“...Did you just say ‘Give’?”

“You perfectly understood what I said, do not make me repeat myself.” Warmonger replied.

“...Pffft-” After a short silence, Chloe suddenly began laughing. “Haha… Right, my bad, I forgot about that.” She said, a crazed smile on her face.

“C-Chloe?” Ticia looked at Chloe with a surprised look. What had made Chloe react like that?

“You’re lucky Ticia.” Chloe replied, still smiling like a madman. It did not seem she was sarcastic however... 

“Seems like Warmonger still has his leash on. If not he would have just killed you immediately. Right Warmonger? Who’s your master this time?” She said the first part to Ticia, before looking in the air as she said the second part, addressing Warmonger.

“...You’re still as insolent as ever. It would seem like I haven’t disciplined you hard enough.” Warmonger replied with a calm tone, yet clear irritation in his voice. It made Chloe freeze for a second before she began shivering a bit.

His last words had an effect on her, but Chloe overcame that after a few seconds, regaining calmness although with some drops of sweat. 

Meanwhile, Ticia analyzed their discussion.

They have known each other for quite a long time it seems, and I can tell this isn’t a good relationship. Chloe’s reactions are the same as the ones orphans like me had with violent adults.

Ticia’s thoughts of the past were quickly washed away as she focused on the conversation.

“I am currently receiving orders from the head scientist of this place.”

“I see, and right now what he’s looking for is Emily, but the moment you sensed the girls and made your report to him, they caught his interest and now he wants to get them at all cost, is that right?” Chloe asked.

“...”

Warmonger did not answer, but this was as good as acquiescing.

“Ok, got it.” Chloe nodded before glancing towards Ticia. Ticia immediately caught on to what this meant.

Apparently, this Warmonger is someone we can get information from. Good for us, it means we can act while he’s talking.

Ticia paid attention to what was happening around her. The first thing she noticed was the lack of incoming projectiles or gunfire from their enemies, which left her allies with some respite to move around, better position themselves and treat the wounded. The group had taken some losses, but going by her own estimations, they were still strong.

What we need right now is to eliminate the ‘sniper’ and reduce the intensity of the lasers we’re receiving.

Ticia wanted to neutralize the harpoon sniper.

Just like anti-tank guns were used against tanks, harpoons had been used by the Ionian republic as an anti-armored skinsuit weapon. From her own battlefield experience, she had only seen the Ionians use this kind of weapon. Now Ticia knew where the technology had emerged from.

After making sure her daughter was okay, she made sure to analyze the sniper’s movements.

No one was protected from their own antics, not even Ticia. She would use his habits to kill him.

Besides, she now had personal grudges against that sniper, Warmonger, and the one leading them. She wouldn’t let them go like that.

I pretty much know where the target is. All I need is an opening.

She glanced towards Fana and ECG-021 who were both right next to her. Seeing that Rebot-ia had gone silent, she feared her communication channels might be hijacked. She made some quick hand signs to them.

The two ECGs looked at each other before nodding and signaling to their fellow sisters something with hand signs. Some other clones caught on them and somehow understood their intentions.

Meanwhile, the conversation between Chloe and Warmonger continued.

“So… you don’t happen to have met big sis by any chance recently?” Chloe asked.

“...If by that you mean Doctor Willbix, then the answer is yes, I did encounter that criminal before the shutdown.”

“Watch your words. She’s a council member.” Chloe chided back angrily.

“Not anymore. She committed the most treacherous act against the UFG. She destroyed the Eve sample!”

“Wha-!?” Chloe’s eyes grew big. She was not the only one who reacted to Warmonger’s angry words as other clones also froze momentarily. 

“Not only that, she also gave the AI faction the location of this place. The master you and Warspite followed so loyally after deserted, leaving both of you behind!”

“I’m sure there was a logical reason behind what she did.” Chloe immediately replied. She did not appear shaken up by the actions Claudia had supposedly done, nor did she deny them, which meant that Chloe believed what Warmonger said to be true. 

The other clones however were of another opinion. Some of them looked at each other with unsure looks. Ticia took a single look towards Rebot-ia’s emoji, which had a shocked look, but noticing Ticia’s glance, the AI made a small serious nod. Even she seemed to believe Claudia was capable of doing that. 

For a moment Ticia thought the clones would end up surrendering, but the clones themselves quickly got back to work when others told them.

“I see no need in understanding her actions.” Warmonger replied to Chloe. “What’s important is what she did. She destroyed something extremely valuable to our side and then deserted us to join our main enemy. She deserves the death penalty.”

“And what if she did it for us clones?”

“It remains a fact that she betrayed us. She cannot be trusted anymore. If I encounter her again, I’ll shoot her on sight.”

“You sure you aren’t saying that because of Emily?”

“Both are unrelated, but I will admit that I am slightly delighted that I am now allowed to kill her.”

The conversation continued without any real meaning. Chloe was gaining time for Ticia to make her move.

“Even if your superior is against it?”

“I only act on the principles I’ve been taught. This betrayal goes against all rules and laws that have been written concerning cloning.”

“Right... You haven’t changed one bit.” Chloe smiled despite his words.

“Now!” Ticia suddenly shouted as she got a window of opening. She immediately got up and fired three laser beams with her rifle at a position. Her daughters also sprang up and fired their weapons.

Just then, Ticia’s instinct spiked. She immediately dodged to the right without even verifying the result of her shots. 

A loud noise rang out. When she turned, a harpoon had pierced the wall right where she had been hiding. She hadn’t been the only one who was waiting for an opening…

Not long after, she heard another clone shout.

“Sniper down!”

The clones immediately cheered.

“Heck yeah! Take that you fuckers!”

“Nice shot!” 

Even Chloe smiled. This time it was a natural smile with a mix of relief visible on her face.

Somehow, this act alone had been enough to raise the mood of the clones on Ticia’s side, which was quickly quietened by the repost sent by the other side.

“...How infuriating…” Warmonger commented, his tone chilling.  “You’re an impurity and yet you were able to take down an Adam class so easily… As expected, this can only be attributed to Warspite.”

“Still talking?” Ticia couldn’t help but comment with a frown, to which Chloe sighed.

“He’s always been like that. I’ve never seen him panic.” She said as she verified the number of munitions she had left. “Oh, but there was that one time when Emily-”

“You better keep your mouth shut right now, defective, before I force it close.”

Warmonger intervened once again, this time with clear anger in his voice. Whatever happened between him and Claudia, it seemed like Warmonger was ashamed of it.

“Anyway, we need to find a way to get out of this situation.” Chloe continued, acting as if nothing happened despite the cold sweat on her forehead.

“Agreed. We're most likely already encircled. We can’t stay here either though when they have the advantage of knowing the terrain.”

“Sorry, this is my fault.” Laura said from the side, which led from a response from Chloe before Ticia even had the time to say anything.

“Apologies won’t get us anywhere right now, so focus on staying alive instead.”

Ticia nodded in agreement. She wanted to know the reason behind Laura’s sudden outburst, but now was not the time.

“Where exactly do you think yo-” Warmonger’s voice suddenly stopped midway.

“Mother, I have destroyed the speaker and its microphone!” One of the ECG nearby suddenly declared, proud of herself. She had most probably grown annoyed of Warmonger’s comments.

“...Yeah, good job, I guess?” Ticia replied, somewhat conflicted.

Well, thanks to that, the pressure surrounding us has disappeared. Ticia thought as she once again looked around her. The clones seemed to have completely regained their spirit and engaged the enemy at their full power.

Not only that, Ticia had remarked something. While the others were struggling under the pressure, she got used to it quite fast. She wasn’t the only one as her daughters also seemed fine after the first pressure. It reinforced the thought that she had a ‘purer’ version of clone genes, which brought her closer to Adam and Eve classes.

I might really be linked to Emily.

“We’re gonna get mowed down if we stay static against that man.” Chloe warned, they needed to come up with something as fast as possible.

“So what do we do?” Laura asked.

“No choice but to go all guns blazing in one direction!” Ticia declared, recharging her rifle as she did so.

My instincts are telling me to fight. That’s the only way we’re getting out of this situation. It’s them or us!

“This sounds like a great plan Mother!” Fana praised from the side while ECG-021 also expressed her support.

“That would mean leaving behind any wounded who aren’t capable of walking though.” Chloe remarqued, which made Ticia hesitate a little. There was no way she’d abandon one of her daughters!

“How about I make a distraction?” Laura suddenly suggested. “We all got into this mess because of me in the first place anyway, so might as well act as bait for you all.”

“It won’t work.” Chloe shook her head. “Warmonger’s focus is solely on Ticia and her daughters, he’ll just ignore you. Best you can be is a mosquito for him.”

The words were harsh, but Laura wasn’t outraged by what Chloe just told her. She simply nodded, lost in thoughts.

So the problem is him in the end… Ticia thought before looking at Chloe with a serious look.

“Are you confident you can face Adam class clones?”

“I can manage, but I probably won’t be able to kill them by myself.” Chloe said back seriously. Ticia nodded.

“The others?”

“A good part of them have faced high class clones during the rebellion. They’ve developed both a resistance to their pressure as well as tactics to deal with them. If they’re in a squad, they can survive.” Chloe replied. It wasn’t a positive answer, but neither was it negative. 

“And if you face this Warmonger?”

“Not a chance.” Chloe immediately replied negatively, not even giving the idea a thought. “I’ve already been beaten by him until I was unable to move due to pain. I don’t want to face him again. As for the others, don’t even think about it. He won’t spare them like us.”

Ticia nodded before closing her eyes for a few seconds, she then opened them again with a determined look.

“Then I guess we have no choice. We must do the opposite of what they expect. Let’s charge straight into them.” 

““What!?””

“Fana, 021, gather your squad, we’re going straight for Warmonger.”

““Understood Mother.”” The two ECGs saluted, determination clear in their voice while Laura and Chloe looked at Ticia with utter disbelief.

“Hey, hey. Do you realize the absurdity of what you just said? This is suicide!” Chloe strongly protested.

“She’s right Ticia, let me go instead!” Laura also interjected, though her reason was completely different from Chloe, who then looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.

“You- did you even listen to what I just said?”

“I did. That’s why I should go. To redeem myself.” Laura said with a determined look straight into Ticia’s eyes.

Does that girl truly have a death wish? Ticia could not help but think. That, or she has a big sense of honor. Which is kinda weird, since she didn’t really seem like the kind of person who would hold honor so high? But then again she’s from the empire… Still, she doesn’t fit the ‘sacrifice’ role.

She had evaluated Laura to be someone not used to the battlefield. Her performance was average at best, what could such a person do against elite soldiers?

“...I still have some unused cards in my deck.” Seemingly having read Ticia’s thoughts, Laura declared this with a dead serious look. What she meant by that, Ticia did not know, but time was running out…

“Do whatever you want.” She relented.

“...There’s no stopping you huh?” Chloe commented with an exasperated sigh, putting a hand over her face. When Ticia nodded to her, a small wry smile formed on Chloe’s face. “Well, Claudia and Emily would be the same.”

It was clear that Chloe was once again comparing her to those two women, but Ticia let it slide, it wasn’t meant in a bad way.

“I’ll do my best to deal with the rest, so don’t die out there.” The clone woman said before moving out of her position. Seemingly to give orders. Ticia, on her side, was approached by ECG-081, ECG-091, and ECG-055, who was in charge of the remaining incomplete squad. She could tell the two first were worried while the last one did not show any emotions and was calm.

“Mother, are you sure?” ECG-081 asked.

“I am, dear. This ain’t enough to kill me, you know?” Ticia said back, patting the girl’s shoulder reassuringly while cracking a small joke of confidence. The two ECGs did not take the joke well, but it seemed to have lessened their worries to some extent. 

“081, I give your squad complete autonomy for this operation. Act as you see fit.”

“!!! Yes, Mother.” ECG-081 was surprised by the sudden command and her eyes grew wide, but saluted. Ticia then faced ECG-091. 

“091, your squad should keep an eye near our wounded and act as a reserve unit. You never know what can happen. 

“But Mother, shouldn’t we engage all we have right now?” ECG-091 asked back worriedly. ECG-081 nodded in agreement.

“That would be the right thing to do.” Ticia nodded.

“Then-”

“But I can see right through you, 091.” Ticia said with a warm tone, making ECG-091 flinch.

“You’re worried about the wounded, aren’t you?” Ticia continued. ECG-091 hesitated before nodding.

“Then it is fine for you to stay behind.”

“But-”

“We’re gonna get encircled anyway, so just see it as acting as a rear guard if that helps you.”

“...Understood. Be careful Mother.” ECG-091 saluted with a look of mixed gratitude and apology. Both ECGs then left to join up their squads while the remaining ECGs assembled around Ticia.

“055, your squad will go with us.” She then said to ECG-055.

“Mother, will there be a reward at the end?” The ECG asked back instead of acknowledging the order, which surprised the others. She received a light hit to the side by ECG-021 who was right next to her but before the latter could chide her for being greedy, Ticia answered.

 “Yes, I’ll give you a name if that’s what you want.”

““!!!””

That was a reward that went beyond what the clone girl expected. Even her sisters were surprised.

“This goes for all of you, so don’t die out there, okay?” Ticia then added to motivate the rest. It had the wanted effect as all of them saluted her energetically.

““Yes! Loyalty to Mother!””

…They’ve been saying things like that for a while now… I don’t know what to think about it… Ticia could not help but smile bitterly at the warcry the ECGs seemed to have adopted during this expedition.

Wait, I didn't put a flag just now, did I? Crap, I did… Oh, to hell with it.

“About the gatling, let me deal with it.” Laura then declared, putting Ticia out of her thoughts.

“How?”

“Explosives.” The red haired woman answered with a machiavellian snicker. “Ah, it’ll be embarrassing so don’t look.” She then added while blushing.

“...” Ticia had a lot to say but kept quiet. In the first place, how did this woman want to explode the position? She had not even a grenade on her!

“Ahem, trust me, I can deal with this cleanly.” Laura added, going back to serious mode, but still embarrassed.

“Fine, do it then.” Ticia relented. Just in case, she planned a second plan to deal with the position. “Rebot-ia, I need your assistance.” 

“Finally relying on me some more huh? Activating Basic Battle Assistance protocol… Battle protocols activated! Unfortunately, they don’t amount to much right now since I can’t hijack my way through, so instead I’ll mark anything that moves within your field of vision!” The AI replied. She seemed happy to be relied upon for once.

“That’s appreciated Rebot-ia. Do you think you can share it with the girls?”

“Standard wireless communications are out of the question in this sector, the enemy has taken appropriate measures to jam coms. Hmmm… I’ll try with unorthodox means… Wi-Fi connection… Failure. Bluetooth connection…  success. Implementing necessary programs… success. Information network in place! Ha! Take that Radical scum!” Rebot-ia seemed quite pleased with her own work.

Ticia’s HUD became lit up with silhouettes of three types. Red ones for the enemy, green for allies and blue for her daughters. Even when she turned in another direction, the coloured silhouettes appeared instantly, no doubt thanks to the linked information network.

“Perfect, I couldn’t ask for more.” Ticia smirked. “Let’s go!”

““For Mother!””

At her words, the ECGs activated their energy shields in scutum mode before rushing out of their position while letting out a warcry. Ticia and Laura followed after them. 

The enemy immediately began focusing fire on them, but their attempt was continuously interrupted by a barrage of laser beams coming from Ticia's allies, providing support fire.

“Come on guys! Don’t let them target the little Eves!” Ticia heard Chloe say from behind, followed by war cries coming from the friendly clones.

“Losing to newbies!? Come on guys, we can do better!”

“We’ve been through so much until now, we can’t just let them shoot us!”

“Kill those puppets and prideful high class clones!”

Ticia and her group advanced  at a rapid pace inside the small park. They were welcomed by clone sentries who charged without a thought towards them.

“Sisters! Hoplon mode! Wedge formation!” 

““Yes!””

ECG-021 shouted her orders and the remaining ECGs got to work, forming a wedge in front of Ticia and Laura. They kept their shields in the smaller circular form, allowing them more space to maneuver while shooting the incoming enemies.

Some clone sentries managed to approach their formation. The ECGs dealt with them quickly with either a shield jam or a bayonet thrust.

None of them stopped, charging straight for their objective.

“The rotary cannons will soon be in range to shoot us! Laura, how close do you need to be!?” Ticia asked while running and shooting. 

“Just a bit more! It should be fine once we reach this stone monument!” The red haired woman said, pointing to a stone pedestal right in front of them.

Just then the rotary cannon of the gatling activated. With the continuous sound of its rotation, it began spewing out a continuous burst of laser beams.

“Shit!” Ticia cursed. It was too late to avoid!

The ECGs at the front received the full brunt of the burst with their shields in hoplon mode.

“Guh!”

“Agh! For Mother!”

Fortunately, such weapons were not very precise and only three ECGs out of the fifteen received heavy damage. The one at the center of the formation received the most hits. Her energy shield overloaded and broke, leaving her vulnerable to the laser beams. She immediately received a hit to the shoulder, yet she continued forward despite the hits.

The ECG to her left desperately tried to cover her wounded sibling by sharing her own shield, which left some openings in her own defense. A laser beam reached her head as a result, making her stagger as she lost her helmet yet she immediately continued to push forward.

The last one got hit in the leg and fell.

“Close the formation! We must continue forward! 028, hold on a bit longer!” ECG-021 shouted and her siblings obeyed without a complaint.

“Can you walk, 025?” Ticia asked as she helped her fallen daughter.

“I can… Mother, do not… worry.” The ECG said back before accelerating her pace to rejoin the formation. Still, the painful grunts and clear limping showed that the clone girl was forcing herself.

Fortunately, they reached the pedestal quickly and got to cover. The burst from the gatling laser gun continued to hammer them.

“The rock should hold out for 3 minutes and twelve seconds!” Rebot-ia warned, putting a timer on Ticia’s HUD.

“Laura! Deal with the position now!”

“Righto!” The woman replied back before dropping what she was doing and… removing the upper part of her armored skinsuit.

“Wha-” Ticia became speechless as she noticed something anormal.

Laura’s back could be considered normal from a certain distance, but from close distance, you could see some incongruencies around her shoulder blades… They seemed a bit more marked compared to the rest and burnt marks were visible all around them. 

“Prosthetics?” Ticia let out without knowing.

“Ugh, that’s why I said it was embarrassing!” Laura said back bashfully, her cheeks red. “Ah, could you plug this on my right shoulder blade? Thank you.” She said while stretching a cable to Ticia. The cable was connected to what Ticia could only identify as a sort of pan.

“???” Despite her confusion, Ticia did as she was told, she plugged in the weird pan.

“Hya!?” Laura let out a weird voice. “Gosh this always feels so weird!”

““...””

After that, she pushed a button on the pan’s handle that looked like a trigger.

*Bzzzt*

Suddenly the pan extended and became a long tube nearly Laura’s size.

“A rocket launcher!?” Ticia exclaimed.

“Nuhuh. It’s something even better honey~.” Laura said back with a playful smug on her face. She took out a spherical container from her backpack with her left hand. Ticia immediately recognised what was in this container.

“Plasma!? Wait, don’t tell me it’s-”

“Yeah, it’s a portable recoilless plasma cannon. Well, more like a prototype.” Laura said without a blink.

Holy shit... 

Ticia began to sweat profusely. She had used a plasma rifle back then when she was under Rika’s command, so she knew exactly what these kinds of weapons did…

Plasma is a matter so hot it keeps burning its target after touching it. Since it is extremely dangerous, it is heavily regulated with international treaties banning the production or use of these weapons above the 8 mm gun caliber.

Of course, there were always some bypassings to such treaties, but as far as she knew, aside from some new generation warships, plasma cannons were not common.

But now you’re telling me this is a PORTABLE plasma cannon!? Are you kidding me!? What the hell are they doing in the empire!?

“By the way, my sister developed this weapon. She’s such a genius, isn’t she~?”

“I didn't need to know that! Just shoot already!”

“OK!” Laura loaded the plasma shell into the cannon. She took a deep breath as the weapon made a low hum. Ticia could tell the cannon was draining energy from Laura’s prosthetics to fire its projectile.

“Alright! Everything's ready! Bye-bye annoying gatling gun~~.” Laura said lightly, taking aim towards the rotary cannons. The enemy saw her, but it was already too late.

There was a flash that momentarily blinded Ticia's view despite her visor’s protection, followed by a loud noise.

*Fwump….KABOOOOOOOOM*

When the flash receded, a scene of horror presented itself to Ticia. The fortified gun position was completely destroyed. There was a huge hole where the entrance to the town hall filled with hot, almost liquid blue flame that melted both rock and metal.

*Thunk*

The gatling gun, who seemed to have been projected in the air, landed near the whole mess. It had somehow survived the blow, but nobody could approach it because of the flames and how scorching hot the cannon was…

Multiple enemy clones were blown to smithereens by the blast. Some unfortunate enemy clones nearby had also been caught in the deflagration and were screaming in pain as the flames slowly consumed them. Only the clone sentries remained silent as they were eaten by the plasma while struggling to face Ticia’s group… 

The battlefield became silent for a moment…

“Well… shit…” Ticia was sweating bullets.

So this is the result of a banned weapon… No wonder people restricted it so much, it’s worse than Napalm…

“*cough cough* Agh- *cough*”

She suddenly heard a series of bad coughs. She turned around, only to see Laura coughing up blood. The arm that had supported the plasma cannon was now limp while the cannon itself had become a melted piece of hot fuming scrap from which small electric arcs came out. Luckily, it had unplugged itself from Laura’s shoulder blade.

“Damn. This is why I don’t like using this kind of weapon. It drains way too much ener-*cough*”  Laura said while covering her mouth. She also seemed to have a nosebleed and although her star shaped prosthetic eyes seemed fine, droplets of blood also dripped from them. Overall it looked pretty bad.

Laura however had an expression on her face that told Ticia she didn’t care much about the pain…

Laura then took out a syringe of Premium Panacea and planted it deeply into her right shoulder. 

“Agh, much better. Still, guess I’ll feel like shit for a while….” She said with a weak laugh before noticing Ticia’s incredulous gaze.

“What is it? Did this show of force make you fall in love with me?”

“...Is this the cost of using such a weapon?” Ticia asked.

“Well, kinda? I’m not sure since nobody else ever used it aside from me.” Laura replied.

“You… Just what…” Ticia did not finish her words, sensing that what she was about to say was rude, but surprisingly, Laura smiled.

“Remember when Chloe called me an android girl? Well, although I hate to admit it, she wasn’t that far from the truth… You see, I’m kind of what some like to call a cyborg?” She said sheepishly. “I had… bad things happening to me in the past, which left me with not much remaining flesh…”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Ticia frowned, not understanding the sudden confession.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Laura smirked. “That’s becau-”

““Whoaaaaaaaaa!””

Laura’s words were interrupted by loud cheers, followed by Chole’s voice..

“The entrenched position has been dealt with! Push forward!”

Ticia’s allies jumped out of their protected zones and advanced towards them at a quick pace.

“They’re advancing! Don’t let them get close!” Someone on the other side shouted and another exchange of fire took place. This time however, due to having lost their main defensive point, the laser barrage coming from the enemies was less intense.

“That sure was some impressive show of force!” Chloe said as she linked up with Ticia and Laura, followed by ECG-081 and a part of ECG-091’s squad. She smiled meaningfully at the red haired woman who was putting back her armored skinsuit in a hurry, half panicking. “The loss of their gatling gun surely has affected their morale, good job.”

“No problem! This is only me redeeming myself!” Laura said back with a smile.

“Well, you certainly did something, android girl.”

“Stop calling me that!”

“Anyway, be prepared. Until now he remained out of it because he thought there was no need for him to intervene, but now that you blew up their main firepower, he won’t stay behind.” Chloe said with a serious look, completely ignoring the annoyed Laura .

“Leader! The enemy is falling back inside! Should we follow?” One clone informed Chloe.

“Don’t. Remember that you are facing Adam class clones. We must remain careful. Besides, there are still a lot of clones around us. We might have surprised them by charging into them, but the situation still remains…” Chloe warned, to which the clone nodded before leaving. 

“Mother, permission to get closer?” ECG-021 asked.

“Permission allowed. Actually, keep escorting me. Let’s go together.” Ticia said. Together with Laura, Chloe and the other ECGs, they advanced towards the entrance of the town hall.

Remains of plasma were still present as they approached the defensive position. They stopped at the end of the park, taking cover behind its small wall. Rubles had landed everywhere on the road, offering enough cover for her group to securely advance.

“Warning. High rise in temperature detected due to remains of plasma. Owner, I’d recommend not getting close to that place.” Rebot-ia warned.

“Can’t the armor protect us from the heat?” Ticia asked, knowing she had put a cooling function into her armored skinsuit.

“Well, it can so long as you don’t touch the plasma. This is just advice taking into account those who don’t have protection.” The AI replied.

True. The others don’t have armored skinsuits. Ticia acknowledged.

At the same time, Ticia heard a series of explosions into the distance.

“According to my calculations, this is coming from Bronz’s location.” Rebot-ia informed, making Ticia pray her daughters were safe.

Nearly at the same time, the enemies intensified their fire.

“Leader! More puppets and clones are coming from the sides!” A friendly clone warned.

“Stay strong men! Keep your positions and push them back!”

““Roger!””

“Ticia, the Adams are coming.” Chloe then warned.

“I know.” Ticia immediately replied. She had felt it. 

It was a strange sensation similar to her instincts when she was in danger, but it did not warn her of danger… Rather, it told her that clones of ‘her caliber’ were approaching…

She looked at her daughters. All of them were as tense as she was, ready for battle. The three wounded clones were treating themselves using Premium Panacea Laura had pulled out from who knows where. They seemed tired, but Ticia could tell they did not want to stay behind with the wounded. 

It was something she had noticed, but the members of ECG-021’s squad were rather persistent, ignoring their own wounds and fighting until their mission was completed, even if it was suicidal. They acted like berserkers.

Then, ECG-021 and the members of her squad, including Fana and the three wounded clones, suddenly sprang up from their hiding position near Ticia and rushed towards the entrance of the town hall.

“Wait, what are you girls doing!?” Ticia shouted in a panic, but her instinct immediately warned of danger and she quickly hid back, just in time to avoid a laser beam.

Meanwhile, the ten ECGs became the focus of the clones defending the building. Laser beams came from the windows towards them, but the ECGs either defended themselves with their shields while advancing or took the damage.

“Squad 8! Throw your pilums at the windows!” ECG-081 yelled, her squad provided much needed support for squad 2 by preventing enemies stationed at windows to fire at their siblings. Some pilums managed to pierce through the walls and were able to reach their target.

Squad 2 arrived at the entrance of the town hall where they were met by a group of defending clones.

“Charge!” Fana did not leave them the time to react and charged directly at them, followed by most of squad 2.

“Wha-!?” The enemy clones were surprised by the sudden charge, but reacted swiftly for close quarter combat. 

Fana faced the first clone with a bayonet charge. He reacted by moving to the side to avoid the charge. Fana however suddenly stopped mid-charge, grabbed the clone’s gun and pulled it towards her. The clone released his grip instead of trying to compete and then tried to grab a knife while retreating a few steps. However, he was met with Fana’s fist right in front of his face.

“Ghuh!”

Unable to avoid, he took the punch while diminishing the impact by going backward, but Fana wasn’t finished here. Still holding the clone’s gun by the barrel, she used it as a mass to strike the clone's head’s side with its cross.

“Gufuh!”

Another clone charged at her from the side but Fana just flipped the gun before pulling its trigger, killing the second man instantly before bashing a third charging clone with her energy shield.

Fana was extremely aggressive while fighting and did not leave room for her enemies to think. Her sisters were very similar, yet while it seemed they all acted impulsive, the cooperation between each of them was top notch, providing assistance to the other when needed. They all continued to attack like berserkers, neutralizing as many clones as possible.

Their enemies however soon adapted and a brutal close quarter combat began where neither side had the upper hand. The ECG’s enemies slowly but surely began to overwhelm squad 2 with numbers, some Adam clones joined in as well, making the situation even more difficult.

“Guh! For Prime sister Nicia! For Mother!”

““Eternal loyalty to Mother!”” 

Fana shouted as she fought tooth to tooth with three enemy clones who were trying to take her down. Her sisters also let out warcries.

Ticia would have jumped in to help them, had it not been for her facing her own problems.

Just after the charge of squad 2, a group of enemy clones jumped out from the windows of the first floor. They landed safely on the ground before charging straight towards Ticia.

“He’s here!” Chloe warned alarmingly while pointing with a finger towards the group. Her voice a mix of fear and tension. Ticia immediately understood she was talking about Warmonger.

The man Chloe was pointing to was at the head of the enemy group charging towards them. He was a tall, slender yet well toned man with chiseled physical features that made him perfect. If she were to compare him to David Fika, who was also a handsome man, then Warmonger would win in all domains.

He wore a military uniform of the same color tone as Chloe’s that fitted him like a glove, simple in design yet filled with ribbons, which proved he was someone heavily decorated. His hair was cut very short, hidden for the most part under an officer’s military cap. Call it confidence or not, he wore no defensive gear.

Most notable of all, he had a small scar on his right cheek.

No, even without Chloe telling me, I know it’s him…

His presence left a bigger mark than regular Adams. He made Ticia feel suffocated, her instincts telling her that she was ‘inferior’ and that she should avoid confrontation with him as much as possible. The others also felt the same. Their movement slowed down for a bit, which left a window of opening for Warmonger and his group to lay waste on the surrounding clones.

“Gah!”

“Help!”

“They’re throwing grenades at us!”

Some clones had not expected grenades to be thrown so close to one another as it would incur friendly fire, but Warmonger and his men did not seem to care apparently, nor did the other enemy clones. From the beginning he was focused on one person: Ticia.

Ticia and her daughters reacted quickly despite the pressure. They began shooting back.

“Fall back! Don’t try to face them!” Chloe shouted to her subordinates as she looked upon the chaotic situation, before looking towards Ticia. “The moment we lose our cohesion, we’re doomed!”

Ticia nodded. The worst that could happen during a fight was the loss of cohesion and communication.  

Someone needs to ensure cohesion and boost morale!

The obvious choice was Chloe, however the latter was also pinned down by enemy fire. She couldn’t move. Ticia then turned to her right side to ask Laura if she could take the lead, but…

“Where!?”

Laura had disappeared…

Not only her, but 081’s squad’s also nowhere to be seen! Where the hell did they go!?

Ticia looked around, fixing the remaining daughters around her for an answer. However none of them gave her one. they were simply too busy fighting back to pay attention to what was going on around them.

“Rebot-ia, where’s squad 8!?” Ticia asked.

“They went inside the building!” The AI replied, but before Ticia could even reply, a grenade landed at Ticia’s feets.

“Fuck!” Ticia cursed. She had no time to worry about her daughters!

She grabbed the grenade and threw it back the way it came from, however, a laser beam pierced it, making it explode mid-air.

Warmonger had shot it down…

“Wh-!?”

Ticia was taken aback, which left her vulnerable. The remaining ECGs around her had her back however.

“Pilum throw! Now!” ECG-055 shouted. The ECGs immediately threw their pilums towards Warmonger’s group.

“Hmph.” Letting out a scornful hmph, Warmonger evaded the pilums thrown at him with some light movements. Moqt of his underlings managed to do the same, albeit some were hit.

The ECGs were not discouraged however, they continued to throw their pilums one after the other while correcting their errors. This managed to take down a few clones and injure some others.

Warmonger’s focus began to shift towards the ECGs, but Ticia did not give him the time to do so. She took out her pistols and started blasting towards him. Warmonger took cover behind some ruble before giving his orders.

“Take down the counterfeits, I’ll deal with the lead one. Permission to kill them is granted.”

His men did not respond with words but with action. They began targeting the ECGs around Ticia who riposted with all they had. This gave Chloe some respite, which allowed her to move from her position.

“Don’t give up guys! Do as we drilled! Apply the Goliath countermeasures!” She barked orders left and right, moving as much as possible and making her voice heard. The clones reacted to it.

“Get yourselves together guys! This is for freedom!”

“Let’s get revenge for all our fallen comrades!”

“We can’t fail here after all we’ve been through!”

“Like we drilled, go!”

Some form of cohesion reappeared thanks to her actions and some other clones soon followed after her in boosting their comrade’s morale. Thanks to this, less clones fell victim to the enemy. The clones avoided as much contact with adams as possible, leaving the ECGs to handle them while providing fire support if needed.

Warmonger noticed this and pointed his gun towards Chloe.

“Take that wo-!!”

He was interrupted by the sudden noise of fire coming from behind him. A round of laser beams went crashing into his and his men’s position, killing some of them. This was followed by a hysterical laugh.

“I like this new weapon!”

“021!?” Ticia could not help but be surprised. A battered ECG-021 stood on open grounds, laughing crazily while holding the gatling gun. She was firing endlessly on the sentry clones coming around her.

It appeared that while her sisters were fighting, she had taken some time to inspect the gatling gun…

“Take that crazy woman do-guh!?”

“Nng…Glory to Mother!”

When some enemy clones tried to approach ECG-021, they were faced by Fana and the remaining members of squad 2 who covered her flanks, not allowing any enemy to get close.

Their enemies were more experienced than them and it showed. The ECGs did their best to fight back with the support of surrounding clones, but while they held their ground, their wounds were slowly accumulating... 

Ticia herself wanted to help them, but she had no leeway to do so.

Each time she peeked her head out, a laser beam would be sent her way. Despite his attention being taken away by the surroundings, Warmonger kept an eye on her. He was relentless, but so was she.

I won’t let this motherfucker take me down!

Ticia’s fighting spirit and instincts had been boosted up for a moment now. She did not know the reason why, but ever since she saw Warmonger, her determination went up the roof. This was a bit different from other Adams, it felt more like a deep, personal feeling between the two of them, and Ticia hated it.

For some reason, I hate the very thought of being associated with him. It’s like my entire being is telling me that I’m the same as him, yet ‘inferior’. I don’t like it.

Ticia increased her rate of fire towards Warmonger. Some allies of Warmonger tried to interfere, but Ticia shot them down. She did not even realize that her targeting had improved against Adam class clones.

But the same could also be said for Warmonger. Any clone that fired his way was found dead in the following seconds. It went even further. When one of his underlings tried to support him by firing at Ticia, he shot him down without a word.

Anyone who interfered in their exchange of fire was taken down immediately.

Damn, I can’t overwhelm him. This is going to be a long one. Ticia thought to herself. She was conscious that time was not in her favor. She needed to end this quickly.

Apparently, Warmonger had the same thought as her. He jumped out of his cover and ran straight towards Ticia.

Sensing that Warmonger was aiming for a close quarter engagement with their mother, the nearby ECGs immediately fired at him with their rifles, but Warmonger was one step ahead of them.

“Guh!”

““Agh!””

With a single shot each time, one ECG was hit. Just like that, the ECGs near Ticia aside from ECG-055 all fell flat on the ground, their fate unknown.

Ticia continued to blast at Warmonger with her two pistols until he was a few meters from her. She then holstered back one of her guns and took out a combat knife. Warmonger also took out a knife before jumping at Ticia. 

Ticia received Warmonger’s first slash towards her by grabbing Warmonger’s forearm, but Warmonger just threw his weight on Ticia, making her fall down on her back. Ticia used the inertia and tried to throw Warmonger, but he had a good grip on her. Both ended up rolling on the ground. They ended up slightly away from the rest.

After a bit they both got up and distanced themselves, glaring at one another.

“Mother-”

“Don’t interfere 055!” Ticia scolded ECG-055, who had been near her since the beginning of the engagement when she tried to help her. Since her mother had never talked to her in such a hard tone, ECG-055 was startled, but she still obeyed her mother, keeping the distance but ready to jump in at any moment to help her mother.

““...””

Ticia and Warmonger did not move an inch, glaring at the other while surrounded by battle noises.

“...You’ve made quite a mess.” Warmonger commented, not leaving Ticia out of his sight. “Why did you not surrender? You’re just causing more useless deaths.”

“...You think I don’t  know what awaits us? I don’t want my daughters to become rat labs.” Ticia replied back with a harsh tone. The people in front of her had made it pretty clear what they would do if Ticia surrendered. Ticia did not want her daughters to suffer the same fate as the poor clones she had seen in the laboratories just above them…

“The sacrifice of a few can save many.”

“What great words.” Ticia rolled her eyes at Warmonger’s comment. “You really think the people who made these researches will forgive the rebellious clones and leave them alone?”

“No. They are defective, their only option is to die. Warspite doesn’t like to see others suffer, I am only offering them a quick end.”

Warmonger’s words were harsh, Ticia could tell the man despised the rebellious clones.

So when he said he would let go of the clones, he meant it that way. It’s not that he lied, this is just the way the world works for him.

“...Aren’t you scared to be considered defective yourself?” She asked. “These mindless clones, once they’re refined, won’t you be considered useless and then thrown away?”

“There’s no way. I am a pure clone. A rare and unique existence that everyone values. The others are just impurities, just like you. But while I can tolerate the other’s existence, I can’t bear yours.”

“Well, as fate would have it, the feeling is mutual.”

Ticia wasn’t surprised with this answer. She now understood pretty well the personality of the man she faced.

He’s one of those huh? A soldier that sincerely believes the ideology that’s been drilled into his mind since birth. Worst of all, he’s a very calculating man. He’s dangerous. A fight between the two of us would drag on, and right now I’m at a disadvantage. I’m just too weary.

She reached a conclusion, preparing herself for what would be a long fight.

Warmonger seemed to reach the same conclusion.

“...As expected, I can’t let you live.” He said. “In order to ensure the safety of my superior, you’ll have to die.”

“Wasn’t your order to capture me?” Ticia frowned.

“My position allows me to act as I see fit. The head researcher will understand. Besides, bodies still have values for experiments.”

“You disgust me.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

Both ended up grimacing out of disgust at one another. Ticia felt disgust towards Warmonger’s apathy, but Warmonger’s disgust was different.

“When I see you, I can’t help but see HER image fusion with Warspite. SHE who corrupted my equal, filling her head with useless ideas.”

For a short moment, Warmonger showed a face full of hatred as he overlapped someone’s image with Ticia.

“Whoever you are thinking of, I’m not HER, so stop overlapping.” She replied, the annoyance clear in her voice. “Also, I have a helmet on, how can you say that without even seeing my face?”

“I just know it. These things can’t be hidden from me.”

“Ew, you sound like a creep.”

“Don’t repeat Warspite’s words.”

Ticia sighed once again. Both sides had been preparing themselves during this small talk, but this would soon end. 

Still, I haven’t found any openings, but he’s shown strong emotions to anything related to ‘Warspite’. Let’s continue to dig that way.

“How am I supposed to know what she said? I never met the woman.”

“Well, now you have~.”

““!?!””

Ticia was startled to hear a teasing reply to her comment coming from behind her. She wasn’t the only one, Warmonger froze for a moment, his mouth completely open.

“Agh!”

“Incoming enemy reinforcements!”

At the same time, a shift emerged on the battlefield. A group of ally clones, including some ECGs, appeared on the right side of the battlefield and began assisting their exhausted allies. Though they were also in a rough state, they seemed extremely motivated…

Ticia quickly glanced around. She recognized that group.

That’s Bronz’s group! Did they wrap up everything on their side then come as reinforcement?! But where’s Bronz?

“Mother!”

Just as she worried over the whereabouts of one of her daughters, she heard the voice of the said daughter from behind her. Although instincts told her she should keep facing Warmonger, she could not help but turn around.

And there she was, standing just a few steps away from her. The girl’s armor was in a sad state, with even her helmet missing, but Ticia let out a small sigh of relief. Bronz looked slightly injured, but overall still fine.

There was another clone standing right next to Bronz, but Ticia was too concerned over Bronz to even notice their presence.

“Mother! Thank god you’re alright!” Bronz was about to rush towards Ticia, but a hand grabbed her shoulder, holding her in position.

“Now now, little Bronz. You’ve confirmed your mother is fine. Now you need to do your part~.”

“Y-yes, understood! I’ll be going now, Mother.”

“W-wait, Bronz?” Ticia was speechless. Before she knew it, Bronz had left the place, obeying the person Ticia had barely noticed. Ticia knew her daughters well and had noticed that they had a tendency to be a bit prideful. Aside if it was something she or the Null CGs directly asked, Bronz would not so obediently follow orders.

Just who is that person for Bronz to act like this?

She made eye contact with said person as a result.

“...Eh?” Ticia froze. She had a good reason for that. The person in front of her looked very similar to her and her daughters after all.

The woman with similar features to her also looked back at her. Her eyes grew big at first, as if surprised, but her expression quickly shifted to a warm look and a clear smile of fondness.

!? W-what’s with this sudden feeling…

Ticia felt a sudden surge of emotion which she had a hard time describing. If she were to put it into words, it would be a similar feeling to the one she got when she looked at one of her daughters, yet completely different in its essence. A feeling she had sealed within the depths of her subconscious a long time ago, but had begun to act up once again not so long ago when she interacted with Chloe…

Eh? Why do I want her to fawn over me like I fawn over my girls?! I’ve just met her! Just who is she!?

She did not have to wait long for answers.

“Emily!?”

A haggard looking Chloe cried out from nearby in disbelief.

Wait THAT’s Emily!? Ticia finally realized who she had in front of her.

“Oh, hey Chloe, looks like you’re doing alright.” The woman, Emily, waved back towards Chloe with a smile on her face.

“Do I look alright to you!? Whoa!?” Chloe retorted, but nearly got shot in the process.

“Be more careful of your surroundings~. How many times have I told you not to be distracted during battle?”

“And who’s fault do you think it is!?”

“...Some things never change huh?”

“...” Ticia could not help but be speechless while looking at the exchange while Rebot-ia said something in a nostalgic tone of voice..

“That one, I’m glad to see she’s still this lively.” Emily said as she watched Chloe focus once again on giving directives. A soft sigh escaped her lips, still smiling, before focusing back on Ticia. Her smile then widened. “And you. There’s no doubt, you must be-”

“Warspi-*pew*!!”

“Shut up. Don’t you dare pronounce that name. The name’s Emily, I’ve told you so many times already.”

“...Eh?”

In just a short time, Emily’s mood had made a 180 degree turn. When Warmonger interrupted her and called her out, she immediately took out a pistol and shot at him. Warspite evaded the laser beam at the last millisecond and froze.

Emily’s face had become void of emotions, her voice icy cold.

“...What are you doing here?” Warmonger ended up asking while gritting his teeth. He was completely different from before. The sudden appearance of Emily had made him agitated.

Emily, on the opposite, seemed relaxed, or rather, indifferent to Warmonger.

“Can’t you see for yourself? It’s a family reunion.” Emily declared as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, putting a hand over Ticia’s shoulder, which resulted in Ticia flinching and distancing herself a bit. A decision she immediately came to regret as Emily’s expression shifted to a sad, wry smile of bitterness.

I-I didn’t want to make her sad, that was just a bit too sudden… Ticia thought to herself, not rejecting what seemed like an affectionate move. In fact, what Emily said had raised her curiosity even more.

I need answers!

“Warspi-*pew*!!!”

“Tch, I missed.”

“...”

Full of agitation and anger, Warmonger once again called out to Emily, which ended with the same result. This time however, Emily showed some clear sign of annoyance, which quickly washed away once she noticed Ticia was looking her way, replaced with a warm smile.

No no! Don’t act like you didn’t just click your tongue in annoyance! Ugh… Why do I feel so drained of energy so suddenly…

Ticia was still confused by the whole situation.

“...Please come back to your senses, your little adventure lasted long enough!” Warmonger said in a trembling voice, almost as if he was begging Emily.

The woman only sighed in annoyance.

“You already know my answer, Warmonger.”

“...Then I’ll make you come back to reason.” Warmonger's look grew sharp once again.

“Hah? What’s that? Want another scar?” Emily had a big silent smile as she said those words filled with annoyance, which made Ticia, who wasn’t even the receptor of that smile, flinch.

S-scary… I-it somehow reminds me of when Nicia gets angry over small bruises I sometimes get while training…

Ticia thought of her health oriented eight daughter, who was able to smile even while she was angry. She failed to realize however that she herself was very well capable of doing the same thing when it came to reprimanding her daughters…

“...” Despite flinching at first, Warmonger remained still, resolute in his belief.

“...You’re really pissing me off right now…” Emily sighed once again, before looking at Warmonger with a sharp look. “Listen, we all know a fight between the two of us would drag on for eternity, do you really think you have the time for that though?”

“...I see.” After a small silence, Warmonger nodded while closing his eyes before… turning back… “Stevenson, Rodiers, we’ve been compromised. It’s time to disengage.” 

““Yes leader!””

At his words, a few of the clones that had accompanied him ceased their assault and began to fall back.

What? They’re retreating!?

While Ticia was baffled, Emily huffed in response to Warmonger.

“Hmph, it’s a good thing that you understand quickly.”

“We are one and the same after all.” Warmonger replied, to which Emily scoffed.

“Hah, genewise, yes, but that’s the end of it.”

“...This isn’t the last you’ve heard of me.”

“Yes, yes. Now shoo, shoo~. You’re bothering me.”

And just like that, he left.

Now Ticia was left alone with Emily, both of them silent while they were surrounded by the surrounding noise of battle. Emily was still staring into the direction Warmonger left with a sharp look, her arm crossed. Ticia’s gaze, on the other hand, had quickly shifted towards Emily.

Not to mention the strange feeling that attracted her towards Emily like some sort of magnet, for once, she also felt like all the answers she needed were held by this person. She couldn’t hold herself back, she needed to ask her.

“...Uhm-”

“Not yet.”

“Eh?”

Before Ticia could say anything, Emily talked. She looked towards Ticia, a wry smile on her face.

“Sorry dear. I’m actually dying to talk to you too. The both of us probably have tons of questions to ask one another, but let’s wrap up this place first.”

Ticia was a bit unsettled with the way Emily called her, although she had to admit she did not dislike it.

But she is right. The battle isn’t finished.

While Warmonger and the Adam class clones left, the clone sentries and some other clones continued to fight. Ticia’s allies’ morale had been boosted ever since the arrival of reinforcement, but the sheer number of clone sentries still resulted in some more casualties…

“I understand.” Ticia nodded to Emily, who responded with a smile.

“Good. Then let’s split up for now. You take the right and I take the left. Once everything’s dealt with, we’ll leave things to Chloe and then have a good talk.”

“Okay.” Ticia responded, although she was not sure Chloe would just accept this outcome.

After a last look at each other, both turned and went their own way. But as Ticia was about to accelerate her pace, she heard a faint mumble coming from the other direction…

“I-I managed to leave a good first impression, right? Uuuugh… I so wanna see her face right now… Let’s finish this quickly!”

“...”

Yeah, let’s just act like I heard nothing…