For a moment, the air is thick with dust and the sound of the Pawn struggling to correct itself. Since everything went from ten to now a hundred.
Her eyes loomed at the beast ahead of her, She technically didn’t know what it was but her system’s got it covered as her eyes narrowed on the downed figure. She can still see it, even if its form is somewhat obscured by the smoke and dust, She can somewhat see it. Its frame was filled with sparks and whatnot from its body, A gunmetal grey somewhat lanky frame, short neck, and long large hands ending with serrated claws, and glowing crimson eyes.
[AUTOMATA MODEL: PAWN TYPE]
Hmmm, well that’s surprising that enough info to grant her, aside from it being bare minimum of what she wanted sadly. The opposing Automata, still struggling to rise from the rubble she had knocked it into, twitched and groaned. Sparks shot from its damaged frame and it had a larger-than-life dent ingrained into the side, its mechanical limbs scraping against the ground as it tried to pull itself upright until the Pawn-Type finally managed too.
It wasn’t done yet.
Her gaze locked onto it. Despite its damages, that thing was relentless, driven by something… The silver-haired didn’t know what, but all she knew was that it was a threat, a threat needing to be eliminated and she’ll so forth do that. Quickly, she assessed her surroundings catching a momentary glimpse of two others from the hole in the wall she’d made and transitioning her focus to the surroundings of this room, It was somewhat filled with rails, and broken objects she couldn’t comprehend… But they’ll do if they’re needed.
Her auditory receptors… Or… well ears, caught the sounds of grinding metal, with her eyes managed to land on the Pawn, it had managed to recalibrate itself…. Her lips pressed into a thin line. Seems, like one hit didn’t do much, that’s a bummer... It was moving, The gown-wearing girl's internal systems momentarily prepared itself for combat, her eyes glowing again briefly. She stepped towards the threat, her mechanical fingers flexing as they braced for combat.
The Pawn's glowing eyes flickered as its head jerked to the side in an erratic, glitch-filled-like movement. This one could see the cracks in its frame from where she had slammed it into the wall and notes of a partially damaged jaw, but it was still operational — still dangerous. Its head snapped toward her, It let out a low mechanical hiss, with the Pawn-Type focusing on her. The Pawn sprung at her, one of its claws aiming for her, but the smaller lass jumped out of the way twisting her body in a sort of flip as she landed behind it just as the much bigger creature missed.
But it was quick to rectify its mistake, quickly coming at her again with a vicious swipe, she quickly leaped to the side, only for the claw to graze her at her cheek, She didn’t register the small pain. But her eyes snapped at its claws, with her own hands moving like tiger claws, digging down upon her opponent's outstretched arm. She felt this larger automaton trying to wrench itself free from her grip as she caught sight of its wiry tail thrashing in frustration.
Still, it did something rather unexpected lifting her off of the ground and slamming the arm she held onto and her into the wall behind her, knocking her off guard. The wall formed spiderweb-like formations into it. But she shrugged it off if it wasn’t for the damage reports hitting her for a second catching her off guard… Seems like her back and the back of her head is taking damage here.
But that only gave leeway for her current target to attack as she was going to leave out.. She heard it screech, and then the mechanical beast’s outstretched hand bawled up into a fist and it punched her, it did it, more than once, as the wall’s indentations grew a bit bigger. The Pawn wasn’t stopping there as it had another dealing to do.
The silver-haired felt it pick her up by the head, legs dangling, her feet not even close to the ground. for a moment both eyes locked on each other, neon green meeting red. One party held animosity towards its threat and the other a cold-focused indifference to the situation. Her hands gripped the arm that held her as she tried to wrench herself free, but she couldn’t get herself out in time as she felt her body being swung again.
The impact drove her into the wall again, the concrete behind her cracking more as she let out another sharp gasp, her systems listing more damage reports.
[WARNING DAMAGE TO FRAME MODERATE; Advise Caution.}
Greeeaat… Moderate damage to her frame, almost made her get a wee bit annoyed, Like she didn’t like it but she had to handle it no matter what. Her ears register to low growl sounding from the Pawn in front of her, it’s almost as if to try and ask: What are you gonna do now?
But the smaller girl had one and seeing a glint of light caught in her eye of something nearby…. That can help, Her head slumped with her body relaxing, The opposing creature raised her its grip tightening to try and crush her head as it thought that she’d finally given up and The Pawn could just eliminate her. But then-
Clank! Shink! SCREEEECH!!!!!
A large metal pole was kicked up in the nick of time while it was raising her, it was hard to reach due to how far it was, but luckily that wasn’t the issue when she had feet. The hit arm which it was sprayed silvery-white fluids out of that arm that so forth held her with that pole ingrained into its arm, The Pawn’s entire body jerked, its grip on her head loosening as the fluid gushed from the wound. She upped the ante on it by twisting her body while gripping that pole, using both her weight to pull herself free and that said item on her target. Her joints strained a bit as she twisted hard while gripping the pole tightly with her claws digging into it, ripping the Pawn’s forearm and arm into two; earning a louder much more painfilled screech. The piece of arm tore away with a loud, metallic snap, more of the silvery-white fluid spraying into the air.
She fell onto the ground, landing with a soft thud, she placed her hand on the torn limb pulled it off her head, and tossed it aside as she glared in its direction as she held the pole in her hand and twirled it. Her breath came in shallow gasps, her chest heaving as she stared down the wounded Automata… in annoyance… sheer cold annoyance.
The Pawn was moving even more erratically, its body swaying slightly as it tried to adjust for the loss of part of its limb.
SCREEECH!!!!
----------------------------------------
Gemma stared while she was peeking behind watching the fight in awe, Seeing that girl who fought against that monster…. She’s amazing moving like that! Like a hero in an action movie or a super spy! She was fighting against a big monster like that Pawn, It was so cool. But underneath Gemma was worried for the girl, more so about how her being hurt from those blows earlier, But the child seeing the older girl just shrugged off those hits like that... kind of didn't process that.
She felt Charis move, almost blocking her view with her arm outstretched, She didn’t know why as she looked at her sister’s face confused but worried,and saw her baring her teeth like an animal trying to protect its cub. But her eyes managed to trace it while herding the loud rebounding footsteps of it, That’s where her heart dropped.
She stood frozen, eyes wide with terror. The dimly lit room offered no protection, no place to hide, as the towering figure of the Pawn Automata was bounding for them.
It’s going after them.
The Automata shifted its focus from whatever it had been fighting before. Its heavily ripped arm dangled uselessly at its side, but it didn’t seem to care. It's charged, its single good arm outstretched and ready to strike. The sight of its claws closing in made Gemma scream in sheer panic. Everything seemed to slow down as the distance between them shrank. Gemma clutched her sister’s leg squeezing her eyes shut, terrified of what was to come—
But that hit didn’t land.
There was a sudden rush of wind of something moving. Gemma opened her eyes just in time to see something…. Silver? That it dart through the smoke-filled air. In a split second, a figure — No, It’s that same girl from before — leaps out of nowhere. Her body twisted, mid-air, her silver hair whipping like a streak of light behind her, catching the light in the room. The long strands seemed to float for just a moment, suspended like angel’s wings as she soared toward the Pawn.
She kicked it.
The impact felt brutal, a dropkick landing squarely against the Pawn's back. The force of it was enough to send the towering Automata stumbling into the ground, its course pretty much veering wildly off. The metallic thud of the Pawn’s body collided with the floor and echoed through the space, a cloud of dust kicking up where it fell. Gemma's breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide as she watched the girl land gracefully in a low crouch, her quite long silver hair cascading down her back like a river of light before settling around her shoulders and back. She barely seemed fazed, and for a moment caught her gaze looking towards her, they had this cold… almost emotionless glint.
She didn’t move, But Gemma felt her sister’s protective hold tightening, as she looked up, but her eyes were fixed on the silver-haired stranger. Honestly, Both were stunned by what they saw through the hole in the wall… Well that’s was what Gemma assumed anyway.
The Pawn, still not defeated, shifted again, trying to rise from the ground. But this time, there was something different in its movements. Slower. Much Weaker.
The silver-haired girl, without a word, stepped forward, slowly at first but picking up speed gradually, as the Pawn lets out a weakened screech its eyes briefly flickering quite a bit damaged, Dust and debris cleared. The Pawn, now back on its feet, swung its good arm in a wide yet quite savage arc, aiming to crush the girl with one blow. But she was fast. With a sharp turn, the girl twisted her body, moving out of the way again just as the Pawn’s heavy claws slammed into the floor with a crash. The ground beneath them cracked with its claws seemingly embedded into the ground, but the girl kept going already planning another move.
Gemma could barely keep up as she watched the girl dart to the side, her movements graceful like a dancer. The silver strands of her hair whipped through the air. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, the girl launches herself forward, aiming a bit high. Her leg snapped out in a sharp kick, the impact hitting the Pawn’s chest with a sickening crack. Gemma’s breath caught in her throat as she heard the sound of metal breaking, and the Pawn’s body toppled arching its body backward.
That second kick had ripped its other arm off. Seriously are her legs that strong??????
But it raised itself up again still not done. But the girl didn’t hesitate, Her hand balling up into a fist and well a very loud clang, sounded like metal upon…. Metal?
It did the trick, the Pawn Type toppled backward from the blow from an attack that showed such force. But the girl wasn’t done yet as she got on the Pawn Type as it fell and started punching it…. Over and over again, each punch rang out with a metallic clang. The sound echoed off the broken walls, The Pawn’s head jerked with each hit, the silvery-white fluid leaking from its previous wounds, and now its head as a dent was slowly but surely forming, but still, it struggled.
Even as the girl pounded into its head, the Pawn’s legs twitched in a futile effort. It was slower now. But she didn’t stop. Her fists kept slamming into the Pawn’s head, Both sisters were wondering who is she, but on Charis's end what is she? Charis on one end was impressed and stunned by the sheer surprise of someone else saving them, but the girl’s strength, action, and movement were a bit inhumane… including the factor of… still moving After all the damage that's been hitting her.
But The Pawn’s tail, The younger sibling’s heartrate, accelerated. The appendage moved slowly at first, then faster, slithering upwards like a snake preparing to strike. It rose, arching above the girl, aimed straight at her ready to pierce her head.
The girl seemingly hadn’t seen it; she was too focused on destroying the Pawn’s head.
“Look out!” Gemma screamed, her voice breaking with fear.
But the girl didn’t turn and didn’t even flinch.
In a split second, her hand shot out behind her, faster than Gemma’s eyes could track. She caught it— the Pawn’s tail, inches from her head. The sight stunned Gemma. Without so much as a glance, the girl’s her other hand still clenched into a fist. She held the tail effortlessly, like it was nothing more than a toy, her grip unwavering.
Then, in one smooth motion, she yanked the tail forward. The Pawn’s massive frame jerked from the force, She didn’t hesitate, didn’t pause to think of the situation, with brutal efficiency, she drove the tip of the Pawn’s own tail straight into its chest. The sound of metal piercing metal rang out, sharp and final. The Pawn’s body seized, its silvery-white fluid spraying from the wound and staining her skin, her already stained dress, and her face.
Gemma stared, wide-eyed, as the fluid trickled down chassis of the automata’s chest. For a moment, it twitched, the beasts legs jerking like a flailing fish, but the movement slowed, then stilled completely. The light in its silver-bronze eyes dimmed until it faded altogether. It’s dead as the body stilled.
It’s over finally.
Gemma’s mouth hung open, she watched the girl stand, calmly. The air’s thick with dust and the acrid smell of metal and oil, but all Gemma could focus on was the silver-haired stranger who had just destroyed the monstrous pawn after what felt like an eternity.
The said Automata, The lights in it’s eye faded and it's form severelydamaged… What had happened to this thing was done by a person whom is seriously shorter than them.
Gemma and Charis stood frozen in place, eyes wide and breaths shallow. The silver-haired girl, now turned her attention to them, Both catching the sight of the bright green eyes, But those eyes hinted hollowness… almost devoid of emotion. For a heavy moment, she didn’t speak, just stared, the silence pressing in on all sides.
Gemma swallowed hard, her small hand gripping Charis’s arm tightly. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but her feet refused to move. Charis, usually so calm, so strong, seemed just as tense beside her as she heard a low grunt from her sister whom who didn’t know what to do.
The girl stood still for a second, illuminated by the faint light filtering through the cracks in the crumbling walls. Her clothes — a torn blue gown— damaged quite a bit from the fight. Darker silvery-green fluids from the Automata smeared across her face, the sides of her arms and legs, and dripped down her face, mingling with the grime and sweat. It mixed with streaks of silvery-white fluid that was also smeared across her ashen-pale skin, with bits of debris, dirt, and whatnot clinging to the fabric of her torn outfit. Her feet were bare as she stood there not heeding anything.
Her body, bruised and battered from the struggle, showed visible signs of damage. The cut on her cheek was deep, and the bruises across her legs and arms were quite painful for the eyes. Despite her injuries, there was something strangely calm about her, as if the pain didn’t quite touch her the same way as anyone else.
As Gemma watched in wide-eyed silence, strange green lights flickered around the girl’s body. The faint cloud of shimmering particles swirled through the air, gathering around her wounded skin like a living mist. Slowly, the bruises and cuts began to fade. The deep gash on her face knit itself together before their eyes, the torn skin smoothing over as if the injury had never been there at all.
“Big sis…” Gemma whispered, her voice barely more than a breath.
“I know,” Charis muttered, eyes narrowing as she pulled Gemma slightly behind her. Her body tensed further. This definitely screamed not human and this terrified them. Honestly…. Because this was something new… yet unpredictable. The girl took a step toward them, But her silence only added to the tension, the fluid that stained her body glistening under the faint light as she slowly closed the distance between them, her hair swaying softly with each step.
Gemma felt a tremor run through her body, instinctive fear knotting in her stomach. They had just seen her tear apart a creature that had nearly killed them, but now… now that she was coming closer, the terrifying possibilities of what she could do. Charis shifted her stance, protective as always, but even she couldn’t hide the way her muscles tightened, as she raised the metal slab but felt the sharp pain in her arm, She’s injured and she kinda forgot that as she had to break through the pain.
The girl stopped, her bare feet ignoring the cracks in the ground. The faint green cloud still swirled around her, healing the last of her wounds, But she seemed to tense up a bit watching Gemma’s older sister raise the metal pole in some sort of defense.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
But what happened next kinda knocked everything out.
“Are… you both a threat too?”
If there was records playing, They would've scratched by now, Along with this factor of this girl’s voice was quite soft and melodic and young too, but the gentleness was mixed in the monotonous air she quite radiated. Gemma caught her sister’s stance faltering, But Gemma was downright afraid, But them? Threat? Gemma hoped not, As that was the thing that had terrified her honestly and it’s the thing but Charis’s broken yet usable prosthetic arm went down to comfort her, and she guessed that Charis felt her shaking.
The clouds that surrounded her dissipated as her injuries were nighly gone. “ N-no, We’re not, we’re not a threat,” Charis answered still bracing herself. Honestly looking at the girl, She was older than Gemma but looked younger than Charis, and guessing on her height she may be smol… on her big sister’s end. There was a tense silence between the three girls, it was so tense, that you may need an axe just to cut it.
She only tilted her head, her features somewhat softening a bit but they still held that hollow look. “Then why do you raise that against me, If you’re not a threat?” This silver-haired mystery had a fair point, While she was pointing with her mechanical hand. Charis relinquished a sigh, lowering it then. “Good point but that doesn’t speak the factor of you decimating a pawn without any weapon, With your bare hands? And still fighting while you're hurt, and healing yourself from after all that.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Charis blinked, caught off guard by the bluntness of the question. She swallowed, lowering the slab slightly but still keeping it within reach. “I—because- you literally- Well, JUST took something down that is kinda unkillable without the right stuff!” The auburn answered hastily, her voice faltering as she tried to reason with the strange —Yet deceptively not human— girl in front of her. "You just— I don’t know what to say about that.”
She just tilted her head a bit confused, like a lost puppy… making her look adorable in an unsettling way. "But... Can't you do the same thing I can do?" she questioned as if the logic in her head made perfect sense with that question. Charis opened her mouth to respond, but the words died on her tongue. Okay…. This conversation is taking a weird turn…. A very weird one…. Honestly. They physically do that.. WITH THEIR OWN BARE HANDS, If I have to say, That's kinda ya know, a death sentence.
"Uh- No, we can't?"
"Then.... what does it have to do with me being dangerous?"
The silver-haired girl, with her flat tone and piercing gaze, didn’t seem to be doing this on purpose. She was just…odd. Like her logic was operating on a completely different area zone than them. Which would kinda explained things, But she didn’t know. Charis sighed, lowering it all the way this time and quite done with this. "Okay, listen," she began slowly, "we’re just scared. That’s why I had it, Also I don't even know how to explain that you destroying something with your bare hands, equals to if you're gonna attack us. Now that we see you aren’t… But no, We seriously can't do that."
The teen(?) blinked, her eyes briefly flicking down to the slab again and then at the Pawn behind her. "Oh. So it’s just because you were scared? Not because I’m dangerous and you guys can't do what I just did?"
"Exactly,"
"that's clarifying."
Gemma on the other hand cautiously moved away from behind her sister afraid as she was trembling a bit. Huh, the wording also got through to her… surprising. The girl’s stance looks less tense, but her green eyes landed on the poncho-wearing lass, as she flinched and immediately hid behind her sister afraid.
“You’re not human are you?”
Slowly, her eyes caught the dim light, glowing faintly in the darkness as they traced toward Charis. Her expression was unreadable, She didn’t answer directly at first, her gaze lingering on Charis as if she were measuring the weight of the question. “So, what if I’m not?” The girl spoke, her voice cold, cutting through the tension like a butter knife. The tone was calm and detached, but it sent shivers down Charis’ spine.
“Then what are you?” Charis demanded, really wanting to know as Gemma on this eyes landed on the girl.
The silver-haired stared at her for another long moment, her expression blank, as if she were processing the question in some distant part of her mind. The silence stretched on, thick and uncomfortable.
“All I know… I’m a doll…. A doll variant of the one I fought”
The word hung in the air, sharp and confusing. Charis furrowed her brow, her confusion deepening. “A… doll? A variant?” She repeated the word, disbelief lacing her voice. “What the hell is that supposed to mean???.” Um, She kinda forgot there's a kid over here... Her sister..
The silver hair was silent not answering, staring aimlessly as if she was waiting… but then shrugged. “That’s all remember in my memories, I’m a Doll…. A Doll variant of the automata…” Those words struck a cord, causing both girls to pale in fear but both girls were nervous. She’s like one of them, But she didn’t even kill the sisters whom WHO ARE HUMAN??? That girl only targeted the Pawn… which was less than reasonable based on the human side of things, and that stare wasn’t exactly helping.
“Can you help us?!” Gemma blurted out, breaking the tense silence. Charis glanced at her younger sister, a warning in her eyes, but Gemma pressed on, determined. She turned to face Her fully, who hadn't moved from where she stood. "You know this area right??”
The silver-haired eyes narrowed just a fraction, though her expression remained blank. "This… area?" she repeated, as though the concept was strange to her.
"Yeah!" Gemma stepped forward, her confidence building. "We need to look for supplies and stuff, Like knicknacks, Shiny things and,... Ummm I dunno what else, But I'll figure it out!"
Charis, standing behind her, frowned, her arm on her sister's shoulder. "Gemma, we can-" she started, her voice low and wary, but her sister cut her off. "Come on, Please! She’s cool." Gemma continued, her eyes locked on hers while pointing to Hopea. "She’s strong, and cool looking like a super hero! Pleaaaaasseeeee, Come on really please?"
She remained silent, her gaze shifting from Gemma to Charis, then back again. Her lack of response was unnerving, like she was puppet , Ironic huh? Finally, she spoke, her voice flat. "Why?"
"Why?" She parroted a bit confused.
"What is the reason, I should help?" Her question was direct, cutting through the tension like a blade. The teen's(?) eyes, cold and calculating, bore into Gemma’s, almost as if she were searching for something. Gemma faltered for a second, taken aback by the sheer bluntness of the question. She hadn’t expected it—though, in hindsight, she probably should have.
"Because you can, I mean we really find a safe way out of here by ourselves and We'll be.... ummmmm.... Um, We'll go like Bleh!" She explained doing a poor imitidation of a death scene by, making that slit throat move with her fingers. Making Charis on her end snicker a little kinda breaking the serious sister type thing. "Also, because.... I- Um, want to be friends with you!"
"H- Huh?!" that caught this older sibling off guard real quick as she faced her sister worriedly by that. Because who in their right mind would become friends with an artificial intelligence like her? "G-gemma, What are you thinking?! making friends with, Ya know her??"
Gemma only flashed a small smile. "Because she's cool like a superhero and we could get your arm repaired!" She argued back, Gesturing to the still sparking and quite damaged arm. "But asking to be friends out of nowhere with someone like her?! That's really you know danger!" She directed a point at the subject in front of them. Gemma was not holding back on her ground as she looked at her sister determined. "Yes! I know, But she seems cool!"
"No it doesn't!"
"yes It does!"
"No, It-"
"That... sounds reasonable."
"W-what?!"
Hearing the automaton who was silently watching the banter between the two siblings as before, crossed her arms while listening. "You both heard me, I wish not to repeat this, But This sounds reasonable... enough. " Her originally cold yet calculating glare softens up just a small bit.
That was surprising on how quickly it was, Despite Charis's surprise to the point her eyes were quite wide, Gemma here was a bit too happy as she gave off a happy cheer. Doing a small yes in fist pump; But with Charis still a little wee bit suspicious of the doll. The girl standing there tilted her head not clearly understanding Gemma's celebration but didn't say anything. But anywho, She turned around walking without a word. "Let's go, two other signatures are moving around to this area... Probably, They know one of their allies is down, So The best bet is down here, Through this hallway, and to the eastern sides of this building."
"How do you know that?"
"... Come on, We don't need to be wasting time." That sounded like she didn't want to answer that.
"R-right, Gemma come on!" Charis said following right behind her, Gemma nodded following right behind. The two sisters exchanged a glance while they followed briefly both still a bit uncertain.
----------------------------------------
Sometime Later.....
----------------------------------------
It's been some minutes since they walked, as The air was stale, The girl moved ahead silently leading the sisters in an almost soldier-like way. The only sounds were the soft sounds of shoes Excluding the silver hair's against the debris-laden floor and the distant echoes of crumbling infrastructure. But her mind was quite focused on scanning the surroundings for any signs of more threats. Her eyes flicked back and forth for any impending danger. Yet, despite the tension hanging in the air, an uncomfortable silence filled the space between them, not that she minded.
Behind her, those two humans, Gemma and Charis followed, both of them trying to keep their footsteps as quiet as possible. The tension hung thick between them, like a heavy cloud that refused to dissipate. She felt the stare from the taller human, Quite leaving her with the feeling that the taller human didn't trust her. But that younger girl... Gemma, though, earlier that girl... felt... different. Odd almost. Internally, She sighed.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of walking in this ye ol' hallway... The silence was broken.
“So… what’s your name?”
The question came from Gemma, her voice echoing softly in the space. She interpreted as an innocent, yet curious question. Guess She had to amuse the young girl as She didn’t respond right away, her mind processing the question, unsure if it required an answer... such a question. It was just… a name. So, Why did it matter? But, She thought for a moment.... until it came up.
“I'm designation HO-47-VII Model Final,” she said flatly after a moment, her voice cutting through the quiet.
“Oh,” Gemma replied, her tone a little brighter. “um... Nice to meet you um...."
"Just call me Hopea." The silver-haired... Now Hopea answered as she kept on walking. Hopea had a feeling it was gonna be hard for her designation to be called, so Hopea was better in sense. "So, You said you were activated right? How did it feel, Did it feel like you were powering up like a Super Hero- Waitwaitwait- No! do you have a favorite color? Wait!- Are you some kind of... like Superspy or marital artist, With you fighting like that it was totally-"
"Keep your voice down."
Hopea stops, glancing down at the young girl who looks down a bit embarrassed while rubbing her head. "Sorry." Admittedly it kinda made this doll a bit sorry but she thought it would be at best to answer those questions. "Yes I was activated, I.... Well no, I don't know what your talking about. Color....? Don't have one... I think. Neither?" Those answers sounded both, odd and quite foreign to her, But it was the best that she could manage for someone like her since... She uh, Doesn't have a good explanation for that.
"Uh-huh...."
The silence was palpable... As Hopea pondered over it, Everything was a mess in her mind, fragmented memories scattered, and those questions she answered..... She didn't know if they could be the right ones, but at the same time, they felt like it. She just had to roll with it as her guess or something like that.
"Oh yeah! I'm Gemma and This is my biiiiiig sister, Charis." She said gesturing to her sister. Whom who was giving a small "Hi" on her end. Pretty much sounded like, That Charis didn't pretty much like Hopea. And This automata didn't answer any further for reasons, Pretty much giving way to how TENSE it was between the two.
But as the minutes drawled on, They came down a pit of stairs in the corridor that led them into a hallway, with plenty of doors some ajar, some closed still with the ceiling and wall looking quite as bad as the rest of the building.
She could feel the weight of their eyes on her, both Gemma’s and Charis’s, watching, waiting for direction. The truth was, she didn’t know if there was anything in these rooms that would help them... even if it was the factor of this area being the farthest from the Pawns in her case. But something about this hallway—its emptiness, its silence—nagged at her.
"There might be something in one of these rooms," she said after a moment, her voice flat and devoid of certainty. "We could... find what we need here." Her words hung in the air, but they didn’t feel as confident as they sounded. She wasn’t entirely sure if this was the right place. Her memory is a bit of a mess right now... still trying to figure out the blanks here.
She felt those eyes zeroing in on her, Seems like someone isn't convinced. "Might?" Charis repeated, her voice laced with skepticism. "So you’re not sure?" This auburn-haired asked. Hopea didn’t turn around, but she did stop. The silver-haired stared ahead at the dimly lit doors, her eyes tracing the contours of the hall. "Yes," she admitted after a brief pause, her voice still a bit cold but with an edge of honesty..... "I’m not sure." That intoned a silent: Happy now? on Hopea's end.
Charis let out a frustrated breath, clearly not satisfied with that answer. Gemma, on the other hand, simply looked between them, her curiosity evident in her wide eyes. She didn’t say anything, though—she just stayed close to Charis for just incase. "We should hurry," Hopea added, her voice lowering slightly. "There could be danger around...." There was no immediate sign of a threat, no audible movement from behind the closed doors. Yet, something told her they shouldn’t linger here too long, as it could be something of an odd feeling playing with her but whatever it was... Something's up... Really much.
"Great," The young adult muttered under her breath, Quite seething in sarcasm. "Just what we needed."
Anyway, Gemma on the other hand sped past them. "Well, what are we waiting for?? We did have a pit stop to gather stuff!" The small child darts into the first door of the room. Charis chased after her sister. "Gemma! Wait up, You're not supposed to run off!" She called out. Hopea could only watch blankly a bit not used to such energy or the actions like that... Kinda made her feel a bit uncomfortable here... Since she was new to that. But Hopea didn't object as she followed inside, the first door, which was one of the ajar doors.
Hopea stepped into the room first, her green eyes scanning the space with practiced precision. It was larger than she expected, cluttered with shelves and boxes stacked in no particular order, as if whoever had last been here left in a hurry. A thin layer of dust coated everything, disturbed only by the faint breeze slipping through the cracks in the walls. Her senses processed the environment quickly, calculating potential threats, but nothing seemed to stir. For now, it was safe.
On one side of the room, against the far wall, stood a gun rack. Several firearms hung from it, all varying in size and style, but covered in dust and rust. Hopea’s gaze lingered on them for a moment, her mind processing the array of weapons, noting their conditions and potential usefulness. As she had counted there were only four weapons that seems to be useful and probably operatable, the other five kinda counted out due to her seeing the extensive damages on their chassis, Two were Semi-automatic pistols and there was a revolver and pretty much a shotgun... too. aside from the obvious amount of rust on its form.
Behind her, Charis entered the room with Gemma close at her side. She immediately spotted the gun rack as well and stiffened, her eyes narrowing as she instinctively moved in front of her younger sister.
"Don’t touch the guns, Gemma," the older sibling warned her voice firm but not harsh. "You’re too young for that. Just... find something else that’s useful and safer"
Gemma pouted a little, clearly disappointed but not arguing. She knew better than to challenge Charis on something like this... Since she also knew guns was a wee bit dangerous. Instead, she turned her attention to the rest of the room, her wide eyes gleaming with curiosity as she began to explore the scattered objects around them.
The brown-haired poncho-wearing lass, wandered further into the room, her small hands rummaging through the items that's been left behind. Most of it was junk—broken tools, old machinery parts—but then her eyes landed on something bright and colorful. A magazine, its cover still mostly intact despite the dust. Gemma pulled it out from under a pile of scraps, wiping off the dirt with her sleeve.
The cover featured a woman in a vibrant outfit, her hair styled in a way that Gemma had never seen before, with bold patterns and bright colors splashed across the page. It was a fashion magazine—old, but still a bit interesting to someone like Gemma, who had rarely seen anything like it. "Whoa..." she breathed, her eyes wide with awe. She held it up as if it were a treasure, something magical she had stumbled upon in the middle of all this ruin.
Charis glanced over her shoulder, her eyes softening slightly when she saw what her sister had found. "Well, at least that’s harmless," she muttered under her breath. Hopea watched for a moment and then lingered on the weapons at hand as both human and Automata was carefully inspecting them. Hopea, meanwhile, Her eyes drifted from the gun rack to the rest of the room. There were things here that could be useful—tools, supplies—but it wasn’t what she was searching for. Not that she even knew what she was searching for... Which is weird.
"We should hurry," Hopea said, her voice flat, though a hint of tension lingered beneath the surface. "There’s no telling what could be out there."
Charis nodded, though her focus remained on the weapons. "Yeah, I know," she said, though her eyes flicked back to Gemma, who was still lost in her magazine, flipping through the pages with a sense of wonder. But she shoved the magazine into her backpack and then goes around to find what other objects around to find.
"So I guess we got a way of defending ourselves..."
"Suggestion for a Plan?"
"Yep."
Well they got their weapons. But how are they going to escape and much more fight them off if there could be more that'll attack?