Chapter 16: Reality
"Damn it, she's got them pinned down too. This is hopeless" a young Renegade muttered, distraught, as he peered over the wreckage of the ship he was currently hiding behind.
"We're not out of the fight yet. We can still win this. We have to," came a reply from the young man beside him, with messy crimson hair and tired emerald eyes. That young man was Arbus.
Beyond their shelter, a young girl floated midair, surrounded by an arsenal of Renegade weapons hovering beside her. Around her lay countless bodies of fallen Renegades, as well as a graveyard of machinery and weaponry spread in all directions.
The girl surveyed the carnage in glee, her smile wide and deranged. She was a Reincarnator with the PRIME ability to control every type of weapon, so long as she designated it as one.
No one at this base had stood even a sliver of a chance against her. The moment she arrived, marked the beginning of a one-sided massacre. Very few soldiers still remained from her initial onslaught, and the backup Renegades that had arrived from nearby outposts were currently being slaughtered by their own weapons.
Arbus struggled to come up with a plan to turn the situation around. Unfortunately, his usually strategic mind was drawing a blank at the moment. He felt numb, thanks to his left arm, or at least what remained of it. A high-tech energy blade had sliced through it cleanly, from palm to shoulder, turning it into a bleeding wreck. It had happened when he'd shielded a fellow Renegade from a killing blow. The attack had stripped away his skin and muscle, leaving his forearm bone exposed. He was currently in a world of pain. Thankfully, he was already used to this, so he did his very best to not focus on it.
"We can't hide here forever," An old Renegade beside Arbus said with a sigh.
He was currently eyeing his gun, as he weighed his chances of landing a shot while the girl was distracted.
"We have to join the fight, no matter what. I won't sit back while she slaughters the people who risked everything to save us."
The last Renegade with them, a nervous shifty young man, kept peeking from behind the wreckage, his teeth gritted in indignation at their desperate situation.
Arbus ran through various scenarios in his mind, searching for a way to clear this event.
Eventually, a particularly familiar idea had come to him, as he glanced at his injury.
He turned to his comrades sorrowfully. If this plan was going to succeed, he would need to abandon his original hopes for the mission.
"I have a plan" he said through gritted teeth.
The faces of the Renegades around him lit up as they turned to him with renewed hope. "What is it? Tell us quickly!. Our reinforcements won't last much longer."
Arbus remained silent for several moments.
Then spoke somberly.
"For the plan to work..... I need you three to act as distractions." He glanced at his mangled arm. "It's unfortunate, but I don't think I have much left in me. I've already lost a lot of blood, so I don't know how much longer I'll last. Which is why I need you all to keep her attention off this area, so I can attack her out from behind and end this."
Arbus said as he gestured to his exposed bone.
The Renegades took deep breaths, as they realised what he was thinking about. Arbus was essentially asking them to sacrifice their lives for a plan he wasn't even sure would work. He was asking them to die for his gamble. He knew it would be a hard decision for them, especially coming from someone like him. Which is why he was prepared for their refusal.
"Alright," the older Renegade said first.
Arbus's eyes widened slightly in disbelief.
"Why are you so surprised? You're the one who suggested this," the man continued with a resigned smile. "If you're even ten percent sure your plan will work, then we have to try. We're comrades, after all. We have to trust each other. Plus, we have no choice."
The other two slowly steeled their resolve, as well. "If you're sure it'll work, then we'll help" the younger one said, trying and failing to mask his fear. "Just make sure it does, okay? I won't forgive you if you make me sacrifice my life for nothing."
"Enough talk. We're running out of time. Let's move" the third Renegade said, already heading out without waiting for a response from Arbus. The three of them crept through the scattered wreckage, staying low as they made their way to a destroyed vehicle on the opposite side of the ship from Arbus. The Reincarnator was directly in between the two positions currently.
The old Renegade locked gazes with Arbus one final time, smiling brightly at him. After that, his expression darkened as he made a mad dash toward the Reincarnator, firing his weapon frantically.
She noticed him almost immediately, no longer distracted by what remained of the reinforcements, as she reacted. The bullets — each one capable of blasting through tanks, suddenly halted in suspense before her, unable to move forward.
She had already designated every firearm, energy blade, explosive, and missile in the area as weapons under her control. Which meant that they could no longer harm her.
With a simple gesture, she sent one of the hovering swords hurtling toward the old man, impaling him through the heart.
"Gahh!" The Renegade screamed, as blood sprayed from his lips.
Despite the fatal wound, he kept on firing his weapon as he went down. The other two Renegades steeled themselves once more, then jumped out and followed suit, drawing her attention completely.
Arbus watched their sacrifice with a pained expression. After that, he took a deep breath, as he contained his emotions, focusing only on hatred and directing it at the Reincarnator, like he had done against Ronan. Shortly after, he dashed out.
The Reincarnator only smirked as she saw more Renegades stepping up to their deaths, amused by their futile efforts. She used the weapons floating beside her to blast the two Renegades apart, mesmerised by the spray of blood.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone lunging at her from behind and turned to see Arbus with his left arm raised, aiming directly for her.
Instinctively, she tried controlling the weapon he was using, only to realize she couldn't. It was his own bone, a part of a living organism. Which meant she couldn't designate it as a weapon.
In a panic she commanded the swords closest to her to stab into Arbus. Arbus simply gritted his teeth, unmoved by the attack. He was used to the pain. He crashed into her with all his remaining momentum, immediately driving his jagged bone deep into her throat with all his remaining strength. He clung onto her as they both collapsed to the ground.
He stared down at her dying form, his eyes burning with anger and hatred.
Suddenly, her face morphed into that of someone else's in Arbus's mind, for a moment.
"I'm sorry... for living."
A young girl with flowing brown hair, and orange eyes muttered, with a sad expression on her dying face.
Arbus's eyes widened just as the simulation ended.
**SIMULATION COMPLETE**
**MISSION SUCCESSFUL**
**CALCULATING SCORE...**
The neural interface announced as Arbus sat up abruptly, taking off the device.
He took deep breaths, as he tried his best to regain control of his pounding heart.
Eventually, he sighed heavily, as he glanced around the mental training room.
"I failed... again."