Chapter 26: Arc 2 Finale – Spade

Chapter 12 - Spade

“OPEN FIRE!”

 

A wall of bodies met a line of waiting guns, Scasers thumping loudly as their red rounds zipped through the air, repeaters unleashing metal hell from fortified positions. Slaves crumbled and fell under the attack, their bodies punctured and half melting, slamming to the floor and tumbling down the Freighter's ramp.

 

The distinctive metallic clank and thump of the nail drivers rang loudest, punching through multiple invaders at a time, often sending them skidding backwards from sheer force.

 

“Oh please. Really. Nail-guns?” Moltezz smirked, standing tall amongst her horde as they charged past her. Her senses focused. Her hand shot up and snatched a “nail” out of the air with a satisfying clap, it was on point to impact her chest.

 

“Unacceptable.” Her eyes narrowed, the meter long nail clasped tightly in her fist surged with heat, glowing bright orange from tip to head. She reeled back and hurled it forward like a javelin, directly skewering one of the defenders and completely decimating them, their crudely built cover falling to pieces as the red hot metal punched straight through it.

 

“I'll take her out! Keep them off me!” One of the mech pilots called out, pushing his mech forward through the wave of incoming bodies, the huge rock drill on its right arm began to swat back and forth, carving through the flesh in front of it with grisly efficacy, but the swarm suddenly parted and avoided the mech, like a river around a stone, leaving it a clear line of sight to Moltezz.

 

It advanced as fast as it could, stomping forward on its heavy triangular feet and opening fire with its nail driver.

 

PANG-PANG-PANG-PANG

 

The air around Moltezz grew dark and heavy, forming a pitch black ashen shield that halted the nails, their metal bodies barely able to penetrate through its sudden, rocky density. She advanced confidently with her full body ashen shield, walking forward to meet the mech in close quarters. All around them, Slave's were being cut to pieces by gun fire, stray limbs flying through the air, the conflict currently at an impasse.

 

Moltezz and the mech met in the middle of the fire-fight and the mech through its blood dripping drill towards her, the cloak of ash dropped to the ground and revealed her again, her forearm rising to meet the drill's body, just behind its spinning, jagged head. The mech hissed and pushed forward with all of its might, trying to crush her, but the alien stood defiant and firm, her muscles quivering slightly under her clothes but the metal body of the drill was beginning to creak and deform around her parry.

 

“Meek. My expectations were low and still, they have not been met.” She scoffed, meeting eyes with the pilot through the thick tinted glass that protected him.

 

Her other fist glowed with blinding white and orange light, searing and brilliant. She threw it forward and it impacted the glass of the cockpit with a deafening crack, bleaching white noise and blinding light filled the hanger in a rippling shockwave.

 

Two smouldering yellow metal feet were half welded to the floor, bits of rock drill embedded in the wall more than one hundred meters behind them. Any exposed flesh from both the horde and the defenders had been half roasted by the heat flash.

 

The mech was gone. Scattered, melted, destroyed.

 

The defenders scrambled around, as did the horde, both levelled by the attack. The pain of their burnt skin was slowing them, some had even been blinded. But the horde was quicker, much quicker. They didn't care for the pain, and as long as one of them could see, they could all see.

 

The second mech turned to face Moltezz, its arms whirring as it brought its nail driver down at her, but her response was overwhelming. A clustered volley of fire bolts flung from her hands drowned the mechs frame in scorching orange fire. It's hydraulics bursting, circuits failing, pilot melting into his flaming chair.

 

It collapsed to the ground with a chest shaking thud, half liquefied by her volley, molten glass, metal and flaming oil oozing from its immolated carcass.

 

Only a couple of weapons were brought back to bear, the others were overwhelmed, their armaments dragged out of their hands. The heat coming off the flaming mech warmed the air too much and the fire suppression system kicked in, several small nozzles emerged from the ceiling and sprayed it down with white foam, dousing it to a blackened, unrecognisable slurry and preventing the hanger from burning up.

 

There were screams from across the hanger, rapidly muffling as the horde seized the last defenders. Most were still alive, if not badly burnt and wounded.

 

Moltezz turned her attention towards the far side doors, leading to the civilian hangers, where the evacuations were in progress. Her stride began as more Slaves and Nodes poured out of the freighter, heading into every door, vent and access way they could.

 

“Preserve the station. Pick it clean. Bring as many alive as you can.”

*

Trent’s foot bobbed anxiously as he waited by the airlock door, armed with a Vulcan rifle he’d looted from their ship, his face twitched slightly.

 

Moltezz is coming- repeatedly echoed through his head. The heat, the pain, the pleasure, it all came flooding back at the thought of her name alone. He hated that part of him wanted to go back to her. He wanted that part of him to die forever, but the more he pushed it down, the more immortal it felt.

 

His thought trail was swiftly derailed as the doors hissed open and revealed Oxyi and Geralt, both of whom wore an exhausted look and a hue of dismay heavily upon their slumped shoulders.

 

“A-any luck?” Trent asked quietly, peering behind them both briefly. Oxyi pushed past the fox, her eyes glassy and lip wobbling, leaving just Trent and Geralt in the airlock.

 

“Nothing. They’ve both just vanished into thin air and Plasia…” Geralt paused for a second to gather his composure. “… Venner says her guards fatally wounded her and the entire wings life support died a few minutes after her video footage ended. The chances she’s still alive are…”

 

Trent ruffled his hair awkwardly and nodded. It all seemed to fall apart so fast. They both felt pulsing vibrations through the metal underfoot, buzzing through the airlock’s connection to the station. They exchanged a knowing, sorrowful look.

 

Behind them, Oxyi yelled loudly to ensure she was heard, her voice stuttering repeatedly.

 

“W-we gotta go! now! That freighter has just docked and they’re gonna be here, there is n-no more time!”

 

Both men made their way to the cockpit to see Oxyi sitting in one of the chairs, facing away from them, with little Tivy standing at her side, reaching up to hold one of her hands.

 

“I-I couldn’t find him…” Her chest shuddered with each breath and tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m just a failure… there’s no other word for it.”

 

“It’s not your fault, Oxyi!” Tivy hopped on the spot, shuffling closer to her, feeling her own eyes beginning to sting. “Don’t say that about yourself!”

 

The lioness thudded her head back against the seat and shook it vigorously in disagreement.

 

“I-it is though! I knew Venner was up to something at the beginning! I should have said something! I should have… I- It doesn’t matter. We need to get the ship off the station. Now.”

 

Tivy exchanged a hurt look with Oxyi for just a few endless seconds before sadly turning around and hopping up onto the pilots chair, gently pressing the correct arrangement of buttons to initiate the main engine start up.

 

Oddly, it did not start. It didn't even begin to.

 

Tivy tilted her head and stared at the control panel, pushing her tongue against her cheek.

 

She pressed the sequence again, more thoroughly this time, ensuring each button was firmly tapped but once again, the ship did not roar itself awake… Concern crept into the damaged crew as they saw Tivy’s actions becoming more frantic, she hopped up onto the control panel from the chair and repeated the sequence once more, every button push was deliberate to ensure it's accuracy.

 

“What’s going on, Tiv? We got a loose wire or something…?”

 

“W-we need to check the reactor! There’s no ignition surge to the primary chambers!” Tivy spun around to address the men, her pupils like tiny dots in her eyes, her little body quaking as she stood on the controls.

 

Trent, Oxyi and Geralt stood and all made their way silently through the bowels of the ship to the lowest deck, nothing but the clanking of their boots on the metalwork and the various paces of their anxiety-stricken breath to fill their ears, the engine would usually be humming loudly by now, but it was silent, just creaking slightly from behind its armoured door.

 

Trent approached the door first, letting it slide open and reveal its inner workings, his breath silent as anxiety crept through his chest.

 

“Tivy! It looks like its been ransacked!” The three gawked around the room. Various chunks of intricate machinery had been torn out, leaving it gutted and stuttering, sparking wires and unresponsive hissing panels were one thing, but a sudden splitting *CLANK* made the three of them jump backwards, staring around the damaged reactor with increasing concern for their safety.

 

“I-is it fixable? Can we just undock from the station at least?!?” Trent felt increasingly small as the situation progressed, behind them, a scuttling noise revealed Tivy as she came bounding down the corridor, skidding to a stop in the middle of the room.

 

Her body physically stuttered, mimicking the conflict in her head. She alternated rapidly between looking at the door and glancing around the ruined reactor. They all noticed a couple of small blue drips on the floor in the middle of the room and together, they began to understand what exactly had happened.

 

“Tivy?!”

 

“W-we gotta get off the ship!” Her eyes focused briefly on a panel on the other side of the room, the gauges on it were anything but encouraging.

 

“We can’t! We’re one of the last ships docked and the freighter has landed! There’s no way we can find another ride! Can’t we just plug those wires together or something? Just get enough power to undock?”

 

“NO! You want to die slowly in a metal box?!? We’ll die from an overload before Moltezz! W-we… Maybe we can - I… T-that!” Tivy’s eyes spotted something, and she jerked towards it, the others following her closely. “I-I need tools! I might be able to use the charge in this surge capacitor to-“

 

Her words were cut short by a thud coming from upstairs, the distinctive hiss of the airlocks opening and closing…

 

They all stared at each-other in silence, Oxyi and Trent instinctively reaching for their weapons.

 

“Tivy, can you and Geralt make a start on your plan? Remember, we just need to undock and get away from the station, even if it’s just a few meters, we can radio for pick-up if we’re lucky… Trent, you come with me.” Oxyi pointed at the ceiling. “Let’s hope this is a friend; but if it’s not, I might need your back-up.”

 

The team split into pairs as Oxyi asked, leaving Tivy and Geralt to attempt to salvage some power from the wrecked reactor, just enough to break their connection to the station.

 

Oxyi brought her shotgun up to her shoulder and took the lead, with Trent a few paces behind her, mimicking her stance with the Vulcan rifle. Exiting the lowest deck, they cautiously paced down the corridor into the main deck of the ship, their ears twitching as they listened closely for noise.

 

There were multiple sets of quiet footsteps through-out the ship.

 

Ahead of them laid a corridor with a few blind doors on each side of the wall, leading to the different areas of the ship. The first two were just bunks for the ex-soldiers of the craft, the third was the lounge/kitchen area, the biggest room on the deck.

 

Oxyi turned the first corner, shotgun ready- and shuddered in her skin as a monochrome Slave was stood in the centre of the room, facing away from her and currently staring around the bunk.

 

*BANG* - *CHU-CHINK*

 

The slave dropped to the floor instantly, the back of its furry head full of steel buckshot.

 

“Not friends, then?” Trent gulped but was met with a firm “shush” gesture from Oxyi, who immediately turned towards the next door. She readied herself and waited next to the opening for a second, before pouncing around the corner and seeing the same thing, but this time, the Slave was turned around and looking at her.

 

*BANG* - *CHU-CHINK*

 

More buckshot through more flesh, it dropped to the floor with another thud, blood slowly pooling around its head where it fell.

 

The room appeared clear and so Oxyi moved on again, a gentle haze of smoke wafting from the barrel of her weapon.

 

The lounge and kitchen was next and Oxyi carefully crept down the corridor once more towards its door, pausing next to it and cleanly leaping around the corner with her weapon ready.

 

The room initially appeared empty, but Oxyi caught sight of something huddled behind the white, glossy breakfast bar directly ahead of her.

 

“Show your hands or be shown your innards!” She yelled, strafing into the room, her weapons sights fixed on the crouching figure.

 

It grunted back and crawled around the bar, keeping cover between it and Oxyi.

 

“Trent! Flank this guy!” Oxyi yelled, having made her way into the middle of the room.

 

Trent appeared in the doorway and took aim with his weapon as the figure had exposed itself to him whilst staying out of Oxyi’s line of sight and he opened fire, the Vulcan rifle spitting a handful of needles in a loud roar and in less than a second, the Slave collapsed, cut to pieces.

 

“Hell yeah! Teamw-UGH!“

 

The air was punched out of his chest; Something ambushed Trent from behind, dragging him away from the door and out of Oxyi’s line of sight.

 

“Trent!” She approached the door rapidly, half skipping with her feet but keeping the shotgun up.

 

She heard Trent’s rifle clatter to the floor, followed by two thumping noises and a sickening, muffled crack.

 

Before she had any time to think, Trent suddenly reappeared in the doorway, held up by a much larger figure behind him and the two rapidly approached the Lioness.

 

“Hello again, Oxyi! Let’s try this again, shall we?”

 

Behind him, a Feline Node held Trent’s limp form up in the air and used him as a shield to approach Oxyi, the Lionesses eyes bolted open as she recognized her-

 

It was the Node from her flat!

 

Oxyi tried to get a good shot at the Feline, but she held the knocked out Trent in front of her perfectly and charged across the room.

 

The Lioness side-stepped the charge and flicked her shotgun towards the Node’s form, but felt it twist violently away as the Node grabbed the front of the barrel and pointed it away from her. A twisted grin spread over her face as she dropped Trent to the floor with a thump and yanked the shotgun out of Oxyi’s hands.

 

Oxyi let the weapon go and went for her pistol strapped to her side, rapidly retreating from the Node as far back as the room would let her, but the Feline followed, her larger size making her no less nimble and Oxyi could only fire a couple more glancing rounds into her stomach before the Node grabbed her wrist.

 

Her options were running out, she fumbled for her knife, currently strapped to her thigh and thrust it as hard as she could with her one free hand, but the Node caught that too, holding both of Oxyi’s wrists with overwhelming strength.

 

In the blink of an eye, the Node wrenched Oxyi’s arms to her sides and headbutted the Lioness in the face, letting her fall onto her back with another thud, pouncing onto her and kneeling on her shoulders to prevent Oxyi from fighting back.

 

She kicked and thrashed around, blood dribbling from her nose but the headbutt felt like impacting a wall, with all the give on Oxyi’s side. Her eyes slowly focused again from the hard impact and were met with the victorious grin of the Node, staring down at her with insidious jade eyes. Try as she might, she couldn’t shift the 7ft Feline off her. She kicked with her legs again, but it was useless, the Node was perfectly balanced and overwhelmingly strong.

 

“I’m going to savour this. Moltezz sent me to rectify how this played out last time.” She brought her head low and licked the blood dribbling from Oxyi’s nose, in a slow, taunting fashion. “The Rewritten will not be denied! I will not be denied!”

 

Slowly, the Node reached down with both hands, her fingers dancing against the sides of Oxyi’s neck. She pressed her fingers against the Lioness’s fur and skin, intimately, and slowly formed a grip around her neck, applying an increasing pressure against her throat, her smile widening as the grip tightened.

 

Oyxi kicked and fought back again, flashbacks to her flat with Seeth briefly entered her mind and once again, the Node was too strong to move. Pinned down, she would feel the fight drain out of her, strength fading. She began to turn a pale blue as the veins in her neck bulged between the Node’s fingers, she could hear her flesh and bones creaking under the pressure.

 

Watching the life drain out of her prompted a seductive, soft giggle from the Feline Node.

 

“Mhmm, look at that, you’re turning blue! Such a perfect colour for you. Matches your eyes.”

 

It was a slow, deliberate strangulation. She breathed in every detail of Oxyi's form, closely watching the pained creases around her eyes, how the Lionesses skin deformed around her grip.

 

The Node bit her lip and let out a satisfied moan.

 

Just as Oxyi looked fit to faint, she relinquished the grip just enough to keep her conscious.

 

“Enough foreplay. Lets-”

 

“LET HER GO! NOW!” Seeth's voice bellowed out from the corridor.

 

The Node shuddered, going weak for a second and leaning on the breakfast bar to her side.

 

“S-Seeth? W-what are you doing here?”

 

She stood from Oxyi, prompting the Lioness to take a huge gasp of air and cough it back out, twisting on the floor in pain.

 

Slowly however, the shock induced in the Node faded. Her temper steeled and she snorted loudly.

 

“Hmm. Good try.”

 

The remaining Slaves aboard the ship charged out from the far rooms, a brief commotion was heard and the struggling bodies of Tivy and Geralt were dragged into the room. Tivy screamed out with Seeth's exact tone but it faded back into her own as the Slave held her out like dirty laundry.

 

“Gotta admit, that was pretty creative. You had me for a few seconds.”

 

Geralt protested his capture initially but upon seeing the Node, the colour drained from his face and he went limp.

 

“N-Naomi?”

 

The Node grinned at him, looking him up and down.

 

“Hey Dad.”

 

A billion thoughts hung shrewdly in the silence but Geralt choked back his tears as best he could.

 

“Y-you're not immune?!? I-I thought it might run in the family! Naomi, i'm so sorry-”

 

Naomi rolled her eyes as Geralt poured his heart out.

 

“Oh shut up, will you? You don't need to feel sorry for me, Dad. I've achieved more in a few weeks in the Rewritten than I ever did before. We were a family of underachievers, you know that.”

 

Geralt couldn't summon the words, his eyes kept bouncing around her new body. He barely recognised her at all.

 

“And now, you get to see what a big, strong Node your child has grown into whilst I corrupt your friend!” She paused for a second to meet eyes with him, her face softened for a brief moment as she watched him retch in pain. “Moltezz is going to make me her go-to Node after this, Dad. I'll get her to treat you right, better than the others.”

 

She turned on the spot and picked up Oxyi from the floor, holding her by the neck with a single hand and pressing her against the wall, the other hand began ripping at Oxyi's clothes, tearing them off with little effort.

 

“Naomi... please... I'm begging you, leave her alone...”

 

She tore off Oxyi's belt and flung it across the room, ripping at her pants next.

 

“Stop it you thug! Stop! Stop! Stop! That's our friend!” Tivy yelled out, trying to claw at the Slave with all of her might, but it held her firmly from behind.

 

“You don't have to do this!” Geralt tried to wrench his arms free, but once more, the slave's iron grip held tight.

 

Oxyi's underwear was torn off, exposing her womanhood and Naomi's grip intensified, a deep hunger surged through her and she quickly pulled out her thick manhood, already erect and buzzing with excitement.

 

“Seems a bit unfair doesn't it?” Naomi laughed, her breath hot and body trembling. “Go on, fight. Give it everything you got, Oxyi.” She cackled, letting the Lioness's neck go, but pressing herself up against her.

 

Oxyi pushed as hard as she could, her heart pounding against her ribs. She pushed with every ounce of might her oxygen starved brain could muster, her muscles strained and she clawed helplessly at the Node's chest.

 

But Naomi didn't move an inch. She stood firm, unimpressed and unmoved.

 

“Shhh, its OK. It'll be over soon.” One her hand seized the Lionesses throat again, brushing Oxyi's fumbling defence aside and seizing one of her legs, yanking it up and exposing her womanhood.

 

Naomi buzzed with excitement and hunger, half drooling as she pitched the tip of her cock against the Oxyi's nethers. “For the record, I hope you become a Node. We can hunt together.”

 

She angled her hips and moved to thrust deep inside her, quivering at the thought, her every nerve and cell aching to couple with Oxyi, the tip of her dick starting to part Oxyi's lower lips when-

 

*CRUNCH*

 

Naomi stopped. The noise came from the corridor, where she had her last slave on guard.

 

Suddenly, Naomi jolted backwards, like an unseen hand had pulled her back, instantly letting go of Oxyi and standing back from her.

 

The Slaves around the room all let go of their targets and turned to face the walls. Simultaneously, they placed both their hands against the panels, reared back their head and slammed their faces into the metal with as much force as they could muster. Each head split and splattered with the same awful crunch they heard just moments prior, their dead bodies dropping to the floor although one remained hanging limp where they'd impacted, blood oozing down the wall.

 

Oxyi spluttered for air and fell to the floor, reaching for the nearest solid object and holding it up in front of her for defence. Geralt and Tivy helped her to her feet and went to check on Trent, all of them watching Naomi closely as she stood perfectly still, her posture awkward and stiff.

 

A amethystine hand appeared around the top of the doorway.

 

“You should have stayed aboard the freighter, Node. Moltezz has sent you to your death.”

 

Seeth rounded the corner, she had ditched her mask but her bio-suit had chunks of ice stuck to its extremity. She surged towards the Node and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her into the air effortlessly. Naomi's neck creaked audibly as Seeth's fingers dug into her flesh.

 

“FUCK YOU! DO IT, SEETH!” Oxyi spat out, gritting her teeth, half propped up by Geralt.

 

“DON'T DO IT, SEETH! THATS MY DAUGHTER! PLEASE!” Geralt cried, reaching out towards the pair.

 

Oxyi and Geralt clung onto each-other for balance as they both screamed at Seeth, neither paying any attention to the other.

 

Seeth's grip halted and she turned her icy stare towards Geralt.

 

“There is no helping Nodes, Geralt. I'm-”

 

“I know! I know... its just... I'm her dad, it should be me to do it...I let her down, I let her get corrupted... I-” He took a deep, painful breath in. “I should be the one to end her suffering. It's not what I want, but its the only peace I can give her.”

 

Seeth waited, deep in thought as Naomi's statue like posture remained firmly in her grip.

 

“Fine. I understand.” Seeth let the Node drop to the floor, still puppeting her form on landing. “Take her somewhere private, I'll make her walk with you. If she tries anything, just call out and I'll end it.”

 

“T-thank you.” He gathered his composure, passing Oxyi over to Seeth to support and grabbing a pistol from the floor. He left the room without looking back and Naomi followed, her walking mechanical and forced, leaving behind a strained, difficult silence.

 

They walked in painful quietness through the ship, stopping in front of the airlock connected to Barru X.

 

“OK Seeth, make her kneel!” He yelled out. “Then a moment of privacy, if you would!”

 

Naomi kneeled down and placed her hands behind her head, still stiff and awkward but then her body shuddered and her motion became more organic looking once again.

 

“You back in control of yourself again, Naomi?”

 

“Yep.” She stated bluntly, looking up at him with hurt, dagger-like eyes.

 

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Its not your fault that you're this... thing.” Tears welled up around Geralt's eyes once more.

 

“For what its worth, Dad. You did well by me. It wasn't your fault.”

 

“Yes it was!” Geralt yelled back, his fist tightening around the pistol.

 

“No it wasn't. It wasn't even your night to look after me, it was mum's night. It was her best friend's birthday, we had friends over, we went into the woods, me and my friends... you couldn't have stopped us even if you tried.”

 

“Naomi-”

 

“-Dad. Its Okay. I mean it. If you had tried to control me, I would have ended up corrupted one way or another.” Naomi huffed, her venom in her voice faded completely. “Promise me you'll move on with your life? And find someone better than mum, you deserve better than her after they way she treated you.”

 

*BANG*

 

The round pinged off the floor next to her. Geralt reached over and pressed the button to open the airlock, revealing the empty corridor back to Barru X, a sudden warmth hitting them both.

 

He threw his arms around her, hugging her close. Slowly, Naomi reached around and hugged him back, unsure at first but settling into it.

 

“You listen to me, baby girl. You turn heel, you leave and you never, never come back. Seeth will kill you if you do, you understand!? I'll get myself a hot new babe if you find yourself a nice Mark, somewhere away from all this and just be... just be whoever you are now. Promise me you'll never come back?”

You are reading story Sweet Venom – Rebroken at novel35.com

 

She took a deep breath and nodded slowly, staying close to him the whole time.

 

“You gotta go! Just run, okay? I love you, baby girl! Be safe!”

 

They broke the hug and she stood shyly and turned to leave, sprinting down the corridor but stopping half-way to look back.

 

“Go! Before the others find out!” He fired another couple of shots into the floor. “Love you, Naomi!”

 

“Love you, Dad.”

 

Naomi ran from the corridor, bolting through the hanger without pause and into Barru X’s now abandoned middle decks. Her long legs carried her quick and it only took a couple of minutes before she was out of earshot of anyone.

Her pace came to a stop in the dead centre of a completely blank corridor, nothing but blank silver metal panels either side of her. She stood stone still, placing both her hands up against the wall. Her eyes stared at its featureless surface, shaking in their sockets as she awaited what would happen next.

 

Deep within her, Seeth's voice manifested, as if it spoke from within her spine.

 

“~Disgusting little thing. You deserve so much worse than this.~”

 

“~You’re going to let me go now, right…?~”

 

“~You’re awful, you wouldn’t even say goodbye to your own father.~”

 

“~How could I? You wouldn't give me control of myself!~”

 

“~You would have assaulted him the second I let go. I'm just glad he bought it.~

 

“~STOP THIS! Haven’t you humiliated me enough?!? You don’t even know what I would have done!~”

 

“~Do not LIE to me, Naomi. You cannot conceal your intent or feelings from me.~”

 

“~…~”

 

“~The fact you would even consider doing that to him. That. After he saved your life- after he begged me to let you live. There is no hope for you.~”

 

“He’s a fool! He’d have done the same in my shoes!”

 

“The thief also thinks that everyone else steals. He is a good man, a damn idiot; but a good man and a better father. He showed his heart to you, and you went to tear it out.”

 

“~Y-you’re not seriously going to do it, are you? Betray your own kind?~”

 

“~This isn’t about that. I’m giving him the closure he deserves. I’m sorry, but you can’t be helped.~”

 

“~Please don’t… Seeth. I’m begging you! DON’T MAKE ME-~”

 

*

 

The quiet chatter between the group immediately ceased as they heard Geralt padding back into the room slowly. His shoulders hung low and he wore a defeated grimace, dragging his feet on reentry. As he came in though, he exchanged a look with Seeth and a thankful nod, the most he could muster. She returned it gently and turned to face the others.

 

Trent was up on his feet, but his left arm had been completely broken and he was anything but battle ready. Oxyi was wheezing loudly and had scrounged together some new pants, but looked rough as all hell, her eyes red and glassy, her posture weak and battered but she still had her shotgun clasped in her hands tightly. Tivy stared straight at Seeth, shaking from tip to toe, her eyes bolted to the purple giant to avoid the bloody messes pasted over the walls and floor.

 

“I assume the ship is not working?” Seeth pushed on.

 

“Tivy had a plan but it didn’t work.” Geralt spoke softly, placing a hand on Oxyi’s shoulder.

 

“Then we need to get back on the station and find new transport.” She paced out the room and glanced back to see the rest following her in their various states of injury. “We’ll beat this. Just stay with me.” Seeth tried to sound upbeat but it lacked heart. She wanted to push them on the same way Diego had done, but she wasn’t sure it would be fine this time.

 

They approached the airlock and hit the button, it hissed open and they were immediately hit with wall of acrid air and the distinct smell of burnt fur and skin, even though the walk-way back into the hanger was empty, the distant sound of struggle and violence was clear as day.

 

Seeth strode ahead as the group shuffled along behind her, pushing into the hot air with all the might they could muster. As she approached the end of the connecting walkway, she stopped and pressed herself up against the wall, peering around the corner into the hanger bay.

 

Her heart skipped a beat and she threw up her hands towards the group, ushering them back onto the ship with urgency. Right in the middle at the lowest level of the hanger, Moltezz stood, like pillar of ruby and flame. Her eyes glancing around at the various different walkways and potential paths of the huge hanger bay, each a potential hiding spot for her targets.

 

“I know you’re here, Seeth. I’ll have my Nodes check every dock until I find you. I can wait.” Her voice bellowed out, echoing into every corner of the hanger. She held her hand out and produced a bright orange fireball, clasping her fist around it to extinguish it and opening her palm to reveal the hell ball again, repeating the action in a calm, almost bored manner. “I’ll smoke you out, soon enough.”

 

Groups of Nodes began to split up and search the hanger’s upper decks, jogging quickly from dock to dock and checking if anything was sealed to the other end. The only thing that was certain, was their time was running out.

 

The gang kept their voices as low as possible, whispering as quietly as their panicked states would allow.

 

“Back on the ship, now!”

 

“Bu-but it’s a dead end! She’ll find us! We need to run!”

 

“I don’t know if she’s out to kill me or not! Maybe we-“

 

*HISS* - *CHUNK*

 

The airlock closed behind them.

 

They all froze.

 

Seeth who peered out once more but was met with the hot glare of Moltezz directly.

 

“Ah! There you are. Don’t fret, I’ll come to you.” She flicked her palms out and produced two brilliant plasma jets from her hands, pushing her up towards the highest level in an elegant, if utterly horrifying fashion.

 

Oxyi threw herself forward and took aim with her shotgun, firing several shells in quick succession at Moltezz mid flight, her aim was true but the pellets vaporized long before impact, fizzling into nothing and sending bright sparks scattering around the hanger. Oxyi stared in disbelief but fumbled for her pistol in defiance.

 

Moltezz landed on the hanger level with a meaty thump, shaking the walkway slightly and halted her plasma jets, instead holding her hand out in front and continuing her idle fireball play menacingly as she strode towards the group.

 

Seeth grabbed Oxyi by the collar and pulled her back into the air lock tunnel, rounding up the rest of them and charging back into the ship, her brow thick with sweat and heavy with worry as the airlock opened and closed appropriately.

 

“What the hell are we gonna do?!” Trent panicked, looking around the ships interior for anything of use.

 

Seeth searched for something heavy, tearing some piping off the wall and trying its swing. Before they could formulate any further plans, the ship rocked and a bright red firebolt punched straight through the airlock, melting an amber lined head sized hole through the plating.

 

Moltezz stood at the end of the corridor, still playing with her fireball, a cocky smirk plastered over her face under her coal carapace.

 

“This has been fun, but the act is nearly over. Surrender yourselves and reveal Diego's location.”

 

“We don't know where he is!” Oxyi screamed, her voice hoarse and raw, hot tears welling up in the corners of her eyes as she loaded more shells into her shotgun.

 

Moltezz rolled her eyes and let a cascade of fireballs roll over her hands and forearms.

 

“Odd, I thought that would be a lie.” Moltezz pondered for just a second, but her steely gaze refocused sharply. “Surrender now, drop your weapons and walk out with your hands behind your heads and I may consider some mercy. I'm going to count to 10! For you sake, do not let me reach zero.”

 

They felt like their brains were being cooked in their skulls as the red hot guillotine stood outside the ship.

 

“Th-the DA weapons we have are useless against her! What do we do?!”

 

“10.”

 

“There's nothing! The reactors dead!”

 

“9.”

 

“C-can we- will this...? I-”

 

“8.”

 

“Tivy, I need you! Mimic my voice again, I think I can-”

 

“7.”

 

“She's going to fucking boil us! There's only one way to her and its front on!”

 

“6.”

 

“Seeth, can you pile stuff up at the doors?!”

 

“5.”

 

“We should surrender... we can't take her!”

 

“4.”

 

“W-would she really kill us...? I don't understand!”

 

“3!”

 

“Hey guys.”

 

The crew shuddered to a stop as a new voice hit their ears.

 

It felt impossible, their hearts dropped to the floor and shot straight back into their mouths.

 

“2!”

 

“V-Venner?!” Seeth puzzled, suddenly keeping her voice down, the others following suit.

 

The milky white rat peeped her head around the corner, her soft rose eyes meeting the panicked expressions of the entire squad.

 

“I uh... I docked on the other side of your ship, I guessed you were having trouble since you're the last ship docked at the station... You... need a lift?”

 

“1!”

 

They dropped everything and ran for the other airlock, this side would have been open to the vacuum of space but Venner had flown close with her private ship and opened an energy tunnel between the two, a hazy web of blue particles connected the two ships and it was a no gravity jump between them, Seeth grabbed Trent, Geralt and Oxyi under her arms, Tivy held onto her neck and she pounded across the airlock, clearing the multi-meter gap in a single bounce, with Venner floating in a few seconds after.

 

She landed cleanly in the opposing ship and dropped everyone off, letting herself breath again once Venner landed, closed the lock and cut the net.

 

“0?”

 

*

 

Moltezz waited and listened closely, hearing little coming from ship. She struggled for a second, unsure of what to do, their conversation had been blurred and she hardly caught any of it.

 

“Nothing?” Her face twitched, she seemed almost hurt.

 

“I... guess this is where it ends for you Seeth. I expected more. But I won't be subjected to another ambush, I meant what I said.” She steeled herself, taking a long, deep breath and slowly surging with heat. “Fine. If you won't meet me half way, I cannot extend my kindness any further. I shall not be mocked or underestimated!”

 

*

 

Venner's ship pulled away and the group watched as their old ship began to glow bright orange before exploding into shrapnel, a visible shockwave rippling through the area. Venner's craft thankfully far enough away already to prevent any damage to them.

 

They looked at each-other, still processing what could have just happened, each having their own thoughts. The bright orange fireball faded into nothing as their ship pulled away, becoming just another dot in the sky as both it and Barru X shrank away.

 

“What does this mean?” Trent asked, wincing in pain at his limp arm. “What do we do now?”

 

“This means war, Trent.” Seeth stated bluntly, her breath hot over her lips. “This means-”

 

“Stop, stop it stop it stop it!” Tivy waved her arms around frantically. “Just... just breath and relax for a second, everyone!”

 

Venner came back, a med-kit in one hand and a box of rations in the other.

 

“Your Cuttle is right, just wait a second. Lets get you lot somewhere safe first and then we can talk about offing the bastards who did this. I don't mean to be rude, but you all look a state, apart from you, Seeth.” Venner gestured broadly to the broken group. Trent cradling his arm, Geralt staring dead-eyed at the floor, Tivy vibrating all over and eyes bolted open, Oxyi wheezing and clinging to her shotgun like her life depended on it.

 

They were safe for now. Venner's cosy little ship would get them somewhere far enough away from here that they could recover, but the damage was already done. Barru X was lost, hundreds more lost to the Rewritten in the attack but more than anything, the team was feeling at a complete loss at the disappearance of the black scaled lizard who'd broke them out in the first place and Plasia.

 

They took an hour to get their breath back, sitting in the drop bay of Venner's ship, nothing more than a couple of lines of wall mounted seats and luggage racks, bare and minimalist. They sat in silence, each staring at the particularly rusted floor, until finally, Seeth spoke her thoughts.

 

“I searched the station for him. After I teleported... Don't ask about that. But- I couldn't find him.”

 

“H-he was just gone, wasn't he?” Oxyi spoke up, leaning forward in her chair. “I looked everywhere I could but he just vanished!” She weakly thumped the chair next to her, her hands curling up into fists.

 

“We need him back.” Seeth looked the Lioness in the eyes. “I need him back...”

 

“We all need him back.” Trent sighed, slumped low on his seat. “He had a plan to fight back, without that, we're just a bunch of nobodies.”

 

They went silent again.

 

Each pondering their mistakes and what they'd do differently if they had the chance.

 

Lost loved ones.

 

Missed opportunities.

 

Consequences and hindsight.

 

Their burden was shared but it was of little comfort, that was, until Tivy hopped off her chair.

 

She cleared her throat.

 

“Rah! I hate doors!” She pretended to kick a door off its hinges and then threw her hands up triumphantly. They all recognized the impression instantly.

 

A series of soft giggles filled the room, frowns eased into smiles.

 

“He doesn't hate doors, you know. He just hates being imprisoned I think.”

 

They settled again, a little lighter than before, a shred of hope clung to each of them. They didn't know what they'd do next, but none of them were ready to give up yet.

 

“Then maybe... we should think about opening some.”

*

 

Back in he cockpit on the ship, Venner sat with her husband, both in comfy looking pilots chairs and looking out over the endless space ahead of them, an awkward silence had hung in the air for quite some time now but it was broken when something caught Robin's attention.

 

“Hey Ven, we got a ship in close proximity... oh shit, its the DA!” He went into a panic, scrambling for a pistol now strapped to his leg, but began to calm down when another light flashed on at his station.

 

“Its hailing us...? They don't usually do that. What does it want?”

 

END

 

*

 

Epilogue

 

Slowly, consciousness returned to him, feeling restoring to his limbs slowly, tingling and painful.

 

His eyes came into focus but all he could see was black, complete darkness. It wasn't nothing. There was something there, he was sure of it.

 

He attempted to move, but felt his arms tied behind his back. He was kneeling on the floor, cold metal secured fastened around his ankles, wrists, thighs and tail, collar still tight around his neck.

 

Suddenly, there was light.

 

A figure appeared, held in exactly the same fashion as himself but opposite him. Chained to the floor, kneeling and collared, bathed in a cone of brilliant white light shining down from above against the darkness. He couldn't make out the figure's species, but he was reptilian at the very least and stripped naked.

 

A zero appeared above his head along with a single green light above it.

 

For a while, there was nothing, just this lone figure in their spotlight.

 

A loud clack rang out and a second figure appeared, a few meters away from the first. Held in exactly the same fashion and illuminated the same, with the same zero and green light, but this one was tiger female, naked and vulnerable.

 

Suddenly, a soft chime played.

 

The zero above the first figure changed.

 

150.

 

The chime played again but this time, it was the number above the second figure.

 

60.

 

The chime sounded again, the number above the first figure increased.

 

225.

 

One final chime played, the firsts number increased again.

 

250.

 

Then, nothing. Agonizing silence.

 

Another minute drifted by and a second amber light flicked on above both figures heads.

 

More nothing drifted by.

 

A loud, harsh buzz filled the room and a red light appeared above both of them.

 

The first figures number flashed green. The second figure's number flashed red.

 

Another loud buzz filled the room and the lights dropped, leaving only the floating numbers and the traffic-light-like arrangement visible against the darkness.

 

Then, those details faded too.

 

A few more cold minutes dragged by.

 

Suddenly, the light bathed him.

 

He heard several clicks and clacks. He tried to glance up, but the spotlight was blinding. He looked down at his arms and saw his black scales had stopped bleeding at least.

 

He took a deep, slow breath and waited. That was all there was to do.

 

A chime sounded.

 

There was a brief pause but after a few seconds, another chime played.

 

Followed by another, faster this time.

 

And another, faster again.

 

And another.

 

And another.

 

And another.

 

And another.

 

And another...

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