Twelfth Hour

"Ain't no time like the present," Holiday hummed to herself. "You used to say that all the time, Nel. You always were one to live in the moment while disregarding the future. Well? Was it worth it?"

She was met with silence beneath a starless night. Her hands reached for the railing as she looked upon the still land covered in darkness.

Her breaths came to a halt as her mind trailed into the past. Lying still on her lap was the body of Nemesis, blood spewing from every corner of her body.

"Holiday..." Nemesis whispered. "Is that... you?"

"Yes, Captain... It's me," Holiday muttered as tears ran down her face.

"You know, I always told you... not to cry. As Calypso... we are eternally in the line of fire. This is just... another part of the job."

Nemesis's hand felt cold to the touch. A seemingly endless river of blood streamed out of her mouth. A massive wound in her torso drenched her undershirt. The red glow of her eyes flickered, and the hollowed diamonds were visibly cracked, an undeniable proof that she was dying.

"Damn, what I'd give... to have Mom's cooking right now," Nemesis muttered before she let out a faint chuckle. "Heh... This is death, huh? Kinda shitty, if you ask me."

"Captain... Please... Don't go," Holiday begged. "I-I... I won't disobey you anymore. I'll practice trigger discipline. I won't... I won't bully Minerva anymore... So please..."

"Judy... Listen to me. I have one last mission... for you."

Holiday hesitated. Calling each other by their real names was strictly forbidden during operations. Hearing it now, it was a true sign that the end was near.

She threw her head down, biting her lips in a desperate attempt to keep her cries concealed. Convulsive gasps forced their way out, but she stayed firm.

"Judy?" Nemesis asked again.

"I'm here, Nel," Holiday sniffled.

"Take the others... and run. Get as far as you can... from the High Order... and don't allow yourselves to end up like me. From now on... you are the captain... of Calypso."

"No... No, no, no, no, Captain, please! Please, don't leave us! Please!"

As Holiday was weeping at the thought of losing her captain forever, the uniformed marching of the Athenians could be heard closing in.

"H-hurry..." Nemesis struggled to say. "Get moving. Now."

"I'm not leaving you!" she declared.

"Judy..."

Suddenly, the Athenians came into view, and standing at the forefront was General Mars himself, the first Arbiter.

Holiday sneered at him. She wondered how he could stand with such a stoic face when his own daughter was dying right in front of him.

Despite Nemesis's request, Holiday made up her mind. Leaving Nemesis behind was not an option, so she gently let her go and stood face-to-face with the Athenians.

She shoved her gunblade into the ground and took a deep breath. Her eyes opened, showing not the eyes of the young girl whose only purpose was to serve the city. They were the eyes of someone hellbent on fighting for what she believed in, a belief that goes against the High Order—a defect.

"Code: Event Horizon!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Immediately, an enormous pressure fell in the vicinity. All of the guards were forced to the ground that was steadily cracking beneath them. Every single augmented part was violently crushed, tearing and breaking apart until it was nothing but scrap metal.

However, there was one who refused to yield to the power of absolute gravity control. General Mars merely fell to one knee. His body was visibly shaking, but he did not go down like the rest. Instead, he steadily regained his footing. It was as if he had adapted to the extreme pressure, as he was now standing perfectly upright.

That didn't stop Holiday. She knew what he was capable of. After all, she once served him. She had seen the extent of his power. As such, there was only one way to defeat him.

Holiday released her code. The pressure lifted, but she was not done.

After a sharp exhale, the diamonds in her eyes were shining brighter than ever before, to the extent that even General Mars was weary.

"Code: Event Horizon... Overdri—"

Right as she was about to finish the word that would've ended it all, someone grabbed her arm from behind. She twisted her hand around to find Nemesis forcing herself to stand just to stop her.

Nemesis rested her chin on her shoulder. "Judy... Think of the others. Loki... Minerva... Zephyr... and Astrid. If you stay... you'll die... and they'll die, too."

"But... Nel..." Holiday whimpered. "I can't... leave you... I don't know what I'd do without you..."

"I understand that. You have no idea... how much I appreciate that. But please... the others are waiting. They're probably sitting somewhere... scared. Don't leave them all alone."

As much as she wanted to stay with her captain, Holiday knew that she couldn't leave the others. They're waiting for someone to return to them. If not Nemesis, then herself.

"Alright..." she finally said. "I'll keep them safe... I promise..."

"Good," Nemesis smiled. "Ah... I almost forgot. You remember Solas, right? If you ever come... to meet him again... Tell him... that I don't blame him... I don't hate him... and to never forget... that I love him so, so much. Always."

"...I'll... I'll be sure to pass it on to him."

"Hehe... Thank you."

Nemesis stepped in front of Holiday. She took a couple of deep breaths and opened her eyes. Even though her code was shattering, it was still viable. This time, however, will be her last.

"Give me the order," Nemesis said.

Holiday bit her lips in anger. The blissful days of the past are long gone. She never thought she would have to see her comrades dying right in front of her eyes, but here she stands.

With a heavy breath of air, she sorrowfully muttered, "Nemesis... Please... cover our escape."

"Hah..." A fulfilled smile appeared on Nemesis's face. "By your command... Captain Holiday."

With that, Holiday ran off as a faint voice whispered in her ears.

"Code: Genesis... Overdrive."

An ear-splitting shriek filled the air as a sharp array of lights cast a shadow from behind, but she did not look back. She ran and ran as fast as she could until she couldn't take it anymore. Her legs gave in, and she fell to the ground, wailing at the top of her lungs.

Never did she forget the sight of her captain's final moments. Never did the sadness in her heart fade away. Never did she fully move on.

Holiday opened her eyes as a strand of tear made its way down her cheek. She reached up to touch it, surprised to see that it was wet.

"Hah," she chuckled. "When was the last time I cried like this?"

With a deep breath, she wiped her tears away, focusing on the skies once more.

"Your brother is back with us, Nel," she said. "Just watch. We'll keep him safe, and this time... we'll win."