Chapter 26

  The atmosphere inside of the Deck Hall was tense, electric with anticipation and the hum of machinery. Megumi stood by the observation windows of the bridge, staring in awe at the destruction ahead. Plumes of smoke began to rise through the city while the skies overhead lit up. The small number of units on both sides of the struggle continued to wreak havoc, leveling more buildings in the distance.

  The Deck Hall itself would shudder with every distant impact, a testament to the ferocity of opposing forces. LtCol Ginger remained glued in place, standing over the command console as he continued to bark orders into the comms. With every passing moment, the number of G.E.I. forces were continuing to diminish in the nearby area.

  Megumi continued to feel her heart began to sink while she stared into the city ahead. With the gunfire slowly winding down nearby, she found her imagination beginning to wander. Deeper in the city, she knew that Nomad was lost in the fog of war. There was another blast in the distance, this one followed by the sound of crumbling.

  Another building in the distance began a rapid collapse, disappearing from the skyline in mere seconds. She flinched, turning her gaze away from the destruction. The command console li up the bridge once more, changing the tone as an operator reported, “Sir, the Litvyak is nearing the outskirts of the city.”

  Megumi turned back towards the windows, trying to spot the enemy vessel. There was an extra level of tension beginning to build.

  Ginger calmly replied, “Where are our fighters?”

  “They’re still engaging the interceptors.”

  “Tell them to take out the Litvyak or were finished.”

  As they continued their exchange, Megumi began to feel another presence beyond the fog of war. She found it harder to ignore.

  Is this the Deep?

  She could feel a chill inside of her, something foreign. The cold from the abyss began to pull her away from the bridge, slowly causing her sight to dim. She began to feel distant, soon becoming disconnected from the sounds of the bridge. Deeper in the void, she could feel a ripple, something drawing her deeper into the city. While she began to drift, another explosion ripped through the city, this one from another interceptor as it smashed into a nearby building.

  The immediate shockwave caused another rumble, one powerful enough to cause most of the crew to stumble. The explosion being so close was able to pepper the side of the Deck Hall with debris, pulling Megumi from her trance. She gasped, finally gripping the wheels on her chair and snapping to focus.

  A few feet away, Yuki stood by, watching her closely while she began to panic. A cold sweat began to drip down Megumi’s face. Suddenly, she caught a flash in her eyes—a quick glimpse of Rei and Vic face to face. The vision came quick, quickly fading to red before leaving her frozen in place.

  “Are you ok?” Yuki asked.

  Megumi turned back to her, getting a glance at Yuki’s bi-colored eyes. She shuddered at first glance, feeling an almost familiar ominous aura in her presence. Yuki gave her a quick nudge while her face began to show concern.

  “Do you need help?” she asked.

  Megumi shook her head before rubbing her sleeve across her face to clear the sweat. She then replied, “I’m fine.”

  Without another word, she began to push the wheels on her chair away from Yuki before rolling towards the exit. At that moment, she was not concerned about what would happen on the battlefield. She knew Nomad was going to be safe, but the passing vision only made her think of her father.

  There was no way he was going to be able to stop what happens. Rei’s thirst for vengeance far outweighed the faith she had in her father’s abilities to survive this encounter. With urgency, she continued to roll through the ship and towards the deck to get hold of one of the trucks.

  Rei slowly began to regain her stamina. She tried to keep up with Vic and Mizumi as they continued their battle. Vic’s speed and strength with the robe was beyond words. Every other second, his body would seemingly blink out of sight before appearing next to Mizumi to deliver a strike. She was becoming overwhelmed by his attacks, barely keeping enough control to try and draw him towards the nearest building.

  The drones overhead would have less of a chance of striking them, but she was running out of option against Vic. He continued to take advantage of the robe by alternating between the forms in bursts to deliver quick, but powerful attacks. Mizumi was past her limits. After delivering several strikes in a row, Vic’s attacks came to a halt. The continuous barrage finally brought Mizumi down to her knees, leaving her in a struggle to try and get her footing.

  “I don’t think you can hold up much longer,” Vic finally spoke. “I believe the Deep lied to you.”

  Mizumi remained silent, channeling everything she could muster. The power constantly tapped from the Deep held a massive strain. Every muscle in her body ached, the fire in her heart to finish this battle was nearly extinguished. She felt less human and much less stable with her mental state starting to deteriorate.

  “Whether or not I survive this is irrelevant, you still lose.” She gasped.

  Vic felt a surge of energy within her. He stood headstrong, letting Mizumi channel the attack as his face danced with arrogance. Her eyes started to gleam, piercing his gaze like a spear.

  “What is this? Is this supposed to be your ultimate technique?” Vic asked.

  “You’ll see.” Mizumi returned, her words beginning to echo.

  Her robe began to fade to black while her body flickered. The area around Vic slowly began to blur, causing him to shake his head. Once he stared back towards Mizumi, her body started multiply, leaving dozens of copies of her behind. As they moved forward, the copies started to slowly fade away, flickering out of sight while large black sheets of cloth began to drape the area around him.

  Vic took a deep breath before calmly walking forward. The black cloth resembled that from Mizumi’s robe and stretched as far as he could see. Each of the large sheets began to sway in the wind. All at once, dozens of apparitions resembling Mizumi began to blast from behind them, taking aim for Vic with their swords drawn. He swiped his hands through the air, trying to intercept each attack before they could collide.

  One after the other, the apparitions began to fade on contact, causing some confusion. He tried to keep his connection to the Deep in place to try and locate Mizumi from within the realm. The clones continued to come at him, but he did not relent. After tearing through a few more, his fist encountered Mizumi’s sword.

  She appeared before him, smiling as he tried to stab his hand towards her face. His fingers flew through, causing the outline of her body to slowly fade. The attacks continued, giving him a sense of fatigue as he continued to destroy apparitions.

  “Is this your best?” Vic asked.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet.” Mizumi’s voice echoed and repeated, causing him distress.

  “This is very annoying. Your powers with the Deep are impressive, but in comparison to me,” he trailed on for a moment, quickly striking his hand into the darkness in front of him. His fist met with Mizumi’s face, causing the dark canvas of the bizarre dimension to disappear. It had been like hitting a light switch. Mizumi took the punch to the face, losing focus and feeling her body launch away from him.

  She struck against the floor of the building, tumbling towards an old rusty desk. The blunt trauma left her dizzy, unable to stand. Vic could hear Rei’s footsteps coming up through the building, causing him to continue over towards Mizumi.

  “They’re merely a tap. You have so much control, but nothing that could stand to me,” he said before leaning down to grab her by the front of her robe. With a simple pull, her body lifted from the ground, leaving her dangling in his grip. He lifted his fingers towards her face, pressing them into Mizumi’s forehead as she struggled to keep her eyes open. At last, he pulled his hand back, balling it into a fist before concluding, “My powers are like a river.”

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  “Stop it!” Rei screamed as she finally emerged across the room.

  Vic slowly turned back to her, leaving his hand in place as he replied, “You don’t give up. You must have been the one that killed Yulia.”

  “I’ll kill you all the same.”

  Mizumi groaned as she tried to lift her hand to him, clenching onto his forearm. She was in no condition to fight back. The chances of victory were diminishing.

  “Rei, just run.” Mizumi gasped, her voice almost whimpering.

  “That’s the best advice you will ever receive,” Vic added. “I know you don’t have any stake in this fight.”

  “I’m here for you.” Rei hissed.

  “I don’t know if it was really Hideo’s mission to use you to fight me,” Vic slowly lowered Mizumi back to the ground, letting her finally rest on her knees. “But this is where we are.”

  “I know he was training me for you. I’ve been preparing my whole life for this moment.”

  “You could let me kill her and run,” he gave Mizumi’s face a press, pushing her back into the ground. “If this woman and your crew die here, we might end the war. However, if somehow your people are victorious, results remain the same. Our A.S.B. units will be rebuilt, I’ll be a martyr, and somebody else will deal with you.”

  “Then I will be right here waiting.”

  She raised her sword to him, preparing herself for the next burst of attacks. The onboard AI of her robe continued to send commands, causing her perception of time to alter. Vic began to move towards her, arms still to his side. The moment they shot up, she leapt into action. Both fighters lit up with a flash of blue, clashing at high speed. Rei swiped her blade, trying to keep control as she delivered strike after strike.

  Vic tried to keep up with her relentless attacks and eventually grabbed hold of the blade in flight. Before he could do a follow up, he saw a quick flash of green as Rei’s body lit up. She followed up with a punch directly to Vic’s chest, finally delivering a hit. The force pushed his body back several feet, his feet grinded against the floor as they kept his balance.

  Rei did not hesitate to follow through, dashing towards him to try and hit him again. Vic reached towards his robe, quickly pulling the handle of a sword hidden within. The weapon rose from inside his robe before smashing into Rei’s blade. Unlike hers, its blade was much thicker, resembling more of an oversized club with dozens of blades laying flush.

  “I’m glad I was able to use this,” Vic addresses her as he spun his blade through the air. Rei kept focused on the weapon as its blade seemed to multiply. “Eurasian steel, not like that relic of yours. You have to make it work for you, while this was made for me.”

  A stream of blades began to extend from Vic’s weapon, resembling a zigzag pattern as the interconnecting edges flew towards her. The weapons floated and spun seamlessly, their movement defying logic. The power and speed from the attack easily cut through the pillars and equipment in the office, forcing Rei on the retreat.

  Vic continued to whip the handle, causing the stream of blades to curl into a much more chaotic pattern. As the hypnotic rhythm of the weapons reached their coda, separating and shooting towards her. They rained down on her in a storm, leaving her to duck and weave her way to safety. One by one, the weapons swayed past her, stabbing into the building. Rei made her way past the last attack and started another mad dash towards Vic.

  The weapon in his hand retained a single blade that was just as powerful as the rest. Once he clashed with Rei’s weapon again, the two locked in place. His thumb moved over towards a switch on the handle while he continued to push her back. Once it pressed into it, there was a loud hum that rang out behind Rei. She pulled away from him, taking notice of the several blades already launched starting to fly back towards her.

  I have to use the Rising, she could feel something reaching out to her. While she dodged the weapons on their return, she felt her thoughts wandering back to the battle with Susumu. She could remember everything she did right and wrong in that battle. Vic was toying with her, and she knew that no matter how relentless she was, he was always a step ahead. It was going to take the Rising now. There’s no room for mistakes.

  She could feel the chill from the endless river. The blades flew past her, almost as if they were caught in the stream. The air around her started to become cold, sending a frigid breeze through the room. She snapped back into focus, parrying the next attacks without a thought.

  “Time to say goodnight.” Vic muttered before giving the weapon another wave through the air.

  His eyes gleamed with a cruel delight while he unleashed his attack. Rei’s expression shifted, then her power surged. The sudden increase gave him a shock which caught him off guard. As the blades came down, Rei was able to power through the mesh and deflect the attacks with her own blade.

  Her hair began to float through the air, flowing as if she was submerged in a river. While he prepared for his follow up, Mizumi sprang back to life. She went for a quick strike while his back was turned, nearly connecting her blade with his neck.

  Vic swung his sword back towards her, parrying the attack before throwing his fist forward. A gust of wind shot from it, quickly catching Mizumi and blasting her towards the edge of the building. Rei caught a glimpse of her sailing out of view. She moved forward, swatting the floating blades away before finally closing in on Vic. The sudden burst in strength and speed was enough to put him on the defensive.

  “What is this?” Vic asked.

  The Rising, Rei thought to herself. She finally grasped onto the Deep flowing through her, amplifying her power to new heights. The attacks continued, finally managing to land a few slashes to Vic’s arms. The edge of her weapon was able to cut through the robe, causing sparks to fly from his mechanical appendages beneath.

  Vic’s eyes started to light up, his face began to contort into a smile. He continued to ramp up the pressure, only to watch Rei turn the tables. She moved in again, this time forcing him to strike the air as she practically flowed past him. There was a loud ring from behind, followed by a sharp pain that shot down his back. The black metal blade of her weapon created a storm of blood and sparks, soon giving her the upper hand.

  The Deck Hall remained in place. The sounds of explosions and gunfire were nearing a head following the final strike on the Litvyak. The quick attacks from Nomad and Shirow tacked on with Mizumi and Rei’s precision were all able to put an end to most of the ground fighting within minutes.

  During the chaos, Megumi continued to push the wheels on her chair, each turn barely moved her towards her goal. The pain in her stomach was slowly beginning to subside, forcing her to finally rise out of the chair and begin her walk. The first few steps went smoothly but soon she could feel the wound tearing at her. Eventually, her walk turned into a limp while she began to glide her hands across the wall. The pressure and the pain caused her teeth to grind.

  Slowly but surely, she started to feel a sense of tranquility as the air around began to chill. She let her face dip towards the floor. The ambience from the Deep slowly began to consume the hallway, painting the walls black as the endless river consumed her.

  This is it, she thought. The words clearer, the pain in her stomach now felt distant while she found herself standing tall. She could feel the water surrounding her, the faint hums of the other world filled her head. Even further into the void she could hear a faint cadence of breaths.

  “Father.” she muttered.

  She could not explain it, but she knew it was Vic. She then caught a fleeting image of Rei deeper in the abyss, looming over a body at her feet. Once again, she was pushed to continue to the docking bays to find some way to reach him in time.

  “What are you doing out of your chair,” Yuki’s voice thundered through the hall as she shouted, taking the abyss around Megumi with it. She grabbed hold of the wheelchair and began to guide it down the hallway to Megumi. “You should save your strength, the fight isn’t over yet.”

  “I know this sounds insane,” Megumi replied, her voice shaking as she tried to keep her balance, “but I need to go out there.”

  “Sure thing, soldier, scientist,” she pulled Megumi back into the chair with minimal resistance. “I’m not sure what they will be calling you when we get back west.”

  “I’m not joking, I have to do this.”

  Megumi continued to think of the faint breaths from moments earlier as Yuki started to push her forward. In the back of her mind, she knew that the others were holding their own. It was no question the team with her weapons would be able to handle the onslaught. She knew Vic was among them and that something terrible was looming in his next steps.

  Right as Yuki began to turn the wheelchair, Megumi pushed her foot out and into the wall, causes the two to come to a halt.

  “Are you serious right now?” Yuki asked.

  “I can’t explain this,” Megumi repeated. “I need to go out there. You have to let me go.”

  Yuki gave an exaggerated, nervous smile to her. She took a moment to look at Megumi’s determined gaze, almost illuminating.

  “You’re just going to go out there alone,” Yuki laughed before turning the chair back towards the docking bay. “I’m just supposed to let you take a vehicle and run with it?”

  “If I can get to the car, I’ll be able to get to Rei and the others.”

  “It’s about that Rei,” she slowly began to lean into the chair, gently continuing it forward. “She’s really something else, isn’t she?”

  “I think she’s in danger and I have to go out there.”

  The silence lingered, but Megumi felt her heart flutter as she watched the chair continue forward. Soon, the two found themselves in the docking bay, which was vacant. Yuki pushed her over to one of the nearby trucks, finally bringing her to a stop.

  “I wasn’t here.” Yuki softly spoke before backing away from her.

  Megumi gave her gratitude to Yuki before sluggishly trying to load herself into the vehicle. The only image in her head was that of Rei and Vic. It was beyond intrusive thought, almost as if she lived through the moment before. She started the vehicle and began to steer it towards the exit in a race against time, finally driving into the ancient city.