Perhaps Isaac should’ve been concerned about the other lightning strike. As he lunged towards Babs, his right fist screaming with energy, the cultivation activation outside his window only got bigger and bigger. Or rather - the light emitted by it increased in intensity until the shockwave struck the apartment. The members of Squad 3, or anyone they had fought so far, hadn’t emitted shockwaves when they activated their powers; when Henry Spinelli did, it was enough to pin Isaac against a wall.
But this shockwave simply blew the apartment off of its foundations. Plasters and metal and concrete and glass all gave way, utterly ejected into the air by the force of the activation. Bits of gray sky poked through the debris as Isaac himself was lifted up by the force. Babs remained in place, apparently having expected this; she shielded herself with heavy storm winds. As for Reed - the shockwave knocked her over entirely, but before the debris could crush her, Osip slid in next to her. He slammed his palms into the ground - dirt and earth erupted through the foundation and hardened, forming a pyramid to shield Reed.
The big instructor leaned back, sliding his hand across the floor. More dirt appeared, cruising, arching over to provide cover for the marines exposed by the falling debris. Numerous cultivators had already created shields of pure Rddhi to shield Stockham as they retreated from the carnage.
As Isaac tumbled into the air, debris knocked him around senselessly. He wasn’t sure how much longer the bandages around his head would hold, let alone his already concussed brain. But then, through the wreckage, an unexpected lifeline appeared. Some sort of shiny, golden tendril bounced around in front of him; Isaac grabbed hold and kept tight even when the material sent shivers down his spine. He couldn't believe it - he was holding onto hair.
The strand of blonde hair, as thick as a steel cable, ascended into the sky, taking Isaac along with it. Babs herself had grabbed onto another strand; as debris fell around them, she locked eyes with him and frowned. Isaac gripped his lifeline tighter as the shockwave intensified; he was high enough now to see that the entire apartment complex had been destroyed. The falling debris struck the roads and even the training fields; a giant boulder smashed its way through the roof of the training dojo. The marines on the ground were in disarray; Osip was still recognizable, moving through the wreckage and continuing explosion, getting marines back to their feet and directing the counter-attack. Stockham and Reed were nowhere to be seen.
The sights of the city now greeted Isaac. The waves of the bay beyond the walls of the base now rocked and crashed from the energy. Before this, the highest elevation Isaac had ever achieved was sea level, or perhaps Stockham’s fifth story office. Up this high, he felt like he could’ve made direct eye contact with the office workers in their skyscrapers. And he had this view thanks to the strand of hair belonging to a giant.
That was the only way to describe her. And it was undoubtedly a her, even though her body consisted of the same unnatural, uncanny mixture of pale flesh and steel that gave Isaac uncomfortable reminders of the Heart. She had long blonde hair, but it something seemed off about it, as if somebody had attached a wig to a doll. When the strand drifted through the air, the giant glanced back, gazing at Isaac with her giant blue eyes. Some sense of knowing appeared on her face.
This thing might be just like the Heart…but it has intelligence!
The giant raised her fist into the air; there was a surge of energy and wind that centered around her palm. In one fluid motion, she slammed that fist straight into the ground. Flesh and steel flew off from the fist as it made contact, joining the wave of dust it kicked up, further hampering marine efforts to mount a counterattack. When the fist rose again, a massive crater appeared in the ground. Shiny lights - these one the darkest, purest shade of crimson Isaac had ever seen - flashed and the giant regrew her entire hand in an instant. The next strike to the ground sent Isaac’s teeth rattling; his grip on the hair temporarily loosened as black spots appeared in his vision, but he held firm, just in time for the next strike.
When the giant removed its fist from the crater, rubble fell into a dark hole. Isaac’s stomach dropped.
That’s the lift down to the Heart’s facility!
The giant knelt forward and reached its hand into the hole. It had an odd human quality to it, as if she was just somebody in their room trying to grab a slip of paper that had slipped beneath their bed. Perhaps this was just a human who possessed a cultivation ability that could turn themselves gigantic. But there was something otherworldly about the whole thing, and it wasn’t just because Isaac’s brain had been battered around his head multiple times these past several hours.
As if she knew exactly where to look and grab, the giant’s fist retreated out of the hole a moment later. Isaac let out a sharp exhale; the giant now held the Heart. The biomechanical battery continued to beat; the giant held it gently. Isaac’s eyes widened when he compared the size of the Heart to the giant’s chest - it would’ve been a perfect fit.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Is this the body for the Heart? What the hell?
Booms echoed around the base, sending Isaac’s head spinning. Artillery emplacements on the walls of the base opened up; the marines had begun their counterattack. On the ground, those still capable of fighting did so as well; sonic booms, waves of earth, and fireballs slammed into the ankles and feet of the giant. Distant pings of rifles and pistol fire soon joined them. From up this high, they looked like ants, and their attacks couldn’t have been more than pinpricks for an opponent of that size.
And then Osip appeared. He slammed a fist into the ground; the resulting cascade of earth rose into a giant wave. Scarlet lights flashed through the front as the tip of the wave turned into hardened, sharp spikes. The giant had been too busy collecting the Heart to notice; upon arrival, there was a splash of blood as the earth wave cut right through its ankle.
The giant hobbled, sending Isaac bouncing up and down, but just like its hand, it regrew its foot in a moment. She slammed that foot into the ground, forcing Osip to throw up a shield of earth to protect himself. By the time the wave subsided, the giant was on the move. Artillery blasts caught her in the back as she lumbered away; growths appeared along her body, looking as sickly as cancerous tumors, and they took the brunt of the artillery. When she got close enough, she ran her hand along the top of the base’s western wall as if she was just wiping a window. The carnage she subsequently created threw up stone and bloody limbs.
Even as the entire base's defenders continued their fire, she stepped over the wall. Her foot came down on the barricades on the other side, flattening them entirely, barbed wire and all. To their credit, the surviving marines held strong and immediately opened fire with everything they had, but it must’ve felt like toy guns to the giant. Her other leg followed over the wall, and now she was free. She took long strides down the long avenues of the capital, heading south towards Machigonne and the docks of Fore River where the Melusine once steamed into port.
Air raid sirens soon erupted through the city, their low collective drone making Isaac’s ears buzz and head pound. All the movement and concussive force had made him slip down to the end of the strand of hair. He wasn’t sure what would happen, but the giant’s shoulder below provided a large landing pad for him below. Another footstep rocked him further down the strand; one more step and his fingers felt nothing but air.
Fortunately, no cancerous growth awaited him when he landed on her shoulder. Maybe I’m so small she doesn’t notice my presence. He frowned at the situation he now found himself in. If this is just a cultivator with the ability to make themselves bigger, then the same rules apply. I just need to cut the connection between their heart, mind or soul. I’ll just have to be careful about-
Her. Babs glided down from her strand of hair, landing on the shoulder in front of Isaac. The flesh made no reaction to either of their arrivals. All the emotions of her betrayal now finally surfaced in Isaac; he clenched his fists and got ready for combat, but she spoke first.
“This would’ve been so much simpler if you had just put the Heart on the train,” she said. “Then I wouldn’t have resorted to something like this. All this collateral damage, and the giant placed some conditions on using her services, too.”
Babs jabbed a finger at him. “The more you oppose me, the more the State Police wins. While we destroy each other, they gain strength. Do you know how much power the State Police will now gain by using the giant’s attack as a pretext? It won’t matter once I defeat them, but the longer you oppose me, the longer our conflict gets dragged out, the better position they’re in. If you were to defeat me, then you’ve gifted the State Police a victory they didn't earn."
“This was your attack!” Isaac reminded her. “This was your plan. You brought this upon the country yourself.”
“Because this country needed to change!” she pleaded. “Remember? We promised to change this country. To support each other’s dreams!"
“But you lied this whole time! When I spoke with you and Reed about my plan to let Stockham in on what Connor told me, you said we couldn’t trust him. But you just wanted to prevent him from ruining your plans, right? That's why you came with us when we spoke to him - just to see what we told him and what his reaction was! And during the train fight this morning, you had Zou Mei fling you toward the forest so you could escape with the Restorationists after they hijacked the train, didn’t you?”
Sparks ran up his arms. “Where do the lies end? When I first arrived here, you gave me so much advice. I wouldn’t be here today without your help. But if you were just going to betray us in the end, why? Did it amuse you-”
“Of course not!” A crimson flush now covered her face. “I wasn’t lying the other night. I do admire you, Isaac. You got dealt a shit hand too, but you kept going. We’re alike! We’re friends! Do you know why Connor didn’t kill the civilians you rescued from Machigonne? Because I specifically told him not to. Kieran just died, and saving the civilians made you feel so much better, I just couldn’t do it.”
She gave the city down below a wistful look. “But my mercy led you to the notes of the Dederick twins, which led to the train gambit, which led to where we are now. Even so, I have no regrets about showing you that mercy. However…”
Babs raised a fist. Lights sparked up her arm. “I'd have regrets about showing you mercy a second time. Isaac, if you won’t join me, then I have no choice.”
Isaac let out a deep breath. For the briefest of moments, he thought of late summer, perhaps the final night of summer, when he and Babs danced the evening away at Old Bob’s Dance Hall. If only he could’ve stuck that time in a bottle forever.
“Me neither.”
Red lights erupted through both of them.