Septum followed Tessa down the left path, making sure to stick as close to her as he can without getting in her way. Again keeping his senses open to the world around him, ready to pick up the faintest sight of an enemy, or a stray noise that didn’t belong.
Even without Lance there to support them, he still understood his assignment. Even if it was his first one as a full-fledged agent. He would do everything in his power to ensure that Tessa made it safely to Eden, even if it cost him his life.
Still, there was something about what she had said that kept distracting him. She didn’t like taking orders from someone who was a rank below her.
While he understood what those words meant, he couldn’t believe that someone with her temperament was a rank above someone like Lance who seemed to be the most level headed person he knew. That was if Juno wasn’t in the picture.
For most of his training as an Agent, Juno had been responsible for teaching him the skills he needed to be an effective threat against any and all Androids that he came across. Whether it be in the Wastes or within the walls of a sector city.
While he had sparred with Lance a couple of times before this mission, he had never really spent much time around him personally. Only when he spent time with Zara and her sister Zoey did he interact with him outside of training, even then they barely shared any words other than a few passing ones.
This mission was the most time he spent around Lance, and in that time he had learned exactly what separated the two of them. Not just in terms of skill and leadership. But in the raw power that he gave off, especially when he watched Lance take out four Androids like it was nothing. He had barely broken a sweat, there wasn’t an ounce of him struggling to take them on at all. All Septum had been able to do was watch in awe.
And this woman in front of him was supposed to be even stronger than Lance was. It was a thought that was enough to push him to improve in any way that he could.
“Say Tessa. How did you become a Pantheonus?” Septum asked as they continued walking through the path towards a building that screamed that it was a trap.
“Training, hard work, and being from Olympus.” Tessa said simply stopping as she eyed the doorway ahead of him. “This definitely stinks of being a trap.”
“Then we should be ready for whatever they have to throw at us then.” Septum said as he continued walking towards the building that they were being funneled into.
“Are you really going to go in there to face an unknown threat?” Tessa questioned as she hurried to catch up to him enough to grab his arm.
Before Septum could say something in response, they both heard the faintest sound of a small click. The only thing they could do was meet each other's shocked gaze as the ground below them gave way, sending them both falling into the black void below. Both of them screamed as they fell.
Reacting on pure instinct. Septum pulled Tessa close to him as they fell, keeping his back to whatever surface they were bound to crash into.
Tessa found her breath catching in her throat at the warm sensation of being so close to Septum. Even through the increased heat her body was giving off due to her infection. The hold was protective, and the way he held her. Reminded her of home oddly enough.
Shaking her head to clear unnecessary thoughts from her mind. Tessa went to work quickly looking at their surroundings as they fell. If her vision hadn’t been enhanced, she would’ve missed the obvious black cord that seemed to go all the way down the hole. Spinning while taking care to stay in Septum’s hold, she reached out with both hands as she grabbed the rubber cord as their momentum sent both of them slamming into the wall, and to her surprise. Septum kept his hold, he even understood what she was trying to do without muttering a single word.
Planting his feet against the wall he pressed against it with all of his strength, Tessa did the same as they slowed their initial momentum down enough to not turn into a red stain on the concrete floor they found themselves landing on.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“Ow…I think I broke my butt…” Tessa muttered, rubbing her rear as she looked around, her eyes struggling to adjust to the darkness around them. The only light in the entire area being from the hole they had fallen down. Allowing for an area of roughly fifteen feet(4.5 meters) worth of light. But past that, not even their enhanced dark vision could see in that darkness.
At least, that was until faint LED lights began to glow revealing a long hallway that went further into another patch of darkness.
Septum looked up the hole they had fallen down, which had to have been a good 20-25 feet drop. “We were really lucky to find that chord when we did.” He said in a low tone, turning his gaze down the barely illuminated hallway. Every single fiber of his being was on edge, everything screamed out trap.
And he wasn’t about to pass up the chance to deal with an Android, no matter if the odds were against him. He had a duty to kill it, so that’s what he planned on doing.
“You stay here, doesn’t seem like any Androids are going to be causing you any trouble here. Even with the metals that make up their bodies, they would still more than likely feel the effects of the fall given their mass.” Septum said making an educated guess. But also wanting to ensure that his mission didn’t get jeopardized because he let her get into combat to assist him.
No, he aimed to take this on by himself. After all, the data they had on this area suggested that it was mainly inhabited by Mach 2 Androids. Androids that existed far before the war had destroyed most life on earth 500 years ago. They were weaker than their Mach 3 cousins when it came to combat. But they were still a deadly foe not to be taken lightly.
“There’s no way that you’re going to handle an Android on your own! Given the last time you attempted to do something on your own, we ended up down here in this hole.” Tessa pointed out gesturing around the place. “Let’s just go together, and handle this together so we don’t have any more issues yeah?”
Septum blinked a few times as he listened to her words. He knew she was right, and he hated that he unwittingly got her in a possibly even more dangerous situation.
Nevertheless, she had a point. They were better off working together. Especially if they didn’t know what kind of Androids they were going to be up against.
Lance continued walking down the path he had chosen, keeping his eyes and ears peeled on his surroundings. He was alone, just how he liked to be when he was out in the field. Where he didn’t have to worry about the survivability of others. Just himself, and whatever was in his way that needed to be cut down.
He hadn’t always been this way. Since before he even became an Agent. Before he even arrived at Sector City Eden. Lance used to have a different outlook on situations such as the one he was currently in.
But life seldom left someone unchanged. Like a wrecking ball aimed at taking out a building. Each time it hit, it broke pieces of what someone used to be away. Each injury needing to be hastily patched up, each patch up leading to a vastly different person than what they used to be. Whether it was for better or for worse.
Lance definitely believed his changes were for the worse however. Only becoming an Agent so he could ensure the survival of two people. The only two people he onced cared about before becoming an Agent. After he had become an Agent. He lost his ability to Love, and subsequently his ability to care. He knew that there was a part of him deep down within his subconscious that still held tightly on his feelings of love and caring for those two. But it wasn’t strong enough to influence him in any way.
Sighing he rubbed the back of his neck as he felt the weight of exhaustion on his shoulders. He hadn’t slept well during Septums time to watch over them. Especially after his mistake that ended up with Tessa getting injured in the first place, and had they been prepared for such an eventuality. She wouldn’t have been at risk of an infection in the first place.
Yet the entire mission he had the feeling that there was something out of place for every single move they made. Every single step they took. It felt like someone had been meddling with everything from the very beginning.
He just didn’t know who or why. Just that everything felt like it had been tampered with. Not that there was anything around to prove such a feat.
It was just a feeling. One that he didn’t really understand. Maybe if he had the chance to talk to Juno or Tatsu, they might be the ones able to give him an insight on what that feeling means.
But such a thought would have to wait however. As Lance stopped in his tracks facing down not one Android. But a group of Three Androids. Seems like the odds are definitely in Septums and Tessa’s favor for once.
And in the same vein, they were also in Lance’s favor as well.
“Damn. Looks like Andros got the other two Agents. What a shame.” The middle android spoke. It was a female model, and the two that stood on either side of it were male models.
“Guess we’ll make quick work of this one before Andros has all of the fun then.” The male Android on the right said as it was getting ready to rush in Lance’s direction.
“Why make it quick? I gotta get my exercise in for the day. Why not indulge me a bit hm?” Lance said as he slowly drew his katana taking no particular stance as he made a subtle hand movement. Gesturing for them to come at him.
And charge they did.