Chapter Three
Stop Camping Losers!
“Hmmmmmm,” Sib pondered, leaving Una and 5699 staring at each other while the AI finished his analysis. “It’s a mushroom!” He answered with childish pride. “Wow, you’re really dumb aren’t you, 5699? Or I’m just really really really,”
“Okay,” 5699 cut him off while pointing at the cylinder glass container on the table. “What else can you tell me about it, assuming I know it’s a mushroom?”
“Don’t do that,” Una warned, receiving a questioning look from her demon of a sister. “If you cut him off, he’ll withhold information. Sib, continue what you were saying. Something about you being really really really?”
“Yeah! Really really really smart! I’m so smart that I’ve already found similarities to Cordyceps, an Earth fungus. Deadly to many forms of insects”
“The planet where men and women are equals?” Una asked.
“More or less, yes! I’ve never been there but my mother has during her attempt at taking over that planet. This kind of Cordyceps however is like a super fungus! Making it highly capable of brainwashing more than just insects but other intelligent species. So don’t worry, none of you have brains so there’s nothing for it to brainwash!” He laughed.
“So this is what attacked everyone?” Una asked her sister, receiving a nod.
“I was infected by it as well but thanks to my Queen, I’m forced to live out this painful existence.” 5699 pulled out another one of her cylinder syringes.
“That’s an all-purpose syringe!” Sib chimed in. “The nanites weren’t trained to fight fungi!”
“I know, that’s why it’s enchanted!”
“Magic isn’t real!” Sib sang.
“I saw my platoon trying to use it only to get taken by the fungus. One of them tried enchanting the APS only to lose control before getting the chance to use it, so I used it, receiving my bitch of a Queen’s divine blessing.”
“Sib, can you duplicate an enchanted APS?” Una asked.
“Magic isn’t real, magic isn’t real!” He sang playfully.
“Can you do it or not?” Una asked, trying to be patient.
“I… don’t know how. Hey, here’s an idea, why not head towards 4273’s distress beacon?!”
“Why?” Una and 5699 said at the same time.
“A distress beacon isn’t the main objective, so ignore it,” Una said.
“But I don’t wanna!” He whined, childishly. “She’s calling for help and you’re sitting here holding hands like a bunch of filthy campers!”
“That’s funny, you seemed happy about me dying a,” Una was cut off as her left gloved hand lifted from her rifle and smacked her across the face. “What the hell was that?!”
“Hey, stupid, stop being stupid! Stop talking and go save 4273 right now or I’ll beat you both up!”
“This is shit, you don’t have the authority to push us around, Sib.”
Una protested though she was already sprinting through the forest. Her demonic sister doing her best to keep up, Una slowed down just enough so the two stayed in sight of each other but fast enough that Sib didn’t complain.
“When it comes to saving ligma, yes I do!” Sib said.
“What the hell is ligma?”
“Hah! You could’ve let me sleep in the pod, so take responsibility. This is the place!”
Una lept from the forest, into a clearing that displayed a grandiose rocky cliffside.
“I’m not claiming that just to save one life,” Una said.
“I… second that!” 5699 stated while trying to catch her breath while adjusting the sniper rifle on her back.
“No stupid!” Sib yelled into both of their communicators. “Look down!”
They did so and were quickly filled with regret.
“A Chaton?” 5699 asked in disbelief before turning to walk away. “Oh dear mother, my Queen! You test my patience, first a GREEN SACK OF SHIT, and now a nympho beast. Please strike me down so that I may return to hell!”
“Give 4273 an APS, hurry!” Sib yelled.
“Hey!” Una called out to 5699. Still walking back into the forest, the demonic nun flung an All-Purpose Syringe back toward Una. She caught it before momentarily jogging closer to 4273. Rolling the girl over on her side, she pressed the cylinder into the fluff of her neck. “4273, can you hear me?” She didn’t respond, simply lying there panting rapidly. Sucking her teeth in annoyance, Una pressed a bit harder to activate the injection. “There need to be hair regulations.” She thought, realizing that such regulations would also apply to herself. “I wonder if she fell from up there.”
“Heads up!” Sib yelled.
Something heavy crashed into her chin, forcing her world to go dark as her neck snapped.
“Is it true that you’ve never lost a fight?” Una asked.
“… Yes.”
“I hear the Queen of Chaton was your most difficult challenge.”
“Our Kingdoms have a long history together. We kill each other for sport but we respect one another,” Her mother explained.
“Father says we should stop fighting each other.”
“He says you should stop killing each other, and to that, I don’t care, and neither should you.”
“I don’t, In fact, I think Dad is a fool. Trying to get all of us to bond. We SHOULD be fighting, not… kissing each other’s ass!”
The wind was forced from her lungs after receiving a bare foot to the chest, breaking her ribs and bursting both her lungs. As her world grew increasingly darker she watched her mother get closer.
“In all my years, my most difficult challenger would be your father.”
Feeling a jolt of electricity rip through her body, Una gasped awake, her eyes darting around in her head. Her brain slowly made out the trees above that unsuccessfully blocked the blue sky. Once again, she felt a shock from her uniform.
“Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey! 4273 gave you an uppercut out of this world! You’ve been out for just a few seconds.” He said, clearly amazed. “Lucky for you I’m here to fix your stupid spine and shock the pee out of ya, haha. But ah… if you pee in me I’ll shock you some more.” His playful tone turned serious.
“Noted!” Una grunted as she got to her feet facing the beast that almost knocked her head clean off. Seeing 4273 got to her feet as well, Una called out. “I’m Una, the name given to me our father!”
“Sister,” 4273 began, speaking in a whisper. “Our shared oppression is no secret. But I am confused as to why some… thing such as yourself can remember our father, while I can’t even remember his fucking face.”
“Threat detected!” Sib chimed playfully.
4273, kicked off from her position, closing the distance in almost the blink of an eye. Una’s muscle memory kicked in but couldn’t move fast enough. 4273 flattened her palm and speared Una in the stomach with a sickening thump. It lifted Una off the ground and sent her flying, smacking into the side of a tree. She was used to being struck thanks to her training but she didn’t expect to be hit that hard. Una dropped to the ground, clutching her rifle. Though she was tempted to put a hole in her sister’s head she wanted to at least try and save her sister, at least for her father’s sake.
“That hurt,” Una grunted while climbing to her feet.
“Thaaaat… would have killed you if not for me. Aren’t you happy your little brother is here?” Sib asked.
“Not at all. 5699, how long does it take to work?” She asked while yanking her combat knife from her right boot. Getting into position with her blade down, she held out her hands and tried to steady her breathing all while 4273 walked closer and closer.
“I do not question my Queen’s generosity against this unknown mana-overdosed abomination, for I am patient,” 5699 replied over coms. “So go FUCK YOURSELF!”
“Unknown?! Pfft, she’s clearly a zombie… and not even the good kind,” Sib pouted.
4273 once again dashed towards Una causing her to jerk to the right. 4273 went for another piercing blow, hoping to pin her to the tree only to be faked out as Una lunged forward. She slipped behind 4273 and locked her arms around her waist. Pulling her tight, she made use of both her strength and Sib’s exoskeleton to lift 4273 backward, and into the ground with a neck-breaking crunch. Still, 4273’s body struggled to get free as Una rolled her into a body lock; wrapping her legs around 4273’s lap while tucking her left arm against her throat and locking it in place with her right arm. Una kept a firm grip on her blade just in case she wasn’t able to hold her infected sister, requiring her to cut her head off. 4273 roared out in rage, flailing against Una to try and get free. She stood and flung herself into one tree after the next, sending jolts of pain that Sib was only able to do so much to defend against.
