Kaleidoscope XIV

World Under Fire

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Recovery Ward, Medical Deck

Volk, Legend Class Cruiser

En-Route to Vapor Furnace Prime

18:33, 36/2/2

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"Vix?" Artemis overloaded the motors of the electric door guarding Cherenkov's room. He leapt through the threshold, panting in surprising solitude from his now-pointless dash. "No... Fuck! Where did you go?"

"Arty? That you?" Nadiya opened another door and poked her head out, finding her nephew and friend gasping in desperation. "Oh, Arty... What's wrong? How can I help?"

"You're here too? Nadi, did you see Vix? Cher?"

"Sorry. I was resting with my wife when you stomped through." Nadi slipped out the door after Yiff scrambled up to her shoulder. "She's sleeping now, so I can help. Did they run off?"

"Yeah. That's not even the start of it though." Arty noticed a patch of missing fur on Nadi's arm and moved for a closer look, the fox-otter hybrid recoiling instinctively. "Are you alright? That looks like it hurt."

"It still does. Falling into a lit brazier isn't exactly fun."

"That's why you're here? Damn, I didn't know. I... I can make due. You should rest." Arty corrected his posture and spied Qesis rolled over the side of the bed and grasping a trash bin. "Qes too? I'll pray her stomach gets better too. Just... wish me luck."

"Wait, her stomach?" Yiff hid his snout in Nadi's shoulder as she peeked through the door's window. "Damn. The doctor said that would go away with some meds. Something else is wrong and... I'm scared now."

"What? No, that's not..." Arty stared into infinity as an odd electric buzz ran up his spine. "How the hell...?"

"Arty? What?"

"I don't know how, but I know what's wrong with her. Or... what's right, I guess." The panthott brought a paw down to his stomach and fought a similar urge to vomit. "I think she's pregnant. I mean, it's a shot in the--"

"No, you're right." Elliot grabbed a physical chart from the door and confirmed his findings. "Her labs check out for it. Congratulations, Nadiya. You're both having a baby."

"Ellie, I told you guys to stay back--"

"Shush!" The otter lifted his clipboard and gave a firm whack over Arty's head. "You need to subdue Vix, right right? Well I can sedate her safely. Let family help, yes yes."

"I... I can't risk that. She could kill you with a thought." Arty again felt a chill, then snapped his gaze to precisely meet Qes' own in perfect sync. "Okay, that's not normal. Someone's letting me feel what Qes does. Vix?"

"And already I think I can help." Ellie fought to keep his composure whilst his body still craved oxygen, his paw shaking as he tapped the controls to another door. "Ria? You're bleeding emotions again."

"I am? Damn, sorry. That happens sometimes if a few people share a moment nearby while I'm... err...." The cabbit slipped out the room as she adjusted her skirt, Vydr similarly adjusting his underwear below the covers of his bed. "Let's see if I can focus now... Ah... Qesis and... Arty? What do the two of you have in common?"

"We're both pregnant. It's... a long story." Arty accepted a greeting hug from the cabbit and moved on toward his brother. "Void, can you detect people that teleport or whatever? I think Vix might have figured that trick out."

"Blast... Our worst fear's come to pass, then? She's awoken to her power?" Vydr sat upright, ignoring the tent in his lap in favor of more dire issues. "I can sort of sense that Cher isn't in the next room anymore. I'm not sure if that was her doing or not."

"That's a start though. Can you tell where Cher was taken?"

"I can sense a direction, but it doesn't make sense." Void looked out the windows to his side, then rolled his head loosely in disbelief as he found Vapor Furnace Prime closing slowly. "Scratch that, brother. I think she went for the Furnace."

"Crap. Can you warp me there or are you too hurt?"

"Brother... I can't try that, not like this. We should take the Starbreeze--"

"The engines are busted. They need to tow her to dock before we can dock ourselves." Ielunschra groaned as her leg started aching from her own jogging. "My brother said you needed help. I brought my girls, and I'm guessing that's why he requested them."

"M-Mom... I'm sorry I can't--"

"Vydr, you're trying your best. We all have moments where we can't do much else but heal--so heal, my son." Ari gave a hug to her similarly named counterpart and waved over her twins. "I'd say getting to the Hermes and docking isn't fast enough. Oh, but I see the station's in view..."

[Cousin Artemis! Where were you hiding?] Mikhaila latched onto her cousin for a heavy hug while Michelle signed and signalled their Linked chatter. [We'll open a portal home. Just name the spot.]

"Just name the... Ah, okay. Let me figure that out first and we can try one of those portals." Artemis stepped back into his brother's room and hushed his voice. "What do you think she's after? I'd say she was looking for that Flynt guy but why would she bring along Cher?"

"I'm not quite sure. She's got the power to destroy worlds and she took a hostage? It doesn't sit right, not with that much of an offset of force." Void groaned as something got on his nerves, reaching beneath the covers with a snap and producing a condom resembling a balloon with how full it was. "Sorry about that, brother. You caught me in the middle of sating my lady."

"You're crazy for her, huh? Good for you."

"Yeah, well you're head over heels for Vix. Let's get you two together again. Is the, uh...?"

"Yeah, the kid's ours. Again, hard to explain." Arty stepped back as the door slid shut. "We don't need that much privacy, but thanks."

"Thank me when we're done, sweetheart." Ria tapped a locking code into the controls and slowly sauntered over. "I still haven't gotten my fill, if you get my meaning."

"Damn. She's lost herself again, Arty. Let's figure this out so I can help her--"

Ria slid under the covers, her skirt flopping out the side behind her soon thereafter. "Don't mind me, honey. Act like I'm not here."

"Ilaria, you know I can't without a--" A short shift of hips and a grunt signalled exactly when the darker side of Ria found her prize. "Ria! It's not safe for you!"

"But there's so many babies now. I just want to join the fun."

"Ria, stop." Arty stepped forward and held the cabbit down, but his arms started failing him without notice. "H-Hey, stop. We need to figure this out, and you sh-should listen if Void doesn't w-want... to have a..."

"Fuck, she's got you too?" Void fell back into his bed limply, advanced pheromones and a hint of psionic ability overpowering him. "Arty... Forget me. Find Vix. Go... where you hold the most special..."

"Crap... Maybe after... a quick fuck..."

"That's right. Just relax." Ria pulled open Arty's belt and worked down his pants, grinning at the sight of two spires. "Buy one, get one? Yes please."

"W-Wait... I need to..." Arty heaved forward as Ria's muzzle took the whole of his smaller cock, eagerly sucking and slurping like she was thirsty for his cum. "...Vix needs me... but you..."

"Ria, let Arty g-go..."

Vydr fell fully limp save for his jerking hips, passing out as the exhilarated cabbit riding him got what she so seeked. "Yes! Finally!" Ria rolled her hips for the short duration the narcoleptic otter orgasmed, then slid off the bed and fed Arty's cocks between her frighteningly red-glowing cum-stained thighs. "You're next, stud. Think I can fit both of those bad boys?"

"Ria... no, I... I have someone I..."

"Think of it as helping your brother, sexy." Ria angled those spears of flesh upward and sank herself upon them, then leading the panthott to rest beside his incapacitated brother. "You're so tense. Just let me help you relax, stud. Forget that vixen."

"Forget...?" Artemis fluttered his lidded eyes, purpose flooding him as he remembered Vixellyn... and his cocks flooding an overstuffed cabbit as that vision confused his sex drive. He shook and found his senses, shoving Ria off him before the second surge of his peak managed to do any more damage. "Vix! Fuck! I need to save Vix from herself!"

"What?" Ria fell backward onto the floor, finally coming to her own senses with the impact and flooding her eyes with tears. "I... We just..."

"I... can't say how sorry I am, Ria. Are you in heat? Is this a problem?" Arty stood with purpose, shoving his junk back into his pants and heading for the fallen cabbit. "I hate to sound so callus, but I need to get moving for Vix's sake. Are you alright on your own, or can we talk about this later?"

"I... I can't... get pregnant or I'll... die..." Ilaria stared at her seeping folds, her tears pouring at an even faster rate. "Wh-What am I going to do?"

"Ria, there's doctors all around. I'm sure they can help fix this before it becomes an issue. Ellie is right past this door, so start with him. You... didn't look like you were yourself though, so don't blame yourself. Stress is getting to all of us right now." Arty helped the girl up and she moved to the bed, tidying up her unconscious man. "I'm truly sorry, Ria. I... I'm ashamed of myself, not you."

"No! You... You had more willpower than anyone I've ever known! You broke free of her spell!" Ilaria pulled herself into bed with Vydr, bracing him tightly in a warm hug. "If you didn't stop us then, you'd have drained another ten times as much into me before she was satisfied. I... I have to thank you for that, Arty. Just... get Ellie for me and..." Ria turned to earnestly look Arty in the eyes without shame for a moment. "Get Vix back safe and sound, alright?"

"Without question. Now about the door code?" Perfectly on cue, the door ripped from its sliding frame and moved aside--all under the power of an armored Gnome. "Or we could do that. I was going to hack the door, you know."

"I didn't have much of a choice." Elliot grasped his paw in a stack of gauze, his blood not only staining the cloth but the masked Gnome as well. "I tried to stop her but she just drove forward all the stronger."

"So these guys can rip apart bulkheads, then? Ever think to ask them nicely not to?" Arty stepped past the eerily smiling armor and pointed to his brother's bed. "We had a bit of an incident. I think I know where to go now, but Ria needs someone to look after her... confine her, even. Could you, or is that paw going to be an issue?"

"No can do. I'm coming along with you. My wife is part of that installation, damnit." Elliot checked the floor in Vydr's room and noted the hefty helping of mixed-colored cum on the floor. "Ari, get your doctor over here. Tell him to check Ria's file for sexual issues and to clean her up inside and out. Can you handle that for me? Please?"

"For my son's love, anything. Go. Protect my little sister's memory."

"Thanks, Ari. I won't lose Ashe, not again." Ellie sidled against Arty and winked his nose. "You ready to go, or... do you want to get rid of the stench of her heat first?"

"She is in heat. Oh, fuck." Arty waved the Ems closer and explained his destination. "Can you get us to the center of the Academy? The Library? You know that place?"

[That's our favorite spot on the Furnace. We can do that... if this ship would hold a single course, anyway.]

"Shit. Aunt Ari, can you tell the ship crew to fly straight?"

"That's a bit hard to do with the traffic lanes around the Furnace--"

"Fine. I'll just do it myself." Artemis fell to a knee as his nanites lit up bright enough to overpower the hallway lights. "Got i-it... H-Hurry, you t-two..."

[The... course is straight now? Fine. One moment.] Mikhaila threw out a paw and opened a portal, her twin focusing on the far end of the chain. [Done. It's a bit tricky to hold, so move quickly.]

"Don't mind if I do..." Ellie hopped through the portal, then quite unexpectedly was followed by Albedo in close proximity. "Uh... okay then. I wasn't expecting an entourage."

Arty few through the portal just before it closed, rolling hard over the grass in the Library garden. "God... That was... Crap, I'm gonna..."

Elliot sighed and rubbed Arty's back as he vomited over the previously pristine grass. "It's okay, Arty. Those portals make everyone a little queasy. Let it all out, yes yes."

"No... I was thinking about..." The panthott wiped his mouth over his sleeve and raised his head, revealing tears pouring over his face. "I had sex with Ria! I ruined her life and... God, how am I going to tell Vix?"

"Gods damn, you two really are crazy for each other." Ellie tugged on Arty's arm and forced him to stand, his posture not helping his mood. "Honey, Ria had you wrapped around her finger. She can fuck with your mind and shit when her other self is in control, and she's still feeling the effects of her heat too."

"Her... other self...?"

"Arty, Ria suffers a particular sort of dissociative identity disorder. Her family suffers from similar schizophrenia. Neither of you is at fault for what happened, even if it is sad." Ellie moved over to his wife's memorial and tapped a hologram screen. "Bad biology only seems common to the best people. Arty... go find your mate and keep her safe. I'll be here watching over my own."

"My mate? N-No, we're just--"

"You two were meant to be together. Don't deny what you've both known, unless you want to leave things unresolved before it's too late." Albedo moved closer to the terminal and touched the side, rapidly changing the content in an act of discovery. "You too? Fine. I'm not so good at fighting off bad guys anyway."

"Not... fine..." The robotic Gnome created a somber expression on her mask and knelt before the doctor. "You are... master? No. Family are masters."

"So you can talk." Ellie tugged on a pauldron and lifted the Gnome up. "I'm not your master. I'd appreciate the help though."

"No, you are me... my master." Albie adjusted to a looser stance, then presented a glowing ring of patterned light around her wrist. "You made blood seal for family. I shall fulfill this contract."

"Crap. Apparently that magic works on their robots too. Is that how you--?"

"I bled over her and activated it, huh?" Elliot fluttered his eyes upon touching the seal. "She's... a gargoyle, not a robot..."

Arty scanned to regain his bearings, noting the shutters were just closing on the skylight windows littering the ceiling. "Right. Well names don't matter so much as intent right now."

"No? Gargoyles are not simple automatons. Albedo is alive, or..." Ellie sat on the edge of a tall planter to steady his distracted balance. "She was alive, but is a new kind of life now. Damn, what are you feeding me, Al?"

"We have not synchronized our memories yet. If master wishes, I could delay until a better time."

"Call me Elliot, please. And... no, keep going; this could be useful." Ellie regained some more senses, namely his sight as he shifted his gaze to Artemis. "Go on ahead, Arty. We'll be fine for now."

"I would, but I've got to figure out where I'm headed first. Vix could be anywhere."

"Master... Elliot is not keen to these matters. His... wife? Mate?" Albie touched the terminal and recalled the avatar of the Library, Ashe's image. "Mistress Ashe is a bit more practiced in scouting."

"Was, Al. She's... not around anymore."

"That voice..." The hologram turned side to side, searching with digital senses. "Is that my handsome Elliot?"

"I don't..." Elliot broke free of Albie's magic Link and grasped the sides of the terminal. "Ashe? No, it's not possible. You're just responding to errors. My wife is--"

"Dead? I... really died?"

"You've never questioned your..." Ellie raised his head in realization, then snapped to stare at Albedo. "You changed her? How? Please tell me you didn't break her mental records."

"Master desired to speak with her again, not just a recording. I fixed part of her thought process to make Master happy, Elliot."

"You... can fix her?" Ellie hunched over the hologram, smiling through tears of joy. "I missed you so much, beautiful. Oh gods, did I ever."

"I... I wish I could feel you, Elliot. It's cold where I am and I miss your warmth."

"That's a little hard to solve right now. I swear on my life we'll solve it--together."

"Are... Are our children...?"

"They're wonderful. The both of them take after their mother in all the best ways." Ellie gripped Albie's armored shoulder in thanks, then turned back to Arty. "What the fuck are you waiting for? Not all of us get second changes, Arty. Go--"

Ashe subconsciously turned to face the correct direction, sensors aiding her avatar. "Arty? Who is that? What's wrong?"

"I need to find someone dear to me before she gets hurt... or maybe she hurts anyone else." Artemis used his nanites and magic to scan the electronics nearby, groaning when he didn't divine anything useful. "I should just start moving until I find her or Flynt."

"Flynt? Is he doing well? Oh, he's..." Ashe sat down and crossed her legs. "I see. I'm connected to the sensors of the station. That means I'm... definitely dead, in one manner at least."

"I'm sorry, Ashe. I've heard a lot of good things from my dad about you. He likes to think you'd be a good little sister."

"Iolvin? You're telling me Iolvin had more kids?" Ashe jacked into Arty's Sense and overlaid her avatar over his vision. "I definitely need to help now. What kind of state was this lady in when you last saw her?"

"She was... scared, essentially. She realized she has more power than scores of nations in just her clawtip." Artemis sat beside the Arctic wolf and read her genius-grade expression of understanding. "She ran away using that power, teleporting somewhere on this station. Now I need to find her before--"

"Before these ships surround the Furnace?" A series of data points appeared over the hull, far more than Ashe's calm expression would warrant. "I think I understand this better now. Arty, was it? Is there anywhere on the Furnace she considers a safe space? Perhaps there's a place special to her? Maybe a family home even? People tend to subconsciously seek familiarity in tough times."

"The only places she's ever mentioned were places she shouldn't be, and none of them seem like good places to visit at the moment. The Synthetic Wards for instance are..." As the various locations fluttered through his head, Arty blindly found himself staring at the original hologram he'd constructed of Ashe so many months ago. "The day we met..."

"You got something honey?" Elliot stared at the patch of grass, then forced an override to Link with Arty's Sense. "Oh, that rendition was so sweet. Arty... What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I belong in a library." The panthott locked eyes on a familiar entrance and started jogging toward it. "Ellie, can you hold down the fort? Maybe call in security or something?"

"We'll figure something out. Don't worry about us; go find that lady of yours and save the whole of our tails."

"Perhaps we can slow the assault and buy some time." Albedo crouched to manipulate a bit of wiring near the console but kept her head craned to Elliot. "I'm quite sure the pact seals have taken full effect, but I cannot confirm if I'm the only one that shared memories. Master... No, you prefer Doctor..."

"I do believe we're sharing memories even now. Makes things easier with that door rigging job in any case, Excelle." Ellie hobbled over to a power routing box and aided the effort, shaking his head at the stares from Arty. "It's a bit too complicated to explain before our collective doom. Hurry along, Arty."

"You got it. Watch yourselves." Artemis snagged the door to the library and pulled it open far faster than the automated systems could manage. "Oh, Ashe..."

"Might as well. I can multitask, after all." The avatar of the Arctic wolf reappeared in the center of Arty's vision, scanning around for his goal. "I'm literally part of this library. Don't try to wave me away, Arty."

"No, the help's fine. I'm not sure if you can follow me though." Art examined the wall panels in a nearby corner and smiled when his abilities found the electronic latch for his secret room. "Is this area on your radar?"

"I have literal radar, I'll have you know." Ashe probed with her various sensors and shook her head. "I'm... Ha, I'm blind in there. Cozy."

"You're free to tap my Sense if it helps any. I've... got to go myself, one way or another."

"No, I'll... listen from here. This seems like a private moment. Good hunting, Artemis."

"Thanks, for the pun as well."

"Pun?" As Arty climbed into the secret storage area he noted Ashe giggling to herself. "Ah, Greek gods! If only you were female it would make more sense..."

"Now I see what dad likes about her. Quirky, but fun." Arty reached for the usual lantern at his hip, then found himself frozen in worry when he realized it wasn't there to brighten up his day. "Cher... We'll figure this out. We're not losing you, Cher."

"...Art?"

"Vix!" The panthott bolted deeper into the storage room and froze upon uncovering a makeshift altar with Cherenkov laid upon the surface. "Gods, what happened? Cher looks so... dim."

"Oh, Art... 'gods', plural? You've always been so devoted to your god."

"Well that doesn't make much sense with what I've seen recently, especially you. Let's just say I'm much more open minded now." Arty latched his arms around Vix for a much needed hug. "Don't run off like that. The only thing that scares me more than Gaia is the thought of losing you."

"Art, that..." Vix gently broke the hug and forced her attention back to Cheren. "I only wanted to find a way to save her. Without her lamp she'll eventually..."

"It won't come to that. I promise." Artemis ran a paw through the djinn's hair and gently woke her. "We're going to figure this out somewhere safe. Right now though, we've got some unfriendly visitors at the gates. We can't stay here."

"I know, it's just that I thought of somewhere hidden and safe and... we ended up here."

"I understand. You're getting used to the power you wield and there will be bumps on that road. I'm here to help you however I can, Vix." Arty smiled as Cheren opened her eyes. "Morning, Cher. Don't panic, but we need to get moving. Can you walk?"

"Arty..." Cheren eased herself into a sitting position and rubbed her forehead. "Yes, I think I could walk a little bit if it's not too much. Where are we, though?"

"We're in the Academy Library in the Furnace. We have enemies incoming and we've got to find a way to regroup with the others."

Ashe updated her overlaid image blindly, half of her body appearing inside the altar. "They've just docked on a temporary external platform. If you'd like to meet, the closest location would be Public Works Ward number two."

"Is that the computer lady?" Vix moved closer and waved a paw, Ashe's avatar rendering properly in the open afterward. "I thought she was just a basic generated intelligence. She's alive?"

"You can see her?" Arty tapped his Sense in confusion, then calmed with a roll of his eyes. "Right, you're all-powerful so why not all-seeing too? Yeah, this is Ashe and she's--"

"Blind? That's unfortunate... But at least she can read the Furnace systems for us, right?" Vix smiled even though the Arctic wolf couldn't see it. "Right, Public Works Two. Let's start moving. Ashe, nice to meet you. Think you could help send a message to the others for us?"

"If only to see my family again. I'll try a few communications methods."

"Thank you, Ashe." Arty offered an arm as a handle and Cheren gladly took hold to help stand herself on her hindpaws. "You're a bit wobbly. Hold on tight, Cher. I'm not sure we can afford to move slow, so say the word and I'll carry you."

"I've got it covered. I've caused all of you enough problems heading to Gaia's realm..."

"Don't you dare start blaming yourself for that. You had only good intentions, and if not for that the djinni wouldn't exist. You're a good person, Cher." Arty guided Cheren out of the hidey hole and into the Library proper, again offering an arm to help her down from the secret doorway. "Ellie tagged along to keep tabs on Ashe. Let's grab him and that strange robot girl of his... Albedo?"

"Is that her name now? Something's different about her, so I guess the name makes sense..."

"She has another name? I guess you would know, actually." Arty held open the external doors and offered for the girls to move through. "So what exactly is she? Can she help us fight?"

"She's not that kind of synthetic being. Technically she's not actually synthetic, either. I thought you'd have figured that out considering your dad's new lover, Art." Vixellyn peeked at the person under scrutiny and then arched an eyebrow at Arty. "Really? Nothing?"

"She's an armor-clad robot to me. We only just met, and honestly she only now just started speaking English."

"She used to be a Gnome, one from Gaia's universe. Really, though? No resemblance?" Vix kept her voice down in case the automaton could hear her. "Art, she used to be Gaia's version of Excelle. Desperation leads people to embrace radical change sometimes, I guess."

"No... That's actually Excelle? The tiny princess my dad's fucking?" That louder burst managed to draw quite the attention of Albedo, Elliot, and several onlookers. "You're kidding. There's no way that's right."

"Oh, it's correct." Ellie walked closer to reduce the chances of another loud outburst. "In some way we know everything about each other with this blood bond thing we've formed. She... isn't quite fully intact as Excelle, not after being forced into this new body. Albedo is what remains of her, a gargoyle as they deemed them."

"It's alright, Elliot. I'm sure she can help bring back Ashe in much the same way." Vix noted a crowd forming around the armored gargoyle and nudged her snout toward a main exit into the next ward. "We'll worry about that later, when we're not under attack. Let's get moving before the shit hits the fan..."

"No. I'm staying here." Elliot held a paw over the ground and smiled for a nearby hologram of Ashe. "I'm spending some quality time with my wife. Besides, someone needs to make sure she stays safe since she's part of this whole ward."

"That's why you came, and I'm not the type to stop you from helping family." Arty offered a paw to guide Cheren and started moving. "Good luck, Doc. When this is all over, I promise I'll help however I can to get Ashe back on her hindpaws."

"I appreciate that, yes yes. She deserves to see her kids, to touch them--" Elliot fell silent for a moment as one member of the crowd caught his eye. Unlike the others, this meerkat was crouched near one of Ashe's access boxxes. "Sydney? Thank the gods for that. We were about to... come under..." The otter began to snarl upon spotting an anti-personnel mine in the pure-meerkat's paw. "...fire. Get away from her, you bitch!"

"What?" Arty began charging a well of electricity in his free paw, ready to volt-and-bolt at a moment's notice. "Ellie, what's going--?"

"Damn. So much for having fun." The impostor dropped her claymore mine and pulled out her pistol, sending the small crowd into a frenzy. "Just gotta make my own fun then. It helps if you scream--gets me more in the mood."

"Run!" Arty shoved Vix out of the way as a burst of gunfire whistled past. "Get to the interlock! There's security--!"

"You want to mine the--" Elliot immediately snapped his eyes to the next-nearest access box, finding an explosive had already been set upon it. "Al, stop her! She's rigged the whole ward!"

"Not sure how I'll fare, but..." Albedo put her armor to the test, immediately regretting the decision as an armor-piercing bullet cleanly busted through her gauntlet. The remainder of the meerkat's magazine pinned the Gargoyle behind a pillar. "Elliot, I can stop her but I'll get shot. Do you really--?"

"No, you... You're the only one that can help Ashe. Go to safety with Arty." As the meerkat reloaded her weapon Elliot dashed to grab it, succeeding just after the new magazine seated. He wrestled it up high and checked the impostor for her detonator. "Get the guards! Go!"

"The interlock! Go for the checkpoint!" Arty lunged into a sprint for the main exit, spotting quite a few more security agents than normal. "Help! Someone has a gun over here!"

"Sir, stand down! Lay on the ground and put your paws over your head!"

"What!? There's a shooter! Come help!"

"Sir, stand down!"

Vix caught up, but unlike Arty she didn't stop to get on her knees. Instead she slowly walked closer with her paws raised high. "We need help with a shooter. Everyone just needs to calm down and..." As she approached she noticed several pools of red and a hint of limp arm from around the side of the security booth. "Oh. She's attacked here first. If you want to find the murderer, she's--"

A low beeping from the booth drew several guards' attention, whom in turn drew their rifles upon the vixen. "Illegal, on the floor!"

"Shit. That fucking tracking chip..." Vixellyn let out a sigh as she considered her options, then outstretched a paw and gave the air a swipe. The whole lot of guards then went flying into the wall of the interlock, crushing each other into incapacitance. "Art, grab a gun. Looks like we're taking care of this ourselves."

"You didn't..." Arty scrambled for one of the guards' rifles and froze upon coming far too close for comfort with a bloodied, lacerated body. "Vix, what did you do? You didn't need to kill them!"

"Those two were already dead. Our unexpected guest had herself too much fun on the way here." Vix grabbed a rifle, then dropped it in favor of a simpler-looking shotgun. "Let's make sure she doesn't kill anyone else."

"Y-Yeah, let's." Arty picked up a rifle and checked the chamber, confirming the weapon was ready to fire. "Go keep Cher safe. You just pump the bar on the front of that between shots if you need to use it."

"I've seen these guys use these before, with these rubber things that hurt like a bitch anyway." Vix cycled her shotgun and a shell popped out, which Arty grabbed and shoved back into the tube magazine for her. "Thanks. I'll watch Cher. Just... try to be safe for us, okay?"

"I'll do my best. You stay safe too, Vix." Arty jogged back to the central courtyard, scanning for Cid's doppelganger with his new rifle shouldered. He found the meerkat still struggling with Elliot, a few fresh bullet holes pocking the surrounding surfaces. "Doc! Hey, get your mitts off Elliot!"

"You won't shoot, cub scout." The meerkat continued a series of knees and kicks, rolling her eyes at the dedicated resistance. "Don't you ever give up? Fuck off, weasel man."

"I'm not letting you harm her! I just got her back and--"

"The AI? That's what this is about? Gaia said my target was important, but you're in love with that thing? That just makes me want to destroy it even more." The meerkat finished playing her games, releasing her non-dominant paw to produce a bloody knife from her lower back. The tool gained a fresh coating of red a moment later, draining her opponent's will to resist along with the air in his lungs. "Bloody finally. About time I took my leave anyway."

"Elliot!" As the mink-otter crumpled to the ground Arty raised his rifle to the impostor's chest. "Fuck you!"

"Maybe when I've got my cuffs on me, handsome." The meerkat pointed her freed pistol at Albedo both to stop her newest charge as well as to take a hostage. "Sometimes I feel sorry for people that have friends. Such a liability." She reached for her belt and pulled the remote detonator for her explosives from within her waistband. "You shoot me, this whole place blows and your friend here gets a new ventilation hole or two. Just walk away... pretty far away if you value your own life. Deal?"

"Fuck... Fuck you!" Arty shifted his aim to the meerkat's arm and let loose a flurry of slugs, pure luck guiding one into the side of his target's pistol. She tried to shoot the weapon, the first cartridge missing its mark due to the rifle round's offsetting but further shots refusing to fire due to the slide locking against its new damage. "What's the matter? Regretting your actions now? Albedo, grab her."

"I knew I should have stuck with a revolver..." The meerkat raised the detonator and again caused Albedo to freeze her advance. "I can still kill a lot of people. Just back off, idiot."

"The hell you can. Try it. I dare you."

The enemy trusted the confidence in Artemis' eyes, raising the detonator to her view and clicking the rigger bar four times. "Oh, bloody hell. You found a jammer, I take it?"

"I am the jammer." Arty held up a paw to showcase his electric magic crackling to create interfering radio waves. "It won't work. Now step away from Elliot while Albedo secures you."

"Nah, I'll pass." The meerkat hurled her useless weapon at Arty, sending the insecure shooter reeling his rifle upward to deflect the projectile. She dashed into the unbalanced panthott's personal space and grabbed his rifle, jabbing him in the chest with the butt stock. "That's why you need to use the strap, handsome. Sadly that lesson's gonna be the last you ever get."

The muzzle brake pressed against Arty's cheek, sending his heart fluttering. "How did you...? Y-You don't--"

"Actually, I do. You're jamming my toys and I have a mission to complete." The heroic look on Arty's face drove the meerkat to a slight rage, giving her cause to beat his face with the stock a few times. "That's better. Just business, handsome."

"And you're too easy to distract." Artemis wiggled the detonator from an outstretched paw, then hurled the pilfered device into Albedo's armored paws. "Hot potato."

"Yeah, but your plan sucks. I can just shoot you and..." Again, confidence drove the meerkat to pull her trigger. "Fuck!"

Arty waited for the meerkat to check the rifle's jammed bolt and then swept her legs from under her. "It jams if you only pull it back halfway. Oops." Arty dove behind a stone garden wall and started crawling to Elliot. "Albedo, run!"

"Not on my watch!" The meerkat racked the charging handle fully to clear the pinched round, then let a few shots fly into Arty's secure cover. "Bugger all! Bloody 'bot gets it then!"

"No!" Elliot threw himself onto Albedo and tackled her to the ground, several loud cracks resulting in tender thuds rather than loud clangs. "N-Need... you..."

"Elliot!"

"Rubbish gun!" The meerkat hurled the empty rifle into the hedges and scrambled to her hindpaws. "I've never failed to take out a target before. You'll pay for this. Your whole fucking family will pay."

Albedo pointed at the enemy as she darted for cover. "She's getting away--"

"P-Promise... to bring..." Elliot stained the gargoyle's shiny armor red as he coughed, his punctured lungs protesting his request. "...bring back... Ashe..."

"No... Elliot, don't give up. We can still fix you up, just like you did for me." Arty frowned as the enemy vanished around the side of the Library, his focus now clear to rest upon his friend. "My dad was missing way more, right? We can fix a lot of this, just stay with us. Ashe, call for help!"

The construct barely managed to update her own avatar, crumpled on her pedestal in a mess of tears.

"Ashe, snap out of it! He needs a medical team!"

"Need to..." Elliot grabbed Albedo's collar and pulled her closer. "Kids need to... see their mother..."

"Elliot..." Ashe finally shut off her hologram, unable to cope with the imagery feeding to her. "I love you, Elliot. I... I love you."

The pale otter wheezed and fought to pull himself in view of a camera. He pulled out what appeared to be a decades-old pack of cigarettes, pulled the last one remaining into his mouth, and set it alight with a fancy, now-discarded lighter. "Love... you too... beautiful."

"No..." Artemis watched the otter's last breaths weaken via the glow of his cigarette, every ounce of hope fading just the same. "Fucking damnit! God fucking--!"

"Don't. Blasphemy doesn't become you, Art." Vixellyn crouched beside the fresh corpse and closed its eyes. She gave Elliot a moment of prayer, then picked up his lighter and stood tall. "This only needed to happen because I couldn't control my power."

"Vix... No, it's not your fault. This is all that fucking meerkat's fau--"

"I'll make it right. His sacrifice will not be in vain." Vix closed the lighter, examining the etched image of Elliot and Ashe on the one side and their children on the other. She flipped it open again and found a manually etched message, "Remember your promise." Vix put the trinket in Elliot's paw and closed it tight. "Sometimes the fire has to take you for you to burn them to the ground..."

"...Vix?"

"I'm alright, Art. I think I might be feeling fine for the first time in my life. You all have something worth dying for. I think I just realized my own reason to fight." Vix offered a paw to Arty and shouldered her shotgun. "We've got to get moving. The universe isn't gonna save itself."