Archive of Our Own

It had started off as a day like any other.

She had woken up early—early being when the Sun was beginning to rise. Adam was still snoring in his little corner of the Tetrapod, a book having fallen from his hand many hours ago. Lily was still sleeping too; she was wearing a pair of headphones that Eve had found some time ago (and they surprisingly still worked, much to everyone’s surprise) back in the Wasteland. Sometimes, even in the lowest trenches of dust and dirt and trash, gold could still shine brighter than a shooting star.

Unfortunately for her, Eve would discover that today was not one of those golden days.

She spent some time fishing through all her nanosuits and glasses, pondering what her outfit was going to be for today. There were several she had to sadly write off for the time being. Not long after first stepping foot in Xion, Adam had pulled her to the side and explained that some of these nanosuits she had found were… too revealing, so to speak (though perhaps it was just a him problem, Mr. Drone Man). Naturally, Eve was proud of her body, mostly for how hyper-functional it was… and admittedly she thought of herself as quite pretty, but not prettier than Enya, who now looked like a mechanical superstar with her legs having been repaired several weeks ago. No wonder Su was all over her.

The nanosuit that made Eve look like the Red Riding Hood (some dumb tale Adam had shown her some time back) was far too revealing, even if it did make her feel more proud of her body. The keyhole dress showed too much cleavage and was very viable for upskirts, even if it was comfortable, and finally, these swimsuits she had were… more viable for a day at the beach (or at least that’s what Adam told her), not a day in the city.

Ooh! This full black dress would do nicely.

So she put that on, checking herself out in the mirror. Hey, the skirt even spun! The only problem was that the fabric was a bit tight around her breasts, but eh, what could she do? Humanity’s obsession with fashion was certainly something, to say the least, and here she was, deciding what to wear at an appropriate time and when.

Hmm, maybe she could do without the glasses for today.

Eve spun around in the mirror one more time, and slowly, she began the process of tying her hair to a decent level. She hated how fast it grew back; it had been less than a month since she had first gotten her hair done by Kasim, who had shortened the ponytail and restyled the top of her head to be more “cute," as he had said. And here it was, reaching her waist. By Mother Sphere the process was tiring. Yeah, perhaps after checking the Bulletin Board she could stop by and get it cut again.

Somewhere deep in her body core, a pang of jealousy over Lily erupted. Maybe a very short style like hers wouldn’t hurt. Perhaps even a pixie cut wouldn’t be bad. Gah, why was she spending so much time agonizing over her appearance? She was a soldier, not a model.

It comes with the ability to think, silly , as Lily would say, the lovable brat she was.

It was a few more minutes after tying her hair that she finally allowed herself to leave the Tetrapod, and yet, she couldn’t help but smile. Today was going to be a chill, relaxing day of questing and perhaps some pool with Enya and Su, if they were available. Yeah, today was a day for herself. A pat on the back, one could call it.

First stop: the Bulletin Board.

*

The walk into Xion proper was very quiet. Only a few Sentinels and citizens were out and about on account of it being rather early in the morning. Well, Eve was a fan of the quiet for many reasons. The biggest reason being that it allowed her to think, to process, to feel without anyone else telling her what to do. Adam was a great friend and a trustworthy comrade, but there were already several times he had done something without her go-ahead, or just told her to do this or that without question.

Ironically, for a scavenger, he gave out orders like he was some figurehead or leader. Somewhat odd, especially because it was painfully obvious he had skeletons in the closet (a phrase she had learned from Adam himself, ironically enough). Skeletons he was deeply ashamed of. Perhaps she would learn some of them, but today was certainly not one of those days.

It was when she turned another corner did something make itself extremely obvious to Eve: Roxanne probably wasn’t by the Bulletin Board just yet.

Oh thank God !

If there was anyone in Xion that reached the levels of actually pissing her off, it was Roxanne. Roxanne was a creep, a sarcastic flirt with way too much time on her hands. Almost always whenever Eve came by and checked the board, Roxanne was there, arms crossed with a slightly devilish look in her eyes, ready to say something else off putting or outright disgusting.

In fact, she was partially the reason Eve had swiftly learned some nanosuits were not appropriate to wear, lest you had people ready to leer and stare like a predatory Naytiba, and unfortunately, Roxanne was one of them.

And there was also the question of just where did she get that Body Core from? A woman like her was certainly not a fighter, nor a scavenger. So how did she get it? When and where and why and how? Another question that burned in Eve’s mind, one she would get the answer to one day.

But today was not that day, unfortunately.

Her walk towards where the Bulletin Board was continued, and soon, a figure had made themselves known. It was one of those men wearing the gas masks, his clothes and body filthy as well. He was hunched near a wall, a hand clutching his stomach. As Eve got closer, it became quite obvious the man was out of breath, his whole body heaving up and down like he had run for several minutes straight.

“A-Angel! You have to help me!” the man cried out, his head facing hers.

Eve jogged the rest of the way, stopping right in front of him. “What’s going on?” she exclaimed, her eyes looking him up and down. He didn’t look hurt, but he certainly looked exhausted. “Tell me.”

“The looters took my sister!” the man squealed. He hunched himself further, his body sliding down the wall. “Please save her! She’s the only thing I have left!”

Eve’s heart sank. Shit ! “Where are the looters now?” she questioned, her body ready to rush in the proper direction at a moment’s notice. This was her purpose, to help the people of Xion, to do what she did best. Enya and her had discussed this a few days ago. It was what made her happy .

“There! Down the Alley," the man cried, pointing a weak finger to the way down.

Eve began to move. “Wait right here," she said, pushing herself further. This was what she was born to do.

Without a moment’s notice, she sped down the alleyway, looking for any signs of the woman, but there was none. Instead, however, there were two men dressed similarly to the man outside the alleyway.

Eve clenched her hands together, raw anger brimming through the wiring that made up her body. These thugs would pay! “Where is she you—”

Only for a fraction of a second did she hear the hum of a blade, but that fraction was too little, as soon, a sharp, dizzying pain erupted through her body, knocking her to the ground. It was… was like she was stunned, her body unable to move, but by God did she feel every inch of the blade within her back. This wasn’t a blade designed to just wound or kill. No. This was one meant to lock someone like her in place.

She wasn’t the first, wasn’t she? And just like all the rest, she had fallen for perhaps one of the easiest tricks in the book. A play at sympathy, at her own naivete. Adam was right, she was too innocent for most things, and here she was, dying alone as a desperate, naive fool. Oh if Tachy was to see her now…

“Angel, Angel, Angel!” one man repeated like this was the time of his life. Eve felt the three men’s footsteps grow closer, all swarming her body like ants. “Everyone’s happy to call you the Angel just because you fell from the heavens above! What a pathetic joke you are, believing yourself better than us.” The footsteps stopped, and somehow, Eve felt the man draw closer.

“Aren’t we humans like you? Hm? So why should we dig through trash and fend off Naytibas while you’re treated as royalty to the point the Orcal is kissing your ass? Why ?”

Somehow, Eve still had the strength to attempt to get up. But by God , the knife was like a needle to her heart! “I’m… I’m going to make you pay for this.” she growled through gritted teeth, her hand as support on the ground. All she had to do was push herself further and—

The kick to her stomach dispelled that idea completely. A loud scream erupted from her throat as the knife went deeper in her back, and already she felt the crimson liquid flow from the wound. She was seeing stars, and not the stars she wanted to see, tears threatening to escape her eyelids.

“No you won’t, you stupid bitch," the man growled in a prideful tone, and Eve suffered the unpleasant experience of looking up at him. “Don’t worry, we’ll make good use of you yet. Your body will make for some fine parts.” Then he laughed in an ugly, nasty manner, clapping his friends on their backs. “So, start saying ‘thank you’, because this might be the last time you can ever say anything Angel.”

But even on her supposed deathbed, she still had her pride as a warrior. She wouldn’t beg, nor bow down to these animals . No, they were scavenging through trash for a reason while wearing faceless masks for a reason, the vermin. She tilted her head towards the man, managing to slip out a bitter chuckle. “S-Screw you," she muttered, gritting her teeth through the pain.

“Heh, I’ll have fun ripping you apart," the man said, raising his boot high above, blocking out the light. And then he—

*

It was the sound of a grenade being tossed down that slowly brought her back to consciousness. As she slowly opened her eyes, an explosion went off, causing screams of confusion that swiftly became screams of agony and distress as gunshots rang out and another explosion commenced.

Eve shut her eyes. Perhaps this was just some wished illusion her mind was scrambling to create before she became one with Mother Sphere. Her whole body was still on fire, in the flames of agony. She couldn’t move, couldn’t even turn her head without it feeling like she was losing against her own body's attempts to give up.

Was this what Hell felt like? A true own lack of control over herself? Was this what all Airborne Squad Members eventually suffered? What Tachy suffered?

“Eve… Eve !” The voice… sounded familiar. Eve opened her eyes again, moaning out in pain. It was Adam, her savior for the second time thus far.

“Adam…” she weakly muttered.

“These are black market merchants," he said, worry and fear clear as day on his features. “I didn’t think they’d dare approach—” his voice trailed off, horror using his face like a parasite. It prompted Eve to slowly turn her head away from him.

Oh .

Airborne Squad Members. Obviously dissected and used . Blood on the ground they laid on like a final blanket to the afterlife. So she was right. She wasn’t the first.

A fresh wave of anger sprouted in her mind, anger that would not fester for the rest of the day. She would be the last to suffer such a fate, no matter what.

The anger must’ve been infectious, because Adam’s features were now twisted in a dark, dark frown. “And here I foolishly thought Naytibas were all we had to worry about. Damnit !” He took a long breath, and Eve felt his hand on her shoulder. “C’mon. Let’s get you back to the Tetrapod. Lily and I will get you fixed as new.”

The last thing Eve did was give the best nod she could, even if her head exploded in pain at just merely doing so. And then…

*

She reopened her eyes again, but this time it was in a familiar environment. More importantly, most of the pain had completely subsided, and she was able to freely move again. She quickly checked her back for anything off, but found none. It was almost like nothing had ever happened.

As her eyes readjusted, the Tetrapod’s interior became clearer. With a groan, she forced herself off the cot, her legs wobbling as her feet touched the ground. She slowly forced herself to walk forwards, with several distinct voices outside becoming clear.

“We’re gonna have to go out with a show of force.” Su’s voice. He sounded calm.

“And cause an entire disruption in Xion? Already I have some of your fellow soldiers looking at me funny for daring to act on my own.” Adam’s. His voice was far more distressed, uneven.

“Guys, can we just wait ‘till Eve wakes up? Please?” Lily’s adorable voice.

And as if on cue, Eve stepped out of the Tetrapod, a hand clutching at her forehead as she nearly tripped down the stairs. Luckily, it was surprisingly Enya who had a hand around Eve’s arm. “Slowly, slowly now," she said, her features pulled in a mix of sympathy and worry.

“Eve!” Lily gained a smile the width of a bus while rushing towards her. She only stopped right before her, her smile fading a bit and her arms hesitating to reach out.

Eve rolled her eyes before holding her own arms out, and Lily swiftly got the message, damn near tackling Eve with a fierce hug. “I thought… I thought…” Lily sniffled, and Eve couldn’t help but rub a hand through her fine locks of hair.

“It’s okay," she softly whispered. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

“You better not!” Lily adorably growled into Eve’s chest.

Eve broke the hug, looking up into Adam’s gaze. “Thank you," she said with a knowing smile.

Adam looked away, his hands rubbing into each other. “Don’t thank me just yet. There’s still more of them out there in Xion.”

“Mann is already putting together a team to hunt down more of these black market bastards," Su explained, stepping closer to the group, then his body language turned shifty, and Eve knew there was more to the story. “He also said… that the Angel is to not get involved.”

And just like that, all the anger building within her body threatened to burst with a single snap of the fingers. “ What ?” she snapped, stepping closer.

“Mann… believes that we’re all getting too reliant on your help across Xion. Says he hopes to demonstrate that while we appreciate you, we don’t need you for matters we could potentially need help with. Sometimes, we… just rely on each other.” Su might as well have been facing a hundred-and-eighty the other way with how much he was clearly avoiding her gaze.

And all Eve could do was chuckle and clench her fists. “Remind me, who’s the reason you’re still alive?” she hissed.

Unsurprisingly, Adam let out a huge sigh. “Eve—”

“No, Adam, I’m not in the mood to hear one of your long-winded stories on why this can or can’t happen," Eve interjected, not being able to resist glaring at both men. “I’m not going to sit on the sidelines while the people of Xion are in danger. People that rely on me.”

Unfortunately for him, Su was still willing to argue. “But Mann says—”

“ Fuck what Mann says!” The swear slipping out of her mouth like water out of a cup. Adam’s eyes widened considerably, and behind her, she could hear Lily and Enya both gasp.

But Eve wasn’t in the mood to people-please today. No no no. That was saved for days where corpses of her own comrades weren’t laid out like toys to use and dispose of. Days where she wasn’t this close to being violated . Days where people weren’t like the disgusting Naytibas out there.

“Go and tell Mann that he can spare his Sentinels’ lives for another day, because I’m going to handle this matter using my own two hands. Tell him that if he has a problem with that, he knows where to find me, and that I’ll be more than happy to decide who’s right using something other than our words.”

Su exhaled through that overgrown helmet he wore, but he refused to do as told. “Damnit Eve, please reconsider—”

“Considering you nearly got yourself killed just for a pair of legs, Su… I’d expect you to understand me a bit better.”

Su sighed, his body seemingly deflating all the tension. “...I do," he muttered. “C’mon Enya, maybe Mann can handle you telling him a bit better than myself.”

Slowly, Enya and Su began their walk back. Enya briefly turned back around, a dark frown on her face, and with a shake of her head, she turned back around, picking up pace as she did.

“Well that was something," Lily muttered. “Didn’t expect it to go like that, Eve.”

The guilt smacked Eve like a freight train, forcing her to shut her eyes and pinch the bridge of her nose. “Damnit," she muttered, and then she heard the loud footsteps inching towards her, and a little bit of the anger came spouting back. “Adam, if you think you’re going to stop me—”

“We’re already past that," Adam replied, a light amount of humor in his tone. “Instead, I wanted to ask if you at least had a plan.”

Eve nodded, a nasty, angry plan already being written in her mind. “I do. I know exactly who to ask first… unfortunately for her.” She reopened her eyes, the plan becoming concrete in her mind. “Adam, support me with the drone… and try to play ‘good human.’”

“Ma’am, yes ma’am," he replied with a light smile.

Perhaps that was the only smile Eve was willing to tolerate for the rest of the day.

*

With the news spreading like wildfire across her networks, it was clear Roxanne was in for a slow day. The dear Angel of Xion wasn’t going to show her face here for a while, courtesy of those thugs who very nearly had the drop on her. Nope. Instead, she was going to ignore this place like it was one of those old plagues the complete organics had suffered way back when.

A part of Roxanne found the whole situation funny, to a degree. Almost every day since first arriving in Xion, the Angel had made an almost religious habit of stopping here and taking a look at the Bulletin Board… despite very much not liking who stood here, watching her every move.

Roxanne had found the Angel oddly endearing in her time. The woman clearly had a disdain for her own presence, shutting down damn near every attempt at dialogue between the two (unless if she was attempting to buy something, that was). No, the Angel just checked the Bulletin Board every day, acting like it was her first time encountering it, fulfilled certain tasks while starting new ones, sent a fierce glare Roxanne’s way, and then she was off, doing whatever blind Angels did in their free time.

But woe was Roxanne when it came to that damned Body Core. The Angel had nearly threatened her about it after returning the info about the drone, a stark contrast to her usual soldier-like persona. Roxanne couldn’t really blame her—business was business after all—but Ms. “For the People of Xion” was just as self-centered as the rest of them. A fact Roxanne took great pleasure in.

And huh, the Angel was coming back here after all!

… Uh oh .

The Angel of Xion did not look like an Angel on this fine day. No no no, quite the opposite. She was pacing fast . So fast that the drone trailing behind her was barely noticeable.

This is bad…

Roxanne instinctively backed up, and then her back pressed against the wall and she swiftly realized there was no escape. No, there would be none of that on this fine day.

The Angel stopped in front of her, breathing heavily with a fierce, fierce glare that spelled barely restrained rage. She moved up closer, fully blocking Roxanne from moving. Under most circumstances, she would consider this foreplay, but today?

Today was not a day to entertain such wishful foolishness.

“The Body Core," Eve growled, her glare predatory beyond belief. “You’re going to tell me when and where you obtained it. Because I know damn well someone like you did not ever venture out into the Wasteland or the Great Desert. No, you’re too cowardly for that.”

Somehow, Roxanne was still attached to her pride, despite this being one of the few times she experienced fear on such a level as now. Pride of her own willingness to operate with her smooth tongue. Pride of her secrets.

“Mind giving me room to breathe?” she managed to stammer out. “I’m not much help in such a compromising position.”

Eve chuckled. Chuckled . And right there, Roxanne knew that she said the wrong thing. Damn her and her tongue. Damn her and her own pride. The corner of Eve’s lips turned up in a nasty smirk, and Roxanne realized she was starting to breathe heavily.

Without time to even react, Roxanne felt a sharp pain smack itself into the back of her head as she was lifted by the collar and roughly shoved into the wall.

“It’s funny," Eve said, her glare now hungry . “Usually It’s you throwing me off balance, saying such weird things to invade my mind.”

Roxanne couldn’t help but look away—

The snap of fingers hijacked her attention. “Look at me, Roxanne. You never hesitated in eyeing me up and down before.”

Roxanne forced herself to stare into Eve's light brown eyes.

“That’s better. Now, the Body Core. When and where?”

“Make it easy on us all, Roxanne," Adam’s voice floated from the drone. Damnit, of course it was him behind the controls. She wouldn’t be surprised to know he manipulated her into this, the silver-tongued devil. “Just tell us what we need to know, and my friend will let you go. Isn’t that right, Eve?”

“Positive," Eve replied, not breaking a sweat nor her fierce gaze. “But only if you fulfill your end of the bargain.”

Roxanne squeezed her eyes shut, and with the little strength that was still hers, she sighed, reopening her eyes to the Angel’s fierce beauty. “Okay," she muttered. “I got it from some black market dealers. We… traded for it. Info about the patrols Mann and his Sentinels undergo day-by-day in trade for the Body Core. Naturally, I didn’t ask too many questions about where they got it from. They only told me that it came from a dead Airborne Squad Member they found in the Wasteland.”

For a brief moment, Eve didn’t meet her gaze, her eyes widening in horror. “Patrols… They must’ve planned this out for a while. At least ever since I first arrived here.”

“And the Body Core came from the last one they were successful with," Adam added.

That dark, horrifying look was back in Eve’s eyes, and Roxanne silently prayed for it to be over quick. “So you potentially sold out Xion for a goddamned Body Core?” Roxanne was slammed against the wall again, pain erupting across her back, and this time, she saw stars. “Have you no sense of decency?”

“I need to make a living somehow!” Roxanne found herself firing back, newfound strength in her voice. “You think I got here by sticking to morals? Honor doesn’t follow the dead below. I’ve learned that very fast.”

“Eve.” There was a warning in Adam’s voice, one Roxanne was silently thankful for. “We got what we needed.”

Eve growled, and Roxanne was allowed to feel the ground again, her hand automatically adjusting her collar.

“You make me sick, Roxanne," Eve hissed, her voice blanketed with venom and raw hatred . “Consider yourself lucky that I don’t end your miserable experience right now.”

She turned around, and Roxanne was suddenly struck by a hard sense of guilt. Even deep below, her heart was still beating. “Wait… Wait.”

Eve and Adam’s drone turned around, and Eve’s eyes betrayed every possible form of disgust. “ What ?”

“I… I still might know the location of one of their safehouses. It’s on the edge of Xion, yet buried within several buildings. I can’t take you there right now, since they only really operate at night. But I know where it is, and of course, it will be free of charge for the info.”

Eve scoffed, walking back towards her. “You’re not really in a position to bargain to begin with. But sure, I’m willing to hear you out, just this once.” She got back closer, and once again, Roxanne was reminded of the Angel’s overwhelming presence. “But lie to me or betray me in any way, and I’ll get a hold of you myself, and I promise you, it will not be quick. Are we in agreement then?”

Roxanne nodded as if her life depended on it.

Eve was clearly studying her face for a moment, trying to seek out any sense of lie. But the Angel was inexperienced in that regard. Roxanne knew all too well.

“...Good," Eve said, backing away. “Meet me at the Tetrapod after dark. Be there on time or I assume you’re forfeiting your life to me. Bye now, Roxanne.”

And just like that, without another word, the Angel and the drone were gone, and Roxanne immediately let out the breath she knew she was holding. A sigh of relief briefly passed through at the idea of being safe for now, but as she sat down, the sudden relief was replaced with a sweat-stained terror.

She suddenly couldn’t breathe that easily, so she took the mask off, feeling unrestrained breaths run in and out her body as she rubbed her face down with her hands. She had forced herself in a bad position, and not many info dealers were good with bad positions. Tonight, she had to face two demons, and somehow come out standing.

Damn her and her sense of pride… and more importantly, damn her sense of guilt too.

*

“So now we have an official plan in motion," Adam said, pacing around. They were at the Tetrapod’s camp again. It was beginning to cloud above. Not darkly like what had happened several days ago, but cloudy nonetheless. “At least one that’s sort of solid, but now we need to decide what to do if Roxanne—”

“You didn’t hear me when I said what I would do?” Eve questioned, keeping her gaze locked onto him. “I made myself clear and I’m done needlessly repeating myself.”

“You know, I don’t think Orcal would take too kindly to you murdering one of his citizens," Adam replied.

Eve shook her head. This waiting around was frustrating . “Well maybe I’m not in the mood to care about what his beliefs are as of now. Besides, I’ve read the documents when I could. Not too many people are fond of him. Hell, there’s even theories that he may be the Elder Naytiba.”

Looking back, she should’ve paid attention more to how Adam’s body stiffened at that last comment, but that was the cost of new memories, wasn’t it?

“Yeah, people might not fully trust him, but that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Adam replied. “An uneducated populace is a populace of sheep, and humanity’s suffered too much of that already.” He began pacing around again, and for several moments, the conversation went silent.

It wasn’t until Lily—with oil lining her freckled cheeks—came from under one of the Tetrapod’s thrusters with tools in tow, sitting down at an empty chair with a soda can suddenly in hand. “So Eve… We’re really doing this, huh?” she suddenly asked.

Eve immediately perked up. “Is that a problem?”

“No, of course not! It’s just… painfully obvious that you’re not really in this just to stop these black market rings, y’know? I know you think really highly of your abilities—and I certainly do—but Su and Mann would’ve handled them just fine, I’m sure.” Lily cracked open the soda can, downing several gulps like she was going to die without it. “Ah!” she happily exclaimed, setting the can down. “See where I’m going with this?”

Eve sighed. Lily was too smart for her own good—and not just booksmart either. The woman played the cheery naive girl, but while she may’ve still been a little naive, it was clear Lily wasn’t blind to her surroundings. “I don’t really know why I’m doing this, okay? Does that satisfy your question?” She desperately hoped Lily would drop the subject, lest she had to perform another deep-dive within herself. Today was the day for action , not thoughts.

Lily intensely eyed her, and for a second, Eve was completely sure she was being interrogated. “I think you might know, Eve, you’re just denying it to yourself.”

“And if I am?” she said back with perhaps a little more force than needed. She crossed her arms and crossed a leg over the other, standing as upright in the chair as possible.

Out of the corner of her eye, Adam was now the one working on the Tetrapod, though it was quite clear he was intently listening. There was always something up with him.

Lily sighed, her face scrunching just slightly. “I just don’t want you to… I don’t know, start resorting to violence as the first base? I know why you’re doing this. You… probably feel wronged . If I was ambushed like that, I’d want to strike back too, and seeing how close you became to being one of those corpses…” Her voice trailed off, and she scratched the back of her head. “I just really don’t like seeing you scowl so heavily, okay? It makes me… nervous seeing you being like that. So, let’s just get these guys handled and move on to something more positive.”

That creeping sense of guilt and sorrow was reaching Eve’s face. She exhaled, shaking her head slightly as she felt Lily’s gaze on her. It was just like several days ago, when she was unreachable and didn’t want to be. It was almost like she was back at square one, volatile and angry at the world. “I’ll be honest in saying that it scares me too… feeling this lack of control over my life. I’m a soldier, not a beast, and yet most days I feel like I’m slipping towards the latter. But right now, Lily? I can’t just let this go so easily. I hope you understand.”

Lily looked away, disappointment clear as day on her cute, freckled features. “I do," she muttered.

At just the right time, Eve heard the footsteps of two people, with one pair being far heavier than the other. It was Mann in his usual get-up, frustration already quite clear in his gait. He was followed by Su, who looked dejected beyond all belief.

That sense of guilt was damn near skyrocketing at this point.

“For both of our sakes… I’ll make this concise," Mann growled, his arms crossed. “You win, and I’m pulling my soldiers out.”

Eve raised an eyebrow, getting up from her couch to her full height. “What’s the catch?”

“When you handle those bastards, you’re taking one alive. Call it my form of justice. They’re going to represent their group in a fair trial, with the appropriate judges and jury present. And if necessary, I’ll be the executioner. I doubt anyone in Xion would be up to the task besides yourself of course, but you’ll have your sense of fun, won’t you?”

“Okay.” Eve put a hand on her hip. “Completely agreeable so far.”

Mann stepped closer, his growl deeper than the pits of the Great Desert itself. He had quite the height on Eve, who was now forced to look up to him to match his supposed gaze (why did all the Sentinels wear masks and helmets around Xion again?) “Right now, it’s not about what you agree to. It’s what I command. And since you’re now considered a citizen of Xion, you will agree to what I say from now on.”

Eve slowly nodded.

“I only agreed to this because I understand what you went through early this morning, and I understand you want to avenge your fallen comrades. And knowing how you usually are, I’m willin’ to bet this will be the only time you’re going to act this way. So get it out of your system now, and never again are we having this discussion.”

Eve nodded again. “Of course not.”

“From here on in, you’re on your own.” Mann turned around, and Su nodded his head towards Eve and followed. “I expect to have the results we agreed on within a reasonable timeframe," the leader said, and soon, he and Su were gone, their footsteps now becoming one with the rest of Xion.

“Well that was that," Adam said, tapping his fingers against his arms. “Mann isn’t playing around, Eve.”

“I know that," Eve replied, her gaze off in the distance. “Don’t worry. If all goes to plan, he’ll get his trial, and I’ll have my justice.”

Justice? Or Vengeance ?

“Yeah…” Adam looked away. “If it all goes to plan.”

Eve shook her head. The alternative wasn’t acceptable. Not in the slightest. She would make damn sure of that.

*

Just as she was told to do, Roxanne stumbled over towards the Tetrapod the moment the Sun wasn’t visible, with beautiful stars lining the night sky. Eve wondered if Mother Sphere was watching her at this very moment. And if she was, would she truly care about her?

Or was she always just someone expandable?

“So, I assume we’re all still doing this?” Roxanne asked. She was obviously nervous, just based on the way her body subtly shook. Eve couldn’t help but feel the subtle terror radiating off her body. Perhaps it was bad of her, but a small part of her was pleased at this outcome. Perhaps a little show of force was more necessary from here on in. From what Adam had once told her about the old world, leadership wasn’t just born out of respect. No, fear was necessary to keep people in line. Fear Eve needed to exploit from now on.

“Is there any other choice?” she replied, getting up from her chair. “You did your part of the deal, didn’t you?”

Roxanne nodded, handing out a datapad. “I used some of my connections to ensure that I was being correct, and lo and behold, I was. I doubt this is their only safehouse, though. But it should be one of their biggest ones.”

Eve snatched the datapad from her hands, studying its contents. Around eight of them in this one. Good .

“Perhaps just destroying this one will suffice," Adam added, walking towards them. “The rest will probably scatter like flies when it becomes obvious that they’re being targeted.”

“I want them all," Eve growled. All of a sudden, her hand couldn’t stop shaking. Why was it shaking?

“Hate to break it to you, Angel, but hunting them all down would be far too much effort for too little gain. Honestly? You might put a bigger target on your back than before.”

Eve exhaled, putting away the datapad. “Then I dare them to challenge me. Roxanne, you’re playing a distraction. Adam and Lily? Drone operations as usual. By dawn, I want that entire safehouse torched .”

The rage she felt within her body was strangely soothing, like a drive to do better, to keep her sense of pride as a warrior in check. She lost once before, and lost the person most dear to her because of it. Never again.

The only thing that made her reconsider just slightly was the worried look Lily was shooting her way. But she probably wouldn’t understand. She wasn’t the one that lost everything.

“Come on," Eve said. “Let’s make this efficient.”

*

Here she was, fidgeting with her hands like Kaya did a lot. At least with Kaya, it was excusable because she was a child and also quite shy. What was her excuse?

Mind focused, Roxanne .

Here she was, having to please a demon who wore the mask of a beautiful woman. No, demon was the wrong term. Most times, Eve was rather angelic with her actions, hence the title. But today? Today had briefly ripped that idea in half with its own two teeth, like one of those overgrown Behemoths out in the Great Desert. There was nothing angelic about the way Eve was handling things today. News traveled fast in Xion, and Eve was becoming something of a figure to watch out for, and that reputation would only increase after what was about to happen.

“Remember what you have to do, Roxanne?” Adam asked through the drone.

Roxanne nodded. “Positive.” Screwing up was unallowed here. Because either these thugs would get her… or Eve would. Neither option was exactly all that pleasurable, so here she was, having to play along.

Behind them, Eve trailed. She was meant to wait until being given a coded go-ahead, then Roxanne would wait around a corner while Eve handled the rest, and there was zero doubt in Roxanne’s mind that the Angel would handle them all. One didn’t just casually hunt through the Wasteland and the Great Desert for soda cans without being a little crazy… and badass.

As they neared their location, Roxanne took a long, deep breath. “Okay, this is the place. Everyone else, take a few steps back and let me speak.”

“We’re counting on you, Roxanne," Adam said.

Here’s hoping .

With another deep breath, she appeared from around the corner, walking to the garage door, and with another deep breath, she knocked on it. “I’m here by myself," she yelled out. “Just want to help out in your little… Angel problem.”

“Roxanne?” one of the muffled thugs’ voices came from inside. “The hell are you doing here?”

“Thanks to this morning, we all have a big problem. I’m sure you heard what that was.”

A loud sigh erupted from the other side. “Let ‘er in," one thug said, a feminine voice.

Slowly, the garage door opened, revealing the contents inside. Just as told, eight people were in this moderately-sized room. A couple of them were playing cards, one was toying with some drone, another was flipping some sort of knife, two had their weapons out in case of anything, and the last two were currently walking over to Roxanne. All in all, the place was well-furnished. To the point one would have to look twice if they truly thought it was some form of black market hideout.

Too bad for these guys, though.

“Ah, Roxanne. One of my favorite customers," the male of the pair said., his arms outstretched. “What brings you to our humble abode this late at night? And quite on time too.”

“Like I said, the Angel of Xion is proving to be a rather huge nuisance. She has all the Sentinels and Orcal wrapped around her slender finger. Her and that other scavenger they call Adam. In fact, I think it was him who may have rescued her this morning.”

“Hmm.” The male of the pair tapped his mask. “So if we kidnap that rusty scavenger… or maybe that tiny brat that’s always by his hip, the Angel will come running.” He began to hysterically laugh, and luckily for her, Roxanne was still wearing her mask, blocking the rather sour frown she was putting on. “Oh isn’t this wonderful! Three for the price of one in this derelict shithole we call Xion. Perhaps shiny gold can be found in the trash cans as well, hm?”

“Maybe," Roxanne said, crossing her arms. “I can also give you an update on the Sentinels’ patrols, if you’d want. But you know what I’m going to ask for.”

“Another Body Core, right?”

Roxanne nodded.

The man clapped his hands together. “Of course, we have it on us right now!” He snapped his fingers towards the woman standing next to him. “Astria, get this fine lady her Body Core, pronto!”

The woman stiffened. She was clearly too smart for these fools. “B-But boss—”

“I trust Roxanne," the man said. “She’s a good worker, and a reliable source of info. Not too much of that these days, is there? So get the Body Core!”

“Of course, boss.” The woman moved to the back, taking something out of a storage container. And yup, there it was, in all of its dirty glory. Other days, Roxanne would be pleased. Tonight? Nothing but utter terror.

So far, so good .

The woman returned with the Body Core, clutching it tightly. The man nodded towards Roxanne, and the woman sighed and handed it over. A sense of guilt passed through Roxanne as she clutched the treasured item in her hands, and she didn’t know what it was for. Was it for the woman who had become nothing but a toy for the merchants? Her body parts lasting longer than the actual being behind it? Or was it for these fools, who were soon to find out that there were consequences for their actions? Here she was, using them like Eve was using her, all around it went.

Roxanne sighed. “Thank you," she said, digging through her jacket for the other datapad. She pulled it out, handing it to the man. “On here, you’ll find Mann and his buddies’ patrol routines for the next week or so. As always, remain vigilant despite that. With the Angel present, things are bound to be shifted here and there.”

The man chuckled. “I wouldn’t worry about her for long," he replied.

Roxanne exhaled. “I would, because unlike what you believe? She’s here for a long, long time.”

Something clearly shifted in the man’s body. He stiffened, and even through the mask, Roxanne could tell that he knew something was amiss. “And what is that supposed to mean?” he asked in a low tone, his hands already close to his holster.

Roxanne lifted her fingers and snapped them, and with a sudden rush of adrenaline, dove out the way of the ensuing gunfire. With her free hand, she pulled out her own sidearm. A small thing, yet oddly effective.

As it turned out, she was no longer needed.

With a fierce, ferocious roar that bordered on sounding demonic, Eve struck down, her Blood Edge already out.

“Wh–What? The Angel is here?” a man cried out, backing away.

“Roxanne, you little bitch !” a woman cried, her gun out but her body shaky.

Roxanne heard the whirl of the drone pulling forward. “Roxanne, we’ll meet you back at the Tetrapod," Adam said. “We’ll take it from here… and thank you.”

Roxanne nodded at the drone, and without any hesitation, she was rushing out of there, adrenaline spiking and her heartbeat having risen considerably.

She had dealt with two individual devils, and managed to make them dance to her tune. That was her sense of luck right there.

*

Several men and women were already backing away from her. The fun part hadn’t even started and they were backing away.

Was this what it was to be feared? She was more than willing to test that little theory.

“What are you fools doing?” a man cried out. “Get her!”

Eve couldn’t help but smile widely. But words wouldn’t cut it for them. No no no. This was justice .

One man leapt forwards, knife in hand. Eve easily sidestepped the pathetic attempt, tripping the man up. He fell to the ground, grunting out in pain, and without sparing him another glance, Eve swiftly had three slug rounds fired into the man’s back. Any ambitions, dreams, or memories bled out onto the floor with him.

Eve’s dark gaze was locked with the rest of the room. All the others seemed to share a single mind, as all of them were now shaking, taking several steps back.

“Oh fuck…” a man muttered in a hysterical tone.

“Huddle and keep close," a woman said.

Eve cracked her neck, stepping forwards as she did. This was what power was, and by Mother Sphere did she enjoy what it wrought.

The garage door was swiftly shut down, locking each and every fool in there with her. “Well you heard your leader," she growled. “Give it your best.”

One woman aimed her small gun, and without hesitation, pulled the trigger, but Eve had already dashed towards her, lifting her by the neck with one hand. She tried to struggle, to break free, but it was utterly useless.

With a frenzied roar, another man attempted to rush her with a baton of sorts, but Eve swiftly back-kicked him, knocking him to the ground along with his weapon. A pained groan escaped through his ugly mask, but Eve would unfortunately have to save him for later.

The choking woman’s futile attempts at fighting back grew weaker and weaker by the second, so why not speed it up? Eve tightened her grip as another man aimed his gun, but the choking woman’s body became a blocker of sorts as the trigger was pulled several times, the gunshots ringing and echoing in the room. One bullet managed to still punch through, slicing a hole into Eve’s arm. A pained grunt escaped her lips, but it was nothing compared to the woman’s body. Blood spilled from it, darkening and dirtying the floor. Another animal dealt with.

Eve dropped the body and leapt forwards to the man who was attempting to reload. Bad move on his end. Eve raised her Blood Edge and swiftly impaled him in the abdomen, again and again and again. Blood flew from under his mask as his dying breaths slowed and gurgled with the rush of his body’s contents. Eve released him, his body tumbling to the ground, where he twitched several times before finally staying still.

Her boot was suddenly grabbed, locking Eve in place. “I got ‘er, I got ‘er!” cried the man she had previously kicked, and just as Eve managed to break free and lift her boot above his—

She suddenly felt a large force knock into her, pushing her back against the wall, forcing her to drop her Blood Edge. It was one of the men attempting to hold her down with one hand, while the other hand held a knife similar to the one in—

NO!

With a hateful roar, she bit down on his arm hard , pulling flesh and metal with her teeth alike, blood spilling from the wound like a fountain. The man screamed out in agony, a sound Eve took wonderous pleasure in. Without wasting time, she headbutted him in the stomach, forcing him to stumble back as he picked and prodded at his ripped arm. “You—You bitc—”

Unfortunately for him, Eve was not one to sit still.

She already had the knife picked up, and with another roar, she rushed towards him. The man had nowhere to go but to accept his fate. Eve forced him down with her own weight, and the knife became her tool of his demise: stabbing and slashing and cutting through metal and flesh alike, blood whizzing out onto the floor and Eve’s clothes. What had been a person with thoughts and dreams now looked nothing more than one of those corpses Barry loved to cut into.

But there were still more people in the room, people that needed to suffer .

Eve hopped up, and just in time too. Another man had a gun aimed at her, his finger dangerously close to the trigger. A woman was behind him, attempting to push in the code to open the garage door, but her attempts were as futile as the rest. “Stay the hell back, demon!” the man cried, his hands shaky. “We won’t ever see each other again!”

Eve couldn’t help but smirk as she flicked her head. “You won’t," she said.

The man fully raised the gun, his nerves getting the best of him. He let out a roar, firing several shots at once. Eve gracefully flipped around them all, the bullets whizzing by her ear and body as the gunshots echoed in the room.

All except one.

One hit her dead in the side, causing her to cry out in pain. It briefly stopped her, blood pouring out of the wound.

“Eve!” Adam cried from the drone.

But it was only a wound. Eve touched the injured spot, feeling the pain soar through the rest of her body. Her hand was sticky with her own blood, but it was only a wound. For these people? It was their lucky fluke.

As Eve picked her Blood Edge back up, the man dropped his gun, his attempts at reloading having failed while the woman backed away from the door. “Please let us leave!” the man begged. “We’ll leave Xion, leave all of it behind. Please!”

But there was no mercy in the Angel of Xion at this hour.

Her Blood Edge cackled with electricity, its currents begging for release, release she would grant just this once. She let out a dark chuckle, a chuckle that sounded unfamiliar to her own ears. “No. You’re not deserving of it” flowed from her mouth, and what happened next was not for the faint of heart according to the fair people of Xion. Later on, all Eve would say about these two in particular was that their ripped masks allowed the final display of terror to be shown, a terror that brought a sick sense of joy to Eve’s core.

It was after the job was done did Eve finally catch a breath. Her side was bleeding profusely, but she had dealt with worse. It was something else Lily and Adam would help with, right? Right?

Perhaps it was finally time to sit around the Tetrapod for a—

“Eve, look out!”

But Eve was fast as lightning, turning around just in time to—

A sharp, sharp sense of pain exploded in her hand as the blade stuck out of it like an invasive species. Eve could barely look at it without crying out in pain.

The man she had kicked down, the man who had tried to hold her down with him… was laughing like he had won. “I made the Angel scream," he hysterically cried, stumbling around. “Heh heh heh, I made—”

Then that powerful, devastating sense of rage dragged itself back through Eve’s body for another round. Rage that soothed her very being.

With a grunt, she bit down on the blade, ignoring how utterly cold the metal tasted, and with all the tear-staining might in the world, ripped the blade from her sticky hand. The blade lifelessly dropped to the floor, clanging against the ground as the blade was covered in her very essence, the thing that made her human.

The man backed away slowly, his laughter dying in his throat. And Eve saw red .

The Blood Edge wouldn’t do this time. No, a message had to be sent.

She put it away, before grabbing the man by the throat. His choked screams slowly became louder and louder as Eve pulled with all her might with both hands around his neck. Very messily, his head was becoming detached from his body, a roar erupting from Eve’s lips as she tore more and more, her muscles straining from the sudden pressure. The inner workings of the modern human became more readily apparent as his head was hanging on by a metal strand, one slathered in his own blood. With one final sickly pull, Eve fully ripped his head off, his mask blinking before finally powering down. Eve let the detached body fall to the ground, its inner workings exposed completely to the world.

Eve held the head by the hair, blood dripping out from where it was so tediously ripped off. All of humanity’s advancements… reduced to this filth .

With a heavy breath, she dropped the head on the ground, her vision slowly stabilizing again. She was in a sea of dark red, a sea she had created, with each corpse being a jagged rock one had to avoid, a landmine one had to carefully step around.

“Well that was… excessive," Adam said from the drone, his voice clearly shaken. “But perhaps necessary.”

“I… I think I’m gonna be sick," Lily added, her voice matching her comment.

Eve squeezed her eyes shut, guilt coiling up like one of those snakes Adam loved to talk about. “It… It was necessary, okay?” she hissed, unable to mask the defensiveness. “They violated and used my comrades for their nefarious schemes. Was I supposed to just let it slide?”

She reopened her eyes to the sea of corpses. No, she wouldn’t feel guilt for doing the right thing, for doing the just thing. No. She had avenged her comrades today. A fact she was proud of.

Then the sound of soft sniffles reached her ears, and Eve looked around for the source.

“One more of them," Adam said, the drone scanning in the sound’s direction. “Perhaps our prisoner?”

Eve shot the drone a look. “Maybe," she hummed, walking towards the sound. In the corner was indeed the last of them: a woman huddled against herself, letting out more sniffs as Eve approached.

“Remember what Mann said," Adam reminded.

Eve didn’t respond, her eyes glued to the absolutely pathetic form of the woman below her. She helped butcher innocents, slaughter and violate Eve’s own people, and now she wanted to cry about it? “Get up," she growled.

The woman continued to sob.

Eve gritted her teeth. Her arm, side, and hand all radiated extreme pain, pain only felt because of these animals . She knelt down, slapping the woman across the face, a bloody handprint left on the mask. “ Get up !” she cried.

The woman didn’t respond. Fine then, here was the fun part.

Eve grabbed her by her shoulders, lifting her off her feet. “Mann wanted one of you brought in for questioning," she hissed, looking around. “Unfortunately, you’re the only one remaining.” She glared back at the woman, that all too-encompassing rage pushing back towards the forefront. “But first, I want some answers of my own.”

The woman didn’t respond, and Eve felt the sudden urge to slap her again, but she swallowed it down as an unnecessary action.

“How many of my comrades did you and your thugs slaughter? How many innocent lives did you ruin with your wanton greed?” She shook the woman again, and the woman laughed . “Answer me!”

“Your… comrades?” the woman repeated. “You mean those whores who masqueraded as our saviors? The women Mother Sphere sent out to die? You were just one of the unluckier ones.” She cackled like she had made the funniest joke in the world.

“Eve, let’s go!” Adam’s voice was hurried and distressed, but Eve was already tuning him out, a voice of reason she didn’t dare endure. No no no no no, reason had died with the other Angels of Xion. Angels casted to Hell for the simple crime of trying to help.

No longer.

“How many died for you, I wonder," the woman spat. “How many wasted their time on a pointless mission for a false god?” She seemingly leaned in, and somehow, Eve knew she was smiling under that hideous mask. “I butchered one, had a played with her organs. Best part? They didn’t sell for shit !”

Eve’s eye twitched. Whatever words Adam and Lily were saying rang hollow compared to the blood pounding in her ear, blood that demanded for more, more of its own kind to spill. A command she would gladly listen to, just this once.

She let go of the woman with the uninjured arm, pulling it back with a closed, tight fist. The woman was no longer the woman in front of her, but the black-winged demon that had ruined everything for her, dragged her into a state of mindless Hell where nightmares were born of reality turned memory. This wasn’t just for Xion, for the squad members that had been tortured and dissected, nor was it for Tachy. No no no, this was for her , plain and simple. The mask of justice had been ripped entirely, and all that stood in its way was an ugly form of prideful hatred. A wrath born out of her own fear of weakness.

This was her being selfish, plain and simple. A selfishness she would gladly endure. Perhaps this was what it was to be human, after all.

 Eve readied her fist, preparing to strike.

“Eve, don’t !” Lily cried.

But with a roar, the only thing Eve truly cared about was vengeance.

*

“Stop fidgeting," Lily said, her gaze distant. A small light was above them in the otherwise dark Tetrapod. “I need to fix your hand.”

“My hand is fine, Lily," Eve softly replied. Her face and nanosuit was still covered in blood. Some of it hers. Admittedly, it felt suddenly weird to see all the mechanical wirings under her skin, all exposed like she was one of those robot—

 But she wasn’t. She was human . Today proved that. “You’ve done enough.”

Lily shot her a very dark look, one completely unlike the cheerful woman she normally was. “Unlike yourself, of course," she hissed, before grabbing a screw.

Eve bit down on the pain—both emotional and physical. The wall of anger chewed through reason once again, and once again, Eve found herself opening her mouth. “I did what was necessary. You’d do the same," she hissed.

“Now you’re projecting. Typical Eve," Lily shot back. “Besides, I’m not the one you should be worried about. He’s probably coming here right now with an army of Sentinels, just ready to drag you away for all the chaos you managed to cause in a single day. And you know what? Maybe I should let them.”

Eve’s lip twitched but she forced herself to look away. Exhaustion was soaking into her body like a bad hangover (that night with Enya and Lily hadn’t ended too well), and more than ever did she just want to rest. Besides, Lily was right. She wasn’t the one to worry about. More truthfully, Lily wasn’t being completely honest either. She was hurting, hurting enough to say things she believed would hurt. If Eve was truly dragged away, Lily wouldn’t know what to do, that much was true.

“Look, Lily… I’m sorry for scaring you. You shouldn’t have seen that.”

“Understatement of the year," Lily muttered, and just at the time, she twisted a wire within Eve’s finger, causing her to cry out.

“And I promise that I’ll do whatever I need to make it up to you," Eve hissed through the pain.

“Hm," was all Lily’s reply.

“I’m being completely honest here.”

“And I’m being honest by saying that it wasn’t you… handling them that was the problem," Lily explained, her gaze dead-set. “Mann gave you a direct order to follow, one he only gave you because he understood why you were doing what you were doing. And tell me, what did you do?”

Eve looked away again. Lily’s eyes were appearing like cold orbs of reflection. Eve sighed, relaxing in her seat.

“See? You don’t even want to say it yourself! You know what you did, and now I have to helplessly watch as Mann comes over all pissed off and—”

“That’s my problem to deal with, not yours!”

“See? And there we go!” Lily suddenly slammed the tools down next to Eve’s hand. “You want to push everyone away who gives a shit about you? Well here we are! Fix your hand your damn self, since apparently only your feelings ever mattered!” Even now, it was quite obvious Lily wanted to cry, but the infectious source of pride has unfortunately spread to her. She rushed out the Tetrapod, tears in her eyes that refused to fall. That wouldn’t fit the look of an Airborne Squad Member, would it?

“Lily, wai—” Eve cut herself off, guilt blanketing her body. She had earned this, earned this pathetic moment to herself. Who was she without others?

Her mangled hand stared back at her with raw agony enveloped in rage. Her own carelessness. Next time, it would be her head all mangled, and perhaps her memory stick would be broken too.

And for what, you stubborn fool ?

“EVE, NEWLY FOUND CITIZEN OF XION! GET OUT HERE NOW!” Mann’s mask-filtered voice was booming all over and under.

Eve shut her eyes as she forced herself to stand up on wobbly legs. It was time to face the music, as Adam would say. Slowly, she climbed herself out of the Tetrapod, taking a second to edge down each stair. Was it guilt that drove her down? Fear? Perhaps a little bit of both?

The stars were just as beautiful as the few nights before, but Eve wasn’t feeling them. Mother Sphere would be disappointed. Tachy would be disappointed. At this point, a dead woman’s wishes perhaps mattered more than the likes of her own god. Maybe Eve was already losing faith, and in simple denial of it.

Mann was standing there, huffing and puffing like he was out of breath, his arms tightly crossed. Behind him stood several Sentinels, all with their hands dangerously close to their weapons. Roxanne was already gone; she had handed back the Body Core and promptly left without really even saying goodbye. Eve didn’t blame her. Fear was an effective motivator, but a shitty way to build relationships, as today had shown her.

“So Eve," Mann began walking closer. He stopped right in front of her, and even through the mask, she could tell he was eyeing her up and down. Perhaps as the next potential fight. “Mind telling me where my prisoner is?”

“They’re all dead," she bluntly stated. “I killed them all.”

A gust of wind blew past them, emptying the silence with strained, cold tension.

Mann darkly scoffed. “And what did we agree on when I came here earlier, hm? What did I say?”

“You needed one alive to have a trial," Eve replied, her gaze locked on his. “I just… couldn’t.”

“Couldn’t, or wouldn’t ?” Mann got closer, and Eve was forced to look up at him. “I gave you one simple task, and you fucked it up to the point that I have nothing. And here I thought I could trust you.”

Adam suddenly got up from his seat. “Mann, you have to understand—”

Mann was swiftly in Adam’s face. “Stay out of this, scavenger boy, unless you want to share the same punishment as her.”

Adam silenced himself. He glanced over to Eve, and Eve gave him a nod. Whatever she was going to suffer, she had earned. With pursed lips and slightly widened eyes, Adam sat back down.

“Wanna know why I needed one alive?” Mann restarted. “Give me a solid guess.”

The guilt was coiling all across her body, all the anger having fled in a rush. “You… needed one for questioning," she managed to sputter out.

“RIght. With just one prisoner, I could’ve found a lot more of these hideouts and handled the rest. But now? Now I have nothing, and it’s all because I decided to be sympathetic and put my faith in the Angel of Xion. Nice to know I was wrong.”

Eve looked away.

“And another thing. Why do you think I wanted to handle things my own way to begin with? Why?”

Eve shook her head. The answer danced on her tongue, but perhaps she didn’t want to say it. That scathing source of pride was still crawling somewhere in her brain, preventing from speaking the truth out loud.

“Who holds more authority here in Xion? Me, or you?”

Eve exhaled, her body aching out in dull pain. Her hand felt worst of all. “You do.”

“Mhm. And what is Xion supposed to think when I let the biggest arrival handle all my business? They’ll begin to think that me and my soldiers are weak , and what do the brave and the bold typically do with the weak?”

Eve didn’t respond. She suddenly felt a machine-like finger poking her right in the chest, right above her breasts.

“When I ask a question, I expect an answer," Mann growled.

“They want to overthrow them," she weakly said. By Mother Sphere, her hand was busted beyond belief. It was her dominant hand too.

“Right. And you already know damn well how many people would rather have the Orcal in chains or even worse. Do I also have to explain how random acts of vigilantism can eventually lead to chaos? There is a reason why we have a judge, jury, and sometimes an executioner here in Xion. They represent order , stability. Balancing matters of society you apparently lack the knowledge of. Imagine if every single citizen of Xion just decided to handle their problems the way you did? We’d be just as bad as the bandits that we toss out there, where they roam with the monsters and demons alike. You want that to fall upon Xion too?”

“I don’t," Eve hissed.

Mann’s glare was perhaps one of the scariest things in the world at the moment. Not just because of him, but what he represented . “Fortunately for you, I can’t just toss you in a cell for a few days and forget the key. The city would be furious. The Angel of Xion behind bars? Like I need another problem on my hands. That, and the Orcal would be furious with his mission being interrupted. See the stress I’m under?”

The guilt locked her in place, holding her down to the Earth, like she was being sunken under, where all the demons and devils ruled over. “I do now.”

“Good, so here what’s gonna happen: you are on a curfew from now on until I say so. The only times you’re allowed in Xion is from dawn ‘till dusk, not before nor after, and don’t think the Sentinels won’t be watching your every move either. In the eyes of Xion, you’ve proven yourself useful, but you’re still an unknown entity, and it’s going to stay that way until you prove you’re not here to also destabilize what I’ve helped build up. Understand?”

Eve nodded, her lips pursing as her heart slowly sunk into the bottomless sea. After all this time, she was still an unknown entity. So much for open borders. “I understand… and I’m sorry.”

Mann shook his head, another growl escaping through his mask. “Sorry means little right now, with all the paperwork and headaches you burdened me with. You’re a soldier of the Colony, so start acting like one, damnit.” He gestured with a finger, and all the Sentinels gathered themselves, gave their salute, and turned around, walking towards Xion. “The rest of you? Goodnight. Let’s hope tomorrow brings better pastures for all of us.”

“Night, Mann," Adam said.

“Night!” Lily cried.

Eve felt Mann’s dark gaze on her, another strained exhale escaping through his mask, and without another word, he turned around, taking the back position behind his Sentinels. Eve watched them leave, her heart strained and her body aching, and without a word herself, she sat down, gritting her teeth as she tried to close her injured hand.

“Well there we go," Adam muttered, his hands on his hips. “Be grateful he didn’t do worse.”

“He’d be justified," Eve replied, staring at her own hand. Blood—both her several victims’ and her own—darkly colored it. Most of it had been cleaned off by Lily, but some still remained.

Some would never wash away.

“He’ll cool off in time, I’m sure," Adam continued, his gaze focused on the desolate city. “He knows you’re genuine, and that you just want to help Xion. Soon, he’ll probably retract the curfew, especially once Orcal hears of it.”

“Hmm” was all that came out of Eve’s lips. Her hand mattered more. Just how much more blood would she spill? Murdering them all was justified, but what else would there be? How much of it was actually worth it? Lily couldn’t look her in the eye, Mann was furious with her, Roxanne was scared of her, and in her anger, she had pushed Su and Enya away. How much more would she let emotion cloud her judgement?

Mann was right. She was a soldier, through and through. So why wasn’t she acting like one?

“I’ll… get the shower ready, okay?” Adam said. “You just stay here and… relax. If there’s anyone who earned it today, it’s you.”

“Don’t bother, Adam," she muttered in response. She ran her uninjured hand down her face, sweat and grime and blood came off, but she was still dirty, dirty with everything humanity had suffered with. “I think I’m just gonna sit here for a while and think.”

Adam sighed, his eyes sympathetic yet worried at the same time. Was she lucky to have him? Or was he unlucky enough to be burdened with keeping an eye on her? Only time would tell. “Alright, Eve. You do you. Goodnight.”

She didn’t respond.

Adam left up the stairs of the Tetrapod. A moment later, Lily came by, her hands behind her back. Eve looked up to match her gaze, her hand pulling away from her face. Lily looked like she wanted to say something. Hell, she opened her mouth as well, but nothing but bitter and disappointed air slowly came out. Lily shut her mouth, shook her head, and climbed in the Tetrapod as well, leaving Eve completely alone.

The air around the Tetrapod hummed in complete silence, leaving nothing for Eve to distract herself from her own mind.

She rubbed her face again, watching as the world briefly disappeared in black then reappeared in light darkness. A part of her wanted to sleep, never to wake up. Guilt and embarrassment were still doing their double-shifts, but another familiar emotion had just clocked in: rage .

Rage at herself, first and foremost.

She was a fool, a stubborn fool, a prideful fool, a fool that didn’t see herself as wrong. Her heart had controlled the brain, and the brain had stopped working entirely. She was a fool to rush in so hastily, believing that “kidnapped sister” crap so easily. She was a fool to yell over Su’s warnings and push away all help. She was a fool to needlessly terrorize Roxanne for the crime of needing a way to live, she was a fool to place her own feelings above Xion.

In a way, she was the dumbest of them all, and for what? Pride? No wonder she was still alive.

And where was she now? Completely and utterly alone. This close to being banished from Xion completely, and for good reason.

It was one thing to want revenge. It was another to let it cloud her judgement to the point of breaking her own body over it. Those animals would eventually be replaced, long after she was gone. All she did was cut the head off the snake, a snake that would regrow with tougher skin and a longer body.

This wasn’t a triumphant victory. A moral failure, to be precise. Her own, to be truthful.

In what felt like an eternity passing, Eve finally gathered the strength to return to the Tetrapod, ending what was supposed to be a good day.

*

Mann was out again. Probably having slept horribly and taken to drinking to ease the stress. He couldn’t blame him if that was the case, but it wasn’t his business, of course.

“I’m surprised you’re not more worried about her, Adam, judging from what I’ve unfortunately heard," Orcal said, a book in his robotic hand, his milky eyes scanning each and every page.

He was in the Presence Chamber again, sitting down next to Orcal like a kid next to a parent. Which was… ironic, to say the least. “Honestly? I’m… more relieved than anything. I feel like one of my troubles has been cleared thanks to all that transpired," Adam explained, his finger rubbing his chin. Despite what had happened yesterday not being a laughing matter, it had confirmed one thing: Eve was a good person and a fit candidate, despite her personal demons. It made everything feel… lighter somehow.

For once, he hadn’t screwed up on something. Personal goals, maybe?

“Perhaps I’m just frail and my vision is clouded, but hearing what had happened couldn’t help but make me think of—”

“Raven?” Adam glanced over to Orcal, who seemed surprised. “I know. But the difference between them isn’t just how long they’ve been on Earth. I can’t see Raven accepting punishment like that. She was always too prideful, too unwilling to admit her own fault for something. Eve did, however. She knows what she did was… perhaps too much. Honestly? This is just a learning experience for her, and I have my full trust it’ll work out.”

“Hmm, not being allowed to move freely in Xion might cause some issues.”

“We still have plenty of work to do in the Wasteland and the Great Desert. Not to mention she might ask me to go back to Eidos 7 or Matrix 11 while hunting for something. She’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

“‘I’m sure’ has been the epitome of billions of failed dreams, hopes, and ambitions," Orcal gravely explained. “You must hold a lot of faith in her, Adam.”

“Didn’t you tell me to fix things with her a few days ago?” Adam said with a subtle smile. The tables had turned and he was scratching his head as to why.

“I certainly recall. But opinions must update based on fact. Otherwise, one lives in their own ignorance. I hope you’re right, Adam. For humanity’s sake.”

Adam’s smile slowly faded, and suddenly, a stern warning began to itch within his mind. He was right about Eve, right? He was damn sure of it. Eve was a good person, if a little troubled. But so was everyone. He had struck out gold, having stopped Raven just in time. This time, it was going to be different, and he was damn proud of that fact.

“I know I’m right," he hissed.

*

With a groggy groan, she slowly opened her eyes to the cot she was laying on. Some drool had found rest on her pillow, a fact she did not take with pleasure.

“Oh, ew!” she cried, sitting up, then she remembered that she didn’t remember laying in her bed at all. Perhaps she had fallen at her personal workstation at some point, and Adam or Eve had carried her back to her bed. It wouldn’t be the first time, either.

Eve …

A sudden strike of worry had smacked her in the heart. She had yelled at her because of… what exactly? Last night had been a bloody blur that she personally never wanted to revisit ever again, and perhaps the harsh words tossed around were another factor as to why.

She got up, rubbing at her eyes of the troubled sleep she had gotten. Last night had also given her nightmares worth describing. A fact she utterly despised. Would Iberis call her a coward for not attempting to stop Eve more? Just sitting on the sidelines and yelling at the woman after the fact?

Lily shook her head. It wasn’t worth discussing what-ifs and has-beens. The past was the past. Not the present nor the future.

Adam was nowhere to be seen, as Lily walked through the Tetrapod. It was also early in the morning, as shown with the Sun slowly rising. A beautiful horizon, but the days sometimes didn’t match the weather. Hell could open its mouth, and the Sun would keep beaming as if nothing changed. Mother Nature—as they called her in those books Eve continuously stumbled on—was a god damned liar.

She stumbled out the Tetrapod, a hand still rubbing an eye, all while she still groaned away the horrible sleep.

She looked around, and saw her , sitting on the edge of the platform. She had showered at some point; her hair was still wet. But sleep? Lily doubted it. Eve wouldn’t just sleep after that. She would pace and pace and pace until her legs just stopped working. Eve wasn’t like other people, people who could rest off a bad day or sleep it away like nothing happened. No, that was reserved for people who didn’t perform the sin of introspection. Eve couldn’t rest, because rest meant running away, and running away was something Eve never did.

She’d rather die.

With the shut of the eyes, Lily clenched and unclenched her hands in an attempt to gather the strength necessary to confront her. Did Eve want to be alone? Would she push her away like yesterday?

Lily shook her head. The past was the past, and it was time she stopped worrying about it so much. With a silent stride, she stopped right behind the taller woman, her mouth ready to—

“Sit if you want, Lily. You know I won’t say no.”

A brief electric shock passed through Lily’s body. Eve knew she was here, perhaps the whole time. But the moment passed and Lily was left with what she set out to do. With a nod of her head, she took a seat next to Eve, her feet dangling over the edge, but in a way, she didn’t feel danger at all.

She never did around Eve.

“How are you feeling?” she softly asked, her eyes on the beautiful horizon. “Any better?”

Eve shook her head. An open beer can was in her injured hand. Lily wondered why she would put so much strain on it, but decided to not open her mouth about it.

“Maybe I can open you up and do some work and—”

Eve once again shook her head. “No need," she stated, before taking a sip of her beer. There was a clear strain in her movements. “It would be a waste of supplies for later. You need them for more important things.”

“Come on, I can’t let you walk around all screwed up. Who would I be without someone to constantly check up on?” Lily forced a smile, one that didn’t quite land well.

“An engineer still. Me on the other hand?” Eve’s voice trailed off. Her gaze was distant, cold even. “I’m just a soldier, I suppose, and a shitty one at that.” She attempted to take another sip of her beer, eyed the supposedly empty can, darkly scowled, crushed the can through gritted teeth, then tossed the can over the edge. Perhaps after some time, it would reach the end of the endlessness, but that was a path Lily would never take. “You have the future, and I just have the mission.”

“That isn’t—” But Lily couldn’t finish the sentence. What would they do once the Elder was in chains, or more likely, killed? Would Mother Sphere personally congratulate them? Pat them on the back? Would the Colony see them as heroes? Lily decided those questions were better left for better times. Right now, her patient and friend were the priority. “Listen, we both hold the same future, regardless of what happened.”

“Hmm.”

Lily scowled, and a brief moment passed by where she thought this was nothing but a waste of time. But no, leaving wouldn’t be befitting of a friend, would it? “You and I are two pods in a pod, okay? You leave, and I leave. You stay, and I stay.”

Eve cracked the subtlest of smiles. “Lily, do you even know what a pea tastes like?”

“No, but I’d like to try one someday! And you need to as well.” Lily held a hand out, dangerously close to Eve’s shoulder. But instead, she clenched her fist, putting her hand down. Maybe Eve wouldn’t want that. “Wouldn’t you want to try one as well?”

“Maybe," came Eve’s reply, then she shook her head. “I’m supposed to be a soldier. I follow rules, not break them. I’m not supposed to let emotion cloud my judgement or decide my actions for me. And yet…” she sighed, her head suddenly falling into her uninjured hand. She was pinching the bridge of her nose, disappointment clear in the shakes of her body.

Lily couldn’t stand it anymore. She leapt in, tightly hugging the one they called the Angel. “I’m sorry for saying what I said," she muttered into Eve’s arm… which was unfortunately the bad one.

Eve hissed loudly, and Lily almost immediately let go, embarrassment ringing in her cheeks. “Sorry sorry sorry," she repeated like she was a robot. “So sorry.”

Eve shook her head, rolling her shoulder back. “Don’t be. I brought it on myself.”

Lily pursed her lips, rubbing a hand against the back of her neck. “I know you blame yourself for this, and perhaps maybe you’re right… but it won’t be all bad.”

“Can’t see how.”

“You’ll spend more time with me!”

Eve cracked another smile. “Oh, the horror!” she mocked. “Mother Sphere, come and strike me down right now.”

“I’m your worst nightmare!” Lily said in an overly growly tone. “I force you to collect cans for my enjoyment!”

“Actually, they’re for mine ," Eve corrected, then her smile slowly faded. “Guess I can’t show Enya or Su the unfinished collection any time soon.”

Lily raised an eyebrow. “What? You’re still allowed in Xion.”

Eve sadly shook her head. “It’s a banishment, just under softer terms. Remember what Mann said? The only reason I’m not in a jail cell right now is because he fears an uprising.” She sighed, rubbing her chin. “The fact that I’m already that important…”

“But it’s a good thing, yeah? You help people, people want to see you more. Just because you screwed up once—”

“I screw up again, and I might just destroy Xion. Mann was right. Maybe… Maybe this sort-of exile will be good for me, at least a little.”

Lily shrugged. “There’s still plenty of cans to find. We have forty-nine in total, and right now we’re at… thirty-two, I think?”

“Plus some people still need their loved ones’ memory sticks.” Eve was nodding, tapping a finger against her chin. “Ugh, that weird lady that talked too much…”

“The one crying about love?”

Eve chuckled. “She definitely has a few wires tangled and knotted…” Her gaze went back out to the horizon, a sliver of hope in her eyes. Lily had to admit, it was quite the beautiful sight. “Yeah, maybe this will be a good thing for me. Some time away to clear my head.”

Lily looked down at Eve’s hand, and slowly, she went out to grasp it. Eve didn’t hiss this time. Instead, her own grip tightened around Lily’s. Together, they silently watched the Sun come over the horizon, the sky lighting up just that little bit more. Maybe this was okay. Maybe it was better that it happened this way. Lily didn’t know, but it certainly mattered to her, and maybe that was the only important thing that mattered. Maybe Mother Sphere, the mission, or hell, even Xion didn’t matter as much as this. Maybe none of them mattered as much at all.

Not as much as each other did.

Heh, perhaps failure had always been a part of the human condition.