Chapter Text
It was a bad day.
Somewhere down in the expansive and vast facility that was the Miley Cooperation, screens that were supposed to be displaying the internal workings of the Catastrophe had fizzled out into static and had gone red. One by one, each of them blinked offline, with the same big, bold, red letters emblazoned on the monitors - [CRITICAL ERROR.]
That was before they were furiously shattered and smashed by the wave of a hand.
The Scientist brashly got up, several things wobbling and falling from the sudden force. Without even sparing a glance back at the mess he had made, he made a beeline for the nearest window, several thoughts -some of which terribly graphic and blazingly angry- rushing through his head.
Kirimi’s first impression of failure was not particularly positive. Not that failure usually was, but the sight of a giant blazing ball of five years worth of research and engineering breakthrough trailing through the sky was understandably infuriating.
They had spent hours perfecting the Catastrophe. From the tiniest microprocessors to the great mega-chambers housing technology the world had never seen, the mech was perfect.
But, as the combusting hulk of flaming metal in the sky kindly demonstrated, there had been a flaw that had evaded the Scientist’s rapt attention. Which meant that he had failed. All those years of scheming and sleepless nights dedicated to the Plan - all rendered to dust.
No.
He hadn’t failed.
A single, stark red pupil stared through the window of the facility, its brief panic turning into malicious anger. He wasn’t the cause of this. His eyes flickered back to the monitor room, staring back at the cracked red screens.
>[CRITICAL ERROR.]
>[SHUTDOWN IMMINENT.]
>[CALCULATING FURTHER ACTION.]
A pause.
>[DEPLOYING EMERGENCY CRASH PROTECTION.]
>[2 LIFE SIGNAL(S) DETECTED.]
His gaze fell back onto the fireball through the window. Watching as it plunged into the sea.
Tantalizing minutes ticked by, each second feeling like a gut-wrenching punch to the gut -but the screen stayed red and empty. The fire had long been doused by the sea - smoke was rising from where the mech had landed. The noises outside started to die down. Perhaps the monitors had crashed and died. Perhaps he had gone a little too far in taking out his anger.
Perhaps He had died.
Plan-wise, His death would be an extreme inconvenience in the long-term. There were far too many things that he himself was not willing to do. Or rather, not get his hands dirty with. Not to mention that he didn’t exactly have the same public grandeur and charm that He had - he was charming and polite, yes, but he excelled best in private, face-to-face confrontations. He wasn’t a chairman.
But on a personal level? That was… quite a different story.
Kirimi let out an irritated sigh. He was tired of waiting. He had already waited for five years - and he wasn’t keen on waiting any more. Things were done best when done by yourself, after all. There was no waiting for somebody who may have perished along the way.
There were more important things to tend to.
The door clicked shut as he closed it.
>[...]
>[2 LIFE SIGNAL(S) DETECTED.]
—————
Something was wrong.
And it wasn’t just the numbing sensation of having just broken a couple ribs or joints.
Or the cold of his drenched coat pressing against his skin like a wet paper towel.
Or even the smell of smoke and ashes that filled his lungs that made it near impossible to breathe.
He had no idea who he was.
He had no idea what had happened.
He didn’t even know his own name.
But he did know that he was scared. Terrified, disoriented, and confused. What was going on? Why couldn’t he. Just. BREATHEICAN’TBREATHEWHAT’SHAPPENINGTOME.
His world was violently spinning and lurching, and his eyes were starting to see double. If he tried to get up he feared his stomach would give in and vomit.
No, he had to focus.
Focus, focus, focus.
But the sun was so bright. The sun hurt his eyes and its light was radiant and unwelcoming and powerful and blindingly bright, bright, bright-
Focus, focus, focus.
You don’t even know where you are you don’t know yourself you’re going to die die die DIE-
Focus, focus, focus.
He could hear waves. The water in his mouth was salty. Which meant he was near an ocean.
He could smell smoke. Heavy smoke. Which meant there had been a fire.
But where did the fire come from-? Ah.
He squinted at the vague blob -the source of the smoke- off in the distance, sticking out of the sea like a jutting rock. Now that his vision cleared a little, it appeared to be sinking. What was that? It didn’t look like anything natural. It was stark-white and gigantic, with a roughly humanoid shape. Smoke was trailing out of the mech’s remains, and from what he could make out of it, it was starting to fall apart.
Who could’ve built that?
And why?
A staggering pain jolted him out of his thoughts, as he subconsciously clutched his ribs with his right arm. His arm-that-hurt-significantly-less-than-the-other. There was no denying it- needed proper medical help. And fast. Either the world had decided to dim the lights a little, or he was in very big trouble. Judging by his luck so far, he needed to get up and get to…
He had no idea where to go. Hell, he didn’t even know where he was. But he had to get somewhere. Somewhere where he’d get help.
He was wearing a suit. He could see it now - now that his eyes had adjusted to the sun and his mind was substantially clearer. Albeit wet and torn at the edges, it was set with a tie and lengthy coat tail, accented by a bright yellow contour. It was awfully showboaty. Perhaps he was a businessman or an accountant of sorts. But then what was he doing here…?
The suit was damp and heavy, but for now, it was the only thing that he could really call his. Maybe - and speaking on an extra hopeful note - it was some vague clue to his past.
Alright, so that was one thing covered.
Small steps.
The next one was significantly harder.
Sucking in a breath to try and ignore the jarring pain in his ribs, he started to push himself off the ground. His shaky, scratched hands sank into the gritty sand as he staggered to his feet, squeezing his eyes shut as his joints ached and screamed for him to fall back down.
But, by some miracle, he was up.
His vision gave a frightening lurch, but with a few heavy breaths, and a moment just to clear his head, he managed to stumble forward a few steps. Alright, that was easy enough. Now to find out where to go.
Anywhere away from here.
Glancing around the sandy beach he currently found himself in, purposefully not looking at the smoking burning wreck behind him, he found himself with a few options.
There was a wooded thicket leading away from the sea, with dozens of treetops as far as he could see. Likely full of unwanted attention he could potentially receive, and most definitely dangerous for an injured man to trek through without company.
Maybe he could try and swim out to the smoking wreckage? Perhaps there was a clue to his past or some communications device that hadn’t completely burned up by now. His brain shot that idea down almost immediately- the whole thing screamed bad idea. The mechanical… something was way too far out into sea. Hell, he didn’t even know if he could swim.
Or, he could follow the beach shore - with some luck, he could possibly find an open path leading away from the beach, hopefully to a nearby town or a seaside village. Civilisation was what he needed the most right now. Somebody.
The seashore seemed to be the best option. Focusing tight and hard on his current goal, he started towards-
What.
His hand- the one he was holding his side with - it was completely smeared in red. He was bleeding. Badly. His brain was practically screaming at him to panic - but he couldn’t. He couldn’t even feel anything. Everything was numb.
He had to keep moving. Just keep moving. Get to where he could be safe. And get there fast.
—————
It looked like the stars were fighting.
There wasn’t anything like it. A purple streak in the sky- blazingly bright and had wings- was clashing with something white and huge in the sky, which sent out large bursts of bright, concentrated -and most definitely dangerous- beams of light.
Onlookers watched as sparks flew from their duel, as the purple streak of light dodged and weaved through the bright white lasers emitting from the larger figure.
But just like that - it was over. Nobody could tell which side came out victorious from the catastrophic explosion that erupted in the sky, which had sent a deafening sonic boom through the air. Both lights plunged into the ocean, leaving nothing but smoke and a distant lump sinking in the sea.
The civilians of the Gapanese Empire watched on nervously. With good reason. There were rumours that the Miley Cooperation had been preparing something. A wonder of never before seen technology - something that would change the world. A Catastrophe.
The Miley Cooperation had closed its doors that day.
There was no announcement, no flashy public speech, not even a goodbye. It had quietly locked its doors and abandoned itself. All the employees that had formerly worked at the Miley Cooperation had left. Fairly undramatically - they were all sick of all the bullcrap that the company spat out at them. But -if things weren’t strange enough- if you squinted at the chimneys of the facility long enough, you could see smoke steadily flowing out of the supposedly abandoned facility. Surely nothing, most thought to themselves, somebody had simply forgotten to turn off an engine.
But those who could put two and two together knew that those flashes in the sky that day weren’t just a lightshow gone wrong.
But, as strange as it felt, life continued. Sure, there was unease and a feeling of dread, and the strange evidence of a different large, mechanical wreck nearby - but even that would fade. Either to be scooped up by scrap collectors looking to make a quick buck, or ominously disappear one day, by a typical mysterious force.
The Gapanese Empire had gotten quite used to mysterious forces by now.
And with all things considered, maybe the disappearance of a company that made potentially destructive technology wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
—————
How long had it been? He had been trudging along the seashore for a long, long while, and he was starting to get dangerously lightheaded. The pain in his ribs and head - which had been rather lenient with him up until now - had started to become absolutely excruciating with every step he took. Surely somebody would see him? Surely sometime, somehow, he’d get somewhere?
But it’s been hours, the larger, louder side of his brain whined, slow and droning as though his thoughts were walking through mud, if there was anything out there they probably wouldn’t help you anyways.
His legs finally gave out to the powerful exhaustion urging him to rest. Breathing heavily, he collapsed back onto the sand, for the fifth time since he had started moving. He was sleepy, and tired, and thoroughly unwilling to get back up again. He wanted to sleep - though he knew he couldn’t - he wouldn’t wake up- but surely a little rest wouldn’t hurt anybody.
He barely had a choice at this point. His legs would buckle if he tried to walk an inch more, his ribs felt like they were falling apart, and his head was screaming at him to give up. Not to mention the lingering heavy smoke in his lungs that were probably also full of seawater that he didn’t quite cough up yet.
What if I don’t wake up? His brain asked himself the fear of the long sleep returning again.
What’ll you stay awake for? His brain responded to itself, quieter this time.
Who’ll miss you?
It’s… better… if… if…
There was somebody by the shore.
His eyes snapped open at the last possible second, that tiny bit of hope left in his mind going off like a firework. Getting up again seemed much easier when there was even a chance of somebody to help him. He blindly stumbled forwards a few steps towards the resting figure in the distance, furiously ignoring his screaming lungs and his aching bones.
Now that he was a little closer, there was no doubt about it. They - whoever they were - were sitting idly by the shore, looking a little weathered and tired out. They were staring off at the smoke in the distance, the look on their face placid and unreadable, with a devil-may-care expression and a certain cynical look that may have intimidated him - if he wasn’t so utterly desperate.
No - all too soon- they were turning away now - they were getting up to leave and he was too far, far too far away for them to see him and soon he’d be gone and-
Panic set off like fireworks in his brain as he hurriedly attempted to rush forward, only to stumble and nearly fall over.
“Wait-!”
His voice shook and broke, the effort to cry out too great for his fragile lungs as he broke into another fit of coughing.
But by some miracle, the figure seemed to notice - and turned.
His head was far too dizzy with relief, pain, and exhaustion to see their reaction - just knowing they knew he was there was enough to let his mind rest.
He could hear them approaching - albeit a little slowly at first, but they were coming and he was surely going to receive help. Though, he hoped they’d hurry up a little - the edges of his vision were starting to cave into darkness, which was not at all promising.
But suddenly, far too abruptly, he was pushed upwards from his pitiful stance, rough hands on his shoulders holding his shoulders and head up to stare back at the stranger. He winced at the jolting motion, taking a moment to adjust before peeking out from the corner of his eye to meet their gaze.
Strikingly purple eyes met fearful green ones, one pair terrified and confused while the other searching and furtive.
“Holy shit- Jeraldy - you’re alive-? How did you survive?”
“W-What-? What do you mean- who-?” He managed to squeak out, grimacing as the pain in his ribs worsened from the sudden movement. The stranger’s voice was bold, blunt, and unapologetically scathing - it sounded like they hated him.
“God you look terrible. Worse than, uh,” The stranger paused for a moment, looking him over before biting the corner of their lip and hastily continuing, “-We need to find you some help. Jeez, I can’t believe you actually went through with-”
“W-What do you mean? What are you- I-I don’t know- who are you-?” He stuttered awkwardly, pathetically attempting to push the stranger's hands off his shoulder, though the effort was far too painful for him to make any actual progress. Meanwhile his mind was in a state of absolute panic and chaos trying to piece together what was happening. The stranger - whoever they were- they sounded like they knew him. More than he himself. And that name - Jeraldy - was that him? It didn’t fit the context if it was anybody else’s.
Everything was a blur. And a frustrating blur. He couldn’t remember anything. Nothing came to him when he saw the stranger’s face, nothing came to him when the stranger spoke his name, and nothing came to him at all. And it seemed that the stranger started to notice as well, the slow and sceptical realization creeping onto his features.
“What-? Jeraldy- what do you mean you ‘don’t know’?” The stranger asked slowly, annoyance - and most possibly suspicion - sinking into their voice. “‘Who are you’-? What are you talking about?
There were far too many questions he was being asked, and far too little answers in the air. He just wanted to rest; he was sleepy and tired and hurt and confused, and he didn’t somebody bombarding him with questions without answers.
“I don’t know.” He- Jeraldy- rasped, his voice on the verge of giving out. “I don’t know what you mean and I don’t know who you’re talking about. I don’t even know who I am. I need help.”
The stranger stared. And stared some more. He didn’t notice it at the time - but the stranger had taken their hands off his shoulders, conflicting emotions shifting through his expression.
“You’re joking. No- you’re not - you don’t- this isn’t funny, you know.” The stranger warned, glaring a little, as though it would make a difference. Feeling a little put on the spot, Jeraldy hastily shook his head, looking a little pathetic as he practically begged the stranger to believe him. “I don’t know. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what I’m doing or what I did. Please - I need help.”
A long, excruciating moment passed as the stranger observed him carefully, as though they were taking apart every single feature on his face to pry the truth from his mind. Either way, something must’ve clicked, he could’ve swore the stranger’s gaze softened by an inch- though likely out of pity, and offered a reluctant hand to him.
“Alright. We’ll deal whatever-“ They gestured vaguely at Jeraldy, “-this is later. You’ve got to be able to stand straight at least.”
His shaky hand fell into a firm grip as the stranger hoisted one of his arms over their shoulders, sparing Jeraldy of some extra effort to keep himself standing. He could hardly choke out any word of thanks at this point as he fell into another bout of coughing, though the overwhelming relief on his face illustrated his point nicely.
“Hey,” The stranger suddenly started, casting a mildly concerned look down at his struggling companion, “Take it easy, alright? You might rip something. Don’t pass out or anything, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to carry you all the way to the nearest village.”
Mustering a little bit more strength at the stranger’s motivation, Jeraldy peered back up at them, albeit squinting a little to block out the blinding sun.
“I-I… I didn’t catch… your n… name…?” He murmured, out of breath and through scratched lungs.
For a moment, he thought that the stranger hadn’t heard him, until they finally turned their head a little to meet his eyes. Looking uncertain for the first time since they had met, they replied in a strained voice. “You… don’t really need to know that. Just hang tight, alright?”
Not a clear answer in the slightest, but he didn’t have the energy to pry any further. So he responded to the situation the only way he could. He blacked out.