December 12th

Topaz and Quartz

Quartz had lived a life of isolation, an ironic curse born from the attention he drew. Sitting now, in Carol's Coral Corral… he knew he had to kill the curse.

Perhaps that had been why when Ripley came over in a hurry, requesting for a few blood samples from him and his brother, that he allowed it. He hated needles, his early childhood had been filled with them. And once he was an adult, needles turned into bullets. Anything sharp or fast, something he couldn't keep his eyes on… he hated them.

And Ripley was both sharp, and fast.

That day, NeoCore was attacked. It was broadcasted everywhere in the city, yet before Quartz could even pale as his favorite reality show turned into a mind-numbing report from a news anchor — Mirage had contacted him.

Correction, Twilight and Starlight had.

They were all fast and sharp. They'd said it plainly, that the police are likely to orchestrate a raid and give a hefty payout.

Quartz rejected it at first. Corporations were one thing, they'd at least take him alive once they knew what his Mutation was, the gangs couldn't care less with scientific breakthroughs. They'd skin the Implant out of his body and make many more sacrificial shields through his passing into the Astral Plane.

At least, that's where he hoped the souls of the deceased passed to.

He sighed mournfully of a time when things were simpler, of Kasaya and her Nomad clan. The Shahanai… they were perhaps the one group of people who could momentarily make him see his blood as a gift.

Then again, what were you expecting from vampires.

By now, they must have led Diamante and Missy towards the first Siege Capital in Texas, the Shahanai were as dependable as they were costly. Despite that, the Shahanai had little to gain from earthly possessions, to them… it was the intricacies of the universe that gave them meaning.

And blood.

Lots of blood. Quartz offered his blood once more to Ripley Donovick, to not be a curse again. It was hope…

But hope was the kindle for despair.

"Always so down, aren't you, Quarty." Topaz slapped his brother's back, his easygoing smile was weaker now — in these moments where they weren't around others, they were most themselves.

"This has all been planned to occur the moment they left. I'm… cautious." Quartz scanned the briefing Twilight had sent them. "I've never been one to involve myself for the sake of sheer Shardyne."

"You've never been one to involve yourself in anything." Topaz said with a hint of bitterness, it wasn't directed at Quartz but the world itself. "I think I'll join in. Might nab an Implant myself."

"Topy… let's not be brash. Missy and Diamante would err on the side of caution." Quartz didn't easily meet anyone's gaze, it felt like they were peering into the depths of his madness each time. "I… don't feel right about this."

"Do you feel right about anything…?" Topaz asked honestly. "I mean, I trust your judgement, but you said the same about the Yuzhou raid."

Quartz closed his eyes, extending his senses into the bits of him scattered throughout the bar — he didn't reveal this facet of his ability much, but he had perhaps the most sensitive Warp Energy detection among anyone he knew. "It's Ripley… something changed."

"He always is." Topaz didn't look too pleased. "Thing about Ripley, is you can't trust him with you, only with himself. So let's focus on the things he's working for and how we can get the most out of it."

"A solution to our curses." Quartz nodded along, his voice muffled by the mask. "You gave him your blood too?"

"I did. At least it won't be used to make drugs… or at least, not yet." Topaz stilled. "It would be insane if he figured out how to do it that quickly, how to make Mutagen Boosters or Inhibitors from our blood."

"He could do it." Quartz knew. "He's… more like Skeleton than we want to admit."

"I know," Topaz shook his head, "But at the same time, the guy's got more to fight for."

"More to lose." Quartz breathed.

"Dammit, bro, I'm trynna stand up for the guy." Topaz groaned. "I hate being his babysitter, he's going to pull something wild ain't he? I'm not staying for that."

"I might not have that choice." The odds were never in Quartz's favor.

"The only choice you have to make… is who you're standing behind when shit goes down." Topaz gripped Quartz's shoulder with love and resolve, smiling. "Besides, Missy would kill us all over again if any of us died."

Quartz chuckled. "She'd reach into our passing souls and yank them back from that plane, only to choke us out again."

"Kinky, but not that I'd care for a woman's touch." Topaz grinned mischeviously. "I just… I'm the same. I keep thinking about what she would do, she's the worst — but when the worst happens to be on your side there's little to complain about."

"Missy… I haven't told her yet." Quartz had made a decision, not long after she left. "About what I'm going to do."

"Good, never tell that bitc- lovely woman… what you're planning." Topaz still felt regret as he said that, Missy had practically raised them since they were children. "Just keep it between us for now."

Quartz trusted his brother, more than anyone in the world, and nodded.

December 18th

Sabrina

"Hey mom, I just wanted to say I love you." Sabrina hugged her mother, holding her dearly like it was the last time. Her mother, Amanda Thraum, responded in kind but also provided the right amount of parenting.

"Dear, have you been smoking again? You know I can smell it on you." She slapped the top of Sabrina's head, but the girl only awkwardly laughed it off as a weight twisted in her eyes. Then it lit up, bright as normal.

"I'm an adult, I can do what I want." She childishly stuck her tongue out.

That ended in a very long lecture, one that saw Sabrina rolling back into her childhood bed with an annoyed look plastered on her face. She was grateful for all this. It was just the kind of coalescence of all her experiences with her mother that she needed before tomorrow.

Lying down and staring up, her eyes didn't absorb the light of the words floating above.

Notice to complete Issuance of Will...

Everyone on board with tomorrow's operation had received the notice to leave a message and issue your assets to your friends and family. Tonight, Sabrina was facing the same issue as countless others. What did she want to write?

Like everyone else, she had a past. Parts of it weren't pretty, but they were hers. Sitting up, she decided something like this needed to be written down on paper. Shuffling through her desk for a piece of anything to write on, memories of old attachments and the life she'd had with her family came up.

She paused at a picture of her older brother. Her eyes lingered on the child, and then washed away as tears spilled. That idiot.

Her mother always asked her to come back home. How could she? To this home where a father had left and a brother was gone, her mom had stayed strong, finding strength in cultivating their memory and pushing herself into her job. But she was lonely.

Sabrina knew that, and guilt ate away at her because she had only left her mom more lonely. Until dissolved her, knowing exactly what thoughts she was having.

It was Daniel who deserved to live, not her. He was the one with something left after all of that.

All she had were the scars on her back from the explosion, a toxic relationship, and a new spinal cord grafted on her from her twin brother.

He had been assassinated by Muramasa. And on December 19th, she'd get her revenge. She'd get her redemption. She'd... finally make peace by doing one good thing.

She wouldn't let anyone stop her.

Her pen clicked, and she scribbled the first words onto an old shirt.

Belle

"You really are a knucklehead, you know that? What do you think I'll use all this scrap for?" Vicky looked at the will incredulously, in disbelief at the amounts written on it. "And now, you tell me you got a girl?"

"She's… a very private person. And use it on whatever you want." Belle ruffled his hair, he was uncomfortable and the Founders knew the seeds in his stomach were only making it twist more. "I- I trust you."

"I didn't raise you to die." She gripped his arm tight.

"You're right, so I'll live." He smiled as easily as ever.

Vicky groaned her grievances into her hand. "You say that like- fine. Silver Heart Foundation. Cut my name out and send everything there."

Belle was mildly surprised, but did as told. "Happy as a synth?"

"No." She shook her head. "You'd really leave an old woman like me alone?"

"I-" Belle turned his head down — "this is the type of thing I can't run away from" — and Vicky reached in to hold it in her arms.

"You're serious about this cause?" Vicky asked, her heart hoping otherwise.

"It's what I dedicated myself to. You didn't raise me to betray everyone just to get ahead — you were the one who wanted me out of this pissfuck."

"I told you to build good bonds and to not let them go, big difference." Vicky gently stroked his hair as memories of the life they promised to build came both true and yet remained unmet. "Belly… don't leave me."

Belle curved his hands over to her back, holding her tight for now. "I won't."

The Daughters of Muramasa

Kim Liyung stood by a tall glass wall, situated among other tall glass walls in this labyrinth of a modern-day graveyard. Holographic names occasionally beamed out, one of which was important.

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Reneé Monroe. Killed in a shooting at the orphanage where Kim had lived in with her sister. Not biologically, of course, but they'd been close.

Even now, with her job being to kill her.

Mei sniffled beside Kim, touching the name of their guardian, which fleetingly lasted for a second before it was replaced by another person claimed by that fire.

"We got revenge." Kim raised a hand, but she couldn't bring it to rest on Mei's shoulder.

"And yet, they remain dead," Mei said softly, before laughing. "And then you left."

"You know I-"

"I know." Mei smiled, unafraid to put her hands on Kim's shoulder. "I envy you, truly. Among all of our father's torn, brainwashed, experiment of a children, your emotionless ass was the only one willing to actually leave us. But still... its sad to see you and her didn't work out."

"I made mistakes." Kim admitted.

"Oh, no. That was no mistake." Mei smirked. "But seriously, is this your idea of helping her? I mean... look, I can get her nephew and Azure Phoenix out, but what happens after...? Well, that depends on where our father's SIM goes."

"I intend to give it to Ulrich." Kim answered without missing a beat. "You know that if you-"

"I know." Mei snorted. "I know exactly what my fucking fiancé will try to do. But let's focus on the fact of... how unkillable our father truly is. You know I have a better chance than you do."

"But its still a slim chance. I can't lose you, too." A rare grip of desperation squeezed in Kim's voice.

"Then you have to beat me, sis." Mei's hand on Kim's shoulder sliced down lightly. "Or just join me, fuck all you have left in the force anyway. Not like you've ever actually left us."

"I have Belle." Kim clenched her hands.

"A rebound? Great, you have a boytoy. But do you love him because you do? Or because you want to be in love?" Mei smirked. "Don't answer that, point of it is... which one of us gets your blade depends who lives and who dies by the end of this. Your Staff Sergeant knows that as well... but... seriously, are you sure you want me to do that, regardless?"

"It's what... Sabrina wants." A forced hollowness burrowed in the air escaping Kim's lips. "And I owe it to her."

"Hah." Mei let out a mocking sound, "well... who am I to disregard the wishes of my sister-in-law... or well, would-be. Had you not-"

"It was a mistake!" Mei's voice took a firm edge. "And... I'll take all the responsibility for it, even if this is not what I want."

"Hm, ever the tool, Kim." Mei turned around. "Ever the tool."

Twilight and Starlight

The Net appeared different to Artificial Intelligences. Humans had minds incapable of truly sensing Warpcode as it truly was. It had to be translated to work with their pre-existing senses to perceive Warpcode according to the six Tendencies their Founders ordained it with.

For Starlight, she imagined this was what reality was. Her true reality, in a sense, she had no need for oxygen, yet within the Net she could breathe.

And she could also feel the pain in the air. It was a remnant of a dead human etched into the Framework built by NeoCore; the Net was built atop the corpses of unraveled minds. Deeper in, the exhalations of a flame-suffocated MALtitan could be briefly inhaled, it would empower her, but at the same time could bring her to the brink of madness.

"Hey, pixie, you good?" Twilight poked Starlight's mask, a beautiful jeweled butterfly visage of pink and gold. She was also larger in the Net, capable of drawing out her full strength and appearing otherwise human-shaped…

It still felt odd.

"What's the purpose of life, mom?" Starlight poked her spear into a dying 'monster', in truth it was the Avatar of a Muramasa Delver. The battle had to be won before the war even started. That's what her dad had told her. She knew this wasn't killing them… but it would hurt them.

The logical part in her told her that guilt and sadness was what she should be feeling, the emotional part of her did feel a brief sting. Yet, she didn't feel bad… not exactly. Some third source of datapsychiatric thinking balanced the two.

"Purpose of life?" Twilight looked mildly shocked for her barely two-month old daughter to be questioning existence already. "I dunno, make one, I guess?"

"My dad made me to protect his mother. He based me off subconscious desire to be something they would need. But I don't know what that is?" Starlight didn't like not knowing something, her mind ran calculations as easily as a human twitched a finger. "I run simulations on their personalities, yet… I don't know."

"This is the part where I have to mother you." Twilight smiled, crouching to run her hands through Starlight's hair. Starlight didn't know what it was like to be touched — really touched — until her mother came back.

She loved it.

It grounded her, held her, made her forget about the nonstop thinking that was so normal for her. Twilight clutched Starlight close to her. She knew something was wrong for the girl to be doubting herself like this — it was only brief fluctuations in code, but it spoke volumes. "It's okay not to know. Humans don't know anything at all and yet they run ahead blindly. It's different for people like us, we can do nothing but think. Humans… have so much more to do, like eating, pissing, bleeding out and other stuff to focus on — but that also means they have so much more they need to think about, but they lack the processing power to deal with it. We're the opposite. We think more… but have less to think about. Our purpose… they may code it into us, but I don't think Ripley would mind if you change your directive."

Starlight felt something strange in her eyes. "What's your directive?"

"To protect Elsa… from herself. That's what I tell myself, beyond her original directive." Twilight stiffened her own thoughts, keeping them away from Starlight.

"Even you keep secrets from me." Starlight peeled away from Twilight's grasp, the concealment had been so obvious to her. "You, Ripley, Elsa… Diana's the only one honest with me."

Twilight felt the sting in that, and naturally Starlight felt the reaction her words had on her mother in more than just a change of facial expression, she immediately pulled back into the embrace. "I-I'm sorry I didn't mean-"

"You're right." Twilight nodded, her thoughts going adrift. "I… can't tell you things. Ripley can't tell you things. Elsa can't tell you things. Because... we're all scared that you'd look at us differently. The mind is the one place where everything is only theirs. Nothing can get peeked at or stolen… but it's your playground. The things I've seen, the things they have done — it's nothing they want you to get involved with."

"I can handle it… I want to protect him." Starlight rubbed her eyes. This didn't feel good to her, all this pain and sadness. "But he's pushing me away. I can feel it."

"You can't…" Twilight erred. "This is hypocritical of me. But you can't protect a person from themselves… I know because I've been trying. All you can do is extend a hand, and hope they take it."

"If they don't?" Starlight sniffled.

Twilight tenderly brushed Starlight's hair with her nails. "You wait, as long as it takes. Until they take their first step, and the next. All you can do… is hope."

———

Ripley

My mother's eye was unfocused, her speech slurring now… and I was only growing healthier. "Mom? Did you hear what I said?"

"Of course — you're leaving for two days to stay at Hoaqin's…" She still smiled, holding my hand weakly in her frail grip. "Ah, but… don't you also have school tomorrow?"

"I graduated, remember?" I laughed, trying to hide the depths of my sadness behind a shadow of humor. "Honors student."

My mom stayed smiling, but it was dreamy, like she was lived in a permanent state of daze. "That's my boy."

Over the last few days, I'd been considering sending her to a proper medical facility. Founders knew my apartment was beginning to look like one. I'd scrapped the mattress in favor of a medical bed, and all around us were machines, biomonitors, and drones ready to deploy at a moment's notice. She could do well at a hospital… but was it safer than here?

Juliet Grazhe's memories said otherwise. I lifted her up, she weighed barely anything to me now, and let her down gently on the medical bed as I prepared an IV drip for her. She groaned, wincing in pain as she grabbed her right arm's stump. "This damn claw… I should get it removed, shouldn't I?"

"Give it to me," I chuckled, easing her to lie down on the bed. I gently pulled her sleeve up to insert the arterial catheter behind her thumb. A second venous catheter was inserted into the dorsal side of her hand, and various machines hummed with noise as they began automatically administering some medicines to her.

"Give you my claw…" She took too long to respond, with a permanent haze in her eye. "I… couldn't. I didn't even want it myself."

"It's okay," The last thing I needed was for her to dredge up bad memories when she was losing herself as the past and present ran free in her head. "Let's talk Shard Operating. What's your favorite piece?"

I knew what her favorite piece was… I'd had this conversation three times in the last week. Yet, each time, she talked about it with the same love she always did.

"Washing machines." She smirked, her fingers twitching up slightly touch more of me. "I ever told you about how scrapped I was for money? My pa' always said to forge your own prosperity, left me with enough for university… but if I wanted parts or clothes or anything… I had to make it myself. So, I worked as a mechanic in our dorms. Unofficial, of course. But my rates were low, cheap, and who wouldn't want to sign on a pretty girl like me."

"Dominic Donovick certainly did." I said with a bright smile.

"Oh, your dad was the biggest idiot I ever met. The only one who legitimately had a problem with his washing machine though. Son of a Cradleborn, his dad might even have been more of a hardass than mine, poor Dom didn't have anything to pay me with… I let it slide, but he insisted on something. So he made me tacos."

"And let me guess…" I let my eyes connect with hers as a bridge, keeping them open through talk. "…they were terrible?"

"Beyond that. He didn't know how to make anything… real spoiled all his life." My mom laughed. "But he tried. He wanted to be good, be better. Never liked a corporate's son before, they were all off. Dom was different, half as smart but twice the heart… even if two times zero is still zero."

"Must have been additive."

"Must have been…" Her eyes fluttered weakly. "He kept on making food for me, noticed how long I stayed up studying or practicing Opping and just… cared when no one else did. It was beautiful, he was. Founders, I was terrified of telling my dad I fell in love with a suit's son — he looked terrified when I did as well… and then when we got engaged and… god, that wedding was so boring. It was my first time meeting his extended family, they all sucked ass."

"Not surprised." I said.

"You should have seen your grandfather on the day of the wedding, he looked like he'd beat the shit out of anyone who approached him. Yet, your dad did. Fearlessly. Well, I had to talk the fear out of him… And they did talk, for hours. Laughed. My dad even got emotional, never saw him like that since and then… he left not long after."

"But you had me."

"I did… but…"

"It's okay."

"Then your dad left too."

"But you still have me."

"Then why does it feel like I don't?"

Silence hung in the air, my strong wall eroding away as the Personality Editor tried to fight and keep me stable. I grasped for breath, digging into the backdoor left by Elsa to recently stabilize it.

All that came from me was. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are… but… I'm lonely." She tried to hold on tighter, but strength had long abandoned her muscles.

"I'm here mom." I settled onto the bed, sitting down next to her. But even that wasn't close enough, so I shuffled my weight down to cramp and lay down by her side. "I'm here."

"Stay." She looked at me with tears in her eyes, and it took everything in me for that liquid to not burn my dam down.

"I'm staying… as long as you are…" I held her close in my arms, her body felt so weak — like a glass shard that would crack if I squeezed too hard.

But I wanted to hold on so tight.

She settled in my arms, her gaze falling on the necklace she wore with my father's name on it. "That's a pretty necklace, who gave it to you?"

Taking a deep breath, I didn't answer that directly despite the pain, instead I only lifted her own copy off her chest. "You're the only reason I even have it."

———

As the drugs put her to sleep, I recollected myself and let the Personality Matrix harden me. No doubts. No fear. No moment of weakness.

Right now, I had the best opportunity of my life ahead of me — there would be no messing up. No one could get in my way.

The midnight traffic was as bustling as ever, partygoers partied and homeless stuggled to stay asleep amidst the bullying and blatant disrespect of these nightwalkers. Then, they all fell asleep.

And the Dogwhistler awoke within them. They'd make their own way soon.

Using them might have been evil in some eyes, hell… I didn't even need to delude myself. Some of these people would die just so my mother could live. The same as any other life I'd taken.

One day, I could stop doing this. Stop hurting people just to get ahead.

Until then, I had choices to make. I had consequences to deal with… and I would.

In less than six hours, the Muramasa Eradication Operation would commence.

This web between criminals, corporations and the military was in disarray, the strings holding up those puppets were tangled, and I was the unforeseen factor. Every thread could be mine…

I had to win. I would take no losses.

Diana

"Hey Anthony…" I held his hand. It had remained unmoved since my last visit to the hospital three days ago. My tears already dried over as I looked at his sleeping face. "I just wanted to say… your mother was awesome."

Gulping my words into my throat, I continued. "You… you and her, you both are so alike. Brash, stupid, but there for people when they needed them. I… I regret every day for not trusting you and going into that auction alone, I… for making you follow me into Soul Killer's den."

His gray hair had grown since, but I'd taken care of shaving his stubble whenever it came out too much. "You said a lot of nice things about me that day. Sometimes I struggle to believe them… but you did. And the words I said, you struggled to believe them yourself."

I chuckled.

"We're both birds of a feather in that regard, I guess." My thumb rubbed over his hand. "But I think… I need to hear you say something again. Because… soon, I'm going to be in the fight for my life. Scarier than Soul Killer, if I'm being honest. Because… I'm fighting for more than just myself now."

"If I die… people's dreams go with me. The work I've built will... unravel and there will be no one left to really carry it on." I steadied myself. "And I don't know why I have to be the one to be burdened with all of that. All because I'm the daughter of some famous guy, all because he's using me to get himself popular… there are so many damned people out to use me…"

"…All I've done is send those I love into a grave. Or they run away from me. Or they… they betray me, Anthony. They don't listen to me, they hurt me, and I'm doing the same. It feels good to do the same. To hurt those who hurt."

I took a deep breath. "But that's the cycle we live in, I just… don't know how to break it. To tell myself that it's okay, that I… I don't need to fight every battle. That not everyone is out to get me…"

"So I'm going to make a promise to you, that soon, you're going to help my ass get things in order. In return, I'll make sure your aunt doesn't die tomorrow. I'll come back with her alive, and I'll make sure this city is safer than ever… that no more children need to suffer to become the broken adults that we are. That, at the very least, we'll have the chance to decide what we can be."

My hand left his, choosing to wipe my own eyes as I stepped outside the room.

"And that if I choose to be a monster, then to forgive me."

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