The Animals of Anabhraka - Part 4

“What am I?”

Ana stood atop her mech’s arms as it raised her towards the chest of the machine. She raised her arms reaching for the mech’s face with a look of deep longingness. The red spider-like eyes illuminated her entire figure.

“What is my Duty?”

Ana jumped into the chest of the mech as she fell down into the depths of the cockpit. It was a gloomy orb shaped interior that was dimly lit by red black lights. The walls moved with nanomachines as the tiny critters carved through the structure creating an environment more suitable to Ana’s body. The black metallic mass did not have much work as the cockpit seemingly was already suited to her. There were holes that filled the seats and the walls around her.

She threw her coat on the ground and positioned her back aiming for the seat.

“What is my purpose?”

Sharp metal tendrils exited from the cockpit’s crevices and entered the many holes all around Ana’s body.

“AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!”

Ana screamed with a berserker's rage as her left eye widened with illuminated crimson pixelated intensity. Her teeth bared out in full with strings of saliva dripping down as she attempted to connect to the mech.

Ana laid back on the seat of the cockpit, calming down. Her left eye opened slowly as she was lost in a deep euphoric trance.

“I think I understand it now. It feels as if I have been awoken from an endless dream. A place where I fought this “imaginary war” and caused countless suffering upon innocent lives. I must right this wrong. I must!”

***

*wrrr*

The REC transport drone’s engines slowly died down as the blue flames of its quad exhaust dimmed. The plane began to tilt to the side as it fell.

Shiori stood behind a metal doorway as her arms were bloodied. She panted with tired breaths. The entire interior was burning with black smokes that blanketed the dimly lit red room.

Shiori slammed her fist on a button which caused a massive metal door to shut.

*Click*

A small shuttle detached from below the main body of the transport drone as it began its steady descent downwards. The transport drone on the other hand was quickly consumed by flames and fell down towards the earth like a comet.

The shuttle landed safely in front of the burning city’s gates. She exits the craft to see the burning comet impacting in the distance.

The three mechs that were perched on the city walls looked towards the explosion.

*Boom*

A flash of molten light washed over the landscape as a nuclear explosion rang out in a deafening scream. Shockwaves hailed a sudden gust of wind that blew Shiori’s hair to the side. She turned away, eyes closed to avoid the incoming dust.

“W… what are you? How did w… we not detect that you–”

Shiori slowly turned to a single soldier who sat still clutching on a seeping wound in his chest.

“Your mistake was believing that I was just a mere human.”

The man was silent. He had just passed.

“...”

Shiori looked towards the mechs atop the city’s bastion.

“Come Anastasia, we have much to discuss.”

One of the mech up top had caught on to the sole shuttle on the ground but before it could act a large jet had crashed into its chest. The dark grey jet had a forcefield of crackling blue energy which dismantled the metal from the mech's body. Sparks of steel burst out as the mech was sliced in two.

The jet transformed out of its wings and landed on the ground leaving a steak of unearthed dirt behind.

It was Ana’s mech that she had commandeered into her own. Inside she had a stern face with eyes of ever-growing red bloodlust.

“I will cut you all down! COME TO ME!”

Her mech’s right arm split open as a plasma blade erupted out.

***

The two mechs jumped down with a heavy thud of their feets kicking up snow and dirt.

*Wrrr*

One of the mech’s engines ignited as its main thrusters fired sideways along with smaller ones all around the back of its body. It positioned itself behind Ana’s mech as the two surrounded her. They both extended out a plasma sword on the right hand and a shield on the left.

Ana made the first move as she boosted forward in a deadly charge. Her left-hand shield was out as it slammed into the enemy’s shield. Blue sparks flew out as they engaged in a tug of war.

The mech behind her responded as it charged forward, plasma blade in hand.

*Wrr*

*Woosh*

Ana’s thrusters positioned to the right as she dashed sideways. The mech in front of her still engaged deeply in the tug of war suddenly was thrown forward by the change in momentum. Its shield clashed with the attacking mech behind as it missed Ana completely.

Ana followed up with an opportune attack as she turned to slice the forward mech’s right arm off. Its plasma sword now fell.

The mech attempted to respond but its movement suddenly was unresponsive. Ana’s mech had placed its hand on the face of the machine. Red pulsating worms grew on its face like an invading tumour as the mech made uncontrollable spasms.

Its partner being cautious boosted away to be in a safe distance.

‘She’s taking control?’

The shield of the mech powered down. The left hand closed back into its original position. The hand slowly raised like a puppet coerced by strings as it pointed towards the mech in front.

‘Shit! An attack?’

The mech in front quickly raised its energy shield. However, what came next could not have been predicted. The hand partially transformed into the barrel of a gun but quickly changed back. The hand instead pierced through its own chest and pulled out a sphere-shaped cockpit that was connected by thousands of black tubes.

The mech threw the cockpit like a ball as it impacted the blue energy shield melting upon contact.

*Hiss*

The woman inside the mech could not comprehend what had happened. Her arms were shaking with her red eyes widened in a bloodshot mess.

“NO! ERI!”

The mech lowered its weapons as the entire body went limp.

“So, this is why they call you The Prophet!”

*Woosh*

Ana dashed forward with blue flaming jets.

*Vrrrr*

She swung her blade cutting clean through the defenses mech. The plasma blade cleanly carved the metal chest as if it was butter sending the two halves falling down on the ground.

Ana’s bloodlust was not stated as she turned around to the only target left. The eyes of her mech scanned the ground identifying a lone woman near a small shuttle.

Ana aimed her plasma blade towards her as she uttered these words.

“Are you my enemy also?”

Shiori looked towards Ana’s mech with a wide smile of longingness.

“On the contrary... Tadaima, Ai.”

“I am back, Ai.”

Ana paused at a familiar voice.

*Static*

[A face covered in a bouquet of flowers was washed away with winds as it revealed the face of a woman with green eyes and short red hair.]

[“Mother?”]

*Static*