Shes a fucking machine.
Three gods above strike down, Hecate was a fucking machine.
Worse - she was built almost exactly the sa as ToAacar, only more detailed. Synthetic chanical muscle composition, reinforced tal structures where the skeleton should be, and electrical chips everywhere, each only vague feelings of purpose that I could only scratch at with my sight. All connected by gold wiring flowing through the shell like veins.
Hecate wasnt just any machine - she was a fucking Feather. Worse, it looked more like she was an upgrade to that bastard given all the additional features that To'Aacar didn't have. No wonder she knew To'Aacar, he'd been her fucking co-worker all along.
More detail and concepts revealed themselves as my fumbling sight searched with more focus. Just under her throat, a massive, sprawling fractal was well lit and alive. It looked like soul fractal - only mutated with offshoots in strange directions, one of which looked to be a redundant copy. ToAacar also had a fractal right at his chest, though it looked more like a misshapen flower, with the soul fractal at the center and seven different fractals all grafted on the edges. Hers looked lopsided, incomplete. One of the fractals outright slipped past my sight, as if even looking at it was like looking over the edge of an infinite cliff. The drop going sowhere but nowhere I could tell.
Things all clicked into place and completely fell apart. Her incredible mory and understanding of any topic was obvious now. Mannerisms, feral nature, all of it made sense coming from so machine scrapheap pretending to be human. Wanting to find peace between machines and humanity, more than likely a ploy to get to put my guard down.
What didn't make sense was the goal. ToAacar already had parts of the information he was looking for, and he had Kidra to search for the rest.
Fido hadnt been pretending in his attempts to murder. He fought tooth and tail with everything he had. If the machines needed alive for anything, why had To'Aacar actually gone all the way and killed ? That asshole doesnt bluff. Lying to humans is beneath him, and given the few tis I'd t him, I genuinely believed him. If it had all been an act - why was Hecate such a terrible actor in comparison? This was far too elaborate when simpler thods existed.
Which left the only other reason - that she'd been honest about her feud with To'Aacar. Could she really be a rogue machine? Or was I just so ga piece caught between the two?
Until I knew more, I wasnt going to walk into all of this blindly and neither was I going to reveal anything else. Gods above, I'd been played this entire ti. And all she had to do was call herself Deathless.
My stance stood up, sword sheathed. Hecate quirked her head to the side, confused. Has there been a change of rules? She asked, not realizing just what I had discovered.
Just one. I said, keeping my tone low. I know what you are. Her eyes widened in surprise, confirming that she was hiding sothing. I had to get a confession out of her. I know what youre made of. You can drop the act. Ive figured it all out.
A nervous chuckle ca from her. I am unsure about this sense of humor. What should I be answering this line with?
This isnt so bit, Hecate. I know youre a machine. Ive been watching and confird it just now.
She took a step back. A machine? I believe you may be mistaken.
Her words said one thing, but her actions and nervous deanor more or less scread the answer. Hecate was aware of who she was. This wasn't so case where she wasn't aware herself of her nature. I stopped her desperate backpaddling, hand out. Youre not going to lie your way out of this one anymore. I know.
Hecate had gone right past my blind spots and I no longer trusted myself or my intuition. I needed soone else here with . Cathida whistled the mont I unmuted her, clearly having been listening. Daylight up high, yee faithless little squireling, I told you. Didn't expect her to be a machine of all things, that part's a surprise to . But my intuition never lies and I knew sothing reeked like tal in all this. Oh, you can bet Ill never let you live this down until Ive squeezed every last gold speck out of it. She cackled. "Can't believe it. She's a Feather then? That's the only machine I know that looks like a human. The harlot couldn't get any worse."
Hecate's stance faded, blades turning off, hands raised in placation. Keith, wait - its not what you think!
It isnt? I asked, waving a hand. Well then, be my gods damned guest. Go right ahead and explain it.
If she wanted dead, she could have killed . So she was after sothing else. It hadn't been about what I'd seen in the bunker, Kidra could have given them the sa info, so it had to be sothing unique to . The fractals I'd discovered? Was this how the machines chased down anyone who'd get too close to true power? But why leave alive this long if the Feathers really did operate as a clean up crew?
It would be too much to explain all at once if I had started with the truth. She said, taking a step forward.
Stop. I ordered, hand out again. Stay right where you are. Not a single step more. Were not moving until you tell exactly what the fuck is going on.
She stopped, looked down, looked back up to my side as if avoiding my eyes, seed to say sothing before closing her mouth. Indecision gripped her core again. If I had revealed myself as a machine at the start, would you have traveled with like so? Or would you have instead sched plans to destroy the entire ti no matter how much I tried for peace?
I shrugged. Cant tell you what I would or wouldnt have done. It didnt happen that way. Maybe I would have listened to you in the first place.
She took a step forward, eyes going hard. I deed that unlikely."
"Don't you dare." I hissed.
Hecate faltered for a mont, gaze shifting off to the side before whatever sense of commitnt ca right back, eyebrows furled down with determination. "No." She hissed right back, and took another step forward. "You just fought and died against To'Aacar. Another Feather would have continued to trigger your adrenaline responses. You and I both know how you would have reacted if I'd told you the truth at the start. I would have been branded an enemy from the start.
I took a hesitant step backwards, feeling a little silly about that the mont I did. As if I could outrun a Feather, especially one with gods damned wings. No, whatever resolution was going to happen, it wasn't going to be done with blades and I wasn't going to back out like a coward. I brought my foot back to my side and planted it firmly on the ground, glaring her down.
Daring her to keep the advance.
How did you find out? She asked, taking another damned step forward.
Im not answering that. I said. I'm not answering anything anymore. Youre answering my questions first. Who are you.
She shook her head, next step faltering. I-I cant tell you that.
I said nothing, folding my hands across my chest. She stayed still a few ters away now.
Journey wants to take the peaceful route here, Cathida whispered out, as if it pained her to even say this. Personally, if it were up to , I'd say cut off her head and then make her talk on the way to the city or die trying. Her skull would make for a good incense burner, too. But I'd be kissing purple if I said that was the safest option right now. I need you to live through this deary. So I can properly gloat, you see.
A little morbid.
And when were you planning on telling ? I asked, staring down the Feather. Three years from now over tea? Or after you'd gotten whatever you were looking for?
I couldn't find the right ti! Hecate yelled, angry now, taking a few more steps forward. She stopped, looking down at her feet. No, no, thats... that's not correct. I was hesitating on the decision to explain to you everything. Deciding if I should simply leave everything behind and start anew elsewhere.
Into the soul fractal I dove, and a tendril reached for Cathida. I needed to talk to her where Hecate couldn't overhear. This close she was going to hear even the faintest whispers.
Deep down, I could feel Journey's soul accept the connection. It was worried. The last ti it's user had fought a Feather, the ending had left scars and painful mories deep down. It wanted to run and knew like I did that wouldn't work. There was no escaping Hecate. Panic was welling up, deep down under.
Can you tell if shes lying?
The armor paused on it's spiral. Thinking. Affirmative. Initial suspicions generated by detecting abnormalities in speech patterns for prior topics.
What, it wasnt Cathidas intuition?
Negative. Intuition undefined.
That lying gold obsessed weasel. Journey had already fed Cathida the answers, and of course Cathida pretended it was all her mysterious intuition that solved the riddle. Because thats what the real Cathida would have done with a tip off like that.
Confirmation of Target Hecates omissions prove prior detections reliable. Confidence high.
In other words, Hecate had lied before. Journey caught it, but didnt know if it was truly a lie or not. And now my armor had a baseline to compare to.
Hecate. I said. Are you truly on a mission for the mites?
She nodded. I am an apostate for them.
Authenticity at ninety-four percent. The armor sent. Most likely true then.
"You don't serve Relinquished or the machines?"
"I am... unlikely to be welco by Mother anymore, not once she finds out what I've done."
"What you've done?"
"I've..." She stopped, looking back down at her feet. "Feathers are built to be loyal only to Relinquished. I was different. Even if I haven't taken any overt actions against her or her forces yet, my involvent with the mites changes things. I do not believe she will see as an ally anymore."
Journey? I whispered in my mind.
Authenticity at ninety-seven percent.
So she's been burned in so way from the machine collective.
Youre not with Relinquished, and I'm betting your not with Tsuya, or else you'd have told already. What are you doing then?
I... I dont know. She said, looking exactly as lost as her words. My personal purpose has recently beco muddled.
Fine. What do the mites here actually want? Is that prophecy scrapshit you fed a lie or sothing real?
Hecates eyes lost a bit of luster, hands defensively going to her sides. It is real. However I don't know what they want." She could tell I wasn't happy with that answer, her hand going up already, trying to placate before I could speak. "Please, the prophecy I shared with you is unabridged, you know as much as I know! I was honest when I explained my need to find them again. I can't do it the sa way as I did before, it was too direct and Mother may spot this ti.
Authenticity at ninety-six percent. The armor sent. Another truth. So far she really hadn't tried to lie about anything, or Journey's abilities were being fooled.
And it made sense in a way that the mites would work with soone like her. If I were the mites and needed so chosen hero to act as an agent, why pick a human? Why pick even a Deathless when a Feather was a possible choice? Had they been looking for a Feather to convert? Had they sohow subverted her design when she'd been built? She did look different than To'Aacar. Or was this just a lucky string of events they'd been waiting for?
If there's any chance of trust between us ever again, I need to know more about how you ended up working for the mites. Tell exactly what you did to switch sides.
She froze in place, like one of the underground critters caught in headlights. I tried to heal a human that was dying. Soone I considered a close friend. The mites offered that power, but in exchange I need to accomplish their demands. This happened a few days ago, and I havent been locked out of the machine archives yet. However, the discovery is inevitable. It is only a matter of days at best. Hours, I suspect, is more likely.
Authenticity at ninety-four percent.
Why are you spending any ti around a random human like if youre on a deadline like that? Now I was both upset and confused. If her situation was as dire as she told it, why was she even spending a mont more trying to talk to even now?
Keith, please understand." She said, more a whisper now. "Everything I know is going to be gone, the people I t, the friends I have - I need to distance myself from them all to keep them safe from the fallout. There's only one person who could stay at my side, if you were... She stopped, and tried again. "There are so few people I have left that I can turn to now. I was reaching out anywhere I could find a friend."
You thought I could be a friend? I snapped out. "Why? I don't know you."
It was like kicking a puppy. She looked absolutely wretched. But, you said we were
My tongue lashed out before I could stop myself. Yeah - that was before I found out youve been lying to this entire fucking ti! So friend you are.
The flash of anger passed through , and all that was left behind was ash. Here I was having a yelling match about betrayed friendships, with a Feather of all things, who very well could be the first machine traitor I've ever t. If she was honest, she could be the single biggest turning point to human history. And here I was yelling her down only because I felt angry instead of in control.
What would Father had done? Continued being angry, or seen the bigger picture? It was in tis of danger that he was most in control of himself. And I had to be the sa.
I took a few stabilizing breaths and raised a hand, calling for a truce. Fix up the damage first, figure out the truth later. In the end, I was just a surface scavenger with a bit of power. Lejis, technically my fucking enemy, had been prepared to throw his entire life away just on a miniscule chance of peace. I was in the position of sothing far more important. Was my resolve weaker than his? What if she truly was the first machine Feather to have turned her back on Relinquished?
I'm sorry." I sighed, pushing down my feelings. "I want to believe that you an well Hecate. I get what youre saying about having nothing. Ive been through that before.
The desperate need to connect with soone - anyone - when things are crashing around you. That had been most of my childhood, co to think of it. Led to befriending so real oddballs over the years, even people I didn't ever want to et or even see. If that's what she's going through right now, it made sense to .
I dont know if were still friends or not right now, I said, being honest. But we can still be allies and rebuild a friendship again. Just right now, Im on edge with all this. You need to understand that.
Hecate nodded quickly, taking a few more steps forward until she stood nearly within arm's reach. I do understand. Give a chance to prove that Im not the enemy. She said, hope rekindling in her voice. I I can still take you to the Undersider city! I can fly you there and we can postpone our duel for another ti, if ever.
Getting to the city fast would an getting back in touch with Kidra. Gods, shed be so much better at handling this sort of conflict.
Hecate took one last step and reached a hand out to .
History was rarely made by sane decisions. Sotis the leaps of faith were worth it. This felt like one such mont to where things changed. I just needed to change with it.
My hand reached out and clasped hers back.
An unworded truce ford between us, at least for the first few hours. When Hecate said she could fly us to the city, Id expected it to be using the hover sled, with her using the wings to move it, like we'd done earlier except without having to use the poles this ti.
No, Hecate was far more literal about that. After a little awkward fumbling around, she took hold of my chest, stretched her wings out and leaped into the air. In a power move that bullied physics, she didnt co back down after the jump.
Id flown before with Teed in the cockpit of his ships. Gods, sotis doing a jump with Journey felt like flying as well, if only for a short amount of ti. Hecate showed what it was like to fly like a bird would.
It was really sothing. Id have enjoyed it far more if I hadnt all these thoughts floating in my head and the sinking feeling I was being carried off like a chicken to the slaughter.
She was fast as well, the ground below us zipped past while she soared above. A testant to the strength a Feathers body could handle, holding with two hands, right by my underarms, with no sign of any struggle. Journey was a relic armor weighing over four hundred pounds, and I added to that sum as well. That she didnt need to wrap her hands or arms was sothing.
You know, one thing I still havent figured out. I said, over the rush of air. Why ? Why save so random surface knight? I know you ntioned earlier you were just looking for friends anywhere you could find them. What tipped you off to ? Just happened to spot out of everyone ToAacar was fighting and decided I was a good start point?
...Intuition. She said cryptically.
Authenticity at eleven percent. Journey whispered through the soul fractal. A lie. She knew or knew about sohow. I was missing so key here.
Or maybe it was a lot more straightforward than I thought. She was clearly afraid of To'Aacar. And there's one person so far that had a track record of mauling him into a retreat. That was certainly sothing to put above a random surface knight.
If this is about To'Aacar and the facelift I gave him... I said, not sure how I could press her for answers. "Well, in the spirit of honesty, it was a one-ti thing. Round two ended with getting a hole punched through my armor and guts. You might have banked on the wrong human here if your goal is to kill the bastard.
She kept her eyes on the horizon, steering us through the wide plains and strange ecosystems under us. "My chances of defeating him are low, even with you to assist. No, if I can, I aim to avoid him entirely."
"Can't bla you there. He's not the pleasant sort to be around. Recomnd not inviting him to any future parties you host, he'll bring down the mood."
The landscape zipped by and I changed the topic to sothing more lighthearted, asking her questions about the Underground in general and things that she learned from the people here.
That was a lot better to talk about, all things considered. Hours passed but in the background, I was quietly scheming how Id be able to pin her down and get her to answer the rest of my questions. My plan so far was to get her into a room, close the door behind her, and throw my sister at her face. A wild Kidra could do so serious damage on anyone trying to hide secrets.
Before I knew it, we were slowing down for a landing. The surroundings here had grown far more bleak. Dense clouds of dark black-ish blue flowed by the ceiling, concealing everything except whenever sparks of lighting struck out.
Massive rock slabs floated around, like the ground was filled with plates all connected in different places. Ruins of bridges dotted the empty spaces between each plate like snapped muscle fibers. Worse, all the rocks were grey and lifeless. Not even moss grew anywhere here.
And all around were these freakishly large pillars, so broken, others intact. By large - I an massive. There were miles of this terrain, and I could clearly see the pillars from any distance.
Strange place for a city to exist. Id have thought the mite forest earlier was far more welcoming.
Wed landed near one such pillar, which seed to have so yellow lights around the base. Beyond this plate, further north, youll find a roadway." Hecate said. "Follow the path and youll reach the city gates. The Undersider city is housed inside those pillars. Theyre all hollow, and plant life lives within all of them.
You say that like youre not coming with ?
She shook her head. I cant. Bringing you here safely was the bargain... She shook her head. "I need to go. The longer I stay, the more chance whatever befalls will impact anyone around. I... I still have one more thing I need to give back to you and Kidra. Sothing I shouldn't have taken, however I need the guidance right now. Forgive for being selfish and holding onto it. Once everything is done, I swear I will find a way to return it to you both."
Hang on, before any cryptic speeches and other ominous red flags that make think you're about to go on a suicide mission, I still need help finding my sister in a city I've never been in. Ill be all alone in there. I said, stalling for ti here. "You really going to do that to , after all we've made up?"
Strictly speaking, I could probably find my sister one way or another. Maybe make a ss, accidentally knock over soones beer or set fire to the local statues. Small things to draw her attention.
The main point is that I seriously needed to get her in the sa room as Kidra. She'd know what the hell to do in this situation. I'm just an engineer, I work with math, tal and machinery, and she's a... On second thought, scratch that, terrible analogy. My point is that I don't do people stuff well. And this was people stuff, even if she was a machine.
Hecate on her part seed to think, gaze falling off to my side as if looking for guidance from the city behind . Before she could answer, occult pulsed around, right before the two of us.
You certainly took your ti." A figure said, stepping out of the occult mist. "Oh, am I interrupting sothing?" He gave a wide grin to Hecate."And look who we have here. I see youve brought the Winterscar personally, all wrapped up and served on a plate. Even healed up, so I can have the pleasure of killing him a second ti." ToAacar said, that grin deepening into sothing far more twisted.
"How thoughtful of you, my dear little sister.
Next chapter - The true fight (T)
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