"Oh my gosh," Arius breathed deeply as he helped Dorian walk towards a nearby armed chopper. "Finally some darn old sunlight! I thought we were never getting out of that freakshow alive!"
Dorian didn't speak as Arius unlocked the side doors and prepared the copter's controls.
"Alright there, partner. Dorian, was it?"
No answer.
"Dorian? Hey!"
Dorian stood next to the helicopter, hugging her laptop case. She was weeping. Arius jumped off to get her.
"Come on," Arius took Dorian's cold hand. "We can't stay here."
Arius tried to lead her inside, but Dorian wouldn't budge.
"Hey, it's... gonna be alright," Arius knelt next to Dorian, rubbing her shoulder.
"Just why? Everything is wrong!" Dorian wailed. "People are getting killed! My
friends are trapped in the game! This is wrong! I can't understand anything! It's scary! I'm so scared! I can't do anything!"
"Easy there," Arius scratched his head for a moment, thinking of a way to comfort Dorian.
Dang it, man, Arius wondered. What to do for this poor little Junebug? C'mon, think of something! Hmmm, what would Cecilius do?
"Okay, just look at me, Dorian," Arius adjusted his fedora. "I know this is a lot for you. But remember what Cecilius said before everything went south?"
"He," Dorian sniffed. "Um, I don't know."
"The president said," Arius gave her a handkerchief. "There's hope!"
"How? It's hopeless! There's nothing we can do!"
"Maybe not now, but he said we got you. You are the key to freeing the players, right?"
"Um, yes?"
"That's a reason to keep your chin up as Cecilius said!"
Dorian blew her nose into the handkerchief.
"Listen, we are going to survive this, partner! Do you hear me? Have hope, little Junebug!" Arius raised his voice as he shook Dorian. "We will help you save your friends! Those players shall be free like jumping sheep! Alright?"
Dorian frantically nodded.
"Now, how bout we escape from the explosion slow motion like those movies, eh? We shall ride on horseback! I mean, uh, chopper."
"Mmm… mmhmm," Dorian giggled.
Arius placed his fedora on Dorian's head.
"Why don't you keep my little lucky charm?" Arius took Dorian to the chopper. "Let's get this beauty of a sunshine baby going!"
"Captain!" A voice sounded when Arius activated the cockpit's controls.
"And in Christ alone! Ain't that Magnus?" Arius hopped off the cockpit. "Wait, Cecilius?"
Magnus was struggling to walk Cecilius towards them. Arius quickly ran to help.
"What in the? President!" Arius exclaimed. "You there, Cecilius?"
"Ugh, cap… captain," Cecilius mumbled.
"Hang in there, pres! We got you, partner!"
The two helped Cecilius sit in the copter.
"Oh my gosh, Cecilius!" Dorian went up to him.
"Ah, Ms… Ms. Cazeium," Cecilius groaned. "So… so glad to see you're alright."
"There a first aid kit around here?" Magnus looked around the chopper. "He lost too much blood with that kind of cut. My damn coat couldn't cover it up in time!"
"Where," Cecilius continued to mumble as Dorian held him from falling off his seat. "Where's Saitori?"
"Well," Magnus took the first aid kit Arius gave him. "She's fighting that droid creature."
"What? Oof!" The UICA president felt a surge of pain through his body. "Oh, god. No, I need to speak to her!"
"Why?" Magnus attempted to patch up his wound.
"Ugh, something… important," Cecilius' eyes kept on blinking his way to stay alive. "I… have to…"
"Actually," Arius spoke from the cockpit. "We can swing around to get her."
"How?" Magnus questioned. "I can see those shark things getting closer! We got to… oh."
Arius pointed to a window of the WARBLER Center, where they could see Saitori and Zentroid Crucifyzoa fighting.
***
Saitori rolled away from Zentroid's man-eating abdomen, jumping up to dodge a tentacle slash. As Zentroid changed his face into disgusting images, he extended his neck and flailed about to dodge Saitori's attacks.
"I smell your exhaustion, Saitori! Hehehe," Zentroid's baby face giggled as Saitori breathed heavily. "What fun! What fun!"
Saitori and the monstrous machine stood on opposite sides, face to face. Zentroid dashed his drooling abdomen towards her. Saitori jumped up to land on Zentroid's pc screen. She sliced two blades on Zentroid's pc head. The droid emitted high-pitched squeals, swatting Saitori away with his tentacles. He then floated away with red sparks seeping out of his pc. Zentroid looked at Saitori with an angry face, finding her wielding a UICA sword and a Shin-Kaminari blade.
"Grrr, you aren't worthy of holding that!" Zentroid shrieked. "You left us, traitor!"
"When I saw what Amitonyx wanted to use our creations for," Saitori sighed.
"I realized what the Shin-Kaminari had become. It was my fault for helping him make SANDRA and the likes of you. For once, I feel like I am using this blade for good!"
"Is that so?" Zentroid's veined chomping mouth roared from the screen. "The overseer still misses you. Why don't you come back? Otherwise, I'd love to wallow in your intestines! Weee!"
"You already know my answer, you freak!"
"Yay!" Zentroid's tentacles turned into spinning saws as his screen scrambled with circles and mouths. "Let's play!"
Suddenly, laser bullets and explosions bombarded Zentroid. An armed helicopter was firing at the sinister robot. Zentroid struggled to avoid the explosions. The monstrous droid recoiled back into the darkness from the heavy machine gunfire.
"Come on, general!" Magnus yelled from the copter's side doors.
"Wait!" Saitori exclaimed. "I need to finish this! I have to kill Zentroid!"
"But Saitori-"
"It's my fault that I made him and all those machines! I need to make this right!"
"Look, there's no time! The shark ships are almost here."
Saitori looked through the smoke to find Zentroid. The monstrosity already vanished back into the dark hall.
"Zentroid! I will kill you!" Saitori ran.
"Please!" Dorian shouted. "Cecilius is dying! He needs you!"
Saitori stopped as she heard the dire news. She kept on looking at the chopper and the dark hall back and forth.
"General, it's okay," Magnus assured. "Let it go. As Cecilius said, you'll always have the chance to make up for your mistakes."
Saitori finally deactivated her two swords. She took a deep breath, hopping into the helicopter. Arius soared the aircraft from the WARBLER Center and the incoming chimaera battlecruisers.
"Howdy, general," Arius spoke from the cockpit.
"Th… thanks, captain… for getting me…" Saitori mumbled, still frustrated that she couldn't kill Zentroid.
After taking off her tattered coat, she and Dorian ran to Cecilius, who coughed out more blood as Magnus tried to patch his wound.
"President Cecilius!" General Saitori said.
"Oof, gen… general," Cecilius struggled. "Thank… thank god, you're alive."
"This is my fault, pres. If only I didn't help Amitonyx-"
"Whoa, Saitori, ugh. Hold… hold it. We've been through this, right?"
"I… I know. I could have prevented this!"
"Oh, come on! Seriously," Arius shouted as sparks appeared from the cockpit. "I thought Niode fixed the darn wiring of the exhaust vent. What's with these wires coming out? They're like a bunch of chomping rattlesnakes."
Magnus entered the cockpit.
"I got this! My brother, Ritom told me some mechanical tricks."
"President," Dorian cried. "I… I am so sorry. I couldn't do much!"
"Ms… Ms. Cazeium, oh god!" The two ladies stopped him from slipping off the chair. "Ms. Cazeium. You… you have done much more than you realize.
"But President-"
"Ouch! Aw, man!" Magnus shook his hands after being zapped by the exposed wires. "Seriously, this is why you don't trust Niode with machinery! Dorian, have you done this before? Could use your big brain here!"
"But Cecilius needs us!" Dorian protested.
"Ms. Cazeium," Cecilius patted Dorian. "It's… it's alright. Go to help them. Saitori… is with me."
Dorian sighed, wiping her tears. She then ran to the cockpit to help Magnus.
"Saitori, ow, " Blood seeped out of Cecilius' mouth. "I… don't have much... time..."
"No, Cecilius," Saitori felt her cheeks forcing her to cry. You will make it!"
"Look, Saitori…"
"Please! Oh my god… please."
"I… I know, but I'm afraid, ouch… I need to tell you… something very important…"
"What is it, President?"
Cecilius mumbled vital information to Saitori's ear.
"But, president," Saitori asked Cecilius. "Can we win?"
"Yes, ouch. Yes, Saitori," Cecilius frantically nodded as if it would be the last nod he would ever make. "But... it must be kept secret from non-UICA folk.
"Why me?"
"I… I trust you, general."
"But I made those machines… I brought this disaster to us..."
"I know, but... don't you see? Oof. You helped us make ours… our machines to help people…"
Saitori gasped.
"Yes! I am very proud of… all these years of how much you did to… change yourself. That's why… I trust you…"
Cecilius then choked on his blood, coughing hard. Dorian and Magnus quickly came after finishing the repairs.
"President!" The two shouted as they sat with Cecilius.
"I… I think…" Cecilius lifted a small teddy bear from his pocket. "Saitori, you should… for, ouch… my daughter..."
"No! No!" Saitori held the president's shaking hands, bursting tears from her eyes. "No, president! You will give it to her yourself! You will make it!"
"Saitori… please…"
"Come on, pres!" Magnus hopelessly pressed on the wound. "Stay with us! You're our leader! We cannot lose you!"
"You there, old man?" Arius yelled from the cockpit. "You were the one who made this company ride on to reach around the world to bring people joy with our tech! Right? You told us how we build to help those around us! Hang in there!"
"The captain's right! You gave my parents job opportunities, and my little crazy brother a dream to become a mechanic for the UICA! You even helped the Murhavs, the Shuruukos, and even the Niangs! Cecilius, you gave them new lives! You inspired us all to follow that ambition!"
"Please, Cecilius!" Dorian wailed as she hugged Cecilius. "I always wanted to be a part of using computers and tech to help others like you. You are my role model, the reason I wanted to work at the UICA! Don't go! There are people here who want to support your vision!"
Cecilius began to cry along with them.
"President," Saitori could feel Cecilius' hands getting colder. "You and the Niangs found me… and gave me a home. A place to stay, and change me with your dream."
"Thank you... " Cecilius gasped for a breath. "Thank you… all…"
"Don't scare us now!" Magnus pressed onto the wound even harder. "Damn it, Cecilius! Who will lead us, President!"
"Cecilius!" Dorian yelled. "Don't go!"
"Dang it, President!" Arius began to cry as he kept the copter steady. "You're going to survive like those heroes in the movies! Come on, we need your leadership!"
"You all…" Cecilius looked at his friends with watery eyes. "Have faith… you all have… everything you need…"
"Cecilius, you will see your daughter again! You will give it to her yourself!" Saitori felt his fingers slip off the teddy bear one by one.
"Thank you all," Cecilius laid himself down as he closed his eyes, then reopened to take a last glimpse at the group. "Thank you…. thank... you… thank.…"
"Noooo!"
A roar of thunder shook the heavens. The dark storm clouds moaned in agony as if the gods wept along with the group. Saitori, Magnus, and Dorian hugged their president as his last fingers fell off the teddy bear.
***
"My queen," Zentroid showed a recording of his bloody attack on Cecilius. "The UICA president is dead! Weee! Nobody can survive such a nasty cut. I can imagine his guts spilling off!"
"You have done well, Zentroid," The Machine Queen stroked Zentroid's abdomen, releasing metal particles from her hand to heal his wounds. "You have brought insurmountable glory to the Kneapexist vision. Now, feast on the bodies of the wicked, for it's thy reward for your contributions to the blessed Federation."
"Yay! Yay!" Zentroid jumped into a pile of dead bodies, flailing about like a pig in mud.
SANDRA walked over the bodies as the stealth hounds ate them. She had long black hair and dark glasses that obscured her eyes. The Machine Queen wore a white shirt, gray skirt, and black prophet robes elegantly patterned with white diamonds along with glowing green triangles close to her chest.
"Ye who are voices of the deceived," SANDRA placed her palms together. "Ye who have fallen for the democratic hypocrisy of America's disgrace for freedom over order, sing your praises to the Supreme Herald, for he is most wise. For your deaths do not signify the end, but the new beginning!"
Cyroid Kyurico walked over to a bleeding UICA worker. Wearing a dark blue tuxedo, he had layered purple hair with a red rectangular visor that covered his eyes. He took out his pistol, pressing a button that extended the gun into a red laser glaive spear, stabbing the crying worker and twisting his weapon through his chest.
"Rejoice, for the skies' tempest welcomes the ascendance of the grand order!" SANDRA looked at the dark clouds through the cracked window. "Sing hallelujah! For America's judgment has begun! Chant thy gratitudes, for the UICA shall be no more!"
The rioting crowd cheered as SANDRA preached to them from above.
"O ye faithful, give thanks to the dignified Global Federation! The deaths of the wicked contribute to the world balance. Thy bountiful allegiance in the name of Kneapexism will be rewarded! Your ensnared loved ones shall be set free from the chains of evil. For the great Supreme Herald shall bring forth order into America!"
"Yeah! Damn Forroway!"
"Hail Fanghui! Hail Fanghui!"
"Kill the UICA!
SANDRA lifted her hands to acknowledge the rioting crowd. The American people applauded the Machine Queen's sermon. The chimaeras hovered about the roaring clouds, scanning for UICA survivors.