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Kamil's expression grew solemn as Scarlet brought up the topic of the battle, "Yes, my lady. I know that the losing side happened to be West, and that many lives were lost. Has she... been killed? We've not received any reports from lady Layla since her departure. We have only assumed as much by this fact, and how you came to be our new queen. 'Twas a sorrowful and shameful day indeed."



As the forested ground transitioned into lifeless dirt, Eva sped up her pace into a total run. She was surprised by how much she enjoyed the feeling of her muscles stretching, of her heart pounding like a drum at her epicenter, of the sweat drying against her skin in the cool nighttime air. Never had she felt quite so alive. Finally she was real; no longer confined within a fake existence, no longer convinced she was less than human. She was, ever so slowly, becoming whole again.
Every step contained a growing sense of urgency, and every bound was begun with greater strength than the prior. She channeled her every cause of fear, pain and anger into that dead ground, determined to leave it all behind. Her sprint lasted a mere ten minutes before the strain caught up to her.
Eva slowed into a walk, then dropped to the ground on her knees, panting. She rested a while, occasionally glancing up to ensure that no machine would find her. She was already a good distance away from Northwest, but there was still a long way to go. Just as she stood, a figure became visible — and it was approaching.
Eva cursed under her breath, suddenly realizing she had not brought her Western pistol with her. She was defenseless. She remained motionless, waiting to see if the stranger would simply walk by. Gradually, the body grew close enough to see details...
It was Layla. Clad in her Northern armor, completely uninjured. And she had been coming from the wrong direction. Eva's stomach churned. There was something totally off about this...
Layla paused ten feet away, her face adorned by a sinister smirk. Her eyes seemed to look right through Eva to the very essence of what she was. She cocked her head to the side, half-flexing her wrist as if contemplating whether to draw out her weapon. Then, in a low tone she spoke a single warning, "Your time is coming, AI. You're not worth my time right now, but rest assured — I will be the one to assimilate you."
Just as soon as she had come, the woman continued on her path toward North. Eva also continued forward, trembling at the mere thought.

Kamil went completely stoic. While it was great news that Layla was still alive, her unwillingness to return was like receiving a slap to the face. The public would be in an uproar if they found out. The news about the government machinery was just an additional concern. He cleared his throat, "My lady, surely you don't intend for the citizens to know, do you? Not only would her decision create a sense of betrayal and division amongst the people, but the current political tensions would also cause panic. I agree entirely that a threat from Southeast looms on the horizon," He paused and glanced down at the hologram computer set on his desk, "In fact, just about an hour ago, I received this distress signal from East. It appears that nearly their whole population was wiped out by an artificial pathogen of unknown origin. Their food is supplied by Southeast as well."
The man reclined back in his seat, rubbing his forehead to release the tension. He sighed, "It will be difficult to transition, and I know not whether we even have enough time to complete it, but I am willing to try. Whatever it is you will, my lady, I shall support entirely."

"I'm not exactly sure that I can adequately fulfill what you're requesting of me, Genesis," Layla began, her gaze cast downward, "It's been years since I learned, and I haven't been in regular practice. Most of my real combat experience has been in my mech."
He nodded, "I understand. It was a bit too much for me to ask of you, especially in your current state." Genesis smiled softly, "Thank you for your time, though."
The android gave her one last glance, then turned to leave. But there was a glimmer in his expression; the tint to his eyes, or perhaps the way he held his mouth in that most peaceful of smiles — it was the most comforting presence Layla had ever been graced by. It was the same man that she, and so many others, had loved years ago.
She took a step forward, "Genesis, wait." The machine paused to look back at her, and she proceeded forward to walk alongside him. She faltered for a moment, "I...uh... I didn't intend it to be meant like that. I wasn't refusing your request, I was just trying to explain that I may not live up to your expectations."
"Are you certain? I don't want to be a burden on you." Genesis inquired politely. He continued when she nodded in response, "Thank you very much. Skill level will not be much of an issue; I know nothing of what he knew in regards to swordsmanship."
Layla waited a while in silence before she posed the big question, "How much do you know about him...?"
Genesis considered this, "Unfortunately, not much at all." He admitted in a slightly saddened tone, "It all struck me once I set foot in this place. They were mostly memories of you."
She turned her face away from the robot, trying to hide her flushed cheeks or her tears; whichever decided to make an appearance. "Anything else?" She prodded.
He hesitated, as if unsure whether he should tell her something. But as she recovered her composure, he chose to be honest: "I... saw how he died, and how I came to be."


Kamil fell silent as the girl left, "Very well, my lady." He whispered to the empty room bleakly. He picked up the hologram screen and typed out an announcement for Scarlet's upcoming speech, sending the alert wirelessly to all of the city staff.


When Rey finally left the confines of her garage, the sun was just about to rise. She yawned and stretched, not in the least bit tired despite having not slept during the night; in times of excitement such as this one, she had seemingly endless bounds of energy. The young Northerner brushed her hair, changed her clothes, and boarded the object of her night's work — it was the basis for a mech design she wanted to get Scarlet's opinion on. It was tall and lanky and very agile, with heavy armoring around the cockpit. The machine's silhouette was feminine in shape, and had a rather playful demeanor to it. It was still rough and unpainted, and the joints were yet uncovered.
She tested it with a couple small motions before starting it on a walk toward the palace. The citizens curiously glanced up at the new mech as it passed, taking special care not to overstep the lines dividing the human walkways from the machines' lane. Rey sped up the pace into a run as she exited the main district, testing out the speed and strength of the pneumatic cylinders and the accuracy of the gyroscopes. She smiled wide as the machine performed without flaw. She navigated it carefully over the palace's small gateway, and parked the mech in the lawn underneath Scarlet's balcony.

Rey shallowly bowed to the girl from where she was perched on the machine's shoulder, "Lady Scarlet, if you wouldn't mind, could you try out this machine sometime today? I would like your most honest and harsh critiques, as to give you a displeasing mech would be to disgrace its very nature." She stated politely, then found her attention being diverted by a beeping noise. She pressed one of the few buttons on her wrist-mounted device and saw the announcement of Scarlet's speech. She glanced back up to the young monarch, "After your speech, of course. I wouldn't want to disrupt your more important matters," She smiled softly.

There was a volley of excited shouts erupting from the faction's defense towers, followed by the grinding of massive gears as the gate shuddered open. The city beyond glittered with its golden opulence in the morning sun, and the disbelieving expressions of the inhabitants were even more precious. For a moment so short, time itself had appeared to freeze; not a single limb, flesh or mechanical, dared to twitch in the slightest for fear of dismissing the miracle before them. Finally, a young man's voice rang out from atop the gateway as clear and joyous as a bell, "She has returned!"
Nemesis, in the guise of Layla herself, stepped forward with regal grace and a smile of restrained relief. She gazed upon the crowds as they sunk on one knee, heads bowed in respect. As the people became absorbed in their wonderment of her return, she examined the city's landscape with a hawk's attention to detail. Soon, very soon, this would become her playground. And the people were her dolls.

Rey looked just when Scarlet did. She shifted her stance uncomfortably, "I'm...not sure. It doesn't seem to be hostile, because the gates wouldn't be willingly opened if it was. I should probably go find out..."
She leapt off the mech and grabbed a hold of one of the trees' branches mid-fall, swinging herself to the next in the series. The Northerner was quick and sure of her steps, and she continued to travel atop the buildings' roofs as she left the palace territory.

"Lady Layla, what has happened to you in this time? Where did you go?" Inquired one of the civilians, a tired young mother clinging to her three small sons amidst the chaos.
Nemesis gave a gentle smile as she waited for the crowd to fall into silence. Once it did, she began her grandiose story, "As a few currently present may already know, I was ambushed by Southeast while trying to negotiate between them and West. The Western military had remained outside the gates so as to not cause any sense of alarm, and so I was entirely trapped and surrounded by the time the attack started. I fought with all of my might, but... I could not overcome their forces. They killed both my mecha and I." She lowered her gaze solemnly as a gasp spread across the group. Her hand clenched around the fake-crystal pendant strung around her neck, "As I was fading, I... I saw a radiant, divine light. It spoke to me in a deep, clear voice which I can only identify as God. He told me of the greatness I had yet to achieve; how I must live on to serve my people, to guide us toward reestablishing a brighter future and to cleanse this earth of the corrupt government. He gave me the strength to continue on."
By now, nearly every face was occupied by wide eyes and half-open mouths. Nemesis glanced skyward in time to see a young woman standing atop a high roof, then shut her eyes as if to recall the holy experience, "I don't know how I did it, exactly, but I escaped that cursed place. I crawled back to the Western camp, and they tried to tend to my wounds, but alas — they were too severe for first aid kit supplies. I begged them to help me, I told them of my encounter with Heaven, and they listened! Blessed be their souls, they abandoned their own people for my sake! As we drove away, Southeast began to open fire on the remaining camp, but they didn't stop once. They took me straight to Northwest for the care of the gifted mystics, and my body was restored. And now I have returned to you, my faithful companions, to lead us back onto the road of justice! We shall not allow such evil to reign over our land any longer!"
When she looked around, the whole group was cheering. Even the woman atop the building. She smiled.

As Raowan turned at the last corner before the elevator, he was suddenly overcome by an inexplicable sensation. His skin crawled, and adrenaline rapidly filled the man's veins, making him jittery and nervous. He stumbled forward to the elevator, out of breath, feeling as if he were about to die. That ominous presence hung heavy about this section of the facility, bearing down on him from all sides as if to consume his very soul with ravenous ferocity. He blindly pounded on the buttons, fumbled clumsily into the elevator as the doors slid open, then again smacked the button as his vision began to fail him. The monster was drawing ever closer by the second. As the door had nearly shut, he saw the outline of the creature standing at the end of the hall. Her glassy third eye emanated a light so dark that it seemed to swallow up Heaven altogether. The man fell to his knees in time for the small room to shoot suddenly upward, pulling him away from the wicked experiment. He propped himself up against the wall, shaking violently as he ascended, "Genesis... what the hell have we done?" He gasped to the empty room.




The news of Layla's supposed return spread instantly across the faction, and the town was alight with new controversy; who would become the monarch?
Nemesis was led further into the city by a massive trail of followers, toward the palace grounds. She memorized the whole layout of the path they took as she walked. All around her was an uproar of chatter, mostly meaningless except for the tidbits regarding the monarchy. From what she could tell, they were about to confront Scarlet with this news, and depending on how she responded... everything may just flow in Nemesis's favor. She smirked inwardly.
She waited at the entrance gate at the head of the crowd while the palace staff members went to retrieve Scarlet.

The old woman attendant from earlier was the first to reach her, bowing quickly before she relayed the message, "Lady Scarlet, it seems as though there is some...conflict present. Lady Layla has returned by a miracle to us, and we know not who the rightful leader now is."
Rey fell back in line with the other attendants, but remained silent. She glanced up to Scarlet with a bit of confusion on her face, then looked back to the ground as she thought to herself. She already knew who she would rather pick, but wasn't sure if it was the best choice for the faction's welfare.

Nemesis stepped cooly into the courtyard, her eyes gleaming icily. She locked onto Scarlet immediately, putting on the most fake smile she could ever manage, "I see they were quick to replace me in my absence. It's good that both factions were concerned about the state of North in such a way. Northwest was very kind to offer you up to our humble city, Scarlet." She said casually, then gave a shallow bow in the Northern way. "However, it looks like we're having a bit of trouble now, don't we?"