Neato remained seated on the cold, dusty floor, his breathing uneven as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. He rubbed his temples, wincing. "My head hurts. What the heck happened?" His eyes scanned the bunker, and he froze at the sight of Kael and Nayan's lifeless bodies.
The memories hit him like a tidal wave. Roman, with his emotionless eyes, had slaughtered Nayan and Kael. Neato's breath quickened as he recalled Roman's betrayal, the cold, metallic voice that declared, "This is for humanity." He touched his chest instinctively, expecting to feel the wound, but instead, his fingers met a cold, metallic surface where the sword had pierced him. The skin had not healed; it was as if his body had been patched with metal.
His heart raced. He was having a panic attack. He doubled over, clutching his chest, and vomited on the floor, purging the horror that had resurfaced. Roman's words echoed in his mind: "Did you think we were friends?"
Neato's panic began to subside, replaced by a grim resolve. He stood on shaky legs, his gaze falling on Kael's lifeless form. Without a word, he bent down, lifting Kael's body and staggering toward the bunker's exit. Outside, the sun was already climbing in the sky, its harsh rays beating down on the desert sands.
He knelt and began to dig with his bare hands, ignoring the pain as his fingers scraped against the rough ground. He worked tirelessly, his mind numb to everything but the task at hand. When the hole was deep enough, he gently placed Kael's body inside, covering it with sand. He repeated the process for Nayan, his movements mechanical, almost detached.
Inside Dorius H2, he found some tools and fashioned makeshift crosses, placing them at the head of each grave. He stood there, staring at the simple markers, his body aching but his resolve firming. "My chest healed, but my left arm is gone," he muttered, glancing at the metallic patch where his wound had been. "My left eye is healed, but I can't see." His left eye, too, was covered in the strange metal, rendering it useless.
He retrieved his two pistols and sword, securing them to his body. "I should go home," he said to himself, the words hollow. He didn't know what home meant anymore, but he needed to move, to find something familiar in a world that had been turned upside down.
With one last look at the graves of his fallen companions, Neato turned and began to walk, heading in the direction of his old home. The sun beat down on him mercilessly, but he pressed on, determined to find answers and make sense of the chaos that had upended his life.
END OF CHAPTER 26