The corridors of Metis twist and turn like the intestines of a dying god, and through them, a chorus of chaos echoes.
Ember's sing-song voice bounces off the rusted walls, her manic energy propelling her forward in erratic bursts. "As fast as fast can be, you'll never ever catch me!"
Behind her, Jelly's gelatinous form rebounds off a wall, his mitten-hands outstretched. "Bloop! You can't get away from me!" He lands, springs forward, nearly grazing her shoulder.
She spins away, giggling.
---
Jean Bart's lungs burn as he keeps pace with Vesta and Eliane. Beside him, Ikkaku's boots slam against the metal flooring, her breath coming in sharp bursts.
"What is up with your friend?" Ikkaku asks, gesturing at the vanishing figure of Ember. "Why does she keep running away?"
Vesta considers the question with the gravity of a philosopher pondering existence. Then she shrugs. "Well, it's just what she does."
Jean Bart's brow furrows. "But why are you chasing her?"
Eliane's silver hair whips around her face as she runs. "Well, you see, she likes to blow things up. So we're trying to catch her before she does too much damage."
"WHAT?" Ikkaku's voice climbs several octaves.
Vesta glances over her shoulder, genuine curiosity in her rainbow-hued eyes. "Oh, why are you following us, by the way?"
Jean Bart's massive frame blocks the corridor behind them as he runs. "Because we're friends with Marya too."
Eliane's face lights up. "Oh, you must be really good friends then."
Ikkaku beams, pointing a thumb at her chest. "We're the ones who gave her the jacket."
Eliane's eyes go wide. "It's her favorite jacket. She never takes it off."
Jean Bart and Ikkaku exchange a look—warm, validating, the kind of silent communication that comes from years of shared experience. They smile at each other, something unspoken passing between them.
Then another explosion echoes from ahead, and the moment shatters.
---
Ember and Jelly round a corner and slide to a stop.
The chamber before them is vast—cathedral-like, with a ceiling lost in shadow. The floor slopes downward into a murky pool of water that glows faintly with an unnatural sheen. Mechanical arms hang from above, their tools glinting in the dim emergency glow. The air is thick, heavy, carrying the stench of rust, chemicals, and something fouler.
Ember covers her nose. "It stinks."
Jelly bounces toward the water's edge, peering into the gloom. A bubble rises from the depths and pops on the surface with a wet sound that echoes through the chamber.
Behind them, Vesta, Eliane, Jean Bart, and Ikkaku burst through the entrance.
Eliane's hand flies to her face, her voice muffled. "What is that smell?"
Vesta grabs Ember's arm, already pulling. "Who cares! Let's just go!"
But the door slides shut behind them with a grinding screech.
They look up.
The mechanical arms are moving—gears whirring, joints rotating, tools extending from their housings. Scalpels. Saws. Claws that glisten with residue.
A voice echoes across the chamber, high and breathy and tinged with confusion. "New subjects have arrived."
From the murky pool, shapes begin to emerge. Cyborgs. Their metal frames drip with the foul liquid, their red eyes flickering to life as they rise from the depths.
Jelly bounces backward, his gelatinous body quivering.
Ikkaku's hand goes to her weapon. "What were you saying about explosions?"
Ember's head tilts, her mismatched eyes gleaming with manic joy. Her shoulders shift as Helltide settles into place. A giggle escapes her lips. "It's boom boom time!"
Jelly bounces. "Boom time!"
The chamber erupts.
Ember's Sparkler Rounds tear through the air, each one finding a target. Cyborgs detonate in showers of sparks and shrapnel. The pool of water churns as the explosions rip through the surface. Ember's cackle rises above the chaos, high and unhinged.
Jean Bart, Ikkaku, Vesta, and Eliane duck, shielding their faces from the debris. When the explosions settle, they look up.
Parts of cyborgs float in the murky fluid. But more are already emerging—climbing from the depths, their red eyes fixed on the intruders.
And then—
Sinthia Gyakusen steps forward.
Her cybernetic eye flickers, spinning wildly before settling. She pauses, tilting her head, a confused smile spreading across her features.
"Oh!" She claps her hands together. "Would you like some tea?"
Ikkaku and Jean Bart exchange a look of utter disbelief.
Vesta beams. "I like tea!"
Eliane tugs at her sleeve. "I don't think this is a good time for tea, Vesta."
Jelly bounces. "Tea time!"
Ikkaku's fists ball at her sides. "What are you all TALKING about?"
Jean Bart places a calming hand on her shoulder, but his own expression betrays his confusion.
Ember starts to cackle again—but Sinthia's eye glitches, and her head tilts back.
"Athene! Athene!" Her voice rises in panic. "What was I supposed to—"
Her eye flashes. A deeper voice booms through the chamber, ancient and vast. "Build. Always building."
Sinthia nods slowly, her panic fading into placid understanding. "Ah. Yes."
She focuses on the group, her smile returning—but this time, there's something hungry in it. "New subjects to transform. New cyborgs to be created."
Vesta swallows hard. "Hey guys..." She looks at Jean Bart, Eliane, and Ikkaku. "I don't think she wants to have tea with us."
Ikkaku snaps. "She NEVER wanted to have tea with us! We need to get OUT of here!"
Eliane rushes forward, grabbing Ember's arm. Ember looks down at her, her manic energy dimming for just a moment.
Eliane points at the door. "Boom boom door!"
Ember's head tilts. "Door..." She turns slowly, her gaze fixing on the sealed entrance.
Jelly bounces. "More booms!"
More cyborgs emerge from the murk. The mechanical arms begin to descend, their tools reaching for the intruders.
Sinthia's voice carries across the chamber, her words distorted by a whirring tooth. "It won't hurt. Much."
Eliane's voice rises to a desperate shriek. "NOW! Blow the door!"
Ember's giggle erupts. "Josiah says bye bye door!"
She pulls the trigger.
The explosion rips through the metal, tearing a jagged hole in the chamber's entrance.
Ikkaku's eyes go wide. "Good thinking, kid!"
Jean Bart waves them forward. "Come on!"
They file through the hole, Eliane keeping a firm grip on Ember's arm. Jelly bounces after them.
"Weee! Adventure time!"
Vesta calls out as they run. "Where are we going?!"
Ikkaku's voice is sharp. "I don't know! But anywhere is better than that vat of hell!"
Jean Bart points ahead. "That way."
Vesta's voice carries a note of desperation. "Where does that go?!"
Jean Bart's reply is simple. "Away from here."
They round a corner and slam to a halt.
A wall of cyborgs blocks their path. Red eyes gleam in the gloom. Metal arms raise weapons.
Behind them, the sound of pursuit grows closer.
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