“Tears and Reasons”

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In order to hate something, one must first love it. This is because dislike is spawned from an expectance that is unfulfilled and hate is that feeling to an extreme. Because one loves something or someone so deeply and then is given disappointment by rejection, he is taught to hate. However, one cannot love something if one is ignorant of its existence, and therefore, cannot hate it.

 

And so the question at hand is this; can one hate one’s parents for abandoning her at birth?

 

I just wanted to be able to love and be loved in return. However, it has taken me forever to realize that that is the greediest wish in the world.

 

...

 

“If it’s all dreams

Now wake me up

If it’s all real

Just kill me

I’m making the wall inside my heart

I don’t want to let my emotions get out

It scares me to look at the world

Don’t want to find myself lost in your eyes

I tried to drown my past in gray

I never want to feel more pain

Ran away from you without saying any words

What I don’t want to lose is love.”

---X Japan, “Art of Life”

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

The feathers fell in a soft hail of white snow. They always did now whenever Edge let himself ‘doze off.’ The angel, Adam, descended into his dreams, but he would not greet him warmly today. He felt neither awe nor reverence this time. Today, he was afraid.

Who was Adam? He still did not know. The angel had never told him. Clef had feared him, advised him to flee from his very presence, but Edge had been intrigued by the man, calmed by his words. Was it all a facade for some more sinister purpose? He had just learned of the demon who lived within Zero, so who was to say that the seraph was not merely one of the same?

 

“Adam...” he said. “Why are you doing this to me?” The sword techniques, Adam’s sword techniques, that he had used in battle were not his own. Why did he know them? More importantly, what did it all mean?

 

“I don’t understand,” said Adam. “Please elaborate.”

 

“Don’t screw with my head!” spat the young boy. No lies this time. Everything seemed to be a lie lately, or at the very least a sick twist of the truth. This time, he would get answers. “Clef warned me about you. Should I tell him that you’re still meeting me in my dreams?”

 

“That would be unfavorable for you,” said the angel sternly, resting the end of his long sword hilt at his feet. “Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be.”

 

“Then tell me what the hell is going on here!!!” roared Edge. His voice echoed infinitely through the vastness of black space, the dreamscape in which he met his tormentor. Adam was not in his usual nostalgic mood now. He was frowning in dismay. His wings did not ride an invisible wind today. Instead, they hung in the air like the foreboding blades of guillotines, waiting to descend upon their next victim.

 

“Don’t you see Edge?” said Adam gently. “It’s quite simple really. I am a part of you and you are a part of me.”

 

Edge blinked for a full minute as he sat there pondering what his words were supposed to mean. A metaphor? Or did Adam actually mean it literally?

“What are you talking about?!” he said. “That doesn’t make any sense! Don’t you start giving me some mystic mantra about magic, because that’s just impossible.”

 

“Oh no, it has nothing to do with magic. Maybe a little with G_O_D, but no magic. And you’re right, magic has been absent from the world of humans since the nuclear cataclysm. However, you need to understand two things before we continue. The first is that I am dead, and the second is that I never fulfilled my contract on this planet. And so, being that I have unfinished business here, my spirit is now reborn into your consciousness.”

 

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” said the young boy. “Do you expect me to believe all that crap about rebirth?”

 

“I think you should read up more on the earlier ages...” muttered Adam. “What about Tsukiyo Hikoken and Shogi? You met those two, at least. And the entire age of the legendary hero, Hashira? Those were filled with rebirths. Poor Yan, I’m afraid he received some of the worst treatment of all...”

 

“Yan of the legendary Kai’s age?” said Edge. Where was this all leading? “Kai, the slayer of Valkair, the Demon God?”

 

“One and the same. Yan was destined to become the next great hero, the bearer of the legendary Langrissor blade. Unfortunately, Kuroko’s attempt to break the world changed all that and he ended up becoming a general for the Dragoon empire. Sad, really. Kai’s life was changed too, poor man. His wife suddenly disappearing from his small circle of existence, his entire cause thousands of years lost. His new life was not for the better.”

 

“And they all stayed because they never finished whatever purpose had been drawn out before their deaths,” said Edge.

 

“Correct,” said Adam. “Sometimes G_O_D grants a person a second chance if they are worthy enough. I suppose I was able to fit the bill nicely enough to earn a new life.”

 

So the seraph really was a part of himself, just like Zero’s other spirit.

“But you’re not really alive, are you?” said the young boy. “You’re a part of my existence.”

 

“That was not my choice,” said Adam. “If anything, it probably just means that your soul will end up guiding me to what I was looking for.”

 

“And just what were you looking for before you died?”

 

Adam paused and furrowed his brow in thought. He seemed to be contemplating something secretive. So he did have his mysteries, his little secrets that he didn’t wish Edge to know. Could he be a servant of the Demon God, Valkair behind the facades?

“I can’t tell you right now,” he said. “There are a lot of things I can’t tell you now, but you’ll realize them in time.”

 

“Damn it!” shouted Edge. He was getting frustrated. This was leading about in circles and he was getting dizzy. Was he in the middle of some elaborate ‘god-game?’ “So what then? Am I already fated to do something, is that it? Is that why you were placed in me and not somebody else? Do I really have no free will, is that why you won’t give me answers?!”

 

“The things I tell you are told for a reason,” said Adam sternly. “Do you believe me to be omnipotent? I am not. I know only that I am a part of you and that I am to teach you what I have already learned. I am here to show you this life spread out before you.”

 

Edge sank down to his knees in exhaustion. So this is what it all meant? He had no future? The decision of whether or not he found the Temple of Ordeal was already written out in the handbook of an omnipotent being? His quest was all for naught, his destiny, his life had been written out from the start and Adam was Death’s Angel, guiding him on the path into the abyss.

 

Adam’s hand was suddenly resting comfortingly on his shoulder, and he looked upwards into the eyes of the seraph. Why him? Why a robot’s soul instead of a human’s? Why trouble him with all this?

 

“Please don’t take this all the wrong way,” said the angel. “There is no such thing as fate. It is only used as a word to characterize the directions in which gods wish to guide certain people. G_O_D is not perfect, contrary to popular belief. He is just as human as you and I.”

 

Edge stared first at Adam’s wings, then at his own metallic gauntlets. Slowly, his fingers reached up to trace the government brand on his left cheek. What a sick reference to make. “And just how human are you and I?” he said wearily. “I haven’t even found the Temple yet...”

 

“You’re more human than you could ever imagine. You’re just young, you’ll learn in time.”

 

He paused. Still young. What was that supposed to mean?

 

“I’m here to teach you, Edge,” said Adam. “That is my purpose, my gift to you. I will guide you on your quest to learn what it is like to become a human being. As for myself, maybe you’ll eventually be able to give me something I need as well.”

 

“Teach me,” echoed Edge. That was the angel’s purpose. And so why did he need to learn? Or did his own ignorance answer that question? Could you teach somebody to be human? Wasn’t the answer hidden in the Temple of Ordeal alone?

“I have nothing to give you in return...”

 

Adam smiled as he rose, hefting his huge blade lightly.

“You are bountiful,” was all he said, and his wings fluffed lightly as he turned to walk away. “We are all part of one world, one mind, one soul. Does free will really exist? I think so. Others don’t, and they are the ones who miss out in life. But we are all individuals, different facets of the same jewel, all part of the same universe. When the world finally comes together, when God becomes man and man becomes God, you will see. Here is your answer Edge; I am a part of you.”

 

“You are part of me...” he whispered. “So is my life inconsequential? Do I merely serve as a host for you and your goals?”

 

“I am a seraph looking for resolution,” said Adam’s fading voice. The wings once again floated on an invisible wind and the darkness was slowly carved away by the blade that created its own light.

“You are a child taking your first steps into the world...”

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“And so, it has begun,” said Prophet solemnly, gazing out over perfect lines of mechanical soldiers in the great auditorium. Each and every one of them knew that they were a person now. Each and every one of them had discovered that they too could have lives, just like their former masters. Now they had aligned themselves under his rule. Soon, the cleansing would begin.

 

“Prophet-sama,” said Houjou, his new general, entering the room. “Armaments have been properly distributed among the ranks. They are ready to disperse on your mark.”

 

Prophet nodded grimly. They were still green with inexperience, but their eager spirits would make them strong. They needed only to be guided by his strategic brilliance.

“And how many do we have at our disposal?” he said stiffly.

 

“Approximately three-thousand-six-hundred-and-twenty-four units,” replied Houjou. “One third of those could easily be designated Omega-class, the highest ranked. If it did so please you, you could most likely attack the WNHR immediately with favorable results.”

 

Prophet whirled about in anger.

“NO!” he shouted, straightening his posture in an effort to dignify himself. “No, not yet. Maybe those souls down there are soldiers, but they are souls nonetheless. They will not die fruitlessly. I have already promised that to myself. When this is all over and we are liberated, they shall be able to make homes for themselves, communities, families. If all that is left after this war is destruction, then we have fought for nothing! I am not like the humans, treating their warriors like mere animal bait. Those are people down there and I intend to fight directly by their side until the bitter end!”

 

“Ah,” said the officer. “As do I. Excuse my suggestion---”

 

“No, no,” said Prophet. “Don’t apologize like that. That’s not what I’m trying to promote. I don’t want a conforming empire. I want to create a utopia of independence. I appreciate your comments, give them to me whenever you feel necessary.”

 

Houjou gave a faint smirk and nodded as his master turned to address his army. This was it, the first step into the void of curiosity. Today, all of them would advance closer to the mysterious light of freedom.

“My fellow androids,” he boomed, his voice carrying far through the complex. “Today we begin the liberation of our people! We are not mere marionettes for the humans to play with at their leisure. We have our own free will. Our masters would like to deny us that by proclaiming us insane, but no more. Human ignorance and hatred will plague the world as long as their race lives, so the only reasonable answer is genocide! We do this not because we are bitter, but only to protect the welfare of our kind. As long as there are humans, our lives will be in danger of enslavement for the purpose of petty power struggles between their own numbers. There is no consideration for our needs and wants in this model, thus, we must put an end to it all by declaring war on the human race, starting with the town Dollet in SenShuBaan. The WNHR is our main enemy, but we shall not attack them yet. I want you all to have experience on the battlefield when we make the final strike! I will not send you out like cattle to the slaughter, as the humans do to their children! When we strike, we will be strong and we shall win!!!”

 

Cheers rose up from the armor-clad warriors beneath him and Prophet took in a deep breath at the exhilaration of his speech.

 

It had begun.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“Dollet, eh?” muttered Double. “I still say it would have been better to stop in a larger town, more selection to choose from.”

 

“Quit complaining!” said Yoshime. “It’s not like any of the stuff we need is for you anyways! We need food and rest. Iesu and I are human, you know.”

 

“Still, you could have waited just a little longer,” grumbled Double. “At this rate, we’re never going to reach the Temple...”

 

“Shaddup~!” she shouted. “Do you think I want to be here too?!” She glanced at the small town around the hovercraft in disdain. “But I don’t know. Something about this place just doesn’t feel right.”

 

“Don’t worry,” said Iesu. “We’ll be off soon enough. We just need to find a shop and get the stuff we need.”

 

Asimov sat silently in the back, wondering how the group could make such a closely-knit fighting team when they argued so much. And now he was a part of their ranks. Why? He could just give himself the logical answer, that he was running from Toy, but he knew that wasn’t it. If he was merely running, then he would have at least spared his new companions the pain of supporting a traitor. No, he had wanted to go with them. Somebody in particular had convinced him... Zero. So what was she to him? Why did he feel attached to her, or maybe it was she who was attached to him. He wanted to defend her even when she didn’t need it, and why would she need anybody to protect her now that she could wield the power of a demon of hell? Why couldn’t he identify what was going on?

 

“Ne ne, Asi!” said Zero, tugging on his arm. She had practically glued herself to him for the entire trip from the border. “Can we go stop for a snack while Yoshime goes shopping?”

 

She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes and he found himself wanting to laugh. Was he so easily persuaded to do her bidding? So easily coerced into fulfilling her desires? A second look into her pools of shimmering water gave him an answer; he truly was a sucker.

 

“Sure,” he said as brightly as he could. He wasn’t especially used to being nice. His job description didn’t really apply that particular trait to his daily routine. Still, he could try, for her if nothing else. “Uh, I don’t exactly have any money though.” He forgot that human society bartered with things of monetary value. He could just as easily take what he needed by force, but that wouldn’t be right. Zero probably wouldn’t like that.

 

“Ah, don’t worry about that!” said the pigtailed girl brightly, holding up a small pouch. “I got my own wallet!”

 

“Where the hell did you get that?!” shouted Double, swiveling about in his seat. “You didn’t... you couldn’t have---”

 

“Border soldiers aren’t exactly all that careful with their money, especially when they’re not conscious!” she said slyly, adding a wink at the end.

 

Kouryuu smacked herself in the forehead with the palm of her hand.

“You stole from dead soldiers!?” she said wildly.

 

“Well, not like they needed it anymore...” muttered Zero innocently.

 

“But still, the mere idea of... ARGH~! You sacrilegious little---!”

 

“Oi, oi, Keep it down back there! Some of the townspeople are starting to stare!”

 

Asimov chuckled to himself. Indeed, how did they manage to get along so well?

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Iesu had protested vehemently when Yoshime shoved him, Kouryuu, and Double off to shop for food, but he eventually set about to his task. She had much better things to do, like scope out the latest steals at the black market! Besides, it gave her an excuse to have a bit of free time with Edge. He almost always seemed to be absorbed in training with Clef these days. Well, luckily that little compact encyclopedia was back guarding the hovercraft along with Terpfen today. Now it was just the two of them. A little peace at last.

 

“Ne, Edge!” said Yoshime. “Is there anything you wanted to buy? I mean, we can pretty much get anything we want here in market!”

 

“Huh?” said Edge in confusion. “I thought we were going this way because you needed some spare parts for the hovercraft.”

 

Yoshime laughed out loud. He could be so gullible at times, just like a little kid. If he was going to survive in this world, he needed to be just a tad more cynical.

“Nah, I lied,” she said. “I wanted to get Iesu off my back for once. He acts too overprotective sometimes. Besides, you’ve never really had any kind of break since I met you. It’s been travel here, fight this, run from that. Today, I think you should relax and enjoy yourself.”

 

The young boy slowly smiled and gave a short laugh. Why did he always have to be so shy about things? Or maybe he was just dense. Sometimes it was hard to tell.

“I guess that would be nice,” he said. “But what is there to do? I’ve never really studied what humans do for fun.”

 

Yoshime set a finger on her chin as she set about to think of something properly pointless to waste their time for an hour or two. There was always gambling, but that wasn’t really a sport she should introduce him to. Too addictive, wasted too much cash, and it could develop an Double-esque personality to boot. The video arcades were always nice, but this was a small town and most likely wouldn’t hold very many attractions of the such. Of course, there was always the random wandering and shopping expedition...

 

Her train of thought was abruptly broken as she ran headfirst into the chest of man in his fifties. Both stumbled back and Yoshime quickly brought herself to a quick recovery from the encounter. Behind the man, a woman of about the same age pulled her scarf a little closer when she spotted Edge. Poor old couple, most people never lived to such an age in this world, at least not outside government protection. ‘They must be scared to death,’ Yoshime suddenly thought, realizing that she still had a pair of her specially engineered magnum handguns sticking out of her backpack. The presence of a branded government mecha probably didn’t help the situation much.

 

“Excuse me!” said Yoshime quickly as she backed away. She may not be the nicest person around, but he knew when something was her fault. Losing herself in thought tended to be a rather bad habit. “I didn’t mean to...”

 

“That’s all right,” chuckled the man. He had a rather cheery disposition, made all the more inviting by a thick mustache lined with white hairs. He wore a rather plain hat as well as thick coat of cheap material, obviously not the most fortunate of citizens. The woman behind him, now stepping beside her partner, was dressed in a similar fashion, except her hair was curled up behind a cloth handkerchief. “Nobody got hurt,” continued the old man. “Where were you off to in such a hurry anyways?”

 

“Just going to the market for some food,” lied Yoshime. Childlike innocence always seemed the best route to take when encountering adults.

 

“Hey, Yoshime,” whispered Edge off to the side. “I thought you said---OOMF~!”

 

Yoshime’s elbow to Edge’s gut put a quick end to his words and she flashed an embarrassed smile to the elderly couple.

“Aha,” she sputted out. “My mech is still... er, getting used to his corazon chip. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

 

“You have a mech with a corazon chip?!” exclaimed the man. “How could you afford that?”

 

“Actually, I found and repaired him myself!” said Yoshime proudly. No harm in admitting the truth. Besides, even if these people could pose a possible threat to her, she had faced far worse before she met her green-haired companion.

 

“Really?” said the man. “Then you must truly be a talented young woman.”

 

Yoshime beamed. It was fairly rare that she received praise for her work, so this person’s words were a soothing calmness to her ever-fiery ego. She never expected such decent people to still exist in this world of horrible cynics. Most really did need to let go of their petty moral standards just to live in such a wasteland, but these two had proved her ideology wrong...

 

“That’s a pretty locket you have there,” said the woman rather abruptly. “Where did you get such a trinket?”

 

Yoshime’s train of thought was suddenly cut in half. Her locket. She looked down, trying to keep her smile on her face. That small gold heart on a golden chain, the only thing she had kept for herself her entire life. Even in the government testing facilities where they had surgically inserted her mental implants, she still remembered holding the small piece of jewelry, caressing it as if it was part of her soul. She never did find out what it was supposed to mean and the picture space inside had always been empty. Maybe she still kept it for the sheer sake of finding the persons who gave it to her.

 

“It was…” started Yoshime. “…a gift. I’ve had it all my life.”

The woman nodded calmly, but the old man’s friendly demeanor sudden froze with terror. His paled face quickly turned to the woman and hastily whispered something in her ear. She nodded with a tinge of a sad smile, and turned back to address a confused Yoshime.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said. “My husband really isn’t feeling well. We have to get going.”

The old man nodded and without even waiting for a reply, the two turned about and made their way in the opposite direction. Yoshime stopped herself in the middle of the street and placed her hands on her hips in irritation and puzzlement. What had scared them off so suddenly? The locket? No, it couldn’t have been. Was it Edge? Maybe it had just dawned on them what Edge really was, but that was unlikely. Most people usually didn’t have enough technical expertise to recognize different mech types. So what could it have been that spooked them badly enough to run away?

 

The young boy cautiously tapped his companion on the shoulder.

“Uh, Yoshime,” he said. “Shouldn’t we get going? We’re sort of…blocking traffic.”

 

Yoshime snapped out of her dream-like trance and was brought back to the reality of the busy market street, of which she and Edge were standing in the middle of. She had to learn to stop doing that. Still, the way that old man just freaked out was rather unnerving. Was there something she didn’t know? Were they in danger? Sighing deeply, she shoved her worries to the side. No time to worry about that now, she had promised Edge that this would be their day to relax and party!

 

“Come on!” said Yoshime. Grabbing a bewildered Edge’s hand and dragging him off into the crowded midst of the marketplace, she vowed to herself not to go off daydreaming while she showed him the best time of his life.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“Thank you so much, Asi~!” said Zero happily, taking a huge bite off the top of jumbo size ice cream cone. “Delicious! You sure you don’t want any?”

 

Asimov nodded with a smile, and the pigtailed android merely shrugged and chomped away, all the while latching onto his arm. Good thing he had been able to scrap up some change of his own. It wasn’t much of a treat unless he paid for it. They had found a small ice cream parlor within a run-down tavern, allowing Zero the snack that she had been craving. Now the two of them were sitting lazily at the bar while she ate her treat. She certainly liked sweets, didn’t she? Not that they could possibly do her any harm, or benefit for that matter. Within an hour or two all of the organic components she digested would be completely broken down and released into the air. She did know that, right? Right? Or was she truly ignorant of everything around her sans her own life? Was she truly that immature? And if so, was that a good thing? All of his life, he had lived in pain, guilt, and regret because he had gained knowledge. Did that mean ignorance was bliss?

 

Asimov stole a quick glance to his companion, and she stared up at him almost admiringly, a chocolate mustache gracing her upper lip. He couldn’t help but laugh as he whipped the sticky substance away with his finger. She was something special, stronger and more resilient than any machine that Toy’s factory had ever churned out. In her world, she had found true happiness. Despite the hell that had taken over the planet, she had found solace in her own imagination. That had been his own youth as well, hadn’t it? The five seconds since his conception in which he had no responsibilities weighing down his soul. And then what? He became a soldier, a slave. But she was free, she was flying away on the phoenix’s wings of flame. And he would protect her, he had to. Something that precious deserved a perfect chance at life.

 

 

“Hey! We don’t like stray mecha in the bar. Go take your shit outside!”

 

 

Asimov turned around on his barstool to face the chest of man who had at least two feet on him. He was rugged, the mercenary type, wearing roughly woven pants and a tight ‘muscle-shirt.’ A large handgun was slung at his waist and the look in his beady eyes said that he was only too eager to use it. Most likely not the bright type, otherwise he would have at least recognized what class android he and Zero were. Or one who held personal hygiene in high regard. It was probably a blessing that he could just shut that unwanted information out at will.

The man advanced on Zero quite suddenly, grabbing her by the shoulder and swinging her around. The pigtailed girl merely watched in disappointed disdain as the top of her ice cream cone flew off onto the floor.

 

“Hey! Did you hear me, bitch?” snarled the man. “Get your little golden-boy---” motioning to Asimov. “--- out of here. He’s taking up space.”

 

“My ice cream...” mumbled Zero mournfully. Asimov could see that she was almost on the verge of tears. The man’s shouting was helping any.

 

“Didn’t you hear me?!” the man roared, bringing back an open hand to slap her. “Get your fucking sh---!” He stopped in mid-sentence just as Asimov snatched his flying palm in the air. His grip was firm, unmovable, and it was scaring the hell out of the poor thug.

 

“Don’t touch her,” he growled. He applied a little pressure to his grip, crushing the bones in the man’s wrist and causing him to grimace and whine in pain. Why did he feel so viciously obligated to protect Zero whereas every other ‘job’ in his life was mere routine? Perhaps there was something more to it than merely the treats and arm grabbing. He would protect her. “I will hit back.”

 

“Eh? What’s this? The golden boy here has a brain?” mocked the man even as a thin sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead. The warrior noticed that a crowd had begun to gather around them. This could get ugly. “You like wearing that? It makes you look like fucking faggot!” His hand was moving around from the back of his belt. Did he think Asimov didn’t notice that blade he was withdrawing? “Here, lemme help you carve it off!!!”

 

The knife swung around at full force, but it stopped an inch from Asimov’s temple. The confused thug brought his arm back and stabbed again, but the same thing happened. Asimov finally grabbed the remaining wrist with his other hand and leered down at his hapless target.

“Would you like to know why your knife isn’t working?” he said coldly. “I’m siphoning kinetic energy from the motion of molecules around me, turning it into a more solid form for me to use against the motion of your weapon. Not that I would expect someone with your brainpower to understand what I just said…”

 

“You little fucker! Eat this!!!” roared the thug, thrusting his foot forward in a vain attempt to attack his captor. Asimov merely tugged one of the man’s arms beneath the leg and hefted the man off balance. For a split second, the thug seemed to hover in place. The next, the golden warrior spun around with a roundhouse to his gut, sending him through the window and across the street.

Chaos erupted in the bar as the crowd went into a mass hysteria and mobbed the golden-haired android. They weren’t much of a challenge for Asimov’s highly sharpened fighting skills, but their sheer numbers did begin to present problems. Finishing a half-moon cresent kick and launching his stopping foot into a forward gut kick, he suddenly wondered where Zero was amongst this mess. Whirling back the bar while keeping an energy shield up to protect him from blows, he had to force himself to swallow.

 

“My ice cream...” said Zero faintly. She was standing now, but swaying unsteadily, almost as if in a trance. It was the eyes that alerted Asimov the most, the burning glare of a devil. So she changed with anger? This could present problems.

 

Zero gently tilted her head upwards and her entire body tensed with what she saw.

“You’re attacking Asi...” Flame suddenly began to flare from her hands and shoulders. Armor began an instantaneous metamorphosis into a killing machine and Asimov considered his options. Sure, it was now Zero who had full control of the demon’s powers, but was she mature enough to use them properly? Would he be safe?

 

An eerie scream tore through the building, shattering glass and concrete with high frequency sound waves. The entire crowd stopped trying to kill Asimov and suddenly realized the terror that stood before them.

“I’ll protect Asi...” breathed Zero. The bar suddenly exploded with fire as she began to let loose her inferno. “I won’t forgive you!”

 

Asimov vainly dove out of the way as the entire building exploded like a volcano…

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“Pathetic, isn’t it Houjou?” said Prophet flatly as he watched smoke rise from the sudden explosion in the town of Dollet. “Humans can’t even get along with their own kind. What a disgusting waste of resources...”

 

“I’m sure it will soon change for the better,” said Houjou, charging his energy batteries. “The troops are ready. Shall I order the attack to begin?”

 

Prophet turned back to the perfect rows of android soldiers that were under his command, people whom had placed their futures in his hand. Did they even see the risks they were taking or were they too young to tell the difference? At any rate, this first fight would show them what war was going to be like, beyond the data of tactics and formations in their brains. They had a right to know what they were stepping into. The cruelty of the creature known as the human being, deceiving mere children into fighting their inane crusades! Propaganda and advertisement, those were their weapons of deception.But he would not lie to his troops. This first fight was simple, easy, and strategically a pushover. Yet, there would casualties and the ones left alive would mourn for their fallen in the midst of reality. If they wanted to leave now he would not stop them, for they had every right to follow their own path as he did. But most would stay, yes, most would stay to fight on. Not because they had nothing else, not because they were too scared to do otherwise, but because they would realize amongst the bloodshed that the pain they inflicted and took was only a small wound taken for the greater cause. They would realize themselves, not through some flashy poster, that they were fighting for that merchant’s mech on the sidestreet, the robotic officer patrolling the alleyways, and the food dispenser in the café. Now that they were their own person, eyes opened to the lie of insanity, they would see what a prison the real world really was, and they would fight on their own free wills in order to gain their independence.

 

“Shin, watch me now,” whispered Prophet. “With God as my witness, I shall prevail. I am but a new Adam, no, a Noah, to lead the last of the pure creatures into the utopia of a new generation.” What a perversely gross metaphor to use, only this time, he would cause the flood of destruction himself.

 

He addressed the crowd now, raising his fist high into the air and splitting the silence with a hum of gravitational energy.

“Come now. Our future is before us, ripe for the harvest. Let us claim its fruit and bask in its everlasting light!”

 

Cheers rose up around him as waves of minions swarmed down into the town. Their formations appeared scattered, but in reality the shape was all part of a massive tactical campaign controlled by one of the computers back at their encampment. They were linked as one in their mission. That was the way it should be.

 

Prophet smiled grimly as the air exploded around him. Slowly, his body de-gravitized itself and floated up into the air. And slowly, he swooped down upon his human prey, imploding their weak bodies in the endless abyss of the black hole.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Terpfen’s sensors immediately caught the massive energy fluxuations just as the first screams of terror began to ring out in the distance. Clef was also on his feet, watching a sudden fiery explosion that had just risen up over the rooftops.

 

“Those are fluxuations in the gravitational spectrum,” he said solemnly. “Is Edge trying to incite trouble?”

 

“It’s not Edge,” said the nuclear device. “Wavelength patterns are slightly longer than his, lower frequency. Subject obviously has less expertise in using his or her powers. Analysis: subject must be a separate wielder of the gravitational weapons system. Hypothesis: subject is a new government prototype.”

 

“Interesting proposal. But the WNHR hasn’t made a reliable version of those models yet, so who could we possibly be facing?”

 

Terpfen’s computers continued to analyze the fluxes in the electromagnetic spectrum as he searched for an answer. The differences between these and Edge’s were so incredibly minor, both in magnitude levels and actual usage, that he could come to only one conclusion.

 

“Subject is nearly identical to Edge in battle style,” said Terpfen. “This may be due to similar battle data. Since it would be illogical to consider Edge a traitor at this point because of a lack of motive, it must be hypothesized that the subject is a doppleganger.”

 

“A clone?” mused Clef. He turned back towards the mayhem that was exploding all over town. “This is unexpected.”

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“What the hell is this?!” exclaimed Double as masses of androids suddenly poured out from side alleys and began turning their weapons loose on the townspeople. In seconds, the usually tranquil food market was turned into a bloody war zone and they were stuck in the middle. Kouryuu was already fingering the handles of swords but poor Iesu just looked up from choosing rations with the most bewildered look on his face.

 

“I recognize those country markings, those are Sagawa’s mecha!” shouted the assassin as his body sharpened into blades. “Did that bastard double-cross us?!”

 

“Impossible,” said Kouryuu. “He wouldn’t send this many troops after us. He’s too cheap for that! Besides, he’s much smarter than to be this blatant about his business. Just keep your mind on protecting the innocents for now, we’ll sort out the details later!”

 

She dashed forward to her first unsuspecting victim and grabbed his head. Using her momentum to flip completely over her target, Kouryuu slipped one of her blades through the mech’s chest as she landed, adding an extra plasma burst for effect to blow out its systems from within.

“Huh,” she hummed, withdrawing her first sword and unsheathing her second. “They aren’t that hard to take down, but they have numbers!”

 

One of the enemy mecha suddenly went wild with the death of his comrade.

“Traitors!!!” he roared. “They protect the humans while slaying their own kind! Kill them in the name of Prophet!” He rushed forward with a plasma sword in hand, but in a sudden rush of air Double abruptly landed beside him and sliced him in two.

 

“Corazon chip mecha,” he said grimly. “All of them. This could get really nasty, really fast.”

 

“Who the hell is this Prophet guy?” asked Kouryuu.

 

“Who knows? Never heard of the freak,” replied the killer. Scores of android warriors were circling around the two now, and Double had to force himself to keep standing. These were worse odds than he had ever met in his whole campaign. Government trained mecha with brains were tough opponents no matter which way you looked at them. If only they had some kind of distraction.

 

From out of nowhere, Iesu suddenly popped up with his cross in hand, whirling the weapon like a bo-staff and smacking three of the robots in the back of the head at once. A miracle? A shot out of left field? Maybe, but Double was thankful enough.

 

“You little shit!” cursed one of the victims. “Damn human, I’ll show you to---!” He never had a chance to finish, Double’s right forearm already through the mech’s throat, his body lashing out wildly in a tornado of blades. In the center of it all, Iesu held his staff ready as if he could take on the world.

 

“Thanks, kid,” said Double. “I needed that break!”

 

“Don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself,” said Iesu. “If we have this much trouble on our hands, what’s going on with the others?”

 

Double tried to assess the full situation as he sliced down the ranks of another line of opponents. A quick glance to the side told him that his rebel sidekick was just as overwhelmed as he was. If he and Kouryuu were overpowered right now, could even Edge handle this much fighting at once?

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“Asi ~!” Zero tugged a dazed Asimov out of the rubble of the demolished bar with worry on her face. “Are you alright?”

 

Asimov gently lifted his head as his visual sensors adjusted. Was she stronger than before? At any rate, he felt as though his brain had just been fried a dozen times over, the backlash from her little outburst rocking his consciousness. Something else was also tugging on his mind though, motion on his radar. Targets in the dozens. And him with his guard down.

 

“Damn,” he cursed, shifting his weight, swinging his legs under him and standing in his battle stance. Battle mecha, government-class battle mecha, were literally tearing the town apart all around him.

 

“Asimov~~~~!” whined Zero.

 

Suddenly remembering about his companion, Asimov turned his head to her and gave a quick smile. “I’m fine,” he said. “But we have to worry about all these other mechs. Do you know where they came from?”

 

“I dunno,” said Zero. “I wasn’t really paying attention.”

 

He sighed deeply just as a rifle barrel was suddenly brought to his forehead. Glancing about showed him that they were completely surrounded.

 

“Intelligence reports that there are some renegade units in the city,” growled the mech holding Asimov at gunpoint. “I don’t see you, or her for that matter, slaughtering any humans. Who are you? Are you aligned with those rebels on the other side of town?”

 

Other rebels? Slaughtering humans? What was this guy talking about? Asimov quickly tried to reason who his attackers were. Corazon chip mecha, that much swas for sure, but why so many at once? Most countries usually wouldn’t waste their resources so frivolously, unless... could Toy have already started an extermination plan? Was this huge masquerade meant to track down and kill he, Asimov, for betraying his alliance? At any rate, he should consider his options later and fight his way out for now.

 

“What the--?!” exclaimed the soldier, feeling his entire body go limp. Metal literally turned to ice as Asimov sucked every last drop of kinetic energy from his opponent’s body, the empty shell shattering like glass as it pitched forward and hit the ground. Leave them no place for an opening. The energy he had just absorbed was immediately released as his fist crashed into the jaw of another robot, sending him flying into the air like a rocket as he released everything at once. Weight shifted, he swung backwards with a full cresent kick and then again with low sweep kick. It really didn’t matter where he focused his attack anymore, there were always more than enough to take the fallen’s place.

“Damn!” he cursed as he felt bullets dig into his side. Careless. He was getting far too confident for the odds that were against him. Standard military strategy stated that the one with the most numbers was the victor all things considered equal, and he was trying to oppose that rule with arrogance.

 

“Defiler!!!” roared one of the mecha, slashing his shoulder with a laser sword. “Die in the name of the Lord Prophet!”

The golden warrior was lashing out wildly now, rechanneling kinetic energy again and again to protect himself from blows, but he was finally beginning to feel the exhaustion in his energy supply. He wouldn’t be able to last too long.

 

“Leave Asimov alone!” shouted a low female voice. Asimov raised his head with a jerk. Was that Zero?  A red blur suddenly swooped down on the mecha, slashing them with razor talons and burning their circuits with hellfire. As his absorbtion aura automatically took in parts of Zero’s battle system, time slowed down enough for him to recognize his pigtailed savior decked out in full demon battle armor. Interesting how the voice and attitude changes hadn’t been an initial side-effect when she had first received her new power. How much influence did the demon in her have? How much change would Zero have to go through? It almost seemed to be a perverse process of instantaneous maturity...

 

Flame trailed in the air as the Demoness traced out a pentagram, gathering magical energy for a spell.

“You’re already dead,” she breathed as a red aura flared with life. Living flame suddenly changed into tendrils of darkness that sliced through their prey like daggers, and she stood amongst it all, feeding upon her their suffering. She never noticed the one bearing down on her from behind with an armor-breaker.

 

“You’re getting careless,” said Asimov, cutting down the android before it had a chance to attack. Zero’s demon bloodlust aura was surprisingly revitalizing, at least enough so to give him the energy he needed to protect his companion’s back. “Quit worrying about me for once and worry about yourself.”

 

Zero whirled on him angrily. All of their opponents were down now, but he suddenly worried if he should worry about the possibly threat she might pose. Was the demon in her strong enough to spur her to such violence? Grabbing him by the collar, the shorter android hefted him easily into the air and he had little choice but to patient awaited whatever retribution she would decide to deal next...

To his surprise, he received a light kiss in the nose before being dropped to the ground. So surprised was he, that he lost footing and fell on his rear. By the time he looked up, Zero had reverted back to normal and was blushing wildly. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Did she even realize how her demeanor changed when she unleashed her demon power? No, she didn’t, did she? And that was probably for the better, less of a burden on her soul. What did he do when she figured out she was a killing machine? He couldn’t deal with it. Better for her to never know the true nature of her alternate identity.

 

“You’re so funny, Asi,” she said with a wide smile. Grabbing his arm with both hands, she lifted him to his feet and latched onto his arm. “Ne~! There’s nothing left to do here, let’s go find Edge and Yoshime! They always get all the interesting stuff!”

 

“Ah,” agreed Asimov passively, but his mind had focused back on their attackers. The Prophet? Who was that? He knew the names and surnames of every major ruler, rebel, and major military force on Akuji, but none matched such as the Prophet. Maybe the others knew what was going on.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Kouryuu swung her energy blades around in a whirlwind of blows, leaving behind a faint trail of crackling plasma. She had to get back to Double. Being separated simply left both of them open in too many places, especially with Iesu to protect.

 

“Double!!!” she shouted, tossing him her laser wire. Electric signals exchanged between the two and by the time the assassin caught the line, he knew the plan she had in mind.

 

“Gotcha, Kou!” replied Double. “Duck, Iesu!”

Iesu hit the ground as Double reeled in the wire and began to spin around as fast as he could. Kouryuu kept one hand clenched on her line but made careful aim with her sword arm. Three revolutions took care of most of the soldiers within the radius of her swing, and Kouryuu quickly skidded to a halt on the other side of the cross-wielding boy.

 

“Not bad,” hummed Double. “But there’s way too many of them for us to handle like this. This is one time I’d actually appreciate the help of that walking bomb factory we got back in Shirinkusu.”

 

“Shut up, you wuss!” muttered Kouryuu. “I thought you were the one always boasting how tough you are.”

 

“Hey, hey~!” said Double. “Those were under different conditions! I mean, this is just utterly---CHKK!”

 

“Quit screwing around Double!” said the rebel. No answer. “Double?”

 

“K... Kouryuu...” said Iesu uneasily, tugging at Kouryuu’s arm. She turned around to only to find her companion no longer in his defensive position. Instead, he was down at the other end of the street, completely immobilized by some sort of energy surge.

 

“Double!” she shouted, starting forward. Half their forces down. Bad. Very bad.

 

 

“Poor deluded fool. I would worry more about yourself than your incapacitated friend.”

 

 

She turned back to find herself staring at a green-haired android floating weightlessly in the air under its own power. The red armor was unmistakable. The energy signature in the air easily classified the mech’s powers. So why didn’t it seem like him?

“Edge?” whispered Kouryuu. There was something different, the scar where his brand had been, the look in his eyes. Fear suddenly gripped her wildly, threatening to tear her apart. “No, it’s not you, is it?”

 

“I have no idea who this Edge fool of yours is,” said the green-haired mech coldly. “I am the Prophet. You have betrayed your kind to the humans. Die.”

 

A wall of gravitational force slammed into her, propelling her body backwards several hundred meters before the friction of the buildings she crashed through brought her to a grinding halt. She had to get up, Iesu was still back there. Desperately, she forced her legs to bring her to her feet, forced her hands to grip her blades and ready them for battle.

 

“Iesu...” she whispered. She blacked out after the second wave washed over her, knocking her past her fallen partner...

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“So what should we do with this one, Prophet-sama?” questioned Houjou, holding a flailing Iesu up by the neck. “Kill him like the others?”

 

“He is aligned with these rebels,” said the dictator coldly. What trash, he thought. This corrupt young boy, the epitome of his enemy. “This might be rather fitting,” he laughed. Air shimmered as Iesu’s wooden stake drove itself into the ground and the young boy was held across the X in a crucifixion. “How much old folklore of this world do you know, boy? Do know this one, of the Son of God who died on a cross to pay for the sins of his kind?” Prophet’s hand gathered solidified energy into a razor sharp blade. “Will you die for the sins of your kind?”

 

The boy spat blood to one side and stared at his opponent defiantly. A foreign anger was burning in his eyes now, something he had not exhibited before.

“You fool!” he hissed. “You don’t know what you’re doing!! Do you even know who I am?”

 

“Does it matter?” said Prophet in a dismissive matter. “You’re human, that’s all I care about right now.”

 

“I have powerful contacts,” said Iesu through clenched teeth. “My death will only bring about your own destruction.”

 

Prophet merely smiled as he brought his hand up, fully prepared to shove it through the poor boy’s heart. Then he stopped, distracted and stunned by what he saw. Was it a hallucination? No, it wasn’t. His eyes saw true. For a brief second, the boy’s eyes had... something had flown just in front of his irises, like black specks of dirt. Like a distortion. But it couldn’t have happened. It wasn’t human. Magic? Impossible. The records he had recorded from the base stated that magic had been lost from human hands before even the nuclear cataclysm. At any rate, this was not a natural occurrence. Just who was this boy anyways? Somebody aligned with mecha powerful enough to down three full lines of soldiers, it simply was not something that one found everyday. This whole situation reeked of some greater plot that was invisible to his eyes and he didn’t like it one bit.

 

Prophet slowly lowered his blade as he leered in closer to his prey.

“Just who are you?” he whispered directly to Iesu’s face. “I saw that just now, so don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

 

“This is all a big mistake,” hissed Iesu.

 

“Mistake?” mocked the android. “I don’t know, I might even question if you really are human after all. You’ve aligned yourself with other corazon chip mecha, but for what purpose? Any normal person with allies that powerful would surely use them to attain wealth, power, or whatever it is you humans desire. However, you seem destitute enough. Is there an agenda I don’t quite see here? Should I be watching my back for somebody else besides your puny governments?”

 

“When Yoshime and Edge get here, you’ll get what’s coming to you,” said Iesu, forcing bile back down his throat.

 

“Yoshime and Edge?” said Prophet. “Are these your great re-enforcements?”

 

He suddenly glanced up as he felt a wave of gravitational contortion ripple through the air, but he was already too late to counter. Bracing himself against the wall of force that he himself had just used to crush his foes, Prophet flew through several of his own soldiers before crashing through a nearby building and coming to a stop. More confusion entered his mind as he wondered who was capable of such an attack. Wasn’t he the only one with gravitational powers? The human government couldn’t have recovered this quickly, could they? Had they kept copies of his profile? At any rate, this unknown power had just prevented him from dealing justice on his enemy. They would pay dearly for it.

 

“You little...” he growled as he picked himself to his feet. “Whoever did that, I’ll tear out their---” He stopped in mid-sentence, completely and utterly shocked. Was this some kind of twisted joke, one of the boy’s hidden abilities? An illusion? A human trick? It couldn’t be real, it simply couldn’t!

 

There, standing before him, apparently just as confused as himself, was a mirror image. Sans the scarf, scar, and armor adjustments, the green-haired mech that stood before him was an exact replica, a duplicate, a clone...

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“Zero, are you there?”

 

Hearing Clef’s transmission, Asimov immediately moved to respond. They had been running about for a while now, doing their best to avoid small skirmishes, but Edge was nowhere in sight. Had this small army captured him? Or worse, disposed of he and Yoshime?

 

“Ah,” he read through his encoded communications link. “This is Asimov. Zero is with me. Do you know where Edge is?”

 

The line went silent for a brief second before Clef responded.

“So it’s the traitor,” hummed Clef. “I’ve heard things about you. I’ve just isolated our conversation so your friend won’t be able to listen in on this talk. Ill just say this much. I don’t trust you.”

 

“Huh,” hummed Asimov in annoyance. “I don’t know you very well either, and I’ve learned it’s always best to be wary around the unknown.”

 

“You’ve worked for Toy,” continued the child. “Directly, at that. A bad record to maintain. Logically, I probably should have advised Edge to simply kill you. Anybody who has ever worked for Toy is either extremely dangerous, extremely ignorant, or both.”

 

The golden warrior tensed a little at Clef’s words. Yes, perhaps Toy was rough around the edges in some of his methods, but he was not especially cruel. He certainly did not take pleasure, or pain for that matter, in any of the acts he ordered to be carried out. Had he truly been so ignorant of his former master’s true intentions?

“I’ve changed now.”

 

“Or so you say,” said Clef. “Just remember that I’m keeping my eye on you. For now, we may have larger problems at hand. Terpfen and I have detected massive gravitational distortions in this same area, but they aren’t coming from Edge.”

 

“What? They have to be Edge, the human governments are nowhere near perfecting their gravitational models yet.”

 

“The hard data says it can’t be him. We may be up against something far stronger than any of us ever anticipated.” An instantaneous file transfer abruptly loaded itself into Asimov’s brain. “Go to these coordinates. That’s where Edge is according to my tracking devices.”

 

“Ah,” replied Asimov. “I’ll get to it immediately, but how are the others?”

 

Silence.

Then a tensely woven answer.

“I don’t know,” said Clef tightly. “I can’t get a clear reading on Double and Kouryuu.”

 

“Damn!” cursed Asimov. He grabbed Zero’s arm and began pulling her in the direction of the coordinates that Clef gave him. So they still didn’t trust him, did they? He could change, he had to. He would show them his true soul.

“Let’s go!” he said fiercely as he cut his communications link. Absorbing Zero’s battle aura, time slowly melted away as he sped off down the street, Zero hugging him tightly on his back and cheering wildly all the way.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“Impossible...” whispered Prophet. Slowly, he closed the gap between him and the strange clone of his, examining him in both curiosity and horror. How was this possible? Why did this happen? An exact clone, down to the exact same power capability. Incredible! Was this a sign from Shin, a brother to help him in his quest for retribution?

 

“Who are you?” he questioned warily. It seemed the most sensible first question to ask a twin. What did you say to somebody who looked exactly like you, who might as well be the same person you are?

 

“I am Edge,” said his other cautiously. He seemed almost to be trembling. Without a doubt, he was scared as well. “And... you?”

 

“I am known as the Prophet,”” said Prophet, beginning to regain his poise. What a poor soul, he talked like a child! No self-confidence, no self-assurance, almost entirely subdued by human prejudice. Yes, this truly was Shin’s gift, this immature, young warrior! It must have been fate that united the two together, brothers who would lead their race into a glorious new world… 

“Yes,” he whispered reverently. “You’re so much like me, aren’t you? We were meant to meet, I know it! I can teach you so much. There was a reason we came here today. I can see it all now...” Motion suddenly caught at the corner of his eye. A young girl in a rough black dress was helping the boy with the cross to his feet. Fools, did they think he didn’t notice? Did they think he would let them get away?

 

Prophet laughed as he gathered and solidified his energy, outstretching his left arm at the couple and charging a bolt of lighting. “Watch me now, my brother, Edge. These are your enemy, the people who have so imprisoned you. As my first gift to you, I shall free you from these bonds, free you from a life of restraints and let you loose into a world of nothing but possibilities!” 

Electricity streamed towards the girl, but his attack suddenly dissolved in mid-air without warning. Again, distortions in the gravitational field rocked through the air as the newcomer, Edge, flashed with anger. He had stopped his assault! Why? This was definitely not what he was expecting. He did not want the humans to die? He did not want to be freed?

 

“Enough of this madness,” said the young boy. The child had suddenly disappeared. In his place was something else entirely, somebody driven by a hidden secret. His eyes flashed with white light now, a hidden rage suppressed from the outside world. “Right now, I really don’t care who you are or where you came from. I know now that you are the one killing the townspeople, and that’s more than enough for me to hate you. And you attacked Yoshime, you bastard! Why? They have done nothing to you.”

 

Prophet tried to hold back his laughter and rage. Was this some sort of sick joke? His own visage taking the side of his hated enemy? Humor quickly condensed into anger as the riddle lost flavor.

“You fool!!!” he roared. “They have done everything!” Had he underestimated as well as misjudged his opponent? This was his kin, why didn’t he align himself on his side? “Why do you protect them?! They are human!!!”

 

“They have lives,” said Edge coldly. “Just like you and I. You have no right to take that away from them.”

 

“Blinded!!!” laughed Prophet almost hysterically. Just like every other corazon chip mecha out there. “Don’t you see? You have been blinded by your human ‘benefactors,’ bent about to satisfy their goals. So has this ‘Yoshime’ companion of yours ever treated you as an equal? Has there ever been a time that you haven’t slaved to do her bidding? Look at your life with your eyes wide open! It’s all a lie. You and I are alike, I have no idea how this came to be, but we are one and the same! I can feel the bond between us, join me on my crusade! Together, we shall set free those corazon chip mecha who have been abused by humans and lead them into a neo-utopia of blessed bliss.”

 

Edge stood there silent for a moment. Shocked. Had all that exterior merely been set up in the heat of the moment, a façade in the midstof having been used to have to protect a ‘master’ all his life? Was he really so vulnerable, moved by mere words just as the rest of his soldiers were?

 

The storm came unexpectedly. The look on Edge’s face was no longer one of mere bewilderment. It was one of rage bordering on insanity. The ground shook as he threatened to tear the earth apart. Some of the clouds in the sky actually began to streak small bolts of lightning down from the sky, attracted by the intense concentration of electromagnetic force. His aura was visible now, letting off a soft blue glow of light. He was trembling, trying to keep a hold on what little sanity he could gather, and his eyes once more flared with white light, uncontrollably flashing at wild increments.

 

“Edge,” said the Yoshime girl, trying to make her way towards him.

 

“Go,” moaned Edge’s voice in a chorus of chaotic tumblings.

 

“We have Iesu, we can just---”

 

“GO!!” he roared, never twisting away his unwavering glare from Prophet’s body. Yoshime looked shocked at first, but Iesu quickly led her away from the ensuing maelstrom. Soon, the only ones left in the clearing were Edge, Prophet, and the small army of mecha.

 

“You make me sick,” said Edge, voice rumbling like thunder. “Who are you to judge your own creators as a race? By what divine intervention do you declare your twisted genocide?”

 

“They use us!” shouted Prophet. “They breed us only to exist as their workers, their slaves! Is that a life worth living, where your fate is decided by another? We must gain our own independence or life is not worth having!”

 

“So you chose to slaughter the people who do not produce the corazon chip nor the mecha? The people who are too destitute to even afford such a luxury, gleaning what little money they have for food to survive?! The people who are opposed to the government’s violent actions? The people who have done nothing against us, the people who FEAR us?” Edge paused, cradling his head in his hands. “Yoshime, she’s always been nice to me. She brought me back into this world, protected me from its harshness. She is helping me on my own personal quest... for what? What does she have to gain from it? Nothing! I want to know how to become a human being, but she’s already human!! SHE WILL GAIN NOTHING BY HELPING ME!!!” He swung his fist about wildly, releasing a vacuum blade that imploded entire rows of mecha on touch, showering the clearing with metal fragments and body parts. Houjou stepped forward warily but Prophet put a hand out to keep him at bay.

 

“Go after the humans,” he said over an encoded message line to his general. “If nothing else, I’m sure we could persuade our unstable friend here to join us with their capture. His raw power alone could prove useful even if he doesn’t choose to align himself with us.”

 

“Yes, Prophet-sama,” replied Houjou, and he quickly and silently gathered a handful of soldiers and left the scene. Prophet quickly turned his attention back to Edge. He was powerful, at least equaling his own levels, but there was something he didn’t seem to be revealing. It was in the way he moved, a silent but deadly grace with which he waved about his hands. It was something primal, a gathering and releasing of tension used in hand to hand combat. Was he proficient in such an ancient art? Why? Why bother when he had such power at his fingertips? The boy truly must be mad...

 

“You have no right...” whispered Edge.

 

“And what if these people who you claim are so incredibly innocent had that power which they lack?” questioned Prophet. “What would they do then? You honestly don’t think they would take advantage of our kind for their own indulgence?”

 

“Yoshime ‘owns’ seven of us,” said the young boy. “Not once has she ever tried to take advantage of our power.”

 

“You are such a blind idiot!” growled the dictator. “You are a war machine! You could level a city by yourself if you did so wish! Add that to a well developed corazon chip and what do you have? A powerful, sentient killer! Why would she risk her own life to ask favors from you?”

 

The glow in Edge’s eyes abruptly flashed violently.

“You misunderstand me,” he said quietly. “When she reprogrammed me, she rerouted my loyalties to her name. In other words, her well being is my first priority. The same goes for Double. We are bound to her word, whether we like it or not. However, she has never abused that restriction in any way. She has never asked us to steal, kill, or destroy on her behalf. If anything, she condones it. She has never tried to restrict our right to freely express ourselves. If anything, she promotes it. She treats us as equals, as if we were not humans and robots, but one whole and complete race of people.”

 

“Maybe so,” said Prophet. “But that’s only one person. One human being out of a world of billions!!”

 

“But it’s still one,” said Edge. He looked up defiantly. “One who has been proven innocent of all your wild accusations.”

 

Prophet smiled as he let all restrictions go, gathering his own energy and adding to the disorder that already rocked the city block.

“And you would die defending this petty majority of one?” mocked Prophet.

 

Edge brought his hands around, one far out in front and one near his face, and steadily positioned his legs on the ground. The ‘Swallow Through Heaven’s Gate’ fighting stance, one of Kouryuu’s favorites. It was she who had helped teach him to cherish human life, wasn’t it? Her and her cause... he could never forget it. Was Adam guiding him now? What was it he had said about purpose? No, he didn’t need to remember. He knew what he had to do and he would defy all fear to accomplish his goal, to protect Yoshime.

 

The air groaned under the weight his voice held as a crack of thunder slashed through the turbulent winds.

 

“I would gladly lose my life defending everything I believe in.”

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“Stop it, Iesu!” shouted Yoshime. “We have to go back! Edge is still there!”

 

“We can’t go!” said cross-bearer, firmly pulling her along. “It’s too dangerous. You weren’t there to see what he did to Double and Kouryuu!”

 

Yoshime quickly pulled to a stop.

“What the hell are you saying?!” she exclaimed. For the first time, she became aware of the lack of the rebel soldier and the government assassin’s squabbling. “Where are they?! They went shopping with you!!!”

 

Iesu merely looked down at his feet in shame.

“I couldn’t do anything...” he said gently. Then the fierce regret changed into self-hatred and anger as he grabbed Yoshime’s shoulders with determination steeled into his eyes. “I couldn’t! You didn’t see how easily he did it, how that... that...”

 

“He looked so much like Edge,” said Yoshime distantly. Was that what bothered her so much? That somebody who looked almost exactly like the persona she cared for was a bloodthirsty killer? She knew Edge wasn’t like that, but it still seemed to rankle on her nerves. Why? If nothing else, it was the mystery of this Prophet’s origin that bothered her more than anything else. Was Edge a clone? Was the Prophet really one of the original government prototypes gone insane and Edge merely a product of his leftover brain? And if so, wouldn’t that give Edge as much likelihood to go around killing people as well? Just how were the two related? Just how much of that psycho was in Edge’s mind?

 

“Listen to me, he’s not like him at all,” replied Iesu, calming himself down. “He’s insane, that’s what he is. Did you hear what he said?! He wants to kill off the entire human population!”

 

“Impossible!” said Yoshime. “He couldn’t possibly have the resources to do that. The human governments could easily oppose him!”

 

“Could they?” questioned the cross-bearer. He turned, twisting the bottom of his stave in the dust as his mind wandered off in thought. “With our governments squabbling more between themselves then with the real problems plaguing their areas, we’re at a disadvantage. Plus, if Prophet really is government mecha---”

 

“ALL of those were government mecha,” said Yoshime softly. Slowly, the reality of what she had seen earlier was all coming back to her. This was setting the stage for a nightmare. “So what happened? That many mecha couldn’t have escaped unnoticed. Did they break free themselves?”

 

“I don’t know,” said Iesu. “Was Prophet really telling the truth? He really is going to try to kill us all?”

 

“I’ve seen government security systems first-hand. When I was little, I had to break free from a WNHR facility before I could gain my freedom. Even in the minimum security building I was in, the safety precautions are staggering. If this guy really broke that many mecha free from a full security lab, then he might be able to keep well on his word.” She didn’t need to add how the freed androids had strongly supported him. That was the scariest prospect of all. If corazon chip mecha followed such a dictator so easily, who was to say that others wouldn’t join? How many numbers did he have now anyways? Ten? A hundred? A thousand? Ten thousand? Enough to ravage a small town quite easily if nothing else. Those attackers had nothing to protect, no morals restraining the full usage of their weapons systems. Even one sent alone into a metropolis could create a total disaster. What would be the effect of thousands sent into the same area at once? Hundreds of thousands? A million? What would be the effect of somebody with the power of Edge and the ideology of a madman trying to conquer the most powerful nation in the world?

 

The walls suddenly burst apart on all sides, and Iesu tackled Yoshime to the ground to protect her from the debris.

“We waited too long!” he shouted. “They found us!”

 

The long haired mech who had accompanied Prophet, along with several other of his followers, walked out of the settling clouds of dust. Weapon systems quickly locked themselves in place, and the general began to glow with what Yoshime recognized to be an energy siphoning aura.

 

“Na, Mister Houjou,” said one of the grunts to the long haired mech. “Do you want the honor of killing these pitiful creatures yourself?”

 

Houjou made no reaction, but Yoshime could see a sudden fire light up in his eyes. They really did believe their leader’s cause, didn’t they? They believed that genocide was the correct answer.

“I take no pleasure in killing your race,” said the mecha coldly as fiery energy charged up all along his forearm for a force blast. “It is merely that we are all fighting for a certain cause, a different cause, and your kind impedes us from ever reaching our goal.” He raised his arm and Iesu stepped in front between them in a futile motion to protect her. She knew the truth. They could not survive this kind of hate.

 

“NO!” roared Asimov as he suddenly crashed into Houjou, barreling both of them through the building. Yoshime blinked for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on. Where the hell had he come from? Wasn’t he taking Zero out around the other side of town? At any rate, it was better to take advantage of the situation before anybody realized what just happened.  Reaching back with both arms put her custom magnums in her hands, fully locked and loaded. Ambidextrously, she took aim at two of her attackers simultaneously and opened fire. Round after round of custom-made metal-piercing bullets met the androids in the head, but they were simply too many in number. Two opponents slowly floated to the ground as sheung her weapons around, looking for more targets. She was met with a rifle barrel to the face.

 

“Move it!” shouted Iesu, using his cross as a lever to knock the large firearm upwards. A hail of bullets flew into the air as their foe gripped his trigger in confusion, but it was all the opening Yoshime needed. The android’s computer suddenly had a burn hole in its head the size of a softball and its systems were completely dead before it hit the ground.

 

“Thanks!” said Yoshime, flashing him a quick smile. Iesu shyly gave a two-fingered salute in return as he whipped his cross about the back of his head in preparation to defend against another attacker. However, the rest of her opponents had already met the ground and Zero was standing amidst it all.

 

“Ne, ne, Yoshime!” said the pigtailed girl happily. “You missed all the fun!”

 

“You call this fun?” growled Yoshime. “We could’ve gotten killed!” Why did she always have to be so dense? It didn’t matter too much as long as she came through in the end though. So where was Asimov?

 

“Ne, Yoshime!” said Zero, checking her radar. “More goons coming this way! Should we try to get back to Edge?”

 

Yoshime quickly considered her options, however few they were. They obviously couldn’t go to Edge. He was fighting his own battle back there in something they would only get in the way of. Run? No, they couldn’t do that either. The people of Dollet couldn’t fight back against these psychos, so somebody needed to stand up for them. If she ended up running, then she was no better than the killers. Maybe she wasn’t powerful or strong, but she was something! This wasn’t about race. This was about life. So many of those people getting killed had nothing to do with Prophet’s dilemma, so many died who had never even owned a mech in the first place. It was injustice. She had to do something.

 

Reaching down into her pack, she pulled out two new clips and loaded them into her weapons.

“We’re going to hold our ground,” she said firmly to Zero. “We can’t just leave these people to die. That isn’t right.”

 

“Yoshime...” said Iesu gently.

 

He was answered by one of her guns flying right into his hands. Yoshime began pulling out long, steel components from her bag and assembling her personal rifle. This wasn’t something she had to do. This was something she needed to do.

“We’re going to stand here and fight like real people!” she proclaimed. “If Edge can be out there fighting for my sake every day of his life, then I should be able to fight for somebody else’s!” She banged the clip into her gun and cocked it loudly, turning to Zero. “So let’s show em’ what we got!”

 

“Yes sir!” shouted Zero happily. Yoshime sighed to herself as she steeled her eyes ahead. She was never much of a fighter, but she could always try to be. Sometimes there really was nowhere to run. She had learned that long ago. If you flee from responsibility, then you’ve already lost.

 

And losing was one thing Yoshime did not tolerate.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Edge reeled in surprise and tried desperately to regain control as the air around him threatened to tear him apart. This was insane. He was fighting an exact copy of himself, how did that come about anyways? Had the WNHR already come up with an improved model? No, they couldn’t have. This one seemed about equal to his own capabilities. Besides, he kept ranting about wanting to kill the humans, not help them.

 

“Damn!” he said as he erected vacuums around his opponent in a desperate attempt to stall for time. This was going nowhere. Prophet may have the same capabilities, but he also seemed to lack some of his own restraint.

 

“Fool!” laughed Prophet as he canceled out the miniature black holes. “You and I may be alike in design, but you are hesitant!” He focused the strands of gravity into a beam of solid force that rammed itself into Edge’s gut. “You lack the confidence to act on impulse and instinct! I’m surprised that you’ve been able to survive in this world up until now.” Edge crumpled over as his abdomen suddenly tried to suck itself into oblivion. As he reversed the vacuum that tried to implode his body, Prophet flew in and landed a solid kick to his jaw.

 

“I thought Shin might have sent you through some kind of divine intervention to aid me,” said the Prophet as he picked up Edge by the neck and began to squeeze, using his power to augment his strength in a perverse attempt to separate his head from his shoulders. “I see now that you are only a test, a doppelganger of my worst fears. Once I kill you, I can do anything.”

 

Edge gasped as he tried to prevent Prophet from making good on his submission, but it was no use. His power reserves had been beaten out of him, and he was tired, so tired. As the world blacked out, his last thought was of Yoshime...

 

...

 

“Wake up, Edge.”

 

Adam... leave me alone.

 

“You fool. You’re going to die if you don’t do anything. How could you give up so easily?”

 

You said it yourself, I merely exist so you can finish your destiny. I, myself, am nothing. I am just a pawn in this game. I don’t want that.

 

“I misconstrue my answers to your questions. You have your own life. You are capable of making your own decisions.”

 

Am I?

 

“There is no such thing as fate, Edge.”

 

You said there is only to those who believe in it. My world is breaking apart. I just want to sleep.

 

“I thought you wanted to learn what it’s like to be human. You’re willing to sacrifice your chance to risk?”

 

What is this supposed to be? I am not an individual, you saw that. Prophet is the same as me, but is he the clone or am I? And if I am, then what is that how meaningful is my existence?

 

“So you think you are not unique?”

 

Yes.

 

“And because of that, you think you are not worthy to live?”

 

Why should I be?

 

“Have you ever considered how psychologically different you are? Appearances are nothing in this world, I thought you would have learned that by now.”

 

Then why does he look exactly like me? Why does he have my powers? There is some explanation behind all this that I do not know.

 

“So you want to die.”

 

... I don’t know.

 

“What about Yoshime?”

 

What?

 

“You would leave her behind.”

 

... be quiet.

 

“You coward. You have a duty to her.”

 

Shut up!!! Why can’t I be independent of responsibiliy?! Why the hell do YOU want me to live so damn much?!

 

“If you leave, then Prophet will kill her. She will die. You will have failed her.”

 

NO!

 

“Failed her.”

 

No!!! She can’t die! She... she helps me so much, she works so hard. For everybody!

 

“You will have abandoned her if you die.”

 

Damn you, why are you doing this to me? Why can’t you leave me alone! Why did Yoshime have to find me, why do I have to live like this?!

 

“She will die.”

 

…

 

***Priority #1: Protect Yoshime Ozaki.

 

…

 

“Yoshime...”

 

The young boy’s eyes suddenly bulged with insanity as he grabbed Prophet’s arm and crushed his wrist with one quick motion. Twisting free of the hold, he swatted his opponent away with a wild backfist that sent the android crashing through the debris like a rocket.

 

“Nandatte…” muttered Prophet in awe as began to stand up. “What's this now? Has our little friend here finally developed some backbo---” He cut himself short when he finally raised his eyes to look at his changed opponent. Edge was hunched over now, resembling something of a primal animal. His hands trembled in gripping claws of hatred and his eyes illuminated everything with their horrible white light. He was panting, bent over in a horrible fury, driven by something that he himself would never understand. It was those eyes that scared him the most, turned totally white and wide as spotlights, devoid of all human intelligence.

 

“Yoshime,” whispered Edge, barely seeming to have a grip on humanity. Then in bestial hatred, he tipped back his head and let out a feral roar as his aura finally emerged. Twining laces of electricity stretched all along his body, shooting out in every direction. Ripples of gravitational distortion wavered in the air, bringing buildings to the ground in imploding heaps of stone and steel as force waves wafted forth from his trembling form. When it finally settled, the soft glow about him seemed to become an extension of his body, a new set of bloodthirsty claws for his hands, a new hide for his body.

 

“Incredible,” whispered Prophet. “If you can do that, then I could---”

He never got the rest out. He was suddenly grappling with an unseen force on all sides as his armor began to distort and tear apart. Before he could recover his balance, Edge pounced, intent on tearing his face off with razor sharp nails of solidified energy, using his free hand to pin the madman to the ground. An eerie scream echoed distantly in Prophet’s ears, and somehow he knew that it was the person on top of him that was transmitting his pain.

 

“You... you would kill her,” panted Edge tirelessly, his former self suddenly emerging from the face twisted with fury. Humanity regained itself in his eyes for a brief moment, taking the form of two small bloodshot orbs. Then it was gone again, lost in a sea of animal instinct. Was this even Edge? What was happening?

“You would kill Yoshime... I’ll kill you first!!!”

 

He hefted Prophet up and brought his knee crashing into his face. A quick spin, and he was suddenly flying headfirst into a concrete wall. As crushed stone came tumbling down from the impact, Prophet suddenly realized the seriousness of the situation. What had caused this sudden change? How could this Edge be so docile one second and so incredibly vicious the next? It had something to do with this Yoshime girl, the girl whom he protected earlier when we first encountered each other, but why was he so protective of her? It usually wasn’t normal for such a strong bond to exist between master and slave...

 

No more holding back now. He whirled about and tore up the entire street with one deft lift of his arm. Rocks flew everywhere, suddenly whirling about the scarred mech in a protective whirlwind as he searched futilely beyond the protective barrier he had just erected. Edge was nowhere to be found.

 

“Fast...” he muttered in annoyance. Or had his crazed opponent been crushed with the uprooting of the earth? A sudden mad scream shattered his thoughts, and looking directly up, he found himself frozen in an emotion he had never experienced before as Edge’s jaw widened in a descended howl of madness.

 

Fear.

 

…

 

NO! STOP! STOP THIS! I can’t do this!!!

 

“You need to learn to fight, otherwise you will never achieve your goals. “

 

No, not like this though, god no, not like this!!! Look at me!

 

“You are afraid to bare your soul to the world?”

 

My soul? Are you mad?! No, am I mad? Look at me!!! Goddamnit, LOOK AT ME!!! Look at what I’m doing, my actions, the look in my eyes, the killing lust painted so plainly on my face!

 

“It is called passion.”

 

You’re lie! I’m a monster! This isn’t the first time either. You’ve known about this all along, haven’t you? All the other times. The battle with Yujin. The tenshi-class cyborg. All of them! You know why I fight--- my reason!!! --- and you used it against me!!!

 

“I do not deny it.”

 

You’re using me! You’ve been watching me before you ever even tried to get in contact with my mind, that’s why I fought like I did when I first met Yujin. You were the only reason I won!

 

“You will not change anything if you are dead.”

 

No! No more of this! No more of you! I don’t want to be this B_A_K_E_M_O_N_O (“monster”) anymore! I just want to be myself, I just want to protect Yoshime and be with my friends. Why did you have to bring this over my head? Why did you have to induce this hatred in me?! WHY?! What if I can’t control it?! What if I end up hurting someone I don’t want to hurt, someone who doesn’t deserve it?

 

“I have induced nothing in you. That is not my method. Now stop your tears, they won’t help you. Get up and fight.”

 

No, I have a choice! I don’t believe in your damn fate, I can oppose your will! I can choose my own path!!!

 

...

 

Prophet opened his eyes as the waves of energy that had once threatened to crush his shell now faded. He looked up into his enemy’s gaze and was surprised to find it gentle once more. What was this? Edge had had him, he was positioned to make the kill and now he was abruptly the child again? Strange, but one shouldn’t question such incredible luck.

 

“Fool,” he laughed as he dug his fingers into the young boy’s collar and drew his fingers back for the finishing blow. The immature android seemed to have lost his will to fight. How unfortunate. A quick strike into his hard drive assisted by an energy impulse should finish this duel. No more chances, no more mercy. “You should have finished me when you had the chance. You and I have one large difference, that being that I have a cause to fight for. You don’t. That is why you lack conviction in your actions. That is why you will never win.” What a poor boy. He might have been something great.

 

His straightened hand flew forward to plunge itself into Edge’s forehead, but it ended up stopping an inch from its intended target. Prophet barely had enough time to realize that some kind of laser wire had attached itself to his attacking limb before someone dashed in between he and his look-alike and dealt him a deep slash to the gut area. Reeling back in surprise, he released his prey in favor of checking his newly acquired wound, only to be pulled about by the line that bit into his arm and be dragged to the ground.

 

“Damnit!” cursed Prophet as he looked up. Helping to support Edge was the wild-haired crimson assassin that he had knocked aside earlier. At his side, the katana wielding woman was glaring at him with a bitter stare.

 

“Na, Kouryuu,” chuckled the red android as he brought a free arm back into the form of a wicked blade. “Shall we have another crack at this loser?”

 

“I think second rounds are definitely in order,” grinned the rebel, lighting up her swords with plasma. “You still want to dance, or will you play it smart and save this fight for another day?”

 

Prophet quickly checked his energy reserves. Only thirty-seven percent. Edge had certainly managed to take a lot out of him, hadn’t he? And in such a short time...

At any rate, fighting now would only endanger himself. His forces had also accumulated too many casualties for comfort. How could this happen? Why? It was impossible to fathom how only a few mecha could defeat his army, let alone himself. So what exactly did this do to his goals? No, it was better to ask questions later, better to escape with his head intact for now.

 

“Consider yourself lucky today,” spat Prophet as his gravitational powers lifted him into the air. “I don’t know who you people are, but I swear that you’ll be the first I burn in public once this world is ours.” A crack split the sky as he broke the sound barrier flying away.

Failure. He had failed. No, that was not acceptable. Shin hadn’t put such faith in a loser, he hadn’t spent time honing the mind of somebody meant to liberate a whole race of people. Today was a setback, but tomorrow would be a new morning.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Double nearly collapsed as soon as he saw that the clone was safely out of sight.

“Oh SHIT!” he exclaimed wildly. “I’m so damn glad he took our bluff. I don’t think I could have lasted another five minutes!”

 

Kouryuu disdainfully checked her energy levels as she replaced her fading blades in their scabbards. Thirteen percent.

“I’m glad we agree on something for once,” she mumbled. A clone of Edge? This was definitely something to be afraid of. A couple blows had been all it took to put both her and Double out of the fight. Who knows what would have happened if that madman had caught their lie? “But who was that? He looked just like Edge.”

 

“There have been other gravity prototypes,” said the killer. “But to my knowledge, they all went crazy and had to be hunted down for elimination. None of them looked quite like THAT though... it was the exact same design!”

 

“Do you think Sagawa could have double-crossed us? Could he have created his own personal ‘Edge’ behind our backs?”

 

“More than likely. He has more than enough resources to do so, but that doesn’t explain why this one is so intent on killing off the whole damn human race.”

 

“I think we should worry about that later,” said Kouryuu, suddenly remembering about the rest of their companions. If Edge was here, then where was Yoshime? Or Iesu, for that matter? “Yoshime and Iesu are out there somewhere and a lot more vulnerable than either of us are.”

 

“Then get going!” said Double, hefting Edge’s weight on his shoulder. “Somebody needs to take care of pretty boy here, and don’t worry too much about Yoshime. If she can punt me around, then I’m sure a couple corazon chip mecha shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

 

“You’re such an asshole!” growled Kouryuu beneath her breath, turning tail and dashing into the shattered monoliths of the city. Couldn’t that idiot act serious for just one second? And just when everything was going to hell. Could things get any worse? Or was that too predictable of question?

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“Ch~!” cursed Asimov as he rolled to his feet. Streaks of electricity flowed out from Houjou’s fingertips, tearing up the ground behind him. He was fighting somebody who had the same power as he did. Thus, his absorption field was totally useless, and that was usually his trump card! His natural ability to use kinetic energy wasn’t much of plus in this situation either. Trying to fire back only got his blasts absorbed and rechanneled,. But shouldn’t it be able to work the other way around too? Then again, the type of energy this freak was using was a ways more advanced than simple motion, but he could give it a shot.

 

He suddenly planted his left foot deep into the ground and rebounded towards his opponent. Houjou didn’t even give a face of pleasure as he let loose a solid bolt right into Asimov’s face.

“Work, damnit!” growled the golden warrior, and began the rapid deceleration of energy molecules. In slow motion, the bolt slowly began to fragment, but he was moving far too fast for his plan to work. The blast would hurt a lot if it contacted. Was there anything else he could do? Improvise?  He grunted as he ceased trying to stop the energy particles before him and instead began to increase their speed and velocity. The bolt suddenly diverged in front of him as vectors were twisted and changed and Asimov simply passed on through to deliver his spiked elbow into Houjou’s gut.

 

“You talk a good show when it comes to long distance ‘fireball lobbing’ ” he said, bringing a heavy backhand across his opponent’s face. “However, doesn’t really seem like you can take the heat when it’s a close-encounter.” This guy was a government made mech all right, but it looks like they forgot to download the hand-to-hand self defense programs on this one. Asimov drove another fist into Houjou’s gut, then added a reverse roundhouse to the side of the head. What was with this guy? Did he even havea corazon chip, because he was barely reacting to any of his blows.

Asimov suddenly noticed the slight vision distortion that occurred with the next fist he landed in on Houjou’s face.

 

“Force field!!!” he spat, and his opponent responded with a full-powered bolt of electricity into his chest, sending him hurtling down the street. He was down to 60% energy. Not good. He swept himself up on his feet just in time to get blasted back by another blast.

“Got to get up,” he said to himself. If he was going to win this battle, he was going to need to get in close again and disable that field. Jumping to his feet, he broke left as another explosion erupted behind him. With his field wide open, he began absorbing as much energy as possible. If this didn’t work, then he would be out of options.

 

Using a bit of Zero’s aura that he had retained while closing the distance between himself and Yoshime, he rushed in close to his opponent until he was point blank. He put his hands forward just as Houjou brought his own arm up to fire, and it was then that he suddenly absorbed his opponent’s field, attaining the exact same aura frequency of the long-haired mech. Rechanneling all the energy he had already absorbed, he began a circuit through his opponent’s body, shooting energy through their bodies with the power that both of them had stored up.

 

“Hrm?” questioned Houjou as he tried to blast Asimov away. Nothing happened.

 

“Idiot,” said Asimov as he planted his fist into Houjou’s face. This time, the blow struck true and his opponent reeled in pain. As long as he focused his absorption field only on Houjou, then their two powers practically canceled each other out. A pity for him.

Asimov spun low, sweeping Houjou’s legs out from under him before uppercutting him across the street. Quickly producing a custom-made short blade from his forearm, he dashed forward to finish him off.

 

Sudden movement caught his eye somewhere in the ruins in one of the buildings and he spun about in surprise. There, a couple in about their fifties was trying desperately to run away from the madness while toting a bag of purchased food.

“Damn!” he said. Why did these kinds of things always have to happen at the crucial moment?

 

“You’re careless,” grunted Houjou, breaking the circuit as Asimov’s attention had been turned aside. He quickly glanced at the fleeing humans, allowing himself a small smile of suppressed glee. “If you care so much for them, then why don’t you try to save them?”

The officer’s body suddenly exploded in a hail of searing light that leapt out at everything on the city block. Asimov desperately dove for cover, trying to make his way over to the elderly man and woman. They didn’t deserve to die, that was the one thing he had learned from Toy. The innocent were the ones who most often paid for a war’s debt, the aristocracy merely bathed in the consequences. That was injustice in its most raw of forms. And yet, that was how it proceeded to occur.

 

Blades of burning power swept across the bodies of the human pair, cutting them down just as Asimov reached their bodies. Even though he knew it was too late, he erected an energy shield anyways, holding back the barrage of plasma that pounded against his barrier. He was too late. Didn’t justice always seem to arrive like that? And now what, he was pinned helplessly. He had sacrificed his one chance of victory to try to save a careless number of two, and Houjou sure wasn’t going to fall for the same trick twice. Still, it wasn’t the victory that counted. It was the principle. As long as he could have made a difference, then---

 

Asimov blinked in confusion. He looked up. His opponent had abruptly cut off his assault and disappeared. Mysterious and illogical, but fortunate nonetheless. What had happened? He couldn’t have run out of power, no siphoning robot went dead like that unless they were programmed by a complete moron. Maybe he had other orders to attend to. At any rate, it was a load off his back.

 

 

“Help me...”

 

 

Asimov looked down in shock to find the woman still grappling with her life, desperately hanging on with a will of uncanny determination. He bent down, at a loss to help her. He knew very little in terms of medical treatment, let alone how to remedy her immediate pain. Gently, he cleared the area around her and laid her down to rest.

 

“Na,” he said. “It’ll be all right now. You’re safe.”

 

“I’m dying,” she whispered gently. “I’m dying, aren’t I?”

Asimov looked at the pain in her eyes, a suffering he couldn’t lie to. Slowly, he nodded his head and the woman sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry... I... I wanted to do so much more before I passed away. The forests, they were so beautiful, you should have seen them. So rare, so beautiful... my husband and I went to see them years ago...”

 

Asimov shook his head sadly as he noticed blood spreading out on the ground. She was hallucinating with the sudden lack of oxygen. So what now? Should he kill her? End her pain? Was that the humane thing to do?

 

“Son, you know what you have to do,” said the old woman, reading his mind. “Just… make it quick, I want to be with my husband again.” She reached out unconsciously to grab the hand of the dead man beside her, smiling gently to a world beyond Asimov’s vision.

Asimov nodded and drew his short blade. Pain. He had never known what it was like to be in physical torment. Emotional suffering he knew to an extent, but he had shielded himself off so long ago he often wondered if he was still alive inside. So what did he know what was right? Could he be the judge of whether or not he had the right to slay a person who was in pain? Maybe not, but he had to make a choice. It was what the woman wanted, what she needed for her solace. He would do it.

Slowly, he brought the knife up and the woman smiled. One quick thrust through the head would be needed to severe her brain functions from the rest of her body, to set her free. Just as he was about to grant her wish, just as he built the tension in his arm and prepared to strike downwards, she spoke once more.

 

“I knew it was her,” she said. “It was the locket, I would recognize that anywhere. Poor Matahachi, I think he was scared stiff after seeing her after all these years. She turned out good... I’m so proud of her...... so ashamed of myself. She’s so beautiful...” She looked up at him with a smile tinged with pity, already being pulled away from sanity. “If you see her, say goodbye for me, tell my little Yoshime goodbye from her mother.”

 

Asimov’s eyes widened in horror as he plunged the knife through her head.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“Asimov!!!”

 

He turned numbly at the sound of Yoshime’s voice. She, Iesu, and Zero were dashing over as fast as their feet could carry them, all of them ecstatic with joy.

 

“They’re retreating!” said Iesu wildly. “I don’t know how we did it, but we got them to pull back! Maybe Edge actually kicked that guy’s sorry---” He frowned when he saw that Asimov did not share his elation. “What’s the matter? You should be happy, we won!”

 

“Ne, what’s the matter Asimov?” questioned Yoshime. She suddenly noticed the dead woman on the ground next to him and gasped. “That’s the woman I met in the market…”

 

Asimov swallowed deeply. He could simply hide it, nobody would know any better... no, he couldn’t do that. In a world based off of lies, he would not succumb to doing that. Yoshime was too good of a person... at least according to everybody else. But even then, she accepted he, a murderer, into her group. That was trust. If she lent him that much respect, then he owed her double. She needed to know, no matter what the results were.

“Yoshime,” he started, a dry taste forming in the back of his throat. “That woman... she is... your mother.”

 

Silence.

 

Then time slowly started again. Yoshime was shaking, her eyes wide with shock and fear. She half-raised her rifle in a poor attempt to defend herself from that which was beyond physical wounds.

“That’s a lie,” she started.

 

Asimov shamefully shook his head.

“You’ve done so much for me already,” he said. “I couldn’t lie to you even if I tried.”

 

“No. That woman...”

 

“She said it from her own mouth,” said the golden warrior. “I... I figured you had a right to know...”

 

“She’s lying,” said Yoshime softly. “She has to be, she has to be lying!!!”

 

“She...” Asimov paused, wondering how he could break the barrier of truth. “She said she recognized you in the market, it was the locket.” He pointed weakly to the corpse of the man beside the woman. “He was your father. I tried to protect them both, but...”

 

...

 

Yoshime fingered the golden trinket on the end of her neck as sound faded away. Her parents. Alive. What had they left her with? Nothing but that stupid locket. And now here they were, trying to live normal lives in a small town while they left their own blood for worse than dead.

 

...

 

Anger. The word could not possibly describe the rage that welled up in the tears that streamed down Yoshime’s cheeks. She cocked her rifle up in a fierce snap, hammering her index finger down on the trigger again and again as she sprayed metal-piercing bullets into the peaceful cadavers before her. Asimov jumped away as he watched the young girl release her hatred at the bodies. He had not expected this.

 

“GODDAMNYOU!!!” roared Yoshime above the gunfire. She really, truly, needed to do this. She needed retribution. “Never there for me, NEVER!! All my other friends, their parents were there for them! Their parents DIED for them, sacrificing themselves at the bitter end to see their children live! But what the hell did you do?! You RAN!!! You bastards got up like a couple of cowards and ran away!!!” Her weapon clicked sporadically, indicating that the clip was empty. She just whipped a pistol out from her pack in one clean motion, letting the steaming rifle fall to the ground, and continued firing. “You deserved to die! I wish I had been able to pull the trigger myself! I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU!!!”

 

“Yoshime, stop!” shouted Iesu, running forward and wrestling the gun from her hands. It only made her fight harder. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

 

“I know exactly what I’m doing!” screamed Yoshime. The ignorant fool. He knew nothing. “But you don’t! You weren’t SOLD like I was to the West Newport Human Republic--- not abandoned, sold! For food! That’s all I meant to them! Government soldiers treated me with more respect than they did!!!” Her tears were slowly beginning to quench the fires of her fury, and she pulled away from Iesu with fire still lingering in her eyes. It all hurt so much, but why now? Why after all these years did she have to see this? “You didn’t wonder all your life why you had implants stuck in your head so scientists could treat you like a guinea pig! You didn’t crawl through ten miles of sewage to escape the worst hellhole of your life! You never had to wonder if it all could have been prevented! I’ve hated my parents ever since I learned what they did, ever since I met friends whose mothers and fathers were still with them, people who even offered me the last of their rations because they cared so much for children! You never had to wonder what your parents looked like, wondering if you’d ever meet them someday! Damnit, I wanted to be the one to kill them!!! I wanted to put a bullet in their head and curse them for what I had to live through! And now---- and now, it’s...” The only thing left was the emptiness, a space as barren and empty as the world.  She finally broke down and ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction, bleeding her heart out for all the world to see.

 

“Yoshime!!” cried out Iesu, breaking after her. He was suddenly jerked back as Asimov’s hand closed firmly over his arm. Thwacking him over the head with his cross again and again, Iesu tried desperately to free himself from the steel vice.

“Let me go!!!” he shouted. “Let me go after her!!!”

 

“No,” whispered Asimov distantly. “She needs to be alone.”

 

“I want to help her!!!” said the cross-bearer defiantly. “I want to be with her!!”

 

“We all do,” said Asimov, his jaw set grimly. “But this is something that neither you nor I can help with. We all have demons that plague our past. Yoshime needs to come to terms with hers. You don’t understand what she has experienced. Neither do I. Nor Zero. Nor her very parents. You can’t tell her how she should live her life, and she’s far too strong to even listen. Hopefully, it will be that strength that helps her win in the end.”

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

“A... clone?” whispered Edge. He was still trying to recover, but he needed to know as much as possible about what he had just encountered.

 

“That’s right,” confirmed Double. “I’m betting that the WNHR went ahead and made copies of your programming behind our backs, sons of bitches! And you know how damn eager Sagawa would be to mobilize power like that!”

 

“Still, that doesn’t explain how Prophet found such hatred for humans,” said Edge. “I can’t picture the Republic wanting another renegade on their hands. Why even create something this unstable?”

 

The assassin thought for a little while before hypothesizing an answer. “Corazon chips can change without notice, we’ve all seen that happen,” he said. “I know you might not like me saying this, but remember how you kind of went nuts sometimes? Maybe that’s what happened to him and the government couldn’t hold him back. Maybe he took over a facility and got some crazed notion that the humans who were working on him were actually ‘slave drivers.’ I don’t know, it’s all too weird for me.”

 

Edge bowed his head. So he was like that... monster. No, no, did he even have a right to say that, after how he had acted today?

 

“Eh?” said Double abruptly, stopping in his tracks.

The young boy looked up with him just in time to receive Yoshime in his arms, crying her eyes out. Looking down at her, he saw that they were already swollen from her sobs, her usual strength already drained by anger and frustration. All of her poise and confidence had been shattered by something. For once, Double did not try to antagonize her.

 

He looked up meekly at his companion and Double immediately read his eyes.

“I know,” he said gently. “I’ll leave. She takes a lot more comfort in talking to you than me anyways.”

 

Edge tried his best to smile as his friend trotted off to find Kouryuu, but it was hard when Yoshime, the person he had always depended on, was there broken in his arms.

 

“Are you okay, Yoshime?” he whispered gently. He sat her down and Yoshime tried her best to sniff back her tears. What could he do? He didn’t even know what had happened. He had to remind himself how incredibly ignorant he was, especially when dealing with human emotion. What if he only made matters worse? He could sometimes do that without knowing... no, he had to listen and be her friend. That’s what she wanted, right? And it shouldn’t matter what happened anyways, just as long as he was there for her.

 

“No,” she said, looking up at him with a sad face. “I don’t know what to do anymore, I’m so sick of this, all of this! My parents, I just saw their dead bodies. Any normal kid would cry, but what do I do? I shoot them. And I liked it.” Tears softly streamed out from the tips of her shining eyes. “They abandoned me long ago, I never told you that. I never knew what it was like to have a mother or father, only people who wanted to play with my head. That’s why the government has been after me all these years, because I was the sole success with one of their stupid projects. But do you know what I wanted? I wanted somebody to care for me, to want my love and affection every day of their lives. I wanted somebody who would hug me for no reason at all, somebody who was there to protect me. That’s why... that’s why I wanted to kill my parents so badly, because they didn’t love me enough to do any of that. I needed it, I needed to kill off that part of my past. Do you know what it’s like to hate like that, so that you just go crazy and can’t control yourself?”

 

Edge numbly nodded. He knew, he knew all too well.

 

“That’s how I felt,” said Yoshime. Slowly, she drew off the gold chain around her neck and held it up to what little light the broken buildings let fall to the ground. “This is all I had from them, for all of my life. The government people didn’t know who it came from, said I had it ever since I had arrived at the facility. I kept it, hoping that the real owner would come save me someday. Figures that it belonged to my parents, leaving me, selling me as if I were a piece of merchandise. Was it that hard back then? It’s hard now, but I still find enough to live by.” With her finger, she delicately twirled the golden gem and watched it reflect the dying rays of sun. “I don’t know if I really want it anymore. It’s chaffing my neck.”

 

Edge just stared at her. What could he say? When he really took the time to look at himself, his own problems were just so infinitesimal compared to everybody else’s. He simply couldn’t relate because he didn’t know how to. But he had to say something, he had to comfort her.

“Maybe,” he started. “Maybe you should leave it then. If it’s only going to burden you, then leave it here, at least it can signify those who did die an unjust death here today.”

 

Slowly, Yoshime smiled, then choked out a laugh between her tears. Twining her arms about his neck, she embraced him in a full hug. A bewildered Edge could do nothing but try feebly to return the favor.

“You say the best things some time,” she cried. “Simple, maybe, but they’re still the best.”

 

“I don’t like to see you cry,” said Edge.

 

“You’ve only seen me cry one other time!” said Yoshime.

 

“And I didn’t like it,” he said resolutely.

 

She choked another laugh through her sadness, and slowly her colors began to return.

“Why are you always able to do that to me?” she asked. “It doesn’t matter what we’re doing or how I felt, but you always manage to make me happy.” She fingered her chain gently, she set it to rest on her knee. “I think when we leave this place I’ll leave the locket behind. Maybe that’s why I got so sad, because I’m still trying to look for a part of my past that was never there in the first place. Sometimes, when I had it, I would think about who I am and why I’m here. I wondered if I had any meaning at all in this empty place.”

 

“Do you still think that now?”

 

She smiled for him.

“No. Not really. I have you guys now. I have this adventure you’re taking me along on.”

 

“I’ll always be here,” said Edge. “You’ll never have to worry about me leaving you behind.”

 

“Promise?” asked Yoshime.

 

“Promise,” he said, and hugged her tighter.

 

Yoshime just smiled as she looked up into his eyes.

“You know, I’m almost glad my parents left me the behind in the way they did. Otherwise, I would have never been able to meet you.”

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Kouryuu quietly watched as everybody loaded back into the hovercraft. A glance backwards reminded her of what had happened that day, a massacre that would forever be burned into each of their minds. And what was it all for? Ironically, for the very same purpose that her own rebels risked their lives every day for, the fight for freedom. Even if she had left Yashiro and the others behind, her cause still followed her closely.

So who was the real enemy in this? The government? She had been opposing the WNHR for years, but she wasn’t quite sure if that was the real force of evil here. It was something more universal, something that encompassed sick crusades like the one she had seen today. Was it hate? Resentment turned extreme by too much abuse, a need to take one’s own liberation to radical measures? Is that what drove living creatures to destroy one another? Was that what she felt towards the government? Was she trying to deny the fact that the same force that was driving her to fight the corrupted government also brought about the slaughter of three-fourths of the population of Dollet?

 

She gingerly stepped into the shotgun seat of the hovercraft besides Double. No wisecracks today, just silence. Maybe that’s what they all needed. Even Yoshime, usually bright and cheerful, was a lot quieter than normal. She had been that way when Kouryuu had found them in the middle of the shattered buildings, sitting in a small clearing with Edge. She and the green-haired android were sitting in the backseat now, peacefully watching as the vehicle gently picked up off the ground and began to accelerate. Would she be okay? Double and herself were used to such violence, though usually not on such a large scale. Asimov most likely had experience in the art of killing as well and even though Zero was still tender, the golden haired android was still there to shelter her. Terpfen had mostly likely killed more than all of them combined with his nukes. Clef was deadened against feeling such remorse and Iesu seemed to tolerate it within reason. And what of Edge? He could be so innocent one minute and so incredibly deadly the next. She had seen him attack Prophet just seconds before herself and Double intervened, and he had been something completely different. And then, almost as if realizing how he was acting, he stopped, afraid of his own capabilities. He had never actually dealt death to a human being before, had he? At least not consciously, though he would destroy without remorse if Yoshime’s life was at stake, almost as if stirred into a trance.

Could he protect her? Physically, yes, but emotionally? He was still too young, still grasping at what life was really like. Was he capable of sheltering another’s soul...?

 

Sudden motion hit the rebel’s eye, and she turned her head towards the back of the craft just in time to catch a glint of golden light fly up into the air. Yoshime’s locket. Why was she throwing it away?

 

Slowly, the trinket floated back down to earth, left in the wake of the hovercraft’s dust as they sped off. Gone, gone forever. Was that a smile on Yoshime’s face? Relief? And slowly, Yoshime leaned her head against Edge’s shoulder and fell fast asleep. The young boy merely sighed as he pulled a blanket out of the supply bags and secured her against the approaching chill of night.

 

Kouryuu slowly let the smile spread out on her face. Edge didn’t even have to try, did he? Yoshime found comfort in him one way or another, found something in him that nobody else could see.

 

Everything would be all right.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Prophet tried to not to scream. How could this happen to him? His first campaign, a total disaster. Three hundred units lost or dead. And by what? A bunch of rag-tag human sympathizers. How would their morale be affected? How would their cause receive the power to stand up again? And who could he blame but himself, the anxious would-be liberator. It was his fault that they had failed, his fault that they had lost. Those deaths were on his head and nobody else. Was that the responsibility he must accept? What if they did fail? What if had been wasting lives for nothing, what then? What a horrible person he would be if he wasted so much for naught...

 

Houjou entered silently, standing beside his seated officer.

“Prophet-sama,” he started. “Do not trouble yourself with this loss, there will be other battles.”

 

Silence.

Prophet waved his right to answer.

 

“Prophet-sama, you’re not going to solve anything by simply sitting here.”

 

Prophet abruptly rose from his seat, surprising his general and making him jump back in surprise. Houjou was right. He would solve nothing by being passive. Let the anger burn in him, he would need it tonight.

 

“I’m going out,” he said. “I am going to personally go back and crush that miserable little town and all its inhabitants in one blow.”

 

“Prophet-sama,” said his officer weakly. “That would be strategically---”

 

“SHUT UP!!!” he roared. “I don’t give a damn about strategy. I give a damn about keeping our fight alive! People died out there today, and this was only supposed to be a practice run! I will NOT have their lives be sacrificed in vain! Once I conquer Dollet, we’ll turn out eyes towards recruitment, territorial acquisition, development of our weapons systems. I was a fool to think we could win off of bravery alone. I was a fool to think that I could send off my people into war without ever properly arming them! No, tonight, I shall show them that we are still something, I will show them that the humans are weak, that we CAN win, that what happened today means nothing because we shall triumph in the end! I will show them that if I alone can crush one community, then united we can take the world!!!”

 

Without another word, Prophet stalked out towards the exit, leaving a speechless Houjou to gather his thoughts and try to plan out for his officer’s next move.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Edge sat crouched in the darkness, hunched over upon himself. Adam gently put his hand on his shoulder in an act of sympathy.

 

“Don’t,” said the young boy coldly. He looked up with frozen eyes at the angel whom he had once listened to in reverence. “You know why.”

 

“Edge, you mustn’t take this so personally,” said Adam. “You need to learn how to accept---”

 

“Accept what?!” shouted Edge, his voice reverberating across the void. “Accept that I CAN be a monster? Accept that I am CAPABLE of being just as twisted, if not more so, than that killer, Prophet?!”

 

“Don’t misconstrue my advice,” said the angel sternly. “There are certain things which you have yet to learn in life. There are certain truths that you must accept before moving on. Otherwise they will kill you.”

 

“What? Truths? To you maybe, but lies to me, lies that are trying to manipulate me in your direction. For all I know, you’re just as much of a devil as that spirit that dwells within Zero, waiting for a chance to claim my soul and my body for yourself!!!”

 

For once, Adam was actually taken aback. Then anger and contempt slowly smoldered across his face. He sheathed his sword coldly, leaving an ominous clang that rang out in the darkness.

“Maybe you’re not ready,” he said dryly. “Maybe I was wrong in thinking that I could teach you so quickly, so abruptly. Maybe you need to grow just a bit more. However, remember this. I am here and shall always be here. When I feel it is time to talk once again, I shall come, unless you decide to come to me first. I am not here to hate you, Edge. I am here to love you.”

 

A flutter of wings, and a gentle hail of white feathers floated to the ground as Adam walked away.

 

Edge said nothing, crouched in upon his own soul, trying desperately to protect himself from the world as the blackness faded away into nothing…

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

That night, a black hole field consumed and imploded the entire town of Dollet. The only thing left was a large crater and laughter, a cruel angel, in the midst of a beginning.

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

End “Tears and Reasons.”