A few days later, Vortex & Eternity stepped up to a large desert rock with one hat leaning against it. He had kept track of the six and knew they were planning on driving Lanara out to the facility a half-hour away.

Vortex grunted and pointed Eternity off. "Wait for signal."

Through a few channels he had developed through Ningsing, Vortex had been told that Mei's report of this operation would attribute most of its failures to him, and that he'd either return to China with a corpse or as one. He had benefited from this sort of corruption himself; watching his father's pay increase after his son was found to host a transportation Revenant, entering Ningsing & being pulled aside by party officials, and troubles in every area of his life, even those romantic, seemed to be swallowed in the swell of his prestige.

It was benefits he had conveniently forgotten recently, and it had let the image of his country avatarize itself to him, until he tightened his expression as he picked up his rifle.

◆◆◆

The facility for Lanara's surgery was far from any city, and the guard, Auctioneer, had waved the seven past the walls surrounding it.

Standing outside of the facility, Mia & Saya's heads cocked as they heard a buzzing in the distance.

"…the hell is that?" said Aimee. "You hear that, right? Your side?"

"…yes." said Mia, glancing to the hill right. "Why does it sound like -"

- and as the swarm appeared, they stifled a laugh at the ingenuity.

Circling a hundred feet above were a cloud of quadrocopter drones, each carrying a straw hat; their hooks unclipped, and as the rain of hats started to fall -

" - Worldwide!" shouted Mia; a swarm of scarabs flew up and burnt a dozen to ash, electricity arcing and charring to drones as the dozens & dozens of hats fell, scarabs screaming and Aimee's knife slicing through the rain -

- but they couldn't stop half the army from hitting the ground, hats turning rightside-up, and as a storm of bullets followed up & fell down -

- the prodigal igloo formed over Saya and Mia, Aimee's swiftness weaving between the lead -

- and he was there as Aimee turned, a dozen feet separating her & Eternity. Knife drawn, her strike met with his gauntlets of steel -

- and Mia felt her turn the battle away from her & Saya, first bulletstorm having ended for now, dozens & dozens of hats still strewn.

"Saya - here -" said Mia, handing Saya her shield of ice. and the medic aimed it up nodding just as another flood of lead burst out of the hats -

- but swift walls of ice formed above as the two started their rush forward, scarabs burning what penetrated through; Mia scooped up one hat, and as three scarabs flew in for the same counter -

- she paused as she aimed it away, sighing as the bullets continued unabated out. A frozen helmet formed over her hair. "I don't feel them hitting anything - he's staying a farther distance away."

"I - I may have an idea, Swarm."

On the other end of the battlefield, Aimee had taken far more wounds, Eternity's arms nearly cleaved through again, Rider's tendrils drawn but not going taut yet as she rushed out to a clearing with no hats. Behind, she heard him shout "Eternity!"; Rider's tendrils went taut, and in the next instant -

- and the world stopped for all but he -

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

- and before he could move, time resumed again.

'Got it.' thought Aimee, rushing back for her weapon to meet his. In a whirlwind of blows they revolved at the hill's tip, and as she dodged underneath twin hooks, her knife sought his neck -

- but the world stopped -

- and resumed as her knife slashed through his throat in a shower of crimson, two combatants staggering back as Rider's tendrils went limp.

'Just the two of us now. No Revenants.' she thought, pulling a bottle from her pocket, and her knife impaled its liquid.

And for the duo, their battle was as fortunate.

"Reloading." said Mia, crouched over an upturned hat. "Three - two - one - now!"

- a stream of black fog went in to the hat -

- and a scream that winced Saya's eyes came from the hill right; the sound lent wings to them as they surged in pursuit, fog filling the hats below as they ran across the field.

"P-Please, if you can -" panted Saya as she ran behind Mia -

" - I know, Saya." nodded Mia, the two nearly out of the field now. "The graphene - his bullets likely ricocheted -"

- she heard a scream of terror behind; she turned -

- and there stood Vortex with his face gashed, ripping Saya back by her hair, hat in his left hand - " - I'll take whoever this fucking bitch is back home, I swear to fucking - Wōxuán!"

- the tip of his head and Saya's began to disappear -

- and he stumbled back with another agonized scream, clutching his hat like a man in mortal agony -

- and Mia winced as she saw a nail through his hat and skull; but the next scene was instant.

"Worldwide!"

And a swarm of scarabs encased his body in ice. Saya ran to Mia, huddling close, panting and weak with the reaction of relief.

"It's alright, Saya." said Mia. "Close your eyes."

Tears in her closed eyes, Saya nodded. A stomp from Mia shattered the man to shards, and the hats disappeared, only husks of drones in the field.

The battle at the other end was far poorer, two combatants streaming blood, Eternity's hand at Aimee's torso -

- and throwing her with the strength of a thousand back against the outer wall; she whined loud as she slumped, Eternity stomping only feet away from her now as she threw her knife towards them -

- but the keen end caught only his lips & cheek; Aimee ripped her phone out and tapped Lanara's name to use Appraise -

- and Eternity fell unconscious facefirst, eyes suddenly wide open. Aimee rose with better strength, and rushed to retrieve her knife. Once she did, a whirl of steel carved his head & heart in three.

◆◆◆

Eight hours later, they met with Lanara in her room, who was crying after surgery. Being the only one with good bedside manner, Saya comforted her and let her know she could call Urasaria's infirmary at any time, and it seemed that the more she put in to others like Lanara or Luna, the less there seemed of that carcass in her mind.

Atori & Dmitri would keep her family safe as they transitioned in to witness protection, and with no need for their van, they lent their vehicle to the original six. With no new Revenants coming specifically after them, they revisited the cities they had traveled through on the way over.

In Mako, Mia spent time with Matoi & Marisa while Aimee & Says went out gambling, and though their conversations weren't fractured, a bout of guilt came over Mia whenever Marisa spoke about her fight against Miasma. Mostly, Marisa & Matoi talked about their respective positions on feminism, and had been pleased to find the other more radical than they had expected.

In Tawnee, however, she was distracted by Saya making them dinner, with two gifts for Aimee & Mia.

"These are Carolina Reapers." she said, handing them one pepper each.

The rest watched as Aimee took her first bite, and laughed as her face immediately went red. Tears were running down her cheeks before she reached for her napkin and blew in to it.

"T-Too, too m-much." she laughed, desperately drinking her glass of fog-milk. She blew her nose and fanned her tongue as Saya gave Mia her own, who took a bite.

"How is it?" said Saya.

Mia shrugged as she swallowed the rest in one gulp. "Mild."

After skipping Lathusser, and losing the lottery again, they eventually returned to Urasaria's gate, where Aimee scanned her badge before the six went down the hall. Aimee reminded them that she would be putting each kill in as credited to their five, and as they spoke of violence, Says gestured to the infirmary, wanting to go speak with Luna.

Aimee waved her off, and the rest spoke for another few minutes, until Mia, still wondering if to confess to Marisa, asked to head home with her.

They sat together on the couch, and Mia thought of her fight against Miasma, and how only one trio had known what worse Revenants might have come later.

As she looked over to Marisa, she saw her reading through one of the magazines she kept by the couch. Occasionally, she would show Mia a picture of a lesbian couple who she thought looked like Aimee & Mia. As Mia watched her skip over the articles about politics, she wondered if it was sometimes better to know life less. Was her need to be honest only selfish?

Thinking for awhile, she eventually asked Marisa what her favorite month was.

[END OF ARC: LANACCA STATE OF MIND]