"Look out!" But Cecilia could only stare in frozen fright as Luyten V's metal fist flew at her, her feet riveted to the ground. For whatever reason, her legs refused to move.
Only a timely tackle from Sandage saved her from getting squashed, the impact knocking the breath from her.
"Are you okay?" the LUVOLT agent asked, his face concerned.
"I think so," Cecilia rasped out. She stared at the crater Luyten V's fist had made, chunks of concrete falling like rain as it yanked it back. That'd been too close. Thankfully, everyone had scattered in time—if barely. They stared at Luyten V in shock.
"Deklu!" Prince Imrele yelled. "Do something!"
"I… I got this! One second!" the tech said, fiddling with his personal computer. This only earned Luyten V's further ire, directing its fury at the hacker.
"Deklu!" Cecilia could only watch in horror as a foot connected with the Ectutai, sending the hapless tech flying. A toolbox crumpled under the impact, and ice stabbed into Cecilia's heart when the alien didn't rise.
Yet this didn't satisfy Luyten V, who now directed its rage at the Ectutai prince instead. Prince Imrele scrambled in fright as it chased after him, ducking between some crates to make himself less of an open target. Cecilia tensed as Luyten V passed Petrus, but the robot ignored him, heading toward the alien prince instead.
"Huh?" Why had it done that? Why not go after the easy target?
"The Luyten V detects that the Ectutai aren't human!" Macauley yelled over the turmoil. "It must assume they are invaders too!"
"I can't help but notice you're an alien too, Macauley," Cecilia said dryly. Her mind raced for some way to save Prince Imrele. If the alien prince got hurt, she doubted the Kristra Republic would look fondly on Earth. Somehow they had to get the Luyten V to recognize Rose. She came to a decision.
"Petrus, we have to show Luyten V Rose!" Cecilia said.
"Huh?" the big man replied. "Will that even work? Without her brainwaves, can it even recognize her?"
"There's no time to argue!" Cecilia shot back.
"It's our best chance," Sandage said, rushing over to them. "Macauley?"
"It's worth a try," the vTuber said after some thought. "Hurry—let's get the Luyten V's attention."
"This way!" With a moment's hesitation, Cecilia pushed Petrus's laptop into Sandage's arms and rushed in Luyten V's direction.
"Hey, leave this to us!" Sandage shouted, but he'd been too slow to stop her. "Foolish girl. What are you waiting for, Petrus? After her!"
"Okay. Sure, let's rush into danger!" the scientist huffed as he chased after her.
"Luyten V! Hey!" Cecilia waved her arms as she ran, but the robot didn't hear her. Instead, it focused its attention on crushing the alien prince. Her heart skipped a beat as Prince Imrele barely rolled out of the way of a stomp from its boot. "I'm almost there, Prince Imrele. Just hold on!"
"How are we even going to stop this thing!?" The usually composed prince sounded terrified, backing away as Luyten V continued its relentless assault. Then the worst happened.
In his attempt to flee, the prince tripped over some fallen tools and sprawled on the floor. Luyten V used this chance to lift a boot weighing hundreds of tons and stomp it down on the alien prince's back. Metal squealed as his suit bent under the strain.
"Please! No! Don't do this!" Cecilia cried, rushing into Luyten V's view. "He's a friend!"
But the Luyten V continued to ignore her, crushing Prince Imrele harder. Cecilia's heart leapt with hope as Petrus approached with Rose perched on his back.
"Look, see! It's Rose!" Cecilia picked up one of Rose's arms and swung it wildly. Still getting no response, Cecilia did something desperate. She grabbed Rose and tossed her toward Luyten V's foot.
"What are you doing?!" Petrus said, alarmed as his once-charge rolled on the ground. She stopped inches from Luyten V's toe. Cecilia rushed over and grabbed Rose's head, presenting it toward the robot.
"Please! If you don't stop, I'll make you crush Rose too!" Cecilia said. There was just enough space for Rose's slight form to fit. This wasn't an idle threat.
To Cecilia's relief, the robot stopped, and its red, too-human eyes stared into Rose's. Then it pulled its foot away and fell to one knee. Its chest opened to reveal its cockpit, ready to accept its pilot. Whatever intelligence existed inside Luyten V had recognized Rose.
"I didn't think that would work!" Cecilia said, heart still thumping.
"That was stupid, Cecilia," Sandage said, his tone chastising.
"Sorry," Cecilia said sheepishly. "I had to try something."
"We'll talk about this later," Sandage said, rushing to the fallen Ectutai prince. "Prince Imrele, are you still alive?"
"Just about." There was a hiss andsteam erupted from the prince's suit. A terrible wheezing sound echoed through the hanger as the suit struggled to open. An alien curse escaped the suit's loudspeaker, and a pounding could be heard inside the suit. The prince must be trying to force it open from the inside. Finally, the suit's hatch gave way and opened up.
"It ruined my royal armor, though." The prince said. Cecilia gasped at the figure that emerged.
"So cute!" Cecilia couldn't help herself. This wasn't what she'd expected.
Instead of a hulking giant, as she had imagined, the Ectutai stood barely taller than Rose. He appeared more like a preteen human than anything, though his skin was a tomato-ish red, and two curling horns poked out from his dirty brown locks like goat horns.
"How old are you?" Cecilia asked, marveling.
"Old enough," Prince Imrele replied with as much dignity as he could muster. Cecilia guessed he was around her age. Was every one of his race this small?
"I'm glad to see you safe, Your Majesty," Sandage's face scrunched as he fought back laughter. He hadn't expected this, either. "Are you unharmed?"
"Yes, thankfully my suit took the strain," Prince Imrele replied. "I wasn't expecting that. Some defensive mechanism?"
"I'm afraid so. I hope your man is okay too," Sandage said, flinching.
"Yes, I'm fine," the Ectutai tech said, limping over. While dented and warped, his suit seemed otherwise intact.
"Don't worry," Prince Imrele said with a slight smile. "These kinds of things happen. I'm pleased no one got hurt." He flinched as the building suddenly shook. "We better hurry. Can Rose even pilot this contraption in her condition?"
"We're hoping it will help her," Petrus said, retrieving Rose from the floor. "Ready, Macauley?"
"The process isn't that complicated. The rest is up to Rose herself," Macauley said.
"I hope so." Despite herself, Cecilia still worried. What if the infection had spread too far through Rose's system?
"Upsy-daisy," Petrus said, carefully placing Rose inside the cockpit. As Macauley announced a set of instructions, the scientist programmed them in. Before he completed the action, he toppled over and struck the ground hard as the building rocked. Rose fell with him, rolling over him before coming to a halt.
"Are you okay, Mr. Naboth?" Cecilia asked, running over.
"Yeah," the big man winced, dragging himself back to his feet with some effort. He'd taken a nasty tumble. "I'm too old for this."
"That was a bad hit." Sandage opened his phone and dialed a number. "Report."
Over the speakerphone, Cecilia heard the sounds of battle. Through the explosions and screaming, she had trouble identifying what was happening.
A clear voice broke through the tumult. "It's terrible, sir. The Ectutai—they weren't a match for those monsters at all."
"No!" Prince Imrele said, alarmed.
"They're all destroyed. And one of the Altair is heading toward the hangar bay. It'll be there in moments."
"Not good." The building shook again, and the shriek of tearing metal echoed through the air. Cecilia gasped as a chainsaw-like claw ripped through the hangar's roof like thick metal was tinfoil. Her heart stopped as a giant face stared down at them through the hole. It wasn't like any Altair face she'd seen before—misshapen somehow, like the creature had melted. Scales covered its skin haphazardly, like some demented dragon.
"Found you," the monster's eyes gleamed with open malice. It opened its maw wide, energy gathering within it.
"Is it going to blast us to pieces?" Some Altair could shoot lasers? This wasn't fair! She grunted as Sandage pushed her over, using his body as a human shield.
"Sandage!" Tears pricked Cecilia's eyes. Was this it?
But Luyten V saw the threat, a fist slamming into the monster's twisted face. The beam went wide, sweat poured from Cecilia's pores as the heat of it passed over her. She gasped at the destruction it caused, leveling a good portion of the LUVOLT complex. She hoped the others were okay.
"Impossible! You don't have a pilot. How are you moving on your own?" the monster said, eyes wide in shock as it stared at Luyten V's open cockpit.
"Are you okay?" Sandage asked, pulling her to her feet.
"Yeah," Cecilia said, giving a shaky nod.
"The heck with this!" Petrus held Rose in a fireman's carry and darted inside Luyten V's cockpit. With a hiss, it closed shut.
"What are you doing?" Cecilia said, alarmed. If Petrus activated Full Synchronization Mode inside the Luyten V, it'd likely kill him.
"Macauley, what's the final sequence?" Petrus said from Luyten V's speakers.
"You're a brave man, Petrus," Macauley said, then rattled a series of buttons.
"Ah, got it," Petrus replied. "Don't worry about me. I have a son."
"Huh?" Cecilia blinked.
"He hates me. I was a terrible father. I should've done better. Hasn't talked to me in years," Petrus said. "But I don't care. As long as he's safe, that's fine with me. I'll do whatever it takes so that he lives!"
"Petrus!" Cecilia fought back tears, her heart wrenched at the scientist's sacrifice.
"I don't know what you're doing, but you're finished!" The Altair opened its mouth again, gathering energy within it. Spots darted before Cecilia's eyes as it grew even brighter, gathering more than enough power to blast the unmoving Luyten V to kingdom come. With a roar, it fired.
"Rose!" Cecilia said, horrified. At that range, the Luyten V would never dodge the blast!
—
Her eyes blinked as they opened, and she stared up at nothing. Her mind was fuzzy—even recalling her name was difficult. What had she been doing? Where was she? She glanced around, confused, to find herself in a white void devoid of anything. Was this the afterlife? Pieces returned to her, remembering the pain of the Altair's claw slashing her. She must be dead, right?
She floated in the nothingness. If she was dead, why bother worrying about anything?
"Rose."
She blinked, glancing around in confusion. Who was Rose? Wait—was that her? Yes, that made sense. Dim memories returned as she recalled her name, beyond just the memory of being diced by a monster. More pieces of her past slid into place, and she furrowed her brow. There was something she needed to do.
"Whatever, it didn't matter." Rose resumed her aimless floating, but a feeling nagged at her, needling her about forgetting something important.
"Everyone's counting on me." There it was—a task that had thrown her into perilous danger until it claimed her. Her family, the world, the future—they were all counting on her to fight. But Rose fought against that notion. She'd fought so hard and won harrowing battles. Didn't she deserve some rest?
Despite herself, however, she became restless. Rose couldn't calm the worry eating at the corners of her mind. She recalled that face—hers from the future. It had looked so worn out, haggard from countless battles. And she'd gotten infected too—another of the Altair's victims. Should she go back, knowing that'd likely be her fate, too? One person could only accomplish so much.
"They seek to consume everything. Not just humanity, the planet, or even the solar system… everything. Period." Her future self's words returned to her. "The Luyten V is our hope. Use it wisely, please. Good luck, Rose. And please protect Sophia for me, okay?"
"Sophia." Yes, that's right. Her older sister had suffered a terrible fate in the future, hadn't she? Rose hadn't been strong enough to protect her. Tears stained her eyes, hating herself for her weakness.
And she was weak, her body ravaged by the Altair. Even if Rose wanted to, returning to life was impossible. The Altair had won.
Yet, she felt hope. Part of her wanted to keep fighting, no matter the cost. She wanted to protect Sophia. Rose wanted to protect her family.
Something nagged at her, demanding her attention. It wanted to drag her back and return her to battle against the Altair. There, she'd return to a world of suffering and likely failure. But that didn't matter. She wanted to live, to show the Altair that Rosemary Brahe was no quitter.
"I'm ready! Death will only have me through my cold, dead fingers!" Rose said. Blackness consumed her as hands reached from every direction, grabbing at her and pulling her into the darkness. But Rose didn't fight it. She accepted whatever would happen next.
—
A groan escaped Rose's lips as she blinked open her blurry eyes. What a dream that had been. She blinked again, disoriented. Where was she?
"Hey!" she yelped as something jolted her entire world—and suddenly, everything became crystal clear.
Before her, a hideous face leered at her. Its mouth was so wide, it stretched well past its face. Much to Rose's alarm, energy was gathering within its crooked teeth. On instinct, she leaped free of the destructive beam. The motion was so seamless, like she'd done it with a mere thought.
"Huh?" The monster blinked its bizarre, rubbery eyes in confusion. "How did you dodge at that range? Whatever, you're dead!"
But Rose defected the meaty fist with ease, the monster howling in pain as she sent a punch into its ugly, mishappen face.
More blows rained down, but she deflected them effortlessly. Her opponent's attacks were slow and clumsy, like a toddler wailing at a grown adult. She sniffed in contempt and slammed her head forward. Her forehead collided with the creature's skull with a meaty thud, and the Altair staggered.
"Not so tough when your opponent can fight back, huh?" she spat. Her foot crashed into the Altair's chest, and the creature wheezed in pain. Had she knocked the wind out of it? With alien biology, who could say?
Her fists hammered into the creature, each hit knocking it senseless.
She sensed the next threat rather than heard it—a claw slicing in from behind, aiming to decapitate her. She ducked without thinking, then fired her forehead laser. The blast was devastating, nearly incinerating half the monster's body. Its skin sizzled and bubbled, blackened and scarred. It tried regenerating, but it's ruined flesh refused to heal. Another punch nearly caved in its head.
"How about I finish this?" she growled. She maneuvered both enemies into position, crossing her arms. Time to debut a new technique—they'd regret ever attacking her.
But before she could strike, her mind reeled as it got violently yanked away. She blinked in confusion, suddenly finding herself somewhere else—was this the Luyten V's cockpit? How had she gotten here?
She fired another beam after the retreating Altair, but something was wrong. The Luyten V moved sluggishly, like it was wading through molasses. When had it gotten so slow? Her beam missed, and the enemies slipped into the nearby woods. She started to pursue but paused.
The LUVOLT base was in shambles. Above, she saw tiny figures scrambling through the wreckage, putting out fires and moving debris. She stood still. If the Altair doubled back, they needed to be ready. Besides, she felt… strange. Even blinking was sluggish. She felt like she was inside a body that wasn't entirely hers.
She looked down at herself, her movements painfully slow. A gasp escaped Rose's lips when she spotted a figure sprawled on the cockpit's floor wearing a hazmat suit.
What the heck?
Carefully, she lowered herself and checked for signs of life. The portly, middle-aged man was breathing, thank goodness.
"Rose. You're okay?" a voice called through the Luyten V's speakers.
She struggled back into the pilot's seat and turned. A tiny figure was waving up at her—it was Cecilia, tears streaking her face.
"Right… I was sick or something," Rose said, her mind slowly piecing things together. Had she somehow become one with the Luyten V. But how?
Still confused, she opened the cockpit.
"Rose, you're okay!" Cecilia cried, rushing over to her.
"Yeah… I think so." Rose frowned. Her voice sounded odd, like it belonged to someone else. Her head spun as she stumbled out of her mech. She blinked as Cecilia gasped.
"What is it?" Rose asked.
"Your eyes," Cecilia said, stunned.
"What about them?" Rose rubbed her face. She vaguely recalled one of them being injured. Maybe the damage wasn't as bad as she'd thought?
"One's red!" Cecilia said. "It's the same color as the Luyten V!"
"Huh?" Rose turned toward one of the reflective panels on the mech. Two eyes stared back—one her usual grayish-blue, the other a glowing crimson red.