“The what?!”
“But…!” Kaoné frowned, glancing
between Kevérin and the distant, smoking crater that used to be the Gateport,
“But, they all shut down!”
“I know…” Kevérin scowled,
rushing out onto the observation deck to get a better look at the city below.
Just as he did so the lights in the restaurant flickered, followed immediately
by an alert on his AR display. “…Damn it! Comms are out!”
“Alright, Nanocreatures or not,
it’s pretty damn clear we’re under attack!” Davídrius exclaimed, jumping
forward and perching momentarily on the deck’s guardrail, “We need to get to
the Gateport and we need to get there now!”
“No! Wait!” the Transfer Captain
quickly countered, stopping Davídrius and Christeané just before the two
Introtechnics jumped down to the ground, “We have no idea who we’re up against
and we have no comms! Not to mention that we’re in Nimaliaka Central, of all place! This isn’t a Fortress World, it
isn’t prepared for enemy attack. We can’t just rush out there blindly!”
“Then what do you suggest?”
Rebehka urged, “Davídrius is right, the longer we wait here the more damage the
Nanocreatures can cause!”
Kevérin opened his mouth to
respond but was interrupted as Kievkenalis dove into him, shouting “Chaos Impact!” Immediately afterward
an invisible force intercepted a Nanocreature beast as it jumped down to the
deck from the building’s roof, launching it off the side and to the ground
below. Kevérin immediately fired several fireballs toward the roof, illuminating
a small Nanocreature vessel just long enough for Kaoné to impale it with a
massive spike from above and launch it toward the mountains.
“See?!” Davídrius pointed upward
irately, “the longer we wait–!”
“We still can’t all rush the Gateport!” Kevérin insisted,
“Most of Nimalia’s Chaotics are still off-world, assisting with the CSA
recovery efforts. We’re some of the very
few left here, and as such we have a duty to protect the civilians! Do you
understand that?”
“How ‘bout we protect the
civilians by finding the threat and ending it?!”
“…We can do both,” the Transfer
Captain replied after a moment of thinking, “…and we can do it smartly, too.”
He briefly glanced at the other five members of Hero Machina before directing
his attention to the Gateport – and then to the mountains to the south, where
their base was located. “…Alright, here’s how this is gonna go down. Kevken,
you and I will head back to the base; you need to get the Master Ayas’s
location from the Commander and retrieve it as quickly as possible! I’ll work
on trying to get city-wide comms back up; as we are now we can’t even contact
any of the ships in orbit. Davídrius, Christeané, Rebehka, the three of you
need to reach the Gateport and figure out what the hell happened to it! Stick
together, we have no idea what we’re dealing with. And Kaoné – stay in the
city, use your Materiatechnism to save as many civilians as possible! This is
no time to be conservative!”
The rest of Hero Machina stared
at the Transfer Captain dumbfoundedly, surprised by his quick thinking.
“…Well?!” he urged, “Do you understand what I just said?”
“Right! Yeah!” Davídrius quickly
responded, offering a quick salute. The rest of Hero Machina followed suit.
“Good!” Kevérin nodded, “Now get
going! We have a city to save!”
* * *
“Holy fuck…”
Davídrius perched on the edge of
a building across the street from the Gateport… or rather, where the Gateport
used to be. Several lights in the vicinity flickered erratically, offering just
enough light to view the resulting damage through the nighttime stormy fog: the
entire complex had been obliterated and replaced with a 200-meter crater, and
much of the wreckage had either been blown out into the surrounding buildings,
causing even more damage, or fallen back into the crater. Flames dotted the
landscape, and from their dim light the Introtechnic could barely make out
moving forms, but he was easily distracted by the moans and cries for help
coming from scattered locations around the wreckage, and by the sirens echoing
from the city that masked everything else.
“What happened…?”
Davídrius glanced over as
Rebehka and Christeané climbed out of the hovercar they had commandeered to
cross the city. He returned to staring at the wreckage, ignoring the falling
rain as the two Chaotics silently approached his side.
“…Holy shit,” Christeané
muttered, “…was this caused by an orbital round?”
“The Nanocreatures are back…”
Davídrius countered, “…so I’d bet on much worse.”
The Master Lieutenant glanced
toward Davídrius warily. “You think Morcii’s back?”
“I think there’s a chance,” the
Introtechnic replied, “…we need to figure out what caused the crater, and where
they went. Fast, too. The whole city’s gone to hell…”
“Assuming this isn’t just
artillery damage, I could try to track the attacker with my Overdrive…” Rebehka
suggested, frowning, “but, at least until we can be sure if it was Morcii or
not, I think a blizzard would hurt more than it would help…”
“And more importantly, we need
to find the ‘Gate,” Christeané pointed out as he jumped down to the street
below. Davídrius and Rebehka quickly followed suit. “We need to make sure it’s
blocked. Can’t have even more Nanocreatures crawling through the–“
He was interrupted as some
nearby wreckage shifted, followed by three people crawling out from under it,
their bodies bloodied and injured. Rebehka and Christeané rushed to their side
– but Davídrius reached them faster, punting one of them away and smashing his
foot into the other two, killing them instantly.
“Davídrius!” Rebehka exclaimed
irately, “What are you–!”
“They’re corrupted,” the
Introtechnic stated, pointing at the underside of the debris just as a large
metallic bug leaped up into the air. Davídrius immediately flip-kicked the bug
away before scanning the horizon for more. “The Nanocreatures are already
here…”
“Of course they are,” Christeané
muttered, cracking his knuckles before grabbing the chunk of debris, hoisting
it into the air, and lobbing it further into the crater. “We can’t walk through
this, not without our armor. It’d be too easy for something to ambush us.”
“Then we’ll go over,” Rebehka
responded, creating a stairway of ice into the air and then a walkway a couple
meters above the ground. She quickly climbed it, gesturing for the two
Introtechnics to follow her as she continually created a levitating ice path
over the wreckage.
“…I haven’t seen shit this
fucked up since dealing with Bleeder massacres back in Treséd,” Davídrius
commented quietly.
“What went wrong?” Christeané
scowled, glancing around at the debris as the three Chaotics approached the
location where the ‘Gate should be, “…I killed Morcii. I took his Ayas, I saw
him dissolve before my eyes! All the Nanocreatures even shut down! How are they
back?!”
“Your guess is as good as mine,”
Rebehka replied, “…actually, it’s probably better than mine, since I’ve been
out of the loop for a few months… but we can concern ourselves with the ‘how’ after we’ve dealt with the attack here.”
“’Dealt with’?” Davídrius
snorted, “You think we can win? Newsflash, the CSA couldn’t save a single
planet the moment the Nanocreatures touched down. Hell, you were there for
Kotak; we had to evacuate that place immediately. Seeing Nanocreatures on a
planet is a fuckin’ death sentence.”
“…Regardless,” the Cryotechnic
sighed warily as she stopped creating an ice path, “…we’re at the ‘Gate. Or
where the ‘Gate should be, if the Gateport was still intact.”
The three Chaotics fell into
silence as they searched the terrain below them for any sign of the
interstellar portal. Several moments later Christeané pointed at a large piece
of scrap metal several meters away – under which a part of the Interstellar Gate
could be seen.
“How’re we gonna uncover it?”
Davídrius frowned.
“I can do that, easy…”
Christeané responded, “…but we don’t have our armor with us, so watch my back.
One scratch, and we’re done for.”
“Good thing you’re an
Introtechnic then, huh?”
“Sure. Now watch out,” the
Superstrength Introtechnic jumped down from the ice path, landing on the
debris-ridden terrain below. He cautiously made his way over to the ‘Gate,
flinching when Rebehka launched an ice javelin to pierce a Nanocreature just before
it attacked him. He gave her a brief acknowledgement before reaching the giant piece
of metal and slamming his fists into it, flinging it away and revealing the
‘Gate’s event horizon just below.
“It’s active!” Davídrius
exclaimed.
“No shit!” Christeané retorted
as he began to navigate around the large ring, “I’m gonna find the control
panel and turn the block on.”
Rebehka created more ice
platform to allow her and Davídrius to get closer to the ‘Gate as Christeané
carefully stepped around debris until he had reached the ‘Gate’s control panel.
He quickly looked for the block indicator; sure enough, the ‘Gate was
un-blocked. “At least it got knocked over. Kinda hard to use the ‘Gate if you
just fall back in immediately after coming out…” he muttered to himself as he
entered the brief command to block the portal. As soon as he was done he
glanced up and waved toward Davídrius and Rebehka, the latter of which moved to
create an ice stairway back into the air for Christeané. Just as he approached
the steps, however, he felt the hair on the back of his neck begin to rise –
and then flinched as Davídrius vaulted himself into the air over Christeané,
intercepting a high-speed object and preventing it from smashing into the
ground-side Introtechnic. Rebehka quickly jumped down to join the two
Introtechnics, erecting a dome of ice to block out any potential attackers –
just as the debris cloud created by the impact of the foreign object cleared
up, revealing the sparks trailing up and down her arms.
“…You’re shittin’ me,” Davídrius
growled, stepping back defensively as soon as he recognized the newcomer.
“…Siyuakén?”
The Electrotechnic didn’t
respond. Instead she stared levelly at the other three Chaotics, bright sparks
continually jumping from her arms and hands to the debris around her and dimly
illuminating her face – just enough to see the metallic scars stretching across
her neck and cheek.
“…Alright, so Nanocreatures are
impossible to kill, confirmed,” Christeané muttered apprehensively, “…shit.
Kaoné said Morcii killed her on Neticen. So how–?”
He was interrupted as Davídrius
suddenly bowled into him, knocking them both out of the way just in time to
evade a lightning blast. Rebehka immediately moved to freeze Siyuakén’s hands
and feet, temporarily immobilizing her.
“I’ll distract her!” the
Cryotechnic declared, “The two of you need to go help elsewhere!”
“Are you crazy?!” Christeané
exclaimed, “If Siyuakén’s back, then Morcii’s definitely around here somewhere!”
“I know,” Rebehka responded,
“and that’s why the two of you need to find and stop him. I can hold Siyuakén
off on my own; I’ve fought her before, I know all her abilities. I can do
this.”
“I know you can…” Davídrius commented warily, “…but do you want to?”
The Cryotechnic glanced toward
him and then back at Siyuakén, who had broken free of her ice bonds and was
slowly backing away as she gathered energy in her arms again. “…No. I don’t.
But that’s not the question anymore, is it? She’s suffering, and I need to end
that… for her sake.”
“If you say so,” Christeané
frowned, “but don’t go getting yourself killed. Losing both of you would be…” he shook his head. “C’mon, Davídrius, she’s
right. We need to find Morcii!”
“And before that we need to get our
weapons,” Davídrius insisted, “We need to drop by the base first.”
“Right,” Christeané nodded as he
leaped toward the ice dome and smashed a hole through it that he and Davídrius
left through.
Rebehka watched the two
Introtechnics leave before sealing the hole again and turning her attention
back to the corrupted Electrotechnic. “…It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Siyuakén’s only response was a
level stare and an increase in the number of sparks jumping from her body to
the environment around her.
“…Don’t worry, Siyuakén. This
time, I’ll do what I couldn’t do before…” the Cryotechnic took a deep breath as
she covered her body in ice armor and crafted an ice spear for each hand,
“…I’ll stop your suffering. As your best friend, this is my last gift to you…”
She closed her eyes and took a final breath before lunging forward, shouting, “Overdrive: Ice Storm!”
* * *
“…We’re here.”
Kevérin and Kievkenalis jumped
out of their hovercar at the entrance to the Nimaliaka Central mountain base.
They approached the gates warily, both taking note that the entire complex was
completely silent, save for the sound of falling rain.
“…The CENT fields are down.”
“What–?” Kevérin glanced toward
Kievkenalis and then turned his attention back to the gates. He held up his
right hand and launched several fireballs, burning a hole through the gate and
watching the projectiles careen through the sky, past the base and beyond. “If
the base-wide CENT fields are down, then…” the Transfer Captain scowled and
then snapped his attention back to Kievkenalis. “What’s Detect tell you?”
“Chaos
Detect,” the Chaostechnic muttered, wincing slightly – but not enough
for Kevérin to notice. He then looked around… and found only Kevérin’s
silhouette within Detect’s twenty-meter range. “There’s no one in the guard
outposts. Either they’re all gone, or…”
The two Chaotics glanced at each
other uneasily before Kevérin turned toward the gate and incinerated it,
rushing forward to search the base. Kievkenalis quickly followed, muttering “Chaos Assist” as the Pyrotechnic in
front of him slammed through the complex’s entrances and finally reached the
main building itself – where he stopped momentarily, shocked at the sight:
A chunk of the building was
missing, apparently blown away by an explosion as several dead bodies lay around
the courtyard. Several mechs were strewn about the area haphazardly, their
wrecks blocking all but the main entrance that itself was scarred from weapons
fire.
The Transfer Captain took a
moment to take in the damage before glancing toward Kievkenalis. “Whoever did
this might still be here,” he warned, “…stay on your toes. First things first –
we need to check on the Commander.”
Kievkenalis nodded in response,
after which Kevérin wasted no time rushing forward, leaping over debris and
bodies to enter the building through the hole. He and Kievkenalis rushed
through the base’s hallways, taking note of the occasional dead soldier and the
fact that they all appeared to have been stabbed to death. They passed the door
to the Hero Machina office without a thought, though Kievkenalis slowly
muttered “Chaos… Detect” once
more – and immediately grabbed Kevérin’s arm.
“What is it?” the Pyrotechnic
questioned, his voice a whisper as he cautiously scanned the hallways in front
and behind.
“…There’s someone in the
Commander’s office,” Kievkenalis responded, “…two someones.”
“…Fuck,” Kevérin swore,
immediately taking off into a sprint, with the Chaostechnic close behind. Mere
seconds and two hallway turns later the Chaotics had reached the Commander’s
office; Kevérin instantly incinerated the door and burst in, his eyes
immediately latching onto the figures Kievkenalis had spotted:
Behind the Commander’s desk
stood none other than Morcii, who held Nikéyin high in the air by her neck.
“Chaos
Arrow!” Kievkenalis immediately responded, severing Morcii’s arm and
allowing the Commander to drop to the floor, where she began coughing
uncontrollably. The Nanocreature leader quickly turned on the Chaotics and
lunged toward Kevérin, who ducked out of the way as he extended two flame
sabers from his hands and slashed at Morcii. The Nanocreature collapsed to the
floor haphazardly, now on the other side of the Chaotics in relation to the
door – and he immediately fled, jumping backwards out the door and rocketing
upwards through the ceiling. Kevérin quickly approached the doorway and stared
up at the base’s new skylight, clicking his tongue irately.
“Chaos
Heal…”
The Transfer Captain looked back
to Nikéyin, who was still collapsed on all fours as Kievkenalis crouched over
her and tried to help her up. A second later the Chaostechnic paused and looked
up at Kevérin uneasily; wary of the gesture, the Transfer Captain approached
and then stopped in his tracks when he noticed the blood dripping from
Nikéyin’s neck and the metallic rashes spreading outwards from the wound.
The Commander was corrupted.
“Sh…shit,” Kevérin growled,
clenching his fists tightly. He then turned to the Commander, who had stopped
coughing but had yet to stand up. A closer look revealed that she was trembling.
“…Commander?”
“Damn… bastard…”
Kievkenalis reflexively grabbed
Nikéyin’s shoulders to steady her as she began coughing again, her statement
agitating her wounds.
“No… get away from me,” she
muttered, her voice barely a hoarse whisper as she jerked away from
Kievkenalis, “Can’t… you see? I’m… corrupted.”
“…How long was Morcii here?”
Kevérin questioned, taking a step back warily as Kievkenalis stood up and
backed away from the Commander as well, “…what did he want?”
“Went from… courtyard to here
in… twenty minutes. Killed everything,” Nikéyin responded, pausing to shiver
uncontrollably, “Couldn’t… stop him… even the CENT fields didn’t help… or they
got taken out, I… don’t know…”
“Twenty minutes is actually
kinda long, for Morcii…” Kievkenalis frowned.
“Why did he stop with you?”
Kevérin insisted, “Commander, we…”
“No, I know,” Nikéyin spoke up,
coughing again as she slowly pulled herself to her feet, using her desk and
chair as crutches, “Need to… know where he went. He…” she trembled again, grimacing
as her entire body tensed and then relaxed slightly, “…he wanted the Ayas. …I
couldn’t… I couldn’t stop him…”
“Of course he does,” the
Transfer Captain scowled, “…there’s no other reason to attack here, is there?”
“Did you tell him where it was?”
Kievkenalis asked quietly.
“Didn’t… ask,” the Commander
responded painfully. Kevérin tensed; the rashes were spreading up her cheeks
and down her collar, where he could only assume she was slowly losing control
of her body. “It’s why he… corrupted me,” she eventually muttered, “…didn’t
need to ask. Just… took the knowledge… …couldn’t… …resist…”
“Commander? Commander! Stay–
stay with us!” Kevérin urged, watching apprehensively as Nikéyin dry heaved and
collapsed to her knees again, clutching her chest. “Tell– we need to know!
Where’s the Master Ayas?”
“Secondary… …second… …base…” she
whispered hoarsely, “…Gate Train… depot… argh…!”
“C-commander…?” Kievkenalis
questioned warily.
“…I’m… proud of you…”
“Nikéyin…?” Kevérin responded
quietly.
“I hate– AGH!” her breath caught
in her throat as she doubled over again before managing to turn her head toward
Kevérin and Kievkenalis, “…gah! Agh… I… Hero Machina, you… saved us once. …I
hate to… ask so much… argh…! …But… please… …one more… …time…! …Guagh!
Ahaaghhh!!”
Nikéyin suddenly lunged forward,
her fingernails lengthened and sharpened into metal claws as she swiped at
Kievkenalis – only for Kevérin to jump forward and pierce her chest with a
flame saber. He quickly followed by piercing her forehead as well, and then allowing
her body to slump to the floor, lifeless.
Kievkenalis quickly backed away
from the Commander’s body, coming to stand near Kevérin as they both looked
over the scene in solemn silence. Several seconds passed before the Transfer
Captain realized he was hyperventilating; he quickly slowed his breath and
calmed himself, only to grow tense again as his mind finally caught up with his
actions.
“…Oh my god,” he muttered
hoarsely, “…I just killed the Commander.”
“…She was corrupted,”
Kievkenalis commented, “…we couldn’t help that.”
Kevérin took several more
breaths before shaking his head vigorously and snapping his attention to
Kievkenalis. “…Yeah. Right. I know. Anyways, we need to get to work. You heard
her, right? Secondary base, Gate Train depot… that must mean the military depot
in the Western Peaks. Take a communicator so we can talk if I fix the comms.”
“All the way out there, in the
Western Peaks…?” the Chaostechnic muttered, and then nodded, “but I got it.
I’ll get the Ayas! Chaos… Boost!”
Kevérin watched Kievkenalis dash
away before looking down the hallway in the opposite direction. “Meanwhile, I need to try and get the comm system
back online…” His gaze drifted back into the office and down to the floor where
Nikéyin lay, her body resting on its side. He took a deep breath and then
turned to face her body directly, stiffening up and offering a proper salute.
“…Understood,” he responded, “…We can do it, Commander. Hero Machina will stop
Morcii once and for all!”
* * * * *
==================== End of Chapter 73 ====================
* * * * *
Data Entry: {null}
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