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It was freezing inside the falcon. The wind was ripping through all the holes that had been torn in its side, and the heating, of course, had been the first thing to blow up. Radio had been working, but it only played one damned song, and as soon as they lifted off, Felix ripped it out of the wall and threw it to the burning tower down below. It didn't help anything, but it seemed to be a cathartic release. And yet, even as the Falcon struggled to maintain altitude, even as black smoke poured out from the controls, there was only one thing Felix was focusing on. They had to make it to the communication temple. They had to finish this damn mission, and those damn reds and blues. There was no living thing on this planet that could stop them. Felix struggled to keep the Falcon airborne, especially operating it by himself. Locus had been unconscious when he dragged him from the rubble, and he hadn't moved since then. In some weird way, Felix knew that Locus surely wanted revenge just as much as he did. The two of them were going to take these assholes down, and get the hell off this planet. Maybe throw a couple nukes at Kimball before they left. Maybe just shatter the planet in half. Whatever they wanted to. But they both needed to be there. Locus couldn't defeat these idiots without him. He had already proven that. Damn, was he useless, Felix thought, as he glanced back at his prone partner, breathing hoarsely and staring down at the metal floor. Why wasn't he getting back up? Why wasn't he flying this damn ship? Anger rose up in Felix, choking down the fear he felt. "Hey, sleeping beauty, you wanna get over here?! The view from the cockpit is incredible, let me tell you!" He yelled back, gripping the yoke tight enough to crack it. If he could've reached his daggers, he would've thrown them. Not to kill, but to...make him move. Instead, Locus remained silent, his breathing becoming softer, as if he was holding it in now. What was he doing?! "You asshole, I know you can hear me! Get up from the floor, and grab this second control stick thing! If we want to reach the temple, I need you to stop taking naps!!" Felix's voice cracked, as the Falcon nearly flipped in the wind, slamming Felix against the controls. He growled in pain, pushing himself back up and turning his head to look at Locus. "Move!!" He screamed at him, all his anger rising to the surface, all his hatred for this half-assed killer coming to mind. Felix always knew Locus was weaker than him, but he would be damned if he was going to let him take him down with him.
And then, just as Felix's shout had vanished into the silence, Locus shifted, and got up to his knees. He was unsteady, and his camoflague flickered on and off as he moved. A sharp breath drew his face up, and he looked towards Felix, who turned his focus back towards driving, smug that he had gotten him to move. "Felix...it's over." His words were soft, but his tone was tragic, like a sudden harsh rain.
Felix ignored him, continuing to fly the Falcon toward the rapidly approaching temple. Still, the words pierced through Felix, almost dragging him down. If Locus wasn't fighting, they couldn't win. And if they didn't win, they'd both be better off dead. Thinking that, Felix became even angrier, and knew exactly who to blame for all of this. "We're going to smash into those multi-colored losers, and spread their guts all around Chorus. Rip that damn AI out of that bitch, get that armor, and destroy whatever is left of these miserable planet." He said, his confidence returning as he spoke. They had to win. Those idiots didn't have anything compared to them.
Behind him, Locus dragged himself up, taking a shaky step forward, as if he was about to do what Felix had said. He stopped, though, let out a heavy sigh, and leaned against the wall. "That isn't a strategy, Felix." He stated, not scoldingly, but with a tender sadness in his voice. That only made Felix angrier. "The Tartarus is destroyed, our numbers are falling, the mission-"
"Fuck the mission! Jesus Christ, for once in your life, would you forget about following God damn orders?! This is for me, not for Hargrove, or the damned foot soldiers, or anybody else! I am going to kill those bastards, and, if you're lucky, I won't run you through next!!" Threatening him, Felix couldn't believe how little he understood the situation. Like anything mattered but winning. Felix glared through the smoke and sweat, seeing the temple draw closer, and seeing some familiar colors there. For once, things were going his way.
A barely audible sigh ruined Felix's gloating, and ripped through his tranquil bloodlust. He would've ignored it, if he could have. "It's always been for you." His voice was quiet, and there was no effort left in it. Over the rushing wind and the grinding machinery, Felix could barely hear him. If only he couldn't hear him. "I let myself be a monster for you, because... I was afraid of what I would make of myself. I didn't want to be responsible." He said, staring down uselessly at the floor, as if he wasn't really talking to Felix, just to anyone who was listening.
Felix growled, and he turned back to look at Locus, who had managed to push himself up to a standing position. What a coward. He was afraid of the Reds and the Blues. Too afraid to lose his life, like it was anything valuable. "Well, sorry, partner. Maybe if you hadn't been such a horrible soldier, I wouldn't have had to manipulate you." He spoke mockingly, as he always did to Locus.
Locus was silent for a few second, before nodding in agreement, and looking up at his partner. "Maybe in another universe, I have the strength to end you." It wasn't a threat, it was a regret. His tone was harsh, and as he stepped forward, Felix felt fear run through him. He couldn't run, but more than that, he couldn't win. Not when he was so close.
Taking out a gun, Felix pointed it straight at Locus, while keeping one hand gripped onto the yoke. "You can die along with everybody else! I'm not picky at this point!! I can be just as rich without you!!" He warned him, his hand shaking as he did. Were there even bullets in the gun? Could he even shoot straight through the smoke? Would Locus go down after one shot?
As Felix stood there, shaking and full of anger, Locus stared at him. He chuckled softly, before stepping towards the open hatch of the Falcon, his feet dragging along underneath him. The wind roared past him, and he struggled to stay up. "I don't want to be rich. I don't want to be the strongest. I want to put an end to the most vile creature I know of. I want to make a choice." He said calmly to Felix, as he stepped off of the side of the Falcon, falling out, down towards the unseen ground.
All at once, Felix's whole world shattered. He dove towards his partner, trying to grab onto him. But the Falcon kicked as soon as he let go of the controls, and Felix was thrown back, as the ship plummeted towards the temple. Felix laid there, wailing in anger and hatred, as the world flew past at super speed. Locus had no right to betray him. Without Felix, Locus was useless. He was better off dead! He deserved to hit the ground, to split open and never be buried, to have vultures pick at his lifeless corpse. The only thing Felix needed was a weapon, and he was invincible. The only problem was, even with the sword he held, he felt kind of weak.
The temple was a real maze, especially with how confused Felix felt. His body ached, and his mind was running at several million miles right now. It was like Locus was haunting him. Everywhere he looked, he thought he saw the Reds or the Blues, and he had already wasted a dozen shots. Now, the silence of the temple was getting to him, and he heard footsteps and whispers everywhere. Those idiots would be so sorry when he got his hands on them. And the reward would be all his, and he would kill whoever else got in his way. And he would be happy.
Felix groaned and fell to his knees, as his side began to throb. Must've been where he fell against the floor. Or when he was thrown by the crash. Or anything else recently. It had been a busy day.
Above him, unseen by the mercenary, Santa hovered. They had expected someone else. It seemed that they had survived. This was the survivor now. "Unworthy warrior, why do you fight on?" The AI questioned him, as it drew closer to the fallen Felix.
Looking up at Santa, Felix growled and drew his energy sword. This was the last thing he needed right now. "You bastard. I'll burn your whole planet down. Get away from me." He hissed at the AI, but was unable to actually act. There was no way to kill this thing anyway. It was just like that damn radio, playing something nobody asked for.
Santa drew down, coming eye level with the mercenary, as if to be friendly. As it did this, it spoke. "You are entirely alone. And if you get back up, you will be even more alone." It spoke bluntly, but the words didn't matter to Felix, who had finally managed to get his breath back.
Taking a calm breath, Felix sat down on the ground, taking the moment to load his gun. "And whose fault is that, hmm? Once I take care of a few pests, I'll build up an army, I'll find a planet, I'll fuck everything. Just you wait." He stated, smiling as he imagined the future. There wasn't anything but a few more dead bodies standing in his way. Didn't even have to split it. Hesitating for a second, Felix thought of Locus, and how he would explain to Hargrove what happened. Maybe he'd just kill that old weakling. Didn't have to answer to anybody.
Santa watched him reloading with mild interest. It was obvious he had done this many times before, but now, it was like he was merely using an old habit to calm himself. "You will not win. The simulation troopers are likely to defeat you." It stated, attempting to understand why Felix was fighting at this point.
Scoffing, Felix set his gun aside, as he got up from the ground, seemingly calm now. "Fat damn chance." He responded, checking on all the other weapons he had hidden around his person.
Considering this, Santa wasn't sure how he could be so confident. Humans were strange though. Just as the simulation troopers were. "Then the forces below will. They certainly outnumber you." Once again, just to gauge a reaction, the AI spoke. Felix's silent response was to keep checking his weapons. Not that he should need to.
Mocking Santa, Felix gasped and put his gun back into its holster. "Oh, no. The very soldiers I trained are gonna sneak up on me! Or maybe Kimball. I'm really, really scared. Not. I've dealt with hundreds before." He asserted, as he tested the energy shield, which hummed loudly in the silent hallway.
For a few second, no one spoke. Felix just stared at the shield, as if remembering something. Which he was. How he and Locus had procured this little item. What a battle that had been. Even though Locus was better at using it, Felix had stolen it, and rigged it to only work with his armor. No loyalty among thieves, he had said. None at all. Santa interrupted these thoughts, as it drew closer to Felix, as if attempting to convince him of something. "Your enemies are not your only fear. You friends, your allies, your superiors. They will all come after you." The tone was much harsher this time, like it was scolding a very dangerous child.
It triggered Felix, who turned the shield off with an audible snap and faced the floating AI. "I'll kill whoever gets in my way, I've done it before!!" He exclaimed, holding his arms out, as if to put on display all his ability.
Santa was quiet, and drew back from Felix, rising above him. "You and Locus did all that. You've done nothing on your own." It told him, resuming the cold bluntness from before.
Laughing out loud, Felix looked up at the AI, wishing he could rip this thing out right now and deliver it to Hargrove on a platter. "Really? I've done nothing? I tricked the rebels into believing everything I said, I even had the Reds and the Blues eating out of the palm of my hand! I dragged ship after ship here, and I commanded whole armies! Is that nothing?" He demanded, chuckling and beginning to walk away, like he had any idea where he was going.
Unfortunately, the AI had an answer for him. "None of that has lasted. Not even your control over Locus." It was the truth, and it stabbed right through Felix, who didn't take too kindly to being stabbed.
Slashing the energy sword at the AI, Felix screamed out in pain, as the injuries on his side clenched tight, trying to drag him down. Felix stayed standing. "What the hell do you care?! I'm the unworthy warrior, right?! Why not let me die?!" He asked, pointing his sword at the unaffected AI, his breaths heavy and painful. Every time he thought about Locus, it made him so angry. He was dead. That was it. But Felix didn't kill him, and yet, it was as if he did. But he wouldn't have. He couldn't have. And the anger rose up again and again.
The temple began to hum softly, in rhythm with the sword. Santa began to fade out, and the area around Felix began to lose its light. "You hold the single most important thing you may have ever seen, and do not understand its power. To me, that is just how humans are. But I was created to respond to the key holder, whoever they may be, and help them." Even as the lights dimmed, Felix kept his eyes fixed on the AI, who was fading away. "You are scared and alone. As are all humans. Yet you seek to continue that condition in others. Even at the cost of everything you currently hold." And with those words, the AI disappeared, unable to stop the invader in its temple. Felix stared at the nothingness that was there, the key giving off enough light for him to see where he was going. In the silence, he could hear the Reds and the Blues, clattering about. They had to know he was here. Why weren't they being more careful? Letting out a heavy breath, Felix turned the sword off, and began to walk towards the voices, ready to end all of this.
Walking into the large open room, Felix saw the idiots scurrying about. Orange, the two blues, two reds, a pink, a purple, and the AI. The OG losers. As soon as they saw him, almost all of them made some attempt to hide. Except Tucker and his little AI. Good old Tucker. "We're ready for you, bitch! Come get some!" He called, much too confidently. Some of the other called out nervously as well, but they didn't move. How could they be so scared of him, and yet, so impossible to defeat? Felix couldn't help but laugh, so he did. His laughter filled the room, in a bad way, and it lasted far too long.
Tucker watched him, his confidence slowly shaking apart, but Episilon remained calm. "You can be all kinds of weird, but we're not falling for it! Give up or we're gonna... gonna get you." He said, looking at Tucker for validation. Tucker shrugged, and turned back to face Felix, who had finally managed to shut himself up.
Gasping for air, Felix began to walk down the stairs towards Tucker, who had stanced up, incredibly wrong. How easy it should be. "Sorry, sorry, I was just laughing at how incompetent you guys are. I mean, why aren't you hiding? And why is Caboose hiding behind his gun?" He asked, brandishing his own energy sword.
Everyone glanced at Caboose, except Felix, who paused his descent while they did this. Epsilon sighed, and waved to Caboose, who didn't seem to know that anybody could see him. "It's...probably the safest place in here, to be honest." He muttered.
Chuckling, Felix shook his head and began to walk around Tucker, who was backing away from him. It seemed like he had them right where he wanted them. Why weren't they attacking? Tucker was obviously angry, practically foaming at the mouth. If he had been Tucker, Felix - who would've been Tucker in this case - would be dead. "You know, I hate you all. Self-righteous, incapable, dumb as hell, and yet, you still manage to be that extra little bit of useless. I've killed friend after friend of yours, and yet, you guys don't give up. How is that possible? I mean, I wouldn't care, but you guys...I thought you liked people." He questioned, ready to attack at any moment, if these idiots would just make the first move.
Gripping his sword tight, Tucker stopped moving, just facing Felix, like he was done already. "Man, I hate you too! More than you could ever know. You've killed so many good people, but I'm not gonna keep letting you kill people. As long as I can still keep swinging my big old sword around, I'm gonna come after you!" He commented, sounding so proud of this. Maybe that was just because of the sexual reference.
Felix growled, and he lowered his sword, stepping closer to Tucker. "Then kill me already, you big jerk-off." He hissed at him, wishing that he could make Tucker react as strong as he needed.
Silence followed his statement, which only made Felix hate them more. At least if the freelancers were here, he'd be dead by now. From behind a column, Grif peered out. "That sounds like a trap, douchebag!" He shouted, his voice quivering as he spoke. He immediately ducked back behind the column as soon as Felix looked at him.
There was a murmur of agreement from Epsilon, who motioned for Tucker to step back. Tucker didn't. "Where's Locus? You two planning a pincher attack?" His question, albeit stupid, immediately set Felix off.
Quickly taking out his gun, Felix pointed it at Tucker, who hadn't reacted fast enough, and was frozen in fear. His friends took a step forward, but Epsilon seemed to be keeping them back. Damn AIs. Felix was breathing hard now, not from pain, but from the tight knot in his chest. Like someone had already shot him. "You guys are the pathetic scum on the pond of life. You act important, you act like you matter, but you don't. You're all gonna get eviscerated by the army, and I will personally disembowel all of you! You never win, you never learn, and you're all just gonna lose to me!!" He screamed at them, his hand quivering, even as he tried to keep it steady. He wanted to die. He wanted to be laying on the rocks alongside Locus, dead. Rather than deal with these idiots.
Before anyone else had a chance to react, Caboose spoke up. "Um, are those, uh, things you mentioned, the disembarkenening and...yeah, are they happening in that order? Or can we rearrange them?" His question was so...so... stupid. How could these be the people who kept winning?
Tucker nodded, probably not in agreement, and he took a step back. "Yeah, and where is shooting me on that list? I want to be near the bottom-damn, no, on top. No. Wait. I just meant that you never mentioned shooting me." He stated, a soft scoff from Epsilon making him correct himself.
Putting both hands on his gun, Felix managed to make the shaking stop, and he took a deep breath. "Have I literally ever hesitated before, Tucker? I love killing. It is my favorite thing next to money. So do you doubt I'll shoot you?" He inquired, his voice calm, and yet still trembly. There was no way to remain completely still.
Simmons stood up from where he had been lying on the floor, completely in the open. "Shoot him, and prove it!" He shouted, taking refuge behind Grif. Tucker flipped the bird at the two of them, which, at the very least, made the shiny AI laugh.
Turning back to look at Felix, Epsilon crossed his arms, tapping his foot on non-existent ground. "Why not just call off Locus? We won't kick your ass so majorly if you do." He offered, acting like he was the most clever person in this whole room, which probably was the case.
For a second, Felix thought about shooting Tucker. The bullet would hit him. And the AI would jump. The others would immediately kill Felix. The bitches of Chorus would win. Their messages would get through. How the hell had they managed to win? How come he couldn't win? All at once, Locus flashed through his mind. If Locus was here, could he win? Or would Locus...realize just how weak his partner was? Lowering his gun, Felix stared at Epsilon, thinking of what Santa had said. He was alone. And he was even more alone now, now that he had to acknowledge what had happened to Locus. The only reason the Reds and the Blues hadn't killed him was because they thought Locus was hiding. What the actual hell. Sighing softly, Felix looked around the room as he spoke. "Locus is dead. Jumped out of the plane." He responded to them, and as he did, his trembling stopped, and the knot in his chest, although it didn't go away, the feeling of it changed. More than anything else, all he wanted to know was what these complete idiots were thinking right now.
Chuckling nervously, Doc stood up, and even took a few steps forward. Brave man. "Yeah, sure. You probably beat him to death with a parachute and used him as jet fuel!" He stated, sounding very sure of this.
Epsilon considered this, before shaking his head, and looked at Tucker. "That doesn't really sound possible, at least to me." Tucker seemed to agree with him, and they went silent, as if thinking about their own ideas of how Felix killed Locus.
That was not an incredibly rude thing to suggest, it was also insulting of them to assume that he couldn't do it. But part of Felix didn't care anymore, and he laughed, much less evilly, it off. "Ah, no, I wish I had some fantastic story to tell you. Some tragic tale about how he tried to stop me from killing you guys. About how I knocked him out a window with a grenade. But, uh, I don't. He was dying, I was trying to crash a Falcon into you guys, and he jumped off the ship. Said it was his only choice. The ship crashed when I lost control. The end." Felix spoke casually as he said this, like there wasn't any emotion in all of this. And to be honest, there wasn't. For so long, anger and fear and hatred had been his motivators. There wasn't any sadness left in him. Locus would've understood. Oh, well.
The Reds and the Blues looked around at each other, as if daring one another to ask another question. Only Epsilon and Tucker kept their eyes on Felix, who was staring absently out the huge glass windows. "What does this mean then? You're not gonna kill us, but Hargrove isn't going to stop fighting us just because Locus is dead." Tucker stated, seeming almost mad at Felix, like he expected something more.
There was a mutter of complaints from the crowd, and then Sarge stepped forward, from wherever he had decided to hide. "And just because you didn't kill your partner, that doesn't make you a hero. You tricked us, too!" He said, once again disappointed. Did they expect a fight?
"Yeah, you've killed a whole lot of people!" Donut called out, not actually in view, but nearby. The whole group began to complain, saying that it wasn't fair. Felix listened to them all, just staring out the window. He should be dead or in jail or whatever it was Caboose wanted.
But... what did any of that matter? In prison, Hargrove would find him and have him killed. Or he'd escape. Or he'd start a cult. One or the other. He was still very evil. He still wanted to kill the Reds and the Blues. And yet...Chorus was fine. They could survive. Somehow, that made Felix think that maybe, just maybe, there was something left. Not killing, not making money. But...something that Locus or even...Isaac would've done. A so-called journey of rediscovery. How pathetic. How wonderful. To stop being afraid, to stop making others afraid of him. What a boring and amazing kind of life.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Felix threw his gun away, which freaked out everybody, making them all point their various weapons at the sliding weapon. Meanwhile, Felix walked up to the door of the control room. He wasn't trying to redeem himself. He just wanted to get out of here. And these idiots would appreciate any help they could get. Unlocking the door to the control room, for a moment, Felix saw Santa looking right at him, almost smug, at least for an alien AI. Then, Santa turned to the Reds and the Blues. "The communication temple is now ready to transmit your message." It disappeared immediately after speaking, and Felix chuckled, thinking of the next pathetic loser who that AI would target. He began to walk off, tucking the energy sword away for now, until he needed it once more.
From behind him, the Reds and the Blues scrambled to catch up, even though he was barely even moving. "Hey, wait, you asshole. You're still the bad guy!" Tucker shouted at him, the closest of anybody else. Maybe he was just the least scared.
Felix glanced back at them, his hand hovering over the energy sword. "Then kill me. There's no way in hell I could win." He told him, smirking at his own honesty. It hurt a little.
As Tucker reached the top of the stairs, Epsilon spoke up. "We'd much rather see you in a Chorus prison." His tone was harsh, and Felix knew he meant it. Nice to know someone didn't want him dead.
Shaking his head, Felix continued walking forward, positive these idiots wouldn't chase after him. "Well, hurry up and save the planet, or you won't have a prison to lock me up in." He said, not sure how he was going to escape from this planet, but 100% positive that those useless, interfering, impossibly stupid losers were going to win, and that more than that... they were going to find him again. Hopefully, not before he figured out what the fuck was going on.