The horizon borders were pitch black by the time Ella and Marvin left the building. It was 11 PM, and still no text from Renee regarding Aria. Ella announced that she would take a nap in her dorm.
Her dorm building was on the engineering half of campus. She lived on the fourth floor, down a pristine, carpeted hallway with a window at the end that provided a view of the mecha pod.
"Can you keep watch?" Ella asked, stopping outside her door.
"Sure?" Marvin thought this was a bad idea, but it felt unethical to deny someone their sleep.
"Just wait at my desk," Ella said. "If Renee texts, call me. My ringtone is loud."
"What if Aria doesn't show up?" Marvin asked. He wasn't keen on sitting around for eight hours.
"If you get bored, you can wake me up," Ella said, pushing her door open. "Just give me thirty minutes at least—I'm tired."
I guess that's as gracious as you get.
Marvin had appreciated that moment on the roof, but he definitely still preferred spending eight hours alone than with Ella. However, that was only if he had something to do other than guard the room.
They went in, where Ella promptly hopped onto her bed, raised a sound-cancelling forcefield around it, and closed her eyes. The desk was in the opposite corner of the room. There were a few picture frames on it, and posters hung up on the walls. Some were of famous mechs like Ninth Gen, The Everlancer, Sparrow, and her very own Immortal Ignition. There was even a mini-poster of Oliveeater, skewer arms decked out with various food items. Other posters were of the past Mecha Realms, featuring the winner and other noteworthy competitors.
The poster that caught Marvin's eye, though, was of a band called Frontier: Orion. An old band from the time before Sendou Records had bought out nearly every music artist. People still talked about music nowadays, but it always came second to mech-fighting.
Marvin's gaze fell on the pictures on Ella's desk. He saw Luyan and a man and woman he assumed were her parents. There was also Varyn, Immortal Ignition's previous pilot. A few other adults that were probably family members or teammates.
There was no one Ella's age.
Is that what you sacrificed? Marvin wondered.
-----
Marvin finally got the text an hour in. Aria had entered campus and was about to land near the engineering quad.
Marvin and Ella rushed to the shuttle garage, stopping at a bridge that overlooked the entrance and exit. Sure enough, a shadowed figure walked out, hands gripping her backpack straps. She wore a black hoodie and pants and looked just like a student.
Aria passed under the bridge, and Marvin and Ella followed from a parallel, slightly elevated path. There were still some students out and about so they didn't have to move too cautiously, but Marvin tried to quiet his metallic footsteps.
They reached a fork in the road, where they had no choice but to converge onto the path Aria was taking. They remained several dozen feet behind her, passing under sporadic lamps and by towering glass structures. At the archway into the forest, Aria turned left instead of heading in. She went along a narrow, sand-covered trail that no other student tread; if Marvin and Ella were to turn onto it, Aria might pick up that she was being followed.
Thus, Ella beckoned Marvin to take a detour. They headed down a rickety set of stairs and entered a tunnel that ran under the forest floor. The trees and their tiny lanterns disappeared above them, and the sounds of the night suddenly hushed.
Marvin looked over his shoulder. It was a wide tunnel, surely good for foot traffic, yet the way to access it was practically hidden.
Up ahead were marble statues—dozens of them lining the walls. Each one had a plaque underneath, displaying the person's name and their role in the university.
"What is this place?" Marvin asked.
"Alumni," Ella said. She pointed to one of the statues. "This guy co-founded Ainsel AI. This lady made the tablet we all use."
Marvin widened his eyes. It rarely crossed his mind that his trusty tablet had been someone's brainchild at one point.
"But all they get is a statue in this shit-smelling tunnel," Ella continued. "I bet most people have never heard their names."
"Because they're not mech pilots," Marvin said. "Or engineers."
"Exactly." Ella ran a hand along the plaques. "Luyan took me here a lot. It's proof that you can't be remembered by this megacity unless you mech-fight."
Luyan and his legacy. How much of it was passion, and how much was a fear that he would go unnoticed by the world?
They picked up the pace again and soon exited the tunnel. As they emerged into the open sky, they saw Aria walking across a bridge, heading to the campus gate. She left the university entirely and entered the forest.
Ella and Marvin exchanged a glance. There was no more path, no more deniability of stalking if they got caught. However, curiosity got the better of them. Even if Aria had nothing to do with either of their murders, she was definitely up to something.
They practically tiptoed through the forest, staying so far away from Immortal Ignition's programmer that they almost lost her a few times. Aria looked over her shoulder a few times, but Ella and Marvin stuck close to the trees and weren't noticed.
After fifteen minutes, Marvin and Ella started to slow their pace. They were getting quite far from Hoxing, and the odds of getting ambushed were growing ever higher. Up ahead, Aria disappeared into the darkness.
Marvin eyed Ella and pointed his head in the direction of the university. Ella pursed her lips and shook her head. Marvin held up his fingers—five more minutes and then they'd turn back—and Ella nodded.
It turned out to be worth it. Soon, they came across an enormous clearing in the woods. Several dark shapes were scattered in the grass: round, half spheres that looked like igloos, except they seemed to be made of metal by the way the distant tree bulbs reflected off of them. They were large enough to house one, maybe two people. Aria was nowhere in sight.
Marvin felt simultaneous waves of excitement and anxiety wash through him. He didn't dare step into the clearing, as abandoned as it appeared.
"Let's go," Marvin whispered. They could come back in the daytime with backup.
Ella squinted and scanned the surroundings. She was about to acknowledge that they were out of their depth when two metal igloos suddenly lit up with orange light. Two figures that had blended in with the darkness were suddenly silhouetted. They stood no more than a dozen feet from Marvin and Ella. They wore face masks and tattered brown coats, marking them as scavengers.
Then a third figure stepped into the light, wearing all black, backpack hanging from one shoulder.
"Who are you?" Aria asked. "Why are you following me?"
Marvin looked at Ella, and they silently agreed that it was far better that Aria didn't recognize them.
They spun around and sprinted as fast as they could. Two seconds in, something slammed into Marvin's face, knocking him to the ground. To his left, he heard Ella duck under a whoosh of some weapon.
Marvin launched himself upwards to find three more scavengers in front of them, all carrying cudgels. They attacked immediately, and Marvin put up his arms. He let Ella fight the single scav while he took on the other two. Behind, footsteps thundered in the forest.
Marvin blocked two incoming punches and threw them right back, causing the scavs to stumble. He didn't need to beat them; he just needed to create a path for them to escape. He caught a cudgel, twisted it, and thrust it at the other opponent.
"Help!" Ella shouted.
Marvin spun around in alarm, but only saw Ella jab her opponent in the stomach, then deliver a kick to his knee.
Attracting bystanders, Marvin thought. But they were deep in the woods; it seemed unlikely anyone would hear them.
At that moment, the other two scavengers arrived at the scene, making five enemies in total. Marvin and Ella each took on one more. Marvin let the blunt weapons hit his body, feeling nothing except slight jolts in his vision. Although he landed some good hits, the scavs were resilient and good fighters. They refused to give him any space to run or to get to Ella.
Suddenly, he heard Ella cry out in pain—genuine, this time. One of the scavs broke away from Marvin and headed towards her.
If they incapacitate her, they can use her as leverage. Marvin ran after the scav, barreling through him and entering Ella's fight. She was backed up against a tree, clutching her left shoulder. That entire arm was limp.
Her adversaries paid Marvin no attention and advanced on her. Marvin pulled one back and elbowed her face, while Ella weaved through the other's attack and jabbed at his eye. That one stumbled back and rebounded off the tree trunk. The one Marvin had caught pulled away and kneed him in the groin. He cringed from seeing it, but it was all numb to him.
Then the scavs were closing in on Ella again. In his periphery, the other two were about to join the fray. In front of him, Ella spun her head wildly, right arm held firm, left arm resting weakly on her stomach.
Without a second thought, Marvin ran for her. Someone hit him in the back and he fell onto one knee. He stumbled to his feet, hit one scav in the mouth, then made his way forward again. Up ahead, Ella shoved one scav aside. Another one clocked her across the jaw and she nearly fell.
Marvin reached that scav and grappled him around, throwing him into his comrades. But before Marvin could fully turn around, he was hit again in the legs, bringing him down. First, he saw nothing but dirt. Then five pairs of boots surrounded him and Ella like vultures.
Marvin planted one foot firm in the soil and looked at Ella. "Get down!"
Ella obliged, and Marvin lunged forward as the first punch fell. It was aimed at Ella, but it deflected off Marvin's back instead. He gathered Ella below him with one arm, using the other to hold himself upright as the scavs rained blow after blow.
Ella's eyes went wide. She said something, but it got lost with the cacophony of metallic thuds. The scavs had abandoned Ella and were all targeting Marvin now. He refused to buckle.
Just hold on, he told himself. He couldn't beat the scavs, but he could at least make sure Ella didn't get hurt. If he held out long enough, Ella would think of something to get them out of here. She had to.
A club caught Marvin's arm, lifting it off the ground, and he switched to the other arm. However, another club smashed into his side, creating a shower of sparks and sending him sprawling. Ella was left completely exposed.
No! Marvin leapt to his feet and—
"What are you doing?!" a shrill voice shrieked.
Marvin, Ella, and all five scavengers froze. Marvin sharpened his microphones, not sure if he heard correctly. That voice was so familiar…
Someone was running towards them. A scav, but shorter and leaner than the others.
"Stop, that's Steve! I know him!" the newcomer said.
Marvin's mouth fell open. It was Sangeet.