Weight of the World Pt. 1

In the now-ruined hangar, Holiday and Frankenstein stood face to face, keeping a fair distance between them. At any moment, one of them could make the first move, but both were not so willing to do it. Not yet.

"Alex," Holiday. "Get out of my way. Now."

"Why should I?" she scoffed. "You never bothered to listen to me no matter how many times I told you back then. Especially when it mattered the most..."

"That's different—"

"How? Because now, your squad's lives are at risk? Kind of hypocritical for you to think that way when you didn't give a fuck about mine, don't you think?"

Holiday froze, unable to reply. She knew now that no matter what she said, it wouldn't change anything. Frankenstein is hellbent on what she believes is the truth. Any further attempts would end in the same exact way.

"I'm only going to say this one more time, Alex... Move."

"Oh~ There's that look in your eyes again—the one that makes it seem like you want to kill me... but you never do. That's fine, though. Makes it easier for me to do what you can't."

Holiday stood firm, her eyes locked on Frankenstein, who crackled with electric energy. Sparks danced across Frankenstein’s body as she grinned wickedly, the air around her humming with raw power.

"Well, Judy?" Frankenstein teased, her voice laced with menace. "Nel is watching us from up above. Wouldn't want to disappoint her, would you? Come on, come on. Let's finish off where we left off seven years ago."

Lightning crackled around her fingertips, growing louder and more chaotic. Holiday didn’t respond. Instead, she raised her hand, and the air around them seemed to thicken as the pull of gravity intensified.

Frankenstein smirked. "Code: Metamorphosis."

With a sudden surge, she vanished in a blur of lightning, appearing in front of Holiday, fist crackling with volts. Holiday sidestepped just in time, feeling the static tingle along her skin as Frankenstein's punch tore through the space where she stood.

"Code: Event Horizon."

Without hesitation, Holiday slammed her foot against the ground, holding a tight body position. Immediately after, she landed a quick yet heavy punch on Frankenstein's stomach, knocking her away.

Frankenstein snarled but didn't stay down. In a flash, she arced upward, her entire body bursting with lightning. The charge shot outward, and Holiday was forced to summon a repellent field just in time, the bolts of electricity bouncing off the invisible barrier.

"You can't hide behind that forever," Frankenstein growled, thrusting both hands forward.

A chain of lightning shot out, wrapping around the edges of Holiday’s shield and tightening like a noose.

Holiday grimaced, focusing her power. The ground trembled beneath her as she reversed the pull, sending a shockwave outward. The force was so strong it ripped the floor apart and shattered Frankenstein's electric chains.

"...You're stronger than I remember," Holiday muttered, taking a step forward.

Frankenstein wiped a streak of blood from her mouth, her grin widening. "And you're still as predictable as ever."

Without warning, she slammed her fist into the ground, turning the ground into a conductor for a stream of electricity to travel upon. The current raced toward Holiday, splitting into a web of tendrils. Holiday leaped into the air, defying gravity as she hovered just above the deadly currents. Frankenstein, seeing her opening, vanished in a flash of lightning, reappearing directly above Holiday with her hand charged.

"So predictable..." she scoffed, throwing her arm down.

Holiday barely had time to react. She crossed her arms, blocking the strike, but she was sent crashing into the ground. However, even after the crater she made, she flipped back and stood upright as if she felt nothing at all.

Frankenstein jerked her head to crack her neck, before she flew down at the speed of lightning. With her fists charged with electricity, she threw punch after punch at Holiday. Each blow was fast, deadly, and crackling. Holiday was forced to move in sync with the flow of battle, her body weightless as she twisted, dodged, and deflected Frankenstein's strikes.

But Frankenstein's persistence paid off. A stray bolt of lightning clipped Holiday's leg, sending a jolt of pain through her. She staggered, her concentration faltering for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Frankenstein landed a clean hit across her face, sending her back once more.

"You know, I thought long and hard about what I'd tell you if you ever showed up again," Frankenstein smirked. "But now that I'm here, there isn't a single thing I wanna say. No... All I want... is to end you."

She then leaped into the air, charging up one final, massive strike. The air buzzed with energy. One by one, the lights flickered and faded out, each one—a sacrifice to empower Frankenstein.

As she descended, Holiday gritted her teeth and raised her hand. The pull of gravity around them shifted violently, forming an invisible wall. With a roar, Frankenstein crashed onto the barrier so powerfully that it ruptured the ground all across the hanger.

At that moment of respite, Frankenstein landed on the ground and threw her fists onto the barrier, watching Holiday with a menacing grin.

"Still pulling your punches, Judy?" her voice rasped. "Why aren't you exerting your code to its full strength? Where are the stars in your eyes, huh?!" 

"...I won't do that to you."

"Then you're still weak!"

Frankenstein's fingers twitched, crackling with renewed energy as she pulled her arm back. The barrier shattered immediately at the weight of her next electrifying punch.

"That's why you'll never be able to escape me!" she screamed. "That's why you'll end up just like Nel!"

Holiday emerged from a dust cloud, arms covering her face. She lowered them, revealing a pair of narrow eyes as steady as her breaths. At this point, it was clear that Frankenstein wouldn't let up so easily, but still, Holiday refused to fight at full force.

"You're still so stubborn," Holiday muttered.

"Even though your life is at stake, you still think it's funny to mess with me, huh?" Frankenstein hissed, propelling herself forward.

Holiday responded with a quick shift of gravity, pulling herself to the side as Frankenstein's fist cut through the air, narrowly missing her.

Before Frankenstein could recover, Holiday summoned a gravitational field around her body, increasing the pull. The weight of the force slammed down on Frankenstein, but she fought against it, her muscles straining as arcs of lightning burst from her skin.

"I’m not... weak anymore!" Frankenstein shouted through gritted teeth. "I'm not the same person you took down all those years ago!"

Sparks exploded outward as she resisted, each step heavier than the last. The electric energy swirling around her crackled dangerously, illuminating the cracks in the floor beneath her feet. Pieces of her skin tore off, and a subtle glow emitted from beneath her skin. It was clear that her code was tearing her apart.

As Holiday realized what would come next, her eyes widened with shock and disbelief.

"Alex! Stop!" she shouted.

"Shut up!"

Holiday clenched her fists, the weight of her powers intensifying as she tried to pin Frankenstein in place. "Is this really worth it to you?!"

But Frankenstein's sinister grin only grew. "You still don't get it, do you? My goal is you, Judy. I won't stop. Not now. Not ever."

With a feral scream, Frankenstein unleashed a violent surge of lightning. The force sent Holiday skidding back, her skin burning from the stray bolts.

Frankenstein wasted no time. She lunged forward, closing the gap between them in an instant. Her fist, charged with electric energy, slammed into Holiday's midsection, sending her flying into the air.

Holiday's body twisted as she flipped mid-air, and with a sharp flick of her wrist, she reversed gravity around herself, stopping her momentum. She hovered above the ground, but pain lanced through her body from the electric charge.

Frankenstein smirked, breathing heavily, but her eyes glowed with unrelenting hatred. "I can see it, Judy... You're hesitating. You always were soft."

Holiday landed softly on the broken ground. "It's not hesitation, Alex. I just don't want to kill you."

"Hah... Ahaha~! Kill me?!" Frankenstein laughed, her voice tinged with hysteria. "You should've done that when you killed my squad! Code: Metamorphosis... Overdrive!"

A sharp crack of lightning fell from the sky, tearing through the layers of earth, until it reached the underground facility. Her hands crackled with energy again, and she raised them high, gathering an immense storm of lightning above her. The dark clouds swirled within the confines of the ruined building, and bolts of electricity began to rain down. However, instead of at random, they all struck Frankenstein herself, charging her with an unstable amount of energy.

"Alex!" Holiday cried out, but the storm continued.

From the cloud of smoke, a bright silhouette appeared. It was Frankenstein, but at the same time, it didn't seem like her at all. Every step she made indicated heaviness. Every breath she let out seemed unfulfilling. Her eyes flickered, taken by an unsettling glow. It seemed more like a monster than a person.

"I'll kill you, Judy..." She muttered. "I'll kill you... even if it's the last thing I do."