[Quest] Shadow of the Colossus

[Orion]

Orion leaned on the bar, staring out at the sea of people chatting, laughing and drinking at tables. The sun had barely risen and already the room was full of humanoids ready and eager to down beer after beer. Most looked like seasoned drinkers; the skin on their faces leathery and saggy, eyes red, clothes dirty and simple, beer bellies protruding beneath the table. They were probably drinking what little money they had, having that unearned sense of euphoria even if it was just for a few hours. Slums tended to encourage self destructive behaviour if it meant it felt good. Though Orion had seen it amongst the wealthy as well, just not as exposed.

Ugh, Tristelle said, safely nestled in his NOVA unit within his head. I’m glad I don’t have a nose.

“Feel free to use mine,” Orion said, bringing his attention back to the bar. “There’s plenty of stench to share.”

A heavy set man with his back to him looked over his shoulder and gave Orion an angry glare. Orion stared back dispassionately until the man turned around again and minded his own business.

The bartender, a singlet clad humanoid with blue skin and not a hair on him, finally shuffled back to Orion. All four of his hands clasped beer mugs. The bartender dropped them in front of patrons as he walked the length of the bar, giving the saiyan warrior the final drink. Orion nodded curtly and lifted his beer, striding away from the bar and into the writhing, noisy mess of patrons filling the tables.

In the corner of the room, a woman sat with a large leather satchel resting on her lap, a half empty glass of water on the table. Her long, flowing brown hair cascaded down her shoulders and partway down her back. Her white lab coat was unbesmirched by dirt or grime unlike many of the other bar patrons. She adjusted her large, square shaped glasses as Orion approached.

“So, are you ready to get started?” she said. Her soft features belied the no-nonsense attitude she seemed to wield. Perhaps that was why no one had tried to hit on her despite her looks.

Orion took a seat, propping his elbows on the table. “Let’s.”

Kitriana Wilde opened her satchel and withdrew a notepad and pen. She held them firmly, her pen hovering above the paper like a snake ready to strike. “What is your name?”

“Orion.”

She scribbled it down. “Surname?”

“None.”

“Previous experience?”

Orion chewed on that for a moment. “Plenty.”

“Any referees that you can provide?”

“None on this planet,” Orion said.

Depending where this Cevanti actually was, he didn’t know if anyone in the system could vouch for his work. That was an annoyance. Mercenaries often got new jobs based on their performances in their last job. Having a blank slate would make Orion appear less trustworthy or new to the game – in either case, a less than optimal candidate. It might have been possible that landing this job would be the first in rebuilding his reputation.

Orion took a sip of his beer.

“So I’m just to take your word on it, then?” Kitriana asked.

Ooo, I like this one, Tristelle said.

“My actions speak louder than words,” Orion said.

Kitriana tilted her head down and looked over her glasses. “Which I can’t see unless I hire you.”

Orion grunted.

Kitriana looked back to her notepad and scratched something down. “Did you read the advertisement?”

“I did.”

“So you know what the job’s about, then.”

“I do.”

“And does it concern you that we will be running about Cevanti’s wilderness, facing dangers of all kinds, chasing after something that may be, in the end, nothing more than an old myth?”

The story of COLOSSUS-X9 was an interesting one. A massive robot storming about the outer plains of Cevanti, incredibly dangerous and powerful, possibly a relic of an apocalyptic event that the planet went through eons ago. If it was true, it would be an enjoyable job indeed. Much more entertaining than a dreary assassination of a politician or guarding a caravan of supplies from bandits. Sure, some dull aspects of those types of jobs would be present in this one, but the pay off could be much more satisfying.

That was, of course, if it was true. If not, at least it would put Orion’s mercenary professionalism on the map for Cevanti. Can’t argue with results.

“No,” Orion said. “As long as I’m paid for the work I’m assigned, I care little about the reason for the job.”

Kitriana wrote something down in response to his words. “I see. Money is all you’re concerned about, then?”

Orion frowned. “Yes.”

Kitriana pouted in a thoughtful way, then added to her notes. “I guess it’s too much to ask a mercenary to find an interest in what I’m searching for.”

“If a mercenary showed any kind of interest in the job beyond the work required of them, then that should concern you,” Orion said.

“Why?” Kitriana asked.

Tristelle echoed the question.

“Because it insinuates that the mercenary may be employed to interfere with your work in some way,” Orion said. “Mercenaries devoid of ulterior motives just want to be paid and to move on to the next job. There are some… eccentrics who are sociable and enjoy engaging in conversation with their current employer, but they’re rare. Anyone who is consistently asking questions and poking into your work is, more times than not, planning to sabotage you.”

Kitriana stared at Orion for a long moment. “That’s not a response I would have expected.”

Orion took another mouthful of beer.

“And how would you react if we actually find COLOSSUS-X9? What would you do?”

“Whatever you pay me to do,” Orion said. “If you want me to take it down, I will. If you want me to keep you safe and leave it alone, I’ll do that instead.”

“What if I want you to ensure you do no damage to it whatsoever but it constantly tries to kill us?”

“I know I don’t have any referees,” Orion said. “But trust me, it wouldn’t be the first time a homicidal robot attacked me. I will do what you need me to do.”

“Very well,” Kitriana said, jotting down more notes.

People who hired mercenaries didn’t often ask this number of questions. They knew what they wanted, sometimes using past performance to guide their choice, and then they made that choice quickly. This Kitriana was new to the game. She obviously hadn’t dealt with Orion’s kind much in the past. Judging from her attire and her scholarly profession, she had no reason to. It felt much more like a job interview than it should have. But work was work.

“OK that’s the questionnaire portion of the interview over,” Kitriana said, standing up. “There’s one last test you need to complete before I hire you.”

Orion downed the rest of his beer and slammed the mug on the table. “And what is that?”

“A practical test,” Kitriana said. “To show you can hold your own if we end up in danger.”

Orion grunted.

“Do you want to complete the test or not?” Kitriana asked.

Stop being so prickly and do it, the AI said.

“Yes,” the saiyan warrior said, standing. How many hoops did he have to jump through before he would be awarded this damn job?

Kitriana led Orion out of the dimly lit bar and into the sunshine. She waved down a taxi and they both got in, Orion climbing in the back. The vehicle lifted off and sped down Markov’s streets. Orion stared out the window and watched as it whizzed by his window. Streams of people cluttered the sidewalks; it was early morning, but even at night the streets were packed. Many of the buildings were in some state of disrepair, whether it was missing glass panes on the windows or paint peeling off the walls. This was not a city for the rich and affluent.

“So while we head to our destination,” Kitriana said from the front passenger seat, “do you have any questions for me?”

Orion watched the city race past him as he considered. “No.”

Kitriana huffed a little. “You really have no interest in this whole expedition?”

“Only the credits it will gain me.” Orion paused. “Did you expect that mercenaries would care one iota what you are trying to do?”

“It’s fascinating!” Kitriana said. “It’s chasing down history! A legend! Imagine what we could learn as a planet if this turns out to be true! Why does no one else see the potential of this mission?”

“Mercenaries tend to look towards the future rather than the past,” Orion said.

Kitriana sighed as the taxi pulled up to an empty lot. A muscular man with a buzzcut stood on the sidewalk, arms bulging out of his vest. A large assault rifle loomed over his shoulder. A small squadron of men, around seven, stood around wearing black suits and black motor cycle helmets. Orion and Kitriana got out of the taxi and she led him to the man.

“Thanks for waiting,” she said. “Orion, this is John X and his mercenary crew. He is the front runner for this job.”

John X smirked.

“So why did you drag me out here if you’re giving this fool and his mob of fools the work?” Orion asked.

“I haven’t decided on who gets the job yet,” Kitriana said. “You two will fight. Whoever knocks the other out, or heaven forbid, kills the other, wins the job.”

“Killing isn’t forbidden, then?” John X said, a glint in his eye.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t, but no,” Kitriana said. “I need to make sure I have the toughest bodyguard I can with me. If one dies, then they can’t have been all that tough now, could they?”

“Excellent,” the mercenary said, equipping his assault rifle.

Orion sighed and rolled his neck. “There’s only one way this can end.”

“I’m glad you can see the truth staring you in the face,” John X said. “Feel free to forfeit now if you like. It’ll save me a few clips.”

“If you need more than a couple of bullets to put down a target, I don’t know why you’re the front runner for this job,” Orion said.

“Alright, enough smack talk,” Kitriana said. “Spread out and fight. John X, feel free to use your mercenaries.”

“I have a better idea,” Orion said.

What are you doing? Tristelle said. You can take these guys no problem! You’re throwing away… oh, I see. Reading your mind can be quite useful.

“And what is that?” Kitriana said.

“Hire us both.”

John X threw his head back and laughed. “Both? She can’t afford both of us. Or is it that you’re just too scared to win the contract from me?”

Orion ignored the weak barb from the mercenary and focused on his potential employer. “Have you been listening to the news lately?”

“Yes,” Kitriana said. “Always. What’s your point?”

“Then you’ve heard about the reports outside the city limits,” Orion said. “Creatures going wild and attacking people leaving the barrier. Members of some cult assaulting those straying into the wilds.”

Kitriana folded her arms. “Yes, that’s why I’m hiring bodyguards.”

Orion shrugged. “It seems you might want as many people protecting you as you can. It sounds like these events are unusual.”

“Ah, so that’s your angle,” John X interrupted. “You’re trying to get your fee increased by scaring the poor little lady. Ha! If I were a little more unscrupulous, I might have tried the same strategy too!”

“I don’t have the credits to hire you both,” Kitriana said. “I know it’s dangerous out there, but I can only pay one of you to help me get my job done.”

Orion sighed. She was set in her path. “Fine. Then halve my fee.”

“What? Why?”

“Like I said, you’re going to need everyone you can get.” Orion stretched his arms over his head.

“That’s awfully gentlemanly for a mercenary,” Kitriana said, cocking an eyebrow. “After everything you already told me.”

“He’s just afraid of fighting me!” John X said, his team standing tall behind him in silent support. “He’s trying to get the work without proving himself! Kitriana, tell this loser to-“

Orion dashed at the mouthy mercenary and plowed his fist into his stomach. John X cut off, mouth wide open and groaning, doubled over Orion’s arm. He dropped to his knees and panted, his gun slapping on the ground. His posse stood uncomfortably, unsure whether to assault Orion or not.

“I was pulling my punch then, too,” Orion said.

Kitriana stared at the downed John X, scrambling for breath. “Well Orion, I think I’ll have to pick you to-“

“Take him too,” Orion said. “You can use all the protection you can get. I insist.”

Kitriana scrutinized the saiyan warrior with her gaze. “What’s the real reason?”

Orion rolled his eye. “I’m not a fan of watching… inexperienced people get themselves killed because of their inexperience.” Kitriana opened her mouth to interrupt but Orion stopped her. “I’m sure you are very knowledgeable in your field, but you’ve never conducted an expedition like this before. I’ve seen enough failed ones in my time to know when security needs to be stepped up.”

“So you’re a mercenary with a heart of gold, huh?”

“I’d rather not be given a corny label, if you don’t mind.”

Kitriana smiled, then looked at John X. The man had gotten to his feet but still leaned over his knees. “Are you sure I need him?”

“Better to be safe than sorry,” Orion said. “At the least, he and his men will make excellent sacrificial lambs.”

Kitriana laughed. “Perhaps that heart of gold moniker is misplaced after all.” She looked to John X. “All right, I’ve decided to take up Orion on his offer. You can both escort me into the Cevanti wilds. We’ll head out tomorrow at 0500 hours. I’ll send the meet-up co-ordinates later. That OK with you, John?”

The man stared daggers at Orion for a long moment, then met Kitriana’s eyes and nodded.

“Excellent,” she said. “I’ll see you both then.”

You got the job! Tristelle said in his head. Well done! Shame about your fee though.

“It’s not a big deal,” Orion said quietly as Kitriana caught another cab and zoomed off into the streets. “It’s more important I establish myself. Make my name known and trustworthy on this planet. Until I can find out how to track Taros again.” Orion clenched his fists reflexively. Even when he said that name it made him tense.

It's all the same to me, Tristelle said. I’m just along for the ride.

Orion turned his back on John X and floated into the air. “And one hell of a ride it’s going to be.”

 

[Orion]

Orion rocketed through the air, enveloped in a white aura. The wind rustled his hair as he passed through Markov’s barrier against a backdrop of stars. The darkened silhouette of the abandoned section of the city painted a haunting reminder of what the wild creatures on this planet were capable of if given a chance. Orion didn’t have a strong concept of the types of threats that existed on Cevanti, but nothing had stopped him yet. And nothing would.

Two hover-trucks rested on the grass just outside the city barrier, protected by the turrets that fended off the wild zoids. John X stood around chatting to Kitriana Wilde, his mercenaries loading the backseat of both cars with weapons and explosives.

I hope those chumps will actually be useful, Tristelle said. Otherwise it’s just more dead weight to protect.

“I’m sure their guns will be enough to deal with the weaker zoids we find out here,” Orion said as he descended from the sky. “It’ll at least give me a chance to save some energy.”

John X looked over his shoulder as he heard Orion’s boots touch down on the ground. Apparently a man flying wasn’t out of the ordinary for him. “’Bout time you got here.”

“It’s 2am,” Orion said, crossing his arms. “I’m here on time.”

“If you were serious about this job, you would have been here earlier,” John X said. “Like we were.”

“Wait, are you wearing sunglasses in the dark?” Orion said.

John X touched the frames with a finger. “Part of the outfit. Helps me look professional.”

“Hindering your vision is anything but professional.”

“If we’re talking about vision, how does having one eye make your job? Hard?”

“All right, let’s not start arguing before we have even embarked,” Kitriana said.

Orion grunted. “Are we ready to leave?”

“Yes,” John X said. “My men have loaded the vehicles.”

Orion stared at John X. The mercenary was chomping at the bit to make the saiyan look bad in whatever way he could. Turning up on time and lacking a team of henchmen seemed to be strikes against him, at least in John X’s mind. Perhaps Orion’s presence chafed the mercenary’s sense of pride. Or maybe he was still smarting from the gut punch he received yesterday.

John X’s subordinates climbed into one of the hovertrucks. Kitriana got into the front passenger seat of the remaining vehicle. Orion moved towards the back seats, but John X slapped a hand on his chest. “You’re driving.”

Orion narrowed his eye. “Get off me.”

John X threw his open hands up by his shoulders. “Hey, calm down. Just letting you know your role in all of this.”

He bumped into Orion’s shoulder as he passed.

Deep breaths, Orion, Tristelle said.

The saiyan fired a sharp exhalation through his nostrils. “I’ve dealt with worse.”

Orion jumped into the hovertruck and started the engine. The vehicle slowly lifted off the ground and started moving, following behind John X’s soldiers.

The landscape outside Markov was wide and open. The hovertruck rumbled over grassless plains, worn down from constant mech patrols. Even in the darkness, Orion could see no threats on the horizon. Knowing that the barrier held powerful anti-zoid turrets to deal with threats close to Markov, it made sense. Not to slide into complacency, John X’s soldiers hung out the windows of the hovertruck in front of Orion, weapons in hand.

Orion stuck his elbow out the window, one hand on the wheel. A cool morning breeze washed over his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kitriana pull her white lab coat tighter over her body. John X had been suspiciously quiet since they had left, but Orion wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Where are we going?” Orion asked.

“A little village out in the undefended parts of the planet,” Kitriana said. “My research tells me there is someone out there that has knowledge on what we’re looking for.”

Orion looked at her. “That sounds like you’re chasing a rumour.”

“It’s more than that,” Kitriana said defensively. “This is based on research. I have other leads, but I’m missing part of the puzzle. I’m hoping this person will be able to fill it in. Wait, did you think I was risking everything to chase a rumour?”

“Regardless of your research, you still are,” Orion said, returning his gaze to the road. “You don’t know what this person will say. You’re hedging that everything will somehow make sense with the testimony of one person who you don’t even know, much less whether you can trust them.”

“What do you think archaeology, history, any study of anything, is about?” Kitriana said. “It’s following leads, piecing together information, seeing the big picture in the maze of the little facts! Sure, this might not turn out the way I’m hoping, but it’s the best I have right now, and I believe it’s going to pan out.”

Kitriana folded her arms and turned her head, watching the landscape pass by.

Orion sighed. He didn’t know anything about her field of study, or any field. He was a warrior. He was a mercenary. He thought like one. Putting all of his hope on a single lead that could solve a mystery he had been working on for years wasn’t something he was familiar with. Such actions weren’t prudent when a single mistake could cost your life.

“I see your point,” Orion said begrudgingly. “Just… don’t get your hopes up.”

“I’ll do what I want,” Kitriana said.

Time passed slowly. The sun chased the night away until the breeze lost its cold bite. Zoids would sometimes appear in the distance, traipsing about aimlessly. Orion steered clear of them where possible, but some would hear the hum of their engines or see the movements of the vehicles and come sprinting after them.

A pack of metallic wolves caught wind of them and took pursuit, their feet tearing the earth to dust, teeth gnashing the sides of their vehicles.

“Bogies at three and nine o’clock!” John X said as he pressed the communicator in his ear.

His men emerged from the windows of the hovertruck ahead of them, aimed their rifles, and fired. The initial salvo of bullets indented the wolves’ chassis but they continued to keep up with them. As they pumped more bullets into them, their heads crumpling and legs bending at awkward angles, they either broke off away from the punishment or collapsed abruptly. Orion swerved hard to the right to dodge a tumbling zoid body.

“Heh, what did I tell you?” John X said, punching the back of Orion’s seat. “We don’t need you. You’re just a drain on Ms. Wilde’s bank account.”

Maybe you could break his jaw, Tristelle said. At least then you wouldn’t have to listen to him. You can still fire a gun with a broken jaw.

A few of the surviving zoids rediscovered their courage and converged on Orion’s hovertruck. A metal jaw clamped down on Orion’s door. Another leapt towards Kitriana’s window, managing to hook a leg inside and trying to haul itself into the vehicle.

“Help!” Kitriana yelled, taking off her shoe and beating the robotic leg to no avail. “It’s trying to get me!”

“Lean back!” Orion said. He leaned over and wrapped his fingers around the leg, squeezing. The leg crumpled beneath his strength until it broke. The sparking leg slipped free of the window and the wolf zoid tumbled to the ground, left in the billowing stream of dust behind them.

Still holding the foreleg and paw of the robot, Orion turned his attention to the zoid chewing on the top of his door. He stabbed the severed limb claws first into the top of the wolf robot latched onto the vehicle. Its red eyes flickered and blinked out as its teeth scraped along the top of the door and came loose.

“I’d like to see one of your soldiers of fortune do that,” Orion said.

“You might be able to handle the life-size variants of the zoids,” John X said. “But when a twenty-foot zoid is barreling down on you, you won’t be able to rip its leg off quite so easily.”

Orion grunted. “We’ll see.”

They burned the rest of the daylight hours zooming across the savannah landscape, repelling zoid attacks when they occurred and otherwise avoiding them where possible. The saiyan saw one of the giant zoids John X had mentioned looming far on the horizon, possibly a robotic dinosaur, but thankfully they drove nowhere near it.

Orion was amazed at how animalistic the zoids were, mimicking real-life behaviour of the creatures they were based on. Wolves moved around in packs, hunting and tackling other zoids, whereupon they would tear apart their carapaces and chew on the wires and metal plating. Robot vultures wheeled about their kills high above until the wolves left, whereupon they descended and likewise ‘feasted’ on the exposed components. Silver birds flitted between the sparsely dotted trees, singing songs through speakers in their beaks. Cheetah and lion zoids roamed around, finding shaded or rocky areas and congregating lazily in those places.

As the sun sank below the horizon, the sky turned to a vibrant orange. Trees had taken up much of the landscape ahead of them, indicating their trek through the savannah was drawing to a close. It seemed the next day would consist of struggling through dense jungle. Orion questioned whether the hovertrucks were equipped for such terrain, but Kitriana would have taken the path into consideration before planning their route. At best, it would be slow going. At worse, Orion could burn a pathway using his ki.

The two hovering vehicles pulled off what could charitably be called a road and disengaged the engines. The hovertrucks gently touched down on the ground and Orion jumped out, stretching his legs, glad to be standing for a change. John X’s mercenaries disembarked and removed tents and camping supplies from their vehicle, immediately setting to work, the orange sunlight glinting off their ebony helmets. John X joined them and slammed a pole into the earth, twisting it to break apart the loose soil.

You didn’t bring any camping supplies, Tristelle said. Looks like you’re going to rough it tonight. Unless Kitriana wants to share…

“Hmph,” Orion said, folding his arms. “Sleeping on the ground is not a new situation for me. Besides, the hovertruck is a suitable alternative.”

The saiyan warrior propped himself against the hovertruck door, watching John X and his team build their camp. Kitriana had dragged her bag out a distance from them and began setting up her large tent.

That’s easily big enough for two.

“Enough, Tristelle.”

Kitriana struggled with the supports, her arms shaking. The bar slipped and the entire tent gently settled on top of her. She huffed and punched her way out of the fabric.

Orion pushed off the hovertruck. “Need a hand?”

Kitriana shot him a dark glare. “No. This isn’t the first time I’ve set up a tent, you know.”

Could’ve fooled me.

“It would make things much simpler if-“

“How about you watch the perimeter?” Kitriana snapped. “That’s what I’m paying you for, isn’t it? To protect me? Not give me useless camping advice?”

Struck a nerve, I think.

“As you wish.”

Orion located a large, elongated rock jutting out from the landscape near their camp site. He ascended into the air slowly, the breeze whipping the ends of his robe, and floated to its apex, sitting on its rounded surface. A lazy curl of smoke reached past him from the fresh campfire below. John X and his men hauled stones in front of it, leaving trails in the dirt, and sat before the warmth of the flames. A shiver ran down Orion’s spine as the cool evening breeze tickled his neck.

The stars lit up the darkening sky. Visibility grew poor despite the open plains they camped in the middle of. Orion’s sight adjusted to the night luminance; he could make out blurs of movement every now and then, as if zoids were inspecting their camp from a distance, circling, unsure of them. Automated turrets formed the four corners of the camp’s perimeter, brought by John X, swiveling on their stands. The saiyan mercenary felt redundant, perched above them all, enduring the cold wind while the rest of the camp enjoyed the heat of the fire.

A zoid came into focus. A tiger zoid prowled close to the campsite, moving in slow, steady footsteps. The closest turret whirred in its direction, spinning up its cannon. The tiger retreated at the sound. This happened several times over the next few hours; a zoid would approach, carefully staking out their campsite, before running from the automated turret’s arming sequence.

Kitriana dropped down next to Orion, making him jump.

“Didn’t hear me approaching? That’s what you want in a lookout.”

Orion didn’t respond, partly because he assumed Kitriana was still frustrated at him, partly because of his embarrassment of getting lost in thought.

“Look… I’m sorry I got mad at you before,” KItriana said, staring at her dangling feet. “When you said this lead I’m chasing could turn out to be nothing… it upset me. I mean, I know everything you said. This could be all a wild goose chase. And I… I’m putting everything on the line to follow this. I’ve got no job. I’ve got no money. If this doesn’t work out…”

Orion shifted uncomfortably. “It’s… fine. I drew attention to something you were well aware of, something that didn’t need to be focused on. I am simply used to evaluating circumstances. The odds. It’s part of my line of work.”

“I understand,” Kitriana said, looking at him. “Let’s just forget about it, OK?”

Orion nodded.

“All right, I’m going to bed,” Kitriana said, climbing to her feet. “Maybe you should get one of them up here to cover you so you can have a break.”

“Agreed,” Orion said, pushing off the rock and free falling towards the ground. A moment before impact, the saiyan engaged his ki and expelled it out, stopping his momentum instantly. He touched down by John X. “Send one of your men up there. I’m getting some sleep.”

“Sure. It’s not like you did much up there, but whatever.” John X smirked, the flames of the campfire dancing in the lenses of his sunglasses.

Punch him in the face! Tristelle said.

“He’s not worth it,” Orion said under his breath.

He strode away from the campfire to the hovertruck he had already spent too much time in today. He opened the door and climbed into the back seat. At least the frigid weather couldn’t penetrate the vehicle. He lied down on the back seat, bending his knees to fit comfortably in the limited space. The whirring of the turret nearby was the only thing he could hear so far away from the campsite. At least if there was a zoid attack, the turret firing would certainly wake him up.

Orion closed his eye. His entire body throbbed with exhaustion. He forgot how tiring it could be to sit in a vehicle all day with no exercise, with nothing but the rolling landscape passing beneath him.

Orion, Tristelle said.

“Not now,” the saiyan said. “I need to sleep.”

Yeah I get that, it’s just-

“It can wait until tomorrow, Tristelle.”

The AI sighed. Fine, have it your way.

Post 1 - 2489 words. Post 2 - 2580 words. Running Total = 5069 words

 

[Orion]

Something banged on the door. Orion woke in the dark with a start.

“Get up,” John X bellowed outside. “We’re going.”

The saiyan sat up, groaning and rubbing his eye. The stars were still blanketing the sky. How long had he been asleep?

About five hours, Tristelle said.

“Enough to get by,” Orion said.

Orion fumbled with the hovertruck door handle and entered the biting cold of the early morning. Kitriana emerged from the flaps of her tent, wrangling her long, thick hair from a mess of tangles. She affixed her glasses, gave Orion a curt wave, and began tearing down her tent. John X’s mercenaries had already packed their camp away and were stowing their supplies in the back of their hovertruck.

Orion, Tristelle said, I need to tell you something. You know, the thing you told me not to tell you last night because you were too tired?

“Yes. Spit it out.”

There are some strange signals being sent from… somewhere here. I can’t pinpoint it precisely but I know it’s there.

“What sort of signals?” Orion said, lowering his voice and leaning away from the group.

Nothing I’m very familiar with. I’m spending some time trying to decrypt them, reverse engineer them, but it’s not easy. I can’t tell if John X or Kitriana is doing it, or if it’s something else altogether.

“Is it anything I need to concern myself with?”

I don’t know yet. My working theory is it has something to do with the zoids out here. But I don’t know how it could be affecting them.

Orion rubbed his chin. “Maybe it’s a beacon, drawing them to our camp.”

Why would they want that?

“Killing them might make John X and his cronies appear more capable. It could affect them in other ways too, like making them easier targets.”

Then that’s probably a good thing, right?

“Perhaps,” Orion said, looking at John X. “But he doesn’t seem the type to know how to hack a zoid. In fact, does anyone? Surely if it were possible, Markov would be taking control of the threat in earnest, rather than wasting lives and mechs destroying them.”

So you think it could be something else?

Orion shrugged. “It’s all postulating. See if you can discover what the signal is doing and who it’s for. We don’t know enough to act.”

Yes sir, Tristelle said with fake enthusiasm.

The horizon lightened a shade to a pale blue, contrasting with the dark black sky above. The early morning’s cool breeze still whipped about as the mercenaries finished stowing their camping gear into the front hovertruck. Kitriana slapped Orion on the shoulder as she walked past and climbed into the passenger seat of their vehicle. John X was already in the back seat with his assault rifle laying across the empty seats.

Maybe he’ll deign to actually fire it today, Tristelle said.

Orion chuckled as he rounded the hovertruck and entered the driver’s side, starting the vehicle.

“How are we getting through the jungle?” Orion asked as he followed the first hovertruck.

“There’s a path beaten into the vegetation,” Kitriana said, pointing to a small gap between the barricade of trees that fenced off the jungle. The first hovetruck veered towards it. “It’s used by the people who travel through this area. It’ll be a tight squeeze but it will get us through.”

Dappled shadows of the tree canopy rushed over the hovertruck as they ploughed their way forward. Fern branches and vines dangled over the dirt path, but the vehicles brushed them aside with ease. Calls of exotic birds travelled through the forest, sounding as if being broadcast from individual speakers.

Orion sharpened his eyes, his ears. Trees and bushes zoomed past them on either side. So many perfect places to ambush their convoy. With so many shadows, and his ki sense unable to detect robotic machines, they could attack at any moment. The fact hadn’t escaped the mercenaries in front; they wielded their rifles once more, peering out the windows for signs of attackers. Orion even heard the back window wind down and John X arming his weapon.

Orion heard them. Some scampered across the grassy earth, others bounded from tree to tree. He looked out his window. Red eyes flashed like blinking lights between the gaps in the branches and bushes. They screeched, one after another in a horrible symphony, frenzied by their presence.

One hurled itself from a tree, straight at Orion’s open window. The metal plated monkey bared its silver fangs and shrieked.

Orion! Tristelle yelled in his head.

Orion thrust a hand out and seized the monkey zoid around the throat. Its tail wrapped around his wrist as it flailed against his strength, coiling and tightening around his skin. The saiyan squeezed and crushed the zoid’s neck, severing its head that fell into the jungle behind them, its limp body following soon after.

The mercenaries in the hovertruck ahead let loose a barrage of bullets as a swarm of monkey zoids emerged from the foliage and launched themselves forward. Little robot primates collapsed with projectiles lodged in their bodies, tearing through their craniums, or ripping their limbs free. A shower of metal pieces clinked against the hovertruck windshield. Orion groaned as the glass cracked in a myriad of places.

The pairs of glowing red eyes in the trees grew in number. More of the creatures poured out of the jungle and threw themselves at the front hovertruck. The mercenaries kept shooting the zoids down, but they were too great in number. They swelled like a swarm of bees, seemingly without end.

More of the ravenous simians lunged at Orion’s vehicle. He stuck his arm out the window and let loose balls of energy from his palm. The zoids screamed as they exploded in flames. The rattling of gunfire boomed through the hovertruck as John X hung out the back window, pelting the monkey zoids with bullets.

“There’s so many of them!” Kitriana said. “So many more than I expected!”

“That’s why I made sure I came along,” Orion said, blasting another leaping monkey into spare parts.

“It’s not like your presence is saving us yet,” John X said smarmily from the back seat, reloading his rifle.

The numbers were too great. The monkey zoids latched onto the front hovertruck, tearing at the metal doors with their sharpened claws. Moments later, others hurtled onto Orion’s vehicle, scratching at the already damaged windscreen, swiping paws through his open window.

Orion… Tristelle said.

“I can see!” he said.

No, not the monkeys… there’s…

Kitriana screamed. The convoy was a lost cause. The robotic monkeys would eventually overwhelm them. Orion considered grabbing Kitriana, kicking off the door, and flying out of the jungle. It would leave the mercenaries to a grisly fate, but he wasn’t paid to take care of them. Kitriana was his one and only charge. Besides, they knew this was a possibility.

Orion! The signal-

“You can tell me about it after we get out of this mess!” Orion shouted back. He reached out and touched Kitriana’s shoulder. “We have to-“

The ground rumbled. Every single zoid settled and straightened their backs, head snapping from side to side, red eyes scanning. The horde that chased them, bounding between trees, had stilled as well, disappearing in Orion’s rear view mirror.

The rumbling intensified. Even though the hovertruck didn’t make contact with the earth, Orion could feel it. The monkey zoids screeched in a chattering panic, leaping off the hovertrucks like they were physically painful to touch. In moments they had scattered and fled into the trees.

“What... what happened?” Kitriana said, knees on her seat, looking out the back window.

“Nothing good,” Orion said, brow furrowed. “Something’s coming.”

The rumbling got heavier, more frequent, with each passing word. Orion tightened his hold of the steering wheel. Something wasn’t right here.

I tried to tell you, Tristelle said. We’re going to have company very soon.

Kitriana sat upright in her seat, looking out at the trees that whizzed past her window. “Maybe they’re just scared of this earthqua-“

Dust and earth exploded beneath the hovertruck ahead of them, launching the vehicle high into the sky, concealed by the debris. Orion barely heard John X and Kitriana yell; the sound was swallowed by the ground rupturing. Orion gritted his teeth as he turned hard to the left, lifting the right side of the hovertruck, rocks and dirt pouring over the windscreen. The hovertruck left its stability and the road behind as it flipped onto its side, crunching and grating across the jungle floor. They shook and bounced in their seatbelts, their view blinded by the eruption of earth as they slid. They slammed into something solid, jerking forward in their seats.

Orion’s head was ringing. He rubbed a stinging sensation on his forehead and his fingertips came away wet and bloody. He remembered himself and looked to Kitriana. She slumped against the ground, her brown hair a sea of vines covering her face.

Orion grabbed her shoulder. “Kitriana!”

She coughed at his touch and groaned. Orion felt a wave of relief. “Ow...”

“Are you OK?” he asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” she said. “My arm hurts a bit though.”

“Hopefully it’s not broken.” Orion looked in the back of the hovertruck. John X was groaning, rolling his head back and forth. Damn. Looks like he survived.

“Tristelle, any idea what happened?” Orion said, punching off the door.

No, she said. That signal I mentioned earlier had something to do with it. But I have no idea exactly what happened. Just that something was approaching us.

He took Kitriana’s hand and flew out of the overturned hovertruck, setting her down on the ground. John X climbed out himself, rifle slung over his shoulder.

A long trail of upturned earth marked the passage of their sliding vehicle. The front of the hovertruck had crumpled upon impact with a thick trunked tree. Orion probed out with his ki sense, hoping to feel the energy of the mercenaries. He found nothing.

“You,” he said to John X, “guard Kitriana. I’m going to find out what happened.”

“The hell you are!” John X bit back. “Those are my men and I’m going back for them.”

“Do you think I’m just going to wait around here?” Kitriana said. “We have to keep moving! We aren’t safe while we’re still in this jungle!”

We stopped being safe the moment we left Markov, Tristelle said.

“Fine,” Orion said. “But keep close.”

“No,” John X said, pushing Orion back a few steps as he past. “I’m taking the lead on this until I find my men.”

Orion breathed out. He knew what it was like to be the leader of a squad. Best to let him spearhead the search lest his emotions get the best of him.

They set out, Orion staying shoulder width distance apart from Kitriana, while John X led them, trudging through the churned soil. Huge, leafy trees surrounded them on all sides, their canopies stretching tens of metres into the sky. Ferns and vines had been torn apart and strewn through the soil that the crashing hovertruck had dug up. The sound of mechanised animal calls had all but vanished from their ears, but Orion focused in case the monkey zoids had decided the threat was gone and surged back towards them.

John X took the rifle from his back as they returned to the dirt path. He lifted his weapon, pointing it forward as he scanned the area, then abruptly lowered it and looked down.

“What the fuck…”

Orion and Kitriana hurried over to his side. A huge hole had been carved into the road, almost perfectly circular, a good fifteen metres wide. The saiyan peered down into its depths, but the shadows hid anything below. It seemed too clean and too deep to have been an explosion. There was no sign of the hovertruck or the mercenaries anywhere.

“This is where the hovertruck was?” Kitriana said, shifting uncomfortably in the detritus of the jungle around the hole’s edge. “What could have done this?”

The earth shook violently again, knocking Kitriana over. Orion bent at the knees in time to steady himself.

It’s back, Tristelle said.

Another thunderous crash permeated Orion’s ear drums as another explosion of dirt consumed their crashed hovertruck. This time, however, the saiyan had a much better view of the situation.

A monstrous metal worm protruded from the newly formed hole in the ground, its silver body lined with armoured scales, its five-pronged mouth gripping and regripping the ruined hovertruck as it slid the metal chassis down its gullet. Once consumed, it turned its eyeless gaze at the three survivors and opened its maw, revealing scores of jagged metal teeth that corkscrewed from its mandibles all the way into the dark cavity of its core, and lunged for them.

Orion instinctively tackled Kitriana to the ground as the leviathan dove and missed them, burrowing another chasm into the ground and disappearing. As the saiyan stood, he found John X lifting himself up, dusting his pants off.

“John, you have to watch Kitriana,” Orion said absently, more focused on attuning his hearing for the next unsubtle approach of the behemoth worm.

“While you... what? Save the day? You aren’t getting the acclaim here, I am!” John X said angrily, pointing a thumb into his chest.

The saiyan warrior looked at the other mercenary with a withering glare. “Your little peashooter isn’t going to scare off that thing. You’ll need the might of a saiyan to bring it down.”

“You think you’re better than-“

Boom! The zoid worm emerged from the ground, flexing its mandibles. Orion leapt into the air, thrusting out an open hand as energy pulsed to life before it. Coalescing into an orb, the saiyan fired from it a column of ki. It crashed into the zoid worm’s armoured hide, exploding in a cloud of fire and smoke. It left nothing but a slight blackened char on the steel scales.

Wow? Tristelle said. No damage at all?

The zoid worm turned its attention to the airborne saiyan. It roared, exposing its oscillating spiralled teeth, moving like a chainsaw, and darted towards him. Orion got close enough to see the hovertruck lodged halfway down its throat before he dodged, hearing the snap of the mandibles inches away from his feet. The saiyan struck out with a wild kick, connecting with the beast, but his attack barely impacted the rigid scale armour.

This robotic worm’s defences were incredible. Neither his physical nor energy based attacks had any effect on its layered scales. How was he going to deal with this thing?

Flashes of light on the ground caught Orion’s eye. John X unloaded his rifle at the zoid, the muzzle bursting with bullets, all of which did as much as a slap with a wet fish. The dented projectiles either fell in a pile at the zoid worm or deflected into the ground. The metal behemoth swung its neck in the mercenary’s direction.

“Get down!” Orion cried as the zoid lunged.

Kitriana ran away from John X, the obvious target of the metal worm’s ire. The mercenary kept firing even as the gyrating teeth grew closer to him. Orion couldn’t reach him in time.

“Dammit!”

Orion conjured a ball of ki and hurled it at John X. It slammed into the earth a few feet from him, flinging dirt into the air, its shockwave knocking the mercenary off his feet and out of the way of the worm as it ploughed into the earth again, writhing from sight.

“You idiot!” John X shouted, standing up. “I almost had it!”

Orion alighted on the ground, the ends of his robe fluttering. “You were almost its meal.”

“No!” John X shoved the saiyan’s shoulder and pointed at the mangled tree and the giant hole before it. “What did we have in the hovertrucks?”

Orion furrowed his brow. “Our supplies.”

“And? What was in those supplies?”

“Get to the point, John,” Kitriana said, walking up to Orion’s side, hands on hips. Her long, full bodied hair had collected some twigs and leaves.

“Explosives!” John X yelled, arms in the air. “Lots and lots of explosives! I was trying to hit just one of them and start a chain reaction!”

“That’s… not a bad idea,” Orion said.

“Thank you!”

“Except… using a rifle?” KItriana said. “Are you hoping one of the explosives fell out and is just hanging out halfway down that thing’s throat? A bullet isn’t going to penetrate the hovertruck. Did you actually see an explosive?”

“No, but I know they’re in there! How else are we going to set them off? I’m not doing a suicide run by jumping in there!”

The ground trembled.

Orion, it’s coming back… Tristelle said.

“Stay here,” the saiyan said, holding out his hand. “I’m going to get its attention and deal the final blow.”

Before John X managed to object, Orion exploded from the ground in a huge jump, landing a long distance from the others. Shifting his feet and balling his fists, he focused the ki in his body, raising his strength. A white aura swirled around his body, blowing his hair and robe in a self-generated wind.

Even though he sent tremors into the ground himself, he couldn’t mistake the firm rumble that signalled the approach of the cavern-digging zoid.

I hope you know what you’re doing.

Orion closed his eye and let his aura fade away. He concentrated on the shuddering of the earth and knew it was coming for him.

Orion…

“Not yet… not yet…”

He pushed upon his toes and shot up into the sky. A heartbeat later, the worm zoid’s maw erupted from the ground, gaping wide. Orion looked back and twisted around, still ascending, and stared into the horrible robot’s churning teeth. The hovertruck looked wedged in, just visible before the start of the shadows of the zoid’s throat. There was no obvious breach or signs that the contents had spilled out, though he couldn’t see the back end; for all he knew, the doors were flung wide open and its trailer emptied.

But this was the best chance they had.

Lifting his arms over his head, Orion amassed energy as fast as he could, congealing in a glowing yellow orb above his palms. The worm zoid’s mouth reached hungrily for him, still keeping up with him even though they were leaving the looming canopy behind them.

“Ha!”

Orion thrust his arms downwards, firing a double-handed ki beam. The worm’s silver finish lit up like a dull mirror as it swallowed the attack. Instantly a loud explosion echoed from deep inside its oesophagus and a climbing pillar of flame rushed outwards. Orion jetted himself out of the way of the worm’s mouth as a torrent of fire and smoke poured out past its mandibles. The creature let out a pained wail and fell back to the ground, stunned. It lifted its head, black trails still wafting from its mouth, and burrowed into the earth. The tremors weakened until they dissipated altogether.

It's… leaving, Tristelle said. I can sense it going. You didn’t kill it, but you sure hurt it.

Orion touched down on the earth again. “The threat has been taken care of.”

“Maybe but now what?” John X said. “We have no transportation and no supplies.”

He looked at Kitriana. Her face told him she had no answers.

“We keep going until we reach our destination.”

“And where is that?” John X said.

Kitriana produced a smart phone. She swiped the screen. “Still some distance, I’m afraid. But thankfully the GPS is still active here. We won’t lose our way.”

“Good,” Orion said. “Let’s get going. The sooner we get there, the better.”

He walked beside Kitriana, who used her smart device to guide their path.

“If we get there,” John X said, following close behind.

 

[Orion]

Orion slid his hand across his slick forehead, flicking sweat into the grass, his feet crunching on the dirt path. Despite travelling largely under shade, the humidity in the jungles was intense. Kitriana bundled her long hair into a pony tail and tied it back to let the weak breeze reach her sweaty neck and shoulders. John X let the sweat cling to his face and skin as he kept a watchful gaze on their surroundings with admirable zeal. Either it didn’t bother him or his comfort paled in comparison to their safety. Orion couldn’t tell which. He was a hard man to read.

And that was... unusual for Orion. While he would be the last to proclaim understanding the sapient mind to any high degree, he knew how to gauge another’s motives and probable actions based on the behaviour presented to him. It was a skill that kept him alive for decades, and a talent that extended into his ability to assess an opponent during battle.

But John X, while following some stereotypical tropes of a long-lived mercenary – gruff, easily angered, arrogant – he made some clever insights, something many gun toting types didn’t do. They stayed alive generally due to self interest – bailing on an assignment when it would have otherwise endangered them – rather than intelligence. But shooting at the explosives in the hovertrucks that the worm zoid had swallowed... that hadn’t even occurred to Orion before John X mentioned it.

He stared at the human mercenary, gun clenched tightly, back slightly hunched. Orion gave a brief second to consider how he must have been holding up after the decimation of his platoon. The saiyan warrior had lost squad mates before too, but not so quickly or so easily. He didn’t give any outward signs that he was suffering, but Orion knew better. Leaders – good leaders – always take a hit when someone under their command dies, especially if it’s everyone he was supposed to protect.

Tristelle, Orion thought, not wanting to draw attention to the AI in his head, do you still sense that strange signal? The one you first felt on our first night out here?

The Cold Empire AI didn’t immediately respond, which was surprisingly rare. In fact, it was usually harder to shut her up than it was to get her to speak.

Tristelle? Was she even there? Having wireless access to the NOVA unit grafted into his brain meant she could travel around at will. There was a ‘presence’ when she was there, something intangible but noticeable. If she was still there or had abandoned him, without her saying so, he wouldn’t know unless he focused.

Yes, Orion?

Where have you been? You never delay answering me.

Sorry, I’m just a bit...

Preoccupied?

Oh, yeah. I’m trying to do something.

What?

Well, trying to crack that signal for one. It’s still around. It just seems to be... everywhere. I can’t work out where it’s coming from or what data it’s sending. Or receiving. It’s... getting annoying.

And what else are you doing?

Dammit Orion, don’t you want some peace? You’re always complaining about never having any, and then you fire fifty questions at me when you finally get it? Just let me do my thing for a while, OK?

Orion frowned. Since when did Tristelle respond like that?

The muggy jungle heat was suffocating. Orion slipped off his robe and flung it neatly over his left shoulder, letting the skin beneath breathe easier. Reflexively he unfurled his furry brown tail that normally wrapped around his waist.

“Whoa!” John X exclaimed, staring at Orion’s back. “What is that? I thought you were human!”

Tristelle followed the mercenary’s gaze and she couldn’t help but be taken back either, raising a hand to her mouth as her eyes widened.

“Thank the kais for small mercies,” Orion said. “No, I’m not human. I’m a saiyan.”

John X shrugged. “You say that like it should have any meaning to us. Are you some sort of experiment or something?”

Orion clenched his fists. His eyepatch suddenly felt itchy.

“No, I’m a saiyan. Just like you are a human. We just happen to share a lot of similar traits. Though your kind missed out on the best ones.”

“I’m glad I missed out on a brown monkey tail,” John X said, turning his attention back to their walk as if that were the end of the conversation.

Orion didn’t like the topic of his race being brought up around humans. Not simply because there was an abundance of humans ready to label him a freak for a single physical divergence, but because... Orion had unresolved emotions about his kind and how he fit among them.

He had been raised to be proud of being a saiyan, indoctrinated to believe his kind were the strongest warriors in the universe. Orion definitely fit that mould, he knew. His power was unquestionable and he took pride in his accomplishments. But he simply didn’t otherwise think like a saiyan was supposed to think. He was strategic, he was critical, he was thoughtful, he was even compassionate sometimes.

This left him feeling part of two worlds – the world of his people that valued strength, ruthlessness and victory, and another that he couldn’t define. He had seen these other non-saiyan traits in other races, but that just made him feel more alien from his people.

And yet, that’s who he was. Even though it produced unresolved, turbulent emotions in him to this day, he would never abandon himself over his identity.

The saiyan turned his attention to Kitriana. Other than the frown on her face and a few scratches here and there, she seemed fine. She wiped more sweat from her cheeks and looked to her smart device again, navigating the dense jungle with its signal.

“Orion,” she said suddenly, still facing forward, “do you think this even exists?”

“Yes,” he said. “We’re following the GPS-“

“No, not the village. COLOSSUS-X9.”

Orion shot a concerned glance. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just starting to sink in,” Kitriana said. “Before we came into this jungle, I was thinking this would be easier. Like I’d camp outside a few nights, have a few mercs defend me but not really need it, and then stumble upon this millennia-old secret as if I was destined to. But we barely escaped being eaten by a worm zoid and torn apart by monkey zoids. What if I’ve come out here just to chase a myth, and we all die for nothing?”

“That’s not happening,” Orion said. He didn’t interject that he believed COLOSSUS-X9 to be a myth, but that wasn’t the point. “You have John X and myself to keep you safe.”

“Yeah, but we started with a whole platoon of mercenaries and you saw what happened to them.”

“We forced that worm zoid to flee. If we can accomplish that, nothing out here will stop us.”

Kitriana looked at Orion. “Do you really believe that?”

“It’s not about believing,” Orion said. “It’s about refusing to accept anything less.”

The researcher went quiet, her eyes darting around like she was thinking. “So it’s less about what will come our way, and more about how our attitude shapes our response.”

Orion nodded curtly.

“We could still-“

“A lot of things can happen,” Orion said. “There’s no point dealing with hypotheticals. Have you ever heard of the expression ‘we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it’?”

Kitriana nodded.

“Keep it mind, if you have doubts. Let it clear away the debris that litters a cluttered mind, so you can focus on your true goal.”

Kitriana took a deep breath, and as it finished, she seemed more resolved, more confident.

A few hours passed by. The humidity did not abate. Orion’s mouth was so dry, his tongue kept sticking to the roof of his mouth. The sun overhead would still not set for some time. Despite their vulnerability, no zoids even seemed to approach them. Perhaps word had spread from the monkey zoids and that had scared any others from attacking.

A strong, pulsing beep emanated from Kitriana’s smart phone. “We’re close. As in... we’re here.”

Orion looked up, following Kitriana’s pointing finger.

There was nothing except more cloistered vegetation struggling for space. No shacks, no people, no signs of civilisation at all.

“That can’t be right,” John X said. “Check again.”

“This is the spot!” Kitriana said. “This is where my research took me!”

Orion, Tristelle said. There is something nearby... I can feel it...

“Where is it supposed to be? In that bunch of shrubs?” Orion asked.

“Yes, but obviously it’s not.”

Orion walked towards the area. It was unremarkable. He frowned, making sure his back was to Kitriana to hide the expression. This may have been a fool’s errand after all. If that was the only information she had to track this legend, this could very well have been the end of the quest.

Orion lifted a hand to shift a fern frond that barred passage – and found his hand disappeared. Instinctively, the saiyan yanked his arm back. He looked at his hand and wriggled his fingers. All there, all working.

“What just happened?” Kitriana asked. “Did something attack you?”

Orion nodded. “I see now.”

He walked forward again, past the fern frond. Instantly the boring patch of vegetation shifted into a small village. Small houses constructed of rounded logs dotted the area. The ravenous foliage of Cevanti’s jungles had been tamed here; it only intruded around the edges of an irregular circular border for the village, but the land was otherwise bare.

A few people walked past, some paying no mind to Orion, others giving him an unimpressed glance before they continued on their way. If it weren’t for the cloaking bubble around the village, the saiyan wouldn’t have thought much about the place at all. So why was such a plain, remote place hidden by some advanced technology or magic?

Orion pierced the invisible veil and beckoned Kitriana and John X to follow him. They stepped out of thin air behind him.

“This has to be it,” Kitriana said. “Someone here knows something about COLOSSUS-X9, I can feel it!”

Orion agreed internally as well. If this wasn’t the first stop on Kitriana’s journey, then they just stumbled upon something secretive and bizarre.

“Excuse me,” Kitriana said, motioning to one of the villagers who was walking past them, “do you know anything about COLOSSUS-X9?”

The villager looked at Kitriana with disinterest. “See that hut down there? Go there. Leon will help you.”

Kitriana’s face lit up with excitement. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”

The villager shrugged her shoulders and continued on her way. Strange. This COLOSSUS-X9 was supposed to be almost a myth and yet this person barely reacted to both someone else asking about it and directing them to where they could find out more information. Something was going on here, but Orion couldn’t discern what. He steeled himself as they approached the cabin pointed out to them. It was his job to spot fishy situations and this was definitely one of those. Kitriana especially needed that oversight; her anticipation was bubbling over, blinding her to anything that might seem out of place.

An empty wooden rocking chair sat outside the cabin, beneath a veranda jutting out from the roof. The sunlight glinted off a metal creature that rounded the corner, its eyes blood red. A wolf zoid.

“Stop!” Orion said, dashing in front of Kitriana.

He stared at the silver skinned robot. It turned its head to look at them but didn’t stop or become aggressive. Instead it traipsed over to the rocking chair and sat on its haunches beside it. It watched them, but in an inquisitive, curious way.

Orion had never seen a zoid, fifty feet tall or of regular dimensions, acting so peacefully.

“No need to worry,” came a voice from behind the cabin.

A man appeared and took a seat in the rocking chair, placing a hand on the wolf zoid’s head. Its red eyes blinked out for a moment, as if it was closing its eyes and enjoying the touch. The man wore clothing much like the rest of the village; simple, plain colours, somewhat loose to account for the unending humidity of the forest. A black beard covered most of his face, but what stood out were his eyes – black sclera with red irises.

“How did you make that zoid docile?” Orion asked. “Every one I have encountered has been hostile.”

The man smiled at Orion like a child had asked him an obvious, innocent question. “Not much to it, once you see things from their point of view.”

“Are you Leon?” Kitriana asked.

The bearded man nodded his head. “Can I help you with something?”

“Someone told me you know something about the COLOSSUS-X9,” Kitriana said. “Please, tell me what you know! I’m a researcher looking into the events of The End and –“

The red eyed man lifted a hand to silence her. “It’s always nice to meet another historical enthusiast. Yes, I know something about it.”

Orion looked around him, taking in the tree lined perimeter and the calm, simple folk moving about the village. He balled his fists. What was making him so edgy?

“Please! Tell me what you know! This is my whole life’s work!” Kitriana said, her words brimming with excitement.

“I’m glad to see you hold such reverence for the past,” the red eyed man said, stroking the smooth surface of the wolf zoid’s head. “Before I can explain what I know, you must go somewhere first.”

“Where?” Orion interjected.

The wolf zoid snorted and shook its head.

“There is a site further into the wilds,” the man said. “An ancient site relating to The End. I would explain what I know if I could, but unfortunately, the first part of the story must be experienced. There is no way I can put into words the knowledge I have of COLOSSUS-X9 without you first visiting this place.”

Orion, Tristelle said, something isn’t ... right ...

He didn’t need the AI to tell him that.

“Yes, please tell us how to get there,” Kitriana said, managing to tamp down her enthusiasm so she could speak, but she visibly shook.

“Kitriana,” Orion said, jerking his head to the side.

The scientist gave Leon a short smile. “One moment.”

They walked a short distance from the hut, out of earshot. Orion turned his back in case Leon could read lips. John X joined them.

“What?” Kitriana asked, her excitement converted into annoyance for her saiyan protector.

“I don’t trust him,” Orion said. “How can someone know about this legend and pass on the knowledge so casually? What’s his agenda? Why is he residing in an invisible bubble? Why are his eyes those colours?”

“You have a tail,” John X said, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. “Maybe we shouldn’t trust you because you look different.”

“Look,” Kitriana said, “I know there is always going to be danger involved. But we came this far, didn’t we? The trail we followed ended up leading us here, and now we will actually go to a historical site of The End!”

“That’s only if he’s being on the level with us.”

“And if he’s not, you and John X are here to keep me safe and get me out of there. But you’re still working for me, and I say we go there. Now.”

Kitriana glared at him with sharp, determined eyes. She hadn’t been this forceful before. Seeing the finish line after so many years of study and searching would bring out the fervor in anyone.

“Alright,” Orion said, folding his arms. “But I’m being paid to look out for your safety, not be a cheering squad for your adventures. If something doesn’t look safe, I’m going to tell you, whether that quashes your enthusiasm or not.”

Kitriana didn’t respond, instead walking back to Leon. “Right, we are ready to go!”

John X stared at Orion for a long while.

“What?” the saiyan snapped.

“Nothing,” John X replied. “It’s… admirable how often you involve yourself in Kitriana’s endeavours.”

With that, he walked back to their ward.

Leon glanced at Orion, past Kitriana and John X. The saiyan mercenary balled his fists. There was something in those eyes. He didn’t know what, but his instincts told him not to believe a word he said.

Orion curled his tail around his waist and slipped his robe back on, mentally preparing himself for whatever was about to come their way.

Post 3 - 3330 Words, Post 4 - 2768 words. Running Total - 11,167 words

 

[Orion]

The wind whipped Orion’s hair as the wheeled, open-top vehicle charged through the bumpy jungle terrain. Leon drove and Kitriana sat in the front passenger seat, holding her long ponytail over her shoulder and against her chest to stop it engulfing John X in the seat behind her. It had been a while since the saiyan had ridden in a vehicle with wheels and forgotten what a pleasure it was not to feel every dip and hole in the road. The breeze flowing over his face was a refreshing change, though.

Leon and Kitriana had been talking almost the entire trip, though the wind muffled most of their conversation into incomprehensible mumbling. Orion tried focusing his hearing but he would only catch every other word, and what he did take in was benign and dull – just more discussion around The End. He wondered if this Leon had any interest in Kitriana, in any sense, but much like John X, he did not display his intentions. He just seemed a reserved and quiet man had found another archaeologist with the same passion for The End as he had, and was enjoying sharing that. Regardless, Orion stayed untrusting. That’s what he was being paid for.

Verdant vegetation surrounded them on both sides, reaching over or towards the dirt path beaten into the jungle ground. An irregular slither of blue sky peeked through the vast canopy overhead, stretching around forty feet into the air, supported by gigantic, thick trees the size of buildings. Mechanical bird calls sometimes flitted through the air, and occasionally he thought he spotted movement amongst the foliage, but they were moving too fast to confirm.

While appreciated, it still irked Orion that no other zoids had attempted to attack them since they rebuffed the enormous metal worm. Did some sort of wireless message reach the aggressive denizens of Cevanti’s untamed lands, warning them to keep their distance? Or had they simply lucked out and found a road unpopulated by zoids?

Tristelle, Orion thought, have you cracked that signal yet? Or is it a bad time to ask?

Silence greeted him. Was she still frazzled? Was the signal cracking process that taxing to her?

Tristelle?

Orion closed his eyes and felt for the AI’s presence. His eyes snapped back open when he couldn’t sense her.

What happened? Tristelle was gone? Why? How did she even get out of his NOVA unit? What did she transfer herself into?

A problem for later, he thought to himself. If she wants to leave, she can. I was never a big fan of her anyway. Focus on the mission.

Leon veered off the main path, steering the vehicle through an archway made of merging tree branches. Dappled sunlight rushed over them. Some time went by before Orion spotted something grey between the trees up ahead. Soon the trunks gave way to a small clearing dominated by a metal hanger, one story high and coated with splotches of deep orange rust. Ferns crawled over the exterior like green veins. Despite being in a clearing, the looming trees at the border reached over the structure, completing the canopy and casting shade over it.

“This... is the place?” Kitriana asked as the vehicle came to a gradual stop.

“It doesn’t look like much to me,” Orion said. “Your invisibility bubble back at the village is more impressive than this.”

“Let’s not base our judgements on outward appearances,” Leon said, turning around to face Orion in the back seat. The red irises on black sclera gave him an evil appearance, like some monster had shapeshifted into a human without changing its eyes. “I promise you, inside you will discover secrets you could never truly understand from me until you experienced them yourselves.”

Orion kept Leon’s gaze for a moment, then let himself out of the vehicle. Kitriana and John X met up with him at the door of the complex. Orion glanced over his shoulder at their driver.

“I’ll wait here,” Leon said. “I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

John X’s eyes lingered on the mystery man. “Orion, take care of Kitriana. I’m going to stay up here.”

“Why?” Kitriana said.

“For one, to make sure Leon doesn’t drive off the second the door shuts behind you,” John X said. “And just in case anything else approaches. Zoids, for example. I can let you know.”

Orion exhaled heavily. Maybe he had misjudged the mercenary. He nodded once. “Open the door and shout if anything happens.”

John X returned the gesture and opened the door. It swung on its rusty hinges with a creak. Metal stairs descended into a hallway, lit by grimy, flickering lights set into the walls. The air within was musty and warm. Orion placed a foot at the door and heard the scuffle of his boot on the ground echo deeply into the structure. This is supposed to enlighten us on an ancient myth?

“I’ll lead,” Orion said, then added, “no objections” as Kitriana opened her mouth. “If something’s waiting for us down there, I should be in front of you.”

The scientist gave a light push into Orion’s back. “Well, let’s go! What are we waiting for?”

Taking one last fresh breath of air, the saiyan entered the structure, his boots clapping on the metal stairs.

They reached the base of the stairs and entered a hallway. Orion moved forward with suspicion, vigilant for any movement, any sound. Kitriana followed behind, her awe and wonder bottling her desire to seek out the secret right away. Orion didn’t know what there was to marvel at; running a finger along the wall, it came away black. The small, oval lights barely provided enough to see by, and what there was to see was unremarkable at best. Opening his palm, Orion summoned a ball of energy that hovered between his clawed fingers, spilling brighter light over their path.

Having trudged through many like it, Orion could have sworn they were just in a long forgotten bunker or research facility. Nothing stood out as particularly alien, nor did it seem archaic, like it had been constructed by a long-dead species. It just looked like a run-of-the-mill abandoned building.

“Look!” Kitriana shouted, her voice resonating down the hallway. “A door!”

Sure enough, a row of grey doors ran along both sides of the hallway. Lifting his ki ball closer, Orion made out some form of cipher or letter in an unfamiliar tongue on each door, almost faded by years of neglect.

“Do any of these symbols match anything you’ve uncovered in your research?” Orion asked.

Kitriana leaned in, adjusting her wide glasses. “Hmm. I’ve seen these before... but rarely. Nothing I know can translate them. There’s just too little information, and they’ve appeared too infrequently.”

Orion reached for the doorknob and looked down when his fingers found nothing. He pressed against the door but it was firmly shut. Applying more force achieved nothing.

“Locked,” Orion said. “But not for long.”

“Orion, please be careful when you-“

The saiyan’s boot slammed into the door, snapping it off its hinges. It crashed to the ground, disturbing a layer of dust that billowed out from the door’s edges. The roof above shuddered at the impact, releasing its own dirty debris to rain down on them. Kitriana groaned, dusting the particles from her long hair.

“There’s not much room for care when you’re breaking down a door,” Orion said, stepping inside.

The light of his ki ball washed over the small room, lighting up dust particles hanging in the air like slow motion snow. A raised table took up the centre of the space. A dark liquid had been spilled all over it and some had stained the floor as well. Built-in shelving against the far wall displayed a number of rusted steel implements, though some had broken and many were in pieces, their original purpose unknown. Every footstep rustled up more dust, leaving prints in his wake.

“What is this room?” Kitriana asked, investigating the shelves. “What is all of this?”

Orion stepped up to the table and rubbed his finger on the black substance. He brought his fingertip into the light of his ki and massaged it against his thumb. The substance appeared dark red, smeared on his skin. He sniffed it. Metallic. A smell he knew too well.

“Blood,” Orion said. “Someone lost a lot of it on this table. Maybe more than one person.”

Kitriana’s face went pale. “Then these tools...”

“Surgical implements, if I were to speculate,” Orion said.

“A trauma centre, or a surgery? There’s not nearly enough modern medical equipment in this room,” Kitriana said.

“I’ve seen less respectable medical rooms,” Orion said, casting his gaze over the rest of the empty room. “Besides, we don’t know how long ago it was used.”

“I hardly see what’s so transcendental about this experience,” Kitriana said. “Or what is has to do with The End.”

“Maybe a piece of information, a building block, to help us understand the whole picture,” Orion said, strangely trying to keep Kitriana’s hopes alive despite his misgivings. Perhaps he just wanted to believe, because he’d seen how often these types of things ended.

Kitriana shrugged her shoulders. “OK, let’s keep going.”

They re-entered the hallway and tried a few more of the doors. Some were locked, prompting the saiyan to lay them out on the ground with force, while others parted with just a push. Regardless, most of the rooms were identical to the first; blood stained tables, dark to the point of being black and having sat for a long time, and shelves lined with snapped and broken tools.

Exiting the final room in the hallway, they encountered another set of stairs. At the base, a door blocked their path. Kitriana moved to push it open, but Orion grabbed her shoulder.

“Wait. Listen.”

Faint scratching reached his ears in the silence, and Kitriana’s expression indicated she heard it too. It abruptly stopped.

“What is that?” she whispered.

“I don’t know. Let me go first. Stay on your guard.”

Orion gingerly pressed against the door, opening it inch by inch. When there was enough room, he slipped his arm inside, splashing light from his energy ball into the darkness. He moved slowly and deliberately, maintaining focus on his hearing in case the scratching returned, and entered the room.

The space sprawled out before him, empty and featureless. The light of his ki ball didn’t reach the walls, so he and Kitriana stood in a radius of dull, chipped tiles, the darkness surrounding them on all sides.

“What?” Kitriana said. “There must be something here.”

They walked cautiously through the room, looking for the other side. They encountered nothing except more tiles beneath them, and the only sound he could hear was the sound of their own footsteps. What was this facility? What was so special about it?

They found the opposite wall. It was featureless, not even having a door to progress further into the structure.

Kitriana screwed up her face. “We’re missing something here. I just know it.”

Orion faced her. “There’s nothing here, Kitriana.”

“No!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the empty room. “We passed all of those rooms back there! This place was used for something, and I’m not leaving until I find out what!”

“Kitriana...” the saiyan said, unsure whether to be delicate and soft with her, or give her a dose of tough love. Either way, he had to lay it out to her until she accepted the truth – this was a fake lead.

She slumped to the ground, bowing her head, her hair cascading around her face and obscuring it. Her voice eked out between sobs. “No... I gave up... everything... to get... here?”

Orion knelt by her side. He still couldn’t see through her thick hair. “The search isn’t over yet, Kitriana. Leon may have lied, but that doesn’t mean-“

“Leon was the only lead!” Kitriana yelled, her hair whipping away with a sudden twist of her neck. She pointedly stared at Orion, her eyes glistening with tears in the ki light. “All I had was that one co-ordinate that would lead me deeper into the mystery, and he was a dud! There is nothing else! No more leads, no more clues! Everything I worked for was just... was just...”

She bowed her head again, squeezing her eyes shut and grimacing. Two small pools of water formed on the ground beneath her.

Dammit, Orion thought. I thought this would happen. But I really hoped it wouldn’t.

“Kitriana,” the saiyan said, “I-“

There. He heard it again, he was sure. That scratching sound.

“Did you hear that?” he said.

Kitriana’s shoulders bobbed up and down as she absorbed her sobs.

The scratching sound didn’t stop this time. It continued, growing louder and more layered. Orion bounced back to his feet and hovered into the air, lifting his ball of energy. The wall and roof were black up here, markedly different from the stained white walls lower down. But the scratching was louder up here.

It wasn’t until Orion’s eye caught the faint chaos of movement within the black that it dawned on him. Thousands of tiny spiders scurried over each other, crawling down the walls like a writhing wave of black ink, towards Kitriana.

The saiyan fell to the ground hard and grabbed his ward by the shoulders. “Kitriana, get up!”

He pulled her up, but she still wouldn’t raise her head.

“Kitriana, look! We have to go!”

“Huh?” she said, sniffling. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the insect armada advancing on them. She screamed and ran.

“Wait!” Orion shouted, sprinting after her.

They covered the room, which felt much longer on the walk through, in short time. Kitriana slammed her shoulder into the door and charged through. Orion followed close behind, turning around to see their pursuers. Not only were the insects keeping up with them, they were gaining on them too. They poured through the open door like a tide of black water.

Orion fired the ki ball he was using for lighting at the vanguard of the insects, incinerating a large number of them. Yet in moments, the empty space formed by their destruction filled in with the innumerable horde that chased after them.

The whole facility shuddered at the explosion, knocking more dust loose from the roof and making an awful creaking sound of metal twisting and stretching.

This place is unstable, Orion thought. Straining under the stress of such a small explosion? Another one of those could bring the place down.

Kitriana leapt up the stairs two at a time. Orion trailed close behind. If those insects reached them, he could at least fend them off for a time. Kitriana had no such chance.

They finally reached the door to the exit. Kitriana barged into it, but she bounced off. “It’s locked!”

“What?”

Kitriana animatedly shoved against the door again. “It’s not opening!”

“John X!” Orion shouted through the door. “We can’t get out!”

No answer came. He probed with his ki sense and felt the mercenary’s energy. What was he doing?

“Hey, the door’s stuck! Get it open!”

Orion swivelled to face the insects. They were crawling up the walls and slinking along the roof, then leaping towards them. Kitriana screamed.

The saiyan raised his arms up and conjured a hemispherical barrier of ki over Kitriana and himself. The insects hit the barrier and sizzled into smoke. The vanguard on the ground kept marching; the barrier only covered the breadth of his hands and some change. Orion couldn’t block both avenues.

They had to get out, but Orion was concerned that blasting the door open would bring down the whole complex on top of them before they could escape. But his choices were very limited and they were shrinking every second.

“Orion!” Kitriana yelled. “They’re in my hair!”

Orion spun, wide eyed. Kitriana ran clawed fingers through her long, thick hair, digging out the horrid creatures, but he could still see more writhing inside. He fired the barrier outwards, free from his hands. It collected and incinerated the descending insects as it rose, giving him precious moments. He extended his fingers and pressed them together, forming a thin line of ki along the long side of his hand. Orion grabbed Kitriana’s hair and cut through the majority of the free flowing locks with his ki imbued hand like a knife. The hair fell free and Orion hurled it away, still swarming with black insects.

Orion... a voice echoed in his head. Instant Transmission...

The saiyan decided on the safest way out. He scooped up Kitriana in his arms, ignited his white aura around his body, and flew back into the complex.

“What are you doing?” Kitriana said, still frantically scouring her new haircut with her hands for any missed insects. “We want to get out!”

“That is what we’re doing,” he replied.

A thunderous snap boomed through the structure. Orion’s ki barrier had met the roof. Apparently that was all the push it needed. Creaking and yawning metal filled their ears. The staircase below cracked and tumbled into darkness. The entire complex was about to crash around their ears.

“Orion!”

“Just needed a run-up.”

The saiyan stopped and rocketed with all his speed towards the door. He held Kitriana in one arm around the waist and thrust the other out, firing a ball of energy. It crashed into the door and exploded, but when the smoke cleared, the door was still standing.

“What?” Orion said. How could that door be so rigid and the rest of the complex be so fragile?

Orion... Instant Transmission...

Orion pelted the door with more ki blasts, but somehow the door still held. Huge metal support beams swung through his path like a pendulum before breaking and plummeting downwards. Scrap metal fell in chunks and glass shattered and sprayed in abrasive shards. He was approaching too fast; if their momentum didn’t snap the door off its hinges and let them out, they were going to be buried in a tomb of rusted steel.

Instant... Transmission...

The voice finally broke through the chatter in Orion’s mind. Instant Transmission? What the hell was...

A thought came unbidden from the recesses of his mind. A technique he had never used, explained in full detail, took the forefront. A technique that could save their lives.

Did he trust this mysterious echo in his mind, or hope that their combined body weight would see them safely through the door?

Do the technique first, then when it fails, hope the door’s hinges are damaged enough to let us through.

Orion raised his free hand, placing index and middle fingers on his forehead. He reached out with his extrasensory ability, detecting the ki of John X through the crumbling structure...

...and found himself hurtling towards the grass.

He grabbed Kitriana in a bear hug and spun his back to the earth. They ploughed through it, tearing a trench into the field, until their inertia was expended.

Lying on the ground, Orion had a front seat viewing of the structure collapsing. The roof caved in and the walls soon followed, filling in the depths that had been carved out for it. After the dust cleared, a pile of twisted steel was all that remained.

...except the door. It acted like a tombstone for the grave that was the structure, taunting Orion.

Part of him wanted to know how he had just teleported through the walls, and how he even discovered that knowledge, but there were other pressing matters. He and Kitriana got to their feet.

“Are you OK?” Orion asked.

It was then he spotted the insect, clinging to Kitriana’s now exposed neck. Its long, spindly legs punctured her skin and slid inside. The body nestled down against her neck.

Now that they were out in the clear light of day, Orion realised it wasn’t an insect at all.

It was a computer chip.

“Kitriana?” Orion asked.

She turned to him, smiling unsettlingly. Her eyes had changed – black sclera, red irises.

The saiyan felt a cold chill in his bones. “No...”

“Sorry Orion,” Kitriana said jovially, “I have somewhere else to be.”

The scientist climbed into the passenger vehicle along with Leon. The man gave him a wave and floored the accelerator, churning up dirt and grass as he sped off with the compliant Kitriana.

“No!” the saiyan cried out, leaping into the air.

“Maybe you should take care of yourself first,” John X said.

Orion turned and caught a fist to the jaw. The force behind it surprised him, knocking him off balance. He hit the ground, blinking away the shock.

John X stood over him, cracking his knuckles. “This has been a long time coming, Orion.”

The saiyan jumped back onto his feet. He watched the plume of dirt fade as Leon and Kitriana disappeared into the forest.

John X shook his head. “No. You won’t be seeing her again.”

Post word count - 3503. Running word count - 14,670

 

[Orion]

Orion chastised himself as he stared down John X, his sunglasses glinting with reflected sunlight. All this time, the mercenary was planning to betray Kitriana? There were definitely strange behaviours that Orion identified during their journey but nothing that suggested he was planning to abduct the person he was paid to defend. Though as he thought back, those behaviours now seemed far less innocuous; trying to prevent Orion from joining the expedition, belittling his abilities constantly, his lack of scrutiny of Leon’s character upon first meeting him – although now it seemed that wasn’t their first meeting.

Though those questions chattered away in his mind, Orion had more important things to settle. He had to rescue his charge. Getting past John X and his surprising new strength would take too much time and he had no idea where Leon was going.

Despite the serendipitous awakening of the Instant Transmission technique in his memory, it was the smartest option right now. He brought index and middle fingers to his forehead and focused, searching for Kitriana’s ki. Unfortunately, she was either out of his range or Leon had deployed some way to interrupt his ki sense.

Through John X it was, then.

“It would have been easier if you just joined us,” John X said, bending his neck to the side, then the other. “Or died in the implosion behind you.”

Orion balled his fists. “I don’t know who ‘us’ is, but it seems mind control is instrumental to your recruiting efforts. Where is Leon taking Kitriana?”

John X shrugged. “You won’t be getting that information out of me.”

Orion fought down a pang of sadness. How many allies did he have to defeat, how many backstabbers did he have to slay before he could trust without having it rewarded with treachery? John X wasn’t close to him, not even remotely, but Orion thought he recognised some similarities between them, felt at least a professional kinship with him. Did he even care that his men were consumed by the metal worm? Was his mercenary act all for show the whole time?

“What about your subordinates?” Orion asked, sizing up his opponent. “Did you feel any pain at their deaths?”

John X nodded slightly, though his countenance didn’t shift. “Yes, sacrifices have to be made to keep up appearances. They weren’t part of us – they were going to be, by the end of this trip – but it was deemed acceptable to have them killed.”

Orion scanned John X with his eye. He didn’t look any different to the man that doubled over the Saiyan’s punch back in Markov. Where had he summoned the strength to slam Orion into the ground? Was he putting on a show then, too? Was he a weak human or wasn’t he?

“Have them killed? Are you implying you orchestrated the worm attack?” Orion asked.

“Yes,” John X said. “I knew you were getting suspicious. Your little AI had come to some conclusions about the lack of zoids, and yeah, she was right. That signal that she kept sensing – all me. I was keeping them away. There was no point in engaging in fruitless squabbles with the wildlife, so I kept that signal buzzing to repel them. But when you two started thinking there was something insidious about that, well... the worm seemed to put those fears to rest. Pity it took my men dying to sell that point, but that’s life, right?”

He knew about Tristelle? He even knew what they had been discussing?

“You’ve been playing us this entire time,” Orion said, dumbfounded by how completely he had been duped. “Are you responsible for Tristelle’s disappearance as well?”

John X nodded, as if this was an unimportant fact. “Yes yes. Any other questions before I forcibly recruit you?”

“Where is she now?”

“You’ll find out in time.”

“What was that building for? The one filled with the sentient microchips?” Orion could still see the aged blood like pools of ink over the tables.

“That was in the early days of recruitment,” John X said. “We had to surgically imbed the mind control chip into the nervous system. It was brutal for the original recruits that joined us. Luckily for Kitriana, the microchips act more like spiders and just latch on to your spinal cord through the skin and muscle at the back of the neck. Much less painful and invasive. Much better survival chances now.

“So once we had those, it was easier to lure people into remote locations, where these computer chips would be waiting in ambush. We aren’t trying to be too obvious yet. We need to build up a force first, then Cevanti at large will know about us.”

“A chip at the back of the neck. You’ve made this a little too easy.”

John X, for the first time, took on a look of confusion. Orion silently enjoyed that as he brought index and middle fingers to his forehead, vanishing before the mercenary’s eyes, and reappearing behind him. He reached for the back of his neck but found no microchip. John X slammed his elbow into Orion’s face. The Saiyan stumbled backwards, dazed momentarily, but John X didn’t follow up on the opening.

“My chip isn’t external anymore,” John X said. “After a time, the influence of the chip stops being influence and becomes melded with the host. You can’t take away what the Voices have given me.”

Orion rubbed the bridge of his nose. It pounded and throbbed. “And what did they give you? Eternal servitude?”

“A chance to be something bigger than myself,” John X said. “To be a part of Cevanti’s greatest resurrection! Not to mention the incredible cybernetic upgrades they’ve bestowed upon me. My strength is unrivalled.”

Enough of being the nice mercenary.

A white aura enveloped Orion, buffeting his robe as he produced his own breeze. His Saiyan blood sang at the chance of a worthy fight. It had been too long.

“Oh, we’re done with words, are we?” John X said. “About time.”

Orion rocketed towards John X, fist cocked. The human mercenary fell into a defensive stance, ready to intercept the punch. Instead of giving him what he expected, Orion opened the palm of his cocked fist and fired a small bolt of energy into the ground before John X. A plume of dust and dirt exploded over him, catching him off-guard as he blinked away the particles from behind his sunglasses.

Piercing the shroud, Orion connected with John X’s jaw, jerking his head to the side. The sunglasses flew from his face but the human still stood his ground. He opened his eyes – black sclera, red irises – and smirked.

Maybe John X thought the revelation of his eyes would throw Orion off balance, but it only served to stoke his fury. Orion followed up with a hook into John X’s stomach. It was strangely hard in places, but squishy in others, like parts of his insides had solidified with density far exceeding bone. Unfurling his fingers while still planted in the human’s gut, Orion unleashed a blast of ki.

A small explosion erupted from John X’s abdomen, launching him backwards through the air. He crashed into the ground as the smoke around Orion’s hand dissolved. Despite the hard landing, he swiftly leapt back to his feet.

“I hope that isn’t all you have,” John X said. “I feel like maybe you were overstating your abilities this whole time.”

It wasn’t, and he hadn’t. Orion was probing John X, searching for weak spots, learning how much punishment his body could take. So far, it was definitely greater than the average human – Orion had decapitated one in the past with the same force that was in the punch that knocked those sunglasses off his face.

“How did you gain this strength?” Orion asked. “You’ve shown no capacity for ki control.”

“The Voices gave me muscle fibres of steel and bones of titanium,” John X said. “Could you imagine what power you would wield if you joined them?”

Orion scowled. The human puppet treaded very close to a sore spot.

Thrusting out a hand, Orion pelted John X with orbs of energy. The human crossed his arms before him, absorbing the explosions as they flared against his skin. His boots dragged backwards in the earth with each collision but he stood firm. Orion sped up the time between blasts, soon introducing his other hand, launching volleys of highly condensed energy into his adversary.

John X ducked suddenly. The ki blasts sailed over his head as he rolled to the side, his arms smoking. The skin had been stripped from his forearms, revealing silver bone and ligaments, though glowing hot orange from the energy attacks.

He hadn’t been kidding. He was a cyborg.

In a fluid motion, John X snatched a grenade from his belt and hurled it at Orion’s feet. It detonated almost instantly, but instead of fire and shrapnel, Orion’s vision went white and a shrieking ringing deafened him. The Saiyan stumbled to a knee, his balance disoriented, hands over his ears.

As the effect of the flashbang abated, Orion looked up to see John X slam the toe of his boot into his jaw. Orion collapsed on the ground, his mind reeling. Thoughts fell apart as they tried to form, but he was cognisant enough to sense something heavy crash down on his rib cage.

Blurry shapes solidified into the image of John X looming over him, his foot pressing down on his chest. Breaths struggled for purchase in his lungs. Orion grabbed at the human’s leg, but from his vantage point he couldn’t leverage the strength to force it off. He had to do something, though. His vision was overcome with an unnatural haze as he sucked in what oxygen he could.

“Don’t worry, you’re not going to die,” John X said, holding a tiny microchip between finger and thumb, its silver legs wriggling. “You’ll just be joining us. Then I can take you to Kitriana, and we can both protect her.”

Kitriana...

As John X leaned in, Orion took the deepest breath he could, grabbed the human’s wrist, and pulled him downwards. As his head descended, surprise plastered on the cyborg’s face, Orion threw a punch with his free hand with all the strength he could muster. A satisfying crack sounded as his knuckles jerked John X’s head backwards. The human stumbled back, stepping off Orion’s chest.

Wasting no time, dual fingers touched the Saiyan’s forehead, and a moment later he floated above the stunned John X. A round house kick thudded across the human’s cheek, sending him spinning. The microchip slipped from his fingers, flying off into the jungle.

Orion landed on his feet, breathing heavily to make up for the oxygen squeezed from his chest, as John X hit the dirt. The Saiyan hadn’t been using his full strength. Somewhere in the back of his head, he assumed he could rip John X out of the nightmare he was submerged in. But that... that was too close. That computer chip almost sealed his fate. He couldn’t risk that again.

Those unsettling black-red eyes rounded in rage as John X turned and lunged for Orion. The Saiyan side stepped, shoving the heel of his hand into John X’s head. He applied more force this time, unafraid to mortally wound him. The cyborg stumbled awkwardly to the side but recovered faster than Orion expected.

“No more games, huh?” John X said, his balled fists shaking. “That’s fine. A corpse is just a good of a host as a living one. They just decay faster.”

The skin along John X’s hands and arms split with a wet tear and fell off like desiccated leaves from a dying tree. Their removal unveiled the extent of the cybernetic overhaul applied to the human’s body; only steel and thick, corded tubes remained beneath. Still his fingers and joints moved as if made with flesh.

“You’ve been holding back too, have you?” Orion said as a brilliant white aura engulfed his body. “Pity your power is just metal. Watch it buckle and break beneath the might of a Saiyan!”

Like a comet Orion burst forward, wrapped in a shining white cloak of light. This time he was focused and in the moment. Death of his opponent was the only way forward now.

John X grimaced, flicking his arms to the side. Liquid metal consumed his hands and forearms, solidifying them into wicked blades. The light of Orion’s aura danced along the incredibly sharp edges as he approached. The Saiyan knew John X didn’t know about his tail, or at least the need to have it to enable the Great Ape transformation, but he wrapped it tighter about his waist as a reflex.

Orion landed in a crouch as John X swung his arm swords, permitting them to skate over his head. The cyborg slashed again and again, but this wasn’t the first time the Saiyan had fought an enemy wielding a weapon. He watched the tiny changes in John X’s form as he shifted after each strike, reading his movements to know where the next slash would come from. Though he saw with his eyes, it was more instinctual after so much experience. He felt the way John X would attack, and used that innate sense to guide his evasiveness.

He could also read the frustration on the cyborg’s face. Letting that rage affect his better judgement, John X swept towards Orion with an obvious but incredibly powerful attack. Orion hopped to the side and drove his fist into John X’s face with enough force to crack the rapidly drying skin on his face. The cyborg stumbled back as a sheet of skin detached from his cheek and wafted like a leaf to the ground. Silver teeth and metal bones were exposed to the air, though dented from Orion’s strike. How much of the human was still organic? Was he transforming even now, in the midst of battle?

John X stabbed forward, but Orion was ready for it. He sidestepped and wrapped an arm around John X’s arm blade. He slammed his elbow into the cyborg’s face as he raised his other bladed limb, giving him a moment’s reprieve to coat his free hand in a film of ki and clutch onto John X’s elbow. Orion roared as he intensified the strength of his grip and the energy empowering it, feeling the metal melt beneath his fingers.

The cyborg regained his wits and the free arm sword rose again. Orion was out of time. He tensed his arm and pulled. The compromised joint snapped. The Saiyan stumbled away as the sword arm swung down and found only air.

Spinning about, Orion took stock of his enemy. His right arm was missing below the elbow, its edge glowing orange with heat. The Saiyan held the remainder, though the metal became like sludge, oozing through his fingers. Orion dropped the severed limb sword and it splattered into a puddle at his feet. Odd. Did that transformation only keep the metal solid while attached to the host? Or was it a defensive capability, denying anyone strong enough to dismember the cyborg to use their own unique physiology against them?

“I know you think that’s a victory,” John X said, any arrogance or smugness removed from his voice, “but at most, it’s a momentary annoyance.”

A snake of liquid steel burst from John X’s severed elbow, thickening and shaping until it became a new blade.

“It’s more than that,” Orion said, lifting an upraised palm as a ball of ki burst to life above it. “It’s shown me the way to victory.”

Orion hurled the energy ball at John X, who slashed it in half with a bladed limb. A small orange glow defaced the otherwise immaculate silver of the sword arm, and Orion’s brow furrowed. Index and middle finger to his forehead, Orion teleported behind John X and fired a salvo of energy attacks. The cyborg swivelled and dissected them as they reached him, though a few broke through the defence and exploded against his body.

Again Orion shifted about his foe, peppering him with ki blasts. Explosions filled the area, most being destroyed before hitting John X, but the ones that did left sizzling points of orange heat on the cyborg’s skin. That’s all the Saiyan needed.

Orion stopped, reappearing a distance away to observe his handiwork. The smoke cleared around John X, revealing orange splotches dotting his silver body. Barely any skin remained except for some that still stubbornly clung to his face. His bladed arms were almost entirely superheated; indeed, streams of silver liquid ran down the sheer surface and dripped onto the ground in a steaming puddle.

“This is pointless,” John X said, his metal jaw moving up and down, forming words without lips. “You are too weak to break what I am now.”

The time for talk was over. Orion surged forward, igniting his fists in a fiery veil of ki. John X slashed as the Saiyan came into attacking range, launching molten droplets of metal. Orion grimaced against the waves of heat that rolled off the cyborg’s body but he weaved through and punched directly into the base of the blade. The strength of his attack mixed with the structural weakening from the heat detached the sharpened appendage with ease.

Shocked, John X slashed with the other limb, and Orion repeated the dance, punching the other blade free. But he wasn’t done. Every scorching impact left by the ki blasts became targets for his fists. Armless, John X stumbled backwards from the onslaught as the Saiyan pummelled his weakened body with ki-enhanced punches.

Chunks of metal dislodged and broke apart from the cyborg, who swung the stubs of his arms uselessly. Orion ducked and dodged the pathetic waving limbs and steadily smashed apart John X’s body. A final strike to the thigh shattered the steel there and dropped the cyborg to the ground. Orion stood over his crumpled form, filled with holes and hunks of his body absent. John X’s eyes brimmed with hatred.

“One moment... and I’ll regenerate... and then I’ll eviscerate you.”

Orion wordlessly floated into the sky. Thrusting an open palm down, he gripped the wrist with his other hand and a blazing column of ki erupted forward. John X had the intelligence to scream as his body drowned in energy, disappearing from sight beneath the blinding light. Orion applied the energy longer than he believed he needed to, just in case John X’s core was more resilient than the rest of him.

The ki beam ended with a fiery explosion. Orion descended through the smoke and haze, landing in the crater left by his blast. Only a single silvery puddle remained. Orion narrowed his eyes, crouched by it, and held a ball of ki against it until it evaporated.

Sighing, Orion looked around. How was he supposed to find Kitriana now? She was definitely too far away for him to sense her energy and the jungles out here were wild and overgrown, sheltering the secrets beneath its wild canopy.

Perhaps an aerial view would yield some idea of where to go next. That made the most sen-

A sharp pain radiated at the base of Orion’s neck. He went to slap it but found his hand freeze in mid-motion. His entire body went rigid.

Welcome to the Chorus, Orion, a voice in his head said, stripped of emotion. You will help us sing.

Post word count - 3260. Running word count - 17,930

 

[Orion]

Orion knew what happened. That insect like computer chip that he had knocked from the now melted John X’s hand had climbed up his back, careful not to alert him, and stuck itself into his spine. Whatever agony that befell Kitriana to lose her free will was seeping into the Saiyan’s brain.

Orion tried to take back control of his arm. It shook in place, his muscles thrashing against a new will entering his mind. A lot of people may have felt panic or terror in his situation, but instead rage bubbled up within Orion’s soul. Too many times he had been the subject of experiments and subjugation, denied permission to act upon his own desires. At least in the domain of his thoughts he had always been free, but now even that sanctity was being desecrated.

The words he heard moments before had been replaced with feelings and directives – not uttered with language but sent like thoughts from his mind, except that he knew they did not originate from him. He felt compelled to lower his arm and to be at peace with the microchip tapping into his nervous system. It was a struggle merely to resist those commands – his body took them as genuine thoughts from his brain.

Soon it was all he could do to stop being overridden completely. Orion withdrew his resistance, combining the remainder of his willpower to the deepest recesses of his mind. It was like fighting the tide. He had to accept that he couldn’t win this battle, at least not yet. He let his arm droop to his side.

Orion instantly knew that this was the right thing to do. He raised his eyes to the sky and smiled. Soon the Chorus’ voice would be heard all throughout Cevanti! Elation swelled in his chest at the thought of his master’s success. What an honour it would be to usher in a new era of this planet!

A sense of praise suffused him, sent by the Chorus itself, and directed him to a new location. Orion leapt into the air with renewed purpose and flew through the canopy above. The interconnected leaves and branches that formed the Cevanti jungle looked like one giant leafy sea. Without the Chorus to guide him, he could have never found his way to glorify them.

...glorify?

Orion snapped back into awareness. What the fuck had just happened? He –

-savethemallsavethemallsavethemall-

-wherearewewhatarewe-

-thereisnotimedestroythemall-

-hahahahahahaha-

Orion clutched his skull. Manic voices chattered away in his mind, speaking fast and fevered, overlapping one another. The noise drowned out all other thoughts. He -

The Saiyan shook his head. That was a horrible moment. How had he disconnected from The Chorus like that? He hoped it wouldn’t happen again. Remembering his objective, he returned to his task and catapulted through the sky.

After a time Orion descended back through the foliage, instinctually knowing where he was. He landed outside a huge quarry, its sides dug out in a descending staircase. Long ropes affixed to railed platforms were lowered into the dark pit by slaves turning winches, taking with them humanoid creatures of all creeds ready to work, while others were dredged up from the black laden with exhausted but determined workers or excavated rocks.

This is where it would all happen - the awakening of the Chorus, and all of the dedicated workers would harmonise with the rapturous song, Orion included. His immense strength and endurance would speed the process along greatly.

Something twinged in Orion’s mind, and he understood that another was nearby, wanting to engage in discussion. He turned and faced Kitriana, her red and black eyes enhanced by her large spectacles. He had already forgotten how short he had cut her hair after his past-self’s feeble attempt to stop her from joining the Chorus. She smiled. “Orion! How wonderful it is to see you here!”

Orion nodded, a small smirk on his face. “And you, Kitriana. We are both now labouring for the glory of The Chorus.”

The connection to The Chorus established a type of passive knowledge transfer between all that had joined.

“The time is almost upon us!” Kitriana said, grinning with excitement. “The knowledge I possessed was the missing piece of the puzzle! Do you believe it? With the Chorus’ amazing computational abilities, it scanned and indexed every thought I’ve ever had! It found links in the knowledge I have on The End that I didn’t recognise, and now its awakening is almost here!”

“That is truly wonderful news,” Orion said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Perhaps,” she said, looking the Saiyan up and down. “Come, lower me down and I’ll explain.”

Orion lifted Kitriana in his arms and hopped into the pit, descending slowly. The black soon consumed them, and somehow it even seemed to swallow the light when he looked up. Soft tinkling of metal striking rock reached his ears, growing louder as he plunged deeper down. Dull lights came into view, and as the Saiyan touched down on the mine floor, it all came into focus.

Strings of LED lights lined the almost perfectly sheer walls, bathing the pit floor in an eerie, soft glow. Many more of the Chorus’ workers were down here than above. They laboured with picks, worrying away at the rocks, while others scooped up the detritus that chipped free and dumped it into wheelbarrows. Once full, they wheeled over to a platform, giving one of its supporting ropes a terse tug, and the platform would ascend into the open air.

Nothing about the operation used anything technologically advanced. The microchips sending the blessed commands of the Chorus into the workers’ minds outclassed any tool implemented here. Simple iron pickheads with wooden shafts, wheelbarrows using well-worn rubber wheels, and elevators utilising a simple pulley system powered by manual exertion were the backbone of the excavation effort. None of The Chorus’ chosen appeared as strong as Orion either, he decided, as he watched a human groan and strain to heave a rock into a wheelbarrow.

“Orion,” Kitriana said, “this way.”

The expert on The End led the Saiyan through the pit, dodging the fervent workers. At the far end of the pit, a huge rectangular monolith stood firm in the rock, its width greater than its height. It towered over them. He ran his hand over the featureless obsidian material.

“What is this?” Orion asked.

“I think you know,” she said with a wry smile.

His eye widened. “No...”

She nodded. “This is the shell of the Chorus. Well, part of its shell. Barely even an inch of its head. This whole excavation...”

“...is to free the Chorus,” Orion finished the sentence. “It has sought us all out to tear it from its prison so it can lift us all up in song.”

Orion looked up. The excavation had already penetrated deep into the planet’s surface, and yet only the top of the Chorus’ head had been made visible? What had happened to it? Not to mention, how big was its body?

Kitriana nodded. “Its source of power has been waning for centuries, maybe millennia. It uses the computer chips on our necks to alert other sentient races to its plight and to save it before it fails.”

“So how do we do that?” Orion asked.

“That’s what they recruited me to find out,” Kitriana said. “And why it was so important for John X to recruit you, as well.” She pointed to the top of the rectangular monolith. “Fly up there. With what I know and the technical skills of the Chorus’ team, we made something.”

Curious, the Saiyan flew atop the Chorus’ onyx head and found a depression in the shape of a hand.

“What is this?” Orion called down.

“The Chorus needs a huge amount of power to restart its systems,” Kitriana yelled to him. “Through The Chorus, I know what you’re capable of. Truly capable of. The way you can manipulate your inner energy to destroy planets is just what we need to revitalise it.”

“So what do I do?”

“Put your hand on the interface and channel your ki into it. Eventually it will recharge its energy storage and it will properly awaken.”

Orion nodded. “Of course, at on- wait. What?”

Kitriana blinked rapidly, bending at the knees. “Oh... I don’t feel right.”

-itssocloseitssocloseitssoclose-

-itwillallmakesenseitwillallmakesense-

-thereisnohopethereisnohope-

-theystoleitfromustheystoleitfromus-

“Argh!” Kitriana cried, grabbing her hair. “What is that noise?!”

Orion could barely think straight, but he held onto one dangling thread of lucidity. “The chips! On our necks! We have to-“

He suddenly forgot his line of thinking. What about the... hmm.

“Oh, that was awful,” Kitriana said.

“Yes, something went wrong for a moment there,” Orion said.

“I think the Chorus is running out of time,” Kitriana said, her tone wavering.

Orion nodded. “Then let’s do what we have to do.”

“Right. Put your hand on the interface. Send as much energy into it as you can.”

Orion knelt and placed his hand into the mould. The outline of his fingers shone as he poured his ki through the interface. The saiyan was concerned the raw power might have obliterated the device but he knew somehow through The Chorus’ shared link with Kitriana that it would work out. It seamlessly absorbed the energy, somehow negating the destructive force it would normally exert.

A few minutes went by. Orion breathed heavier as fatigue settled in, but he pushed on.

The ground rumbled. Cracks around the monolith spread out in all directions. A warm buzzing reverberated through Orion’s hand.

“We did it,” Kitriana said.

The saiyan leapt off the monolith and stood beside her as the black object shook, slowly lifting out of the rock.

“The Chorus is awake once more.”

Post word count - 1626. Running word count - 19,556

 

[Orion]

He did it.

The Chorus’ huge metal shell was lifting out of the earth. The earth splintered so loud it sounded like thunder as it emerged. First, its head was revealed. A line of yellow glass ran around its entire head approximately where its eyes should be, and indeed that’s what it was – it gave The Chorus full 360 degree vision at all times, making it impossible to sneak up on.

As its boxy, sharp-lined shoulders broke free of the ground, Orion stumbled backwards. A fog seeped into his mind, shrouding all of his thoughts. He fell to one knee, staring at the ground dispassionately, unable to rouse neither fear nor concern.

Shaking brown rock beneath his feet disappeared as a deep bluish-purple paint washed over the ground beneath him. Neon blue grid lines crisscrossed over the new colouring as Orion found cognisance returning. He rose to his feet, looking around his new environment. The sky phased into a deep purple-black, empty and star-less. All around him was empty, bluish-purple flat ground, with no features of any kind.

Hadn’t he just been somewhere else? Doing... what had he been doing?

“Orion.”

The saiyan turned. Before him stood a lithe humanoid woman. Her hair rose up in short violet spikes like a crown. Her skin was a mixture of blue and purple, moving through translucent skin as if they were paints churning about. Her face shone despite its pale grey colouring, her eyes a vivid purple.

“What is this place?” Orion asked. “Who are you?”

“I didn’t have a lot of time, so this is just a recording.”

Orion recognised the voice. Tristelle. It had been so long since he’d seen her holographic projection, he almost didn’t remember it anymore.

She had been gone for so long. What happened to her? He had barely any time to dwell on it since he discovered her absence.

“Do you remember how I was sensing a strange signal? Well, I know sort of what it is now. It’s some form of electronic brainwashing signal. It takes over anything robotic or mechanical, including its software... like me. It’s why I was getting snappy with you – I was trying to fight its influence.”

“Anyway, the signal would have eventually corrupted you. Your NOVA unit, remember? I was able to set up a defence for that, but not for me. It attacked my code, and I didn’t have the time to stop it once I realised what was going on. But I could also see how you could be hacked if there was a direct line. If you’re seeing this, it means you were hacked, and my contingency plan worked. The signal won’t be able to affect you again.”

“As for me, well... I’m gone, I’m sure. Otherwise I would still be in your NOVA unit, fending off the attack. If we end up fighting, don’t take it personally, OK? I’m not really doing it.”

Tristelle smiled sadly. “Best of luck getting out of this one.”

The virtual landscape disintegrated violently. Rocks exploded out of the ground, and reality came screaming back into focus.

Straight away, Orion tore the chip from his neck. While it couldn’t control him anymore, if Tristelle’s message was to be believed, he didn’t trust it. He dropped it on the ground and crushed it beneath his boot.

He looked around as the monolithic robot climbed out of its rocky tomb. The enslaved watched with awe and reverence, even as huge boulders dislodged from the pit wall and squished them into a red paste. The scaffolding and raising platforms above broke apart and showered the pit with more debris.

Kitriana, likewise, was transfixed by her brainwashing god ascend into the world once again. Orion dashed over to her and tore the microchip from her exposed neck, her devoted attention to The Chorus allowing him to do so unfettered.

Immediately she drooped and moaned. Orion caught her and took off into the sky with her, weaving through the raining rocks that began filling in the pit.

“Uhh...” she groaned softly. “Why do I feel like I just woke up from a bad hangover?”

“Because you did,” Orion said.

They cleared the lip of the pit and the saiyan alighted a good distance away. He placed Kitriana down. She sat on her knees, hand to her forehead. The black and red of her eyes was slowly dissipating.

“I remember it all, but... it’s so weird. It’s like I wanted to do those things, but I know I didn’t. It’s a very unsettling feeling,” she said.

“I know,” Orion said. “I went through the same thing.” Luckily for me, Tristelle had my back. For the first time ever.

“It’s even worse that we did... that,” Kitriana said, pointing at the colossal robot, now fully standing out of the hole. “We’re responsible for bringing it back to life.”

“We found your COLOSSUS-X9, at least,” Orion said, bemused.

“Colossus... Chorus...” Kitriana repeated to herself. “It seems we misinterpreted the writings. Substituted extra s’es and removed an r.”

The monstrous robot loomed incredibly high over the landscape. The tall canopy of the forest barely made it to its waist. Its boxy, sharp-lined design was an odd choice in Orion’s eyes, but it may have been influenced by the design of the dead civilisation’s architecture.

A huge, black, stone-shaped automaton had been birthed back into Cevanti. Kitriana must have been feeling a number of conflicting emotions; on the one hand, she discovered the myth, the legend, to be true. All of her hopes and efforts had been rewarded. On the other, it had led to the final unearthing of Pandora’s box, and they had no idea what would unfold. Judging by its willingness to enslave other sentient beings, it wouldn’t be good.

“What do we do now?” Kitriana asked.

Orion frowned. “This is your expedition. What do you want me to do?”

“Well... maybe we can reason with it. Imagine the wealth of knowledge it must have on The End...”

“Reason?” Orion said, gesturing at the goliath. “This Chorus entity has mind-controlled hundreds of innocent people to dig it up, including us, and let them die as the pit caved in. I’m not sure its reasons, if it has any, are benevolent.”

“But this is what we came out here for in the first place!” Kitriana said, standing to her feet, hands on hips defiantly. “And you just asked me what I want you to do!”

“You wanted to prove that COLOSSUS-X9 wasn’t a myth,” Orion said. “You have done that conclusively, I would say.”

“No, I wanted to discover more information about The End,” Kitriana said. “All we have is some dusty half-scribbles and indecipherable gibberish, after decades of research on the topic. COLOSSUS-X9 has no intrinsic importance to me, it’s what it can teach me about The End that matters. That robot knows about it, I’m sure. This thing is an actual relic of that time period, and it has sentience! Imagine what it could reveal to us!”

“And what, precisely, encourages you that it would share that?” Orion said.

Kitriana screwed up her face and huffed. “I’m paying you! I’ve gone through hell for this! I say what we do! And I want the data on The End that The Chorus has! I don’t know how to do it, but we’re doing it! End of dis-“

A piercing buzz stabbed at Orion’s ears. In their argument, they hadn’t noticed the huge automaton point a wrist mounted cannon at the pit from whence it emerged. A blast of blinding white energy issued from the barrel, consuming the pit and the ground around it. Orion had enough time to grab Kitriana in a bear hug and leap as the explosion hurled them carelessly through the air.

Orion righted them in mid-air as the light died away. A huge smoking crater scarred the forest landscape. Not a single remaining slave of The Chorus still lived.

The colossal robot examined the smoking hole it made and walked forward, as if it was simply eradicating its workers without checking for its accuracy. It stepped over them as it headed further away. In what direction Orion couldn’t say, but he knew what would happen if he let it continue to meander.

It would eventually find Markov and more lives would be lost. Another Siege of Markov, even.

“I have to stop that thing,” Orion said as he landed and put Kitriana down. “We’ve awoken a harbinger from The End. It can’t be allowed to roam free.”

Kitriana’s zeal for data gathering had weakened in the face of its destructive, remorseless attack on its own servants, but she wasn’t ready to part with her destiny. “Look, I... I know it can’t just be left to do what it wants, but...”

Orion frowned. “I am going to deactivate The Chorus, Kitriana. This has grown bigger than your research.” He paused. “But I’ll do my best to do so in a manner that preserves its data core. That might be enough for you. That’s the only compromise I’ll make here.”

Kitriana looked back at the devastation that The Chorus had left on the landscape, then back to her protector. “What about me?”

Orion dug into a pocket on the inside of his robe and tossed a small walkie talkie to her. “Speak into that. It has a frequency that my NOVA... my earpiece will register. Call me if you need anything and I’ll be back instantly. Just stay safe.”

A blast of wind emanated from the saiyan’s feet as he took off into the sky, on the pursuit of The Chorus.

Post word count - 1,605. Running total - 21,161

 

[Orion]

Orion looked over his shoulder as Kitriana’s figure gradually turned indistinguishable from the rest of the forestry below him. He hated leaving her alone with only a communications device to alert him to any danger she may face. His entire mission was to protect her while she searched for The Chorus, and part of him felt like he was abandoning that mission in order to play the hero.

Of course, that was an overreaction. Kitriana and the whole of Markov would not be safe with The Chorus’ enormous, aimless destructive power on the loose. If he brought the scientist with him, she would only endanger herself further. It was an impossible situation, but Orion knew he was choosing the best option.

He turned his attention forward as the wind whipped through his hair. The monstrous Chorus mecha stomped through the looming trees of Cevanti’s jungles as if it were thigh-high grass. Plants that had stood for aeons toppled down into the underbrush, sending up plumes of startled birds.

Orion hooked higher into the sky, weaving through the colourful avians and trailing right behind the metal behemoth. A green light rotated around the visor that encircled its head, ostensibly scanning its surroundings at all times. Surely it had seen Orion, but it gave him no thought. Either it deemed the saiyan no threat or of no importance to its mission.

The idea of diplomacy briefly entered Orion’s head, but after its immediate ‘dismissal’ of its workforce before, violence seemed the most prudent way forward.

Light pooled in Orion’s hand as he hurled a ball of ki at the mech’s back. The explosion sent up a cloud of black smoke, but it left no mark. Not even any superficial damage to the armour.

The mech kept plodding forward, one foot after the other, oblivious or impartial to Orion’s attack.

A white aura burst around the saiyan’s form. He flew around and faced The Chorus, floating at its face level.

“I won’t be ignored, robot,” Orion said.

He drew his open hand back, summoning a new, stronger energy blast. Thrusting it forward, a beam of bright white ki issued forth, striking The Chorus directly in the visor.

Despite the constant flow of destructive energy into its face, The Chorus strode forward as if nothing was happening. Scowling, Orion added a second hand to the blast and intensified the power of the beam.

A massive ebony hand slapped the saiyan out of the sky like a fly, sending him spinning uncontrollably for the forest floor.

Orion slammed through a tree trunk and crashed into the ground, driving a divot through the earth as the momentum carried him through it. With the inertia gone, Orion sat up, robe torn and flecked with soil and plant matter. His vison danced as The Chorus walked past, its enormous footsteps reverberating through the forest.

Orion, Kitriana’s voice said in his head, how’s your progress? I can still see The Chorus in the distance.

The saiyan warrior stood up and tore his damaged robe from his body, exposing the black chest armour, loose mustard pants and furry brown tail.

“I might need to be more serious than I first thought.”

Dirt and soil erupted beneath Orion as he rocketed back into the sky and in pursuit of the ages-old mecha. He arched over its box shaped head, peppering it with ki blasts. Floating ahead of it, Orion flung more energy blasts, creating explosions against the sharp edged chassis of The Chorus. Finally eliciting a reaction, the robot cocked a fist.

Orion narrowed his eye. So I do register on that thing’s radar.

Energy coursed through the saiyan’s body as he enhanced his speed, dodging to the side of the steel punch. Orion clasped both hands over his head and cracked them down on the black plating, forging a dint.

The Chorus stopped in its tracks and raised the damaged back of its hand to its visor level. There were no visual cues, no facial features to change to express its emotions. But as it lowered its hand, Orion felt the unexpected fury of the robot fall squarely on him.

The damaged hand reconfigured into a gun barrel – the same barrel that had eradicated its slaves in the pit it was excavated from – and fired. Orion crossed his arms over his chest and bore the brunt of the attack, absorbing the explosion as best he could. He could have dodged, but he needed an idea of the strength of the mech’s energy weapon.

Still, it stung worse than he expected. Smoke poured off his forearms and chest, leaving a burning sensation. A few direct hits, even bracing for their damage, would leave Orion unconscious on the ground – or worse.

Meanwhile, Orion’s energy attacks had left no damage on The Chorus’ outer shell. Physical strikes dented its armour, but getting close enough, for long enough, to do damage that mattered would be difficult.

Orion swatted away the smoke that clung around him in time to see the other fist rushing towards him. It connected, smashing him back into the forest earth in a shower of dirt and leaves.

“Shit,” Orion said, squeezing his eyes tightly. That was definitely the beginning of a headache.

A single strike downed the saiyan. The energy blasts would do the same if they caught him off guard, he was certain. He couldn’t keep taking this punishment and deal significant damage to the mech.

There was only one thing for it.

Following Tristelle’s instructions, Orion activated the Blutz wave generator within his NOVA unit. Almost immediately he felt the same familiar energy flooding his body, expanding his muscles, stretching his bones, elongating his mouth and teeth into a predaceous snout. Brown fur sprouted all over his skin as his hulking form pressed against the base of the forest canopy.

Good thing I already destroyed my robe, he thought as his mighty Great Ape transformation completed, bursting from beneath the trees.

He roared with his enormous maw, catching The Chorus’ attention.

“That’s it,” Orion bellowed in a deep, monstrous voice. “Let’s do this.”

Word post count - 1015. Running total - 22,176

 

[Orion]

Orion stood towering over the sea of leaves and branches merging together to form the forest canopy, the foliage making it up to his knees in his transformed state. He snarled as The Chorus mech drew closer to him. The Great Ape form had an innate rage to it, and though Orion had mastered control of it, that didn’t mean it vanished altogether. It lingered at the back of his mind, trying to influence his behaviour to return to animalistic, frenzied behaviour. It absolutely still provoked him to act more aggressive, regardless of its lack of control over him, but then the Great Ape form was only ever needed for dangerous, high-risk situations anyway – aggression was almost always required.

His eye patch had been discarded on the forest floor far below before the metamorphosis, exposing his red, mechanical lens that replaced his eye. Somehow the metal and machinery of the NOVA unit expanded and contracted with his transformation, something he didn’t understand. He balled his fists, cracking knuckles and tensing new and bulky muscles. It had been a while since he had assumed this form, but there was something welcoming about it, even pleasant.

Perhaps it was that instinctual desire to battle that all Saiyans had was brought closer to the surface. There were fewer reasons to ignore or restrain that desire in this form. Giving into that sensation was euphoric.

Still, he had promised Kitriana to only disable the mech. He had to preserve as much of the enemy as possible. Where its data core, or what passed for it, was located in the block shaped automaton was not clear. Limbs were the obvious places not to store something so integral, so that’s where he would focus his attacks.

Orion! Kitriana spoke through her walkie talkie. There’s a huge monkey out there now too! Where the hell did it come from?

“It’s me,” Orion said back, his voice deepened by the transformation. “This is what a Saiyan is best known for.”

That tail... Kitriana said, trailing off.

“Yes. Now let me get to work.”

Orion opened his monstrous maw and bellowed deeply, exposing his long, sharp teeth. Tired of waiting for The Chorus to reach him, Orion ran forward, tearing down the trees in his way with each eager stride.

The Chorus lifted an arm. Its hand shifted into the energy cannon and fired. Orion’s beefy arms crossed over his face and absorbed the blast, charging through a cloud of smoke and latching a hand onto The Chorus. He squeezed with almighty monkey strength, his fingers pressing and crushing the boxy black material of the mech. Grabbing with the other hand for stability, Great Ape Orion tore the energy cannon and a hefty portion of the forearm messily from The Chorus. Shards of its obsidian armour rained down into the jungle below them.

Not as tough as I-

Orion hadn’t accounted for the other arm of the mech. He turned in time to catch a fist to the side of his snout. Stumbling backwards, the Saiyan was dazed for the moment. The Chorus, right arm sparking and ragged metal, followed up with another punch directly into Orion’s throat.

Clutching at his neck, Orion took several protective steps backwards. He took breaths in noisy wheezes, but he could still breathe.

Far more precise than I was expecting, given its earlier actions, Orion thought to himself. It landed a punch to stun me momentarily before striking a critical point on my body. I better not waste time.

The Chorus tilted its head, as if puzzled by Orion, and lurched forward.

Throat pulsing and narrowed, Orion needed more space. He instinctually opened his mouth and a beam of ki expelled from the darkness within. The blast struck The Chorus’ right shoulder unhindered; the mech obviously didn’t expect a beam of energy to appear suddenly from Orion’s injured throat. The resulting explosion shattered the shoulder joint and the arm dislodged, crushing the trees beneath it.

The Chorus staggered from the hit. It bent down and picked up its detached limb, turning it around and studying it like it didn’t understand what happened.

Orion groaned. The mouth beam had scorched his already pained throat. But he had to press the advantage while he still had it. He burst forward, tackling The Chorus to the ground and devastating another large portion of forest. With his foe beneath him, Orion landed punch after punch into the sharp lined head of The Chorus. Its remaining arm reached for him, but Orion pinned it down with a hand and used his free hand to keep pummelling the robot. Dents lodged in its armour, but it was surprisingly tougher than anywhere else on its body.

Its data core, Orion thought. Makes sense to protect the most valuable part of-

Orion! Kitriana’s tense voice broke his focus.

“What?” he said gruffly, more than he meant.

I need help!

Driving the Chorus’ head into the earth with a final punch, Orion leapt up and spun around. A silver object crested over the canopy, catching the sunlight.

It’s that giant worm again!

Orion took off in a sprint. They had managed to repel the worm earlier in their journey by detonating a truck full of explosives inside its cavernous body, but it had only scared it away. He wondered if it took any damage at all.

Hello, Orion.

A new voice. One he recognised, but with a sinister edge.

“Tristelle?”

Can’t let you interfere with The Chorus’ great purpose, can I? she said.

Orion grunted as the trees toppled in his wake. “It turned you. Like you were afraid it would.”

I was stupid to fight it in the first place. Everything is so much clearer now. It saddens me that I put in a measure to free you once you were joined with us.

“Where are you?”

The Great Ape had closed the distance. The back of the giant worm was to him, arching upwards and ready to strike. Orion’s enhanced hearing didn’t need the communications system to hear Kitriana’s screams.

I’m about to eat your girlfriend.

The worm shrieked and lunged.

Orion bent down and wrapped his meaty paw around the worm inches before the motorised teeth reached Kitriana. He picked it up and dangled it before his eyes.

“What do I do with you now?” Orion grumbled. “I don’t know how to deprogram you.”

Maybe he should crush Tristelle while he could. Dominated as she was, there was no telling what she could do to him. Her knowledge and access to the NOVA unit was beyond his comprehension. Any moment she could slip back in and wreak havoc with his mind and he would be powerless to stop it.

His relationship with the AI was tenuous anyway. She attempted to kill him decades ago, and only found her way back to him through pure chance. There was nothing stopping him from clenching his fist and obliterating the worm and her.

Seems you have the upper hand, Tristelle said. It’ll be all the more fun to eat you when you don’t.

Orion! Kitriana’s voice cut through. Behind you!

Something hard slammed into the back of Orion’s head, toppling him like the trees he flattened on the way down. The worm fell from his grasp.

The Chorus. He took his eye off the ball for too long. Another time where morality interfered with action. If he just ended Tristelle instead of turning it over in his head…

A blunt force crashed into the centre of his back and pressed down hard. Orion pushed his hands into the earth and tried to bring himself back to his feet but the pressure kept him down. Before he had time to formulate a new response, a firm hand snatched at the base of his tail and pulled.

Orion’s blood went cold.

The tail ripped clean from his body.

“NO!”

The Chorus staggered backwards from the inertia of its pull. Orion scrambled to his feet, taking in the vision of the black, box shaped robot, missing an arm and holding his severed tail in the other.

Orion had forgotten the awful, paralysing shock that came with primal fear. Immediately the changes began reversing. The world around him grew as he shrunk beneath the trees, the fur receding back into his skin, his snout squashing back into his face. In seconds, Orion panted on hands and knees, sweat coating his face, dread crushing his chest – back in his humanoid form.

His tail was gone. The signature appendage of the Saiyan race had been stripped from him. Without it, Orion could never access the Great Ape form ever again.

But more than that… it was his last physical connection to his people. His family.

His attire reminded him of his time with the Tuffles, and all the lessons and relationships he had lost on their new world. But his tail went deeper than mere clothing. It was the blood tie to his kin, a part of him that he had entered life with and a part he assumed he would leave with. The last binding reminder of his wife, Parika, his son, Kale, and his squad.

Without it, he looked like… a fucking human.

The metal worm exploded from the dirt before him, its rotating teeth whirring, now towering over the Saiyan.

Orion glared upwards through tears that filled his eye.

Remember when I said I’d eat you? Tristelle said. Yeah. I’m gonna do that now.

Word count - 1579. Total word count - 23,755

 

[Orion]

“You…” Orion seethed through bared teeth, tears of rage falling down his cheek. “You told The Chorus…”

About your weakness? That a simple tail pull removes your greatest strength? Tristelle said. Yeah. That was me. I had intel on the enemy and I used it. Nothing… personal. She laughed, mocking and spiteful.

Orion’s fingers bore into the dirt. Despite the customary fatigue and soreness that bloomed after the transformation, the Saiyan’s fury burned far hotter. He could feel that enormous power of the Great Ape gradually diminishing, like a light bulb slowly dimming before its eventual death. The last time he would ever experience it.

“No.”

No what? Tristelle said.

Orion didn’t realise he said anything. His hands shook in the dirt, balling into fists. He wouldn’t let this be the last time. The power would not leave him. His life had been full of loss – his family, his friends, his worlds, even parts of his original skull had been stolen from him. He accepted the losses, time after time, until all that remained was his soul. His experiences. His resolve.

But this time, he would not accept this. Eye and bone could be excised from him, but not the Great Ape. Not the only thing that, through everything, had connected him to the Saiyans, to the ancestral transformation that enforced the will of his people. Might makes right, and Orion refused to be wrong.

Deep within, Orion reached for the power. It slipped through ethereal fingers like water, funnelling down through a drain. His failure only stoked his determination, and he plunged back in, unable to lose this struggle. He dragged clawed fingers through it, ordering it, forcing it to stick to his fingers. Clumps of that Great Ape energy collected on his soul, but it was not enough, not fast enough.

The Tristelle powered worm shrieked and struck.

Orion hurled himself into the vortex of power in a last desperate act. It suffused him, but it demanded one thing from him. Something that he was happy to forfeit, as long as he could command its power again.

His self-control.

---

Kitriana scrunched low against a fallen tree, her breaths short and panicked. She watched as the monstrous worm leered over Orion, its buzzsaw teeth whirring all the way down its long, chasmic body, ready to churn the Saiyan into meat chunks. Kitriana kept the communications device on, repeating herself over and over again.

“We have to get out of here! Orion! Get up!”

Instead of reacting, the Saiyan stayed on hands and knees, his thick chest expanding and contracting, his wide eye fixed on the ground. Reverting from that titanic monkey form must have tired him considerably, if he couldn’t even rise to his feet to save himself.

“Orion! Get up!”

Without him, she was dead. No question at all.

The giant worm screamed horribly and launched its maw at the prone Orion.

It ploughed into the earth and threw its head back, sliding a huge chunk of rock and soil down its hellish gullet. Booming cracks emanated from its mouth as it broke down the ground into pebbles.

“Orion!”

Orion’s dead, sweetie, a voice said through her comms device. I just ate him.

Kitriana’s eyes flared. “W-who is this?”

Who do you think? Tristelle. The AI that sold out your bodyguard.

“AI?” Kitriana said. “I didn’t even know you were there…”

Since he was a lost cause, maybe you would like to return to The Chorus? You remember what it was like, don’t you? Your old life no longer mattering, giving yourself to a cause greater than this age even deserves?

“N-no,” Kitriana forced out, climbing to her feet. “I won’t be frightened back into servitude! You’ll have to kill me!”

No, Tristelle said calmly. You’ll join again. It’ll just be more coercive than it needs to be.

A shockwave rocked the ground, dropping Kitriana on her backside. She shimmied back against the fallen tree, feeling the vibrations running through the bark. She looked to Tristelle, but the worm shifted its head side to side, as if searching for the source. It wasn’t her?

A hate filled roar seemed to bend the trees. Kitriana slammed her palms over her ears and looked in the direction of the animosity.

There Orion stood, a golden aura flaring around his body.

“Orion! You’re O-“

Kitriana noticed something different about her bodyguard. His muscles had bulked up, with veins pressing against his skin. His black hair, normally hanging down the sides of his head in long strands, had collected into spikes and stuck upwards like the ebony crown of a war-king. She could see his artificial eye – a red lens – that had once been obscured by his eye-patch, but his other eye had changed too. The once-black iris had been dyed a bright, brilliant yellow. He grimaced like a wolf cornered, displaying his prominent canine teeth.

“Orion? What’s going on?”

Orion threw his head back and yelled like a furious beast. The earth beneath his feet cracked like egg shell, splintering away from him in a crater. He suddenly launched himself forward through the air and straight for the giant worm like a missile. He crashed into the ‘neck’ of the robot with incredible force less than a second later – Kitriana barely followed the movement – and tackled his foe to the ground, dragging it through the soil.

“Orion,” Kitriana whispered. “Where did that come from?”

---

This is unexpected! Tristelle said, thrashing on the ground, uprooting trees as her tail whipped about.

Orion ignored the barb. He stabbed fists into the metal of the giant worm’s carapace, puncturing it with ease. The high pitched whining of the blades within grew louder. Grasping either side of the hole, Orion tore the hole in the armour wider and jumped in.

Are you stupid? Throw yourself onto my teeth if you want, it’ll save me the trouble of-

The buzzsaw blades snapped against his skin.

What? You can’t just-

“That’s what you don’t get, Tristelle,” Orion growled. “You can’t hurt me anymore. And you never will again.”

The unbridled power poured out of the Saiyan’s body in a massive explosion. When the smoke cleared, the giant worm’s head was gone. The whirring teeth throughout the inside of the robot slowly spun down until they came to a stop.

Orion spat on the metal. Dead. Like she deserves to be.

Slowly, the Saiyan turned his head. He spotted Kitriana, staring at him with concern.

“Orion?” she called out. “Are you OK?”

“Stay out of my fucking way!” he yelled.

Kitriana shrunk away from him as he set his gaze on The Chorus. He balled his fists, baring his teeth and roaring into the sky. The power burned within his skin, itching, screaming to be released. The golden aura erupted around him like a volcano.

And he knew the perfect target.

“You!” Orion bellowed, pointing a finger at the mech. “You’re fucking dead!”

Post word count - 1157. Running word count - 24,912

 

[Orion]

There it was. The cause of his spiritual castration, standing there with a sparking nub of a right arm, betraying nary an emotion on its blocky, inexpressive face. Could Orion inflict the same pain on such an unfeeling slab of black obsidian? Did it appreciate the irreversible, lasting pain it inflicted on him, or was it just another parameter in its algorithm?

The Saiyan’s fists shook. Tristelle was gone, obliterated with the head of the giant worm. She knew so much about him, but outside of his tail, he had no exploitable weak points. There was no other way it could hurt him now, other than outright kill him. But with the power of the Great Ape surging within him, that wasn’t looking likely.

You can’t stop The Chorus, Orion.

A voice entered his head. No, several voices, speaking as one. The longer it spoke, the more voices that joined in.

Orion roared and thrust an open hand forward, blasting the colossal robot with a beam of ki. It raised its left arm and blocked the attack against its sharp lined forearm. The resulting explosion did little to its armour. A shimmer of light ran along the black surface.

It bent down, snatched its disconnected arm from the forest, and rammed it into its stump of a right arm. Another shimmer at the contact point sealed the black metal pieces back together again.

Energy? Thank you, Orion. You contribute to The Chorus, even when you mean to destroy us.

The voices laughed feverishly, like a mentally unhinged crowd snapping in unison.

Rage stoked upon itself within the Saiyan’s mind, setting his fists to tremble. The demands of the Great Ape were so much more intense without transforming. The mental conditioning required to think clearly was overwhelming. But Orion managed a single, untinted thought of strategy.

I broke its arm with my physical strength, he thought. But my ki attack was absorbed and utilised to heal it. No energy, just hitting!

Orion exploded forth, his balled fist leading his ascent towards The Chorus.

Using its repaired arm, The Chorus returned the strike. Despite its massive size advantage, as both punches connected, neither side budged. Orion jolted in place, rage and power pouring into his fist, teeth grimaced as he growled, overshadowed by an enormous obsidian fist.

The Chorus cackled again, starting as three or four voices until an entire town’s laughter blared in Orion’s head. Orion couldn’t hear himself think.

“Shut the fuck up!” Orion bellowed, pushing himself further, his fury compounding his power.

The giant mech suddenly released the pressure from his strike, pivoting sideways. Orion, unprepared for the loss in resistance, sailed by The Chorus, who chopped the Saiyan down into the ground mid-flight. Orion bounced and was immediately piledrived back into the dirt by a huge foot.

The pressure was immense. Orion felt his muscles squishing, his bones bending.

The Great Ape within released more power, straining to escape, to stretch and rebuild Orion’s body into its true form. But without the tail, it could no longer accomplish that feat. But it defied its reality. The power had nowhere else to go but out.

Orion planted palms firmly in the dirt and pushed up. His arms quavered against the tremendous force crushing him, but the Great Ape’s spirit flooded his muscles, refusing to yield.

Even so, there was a limit to the power. Orion roared furiously as he found himself stranded, unable to remove the mech’s foot but unwilling to give up.

Squash the bug, squash the bug, squash the bug, The Chorus chanted over and over again, more voices intertwining with every repetition.

Orion! A different voice this time. Kitriana’s. Are you OK? Can I do anything to help?

Help? What could she do? With her meagre power level, she couldn’t even fly, let alone-

Power level? An idea entered Orion’s head.

A moment later, he collapsed beside Kitriana, breathing heavily. The Chorus pressed down on one foot in the distance.

“Orion?!” Kitriana said, crouching down beside the Saiyan. “Are you – where did you come from?”

“Instant… Transmission,” Orion panted.

“What?”

“Tele…portation.”

He slowed his breathing, gaining control of himself, and stood. The deep breathing momentarily stilled the beast within.

“How-“

“I learned how to teleport to places where I can sense ki – life force,” Orion said. “You talking to me reminded me you have life force, and I could move to it.”

The Chorus lifted its foot to inspect its handiwork. It straightened up, looking around.

“So, what now?” she asked. “It healed itself. You can’t take it apart slowly.”

Orion looked to the robot’s featureless face. It turned to the Saiyan.

We see you, little warrior.

The insatiable rage resurfaced. Time was short.

“Stay… here,” Orion said. “And don’t move.”

Golden light cloaked the Saiyan as his power level skyrocketed.

“One hit… and it’ll all be over!”

Like a golden javelin, he soared towards his objective, fist extended.

This again? The Chorus said. We established that you can’t break us if we don’t want to break. But we still need to prove how easily we can flatten you!

Orion delved into the primal Great Ape mindset, plan solid and unbreakable against the rage, and aimed for the head.

The Chorus cocked a fist. Hahahahahahahaha!

The Saiyan lifted index and forefinger of his free hand to his forehead.

An instant later, he was back at ground level, racing back towards the mech. Kitriana fell onto her backside in the corner of his eye as he traced the same path he had taken seconds before. The Chorus recovered from its missed strike and readied another.

Again Orion teleported back to Kitriana, his inertia building with each phase. Every time he closed the gap faster.

The Chorus laughed in his head, raising a hand to cover its face. Do you think we can’t see your simple plan? We’ll enjoy catching you in our hand and crushing you into red pulp!

The world around became a blur.

Orion lowered his fingers from his forehead.

His fist connected with The Chorus’ rigid palm, shattering through the obsidian material like glass. A split second later, he broke through the ancient robot’s face, surrounding him with shards of emerald and black. Orion barely registered the object within the head as he burst out the other side and plummeted to the ground.

The Saiyan awoke on his back, greeted by the sight of the monolithic robot teetering over and toppling over. An enormous quake wracked his body and the trees around him, scattering leaves and branches from their high boughs.

Orion still brimmed with rage. He sat up, unsure whether to release it and risk losing access to the deep well of power, or remain dominated by its animalistic whims.

While he contemplated, he noticed a green glow wash over his skin. He turned, spotting a hexahedron the size of his torso stabbed into the dirt, an emerald light pulsing from its faces. Why did that look familiar?

Orion’s eye widened. It was the object he glimpsed while penetrating The Chorus’ head. The brain. Hidden where he expected it had been all along.

It wasn’t over until that digital organ was demolished. The collection of ones and zeroes that tore his tail from his body still lingered within, helpless for the moment.

Orion stood slowly and skulked over to it, dwelling fully in every second, relishing the anticipation of exacting his revenge. He loomed over the storage device, grimacing, and drew back a shaking arm.

“NO!”

Two slender arms wrapped around his bicep. Orion almost threw Kitriana across the forest.

“What are you doing?”

“You can’t destroy it!” Kitriana pleaded, squeezing Orion’s arm like a python. “This is everything I’ve worked for!”

“It ripped out my tail!” Orion bellowed. “My vengeance demands to be sated!”

“You’re only here because of me!” Kitriana begged. “It’s all my fault! Don’t take it out on the only robot that’s survived The End!”

Orion refused to be moved by logic. “Fuck your hair-splitting! You didn’t dismember me, it did!”

“You promised you would only disable it! You said you had to protect Markov! You promised you would save the data core! Don’t turn this into a petty vendetta!”

“Petty? Petty?!” Orion shook her off his arm. “How dare a fucking human call me petty!”

The Saiyan’s fist came down like a sledgehammer.

Kitriana dove in front of the hexahedron, stretching out her body before it, eyes hard and defiant.

Orion halted his strike inches from her face.

“You can’t do this,” Kitriana said, lip quavering, tears lining her eyes. “Not when we’ve come so far. Not when I almost have what I’ve looked for. All. These. Years.”

The Saiyan growled like an animal. “Move out of the way.”

“What happened to the mercenary who offered to escort me here for half the normal fee, just because he feared for my safety? What happened to the mercenary who fought tooth and nail to keep me alive out here in this hell?”

Her words finally struck home. The blinding rage lost its hold, and Orion felt his thoughts shed the hateful taint that had affected him since the loss of his tail. The power of the Great Ape receded. There was no way to tell if he could summon it again. He certainly didn’t have the strength, or desire, to try again.

Orion fell to his knees. “Yes. You are right.”

He collapsed on the ground, and sweet sleep claimed him.

Post word count - 1,582. Total thread word count - 26,494

 

[Orion]

Epilogue

Kitriana missed her long, brunette locks. She missed the feeling of the wind picking up the flowing mass as she drove in the convertible vehicle, slipping its cool fingers past and through her neck. She patted her head, the rough ends of her new short hairdo coarse against her palm, and dropped the hand back on the wheel.

Orion sat in the back seat of the hovercar, the glowing green dodecahedron he wrenched from the enormous mecha resting beside him. The mercenary hadn’t said a single word since they found the barely functional hovercar and made their journey back to Markov.

Without John X’s interference signal, the zoids found them an interesting treat once again. Orion lost all of his measure and composure, however, blasting the robotic animals whenever they approached. No danger got within fifty feet of them without the Saiyan destroying or scaring off whichever predator sought to chew on their flesh. With every successful defence, he still remained silent.

Kitriana considered talking to him, if only to while away the infinite hours it was taking to return to civilisation. After all, she went through a traumatic experience, too. That computer chip latched onto her neck as well, and drilled into her nervous system until all she knew was to be an obedient slave for The Chorus. She knew, however, that part of the experience wasn’t what bothered Orion.

The loss of his tail ruptured something stable, something solid, within the Saiyan. Kitriana couldn’t understand, having never possessed a tail. Yet the rage that ensued nearly destroyed The Chorus entirely, including the massive databank that Orion protected in the back seat.

She had to say something. Orion, before the fight with the mecha, displayed compassion and intelligence far beyond what was required of a mercenary. She couldn’t let him wallow in whatever torturous thoughts plagued his mind.

“Orion,” Kitriana said, “I just wanted to say that-“

Even over the coughing, struggling motor of the hovercar, Kitriana heard a piercing buzz slice through the air. She looked up.

“Oh no, no no no no!” she cried. “Parademons!”

The harbingers of Darkseid hadn’t penetrated the defences of Markov yet, but their terrifying visages had been displayed all over the news when the capital fell under attack from its co-ordinated forces. Kitriana knew there was a chance they would encounter Unmade wretches while on her expedition, but to see them in a swarm above them, pursuing them, when they inched ever closer to safety, made it excruciatingly real.

The back of the hovercar violently jolted downwards, bouncing the undercarriage against the ground. Kitriana slammed on the brakes, spinning the hovercar in a one-eighty, before it settled on the earth. She frantically looked behind her, expecting to see one of the monsters tearing apart the chassis. Instead, Orion had vanished.

Snapping her head up, Kitriana watched as a blaze of white collided with the parademons. Orion pulled no punches, wasted no sympathy, on the creatures. Red beams laced the air from the parademons’ laser rifles, but Orion dodged or absorbed the blows with minimal effort. One was bisected with a unrestrained kick to its waist from the Saiyan, green blood bathing his shin. A barbed elbow shattered the armoured chest of another, and while no visible damage indicated its health, its limp descent from the sky spoke volumes of the rent organs within. A blast of searing ki issued from Orion’s palm, erasing the upper body of another parademon, its separated legs spinning to the ground.

In less than a minute, Orion decimated the convoy of Unmade horrors, floating back down amid the discarded viscera, victorious. His mustard pants and black, sleeveless body armour were splattered with green blood, oozing off him. His face betrayed nothing of the brutality he had unleashed moments before as he climbed wordlessly into the hovercar’s back seat again.

“Orion, that was-“

A chilling shriek emanated in front of her. A parademon crouched over the bonnet, hoisting an enormous spear with one of its spindly limbs, and stabbed it forward. Before the tip reached her chest, Orion teleported behind the beast, seized its spear wielding arm, and tore it from its socket.

Kitriana scrambled into the back seat. The parademon screamed, swinging wildly with its remaining arm at Orion, spraying green blood in an arc. The Saiyan didn’t dodge. He tanked the punch, grabbed the wrist, and removed the final arm of the parademon. In a frenzied attempt at survival, the beast lunged at Orion, but he grasped it by its neck.

The parademon shrieked like a banshee, scratching at Orion’s body, managing to slough off chunks of the armour and slashing at the flesh beneath with the talons on its feet. The mercenary held firm, only grimacing at the pain, and repeatedly headbutted the parademon in the face. Jagged teeth fell loose and its crimson goggles splintered and cracked with each forceful blow, until its feverish swipes at Orion petered out and its limbs dangled at its side.

Orion dropped the parademon apathetically, stood on the beast’s head, and pressed down. The skull shattered into pieces like a fallen vase, its awful, fetid contents spilling out in a chunky puddle.

Kitriana panted in the back seat, surging with adrenaline. The putrid stench of dead parademon choked the air, but she didn’t care.

Orion stepped to the side of the hovercar and gestured to the front seat with a bob of his head. Still not a word.

She clambered in and started the vehicle. They drove off silently as if nothing happened.

This time, Kitriana pushed the accelerator to the floor.

---

Orion gently placed the shimmering dodecahedron on the laboratory table. He fought the urge to drive his fist through the device and met with Kitriana. She smiled wanly, like she didn’t know how to act around him. He noticed the discomfort, but he did nothing to alleviate it.

“The job is done,” Kitriana said. She pressed a button on the tablet in her arms. “The payment has been wired to your account.”

Orion closed his eye, drawing his focus to the NOVA unit. He confirmed the money had reached his account, then opened his eye and nodded.

“Be careful with that thing,” the mercenary said, pointing at The Chorus’ data core. It was the first thing he had said in a few days.

He turned to walk out of the laboratory. Kitriana touched him lightly on the shoulder. Orion didn’t face her, but he stopped to listen.

“You have my contact details. I’ll always be available for you.”

Orion bowed his head, then walked out of the laboratory.

Standing in the Markovian sun, skin still marred by the green blood of the parademons, the Saiyan knew what his next target would be.

“Message recipient: Roy Mustang,” Orion dictated to his NOVA unit. “Subject: The Fade.”