Chapter 19 | Watching this Side

Location: Agara, Sid’s Cabin

A few minutes passed.

The sun was setting, and the shadows of the mountains stretched over the nearby lakes and fields. Sid’s cabin stood peaceful and still. The woods creaked faintly in the wind. Inside, a dim light glowed over a table filled with blueprints of the GAL1049 layout and various weapons that looked similar to B3-LS.

Index stood near the table, turning its chassis to look left, spotting Echa staring at the layout with a confused look. It then turned right and saw Sid, scratching the wooden wall with his back to them. Index let out a quiet sigh regarding the plan’s current trajectory.

“So, we’re actually trusting data that was dumped into your baby while it was just charging in public?” Echa asked, looking up at his back. “Great, this day is only getting better and better.”

Sid sighed, then turned to face them, walking into the light cast by the table.

“It’s from Oshna; those databases can’t be hacked, and they are unswervingly connected to her,” Sid said, crossing his arms as he looked down at Echa with a thoughtful gaze.

“Still, why us? Is there no one on Agara who can manage this job?” Echa looked up at Sid, then at Index, her expression anxious. “Besides, an outbreak is about to happen on GAL1049 in three days due to anomalies? I can’t believe they are even considering stopping it.” She murmured to herself.

“I really thought anomalies were dumb. But after meeting Jayya, Nila, and witnessing this attack on a coordinate point like GAL1049, I feel like they are so many steps ahead of variables,” she murmured.

“Oshna must be occupied with some other part of Agara’s conflict; we can’t rely on her. And there is no one else she gave this job to but us,” Index stated in a collected tone, gazing at Echa and Sid.

Sid observed the center stage of GAL1049 on the layout and spoke, “The anomalies sometimes carry an attack like this; once they capture it, we can never recover it. And this is not good for the stability of the code.” He gripped the table.

Echa stayed still, though her expression grew visibly concerned. “Can’t recover it? How does this place even survive all this time then?” she murmured.

“Very well, let me suggest my plan, Sid,” Index said in a calm tone, staring at him for an extended moment, as if exchanging some deep memory between them.

Sid slowly gave a confused look before realizing what Index had been hinting at. Both Index and Sid turned to look at Echa simultaneously, who stood puzzled.

The next day…

Echa stood on the field behind the cabin; her legs shook involuntarily as she looked left and right. “This isn’t a suggestion; it’s an experiment in my termination. Honestly, why would I bother agreeing to this?” she murmured nervously.

“I am the last person who has the strength to defeat a single anomaly.” She gripped the edge of her coat tightly, her body trembling as she let out a dramatic cry. “I can’t die,” she murmured.

Index’s voice crackled from an earphone Echa wore: “You won’t die, Echa. I already extracted your memory and given an anchor point for your soul, much like Oshna did. If Sid’s invention succeeds, we can recreate you anytime.” The voice cut off abruptly after the sentence ended.

“IF?!” she cried, even more dramatically.

After a while, she slowly turned toward the cabin. Sid was standing on the porch, his mechanical glasses lowered, flashing a wide grin at her. His hands remained planted on his hips. “It’s gonna be fun, Kid.”

“What is he grinning about? Is he happy that he got a chance to finish me off?” she murmured, squinting her eyes to decipher his lip movements.

Suddenly, the ground peeled up on the field, bearing a long laser weapon; its engine hummed with a vibrating growl. Before Echa could react, the laser erupted at blinding speed. The beam surged toward Echa and struck her with devastating force. It evaporated her form in a massive burst.

The dust flew into the sky before slowly settling, while Index was still perched atop the cabin roof.

“Sid, start now,” Index commanded, leaping down from the wooden roof. The chassis hit the grass a little too hard before they both rushed inside.

They stopped in front of the pod. The silver metal stood in the dim glow of the cabin light. Sid quickly worked on the few attached settings in a hurry. Soon, the engine hummed to life.

“You think it will work?” he asked, then turned to look at Index for confirmation, a slight worry shadowing his features.

“It will,” Index replied, turning its chassis toward him. “It takes probably three hours. So, rest until then.” Index then disappeared into the other room.

Sid stood alone before the pod, his thoughts heavy. His shoulders seemed to droop under the weight. “Did I go too far this time?” he murmured, his tone edged with guilt.

“Stop that. It’s not like you at all, Sid.” Index’s voice came from the room. It added, “Echa will be alright. If not, it’s on me too.”

Sid nodded and walked toward a chair, sitting down and tapping his legs impatiently. The silence grew louder with every passing moment.

Three hours passed.

The pod slowly gave a sharp, completed BEEP, causing Sid to jump instantly, startled from his rest. From this sudden movement, the chair fell flat onto the floor.

Out of the room, Index moved quickly to check on the noise, then its attention turned back to the Pod.

Sid strode forward and began working to open the pod. After a short while, it hissed open slowly, releasing a thick gas inside. The engine sound gradually lowered, fading into background noise.

From within, Echa fell, but Sid quickly caught her by the waist before she could hit the floor. Sid’s face finally relaxed after a long moment when he confirmed she was fine.

“I got you, Kid,” he said in a reassuring tone. He lifted her in his arms, carried her over to the bedroom, laid her gently onto the bed, and pulled the heavy blanket up to cover her bare body.

Index stood nearby, watching this side of Sid. Its red eyes glowed on its display as it observed his profound happiness.

“You are gonna be okay,” Sid whispered, slowly taking a chair and settling down to watch over her with a soft beam.

“We did it,” he said to Index, but without lifting his eyes from Echa, who let out a snore before curling up tighter into the blanket to sleep once more.

The night slowly passed while Index and Sid remained by her side.