Location - Tern Base ( Unedited Memory )
"The resources in the base are very limited due to the large capacity of the base and due to the poor land around and the constant threat of Xions, agriculture is basically at a dead end so we have to rely on the scarce animals that we are able to hunt and the occasional relief aid from Sanctuary, although we can't count on it due to the distance and the fact that anything could go wrong as the supplies are being transported to us," Natasha's father with his experience, explained to his daughter calmly and broke down the problem that they were challenged with for now.
"We thought of this so we only made provisions for you and calculated you alone but with you bringing Meisha, it has made our plan to derail and not function as efficiently as it was once proposed. I'm sorry, Nat." Her mother commented as she held the hands of Natasha, who by now was trembling in her mother's grasp.
Leaning to the comfort of her mom, she commented "What should I do now? I promised. I promised Meisha that I'll take care of her and I'll always be here but now you're saying that I'll have to abandon her? I..I just can't do that..", her lips trembling as she said in agony.
"I'm really sorry, I knew this would be very hard for you but I just wanted to say it earlier so that your hopes that you may have won't be let down much harsher," Her father commented as he kept on staring at his daughter.
"I can't accept this. You know, Meisha is very pitiful, she has been abandoned and hurt by the world. She has been broken and has had to live in agony that is the truth of the world, a world that is much unfair and unjust, especially to her. So, I just can't accept it.. I'll do all I can. I'll ask Tern for help. He is the leader of the base so I'm sure that he would be able to at least offer some help right? After all, he takes care of women and children well so he'll definitely work something out for Meisha," Natasha questioned as she held on for any bit of hope and chance left, even if it was selfish.
"He won't be able to help you even if he wants to and I also can't allow you to do that. He has a lot of people to care for and if you do this, you'll push the blame and suffering to someone else. You know this is right, Nat and the Nat I know isn't selfish nor cruel to do this to others," Nina said as she rubbed her hands on Natasha's head to calm her down.
"I know. I know what I'm saying is very cruel, but..but, what else can I do? I want to be selfish too, I don't want Meisha to suffer anymore, can't I just have that?" Natasha, with tears pouring from her eyes incessantly, she cried and raged as she rested her head on her mother who kept comforting her.
"We have another plan, Nat. Adults have to take care of the children so we have decided to look for Sanctuary and when we find it, you could come to join us and then, we won't have to suffer for much," her father suggested. It was a plan that hinged its entirety on a false hope of possibly finding Sanctuary and the chance that they would also be accepted into the base.
It would be a very arduous journey and adding the constraints of Natasha parent's health and their skills, the possibility of them surviving the harsh environment and Xion threat is very slim and it was not something that Natasha was willing to risk especially just after getting her parents back.
"No! I don't like this plan at all. The possibility of you surviving the journey is very slim. Please..don't do that.." Natasha begged her parents. She did not want to be responsible for them losing their life. After a bit of persuasion, they finally decided to drop the idea but it was not something that Natasha did drop herself. It was a solid plan and if she carried it out, there would be a higher chance for survival and finding the objective and keeping her parents and Meisha safe that way.
'I'll leave early in the morning after dropping them a note,' Natasha decided herself on the plan and how she would leave without gaining the attention of her parents or Meisha who would interfere if she told them the plan.
Location - Tern Base
Time - Early Morning at around 4 Am
After finishing writing the letter the other night and placing it in both her parent's room and Meisha's, she packed the necessary materials, some supplies and after fitting her gears and weapon, she was ready. She picked up her bag, and as she walked outside the base, she saw the silhouette of a geared female waiting in the distance.
"Hey, Nat. Were you really going to leave without me, your little sister?" Meisha asked as Natasha approached where the silhouette once stood. "M? What are you doing here? I checked, and you were still sleeping…" Natasha questioned as she stared dumbfounded at Meisha who was geared and seemed ready to follow her.
"Pillows. And I always did wake up before you, why would it be different now? I heard the conversation yesterday and I am very thankful that you have such nice and caring parents and it is for that reason I didn't want them to do anything either. Knowing your personality, I realised that you are definitely going to take this plan so I waited for you. Now, you can't leave me alone. Let's go sis, to the Sanctuary," Meisha said as she looked at Natasha.
"Fine. Let's go, M. We need to pick up the pace so that we can get there early and secure space for Mum and Dad,"
Location - The Wilderness
Time - Two Weeks After Leaving Tern Base
"You feel it, right?" Natasha questioned Meisha as they both turned their gaze to a direction where the nauseous smell of Xions greeted their nostrils, with their killing intent fixed on them. "Yeah, it's hard not to. Their smell has alerted us already. What do you wanna do? I say we escape," Meisha suggested as her stance became tense.
"Okay then, let's leave quickly, I'm sure none of us wants to deal with Xions right now," Natasha accepted as they immediately packed up and started to walk away from where they were before.
Before they could get out of the location, they were ambushed by a pack of Xions working together. One leapt from the darkness, mouth wide open with glistening teeth coated with its saliva as it headed for Natasha's arm hoping to take it off. With quick reflexes and her small stature, Natasha was able to dodge the likely fatal blow and roll away from the threat.
"Fuck, how did we not notice them being this close?! What about the ones we sensed earlier?!" Natasha questioned as she became alert as she focused on the Xion who had now had them under an ambush. "I've no clue and how did we not smell them even when they were this close?!" Meisha questioned.
It was true, a common knowledge at this point was that Xions would always have a strange alien smell. Children were taught this and that whenever they smelt this unique and strange smell, they should quickly hide and run away. It was a basic survival guide that has helped humans to survive the apocalypse, to the point that it is called the World's Help or Will.
So how does one explain when something like this fails. It's simple, something that has transcended the basic laws of Xions has arrived. That thought sent shivers through the very being of the two girls. Sweat broke through them as their heartbeat raised a note as it began to supply blood quickly to every tissue as the brain racked for any way for survival and their body went into the flight response.
From the distance, a single clap seemed to cut through the intense showdown between the two girls and the Xion. "Well, hello ladies. I'm sure this is very strange for you.." A man who seemed to be in his early twenties with short red hair, a pale blue coloured skin and blue coloured eyes covered by the dark sclera. He was walking on his legs like any other human and he could converse.
This was when the two girls knew that he was not just dangerous, he was in a league of his own and that there was nothing that they could do about him. With each step he took, the pressure he radiated off seemed to fill the entire space. "No need to be so tense, little girls. I promise to give you a quick and swift death, after all, I don't like the sounds that children make if you feast on them bit by bit while they are alive," he said as he appeared in the middle of the two girls, with his hands placed on both their shoulders.
Meisha and Natasha tried to flee but the hands he placed on their shoulders rooted them in place and his insane pressure made them unable to take any other action. "Well, you all should go look for the humans who escaped from that base as I feast on them. I haven't eaten in a long time," he commanded as the rest of the Xions who were lying in wait took off to find the survivors with fervency.
"Now, ladies, shall we feast?" he said and as he was about to eat Natasha's hand, his head rolled off his neck as it hit the ground, with his blue blood spraying like a fountain as it covered the two girls, who moments before were sure of death, now stood in awe.
A man appeared next to them, long curly blonde hair and green coloured eyes. He wore combat armour that its silvery white seemed to glisten as the sunlight fell on it. He took out a device that seemed to be a transponder as he talked into it. "Pioneer Rank 1, Codename Aesis has eliminated the Noble Class Rank 1. Found two humans who will be brought back to Sanctuary after checking the base, which had lost contact."
He swung his sword as the blue blood that spilled on it was swished away. With little care of the Xion he took care of so easily, he turned to the two girls. "You okay, kids? That was quite dangerous. What are you doing this deep into the wilderness alone?" he questioned as he looked sincerely warmly at the two kids. "Sir, we are looking for the Sanctuary. We need to find it so we can live with our parents!" Natasha answered as she looked at him in awe.
"Hmm. I see. I'm from Sanctuary. I'll follow you to find your family and then lead you to Sanctuary. There is enough space for you and your family to live quite well," he concluded as he held out some combat suits, the trainer model and after the girls geared it up, he held their hands and like he teleported, he vanished from the original location, like a ghost that was never there, but the blue blood spilled on the ground and the Xion served as proof that what just happened was all true.
AFTER SOME TIME
Aesis arrived at the location the two girls pointed to. What they found was blood splattered on the ground, Xions feasting on human remains, and the base destroyed. As they arrived, the horrible and inhumane scene disgusted Natasha as she fell to the ground where she saw the heads of her parents. Her voice choked, tears fell wildly like a river as she cried and screamed in rage. She cursed and begged the world for all this to be a dream but all she got was the harsh silence.
"The base was secure enough and well hidden so someone leaving the base when the Xions were still active is what made them pick up this scent and trace it back to the base," Aesis commented as he made a note of what could have possibly led to this outcome. Meisha, seeing all this devastation and hearing Aesis commentary, held her heart in agony. It was all her fault. If she never made Natasha have to leave the base then probably, the location of the base would never have been discovered and if she was never here in the first place, then this tragedy would have probably never happened.
Aesis walked next to her, placed his hand on her head as he comforted her. "Today may seem like the end, but you should always remember that as long as one has life and is willing to live, then there is nothing that stops you from having what you want. So you should live and whether it is revenge you desire, you need to have the will to embrace the sadness and move on. I'll give you the time to be ready. Once you're done mourning, I'll take both of you with your parents back to Sanctuary for a proper burial,"
He walked away after that statement. Meisha knelt next to Natasha as they both sobbed and mourned the passing of both their parents. After a bit, the two girls regained their composure and they were ready to leave this site of ruins. "Can I get stronger? Strong enough to rip down all these Xions?" Natasha asked, her eyes lacking any of her former warmth but carried more of a cold edge, they were eyes that held rage in them.
"Yes. In Sanctuary, you can become strong enough to destroy them if you want and there will be others who are also there to help you," Aesis commented to the girl after he glanced at her.
It was this incident that changed Natasha and it also changed Meisha too. Natasha never blamed Meisha for this, but she grew more detached from her former self, as if she grew up immediately. Natasha became blinded with the goal of exterminating the Xions but Meisha still remembered her dream, a dream so beautiful so she took it upon herself to ensure that at least, Natasha's dream, the only thing that connected her to her family and the base, would never be abandoned.
FLASHBACK
"Hey, M. What do you think of this world?" Natasha questioned as she and Meisha looked at the starry night as they slept in the wilderness. "I'm not sure, Nat. I loathe it because it made me suffer but it also made me meet you too, so, I'm not sure. What about you, Nat?" Meisha responded, her gaze still fixed on the constellations above.
"Haha. I guess that's true about the world. I think that it's beautiful and harsh but lovely nonetheless, but despite what anyone else thinks of the world, one thing is true and that is it is our world and our home. So I want to be strong enough, so strong that I can take down the Xions and make humans be able to live back in their home without having to cower and fear. That's my dream."