There was a blank expression on Ari's face. Despite the light on the ceiling and the vapour of breath escaping from her nose, her eyes bore no sign of life or conscience. Even the act of eating required a tube to be placed down her throat, and she had to be constantly changed from her diaper. Yet, even as Kadyn did all these chores for her sister, she simply couldn't bear to look at her face. It was pure torture seeing her own beloved sister being reduced to this inhuman zombie.
Even the smooth skin and adorable face that was supposed to be the same as Kadyn's was reduced to that of a rotting corpse. As Kadyn touched her sister's skin, she could only feel the uneven patches of permanently scarred tissue, all discoloured or in a different state of decay from abuse and malnutrition. On top of her skull, where there used to be a luscious bouquet of blonde hair, now only lay a wasteland of burn marks. It reflected the painful state of her being, a woman who had exactly nothing left to live for in a wasteland devoid of hope.
Kadyn wept against her sister, but had to be delicate about it, as her frail body could barely support the weight of her head. All these years, Kadyn lived in ignorance, not knowing the fate of her sole surviving sister. If not for Dane, maybe Kadyn would've never seen her again. Yet, a part of her wished she didn't, not in this sorry state. Kadyn felt shame in her heart as she subconsciously wished the mercy of death upon her sister rather than keeping her alive in this tortured existence.
[Kadyn] - "Talk to me... Ari. I beg you! Say something... Say anything! "
Pleaded Kadyn as she looked into Ari's motionless eyes.
If anyone, this was the sister whom Kadyn was closest to. When Ari was still a living person, she would always protect Kadyn like a big sister and even act like one despite them practically being born minutes apart. When Kadyn warranted the wrath of those in charge, Ari would often take the blame for her and receive the punishment in her stead. Yet, for all her deeds, this was the fate that was forced upon her.
If not for Mike's ghost being around, Kadyn would've gone insane the moment Dane presented her with her sister. Suddenly, Kadyn felt tears dripping onto her hair as she cried against Ari's tighs. Looking up, a spark of hope shone in Kadyn's eyes as she noticed that they were from her sister's socket.
[Kadyn] - "D– Dane! She– She lives! DANE! Get over here! "
Screamed Kadyn with excitement.
Hurrying over, Dane shone a flashlight into Ari's eyes, but the enthusiasm on his face quickly faded away.
[Kadyn] - "What's wrong? Talk to me, Dane! "
Said Kadyn with worry as she noticed Dane's expression.
[Dane] - "Her pupil is still not reacting to light. "
Said Dane as he delicately pried Ari's eyelid open.
After a few moments, Dane backed off, a defeated expression in his eyes as he looked at Kadyn with clear bad news.
[Dane] - "Notice the string of dried blood that leaked from her eye? That was where she had stuck a sharp spike to lobotomize herself. The tears are... just the result of injuries to her tear duct as she stuck that spike into her head. She's unfortunately not getting better. "
Said Dane in a sombre voice.
For a moment, the room was silent. Yet, uncontrollable grimaces began to appear on Kadyn's face before she abruptly broke down in tears once again.
[Kadyn] - "Not... Better? "
Said Kadyn in the voice of a wounded child.
[Dane] - "I'm sorry... "
Said Dane as he got up and wiped away his own tears.
Not wanting to also break down in tears at the tragic sight, Dane quickly strolled away into another area of the sewer system to calm down. Meanwhile, after seeing that Dane was gone, Kadyn finally allowed herself to be vulnerable and cried with all the pent-up emotion she had accumulated so far.
[Mike] - "There, there. It's okay, let it all out. "
Said Mike as he kneeled down beside Kadyn to comfort her.
Kadyn instinctively threw herself at Mike, but quickly found the ground instead of his warm and comforting embrace.
[Kadyn] - "Force of habit... I forgot you don't... have a physical form. "
Said Kadyn between sobs.
Slowly, Kadyn crawled to a dark corner of the electrical room and curled up into a ball. With teary eyes half-buried behind her knees, she watched as Mike sat before her. As she tried to peek over his shoulder to see her vegetative sister, Mike quickly placed himself in a way to block her vision.
[Mike] - "You don't have to see it all the time. We can't simply drown ourselves in pain all hours of the day. Otherwise, how could anyone find the strength to continue forward? "
[Kadyn] - "As if you were not the apex of my biggest tragedies. "
Said Kadyn in a bitter tone.
[Mike] - "Yet, you overcame it time after time. Whether it be Arthur, Jagger or even that dream, you always managed to defeat the odds and survive. Why? Because pain is not what defines your entire existence. Your courage comes from the joy you have experienced, and your hope in rekindling those sensations again. "
Mike crawled closer toward Kadyn before gently pressing his hand against Kadyn's heart.
[Mike] - "I wouldn't be here, not even as a ghost, if not for the fire of passion in your heart. I might be an immaterial ghost, but I can feel your heartbeat. When you see me, even in this form, you are not crying or feeling pain. You are excited and relieved because I'm the hope you pursued, I'm the fruit of your victory against the impossible, and you have every right to be proud of yourself. "
Said Mike in a fiery voice.
Gradually, Kadyn raised her head above her knees, a bittersweet smile shining across her face as she tried to touch Mike's hand pressed against her chest.
[Kadyn] - "That's why I will not give up. Your half-presence meant that hope and victory are possible, even in a world darkened by the ashes of ruination. My sister... as much as her current state pains me, has a chance. It's not over, for us or for her. "
Said Kadyn in a hopeful voice before letting out a sigh.
[Kadyn] - "Though at times, I feel so cursed. All the people I cared about received such terrible fates. Especially those whom I loved with all my heart, they had it the worst. "
Said Kadyn before abruptly leaning forward and kissing Mike on the cheek.
[Kadyn] - "I made a lot of stupid decisions, but you are the one undeniably right choice I have made in my life. Thank you for being here, honey Mikey. "
Said Kadyn as she tried to hug Mike's ghost.
With renewed resolve, Kadyn stood up and went to the bag of supplies on the table. After preparing a meal consisting of different jams and liquid foods, Kadyn narrowed her eyes as she picked up the feeding tube from the disinfecting pot. Then, with an uncomfortable expression, Kadyn stepped toward Ari before gently prying her mouth open. In one deep breath, Kadyn lifted Ari's head before painstakingly shoving the tube down her throat.
[Kadyn] - "Good thing me and my sisters and don't have a gag reflex. "
Said Kadyn before breathing a sigh of relief as the tube was installed without issue.
Ari's shallow breaths escaped from the air duct built into the tube as Kadyn gently began pouring a pot of apple sauce down from the feeding hole. Then, Kadyn followed with another pot of rice porridge. Yet, as she worked, her nose suddenly picked up on a foul smell.
[Kadyn] - "Sigh... Looks like we have to change the diaper after this again. "
Said Kadyn as she looked down at the source of the odour.
Later that day, Kadyn and Dane gathered around a map of the city spread on the table. Ripping a new marker from an unopened pack, Kadyn drew multiple Xs on the map while Mike's ghost guided her movement on the map.
[Mike] - "From what information I had gathered while wandering above, nearly all sectors are blocked off. And from your sixth sense the other day, I was indeed able to confirm that KD-554 is in this city, coordinating the effort to capture us. "
Said Mike while standing beside Kadyn.
Meanwhile, Kadyn conveyed most of her husband's words to Dane alongside some of her own input.
[Kadyn] - "And sectors 1 to 45, especially, since they are sectors near the border of the city, are being heavily patrolled. Unlike Trump City, Light City is not so open about its depravity, so its citizens are well-behaved enough to comply with curfew hours, thus leaving us with less room to maneuver. On top of that, many of KD-554's agents are disguised as regular civilians, so we won't even know where the danger is. "
[Dane] - "The sewers seemed to be quite safe. I ain't seen a lot of patrol around. "
[Mike and Kadyn] - "Notice the abnormal increase in the number of sewer workers? A lot of them are disguised soldiers. Security is about a factor of a hundred compared to Trump City here, since the method of control here is less about the psychological, but more about the physical. "
Dane scratched his chin, trying to figure out a way to work around the heavy security.
[Dane] - "The sewer system seemed to leave us enough room to maneuver. All we gotta do is find a specific night to act. A few hundred soldiers ain't much for ya blades, and my sentry girl over here. "
Said Dane as he playfully patted the head of his humanoid sentry.
Even Mike crossed his arms and somewhat nodded at the proposition. However, Kadyn didn't seem to share the two men's enthusiasm for the plan.
[Kadyn] - "No! That's not how we operate anymore. I'm not a weapon, and we are not murderers. KD-554 once tricked me into carving a bloody path through a whole city. I will not fall prey to my own bloodlust again. "
Kadyn's response was unexpected as both Mike and Dane turned toward her in shock.
[Kadyn] - "Unlike Trump City, this city is populated by honest civilians, who are not the same as the animals KD-554 bred to inflict violence and suffering. When I went to the surface to gather supplies, most of the people I met had a normal life and a healthy mind. Even the police force isn't full of bloodlust madmen; they all have a purpose beyond serving their twisted masters. "
Yelled Kadyn as she looked at her fist.
[Dane] - "Then... How are we supposed to escape? They are out to kill us! "
Said Dane, baffled by Kadyn's point of view.
[Kadyn] - "I'm a human being! My life is not worth more than another one just like me. I will not kill someone who isn't entirely consumed by madness or devoted to that monster high inside that skyscraper. KD-554 probably expect us to fight through the sewers as well. If we fight her or play by her rules, we lose. And her rule is for us to become the same monster she is in order to win. "
Said Kadyn before shaking her head.
[Kadyn] - "I've killed enough for multiple lifetimes. It's thanks to my humanity that I am here today, still alive with hope still ahead on the horizon. My blades are a curse, and I will not let KD-554 use them against me again. "
Said Kadyn, her stare full of determination.
[Dane] - "Alright, I respect your choices, Kadyn. However, we still have another issue on top of our escape. "
Said Dane as he bent down before throwing an empty bag on the table.
[Dane] - "Our supplies are runnin' dry. We have five people down here, so every day we don't escape from this city is another day where we have to risk our lives runnin' to the surface to scavenge for sustenance. "
Said Dane, crossing his arm defiantly as he awaited Kadyn's response.
With a frown, Kadyn bravely snatched the empty bag from the table and put it on her back.
[Kadyn] - "I'm not afraid to fetch food for the rest of you. However, I demand that we be better, that we don't become exactly what KD-554 wants us to become– Monsters. "
Said Kadyn in a firm voice.
Upon seeing that Kadyn was about to leave for another supply run, Ulric and Ella quickly stepped out of the shadows and ran after her.
[Ulric] - "Angel! You have gone so many times to the surface. How about you let us go this time instead? "
Said Ulric as he tried to reach for Kadyn's bag.
[Ella] - "Yeah! We eat the supplies you bring down here, but we want to be useful as well! We don't want to just be another useless pair of mouths for you to feed. "
Said Ella as she pulled on Kadyn's coat.
Moved by their kind gesture, Kadyn, however, smiled before gently shaking her head at the two young adults.
[Kadyn] - "I have the skills to get out of bad situations if they occur. Meanwhile, you two are just regular humans. I made a promise to keep you two safe, and I'll stand by my words. "
Said Kadyn as she gently pulled their hands away.
[Ulric] - "But... "
Kadyn kindly raised her hand, which caused the two to pause in their sentence.
[Kadyn] - "Please respect my wishes. This is the type of duty I'm created for. Everyone has their own place and obligations. And yours will come someday, but it's not today, now, or this. "
Said Kadyn gentle voice.
There was a softness and authority in Kadyn's voice that reminded the two of their mother. Even though they could've kept arguing, the twins' determination was quickly trumped by the resolve in Kadyn's eyes. Ella and Ulric looked at each other before reluctantly agreeing to Kadyn's wishes with a nod.
[Ulric] - "Okay, we understand, Angel. Good luck on the surface. "
[Ella] - "But as part of the deal, we wish that you wouldn't hold us back when our turn to perform our rightful duty. "
Kadyn grinned and nodded at the noble proposal.
[Kadyn] - "I promise. "
With that, Kadyn left the twins behind with Dane while she climbed up the ladder leading to a manhole on the surface. Emerging from a well-concealed manhole within an abandoned warehouse, Kadyn moved quickly and discreetly through the openings in the wall before merging seamlessly into the crowd on the main street.
[Mike] - "You have such a motherly energy at times when you're dealing with people younger than you. "
Remarked Mike casually as he walked beside Kadyn.
[Kadyn] - "Shut up with the mother talk if you aren't going to give me children. "
Whispered Kadyn jokingly.
Meanwhile, by the city perimeter, Dan looked down and swallowed as he was currently hundreds of metres high above the city while standing on nothing. Using his ability, Dan placed down another invisible cube, which he was able to walk on.
[Dan] - "Shit... I think that's enough for today. "
Whispered Dan as the cold high altitude wind threatened his balance.
Later, arriving inside KD-554's office, Dan was greeted by Astroboy and the Goddess of Hate herself. Instead of acting like an equal, Astroboy seemed to be less proud of himself than he was before as he stood while KD-554 sat.
[Dan] - "The quota was met for today, my Goddess. "
Said Dan as he kneeled before KD-554.
[KD-554] - "Hmm... I was thinking maybe you should work a little harder. Say... Double the quota. I want the dome to be finished earlier so we can trap as many people in here as possible. "
Said KD-554 while peeling an apple in her hand using her finger blade.
[Dan] - "But... I work alone in this, my Goddess. It's one metre cube piece at a time with my ability, and I have worked for days with barely any sleep. Just– please, my Goddess, I beg you, let me finish at my current pace. I have so far blocked off the entire city except for the main entrances, as well as most of the parts leading to the apex of the dome. "
Said Dan with desperation in his voice.
[KD-554] - "Dan, Dan, Dan. What can I say? I'm not exactly known to be a fair person. "
Said KD-554 as she sliced a piece of apple and impaled it on her finger.
[Dan] - "The dome is operational, my Goddess. Once you give the order, I can seal off the entrances in hours just as you had asked. However, I don't think the sky is a likely vector of escape, which requires my express attention. "
Said Dan, distraught at KD-554's indifference.
[KD-554] - "Dan, your sister Beth is still being cared for by my best doctor following the incident in Trump City. Shouldn't you thank me for this act of kindness? "
Said KD-554 with a wicked smile.
Unbeknownst to Dan, KD-554 was smirking at the memory of her annihilating Beth using a Gatling gun at the hospital. Dan didn't know that his sister had already been executed, so he quickly bowed in gratitude toward KD-554.
[Dan] - "I understand... My apologies, my Goddess. I shall get back to work. "
Said Dan in a panic.
[KD-554] - "That's much more like it. "
Said KD-554 as she extended her finger and fed Astroboy a piece of apple like a pet.
[Dan] - "But– My Goddess, if you don't mind. When can I see my sister? I just want to make sure she's fine. "
Said Dan with chill running down his spine.
Frustrated with Dan's insistence, KD-554 impaled another piece of apple and extended her finger all the way to Dan's mouth.
[KD-554] - "Open up for me, please, Dan. "
With trembling muscles, Dan opened his mouth slightly while his eyes remained fixed on the unnatural length of KD-554's finger and the sharp end pointed at his face. Suddenly, with brute force, KD-554 shoved her sharp finger into Dan's cheek, drawing a splash of blood as it tore his flesh open. As Dan screamed in pain, KD-554 then blocked his voice using the slice of apple.
[KD-554] - "Shhh! Silent now! I don't want to get aroused by that scream of yours. "
Said KD-554 with an evil grin.
With gritted teeth, Dan fought the pain while tasting the sour flavour of the apple mixed in with the iron-heavy stench of his blood.
[Astroboy] - "What are you waiting for, fool? Get back to work! "
Said Astroboy in a cold voice.
With heavy breaths, Dan nodded and quickly left the office. However, as the doors closed, KD-554 showed Astroboy a gentle, appreciative smile before bringing another slice of apple to his mouth. As Astroboy lowered his ability to let the fruit in his mouth, KD-554 suddenly punched him in the face instead. With a loud crash, Astroboy fell to the ground, dumbfounded for a few seconds as to what had occurred, while blood oozed from his lips and nose. Then, KD-554 stepped in front of him and grabbed him by the collar to pull him closer.
[KD-554] - "The deal has been altered, remember? Until you can once again prove yourself to me, you are not my equal. That includes talking in my stead! "
Said KD-554 with an unhinged smile as her crimson eyes burned in Astroboy's vision.
With a violent force, KD-554 shoved Astroboy backward so hard that he knocked his head against the floor and passed out cold. Upon seeing that Astroboy was knocked out, a weird, opportunistic idea came to KD-554's mind. She and Astroboy had been so close, and there was a curious sensation she had always wanted to explore. Bending down, KD-554 leaned in and kissed Astroboy on the mouth before mingling their tongues together in an ugly imitation of a real French kiss.
Drawing her head back, KD-554 coughed before spitting the exchanged saliva with spite in her eyes. With disgust and utter contempt, KD-554 then clawed at her own mouth, tearing the polymorphic metal apart to get every single drop of bodily fluid out of her system. With eyes burning out of sheer hatred, KD-554 screamed in anger while her hands instinctively morphed into a dozen sharp blades.
[KD-554] - "Ugh... FUCK YOU, Kadyn! This is disgusting, vile, and utterly degrading! Fuck you, fuck you, may Satan rape you for an eternity! Imma fucking rip your face off and feed you your own uterus once I get my hand on you, you BLEEDING inbred dogshit! "
Yelled KD-554 in a fit of unhinged frenzy.
Looking at Astroboy's unconscious body, KD-554 lifted her blades in the air, ready to tear him to shreds to vent her frustration. But alas, KD-554 took a few deep breaths before backing away.
[KD-554] - "How long can you run? Or can you run at all once the dome is finished? "
Said KD-554 as she looked out from her office window.
During this time, at an unspecified beach in California, covered by dense vegetation, McCree and his group strolled around while awaiting a shipment from the air. While Senju looked toward the West with his binoculars, Oltevin suddenly tapped on his shoulder and directed his view toward the South. The dot in the sky soon became visible as the old C-130 cargo plane flew over the group and dropped its five crates of heavy cargo. Even with small parachutes to slow the descent, the crates still crashed violently into the jungle.
[Michalis] - "Be careful, for fuck's sake! This is delicate cargo! "
Yelled Michalis with his fist raised at the passing plane.
With the crates delivered, McCree, Senju and Oltevin all gathered around a single crate where they retrieved their weapons, limited armour, supplies and ammo. Meanwhile, each of the Marines had their own crate to tend to. First, they had to gather around Christos and help him put on his armour. With a standard Imperial Marine armour weighing around 450 kilograms, the three Marines around Christos had to force themselves just to lift up the power supply unit, which is a mini fusion reactor on the back of each Marine's armour. In Christos' case, since he's a medical Marine, his backpack is nearly twice as heavy, requiring two Marines just to lift up the piece.
Working with basic power tools, it took the three men a solid five minutes just to assemble Christos' armour around him. However, with his servo arms and specialty tools now operational, Christos helped the three others get into their suit at a much faster rate.
Once everything was assembled, Christos and Michalis' armour looked quite fearsome with its Spartan-inspired design in bronze and red. Meanwhile, Nilsson's armour was a proper white and silver Viking berserker armour, with massive horns on the helmet for extra intimidation and a mouth grill shaped like the feeder mouth of a real kraken. Finally, Voss' armour was the flashiest of them all, with a black, white and gold design decorated with the Imperial crest and other ornate features in gold.
[McCree] - "Ya folks are quite needy. The three of us only needed one crate, while each of y'all needed one crate each. "
[Christos] - "In combat, however, each of us is worth at least a hundred times your combined numbers. "
Said Christos as he checked his carbine for damage.
[Voss] - "So, how do we find Kadyn? Do you already have a location? "
Said Voss as he approached McCree.
[McCree] - "I don't know yet where she is. However, her last known location was Trump City, from what I saw in the news. My contact, Ivanovich, will first take us to his place in Light City, then we'll head to Trump City from there. "
[Nilsson] - "Our armour and size aren't exactly made for stealth, so how do you expect us to proceed? "
Said Nilsson as he stepped forward.
[McCree] - "Yeah, I had contacted Ivanovich while we were still on the plane. He said he'd send a truck to smuggle ya in. Ya folks just stay in the back and don't make any move unless we tell ya to. "
[Michalis] - "Ay, fine by me. "
Said Michalis as he glanced at the approaching truck in the distance.
Later, as the armoured truck showed up, the four Marines stepped orderly into the back before McCree shut the door. In front, McCree, Senju, Oltevin and the driver were squeezed tightly against each other as they drove off. At the same time, in the city, people still lived their daily lives, unaware that something cataclysmic was brewing in the shadows.
To be continued...