“Run!” Guila roared towards Ariel, both of them just barely audible to one another. As foolish as some might think it to be, now was their big chance. The Opera House was surely occupied by plenty of armed people, which meant plenty of time for them to get to where they needed.
While, by sticking close to the walls, they were able to escape detection by the swarm overhead, of even better help was the firefights which erupted in multiple locations as a result of the Opera House's opening fanfare.
However, the situation also had its downsides.
Neither of them could actually build up the speed that they normally would've been able to - in fact, Guila was currently slower than her normal walking speed, and an injured Ariel could not make up for that by supporting her weight and pulling her along. Hence, slowing her down too.
“Where to, Guila?!”
“Just keep going!”
Even worse, was that the situation also took its toll on Ariel. The longer they were outside, subjected to the excruciating sounds of hundreds upon thousands of buzzing insects and echoing gunfire, as well as being unable to see, the more disoriented she became.
“Ariel, stop! In here!”
“What-?!”
Never a good thing, without something to ruin the mix, Guila cursed again, before pushing Ariel against the wall to make her stop instead. From then on, she grabbed Ariel's hand and thankfully, the door was unlocked.
Once inside, both of them collapsed onto the nearest sofa, gasping for the stale, stench-ridden air. Just gasping, taking in the fact that they actually made it, without drawing attention to themselves, and silently thanking everyone else that did, for their help. The noise was still ear-grating when indoors, but at least it was a lot more manageable.
‘A hotel, huh? I’ve never been to one before.’ Guila thought to herself, as she watched the logo behind the reception desk. Surprisingly though, she recovered earlier than Ariel.
“Rest here for a bit longer, I’m going to check deeper inside.”
“Y-yes…!” Ariel shouted, before quickly pursing her lips and lowering her voice. “... I will, Guila.”
“Alright, I'll be right back.”
As Guila’s ragged breathing and rustling clothes disappeared in the distance, Ariel's hearing was once again dominated by a cacophony of bangs, hisses and chittering, as well as her own ragged breaths. Every second that passed, meant more flashes appeared from various areas, which were then drowned out by an undulating sea of black.
Seconds turned into minutes, as she noticed that the noises outside had begun to subside. Less gunshots… less buzzing. Eventually, she thought she heard distant, barely audible screaming. She couldn't see the firefights from where she sat, but she could imagine the lights being snuffed out, one by one.
“... so many people…” Then came a constant ringing in her ears.
“Shit…” Now she had tinnitus. Hopefully, it was just temporary, but more importantly, Guila had been gone for a while already. “Gui-”
“Was that a curse word I heard, Ariel?” Guila's voice reached her ears once more, signaling that she'd returned. “I highly doubt our husband would add such profane language in your training. Or maybe, did you learn it from me?”
“I…!” Ariel curled up from the embarrassment, and hid her face with both hands. “I'm sorry, Guila!”
“I'm joking.” She chuckled, before hissing due to her leg stinging again. “D-don't worry. Good news, though. We're in the right building.” She said, while patting Ariel’s shoulder, to give her hand.
A few seconds later, they passed through the lobby, then a dining area, an employee's section, until finally they arrived at the kitchen. All of which were filled with signs of rapid evacuation. Discarded items and clothing articles, damaged furniture, half-eaten meals and food prep, all of which were now infested with tiny versions of the insects outside.
‘Actually, isn't this their normal size?’
“There it is.” In one end of the room, flush with the metal wall, was a door that didn't even look like a door. Though, Ariel couldn't actually see anything, and just allowed herself to be led, until they finally arrived at the wall.
“It doesn't seem like there's a keypad to work with, and there's no power either. So we'll have to break in.” Once again, Ariel just nodded, before passing the spear to her. Then, Guila revealed the glowing, dust-like, golden mass of light shaped like a knife.
“Hmmm”.” She brought the weapon close to her face, inspecting the non-nanite part at the base of the structure. “Looks like we still have enough power.”
“Wait, Guila! Your wounds!”
Now that she was illuminated for the first time since they left the Janitor's closet, Ariel was able to see several gashes across Guila's face and other smaller wounds on her forehead, temples and neck. Even moreso, when she began fiddling with the Multi Tool.
She was shocked by the sight, and there was no hiding it. Because unlike Guila, she didn't suffer such injuries. Though she did have scratches, they were the kind that would heal in a few days.
But more than anything, she was worried. If left to heal on her own, Guila would have to endure even more mockery and derision from the nobility. A fact that Ariel was all too familiar with, thanks to the implanted memories and their recent experiences with them.
"Don't worry, the coagulator implant did its job. I won't bleed out. Unfortunately, it was never really meant to deal with bigger wounds. Just minor accidents while I worked." Initially not understanding the reason behind Ariel's words, Guila tried to reassure her while gesturing to her leg.
When she finally did understand, she gave a wry smile.
"Oh…. that's what you meant.” She chuckled. “Thanks for worrying. But I doubt our husband would let me keep the scars when we get home. I'll be fine after a few hours in the healing pod."
"By then, however, you'll be the one with worries." She teased, knowing full well what awaited Ariel as her sister-wife. If she hadn’t experienced it already. But it was a lot more likely that their husband wanted to introduce her first.
"You'll probably handle it much better than I did. Then again, you're also smaller than I was. Well, we'll deal with that together."
Half-way through, she'd broken eye contact with Ariel and was speaking while she focused on the form she wanted the tool to take. Then she pressed her thumb against the button on the tool's base, and after a few seconds, its shape began morphing into a long, thin, serrated saw with a nanite-thin point.
“...”
But all the while, Ariel was focused on Guila's truly blissful smile.
Was that the smile she had, when she told her story? Was she making that smile, despite her tears? Even when she was out of it and dreaming of her mama? Was her master really such a wonderful man, that she too, would believe in him and love him as much as Guila did?
She asked herself so many questions, that she couldn't voice a single one. She just stared blankly, until Guila passed the spear back to her.
"I don't have the strength to push it in. So you'll have to do it.." Guila said with a bashful grin. "It might also be very loud. Cutting through the metal, I mean. Do you want me to find you something to cover your ears, first?"
"P-please, if that's okay."
"I'll be right back, then. Keep an ear on the other side."
But as Guila faded into the darkness, still walking on her toes despite her injured leg, Ariel asked herself one final question.
'Do I want to love someone, in the same way that Mistress does?’
----------------------------------------
Earlier, from within the Kyrsana Opera House.
The Federation survivors were in the process of acting upon a plan of action, one that even included a method to retrieve as many supplies as they could, while headed for their designated evac docks. A plan that was concocted in record time from the best military and civilian minds they had at their disposal.
Their leader, the Commander, watched everyone from the stage, staring at the watch in her periphery and dreading the hiss of every energy shot her men fired through their last remaining exit. They could not waste anymore time and ammo, and all she could do now was hope that they'd have enough time to reach the Loading Docks.
“Commander!” A private ran over and saluted her, before giving his report. “We've stripped nearly all the seats now and torn apart every curtain. Everyone has at least two layers of cloth protection now. Everyone is also armed with at least one weapon now!”
“Commander!” A civilian then inserted, bowing before giving her own report. “We've distributed all the supplies that we can, and children have been given one candy bar each. But, I'm afraid some haven't received any yet.”
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Good news and bad news, she thought to herself before nodding at their words.
“Good job you two, get some rest, we have one more hour left before we depart.”
“”Yes, Commander.””
“Haah…” She sighed as soon as they were out of earshot, then stared at their exit once more. Then, another officer approached her from behind with a serious look.
“Are we sure about this distribution style, Commander?” He asked candidly, knowing that they were away from prying ears. “Would it not be better if we-”
“Only give supplies to those likely to live?” She cut him off, before turning around with a growling frown. “What then? You think we'd be able to survive with that sort of thinking?”
“As soon as we even imply that, it would be every man for himself, and our chances of making it, decrease exponentially.” Put in more direct words, it was a necessary weakness to ensure camaraderie. It was also the tactic that the Federation tried to use during the height of the war, where not even those with the highest rank were spared. Though, it was quickly subverted by the elites.
“Do I still have your support in this, Corporal?”
“Yes, Commander! Thank you for your guidance!”
“Now, go and join our new Squad Captains, they'll have finished dividing the ammo up by now.”
“Yes, Commander!”
‘Thirty minutes left…’ She thought to herself. As soon as the clock struck 2100, they had to move out. They could not wait any longer after that. But the sight of everyone, still scurrying everywhere, clearly unprepared, showed her that there was little chance of them sticking to the schedule.
Then, she glanced at a message in her periphery, sent directly from the Bridge after their own Evacuation announcement was made.
[Ceres Parlton has docked at Deck 2. Serenity’s oxygen stores are rapidly depleting. Life support failure by 0550]
Just then, screaming erupted from one of the seat sections - where they had gathered all of the wounded - overpowering the hushed murmurs that had dominated the Opera House until then and catching everyone's attention.
“Medics! What's happening up there?!” She yelled into her earpiece. But the first to respond were also the first to lose all the morale they'd built up until that point.
Nearly everyone there was convulsing and vomiting out blood, while hundreds of tiny insects, less than a millimeter across, poured out of their orifices, before much larger, segmented cockroaches crawled out of their mouths and distended throats. But those who were screaming were the truly unlucky ones, since they hadn't been parasitized, which meant many of them would experience being eaten alive and turned into new hosts.
“We need to go now, Commander!” A man yelled at the top of his lungs before nearly tumbling down the stairs, chased by a sea of insects.
That was the start of their collapse, but abandoning their wounded was not nearly as difficult as what they needed to do next.
“W-wait, please, don't leave us here!” Cried those in a growing group of several dozen survivors, after they began screening everyone properly for abnormal growths and foreign bodies inside them… Most of them were children. Maybe because the adults took longer to show symptoms, but regardless the situation had devolved past any recovery.
“We're not leaving without them, Commander.” A civilian declared, before being supported by hundreds more.
“Commander, we need to get their weapons and supplies.” Another man whispered in her ear. “They're going to die here, anyway. They won't need them.”
A schism had been formed, and if she chose to let it go on…
Time was 2141.
“... We're departing now. All infected are to remain here. If you wish to stay with them… stay.”
“Commander…?” Those that chose to stay could hardly believe their ears, nor could those that chose to leave. But her word was final, and those that chose life, marched their way out of the stadium.
However, perhaps her hasty choice was the best possible course of action. Letting the reality sink in, would’ve jeopardized all of their work up to this point.
But that was 17 minutes ago.
“Keep firing!” The Commander roared, and those around her repeated the command to those farther away.
Now they were marching across the artificial lawn around the Opera House. Nearly five thousand people, moving as a single coordinated mass - interspersed with makeshift plank shields, spears of different materials, and a various arsenal of guns. It was a war tactic from such a distant past they didn't even know it happened.
But it was once called the ‘Tortoise’ or ‘Tetsudo’.
It was the only method they could think of, to reach the Main Bulkhead which led to Deck C. Until they could reach a section that had power, which also meant Tram access, this was their only feasible option - short of praying that power returned before the insects decided to invade the Opera House some other way.
Thankfully, the insects themselves were not too difficult to defend against, once they were able to coordinate properly. Had the creatures been smarter, they would've slammed onto the formation, burying the survivors in bodies, so much that they couldn't do anything about it. But they were insects, and so, as soon as enough of them were dispatched while attempting to rush, they'd immediately retreat. That was how they managed to get as far as they did.
“Brace! They're rushing again!” Someone in the front line yelled, but before he could turn back around, one of the insects managed to get close and gut him.
To their horror, the insects seemed to get faster and none of them could even think of helping the man up, before he was dragged away from the rest of the group.
No, the insects were just beginning to coordinate too. The idea that their enemy possibly had its own Commander, was nothing short of terrifying.
But, that wasn't the real problem, because in the distance, back the way they came and barely visible to those who possessed night vision augments, were those that they left behind. The once-wounded, men, women, and children, so many were limping after them, while completely ignored by the flying insects.
‘They cannot be allowed to catch up with us!’
“MOVE FORWARD!!”
----------------------------------------
“Major.” Lieutenant Kim called out, his gaze rooted ahead of them, just like Hiiro's were. “What are we even looking at?”
“The enemy, Lieutenant.” Was the only answer he could give. Though the break was only meant to last 90 seconds, they'd been stuck in place for the past 3 minutes. The reason being that two dozen insects had positioned themselves ahead of them; on the floor and atop the storage containers - in such a way that every single one of them were in unobstructed view.
These were much larger than the ones they'd been killing until now, clearly slower, and oozing white liquid everywhere. But, more alarming than all of that, were the people stuffed into each of the insects' rears.
Either children or teenagers, all of which were still alive and begging them for help. Vatgrown, Federation, Union, and even Imperials - how they were able to catch the kids and bring them here so quickly, was a question that Hiiro didn't want to know the answer to.
“They enjoy putting on a show, don't they?... FUCKING INSECTS!” He roared, before raising his plasma digger once more. There was no doubt about it now, these creatures were intelligent, and sadistic, and, clearly, something was happening on the other side, which the things absolutely didn't want them getting to.
“... Sir. Your orders?” One of the men, Tsung, asked, while aiming his own plasma weapon. “Sir… I know it's…”
“Thank you, Sergeant. I get it.” Hiiro breathed in deep. The mission came first. “All of you charge forward. Don't stop for anything… Kill anything that tries. You are now in command, Lieutenant Kim.”
“”””“Yes, Sir!”””””
Within seconds, the obstruction was dealt with and all of them were able to pass through. The smaller insects didn't even chase them anymore… They stopped as soon as their hostage tactic failed. Which meant it was the right decision.
It was… correct.
Hiiro could only stand there, surrounded by torn apart cockroaches… and half-melted corpses, their cries still echoing in his ears. It didn't feel right to do anything else at that moment. With a blank look on his face, he gazed down at his weapon, once more. Those dainty, willow like fingers, more tangible than they were before.
Then, he stared straight at the massive, yellowish-white cocoon that was encased in a ‘nest’ of corpses, and mangled steel. It was almost as big as he was, in the mining suit. Even bigger than the Oozers.
The corpses were clearly food, but what were the hostages for, then? What the hell kind of creature could even be inside it? Plenty would pay to know, no doubt about it.
But, as soon as he tore apart the last half-living Oozer with a stomp of his leg, he aimed his digger and reduced the cocoon to mush.
It'll never see the light of day.
“Message to the Lord Commander and his Praetorian Guard, from Major Hiiro Dahl, if you come across anything resembling cocoons, destroy them. If you come across groups of large, pale, and oozing insects, then you are close to one. If possible, avoid or make it a priority target.”
His brother probably wouldn't like him disseminating information without going through him first. But in-combat situations were his specialty. He then turned to glance at something in his right - a map, tracking two moving, closely positioned pings. Guila and Ariel.
They were still far into Deck B, and the quickest way through was; the map zoomed out, and a route was established automatically based on their locations.
‘The infested maintenance layer… that's good. There might be more there too.’
Then he checked his inventory one more time. Two extra Light Mining Suits, 5 cans of spray coats. 7 anti-radioactivity pills. 216 more shots left for his Plasma Digger, a large Oscillator Spear, 24 shots in his shoulder cannon, 11 hours of remaining battery power, a full thruster tank, and… only minimal damage.
‘Suit is at 96% Combat efficiency.’
Finally, he glanced at his clock.
2236.
‘More than enough time.’