"Crap," the Guy grunts as he pulls himself free. "I should've known you nuts were behind this. Really came in with a bang, didn't you? You proud of yourselves yet?"
I start walking towards him, my anger steadily increasing. "Shut up! Where's Joseph?"
"He's alive," he curtly replies. "What do you guys want?"
"Answers!"
The Guy glances around. "Oh really? Looks to me like you just wanted to ruin my day again," he says. "Or is that just a side thing? Either way, you succeeded."
I stop in front of him, leveling my glare into his eyes. "Fair warning; I'm not in the best mood right now. Just tell me what you know and MAYBE I'll let you live."
The Guy looks unperturbed. "You never were the tactful sort, were you?"
Without a word, I sweep his legs out from under him. Then in a swift motion, I grapple him and fly straight up. A moment later, he's dangling upside down with his armored feet in my grip.
"Current altitude, five hundred meters," I snarl. "I'd say this is high enough for you to make a nice pattern on the ground, especially if I throw you full force, don't you think?"
The Guy looks more annoyed than scared, which pisses me off further. Despite this, he says, "Whoa, hey! Let go of me… ahem, I mean, please put me on the ground."
"Who are you? What's your connection to Joseph? What is your boss's plan for us? And who is Atticus Blaner?!"
"Really? I'm not an encyclopedia," the Guy replies. I loosen my grip a little, and he slips down a few centimeters.
"You ever consider that maybe asking nicely is a valid strategy? No violence needed, no ham-fisted threats," he continues.
I blush, shaking with rage and bitterness. "You ever consider that maybe violence and ham-fisted threats are all I'm good at?!"
Dammit, I know I'm tactless and brusque and dumb… I don't know what else I can do! I only know how to fight, but I know there's more to life than fighting, but I'm so bad at everything else that I just end up fighting anyway… no matter how much I try to think about these things, I just don't get it…
The Guy looks at me for a moment, then sighs. "On second thought, I can maybe answer a few questions."
"Maybe?"
"Yes, maybe. My facility is just the tip of the iceberg. The stuff here is only here because… ah, shoot!" He suddenly stops, like he remembered something important.
"Quit acting suspicious! Just tell me what you know first, then you can tell me what you don't," I yell. "And I'm not taking no for an answer!"
"Okay, fine!" He takes a breath, then begins: "Apparently, some business partners just got approval to field some new droids, and they'll make my I-bots look like training dummies, to put it mildly. And they want you guys captured, but for some reason they don't care about Gen 1 anymore? They never really elaborated past 'lethal force authorized'. And there are more of you! The Gen 4 aeronauts were in the House of Steel when you blew it up. Their pods are buried somewhere, so if you could just let me down, I can find them!"
"So how do you fit into all of this?" I press.
"What, besides the fact that I run this facility? Well, ran. Thanks for nothing." He sighs. "I designed the I-bots and oversaw their manufacture, for starters. Apparently, it's more efficient than hiring men. I'm not sure why he thinks so, but we can't really complain since Atticus is funding everything. He's A-Tech's main investor, by the way. And Joseph is my dad, so obviously we meet up a lot."
"Joseph… your dad. And he never told us…" I slump down, the Guy slipping from my hands. "What am I saying, he never told us his last name either. Nor did he tell us anything beyond combat knowledge and general advice." I cover my face with both hands. "Haha… I'm so stupid. It all feels like such a farce."
I hover for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts as the howling icy wind starts to carry in dust.
Joseph… the House of Steel… Larry… Roy… Pex… Is Pex really dead? Come think, Roy and Larry didn't seem too worried about her despite what happened. Maybe she got out okay somehow? But with how mad Roy got, really it's anyone's guess.
I open my eyes. Can't think about that right now. Scanning the area below, I spot the Guy… not a silver pancake on the ground. Instead, he's engaged Rurin in midair combat.
"What the…" I drop into a stoop, aiming an extreme speed dive kick at the Guy.
WHAM! I connect solidly, and he's blasted into the wrecked facility.
"Owgh, that friccing armor! Full speed and it still didn't break," I grunt, massaging my leg. "I think the force rebounded or something. My foot is numb."
"Honestly, his armor kinda rules. I wonder where he got it," Rurin says.
"Playing me for a fool… I wouldn't have dropped him if I'd known he could also fly," I grumble. Then I notice something else. "Wait, what happened to your spear?"
"I looked it up earlier in the city. It's actually a naginata," Rurin clarifies. "I mean, it was a naginata. The Guy broke it." He drops the broken shaft in mild disgust.
I look over at the impact crater the Guy had made. Sure enough, he's gone. "Well, he's still alive if you want to get him back," I tell Rurin. "He seemed worried about those pods he mentioned, so maybe he's going to recover those."
"Pods?"
I pensively twirl a ponytail. "Y-yeah. Seems like they had aeronauts in them."
"You know… looking back, the Guy doesn't seem like a bad guy, does he?" Rurin taps his chin.
"What? Of course he's bad; he's with the whitecoats! He kidnapped me the first time we met, remember?" I reminded him. "Then he… um, let me go."
"Right?"
"But, but then there was that time he…" I pause at that memory. "Huh? I guess that turned out to be good…"
"What did?"
"Um, never mind. Where'd Verni and Trav go?"
Rurin scans the area, then points. "Looks like they found someone."
We fly to a spot at the edge of the rubble. Vernicia and Travis are standing in front of someone kneeling on the ground – Joseph?
"What's wrong with him?" Rurin asks.
"I'm not sure. But he won't say anything," Vernicia replies.
Travis nudges his leg. "Maybe he's gone cuckoo? I can't really tell."
Joseph's gaze suddenly snaps to us. "Finally, all my children are here. You all are still so young! What was I thinking? What were any of us thinking?"
"Aha. I get it now. It takes all of us to make him feel better," Vernicia notes.
Joseph's gaze hardens. "No! Better is normal… normal is weak… I wanted to take him on, but I'm only a human. It takes more than that to fight this evil… it will require your power."
I raise an eyebrow. "Huh? So we're heroes now? Don't give us that 'chosen ones' nonsense. We're just a project to you."
"Another string in this web of lies," Joseph mutters. "But you can still cut through it… Neocon! Yes, you'll find the protoforms there. But you'll have to hurry before they move them…"
"Uh… what's a protoform?"
Joseph, ignoring Vernicia's question, fixes his gaze on me. "Ah… Shurikit. Seeing you always reminds me of your parents. Zina and Noren were my best friends. They would have loved to see you again…"
"Wha-?!"
"Your names are not an accident, you know. I knew all of your parents personally." Joseph's gaze grows distant. "They were influencers, money mongers, and risk takers, but they were not evil. All of them agreed to donate you to the project with the names they had picked out for you."
"Does that mean they're… we can…!"
"I'm afraid not." Joseph shakes his head. "Lars, Imran, Laker, Nikos… their homes were bombed to the ground. The assassin found Borohon as well, but his wife was spared. White and Lee also went into deep hiding. Maybe they're dead, maybe not. They haven't targeted my wife, yet, but that could change in the future. As for me… the seal I placed is failing. I suspect I only have moments before this blasted flare sigil destroys me."
Wait, Joseph has a wife? I'm learning so much. Then I suddenly realize: "Wait. Are you going to die? You'd better not! You're gonna explain everything to us, and then I might reconsider!"
Joseph stands up and begins to step backwards, clutching his chest. "You must find Atticus, my children. He harnesses endless resources and powerful magic. If you–"
The freezing air seems to go still as a strange symbol glows on Joseph's body, then– CRAKOOOM!
We shield our faces from the bright explosion as the air heats up. Then a cold, dusty breeze blows it away, revealing a vaguely humanoid husk that the dirt quickly begins to coat.
The four of us stand there, the sky slowly beginning to darken as the dust storm continues its approach.
"So… wait, I'm confused. He WAS a good guy?" Rurin scratches his head.
"I don't quite get that impression… how do we know everything he said wasn't a lie?" Travis asks.
"Well, if I knew I'd become a fireball, that would probably incline me to be honest," I reply. "And he mentioned some of our last names, too, so he probably did know our parents."
"He let us go," Vernicia recalls. "I knew he still cared for us!"
Travis crosses his arms. "He said Borohon's wife escaped. If those are really our parents, that means my mom is still alive. She can help us if we can find her, I'm sure of it!"
"Yeah, but where would she be? He didn't give a location or any identifying features," I reply. "I say we look for those protoform things first."
"Yeah, but we don't know anything about them, either," Vernicia says. "Like, are they animals or amoeba? We could easily end up chasing clouds without some kind of lead."
"Well, either way we'll be starting from square zero," Rurin shrugs. "Which way are we going first?"
"I know what I'm going for, and I'm not waiting for a vote!" Travis raises his wings, catching the dust-filled gale. "I'm searching for my mom RIGHT NOW!"
"Travis, don't get so excited," I protest. "Guys, help me out here!"
"Actually, going in twos might be more efficient," Vernicia suggests. "Two needles, one haystack, right?"
"Seconded," Rurin nods.
"Ha-ha!" Travis pumps a fist.
"Ugh, fine!" I roll my eyes. "I'll make sure Trav doesn't do anything too reckless."
"Heh, yeah. Ru and I can figure out this protoform thing," Vernicia says.
"Woo!" Travis launches into the air.
"Right, right. More back-and-forthing," I sigh. "See you in a bit, I guess."
Travis and I set out to the sky, bursting out of the cold cloud of dust and wind a thousand meters up. I guess having a goal is better than what we were doing at first.
~
The frozen dust storm buffets the House of Steel's collapsed remains as Rurin and Vernicia approach it.
"Those protoforms aren't going to find themselves," Rurin says. "We should just head out right away. That place Joseph mentioned, Neocon… it's probably not in the badlands, at the very least."
"We'll be going out completely blind, with no leads on its location whatsoever," Vernicia reminds him. "We aren't as impulsive as Trav, and Kit's the only one who can reliably check him."
"What, you think they'll bungle around in the city? We don't even know if Trav's mom is anywhere near Chandonis."
"They don't know either," Vernicia shrugs. "Just needle things. I'm gonna check out this rubble though. See if anything in this treasure trove survived, yeah?"
"Oh, yeah… Roy did say that," Rurin remembers.
"This dust is getting everywhere." Vernicia pushes up a fallen wall, forming a makeshift barrier. "Right, let's pile the loot here."
The surface level of the House of Steel is almost completely destroyed, with debris and corpses strewn all over. "Yeesh," Rurin mutters. "Check out that cave-in in the center."
As they approach the epicenter of the explosion, they hear a noise echoing from one of the floors below… rather, a voice.
"Open, you stupid piece of glass," it says, sounding forlorn. "I can't… I can't leave you here. I won't leave you."
"Hey," Rurin whispers. "That sounds like the Guy."
"Let's jump him," Vernicia decides.
The two aeronauts jump down and sneak up to the Guy. He's kneeling in front of two roundish glowing pods, typing furiously on his now-cracked tablet.
Then he stops. "Gen 3," he sighs. "What do you want?"
"Still got tricks up your sleeve, pal?" Vernicia points her sword at him. "Give it up!"
"I really don't have time for you guys right now," he tells them, sounding stressed. "I have to free them before it's too late."
Rurin seems to realize something. "Wait, are those the pods…?"
Vernicia looks at him. "What, is something in them?"
"I made it so only Joseph could open these," the Guy says, turning to face him. His gaze is cold, but tears streak his face. "And metastasis pods are completely sealed so the person inside can be stored anywhere. If they stay inside of a dysfunctional metastasis pod for too long, they'll asphyxiate, and the death toll will rise even more. You should know thirty-seven people are already dead thanks to you fools." He turns his attention back to the pods. "Ironic, isn't it… I can't breach my own program because I programmed it too well."
Vernicia and Rurin remain silent. A thought floats through Vernica's head– It can't be that hard to just force open, can it? Or maybe he likes his tech too much to break it.
The Guy suddenly straightens, then–
SMASH, SMASH! The pod's locks break under his armored strikes, causing their seals to slide open in a hiss of vapor. As it dissipates, the girls inside begin to stir – one has a long, straight brown ponytail that turns white at the end, as well as equally brown skin; and the other has wavy, shoulder-length dark purple hair and yellowish skin.
"Whoa, check out the wings." Vernicia points as the two aeronauts groggily emerge. "Their scales are shiny! Kinda looks like…" A faery. "Uhm, never mind."
The Guy gives her a curious look, but doesn't say anything.
"Wait, shouldn't there be four to a generation? Where are…" Rurin trails off. We didn't kill them too, did we…?
"The collapse destroyed their pods. If you hadn't done something so stupid, needless deaths could have been avoided."
Rurin looks away. Damn it all! I wanted more boys on the team… we really were careless…
The brown-skinned aeronaut girl opens her eyes, which are also brown. "Uhm? Where…? Marc, the situation, what's…"
Vernicia blinks. "Your name is Marc?" So normal.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Marc shakes his head. "Angelina, is Diantha awake? We need to relocate."
"Hmmh…?" She blinks, activating the red glint of her night vision. "Those guys, who are they?"
The other girl – Diantha? – sits up in her pod, rubbing her purple eyes. "Whoever they are, I'll clobber 'em," she murmurs, clearly still sleepy. Then her gaze falls on Vernicia. "Wha! Haha! I… oof." In her excitement, she'd fallen onto the cracked floor, but she quickly recovers. "Told you we weren't the only ones!"
"Juniper, he thought that," Angelina says.
"Well, I never disagreed with him." Diantha looks over at Rurin. "Hey Fern, you didn't dis—"
Diantha suddenly stops. Silence sets in as the dust storm howls above them.
Ah, I made things awkward…
I should just come out and say it…
She's kinda cute actually.
Rurin clears his throat. "I'm Rurin, actually. And this is Vernicia. We're Gen 3 aeronauts. So, uhm, like you said, you aren't the only ones."
Diantha remains silent.
"It's actually our fault the other aeronauts are dead," Rurin confesses. "We wrecked this entire facility. You could say we're on a mission to destroy the powers that made us. But we didn't know you were here as well! I know simply apologizing won't help, but…"
Angelina calmly looks at him. Get it, I do. For the better, maybe.
Marc looks around. "Wait a second, where are the other two?"
"There are more?" Diantha looks at him.
"Yeah. One has a helmet, the other has… a hell of a kick…" Marc rubs the dent in his armor. "Yeah, that's gonna bruise. I mean, if it hasn't already."
"I guess I can tell you," Vernicia says. "They went to the city to find someone. And we're heading out to look for Neocon pretty soon. I thought we'd do a bit of looting – uh, salvaging here first."
"Not a bad idea, actually. I was able to recover Angie and Dia, after all. I wonder if I can access the other rooms the same way."
The five of them start walking through the decimated facility. Between the collapsed top level and the two underground floors, not much seems to have survived from what Marc could tell. And the people… no. I shouldn't dwell on it.
"Marc, Marc." Angelina catches his attention. "Those new guys, you know them well?"
"Yeah, you seem to have a history…" Diantha, now on Marc's other side, notices his now-complicated expression. "Uhm, judging from that look, presumably not a good one."
"It's… not really that complex," Marc sighs. "They'll just suddenly decide my day needs ruining. Especially Shurikit… I don't think we've ever met under non-hostile circumstances." He thinks for a second. "Although the first time admittedly was my fault. But that's only because my dad authorized the high-hazard inspection for them, so I figured, why not? It was just part of the process, but they just had to go and make it personal…"
"You're rambling again," Diantha tells him. Silly man. This is why you can't pull any ladies.
"From the two of them, I don't sense hostility," Angelina supplies.
Marc crosses his arms. "It's honestly baffling. They act like complete terrors, but all I pick up from them is…" He suddenly remembers Shurikit's last thought he'd picked up on. "You know what, no. All of this tracks, now that I think about it. It's likely they just don't know any better."
"Guys, I found a trapdoor," Rurin calls from down a crack-ridden hall. "Aw, wait. It's locked."
"Here's a heat riser," Vernicia's voice echoes. "You think this'll do it?"
"W-wait! That's not how heat risers work," Marc yells, running over to them at full speed. Diantha and Angelina fly after him.
"Well, it's working," Vernicia says as the trapdoor's latch begins to glow and soften. "Wanna do the honors now that you're here?"
"Ugh… dammit, guys." Marc breaks the trapdoor's latch, and hydraulic arms push it open. "We could've salvaged that panel, you know."
Vernicia and Rurin shrug, then jump into the dark sub-room below.
"Whoa! Check out these weird-looking machines," Rurin calls.
"Really? How many are there?" Diantha jumps in, with Angelina close behind.
"Sure, sure," Marc mutters, climbing down the ladder. Once he reaches the bottom, he feels around until he finds the light switch – click. "Oh. It's my old storage hangar. Those I-bots are all prototypes," he explains, walking to the back. "Which means over here should be…" He pulls back a tarp in the corner, revealing a rugged six-wheeled vehicle. "Aha! My Tetrider."
"Is it useful?"
"You better believe it! This baby's six-wheel drive can hit a hundred fifty kiloms on uneven terrain without jostling the driver, thanks to the stabilizers in its suspension," Marc brags. "And with these auto-adjusting all-terrain tires, mud and deep water won't be an issue either. Not to mention its compatibility with most high-efficiency power cells. Hmm, speaking of…" He rummages around for a moment, then opens a metal box. "Oh, score! Still charged."
"Don't think I've ever seen him this excited before," Diantha says.
"How long have you known him?" Rurin asks. "Uh, just curious. You don't have to answer if you don't… trust us."
"Our keeper; Marc would often meet with her," Angelina answers.
Diantha throws her a side-eye but doesn't say anything.
Marc pulls a lever, and a door at the other end of the room grinds open, revealing a wide ramp half-filled with rubble. "Hmm, yeah," he mutters. "I should be able to get through that." Then he gets into the Tetrider and starts powering it up. "Alright, aeronauts! Ready to roll when you are."
"Hold up," Vernicia says, holding up some devices. "Wanna keep in touch with us?"
"Oh. You… found the prototype long-range comms," Marc notes.
"Looks like we're in good shape, then. I'm Diantha White, and she's Angelina Foxx. You were going to Neocon, right? We'll tag along for now."
"S-sure," Rurin mumbles.