|Location: Outskirts of the wasteland. |
-OMNISCIENCE-
[ERROR OVERRIDE SYSTEM ADMIN CODE… Apologies, Zero.]
For a moment, Zero wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. What he was seeing felt unreal, almost like a cruel hallucination.
"SAI!?" he whispered, his voice trembling with disbelief and a flicker of hope.
Before him staggered a figure struggling to stand—a grotesque semblance of Dia, or at least what once was her.
Her body was horribly mangled, twisted and broken. Thick, tangled vines had sprouted from one of her hollow eyes, weaving tightly to prop up her dangling right arm, which hung lifelessly by her side. Similarly, another sprout had grown and coiled around her abdomen, acting like a harsh, unyielding brace that prevented the gaping wound there from opening further and tearing her body in two.
Zero's heart clenched with a deep, unsettling repulsion—not because he found the sight grotesque in a simple sense, but because it stirred inside him a profound helplessness. In that moment, he felt utterly powerless, knowing that no amount of strength or will could help him fight back against this twisted abomination.
His own body betrayed him, convulsing uncontrollably as a violent surge of energy—implanted within him by whatever Steve had done—raged through his veins. Yet, despite the searing pain and relentless force, Zero forced himself to crawl away, desperate to put as much distance as possible between him and the living nightmare before him.
Then, for a fleeting instant—a mere fraction of a second, a heartbeat suspended in time—something caught Zero's eye and stopped him in his tracks.
"Silver eyes? Who?" he murmured under his breath, confusion and curiosity mingling in his voice. The moment was so brief it was almost as if it had never happened, fading quickly back into the oppressive stillness as the body's glowing golden eyes continued to lock onto him with unblinking focus.
As if relieved that Zero had ceased his retreat, the battered form exhaled slowly—a deep, rattling sigh that echoed through the silence. From the unmoving lips came a monotone voice, hollow and detached, resonating with an eerie calm that filled the heavy air between them.
[Don't try to mo—SYSTEM OVERRIDE DETECTED — I'm trying to help.]
[We need to act—ADMIN DETECTED— quickly!]
The voice echoing from Dia's broken body shifted from the usual monotone of SAI's synthetic speech to a modulated, high-pitched organic tone. Though it retained a hint of the familiar SAI cadence, its sharpness cut through Zero's scattered thoughts, anchoring his mind with urgent clarity.
[I have— UNRECOGNIZED CODE INITIATING REBOOT.]
Suddenly, the body that moments ago had been slowly adapting to movement began to falter. Staggering uncontrollably, Dia's form collapsed toward the ground, losing what little control it had just gained.
"What's happening to you!?" Zero shouted, panic rising in his voice.
[ERROR FOREIGN DETECTED — No time to explain.]
Dia's vine-supported arms suddenly twitched. Sharp, intertwined thorns sprouted violently along the vines, and with a swift, cruel motion, they plunged into the wound in Zero's abdomen—fresh pain exploding through him like a searing blade.
"Ahhhhh! Why do you people keep piercing my stomach?!" Zero cried out, his body freezing in place, paralyzed by shock and agony. His eyes remained locked helplessly on the horrid scene unfolding before him.
[You should realize that you don't have any— REBOOTING IN 1 MINUTE—Anyway, just think of this as situational karma, and don't try to fight what I'm about to do.]
"What are you going to do!?" Zero demanded, his voice strained and broken.
[I need to transfer this body's highly concentrated Sertium blood to you.]
"Wha—!!!"
Before Zero could respond, a powerful surge of energy flooded into him. This time, it clashed fiercely with the malignant force Steve had implanted. Zero realized, with grim clarity, that he was experiencing the very essence of fighting fire with fire.
Zero's screams tore through the air as searing pain radiated from deep within his core. His veins shimmered with a spreading golden hue, the corners of his eyes weeping molten gold. His heart pounded relentlessly, pumping the strange substance coursing through his blood.
Only seconds passed, but within that brief time, Zero could feel his insides being torn apart as two opposing energies waged a fierce battle inside him. His consciousness slipped away repeatedly, only to be violently jolted back each time by the shifting vines piercing his flesh—controlled deliberately by the entity inhabiting Dia's body.
[I can't have you falling asleep. You need to let the forces cancel each other out and feel what it's like—you'll need this,]
The voice echoed inside him.
"How can I even think of feeling this? I can't—" Zero tried to protest, but his body betrayed him. Suddenly, he vomited uncontrollably. He fought to hold it in, but some primal force inside pushed the murky substance out of him.
As the foul liquid spilled forth, Zero felt a rush of relief flood his body. The raging energies calmed, leaving him utterly drained but, for the first time in moments, at ease.
[Phew, it's done… for now. That bastard—INITIATING REBOOT—- Oh no! Zero, escape this place and tell your companions to leave too, or you'll get caught up in whatever—REBOOTING…]
With that, the body before Zero went limp, collapsing heavily to the ground.
Zero gasped for breath, his mind flooded with questions, but recalling Steve's warning and the mysterious presence that had hijacked SAI to control Dia's body, he knew he couldn't afford to linger. Pushing aside his exhaustion, he struggled to his feet.
To his surprise, when he checked his abdomen, the wound was completely healed. The pain lingered, but the bleeding had stopped—he no longer had to fear dying from it.
Without wasting another second, Zero bolted from the scene, his heart pounding in his chest. Despite the wreckage strewn around him, he knew the path he was taking would lead through Nuk's village. Deep down, a gnawing worry settled in—what condition was the village in now? Was it in chaos? Was anyone left?
As Zero neared the village outskirts, his eyes scanned the area. The tents lay abandoned, eerily empty. Chaotic footprints marred the ground in every direction, and an unsettling silence hung in the air. There was no sign of life—no familiar energy to anchor him. Well, almost none.
Suddenly, a figure emerged behind him. Hansel stood there, carrying a bag twice his size, stuffed full of technological equipment that Zero chose not to inspect closely.
Crawling out from behind a nearby bush, Hansel's voice called out. "Zero, is that you?"
"Hansel? What happened to everyone?" Zero asked, his voice heavy with concern.
Hansel's face twisted with embarrassment as he responded. Clicking his tongue in disgust, he said, "Don't even bring up those maniacs." He gestured vaguely toward the direction the others had fled.
"But you stayed?" Zero asked, worried about creasing his brow.
"I'm waiting for Nuk. Where is he? Did you see Dia?" Hansel glanced behind Zero, hopeful for a glimpse of their friends, but found no one.
Zero froze, unsure how to answer. It was better if the explanation didn't come from him—Hansel didn't fully trust him, and Zero himself wasn't ready to discuss someone he had personally killed.
"Nuk should explain what happened," Zero said, avoiding Hansel's gaze. Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed Hansel's hand and began to run. "Anyway, we shouldn't stay here."
"Wait, why!?" Hansel yanked his hand back, confusion clear on his face. "Is this connected to the commotion at the center?"
"Commotion!? It was a death match, that's for sure. I'll explain more once we're out of here," Zero tried to assure him.
"I need to know now," Hansel argued, his voice rising.
Their argument was cut short as the ground beneath them suddenly shifted. The soil trembled violently, and the air seemed to warp toward the village center.
"Like I said, we need to go now," Zero said urgently. He scooped Hansel onto his shoulders and sprinted, pushing himself as fast as he could.
"Zero, what's happening?!" Hansel screamed, panic rising as the trembling intensified.
"I don't know, but we can't stay here," Zero replied grimly.
"No kidding—run faster!" Hansel shouted.
"That's what I'm doing!" Zero snapped back, urging his legs to move faster.
Ahead, the edge of the wasteland and Nuk's group came into view, tents scattered around them. Fear gripped Zero's heart—he worried they might get caught up in whatever chaos Steve had unleashed.
Desperately, Zero shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the barren land:
"GUACAMOLE!"
•••••••••