The ruins of the Storm-Class titan overlooked the city in its resting place like a dead giant. Not even the inhabitants of Trump City knew of the war machine's existence until it was awakened to fight a single girl on a rampage. Yet, even this machine stood no chance against the blessed dark angel. Standing at over 300 metres tall, even when collapsed, it seemed as if the giant was still standing and watching the city below its face.
Despite being guarded heavily by the city's police, the members of the resistance managed to sneak into the protective perimeter through underground passages. After easily passing behind a few distracted guards, a group of seven resistance fighters boarded the collapsed war machine through an observation station on its chest cavity. Once inside, the group moved quickly through the machine's inner passages with flashlights illuminating the iron veins and arteries of the impossible machine.
Though the group tried its best to navigate the machine, it ran into two troubles. First, the insides of the machine had directions and signs written in Swedish, considering it used to belong to the Imperial 6th fleet, the Ice Kraken. Without knowledge of their location, the group had to split up into two groups, one travelling toward the head and superstructure of the beast while the other moved down toward its abdomen and legs.
Moving with the first group, the twins Ella and Ulric were beyond shocked as they came across the massive internal gears that were responsible for the titan's arms. All together, it would take the whole group standing on top of one another just to fill in a single tooth on the massive cog. Not to mention, the cog has more than 28 gaps in total. Just moving through the catwalk connecting one side of the titan's gear room to the other took Ulric's group a total of 10 minutes.
[Ella] - "How the hell did the Empire build all these machines? It just feels so unreal to me, as if we are in a dream world of some sort. "
Said Ella as she stared at the abyss below her.
As she kicked one of the loose screws down the catwalk, the group had to wait a solid few seconds before hearing a faint echo of the impact.
[Ulric] - "Yet, the dark angel of our city defeated this machine that night. What you should be asking is: Who is she truly? What kind of power does she wield to be able to bring this monster down? "
Said Ulric while leaning against the railing.
[Ella] - "She's an angel, an angel born from the darkness of this city. All this hatred, pain and suffering created her, a dark angel of vengeance against the power that oppressed us. "
[Ulric] - "Yet, she looked no different than a regular girl. "
As the group reached the end of the catwalk, the twin paused to take one last look at the titanic mechanism of the machine.
[Ella] - "Sometimes, I just couldn't help but feel so insignificant in this world. Look at this single gear, it's but a single part of this huge machine, yet it could lift more weight than a hundred of us combined. "
Said Ella as she shined her flashlight, which could only illuminate a portion of the gear.
[Ulric] - "Yeah, life feels like a twisted game made by Gods to mock us mortals. "
Said Ulric pessimistically.
As the group moved into a new hallway, the sight of the mechanism disappeared from their view. However, the memory of these impossibly big objects will remain with the twin forever.
[Ulric] - "At this pace, we'll never manage to map out this whole place. "
Said Ulric as he helped his sister climb up to a collapsed section of the hallway.
[Ella] - "Maybe we should just scavenge the circuit boards and other stuff we can get our hands on instead. Like, I feel there is simply no end to these mazes of hallways. "
Said Ella as she leaned against the wall to rest.
[Ulric] - "That won't do! Dad gave us a mission, and I will see that we complete it, even if I end up with blisters on my feet. "
Said Ulric bravely as he reached his hand toward Ella.
[Ella] - "It's not like we can find anything more useful than circuit boards and the occasional supply caches. "
Said Ella with a smirk as she took her brother's hand.
After painstakingly climbing up the titan's seemingly infinite stairways, the group finally reached the top of the war machine. However, just as they were excited to see the moonlight above their head, they were shocked to find themselves overlooking a city-like superstructure. Due to how large the war engine was, even its topside was built to house an army and a command centre.
[Ulric] - "Holy fucking shit! "
Exclaimed Ulric as he looked up at the sky.
[Ella] - "Yeah, I know, seriously, I can't believe there is a fucking town above this beast. "
Said Ella as she observed the layout of the small city below her.
Ulric quickly pulled Ella by the shirt and directed her attention toward the sky.
[Ulric] - "No! You gotta fucking look at this! "
Upon finally raising her gaze, Ella could only gasp, her mind blank without the proper word to describe her shock. Above her, a set of four massive siege cannons in a rotary configuration stood tall in the sky. Before, the size of the gears overwhelmed the twins with emotions, but now, they have truly borne witness to the wrath made manifest of an Empire built by a God. Towering above their heads was a mount of Pandemonium-class siege mortars, each with a barrel diameter of 30 meters.
[Ulric] - "Life's a sick joke, don't you think? "
Said Ulric while still transfixed on the monstrous sight.
[Ella] - "Yet I can't bring myself to laugh, nor cry. "
Turning around, the twin was met with another horrifying sight, as they somehow couldn't catch a break from the existential dread imbued in the existence of such a war machine. At such heights, they were able to see the destruction brought upon the city by the titan's main weapons, the 50-meter diameter Ragnarok siege plasma cannons. From as far as the eyes can see, entire city blocks were raised to ashes with barely any proof of their previous existence, given how total the destruction was.
All four of the group, including the more seasoned adults who had lived for years in hardship, dropped to their knees and began to weep in sheer terror and confusion. Within the mind of regular people, such monstrous machines and such levels of destruction were simply an impossible concept. To the four, especially the twins, this sight felt like a premier seat to the detonation of a nuclear bomb in their faces. It was incomprehensible and existentially challenging in every way they were never prepared to face.
[Ella] - "Oh god! We lived... for around 20 years... *sobs* Without knowing this machine was hidden inside our city like a dormant giant. This thing under our feet, waiting to bring the wrath of the Gods upon us. "
Yelled Ella between sobs.
Upon seeing his sister in shambles, Ulric quickly hardened his resolve and pulled his mind together. In a comforting gesture, Ulric hugged his sister while struggling to fight his own fear and tears.
[Ulric] - "It's ok, it's going to be fine. This machine is dead. If our dark angel can take it down, then it means they are not as insane as we see them. "
After a long moment to calm down, the group decided to split off again to explore the city. Though both sides seemed quite shaken up by the madness they had witnessed, they all knew they must not falter in their mission. Shakingly, the two other resistance fighters went toward the east of the town with shaky hands. Meanwhile, Ulric had to carry his frightened sister by the arm as they moved on the western side of the town.
After finding a barrack-like structure standing as part of the titan's town wall, the twins decided to investigate inside to see what they could find. However, what they saw far exceeded their expectation. The twins were met with the sight of a massive armoury. Using her flashlight, Ella was able to see not only caches of guns and bullets, but also Imperial-issue armour, heavy weapons and explosives. It seemed that the titan was never properly explored for the treasures hidden within its hull by its operators after it came under the control of KD-554's government. Sweeping away the dust, the twins grinned like excited children as they unboxed a weapon they had never seen before. It was a Chimera carbine, used by the marines of the Imperial fleets, capable of firing plasma-tipped bullets.
[Ulric] - "Ok, I'm keeping this one! "
Said Ulric as he reached for the weapon.
[Ella] - "Nuh uh! I saw it first! "
Said Ella as she grabbed Ulric's arm.
[Ulric] - "You clearly can't even lift this thing up, so what do you expect to do with it? "
[Ella] - "Well, watch me! "
Said Ella as she reached into the box.
However, despite her efforts, she immediately came to realize the weapon was too heavy for her. With a heavy breath, Ella tossed the weapon to Ulric, who came to appreciate the weapon's weight as well. With a forced smile, Ulric painstakingly aimed the weapon at the wall and showed Ella a smug smirk.
[Ella] - "You fucking show off. Have it, it's not like I'm short on options in here. "
Said Ella as she flipped off Ulric.
As Ella moved through the boxes looking for a weapon, Ulric finally dropped his act and put the carbine down. After letting out an astonished wow, Ulric pulled the com from his belt and prepared to contact the others to let them know of this finding.
[Ulric] - "Ya know, dad is going to be really happy. The amount of weapons in here can greatly boost our chances of success in the upcoming uprising. "
Just as Ulric was about to contact the others, he was suddenly contacted by the second group instead.
[Ulric] - "Ulric from group 1, I hear you! "
Said Ulric as he immediately extended the antenna for better reception.
[rebel fighter] - "We have some great news. Apparently, the reactor room is still intact. "
[Ulric] - "So what about it? "
[rebel fighter] - "It means that with enough repair and some pilot training, we can get this thing up and running. In our expedition, we also realized that the machine received no significant damage to hamper its operations. "
Ulric almost dropped his com in shock before quickly regaining his composure. The thought of having this God machine come alive once more both excited him and terrified him.
[Ulric] - "Are... Are you saying this thing is not dead? "
Said Ulric with rapid breaths.
[rebel fighter] - "Of course not! It was merely disabled, though the cause remains unknown. Either way, if we could have this thing fighting on our side... "
[Ulric] - "...It would mean certain victory for us! "
Completed Ulric before the other side could finish.
With a rush of adrenaline, Ulric dashed toward Ella to let her hear the good news. However, while the resistance members celebrated the finding of the armoury and the titan's uncompromised condition, they were ignorant of the sacrifice of those who granted them this opportunity. From Kadyn, who was tied up in an unconscious state in KD-554's dungeon, to Franklin, whose remains rested peacefully on the same control room floor he died on, the fighters of the resistance could rejoice thanks to the efforts of those who defied the Gods.
Meanwhile, Kadyn, being starved and wounded, remained in a state of coma as her body tried desperately to preserve energy and keep her alive. Within her mind, the darkness was slowly dissolved by the lights of a dream, until she was abruptly standing at the entrance of a great mansion. Looking around, Kadyn was shocked to find a designer handbag on her shoulder and her supposedly naked body in a pretty dress.
With a tremble of shock, Kadyn let go of her handbag and let it fall to the ground. It felt unnatural. Where is she? Why is she here? What kind of place is this? Just as she was about to ask herself more questions, she suddenly heard the main doors creak open before a small hand extended through the gap.
[Mikealyn] - "Mom? Why aren't you coming in? "
To Kadyn's utter disbelief, a little girl with a shocking resemblance to her stepped out of the door, followed by a pair of older twin boys sporting many of Mike's characteristics. Still in a state of shock, Kadyn watched as the three children strolled down the stairs before Mikealyn hugged her by the legs. Beside her, one of the boys picked up her handbag and handed it to her while wiping off the dust on it.
[Michele] - "Mom, what's wrong? You seem a bit off. "
Said Michele with a concerned look.
Though Kadyn's mind was broken beyond belief, the warmth and the touch of her supposed children acted like an instant bandage to all her grief. They were like the first drink of water to a plant on the brink of death or the shock of a defibrillator bringing a dead patient back to life. To say she felt alive and healed was an understatement. Kadyn could only smile with joy as she hesitantly brought her hand to touch her daughter's head. To her utter amazement, not only did her palm connect with her little girl, but she also felt the warmth of her skin and the pulse of her blood flow.
Bending down, Kadyn excitedly inspected the face of her beautiful little girl while gently pinching her soft little cheeks.
[Kadyn] - "You are so beautiful, my... "
Kadyn paused, realizing that she didn't know the name of her little angel.
[Mikealyn] - "You don't remember my name, Mom? "
[Kadyn] - "Ah, well, Mom had a bit of a headache today. Just remind me of your names, children, please. Forgive mommy for being such an airhead sometimes. "
Said Kadyn while smiling to hide her embarrassment.
[Mikealyn] - "That's weird. Well, Mom, I'm Mikealyn, that's Michele, and he is Gioacchino. "
Said Mikealyn as she pointed at her two brothers.
Kadyn thought for a moment about the names before smiling gleefully.
[Kadyn] - "Got it, my dear little angels. Your dad and I sure gave you some beautiful names, hehe. "
Said Kadyn as she leaned toward her daughter to inspect her features.
Looking at Mikealyn's face, Kadyn could only grin with tears in her eyes. Each detail, each small piece of her and Mike on the girl's face, hit Kadyn with the joy of finding a hidden treasure.
[Kadyn] - "You got one of my green eyes, and one of Papa's blue eyes. And... And this hairline, it's mine. And... And your hair, it's strawberry blonde, just as expected with Mike's red hair and my blonde hair. "
Whispered Kadyn while her fingers trembled with excitement.
[Mikealyn] - "Stop it, Mom! What the bloody hell is wrong with ya? "
Kadyn gasped with her hands around her mouth at the reaction from her little girl.
[Kadyn] - "Mike's personality and even his favourite word! "
Said Kadyn, her heart melting with pure happiness and warmth.
With a deep breath, Kadyn suppressed her excitement and tried to be less weird around her adorable little cubs.
[Kadyn] - "Ahem! Right, maybe I need some rest from all the things that happened today. Let's go home, kids. Enough messing around! "
Said Kadyn confidently while pointing her finger at the mansion.
Glancing back, Kadyn expected the kids to have some doubt about her weird behaviour. However, it seemed like she was indeed a bit weird like this on a normal basis, as the kids simply shrugged their shoulders and followed her without question. As the proud mom ascended the steps with her kids following behind her, Kadyn had completely thrown doubt out the window. To her euphoria-filled mind, her past was just a nightmare she had just woken up from. This is now the truth about her life, and she will not have it any other way.
Like clockwork, as soon as the kids were in the house, they pulled their homework out of their bags and sat like obedient little soldiers in a row in the kitchen. With no word needed from Kadyn, the children began to work on their homework without a word. However, seeing how Kadyn was still staring at them, Mikealyn looked up from her tablet.
[Mikealyn] - "Mom, didn't ya say you were bloody tired? Why don't you go get some rest? We'll take care of our stuff, don't worry! "
Struck by the sweet words of her daughter, Kadyn embarrassingly smiled before slowly backing away.
[Kadyn] - "Oh yeah, you three do your thing, I'll let you focus. "
Moving quickly, Kadyn got behind cover before letting out a huge sigh of relief. All these emotions and experiences were beyond overwhelming for her. Maybe she was trapped in a long and bad dream after all. Maybe Mike did win against Sniper, and the two of them built this little heaven from her dreams.
With a reassured smile, Kadyn moved into the living room where she closed in to inspect the photos and portraits. Upon closer inspection, her eyes didn't seem to deceive her as she saw the delicately taken photos of her family, with even her and Mike appearing in some of them. What caught her heart the most was the single picture in the center of all, which showed her and Mike together on their wedding day in dresses she would've never even dreamed of wearing on a day she thought was but a fantasy.
Filled with joy and excitement, Kadyn rushed through the mansion, inspecting each room to see what her real life was all about. From the library to the game room, where not only were all of her favourite novels placed in delicate wood-crafted shelves, but the controllers surrounding the massive screen in the game room were the exact number needed for her and her three children to play together. Upstairs, each kid's room was decorated with care, while the master bedroom contained all the evidence of Mike's presence in her life. From the clothes in the wardrobe to the blanket being flipped on both hers and Mike's side, there was no doubt that Mike was real as well.
After her little exploration across the mansion, Kadyn finally descended from the second floor while wrapped in one of Mike's many coats. With a deep sniff of the fabric, Kadyn was hit with a wave of heart-melting nostalgia as Mike's scent rushed through her nose. Overcome with a rush of infathomable happiness, Kadyn sat on the stairs before letting out all her pent-up emotions with a massive sob session. She cried and cried, for the first time not out of sorrow or pain, but out of relief that everything terrible she had experienced was over and just a nightmare.
Arriving in the kitchen, Kadyn swallowed her saliva and presented herself to her children in a new, more well-adjusted manner.
[Mikealyn] - "Mom! Are you seriously stealing another one of Dad's coats? "
Said Mikealyn with a disappointed look in her eyes.
[Kadyn] - "I just miss Dad, that's all. I can't wait for him to... Where is he, by the way? "
Said Kadyn as she grabbed a seat from the kitchen counter.
[Mikealyn] - "Huh? He is at work, Mom. Bloody hell, I gotta tell Dad to check up on you when he comes back. Like, it feels like ya lost your memory. "
Said Mikealyn with a concerned look in her eyes.
[Kadyn] - "I'll need him to check up on me thoroughly. Tell him I need him to care for me and bring me some cake. Hmm! I could really go for some cake. "
Said Kadyn with dreamy eyes before taking another sniff from Mike's coat.
Mikealyn rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms at her love-struck mother.
[Mikealyn] - "Sigh... I initially thought there may be something wrong, but it seems like you are still the same old Mom I know. "
Whispered Mikealyn to herself before going back to drawing with her digital pen on her tablet.
At exactly 8 PM, the front door opened before a familiar figure stepped into the house. With tears almost flowing out of her eyes like a waterfall, Kadyn saw Mike enter and stare in her direction. With complete abandon, Kadyn rushed to the door before throwing herself against her husband. With a hug carrying the vindication of all her suffering, Kadyn embraced Mike while allowing herself to fully melt into a sobbing mess in his arms.
The children, as per their usual routine, knew that their parents needed a bit of privacy as they instinctively moved out of sight to let them have their moment. However, like an anomaly, Mike not only wore his old cyberknight coat from back when he was still the Grand Knight, but he also seemed to embrace Kadyn with a level of understanding that was uncharacteristic of this reality. Kadyn, meanwhile, was too consumed to care for these odd details as she wanted nothing else but to finally reunite with her long-lost lover.
[Kadyn] - "It's been too long! It's just been too long! I'm finally here with you, Mike! "
Cried Kadyn as she rubbed her face against his chest.
[Mike] - "Don't worry, I was with you before and I will always be in the future. "
Said Mike as he also hugged Kadyn while struggling to keep his tears in.
Back in reality, meanwhile, the crystal on Kadyn's chest glowed with an unusual dark shine.
To be continued...