"Woah!" Rose suddenly jerked Luyten to the right, avoiding Okab's claw. It seemed her training had paid off. She surprised her opponent with a sudden right hook, the warehouse rumbling as the Altair struck the ground.
"Get out of here!" Sandage yelled, guiding techs and scientists to the nearest exit. They rushed in an almost blind panic, but the LUVOLT agent's authoritative voice kept them in order.
"That means you too, Cecilia," Sandage said to the stunned girl staring at the battle from the catwalk. But she continued to stare in wide-eyed mesmerization. Rose had little time to worry about that, Okab's needle-like beak snapped forwards leaving a deep gash across Luyten V's cheek.
"You!" Rose couldn't believe she'd gotten thrown into yet another battle out of nowhere. What happened to her fated, doomed day? What would happen now? She was really starting to despise time travel and prophecy.
Her drill arm whirred to life, slashing at her opponent. Okab howled as a piece of his armor got ripped apart, leaving a nasty shredded gash that oozed purple goop. Much to Rose's dismay, the wound patched itself together almost immediately, the skin stretching across the wound like some twisted bandage. Still, she'd hurt him.
Luyten V rumbled as she took a sudden blow from behind, her opponent easily maneuvering around her. She tried fighting back, but Okab always seemed a step ahead. As powerful as Luyten V was, it couldn't match the Altair general's speed.
"I need overclock mode again." It frustrated Rose how much she depended on it. Of course, its real name was Full Synchronization Mode. But Rose hadn't even scratched the surface of its true power yet. They'd tried pushing her through the full sequence, but it'd only caused her to pass out. That's why she'd been doing basic training with Luyten V. Sandage had hoped it'd give her the necessary resistance to activate Luyten V's true power.
"Dang it!" Her mind raced as Okab's sliced against Luyten V's armor. Like a cat, the Altair general enjoyed toying with his prey. While she'd scored a few lucky hits, they'd only been grazing, superficial ones.
"Is that the best your human ingenuity can do?" Okab taunted. "You hurt me, but you're as sluggish as ever. I hoped for more from humanity's champion!"
"Why, you!" It seemed she had no choice. She needed to use the first sequence in Luyten V's Full Synchronization Mode. Stage 2 still remained too difficult. And the final stage? Out of the question.
"If I surprise him, I might land a killing blow," Rose thought as she tapped the keys to start the first stage. But then a voice caught her attention.
"Cecilia. We need to go, now!" Sandage said, tugging at her friend's arm. But she stood rigid in place, her eyes a void. Was she having one of her visions? Fed up, the LUVOLT agent hurled the tall girl over his shoulder and rushed to safety.
Before Rose could wonder about what had happened to her friend, Sandage contacted her through her phone. "Yes?"
"Keep him busy. The techs tell me they can get you Project: Bird Bath in about ten minutes," Sandage said, huffing as he carried the unwanted weight on his back.
"Ten minutes against Okab, are you serious?" Rose said, annoyed. "And you still haven't explained what this Project: Bird Bath thing is!"
"I realize that. But hold on, we've got your back!" With that, he hung up the call.
"Typical!" Her annoyance was mitigated as her drill scored on Okab's right leg. The Altair general had gotten careless and paid for it. If he'd been a split second slower, he'd have lost the limb. While it hampered him, he remained devilishly quick.
Still, the wound closed with terrifying speed. The Altair general was on another level from the scout she'd faced earlier. Worse, he intuited her attacks, using his long arms to strike from places she couldn't easily retaliate. She grunted in frustration as her drill slipped past Okab by a hair. Sirens howled as Luyten V took another blow to the head.
"This isn't working." Rose tapped the sequence for stage 1 of Full Synchronization Mode, starting it for real. Sweat trickled down her forehead as Luyten V's inner heat rose to scorching levels. And this was still nothing compared to the intensity of Stage 2.
"Gah!" Okab howled in pain as the unexpected burst of speed allowed Luyten V to land a clear blow on his shoulder. Another blow struck his chin with Luyten V's open palm, dazing him. But with incredible resiliency he recovered in seconds, darted back then circling her with cautious steps. A truck crumpled like an aluminum can as the Altair general trotted over it.
But then it was Okab's chance to surprise his opponent, twisting like a contortionist around her next blow. The blow to Luyten V's chest drove her clear across the warehouse, smashing through a nearby wall. A tree crumpled as she righted Luyten V and took a battle stance. The night sky was clear as Rose prepared to fight for her life.
Thankfully, the compound was outside the city proper, so few people would get hurt. Still, people, mostly soldiers, were scrambling to safety. The entire installation was in chaos.
"I think it's time to stop playing around." Okab joined her outside and leaped at her with astonishing speed. A foot smashed into Luyten V's torso, dirt exploding as she stuck the ground hard. Metal creaked as the Altair general stepped on her chestplate, the pressure of Okab's strength incredible.
"He's been playing with me this entire time," Rose realized in horror. She yelped as the metal of her cockpit distorted before her eyes. She fired a beam from Luyten V's forehead and Okab jerked away, releasing her. With unsteady feet, Luyten V stood up.
"Though you possess some power, it's not enough to threaten the Altair. Yes, I think I'm satisfied. I've sampled your strength long enough. We're ready to harvest your world."
"Hold on!" Sirens drowned out Sandage's words as Rose fought on, but efforts remained ineffective. Much to her horror, she realized he'd been studying her fighting style. But she fought on anyway, even though the heat of Stage 1 threatened to make her pass out.
"Damage him!" Sandage said, his words urgent.
"Okay, why?"
"No time to explain."
Easier said than done, but she pressed her opponent harder, not letting up for a second. There! With a kick, she struck out with a leg. He dodged, but couldn't avoid a palm strike from above. Staggered, she landed a clean blow with her drill on her opponent's torso.
"Firing!" Then a vicious gray liquid shot out from nowhere, hitting where the Altair general had gotten injured. Moments passed as Rose waited for any reaction, but to her disappointment, the wound healed as quickly as before. Yet, she sensed something was wrong.
"What?" Okab unleashed an unearthly howl, his monstrous visage twisted with agonized pain. He rocked his head in random directions, tormented beyond reason.
Before she could capitalize on this opportunity, the Altair general rushed off at a rate Luyten V couldn't match. Not that she didn't try. Even with her boosters, he still outdistanced her. Okab's agonized screams echoed in the distance, sending a wave of unease through Rose.
"What did you do?" She asked.
"It was an anti-Altair chemical. It's meant to break down their structure. This, however, wasn't what we expected." Sandage also seemed troubled.
"Should I wait on standby?" Rose asked.
"No, return home for debriefing. We'll have the experts analyze the results. Are you okay? You took quite the beating."
"I'm fine, just a little shaken up."
"That's good to hear. See you back at base."
"Roger." But she kept a vigilant watch as she flew back. She worried Okab would change his mind and return for round two.
"Hey, maybe it will destroy him, and it's the last we'll see of him!" Yet, Rose sensed their troubles had only begun. Whatever the case, she was eager to check up on Cecilia. Something had happened during Okab's attack, and she was curious about what vision her friend had.
---
"You don't need to fret, I'm fine," Cecilia said, giving Rose a fake smile. Inside, her innards were a whirl of chaotic emotions. She used the cot she was sitting on for support. Her latest vision from the Altair had sent everything Cecilia knew topsy-turvy. It played in her mind, both mocking and enticing.
"Cecilia!" Rose said, pulling her from her distracted thoughts.
"Sorry, Rose, a million miles away. But what about you? You're the important one here!" Cecilia looked at her concerned friend's face, amazed she'd survived another encounter with the Altair general. "What happened in your fight against Okab?"
"He kicked me around, again." Rose's frustration with herself was evident in her voice. "Actually, I'm not sure what happened. They used Project Bird Bath on him, and he fled."
"Really, why?"
"Ask Sandage. He knows what that stuff was meant to do." And speaking of the devil, Sandage entered the rest area, phone in hand.
"Oh, good. You're awake, Cecilia. How are you feeling?" Sandage asked.
"I don't matter. What happened to Okab? Apparently, he fled after you used Project: Bird Bath on him?" Cecilia asked, standing to her feet.
"The chemical was supposed to attack the structure of the Altair cells and break it down, according to Gold, anyway," Sandage replied. "Of course, since they are so large, we weren't sure how to make it an effective weapon. Still, they theorized it'd at least mess up their ability to heal themselves. What happened today? Doctor Gold isn't sure. At least it deterred him."
"I don't like it," Rose said. "Putting Okab under that amount of pain seems cruel. And it didn't seem like it was breaking him down to me."
"Must I remind you we are at war?" But Sandage's heart wasn't in the rebuke, and he sighed. "As for where he's disappeared to? Unknown. He started burrowing into the earth, and we lost track of him."
"So Rose's death is still a possibility." Cecilia had hoped today's attack would prove her vision false. Instead, she felt it made it even more likely.
"Hey, we don't know that," Sandage replied, though Cecilia heard the worry in his voice. "We'll keep alert for any trouble."
"Okay," Cecilia hid her doubt, not wanting to further alarm Rose.
"Enough about my impending doom. What was your vision, Cecilia?" Rose asked, taking a shockingly light stance about her possible death.
Instead of responding, Cecilia kept quiet as she gathered her thoughts. The others waited for her to speak, but their curiosity was palpable.
"I saw myself in a cockpit. It wasn't anything like Luyten V's cockpit, more like a ship or plane. It had technology beyond anything I'd ever seen before." Whenever a vision involved her, it was always in the first person. Frustratingly, it restricted her with whatever her vision-self did. She couldn't go around and explore. "When I looked outside, I saw stars, clearer than I'd ever seen them."
"A spaceship!" Rose bubbled with excitement, bringing a slight smile to Cecilia's lips. Her friend's enthusiasm was always infectious. "Did you see alien language anywhere?"
"I did." In fact, it was the alien language she'd shown Sandage earlier. Still, what it meant was beyond her.
"Okay, aliens." Sandage took a breath, both baffled and amazed. "Were you scared? Were you possibly held captive by the Altair?"
"I doubt it," Cecilia replied. "I seemed pretty calm in the vision." But frustratingly, it ended right as someone entered the cabin she'd been sitting in. Whether they were human or alien, she didn't know.
"Hey, maybe we have aliens as allies in the future!" Rose said, beyond enthused.
But Sandage only sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Like we need more craziness. Washington is going to have a meltdown!"
"What kind of outfit were you wearing? Was it a sparkly space jumpsuit like in the old movies?" Rose asked.
"No, I was wearing my normal clothes," Cecilia said, shooting the idea down, much to Rose's disappointment.
"Okay, sketch out what you remember. We'll figure out what to do with it later." The LUVOLT agent wandered away, muttering and cursing about aliens. He pulled out his phone to make some calls.
"Why the long face? This is great news! Soon, you'll be meeting aliens!" Rose said.
"I suppose." Cecilia wanted to mention to her friend about her possible impending death but decided against it. Harping on the point won't help anyone.
"Good news. We've moved your family, Rose," Sandage said, coming back. "We'll keep them safe, whatever happens tomorrow."
"That's something, I suppose," Rose replied. "What's the plan for tomorrow? I want to live long enough to see these aliens of yours, Cecilia. Are we continuing with Project: Bird Bath?"
"There's talk about it. The higher-ups are impressed by Okab's reaction," the LUVOLT agent replied. "We'll see what results the chemical had when Okab resurfaces. In the meantime, we'll keep you here with Luyten V at the ready."
"Good plan. If I stay here, Okab will have no reason to attack anyone else," Rose replied, nodding. "Then, hopefully, my house won't get wrecked. Should we continue training with the Devil Drill?"
"No, focus on resting. Both you and the Luyten V need it. Stage 1 took a hefty toll on you." Cecilia saw the LUVOLT agent was right. Rose looked worn out, exhausted. Not that her friend would admit such weakness.
"I think you were rather spectacular with your new weapon. Your talent for combat always amazes me, Rose." And Sandage wasn't wrong. Rose showed a considerable ability to adapt during combat, capable of adjusting her strategies on the fly.
"Thanks," Rose said, somewhat self-conscious. She grabbed Cecilia by the hand. "Come on. Stella is doing a karaoke stream soon. We can sing together!"
"I suppose," Cecilia said, somewhat mystified.
It was Cecilia's turn to be self-conscious. She'd never sung with someone before, usually only humming to herself in the shower. And she only knew classical music. Still, Cecilia smiled as she joined her friend and huddled around her phone.
It occurred to Cecilia that she might have a destiny that's very different from Rose's. It might be up to her to protect humanity if the worst happened tomorrow. But whatever the case, she'd make the best of their time together.
---
Pain. That was Okab's world—pain. Trees shattered into shards as he writhed and screamed. The agony persisted, even after almost a full day.
Ugly purple welts had grown across his stomach, each a torrent of pain when touched. They'd already spread to his upper chest, creeping across his flesh like an infection. Through the haze, Okab feared what would happen if it spread to his brain. Would it put him out of his misery or drive him to even greater heights of torment?
But that wasn't the worst of his pain. Complete silence echoed in his mind, devoid of the hive mind's whispers. He'd been torn from his family, from what gave his life meaning, leaving Okab lost and alone. With his brethren, his torment might be tolerable. Separated from them? He was better off dead.
Humans! It was all humanity's fault! They did this to him! They drove him to this! A sob escaped Okab's lips as the full weight of his emotions became impossible to control. The full weight of his hate and sorrow mingled together, a cacophony of chaotic emotion.
Rose! Rose! Rose! She was the culprit! If he'd done his job, this wouldn't have happened! He'd allowed her to grow powerful enough to threaten him, and he'd paid the price!
"Rose!" Okab howled into the night, his voice making the nearby trees sway with its intensity. He screamed again, even louder, venting his hatred. The world would burn for her crimes. Nothing would remain of humanity but rubble. The feasting of Altair no longer mattered. What mattered now was vengeance!
"Rose, you and your entire town will be the first to burn!" Okab struggled to his feet and stomped off, eager to destroy all that stood in his path.