for the three men.


    As Regal hurried to their sleeping quarters in the hall, Eimose dragged his feet, stealthily making sure Amir left before rushing over to the table he¡¯d been cleaning his weapon. He lifted the rag and sure enough, the disassembled gun was still there. He smiled and quickly put it back together, tucking it into his shoe and covering it up with the excess material of his jumpsuit.


    He was going to set Terra free.

 Chapter 73: Past the Breaking Point

    Rhythmic thumping echoed through the empty kitchen, near imperceivable if a bystander wasn¡¯t specifically listening for it. It was a light sound emanating from the coldest depths of the freezer, carrying the full brunt of pent-up energy and stress of one month of captivity. Although she wasn¡¯t formally a prisoner, Terra knew that she was no guest of these people.


    She twisted her hips and drove another punch into the hanging sandbag, sending it swinging around like a deranged pendulum. Pretending this was an opponent, she dodged invisible arms and legs as she danced around the bag, landing as many hits as she could before she had to move out of the way as it swung past. Once she was panting and covered in a thin sheet of sweat she steadied the bag and peaked out into the kitchen to check the ticker on the wall. According to that, it was too late to be awake and too early to be up.


    Truth be told, Terra was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to that small room with the two others and collapse onto her mattress. As tempted as she was, she went back into the freezer and continued her merciless pummeling of the sandbag. If her eyelids threatened to droop, she¡¯d change up her rhythm. If she stumbled, she¡¯d start doing push-ups. Her muscles screamed for rest but she knew what was waiting for her if she succumbed to sleep. Eventually, her body refused to listen to her commands and her knees gave out. That was the second time that night.


    Calming her sporadic breathing, she quickly put her coat back on to prevent the negative degree temperature freezing the sweat on her body. She¡¯d collapsed out of exhaustion a week ago and nearly suffered frostbite; she¡¯d learned her lesson. While her limbs recovered she¡¯d practice manipulating the black crystals.


    She focused as she let the crystals slither down into her palms, forming a writhing mass of opaque rock. Often times she got so mesmerized by its natural movement that hours would pass without her realizing it. As it turned out, it could move without her commands, and she didn¡¯t know what to make of it. Could it be alive? Or maybe her idle mind was controlling the crystals so it looked like it had a will of its own when in reality it was actually her subconscious.


    Breaking out of her trance, she attempted to form a gun in her hands. As much as she hated firearms, her enemies had no quarrel with using the weapon so she figured she should at least give it a try. So far, she¡¯d gotten it to look exactly like what she¡¯d been aiming for using it was a completely different issue. Because she didn¡¯t know what a gun¡¯s interior looked like, she couldn¡¯t get it to actually shoot projectiles. Granted, she could still create a bullet-formed crystal and mentally fling at her enemy, but it wasn¡¯t anywhere close to the amount of force an actual bullet had. A bitter taste filled her mouth and she quickly changed the gun to her most familiar weapon; a crowbar. It seemed like she still couldn¡¯t stomach the thought of holding the same genre of weapon that had killed Roger those many years ago. Even now it still hurt--she wished that time would have healed her wounds instead of letting the scar tissue pile up until she grew numb. Numbness wasn¡¯t the same as healing.


    With her crowbar in one hand, she swung it around a few times. After a few swings, she transformed it mid-swing into a sword. After a few swings of that weapon, she quickly lengthened the crystal so the blade of the sword was at the end of a long pole. Minutes later, she added another blade to the end of the pole, practicing her use of such a long weapon and paying careful attention to her hands and feet. Often times when it came to her twin-bladed spear she¡¯d cut up the fabric on her legs because she wasn¡¯t paying attention to where the swords were. Once she was satisfied that she¡¯d kept her clothing intact, she split the weapon in half so both hands had a short spear. She continued practicing her swings, enjoying the song the crystals made when they swung through the crisp air, changing her weapons into anything else she could think of. The tricky part was changing them independently from each other as it took much more concentration to keep the two sides in separate formations.


    The crystals were stubborn and fought her whenever she attempted to have a sword in one hand and a crowbar in the other, but having a sickle in one hand with an attached chain in the other was fine. In other words, the crystals would remain in form if it was a single item, but if it was two separate items one of those items would turn into the other if Terra didn¡¯t focus on retaining the form. She tried to create a loophole and attach her sword and crowbar together with a chain, but apparently, the crystals knew that wasn¡¯t a real thing and she ended up with two crowbars attached by a chain.


    The crystals also didn¡¯t like it when she stretched them more than arm¡¯s length. She learned this quite painfully when she attempted to create a shield that would cover a hypothetical partner at her side when the crystals suddenly snapped back like a rubber band and hit her in the face, leading to a bloody nose and a partial black eye. In order to properly create a shield that wouldn¡¯t spontaneously cause her harm, she had to clutch her hands together and stretch the crystals to their max, creating a thin shield of crystals five by five feet in diameter. If she crouched, she could create a dome over her body, though that wouldn¡¯t help much if she were in the throughs of battle.


    Satisfied in her practice she got up and left the freezer, seeing that three hours had passed since she¡¯d last checked the time. There were still two hours to go before anyone else entered the kitchen and her legs were aching from use--a little rest wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    She looked back and forth between the freezer and the warm cafeteria. If she sat down in the cafeteria there was a chance she might fall asleep due to its moderate temperature. The freezer was a better bet if she wanted to stay awake, but her fingers were bright red and burning from the cold and she¡¯d lost all sensation in her nose and toes long ago. Terra settled on bringing a stool into the walk-in fridge to rest, hoping the chillier temperature would keep her awake.


    Massaging her sore limbs she coated the crystals around her hands and kept her brain alert by creating intricate patterns on the back of her makeshift gloves and seeing how long she could keep them in shape before they snapped back into a single object.


    To distract her from the heaviness in her eyelids she focused on what she¡¯d be doing in a few hours. Kera was the one that came through the doors first, usually shortly followed by five others. They would prepare the dough and cut up odd chunks of colored bricks they called ¡®vegetables,¡¯ though Terra knew what vegetables actually looked like and they weren¡¯t fooling anyone. Terra was put in charge of washing all dishes and any heavy lifting, so she wasn¡¯t really needed until the cooking of breakfast began. She was glad she didn¡¯t actually have to serve anyone since she was bitter about her entire situation, and none of the women around her had any inclination of getting to know the new girl that was always there before anyone else.


    Terra did notice that she was the only one ¡®training,¡¯ though she didn¡¯t exactly know what she was training for. Kera had been so kind and open during her initiation, but whenever Terra asked the woman about the purpose of training the older woman would change the subject or order her to wash some new dishes. At this point, Terra knew that this ¡®training¡¯ she was doing was just to keep her busy and prevent her from escaping. Terra knew that she wanted to get out of this place but she knew what was waiting for her on the surface world. Unless she had a respirator, there was no way she¡¯d be getting far and she had no idea where to get one either since no one in the community wore one. Lately, she¡¯d been so sleep-deprived that she couldn¡¯t think of anything except for how to stay awake for the next few minutes. She just needed to stay awake until she was put to work. As long as she could stay awake, she¡¯d been free from the things that appeared on the backs of her eyelids. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    She just needed to stay awake for a few more minutes¡­


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    Eimose learned very quickly that no matter how subtly he asked, the scientists in the lab would not tell him anything about how the upper door functioned. Or about what results they saw on the tests they ran. Or literally anything else, including their names. His Medhish vocabulary was incredibly limited so he managed to pick up absolutely nothing during his eleven hours in the lab. There was absolutely no attempt to accommodate his communication deficit until they needed him to raise his arms or turn around or lay down, then they would bring up the translator screen. Instead of keeping it up after he completed a task, they stopped the application and continued their work, leaving Eimose in the dark.


    He¡¯d left his gun in his room stuffed in a hole he¡¯d made in his pillow. He noticed that he got incredibly paranoid if he had it on his person, so he decided the best thing to do for the moment was leave it behind until he saw an opportunity. For now, he needed to subtly smuggle food and water from the cafeteria and hide it, steal two backpacks, two respirators, and at least one navigation screen. That was the bare minimum. If he could find a change of clothes other than the jumpsuits everyone wore here that would be a bonus.


    That morning he was pleasantly surprised to see a set of grey jumpsuits resting on his bedstand, ones that actually fit his person rather than the dark blue oversized ones he¡¯d been wearing for the past month. Regal also got a new pair of jumpsuits as well, still dark blue, but more fitted as well. Did Terra get a change too? He hoped so since last he saw her he was afraid she¡¯d trip on the excess leg length of her suit. Well, now that he had an extra jumpsuit he¡¯d give it to her when they escaped.


    Now that he wasn¡¯t under constant supervision he wondered if it would be too conspicuous to approach her if he saw her in the cafeteria. Would anyone intervene if he did? Would he get confined? Would she get in trouble? He wished he had paper and a pen so he could casually bump into her while slipping her a note. How could he talk to her without anyone noticing?


    A jolt of electricity ran down his spine and he involuntarily shuddered. What the hell was that? Since he¡¯d gone through the CT machine that morning he¡¯d been getting strange shivers starting at the base of his skull. Could it just be coincidental? He¡¯d let the lab assistants know in the morning when he went for more testing.


    ¡°How was your first day!¡± Regal exclaimed as he wrapped his arm around Eimose¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Quiet. Was the Colonel in a bad mood again today?¡± Eimose responded, trying to shrug Regal¡¯s arm off.


    ¡°Surprisingly enough, no. He was probably happy he didn¡¯t have to deal with you and your freakish arm.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so funny.¡± Eimose droned, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°I know, right? That¡¯s what Jer keep--kept telling me.¡± Regal¡¯s smile fell and he dropped his arm from Eimose¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°How are they doing?¡± asked Eimose, genuinely concerned.


    ¡°Better. The doc says they could wake up today, but they¡¯ve been saying that for the past two weeks so I don¡¯t know. All I know is that Jer is alive according to the monitors, I just wish they¡¯d come back already.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure Jer isn¡¯t trying to stay in a coma to get away from you?¡± Eimose cracked, hoping he wasn¡¯t overstepping his bounds. It took a second and Eimose felt his face turning red with shame, but Regal broke out in a smile.


    ¡°And here I didn¡¯t think you had a sense of humor!¡± Regal shouted, slapping Eimose on the back and drawing a few stares from people walking down the hallway with them. ¡°I actually need to talk to you about something else. Meet me in the upper bathroom in thirty minutes.¡±


    Leaving Eimose astounded, Regal ran off to do whatever he needed to do. What the hell was that? Maybe it was something he¡¯d rather not say in public? Could something have happened to Jer and Regal didn¡¯t want to tell him in the hallway? Another shudder ran down Eimose¡¯s body. Had Jer died? Wait, if Jer had died then why did Regal compliment his attempt at a joke? Unless Regal dealt with death through humor, which would make sense considering his entire attitude on life. Oh, gods, Jer was dead.


    Although Eimose had been planning on getting something to eat since he¡¯d just finished his time at the lab, his appetite was completely gone now that he¡¯d concluded Jer¡¯s demise. What should he say? How would he comfort Regal? Did Brit know? Of course Brit knew. Did Terra know? Probably not. His thoughts swam and he counted down the seconds until he finally entered the bathroom.


    Regal was standing in one of the back stalls, his feet perched on the rim as he sat on the tower, hunched over a screen.


    ¡°First of all, I¡¯m really sorry,¡± Eimose blurted out. ¡°I can¡¯t say I know what it¡¯s like to lose a friend, much less someone like Jer so I don¡¯t kn--¡±


    ¡°Let me stop you there,¡± Regal said, holding up his hand. ¡°What the fuck are you going on about?¡±


    Eimose was taken aback. ¡°Is Jer ...okay?¡±


    ¡°I just told you less than an hour ago they were. Are you okay man?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah. Absolutely fine. Totally good. The best I can be.¡± Eimose fumbled, face growing hot.


    Regal raised his eyebrows. ¡°Are you done?¡±


    Eimose nodded.


    ¡°Okay, what I wanted to tell you about is a mission coming up. You remember those vials in your bag?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Ambrosia,¡± Eimose remembered.


    ¡°Well, whatever they¡¯re called, they have the potential to turn the tides entirely. We¡¯re talking global environmental change here, not just Wyvern. Whoever created that must have been fucking brilliant because they managed to synthesize artificial photosynthesis in liquid form. If it comes in contact with an organic form it will literally change their respiratory system to breath carbon dioxide and release oxygen. There was also another set of vials mixed in with a similar color that will literally break the bonds between oxygen and nitrogen if it gets released in the air. The UC will be sending out groups of overground teams to find Greenhouse¡¯s old buried bombs and converting them into powerful dispersion devices.¡± Regal¡¯s eyes shone brightly as he spoke, excitement in every breath. ¡°They¡¯ve already sent out one team to the nearest bomb, but I suspect they¡¯ll start sending out more teams within the week. Brit managed to pull some strings and got you, me, Jer, and Terra on a team, along with some other UC people.¡±


    Eimose was at a loss of words. Could getting out of here be that easy? What the hell kind of strings did Brit pull to get this arrangement? This almost seemed to good to be true, but it was best not to question it. As presumptuous and annoying as Regal was, Eimiose trusted him, and if he said they would be getting out of here, then they would.


    ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± Eimose questioned and he hoped he could contribute something to their master plan.


    ¡°Sit tight for now. We haven¡¯t been able to contact Terra yet since they¡¯re keeping a really close eye on her. Oh, and please pay attention to the cameras. You¡¯re lucky Brit was watching you when you stole that gun and scrubbed the footage before anyone saw. Seriously man, pay attention.¡±


    Eimose was left in the bathroom with his jaw slack. Getting reprimanded by Regal was not something he expected would have happened today. He would try his best to make sure it was the last.

 Chapter 74: Paying Tribute

    Every building of the city was outlined in neon lights to distinguish its own solid form than that of the overwhelming red fog that permeated everything. But Henarie didn¡¯t have to worry about the painful death of breathing the filth of the outside, not when she was atop the tallest tower safely behind glass. She popped another round ¡®fruit¡¯ into her mouth, savoring the sound its shell made as its liquified interior spilled into her mouth. It was meant to imitate something called a ¡®grape,¡¯ a delicacy in a past and even more so in the present, costing limbs and organs to obtain. Henarie ate another; it was amazing what people did with money and time.


    ¡°Henarie.¡± A lean, muscular man in his forties acknowledged her as he strode through the doors to the lobby cascaded in pink light. ¡°I thought you promised to visit on a frequent basis?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here aren¡¯t I? I never said how frequent.¡± She said, turning to him. ¡°You haven''t aged well.¡±


    ¡°And you have not aged at all. The last I saw you, you had decided to set off on your own across the ocean to hunt for your treasure. I take it the search has not been fruitful?¡± The man crossed the room to the wall of liquor, snatching a bottle more expensive than several buildings, and pored its dark contents into two glasses.


    ¡°As a matter of fact, it has,¡± Henarie stated, snatching one of the glasses and sitting down on a lounge chair. ¡°Which is why I¡¯ve come to you. You¡¯ve done well for yourself considering I did most of the work.¡±


    ¡°And yet I¡¯m the one with all the power.¡±


    Henarie¡¯s fist turned white as she clenched her glass.


    ¡°The way I see it, you¡¯re the one who owes me for leaving thirteen years ago without so much as a goodbye.¡±


    ¡°I left a note.¡±


    ¡°A NOTE IS NOT A GOODBYE!¡±


    The man slammed his drink down on the island between him and Henarie, his drink spilling onto its clean surface. His eyes were wild and his body was shaking as if he was struggling to restrain himself.


    ¡°You left me! I almost lost everything when you disappeared! What happened to  partners for life?¡±


    ¡°If I recall correctly, you were the one that always said that, not me. I never promised anything. You knew my only reason for helping you was so that I could use you in the future, and you still accepted my help, so that¡¯s on you. Don¡¯t put any of this blame on me.¡± Henarie summarized, leaning back in her chair and taking a long sip.


    The man went silent for a few minutes, not so much a shuffle of clothing or the clink of his glass.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the word on my favor?¡± she pushed, thinking of ways to kill him if he refused. Perhaps decapitation, but that was typically very messy, and she¡¯d just traded in her motorcycle for a new set of tight, clean, armored clothing. Strangulation? Boring. She settled on throwing him out the window. She heard him let out a long breath, her cue to get up.


    ¡°I sent out the request a week ago.¡± He confessed, finally taking a drink.


    Henarie stopped in her tracks. ¡°And?¡±


    He paused and stared at his drink intently. ¡°Was she the reason you left?¡±


    A slow grin crept onto Henarie¡¯s face as she strolled to his side. She placed her hand on his cheek and gently moved his face to her.


    ¡°You already know the answer to that. Once we finish our business, I¡¯ll come right back to your side and stay with you for the rest of your life. Now, how¡¯s about you tell me about that favor.¡±


    A small spark lit in his eyes as he lost himself in hers. ¡°That girl you want will be here within the week.¡±


    ¡°There, that wasn¡¯t so bad.¡± She patted his cheek and went back to her chair.


    Henarie wouldn¡¯t kill him just yet. He had connections she wanted, and until he ran out his usefulness, she¡¯d keep him alive. For now, all she had to do was wait until Terra came to her. Her Terra was in there somewhere, and Henarie was going to do everything to bring her out.


    This was going to be fun.


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    It was only by chance that Eimose had been walking down the hallway in the hopes of getting something additional to eat when the screaming started. The initial yell caught him off guard, breaking him out of his daily daze, making his imagination run wild with possibilities. A fall? A fight? An accident with a knife? It was when he heard a cumulative rise of volume originating from the cafeteria that his own fear set in.


    The lights in the hallway changed from fluorescent white to red, which in no way helped the condition. A siren erupted from the loudspeakers above, scaring the shit out of him. How were red lights and loud noises supposed to help in this situation? He pushed himself to the side of the wall as a flood of people even more panicked than he rushed out to get away from whatever was happening in the communal area. As curious as he was, self-preservation was more important, so he joined the masses in their dash toward safety.


    A roar erupted from behind him, sending shivers through his system. That was a noise he¡¯d never get out of his nightmares. Against his better judgment, he turned around to see the cause of the noise burst through the wall of the dining area and into the hallway. He could only describe the image as devastation in slow motion, like when a bomb is dropped and all you could do was just stand there and watch as the city crumbles.


    The black beast emerged from the remains of the wall, shrugging off the dust and rubble that lingered on its head and shoulders. Its back legs were long and skinny, so long that the creature had to remain in a constant crouch as to not his its head on the ceiling. Its tail whipped around sporadically, tearing down even more of the already destroyed wall, flinging chunks of rock onto the heads of those still fleeing. Its front arms were built for destruction--oversized claws clicking against the ground, spikes on its forearms that only grew larger as they traveled up, and taut skin stretched tight against muscular biceps. Its head was small in comparison with the rest of its body, though it was no less horrifying; its eyes looked like they had been roughly carved from its crystalized skull and its mouth was full of teeth too large for its jaw. It had two large pointed horned above each eye, contrasting against its domed head that disappeared seamlessly into its back as if it had a non-existing neck.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    It stumbled forward as if unused to its four limbs, bashing loudly against the steel wall ahead of it. The creature recoiled sharply, running into a part of the concrete wall its tail hadn¡¯t destroyed yet. It continued to sporadically ram into its surroundings, roaring in pain as its clawed hands gripped its small head, allowing time for those seeking safety to cram onto the elevator and escape.


    Eimose felt hands push him towards the small enclosed space and he was squished against strangers, doing his best to keep his crystalized arm above his head to make more room for others. The doors dinged shut as he watched entranced by the creature that was doing more harm to itself than to the people less than a hundred feet away from it. Although it looked like the monsters he¡¯d seen in the arena before, it certainly wasn¡¯t acting like them.


    The elevator doors dinged shut and the creature was cut from his vision, only the red lights and the rapid breathing of those surrounding him filling the air. As soon as they opened again, the masses flooded out of the small box and into the crowded hallway of the training sector and med bay, jumping into the arms of those waiting anxiously for them. No one was injured, but Eimose suspected a lot would be needing therapy after this ordeal.


    Standing aside from those celebrating their families¡¯ safe return was the Colonel, barking out orders at those standing at the ready in front of him. Nearly all of the recruits were armed with a single weapon that best suited their skills, though most held onto guns. Eimose wondered if those would have any effect on the creature since the last time he¡¯d face one of its kind he¡¯d had Yismin and a spear that ate his arm.


    ¡°Eimose! Get over here!¡± The Colonel yelled, dragging Eimose by the collar. ¡°Get in formation!¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Eimose scrambled, trying to come up with an excuse, ¡°I just got away!¡±


    ¡°Shame on you! There are people with no training a level up and you took one of their spots on that elevator!¡±


    Eimose hung his head and ran to the cage, where the person in charge literally threw him his weapon. Damn, he should have just ducked and followed the flow of people rather than get caught up where the Colonel could see him.


    ¡°Recruits, we have faced these monsters before! Remember your training and most of you will make it back alive! Squad one, you will distract the monster while squad two gets close enough to tag it with magnets. Squad three, you will place charges and magnets around the creature. Elites, you have the artifacts?¡±


    A small group of soldiers nodded, lifting their weapons. Unlike all the other recruits, these four had black objects in their hands that shone in the light. Where those...black crystals in the shapes of spikes? Or maybe sharp horns? Or teeth? He couldn¡¯t quite tell from his position behind the other recruits.


    ¡°There are only two more waves of civilians left, then we will board the elevator and begin. Squad one is up first, move it as far away as you can from the elevator as you can so squad two and three can move in. Understood?¡±


    The recruits gave out a unanimous war cry, doing little to stop Eimose¡¯s hands from sweating profusely.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know what squad I¡¯m in, would you?¡± He whispered to whoever was next to him.


    ¡°We¡¯re all in squad one.¡± An unfamiliar man responded. ¡°There¡¯s only a few of the Colonel¡¯s favorites that get put into the other squads. I¡¯m Fray by the way. You¡¯re that upper dweller I keep hearing about. A pleasure to finally meet you. If we survive, you¡¯ll have to tell me about that arm of yours over some drinks.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even realize you had drinks here.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t, but if you add rubbing alcohol to a glass of water you can sure as hell feel the burn.¡±


    Eimose choked out a laugh just as the Colonel commanded the first wave of distractions into the elevator. Even though he¡¯d been in the very back, Eimose somehow ended up on the elevator, no doubt the work of karma. This time when the doors dinged shut, he was cutting off his safety and heading back into the belly of the beast. Well, maybe the monster was still thrashing around and wouldn¡¯t pay the squad any attention.


    His question was swiftly answered when a clawed hand ripped through the elevator doors, disemboweling three men in a single strike. The doors were ripped clean off as the monster retracted its bloodied limb and the smell of iron and urine suffocated him. The sound of gunfire went off, harming everyone but the monster as eardrums burst.


    Eimose saw that no matter how many bullets went flying through the air, none could penetrate the creature¡¯s crystalized skin. Squad one was as much of a distraction as a drop of water to an ocean. He managed to get his crystalized arm up in time to block a strike from a claw, though the impact threw him against several other people. There was no time to celebrate the fact his arm could withstand the force of a monster; he needed to get away before his soft interior became an even softer exterior.


    He charged past the monster, jumping clear from its arms and legs. Unfortunately, he forgot to take its tail into account and was flung clear across the hallway, landing painfully on his right shoulder. Pain blossomed and tears stung his eyes as he righted himself on his feet, staying as silent as possible while the monster distracted itself on the easy targets. His conscience was screaming at him to jump back in there and protect the others with his impervious arm, but he wanted to live more than anything, so it would have to be ignored.


    Turning away so he wouldn¡¯t watch the massacre, he bolted into the cafeteria to find a place to hide. The muffled sounds of gunfire and screaming faded as he ran into the back area. To his dismay, there was a path of destruction from the walk-in cooler, not the main dining area as he¡¯d suspected. Had the monster suddenly appeared in the main area, come here and destroyed the walk-in cooler, and then gone out to wreak havoc? No, from what he could see it came from the walk-in, but how had this happened? Did they refrigerate monsters? Preposterous. It didn¡¯t make sense this creature would even be here, and yet it was killing men off by the dozen.


    His ears slowly cleared up as he huddled behind the water purification system, enough that he could hear the clicking of the creature¡¯s claws as it strolled away from the elevator. Had it just murdered everyone there? Even more shocking to him, he could hear the elevator ding again. How was that thing still functioning without its doors? Was that ding for going down or coming up? Soon after another ding followed and this time he heard the frantic clicking as the monster ran back toward the elevator.


    ¡°S2, run past it, S3, detonate charges!¡±


    The sound of gunfire and explosions filled the air and it became hard to distinguish between human and monster cries. One large explosion blasted the cafeteria wall away and Eimose heard the demolition of chairs and tables happening behind him but he had no inclination to peek out from behind his shelter. The monster roared again, sending shivers down his spine when he realized how close it was to him.


    A body suddenly flew from above the purifier, landing a few feet away from Eimose. He covered his mouth to mute his scream when he saw the body had no head and the contents of its guts were open to the world. Bile rose in his throat as he stifled a sob; he didn¡¯t want to be here. He wanted to go home. Maybe Greenhouse would take him back. Eimose tried to shut his brain off so that his thoughts would stop, but the inhuman sounds that surrounded him only greatened their volume.


    An unforeseen rattling caught his attention, as did the monsters. It was coming from the walk-in cooler, which was directly ahead of Eimose, which meant that if the monster was coming for it, it would no doubt spot him. Suspecting by the fact the rattling was the only sound in the air, it would definitely investigate. Was there enough time to get to the other side of the kitchen? Or run into the freezer?


    No, there wasn¡¯t. The monster¡¯s large form entered his vision and he held his breath, hoping that it would somehow ignore him. The monster¡¯s eyes flitted to him, and for a moment it looked like it wouldn¡¯t attack, but that moment was short-lived. Eimose didn¡¯t even have time to stand before the monster¡¯s claw raked across his body, shoving him through the purifier and into the main dining area.


    Eimose couldn¡¯t breathe. He laid flat on his back struggling to fill his lungs but the only thing he could feel was the rattling in his chest and his shirt getting slick with blood. Was he still alive? Did he even want to be alive right now? The pain was unbearable and he couldn¡¯t tell if he was screaming or if that was the blood rushing in his ears. His limbs wouldn¡¯t respond to his commands, leaving him spread-eagle on the cafeteria floor. Perhaps if he pretended he was dead he would have a chance? Considering how quickly his vision was fading and how slow his heartbeat had gotten, he may not even have to pretend for long.


    Through the haze, he heard the elevator ding for the last time, sending its final tributes to face the monster.

 Chapter 75: The Nightmare of Hope

    Her chest felt tight as the walls of the tunnel reverberated with the crowd¡¯s cheers just beyond the iron gate. The shield¡¯s handle was slick in her palm and she feared she¡¯d lose grip if she needed to use it, goddess forbid. Five minutes. Just five minutes in the arena and she¡¯d earn her first marking, then she¡¯d be granted a weapon that could kill those creatures. A large buzzer sounded and she could tell from the gasps of the audience that another failed. Failure wasn¡¯t an option; she wasn¡¯t going to die before she received a blessing.


    The announcer¡¯s voice was muffled but she knew her time was up. The iron gate rose and she entered into the sunlight, lifting her shield against the sun to protect herself from being blinded. The crowd was deafening and she could feel the very ground shake as people stomped their feet and yelled. Not a week ago she¡¯d been one of those spectators, and now she was one in front of thousands standing where so many had fallen. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and she fought to keep herself from getting overwhelmed. Though adrenaline was good to keep her energized and aware, it often made people make mistakes--she was not going to be one of those people.


    Arranged at the edges of the arena were swords, spears, and extra shields, though she doubted she¡¯d use any of them. As long as she kept out of the grasp of the Turned she wouldn¡¯t need to worry about becoming another stain on the ground beneath her feet. A second buzzer cut through the air and the crowd got even louder; the beast would be released.


    300. 299. 298.


    Her internal countdown began as the hologram ticker presented the time above her. The gate opposite her rose slowly but was quickly interrupted when a small black creature rammed into it, warping the iron as it forced its way past and charged toward her. As it approached she made sure to jump away at the last second so it would have to take more time to recuperate.


    She did this several more times and started feeling confident that she¡¯d be able to get through the five minutes without the use of any extra effort. That is until the monster curled into a ball when it missed her, whipping her in the side with its tail as it landed ungracefully on its head.


    174. 173. 172


    Blood splattered from her unguarded ribs as she fought to stay conscious. This was the price she was paying for getting cocky, and by the vast amount of pain that wracked her body, it was a heavy one. Even if she¡¯d been able to block the blow with her shield there was no way she¡¯d be getting away unscathed.


    The monster charged again and this time she ran towards the closest weapon; the spear. She managed to grab onto the handle just as the creature got within range. Shutting away the pain, she threw her shield at its legs, causing it to stumble and giving her enough time to sprint away to the other side of the arena. The monster rose and shook itself off, turning around with newfound fury burning in its red eyes. It charged at her again, and this time when she avoided it she made sure to dodge far enough away from its tail.


    95. 94. 93.


    She ran around the arena, picking up the other spear as she ran so she had one in each hand. Whipping around she saw the monster square up with her, formulating its own plan. They circled each other and she had to fight the urge to look down at her throbbing wound. The black crystal beast roared and launched its body at her; she needed to time this perfectly. She ran as hard as she could to the edge of the arena, a few feet away from the wall itself. As the monster closed in, she ran toward it, her spears at ready. Before it got too close, she jumped out of the way but this time as high as her legs would take her. Its tail whipped around as she¡¯d planned and she pushed off with her feet, flying through the air toward the wall.


    42. 41. 40.


    She plunged the weapons into the hardened wall, screaming in pain as the force agitated her side even more. To her luck both her spears remained and she struggled to pull herself up onto her small perch. The monster clawed at the wall below her, roaring at her as she remained out of its reach. The spears wouldn¡¯t hold for long and she regretted not trying to find another, though she could do nothing at this point except hope they remained holding until the ticker ran out.


    10. 9. 8.


    The spears quivered under her weight.


    7. 6. 5.


    Metal groaned against stone as she willed the spears to remain in place.


    4. 3. 2.


    She fell into the open jowls of the beast.


    The buzzer rang through the arena and she opened her eyes. The beast was directly above her with its claw raised to strike but it never would. Spears jutted out of its body, pinning it in its final act before death. The arena cried her name as she crawled out from underneath it. For some reason, it wasn¡¯t a name she was familiar with, but she knew it was hers. The pain was gone as if the worship of the crowd had healed her. Today was her victory and nothing would take that away from her.


    ¡°Why?¡± a soft, broken voice mumbled.


    She turned around to see a woman she didn¡¯t recognize pierced through by spears, black blood oozing from the impact points. No, that woman was her, but not her. Wait, who was she? What was her name?


    ¡°Why did you take my life from me?¡± The woman choked out, blood dripping from her mouth. ¡°Give it back. Give it back!¡±


    Blood poured from her eyes and nose as she screamed the words, pooling around both of them until the entire arena was flooded.


    ¡°We should leave before we get consumed.¡± A younger voice declared.


    A little girl with green hair and black eyes appeared beside her, floating above the blood, and grabbed her by the hand. The instant they made contact, they were both transported into a world of made of darkness. Floating orbs greeted the smaller girl and floated just beyond reach for herself. It was beautiful in this place.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the younger girl snapped her fingers in front of her. ¡°Stop zoning out. Do you remember yet?¡±


    ¡°Remember what?¡±


    The girl sighed and rolled her eyes. ¡°Just this one time, okay? I¡¯m not giving you any more favors, but going through this again before we even get to the good parts is just a pain in the ass.¡± She plucked an orb from the air and shoved it into the woman¡¯s chest.


    Terra blinked and looked around at the change of surroundings. ¡°What just happened?¡±


    ¡°Figure it out yourself, you¡¯ve got a mess to clean up.¡± Alter said impatiently and shoved Terra backward.


    And this time, when Terra opened her eyes, she was staring through a small pane of glass into what looked like some sort of medical room, but she was more concerned at her own translucent reflection.


    Dark brown eyes stared back in awe and a mess of dark brown hair pointing in all direction dropped down just above her shoulders. From what she could tell from just basic observation, she had somehow switched bodies once again. She¡¯d never been one to stare at herself in the mirror due to the uncomfortableness she felt when a stranger stared back, but this body had different colored hair, eyes, and skin, so she had definitely changed somehow.


    To Terra¡¯s dismay, she felt considerably well-rested considering the torrent of nightmares she¡¯d been fighting for the past month. Every time she fell asleep, it felt as if parts of her were being consumed by the things that lurked in the shadows of her mind, eating away her memories and the things that made her her. As much as she hated to admit it, Alter had been the one that saved her. What did she mean by having a mess to clean up anyway?


    In the confined space she lay she could hear a muffled siren that went off every three seconds. She tried to look down to see if there was any latch near her arm she could push to release her, but she only managed to leave the print of her forehead on the glass in front of her. That act called forth a face she hadn¡¯t seen in a while appearing on the other side of the transparent barrier, whose eyes lit up and excitedly ran away. A few seconds later, Terra heard the hiss of hydraulics as a panel above her rose and shifted to the side, releasing her from her cage. The sound of the blaring siren became more apparent now, coupled with the distant wailing of people. She cautiously took a step out and nearly jumped when Regal grabbed her arm to support her, gently removing the IV in her arm.


    ¡°How¡¯s it feel to be back with the living, Jer?¡± He asked with a smile, his eyes soft with an emotion she didn¡¯t recognize.


    Terra¡¯s own eyes went wide at the realization she¡¯d taken over the body of someone she¡¯d met before. Wait, then what happened to Jer¡¯s consciousness? What would Regal and Brit do if they found out she wasn¡¯t Jer?


    ¡°It¡¯s a little weird I guess,¡± Terra said warily, hoping she wouldn¡¯t do anything out of the ordinary that Jer wouldn¡¯t do. ¡°How long have I been out?¡±


    Regal grabbed her shoulders and wrapped Terra in a hug before she could jump away. He was shaking and the only comfort she could give him was a gentle squeeze back. When he pulled away he quickly wiped away the wetness from his eyes and turned his back to her so she couldn¡¯t see the tears of happiness that he continued to shed.


    ¡°We¡¯re glad you¡¯re back kiddo,¡± Brit spoke, a smile parting his typically grim exterior.


    Terra felt her stomach turn as she received a hero¡¯s welcome in the place of Jer. There was no mask around, therefore no transfer of her consciousness, so why was this happening? Did Alter have something to do with this?


    A deep roar shuttered the walls around them, bringing Terra back to her senses.


    ¡°What was that?¡± she cried.


    ¡°Looks like the UC didn¡¯t account for a monster showing up within their walls,¡± Brit spoke, grabbing a pack and throwing it to Regal, then grabbing two much larger packs and slinging them over his shoulders. ¡°We¡¯re getting out of here now. Have you got the location on the girl?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Regal replied, grabbing his screen from the table. ¡°Cameras lost sight of her when she went into the fridge. I¡¯ve lost the feed in the kitchen, but still have one eye in the cafeteria and two in the hallway. There¡¯s a chance she¡¯s alive even if the monster¡¯s there, but it¡¯s slim.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°We just need her body to get our fee. Any way we can sneak in undetected into the kitchen?¡± Brit made sure his boots were tied and his under-armor were snuggly in place.


    ¡°Not unless you want to get mauled. I hate to say this, but we have to bet on the UC winning this fight.¡± Regal sighed, drawing out his own gun and strapping it to his thigh holster, already knowing Brit¡¯s response would be.


    ¡°That¡¯s a chance we¡¯re not taking. Jer put these on.¡± Brit ordered, placing a set of armored clothing on the table along with a firearm. Terra quickly did as she was told and changed, though Regal turned bright red and muttered curses while Brit wasn¡¯t even paying attention. She hesitated when she grabbed the gun and holstered it, hoping she wouldn¡¯t actually have to use it. ¡°I wish we could have waited a few more days so you could adjust to this entire situation and explain where we are, but our deadline has been pushed up. I¡¯m not going to force you to come with us since you just woke up, but if you want to continue being part of the team you have no choice.¡±


    His words hung stagnant in the air, tension rising every second she didn¡¯t answer. She saw Regal¡¯s face drop when she didn¡¯t give an immediate response, but she needed to take a second and think about what was going on. Firstly, there was no way she could let the two know that she wasn¡¯t Jer since she didn¡¯t know how they¡¯d react. With that in play, she had no clue what Jer acted like or what they knew since she¡¯d only met them in passing over a month ago. Plus, she¡¯d been certain Jer had been a male before, so the fact she was currently female was another mystery only the real Jer could solve.


    Then again, if she stayed behind she¡¯d probably have to deal with the Colonel and get assigned in the kitchen again, and she didn¡¯t think she could handle that torture, both physically and mentally. Plus, what if the nightmares came back? She shivered at the idea of living through another day in that arena. Facing that monster over and over again, the bloodied woman, forgetting who she was until something snapped her out of her sleep--she couldn¡¯t go through it again. She nodded at Brit, sealing her fate.


    Regal jumped in, holding his screen out for her to see.


    ¡°Target is in this blind spot. That¡¯s the thing we have to subdue with force.¡± He pointed at a monster Terra was very familiar with. It was currently engaged in a very one-sided fight with multiple people, leaving a bloodied mess in its wake. Her stomach churned when she saw a person get decapitated. She opened her mouth to tell them bullets wouldn¡¯t hurt it but remembered Jer wouldn¡¯t know that fact, so she quickly disguised it as a yawn. Where the hell was her crystal? After all the training she¡¯d done to get better control of them they were nowhere to be seen. Terra mentally summoned them with no avail. Just her luck.


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry your supplies. Just stay behind us and remember your training.¡± Brit said as he led the way, exiting the medical bay and into the training room hall, parting the crowds with very little effort, only be stopping when the Colonel jumped in front of him.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± He snidely cut in.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± Brit calmly stated, though anyone with a brain could hear the threats it carried.


    ¡°The monster is still loose up there, you¡¯re only rushing into your deaths. The Elites are up there dealing with it.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, we¡¯re leaving.¡± The force in Brit¡¯s voice actually caused the Colonel to step back, though he quickly straightened up to meet eye-to-eye with the other man.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you think I am, but I am not one to be trifled with!¡± The Colonel yelled, spittle flying from his mouth. ¡°Whatever deal you¡¯ve got with the Elders doesn¡¯t apply in this situation. You WILL NOT leave this place!¡±


    Nobody was surprised when Brit¡¯s fist bore its full force on the other man¡¯s jaw, leaving him sprawled and unconscious on the ground. Terra couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile as her tormentor was brought to swift justice. Brit wordlessly stepped over the body and headed to the elevator. Terra wasn¡¯t as classy and flipped the unconscious man off, inciting a snort from Regal.


    As they approached, the stench of death wafted toward them and Terra was astonished that she hadn¡¯t noticed it earlier. Its pungent stench was suffocating, overwhelming every other one of her senses. Her empty stomach churned as her eyes burned and watered. She tried breathing through her mouth, but the taste of blood clung to the air and she gagged. Both the men in front of her were going through the same experience, yet they seemed composed, stepping on corpses in order to stand in the elevator. She tried her best to seem unfazed but still flinched when she heard a rib crack under her boot and heard the squish as she slipped on someone¡¯s internal organs. How could anyone not flinch at this?


    ¡°Monster¡¯s still in the cafeteria. These are the Elites,¡± Regal spoke, pointing to four different locations on the screen. ¡°They apparently hold weapons that can kill the creature, but we need to trap the thing first, which is why we needed these guns first,¡± pointing at locations in the dining hall where more bodies lay. ¡°I saw one of the teams lay down the magnet traps, but the team that was supposed to tag the thing died. Get the guns, tag the monster, and the mag-traps automatically activate. Then we¡¯ll have time to grab the Elites¡¯ weapons and kill the thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll distract it. Regal, you grab the gun to the south, Jer, the one nearest the door. Tag it and run. Priority one is eyes on the girl. We don¡¯t know if those weapons the Elites had actually work, so let¡¯s not depend on them considering they¡¯re all dead.¡± ordered Brit, drawing his weapon.


    The elevator lurched to a halt, Terra amazed it could even function with missing doors and a clawed up interior. And the pile of bodies weighing it down. Looking down the hallway there was a vast amount of debris, the remains of the elevator doors, and too many bodies to count, but no sign of the beast.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t hear us, it¡¯s hunched over a body in the cafeteria,¡± Regal whispered, shoving his screen into his pocket and unholstering his gun.


    Terra did the same but kept her finger off the trigger. The cool metal felt heavy and uncomfortable in her hands; she wanted her crystals back. She tried calling for them again in the hopes they would magically appear when she needed them most.


    Brit and Regal stealthily maneuvered through the obstacles in the hallway and Terra did her best to imitate them. The older man pulled a cylindrical canister from his belt, motioning for the other two to cover their ears. He pulled a pin out and two seconds later Terra saw a bright light emanate from the doorway and smoke filled the room.


    Regal rushed in, Terra close behind, while Brit shot at the silhouette of the monster, turning its attention to him. Terra parted from Regal, trying her best to remember where he¡¯d pointed out the mag-gun would be. She saw the dark figurines of bodies near her, bile rising to her throat when she saw they were all missing at least one limb. There was no way she¡¯d be searching through those bodies to find a gun.


    She followed along the wall, the smoke clearing the farther she went into the room, pausing when she heard a break in the sound of gunfire. An explosion ripped the wall directly behind her, its force blasting her a few feet, landing painfully but uninjured on the body of a stranger. Terra propelled herself to the side just as the monster jumped through the gap in the wall. Its eyes locked onto her, locating its next target.


    Sprinting forward to get away, she didn¡¯t notice the body sprawled out on the floor, her foot catching on its side. She turned to see how much time she had before the beast got to her, but was instead distracted by the identity of the body she¡¯d tripped over. Her heart stopped beating when she saw Eimose¡¯s eyes halfway open and unmoving, permanently staring at the ceiling. His chest was still, several deep wounds etched in his chest, dark blood pooled around his body. The crystallized arm was cracked in several places, looking on the verge of crumbling apart. Terra¡¯s body froze as she failed to process what she was seeing.


    Regal¡¯s body tackled Terra¡¯s, knocking her out of the way just as a claw ripped apart the ground where¡¯d she¡¯d crumpled.


    ¡°Get it together!¡± He screamed, dragging her to her feet and pulling her away. ¡°The mag-traps didn¡¯t work. Brit¡¯s hurt but alive, so now I¡¯m the distraction. Get one of those crystals and kill that thing before we all turn out like Eimose!¡± Regal opened fire on the creature, running away from Terra and back into the cloud of smoke.


    From the back of the cafeteria, near the kitchen, a frantic rattling stopped and something whistled through the air toward Terra. She lifted her hand into the air, wincing when a solid object flew into her palm, knowing immediately that her crystals had returned to their rightful owner.


    It was little comfort having the weight of something familiar in her hand, but that solid mineral touch seemed to be the thing that kept her from falling to her knees and sobbing. Her brain was still struggling to process the gruesome scene and no part of her wanted to look up and witness Eimose¡¯s broken body lying crumpled on the floor again. The world around her went silent as waves of emotions crushed her under their weight and she struggled to breathe. She was drowning, but this time Eimose wasn¡¯t there to keep her sane.


    When the creature let out a triumphant cry, something inside her snapped. She turned her crystal into a sickle and chain, flinging them at the origin of the sound. The weapon stuck tight on the monster¡¯s back, a satisfying scream of pain erupting as the beast turned its attention to its tormentor. Terra could make out the silhouette of the lumbering creature charging at her through the smoke and ran straight at it, pulling on the chain at the last minute to jump over its open jaws and fling herself onto its back. She formed two swords connected by chains in her hands and jabbed them into the back of the monster¡¯s neck, using her weight to drag them down and effectively slice through half its neck. She jumped out of the way as the monster slipped in its own dark blood and fell clumsily to the ground. Before it could get back up, Terra sliced through the remaining neck muscles and killed the creature. And then she stood there, waiting for something remarkable to happen. For something to prove all the casualties were worth it. Nothing did.


    She¡¯d done it, she¡¯d killed the monster. But accomplishment was not the feeling she was consumed with when she stared down at the bleeding creature at her feet. Her eyes made their way to Eimose¡¯s body, and without realizing it, her feet as well. And then she found herself kneeling at his side, her jumper slick with his blood.


    Since Indo and Petri¡¯s death, she¡¯d wanted nothing to do with this man. Every time he¡¯d look at her he¡¯d bear the weight of guilt and responsibility in his eyes, so she knew that he fully understood that only his death would recompense for the pain he¡¯d caused her. So why was she one hurting?


    Tears rolled down her cheeks and she made no effort to stop them. She didn¡¯t understand why Eimose could be causing her so much pain when they weren¡¯t even friends. Or had they been and she¡¯d been too stubborn to realize it? With a shaking hand, she closed his eyes so they wouldn¡¯t promise her hope of him returning. She blinked away tears and stared down at the crystal in her hand. What was the point in having this thing if she couldn¡¯t stop people from dying?


    ¡°Wow, you really did a number on--oh. Uh, oh. Are you okay?¡± Regal approached her, trying not to slip on the vast amount of blood on the floor. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you two were close?¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond, only shoving her crystal into her pocket and standing up to get away from Eimose¡¯s body.


    ¡°A--lright. Brit¡¯s all bandaged up and cleaning up some stuff that spilled from the pack. He¡¯d used his bag as a shield and got ripped open. You search for the girl¡¯s body yet?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t summon the energy to shake her head, salty emotions continuing to drip down her face. Regal sighed and grabbed some rags from his pack and shoved them into Terra¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Clean yourself up, I¡¯m going to see where the body is.¡±


    Terra heard his light footsteps patter past her. Her feet somehow dragged her into the hallway without her knowing, where she saw Brit hastily picking up discarded belongings. Blood soaked through bandages on his side, though it looked shallow enough for him to be moving around without much pain.


    ¡°Looks like you finally cleaned up your mess,¡± Alter spoke. Terra numbly looked up and saw the girl with a coy smile floating above her. ¡°See what happens when you forcibly take over a body? Anyway, I¡¯ve got something that might help you, but there¡¯s a price.¡±


    She stared at Alter with hollow eyes.


    ¡°Wow, real energetic response. I guess you don¡¯t want Eimose back.¡±


    Terra gasped, her consciousness rushing back in a snap. ¡°What do I need to do?¡± She frantically whispered so Brit couldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°It¡¯s less of what you need to do and more what you need to pay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay whatever! How do you bring him back?¡±


    Alter¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°Okay, your words not mine. Check under that block of concrete and you¡¯ll find what you need. You¡¯ll know what to do with it when you see it. Be warned, the price will be paid the instant you use it.¡±


    Terra dove to the block, lifting it with a strength she didn¡¯t know she had. There, hidden under rubble and a thin coat of dust, was the wish she didn¡¯t know she¡¯d had, the chance she¡¯d long forgotten--the clear crystal.


    She cradled the object in her palms, using the rags in her hands to made the crystal shine. Truth be told, she didn¡¯t know how to use it, but she knew what she desired.


    The cool exterior of the crystals turned warm in her hands as colors she couldn¡¯t describe flowed on the clear surface. Time stood still as the crystal erupted in a mass of brilliant lights. And when Terra opened her eyes, the crystal was gone.

 Chapter 76: The GreenHouse Effect

    Birds chirped their melodies and the breeze carried their tune through the meadow. Insects shuffled silently through the clovers and grass, dancing to their own songs. Two suns hung unmoving in the sky as if to indicate that they, too, would like the day to carry on forever.


    Two figures sat on the edge of a hill that overlooked the fields of lavender and poppy; the man was in a deep sleep, the woman cradling his head in her lap. She gently stroked his hair, knowing that any second he would wake up, and when he did he would return to the place that sent him here. He¡¯d return to the pain while she would be left behind in the peace, counting down the days until he returned. This would be the only time she¡¯d see him while he was still innocent of the future. As if on cue, his body shuddered as he came to.


    When Eimose opened his eyes he was shocked to see the woman staring down at him. Her eyes seemed to disappear into the sky and her skin glowed with sunlight. Her dark green hair draped around his vision so he could only focus on her and the light smile that played on her lips. His pulse quickened as he caught himself entranced, the rational part of his brain struggling to catch up.


    ¡°Who--Who are you?¡± He choked out. ¡°Wait, how am I alive?¡±


    He bolted up and quickly examined himself, nearly jumping for joy when he saw that his left arm had returned to its normal size and color. His chest wasn¡¯t shredded into ribbons either, which should have been the first thing he noticed. And that was also the point when he realized he most certainly wasn¡¯t in that underground bunker anymore. His jaw hung open and all he could do was stand there and try to process what the hell was going on.


    ¡°The view is pretty breathtaking,¡± The woman spoke up. ¡°And to be honest, you¡¯re not really alive anymore.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°I think you know what that means.¡±


    ¡°So...is this nirvana?¡±


    She snorted with laughter.


    ¡°Most definitely not. There¡¯s no way either of us could make it there.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in the underworld then.¡±


    ¡°Not that either.¡±


    ¡°So where exactly am I if I¡¯m dead?¡± He shouted in annoyance.


    The woman turned to face the fields ahead, her dress swaying softly in the breeze. Although Eimose admitted that he demanded answers, he didn¡¯t mind gazing at her for a few more minutes. She looked no older than him, but there was an air around her that told him she¡¯d seen things meant to be forgotten.


    ¡°You can call this place Padova just for the sake of giving things names. It was given to me as an exchange weighed in someone else''s favor. But that¡¯s old news and there¡¯s no use in looking back if you¡¯re trying to move forward.¡± She turned to him and gave him a playful smile. ¡°And since I know your future, I¡¯m going to tell you what to do next.¡±


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    71K 27N.E.


    Spec2 is asking more questions than I have answers to, but I suppose that¡¯s a good thing. Her learning capacity is remarkable and she¡¯s already gotten a basic understanding of how to communicate but she struggles with technical terms.


    She¡¯s starting to ask why her skin is darker than all the other people in this compound, but that would mean telling her that outside this weird boundary there¡¯s very little sun and then probably going into the full-blown history of why that came to be. At this point, have no idea what to believe.


    I just now remembered that there should be at least one more clone of the girl in the crystals. Or maybe two? Fuck, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if GreenHouse made ten more copies just as a backup. I wonder if any of them also got a janitor as a tutor.


    Totally switching gears, we¡¯ve been discovering a ridiculous amount of new species of plants and insects, too many. I understand that this region is still very new, but it should not have the ability to naturally evolve so quickly that we find five or six new varieties of flora every time we go out. The scientists here definitely have something to do with it but I have no way of finding out.


    On a brighter note, I was just granted clearance to leave the compound whenever I want so I don¡¯t have to keep filling out those freaking forms. I¡¯m planning on seeing the night sky tonight for the first time.


    Tomorrow I will petition to Doctor Jamir to let the girl remain out of her stasis tube when lessons are over. I¡¯ve been trying to make them as long as possible so she can at least see the sunset, but I can only stretch out my teaching so much. This marks the thirteenth time I¡¯ll be petitioning but I doubt he¡¯ll say yes this time around. It did take a month of me constantly filling out those forms to finally go in and out whenever I want, and this is no different. I just want to give Spec2 the chance to feel normal.


    I wonder if she dreams when she¡¯s put into her stasis tube.


    Aside from that, I think the scientists might stop hating us now that I¡¯ve got my own access. I mean, what else were we supposed to do when we were stuck inside besides switch the salt and sugar or jump out and scare them when they rounded a corner? The girl is five years old, she needs to have some fun.  Hell, I need to have some fun. To be honest, I think Spec2 might be the only person here I can stand being around at this point. Everyone¡¯s favorite thing to do here is look down at me or tell me no. They should all take a page from Spec2¡¯s book and run around barefoot once in a while. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Also, I need to find out if eating dirt will kill a person. I don¡¯t really care for it, but Spec2 eats it by the handful. On another side note, I haven¡¯t seen her go to the bathroom, so I have to find out what¡¯s up with that. Is she just really constipated or does she not need to go at all? Small children can¡¯t die from not pooping, can they?


    Alright, so tomorrow I have to petition to Doctor Jamir and make sure Spec2 won¡¯t suddenly explode from obstructed bowels.


    Pater tapped his pen against his lips, wondering if he had anything else to write in his journal. He glossed over what he¡¯d written, shrugged, then shut it and stuck it under his mattress. His stomach growled in contempt, a reminder that he¡¯d forgotten to eat all day since he¡¯d been busy teaching Spec2 about the different colors of the visible light spectrum and how light worked, though they mostly ended up coloring pictures of plants and extinct animals rather than get into the full logistics of light.


    Too lazy to cook he decided on hitting the communal kitchen. As he left his room and approached the break area, his footsteps tapping lightly on the brown concrete ground, imperceivable to anyone not listening closely. Soon the indistinct mumblings ricochet down the corridor to his ears, revealing that scientists were having an in-depth conversation in the break area ahead of him. He debated turning around and finding another one but his stomach protested loudly and urged him forward.


    ¡°Just spit it out, it¡¯s not like we don¡¯t know how to keep secrets,¡± A male voice said loudly.


    Pater stopped in his tracks. Why would people talk about secrets at full volume? He thought about doubling back to give these people privacy, but this time it was his curiosity and not his stomach that kept him in place.


    ¡°Come on. Come on,¡± The male whined. ¡°Tell me. Come on.¡±


    ¡°Fine, just shut up.¡± An annoyed female voice relented. ¡°You remember that project I talked to you about two weeks ago?¡±


    ¡°The one about the super-something fusion?¡±


    ¡°Superfluid fission,¡± she corrected. ¡°So, in theory, it would work, but it obviously doesn¡¯t because we don¡¯t have the labs to collapse a star. Well, apparently one of the other Headquarter labs used my research and have a working model.¡±


    ¡°Okay, pretend I¡¯m five and explain why you need a collapsed star.¡±


    The woman sighed exasperatedly. ¡°Superfluid gets created when a star collapses into a neutron star. The gravity exerted on the particles actually makes the electrons and protons smash together to create neutrons, hence the name. What I hypothesized was that we could reverse those effects by placing it in extreme negative pressure in an anti-gravity vacuum so the electrons and protons would unbind, creating unlimited quantities of energy.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Is that really how you¡¯d explain it to a five-year-old?¡± The man chortled. ¡°But seriously, that would totally work, so why aren¡¯t we already doing it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s doable but only if you¡¯ve got a collapsed sun in your back pocket that hasn¡¯t already become a black hole.¡±


    ¡°Aw, damn, just gave mine away last week,¡± he joked. ¡°Wait, but another lab got it to work? How?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know all the details, but they must have access to some sort of new equipment I don¡¯t have.¡± Pater could tell by the sound of metal clinking against plastic the woman was getting agitated. ¡°Testing¡¯s only been going for about a week but the reports are saying the output is thousands of times greater than the input.¡±


    ¡°You and your team are getting credit though, right?¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know--you know how Greenhouse is with their breakthroughs,¡± she sighed.


    ¡°You know what, screw them. You should be proud you were the one who made this happen. In ten years we¡¯ll be running safe, superfluid fusion reactors and it¡¯ll all be because of you.¡±


    ¡°Fission,¡± the female corrected again, this time a smile lilting her voice. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn to tell me something.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, let me think,¡¯ stated the man, humming while he thought.


    ¡°What about that Spec2?¡± The woman offered.


    Pater¡¯s heart just about stopped beating.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve pretty much told you everything about her. Oooh, but we¡¯re going to start radioactive testing on her tomorrow, so that¡¯ll be interesting.¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have anything radioactive at this place so what¡¯s the point?¡±


    ¡°Well, depending on the girl¡¯s reaction to levels of toxic matter this could really benefit all of us in the future. I mean, she lives off a diet of sunlight, sugar, and water and can digest anything else like a normal human being. Her waste is fertilizer that increases plant growth speeds. She heals faster than us. She releases oxygen instead of CO2. If she¡¯s impervious to the toxic wastelands, that could mean her DNA holds the key to solving our crisis. In scientific terms, she¡¯s a fucking miracle.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re planning on changing our DNA?¡± The female asked in awe. ¡°Is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but our trials have killed all of the lab rats so far, so it¡¯s far from perfect. The easiest way to get a generation of humans like her is to literally create clones of her and send them out to screw everyone in sight. We wouldn¡¯t actually see any effects of that new generation for millennia, and we need a solution now. I¡¯m open to ideas if you have any.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even know where to start. I get mechanics, not biology. If we¡¯re talking about nanobots that could target specific signatures of DNA that control the respiratory system--¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± The man exclaimed, nearly causing Pater to leap back. ¡°Can you make bots that can change a persona¡¯s DNA to match hers?¡±


    ¡°I mean, maybe. There¡¯s a huge possibility we¡¯ll be creating tumors rather than changing DNA so I¡¯ll have to check with my team first before I agree to this project.¡±


    ¡°Gods, I can¡¯t believe it took me this long to ask your opinion. You, my dear, are a life-saver, literally.¡±


    Pater heard them shuffling around and assumed that they were getting up to get back to their labs, meaning they would see him eavesdropping. Could he quietly get back twenty feet and pretend he was just now waking up? Should he walk in now and feign oblivion? Should he just turn around and calmly walk back to his room and pretend he never stopped by the break room in the first place? His feet chose for him as he casually strolled into the room, giving the two a polite smile as he opened the fridge to check its contents. The scientists paid him no bother and he could hear them continue their conversation about the ways they could approach their theory. It paid to be invisible.


    His stomach turned when he realized how many tests those people had been running on an unconscious child; no wonder the Doctor kept denying his request to let her remain out of her stasis tube for a night. The appetite that had driven him to this area didn¡¯t seem as important as what he¡¯d overheard. But what could a tutor do in the face of an entity that could kill him where he stood if they so wished? Nothing. Nothing but make Spec2¡¯s waking moments something to live for.


    When he got back to his dorm he opened up his journal and crossed out his tasks for tomorrow having discovered the answers to his inquiries.


    That night he slept under the open sky, the arm of Andromeda reaching across the sky toward the stars it could not grasp. If only the girl could do the same.

 Chapter 77: Collecting Dues

    Terra¡¯s chest heaved as she struggled under the weight of Eimose¡¯s body. Although he was breathing and his heart was pumping, he wouldn¡¯t wake up no matter how many times she slapped him. He was much heavier than her, so these past few blocks trudging through the sand that coated the roads of Onto felt like miles. Regal and Brit were having to slow their pace to accommodate her and she could swear she could hear the buildings around her laugh at her weakness.


    ¡°Just put him down, he¡¯s useless at this point.¡± Regal spat. ¡°Why are you so attached to him.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t help but shrink at the anger carried in his voice. Terra didn¡¯t know enough about Jer to make up an excuse as to why she was carrying Eimose and was too afraid of being discovered for who she was to fabricate one. If they didn¡¯t already suspect something was amiss when she forgot to put a respirator on before they left the underground bunker.


    Brit donned his skull respirator once again, recovered from Eimose¡¯s bag. Terra was shocked to see Niemann''s robotic head stuff inside Regal¡¯s pack, curious as to why Regal and Brit had taken it with them as it served to no purpose without a power source. Or a body. A handful of green vials had been stored in her own pack along with a screen, water, an extra respirator (Eimose had on Brit¡¯s extra), a pair of odd-looking goggles, several ration bars, an extra charger for her pistol, a knife and her black crystals.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering me!¡± Regal stepped in front of Terra and shoved her back, almost making her drop Eimose.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± she yelled once she¡¯d regained her footing. ¡°What¡¯s your problem with me bringing him?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s my problem? WHAT¡¯S MY PROBLEM? My PROBLEM is that you just woke up, killed a giant fucking monster, and then suddenly decided that out of the goodness of your heart you¡¯re going to carry a brain-dead bastard with us! I¡¯ve been trying my best to keep my shit together, but not once have you mentioned ANYTHING about what happened at that freaky blue sky place and why THE FUCK YOU¡¯RE FEMALE NOW.¡±


    Regal was panting heavily and his face was red by the time he finished his rant, leaving Terra dazed and out of answers. She had no idea why Jer had suddenly changed sexes nor any clue how to make something up. All Terra could do was open and close her mouth as she fought for anything as a response.


    ¡°Boys, save this argument for later. It looks like there¡¯s going to be rain,¡± Brit called out from up ahead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking talk to me until you decide to tell me what¡¯s going on,¡± spat Regal and then turned and jogged to Brit¡¯s side.


    The two picked up their pace, leaving Terra behind literally in the dust. She had been silently hoping Brit would take Eimose off her shoulders but it seemed like the man was also against her dragging him along. Refusing to back down, Terra hoisted Eimose up higher on her back and continued trudging down the road.


    A rumble from the sky above her startled her and she noticed the sky was much darker than its usual redness. The ground was cast in maroon shadows that only seemed to grow larger as the rumbling continued. Then the first raindrop fell near her.


    She couldn¡¯t remember the last time she saw rain. Terra had witnessed the white bliss of snowfall and the sludge that followed shortly after, but not rain. When she looked up she could see the occasional streak of a droplet of pale water fall against the backdrop of opaque sky. It was actually quite pretty.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you!¡± Regal screamed as he pulled her arm toward a decrepit building, breaking her out of her peace.


    Terra opened her mouth to answer but just as she did, a droplet of water fell on the exposed skin of her wrist. It took her a second to process the sensation in her hand since a burning sensation wasn¡¯t what she was expecting. She yelped in pain and surprise, letting Regal drag her to the safety of the interior of a tall building. Just as she stepped foot under shelter the dark heavens unleashed their payload onto the arid ground below.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to move up a few stories to avoid any flooding. The ground isn¡¯t made to soak up this much water. The last thing we need right now is to be standing in a pool of acid.¡± Brit announced, heading to the stairs.


    Regal shot Terra a dirty look but shut his mouth, turning on his heels and leaving her behind once again. She stuck out her tongue out of spite since she couldn¡¯t flip him off with her hands full, not that he noticed. Her back soaked in sweat and limbs shaking she spotted a bench on the far wall, collapsing in it after attempting to gently let the unconscious Eimose slide off her back. Terra was 85% sure he had a concussion now.


    Glancing around she saw that the building¡¯s interior was in astonishingly good condition as opposed to its exterior. She sat in what she presumed to be a waiting room since there were benches attached to the perimeter of the walls. There were bolts sticking out of the ground where tables would have been, and a strange abstract statue in the center surrounded by a short concrete wall, making her believe it used to be a fountain. A receptionist¡¯s desk sat at the back center of the floor, sandwiched between two elevators, the set of stairs near the right one.


    She closed her eyes and tried to picture what it was like in its prime; people with places to be quickly hustling to get through the doors, the polite greetings by the front desk, people patiently sitting on the benches while they wait. So what changed? It seemed like ages ago that she had been deeply involved in the business of Indo and Petri and GreenHouse, but now it all seemed like a moot point. What exactly was she trying to achieve?


    Her current mission was to follow Regal and Brit until Eimose woke up, but then what? She was still stuck in Jer¡¯s body. She was still stuck in this red world where, apparently, rain stung. Granted, she wasn¡¯t stuck in that underground bunker where her dreams made her forget who she was, but now she was just without a purpose.


    Still unsure of what to do, she focused on her only objective at the moment and hoisted Eimose back onto her back after a bit of a struggle. The stairs proved challenging as with each step the man on her back only grew heavier. By the time she made it to the second story, she was already drenched in sweat. A burst of yellow lightning crashed through the sky, its clap of thunder making Terra drop Eimose to the ground. Now she was 100% certain he had a concussion.


    A steady rumbling rose from the heavens and rain beat down at the windows still intact. The flash had illuminated the room, revealing that the area used to belong to people that worked in small, clustered areas despite a large amount of open space on the level. Regal and Brit weren¡¯t there, meaning she had to go up at least another floor. Since Eimose was already on the ground, she sat down and took another breather, relishing in the dropping temperature and its soothing touch on her hot skin. She must have dozed off for a few minutes because she awoke to see Regal and Brit a few feet from her and had set up some sort of semi-spherical object that glowed slightly and let out a soft warmth.


    She glanced at Regal¡¯s direction as she pushed Eimose closer to the orb of heat as the temperature had dropped considerably, noticing that he made no movement to so much as acknowledging her presence. Brit, on the other hand, looked relieved when she woke up and handed her a protein pack.


    ¡°Eat up, it¡¯s been a long day. It was a lot to ask right after coming out of a coma.¡± Brit emphasized, saying the last few words a little louder while staring at Regal. Regal just shot him a dirty glare and turned away. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡±


    Terra nodded and bit down on the bar, an excuse to not speak.


    ¡°Because you have been acting...off,¡± Brit admitted and Terra choked.


    ¡°Really?¡± she coughed. ¡°My bad. It¡¯s all just been a little overwhelming?¡±


    ¡°Understandable. But I do believe it is time for you to explain to Regal what happened to you back in that place.¡±


    Regal¡¯s head whipped around.


    ¡°About fucking time!¡± he screamed and he scooted closer as to not miss a word.


    Terra¡¯s mind went blank as the expectant stares of the two men bored down on her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not ready yet!¡± she blurted out.


    ¡°Fuck that shi--!¡± Regal started, but Brit cut him off.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not ready to tell him, then give me permission to tell him. You can¡¯t keep him in the dark forever.¡± The older man stated. Terra nodded vigorously; Brit was a godsend. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°I met Jer a year before you became part of my crew Reg, but this Jer was female. And ¡®met¡¯ is too strong a word, in this case, I literally tripped over Jer when I was scavenging for another group. Thought she was dead at first but against my better judgment, I dragged her ass to my camp and took care of her for two days before she woke up.


    ¡°Jer told me she came from a civilization raised on the teachings of a priestess and the worship of a goddess and that she had to run away because she¡¯d stolen a sacred item. Thing is, I didn¡¯t see anything around her when I¡¯d found her, so I just assumed she¡¯d hit her head and had gone insane. Well, she somehow managed to convince me that it would be worth a lot of money, so fast forward a day and we find her item near the area I¡¯d found her, which ended up being just a weird black rock. And then she literally stabbed herself with it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really explain what I saw next, but there was a lot of screaming from both of us, and then Jer wasn¡¯t female any more. I promised to keep it a secret mostly because nobody would ever believe me and that Jer had promised to make up for tricking me. After all these years I thought maybe I¡¯d just hallucinated it, but I knew my eyes had proved me right when I saw that place with the blue sky and Jer reverted to female. Whatever that black thing in the sky was, it took back the ¡®gift¡¯ Jer had gotten and almost killed them in the process.¡± Brit clasped his hand together. ¡°And that¡¯s all I¡¯ve got. Jer, anything to add?¡±


    ¡°Um, no. You summed it up really nicely. Uh, good job.¡± Terra gave him a thumbs up, which caused Brit to furrow his brow. Did Jer not give people thumbs up?


    ¡°So you knew about this all this time and didn''t tell me?¡± Regal asked Brit in dismay. ¡°And here I thought there would be no more secrets between us.¡±


    ¡°This wasn''t mine to tell,¡± said Brit. ¡°I knew Jer would tell you when they were ready.¡±


    ¡°But in the end, Jer still hasn''t told me anything. Anything else you haven''t told me about?¡± hissed Regal. ¡°Or are you going to let Brit spill all your secrets so you don''t have to?¡±


    Terra''s gut twisted as she realized she''d taken another crucial moment from the true Jer. Her lip quivered since she knew she couldn''t keep up the facade for any longer. What had only been a day in someone else''s body felt like an eternity of lies she couldn''t control.


    ¡°I--I¡¯m,¡± she began, ¡°I''m not act--¡±


    The building suddenly quaked and she had to jump out of the way to avoid getting hit by a chunk of ceiling debris. Brit had already pulled out his pistols and Regal shoved the glowing heat generator into his pack.


    ¡°We''re moving,¡± Brit ordered. ¡°Let¡¯s not find out who was responsible for that.¡±


    Terra awkwardly hosted Eimose on her back and followed Brit into the stairwell, Regal trailing close behind with his weapon drawn. She could hear the echoes of shouts and footsteps bouncing off the walls from the first floor.


    The older man motioned for the others to remain where they were as he silently crept down the stairs. Brit muttered quiet curses when he stealthily peaked through the doorway into the reception area.


    ¡°Fifteen total. Ten humans heavily armed, five Combatants. We need to find another way.¡± he whispered as he turned and shoved past Terra, going back to the floor they had been on.


    Regal and Brit wordlessly ran ahead and split up, leaving Terra wondering what she should do. She thought about heading back down and single-handedly fighting of the people stopping them from their escape, but that would mean putting Eimose down. Call it paranoia, but she was certain Regal would or a bullet in Eimose''s head if she wasn''t keeping a constant eye on him.


    Brit and Regal returned from their scouting mission, their expressions grim.


    ¡°GreenHouse,¡± Brit announced. ¡°Reg, find anything that can shield us from the rain. Jer, drop Eimose here and get ready to fight. There¡¯s a spot in the Southeast corner of the building we can hop down without them noticing.¡±


    They left again and Terra wondered if she could get away with disobeying Brit¡¯s orders. Probably not, but if it came down to fighting these two people to keep the only person she could relate to, then so be it. With GreenHouse in the mix now she doubted they would focus too much of their attention on her. She ran through the cubicles and circled the area until she found where Brit had found the gap in GreenHouse forces.


    ¡°Jer, you need to let him go. They¡¯re tracking him and he¡¯s slowing you down.¡±


    Terra opened her mouth to protest, but he had a point. Even if they did get away from the building, if GreenHouse was tracking Eimose somehow then they would easily find him again. But how? And if they could track him all this time, why now? Why hadn¡¯t GreenHouse come to get him back when he¡¯d first been kidnapped? It made no sense. If it wasn¡¯t him they were tracking then GreenHouse would still find a way to trace them, and abandoning Eimose wasn¡¯t an option. That¡¯s when she recalled that she lived in an age of technology.


    ¡°Do you have an EMP?¡± she asked excitedly.


    Brit caught on immediately and dug around in his pack until he drew a flat cylindrical object.


    ¡°It takes half an hour to charge and we only have one,¡± he explained. ¡°We¡¯ll get the most use out of it if we use it when we get to ground level. We¡¯ll knock out the radios of the agents below and disable any trackers near us. Smart thinking, Jer.¡±


    Terra proudly puffed her chest but immediately regretted it since it put her off balance and she nearly fell backward if not for Brit grabbing onto Eimose¡¯s hair and pulling.


    ¡°Why are you going through such desperate lengths to protect this one?¡± Brit asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡±


    ¡°When we¡¯re safe again you¡¯ll need to enlighten us. And apologize to Regal, okay?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Terra said, aghast. ¡°Why the hell would I do that? He¡¯s been nothing but an asshole to me.¡±


    Brit chuckled but quickly regained his composure. ¡°It¡¯s not fair to Regal that you kept your secret from him for so long. He became your brother, but then you suddenly became a girl and now he doesn¡¯t know how to act around you.¡±


    ¡°If he treated me like a brother before, then just treat me like a sister, it¡¯s not that hard.¡±


    ¡°You know he can¡¯t do that,¡± his eyes narrowed. ¡°Not after what happened with his biological sister. You know this.¡±


    Regal cleared his throat just as Terra was trying to process the fact Regal had an actual sister.


    ¡°So this is what you do when I¡¯m not around? Talk about me behind my back?¡± His tone was light but his words were heavy. ¡°I found some large pieces of glass that can work as umbrellas. Not big enough to sleep under, but I hope we don¡¯t plan on staying out too long.¡±


    The sound of footsteps clomping up the stairs alerted them to their diminishing time frame.


    ¡°Now or never,¡± Brit said and he cracked the butt of his gun into the glass just as an arc of lightning crashed through the sky.


    With his gun in one hand and the EMP carefully latched onto his belt, he jumped off the building. Terra peered over the edge of the building face and saw that Brit had landed safely in a dumpster but she could tell he was biting back the pain the fall and the rain was causing him. Regal went next, first dangling by the edge to hand Brit the pane of glass without it shattering, then dropping down as well. Terra dropped Eimose down first and was glad to see that Brit helped her guide him down and then jumped in after.


    It seemed that they weren¡¯t as silent as they¡¯d hoped since several GreenHouse patrollers headed in their direction, mumbling about hearing strange things. Brit using that time to hit the EMP, which none of them were alerted to, though they did complain about their radios acting up.


    Without a word, they all managed to get out of the dumpster with minimal noise and minimal exposure to the rain that left red welts on their skin. Brit pointed to the building closest to them, one that was shorter and wider, giving them more space to run free of being seen by the assailants hunting them down. Brit sprinted ahead, leading the way across the muddy street, Terra and Eimose following close behind, and Regal flanking them. They all let out audible sighs of relief when they made it to the far side of the building where they couldn¡¯t see any more GreenHouse agents.


    ¡°Regal, are there any sewer lines near here?¡± Brit asked, his volume still low.


    ¡°Don¡¯t remember, give me a sec.¡± he pulled out his pack and brought out his screen, pulling up the map of old Onto. ¡°Down that road, there should be a grate we could use.¡± Brit followed Regal¡¯s finger to see where he was pointing while Terra absorbed her surroundings.


    The buildings were large and shoved close together, much like the cubicles in the office building. Did these people like cramped spaces because that¡¯s the vibe she was getting.


    An unexpected squish of mud drew her eye to a man dressed in black combat armor with the initials ¡®GH¡¯ emblazoned in silver on the front. The man lifted his weapon and pointed it at his closest target: Regal.


    On instinct, Terra charged at Regal and kicked him, her hands busy holding Eimose up. When the shot was fired, Terra smiled knowing that she was still impervious to any physical attack. She¡¯d put Eimose down and then go kick some ass while Brit and Regal would watch amazed at the feats she¡¯d pull. Terra would take down the entire GreenHouse battalion without even breaking a sweat. So when she felt the sharp burning pain of the bullet pierce her chest she didn¡¯t know what to do.


    All she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears, drowning out the screams around her. She watched as dark blood coated the front of her shirt, still unsure of what had happened. Her knees gave out as she heard sharp pops through the haze. When she looked up, the man lay crumpled on the ground, blood pooling around his body. The world around her spun and she was vaguely aware that Regal and was at her side pressing his hand to her wound. The dull ringing in her ears subsided enough that she could hear Regal telling her it was going to be okay over and over again like a mantra.


    A bright white light flashed over them all and the mantra stopped, overpowered but a beating of drums. Regal was gone, and so was Brit, but Terra was still there, sitting in the mud. Where had they gone? She tried calling out for them, but all that came out of her mouth were strained cries and blood.


    The white light wasn¡¯t comforting and the drums surrounded her, telling her to lift her hands. But she couldn¡¯t do what the drums wanted her to because she was too tired, even when they told her it was her last warning. She fell onto her back, landing softly on Eimose. At least he hadn¡¯t abandoned her. He was there to keep her from drowning. He promised.


    Alter stood next to her, her body silhouetted against the bright light. The girl leaned down and spoke over the drums and other voices demanding her attention.


    ¡°The price of a life is paid in pain and blood.¡±


    And then Alter left her too.

 Chapter 78: Overgrowth

    When Henarie awoke she felt unsettled. Her dreamless night should have been a comfort but her instincts were screaming that something was amiss.


    She flung the cool bedsheets off her and strolled to the window that overlooked her city of lights below. Rain spattered again the glass and obstructed her view, though she doubted that was the sole cause of her unease. Something must have happened to Terra.


    Henarie quickly stepped into her leather armor and strapped on her weapons; a gun at her side, sword on her back, and a multitude of knives tucked away in discrete pockets. She strolled out of the room and headed to the elevator.


    ¡°Miss!¡± A male voice cried out in alarm from behind Henarie. ¡°Please wait!¡±


    Henarie ignored the man, though he did catch up to her side while she waited impatiently for the lift.


    ¡°Might I ask where we are heading to inform the master?¡± He asked. ¡°Are we going to the range again?¡±


    No reply, but the elevator arrived and Henarie shuffled in, her escort following closely behind.


    ¡°I shall just inform the master that we are departing and to meet us in the lobby.¡±


    ¡°Tell him to bring his car.¡± She ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Miss.¡± He obediently bowed and then pulled out his screen.


    It took a couple of minutes before the two arrived at the ground level, but her loyal pet was already there waiting for her, his keys in hand. There was a thin she of sweat on his forehead and he was breathing heavier than usual, which meant that he probably ran from wherever he was at previously to get to the lobby before her.


    ¡°Where are we heading to today?¡± he asked. ¡°The range?¡±


    ¡°The plant.¡±


    ¡°I have been long overdue to a visit there. Milt, inform the workers were are stopping by for an inspection.¡±


    ¡°As you wish. Will I be accompanying you on your trip?¡±


    ¡°No, you will not,¡± Henarie replied, snatching the keys from her pet''s hand before he could hand them to his Butler.


    She continued walking ahead, not bothering to check and see if her shadow was following her. The path to the garage was a short one down into the sub-basement of the building, one she knew by heart. The lights flickered on, announcing her arrival to the hunks of metal resting from their previous excursions. There were more vehicles than a single man would need in his lifetime and Henarie had made it a personal goal to use every single one of them. Today¡¯s was a bright purple and gold car whose exterior and the top was made entirely of tinted glass. Pressing the button on the keys she watched as the glass on top unfolded like wings, promising her a fast and powerful ride. Henarie didn¡¯t find much joy in the world around her, but she admitted the beauty of these machines made her giddy. Henarie stooped down to enter the vehicle but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°You remember our deal? I¡¯ll drive in the city and you get the open road.¡± Her pet insisted. She didn¡¯t budge. ¡°You killed two people the other day and those Patrollers almost reported it. Once we get out of the city where people don¡¯t walk in the streets you can drive.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Henarie begrudgingly relented, shoving the keys into his hand and shifting over to the passenger seat.


    Henarie tried not to wince when her pet eased the car from its stationary point and slowly left the garage. All throughout the ride through the towering buildings, she cursed at the people standing in their way. Perhaps it was a good thing her pet was driving because she was sure she would have plowed through everyone preventing her from using the vehicles full power. It seemed that people would not be deterred even by acid rain from their daily tasks, much to Henarie¡¯s inconvenience. One hour passed until they were clear of the foot traffic and Henarie was handed the keys.


    Flying would most accurately describe Henarie¡¯s driving. The wheels only touched the ground several times and the road was lost early into the drive after hydroplaning. She made no effort to find it again as she already knew the direction she needed to go. Henarie was vaguely aware of her passenger chanting prayers to his gods over the roar of the engine but she paid it no mind since she was lost in the speed the machine provided. Her ride was cut short when she reached the plant in record time. As tempting as it was to drive past and continue her exhilaration high, her need to discover what the sickening feeling meant in regards to Terra was greater and she stepped on the breaks for the first time, coming to a stop only a few inches to spare from a chain link fence.


    Word had fast that they were coming as four people in suits carrying umbrellas rushing out to greet their poorly-parked car.


    ¡°It is such an honor to have Master Orain visit our lab. My name is Mr. Dewitt, I am the Director here. ¡± The man in front wearing the silver suit began after he''d opened the door for Henarie''s companion. ¡°If you would indulge us, is there anything, in particular, you will be looking for? Due to the contents of some labs, it will take some further preparation to allow others besides the lab technicians to enter.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°That''s not necessary. We are only visiting the Plant today.¡± Henarie''s pet, Orain, answered. Orain grabbed an umbrella from one of the other three and opened the door for Henarie.


    The man in silver''s face dropped. ¡°It has been several years since we made modifications to that container and not even our personnel are allowed in. Perhaps there is another lab I can interest you in? Our biorobotics lab is making groun--¡±


    ¡°Who pays your salary?¡± Orain interrupted.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Because if you don''t take us to the Plant immediately, I''m afraid I won''t be the one backing this very expensive facility anymore. Now, how would you like to continue this conversation, Mr. Director?¡±


    Henarie fought back a smile when the parlor drained from the other man''s face.


    ¡°If you would please follow me,¡± the Director complied, stepping toward the solitary door on the side of the large concrete building.


    The trip to the building was silent, but the Director seemed to have found his nerve again as he opened his mouth to enlighten the two about the facility.


    ¡°Every cent is put to optimal use. The top ten upper floors are workers¡¯ living quarters, food, and entertainment centers. Our labs or GreenHouse to shame with advancements in artificial plant creation and power generation. The majority of the Eastern continent have converted to our generators versus our competitor.


    ¡°As you can see our workers have ideal working conditions and safety is our number one priority.¡± The Director summarized as he led them through a large area where people in casual wear were eating by the masses.


    He looked back at them beaming as if this was all his doing. Orain nodded in acknowledgment while Henarie tried to be patient. Dewitt guided then to the elevator, explaining what labs they had on each floor, but Henarie tuned him out since she didn''t care. A small piece of her was impressed at the growth of what she had started so many years ago, but there was no way she was going to be vocal about that.


    They stopped at the lowest floor, nearly thirty stories below the basement level. When they exited the elevator everyone was handed a bright orange suit, gloves, and goggles.


    ¡°Please put these on to prevent any sort of contamination. These security measures were put in after one of our technicians touched the plant and turned into something...inhuman,¡± stated Dewitt.


    Orain complied to the security measures but Henarie just dumped the gear she''d been handed onto the ground and walked up to the door she assumed led to the Plant.


    ¡°Miss!¡± The Director went to grab Henarie by the shoulder but Orain grabbed his wrist, his eyes dark.


    ¡°No one touches her.¡± He growled, pushing back the stunned Director''s hand. ¡°Let us in.¡±


    The Director nodded and motioned for a worker arrive the corner to open the door into the airlock that led into the continent room. With a hiss, the door slid open and Henarie and Orain went in, shutting the door behind them so everyone would get the clue to give them space.


    ¡°So no one is allowed to touch me, huh?¡± Henarie cracked a smile. ¡°I bet you thought you sounded cool.¡±


    Orain let out a chuckle. ¡°I think he doesn''t realize I saved him reattachment surgery.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, it was just that one time!¡±


    ¡°Right. And I suppose that knife in your hand is just an accident?¡±


    Henarie looked down to see that she, indeed, had one of her knives clutched in her left palm. ¡°Touch¨¦.¡±


    The door ahead of them hissed open once the small room hit the correct pressure, allowing them final access to their goal. Henarie felt a wave of calm rush over her as her proximity to the Plant lessened.


    Calling this thing the ¡°Plant¡± was a misnomer as in reality, it was a large black crystal with tendrils on the lower half that made it like like roots while it''s upper portion was jagged and torn. Henarie had seen it back when it was whole, its power now a pale comparison to its previous glory. But it was enough to lure Terra toward it and allow Henarie a short connection with her.


    She emptied her mind and steeled herself for the wave of sensation that was about to come, then she pressed her hand against the cool rock.


    No amount of preparing could have sufficed for the flood that hit her at that moment. Bubbling joy crashed against crippling great and pain all while confusion and darkness lurked in the corners. Bright fluorescent lights blinded her but the sun couldn''t break through the wall of black that shielded her from the world. People marched around her loudly while the wind blew softly and a gentle hum was heard even over the defeating beating of helicopter blades. She was floating but running but drowning.


    Henarie was forcibly torn away, panting hard and tears streamed down her face. Orain gripped her waist as they fell to the floor, having needed to use his entire weight to break her connection with the crystal. When Henarie could remember who and where she was she quickly wiped away the tears and Tom a shaky breath.


    ¡°What the fuck just happened?¡± Orain finally said after a few seconds of silence. ¡°It looked like you were having a seizure!¡±


    ¡°I--that wasn''t supposed to happen.¡±


    ¡°And exactly what was supposed to happen?¡±


    ¡°If it worked properly, I would have been able to see through Terra''s eyes.¡±


    ¡°Ok--ay. So what did happen?¡±


    ¡°It was too much. There were too many. I don''t know how, but I got connected to people other than Terra.¡± Henarie leaned back against Orain, using the beat of his heart to calm her own. They remained that way for some time.


    ¡°What now?¡± Orain asked quietly.


    ¡°We have to find Terra. Being patient isn''t going to cut it. Someone''s interfered and now we have to hunt them down.¡±


    ¡°It just so happens that hunting down things is my specialty,¡± Orain said with a coy smile.


    Henarie stood up, giving her pet a hand to join her. She noticed that both his hands had a coating of black crystals on the back of them from him brushing against the large mass when he tore her away. He noticed her staring.


    ¡°Just a small price to pay for such a remarkable act of heroism.¡±


    Henarie gave him a look.


    ¡°No more acts of heroism then, got it? I can''t turn you back.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I got it.¡± He turned and pressed a button to open up the pressurized door to leave. ¡°What exactly are you going to do when you find these people that have stopped Terra?¡±


    ¡°Bring up the underworld.¡±

 Chapter 79: Newtons Third Law

    Eimose¡¯s mouth hung open once again, it¡¯s a wonder no bugs flew in.


    ¡°Run that by me again. You¡¯re going to do what now?¡±


    ¡°Instruct you on what¡¯s to come.¡±


    ¡°Is this something you can do when you¡¯re dead? Like a skill when you get when you pass on?¡±


    ¡°Nope, not even close. Now hush up, we¡¯ve got a lot of stuff to cover and not a lot of time.¡±


    ¡°Not a lot of time? I¡¯m dea--¡±


    She lifted a finger and he immediately quieted.


    ¡°Time moves differently here, so I can¡¯t waste anymore.¡± Her eyes softened and her voice quivered when she spoke again. ¡°I wish I could tell you everything, but I need you to survive.¡±


    Her blue eyes glistened as if diamonds had found their way into her blue orbs, burning themselves into Eimose¡¯s subconscious. This person, whoever she was, deeply cared for him and he had no idea why--this would drive him to the brink of insanity until he met her again.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to be quick when you wake up. Go to the Revelations lab and find the girl you¡¯ve seen before. Wake her up with a shot of adrenaline and run like your lives depend on it, because they do. Grab a vehicle and head northwest until the sky turns blue. Then please, for the love of the gods, stay there. Live a quiet life. Don¡¯t get involved with the world¡¯s affairs. And please,¡± she glided to him, stopping just inches away, ¡°stay safe.¡±


    The green-haired woman smiled sadly and lifted her hand to caress his cheek, to reassure him that everything would be okay, but just as their skin made contact he faded away in the breeze. She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned to her field of dancing flowers. Eimose would live a full life without her and it was okay. He¡¯d return to her, and she¡¯d keep counting the sunrises until he did.


    ____________________________________________________________________________


    Her chest rattled when she took a breath, but Terra was alive. Not well, far from it, the stabbing pain a constant reminder that death would not come for her that day. She hadn¡¯t passed out after she¡¯d been shot though she¡¯d begged for the small mercy of unconsciousness to escape from the throbbing in her chest and the fear that followed. Despite not falling into the numbness, she had no clue where she was, yet the deadly wound that had been inflicted on her had nearly healed.


    Right after she¡¯d fallen, soldiers had swarmed her and she remembered a powerful thrumming in the air and her stomach feeling queasy from suddenly being lurched upward. Safely assuming she¡¯d been transported in a helicopter, she had no freaking idea where the hell she was. For all she knew, they were on an island in the middle of the sea. What she did know was that she was at some GreenHouse facility judging by the ¡®GH¡¯ plastered on the door to her far right.


    She sat on an uncomfortably stiff chair, her hands bound to the arms of the chair, her feet bound to the legs of it. A solitary chair sat across from her separated by a table, her only other company.


    Why hadn¡¯t these people just let her die? What was the point of shooting her if they were planning on fixing her up immediately afterward? A cold sweat formed on her as she suddenly had a flash to Indo sitting bloodied on a chair in a room very much similar to the one she was currently in.


    The door opened, making her flinch against her bindings. A skinny pale man wearing black entered, his face devoid of any emotion. Without a word he took a seat across from her and stared at her with empty eyes. After five seconds of unblinking eye contact, she had to look away and squirm uncomfortably.


    ¡°What was your involvement in the bombing of Headquarter three,¡± he spoke in a chillingly slow tone.


    Terra didn''t want to talk about it. Her silence was her answer.


    "Why did you save only one Scout. What was his involvement." The man continued.


    "What? Eimose didn''t do anything. I didn''t even realize he was there," defended Terra, suddenly realizing her blunder.


    "How many people did you work with."


    She kept her mouth shut this time.


    "Are you planning to take action on any other facilities."


    Silence.


    The man sighed and walked to the door, opening it slightly. A small square pouch and a thick file were handed to the man and he sat back down across from her. He slowly unzipped the pouch and revealed its contents: a syringe and a multitude of small cylindrical containers filled with a clear liquid.


    "We typically rely on more...physical methods to get our information before resorting to this serum." The man explained as he poked the syringe into a tube and drew back the plunger, filling the hollow object with liquid. "But it seems that you and your people have no regard for our lives, so there is no reason for us to hold back."Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He got up and went to her side, grabbing her arm and plunging the syringe into her vein. Terra felt a pinch, but all in all, was fine by the time he sat back down again.


    "When you go under, I want you to think about all the people you killed." He lifted the cover of the file and began laying out images of people on the table.


    "Wait, I didn''t kill anyone!" Terra finally said, remembering her sadness and confusion on the day of question. She hadn''t known that Petri would blow up the area! GreenHouse had been the one that harmed them first! "I was just trying to save my friends!"


    "Was it worth it." The man stated somberly.


    "What?"


    "Were the lives you took an adequate price for your actions."


    "I didn''t kill anyone! GreenHo--"


    "This is my daughter," he pushed a picture of a young woman toward Terra. "Her name is Magkie. She was on the phone with me when you took her away. It was her first day of work."


    Terra''s stomach twisted and her words caught in her throat. He leaned in so he was mere inches away from her.


    "I wanted to watch you burn like you made her, but this is a good alternative."


    With that, he left the room, leaving his words hanging in the air and the photos of strangers staring up at Terra.


    She couldn''t explain this feeling that roiled around inside her. All she could do was stare at the faces of people she''d never met and whisper silent apologies, waiting for the unknown to usher in the revenge of a broken father.


    Her limbs grew stiff in the chair but she made no attempt to make herself more comfortable. Eventually, her whole body ached of discomfort but she continued craning her neck to memorize all the faces laid before her. And then the serum hit.


    It was as if a fire had been lit inside her veins, running to every part of her, scorching her skin and bones. She bit back her cries; the pain wasn¡¯t as horrible as it felt when she had to purge a corrupt crystal. But as the fire spread, it became harder and harder to hold back the whimpers that eked out.


    The fluorescent light began warping the world around her, melting away the room, leaving its remnants in a dark puddle that soaked into her shoes. A blood red sky glared down at her as the black pool beneath her threatened to rise up and drown her, the fire continuing its torment from inside.


    Terra was certain her new world wasn¡¯t real, but the pain and fear she felt was tangible. The last part of rationality in her brain fled when she saw a body rise from the depth of the pool of darkness at her feet.


    Roger¡¯s head broke through the surface first, his eyes wide and full of fear as he clutched his bleeding wound.


    ¡°Help me,¡± he choked, blood dripping from a bright red mouth. ¡°You can help me.¡±


    Terra struggled vigorously in her bindings to help the man she hadn¡¯t been able to save before. He was a mere foot away, but the bindings refused to give and she watched with tears streaming down her face as his life drained into the dark pool, his eyes never breaking contact with hers. Again.


    She tried to close her own eyes yet the images remained crisp and clear, crudely informing her that this was inescapable.


    This is not real. Not real. Not real not real not real.


    But more bodies began rising, their dying gasps breaking the membrane of dark liquid. Eimose. Petri. Indo. Regal. Brit. Roip. Vazerio. Dexai. Podinal. Unter. And then the faces she¡¯d so meticulously memorized minutes before. Try as she might to avert her gaze, everywhere she looked another would rise. If she looked straight up, away from the bodies, the fire in her veins burned up her spine and pounded against her skull, yet this was still a more preferred alternative. But when the ground shook with tremendous vigor and a low scream rattled her bones, Terra made the mistake of looking toward the source.


    At the horizon there came the monster she feared more than pain. The monster she''d encountered when she had been Sun, brought into her mind by Alter. But Alter was nowhere to be seen and the monster was growing larger. Every step it took pulverized the bodies underfoot, dark drool pouring from it''s hanging jaw, its direction clear.


    As it neared, she could feel the air get colder as her impending fate slowly approached. It was like watching a bomb fall in slow motion and waiting for the inevitable destruction. But a miracle happened.


    Not a miracle as in her bindings came loose or that some vigilante in a brightly colored costume burst in and rescued her, it was a small miracle, one that rescued her from the current prison her mind was trapped in; the serum had run its course. The world melted around her just as it had come into existence.


    Terra had never been so elated to see the bland walls of the room and the steel table still in front her. The man sitting in the other chair, however, she was not excited about, especially considering he had another full syringe resting on the table beside him.


    ¡°What was your involvement in the bombing of Headquarter three."


    Terra looked down at the table still covered in faces, mind reeling from her experience. Even though she knew she was at fault, admitting it out loud would cement her choice so she remained silent once again.


    "How many people did you work with."


    "Two," Terra revealed. "But Eimose wasn''t one of them! I was with Petri and Indo, but they''re dead."


    The man nodded but continued his line of questioning.


    ¡°How many people are involved in your organization.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not part of any organization, alright? I¡¯m alone.¡±


    ¡°So the two others that escaped were just innocent bystanders and you just happened to have an unconscious Scout with you,¡± he summarized, raising his brow.


    ¡°It¡¯s--I--They--,¡± she started, fumbling for words. She had no idea how to condense everything she¡¯d been through into a single answer. How did she even start? Hell, she¡¯d just been following Brit and Regal¡¯s lead at that point, but before that was an even more scrambled history.


    ¡°What will your organization be targetting next?¡± The man asked after watching her mouth open and close.


    ¡°I¡¯m not part of any organization, believe me. Or maybe don¡¯t and keep on asking me the same questions over and over and get the same answers,¡± She quipped, tired of his line of reasoning. ¡°You do know that¡¯s the definition of insanity, right?¡±


    His eyes darkened and he stood up, grabbing the syringe.


    ¡°Wait! Wait!¡± Terra pleaded. ¡°I answered your questions! I¡¯m not part of an organization! I¡¯m really sorry about your daughter but I swear I didn¡¯t do it on purpose! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Her apologies turned into pleas, but no matter how hard she yelled, he deposited the serum into her vein. His calloused expression almost seemed gleeful when he drew away, his own justice playing out.


    When he left, she didn¡¯t notice as she¡¯d shut her eyes tight to perhaps negate the visual torture. But the visions came nonetheless, and fire ripped through her body as her loved ones died and the creature roared on the horizon. Only the small miracle of time could save her, and time had never been on her side.