Descent of Nightmare (Chapter Ten)

[tanadin]

 SORRY I BARELY EDITED THIS SO IT MIGHT BE AWFUL BUT HERE'S ALL THE CONFIRMATIONS OF PARENTS WOOO

Chapter list: https://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/650.html
Map of Kaldriel: https://i.gyazo.com/332b0c0172dcc60acb46a6ed078f4219.png
Rough map of Hatu: https://i.gyazo.com/ea4f9f51b9dc7b9d8b86d846f5331138.png

Chapter Ten

Bloodline

Akrar, Kaldriel. November 8, 2277. Time instance 842N.

Emma was glad to get inside, away from the biting cold, but she didn’t focus on it long as she was already searching for the demon girl again. They had made their way into the city (which had amazed and baffled the...kids? Could they be referred to as kids?) and into one of the apartment buildings, where it would be warm and have a large enough room for them all to fit. As they’d walked, Emma had continuously glanced over at the demon she’d fought- and punched- earlier. She felt bad about cutting into her side with Nightbane, although she’d been surprised that it hadn’t done more damage as she was a demon and Nightbane hated demons.

Not to mention she looked just like Cataclysm. Emma knew from experience and what she’d been told that demons do not have feathered wings. They just don’t, but Cataclysm did due to his angelic origin. Black feathered wings with the ability to sharpen into knifelike blades were a trait unique to Cataclysm, or so she’d thought.

This revelation that these kids- these odd kids that should never have existed- were theirs, genetically the children of her friends...it shook her more than she would have thought that it would. She kept running her eyes over them, wondering which one was hers, but kept returning to the girl with her black feathered wings and bright yellow eyes. She was followed closely by a creature that could only be related to M, with his build and appearance. Emma occasionally looked curiously at M, as well, and found herself torn in too many directions with too many questions.

Once they were all inside, Nathan excused himself- insisting he needed to be somewhere- and left, leaving the parents and children alone with Kaldric.

It was silent for almost a minute before M finally cleared his throat and clicked his claws in an almost nervous action. Emma wasn’t familiar with raptor body language in any way, but he moved similarly enough to an aven that she could guess at the meaning of a few of his mannerisms.

“You all...may want to know who you’re related to. These lab-born children should not exist, but they do, and they...you…” He hesitated. “You deserve the same chance at life as anyone else. And no one can help you more than those who are familiar with their lives being uprooted and flipped around. Those who rose in revolution to forge themselves new lives. Those who wouldn’t be kicked when they were down. Those who took down the Mainframe. Those whose blood was taken to create you.”

“Tell us,” Lucy said softly. “We don’t know what to expect, or what this means, but we’ll find a way to figure it out.”

M nodded and ran his eyes over them. “I looked over the data of your experiment and memorized most of the parents and their corresponding…” He hesitated, searching for a word.

“Labkid?” Emma found herself suggesting, and M blinked before silently accepting it.

“Labkid. And those I can’t remember I can guess. Everex and Twelve Dramonallvaer!”

Two heads snapped up, the Seven and Tanadin lookalikes, and Emma knew before M even confirmed it who their genetics had come from.

Tanadin didn’t seem surprised, but she did look overwhelmed as she slowly stepped over to them, looking them over as if trying to memorize every detail. “Dramonallvaer,” she repeated in a whisper. “Firestorm.”

“It’s an apt name.” Twelve tapped her foot on the floor a few times, thinking. “I don’t know what to make of you,” she finally confessed, “but we….” She exchanged a glance with Everex. “We’re...glad to know you?” She was slowly gaining confidence with every sentence she spoke, but she was hesitant on seemingly simple words while others- like apt- she seemed to know without effort.

Definitely Seven’s daughter. The thought startled Emma for a moment, almost making her laugh. Now there’s a sentence I didn’t expect to think.

“Lucy Hite, daughter of Shawn Hite and Cap Jones, who is absent.”

“She’s on her way,” Tanadin mumbled. “I texted her.”

Shawn still looked stunned, but he didn’t react to M’s words in any way. He just continued to look at Lucy with a mixture of shock and curiosity.

“Solace Igneregnatus.” Solace and Clash’s heads snapped up at the last name, Scott several seconds behind. “Clash Igneregnatus and Scott Dirth.”

Solace raised an eyebrow and mumbled something in Dranonic as Clash approached, making him shoot Scott a helpless look. Solace didn’t seem to notice as she leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms, surveying her parents warily.

Scott nodded. “Yep. She’s mine.”

“Exadae and Jack Dacion, sons of the absent Archdemon Vel’kex Dacion and...Geek.” M looked at her apologetically. “I can’t pronounce your full name. I’m sorry. My mouth isn’t shaped like that.”

Geek waved it off. “Half the time I can’t say my own name, it’s not a prob- did you say these are mine.”

“Yes. I did.”

“Oh.” Geek looked at the twins again, raising an eyebrow. “Damn him. He was right. They are mine. I’m glad I don’t make bets with him anymore as this would be rather embarrassing.”

“Nightgale Kerice, daughter of the absent Hawk Sirius and the deceased Zahnra Kerice.”

Nightgale grumbled something unintelligible under her breath and sat down, claws working at the carpet. Emma felt a tinge of sympathy as no one came to speak to her like they had the others.

“I think Hawk’s in Doravia with Goldtalon at the moment. I can ask her to return, but she might be busy.” Tanadin cringed. “Sorry.”

Nightgale shrugged at the translation Lucy offered and waved vaguely for M to continue.

“Korrah Squalus, daughter of the absent Gali Fr-”

“I’m here!” Gali shouted as she kicked the door open, almost falling over as Jimmy ran right into her. They yelped and stumbled to keep their footing, earning the laughter of their friends and confused looks from the newcomers. “What’s this about finding a cult of random children in the mountains?”

“They’re our kids,” Shawn explained, “and this one is yours.” He grabbed Korrah’s arm and pulled her forward, making her glare at him before Lucy mumbled something to her in Dranonic and made her stop and look Jimmy and Gali over.

“Mine?” Gali squeaked. “What do you-”

“Both of yours,” M corrected. “This is Korrah Squalus. She was created using your blood samples in a lab by a crazy raptor scientist.”

“Mine?” Gali repeated.

Korrah’s metal wings folded tightly against her back and she adjusted her mask, looking them over carefully even as they did the same. Emma smiled at them but her attention was pulled away as M spoke again.

“Gyrad Fan. Son of the absent Willow Fan and the deceased Atar. I don’t know what his first name was.”

Gyrad bit back something that was surely scathing in Dranonic before leaning against the wall, letting it push his hat at a really edgy teenager-that-hates-the-world angle. M snorted and was stopped from continuing when Tac charged in through the door past Jimmy and Gali and almost ran right into him. She yelped and scrambled back, startled by his appearance, and it took a hand from Shawn and some shouting from her friends to reassure her that it was just M, the alien guy who had sort of betrayed them all and it was fine.

“What’s this about everyone having kids?” Tac finally demanded, and Shawn quietly explained as M’s eyes moved to the next labkid.

“Tavren Pyrox. Your parents, Kyir Lu’ann and Xela Pyrox, are both absent at the moment. They should both be at the Mainframe, although they will likely return to Akrar soon.”

Tavren nodded and sat down next to Nightgale, trying to strike up a conversation but crossing his arms when he was ignored. He flashed a grin at Emma when he saw her watching him.

“Annihilation Calyon.” Emma’s head snapped up at the name, and Cataclysm beside her tensed. The demon from earlier’s yellow eyes locked on M expectantly, wings tensing. “Cataclysm Calyon and Emma Nossur.” He motioned at them vaguely and Emma froze as Annihilation’s eyes finally came to rest on them.

Gods. So that was why Annihilation looked so familiar, even in the aspects that weren’t clearly Cataclysm. Looking closer, Emma could see that, yes, she did look like her, her face especially. The yellow eyes were… different, but given Cataclysm’s purple eyes she wasn’t particularly surprised.

I have a daughter. The thought sent a jolt through her. I have a daughter and her name is Annihilation.

The raptor-demon- for what else could it be?- nudged Annihilation gently with his head. “Thak.” She turned to argue with him but he pushed her towards them, and she reluctantly drew closer, eyes flicking down to Nightbane.

“Sorry,” Emma said automatically, but immediately felt like an idiot when Annihilation tilted her head in confusion.

“I know some Dranonic,” Cataclysm mumbled, “but not enough to hold a conversation. I wonder…” He switched to Demonic- a rough, harsh language, filled mostly of consonants and growls- and Annihilation quickly responded, happy to have a way to communicate. Emma watched them talk but reluctantly looked away when M spoke again.

“Kallen Avilena, son of Tac Avilena and the absent Scarlett ‘Mars’ Lance.”

Tac looked up at her name and met the eyes of a scared-looking boy who was hiding behind Lucy. He reluctantly stepped out, the metal pincer that took the place of his right hand turning and clicking.

Lucy mumbled a reassurance to him and he stepped forward, offering an awkward smile. Tac returned it and he grinned wider.

“Krassor Hellvan, son of the absent Devan Hellvan and the deceased Sub Lovegood.”

Krassor- who looked like an aven if aven had their wings on their back and not on their arms- shrugged and clicked his beak a few times, almost thoughtfully. He turned and asked Tavren a question, who jumped immediately at the opportuinity to start a conversation.

“Starren Narsworn, daughter of Nine Kathrar and Geluu Narsworn, who are both absent.”

Starren nodded, accepting it, and sat down with Tavren, nudging him and earning a squawk of protest as he was pushed against Nightgale.

“And…” M hesitated, eyes pausing on the last labkid. “Deathclaw Frost. Son of the deceased Sadie Frost and...myself. The last two, Meria Murphy and Zast Lu’ann, children of Scara and Goldtalon for Meria and Corvus and Dare for Zast are dead or missing.” He reluctantly stepped forward and lowered his voice to talk to his son, something that Emma didn’t pay attention to as she immediately redirected her focus back to Annihilation.

Annihilation. Her daughter. She had been handed a sixteen-year-old daughter and had no idea what to do with her.

Cataclysm finally laughed and switched back to English, looking over at Emma. “She’s hilarious. She really is…” He hesitated, shuffling his wings. “Um...yeah.”

Emma nodded and smiled at Annihilation, who carefully smiled a bit in return. “I wish I could talk to her, though…”

“I’m going to work on teaching everyone English,” Lucy assured as others echoed Emma’s sentiment. “I told them it might be important.”

“We didn’t listen,” Tavren said in perfect English, grinning at her stunned expression.

“When did you learn?”

“Awhile ago! I was curious and asked Kaldric!”

“I know many things,” the robot informed them, voice rising a note. “And my prime directive is to help you stay alive.”

“Kyir would love to see you,” Cataclysm informed him. “So would Seven, for that matter.”

“I am sure that I would enjoy their presence as well.”

One of the labkids- Jack, Emma remembered- snarled something. “This is all well and good, but where do we go from here?” Lucy translated. “We have no home and no idea what we’re doing.”

“I was assuming you’d be staying here,” Tanadin admitted, pausing to let Lucy translate. “There’s no need to live out in the mountains when you could stay with people you’re actually related to and want to help you.”

“Does this mean I get to take him home?” Tac asked, motioning vaguely at Kallen, who she was hugging. “He’s great. Lucy’s a good translator.”

Lucy shrugged. “I see the dead. I have to be.”

“The team will not be separating.” Twelve’s voice cut through the conversation like a blade. “We need to stick together.” She repeated her sentence in Dranonic and most of the labkids nodded in agreement.

“Twelve.” Twelve turned to look at Lucy, frowning slightly.

“Yes?”

“It wouldn’t hurt for us to split up a little. Not much- stay in the same area, live in the same building or cave or whatever. But this isn’t like the desert. This isn’t fighting tooth-and-nail for survival.”

Twelve crossed her arms and switched into Dranonic, continuing the argument, and soon most of the team was bickering and putting in their own opinion until Everex slammed his hands together and silenced them with the loud clang of metal.

Twelve and Lucy argued much more quietly for a short period of time before Twelve threw her hands up and said something which Kaldric helpfully translated as “Fine! But I want to know when people are going too far, okay? I don’t want anyone getting killed because we ended up letting our guard down.”

The team chorused in agreement and Twelve turned back to Tanadin.

“Where will we be staying? Some of us may not want to remain so close to the main group but we will…” She hesitated and spat out a fast line of Dranonic, which Kaldric translated, “but we will require accommodations.”

“In one of the apartment buildings, most likely. I’ll figure out where we have rooms. See if we can get you a hallway to yourselves. It might take awhile to figure out.”

Twelve nodded. “Very well. Thank you.”

Emma watched the room dissolve into dozens of smaller conversations and smiled faintly at Annihilation as she poked Cataclysm and asked him something in Demonic.

They’d figure it out, somehow.