Chapter 16: Reality
"Damn it, she's got them pinned down too. This is hopeless," a young Renegade muttered, distraught as he peered over the ship wreckage he was currently hiding behind.
"We're not out of the fight yet. We can still win this. We have to," came a reply from a young man beside him with messy crimson hair and tired emerald eyes. That young man was Arbus.
Beyond their shelter, a young girl floated midair, surrounded by an arsenal of Renegade weapons hovering beside her. Around her lay countless bodies of fallen Renegades, as well as a graveyard of machinery and weaponry spread in all directions.
The girl surveyed the carnage with a wide, deranged smile. She was a Reincarnator with the PRIME ability to control every type of weapon, so long as she designated it as one.
No one at this base stood even a sliver of a chance against her. The moment she arrived marked the beginning of a one-sided massacre. Very few soldiers remained from her initial onslaught, and the backup Renegades that had arrived from nearby outposts were currently being slaughtered by their own weapons.
Arbus struggled to come up with a plan to turn the situation around. He felt numb, his left arm a bleeding wreck. A high-tech energy blade had sliced it cleanly from palm to shoulder when he'd shielded a fellow Renegade from a killing blow. The attack had stripped away his skin and muscle, leaving his forearm bone exposed.
He was in a world of pain, but it wasn't a new feeling for Arbus. He tried his very best to not focus on it.
"We can't hide here forever," An old Renegade beside Arbus said.
He was currently weighing his chances as he eyed his gun, wondering if he could land a shot while the girl was distracted.
"We have to join the fight, no matter what. I won't sit back while she slaughters the people who risked everything to save us."
The last Renegade with them kept peeking from behind the wreckage, his teeth gritted in indignation at their desperate situation.
Arbus went through various scenarios in his mind, searching for a way to clear this event. One particularly familiar idea came to him as he glanced at his injury.
He turned to his comrades sorrowfully. If this plan was going to succeed, he would need to abandon his original hopes for the mission.
"I have a plan ," he said, gritting his teeth.
The faces of the Renegades around him lit up as they turned to him with renewed hope. "What is it? Tell us quickly!. Our reinforcements won't last much longer."
"For the plan to work..... I need you three to act as distractions." Arbus glanced at his mangled arm. "It's unfortunate, but I don't think I have much left in me. I've already lost a lot of blood, so I don't know how much longer I'll last. Which is why I need you all to keep her attention off this area, so I can attack her from behind and end this."
Arbus said as he gestured to his exposed bone.
The Renegades took deep breaths. Arbus was essentially asking them to sacrifice their lives for a plan he wasn't even sure would work. He was asking them to die for his gamble. He knew it would be a hard decision for them, especially coming from someone like him. Which is why he was prepared for their refusal.
"Alright," the older Renegade said first.
Arbus's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Why are you so surprised? You're the one who suggested this," the man continued with a resigned smile. "If you're even ten percent sure your plan will work, then we have to try. We're comrades, after all. We have to trust each other. Plus, we have no choice."
The other two slowly steeled their resolve as well. "If you're sure it'll work, then we'll help," the younger one said, trying to mask his fear. "Just make sure it does, okay? I won't forgive you if you make me sacrifice my life for nothing."
"Enough talk. We're running out of time. Let's move," the third Renegade said, already heading out without waiting for a response. The three of them crept through the scattered wreckage, staying low as they made their way to a destroyed vehicle on the opposite side of the ship from Arbus. The Reincarnator was directly in between the two positions.
The old Renegade locked gazes with Arbus one final time, and smiled at him. After that, he broke into a mad dash toward the Reincarnator, firing his gun frantically. She noticed him almost immediately, no longer distracted by what remained of the reinforcements. The bullets — each one capable of blasting through tanks, hung suspended in the air before her, unable to move forward.
She had already designated every firearm, energy blade, explosive, and missile in the area as weapons under her control. Which meant that they could no longer harm her.
With a simple gesture, she sent one of the hovering swords hurtling toward the old man, impaling him through the heart.
"Gahh!" The Renegade screamed in pain as blood sprayed from his lips.
Despite the fatal wound, he kept on firing as he went down. The other two Renegades jumped out and followed suit, drawing her attention completely.
Arbus watched their sacrifice with a pained expression. He took a deep breath, before focusing all his emotions on the Reincarnator, and then dashing out.
The Reincarnator only smirked as she saw more Renegades stepping up to their deaths, amused by their futile efforts. She used the guns floating beside her to blast them apart, enthralled by the spray of blood.
Then she heard the sound of someone lunging at her from behind and turned to see Arbus with his left arm raised, attempting to attack her.
Instinctively, she tried controlling the weapon he was using, only to realize it was his own bone. It was part of a living organism. Which meant she couldn't designate it as a weapon.
In a panic she commanded the swords closest to her to stab Arbus, but the attacks didn't stop him. He was used to the pain. He crashed into her, immediately driving his jagged bone deep into her throat with all his remaining strength. He clung onto her as they both collapsed to the ground.
He stared down at her dying form, his eyes burning with hatred.
For a moment, her face morphed into that of someone else's in Arbus's mind.
"I'm sorry... for living."
A young girl with blonde hair and orange eyes said with a sad expression on her dying face.
Arbus's eyes widened just as the simulation ended.
**SIMULATION COMPLETE**
**MISSION SUCCESSFUL**
**CALCULATING SCORE...**
The neural interface announced as Arbus sat up abruptly, taking off the device.
He looked around the mental training room and sighed heavily.
"I failed again."