The stillness at the table, compared to the life all around Pang in the food court, made her start to squirm in her seat. She couldn't have predicted she'd ever prefer to hear Benton and Irma's endless debates.
But they both sat wordless, their minds in another looming place.
Eventually, hearing nothing but the crunch of chips in her own mouth boiled Pang over. She tossed the bag onto the table.
"What, are we a team of Aoi's now?" she barked. "Say something!"
"We already told you what's wrong," Irma countered. "Look. Even Aoi is stressing out."
"Actually, I think she fell asleep," Pang pointed out.
Aoi's head drooped a bit over her unfinished salad.
"Whatever. The point is, this is gonna be a rough day," moaned Irma, flopping onto the table. "I don't wanna do this."
"For once, I'm right there with 'ya," added Benton.
Pang rolled her eyes. Sure, meeting with the Rank-S team sounded more than overwhelming–especially when she couldn't even touch Irma and Benton's level of power yet–but was it really worth a time of mourning before anything even happened?
They were set to begin the first joint session after lunch, and the closer they came to that time, the grimmer her teammates had grown.
"Come on," Pang stressed. "They can't be that much stronger than you–"
"See you guys in a bit!"
Irma and Benton nearly pounced out of their chairs, crashing into each other.
A warm trace of maple brushed Pang's nose. The dorky tea lady–or Pyper, as Irma called her, was passing them by with a wave.
Even Aoi popped out of her slumber, turning her head to study Pyper as she walked away.
The second-strongest in all of Proscious…Pang remembered. Her?
"R–right…see you soon…" Benton feebly forced out.
"Dude, she's already long gone."
Irma forced herself to take a sip of her drink. "Pang, I don't think you realize how bad this could be for you, too," she expressed. "You're the weakest of us all. So whichever of them becomes our new leader…if they decide you're like, holding us back, they could boot you from the team."
"Boo-hoo."
Irma's gaze sharpened. "And since we're the ones keeping you in-line, that could mean going back to confinement like you were supposed to," she warned. "...Or worse."
This time, Pang fell silent.
"I won't let that happen to you," Irma swore. "So let's look good in tonight's session, alright?"
Finally, Benton seemed to stir from his spell of gloom, if only a little.
"You know what, Irma? You're right," he said. "We ain't losin' another teammate–especially not like that. She's one of us."
Pang darted her eyes to deflect their warming gazes.
"Besides," Benton added, "we got that tennis rematch to settle."
Stirring abruptly, Aoi leaned under the table in search of something. She resurfaced with her tennis racket, wielding it upside-down once again.
Irma slapped her forehead. "Not right now, Aoi," she explained.
Pang chuckled.
~
The stale air disappointed Pang as usual as she stepped outside. At this point, she'd rejoice at even the slightest hint of weather on this base.
But she figured this still beat remaining inside the training facility, where Irma and Benton continued to sit worrying instead of preparing for the joint session like they'd proclaimed.
Pang leaned against the metallic outer wall. The empty white sky provided nothing for a view, so she sifted mindlessly through the digital pages on her SquadScreen watch.
“Pyper! You almost walked straight into that pole,” echoed a man's voice from down the street. “Man, what studies do you have your nose in, now?”
Pang glanced up. Still a couple minutes away, Pyper and a tall man were making their way towards the facility.
Are there only two Rank-S members, then? she wondered.
The man would have been easy to spot even from much farther away, thanks to the practical glow of the yellow in his hair. It was gelled into large spikes out to each side over his ears, with fewer pitch-black highlights mixed in.
Oh: it's that one dude from the lab, Pang managed to recall from her then-groggy mind. He was the same man who had come to retrieve Pyper for an urgent meeting.
She wondered if that meeting helped lead to the training about to unfold today.
Pang had been too out-of-it then to notice the man's peculiar fashion sense, but it was nothing less than jarring now. Countless chains dangled where zippers and metal buttons weren't present on his long, sleeveless black jacket. Despite his height, it ran all the way past his knees, nearly reaching the tops of his bulky leather boots.
The dual chrome studs pierced between his eyebrows completed his loudly edgy outfit.
He nudged Pyper again when she almost veered down the wrong road. Her face was hidden behind a large tablet, and her finger endlessly scrolled against it.
“Sorry…Have you never looked through Proscious' records?” she finally replied. “There's just so much fascinating info in here…I can't look away!”
Nerd, Pang thought.
The duo drew closer, and the jingles from the man's many chains were growing audible. Pang lifted from the wall. Figuring the training would start soon, she headed back inside.
Guess I'm about to find out what being stronger than Irma and Benton looks like, she thought as she headed down the hall and reached their gym.
“Hey guys,” she called in as she entered, “I think it's about to start–”
Her words froze, replaced with a curse.
It happened like a flash, unfolding before her all at once. But her trained fighting eyes managed to follow just enough to realize what was happening.
Someone appeared like a blur before Aoi on the fighting platform, seemingly having descended from above. She made no reaction as he stuck something on her head. And even as he plowed a massive boot into her core, Aoi did nothing to defend, flopping backwards through the air like a ragdoll.
She crashed hard on the outer floor of the room and didn't move.
Pang's heart sank, and things were progressing too rapidly to question this emotion.
“HEY! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?!?!” boomed Benton, already charging at the enemy.
“Aoi!” Irma tried, but she swore up a storm when her teammate didn't respond.
Pang couldn't witness what came next. A violent stab pierced through her mind and her vision went white.
“Good grief!” she cursed.
Despite the chaos, this sudden pain was no mystery: Benton and Irma both switched consciousness types to begin their fight. And since Pang had no chance to prepare, she couldn't dull its punishing effect on her powers.
Holding her head, she regained her senses. But even in just that moment, she found she'd missed quite a lot.
Benton and Irma both crashed onto opposite sides of the platform, having been lunged somehow by their aggressor. They stood and immediately charged forward again.
If that's how Irma's fighting right now, she's on Thoughtfeeder, Pang recognized from their previous sessions. Benton's either on Withstander or Dampener. This guy got lucky, but he's toast.
When she finally paused to notice who they fought, however, her prediction crumbled.
The yellow and black spikes of his hair stood out sharply in the center of the room, just like they had been moments ago when he'd been walking towards her outside.
The S-Rank guy?!
“Danek! What's your deal?!” Irma grumbled, sustaining another heavy blow.
Pang instinctively checked behind her, towards the hall she'd come from. Nobody else had arrived after her.
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Are there two of him?! she pondered. But his outfit was undeniably the same. Or maybe…he moved fast when I turned my back and ambushed us?
“You tyrna kill us?!” Benton seethed.
“Well that's the idea,” Danek replied, blocking punches from both of them simultaneously. His razor-sharp voice cut through the noise like heavy machinery. “I thought that was obvious.”
Finally, Pang's mind acknowledged the ongoing booming that was rattling her chest, and had been since she arrived. It must have blended indistinguishably into the chaos, as its deep pumping and pounding tones were a perfect representation of the unfolding chaos.
But it wasn't just her head overloading: the Proscious members were shouting over a very real sound.
Music was blasting out from the fighting platform. A backpack-sized speaker floated in place above Danek's head, its cone pulsating as it delivered an onslaught of bassy guitars and drum slams.
It was the kind of song Pang would often blast with Phillip during their travels. But given her current situation, she could only afford to focus on decoding its purpose here than revel in warm familiarity.
Benton returned once more with a fist like a meteor. But Danek only used one hand to block it.
Regardless how strong this man could possibly be, Pang knew no amount of physical strength could parry such force. Something else was at play.
For a brief instant, Danek's arm buckled backward from Benton's force–until Danek rammed his boot into his abs.
The monstrous man huffed, still barely remaining on his feet.
“Heh. As if, old man.”
The music grew louder. Then, still with one hand on his prey's fist, Danek yanked Benton into the air and slammed him against the floor.
Now Pang had no doubts. The cluster of power types in the room made it harder for her senses to detect it on their own, but Benton's attempt painted the situation clearly.
Danek was a Soundvert: his mind converted everything he could hear into raw energy.
That explained his sudden dip in strength: Benton must have attempted to use Dampener abilities to weaken him, thus beginning to weaken the power-boost Danek could get from noise. But the elite Prosciousness was too quick to respond, breaking Benton's focus with sheer pain.
Benton retreated back a bit, clutching his core as Irma closed back in to provide relief.
Suddenly, Pang felt stiff.
If this dude can make Benton hurt like that, even with his powers a little dampened, she pondered, the strength he must get from his power type is…
…completely insane.
Irma neared Danek but suddenly shot upward, changing course straight towards the floating speaker. But another fist from Danek sent her flipping back to the floor. She caught herself gracefully, then like a hornet, zoomed in again.
Of course…Pang finally realized. No wonder they keep just running straight at him.
Danek wasn't their true target: it was the speaker.
Silence was the key. Without the music, Danek's power was gone.
But Aoi was their only option for long-range attacks.
Unable to move otherwise, Pang's eyes darted back to Aoi. She still lay like a doll, lifeless, her hood covering her head.
Something twisted in Pang's gut.
I get that a sneak-attack is the only way to take care of her…Pang thought.
And yet, her disgust only festered.
But…I don't think even I'd have it in me to hit her so hard. She's…she's so…
Her gaze remained on Aoi, and the twisting feeling reached her chest.
…She's so freaking innocent.
“You finally lost your marbles, or what, Danek?!” Benton roared. “How dare you touch our Aoi?!”
Apparently, it wasn't only on Pang's mind.
“Besides, it's all over if you kill her!” he added in a clear attempt to appeal to his superior's mind.
Danek parried another flurry of Irma's kicks. His greater speed sent her slamming into the back wall.
She slowly climbed to her feet, checking both legs with her hands. “You might as well, like, end Proscious. Same thing.”
“Whoa, I never said I'm going that far,” denied Danek with a laugh. “I'm just gonna kill you three. Then my team won't be stuck with anyone to train. And you'll be too dead to need a new leader, so us S-Rankers will get to stay together. Just being logical.”
His hand reached into one of his many pockets, but it released so fast it looked like it had vanished.
Benton dove in response, letting out a grunt. He clutched his arm, and a streak of blood now streamed from it.
All the way at the far side of the room, to Benton's back, Pang noticed a blade now stuck cleanly into the wall. It had soared too fast for her to follow: if Danek's power boost allowed him to throw something that rapidly, a more conventional killer like a gun was clearly unneeded.
But it seemed Benton had anticipated the move.
And so did Irma: while Danek was occupied with his attack, she'd charged again with swiftness rivaling the blade. But she found herself slammed against the floor once more.
The team's rapidly failing defense resumed, and Danek seemed to hardly exert himself as he battered them with blow after blow.
Pang's feet remained planted. Now, she couldn't even blink. She wasn't even sure if she was breathing.
Irma and Benton kept falling, kept shouting, kept bleeding.
And yet, they still hadn't cried for her help.
Did they not realize she was in the room?
That was impossible–they were far too alert of their surroundings in training sessions. If a spider scampered by in the corner, they would probably notice.
So they were ignoring her on purpose.
Why? Are they keeping his attention away from me so he doesn't come my way?
Are they…protecting me?
Either way, their joint decision spoke to the truth and the gravity of the situation–the reason she couldn't even bring herself to move.
Her involvement would affect nothing.
She was an insect here.
‘I'm just gonna kill you three.’
Danek knows I'm standing here, she knew. I'm gonna die.
Her bones felt cold as she failed to look away, watching the gods face off. Even after all her training, all the abuse…for the first time, she stood before a demise she couldn't fight her way out of.
A deep-seated nature awoke from deep within her; one she'd never felt before.
Everyone in this room is a monster, she thought.
I have to get the HECK out of here.
At last, she managed a step. But it was only because she felt weightless now. More than that: she'd gone totally numb.
A single step, however, was all she completed before her sinking heart weighed her back down.
She forced herself to look one more time.
Aoi…get up, Aoi.
The cloaked young woman was still.
Get UP, you weirdo!
She didn't stir.
She's gonna wake up to her friends being dead…Is she even gonna understand what happened?
Will she even be able to feel sad when she finds out? Pang wondered. Or…would she only get to cry if someone TOLD her to?
Pang's fists shook.
She has no say…she's just a puppet.
She's innocent.
It's not fair.
She hesitated, but only for a moment.
Then, she breathed out a shaky sigh.
“Good grief.”
Cursing all the way, Pang broke into a sprint towards Aoi. The hair on her skin stood up, expecting blades through her flesh or fists to break her skull at any instant.
She tumbled over her motionless colleague.
“Aoi! Hey, Aoi! Wake up! Say something! Or…whatever! HEY!”
Pang shook her slender shoulders as fast as her own heart was beating. But she immediately found herself in shock.
Aoi simply turned her head to look her way, as if she'd just noticed Pang.
“YOU WERE AWAKE THIS WHOLE TIME?!?!?!”
Pang slapped her hand against her face. “Get up, you goofball! We need to get our butts out of…here…”
Wait…
Aoi remained watching her emptily.
She's the strongest member of Proscious…
We can finish this.
“Aoi! Attack him!”
Aoi didn't seem to register it, so Pang propped her into a sitting position and pointed at Danek.
“GET HIM!”
Aoi looked back at Pang. She cocked her head to the side like a confused dog.
“What do you mean?! GO! Do one of your crazy things!”
But Aoi's hood slipped off, and Pang discovered an unexpected hurdle.
For some reason, the quiet prosciousness wore a pair of thick headphones over her ears.
“When did you put those on?! Why?!” Pang cried.
She tried yanking them off, but all she did was pull Aoi's head around. Somehow, they were totally sealed to her ears.
Again, Pang cursed.
Him…
It must have been during the very start of the ambush, when he struck her. Danek slapped those on, trapping her from the audible world.
He knew what he was doing.
It was no wonder Irma and Benton hadn't attempted to rouse Aoi. If they could, this fight could have ended as soon as it started.
But they understood she wouldn't hear their wishes, and so she wouldn't act.
Pang swore once more. “Come on, Aoi! Don't you see what's happening?! You really can't do anything?! Are you that dumb?!”
Aoi's head cocked to the other side.
“Ugh…this would all be over if you would just THINK FOR YOURSELF!!!”
She fired to her feet and tugged Aoi's arm.
“Come on. We need to move, or we die.”
Aoi mostly stood, but ended up stumbling against Pang. Abruptly, she coughed up a splatter of blackish blood.
“Aoi! Hey, don't start with that!” Pang urged. “You gotta hang on!”
As she lifted her into her arms, Aoi gazed at her just the same despite the stain of blood dripping down her neck.
Pang ran for the door, her passenger's frail build hardly hindering her speed. She did her best to block out the cries of pain behind her.
Aoi suddenly turned to look in front of them.
“Soooo many fascinating files…Which one do I read next?”
Pang halted, nearly at the door.
“Frick.”
At the end of Aoi's gaze, Pyper sat against the wall not far to the side, her face once again hidden behind her tablet.
She's here?! Why isn't she helping…like…EITHER side?!
“Ooh! ‘Equilibrium of Opposing Forces and their Implications for Base Infrastructure…that seems neat!” Pyper decided.
She turned away from the door, and from Pang and Aoi, and began reading.
Pang shook her head. There was no time to figure out this bizarre new factor.
She seems super distracted…if I'm quick, can I sneak by…?
She jumped when she noticed Aoi's stare pressing on her again.
“Oh, don't give me those eyes,” Pang whispered, despite being unable to see them. “If we don't book it, he's gonna kill us. Just like our frien–”
She caught herself.
“Just like…those two blockheads…” she attempted hollowly.
Aoi's stare remained.
Pang groaned.
“FINE!”
She zipped back around.
Aoi coughed up more blood, some of it splattering on Pang's clothes, so Pang lowered her to the floor.
“Here. You probably shouldn't fight, anyway,” she figured.
Before she could give her mind the chance to process both panic and better judgment, Pang launched herself at the battle.
Time for the last thing I ever do…she decided.
Atop the platform, Benton could barely stand on one knee. Meanwhile Irma hung in the air by Danek's tight grip.
With one hand around her wrist and the other around her ankle, he pulled her in opposite directions.
“DON'T, Danek!! Wait!!” Irma screamed. “Not my legs!!”
“Leave the kid alone!!” Benton boomed, his voice cracking into little more than a desperate plea.
Danek shrugged. “She's gonna die, anyway.”
Pang sped her pursuit.
“HEY!! Buzz off, edgelord!!” she roared.
Locking onto Danek's Soundvert powers, she felt a pumping energy pour into her entire body in sync with the rhythms of the ongoing song.
She felt invincible–but she doubted it would prove to be enough against a master of the same type.
Nonetheless, if this was her fate, Pang charged. If she had to die, at least she could make it as annoying for him as possible.
“Don't, Pang!”
“Stay back, kiddo!! We'll handle it!!”
The wretched stabbing in her head returned: Benton and Irma had both switched types. Pang's balance staggered.
You dummies! Of all times, NOT NOW! she screamed internally.
She didn't even gain a semblance of what happened next until her eyes refocused.
Pang blinked. Her arms were spread above her head against the floor. Somehow, she'd crashed backwards and didn't remember it happening.
Then, she gasped.
Her chest was pressed in, but nothing was against it. Her breath was shallow and forced.
“You too, kid. You're toast.”
Pang lifted her head. Danek was walking her way.
The pain set in. He'd done it.
“Huh? What are you doing?”
Danek's question rang insincere, like he was speaking rhetorically to an inanimate object or an animal.
Pang realized his words weren't directed at her.
Aoi's cloak brushed by her cheek. She stumbled forward, her legs shaking. Then, once she was before Pang, blocking Danek's path, she came to a stop.
“Aoi…?” Pang muttered.
The ghostly young woman stood her ground, her blank stare looking up at Danek as he stepped close.
Danek smirked, but it was crooked.
“Uh…what's up with this?”
Aoi was wordless.
“What? Is she gonna face me?” Danek wondered. “Nah…she couldn't have heard anyone tell her to. Go ahead: attack me!”
He waved his hand directly in her face, ultimately wincing like she was an explosive. Utter horror replaced his confidence for just a split second.
But when Aoi did nothing else, his smirk strengthened.
“Knew it. There's nothing going on up there.”
He lifted his arm back, and whipped it straight across Aoi's head. She spun and collapsed to the floor.
“That almost scared me,” he said. Danek finally reached Pang, towering above her.
The jingling chains on his clothing rang like death bells.
“Alright, just give me a sec to pick the right song for this vibe,” he said. “Looks like I'm killing the weakest one first.”