Final Phase

Present Day, a faint shimmer flickered in the air before materializing into Nori, her presence taking the form of a Heart. Her expression was casual, like she was just catching up with an old friend over coffee-except the topic was the violent, apocalyptic collapse of an entire planet.

"Then the planet kinda half-imploded anyway," Nori said with a lazy wave of her hand, like planetary destruction was just another Tuesday. She dragged a finger across her throat in a mock execution gesture before gagging dramatically. "The humans all-" she made a hacking sound before continuing, "woke up on the surface, brain scrambled enough to have a kid, and the rest is dumb, stupid history."

She rummaged through phantasmal memories, pulling out a scattered collection of artifacts and tossing them towards N like they were junk in a messy closet.

First, a photo-faded but unmistakable. A younger Nori and Khan stood side by side, looking... not exactly thrilled, but not entirely miserable either.

Then, a drawing-hastily scrawled in a shaky hand, dated 47 days after the core collapse. The sketch was frantic, lines scratched deep into the paper, as if drawn by someone clawing at reality to make sense of it.

N clapped, genuinely impressed.

"My mom is so cool," he declared with full sincerity.

Nori paused. Her spectral form flickered slightly, and for a split second, something warm crossed her expression.

"Aw, stop that," she said, her tone half-joking, half-serious-but she still looked pleased. Then, she snapped back to business, flinging the crumpled drawing straight at N's face. "Now, the Solver's found its way back to finish the job," she stated bluntly. "Who's its host?"

N and you exchanged uneasy glances, confidence crumbling like wet cardboard.

"Uh... like, Uzi?" N ventured.

"And Doll...?" You added.

Nori crossed her arms, or at least, what would count as her arms, her gaze sharpening. "Yeah. And which one was just trying to eat us?"

Awkward silence. N shifted uncomfortably, his wings twitching. Your expression didn't exactly ooze certainty either.

Back with Uzi. Her entire visor was flooded with static, jagged lines of digital interference clawing at her vision like something alive. The cathedral creaked around her, the air thick with static electricity.

Then the screen shattered. Uzi gasped. Every single light in the cathedral died at once. Total darkness. A sharp clap of thunder illuminated the gaping hole in the floor, flickering just enough to reveal something moving.

Uzi's breathing hitched as she frantically yanked at her bracelet, her mind finally connecting the dots about what it was associated with. Her fingers trembled, struggling against the clasp as her optics darted across the room.

A sound. A metallic scrape. A slip. A wet impact. Uzi turned, heart slamming against her chest. Emerging from the shadows, barely standing, was Doll. Or-what was left of her.

Her frame was in pieces, oil pooling beneath her as loose parts dangled by wires, barely keeping her together. Her movements were sluggish, stumbling, glitching. Her visor flickered, glitching between static and text.

ДАЙ ОТПОР.

"FIGHT BACK."

Uzi stared.

"Yikes." A voice cut through the tension-casual, unimpressed.

Uzi spun around. Tessa. She was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, watching the whole thing like it was a mildly interesting drama. "Someone's been busy."

Another jumpcut, back in the mines... The cavern was still shaking, faint tremors rattling loose pebbles and sending dust spiraling through the stale air. In the dim glow of your visor, Nori stood over you and N, her form flickering slightly-like a half-glitched specter that refused to stay dead.

"Just hurry up, you two," she muttered, releasing both you and N from the wall with a casual flick of her wrist, as if she hadn't just slammed you there in the first place.

N stumbled to his feet, shaking off the impact. "O-Of course! Uzi's gonna freak out when I tell h-"

SHUNK!

The handle of a pickaxe slammed into his chest, pinning him to the ceiling like a squirming butterfly. His optics widened in terror. "Tell her I'm alive, you die." She stated.

N let out a nervous mechanical whine, his wings twitching uselessly against the rock.

You crossed your arms. "Okay, but what's stopping me from telling her?"

Nori slowly turned to you, her purple glow burning into your visor.

"You want to live, right?" she asked, voice deadly calm.

You smirked. "Ha! Not to brag, but I'm basically invincible."

With a sharp whistle, the pickaxe ripped itself free from N's chest and shot toward your face like a bullet-only for you to flare your energy just in time, a crackling barrier deflecting it midair. The weapon clattered to the ground.

Nori blinked. Then grinned. "...I like you." Then, just as quickly, her expression darkened. "But I caused every horror in her life," she said, voice heavy with something ugly and unspoken. She gestured around the mine. "Destroyed the planet, got you things sicced here-"

"Gave her ungodly eldritch genetics! Blagh!" N chimed in, only to be unceremoniously hurled back onto the ground.

You pushed forward, voice firm. "Mom, please. I've only known you for a few minutes, and already, I want to prove myself." Nori raised an eyebrow. "Uzi is my sister, and I will not allow something like this to be kept from her!"

"Now's not the time for this!" Nori snapped, slamming the Crucifix down onto N, burying him deeper into the dirt.

N's muffled protests were completely indistinct. With a groan, Nori lifted the Crucifix back up. "Isn't it best if she waits to tell her herself?" N wheezed.

"No! It's better she finds out now!" You shot back, stepping closer.

"Look, I'll tell her! Just-just give me some time!" Nori's frustration boiled over, her voice rising.

You scowled. "I find out my sister's mom is alive, and you expect me to just keep it from her?!" Your voice echoed through the tunnels. "Not happening! I'm not going to lie to her like that!"

Nori threw her claws in the air.

"God! I just met my new kid, and they're already rebelling!" She pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling sharply. "Just... ugh. Fine. Fine. If I ever get out of here, I'll talk to her. Can we get moving now?"

You nodded, satisfied. "Thank you."

"Bite me." Nori muttered.

Back in the cathedral, things weren't looking bright for Uzi. The air crackled with tension, thick with dust and the lingering scent of scorched metal. Uzi stood there, shaking, her processors struggling to keep up with the nightmare unfolding in front of her.

"T-Tessa, I-I-I didn't-" she stammered, backing away as her wings twitched involuntarily.

Tessa's expression was unreadable as she unsheathed her sword, the blade gleaming like a scalpel under the dim cathedral light.

"Sh-She just- Wait!" Uzi's voice cracked, her back arching as a misshapen, eldritch claw tore itself free from her frame, curling unnaturally. Her digital green eyes flickered, glitching yellow. Something was inside her. "Something else did this to Doll!" she gasped. "You-you have to believe-"

But Tessa wasn't listening. With a metallic screech, Uzi lunged, preparing to unleash her Solver-infested abilities-only for her systems to stutter. Error warnings flooded her HUD. Tessa's presence was somehow blocking her, like she wasn't even there. Her weapons system was failing. The Solver itself was glitching.

Tessa tilted her head. "No worries. Makes my job easier." With a single, precise movement, she dragged her sword across Uzi's wing, the metal screaming as it tore. Sparks erupted, Uzi choking out a gasp. "Thought there'd be more of you Solver freaks anyway."

Before Uzi could process the pain, Tessa pressed the tip of her sword to Uzi's chest, poised to drive it straight through. Then, a cold SHINK filled the air. Tessa froze. N's blade was at her neck. Your transformed uranium blaster arm was aimed right at her skull.

"You knew about the Patch. Yes or no? One chance." N's voice was low, unreadable.

"I'll vaporize you if you lie." You added, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Tessa let out a bored sigh, placing a single finger on N's blade and pushing it aside like it was a toy. "Cute," she muttered. Then, she turned to N. "You know why I keep you around, N-"

SHINK. N decapitated her. Tessa's body jerked before stumbling backwards, blood spurting from the severed stump of her neck. Her head hit the ground with a sickening thud. A beat of silence followed.

Uzi exhaled sharply, wrenching Tessa's sword from her own chest before tossing it aside like garbage. She staggered forward, reaching for the Crucifix Patch.

"Sis! You alright?" You rushed toward her. She caught her breath, nodding weakly.

"Hey, buddy. Yeah, that should help." N spoke gently, stepping forward. "All I know is, I need you... to figure things out... together."

His hand reached for hers-CRACK. Uzi crushed N's hand in her grip. She giggled. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she shattered the Crucifix Patch. N's eyes widened. You felt your heart drop. She slowly lifted her head, her eyes now fully glowing yellow, Solver tendrils writhing from her back like hungry shadows.

"That's very sweet, big brother." Before either of you could react, she hurled N across the cathedral, slamming him into a crumbling pillar. The stone cracked on impact. N groaned, struggling to move. "Too bad you've served your purpose." Her voice was almost mocking. "Don't worry. Your backups will forgive me. And as for you..." Uzi's gaze snapped to you, her Solver-infested hand pointing directly at your chest. Her claws flexed. "I still have plans for you."

You narrowed your eyes, shifting into a combat stance. "I'm not eager to be a part of them."

A pickaxe whistled through the air, blurring past just in time to knock Uzi's claws away before they could strike. The weapon spun wildly before reversing direction, slicing through Uzi's hands and writhing eldritch claws like a razor through paper.

From above, Nori dropped down, landing directly on N's shoulders with a thud.

"Nori?! You're-" Uzi-or rather, the Solver controlling her-tilted her head unnaturally. "Dead," it stated through Uzi's mouth, her voice glitching, warping.

"You're frickin' grounded." Nori simply replied.

Uzi's lips twisted into an uncanny sneer.

"Angry."

Before Nori could respond, Uzi's severed limbs twisted and reformed, new claws bursting from her wrists like blooming nightmares.

She swiped at N and Nori, her arm a dark blur. N shot straight into the air, dodging the attack, while Nori's pickaxe launched itself forward again-this time aiming directly for Uzi's face.

Uzi, undeterred, vanished in a flicker of distortion. She reappeared behind N and Nori. With a sudden, telekinetic pulse, she yanked them both toward the cathedral wall, stone cracking from the sheer force.

But before she could slam them into it, you barreled forward like a missile, headbutting Uzi mid-air. The impact sent her flying in the opposite direction, her Solver tendrils flailing violently. You spun in midair and boosted toward her, arms outstretched, trying to restrain her.

"Uzi, fight back!" You shouted, your grip tightening.

She struggled against you, her body shaking-for a second, just a second, something in her eyes seemed to flicker-but then the Solver's voice slithered through her mouth. "This body is not hers to control anymore."

With an effortless wave of its arm, it sent you flying, your body slamming into a pillar hard enough to crack it. As you groaned, struggling to push yourself up, Uzi-expression void of anything remotely robot-turned her attention back to Nori.

With terrifying speed, she pinned Nori against the wall, claws tightening around her throat. N drew his sword, but the Solver-smirking through Uzi's face-grabbed the blade herself and drove it into her own neck.

Oil leaked from the wound, but Uzi didn't so much as flinch. N froze, horror flashing across his optics. That was all the Solver wanted. But before it could press the psychological torture any further, Nori forced them apart, kicking Uzi back. And then she slapped her. Hard.

The Solver-controlled Uzi barely staggered before Nori slammed her aside with a wave of AbsoluteSolver energy. N smiled at the rare display of dominance-until Nori immediately slapped him. Twice.

Uzi regenerated her severed hand once more, but this time, her palm twisted unnaturally-a horrific, spiraling vortex appeared at the center of her hand. Null Holes. With a flick of her wrist, she launched them at all three of you.

N zipped through the air, dodging the deadly distortions before managing to grab Uzi's wrist, trying to force her arm away-until Nori severed the limb entirely, deleting every Null Hole in an instant. And you successfully shielded yourself from them.

Uzi reeled back, and Nori leaped onto her face, using her as a platform to stay mobile. N took the chance to fire a barrage of laser shots. It should have worked. But you moved. Before you could even process it, your body acted on its own.

You ran in front of the gunfire. The bullets slammed into your body, barely scorching your reinforced plating-but they weren't meant for you. Your directive. Your programming. Protect Uzi at all costs. And the Solver noticed. Before N could react, you lunged at him, crashing into him mid-flight and slamming him off the cathedral roof.

Nori twisted her pickaxe, preparing to end this-she hurled it toward Uzi-and you moved again. You blocked the strike with your own body. The impact sent a tremor through your frame. For a split second, Uzi's expression wavered-like she was fighting. Like she was still in there. But the Solver overpowered her. And then, your vision went static. Your body hit the ground in pieces.

Nori stood at the edge of the cathedral, surveying the chaos below-until Uzi tackled her from behind. Before Nori could react, Uzi hoisted her up by the collar like a ragdoll, eyes burning an unnatural yellow. Then she threw Nori into the air.

Like a pitcher winding up for the kill, Uzi gripped her pickaxe, twisted her stance, and swung. The blow connected mid-air, the pickaxe slamming into Nori's gut like a bat, launching her across the cathedral. Nori's body crashed into a stained-glass window, shattering it on impact.

Before she could even get her bearings, Uzi landed on top of her with an inhuman, graceful ease. She reached down, gripping Nori by the front of her jacket, hauling her up like she weighed nothing. She opened her mouth. Wide. Too wide.

Her jaw unhinged unnaturally, her metallic teeth shifting, growing, the Solver making its intentions very, very clear. She was going to devour Nori whole.

From below, you watched in horror. You knew what you had to do-blast Uzi's hand off, stop her before she could go through with it. But the moment your targeting systems locked onto Uzi, your entire body seized up. Your limbs refused to obey. Your directive-Protect Uzi. Never harm her. Even now, even like this, your programming shackled you. And the Solver knew it.

Uzi-or rather, the thing controlling her-grinned, her elongated jaw stretching grotesquely. "Aw, can't bring yourself to hurt her?" it purred, Uzi's voice dripping with mockery.

Your aim trembled uselessly, as you couldn't fire.

"Nori! I should mention, Uzi and I, uh... Should I ask for your permission first, Y/N?" Both you and Uzi snapped your heads down toward N. He had found a spare piece of metal and scribbled something on it. In huge, awkward handwriting, it read: "WANT TO HANG OUT? We just wanna hang out a lot more idk"

Followed by a few tiny, unevenly drawn hearts. N gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. Uzi froze mid-bite. She slowly, very slowly, removed Nori from her mouth. "What?" she muttered, genuinely baffled.

Nori, who had not been having a great time, looked absolutely done. Her face darkened. Her hands clenched into fists. "Uzi Doorman," she said, voice dangerously low. Uzi blinked. Nori pointed an accusing claw right in her face. "Those THINGS killed your frickin' mother!"

Uzi stared. N waved the sign.

"Really?! Asking in a time like this?!" You blurted.

Before anyone could process anything further-SLAP. The sound echoed through the cathedral as Nori's hand whipped across Uzi's face, sending her flying off the roof. Straight through the floor below.

"Ow! I'm not-" Uzi's body glitched, her voice distorting between her own and the Solver's. But when she hit the ground-her glowing yellow eyes flickered, blinking back to green. Her breathing hitched. Her hands trembled. She looked up at Nori, scowling. "Hey, lady! You don't frickin' OWN me!"

Without hesitation-she kicked Nori straight into the hole. For some reason, as Nori plummeted, a loud basketball bounce sound effect rang out. You and N stared.

"Uzi!" You both shouted.

Uzi threw up her hands defensively. "What?! We did NOT discuss being gross and-"

N pointed at the hole. "That was your mom!"

Uzi froze. Her entire system visibly rebooted. "What?!"

"That was our mom," you confirmed, still in disbelief.

Uzi held up a finger. "I heard the first time!" she snapped, before, without warning-she suddenly lunged forward and pulled both you and N into a hug.

The silence was suffocating, the cathedral drenched in eerie yellow light. Clink. Clink. Clink. All eyes snapped toward Tessa's severed helmet, rolling slowly, eerily across the cracked cathedral floor, its surface reflecting the pulsating Solver symbols. It teetered at the edge of the abyss-right before it could drop into the darkness below,

A boot slammed down, stopping it cold. A hand reached down-and picked it up. The headless body of Tessa stood motionless for a moment, holding the helmet as if contemplating something. Then, with surgical precision, she twisted it back onto her severed neck.

Click. Metal ground against metal as she screwed it into place, locking it back on like it was just another part of a machine. And then, with slow, deliberate movements, she unzipped her spacesuit. And something else stepped forward. A thing that should not exist.

The being beneath was wrong, its inhuman form barely resembling flesh, shifting and flickering like static struggling to settle into a solid shape. Yellow lightning crackled from its limbs as it moved-fluid yet jerky, as if reality itself was having trouble rendering it properly.

It didn't hesitate. It drifted toward Doll's corpse, gripping what remained of her and dragging it across the cathedral floor with a sickening wet scrape. You, Uzi, and N stood frozen, staring. And then, it bit down.

Horrific, guttural tearing filled the air. Yellow lightning flashed violently as it tore into Doll's remains, devouring pieces of her like a starved animal. Sparks erupted from Doll's lifeless frame, metal and synthetic tissue being ripped apart with sickening crunches.

Then, it found Doll's core. The Solver-infested heart still hummed faintly, its energy flickering weakly-it was gone in one slurp. A horrific shudder ran through the entity's body, its form distorting violently. Soon, it settled. The yellow glow in its hollow eyes flickered-before shifting into sharp, glowing Xs. A smile stretched across its too-wide mouth.

"Oh, yes. Get snuck up on."The tone, the malice, the smug amusement-that was Cyn's voice.

Before you could react, she blinked out of existence. The, reappeared behind N. "Neck bite." Her teeth sank into N's neck before he could even register what was happening. N yelled in pain, struggling against her grip, but she held him like he was nothing. Uzi lunged, AbsoluteSolver energy surging around her-but Cyn turned and stabbed her mid-attack. "Stab." Uzi's eyes widened, her mouth opening in a silent gasp as Cyn's claw pierced straight through her torso. You tried to blast her. Tried to fire off everything you had.

But-before you could even fire, a sharp blur-pain exploded through your body. You looked down. A yellow ran down from your head down to your legs. You had been split vertically in half.

"Chop chop." Cyn purred.

She grabbed you, N, and Uzi with ease, her limbs moving like unnatural tendrils, lifting all three of you into the air as if you weighed nothing. Then, without ceremony, she dragged you all toward the hole.

"It's been fun. And, also, that's sarcasm." The three of you dangled helplessly over the abyss. Cyn's hollow eyes gleamed. "Honestly, I'm starving." And then, she jumped in.

The moment she vanished-BOOM. A massive yellow eruption blasted out of the hole, a violent explosion of Solver energy surging outward. The cathedral shook violently, the very walls cracking apart as AbsoluteSolver symbols slithered across every surface.

Then, the tentacles came. Dozens. Hundreds. They shot up like living cables, flailing wildly, smashing through walls and shattering stone, their writhing forms covered in shifting glyphs. Then, the column of energy surged upward, blasting through the ceiling of the cathedral, through the layers of rock and metal, forcing its way straight up into the sky.

It punched through the clouds, a gaping hole revealing the moons of Copper 9, now glowing eerily bright. A landing pod arrived.

The pod crashed down on the ruined cathedral floor, its impact shaking the remaining foundation. The hatch hissed open. And from the smoke, J stepped out. She landed on one leg, flipping her hair back.

"Ride's good to go, boss." A car alarm beeped from within the pod. "Just say."

An engine roared. J blinked and looked up. CRASH. A bus crashed into her at full speed. J pinwheeled through the air, spiraling out of sight.

"Agh!" Her keys-the ones needed to fly the pod-flew out of her grasp.

They clinked once against the cathedral floor, then dropped straight into the hole. J, now dusting herself off, scowled. She switched her arm into a machine gun, locking onto the culprits standing in the fog.

"Who are you idiots?" The figures didn't answer.

But as the fog cleared, two familiar faces stepped forward. Lizzy, her railgun humming to life, its energy core glowing ominously. Thad, casually twirling a metal pipe like a baseball bat. And up on the roof of the bus, arms crossed, watching everything unfold-Khan.

J's visor flashed with a warning. A "PRIOR HAZARD" alert appeared on her screen. For the first time in a while, she actually looked nervous.

The hole roared like a living thing, pulsating with unnatural yellow light as three monstrous tentacles shot out, snatching up you, Uzi, and N with terrifying speed. The tendrils tightened like steel cables, dragging you downward. Uzi gritted her teeth, clawing at anything to stop her descent. She lunged for N, grabbing onto him with one arm while her other hand slammed through a jagged bone jutting from the crater's edge, impaling herself to hold on. The Solver corruption made it hurt less.

But you-torn in half-kept falling. N's visor flashed red as his systems rebooted, his optics flickering online just in time to see what was going on.

"Y/N!" Uzi's voice rang out in sheer panic.

The wind roared around them. The tentacles writhed. Then, a glint of metal. The keys. They tumbled past her, down into the abyss.

A spark of an idea flickered across Uzi's mind. Her grip on N tightened. "Hey. Thanks for, like, everything. But I've got a sibling to save."

"Uzi!" N's voice cracked with urgency, but Uzi didn't wait.

She threw him up, boosting him toward safety-then, with surgical precision, she sliced through his legs with the falling keys, ensuring he couldn't be pulled back down.

Her visor flickered. "DIE MAD."

Then, with a final thruster-boosted shove, she launched N out of the cathedral.

As gravity claimed her, Uzi sank her teeth into one of the writhing tentacles, ripping through it with uranium-fueled force. The shockwave from the thrusters on her wings ignited, sending her rocketing downward, scanning for you with frantic eyes.

The darkness swallowed everything. Falling rubble clinked softly against her visor, but she ignored it. She cranked the thrusters to overdrive, tearing through the remaining tendrils, her body a blur of violet and white light as she spiraled deeper.

"C'mon, c'mon, where are you?!" Her optics darted through the abyss, scanning every inch of the void-until there. Half of you.

Uzi darted forward, her arms snapping around the right half of your body, clutching it against her chest.

"Found ya. Now where's the other hal-" A dull impact.

The left of you slammed into her, knocking her off balance. Uzi gasped but refused to let go, wrapping her arms around both halves, holding them together as if willing them to fuse. Darkness swallowed them whole.

Silence. Then, a slow, creeping sensation. Her optics flickered open. No gravity. No sound. Just an endless void stretching in every direction. Uzi's eyes widened. They weren't underground anymore. She was floating in space.

Below her, the shattered world of Copper 9 stretched out, its surface bathed in eerie yellow light. And at its center, a gaping, pulsing chasm-a glowing wound in the planet's core, blazing like a second sun.

The final phase had begun.