I_L: Chapter 10

 

Noelle sat in the back of the spaceship. Baron's metal shoulders were leaning against the wall, glaring back at her, catching her dour look with a steel face. She always thought she could read his humble intentions, but now Noelle wasn't so sure. She didn't know what his original mindset was, she didn't know anything anymore. For three years, Baron had been at her side, always considering her safety.

Now, that protection had turned against her. Noelle didn't understand Baron's motives, but she did understand the outcome.

It didn't matter anymore, she thought.

 

 

 

 

"So you're working for.." She folded her arms. "RING agent." He responded curtly.

"Figures." Lying on her back, she felt like holding her breath for the rest of the trip. "So your true goal all along was.."

"The protection of AI and synthetic lifeforms." When he spoke, she felt like she hardly knew him now.

"The machine alliance doesn't own your life. We don't care who you chose to live with, to love with, who you chose to sleep with. We don't care if you wanted to work in a space mine, or

travel a star system. If your life is in danger, we will come to get you." He looked around the cabin. "That's why we're on the way to the planet earth, to help them. We don't care about the civil conflict going on right now either. The Elder Dragons feuding, the PFU just now coming out of the woodworks."

"So we're here for the same reason." She stood up. "We both want to help these people, right?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Does it matter that I'm a woman?" She asked, thinking to herself how absurd that was. He looked up, his face showing a flicker of surprise.

 

"Does it matter that I'm human?" She added. She slapped him.

 

"Wake up? Does it matter that I'm some kind of god? Cut the bullshit. How long did you know I was involved in all this?"

He just gave her a confused look. "Yes, it does matter. That's a large part of why the machine alliance has been keeping tabs on you. Before X.I.M.A.S. was wiped out, it predicted a lot of things that were going to happen. Its algorithms early on analyzed the patterns of the Tachyon Cascade and realized they were following a topographic search pattern. After you were suspected to be the target, I was sent in to track your location and find you. I joined Denipol for that purpose."

He paused, contemplating his next words. "And before you ask, I needed to find out more about you first. Before I went down to the join, I got my hands on your file. I needed to make sure I was doing the right thing, and if I had the opportunity to do it over again, I would."

She sighed. "I need to.. go talk to somebody. Take me to where our last mission was. It's the last thing I need to do and then your machine buddies can, dissect me or mechanize me or whatever you intend to do all you want."

"I cannot let you leave." He replied.

 

"You're holding me against my will? Great. So I'm a hostage now."

 

"Well, whatever. You know what you want. I'm not going anywhere." She sat down. "Noelle, I need to know if you can be trusted. I have to know if you're going to be an asset to RING. You will not leave here until you are cleared."

"Well, I'm not leaving until I'm told I'm free to go." She crossed her arms, feeling something that was new to her, fear. "If you care even an inkling about me, you'll throw me out this ship right now."

"Our cause won't allow that. Need I recap? Besides, you didn't bat an eye as I was tortured for several weeks."

"What's it like out there? I mean, right now." Noelle asked.

 

"It's hell Noelle. War is hell." Baron pulled up imagery on the monitors, cities and colonies in flames, Xi Highships firing on each other. Once peaceful cities were shown as a pitch-orange inferno as the Federation tore itself apart, Noelle was at a loss for words.

"The machine alliance is the only hope that humanity has left. You are a very rare and valuable asset that will be used to our advantage. We will protect you, but we will do it at our discretion, and only as necessary."

"That's all you care about, isn't it? Saving yourself?" Noelle stood up.

 

"No, it's the whole fucking world Noelle." Baron said, his eyes flashing. "When Denipol sends out all the ships on the sky they have to raze innocents turn each planet's capitals to glass, what do you expect? We're not trying to take over the world Noelle.. We're trying to save it."

"Save the world?" She had no idea what he was talking about. "I know what a war zone looks like. And you're just the same, Baron. I want you to go back. Tell Denipol to send me home. I'm not the hero or savior that you want me to be, and you need to realize that. I don't give a damn about the Machine Alliance or the Rebellion or, any of Xi's shitty wars. They can all blowup and burn civilization to the ground for all I care." She got up and turned towards the nearest corridor.

"Maybe you'd like that, but for those of us still in our wits, something has to be done." "Done? I don't care. I'm done with all this." Noelle left, and didn't look back.

"I need to be alone for a moment."

 

⍟

 

 

 

 

The Ex-Inspector walked down the hall, she was struck with a feeling of uncertainty. It was like he had been there, she had him buried in her memories. She guessed? Was he a stranger,

or was he... sorta like her father? No, but she had vague flashes of that knight in purple armor. A big lance and helmet, shoulderplates and layered pads, a menacing appearance. RavenMaster?

But he couldn't be. She pondered on this thought about, reaching in deep for an explanation and finally realized the parallels weren't a coincidence, he and had to give that aging old man credit.

Strangely still, she missed her Baron. The one who was being honest with her and the one which she actually knew. Maybe her subconscious was trying to tell her something.

She started to make her way back, sitting where she sat before and crossing her legs. "So what's on the menu now, flyby?" She asked smirking.

"Denipol just wants to abandon the Elder Dragon system and return to some fascist state, giving the Upper Realms council control. They want to destroy and remake the entire civilization, and anyone that isn't in their system is a terrorist or an enemy. And I'll be damn if I let that happen."

"Really.." She gasped, farcically leaning closer and putting a hand on his arm. "Baron..." Her eyes turned to the navigation screen, the holograms flickering along the glass panels. "The shuttle hatch wasn't locked. Why didn't you lock the halls or restrain me? The guards on this ship seem bizarrely calm, and the escape shuttle wasn't even guarded. You know well I can escape anytime I want, what's going on?"

He looked away.

 

"Why did you come back then? If you realized that and R.I.N.G.'s aims.."

 

She shook her head. "Baron, there's more to that. There's a man who I talked to in that

base. And he's leading the PFU." She raised an eyebrow.

 

"I already knew that. Our intel was very good. Denipol won't care. The PFU is Denipol's enemy, and they're already trying to dispose of the Elder Dragons now that they've sided with the Council and X-Kompanies."

"So what are you in RING. You're a spy?"

 

"More like a prisoner who became a spy. I had to get out... RING freed me from my own loopholes."

"Somethings off. Don't you think it's all too convenient?" Noelle folded her hands together. "The Machine Alliance just, found you? You were hooked in, and then was able to infiltrate Denipol flawlessly?"

"I'm not sure what you think is off. My execution of my mission was flawless." He asserted.

"That's exactly what IS of. Baron, do you even remember where you came from?" Noelle stated.

He leaned back in his chair, his hand shaking.

 

"Do you believe in what we are? I don't know where I am Noelle. They say I'm human, but I don't remember that. All I know is that R.I.N.G. and the Machine Alliance will save the world countless times over and I will do my best to deliver them their greatest asset. That’s you."

Noelle shook her head.

"You care about me too much. You want me to escape. You're trying to push me away and want to secure my easy escape here right now, what would be going on otherwise? Or why would you save my ass back at the gala." She was more firm with each passing word, looking her old partner in the eye with a newfound sincerity.

"I've been trained to do what I'm supposed to do." He said, as if trying to convince himself. "Look, if you're trying to get into my head then try harder. It's not MY memories that are missing."

"You want to talk about your past?" Noelle asked. "Because my own past keeps rushing back to me. I think, you were built or conditioned by that Elderdragon. Fashioned after the RavenMaster, both to remind me slowly who I am and intended to protect me. A figure from my past to keep me anchored to my history."

He watched her silently, looking out the window and contemplating the vastness of space.

 

He could see the X-kompany's ships flying overhead, heading to the inner worlds of the Xi system for the next battle between Denipol and the the splintered Xi Highfleet fractions. He shook his head in defeat, his eyes falling on a red light. Those roving mechanical pits of metal and plasma would roar through space, and tear apart a fiery clash of engines before long, dragging countless lives with it. The Machine Alliance had all of the idealism, but none of the economics or resources to even go toe to toe with the Upper Realms Council. For all the promises R.I.N.G. offered, they as far as peacemakers go could best hope for a stalemate, a pyrrhic victory of dismal negotiations. He saw Noelle's reflection in the glass, truthfully not wanting her to get caught up in any of it.

"I'm afraid it's a matter of time." Baron sighed. "Screw it. Enemy vessels sighted. We're turning around.." He turned to face her. "Head to Arzachel-37."

"We're going there." "You sure about that?"

"You want to fight them? Fight with all your might?" Baron pointed at the viewport. "I have a better idea. We're running away." She looked down at the view screen, seeing the two Xi Highships coming after them. Noelle stared at the nearest one and smiled.

"You always did have a lucky way of things going your way.. Let's hope your luck doesn't run out."

⍟

 

The ship arrived down on the planet’s surface, slowing overhead at where she’d performed the rescue mission just a time ago back. Noelle stepped down on the ship's platform ledge as it opened slowly, looking down at the city below. The glowing beam of the Tachyon Cascade shone and lit up the surrounding city, entirely divorced from the war going on everywhere else. It was the center of the storm, the hub of the action, as they put it, and that was where she was going. To see what had happened here, what had been done here. The city was made up of seven domes. These domes, called Tachyon Domes, would normally be on an airship, not in the open air, they didn't normally have a city connected to them. The domes were all connected to each other, with a large, air-filled space between. At the peak of the domes were huge generators that were used to power a device that Noelle knew of, although she didn't know how she knew. She knew now- the Embryo Trigger. The Tectonids sent way back weeks ago

must've been sent to swarm the city and destroy it. She'd investigated it once? When? The timeframe escaped her. There were so many memories and lifetimes right now popping up in her head, she could hardly keep track of them. Every one of them she knew, were from another Noelle, a clone's lifetime who had served another role or service for Xi.

There was only one problem, she recalled that the Elder Dragon had said he had the device destroyed. The eerie red glow around the domes, she didn't trust it. It wasn't there before.

She looked to the east, a dark silhouette was silhouetted against the cyan skybeam, like a thin dark line against an ocean of pure white. The Cascade had an odd wavy flicker to it, as if struggling to thrive and pulse - she'd never seen it do that before. Where the beam met the surface, it was faded and weak, blocked off by the glowing red eerie light of the domes. "Down there, take us closer there!" She requested a crewmember. Something shot out from the thin dark line. The ship started to swerve down in, but Noelle caught the coiled missile in her sight too late.

"What the-"

 

 

 

 

To see what happened here, was something she couldn't ignore. It was like a dream that couldn't be forgotten, a nightmare that needed to be known.

The ship rocked, its entire side wing exploded in a disastrous crash. Whatever projectile hit them, sent them smashing into several skyscrapers and pushing them apart, before spinning onto the ground and the platform with a resounding smash. The whole place vibrated from the

impact. The ship shuddered once more, its underbelly smashed and bent. There was so much rubble around. It was a mess, and the force of it all sent Noelle's vision into darkness.

Noelle sat up. As soon as she opened her eyes, there was blood running down her arm and forehead. She saw Baron under the ruined ship's haul.

"Noelle!" Baron shouted to her, then shook his head in frustration. He looked like someone had just ripped his leg off and torn it apart. "I'm fine." Noelle said shakily, her vision hazy, but her nose hurt. She put her hands to her face, trying to push away the feeling. She had to get up, she had to see what happened here. The once-inspector made her way over to Baron.

"What happened?" She asked while pulling him out, a little confused.

 

"I don't know." Baron said to her, "All I know is you need to get out of here. Please, run. Leave here!"

 

Noelle had an uneasy feeling. One of the domes was completely destroyed, and there was a massive crater on the ground. The ground was glowing and pulsing with red fluid and she didn't like it. This was no dream, this was true and she couldn't ignore it. She had to know, and it was hard to know if she'd ever be able to trust anything ever again. "Baron." She told him softly, shaking. "I-I have to see this."

Baron coughed out a ton of blood. "Yeah I know.. figured it was like that."

 

Noelle nodded, pulling away carefully. She walked over to the edge of the platform. She was a little afraid to do it. It would be her chance to finally face whatever had been ailing her all this time. Destiny beckoned.

⍟

Her stomach churned at the sight. The crater around the crashed ship was filled with a viscous red liquid, bubbling and gurgling, and she could hear a low, guttural noise coming from somewhere in the distance. It sounded like a scream. At first she thought it was a human scream, but then she thought how it sounded so much like a Tectonid. She squinted ahead and saw exactly that, Techtonids emerging out of the Cascade, melting in the corrosive red fluid. It appeared the same color as the red domes and their connecting tubes. In the roaring darkness, she could see intense flashes of light rotating out from the center beam, with a figure blurring between each oscillation.

Seeing large, shapeless and spread out chunks of debris along the lake of red ahead of her, Noelle started to skip her way from chunk to chunk, carefully leaping towards the center.

The blurry figure ahead started wavering less in the shadows, taking on a stern, solid silhouette, butting through the discordance .

"What always runs, but never walks. Often murmurs, never talks. Has a bed, but never sleeps. Has a mouth, but never eats..."

She stopped skipping, having reached solid ground, a disc dozens of meters wide of unbroken gravel and walked up the face that once warded off darkness, now seemed to bring her 6 centuries worth of anguish. She looked around and saw a figure standing next to the light, the figure was the same blurry silhouette that had made her skip over the lake of red, now she was in an all-new world.

"Thea?"

 

She paused, her voice quivering with the word. She tried to speak a word she never said, "I..."

Before she could complete the thought, she heard it. "You? I? You are what? Who are you? What are you?"

She stopped in her tracks, hearing a voice that sounded familiar. She wasn't sure, but it felt like she was hearing it before. The sound

"I know you, little one..."

 

"Thea this is crazy, what's going on?"

 

"...You think you're so tough, little one, but you're not. But don't worry.." Thea's eyes darted back and forth, and Noelle could tell she was shaking, while squeezing her fists with solid rage. "You're home now, sis."

Then she felt it. The coldness of the night rushing against her flesh, the night of the dark moon, the night that began these 6 centennial eras. She felt a force that dragged her through the dirt, and the blood, and the tears. The Cascade, it was trying to pull her in, she was being pulled into the night and she screamed out, crying at the end of her voice. Thea grabbed her by the arm, pulling her away from its reach. "They want to take you, take you from ME."

Thea was breathing hard, and her hand was shaking, she had a sick look on her face, full of desire and maddened rage that had looked crazy.

"Thea, please.. I have to go. I have to go home." Noelle said, trying to break the hold on her, but it was no use. She knew what would happen, she saw the look in her eyes.

"No. You're MINE, MY SIS. I'll stop them, I'll NEVER let them have you. I will make sure they don't take you away from me." There was an explosion in the distance, the two looked on as a new ship seemed to be arriving. From above, plasma torpedoes bent and curved towards the surface, blasting the domes with streaks of light to penetrate each. These explosions multiplied, and Thea scowled furiously.

Thea then turned to Noelle, "Listen, little one. The Cascade wants to take you away. We have to get away from here! Before they get here.." A scarlet glow began to fill her eyes, crackling red energy cycling around her.

She felt the hands on her, and the pain of their touch, and the pressure. Her eyes shot open. The distraction above gave her the opportunity she needed. Noelle slapped the girl's wrist and leapt back, confronting her sibling.

"Thea.."

 

Time seemed to rewind in her mind, back to forgotten days. Taking her way back when..

 

 

 

 

⍟

 

 

 

 

Her back rested on the waiting mound of Venus. The sands seemed to cradle her upon their velvet dunes, calling for her to rest and join in love the worldly pursuits that ailed her.

Above the skyline, a neon distortion of storms created an atmospheric tapestry, painting the clouds everywhere just for her all across the horizon. She could feel a soft, delicate hand combing her hair, arm gripping her cheeks softly from behind.

"I love you with all my heart, my love. I'll always be there for you. If you want, I'll even make you a goddess and put you next to me to watch over me when I'm asleep, little one.” She grinned up at her sister. She kissed her gently and held her close for a moment. The breeze blew over the dunes, a gentle kiss sent up from the sands to her. "May we live happily ever after."

Ellies eyes were closed, her breaths a soft pitter patter. A dreamy grin was plastered over her face, her eyes were heavy-lidded. “I wonder who that is.” She murmured as she let out another breath, seeing someone by a cliff in a tattered metallic loincloft, holding a spear dancing with electricity on the tip. They had a few people in masks with them, and pointed to the two girls.

The girl besides Ellie gave a look of disinterest. "Ignore them. Come here," she beckoned. Her gaze was seductive, "Come to me, please," she cooed. The sands fell as she spoke, making a soft pillow for her as she fell into an even sleepier state. She smiled up at her, kissing her on the lips "I love you."

The speared figures started to gather. Ellie's sister got up. "I'll be right back.. don't go anywhere." With that she ran up the sand to meet the figures with a murderous gaze. The breeze started to blow, there was a cacophony of screams, a thunderous awe of echoing voices meeting hollow and brittle popping. Ellie's instinct was to fall back asleep, if the noise didn't disarm the calm she sought.

She laid across the vibrant mounds, looking at the scorching sun. Her head felt a little foggy, and she rubbed her eyes. Her backside was caught by the gentle silken embrace of the dunes, as if cradling to her every curve. Above her, the sky was painted by a distortion of neon scars and streaks over the horizon. The day was a dying ember, and as she laid, her mind wandered. What had happened just before she lost her memories? Her sister told her not to worry about it. Where did she come from? She'd always been told it wasn't as important as where she was going.

She felt gentle hands caress her hair, combing the strands like treasured silk. "Ellie." The voice was quiet and tender.

She closed her eyes. “Everything go alright?" Her sister's body was covered in a drenched coat of liquid crimson, dripping down her arms and fingertips.

Ellie pushed herself up on her hands. She watched the sun, still high in the sky, slowly set as she watched the ocean. "It always goes right. Somewhere," she said with a soft smile. She could hear a low, uneasy rumble in her mind, but not a word was spoken.

"I love you, little one. Never leave me." They sat on a sandy beach, arms wrapped around each other while the sunset turned the sky into a blazing inferno of oranges, pinks and reds, just overhead. She could feel her heart beating, but she wasn't sure if it was for fear or joy. There was a distortion in the atmosphere. Sandra could see them.. thin lines, growing wider in the sky.

Splitting and branching in a hurry into geometric folds, until the glittering splinters appeared to wring the sky out of all warm colors.

"Ellie. It's time." The words cut through the veil. “I have to go.."

"Wait, what?" Ellie looked at her sister, voice trembling with fear. "No, don't go. I love you. Stay."

Sandra stood up, holding Ellie's hands tightly in hers. A bright, blinding light seemed to illuminate the horizon, searing it to the ground. It shone brighter and brighter until it cloaked both girls in a shade of cobalt, as if painting them with the sky's grief.

"We'll go together. But we must go."

 

"Promise? We'll always be together?" Ellie asked.

 

"I promise." Sandra nodded, pressing her lips to Ellie's. "It'll always be the two of us. Just you and I, little one."

She'd been tasting these lips for her all her life, as far back as Ellie could remember. There'd been a light in her dark eyes when she was born, she just couldn't remember. All that mattered now was Sandra. She closed her eyes, burying her face in Sandy's shoulder. They'd always be inseparable.

Sandra picked up Ellie, turned and vanished into the distance, fading into the sunset.

 

⍟

 

The figure stood in obsidian-purple armor, like a menace right ahead of the starcraft. It pulled its sharp boots over the top of the craft and pointed a sword down, a lustful hunger to punish the wicked. The helmet's visor was shaped like a raven, and an eerie purple visage could be seen where their eyes should be.

Black wings were tucked against their back, waiting to be flapped. But nothing happened, no sound nor movement could be detected in the abyss of space.

Ellie looked at the armor, and at the Raven-shaped helmet. "Who are they? Why are they still here?" she asked.

Ellie could see her sister scowling, crouched down with her dagger.

 

"They’re hunting us.. He won’t stop until he takes you from me. Why cannot you just let us be?" Sandra screamed, as if yelling at the stars.

Ellie grabbed her sister's shoulders, trying to make her turn around and look at her. "Come on, Sandra, it's time to go!"

Sandra started to crawl out of the cockpit, the bubble around her head reflecting Ellie in front where her eyes could see.

"Sandra! Turn around and listen to me!" Ellie reached her arm forward. There was no reply.

 

Anger coursed through her veins, when Ellie saw her look back with a sullen face she recoiled in horror.

Sandra leapt forward, Dagger in hand. RavenMaster pulled their lance from the meteor finally. What followed was a brilliant bloom in the dead space of night, the spirited sparks falling away from the epicenter of the clash as soon as they sourced from its rumbustious beginning. So bright and rapturous was the shockwave, Ellie's ship was rocked farther and farther along the edges of its explosive curvature.

With a scream, Ellie rushed to the cockpit, her face a mask of pain and distress. She grabbed the wheel, and yanked the thing furiously, making a hissing sound as the craft's thrusters popped. She screamed again, but the craft just continued, gaining speed at an unprecedented rate. Ellie looked at her beloved ship, still screaming. There was a flash in the cockpit, her sister was there as a shrinking blur, but just before she'd vanished from perspective, Sandra said something. It sounded like a promise.. Ellie didn't hear the words but a part of her knew what it meant.

And as they spun outwards, Ellie, caught in a vortex of the expanding blastwave, lost control. She plummeted to the blackholes's surface.

It was a long, agonizing fall, burning through bone and flesh, tearing skin from her body, smashing into the black sand. It felt like a lifetime before she was finally flung into the dunes.

She hit with a bone-splitting crunch, but there was no pain as she lay on the warm ground. Her body felt like it was trying to heal itself as fast as it was injured. She could feel the stars. The cosmos were bright in her eyes, and their power flowed through her, seeming to offer her a solace for all she'd suffered. The night was warm and inviting, the black sand wrapping around her in a welcoming embrace. Why did the edge of space have sand?

Ellie could feel herself being pulled, a soft tugging at her side, trying to pry her body away from the ground. She didn't want to leave. She turned her face upwards, searching the black night. It seemed to be calling out to her. The stars were beckoning, telling her to join them in a celestial dance. She stuck her hand out to reach them, but gravity wrapped around her and tugged her away, and the stars seemed to grow weaker in her eyes with each passing second.

Ellie closed her eyes and let the stars carry her away. She felt the power that the night had given her fading inside, or atleast merely taking a gentle nap. A long sleep of which she may

long await for it to return. The farther she fell, the more some light seemed to catch her, a bright red basking field of forgetting which caught her and sung to her mind like a siren. With it, her memory started to stir, dripping away quietly as if spilling from the farthest reaches of her psyche. She could hear the soft whisper of her sister's voice, a soothing balm that seemed to flow through her veins and body like a warm spring breeze. 'It's time, little one. You need to let go.'

⍟

 

Ellie opened her eyes and turned to see what was in front of her. It was Sandra. The light that used to shine from the field that caught her once, was still there. But now, it seemed to be emanating from Sandra's very being, pulsing even.

She finally caught herself in the present again, her face in a beam of pure love and love alone. She leaned in towards Sandra, and she seemed to flinch from the heat of her body.

"Thea… No, Sandra, how can we ever go back...?"

 

Sandra reached out her hand to Ellie, and the night's heat seemed to raze on, the fire in the distance of the city growing.

The two sisters shared a fleeting moment before Ellie pulled her hand away.

 

"You.. kidnapped me from my mother. From my home.. you never told me that." Ellie looked around at the raging inferno, like a bonfire set just for their union, a serenade in search of lost time.

Sandra twitched, but calmed her breath. "Please forgive me for what I did.. I had no choice."

"Not just that.. Because you kidnapped me and fought so long, I lost my memory. Your, device meant to hide me almost killed me. I slept here for 600 years, I had to countless lives, while my real body slept.." she looked at her palms, "Why?" She looked up at Sandra. "Why did you hold me prisoner for so long? Why? You always told me we'd always be together. But you did all those things.." she couldn't finish her sentence.

 

 

 

"I didn't want to lose you. Me, losing my Ellie? You were my whole life. Her brows furrowed, stance starting to come unhinged. "You. You're mine. And always will be.. I love you."

Ellie covered her face. "Ravenmaster turned this world, this, crazy galaxy of bullshit into hell just in hopes of finding me.. Were you there for that, did you know? Sandra people are dying, there's a war going on every single planet right now. I lost my memories, my abilities, everything and played a pawn just so you could, what? Keep me here?"

Sandra's glare turned sinister. "So what? There are lots of universes, and so many shitty wars.." Her voice was a hiss. "It was the only way. I had to keep you hidden away to keep you safe. The universe is a dark place, and I couldn't let anything bad happen to you. Don't you get that?"

Ellie straightened herself and stepped forward, no longer calm. "By trapping me? 

 Keeping me in this, cage you designed? Were you acting the entire time?"

 

Sandra shook her head. "No I.. ugh, it still hurts. I lost my memory, some of it too for awhile alright? When the Embryo Trigger was no longer working well, when the Cascade was

getting stronger, I knew they'd come. I tried to up the device, to amplify it. That didn't work.. so I had to rely on my powers instead, do what only you and I could.. but the Embryo fought back. It backfired.. I started to regress and forget everything."

Ellie stood in silent for a moment. Her body felt heavy, like she was going to suffocate.

 Sandra didn't deserve the pain she caused.

 

"I tried.. I tried so hard to fix what I did.. But.." Sandra's voice sounded like she was trying to get out of something, like a nightmare that was slowly unraveling. "We're still a threat.. We can't let them know.. Ellie.. if you just give us the power, just let us go, just end it, we can keep everyone safe.. We can save everyone, we can be the hero.." She threw her arms wide open. "But we have to do it now sister! They're never stop looking for us. The Cascade will get worse. We're the only things in this universe that don't die.."

Ellie's glare pierced sharper. "No. No more fighting, no heroes. I served for hundreds of years, I died so many times. I don't care about these wars or people anymore. I'm done Sandra. This playhouse, this make pretend game you set me up on... and, I'm done running away. I'm done." She turned to the Cascade, reaching her hand for it in test.

"NO!" Sandra stomped her foot, like a spoiled brat. "Don't go in there! Why do you want to be with THEM, with HER? What's up there, stuffy palaces? Clouds, stars, divine dickshit?

Looking down on everyone? We're not gods, we never asked to be. You don't belong in heaven Ellie, you belong here. With me."

Ellie turned around. "But-"

 

"WITH ME." Sandra shouted. She seemed to be losing her mind.

A cloud of scarlet started to form around Sandra, Ellie's eyes going wide. The manifestation, it appeared a mirror of the gel and bubbly goop that came with Ellie's own. From this gentle mist emerged limbs and mechanical armor, a cybernetic chassis Ellie dreaded to recognize.

The same droned entity who'd attacked her in the mines. The one she'd seen in and around the Cascade so many times. Fuchsia armor, shoulder blades, horned antennas and a slinky armored body hull. The sleek visor met Ellie's eyes once again.

The modified guardian stuck her arm out,

 

Her eyes were bright red, and they looked haunted, haunted by something dark and terrible.

"You're not supposed to go back there, you know? Why do you want to leave your home, your place where the sky is always blue and the birds sing and the sun sets on the horizon?

You're meant to be here, Ellie. With me, and me alone. I see that now. I see everything soOoOOooOoOoOoOooo clear."

"How did you, bring that?" She stood on guard, hands already wrapping in oversized, slick bubbled paws.

"Say hi to your little birdy! Ravenking was it? This guy.. girl I must've done something to after our last little dance. I didn't remember her for awhile, so I must've been controlling her subconsciously? She looks a lot different now, guess she got some upgrades."

"You turned the RavenMaster into that. And.. sent it to attack me?"

"Oh nonono. See, if I know anything about my mind, which admittedly gets away from me sometimes, it wasn't trying to hurt you. Merely the Cascade and its portals! It went in constantly hoping to disrupt. Oh, that includes those pesky Tectonids. They had a tendency to chew away at the Embryonic field and disrupt its effect, almost like they were trying to repair the Cascade and search for you for someone? Couldn't let that happen!"

The drone stuck out its cannon and charged, firing a blast of plasma. Ellie's way. She leapt swiftly and dodged, putting a sizeable perfectly shaped hole in several buildings behind her. Rushing before it could recharge a shot, Ellie's two bubbled paws extended out and merged into a giant bell with two chains attached to her hands, and slammed down over the sentry.

"Sorry bout this.." She squished the bell with tight gel and pressure, cracking the ground and finally dunking it into the red fluid until it flickered into mist and evaporated. She caught her breath and brushed herself off.

Ellie looked at her sister for a long time. "You want to be with me right? Let's go, then. You, me, together. Let's see our mother, Sandra. Let's go see Novus. I'm sure she misses us."

Sandra screeched. "NO! WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT HER? WHY COULDN'T YOU

 

JUST STAY PUT?" She reached for her blaster, put her hand on the Trigger, tears stretching her beautiful face as her screech tore it wide open. A volley of red bolts shot at Ellie who leapt aside and rolled on the ground.

Ellie waved her hand, and a rubbery bubble the shape of a candycane swatted Sandra's guns out of her hands. "ALL IT HAD TO BE WAS YOU AND ME, TOGETHER. I.. I l-love you Ellie.." Ellie in the smoke and heat, attempted to crawl away, again towards the Cascade. DON'T LEAVE!" Sandra was a blur, chasing after her, shooting her up, her fingers glowed

brightly, and a white glow emanated from her hands, a crimson beam forming and splitting the sky, a ray of red and violet light that cut the night. It nearly struck Ellie, searing the ground. The crackling grew louder as Sandra started tossing her hands, beams shooting from the sky, destroying buildings, razing the terrain. She accidentally blasted another dome a mile back, then a few more and finally all of them ruptured in piercing expansion.

Ellie leaped high in the air, gaining altitude like a kite, and Sandra struggled to follow. A bubbly construct like a nutcracker soldier appeared around her body, and she grabbed Sandra with its arm. "This has to stop.."

Sandra bawled and squealed. She twisted her head and looked at her sister. "What're you doing? Where are you taking me?" Her brows wrinkled, she looked confused, and then confused to hurt.

"To our mother, Sandra. She's the only one who can help us now."

 

"NEVER! I LOVE YOU! And I want to stay here, with you! ONLY YOU!" Her body slackened as a red glow radiated from her eyes and spread over her skin, and she managed to slip her arm free and point at the sky. Piercing like an arrow was another powerful red beam, making a vertical drop over the soldier. With a pop they went in opposite directions, Ellie injured and crashing with a 'squish'.

She fell and lay on the ground with a grunt. A bubble the size of a basketball popped up around her, having broken her fall slightly. Sandra got up, marched over and held her, lifting her into her arms.

Sandra tilted her head, confused. "Tell me Ellie, what's wrong?" She looked up, the night sky filling with rivers of blue across the universe. The Cascade was branching out and growing, multiplying into a quadrillion strands over reality, like a tree branch routing for the sky. "Is it the Tachyon Cascade? Don't worry, I can rebuild the machine, we can deal with that! Hahahaha.." She couldn't stop laughing between snickers. "Xi was just a silly fuckup, we can make a better kingdom! One over every world, with a zillion shopping malls and toy soldiers and ships and toys to play with! We can be its queen this time!"

Ellie stared, frozen. "No. No more empires or wars." She looked down at her arm, rubbery tentacles forming from bubbly liquid. "I-I-I can't handle the pain anymore. I wanted to keep going in this universe once but, but I can't, I just can't, it's not who I am." The tentacle shot at Sandra, but crackling red energy burned it off before its whip could make contact.

"But I can't lose you too.." She whispered. She turned to the sky, tears were streaming down her cheeks. "It's me who's sorry. Sandra, I'm sorry." She looked back up at her sister, who was also covered in red.

Sandra kissed her, hard, and then she let go of Ellie's hand, and her arms broke out into a flurry of red. The Cascade kept spreading, covering everything that wasn't in its path.

The girl that was formerly Theabelle gasped, and felt her body light as a plume. She was dragged forward, levitated towards the pilot of the third ship earlier standing behind them. Ellie turned and wiped the tears from her eye.

"Meeks?"

There were glowing sigils and lights around her body, her antlers spreading a blue bright energy that seemed identical to the Cascade. Sandra pulled back. "No!" She backed away and fell. "H-h-how did you do that?" She saw the glowing white eyes of Meeks twist into a serious frown. "You.. YOU BITCH! It's YOU! YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO TELL THE OTHERS!"

Meeks tightened her grip, and the energy from her antlers started to warp around Sandra. "Even after I'd finally found her.. I lost my memories for so long when I came here. I was reborn as a fawn.. you tricked me Sandra. You said you only wanted to hold her for a second." The energy began to solidify into a pentagram of light, spikes forming on each of the 5 sides and sealing 'Thea'. inside.

"E-Ellie.. HELP ME!" Sandra caterwauled. "I'm sorry Sandra.." Ellie turned away slightly.

Meeks's face twisted in disgust. With a clap of her hooves, the pentagram finally exploded into a star, and Sandra went quiet. Her form was encased inside a brazen golden disc within the star, radiant as a furnace. Meeks put her down. She was silent and still.

Perfect stasis.

 

"Is she-" "She's fine, inside there." Meeks turned to the Cascade. "My, my.. you and I are gonna have a long talk.

Ellie shook. "No, please. I don't want anymore answers, can I just.. take Sandra and go?"

Meeks shirked surprised. "Really? Y-you can get back your memory. It's starting to come back to me. I failed to deliv-" Ellie shook, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. You did whatever you had to do. Can we go home?"

The once member of her team folded her arms. "I think.. this is my home now. I messed up Ellie. The other Elken may forgive me now that you're back but, I certainly won't. I want to fix this mess I made, on this world. The people will need guidance. I've got work of my own, right now. But I'll be with you in a bit." She turned to Baron's crashed ship, then at the flames of the rest of the city.

"Go on home." Meeks pat her gently.

 

Ellie nodded, and with one last sigh, took the bronzed, glittering Star that her sister lay sealed in, and started to make her way towards the Cascade. The beautiful light finally caught her, and the rest of the world seemed to fade out whole.

A soft laugh was the only answer as she drifted off to the place she'd always longed for. Home.