X44: The Bloodied Path

Fuzzy reality set in. Quinn was lying… right? He has to be, right? But already, the doubts slipped by, stabbing her mind. Kazuki was dying. The most irrational thing she had ever done was ignore the evidence to that conclusion. Of course, she would, because she has no idea what to do if he does. The cold demeanour that defined the school years before meeting Kaz and Archius slowly took hold. She should have known, the lack of robustness of his medinetics signalled that it was far from fully operational.

Her face fell blank. While she was having a small crisis, the battle continued, and Kazuki kept marching onwards. She extended her hand out - trying to think of something to say as she watched the key to the Ptolemy-1 Incident walk away from the camera.

No… This cannot be how it ends. Not here, she thought.

He seemed unphased by all the things happening around him as he reached the top of the stairs, exiting out onto another hallway, the doors sealing shut behind him. But then, the pristine vented walls were lit up with plasma as the Loyalists piled forward, trying to eliminate Kazuki. It was an ambush… She led him directly into an ambush. Worry and self-deprecating thoughts bled into her mind.

Despite all the pressures, she maintained her own composure. Her glistening eyes focused shortly after, the freezing logic of the years after Ptolemy-1 rearing its ugly wounds.

"—ocused," said Sato, breaking Eliza's train of thought.

"I… am focused," stated Eliza with a cold voice, not being focused whatsoever as she tried guiding Kazuki towards the reactor, highlighting waypoints incorrectly.

Kazuki kept fighting forward, killing each Loyalist put in his path. There must be a way for him to live, right? Kazuki had an emotionless glare as he continued fighting. She could feel his own acceptance of his fate. Yet she had to do something, if he doesn't: who will?! Would Eliza just let the key once again slip from her fingers? Absolutely not. It was just then that she, too, realised that was all she ever saw of him. She saw him as the key. She never truly saw him as Kazuki, because none of that mattered to her. As long as he was the key, she was fine with whatever he was. She felt dead on the inside.

'Eliza.' Kazuki started, 'You there?'

'Alright… Arbiter, keep going forward. You're close.' said Eliza, her voice colder as she still tried to process all the information that was being thrown at her. For all her talk to Lilly about treating them like her comrades, she had overlooked the one person that mattered the most to the investigation.

Eliza tried to focus, highlighting the reactor room whilst frantically removing all the clutter from her screen and mind. Kazuki stuck to the side of a small barricade.

'Thanks.' stated Kazuki, his ICAPAD sprawling up with information.

His cold voice struck her with an unusual sense of dread. Whatever he thought of in those moments, it crashed her down into the ground.

'Eliza. Look, it's going to be hard for you. But keep going.' stated Kazuki, hugging cover as he reloaded his railgun. 'If I make it out, we'll talk, alright?'

'How… Can I stay calm?' asked Eliza, 'You knew this was a one way trip, yet you still promised me… You made a contract with me!?"

'I—'

Kazuki froze in place for a moment, giving a Loyalist enough time to aim at him as his voice cut off. Sporadic uplink chatter filled the gaps as her head twisted to the camera system watching Kazuki. Blood was dripping out of an open wound on his right ear, piercing through his helm-mask. His uplink had been completely severed. Kazuki took cover whilst fighting. He looked back at his bloodied uplink as Eliza's dread increased.

What was he about to say? He was about to say something, right? Was it a clue? What was it?! She wanted to hear his voice, but now she can only ever watch him slowly die. Gritting her teeth, she stood up, coordinating forces with one hand and activating a remote drone panel as she took control of one of the many drone squads in the space station…

∗ ∗ ∗

Unnerving silence filled Kazuki's mind as the uplink was completely severed. His nerves cauterised on his ear, the uplink itself had shattered. The pain was unbearable… Fuck! The injector points on his nerves had completely been fried, sending ripples of searing, burning agony to his spinal column and brain. His whole nervous system was on fire…

Do or die, was now the time to act. He pushed himself out of cover, blood dripping down his face. Each step harrowed another explosion from the Phoenix's Fury, shielding the planet below.

Bolts smacked off his neck guard, the circuit bolts that hydraulically connected his helm-mask to his vest-plate took damage. Plasma scalded his old Clandestine patent plates as he threw himself into combat, stabbing and shooting a hall full of Loyalists. Slicing the first one in two, placing bolts in heads.

"Shit…" Kazuki trailed off as he took a shotgun blast to his legs, pellets flicking off his armour and pants.

His ANCHOR bracings shattered as he activated it, teleporting before he slit the throat of a Loyalist. Twisting around, he grappled and blasted the rest in the face with his WRIST-SHOT. Blood stained the walls as bodies of both security and Loyalists laid the way. The final Loyalist near the door charged at him. He threw them to the ground before crushing their windpipe, setting eyes on the blast door. He rushed forward, across the hall.

Placing his hand on the blast door's override level ,he pulled down. Blaring alarms sounded across the hall. Steam and gas started to vent out of the hydraulic movements. He felt his mind crash with panic as Loyalists turned up behind him. He ducked into cover beside a dead body as the Loyalists fired towards him. Five in total, a whole team of them.

His tongue was burning with steam. His gums burnt with scalding heat. Bolts flew past. Sparks shot off his exospine as he fired back - energy slowly seeping from his slowly withering body. His right leg shuddered as he leant on his knee.

"You want some of me…" Kazuki trailed off, vaulting over cover. His golden glare pierced their hearts, freezing them in place for a split second.

"SHIT. SHIT!" One Loyalist shouted as Kazuki grappled with them, snapping them out of the confusion. He threw them into the line of fire, watching them be gunned down in the confusion.

He ANCHORed again. Dragging his knives out, he jabbed them into two of the Loyalists, before throwing their corpses towards the two remaining left. Upon collision, Kazuki lobbed a dagger forward. His blades struck true, the Loyalists dropping dead. Casually, Kazuki walked over, and kicked his knives back up. He injected stims into his body, knowing his body had taken too much punishment. Blood, cuts and wounds covered him from his arms, legs, torso and his right ear.

He's relying on Lilly and Claire's forces to hold back anymore reinforcements. Communication was down, and no one was coming. This was less than preferable. He took his helmet-mask off as the oxygen tank fell empty. He dropped the mask and the tank onto the floor. Hot steam scalded his lips.

"Alright…" Kazuki approached the door, placing his hand on the manual opening mechanism. He tugged hard on it, feeling the hydraulics press against his gloved palm as gunshots echo throughout the facility, constantly reminding him of what is at stake. Success… is non negotiable.

He must kill Svenn, he has to stop him - at all costs. But he's too injured, his gear and exospine are running on fumes. He can't. But he must try. If he eliminates Svenn, the war will be over. But he knows that the probability of death is high… If he pulled his punches - if he was selfish - then they will all die. He cannot allow that. So he swallowed his dreams, and left them all for Eliza.

"Then let justice be done…" Kazuki trailed off, at any cost. At any cost, he repeated it to himself, convincing himself. So be it, he thought.

He was just about to touch his uplink, only to feel the sting of ripped flesh at his earside. It was still painful, but he knew he had to stay calm for someone. He looked towards the camera in the hall, he knows she'll get the message.

"Hey. I'll be seeing you, Eliza." Kazuki bit his tongue, letting every word seep through; he must sacrifice more, all of him if necessary. A second Ptolemy Incident is out of the question. For once, he dropped his memories, every accumulated debt, guilt, want and wish he's ever had. He dropped it; he'll pick it up later. All his selfish desires were gone… But still, one remained.

He couldn't tell her. How could he tell her that he killed Victoria? It was impossible, it didn't matter if it was a mercy killing - his irrationality spoke. Because the last thing he wants is for her to despise him. He pulled the door's mechanisms aside, the blast-door slammed open to reveal the reactor room.