Chapter Twenty

Part Two: This Is The Job

 

 Patch, Razor and Idol were awaiting Captain Crest to return from investigating the back of the Intermission tower. Idol was getting impatient; she knew as soon as he returned the sooner they could return home.

“Now we’re supposed to be stuck on babysitting duty?“ she grunted while her green eyes drifted over to Scant.

He was just squatting over the sand staring down at the ground without a word, Idol grimaced at the sight of him. Razor could relate with her unease, he wanted to return to the Beacon more than anything at the moment. Amongst the discomfort, Patch decided to speak up. 

“Imagine how this guy feels…” she began while looking at Scant mournfully.  “Don’t be insensitive, you two. He lost his entire Squad here, if anyone wants to leave more, it’s probably him.”

The trio all looked back at him once more. His silence was far more intimidating than if he said anything. There seemed to be a constant dark cloud hovering over him. 

“Hey.” Called out Idol to which Scant slowly looked up to match her gaze. 

“You’re the last of your Squad right? Lucky you, that means by Federation law you won’t be punished for failing your mission.” 

It took him a moment, but he responded with a low raspy voice. “Right…”

Razor and Patch exchanged weary looks. Idol’s eyes remained locked on his. She silently stared at his soulless eyes. 

“Didn’t the Captain say that he was hiding away? He would probably get terminated for desertion, last Unit or not.” Mumbled Razor attempting to recall Abyssus Unit protocol.

Patch nodded her head in disagreement. “Well, we’re the only ones to confirm that, if we don’t report him he should get off scot-free.” 

 Upon hearing that, Scant’s eyes dilated fiercely. Idol instinctively reached for her sheathed hook claw, and positioned her foot, preparing to strike, kicking up sand in the process. Idol caught herself however, why was she so on edge? He was just a human; she had no reason to feel this way, yet she did. Idol exhaled and turned her back to him to face her team.

“The only people who can put my life at risk… are them, and that Captain…” thought Scant to himself as he looked up at the Revival Squad. “Them…” 

Meanwhile the Revival Squad made a little huddle, to talk amongst themselves. Idol pulled out her Slate and showed it to her teammates.

“I say we call a flight now. We’re pretty much done here, right?” She muttered. “The sooner Crest comes back the sooner we can make that guy the Federation’s problem, not ours.”

“Can’t help but agree with you there Idol, this place is practically a grave sight, whatever new entity that came out of that rift is long gone…” added Razor while nervously rubbing his hands together.

Patch thought for a moment about what her allies were saying. She wasn’t particularly in a rush, but she understood their urgency.

Patch sighed. “Okay, well when Captain Crest gets back, we can leave-”

 Suddenly there was a flash of extreme darkness followed by a loud, high pitch screech. Behind them a large burst of energy was released blasting sand in all directions rendering the trio temporarily blind. What seemed like black electricity was emitting from Scant’s body. The surrounding air began to heat, the same way a forming Abyssiti Rift would. Sporadic spirals of glitchy matter began to form out of thin air into a large Abyssiti, which burned with an orange hue. 

They all pulled out their weapons and faced the newly formed Abyssiti, it was like nothing they’ve ever seen before. Razor looked disconcerted.

“W-What the hell!” He shouted. “Abyssiti don’t just appear like that- where did it come from?” 

 The Abyssiti had huge spikes sticking out of its back. It’s being with jagged spires extending from their large arm structures loomed over the Squad. The Abyssiti seemed to ignore the rules of gravity; it’s arms reached the ground yet it’s legs were far from it. Unlike all the other Abyssiti, this one didn’t come out of a rift, it just materialized on sight.

 It quickly launched its giant fist at the group which all of them narrowly dodged, Razor attempted to slice away at the Abyssiti however his hook claw broke like a ceramic knife against brick, he could barely comprehend what occurred as he landed. All he knew was that he was holding a broken weapon and that the Abyssiti was still intact. 

“T-This Abyssiti is different! Made from something tougher than any Abyssiti of the past! It’s like it's made of steel!”

Patch frantically looked around the beach, they would’ve seen such a large Abyssiti approach them miles in advance, it was like this creature really did form right in front of them. She then noticed someone was missing.

“He’s gone! The other Abyssus Unit guy was right where the Abyssiti appeared!” Cried out Patch concerned for Scant’s safety.

While fighting the Abyssiti, she missed her slice entirely and ended up tumbling underneath the entity. 

Razor shouted to his teammate with fear in his voice. “Patch be careful!”

“Crap!” Grunted Patch as she rolled on the ground, losing her grip on her hook claw. Not having enough time to escape, the giant mallet-like hand of the Abyssiti came down, crushing her spine into the sand.

Razor and Idol looked on in horror.

Idol jumped to strike it, but was immediately swatted out of the air, its fists hit her flush in the chest shattering every bone in her body, killing her in an instant. Idol’s lifeless body was flung, tumbling and twisting until she came to a stop. 

Razor was petrified, with his broken blade in hand. “We were caught off guard, nothing we have could do any damage to it.” Thought Razor in his final moments as he stared into the strange eyes of the Abyssiti with dread. “We… were bested.” The Abyssiti effortlessly pummeled Razor into the sand drenching it in his blood.

 In the present, Crest sat on the beach, his knees digging into the sand. The smell of blood permeated the air as the bodies of his comrades surrounded him. Crest remained there for what felt like forever; time seemed to be moving at a snail's pace for him. Scant was still lying unconscious in the background after being pulled out of the strange Abyssiti. 

Crest was holding his head silently. He stayed there in the sand, dwelling in his own misery as Abyssus Units ran toward him from an Airship that landed nearby. Two more soldiers stood in front of Scant, who was still completely limp, face down. Crest finally looked up at the soldiers, his eyes devoid of any human emotion as he had nothing left to muster.

The Abyssus Units boarded the Aircraft dragging Scant with them, while Captain Duo stood in its doorway, with Arsyle Cosme waving and calling out to Crest below. Duo looked over the beach, she saw the carnage scattered about, she turned away gritting her teeth. She hated to see her peers mangled and discarded like that. Young spirits, with dreams and desires, snuffed out in an instant. What brought the Captain the most pain, was the fact that deep down she kept thinking: “I’m glad I had been fortunate enough not to die like that.”

“How egocentric of me…” She thought to herself.

Duo adjusted her military hat and looked up at the three moons. The largest moon was shattered, just like any hope humanity ever had for a calm life. That moon was hanging over them all like an executioner's axe; a grim reminder of their place in this unforgiving world. But most of all… she hated to see Crest in this state once again. Where his entire team was stolen from him, leaving him the sole survivor.

“Captain! Captain Crest, it’s time for you to go home!” Shouted Arsyle at the slumped man on the beach, almost ignoring the massacre that clearly took place here moments prior. “Come along, we don’t want to wait out here until nightfall!” 

Crest slowly got up and silently walked onto the airship avoiding eye contact with anyone in the area. The door closed behind him, the ramp receding as the Federation Airship flew off. 

“We are very lucky to have found you alive Crest…” Claimed Arsyle with a solemn tone.

Duo, who was sitting next to Crest, rested her hand on his shoulder and looked at him, but he continued to stare at his bloodied hands blankly without a word. The transport ship cut through the sky as it made its way back to the Evangelist Federation territory. 

 Elsewhere, in the outskirts of the ruined world. The Task force were all collecting themselves after handling an Abyssiti Rift, Fives ran up to Below to help him off of the ground. In defeating those three Abyssiti the rift site was left in shambles, countless bodies of the fallen were scattered about, yet the four children remained.

After making sure the coast was clear, Dart descended from the window of an adjacent building down to her teammates. Fives and Below looked up at her as she landed beside them. Vanity eventually joined the group along with the only survivor of the Abyssus Squad. 

“Welp we did it, team!” Exclaimed Fives with a beaming smile.

Below frowned and face palmed with a hefty sigh. “There were more close calls than I’m willing to admit, but none of us died.”

Dart put her plasma rifle across her back. “Just as planned.”

“Well I almost did, but Fives saved me. Good work on fixing that cannon.” Added Vanity with an exhausted exhale. 683-T stood quietly behind her, she looked back at him.

“Speaking of saving… where’s my thank you?” Asked Vanity to the Abyssus Unit, to which he scoffed.

“A thank you? No, you were doing your job… you weren’t doing me any favors. It was just your task, nothing more, nothing less.” Stated 683-T while walking away to call for the Federation to pick them up.  

Vanity scowled. Just a job or not, the bottom line was that she risked her own life to save him. Yet, he dismisses her efforts like she was just required to do so. It pissed her off beyond belief.

 Before anyone could say another word however, the Abyssiti rift, a few feet away from the group, began to make strange static noises. It was flickering like a device with bad connection until, with a warped outcry, it collapsed in on itself, closing. Completely vanishing into thin air as if it never existed in the first place. Then soon after the sounds of airship turbines rang out, filling the air as they approached the five.

“I guess this was a mission: successful…” Muttered Below looking up at the sky.

A few moments later a Federation airship landed near the old rift site where the Task force and the Abyssus Unit hopped on. The aircraft let up its landing gear as the engines roared. It flew off back towards the Southern Enclosure within the walls.