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saladloveChapter list: https://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/650.html
Map of Kaldriel: https://i.gyazo.com/332b0c0172dcc60acb46
Rough map of Hatu: https://i.gyazo.com/ea4f9f51b9dc7b9d8b86
Chapter Twenty-Three
Firestarter
Akrar, Kaldriel. November 11, 2277. Time instance 842N.
Annihilation took a deep breath before knocking on the door. She mentally ran over various greetings in English, silently hoping that they would be enough to get her in the door and that her knowledge of the language wouldn’t fail her as she sought...whatever it was she was seeking. She didn’t even know, really. She straightened her spine and waited, listening as footsteps drew closer and closer, so achingly slow in comparison to the racing of her heart.
After what felt like an eternity, the door opened, revealing Cataclysm. He raised an eyebrow at her in surprise, opening his mouth to ask a question.
Annihilation burst into tears and started babbling in Demonic.
Good job, Anni. Now he thinks you’re stupid and pathetic.
Cataclysm didn’t shut the door like she had expected, though. He just frowned and gently reached forward, taking her hands in his and pulling her inside. He shut the door behind them and led her into the living room, pulling her to sit next to him on the couch. The woman from before- Emma- looked up at them from her seat on the couch, asking Cataclysm a question that Annihilation completely missed. She looked up at Cataclysm and sobbed, “How do you make them leave?”
Cataclysm tilted his head. “Who?”
“The ones that we killed.”
His eye widened in realization and her hugged her tightly, wings wrapping around her. She buried herself against him, reveling in the warmth he provided.
“You don’t,” he said quietly. “You can only hope that they leave you alone.” At Emma’s repeated question, Cataclysm explained what was going on, hugging Annihilation tighter. Emma moved seats to sit on her other side, slipping a hand under Cataclysm’s wing to rub her back.
“I’m not like Deathclaw,” Annihilation mumbled, switching to English and hoping that it was good enough for them to understand. “I can’t just be happy that we won and carry on like nothing happened. I can’t… I can’t…”
“I know.” Cataclysm rubbed her back as well. “I know. And that’s okay.”
“You’re only-” Emma stopped herself, biting back the words. “What am I saying? You’re not human. You’re...half-human? And half...Cataclysm.”
“Half Cataclysm,” he repeated. “I suppose that’s the best way to describe me. I’m not really anything.”
“You’re a demon.” Annihilation leaned back, away from him. She wiped her eyes and shuffled her wings. “Aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Cataclysm said carefully, “and no. I was born an angel, but due to events I’d rather not discuss right now I was turned into a demon.” He half-spread his wings. “You and I are the only two beings like us that have ever existed, as far as I know. Wear your black feathers proudly because they were earned with pain and strife.”
Annihilation’s feathers half-sharpened subconsciously. “I know.” Conviction melted into her voice, giving it an edge. “I’ve had to fight for them, too.”
Cataclysm’s heavy sigh startled her, making her look back up at him, at his single purple eye. “I was afraid of that.” He reached out and took one of her hands in both of his own, wrapping his fingers around it. “But I won’t let you go what I went through. You’ve struggled and fought but I won’t let anyone take you down.” He tightened his grip, and warmth ran through Annihilation’s core. “Never.”
Emma took her other hand. “You don’t know us, and we don’t know you. We can’t hope to understand each other yet, but…” She hesitated. “Understanding is the first part of working together.”
“I know.” Annihilation’s wings tightened against her back. “I...thank you.” She was overwhelmed, overwhelmed and exhausted from both the battle and the current conversation. She must have said something to this effect aloud, as Emma squeezed her hand.
“You can sleep if you want.”
Annihilation blinked her weary yellow eyes and shifted her gaze to Emma. “Will you still be here when I wake up?”
Emma smiled. “If you want me to be.”
Annihilation was only pretty sure she nodded, for after that she slipped directly into sleep.
~~~
M’s claws clicked quietly on the metal of E’s ship.
He stepped inside, still silent, and made his way to the cockpit. He switched the power on to the lowest setting and waited for the communicator to establish a connection. He heard Q and Tanadin climb on after him, but he ignored them, establishing a communication line back to the Council on Hatu.
He waited for the line to go through and the quiet crackling of the connection to sound before leaning close to the microphone and hissing, “How dare you.”
He switched off the communication line and powered down the ship. The only thing he could hear other than the dying hum of the machinery was Q’s quiet translation and subsequent curious noise. M turned to face them, eyes flickering unreadably, before pushing past them to leave the ship.
“Tell Seven he can do anything with E’s ship that he likes.” M’s voice was flatter than normal as he switched back to something that Tanadin could understand, completely devoid of the conflicted spiral of emotion within. Pain beat through his blood in time with his heart and the stiffness of the drying blood on his face only served to remind him of that which he had lost. “And, Tanadin?”
“Yes?”
“Would you be kind enough to burn E’s corpse? The Mystrex go down in ash, and I’m afraid that I don’t have the proper materials to start a blaze that will sustain long enough to do away with him. Elemental fire should do it.”
Tanadin nodded. “Do you want me to set fire to him now, or when we leave?”
“Wait until I’m a ways away.” M’s eyes darkened. “I don’t want to see it.” With that, he turned and started walking back the way they had come, Q not far behind. A minute later, Tanadin scrambled to catch up to them, not that they had been moving quickly.
M didn’t turn to watch the small pillar of smoke rising.
Instead, he shoved at the lead in his veins and the water building in his skull, trying to lessen the load. He stroked the cloth of E’s cloak over and over, noting the differences between it and his own. He shot a look at Q, who only gently nudged him with her head in a reassuring gesture that M didn’t return.
They were silent the whole way back.
~~~
“So you’re going where?” Solace asked, tiling her head at Everex as they walked.
They had been wandering the city aimlessly, reveling in the coolness of the air and grateful that it wasn’t bitterly cold like it had been the past few days. Still, Solace had bundled up in a jacket and Everex had buttoned his trenchcoat. They got a few strange looks, sometimes- cyborgs and non-cyborgs didn’t often walk side-by-side, and even when they did, those born under the rule of the Mainframe were still wary.
Solace didn’t understand it. How could a computer rule the world? She noted the cold eyes of a demon and stared right back at him, making him glare. He made the wise decision to not say anything, though, and let them pass. Everex tightened his grip on her hand.
“We’re going to the Mainframe. Tanadin wants to take us there to meet Seven and to get proper prediction software installed. She said it would make us more capable in battle, although she’s not sure if Twelve can use it or not.” Everex sighed. “I don’t know how I feel about leaving you guys here in Akrar while we go off to the other side of the world.”
“We’ll be fine,” Solace assured. “You act like we can’t handle ourselves.”
Everex gave her a look.
“We’d be no better off if you stayed behind,” Solace amended, “and I think Lucy can keep us in line for a day or two. We’re not even going to the Ruby Gate battle, okay? Not without Twelve.”
Everex sighed. “You’re right. I just worry about you.”
Solace smiled at him. “Aren’t you sweet.”
Everex pouted. “You make me sound like an idiot.”
“I don’t mean it that way and you know it.” Solace kissed his cheek, glad that she was on his non-metal side.
“Hmm.” They walked for awhile more, the metal of Everex’s hand generating enough heat to keep Solace’s fingers from going numb. She shot him smiles occasionally until he stopped, fumbling for something in his pocket and pulling out a phone.
“Where did you get that?”
“Tanadin.” He struggled to unlock it for a moment before it finally registered his touches. He sighed and tapped a response, re-locking it and shoving it in his pocket. “Twelve wants me back. Apparently we’re to meet Tanadin at the train station in a few minutes.”
Solace sighed and hugged him. “Okay. I’ll see you soon.” She stepped back as his wings extended from his back and he took off, vanishing quickly into the gray sky and behind buildings.
Well. There was no reason to be cold on the street if she was alone. Flames raced around her limbs as her form changed, the wings of a phoenix barely forming before she was off, into the sky and circling overhead. The cold immediately ceased to bother her, only making her flames flare brighter as she flew to keep her temperature steady.
She soared over the city, diving occasionally to swoop between buildings and down streets before rising once more. She screeched a greeting to an elemental she flew over but was gone before they could respond, zipping through the streets and over the heads of dozens of people.
Eventually, she made her way back to where the labkids were staying and landed nearby, shifting back into her human form. She took a deep breath of cool air and fixed a strand of loose hair before reorienting herself. Before she could go inside, however, a voice drifted from the entryway to the building behind her.
“Well, you look just like Clash, don’t you?”
She turned, facing a disgusting little man with murky green eyes and bright orange hair. She disliked him immediately, both from his brown-and-gray clothes and oozing, creaking voice. She crossed her arms. “Maybe because I’m related to him.”
The man’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? You’re related to him? Who are you?”
“Solace Igneregnatus, daughter of Clash Igneregnatus and Scott Dirth. Got a problem with it?”
“Daughter of- how- oh, nevermind. Elementals are weird.” He stepped closer and Solace had to stop herself from taking a step back, wanting to keep her distance from him. “I’m Chester. And let me tell you, Scott’s nothing but trouble.”
Her memory clicked. “That’s funny. I seem to recall hearing the same about you. Your name is usually preceded by ‘fucking’ and followed by an insult.”
Anger twisted its way across Chester’s features. “Don’t cross me, halfbreed,” he growled. “I’m more than you know.”
“Oh, yeah?” Solace rolled her eyes. “Try me.”
Chester stepped forward. Her fist closed, drew back, and slammed into his jaw, knocking him off balance and almost throwing him to the floor.
“Don’t insult me or my family again,” Solace snarled, kicking his knee and knocking him over. She spat on his writhing form and spun around, walking inside without a backwards glance.
Man did she love being awesome.
no subject
Date: 2017-01-18 01:44 am (UTC)-Observing Anon
no subject
Date: 2017-01-18 05:46 pm (UTC)*hugs Anni and Cata tightly*
“Well, you look just like Clash, don’t you?”
She turned, facing a disgusting little man with murky green eyes and bright orange hair. She disliked him immediately, both from his brown-and-gray clothes and oozing, creaking voice. She crossed her arms. “Maybe because I’m related to him.”
The man’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? You’re related to him? Who are you?”
“Solace Igneregnatus, daughter of Clash Igneregnatus and Scott Dirth. Got a problem with it?”
“Daughter of- how- oh, nevermind. Elementals are weird.” He stepped closer and Solace had to stop herself from taking a step back, wanting to keep her distance from him. “I’m Chester. And let me tell you, Scott’s nothing but trouble.”
Her memory clicked. “That’s funny. I seem to recall hearing the same about you. Your name is usually preceded by ‘fucking’ and followed by an insult.”
Anger twisted its way across Chester’s features. “Don’t cross me, halfbreed,” he growled. “I’m more than you know.”
“Oh, yeah?” Solace rolled her eyes. “Try me.”
Chester stepped forward. Her fist closed, drew back, and slammed into his jaw, knocking him off balance and almost throwing him to the floor.
“Don’t insult me or my family again,” Solace snarled, kicking his knee and knocking him over. She spat on his writhing form and spun around, walking inside without a backwards glance.
Man did she love being awesome.
Chester is an idiot thinking that he can insult Solace's dads and get away with it. Also more that Solace knows? More what? More of a douche than she's aware of?
Solace is indeed awesome.