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"submission_left_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "description": "Castle Town is under brutal siege with Susie being pulled in too many directions to do anything about it. \n\nWhat will break first? The Titans or her spirit?\n\nCover Art by [url=https://bsky.app/profile/renorenorenoreno.bsky.social]RenoRenoRenoRenoRenoReno[/url], y'all should check out their stuff, it's the bestest.\n\n[url=https://kimberlyeab.carrd.co/]Visit my website to see where else you can find my work, follow my socials, join my Discord, or support me on Patreon/SubscribeStar![/url]", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Castle Town is under brutal siege with Susie being pulled in too many directions to do anything about it.

What will break first? The Titans or her spirit?

Cover Art by RenoRenoRenoRenoRenoReno, y'all should check out their stuff, it's the bestest.

Visit my website to see where else you can find my work, follow my socials, join my Discord, or support me on Patreon/SubscribeStar!", "writing": "Susie pounded ahead, winding back with her hand and flinging it forwards with all of her might. The latex which encased her actively fought back against these attempts but transmitted her intentions well enough. \n\nShattered Prophecy launched its giant fist forwards, slamming its mass right into the Titan's face. The blow landed with all of the hatred and fury which she felt.\n\nThe beast tumbled to the ground, landing hard enough to shake the very earth below her. Not hard enough to kill. No, it was never that easy. Yet, it was still hard enough that it struggled to get back to its feet.\n\nFour Titans... there were now four Titans besieging the walls. It was enough to bring a chill to anyone's blood. But for Susie, all she felt was rage. A rage which she was making sure the Titans were well aware of.\n\nShe wound back with her foot, snarling as her latex once more tried desperately to constrain her anguish. But there was nothing that would dare hold back her fury for long. Even worse for this creature, there was now a whole lot of anger in her breast and she wasn't about to let some fucking membrane tone police her.\n\n``Fuck you!'' Susie growled.\n\nShe launched her foot into the creature again and again, feeling it violently shudder each time she stomped down. In the cameras, she saw that she had carved a hole right into the cross, cracking it open with a series of increasingly desperate blows. White viscera gushed from the wound and the creature seemed stunned by the relentless abuse.\n\n``Everything okay on your end?'' Ralsei chimed in. He sounded far too cool and collected compared to her. Where was his anger?\n\nSusie grunted. ``I'm physically fine.''\n\nThe truth.\n\nIt didn't seem that Ralsei wanted to pry. Which was probably for the best as Susie had absolutely no interest in sharing. This wasn't the time or place to have a heart-to-heart.\n\n``Currently have my first Titan on the ropes.'' He grunted, keeping it professional. ``He's a slippery bugger.''\n\nSusie drew up her foot as high as she was physically able and then slammed it down as hard as she could, driving the metal right through the Titan's white cross as if it were nothing stronger than plywood. A geyser of white blood exploded upwards, coating Shattered Prophecy's leg in its unholy viscera.\n\nJust like that, the Titan was dead.\n\n``How are things going in Castle Town?'' Susie asked.\n\nThere was a pause and a long one at that. \n\nWhen Queen finally spoke, she sounded frazzled, stressed, and on the brink of blue screening. There was pain in that voice and an exhaustion that Susie felt at her very core. ``We've contained most of the impacts.'' A tick. ``Causalities are substantial but we're doing our best to minimize them from getting any worse.''\n\nSusie grunted, swallowing a lump in her throat. Don't think about it, don't think about it. ``I'm... I'm heading to the north wall now.''\n\n``Please note that it seems that the Titan on the west wall is diverting course towards the north as well,'' Queen stated. ``I would suggest that you hurry. The Titans are getting close and I worry for the wall's structure integrity if they decide to throw their combined weight against it.''\n\nThe wall, the only thing that was keeping the darkness at bay.\n\nSusie lifted her foot and pulled it out of the Titan's lifeless carcass. She shook off a tiny fraction of the white blood before rushing towards the north, keeping the east wall on her left. ``I'm moving into position as fast as I can.''\n\nRalsei grunted. ``I'll join you as soon as I finish with this Titan. Please buy time and don't do anything risky.''\n\n``I won't,'' Susie lied. Risky was her middle name.\n\nIt was hard work running in this mech, feeling the suit actively fight back with every step she took. She fought on it regardless, pounding forwards. Her heart raced and sweat soon clung to her brow, soaking into the bodysuit she wore beneath her membrane.\n\n``Robo-Aid,'' Susie grunted.\n\nA robotic arm descended from the ceiling and held something before her lips, allowing her to sip from a hose it provided. Whatever was inside tasted distinctly blue and had something in it which made the drive ahead manageable.\n\nSusie saw the corner approach and she reached out with her hand, grabbing hold of the corner parapet of the wall. She used it as an anchor to swing around and rapidly change direction. Thankfully, it seemed that the data bricks held up against her weight, barely creaking against the weight of the war machine clinging to it.\n\nAs she rounded that corner, she saw the two Titans at the wall in the distance. These creatures were winding back and pounding into it, tearing the brickwork out in chunks. Most of the data turrets had been damaged and what few remained fired feebly, seeming to do very little in order to phase the creatures as their energy blasts bounced harmlessly away.\n\nTwo-against-one... that was never odds which Susie had to think about. A part of her was worried about it. A much larger part was excited to add to her kill count.\n\nShe rushed ahead, pounding across the vast expanse. Her entire mech shuddered around her, vibrating something fierce. It was honestly a miracle that Queen had managed to get this thing into the field so fast after their last fight. \n\nWhat corners had she had to cut? \n\nMaybe not the best topic to think about.\n\nShattered Prophecy slammed into the nearest Titan shoulder first and brought it crashing to the ground along with herself. The two of them tumbled together and Susie fell within her cockpit, feeling the impact of the ground as it reverberated through her suit and rippled painfully against her skin.\n\nLights flickered within her cockpit and the cameras momentarily blipped out entirely. When they came back on, she saw that she was lying right next to the Titan, that giant white cross seeming to fill the entirety of her screen like some kind of gapping wound torn right into the very fabric of reality.\n\nIt was oddly beautiful, seeming to suck in her gaze. This was the kind of horror that was easy to get lost in.\n\nSusie saved herself, abruptly pushing back against it and putting a little space between them. She tried to quickly scramble to her feet though there was really no moving quickly in this kind of situation. The entire structure of Shattered Prophecy creaked and groaned, actively protesting the very concept of standing back up. It turned out that everything was harder when you were fifty metres tall. \n\nThe Titan was also working its way to its feet. Thankfully, it seemed to be afflicted by the same problem as herself.\n\nSusie put out her hands and was ready to brawl, keeping them between her cockpit and core, just like the Old Man had taught her. Only, she forgot a much more important lesson. If there were two Titans, it was probably a good idea to figure out where the second one was before focusing exclusively on the first.\n\nA lesson she soon got a very literal crash course on as she felt it smash into her side, violently tackling her back to the ground. The impact caused the latex to constrict, squeezing the air out of her lungs. Her vision blurred as her head snapped jarringly to the side, jostling her squishy brain against her skull. The lights in the cockpit went out completely this time and cameras along with them. \n\nFor a moment, she thought that she had totally lost power. All she could do was desperately wheeze for air, hoping and praying that it would come back.\n\nThankfully there was some higher power out there as everything started to boot back up. Shattered Prophecy came alive just in time for her to reach out and block a blow, pushing the Titan's arm away and deflecting its fist. This probably saved her life as she noticed the ground crack under the force of the diverted blow.\n\nIf it wanted her attention then it had it as she lashed out and pummeled it over and over, trading blows as they tussled upon the ground. The two of them constantly rolled over one another, swapping the advantage of who was on top.\n\nIt was a dirty kind of fight, rolling and just giving it their all. Whenever she tried to pull back, the creature would grapple and pull her right back in. All the while, she could spot the other Titan ever so often, getting back to its feet now that she was out of the equation. It seemed that it would soon be joining in on this gargantuan ass kicking.\n\n``Ralsei!'' Susie snarled.\n\n``On my way!'' Ralsei yelped. ``Currently making my way around the wall as we speak.''\n\nSusie slammed her elbow into the Titan's forearm, feeling something break as the beast let out a hellish holler. It gave her some space as she shoved it away and struggled back to her feet, pushing her mech's servos to their absolute limits in order to do so.\n\nWhen the Titan attempted to grab her leg, she kicked its hand away and instead took a couple steps back.\n\nShe was staring down the duo, watching the way the two Titans seemed to broil. Black vapour wafted off of their dark flesh, covering their entire bodies in some sort of shroud. There was so much hatred in them, this sheer sense of disdain seeming to fill their very beings.\n\nThere were loud cracks and ripples, obscured from her view. The wounded arm on one titan physically snapped back into place as if she hadn't even broken it. This was new and new things were rarely welcome in this kind of work.\n\nWhen the black vapour finally dissipated, the two titans had clearly been upgraded. One had four arms while the other had replaced its hands with razor sharp blades. Neither looked particularly fun to brawl with.\n\nSusie tensed her jaw. ``Queen, they just got like... an upgrade.''\n\n``I can see that,'' Queen said, still sounding so strained.\n\n``Do you have any tricks up your sleeve?'' Susie asked.\n\n``I might have one teeny tiny little method of assisting you,'' Queen stated. ``But it is also extremely experimental. I was hoping that I would have a few more days to run tests before approving its usage in the field.''\n\nSusie grunted and blocked the flurry of blows. It was bad enough to fight one Titan and look for an opening. But with two of them coming at her, each with weapons that were far deadlier than before, it became next to impossible. \n\nHell, it became just as unlikely that she'd save herself from getting her ass handed to her at this rate. This was a battle of attrition and she was definitely feeling that attrition far more than either of these Titans.\n\n``What are the risks?'' Susie grunted.\n\nQueen sighed. ``Well, there is a chance that it might overtax Shattered Prophecy's reactor and you'll go up like an atomic bomb.''\n\n``Punch it,'' Susie grunted.\n\nQueen paused. ``Pardon?''\n\n``Give me the juice or whatever,'' Susie growled, managing to find the slimmest opening as she rocked her fist right across the four-armed Titan's cheek. It gave her a little time, making the creature stumble back against the force of the blow. ``I'm dead either way.''\n\nRalsei whimpered. ``I'm getting there.''\n\n``Are you less than five minutes out?'' Susie asked.\n\nRalsei didn't respond.\n\n``Hit me with the juice,'' Susie snarled.\n\nThere was a sharp shock which ran through the command capsule, hitting her muscles like a sledgehammer as arcs of blue caused her body to twitch and spasm. The air tasted of copper and smelt of burnt ozone. It wasn't enough to kill but it definitely hurt something fierce, causing her to cry out with a vicious kind of agony. But when that pain dissipated, she felt... powerful... oh so powerful.\n\nA new bar popped up on her screen, already sixty percent full of some yellow indicator. It was labelled TP, whatever the fuck that was.\n\n``Do you see the TP gauge on your interface?'' Queen asked.\n\nSusie panted for breath. ``Is that how long I have until I go nuclear?''\n\n``Yes and no,'' Queen said. ``The higher it gets, the more likely that super critical state is. It's a store of energy that can be used to temporarily upgrade your combat abilities.''\n\nSusie dodged a blow though took another to her side, feeling the latex squeeze so tightly against her ribs. It nearly broke them with the raw force of the constriction. \n\n``Speed up the explanation!'' she wheezed.\n\n``You go boom at a hundred,'' Queen said, talking like a Monstertube video set to twice its usual playback speed. It was barely legible but she got enough of it across. ``But you can activate special attacks which in theory vents the excess energy.''\n\nHow did she get TP? How did she use it? A lot of questions and not any time to answer them.\n\n``Reach for your back?'' Queen ordered.\n\nSusie leapt back, buying herself a couple of seconds as she reached behind herself. Her eyes widened as she felt something against her robotic hands, a weapon which she hadn't been prepared to find. Was this the upgrade that Gerson had told her about?\n\nShe pulled her hands forward, grinning at what was in them. It was a large axe with a purple blade. Bolts of energy crawled across Shattered Prophecy's arms. They came in the form of blue lightning channeled straight from her hands through the black handle and delivered into the axe blade proper. Whatever it did must've worked as that blade started to glow a vibrant purple.\n\nAt the side of the screen, the TP bar was rapidly depleting and even an idiot like her knew where it was going.\n\n``Queen, this is the best thing you've ever invented,'' Susie said.\n\nQueen chortled. ``Get out of that fight alive and I'll be inclined to agree with you. How do you enjoy the design? I based it off of one of your earlier weapons?''\n\nSusie flexed her fingers and Shattered Prophecy flexed its in turn, gripping the handle of this axe tightly within both hands. It felt like a tease that she only got to feel the feedback of it translated into the latex around her fingers. She missed her axe, missed its very real weight and heft.\n\nShe was unable to hide her smile. This wasn't a bad substitute in the slightest. ``Can it still Rude Buster?''\n\n``Can it still Rude Buster?'' Queen chuckled. ``Susie, dearest, do you honestly think that I would dare deny you something like that?''\n\nSusie grinned, seeing how vibrant the axe blade glowed as her TP bar finally bottomed out at zero. Her weapon was running hot, the metal glowing with heat. She knew this energy, remembered it from so many years ago. Even inside a mech and even though the blade was several metres longer than usual, this attack still felt the same.\n\nShe wound back and picked her target, seeing one of the Titans rushing towards her. With a shout that very well could've silenced the devil himself, she swept her blade across the ground and launched it forwards. As it cut through the air, the energy on the tip of the axe came shooting free, flying ahead with reckless abandon.\n\nThe arc slammed into the Titan and the pure energy sliced through his body like a hot knife through butter. The excess energy carried through long after and dissipated well behind her target, fading away into the distance.\n\nThis creature took one more step forward as its mind had clearly failed to get the memo that it was already dead. As it attempted to reach her, only half of its body managed this final horrid lurching step. The other half remained motionless and stuck behind the first, removed from the rest of its body by a perfectly vertical cut straight down the middle.\n\nA river of white blood ruptured from the wound, painting the black field with an ocean of snow white. Both halves then collapsed to the ground soon after, remaining totally motionless and very obviously dead.\n\nSusie's victory was short-lived however. The other Titan didn't seem to even slow against its fallen brother, surging ahead. It rushed towards her with frightening speed, reaching out with its razor-sharp blades.\n\nThe head of her axe was inert, perfectly black and dampened. It didn't seem nearly as capable of defending her.\n\nSusie swallowed her anxiety and quickly side stepped, avoiding a blow from the Titan. Just because her special weapon had been spent didn't mean that she was out of the fight just yet. She still had all of those wonderful lessons that Gerson had repeatedly drilled into her thick skull.\n\n`Don't get seen, don't get hit, and get your butt somewhere that the bugger won't kill you if all else fails.' Gerson's voice played out within her head. \n\nThe Titan lashed out again and she narrowly avoided it. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that a little of that yellow bar had filled. Was her suit already building up a charge?\n\n``Queen,'' Susie grunted.\n\nQueen sighed. ``I really wish I had more time to explain your new features to you, darling. The system works by tapping into the Roaring's energy and using that to overclock your reactor.''\n\n``So, it's charged by getting close and personal with a Titan?'' Susie asked.\n\n``Exactly,'' Queen replied, grunting. ``Now I do apologize but there is a situation in the Cyber City that requires a greater portion of my processing power to handle.''\n\n``Yeah,'' Susie said, nodding. \n\nShe quickly wheeled around and lifted her axe. Even if it wasn't coursing with energy, it was still very much an axe that was made from an alloy that was more than ready to cut through a Titan. As the behemoth lurched ahead, Susie swung and hit its carapace head on. The axe's blade sunk into place but wasn't nearly as effective as its fully charged version. It failed to cut through completely with the blade getting stuck deep inside its flesh.\n\nThe Titan screamed against the wound and frantically lashed out. It was a wild animal that didn't want to die. In its panic, it slammed its claws into Shattered Prophecy's chest piece and gouged into it so deeply.\n\nAlarms blared within Susie's cockpit and she felt the air forced out of her lungs as the latex once again constricted against the sheer force of the blow. Spittle flew from her lips and at some point, she had cut her lip, tasting the rich coppery warmth of blood upon her tongue.\n\nShe attempted to pull the axe out but found that it was wedged too deep into the creature's flesh, keeping it trapped in place. Instead, she cut her losses and pushed back with her free hand, using Prophecy Shattered to shove the Titan away from herself.\n\n``Guess we're doing this the old-fashioned way,'' Susie grumbled, wiping the blood off of her lip while accidently piloting her mech to do the same.\n\nShe rushed ahead, snarling as she pounded across the ground. Shattered Prophecy seemed to be in good enough shape at the very least, not lagging and only fighting back against her instructions with the standard amount of sluggish delay. \n\nAs the distance closed between them, she lifted her fist and delivered a swift punch aimed square for the Titan's face. There was a satisfying crash as it connected which echoed, reverberating through the mech's frame. The cameras showed the Titan flinching back, somehow still standing after taking a blow like that.\n\nSusie grinned. ``This is...''\n\nThe Titan abruptly reached out and grabbed her arm, clinging to it and yanking upon it hard. Susie growled as she was forced to the side, feeling an intense whiplash. \n\nWhen had these assholes gotten so quick on their feet?\n\nThe Titan was right in front of her and she attempted to throw another punch, aiming right for that white cross which lingered over the centre of its being. \n\nHer efforts were for naught as the Titan grabbed her other hand and stopped it dead in its tracks. The beast then snapped forwards and connected its own head with the head of her mech. The impact was sharp and the lights inside her cockpit momentarily went dead. \n\nOr maybe that was just her own vision darkening?\n\nHer only saving grace was that the latex membrane at least didn't have the ability to translate head wounds.\n\nWhen the lights snapped back on, various red warning lights blinked upon about a hundred different interfaces. Susie didn't know shit about engineering but she had a feeling that this probably wasn't a good sign.\n\n``Susie!'' Ralsei cried.\n\nThere was a swift light from her side as a cord of illumination wrapped around the Titan's neck. It clung to the creature like a noose and squeezed hard, compressing the flesh tightly. It burgeoned against the strain, bulging around the noose and squeezing tighter and tighter until it finally grew so tense that the pressure completely severed the creature's head from its body.\n\nThe Titan's head launched skywards, like a rocket fueled by white blood. It took only a few seconds before its hands went limp, getting the message. Susie quickly ripped her own arms free, shoving that damaged corpse away from herself.\n\nShe turned to look at Ralsei and saw that he was holding a massive scarf within both of his hands, holding it like a garrot wire. The light upon it faded, revealing a strange mesh that was coloured pink and white.\n\n``I see that Queen also gave you an upgrade,'' Susie murmured.\n\nRalsei wrapped the scarf around Renewed Purpose's neck as if it hadn't just popped the head off of a Titan mere seconds ago. His own suit had quieted a few scratches and cuts. He'd clearly been through one hell of a fight too. ``It's a pretty nice upgrade. Kind of reminds me of the stuff I got to use back during our old adventures.''\n\nSusie could still remember those fleeting dark worlds where she got to use weapons like these, cutting and slicing through darkners who deserved it. Well... deserved it at the time, at least. \n\nIt was honestly a shame that she only got to enjoy two of those adventures. Things had been so much easier when she could pretend that it was all make-believe.\n\nSusie lumbered over to the Titan's corpse and grabbed the axe within both of Shattered Prophecy's hands. It was really stuck in there but she pulled upon it with all her might, grunting as the latex strained and fought back against her. After a lot of grunting and groaning, the axe finally started to slip free, inching out of the creature's flesh, little by little. Until finally, something gave and it came tearing out, the recoil nearly sending her falling onto her ass. \n\nThere was movement out of the corner of her eye as Renewed Purpose quickly placed a hand upon Shattered Prophecy's back. It was the only thing that saved her from falling ass over teakettle.\n\nA dusting of red graced Susie's cheeks as she felt the latex pressing against the small of her back. ``Thanks, Ral.''\n\n``No problem,'' Ralsei said.\n\n``Have all Titans been dealt with?'' Queen asked. The program sounded tired, very tired, more tired than Susie had ever heard her before. Was she okay?\n\n``Last of the Titans have been dealt with,'' Ralsei said, looking towards the walls.\n\nSusie followed his gaze, the pillar of purple still ruptured upwards, life still clinging on inside. But as she really gave it a look, she felt her balls leap into her throat. Pillars of smoke reached upwards as well and many of the skyscrapers had been torn asunder by the bombardment, collapsed against one another. The walls were also pot marked with damage, smouldering and threatening to collapse under their own weight. \n\nCastle Town had not looked this rough in a very long time.\n\n``That's fantastic ne-'' There was a burst of pixelated static.\n\n``Queen?'' Susie asked. ``Everything okay?''\n\n``Just a little glitch, dearest,'' Queen teased, giggling. Though even her robotic voice seemed rampant, the notes deformed as she delivered them. ``Nothing that you need to concern yourself with. I'll make sure to defrag my systems the next time that I get a chance to rest.''\n\nSusie looked towards Ralsei's mech and his looked towards hers. They couldn't see into each other's cockpits but she could definitely feel the intent, the two of them relaying a message to one another without having to say so much as a word.\n\nThat wasn't good.\n\n``If you could please return to base, the council is hosting an emergency meeting to discuss the latest developments,'' Queen said. ``I think everyone would feel much better if you two were also there.''\n\n``We're on our way back,'' Ralsei said.\n\nSusie nodded. ``Be there in thirty.''\n\n[hr]\n\nSenator Evergreen clasped their hands together, looking around the war room. Not even the inner sanctum had been spared from the last attack. The alloyed plating had been torn from the roof and walls with numerous bundles of wires now exposed and sparking, filling the air with the scent of burnt ozone. \n\nA number of citizens from the Cyber City mulled around, moving quickly as they did what they could to triage the damage though it was like bringing a thimble to combat a forest fire.\n\nQueen looked ahead, her gaze hollow and vacant. She hadn't spoken much since the attack. One of their glorious leaders now so worn down that she could barely even lead anymore.\n\nPerhaps it was time for a change of leadership?\n\nQueen wasn't alone in her haggard shape however. All the leaders showed signs of exhaustion and damage. Lancer and Gerson's armour was streaked with black ash, Tenna's suit was torn, All-Star gold plating was dented and smudged with ash, and Colombo's suit was smouldering with his face and arms covered with so many different bandages.\n\nEven Evergreen was rough for ware, knowing that their attire was no longer professional. Just like they knew that their knuckles would ache for days to come.\n\n``May I smoke?'' Colombone asked.\n\nEvergreen looked to the darkner. They always assumed that the dog treats were just for show. But when no one told him not to, he popped one between his lips and started to ignite it with a worn out lighter that he apparently kept in his breast pocket.\n\nTruly desperate times and the measures they brought about.\n\nThe door to the room opened and the last two figures necessary for this meeting entered. Susie and Ralsei shared in that same fatigue of battle. \n\nEach was still dressed in their skin tight pilot suits with sweat still clinging to the brows. They hadn't even had time to change into their regular clothing. Susie's lip was busted and bloody while Ralsei would likely earn himself a nice black eye with how much the left one was currently swelling.\n\n``This meeting...'' Queen sputtered and creaked. ``Is now in session.''\n\nEvergreen sprung up. ``Let me handle this, Queen.''\n\nQueen looked at them and nodded.\n\n``That last attack caught us off guard,'' Evergreen said. ``We'd been so used to the weekly routine that they surprised us by launching a campaign sooner than that.''\n\n``And with twice the usual Titans,'' Susie grumbled.\n\nEvergreen nodded. ``We've known from prior examples that they could increase the frequency and intensity of attacks.''\n\n``But we grew complacent,'' All-Star said.\n\nGerson nodded. ``I'm sure some old fart like me once said something about taking advantage of a complacent enemy.'' He sighed. ``Still, doesn't feel particularly good to be on the receiving end of it.''\n\nRalsei nodded. ``So, what exactly are our options here?'' He looked at Queen and was about to speak though looked at Evergreen instead. ``The defenses of Castle Town are obviously not prepared for this level of attack.''\n\nEvergreen nodded. ``And I doubt the Titans were just doing this as a once off. Wherever these creatures are coming from they are making them in greater numbers.''\n\n``And making them better too,'' Susie grumbled. ``Have you seen the latest combat reports?''\n\nEveryone except for Queen shook their heads. What did she know?\n\nRalsei frowned. ``They seem to be adapting to our mechs and developing deadlier strains of Titans to combat them. One of them had four arms and the other had sword hands. It was only because of Queen's upgrades that we even stood a chance.''\n\n``Shit,'' All-Star hissed.\n\nEvergreen frowned. ``Then perhaps it is time that we start discussing our plan B?''\n\n``The nesting grounds,'' Susie grumbled.\n\n``The nesting grounds,'' Evergreen said.\n\n``I can...'' Queen began, her voice oozing with age and pain. If she wasn't so important then Evergreen would've felt pity. As it stood, all she felt was a sheer sense of concern for everyone's well-being. ``Adding more defenses.''\n\n``Queen,'' Columbone said. ``I think you need to come clean with us.''\n\nEveryone looked to the Detective who tapped out his dog treat before taking another pull from it.\n\n``What are you talking about?'' Tenna asked.\n\nColumbone pointed towards Queen. ``You're dying.''\n\nQueen offered a crooked smile, nodding. ``We're all dying, dearest. It's the nature of time.''\n\n``But some of us are dying quicker than others,'' Columbone said.\n\nQueen went silent for a moment, not saying a thing. What could be running through those ones and zeros right now.\n\n``Queen?'' Gerson asked.\n\nQueen sighed. ``I was not designed to run this long without a reboot and I was never designed to run this hard for so long either.'' Her face twitched as she attempted a smile, the corner of her lips glitching with pixelation. ``My motherboard has taken considerable damage from misuse and that is affecting my CPU, RAM, and graphics cards.''\n\nEvergreen sighed. ``So, we can't add more defenses?''\n\n``It'd be a miracle if I can even really utilize the ones that we still have,'' Queen admitted.\n\nThe room went silent, everyone looking away from Queen and the issue at hand. It was not a comfortable silence nor was it a pleasing silence either. This was the kind of silence where uncomfortable questions and even more grisly answers would start to take root and grow.\n\n``What do we do?'' Lancer asked.\n\nEvergreen looked up and shook their head. ``We need new leadership.''\n\nTenna glared at them. ``Are you really attempting a power grab right now?''\n\n``It doesn't necessarily need to be me,'' Evergreen said, glaring at him. ``I'm equipped to handle it but regardless of who it is, Queen is in no state to keep running things right now.''\n\n``They're right,'' Queen said.\n\nRalsei frowned. ``And what do we do about the Titans?''\n\n``The spawning grounds,'' Susie said, looking first at him and then at everyone else. ``If we can't defend the city anymore then we need to go on the offensive. I don't know what's out there but if there's even a chance that we can cut them off at the source, we need to take it. It's either that or we all sit here and wait to die.''\n\nGerson nodded. ``I agree with the kid.''\n\n``Same,'' Lancer said, smiling sheepishly. ``Well maybe not the kid part.''\n\n``I trust them,'' Tenna said.\n\nAll-Star nodded in agreement. ``We're in a make-or-break kind of moment here. And we don't survive those by playing it safe.''\n\nColumbone frowned. ``If we can't even ensure our safety here then we need to take this sort of gamble. What other choice do we have?''\n\nQueen nodded.\n\nEvergreen sighed, working their jaw. ``I can't think of any better solution myself.'' They looked around the table. ``Regardless of who we pick to lead, I think we're all in agreement that sending a mission out to the spawning grounds is currently our best and only chance at survival.''\n\nEveryone nodded in agreement. Everyone knew what this would mean.\n\n``Are you okay, kid?'' Gerson asked, looking at Susie.\n\nSusie suddenly looked quite dark, gritting her teeth. ``Guess it could only ever end like this, huh?''\n\n``I'm sorry,'' All-Star said.\n\nLancer frowned. ``What is everyone talking about?''\n\nSusie looked at the kid, forcing a smile. ``Just means that I'm going to be gone for a while.''\n\n``How long is a while?'' Lancer asked, swallowing his fear. ``Like a couple of days?''\n\nNot much moved Evergreen but that sight was certainly one of those rare moments.\n\nSusie opened her mouth to answer but promptly closed it again.\n\nRalsei nodded. ``At least that long, Lancer.''\n\nHe had never been a great liar but that was okay because Lancer wasn't especially good at reading lies either.\n\n``If you two wish to rest, you can do so,'' Evergreen said. ``The rest of us just need to talk about rebuilding efforts and causality figures. Not stuff you need to burden yourself with.''\n\nSusie nodded and drew away from the table, making her way towards the exit. She was followed immediately by Ralsei. The two of them promptly stepped through the door and left the war room together. \n\nBefore the door closed behind them, Evergreen caught sight of them coming together in a kiss. They hoped that these forms of comfort could bring them some peace. If nothing else, they deserved that much.\n\n``How bad were the losses?'' Colombone suddenly asked.\n\nThe affairs of state were never far away from rearing their ugly heads, were they?\n\nEvergreen frowned. ``Bad.''\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Susie pounded ahead, winding back with her hand and flinging it forwards with all of her might. The latex which encased her actively fought back against these attempts but transmitted her intentions well enough.

Shattered Prophecy launched its giant fist forwards, slamming its mass right into the Titan's face. The blow landed with all of the hatred and fury which she felt.

The beast tumbled to the ground, landing hard enough to shake the very earth below her. Not hard enough to kill. No, it was never that easy. Yet, it was still hard enough that it struggled to get back to its feet.

Four Titans... there were now four Titans besieging the walls. It was enough to bring a chill to anyone's blood. But for Susie, all she felt was rage. A rage which she was making sure the Titans were well aware of.

She wound back with her foot, snarling as her latex once more tried desperately to constrain her anguish. But there was nothing that would dare hold back her fury for long. Even worse for this creature, there was now a whole lot of anger in her breast and she wasn't about to let some fucking membrane tone police her.

``Fuck you!'' Susie growled.

She launched her foot into the creature again and again, feeling it violently shudder each time she stomped down. In the cameras, she saw that she had carved a hole right into the cross, cracking it open with a series of increasingly desperate blows. White viscera gushed from the wound and the creature seemed stunned by the relentless abuse.

``Everything okay on your end?'' Ralsei chimed in. He sounded far too cool and collected compared to her. Where was his anger?

Susie grunted. ``I'm physically fine.''

The truth.

It didn't seem that Ralsei wanted to pry. Which was probably for the best as Susie had absolutely no interest in sharing. This wasn't the time or place to have a heart-to-heart.

``Currently have my first Titan on the ropes.'' He grunted, keeping it professional. ``He's a slippery bugger.''

Susie drew up her foot as high as she was physically able and then slammed it down as hard as she could, driving the metal right through the Titan's white cross as if it were nothing stronger than plywood. A geyser of white blood exploded upwards, coating Shattered Prophecy's leg in its unholy viscera.

Just like that, the Titan was dead.

``How are things going in Castle Town?'' Susie asked.

There was a pause and a long one at that.

When Queen finally spoke, she sounded frazzled, stressed, and on the brink of blue screening. There was pain in that voice and an exhaustion that Susie felt at her very core. ``We've contained most of the impacts.'' A tick. ``Causalities are substantial but we're doing our best to minimize them from getting any worse.''

Susie grunted, swallowing a lump in her throat. Don't think about it, don't think about it. ``I'm... I'm heading to the north wall now.''

``Please note that it seems that the Titan on the west wall is diverting course towards the north as well,'' Queen stated. ``I would suggest that you hurry. The Titans are getting close and I worry for the wall's structure integrity if they decide to throw their combined weight against it.''

The wall, the only thing that was keeping the darkness at bay.

Susie lifted her foot and pulled it out of the Titan's lifeless carcass. She shook off a tiny fraction of the white blood before rushing towards the north, keeping the east wall on her left. ``I'm moving into position as fast as I can.''

Ralsei grunted. ``I'll join you as soon as I finish with this Titan. Please buy time and don't do anything risky.''

``I won't,'' Susie lied. Risky was her middle name.

It was hard work running in this mech, feeling the suit actively fight back with every step she took. She fought on it regardless, pounding forwards. Her heart raced and sweat soon clung to her brow, soaking into the bodysuit she wore beneath her membrane.

``Robo-Aid,'' Susie grunted.

A robotic arm descended from the ceiling and held something before her lips, allowing her to sip from a hose it provided. Whatever was inside tasted distinctly blue and had something in it which made the drive ahead manageable.

Susie saw the corner approach and she reached out with her hand, grabbing hold of the corner parapet of the wall. She used it as an anchor to swing around and rapidly change direction. Thankfully, it seemed that the data bricks held up against her weight, barely creaking against the weight of the war machine clinging to it.

As she rounded that corner, she saw the two Titans at the wall in the distance. These creatures were winding back and pounding into it, tearing the brickwork out in chunks. Most of the data turrets had been damaged and what few remained fired feebly, seeming to do very little in order to phase the creatures as their energy blasts bounced harmlessly away.

Two-against-one... that was never odds which Susie had to think about. A part of her was worried about it. A much larger part was excited to add to her kill count.

She rushed ahead, pounding across the vast expanse. Her entire mech shuddered around her, vibrating something fierce. It was honestly a miracle that Queen had managed to get this thing into the field so fast after their last fight.

What corners had she had to cut?

Maybe not the best topic to think about.

Shattered Prophecy slammed into the nearest Titan shoulder first and brought it crashing to the ground along with herself. The two of them tumbled together and Susie fell within her cockpit, feeling the impact of the ground as it reverberated through her suit and rippled painfully against her skin.

Lights flickered within her cockpit and the cameras momentarily blipped out entirely. When they came back on, she saw that she was lying right next to the Titan, that giant white cross seeming to fill the entirety of her screen like some kind of gapping wound torn right into the very fabric of reality.

It was oddly beautiful, seeming to suck in her gaze. This was the kind of horror that was easy to get lost in.

Susie saved herself, abruptly pushing back against it and putting a little space between them. She tried to quickly scramble to her feet though there was really no moving quickly in this kind of situation. The entire structure of Shattered Prophecy creaked and groaned, actively protesting the very concept of standing back up. It turned out that everything was harder when you were fifty metres tall.

The Titan was also working its way to its feet. Thankfully, it seemed to be afflicted by the same problem as herself.

Susie put out her hands and was ready to brawl, keeping them between her cockpit and core, just like the Old Man had taught her. Only, she forgot a much more important lesson. If there were two Titans, it was probably a good idea to figure out where the second one was before focusing exclusively on the first.

A lesson she soon got a very literal crash course on as she felt it smash into her side, violently tackling her back to the ground. The impact caused the latex to constrict, squeezing the air out of her lungs. Her vision blurred as her head snapped jarringly to the side, jostling her squishy brain against her skull. The lights in the cockpit went out completely this time and cameras along with them.

For a moment, she thought that she had totally lost power. All she could do was desperately wheeze for air, hoping and praying that it would come back.

Thankfully there was some higher power out there as everything started to boot back up. Shattered Prophecy came alive just in time for her to reach out and block a blow, pushing the Titan's arm away and deflecting its fist. This probably saved her life as she noticed the ground crack under the force of the diverted blow.

If it wanted her attention then it had it as she lashed out and pummeled it over and over, trading blows as they tussled upon the ground. The two of them constantly rolled over one another, swapping the advantage of who was on top.

It was a dirty kind of fight, rolling and just giving it their all. Whenever she tried to pull back, the creature would grapple and pull her right back in. All the while, she could spot the other Titan ever so often, getting back to its feet now that she was out of the equation. It seemed that it would soon be joining in on this gargantuan ass kicking.

``Ralsei!'' Susie snarled.

``On my way!'' Ralsei yelped. ``Currently making my way around the wall as we speak.''

Susie slammed her elbow into the Titan's forearm, feeling something break as the beast let out a hellish holler. It gave her some space as she shoved it away and struggled back to her feet, pushing her mech's servos to their absolute limits in order to do so.

When the Titan attempted to grab her leg, she kicked its hand away and instead took a couple steps back.

She was staring down the duo, watching the way the two Titans seemed to broil. Black vapour wafted off of their dark flesh, covering their entire bodies in some sort of shroud. There was so much hatred in them, this sheer sense of disdain seeming to fill their very beings.

There were loud cracks and ripples, obscured from her view. The wounded arm on one titan physically snapped back into place as if she hadn't even broken it. This was new and new things were rarely welcome in this kind of work.

When the black vapour finally dissipated, the two titans had clearly been upgraded. One had four arms while the other had replaced its hands with razor sharp blades. Neither looked particularly fun to brawl with.

Susie tensed her jaw. ``Queen, they just got like... an upgrade.''

``I can see that,'' Queen said, still sounding so strained.

``Do you have any tricks up your sleeve?'' Susie asked.

``I might have one teeny tiny little method of assisting you,'' Queen stated. ``But it is also extremely experimental. I was hoping that I would have a few more days to run tests before approving its usage in the field.''

Susie grunted and blocked the flurry of blows. It was bad enough to fight one Titan and look for an opening. But with two of them coming at her, each with weapons that were far deadlier than before, it became next to impossible.

Hell, it became just as unlikely that she'd save herself from getting her ass handed to her at this rate. This was a battle of attrition and she was definitely feeling that attrition far more than either of these Titans.

``What are the risks?'' Susie grunted.

Queen sighed. ``Well, there is a chance that it might overtax Shattered Prophecy's reactor and you'll go up like an atomic bomb.''

``Punch it,'' Susie grunted.

Queen paused. ``Pardon?''

``Give me the juice or whatever,'' Susie growled, managing to find the slimmest opening as she rocked her fist right across the four-armed Titan's cheek. It gave her a little time, making the creature stumble back against the force of the blow. ``I'm dead either way.''

Ralsei whimpered. ``I'm getting there.''

``Are you less than five minutes out?'' Susie asked.

Ralsei didn't respond.

``Hit me with the juice,'' Susie snarled.

There was a sharp shock which ran through the command capsule, hitting her muscles like a sledgehammer as arcs of blue caused her body to twitch and spasm. The air tasted of copper and smelt of burnt ozone. It wasn't enough to kill but it definitely hurt something fierce, causing her to cry out with a vicious kind of agony. But when that pain dissipated, she felt... powerful... oh so powerful.

A new bar popped up on her screen, already sixty percent full of some yellow indicator. It was labelled TP, whatever the fuck that was.

``Do you see the TP gauge on your interface?'' Queen asked.

Susie panted for breath. ``Is that how long I have until I go nuclear?''

``Yes and no,'' Queen said. ``The higher it gets, the more likely that super critical state is. It's a store of energy that can be used to temporarily upgrade your combat abilities.''

Susie dodged a blow though took another to her side, feeling the latex squeeze so tightly against her ribs. It nearly broke them with the raw force of the constriction.

``Speed up the explanation!'' she wheezed.

``You go boom at a hundred,'' Queen said, talking like a Monstertube video set to twice its usual playback speed. It was barely legible but she got enough of it across. ``But you can activate special attacks which in theory vents the excess energy.''

How did she get TP? How did she use it? A lot of questions and not any time to answer them.

``Reach for your back?'' Queen ordered.

Susie leapt back, buying herself a couple of seconds as she reached behind herself. Her eyes widened as she felt something against her robotic hands, a weapon which she hadn't been prepared to find. Was this the upgrade that Gerson had told her about?

She pulled her hands forward, grinning at what was in them. It was a large axe with a purple blade. Bolts of energy crawled across Shattered Prophecy's arms. They came in the form of blue lightning channeled straight from her hands through the black handle and delivered into the axe blade proper. Whatever it did must've worked as that blade started to glow a vibrant purple.

At the side of the screen, the TP bar was rapidly depleting and even an idiot like her knew where it was going.

``Queen, this is the best thing you've ever invented,'' Susie said.

Queen chortled. ``Get out of that fight alive and I'll be inclined to agree with you. How do you enjoy the design? I based it off of one of your earlier weapons?''

Susie flexed her fingers and Shattered Prophecy flexed its in turn, gripping the handle of this axe tightly within both hands. It felt like a tease that she only got to feel the feedback of it translated into the latex around her fingers. She missed her axe, missed its very real weight and heft.

She was unable to hide her smile. This wasn't a bad substitute in the slightest. ``Can it still Rude Buster?''

``Can it still Rude Buster?'' Queen chuckled. ``Susie, dearest, do you honestly think that I would dare deny you something like that?''

Susie grinned, seeing how vibrant the axe blade glowed as her TP bar finally bottomed out at zero. Her weapon was running hot, the metal glowing with heat. She knew this energy, remembered it from so many years ago. Even inside a mech and even though the blade was several metres longer than usual, this attack still felt the same.

She wound back and picked her target, seeing one of the Titans rushing towards her. With a shout that very well could've silenced the devil himself, she swept her blade across the ground and launched it forwards. As it cut through the air, the energy on the tip of the axe came shooting free, flying ahead with reckless abandon.

The arc slammed into the Titan and the pure energy sliced through his body like a hot knife through butter. The excess energy carried through long after and dissipated well behind her target, fading away into the distance.

This creature took one more step forward as its mind had clearly failed to get the memo that it was already dead. As it attempted to reach her, only half of its body managed this final horrid lurching step. The other half remained motionless and stuck behind the first, removed from the rest of its body by a perfectly vertical cut straight down the middle.

A river of white blood ruptured from the wound, painting the black field with an ocean of snow white. Both halves then collapsed to the ground soon after, remaining totally motionless and very obviously dead.

Susie's victory was short-lived however. The other Titan didn't seem to even slow against its fallen brother, surging ahead. It rushed towards her with frightening speed, reaching out with its razor-sharp blades.

The head of her axe was inert, perfectly black and dampened. It didn't seem nearly as capable of defending her.

Susie swallowed her anxiety and quickly side stepped, avoiding a blow from the Titan. Just because her special weapon had been spent didn't mean that she was out of the fight just yet. She still had all of those wonderful lessons that Gerson had repeatedly drilled into her thick skull.

`Don't get seen, don't get hit, and get your butt somewhere that the bugger won't kill you if all else fails.' Gerson's voice played out within her head.

The Titan lashed out again and she narrowly avoided it. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that a little of that yellow bar had filled. Was her suit already building up a charge?

``Queen,'' Susie grunted.

Queen sighed. ``I really wish I had more time to explain your new features to you, darling. The system works by tapping into the Roaring's energy and using that to overclock your reactor.''

``So, it's charged by getting close and personal with a Titan?'' Susie asked.

``Exactly,'' Queen replied, grunting. ``Now I do apologize but there is a situation in the Cyber City that requires a greater portion of my processing power to handle.''

``Yeah,'' Susie said, nodding.

She quickly wheeled around and lifted her axe. Even if it wasn't coursing with energy, it was still very much an axe that was made from an alloy that was more than ready to cut through a Titan. As the behemoth lurched ahead, Susie swung and hit its carapace head on. The axe's blade sunk into place but wasn't nearly as effective as its fully charged version. It failed to cut through completely with the blade getting stuck deep inside its flesh.

The Titan screamed against the wound and frantically lashed out. It was a wild animal that didn't want to die. In its panic, it slammed its claws into Shattered Prophecy's chest piece and gouged into it so deeply.

Alarms blared within Susie's cockpit and she felt the air forced out of her lungs as the latex once again constricted against the sheer force of the blow. Spittle flew from her lips and at some point, she had cut her lip, tasting the rich coppery warmth of blood upon her tongue.

She attempted to pull the axe out but found that it was wedged too deep into the creature's flesh, keeping it trapped in place. Instead, she cut her losses and pushed back with her free hand, using Prophecy Shattered to shove the Titan away from herself.

``Guess we're doing this the old-fashioned way,'' Susie grumbled, wiping the blood off of her lip while accidently piloting her mech to do the same.

She rushed ahead, snarling as she pounded across the ground. Shattered Prophecy seemed to be in good enough shape at the very least, not lagging and only fighting back against her instructions with the standard amount of sluggish delay.

As the distance closed between them, she lifted her fist and delivered a swift punch aimed square for the Titan's face. There was a satisfying crash as it connected which echoed, reverberating through the mech's frame. The cameras showed the Titan flinching back, somehow still standing after taking a blow like that.

Susie grinned. ``This is...''

The Titan abruptly reached out and grabbed her arm, clinging to it and yanking upon it hard. Susie growled as she was forced to the side, feeling an intense whiplash.

When had these assholes gotten so quick on their feet?

The Titan was right in front of her and she attempted to throw another punch, aiming right for that white cross which lingered over the centre of its being.

Her efforts were for naught as the Titan grabbed her other hand and stopped it dead in its tracks. The beast then snapped forwards and connected its own head with the head of her mech. The impact was sharp and the lights inside her cockpit momentarily went dead.

Or maybe that was just her own vision darkening?

Her only saving grace was that the latex membrane at least didn't have the ability to translate head wounds.

When the lights snapped back on, various red warning lights blinked upon about a hundred different interfaces. Susie didn't know shit about engineering but she had a feeling that this probably wasn't a good sign.

``Susie!'' Ralsei cried.

There was a swift light from her side as a cord of illumination wrapped around the Titan's neck. It clung to the creature like a noose and squeezed hard, compressing the flesh tightly. It burgeoned against the strain, bulging around the noose and squeezing tighter and tighter until it finally grew so tense that the pressure completely severed the creature's head from its body.

The Titan's head launched skywards, like a rocket fueled by white blood. It took only a few seconds before its hands went limp, getting the message. Susie quickly ripped her own arms free, shoving that damaged corpse away from herself.

She turned to look at Ralsei and saw that he was holding a massive scarf within both of his hands, holding it like a garrot wire. The light upon it faded, revealing a strange mesh that was coloured pink and white.

``I see that Queen also gave you an upgrade,'' Susie murmured.

Ralsei wrapped the scarf around Renewed Purpose's neck as if it hadn't just popped the head off of a Titan mere seconds ago. His own suit had quieted a few scratches and cuts. He'd clearly been through one hell of a fight too. ``It's a pretty nice upgrade. Kind of reminds me of the stuff I got to use back during our old adventures.''

Susie could still remember those fleeting dark worlds where she got to use weapons like these, cutting and slicing through darkners who deserved it. Well... deserved it at the time, at least.

It was honestly a shame that she only got to enjoy two of those adventures. Things had been so much easier when she could pretend that it was all make-believe.

Susie lumbered over to the Titan's corpse and grabbed the axe within both of Shattered Prophecy's hands. It was really stuck in there but she pulled upon it with all her might, grunting as the latex strained and fought back against her. After a lot of grunting and groaning, the axe finally started to slip free, inching out of the creature's flesh, little by little. Until finally, something gave and it came tearing out, the recoil nearly sending her falling onto her ass.

There was movement out of the corner of her eye as Renewed Purpose quickly placed a hand upon Shattered Prophecy's back. It was the only thing that saved her from falling ass over teakettle.

A dusting of red graced Susie's cheeks as she felt the latex pressing against the small of her back. ``Thanks, Ral.''

``No problem,'' Ralsei said.

``Have all Titans been dealt with?'' Queen asked. The program sounded tired, very tired, more tired than Susie had ever heard her before. Was she okay?

``Last of the Titans have been dealt with,'' Ralsei said, looking towards the walls.

Susie followed his gaze, the pillar of purple still ruptured upwards, life still clinging on inside. But as she really gave it a look, she felt her balls leap into her throat. Pillars of smoke reached upwards as well and many of the skyscrapers had been torn asunder by the bombardment, collapsed against one another. The walls were also pot marked with damage, smouldering and threatening to collapse under their own weight.

Castle Town had not looked this rough in a very long time.

``That's fantastic ne-'' There was a burst of pixelated static.

``Queen?'' Susie asked. ``Everything okay?''

``Just a little glitch, dearest,'' Queen teased, giggling. Though even her robotic voice seemed rampant, the notes deformed as she delivered them. ``Nothing that you need to concern yourself with. I'll make sure to defrag my systems the next time that I get a chance to rest.''

Susie looked towards Ralsei's mech and his looked towards hers. They couldn't see into each other's cockpits but she could definitely feel the intent, the two of them relaying a message to one another without having to say so much as a word.

That wasn't good.

``If you could please return to base, the council is hosting an emergency meeting to discuss the latest developments,'' Queen said. ``I think everyone would feel much better if you two were also there.''

``We're on our way back,'' Ralsei said.

Susie nodded. ``Be there in thirty.''

[hr]

Senator Evergreen clasped their hands together, looking around the war room. Not even the inner sanctum had been spared from the last attack. The alloyed plating had been torn from the roof and walls with numerous bundles of wires now exposed and sparking, filling the air with the scent of burnt ozone.

A number of citizens from the Cyber City mulled around, moving quickly as they did what they could to triage the damage though it was like bringing a thimble to combat a forest fire.

Queen looked ahead, her gaze hollow and vacant. She hadn't spoken much since the attack. One of their glorious leaders now so worn down that she could barely even lead anymore.

Perhaps it was time for a change of leadership?

Queen wasn't alone in her haggard shape however. All the leaders showed signs of exhaustion and damage. Lancer and Gerson's armour was streaked with black ash, Tenna's suit was torn, All-Star gold plating was dented and smudged with ash, and Colombo's suit was smouldering with his face and arms covered with so many different bandages.

Even Evergreen was rough for ware, knowing that their attire was no longer professional. Just like they knew that their knuckles would ache for days to come.

``May I smoke?'' Colombone asked.

Evergreen looked to the darkner. They always assumed that the dog treats were just for show. But when no one told him not to, he popped one between his lips and started to ignite it with a worn out lighter that he apparently kept in his breast pocket.

Truly desperate times and the measures they brought about.

The door to the room opened and the last two figures necessary for this meeting entered. Susie and Ralsei shared in that same fatigue of battle.

Each was still dressed in their skin tight pilot suits with sweat still clinging to the brows. They hadn't even had time to change into their regular clothing. Susie's lip was busted and bloody while Ralsei would likely earn himself a nice black eye with how much the left one was currently swelling.

``This meeting...'' Queen sputtered and creaked. ``Is now in session.''

Evergreen sprung up. ``Let me handle this, Queen.''

Queen looked at them and nodded.

``That last attack caught us off guard,'' Evergreen said. ``We'd been so used to the weekly routine that they surprised us by launching a campaign sooner than that.''

``And with twice the usual Titans,'' Susie grumbled.

Evergreen nodded. ``We've known from prior examples that they could increase the frequency and intensity of attacks.''

``But we grew complacent,'' All-Star said.

Gerson nodded. ``I'm sure some old fart like me once said something about taking advantage of a complacent enemy.'' He sighed. ``Still, doesn't feel particularly good to be on the receiving end of it.''

Ralsei nodded. ``So, what exactly are our options here?'' He looked at Queen and was about to speak though looked at Evergreen instead. ``The defenses of Castle Town are obviously not prepared for this level of attack.''

Evergreen nodded. ``And I doubt the Titans were just doing this as a once off. Wherever these creatures are coming from they are making them in greater numbers.''

``And making them better too,'' Susie grumbled. ``Have you seen the latest combat reports?''

Everyone except for Queen shook their heads. What did she know?

Ralsei frowned. ``They seem to be adapting to our mechs and developing deadlier strains of Titans to combat them. One of them had four arms and the other had sword hands. It was only because of Queen's upgrades that we even stood a chance.''

``Shit,'' All-Star hissed.

Evergreen frowned. ``Then perhaps it is time that we start discussing our plan B?''

``The nesting grounds,'' Susie grumbled.

``The nesting grounds,'' Evergreen said.

``I can...'' Queen began, her voice oozing with age and pain. If she wasn't so important then Evergreen would've felt pity. As it stood, all she felt was a sheer sense of concern for everyone's well-being. ``Adding more defenses.''

``Queen,'' Columbone said. ``I think you need to come clean with us.''

Everyone looked to the Detective who tapped out his dog treat before taking another pull from it.

``What are you talking about?'' Tenna asked.

Columbone pointed towards Queen. ``You're dying.''

Queen offered a crooked smile, nodding. ``We're all dying, dearest. It's the nature of time.''

``But some of us are dying quicker than others,'' Columbone said.

Queen went silent for a moment, not saying a thing. What could be running through those ones and zeros right now.

``Queen?'' Gerson asked.

Queen sighed. ``I was not designed to run this long without a reboot and I was never designed to run this hard for so long either.'' Her face twitched as she attempted a smile, the corner of her lips glitching with pixelation. ``My motherboard has taken considerable damage from misuse and that is affecting my CPU, RAM, and graphics cards.''

Evergreen sighed. ``So, we can't add more defenses?''

``It'd be a miracle if I can even really utilize the ones that we still have,'' Queen admitted.

The room went silent, everyone looking away from Queen and the issue at hand. It was not a comfortable silence nor was it a pleasing silence either. This was the kind of silence where uncomfortable questions and even more grisly answers would start to take root and grow.

``What do we do?'' Lancer asked.

Evergreen looked up and shook their head. ``We need new leadership.''

Tenna glared at them. ``Are you really attempting a power grab right now?''

``It doesn't necessarily need to be me,'' Evergreen said, glaring at him. ``I'm equipped to handle it but regardless of who it is, Queen is in no state to keep running things right now.''

``They're right,'' Queen said.

Ralsei frowned. ``And what do we do about the Titans?''

``The spawning grounds,'' Susie said, looking first at him and then at everyone else. ``If we can't defend the city anymore then we need to go on the offensive. I don't know what's out there but if there's even a chance that we can cut them off at the source, we need to take it. It's either that or we all sit here and wait to die.''

Gerson nodded. ``I agree with the kid.''

``Same,'' Lancer said, smiling sheepishly. ``Well maybe not the kid part.''

``I trust them,'' Tenna said.

All-Star nodded in agreement. ``We're in a make-or-break kind of moment here. And we don't survive those by playing it safe.''

Columbone frowned. ``If we can't even ensure our safety here then we need to take this sort of gamble. What other choice do we have?''

Queen nodded.

Evergreen sighed, working their jaw. ``I can't think of any better solution myself.'' They looked around the table. ``Regardless of who we pick to lead, I think we're all in agreement that sending a mission out to the spawning grounds is currently our best and only chance at survival.''

Everyone nodded in agreement. Everyone knew what this would mean.

``Are you okay, kid?'' Gerson asked, looking at Susie.

Susie suddenly looked quite dark, gritting her teeth. ``Guess it could only ever end like this, huh?''

``I'm sorry,'' All-Star said.

Lancer frowned. ``What is everyone talking about?''

Susie looked at the kid, forcing a smile. ``Just means that I'm going to be gone for a while.''

``How long is a while?'' Lancer asked, swallowing his fear. ``Like a couple of days?''

Not much moved Evergreen but that sight was certainly one of those rare moments.

Susie opened her mouth to answer but promptly closed it again.

Ralsei nodded. ``At least that long, Lancer.''

He had never been a great liar but that was okay because Lancer wasn't especially good at reading lies either.

``If you two wish to rest, you can do so,'' Evergreen said. ``The rest of us just need to talk about rebuilding efforts and causality figures. Not stuff you need to burden yourself with.''

Susie nodded and drew away from the table, making her way towards the exit. She was followed immediately by Ralsei. The two of them promptly stepped through the door and left the war room together.

Before the door closed behind them, Evergreen caught sight of them coming together in a kiss. They hoped that these forms of comfort could bring them some peace. If nothing else, they deserved that much.

``How bad were the losses?'' Colombone suddenly asked.

The affairs of state were never far away from rearing their ugly heads, were they?

Evergreen frowned. ``Bad.''

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