\\ FRACTURIA NEW GREECIA, LIVERY STREET, ALEPH VICTOR ALPHA 1//
My eyes continued to rake over the girl, seeing delectable droplets of blood go down and disturbing viscera roll down., Her pained howls were irritating my ears,
I felt utter agony at what I realized we’d done…what we had to do..
I couldn’t bear it and stomped twice faster finally about to fully close distance. The heavy footfalls silenced her
She glanced up at me…He could sense a change within himself at that moment, shortly after he took a glance down–the remains…
He gave a look of care as the beating sounds of harsh urban warfare kicked up again.
He reached down and he shook visibly, rattled as he picked up the blanket sickened by the thick mashed remains of what he thought was an infant and mother.. He lived among humans…
I was urging myself to feast the moment I saw her among survivors, but appetite and desire to live fanished.
I starve painfully yet… I cant.. ‘you look like her.’
“What have we done.”
I’m clasping my rifle to my chest and a fresh magazine raises from my chest before an elder one is ejected clapping into the well of my gun.
I draw back the hammer and move toward the girl, my feet hitting the pavement, in sickening twist I hadn’t realized it but I gave her the blanket…the chunky boney remains still within…yet her features softened…
Resignation filled her face.
In that moment the red light of my visor shifted a purplish hue “Go.” I told her.
There was no argument…she took it in hand and turned, retreating swiftly.
“Aleph!” I could hear a voice break me out from my gaze lingering on the girl as she left.
I turned to my comrades, angry and hungry devouring mouths…Bodies of men and women cruel sharpened canines removed helmets or exposed mouths sinking into flesh, life draining…
How disgusting, sinful…grotesque…
They feasted carelessly on human beings, I’m too weak to feed myself even as I starve now, I only dare to give command.
I straighten from my slouched attitude, no longer leaning forwards I’m straight up as an oak placing this aside.
“ALPHA-ONE, MOVE-OUT!” I cry.
-
I don’t know where I lead them, I just knew It was somewhere Juno ended up, I ran through the streets littered with broken bodies, broken machines resisting, crazed war.
I hated it.
I recall a poignant moment in my life when I considered being like humans was my greatest fear, but now with what I’ve done I am assured I am far from it.
We all are I’m assessing more and more as I glance toward Juno and she looks toward me, she is in the middle of a street a streetlight covers her form, she’s been surrounded by broken bodies of heavier close-quarters machines.
Yet her helmet’s chin is bloodied...
She’s been feeding too…at this rate we’ll be killing more unarmed humans than machines...
I wave her on toward a street and building nearby.
My head turns in examination covering this street a major intersection and junction, tattered nearby tables, banners and streamers, childrens toys littered across the ground, leading out of a building that had been struck by a bomb, scorched shadows burned into the wall lit by the dim fires.
I can smell that horrid scent, burning hair…
We are entering into a day-care? Childrens hospital? I can see strange things here, what amounts to a place where they had medical beds? Strange scanners…
There is hum of machinery lullaby likely for children to be lulled to sleep….it’s so open, is this casual for them?
I can see stains of blood too old…they’re like wet copper stains…yet that still has my mouth water. Why?
I won’t drink…I can’t…I cant do that..Not like then, it isn’t in a bag…they’re in innocent..people..
I’m not too sure but the question is answered for me “This is a cybernetic bench workshop….” Juno answers for me, in resignation as if sickened.
“Cybernetic workshop?” I challenge looking toward childrens toys littered nearby.
“Would explain organic beings we encountered, weird things they smell human taste like them but they aren’t.”
The others have are nearby, Asaph announces that with question “What knife ears?”
“Yeah pale ones, they are like militia we encountered them, weak they are pointman for machines, numerable not as much as any robot but.”
Juno stops and pauses and starts “They got some inherent enhancements, bolted on, damn hard to bite through.” Juno gave cruel chuckle.
I can sense a lingering distaste in my mouth as the exchange feels as if I’ve eaten a wad of ash.
Saiyah looks to me not even able to see my face but– “Cut the chatter, Juno we were expecting you to scout and scan the tower.”.
I forgot to ask I’m rattled..I’m weak..
I back up near what is a soda dispenser, leaning against it, closing distance with it caused the dim blueish light it emit to flicker until it shut down entirely as I touched it with my back.
Propped up as it buckles under my weight.
Rifle lined with the floor.
“So?” I urge Juno.
Juno gave a nod “Fortified, it’s where many evacuees are headed, retreating combatants and other, they’ve been sending groups to rescue those still this deep in the city” Juno states mechanically.
I throw my head up at her in affirmation I’m pleased she figured that out “Fortified how? Weapons?”
“I sighted a cannon from my scope, rest of my unit was able to determine they don’t have an inner shield but it’s armored.” She states first, and then draws motion.
“Fourteen unmanned autonomous emplacements, anti-tank likely.” Juno answers as Asaph looks to me, my eye twitches inside helmet as I feel a surge of agony.
“That’ll be troubling to get through.” I speak as I glance toward Saiyah, regarding her natural talent in immediate, her visors been broken still so I can see her roll her eyes at me.
Anna who was maintaining watch outside, crouches through the doorway into the interior. “Sounds like a major weakness Aleph, Saiyah could likely get in, disrupt those defenses.”
“Exactly as I was thinking.” I admit. I ask Juno “What is the structure like? Any relevance to its shape? How would our advance look?” I ask surprising myself,
I almost sound like a military commander, I’m forcing myself to put down the agony of what we’ve done even for a moment... I don’t have the luxury to grieve for the innocent.
“Large, like a sunken skyscraper, pyramid with four entrances for each corner.” Juno seems to describe this as best as she can but even I know the structures shape had to be odd even just from sensing its signature.
I am wary of us being jumped by targets in this urban environment, but the only electronics I sense are automatic vendors it looks like as I glance outside, lights and…cameras–.
My senses aren’t that good I guess…we might be watched right now, but the enemy isn’t advancing...
I turn my attention back to juno as she finishes describing having continued.
”It has hooks like it was dropped from orbit off a ship carrying it. sunk into soil.” Juno spoke.
Inbetween statements I feel a twinge of anger, my fangs gliding further down from my gums as I feel intensified pain..hunger? I’d felt it often younger but here it’s more painful…too much blood.
“Likely more underneath…” She paused for a bit the moment I jolted and she scanned me Juno was confused but Saiyah was worried obviously getting close to nudge me with elbow.
I wave her off. “Continue Juno.” I almost plead.
I give nod “So these pale ones? Are they human? Alien?”
“Obviously Human, Victor-1.” I’m regarded by command title by Juno it feels good warms me a bit knowing the plan went that well. Opinions shifted on me, albeit if I relied heavily on intel and advantage of my ability.
” Half-correct.” Anna starts again correcting Juno and answering me she shifts her tone becoming almost eager to explain “They’re both.”
A few lights flicker around us, showing an image, it’s one of them with an arm
[‘Nephilm’! guardians of the Gods.’]
I regard this “So what are they, I’ve seen them protecting humans but no humans protecting them.” I answer but Juno grimly nods in agreement.
“I’ve seen lots of things, streamers, toys…-.” Juno doesn’t finish commenting.
“They were having a celebration, religious, robes, crowds, you seen some of what those humans wear? We stumbled upon a human cult.” Asaph seemed to lean down crouching to a knee, picking up weird tory.
“Vitruvian man…” Asaph connected as he gave a nod and connected dots quickly.
“You sure it is cult?” I’m confused hearing this question, was it not just some strange denomination, I was no stranger to religion my human-father he taught me much of it that I respected and still honor but…
“I saw some churches when we landed but they were burned out before we fired the first shot, they were old decrepit…” Juno remarked as she had been apart of the landing unit I’d sent to strike from above the barrier, ra through when I opened it with my strange ability.
I start to move forwards but stop as my armored boot vibrates touch with a heavy half-empty soda, can I kick it forwards….Until it bumps into a–..
A corpse.
I remarked it.. Saiyah seemed to recall something and tugged my arm. Hand-motioning as she turns from the others, angled to me. ‘You are hungry.’
I don’t respond I send her a glance, and she doesn’t push further but she tenses…angry.
“We should move, a city this advanced will have cameras, recon drones and street sensors.” Saiyah truthfully adds,
she is always observant of who is watching her, Probably why she can disappear on demand.
“.She’s right, we can’t be still with this level of resistance we haven’t struck a major military site this feels like, the capital.” Anna added and began to step out earning a nod from Saiyah.
“Alright we move on, Saiyah go with Juno and ensure you two are able to regroup, I want your unit dealing with the enemy air assets we encountered previously.” I start
Saiyah’s head is locked onto me now no longer moving.. She seems to be catching on something is wrong, her fists tighten the moment I command her away.
I don’t want to be around her right now, she peers into my soul too easily.
“Air assets, I was worried they had none, assumed we’d be bombed..What do you mean?” Juno quickly interrogated.
“We encountered them after Aleph regrouped with us, damn terrible thing wrecked my armor.” Saiyah speaks moving out.
The others are following me as I motion to Anna and Asaph, I know the enemy hasn’t sent any yet but the streets are wide and we somehow broke an entire portion of the city despite homefield advantage.
It’s only obvious they’d bomb any ground lost, even a squad of us seems to be considered a threat worthy of the best…
We got no time to lose. I grumble against lingering hungering pangs that have me feeling sluggish.
“Anna Asaph, control any other local groups you encounter in a street fight, shut down any roads.”
Juno speaks “My logistics team had explosives, we could collapse buildings, prevent any of the bigger ones from moving through easier, I’ve seen tracked vehicles we should prevent those.”
“Course, Anna Asaph meet with Juno’s men get explosives and bring any local isolated teams from the other Sergeants to control roads, we hold this part of the city and prep advance and assault. Move it!” I shout in long drawn-out chatter.
We are on the move!
-
I cleared out from them. I’m maneuvering from the street…
This is so pathetic..bbut I am pathetic…I’m in pain, greater pain than I can bare, but I can’t just drink it doesn’t feel right…
I’m not opposed to drinking…but I’ve never drank blood from a human sourced directly, maybe I’m a hypocrite but I have hope maybe it was all willing participants of mandatory donor callings on Persia…I don’t want to imagine…draining life.
Stealing a soul just to answer hunger…
But I’m worried, scared…I want to remove this helmet, I want to do what humans described to me few times as ‘almost vomit’ but I’ve no idea wat that is neither can I do it, it seems…Or else my helmet would be a filled bucket.
I didn’t think all the humans inside were unarmed…I sensed something here, my ability…
I realized that I sensed cybernetics, I prepared finally…mentally before
“STRIKE!” I claimed to not them but my own heart as I rationalized how we might finally face a man..something that had raised me, been a friend been a first-love but this was different, we had to kill so many…they were in the way…they were willing to fight albeit but were hardly threat, and worse….those pale ones-knifed ears, they are human too…that girl was one of them and she looked like–!
I crumble to a knee leaning on a wall as I starve…”How long has it been since I’ve had a drink…” I think back, to those times in training, in the moments of pause I hardly ever did…it’s worsened by my wounds, I could go maybe what is expected years, but with this fighting with wounds I sustained on that attack on landing.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
And after as hot plasma scorched my skin, melted my flesh and bones and boiled my bones as it went near me…I know now.. That I’m going to starve here…
If I win this battle can I go home?
This ability I have. It’s obvious what this is, I’m modified. Not in a way that matters….
I can recall it and see it obviously I’m sort of prototype to be used against advanced weapons and technology a backup strategy against this enemy that is vastly more intelligent more collectively advanced than even our best.
I am a foil to machines, yet already humans I am a monster to both.
This strange working I have…I march through the street, confident I’m abandoning my duties but I need to thing. Something is horribly wrong, I reach out against a wall, the street-lights flicker as I near…
I recall a lesson in training. Krul had us sit through for years on end…
Quantum mechanics.
I’m entangled to every machine I encounter, these data streams are not possible with quantum entanglement, but the nature of my vampirism intersects with that but due to my very being…being tied to this life…this undeath…I shift, like a misstep I was created with error.
I become alive again. My heart beats, nerves reconnect, my brain isn’t dead like the others its live, it’s built like an organic computer, I can sense it in my head, it dwindled when I suffered damage to my skull in close quarters a few times. But rewires itself as my brain and skull, flesh heals.
I’m in a multi-state with all devices I entangle myself top. I see all outcomes of the machine and verify the one common solution, predicting it but it isn’t for machines. Basic objects. Machinery..
I disabled the barrier with a touch, I utilized the third mechanic I learned, quantum tunneling…I manipulated interfaces I should have no collision or contact with, and like ripping wires I disabled that barrier…
Yet with all this there is decoherence…my state as a quantum-vampire, it becomes unstable..as if I’m reverting to some sort of natural-state…I become…alive…each time I use it…and I suffer the pain of becoming undead…it’s greater than I can ever imagine..
My mind scrambles in a short moment I realize this but it’s gone just as quick as it appeared. My mind processed..it’s like a computer, and each machine I encounter, the more I read…the more I–
“Joan..” That girl’s name was Joan I utter it aloud, I was fighting that machine and it was the only thing rambling in its head, every time it targeted me it spoke her name ‘Joan’.
Each time it arced its leg to smash me ‘Joan.’
When it fell, it cried to her..to run…and then spoke it aloud for her to hear…
Are these machines...These ’Polaries’, these people..even a cult? Did we just invade a peaceful planet? But I saw wreckages of previous invasions…
Why were we here.
-
Why were we here….?
I questioned all of this, we were sent without any reason given on a mission we survived purely because of my ability, I doubt they would’ve expected that. And I’m sure with our level we could’ve figured out our reason for being and opportunity to succeeded.
We haven’t lost a single person, I’m sure that’s because of me but even if there was four of us left I’m sure we could’ve managed.
Now I’m sure something is wrong, so I look up with my eyes.
There are religious imagery and iconography, this is something I’d seen and heard of before in my lessons what I learned about mankind but this wasn’t religion as I knew it to be this was something else, I scanned the bodies and something was utterly wrong…
These Human beings were being worshipped as if they are “god” I can see it, piles of Polaries piled on top as if to defend them.
My ears pick up voices, I lean across a wall I’m illuminated in shadow and darkened by the light.
There they are four Polaries guarding what is a man, a woman? They are not human or well not entirely…Anna may be onto something she always is, I can tell she hated me before we dropped..it’s softened, she’s neutral now.
“Our god please withstand wounds we will get you help.” These Polaries speak in unison like a well-greased machine.
I’m seeing them come in my direction now.
Damn!
I stretch out my hand above to the streetlight that swings loosely from damage, in the midst of distant machine gun fire I confidently snap my two plated fingers together as if cutting the cords of wires.
The light cuts out, I can feel that twinge that suddenly jolt as if electricity has coursed into me instead as the streetlight goes out, my vision stays the same.
They trail on and past.
My ears wince as if hearing script stream into my mind.
I’m glancing to my right and up and see one of the skyscrapers, whilst all others are on the lights of this one are a pinkish hue, I should get in there…I just know why I should.
I’m not stupid, we are too clumsy they are too hungry to eat blood and happy my plan to take what amounts to a quarter of this massive capital city that they haven’t realized we are 144,000 amongst a planet likely holding billions of humans and many more machines.
We’re outnumbered, outgunned, we are utilizing their weapons cannibalizing their armor.
I’m no time to explore or reflect.
I take the time to adjust my footing, I’m between half an alley from where I walked and where I stalked those passing Polaries, they’re headed in the direction of the tower.
Good same direction as the skyscraper I’m looking at.
I clear half a block in a moment, thunderstruck I’m leaping off the ground, dusting off as I strike the wall of a residental buildings window, fingers cleave through rippling through plated metal, sinking into steel and reinforced concrete.
I thunder up higher, clambering around like wild animal in vines.
It’s a concrete jungle and I mount and clamber about like I own the place, four stories!
I admit I am surprised, the hungrier I grow the more animalistic I feel, for one of the first itme ever I’m not worried about feeling human I’m far from it but the senses of my ability dim.
The more Intune with being dead I become.
I leaped up as if there was a fresh meal above…clearing the roof of a five-story building, soaring down, as wind picked up I feel like I’m in a sheltered vehicle bracing against heavy winds.
The roof cracks under my weight, and my VLIR lights up in a bright and purplish hue.
H.U.D switching on. Hardly useful but I am using it to gauge distance, how long this run is going to take. But VLIR underestimates it’s hardly correct, so I just take half of its consideration.
-
I don’t need a running start I’m leaping through buildings from the roof in an instant, glass of much taller structures ripple and shake as I clear jumps. Bursting through windows my approach and noisy travel shrouded by gunfire and echoes of fighting.
I blend in with the crumbling city more than I stick out.
My eyes gaze down, the occasional sighting of a machine patrol between the leaps,
Easter castes, we engaged these on the way here to the city they become numerical they are a new unit bolstered out its as if they are designed to counter us, they rapid fire plasma weapons easily melting through buildings and the ruins, they got long ears like a rabbit.
Saiyah quickly was taking to calling them “Leapers” they jump high, are daringly fast to evade rounds even after they’ve been fired, incredibly maneuverable, even I understand the Mechra underestimate them with enough of them they could kill one or two of us.
They’re just runner-ups.
It takes twice the usual round to take one out with 10x25mm
I’m making way in the city moving faster than the clicking of VLIR’s speedometer failing to measure my movement speed, I’m heading toward higher ground the buildings getting taller and taller, it’s like the regions become mountainous.
I climb my Everest, until I’m clambering bits of broken skyscraper.
We’ve been here huh?
I glance out at the city the distant fighting, I should be giving orders but my hunger even seems to fade as there is a certain serenity is this what it means to not be alive…to be so far from your humanity…no human being naturally should do this..
I feel no warmth and only cold, but it seems to fit, in the darkness pink lights litter the streets.
Cold blood runs through my veins…as I starve out...
I should keep moving, I think as I turn my head nearly face to face with that massive skyscraper…
VLIR speaks to me, or I speak to it, it’s hard to determine…my heart burns as even with my ability to interface technology it’s hard to speak to VLIR.
VLIR itself isn’t the entire visor, it's what has been inserted into my helmet’s visor, it's alive in a sort of way.
In my visor is a circular oval dot that is a bit too tall, it moves upon the emissive neon purplish line just like everyone else’s VLIR does.
But mine seems to shrink in, the hue changed when I saw that girl.
Why what happened did it react to my mind….?
I didn’t see anyone else comment, but I can bring my hand to my face. Color’s changed…it’s partly the hue of the mechra, that pinkish light they all emit in their eyes, technology, the lining and graft of their bodies and surface wiring.
It’s a tiresome milky white silver and black tertiary blend that is dizzying to look at.
Startlingly the building here isn’t a massive steel tower like the rest of the skyscrapers, it’s built like machines, jagged but curved, smooth, utilitarian as if no space is wasted as if it’s armored.
I could probably leap, from my view its about, nine miles away and I’m relatively.
Wow I hardly notice.
Thirty stories, I’m barely going to be at the half-way point of this skyscraper…
-
\\ Downtown Saiyah //
“I’ve got no clue what’s wrong with Aleph.” I shake my head pointedly as rounds whiz by, I’m ducking behind a clearing we are between two buildings each stretching into their own alley.
Juno’s careless but careful, she takes aim and fires twice, shell casings hit the ground and clatter in my ears in between the sound of her semi-automatic shots, there’s a crash a bit of building struck by the sniper rounds crumble and crush some of the machine’s underneath.
They get more aggressive with their routine, firing as they hassle her back into cover.
SWOOOM
The immense heat of each plasma round makes an otherwise silent energy weapon loud, it burns the air and atmosphere, bits of heat and purplish fire trail round it,
I can see a street-light limp and wither as it tilts down into melted metal just from being five feet away. The streak of plasma is melting glass windows of storefronts as it whizzes by lighting up the street now absent of the bio-luminescent posts melted down.
Blood boils in my suit of broken armor.
Juno takes moment to scream at me from the other side
“Well then figure it out! It’s like he’s become machine, what’s he been doing reading the minds of our enemy!? He weaves through every major enemy checkpoint on the way here like he set them up!” Juno interrogates rapidly, as the chimes and mechanical chittering and clattering of machine voice boxes communicate around us.
They don’t’ even speak English or need to speak….
“We don’t even know where he went, he just saddled you with me!” Juno cuts into my observation, not even allowing me to enjoy that despite keeping us held up here.
“He didn’t say anything! Just walked off like what the hell, and did you see him twitching!? No blood intake and his mind almost well– Juno drones on, the sounds of energy weapons are quieter, allowing her to drone on.
“Almost thinking faster than me…” Juno reluctantly admits, and I must say that has even me worried.
I love Aleph…no not like that, as a brother maybe…– or maybe like that, conventionally he was cute, I admit I hassled him let him get roughed up so I could save him back in training.
But now I worry I won’t get to enjoy that..if we make it back.. big old if.
But he is acting far better than he should be, I’ve seen him cave in robot skulls and then just become more observant, he’s in pain each time he does but thinks faster….says nothing, gives orders.
We follow them and it works too well, like he is..
I can’t have time to really enjoy thinking about this, if it’s not Juno it’s them.
The Leapers…or well as Aleph told me ‘Easter-Caste’ are dug in, taking this fight more seriously, fighting more desperately than we are and what should be expected.
Engagements so far have been small, elementary like this having me worried they are just waiting until the rest of the planet regroups to drop right on top of us.
They aren’t pushing to make sure this minor firefight is taking way longer, I’m hoping they do I could just cleave them up and we could regroup already on the next block, but they’re hesitant, drawing it out likely so something else can flank us maybe?
This drawing out they’re doing reminds me of something–Oh!
It's like how Juno irritatingly draws this one firefight on! I can’t get a clear shot with my primary, but she could’ve hit them through cover, she’s holding me hostage.
Witch isn’t even taking advantage of the time hse has an open shot
I try my best to stifle my anger so we can get this over with.
“Well, I can’t just read his mind! And–” I charge toward her but plasma bolts ripple through metal and concrete nearby me, cutting me off
I take hold of my close-range energy gun, “Triple king” I call it, on account of three barrels in shape of a pyramid, and enough power to blow out a wall.
It’s a far distance but I take two blasts the only two left and send it down, my weapon hums and chokes as its out of energy, I’d probably taken out a couple thousand just reaching this city with it, so I don’t blame it for running out so quickly I put it through more combat than imagined.
It’s how I imagine Aleph after all anyway, he’s weak I know that, but he snapped, unnaturally he seems to just know things unnaturally…like an eight-sense, the tower hummed, and I could feel it through him.
Something that had me blushing has me shaken with fear, trembling, I’m connected with him enough to know that tower, he’s subconsciously reading something from it but–!
He’s just left! And here I am dealing with someone asking the same questions I want answers to!
“Juno, we can just trust him he’s gotten us through this so far!”
“He shouldn’t of been able to, I had the extra training, was taken out to the side! It’s like he’s stolen my whole flow, you know it should’ve even at least been Asaph in his position!” Juno lulls off, she then hesitates but takes a precise shot, windows shake, and I can feel rocks of debris fall above.
One of the Saturn-castes she hits is struck so hard you’d forget it was nine-feet tall, it exploded into the air and summersaulted as sparks and shrapnel blew out its mechanical face.
This is far too easy, it’s like they’ve never encountered us before… Like they’re more used to fighting more natural conventional vampires.
“Of all times to mention it!? it doesn’t matter who they picked!” I quickly argued back but I know she’s right.
as I sling shotgun to torn bits of armor plating and switch out to my AUTEC.
Juno almost rolls her eyes so strongly I can see it through her visor.
“Whatever, just keep him on a leash after we regroup, he’s erratic, this plan was dangerous, but it worked.” She pokes out barely giving the last Saturn-Caste attempting to push us the integrity of having a fair fight.
She waltzes out, her torso swings and evades plasma, I can see the electronics on her helmet flicker from the overheat, and waves of hot radioactive plasma wash over me too.
She just shrugs and takes another shot, killing one of the two.
It crumples down like a statue, toppling legs first.
“We regroup and I reign in what I know so far, I have an inkling of a thought.”
“Alright then be clear.” Juno sharply states.
-
I shake my head as we regroup, and the fighting dies down. We’re in a tough bit of street, the other Sergeants were fighting hard so here I am admitting it.
“No clue.” I throw my hands up.
Theres a hum of lightning strikes distant, and bootsteps of other shocktroopers she’s rallied meeting out to gather all scouts per her commands so we can make that recon advance on the tower and wait for Aleph.
She’s amid the roving movements of her infantry throwing angered hand signals to get the others to move along quickly and cease interruption.
But once her directions turned to me she’s angry as we stand in the middle of a heavy street, crates of equipment, weapons that dropped in with us, empty and empty clips strewn about.
“That’s it? I should’ve drawn that out longer! Hell, I should’ve been shooting at you.”
You were doing that on purpose!?
“You went out of your way to–!?” I’m thinking and saying it aloud in anger, I knew she was doing it but it has me reaching out to strike her.
She deftly avoids, shaken a bit as she stutters after “Wai-Wait!”
…I do know my own strength, but I was looking to crack her visor for that, she already knows how I can act….
“Look, Saiyah I just want to know... I’m not doubting it’s just intriguing, I mean the whole painfully shtick was cute in training.” Juno states enough she has me initially nodding in agreement
“Y’know I cracked his skull for it gave him double pain.” She states leaning back against some heavy rubble and rock,
In-between her trying to speak to me she’s having to turn motion, and nod wordlessly to any shocktrooper under her that runs up. They get it instantly and run off.
Some of them land rudely with their mobility back, kick feet out onto ground and as engines cut off, scorch marks where they had lightly hovered
She waves them off all the same, scolding them for utilizing it. They do it anyway and keep using it, it’s about the only time it’s seen usage since we landed. We get a moment to ourselves as they clear off.
“He’s creepy now it’s why I ask, is there just a point in something changing when he landed? Hell did the machines chip his brain?”
“Creepy?” I consider I almost want to laugh.
“Even for us…I’m self-aware enough, I mean I lived around a few humans he almost puts that same sort of awe in me.” Juno seems to pointedly nod to me to draw my attention to her face.
Her visor opens and she’s eye-contact with me and my own already opened and broken visor “That they saw when I was getting ready to station in training on Persia..” Juno clarifies.
“I think he’s well….. I saw his visor-color change…you think Eternia did something to him? Is he…some sort of new caste?” She paused and thought long and hard on it.
“And whatever it is is showing up now, like he’s some sort of sleeper? Hell were his human parents just…well a test…orchestrated?” A question she asks and I have answer to.
Yeah they were…I was with them, it’s why I love him….maybe platonically..
He’s no better than a human doesn’t remember me, remembers a girl who he was often running toward, can’t even recall anything about me…maybe I blended in too well.
I considered this already, I was aware if it was not obvious, his heightened human pain, whilst he should’ve gotten over it I did somewhat understand…as much as I scolded him for it and letting it hold everyone back.
He treats it like a defect, and it seems to be, naturally he’s faster, stronger…but against these machines, well he ensured not even a single one of us died…and there’s a hundred or-so thousand-plus of us here…
“Yeah it’s obvious but what would it be?” I question looking to guage what Juno’s guess it.
“I think they dropped us here with no orders because we’re the last hope, no other fleet’s come its obvious we don’t need the sky being blotted out to see that, Saiyah.” Juno grimly adds.
Before I can question she raises a hand.
Cuts in and speaks “Think about it, he just figures all this out…..knows where to go? You saw the way he was pointed at this city, disabled the dome God’knows’how..” She shrugs…
I do consider..” What are we then? Just escort for him?”
“No, he’s High-Sergeant leading all 144,000 of us, his pain is still real even ig he ignores it now. Unlike rest of you his armor is clean. It’s kept him alive. He preserves himself like humans do.”
“He can try to ignore it much as he wants but he’s no different than them. He wants to live.”
I feel like I shouldn’t catch on, Juno’s being cryptic but it’s obvious.
“Eternia dropped us here to escort a weapon to objective?”
Juno pointedly nods.
“Then why are you questioning me about him? What more would I know than you’ve just guessed?” I’m angry stating that and it’s obvious I feel she’s asking stupid questions, pointless conversation.
“Because I want to ensure he isn’t about to bring the whole planet down on us.”
I raise an eyebrow but can’t betray whatever she alludes to has me feeling tense.
“They should’ve dropped every weapon in the stars on us, but they didn’t, he’s right to head for that tower, it’s so important they haven’t gone for those using “Air assets” you and him encountered Saiyah.”
“Which means it’s something so fragile merely fighting around it can break it.”
“What could that be? They’re machines...Whatever it is should be armored to high-hell.”
“See the signs? It’s not something that is another structure or machine....” Juno stalks around me…
She points in the distance to the hum of that tower we feel vibrating ambiently, something we didn’t question.
“The signs, the strange knife-ears..they all point to it….they could hit us with everything..bombs..but they don’t..”
“It’s cause of the tower.”
“You’re observant Saiyah, I’m smart enough to notice that.” She gives a nod “Seems it only extends to other vampires.” She gives a sly laugh that has me questioning what she means, I raise a brow at her.
“That tower is like a ship strong enough to endure any orbital bombardment, it’s why it is isolated from the city.” She speaks matter-of-factly, and I think I can realize that.. We’d obviously of tried to just nuke it from orbit ourselves if we had fleet-supremacy.
But they can predict that and even if its invulnerable don’t want it to be targeted along with the city…. they care for the city….of humans… I almost realize what she is getting at and I’m tuned in..
“You can’t mean...”
“Whoever is likely in that tower that is the reason for us being here”
“Whatever they defend has vitals…we’re after a human target Saiyah.” Juno concludes.
“And whatever the hell it’s doing to Aleph, that tower…is doing it to them….” Juno grimly nods as if realizing something horrific.
I glance up, to the banners, the celebrations, the robed humans..it isn’t just a religious ceremony it’s as if god himself is celebrated for coming down–!
That’s it! No wait, that is it! The humans…no this is much worse…what are they doing in that tower…