Machined Hearts

[machinedhearts]

Adrian focused on the road as they closed in on the border checkpoint. "I still don't know how you got out of there in one piece." She looked over at Lex, now reunited with Bardo. The psychological wounds from the cape suddenly darting off her and layering back onto Lex were yet fresh, after all she and the cloak went through together.

"Just like you described what you did—I fought my way out." Lex supported his face with his knuckles and arm on the passenger-side door.

"So, what happened to the Adeptus?" Adrian's curiosity and suspicion piqued.

"After the Order's guards showed up, he blasted everything with a blood curse and ran."

Adrian cocked her eyebrow in confusion. "A… blood curse?"

"The public calls it the Parastisus virus." Lex stared out at the skyscrapers that flanked the highway.

"Parastisus is a curse?" Adrian's eyes opened wide.

"Part of it is a curse, yes." Lex looked at her and spoke matter-of-factly. "Competent blood mages can craft all sorts of vile incantations. Some of them turn the dead to live again." He folded his hands in front of him. "And if they're a technomage, they turn the living into helpless ghouls."

"A… technomage?"

"It's as the name suggests—a mage capable of weaving magic to command machines." Lex let off a nervous chuckle. "It sounds like it should be a given, if one can weave the arcane then you should be able to magically manipulate technology in the same fashion. But I assure you it's a skill that few can even hope to breach the surface, never mind master."

"Are you an all-powerful technomage?" Adrian gave off a spooky intonation as she spoke.

Lex's neutral expression melted, and he looked perturbed. "I am your everyday, bog-standard arcanist." He turned his attention back out the passenger-side window. "Rest assured, if a competent mage comes across us, we'll both be annihilated in short order."

Cringing physically as she sensed her comment was insensitive, Adrian wanted nothing more than to change the subject. "Then you have other talents. Surely that's why Acara picked you."

He seemed startled by her comment and Lex turned with a grunt. "Oh, right. Yes, of course."

"Do you know her well?"

"As much as anyone else in the Order could know the Lunar Huntress. That is to say, not at all."

"No one is close to her?" Adrian doubted the claim.

Lex shrugged, irritated by the question. "I'm sure she has an inner circle which she trusts. But you know far more about that than I would."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adrian let slip a demanding tone.

With a startled look, Lex stumbled over his words. "I mean, you're the one who brought in the Son of Stars. You got access to the cathedral. The number of words you've exchanged with her over these past weeks has exceeded what most in the Order have in their entire lives."

"That doesn't mean that we're close." Adrian smoldered.

"To her, we're all just pieces on a board to move, an object used by with which to win." Lex spoke with a regretful tone. "But not you. There are moves too costly even for the Lunar Huntress to act upon."

"Yeah, that's why she sent me over the wall. The outskirts are a perfectly safe place where nothing bad ever happens." Adrian's voice was laced with sarcasm.

Lex sighed. "And how many times have you done it before?"

Adrian grumbled, relenting on that fact.

The mage shifted in his seat. "And it's not like Rocksgaten Burrow is some den of evil. It's just your everyday Order stockpile."

"Have you been there?"

"N—no but…"

"Then how do you know what's there?" Adrian demanded.

"I don't. But I'm certain she wouldn't ship you off to your death."

Adrian hit her limit hearing about how much this woman supposedly cared. "Don't talk about things you don't know."

She wanted nothing more than to go off on him about how overwhelmingly weird his entire organization was, and how Acara was stalking her from the shadows for Adrian's entire life. Also that Adrian suspected Acara was involved with her parents' deaths and wanted to figure out how to pin her to it. But she couldn't, suspecting she was on thin ice having touched several nerves with Lex. Badmouthing his boss was a surefire way to end up doing this alone. With clenched teeth, Adrian shook off her impulse and focused on the road. She felt better having him around than not.

Lex relented, turning his attention back out to the skyline with a frustrated grumble.

The navigation beeped in alert as they approached the offramp to the wall. After traversing the wide turn of the ramp and coming to a four-way intersection, the road ahead, which led to the border, split out into six lanes. This section of the wall was almost as high as the skyscrapers behind them on the other side of the highway. The gate itself was originally a grand monument, commemorating the founding of Nocturine City some thousands of years ago. Now it was a bulwark against the eternal darkness that lingered outside New Downtown.

Pulling onto the empty egress lanes, the gate itself was like driving down a ghost town, save for the few militarized supply trucks the consortium occasionally would send out in the name of relief for those trapped outside the wall. It was either a mercy or inhumane, depending on how you look at the consortium's treatment of those within New Downtown.

Adrian spotted the border plaza. "Just let me do the talking."

She thought Lex muttered something but didn't want to get into an argument and cause a scene at the border. Again. As she stopped the car at the booth, Adrian produced a bright grin. She rested her chin on her hand, pouting her lips slightly and smiled with her eyes at the guard. He gave her a suspicious gaze.

"Identification and crossing authorization papers," the guard demanded.

Adrian pulled her I.D. from her jacket and offered it to the guard with a bright smile.

"And crossing authorization." The guard grimaced and held his hand out, denying taking the I.D.

"Oh! Well, I must have it here somewhere…" Adrian's words glided from her lips with a lovey tone as she started looking around the console for a set of papers that clearly didn't exist.

She should have just gone to the Southeast crossing, there was always that one guard who ate up everything she said. It was going to take hours to get there and get all the way back around the wall too. Nothing Adrian looked forward to doing.

"You always lose stuff." Lex let out, disgruntled. He reached across and pushed her arms down as he leaned over and offered a blank piece of paper to the guard.

Lex pinned Adrian with just his forearm. Not pinned, but she couldn't get her arms to even fight back against his weight. Her body from the neck down was paralyzed.

The moment the paper touched the guard's fingertips, his head snapped back and smacked into the booth's window behind him. His expression changed from suspicious and alert to one aloof and inattentive. The piece of paper vaporized; the dust dissipated in the breeze. Adrian gasped in shock.

"You don't see anything wrong here." Lex spoke flatly.

"I don't see anything wrong here." The guard repeated like a robot.

"You don't need to see our identification."

"I don't need to see your identification."

"Nothing strange happened just now, you're seeing things."

"Must just be the wind."

Lex looked at Adrian. "Drive."

"Drive." The guard repeated.

"Shut up. Stop looking at me." Lex growled at the guard.

The guard spun on his heels and stared at the array of monitors on the table tucked inside the booth.

As Lex returned to his seat, Adrian's numb arms regained feeling and she placed her hand on the steering wheel, let off the clutch, and drove away while then returning her I.D. to her jacket. As they crossed the second block into the outskirts, Adrian's bewilderment changed to anger.

"Did you just infect that guy?" Adrian shouted.

"No. It was a simple incantation, but quite powerful." Lex spoke plainly. "He's going to have an incredible headache later though."

"And what did you do to me?" Adrian demanded.

"Simplified things. You'll be fine."

"Don't do that! At least give me some sort of signal, or just have a little faith that I'm not going to do something stupid."

"You would have grabbed the paper. Then I would have had to do something more drastic. It was easier that way."

"Tell me you won't do that again." Adrian gritted her teeth.

Lex looked at her with hesitance, a pregnant pause building. "I won't do that again. You have my word."

They drove in silence through the slums. The sun was rising toward midday as they passed deeper into the outskirts. Adrian opened the throttle, the streets mostly clear, save for the occasional scavenger. This was Paingul territory. Just as obsessed as the Skabs with cybernetics, but also with hallucinogens and body modding in general. They were barely human. To be so far gone that Skabs were closer to human than not in comparison was saying something.

They got closer to the Cleft, a huge gash in the terrain that sunk deep into the bowels of the planet and spanned the length of the continent. It formed a natural barrier that prevented anyone from leaving Nocturine City by land. Adrian never found out how it got there or why.

Following the route, a dark tower rose over the horizon, loomed over the skyline. As they got closer, it was clear the dark skyscraper was their destination. Deciding to pull off into a secluded open air parking lot a couple of blocks away, Adrian didn't want to draw too much attention to them without knowing what was there.

They got out and Adrian loaded her revolver with a few loose bullets from her jacket pocket. She wondered if her car would remain unmolested out here as she walked away from it. Then she heard Lex muttering and spun in panic.

Lex tugged at the air in front of him, and a translucent cloth-like sheet burst up from the ground and swept over the car. The surroundings shifted as it laid across and the vehicle disappeared, mostly blending into its surroundings. Adrian could still spot it, but only because she was looking for it. Impressed, she pursed her lips.

"What? Do I have to run everything past you now?" Lex was agitated.

"No, good thinking."

Then they walked the two blocks, the streets empty, toward the tower which her phone indicated was their destination. As they rounded the corner, countless Paingul gangers lingered on the sidewalk in front of the dark tower. They wore dirty white sheets over what parts could be covered of their disfigured bodies. A number of them had spare cybernetic appendages attached under their real arms. Others had extra eyes bolted to their faces, devoid of any practical placement. Some walked like horses, with two extra legs attached to their shoulders. All of them were muttering incoherent nonsense. They were little better than the zombies which lingered at night.

"Yeah. Not a deathtrap you say." Adrian spoke with irritation to Lex.

 

[machinedhearts]

Adrian stared at the dark skyscraper, standing out amid the worn and dilapidated backdrop of the city blocks surrounding. Deciding not to let the situation get the best of her, she needed to devise a plan to get into the building and figure out where the Sun Tear was being stored. As the name implied, the actual burrow was underground. Considering how old the storage bunker was, this building was far newer.

Perhaps there was an alternative. Adrian turned and backed away around the corner, to avoid being seen by the gangers.

"There's got to be a way through the sewers." Adrian turned to Lex. "This place would be a fortress if they got in, there's no way such a bounty would be left to only shambling foot soldiers."

She spotted a manhole down the avenue, back toward the car. "Can we get that open?"

Lex spun and turned toward the collapsed wall of a nearby building across the street. After sprinting across, he began to swipe small chunks of rubble away.

"What are you doing? Can't you use magic or something to just move it?" Adrian spoke with a hushed yell.

Finding a thin rod within, he tried to flex it with his hands to no avail. With a satisfied nod, he ran over to the metal sewer cover and wedged the rod into the gap. He put all his weight onto the bar and opened the manhole after a bit of strain.

"The simplest solutions are usually the best." Lex displayed the rod, then tossed it back into the rubble.

With the sewer opened, Lex spared no time and produced a small flashlight from his belt and shined it down the hole.

"What, no magic to light the way?" Adrian spoke with feigned disappointment.

Irritated, Lex shined the flashlight in her face. "Do you like having light blaring in your eyes? That's what would happen if I held an orb of light in my hand." He returned the beam back down to the sewer. "It looks clear. I'll lead the way."

Before Adrian could respond, Lex bit down on the flashlight so to hold it in his mouth and slid into the open manhole. Looking around for any sign of someone following and finding no one, Adrian followed Lex down. With only the light from the street and the faint beam below, Adrian latched onto the ladder rungs embedded in the circular stone wall of the sewer.

After a short climb down, Adrian landed a foot on the cylindrical tunnel of the sewer. She produced a pen-sized flashlight from her coat pocket and took stock of her surroundings. There were only two directions they could travel and only one led toward the tower. This must have been a relief drain because there wasn't enough room for them to stand side-by-side. Adrian motioned for Lex to start moving. Expecting a straight shot, she was taken by surprise when the sewer began winding and descending. There were no intersections, just one continuous stretch of tunnel.

They finally arrived at an obsidian doorway at the end of the obnoxiously long sewer. Adrian had no idea how far down the tunnel brought them. To the side of the door was a small panel much like the ones back at the hotel.

"Acara apparently set this up for me to enter. If not, I hope you're ready to start beating this door down." Adrian started to reach over Lex's arm for the bio reader.

"Good luck with that. The burrows are known for their resilience. There are records of them surviving direct nuclear and meteor strikes."

Adrian's hand moved closer to the scanner. "Can't you rip the door off with magic?"

"It's incantation, not divine intervention."

Her finger touched the reader, and nothing happened. With anger and frustration, Adrian pressed harder. Then the lights beneath the reader blinked to life with an electrical sigh and produced a distorted yet harsh buzz.

"Wait, wait." Lex swiped his glove over the scanner and a pile of clumpy dust fell to the ground. "It was dirty, try again."

With an irritated grumble, Adrian pressed against the bio reader. The lights blinked in a strip pattern, indicating it was thinking. Then the lights disappeared and with an artifacted chirp, the door began to slide open. First it began to grind, like something was stuck in the gap between the door and the wall. Then with a violent hiss, the obsidian shot into the wall, the door forcibly opened itself. Adrian recoiled in fear from the noise and suddenness of the movement.

Inside was dimly lit, only a few small bowl lights dangled from the corners of the room. Adrian spotted several large boxes silhouetted against the faint lighting.

"Is this the burrow?" She placed a hesitant hand upon the edge of the doorway and peered deeper in.

"Just an antechamber of some kind. Burrows go much deeper. If this sewer actually took us all the way down, we would have needed to camp out halfway." Lex stepped through the open door and onto a metal grate staircase.

Adrian stepped inside, which the staircase was wide enough for both of them to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. The gateway slid shut as they swept the beams of their flashlights across the room. The silhouetted boxes were iron cages. Adrian was filled with anxiety, unsure of what they contained.

As she stepped down the stairs to get a closer look, a chittering voice rang out in the far distance.

"…and we'll have another shipment coming in shortly next week. Expect these to be delivered within a few days." The high-pitched voice spoke to someone.

The two extinguished their flashlights in a panic. Adrian stopped her descent at the first landing and crouched down, holding onto the rusty railing, and controlling her breathing. Lex froze where he was with a strained look on his face as he began whispering to himself.

Suddenly lights overhead ignited, and the area was blasted with a harsh artificial white illumination. Lex jumped from his step down to the landing with both feet slamming and echoing out. He swept his cape over Adrian. As two figures rounded the corner of the far staircase across the room, Lex and Adrian faded from sight, his cape covering them in a field much like what hid her car. They were almost visible if you knew what to look for.

"What was that noise?" The high-pitched, nasally voice called out nervously.

"Go on, what's so special about this shipment?" The baritone voice of the kingpin replied.

The cybernetic horror was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, and wearing a massive trench coat with cyan stripes that gave off the same color glow.

The kingpin was with a horribly disfigured Paingul ganger. He had five eyes: four were cybernetic and peppered his face like acne. The last was his natural left eye. His right was just a gaping eye socket. He had titanium spike top teeth that chewed his bottom lip away, leaving his bottom teeth permanently exposed. He only had one arm but was wearing multiple dirty linen gowns wrapped around his body.

Adrian gasped in shock at the sight of a Skab leader freely and openly mingling with a Paingul. They were bitter rivals. The mere fact of them together in the same room should have sparked a turf war. But they were here, walking together like fast friends.

"We've experimented on some of them, and they seem like a promising cohort." The ganger chirped.

"You said that about the last one." The kingpin sounded irate.

"Yes but—"

"And the one before that."

"I know and—"

"The one sent before that one too." The kingpin's irritation began to tip toward the edge of fury. "Those psychedelics are turning your brain to mush."

The Paingul let off a bashful chuckle. "I assure you, this time it will be better."

"Assurances from your kind are little better than used toilet paper." The kingpin's deadpan voice rang out as he observed the prisoners, refusing to look at his rival ganger. "I've seen enough. These better be the real thing this time or you'll answer to me."

With a melting coyness, the Paingul's disposition changed from sniveling to disdainful. "You're only here because of our… arrangement with the consortium. And it's a long way back to Skab territory."

Adrian swallowed hard at the thought of the consortium somehow forging an alliance with the gangs.

The comment seemed to give the kingpin pause. He turned and disappeared into the hall atop the stairway across the room. With a scoff, the Paingul turned to follow him. But like a bloodhound catching a scent in the wind, he turned and stared at the two afar. It was like he could see through Lex's invisibility field. Then, as if his nose was magnetically attracted to the ceiling, he stared in shock upwards for a moment, then his expression eased, and his attention turned to the hallway to depart so to follow the kingpin.

Lex latched onto Adrian by her shoulder. to insist they both remain still. After what felt like hours, the lights in the room dimmed to darkness and Lex relaxed his grip. With the flick of his wrist, the invisibility cloak tumbled into the shadows.

"There's more to that guy than cybernetics." Lex shuddered.

"Who, the giant?" Adrian thought he was talking about the kingpin.

"No, the other one. A titan among men."

Adrian cocked her head in confusion, how could such a frail, disfigured guy be considered a threat? She descended the stairs and reignited her flashlight. Looking through the pens, Adrian gasped in horror at what she found.

 

[machinedhearts]

Adrian stared into the cage and her heart sank. Staring back was a young girl, no older than seven. The young one was in tattered rags, and the inside of the cage was filthy. Adrian looked around for something to break the padlock.

"Help me get them out of there." Adrian spoke with authority.

Grabbing onto the lock, Lex chanted to himself and his hand glowed blue in the darkness. The metal froze solid and with the flick of his wrist, he shattered the padlock into chunks. Slapping the dangling hook away, he opened the gate.

"Come child." Lex beckoned with both hands, urgent. As he continued to break open the cages, he shouted to Adrian. "What are we going to do with them?"

"Can't you whisk them away, like you did with me?" Adrian pleaded.

"I wish. The best I can do is to get one partially up the tunnel." Lex's disappointed tone tugged at Adrian's heart. "There's no way we could possibly evacuate all of them."

"We can do it." Adrian continued to search for something to break the locks.

"Even if we filled your car to the brim—" Lex continued to snap padlocks as he spoke.

"I'll figure it out, just keep going." Adrian didn't hold back her anger.

As her flashlight passed over a cage, the sight of the child sparked a sense of familiarity. Adrian stopped and shined the light in to get a better look, crouching down to get on the child's level.

"Sarah." Adrian called out, a mote of hope in her heart.

The little girl nodded, fearful.

"Sarah MacDonell."

With hesitation, the girl nodded again, frightened. A wave of relief washed over Adrian, grateful for there finally to be some good news. It was the wannabe-ganger's sister. Perhaps the jaws of Nocturine weren't as ironclad as they used to be.

"Donnie sent me. I'm here to bring you home." Adrian wanted to comfort her but was as bound by the iron bars as was the child. "He's been looking for you."

The shell-shocked girl edged closer. Despite her trembling, a mote of hope broke through the terror. "Really?"

As Adrian began to nod and reassure the child, a horrific cry blared out from within the hallway at the top of the stairs. Sarah darted into the back corner of her cage, besieged by horror. The one shouting from afar was an enraged Paingul footpad. His hollering embodied as much agony as it did rage.

He had no mouth and his tongue wagged like a snake in open air. His arms were pinned behind his back and from his gut, several fleshy, tendril-like appendages snapped and flailed as he stumbled toward the staircase with a jittering, unmeasured gait. Behind him, another in similar stature. It was a group of Paingul footpads on approach. The footpad locked onto Adrian and shook his shoulders, shouting with chaotic abandon.

Adrian let out a war cry in like-fashion while drawing her revolver. "Suck lead!" She squeezed the trigger and the muzzle blast almost knocked her to the ground.

With ringing ears, she recovered. The Paingul's head disappeared in a pink mist and his neck sheared to a stump. She shuddered at the raw power of her weapon. As her dazzled ears eased, she could hear the panicked cries of the children within the cages. Adrian desired with every cell in her body to get them out of here as fast as she could.

The footpad's body continued to advance, and his appendages flailed with fury.

"They're infected." Lex shouted as he magically threw himself atop the cages.

"Of course they are." Adrian's venomous words filled the room.

The dismembered Paingul edged closer to the staircase.

Adrian took aim and leaned forward, bracing herself for the overwhelming force of her gun's recoil. With a moment of hesitation, she took aim at the decapitated Paingul's torso. Tensing every muscle in her body, she squeezed on the trigger. Another blast lit the room for a second. After recovering from the shot, she noticed its upper body split in half down to its navel and was thrown to the ground.

But despite the zombie's body nearly being torn to shreds, it rolled to get its lame appendages under it and struggled to its feet once more. Behind, two more Paingul footpads cried out in anguish and rage as they approached. Adrian felt likewise a similar grief, realizing the window for freeing the children was rapidly closing, seeing yet more Paingul footpads on approach.

The dark room glowed an azure blue as Lex finished his incantation. With a flat circle in front of him, he thrust his open palm through and the circular plane exploded into hundreds of ice shards. He flicked his elbow, and they barraged the group, shredding the gangers with frozen serrated daggers. They stumbled and writhed as the shards tore through their flesh but after a moment, they recovered and continued advancing, letting out gleeful howls. Adrian gritted her teeth, disgusted and angry at the sudden realization—this was why they were called the 'Pain-Ghouls'. They were driven by their love of pain.

Adrian took aim in desperation, hoping the third shot would split the zombie in half. She braced and yanked the trigger, ready to get it over with. The blast lit the room. But as her eyes recovered, she found a figure balancing on the railing of the stairway, letting off an obnoxious belly laugh. Before him, a translucent purple shell spanned the entire width of the walkway. It deflected Adrian's bullet, which embedded itself in the concrete wall far off to his side. The zombie she aimed at continued its advance. Familiarity then mixed with dread. It was Silas, the blood mage adeptus.

"I see you're back for more, dear apprentice." The adeptus folded his hands in front of his black and violet robes.

The zombie began to fumble, trying to figure out how to descend the stairwell, and blocking the others from getting closer.

"Something troubles me though." The adeptus paced on the railing. "You're a chaos arcanist, much like me." He started.

"I'm no such thing, craven." Lex held back rage as his hands filled with light, conjuring a spell.

"Of course you are. The focus on water and wind. You're drawn to chaos like a moth to a flame. But why haven't you taken the plunge? Blood is both of those things. To command the very essence of life… it's invigorating." Silas cackled.

"It would be for a weakling like you." Lex gritted his teeth.

With the thrust of his hand, Lex unleashed the spell at the blood mage. With the swipe of his hand, Silas produced a violet shield with hexagonal tiles before him, laughing. The sphere of light burst but nothing else happened. It was a diversion.

"Ineffectual. I see why you never had the balls to take hold of real power." Silas sneered.

As the sphere of light exploded, Lex flicked his wrist, throwing Bardo at Adrian. The cape darted through the air and wrapped around Adrian's shoulders, beneath her jacket. Before she could react, the black bolt of lightning whisked her up the steps, past the group and through the ajar bulkhead on the far wall.

"Go find the Sun Tear!" Lex's voice echoed out from the cage pit. "I'll hold them off."

Wanting to protest, Adrian realized it would only cost her the time he bought for her. Now with Bardo on her shoulders, she could see a glow deep within the structure, like a light that cut through the walls and floor.

"Bardo, is that the Sun Tear?" Adrian spoke about the unnatural light that pierced from below, while running down the long concrete corridor, otherwise illuminated only by dim red emergency lights.

"The Seed of Evil's Bane rests far below here, yes."

"Can you show me the way down?"

"It calls to you, just follow its voice." Bardo spoke softly, bashfully.

Adrian turned the only corner which led into a deep, spiraling stairwell. At the bottom, not far was the Sun Tear. It was a sense much like feeling the sun overhead or hearing the wind blow. Bounding down steps, she found herself winded by the time she got down the thirty, maybe forty sets of staircases. At the bottom was an open bulkhead and a long, dark hallway. The light penetrated the surroundings but didn't illuminate anything around, like a freight train barreling toward her from afar.

With careful steps, unable to see forward, Adrian listened for any sign of danger. The farther she traveled, the thicker the moisture in the air grew. On the walls around her, dense ivy sprawled up the wall from nowhere. By the time she reached an obsidian gateway at the end, there were orange and blue flowers blooming from the vines, giving off a bioluminescent glow. The air was warm and smelled of sweet flora.

Adrian swiped her hand on the reader. After a long while it blinked to life and began to think, the line of indicators ignited and dimmed in succession across the gateway's panel. Then it extinguished with an electrical buzz. The gateway hissed and cutting most of the thorny vines away, revealed a small opening. She psyched herself up and dove through the hole in the prickly ivy.

Inside, was a dark, nondescript room. The only light within was produced by a small flame-shaped stone hovering above a charred wooden pedestal. The Sun Tear. Adrian raced over and snatched it up. In moments, it felt like her gut was on fire. The overwhelming scorching sensation that filled her chest brought Adrian to her knees. She held onto the pedestal in order to keep her legs from buckling.

You must endure. Or all is lost.

Adrian heard Dalmytrias's voice echo in her mind. She steeled herself and began to put all her might into standing up.

Applause from a single person at the doorway startled Adrian as she rose to her feet. The stranger stepped into the light and yet more familiarity caught her off guard.

"I know you." Adrian muttered.

 

[machinedhearts]

Adrian struggled to stay upright as her grip on the Sun Tear continued to burn her from the inside out. With waning determination, she fought to hold a grasp on the small stone. Each second passing, she felt her guts turning to molten lava. Moreso, the moment she placed her hand on the rock, a familiar stranger appeared through the doorway. She knew his face but the agony within stopped her from recalling his name.

"Almsworth Penniford." The regal man's voice called out from the doorway. "We've met before."

As he stepped into the light, his black and purple robe, adorned with silver thread, shimmered and wagged. It was the gentleman who saved her from being mugged yesterday. The last time she met him he was wearing more formal attire. If the adeptus was anything to go by, this guy was another one of Meredeth's goons.

"It seems you're having a bit of trouble there. Perhaps I can be of assistance." His voice was calm, soothing. Alm held out his hand toward the Sun Tear. "Here, allow me."

As much as she wanted relief from the inferno within her innards, she immediately sensed a threat. "I can't do that." She struggled to speak, sweat pouring down her face.

Alm retracted his hand and folded both in front of his navel. "Oh, I see." His voice was curious, without a hint of agitation. "Well, I have time to wait. That thing will turn you to soup in no time anyways. It's better to let someone trained handle it."

A sudden gust of fury within Adrian's gut from the nonchalant dismissal of her effort stoked the fires within. Strangely, it eased the pain. "Fair enough. Come here often?" She fought the desire to unleash a volley of rage-tinged words at him, sarcasm would have to suffice. As she spoke, Adrian continued to push herself upright to stand again.

Alm gave a reserved belly laugh and shook his head. "I have to say, I am a bit envious. Every attempt to get into this room has been fruitless. It has been years since I started and got nowhere. But in only a few moments stepped in and claimed what I have desired for almost a decade. Bravo."

"What can I say? I've got connections in high places." Adrian struggled to speak, the burning weakening her from within. "You should meet them sometime, I'm sure they'd be thrilled to meet you."

With a hum in humoring acknowledgement, he gave a weak nod. "Yes, I'm certain they would. Who sent you, let me see…" he began to tap his chin. "It was Leiel." He pointed at Adrian.

Adrian's leg gave out and she fell to one knee, the shock sucking the wind out of her gut. How did he know her aunt's name?

"No, I know. It was the Lunar Huntress, that she-devil." Alm gave a reassured smirk. "Always meddling, too fearful to step into the light."

Wincing from the pain, Adrian pushed hard to stand upright. She needed to bluff, see if she could get this guy to spill more beans, figure out if he had a weakness. "Wrong. It was Meredeth."

Alm's jubilant composure melted and his eye twitched. "Don't you dare speak her name you worthless pissant. You will give her the respect she is owed."

Adrian suppressed a smile, finding a juicy spot to sink her hooks. "Where is ol' Mere nowadays? I've been meaning to catch up with the girl. She's so hard to get a hold of." The delight from throwing him off balance made standing upright almost simple.

Thrusting his arm down, Alm spoke a language Adrian couldn't recognize and with a magical force, pushed her back down to one knee.

"You will bow in deference to the Lady." Alm's voice was intense, laced with impotent rage. "She is the rightful ruler of all mankind. When I claim the Sun Tear, she will return, and we will rebuild this world in her image."

"Bardo, it's time to go." Adrian hushed out.

The cloak sprung to life, shuffling around beneath her jacket. "Ow, ow, fire, fire hot!"

A sudden coolness filled Adrian as the cloak whisked off her and fell to rest upon an invisible figure. Then beneath the cloak, a blue-hot flame ignited and gave way to a gargantuan form. The fire was in the shape of Dalmytrias. Adrian stood and stared in awe.

Recoiling at the sight, Alm shuddered, recognizing the shape of the angel as well. "You're supposed to be dead. Gone for centuries. It's too late, the Sun Tear can't bring you back!"

The flame hissed and threw Bardo off. Like a wave upon the shore, the figure melted and surged toward Alm. He threw his hands forward in a panic, producing a magenta hexagonal-tiled barrier that was being whittled away by the surging flame. The ivy that lined the outside hall ignited and began bellowing smoke.

Adrian, now relieved, jumped and snatched Bardo from the air and draped him over her arm. Cradling the cape like a child, she dove through the flaming doorway and into the smoke-laden hall. Crouched while dashing, she couldn't see, and used the glow of the emergency lights as a guide toward the stairwell.

"Don't tell me he cooked you." She choked out, speaking to the limp Bardo on her arm.

Reaching the steps, the massive stairwell was only a minor relief from the choking air that filled the hall. The middle of the stairwell welled with smoke and at the very top of the ceiling, bellowed and continued to surge by the second. She had little time to get out of here before it would be impossible to flee. Hugging the outer wall, Adrian began her ascent. The Sun Tear began to boil her innards again, but with all her might and with adrenaline coursing through her burning veins, she fought to stay upright and climbing.

Through what only could be described as a miracle, she climbed all forty flights of stairs just as her legs began to give out. But the top was only the beginning of getting out of here. She needed to find Lex and get the kids away from this place. Taking a small break and leaning crouched against the wall, she patted Bardo.

"Don't tell me you're dead. I need you." Adrian spoke with panic and sorrow.

The cloak didn't move. Continuing to pat it like a sleeping child, she hoped it wasn't over for the thing.

"C'mon, we've got to go."

Then it stirred. Her eyes widened with optimism. Then Bardo flicked and began bolting around the top of the stairwell, whisking away smoke as he darted, letting off black lightning bolts. Adrian covered her head, worried he was going to smack her in the face. Then with a final jolt, he wrapped around Adrian, under her coat.

"I'm awake. Phew, that was a wild ride." Bardo chirped, his voice laced with nervousness.

Adrian breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were a goner."

"Quite the opposite. I've never felt better. Strangely I feel too good. But that's neither here nor there." The cloak spoke with a hyper tone. "Come on, we have to find Lex."

Bardo tugged on Adrian like a dog would pull on an owner's leash. He yanked her upright and began shoving her forward. Her weak knees buckling didn't send her tumbling. It was almost like she was running on air as the cloak whisked her down the long hallway toward the bulkhead to the cage pens.

"Bardo be careful, there's zombies around here." Adrian worried he was going to ram her straight into the middle of an undead horde.

But he wasn't listening. They accelerated and blasted through the ajar bulkhead into the next room. It was well lit now; all the lights were on. And it was empty. Adrian latched onto the railing to stop them. She gripped it with all her strength, desperate to find out what was going on.

As she grasped, the force from Bardo sent her airborne and whipped her head-over-heels, landing on her feet delicately. There was nothing here, it was just an empty open area. No cages. No gangers. No bodies. Nothing. Adrian cursed, in a fit.

"He's coming after us." Bardo called out in a panic, still volatile.

The cloak was talking about Alm. Adrian walked down the steps and onto the metal grate floor that wasn't there before. She looked up and found the ceiling different too. They must have raised the whole area somehow.

"Lex!" Adrian took a chance to call out, suddenly desperate to know if he was alright.

After several attempts and hearing nothing back, a meek voice called out for help in the corner. Adrian spun in a panic. It was a child, an unexpected respondent.

"Come, come. We must go." Adrian turned to the child and beckoned with her arms while staring at the sealed obsidian door. They would have to take the sewers out of here.

The little girl emerged from the shadows, in tattered rags and rushed for Adrian. Adrian tugged at Bardo, trying to pull him out from under her jacket. "Wrap her up."

Bardo darted out and the royal blue cloak enveloped the child as Adrian scooped her up with her free hand. As Adrian spun and rushed for the obsidian door, a wild cry burst out from the bulkhead across the room. Alm was close.

Adrian swiped her finger across the bio reader and the door began to open. Then she turned to find Alm charging up a massive violet fireball in front of his chest, ready to strike them from across the room.

 

[machinedhearts]

Adrian stared with terror at the violet fireball ascending over Alm's head as he continued to conjure it. The sphere of flame expanded, letting off green bolts of lightning as the scintillating orb collided with the smoke billowing from the bulkhead. Like a tornado sucking up a building, the fireball began to consume the smoke which only made its spikey core grow even more chaotic.

From the corner of her eye, Adrian spotted the gateway was open enough for her to fit through. With salvation in her grasp, she spun around and darted through the door and slapped the bio reader on the other side in the hopes it would stop opening and slam shut. Alm hurled the massive fireball at Adrian.

The gateway smashed shut a moment before the violet flame collided with it. Through the obsidian, searing pops and hisses rang out. Within the sewer, it grew frosty, as if the dead of winter suddenly set in. Despite wearing a jacket, Adrian began to violently shiver, on the verge of frostbite, despite the heat that coursed through her from grasping the Sun Tear. Ascending the spiraling sewer, even at the top, near the ladder up to the street, the bitter cold chased her like an unrelenting, ravenous mongrel snapping at Adrian's ankles.

With no other choice but to risk a burn on the child, Adrian swept the girl into her other arm with the hand that grasped the Sun Tear. With desperate grabs, she began yanking herself up the ladder to the surface using only a single, tremoring hand. Beneath her, from deeper within the sewer, a wave of frost blew past the ladder and bathed the passage below in a layer of ice. Then it began creeping up behind Adrian. With each rung the cold snap reached, the metal began to compress and buckle, sheering the ladder beneath her. The stone bricks of the tunnel began to crack and heave as the frost line advanced, causing the structure to shift and deform as the ice ascended.

Rolling out of the manhole in desperation as her legs began to give out from exhaustion, Adrian covered the girl with her body as the wave of frost exploded upwards into the sky like a broken fire hydrant hurling water. Overhead dark clouds formed and began to crackle with violent thunder that shook the ground as warm air collided with the unnatural, unrelenting cold. Lightning smashed into the pavement, tearing it to pieces, repeatedly striking the exposed metal girders of broken buildings around them. Smoke began to rise as the storm ignited fires in the area. The girl was eerily calm throughout this, unstirred by the chaos that struck fear into Adrian's heart.

As the air temperature dropped sharply, the storms ceased. With a bitter resolve, Adrian struggled to her feet just as the frost creeped out along the asphalt and nipped at her heels. Limping from exhaustion because the Sun Tear was sapping her strength, she threw herself into each step with grunts and groans. Out of breath, it was only a block or so to the car. Behind her, the buildings directly above the sewer were already coated in an ever-creeping, ever-spreading ice that didn't relent even in the presence of growing building fires that spread across the area.

Reaching the parking lot, Adrian squinted, remembering roughly where the car was but unable to see the ethereal translucence that Lex's spell gave off. She continued her lumbering advance, feeling with her free hand for the car. Getting too close to the building at the end of the parking lot, she worried that somehow a ganger or scavenger figured out where it was and took off with her vehicle. Heart sinking further with every step, and frost reaching the edge of the parking lot behind her, the situation seemed hopeless. The car was gone.

Then the cold sparked more thunder and bolts of lightning, which reflected off the buildings and filled the area. With the sudden light, Adrian spotted the flicker of Lex's invisibility sheet wagging in the gale produced by the oncoming cold front. Psyching herself up, she threw everything into hobble-sprinting to the car. Not bothering to pull it off, she decided driving around invisible is more of a boon than a curse. Flicking the sheet up to open the door, Adrian flopped into the seat, covering the girl's head as Adrian's legs collapsed under her. After jamming the girl in the seat, Adrian used all her strength to push the clutch in and start the car.

The vehicle sputtered for a moment as the creeping cold dropped the temperatures around the car. The frost line was only a few steps away as Adrian slammed the door shut, shifted with her free hand, jabbed the throttle to redline the car and dropped the clutch. They burst into motion only seconds before the ice reached the tires.

Trying to juggle holding the Sun Tear, steer, and shift was a challenge. As they drifted out from the parking lot onto the road, Adrian narrowly missed slamming into a rusty vehicle frame abandoned on the side of the street. Feathering the throttle and letting the wheels grip, they snapped into motion and launched down the road. Adrian struggled to see as the invisibility sheet clinging to the car began to shift her surroundings. It was like trying to drive underwater—easy to see things close, nearly impossible to make out fine details afar.

Adrian breathed in a bid to calm herself, her legs shaking, gut burning and aching from the Sun Tear, and her arms tremoring from exhaustion. She talked herself down from losing herself to panic and terror from what just happened as her adrenaline began to dump. Turning to the child, attempting to take her mind off staring overwhelming death in the face, Adrian decided to focus on someone else.

"Are you alright, are you hurt?" Adrian couldn't hold back a shaken tone.

"Everything will be alright." The girl spoke with an ironclad resolve.

The way the child spoke made Adrian even more nervous. Something was wrong with her, did she get brainwiped or something? Why was she so calm?

"O—of course it will, sweetie. We're safe now." Adrian's rapid breathing caused her to stutter as she was out of breath.

"No, we aren't. We're not safe. She's coming." The girl stared straight out the windshield, unperturbed by even her own revelation.

Adrian leaned forward, in a bid to see what was afar and keep good pace. "Who's coming?" The sentiment somehow made her even more unsettled.

"The Queen of Sin. She is inevitable." The girl spoke in a flat tone.

Choking on her own breath, Adrian tried to steady herself. "That's just something those bad men said. It's not true, they don't know what they're talking about." Adrian needed to get the girl's mind elsewhere as well, clearly traumatized. "Do you know your parents' names?"

"Those men didn't say that. They don't know what they're doing." The girl turned to Adrian. As they passed under a bridge, the child's azure eyes suddenly illuminated in the shadow. "I know. That's why I'm telling you."

Adrian shuddered in fear. "Why are you telling me? I could be a bad guy. I might be taking you to Meredeth right now. You gave yourself away."

The girl shook her head and closed her eyes, confident. "Not possible. You are the seeker of the lost and unchosen. You can't be evil."

Swallowing hard, the child's words struck Adrian's heart, despite her best effort to dismiss them as nothing more than the words of trauma. "W—what's your name?"

"Cordelia." The girl pulled Bardo tighter around her body.

Adrian nodded, letting relief wash over her as they finally changed the topic to something a bit more grounded. "Cordelia. Nice to meet you I'm—"

"Adrianna. I know." Cordelia spoke matter-of-factly.

They were closing in on the border plaza, about to cross the wall.

"H—how do you know that?" Adrian contemplated blowing through the emergency lane at full speed.

"He keeps talking about you." Cordelia glanced at the Sun Tear. "More like yelling."

"Yelling? About me?" Adrian cocked a nervous eyebrow. She was talking about Dalmytrias.

The girl nodded. "He's pretty mad."

Adrian swallowed. "A—at me?"

Cordelia shrugged. "He's hard to understand. And really mad. Really, really mad."

Shuddering, Adrian's grip on the steering wheel tightened, hoping the child misunderstood what was happening. Then she blinked and wondered how the girl could even know what the angel was talking about, being dead. Adrian wondered if she was becoming delirious, the levels of spiritual indirection were beginning to make her dizzy. Or maybe it was the Sun Tear turning her guts to soup.

With grit teeth, Adrian decided to risk blowing through the emergency lane and hope the cameras didn't pick them up. If they did, this was going to be a short, complicated trip. If she stopped, it was going to be a shorter, more complicated trip. Adrian couldn't withstand the drain from the Sun Tear to go the long way and hope she could schmooze her way back into New Downtown.

Gripping the steering wheel with one hand and two fingers from the other, she let off the gas and pushed the clutch in to idle the engine. Rolling into the emergency lane, they blew past the booth and glided into New Downtown. Adrian looked around for any sign of the checkpoint going into full lockdown mode. No armored guards. No guns. No yelling. As if they were going to jump out in front of her. Though the car was fast, it wasn't fast enough to outrun them dumping mags into it in a bid to stop her.

Adrian breathed a sigh of relief as they exited the checkpoint onto the six-lane road back toward the highway. Then police cars with sirens blaring slid into the intersection en masse.

 

[machinedhearts]

In a panic, Adrian weaved away from the oncoming procession of emergency vehicles, her car still wrapped up in the invisibility sheet Lex conjured. Pulling off to the side, she skidded to a stop. Anger melded with fear, realizing she was caught. Blowing through the border plaza was a stupid idea.

But her eyes grew wide, and surprise washed away her anger as she realized the convoy wasn't coming after her. It was responding to the oncoming wave of frost that expanded outwards from the black tower and was chasing Adrian's vehicle. In her rear-view mirror, frozen residential buildings and towers peppered the skyline behind.

Fire trucks blockaded the thoroughfare to the wall. Police cars surrounded them. The emergency crew dismounted their vehicles in awe of the unseasonably frozen landscape in front of them.

"What the hell are we supposed to do about that?" A firefighter shouted, pointing at the oncoming cold front rushing toward the gate plaza.

"I'm not going out there." Another firefighter spoke to him. "I don't get paid enough for that."

"Is that thing chasing us?" Adrian thought out loud.

"Yes." Cordelia spoke flatly.

With wide eyes and fearful, Adrian dropped the clutch and raced toward the highway. She blitzed up the onramp at full speed and dove into traffic. Weaving through staggered columns of vehicles, Adrian treated them like obstacles in motion. The entire road was hers; they were just guests. Shifting with her wrist, her hand still holding the Sun Tear, Adrian hammered the brakes and throttle, hurling her car between lanes. When traffic got thick, she took to the shoulder and continued racing along, the emergency lane just wide enough to fit her car.

"I could get used to this." Adrian cackled, enjoying avoiding traffic all together.

In less than half the time it took her to get to the wall from the Order's base, Adrian returned. Despite the invisibility shroud, the gates parted as she neared. With her crossing, the sheet flickered and dissipated, flecks of the iridescent shroud whisked away in the wind. Parking at the edge of the building's main entrance awning, Adrian exited the car and Cordelia followed.

Adrian scooped up the girl and rushed for the cathedral, the way they came in when she brought Dalmytrias in. As she descended the steps into the concrete trench, Adrian found a thick metal barrier blocking the path down. Gritting her teeth in agitation, she spun and rushed back up and into the front door.

In the adorned lobby, she expected to see Tank still coordinating the cleanup of the undead, but there was only a gathering of clergy at the far corner. Their tall pearl hats and thick gray beards swayed as the group stopped chatting among each other and stared at Adrian.

"I have it." Adrian displayed her fist with the Sun Tear within, utterly drained from the artefact boiling her innards.

The priests looked at each other and the most elder stepped forward. He wore a white robe adorned with gold. His expression was that of concern, thinking she was raving mad. "My child. What is it you have?"

"The Sun Tear. I found it." Speaking those words brought relief upon Adrian's spirit. "I'm holding it here in my hand."

He smiled calmly, politely. "That's not possible. No human could bear to touch such an object for even a moment. You seem unwell, perhaps we—"

Adrian opened her hand and displayed the stone in her palm. It glowed as if it were heated in a forge. The outer edges were red and the inner core scintillated orange. The air around her hand danced. Cordelia cowered and buried her face in Adrian's shoulder.

The elder priest's eyes widened, and his wise expression melted away for shock. Spinning on his heels, the clergyman hurried his fellow priests and they herded themselves toward the elevator. The elder scurried over toward Adrian, but kept a wide berth, offering for her to move toward the elevator with his arms.

"We must act now. Come." The priest nodded then rushed over to the front desk and muttered something to the staff, who burst into action.

Adrian, vindicated, meticulously wrapped her fingers around the Sun Tear and walked over to the elevator. The elder held the door as she stepped on. She stood next to the control panel while the group pinned themselves into the corner, as far away from her as possible. Cordelia peeked at the men nervously over Adrian's shoulder.

After a short descent, they arrived at the cathedral level. As soon as the doors parted, the omnipresent choir sung a chaotic, discordant cry. The sound was so loud it startled, and she jumped, smacking into the wall as a shiver ran up her super-heated spine.

"What is that noise?" Adrian winced as she shouted at the priests, pushing herself to leave the lift.

The clergy whispered to each other, each of them looking concerned and doubtful.

"You hear a noise?" The elder priest stepped around her, keeping a good distance as he began to lead the group into the chapel.

Adrian shouted at him, unable to hear what he was saying. The priest repeated himself, louder.

"It's like a bunch of people yelling constantly. It wasn't so bad when they were singing but right now it sounds like they're getting stabbed to death." Adrian pushed her shoulder into her ear in a fruitless attempt to block out the noise.

"The Chorus of the Ancients. The spiritual gathering of Orators past, come together in unison to sing their decrees."

"What's an Orator?" Adrian's ears grew used to the chaos filling the room.

"The rightful rulers of this land. Those who speak the will of the people into being." A familiar, delicate feminine voice called out from afar, overpowering the cacophony.

Standing at the altar over Dalmytrias's body was Adrian's aunt Leiel. Her short-cut blond hair shimmered in the glow that shined through the stained glass. She wore a white tunic and leggings with tear-shaped metal pauldrons. In the light, Leiel's porcelain skin was even more radiant. For as long as Adrian could remember, Leiel retained her youth.

Adrian never saw her wear such an eccentric outfit in her life and was shaken by the presence of her aunt in such a place. Stopping her advance halfway to the altar, Adrian took a moment to collect herself and remembered the pictures in her pocket.

"What are you doing here?" Adrian's voice trembled, only partially from exhaustion.

The elder priest stepped forward and readied to speak but Leiel raised her hand, and the priest bowed his head in retreat behind Adrian.

"I have a lot of explaining to do." Leiel spoke matter-of-factly.

"Let's start from the beginning." Adrian demanded.

The elder stepped forward in a bid to usher Adrian toward the altar, but Leiel whisked her hand and shooed him away, an unspoken commandment from afar. The priests collected themselves at the end of the pews near the main entrance and folded their hands, stilled by Leiel's command.

"There are more important things at hand." Leiel's voice grew flat, the warmth that she usually spoke with suddenly turned off.

"No, this is damn-well the most important thing right now." Adrian brandished her fist holding the Sun Tear. "Unless you don't need this."

Leiel let off a disgruntled sigh. "Which beginning would you prefer?"

"The one where my parents' deaths weren't a freak accident but murder."

Leiel nodded and stared down at Dalmytrias. "The most complicated one."

"So? What's the story?" Adrian stepped forward, enraged. The burning in her gut grew with her anger and with its expansion, her body felt lighter, less tired.

Cordelia shifted and grunted, shaking her head in discomfort.

"Put her down." Leiel looked up and demanded, pointing to the child."

Adrian looked at the girl in frustration, then crouched down and eased her onto the red carpet. "It's good to see there is someone that you actually care about."

"Cordelia, come." Leiel held her hands out.

The girl sprinted over to Leiel and hid behind her.

Adrian's rage grew and within, the fire expanded into an inferno that reached all corners of her body. "Great, now I'm the bad guy, is that it?"

"You are scaring her." Leiel pulled the girl behind her. "Let us be calm, no one is calling you a bad guy. And I do care about you."

"Don't tell me to be calm." Adrian shouted at the top of her lungs, suddenly unable to control her emotions. The flames of the candelabras all around stretched and turned blue in wild fire.

"You are right. I am sorry." Leiel displayed both palms to Adrian. "What can I do to make this right?"

"Tell me what I want to know!" Adrian closed on Leiel. The two stared at each other over the dead angel.

Leiel nodded, focused on every word Adrian spoke. "It is true. Your parents were not in an accident. They were murdered."

Adrian paced, bewildered by the statement and how bluntly her aunt spoke.

"Why did they—?" Adrian ran her free hand over her hair. "No, who did it? Tell me right now."

"It was m—" Leiel started.

Acara interrupted her, calling out from the main doors. "Don't lie to the poor girl." The Order leader stepped forward in her black leather combat suit. "You spent the most time with her but don't have the respect to tell her the truth."

Leiel's face painted over with shock. "Do not—" She shook her head.

The Order leader leaned her high caliber rifle against the back pew. "Your dear aunt has grown soft in her old age. Try not to be too hard on her."

Adrian spun on her heels and squared up with Acara, furious. The Order leader closed on Adrian and loomed with determined eyes and a half-cocked smirk.

"You want to know who killed your parents?" Acara spoke with a grizzled tone.

"Luna…" Leiel spoke to Acara, but her voice trailed off with nervousness.

"More than anything." Adrian gritted her teeth.

The Order leader leaned down and got in Adrian's face. "It was me. I killed your parents."

 

[machinedhearts]

Adrian reached for her revolver as Acara spoke, admitting to being her parents' murderer. Before Adrian could get a firm grip on her weapon, the Order leader swept her arms up and pinned Adrian against Dalmytrias's dead body. Then Acara looked at Leiel and gave her a determined nod. The cacophonous omnipresent choir quieted, and the Cathedral fell silent. The burning in Adrian's gut subsided.

"You are quite powerful indeed." Acara stared, her eyes glowing a deep emerald green in her own shadow.

Adrian thrashed in a bid to free herself, but the Order leader was overwhelmingly powerful. No matter how she kicked, Adrian couldn't free herself from Acara's grasp. Underneath Adrian, the body fell to dust which swept up and dissipated. In a panic, Adrian swung her head around, not sure what they were doing but wanting nothing more than to be free. In her hand, the Sun Tear's heat faded, and Adrian felt normal again.

As Adrian's thrashing slowed, Acara's grip eased.

The Order leader's voice calmed. "Now that you've cooled off, let me—"

A mass slammed into the altar and shook the ground. Adrian covered her face and cowered, curling up into a ball and tensing all her muscles. She peeled her hands away and found a brown cloak dangling over her face. Black leather boots were on either side of Adrian's head.

Terror washed over Acara. "Let me explain—"

The Order leader received a firm boot center of mass and she tumbled backwards, head over heels. From over Adrian, Dalmytrias stepped down from the altar. His hooded brown robe brushed against her, and he tightened his black leather, buckled arm-length gloves with the balling of his fist. Then he spun and revealed his white face mask with a single red chevron as the angel locked onto Leiel.

Adrian, still laying upon the altar, latched onto his robe. "Don't."

Dalmytrias broke his gaze with Leiel and glanced at Adrian. With an irate grumble, he flicked his robe and broke it from Adrian's grasp. Then the angel stepped around the altar and advanced on Leiel.

"There are matters greater than—" Leiel started.

With a lone punch square in her chest, the strike rocketed Leiel back and with a crash, embedded her into the stone brick wall. With a frightened gasp, Adrian scrambled to her feet and rushed toward her aunt. Finding a wing blocking her path, Adrian stopped and looked at Dalmytrias, expecting to meet a similar fate.

Adrian scrambled to place herself in between the angel and Leiel, holding her hands out at Dalmytrias. "She's had enough, she's just confused and wrapped up with this whole Order. My aunt doesn't know what's going on here."

"Your spiteful lies plague her as they did me, I see." Dalmytrias's voice was laced with hatred as he spoke to Leiel.

It was clearly a lie, but Adrian's taste for violence disappeared with the heat of the Sun Tear, more so that she didn't want Leiel to get killed.

"I can explain." Leiel struggled and dislodged herself from the stone. Her voice shook with digital artefacting, a damaged artificial voice speaker. "There is much to discuss."

As Adrian listened, her eyes grew wide in shock. Leiel wasn't modded. Spinning, distraught, Adrian spotted her aunt getting to her feet. Her clothes and skin from her navel to her right shoulder was sheared off and revealed a metal endoskeleton. Like an android. Adrian stumbled back in distress and Dalmytrias caught her by the shoulders and steadied her.

"I'm dying to know what there is to be said." Dalmytrias held back rage.

"W—what are you?" Adrian sputtered out, shaken by the sight of Leiel.

As Leiel righted herself, her hexagonal, emerald eyes flickered and lit up like a computer booting. Her aunt always told Adrian that they were just birth defects, that there are no perfectly circular irises, Leiel's were just extremely deformed. How stupid Adrian felt for believing that. Leiel's skin and clothes began to recompose, and in a few seconds her body recovered from the damage.

"Go on then. Tell the poor girl." Dalmytrias demanded. "At least have the respect to put her out of her misery."

Leiel's expression flattened. "XA-33, Experimental Assassin, iteration 33. I am a prototype war machine." As she spoke, her voice recovered, and she sounded normal.

Somehow, Adrian sensed a tinge of emotion, regret in Leiel's voice. It was likely her own grief imagining that. Machines don't feel.

"Who made you? The Order?" Adrian's shaken voice filled the Cathedral.

Leiel closed her eyes in frustration and shook her head. "I cannot tell you that."

"Let me guess, classified. You're probably some corpo plant, aren't you?" Adrian lashed out in anger.

"No. I will not tell you for the sake of your safety."

Dalmytrias chuckled and furiously exhaled. "I'm sure all of your excuses will waste my time in same fashion."

"What kind of threat would use that information to hurt me?" Adrian called her bluff.

Leiel looked away, guilty. "Not just your safety."

Dalmytrias turned his chin up in realization and gave off a devious laugh. "So I see. Him."

"I beg you, do not interfere." Leiel's posture closed, and she hunched down as if to cower.

Dalmytrias flecked his wings and then retracted them. "Interfere. As you did with me? How could I ever think to do such a thing?" His voice was laced with sarcasm.

Then the angel turned his attention to Acara. The Order leader was sitting in the pew just beside where she landed, slinked against the very end of the seat, a fearful expression painted on her face.

"Considering everything, I would've taken you to run." Dalmytrias boomed.

"What good would that do? It's not like I could hide from you." Acara spoke with a shaking voice.

"Why'd you do it?" Dalmytrias took a step forward, speaking about his imprisonment.

"There—" Leiel started.

Dalmytrias held a handout behind and silenced her, then took another step toward Acara. The Order leader looked away from him and folded her arms to hug her own body. All authority was blasted away by Dalmytrias's presence. Adrian thought Acara looked more like a chastised child than the leader of an elite mercenary outfit.

"Why." Dalmytrias took another step.

Acara relented. "We needed you."

In the blink of an eye, Dalmytrias's form faded into a thin veil of smoke, then reappeared next to Acara. He was hunched over and a hair's width from her face.

"And you never thought to ask me." Dalmytrias whispered in her ear.

"We didn't know if—"

"And you. Never thought. To ask. Me." The angel's voice growled with fury. "How long has it been?"

Acara's head shook with terror.

"How. Long." Dalmytrias spread his wings.

After a hard swallow, the Order leader piped up. "Half a millennia. Five hundred years or so."

The number gave the angel pause and he gagged. Then he stood straight up, struck by Acara's words.

"I know—" The Order leader started.

Swiping his wings in raging rotation, the angel launched the entire row of pews behind him, on the opposite side of Acara, into the wall near the entrance to the Cathedral. They smashed and tumbled into a pile.

"What do you know? Tell me what you understand, even one iota, about the matter." Dalmytrias exploded with fury.

Acara closed her eyes and sat perfectly still as the chaos beside her unfolded. On some level, Adrian felt bad for her.

"It had to be done." Leiel called out, stepping forth and standing next to Adrian. "If anyone is to blame, it is I." She folded her hands in front of her stomach. "We did it because it was necessary to preserve the human race."

Adrian looked at Leiel and stepped away, placing distance between them.

Dalmytrias turned and advanced with wings splayed toward Leiel.

"Would you have agreed?" Leiel preempted his inevitable question.

The angel stopped a dozen steps away from Leiel, in genuine ponderance. "I—"

"You would not have." Leiel pressed him. "We just got Solara back. You would not have left her for anything."

"I bled for her." Dalmytrias's voice was filled with anger and sorrow. "Do you understand the heartache—"

"Yes. If I had blood I would have bled for her too. Her abduction was my fault. There was nothing I would not have done to make it right."

"Then why—"

"You are not eternal. You needed to leap-frog through time to get to now." Leiel spoke flatly. "If you were not here, all would be lost."

Dalmytrias scoffed and looked away, his wings retracted, and he folded his arms, frustrated. Adrian sensed this had to do with Meredeth considering his sudden resignation. He snapped his attention to Adrian.

"Let's go. We're leaving."

 

[machinedhearts]

Adrian stood next to Dalmytrias, his wings splayed and ready for a fight, in front of the hotel. Ahead of them, in the courtyard, spread out across the lawn was the entirety of the Order's military branch. Dozens upon dozens of armored soldiers impeded their path.

"Please go back inside." Tank's voice box boomed beneath the awning.

The formations of men were ready to draw their weapons, hands hovering over holstered submachine guns strapped to their chests. The tension wafted through the breeze, cutting through the smog like a honed blade.

"No. There are matters to attend." Dalmytrias responded, looming over Tank.

"We can arrange to—" Tank started.

Dalmytrias sized up the titan soldier. "Why'd you do that to yourself?"

Tank recoiled. "Do what, sir?"

With the bounce of his upward-turned palm, Dalmytrias motioned toward Tank's outward appearance. "You're encased in a machine. Why destroy your body so."

Tank looked at the ground for a moment, pondering the declaration. "I didn't. The consortium did."

Folding his arms in front of him, Dalmytrias relaxed his wings and let off a curious coo. "Tell me what happened."

Tank looked around at his comrades, a sudden vulnerability washed over the armored titan. Hesitating, he started to search for words again, looking down at the red carpet beneath the angel.

Then Tank straightened himself upright, resolute. "The consortium captured me. Tortured me, to get information about the Order. Peeled me apart and plucked the organs from my body when I denied them."

Adrian shivered at the thought of Tank being dissected while still alive.

"Somehow they got me out of there." Tank paused for a long while. "Lady Leiel put me back together. As best as anyone could." Then he wagged his arms down his torso, as to put himself on display.

With a muted gasp, Adrian had to fight her base instinct to wonder how her aunt could do such a thing. Clearly, she was an android, she wasn't bound by the limitations of a human. But something bothered Adrian. Leiel described herself as a 'war machine'. The first thing that came to Adrian's mind when hearing those words was a tank or a fighter jet. Tanks and jets don't mend the wounded. There was even more to this story than was let on, and Adrian's frustration welled just thinking about the web of lies she was wrapped up in.

Hearing Tank's words, Dalmytrias's stance eased, and an air of respect emanated from his straightened posture.

"This consortium. Is there anything that could stop you from taking them down if you had the chance?" Dalmytrias tilted his head, curious.

"No. No one could stop me if I had the power to do what needed to be done." Tank spoke with eagerness, leaving no time for silence after Dalmytrias's words.

"I have my own war to wage. Let me go." Dalmytrias leaned forward, resolute.

Tank let off a long, defeated sigh, touched by the angel's words.

The titan leaned in close and lowered his voice box. "She's afraid you won't come back. My orders are to stop you."

"And if I have to deal with you, do you think that will make things better, or worse?" Dalmytrias straightened upright, imposing.

Relenting, Tank turned to the formations on the lawn and wagged his hand at them. In moments, the armored soldiers of the Order dispersed, disappearing around the building. With a single step back, the armored titan gave way and looked down, beaten.

Taking a moment to observe the environment, and seeing that there was no one obstructing their path, Dalmytrias turned to Adrian and nodded to indicate they were leaving. Adrian scratched her head as she passed the reverent titan. That he would simply disobey, despite his otherwise stoic and filial attitude toward the Order gave Adrian pause. Tank was someone who would fight to the death, no matter the adversary. There was no reason for him to just let their sacred mascot go with such meek resistance.

With a sharp whistle, Dalmytrias caught Adrian's attention as he climbed into the passenger seat of her car. Adrian's suspicion was stymied by the sudden realization the angel understood the nuance of riding in a car. Trapped between wanting to grill Tank on his sudden relenting, and wanting to know how Dalmytrias knew enough to operate the power seat controls of her car, Adrian decided Tank's interrogation was for another day. She raced over to the driver's side door of her vehicle, and got in.

"What are you doing?" Adrian demanded.

"Drive." Dalmytrias pointed behind him, deeper into the city while trying to alleviate discomfort with the power controls on the door.

"Where exactly do you want me to go?" Adrian looked behind her, in the direction of the angel's indication.

"East. We must go to get Ku." Dalmytrias continued to adjust his seat, the motor whirring.

"Ku? What is that?" Adrian's eyebrows dropped in frustration.

"The Blade of Suffering. It calls to me." Dalmytrias stopped his fiddling and relented. Folding his arms in front of him, he put the seat all the way down, looking like a pregnant woman with his retracted wings under his shoulders and arching his lower back.

Adrian shifted, nervous about his desire. "This Blade of Suffering calls to you." She spoke, incredulously. Regret washed over her as she stared at Tank through the windshield, wondering if she should have taken his side instead.

"My body is drained. The longer I am apart from it, the weaker I will become." Dalmytrias put his head on the seat back.

"And what are you going to do with this… Blade of Suffering, once you get it?" Adrian turned to Dalmytrias; the desire for inquisition filled her heart.

"The blood spilled from my enemies will restore my strength and will give me the power necessary to bring the fight to the Queen of Sin." Dalmytrias stared up at the leather trim.

"So what, you're just going to go on a rampage and start taking random people out until you're strong enough to take down Meredeth?" Adrian's voice verged on anger.

"I don't hurt innocent people." Dalmytrias spoke plainly.

"What, like that massive pileup that killed dozens of people that you caused?" Adrian fought to remain calm.

"That was a mistake. I was blind with rage."

"And how do I know you're not going to do it again?" Adrian demanded; her words oozed fury.

Dalmytrias sighed and reached for the door handle. Smacking the door locks, Adrian turned towards him, imposing her miniature presence upon him. It was a bluff, locking the doors wouldn't stop anyone from getting out, but she hoped he didn't know that. The angel relented and crossed his arms in front of him.

"All I have is my word. I won't do it again." Dalmytrias spoke meekly.

His words calmed Adrian's spirit. But she still contemplated getting him out of the car. It seemed that the men of the Order believed in Dalmytrias. But the angel's actions spoke differently than the reputation that preceded him. Adrian had to make a choice: stay the course and let things play out or go back and put an end to this whole ordeal. Adrian tapped the steering wheel with her index finger, anxious and lost in thought, staring at Tank who was standing there watching them.

Her mind wandered to all the things her aunt lied about. All the secrets Acara kept. Her claim that she murdered Adrian's parents. Without another thought, Adrian slammed her key into the ignition and fired up the car. She eased off the clutch and pulled up to the gate, which gave way. Exiting the premises, Adrian began to fiddle with the navigation.

"So where are we going?" Adrian pulled up a top-down view of New Downtown.

"This way." Dalmytrias pointed off the screen, to the right.

As she drove, Adrian panned the map. Keeping a normal pace, she maneuvered around the decrepit old town roads.

"Stop." Dalmytrias blurted.

Adrian stopped the car but kept panning the map.

"No. Not this." Dalmytrias pointed to the floorboards, indicating that he wanted the car to keep moving. "That." He pointed to the map. "Go back."

Adrian let the clutch out easy and took off, then panned the map back west.

"There."

Adrian took her hand off the navigation controls and held two hands on the steering wheel. Then, as they came to a stop at a busy intersection, she looked down at what the angel was pointing at on the map.

"You've got to be kidding me." Adrian hollered. "The Blade of Suffering is there?"

Dalmytrias nodded and grunted.

Adrian scoffed. "There's no way I can get us in there."

"I can." Dalmytrias spoke with confidence.

With a groan, Adrian took off from the intersection as the light turned green.

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Adrian muttered.

The weapon was in the worst den of scum and villainy anywhere in the world. District 2, the middle executives quarter.

 

[machinedhearts]

Adrian's anxiety grew as she drove along the highway. Beside her, Dalmytrias sat and stared ahead at the road, unmoving. The tension he exuded filled the car. Though he was hidden behind a mask, she knew there was a scowl etched into his face. The unyielding silence frightened her, it was like sitting next to a live atom bomb.

Attempting to ease her anxiety, Adrian poked at the buttons on the steering wheel to review her job notes. Not that they would be worth anything now. But as she scrolled the holographic menu displayed on the windshield, she came across the wannabe ganger, Danny's information and the thought of Lex exchanged anxiety for guilt as she remembered finding his sister locked up. Without a second thought, she initiated text to speech.

"I found your sister. They had her locked up in a cell near the Cleft but took her before I could get her out of there." Adrian spoke, staring at the road. She pushed the center button on the wheel to send the message.

As Adrian spoke, Dalmytrias's trance-like focus ahead was disrupted with a jolt of his head, which craned toward her.

"Figure out where they took her and get back to me." Adrian finished and sent the second message.

Then more quietness returned to the car as she dismissed the messaging menu. But Adrian could feel the angel's gaze burning a hole in the side of her head. She shifted in her seat, uncomfortable by him staring her down.

"What is it?" Adrian huffed and turned to look at him for a moment.

"Was this place always so broken?" Dalmytrias muttered.

Adrian leaned forward to look up toward the towering structures ahead of them beside the highway. They were entering into the high-class part of town and security was much tighter here. Helicopters whirred by, their searchlights scanned the shadow of the District 1 support structure. High rises with well-manicured trees and bushes hanging from the balconies and on the rooftops gave a vibrant liveliness not found anywhere else in the city dotted the edges of daylight.

"I don't know what you mean, this is one of the nicest districts in the city." Adrian looked around, wondering what was so broken about this place.

"You don't feel stifled by all of this stone?" This excess of metal?" Dalmytrias pointed out the window at the various buildings and District 1 support structure.

Adrian blinked, confused. "I mean, sometimes I wish there was someplace I could go with fewer people around. Though less people are on the outskirts, so maybe that's not the problem. No, I don't think so."

With a dissatisfied hum, Dalmytrias returned to continue his statue-like stare out the windshield. His question bothered Adrian, and she wondered what he meant. She didn't always live in the inner districts. Before Parastisus hit, she lived in a small house out near the northside of the Cleft. After the consortium took over, everything got bulldozed and high rises went up everywhere. That side of the city turned into a dustbowl, became nothing more than a desert. Thinking about her childhood brought her to Leiel.

"Why would Leiel lie to me all these years?" Adrian piped up, hoping Dalmytrias would have some insight, considering that it seemed they knew each other.

"Who knows? She deceived me too." Dalmytrias shifted in his seat, agitated.

Adrian cocked her head, intrigued. "How so?"

They passed into the shadow of the support structure and the lights on Adrian's car deployed. In the darkness, the glimmer of high rises in eternal darkness sparkled with cyans and magentas around them. Beside the highway, huge spotlights twirled, and holographic displays showed giant, scantily clad performers dancing afar. Down beneath the freeway was District 4, Paradise, a place filled to the brim with every vice imaginable and where the party never stopped. In the distance, harsh thumps from music filled the air.

Dalmytrias scoffed resentfully and looked out the passenger-side window. "Nothing worth mentioning now."

For some reason, his anger put Adrian at ease. She wanted to know more, maybe that would give her insight into who Leiel really was.

"She told me we were related. That she was my aunt." Adrian looked at him, trying to read into his posture. "Raised me alone in a small house outside the city. After my parents died, she took me in."

Dalmytrias's resentfulness faded, and he looked over.

"She never told me anything about herself. We barely spoke, outside of her asking about my grades and if I was eating right." Adrian stared forward out the windshield. "There was always some sort of business to attend to, and that she'd be back soon."

"What sort of business?" Dalmytrias piped up.

"I don't know. She never said, and up until today I never really thought to ask. I respected her privacy as she did mine." Adrian shook her head, frustrated at herself.

"Knowing her, you never had any such privacy." Dalmytrias's voice was harsh.

Adrian frowned and reached into her pocket, producing the two pictures, one of her and Leiel. "I learned recently that I had a brother." She offered them to him.

With a dainty pluck, the angel took the photos and poured over them.

"And that Acara was raising him, I assume, as Leiel raised me." Adrian gritted her teeth, holding back fury from the deception of it all.

Dalmytrias nodded and gave off a curious grunt. "A halfhearted attempt at solitude." He offered the pictures back to her, looking away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adrian's eyebrow twitched. "Why would they keep us apart?" She snatched up the pictures and returned them to her jacket pocket.

Dalmytrias sighed with resignation. "Nothing is for certain, but given what you've shown me, you were an inconvenient detail."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Adrian screamed and she leaned toward Dalmytrias. The car's lane departure system blared as it began to correct its path.

"It means you and I are in the same place. Unwanted and disposable." Dalmytrias's voice was mournful. He pointed out the windshield. "Eyes forward."

His words both eased and infuriated Adrian at the same time. She turned to keep her focus on the road.

"If I'm so undesirable, such an inconvenience, then why didn't Acara just kill me, like she did my parents?" Adrian said, defeated.

Dalmytrias stared at her for a moment and let off an amused hum. "Why do you ask such things?"

"It's what she told me." Adrian's frustration fell from her tongue as she spoke.

"When was this?" Dalmytrias's voice was laced with surprise.

Adrian pointed over her shoulder. "Back at the cathedral. Just before you showed up. Again."

After a pregnant pause, Dalmytrias burst out in a joyous belly laugh.

Adrian could hold her rage back and began smacking the angel with an open palm. "This is a serious matter!"

Despite being struck, the angel continued his laughter, recoiling from her hitting him. After his glee subsided, she stopped smacking him.

Taking a deep breath, Dalmytrias sighed. "Even after all these years, she still has it."

"Has what?" Adrian's voice was filled with venom.

"The Sun Tear needs two things to work." Dalmytrias cleared his throat. "A mate and a conduit. And she's the mate."

"So that means—" Adrian started.

"It means that you were the conduit. Which makes perfect sense. Considering you resisted a fully-charged Sun Tear for longer than a few seconds. Most humans would have melted into a fine paste in about a minute," Dalmytrias said.

"Then she lied." Adrian's anger didn't subside at the revelation.

"I don't know much, but I'm almost certain so." Dalmytrias looked at her.

Adrian shook her head and exhaled sharply, confused. "So why did she say that? And how do you know?"

"It's likely that you were already on the verge of drawing me back to the corporeal world. She decided to say something that would push you over the edge." Dalmytrias stated plainly. "I would bet my life that she would never harm you nor your family."

Brow quivered, again feeling like she was an outsider and the only one not in the loop. "But how do you know?"

"Your brother."

Adrian tilted her head, confused. "What does he have to do with all of this?"

Dalmytrias let off a frustrated exhale. "He's a skilled mechanist, no?"

With a dipped brow, Adrian thought about what she knew about Thomas. He was in some sort of research program, for building… something. Next generation prosthetics or the like. Adrian tried to remember the details, but in the loosest of definitions, the angel's description was close enough.

"Yes, I suppose that's one way to put it." Adrian nodded.

Dalmytrias bobbed his head in tandem with her. "He is creating a horrible weapon. And will create Leiel in turn."